Before they were the Flora Islands, records had a different name for the archipelago—the Forbidden Lands. Across written history, references to the islands were shrouded in myth, fear, and superstition. It was said its shores were cursed, and any ship that ventured into its gray waters would never return to land. There was no life on the islands, with no trace of either humans or Pokémon. That much was known. The only sign of civilization were traces of ancient ruins spotted from the coastline.
Of course these could never be studied. Any bold enough to sail or fly within sight of the isles were turned back by unfavorable winds and waves and worse, if they ever came back at all. Over generations, the islands faded from scientific interest and the public conscience, accepted by many as a geographical enigma.
That was until a little over twenty years ago.
Edward Rose, a well-traveled man from an esteemed bloodline, had nursed a grand ambition from a young age. That dream took shape into a wonderful vision for the entire world; a true heaven on earth. Using his connections, he brought together a small group of like minded high-thinkers to embark on his daring project. They became known as the Flora Coalition, a group of visionaries, explorers, collectors, trainers, researchers, academics, businessmen, even poets and artists. Fools, as they were known by the press.
Flora Coalition Leaders
Edward Rose of Kalos, founder and project leader
Charles Hemlock of Kanto, head researcher of Lotus Labs
Holly Larch of Sinnoh, principal scientist at Lotus Labs
Benjamin Clover of Johto, president of Clover Company
Thomas Sable of Sinnoh, chief adviser and funder
Brandon Emery of Unova, leading expert on the so-called Forbidden Lands
Allan and Alexis Rowena of Johto, prominent philanthropists and physicians
Adam Bertram of Sinnoh, head of a private security firm
Levi Peters of Johto, trainer and academic
Aaron and Maria Brady of Sinnoh, anthropologists, explorers, and archaeologists
Owen Couch of Kalos, architecht
Sophia Paget of Kalos, psychic specialist
Evangeline Iris of Unova, journalist
Adriana Maylis, occultist
The Coalition got little attention from the media, and even among academic circles, the group's grandiose claims were scoffed at and dismissed. When their vessel, the S.S. Wisteria, beached at what would become known as Mistletoe Island, there was little fanfare outside of a small niche following.
Then the Flora Islands bloomed. In a span of just a year, it was as if the ancient darkness surrounding the islands was lifted. Land was developed, cleared, revitalized. Pokémon were introduced into the wild, flourishing in the vibrant and bountiful wilderness, and the Coalition's impossible dream became more and more real by the day. Around this time, Sophia Paget conceived the 'master' system, traveling the world to pick out, collect, groom, and mentor seventeen specialists, raising them into kings and queens of their chosen type.
Soon after they had their masters, they had their first champion. Julius Castor of Hoenn had joined the Coalition late, but he brushed away any doubts the other members may have had when he flawlessly defeated Paget and her disciples. Edward Rose crowned him champion of the region.
It wasn't long until settlements were cropping up along the shorelines, where before there had only been ruins and wilderness. A series of ads, interviews, commercials, and a full-length documentary demonstrating the archipelago's natural beauty and potential, presented by the young Sarah Reuter, brought the project into the public eye. The world's last frontier. Heaven on earth. A Pokémon paradise.
There isn't any other way to describe the global reaction except for 'enthralled.' The flood gates opened, donations and prospecting residents flooding in from all over the globe, and the rest, as they say, is history. Original leaders of the Coalition settled into their own roles all over the archipelago, the group disbanded now that their goal was complete. Even their original ship, S.S. Wisteria, was repurposed as a luxury cruise liner.
History's behind us. Who can say what the future holds?
