Are Regional Pokédexes really regional?

[Maruno]

Has it ever occurred to you that the term "Regional Pokédex" is a misnomer?

Every region's Regional Pokédex contains a few Pokémon that simply aren't native to that region. For example, the only way to get a Jynx in Kanto is to trade for it, or to bring one over from Johto, yet it's listed in Kanto's Regional Dex. For that matter, Jynx can be found in the wild in Sinnoh (in the Snowpoint Temple in Platinum), yet it isn't in Sinnoh's Regional Dex.

And that's not getting into the business of all the Pokémon that are mysteriously only obtainable after the player gets a new Pokédex - how do they know to stay away if trainers aren't suitably equipped?

There are plenty of other examples, mostly (as mentioned) related to the National Dex upgrade. None of the starter Pokémon can be found anywhere in the wild, ever, yet they're always first in line for a Dex list.

What about Safari Zone Pokémon? Our zoos are filled with animals from all over the world, so can we assume any Safari Zone Pokémon are actually native to the region they're in?

And don't give me "they're native, just not in places the player can reach". That's an excuse, not a reason, and it still doesn't solve half the problem (i.e. native Pokémon that aren't listed).

Don't get me wrong here. I'm not complaining that the Regional Dexes are wrong and should be fixed. I'm simply wondering how different they would be if they listed all native Pokémon (as the name suggests) rather than the seemingly random selection of Pokémon they currently feature.

 

[Spikey-Eared Pichu]

Here's my opinion:

A "regional" PokeDex is a catalog of Pokemon that were first seen in said region. For this reason, the Kanto PokeDex has Jynx cataloged as being "native" because it was first seen in Kanto.

To explain Pokemon that appear after obtaining a National Dex, well, the most basic reason is that they arrived and colonized after you obtained the PokeDex. It may seem unlikely, but considering that Pokemon can breed and be born in times less than 30 minutes, it isn't entirely impossible.

 

[FL]

I thought about this before and agree.
A similar situation occurs with Sudowoodo. There only ONE in entire Johto and it's so common in Sinnoh (Pearl) and everybody call Sudowoodo a Johto pokémon...

To explain Pokemon that appear after obtaining a National Dex, well, the most basic reason is that they arrived and colonized after you obtained the PokeDex. It may seem unlikely, but considering that Pokemon can breed and be born in times less than 30 minutes, it isn't entirely impossible.

The faraway Isshu colonize thing it's so bizarre.

 

[Amore]

Lol.

Somebody once posted a theory about how Prof. Oak was secretly evil, raising Red and Blue so he'd get a pet trainer powerful enough to capture Mewtwo and other legendaries for him to borrow.

Maybe he dumps all his unwanted pokemon in these regions?

After all, aside from Hoenn (which has remarkably few extra pokemon outside of the Safari Zone), Prof. Oak gives you the National Pokedex in every region, so it's safe to assume he's linked to it.