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The hard-boiled city that never sleeps.

Noire City is the city in the northwest corner of Tatsu, near Silence Lake and Vouslich Asylum. It is based loosely on the Canadian city of Montréal, and American cities in the 1920s and 30s. A modern metropolis, Noire has gained a reputation for its bustling nightlife and its gritty urban demeanor. It has a population of several hundred thousand people.

History[]

Noire was established as a western port town and trading post over 200 years ago, but soon grew to become much more than that. Industry eventually came to the town, and Noire received a huge boost in prosperity from Ironclad City two routes away. At the turn of the century, the steel industry led to a great number of high-rises appearing. Construction workers with Gurdurr at their side were a familiar site during this time.

During the early 20th century, Noire had built up a reputation as a rather strict and oppressive place to be. Bohemian-minded peoples moved to the southern peninsula to establish Dilentte Village as an alternative. Noire went through a Prohibition Era in the 1930s, during which the sale of alcohol was outlawed, and more people moved to Dilentte Village. For those who stayed, a black market began to flourish. This period inspired a genre called film noir, named after the city, and inspired tales of hardboiled detectives, sex, violence, mystery, Pokémon battles, and the realities of city life. Consequently, many books, films, and TV shows were set in the Noire Prohibition Era.

Underground battles[]

While the Prohibition Era has ended, Noire continues its reputation to this day, and for good reason. It has not escaped the crime problems of the other big cities in Tatsu, and illegal Pokémon fighting rings are abundant here. A group of trainers that prioritize money over their Pokemon gather secretly in back allies and carparks to bet on the outcome of brutal, sometimes lethal battles. There's a huge scene for it in Noire City, where the most powerful trainers are living off the winnings they make from battling just a few times a month.

The police can't do much about it as any kind of attempt at finding information on the meeting places or organizers has led to nothing but dead ends and rumors. One of the more interesting rumors floating around is that the head of the illegal battling circuit wears an orange suit and has an extremely strong Persian as a partner... but of course, that's all conjecture. (Enter Crobatman.)

Architecture and culture[]

The city seems to really come alive at night, as neon lights pop up all over the place. But no matter how bright their colors, they all seem to be drowned out by the surrounding darkness. A mix of historic and brand-new buildings make up Noire City's skyline. Most of the skyscrapers, similar to Black City in Unova, are black-colored, and indeed its name has essentially the same meaning as Black City. However, don't mistake the two - Noire has a character all its own.

The Old Noire section of the city is where much of the Prohibition Era activity occurred. The main streets of Noire are full of bright lights and are host to a chain of nightclubs, many of which are inaccessible to minors. However, one of these nightclubs is the Noire Gym, which is open to all ages. The gym leader there is Jérome, a Noire native and a black man who completely coincidentally uses Dark-type Pokémon.

The city's people are well-known for their fashion-mindedness. In the 20's, for example, many women wore Flapper fashions, and many men wore suits and fedora hats. These fashions never completely went out of style in Noire, though they are seen less than they used to be. Jazz was the predominant style of music in that era; it's now largely Eurobeat. Many people in the city speak French, a well-known romance language of the Pokémon world. It's one of multiple places rumored to be the hometown of Hearthome City gym leader Fantina in Sinnoh.

A wide variety of stray dark-type Pokémon inhabit the city and its surroundings. The dark/ice Sneasel is an especially frequent sight, thanks to the somewhat chilly temperature.

Trivia[]

  • While Noire City had a Prohibition Era, the real city of Montréal served as an escape from Prohibition for Americans.
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