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Pokémon Crystal Version is a role-playing video game developed by Game Freak and published by Nintendo for the Game Boy Color in Japan in 2000 and internationally in 2001. The game is an enhanced edition of the 1999 titles Pokémon Gold and Silver and the final of the second generation of games in the Pokémon franchise. Crystal featured several additions to the core gameplay of its predecessors, including additional story elements, a new Battle Tower area, the option to play as a female character, animation of Pokémon sprites during battles, and other minor fixes and improvements. The Japanese version of the game also utilized the capabilities of the Mobile System GB, a peripheral that allowed players to trade and battle over cell phones and a paid subscription service. These enhancements were enabled by the improved capabilities of the Game Boy Color, consequently it was the first game in the series to not be compatible with the Game Boy.

Released following the commercial success of Pokémon Gold and Silver, Crystal experienced similar commercial and critical acclaim, with the combined titles forming the best-selling game for the Game Boy Color and the third-best-selling game for the Game Boy family of handheld consoles. Critics praised Crystal for its additional features and improvements, whilst noting that many of the features in the non-Japanese version of the game, which lacked the Mobile System GB, were minor in nature. Retrospective assessment of Crystal has been highly positive, with several critics noting the game's introduction of a range of features that would become commonplace in later iterations of the Pokémon franchise, and its role in maintaining interest during a waning period for the franchise.

Similar to Pokémon Gold and Silver, Pokémon Crystal is a role-playing video game where players navigate a fictional world by capturing, training, and battling with Pokémon. In addition, Crystal enhances aspects of Gold and Silver, providing cosmetic and gameplay improvements. The visual presentation of Crystal is enhanced through the animation of Pokémon sprites when first encountered in battle, the inclusion of signposts appearing on the screen when entering a new area, and a range of minor graphical enhancements to various locations in the game. It includes the ability to select one of two player characters, adding Kris, a female trainer, with a unique sprite. The game introduces a Battle Tower, a new stadium that allows players to battle a series of seven trainers with three Pokémon set at customizable maximum levels to win prizes.

Although Game Freak released a game called Pokémon X for the Nintendo 3DS in 2013, the tentative title for a game similar to the Japanese version of Pokémon Crystal with planned support to connect to a mobile phone and set for an April 2000 release was also Pocket Monsters X (ポケットモンスターＸ), according to multiple sources such as an Asahi Shimbun news article from December 1999.

Early Design: Pocket Monsters Crystal official Japanese Logo.

Official Map Artwork : Johto

Pokémon Johto Region

The Johto region (Japanese: ジョウト地方 Johto region)

Johto is a region connected to the western part of Kanto. It was introduced in Generation II, Pokémon Gold, Silver, and Pokémon Crystal, later seen in their remakes, HeartGold and SoulSilver. The third, fourth, and fifth seasons of the anime were also set there. In the games, all its cities either have plant-themed or color-themed names. Johto is mainly based on Western Japan, especially the Kansai region of Japan, with some elements of Chūbu and Shikoku. There are old-fashioned cities reminiscent of Nara and Kyoto and a modern commercial city reminiscent of Osaka. Some inhabitants speak the Kansai dialect in the Japanese releases of the game.

The mythology surrounding the Johto region features Ho-Oh, the Rainbow Pokémon guardian of the skies, and Lugia, the Diving Pokémon guardian of the seas, who previously perched on the Bell and Brass Towers respectively in Ecruteak City. When the Brass Tower burned down in a storm, Lugia flew away, and three Pokémon died in the process. Ho-Oh revived these Pokémon, creating Raikou, Entei, and Suicune. Lugia's home, the Whirl Islands, were also created when the Pokémon dispelled a war over a singular island, splitting it into four islands and making them its home, producing powerful whirlpools to protect itself. Celebi, the Time Travel Pokémon, also calls Johto its home, residing in the Ilex Forest where it brings Pokémon and Trainers forward and back in time.

100 previously unknown Pokémon reside in Johto. In the Generation II games, the player character's hometown is New Bark Town, where they can choose either Chikorita, a grass type, Cyndaquil, a fire type, or Totodile, a water type as his/her first Pokémon.

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