Re: Performing the Yami Shop glitch on a translated Pokémon Green rom
Posted by: Torchickens
Date: 2014-03-10 19:10:28
It seems strange that there are nine of these badges. This may conflict with this concept art, which shows eight locations with a large square; not nine, where areas with a large square are probably ones with a gym, due to Pallet Town and Indigo Plateau not having one (but there is also a large square surrounding the place that is now Cinnabar Island, so if we assume this theory is correct, we also have to assume that what is now Cinnabar Island didn't use to have a gym).
Who knows? Perhaps Professor Oak would give you the Friend Badge as the ninth badge (possibly after a battle) for recognizing that you are friends with your Pokémon, without you having to beat a gym for it, although if you did battle him it would be possibly even harder than a gym, and this would be backed up by his unused rosters being higher leveled than the final Blue. Alternatively, the ninth badge could have been intended out of the region.
There's a more apparent flaw in this "no gym for the ninth badge" theory though. The concept art was very early in development, and it's possible a ninth gym was added or considered some point in the game before the unused badge names were programmed in.