March 16^th, 2005 (12:22am) - Do you know whether Zigzagoon is an appropriate choice to defeat Regirock in a head-to-head battle? If so, you’re the kind of person that Nintendo is looking for. The brains of North American Pokémon fans will be put to the test as thousands compete to see who knows the most about the ever-popular Pokémon phenomenon.

To celebrate the upcoming launch of the new Pokémon Emerald videogame for Game Boy Advance, the Pokémon Emerald Frontier Battle Brain contest invites Pokémon experts in the United States and Canada to test their knowledge against their fellow Pokémon geniuses. The top 14 Pokémon competitors will travel to Seattle (the Emerald City) to engage in an all-out, winner-take-all competition to win the trip of a lifetime: a trip for two to the Pokémon Park in Nagoya, Japan. Visitors to the Pokémon Emerald Frontier Battle Brain contest site also can enter for a chance to win an all-expenses-paid trip to Seattle to watch the final battle at the famous Space Needle.

"Pokémon fans are proud of their collections, and proud of their knowledge," says George Harrison, Nintendo of America’s senior vice president of marketing and corporate communications. "They don’t just play the games, they live them. Now they can pre-order a copy of Pokémon Emerald and we’ll give them VIP access to information that will help them hone their skills. We’ll welcome the best and brightest to the Emerald City, where they can put their Pokémon learning to good use to win great prizes."

Pokémon Emerald, Rated E for Everyone, will be available on May 1. Starting March 20, when buyers place a deposit for Pokémon Emerald at a participating retailer, they will immediately receive their Battle Gear:

A VIP card that gives the user online access to an exclusive Web site with unique content

A special collector’s tin case with enough room to hold important supplies like a Game Boy Advance SP and a Pokémon Emerald game pak

An official Frontier Battle Pass, a guide to the new, more challenging Battle Frontier of Pokémon Emerald

In addition to the pre-sell program, the Pokémon Emerald Frontier Battle Brain Contest will test fans’ knowledge of all things Pokémon. The United States and Canada will be divided into seven competitive "Frontiers." Fans can find what regional Frontier they can compete in and enter online at www.pokemon-games.com starting today. The contest will run in the following four stages:

First Round: An online quiz will require entrants to identify the name and type of 30 Pokémon randomly selected from a pool of all Hoenn Pokémon. Prizes include a Pokémon Emerald wallpaper download, and the eight entrants from each region who identify the most Pokémon in the fastest times will move on to the next round.

Second Round: During this online round, participants will be presented with the image of a Pokémon. They must select a Pokémon type to counter that Pokémon. Participants must know the different types of Pokémon and their strengths. Prizes include Pokémon Box storage systems for the GameCube, and the four entrants from each region who provide the most correct responses in the fastest times will move on to the next round.

Third Round: This online round will be in the same format as the second round. The top two winners from each region who provide the most correct responses in the fastest times will win a trip to Seattle to compete in the final round.

Final Round: The 14 finalists will compete in the Pokémon Emerald Frontier Battle Brain Contest at Seattle’s Space Needle. The champion wins a trip for two to the Pokémon Park in Nagoya, Japan.

More than six years after introduction in the United States, the Pokémon craze rages unabated. Pokémon videogames typically are million-plus sellers, and continue to rank among the top-selling games every year. Last year’s Pokémon Fire Red and Pokémon Leaf Green sold more than 2.4 million combined, and the Pokémon franchise has earned more than $15 billion worldwide.