Ruins of Alph

The Ruins of Alph (Japanese: アルフの Ruins of Alph) are located in Johto near Violet City, with entrances to the south of and west of. The ruins are filled with once any of the four slide puzzles inside the chambers have been activated. The name may come from the first four letters of "alphabet," which the inside represent.

If the player listens to the Pokégear radio while near or inside the ruins, they will hear strange noises known as Mysterious Transmission on channel 13.5. In, the player must be inside one of the chambers, and tuning the radio near the center will broadcast these noises. Some of those noises are actually 's distorted cries, and the melody of the Azure Flute. It also increases the chance of encountering an shape the player has not yet encountered.

Outside the ruins
There are several s in the area listening and studying the ruins to discover more about them. They say it is more than it seems and that the puzzles in the caves must have something to do with the mystery of the past of the Ruins of Alph.

In, if the player has an event-distributed or Hall of Origin in their party, the Sinjoh Ruins will be accessible from here.

Puzzle chambers
Four small chambers in the ruins hold slide puzzles that, when solved, cause the floor below the player to break, dropping the player into the underground hall of the ruins. The puzzles also cause to appear in the underground hall. Each puzzle corresponds to a specific subset of the 26 alphabetic forms of Unown. To unlock all 26 alphabetic forms, all four slide puzzles must be activated. The puzzles can be completed in any order. explains that these puzzles are signals that summon the.

In Generation II, catching three Unown and speaking to a researcher outside the ruins will cause him to unlock Unown Mode in the player's Pokédex. In, the first completed slide puzzle will cause a man to give the player the Unown Report. Once the first seven pages of the report are complete and the 26 alphabetic Unown forms have been caught, the ! and ? forms can be encountered in the entrance room.

In Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, each puzzle chamber has a word on the far wall that is a hint to unlocking a secret room. When the player completes a certain criterion, the secret room opens, revealing several items. Additionally, in these games, completing the slide puzzles reveals part of the history of Unown written on the floor of the underground hall. In the Japanese version of Crystal, a scientist theorizes that the sudden appearance of these patterns is related to the newly-built Pokémon Communication Center and the radio waves emanating from it.

The puzzles cause the following Unown to appear in the underground hall:

Upper-right entrance 1
The upper-right entrance 1, near the Route 36 entrance, requires no HMs to access. In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, the far wall reads escape upon inspection. Using an Escape Rope there opens a hidden room. In Crystal, the item is consumed and the player must re-enter the chamber in order to reach the hidden room. In HeartGold and SoulSilver, the item is not consumed and the room opens immediately.

The chamber's puzzle forms an image of. Completing this puzzle and falling through to the floor below reveals the following message spelled out on the ground in Unown: Our words shall remain here for the ages Our clan engraved words in this place

Lower-right entrance 1
The lower-right entrance 1 requires HM03 to cross the pond on the south side of the ruins. In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, the far wall reads light. Using HM05 will open the hidden room.

The chamber's puzzle forms an image of. Completing this puzzle and falling through to the floor below reveals the following message spelled out on the ground in Unown: Thus we shall erect a Pokémon statue outside Our clan created Pokémon statue outside

Upper-left entrance 1
The upper-left entrance 1 is accessible only from the basement of Union Cave, which requires HM03 to navigate. In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, the far wall reads Ho Oh. The hidden room will open if is the first Pokémon in the player's party in Crystal, or anywhere in the player's party in Generation IV.

The chamber's puzzle forms an image of. Completing this puzzle and falling through to the floor below reveals the following message spelled out on the ground in Unown: We humans must learn to walk in harmony with them. We depart for their sakes We humans need to walk with them. We leave here for the sake of them</sc>

Lower-left entrance 1
The lower-left entrance 1 is accessible only by moving a boulder in the basement of Union Cave, which requires HM03 to navigate as well as HM04. In Pokémon Crystal, HeartGold, and SoulSilver, the far wall reads water</sc>. In Crystal, the hidden room will open if the player has a Water Stone in their inventory, and in HeartGold and SoulSilver, it will open when the player selects "Use" on a Water Stone from the Bag while facing the wall. This act will not consume the item.

The chamber's puzzle forms an image of. Completing this puzzle and falling through to the floor below reveals the following message spelled out on the ground in Unown: They possess great insight and refuse the outside world</sc> They possess power to sense with mind and reject outside</sc>

Inside

 * The puzzle in the upper-right entrance 1 causes Unown A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, J, and K to appear.
 * The puzzle in the lower-left entrance 1 causes Unown L, M, N, O, P, Q, and R to appear.
 * The puzzle in the lower-right entrance 1 causes Unown S, T, U, V, and W to appear.
 * The puzzle in the upper-left entrance 1 causes Unown X, Y, and Z to appear.

Underground hall

 * The puzzle in the upper-right entrance 1 causes Unown A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, and J to appear.
 * The puzzle in the lower-left entrance 1 causes Unown K, L, M, N, O, P, and Q to appear.
 * The puzzle in the lower-right entrance 1 causes Unown R, S, T, U, and V to appear.
 * The puzzle in the upper-left entrance 1 causes Unown W, X, Y, and Z to appear.

Walking Pokémon effects
When interacting with walking Pokémon in, the Pokémon may occasionally show an altered mood specific to this location.
 * makes a strange sound, growls in a way that sounds almost like speech, and seems to be singing something. It also spins around in circles and sometimes stops moving.
 * All walking Pokémon, including Unown, gaze around restlessly and scratch at the ground as if searching for something. They stare intently at nothing and suddenly turn around, then may start barking. Happy emotions are seen as they look very interested and wander around listening to the different sounds.

In the anime
The Ruins of Alph appeared in Fossil Fools, where and  visited them, meeting  upon their arrival. Unlike the games, no were featured there. Instead, it was a site where multiple Fossils had been dug out. One of the scientists working at the site was Foster, one of Professor Oak's former top students at the Celadon University.

Foster's research laboratory is close to the site and includes museum exhibits and the Ancient Pokémon Study Park, a man-made environment designed to replicate conditions from two million years ago. The study park includes a robotic and a volcano. Foster hoped to open the study park within the next year to tourists. Several living and  had also decided to live at the park.

After Ash's query, the group made their way to a nearby reservoir, which was being pumped dry of water and its Omanyte and Omastar populations being stolen by. After rescuing the Fossil Pokémon, the group agreed that the ancient Pokémon should be left alone, and promised Foster not to tell anyone about them.

In the Pokémon Adventures manga
The Ruins of Alph first appeared in Into the Unown as the location where met Bugsy for the first time. He helped Bugsy rescue his research team who were trapped in the ruins, and also foiled a Team Rocket plan to capture the.

In Hurray for Heracross, while doing research at the ruins, Bugsy was challenged by, who was seeking a worthy Trainer to stand on its side during the upcoming confrontation with the Masked Man. Bugsy did his best, but in the end, he was unable to defeat and the Legendary Pokémon.

In the, Gold, having rescued Bugsy after Ecruteak City's Gym was destroyed by , chased Arceus towards the Ruins of Alph, where he also found an injured Lance. After leaving Lance in Bugsy's care, Gold confronted Arceus by himself. When and  soon arrived at the site, with Silver having managed to collect the 16 Plates from across Johto, Arceus transported the Pokédex holders to the Sinjoh Ruins, unintentionally bringing the four Team Rocket s along as well. Later, Arceus returned the Pokédex holders, Executives, Lance,, and Pryce to the Ruins of Alph.

In the, it was revealed that Archie and Maxie had appeared at the Ruins of Alph after their spirits had been pulled out of the Distortion World during the events of the HeartGold & SoulSilver chapter.

In the Pokémon Pocket Monsters manga
The Ruins of Alph appeared in Rampage at the Ruins of Alph!.

In the TCG
This listing is of cards mentioning or featuring the Ruins of Alph in the Pokémon Trading Card Game.

In other languages
Alph-Ruinen Ruinas Alfa Ruines d'Alpha Rovine d'Alfa アルフのいせき 阿露福遗迹