Again, the introduction of a new generation of Pokemon came bout with the reveal of a new Pokemon in the anime. The Pokemon was introduced during episode 205, "The Kecleon Caper". Soon after Kecleon was revealed other Pokemon showed up in a Pikachu short. They were Wynaut, Azurill, Duskull, and Volbeat. Wailmer, Latios, and Latias had roles in the fifth Pokemon movie. During the Silver Conference at the end of the Johto season, Ash battles Harrison a trainer from Hoenn, the region from generation three. With all these introductions, fans started speculating about the new generation of Pokemon. 
Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire were released in Japan on November 21, 2002 on the Game Boy Advance system. There were more Pokemon revealed in this generation than there was in generation 2 with 135 new Pokemon added to the lineup. There were also many new features introduced on these games. They were contests, double battles, and that each Pokemon could have a specific ability and nature. Also, Team Rocket was not in this game. Instead two new teams were the antagonists for our main heroes. They were Team Aqua and Team Magma. This generation introduced specific weather conditions and it was the first set of games to not be compatible with the previous games due to the significant changes they made.
The anime also started a new series. Instead of the show just being called Pokemon, it was called Pokemon: Advanced Generation. This series started in Japan on the same day that they released the games. This series introduced two new main characters, May and Max to Ash's journey. Brock also joined Ash, but Misty did not resume her role as a main character. Pokemon movies six and seven were released during this series of the anime. They were Jirachi: Wish Maker and Destiny Deoxys.
Pokemon may have been popular in the United States, but it was not nearly as popular here as it was in Japan. A show called Weekly Pokemon Broadcasting Station debuted October 15, 2002. Its stories, instead of focusing on Ash would focus on other characters of the anime such as Misty, Brock, and Tracey. Parts of this show were eventually dubbed into English in May 2005. The newly titled show was called Pokemon Chronicles.
This generation of Pokemon also introduced many spin-off games. The first of these was Pokemon Box Ruby and Sapphire. This was not really a game, but additional storage to be used with your Pokemon Ruby and Sapphire. It could store an additional 1,500 Pokemon. Other games that came out were Pokemon Channel and Pokemon Pinball: Ruby and Sapphire. Finally, fans could also get a taste of Pokemon in a 3D environment. Pokemon Colosseum. This game introduced players to a new region, Orre, and introduced shadow Pokemon to the growing Pokemon universe. This was also the first game to allow you to use an evolved Pokemon as a starter (when Pikachu was a starter, Pichu wasn't revealed yet). You could choose either to start with Espeon or Umbreon.
The creators of Pokemon decided that they wanted to give newer fans of Pokemon a chance to replay some of the older classics. They released Pokemon FireRed and LeafGreen on the Game Boy Advance. This game revisited the original games and the Kanto region. It also introduced the Sevii Islands. Also, just like in previous generations, they made a third game in the Hoenn saga. Pokemon Emerald was released on September 16, 2004 in Japan and May 1, 2005 in North America. This game introduced the Hoenn Battle Frontier, the chance to rebattle gym leaders, and different animations for all the Pokemon.
To go along with these new games, the television show also traveled back to Kanto. Ash battled the Battle Frontier there. During this season, two new movies were produced. They were Lucario and the Mystery of Mew and Pokemon Ranger and they Temple of the Sea. They then released new spin-offs like Pokemon Dash, Pokemon Trozei!, and a sequel to Pokemon Colosseum, Pokemon XD: Gale of Darkness. Players also got their chance to play as a Pokemon for the first time ever when Pokemon Red Rescue Team and Pokemon Blue Rescue Team on the Game Boy Advance and Nintendo DS. Another new concept was introduced where players were Pokemon rangers instead of Pokemon trainers in the game Pokemon Ranger.
In 2006, Pokemon celebrated its 10th anniversary. To celebrate, they released a CD titled Pokemon X: 10 Years of Pokemon and a traveling expo called Journey Across America. A special titled The Mastermind of Mirage Pokemon was introduced and the new Pokemon Trading Figure Game debuted.
That is three generations down and two to go. Pokemon has lasted ten years and does not show any sign of stopping.
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