Tera Theory (Endgame Discussion and now DLC Spoilers)

[Battista]

A few weeks after Scarlet and Violet came out, quite a few Poketubers floated around variations of a similar theory that gained some traction in the community. The idea centered around Area Zero and the Paradox Pokemon, suggesting that they were not from the distant past/future as major in-game characters claim. Instead, the secret to Area Zero and the energy behind Terastalization is the ability to materialize....

A lot of the supporting evidence came from the Pokedex entries for the paradox mons, or their seeming contradiction to established lore. Since the DLC, I haven't seen as much speculation on these ideas though admittedly I've also not been checking as frequently. Is this still a popular idea? What do you think about the possibilities of it? Hopefully the Terapagos story will answer some of our questions.

 

[Nicolas721]

I support the theory. The looks of the paradox mons and their descriptions are very exaggerated and fantastical to the point some UBs look more normal in comparison. I could see the Donphan and Volcarona families having that progression but Cyclizar being a powerful beast at the beginning and end of times and average in the middle is hard to swallow.

The whole "imagination" hints also fit with the themes seen in previous generations that dreams and your desire of superation can do anything. Also, if the machine worked appropiately one would think the AI would be allowed to come back eventually, no?

 

[Dr. Turtwig MT]

If you want more possible evidence that supports the imagination theory, take a look at the Scarlet/Violet book in the library at the school specifically at the image of Heath and his Cyclizar. Notice just how big his Cyclizar is. It seems like it should easily be the same size as Miraidon and Koraidon. Also think about how the two strongest Paradox pokemon are both variants of Cyclizar. Also think about how Terastalization works it gives pokemon a new type but it feels a lot like a kid going "Now my pokemon has this type and is super effective against your pokemon". The thing I'm wondering about right now is if the indigo disk pokemon we saw in the trailer is acutally the baby of a parent pokemon.

 

[Silktree]

The fact that they're described as imagined creatures has to mean something. I think that the artist imagined a chimera, and Terapagos later realized it as three separate creatures. The oddity is that Ho-Oh hadn't even resurrected the beasts when the expedition took place (unless SV are set 50+ years after GSC).

Right now I view Terapagos as an artist (hence Indigo) that bounces ideas off people until it ends up with something it likes. Sada/Turo even wished AI versions of themselves into existence: "I need another set of hands, but could they be trusted? And how long would it take them to even understand? If only there were two of me."

Why was the second Koraidon/Miraidon so ferocious? Probably because Sada/Turo had been getting greedy and taking advantage of Terapagos (not to mention being a lousy parent). In short, they had it coming. Terapagos might have left at this point, entrusting the AI with the care of Area Zero. The place had become a mess, but Terapagos still loved its Paradox babies. What it failed to take into account was the AI still possessing fragments of Sada/Turo's desires.

Edit: Incidentally, I really dislike PokeTubers' theories on Area Zero. It's never a good idea to make a Pokemon theory convoluted just to have content to talk about.

Reminder that Cyclizar is known to have lived 10,000 years ago. That predates the normal forms of Groudon and Kyogre. Meanwhile, no fossils for past Paradox Pokemon have been found.

There is no explanation regarding the fabled time machine, either. Who caught the Paradox Pokemon? Let's just say that we've never seen a machine catch Pokemon before, let alone en masse. Also, why would a real Pokemon follow the commands of an AI?

 

[Blackjack Gabbiani]

Why would a real pokemon follow the commands of an AI? Wait, nobody questioned in the anime when Clembot served as a gym leader, but a robot that's visually indistinguishable from a human and includes their memories is somehow crossing a line?