[THEORY] How It'll All Come Together In SM!

[Kallyle]

I've been thinking about what the Pokemon 20th Anniversary SM Teaser Trailer meant by the phrase "It all comes together," and I thought of the material that TPC has teased to us. Basically, due to those things, I've come to the conclusion that one of SM's plot points ties into a single question:

What defines a Pokemon?

Now, this may seem a bit left-field, but think about it for a second. Do we really have any clue as to what defines a Pokemon? To date, there are several Pokemon that contradict the true nature of a Pokemon:

• Mew: It is said to be the ancestor of all Pokemon. However, the existence of artificial Pokemon, as well as the DPPt dragons, Lake Trio, and Arceus say otherwise.
• As mentioned above, Pokemon like Porygon are artificial, yet they get the same classification as clearly animal-based creatures do. So, how does a sentient program get classified as a Pokemon? Is it just because Silph Co. says that their creation is one?
• The existence of Ghost-types, some Psychic-types, Fairy-types, and even folklore surrounding various Pokemon of other types seem to suggest a supernatural nature for Pokemon as a whole, but the existence of artificial Pokemon suggest differently. Plus, the fact that the Mythical Pokemon Volcanion supposedly has a supernatural organ is considered a big deal also brings this into question.
• Multi-bodied Pokemon like the mother and daughter Kangaskhan, Dugtrio (literally just three Digglett grouped together), and Slowbro (a Slowpoke who's tail is being suckled on by a parasitic Shellder) are counted as a single Pokemon somehow, even though the Pikedex entries treat them as different individual creatures for some reason.

Not only that, but recent events and promotional material for the Pokemon Anime, which exists to advertise the games, have two examples that fit this theme: Magearna and Zygarde (its cells and core).

First, let's start with Magearna. Its classification is the "Artificial Pokemon," which isn't that odd in itself since we have plenty of those. However, the fact that aspect of Magearna is emphasized is kind of weird. Not only that, but this Mythical Pokemon is said to contain a special item known as the "Soul Heart," and Volcanion apparently knows some sort of secret about Magearna. Maybe the secret has to do with how the heck this thing's a Pokemon?

Secondly, let's talk about Zygarde's cells and cores. Promotional material says that the Zygarde cells aren't even considered Pokemon, which makes sense given that they're just components of an actual Pokemon. However, we also have the individual Zygarde Cores that seem to get treated as separate individual Pokemon despite seemingly also parts of Zygarde's brain at the same time. So if the Zygarde Cores are seemingly counted as Pokemon, then why aren't the cells also considered as such? Seems like we're starting to see a pattern here.

Now that I have shown you the evidence that supports my theory, I'm going to comment on the implications. Basically, I feel like this would be a great way to tie everything together for the 20th anniversary without Game Freak throwing constant references and pandering at us. After all, it expands on a concept that's been present since the Japanese Red and Green releases: the nature of Pokemon!

Also, while Zygarde's individual lore with Kalos isn't going to be the main focus, this move allows Game Freak to develop Zygarde separately from its trio in a way that makes it part of something bigger. I don't think Game Freak has done that before with the trio master aside of shoving Rayquaza into the Mega Evolution plot. As much as I wish GF decided to go back and tie up Kalos' losses ends before quitting the third version tradition, including Zygarde into a concept such as my idea is way better than Pokemon Z would have been!

So what do you guys think about this idea for SM? Discuss!

 

[NoirGrimoir]

I don't even really see a theory here. I'm kind of confused.

But at any rate, I was thinking that "It all comes together" would mean that the XY/ORAS universe was going to fuse or in some way be connected with the other pokemon universe from the earlier games by way of Hoopa and the dials. With the virtual console for RGBY (part of the other universe) going to be compatible with Sun and Moon, this is the way to justify transfer between "dimensions". I also think the Looker in ORAS was not the XY/ORAS dimension's Looker who was seen in Kalos (especially since official timelines mean they happen at the same time, and in ORAS, Looker has developed amnesia), but rather is from the original dimension. I believe he will make a return and meet his other self, possibly as an important part of the plot, in Sun and Moon.

 

[JOESTAR*]

I think we might be looking to far into the phrase "It all comes together"

 

[Kallyle]

I don't even really see a theory here. I'm kind of confused.

The theory is that one of the themes of SM will be what classifies a Pokemon. So far, the term Pokemon has been used to describe everything from super-powered animals to computer programs to gods. With Magearna being the "Artifical Pokemon," and with the Zygarde Cells not being classified as Pokemon when there's been multi-bodied Pokemon before, not to mention the fact that the cores seem to count for some reason, I came to the conclusion that SM will attempt to explain what actually makes something a Pokemon.

 

[godiego]

but we already have a good idea of what a Pokemon is. they are, with the exclusion of microorganisms/bacteria/etc, essentially anything that isn't a human or a 'real world' animal. i think trying to explain what constitutes a Pokemon would raise more (a lot more) questions than it would answer.

 

[Arceus the Dragon]

I like to see loose ends like Zygarde's forms and The Original Dragon come together. Of course, we can't take the phase "it all comes together" too seriously.

 

[Esserise]

I don't even really see a theory here. I'm kind of confused.

But at any rate, I was thinking that "It all comes together" would mean that the XY/ORAS universe was going to fuse or in some way be connected with the other pokemon universe from the earlier games by way of Hoopa and the dials. With the virtual console for RGBY (part of the other universe) going to be compatible with Sun and Moon, this is the way to justify transfer between "dimensions". I also think the Looker in ORAS was not the XY/ORAS dimension's Looker who was seen in Kalos (especially since official timelines mean they happen at the same time, and in ORAS, Looker has developed amnesia), but rather is from the original dimension. I believe he will make a return and meet his other self, possibly as an important part of the plot, in Sun and Moon.

That seems like a lot of effort to go through just to say, "This is why you can transfer Pokémon between games."

 

[NoirGrimoir]

That seems like a lot of effort to go through just to say, "This is why you can transfer Pokémon between games."

Don't look at me, I'm not the one who wrote the plot for pokemon. They could have just retconned Hoenn having mega evolution, saying "just pretend mega evolution has been here all along," and not worried about continuity, but they didn't, probably because it would be interesting, not because they needed to. They purposefully emphasized that ORAS and XY are a different dimension and introduced Hoopa as a pokemon that can open wormholes between dimensions. It just kind of seems to fit together to me.

 

[Cainhxrst]

I still feel like the "It all comes together!" line was just PR, but on the chance that it was meant to a be taken as a hint, I'd like to think it means they've taken elements from every generation and included them in S/M.

 

[Esserise]

Don't look at me, I'm not the one who wrote the plot for pokemon. They could have just retconned Hoenn having mega evolution, saying "just pretend mega evolution has been here all along," and not worried about continuity, but they didn't, probably because it would be interesting, not because they needed to. They purposefully emphasized that ORAS and XY are a different dimension and introduced Hoopa as a pokemon that can open wormholes between dimensions. It just kind of seems to fit together to me.

Yeah, but the concept of alternative universes isn't exactly new to the franchise. What they do in the Delta Episode is essentially just a more visible, nostalgia-fueled variant of the Cell Battery microplot from BW, and not even really that, because at least with the Cell Battery, we see some limited communication between universes. All Zinnia does is talk about the other one.

I also don't see the comparison between transfers and Mega Evolution. Transfers have been around forever, and with little fanfare. It's always chalked up to either "time capsule" or "spacey-wacey stuff happens and then you play a minigame." But Mega Evolution was a revolutionary and highly-visible new mechanic that encompassed a significant share of the plot right from the beginning. It was a big plot mystery in XY, and evidently they must have felt that there was more to discuss about it in ORAS. But I don't think any fans really wonder how transfers work. The lipservice technobabble that they already give is sufficient - I don't think it's really enough to justify a big plot where they literally weld two whole universes together, and personally, I think that would only make things much more confusing.

I do, however, think that your idea about Looker, and about the one in ORAS being from another universe, is interesting. Certainly, I think that his amnesia is a very odd thing to include right after featuring him as his usual self in XY, and I really don't think that it was just thrown in to make a contrived Audino/"I don't know" pun. However, I should point out that XY and ORAS do not occur at the same time, as I think you are suggesting? I may not be understanding you clearly on that bit. But ORAS do take place some years before XY, so the Looker in ORAS *could* still be the one that we see in XY.

 

[Kallyle]

but we already have a good idea of what a Pokemon is. they are, with the exclusion of microorganisms/bacteria/etc, essentially anything that isn't a human or a 'real world' animal. i think trying to explain what constitutes a Pokemon would raise more (a lot more) questions than it would answer.

The part I bolded is exactly why this could be a possibility. The term Pokémon so far has just been a catch-all term for anything that is not a human or animal, which just makes the the nature of what a Pokémon is even more suspect. However, I see where you are coming form with how focusing on such a topic would cause more questions than answers, as it might confuse their target audience.

With all that being said,I doubt we'd get the full answer, as a little mystery creates lot of fun discussions, but I would like there to be a common link for all Pokémon, even if its just something like "they are all tied to Infinity Energy" or "all Pokémon just use different versions of the same power." I don't think we'll get a straight answer about what a Pokémon is, but I would like to know how researchers classify something as a Pokémon. What better time is there to do so than during something like the franchise's 20th anniversary?

Anyways, let's just agree to disagree!

 

[NoirGrimoir]

With all that being said,I doubt we'd get the full answer, as a little mystery creates lot of fun discussions, but I would like there to be a common link for all Pokémon, even if its just something like "they are all tied to Infinity Energy" or "all Pokémon just use different versions of the same power."!

We already know that 'Infinite Energy' is actually the life force of pokemon so this is basically confirmed. Mega evolution also seems to be powered by Infinite energy, which can be created either between humans and the pokemon they love and trust in the form of mega evolution, or by killing pokemon and taking their life force. Xerneas and Yveltal are manifestations of both of these forms of Infinite Energy--happiness and life, and suffering and death respectively. Xerneas is about giving and Yveltal is just taking. Lately I've been thinking that the reason the Sundial in Anistar city can power up your keystone and help you find mega stones is because it is a giant key stone on its own. If we get a moondial in the new region, I think it may do something similar, and allow you to find mega stones between 8AM and 9AM once it powers up your key stone.

I think in these new games, we will gain more understanding about infinite energy, mega evolution and where keystones and mega stones come from, and how they all relate to each other.

 

[Phoenixon]

Hmm I kinda see where this is going, and I do think it ties up to Mega Evolutions pretty well.... Which means another "question" that this generation might be about could, in the same vein, be:
What defines a Pokemon Trainer?
Which I think even sounds like it could do some good marketing... Given that this is the 20th anniversary and all, and in the trailer we already saw, we see many different kinds of people in the real world, all playing Pokemon...
Expanding on what @NoirGrimoir said, I think the answer to what defines a Pokemon Trainer in-universe would be related to this Infinite Energy stuff (note: I've only read about it on forums). Perhaps trainers are those that can connect with the energy of their Pokemon.... People also have energies, let's call it Human Energy, and the interaction between the Human and Infinite Energies is what makes a Pokemon trainer a Pokemon trainer. Maybe the same way XY were about giving/taking infinite energy, SM could be about giving/taking Human Energy (I mean their ability to train Pokemon, not their lives!!) Maybe the story revolves around a team that, like BW, takes away Human Energy from people so they can't train Pokemon any longer.... Maybe it ties in with the Legendary... The Protector.... Thousands of years ago, at a time when humans abused Pokemon (because of a war or something), Pokemon combined their Infinite Energies together to create the "soul" of the Protector Pokemon, who was then able to unchain those Pokemon from their humans... In time, humans and Pokemon would become friends again, so the Protector went into hibernation... Now, the evil team wants to awaken it... Because they want people to stop being Pokemon trainers.... Because they want the Pokemon to be used only for the Evil team's plan.... Which is to exploit their infinite energy... For their own selfish reasons.... Which is something like, ruling the world.....
I think I'm done