6th Gen Spoilers spoiler spoiler spoiler. Pokemon Time line

[MrGriszell]

For people saying that X/Y is in the same timeline as the GBA/DS games:
That's actually impossible because according to Zinnia, the Kalos war never happened in the non-mega timeline, and thus the Ultimate Weapon was never created and AZ would have never attained immortality.

OR/AS and X/Y occur in the same timeline simply because:
1) Mega Evolution exists
2) Both sets of games confirm that the Kalos war occurred 3000 years ago.
3) X/Y's story is impossible to happen without the Kalos war, as according to Zinnia, the war never happened in the other timeline

As for people saying "oh but how come Mega's were just discovered in X/Y" that's not exactly true, it was only Sycamore who was just discovering them. Lysandre, Diantha, and Korina have been using Mega Evolution for god knows how long; they've known about it for a while.

"Then how come OR/AS has more mega stones than Kalos??" That doesn't mean anything, it just means for some reason Hoenn had more stones lying around than Kalos. Has absolutely no effect on the timeline.

And again, let me stress that it is literally impossible for X/Y to happen in the same timeline as the Gen 3-5 games, because in the Gen 3-5 games timeline, the Kalos War never happened (Zinnia outright says this), and Mega Evolutions don't exist in that timeline. Because the war would have never happened, AZ never gained immortality and the Ultimate Weapon was never created, so basically the entire plot of X/Y is impossible to happen in the non-Mega timeline.

As for that one tweet where that Game Freak writer guy said X/Y happens during B2/W2, I think it now means they take place at relatively at the same point in time, but during their own respective timelines. Also notice how he deleted that tweet.

Lol that's exactly what I've been saying , why doesn't anyone read what I say 😭😭😭😭😭😭😭😭lol

 

[Altairis]

I mean, I don't really think Pokemon timelines mean much, like Mega Evolution was advertised as "newly discovered" in XY because Gamefreak needed some way to introduce it to long-time fans and put some sort of "explanation" as to why it wasn't in previous games. Also, if the Pokemon universe already knew everything about Mega Evolution, then this also implies that they would know about significantly more Mega Evolutions, rather than just 50. By saying the Pokemon universe "doesn't know anything about Mega Evolution yet" leaves Gamefreak room to create more Megas with each game.

ORAS has Mega Evolutions, despite the fact that RSE was supposed to be before XY in the timeline or whatever, because Gamefreak can't release a game without Mega Evolution after XY. It would just be a massive waste, especially because there aren't dozens and dozens of Mega Evolutions, there are just 50.

Zinnia specifically mentioned an alternate timeline/world that was the exact same as the one that OR/AS takes place in, only Mega Evolution hadn't been discovered. Also the fact that Archie or Maxie (depending on the version) further hint at it at the Battle Resort by saying that in a different world they would have tried to awaken Groudon/Kyogre themselves.

I believe that this is two different "alternate universes." The first you mention, Hoenn without Mega Evolution, is obviously referencing Ruby and Sapphire. The second one with Archie and Maxie is referencing whichever version you're not playing.

 

[zingzags]

In the delta episodes Zinnia states that their is an alternate universe where the weapon AZ made did not exist. But it did in X and Y, and in ORAS. Also AZ visited the Hoenn region (there are some npcs that talk about him, and Wallace's master tells him that the tree near the Cave was brought by AZ from Kalos).

 

[RandomDSdevel]

… Saying mega stones can come from a meteor and an evolutionary stone exposed to Xerneas or Yveltal's power is quite contradictory and really makes no sense once you remember that there have been meteor strikes in Sinnoh's Veilstone city that contain nothing, look like regular meteorite, and only affect Deoxys. Also the stones themselves look like marbles. How do you get shiny marbles from meteorite shards? ._.

…

Wouldn't the meteorite in question be partially vaporized upon impact? In that case, little globules of molten rock could then splash everywhere.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________

The way they seem to put it is that each game that involves mega evolution ( AZ's war) are set in the same time.

I'm a huge fan of Star Trek so the subject of alternate timeline is not only very easy for me to understand but also fun to learn about. I'm actually gonna write an article about the subject today.

I get that but there's still a lot of continuity errors between ORAS and X and Y; namely that the causes for mega evolution are different, that mega evolution awareness has considerably decreased, and that certain mega evolutions like Mega Pidgeot and Mega Diancie have simply vanished. Either mega evolution seems to be decaying somehow in X and Y, or X and Y take place in the same timeline as the rest of the games instead of ORAS. Or the continuity errors are a result of the timeline being fractured, which may imply timeline B is unstable... or inherently broken from the start. I have to wonder just how the timelines diverged; did some kind of cataclysm cause this? Is a Pokemon other than Arceus responsible for this timeline? Is this timeline broken and unstable, and headed for disaster?

Well, that's just great: some years ago, I wrote Nintendo about an idea I had for a new pair of Pokémon games where some new evil team manages to separate the human and Pokémon worlds like Ghetsis wanted to, thereby both creating a new universe like the one Cyrus wanted and creating instability in the multiverse, and now GameFreak seems to have copied it even though Nintendo specifically states the following here on its FAQ page:

…

How can I submit my game idea?

Nintendo has some of the most devoted, enthusiastic fans of any game developer. Each week, we receive hundreds of questions and suggestions about our games and systems. While we would love to use ideas from fans to develop actual products, due to the volume of requests we receive and the resources it would take to process them, we do not accept unsolicited game or product ideas. As a company committed to being on the leading edge of game and hardware development, though, you can be sure that we are constantly at work developing new and exciting product and game ideas.

If you are an avid gamer who's interested in a career in video game design, but maybe you lack some of the programming experience, the DigiPen Institute of Technology might be a great place to start. The DigiPen program is an accredited, college-level program that teaches its students how to program and design for today's demanding video game applications. For more details on DigiPen's curriculum, please visit www.digipen.edu.

Please note: If you represent an established video game developer looking for information on getting your products licensed by Nintendo, please email us for assistance, by clicking here.

…

I was going to write in again to see if there might be any way for me to reserve my game idea for future use in a collaborative manner, but the game is apparently now afoot. Hopefully, GameFreak got the idea for that possibility that part of the Pokémon franchise's story might someday involve parallel universes either from somewhere other than my original letter or, if that was shared with the company, was simply inspired by the general premise I laid out in it. In that case, then my original proposal, which also included a region map, is still safe. Either way, though, I need to get around to digitizing what documentation I have created for this little project of mine over the years and posting it somewhere public. But that's enough of my ranting on about improbable circumstances…

 

[Bayleefshine]

I agree with the above poster completely.

However I really don't like the idea of a different timeline. After playing Delta Episode, I get this creepy Zelda vibe going on and I don't like it one bit. I kinda liked the fact that I was revisiting Hoenn, going back home to the game I grew up with. Only to find out that it's not even the same Hoenn but a completely different Hoenn that follows a different path. Meh...

I'm actually the opposite of this. I wanted someting new, not a rehash of RSE.

 

[Malters Machuchu]

I think the stuff about a parallel timeline is a way to side-canon all original games once they're remade. It's nicer than saying they never existed. Once, for example, the Sinnoh games have a Mega Evolution remake the original games become part of the parallel, original timeline.

Mega Evolution wasn't nearly as "newly discovered" in X and Y as some people suggest. Even in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire it still seems pretty obscure. Both games establish that it has been used for centuries. The existence of the Tower of Mastery in Kalos means that it's been known about for a long time. The fact that the Champion of Kalos who was also a famous actress used Mega Evolution contradicts its obscurity as well. It just seems to be that until X and Y few people have actually studied the topic. Professor Sycamore was clearly passionate while most other people either just accepted that Mega Evolution was a thing, or didn't even know it existed. In my headcanon Sycamore learnt about Mega Evolution through Professor Rowan since he is said to have learnt from him in the past, and Rowan's field of study is evolution itself.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

So, this means B2W2 concludes the original timeline? Makes sense, considering we had the PWT which was a festive tournament with all the gym leaders and Champions.

Also, this practically confirms we may see a remake of Sinnoh in the future.

I think so too. I also think that Crystal Concluded the first timeline in the games, with RS introducing a timeline where the Johto Pokémon, Steel and Dark types were already discovered in addition to the recent discovery of Hoenn Pokémon. After that Sinnoh-Johto have the discoveries of another 110 or so mons, and BW adds another 150 or so mons then the conclusion.


However what this means for Kanto, Johto, Sinnoh, and Unova which takes place in between would be interesting as they need to retcon the games again to add Gen VII mons. I think considering the mention of the PWT in the OrAs post game that Z or what ever comes next will conclude the Gen VII timeline.

 

[Pinkie-Dawn]

For people saying that X/Y is in the same timeline as the GBA/DS games:
That's actually impossible because according to Zinnia, the Kalos war never happened in the non-mega timeline, and thus the Ultimate Weapon was never created and AZ would have never attained immortality.

OR/AS and X/Y occur in the same timeline simply because:
1) Mega Evolution exists
2) Both sets of games confirm that the Kalos war occurred 3000 years ago.
3) X/Y's story is impossible to happen without the Kalos war, as according to Zinnia, the war never happened in the other timeline

As for people saying "oh but how come Mega's were just discovered in X/Y" that's not exactly true, it was only Sycamore who was just discovering them. Lysandre, Diantha, and Korina have been using Mega Evolution for god knows how long; they've known about it for a while.

"Then how come OR/AS has more mega stones than Kalos??" That doesn't mean anything, it just means for some reason Hoenn had more stones lying around than Kalos. Has absolutely no effect on the timeline.

And again, let me stress that it is literally impossible for X/Y to happen in the same timeline as the Gen 3-5 games, because in the Gen 3-5 games timeline, the Kalos War never happened (Zinnia outright says this), and Mega Evolutions don't exist in that timeline. Because the war would have never happened, AZ never gained immortality and the Ultimate Weapon was never created, so basically the entire plot of X/Y is impossible to happen in the non-Mega timeline.

As for that one tweet where that Game Freak writer guy said X/Y happens during B2/W2, I think it now means they take place at relatively at the same point in time, but during their own respective timelines. Also notice how he deleted that tweet.

But that doesn't make any sense, because according to Game Freak's twitter account, XY takes place in the same timeline as Gen 3-5 games. What Zinnia is referring to may be a third timeline, since ORAS is its own thing, which could be either the original R/B/G/Y and G/S/C games (explaining how Dark and Steel types were newly discovered) or a different timeline all together.

 

[OmegaRuby and AlphaSapphire]

Perhaps XY are a part of the 3-5 timeline which would explain why XY have Mega Evolution as Kalos only. They could make Z be a part of the ORAS timeline. In the ORASZ timeline it could have been known for a long time. Thinking of a Hoenn in the RGBYGSC timeline is interesting to say the least.

 

[SnowpointQuincy]

Key Stones form a bond between trainer and pokemon. Key Stones might come from Outer Space/Meteors connected to Deoxys- a Psychic Pokemon. The Key Stone forms a Psychic bond with your pokemon.

A Mega-Stone contains the life energy of a pokemon. Each specific to a species. Suggesting an Absolite literally contains numerous Absol Souls. They were created by the weapon. Coincidentally, Deoxys was created when the weapon hit a meteorite.

(Although... Mewtwo has not one but two mega stones. There is only one true Mewtwo. But there are multitudes of failed clones... But the war happens much earlier...)

 

[ggctuk]

There's one small detail that has been overlooked... Zinnia says that Infinity Energy was never discovered in the other timeline. But you're also told that Infinity Energy powers the warp panels you encounter in the game. Warp panels have been there from the start, so either Infinity Energy exists in some state in the other time line, but is not useable in the same fashion as it is in XYORAS, or there's another mechanism at work there.

 

[Mago Luis]

It was very interesting to learn about this. It gave me a few things to think about.

How much do the Draconids know? Zinnia mentions they have observed another world: a single other world where the Kalos war never happened. Maybe the Draconids from Alpha Sapphire only know about the Hoenn from the original Sapphire, and the ones from Omega Ruby only know there is an alternate timeline with the Ruby Hoenn in it. Or maybe the Draconids from both versions observed the Emerald Hoenn, where Rayquaza once again stops the battle between Groudon and Kyogre.

Do the Draconids know about the other version from this generation? Does Zinnia know that in a similar world, another her joined Team Magma instead of Team Aqua (or the other way around), to try reviving the other Pokémon? Maxie and Archie consider this kind of alternate world, but do not seem to really believe in it.

Zinnia also mentions that her people know Mega Evolution causes distortions. Maybe it even affects the timelines in which it hasn't been discovered, and the different versions with slightly different events are a result of Mega Evolution. And since we know that in one of the timelines the Kalos war never happened, the first split must have happened before Mega Evolution was possible. If Mega Evolution causes small distortions that lead to changes between versions, maybe an event other than Mega Evolution, but at least as powerful as it, would have happened some time before the war started, splitting the timeline.

Another possibility is that the original split was caused by time travelling. Maybe someone, at some point, travels back in time to prevent the war from happening and succeeds, leading to a timeline where Mega Evolution has not been discovered.

Finally, from what Zinnia said about the Space Center's plan, it seems people from the Kalos war timeline may not be far from developing the technology to allow humans to visit the non-Mega timeline. Apparently they can already send a meteorite through a one-way warp to the other Hoenn with some preparation. How long could it be until those scientists discover the other Hoenn and manage to create a way for humans to reach it?

 

[Twilight-kun]

X&Y take place as the same time as Black and White 2, which takes place 2 years after Black and White, which happen a few years after HG/SS-Platinum, which takes place 3 years after Firered/Emerald

ORAS is an alternate timeline, where Wattson didn't give up on upgrading Mauville

 

[ShadowSlashz]

I think the next game will have a plot based around Zygarde and Hoopa and somehow we will be visiting looker in the battle frontier (as Z will most likely be set a few years later) and hints are alluded towards the BF being built. Z could be another gold and silver as we can start off in Kalos and go to Hoenn vice-versa with Juan as a gym leader and battle tents and Wallace as champion!


Some people will think this is a bit farfetched but knowing game freak anything could happen.

 

[Malters Machuchu]

Professor Cozmo implies that the events of Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire jump-started the events of X and Y. He says that he has an "old friend" in the Kalos region whois researching Mega Evolution and the incidents that occurred in Hoenn will further his research, and that one day he will task new Trainers to help him discover more about Mega Evolution. I have played through X and Y several times and I don't recall a moment where Mega Evolution is classified as a new thing, either. Considering one of Kalos' major landmarks is an old building ties into the Mega Evolution mythology and the fact that the Champion of Kalos, who is also a famous movie star, uses Mega Evolution, contradicts its newness. One of the Gym Leaders uses and and her family know a lot about it. In the Sinnoh games Professor Rowan says that he is researching the big mystery that is evolution itself. Does that mean evolution is newly discovered? If every instance of the word "Mega" was removed from X and Y no one think the game treat it as a new thing. It only seemed that way because it was new to us, and the games lampshade that fact. For comparison, even if Mega Evolution was discovered, say, 30 years ago by the time of X and Y, it would still be considered "new" if so little was known about it. In real life there's things that humans discovered a few decades ago but, since they're so obscure, they're still treat like new discoveries.

As for the origin of Mega Evolution as presented in both X and Y and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, I don't think ever spelled out clearly. It's ambiguous. I swear, in the Hoenn remakes alone at least 3 different explanations are given: tied to Primal Reversion and natural energy in the earth, came from a meteor that hit Hoenn, or came from the Kalos Ultimate Weapon that was fuelled by the energy of dead things. I count at least 2 different explanations in the Kalos games: came from the energy of the Mortality Duo, came from the Kalos Ultimate Weapon that was fuelled by dead things. It's supposed to be ambiguous. They're all just theories. Following the Weather Trio incident in Hoenn there's suddenly loads of Mega Stones appearing all over Hoenn, which implies they're tied to the natural energy in the Earth, which could be and likely is the same energy possessed by the Kalos Mortality Duo seeing their deep connection to the energies that define life and death.

I think the next game will have a plot based around Zygarde and Hoopa and somehow we will be visiting looker in the battle frontier (as Z will most likely be set a few years later) and hints are alluded towards the BF being built. Z could be another gold and silver as we can start off in Kalos and go to Hoenn vice-versa with Juan as a gym leader and battle tents and Wallace as champion!


Some people will think this is a bit farfetched but knowing game freak anything could happen.

Would this be as far fetched as Team Magma and Aqua teaming up with a mysterious girl who comes from a clan of Rayquaza worshippers, and all of them helping you ride Rayquaza into space where you both then battle Deoxys because the meteorite it was travelling within was ready to impact and destroy the planet? And the reason you do this is because the mystery girl figures that if you teleport the meteorite to another place, it would end up in the world of the original Hoenn games and destroy that world? While among these events the Ghost-type legendary Hoopa is summoning other legendaries from all over time and space to present day Hoenn? You're far from far-fetched.

 

[Mago Luis]

As for the origin of Mega Evolution as presented in both X and Y and Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, I don't it's never spelled out clearly. It's ambiguous. I swear, in the Hoenn remakes alone at least 3 different explanations are given: tied to Primal Reversion and natural energy in the earth, came from a meteor that hit Hoenn, or came from the Kalos Ultimate Weapon that was fuelled by the energy of dead things. I count at least 2 different explanations in the Kalos games: came from the energy of the Mortality Duo, came from the Kalos Ultimate Weapon that was fuelled by dead things. It's supposed to be ambiguous. They're all just theories. Following the Weather Trio incident in Hoenn there's suddenly loads of Mega Stones appearing all over Hoenn, which implies they're tied to the natural energy in the Earth, which could be and likely is the same energy possessed by the Kalos Mortality Duo seeing their deep connection the the energies that define life and death.

I'm not sure what to think about Mega Evolution having different origins. That's one very interesting thing I hadn't considered. At least we know that Mega Evolution is only known in this timeline, so its origin should be tied to some specific event after the timeline split.

And that's another thing. I'm assuming that these are alternate timelines split from a common past, but they could also be different universes that just happen to contain similar planets with similar histories.

 

[Twilight-kun]

The Infinity Energy released during Primal Kyogre/Groudon's awakening is probably why so many Mega Stones showed up (Although there's quite a few you can find before the event)

Later on, you learn that the Primal Pokémon have surfaced many times over the course of history, so that might explain why Mega Stones pop up all over Hoenn

Heck, they might even simply be inactive until receiving stimulus, either from proximity to a Key Stone or a wave of energy

 

[Khaotic Kebab]

Fan theories are always so interesting. We have great minds (not patting myself on the back at all here)!

 

[Circuit]

There's no reason that Mega Evolution can't come from multiple sources. The energy from Yveltal/Xerneas, from Primal Groudon/Kyogre, and from the meteorite that powers Rayquaza's Mega Evolution. All of these could be various types of energy all of which stimulate a Pokémon to Mega Evolve, and perhaps we'll even see different ways of Pokémon being able to Mega Evolve in the future, besides use of the Mega Stones but with some other source of energy and bonding between the Trainer and Pokémon. It could be quite interesting to see evil corporations abusing these various energies in different ways.

Secondly, although in OR/AS it is said that Mega Evolution has been used since the war for Rayquaza to stop the meteorite, that doesn't mean the knowledge was shared. The Draconids seem a very cut-off society, and perhaps were reluctant to share the secret of Mega Evolution for the very reason that those with impure hearts may attempt to abuse the power?

On a spin-off at this point, this could potentially link into Pokémon Colosseum and the Shadow Pokémon maybe a result stemming from secret research into Mega Evolution, turned the other way. Mega Evolution is a greater power resulting from the bond between Trainer and Pokémon, and a Shadow Pokémon is formed by making a Pokémon unable to bond with it's Trainer. Perhaps the Shadow Pokémon research was started because Trainers wanted a way to increase their Pokémon's power, without the need for a Mega Stone or the time spent bonding with a Pokémon... That's just a thing.

Thirdly, in X/Y people keep repeating that Mega Evolution was 'newly discovered' but it wasn't THAT new. Quite a few people knew about it. The Champion, Professor Sycamore and Lysandre for three examples. There is also the whole Lucario story, and the Gym Leader (can't remember her name right now) can also use Mega Evolution. You are asked by Professor Sycamore to study it because it's noted that you have an incredibly close bond with your Pokémon, iirc. That shows at least some decent understanding of Mega Evolution, and if it was newly discovered then there would be next to no understanding as to how it functioned.

 

[Mago Luis]

The Infinity Energy released during Primal Kyogre/Groudon's awakening is probably why so many Mega Stones showed up (Although there's quite a few you can find before the event)

Later on, you learn that the Primal Pokémon have surfaced many times over the course of history, so that might explain why Mega Stones pop up all over Hoenn

Heck, they might even simply be inactive until receiving stimulus, either from proximity to a Key Stone or a wave of energy

There's no reason that Mega Evolution can't come from multiple sources. The energy from Yveltal/Xerneas, from Primal Groudon/Kyogre, and from the meteorite that powers Rayquaza's Mega Evolution. All of these could be various types of energy all of which stimulate a Pokémon to Mega Evolve, and perhaps we'll even see different ways of Pokémon being able to Mega Evolve in the future, besides use of the Mega Stones but with some other source of energy and bonding between the Trainer and Pokémon. It could be quite interesting to see evil corporations abusing these various energies in different ways.

I agree with all of this. What I find odd is that all of these separate events that led to Mega Evolution only happened in this alternate world.

If the Kalos war had been the one source of Mega Evolution, then what Zinnia said about it not happening in the other timeline would explain why Mega Evolution is undiscovered in it. But now we know there are multiple sources of Mega Stones, as well as different ways of triggering Mega Evolution.

That's what puzzles me. That none of the other events that could lead to the discovery of Mega Evolution happened on the non-Mega timeline. Even if the Kalos war didn't happen, shouldn't at least Groudon and Kyogre still have been able to Primal Reverse, since the energy required for that transformation comes from a different source than the energy Mega Evolution uses? It also seems that meteorites aren't as common in the non-Mega timeline.