Pokedex "Plot Hole"

[eevulpes]

Curious, as there is vastly more Pokemon content available than I have consumed, but has there ever been an in-universe explanation for why the Pokemon appear as they do?

For example, I've seen various forms of the joke about Professor Oak being a Pokemon "expert", only to go on to say, "Sorry, there aren't 150, there's 151. I mean, there's 1,025 and some of the ones I already knew about have Regional forms." And with each subsequent generation, Pokemon from any preceding generation might appear but the reverse isn't true. For practical reasons, this all makes perfect sense and it's not a flaw in the universe by any means. I'm just curious if they've ever attempted to explain it away with something.

 

[Devalue]

Kind of? Designed the Pokedex more as a means of recording what you see, rather than an already existing database. Sounded incomplete back in Red/Blue/Yellow. Clearly had more to find.

To make a complete guide on all the Pokémon in the world… That was my dream! But, I'm too old! I can't do it! So, I want you two to fulfill my dream for me! Get moving, you two! This is a great undertaking in Pokémon history!

Admittedly calls it complete at 150 Pokemon, though. Covers the whole world too, supposedly, and even human-made Pokemon.

Kind of contradicts this recording idea in the first episode of the anime. Sees Ho-Oh in Kanto. Acknowledges that more Pokemon may exist, on the flip side.

There is no data. There are still Pokemon yet to be identified.

Vaguely recalls some character (in the Scarlet/Violet DLC?) that they filled out entries by hand, back in the day. Cannot find who. Presumably did that in Legends: Arceus.

Serves as a way to collect data about Pokemon too.

Every time someone using the app catches a Pokémon, that data gets sent to me.

Indicates that a lot about Pokemon is still unknown and many more Pokemon may be out there. May not be too dissimilar from real-life. Discovered 138 new animals, plants, and fungi in 2024 (according to the California Academy of Sciences). Never claimed to have found all the species ever, to be fair.

 

[Corveone]

There's never going to be an explanation. The way the Pokédexes are made is full of inconsistencies, because like many other aspects they're built around the player character, not around the game "world".

Starters being at the beginning makes no sense, because they're supposed to be very rare Pokémon. They even put Rowlet, Cyndaquil, and Oshawott at the beginning of the Hisui dex, when it's literally stated in the game that those are not Pokémon from Hisui. Then there's also stuff like Houndour and Murkrow being considered "Johto" Pokémon, yet when they were introduced they only appeared in Kanto.

Another nonsense: the order of some legendaries like Tornadus → Thundurus → Reshiram → Zekrom → Landorus, which are listed that way basically because that's expected to be the order the player finds them. The most ridiculous is probably Applin's new evolutions, you have Dipplin as #1011 and Hydrapple as #1019, even when they were both introduced in the same gen. Paradox Entei/Raikou and Cobalion/Terrakion are also separate from Paradox Suicune and Virizion respectively, just because they were introduced to the player later.