Pokemon's Canonical History 3/3 - Contemporary History

All information is taken from in-game lore within the canonical games, therefore is the best understanding we have of the actual history of the Pokémon universe without speculation or fan-theory. Footnotes and references below.

Part 1: The Origin Story                     <---->                      Part 2: The Ancient History

 Seven Hundred Years before the events of Pokémon, Humans from the town of Ecruteak constructed two towers to strengthen the bond between Humans and Pokémon. The towers became the the roosts of two Legendary Pokémon. Ho-Oh, who brings good fortune and is capable of resurrecting Pokémon, perched atop Bell Tower. Lugia, guardian of the seas and is capable of creating month long storms perched atop Brass Tower.

Five Hundred years before the events of Pokémon, Cianwood City Pharmacy was established and remains the oldest known business in the Pokémon world. Four hundred years before the events of Pokémon, the town of Azalea had a long drought. When the Slowpokes showed up, they all yawned and cause it to rain in the town. Slowpokes were revered in the town ever since. Three Hundred years before the events of Pokémon, war struck the Kalos region once again, this time between Humans. The king of Kalos constructed Parfum Palace.

One hundred and fifty years before the events of Pokémon, a storm stuck Ecruteak and a lightning bolt hit Brass Tower, setting it on fire. Lugia and Ho-Oh then fled the towers, but not before Ho-Oh resurrected three Pokémon that perished in the fire. Each of the Pokémon resurrected took a different form representing the disaster, Raiku was born with powers of electricity, representing the lightning strike. Entai was born with powers of fire, representing the flames that killed the Pokémon. Suicune was born with powers of water, representing the rain the doused the fire. The three legendary beasts then roamed free, and it is said they cannot be caught by traditional methods.

Between forty and twenty years before the events of Pokémon, a meteor hits the Pokémon world, and in the crater, Lunatone is first discovered. Also, Mr Fuji founds the Pokémon Laboratory on Cinnabar Island. Also, Humans first land on the moon. [1]

Eleven years before the events of Pokémon, Red is born. Also, the last Litlenoid meteor shower occurs, marking the potential for another meteor to hit soon and wake the primal giants, Kyogre and Groundon, as foretold would happen one-thousand years previous.

Between ten and one year before the events of Pokémon, the first ever genetically engineered Pokémon is created, known as Porygon. Also, Sylph Co., a gadget an technology company, and the leading company who makes Pokéballs, begins development on the Master Ball, a device said to be able to catch all Pokémon without fail. Lastly, A Pokémon named Mew is apparently discovered in the jungle region of Guyana. Mewtwo is created as an attempt at cloning Mew, but is too powerful and intelligent for any of the scientists to contain. Mewtwo escapes the lab it was created and finds itself in the Pokémon Mansion. It destroys Pokémon Mansion and flees, ending up in Cerulean Cave, a place where Humans rarely dare enter due to the powerful Pokémon inside.

The events of Pokémon begin with Fire Red, Leaf Green, Alpha Sapphire and Omega Ruby. [2]

Footnotes

1. This is mentioned by only one NPC in Pewter Museum and there is a fair amount of fan-theory around this. I have kept it in as cannon because Humans certainly seem to have the technology capable of a moon landing, space shuttles can be seen in the games, and as that character still says the same thing in the remake version, making him canon until proven otherwise.
2. It is worth noting that this part of history has significantly less information - there are a few reasons for this. Firstly, Game Freak want to release as little information as possible to keep it cryptic and keep leaking pieces of lore as they go. Secondly that some of the histories have had time to be embellished, as little is known about the Pokemon world, much of it could be myth, thus this contemporary time where history is recorded, less can be embellished. If anything, this raises more questions about the position of humans in the Pokemon world.

References

• Largely from in-game text in the Pokémon games: Fire Red, Soul Silver, Alpha Sapphire, Platinum, Black, Black 2, and X. Everything from the main story dialogue, to Poke-Centre Library texts, to the Old Man NPC in the Pewter Museum.
• Www.Serebii.net – where I got all of my information from Pokémon flavour texts:
  • Mammoswine, Porygon, Deoxys, Shaymin, Mew, Darkrai, Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, Giratina, Xerneas, Yvettle, Yamask, Lugia, Ho-Oh, Kyogre, Groundon, Azelf, Mesprit, Uxie, Rayquaza, Lunatone, Regigigas, Regiice, Registeel, Regirock, Cradilly, Armaldo, Cranidos, Shieldon, Tyrantrum, Aurous, Latios, Latias, Ominite, Omistar, Kabuto, Kabutops, Relicanth, Archen, Tirtuga, Archeops, Caracosta, Aerodactyl, Hetran and Mewtwo.
• http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/History_of_Pok%C3%A9mon – How I created the outline for the origin story and history, though it contains a lot of gaps and misinformation, so read with a pinch of salt.
• http://pokemon.wikia.com/wiki/Sinnoh_Mythology – References to the Sinnoh Myth and origin story text from in game.
• http://archive.is/D9iPz – A tweet that states the official timeline of the Pokémon games for reference and canon of the historical events.
• http://bulbapedia.bulbagarden.net/wiki/Canon – for the understanding of which games are canon.

Pokemon's Canonical History 1/3 - The Origin Myth

This is the creation myth of Pokémon. As Arceus is a Mythical Pokémon and not actually seen, this could all be the belief system of the people in the world, and therefore not what actually happened. All information is taken from in-game lore within the canonical games, therefore is the best understanding we have of the actual history of the Pokémon universe without speculation or fan-theory. Footnotes below.

In the beginning, there was nothing. Then, there was an egg. When the egg hatched, Arceus, The Original One was born and was alone. Arceus had unfathomable power and, knowingly or otherwise, created into being three Pokémon in its image, each with a single purpose. Palkia held power over space, Diagla held power over time, and Giratina held power over Anti-matter. Palkia and Daigla worked together and wished all matter into being. The full extent of Giratina's power and what it created is unknown. However, Arceus then banished Giratina to the 'Distortion World' – an alternate dimension. After Diagla and Palkia had done their job of creation, they picked their respective dimension and slept.

Arceus then brought forth its power once more to create three more Pokemon to benefit the future of all life: Azelf, Uxie, and Mesprit. Azelf gave willpower to life, so that it might act upon its own initiative. Uxie gave knowledge to life, so that it might make informed decisions with its willpower. And Mesprit gave emotions to life, so that life may feel things and give value into being. Together, they wished and created spirit. After giving these gifts to the future of Pokémon, these pixie Pokémon Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit retreated underground on a particular rock, that we know as the Pokémon world. All known life, henceforth, exists on this Pokémon world save for the alien Pokémon Deoxys. [1]

The Pokémon world, at its early stages, was important for two major reasons. Firstly, was that the Spear Pillar at Mt Coronet and some the surrounding landmass of the Sinnoh region likely already existed on the world before anything else, acting as a gateway between the dimensions where Palkia, Diagla, Giratina and Arceus lie dormant. Secondly, the conditions on this planet made it able to sustain life, and so three more beings of power came to inhabit the planet. [2]

First to exist was Rayquaza who was formed in the atmosphere and forever roamed the skies and was master over the other two. Kyogre was formed in the depths of the ocean, who had dominion over the seas, and could create intense rainfall to expand them. Groudon was formed in the magma under the earth and had dominion over land, and could scatter the clouds allowing the sun to dry up the seas. [3] They morphed the world in their vision as they went, changing everything in their path until eventually, and accidentally, they met; each unhappy that the other was undoing their work. Then, a great battle ensued as the rivals fought, throwing the world into chaos. In the midst of their age long battle, Rayquaza descended from the skies and calmed the primal pair. Sapping their energy into blue and red orbs, Rayquaza sent Kyogre to the sea depths and Groudon to below the earth's crust, and there they slept. Rayquaza then ascended to the skies and continued its journey across the very edges of the atmosphere.

Without Groudon, Kyogre and their battle over dominance of nature, the world found a kind of peace; and in this lesser state of flux came the colossus Pokémon, Regigigas. Regigigas had the power to physically shift tectonic plates and went forth to shape the continents and formed the now known regions of Unova, Kanto, Sinnoh, Kalos, Alola, etc., then, the colossus created three more Pokémon in its image. It created Regirock out of clay, Regiice out of ice, and Registeel out of Magma. The four of them roamed the land with significant power.

With this new and habitable world, life sprung into being in the form of Mew, the genome Pokémon. [4] Mew existed in great numbers and were capable of transforming into different forms entirely Some Mew transformed and stayed in their changed form, creating the first ancient Pokémon species. [5] Over the next millions of years, the population of Mew dwindled, as the original Pokémon made way for new species. The first and ancient Pokémon were vast in numbers. [6]

Part 2: The Ancient History

Footnotes.

1. Also, it is possible Lunatone came from space, and Clefairy and Clefable came from the moon. However, they now exist on earth, so these are only in-game theory.
2. It is unknown whether or not this was Arceus who created Rayquaza, Kyogre and Groudon due to accounts claiming he slept after creating Azelf, Uxie and Mesprit. As such, these three Pokémon did not necessarily come into being at the same time, it is possible they formed over millions of years apart.
3. It is speculated by some in the Pokémon world that Kyogre and Groudon initially created the seas and landmasses respectively, though this seems less likely than them simply having the power to control them, as matter was already created by Palkia and Daigla.
4. Though it is unknown exactly how life was created, or if Mew existed even before the battle of Kyogre and Groudon, it is possible that, given the appearance, Uxie, Azelf and Mesprit created Mew in their image, and is what was meant by their wishing of 'spirit' into being.
5. Mew likely made Pokémon Evolution possible as, rather than a subtle shift of adaptation and survivability over time, it was a transforming of individual Pokémon to incur survival for the race and a balance in their eco-system. The genetic capabilities to transform into other Pokémon eventually became the genetic capability for Pokémon to 'evolve'.
6. It is thought that all non-legendary Pokémon originated from Mew, that is all Pokémon capable of evolving, and / or reproducing. It is also worthy of note that the species Unknown may have existed at this time separately to Mew, as while little is known about the species, it neither reproduces nor evolves, yet is capable of ancient power.