SPOILERS! Mysteries and Conspiracies of Pokemon

[Cancel cult]

Moving on to a slightly different topic, what do you guys think about how much the game insists on connecting Terastal and flowers?

Not only do we have the obvious Glimmora thing but also the Underdepths quotes in The Indigo Disk, where, if I remember correctly, dialogues heavily highlight the fact that the special Teracrystals linked to the Tera Stellar mons look like 'flowers'. There's somehow a trend in Teracrystals' growth to develop like if they were an actual plant and to match the appearence of a flower.

Isn't this kind of disturbing considering how the Ultimate Weapon is a flower too? And before anyone starts the 'the Paldean Crater is 1 million year old, so the Ultimate Weapon's laser wasn't what created the Area Zero' thing, I'm perfectly aware of this - it's just that this doesn't seem to be a coincidence given how the next game is going to be set in Kalos, so they might be finding a way to connect Terastal and megas, just not in the way we could expect them to do it.

My personal and crazy theory is, during the Kalosian war, AZ visited the Area Zero and managed to get some Teracrystals that he used to create the Ultimate Weapon. In this way, the Ultimate Weapon wouldn't be just Teracrystals but something similar to the Time Machine in SV - a piece of technology that would've been impossible to create without the enormous power that comes from Terastal.

yeah, there is definitely a connection. until now, I thought that the crater was where the weapon was fired, but I was unaware on how old the crater was. I've made a post earlier on this thread showing a bunch of connections, which you can find here. the main claim did not age well, but a lot of the connections still stand. with za upcoming, this is definitely very prevalent.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Moving on to a slightly different topic, what do you guys think about how much the game insists on connecting Terastal and flowers?

Hm, would be interesting if AZ did that (I mean, that's how Kitakami ended up with Terastal crystals, Ogerpon's original trainer had shards of them), and could explain why the Ultimate Weapon caused the mutation of stones that allowed some Pokemon to excess a greater form. And while I was going to say GF were likely not going to do it, Cancel cult reminded me we have Legends: ZA coming up so maybe this could be a direction they're heading. Hmm...

Though, just in general, crystals and flowers are a staple in symbology so both their use and things designed in similar shapes to them are going to be abundant in fiction even if the creators didn't intend it. For flowers specifically, they are seen as a symbol of life, fertility, and growth. Flowers are one of the plants that people see as beautiful due to their bulb's bright colors and intricate patterns, often times in a form of a(n a)symmetrical or spiraling circle made of a number of petals and a center which has pollen they use to propagate or other animals as a source of food.

The Ultimate Weapon was in a shape of a flower likely by AZ's intention. Made to be a device that gave life (to a Pokemon with a strong association with flowers and held a special flower), though it would take an ironic turn when AZ makes it into a weapon that instantly drains life from what it fires upon. Not to mention it already required a great sacrifice, AZ originally powering it by strapping Pokemon to the rocks on Route 10 which had their life force drained, like a flower's roots absorbing nutrients from mulch of decaying material.

As for the Stellar Tera Crown, the flower connection is loose. I think Tera Crystals sometimes and the Glimmora family resembling flowers is more a coincidence to how crystals form. Crystals also form in patterns which start from a center and expand out, and at some point a raw developed crystal could have a shape a person could relate to a flower. But that's just nature repeating a convenient design, a design you could find in many other things; I'm sure physics could probably explain the phenomenon.

I thought that the crater was where the weapon was fired, but I was unaware on how old the crater was.

The Ultimate Weapon has always been in Geosenge Town.

 

[Cancel cult]

Though, just in general, crystals and flowers are a staple in symbology so both their use and things designed in similar shapes to them are going to be abundant in fiction even if the creators didn't intend it. For flowers specifically, they are seen as a symbol of life, fertility, and growth. Flowers are one of the plants that people see as beautiful due to their bulb's bright colors and intricate patterns, often times in a form of a(n a)symmetrical or spiraling circle made of a number of petals and a center which has pollen they use to propagate or other animals as a source of food.

the Alola games had a lot of flower symbolism, so that does have merit, though there are a bit too many similarities to be a coincidence

The Ultimate Weapon has always been in Geosenge Town.

every time I say this, it gets confused. what I meant was that the ultimate weapon was fired at the great crater. also now that I think about it, the weapon being fired at the crater doesn't necisarily mean that is what formed the crater.

 

[Pikachu315111]

though there are a bit too many similarities to be a coincidence

How so?

every time I say this, it gets confused. what I meant was that the ultimate weapon was fired at the great crater. also now that I think about it, the weapon being fired at the crater doesn't necisarily mean that is what formed the crater.

Ah, my bad. I think AZ's target was within Kalos as that was where the war was taking place. We just either don't visit the location of where it landed or the ecosystem recovered; it was 3k years ago after all. Also who knows if the Ultimate Weapon's blast leaves a mark, the reason there's a crater in Geosenge is because the Ultimate Weapon blew up from the energy hitting it. But if the target was just an army of people & Pokemon? Could just leave the entire land barren but otherwise not change it topography.

And I think Paldea's crater has just always been there, probably long before people even existed. Probably nearly as long as the landmass has settled in its current spot. It doesn't look to be a crater created by an impact (like from a meteor) but rather a crater of a gigantic upward explosion (like a volcano eruption). I guess a combination of both isn't impossible, something from space landed in prehistoric Paldea and eventually caused a giant eruption culminating in the formation of the crater and its lower depths.

 

[Cancel cult]

How so?

literally my entire conspiracy post

 

[XYZ15]

And I think Paldea's crater has just always been there, probably long before people even existed. Probably nearly as long as the landmass has settled in its current spot. It doesn't look to be a crater created by an impact (like from a meteor) but rather a crater of a gigantic upward explosion (like a volcano eruption). I guess a combination of both isn't impossible, something from space landed in prehistoric Paldea and eventually caused a giant eruption culminating in the formation of the crater and its lower depths.

I really agreed with this and I actually think there's some evidence that supports this theory.
Terapagos and Paldea are heavily connected: Paldea has the shape and form of a Terapagos and this species is said to have inhabited the Ancient Paldea millions of years ago before the seismic shifts took them into the depths, not to say the 'turtles all the way down' thing Terapagos-Stellar represents. Taking all of this into account, it's not that odd to think Terastal and Stellar forms of Terapagos may represent what happened to Paldea millions of years ago, as when Terapagos uses its signature move, Tera Starstorm, a giant laser is shot vertically from the center of its shell, which would be the Area Zero / Great Crater of Paldea equivalent if we were to compare Terapagos and Paldea.

So my current theory on this (again a crazy one tbh) is that Paldea is just a giant, dormant Terapagos that once millions of years ago erupted with a ton of Terastal energy, creating the Great Crater of Paldea (which by the way would've been a giant plateau by those times, just like in the actual Iberian Peninsula) and causing the said seismic shifts that almost extinguished the creatures nowadays we know as Terapagos.

 

[Cancel cult]

I really agreed with this and I actually think there's some evidence that supports this theory.
Terapagos and Paldea are heavily connected: Paldea has the shape and form of a Terapagos and this species is said to have inhabited the Ancient Paldea millions of years ago before the seismic shifts took them into the depths, not to say the 'turtles all the way down' thing Terapagos-Stellar represents. Taking all of this into account, it's not that odd to think Terastal and Stellar forms of Terapagos may represent what happened to Paldea millions of years ago, as when Terapagos uses its signature move, Tera Starstorm, a giant laser is shot vertically from the center of its shell, which would be the Area Zero / Great Crater of Paldea equivalent if we were to compare Terapagos and Paldea.

So my current theory on this (again a crazy one tbh) is that Paldea is just a giant, dormant Terapagos that once millions of years ago erupted with a ton of Terastal energy, creating the Great Crater of Paldea (which by the way would've been a giant plateau by those times, just like in the actual Iberian Peninsula) and causing the said seismic shifts that almost extinguished the creatures nowadays we know as Terapagos.

this theory is crazy




I love it

 

[Pikachu315111]

literally my entire conspiracy post

Guessing the conspiracy post you linked to above? It's a compelling theory if you're looking to connect everything together (though I would be hesitant to use BST as connection factor, especially for Legendary Pokemon. Stats can be used as a factor if there's something unique about them, like how most Ultra Beasts' individual stats are prime numbers, but unless there's something super unique about the BST it's just a limit for the game developers to know how strong to make the Pokemon; infact BST isn't referenced in-game at all).

I personally just don't want everything to connect. While I like things explained, I also like some mystery to them. Infinity Energy, Dynamaxing, Terastallizing; I think there's enough room in the Pokemon world they can just be their own things.

Just have to wait and see what they do with Legends: ZA. If they make a connection between Infinity Energy & Terastallizing you called it, but if they don't I would say that would be a good indication GF considers them different things.

So my current theory on this (again a crazy one tbh) is that Paldea is just a giant, dormant Terapagos that once millions of years ago erupted with a ton of Terastal energy, creating the Great Crater of Paldea (which by the way would've been a giant plateau by those times, just like in the actual Iberian Peninsula) and causing the said seismic shifts that almost extinguished the creatures nowadays we know as Terapagos.

I wouldn't say all of Paldea, but I wouldn't be against their being a huge Terapagos-like creature that, at the end of its life, released its energy and created the landmass of Paldea around its final Tera Starstorm.

(If you can't tell I don't like going too crazy with fantastical ideas, but I do like a reasonable level of it)

 

[XYZ15]

My personal and crazy theory is, during the Kalosian war, AZ visited the Area Zero and managed to get some Teracrystals that he used to create the Ultimate Weapon. In this way, the Ultimate Weapon wouldn't be just Teracrystals but something similar to the Time Machine in SV - a piece of technology that would've been impossible to create without the enormous power that comes from Terastal.

Just found this old tweet today and tbh if this was to be true it would be so fucking cool ngl:

https://x.com/supereffectiv/status/1500630109853732869

It does look similar c'mon, six petals and crystaline structure...

 

[R_N]

I feel like if they wanted to retcon the giant subterranian super weapon into being made of tera crystals they probably should have not shown that tera crystals slowly integrate themselves into the region and in the worst case scenario overcome everything as they grow.

e: Especially when the weapon is fueled by Infinite Energy from the life force of pokemon tied to slabs

 

[Cancel cult]

I think Ms raifort (the history teacher) might be a villain.

so, she encourages you, who keep in mind are a child, to go find these four calamitous sentient objects that brought a kingdom into ruin. after you catch all four treasures of Ruin, she explains how she never thought you would do this much for her, and then, she says something very incriminating. she says that she would have looked for them herself and kept them (which is not in the nature of archeolegists), but you found them because you were pure of heart. this implies that she is not, in fact pure of heart. then, she says they were the treasures of her dreams, which contradicts her statement saying that she sought them out because of standard history preservation reasons. then, she says she will let you have them FOR NOW, implying she will atain them sometime later through... some means. then, as a reward, she HANDS YOU THE TM FOR NASTY PLOT. she then states that she will keep an eye on you. if you talk to her again, she openly states that she would "be happy to take them off your hands." why she wants the treasures of Ruin, I have no idea, but she is being transparently evil.

 

[DrPumpkinz]

I think Ms raifort (the history teacher) might be a villain.

so, she encourages you, who keep in mind are a child, to go find these four calamitous sentient objects that brought a kingdom into ruin. after you catch all four treasures of Ruin, she explains how she never thought you would do this much for her, and then, she says something very incriminating. she says that she would have looked for them herself and kept them (which is not in the nature of archeolegists), but you found them because you were pure of heart. this implies that she is not, in fact pure of heart. then, she says they were the treasures of her dreams, which contradicts her statement saying that she sought them out because of standard history preservation reasons. then, she says she will let you have them FOR NOW, implying she will atain them sometime later through... some means. then, as a reward, she HANDS YOU THE TM FOR NASTY PLOT. she then states that she will keep an eye on you. if you talk to her again, she openly states that she would "be happy to take them off your hands." why she wants the treasures of Ruin, I have no idea, but she is being transparently evil.

Also the Pokemon she uses in battle are extremely villain-coded.

 

[Pikachu315111]

I think Ms raifort (the history teacher) might be a villain.

so, she encourages you, who keep in mind are a child, to go find these four calamitous sentient objects that brought a kingdom into ruin. after you catch all four treasures of Ruin, she explains how she never thought you would do this much for her, and then, she says something very incriminating. she says that she would have looked for them herself and kept them (which is not in the nature of archeolegists), but you found them because you were pure of heart. this implies that she is not, in fact pure of heart. then, she says they were the treasures of her dreams, which contradicts her statement saying that she sought them out because of standard history preservation reasons. then, she says she will let you have them FOR NOW, implying she will atain them sometime later through... some means. then, as a reward, she HANDS YOU THE TM FOR NASTY PLOT. she then states that she will keep an eye on you. if you talk to her again, she openly states that she would "be happy to take them off your hands." why she wants the treasures of Ruin, I have no idea, but she is being transparently evil.

WHA! Nooo~, you're just imagining things.

Why just look at these completely normal conversations Raifort has with others in the Indigo Disk DLC:
4:36 - Brassius & Raifort have a calm conversation about a relic she once found.
15:15 - Ryme politely tells Raifort she has a certain spirit about her.
24:49 - Clavell certainly trusts Raifort.
26:50 - It is no sacrifice on Raifort's part to have friends like Jacq join in on her research.
29:21 - Tyme never needs bend Raifort's arms to get her to attend staff meetings.
29:58 - Raifort and Saguaro compare notes how one can healthfully combine their work and hobbies, especially for the sake of the students.

 

[R_N]

View attachment 636239

Putting aside the weirdness of basing a move tutor off a quiz, why the hell did they throw in six extra moves to the tutor pool? And why those six moves specifically? They don't seem to have anything in common besides being in this one tutor pool.

So hey I just happened to have this come across my feed today

And it shows that it's actually giving out sets of moves and seems to be themed around the "unique" move. So some of these kind of seem to have an answer of sorts, even if it's still kind of loose.
So why is Hypnosis here? Because Mew can draw on Dream Eater and Nightmare (& Focus Punch, which can pair well with sleep presumably). There's another one where it has it with Thunder Wave & Toxic as a gimmick set too lol.
Why is Faint Attack Here? Because Mew has access to all the other 60 BP never-miss moves
Why Zap Cannon? Because of all the other high damage low accuracy moves, including Dynamic Punch.
Why Role Play? Because they wanted something to go with Mimic for the (and I'd bet to an extent Transform).
Night Shade? Because it gets Seismic Toss
Fake Out is probably the most random since it's only in one specific set & tied to Metronome. I dunno.

I'm sure there's other moves they could have chosen, and again some of these are loose, but it feels like they wanted a tutor that could mess with mew's moveset by letting it give you any TM or Tutor move and give you a full moveset but to emphasize all the options you have to take a quiz to determine what moves get applied and then decided that quiz would have synergistic selections that could then have "new" moves to flesh them out & make it more unique.

 

[Just A Seaking]

Fake Out is probably the most random since it's only in one specific set & tied to Metronome. I dunno.

This might be a stretch, but maybe it's supposed to be a hand theme? It's the only link that I can come up with, at least - both Fake Out and Metronome predominantly feature hands in their animations, and the JP name for each move is specifically hand-themed (Metronome is Wag Finger, while Fake Out is Nekodamashi, a sumo technique where you clap your hands in front of an opponent's face to make them flinch). Punching is already a unique category for the tutor per the video, and they're categorized differently as offensive moves vs the defensive moves, hence why they wouldn't be included in a hand group.

 

[Cancel cult]

Lore question with very important implications:
As we all know, base Necrozma is not its true form, and it lost power after its light was stolen. And it regained its true form after absorbing another member of the light trio. Now, were the other members of the light trio a part of Necrozma originally, or does Necrozma possess the ability to fuse with pokemon. If the latter is true, what is stopping it from fusing with a different pokemon.

 

[Pikachu315111]

Lore question with very important implications:
As we all know, base Necrozma is not its true form, and it lost power after its light was stolen. And it regained its true form after absorbing another member of the light trio. Now, were the other members of the light trio a part of Necrozma originally, or does Necrozma possess the ability to fuse with pokemon. If the latter is true, what is stopping it from fusing with a different pokemon.

The Cosmog family are not directly related to Necrozma. However Necrozma, if needing a massive source of light, can hunt down a Solgaleo or Lunala, forcefully fuse with them (becoming something of a parasite), and eventually absorb their light which is enough to return it to being Ultra Necrozma. However so far it seems to only be the Cosmog family is its main prey as no other Pokemon, that we know, can generate enough light to satiate Necrozma (and who knows if it can fuse with them, it fusing with Solgaleo/Lunala may be something is specifically developed for them).

 

[Cancel cult]

The Cosmog family are not directly related to Necrozma. However Necrozma, if needing a massive source of light, can hunt down a Solgaleo or Lunala, forcefully fuse with them (becoming something of a parasite), and eventually absorb their light which is enough to return it to being Ultra Necrozma. However so far it seems to only be the Cosmog family is its main prey as no other Pokemon, that we know, can generate enough light to satiate Necrozma (and who knows if it can fuse with them, it fusing with Solgaleo/Lunala may be something is specifically developed for them).

You do realize what this means, right?

 

[Esserise]

Lore question with very important implications:
As we all know, base Necrozma is not its true form, and it lost power after its light was stolen. And it regained its true form after absorbing another member of the light trio. Now, were the other members of the light trio a part of Necrozma originally, or does Necrozma possess the ability to fuse with pokemon. If the latter is true, what is stopping it from fusing with a different pokemon.

The impression I get is that Cosmog (and its evolutions) aren’t directly related to Necrozma, but they might have similar origins and biologies. They’re all creatures that seem to have an intrinsic connection to light and Z-Power, so when Necrozma becomes grievously wounded and begins searching for more light and Z-Power, it gravitates to Solgaleo and Lunala because they are potent sources of those energies, and are similar enough to itself biologically that it can form a compatible fusion with them. With that in mind, I suspect that other Pokémon just wouldn’t be as useful to Necrozma in terms of providing the nourishment it’s lacking.

 

[Pikachu315111]

You do realize what this means, right?

Just because they glow does not mean they generate light, or at least light which Necrozma needs to sustain itself.

Eternatus generates Dynamax energy.
Terapagos generates Terastal energy.
Ho-Oh's feathers reflect light that covers it in a rainbow hue. It likely also has a strong internal heat source which it can use to glow.

 

[Cancel cult]

Just because they glow does not mean they generate light, or at least light which Necrozma needs to sustain itself.

Eternatus generates Dynamax energy.
Terapagos generates Terastal energy.
Ho-Oh's feathers reflect light that covers it in a rainbow hue. It likely also has a strong internal heat source which it can use to glow.

possibly, but it is never clarified what light it needs. furthermore, yes, they do produce light just because they glow. that's what glow means.

 

[R_N]

Solgaleo & Lunala seem more intrinsically linked to light than those other examples. Presumably they emit it at a far greater or important potential than anything else similar in our world. Some of the dex entries and lore even implies they can interact with light in a very similar way to Necrozma.

Considering they seem to originate from the same world (I mean......probably, considering URS just has one of their own....) and the way certain promo art depicted Necrozma & Cosmog interacting, it does seem like maybe Necrozma's light in Megalopolis world might have had a more direct effect on the line than, say, Poipole.


At the very least I suspect that Necrozma couldn't feed on others in the same way, nor could they break down those bodies into their own.

 

[bdt2002]

It’s been a while since I’ve stopped in to this thread, but since I have about, eh, 20 minutes to kill until an unrelated Nintendo Direct starts today, I wanted to pitch in my thoughts on this Necrozma discussion. I can’t remember where or how to access the actual screenshot, but if you guys remember back to the sequence of Nintendo data leaks during 2020, you might recall that someone found evidence suggesting the existence of two 3DS titles that were most likely scrapped Kalos placeholder games. I’m not here to talk about Kalos games, though. You’re probably wondering, what the heck does that have to do with Necrozma?

Well, funny you should ask that. Turns out that those two reserved Kalos games weren’t the only interesting bits of information here. That is to say, most of the people who were following this data leak were focused enough on the scrapped Kalos games that they didn’t notice Alola also had some changes made. For the purpose of this thread, I am referring to the fact that what we know as “Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon” are actually listed as “Sun 2” and “Moon 2” respectively.

I still have a theory that true Alola sequels in the same vein as B2W2 was in the realm of possibility, but Game Freak changed their minds late into base Sun & Moon’s development and we got these games so they could move onto the Switch era faster and still have some momentum leftover from the Pokémon GO craze the previous year (which would eventually manifest in the form of Let’s Go in 2018). My point is, I feel like some of the unexplained plot points with Necrozma and its fusions might have gotten lost in transition from “true sequels” to “split third versions”. Of particular interest to me is the idea that, in theory, Necrozma’s Prism Armor could still be attached to other Pokémon not named Solgaleo and Lunala. Including- wait for it- Arceus. Think about this for a second- Multitype can be activated by Z-Crystals too, and Arceus in-universe can be seen as a bringer of light. I feel like there’s some untapped connections here. Maybe in the scrapped sequels, instead of Ultra Necrozma we would have gotten an Arceus/Necrozma fusion or something.

 

[Cancel cult]

It’s been a while since I’ve stopped in to this thread, but since I have about, eh, 20 minutes to kill until an unrelated Nintendo Direct starts today, I wanted to pitch in my thoughts on this Necrozma discussion. I can’t remember where or how to access the actual screenshot, but if you guys remember back to the sequence of Nintendo data leaks during 2020, you might recall that someone found evidence suggesting the existence of two 3DS titles that were most likely scrapped Kalos placeholder games. I’m not here to talk about Kalos games, though. You’re probably wondering, what the heck does that have to do with Necrozma?

Well, funny you should ask that. Turns out that those two reserved Kalos games weren’t the only interesting bits of information here. That is to say, most of the people who were following this data leak were focused enough on the scrapped Kalos games that they didn’t notice Alola also had some changes made. For the purpose of this thread, I am referring to the fact that what we know as “Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon” are actually listed as “Sun 2” and “Moon 2” respectively.

I still have a theory that true Alola sequels in the same vein as B2W2 was in the realm of possibility, but Game Freak changed their minds late into base Sun & Moon’s development and we got these games so they could move onto the Switch era faster and still have some momentum leftover from the Pokémon GO craze the previous year (which would eventually manifest in the form of Let’s Go in 2018). My point is, I feel like some of the unexplained plot points with Necrozma and its fusions might have gotten lost in transition from “true sequels” to “split third versions”. Of particular interest to me is the idea that, in theory, Necrozma’s Prism Armor could still be attached to other Pokémon not named Solgaleo and Lunala. Including- wait for it- Arceus. Think about this for a second- Multitype can be activated by Z-Crystals too, and Arceus in-universe can be seen as a bringer of light. I feel like there’s some untapped connections here. Maybe in the scrapped sequels, instead of Ultra Necrozma we would have gotten an Arceus/Necrozma fusion or something.

Stuff like this is what I am hoping for in spinoffs. I have considered Divine Vessel Necrozma (cool name, right?), though my personal pick remains Eternatus.

 

[doipy hooves]

It’s been a while since I’ve stopped in to this thread, but since I have about, eh, 20 minutes to kill until an unrelated Nintendo Direct starts today, I wanted to pitch in my thoughts on this Necrozma discussion. I can’t remember where or how to access the actual screenshot, but if you guys remember back to the sequence of Nintendo data leaks during 2020, you might recall that someone found evidence suggesting the existence of two 3DS titles that were most likely scrapped Kalos placeholder games. I’m not here to talk about Kalos games, though. You’re probably wondering, what the heck does that have to do with Necrozma?

Well, funny you should ask that. Turns out that those two reserved Kalos games weren’t the only interesting bits of information here. That is to say, most of the people who were following this data leak were focused enough on the scrapped Kalos games that they didn’t notice Alola also had some changes made. For the purpose of this thread, I am referring to the fact that what we know as “Ultra Sun & Ultra Moon” are actually listed as “Sun 2” and “Moon 2” respectively.

I still have a theory that true Alola sequels in the same vein as B2W2 was in the realm of possibility, but Game Freak changed their minds late into base Sun & Moon’s development and we got these games so they could move onto the Switch era faster and still have some momentum leftover from the Pokémon GO craze the previous year (which would eventually manifest in the form of Let’s Go in 2018). My point is, I feel like some of the unexplained plot points with Necrozma and its fusions might have gotten lost in transition from “true sequels” to “split third versions”. Of particular interest to me is the idea that, in theory, Necrozma’s Prism Armor could still be attached to other Pokémon not named Solgaleo and Lunala. Including- wait for it- Arceus. Think about this for a second- Multitype can be activated by Z-Crystals too, and Arceus in-universe can be seen as a bringer of light. I feel like there’s some untapped connections here. Maybe in the scrapped sequels, instead of Ultra Necrozma we would have gotten an Arceus/Necrozma fusion or something.

I believe these were originally known of since XY though without the exact names, since they have to specify what versions would show a blue pentagon. However I disagree that this implies these were actual sequels planned. Some interviews also made it clear that they didn't have time to add much and USUM was more meant to be an easier entry point for new/GO fans.

For one, the USUM placeholders didn't exist until January 2016, when they were ALOLA_RESERVE1 and 2. It was only until November 2016 that they actually got changed to SUN2 and MOON2.

We can also see from DebugPokeMakeCore.cpp that Gen 6 also had placeholders for X2/Y2/X3/Y3, with X2/Y2 getting replaced by ORAS. So overall I don't think these codenames particularly imply that these were meant to be actual sequels any more than just placeholder variable names.