"This video is purely hypothetical. At present, there is insufficient evidence to support it."
The familiar opening disclaimer appeared—defensive armor stacked to the max.
Yet Cynthia vaguely sensed something different in this phrasing compared to Leaf Hex's earlier videos.
Before, the opening line was always some variation of
"This video has been artistically adapted; any resemblance is purely coincidental."
This time, however, it was "insufficient evidence for now."
Which implied—evidence might exist in the future.
Did this guy actually believe this was a hypothesis that could one day be proven?
After the opening line, the screen plunged into darkness.
"In Alliance Calendar Year 172, a twenty-year-old Oak Yukinari first proposed the concept of attributes in the journal Viridian, advocating for the classification of Pokémon by type."
"This discovery, now familiar to everyone, is regarded as the beginning of modern Pokémon science."
"But have you ever considered this question—where did attributes originate?"
"Or, to go even deeper… where did all things originate?"
The narrator's voice was clear and gentle, and Cynthia quickly found herself drawn into the question.
To be frank, it wasn't an unfamiliar one.
It was almost identical to the ultimate question people asked once they became aware of the vastness of the starry sky—
What is the meaning of the universe?
"Clearly, no one can give a definitive answer."
"But perhaps the existence of this legendary Pokémon can offer you some insight."
A sudden light pierced the darkness.
On screen appeared a statue of a Pokémon that looked neither quite like a sheep nor a horse, yet possessed an unmistakably sacred and awe-inspiring presence.
"Arceus—a legendary Pokémon revered by the people of Sinnoh from ancient times to the present, worshiped as a Great Deity, yet whose true nature has never been unveiled."
"Personally, I prefer to call it—
the Creator of All Things."
Thus, a magnificent creation epic slowly unfurled.
"The Earth Plate raised the spine of the planet—"
"The Zap Plate split open primordial lightning—"
"The Meadow Plate trembled, giving birth to the code of life—"
"…"
The Thousand-Arms Wheel shattered into eighteen Attribute Plates, and the energy within those plates nurtured everything in the universe.
Including Pokémon—beings of extraordinary power, divided into eighteen attributes.
Then, Arceus created Dialga and Palkia to govern time and space.
To stabilize the universe after creation, the deity of antimatter—Giratina—came into being.
One unfamiliar concept after another was introduced.
By the time Giratina appeared on screen, Cynthia was already so shaken she could hardly breathe.
At this point, she no longer cared whether this was Leaf Hex's fabrication or not—
she was completely immersed in the overwhelming, epic grandeur of this creation myth.
Next came the conflict between the twin dragon gods, Dialga and Palkia.
The energy overflow from their clash gave birth to Heatran.
Giratina, violent by nature, began to rebel.
Arceus descended upon the Spear Pillar to quell the war…
The Creation Era transitioned into the Era of Chaos amid the birth and interaction of mighty legendary Pokémon.
The intensity only kept rising.
And just as Cynthia was eagerly anticipating an even more spectacular continuation—
The video abruptly ended.
Straight into the final advertisement segment.
"Recently, I captured a new Pokémon and equipped it with Devon Corporation's newly developed seventh-generation Hoenn Luxury Ball.
But what about the old Poké Ball? I listed it on the Magikarp platform, and I never expected an ordinary red-and-white Poké Ball to sell for over a hundred!
Magikarp Platform has professional staff who come to your door with Psychic-type Pokémon for evaluations.
Buying and selling secondhand Pokémon gear?
Magikarp Platform has you covered."
Cynthia: "..."
Leaf Hex, could you be any shameless?!
At least finish explaining what happened to the time-and-space gods before cutting off!
For the first time in her life, Cynthia felt the urge to have Garchomp smash a couple of Draco Meteors straight through the internet cable.
"Still not asleep, little Cynthia?"
A familiar, aged voice suddenly sounded from behind her.
Cynthia jumped, then turned around with a mix of complaint and coquettishness.
"Grandma, why did you come in without knocking?"
There was only one person who could bypass all of Cynthia's Champion-level Pokémon and appear directly behind her—
The current director of the Celestic Historical Research Center,
Cynthia's grandmother,
and her guide on the path of mythological scholarship—
Professor Carolina.
The usually cold and distant historian—who only ever smiled for her granddaughter—pretended to scold her.
"I knocked for a full three minutes. You just didn't hear me. Don't believe me? Ask Glaceon."
Glaceon, who had entered alongside Juniper, nodded coolly, showing no favoritism toward its Trainer.
"Even on vacation, you shouldn't stay up this late," Juniper said, setting down the warm milk in her hands.
She teased, "What, do Champion duties still pile up until midnight?"
Cynthia shook her head and eagerly handed her phone to her grandmother.
"No, Grandma—look at this."
Professor Carolina squinted at the text on the screen through slightly presbyopic eyes.
"Arceus Genesis… interesting."
Cynthia's eyes lit up.
"You've heard of this hypothesis before?"
In all of Sinnoh, no one understood its myths better than Professor Carolina.
Instead of answering directly, Juniper began watching the video.
Cynthia, who was planning to rewatch it anyway, naturally stayed with her.
Another half hour passed.
The grandmother and granddaughter emerged from their trance and exchanged silent glances
After a long moment, Juniper finally spoke.
"A very interesting video. A hypothesis with real imagination."
Cynthia's heart trembled.
For someone as sparing with praise as her grandmother, this was already extremely high commendation.
"Do you think it could be historical fact?" Cynthia asked.
Juniper shook her head.
"While the logic is internally consistent, I can't make that judgment."
The Flying Spaghetti Monster Church is internally consistent too—
but does that make it true?
Even academic hypotheses—first proposed, then proven—aren't established lightly, let alone rigorous historical theories.
After a pause, Juniper added thoughtfully,
"That said, I can't dismiss it outright either. Some parts reminded me of a story my grandmother used to tell me when I was young."
Cynthia leaned forward with curiosity.
"What story?"
Juniper murmured softly,
"That which stretches from ancient times to the present is called yu—
that which extends in all directions above and below is called zhou."
Then she shook her head helplessly.
"I'm getting old. I can't remember the rest—only that it was a story about spatial rifts and Arceus.
My grandmother said her grandmother read it in the Canalave Library when she was young."
Cynthia nodded slowly in thought.
Her grandmother's grandmother's grandmother…
That would be over two hundred years ago. No wonder it was so difficult for the story to survive.
But the Canalave Library…
Cynthia pondered quietly.
There was still a month left in her vacation.
Perhaps—it was time to find something to do.
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