The Dark Secret of Legendary Ruin Pokemon - Theory

[@wobblewokgaming655]

The Treasures of Ruin are actually based off of the Four Perils of Chinese Mythology: Ting-Lu is based on Taoie, Chien-Pao is based on Qiongqi, Wo-Chien is based on Taowu and Chi-Yu is based on Hundun.

[@ctbarrel8974]

I mean, it could be additional lore to go with the original basis

[@jonglejuice]

@@ctbarrel8974 def additional lore! The names literally translate in Chinese to what they are: ting (that type of pot) lu (deer); wo (snail) chien (a type of bamboo tablet/one segment of bamboo); chien (sword) pao (leopard); chi yu (gold fish/jade).

[@invisible683]

so what are the four perils?

[@ruscygunche]

​@@invisible683 Hundun (chaotic torrent), a yellow winged creature of chaos with six legs and no face; Qiongqi ('distressingly strange, thoroughly odd'), a monstrous creature that eats people, considered the same in Japan as Kamaitachi; Taowu ('block stump'), a reckless, stubborn creature; Taotie ('greedy glutton'), a gluttonous beast, comparable to Guzzlord. They are basically the antagonistic counterparts of the Four Benevolent Animals, the inspiration for the Therian form of the Force of Nature (Tornadus, Thundurus, Landorus, Enamorus).

[@jeremygallardo3136]

@@jonglejuice Before I learn of the possible chinese history influence, I had thought that each treasure loosely resembles the four suits of old style playing cards: blade (sword), cup (vessel), coins (beads), and rod (tablets?). Coincidentally, the chinese might been the ones who created the first form of the playing cards.

[@edwarddanza5468]

I just love that the Ruinous Quartet are the actual object and their bodies are composed of elements in nature. It gives sort of Unnatural/Supernatural God vibes that really makes them Legendaries imo. I feel like we haven't gotten any of that in recent games and it's great to see that coming back

[@spamtong.spamton8416]

I do think Gimmighoul is definitely linked to the Treasures of Ruin, but I don't think they're the merchant that sold them. I think Gimmighoul is actually the coins that the merchant was paid with. The dex entries for the Treasures of Ruin all mention how they're inanimate objects brought to life by intense human emotions, and one of Gimmighoul's dex entries in Scarlet says the same thing about it, saying that it was born from passion that seeped into a coin. Passion like that of a treasure-obsessed king who's willing to pay any sum of money to acquire what they think are rare and legendary treasures, perhaps.

[@Monkebs45]

I’ll be honest, I thought that the merchant died and became gimmighoul.

[@coltwing6661]

I think the Gimmighouls are the manifestation of the people killed by the disasters, they cursed the gold & try & hide it, but when gathered & become Gholdengo... who was the merchant is my theory

[@calvinjones4480]

So basically Pokémon are shinigami and yokai now? Lol I’m just waiting for a whole normal looking human character to be revealed as a Pokémon at this point lol 😂 kind of like the character that was an alien lol what the hell gamefreak got going on? Aliens,ghosts,more living inanimate objects called Pokémon 😂

[@machina5]

@@calvinjones4480 Pokemon have always been based on yokai. Yokai kinda inspired the entire series lol

[@coltwing6661]

@@calvinjones4480 >.> I'm am not going to be surprised, have you even seen the statistics on Ash's capabilities? Or thought of what Jessie & James are capable of, they are not "standard Humans"

[@burnished]

What I find super interesting about Paldea is just.. the lack of developed land? We went from Galar, super developed and techy, to Paldea that just has one major city and only a few other significant towns. Team Star are the only people that go as far north and east as possible. Ting-Lu's area is vacant of people and buildings. The destruction these Ruinous Pokemon must have set Paldea back thousands of years for development?

[@AnimeJeice]

Perhaps, we've seen this before 3000 years ago with a certain man and his floette. An ultimate weapon, that kind of technology seems highly advanced, and the only person able to re-create it was Lysander, who was only able to do so thanks to AZ, who was the creator of said weapon. perhaps the past was far more technologically advanced than we're led to believe. We, at the time of all the games from red and blue to scarlet and violet, are in a semi post-apocalyptic world, the world has not fallen to ruin but has been set back by a few millenniums and we're on course to regaining such technology.

[@SubToCineMasonTV]

@@AnimeJeice Based on a map of Spain, Area Zero is also where Madrid would be, so most likely that was also the capital of Paldea and where the actual kingdom stood. That could have potentially been a more technological society/city before being destroyed by the weapon, and what we have left of the Paldean Empire is Mesagoza and the ruined towers throughout the region. It really sounds like the Paldean region went through some rough times if these Legends of Ruin destroyed much of the region as well as the Ultimate Weapon

[@yeetskeet3]

@@SubToCineMasonTVsuch. Deep. Lore.

[@mlmn3080]

@@AnimeJeice one of the Iron Bundle entries does say it was a robot built in the ancient past.

[@lunactiathemoth]

@@AnimeJeice az funny moments ! !

[@matthutton7078]

I feel like the history teacher had plans for these pokemon. For one, she knows where they were sealed away, and said something along the lines of "Maybe this trainer is the one..." like she needs you to free and catch them. The reason she can't do it is possibly because only a person of a pure heart, without greed can break the seal (which the player is) She also gives you the TM for Nasty Plot, which I had not gotten anywhere else in the game until then, even after exploring Area Zero fully. It might be something that comes up in future DLC who knows.

[@flappletarts]

Yeah, considering some of the dialogue she says, specifically about not having a pure heart, and giving the player Nasty Plot, Professor Raifort definitely had some world-conquering plans.

[@poke-talia268]

As interesting of a character as she is, she makes me nervous in a way the other teachers in the game don't.

[@StarNinja77]

I'm a bit concerned that Raifort may just be the Real villian of the region in the anime/dlc. The foreshadowing is there! ;D

[@emilygordbort7300]

She also makes it absolutely clear that she wants them for herself. After you catch them she even states she'll "gladly take them off your hands" if they ever become too much of a hassle. Ms. Raifort absolutely wanted these for some less wholesome reasons

[@somarushinde1704]

she migth even be related to the king or to the merchend

[@squishvgc]

I find it interesting that the legend uses the specific wording of pokemon “wielders” that defeated the ruinous quartet. The only other time we’ve seen that word used is Volo, who also happens to be a merchant from the east if we consider Hisui to be in the east since it’s based in Japan. Also notable that ms raifort has images of laventon and the old poke balls in her classroom, possibly implying a connection to PLA? I think this is more coincidental than your rationale of the merchant being gimmighoul though, that’s a little more explicit than my thoughts

[@zacharyb9636]

I bet the merchant was a member of the Ginkgo Guild, like Volo was. Also, it seems like Ms Raifort is a descendant of Adaman, which may be why she has those pictures.

[@g0blinbug946]

@@KrissyBlues I've now see people say adamant and Jacque are related because of their hair and now Reinfort so idk if thats enough evidence tbh :/ cuz they're not even similar colors..

[@m_u_d_d_l_e3509]

Thank GOD someone else noticed this. Nobody is digging deep enough into this and it's getting on my nerves. So many paralelles! And Hassle has Volos animation! His "family" is also sus and so is his story about his "rebellion" against his father.

[@jacintacapelety9600]

@@g0blinbug946 To be fair, hair was about 99.9% of the connection between a lot of the Legends Arceus characters and their descendants (the other 0.1% being their pokémon teams for the characters that actually had them). Just sort of a story-telling short-hand. And while the hair color is definitely off, there's a reasonable degree of similarity between the hair styles, and for Jaqc specifically, his glasses are shaped fairly similarly to the pendant Adaman wears.

[@Sam-yg1lt]

I think for Wo-Chien it is described as sucking the life from vegetation. Not far from his prison there is a mire or swamp filled with mud croagunks and goomy. I think it is possible this is the aftermath of its destruction.

[@bennett4789]

swamps have lots of vegetation tho. wouldnt it be a desert?

[@dragonsswarm1987]

@@bennett4789 like the one the paradox titan is in?

[@stonalisa3729]

Any damage it’s done had enough time to grow back though

[@hanshysher6266]

@@stonalisa3729 it can be like salty land, nothing will grow in salty land.

[@lyras.9161]

Can we also talk about the fact that Raifort is probably goddamn evil? She repeatedly brings up that she wishes she could explore the Treasures herself, but only a 'pure heart' can break the seals, and your reward for getting all of them is her giving you the TM for Nasty Plot. Somethin' shady with that lady.

[@EyesoreJr]

Do you have to complete something before she talks to you? I did all the history and aced the test. It says she will be in the lobby after you complete the history tests and if you talk to her she “quests” you with finding these Pokémon. I did that but she not in the lobby anywhere. I haven’t finished all the team star bases but I do have all titan badges and all gym badges.

[@christianephrem160]

@@EyesoreJr go talk to her in the staff room, then talk to her some more, then she will be near the library reading the books.

[@EyesoreJr]

@@christianephrem160 thanks.

[@christianephrem160]

@@EyesoreJr no problem 😉 👍.

[@jonglejuice]

The names literally translate in Chinese to what they are: ting (that type of pot) lu (deer); wo (snail) chien (a type of bamboo tablet/one segment of bamboo); chien (sword) pao (leopard); chi yu (goldfish/jade). // also, in Chinese, the word for Four is a homonym for the word for Death

[@fadinphoenix]

The Calamity Quartet is my favorite group of legendary pokemon in years. Because the way they did History class, they gave the pokemon back story and build up mystery that many legendarys in other regions never get(looking at you Heatran). Top it all off, all 4 the designs are awesome and each one of them does some different to the opponent to mess with stats. They are just a good group of pokemon

[@WayfarerLen]

The story made me think of the Silk Road - which has loosely been alluded to before with the Ginkgo Guild and some of the lore around Kubfu (how it left Galar long ago with humans to explore and trade). I’m hoping it’s leading up to a future region based somewhere in China someday - this Legendary Quartet has become my favourite for design and lore. It was nice to have a myth backing up their reason for being there and not simply “Oh, here’s this thing on the overworld, battle it”

[@thefirsttyrantrum]

I have noticed something very interesting things as well: They are reminding me of the tapus of Alola. While the tapus protect people and Pokemon from disaster, the Ruined Four causes such disasters against people. Not only do they can counter some of the tapus moves, but their signature move (Ruination) works just like Nature's Madness only being a Dark type move instead of Fairy. So they could something like a polar opposite to the tapus, or guardians that have fallen to darkness. And it could be possible that this merchant can from this Asian like region along Pokemon's version of the Silk Road, the famous trade route in Europe and Asia. And if this merchant passed through Kalos during the time of AZ, that negative energy and emotion from the war only added fuel to their creation, only reaching the climax when the Paldean king bought the relics from the merchant.

[@StarNinja77]

Oooh, the tapu parallel is fascinating! =D

[@Lee-mz5ps]

I saw a theory on reddit that says they are supposed to be parallels of the swords of justice

[@TheTytoGaurdian]

@@Lee-mz5ps That's what I was thinking too.

[@TheBigE9999]

My personal pet theory that doesn't really have any basis is that the merchant was really Volo. If anyone's selling supremely cursed artifacts for a quick buck, it's him

[@BecauseImBatmanFilms]

"Don't skip out on history class" As a history major that could be our motto

[@benb4192]

With your theory about Ting-Lu pouring water from its bowl to create the lake, I don't think that's the case. Scarlet's pokedex says that "fear" was "poured" into it, so some sort of physical embodiment of fear, not lakewater unfortunately. However, Violet's pokedex says "It slowly brings its exceedingly heavy head down upon the ground, splitting the earth open with huge fissures that run over 160 feet deep", which could explain the lake, or the deep divot where Ting-Lu's shrine is. Chien-Pao's pokedex says that it causes avalanches, which is odd because there's no snow anywhere near it, but maybe it was locked up there specifically to keep it as far away from Glaseado Mountain as possible, which is the location of the Highest Peak and would cause the most destruction. Perhaps the ski slopes there had actually been created by an avalanche Chien-Pao created centuries ago. Wo-Chien is said to "drain the life-force from vegetation, causing nearby forests to instantly wither and fields to turn barren", as per its Violet pokedex entry. There doesn't seem to be a good fit for anywhere on the map, but it's been centuries so it's not too unexpected that everything would've grown back

[@dragonsswarm1987]

What about the desert the paradox titan is in? The only thing that grows there is the herba mystica.

[@xinemac1886]

Blood

[@wolfzend5964]

Isn't there a place around there that's a muddy swampland. It's in the middle of a field and the only thing there is dirt, mud, water and I think a few dead trees.

[@lordofninjas1]

Based on the history lesson, it sounds like it takes some inspiration from actual Spanish/Portuguese history, with the area being divided into multiple kingdoms (Leon, Castile, etc.) that fought and eventually unified into the Spain and Portugal that we have today. I believe there were also Eastern influences in that region as well, though I think in Iberia it was more influenced by Islamic stuff than Chinese stuff. It would be interesting to dig more into Iberian history and see if this can help in figuring some of this out for the Pokemon world.

[@tkfarms7882]

I was somehow expecting you to theorize that the merchant who sold the king those four relics was actually Volo, because, well, time travel and Volo is a perfectly despicable person and I can easily see him betraying the king the same way he betrays the player at the end of Legends Arceus. Being turned into a horde of Gimmighoul is too good a fate for Volo, especially given what it evolves into.

[@Gochen86]

Wo-Chien resembles a snail or slug of some kind, and the region of the map it's found is a wetland, complete with a muddy swamp. And Chien-Po (my personal favorite of the four, and a permanent member of my Scarlet team) is located in a section of the map that's absolutely *littered* with plateaus and other raised features that are all to the last flat-topped, as if *severed with a blade*. Combine this information with the obsidian protrusions near Chi-Yu's enshrinement and the massive lakefront near Ting-Lu, and you've got four of the six most prominent features of Paldea covered. Glasseado Mountain is just a huge mountain that shimmers like glass due to the snow and seemingly-endless Ice-Types that reside there, and the Great Crater has existed since *before* the Paldean Empire was even a thing. As a firm believer of the theory of the Great Crater being the impact site of AZ's cannon strike, which in turn triggered the Terastallization effect first seen in the Crater's depths, considering that the energy cannon also absorbed the more malevolent energies as is the nature of indiscriminate absorption, I believe that it was the lingering negative energies that had seeped into Paldea's very land that compounded with the Ruinous Beasts' growing resentment and hatred that ultimately caused the Region-wide destructions. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that, Toby.

[@kymo6343]

It's crazy how X/Y is coming back into this...

[@OTGamer95]

That’s actually a very interesting theory, and kind of makes sense. Another key fact is that the Pokémon that logically could have caused such destruction is Yveltal, a Dark type just like the ruinous quartet. Maybe it comes back in potential DLC and gets Ruination added to its movepool. And the Scarlet/Violet books describe a strange Pokémon with glowing hexagons on its body/shell that allows terastalizing to occur. So far, there’s only one strong/legendary Pokémon covered in hexagons, and that’s Zygarde. Plus, it’s a Dragon type just like Koraidon and Miraidon.

[@charscreamAA]

A theory I have about the 4 ruin pokemon is that in Area zero, where you find Iron Valiant and Roaring Moon, there's this circle ritual thing with 4 connected circles. I wonder if you'll have to bring those pokemon there in a dlc to unlock some legendary Pokemon

[@CBreezie]

I'm pretty sure any of those symbols in area zero predate when the 4 ruinous pokemon came to the paldea region. I think everything in the crater was before the palean empire was a thing.

[@poke-talia268]

I think it will also have something to do with the multi-player function. That's just a guess though

[@octavice]

Ditto, 4 Players, 4 Ruinous Pokemon. I'm sure there will be a coop feature to summon some ultra being using them and those summoning circles in that cave! Hopefully anyways :D

[@magica3526]

@@poke-talia268 oh totally i could see needing someone in each circle to perform some action - makes you question why the union circle doesn't work in area zero, though. You'd think they'd notcie that

[@poke-talia268]

@@magica3526 ah. Does it not work there? I don't have switch online at the moment, so I didn't know that.

[@Mk8_00]

When I saw the Pokémon came from a “merchant from the east” I thought it may have been Volo but I like the gimmighoul theory a lot,it reallyties everything together.

[@devilfacethedarklord]

You can even show the history teacher the ruinous pokemon.Even says if you can't handle them she won't mind taking them off your hands.

[@kymo6343]

I'm definitely mad suspicious of her... I think that TM she gives you isn't the only Nasty Plot she's got...

[@EnchantedRose97]

I’m about 80 percent sure that Raifort will be an antagonist in a dlc. She even gives you Nasty Plot as a reward for catching all 4. Pretty foreboding.

[@kymo6343]

Same. If not her it better be Saguaro. We all know buff men who bake in pink and can't handle the heat are prime villain material. XD

[@i.m.solomon2280]

We're getting closer. I was waiting for theories around this to start. I have suspicions about Ms. Raifort, also one of my favorite characters because of all lore around her. I am curious to what her intent is behind all these legends and why she waited until we came along to have someone seek out these seals because there's still mysteries to Paldea yet unlock, and we never got an evil villain this region. I don't know the scarlet side of the story, but I think Ms. Raifort wants something in Area Zero is plotting away to get it. I'm hoping that in the DLC there will be more revealed about this potential Nasty Plot could be.

[@poke-talia268]

That part seems pretty much the same at the moment in scarlet. Might be different in the dlc

[@CBreezie]

Ponder this thought: the physical pokemon bodies aren't actually pokemon. Theyre the ruinous items themselves. The "pokemon" surrounding the items are just elemental manifestations to give the pokemon physical form. But the pokemon themselves are just "dark curses" that inhabit the items. But they're not spirits or anything, so they're not ghost type. No just just dark curses, that adapt elements for their bodies that they create.

[@kittentamer2164]

Good Catch. Lemme give you some of my fun musings for this comment. Ghost Type Pokemon haven't literally been spirits since Gen 1 early installment weirdness. Pokemon that are Ghost Typed, like Mimikyu, can die and become ghosts themselves. We even have lines like "Obake Janai, Pokemon Daiyo" (We're not ghosts, we're pokemon) coming from ghost type pokemon in various shorts. Types are named after what they remind humans of, in universe. Ghost Types are named Ghost Type because the type and its associated attacks and energy reminded people of ghosts. Dark Type energy reminds people of evil, brutality, and sneakiness. So they named it Dark. All this stuff is independent from what something actually is. In theory, you could have a literal spirit be Dark Typed only. Though, outside of folklore and hearsay in the dex, we haven't had anything like that happen yet. The Ruinous Items are closer to Tsukumogami lore rather than ghosts, or sentient objects that gained a soul. Ones that harbor malice.

[@FaolanHart]

There are a few Pokémon that they've added in recent games that hint towards regions we've yet to see. Eiscue, Yungoos & Copperajah come to mind. It would be cool to see these other regions at some point. Especially Eiscue, as much as I hate that Pokémon an Arctic region would be awesome.

[@vodachan4458]

Eiscue works in galar because it is mostly inspired by the extinct great auk which was native from the British Isles to Spain and all the way to Maine and south Carolina

[@FaolanHart]

@@vodachan4458 I didn't know that. Feel like I should have been British myself lol. Thanks.

[@gee1271]

Quaquaval as well

[@A1_Aldin]

Maybe the area where we caught the wo chien was a dense forest instead of the plains that we have right now 🧐

[@A1_Aldin]

Chien pao is also located a huge slope which can cause avalanches if that area gets any snow

[@mitchellfabian7694]

The real major secret is that Lokix is the secret 5th ruinous Pokémon, a massive swarm of locusts everywhere in the region. Dark/Bug like Dark/X of the rest of the 4 and locusts often are used to symbolize the end of times

[@fruit3193]

I have my doubts about Gimmighoul being connected with this ancient merchant, but it's an interesting thought. I think you're really on to something with those obsidian-looking rocks. Not sure about the Casseroya Lake, though, since that could be natural.

[@BirdKeeperToby]

Thanks Fruit ^_^

[@fruit3193]

@@BirdKeeperToby No, thank you

[@Alliewhitsell]

But what if instead of a future region, it’s a fallen one that isn’t around anymore we get to explore like Hisui👀

[@Babymario26PS3]

That would be cool

[@rapidLupine7687]

I feel like the connection between the legendaries of ruin and gimmighoul is there, but I also feel like gimmighoul might be the court of the Paldean emperor who caused calamity through his greed. It's kind of implied they were all obsessed with treasure.

[@RedRaikou]

The part you mention about Paldea being divided in ancient times could be a reference to the fact Portugal and Spain aka Iberian Peninsula (Paldea) used to be split into various kingdoms in medieval times.

[@duskendawne2239]

I just realized something: the idea that what is now modern-day Paldea was split between multiple nations, and that the region was unified 800 years ago is probably based off the Spanish Reconquista and the many kingdoms that existed at the time

[@pokefanjoshua4867]

Not watched it yet. History is my favorite subject and one I am majoring in. I hope this is a reference to the fact that the Iberian Peninsula was always at war with itself for the longest time, as late as the Spanish Civil War in the 1900's

[@nickparker5200]

How would this relate

[@kymo6343]

@@nickparker5200 Paldea is based on Spain...

[@ferristhered1401]

I also love Raifort! The Academy classes were a pleasant surprise for me, in that they're actually useful/interesting. We have Tyme giving us actual stat benefits of Tera types, Jacq giving us hints at unexpected evolution methods, and of course, Raifort telling stories about the lore of Paldea! Very cool idea, I would love to see the idea of "trainer schools" shifting in the future towards something like the Academy in SV. Edit: In case anyone is curious, you can catch the Treasures of Ruin without any badges. Hard to use them until you have all the gym badges, but the only obstacle to access is some careful platforming. I caught Wo-Chien to see if I could, using a low-level team of Endeavor Starly and a Ralts with Hypnosis!

[@cdesigner9178]

I kinda like the idea that perhaps in the future, these Treasures of Ruin managed to break out of their seals all on their own, allowing them to wreak havoc on the land again. However, everybody forgot the legend, and they killed many of the Pokemon living in the region. Thus, humanity (or what's left of it) work together to help rebuild many Pokemon in the form of the future Paradox Pokemon. I doubt that this is true, but it's my own head canon.

[@Babymario26PS3]

I have been waiting for videos like these, i kinda like the snail design, I honestly would not mind if tpc threw a curve ball and gave us a legends styled game in paldea next.

[@trashketchum9782]

the obsidian spikes were caused by Chi Yu, Casseroya Lake was dumped out of Ting Lu, Chien Pao’s sword cleaved the cliffs on the western side of the map, & (this is a stretch) Wo Chien’s tablets made the South of Paldea very green or maybe created that one swampy area

[@MaxWelton]

5:36 I think the greedy king who coveted all the treasures was the same greedy king who ran the Empire into the ground by spending too much on treasure expeditions into Area Zero.

[@jenniferdaniels701]

Spain was made of different smaller kingdoms- Navarre, Catalonia, Castillo, Asturias. It was also controlled by Rome, the Visigothic Kingdom, the Umayyads. The Basques and Catalans have independence movements now, too, from what I've heard.

[@PragMagik]

I loved the history class and what lore it gave us... and that it gave us Raifort 😍

[@varenemerald]

I love how simple these legendaries look. They’re not very complicated to look at. Reminds me of kanto and johto legendaries which is nice.

[@axolofa]

The tablets are actually described as having a detailed account of a certain king's horrible misdeeds on them in Wo Chien's dex entry in Scarlet. Anyway, point is: the king bought these tablets PRESUMABLY as a cover up to keep his horrible acts out of the public eye. At least, I think so, because the entry specifically says "the king," not *a* king. The king of Paldea.

[@FlashStatic]

Given the fact that these pokemon were fought by "pokemon wielders", the same title that volo had in legends arceus, I wonder if we could be seeing a legends style game in the pladea region at some point around the time after the initial disaster. Of course, given the time period, there would have to be some sort of replacement for pokeballs, but I think game freak would be able to do something about that.

[@wolfzend5964]

It was my head cannon that Gimmighoul was related to the quartet for a while, watching this however reinforced that idea. We know that Wo-Chen was born from the grudge of the person writing about the king's evil deeds, Chien-Pao was the hatred of those slain by the sword, Ting-Pu was fear poured into the Ancient vessel and Chi-yu was envy accumulated in curved beads ...Gimmighoul however was born from passion in a coin and/or born in a treasure chest 1500 years ago. My theory is that the gold that was used to buy the relics were corrupted by the King's Greed and his passion for collecting objects. The coins and chests developed into Gimmighoul amd was fueled off the lingering passion and Greed of the king and sustained itself from absorbing life force from others, with those that took the coins from the chests creating the roaming Gimmighoul we can see around Paldea. We however purify Gimmighoul by giving it 999 of it's coins and essentially reuniting it with it's missing pieces, creating Gholdengo, a pokemon that doesn't take or steal like Gimmighoul, but gives and quickly befriends others with the move, Make it Rain, to "Shower them with coins" as you will.

[@TheCyberGoblin]

One thing to note is that the unification of Paldea's timeframe lines up pretty well with the Reconquista, the period of Iberian history where the Moors were slowly driven out by the Christian kingdoms that would eventually become Spain and Portugal

[@InvaderZim07]

I wonder how Iron Bundle/Delibird fits in with these legends. I’m pretty sure there’s a magazine in Violet that talks about how they existed a few thousand years ago. Maybe a corruption of the vessel? The school has so much hidden lore in it!

[@tseantan]

I’m so glad PokeChina is pretty much canon with the Ruinous Quartet and the Chinese restaurants in the cities/towns serving food like Mapo Tofu.

[@Marco-wv6oj]

The most interesting/weird thing is that the trios of legendary pokemon, they always look alike one with anoher, if you see the m one by one you can relate them, The beasts, the birds, the genies the swords of justice and even the Tapus, considering they were the first ones looking not so similar one with another and the first ones being 4 and not 3. Even Enamorus that became the 4th genie is similar to her brothers. But these ones you cant tell they are a group until you search the lore, weird but in my opinion very interesting.

[@thatothergirl1797]

Raifort’s dialogue during and after the search for the treasures of ruin is extremely suspicious

[@grimlockgreg3063]

I always kind of head cannon that the reason all the countries unified was that the tresures of ruined pose such a threat that if they didn't all work together, the treaures of ruined would have ended all of them.

[@LoganWH8]

It’s possible that the Pokémon weren’t all sealed in the area they originally devastated. It would seem like the lake, desert, frozen mountain, and the area with the obsidian peaks would be where they wreaked their havoc, but sealing them there would be pretty close to one another. If one got out and the others were so close by, they could likely destroy the stakes sealing the others before they could be stopped. Sealing Wo-Chien and Chien-Pao in the relatively untouched southern half of the region could’ve been a precautionary measure.

[@BritneeStar]

I feel like the Tresures of Ruin could potentially set up a new DLC story for Legends Arceus. Having to actually travel to ancient Paldea and seal of the four Treasures of Ruin.

[@awnare7170]

I think that the Legendary Treasures are also kinda related with the Rivals and the player- If you look at the similarities with them, they have the same eye colors, they look and kinda act similar to each other, the stakes are the Rival's and Player's favorite colors, and there are four of them. The player and rivals are also sent on a Treasure Hunt, and the legendaries are Treasures. It might be a coincidence.... But looking at them closely, it was probably NOT just a coincidence.

[@erdtroll7010]

Wo Chiens violet dex entry says it drains the life of vegetation, leaving fields and forests barren. And then theres a big desert to the west of paldea.

[@Always_Watching_U]

Chian-pao could have created the snow in glaseado mountains, and leaf slug thing could have created the grass and abundance of trees in its area

[@jeddy936]

Ok but lore aside. Chien-pao has become one of my favorites. It’s Pokédex entry in scarlet is just kinda adorable.

[@JoshuaLedesma-v6s]

I noticed that the shrine colors of the 4 Pokémon correspond with the types that are super effective against it. Grasswither shrine=purple maybe poison Icerend shrine=yellow or orange maybe it mean fighting Groundblight shrine=green means grass Fire scourge shrine= blue and that represents water.

[@shironeko1843]

This reminds me of the Swords of Justice. They were inspired by the Three Musketeers, their motive is France, but they were introduced in Unova, the Island of Manhattan, and one generation later we went to Kalos (France). Maybe this is the same again? A trio of Legendaries that should not be there to begin with, but in another region?

[@Amelia4111]

IT'S MUSKETEERS, NOT MOSQUETERS! FIX IT NOW!

[@shironeko1843]

@@Amelia4111 you're right, sorry

[@conwool2609]

You know, I originally thought that the merchant was Volo, but the time frame doesn’t seem to add up. But selling ruinous treasures to a greedy king sounds like it would fit him, right?

[@BirdKeeperToby]

It absolutely does ^_^

[@conwool2609]

If the “Volo is immortal” theory happens to be true, I could see him doing that during his travels, pre LA.

[@LunykStormdragon]

YES!!!! LOVE this theory!!! I’m glad I’m not the only one who’s connected the story to Gimmighoul, and the way you brought up the mysterious unexplained obsidian in the map is genius.

[@jacintacapelety9600]

I don't have much of anything in the way of evidence to support this, but until there's sufficient evidence to actively disprove it, my personal head-cannon is that the merchant that gave the ruin pokémon to the king might have been Volo. There's evidence in Legends Arceus to suggest that the people group Volo and Cogita are a part of have some form of longevity, and possibly even immortality. Volo has disguised himself as a merchant before, it makes sense he'd possibly do it again, and if any merchant would get their hands on artifacts like the ones that became the ruin pokémon (or possibly the ruin pokémon themselves, it's unclear if the ruin pokémon became pokémon before or after the king acquired them), Volo seems like a good candidate. I know the timeline could potentially throw all of this into question, cause Legends Arceus takes place roughly 200-300 years ago if memory serves, but considering the events of Legends Arceus seem to be completely forgotten in the modern day (to a point where people don't even know Sinnoh was once called Hisui), I think it's possible something not too long after the events of Legends Arceus could have fallen into myth (or who knows, maybe this was a separate scheme of Volo's that he did *before* the events of Legends Arceus).

[@BecauseImBatmanFilms]

Perhaps not my best work but let me take a stab. Wo-Chien is found near a swamp full of Poison type Pokemon. Could it have created that swamp by absorbing the life force of the forest that was once there. Chien-Pai is found near the desert. Perhaps in this circumstance it was sealed there to keep it somewhere hot and dry where an ice type wouldn't thrive

[@GarryDKing]

Somehow i feel like we may already know who the merchant is who sent these cursed pokemon to the paldean king. I think it was Volo, if i recall he has claimed to be hundreds of years old in legends arceus, even more maybe. And as a traveling merchant it's possible he's been around the world in those many years.

[@winterdragon2004]

To add my two cents on the Treasures altering the landscape around them, Wo-Chein is a slug made of (presumably dead) vegetation, sealed in an area on the other side of a river from an arid rocky region, almost devoid of plant life. One you need to cross to reach the grass type gym leader no less. May be a bit of a stretch, but it does explain its contribution to that theory.

[@binmarcy]

Direct hint for Pokemon 10th Gen. Ever since Gen 5 the region's have been based on western countries. Now it seems likely that we will head east. I'm expecting these 4 Pokemon to have a connection with the main Pokemon(s) lore in Gen 10.

[@arcticfoxx2616]

I love the Ruinous Quartet, Chien-Pao (I named mine Horcrux) has become my second favorite Pokemon of all time as I have been asking for a Dark/Ice Snow Leopard Pokemon since Gen 7. At the time I wanted a regional variant of Liepard but Chien-Pao has exceeded my expectations. But the four legendary Pokemon interested me also from the moment I learned of their existence, in a game with such little lore these 4 Pokemon seemed out of place. I attended the history class with the intent of finding scarps of Information not just about these legendary Pokemon but about Paldea itself, as I stated this game left a lot to the imagination. This is the personal theory I expressed to my friends in my observations and obsession with these new Legends; The game presents a very simple lore on the Treasures of Ruin Legendary Quartet. I started filling in the blanks in my mind and this is the resulting interpretation. I told you yesterday I went to the academy, I wanted to see if there was any Information about the region or the region's Pokemon that I could learn since the Game's story was very minimal in itself. I took the History Course all the way through because that was probably my best shot at learning about the region. There was 6 lectures in total for the history course, and most of them, 4 out of 6 to be exact were about the Paldean Empire. It was a rudimentary kingdom, pretty standard history class, the Ancient Paldean King was very interested in the chasm in the center of the region and believed there was mysterious treasures at its depths. But then one of the class lectures side tracked this Paldean Empire Plot and, the Professor told the students about an interaction this King had. A traveler from an unknown Region came to grant the King of the Paldean Empire with a gift. The traveler presented four items to the King and expressed that only one could be chosen. Wooden Tablets, A Sword, A Sacrificial Ornament, and an Extravagant Bead Necklace. The King decided that he wanted all four. Soon after these items tore the Empire apart. And this is where the professor ends the story. To me there's more though, based on the designs and objects in the story, there are missing pieces. Like why only one item? Or how did the King get his hands on all of them? Filling in those missing pieces is clear when giving it slight thought. Each of the Objects/Legendaries represents a core value. The Tablets represent Knowledge, The Sword represents Power, The Ornament represents Faith, and the Necklace represents Wealth. Each worn by their respective legendary Pokemon. I believe that the King was granted one, and denied obtainment of the other three, this because out of the four legendaries only one item is still in tact while the rest are broken. Because of this I believe the King chose the Tablets. Yet the King that sought treasure must have believed that in his hubris he could understand the Knowledge that these Tablets provided to gain his own Power, Faith, and Wealth. He must have been mistaken and/or misunderstood them. Considering this King's interest in treasures, his greed must have led him to try to take the other Objects by force. Upon possessing the total of the items, Greed unleashed the negatives of each representation, Knowledge lead to Corruption, Power lead to Vengeance, Faith lead to Fear, and Wealth lead to Envy. Building upon each value the four "Treasures" took form as Pokemon and brought Ruin, destroying the King's Empire. I went back to the professor outside of class to see if I could learn more. She expressed that after the fall of the Kingdom a worthy trainer was able to quell the Four Beasts and seal them in their tombs, using the enchanted stakes they placed around the region to keep the seals from breaking and that it takes a special trainer to be able to remove the stakes and break the seal without bringing another disaster. I believe this means that only those who don't seek to control the Values of these four Pokemon or even just one a specific one are able to remove the stakes and wield said Legendary. This is just my person take on what was provided trying to add to the bare lore of the game and fill the gaps in my own head, because I truly do love these new Legendary Pokemon, and feel like among the shortcuts that Gamefreak seemed to take in Scarlet and Violet, the Lore should not have been one of them.

[@megamonVCG]

The ruin treasures could be like the 4 horsemen of the apocalypse.

[@Z0neXDthebest]

Me realizing that if we get a legends: Paldea game then there’s a strong chance Volo will be there based on the kings request for “Pokémon Wielders” Who’s the only Pokémon wielder we know? Everyone’s favorite, crazed Arceus worshipper merchant dude, Volo.

[@cadenza6686]

Ok but we cant ignore this quartet has one of the most bopping themes in pokemon

[@diogenes42069]

If they ever get around to making a sequel to Pokemon conquest these four should definitely be included Edit it would make the water steam magma's is rock in it's liquid state of matter

[@JesseNightingale]

Do you think the merchant could be a legendary like how Calyrex was appently King of Galar for awhile?

[@bellablossomz]

I honestly love the ruin Pokémon. The story behind them, and the designs are very interesting.

[@CeaselessEntertainment8468]

I really was wishing for there to be a DLC that gives us more ruinous pokemon, Also the whole thing about kings reminds me heavily of Unova and the whole thing about kings in B2W2. This could either mean that A. we could actually be seeing proof of Legends: Kyurem or B. That at one point unova and paldea are one in the same continent but just of different areas and offscreen

[@stefonrogers5980]

Chein pao is in the snowy mountains and wu-Chen is found close to tag tree forest

[@riicky83]

It got me how only one of the four spots was more hidden than the others and even had pokemon in front of the sealed door.

[@infamousinferno2506]

It's probably far too late for you to see this, but hopefully my fellow fans of Bird Keeper Toby will stumble across another one of my theories regarding these four. I believe them to be the counterparts to the Swords of Justice. It all makes sense. Tarakion- a Rock/Fighting-type based, in part, on a Stag Beetle. What would be the counterpart to that? A Grass/Dark slug/snail, of course. Virizion- a speedy, roaming and gracefully powerful grass/fighting-type gazelle with a shield-like headshape. The counterpart? A Dark/Ice Big cat with swords for fangs. Cobalion- a noble Steel/Fighting Leo. The counterpart would obviously be a Ground/Dark Moose. Keldeo, the Waterhorse; water and fighting. The counterpart being a fire and dark-type fish. And what do the swords of justice all share? The ability Justified. Attack is raised if hit by a dark-type move. What is one of the legendary Paradox mons slated to be in the DLC? A calamity of the Swords of Justice.

[@purehyper124]

This is also the lady that has you unleash ruin on the region.

[@akirandrake414]

These Pokemon sound almost like Tsugomogami. From Japanese myths. So they're combination of Japanese and Chinese origins.

[@verylostdoommarauder]

I know there is a video to be made about the Terasteel origin legendary mentioned in the lab notes and the Scarlet or Violet book. The page that mentions this legendary has a bunch of scratched out letters, but they don't actually hide what is being said. Something tells me that the scratched out letters are some kind of anagram that requires organizing them correctly. I'll try to see what I can find, but I suggest also looking into this.

[@lucasartgames]

Can't believe you pointed out every other piece of Alolan iconography she's wearing, except for the z-ring! It's really cool to see a z-ring in a switch game, and makes you think that she definitely grew up in Alola and likely took the island challenges. In addition the language teacher might be from Alola too with his Alolan Raichu tail pin on his lapelle. Even more wild, if scarlet and violet are from the non mega timeline, or another all new timeline. I guess this confirms that z-moves/ultra-beasts/ultra worm holes have a presence in the non mega timelines? Although I guess the beast ball you get for completing the Pokedex is enough confirmation of that.

[@kymo6343]

Raifort definitely looks like an Alolan.

[@dloveless3585]

Actually, considering a dex entry of Roaring Moon, SV takes place where Mega Evolution is a thing. Violet Dex: "According to an article in a dubious magazine, this Pokémon has some connection to a phenomenon that occurs in a certain region." Definitely talking about Hoenn/Kalos. Sure, the magazine is said to be dubious, but, there can be hints of truth within it, even if these Magazines talk about ridiculous concepts. But this is Pokemon, ridiculousness is par for the course.

[@lucasartgames]

@@dloveless3585 I actually became privy to that detail a bit after I commented this. It's most definitely confirmation of mega evolution in SV. Funnily enough, it does bring to life a few more questions. Mostly why they're keeping the actual term of mega evolution at arms length. Does the general public in paldea just only have reference to mega evolution via complete heresay? I suppose it could just be a quirk of the writers trying to keep a mystery going? Does this mean that paldea is actually really REALLY far away from Kalos and or Hoenn? Or, my running theory, is the dubious tabloids were written in the equivalent of the "90's" or something, long before mega evolution as a term/concept was thoroughly well known/used across the world Lastly, I kind of wonder if the dlc could actually see mega evolution being reintroduced? I would quite literally die to see that happen, but my guess is probably a hard no. Even if it is the southern Kalos dlc everyone wants.

[@dloveless3585]

@@lucasartgames Well, one thing's for sure, the Weather Trio's Primal/Mega Abilities are in the game, plus Mega Kangaskhan's ability too. Which either means that they're planning for Megas to be reintroduced, or they unintentionally left in data from previous games (which is equally likely considering this unpolished jewel of a game, I say this with little offense as possible).

[@lucasartgames]

@@dloveless3585 I hadn't heard that news, and no offense on my part lol. Knowing these games, that likely was one of their many many mistakes. Hopefully though, we live in the universe where it was intentional and I can finally have a mega altaria and sabeleye again 😭

[@zimattack9994]

Has anyone else kinda noticed that a lot of mon in this gen seem to be breed for war

[@tysondennis1016]

I need a Legends: Paldea game exploring the origins of these Pokémon!

[@MamieBabi]

What if gimmeghoul is actually the king. Filled with greed so much so that he brought his entire kingdom down. cursed to wonder the ruins of his own making trying to collect all the coins he tossed at the merchant.

[@nexxed]

What if the merchant was a time traveling volo, and the events happened after the events of hisui I mean its doubtful but who knows lol seems like smth volo would do

[@purehyper124]

Saying all the gimmighoul are from just one person is too much of a stretch, each one could be a person that die from the ruin Pokémon.

[@sayscon1212]

Initially, I thought Chi-Yu was tied to the Draconids because of the shape of the beads being similar to the ones Drasna wears. But it being of Draconid origin doesn't make sense because of its typing/appearance and that the beads look almost jade like while the ones Drasna/The Draconids wear are bone-like.

[@mayanightstar]

1:39 Holy arceus that little lean to the side with the image sliding in is oddly satisfying

[@M_Alexander]

I appreciate how Toby actually calls her "Ms. Raifort" and not just her name

[@spookykatelyn2161]

I was curious of the mysterious gate ruins when i was playing the game too

[@licidy1]

Side-topic on lore - I took the story about the 4 kingdoms of Paldea being unified under one leader to be reflective of the way you evolve Kingambit. With the Leadership Crest, you defeat 3 other "leader" Bisharps, becoming the "king" and evolving into a new form.

[@FatDudeStudios]

Raifort is definitely gonna be the villain in the dlc

[@TheRegionalVariantMaster]

I wonder if they are going to pull a regigigas and to get a legendary next region we have to purify the ruinous quartet

[@deltarosa]

The pokdex entries for each of these Pokemon contain the keyword / treasure they reference... Now given any one of the four, only one version's pokedex mentions that keyword, so you would need to read each versions pokdex for each of the four to notice: (The treasures/keywords are Vessel, Beads, Sword, Tablets) The fear poured into an ancient ritual vessel has clad itself in rocks and dirt to become a Pokémon. (Scarlet)❤ The envy accumulated within curved beads that sparked multiple conflicts has clad itself in fire and become a Pokémon. (Violet)💜 The hatred of those who perished by the sword long ago has clad itself in snow and become a Pokémon. (Violet)💜 The grudge of a person punished for writing the king’s evil deeds upon wooden tablets has clad itself in dead leaves to become a Pokémon. (Scarlet)❤

[@kymo6343]

Oooh thank you so much for pointing this out! I have Violet myself. Wo-Chien's entry is especially interesting to me now! Who was the person punished, how were they punished, and why was the King so happy to buy the tablets if they contained record of his evil deeds?

[@OTGamer95]

@@kymo6343 it’s unclear, but given that the king bought the tablets, we can assume that the sins recorded are not of the same king that bought the tablets.

[@FluffyPinkDragon]

The Treasures of Ruin are such a great part about the game. When I discovered those stakes and really dug into this mystery, I thought the same thing, that a future Chinese region would be incredible. I don't think these aren't the first legendaries to be from elsewhere, but they are very much unique in that they are from a very specific elsewhere that we haven't seen. I don't really watch the anime, but a movie based around them has to much potential to be amazing A small mini not so much theory as it is an idea: Whatever this hypothetical eastern region is, Kubfu is also from there. Wushu is a Chinese fighting style after all, and every time I was in that bamboo forest I kept thinking a Kubfu would look right at home there

[@OTGamer95]

I actually had a theory that Kubfu/Urshifu either originated from or passed through Hisui, since Urshifu’s two forms (Rapid Strike and Single Strike) are connected to the two combat styles in Legends Arceus (Agile style and Strong style). One of either Kubfu’s or Urshifu’s Pokédex entries talks about it coming from a distant mountainous region, and Sinnoh/Hisui is the most mountainous region we’ve seen so far. Maybe it originated from Hisui and passed through a future Chinese region.

[@edwardvey3019]

I think the ruinous quartet a yveltal is related. If think Paldea was at war with Kalos.

[@loganlowe2021]

Ting lu has a pokedex entry that states that it can make fissures with its head 160ft deep that could be where the lake came from. Also I know that the great crater is said to predate the empire but there are 4 circles inside area zero that have a pattern that resembles how the treasures of ruin are set up on the map. Someone I was talking to mentioned that maybe the terrastal energy of paldea is what brought the negative energy in these artifacts to life

[@LunaMinuna]

I actually enjoyed being in class in Scarlet. It was fun

[@tessakrosendijk299]

I like the idea of the merchant being tuned/having become gimmighoul, tho I am also a fan of the merchant being Volo still >

[@michaelolympus5994]

So basically these are the Therian formes of some Pokémon, implies Incarnate formes just like the Forces of Nature.

[@aescwyning]

So the four treasures are the four sacred tools of calligraphy, hense the tablets used as a surface for writing, the bowl for ink, the beads are ink stone and the sword is the brush (the pen is mightier than the sword). That would explain their relationship to each other, but their dex entries explain the mountain of the Icerend Shrine having no snow (forming Chien-Po's body) causing the Asado Desert to become a waste land like Antarctica, the massive lake being a fissure (Ting-Lu dropping head), bamboo used to contain ashes like bamboo urns (Chi-yu sneezed), and the swamp north of the Grasswither shrine (because Wo-Chien did the suck suck) The weird terrain bothered me from the start because I was trying to figure out why Spain would have all of these formations, but holy Pokéballs did they do a number on Paldea...