[Editorial] Dreaming of Pokémon Legends: Paradox (Area Zero, Paradox Pokémon and the True Origins of Mew

Thanks to an interesting post on X, where a user asked “Which region would you most like to see get a Legends game?”, it got me thinking.

Naturally, my first thought was Johto. A Legends game set there could cover the burning of the Brass Tower, the creation of the three Legendary Beasts, and the events leading up to that historic incident. The Legendary Beasts could originate as Eeveelutions (as previously theorised) or some kind of unknown dog Pokémon from the Kanto region — or, for further lore-building, from the Land of Kitakami. I’d love to see more of Kitakami, and a game that spans both Johto and an expanded Kitakami would be intriguing.

But the more I thought about it, the more my attention turned to Paldea — specifically Area Zero.

[Editorial] Dreaming of Pokémon Legends: Paradox

(Area Zero, Paradox Pokémon and the True Origins of Mew

The game could make use of two timelines: one set in the past and one in the future. The protagonist is a research student under Professor Turo during a time when the future is facing complete annihilation. With the situation looking dire, Professor Turo sends you back in time to join Professor Sada and help her uncover the secrets of the past. By doing so, the fate of the future might still be changed.

We’ve seen time travel in Pokémon before, but in this proposed Legends game we really lean into it.

One of the core gimmicks is that certain actions in the past directly result in the creation of specific future Paradox Pokémon. For example, the protagonist helps Sada protect endangered species, and in the future those species have evolved into entirely new Paradox forms. Environmental disasters in the past also shape how certain Pokémon develop. A cave home to a territorial tribe of Diglett floods; the Diglett refuse to leave, and over time they adapt into the Wiglett we know in present-day Paldea, now able to venture further afield.

At the heart of the story are the game’s Mythical Pokémon: a Paradox Mew and a Paradox Celebi. The Future Paradox Celebi serves as your main starter and partner Pokémon. It is your means of time travel, able to open portals between the two timelines. However, because it is not the real Celebi, it is essentially a living time machine shaped like a Pokémon — its combat capabilities are limited. This forces the protagonist to catch and use Future Paradox Pokémon that can be taken into the past, where Past Paradox Pokémon can be tamed and bonded with.

As for Paradox Mew… brace yourself for something unexpected. This is not the Mew we know today. Its original form is far more ferocious and primal, resembling Mewtwo more than the cute pink Pokémon we recognise. This “Ancient Mew” has a completely different personality and temperament, and it rules Area Zero. It is only after spending thousands of years watching the world evolve — and witnessing the cohabitation of people and Pokémon — that Mew’s form gradually changes into the iconic design we know now.

By ultimately taming the Paradox Mew and bringing it to the future, the fate of that timeline can be changed. It turns out the reason the future is on the brink of annihilation is because Mew left in the first place. Something caused Mew to depart, and without its presence the world lost hope and descended into ruin. When the Paradox Mew appears in the future, carrying all its original power and ferocity, the present-day Mew is drawn to it instantly. The two meet and talk.

Ultimately, present-day Mew points out the error in Paradox Mew’s ways and encourages it to see the beauty the world could hold. The conversation also shows present-day Mew that leaving was a mistake. Together they use their power to terraform the world — crops grow anew, the seas are cleansed of pollution, and impending doom is averted.

Only then does the protagonist return to the past to reintroduce Paradox Mew to its own timeline, ensuring future events play out correctly and allowing Paradox Mew to begin its long journey toward becoming the Mew we know.

Because the game is set in the past, players would also encounter all fossil Pokémon in their original forms, plus new fossil Pokémon never before seen — ones that could later reappear in future mainline games.

One non-Paradox Pokémon available in the future is an Eevee. By taking it into the past and battling specific Pokémon (or interacting with certain Apex Pokémon), new evolutions can be unlocked.

Like the Noble Pokémon in Legends: Arceus, this game features Apex Pokémon — powerful legendary creatures that rule their own territories. Winged King (Koraidon), Walking Wake, Raging Bolt and Gouging Fire are four of them. Another is Terapagos. All Apex Pokémon ultimately bow to Ancient Mew, the True Apex. They are shiny Legendary Pokémon that can be tamed and caught. A fifth Apex is Genesect in its original/Paradox form (possibly a long-lost Kabutops evolution, or simply a Kabutops itself).

Defeating Winged King yields two items: a feather and a claw. Giving Eevee the feather evolves it into a Flying-type; the claw produces a Dragon-type evolution. Canonically you can only evolve your Eevee once during the main story. However, other Apex Pokémon provide additional evolution items exclusive to Eevee. After beating the game and saving the future, players can obtain another Paradox Pokémon based on Ditto’s long-rumoured lost Gen II evolution. With Ditto extinct, Professor Turo has been working on creating a replacement for breeding purposes to help restore Pokémon populations. Once he succeeds, the player is given one and can use it to breed their Eevee, unlocking the remaining Eeveelutions.

Defeating Walking Wake, Raging Bolt and Gouging Fire provides the items needed for Vaporeon, Jolteon and Flareon. Items from other Apex Pokémon create brand-new evolutions (for example, Paradox Genesect, being Bug/Rock instead of Steel, yields a Rock-type evolution). Using the evolution item from Terapagos produces a Normal-type evolution known as the Stellar Pokémon, based on its distinctive appearance.

As for the title, for simplicity it could simply be called Pokémon Legends: Paradox. Because Paradox Mew’s form is so close to Mewtwo’s, it would also recontextualise Mewtwo’s appearance — revealing that Team Rocket didn’t create something entirely new, but rather forced Mew’s DNA to revert closer to its true, original nature and raw power. Mew wasn’t always cute. It was once a powerhouse of destruction that eventually learned to see the beauty of the Pokémon world.

Still, that’s just my daydream of what a Legends game could be. It will almost certainly never happen — but it would be amazing if it did.

What about you? Where do you want Legends to take us next? Let us know in the comments!