Draco: Well, it finally happened. Me surviving to write notes about Generation IX means that I've managed to run out of room in the story summary to list all the people who contributed to Cynthia's book.
Disclaimer, I got through Paldea the first time, took a long break, started from square one for another round, and now I'm distracted again. I might end up coming back after my secondary run and edit some of these.
Secondary disclaimer, me posting this chapter and then moving it into the correct order might result in some technical difficulties. If you've "already reviewed" this chapter, because you had previously reviewed the first Addendum, feel free to post your review to my Paldean notes by writing it for the latest addendum (and maybe notating it as such).
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The Treasures of Ruin
(aside note: Juliana requested that the compilation include a page for the Treasures of Ruin as a group and separate pages for the individuals | ~Cynthia)
(secondary aside note: You see, it's not JUST Unova! | ~Nate)
Juliana: A rite of passage in Paldea implores budding Trainers to go out into the world and seek a 'treasure' - not necessarily a physical object of great value, but something that the individual can hold dear. These legendary Pokémon suggest that such a practice has been in place since time immemorial... and serve as an excellent example why a single-minded obsession with one's treasure, no matter the form, is dangerous. The Treasures of Ruin are ancient artifacts that have been given life by powerful emotions that each has brought about; the Pokémon born thus have created bodies for themselves by means of their elemental control. Though I'm not proud to admit it, I suspect that these elemental bodies could be destroyed without slaying the Pokémon outright. However, if there has ever been a person or Pokémon who desires such harm upon them, is strong enough to achieve it, and has found one of the Treasures in the first place, it was not one who was able and willing to leave record of such an act.
(What sort of dark mood were you in when you came up with THAT theory? | ~Serena)
(Don't ask | ~Juliana)
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Wo-Chien | Treasure of Resentment | Tablets of Ruin
Juliana: A historian for the Paldean Empire - who must have been disillusioned with his emperor's mission statement - carved the nation's cruel deeds into a set of wooden tablets. When they were discovered, he was punished, and held a grudge against those who punished him. The Paldean Empire fell a thousand years ago, and the record on those tablets has since faded to illegibility, but the historian's grudge has persevered through the ages as Wo-Chien, who commands and consumes vegetation to sustain itself and strike down its foes.
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Chien-Pao | Treasure of Hatred | Sword of Ruin
Juliana: Although swordsmanship in the modern day is the territory of sportsmen and Warriors, with no intent to bring true harm, a blade was once carried by many a man who would slaughter wild Pokémon, seek to kill his fellow humans, or defend himself against those who would. A skilled such man slew a great many foes who hated him, and though the slayer must surely have joined his victims in the afterworld by now, their malice yet lingers as Chien-Pao, who will command a mountain of snow to consume its opponents in the winter of war.
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Ting-Lu | Treasure of Fear | Vessel of Ruin
Juliana: Many a belief held by cruel minds involves a sacrifice of some sort - and if such a sacrifice is fluid, there must be a vessel to receive it. Over time, such a vessel came to be representative of those beliefs, and those who followed those beliefs out of cowardice and powerlessness came to fear the vessel itself as one might an implacable foe. Though both the believers and any who might bear the vessel have been lost to time, their dread still remains as Ting-Lu, who will command the very earth to create a foundation upon which it might claim victory.
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Chi-Yu | Treasure of Envy | Beads of Ruin
Juliana: There are far too many people - and a few Pokémon - who think that looking good is more important than being able to do things. Such an endeavour benefits from small, aesthetically-pleasing accessories, and one such set of accessories was coveted by so many such people and Pokémon as to produce a violent war. Lives were lost, chaos was rent, and yet still the desire for those tiny beads continued, converged, and has manifested as Chi-Yu, who will happily swim through molten rivers of its own making to consume its enemies in the flames of war.
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Koraidon | Winged King
Juliana: A temporally-displaced Pokémon from ancient prehistory, the Winged King appears to be a distant ancestor of contemporary Cyclizar. The fact that it can alter its body in myriad ways to enable various forms of travel - across land, up sheer cliffs, over water, and even through the air - suggests both a varied, hostile home environment and a certain dominance in its native pecking order. Koraidon's physical might, martial prowess, and its natural tendency to invoke harsh sunlight when in battle (which in turn will amplify the strength of prehistoric Paradox Pokémon, itself included) gives the impression of an iron-fisted tyrant. However, evidence suggests that if the Winged Kings were rulers, they varied between cruelty and kindness as much as the rulers of men have been.
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Miraidon | Iron Serpent
Juliana: A Pokémon from the distant future brought to the present day by means unwelcome, the Iron Serpent seems to be a distant descendant of the Cyclizar we know and love. Miraidon's presence naturally generates electric terrain upon entering combat (an environment that empowers futuristic Paradox Pokémon, including Miraidon), which seems to imply that it served as an overseer or contingency for something that required a great deal of eletrical power to function. It also possesses vast reserves of energy that it can put to great use in combat, and can manipulate its form to travel across any terrain. Whether Iron Serpents have used such abilities to protect or dominate those under its oversight, however, seems to have depended on the specific overseer in question.
("Served"? "Have used"? I think you've got your tenses wrong | ~Gold)
(As far as any Miraidon we might encounter are concerned, it has happened | ~Juliana)
(I hate talking about time travel | ~Summer)
Draco: Shameless reference to my preferred interpretation of Ransei because I've already done the #ArcWelding for that.
Okay, at present, all I can say for Paldea is that Juliana did it, and it's going to be an absolute nightmare. (And that Arven is PROBABLY going to suffer, which I feel really bad about.) I'm still working on what exactly the progression is, but I know for sure that I need encounters with both past and future Paradox Pokémon in order to have notes on both mascots. Insofar as I can tell, the Union Circle is pure gameplay, so a dual-protagonist approach like I used for Alola is not on the table. I might also wait until both rounds of the DLC have come out before I decide upon my canon.
