Timeline of Major Events

As the GEOverse is an alternate earth, up until the beginning of this timeline everything that occurs in real-world human history occurs. Technology advances faster than it does in the real world, but otherwise many things are the same.

1968

November – A potentially hazardous object is detected approaching the Earth from deep space. While it’s noted and monitored, it’s not enough to interrupt the ongoing space race.

1969

June 15th – A combined US and USSR task force travels to the asteroid to plant a bomb on it. The bomb detonates successfully, but causes multiple fragments to enter Earth’s atmosphere.
June 16th – Major impacts occur in the cliffs along the Yangtze River, the northern Andes, the wilderness of Alaska and Siberia, and the mountains of central Spain. Smaller debris are scattered across the planet.
July – Multinational research teams travel to the largest impact site in the Yangtze to collect samples from the meteorite and observe the damage caused by the impact.
July 20th – The US successfully lands astronauts on the moon.
September – The first signs of DXZ infection are observed in wildlife around the fallen meteorites.
October – The First Plague officially begins with the first human DXZ infections in Alaska, China, and Spain. The initial form of the virus is mild, but spreads quickly and efficiently across species barriers.
December – The symptoms observed in DXZ infections begin to increase in severity as the virus spreads.

1970

February – The first pokémon—living blobs of cells that would later be known as ditto—are found living in the wilderness around the impact sites.
March – The first cases of human spontaneous metamorphosis are observed. Most of the afflicted do not survive. Many countries attempt to prevent further spread with lock downs.
August – Lock down protocols begin to fray as businesses force people back to work in the face of falling profits. DXZ infections increase in number and researchers attempt to speed potential vaccines through trials.
November – The first generation DXZ vaccines are developed from inactivated viral particles. Efficacy is low, but production begins in earnest.

1971

January – Second-generation ditto are found mutating further into new forms, mostly creatures resembling insects, small birds, and rodents. These early pokémon are unstable, and appear to be subject to spontaneous mutation themselves.
March – Quarantine is re-established wherever possible as vaccine roll-out begins.
December – The First Plague tapers off with the help of re-implemented quarantine measures and mass vaccinations.

1972

April – Early pokémon begin to out-compete surviving animals. Attempts to cull mutant populations see limited success, and efforts to preserve exotic species begin.
June – Heath’s expedition into the impact site that would later be known as Area Zero occurs.
September – DXZ infections in livestock begin ramping up across the planet and agricultural yields begin to shrink.

1973

February – Food shortages impact the general population.
June – Alien plant-life begins to infiltrate the environment as the first berry plants establish themselves. Pokémon populations increase sharply in number and diversity in response to the newly abundant source of suitable food.
December – The Second Plague begins as active DXZ infections begin to increase in human populations once more.

1974

May – The first preservation vaccines are developed, and the first rattata are created from lab rats. Work begins on further strains.
June – The first known hybrid child is born, but the significance is not recognised at the time.
July – Staple crops begin dying out, and people rush to build isolated greenhouses to grow edible food as new plant-life overtakes the old.
July, Kanto – Team Rocket begins active operations in the Kantō region, amassing wealth and supplies as the plague sweeps through the population.
November – A number of new preservation strains are released, with the aim of preserving domestic species and attempting to secure the food chain. The first berry plants are introduced into human diets as crops continue to fail.

1975

January – A new ecosystem rises from the ashes of the old. Woody plants and grasses seem to resist mutation the best, but berry and apricorn plants fill the space around them.
February 3rd – The Last War begins, sparked by the United States making a grab for dwindling resources by annexing Mexico and Canada.
July – A group of dissenting former NATO troops and International Police agents begin organising a civilian defence force as the conflict spreads beyond North America.
September – Larger, predatory pokémon species begin to appear on the land, and the first aquatic species begin to colonise the waterways. Rural areas become more dangerous even as the ongoing war makes it unsafe to stay in larger cities.
November – The Civilian Defence Force begins recruiting in earnest as more countries join the ongoing conflict.

1976

April – Human and pokémon partnerships become increasingly more common as mutated dogs, cats and other small animals filter out into the population. Battling sees its origin as a defensive tactic against wild pokémon or enemy trainers.
May – The CDF begins establishing settlements across Europe and South America in isolated areas to protect and feed survivors as best they can.
July – Doxenaquine is first synthesised in a US military lab.
September – The first voltorb and magnemite are created, originally designed as a living “smart bomb” and a portable generator respectively, but the use of ditto tissue wetware causes them to develop into living pokémon.
September – Team Rocket begin actively training a pokémon fighting force as a result of a US army raid on Tokyo, largely utilising small, readily-available species. Rocket scientists begin studying the possibility of increasing the innate power of the pokémon species in use.

1977

January – Various poison-type pokémon species such as koffing, grimer, nidoran, tentacool, and gastly arise and spread into new territory as a result of pollution and fallout from the ongoing war.
February – The first human preservation strain is created and goes into very limited testing. It does not see distribution, though, with second-generation attenuated vaccines being seen as safer and more efficient.
March, Kanto – The first “shadow” pokémon are created in Team Rocket labs by a project spearheaded by the scientists Yew and Hawthorn. Work begins on refining the creation process as well as possibly implementing it in humans.
May – The CDF begins working with the sole remaining civilian aviation company, to distribute food and vaccines. Many starving soldiers abandon their posts and join the CDF after being included in supply drops.
August – Conflict dwindles as more combatants abandon the war, but United States leadership continues its aggression. The CDF begins pushing into the North American continent.

1978

May 28th – The Last War is officially declared over after a series of strategic assassinations. Surviving populations begin to rebuild.
June – Trade between various surviving populations restarts. Settlements that weathered the war and plague best become the lifeblood through which society re-establishes itself.
July – Team Rocket begin selling shadow pokémon on the black market as they expand their reach beyond Japan.
October – The Second Plague is finally brought to an end as second-generation vaccines are distributed to surviving populations. The world begins to rebuild, and new regions are established.

1979

February, Kanto – Silph Co. invents the first working pokéball model. These early models comprised of hollowed-out apricorn shells fitted with electronic locks, and production is slow.
March, Kanto – Team Rocket opens a casino in Celadon City as part of their money-laundering operations.
April, Galar – As the fledgling Galarian government begins to run out of funding, Rose Shahruz pledges to fund the reconstruction of London by dipping into his hoarded wealth, subsequently gaining a significant amount of influence over the region.
May 24th, Kanto – The first official pokémon league, the Indigo League, is formed in the Greater Tohjo Region by a handful of the strongest pokémon trainers in the two regions and headed by Fuego Kajitani. The concepts of official gyms, badges, and title challenges begin here.
July 5th, Holon – Team Rocket operatives travel to Holon to investigate rumours of a rare pokémon displaying prodigious psychic power found deep in the South American rainforest.

1980

June, Kanto – The Fuchsia Safari Zone opens, offering a selection of imported pokémon from around the world to paying customers.
December, Hoenn – The Hoenn Pokémon League is established, following the example of the Indigo League. Drake takes the place of champion.

1981

April 14th, Holon – The Holon Pokémon League is established in Holon City. Amber Ramirez takes the position of champion.
July, Sevii – The Sevii Islands region applies to join the Greater Tohjo Region alliance and is accepted as a satellite region.
August, Holon – After months of combing the rainforest, the Rocket team in Holon successfully captures a wild mew near Dragon Falls, and they rush the pokémon back to Kanto.
September, Sevii – Rocket establishes the Sevii branch and builds a warehouse on Five Isle.
November, Kanto – The Rocket Game Corner in Celadon begins offering pokémon as game prizes, sourcing the pokémon from the Safari Zone breeding program and widespread poaching.
December, Kanto – Project M2 begins in earnest, helmed by Dr. Fuji and Rocket’s Yew.

1982

March, Orre – Cipher begins operations in the burgeoning Orre region, hoping to establish itself before any real infrastructure is built.
October – The Third Plague Begins. Efforts to perfect and distribute the human preservation strain to the surviving population kick into overdrive.

1983

January – As the Third Plague continues, it causes the collapse and abandonment of many smaller settlements, with survivors moving towards larger population centres with better access to healthcare. Other settlements attempt to lock down and wait the plague out.
March, Almia – Almia becomes a satellite region of Sinnoh as the plague impacts the population, supply lines and local food production to an unmanageable degree.
June, Johto – Despite the struggling economy, the Rocket Game Corner opens a new casino in Goldenrod City and immediately begins turning a profit.

1984

July, Sinnoh – The Sinnoh Pokémon League is founded in response to increasing sightings of powerful wild pokémon near settlements. Bertha takes the position of champion.
September, Kanto – Having retired from pokémon battling in order to take care of his recently-orphaned grandchildren, Professor Oak makes a name for himself by publishing one of the first papers on pokémon habitats and population distribution.
December – The human preservation strain is finally completed, and successfully trialled in living humans. Vaccination roll out begins.

1985

January – The hybrid immunity to active phase DXZ is officially noted as vaccination efforts continue.
May – Vaccination roll out is completed and the majority of the remaining human population has been successfully altered to be more resistant to DXZ infection. The Third Plague finally tapers off.

1987

May, Unova – The Unova Pokémon League is formed with its headquarters on Long Island, lead by Alder.

August, Orre – Cipher backs the lesser Team Snagem in a bid to prevent trainers unaffiliated with either team from forming a pokémon league in Orre.

1988

June, Kanto – Silph Co. creates the modern pokéball using plastic and metal, allowing cheap mass scale production. Pokéballs become common and easy to obtain.

1989

February, Unova – The first case of aborting an in-progress occurrence of spontaneous metamorphosis with antiviral drugs occurs. Doctors begin refining the treatment for future cases.

1990

September 8th, Holon – The Holon pokémon league is disbanded, with almost every employee leaving the region with the departing champion.

1991

August, Hoenn/Sinnoh – The success of the game corners in Celadon and Goldenrod lead Team Rocket to open smaller casinos in Mauville and Veilstone to extend Rocket’s reach beyond the Greater Tohjo Region.

1993

June, Orre – The alliance between Cipher and Snagem breaks down as Cipher begins a more concentrated effort to take control of Orre.
October, Yangtze – The first of the bi-annual expeditions into the Yangtze Exclusion Zone occurs. The initial focus is on cataloguing the wildlife and building long-lasting shelters for future expeditions.

1995

February 6th, Kanto – The modified clone “Mewtwo” is completed and decanted. It is extremely powerful and difficult to control.
September 1st, Kanto – Mewtwo breaks containment and escapes, leaving the lab on Cinnabar a burning husk.
September 3rd, Kanto – The town of Verdigris collapses into a sinkhole, killing dozens and injuring hundreds more. The ground is ruled too unstable to rebuild, and the survivors are relocated to Celadon.
September 23rd, Kanto – The first porygon is created by Silph Co.
October 30th, Kanto – The Viridian City gym is established to replace the fallen Verdigris gym, with Giovanni Sakaki as its leader.
November, Kanto – Bill’s pokémon storage system enters limited beta testing.

1996

January 15th, Kanto – 16-year-old Lance Tatsumi challenges and defeats Fuego Kajitani at the Indigo Plateau, becoming the league’s second champion as well as its youngest.
January 23rd, Kanto – 14-year-old Satoshi “Red” Takeda and 15-year-old Blue Oak leave Pallet Town together to work on a gym challenge while doing some minor field research for Professor Oak.
July, Hoenn – 18-year-old Steven Stone defeats Drake at Evergrande City to become the Hoenn League champion.
September, Kanto – The Rocket Game Corner is shut down after being revealed to be a front for Team Rocket’s money laundering schemes.
December 17th, Kanto – Red and Blue defeat Giovanni Sakaki at the Silph Co. HQ and run Team Rocket out of Saffron City. Many high-ranking Team Rocket members are arrested, but Giovanni and his most trusted lieutenants manage to escape.

1997

January 29th, Kanto – Red and Blue both travel to Viridian City to challenge the last Kanto gym, only to find it headed by Giovanni himself. After being defeated once more in a double battle with the pair, Giovanni disbands what’s left of his organisation and leaves Kanto.
February 1st, Kanto – Giovanni leaves Viridian City and travels to the west, dropping off the radar.
February 8th, Kanto – 16-year old Blue challenges and defeats Lance at the Indigo Plateau, becoming the next champion—but 15-year-old Red arrives to challenge and defeat him in turn mere hours later. Fuego departs during the chaos, and his position on the elite four is filled by Lance while Red takes the position of champion.
June 1st, Galar – After a few years of planning, the Galar Pokémon League’s first season begins under the sponsorship of Macro Cosmos.
July, Kanto – Bill’s storage system leaves beta testing and becomes accessible to all trainers in the Greater Tohjo Region.
August, Kanto – The first pokégear model is unveiled by Silph Co.
September, Fiore – Fiore’s government allies itself with the Greater Tohjo Region, requesting assistance with several pokémon-related issues and some criminal influence.

1998

February 1st, Galar – Galar’s first pokémon league season ends with Peony as the region’s first champion. The first set of gym leaders are chosen from the best performing members of the season.
February, Hoenn – Lanette launches a new instance of Bill’s pokémon storage system to serve the Hoenn region, making several improvements that are later adopted into the core program.
March 12th, Kanto – After a near-disastrous confrontation with the paparazzi, Red abdicates his position as Indigo League champion, and the league closes for three months while the remaining elites sort out the resulting administration crisis.
April 8th, Sinnoh – 19-year-old Cynthia succeeds in claiming the title of champion in the Sinnoh Pokémon League by defeating Lucian.
May – The World League Association is founded by Steven Stone, Cynthia Shirama and Lance Tatsumi.
June, Sevii – Bill and Celio begin beta testing a cross-region pokémon storage network, initially between Kanto and Sevii, but later including Hoenn.
August 1st, Kanto – The Indigo Pokémon League reopens with reduced hours, with 18-year-old Lance returning to the position of champion and Koga joining the elite four.
September – The Unova league joins the WLA.
November, Hoenn – Bill assists Bebe in launching a pokémon storage system in Sinnoh, before connecting it to the burgeoning Japan-wide network.
Late December, Almia – Fuego Kajitani is found dead in his home in Pueltown. His death is later attributed to a stroke caused by his heavy smoking habit.

1999

March – The Kalos league joins the WLA.
April, Johto – 17-year-old Cain “Gold” Maple and 16-year-old Silver Nagoshi leave New Bark Town to begin a gym challenge.
May 17th, Kanto – 17-year-old Blue Oak temporarily takes over as Indigo League champion after Lance Tatsumi is injured in a training accident.
June 28th, Kanto – Lance Tatsumi returns to active duty.
July, Unova – Amanita implements a version of the pokémon storage system in Unova, and begins preparations for a continental and potential international network connection.
September, Johto – A newly-revived Team Rocket begins covert operations in Johto, running several money-making schemes around the region and leaning heavily on the Goldenrod casino’s income.

2000

February, Johto – Rocket begins recruiting and attempting to spread their influence once more, drawing the attention of the local police and the Indigo League.
March, Kanto – Ikaika Kukui challenges Lance at the Indigo Plateau, losing the pokémon battle but winning the subsequent wrestling match.
April, Galar – Rose becomes chairman of the Galar League, and dynamax is announced as a feature for the upcoming season of the Galar league. The construction of power spots in the region’s gyms begins.
October 17th, Galar – Peony steps down from his position as the Galar League champion and leaves for the Crown Tundra.

2001

February 1st, Galar – Galar’s fourth pokémon league season ends with Mustard as the new champion.
February, Alola – Molayne brings Alola’s pokémon storage system online and links it to the Unova and Orre services.
July, Johto – While trialling a new method of controlling pokémon, Team Rocket cause the peaceful Lake Biwa to erupt into a frenzy of angry gyarados. Lance investigates and puts a stop to it.
December 6th, Galar – Like his predecessor, Mustard also steps down from his position unexpectedly.

2002

February 1st, Galar – Galar’s fifth pokémon league season ends with fifteen-year-old Leon Astera as the reigning champion.
May, Galar – The Galarian League attempts to join the WLA, but is rejected and disqualified from sending participants to WLA-sanctioned tournaments for three years after it’s discovered that Rose supplied Leon with an experimental hold item to boost his chances of winning.
November, Johto – The revived Team Rocket takes over the Goldenrod and Lavender radio towers in an attempt to call Giovanni back to the group. Their call goes unanswered as both groups of Rockets are thwarted by the Goldenrod gym trainers and the Indigo league members respectively.

2003

September, Johto – 22-year-old Cain Maple captures the first observed ho-oh at the top of the Bell Tower.

2004

April 4th, Kanto – 22-year-old Cain Maple challenges Lance at the Indigo pokémon league and successfully defeats him, becoming the new Indigo League champion.
June, Galar – The power spot in Spikemuth is shut off.

2005

May, Galar – Galar makes a second bid for World League Association membership, and this time is successful. The first WLA-sanctioned tournament including Galarian trainers is held in Wyndon.
May, Galar – Cain Maple invests a significant amount of money in Macro Cosmos and becomes a controlling stakeholder in the corporation.
November, Alola – Kukui succeeds in drumming up enough support to begin a pokémon league in Alola, headquartering it on Mt Lanakila. Alola’s gyms are more informal than those of other leagues, mostly building on the existing trial system.

2006

March, Galar – Strange, glowing red rock formations begin erupting from the earth in Galar’s wild areas, and glowing red fungus colonises the earth around them. Attempts to raise the alarm about the unusual phenomena are stifled by the Macro Cosmos-owned media.
August, Hoenn – The first groudon and kyogre are discovered when they begin fighting over Sootopolis, blanketing the entire region in hot rain. Lance succeeds in taming the first seen rayquaza and using it to break up the fight, and the groudon is captured by one of Zinnia’s friends—but the kyogre disappears into the sea.

2007

January, Paldea – The first rotom phone model is introduced.
January 11th, Galar – Losing control of both Macro Cosmos and the Galarian pokémon league, Rose reveals his hand and releases Eternatus from containment in the Hammerlocke power station. Eternatus goes on a rampage, radiating dynamax energy across Galar and causing the first “darkest day”.
January 19th, Galar – Hop and Tori seek out the legendary dogs in the Slumbering Weald and bond with them in order to take on Eternatus. Eternatus is re-contained, and Rose is sent to prison.
February 1st, Galar – The tenth season of the Galarian pokémon league ends with Tori as its new champion.
April, Unova – Plasma begins public outreach, laying the groundwork for their future plans.

2008

June, Paldea – Professors Sada and Turo begin their research in Area Zero, prompted by their studies on notes and journals left behind by members of Heath’s expedition.

2009

April, Paldea – The first koraidon is captured in Area Zero, and Professors Sada and Turo begin studying the crystals growing in the crater with greater interest.
July, Unova – Ghetsis makes his move and attempts a hostile takeover of the Unova region, which is aborted when the two powerful dragons he’d taken captive turn on each other to fight over his tiny human puppet instead.

2010

September, Kalos – Lysandre takes control of a yveltal poached from the wilds of Kalos and attempts to use its power to take control of the region and cleanse it of undesirable elements. The machinery used instead backfires on him, and when the dust settles he is missing and presumed dead.

2011

February, Sinnoh – Cyrus attempts to summon a legendary pokémon on the summit of Mt. Coronet, only to get dragged into a hellish dimension by a completely different one. Cynthia gives chase, but fails to save him, accidentally bonding with Giratina in the process.
September, Unova –The revived Team Plasma makes a second grab for power, this time using a pokémon retrieved from the impact site in north-eastern Unova.

2012

Paldea – Professors Sada and Turo perfect their “time machine” and begin collecting paradox pokémon from alternate realities.

2014

March, Holon – Professor Gold Maple and his newly-hired assistant Luka join Professor Gracia Açaí in Holon to research the unusually fast mutation of pokémon species found in Holon.
September, Sinnoh – After two and a half years of being assumed dead in the Distortion World, Cyrus returns to Sinnoh, having been sent to another world entirely for a brief spell by Giratina. She is cautiously welcomed back.

2015

February, Paldea – Professors Sada and Turo have an argument that ends in Sada sabotaging the time machine to prevent Turo from only summoning pokémon from the “future”. Turo throws Sada into the time machine in retaliation.
July, Paldea – The Paldean Pokémon League is formed under the leadership of Geeta.

2016

August, Hoenn – A rocket from Mossdeep travels into space to retrieve what they believe is the wreckage of the rocket that attempted to blow up the meteor. Those on board are shocked to find the astronauts and cosmonauts still alive, although massively changed.

2017

November, Paldea – Professor Turo completes a robot shell for the AI he programmed based on his own brain scans.

2018

September, Paldea – The Paldean Academy opens its doors to its first students, aiming to be a bridge between mandatory schooling and professional pokémon battling.

2020

March, Paldea – Professor Turo is killed during a confrontation between the territorial koraidon and miraidon within Area Zero. The Turo AI takes his place.

2023

October, Yangtze – The 2023 Yangtze expedition begins. Professor Cain Maple accompanies the expedition, but later becomes lost in the warped wilderness.

2024

February, Yangtze – The 2024 Yangtze expedition returns, but the researchers were unable to find the missing Professor Maple before the last safe day to leave.
August, Alola – The Aether Foundation self-destructs after Lusamine succeeds in tearing open a wormhole to the Ultra Sea, losing her mind to the parasitic ultra beasts within.

2025

October – The 2025 Yangtze expedition begins, a year ahead of schedule, and a team designated to search for the missing professor travels into the region with them.

2026

February, Yangtze – The 2025 Yangtze expedition returns, but the search team remains in the Yangtze.

2027

March, Paldea – The annual treasure hunt begins at the Paldea Academy.
May, Paldea – A group of students from the Paldean Academy travel into Area Zero after a handful of escaped paradox pokémon are found in the areas surrounding the crater.
October – The 2027 Yangtze expedition leaves.

2028

January, Yangtze – The research team meets up with the search team, which has successfully located Professor Maple and returned to the GEOverse with the help of Pasio’s Lillie and her solgaleo and lunala.
February, Yangtze – The 2028 Yangtze expedition returns.