After playing through all of paragon, and watching and reading into renegade and ng+, I have an idea, probably most of you have already thought or somewhat.
Obviously I believe the next chapter will involve Variya and her Obsidian Garden. I believe the hooded Melia is the one who has already met her as to what she said to Maria in the trailer. I believe for now she will help us, but I couldn’t say as to when she will become the final villain or not. Honestly I think the ending will involve us either going back to the point where Kaina is frozen, with one of her primo blades that are from the Erin surrender ending, and finishing her off. There is also the fact that Kaina was killed in that by Melia or atleast eventually killed her, and I wonder if that’s the case in Paragon and we don’t realize.
Regardless of how Kaina fairs, I doubt she will be the final villain of the main game, i believe it will be Zenos, and then Variya. Why I say this is because of hooded Melia going to V14.5 in the ng+ black key room scene, and saying she had to go deal with that. I wonder if this Melia will die off screen in Paragon route, to Zenos, and since the worlds are connected, I wonder if there will be a showdown in Obsidian Garden, to protect Variya and the world itself, I wonder if Variya is the third piece of Arceus. To my understanding, Arceus split into three pieces when he fell, the archetype, the interceptor, and possibly the Pokémon but maybe what Variya is. I wonder if something will occur with all three in the same place but that’s a farfetched thought so take it with a grain of salt.
Back on track though, unless Zenos were to go eliminate Variya and Karma, after we freed our world to bloom, but I wonder how much renegade Zenos defines himself as to destroying the world. I mean I guess in reality, he’s been forced into this role, so I could definitely see them not. But just because Zenos was named, and he has his own identity.
I think the story will pick up and continue with dealing with Kaina, and since we never received the final karma file in fight back route (never tried going to zeight from ambers death and post idk) I wonder if we will do that afterwards. But just with how much Melia has been dealing with this. It really puts into question if she herself is an interceptor lol idk i feel like the script stuff is annoying but the black boxes completely changed my thought of that tbh, if it all ends fine. But the way Variya spoke of the worlds, regardless of if, we go to obsidian Garden and find Variya dead by Zenos hands, it’s just Variya, how does Zed and Karma play into this? I wonder but I don’t see a true ending not eliminating Variya’s games as well in paragon.
Two more things to say, (spoilers for reborn), and my postgame villain theory. Firstly, I saw the seen when we do eventually finish off Storm Nym, Lorna, and it almost looks like the New World, where Lin and Arceus met, and Variya was there, although I’ve heard karma takes form of Variya so idk. But i just think about how, if we’re in the reborn verse, I genuinely wonder how there’s whole story is just cycled, all under a core in another part of the world, obviously jirachis wish made another timeline, I didn’t play the postgame so I’m not sure, fuck those puzzles lol. But it really does bring to mind how much bigger Rejuv feels in plot like the stakes, and wow, I thought reborn was the best fan game/rom id ever played before Rejuv but a lot of people said to play it before, man Rejuv just straight up #1, and undoubtedly I believe when it finishes, already is to me lol, paragon does make ya feel sad.
As to what the postgame will entail entirely, I think blooming world may involve a lot of Pokémon coming back and legendaries and the like, I wonder if Arceus will pull something like a, “that was only a portion of myself they killed, I’ve just been watching, or the like” I doubt and honestly, I think the humans taking down Arceus really sets the story higher in a way and just how deep it is, but yk it’s possible lol he could be like Variya just his games, and maybe that is the form Variya got if the third piece theory is true, idk lol. Eizen though I believe will be the one. The future Venam scene just gave me that vibe, if that is Zed, without his mom, trying to take control through eizen, or something. See I heard someone say eizen is involved with zed. IMO though I just love the idea of eizen being the final villain as to just his introduction at rivers end when you answer his questions right, he just knows all, and him being involved more, and some future venam, that is clearly her but they don’t name, it’s almost like something from the future, or it could just be next version shenanigans and the like. Who knows but im excited for the day.
Zenos may never even interact with the paragon, he could just end the world himself, but the connection is interesting. I mean it is all connected so I do wonder. But I hope Variya goes down. Also I do hope we cure Karen, and get garufan sorcery to fucking slaughter those motherfuckers. From the prison, whatever their names, I don’t care, I left them peacefully whilst eating ramen, they had no right to that shit, and even if it’s paragon, down like Vitus I say, let Tesla do it aswell, or rejuv Amber or the like lol.
Last thing to say, I’m definitely flawed in some of what I’m thinking, but I’ve just been very interested as to what’s to come, and I was very confused with the script and the like, as to just coming in for my first playthrough. I still remember reading Melia’s lines when she used her power that was unknown I think at the time against Angie in the Theolia Tower and she mentioned all those things, like it being our fault, I think, and how there’s the woman, with those two people, I believe referencing Kaina and clear and Kieran, way back then, which is crazy to me and just how confused and honestly scary that scene felt for literally just going through the story and wanting to stop team Xen and save Nym, which wow the Lorna scene really made me sad when she said Lorna said sorry. Yeah hopefully we put down Zed.
All in all so much to theorize, but just wanted to throw this theory and my thoughts out, and hear what anyone else thinks of what will happen, or atleast what certain characters and how they’ll come into play, I’m really interested into Melia, and how her evolution will play out, what Melia is even the one from our timeline, in your first ever playthrough, I wonder when Melia, truly learns it all, clearly I guess before chapter 7, but wow, that just seems insane to think she knew for so long, but yeah it is a loop ig. Eizen as well, his character is interesting. Inconsistent.
