Does Inver Break the Pokemon Multiverse?

How a random NPC calls the "Mega Timeline" theory into question

There are a lot of references to XY in Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, such as the Prism Tower-inspired design in Mauville City and the reference to AZ in Sootopolis. But there's one character who appears in both games, and has some subtle but important differences between them: Inver. On the surface, he's just a minor character included to show off a new type of battle, but if you look closely the different portrayals of Inver in XY and ORAS challenge one of the most popular theories in the Pokemon video games.

Background: The Mega Timeline

Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire introduced the idea of a Pokemon multiverse in the Delta Episode, where Zinnia stops a rocket from teleporting a giant meteor to another universe. This other universe is spoken of in Draconid legend, and Zinnia tells us this about it:

This is usually taken to mean that the games with Mega Evolution, especially XY and ORAS, take place in a separate universe from the Pokemon games we saw before. Games from Gen VIII and later are often assumed to go in the "Mega Timeline" with XY and ORAS, but this isn't important to the main theory.

The Mega Timeline theory isn't perfect - it's difficult to resolve the differences between SM and USUM if there's only one Mega Timeline, and it has trouble accounting for all the connections between the newer and older games, but overall it's a pretty solid theory. After all, we're explicitly told that ORAS takes place in a universe where the Kalos War, the main precursor for the events of XY, happened, and that there's an almost identical universe without Mega Evolution where that war (and those games) don't exist, so it really looks like Game Freak wants XY and ORAS to share a universe.

Except for the part where they went out of their way to change Inver, but we're getting to that.

Who is Inver?

That depends on which game you're playing. In X and Y, Inver is a Psychic with the unique ability to reverse type matchups in battle. He uses this ability to create Inverse Battles, and rewards the player if they can beat him in one. In Omega Ruby and Alpha Sapphire, he does the same thing but as a Proprieter, a trainer class created just for him, and he uses a machine called the Inverse-o-matic to change the type matchups instead of his own abilities.

Although this distinction is subtle, it creates a clear divide between these different versions of Inver, which has some interesting implications for the Pokemon multiverse.

Does Inver Matter?

Inver is portrayed as a completely different character between XY and ORAS, despite having the same name, appearance, gimmick, and even having a Hex Maniac (his sister, in XY) hanging out with him in both games. While it's technically possible that he's covering up his psychic powers (or his fancy machine) in one of these games, the most logical explanation is that the Invers we see in XY and ORAS are different versions of the same character, and since most people only exist once per universe, XY and ORAS must be from different timelines. While this could break the "Mega Timeline" theory in half, it could also be that Inver has no real significance in the wider Pokemon lore. After all, he was originally put in the game to show off a new battle gimmick, and he isn't associated with the main storyline or any other named characters.

I think the question of whether Inver matters when solving the Pokemon multiverse comes down to how you go about it. If you start with the big picture and use the more subtle details to fill in the blanks, then no, one side character can't invalidate the big obvious link between XY and ORAS. But if you think the minor details are as real and important as the major story points, then Inver creates a clear disconnect between these games, forcing them into separate timelines. I take the second approach when trying to solve FNAF, because in those games every detail is deliberate and often important to the lore. But does the same work for Pokemon, a game series filled with cross-generational references and easter eggs that often don't mean anything?

I think it does, at least in this case. While some of the finer points in Pokemon games could be considered "just for fun" and not relevant to the lore, like the free mythicals in BDSP, I think the change in Inver's character is too deliberate not to matter. Why would Game Freak create a new trainer class and a new backstory for this random side character if they weren't trying to tell us something about the game? There are other Psychics in ORAS, and they could have easily reused his dialogue from XY instead of completely rewriting it. Inver was changed on purpose, and that means the implications of this change have to be considered.

Resolving the Mega Timeline

Even if XY and ORAS don't share a universe, there still has to be a world without Mega Evolution because Zinnia expicitly mentions it during the Delta Episode. This means the Pokemon multiverse is split into (at least) three timelines instead of two: Two with Mega Evolution and one without. Actually, I believe this is the case whether XY and ORAS share a universe or not, because both Sun/Moon and their Ultra versions have Mega Evolution and they're too different to fit into the same timeline the way the paired games (presumably) do, but that's a theory for another day.

There are a couple of options as to what this non-Mega timeline looks like, but I think it includes all the games from Gen I-IV that whose third versions or remakes are better connected to each other and the future games: Red/Blue/Yellow, Gold/Silver/Crystal, Ruby/Sapphire, and Diamond/Pearl (more on this in a future theory). It's easy to just ignore these games, but as a part of the main series we have to assume that they're canon and they're out there somewhere in the Pokemon multiverse. These games are all consistent with each other and are often simpler versions of the newer games, so it makes sense to put them all together on a "basic" timeline that, since it doesn't connect to the newer games, could very well be a world without Mega Evolution.

The Multiverse So Far...

This section will go at the end of my Pokemon multiverse theories to keep track of the different timelines. It'll have all the games and when they take place eventually, so stay tuned!.