Could the first Pokemon have not come from Mew or Arceus, but instead from rocks?
Think about this for a minute: Every fossil Pokemon is part Rock-type. Is this a biproduct of them being resurrected from fossils? I doubt it. It seems as though all of the fossil Pokemon always have been part Rock-type.
Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanye and Omastar all have protective shells which represent the Rock-type in them. If you tried to remove the shells, the Pokemon would cease to be the creature that they are.
Lileep and Cradilly are said to be plants who are attatched to rocks, and they have been such since they first appeared.
Anorith has "lith" right in the name and Armaldo has "armor." To remove the Rock-type from these two would be changing them too much to call them the same thing.
Cranidos and Rampardos are pure Rock-type. There's really no room for change here. Shieldon and Bastiodon are part Steel-type, but really after looking over the rest of the Pokemon, they and Aerodactyl really can't be excused from being Rock-type in prehistoric times, no matter how much Aerodactyl looks like it could be a fossilized Charizard whose arms haven't seperated or something.
The point I'm making here is this: Fossil Pokemon have always been part Rock-type, and it cannot be the result of getting rock flakes in the DNA or something ridiculous.
Even ancient non-fossil Pokemon such as Relicanth (who is known as a living fossil) are part Rock-type.
Now, Rock-types are known for having an above average defense stat. Magikarp, who is not a Rock-type, but who is said to have been much stronger in the past, has defense as its second-highest stat. Wartortle, who are said to live up to 10,000 years, have defense and special defense tied for their highest stat. (Living 10,000 years would mean that some very old Wartortle around today saw the end of the Ice Age, and even further back if the species has been around longer.) So even after types other than Rock-type began to appear, the next Pokemon came about with similar traits, such as high defenses.
As time went on, a greater diversity of types and stats arose, leading to the great abundance of Pokemon we have today. It would certainly explain why Geodude are literally EVERYWHERE, though it doesn't really answer why Zubat are everywhere also.
Here's something to think about: If Magikarp used to be stronger than they are today, it probably means that, in addition to having higher stats, they had a better moveset as well. If all Arceus had was Splash and Tackle, he would be considered weak as well, no matter how high his stats are. Magikarp is no different. But as one of the fist Water-types, Magikarp could easily be considered comparatively stronger than they are now.
And why did Magikarp lose their power? With the onset of the Ice Age, they had to adapt. They had to be able to live in a new environment, and they became quite hardy. With few other creatures around to challenge them, they lost their fighting spirit, but gained the ability to live in any body of water, regardless of climate or pollution.
Gyarados is the manifestation of Magikarp's repressed power, which is slowly returning before our eyes, now that Pokemon trainers are on the scene. Only 15 years ago, Magikarp could only learn Splash and Tackle, but now their moveset has DOUBLED to include Flail and Bounce. Other Pokemon have had moves added, but who else has doubled their moveset?
Exactly.
Think about this for a minute: Every fossil Pokemon is part Rock-type. Is this a biproduct of them being resurrected from fossils? I doubt it. It seems as though all of the fossil Pokemon always have been part Rock-type.
Kabuto, Kabutops, Omanye and Omastar all have protective shells which represent the Rock-type in them. If you tried to remove the shells, the Pokemon would cease to be the creature that they are.
Lileep and Cradilly are said to be plants who are attatched to rocks, and they have been such since they first appeared.
Anorith has "lith" right in the name and Armaldo has "armor." To remove the Rock-type from these two would be changing them too much to call them the same thing.
Cranidos and Rampardos are pure Rock-type. There's really no room for change here. Shieldon and Bastiodon are part Steel-type, but really after looking over the rest of the Pokemon, they and Aerodactyl really can't be excused from being Rock-type in prehistoric times, no matter how much Aerodactyl looks like it could be a fossilized Charizard whose arms haven't seperated or something.
The point I'm making here is this: Fossil Pokemon have always been part Rock-type, and it cannot be the result of getting rock flakes in the DNA or something ridiculous.
Even ancient non-fossil Pokemon such as Relicanth (who is known as a living fossil) are part Rock-type.
Now, Rock-types are known for having an above average defense stat. Magikarp, who is not a Rock-type, but who is said to have been much stronger in the past, has defense as its second-highest stat. Wartortle, who are said to live up to 10,000 years, have defense and special defense tied for their highest stat. (Living 10,000 years would mean that some very old Wartortle around today saw the end of the Ice Age, and even further back if the species has been around longer.) So even after types other than Rock-type began to appear, the next Pokemon came about with similar traits, such as high defenses.
As time went on, a greater diversity of types and stats arose, leading to the great abundance of Pokemon we have today. It would certainly explain why Geodude are literally EVERYWHERE, though it doesn't really answer why Zubat are everywhere also.
Here's something to think about: If Magikarp used to be stronger than they are today, it probably means that, in addition to having higher stats, they had a better moveset as well. If all Arceus had was Splash and Tackle, he would be considered weak as well, no matter how high his stats are. Magikarp is no different. But as one of the fist Water-types, Magikarp could easily be considered comparatively stronger than they are now.
And why did Magikarp lose their power? With the onset of the Ice Age, they had to adapt. They had to be able to live in a new environment, and they became quite hardy. With few other creatures around to challenge them, they lost their fighting spirit, but gained the ability to live in any body of water, regardless of climate or pollution.
Gyarados is the manifestation of Magikarp's repressed power, which is slowly returning before our eyes, now that Pokemon trainers are on the scene. Only 15 years ago, Magikarp could only learn Splash and Tackle, but now their moveset has DOUBLED to include Flail and Bounce. Other Pokemon have had moves added, but who else has doubled their moveset?
Exactly.