This paper proposes gravitational sorting as an alternative physical mechanism for the observed Hubblevelocity-distance relationship. In an infinite, eternal universe consistent with the Big Flare-Up Theory (BFUT),galaxies initially occupy all possible trajectories relative to any observer. Gravitational interactions overcosmological timescales eliminate galaxies on intersecting trajectories through mergers and deflections, leaving asurvivor-selected population biased toward divergent trajectories. Observed from any point, this sorted populationproduces a velocity-distance relationship with the statistical character of the Hubble relationship — withoutexpanding space, without dark energy, and without a singular origin.The direct observational evidence for this process is photographic. Hundreds of catalogued systems in the ArpAtlas of Peculiar Galaxies (338 systems) and the Toomre sequence document galaxies at every stage ofapproach, tidal distortion, merging, and post-merger restructuring. The Andromeda Galaxy — approaching theMilky Way at approximately 110 km/s — is the nearest incompletely sorted residual. Gravitational sorting isalready directly visible across the observable universe. BFUT does not ask cosmology to accept an unseenmechanism. It asks cosmology to stop ignoring a seen one.A proof-of-concept N-body simulation (N=200) using only Newtonian gravity and momentum-conserving mergersproduces Pearson r = 0.675 between distance and apparent recession velocity for the survivor population, with84% of survivors showing positive recession velocity, using no expansion parameter, no dark energy, and notuned initial conditions. Five falsifiable predictions are presented, including that no survey at any scale will find aregion where all bodies are moving away with no counter-moving bodies present — because gravitational sortingis never complete.This paper is a companion to the main Big Flare-Up Theory paper (DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.19149786).
V. K. Sharma (Wed,) studied this question.