Alex might not have known much about the other regions from what he remembered of the games and anime, but he had read enough historical records to piece together the origins of the current predicament. Among them were accounts of Alola's history, including its brief encounter with a sudden solar eclipse.
The likely cause was either Solgaleo, Lunala, or Necrozma, all of whom were connected to legends of light being swallowed. Of the three, however, Necrozma was by far the most likely culprit, whether in its base form or one of its fused forms, Dusk Mane Necrozma, Dawn Wings Necrozma, or Ultra Necrozma. According to Alola's historical records, Necrozma had stolen the region's light before fleeing to Ultra Megalopolis, where it was supposedly defeated.
Alex didn't know the exact details because he had never bothered reading the complete report. Even as a Master ranked trainer, there were only so many hours in a day to spend studying every historical document from every region. Still, the conclusion was obvious. Whatever had triggered the event had never been stopped. Instead, its effects had spread across the entire Alola region, leaving behind the darkened world he now stood in.
"I guess this place is as good as any," Alex said with a shrug as he released Guzzlord. "Time to eat, buddy."
In the end, it didn't matter much to Alex. If anything, the situation was rather convenient. At least this way, no one would complain if Vast Poni Canyon suddenly became Vast Poni Flatlands.
As for becoming the hero who would save this world from eternal darkness, that simply wasn't an option. At a minimum, he would need a way to open Ultra Wormholes to reach Ultra Megalopolis, where the culprit was likely hiding. Only then could he confront some version of Necrozma. As interesting as that battle would be, it was meaningless if he couldn't even accomplish the first step.
For now, it was better to focus on feeding Guzzlord, which was only 15% full. Having reached Master rank, Guzzlord's stomach had grown even larger, along with its already massive appetite. Based on rough estimates, it might need to consume every mountain surrounding Vast Poni Canyon before it was finally satisfied.
Guzzlord wasted no time getting started, immediately using Earthquake to break apart the terrain and swallow the shattered pieces into its stomach. Meanwhile, Alex released the rest of his Pokémon, assigning some to stand guard, others to help feed Guzzlord by continuously shoveling terrain into its enormous maw, and the rest to search the surroundings for Master and Champion ranked resources to collect.
Additionally, they needed to remain within close range of Alex, ensuring they could reach him within a minute at maximum speed. This precaution was necessary because the return beacon could activate at any moment. Since the time dilation within other dimensions was still unknown, the League imposed a time limit of one year to prevent explorers from returning to their original world centuries later due to time differences. As a result, Alex had to keep his Pokémon and belongings within immediate reach, as he might only have a minute of warning before being forcibly returned.
Rotom, meanwhile, continued its scouting efforts, gathering as much information about the surrounding area as possible. This included accessing available satellite data from orbit to provide a more complete picture of the world they had found themselves in.
"Access to the internet established," Rotom suddenly announced. "Beginning data collection."
"Focus on the darkening of the Alola Region before starting anything else."
"Affirmative."
Suddenly, Alex noticed the ground shifting in the distance. No, that wasn't quite right. It wasn't the ground itself moving, but rather something dark and numerous spreading across it, creating the illusion of a churning ground. As the movement continued, more and more shapes began to emerge until he had a clear idea of what he was seeing.
"Alolan Raticate, likely a population that survived the darkness through scavenging and sheer numbers."
A swarm of weak Alolan Rattata and Raticate had begun gathering around Alex and his Pokémon. Their numbers continued to grow, starting from hundreds and steadily increasing into the thousands as more emerged from the surrounding darkness.
"Hmm… it shouldn't be a problem," Alex said before turning to Gardevoir. "Radiate aura to keep them away. If that doesn't work, you can start attacking. If you get tired, set up the turrets and establish a perimeter before using Rest."
"Gardevoir," she acknowledged before relaying the commands to the others, leaving only Guzzlord to continue devouring the land.
The Pokémon quickly established a wide perimeter around Alex and Guzzlord before releasing their auras in full. The effect was immediate. The swarm scattered, or more accurately, retreated, unwilling to engage in a battle against opponents with such overwhelming strength.
They were only around Expert rank at most, meaning they were hardly a threat. Even if there had been a billion of them charging forward like a tsunami, the outcome would have been the same. In this case, quantity could not overcome quality. The difference in power was simply too great and both sides knew this quite well.
"Still… it's interesting that Raticate was able to thrive because of the darkness. This canyon was supposed to be the territory of the proud Kommo-o tribes, yet there wasn't a single one in sight. That meant they were either evacuated from the region or had simply died out. However, I doubt they would perish just because they were unable to find food for a few years. They could always hunt or fish in the surrounding ocean, after all. If the Kommo-o truly disappeared, then the most likely explanation was that they had been overwhelmed by the Raticate swarm who were simply more tenacious."
Upon closer inspection, Alex couldn't sense the usual rage he would expect from the Pokémon he was used to. Instead, the Raticate swarm only radiated desperation. It reminded him of his time in the Hisui region, where Pokémon displayed far greater intelligence and were often much calmer. These Raticate seemed to be naturally docile, but years of starvation had pushed them into this desperate state.
"Data analysis complete," Rotom announced in its artificial voice. "The source of Alola Region's prolonged darkness has been identified as Necrozma. According to historical records and available data, Necrozma emerged through an Ultra Wormhole and consumed the light of the region before retreating back into Ultra Space."
"Further analysis suggests the absence of a successful countermeasure was caused by several deviations from the recorded timeline. Based on information originating from this world's known media records, Lusamine successfully retrieved Cosmog and prevented its evolution into either Solgaleo or Lunala. As a result, the necessary power required to oppose Necrozma was never obtained."
"When the Ultra Recon Squad arrived, they were unable to defeat Lusamine and were forced into negotiations. However, before an agreement could be reached, Lusamine disappeared into an Ultra Wormhole alongside Cosmog. Neither of them has been found since."
"Conclusion. The current state of the Alola Region is the direct result of Necrozma remaining undefeated. Based on available information, there are currently no known methods capable of stopping Necrozma within Ultra Megalopolis."
"What about the Tapu, the Kahuna, or the League? Wouldn't they be able to form a powerful strike force and accompany the Ultra Recon Squad to defeat Necrozma?" Alex asked.
"The Ultra Recon Squad returned to Ultra Megalopolis empty-handed and has not been heard from since. Based on available information, there is a high probability that they have continued searching for Cosmog or Lusamine but have been unsuccessful. At present, there is no known method of entering Ultra Megalopolis."
"Huh… that's interesting. What about the rest of the world?"
"Apart from the unusually docile behavior of Pokémon and the absence of any Underworld presence, no significant abnormalities have been detected. The entire population of Alola was evacuated and taken in by the other regions, while only the Alola Region itself was affected by the perpetual darkness. As a result, Alola has been designated as a danger zone where only the most powerful trainers are permitted to explore."
SCREEEEECH!
Alex turned toward the disturbance and sensed a shift in the Alolan Raticate swarm. Their numbers had continued to grow, likely surpassing a million by this point, and the desperation they had displayed moments ago had been replaced by pure fighting intent. It seemed they no longer cared whether they survived or perished, so long as they could tear a piece out of Alex and his Pokémon before the end.
Gardevoir immediately sprang into action, tightening the defensive perimeter around Alex while protecting Guzzlord's back, who continued feeding uninterrupted. She made sure to position the formation such that Guzzlord could continue its buffet by eating all of the Raticate that its mouth could reach.
The swarm closed in in response to the formation shrinking, but their sheer numbers made coordination impossible. Those at the front slowed down while those at the back continued pushing forward, causing the entire mass to collapse into an accidental charge.
What began as a cautious advance became a cascading wave of bodies. They surged forward like a relentless tide, an endless mass of black-furred bodies threatening to overwhelm and drown Alex and his Pokémon beneath their sheer numbers.
"A bit of exercise shouldn't be a problem," Alex said as a smile slowly formed. "Begin the bombardment."