With Necrozma defeated, the only source of light within Ultra Megalopolis, the radiance emitted from the Megalo Tower, faded away. Darkness once again swallowed the city, leaving it no different from the Eternal Eclipse that had consumed Alola. However, the faint glow visible along the outskirts suggested that the survivors still possessed a functioning power source, one that had endured even after the city's fall.
Despite the darkness, cheers erupted in the background as the survivors finally saw hope for rebuilding the city that had been destroyed by a rampaging Pokémon. For the first time in years, they had a future to look forward to rather than merely struggling to survive the aftermath of Necrozma's wrath.
"Now that that's out of the way, what am I going to do with these guys?" Alex muttered as he sensed a man approaching from behind while his Pokémon rested.
The newcomer wore a white bodysuit and a helmet that emitted a faint glow, with a Naganadel hovering close behind him. Judging by his hesitant gait and wary demeanor, he didn't seem confident enough to confront Alex and was likely afraid of starting a fight. His aura, however, revealed he was Elite rank. He was undoubtedly the strongest person Alex had encountered in the city, unless there was a hidden section of Ultra Megalopolis that housed even more powerful experts.
Once he was close enough, Alex could make out his wrinkled face, stiff joints, dark eyebags, and determinedly pursed lips. He was clearly on the older side, and his years of experience and wisdom gave him the authority to represent the city's survivors.
"Hello, sir. Thank you so much for stopping Necrozma and ending its rampage through our city," he said with a kind smile. "My name is Rayce, and I'm one of Ultra Megalopolis' chief researchers, or at least I was before Necrozma began its final revenge against us."
"Keep talking," Alex replied without turning back.
He knew this was going to be a one-sided relationship moving forward, with him likely doing all the work while the people of this ruined city reaped all the benefits despite being the ones responsible for its current state in the first place. Their greed had driven Ultra Necrozma into a pain-induced rampage that affected not only their own world but other dimensions as well, including the Alola region. They certainly deserved punishment for what they had done, and having their city ruined should have only been the beginning.
"I'm sure you must be wondering how this city was reduced to its current state. Please allow me to explain," Rayce continued.
The disaster began when the Ultra Recon Squad joined forces with Lusamine to conduct research on Cosmog and its connection to Ultra Space. However, for reasons still unknown to them, Lusamine eventually disappeared, taking Cosmog with her. She was never seen again, leaving behind only unanswered questions.
Not long after, Necrozma returned to Ultra Megalopolis. Without warning, it unleashed its overwhelming power upon the city, tearing through everything in its path. The Ultra Recon Squad had no means of stopping it, and by the time the destruction ended, the once-great city had been reduced to ruins with most of the population dead.
Their leading theory was that Necrozma had somehow tracked down Lusamine and merged with Cosmog, allowing it to regain some of its power. Combined with the immense amount of light it had stolen from the Alola region, Necrozma was able to reach its complete Ultra form. At the height of its power, it returned to Ultra Megalopolis to exact its revenge against the people who had once taken its light.
After destroying the city, Necrozma made the very place that had once served as its prison into its new nest, forcing the remaining survivors to live in its shadow.
Since then, the people of Ultra Megalopolis had done little more than struggle to survive. They focused on maintaining their farms, preserving their remaining technology, and keeping the city's systems operational while living under the constant threat of Necrozma's rage. For years, they had endured and waited for a chance to reclaim their home.
That chance had finally arrived with Alex.
"We were hoping you could lend us a hand during these trying times and help bring this city back from the brink of destruction. We were also hoping you could allow us access to Necrozma so we can determine how to return the light it stole from other worlds," Rayce requested.
"That's a nice story," Alex said as he stood and finally turned toward Rayce.
His movement was immediately mirrored by all the powerful Pokémon resting nearby, their synchronized actions and subsequent glares intimidating Rayce and the surrounding survivors even further. The sheer coordination between Alex and his Pokémon only reinforced the overwhelming difference in power between the two sides.
"But I fail to see why I should do anything for you at this point," Alex continued. "You see, I came here at the request of the place Lusamine came from to restore that region's light. Unlike your offer, they're willing to provide fragments of Necrozma in exchange, which would actually help resolve the situation rather than make it worse."
"Tell me," Alex said as he approached, stopping directly in front of Rayce and meeting his eyes. "Why should I abandon their region in favor of helping you, the very people responsible for this entire mess?"
"What do you mean we were responsible?" Rayce countered, his confidence wavering as he instinctively took a step back.
"I don't know what you're thinking, but from where I'm standing, you and your people are the cause of this entire disaster. Necrozma is nothing more than the result of your greed and arrogance." Alex's gaze hardened. "Now, I'm sure you'll try to deny it and claim these are false accusations, but fortunately for me, I have no obligation to prove anything. I can act as judge, jury, and executioner if I choose."
"W-What do you want?"
"I don't know. What could I even want from you given your current situation?" Alex replied. "What I do know is that I'll be sending my Pokémon to investigate this city, and I won't hesitate to deal with anyone who interferes. Once that's done, we can begin our conversation."
"But… we… I understand," Rayce said in surrender. "I'll make sure no one gets in your way."
"I'm glad we can come to an understanding," Alex said, placing a hand on Rayce's shoulder and forcing the man's already lowered posture even further.
With that, Alex had secured a source of Master ranked materials as well as access to whatever research the Aether Foundation in his world might be hiding from the League. As for the people he was effectively stealing from, he would at least ensure they had a path toward rebuilding their future. He wasn't heartless enough to leave them stranded here forever. Besides, they lacked the population needed to fully utilize the abundance of Master ranked resources they could possess.
However, he would slow their recovery just enough to give them time to reflect on the mistakes that had brought them to this point. They needed to learn to build a future without relying on shortcuts that could unleash another disaster like Necrozma's rampage.
Once Alex's Pokémon were fully rested after eating and sleeping to their hearts' content, he sent them out across Ultra Megalopolis to gather information on the city's technology and collect only Master ranked resources. He had no interest in taking anything less than the very best they had to offer.
Their search inevitably brought them into conflict with the survivors, who had begun scavenging through the ruins in an attempt to gather materials for rebuilding their lives. However, the moment Alex's Pokémon released their overwhelming auras as a warning, the locals quickly backed down and surrendered any resources his Pokémon showed interest in.
Of course, Alex's Pokémon weren't cruel enough to invade the survivors' personal territories and strip them of everything valuable they owned, no matter how tempting the discoveries might have been. Despite everything, Alex wasn't heartless enough to leave them with nothing.
That said, he was still ruthless enough to let Rotom run rampant through the city's systems, searching through their databases for any information that could prove useful. Any valuable research, technological data, or hidden discoveries were copied and stored within the portable computer station for Alex to review later.
As for the rubble that might have been useful to Guzzlord, there was no need to feed the giant Ultra Beast any further. Guzzlord had already consumed more than enough seawater surrounding Aether Paradise and was now fully satiated.
Based on Alex's calculations, it wouldn't need to feed again for the next century as long as it avoided excessive movement or intense battles. At this point, Guzzlord was a fully charged battery, providing an almost indestructible wall of defense as long as its reserves remained.
Finally, Alex turned his attention to his most recent captive. After being revived, Necrozma was released from its Poké Ball only to be immediately restrained by a barrage of attribute-reducing and status moves, leaving the weakened Ultra Beast helpless on the ground. Despite the exhaustion from its battle and the injuries it had sustained, it had somehow managed to maintain its Ultra form.
Alex approached the fallen Legendary Pokémon and reached out, placing a hand against its head as he injected his energy into it, attempting to establish a connection and form a bond with it.