Two months passed.
Cosmog slept through most of them: in Cynthia's research room at the rented Cerulean villa, in Dragonite's arms, in a towel basket, and once on Marshadow's head.
Marshadow complained for twenty three minutes straight and did not move until Cosmog woke.
As Cosmog recovered, Cynthia carried it with her on trips between Cerulean and Alola. The damaged coast healed on both sides of the border, wild Pokémon returned to the physical shoreline, and the twisted shadows inside Genesis settled into something ordinary again.
Other consequences were harder to manage. Players brought Pokémon into regions where they could not live safely, researchers argued over how game growth should be treated in the physical world, and the League issued new rules almost every week.
Kairos read Cynthia's latest report from the villa balcony and let out a low whistle. "This is better than anything the League will publish."
"They'll remove half of it," Cynthia said, turning a page without looking up.
"Of course they will."
She glanced over at that. "Perk of being Champion. I get to watch it happen."
He smiled, and a golden notice opened at the edge of his sight.
Rayquaza.
Upper atmosphere interference over the ocean east of Alola.
His first instinct was to close the notice and investigate alone. Instead he set his laptop beside Cynthia's notebook.
"I've got a warning about Rayquaza."
She looked up. "How recent?"
"Less than a minute."
"Good. Where?"
He showed her the ocean map. That evening, Mewtwo confirmed that something was calling upward from an empty island.
"Not a machine or a Pokémon," Mewtwo said. "An old prayer."
Marshadow went quiet. "Faith can call Ho-Oh. If someone built a similar prayer for Rayquaza..."
"Then Genesis may be giving it enough strength to reach the real one," Cynthia said.
The Alolan researchers had found a meteorite shard near Cosmog's altar, its inscription describing Rayquaza as guardian of the sky rather than a creature to be commanded. Cynthia slipped the shard into her coat.
"We may need this."
Because Kairos had shared the warning early, the League evacuated the island before they left. No researchers or ships remained in the danger zone when Dragonite carried them over the ocean at dusk, with Garchomp beside them and Omastar traveling below on the League boat.
Ahead, the sky split with green light.