Passing through it felt strange in a way that could not be described. Even though this was not the first time, being in the wormhole was like existing in a place that had no space, no semblance of the passage of time. Despite the vast distance that separated his destination from his starting point, the mode of transport he took gave no feeling of motion.

All was silent.

All was still.

The sole sensation came from underneath. All of the champion's senses were null, and his surroundings seemed nonexistent. The only thing he could feel was the full metal body on which he sat. Aside from Solgaleo, in this void, Sun was alone with his thoughts. The reason for his visit and the events leading up to it were the only things that would come to mind.

"There is a reason I'm going," Sun told himself. After taking his place as Alola's first champion, after a heartfelt farewell at the Marina, Sun was met with a strange visitor inviting him to a meeting at a roadside hotel. This was the start of his mission to capture the Ultra Beasts. Once all of the Beasts in Alola were safely contained within balls, however, a concerning piece of information was shared.

"There is some indication that there may be Ultra Beasts appearing in other regions," said the Interpol agent as he handed Sun another Beast Ball. Looker had asked Sun to meet him once more at the secluded motel room. "Anabel and I will leave for Unova tomorrow." Looker paused and glanced at Sun's bag. Sun, on the other hand, continued to look his colleague in the eyes, a visible anxiety mounting in the young trainer's face. "We've already asked very much of you, Champion. You have ties to this region now, and we can't expect you to take on the full-time responsibility of taking care of other regions. Thanks to the information you collected on the Ultra Beasts with your Pokédex, the International Police will be able to handle the issue from here on out." Sun nodded, but Looker continued to speak. "I believe any Ultra Beasts will come find us without too much effort. They will be drawn to the energy emanating from Anabel. But the same is true for you, Sun. As you have passed through the Ultra Wormhole before, if you for any reason go to another region, Ultra Beasts there will be likely to find you."

He was not eager to travel to faraway regions to once again bait out otherworldly abominations, but Sun was able to piece together that a threat might emerge in Kanto if Ultra Beasts were drawn to those who have gone through the wormhole. He felt a visceral reaction of concern when Looker told him about this, but now, in the midst of emptiness which produced nothing that could distract him, Sun knew that this was just an excuse. He had never considered traveling through the Ultra Wormhole to another region with Solgaleo. But now, finally with a reason to go there, the champion recalled how his Pokémon — his friend — had torn a passageway into another world. "Surely," Sun thought, "if he can travel between worlds, he can get to another region."

"I'm telling you this as a warning. But you deserve to know that the evidence we have of Beasts appearing in other regions is far from certain. Nonetheless, our unit of the International Police has an obligation to look into the situation, however unlikely a threat may actually be," The jacketed detective had told Sun just as he stepped out of the room.

Of course, being champion came with responsibilities of its own, too. Hau was the first. On an otherwise uneventful day after Looker left, Sun had received a call summoning him to the summit of Mt. Lanakila. Once he sat himself at the Pokémon League's final arena, Sun's first rival came forward to challenge him. Hau's team had become much stronger, especially his now-evolved starter, but Sun was able to defend his title. After that came Gladion. Then Molayne. One after another challengers strived for Sun's title, usually a few days after the last. Some faces were familiar, some were not. Every battle, however, ended in the same way: the champion would hold onto his reputation as the region's strongest trainer. For a while, Sun had wanted to leave Alola. Not permanently, only to visit other regions, like the champions there had done before. Even now, for example, the former champions of Kanto, Blue and Red, were in Alola. As was Sinnoh's Cynthia. With the legendary Solgaleo as his transport, Sun departed.

Suddenly, Sun again felt the flow of time. His senses returned, as well as his feeling of position. Still fully aware of the thoughts he had contemplated in that strange plane, Sun appeared in the midst of a cool, blue sky. As though awakening from a dream, the crisp, cool wind greeted Sun, nipping at his skin. He felt as though no time at all had passed since he and Solgaleo entered the wormhole back in Alola, as though the entire journey had taken place only in an instant. With Sun still on his back, Solgaleo descended under the bright midday sun, letting his trainer dismount onto a wooden bridge. Once his feet were planted steadily on the planks below, Sun looked around to take in his surroundings.

"Yep," he thought, "this is Kanto all right." In front of him was a suburban town at the end of the bridge, and beyond that, a towering cityscape loomed in the distance. Only now did Sun realize how close he was to a populated area, and that the sudden appearance of an eighteen-foot-tall legendary being from a hole in the sky might have drawn attention. However, the people of Kanto must have been used to godly powers flying about, as there was not one sign that the city's inhabitants found this event unusual. The only response to their sudden appearance was the fleeing of several wild Abra that were lounging nearby. Sun turned around to see where the bridge led. He saw that the wooden platform joined the city to a grassy route, stretching over a river that flowed towards the mountainside. The currents of water led to a black crevice carved into the wall of rock that bounded the city. As Sun strained his eyes to see through the maze of hedges that extended down the route, a sudden roar shook his core.

"LA-LIONA!" The trainer turned his head to the left to see Solgaleo standing beside him, facing his rear. The lion's anxious gaze was focused behind Sun, toward the city. As the echo of Solgaleo's roar died down, frantic footsteps became audible.

"So maybe we did draw some attention to ourselves," thought Sun. He turned to face in the same direction as Solgaleo. As he did so, smile forced its way onto the champion's lips, etching itself across his face.

A lively figure, draped in white, stepped onto the bridge as though lifted by the wind that blew back a tail of goldenrod from its crown. Sun's gaze was drawn to the nearing pair of barely watering eyes, but was then captivated by the sunlight reflected off of two small emblems pinned to this person's collar. She continued to run toward Sun's place on the bridge until close enough to speak.

"You two are still shining so brightly," shouted the girl in an emphatic lightness of tone. Sun was overcome with a feeling of disbelief, unsure if the scenario playing out before him was as it seemed.

"Lillie," he said, as though saying her name would somehow assure him that their meeting was truly happening. She continued on to the center of the bridge where Sun stood beside Solgaleo. There, they embraced, kept warm by the glow of the radiant sun.