PDD = Pre-Darkest Day ||| ADD = After Darkest Day

Twenty thousands years ago, a meteorite struck the land that would one day be known as Galar. For thousands of years a beast within the buried rock lay dormant, until one day a powerful group of humans discovered the meteorite. These humans worshipped the Pokémon known as Mew, and were known as Mewids. The Mewids had successfully been able to capture a wild Mew and had learned the skills of magic over several generations. It was by their magic-use that drew the Mewids to the burial site of the meteorite. Sensing the power of a great Pokémon within the space rock, the beast-god Eternatus, the Mewids managed to harness the inert energy of the meteorite to combine with the stolen powers of Mew. The Mewids were able to perform incredible feats of magic with the cosmic energy of the meteorite. These feats included enabling Pokémon to grow to monstrous sizes, change the types of Pokémon, and control the elements. Intoxicated by their increased powers, the Mewids siphoned even more energy from the meteorite and discovered that they were able to combine a Pokémon and a human to create an entirely new creature.

They had created the first Pokémon/human hybrid: an Altermew.

Surely this act against nature was due to the mixing of the meteorite's extraterrestrial powers and the inherent abilities of Mew, which was believed by the Mewids to be the link between every species of Pokémon. The Mewids, unfortunately, interpreted the creation of the first Altermew as an omen to justify themselves as the rightful and most powerful users of magic. Not long after the first Altermew was created, came one fateful day when the Mewids stole the limit of energy that the meteorite could endure. The beast within, the God Eternatus, burst forth. With so much of its energy having been stolen, the beast tried to save itself by trying to absorb the energy of Galar, and by extension the Mewids. Eternatus cast the sky red and a crimson darkness descended over the land and up into the atmosphere. The Mewids fought back against the giant alien Pokémon, but the hubris of their greed finally caught up with them. The captured Mew, at the end of its life, used the last of its power to curse the Mewids, which caused their spells to backfire. The immense amount of magic of the cultists was absorbed into the storm of Eternatus, strengthening the red storm that expanded to cover the whole of the planet, Tera. 

The curse of Mew prevailed. After an entire day of global darkness, the storm dissipated to reveal that the human race... had been exterminated. Thousands of humans died all over the world, while the rest had been fused with the Pokémon that had been nearest to them at the time of the storm, rendering every remaining living person as an Altermew. The Warrior Gods, Zacian and Zamazenta, also succumbed to Mew's curse due to them being present to stop Eternatus. Fusing with the two youths who had accompanied them, Zacian and Zamazenta became the only known Altermew deities.

History would come to know the red storm of Eternatus that blanketed the world as the Darkest Day and the Mewids have nearly completely disappeared into the annuls of time. Their involvement in the Darkest Day has been forgotten, aside from the term Altermew, and magic has faded into the realms of the unknown and secrecy. Zacian and Zamazenta have also dimmed from history's spotlight to stand in the shadowy sidelines of legends, due to their reluctance to interact with mortal Altermews.

With every person bearing the powers of a Pokémon, violence and power struggles were inevitable around the world as people adjusted to their new way of life.

Since the Darkest Day, people have accepted their existence as Altermews. Humans are extinct. Every person has the attributes, powers, and abilities of a specific Pokémon. With these powers, and the domestication of several species of Pokémon around the world, Altermews flourished as time passed. Communities grew, technologies were developed, and civilizations rose. Different regions were established and distinct cultures defined their identities. 

However, peace did not prosper for all or forever. Over the centuries, both Altermews and Gods alike have fought. Regions fell and lands were forever altered.

A famous war of the Altermews occurred only a few decades following the Darkest Day. In the year 34 ADD the Kalos Region unleashed their ultimate weapon, known as the Adamant Bloom, onto the neighbouring Region of Paldea. This act of devastation put an end to the Last Kalos-Paldean War. Paldea was almost completely destroyed and the Great Crater of Paldea was formed. 

As for the Gods, the most notable example of godly conflict happened a thousand years later in the year 1013 ADD. Referred to by some scholars as the Meteor Insurrection of the Gods, a meteor struck the land of Hoenn, which roused Groudon, God of New Land, and Kyogre, God of Deep Ocean, to rampage in their Primal Forms and fight for dominance. Catastrophic destruction occurred globally and many died. Many populations would have been entirely eradicated if not for the intervention of the God of High Skies, Rayquaza, who defeated Groudon and Kyogre and forced the titans to sleep. This was not the last time that these primal titans clashed. In 2024 ADD, yet another meteor landed in Hoenn. Unlike the first, this meteor held a different power: a primal power. Groudon and Kryoge were awakened once again, threatening havoc across the world. Using the power of the meteor, the God Rayquaza performed the world's first Mega Evolution. This event is known as Mega Rayquaza's Descent.

The release of Mega Energy affected Gods, Pokémon, and Altermews alike. While the Gods and Pokémon require contact with a Mega Stone to Mega Evolve, the special evolution is even more rare with Altermews. Those who can Mega Evolve can only do so during certain times of the moon cycle, and every person is different. During their state of Mega Evolution, Altermews become more Pokémonistic, more violent, and more susceptive to their latent wild Pokémon instincts.  These violent people are known as Berserkers and are largely feared by many others. Berserkers can somewhat control their transformations, with a potion called SubDew, but it’s difficult to create successfully. It’s also very expensive and hard to acquire.

Most Berserkers keep their condition a secret, out of fear of prejudice and persecution. The world of the Altermews is not fair, especially when the Gods squabble and magic persists at the hinges of society. There is much to fear, but the Altermews continued to thrive and survive.

Time passes, civilizations advance, and peace persists... until one fateful day... when the world changed like never before.

On August 9th, 2197 ADD, at approximately 3 o'clock in the afternoon, an organization called Team Magma came into possession of a mystical object known as the Red Orb. Team Magma activated the Red Orb and awakened Groudon through the power of Primal Reversion. Angered by its premature awakening, Primal Groudon instinctively drove the weather out of control. The sunlight turned harsh around the world and global temperatures quickly rose. None could stop Groudon and no one was successful in finding Kyogre or summoning Rayquaza. There are some stories that say that Zygarde, God of Balance, tried to subdue Primal Groudon, but was unsuccessful. Other stories say that other Gods tried to quell the titan's wrath, but failed. Many believe that Groudon actually managed to kill Kyogre, or Rayquaza itself, but with no proof, these are simply morbid stories of broken hope.

The world quickly dried under the intense heat of the sun. Millions of Altermews and Pokémon died in the days, months, and years to follow. Civilizations collapsed, forests burned, rivers and lakes dried up, and the seas and oceans began to descend. People were forced to retreat into the mountains and underground, to escape the heat and to survive near underground lakes. Outside, the land was baked under the relentless sun and deserts began to form around the globe.

Time was difficult to keep while underground, but eventually almost a hundred years passed. Few dared to venture out and brave the sunshine to survey the lands to see if there was any hope of reclaiming the surface world. In 2305 ADD, one adventurer, a Talonflame man named Mazin, was travelling across the sunbaked desert that was once Kalos when he bore witness to a divine sight. 

Bursting forth from beneath a great sand dune rose the God of Destruction itself, Yveltal. Mazin bravely followed the great Death God as it flew over the deserts of the land for many days and nights. After a week, and on the brink of exhaustion, Mazin's will was at its breaking point when he finally saw what Yveltal was flying towards. Standing as a long solitary form towering around a fire-drenched landscape, was Primal Groudon in all of its scorching glory and might. Mazin watched as Yveltal flew undaunted towards the New Land God and opened its wings and tail feathers, which began to glow red. Mazin's story tells of how he could see how Yveltal began to absorb Groudon's energy and life force. According to Mazin, Groudon did not fight back. Rather the titan appeared to welcome Yveltal's draining of its Primal Reversion. Within minutes, Groudon glowed red and returned to its smaller form. Groudon then retreated and Yveltal collapsed onto the spot where Groudon had stood for almost a century, where it wrapped itself in its wings and tail and reverted back to its cocoon state.

With Groudon gone, the sunlight finally lessened and clouds steadily returned to the skies around the globe... albeit sparingly.

After a hundred years, desertification had taken hold of most of the world's continents. Some ecosystems had survived in tiny pockets, but it is unknown to what extent. The world and much of what once had been was gone and was dead. 

The polar ice caps had melted, scorched wastelands are all that remained of once prominent forests, and coral reefs had been decimated and exposed by the retreating shorelines. All of the world's maps had to be redrawn. Rain remains rare, and most rivers and lakes had dried up and have been swallowed by the ever-encroaching desert sands. The ocean has receded far into the horizon to settle beyond the intertidal zone; in total, the ocean has dropped by about 60ft (18.3m). Entire regions have been either destroyed or abandoned, with new settlements slowly popping up on the surface near whatever water sources that could be found. 

The story of Mazin's Journey has been passed around from person to person and he has become a hero figure for many along with Yveltal. The God of Death and Destruction has been widely praised, and a new religion was formed in the god's name: the Church of Yveltal's Light. Word spread in the years following Groudon's defeat that Xerneas, the God of Life and Rebirth, had risen from its cocoon to begin to bring life back into corners of the sunbaked lands. This has helped bring hope into the hearts of Altermews and, as consequence, another religion has developed called the Sacred Antlers of Xerneas. Progress has been slow, yet over the course of the next two hundred years Altermews have slowly adapted to their new dry and sandy lifestyles. 

In 2347 ADD,  Starfell Spring was discovered in the heart of the Sunswept Wastes, the vastly deserted region that was formally known as Unova during the Bygone Age. Following the discovery of the water source, the town of Solara Veil was eventually founded. Named after the famous Bygoner, S.K. Solara, Solara Veil thrives in the centre of the harsh Sunswept Wastes due to the life-giving water of the Starfell Spring. Bygoners flocked to the newly established town once the ruins of Nimbasa City were discovered and Solara Veil witnessed a surge of growth in its economy, population, reputation, and... crime.

After decades of good fortunes, Solara Veil's luck eventually ran out. Nimbasa City was eventually scavenged of most of its useful resources and many Bygoners began to leave the area to seek out new ruins and riches. Sandstorms rage around the Starfell Spring, and the railroad is constantly closed due to dunes covering the tracks, making the town an inconvenient destination for some. More people moved out of Solara Veil and businesses began to close at an increasing rate. Then, in 2413 ADD, a mysterious fire was started on Guild Row and destroyed all of Solara Veil's Guild Buildings. Five people lost their lives to the flames and the tragedy coaxed even more people to move away from the dying town.

In recent years, Solara Veil is a shade of the bustling Bygoner's town that it used to be. Some folks remain, having lived their entire lives in the quaint town, but there aren't many. While the occasional wanderer may pass through, they never stay for long. That is, until wealthy researcher, Dr. Archibald E. Bruin, reached out to the mayor of Solara Veil and stated his intensions to make the town his research headquarters. In exchange, he offered to invest into the town and rebuild all of the Guild Buildings of the town's Guild Row. True to his word, Dr. Bruin's money breathed new life into the dying community. 

With the opening of Guild Row on January 11th 2425 ADD, residents have renewed hope that their town will once again thrive. Little do most residents know... that beneath Solara Veil lies an entire other community that thrives on another source of the town's notoriety, albeit a secret one: the magic of the hidden Elderglow Oasis.

That begs the question... 

...why have YOU journeyed to Solara Veil?