Xia Yan vs. Ash

After escaping danger, the three of them headed toward Dia's temporary residence under his lead.

Meanwhile.

They exchanged a few brief words and revealed some information about their identities.

"What was that Pokémon just now?"

Ash was full of curiosity. Pikachu stood on his shoulder, wearing much the same expression.

"Guzzlord. It's an Ultra Beast," Xia Yan explained rather amicably.

"An Ultra Beast?!"

Xia Yan said nothing more and merely looked toward Dia.

Dia gave a bitter smile.

Then he slowly explained, "It was indeed Guzzlord. And because of its existence, this place became what it is now."

Afterward, he briefly recounted what had happened.

Dia had originally been a resident of Melemele Island in the Alola Region. But one day, Guzzlord suddenly appeared on Melemele Island.

Dia had resolutely joined the Ultra Patrol Team, hoping to defeat Guzzlord.

However.

They found themselves completely unable to deal with Guzzlord, and the operation ultimately ended in failure.

Thus, the Ultra Patrol Team evacuated all the island's residents, leaving the already devastated place to Guzzlord.

But Dia disagreed with their approach. He chose to leave the Ultra Patrol Team and remain behind alone to fight Guzzlord, using the now-ruined Pokémon Academy as his base while searching for a way to deal with it.

That was roughly what had happened to him.

"Alola?! This is Melemele Island too?!"

After hearing Dia's account, Ash looked utterly stunned.

Just over an hour ago, he had been battling Tapu Koko in Melemele Island's dense jungle. How had Melemele Island become like this?

But when he saw the badly damaged yet faintly familiar Pokémon Academy.

Ash was lost.

Dia also found Ash's shock rather strange.

"A parallel universe, perhaps." Xia Yan looked at the Pokémon Academy, now completely desolate, and spoke slowly.

"A parallel universe?"

Dia and