"Professor Kukui, you really are a funny guy."
Dylan couldn't help but laugh. Wasn't that just a bit dramatic?
He felt his battle style simply made clever use of his Pokémon's strengths. Whimsicott and Amoonguss were meant to be used this way.
Who actually used Whimsicott and Amoonguss for "standard" battles anyway?
Oh, most people in this world do?
Well then, clearly those people are the weird ones.
"By the way, Professor Kukui, as a reward for challenging the Rota Gym, please accept this Rota Badge."
Dylan took out an ornate case and opened it, presenting it to Kukui. Inside sat a beautifully crafted Grass-type Rota Badge.
"This is your Rota Badge?" Kukui examined it with great interest.
Compared to the badges he'd received from other gyms in Kanto, this Rota Badge was clearly of superior design and materials.
"That's right."
"But I didn't defeat you." Kukui hesitated. Not only had he not won, he'd actually lost pretty badly.
"No matter. Defeating the Gym Leader isn't the only way to earn a badge. With your strength and potential, you've certainly earned this first Rota Badge."
"The first one? So that means getting your other-type badges will be even harder."
Kukui blinked, then immediately understood.
"For example, since you managed to take down one of my main Pokémon today, you'd need to defeat at least two of them next time to earn a second Rota Badge."
Dylan smiled as he spoke.
"Wow, Dylan, not many people would dare say something like that."
Kukui felt like the world outside of Alola had changed too much. He was still technically Champion level, after all.
But from the way Dylan was talking, it sounded like defeating two of Dylan's ace Pokémon would be a huge challenge.
And… yeah, it probably was.
In theory, Grass-types should be easy to counter, right?
Kukui fell into deep thought. If Dylan used types like Poison, Dark, or Ghost with that same battle style, anyone going up against him would probably want to tear their hair out.
"I'll take this badge. And I will challenge you again, Dylan."
Kukui finally accepted the badge and spoke sincerely.
He was starting to think he should invest more effort into training his Pokémon. Maybe he'd give Dylan a real surprise next time!
"I look forward to it," Dylan replied with a warm smile.
After the battle, everyone returned inside. As a thank-you for helping develop the Rotom Pokédex, Itto gave Kukui a sizable sum of money.
Kukui tried to refuse, but couldn't.
For a company, a high-tech research expert like Kukui was invaluable.
Even though Dylan already had Colress, recruiting Kukui was a huge win.
After a hearty meal, Kukui said his goodbyes and left.
"You two didn't just come to Alola for a vacation, did you?"
Itto lit a cigarette, crossed his legs, and looked leisurely at Dylan and Lillie.
He and Amelia had spent over a month traveling Hoenn, and Lillie never once mentioned wanting to return to Alola.
So they came back by themselves. Compared to Kanto, Alola's natural beauty made it perfect for retirement. They'd even decided to settle down here.
"It's about Lillie's family," Dylan shrugged.
"I'm sorry, godfather, godmother… I actually ran away from Aether Foundation. I'm sorry I kept it from you."
Lillie stood up and bowed deeply in apology.
"Ran away? Did Lusamine mistreat you?"
Itto wasn't surprised she was from the Aether Foundation. He was more concerned about her use of the word "ran away."
"We knew your background a long time ago, Lillie. You just didn't tell us—so you must've had your reasons."
Amelia gently pulled Lillie down to sit beside her, patting her hand with a kind smile.
They weren't fools. Of course they investigated Lillie's background after taking her in.
Turns out, she was the daughter of Lusamine, Aether Foundation's president. A real-life fallen noblewoman.
But the reason for her fall from grace remained a mystery—until now.
"It's mother. She wanted to use Nebby to open an Ultra Wormhole."
Lillie bit her lip, her big, clear eyes reddening slightly. She was clearly emotional—but far stronger than before.
"Ultra Wormhole?"
Itto stroked his chin thoughtfully. Amelia, however, looked completely lost.
"What's an Ultra Wormhole?" Leaf also looked confused.
"It's a unique phenomenon in the Alola region. It connects our world to Ultra Space."
Dylan offered an explanation. Knowledge of Ultra Space was very limited in this world.
"Like a parallel dimension?"
The group was stunned. Was this about to become a sci-fi story?
"You could say that. You can also think of it as a parallel universe or subdimension. But these days, there aren't many living beings left in Ultra Space."
Dylan nodded. Ultra Space was actually a general term—it encompassed many different realms.
Like Nihilego's Ultra Deep Sea, Guzzlord's Ultra Ruin, and Poipole's Ultra Megalopolis.
Only Ultra Megalopolis and Ultra Ruin were known to have human civilizations.
Ultra Megalopolis basically destroyed itself. They stole Necrozma's light and sealed the weakened beast in a tower.
Without Necrozma, their world fell into darkness and ruin. Today, the population of Ultra Megalopolis is nearly extinct.
Ultra Ruin was even worse—a polluted wasteland. Toxic air, poisoned water.
Its people had to wear hazmat suits and use purification systems to survive. Eventually, they migrated to another planet.
Guzzlord remained in the ruins, where it's known as the Glutton.
"So aliens really do exist." Itto was fascinated.
"They do—and their technology is far more advanced than ours."
Dylan agreed. It was fair to call the people of Ultra Megalopolis and Ultra Ruin aliens.
Their tech was far superior. The Ultra Recon Squad could "ride space" between dimensions.
And the Ultra Ruin people had already performed interplanetary migration.
"So what's the problem with opening an Ultra Wormhole?" Amelia asked.
"There's a big problem. Dad, do you know why Alola never formed a Pokémon League?"
"I never looked into it," Itto shrugged. Politics weren't his thing.
"It's because of the Ultra Beasts from Ultra Space."
Dylan got straight to the point.
"Ultra Beasts are Pokémon from Ultra Space. They have dangerous instincts and pose a threat to ordinary people."
"Ten years ago, the Pokémon League sent the International Police to Alola to investigate Guzzlord—and someone died on that mission."
"With so many unknowns, the League wasn't about to set up shop here."
Dylan continued, mentioning how Anabel was found unconscious on a beach by Looker and Nanu after the Guzzlord incident.
She'd lost all her memories—except her name.
Yes, the same Anabel Dylan had met at the Battle Pyramid—frontier brain and part-time International Police.
According to the games, no one knew if Anabel was originally from this world or from Ultra Space. She fell through an Ultra Wormhole.
She ended up working under Looker. Eventually, she was promoted—and became his boss.
Yup. Looker literally found his future boss washed up on a beach.
"I see… But Dylan, how do you know all this?" Itto was amazed.
"Read more. Talk more. Ask more questions." Dylan shrugged.
Itto rolled his eyes. What a load of crap. But whatever—Dylan was smart. He'd figure it out.
"So you're here to help Lillie confront her mother, Lusamine? That woman's tough, but not impossible. Need help?"
Itto didn't think much of the Aether Foundation. Sure, they ruled Alola—but only locally.
Besides, he was now the head of the Silph Company. That's right.
After Giovanni led Team Rocket to take over Silph's headquarters, many shareholders sold their stock under pressure. Dylan and Giovanni bought most of it.
That left Itto—already the biggest shareholder—in charge.
Now, the only other shareholders were the president, Dylan, and Giovanni.
Sure, a dragon doesn't trample local snakes. But if Lusamine really abused Lillie, Itto wouldn't mind crushing her a bit.
"No need. Tomorrow, Lillie and I will pay a visit to Aether Paradise."
Dylan said casually. He'd never seen Aether as a real threat.
They might be a major player in Alola, but they were still just big fish in a small pond.
Even back when Dylan first came to Alola, he could've taken Aether down without breaking a sweat.
Just like Silph crumbled before Team Rocket, Aether couldn't stand against someone like him.
Lusamine was strong, sure—a high-tier trainer.
But Dylan could take her out with ease.
"Alright then. Just be careful." Itto could hear the confidence in Dylan's voice.
After some more small talk, Dylan took Lillie and Leaf out to explore Hau'oli City.
It was Leaf's first time in Alola, and she found it fascinating.
The next morning—
After breakfast, the three of them flew to Aether Paradise atop the white dragon Reshiram.
Aether Paradise was the Aether Foundation's HQ—the fifth island of Alola, an artificial island.
Clearly, the Foundation had immense wealth and influence.
To be fair, Lusamine was undeniably capable. She'd turned Aether from obscurity into a major power.
But Dylan was also thinking…
If things were like in the games, Lusamine had done some things the League would never approve of.
Especially her "collection room," where she kept live Pokémon frozen as trophies.
If that ever got out…
If the League—especially Lance and Colress—found out…
Aether Paradise would be wiped clean.
So if he really found that cold storage room…
Could he use it to blackmail Lusamine into working for him?
What's that saying again?
Ma'am, you wouldn't want your little secret getting out… would you?