Pokémon, Ash is going to become a perfect man from now on.

This fog is indeed very special. Even Ash's Aura is blocked to a certain extent. He can only roughly sense the location of Lyra and Blue, but he cannot estimate the distance between them, let alone easily reach out and grab them!

"Which side do you want to go to first?" Tapu Fini's voice rang in Ash's ears. "The two of them seem to have completely opposite feelings... One of their emotions makes me a little uneasy."

"I know...that's why I need to confirm!" Ash nodded solemnly. "Otherwise, I might make the wrong choice in the future!"

He took a step forward, resolutely heading towards Xiao Lan.

Ash needs to know what Blue truly desires before he can determine what he should do...

Only then can we truly help her!

All around was a vast expanse of white, and since Ash had no deceased relatives, he couldn't see anyone.

He walked through the fog without stopping and soon found the girl standing there, frozen in place.

"As expected, I didn't see it..." Xiao Lan smiled wryly at the mist.

"Why... didn't you see the person you wanted to see?" Ash asked Blue as he approached her.

"I didn't see them, but that's a good thing, isn't it?" Xiao Lan quickly composed herself and smiled nonchalantly. "Not seeing them here means they're still alive, right?"

“That makes sense… In that case, the research on Ultra Holes isn’t entirely meaningless.” Ash nodded with a smile.

"That's right, anyway, it's good news." Xiao Lan laughed it off while tightly holding Xiao Zhi's arm and dragging him in the opposite direction.

"Let's go, let's go find Lila!"

"Okay..." Xiao Zhi nodded silently, but sighed softly in his heart.

He had just roughly guessed what Xiao Lan was thinking...

Sure enough, she no longer cared about the Aether Foundation's research.

...

Returning along the same route, the two walked for a while in the mist before finally spotting the lilac-colored hair.

The girl's back was slender, her shoulders trembling slightly, as she seemed to be conversing with the two figures in front of her...

"Lila, have any friends come to visit?" a woman who looked about eight-tenths like Lila and had long, light purple hair asked softly.

“They are Ash and Blue, my family now!” Lila answered without hesitation.

"So it's them! It's great to see them!" The woman smiled happily and nodded to Xiaozhi and his companion from afar.

When the two approached, another man who looked shrewd and capable greeted them gratefully: "Thank you so much for taking care of Lila all these years, kids."

“Lila is my sister, it’s our duty to take care of her,” Ash said earnestly.

"It's mostly Ash who's taking care of things~" Blue said with a smile and a wave of her hand.

"Anyway, thank you so much for bringing Lila here." Lila's mother's face was full of joy. "We truly have no regrets about seeing our grown-up daughter again..."

“Dad, Mom…” Hearing her mother’s words, Lila, who had been very composed, finally broke down and her eyes welled up with tears.

"Blue, why don't you take care of her?" Seeing this, Ash quickly told Blue to take Lyra aside and comfort her.

However, this scene, witnessed by Lila's parents, allowed them to see Ash's deeper meaning.

"Child, just ask whatever you want to ask."

Chapter 448 The Entrusted Choice... and the Egg!

Ash was truly surprised that Lila's father was so perceptive.

However, considering Lila's intelligence, her parents must have been extraordinary people as well.

"I want to know, why did your worlds... come to be invaded by the Devourer King?"

"Looking back now, it must have been a conspiracy." A hint of resentment flashed in the man's eyes. "My mother and I are both Interpol agents. Ultra Beasts are rampant all over the world, and we've been investigating them... But before we could even get to the bottom of it, those monsters launched a massive invasion of Alola, dragging our home into war!"

"Alolan?" Ash was taken aback. He hadn't expected that Lyra's family were actually native to Alola.

“Yes, the situation was truly critical,” Lila’s mother recalled. “Several Guzzlords simultaneously invaded Melemele Island, wreaking havoc on everything. The local trainers were completely helpless, and even the police and the Ultra Rangers couldn’t stop them…”

“My husband and I were on vacation at the time. It happened so suddenly that we had no way to deal with it. Fortunately, the Ultimate Patrol happened to open an Ultimate Hole while fighting the Gluttonous King. All we could do at the time was to push Lila in... Although the chances of survival were slim, at least we could prolong her life temporarily.”

The Ultimate Patrol... Hearing this name, Ash couldn't help but think of that bizarre, chuunibyou, and hilarious plot from the original Sun and Moon series.

However, in that tragic alternate world, the patrol team members certainly wouldn't be like the student guards in the original story, easily and effortlessly dealing with Ultra Beasts...

"Looking back now, that was definitely the right choice," Lila's father said with emotion. "If Lila had stayed with us, even if she had managed to escape from the Devourer King's jaws, she would still have suffered a life of hardship and even died a tragic death like us... She would never have met you and been taken such good care of."

"Just lucky?" Ash was taken aback. "You two weren't killed by Guzzlord... uh, sorry."

Ash's doubts deepened. Lyra's parents had actually escaped from Guzzlord's clutches, but they still ended up dying together...

What exactly happened during this period?

"It's alright, it's just stating the cause of death," the man said nonchalantly. "We escaped with the help of the Ultra Patrol, but Alola was no longer a safe place... Later, even Tapu, the Guardian Spirit, abandoned it. Once they left, Alola's trainers couldn't even use Z-Moves, and the four islands eventually fell completely!"

"We continued our investigation while fleeing for our lives... At that time, the whole world was in chaos, and we couldn't contact Interpol headquarters, so we eventually escaped to the Galar region..."

"Galar?!" Upon hearing this, Ash's expression turned serious.

"That's it!" The man's voice became noticeably sharper. "After extensive investigation, we finally confirmed that Galar was the starting point for all the monster incidents! But it was around that time that we were targeted, and then, inexplicably... we don't even know who the culprit is!"

The words stopped abruptly, leaving only the crunching sound of teeth grinding together!

Lila's parents escaped the Gluttony King's hunt, but after finally finding a clue, they were tragically killed in Galar!

"Child, that's all in the past." Seeing the anger welling up in Xiaozhi, Lila's mother gently patted his shoulder. "Our only wish is for Lila to grow up happily from now on."

"Is that so...? I have another question," Ash asked seriously, "Have you two... thought about reviving?"

"Resurrected?!" Lila's parents were both stunned.

"Yes, recall your souls and give them new life, so you can stay by Lila's side and witness her future happiness!"

"That would be wonderful..." Hearing Xiaozhi's description, the woman's face couldn't help but show a look of expectation.

But afterwards, she and her husband shook their heads together.

“Child, we know you’re doing this for Lila’s own good… but do you know that when we first met Lila, we didn’t know what else to say besides instinctively calling out her name?”

“Yes…” The man’s tone was also full of bitterness, “We’re not even sure if she’s still using that name. She was the one describing her situation the whole time… and the person she mentioned the most was you! So… we’re leaving this to you. Whether or not we should be resurrected is entirely up to you!”

"But…"

“Child, this is something only you can decide.” Xiaozhi wanted to say something more, but Lila’s mother gently advised, “We haven’t been a part of her life since she was three years old. You’ve always been by her side. We believe that you will never let us down, and you will never let Lila down.”

"You will definitely make the right choice and give Lila a happier future!"

"I... definitely!!" Ash made the promise with utmost solemnity.

At this moment, no amount of words would be of any use. The only thing he could do was to dedicate the rest of his life to shouldering this entrustment that transcended the world and life and death!

From this day forward, Lila will always be surrounded by happiness... and they will never be apart!!

"That's good...child, let us see Lila again." The woman requested gently.

"Okay." Ash called Lila back over and gave the family of three their last bit of time.

He and Xiao Lan waited quietly for Lila to say goodbye to her parents...

"Have you finished talking...?" The figure in the mist disappeared, and seeing Lila return alone, Ash immediately asked with concern.

"Hmm..." Lila nodded gently, then suddenly rushed excitedly into Ash's arms, burying her head in his chest.

“Brother… thank you!” Lila murmured softly, “I really didn’t expect to see them again, such a young father and mother… it’s already so good to see them like this.”

"No need to thank me, it's only what I should do for you." Ash gently ruffled Lila's hair. "May you continue to be happy from now on~"

"I'm already so happy... because I have my brother by my side," Lila said unconsciously, rubbing her cheek against Ash's chest twice...

Then she suddenly met Xiao Lan's amused gaze.

"Uh... Sister Blue~" The girl's cheeks flushed instantly, and she left Ash's embrace as if startled.

"Hey, why don't you hug her a little longer?" Xiao Lan teased. "There are no outsiders here, it's better to be more outgoing. Besides, your brother loves being hugged by young girls, you know that too, right?"

A few lighthearted jokes instantly lightened the tense atmosphere, and the three of them resumed their cheerful and talkative state.

But as they walked away hand in hand, Xiao Lan inadvertently glanced at the spot where Lila's parents had disappeared...

Is meeting here really enough?

There's nothing we can do but helplessly listen to their stories. Is that all we can do...?

The surrounding mist gradually dissipated, and the three of them returned to the ruins on the other side... From beginning to end, they had not actually moved.

At that moment, Ash also received a telepathic connection with Tapu Fini.

(Ash, I sensed their feelings while I was in the fog... Your companion, she seems to be...)

(Don't worry, I know what I'm doing~) Ash reassured Tapu Fini, interrupting its words.

Tapu Fini doesn't understand the place someone holds in Ash's heart, so it doesn't know... even if that person wanted to destroy the world, Ash might not stop them!

As long as it's something she truly wants to do!

"Okay... By the way, this is for you." With a human-like shrug, Tapu Fini summoned a stream of water, carrying an egg and a Z-Crystal to Ash.

"The egg of the Kommo-o and its exclusive Z-type weapon, the dragons of the Grand Canyon entrusted me to bring to you."

"Is that so?" Ash's eyes lit up.