>"USM is alola but with a different story"
>"the same characters but with different backstories"
>Dusk Lycanrock is exclusive to USM
>Dusk Lycanrock appears in the anime
This could mean that the anime is acually based on USM, and not SM.
Every character has changed and plays the role they have in the anime. The school you go to in SM was completely changed to be more like what is in the anime and plays a much bigger role in the story.
Think about it: except ash and whoever he was travelling with, the characters we saw in the anime were always consistent with their roles in the game, and their personality. But the SM anime was a surprise: Lillie is a rich ojou-chan who is irrationally scared of pokemon when her mom isn't with her, gladion's bro is lycanrock/umbreon, not type: null and he spouts edgy shit, and Lusamine as well as the Aether Foundation is nowhere to be seen. So at first I thought "Well this time the characters and the story aren't based on the game, but instead are original", well this new form may prove that assumption to be wrong : the characters and story may be based on USM. It also explains the existence of Ash-Greninja.
