"Principal, this is Maki, the person I mentioned before."
On Melemele Island, inside the Pokémon School's principal's office—
It had to be said: whether due to the sponsorship of the Aether Foundation or the backing of the Pokémon League, the school's facilities were nothing short of extravagant. Even the principal's office was absurdly spacious.
Seated beside Lillie on a plush sofa, Maki studied the man across from him with curiosity. He was trying to spot any differences—beyond skin tone—between this principal and Professor Oak back in Kanto.
"Oh, oh, oh! So you're the Maki Lillie mentioned earlier! Welcome to the Pokémon School, little Ponyta!"
Dressed in a colorful outfit that almost seemed to clash with itself, the smiling principal—Samson Oak—greeted Maki cheerfully, slipping in one of his famously bad puns.
Maki: …
"He's always like this," Lillie said with a nervous smile. "You'll get used to it. Principal Oak loves telling cold Pokémon jokes."
"Hm… You've been staring at me for a while," Samson said, cocking his head. "And from your outfit, I'd say you're from the Kanto region, aren't you?"
Though his demeanor appeared eccentric, Samson Oak wasn't someone to underestimate. Appointed to such a unique position by the League and a cousin of the renowned Professor Samuel Oak, he had the credentials to match. He didn't get here by being clueless.
And the way Maki had just scrutinized him? That had set off a few red flags.
"Yes, I'm from Kanto. I ended up in Alola… due to some unexpected circumstances," Maki replied with a polite nod.
"I see…" Samson hummed thoughtfully.
A Kanto native, sent here by the Aether Foundation no less. That combination alone raised some questions. Was he part of some powerful family looking to strengthen ties with Alola?
Still, the League hadn't told him anything about this arrangement…
"So… do you happen to be related to Professor Oak in Kanto?" Maki asked, feigning curiosity.
"Ah! So you've heard of Samuel, huh? He's my cousin. I'm Samson Oak," the principal replied with a grin. Still, he couldn't help but wonder: Who was this kid, and where did he come from?
"Well, Professor Oak is pretty famous in Kanto. I actually got my starter Pokémon from him." As Maki spoke, he released his Charmeleon.
"Charrr~!"
The moment it emerged, the Charmeleon's eyes lit up at the sight of Samson Oak. Instinctively, it opened its mouth wide and lunged toward the man's head.
Apparently, it had mistaken Samson for Professor Oak himself. After being raised by the professor, it had formed a close bond—and now, it had confused cousin for cousin.
"Whoa, whoa, Charmeleon! You've got the wrong person!!"
Maki dove forward and wrapped his arms around the Fire-type to stop it from clamping down.
"Char?"
Now cradled by Maki, the Charmeleon blinked at Samson, then tilted its head as if to say, Wait… wasn't he paler before? How'd he get this tan so fast?
"Hah, Samuel must live quite the wild life over in Kanto—snowflakes and all!" Samson joked again, not missing a beat with his terrible punchlines.
"Sorry about that," Maki said apologetically. "Charmeleon tends to do that—I thought it had outgrown the habit."
"Haha! Don't worry about it. Life with Pokémon is all about learning each other's habits. As long as your skull's hard enough, it's all good, Daisy~!"
Samson laughed it off without the slightest concern.
"Well then, Principal Oak, I'll leave Maki's enrollment in your hands," Lillie finally spoke up.
"Consider it done, Zapdos!"
Maki could sense the suspicion in Samson's eyes. It was understandable. Someone like him suddenly showing up here—there had been no official notice from the League.
But Maki was, in fact, a legitimate League member, and he'd even been sent here by the Aether Foundation. With credentials stacking up like that, even Samson Oak was thrown off, unsure what to make of it all. Still, he agreed to handle the admission—he'd ask questions later.
Just then, the monitor in the room suddenly lit up, and a familiar face filled the screen.
"Samson, I was talking to Elm—wait, is that... Maki? What are you doing in Alola!?"
Naturally, the caller was none other than Professor Oak himself. He'd been in the middle of a conversation when he caught sight of Maki and Charmeleon standing beside Samson.
It hadn't been that long since Maki had received his Charmander from him. And given the special circumstances surrounding both Maki and the Charmander, Oak remembered him quite well.
He'd even considered having Maki stay on as a research assistant.
"Professor Oak," Maki greeted with a slight smile—his surprise barely hidden. Talk about coincidence. Of all moments, Professor Oak just happened to call now.
"So the Charmeleon really did come from you, Samuel?" Samson asked.
"Yeah, back when it was still a Charmander, that little rascal gave me a fair amount of trouble," Oak said with a chuckle, scratching his head. The memory of the Pokémon chomping onto his scalp was still vivid.
"Charrr~..." Charmeleon grumbled, clearly offended. It was instinct! I'm way more mature now!
"But Maki, what on earth are you doing in Alola?" Oak asked, clearly puzzled.
"Professor, have you heard about the recent cave-in at Mt. Moon?"
The moment Maki brought it up, Professor Oak's expression turned serious. Of course he had—an incident like that couldn't go unnoticed. But what did that have to do with Maki being here?
Maki proceeded to describe the events of that day—but only a trimmed-down version. He left out any mention of Dragonite, and also omitted his encounter with Mohn on the deserted island. In his version, he'd simply fallen into an Ultra Wormhole and ended up at Aether Paradise.
Based on what Giovanni had said, traces of dimensional energy had indeed been detected at Mt. Moon, lending credibility to his story. And the Ultra Wormhole? It had been violently forced open last time, and was now sealed shut, inaccessible.
"I see…"
Both Professor Oak and Samson Oak were dumbfounded. The whole story sounded surreal—almost too far-fetched to believe.
"I can vouch for him," Lillie interjected quickly when she noticed their skeptical expressions. "Maki really did fall out of a suddenly activated Ultra Wormhole at Aether Paradise."
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