"Hmm… It's not that I don't believe you. It's just that the whole situation is too bizarre. It might even be connected to the Mt. Moon cave-in incident from before… I may have to report this to the League."
Professor Samson Oak spoke with rare seriousness.
He more or less believed Maki—or at least, he wanted to believe him. Perhaps it came down to a matter of gut instinct.
"So, Maki, what are you planning to do now? Are you heading back to Kanto?"
"I'm currently assisting President Lusamine with her research. I won't be able to return to Kanto for a while," Maki replied.
"I see... Well, I may contact you later, so keep your phone on, alright? By the way, does your equipment still work after traveling through an Ultra Wormhole?"
Ordinary space-time distortions tend to interfere with electronic devices, and while Professor Oak didn't know the full mechanics of Ultra Wormholes, he could tell they were an enhanced type of space channel.
"Aether Foundation already repaired it for me." Maki held up his PokéGear to show it was operational.
"Good. Then I'll be in touch—don't forget!" Professor Oak ended the call… only to call back three seconds later.
"Ugh! I almost forgot—I'm here to meet with Samson!" he muttered in frustration.
"Lili, take Maki to the classroom first. You can introduce him to your classmates while you're at it," Samson said, turning to the two of them.
"Got it, Principal," Lilie nodded, then led Maki out of the room. It seemed Samson and Professor Oak had some serious matters to discuss.
"Maki, let's head to the classroom. Class probably hasn't started yet."
"Sure." Maki smiled and nodded.
The Pokémon School was lavishly designed. The walls were lined with illustrations and diagrams of various Pokémon, and in the middle of the corridor stood lifelike statues of an Aerodactyl and an Aurorus.
Of course, they weren't real fossils—no one would leave something that valuable on display in a hallway. Such treasures usually belonged in a museum. Still, the craftsmanship of the statues was so exquisite that they left a lasting impression.
When they reached the classroom, Maki noticed that despite its size, it had surprisingly few desks. Including the one that was clearly reserved for him, there were only six seats total.
"Oh, Lilie! You're here. And this must be the new student Principal Samson mentioned. Go ahead and introduce yourself."
The man at the podium wore a classic lab coat on his upper body—like any good researcher—but the look was hilariously mismatched with his green shorts.
This was Professor Kukui, also known—though he'd never admit it—as the Masked Royal.
"Hi everyone, I'm Maki." He walked up beside the podium and greeted the class.
"Nice to meet you! I'm Sophocles, and this little guy is Togedemaru." Sophocles set down his laptop and waved.
"I'm Lana." The blue-haired girl looked up briefly, offering a soft-spoken greeting. She seemed calm and reserved.
"I'm Mallow! Great to meet you!" Mallow was far more energetic, even more than Sophocles, and waved excitedly.
"Kiawe." Kiawe gave a short nod—definitely the most aloof of the group.
But among all of them, it was Kiawe who caught Maki's attention the most. Not only was Kiawe a powerful Trainer, but he also had a Charizard inherited from his late grandfather—the former Island Kahuna of Akala Island.
A Kahuna's strength was beyond question. His Charizard was at least Elite Four-level, maybe even close to Champion-tier. Even if its strength had waned with age, it would still be formidable.
"You can take that seat next to Lilie," Kukui said, pointing to the empty desk beside her. Mallow sat directly behind it.
Once Maki was seated, Kukui continued, "You're not from Alola, are you?"
That wasn't a hard guess—his outfit and manner of speaking clearly marked him as someone from Kanto.
"Right. I'm from the Kanto region."
"Whoa! I heard Kanto's really far from Alola!" Mallow exclaimed from behind him.
"I've wanted to visit Kanto for ages," Kukui added with a wistful smile. "But I've never found the time."
It was clear he hadn't yet been to Kanto—or challenged any Gyms there.
Maki was tempted to tell him not to bother. In his memory, Professor Kukui had a rough time in Kanto… nearly traumatized by a raging Dodrio.
"Since we have such a rare opportunity today, let's have Maki share some insights about Kanto with us!" Kukui said, clearly excited.
"You just want to know for yourself, don't you?" Lilie teased.
"Ahem! A true Trainer must understand the cultures and customs of other regions!" Kukui declared, not very convincingly.
"That's just a flimsy excuse," Lilie muttered.
"Well, your principal's also from Kanto, but he's always too busy. Every time I try to ask him, he brushes me off. You all must be curious too, right?"
Kukui turned to the students, eyes glinting with curiosity, making Maki feel a little uneasy under the gaze.
"Yeah, I'm super curious!" Mallow said enthusiastically.
"Are there any rare Water-type Pokémon in Kanto?" Lana asked.
"I've heard Kanto has super-advanced technology!"
"I mean… I wouldn't mind hearing some fun facts."
With all his classmates expressing interest, Maki couldn't refuse. Besides, it wasn't anything too difficult—he just had to talk a bit.
"Alright. Ask whatever you'd like!"
"I'll go first! I want to know what kind of delicious foo— Ow!"
"That's not important."
Before Mallow could finish, Lana had somehow slipped up behind her and pushed her face into her notebook.
"Then what is important, huh?" Mallow pouted and turned to glare at her.
"Obviously…" Lana's calm gaze swept across Maki and Lilie.
"What's your relationship with Lilie?"
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