Creig was expecting to wake up to a room of Maggie or nobody, instead Lusamine was there doing some paperwork. Partially because of pokemon healing Creig wasn't completely laid up letting him actually take care of himself, before interacting with his unexpected guest. They had a rather quick conversation about how Creig could be a little less self-reliant and let his sponsors know what his wishlist of expensive items was, his restraint and desire for self-reliance was both admirable and annoying. She also let him know that after a review of the incident, Creig "officially" made the correct call concerning marshadow and would be rewarded for intercepting a growing unknown threat, as well as the discovery of actual mimikyu.
Lusamine left him with a backpack type spacebag, a couple ice stones, and an Ice Beam TM from different sponsors. He also needed to figure out a nickname for mimikyu who was wearing a bergmite costume and had also seemingly created a delibird and sneasel costume. Creig didn't want to just call them kyu or give them a name they wouldn't like such as grimm (being that the being it came from another being who was a death passage). A character who represented seasons and death, what could Creig think of...... Persephone, the greco-roman "goddess", at least it was from the better part of that mythology. Creig tried to think of a few others as he felt greco-roman was too favored overall already. The fey, Unseelie and Sidhe, too dark for mimikyu, Hel from germanic/norse? There wasn't anything good Creig could think of from eastern mythology, not that he was as versed in it, so he went with Sephe taking from Persephone, mimikyu seemed happy.
Due to pokemon healing Creig was released before the morning was up, Pulli picking him up and taking him to Melemele. The school would be the best place to be located for the next few days so Creig had Pulli take him over. When they got there Hala was sitting out front with his best pokemon who all looked like they had been through the ringer. Hala wasn't mad, just focused, replaying the fight over and over in his head trying to find what would have been the difference, which meant whoever he fought was a visitor and not dangerous. Hala did acknowledge Creig as he hobbled pass ,on crutches, two beaten men sympathizing silently. Considering where he was and recent circumstances, Creig could guess at who was here.
Hobbling into the classroom Creigs' suspicion was confirmed as there stood Professor Oak, Samuel Oak, retired champion of Kanto who somehow despite being retired maintained a level capped team in the games. Professor Burnet was also in the class, though she was working on her own (theoretical) project for the most part. When Creig walked in he could hear that the lecture currently was about ghost types. Despite trying to slip in quietly the professor must have been waiting for him, because he addressed him immediately.
"Creig, I didn't expect you to be available till this afternoon! Excellent timing, if your new friend wouldn't mind the class we would be obliged."
Creig smirked a bit before pulling out Sephes' pokeball "You want to come say hi and be a bit of a research subject?" Sephe came out in nervous fashion, even the beam seemed slow. Sephe skuttled towards the potential friends and away from the researchers. "Uhh.... I don't know if Sephe has an actual gender, but they sewed what they are wearing themselves. Sephe looked back a Creig for a moment before pointing at Plumeria and Guzma, then dropping a "hand" and leaving the one pointed at Plumeria. "I think that means Sephe is female, thanks for not being insulted girl!" "Kyu**" "And looks like she isn't up to more than observational analysis in the research at the moment professor."
"Hehheeeeh... well, respecting the desires of our pokemon partners and friends come first, even if it is a bit disappointing" Oak practically sighed out
"I feel you professor, I was also hoping to get some readings on a living portal" sympathized Professor Burnet
"This kids, is how well adjusted people react to being told no" Creig both seriously and jokingly stated. The kids ooohhh-ed at that, whether it was at Creig making a joke, a well timed joke, the lesson, or a combination wasn't discernable. The professors felt sheepish at becoming an unexpected example after so often springing it upon others.
"W-w-well, from what we are observing and Creigs helpful inclusion we can tell mimikyu have high natural dexterity and innate understanding of tool use to some extent along with its friendliness. I am also to understand that mimikyus' true body is not to be looked upon due to innate danger"
"It's a shame and a bit sad for such a friendly pokemon to have such unfortunate circumstances but it is a portal to your afterlife and is unable to shut that function off, so don't peek under the costume, bad for your health is an understatement" The kids were shocked and then disappointed before settling for sympathetic to Sephe. The professors surreptitiously took notes while the kids gave various prompts to Sephe till lunch, then the professors noted that Sephe could and did eat.
A case of theft: this story is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.
After setting everyone else up with food Prof. Oak took Creig aside. Some of Creigs information was on evolutions thereby allowing the professors to set up several studies for confirmation and details not included in his limited perspective. And thus it was that Creig was presented with an eevee of his own, it came with a collar that took readings on eevees' biometrics. Creig awkwardly thanked the professor who assured him that Creig was one of the few who knew what to look for to evolve glacion, and more likely being specialized in ice.
Other than Will and Wisp, Creig had a theming going on with the names he was giving and felt compelled to keep it going. He took a few minutes to consider the matter and to make sure eevee knew that he was going for glacion. Eevee was really the amalgamation of all standard pets, which sometimes are gifts, during Christmas, sometimes gifts came in stockings, which kept people warm in winter, pets kept people warm. Creig settled on Stocking for eevees' name explaining his idea behind it to his new pokemon. Stocking seemed generally seemed happy with almost everything around her and was being introduced to all of Creigs other pokemon, of which he had a full team now.
Since Creig now had an eevee and Prof.Oak was here afternoon class concentrated on various evolution methods starting with a pop quiz that would not effect grades. Creig wrote sixteen off the top of his head. Growth(exp/level), fusion(slowbro), Stone/item, Charged(Trade/LinkCable) from gen one. Charged Item, Time friendship, Time Item from gen two. Form shift(deoxys) from gen three. Area, know certain move and Friendship from gen four. Trade Fusion from gen five, Mega from gen six, Regional variant from gen seven. Time Area Item, signature move use from L:Arceus. Oak had just expected everyone to list each condition once, but there was more than what Creig had listed.
Creig missed a few outlier types, tyrogues training(stat) based, wurmples and toxel personality based, shedinja being the leftovers, bisharps' quest, inkay upsidedown, gendered evos, milcry spin holding a sweet, farfech'd triple crit. Some just needed travel?, in the games poke-eggs hatched that way, but it was weird since it should make the previous forms extremely rare, evolving in a week and if it was trainer bond that made it possible, why did they exist in the wild!? But it made 24 specific evolution methods and 19 conditions with more to come ;) No, seriously, in former world terms Nintendo wants to patent every possibility.
Why didn't Oak know all this already when Creig was working with the professors regularly, you try explaining and remembering 20 years of schooling and more of hobbies, philosophy, thoughts, and bite sized facts in about an hour per day over five months. It should also be said that info on criminal organizations, threats, legendaries, prodigies were a focus over more mundane pokemon knowledge. Then was sorting what areas of research Creigs world had advanced in that was unknown to the pokemon world. Creig would end up with two or three books of information in interpols library by the end, Biography and Encyclopedia of Knowledge, and perhaps one on Creigs psychology that included philosophical idioms, ideologies and personal thoughts.
There was a lot of fun had by the class discussing the evolutions, there was something for everyone in non-standard evolution. Creig pointed out that the stones were either elemental or celestial, sun, moon, shiny(which twinkles like a star), dawn, dusk, Oak made a note in his own notepad at the observation. The Hisui specific pokemon were the primary ones Oak hadn't known about, he also hadn't heard that it was learning a certain move that made some pokemon evolve, it was thought to just be growth. Creig asked only one of the questions he had as part of the class, what was up with the light of evolution? Oak didn't know details, but it was partially an influx of spirit power that sometimes needed guidance (items), to be sourced (Trade/Environment), or could be made easier (fusions). The receptiveness of a pokemon was also an important factor, which is why growth is the most common. The mood wasn't as ruined as Creig thought it might be, but the students did have a question for him. How did he always think to ask such questions. Creig meant to expound upon his answer, Existentialism, but Oak beat him to it. Oak pointed out that the whys and hows of life were the foundation of all scientific thought, observation, and discovery, since people had come to realize that they existed. Creig cautioned them about looking for complex answers, getting a bit religeous pointing out that random was to an extent the intention of the Creator, like who was born and when, with the desicion to bring new life into the world left to the residents of said world. Creig had to assure several times that it was simple idea, not complicated, the actual workings were complicated so it didn't have to be.
After school Creig and Oak sat down to a discussion that included Creigs outsider thoughts such as classic, chicken, egg, neither? Partway through Oaks' brain remembered something he had forgotten, mewtwo had been born and various people were helping teach him and Creig was on the list. It would mostly learn via mind skimming, but there was a big difference in knowing and putting to use, so there was also an aspect of observational learning needed. Creig knew it would be born soon, but maybe because he had been partially distracted he thought it was still later.
That led to asking Oak about how the event between mewtwo and Ash would play out. Turns out they were making it into an official event and were currently building the island. Oak went on to talk about getting some scans that suggested certain events of the I Choose You movie had occured, meaning the world was proceeding apace. A change that was occuring was that mega evolution was becoming public rather early, not that Creig could take advantage. After a couple other subjects they took their leave and ended the day.
