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Teachers. What would the future be without them?
Ash was wary at first.
He stared at Professor Kukui as the man introduced him to the class. Would he be like the others? Did he make a mistake in deciding to live with a teacher?
After cheerfully greeting his new classmates, Ash sat down. Pikachu hopped down on the table, cooing.
...Ash couldn’t believe he was back in school.
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Teachers inspire their students, in more ways than one!
Ash, holding a fishing pole, stared between Professor Kukui and Lana. They had just ended class, and Lana invited them to go fishing. Pikachu seemed to be having fun, climbing onto his head and chirping.
Those two already cast their fishing lines out into the water.
At first, Lana intensely focused on her fishing float. Professor Kukui chuckled, joking about Lucario being the wave pokemon. Ash and Pikachu both froze.
As Professor Kukui continued to make ocean puns, Lana groaned, immediately relaxing. Ash sweatdropped, casting his line out into the water a few steps away. Rolling her eyes, Lana relaxed, deviously grinning.
Before long, they were making up conspiracy theories and crazy stories about the ocean.
Lana excitedly tells Professor Kukui all about an ancient and powerful water pokemon, capable of creating tsunamis and hurricanes. Professor Kukui added that they reside in the deepest ocean trenches, alongside pokemon humans never even seen before!
Ash couldn’t help but grin as Lana’s eyes practically lit up. Pikachu’s ears perked up when Ash described his adventures with Manaphy. Lana grinned, and Professor Kukui raised an eyebrow. Ash gulped back his nervousness, dramatically describing the sea crown and how anyone who wears it would be able to breathe underwater.
Professor Kukui smiled as Ash and Lana exchanged more stories, made up or not, who knows? Pikachu even added his own twist to the story!
It was also quite exciting, listening to the two talk about water pokemon.
Squirtle, Kingler, Lapras, Totodile, Corphish, Buizel, Oshawott, Palpitoad.
Even a special Greninja, huh? Professor Kukui couldn’t wait to see how special Ash was and would be.
They didn’t catch anything that day, but Professor Kukui did add a creative writing section in their future lesson plan.
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Teachers support and believe in their students, even when some others don’t (including themselves)!
Ash gaped at the wall of books in front of him. Professor Kukui chuckled at his face, greeting Lillie with a friendly Alola before asking her what she was reading.
The setting sun glowed behind Lillie as she ranted about her amazing new book, how the characters had complex backstories, healthy relationships, even awesome adventures in new fictional worlds!
Professor Kukui sat down in front of Lillie, eagerly nodding. Ash glanced around, freezing when he noticed Pikachu missing from his shoulder.
There was a thud.
Professor Kukui glared down at Pikachu, who cooed sadly, sniffing at the book Lillie dropped.
Ash stepped forward, grabbing Pikachu and apologizing to Lillie. Professor Kukui reached out a hand towards Lillie, blinking when she leaned against him. Ash stared between them as Professor Kukui reassured Lillie that she’ll overcome her fear eventually. He glanced off, eyes sad. Pikachu’s ears wilted.
Lillie took a deep breath, blinking when Ash continued to stare blankly off into the distance. Professor Kukui called Ash’s name.
Snapping out of his stupor, Ash kneeled in front of Lillie, handing back her book. He agreed with Professor Kukui. Tory overcame his fear, so Lillie could as well! Ash promised to help Lillie through it as well. Lillie stared down at her book, silent.
Pikachu chittered to Ash, patting his side.
Professor Kukui sported a fond smile. Ash had met a lot of people on his journeys, huh? As Ash ranted about the regions he’d been to, Lillie curiously peeked up at Ash.
What was Ash’s goal anyway? Ash and Pikachu’s familiar catchphrase rang through the halls. Professor Kukui chuckled. He was sure they would all reach their goals! Ash and Lillie both gave him grateful grins.
Cooing, Pikachu pointed to Lillie’s book.
After Professor Kukui offered to read aloud to them, Lillie took a sharp breath and declared that she was going to do it. They spent the rest of their visit reading fairytale books about princesses and kingdoms.
Professor Kukui grinned as Pikachu huddled closer to Ash.
They were definitely going to learn about the other regions’ history tomorrow.
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Teachers encourage their students to do the best that they can!
Ash listened to Sophocles and Professor Kukui talking to each other, fidgeting with the edge of his shirt. While they went on and on about computers and math and calculations, Ash glanced around the room with a sweatdrop. Pikachu patted Ash’s face.
The sun barely dipped beneath the horizon.
And Ash didn’t understand any of what they were saying.
Pikachu rolled his eyes when Ash tapped his foot, both of them watching Professor Kukui proudly grin at Sophocles. Ash couldn’t sit still. He scrambled out of his seat, twirling his shirt before peeking over all the gadgets Sophocles had.
As Ash’s mind blanked out Professor Kukui and Sophocles’s conversation, Ash himself accidentally toppled a pencil holder filled with office supplies. Pikachu hopped onto the table, watching Ash separate out the paper clips.
Professor Kukui complimented Sophocles on his knowledge, making Sophocles flush in embarrassment.
Ash sighed, looping the paper clips together before taking them apart.
He paced back and forth, running a hand through Pikachu’s soft fur every time he passed him. Professor Kukui and Sophocles fell silent. Ash threw his hands up in exasperation, building a little tower with office supplies.
By the time Professor Kukui and Sophocles realized, the pile nearly reached the ceiling. Pikachu cooed, wincing when Ash froze.
Professor Kukui chuckled. Ash was quite an independent kid! No wonder he was so good at battling!
Ash only glanced off at the compliment, picking up a pencil and sitting down in front of them. He wasn’t good at this sort of stuff though. He never was. Ash grinned at Sophocles.
While Sophocles glanced off, Professor Kukui reached forward and reassured Ash that he just had to do the best that he could. Everyone had different skills and talents, after all!
Ash twirled the pencil around his fingers, shifting back and forth in his seat again. Pikachu hopped onto Ash’s shoulder as Sophocles meekly offered his help. Ash froze.
Professor Kukui shrugged. They could learn a lot from each other!
As he headed out, he heard Sophocles and Ash talk about battling styles, Ash’s pokemon, and different regions. He grinned when Sophocles took on the challenge that Clemont couldn’t beat. Pikachu joined in Ash’s laughter.
They were definitely going to go on a field trip to Kanto someday.
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Teachers care about their students!
Ash and Professor Kukui stopped by Aina's Kitchen, watching Mallow help cook for the last few customers before the restaurant closed. Pikachu sniffed the air, chirping in content at the delicious smell.
As the sun set behind them, Mallow raced out with a grin. She told Professor Kukui all about how well the business was going and how awesome the year was gonna be. Professor Kukui visibly relaxed, grinning back at her.
Ash and Pikachu exchanged a glance.
Without missing a beat, Mallow asked them how their day went. Ash smiled.
Professor Kukui glanced between the two of them as they started talking about what they love, be it battling or cooking. They did agree on grass type pokemon being amazing though.
Bulbasaur, Bayleef, Sceptile, Torterra, Snivy, Leavanny.
Both of them were practically bursting with excitement. Professor Kukui grinned. These two were closer in personality than they would ever believe. And judging by Pikachu’s soft coos, he agreed.
And, as Professor Kukui expected, the two were talking about ways to help solve world problems. Ah, gen z. They were going to dominate the world.
Mallow worried about how there were people who went hungry because of how poor they were. Ash proposed that they hold a bake sale to raise money, or they could give away free food to those in need. Professor Kukui grinned as these two bubbly kids planned out activities to inform people, simply because they wanted to help.
He mentioned the cost of it all.
Pikachu stifled a snicker. Mallow furrowed her eyebrows, but Ash only shrugged. He could cover it. Easily. It probably wouldn’t even make a dent in his bank account.
Before Professor Kukui could say anything, Mallow asked Ash what his parents did for him to have that much money. There was a flash of hesitation in Ash’s eyes. Mallow flushed in embarrassment, and Ash reassured her that he was used to being asked that.
Professor Kukui stared at Ash as he talked about Delia and her restaurant. How she was an amazing mom, and how she did so much to raise him. Ash’s father though? Professor Kukui recognized that blank expression from anywhere. Pikachu nuzzled Ash’s cheek.
Mallow also seemed to realize, going silent. Professor Kukui comforted her before glancing back at Ash.
Ash apologized to Mallow but blankly stared at Professor Kukui as if he was surprised by his actions. Sighing, Pikachu pressed his face against Ash’s cheek.
Furrowing his eyebrows, Professor Kukui asked how he was dealing. Ash only brushed off his question, comforting Mallow as well. Mallow shook her head, comforting Ash instead. Pikachu side-eyed Ash.
Professor Kukui sweatdropped. He didn’t understand what his students went through, but he made sure they all knew they were welcome to talk to him about it.
He added a quick stress management lesson, just to make sure.
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Teachers help their students learn and grow!
Ash yawned, twirling his pencil around and staring down at his homework. He didn’t get how to do this. Pikachu yawned, rolling over and using his tail as a blanket.
Professor Kukui walked by, asking Ash if Kiawe could stop by to ask how to do the same homework. Ash blinked. Students actually got help?
It was nearly midnight, yet Professor Kukui still offered to help his students?
Before long, Ash and Kiawe were sitting next to Professor Kukui, listening to him as he explained the calculations for their homework. Ash stroked his sleeping Pikachu’s back, shifting in his seat.
Professor Kukui immediately asked if he was comfortable.
Ash stared at him. He couldn’t remember if his other teachers ever showed this sort of worry for him. Ever . He got up, twirling his pencil. Professor Kukui actually allowed it. Wow.
Kiawe huffed, continuing trying to finish his homework.
Pacing back and forth, Ash furrowed his eyebrows. You could tell Professor Kukui had a real passion for teaching. The way his eyes lit up when talking, how he gestured when describing the homework problems.
Growling, Kiawe threw his pencil on the table, crossing his arms. Pikachu grumbled, snuggling onto himself. Professor Kukui patiently explained the concept again, telling Kiawe not to give up.
Ash took a sharp breath.
He watched Professor Kukui proudly smile at Kiawe, a twinge in his heart. Cheers filled the house when Kiawe finished a homework problem. Ash pursed his lips when Professor Kukui nodded to Kiawe, walking off down into his lab, leaving them be.
The two boys stared at each other.
Kiawe set his pencil down, asking Ash if he had ever battled before. Ash shrugged. He gave all the credit to his pokemon, of course. He stared at Pikachu with a smile.
Even though Kiawe doesn’t show it, his voice wavered with excitement when he asked about whether Ash had any fire types. Ash chuckled.
Charizard, Quilava, Torkoal, Infernape, Pignite, Talonflame.
They talked about fire type moves, battling tips, Ash even added in his counter shield technique. Professor Kukui peeked at them from the stairs, a stack of papers in his hands.
Kiawe begrudgingly complimented Ash on his battling, blinking when Ash’s eyes widened. Professor Kukui glanced off, standing just below where they could see him.
Ash sighed, admitting that he didn’t have a battle style when he started. He patted Pikachu’s head.
He would make stupid battling decisions, and he learned to come back from it as a result. It was all trial and error, and it was all him . Kiawe raised an eyebrow.
If Ash got so far by himself…
Laughing, Ash shook his head. He wasn’t truly alone, well, not on his journey at least.
Kiawe, while writing his homework, asked Ash what he meant. Ash hesitated, asking whether Kiawe was serious. Kiawe raised an eyebrow, gruffly telling Ash to make up his mind. Pikachu subconsciously snuggled closer to Ash.
Professor Kukui froze when Ash hesitantly talked about his childhood, a guilty expression on his face.
Past teachers. Bullying. Loneliness. His mom too busy to help him. He also got more self-reliant—why did it feel like Ash thought it was a bad thing—over his journeys, but that wasn’t the point.
Ash shrugged. He never liked his old schools. Their teachers denying him help, others calling him lazy, everyone so closed off. What was the point if he’ll always figure things out by himself?
Professor Kukui gripped his stack of papers, walking back down the stairs, not noticing Ash staring over in his direction.
Kiawe softened his tone, inviting Ash to sit next to him. They soon completed their homework together.
If someone asked why they were going to learn about battling and leagues, Professor Kukui wouldn’t say anything about it.
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Teachers put in so much work and effort to do their jobs!
After Kiawe left, Ash carefully walked down the stairs, Pikachu in his arms.
His teacher was… in front of his computer. He didn’t even look like the scary professional adult towering over Ash’s childhood nightmares.
So this was Kukui, huh?
There were several mugs of half-finished coffee around him, alongside a few piles of papers.
Ash gulped, stepping forward, startled when Kukui snored.
Essays and assignments and tests from the students, letters from the principal, notes from the other teachers, even articles after articles about pokemon moves and battling? Wow.
Wait.
Ash stepped back, staring up at the board in front of them. Lesson plans, school plans, grading, schedules for before school and during school and after school, websites for resources, different activities and projects and parent-teacher meetings, financial plans for things like school supplies...
Wait, alongside being the regional professor, how many jobs does Kukui even have?
Another email popped up on Kukui’s account, drawing Ash’s eyes to the monitor.
He clutched Pikachu closer.
...How do teachers even make lesson plans?
Ash stared at the lists of different learning styles, family and cultural backgrounds, types of activities for each student. Best temperature and time of day and amount of light and sound and structure and motivation and intake and mobility for each student to learn.
No wonder there were only five other students in his class.
Staring off into the distance, Ash wondered if there was a spare blanket around the house for Kukui.
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Teachers go the extra distance for students!
Kukui made an additional malasada, handing it to Ash, blinking when Ash ate in less than ten seconds. Pikachu rolled his eyes, eating his food in the same amount of time before hopping over.
Ash and Kukui stared at each other.
Awkwardly setting the glass of warm milk next to Ash’s Alolan language book, Kukui furrowed his eyebrows.
He asked Ash if he was eating enough back at home. Ash asked him the same question.
They stared at each other.
Pikachu flatly chirped, patting Ash’s book. Ash’s eyes filled with confusion as Kukui sat next to him, eyebrows furrowed.
Before Kukui could say anything, Ash apologized for not learning Alolan as fast as he wanted. Kukui raised an eyebrow, reaching for Ash’s shoulder before backing up.
He had been through a lot, huh.
Ash winced, and Pikachu sighed.
Kukui hesitated before telling Ash about his own battling career. Ash bounced up and down in his seat, eyes starry.
Ash told Kukui about his league placings and friends and pokemon, making Kukui fondly grin at him. But other than that?
He brought up the topic of rare pokemon, blinking when Ash stiffened, glancing off. Pikachu shook his head, and Kukui gulped.
Before he could respond, Ash apologized for being sensitive. What? Ash shrugged, continuing to apologize. While Pikachu hissed at Ash, Kukui could only stare at Ash.
...Why would anyone call him lazy and uncooperative for this? He was perfectly fine the way he was!
Ash nervously laughed. He sarcastically called Kukui “dad” but sported a small smile while doing it. Ears twitching, Pikachu glared at Kukui, silently warning him he better not mess this up.
Kukui chuckled, telling Ash to sleep soon or else he’ll ground him. Ash grinned, saluting him and running off with his book, Pikachu climbing onto his shoulder. Kukui watched them climb up to the loft.
Hopefully, one day, Ash trusted him enough to tell him of his past.
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Teachers deserve so much more for everything they’ve done!
Kukui yawned, ears still ringing from yesterday’s long meeting.
The day had already started, and he already felt like it was going to be a bad one. Hopefully, his students won’t make the class any more difficult than it needed to be. He stepped in front of his classroom.
Well then. He shouldn’t bog his students down with his own troubles. He plastered a grin on his face, stepping into the classroom to assemble the desks and prepare for the day.
...His students were nowhere to be seen, but everything was in order? The room set and cleaned up. There were even additional decorations around the room?
Ambling in front of his table, he did a double-take at the giant stuffed Pikachu plushie on it. Six separate cards circled the plushie, each in a different color.
Pretty flower bouquets and bouquets of fruit flowers. A couple of candles and tea bags, a few books, a fishing lure set, a plate of food and drinks, including jars of candies. Were those pokemon items?
Kukui hesitated, trailing a finger over the books.
He understood the pokemon moves and battling books, but the other books? A photo album? A foreign coins collection? Was that the planner for his wedding ?
He picked up a clumsily wrapped gift with a tag that says “ definitely not a ‘best teacher’ mug” on it.
Rubbing his face, Kukui fondly sighed. He heard his students’ footsteps creep up.
“Thank you so much!”