"Hello, I'm here to see Professor Kukui."
Baimu knew this tanned version of Professor Oak well.
It had nothing to do with his bizarre talent for impressions.
In Pokémon Ultra Sun and Ultra Moon, Samson Oak gave players Totem-sized Pokémon without Totem Aura based on the number of Totem Stickers they had collected.
The anime had no such setup, of course.
Here, he was the principal of the Pokémon School and had a Komala that loved ringing the bell.
Principal Oak's face lit up. "Oh, you're here to see Professor Kukui—Sharpedo! But he should still be teaching. Feel free to look around while you wait—Lycanroc!"
Watching the old man imitate Sharpedo and then Lycanroc, Baimu felt as though his eyes were about to give out.
Could a human face really change like Ditto?
Before he could say anything, though, Principal Oak chuckled and disappeared back into the dense jungle.
Wait...
Had he gone the wrong way, or was he skipping work?
Baimu watched Principal Oak vanish, then glanced at the arched school gate just across the bridge. He had never imagined that not only were the students and school culture this freewheeling, but even the principal wandered off wherever he pleased.
"Forget it. I'll find him first."
He patted Hydreigon on the head, crossed the wooden bridge, and entered the open campus.
Most scenes made the school look so empty that Ash and his five friends seemed to be its only students, but that was hardly the case.
There were plenty of other students at the school.
Drawing extra background characters and their Pokémon cost more money, so the production team had chosen to spend its budget where it mattered: cutting the extras and drawing only the main cast.
Baimu wandered around, went into the buildings, and checked the second