Professor Kukui is a Dad-Type Pokemon

The best  thing about Professor Kukui for me is that he’s not just a dad but a compulsive dad. Like making impulse purchases, except instead of hoarding yarn or rocks or some shit he’s spontaneously adopting plucky anime orphans.

Like normally with this category of character they kind of fuss and care everybody but save the Full Adoption Deal for the characters who are the most blatantly in the market for a steady home and an un-fucked up mentor. And taking in Lillie certainly fits that bill! But by the sound of it he Also adopted Hau around that time and brings him around to visit his wife about as often as he takes Lillie despite the fact that Hau already has a mother and grandfather who love him and aren't even remotely evil. And then he spends half the game Aggressively Dad-ing at the player character despite them Also having loving and non-evil family members present in their lives.

And then the anime gives him six whole kids to worry about, plus Ilima, who is his Ex-kid and Gladion, who is probably his Part-Time Son.

And then we go over to the manga where he only knows that Gladion Exists and Is Lillie's Brother for about nine seconds before he starts considering him to be Also His Problem

Plus the fact that in every continuity he probably considers Sophocles to be at least 12% his kid by default because of Molayne.

It's like he'll just make eye contact and go "Yep, it's time to adopt another kid." Kukui is going to parent the fuck out of Alola and nobody is going to stop him.