Things I’m gonna predict for the anime tbh:
A four cast group like in XY&Z with Satoshi/Ash, Suiren/Lana, Onion/Allister, and potentially either Saitō/Bea or Hop.
Allister in game owns a Mimikyu but I think because we’ll see Mimikyu again in Galar with Jessie, we’ll see him with a new ghost type or another pokemon (maybe Sobble even?)
Ash will more than likely receive a Grookey to start with in some way that’ll evolve all the way since it’s been 4 gens since he had a grass starter that evolved all the way. If he receives a Scorbunny, it’ll never evolve or go all the way too.
Hop or Bea otherwise will have Scorbunny.
Lana would travel with Ash to Galar since she’s the most “free” of the pokeschool friends and she and Ash have good chemistry in terms of exploration. Lana also is the one most likely to pursue going to see the world to see different pokemon, especially water and would take Eevee with her, but not Primarina for whatever reason (due to Gen 7 starters probably not being in the game and they tend to stick to whichever pokemon that are in the region for the anime to start with, but not to say to follow with) and this also would have her start on gym battles too since she’s probably one of two friends interested in battling out of the pokeschool kids (Kiawe is also prime material but if Ash is going to wear Victor’s clothes, Lana could easily wear Gloria’s)
Hop’s story will probably start later on with the second or third gym struggling to win and Ash + Lana helping him. His starter pokemon would be a charmander to be a comparison to his brother’s Charizard AS WELL as having a type advantage to Ash in the anime if he has Grookey.
Allister’s story will probably be a parallel to Mimikyu’s in a way that he follow’s Ash and Lana to the first gym because he recognizes their attitudes is inspiring but it’s not til Ash beats the first gym where Allister challenges Ash to a battle, losing but finding confidence in himself where he joins the two to grow as a person, in hopes of overcoming his social anxiety to stand on his own. (He’s very confident with his mask on, being sometimes dark but mostly snide, sarcastic, and jokey, but when his mask is off, he’s shy and lacks the ability to speak for himself.) He doesn’t actively speak up about himself often either.
Bea would probably come from a very strict family who wants her to take over the family’s gym but all she cares about is martial arts and wanting to train for tournaments in pokemon martial arts but her family shuts that dream down and she flees, bumping into Ash and Lana along the way. She’s eventually faced with going home one day but until then, she can travel with them so she can focus on what she wants.
I mean anything is possible so this could be all wrong but either way, it’s speculation time
