Hello, everyone, and welcome to my interpretation of Pokemon Sword and Shield's main story, as part of the Pokemon Retold series. Or really I guess I should say Sword since this story will follow Sword's version of events. Although I tried to stay faithful to the main story as much as possible, some details and facts are changed and some characters' histories as explained in their league cards are dramatized for story purposes. Primarily, I wanted to do this because I felt Sword and Shield had great concepts and very interesting characters that was bogged down by its forced child-friendly atmosphere. More than that, I love these characters and I just love exploring all sorts of aspects of their lives! Keep in mind that since this is a retelling and since it is rated T, however, that there will be cussing and there will be some heavier scenes down the road.

I also want to add that Pokemon Retold intends to eventually become an animated series! But first the written series will come. You are more than welcome to follow me on DeviantArt, Tumblr, or YouTube to see progress as it is made, though I admit it will likely be slow at first.

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Thanks for reading!

Prologue Endorsements

Charizard huffed as its feet touched the ground. Powerful wings beat against the wind to keep it steady until it was supported properly by the earth below. Leon's hands had been coiled deliberately around its horns, while he had sat safely between the Charizard's shoulder blades. His legs had been swung around past the creature's neck. Charizard shook its head and glanced back at Leon patiently. Leon chuckled in amusement and hopped off the Charizard's back. He petted its muzzle gently, and thanked it kindly, recalling it so he could go inside and keep a low profile. Or attempt to. Being the champion, it was a little difficult to keep hidden, and to be honest, Leon enjoyed the attention and fame. Being surprised by suspiciously observant fans was a treat he guiltily relished.

Not that he thought there may be any here, however; he was standing just outside of his family's home in Postwick. Tall hedges and a long, winding walkway with a steel gate at the end kept most nosy fans at bay. His Charizard had just landed over it and in front of the doorway. He was greeted by a noisy Wooloo skidding across the grass toward him as he approached the door to the house. The Wooloo gently headbutted his leg to say, "hello!"

Leon issued a short series of three knocks and then flicked the doorknob. Upon entering the house, he called out for his family. His mother and father both gave a startled reply, but Hop was silent. "We'll be right down!" his mother called. "And Hop's away at Wedgehurst right now; he was helpin' with the tourists down that way!" his father added.

"Alright, I'll go make myself at home then," Leon laughed back at them cheekily. He went into a pristine, almost unrecognizable living room, and flopped on a blue cloth chair. When he had stayed at home last, the living room had constantly been in a state of busy disarray, thanks to his and Hop's obsession with championship matches (both new and repeats – they often would watch matches again and again together or the rare recorded match from another region). There would often be myriad red solo cups scattered across every available furnished surface in the room and blankets and pillows would end up on the floor. Today, however, the room appeared untouched. Soft white carpet, only lightly brushed with aged stains here and there, covered the entirety of the room's floor. A pastel blue couch lined the back wall and two recliners to match were aligned to each adjacent corner. A medium-sized flatscreen projected at a slight angle from the wall. The screen was blank.

His parents soon joined him. His father set a couple of mugs of coffee on the table on square Yamper coasters, and his mother moved over to hug him tightly. Leon happily obliged and curled his arms around her. He squeezed jokingly. She huffed and laughed, "Calm down Brutus!"

"Why couldn't you have called first?" his father complained. "Hop's away at Wedgehurst, he's goin' to be so upset he missed you comin' home."

"Oh, I was plannin' to be here tomorrow, see," Leon said smoothly. Really, his reasoning for avoiding Hop was a lot more complex than that. "It's a bit busy, bein' champion and all."

His mother rolled her eyes. "Yes, yes, Lee, we know. We're very, very proud. Now, what brings you today?"

"Well, to be honest…" Leon leaned forward and put a hand to his chin. "I've been thinkin' about something lately and I can't seem to figure it out. Hop's friend, Gloria, I keep hearin' about her and all the cool stuff she tells Hop, and I even met her a few times… She really seems like she'd be a good fit for the gym challenge, you know? Seems to really have her head on her shoulders straight."

"But?" his father asked, giving him a knowing look.

"But… I'm not sure if I'd be comfortable with Hop gettin' an endorsement—"

"That's why you showed up while Hop was out," his mother muttered.

"—because he just takes everything so to heart, you know? I feel like he'd have a really hard time findin' his stride."

"You've so little faith in him," his father remarked. He took a sip of coffee; his hand obscured most of the Boltund image printed on the side of the dark blue mug. "He's your brother. You're the champion. Why aren't you more willing to give him a chance?"

"And you want to endorse his best friend but not him? My, Lee, I think that would hurt a lot more than anything any random trainer or challenger could do," his mother said, shaking her head. She sighed and looked at him in the eyes. "We're very proud of you and Hop too. But Hop idolizes you. He just wants a chance to prove he's got some worth. We know he's got worth without provin' anythin', but he doesn't. We're honestly strugglin' to keep him busy, and you know how he gets when he's bored. Why don't you just endorse him?"

Yeah, Leon did know how his brother acted when he was bored. He was prying, irritating, and somehow also became very depressing to be around. He would just mope because he had nothing to do, it was so strange to Leon; he loved it when he had nothing to do! He sighed and looked back at them without meeting their eyes. "Maybe I'll just wait to endorse them both next gym challenge season," he said a little weakly. They had no actual power over him, of course, and he knew that. Leon just enjoyed approval. Disappointment was foreign to him and the idea of it alone was enough to put a bitter taste on his tongue.

"Fine," his mother huffed. "Now can we talk about literally anything except the gym challenge?" She scooped up the TV remote from the ornate coffee table. "There's always—"

"I'm really sorry," Leon interrupted her, "but I can't stay much longer. I just really needed a quick chin-wag to get my thoughts clear."

"We understand, son," his father said and smiled warmly after him. His mother nodded after him, but Leon couldn't quite shake the nagging feeling she was unhappy with him. He thanked them for their time and left the room, heading for the front door.

He felt a bit guilty for wanting to push back Hop and Gloria's endorsements for season. It was only three months, but he had no way of knowing that he would be willing to do it then, either. He thought that perhaps he should do something else nice for them to soften the blow from him refusing to endorse them still. Maybe, he thought, he'd give them a Pokémon they could bond with in preparation for the next gym challenge season! Maybe then he would feel much more confident about sending them off with recommendations next season.

He snapped his fingers. "That's the perfect idea!" he said aloud as he shut the door to the house behind him.

"What's a perfect idea, Lee? Also, you're here!"

Leon looked up and saw a thin figure racing toward him. He blinked and suddenly the breath left his lungs as arms tightly latched around his torso. He laughed and looked down at Hop. His younger brother was just so energetic… not to mention fast! Not that Leon himself was laid-back by any means, but he admired Hop's enthusiasm. "Yes, yes, I'm here. And I was just thinkin' that tomorrow I'll visit again, and tomorrow… well, I might have somethin' for you and your friend."

Hop slowly let go and raised a brow as he looked up at Leon. He had puffy black hair that gave off an almost purple sheen in bright sunlight, much like Leon himself. His golden eyes glowed brightly in excitement. "What do you mean…?"

"Tomorrow," Leon started and drew in a slow breath to up the tension, "I'll be bringin' you lot a Pokémon." He abruptly started tickling Hop and shoved him a little. Hop began to sputter and push him away.

"A Pokémon? For real?!" Hop exclaimed once he was free, completely ignorant of every other detail of the conversation thus far. "You're goin' to bring Pokémon for us?! Like, one for battlin'? Not a Wooloo?"

"What other kind? You've already got a Wooloo," Leon snorted in amusement. He ruffled Hop's hair and adjusted his cape. "Alright, now while you ruminate over that for the night, I've got some business to tend to. I'll see you tomorrow, alright, little bro?"

"You got it, Lee! I'll definitely make sure we're ready!"

"Good," Leon snickered as Hop bolted into the house. The front door waved wildly behind him, as it was forgotten in Hop's fervor. Leon shook his head and closed the door for them. Then he tossed out his Charizard again. The Pokémon calmly looked back at him and then spread its wings and leaned down. Although Charizard was strong, Leon didn't like forcing it to carry him around too much, so he and Charizard had adopted an unspoken rule; if Charizard did what he was doing now, it meant Leon was allowed to ride him somewhere. If Charizard stayed upright or yawned, Leon wouldn't even ask. He thanked the Charizard and got into place about the creature's shoulders. It hoisted him up and off into the skies with ease thanks to its muscles that had been honed over fifteen years of battling.