Chapter 8 Meeting Sonia
Once the group arrives at the Pokemon Research Lab, Leon is already waiting for them. Leon smiles and says, "Well done! You reached the goal and managed to find the Pokémon Research Lab! You did a far sight better than I did my first time. I'm hopeless with directions."
Mark says, "Yeah, we heard about it from Hop."
"See how your world has already grown, all thanks to having Pokémon with you? I know I'm sure glad I've got Charizard with me...to keep me from getting lost all the time. Now, in we go!" Leon says as they get inside the Lab.
Once they get inside, they look around and see a lot of books as well as stuff. Ash says, "Wow...this place is bigger than Professor Oak's Lab."
"I've got to give it to Professor Magnolia. Everything in here looks fascinating..." Leon adds.
"Bow wark!" Then they see a cute dog running over to them. Gloria says, "What a cute puppy."
"Yeah." Alice says as she pets the dog.
"What is it today, Leon?" They reach their heads and find a girl standing at the balcony of the second floor as she looks at them. "Looking for info on another never-before-seen, super-strong Pokemon? I wish you'd stop with these outlandish requests."
The girl walks downstairs as they are on the same floor. Leon pets the puppy and says, "Good to see you, too, Yamper! Yamper here is a real champ when it comes to helping you find your way around. He came to my rescue plenty of times back in the day, when I got lost on the road."
He turns to the girl and says, "Oh yeah, and that's his trainer, Sonia. What can I say about Sonia? Well, I like the way she cooks. She makes the food you can gobble down in a flash."
"Tsk." Sonia looks annoyed. "What kind of an introduction is that? Did you forget we were rivals during our Gym Challenge? It wasn't just Yamper helping you out. I did, too."
Then she turns to Ash and the others, "Anyway, nice to meet you! Name's Sonia. I'm the professor's assistant. And I know you, the Princes of Galar, Ash Ketchum, Mark Ketchum, and Trenor Ketchum. It is an honor to meet you."
"Likewise." Ash bows to her, and the same goes for his two siblings.
Leon says, "And they are Alice and Gloria, they are new Pokemon Trainers. Set them on the right path, would you?"
Just then, Yamper runs out of the lab, and Leon also leaves the lab as well. Sonia just sighs and says, "*sigh* What does he think I am? He's always got his head in the clouds. It's no wonder he gets lost all the time."
Sonia turns to Ash and says, "By the way, Ash. Since you are the Champion of the Alola Region, I am sure that you know about Professor Kukui, right?"
"Of course I do. Why do you ask?" Ash asks.
"Because he sent me something this morning that you can use it." Ash is confused, but then a phone floats into the sky and it says, "Alola, Ash. Long Time no see."
"Rotom? Is that you?" Ash is surprised. "Now you have possessed the Cellphone?"
"We Rotom Phones are handy little things. We've got a map and a navigation tool." Rotom says with a proud smile, and Sonia sighs, "That said, Leon still gets lost, so..."
After introducing Mark, Trenor, Alice, and Gloria to him, Rotom is happy to meet new friends. Sonia turns to Alice and the others, "Oh, sorry. So tell me, do you know a lot about Pokemon?"
Gloria says, "Of course we know. We have been watching all of Ash's performances."
"Well said! In that case, I'll make it so that you can use the Pokédex on your Rotom Phone!" Sonia asks for their cellphones and then she added the Pokedex inside each of their Rotom phones.
"Now we have that, let's see what our Pokemon are about." Ash says as he scans his Rookidee. Rotom says, "Just leave it to me."
Rookidee: The Tiny Bird Pokemon: Flying Type. It will bravely challenge any opponent, no matter how powerful. This Pokémon benefits from every battle—even a defeat increases its strength a bit.
Mark, Trenor, Alice, and Gloria are doing the same thing as they scan their Pokemon.
Nickit: The Fox Pokemon: Dark Type. Aided by the soft pads on its feet, it silently raids the food stores of other Pokémon. It survives off its ill-gotten gains.
Skwovet: The Cheeky Pokemon: Normal Type. Found throughout the Galar region, this Pokémon becomes uneasy if its cheeks are ever empty of berries.
Scorbunny: The Rabbit Pokemon: Fire Type. A warm-up of running around gets fire energy coursing through this Pokémon's body. Once that happens, it's ready to fight at full power.
Blipbug: The Larva Pokemon: Bug Type. A constant collector of information, this Pokémon is very smart. Very strong is what it isn't.
Sobble: The Water Lizard Pokemon: Water Type. When scared, this Pokémon cries. Its tears pack the chemical punch of 100 onions, and attackers won't be able to resist weeping.
Wooloo: The Sheep Pokemon: Normal Type. Its curly fleece is such an effective cushion that this Pokémon could fall off a cliff and stand right back up at the bottom, unharmed.
"Cool Pokemon you all have here." Sonia says. "Just so you know, that Pokédex is a gift from my gran! Could you let Gran know that you received the Pokédex? She lives in the house down along Route 2."
"Sure, we can go there." Ash says as they leave the lab and bids farewell to Sonia.
Right now they are outside the lab, they see a chef chasing a Grookey, who has an Oran Berry and a Sitrus Berry tied on a branch that he is holding with his mouth.
"Stop! You thief!" The chef yells.
As the chef and the monkey run past five people, Rotom and Pikachu, Alice says, "It seems like there is a Pokemon stealing berries..."
"What should we do?" Gloria asks.
"We'll help them." Ash says. "But who should we use?"
"Nickit is a good thief, we can use it to steal the berries he stole and then give it back to the chefs." Rotom suggests.
"Good idea, Rotom." Trenor says as he calls Nickit to do what Rotom instructed, after it gets the berries and gives it to Ash, the Grookey is mad as he starts attacking Nickit, but four Beat-Ups are enough to stop him.
"Here are your berries." Ash says as he gives the berries back to the chef.
"It's the prince, thank you so much." The chef says.
"No problem. But why is the Grookey trying to steal your food?" Trenor asks.
"He has been a headache to us ever since a trainer abandoned him a few days ago." The chef says. "I hope that someone can get this monkey to stop stealing."
Ash nods as he walks towards the monkey. He says, "Grookey, I know your pain, why don't you come with me, I'll take good care of you."
"Why do you care?" Grookey glares at him. "You humans are the same."
"He is the prince." Nickit says, causing him to widen his eyes as he knows the story of the Galar Prince. "And I stole all the time, but he decided to give me a family."
Grookey then ponders the words Nickit says to him, and then he nods as Ash captures him.
Grookey: The Chimp Pokemon: Grass Type. When it uses its special stick to strike up a beat, the sound waves produced carry revitalizing energy to the plants and flowers in the area.
After the capture, the chefs thank Ash for the help and then they give him a lot of discounts so that he can use it whenever they stop by at their restaurant. Ash thanks them and then they go to the Pokemon Center.
Once they get there, they meet Hop. Hop says, "Hey guys, got your Pokédex from Sonia?"
Gloria says, "You bet we have."
Hop smiles and says, "Then it's time to meet lots of different Pokémon and start building up a strong team! But battling strong Pokémon in the wild can leave your team in a bad way. Not to mention what battling another Trainer can do… Luckily, we've got Pokémon Centers!"
Ash says, "Since Alice and Gloria are just beginners, so I'll explain. The Pokemon Centers are dead easy to spot. They look the same wherever you go."
Hop says, "But you are not from Galar, I bet you've never been inside the ones in Galar."
"Is there any difference? Maybe we should check it out." Ash says.
After getting into the Pokemon Center, Hop says, "The future Champion's got you covered! First things first—you talk to the lady at the counter if you want your Pokémon healed up. And Pokémon you catch are kept in computers like the one you can find here, see? After all, you can only bring six Pokémon with you on the road in your party. The Potions they sell at the Poké Mart got me out of a real rough spot the other day!"
"Though I see the only difference is that counter...what is that for?" Ash asks.
Mark says, "That counter over there helps you with a lot of things, if your Pokemon want to relearn a move that it has forgotten, then you can just ask him to help you out. They don't need Heart Scales like other regions, though."
"That sounds really great." Ash says with a nod.
"Cheers! I'm already good, though. I'm heading to Route 2, Guys! Come find me, maybe, when you're done here!" Hop says as he rushes out of the center. After healing their Pokemon and transferring Butterfree to Alice, they go outside to find Hop.
"So you just signed up for the Gym Challenge?" Ash asks.
"Not yet, this is an annual competition where Trainers can battle it out for the right to challenge the Champion. But the trick is that you've got to be endorsed if you want to take part."
Ash takes out the letter and says, "So that is why Mom give me this..."
"Wait, you got your endorsement from your Mother? The Queen of Galar herself? That is so awesome." Gloria says.
"And Lee doesn't seem to think I'm up to snuff… So I'm thinking I ought to talk to the professor and see if she could help!" Hop sighs. "Gloria, Alice, you've got to take part, too! A proper rival is just the thing every Trainer needs to keep growing stronger, after all. Keeps you motivated, right?"
"I guess so, but first of all, we are going to Professor Magnolia's house." Alice says.
"The professor's house is way down at the end of Route 2, so let's head there…and give our teams the chance to train up a bit along the way!" Hop says.
As they follow Hop to the beginning of Route 2, Hop says, "It's time we filled in out teams a bit—"
"And I'm here to teach you how! You'll need to catch Pokémon if you've got any hope of filling in that Pokédex." They turn around to see Leon behind them.
"Lee?! Where'd you come from?" Hop asks with surprise and the others are also sharing the same shock.
"Only...look at you, Alice and Gloria! You've already caught some on your own! You mum gave you those Poké Balls, did she?"
Gloria says, "Yeah, even though I only have a Blipbug for now."
"I'll give you some more Poké Balls. In return, I'll only ask that you catch plenty of Pokémon! The Pokémon around here seem easy to catch. Almost like they're itching to join some Trainer's team, wouldn't you say?" Leon says as he gives them each five of the Pokeballs.
Hop says, "Typical Lee...The Pokémon on your team will get Exp. Points when you catch Pokémon, too."
"And of course, they get Exp. Points from battle, so take on the other Trainers you meet along the path to help your Pokémon thrive. Your team will keep on changing and growing as you get stronger together, no doubt... But even I don't know exactly how yet! Show your Champion something good, all right?" Leon asks.
The others nod as Leon leaves, Hop says, "All right! I'm gonna catch loads of Pokémon. The professor will be shocked when she sees!"
After bidding farewell to Hop, they decide to head back to Wedgehurst to see what the place has to offer, Ash turns to the group and asks, "So where should we eat for now?"
Trenor says, "How about the restaurant that we saved the chefs from the Grookey? I am sure that they can give us some discounts."
"You're right, they did give us some discounts." Mark says as they decide to go there.
Here is a new chapter, and in this chapter, it is just basically the same as the story goes. Since Gloria and Alice have Wooloo and Blipbug, Leon doesn't need to show the capture tutorial for them. I hope you like this chapter, and the next one will be the reunion.
Ash's Pokemon: Bulbasaur, Charizard, Squirtle, Butterfree, Pidgeot, Pikachu, Primeape, Muk, Gengar, Kingler, Tauros (30), Lapras (2), Snorlax, Bayleef, Quilava, Totodile, Noctowl (S), Heracross, Donphan, Larvitar, Tyranitar, Sceptile, Swellow, Torkoal, Corphish, Glalie, Torterra, Infernape, Staraptor, Buizel, Gible, Gliscor, Snivy, Pignite, Oshawott, Unfezant, Boldore, Palpitoad, Leavanny, Krookodile, Scraggy, Greninja, Talonflame, Hawlucha, Goodra, Noivern, Rowlet, Incineroar, Lycanroc (Dusk), Naganadel, Melmetal, Grookey, Rookidee
Mark's Pokemon: Chimchar, Nickit
Trenor's Pokemon: Turtwig, Skwovet
Gloria's Pokemon: Scorbunny, Blipbug
Alice's Pokemon: Butterfree (Pink), Sobble, Wooloo (30)
Dawn's Pokemon: Quilava, Piplup, Pachirisu, Buneary, Togekiss, Mamoswine
Serena's Pokemon: Braixen, Pancham, Sylveon
Lillie's Pokemon: Vulpix (Alolan), Grubbin, Magearna