Hi there, people of the internet, I decided to write this fanfic about Pokemon Sword & Shield. I enjoyed it and decided to write my own story about the events. I have also decided to set this fanfiction in the continuum of the "Pokemon: Twilight Wing" mini series. It was such a good mini series and it would be a shame if we hadn't seen more of these wonderful characters so I may add the two boys into this fanfic along with other OCs of my own creation. This story will feature Victor and Gloria as siblings and the focus may or may not alternate between the two. Lastly, I do not own Pokemon, Sword & Shield, Twilight Wing or anything from the Pokemon franchise, just OCs. Hope you enjoy this chapter.
Chapter 1: And so it begins
The scene begins with a stadium jam-packed with people and fireworks going off into the night sky. Walking in view of the cameras stationed there and grabbing the attention of everyone in the stadium and everyone in the region of Galar, a single man that wore a gray suit began waving at the audience.
"Welcome, one and all. Welcome to the wonderful world of Pokemon!" said the man as he started to speak.
"Our beloved Galar region is a wonderful place with thriving nature, beautiful cities and many Pokemon with which we share our lives!" said the man as a look of the Galar region via shown on a jumbo screen.
"As you know, our society is able to thrive… thanks to the help of these mysterious creatures that we call Pokemon." said the man as took out a pokeball and let out a Cufant that was inside it.
"Yes, Pokemon are all around us—in the sea, in the sky, and even with us in our towns! And those of us that choose to raise and train Pokemon to do battle and compete are called Pokemon Trainers!" said the man as the crowd cheered at his speech.
"Oh! But I'm getting ahead of myself. Please allow me to introduce myself. My name is Rose and it is a pleasure to be here" said Rose as he introduced himself.
"Now turn your gaze to the Galar region's greatest Pokemon Trainer, your undefeated champion… It's time for Champion Leon's exhibition match! Said Rose to rely up the crowd
Small explosions were made to give the man of the hour his big entrance. And there he is, A man with long purple hair, sporting his trademark champion uniform, cap and cape. The strongest undefeated champion of all of Galar, Leon. As the smoke cleared, Leon's Partner Pokemon Charizard appeared behind him while Leon did his signature Charizard pose and the crowd followed suit as well. After that, Leon stared down his opponent for tonight's exhibition match, a light browned-colored man around the same age as Leon, he had black hair tied in a protective manner, he was wearing a black hoodie with his uniform underneath it. This man is Leon's self-proclaimed rival, Dragon-type gym leader of Hammerlocke, Raihan. He had a look that said he was confident about his victory in this battle and he had his partner out too; a Duraludon.
"Exhibition match or not, I'm gonna put an end to your winning streak Leon, just you wait an' see" declared Raihan
"You know I don't lose battles, Raihan, and that isn't going to change anytime soon" said Leon
Once the smacked talk was over and they stared each other down, they started the match.
In the evening of the following day of last night's exhibition match, in a small town in the southern parts of Galar, a young girl of 15 years of age watched a recording of the entire exhibition match. The girl was slim for her age with fair pretty skin, she had short brown hair that reached towards her chin and her eyes were the color; brown. She wore a magenta pink dress with shorts underneath and green socks. The girl's name is Gloria, she was a huge fan of Leon, so it would be an understatement to say she particularly had her eyes glued to the television.
"WHOOOOOOOAA! Dragapult's firing a barrage of Dragon darts. How will Flygon get outta this? OH, Raihan met Leon's attack head-on with a powerful Draco Meteor. AANNDD, Dragapult is out of the running. Oh, here it comes, Charizard, Leon's signature pokemon. First thing it does is take out Raihan's Flygon with a swift Air Slash. Now both competitor's are down to their last Pokemon; Leon with his Charizard and Raihan with his Duraludon. OH, HERE IT COMES: BOTH COMPETITOR HAVE GIGANTAMAXED THEIR POKEMON! THINGS ARE REALLY HEATING UP NOW! WHO'S GONNA WIN? WHO I ASK YOU? WHO— OI, WHAT THE FUCK?" said Gloria as she watches the recording of the match and acts like an overly excited fan watching her ideal on live TV.
Her full undivided attention was towards the match and doing commentary to herself. Until she noticed the recording of the match was stopped as Gigantamax Charizard and Gigantamax Duraludon were about to unleash their G-moves on each other. Gloria was shocked and wondered to herself why, until she turned around and noticed a boy holding the remote to the recording in his hand. The boy was around the same age as Gloria, he had the same fair skin as her and had short brown hair and eyes. He's wearing a red long sleeve t-shirt with the sleeves rolled up and blue jeans with green socks. This boy is Victor and he's Gloria's twin brother.
"Hey, what's your problem, Bro? I was watching that and you had the nerve to hit stop?! Depending on your answer, I may need to turn your arse into grass" said Gloria as she rushed at her brother to attack him, only to be stopped by her brother's hand in her face.
"Wow, you must really love that punk speech of yours for you to be talking to me like that." said Victor, dryly. "Your cheering was getting loud and annoying. I'm not asking you to stop watching the recording but to keep it down long enough for me to finish studying. Otherwise, I'm deleting it." said Victor, making a threat.
"You do so, and you'll be spending' your days hanging out with the Ghost Pokemon in the great beyond, Brother" said Gloria, threatening him back and snatching the remote from his hand.
"Ugh, why are you even watching that recording of the exhibition match between Leon and Raihan? We already watched it last night so we know how it ends, besides it's not like his title is on the line" said Victor as his sister sat back down in front of the television to resume the recording before it got interrupted.
"Hmph, show what you know, a true fan watches and records a match and sees it no matter how many times they've watched it. Besides, Leon's matches are always interesting to watch, regardless if he might lose his cape; that's how he got so many fans. He even stated in an interview that he became the strongest by learning from watching every battle he's ever seen and taken part in. That's exactly how I'm gonna train, cuz once I become strong enough, I'll kick the pantaloons off of Leon and become the next Galar champion." said Gloria as continues to watch Leon's match.
"Ha, in your dreams Gloria, the only trainer that's gonna take Lee down is stand right here, and you can say you knew me when" said a third voice as the owner of it enters the room
The individual that was standing in the pathway that leads out of the living room was someone at the same age as Victor and Gloria. He had dark skin, purple hair and yellow eyes. He wore a blue jacket with fur rims on it, a black t-shirt and pants and sneakers. This boy was Hop, a close childhood friend of the twins and the younger brother of the Champion Leon. He had arrived there with his partner Pokemon, Wooloo.
"Hey Hop, when did you get here?" said Victor offering a high five to his best mate.
"Yo mate, a while ago, didn't wanna interrupt your little sibling quarrel" said Hop taking the offer and high fived him
"Hey Glo', I see you're watching the recording of Lee's exhibition match, you remember the proper way to root for man, right?" said Hop
" 'course. Always watch the matches on HDTVs, so you can use both hands to do Leon's Charizard pose" said Gloria, as she twirled around and ended with the signature Charizard pose.
"Good show, good show, but Lee never twirled around when doing his Charizard pose before" said Hop, correcting her.
"Yeah well, I decided to add my own spin to it" said Gloria while puffing out her chest.
As the boys in the room rolled their eyes, the mother of the twins walked in the living room.
"Goodness, what's with all the excitement? Oh, Hop dear! Didn't expect to see you here. Isn't this the big day?" said the mother
"Yeah, that's exactly why I came running to get your twins! Come on you two, get yourself dressed and ready. I'll be waiting for you two out front so we can all meet Lee together" said Hop addressing his two friends
"Meet Lee? Hold the Phione there, Hop? Am I hearin' what I think I'm hearin'? You sayin' Leon, the champion of Galar, the same guy that's your big bro, is coming back to this sleepy little town of ours' for some R&R?" said Gloria, as she rushed to Hop and placed both of her hands on his shoulders.
"Yep, that's exactly what I'm talking about" said Hop
"Hop you tease, why didn't you tell us about this before?" said Gloria as she playfully punched
"He did tell us this before, a couple days ago in fact. Where were you when he said it?" said Victor, pulling her away from Hop.
"Coming up with new battle strategies for when I become a trainer." said Gloria as she winked and stuck out her tongue momentarily.
"You know as a huge Leon fan, one would think you would stop to listen about a conversation about your hero to hear about a chance to meet him." said Victor
"Anyway, you guys wanna come? Lee always brings back presents when he comes back home and I may be willing to share some of them with you" siad Hop
"Sure, I've got some time, let's go meet this guy, Gloria" said Victor
"Definitely, let's go" said Gloria with stars in her eyes.
As Gloria rushed to get her stuff, she was stopped when her mother, Lisa, pulled on the collar of her dress.
"Hold on young lady, didn't you say that you were going to feed Munchlax after you finished watching the recording of Leon's match" said Lisa
"Aw mom, I'll do it later" said Gloria
"No, not later, now. If it's later, you'll forget. Munchlax has been waiting for forever for you to feed it. It looks like it will die from hunger and you know how much it eats. So get to it" said Lisa, telling her daughter to do her chores. Gloria groaned until she eventually compiled.
"Fine" said Gloria
"Well, I'll be waiting for guys outside. Don't take too long." said Hop, showing himself out
"Yeah, don't worry mate, this won't take long." said Victor waving back.
Gloria filled up Munchlax's bowl with a mountain of Pokemon food when she got to their household pet. Munchlax started devouring it with gusto and once his belly was full, he went back to dreamland.
"You're lucky we all love you so much and that you're adorable." said Gloria rubbing Munchlax's tummy.
Victor went straight towards his and Gloria's room to put away his stuff and grab his backpack and knitted hat; the latter object was in fact being worn by the only Pokemon he technically owned, his Budew.
"Hey Budew, you like my hat that much? Anyway, Gloria, Hop and I are going to meet Champion Leon, do you want to come with" said Victor as his Budew let out a happy cry as if it agreed to come along.
Once Victor got changed he headed outside with Budew on his shoulder to meet with Hop.
"Yo mate, all set?" asked Hop
"Sure, just waiting for Gloria" said Victor
"I'm here, thanks for waiting up you guys" said Gloria now wearing a gray hoodie over her magenta dress and has a green beret and a backpack on.
"Hahaha! Have a look at you mate! That backpack looks like it could pull you over! At least we know that it should hold anything Lee might bring, even if it's a Snorlax" said Hop
"Thanks" said Gloria
"Still, mom had to patch it up every time you took that thing with you for every one of your excursions. Don't you think it's time for you to ask mom to buy you a brand new backpack and put that old thing in the attic where it belongs" said Victor, trying to reason with Gloria, which earned him a gasp from his sister.
"Bite yer tongue, mister. Ya know this is the same backpack mom used back in the day. It may be a tattered mess, but I ain't replacin' it' for 'nother bag" said Gloria as she waved her finger in front of Victor's face while walking on ahead when she's done.
"Yeesh, I see the "punk" dialect is still stuck to her" said Hop as a sweatdrop formed
"Yeah, still gotta be careful that she doesn't cuss in front of children. Mom gave her enough of an earful for the last time that happened" said Victor, exhausted
"Yeah, who knew your sister had such a colorful language for her age, enough to influence little tykes to imitate her." said Hop amsued
"Yeah, and she received a spanking for her troubles" said Victor, as he laughed reliving the memory.
Suddenly, the two boys were interrupted by the sound of ramming. They turned to their right to see a wild Wooloo ramming itself onto a wooden gate to lead to a forest called the Slumbering Weald.
"Hey, you silly Wooloo. I see what you're trying to do there. Quit using tackle on that fence. No one's allowed in that forest, including you. I. MEAN. IT. No going past that fence for any reason. And when I say no, I mean HELL NO! Scary Pokemon live in the Slumbering Weald and you're no match for them." said Hop as he grabbed the wild Wooloo and scolded it.
"Meh" said the wild Wooloo, not comprehending and wanting to continue.
Hop simply let out a sigh and asked his own Wooloo to explain it to the wild Wooloo. Wooloo was joined by Victor's Budew, who tried to empathize that it's dangerous in the Slumbering Weald.
"Now that that's taken care of, let's go met up with your sister, you know how she can't sit still for a moment when there's something she wants" said Hop
"Don't I know it, but she is getting better and mindful. Still, I can already guess what she's going to say" said Victor
The two of them and their Pokemon walked through Postwick until eventually they see Gloria, waiting on the side of the road leading out of Postwick with her arms crossed, her foot tapping the floor and attempting to make face that's trying to say "There is no way on Arceus' Earth that I am mad at you guys for taking too long to get here".
"There you two Slowpokes are. What took you so long? If I ended up missing Leon because of you, you're both going to pay big time" said Gloria
"You do realize you could've gone ahead without us, right?" said Victor, not seeing the issue here.
Gloria then turned around and kicked dust from the road they were on
"Yeah. I know that. But, where's the fun in going by yourself? It would be lonely going there by myself" said Gloria with a sad expression.
Both Victor and Hop knew how alone Gloria was. She hasn't made any human friends her own age for her to hang out with. It wasn't a problem for her to make friends with the wild Pokemon but humans were another matter entirely, because most of the people in her home can't handle Gloria. Those that can are her family and her only human friend, Hop. Victor and Hop made it a point to never let her feel lonely again and with what they had planned, it would open some doors for Gloria to finally make some more human friends.
"You're right there mate, some things are better enjoyed together. 'Sides Lee's probably held up signing autographs for the fans that came to greet him at the station." said Hop, placing a hand on Gloria's shoulder for reassurance and it worked; it made Gloria feel a bit better
"Yeah, you're right, Hop, sorry Gloria. Still, we should hurry and get to the station in Wedgehurst to meet him. Didn't you say that your brother has terrible sense of direction, Hop?" said Victor
"Yep, poor fellow can't tell his left from his right and he gets lost from following simple directions" said Hop as he put both hands behind his head
"Ha ha ha, he sounds like a handful" said Gloria, amused by Hop's claim of Leon's poor directional skills
"Yeah, he sounds like you. The two of you will be able to hit it off in no time at all; like a real match made in heaven" said Victor, as he patted his sister's shoulder
"Hey, I may be too much to deal with for other people (especially you guys) but in no way am I bad with directions; that's a guy thing" said Gloria as she began to walk off to Wedgeherst.
"Aren't you more of a tomboy, Gloria? It's got "Boy" in the name" said Hop as he and Victor followed behind her.
The trio of teens then made their way to Route 1. Gloria decided she wanted to take the roundabout way to get to Wedgehurst because in her eyes, it's more fun. But she was stopped by her brother, reminding her she can't go through the grass seeing as, unlike Victor and Hop, Gloria doesn't have a Pokemon of her own. Victor even had to pull her by the collar to get her on the straight path and they arrived in Wedgehurst in time to see a crowd of people right in front of the train station. Word got out that the Champion was coming home today and that he would be taking the train home. That meant his first stop would be the Wedgehurst train station and the people waited in anticipation for Leon, who just exited the station with his Charizard.
With a giant grin and striking his signature Charizard pose, the crowd went wild as they cheered the arrival of the Galar region Champion, Leon.
"Hello. Hello, Wedgehurst! Your one and only Champion has returned! I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for all of you to watch!" said Leon, as he greeted the crowd
"It's our unbeatable champion! Leon, you and Charizard are the greatest!"
"Why, Thank you. I hope you'll all carry on training up your Pokemon and never shy from battle. Then come challenge me to a battle for my title!" said Leon returning the compliment.
"We're on it! We've all been working hard on our battle skills just like you've taught us to Leon!"
"But that Charizard of yours is too strong for the likes of us to take on!"
"So true. My Charizard is blazingly strong. But other Pokemon can be strong too! That's why I want the strongest of challengers to fill the Gym Challenge and come battle me!" said Leon "My dream is for the trainers of Galar to work together to be the strongest in the world!" said Leon, declaring his dream to the crowd as his Charizard roared.
Victor could only smile as he saw the champion enjoying himself with the crowd. He turned towards his sister and saw her hands clutched and the competitive fire in her eyes burning brightly. It wasn't hard to imagine why because he knew her better than anyone since they shared their lives together. Gloria has always been a huge fan of sports and Pokemon battles. When she first saw Leon battling on TV, her competitive nature was kicked up to 11. She dreams of battling Leon and now that her hero is a few feet away, Gloria can barely contain her excitement. As long as Gloria is enjoying herself, Victor couldn't have asked for anything more.
"Lee!" said Hop as he waved his hand, trying to get his brother's attention from behind the crowd.
"Hop! So my number one fan in the whole wide world has come all the here to pick me up!" said Leon as he walked past the crowd and towards his little brother.
"Look at you Hop! I reckon you've grown…an inch and a quarter since the last time we met!" said Leon
"Bingo! That's the sharp eyes that's kept you undefeated for so long, eh, Lee?" said Hop, as he turned his attention to the twins
"Oh, those are some bright eyes I see. Oh, wait, let me guess, the two of you are Hop's friends, right? He told me about you two and sent me a picture" said Leon
"Yeah, My name is Victor. It's a pleasure to meet you" said Victor, offering a handshake which Leon accepted. When Gloria saw this, she wiped her own hands on her clothes
"N-Nice to me-me-me-me-meet you too, Mr. Leon. M-M-M-My n-name is Gloria" said Gloria as she nervously offered Leon a handshake.
"Please just call me Leon" said Leon shaking her hand
"Oh, of course. Hah, I am never washing this hand again" said Gloria, as she felt pure bliss for finally meeting her idol.
"Gross" said Victor, resulting in Gloria kicking him in the shin and Hop and Leon laughed slightly at the banter of the twins.
"Alright, come on Lee, and you guys too! Bet I could beat you guys home." said Hop, starting a race back to Postwick
"I'm a bettin' girl. I'll take ya on, Hop" said Gloria as she follow suit
"That Hop… Always wanting to be the best, isn't he?" said Leon as he watched his little brother race along with Gloria back home.
"I think I can relate. There's something I wanna be more than anything and I know I can obtain it so long as I'm with my Pokemon. Just like Hop, I won't settle for anything less than being the best. Gloria's the same as well. She wants to become the greatest trainer there ever was and she's been dreaming of the day she gets to battle against you for as long as she can remember." said Victor, watching his best friend and his sister from a distance.
Victor's statement made Leon smile a bit and he placed a hand on Victor's shoulder
"I'm certain you'll get there Victor, you, your sister and Hop can make your dreams come true, so long as you don't give up on them. I'm sure of it, once you found that something that gives you the edge you need" said Leon with reassurance
"That something, and just what is that something?" said Victor
"A rival, of course" said Leon with a grin "Yep, with a proper rival of your own, a person can be pushed into becoming the greatest version of themselves." said Leon, leaving Victor with that though before turning to his adoring public.
"A rival, huh?" said Victor, as he was left pondering the thought
"Well, everyone! I bid you adieu for today! But fear not. I'll always be around to make sure you have a champion time!" said Leon, saying goodbye to the crowd while doing his signature Charizard pose.
After that, Leon, Victor and Charizard started running towards Gloria and Hop. Eventually, Victor caught up to the two of them but Leon did not for obvious reasons.
"How is it possible for a grown man to get himself lost on a path like this one. I mean, it's a straight line to Postwick and he can see his house along the path. He's sense of directions can't be that bad" complained Victor
"Hey, I told you Lee is pants with directions. He sometimes needs the help of his Charizard and other wild Pokemon to get him to his destination." said Hop, nonchalantly
And as if on cue, the trio of friends saw the champion being escorted by wild Pokemon from Route 1 and his Charizard, who happened to be irritated that this happened again. Gloria thanked the wild Pokemon for their help and apologized for the trouble Leon caused on his behalf.
"Ha ha, sorry guys, for getting lost. Sorry Charizard, it won't happen again" said Leon in an apologetic mood.
"From the look on your Charizard, I'd say he doesn't buy that promise. He's certain you'll get yourself lost again and he's gotta find you" said Victor
"Ain't that the truth?" said Hop, as Leon laugh sightly
Leon then felt someone's hand grabbing him as he was being pulled towards his house.
"Hey, uh, Gloria, you do know I can walk to my own home by myself, right?" said Leon as he continued to be dragged away to his home by Gloria.
"I am not taking any chances. If we left you on your own, you would probably mistake someone else's home for your own and cause a misunderstanding" said Gloria, giving the champ her reasons.
"Oh come on, how much do you have faith in my ability anyway?" said Leon
"I have faith in your abilities as a Pokemon trainer, Leon. But seeing as we just met, I can tell that I can't put that much faith in your sense of directions" said Gloria, as her counter argument was enough to shut Leon up.
"This is really the champion of the Galar region, huh?" said Victor
"Well, That's Lee for ya. He got a side to him that the public doesn't know about. He's always thinking about Pokemon and battling 24/7. And he always gets lost the moment you take your eyes off of him. Even so, he's done so many amazing things as champion and I couldn't be prouder of my big brother." said Hop, as Victor could feel the sense of pride that his best friend is giving off from Leon. This caused him to smile, too.
"Come on, we'd better get going too." said Victor as he patted Hop's back
" Okay" said Hop as he and Victor joined up with Leon and Gloria.
Once the four of them got to Leon and Hop's house, Victor, Gloria, and Hop stood at attendance as Leon was about to present his gift to the three adolescents.
"Alright Lee, you kept us waiting long enough. When are you going to give us the presents you promised?" asked Hop, unable to contain his excitement
"Relax Hop, give him the opportunity to give you his gift before you live up to your namesake. By the way, you said he brings home gifts, but you never told us what kind of presents he has for us?" said Gloria, until she saw Hop grinning her way. She was about to ask him what the grin was all about until she felt her brother's hands on her shoulders.
"To be perfectly honest with you Gloria, I've known about the present Leon was going to give to Hop and he asked me to keep it a secret from you until the big reveal. I agreed because we wanted to see the look on your face when you see them" said Victor explaining Hop's grin
"Huh, what does Hop's present from his Champion big brother have to do with me?" said Gloria.
"Everything, because it's a gift that I can share with my two best mates in the entire world" said Hop
"Always remember this day Gloria, because this is the day you can finally start making your dream a reality" said Victor.
"Huh. My dream? A reality? Wait, so. Does that mean the present is…" said Gloria, in a disbelief tone of voice
"Yeah, you get to finally become a Pokemon trainer, like me and Hop. I've already talked to mom about it and she approves of the idea" said Victor, finishing his sister's sentence.
Gloria felt a mixture of emotions when she found out that she gets to own a Pokemon of her very own. Surprised by the gift she's getting, happy that she can finally start making her dream come true and be on the same level as Victor and Hop, and grateful to have Victor and Hop in her life and for them setting this all up. After shouting out from the top of her lungs that this day had finally come, Gloria grabbed both Victor and Hop and dragged them both into a hug.
"Oh my gosh. Thank you for this you guys. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you. I know I can be a pain to you both, but still you guys put up with me and did this. I'll never forget this day for as long as I live. Thank you." said Gloria, as she squeezed the life out of Victor and Hop in her hug
"You're welcome, but I really didn't do anything that big. I just kept it a secret to surprise you. Hop's the one who asked Leon to give us Pokemon as a gift" said Victor as he couldn't breath from the Gloria is giving him
"Hey, don't sell yourself short, mate. It was your idea in the first place to give her a Pokemon of her own. I just told Lee to give us a give we could all enjoy; like brand new Pokemon." said Hop trying to break free.
Gloria finally let go as Victor and Hop were given a moment to breathe. Leon, who stayed on the sidelines and saw the whole thing merely laughed as he finally joined the conversation.
"Ha ha ha, wow, I think my brother and yours finally know what it's like to be hugged by a Bewear. Now then, moving on. Question; what could be better than getting your first every Pokemon? Answer; getting your first ever Pokemon from the greatest Champion to have ever lived. It's showtime, everyone! Have a look, you three!" said Leon, as he brought out three pokeballs and toss them up to reveal the Pokemon inside.
The first of the three Pokemon was the grass type; Grookey. The second Pokemon was the fire type; Scorbunny. The third and last one was the water type; Sobble. When Victor, Gloria, and Hop saw the trio of starters, they couldn't contain their amazement at how rare, cute and fun loving they were.
Grookey started climbing up the tree and playing with a berry it found, Sobble went for a swim in the small pond Leon and Hop had in the home, and Scorbunny started hopping and running in circles. Sobble squirted out some water and it accidentally hit Scorbunny in its back. Startled, Scorbunny started hopping around until it hit the branch Grookey was on and the berry fell and landed in the pond, which startled Sobble. Sobble started crying but was calmed down by Grookey and Scorbunny.
"All right! Line up, everyone! Now, which one will you choose?" said Leon, as the starter lined up and he turned his attention to the three teens.
Victor and Hop looked at each other and gave each other an understanding nod as they made their decision on who goes first. They both patted Gloria's back
"Why don't you do the honors Gloria? Go ahead and choose your partner. Me and your bro can wait" said Hop
"Are you sure?" said Gloria
"Of course. We got Pokemon already, so it's no biggie" said Hop
"But what if I end up taking a Pokemon you guys want for yourselves. Knowing me, I'll end up picking the best one and you two would end up regretting it" said Gloria with uncertainty until she felt her brother's hands on her shoulders.
"Gloria, trust me. Hop and I are not going to regret not taking one of those three Pokemon when we had the chance. This is a gift that the three of us can share and can walk away feeling the winner. Now, go pick your partner. They're waiting for you" said Victor to reassure Gloria
With much encouragement from Victor and Hop, Gloria went to the three Pokemon, waiting to be chosen by their new trainers.
"Now, be sure to think carefully before you make your decision, Gloria" said Leon
"Oh, there's no need. I've already decided which Pokemon I would choose. I choose you" said Gloria as she pointed towards Scorbunny.
"So, Scorbunny's the one you choose, huh?" said Leon
"That's right. I see a lot of myself in that Scorbunny. It can definitely keep up with me. You and I are going to make an unstoppable team, so what do ya say?" said Gloria, asking Scorbunny to become her Pokemon.
Scorbunny accepts Gloria's offer and the two of them fistbumps each other, as if they were on the same wavelength.
"It makes sense. That Scorbunny has always been filled with fiery passion, waiting to burst out into the world. With you as it's trainer, the two of you will be capable of great things" said Leon
"Thanks, Champ" said Gloria as she held onto Scorbunny in her arms.
"Now that Gloria has picked her partner, it's my turn. I'll go with… Grookey! You're all mine! I'm aiming to be the next Champion, so be ready! You and I will be doing some serious training!" said Hop as his Wooloo welcomed Grookey to the team.
"I bet you will, Hop. That's why I got you guys these Pokemon" said Leon. So that you'll be able to battle and train and grow strong enough to challenge me" said Leon with a grin
"Right, that means, by process of elimination; Sobble'll be coming with me. Nice to meet you Sobble, I'm Victor and this is Budew. We're going to make a great combination together" said Victor as he picked Sobble up and it let out a happy sound of two hands clapping got everyone's attention and it turned out to be the mothers of the two sets of siblings; Lisa and Theresa.
"All right, all right, that's enough of this trainer business for one night, everyone. Dinner's ready, children. Bring your Pokemon, wash up and let's all eat!" said Theresa
"You got it" said Victor, Gloria, Hop and Leon in unison
Moments later, the two families had a barbeque where they all mingled, ate food and enjoyed each other's company.
"How do you like the food Sobble? Is it good?" said Victor as Sobble seems to be enjoying the food Victor gave it.
"Mate, you have got to try this meat here. Mom has really outdone herself this time. Even Grookey and Wooloo love it, right guys?" Said Hop, offering some meat on a stick to Victor while his Pokémon let out a squeal in agreement with their trainer.
Meanwhile, Both Gloria, Scorbunny and Leon were scarfing down the delicious food made at the barbeque, including Gloria's favorite dish; curry. They stopped eating as soon as they were full and the stack of plates just entered the double digits.
"Ah, that's was some go curry" said Leon, leaning back on his chair and patting his stomach
"You said it, Leon. Curry really does hit the spot" said Gloria, mimicking Leon.
"Hop did tell me you were a curry fanatic and this just proves it. Though I gotta say, You're looking rather slim, Gloria. You don't seem to put on any weight, despite eating that much curry." said Leon, inspecting Gloria from head to toe.
"Oh, you must be very popular with' the ladies' Champ. I have my own secret for staying so slim, but a girl's gotta keep them to herself." said Gloria.
"It's one of the many wonders of the world. Gloria doesn't seem to gain any weight no matter how much food she eats." said Victor
"Maybe the universe loves me so much, they gave me a bod that would never allow me to get fat. Allowing me to consume as much as I want." said Gloria with a face full of pride.
"You can tell that someone's got a pretty high opinion of herself, right Lee?" said Hop as he whispered into Leon's ear.
"Yeah, but she does have fire. Let's pray to Arceus that she doesn't get burned" said Leon as he whispered back.
"Hey, Leon, I've got a question for you. I saw the exhibition match you had with Raihan. Before it started, how come you arrived on the scene riding on the back of a Corviknight?" said Gloria
"Ha ha ha ha ha, oh that, well, it's a bit of a long story" said Leon
"I doubt that. If you want my two Poke-pounds on the issue Gloria, he probably got lost on his way to the match" insist Hop, dryly
"Yeah, that sounds about right" said Victor, as he took a bite on the meat kabob in his hand and heard Leon laughing
"Well, you got me there. I was doing some last minute training in the Wild Area before my big match, until I got too focused on my training and resting that I eventually lost track of time and lost my way." said Leon nonchanlauntly.
"You picked the Wild Area to do some training. Heavens to Betsy, Lee, it's a miracle you managed to get out of there with your sense of direction" said Hop with an unbelievable tone of voice.
"Nah, I just got lucky that I was spotted by a Flying Corviknight taxi on its way to the match in Wyndon. The cabbie was so nice enough to lend me his Corviknight so I made it there without exhausting my Pokemon. It was in record time too since that Corviknight was the fastest in all of Galar." said Leon as he laughed it out
"Oh, so that explains why that kid was there" said Gloria, as she had just realized something
"What do you mean?" asked Victor
"When Leon arrived at the stadium, there was some kid who looked like he was nine years old and that he was dressed in a hospital get-up. He must've been invited to one of Leon's matches but couldn't make it in time because he was running late for whatever reason" explains Gloria.
"That boy was one of my fans and the reason he was late was because he overslept, I tend to do that a lot too, so I can relate" said Leon while scratching the back of his head "Still, his dream did come true; he wanted to watch one of my matches in the stadium, so he looked like he enjoyed himself" said Leon, while laughing in the end
"Yeah, he got up-close-view of the whole match. Not many can get that opportunity." said Gloria while pouting and Victor petting her head.
"Yeah, also I told him that the next time we would meet, we would have a battle in which we held nothing back" said Leon
"You really think he's going to make it that far?" said Victor
"Of course, if he puts his mind to it that is." said Leon
"Ha, well I do feel sorry for him, because if that kid is really going to challenge you to a battle, then he's got to make it pass me first. I'll be the one to beat you and become the next champion of Galar" said Gloria, pointing her finger at Leon as she made that declaration
"Not so fast, Glor', if anyone gonna take on Lee and steal his title, it's going to be me, not you" said Hop in defiance
"We'll see about that, Hopkins when I'm the taking him down and you'll be watching it from the bleachers" said Gloria, as she argued with Hop
"Yeah right, it's going to be the other way around Glor'" said Hop as he argued back
The two of them kept arguing until they were tired of it and returned to enjoying the barbeque dinner.
After dinner, Victor, Gloria and Lisa returned home. Victor and Gloria spent the rest of their time with their respective Pokemon until it was time for them to go to bed. However, they were both not tired, they had something they wanted to do before they hit the sack. Once Victor made sure that everyone was asleep, he let Sobble and Budew out of their respective balls to show them something (well mostly, Sobble).
"Hey Sobble, look at this" said Victor as he showed Sobble a movie on his Rotom Phone. The movie was about a detective solving the most difficult crimes with an Inteleon by his side.
"This is the movie that started everything for me. It was from this movie that I realized what I wanted to become. I want to become the greatest detective in history, like Sherlock Holmes." said Victor, stating his dream to his Sobble. "It's true, I always get a thrill reading his work, solving mysteries and using my Pokemon to help those around Postwick and Wedgehurst. I want to be there for all sorts of people in this region; that's why I've been studying so much so that I could have the book smarts to get into a decent university in Galar. But I'm not stupid, I know that being a detective could put me in the line of fire with criminals, that's why I need partners to help me out. I already have Budew's permission, so I'm going to ask you Sobble. Will you please help me in making my dream come true?" asked Victor, after pouring his heart out by stating his dream to his Sobble.
Sobble has only known Victor for about one outing, but even so it could feel his kindness and willingness to be of help to society and decided he wants to become stronger for his sake. Sobble nodded his head and agreed to help Victor achieve his dream.
"Thank you, Sobble. Now what do you say we continue to watch the rest of this movie before we go to bed, you two?" said Victor to his two Pokemon as they replied yes to his request.
Meanwhile, after making sure that everyone was sound asleep, Gloria put on her clothes, her shoes, made sure to use a dummy to make it look like she's still in her bad; sound asleep, and made her way out the window and dashing towards a field in Postwick, where she found a lot of sleeping Wooloo. Once there, she let her Scorbunny out of its ball and he was so sleepy.
"Aw, look at you. You look adorable when you're sleepy" said Gloria, as she looked at her Pokemon, who was rubbing his eyes. "Sorry to call you out during the middle of the night, but there's something I wanted to show you"
Once Gloria pointed Scorbunny up towards the sky, they saw the most amazing sight; the night sky completely covered with stars. Both Gloria and Scorbunny laid down on the grass and gazed at the stars. Then Gloria began talking to Scorbunny.
"Look at the stars, Scorbunny. I bet all the great champions of the past would look up at the starry night sky like this one with their Pokemon. They'd look upon the one star that was different from all the others and make a wish for their dreams to become a reality. Do you want to know what my dream is, Scorbunny? It's the same as Leon's; to make the whole wide world know how amazing the Galar region is. That we are number 1, that the people of Galar are able to do anything that we set our minds to, like toppling the unbeatable champion. If we can accomplish feats like that, just imagine what people would say? We'd be even bigger legends than the Legendary Leon himself. I want to battle and win against him and not just Leon, but all the amazing trainers this world has to offer, so people would say "Hey it's that girl from Galar." "She's absolutely amazing" "I guess the Galar region is pretty amazing if someone popped out from it" "I can't wait to see what the region has to offer" "I want to battle against her, so badly". I'm willing to do whatever it takes to make that dream a reality. Also, I want to make some unforgettable friends, friends willing to put up with me. I feel like I can make those friends with you by my side. I know it kind of feels like I'm using you for my own ends, and if it does, I apologize so… um… w-w-wo-wo-would you please help me with my dream and personal goal?" said Gloria, as she bent down to meet Scorbunny at eye level and poured out her heart and soul to her Pokemon.
Scorbunny listened to Gloria and began to poke her to get her attention. It offered her a fistbump, it was Scorbunny's way of saying "Of course I'll help you. We're in this together". Gloria could tell that was what Scorbunny was saying (even though she can't speak Pokemon) and instead of fistbumpping Scorbunny right back, she gave him a hug to say "thank you". After that was settled, the two went back to gazing at the stars. As they continued, both Gloria and Scorbunny closed their eyes and made a wish on the very stars hanging above their head; to become real legends.
It only took a moment for the two of them to notice something after making their wish. One of the stars in the sky fell down to the ground. The star was in the field not too far from where they were at the moment and Gloria and Scorbunny decided to run straight towards the site where the star fell. When the duo arrived at the site, they saw the star in a 1 meter crater and Gloria went to pick it up.
"Whoa, check this out Scorbunny. This must be the falling star" said Gloria, holding the star in her hand while Scorbunny hopped on her shoulder for a closer look. Both Gloria and Scorbunny were on the same wavelength as they smiled when they looked at the star. "You feel it too, don't you Scorbunny. We can definitely make our dream come true" said Gloria with a confident look on her face and Scorbunny cried out in agreement.
As these young trainers spent this night with their Pokemon, they knew that they would need to brace themselves for the journey that awaited them.
That should do for the first chapter, hope you enjoyed it. There will be plenty more where that came from.
Next time: The encounters in the Slumbering Weald