Chapter 1

Hey, my name is Gloria! I live in the Galar region. The Galar region is a beautiful region, where nature and civilization live in harmony. People live side by side with mysterious creatures called Pokemon. People who capture Pokemon and battle them are Pokemon Trainers. Trainers work together with their teams of pokemon to compete in events known as Gym Battles, which are all different parts of an organization known as a Pokemon

League.

Today, my friend, Hop, wants me to meet with him to get together with his brother, the current Pokemon League Champion, Leon. Hop says that his brother always brings cool gifts when he comes into town, so we'll see how that goes. I guess I'll have to record the new battle at the Wyndon City Tournament field to watch later. That match was supposed to be amazing though, Leon and his Charizard, versus Raihan and his Dureladon.

A knock comes from the door. I hear my mom call to me in her slight accent, "Sweetie, yer friend, Hop is here!"

I jump to my feet and put my rotom phone away. As I make my way to the front door to meet him, I see his fluffy Wooloo by his side, which for some strange reason, brings a smile to my face. That fluff monster has always made my day. Hop instructs me to grab my backpack and head over to his place to meet with Leon. "I have a couple of things I have to do," He begins to explain, "So I'll see you at mine later!"

I run to my bedroom and grab my backpack and hat. As I put my hat on, I look at my father's old backpack, I think about the old stories he used to tell me about his adventures through the Kanto region. I head toward the door, looking briefly at my Mother. I smile warmly and proclaim, "I love ya mum, I'll be back in a bit."

Once outside, I head a ways down the road toward Hop's house, where he is patiently waiting for me outside. We notice a Wooloo Tackling a gate that has multiple signs warning of no entry. Hop walks over and tries to herd it off "You silly Wooloo! I see what you're up to, stop Tackling that fencing!"

He goes on to explain about the scary Pokemon that live in the Slumbering Weald. The Wooloo looks at him blankly before bleeting at him.

All I can do is giggle and pat him on the shoulder, "Come off it, mate, just let him be, don't we have something to do?"

We walk over to Hop's house. As he opens the door for me, I smile and wave in appreciation. His mother stands in the kitchen doing the dishes. Hop quickly inquires if his brother is finally home or not, before asking any other questions. "There you are Hop," She begins. "And I see you brought Gloria with you. Hello, dear."

Hop simply brushes off the small talk, inquiring about his older brother, Sarcastically asking if their mother had crammed him in a cupboard. With an annoyed expression, she quickly replies, "He still isn't here Hop! For the hundredth time, honesty, dear, you need to learn patience! He's probably only just arrived at the station in Wedgehurst."

Without another word, Hop turns around and heads out the door. I quickly follow behind him with a sigh. This is the first time I've left Postwick without my Mum, and I am really nervous. Hop looks at me With a smile, and we head down the route to Wedgehurst. As we walk, he explains,

"That Lee may be a genius as a Trainer, but he is pants with directions. We'd better go get him."

As we walk down the route, the wind gently passes by us. I start to relax a bit, before Hop takes notice of what little nerves remain.

He asks me if it's the first time I've ever left Postwick without my mom, and I nod without hesitation. He chuckles and pats my shoulder, "Just remember to avoid tall grass or you're bound to run into wild Pokemon. I have my Wooloo with me, but you- well, You don't have any do you."

I sigh, but nod. We walk down the route. off in the distance, we can see a crowd of folks standing outside the train station in town. I grab Hop by the jacket sleeve and pull him to the back of the crowd to avoid any type of scene he might cause. We wait patiently, as the champion exits the station, "Hello, Hello, Wedgehurst! Your Champion, Leon, is back! I promise I'll keep doing my best to deliver the greatest battles for you all!"

The crowd cheers loudly and applauds their champion's arrival, but Hop just seems annoyed and as impatient as ever. Leon seems fired up as he asks everyone there to train until they are strong enough to face him at Wyndon for his title. He smiles wide before noticing Hop and I, and as he

does, he bids farewell to the crowd before approaching us. "Hop," He begins, "And this must be Gloria. It is so nice to see you again, what's it been, four years? you both have gotten so tall since I last saw you. Let's head back to Mom's house. It's been a long time since i've been there."

We turn around and head back to Hop's house, and as we travel, I feel a sense of excitement to see what Leon had brought us. I look at both Leon and Hop, as they smile and laugh together. when we finally reach Hop's house, Hop blurts out, "Alright Lee, I know you brought us Pokemon, Where are they?"

Leon smiles, before sending out three Pokemon, Grookey, the grass type, Scorbunny, the fire type, and Sobble, the water type. Hop tells me to pick first, since he already has his Wooloo. I immediately walk up to Scorbunny and pick him up with a hug, "I think I'll call you Toasty."

The Scorbunny, now named Toasty, Smiles and nuzzles up to me. Leon hands me Toasty's pokeball, which now has an engraving of his name. Toasty jumps out of my lap and starts to run around in a playful manner. I notice Hop pick up the Grookey before turning to me, "Alright, then. As trainers we should battle. It would help us to battle each other frequently."

Admittedly, I'm not too thrilled about the idea of a battle right after recieving my first pokemon, but I accept his challenge none-the-less. We make our way to the practice field. He looks at me with a smirk before sending his Wooloo out to the field. I look down at Toasty, and he nods, jumping into the battlefield.

Hop seems excited at he raises his hand and calls on his Wooloo to use Tackle. It hits Toasty, who then returns with a tackle of his own.

Toasty quickly tackles again as the Wooloo growls, causing my buddy to become a bit more timid. "Quick, one more time!" I shout as Toasty responds

with a cry.

Toasty tackles the Wooloo one more time, this time hitting with his elbow instead of his shoulder, causing the Wooloo collapse into unconsiousness. A bit of flame exits his mouth as he exhales. Hop sends out his new Grookey, and the battle resumes. "Time to test out your new move Toasty!" I shout.

The Grookey charges in to scratch at Toasty, who jumps over him. He spits bits of flame onto the back of the Grookey, before landing and turning to face him. He quickly unleashes another burst of embers onto his target, which causes it to collapse. Hop sighs before returning the Grookey to its pokeball. "You beat my two Pokemon with just your one!? You and that Scorbunny of yours are just too much!" He says in a frustrated tone.

Hop hangs his head. Leon comes over to him and pats him on the back, praising his talent as a rookie trainer. He laughs out loud before saying, "You guys made me and Charizard want to jump in and go all out! That was a wonderful fight!"