"So, I'd like to announce that we'll be heading to the Cerulean Gym this afternoon."
The Taki family: The ruling family of Cerulean City from long before the Kanto Union was a concept, they recently mixed with Alolans and formed a kid who couldn't tell left from right. Yep, Hogoki Taki was home, and he was excited to hear the news.
"The gym?! I've been wanting to go there forever!"
His dad, however... "...Honey, it's the weekend. Why're you going to work?"
"To see the new gym leader, of course! ...Kai, my retirement accounts have enough for us all, they paid me well, quit staring at the walls..."
"Thank Koko, I can't land a job anywhere in the region." Both Izumi and Hogoki looked at him funny. "...What?"
"You applied outside of the city?"
"Yeah, and even then, I couldn't even get an interview! Kanto's hiring process is brutal, I tell ya."
"They said I could get into the first grade, so maybe you can go there, too!"
Yeah, both of Hogoki's parents had to suppress laughter at that one.
"Even so, let's head to the gym before the new leader leaves for lunch..."
"Okay!"
With that, the three of them all set off for the gym... and, uh, this happened when Hogoki's dad leaned down to speak to him.
"Hey, Hogoki, your mom says you've gotta go the opposite way to follow us..."
"...Which way is that?"
"No idea!"
"I recall Alolans having a saying about the blind leading the blind..."
"...We can see, though?"
A sigh from Izumi. "Anyhow, it's this way."
The two children blinked before they followed her unquestioned, and eventually they arrived at the front of the gym, Izumi had the doors open, and they entered to the usual sight of a spacious pool, a large tiled room surrounding the pool, and the less common sight of the new gym leader chasing after an overly excited blue seal thing.
"Foccai! Stop running for a second already!" The excited barking was followed by a sigh from the new gym leader and Izumi. "We have visitors, so can you at least behave around the– No wait, don't–!"
Misty was a little late, considering the aforementioned seal crashed into a very bewildered and now disoriented Hogoki, both of them ending up on the floor in a sprawled mess as both adults in the room just confusedly stared at the scene and then had to dodge Foccai trying to do the same to them.
Meanwhile, the new gym leader started profusely apologizing at that point. "I'm terribly sorry about this! This little one just can't control himself around new people..."
"Looks like you've got one of the crazier Popplio, huh?" Kai said.
"It's not easy to control a Pokemon so full of energy," said Izumi.
Meanwhile, Hogoki got off the floor and stared at the seal for a minute, and it stared back curiously. "...You're blue, you can bark, ya look like you can swim, and you've got a tail..." Foccai barked affirmatively, and fairly cheerfully, and then... "So you've gotta be a dog!" ...yeah, the Popplio died inside a little.
Misty tried to not laugh at that. "You'll hear about this one in school sometime... Speaking of that, how's it going there? The school year just started-"
"I haven't learned anything at all! Didn't they say I had to go to school after kindergarten?"
"Well, I'm sure you'll learn something soon–"
"I can't learn if I'm not there!"
"...Huh?"
"He means that he wants to go back as soon as possible! He's enjoying it quite a lot!" Izumi said with a cheerful franticness while Hogoki and the seal chased each other in the background.
"...Well, either way, did you just want to visit the gym, or did you want to ask about something?"
"I wanted to begin my son's education as a Pokemon Trainer a little early, and it seemed prudent to come here to ask for a Pokemon to begin that," Izumi explained.
"Of course, then! I can just give you the Pokemon, or if you'd like, I can take him in as an apprentice-" That look on Izumi's face probably nearly killed. "...Or I can just give you the Pokemon!"
"I would prefer that."
"Swear to the Tapus, honey, she's new to this..."
"Since your son and Foccai seem to be getting along well, I can give him to you and kill two birds with one stone– Not literally, Wingull!" The seagulls at the pool looked at each other in confusion before sighing in relief.
Izumi nodded before all three of the people old enough to travel locked in on Foccai, then straight-up lunged at the seal who didn't have time to hop out of the way before getting tackled.
"We'll be taking him home with us, Hogoki!"
"Here's his ball!"
"He's coming home with us?!"
"If he doesn't squirm outta our arms, darn it! I'm making us an Alolan-style feast when we get home!"
"It's a celebration, not a funeral! I'll cook it!"
And that was how the Taki family ended up walking home with a very excited Popplio that had to be restrained from going in every direction at once while simultaneously managing a boy and his father who both lacked any sense.
Clearly a perfect new addition to the family.