Galarian Legacies – A Pokémon Sword and Shield novelization fanfiction by Fireball Dragon

Chapter #2 – Where the Weald Things Are

Pokémon belongs to Game Freak and Nintendo.

I do not own anything featured in this besides my own interpretations of it.

WARNING: This fanfiction contains very strong language, mostly from one person (Three guesses who). Reader discretion is advised.

"Sobble! Use Water Gun!" Gloria shouted. "Sob-obb-obb-obble," cried the blue reptile, high-pressure saline shooting out of its eyes. By choosing the Pokémon with a type advantage over Victor's, Gloria already held a big advantage, much to Victor's chagrin.

NOTE: I know Sobble's technically only Level 5 at this point, and it learns Water Gun at Level 6, but kind of like in the anime, I'm taking some liberties here with what moves they know.

Sobble's tears were officially classified as possessing "the chemical punch of 100 onions," so Victor's Scorbunny needed to stay mobile. "Don't let his tears hit you! Evasive maneuvers!"

"Scor!" The red rabbit shouted in response. Unfortunately, their speed was just about even, so it was equally as difficult for Scorbunny to dodge Sobble's attacks as it was for Sobble to hit Scorbunny.

"This is already quite intense," Hop said, awed by the fervor both Trainers were putting into their first battle. He was both eager and anxious to fight the winner, as he promised he would. Mostly eager, though.

Leon was also impressed by their talent as Trainers. "I must say, I haven't seen rookies this promising since I started out," he bragged. "Perhaps they can be viable Challengers with the proper experience."

As Sobble's attempts to mark Scorbunny continued to be in vain, Victor decided now was the time to go on offense. "Scorbunny!" He ordered. "Close in on Sobble and lay on the pressure!"

Weaving through the Water Gun attacks like a needle through thread, Scorbunny managed to get in close and lay a solid Tackle attack on Sobble. "SCOR-BUN-BUNNY!" It yelled, charging in the reptile at full speed.

"SOB-OBB!" Sobble cried. But just then, Gloria took the opportunity to counterattack. "He got in close, Sobble! He can't avoid you now!"

Realizing what she meant, Sobble then landed a Water Gun on Scorbunny, the super effectiveness of the attack sending the rabbit staggering.

"Scorbunny, no!" Victor cried, as the tables turned on him near-instantly. Gloria gloated as she managed to nearly one-shot Victor's partner. "HAHAHAHA! How d'ya like THAT, Sassenach?!"

Scorbunny, however, was not willing to give up. "Scor…" It moaned, quickly getting back on its feet and charging towards its opponent.

Sobble was too surprised to launch another attack, and before it could, Scorbunny turned Sobble around and pushed its face onto the ground, preventing it from using another Water Gun.

Gloria was shocked, to say the least. "WHAT THE FUCK?!" She didn't know rabbits could be that tenacious. Scorbunny then laid on the pain with another series of Tackles, not giving Sobble time to recuperate.

She really didn't want to lose, however. "SOBBLE, WATER GUN NOW!" She belted out. With what little window of opportunity it had, Sobble hit Scorbunny with another Water Gun, incapacitating its target even further.

Both Pokémon were at their limit, panting heavily at the physical taxation they delivered unto each other. They could only take one more hit from each other before fainting.

Victor and Gloria ordered their partners to charge at each other with everything they had, as their fighting spirit was anything but diminished.

Sobble tried to get in close to hit Scorbunny with one final Water Gun, but as soon as Scorbunny closed the gap, it grabbed Sobble's head and once again pushed it into the ground to block its eyes from shooting.

One decisive Tackle, and Sobble was out cold. Before Gloria even knew it, her partner Pokémon, the one with a type advantage… had lost. She had lost her very first Pokémon battle.

Leon was both shocked and impressed, his brother being amazed as well. As the one overseeing the battle, Leon declared the result. "Sobble is unable to battle! The winners are Victor and Scorbunny!" Victor gave a sigh of relief, and Gloria a scream of irritation.

"That's nae fuckin' fair!" Gloria said, throwing her hat down in rage and stomping the ground with her boot, small clouds of dust forming around her sole. "I got meself the one with the type advantage, and I still lost?!"

Sobble was utterly shook by how its Trainer was acting, crying its eyes out in fear. Gloria saw, and felt ashamed.

"Ah shite," she said in regret. "C'mere, lad. It'll be alright." Gloria picked up Sobble in her arms and cuddled it.

"Oh, shh, shh, shh, shh. We'll win our next fight for sure," she said softly, bouncing her partner in her arms like a newborn baby.

Trying to make sure her partner stayed calm, she walked away from the pitch to tend to its wounds. Victor gave a little smile at seeing how comforting and almost kind of motherly that the normally-aggressive Gloria could be.

"Crackin' good show, Victor!" Hop said in pride. "But don't get cocky; you still have to battle me!" Victor nodded in acknowledgement.

Leon walked up to Victor and said, "Allow me to heal your Pokémon in preparation." Spraying Scorbunny with a Potion, it was patched up and ready for the next fight.

Hop made his way to the side of the pitch where Gloria previously stood and readied his Poké Ball. "I've watched every match that Lee's ever had!" He boasted. "I've read every book and magazine he left behind at home, too! I know exactly what to do in order to win!"

Victor readied his Partner for battle once again. "Do your best, Scorbunny!" The small rabbit was still excited from winning its first match. "Scorbunny Scor!" It said in eagerness, cracking its knuckles.

Hop decided to send out his Wooloo first. The little sheep bleated in excitement. "A Pokémon battle it is, then!" Hop exclaimed. "I've got two partners with me!"

Unfortunately, Wooloo was not as quick as Gloria's Sobble, as Scorbunny immediately closed the gap between them with a Tackle. However, the sheep's wool cushioned the blow, and it responded with a Tackle of its own.

"SCOR!" The rabbit cried. As it possessed a middling defense, the Wooloo's attack sent Scorbunny flat on its arse. Victor however, immediately rallied his partner to stand up.

"Come on, lad! You can still fight!" He shouted. "Scor…" Heeding his words, Scorbunny got back up and began zig-zagging towards Wooloo to disorient it.

Wooloo couldn't tell what direction its opponent was going to attack from, and suddenly, Scorbunny shot out an Ember attack. As it connected with Wooloo, the sheep immediately fell on its side, bleating in pain.

"WOOLOO!" Hop yelled. "Ah, crikey!" Victor wasn't sure why that attack did so much damage, but he quickly pieced together that Wooloo was somehow extra-vulnerable to Fire-type attacks.

For the record, one of Wooloo's Abilities is Fluffy, which is also what buffered the damage from Scorbunny's Tackle.

"Lay on the heat, Scorbunny!" Victor yelled. "ScorbunnyScorbunnyScorbunny!" The little rabbit then belted a series of Ember attacks on Wooloo. Wooloo managed to power through them and land one more Tackle on Scorbunny before fainting.

"Scor… bunny…!" Victor's partner moaned, staggering down to one knee, but still in the fight. Hop's Wooloo was out of commission, however, but he still had one more Pokémon left.

"It's not over yet," he said. "I've added another trusty ally to my team!" Throwing his second Poké Ball, Hop brought out his Grookey.

"Grookey-key!" The little chimp cried. Victor thought this would be easier, considering he had the type advantage. "Scorbunny, Ember!" He ordered almost immediately. Scorbunny then shot out a small flame, dealing super-effective damage onto Grookey.

"GrookYAHH!" Hop's partner shouted, rolling on the ground to put out the small fire on its fur. "Did you already know about type advantages!?" He said in shock. "No shite," Gloria mumbled. "Wot kind o' dumb fuck don't know about that?"

After putting the fire out, Grookey took the offensive with a Scratch attack. Scorbunny, who was already softened up from Wooloo's Tackles, was sent tumbling onto its back.

"Oh no." Victor said softly. He did not want to give up, but it seemed like Scorbunny couldn't take much more. "Evasive maneuvers!" He ordered. "Don't let him close in!"

Scorbunny then zig-zagged across the pitch once again, this time keeping its distance from Grookey, as the green monkey needed to get in close to attack. Grookey wasted no time giving chase, but Scorbunny's greater speed made it difficult for Grookey to zero in on its target.

"You three certainly have spirit," Leon said. "Reminds me of when I first started out as a trainer." Leon was proud that his brother was putting everything he had into his very first Pokémon battle. He was seriously pondering if the three of them were good enough for the Gym Challenge.

Gloria was still rather sore from losing to Victor, but now she wanted him to win. "COME ON, SASSENACH! WHOOP HIS ARSE!" She cheered. Victor, compelled by Gloria's encouragement, decided to take action. "Scorbunny, Ember!" He shouted.

However, Scorbunny was drained from taking Wooloo's Tackles and having to run from Grookey. The little Ember it shot was unfocused, and Grookey dodged it with almost no effort. After which, it managed to close in on Scorbunny and lay a decisive Scratch attack, KO'ing Scorbunny. "Scor…"

"…Oh, bollocks." Victor said with a sigh. Grookey was jumping up and down, chattering in victory. "Grookey-key-key-key-key!" Hop then sent his partner back in its Poké Ball, smiling in pride.

"Scorbunny is unable to battle!" Leon declared. "The winners are Hop and Grookey!" Hop was chuckling, ecstatic that he won his first battle. "Sorry, mate." He said. "Even if you did get your Pokémon direct from a champ like Lee, looks like I'm still the greatest!"

"You and your Pokémon all fought hard," Leon said. "Made me almost want to let out Charizard and join in on all the fun!" He chuckled. But Gloria was still taken aback at the scene that laid out before her.

"Ya got to be fuckin' shittin' me!" Gloria said in disbelief. "My Water-type lost to a Fire-type which lost to a Grass-type?! Has the world gone fuckin' upside-down?!" Everyone else looked at her rather quizzically, though they understood her confusion.

"Typing isn't everything," Leon clarified. "What's really important are the skills and knowledge you develop in regards to training your Pokémon the best that you can. I can't tell you how many times I've ended up defeating opponents who got cocky just because they had a type advantage over my partners."

Gloria rubbed her chin in contemplation. "I suppose…" She needed to think harder about how she should raise her Pokémon.

Leon then congratulated the trio with "Good effort out there, everyone! Why don't I get you all sorted?" And healed their Pokémon back to full strength.

Victor sighed, still put out from losing to Hop. "Well, love," he said to Gloria, "I guess we both did the best we could." But Gloria was quick to respond with "What's that look for? Just 'cause ya lost to Hop? You already kicked my arse, how do ya think I feel?"

Leon was proud of how all three Trainers gave it all the got just from the start. "You two have real promise! In fact, I've got a favor to ask you..." He asked. "Be real rivals to Hop, would you? Push him, and make each other stronger!"

"I already want to get stronger and stronger!" Hop said enthusiastically. "You've seen me battle now, Lee, so come on— you've gotta let me take on the Pokémon Gyms!"

Victor and Gloria looked at each other in surprise. "Getting a little big for his britches there, isn't he?" Victor asked. "I dunno," Gloria replied. "I kinda wanna take 'em on too."

"You?" Leon asked in curiosity. "Join the Gym Challenge? You think you're ready for the single greatest competition in the Galar region? Not putting the cart before the Rapidash there, Little Brother? If that's really what you want to do, you three have a whole lot you need to learn about Pokémon."

Leon then turned to Victor and Gloria. "Especially your friends. Before you think about getting Gym Badges, best to think about getting a Pokédex."

He began to elaborate on what a Pokédex was. "A Trainer's Pokédex helps them learn lots of things about all the Pokémon out there, including their strengths. But it's more than just a collection of data, you know. It's a record of a Trainer's love and passion for Pokémon training!"

"Right, right, we get it... Pokédexes, then!" Hop said cheerfully. "We're on it! Looks like it's off to the Pokémon Research Lab for you and me!"

"That's 'you and I,'" Victor corrected. Gloria rolled her eyes in response to Victor's fussiness.

"That's the kind of enthusiasm a Trainer needs!" Leon said to his brother eagerly. "I'll let the professor know to expect you." He then walked off over to the Wedgehurst Pokémon Lab.

"I'm going to be the next Champion, so completing a simple Pokédex will be nothing!" Hop bragged. "Just another page in the tale of my legend!" He then gestured to Victor and Gloria. "You'd probably better go tell your folks that we're heading out, though." But before they could, they heard a loud crashing noise from not too far off.

The three Trainers were taken by surprise. "Did you hear that just now?" Hop asked. "It sounded like came from near my house!" Victor responded. They rushed on over to the fence near Victor's house to see that the gate had been busted open.

"The gate's open!" Hop said, mouth agape. "And the Wooloo that was there…" Was nowhere to be seen. "Oh shite," Gloria said.

Hop was worried as well. "It was tackling the fence pretty hard earlier. You don't think it actually broke through here, do you?"

Victor gulped in fear. "Don't all sorts of scary Pokémon live there?" Gloria's knee was shaking. "We just started out as Trainers… We'd get our arses whooped by 'em!"

Hop nodded reluctantly. "I remember the professor's granddaughter went in once, and she came back in a real state… And that was nothing compared to the earful she got from the professor afterward!"

But Victor knew that Wooloo was in serious danger, and they couldn't just leave it be in the Weald. "We've got it save it," he said.

Hop agreed. "Right? Even if we're not supposed to, this is the kind of scene where you simply have to do what's needed!" Clenching his fist in anticipation, he then said, with a smile "Hope you're ready for anything, because we're going in!" and rushed into the Slumbering Weald.

"Cannae believe we're doin' this for one lousy Wooloo," Gloria sighed. "Arceus help us." The two Trainers then went into the Weald after Hop.

The Slumbering Weald was an eerie-looking forest, with trees as high as a Copperajah's eye, and fog coursing through the entire area. It looked like something out of a fantasy novel, or a horror movie, and the three Trainers reacted accordingly, with worry and fear.

"This place looks right dreadful," Victor said, shuddering. "Awfully nippy, too. Is that because of the fog?" Gloria was worried as well. "I got a bad feelin' 'bout this, Sassenach."

But Hop was only concerned about finding the missing Pokémon. "That Wooloo… Where do you think it got off to?" As he looked around, he noticed the fog was getting heavier by the second. "The fog is really coming on thick now… If we don't find that Pokémon soon, this might be trouble."

"It couldnae gotten too far, right?" Gloria asked. "We only just heard it break through the gate." Victor then put his hand on her shoulder to reassure her. "Don't worry, love. We'll find it fast and get out of here."

Gloria then slapped Victor's hand away. "Get tae fuck, dinnae get cocky just 'cause ya beat me!" Choosing to drop it, Victor went on ahead to look for the Wooloo.

"Wooloo!" Victor shouted. "Wooloo, where are you?" He ran deeper and deeper into the Weald, completely unaware that he was getting lost.

"Oi! Wooloo!" Gloria belted out. "Get back 'ere right now, or I'll 'ave ya made into haggis!" Victor's eyes widened. "That's just going to scare it away even further!" he said.

More and more they passed through the packs of squeaking Skwovet and chirping Rookidee until they heard a Pokémon cry like none before; it almost sounded like a wolf's cry. What the heck?

"Did you hear that?" Hop asked. "Was that a Pokémon crying out, you think?!" Victor shrugged. "I don't think it's the Wooloo, though," he said.

"Alright, this is gettin' right creepy," Gloria shuddered. "Let's find the Wooloo and get the fuck outta here." Hop nodded. "Come on! That Wooloo might be in real trouble!"

But as they went even further into the Weald, the fog got so thick, they didn't even know which way they came from. "This is mad," Hop said anxiously. "I can't even see my own hand in front of my face! I think I get now why this place is off-limits…"

Gloria was losing patience. "How the fuck are we supposed to rescue the Wooloo if we can't even save our own sorry arses?! We're gon' fuckin' die here, I just know it…!"

"Keep calm, love!" Victor retorted. "All we have to do is retrace our steps, and we can-" But before he could continue, the same strange Pokémon cry from before sounded out once again. "AH!" Victor yelped. "What was that?!"

Just then, a pair of mighty wolf-looking Pokémon appeared out of the fog, almost like they were forming from it. The three Trainers gulped in fear. One of the Pokémon had its eyes fixed on Victor, the other on Gloria.

Victor and Gloria readied their Poké Balls in case they had to fight. "S-s-stay back…" Victor shuddered. "Listen to him," Gloria added. "O-or we'll kick your rotten heads in!"

"You can't honestly think you can take those things on, can you?!" Hop asked in shock. "Those Pokémon look mad powerful! You're gonna get destroyed!"

But before they could even think, their Partners popped out, ready to defend them. Scorbunny and even Sobble were ready to fight. Bracing themselves, they charged into battle. The Trainers were impressed at how well their Partners were taking initiative.

Unfortunately, it was all for naught, as despite their efforts, Scorbunny and Sobble's attacks had no effect on the mysterious Pokémon. All of their moves just seemed to phase right through them.

"What the?!" Victor said meekly. "What's going on? Why aren't our attacks connecting?!"

"Good question," Gloria replied. "What the fuck's even goin' on 'ere?!"

The pair of phantom Pokémon then seemed to pull of a technique that made the fog even thicker. Now no one could even see them, let alone attack them. Everything the Pokémon and Trainers did were in vain.

"They're not even attacking," Hop noted. "Are they… testing you two?" This whole situation was beyond curious.

Scorbunny and Sobble's attacks seemed to just keep getting lost in the fog. It all seemed hopeless. Were they really going to die here in the Slumbering Weald?

But then the fog cleared up. And a familiar voice sounded out. "Hop! Victor! Gloria!"

"Leon?!" Victor asked in shock. The Champion came running towards them, worried off his arse about the three who broke a very important rule. Gloria was relieved. "Oh thank fuckin' Arceus!" She sighed.

"What's all this, then!?" Leon said, clearly annoyed at the three Trainers for heading into the Weald so recklessly. Hop was surprised that Leon, the man known for being right pants with directions, was able to find them so easily. "Lee?" He asked. "How'd you manage to find your way here? You always get lost."

Hands on his hips and stern look on his face, Leon pointedly replied with "Oh, that's nice to hear from the little brother who had me worried sick! I'd been waiting ages for you two, and you never showed! Of course I came looking for the both of you!"

Victor was rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment, and Gloria simply looked down at the ground, head hung low in shame. "Sorry sir," Victor said sheepishly. "We went looking for a Wooloo that crashed through the fence into here, and-"

"Oh, you mean this Wooloo?" Leon said with a grin. Sure as you're born, the missing Pokémon was found safe and sound in the company of Leon's Charizard, bleating in happiness to have been rescued. "The little chap's just fine."

"Oh good," Victor said with a heavy sigh of relaxation. "Just like the Champion to be on top of things like that, eh?" Gloria almost teared up at how cute the Wooloo looked, almost snuggling against the Charizard in relief.

"You lot had fainted by the time I got here," Leon pointed out. "You know this place is out of bounds…" His voice was much less stern by now. "But it took courage to come in here all the same, and I can understand well enough why you did it. You did good!"

Hop was proud of himself of at least making the effort in the first place. "And at least that Wooloo's all right. That's the main point here." Victor and Gloria nodded in agreement.

"I thought we'd had it when that weird fog started rolling in and that mad Pokémon attacked," Hop shuddered. "But at least it wasn't all for nothing!"

Leon was curious as to what Hop just said. "Attacked by some mad Pokémon? What are you talking about, Hop?"

"It seemed loads stronger than any Pokémon I've ever seen," Hop explained. "And it just had this sort of presence..." He gestured to Victor and Gloria. "Their moves didn't even touch it. I mean, really— they seemed to pass right through it!"

"Your moves passed right through it?" Leon asked in intrigue. "So, the fearsome Pokémon they say live in the Slumbering Weald... Are they actually illusions or something?" All four of them pondered about this.

"Maybe I had too much to drink last night," Gloria wondered. "Can't imagine any other explanation for that than just bein' right fuckin' blotto."

"Get strong enough and maybe the two of you could be the ones to reveal the truth someday," Leon assured. "For now, let's simply get out of this place. You'll be all right now that I'm here with you!" Victor nodded. "Yes. Let's."

Hop was still excited from everything that happened. "Even if we did get an earful from Lee... what an experience! This'll make a pretty fine first page in the tale of my legend!"

The four Trainers then left the Slumbering Weald, leaving its mysteries to be investigated for another day. They made it back to Victor's front yard, relieved that everything went smoothly.

"Don't forget to tell your folks we're off to Wedgehurst now," Hop reminded Victor and Gloria. "They'll go spare if you leave without a word— even worse than Lee just did!" He then ran off on the way to the Wedgehurst Lab, and the two headed back to their respective houses.

"I'm home, mum!" Victor said. "Look how stronger my Partner has gotten!" He brought Scorbunny out of his Poké Ball, and Victor's mother was delighted to see.

"Well now, isn't Scorbunny just a sweetheart!" She cooed. "And yes, I heard the news from young Leon. I'm glad someone bothered to tell me! Off to Wedgehurst, aren't you?" Victor looked down to the side. "At least he didn't tell her about the incident the Weald," he thought to himself, slightly embarrassed.

She reached into her pocket and gave Victor a little spending money. "Here we are! A bit of pocket money for your journey. Buy yourself a little something at the Pokémon Center. Maybe some Potions or something!"

"Thank you, mum," Victor said. "I'll be sure to take good care of the lad." Scorbunny was happy to hear that. "Scorbunny Scor!" He said, doing a somersault in joy.

"Remember that Scorbunny will battle to the very end for you..." Victor's mother reminded him. "So don't you go pushing the poor dear too hard!" She then gestured to Scorbunny "And you, Scorbunny! Look after my little Victor!" Scorbunny saluted in agreement. "Scor!"

Victor then brought Scorbunny back into his Poké Ball and headed out. As for Gloria, her father was also proud that his child was about to embark on a big journey.

"I always knew my girl would grow up to be strong and capable," he said. "Bust as many fuckin' noggins as ya can, ya hear me?" Cracking her knuckles, Gloria replied. "You got it, papa!" Sobble was happy to see that Gloria was back to her usual self. "Sob-obble!"

The old Scotsman then gave Gloria spending money. "Here. Make sure your Sobble's ready to fight at any time. Donnae push 'im too far, or he'll be right fucked." Gesturing to Sobble, he then added "Sobble! Make sure to protect my Gloria no matter what! She's my precious lassie, so help each other out, got it?" Sobble nodded in response. "Sob-obb!" Gloria then put Sobble back in his Poké Ball and headed out.

The two Trainers headed out on Route 1, where Hop was already waiting for them. "Here we go! This is quite the big step, you know. My first step toward becoming the next Champion!" Looking at the small field of grass to the side, Hop then said "Guess I'll probably train up Grookey a bit by having it battle against Pokémon in the tall grass."

Pointing to a building in the distance, he told Victor and Gloria "You should get yourself to the building with the purple roof and the great red and white ball mark out on front. That's the Pokémon Research Lab!" And headed to the grass for Pokémon to battle.

Victor and Gloria looked at each other. Choosing not to say a word and simply nod to each other, they began to train in the tall grass. Their journey had just begun. But man, oh man, did they not realize the full scale of what they had just stepped into.

TO BE CONTINUED…