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

Chapter #3 – The Professor's Progeny

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.

"Scorbunny, use Ember!" Victor commanded, as he and his partner were engaging against a wild Caterpie. They had been battling against wild Pokémon for a few minutes in order to toughen up, Gloria and her Sobble following their example.

"Scorbunny Scor!" The little rabbit cried, and shot a small flame towards the bug, KO'ing it almost instantly. Scorbunny then did a backflip in pride, as both Trainer and Pokémon scored another win in the outskirts of Postwick.

Gloria commanded her Sobble to fire a Water Gun attack at a wild Rookidee, the blue reptile shooting high-pressure liquid at its avian adversary. Once the attack connected, the small bird fell down to the ground unconscious. Gloria couldn't help but laugh in pride as she and her partner had just won their tenth wild battle in a row.

"Ten wins in a row, Sassenach!" She bragged to Victor. "How do ya like that?! Imma have me revenge on you lot soon enough!" Victor was quite in awe of her surprisingly quick progress.

"I say," the young lad replied, "you two really are getting stronger. I'm rather impressed," he said with a bright-eyed smile.

This sudden praise where Gloria expected jealously and/or envy caused her to blush at the unexpected compliment. "Sh-sh-shut your fuckin' gob! I'm sayin' I'm gon' leave your arses clapped! You don't need to be so nice to me all the time!"

Victor chuckled at her embarrassment, which only made Gloria more flustered. "Fuck off! Let's just get to Wedgehurst already!" She said as she stomped over to where the Pokémon Lab was. "She's so cute when she's mad,"he thought as he followed her.

Once they made it over to the Lab, Leon and his Charizard were already at the front door, waiting for them. "Well done!" He congratulated. "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," the Champion chuckled.

Gloria was a little confused at that, however. "It's nae that far off. You can see it from your front lawn, even. Are you really so pants with directions that you cannae tell your arse from a hole in the ground?" Leon raised his eyebrows at so bold a statement coming from such a young, cute-looking girl.

Victor was shocked at Gloria's crassness in front of the Champion. "GLORIA!" He shouted. "I'm terribly sorry, sir," the boy pleaded to Leon, "she just won ten battles against wild Pokémon, so she got a little cocky-"

"Don't worry," Leon reassured them. "I know exactly how she feels," choosing to laugh it off. "I myself was rather overconfident in my earlier years as a Trainer. Arceus only knows how many times I had to check the map on my Rotom Phone," he chuckled in embarrassment. "And even then, it only helped so much…"

Victor then inhaled and exhaled sharply through his teeth, looking at Gloria with a wide-eyed expression that was practically saying "For the love of Arceus, reel in your behavior around the Champion! Don't embarrass us like that again, I'm begging you!"

Gloria was quick to apologize for her crassness. "Uh, sorry 'bout that, Champ," she said, rubbing the back of her head in embarrassment. "But having Pokémon by me side makes going about a lot easier," the girl added in amazement at how Pokémon make such capable bodyguards.

Leon was proud to hear that from her. "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!" The three Trainers then walked in the front door of the Lab. Victor was quick to whisper, "None of that in the lab, okay Love?" to Gloria, who simply nodded in response.

The inside of the lab was large and lined from top to bottom with all sorts of books on Pokémon. Near the entrance was a small dining space for the professor to have a spot of tea with guests, and over in one of the other corners was a computer desk covered in research papers, which was clearly the professor's workspace.

"I've got to give it to Professor Magnolia," Leon said in awe. "Everything in here looks fascinating..." He was then greeted with the barking of a small, yellow dog-like Pokémon who jumped up in joy at seeing someone come in. This was Yamper, whom Victor and Gloria fell for at first sight. It then rushed over to Leon in order to greet him.

"It's so cute…!" Gloria whispered gleefully, covering her mouth in awe, eyes widened at the little pseudo-Corgi. "I want one," Victor said under his breath.

Just then, Yamper's Trainer called over from atop the staircase in the back of the Lab. "What is it today, Leon? Looking for info on another never-before-seen, superstrong Pokémon? I wish you'd stop with these outlandish requests."

The source of the voice was a young woman with long red hair tied in a side ponytail. She wore a pair of glasses over her head that she didn't seem like she actually wore, and a large, double-breasted tan coat covering her green top. She walked down the stairs in order to greet her guests, with her Yamper heading back to her.

"Good to see you, too, Yamper!" Leon greeted. "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 informed Victor and Gloria. "Oh yeah, and that's his Trainer, Sonia," gesturing to the redhead. "What can I say about Sonia? Well, I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash." Victor and Gloria had to stifle a chuckle at that lackluster introduction.

"Tsk. What kind of an introduction is that?" Sonia said in annoyance. "Did you forget we were rivals during our Gym Challenge? It wasn't just Yamper helping you out. I did, too." Turning to the pair of rookies, she greeted them with "Anyway, nice to meet you! Name's Sonia. I'm the professor's assistant."

"This is Victor, and this is Gloria," Leon told Sonia. "They're new Pokémon Trainers. Set them on the right path, would you?" And with that, Yamper decided to help Leon find his way to the professor's actual house, and both of them left through the front door.

"What does he think I am," sighed Sonia, facepalming at Leon's behavior. "He's always got his head in the clouds. It's no wonder he gets lost all the time." Then, taking a look at Victor and Gloria's pockets, she saw that they were carrying something rather peculiar. "Oh. Looks like you've got Rotom Phones," she noted. "Hey there, Rotom!"

Their phones then flew out of their pockets, greeting Sonia with zaps of salutation. "Rotom Phones are handy little things, aren't they?" Sonia asked. "They've got a map and a navigation tool. That said, Leon still gets lost, so..."

"Yeah, he told us as such," Gloria recalled. Victor, however, was intrigued at how Sonia was one of Leon's many opponents during their Gym Challenge together. "You used to be Leon's rival? You must be a really strong Trainer, then," he inquired.

"I suppose I was," Sonia chuckled. "Back then, Leon and I travelled all across Galar together in order to become the Champion." The woman then sighed in nostalgia. "Left us a bit knackered at times though," she elaborated. "We honestly didn't know how ace the Gym Leaders were at Pokémon until we had to take them on proper, but you can't even imagine how chuffed I was to realize I made it all the way to the Champion Cup until Leon beat me during the-"

"Oi!" Gloria snapped. "Back to the present now, woman!" Sonia chuckled in embarrassment at how wrapped up in reminiscence she got in front of her guests. "Oh, sorry. So tell me, do you know a lot about Pokémon?"

Victor and Gloria rubbed the backs of their heads. "Not really..." Victor said. "We just started out as Trainers, after all." He and Gloria looked at each other, chuckling in awkwardness. "Hate to admit it," Gloria sighed, "but we're right noobs."

"Don't worry!" Sonia replied. "Here, I'll make it so that you can use the Pokédex on your Rotom Phones!" Phones still floating in front of her, she took them in her hands, fiddled around with the settings in each one, and activated Pokédex functions for the both of them. The phones then went back to their respective owners. "Thank you very much," Victor said with a bow.

"Just so you know, that Pokédex is a gift from my gran," Sonia noted. "Could you let Gran know that you received the Pokédex? She lives in the house down along Route 2."

Sonia's Yamper returned to her, signifying that it managed to successfully help Leon make it over to the professor's house. "Did Leon make it over to Gran's place?" Sonia asked her Pokémon. "Good boy!" She gave Yamper a nice pat on the head as thanks.

"You're the professor's granddaughter?" Gloria asked Sonia. "Indeed, I am!" Sonia responded. "Her encouragement served as a good motivation during my time in the Gym Challenge! Helping her out with her research is the least I could do!"

"Me grandmother was a dirt-poor tavern wench and me grandfather was a surly ol' bar fighter who got his face carved by some wankstain's Bisharp,"Gloria recalled in her head. "Ain't this Sonia a lucky one."

"Leon's a right amazing Champion, and I'm basically just an assistant," Sonia sighed. "I'm not even Gran's official assistant, either. I've just been calling myself one... Somehow, it makes me feel a little restless."

"Well," Victor said in order to change the subject, "we'll be off on our way to your gran's house now. Cheerio." And so, he and Gloria left the Lab, leaving Sonia to her own devices. "Are they going to try and take the Challenge?" she pondered. "I think they'll do fine. They've got earnest eyes."

As soon as the two Trainers left the Lab, they met up with Hop, who was a little further down the road from them. "Got your Pokédex from Sonia?" He said eagerly. "Then it's time to meet lots of different Pokémon and start building up a strong team!"

"Maybe we shouldn't get ahead of ourselves," Victor retorted. "You seem a little too eager to get started on all of this. Something on your mind?"

"To be honest," Hop admitted, "I've been thinking... If you're Pokémon Trainers now, you must want to try your hand at the Gym Challenge, right?"

"The Gym Challenge?" Victor and Gloria said in surprise.

"That's right," Hop cried. "the Gym Challenge! The annual competition where Trainers can battle it out for the right to challenge the Champion!" Victor and Gloria remember seeing footage of the Gym Challenge all the time on the telly. The cheering crowds, the strong Trainers and the even stronger Pokémon… The thought of partaking in all of them filled with a mix of eagerness and anxiety.

"But the trick is that you've got to be endorsed if you want to take part," Hop elaborated. "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!"

"Well, she did give us our Pokédexes," Victor pointed out. "Maybe she can help us get endorsed for the Challenge." Gloria turned to Victor. "You really wanna take part?" she asked. "Of course, Love," he replied. "Don't you?"

"You've got to take part, too," Hop encouraged Gloria. "A proper rival is just the thing every Trainer needs to keep growing stronger, after all. Keeps you motivated, right?"

"I never said I dinnae wanna be in it!" Gloria argued. "If there's any opportunity to give any would-be rivals a right floggin', I'll take it!" Hop chuckled. "That's our Gloria!" He then pointed to a large building behind him all the way down to the end of the road.

"The professor's house is way down at the end of Route 2," Hop told them, "so let's head there... and give our teams the chance to train up a bit along the way!"

As Hop ran down over to Route 2, Victor and Gloria went to catch up with him. "Over here!" He called. "All right, it's time we filled in our teams a bit—"

Just then, Leon came rushing behind them. "And I'm here to help you with that," the Champion announced. "You'll need to catch Pokémon if you've got any hope of filling in that Pokédex." He was carrying a rather large sack with him for some reason.

Hop was rather taken aback by his brother's sudden appearance. "Lee?! Where'd you come from?" Victor had an idea of where he was before, though. "Did you get lost on the way back from the professor's house?"

"So what if I did?" Leon asked. "I'm here now, aren't I?" He then pulled into the sack he was carrying and gave the three rookies 20 Poké Balls each. "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?"

The trio then looked behind themselves to see that the route was teeming with wild Pokémon, be it on the ground or in the grass. They were rather eager to try and "catch 'em all," as Leon saw their bright-eyed faces and smiled at their enthusiasm.

"And of course, they get stronger after every battle," the Champion elaborated "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?"

"Yes, sir!" Victor said cheerfully. Leon then left, heading back to the professor's house. Hop was even more excited than before now that he had a surplus of Poké Balls. "All right! I'm gonna catch loads of Pokémon," he shouted. "The professor will be shocked when she sees!"

Victor and Gloria decided to make haste as well and start catching Pokémon. "Let's get to it, Love," the young lad encouraged. And as soon as they rushed into the depths of the route, Gloria had encountered a small foxlike Pokémon.

"Who's that Pokémon?" she said with curiosity. She then brought out her Rotom Phone and activated her Pokédex app, which gave info on the Pokémon in front of her.

"Nickit," the phone said in a robotic voice, "the Fox Pokémon. Cunning and cautious, this Pokémon survives by stealing food from others. It erases its tracks with swipes of its tail as it makes off with its plunder."

Gloria grinned at the sight of the wild Nickit. "Wily one, huh?" She chuckled. "You're nae gonna trick us so easily! Go, Sobble! Whoop its arse!"

After throwing Sobble's Poké Ball, the blue reptile jumped out, ready to take on its opponent. "Sob-obble," it said in eagerness. "You're mine now, laddie," Gloria said with a smirk.

The little fox then prepared to defend itself with a cry of "Nickit Nick…!" Gloria then ordered her Sobble to fire a Water Gun attack at the Nickit. "Sob-obb-obb-obble!" It sprayed high-pressure water out of its eyes, which Nickit dodged with ease. This Pokémon was mad fast.

"Shite," Gloria shouted. "Close in on it, Sobble! Try and back it into one of the ledges around here!" Sobble did as it was told, and chased after the Nickit, who ran and ran and ran, until it crashed into one of the route's small ledges. Gloria and Sobble had it cornered, and Nickit realized it had to fight.

The small fox charged into Gloria's Sobble with a Quick Attack, sending the reptile back quite a bit. "Dinnae let it push you around, lad," Gloria shouted. "Hit it back with a Pound attack!" Sobble followed her orders and smacked Nickit hard with its little blue hand.

While Nickit was trying to look for an opening to run from the duo, Sobble tried its hardest to stay in striking range. Trading Pounds and Quick Attacks, Nickit was soon down for the count. "Nick... it…" the fox cub muttered, almost ready to pass out.

Gloria readied a Poké Ball to catch it. "Poké Ball, go!" she shouted, tossing the ball at the Nickit. It then pulled Nickit inside of it, with signs of an internal struggle at first.

The Trainer and her Pokémon looked at the shaking capsule with a mix of eagerness and anxiety. A few seconds later… It powered down, giving off a small clicking noise. Nickit was caught. Gloria was excited to have caught her first Pokémon in the wild! "FUCK YEAH!" she yelled. "I CAUGHT MESELF A NICKIT!" Sobble was happy for its trainer, too. "Sob-obble!" it cheered.

Wanting to see if Victor was impressed/jealous, Gloria turned around. "Did ya see that, Sassenach?" She asked eagerly. However, Victor was already preoccupied with his own wild Pokémon battle; he was facing a Yamper, much to Gloria's surprise. "Holy shite! You've already encountered a Yamper?!"

Victor was a little worried he might not be able to catch it, though. "Here goes nothing," he said. "Scorbunny, use Tackle!" His lagomorphic partner happily complied and charged in to ram its shoulder against the bright-eyed dog.

"Bow-ow-ow," the Yamper cried after being Tackled. It retaliated by sinking its jaws into Scorbunny's arm, who yelped in pain, struggling to shake Yamper off. "Oh, bother!" Victor was taken aback at the wild Yamper's aggressiveness.

Gloria, however, couldn't help but chuckle. "Hahaha, uh-oh, Sassenach," she said smugly. "Looks like that Yamper's hungerin' for a good slice of rabbit pie!"

Victor stared daggers at Gloria for her remark. "Bugger off, Love!" he chided. "Scorbunny! Ember!" As commanded, Scorbunny spat out a small flame to stop the Yamper. Yamper let go of Scorbunny's arm and started rolling on the ground to put out the little flame on its fur.

"It's distracted now," Victor realized. "Scorbunny, Quick Attack! Keep the pressure on it!" Scorbunny kept charging into Yamper in order to make sure it couldn't counterattack again. They seemed to be doing well, until Yamper countered Scorbunny's Quick Attacks with a Tackle.

The timing of Yamper's counter-Tackle used the speed of Scorbunny's Quick Attack against the little rabbit, dealing more damage than normally. "A counter-Tackle?!" Victor said in shock. Said shock would only be increased in a literal manner (For Scorbunny, at least) as Yamper launched into its opponent with electricity running across its body.

"WOOF WOOF!" The Yamper yelled. As soon as it made contact with Scorbunny, high-voltage electricity coursed through the little lagomorph, damaging its muscles. "Scor…" it groaned, small electrical sparks coming off of it. "Oh no," Victor said in worry. "I think he's paralyzed. Maybe he can't attack."

Choosing to risk the drop in speed, Victor ordered Scorbunny to launch another Ember at Yamper, now focusing on long-range attacks to ward the Yamper off. Scorbunny spat another Ember but cried in pain as even doing that caused its paralyzed body to ache.

After being hit with another Ember attack, Yamper whimpered as it lied down on the ground, now incapacitated enough to be caught. Victor threw a Poké Ball and crossed his fingers in hope. Scorbunny didn't want its efforts to go to waste, too.

Luckily for them, the Ball powered down and clicked, signifying that Yamper was indeed caught. Victor gasped in surprised then jumped up in cheer. "Yes! I caught a Yamper!" Scorbunny was happy for its Trainer. "Scorbunny-bunny-scor!"

Gloria was glad to see her friend in good spirits. "Nice work," she said. "Though I gotta say, I never seen a Yamper charge that much electricity in its body." The two of them were indeed surprised at that sight.

"Hmmm," Victor deliberated, "maybe this Yamper can store more electricity than most?" Gloria was a little irked at that. "Well, ain't you just right fuckin' jammy? Gettin' a high-voltage Yamper on your first day as a Trainer…"

While Victor wanted to respond to that, they were suddenly interrupted by a high-pitched voice groaning in defeat. "Crikey! You're rather strong, mister!" Victor and Gloria walked over to where the voice was to see that Hop had defeated a local Trainer walking along the Route. "Oh," Hop said as he saw his friends catch up with him. "You're a bit late! I just took down this Youngster in no time at all!"

"If no time was had, how could we be late?" Victor replied. Hop chuckled at his friend's literal-minded response. "You got me there, mate. But honestly, that kid was no challenge; his only Pokémon was a little Skwovet! A right breeze, it was!"

The Youngster was offended at that remark. "Hey! My Skwovet and I worked really hard to get ready to start battling! You're rude, mister!" Victor nodded in agreement. "You're being awfully cocky, mate. Ease up, he's only a wee kid."

"Come now, Victor," Hop argued. "everyone should know that if you wanna be a Pokémon Trainer, you can't afford to hold back. If you lose, it's on you, even if you're just a child." And that left the Youngster rather shirty.

"'Just a child?!'" he cried. "That's it! SIS!" The boy yelled down the Route, and in mere seconds, a young blonde girl around the same age as Victor, Gloria and Hop walked over. Her uniform implied that she was a student at a very well-to-do school.

"Oh cripes," Gloria thought. "It's one of those posh-arse snobby rich girls." The Lass looked over at who was apparently her little brother and asked "What's wrong, Jakey? Is that lot picking on you?" as she pointed to the three Trainers in front of her.

"The one in the blue coat," Jake confirmed. "He called me and my Skwovet weak." Hop was taken aback at what Jake said about him. "I-I didn't say that," he clarified. "I just said they weren't a challenge, is all!"

The Lass put her hands on her hips and tilted her head to the side with an annoyed expression on her face. "Where do you get off pushing around little kids like that out in the open?" She glared at Hop looking like she wanted to take him on herself.

However, Gloria stepped in to stand up for Hop. "Oi, it was just a Pokémon battle!" she pointed out. "Donnae get your knickers in a bunch over something like that!"

Upon hearing Gloria's unabashedly crude way of talking, the Lass took exception. "I say, you've got quite an incredibly rude way with words! Blimey, no wonder your friend likes bullying children!"

"OI!" Gloria barked. "It's one thing to call me rude, but dinnae call me friend as a bully!" She then readied a Poké Ball for a battle. "Either you and your brother sod off, or I'll leave your arse so clapped, your own folks wonnae reconnize you!"

But the schoolgirl wasn't having any of it. "Hmph, foul-mouthed urchins like you aren't worth my time," she said, turning her nose up in the air. "You're goin' the right way for a smacked bottom," Gloria growled through gritted teeth.

Then, Victor decided to defend Gloria like she did for Hop. "Perhaps I can take you on in her stead," he suggested. His eyes were locked on to the Lass like a sniper locking on to a target. "You do have Pokémon, don't you?" he asked.

"You really wanna battle?" The Lass questioned. "Fine! I'll show you why vagabond blokes shouldn't mess around with Lauren and Jake!" Bringing out a Poké Ball, she brought her partner Pokémon out for a fight. "Go, Chewtle!" Out came a small blue-green turtle-like Pokémon.

The three Trainers were interested at seeing Lauren's Pokémon. Victor used his Rotom Phone's Pokédex app to identify it. "Chewtle, the Snapping Pokémon," the Phone said. "Apparently the itch of its teething impels it to snap its jaws at anything in front of it."

The Trainers looked at the little turtle with curious eyes. "Ba-Chomp Ba Chewy Chomp Ba Chewy Chomp," Lauren's Chewtle cried. "Well?" Lauren asked. "Are you gonna bring out a Pokémon or what?"

"So," Victor wondered, "it's a biter, innit? Looks like a Water-type, too." He knew just who to bring out against this new adversary. Throwing a Poké Ball, Victor gave an ever-famous declaration. "I choose you, Yamper!"

Having ample time to recuperate in its Poké Ball, and newfound respect for the one who managed to capture it, Yamper popped out and gave a bark of excitement. "Bow wow wow wark," it yelped. Victor smirked at Lauren.

Lauren gulped at seeing her opponent's type advantage. "Typing isn't everything," she muttered under her breath. "Chewtle, use Water Gun!" The tiny turtle spat high-pressure water out of its mouth to attack. Connecting head-on with Victor's Yamper, the little puppy yelped in pain.

Victor decided to counterattack. "Yamper, use Thunder Shock!" Unfortunately, Yamper just stared at its Trainer in confusion, who was just as confused. "Uh, Yamper?" Victor inquired. "Something the matter, lad?"

"Yamper doesn't know Thunder Shock," Hop corrected. "That's not part of its moveset! Try Nuzzle!" Upon realizing his mistake, Victor got to work on a proper counterattack this time. "Yamper, use Nuzzle!"

The determined dog charged into Lauren's Chewtle with electricity surging through its body, dealing super effective damage to the Water-type Pokémon. Chewtle was knocked back onto its shell, whimpering. "Ba Chewy Chomp," it muttered.

"Keep up the attack," Victor ordered, and Yamper delivered a Tackle attack to its incapacitated opponent. However, the Chewtle managed to roll away from Yamper. While the puppy tried to land another Nuzzle onto the Chewtle, Lauren's partner just kept dodging. For a turtle, it was surprisingly nimble.

Victor was actually kind of impressed at how well Lauren seemed to have raised her Pokémon. "What a capable little chap," he said in surprise. "You must've really trained it well." Lauren was startled at seeing her opponent compliment her and started to blush.

"F-flattery won't get you anywhere!" Lauren snapped. "Enough playing around, Chewtle! Time to get serious!" Chewtle took that command as a prompt to retaliate with a Bite to Yamper's ear. "Uh-oh," Victor said worriedly.

There was a moment of silence across the Route which lasted a few seconds until it was broken by the sound of Yamper barking in agony. "BOWOWOWOWOWOW!" It started running across the Route to shake Chewtle off, as the Trainers could only stand back and watch in a hard mix of surprise, fear, and slight amusement.

"YAMPER!" Victor screamed in fright. "Shake it off lad, shake it off!" Lauren and Jake laughed at seeing their enemy reduced to such a mess like this. "Not so cocky anymore, are you?" Lauren gloated. Victor growled at how Lauren was having a laugh at him.

Hop facepalmed at seeing his friend so helpless. "This is a bangin' start to your life as a Trainer," he said sarcastically. "I'm tryin' mate," Victor said defensively, "I'm tryin'!" Gloria however, was nowhere to be seen. Where did she go?

Then, after several minutes of running, Yamper decided to somersault, slamming Chewtle onto the ground shell-first. The impact was hard enough for Chewtle to let go of Yamper's ear and deal even more damage. "Ba Chomp," it moaned.

Victor sighed in relief and saw that his Yamper was still in much better condition than Lauren's Chewtle. The Lass was beset with anxiety seeing her partner on the verge of defeat. "It's not over until it's over," she said trying to muster up resolve. "Chewtle, use Bite again!" The Chewtle charged with as much energy as it could to attack.

Victor and Yamper did not want to repeat that little runabout again, and in a split-second decision, Victor ordered Yamper to Tackle Chewtle similar to how it Tackled Scorbunny; using the speed of its enemy's charge against them. The counter-Tackle.

Once Yamper's counter-Tackle connected, the increased damage knocked Chewtle out cold. Upon seeing her partner soundly defeated, Lauren dropped to the ground on her knees in shame. "Cor blimey," she whimpered.

"We did it, Yamper!" Victor cheered. "SMASHING!" The little dog yelped in joy at winning its first battle. Hop was impressed too. "I take it back mate," he said. "you're on your way to become a rival worthy of me faster than I thought!"

Jake however, was super disappointed for her sister. "Big sis…" Deciding to keep things civilized, Victor decided to try and reassure Lauren of her skill as a Trainer. "Cheer up," he said, "you and your Pokémon put up a good fight."

Lauren sort of expected Victor to rub his win in her face and was surprised that he was being sporting about it. "Did we really?" she asked. "Of course," Victor insisted. "I can tell that you raised your Chewtle with care. You and your partner have the potential to grow even stronger." He reached his hand out to help Lauren up, who took it.

As Lauren got back to her feet, she elaborated on her intentions as a Trainer. "I wanted the two of us to be the best team we could be. Cute and strong, together in combination. But…" She turned up her nose again, this time in embarrassment rather than arrogance. "Are we cute and nothing more? It looks like our strength still has a ways to go..."

"Everyone starts out weak," Victor said. "You can't let something like one defeat bring you down. It's only through acknowledging your limits than that you can grow stronger as a Trainer, a Pokémon, or just in general."

Lauren took a second to let his words sink in and nodded. "You're right," she admitted. "The willingness to lose is what'll help us win. Isn't that right, Jake?" Jake looked at his sister is hopeful eyes. "…Yeah! We'll get stronger for sure!"

The Lass then reached her hand out to Victor. "Good battle and good day to you, sir," she said calmly. Victor took her hand and shook it. Gloria, however, just came back and was pissed that she missed Victor's fight. "Aw shite, it's over already?!"

"Gloria!" Victor said. Walking over to her, he wondered where she went. "You didn't watch my battle?! Where were you?!" Feeling a little embarrassed, Gloria tried to explain herself. "I thought I could stand to catch some more Pokémon, so while you were battlin' her, I went out of me way to catch this little fella!"

Whipping out a Poké Ball, Gloria revealed that she had caught a Hoothoot. "Hoothoot, Hoothoot," the small bird-like Pokémon… hooted. Flying around for a bit, Hoothoot perched itself onto Gloria, who raised her arm to let Hoothoot land.

Bringing out his Rotom Phone's Pokédex, Victor analyzed Gloria's new teammate. "Hoothoot, the Owl Pokémon. It always stands on one foot. It changes feet so fast, the movement can rarely be seen."

"Catch more Pokémon, eh?" Lauren pondered. "That's a good idea, actually." Walking off, she told Jake to come with her. "Come along Jake, we need to build up some teams." Jake gladly went with her. "You got it, sis!"

Gloria was still a little ashamed that she mitched on Victor's fight. "Sorry Sassenach," she grumbled. "Wish I could've seen you take down that smarmy cunt." But Victor was ever-understanding. "Don't worry love, you got yourself a new Pokémon. That's always helpful." Gloria blushed once again at Victor's incessant kindness. "F-fuckin' hell, mate…! Must you always be so nice…?!"

"OI!" Hop yelled. "The Professor's house is right over there! Let's get a move on already!" Victor gasped. "Dreadfully sorry, old bean! We'll be there! Let's go, Gloria!" And so, they walked on over to the entrance of Professor Magnolia's residence.

TO BE CONTINUED…