Sword & Shield: The Truth of Dynamax

Chapter 3: A Single Spark

"Your Pikachu seems really friendly, Ash."

"Pikachu loves makin' new Pokémon friends, 'specially other electric types. He's the type that gets along with everyone. It's pretty amazing, honestly."

"I can tell. Helps that he's adorable, too. I'm sure the girls love him."

"You have no idea. When I met Gloria earlier, she wouldn't let him go." Ash grinned. "And besides that, he's super strong, too. He's beaten a few legendary Pokémon in our time together."

"No way! This cute little guy?" Sonia's eyes widened, surprised. She then smiled knowingly. "Well, that's good. You're gonna need that kind of power if you're competing in the Major League."

Ash grinned confidently. "Sounds like a regular Tuesday for us."

Sonia giggled. "Never seen a Gym Challenger with your confidence. Just don't let yourself get conceited."

"Believe me, I know." Ash scratched his cheek. "I had a real problem with that when I was younger. Always got knocked down a peg or two when my head got too big."

"I bet you must've been a pretty reckless kid." Sonia gave him a sweet smile.

"You're good." Ash chuckled. "Gotta admit, I'm a lil' jealous of you collected types. Keepin' my head on straight really doesn't come to me as easy as I want it to. Even now, I've still got a pretty bad habit of gettin' carried away from time to time."

"Well, that's why you have your friends, right? To keep you from going too far." Sonia suggested, wearing a knowing smile.

Ash winked, wearing a small smile. "I'll be countin' on ya, Miss Sonia."

Sonia stared at him for a second, puzzled. She quickly realized his implication, and let out a small laugh before she even finished processing it. She put a gentle hand on his shoulder, grinning at him. "You know, Ash, I think we'll get along just fine."

"Lookin' forward to it."

The group had exited Wedgehurst, and was walking along Route 2. Ash and Sonia led the group, chatting with each other, with Pikachu and Yamper at their feet. Sonia had spent the first chunk of their walk instructing Ash on how to use his phone's GPS and other essential features. If one had listened closely, they might've heard a whisper, 'dang... science is so amazing.'

Gloria, Hop, and Leon tagged close behind, with Hop holding onto the Champion to keep him from getting lost. Hop and Gloria were preoccupied looking at their phones, while Leon was looking all around, fascinated by... not really much of anything other than the forest and fields they were all passing by. He was probably one wrong step away from getting totally lost.

Pikachu scampered up to Sonia's shoulder, perching himself there. Sonia couldn't help but smile and laugh as Ash's partner nuzzled her cheek affectionately. She pet the mouse Pokémon's head. "Aww! Aren't you just the sweetest?"

"That's enough about me though, what about you?" Ash gave her a friendly smile. "How's the research gig?"

"It's interesting! It keeps me busy, and grandma is always tackling different subjects and ideas, so I get to learn about and study a variety of topics." Sonia replied. Her smile seemed to have a hint of sadness in it. "I really do enjoy being grandma's assistant, and there's a lot she can't do anymore now that she's older, but..."

"I'm guessin' you're not totally satisfied staying that way, right?" Ash gave her a knowing smile.

Sonia nodded, a bit embarrassed. "It's tough being a Magnolia. I'd really like to establish myself as an independent researcher and stand on my own two feet, but I just don't know how I'm ever going to be able to step out of grandma's shadow. She's the leading authority on, like, everything, in the region, and I just don't know what I can do right now."