Tales of Galar: A rewritten Sword/Shield Story

Chapter 7: Poké-gift!

(Fun fact: I almost put sweetHARDT. I played too much Overwatch)

"Don't forget to tell your mum we're off to Wedgehurst now," Hop reminded Lumi as they entered Postwick, "She'll go spare if you leave without a word, even worse than Lee just did!"
"I won't!" Lumi smiled, "Go meet up with Leon, I'll be there in a bit!"
As Hop ran off, Lumi walked into her home. Trevor was off hiding somewhere (probably his room), while Abigail was waiting in the kitchen. Scorch ran into the kitchen, making scorbunny noises.
"Well now," Abigail patted the scorbunny's head, "Scorch is just a sweetheart! And yes, I head the news from young Leon. I'm glad someone bothered to tell me! Off to Wedgehurst, aren't you?"
"Yup!" Lumi smiled, "If we don't bump into anymore troublesome wooloo, we can finally get our Pokédex and start our journey!"
"Well..." Abigail handed Lumi some 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 pokéballs or...something!"
"I will Mum!" Lumi grinned, "I'll be home if something goes wrong!"
"Remember," Abigail spoke softly, "Scorch will battle to the very end for you...so don't you get reckless and push the poor baby too hard. The last thing I wanna do is have a repeat of when my pet purrloin died."
Scorch made a cute squeak to break any possible tension, making the mother and daughter both giggle.
"And you look after my little girl, Scorch," Abigail laughed, "Never be afraid to hit below the belt!"
"Mom, that doesn't always work," Lumi giggled, picking up Scorch in her arms "And that's also just dirty fighting! But I'll be home whenever I can!"
"After all..." Abigail smiled, "East or west, home is best to rest!"
"Let's leave before she starts rhyming out of control," Lumi whispered to her scorbunny as she walked out of the house.

After heading into the tall grass due to a wooloo blockade (which led to Lumi screaming into he scally cap again) and a rookidee attacking her hair (and making her swear in Japanese), Lumi made her way to the Research Lab, where Hop was waiting.
"Here we go!" Hop grinned, "This is quite the big step, you know. My first step toward becoming the next champion!"
"Well done!" Leon smiled, "You reached your 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."
"Oh so everyone was right?" Lumi giggled.
"I told you mate," Hop chuckled.
"See how your world has already grown, all thanks to having Pokémon with you?" Leon asked, "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!"

"I've got to give it to Professor Magnolia," Leon said as he walked in, "Everything in here looks fascinating..."
"Who's Professor Magnolia?" Lumi asked.
Before Leon could answer, barking quickly caught their attention. An animal resembling a chubby corgi ran towards them, a big smile on its face. Leon knelt to it's level, a smile on his face. Lumi meanwhile died of laughter.
"What even is that Pokémon?!" Lumi said between laughs, "Oh Arceus I can't..."
"What is it today, Leon?" A voice asked, "Looking for info on another never-before-seen, super-strong Pokémon? I wish you'd stop with these outlandish requests."
Lumi looked up to see a girl in a green sweater and brown jacket watch the two from the indoor balcony (idk what it's called, ok?) and climb down the steps to them.
"Who is she?" the trainer asked.
"Good to see you too, Yamper," Leon patted the Pokémon's head, "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."
"Uh..." Lumi scratched the back of her head, "That's cute and all, but it really doesn't answer my question."
"Oh yeah," the champion grinned, "and that's his trainer, Sonia. What can I say about Sonia? Well...I like the way she cooks. She makes food you can gobble down in a flash!"
"What kind of an introduction is that?" Sonia seemed annoyed, "Did you forget we were rivals during our Gym Challenge? It wasn't just Yamper helping you out. I did, too!"
"I kinda got the impression she was your ex," Lumi whispered to Leon.
"Lumi!" the champion glared at her, "Really?! Why would just say that?"
"Anyways," the woman pretended she couldn't hear their little squabble and offered Lumi a handshake, "Nice to meet you! Name's Sonia. I'm the professor's assistant."
"I'm Lumi," Lumi took the handshake, "Lumity Dreamfield Clover. Or just Luminous or Luminate."
"She's a new trainer," Leon added, then proceeded to follow Yamper outside, "Set her on the right path, would you?"
"What does he think I am?" Sonia sighed, "He's always got his head in the clouds. It's no wonder he gets lost all the time."
"Uh...did you two date?" Lumi asked, "Out of curiosity?"
"What? No!" Sonia blushed, "We we're close, but we never dated! Though we kissed once...I never forgot that, we did it so we wouldn't regret our first kiss......oh, I think about it sometimes."
Lumi's phone decided to orbit its owner's head, startling her scorbunny head accessory.
"Oh, looks like you've got a Rotom phone," Sonia said, "Hey there, Rotom!"
"He's...very mischievous," Lumi sighed, "I'm just glad Mum is smart enough to know when it's trying to prank her."
"Rotom phones are still handy little things, aren't they?" Sonia asked, then started explaining,"They've got a map and a navigation tool. That said, Leon still gets lost, so...oh, sorry. So tell me, do you know a lot about Pokémon?"
"Some things," Lumi answered, "I know they're caught with pokéballs, and I already read about the ones on Route 1."
"In that case," Sonia smiled, "I'll make it so that you can use the Pokédex on your Rotom Phone!"
"Oh really?" Lumi grinned, handing over the phone, "Thanks Sonia!"
"Lemme just...there we go!" Sonia gave the phone back to Lumi, "Just so you know, that Pokédex is a gift from my gran! Could you let Gran know that you received the Pokédex? She lives in the house down along Route 2."
"Yes ma'am!" Lumi ran out of the lab, as Sonia watched on with a smile on her face. That girl was something else.