Highlights

• Sonia, a fan-favorite character in Pokemon Sword & Shield, is a fantastic character and essentially Galar's resident Pokemon Professor.
• If we created her own Pokemon team, it would include options based on game lore and Sonia's confirmed interests.
• Even though Sonia wouldn't be too involved in competitive battling, we did include a few heavy hitters for more intense battles.

Sonia is one of the more active recurring characters of Pokemon Sword & Shield, and is always a pleasant face to see. You meet her throughout the story studying the history of Galar, and over the course of the game she goes on to become Professor Magnolia’s successor as Galar’s newest Pokemon Professor.

Unlike most recurring characters, though, Sonia lacks her own team of Pokemon to battle against and alongside you. As someone who studies Pokemon herself, it only makes sense that she has her own, so here are the Pokemon that would suit her best if she were to try battling in a future game or update.

Updated April 4, 2024 by Jon Eakin: It's easy as new mainline entries in the Pokemon series come out to move past the characters we grew to love in older games, but Sonia remains one of the most interesting examples of the Pokemon Professor character the series has seen. We decided she deserved a little more attention, so we spruced up this article and added a new possible Pokemon partner for her.

7 Rookidee

The Tiny Bird Pokemon

During a flashback in the anime, Sonia is actually seen battling alongside a Rookidee partner against Leon and his Charmander, which would later evolve into his almost unstoppable Charizard. What's really worth noting is that Sonia won that battle, showing she definitely had potential as a competitive Trainer.

What happened with this Rookidee isn't explained, but an evolved Corviknight would certainly be a great addition to her team and help her navigate the Galar region for her work and research as a Pokemon Professor.

6 Yamper

The Puppy Pokemon

The one known Pokemon she owns and has affection for is Yamper, the adorable electric corgi that’s native to Galar. It doesn’t take part in battles and appears mostly as a friendly companion, but with the Yamper stickers in her bedroom and the adorable Yamper mug when she takes over Magnolia’s laboratory it’s impossible to imagine this puppy not being by her side.

Whether it would evolve into Boltund is a bigger question, but Sonia isn’t a competitive battler so having a fully-evolved team is hardly necessary for her. It embodies her youth and enthusiasm as a new professional in her field, and being able to electrify opponents with an adorable Nuzzle is worth Yamper's weaker stats.

If you're a fan of the Pokemon manga you'll already know this, but that version of Sonia's Yamper actually does evolve into a Boltund. This Electric type still isn't really used for battling, but it does make her theoretical team a little stronger.

5 Roselia

The Thorn Pokemon

Living on Route 2 by Wedgehurst, Sonia is greatly suited to having flowers and nature near her at all times. Her hometown and laboratory are full of wildflowers and decorative plants, so having one in her Pokemon team is a vital nod to her home. But since there aren’t many Grass-types on this route she'd likely take her pick from anywhere throughout Galar.

There are tons of great possible candidates for this role in her team, but Roselia might be the most fitting by being tasteful and caring like Sonia herself. It isn’t as intimidating as its masked evolution Roserade, and not as youthfully incapable as its earlier form Budew, and is thus perfect for representing the growth and capability that Sonia has as she takes her new job.

4 Rotom

The Plasma Pokemon

One of the key responsibilities of a Pokemon Professor is to help new trainers start their journey, which usually involves giving two gifts to the kids of the Pokemon world. The first is their choice of starter Pokemon, but the latter is the Pokedex that lets them learn about the world they’re exploring.

Since Pokemon Sun & Moon, this has also meant providing a Rotom inside their digital encyclopedia, to lend a little more personality and automation to this relatively bland piece of hardware. As a trainer, it only makes sense that Sonia can use a Rotom herself in battle since they make for an incredibly fast and strong Electric-type. It doesn’t inherently fit Sonia’s personality, but it definitely fits her job.

3 Stonjourner

The Big Rock Pokemon

The key aspect of Sonia’s identity is based on her interest in the history of Galar. While Professor Magnolia is more known for her research with Dynamax Pokémon, Sonia spends the game pursuing the cover legendaries Zacian and Zamazenta and learning the truth about Galar’s myths and ancient history.

Having a Pokemon that represents that past is vital, and Stonjourner is perhaps the best fit from Galar’s Pokedex. It’s an extremely mysterious Pokemon that gathers in groups to watch the sun, making for a beautiful Rock-type species that Sonia would surely find fascinating enough to capture for herself.

2 Elgyem

The Cerebral Pokemon

Mysteries shouldn't have to be specific to Galar for Sonia to consider them fascinating. Elgyem has its own uncertain history with some Pokedex entries saying people confuse them for aliens, but others claim the species first arrived in the Pokemon world during a UFO crash several decades ago. Its lore is extremely conflicted and is in desperate need of a Pokemon Professor to unravel.

As Sonia moves on from learning the truth of Galar’s history, it seems fitting that she’d want to grow to discover more truths about the historical origins of mysterious Pokemon. With someone as excitable and adventurous as her, trying to learn how this species spread around the Pokemon world is a reasonable next step, and could eventually lead her down the deep rabbit hole of other Pokemon that come from the stars.

1 Butterfree

The Butterfly Pokemon

Sonia’s Pokemon mostly fit her personality and interests, but that isn’t to say she can’t just appreciate or admire Pokemon regardless of her personality and research interests. Going to her bedroom in Professor Magnolia’s house will showcase much of her private life, including a wall of research which features a beautiful sketch of a Butterfree alongside her notes.

It would make sense that the larger picture of Butterfree indicates her love for this classic Bug-type from Pokemon Red & Blue. Since she lacks a Gigantamax Pokemon so far compared to most other trainers of the region, this would make a perfect and powerful finisher for her team in more intense fights.

Alongside that Butterfree sketch is a smaller one of a Zubat, which wasn't available for capture when Pokemon Sword & Shield first released. It was added in as part of The Crown Tundra DLC, giving the Mt Moon veterans among you flashbacks.