Bare toes curled into soft grass as Nasrin slid under the broad-leafed underbrush, dark eyes scanning the trees as she stepped around the clusters of precious stones and geodes littering her path.
Paws silent on the exposed dirt, Pongo loped ahead, ears perked forward and nose twitching as Snow circled around to check their rear, tails swaying.
Water crashed against stone in the background, like white noise, and Nasrin adjusted her path just so when Ariel tugged on an errant pink curl.
Meeko shifted in the confines of her shirt, ears peeking out the collar and twitching, and she knew.
They're close.
Leaves rustled without a breeze, and Nasrin rolled sideways to avoid a spiked fist the size of a boulder, the high-pitched cry that followed mad with rage.
"Rock Wind!"
Pongo twisted his rear legs around, tossing up some heavy chunks of rock as Snow called a frigid gust, and the multi-armed, two-headed Gem Monster bellowed from a plethora of mouths as the combined attack knocked it back a few steps.
Gem glowing, Nasrin pulled out a shield as she closed the distance, Ariel leaping free with Meeko in hand.
There was a heavy BOOM, trees splintering as the Monster was tossed off it's feet by the force, and they closed in.
"Bubble Wave! Sand Shard!"
With a grunt of pain, Meeko released a surge of electricity into Ariel's bubbles as Pongo kicked up a spray of grit to mix with Snow's ice, and their opponent screeched as their muscles locked involuntarily, twitching wildly under the assault.
"Pongo!"
The Protect came up moments before Nasrin crashed down on the Gem Monster shield-first and was lost in the burst of smoke caused by a Gem's form failing.
One heartbeat, two, and she rose from the fading fog with a jagged, flawed Gem bubbled in her hands, ponytail mussed and spilling loose ringlets around slumped shoulders.
Ariel whistled a victory-song as Pongo howled in triumph, bouncing around excitedly, Snow rolling her eyes and pulling Meeko close to groom the Pichu's twitching ears.
Nasrin could not help smiling.
Mission accomplished.
Garnet was the one to agree that Nasrin was ready to start hunting down corrupted Gems, despite Pearl's instinctive, flailing panic.
"She's too young! Even Steven was fourteen when he started!"
"Steven did not face Voldemort. She's ready."
Hopping over a moss-covered fissure, Nasrin grabbed an arch studded with precious stones one-handed and swung to solid ground, Meeko a warm weight over her heart as Ariel swayed easily with the motion from one shoulder.
Studying the bubbled Gem floating in her hands, the pink-haired girl ran a finger around the strange, jagged veins that warped the two-pronged surface like burn scars.
Corruption is not a crack in the Gem, but a tear in the mind.
Shaking the thought away, Nasrin looked back at the Watermelon Village with a smile, Pongo walking backwards to bark a goodbye to the Watermelon People and their assortment of Lileep, Cardily, Anorith and Armaldo.
Apparently, there had been a time when the living watermelons had been decidedly unfriendly to anyone or anything besides the Rose Quartz Gem, but that was hard to believe now.
With Snow and Pongo trotting on her heels, the half-Gem stepped up onto the warp pad, taking a deep breath.
Home.
The circular slab of crystal lit up, and they were gone in a bell-like WHOOSH, flying through the blue light of the warp-stream until the Crystal Temple rematerialized around them.
"You're back!" Pearl gushed, rushing over from where she was refolding laundry to yank Nasrin into a hug. "I'm so glad!"
"Great job playing it cool." Amethyst drawled from the couch, tossing a cheese-puff so Tauros could catch it in his mouth.
Krookodile rolled his eyes, shoving up his Black Glasses with one claw, and Garnet gently peeled Pearl off with one hand, unfazed.
"Ready?"
Nasrin grinned, her Gem glowing with warmth, as Ariel trilled in excitement.
"Ready!"
A smile turned the corner of Garnet's mouth, and Xatu spread a long-feathered wing to gather Snow and Pongo close, gaze unfocused in the middle-distance.
"Hold on."
Nasrin figured that long-distance teleportation was like how Dorothy must have felt trapped in that hurricane to Oz, disoriented and a touch nauseous from the rapid spinning.
Only years of experience with the warp pad kept her from being sick or falling over once they landed, and Snow shook out her fur as Pongo stumbled into their trainer's ankle, dizzy.
Steadying him, Nasrin followed in Garnet's footsteps through the neat little forest they had arrived in, the short grass smelling of flowers and the widely-spaced trees like honey, watching a Caterpie slowly crawl across the underside of a branch.
Fred and George's original birthday song was interrupted by an ecstatic howl, and Harry twisted around as Eevee burst from his Ball to tackle a charging Pongo right off his paws, already nipping at each other as they rolled across the path.
"Harry!"
A smile lit up his face as Nasrin sprinted over, cheeks flush with excitement and Gem glowing under the tight hem of her 'Power Up My Puff' crop top.
Another flash of light, and Togepi squealed in delight as she toddled over, Meeko wiggling out of his comfortable spot in Nasrin's shirt to drop down and hug his best friend, Snow watching in amusement as they chattered away.
Not to be left out, Ludwig soon followed, and the icy Vulpix murmured a hello as he settled on her back, ears twitching back as he began to relay everything that had happened since they last saw each other.
"Happy birthday!" The half-Gem chirped, bouncing up to press a kiss to his cheek before pulling Ron into a one-armed hug. "Hi, Ron."
Garnet approached at a more measured pace, tipping her head in greeting to Remus, as Nasrin offered the Weasley Twins and their Raticate a smile.
"Hey, Fred. Hey, George."
"What, no hug?" Fred whined, pouting.
"I'm sensing favoritism here, brother."
"As do I, brother."
Ariel huffed a laugh at their teasing as Nasrin rolled her eyes, facing Remus and his Zorua with barely-repressed giggles.
"Hello, Remus. Hello, Moony. This is Garnet."
The Fusion nodded as the four boys leaned back to look up at her face, Krookodile snickering at their gob smacked expressions.
"Garnet, these are my friends Harry and Ron, and my teammates Fred and George, and Harry's guardian, Remus Lupin."
"Yo."
Harry nodded back, scooping up Meeko and Togepi as the Weasley Twins led their group past the old wooden sign that acted as Tor Town's boundary line.
"Your Raticate are pretty well-trained." Harry noted, watching as the Weasley Twin's Mouse Pokemon scurried about.
George nodded, clapping a hand on his younger brother's shoulder.
"Don't blame Ronny here for Scabbers. He just got the bad draw, that's all. I doubt even dad could get that one to behave."
"Harry was telling me about that." Remus noted, looking to Ron. "I would have thought your father would have given you a Rattata. That's what he started with, and his father before him."
"I was supposed to get a Rattata, but at the last minute, dad got a surprise order from Kalos for a dozen, so any that could have been mine got shipped off." He explained, letting out a gusty sigh. "He couldn't give me one of the breeding pairs of Raticate, so I got stuck with Scabbers."
"He doesn't breed?" Garnet voiced as the path curved, the faint calls of street vendors up ahead.
"Dad got him a couple years ago real cheap. He was one of the last Pokemon to be sold by the Ministry. Scabbers likes to just lie around and doesn't interact with any of the other couples." The youngest Weasley boy answered, patting the Raticate's Poke Ball. "It's okay, though. He can stay in there as long as he wants now that I have Cubchoo! And maybe this year, I'll catch an Emolga!"
"Must you copy us, little brother?" Fred wondered. "We're the ones with the Electric mice, not you. Why not a nice Spearow?"
"No way! Emolga is the coolest, and I'm so catching one this year! It has lightning attacks and can fly!"
Meeko chittered huffily, clearly of the opinion he was the coolest Electric-type, and Togepi pat his head with a giggle.
Tor Town looked as if it was straight out of a storybook, all weather-beaten wood and brick, with every shop proclaiming they had been open fifty, seventy, over a hundred years being run by the same family.
Even the shopkeepers and vendors wore old styles, vests and bowties and long dresses, to keep up the illusion even with the computer banks and modern Pokemon Center.
A Ponyta trotted by, pulling a wagon full of tourists, and Ariel leaned over Harry's shoulder to catch sight of a couple riding past on a tandem bicycle as Pongo led Eevee in a chase around an impassive Xatu.
"Tor Town wasn't always this busy." Remus commented, gesturing to the many businessmen and tourists going up and down the brick-lined street. "It lies right on the coast of Avalon, and the Guinevere River splits a mile north of here and circles the town. That lets trainers from the north and those coming from other regions on cruise ships to stop here instead of taking the more pricey trains in Galahad. In the old days, you'd get that traffic, but they mostly passed through. About sixty years ago, though, there was this fad that rolled through Avalon where adult trainers would go back through all the cities and towns they had traveled to get their Gym Badges. Now, it wasn't all that uncommon to go to Galahad City or Percival, but Tor Town didn't get a lot of repeat foot traffic, and when these adults came back and remembered the first city that started their journey…Suddenly an industry popped up."
"Tell that to some of the Gym Leaders, though!" Ron huffed. "They still look down on us and call us backwater! We have our own Gauntlet team, for Merlin's sake."
Snow turned her head in a glare, offended on his behalf, and Nasrin opened her mouth to demand names, a whole list of names to track down-
And then they were in front of the Tor Town Gym, stunning the words in her throat.
"Ain't she amazing?" Ron voiced, obviously proud.
The building was a teetering tower, a patchwork of discordant levels from each era that never sat quite on top of each other, sticking out every which way and reminding Nasrin of the unstable towers she had seen Squeakers make with blocks.
"Don't worry, it's completely safe." Remus assured them, low enough so the Weasley's would not hear as Garnet tilted her head back to take the whole Gym in quietly. "I had a panic attack the first moment I saw it. The Gym, thank Merlin, is in the basement, but Arthur invited us to the very top to meet the family."
"Not liking this birthday surprise anymore, Remus." Harry gulped, reaching out blindly for Nasrin's hand in support.
"The building looks like that because there's a hollow concrete support running right through the middle of it." Remus explained, laughing. "It's based on Sprout Tower over in Johto, and that thing has been standing for years."
Garnet nodded, agreeing with the point, but Ludwig still muttered uncertainly into Snow's fur as the front door slid open.
"Hello, Remus!" Arthur called as he bustled out to greet them, shaking hands with the Gym Evaluator. "I'm glad this isn't an official visit!"
"Have something I shouldn't see in there, Arthur?" Remus joked, the older man flushing red.
"Oh! Oh, no, no, no! I merely meant-"
"I'm just pulling your leg, Arthur, no need to worry."
Calming a touch, Arthur offered a hand to shake, smiling.
"Hello, Harry, Nasrin. Nice to see you again."
"Nice to see you too, Mister Weasley." Harry responded, accepting.
"I'm happy to see you again, Garnet. It's been a long time."
"So, it has." She acknowledged. "You haven't changed a bit."
Arthur beamed at that and gestured for the group to follow him into the Gym, a skip in his step.
"Come on, come on, no need to stand out there in this heat! Normally we get a nice stiff sea breeze coming out of the south, but today it's been just stifling."
The Weasley Twins chuckled, puffing out their cheeks in mimicry of the real problem, and Nasrin shook her head in amusement as they entered the sparse lobby.
Two ornate pillars flanked the doors, each topped with a carved Poke Ball, and a receptionist's desk sat directly across from them with a display board listing different times and floor numbers, where Molly was organizing papers.
Rows of chairs sat on either side, with LCD screens that were either off or glowing in red, green or blue over their occupant, which seemed to range from doctors in full scrubs to businessman to Pokemon costumers to regular trainers.
"Pst! Kid!"
Harry and Nasrin turned at the unexpected whisper, finding a dark-haired man leaning against one of the pillars.
"You want to be a champ? Of course, you do! I can let you know-"
"They're with us, Franky."
"Oh…Okay, Mister Weasley."
"An advisor." Remus explained at their nonplussed looks, chuckling. "Groupies, really. They like to hang around Gyms and help out trainers."
"Harry! Nasrin!" Molly voiced, waving them over enthusiastically. "Oh, it's so good to see you!"
She hurried around to drag both into a hug, careful of their baby Pokemon, and Remus wisely avoided a possible spine-cracking by ducking around and giving a one-armed embrace instead.
"Look at you, you've grown so much since last year." Molly gushed, pausing. "Still a bit on the skinny side."
"Mum, you think everyone's a bit on the skinny side." Fred reminded her, earning a look before Molly's attention turned to Nasrin.
"And you've been a godsend, looking after my boys."
"You're family, Missus Weasley." She assured, smiling warmly as Ariel trilled in agreement. "We look after each other."
The Weasley matriarch beamed, yanking the girl into her usual bone-crushing hug before remembering herself.
"So, I suppose you're wondering about this?" She asked them as Arthur headed for a nearby teleporter, flashing an ID card before he stepped on and was warped away. "You've probably heard that every Gym also serves a secondary function in the community. Well, you've obviously seen the unusual design of this Gym. We ourselves only use this floor, the basement, the top floor, and the breeding paddock out back. The other floors we rent out to companies, people looking to put on parties, the town council even uses the fourth floor to hold their monthly meetings!"
Molly smiled as she brought them around the desk, typing while Pongo and Eevee hopped up to see better.
"This here shows what's going on each day and on which floor. Now, since we had the lobby installed, Arthur had the brilliant idea to use it as part of his puzzle. You see those LCD screens? The black ones mean that whoever is sitting under them is here to use one of the other floors. The lit-up ones have our junior trainers and assistant Gym Leaders under them."
Harry's brow furrowed as he nodded, and Nasrin glanced around again at the eclectic group of trainers as Molly grabbed a slip of paper from the miniprinter on her desk.
"When a trainer comes in, we give them a riddle, the difficulty of which depends on how many Badges they have. Since you have none, why don't you try your hand at a simple one?"
Harry accepted the paper, and both read the riddle quietly.
I am the color of Fire's Bane. No matter what, I am never the opposite of wrong. I like fruit, despite what some say.
Glancing over the purposely-ignorant trainers, Harry shared a look with Nasrin before approaching the trainer dressed in blue scrubs.
"Water-types beat Fire-types, and water is represented by the color blue. The opposite of wrong is right, so the trainer is on the left, and an apple a day keeps the doctor away."
With a nod, the 'doctor' handed over an ID card, and the pinkette smiled at their success as Ron let out a whoop.
"Great job, mates!"
"Thanks." Harry replied, looking over the card as Meeko and Togepi reached out to see, babbling.
"So, what if we had guessed wrong?"
"You would've had to battle one of the junior Gym Leaders." Molly answered, printing out another riddle. "We have different riddles every day, and they become more vague the more Badges you have. Here's one for someone with seven Badges."
Two away from the Ice Melter.
"I don't get it." Harry admitted. "Ice Melter would mean fire…"
"Grass." Nasrin realized, remembering her lessons with Pearl. "Remember the cycle? Fire beats Grass, Grass beats Water, Water beats Fire. Two away is going two back, so Grass is the answer."
Krookodile grinned proudly, and even Xatu turned her head, pleased.
"But there are three trainers with green boxes." Harry noted as Snow circled his feet, Ludwig checking each one.
"Exactly." Molly agreed. "We feel that if you have seven Badges, you deserve a challenge. You have to guess which trainer is the right one, and that will only earn you another riddle card."
"Sometimes dad lets me and George sit in." Fred added, grinning. "That really confuses the challengers."
"I don't see why it would, since we look nothing alike." George voiced.
"Indeed. I'm clearly the prettier one."
"Clearly, I'm the smarter one, since you don't realize I'm the prettier of the two of us."
"Why don't you give the card a try, Harry?" Molly offered, gesturing to the teleporter Arthur had used.
Nasrin bit back a smile as he did so, stepping up and disappearing in a handful of spins, and looked up at Garnet with star-shine eyes.
"Do you think he'll like the surprise?"
As it turned out, Harry loved the surprise, and everyone teleported down to watch him face Arthur in a proper one-on-one Gym battle.
"This will be an unofficial Gym battle." Percy declared, his Watchog just as stern. "The opponents will each use one Pokemon. The challenger is allowed to use one Potion during the match, but is restricted from using any other medicines, berries or items. There will be no time limit. The match will end when a Pokemon is unable to continue battling, due to fainting or command of their trainer. Any attempt to interfere-"
"Oi, get on with it!" Ron shouted, earning a snicker from the twins and pointed disinterest from Percy.
"Begin!"
"Rattata, I choose you!" Arthur shouted, throwing out a Ball that released said purple-furred Mouse Pokemon.
Nasrin sat down with Togepi and Meeko firmly in her lap, Eevee and Pongo a pile of watchful fluff on her left and Snow curled up in a ball with Ludwig on her right, eager to see how this would go.
"Ludwig, I choose you!" Harry called, and the Candle Pokemon disentangled himself to float onto the battlefield.
Togepi pouted, starting to fuss, but Nasrin rocked gently, offering a thumb for the young Pokemon to gum on as Snow climbed up to wrap herself around the babies.
"Harry thought this through well." Remus stated quietly, watching her and Harry's Pokemon mingle with interest. "Ludwig's a Ghost-type, so Arthur can't use any Normal attacks."
"Yes, it's a smart strategy." Molly agreed with a secret smile. "However, Harry isn't the first to attempt such a method, and we have ways of keeping the battle interesting."
"Rattata, use Bite!"
Ludwig cried out as the Mouse Pokemon bit down, shaking the other off as wax dribbled from a new cut on his head.
"We have lots of trainers bring in Ghost-types here, thinking that will give them an edge." Arthur pointed out over Snow's low growl. "Poor things are barely trained and half-mad out of their heads because they're dealing with a trainer that doesn't know how to care for them properly. Do you know what happens to those trainers, Harry? Nine times out of ten, they lose. They lose terribly."
The elder Weasley shook his head sadly at the memory.
"And they just look at me and wonder what they did wrong. Some of them don't do their research and forget that Normal-types are immune to Ghost moves, so the two types cancel each other out. I've seen trainers get the weirdest looks on their faces when they realize that their 'all-powerful Ghost' can't even do anything to my Rattata. For others…Well, they went out of their way to catch a Ghost-type, figuring that if it knows a Poison move or a Dark move they can beat me real easy."
Ariel leaned down to murmur in Togepi's ear, assuring, as the Spike Ball Pokemon sniffled.
"There's a reason we raise Rattata, Harry. They're able to use several different attack types. Electric, for example. I have a Raticate that would make you think he was a Pikachu in disguise. Another one I love to use against Grass-types because of its Ice Beam and Blizzard attacks. This one is the child of my Ghost Breaker Raticate. He's been taught plenty of Dark moves that can take out any spooks. Now, those attacks might not be my Rattata's strongest, but since your Litwick is a Ghost-type, you lose out on your strongest attacks, just like Rattata."
"Yes and no." Harry replied calmly, and she smiled. "Ludwig is a Ghost-type, so that's why I picked him to fight your Normal-type Pokemon. But he's also a Fire-type, and that gives me a few other moves to try out! Ludwig, use Will-O-Wisp!"
With a cry, the Candle Pokemon threw Ghostly orbs of light from his flame to cover the battlefield, and Rattata, almost in a trance, approached one and ended up with a bad burn on his snout.
"Rattata, use Bite again!"
Upset at the trick, the Mouse Pokemon clamped down on Ludwig's head once more, digging in, and Snow growled.
"Now that he's close, bring him around and use Smog!"
Ripping the Mouse Pokemon off, Ludwig brought his face close and expelled a thick, poisonous cloud right into his opponent's face before dropping him.
The poor Normal-type coughed, a touch dazed from the burn and the poison, but responded to his trainer's orders when prompted.
"Harry will win shortly." Garnet stated, arms crossed as she watched the young Pokemon trade blows.
"What do you mean?" Ron wondered, flabbergasted, as Rattata delivered another Bite. "My dad's Rattata nearly has Ludwig down for the count!"
This certainly seemed the case, since Ludwig was covered in cuts and growing sluggish compared to Rattata, but Nasrin shook her head.
"Rattata only knows Bite. But Ludwig-"
"Ember!"
The Candle Pokemon caught his opponent and shoved him up at his flame, doing a good chunk of damage before Rattata pulled away.
"Knows three moves that aren't Ghost. Two of them are meant to chip away at health, and the other for direct damage. It's a blow-by-blow battle, since neither seem to know any moves to help them dodge."
"So, doesn't that mean my dad will win?" The youngest male Weasley asked, brow furrowing. "I mean, Harry's my mate, too, but even he has to see this is all over. Ludwig is barely able to stand."
"You're forgetting something important." Garnet noted, Krookodile considering the clash lazily.
"And what's that?"
"Ludwig, come here!" Harry called, pulling out a Potion as his exhausted Pokemon approached. "I'm using my one Potion now."
While the cuts were still present, the Litwick's strength was returned, and he responded to Rattata's next Bite with an Ember.
"Okay, so Ludwig is healed up." Ron noted. "But my dad's Rattata is still stronger than it with those Bite attacks."
"You're forgetting what I said." Nasrin reminded him, Ariel pinning the boy with an exasperated look.
"The burn." Ginny Weasley said quietly, peeking out from behind her mother.
"Exactly." Remus agreed, smiling. "Ludwig burned Rattata, and now every time he attacks, he's weakening. Harry didn't go for a fast victory, he went the sneaky way and used Will-O-Wisp and Smog to chip away at Rattata's energy. If I didn't know any better, I'd say he was in Slytherin."
"Bite, Rattata!"
But the Mouse Pokemon had reached his limit, out cold before he even hit the ground, and Arthur accepted defeat gracefully, recalling his Pokemon.
"Good work, Rattata."
"Harry Potter wins." Percy declared, and Harry let out a whoop before remembering himself, approaching Arthur more calmly.
"Good battle, Mister Weasley." He said, offering a hand while flushing. "Sorry about the whoo-hoo."
"No need to be embarrassed about celebrating, Harry." Arthur assured with a laugh, accepting the handshake. "You have every right to be thrilled. If this were a real Gym battle, I'd be handing you the Standard Badge and a TM. That was a clever strategy, and it worked out in your favor. Trust me, you did well and earned the right to celebrate."
"Still, it's very good that you remembered to thank your opponent." Remus pointed out as he trailed behind Nasrin. "There are many trainers I know that forget that while we call them 'battles', these challenges are rarely about anything more than testing ourselves. Thanking an opponent is the first step towards honoring them and their Pokemon and forging a bond of friendship."
Extending a hand for Ludwig to land on, the half-Gem healed him with a kiss, much to Meeko and Togepi's delight, and Snow's relief.
"Ron, why don't you show them around? Get yourselves some lunch, too." Arthur suggested, pulling out some Poke Dollars and turning towards his wife. "It'd a special occasion, and they'll still be back in time for the big birthday supper you're cooking up. Percy and I will be busy with trainers, anyway."
Molly relented after a moment, turning on the twins with a wagging finger.
"Yes, and Fred and George, you two will be giving the Raticate their baths."
"But mum!" Fred whined.
"Don't 'but, mum' me, young man! I know it was you two that switched out the waiting room chair pads with whoopee cushions."
"I told you she'd figure it out." George grumbled, elbowing his brother.
"Remus, Garnet, why don't you, Ginny and I go upstairs and have a cup of tea? Maybe you can tell Ginny a few of her favorite stories."
Garnet nodded, turning to muss Nasrin's curls with affection.
"Be careful."
Nodding eagerly, the half-Gem rushed to join Harry and Ron back at the teleporter, Pongo and Eevee loping ahead with excited barks.
Honestly, what could go wrong?