There I was this morning, happily playing my recently procured Pokémon Black, when it occurred to me that if Voldemort is really the Dark Lord, commander of Dark creatures near and far (which may not be strictly true, but I interpret it that way here), then surely that would extend to Dark-type pokémon as well? I told this jokingly to my sister, not intending to go anywhere with the idea. Then she got excited, I got excited, and fifteen minutes later we'd decided Hedwig was a Shiny Hoothoot, Mrs. Norris was a Purugly, and the Malfoy estate boasted flocks of tame Unfezants. It wouldn't stop.
Therefore, I decided to start this little drabble series, focusing on humorous moments in my (and my little sister's) fusion world of Pokémon and Harry Potter, where everyone has magic but also pokémon too, and battle accordingly. Between the two of us, my sister and I have cooked up quite a few amusing ideas, so you definitely can expect more to come.
I've always wanted to try my hand at a crossover, so here's hoping there are enough Pokémon and Harry Potter geeks out there to appreciate this little fusion world of ours. If not, well, my sister and I are just tickled pink over this, so we'll be fine either way. So without further ado, I present you: drabble one, the idea that started it all.
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In which Voldemort gains an unexpected advantage.
Being a Dark Lord comes with some perks. Sure, it also comes with being hunted by the Ministry of Magic, feared nation-wide, and having one-year-olds somehow manage to bounce killing curses off their foreheads and turn you into little more than a shade, thus permanently damaging your terrifying reputation – but it also comes with some perks. One of these perks is the loyalty of Dark creatures. It may take a bit of diplomacy at times, but for the most part, Dark creatures like werewolves, giants, and of course Dementors will rally around you pretty much all their own.
Voldemort knew this, going into the job. In fact, he rather counted on it. What he did not expect, however, was the 'Dark Lord effect', as he was fond of calling it, to extend to Dark-type pokémon as well.
Yes, it was certainly a surprise the first time one of his highly secret Death Eater meetings (and, in fact, one of his highly menacing 'death to Harry Potter, the Ministry, and Muggles everywhere, not necessarily in that order' speeches) was interrupted by a pack of wild Houndour, baying and yipping and rolling about at his feet in playful puppy abandon no one should dare feel near Lord Voldemort, the Dark Lord.
In fact, Voldemort was just about set to unleash his faithful Seviper, Nagini, on them (she hadn't yet had dinner) and perhaps Crucio that one that kept mischievously tugging on the kiss-worn hem of his robes, when he was distracted by a dignified and somewhat pleasingly sinister Houndoom emerging into the clearing.
It gave a deep, scolding yip that instantly brought the puppies up short. They trotted back to the leader of their pack, who looked Voldemort straight in the eye and yipped again, breathing a small puff of flame. Confused by this strange behaviour, Voldemort tried something he hadn't since fifth year at Hogwarts: Legilimancy on a Pokémon.
The reason he'd refrained from doing it since was that Pokémon minds were so different from humans' that it gave him a headache to read them and he didn't get a clear understanding of their thoughts anyway. But sending Nagini out to interpret for him now might make the Houndour feel threatened, and Voldemort didn't really feel like spending the rest of the night putting out fires on his followers' robes, when it was already clear the Houndoom wished to communicate something to him.
Somewhat unexpectedly, the technique actually seemed to work this time – perhaps because he had gained so much power since his last attempt, or maybe this particular Houndoom was just more intelligent than most Pokémon, and thus easier to read. Regardless, the information Voldemort gleaned from his trip into the creature's mind was very intriguing. He had detected a natural affinity to him, the Dark Lord of this time, that was present in these Dark-type Pokémon; one easily transformed into unshakeable loyalty, so long as he didn't do anything to offend these first comers.
It didn't take long to consider the matter; this Houndoom was strong, and none of Voldemort's pokémon other than Nagini had survived through his near-death at the hands of the Potter brat. After hardly a breath's pause since they had first locked eyes, Voldemort reached a long, thin hand into his cloak and pulled out a Dusk Ball, tossing it forward almost nonchalantly.
The ball hit: Houndoom went inside and the Dusk Ball began to rock back and forth, button blinking red. The assembly of Death Eaters blinked in surprise but remained wisely silent, as they had been ever since being first confronted with the sight of Lord Voldemort surrounded by gamboling puppy pokémon. Some things, they knew, just shouldn't be commented on.
Finally, the red light went out on the pokéball, as Houndoom accepted its new master. Accio-ing it back to him, Voldemort pressed the button to release his new Houndoom, then placed a hand on its head with a smile that sent a shudder down the back of every Death Eater present (though perhaps Bellatrix had a different reason for shuddering than the rest). The Houndoom seemed to grin as well; then it howled, long and eerie in the dark night.
A host of Death Eaters Apparated home that night, each a Houndour puppy stronger. Voldemort remained in the empty clearing several moments longer, before calling his new Houndoom back to its pokéball and Apparating away himself, the smile never leaving his thin lips.
The Dark Lord had just gained a new ally in his war against the Light, one Dumbledore would never expect.