Chapter 7
The darkness turns to day as the sun rises and the park fills with sounds of awakening Pokémon. Harry, Ron, and Hermione decided it would be best to spend the night with them rather than risk Ash, Misty, and Brock catching them sneaking back into Grimmauld Place. Hermione came up with a rather clever alibi for the three of them. They are also Pokémon trainers and they were on their way to the local gym and happened to hear the battle. Ash, Misty and Brock didn't seem suspicious and Hermione pulled sleeping bags out of her small purse when they weren't looking.
The loud squawk of a passing Spearow woke up the group. Ron and Ash grumbled and layed back down and tried to reunite with the dreams from which they have been ripped away. But as for Harry, Hermione, Brock, and Misty; they were up.
Hermione stretched and rubbed the sleep from her eyes. She grabbed a small hand mirror out of her bag and examined herself. She let out a half gasp half laugh as she tried to calm her morning hair. "My hair is ghastly!"
"I think your hair is beautiful!" said Brock with a love struck look in his eye. "I think everything about you is beautiful!" A shoe flew through the air and hit Brock in the side of his head causing him to fall sideways onto the ground.
"Leave her alone." Misty puts her hair up into her signature ponytail while looking smug and controlling a laugh. Hermione just smiles.
Misty and Brock start to clean up the camp as best they can around Ash and Ron's unconscious bodies. Hermione tells them she is going for a walk. She goes around the perimeter of the camp removing all the protective spells she placed around them that night. When she gets back, Ron is the only one still asleep.
"Ronald!" Ron jumps away at her call.
"You guys said you were going to the London Gym, right?" Ash asked as he packed up the last of his belongings into his backpack.
"Uhh, yeah that's right." Harry had forgotten that Hermione had said that last night.
"Awesome! We can all go together!" Misty had a huge smile as she put the strings of her bag on her shoulders. Seeing no way and no reason to get out of this, Harry gives a smile and the six of them are off to the London City Gym.
Chapter 8
The group spend the next couple hours trying to find the London City Gym. Brock nominated himself as navigator and is now having trouble finding the gym.
"I think it's up here." Brock said, convinced he has now found the way.
"You've said that like twelve times." Ron was getting tired of walking and frankly a bit irritable. "Do you know where you're going?"
"It's just around the corner I promise!" Everyone gave a small sigh as the continued to follow Brock around the nearest corner.
Protruding from the skyline was this magnificent thirty story building. The building was covered in reflective glass windows with a Pokéball dome on the roof of the building. The group was awestruck at the mere size of the gigantic building.
"That must be it." Hermione says looking up at the tall building.
"That's right! And my Anglobadge is right inside waiting on me!" Ash proclaims this truth and starts running toward the door. The rest of the gang simply walk toward the entrance.
By the time they finally got inside Ash had already finished registering for his gym battle. "Yes! I'm up next!" Brock and Misty shouted words of encouragement.
"Is Ash the only member of your party competing?" asked the young blond man that registered Ash.
"No, Harry is competing too!" Misty grabbed Harry's wrist and pulled him closer to the counter where the blond boy was sitting. Harry looked nervously back at Ron and Hermione before putting his name on the list. He wrote down "Harry Dursley." Even though he didn't want to use his real name in fear that someone connected to Voldemort might see it, it pains him to see that word so close to him.
"It's Ash Ketchum first, then Harry Dursley," Again Harry cringed a little. "All of you can go up to the gym level." The blond man showed the six of them down a long hallway. At the end of the hallway were a pair of sliding doors which, when opened, revealed a lift. When all six of them were on the lift, the doors closed and they started to rise upward.
"What type of Pokémon does this gym leader have?" Brock asks. Harry realizes that he too has no idea what kind of Pokémon he is about to go up against. It's been so long since he fought a gym leader. He hasn't been in a Pokémon gym since before he got his letter to Hogwarts. Even then the Dursley's wouldn't let him go nearly as often as they let Dudley, despite the fact that Dudley never won a single badge.
"The man downstairs said that the gym leader focused on ground types," said Ash trying to recall what he heard. "Also I believe his name Alistair."
"Ahh, ground Pokémon; my favorite." Brock crossed him arms and reminisced about the times when he was a gym leader with his rock Pokémon. Suddenly the lift stops and the doors slide open.
Chapter 9
The group step out of the lift into what appears to be a rocky desert. There is a heavy wind blowing dust into the air and its twenty degrees warmer than it was downstairs.
Hermione looks up at the domed ceiling. "We must be at the top." The six of them all walk forward between to large boulders into a cleared area in the middle of the room. They all look around; looking for the leader but no one is there. Then a large wind grew and blew so much sand into the air that all six of them had to cover their face to avoid being blinded. The wind died down and standing before them was a short twenty-something man with short red hair. He was wearing a green tank top with beige cargo shorts that have been stained by the sand around them.
"My name is Alistair Boulstridge. Leader of the London Pokémon Gym." He is standing on a mound of sand on the other side of the room where he is surrounded by a white circle. The wind blows and reveals another white circle near where the six of them are standing. Ash steps forward into the middle of the circle.
"I am Ash Ketchum; your next opponent!" Alistair smiles.
"This will be a regulation "3 on 3" battle. Let's begin!" Alistair threw a Pokéball into the air and a streak of light hit the ground from the ball and out comes a Geodude.
"Go get him Pikachu!" Pikachu runs off Ash's shoulder and into the battle field and takes an aggressive stance. He is ready.
"Geodude, Tackle him!" Geodude moves forward quickly heading straight for Pikachu. Pikachu is unable to dodge in time and gets hit with the full brunt of Geodude's attack.
"Thunderbolt Pikachu!" When Pikachu gets back up he listens to Ash's command and launches a lightning bolt toward Geodude. It hits him full force yet Geodude seems to have taken little damage.
"Silly boy!" Alistair laughs. "Electric type attacks are no good on my rock types!"
"He's right!" Brock shouts at Ash from the viewing area about fifty feet back. "You need to switch out!"
"No! Pikachu can do it!" Ash is more determined than ever.
"Pikachu, Quick Attack!" Pikachu runs at Geodude so fast he starts to become a blur. Then he tackles Geodude and he is thrown back.
Alistair chuckled before commanding Geodude to use Rock Throw. Geodude pulls a rather large rock out of the ground and throws it at Pikachu. It hits him dead on. Geodude picks up another rock and throws it, then another. Pikachu gets hit by rock after rock. When the onslaught is over Pikachu lays on the ground, exhausted and beaten.
"Pikachu, come back!" Pikachu crawls back to the circle and collapses at Ash's feet. Ash reaches down and pets Pikachu. Ash stands back up and picks up his next Pokéball.
"Kingler, GO!" Ash throws his Pokéball into the air and out comes his Kingler.
"That's right Ash!" Misty shouted enthusiastically. "Water Pokémon can defeat rock types!"
"Kingler, use Water Gun!" A strong stream of water shoots out of Kingler's mouth and soaks Alistair's Geodude.
Geodude flew back and layed on the ground, fainted. Alistair took out Geodude's Pokéball and in a flash of light Geodude was gone.
The battle continued with Ash's Kingler easily taking out Alistair's Graveler and Dugtrio; Leaving Ash the victor. Cheers erupted from the group watching. Even Harry, Ron, and Hermione cheered at Ash's victory.
"Congratulations, you have defeated me." Alistair says while he walks across the battle field. "That means that you have earned this." He holds his hand out and sitting in the palm of his hand was a silver circle. The badge appeared to be a mirror. "The Anglobadge."
Ash reaches his hand out and grabs the Anglobadge. "Thanks!"
"You have fought well. Now, my Pokémon need a rest." Alistair turns and looks at Harry. "Then it's your turn."
