A/N: I forgot to tag them last chapter, but the Christmas Special was suggested by the Anonymous Mim and Jostanos!
Enjoy!
Eggs
Chapter Thirteen: Reunited
"Skiddo, no!" Harry snapped sternly, heaving the unusually aggressive Grass-type clear off the ground, despite the rapidly growing Pokemon's weight. Once again, the Skiddo had decided to headbutt one of the other babies, this time poor Charmander.
"Char," Charizard huffed as she stomped over to help the little one up, Charmander sniffling and rubbing the bruise on his head.
"Apologize, now," Harry told Skiddo sternly; the goat-Pokemon chomped his teeth twice, making a loud click noise, and Harry frowned. "Apologize, Skiddo," he repeated sternly; Skiddo glared at him and looked away, snorting. "Fine then. You're in time out until you're ready to apologize," he told the Pokemon, making the baby cry out indignantly, but Harry was unmoved. "Torterra, do you mind keeping an eye on Skiddo until he'd ready to behave?" He called; the large tortoise-Pokemon rumbled in agreement, a thick vine curling out from under her shell to securely wrap the baby up, lifting the nearly sixty-pound goat into the air and settling him firmly into the corner of the yard.
"Let's get you fixed up, sweetheart," Harry sighed, scooping Charmander up from wheer he'd snuggled into Charizard's stomach.
"Cha," he whimpered, tearily touching his bruised head, and Harry soothingly rubbed a hand up and down his back.
"I know, sweetheart," he murmured. "That was very mean of him. When he apologizes, I'll make sure he doesn't play with you alone for a while, okay?" Charmander nodded and buried his face in Harry's neck, making the Wizard sigh wearily.
"Did Skiddo headbutt someone again?" Abbigail asked, looking exasperated as she took the sniffling Charmander from the Wizard, nodding towards the front of the Cottage. "I've got this, you have guests." Frowning slightly, Harry nodded at her in thanks and walked past, absently checking in on Trapinch, the Ground-Type taking a nice nap, teething ring clamped in its jaws. Nodding at Stoutland, who was standing guard to make sure the young Pokemon didn't escape the room (as he did most nights. Harry had bruises around his ankles and wrists from the little one crawling into his bed and clamping down after a bad dream), the Wizard continued on.
"Hello?" Harry greeted the three people standing uncertainly in his Welcome Area. One was a short boy in his early teens with tan skin, black hair, and a Pikachu perched attentively on his shoulder. Another was a young man with darkly tanned skin, black, spiky hair, and slanted eyes. The final was a girl with dark blue hair dressed in pink and black.
"Are you the owner of this place?" The older man asked; Harry nodded, smiling when Mischief flew through a wall with a croon to hover over his shoulder, grinning brightly at the three before them.
"I'm Harry Potter, and this is my Hatchery, yes," he agreed, and blinked as the short boy lunged forward and tried (and failed) to get up in his face.
"What have you done with Torterra?!" He demanded, his Pikachu growling at him in agreement, and Harry could only blink as, in an instant, Mischief was lunging in front of him with a harsh, threatening hiss, Mean Look out and at full power. The young teen yelped, his Pikachu squealing as they fell backward. Mischief hissed angrily at them, hair-like tendrils flared threateningly and there was a sudden, low snarl from behind him. Glancing back, Harry was startled to find Stoutland loping down the hallway, hackles raised as he slid to a stop at Harry's side, teeth bared warningly.
"Let's all just calm down now," the man standing by the door cautioned with an awkward smile, the girl wide-eyed with a hand on the pokeball she'd pulled from behind her back.
"I am calm," Harry replied, bewildered, frowning down at the still stunned teen and his Pikachu. "I have no idea what you're talking about, but the City of Jubilife's Police Department placed my Hatchery in charge of over two dozen displaced and infant Pokemon until their Trainers or a new Trainer could be found for them," he informed the group cautiously. "I do have a Torterra here, she's been an excellent help with keeping the more rambunctious of the little ones in line. I do not, however, have any proof that she is yours, unless, of course, you have proof?" He asked, arching a brow, and the boy scrambled up, reaching in his pocket and pulling out his PokeDex.
"I've got Torterra's ID number and everything right here!" He challenged; Harry hummed, accepting the 'Dex and sitting at the desk.
"What's your name, then?" He asked calmly, starting up his laptop to do some cross-referencing, while also pulling out the paperwork Officer Jenny had left him on all the Pokemon.
"Ash Ketchum," the boy declared; his friends stepped forward.
"And I'm Brock," the older man offered; the girl bobbed her head with a smile, relaxed now that they weren't going to fight.
"And I'm Dawn!" Harry nodded at them politely, carefully typing in Ash's Trainer ID number as well as the one he had for his Torterra. Carefully comparing the numbers in the database he had (Officer Jenny had given him the lowest level of security clearance, just like all the other places being used as a refuge, so that they could double check Trainers and their IDs. There were also certain ID's flagged for attempting to take Pokemon that weren't theres, so he would get an update).
"Everything seems to be matching up," Harry agreed cautiously, squinting at the small, neat handwriting on his notes. "Just one last thing to check before I mark Torterra off and you can take her home," he announced, standing and gesturing for the Trainers to follow him; they shared a look and did.
"What's left?" Dawn asked him; Harry glanced over his shoulder, before having to stop abruptly as Yungoos came tearing out of the playroom to swirl up his body, laughing brightly as Torchic ran after him, chirping happily, and Harry could only laugh as he carefully helped the Alolan Pokemon leap from his arm onto the steady, wary-eyed Stoutland's back and off again, Torchic hot on his tail. The Shiny Ninetails slipped after them with grace, nodding at him with an amused smile as she slipped down the hallway.
"Those two are always chasing or being chased," the Wizard chuckled, before glancing back at the curious group. "Torterra is the last test. If she says you're her Trainer, I tend to agree. Though, she might be against it if you were trying to Trade her, you know?" Harry shrugged.
"I wasn't going to trade Torterra!" Ash announced sharply. "We were just going to meet up with Professor Oak!"
"It's true!" Dawn agreed. "He was doing a panel about how some Pokemon evolve through Trade, and we were also going to check out the Trade Contest, where you use your newly Traded Pokemon in a Contest to see if you're able to adapt to new moves and different personalities."
"Huh," Harry mused. "Sound's interesting... Though, I don't see the appeal, unless you're trading Pokemon with someone you trust just to get them to evolve, then trading back. I'm just too attached, I suppose," he mused, smiling as Mischief cooed and snuggled against his cheek playfully, and patting Stoutland on the head when the dog-Pokemon bump his hip with his head. "It'll be hard enough seeing my little ones go out into the world, but I know that this is only a sanctuary for them until they grow or find someone to go with."
"What do you do here, exactly?" Dawn asked. "Brock said this was a Hatchery?" Harry nodded as they were again forced to stop as Spheal rolled through, squealing with laughter, as Elekid and Gothita pushed him passed, and Harry had to quickly reach out and steady Spinda as he danced out of his room with a dizzy smile.
"Easy, little one," he murmured, getting a giggle and a pat on the hand as Spinda shuffle/danced/stumbled away, quickly being followed by a sleepy-eyed Totodile. "Mischievous Eggs is called a Hatchery because, although I have a Breeder Licence and can practice as one, hatching Eggs and raising the baby Pokemon is more my forte. Breeders are more often then not working to create Pokemon with a specific Nature, or inborn-move or Ability, but here, I essentially hatch babies, raise them to a certain level or higher, and try to either find homes for them or get them ready to go out into the Wild."
"That sound's like a lot of work," Brock commented. "Do you have anyone working with you?" Harry shook his head.
"Before the attack in Jubilife, no, because I knew I had to pace myself. I only had three baby Pokemon and Mischief here as well as Eggs, and that was it." He lifted a hand and stroked the Misdreavus affectionately, as they entered the kitchen. "At the moment, however, I have three assistants and eight adult Pokemon who are helping keep an eye on everything." Abbigail, Coby, and Red were all milling around eh kicthen, Charmander no where in sight and Red making notes as he held the sleepy-eyed Bidoof on his lap. Coby was preparing snacks and Abbigail was doing dishes.
"Someone's looking for you," the young blond Breeder teased him, amused, as she turned to introduce herself to the Trainers, wiping suds off her hands onto a nearby towel. Blinking, Harry turned in the direction she had pointed, to find a sleepy-eyed Trapinch stumbling in, guided by an amused Liepard, his blanket and his teething ring clamped in his jaws.
"Hello, little one," Harry soothed, kneeling down and scooping the whining Pokemon up. Chuckling, Liepard rubbed firmly up against Harry's legs, and then all along Stoutland's side, the dog-Pokemon glared at her with a growl, earning a sly smirk from the leopard-like Pokemon as she sauntered away to go check on the sleeping Bonsly and Budew. Blissey, Harry knew, was reading to Magby and Igglybuff and, if he remembered, Arbok had Meowth and Skitty napping in his coils...
"Harry?" Coby asked, and Harry turned to look at her. "Aren't you taking this young man out to see his Pokemon?" Blinking, Harry bobbed his head and gestured for them to follow him, Trapinch snuggling his face under the Wizard's chin.
"There she is," Harry said, gesturing to the massive tortoise, who was keeping a stern eye on the thoroughly sulking Skiddo.
"Torterra!" Ash cried out, running forward, and the Pokemon in question glanced over, only to light up, shrubs shaking rapidly as she took several lumbering steps towards the approaching boy.
"Tor!" She cried happily, nearly ramming her head into the boy as Ash threw his arms happily around her neck, Pikachu leaping onto the shell just past her neck with a happy squeal, and Harry could only smile.
"It seems like at least one of you will be going home now," he mused as Stoutland sat beside him. "Who knows, Stoutland, maybe your Trainer will come next, hmm?" He smiled down at the dog-Pokemon, but frowned when he looked away with a low, disinterested huff. Deciding to drop it, Harry just set his hand on the Pokemon's head comfortingly, and the two went back to watching the happy Trainer and Pokemon reunite.
A/N: Kudos to suntan140, Oraman Asturi, and Jostanos, who all wanted Ash and/or his companions (Old or New) to show up. Kudos to TheTroubledNeophyte, Jostanos, and the lovely, Anonymous Mim, who all wanted one of the Guard Pokemon to get protective of Harry. Kudos to Fireflii who wanted a bully Pokemon (I named that Prompt Bully Billy XD shuddup it's funny). Head Nod to Still Not Dead Yet who pointed out that Harry's technical title of Breeder was misleading because he didn't actual Breed anything, I hope this helps!
Prompts welcome!
(SHOUT OUT TO Fireflii who gave me, like, fifteen prompts, holy shit thank you XD)