Chapter 8

My dream was the same every single night. My feet felt glued to the ground as the Feraligatr with its dark aura advanced on me, teeth bared and growling. The dream was lucid enough that it felt completely real, and night after endless night I had to face it down, yet I still couldn't figure out how to move my legs to run from the beast. I could only stand there helpless as it moved to devour me whole. I was more aware now knowing that it was a dream and that I'd wake up just fine in my bed in Hagrid's Hut—but even that fact was never enough to stop the fear from taking me over. Every morning I awoke in a cold sweat and my heart beating so fast it felt like I was under attack.

After Remus had given me the brace for my leg, I hoped the dream might change. In the dream I could still feel it securely placed around my leg, yet it made no difference. My legs refused to budge so much as an inch. The ground shook as the Feraligatr approached, same as every other night. My heart raced as the familiar flock of Pidgey flew overhead to escape what was coming.

The Feraligatr rose over the crest in front of me until I could see it fully. Its eyes were red pits of anger and hatred, and steam billowed upwards from its purple scales. I'd have given anything for Ignis—who I'd started shortening to Iggy—to be there with me. With my Growlithe by my side, there was little for me to fear. He'd take on anything to protect me, no matter the danger. But in the dream I was alone, and despite logically knowing I was in no real danger, some part of me couldn't help but feel every ounce of the fear, as though the Feraligatr permeated an aura of dread with its very existence.

"Stop," I tried weakly. I'd never tried to speak to the Feraligatr before. My mouth felt gluey, and my voice was weak, but I couldn't just try nothing night after night. I always awoke with Iggy's worried eyes hanging over me, but for once I'd like to wake knowing I tried something, anything, to escape my fate.

The Feraligatr stopped for a moment, enormous eyes locked on mine. My breath caught in my throat. It had never done that. For a moment, I swore the glowing red faded from its eyes.

And yet even in that flash I saw something I'd never seen in the Feraligatr before, despite dreaming it night after night—pain and fear, and above all, a complete loss of control.

I took a deep, shaky breath and tried again. "Are you okay?"

The Feraligatr stared at me, eyes returned to normal red and more intense than ever. Its gaze was so piercing it felt like it was looking through my flesh and into the heart of my soul. Apparently, it didn't like what it saw. It opened its mouth wide and clamped it shut with a horrible crunch, a display of its obvious power. Feraligatr supposedly had the power to chew straight through the frame of a car with its tremendous bite, a feat I knew it could achieve. If it could so easily bite clean through metal, my flesh wouldn't exactly provide a sturdy defense. It was advancing again now, just like every other night.

"Are you hurt?" I tried, my voice quiet, but with curious sympathy now rather than pure fear. That moment where the red had gone from its eyes was so profound, I couldn't ignore it. Whether this was an actual dream anymore I did not know, but the way it made my scar burn and that it featured a Pokemon so lifelike despite the fact that I'd never come across it… If it was real, I had to help it or at least try. Something had made the Pokemon like this, so angry and hateful and possibly even in pain. Pokemon didn't just go around attacking people with no provocation, after all.

The Feraligatr roared loud enough that it felt like the entire world was shaking, and even if I could move I'd have probably ended up on the ground in the fetal position. My hands lifted subconsciously to cover my ringing ears.

I tried putting every ounce of strength I had into moving just one leg, anything to break the hold the dream had over me. Shocking myself out of the dream had never worked, nor had pain, and clearly being frightened awake was out too, or I'd already be back in Hagrid's hut. I had no choice but to watch as Feraligatr broke out into a charge, dropping to all four and bounding at me with surprising speed. The ground shook with every bounce. In the real world I might've stumbled, but in the dream I was so stuck to where I stood that even that was impossible.

I couldn't help but let out a yelp as I tried to shield myself from the beast with my arms as it once again opened up its giant maw. Its breath was rancid like it had eaten nothing but rotted food its entire life. As Feraligatr's mouth snapped shut around me, the universe blurred.

"I came through Hogsmeade when I first got to Hogwarts," I explained to Neville and Hermione as we trudged down the snowy, mud-covered path between Hogwarts and the nearby village. "It didn't look like there was much there."

True, I'd only been there on the first day I'd arrived at Hogwarts and never since, but I wasn't lying either. The village didn't look like much, and I couldn't work out why the students were all so excited to visit for the weekend. Iggy loyally barked his agreement at my side.

Neville shrugged his shoulders. "I dunno, it's interesting enough, I guess."

For a place without a single Pokemon Centre, my mind supplied bitterly. Truth be told, when I found out the Hogwarts students would get to go to Hogsmeade for a weekend visit, I'd been just as excited as the rest of them were. All the Pokemon books I'd gotten from Hagrid suggested Pokemon Centres and Pokemarts existed in every village and town across the entirety of Galar, but unfortunately, that fact turned out to be not quite true. What the book should have said was that they existed in all the non-magical towns and villages. To say that news disappointed me would be an extreme understatement.

"Oh Harry," Hermione spoke with a voice full of sympathy, "I know you were excited to visit a Pokemon Centre, but Hogsmeade is still fun, right Neville?"

Neville nodded, but the additional shrug of his shoulders didn't exactly inspire confidence. Neville and Hermione seemed excited to go as part of a group, and probably were, given what Harry knew about their non-existent social lives. The Hogsmeade weekends seemed to be a real social event for the students of Hogwarts, and given what I knew about my new friends, they probably never had the chance to enjoy it with anybody else before. Despite my bitterness at it for not having even so much as a tiny Pokemon stand in a marketplace, I didn't want to let them down by not going.

"I just don't understand wizards." I couldn't help the sourness from reaching my voice. "Literally every other town in Galar has Pokemon Centres. What happens if a trainer travels this way and his Pokemon gets injured? Where do they go?" I threw my hands up in the air in dramatic exasperation.

Hermione let out a scoff. "A Pokemon trainer? In Hogsmeade? That seems rather unlikely."

Neville let out a small sigh. He was a pureblood wizard, and while his opinion on Pokemon was clearly quite different from so many that shared that so-called privileged upbringing, he probably felt a little isolated whenever Hermione and I would complain about the wizarding world's approach to them. She'd told me weeks earlier that she'd tried to attend Professor Grubbly-Plank's Pokemon class as well, but like me, couldn't stomach it. That Neville still attended every day without feeling physically ill was practically a miracle to my eyes. Even the thought of the one class I'd attended brought me towards a simmering rage.

"Surely they travel this way from time to time?" I asked. "Trainers travel all over, don't they?"

Hermione frowned and lifted a hand to her chin, as though what I thought was a simple question actually required deep thought to answer. "I guess... but they've really got no reason to come this way. Trainers go where the Pokemon are, and there aren't really any Pokemon around here."

Because of course they don't. I finally had the chance to be a real trainer, and I'd ended up in probably the one place in Galar where Pokemon apparently don't really go.

"But why?" I shook my head and pinched the bridge of my nose. Everything I found out about the wizarding world and what I was reading in the books Hagrid was continually supplying for me didn't match up. The books told me that Pokemon were everywhere. Trainers often traveled the world by foot rather than by road just so that they had the chance to come across some new wild Pokemon to catch or study off the beaten track. The more I learned about wizards and Pokemon, the more frustrating being at Hogwarts was becoming.

Hermione shot me a sympathetic look. No doubt she'd thought about all this before, and it was nice talking to someone who really understood where I was coming from, having grown up seeing Pokemon for what they actually are. "If you were a Pokemon, would you want to go somewhere where people are likely to hate you? I've heard terrible stories at Hogwarts about what some wizards do to wild Pokemon they come across. Did you know that Pokemon were once the major source of potion ingredients? They say these potions were immensely powerful, and given how most wizards are brought up to think about them…"

It was a fair point, but even so, my hands balled into fists at my side. Strangely, though, now that I was aware of how the wizarding world in Galar thought about Pokemon, I wasn't at all surprised. A wizard like Malfoy wouldn't hesitate to hurt an innocent Pokemon for doing nothing but existing. My stomach did a somersault at the thought of him coming across Iggy in a dark corner of Hogwarts. Then again, Iggy was more than capable of defending himself. He'd well and truly proven that the first time he'd fought for me—and against two adult wizards, no less. But then another Pokemon I personally knew came to mind.

"But what about Morpeko? He's always around, and I don't care what everybody at Hogwarts says about him. He is definitely smart enough to realize how many students don't like him."

Hermione shrugged her shoulders. "There are exceptions to every rule, I guess. Lots of Pokemon live in the forbidden forest, sure, but Morpeko is the only one I've ever heard of coming so close to Hogwarts. He probably can't help himself, insatiable as he is."

A smile flashed across my face at the thought. She definitely had that right. Morpeko could easily survive from the food he found in the forest, but knowing him he wasn't interested in merely surviving. He wanted to feast. He was at Hagrid's so often begging me for food now that I was having to take a bag up to Hogwarts at mealtimes just to have enough for him to be sated. I didn't mind though. He might not have been my Pokemon, no matter how much Remus and Hagrid continuously pestered me to change that, but I loved having him around. He was asking me for food so often that he was practically living there with us. More than once I'd woken up to find him cuddled into my side so he could beg me for food as soon as I woke up. Sometimes I even caught him drooling or moving his mouth in his sleep, no doubt dreaming about food.

"I don't know why you won't just catch him," Neville said, sounding genuinely confused. "Isn't that what trainers do when they find Pokemon they like?"

I rolled my eyes and let out a sigh. It seemed nobody understood, even those who didn't really know anything about Pokemon trainers at all. It wasn't that I didn't want Morpeko, but catching him felt like taking him away from his home and his life without permission. As fantastic as I found the idea of becoming a trainer, that was a notion I was finding impossible to let go of. The idea of a random trainer strolling into a Pokemon's home and catching it to travel the world with him just didn't sound fair. What if the Pokemon didn't want to leave its home? What if a Pokemon didn't like the trainer who captured it? I was all for befriending Pokemon, but I absolutely abhorred the idea of practically enslaving one. Despite hanging around a lot, Morpeko never asked or showed any desire to be caught, so in my mind, it might as well be stealing him from his home.

I never got the chance to explain. Where he'd been trotting loyally by my side, Iggy was now bouncing quickly ahead, a flash of orange fur against the snow on the ground. He stopped at a small crest ahead, ears pricked up and staring down the hill.

"Iggy?" I asked. "What's wrong?"

Ignis growled low and let out a quiet, angry bark.

Not that we'd really been in any dangerous situations since the Death Eater attack when we'd been at the Dursley's, but I knew not to ignore my Pokemon's warnings, even if it was so much as a rock threatening to trip me as I walked. I hobbled my way up the muddy hill to reach his side as fast as I could. I could see the village of Hogsmeade clearly below, a small community with just a single main street comprising a few small shops. Even if I was upset about it not having a Pokemon Centre for me to explore, I couldn't deny that the village was beautiful. The snow lay thick on the ground and on the roofs of the small buildings, and tinsel and baubles hung outside the cozy-looking houses. It was quiet, and would have felt peaceful, if not for Iggy's growling.

"Iggy?" I repeated, tearing my eyes away from the village and squatting as well as my leg brace would allow next to Growlithe. I lay a hand on his back to comfort him, and myself to an extent.

Iggy barked again, his gaze focused on the main street of the village below. His ears were perked. Clearly he could hear or maybe even smell something that I couldn't. After a couple of months together, I could read him pretty well. If it was something that might pose a danger to me, he'd probably be in my face, trying to get me to stop. This was something else. He could hear something, but not something that I should walk away from. Iggy looked up at me with wide, gray eyes and softly whined, exactly the same look he had whenever I woke up from one of my nightmares.

He was worried.

"What is it?" Hermione asked, following Iggy's gaze down into the middle of the village. "I can't see anything."

I didn't answer her, instead standing back up and moving as quickly as I could down the path. As always, I was nowhere near as fast as I wanted to be. The path was slippery from how many students from Hogwarts walked down through the mud, and I had to tread carefully if I didn't want to fall over and risk damaging the miraculous contraption that allowed me to walk at all. Iggy waited for me, probably holding back to help me if I slipped over even despite his worry from whatever he could sense in Hogsmeade.

Iggy's source of anxiety revealed itself immediately as I entered the village proper, flanked by Neville and Hermione. A loud screeching shriek sounded from the building nearest to us, loud despite being muffled by the closed door. I frowned. That noise definitely sounded familiar, but I couldn't quite place it.

"Merlin's beard," Neville's voice was breathy and quiet. His face had paled considerably. "What was that?"

I stepped cautiously closer, reading the sign above the door of the building. The Three Broomsticks, the pub that Neville had told me about a few days prior. Another second shriek cut through the air. My blood ran cold, and I felt the blood rush from my face. This time I definitely recognized it. I had heard it on my first night at Hogwarts.

Morpeko.

"Iggy! Go!"

Iggy snarled angrily at the door to the pub and crouched low to the ground as though preparing to pounce and smash it down. Before he had time to follow my order and enter the pub, the door slammed open with a loud crack, and Morpeko went flying to land on the other side of the street. Unlike the first time I'd seen him, he wasn't in hangry mode, but in his much cuter bucktoothed form. That made things so much worse. It meant he was being attacked without his biological instincts making him attack first. Draco Malfoy strode out of the pub, covered in what looked like thick pasta sauce. His wand was in hand, and he pointed it at Morpeko menacingly.

"You little cretin!" he shouted, his face pink with embarrassment. He flourished his wand, and a bolt of red energy erupted from the tip and slammed into Morpeko just as he got his footing. Morpeko let out another shriek and tried to scramble away, but the mud and snow made it hard for the mouse Pokemon to get his footing. The spell knocked him off his feet and had him rolling into the snow.

Another wizard stepped out behind Malfoy. He too was covered in sauce and even had spaghetti in his hair. Like Malfoy, he aimed his wand at Morpeko.

"Stop!" I shouted, putting more emphasis into it than anything I'd shouted in my life. It was loud enough that onlookers in the street all looked my way, but I earned nothing from Malfoy and his friend other than a sideways glance. None, not even those walking by, stopped.

Both Malfoy and the wizard with him were flinging spells at Morpeko as he tried to flee. Some missed, but definitely not all. The red jinxes knocked Morpeko off his feet several times as they slammed into his tiny body. He scrambled in the slippery snow and muck, unable to find his footing. He was shrieking and crying out the whole time, and I swore I almost felt his anger, embarrassment, and fear. It reminded me of myself before I had Iggy.

I didn't even think as I stepped in the way of their spell-casting, moving so automatically that not even Iggy foresaw my movements in enough time to stop me. The jinxes struck in a barrage up my ribs and across my chest, nearly throwing me to the ground. Stinging jinxes. They weren't enough to cause any permanent damage, but they definitely hurt, and Morpeko was only small and had been hit with quite a few, even in the few seconds he'd been outside the pub.

Draco Malfoy snarled as I stood in his way and stopped briefly to stare me down, not lowering his wand even at the thought of hexing me instead of Morpeko.

I would not be cowed, not when it meant leaving Morpeko to be hurt by bullies. I stared right back at him, unblinking, grinding my teeth from the pain of the jinxes. If it were just me and Malfoy, I'd probably be terrified. I knew better than most the damage magic could cause—I'd lived with such damage all my life. But I wasn't stepping in for me. I was too angry to feel afraid. For Morpeko, I'd face down anyone, even if it was Voldemort himself standing before me.

A small crowd was forming around us now, mostly young students from Hogwarts gathering nearby to watch the action. I could hear them whispering to each other, and it only fueled my anger to realize that not a single one of them was going to jump in to defend Morpeko. Surely some of them were muggleborns, but the possibility existed that even some of them had been turned to the wizarding way of thinking. To most of them, I could see now that Morpeko was a pest and nothing more. Either that, or they were too cowardly to stand up for their beliefs, even if it was an innocent, living creature that was being bullied for no more reason than following its instincts.

"Malfoy! What are you doing!" Hermione demanded. Her fists were clenched at her sides.

Malfoy ignored her completely, as though she'd not even spoken. His breath made a fog in the air as he let out a huff and flourished his wand again. The crowd gasped as he shot another stinging jinx at Morpeko who had taken the moment to catch his breath—he lay stomach-down on the ground and heaved such great breaths his body shook with each one.

Iggy moved with so much speed that I barely even saw him move. He leapt up to let it strike his side, but unlike Morpeko, he didn't drop to the ground. He took it in stride and breathed continuous flames in a move I was all too familiar with. Flame Charge. The flames surrounded Iggy's body, and the snow underneath him hissed and steamed as he landed. He let out a ferocious growl in Malfoy's direction as he stepped in front of me, all but daring the boy to continue.

Malfoy might not have been afraid of me, but Ignis was enough to make him hesitate. A Growlithe coated in flames and baring his teeth would make nearly anyone stop in their tracks, at least for a moment. Malfoy's wand wobbled in his hand. The boy behind him who'd been casting at Morpeko as well had already lowered his, though it hadn't left his hand. The snow around Iggy sizzled and evaporated into the air from his emanating heat.

Iggy flicked his head to the side, catching my eye out of his peripheral vision. We'd been together for such a short time, but I couldn't help but be amazed at the bond between us, stronger still in such a serious situation. Just a brief look into his eyes, and I knew the message he was trying to send.

'Go check on Morpeko. I've got this.'

If Malfoy tried anything, Iggy would stop him without question. That he hadn't already ripped the wand out of his hand and knocked him to the ground was practically a miracle. If Malfoy had been aiming for me deliberately instead of Morpeko, there's no question he'd have attacked. Iggy's intelligent, and knew I wouldn't want him proving any wizarding points of Pokemon being violent beasts and nothing more, even if he was acting to protect me. That he'd taken the hit himself and was threatening Draco was proof of his intelligence. Despite that, I knew without a doubt that he was giving Malfoy one chance, and one chance only. One more hostile move and he would attack, no matter what I ordered.

But I wasn't interested in fighting Draco Malfoy. Morpeko was all that mattered to me. He wasn't scrambling in the muck anymore, instead laying in the snow and breathing heavily. The sight of him nearly broke my heart. Where they'd only hit me with two stinging jinxes that had left me sore and stiff, they had hit him with at least ten, and that was only what I'd seen. I hurried to his side as fast as I could manage. Hermione and Neville ran over beside me. Out of my peripheral vision I could see people moving and craning their necks to try to get a look at what I was doing. They didn't matter, either. All that mattered was Morpeko.

I crouched low over his body. He had his face turned away from me as though he was trying to hide from the world, and I reached out to touch him, backing off only for a second as his cheeks sparked with electricity.

"Morpeko, it's okay," I whispered. "It's me. It's Harry."

"Peko," Morpeko let out quietly. He still didn't turn to face me, but his little body lost its tension as I reached down to scoop him into my arms. Visible even under his fur already were a number of small red, angry welts, but other than those he didn't seem to have suffered any permanent damage. He was cold and wet and shivering from the snow, and I pulled him into my chest to warm him. His breathing was slow and labored, but more like he was tired than because he was genuinely hurt. His eyes were wet with tears as he looked up at me. He curled into my jacket and pressed his face into my chest, grabbing weakly at my clothes with his tiny hands.

"It's okay, we won't let them hurt you again," I murmured quietly, only loud enough for him to hear. The growing crowd was talking amongst themselves, all watching my interaction with the Pokemon that wasn't my own.

"Don't get in my way, you stupid squib!" Draco Malfoy yelled past Iggy, who still stood in his way.

I turned around to face him. I glared hard enough that if I hadn't lost my magic as a baby, he'd probably have erupted into flames. Iggy growled low again, but the fire that had surrounded him had disappeared. Still, he must've appeared a menacing sight. They might not think of Pokemon as intelligent creatures, but only a fool would doubt the power of one. One look at Iggy was enough to tell anyone that he wasn't a creature to trifle with lightly. The surrounding snow had melted away, and the ground underneath had been charred black.

"What is wrong with you," I spat back at Malfoy. "What could Morpeko have possibly done to deserve that?"

Malfoy snarled again. "That thing is nothing but a pest. He doesn't belong anywhere near us."

If I had to guess, it was probably pretty simple what had happened. Morpeko had followed students down from Hogwarts to Hogsmeade and could smell the food cooking inside the pub. I knew him well enough to know he couldn't help himself when food would be the reward for a little mischief. That Malfoy and his friends were covered in food meant that Morpeko had probably caused quite the ruckus inside.

I saw a few people nod their heads along with his words, and I couldn't help but whirl to face them as well. My nostrils were flared, and I probably looked like a lunatic, but I didn't care. How could anybody, no matter if they doubted Morpeko was an intelligent creature, believe that what just happened was at all fine? All my life I'd wished I still had my magic, but now I'd never been gladder that I'd lost it. If having magic meant being like them, then good riddance.

"What is wrong with you all?" I shouted, throwing my hands in the air until they landed back at my side, fists clenched. My whole body was shaking with rage. A few people had the gall to shake their heads like I'd lost my mind, but I noticed a few dip their heads in shame. The muggleborns, probably. I was too lost in anger to care about the fact that I was probably alienating some of them even further. Some of them withered under my glares, dipping their heads or looking away.

"Harry…" Hermione whispered by my side. "Is Morpeko okay?"

It wasn't quite enough to tear me away from my rage, but it did allow me to get a handle on it, at least. She was right to ask the question. None of those watching were important. I'd told McGonagall that I hoped to change some of their minds on Pokemon, but right now that didn't matter to me at all. Not a single person had tried to stop Malfoy from hurting Morpeko. Were they all so brainwashed that even those with doubts would stand by and watch an innocent creature get hurt simply for being supposedly lesser? Not even nearby muggleborns who had grown up knowing differently had done anything to protect Morpeko. Why was it up to me, a squib who they believed to have no power at all, to step in?

"I think so," I murmured, not trusting myself not to give in to my seething anger and scream at the onlookers again. "I think he's mostly just exhausted his energy. I'll take him back to Hagrid's and—"

Morpeko disappeared from my arms before I could even finish my sentence. One second he was snug in my arms, tucking his face into my jacket and cuddling into me as tight as he could, and the next my arms were empty, and a red and white pokeball was rocking back and forth on the ground.

"No!" I shouted, desperate. I stepped forward much too far with my cursed damage leg, and even the brace couldn't prevent me from falling. With a groan of metal from the brace, I dropped to the ground and groaned with pain. The pokeball wobbled back and forth on the ground in front of me, just out of reach of the hand I stretched out to grab it.

No…

Tears filled my eyes. Surely fate wouldn't be this cruel. Maybe I hadn't attempted to catch Morpeko when I should've, maybe I'd been foolish and could've just asked Morpeko what he wanted, but now I'd never get the chance. Some monstrous person had thrown a pokeball at Morpeko even while he was in my arms, attempting to catch a Pokemon that they'd done nothing to earn the loyalty of. Morpeko was part of my family, and nobody else's. I couldn't let it happen. I couldn't.

Iggy slammed his front paw down on the wobbling ball hard enough to crack the frost-hardened earth underneath it. With a resounding crunch the ball was in pieces, and the mass of energy inside rematerialized as Morpeko. He still looked exhausted, but thankfully again unhurt. He shook his tiny head as if shaking off dizziness before scrambling towards me, his fear of being caught by a trainer more profound than his exhaustion. I was still lying on the ground in the mud and snow, but I held out my arms to hug him tight.

"Who did that?" Neville sounded angrier and more confident than I'd have expected he could. Iggy was in front of me now, growling at the crowd and darting his head back and forth. No doubt he was trying to sniff out the perpetrator. Hermione meanwhile had hooked a hand under my arm and was helping me back to my feet, dusting the snow off my jacket as she did. I glared at Draco as she helped me, my anger not only renewed, but so great that an order for Iggy to attack him was on the tip of my tongue.

That urge disappeared the moment I laid eyes on him. He looked as shocked as anyone present, looking down the street with raised eyebrows and a strangely vacant expression. Clearly he hadn't been the one to throw the ball, though if I'd only thought logically for a moment that would've been clear, anyway. Draco Malfoy wanted nothing to do with Pokemon, he certainly wouldn't want to catch one himself, nor was he likely to carry around pokeballs—something I didn't even do.

"Let go of that Pokemon, I want it," a voice cut through the air. It was male, a cutting voice that felt colder even than the winter chill hanging on the air. He strode through the crowd as though they weren't even there, pushing them aside as though they weren't at all worth his attention. His dark eyes bore into my own as though I was the only thing in all of Hogsmeade that he found even slightly interesting. I instinctively pulled Morpeko tighter into my chest.

The approaching boy was only about my age, maybe a year or two older at most. He had shoulder length ruby red hair and angular features, giving him an eternally angry sort of look. Somehow though, every move he made was haughty, enough that he could've easily given Draco Malfoy a run for his money. He shrugged his shoulders, stopping mere feet from where I stood. Iggy growled threateningly when he got too close, but the boy stopped without even so much as a glance down at him. There wasn't an ounce of fear on his face even with Iggy growling so loud I thought he might attack even without me ordering it.

I couldn't help but notice the row of pokeballs dangling from his belt.

My anger had left me in a rush at the sight of him. There was something deeply unsettling about him, something about him that set my teeth on edge. He looked so confident and brash as a trainer amongst a wizarding village that it was difficult not to be intimidated. I mean, I'd just had a conversation about how pretty much no trainer would walk into a wizarding village comfortably, yet here was a young trainer about our age who had walked in like he owned the place. Either he didn't know where he was, or it didn't matter to him, and he felt perfectly safe even knowing that wizards weren't at all fond of trainers.

"That Pokemon is wild, so either catch him yourself or let me. I won't let your Growlithe stop me a second time." He glared at me for a moment before finally lowering his gaze to Iggy. Even locking eyes with an angry Growlithe didn't seem to deter him. Instead, he just looked wholly unimpressed. He stared at Iggy for a few moments before scoffing loudly, almost a laugh.

The crowd still hadn't broken up, but still not even the older students looked to want to break up what was happening. They just stood there whispering to each other, too curious or excited by everything that had happened to even think about stopping it. They were probably as shocked as I was to see a random trainer enter Hogsmeade, let alone in how he had.

I didn't know what to say to him, or rather, what I was willing to say. A part of me still wanted to rave and scream in his face until I was as red as Uncle Vernon, but the urge was fading by the second. Instead, I got the feeling I should simply turn and walk away with Morpeko. I was still a novice trainer, but I had a gut feeling that letting Morpeko go with this random trainer would be a mistake I would carry with me forever. If Morpeko was going to have a trainer, it should be me. Morpeko deserved someone who cared about him, and I got the distinct impression that this was a trainer who only cared about himself.

"Well?" the boy asked, tone full of impatience. He reached into the pocket of his black jacket and pulled out another pokeball. He tapped the button on the front and I watched as it grew larger in his hand. "If you won't, I will. I've been hunting for a strong electric type." He screwed up his nose as he craned his neck to look at the Morpeko shielding himself from being captured in my arms. "Although, I'm not sure he'd be worth anything at all."

He flashed a feral grin, showing pearly white teeth behind pulled back lips that made the blood in my veins run cold like ice.

"Why do you want him if you think he's worthless?" Hermione asked. "A trainer should have a bond with his Pokemon, and you've never even met this Morpeko before."

The boy screwed up his nose and turned his head to look Hermione up and down.

"Did anyone ask for your opinion? I don't waste words on the worthless, so butt out."

Hermione flinched as if he'd hit her. Off to the side and still covered in thick red sauce, Draco snickered. I almost rolled my eyes. There's no way in hell Draco would respect a mere trainer, but apparently it didn't matter who else was insulting the people he would, so long as his foes were being spoken down to. I stepped in front of Hermione protectively, doing my best to ignore the instinctive discomfort I felt at the red-headed boy's mere presence.

"You want Morpeko? You can't have him," I said. My voice was rocky and more warbled than I'd have liked, but that fire in my belly was back again. Part of me still wanted to take Morpeko and Iggy and go right back to Hagrid's, this boy had me so on edge. But then, Hermione was one of only a couple of people my age who had ever treated me like I was worth something, and I couldn't let him talk to her like that.

Iggy turned his head slightly to the side, never letting the newcomer out of his peripheral vision but catching my eye as well. He had that glint in his eye that meant everything to me. Iggy was there. I wasn't alone, and I had no reason to be afraid. Not even Death Eaters could get me while he was around.

"Well, go on then, catch him yourself," the boy huffed, rolling his eyes.

Really, I'd have liked to do nothing more, assuming Morpeko said yes. There's no way I'd catch him without asking first. But it was a moot point, anyway. To catch Morpeko, I needed a pokeball, and I'd been too stubborn to allow Hagrid or Remus to get me some. I'd been too stubborn to even consider catching Morpeko to add to our team, even though he'd more or less been a part of it for weeks already. But the idea of taking him if there was even the slightest chance he didn't want to…

The redheaded boy huffed impatiently and threw the pokeball he was still holding, aimed once more right at Morpeko. In my arms, Morpeko let out a squeak and tucked himself behind my jacket. He was curled so tightly, I could feel his body shaking. Or maybe that was my own shaking. I tensed immediately, but I should've known I wouldn't need to. Iggy was corkscrewing through the air and slapping the ball away with a paw, sending it hurtling against the brick wall of the nearby lolly shop where it bounced harmlessly off and into the snow. Iggy landed on the ground and snorted a small plume of orange flames.

The trainer didn't look so unimpressed with him now. His nostrils flared as he stared at Iggy, and he reached for one of the pokeballs dangling from his belt.

My heart raced. I'd been training with Iggy, but I wasn't at all confident about my abilities in a Pokemon battle, especially since this trainer might have been with his own team of Pokemon for years. As strong as Iggy was, he'd be so much less brilliant in a battle where I was the one in command of him.

"Why do you want Morpeko, anyway?" I nearly shouted at him out of desperation to stop him from releasing his own Pokemon. "You said yourself you didn't think he'd be worth much to you!"

He was idly tossing a single pokeball up and down in his hand, casual as though this was all just a game to him. "Well," he said, more calm and cold than his prior brashness, "if the great Harry Potter is interested in him, there must be something to him after all. Guess I've got no choice but to battle you for him."

My eyes widened at his use of my name. A feeling of dread settled in my gut at the feral smile that spread across his face. Before I got another chance to distract him, the pokeball left his hand, and the familiar energy spilled out to form a Pokemon.

I gasped as he fully formed, a blue crocodilian Pokemon with two sharp fangs, and a plume of pink spikes atop its head. I'd not seen it before, but…

"What's wrong, Potter," he said my name in a sneer and sounded almost amused. "You've never seen a Croconaw before? Or maybe you've seen its evolution. The stuff of nightmares, aren't they?"

He knew.

It should not have been possible—I'd never even told anyone about my nightmares other than Ignis, but somehow this boy knew. I couldn't even convince myself that his words and choice of Pokemon were a coincidence. His eyes were locked on mine, and that smirk that rested on his face was all too telling.

My heart was racing frantically now, and my breathing became rapid and shallow. My legs felt like they had turned to jelly as I looked at the Croconaw. He was nowhere near as terrifying as the Feraligatr from my dreams, and he didn't have the angry purple skin or the red eyes, but the sight of him still stopped me in my tracks. There were enough similarities that I felt as though I was rooted to the spot, just like in my nightmare.

"Croconaw, use crunch!"

I hadn't even agreed to battle before the boy was ordering his Pokemon to attack. A normal Pokemon battle wouldn't take place in the middle of a town, and I'd be standing way back so as not to get hit by the attack, but here I was only feet away from the action. The crowd backed off with shouts and cries as the battle began, but I still felt as though I was stuck where I stood, and I certainly couldn't turn away to let Iggy fend for himself.

I reacted far too late. Croconaw was pudgy and larger than Iggy, but far faster than I was expecting. He was on Ignis almost immediately, widening his jaw in a move that was all too familiar to me. He snapped his sharp teeth around Iggy's middle, picking him up off the ground and throwing him across the wide street. He crashed into a nearby street lamp with a loud crack and a yelp.

"Iggy!" I shouted. I wanted to rush over to him, but Hermione had grabbed my arm and was pulling me back and away from the battle.

"We can't be this close!" She shouted. I let her pull me back, but I wouldn't turn away.

Iggy got back to his feet, a newfound fire in his eyes. It wasn't determination in his eyes this time, but anger. I had to help him. A Pokemon didn't battle alone. I might have been new as a trainer, but I wouldn't let him fight alone.

"Iggy, use ember!" Hermione was still pulling me back even as I shouted battle orders, but I wouldn't take my eyes away even for a second. Licks of flame erupted from Iggy's mouth, slamming against Croconaw's blue scales with pinpoint accuracy. The blue Pokemon's scales seemed to negate the heat of the flames. His scales steamed as the flames sputtered out against them.

Stupid!

I'd read all about type advantages in Hagrid's books, but still I'd been stupid enough to try a fire type move against a water type Pokemon. My inexperience and the fact that this trainer had me so on edge weren't going to do me any favors. I had to do better!

"The stories really make too much of you, don't they, Potter?" The trainer called out. His Croconaw stood across from Iggy and I, just waiting for another order to attack. "I would have thought that without magic you'd have put all your effort into being a Pokemon trainer, but you're really quite pathetic even at this, aren't you?"

With a snarl I pulled myself from Hermione's grip, though she'd already pulled me far enough away that I was unlikely to get hit with a rogue attack.

Still standing off to the side, Draco Malfoy let out a loud laugh.

Ignis didn't seem to think it was so funny. He let out a low growl, releasing a small plume of flame from his nostrils. The other trainer just stood there, face impassive and completely unreadable. He couldn't have been more different from someone like Draco Malfoy. Malfoy laughed and sneered through his insults as though everyone around was beneath him. This boy though spoke his insults matter-of-factly, like he was doing nothing but spitting out facts.

"You idiots!" A woman came rushing out the door of the Three Broomsticks, waving her hands in the air. "You can't have a blasted Pokemon battle in the middle of the village!" She was an attractive woman with long, curly hair, but right now she was red faced and splotchy with unbridled rage.

The sight of her worrying about her pub being destroyed would easily be enough for me to call Iggy back to my side guiltily, but my opponent had other ideas.

"Croconaw, water pulse!"

Apparently he didn't care about hurting any innocent bystanders or tearing up Hogsmeade's homes and businesses. All that mattered to him was battling me. None of this made sense. He didn't even really seem to want Morpeko, but was willing to go this far to earn the right to catch him? I really doubted it. Yet if there was even the slightest chance that it was Morpeko he was fighting for, then I'd fight back just as hard, no matter the circumstances.

"Iggy, agility!"

Croconaw sprayed out a jet of water with such intense pressure it looked capable enough to crack through cement. But Iggy was gone, disappeared in a flash of orange fire to reappear nearby. Students in the gathered crowd had to jump out of the way as the stream of pressurized water splintered a rock near the path back up to Hogwarts with an almighty crack.

"Stop this!" Hermione shouted desperately towards the red-headed trainer.

"Again, Croconaw!" the trainer ordered. Even the way he spoke to his Pokemon was different to me. His words towards the Croconaw were cutting and harsh, and the way he grit his teeth when the Pokemon didn't hit his expected target rubbed me entirely the wrong way.

Pokemon battling was a strange experience. I'd felt it against Aunt Marge, the absolute connection it made between trainer and Pokemon. Even if I was a novice, I knew Pokemon battling was a two-sided coin, trainer on one side and Pokemon on the other. It required a balance, a certain give and take to operate in perfect harmony.

Whoever this trainer was, he didn't operate or think the same way I did. I could tell even from his facial expressions that there was no balance in the way he wanted to battle. He did all the taking, and his Croconaw did all the giving. It was more like a dictator/servant relationship than a true partnership like the one I was trying to cultivate with Ignis. I couldn't stand the idea of barking orders at Iggy and getting mad at him if he didn't follow them to the letter. Ignis knew his own capabilities better than I did. I was there to guide him in battle, not dictate his every move and punish him for mistakes.

Iggy dodged again as another stream of high-pressured water shot straight at him. This time the crowd had wands in hand, throwing up magical shields so they didn't get caught in the crossfire. The woman who had run out of the pub was still shouting at the top of her lungs, not that I could blame her. I didn't want to see Iggy spitting out fire and burning down half the village just to fight a battle I hadn't even agreed to fight.

"Use surf!"

Surf? Not a move I'd heard of, but it sounded like a water type move, and if Ignis was to get hit by any offensive water type move at all, the battle could end immediately. I would not let Morpeko go with him.

I wouldn't.

The Croconaw lifted its head towards the sky and let out an absolutely torrential amount of water. It didn't have the pressure that it's water pulse did, but it didn't need to, either. In a matter of seconds the street seemed to flood, enough that it was lapping at my waist near immediately. The buildings nearby would flood, too, and the crowd was running from the water, or wading through it to get away. Screams and cries filled the air as the water filled the street, as though the Pokemon had summoned a river to the middle of Hogsmeade village.

Morpeko climbed my arm with a squeak and onto my shoulder to stay above the rising waters.

"IGGY!" I called out. I couldn't see him anywhere. The water was high enough to envelop him completely, and being a fire dog in water was definitely not a good thing. Whether or not he could swim was irrelevant. This wasn't a mere pool of calm water he could bath himself in. This was another Pokemon's attack, and a seemingly inescapable one at that.

Hermione and Neville were wading away towards Hogwarts, trying to reach higher ground as the waters kept rising. They were both calling out to me, but there was no way I could run away. Morpeko was on my shoulder, his head darting left and right like he too was looking for any sign of Iggy. The other trainer was standing in water as well, but he had his eyes glued on me as I desperately searched for my Pokemon.

And then there was a flash of orange as Iggy went flying out of the water to crash into the wall of the Three Broomsticks. He let out a yelp as he hit the wall and crashed back into the raging floodwaters below.

It shouldn't be possible. We were outdoors, and the water shouldn't be getting trapped so well that it was creating a flash flood. But Pokemon were magical creatures, and they made anything seem possible. Croconaw wasn't even spitting out water like before. Now I could see him zipping through the water, his red fins breaching the surface as he swam at ridiculous speed towards where Iggy had landed.

Iggy went flying again, Croconaw was smashing into him like he was performing underwater takedowns.

"Stop!" I shouted. Morpeko was squeaking loudly on my shoulders, watching with the same abject helpless horror that I was. "I concede!"

Croconaw kept moving.

"You'll let me catch the Morpeko?" I had to strain to hear him over the rushing water. It was finally rushing away, but infinitely slower than how fast it had appeared. We seemed to be mostly alone now, the rest of the students and even the barmaid of the Three Broomsticks chased away by the Croconaw's attack.

"I—" I'd have given anything to get him to stop his attack, or at least, nearly anything. He was all but asking me to choose between Iggy and Morpeko, and that was an impossible decision. Iggy was the most important thing in my life, but now I was realising far too late that Morpeko was a part of my family now too, even if I hadn't caught him.

"Seems your Growlithe isn't doing so well," the boy commented, looking towards Iggy as he was flung out of the water again. "Better decide quickly."

I was wading through the water trying to reach Iggy before Croconaw, but it was impossible. He zipped through the water as only a water type could, too fast for any human to keep up with. Iggy went flying again. I could see him only briefly, but he wasn't even twisting through the air to right himself like he would if he had the energy. Instead, his body was limp and lifeless, defeated completely.

"Stop, I'll do anything you want!"

He raised an eyebrow at me. "So, Morpeko is mine, then?"

Morpeko let out a tiny squeak on my shoulder, and I could see out of my peripheral vision that he was staring at me, waiting for me to answer. My entire relationship with Morpeko rested on this one question.

I could never agree to it. It was probably the only request anyone could make that I wouldn't agree to for Ignis. Ignis was everything to me, the most important thing in my life—but I could never live with myself if I let this trainer catch Morpeko, and Iggy would never want me to.

I reached up and pulled Morpeko from my shoulder and hugged him close to my chest. "Not Morpeko. Anything else. Please, anything at all. Just stop hurting my Pokemon."

The boy shrugged one shoulder, uncaring and emotionless despite the fear and desperation churning in my own guts. "I suppose it doesn't really matter if you agree or not. How will you stop me?" His grin was feral and so, so dark. More than before, I was sure now that it wasn't even Morpeko he was here for. For whatever reason, this boy—maybe only a year or two older than me—seemed to have a major grudge to bear and knew more about me than he had any right to—especially about my nightmares. But even if he didn't actually truly want Morpeko, I knew that he'd take him purely to spite me.

"Who are you?" I wanted to sound strong, but in my desperation and helplessness to help Ignis, my voice came out as more of a whimper. "What do you want from me?"

He didn't answer.

Finally, the water had subsided down to about my ankles, and Iggy was mere feet away from me, lying still on his side in the mud and slush. I was shivering from the freezing cold water, but I scrambled to his side as fast as I could, ignoring the ache in my legs and the icy cold metal of my leg brace pressing into my skin. My pain didn't matter. Only Ignis mattered.

I was at his side as fast as I could manage. Morpeko jumped off my shoulder, still wobbly on his own feet from Malfoy's attack. He reached out with his tiny hands and pushed Iggy, as if trying to help him get to his feet. Ignis didn't respond at all. He was breathing, but they were shallow, and he was completely unconscious, pushed far further than he ever should've been in any regular battle. Morpeko looked up at me with wide, wet eyes. He looked as anxious as I felt.

I tried to scoop him into my arms, but he was heavy, and I slipped on my feet into the slush beside him.

"Iggy..." I whispered, tears in my eyes. "Please be okay..."

I'd never felt more profound, desperate sadness in all my life. Ignis had given me a new chance at life, had changed it completely, and given me a completely new outlook. The thought of something happening to him, of losing him... I knew it'd be something I would never recover from.

And yet the trainer stepped a little closer, and when I looked up, he still had a smug smirk painted onto his face. My depression turned immediately to rage. Fists clenched, I rose to my feet to stare him down. He still had his powerful Croconaw by his side, but I didn't care. I didn't care that I had no defenses. Morpeko's energy was spent, and Iggy was unconscious, but if I had to, I'd fight him myself.

"Stubborn thing, aren't you," he muttered with a disdainful roll of his red eyes. "But definitely pathetic. How you ever managed to best him is an absolute miracle."

Him... Time seemed to freeze solid. My eyes widened, and the other's boy's smirk only widened. There was only one him he could be talking about.

Voldemort.

This boy knew about my nightmares, had appeared as a trainer in the middle of a wizarding village, and started a battle without me even agreeing to it. This was never about Morpeko at all. This was about me and Voldemort. He knew things about me that no random stranger could possibly know...

"Harry!"

The world started again as Remus' voice carried through the winter chill.

"Guess that's my cue," the boy sighed heavily. He grabbed a pokeball at his waist and recalled Croconaw in a spill of red energy. He turned to leave, but I called after him. My mind was still reeling, but I couldn't just let him leave without proper answers.

"Wait! Who are you? How do you know about my nightma—how do you know about Feraligatr?"

He turned, his face impassive and unreadable again. "Feraligatr? Don't know what you're talking about."

His voice was so natural, lacking any genuine confusion or curiosity, and I immediately knew it was a lie.

"But you can call me Silver. We'll be seeing each other again. Something for you to look forward to."

Remus was almost right to my side when the boy whipped a wand from his sleeve, turned on the spot and disapparated with a loud crack. Another surprise, but it probably shouldn't have been. Silver didn't feel out of place in Hogsmeade because he was not just a trainer, but a wizard, too.

"Harry, are you okay?" Remus was practically shouting as he reached me. He grabbed me by the shoulders and turned me so his face was in front of mine. He looked out of breath, like he'd run down to Hogsmeade from Hogwarts. Probably some student had returned to Hogwarts at the start of the battle, or even before, after Malfoy had hurt Morpeko, and he'd come running to investigate.

I turned immediately away, pulling out of his grip to drop by Ignis' side. His chest was rising and falling still, but it didn't look at all natural. Pokemon only had a finite amount of magical energy, used for both attacking and defending. Normally when it waned, it meant a battle was over, and that Pokemon was defeated. Silver's Croconaw had kept attacking long after Iggy's energy was depleted. It meant that in the end, Croconaw was really hurting him, not just depleting his magical energy like in a normal battle.

"Remus…" my voice was small and weak. The tears that had been held back by the anger spilled over after Silver left, and a few dropped in Iggy's fur. "Iggy…"

"Merlin…" Remus breathed. He reached down and scooped Iggy into his arms like he weighed nothing at all. "Grab my arm, Harry." He blurted, his face dead-set and serious.

I reached down myself and scooped Morpeko back into my arms. He didn't squirm or fight for freedom, instead letting me squeeze him into my chest with one arm. With my other, I hooked my hand around Remus' elbow. He turned immediately and disapparated.

I'd been staring at the doors of the intensive care unit of the Pokemon Centre in Wedgehurst for what felt like an eternity. The nurse and her Chansey had taken both Iggy and Morpeko behind the doors and barred my entry almost immediately, and they'd not returned since.

"This isn't your fault," Remus tried, not for the first time. Beyond telling him what happened with Silver, and with Draco Malfoy, I'd not felt particularly talkative. I could barely think straight, anyway. The Pokemon nurse had taken one look at Iggy's condition—freezing cold, wet, and unconscious—and taken him immediately. I could tell from the look on her face that it was serious.

Again, not for the first time since arriving at the Pokemon Centre, I dropped my face into my hands. My mind was just a pit of emotional turmoil. I was chastising myself over and over for not acting differently, for not battling Silver better, even though I was at a type disadvantage. It didn't matter that Silver was clearly a more experienced trainer than me. Iggy had chosen me to be his trainer, and I'd already let him down and let him get hurt. If I'd just put my mind to training him earlier, all of this might have been avoided. I'd been so reluctant to train him in battle at all, and I—

"Harry, look at me."

I lifted my head out of my hands to look at Remus with stinging eyes. He was all pity, sympathy, and gentleness, but that only made me feel more guilty.

"You should never have been put into that situation at all," Remus said. "That was no normal Pokemon battle, Harry. You and Ignis were attacked. Regular trainers don't order their Pokemon to attack without agreeing to a battle, and certainly not in the middle of a town with techniques so destructive."

I nearly shook my head to dispute him, but inviting Remus to argue harder to assuage my guilt isn't at all what I wanted. In the end, there was nothing he could say to make me feel better. While Iggy was hurt, and I didn't know if he was going to be okay, there was nothing on earth that could make me feel even slightly better, no matter how much logical sense Remus made.

Remus frowned as he waited for my answer before letting out a sad sort of sigh and leaning back in his chair. He knew better than anyone how stubborn I could be. After a moment, he leaned forward again.

"Do you at least want to go and have a shower? All the Pokemon Centres have free accommodation, so I'm sure—"

I shook my head to cut him off. Until the door to where the Pokemon Nurse had taken Iggy opened again, I wouldn't move a muscle. I was caked in mud and felt awful after Croconaw's water mixed with the snow chilled me all the way through to the bone, but none of that mattered. I was uncomfortable, but not in a way that I was acutely aware of. I couldn't focus on anything but Ignis.

Finally, the doors swung open. I was on my feet instantly.

"Is he okay?" The question erupted from my mouth before the nurse even stepped through.

She looked up, face stern and eyes dark. I almost flinched at the angry visage she leveled at me.

"I don't suppose I need to tell you how foolish it is to let Pokemon battle until they reach that condition?"

I withered under her gaze. "I—I begged him to stop, but…" my voice cracked.

She softened almost immediately. I don't know if it was because I sounded sincere, or perhaps she just wanted to make sure that I wasn't abusing Iggy or letting him go too far in battle on purpose, but she smiled softly and dipped her head.

"He's going to be okay. Fortunately, he's not suffered with any more than a few bruises and scrapes. You got here fast, which meant we could get him back to a good warm temperature fast enough that it didn't cause any lasting complications. He's tired, but you can come through and see him if you like."

I let out a shaky sigh of relief, but my stomach would still feel like it was tied into knots until I laid eyes on him myself. I didn't even really answer the nurse, just made off in her direction. She gave me a sympathetic smile and a pat on the shoulder as I passed. "It's room three," she said.

Remus got to his feet but motioned for me to go ahead. This was up to me. As much as Remus was my protector, as Iggy's trainer I was meant to be his.

I found the room down the hallway beyond and opened the door so quickly one might've thought my life depended on it. Iggy was inside, lying in a square sort of incubator machine, open at the top. The air inside was stifling, and given how cold I still was from the icy waters from Hogsmeade, it made me hurt all over. Still, I made my way over to Iggy. The incubator was giving off heat like a wood fire, perfect for a fire type like Ignis. He opened his eyes as I approached, but he was slow and groggy, so exhausted he couldn't even get up properly to greet me like I knew he would if he could. The only sign that he'd seen me at all was the slight wag of his tail as he lay on his side.

I leaned over the incubator. Tears filled my eyes at the sight of him, and of relief that he was okay, that he would be okay.

"I'm so sorry, Iggy," I whispered.

He blinked groggily. If he had the energy or presence of mind he'd probably be barking in my face, telling me not to be stupid. I was kind of glad he couldn't react like that. My mounting guilt hadn't abated at the sight of him. If anything, it had gotten worse, and I didn't want him to placate me like Remus had tried.

"Peko!"

Morpeko came running in through the open door behind me, launching himself off the ground to land on my shoulder. His middle and one of his arms was wrapped with white bandages, and he smelt like sanitiser and hospital as he rubbed his face against mine. Remus and the nurse stood in the doorway. I smiled gratefully at Remus. I'd known Morpeko was going to be okay, but that he would bring Morpeko here as well meant the world to me.

The sight of Morpeko still gave me instant relief. He wasn't injured in the same way as Iggy. His energy had been depleted, but fortunately Malfoy and his friends' hexes hadn't affected him more than that. Having both of them by my side, even if Morpeko still wasn't technically my Pokemon, had me steeling my resolve. I'd failed them once—I never would again, not as long as I lived. We might lose battles, but it would never be because I was too reluctant to train or to fight with more passion. I'd defend them with everything I had.

"I'm never letting this happen again," I said, my voice louder now, more firm. I looked between the two Pokemon—my family. "I am never letting anything like this happen again. We'll become stronger—so strong that not even Silver and his Croconaw can hurt us ever again. I promise."

It was a promise I intended to keep, no matter what I had to do to make it a reality.

Notes

Don't ever believe me when I tell you I'll try to be faster with updates. Sigh. I try, but things just get away from me. Anyway, I hope yall liked the chapter. More interesting things ahead! As always, feel free to make suggestions over what Pokemon Harry or other characters should have! I've decided on about half of his team, but definitely not all.

Don't forget about the discord I have for my fanfictions! Lots of great people on there that I talk to every single day, so come join! Link is in my profile!