Two weeks later

When it came to creating wards for the bookstore in the mouth of Knockturn alley, Anna set down several wards and stored Pokémon abilities and moves. The store was called "Adam's Folly", playing on how in the catholic Christian Bible had Adam tricking Eve on the Apple of Knowledge.

Rune stones were made to prevent Apparating in or out of the building, and protected the books from physical damage, theft and fire. Especially since there was any time that dangerous or dark inclined wizards, she kept a very tight ship to avoid losing money.

The monotony of learning was cut short in the morning, when woman came into the shop that caught her attention. The Espeon in her arms she masked as a kneazle hissed, sensing a darkness dripping from the lady's magical core. Anna dropped the book she was reading, letting a bookmark slide smoothly between the pages and setting it down. The gold leaf of the book's title, "Dark Arts for the Intermediate" glinted in the candlelit room, before the girl folded her arms above it.

The woman wore a dark dress, brown hair that was muted under the colors of her hat. She looked ordinary, but Anna could sense her dark aura. The Espeon hissed again, hackles raising. The Pokémon's telepathy prodded at the shopkeeper's mind, giving impressions of danger.

"Good morning," the trainer greeted steadily, disregarding her Espeon's warning, "I haven't seen you here before. Are you looking for something in particular?"

"Je suis Vinda Rosier. Êtes-vous ici seul?" the woman spoke in French, and Anna responded immediately.

"Je suis toujours seul. Il y a peu de travail si tôt le matin," the teen carefully tried to take out her Kalosian accent, understanding that that particular accent was difficult to native speakers in this world.

Rosier didn't respond, and a man entered the bookshop next, the doorbell jingling. He appeared to have brown hair and eyes, with no features of note. He then flicked his wand at the door and windows, slamming the blinds down. Anna opened her mouth, ready to protest, when Rosier pointed her own wand at the younger woman. At wandpoint, the girl deflated, making up her mind to say something else.

"And what do I owe this honor?" Anna asked, petting the Espeon in a weak attempt to calm the hissing feline. "Calm, Essie," she muttered to the Pokémon, who turned to the trainer/shop owner with doubt in her pink eyes. The Espeon dropped from the woman's lap, landing on the floor and sauntering away.

"Do you mind if I make this extra private?" the shopkeeper asked, before casting a few spells and charms at the doors to soundproof it, and with a Confounding charm that would turn away people who looked at the building, effectively masking it from sight. The motion was a quick twitch of her fingers, magic flowing freely. The man smiled at the display of wandless, nonverbal magic, but his eyes held no joy. No spark.

"Why would you silence the sound of your own death?" the man asked, and the only answer Anna gave was only a shrug.

"Who said I was going to die right now?" she answered, "Even so, I wouldn't want to disrupt a lovely morning with the cries of death." Her aura expanded throughout the room, with the intention of keeping the Pokémon that roamed the stacks and shelves hidden. "You don't need to hide beneath a false face. I knew you were coming. Just not when."

The man made a sharp motion, his brown hair fading away into pale white, and brown turned into different colors, one blue, and the other a molten gold.

"Why are you unafraid of death?" the revealed Gellert Grindelwald asked, voice almost a drawl.

"Is there a reason to fear the inevitability of time? Age is no guarantee of efficiency, and youth is no sign of innovation. Everything lives, and everything ends. But of course, what one does in life is what matters, even when our souls aren't part of the mortal plane," Anna said easily, then crossed her arms. "But what do I know? I'm still a child in the eyes of elders."

"You are an interesting child, aren't you?" the Dark Lord mused, and the girl behind the counter held her hands up, moving around it.

"Maybe I should reveal my secrets," she said, once she was looking up at the taller man and the woman before her.

The magic encompassing the store triggered the wards, the harsher anti-Apparating wards activating. The order drew her roaming Pokémon out of hiding, the key words temporarily disabling the protections and masks she created.


Dark Pokémon of all kinds crept out of the shadows, emerging from of the shadows of the books and towering shelves. Among the Pokémon were Houndoom, Absol, Mightyena, Poochyena, Zorua, Liepard, and others, all growling at the unknown humans that faced their protector.

"And what is this? A creature posse?" asked Grindelwald, while Rosier directing her attention to the Pokémon with her wand at the ready.

"Not quite. These are my friends," Anna gestured to the Pokémon with a hand, making them stay back, "I don't think you need to introduce yourself, Mr. Grindelwald. I am Ana Dubois. Pleasure." She stared into blue and gold eyes, unblinking as she caught the man's gaze.

"How curious. You don't fear me," the man observed, "Are your creatures what bolster your confidence? Or do you believe you can defeat me?"

He exuded a confident air, and Anna had little doubt that he could kill her.

"Who says I want to fight? I've heard all about you, of what you did to the MACUSA. I applaud how you hid your presence and pulled the wool over their eyes. How you pretended to be Percival Graves, and was captured by Newt Scamander," Anna's eyes darkened after saying the Auror's name, the memory of feeling betrayal rising and injecting into her words.

"Do you know them?" Grindelwald asked, and he sounded amused at the venom the girl spat the Auror's name. Her hands gripped into fists, nails digging into the flesh of her palms.

"Briefly. I thought he could be trusted, but alas, I was wrong. I won't make that mistake again. He thought he could just take my Pokémon. These creatures," Anna glanced at a Houndoom, beckoning it closer with a hand.

The Darkness Pokémon stopped growling, her pointed tail swishing as she walked over to the Trainer. The Houndoom dipped her head, allowing Anna to lay a hand between her horns. She rubbed the short fur that covered the canine's head, the Houndoom leaning into the touch.

"Did you know that a wound caused by a Houndoom's fire never fully heals? It'll cause pain until the day you die. It gives a new definition to hellfire, don't you think?" the girl shares offhandedly as the Houndoom's tail starts wagging, "Since the fire is produced by poison in their belly, it smells terrible. The Devil's hound, in your world's terms." Her lips widen into a twisted smirk, her green eyes almost glowing.

"I'll give Mr. Graves a burn he'll never recover from," the words are almost a whisper, as if she hadn't spoken. "I dare say, I want to kill him. You wouldn't mind, would you?" She turned back to address Grindelwald, the smirk disappearing.

"He wanted to take your creatures? How despicable," Grindelwald agreed, his voice soft.

Anna laughed, a bitter sound that permeated the whole room.

"I know, right?! I told him that my Pokémon weren't dangerous, couldn't be unless I was in mortal peril, but no. Even Mr. Scamander agreed that it wouldn't be necessary, but that man did nothing to help me. Of all people, I thought he'd understand. But, like all other humans, he let me down."

She sighed, making a 'what can you do' gesture. "Personally, I think you're interesting. In a Pokémon, I think your nature would be…adamant. And I do listen to my customers. This world is wrong. I've known men like you. You'll do anything to see your ideals, am I right?"

With a final pat, Anna lifted her hand, letting the Houndoom stalk away. Both dark wizards watched as it rejoined its brethren in between the shadows, as it returned to growling at them.

"Will you stand with me or against me?" Grindelwald asked, "I will help you in protecting your Pokémon if you accept. Human beings are hardly trustworthy, as you said, but I can make it real. A world where Pokémon can live, unlike how you hide yours from the outside, with runes and masks."

Anna bit her lip, looking away. "I've never hurt anyone. Maimed anyone, yeah, but I've never tried killing anyone before. And honestly, I don't want to." Her fingers drummed on her thigh, restless.

"I am not asking you to kill, my dear. My cause isn't about mindless destruction. There is a war brewing among the muggles, one that will bring untold death. Just like in the Great War, wizards will also be caught in the crossfire," Grindelwald's voice was soft, like he was coaxing an injured Pokémon, "We are forced to hide in the darkness, like rats scurrying in the sewer. It's not fair, don't you think? As wizards, we have more power than muggles can ever have. If you join me, we can fix all of it."

"Is there a difference between a salvageable hypocrisy, or murderous honesty?" Anna asked, her eyes glowing a slight blue, reaching into her aura, "What will you do with the muggles, hm? If this world is anything like my own, science will grow. It's not about superstitions anymore. Magic is wonderful, but it's not the only power in the world. The future will come." The girl summoned her wand from its holster, the long stick of wood fitting perfectly in her hand.

Anna cleared her mind, focusing on the memories of her world. She thought of the Space Center of Mossdeep City, of the Dimensional Research Lab, and raised the tip of her wand to her temple, drawing out the memories.

Opening her eyes, a blue glow glinted in the green depths, an untold emotion rising. "See for yourself."

Essie approached the trainer, the Pokémon's kneazle form disabled. The jewel on her forehead glowed red while the feline winded her body around Anna's legs. The girl crouched, lowering her wand with its wisp of memory, and the Espeon glowed pink, using its telepathy to allow the group to see what Anna wanted to show.

"Humans without magic made this," the girl told Grindelwald, "We went to the moon, dived into the deepest oceans, amassed knowledge of other dimensions, of time and space. Yeah, muggles don't have magic, but they can be smart." The Espeon stopped, and the memory was raised back to Anna's temple.

"You know, I'm interested in what the future holds. I'd like to live long enough to see it," the silvery strands connected with her head, retreating. Anna looked it over, rubbing a thumb over the carved Druddigon head. "Can you give me some time? I have to talk to my Pokémon," she gestured to said Pokémon with her other hand.

"Take all the time you like. Now, Miss Rosier and I have other business to attend to," Grindelwald said, before taking out what looked like a business card. "When the time comes, use this." Anna reached out to take it, her gaze never leaving the other's.

The girl put the card into her pocket, then glanced at the door. She snapped her fingers, the glamour over her Pokémon reactivating, to which they withdrew back into the shadows. A flick of her wand towards the entrance canceled the silencing charms and Confounding charm, the feeling of heavy Anti-Apparition wards deactivating also resonating throughout the whole store.

"I will be seeing you," the Dark wizard bade farewell, his own glamour turning the blond haired, heterochromatic eyed man into an utterly boring common person.

"Goodbye, Mr. Grindelwald, Miss Rosier," Anna waved, and both Dark wizards left the bookshop. The doorbell jingled as the door closed, and the girl nearly collapsed, the overwhelming Dark magic that permeated from Grindelwald fading. She did fall to her knees, her legs feeling weak as she was able to breath more clearly.

A Poochyena came out of the shadows, making its way to the trainer and butting its head into Anna's hand. "Hey, Maeve," she sighed, petting the wolf puppy's head.

'They're scary,' Maeve said, 'And strong.' The pup burrowed into Anna's vest, warming her with feelings of concern and love.

"He is. Go back to your pack and tell them about this…encounter. I'll be okay, I promise," Anna muttered, petting the soft grey and black fur. The Poochyena yipped, scurrying away. The girl's next visitor was Essie, who rubbed against the wool of Anna's vest with her head, before retreating.

Anna flicked her wand towards the door, reengaging the Repelling charm, allowing herself time to gather herself. Raising her hands to her face, she found tears starting to fall, closing her eyes and breathing deeply. With a flick of her wand, she reorganized her store, piles of books that scattered on the floor separating and re-shelving themselves.

It was time to visit someone.