Summary:This whole chapter is a doozy, starring Anna's budding feelings, an extraordinarily large amount of Pokémon, and a look into Anna's past.


June 15, 1927

It was a complete accident when Anna bumped into Newt. In fact, she had been thinking about how she could meet him without having to break into the Ministry to look up his address.

No, in fact, she literally stumbled into him on one of the days she closed her shop to buy more potions ingredients in Diagon Alley for an experiment she was trying to create. Namely, a recipe to mix both the ingredients of this world and the berries of her world, to create healing potions. Seeing as all the instructions she had was from books, the project was very touch and go.

Never mind all that, she thought as she looked up to see Newt standing over her, concern clear in his blue eyes. "I am so sorry," she vaguely heard the Magizoologist apologize, and the girl shook her head to get the low buzzing out of her ears.

"It's…okay," she brushed the apology off, and got to her own feet. Her Joltik crawled out of her open coat, chittering about how she didn't appreciate being nearly squished.

"You might need to say sorry to her, though," Anna gestured to the small bug Pokémon, who clicked her tiny mandibles.

"I'm so sorry, little one," Newt told the bug. Said Joltik made a little wave, before hiding in Anna's coat again. The sounds of a muffled voice followed Jolt as she burrowed deeper.

"She forgives you," the girl notified Newt, patting the spot the Joltik was nestled against. "Do…do you want a cuppa? To make up for it." She awkwardly smiled, shier than when she was in the hospital. It didn't help that in said hospital Graves had threatened to 'confiscate' her Pokémon. She didn't even try to meet his gaze, finding that after years of being alone with mostly just her Pokémon as her companions gave her social anxiety.

"Uh, yeah, that sounds, that sounds nice," Newt stuttered, equally flustered at the sudden invitation. Anna nodded, beckoning for the man to follow her, and soon enough, they were in front of her home.

Anna waved a hand, and the sound of locks moving to her magical signature could be heard from behind the door. They went in, and another wave locked the door behind them.

"You can put your stuff near the door," she vaguely pointed at the foyer, and took off her heavy coat, letting Jolt crawl out before she tossed it in the living room. The Electric/Bug type crawled on her head, feeding on the static that built up on her wooly sweater she put on for the cold.

"This was a surprise," the girl attempted to start a conversation, waving her wand at the kitchen to boil water, "When I said, 'Don't come find me' I didn't imagine that I found you." She gave a small smile to the magizoologist, before glancing away.

The Joltik that sat on her head chittered, before Anna reached up to pry her off, tickling the small bug with a finger. She then set Jolt onto a drawer with instructions to get downstairs, and the bug Pokémon crawled away.

"Yes, well, Mr. Graves wasn't impressed that you had escaped," Newt said, before putting his ever present suitcase down.

"I don't take kindly to people who want to take my Pokémon," Anna said simply, shrugging. She summoned her wand and waved it as she went into the kitchen. The kettle poured the hot water into a teapot while a canister of loose leaf Darjeeling spooned leaves into the pot's small metal grate.

Another flick brought two teacups and saucers onto the kitchen table, sugar dumping into one of them.

"Make your tea as you like," she said, and Newt shrugged off his own coat, laying it neatly on a loveseat in the living room before visiting the kitchen. Anna had taken the teapot, deciding to pour it into the cups by hand.

"I didn't expect to see you either," the man told her honestly, before taking a seat and spooning sugar into his cup. "It was quite a surprise, I think."

"Bumping into you was never part of my plans, but it's…nice, I suppose," Anna shrugged, before glancing at the old refrigerator that sat in a corner. "Do you need milk?"

It was weird, thinking about how refrigerators didn't really have a niche or a better equivalent. As it was, her world was miles ahead in the means of technology, unlike here.

"Yes, please," Newt accepted, and the woman went to get some. He looked like he was waiting for Anna to yell at him or try to poison him.

As Anna poured the milk, she sighed, putting the jug down.

"I'm not going to hurt you," she said quietly, "I didn't bring you here to hurt you. And I know that what I did wasn't the best or the wisest. It's just…I want you to understand me."

Anna dropped herself on her chair heavily, as if boneless.

Before she could say anything else, Pina padded into the room, pushing through a cat flap that was installed in the basement door.

"Pika!" the Pikachu called out as it bounded over to the Trainer, her tiny paws latching onto Anna's pants to climb into her lap. The girl started scratching between the Pikachu's ears, then moved to tickle her chin.

"Hello, Pina," Newt greeted the mouse Pokémon with warmth in his voice. "I forgive you for our last encounter."

The Pikachu blinked at the red head good-naturedly, then climbed onto the table, carefully avoiding the teacups and pot.

"Don't touch her cheeks," Anna gave a word of advice, "It would be…shocking." Her eyes met the man's as he reached to pet Pina, his movements slow and careful. The Pikachu trilled cutely as he rubbed her fur, leaning into the touch.

"I've had a lot of time to think," Newt started, looking towards Anna but not meeting her eyes, "About what you said, before one of your Pokémon made us sleep. That you had been fooled before. I understand that you panicked, and you decided that leaving was the best course of action. I don't blame you."

"I'm sorry all the same," Anna apologized, "What I did…that wasn't right. You helped me, when I was dying. You didn't deserve it. I reacted like you were a poacher, Newt. Like you were going to steal my Pokémon away. And then I had Catherine bind you?" she shook her head before taking a sip of tea.

"You had no idea who I was," the wizard pacified the trainer, who started to panic, "I understand why you overreacted. I would've done the same."

Pina chirruped at him, before jumping off the table, the faint sounds of 'Pika' trailing after the yellow rodent.

"I was never really that good with other human beings," Anna laughed awkwardly, before making a face and draining her cup. "Say, I learned a lot since I came here. I figured out how to use Expansion charms and runes. Do you want to see it?"

At this, she bounced out of her chair, her pained look morphing into excitement. "Come on, come on, I've worked very hard on learning more about magic. My world had none of this research and spells and stuff, and your world is fascinating. I'm so jealous!"

Sliding her chair under the table, she flapped her hands, unsure of taking Newt's hand unexpectedly.

"Come on, Newt, I swear on my magic I won't harm you within my own home," Anna rolled her eyes, but she did put magical power into her words, aware that it was binding. "I'm not doing anything. I just want you to see my Pokémon, after I read your book. They're quite the fans."

The man's uncertain expression faded when he saw that Anna was starting to get anxious. "Worrying just means suffering twice, Anna. I'd love to see your Pokémon."

It was clearly the right words, and the woman took Newt's hand unexpectedly, tugging him towards the door Pina had entered in. "Watch your step," she warned him, and led him down the stairs into her basement.


The whole place was lit with an artificial sunlight charm, along with her fire Pokémon's Sunny Day. It had expanded since its first conception, and miles of land and water had been added. Pokémon could be seen making nests in magically grown trees, small families of Emolga flying between them. A Staravia could be heard cawing with a Staraptor, and a young Salamence played with its Shelgon brother.

Part of the space was a dark forest, where Litwick and Phantump could be seen dozing. Mankeys and Scythers were fighting over their favorite trees while a Scizor watched to make sure they didn't escalate. There was a pack of Poochyena and Mightyena playing around with Houndours and Houndooms, and Growlithes with a few pairs of Arcanine sometimes barked when they got too close.

Her garden was kept away from the forest, although it looked like some of the Pokémon liked watering the growing berries. There was also a lake, where a red Gyarados swam lazily. Laine the Lapras had a pair of Palpitoad swimming with little Tympole babies that would jump on its shell. A deeper part of the lake could be seen, the water a very dark blue. Shapes were mucking about underneath the surface, and it looked like there was a swamp area as well. A Dragalage broke the dark water, rearing up and then swimming back down into the depths.

In the air, nests of Talonflames and Pidgeots were at treetops, along with other winged Pokémon, their chicks flying in small flocks, dive bombing each other in the air. A small shed was at the foot of an artificial mountain. There was an attached area with a pen, chickens, cows and sheep kept in an open space.

"This is incredible," Newt breathed, looking at Anna with a bright gleam in his eyes, "You did all of this? By yourself?" He looked like he wanted to explore the whole area and interact with the Pokémon that were so much like his creatures.

"Mostly. My psychic and fairy Pokémon were lifesavers," Anna admitted, "There's a lot of spell weaving and the runes were hard to start, but I got it done. Somehow." She also gestured to the shed, and its general area.

"Since I can't have them eating each other, I bought some animals and transfigured them to bring them here," Anna told him when she saw his gaze wander towards the livestock, "Usually it's a Pokémon eat Pokémon world, but that would defeat the purpose of saving them, so…"

A Pichu came out of the forest, noticing Anna immediately, and it made a loud noise, gathering the attention of the other Pokémon. Some of the younger baby Pokémon gathered around the Pichu before Anna broke out into a run.

"Come on! There's some that want to meet you!" she called out as she quickly approached the baby Pokémon. She laughed as they piled onto her, the cries of joy surrounding her.

Salazar, her Salamence noticed the commotion, and roared loudly before flying at his trainer.

"Sal!" Anna beamed, her face lighting up as she wiggled out of the Pokémon pile. She pried the Pokémon off gently, then ran to see the giant dragon Pokémon. She opened her arms while grinning and the Salamence let her pet his fins.

"You saw me in the morning, big guy," she teased the Pokémon, who grumbled a response. Salazar was an XL Pokémon, a good four feet taller than its species' 4'11". The Trainer looked over to see Newt stare at the red and blue dragon, who noticed the man.

"Hey, he's not here to harm anyone," Anna spoke to the large dragon in a soft voice, "I invited him. I promised I'd never let any poacher see you, right? I trust him." She made sure her emotions could be felt through her aura, looking into the Salamence's eyes.

"You can approach," she let Newt know, who was aware what dragons were like when faced with strangers. Going off what the trainer had said, that creature had been hurt by humans before, explaining why Anna had to talk to the Pokémon.

"He's absolutely wonderful," he told her, and the Salamence preened at the praise.

"He might want to scent you," Anna patted Sal's snout fondly, "So he remembers you. Salamence are notoriously aggressive to strangers, this one definitely." She met the Dragon's eyes, and Sal sniffed the wizard, chuffing a little.

"He's a friend, Salazar. I told you about him, remember? I read his book out loud," the Trainer kept her voice soft, aware that Newt was hanging off her every word, "He's made friends with dragons before. I know you'll get along." She smiled, then took Newt's hand, letting him pet the Salamence's head.

A rumbling purr could be heard from Sal's throat, the vibration resonating. "I haven't touched a dragon since…" Newt trailed off, but Anna could see the wonder in his eyes as he petted the leathery skin of the dragon.

"I know. I know what happened, and I'm sorry," Anna said, "I can't imagine using a dragon, let alone Pokémon for a war, but…the history of my world isn't as different than here, when it comes to war." She sighed, a feeling of melancholy clear in her aura. Salazar could feel the shift of emotions, and he snorted at Newt, pulling his head away from the wizard's reach.

Anna raised an arm, protecting Newt from the large dragon and made the man walk backwards, allowing the Salamence to retreat and turn around.

"Come on," she told him, and they watched as Salazar left and flew away, fire shooting out of the dragon's mouth.

"Could you tell me more about your world?" the Magizoologist asked, intent on learning more about Anna's world.

"It was…wonderful," she struggled, grasping at words to describe it, "The sky was much clearer than here, and most of my Region…oh, we don't have countries where I live, we have Regions, and I was born in the Sinnoh Region. There was much less machines where I grew up, but I learned that there were cities smaller in land but had dozens and dozens of more people than where I lived." Anna's voice had a dreamy quality, and Newt can see that her eyes were fogged as she fell into her memories.

"I lived in a small city, with less than two hundred people. My mother was from a Region called Unova, which was part of America, but…not. My father's family was from the Kalos Region, which is very much like your world's France. The city I lived in is called Canalave City, which is a seaport with a library. My uncle was the owner of a Daycare Center, a place where trainers could drop off their Pokémon so we'd take care of them or so they could breed," an odd look as she said the word 'breed', pausing when a flush bloomed on her cheeks.

"Breeding?" Newt asked, snapping Anna out of her dazed state, the focus in her eyes returning.

"W-w-well, Pokémon have to come from somewhere, right? But as long as I can remember, we don't know exactly how Pokémon, uh, reproduce. All Pokémon come from eggs, but we're not sure how they…I mean, they don't have genitals, so, ah ha hah ha," she laughed awkwardly, her face turning beet red.

It felt like her face was going to boil off with how hot it suddenly became, so she wished that her sweater would vanish off into her living room.

It did, surprising Newt, who blinked as the witch was now wearing a t-shirt. "Are you alright?" he asked, and Anna squawked.

"Look, I still don't know how Pokémon make their eggs, but they do, let's move on!" she nearly screeched, and the baby Pokémon who were watching the Trainer winced.

"An-anyway, my Uncle let me take care of the eggs and the baby Pokémon. I was always more comfortable with Pokémon than actual human beings, but I learned that it's because…" she trailed off, gathering her thoughts. "Well, it's because I have magic. And most people in my world…don't. I didn't even know what magic was, until I was eight. If I wasn't taking care of Pokémon, I'd be at the library. Canalave Library is the biggest public library in all of Sinnoh."

Then the Trainer growled, feeling that her words couldn't possibly give enough details. Hitting her face with a hand, she let it sit there before getting an idea.

"Talk's cheap. I'll just show you," she decided, before raising her fingers to her mouth to make a shrill whistle. Within seconds, Essie appeared from the shade of a tree, trotting to both wizards.

"Newt, this is Essie," Anna introduced Newt to the psychic cat. The Espeon looked up with large purple eyes, her telepathy determining if the man could be trusted. A second passed before the Pokémon gave a little "Essss" before cuddling up against Newt's legs.

"It means she trusts you!"

Anna was relieved. If Essie had an issue with Newt, she'd have a lot of problems. Essie was a well-liked Pokémon, so if she didn't like him, it'd spread through the Pokémon like gossip. "Oh thank Arceus, I don't know what I'd do if she didn't."

She crouched, meeting Essie's eyes. "I need a favor," the Trainer said, "I want to share memories with him of our home. Can you do that?" Green looked into purple, before the Espeon made a small noise of agreement.

"Espeon are psychic Pokémon. Essie is like a Legilimens. She can also connect people's consciousness and let them see the same things," Anna explained, and luckily it felt like her blush went down. "I promise, this is very safe. I've done it before."

"Alright," Newt gave his permission, and Anna motioned so they sat on the grass, crossing their legs.

"My mind to your mind, our souls are connected for nary a second. For through memory, we reach immortality," she recited out of formality. Anna flexed both her innate magic and aura, focusing on her memories.


It felt like the world fell out from under them, the surroundings of the basement fading and replacing with the illusion of Canalave City. They watched as a young Anna walked between the large bookshelves of a library, looking at the spines of the books.

A Piplup trailed after the small girl, chirping while glancing around the library. The girl stopped, looking at a book that didn't have a proper spine.

"That is the Book," the actual Anna said, "Something that didn't actually belong to the library. Eventually, I started reading it, and it explained everything to me."

"Everything?" Newt asked, watching as the memory Anna pulled the book of the shelf.

"Magic," Anna explained simply, "What I found was a grimoire. The writer explained what magic was, and how they spent their lives researching magic. It explained the true origins of the world, how magic was originally found in nature. It also said what they believed influenced some people to have magic. It's not genetic, like here." She stopped talking, the two wizards watching as the memory kept playing, then the environment changed.

Memory-Anna was thumbing through the Book, a Pichu napping on the girl's lap. A Riolu was next to them, eyes fixed onto the page the girl settled on. 'Magic…it sounds amazing,' the Riolu said, and Newt gasped when the "Ri-ri" could be heard as English.

"I can talk to Pokémon," Anna told him, as the Riolu went into a rambling babble over his excitement. "All my life, I thought I was a freak, for being able to understand them like they were…human. In my world, there's regular people, then there's the psychics, and the aura guardians. Then, there's people with magic."

The memory changed again, a slightly older Anna battling with another young kid. "Pina, quick attack!" the girl called out, the Pichu glowing as it ran on all fours, looking like a yellow and white streak.

'Got you!' Pina squeaked as it tackled the youngster's Wurmple.

"Tackle, Wurmple!" the youngster cried out, but Anna ordered, "Thundershock!"

The Pichu was washed in yellow as it attacked, making the Wurmple faint. "Aw man!" the youngster moaned as he ran forward to see if his Pokémon was alright.

"You were amazing Pina!" Anna cheered, the Pichu turning tail to run into the girl's arms, the girl spinning as she held the baby Pokémon tight in her arms. 'I did it!' the Pokémon squealed, before her body started to glow a bright blue.

The Pichu's body started to grow larger, spiky ears becoming longer and shrinking, a bolt shaped tail growing from the tiny nub.

The girl stopped spinning as the evolution stabilized, white light turning into sparkles. "You evolved!" Anna said with a voice filled with delight and wonder, the newly evolved Pikachu meeting the girl's eyes. "Oh, I love you too Pina!"

"Wow, it evolved into a Pikachu, right?" the youngster approaching the girl with his Wurmple in his arms, "You were really good! I'll train harder next time, you got that!" the boy promised, before he reached a hand out, coins visible in his palm.

"I bet you will, Josh. I can't wait to see what your Wurmple will evolve into," the girl let the Pikachu jump onto the ground to accept the loose change. "Hey, why don't we split a Lava Cookie?" The two children grinned at each other before fading away.

The memory reformed to a teenaged Anna looking at a green haired boy, tears falling from her eyes. They stood in the middle of a castle, a throne situated on stone steps. There was a giant white dragon standing behind the boy.

"I can't believe you, N!" Anna yelled, hands turning into fists, "Destroying the Champion's chamber, having a castle rise up around the Pokémon league! Are you gonna do the same to me!? Take my Pokémon away from me!?"

"It is better for them, Anna," the green haired boy said, his voice calm, "Humans are the problem. Pokémon shouldn't be shackled and used by them, you know this."

"That doesn't make it right!" Anna argued, "Forcing people who don't agree with your philosophy, that's madness!" She gritted her teeth, thinking over her next words. "I…I'll make you see that humans and Pokémon can live together! I'll stop you and Team Plasma!"

"It's time to settle this once and for all! My determination is absolute! I will prove the value of my beliefs even if it means my Pokémon friends get hurt! Since you've come this far, I believe you are equally determined. If that's so, prove it to me! Show me the depth of your determination, Anna!" N declared, "Yet, you haven't been recognized to be the hero. I'm disappointed. I actually kind of liked you a little. Show me the strength of your ideals by awakening Zekrom!"

"I'm not a hero. I'm just a Pokémon trainer," Anna started, before her bag shook. It started glowing, and she took it off and unzipped it. A dark stone rose from the bag, a black aura surrounding it. Blue electricity erupted from the stone, making the two opponents cover their eyes as it expanded.

A roar shook the room as the light dimmed, and in the stone's place stood a towering black dragon, blue outlining dark scales.

"Zekrom," N whispered, awe in his voice, "It's your choice, Anna! You have two options. Challenge me in a fight you can't win or stand down and watch as I bring about a new world where Pokémon are free of people!" He looked back to the dragon that stood behind him, looking up into slitted blue eyes of Reshiram before fixing his gaze back on Anna. "Show me your Ideals!"

The huge black dragon looked down at the teenage girl, the giant generator in its tail turning a bright blue as electricity arched over its body.

"What kind of Pokémon is that?" asked Newt, speaking for the first time since he saw Pina turn into a Pikachu. He still didn't know what evolving was, but it was clear that it was something that was celebrated, clear from how the girl became so happy. It was more than just Pokémon fighting one another, it was something that created a bond between humans and their world's fantastic animals.

"Zekrom, the Dragon of Ideals," the older Anna shared, watching as memory Anna threw a pokéball to catch the legendary Pokémon, "N was another person born with magic. He was orphaned as a child and raised by Pokémon. His adopted father was the true leader of Team Plasma, who wanted Pokémon only for himself."

The two watched as the memory Anna picked up the sealed Pokéball, the girl removing one of the Pokémon on her belt and replacing it with the ball that held Zekrom.

"I see that Zekrom has accepted you as the Champion of Ideals," N smiled, but it was a sad one, "Now, I will create the future I desire! I shall sweep you before me!" He stepped back to allow Reshiram to get into battle position.

"Zekrom! Help me show him the power of my Ideals!" Anna shouted before releasing the Dragon, the Ultra Ball falling back into her hand.

The ensuring battle was filled with fire and electricity, the memory playing itself out as Newt and the real Anna watched.

The woman noticed that Newt would flinch every time lightening flew past him, then allowed the memory to fade into the end.

Reshiram was exhausted, its pure white body ruffled and baring black streaks of burns. N fell to his knees as he realized he had lost, breathing heavily.

"Everything's ruined. The Truth I held… The dreams Pokémon shared…your Ideals were much stronger than my Truths…twin dragons, choosing two heroes at the same time…is it possible?" N asked, and Anna stepped forward, looking down at the man whose world had been shaken.

The man flinched as the Champion of Ideals held out a hand, a kind smile on her face contrasting with a tired look in her eyes. "I suppose it is. But…I'm not a hero. I'm just a trainer who wants to do the right thing. Stand with me, N. I promise, I'll work to make this world safe for people and Pokémon. Together."

Before N could respond, a loud noise interrupted, an older green haired man in sage robes barging in. "Ghetsis," memory Anna gritted out, and pulled N up as the older man started ranting.

"The true leader of Team Plasma," Anna explained, Newt watching with growing horror as the older man started belittling N, then shouting at the young Anna. The Sage finished with "You can say whatever you want. A Pokémon, even if it's revered as a deity, is still just a Pokémon. Girl, so what if it chose you! That doesn't mean you're a threat. Come on! Now you'll face ME in battle! I can't wait to see the look on your face when you've lost all hope!"

"That's fine with me!" Anna declared, and she tossed the pokéball containing Zekrom into the air, "I'm not holding back!"

The battle that ensued rocked the whole throne room, attacks hitting the sides of the room and blasting giant chunks of stone.

When the last of Ghetsis' Pokémon hit the ground in a dead faint, it started to look like the man's sanity had started to fray, his speech devolving into ranting as he recalled his Hydreigon "What?! I created Team Plasma with my own hands. I'm absolutely perfect! I AM PERFECTION! I am the perfect ruler of a perfect new world!"

The man started to laugh, sounding crazed, "Since I couldn't become the hero and obtain the legendary Pokémon myself... I prepared someone for that purpose—N! He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart. Do you think you're going to get through to a warped person like that?!"

"Oh boy," the real Anna muttered before the memory version of her started yelling in anger. "N's not a freak! He's more human than you are! He's like me!"

Rage filled the girl's voice as she stepped forward, pokéball in hand as she raised her other hand, palm forward.

"Leave us alone, Ghetsis," Anna requested, her anger seemingly fading into nothing as a look of calm spread on her face. "Please. You've done enough."

"Don't talk like a person, you freak!" Ghetsis spat, and he made a motion to advance, "No real person could talk to Pokémon!" N tensed, but Anna made a sweeping motion with her arm.

"I said, leave us alone," she ordered the man sternly, and a bright light shot out of her palm and engulfed Ghetsis, the man disappearing soon after. "It's okay, N. He's gone."

"What did you do to him?" N asked in a soft voice, staring at where his father stood.

"Teleported him somewhere far from here," Anna explained, "He can't hurt you now. You're free to do what you want. This world is much bigger than the one you grew up in, hidden behind these walls until adulthood. Even so, you need to go." The teen glanced at Reshiram, who stared back with calculation in blue eyes. "The police are most likely on their way," she told him, "The other six Sages are being held off with the gym leaders. You're technically a terrorist. I'll do what I can to clear your name."

"Thank you, Anna. You understand…Up till now, we've been fighting each other over our beliefs! Yet, despite that… Why?! I wanted to talk to you about something," N started, a small smile rising, "It's about when I first met you in Nimbasa City. I was shocked when I heard what your Pokémon was saying. I was shocked because that Pokémon said it liked you. It wanted to be with you. I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe there were Pokémon that liked people. Because, up until that moment, I'd never known a Pokémon like that. The longer my journey continued, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokémon and people who communicated with one another and helped one another. That was why I needed to confirm my beliefs by battling with you. I wanted to confront you. I needed that more than anything." N sighed, and then shook his head.

"There's no way a person like me, someone who understands only Pokémon—No, actually… I didn't understand them, either. No way could I measure up to you, when you had met so many Pokémon and were surrounded by people who cared about you…The Champion has forgiven me, and… What I should do now is something I'll have to decide for myself." It looked like memory Anna knew what was coming, so she raised her arms in a welcoming manner.

"I'll miss you, N," the trainer said as N hesitated before taking the younger girl in a hug, "These last couple of months…they were amazing. You're the first person I found that also have our powers. What we have is called magic. It's a gift only few have. I was very lucky to even become your friend." Anna let go of N, stepping back.

"Go out there and learn. Learn more about your Truths, not the false Truths that Ghetsis has been feeding you for years. Maybe one day…one day, we'll meet at Nimbasa City and ride the Ferris Wheel again."

N nodded, walking to Reshiram and feeding the dragon a Sitrus berry.

"Let's go, Reshiram. We'll go see the sunrise. Goodbye, Anna." The dragon reared up, allowing the green haired boy to climb onto it. A moment passed, the boy glancing back at Anna. They smiled at each other, and both N and Reshiram vanished outside the throne room, flying into the night.

The memory faded, and the world came into color again, the sounds of the Pokémon in the basement almost too much noise. Essie was now exhausted, napping as soon as the visions ended.

"Champion of Ideals?" Newt asked, and Anna nodded. "Yeah. But I meant what I said, back then. I'm not a hero. I'm just a regular magic wielding Pokémon trainer," she shrugged, "I never needed power. At least, I don't gather power for myself. All I ever wanted was the power to protect my Pokémon, no matter the cost."

Her aura reflected her true feelings, and even as a non-Aura user like Newt could feel it. Her whole posture was filled with exhaustion, even as her callused hands petted Essie's fur.

"I think you're amazing," he told her, earnest as ever, and the woman gave a small smile.

"People used to call me a lot of things," she said, "The Pokémon Whisperer. The Beast Tamer. The Hero of Ideals, the Dragon Trainer. The truth is, I'm not any of that. These Pokémon I have…I protect them, and they protect me. They're my friends, my confidants."

Heavy wingbeats could be heard from above, and they looked up to see a huge bird fly towards them. Gusts of air from its wings ruffled both wizard's hair, and Anna stood up.

"Hello, Brian," she said, meeting the great bird's eyes. Newt slowly stood, wary of the majestic bird. "This is my friend. Newton Scamander." The trainer bowed, her eyes trailing from the Braviary's eyes to the ground. "I respect him greatly." Anna made a motion for Newt to mimic her, and he bowed too.

"Brian is a Braviary," the trainer explained, before raising a hand to the Pokémon's cheek. He blinked before leaning in, allowing her to pet his feathers. "Brave, proud, and loyal to a fault. I guess that would be a descriptor of Gryffindor." She smiled at the wizard and clicked her tongue at Brian.

The large bird drew back, before lowering his head, wings spreading as he lowered his body.

"Come on, Newt," she encouraged as she went to mount the bird Pokémon, both her and Brian looking at him expectantly.

"Can he really carry both of us?" asked the magizoologist, looking over the Braviary with some doubt in his aura.

"He's strong enough to lift a car up, Newt, we'll be fine," she reassured the man confidently. Brian screeched, and it was clear his patience was starting to fade. Without another thought, Newt climbed onto the bird, situating himself behind Anna because he was taller.

Anna patted the Braviary's neck when the man settled in. Within moments, the Pokémon beat his wings, and they were in flight. Wind ruffled their hair as the Pokémon soared through the artificially created sky, rising quickly in altitude. With every wingbeat, they flew faster, going in vague circles. Minutes passed, and the Braviary descended back onto the grass, lowering to let the two humans off. When their feet hit the ground, the Pokémon flew off, presumably to go back to his nest

"Wow. I haven't…flying's incredible," Newt said, struggling for words with his hair wild and cheeks flushed from the exhilaration of flying. "That was great."

The trainer gaped and then closed her mouth, looking away, a flush not from flying blooming. "Um, that's good. Good you liked it?" she fidgeted, realizing that maybe she liked him more than she should. Then she made an exaggerated glance at her watch, looking at it before glancing back at Newt.

"Well, will you look at the time! It's well into supper, you should probably go," she squeaked, false cheeriness pushed into her voice.

"Uh, okay," Newt said, taken aback by Anna's sudden insistence that he'd leave.

"Yeah, I didn't notice how much time passed, but it's getting late," the Trainer babbled before taking slightly jerky movements towards the exit of the basement. She had no idea how to react on r…r…romantic feelings, especially to people. Oh, Arceus, save her, her face was going to melt off, "I doubt you'd want to see a pack of Mightyena stalk a flock of sheep, because it's not a pretty sight."

"On the contrary, I'd love to," Newt disagreed, and the Trainer froze. She breathed deeply to get rid of her panic, forcing her body to relax and her aura to calm.

"Really? Well then, I'll feed them right now," she then dug into one of her pants pockets to find a dog whistle and blew it. Within moments various dog and wolf like Pokémon crawled out of their dens and hideouts, all eager to be fed.

"Alright guys, time for dinner!" she called out to the hungry masses. Anna summoned her wand and pointed it towards the enclosure next to the shed, and the gate opened.

Feeding was full of growls, yips and splatters of blood, the hungry Pokémon ripping into their prey. It was a very gory scene, one that Anna knew well.

"They eat live prey, then?" Newt asked as Anna dug into the dirt with a shovel to make a hole for the left over corpses.

"Depends," she tossed another shovel full of dirt, "Pokémon can eat a whole variety of foods. Canine Pokémon can eat things like berries and some human food, but they prefer raw meat. I don't think much of it." She wished to be clean, and the dirt and remaining sheep blood disappeared from her hands. Job done, she stretched while Vanishing the shovel back into the shed.

"Right," she said cheerily, "You really should be getting home. It's pushing 8." Newt pulled out his pocket watch, agreeing with the trainer.

"Yeah. I'm almost sorry for leaving," he lamented, throwing a gaze back at the forest while the two made their way towards the entrance of the basement.

"I've never brought another human down here," Anna confessed, "These last couple of months have been used with reading and training. I never did tell you about evolutions."

"Pina was that small yellow Pokémon, right?" the man asked, the memory of Pina turning from a Pichu to a Pikachu.

"Yes. In my world, Pokémon go through what we call evolutionary stages. Most Pokémon are from an evolution branch, but there's others that don't have that cycle. It's why we train Pokémon, after all. Trainers are meant to guide their Pokémon to get stronger, and that usually brings evolving," Anna explained, "Some Pokémon evolve when they get stronger. Others need a certain stone or certain conditions met before they can. Pikachu need to be evolved with a Thunderstone to become a Raichu. A Riolu evolves into a Lucario with a high friendship during the day. Things like that."

Soon enough they were back into the main house, Anna picking at a loose thread in her shirt. A look into the living room made Newt stop short. A young boy was sitting on the couch, Newt's coat sitting on his lap. He had dark hair and teal eyes, a slight smile on his face. He was wearing simple clothes, both purple.

"Zack, why are you up here?" Anna asked sharply, striding to the child. "I thought I told you to stay downstairs!"

"Anna, who is?" asked Newt before the boy sat up, leaving the coat on the couch.

"I got bored," the boy said, before washing in blue light. Instead of a boy, there was a small fox like creature, who snickered loudly.

"Don't worry about him," Anna sighed, taking the Pokémon into her arms, "He's a Zorua. They can transform into other Pokémon and people. Zack, you can't just roam around the house, you know that." Zachary whined, wiggling to get out of his warm prison.

"Most Zorua are unable to speak if they turn into children, but he likes getting on my nerves even without telepathy," she scolded the fox while petting him. Anna went to the basement door and pushed the Pokémon through the flap, then standing back while raising her wand to seal it off.

"Honestly, that child," she grumbled to herself before remembering that Newt was still there. The trainer froze before returning to his side. "Sorry about that. He's a mischievous one," she laughed, embarrassed. "He usually stays at the bookshop so I can keep an eye on him."

"Bookshop?" asked Newt, coat already on in the time Anna had escorted the Pokémon back into the basement.

"Yep! After the hospital I did a bit of exploring in your world to see how it stacked up to mine. Then I landed here," Anna waved a hand towards the kitchen to take whatever was on the table to put it in the sink.

"I had to sell a lot of my gold nuggets and pearls to get this place. But it did help I filched some stuff from my Murkrow's nest. And then I used it to buy this bookshop in Knockturn Alley. Then I was studying night and day in between customers and got an apparition license in your Ministry. I looked through every bit of magic in that store," Anna shrugged, flapping a hand in a circular motion.

"Wouldn't that be mostly dark magic?" asked Newt. He wasn't foolish enough to equate dark magic to forbidden magic, just as he knew light magic wasn't the equivalent to 'good' magic. It would be interesting to know how someone who didn't grow up with the prejudices that were born here.

"So what? Magic's magic. Its…it's wonderful, what the humans of this world was able to come up with. Back home, most of the magic I used was through wishes. Like, I'd wish for things, and sometimes what I was looking for appeared, sometimes another thing entirely. There weren't spells or runes or potions like here. Mostly just faith. Faith in your own abilities." Anna smiled, although it looked like she was looking at something distant.

"In my world, technology was far, far more advanced than what you have here. A hundred years before I was born, humans had reached the moon!" she mimicked an explosion with her hands, "But it wasn't always good. There were bad things, too. But…the thing about human beings is that they are so resilient. They invent things to make up what they lack. There were also bad things people did with technology. The Teams that ran rampant in my world. Pokémon hunters and poachers…they used technology to make money, trap Pokémon to be bought and used."

Tears started to bead at the Trainer's eyes as she remembered busting into Team Rocket's warehouses in Johto, rescuing Pokémon forcibly taken from trainers from poachers, and Pokémon used to fight to the death and used to exhaustion.

"I made it my life's goal to protect any Pokémon in need. There's nothing I wouldn't do for them. So I view magic like I do technology. It's up to how you choose to use them, because life is ours to choose. Not all Light is good, and not all Darkness is evil. And whoever thinks in black and white…I pity them. Because the world's full of colors we don't have the words for."

Any trace of shyness was gone, Anna focusing on her little speech. Her eyes shone with determination, multiple emotions running through them as her voice lowered and heightened. "So…yeah. I don't care if its Light or Dark magic. It's just magic. It just is. Like life. You could choose to do good things. You can also choose to do bad things. Choice is one of life's greatest gifts."

By the end, Anna had gotten closer to the magizoologist, catching his eyes as she voiced her conviction. All at one, she realized how close she had been, and stepped back, waving a hand so the locks on her front door clicked open.

"It was lovely having you here," she said sincerely, "My shop's called 'Adam's Folly.' You can come any time." She made him hurry out before nearly slamming the door, sharply inhaling.

What a strange turn of events.


End note:Since this chapter is massive, I won't be updating straight away