AN: If it's not obvious, I don't own Harry Potter or Pokemon, that's why I post on a fanfiction website
Chapter Five
A Painful Lesson
"Pikachu!"
Ash Ketchem ran forward and scooped up his injured Pokemon, forfeiting the official match.
"Come back when you're stronger!"
Ash looked up at the man he challenged. He had dark skin and squinty eyes and his black hair spiked in different directions. He was clad in an orange shirt, a green vest with many pockets and pouches, and a pair of dark brown jeans. This was the Gym Leader of Pewter City, Brock the Rock.
Ash stood, cradling Pikachu in his arms. "I'll be back! I'll make Pikachu stronger than your Rock types in just two days!" He turned around and ran to the Pokemon Center never hearing Misty's pained groan.
000 0000 000
"We're here!"
Harry grinned at Leaf's endless enthusiasm.
"Hey!" said Harry suddenly. "that's Ash!"
Leaf followed Harry's line of sight and saw her childhood friend sprinting towards the Pokemon Center, his red and white vest was open and whipping behind him in a slipstream and he carried Pikachu in his arms.
"What's he done now?" sighed the brunette.
"And there's Misty."
Leaf looked to her right to see the red-haired girl they had fought alongside in Viridian City staring at Ash's retreating back, compassion and annoyance warring for dominance on her face.
"Hey," waved Harry as they approached the water trainer at a jog, "Misty!"
Misty turned to them and recognition flared in her eyes.
"Hi, guys. I was wondering where you went; you had me worried when the police couldn't find you in the Underground."
Harry waved off her comment and shrugged.
"We didn't really stick around," said Leaf, "we didn't want our parents called in, you know?"
Misty nodded, in commiseration.
"So, what happened with Ash?" asked Harry. "We saw him running to the Pokemon Center"
The annoyance that had faded during the course of their conversation flared up again.
"Oh, that idiot tried to use Pikachu against the Gym Leader's Rock types."
"What!" gasped Leaf. "Did he even teach his Pikachu any Steel type moves like Iron Tail?"
"No!" Misty sighed angrily. "That idiot got his Pokemon hurt because he didn't use his head, and then he yelled something about making Pikachu stronger than the Gym's Pokemon in two days!"
"What?" said Harry. "doesn't he know Rock and Ground types are strong against or completely immune to electricity?"
Misty shook her head.
"Who knows what goes on between that boy's ears..."
Misty sighed and shook her head.
"So, what's new with you?"
"We spent a few days at my family cottage in the forest resting after Viridian."
Misty nodded and looked over Harry's shoulder.
"It was good seeing you two, but I'm going to try to talk some sense into Ash. I'll let him borrow a water Pokemon, I don't think he'll say no to such a definite advantage. Are you two going to stay in town for a while?"
"Yeah," said Leaf, "we talked on the walk from the forest, and we'll take today to sure up our party with a little training and then we'll challenge the gym tomorrow." She looked at Harry who nodded. "And we'll stay to watch Ash's match, as well."
Misty smiled.
"Then I'll see you two later. Why don't we all head out to dinner? I'll tell Ash?"
Harry and Leaf smiled and voice their agreement. Shortly after, Misty left Harry and Leaf to their own devices.
"So, I was thinking that we should split up and do some independent training, meet at the Center in a few hours." said Leaf.
Harry cocked and eyebrow.
"After all the guff you gave me over training alone you want to do the same thing?"
"Oh, Harry," said Leaf as though the boy wizard was a three year old who had said the Earth was flat. "This is completely different; when you went off on your own you didn't tell anyone, so I couldn't train as well. Doing it this way means that we can both improve at the same time. Understand?"
Harry didn't but he nodded as though he did.
000 0000 000
Leaf exited the town through the east gate leading to the plains of Route Three. Some kid had tried to stop her from leaving until she had a gym badge, but she had quickly trounced him in a battle and gone on her way.
It had quickly turned from a sunny morning to a brisk day, leaving Leaf wishing she had kept her jacket with her instead of depositing it in the room she and Harry had rented. Rubbing her arms to stave off a chill, she left the beaten path in search of more people to battle and Pokemon to catch.
Roughly twenty minutes later, she had found a sleeping Flying type that her Pokedex Identified as 'Pidgey.' Knowing that it wouldn't be right to catch a Pokemon that she hadn't defeated, she went on her way. Eventually finding a trail of sleeping Pokemon consisting of several Ratata and even more Pidgey's.
Following the odd path, she found a bunch of bushes that had been set up to look like a human concert hall. Curious, she drew Nico's Pokeball and ventured forth.
She parted the hedges and found a pink, round, Pokemon with big blue eyes, and cat ears. It had a curly shock of pale pink hair on it's head and stubby arms along with large, floppy feet.
She brandished her Pokedex which dinged.
Jigglypuff (M):
The Balloon Uses it's alluring eyes to enrapture it's foe. It then sings a pleasing melody that lulls it's foe to sleep.
Leaf grinned to herself, she was sure that a Pokemon that could put anything to sleep would be a perfect addition to her team.
"Go, Nico!" She threw her Pokeball. "Double Kick!"
The Nidoran burst from his capsule and immediately launched into a powerful kick headed for Jigglypuff's face and the Balloon Pokemon dodged to the side before aiming a punch at Nidoran's left flank.
"Jump, Nico! Then counter with Poison Sting!"
Nidoran quickly twisted and took a passing blow to his hind leg but finished his turn and jabbed at the Balloon Pokemon, venom dripping from his horn.
Jigglypuff's Pound attack had made him to over extend himself and he was hit with the poisonous horn under his arm, finally knocking him over. Jigglpuff lay on the ground, trying to move despite the poison coursing through his veins and was hit with a tossed Pokeball.
The ball wiggled three times before it went still.
"Yes!" Exclaimed Leaf, punching her hands into the air while jumping. Landing, she dropped to her knees and hugged Nidoran, being careful not to touch his horns and making the Poison Pin Pokemon blush slightly at his expressive trainer. "You were great!" said Leaf into Nidoran's ear. "Why don't you take a rest? We have to meet Harry, Misty, and Ash for dinner."
She tapped the flushed Pokemon with his Pokeball and sucked him inside. Standing, she skipped to her newest Pokemon and plucked his capsule from the ground. Holding it under her Pokedex, she checked his moves and profile.
Nodding to herself, she put Jigglypuff's ball into her bag and headed back to Pewter.
000 0000 000
Harry and Leaf entered the restaurant a few minutes early. The boy wizard wore a pair of snug, black pants, a silver tee-shirt with the phrase: 'It's Magic!' scrawled across it, and his Pokeball belt. His wand was tucked away in an expanded pocket and he had a pair of dark purple shoes with black stripes. His black hair was as messy as ever and his glasses glinted in the overhead lighting. He wore a shiny watch on his wrist.
Leaf had on a dark green tanktop, a pair of tan short shorts, and pale blue socks. Her shoes were white and red and she had put her long chestnut brown hair into a ponytail that was held together with a green scrunchi. Her three Pokeballs were minimized and strapped to her left wristband.
The two new trainers heard a feminine voice to their left.
"Hey, Harry! Leaf!"
Turning their heads, they grinned. Misty sat at a corner table with a surly looking Ash waving at them.
The Water trainer wore a closed yellow vest that was short enough to show off her flat, slightly toned tummy, black short shorts and wristbands. She had knee length black boots and a yellow belt hanging off her hips with three Pokeballs attached via a strong magnetic strip. Her reddish orange hair was loose and seemed to naturally curl underneath her ears like a sort-of bobcut.
Ash wore a white tee-shirt tucked into light blue pants. He had open blue vest with black collar and sleeves and a black strap of cloth tied around his upper left leg. His now signature red and white hat was sitting on the table next to him; apparently, Misty had seen fit to scold and nag him into taking it off in the nice restaurant.
Pikachu sat at Ash's corner looking supremely confident.
Harry and Leaf walked to the table and took their seats at the square table, Leaf across from Misty and Harry parallel to Ash.
The quartet made small talk (Ash, a little sullenly) while they ordered their food and and waited
"So," said Misty, eating the first bite of her dinner, "How was your training, Leaf, Harry?"
Ash perked up as Leaf's grin widened.
"Really good! I caught a new Pokemon today. He should be able to help me beat the Gym tomorrow!"
Misty turned to Harry.
"Pretty good," said the wizard in hiding with a shrug. "All of my Pokemon know a move that can either bypass Brock's Rock types' defense or cut straight through it."
"Be careful," warned Ash, shaking his head, "Brock's pretty tough," he looked at Pikachu mournfully, "he beat my Pokemon easily."
Misty snorted.
"Yeah, but you forget one thing, Ash. These two are actually good at Pokemon battles."
"Oh yeah?" growled Ash, his hands clenching the sides of the table. "Well listen to this: All day we've been working to strengthen Pikachu's attacks!" The Electric Mouse perked up. "The day after tomorrow we'll sweep that Gym!"
Sparks flew from Pikachu's cheeks in agreement
Harry couldn't stand it anymore and he stood up.
"You idiot!" snarled Harry.
The restaurant went silent and Ash also stood and glared into Harry's face.
"What did you call me?"
"You're an idiot! It doesn't matter how much you strengthen Pikachu's electric attacks because Brock's Rock and Ground Types are all resistant or immune to electricity! You'll be doing nothing but getting your Pikachu hurt if you continue to challenge Brock with him!"
Ash's face went an ugly puce color as both Misty and Leaf looked at their respective traveling partners in concern.
"Use your head, Ash! What Pokemon do you have that can damage a rock?"
Ash said nothing and Harry/Alpha grabbed his shirt and growled, "Pokemon battle, you and me, right now!" Harry cracked his neck and was able to assert more control over his animal instincts when Leaf gently placed a hand on his shoulder.
Ash shook himself from Harry's loosened grasp and put his hat on backwards. He pulled a Pokeball as Pikachu jumped to his shoulder.
"Gentlemen, please!"
The occupants of Harry's table turned and looked at a short man in a black suit.
"If you must fight, then please head to the arena!" gasped the man.
"Wait," said Leaf, rubbing her temples, "You're not kicking us out?"
"Of course not," chuckled the man, "this is my restaurant: the Battle Cafe!"
The man snapped his fingers and stadium lighting illuminated a space that had been hidden in shadows, throwing an indoor arena into sharp relief. The arena was rectangular in shape and seemed to match the outside conditions with lots of hard packed dirt and rocks of varying size littering the battleground.
"Fine!" snarled Ash. "Three Pokemon each! First to have all Pokemon lose consciousness loses! We start in ten minutes!"
Harry and Ash grasped hands and squeezed, sealing the challenge, before separating and walking to their Trainer Areas, their respective traveling companion trailing after them after exchanging a commiserating glance.
000 0000 000
At Harry's side, the boy wizard paced, trying to calm himself down. Ash was just going to get his Pokemon hurt if he didn't start fighting with his head.
"Well," thought Harry with a inward snarl to match his animagus form, "if he won't listen to words then I'll just have to teach him in a battle!"
"Harry..." murmured Leaf, stepping close to him and grasping his shoulders. "Calm down," she said firmly. "We don't want Alpha to make an appearance, do we?"
And just like that, Harry stilled and flashed his best friend a gentle smile, alleviating her worries.
"The challenge has been set!"
Leaf turned to the arena.
"Come on, Harry. It's time to fight!"
000 0000 000
"The challenge has been set!" announced a tall man with brown hair. He looked very official wearing a black and white striped shirt with black pants. He had a whistle around his neck and two flags, one in each hand.
The few people who had not been paying attention all shifted in their seats and turned towards the arena in the middle of the restaurant.
"The challengers will now identify themselves!"
Both boys snapped to attention.
"Ash Ketchem of Pallet Town!"
"Harry Potter of the Viridian Forest!"
"The challenge is thus! Three Pokemon each! The first to make all the opponents Pokemon unable to battle is the winner!" He held up his flags. "And now, we start!" He swished his flags downwards and the combatants threw their first Pokeballs,
"Go! Butterfree!"
"Cendio! I summon you!"
Bug and Fire type stared each other down, waiting for a command while both trainer's listened to the Pokedex data for their opponents.
"Butterfree, use Gust!"
"Ember, Cen!"
Butterfree flapped his wings and kicked up a tornado of wind which picked up pebbles and dust and whipped them at the Lizard Pokemon. The flame on Cendio's tail doubled in size and he snapped it at Butterfree, sending a swirling tongue of fire at the Bug type.
"Dodge, Butterfree!"
But it was no good; Cendio's attack cut through the whirlwind of dusty pebbles and slammed into Butterfree's midsection before dispersing. Despite being the weakest of the direct fire attacks, it dropped the Flying/Bug type to the ground where it rolled around for a few minutes, suffering from a burn before it passed out.
"Butterfree is unable to battle, Charmander is the victor! The score is 1-0 in favor of the challenger, Harry Potter!"
Ash growled and recalled his Pokemon while Harry did the same, sans growling but with more praise.
"That's why you need to pay attention to your opponent's type!" shouted Harry. "Once you saw that I was using a Fire type, you should've switched to a Pokemon who's type was strong against my Charmander! If you didn't have a Water type on your team then you should've switched to a Pokemon who was neither strong nor weak against Fire! Always think about type, it should always influence which Pokemon you use!"
"C'mon Pikachu," growled Ash. "You're up!"
"Pika!"
The mouse-like Pokemon ran forward, electric streamers discharging from the red pouches on his cheeks.
"Let's do it, Rasta!"
Harry threw the Grass type's Pokeball, summoning it to the field of battle.
"Use Thundershock! Full power!"
"Extend two vines and turn it back!"
As the bolt of glowing, yellow electricity zeroed in on Tangela, the Vine Pokemon deployed two of of it's easily replaceable limbs in the shape of a capital, 'U'. One Vine caught the surge of electricity and the crowd watched, stunned, as the attack traveled along it's resistant body and burst out of the second vine, smashing back into Pikachu's face and sending him reeling.
"Follow it up with Vine Whip, Rasta!"
The same attack that had nearly brought down Cendio despite the type disadvantage lashed Pikachu across the stomach, doubling the mouse over in pain before a second vine struck the yellow rodent in the back of the head, smashing him into the ground with a fleshy smack and knocking the Pikachu out.
The ref took a moment to recover.
"Pi-Pikachu is unable to battle, Tangela is the winner! The score is 2-0 in favor of the challenger, Harry Potter!"
Ash ran forward and scooped Pikachu into his arms before jogging back to his Trainer Area. Carefully handing Pikachu to Misty, he watched, worried, as she administered a potion, rousing the Electric Mouse enough to confirm that he would be alright.
Ash cupped Pikachu's cheek and turned back to the arena.
"Ash, what are you doing?" said Misty desperately. "Stop this."
Ash shook his head resolutely and readied his last Pokeball.
"Remember, Ash," began Harry, shouting over the rowdy crowd, "that you don't always have to attack directly. If you can divert an enemy's attack, then do so! If you can use the environment against your opponent, then you should!"
Ash growled.
"It's up to you, Pidgeotto!"
Harry recalled his Tangela and praised him for a moment before deploying his Gastly.
"Let's do it, Zeru!"
Again, the Trainers listened to the Pokedex data before Ash led the battle.
"Quick Attack, Pidgeotto!"
"Phase out, Zeru, and counter with Hypnosis!"
The dual Flying/Normal type passed straight through the Ghost type fast enough to leave after images. Turning around, Zeru's eyes widened and the Gastly put the bird to sleep before Pidgeotto had the chance to slow down. The Flying type slammed into the ground and rolled, arse over teakettle, for a moment, before it stopped and lay, quite still, in the shadow of a boulder.
The Ref waited for a few seconds to see if Pidgeotto would wake before he raised a flag in Harry's direction.
"Pidgeotto is unable to battle, Gastly is the winner! The score is 3-0 in favor of the challenger!Harry Potter wins!"
Both Harry and Ash recalled their Pokemon before Harry slowly approached the Trainer from Pallet.
"I really was trying to help you, Ash." said Harry as he neared. "You can be a good Trainer if you fight with your heart but you can only be a great Master if you combine your instinct with your head." He was right next to Ash when he whispered: "You're not the one who suffers for your mistakes. If you keep failing, your Pokemon will lose faith in you! Sometimes, retreat is the better part of valor! Keep learning and take what I said seriously."
Ash grabbed Pikachu and roughly shouldered passed Harry before he ran for the exit and, for the second time that day, the Pokemon Center.
Misty stormed up to Harry, angry tears in her eyes. She pulled her hand back and slapped him full in the face, leaving a sharp ringing in his ears and a sting on his reddened cheek.
"What the Hell is wrong with you!" raged Misty.
Harry rubbed his swelling cheek before dropping his hand.
"He needed to learn," Harry said simply, "and it's better to learn those lessons early before bad habits form."
"And what gives you the right?" snarled the red head. "Huh?"
When Harry didn't answer, she stormed after her obviously upset friend.
"Harry!"
The boy turned at the voice and saw an obviously distraught Leaf running for him. Facing away from her, he exited the restaurant, scanned for looker's on, and turned into Alpha. Under the stars and moonlight, he ran to Route Three, feeling the wind in his fur.
000 0000 000
Leaf slammed the door to the Battle Cafe open and looked around; the streets seemed to be deserted. Straining her ears, she heard nothing. Sighing, she looked to the dusty ground and her eyes widened; footprints! She could see where a pair of human shoe imprints ended and a pair of canine pawprints began in a seamless transition.
Grinning to herself, she took off at speed, determined to reach her distraught friend.
000 0000 000
The doors to the Pokemon Center dinged and slid open, allowing a sweaty and panting red haired girl entrance. She saw Ash sitting on a bench in front of the doors to the ICU; he looked both depressed and pensive with his face to the floor while his hands were clenched into fists on his knees.
Misty cautiously approached and sat next to him and, for a while, neither spoke. For ten minutes, the silence stretched on until Ash spoke in a monotone.
"Nurse Joy says that all my Pokemon will be alright."
Misty smiled half-heartedly.
"That's grea-"
"-Apparently, Harry went easy on me. Joy said that the damage was severe enough to hurt them but not to do any permanent damage. He could've done worse, really pounded me into the dust, but it's like he said; he only wanted to teach me a lesson, he did it for my own good."
Ash shook his shaggy head and whipped his hat off so he could grab at his hair.
"It's made me think! I mean, what if it had happened away from a Pokemon Center? Or the other Trainer didn't hold back like him?"
The Water trainer put a tentative hand on Ash's arm.
"This is what you've been telling me all along, isn't it?"
Misty made a confused noise.
"That if I didn't use my head, my Pokemon would get hurt. Well it happened."
"Oh, Ash..." the petite girl's resolve broke and she pulled the black haired boy into a consoling hug.
000 0000 000
Leaf followed the pawprints well into the night, passing through a field of lush vegetation and entering a small, privately owned wood. Trailing the pawprints, she heard a babbling brook that would've been louder but for the mournful howling drowning it out. It was the kind of noise that reverberates in someone's ribcage and brings tears to the eyes with it's utter melancholy.
Sniffling a bit, she followed the noise until she came upon a clearing in the foliage. Leaf gasped, Harry had found a beautiful spot to brood; he was sitting on his haunches on a small cliff overlooking a pristine lake. His soulful croon had called several types of Pokemon out of the surrounding darkness.
Slowly, Leaf shuffled to Harry's sprawled form and, when he didn't react to her presence, she sat beside him and waited. It was only a few minutes later when Harry's howling ceased and he shakily turned back into his human form.
"Harry," said Leaf quietly, not wanting to break the solitude between them. "What was that all about?"
Harry sighed and adjusted his position so he could rest his weary head on his bent knees. There was another silence while Leaf patiently waited for her answer.
"You know how my parents and I came here while fleeing from a war?"
The girl nodded.
"They trained me from a very young age to fight for my life should the Dark Lord ever find out where I am. Everything I said to Ash is true for dueling. Y'know, magical combat. A fire spell can be countered with a water spell or blocked or reflected with the correct shield. You should use the environment to your advantage -this is especially true for Transfiguration Masters like my father who can turn their surroundings against an opponent. If a wizard can't recover an advantage then we retreat until we can come up with a strategy -and believe me when I say that we wizards have many ways to run away and hide."
He took a deep breath.
"It was so easy to adjust those guidelines and many others to suit Pokemon battles that, when I heard how stupid Ash was being, I went a little berserk. That kid was going to get his Pokemon hurt or worse because he didn't use his brain to make the obvious choices."
The boy shook his head like a dog who wanted to dry off, locks of raven hair flying around madly.
"And I know I'm being obtuse and that he hasn't had anywhere near the amount of training I've had but it just irked me that he was being so half-assed with his Pokemon's well being that..." Harry let out a frustrated sigh. "Look, I've always thought that a having a team of Pokemon would be a huge responsibility. A decision that shouldn't be made lightly, something that needs to be prepared for, not rushed into blindly... People call you a Trainer but what you really are is a Commander or a Drill Sergeant for a platoon of soldiers..."
"Harry," said Leaf, a hitch in her voice, "Pokemon aren't soldiers, mercenaries, or tools for war. First and foremost they are our friends."
A Ratata scurried up to Harry with a berry in it's mouth and the boy wizard pat it on the head when it started eating next to him, it's tiny, purple face contorted in ecstasy at the sweet taste.
"I know," said the boy wizard, smiling slightly at the little Pokemon. "I think of all my Pokemon as my friends but that really only makes it worse. I want them to be the very best they can be because I can only see fire and destruction in my future. They need to be ready, be prepared. Whether or not Voldemort does indeed show up or I get to look for other magicals without interference doesn't really matter. There will always be conflict and I'll be a part of it."
Harry stared into the starry sky, his eyes looking vacant and glassy.
"It's just who I am, because I can't stand to let people with dark intentions advance their plots. In the long run, true peace happens so rarely and it must be protected with everything we have... Some of the stories my mum and dad have told me or what I've read in articles clipped from old newspapers about the last war used to give me nightmares but now I use them as motivation; As long as I breath I'll fight to keep the same from happening here. To this beautiful world."
Leaf was blinking tears out of her eyes at the end of Harry's speech.
"Then we better make the best of what peace we have," said Leaf, fighting to keep her voice steady. She leaned in and hugged Harry to her chest and together they watched the night sky until they fell asleep sometime after midnight, cuddled together with small smiles on their faces.
000 Chapter End 000
Author's Note: Haha. Talk about a curbstomp battle, huh? Leave your thoughts in a review, please.
Author's Note, the Second: This is what happens when you raise your son to be a soldier/survivor beginning at the tender age of four, he becomes a major pessimist.
Author's Note, the Third: I don't want people thinking Harry's unbeatable or a genius or anything because of his training. He's just a kid who made a few logical connections between Magical Dueling and Pokemon Battles. He's far from perfect.
New Pokemon:
Name: Jigglypuff
Species: Balloon Pokemon
Gender: Male
Type: Normal
Nature: Relaxed
Ability: Friend Guard- Reduces damage done to allies.
Original Trainer: Leaf
Caught on Route Three
Nickname: (?)
Moves known: Sing, Pound, Defense Curl, Wish
Review Please!