HP :Pokemon In Horgwart

The Leaky Cauldron was more crowded than he had ever seen it. Wizards and witches of all ages filled every corner of the inn.

 Some were crisscrossing on the stairs, and Magnus guessed that the accommodations had to be fully booked as well.

The voices of too many people talking all at once made it sound like the buzzing of bees.

He momentarily paused at the entrance, craning his neck to get a better look at the bustling scene. The usual cozy charm of the place that he had seen in the films was still there, though it was now dulled by the constant movements as diners left seats and others rushed to take them almost immediately.

Magnus could see the reason for the rush.

There were too many tables and seats—way more than usual. He guessed they had to add seating to cater to the surge in numbers.

'What's got everyone so riled up?' Magnus wondered.

Was it a holiday he didn't know about? A special event? The thought flitted through his mind, but hunger quickly pushed it aside.

Finally, he spotted an empty stool at the far end of the counter and hurried over before someone else could claim it.

He actually had to shoulder aside another bloke to reach it first, but he hardly stopped to apologize.

He plopped down with a sigh of relief and waved over the guy behind the counter.

 Of course, he knew Tom, the old barkeep.

Magnus felt a little rude for summoning the old guy rather than heading there himself to make his order.

Tom, however, did not appear to give him much attention.

Magnus felt his previous consideration give way to frustration.

Wouldn't it have been easier if the old chap had gotten extra help, even just for today? Magnus thought. I mean, such a crowd could hardly be a flash mob. Whatever the event is, it must have been something he could have foreseen.

'At this rate, it'll be forever before I'm served' .

"What'll it be, boy?"

Magnus turned at the sound of an icy voice behind him.

It was the man he had shouldered aside.

Magnus immediately realized he had mistaken him for a competing customer.

"Oh... sorry," he said, a bit embarrassed, though he thought the cold tone wasn't quite necessary.

Everyone was in a rush here. But then, a sorry never killed anybody.

The apology clearly smoothed things over, as was evident from the transformation on the guy's face.

"No, don't mention it. Your order?" His voice was much friendlier now compared to the previous icy tone, though there was still a sense of urgency.

Magnus hastened to place his order.

"A beef and potato stew, and whatever dessert you've got left."

"That'll be eight Sickles."

Magnus hesitated.

Paying before eating wasn't how the modern world worked, but then this wasn't the modern world. Looking at the huge crowd, it actually seemed like a good move.

Charging afterward would be a headache, especially with fewer attendants. He hurriedly fumbled in his pocket and handed over a Galleon.

The man pocketed it and handed him nine Sickles in return.

"Coming right up," he said with a nod before heading to the kitchen.

Magnus leaned back and opened his book, flipping past the introductory pages to the chapters that really mattered:

 Battle strategies.

The artwork was simple but engaging, with diagrams of Pokémon moves countering opponents' attacks.

He couldn't help but grin as he perused it.

The possibilities began to look endless.

In his mind, he could already see himself with his own team. With his knowledge of both worlds, he was bound to be a formidable player.

Unless... unless there were things that didn't work the way he expected them to.

Maybe magic had altered things.

True enough, his fears became a reality as he kept reading.

Apparently, in this Wizarding version of Pokémon battling, a team was made up of only two players.

One was called the Handler. This, as Magnus realized, was the person referred to as the Trainer in the Pokémon world. Aside from the change of name, they did almost the same thing: controlling the Pokémon and calling the attack moves.

He noted that defensive concerns were not part of the Handler's role.

They focused solely on helping the team win through vicious attacks. As for countering opponents' attacks, that role was left for the second player, referred to as the Defender.

This was where it got interesting.

The Defender was allowed to use magic to protect their entire team from the opponent's moves.

However unlike in the Pokémon anime, where attacks were directed at specific Pokémon, here they could just as easily target the entire team.

Magnus immediately saw the danger in this.

Imagine a move like Hydro Pump blasting through humans. Surely even the Ministry had to see the danger in that.

His fears, however, abated slightly as he read on.

All players were required to wear a protective, armor-like vest, which, according to the description, was enchanted to repel mortal blows. Death was out of the question, though injuries, as he soon found out, were part of the game.

He was so engrossed that he almost didn't notice when his stew arrived, steaming hot and smelling heavenly.

He mumbled a quick thanks to the guy, scooping up a spoonful without tearing his eyes away from the page.

He devoured it between paragraphs.

The next chapter explained how points were rewarded.

As he had learned earlier, each team had to have three Pokémon, making for a total of six in a match. Each Pokémon battled an opponent's pokemon in one round, and no Pokémon could battle in two rounds.

There was an exception however.

If a Pokémon was incapacitated and the team was leading, they could substitute another Pokémon, as long as that Pokémon hadn't already won a round.

 This was due to another rule that stated no Pokémon could win more than one round per battle.

A round lasted as long as both Pokémon were standing. It ended when one was knocked out or incapacitated after a round began.

To win a match, a team had to at least win two rounds... even then, all rounds were played to the end unless an opponent forfeited in which case the opponent automatically got the point .

Magnus took another spoonful of the stew and paused to think about what he had just read.

 So, what happens if each team wins one point in the first two rounds, and then a Pokémon gets incapacitated in the last round? I mean, at this point no one was leading, so the rule about being allowed to substitute a Pokémon could not apply.

Before he could ponder further, the clatter of steel on porcelain snapped him out of his thoughts. He looked down at his plate in shock.

it was empty.

How...? He looked around as if expecting to see someone else lurking behind him with a spoon. Did I really finish it that fast?

Both hunger and curiosity had worked side by side, each taking care of its need.

 Magnus stared blankly for a minute, wondering if he'd been Confounded before reluctantly turning to the last part of the book.

Almost immediately, his question was answered.

If both teams were tied and a Pokémon was incapacitated, the team could revive it to finish the round. If they couldn't, they forfeited the round, and the opponent won by forfeit.

The league was made up of twenty teams, and the one with the most points after facing all other teams won the trophy and a prize of a hundred thousand pounds.

The team that won the most trophies over three years would represent England at the International Pokémon Magical Battle League.

Just thinking about the hundred thousand pounds made Magnus dreamy. Fifty thousand pounds each—surely, that was a fortune.

The hum of the crowd had faded into the background until a familiar voice snapped Magnus out of his focus.

"Tell you what, Lee, we will bet you two Galleons on the Manticores' Charizard to win the first round."

There was a dismissive snort, followed by a voice he had come to associate with Quidditch commentary and later on as the host of Potterwatch on the Wizarding Wireless.

"What do you take me for? I can't bet a Knut on the Silver Griffins, not when they have a Gyarados in the first round against a Charizard."

Magnus turned around slowly just to confirm his guess, even though he already knew who he would see.

And when his eyes caught the dual pair of redheads next to a dreadlocked head, his guess was solidified.

It was definitely the Weasley twins and their friend, Lee Jordan.

It was then that Magnus realized something.

Up to now, he hadn't actually understood which timeline he was in.

now seeing the trio, his guess was that they were about to join third year at Hogwarts, which would mean that it would also be the year that Harry joined the school.

As exciting as this information was, it paled in comparison to what he had just heard the three friends discussing.

A live Pokémon Magical Battle?... Why, that was something he would give his last Galleon to witness.

Now, all his attention was focused on the conversation.