Chapter 1: The Boy Who Would Catch'em All

[Little Surrey, 5 Miles of the Coast of the Avalon Region]

In a small house on a short street on the little island of Little Surrey there was a little cupboard. There was nothing overly fantastic about this cupboard and, if examined, it would be found that it was, in fact, quite like any other cupboard in any other home. It was not overly big or small, nor infected with termites, or even made of a strange, foreign wood.

What made this cupboard was so special was what it contained. Most cupboards might have old boxes or Christmas trees wrapped in garbage bags… but only this one held a boy. Harry Potter.

He wasn't a bad boy being punished, despite what his relatives might have believed. Of course, his relatives were not the best judges of characters, though Harry did not know this. All he had known was their rules, and thus assumed he must be bad for breathing too loudly or not leaving enough food for his overweight cousin to indulge in. No one else ever seemed to find it odd that only Harry was punished for such minor transgressions so the boy had come to believe that he must be bad and thus deserved to be shoved away in the cupboard.

Harry had lived on the island of Little Surrey for as long as he had known and during that time he had not a single memory that showed this Uncle Vernon, Aunt Petunia or cousin Dudley were wrong in their assessment of him. They called him bad because his parents had been horrible freaks who had allowed their own stupidity to get them killed. Petunia would tell Harry while he did his chores that his mother, Petunia's sister, had died because she had left Little Surrey and gone to the main land and become involved in freaky, horrible things. Uncle Vernon reasoned that his cruel words and actions were to drive out the influence Harry's DNA had on him.

"Being a freak is in your blood," Vernon had snarled more than once. "If you could just learn to be normal like us I wouldn't have to punish you!"

His punishments usually came when he dared to act 'freaky'. Harry had never really learned what exactly 'freaky' was; only that some of the things that set his uncle off involved using his imagination. He'd learned to be careful when playing with what few toys he had, lest his uncle burst feeling that Harry needed to be 'brought back to reality'.

Dudley, if he were smart enough to actually form an opinion that wasn't merely his own father's words echoed, would have admitted that he didn't know if Harry was bad or not… but he enjoyed bullying his smaller cousin. The overweight boy knew that if it weren't for the boy HE would be the target for the local bullies. Better to bully the smaller boy and thus find common ground with the other boys then be a target.

That was Harry's life: when he wasn't being bullied and abused by the very people that should be protecting him, he was locked away in a small cupboard, forgotten. It could be argued which fate was worst but in the end Harry suffered through both of them.

His Uncle Vernon talked about his genes… if his blood did offer him anything it was the ability to remain sane in a situation that should have driven most children mad.

Harry had always known life like this. He'd known nothing else.

But today, his 11th birthday, everything was about to change… and fate, which seemed to have had its attention on the boy since his birth, decided to take control once more.

~MC~MC~MC~

For a few moments, Harry had thought that the house was falling down on top of him. The great booming that had awoken him rattled the walls and left him looking at the ceiling in fear, waiting for it to collapse and bury him. He placed his small hands on the walls of his cupboard, as if he thought he could brace them, and waited for the end.

But then the banging stopped and silence rang that was more fear-inspiring than the booming rumble. Then the door to the cupboard was opened, blinding him. Harry blinked, his bright green eyes reduced to narrow slits as he tried to shield himself from the light. He brought up one of his arms in an attempt to block the offending light, only to feel meaty fingers wrap around his wrist and yank him from the cupboard.

Harry whipped his head about, trying to figure out just what was going on. He first caught sight of his Aunt, her lean form pressed against the wall, one hand pressed to her chest while the other rubbed against the blue floral wallpaper, as if she were searching for some secret passage. His cousin was still seated on the couch, pressing his body against the cushions, eyes wide in fright. Uncle Vernon was standing near the dining room, his face red like it got when he was berating Harry for being freaky.

But for the first time, Harry did not see rage in his uncle's eyes. Nor was it annoyance, disappointment, frustration or joy (though that was not directed at Harry; joy was reserved to a large rasher of bacon or a good pint). For the first time, Harry saw in his uncle's eyes an emotion the teen knew all too well: fear.

The apparent cause of this emotion was the large man that held his arm in his strong yet surprisingly gentle grasp. Harry had always thought his uncle was the biggest man in the world and Vernon did little to dissuade that belief, what with his constant bragging of how important he was and how he was a 'big fish in a small pond'. But Vernon looked like a tiny compared to the massive man that stood before Harry. His great bushy beard and long curly hair framed his round face, giving him a wild, untamed appearance. His clothing did little to do away with this impression; the giant's coat appeared to be made of 4 different types of jackets, hurriedly patched together to create something that could fit his massive frame. The long trousers he wore were flecked with mud and looking down Harry saw that the man had sullied the clean floor Harry had worked so hard on a few hours ago.

"'arry," the large man said, kneeling down and running his hands along the young boy's shoulders. There was a gentleness to him that seemed such a contrast to his large and frightful size. He looked at Harry with a soft smile, reminding the boy of a dark-haired Father Christmas. "Are ya ok?"

"I… I…" Harry stammered, startled by the tenderness being shown him. He couldn't remember ever being on the receiving end of such care. It had always been Dudley who had been coddled, asked if he was ok and given loving gestures. Never Harry. If the large man hadn't used his name, Harry would have thought the giant had confused him with his nephew.

His lack of speed when it came to answering the question caused the giant to turn on Vernon. "What be the meanin' of this?!" The giant stood up, keeping one large hand draped on Harry's shoulder. "Why was in there?" the man shouted, gesturing wildly at the cupboard. "Look at him… all skin and bones and scared of me! You lot were suppose to take care of 'im! Dumbledore-"

"That old man has no power here," Vernon snapped, his angry words a stark contrast to his nervous licking of his lips. "You… you know the rules!"

"Rules?" the man snapped, squeezing Harry's shoulder. "You speak to me of rules, little man?"

"You will be imprisoned!" Vernon screamed despite his panic. "They'll lock you away, you freak, and put down your little monster!"

A growl rolled through the house.

For the first time Harry looked down and saw that the large man was not the only guest. Vernon had not been left trembling by the large man but by the much smaller creature that stood between the man and Harry's uncle.

It was all at once comical and frightening. Pink like a little girl's toy, yet with the face of a frustrated pit bull, the bipedal canine growled at Vernon, its lower fangs dripping with saliva as it glared at the heavy-set man. Its stubby arms were curled, much like Dudley's when he was preparing to throw a punch, and it bounced on its feet slightly, causing Vernon to flinch every time it looked ready to leap at his throat.

"You… you get out of my house now!" Petunia screeched. "You get going and take that… that thing with you!" The pink dog-thing turned towards her and Petunia stumbled away, moving towards Dudley. Harry watched as his aunt seemed to waffle between moving to stand in front of her precious son or to move behind and use him as a human shield. "You know the rules… that beast is not allowed here!"

The large man lifted up his arm and Harry stared in confusion at the red and white ball the giant held. For a moment Harry thought that he was going to throw the ball at his aunt, but instead the man merely gave Petunia a curt nod.

"Snubbull, return." A beam of red light shot out of the ball, enveloping the pink beast. Harry watched, stunned, as the creature was turned into red energy as well and quickly returned to the ball, which the giant pocketed. "I'd 'oped we could 'ave 'andled this without me 'avin' to do that." He looked down at Harry, giving him a reassuring smile. "Prof. Dumbledore asked me to collect young 'arry… he's of age and it is time for him to begin his training."

Vernon stepped forward, his courage returning with the removal of the strange beast the man had called 'Snubbull'. He wildly gestured at the large man, who merely looked down at him with mild amusement, like an adult might indulge a toddler throwing a temper tantrum. "You listen here… I never wanted the boy but I took him under my roof out of respect for Petunia and her family. We've been working hard to ensure he doesn't turn into a freak like his parents-"

The large man's smile faded and his hand once more went for the red and white ball.

"Take him," Petunia said sternly. "You go with him and see your father's world. You see what he dragged your mother into… and what got him killed. Then you come back here, thankful for all we've given you." She looked down at Harry, disgust clearly written on her features. "But if you for one moment find yourself enjoying what they have to offer… I never want to see your face again."

Harry swallowed, suddenly of two minds. One part of him looked at the large man with his strange pink beast and saw him as a chance to escape a horrible life. The giant had showed him more kindness and respect then Harry had known in his entire time with the Dursleys. On the other… this had been his only home and he feared losing it.

"Come on now, 'arry," the giant said, pressing his large hand against the boy's shoulder blades and pushing him forward. Harry looked towards the cupboard but the large man shook his head. "Come on now…"

Harry nodded, casting a final glance at his relatives before allowing himself to be guided out of the house by the large man.

~MC~MC~MC~

Harry stared at the boat, biting his lip nervously. The large man hadn't said a word since they had left the Dursley's, leaving the boy to silently wonder how his life had so suddenly changed. Just an hour ago he had been in the cupboard, wondering if his aunt and uncle would remember to feed him, and now he was with a strange that commanded a weird pink beast and was directing him to get on a luxury yacht.

"I know ya 'ave a lot of question, 'arry," the large man said gently. "Your aunt and uncle should 'ave told ya about all this but… well… I don't rightly know why they, like everyone on this island are the way they are, but they don't like Pokemon and don't like to talk about'em."

"Pokemon?" Harry asked as the large man led him to a large bench on the yacht's main deck.

The large man settled onto the bench, which groaned in protest. He looked at Harry before slapping his forehead. "Blimey, me mum would twist me ear for such poor manners." The large man held out his hand. "Rubeus 'agrid."

"Harry Potter, but I suppose you know that, Mr. Agrid."

The large man smiled. "Not Agrid… 'agrid."

"Right, Agrid."

"No, Agrid." When the boy blinked in confusion the man scratched his beard, considering his words carefully. "'agrid… like 'arry." The boy smiled slightly, finally getting what HAGRID was getting at. "And ya don't need to call me 'Mister', 'arry. 'agrid will be fine."

Leaning back, Hagrid took out the red and white ball he'd used at the Dursley's, toying with it. The yacht blasted its whistle and began to chug away from the dock. Harry leaned forward, taking a moment to look upon the island that had been his home, before settling back down on the bench. It was hard to believe that he was leaving it behind. It was everything he had wanted and everything he had feared. His dreams of escaping his relatives clashed with the threats his aunt had made about casting him out if he didn't obey her every command. The boy leaned down, grasping his knees and taking several large gasps of air.

Hagrid, oblivious to Harry's internal conflict, held his ball up so the boy could more easily see it. "'arry… Little Surrey is a strange place. It was founded by people that 'ate Pokemon and don't trust'em. Not sure why; ya'd have to ask Prof. Dumbledore, but they don't 'llow 'em on the island, which is why you ain't ever really seen one." Hagrid paused, glancing over at Harry. "Ya don't even know what a Pokemon is, do ya?"

Harry shook his head.

Hagrid slapped his head again. "Sorry, 'arry… just so excited to see ya again that I ain't thinkin' clearly." Hagrid tapped the ball in his hand with his index finger. "This 'ere is a pokeball. We use it to transport Pokemon." Hagrid tossed the ball, which cracked open and sent out glowing red energy which expanded and transformed into the pink little creature. "And this be a Pokemon."

Harry pulled his legs up, eyes wide as the pink beast hurried over to him. It tilted its head to the side, watching him, before leaping up and licking his hand.

"Aw, don't be scared of Snubbull. 'e just be like me: looks all mean and gruff but he's just a sweetie."

"Snubbull!" the Pokemon declared, sitting down next to Harry and rubbing his head against the boy's side. The 11 year old awkwardly reached over and scratched the dog between the ears, earning a murmur of pleasure from him.

"Pokemon are living creatures, just like us, 'arry. 'umans and Pokemon work together. They live together, play together… Pokemon are our partners and we be theirs."

"Really?" Harry said, surprised.

"Really. That's why I find it so strange your relatives are so against Pokemon. They are wonderful creatures."

"How… how many are there?" Harry asked, smiling as Snubbull took a hold of Harry's free hand and began to sniff it.

"Well… don't rightly now. Seems like they are always finding new ones every day. When I was a boy there were a 100 or so but now…" Hagrid scratched his beard. "Now I'd say there are over 500."

"Do they all look like Snubbull?"

Hagrid laughed. "Well, other Snubbulls do, of course. There are lots of Snubbulls." Hagrid's Pokemon glowered for a moment and the large man smiled. "Don't worry, you're still the best of 'em all in my book!"

"Snub! Snubbull!"

"So… there are other ones though?" Harry asked. "Ones that look different than Snubbull?"

Hagrid nodded his large head quite rapidly. "Oh yes. There are big ones and little ones! There are Pikachus and Swellows and… and, well, more than I can remember." Hagrid wrapped an arm around Harry and gave the boy a hardy shake. "Don't ya worry about that now, 'arry! You'll learn all this soon enough, once we get you are own Pokemon and you begin your schoolin' . If ya be anythin' like your mum and da, you'll pick it up quick and be quite brilliant at it-"

"Schooling?" Harry asked. "My parents… a Pokemon of my… Mr. Hagrid, what-"

Hagrid smiled, leaning around so he could look Harry dead in the eye. "Your parents were Pokemon trainers, 'arry. Some of the best trainers in the world. And you are going to go to Hogwarts and learn to be a trainer as well."

"Oh," Harry said softly before his eyes rolled back in his head and he promptly fainted.

"'arry?" Hagrid said, nudging the unconscious boy. "'arry?"

Author's Notes: Standard Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or Pokemon. If you think I own them, then I have a bridge to sell you.

The idea behind this story is to take the world of Harry Potter and see what would happen if all the magic was removed and replaced with something else... in this case, Pokemon. The result will case events to change, destinies to alter, new allies to appear and new enemies to arise.

This will NOT be a direct adaptation of the books... mostly because I've never read them. Never seen the movies fully either. Instead, I did research, took notes, and then decided what to follow and what not to.

For those hoping Ash and the gang will appear... other than MAYBE a cameo it won't happen. This will focus on Harry and his friends interacting with pokemon, not Ash and Co ending up at Hogwarts.

Any suggestions on how to adapt canon or what Pokemon the characters should get will always be welcomed, just send me a message or a review. I am always happy to consider ideas and use them if they are good.