Houndoom was one of the most formidable opponents Harry and his friends had ever faced.
Back in the previous term, if Charles hadn't shown up in time at the reserve, they probably would've been turned into Houndoom's barbecue. None of them expected to encounter it again here—let alone have to fight it once more.
The moment Houndoom saw them, its eyes gleamed with feral aggression. It hadn't forgotten them. After all, if not for this bunch, it would still be the boss of the Rocky Desert Region instead of being captured by Charles.
Not that Houndoom was entirely unhappy with its current life. Being part of Charles's team had its perks—regular meals, no need to hunt, and an actual trainer to provide for it.
But there were downsides too. Its old underlings were gone, its "boss" status stripped away. And within Charles's squad, it couldn't act up—otherwise, it risked a fiery beating from Charizard or a good jolt from Pikachu.
And now, to make matters worse, it—a proud Pokémon—was being commanded by another Pokémon!
(Gengar: You got a problem with that, mutt?)
Of course, Houndoom didn't. It couldn't afford to. Not unless it wanted another round of ghostly punishment.
"Snape fought that thing too?" Ron muttered, grimacing. He didn't believe for a second that Snape could've beaten something like that.
"Don't forget," Hermione sighed, "Snape has Pokémon now too."
"Whatever! We have to fight!" Harry, ever the brave one, stepped forward—only to be stopped by Gengar.
The plump ghost floated up, spewing clouds of purple gas that twisted together in the air, forming English words that displayed the battle rules.
"Wait—did I read that right? It's going to fight three of us at once? And we're not limited in how many Pokémon we use?"
"You read it right," Hermione said helplessly. "And even then, I'm not sure we can win."
"Doesn't matter! We can't lose!" Harry declared with fiery determination. "Let's go, Houndour!"
"I might not be much help," Hermione admitted softly.
She had four Pokémon, but two of them were Grass-types. Worse, she wasn't fond of Pokémon battles at all, so none of her partners were high-level.
Even her little Litleo lagged far behind the others in strength.
Still, she released Litleo without hesitation.
"Doesn't Chikorita know any Poison-type moves?" Ron asked as he sent out his Sandshrew. "It'd help a lot if we could stack a few status effects."
"…It doesn't," Hermione said irritably. "And why would I teach them such awful moves anyway?" She bit her lip, frustration bubbling up.
Gengar waited patiently until the three had finished strategizing. Once their attention shifted to Houndoom, it gave the signal—and Houndoom roared, flames bursting from its throat like a cannon of fire.
Its target: Harry's Houndour.
Who could blame it for being angry? That Houndour used to be one of its underlings!
And now the little traitor dared to lead the charge against its former boss?
Unforgivable!
But Houndoom had apparently forgotten Houndour's Ability. The fire swept over its former subordinate harmlessly.
Instead, the smaller hound's fur gleamed brighter, the flames within it burning stronger.Its Fire-type power had risen!
Not that it mattered—Houndoom's Ability was Flash Fire as well.
"Roundy, use Rollout!" Ron shouted. "Harry, Hermione—I'll hold it off!"
Sandshrew curled up, its body glowing with rocky energy before spinning forward like a boulder, slamming into Houndoom's flank.
But the level gap was too wide. Rollout barely left a mark.
Still, as bait, Sandshrew did its job perfectly. Houndoom's flaming breath tracked it relentlessly, but Roundy rolled and dodged each blast with ease.
"Heh, that Rollout technique's something I've drilled him on for weeks!" Ron grinned proudly.
Hermione wasn't about to be outdone. "I'll weaken it! Litleo, use Roar!"
"Houndour, use Howl!" Harry added, seizing the chance Ron bought them.
Though he once looked up to Houndoom, Houndour wasn't holding back now. It howled fiercely, muscles tensing with power.
After three rounds of Howl, Harry could feel it had reached its limit. Stat boosts in the real world weren't like in the games—you couldn't just stack them infinitely.
And besides… the window of opportunity was gone.
Houndour's attacks missed several times, and Litleo's roar threw it off balance. Frustrated, it gave up on fire attacks and charged straight at Litleo.
"Litleo, Headbutt!" Hermione cried out in panic.
Litleo lunged—but Houndoom was faster.
Its fangs, glowing with Dark energy, clamped down hard on the cub's body. The Bite sent shockwaves through Litleo, who cried out in pain.
"Roundy, help Hermione!" Ron yelled desperately.
But dodging fire from afar was one thing—charging at an enraged Houndoom was another.
Without hesitation, Houndoom whipped its head violently, hurling the bitten Litleo straight toward the oncoming Sandshrew.
Ron's face went pale. "Wait—Roundy, stop!"
Too late. The two Pokémon collided midair. The impact not only broke Roundy's Rollout momentum but also unleashed all the stored energy—directly on Litleo.
The small lion cub hit the ground, dazed and unmoving.
"Litleo has fainted," Hermione whispered, retrieving its Poké Ball with trembling hands.
"I'm sorry, Hermione…" Ron said miserably.
"It's not your fault," she sighed. "It's mine."
Litleo's defeat wasn't just from bad luck or Houndoom's strength—it was because of her own inexperience.
She'd sheltered her Pokémon too much. Even compared to Houndour and Sandshrew, Litleo was at least five levels lower.
And now, that difference had come back to haunt her.
(End of Chapter)