"I can't help but feel a bit... let down," Hermione said, her brow furrowed.

"You're not the only one," Harry said, a frown marring his features as he watched Alastor Moody and Barty Crouch Jr. try to get the computer they'd wheeled in set up at the front of the Great Hall; a tangle of cords were about their feet like a pit of Ekans, threatening to trip them up. "With all the hype and build-up, I was just expecting something-"

"Grander?" Hermione said.

"Yeah, that."

"Definitely grander," Neville said in agreement, grabbing a biscuit. Like many other students Neville had decided to tuck into his meal rather than wait for Dumbledore to finally get back to his announcement. He'd called for the students to pause for a moment only for Moody to become flummoxed by the computer he was suppose to use. The young trainers had sat there for several minutes in awkward silence before going back to normal dinner business. "I mean, it's called the 'Grand Trainer Tournament'. That sets up expectations."

Ginny drained a bit from her milk glass before chiming in. "Do you think maybe we're partly at fault? Had our expectations a bit too high?"

Ron waved his hand towards the front of the Great Hall, forcing Harry to lean back lest he get smacked. "Come on... even with low expectations you'd be disappointed by that!"

Luna nibbled on a roll. "I personally think they should have gone with a bejeweled magical cup that fired off blue flames; but those don't exist so I suppose that was out of the question."

"Yeah, a fiery cup would have been cool!" Ron said, Luna grinning as the others quickly added their agreements.

The rest of the school had the same muted response the young Gryffindors had. It had been a month since the other regional schools had arrived and the shiny newness of having so many different faces about had worn away into casual acceptance. Life at Hogwarts had fallen into a new routine built around the many different schools and their own particular quirks and rituals. Every morning the Johto students would head outside and train (or, as some put it, "do things that remind us their headmaster is a freaky assassin) before going to breakfast. Every Wednesday the Kalos students would take part in the traditional Kalosian choir songs; something about needing to celebrate the week that had past and the week that was to come. The Sinnoh students would only eat from platters that had first been sampled by another school, though Harry reasoned that was due less to some spiritual believe and more to their headmaster's own fears of being poisoned.

They had stopped being awe-inspiring newcomers and become just another part of life, no different than an influx of new firsties. Harry and his friends rarely interacted with the other regional students, mostly due to age, but from what a few of the 7th years had said while there were a few bad apples all the regions, on a whole, were just normal trainers looking to complete their education. Only a few of them drew any real attention but they were the exceptions to the rule.

The first, and in Harry's opinion saddest, was Viktor Krum. Headmaster Karkaroff had waited until the welcoming feast for the new arrivals before trotting out Viktor for everyone to see. Most of the students were star struck to be in the same room as the famous Runner but Harry had gotten over his own amazement rather quickly. Looking at Viktor he could see the tale-tell signs that the 17-year old didn't enjoy being treated like a prize Tauros and only wore his smile because it was expected of him. Harry didn't say it to Ron, who was utterly tongue-tied to see his favorite Gauntlet Player in person, but Harry pitied Viktor; he knew the others wouldn't understand and see such a statement as Harry bragging or walking about with a Draco-like attitude. The rest of the Sinnoh students were good people from what Harry had learned... once one broke the ice with them.

Fleur Delacour-Malfoy was also a major focal point and Harry was undecided if she was an unlucky victim like Viktor or was trying to draw attention to herself. She moved about the school with her friends fluttering behind her like Vivillons, a grin on her face and a tittering little laugh wherever she went. Harry could tell that she too was wearing a mask much as Viktor Krum was but Fleur seemed to embrace it. The only time she seemed to fall into herself was when her little sister was nearby. Fleur would be commanding a large mob of people but if she spotted Gabrielle she would break away, leaving the hangers-on in her wake as she went over to greet her baby sister. There was something genuine and real about them and it made Harry smile that Fleur, despite appearances, had some hidden depths.

Hoenn had its fair share of attention seekers but none of them truly stood out amongst the rest of the students. It helped that the Hoenn contingent were bound and determined to not stay lumped together. At every dinner they would mingle with all the different tables to the point that the one set up from the Hoenn teens tended to be empty as they squirmed their way among the other students. None seemed interested in being a leader... rather they wanted to be the hand on a shoulder and the voice in one's ear. It was a good trait... but a dangerous one too; Lucius Malfoy had proven that and Draco, after a hush-hush weekend meeting with his parents, had begun to same approach. Harry had to keep reminding himself to keep his guard up.

More subdued was Kanto; they had a leader, a young man named Gary, but they were all rather studious and tended to hang out with the Ravenclaws. Harry just hoped they took more after the likes of Padma Patil and not Cho Chang. The only time he noticed them tense up was when a Johto student walked by; it reminded Harry of the Gryffindors and the Slytherins. Still, the Gary fellow was keeping his classmates in check and none of them had caused any problems save for a few ruffled feathers when they proved to be smarter than nearly anyone in Hogwarts.

Unova was a bit more rowdy but the only one to really draw any attention to themselves was a girl named Iris. Harry had overheard Prof. Snape complaining to Prof. Flitwick that Iris refused to sleep indoors and liked to climb trees rather than use clearly marked paths. The Potions Professor was of the opinion that Iris was more animal than person. She also seemed to hate wearing her full uniform and found some way, each day, to get rid of a different part of it; when someone told her to wear said garment she would... and remove something else. Currently it was her shoes that had disappeared and the girl was happily walking along the Great Hall barefoot, showing no signs that she cared what anyone, even her fellow classmates, thought of her strange demeanor.

As for Johto... well, Harry hadn't been surprised, after her little show during the arrival, that Jasmine was setting herself up to be the leader of the next generation of the Sons. Her fellow students didn't seem to mind and Jasmine was a good leader; Harry had more than once happened upon her leading study sessions in an unused classroom or offering her shoulder to a depressed girl or guy who was homesick. She wasn't like Draco or Cho Chang, using her position to lord over the other Johto Students. No, Jasmine clearly wanted to prove herself a good leader and sought to prove to everyone that she deserved the title.

The teen in question plopped down next to Harry, waving for a Wigglytuff to bring her a plate. "Bloody hell, this is just pathetic. A month of build up for a blasted computer?"

Harry merely nodded, focusing on his roast beef. Things had only perked up at Hogwarts when on the last day of September Prof. Dumbledore had announced that in 30 days they would be selecting the champion for each region. He had refused to go into detail, only stating that 7th years would be the only ones able to qualify and that if anyone wanted to bow out they needed to talk to their professors or headmasters. From what Harry had managed to gather most of the visiting students wanted to be part of the tournament with only a handful all around asking to have their names withdrawn; those were mostly students who were focused on their final year and getting high marks. Everyone else was chomping at the bit to represent their region.

Including some people who legally couldn't.

"Oh, look here, brother," Fred said, gesturing towards Jasmine, who was tearing into her beef like a Growlithe into a bag of popcorn. Even after the week he'd spent in her company Harry was still shocked to see Jasmine eat more like a beast than a person; considering what he now knew about her father it was quite possible she was one. "She comes to taunt us!"

"How very rude to mock us who are age-challenged."

"Your something-challenged, alright," Ginny said under her breath, earning a snort from Ron.

Jasmine merely quirked an eyebrow. "I'm sorry, have I offended you?"

"Not directly," George admitted. "But you do serve as a reminder of what my dear brother and I shall never have."

"Breasts?" Jasmine said innocently.

"...oh, she's a clever one, Fred," Fred said.

"Indeed George," George said. "Which only makes it worse!" He grabbed a roll from Jasmine's plate. "You are a reminded that we-" Jasmine's meat knife shot out, snagging the roll from George's hand. He looked down at the now empty air he was holding before continuing. "-that we can't enter this tournament while you can."

"Not for a lack of trying, mind you," Fred reminded his brother.

"That is true."

Katie Bell leaned over and asked, "Just how many detentions did you get for breaking into Prof. Sprout's private quarters?"

"It would have been worth it if we'd found the Pokéball that held the Siglyph that they were using to determine the champions!" George complained. "We were punished enough as is!"

"How?" Ron asked.

Fred and George both shuddered. "What we saw in her underwear drawer-"

"Miss Kenway, may I borrow your knife?" Ginny asked, glaring at her older brothers. Ron, for his part, actually pushed his plate away, looking a touch green.

Harry merely shook his head. The twins had spent the last month trying to find whatever was being used to pick the champions and get their names in. While most other students hadn't gone to the lengths the Weasley twins had (or gone that way at all) rumors had been swirling around what the headmasters could possibly be using. The most popular theory had been some kind of Pokémon but other ideas included mystical relics, futuristic robots, or enchanted items like the Mirror of Jirachi.

A computer that looked like it belonged on an AV cart was a sore disappointment.

Jasmine, who apparently had a stronger stomach, merely finished off her retrieved roll. "Harry, you didn't tell me you had clowns in your employ. How much do you pay them?"

Fred and George glanced at each other before twin smirks formed on their lips. "She calls him 'Harry'. So personal, George."

"I agree, Fred. I wonder if there is more to these two than meets the eye?"

"Autobots, roll out!" Luna declared.

"Okay, even I got that reference," Hermione admitted.

While Harry turned a nice shade of crimson under the twins' queries Jasmine merely flashed the boys a sultry smile. "Oh... I suppose you think the two of you would be better?" She rolled her shoulders, making sure to push her breasts out a bit as she batted her eyelashes at the two. Suddenly Fred and George were no longer laughing and were instead staring at her in rapt attention. Harry for a moment wondered if Jasmine was a Veela instead of a Speaker. Her voice got a bit more breathy as she slid her hands along her sides, her words coming out as a purr. "Well boys-"

She yanked her tactical knives from their sheaths and leaned over the table, driving the points right through the twins' ties.

"You wouldn't survive the foreplay," Jasmine said, eyes narrowed and a vicious smile on her face.

"Uh, guys?" Ron said. "Could you not upset the crazy woman with the sharp blades? No offense."

"None taken," jasmine said, yanking her knives free and returning them to their sheathes.

"You're like Luna Jr.!" Luna said happily. "She also shows love and affection through horrible violence."

Harry, deciding to change the subject to something a touch safer and less embarrassing, looking over at Fred and George. "I still don't see why you'd want to be a part of the tournament."

"Well, we aren't trying to get in for fame!" Fred declared.

George nodded, standing up and striking a regal pose. "And we aren't doing it for money."

"We're doing it because... wait, did we say we weren't doing it for fame and money?"

"I believe we did, Fred."

"That doesn't sound right, does it?"

"No, it doesn't." George turned towards Harry. "Tell us you wouldn't want to be a part of the tournament."

"No, I-"

"There we are!" Prof. Crouch declared. In the end it had taken him, Former-Auror Moody, Lazio, and Drayden working together to get the computer hooked up to the twin large screens that flanked the device. "Told you we just needed to wiggle the wiggly toggle!"

Moody grunted. "Still say it was workin' fine when I tested it out early today. Whoever lugged it down here must have done something."

"Well, whatever happened it's fixed now," Prof. Dumbledore said, moving to stand next to Moody. Prof. Crouch returned to the staff table while the other headmasters went to their respective school tables. "Now we can get about to the selection of the champions." The gathered students clapped politely but any energy that might have been building had died with the delay and the reveal. The headmaster tugged at his beard, clearing his throat before continuing. "Yes, well... I'll allow Auror Moody to explain."

Alastor hobbled over, glaring at the students with his one good eye. He opened his mouth to speak only to whip around and glare at the staff table, clearly waiting for an attack that was never going to come. Prof. Dumbledore gently turned Moody around and the grizzled Auror finally began. "The Tournament will pit the regional champions against each other in a series of challenges. These events will test your mind, bodies, skills, a bit of luck... if you believe in that rubbish... and your ability to remain CONSTANTLY VIGILENTE!" He whipped around again, glaring at Prof. Flitwick, who merely blinked at him in surprise. Satisfied that he wouldn't about to be attacked, Moody turned back to the bemused students and continued. "As such, this computer here has taken the information on every eligible student, including, but not limited to, test scores, battle records, aptitude tests, physical attributes, IQ scores, and academic grades and determined, using an algorithm I can admit I know bugger about and determined which student in every region should represent their school in this here tournament-I SEE YOU THERE!" Moody grabbed a Pokéball, looking about wildly, the students leaning back in fear of the cyclopic madman. "Yes you!"

"Is he yelling at an empty chair?" Ron asked.

Clair Kenway sighed and kicked the chair, toppling it. "I killed it, Mad Eye. You are safe now. Yay."

"Yes, thank you Alastor," Dumbledore said with a smile, gently leading his friend back to his chair (which he inspected to ensure wasn't a dangerous Pokémon in disguise). "Now that we understand how this device works we can get to the matter at hand: the selection of the champions."

The Great Hall grew quiet, their attention recaptured as the computer began to cycle through a massive list of students. On the large screens on either side of the computer blown up images of the list appeared, allowing everyone to see as the computer did its work. Harry found himself leaning forward, just as entranced as the rest of the students as the Kanto Region's flag appeared on the screen.

REPRESENTING KANTO...GARY OAK

A tall young man with spiky brown hair stood up, his sapphire cape waving behind him as he marched up to the front of the Great Hall, Prof. Blackthorn joining him a moment later. The Kanto student clapped and hooted as Gary and Prof. Blackthorn stood just behind Prof. Dumbledore.

"I heard he's the grandson of Samuel Oak, the famous Pokémon Professor," Hermione whispered. "They say he's the first one to ever battle the legendary Mewtwo."

"Lost to the tosser, if we want to be truthful," Jasmine muttered under her breath.

"You don't like him?" Ron asked.

"She doesn't like anyone from Kanto," Ginny said as the screen began to flicker again.

Jasmine shook her head. "Just most of them... I've met a few good Kantoians. That one up there was the rival of a young man I met who was rather nice... Ash-"

REPRESENTING JOHTO... JASMINE KENWAY

The Johtoian students stomped their feet as they cheered. Jasmine shrugged her shoulders, giving Harry and his friends a playful wink as she sat up and marched up to the front of the Hall. Harry looked over at Jack and was startled by the look of defeated acceptance that crossed Jack's face. It was only there for a moment before he slammed a mask down over it but Harry couldn't forget the quiet sorrow that had flashed across the man's face before he steeled himself to join his daughter.

REPRESENTING HOENN...WALTER VITE

A short young man with green hair that was even more wild than Gary's stood up, it clear he was surprised to have been selected. His classmates though were thrilled, cheering and shaking his hand as he looked about, unsure what to do. Prof. Lazio was by his side in an instant, placing a hand on the small of the young man's back, lending him the strength to walk up and join the other two champions. Harry was reminded of Neville during their first year when he looked at the green-haired teen.

REPRESENTING SINNOH...VIKTOR KRUM

"Krum! Krum! Krum!" The Sinnohian students seemed to rumble more than shout the name of their champion, Viktor marching forward with a straight back and stern visage. His name rolled through the Great Hall like distant thunder. Headmaster Karkaroff appeared unsure if he wanted to leave the safety of his seat but the chance to bask with his prized student was too much of a temptation and he soon joined Viktor.

"Well, that will make things interesting," Neville whispered.

Luna, however, shook her head. "A great Runner does not always make a great champion." The others stared at her and she shrugged. "I couldn't think of a reference... must be an off day for me."

REPRESENTING UNOVA... IRIS HINUM

While Wally had been surprised to be selected while his classmates were thrilled the opposite was true with Unova and Iris. The students were all looking at each other, clapping while muttering 'wait, her?' while Iris merely leapt into the air and cheered her head off, making up for the lackluster showing of her classmates. Prof. Arkenstone glared at his charges and they began to clap a bit harder though Iris showed no signs of noticing or caring. She walked joined the other champions with her head held high, a look in her eyes that told all that she was ready to win the whole tournament. Harry suddenly understood why she'd been selected.

REPRESENTING KALOS... FLEUR DELACOUR-MALFOY

Harry, Neville, Ron, and almost every other guy in the Great Hall clapped their hands over their ears as the high pitch squeals from the Kalos female students filled the air. The male Kalos students seemed unaffected, probably used to such auditory attacks, while even some of the professors looked pained as Fleur and her friends jumped up and down in delight. The gleeful cries finally ended when Cynthia, acting both as a mother and as a headmistress, placed her hand on Fleur's shoulder and steered her daughter to join the other champions. Lance winced when Fleur suddenly gave him a rib-cracking hug and even Jack shot the man a sympathetic grimace.

"And now for us," Fred whispered. "Ron, be ready to take our pictures."

REPRESENTING AVALON... CEDRIC DIGGORY

"Allow me," Ginny said, using her dex to snap a shot of Fred and George's slack-jawed expressions. "I think I found our new Solstice card!"

"They picked a Puff?" George whimpered.

"What of it?" Katie asked. "He's the best Runner in the school."

"Blasphemy!" Fred declared, leaping over his brother so he could cover Harry's ears.

"Guys, he is better than me," Harry pointed out, playfully shoving the twins away. "I just have a better support team." That had always been Hufflepuff's problem: a lack of good support. Tonks, a Puff herself, had bemoaned that to Harry the year before when they were dealing with finding Regulus Black. The Hufflepuff team always seemed to have one really good player while the rest of the team was below average. "I think Cedric is a perfect choice for Hogwarts."

"Better than you two," Ron said to his brothers.

"...that is true," George admitted.

Dumbledore stepped forward once Cedric had joined him. "Well, I am sure all of you are excited to hear what happens next! On November 20th, the champions will face their first task. While I can't reveal what the challenge will be I can say that there will be hints over the next few weeks-"

The headmaster's comments were cut off by a sharp buzz and shriek from the computer. The screen began to flicker, staticy bars appearing on screen followed by quick flashes of images that no one could identify. Dumbeldore looked to Alastor, who limped over as fast as he could to the machine, smacking it with his hand and trying to input commands. Prof. Crouch and a few headmasters joined him while Jack and Cynthia shoved their daughters behind them in case the computer exploded.

There was one finally high pitched squeal and then everything went quiet. The adults gathered around the computer grew silent, shocked as what they were seeing. Any attempts to hide what had happened were doomed to fail; the large viewing screens ensured that. Thus all the students were witness to the final message the computer had thrown up.

REPRESENTING SEVII ISLE... HARRY POTTER

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: I'm sure many of you are, calmly and politely, saying "WHAT THE $&% TOOK YOU SO LONG TO POST THIS! WE ARE YOUR MASTERS AND YOU HAVE DISPLEASED US! BURN!"

...ahem.

You see, the reason for the delay of nearly 2 extra weeks is simple: horrible timing. When I posted the last chapter, I was just going on vacation. And when I am on vacation, I work on other projects instead of this. Then I got back and only had a few days to get back into the groove... before my boss gave me a 3 day weekend. Yeah. And then I went to training for a new aspect of my job (I am now a trainer of other managers). All that means little time to write and edit until now.

I could go into detail here about why I selected who I selected for champions... but I think I'll wait till next chapter. That way you guys can think about it without me influencing you. Let's you guys post your reactions, thoughts, and opinions. I will only say this: I know some wanted Ash to be a champion but could you see him going to a Trainer School? Ash is a free spirit and would HATE a school like Daggertooth or Hogwarts. No, 17 year old Ash (his age at the time of this story) is out exploring regions and having fun.

Alright, time for the next part of the Avalon dex. Looking it over, I realize we haven't had many grass types so it's time to correct that with the newest family. This one is a fun one that I came up with a few months ago.

The basic form is a pure grass type. This would be an on-screen hiding Pokémon, much like Volorbs and Shroomish are, only instead of resembling a Pokéball, they resemble a patch of grass. The arms are blades of long grass that it holds up, hiding its face. The body is a cream color but we shouldn't be able to see its eyes and face well… we get a sense they are there but they are hidden by shadow and the arms. The two of the head is green and two more blades of grass (much shorter than the arms) are rising up. Thus, when it holds its arms tight to its face it would look like, from far away, a patch of wild grass. I'll leave it to you to design the body, but remember to think young. I imagine this Pokémon being like a child curled up with his or her knees tucked under its chin and hands raised up to cover its face. These type of Pokémon like to hide in patches of grass so they can practice their sneak attacks. Their faces are super sensitive to light so they only attack with one arm, so that the other is shading them.

The first evolved form now stands up. Rather than holding its arms straight up it crosses them over its chest. Its slicked back its head leaves; one going forward, forming the front of a hood, and the other going back. We should only be able to see the lower half of its face, as the upper half is in shadow. The body is more exposed, revealing more cream; you can darken it a bit but it shouldn't be brown. Very light color. Also, its feet now have leafy wrappings to give it the appearance of wearing boots. This Pokémon now hides in trees and in bushes, waiting for people to pass so it can leap out and attack. It can now uncover its face (thanks to the hood) but uses the leave blade arms to cover its cream-colored body so it's less noticeable. The body should be lean, like a teenager.

The final form reveals exactly what this line is based on: Ezio from Assassin's Creed (what? We got Kratos from God of War as Zangoose!). The Pokémon is bigger, not hulking but defiantly an adult. The hood's front remains the same but now the Pokémon is smirking (eyes should not be seen still… they are hidden in shadow and by the hood). The back of the hold has grown though into a cloak that hangs down to the mid of its back. It has also gained a large leave on each shoulder (like shoulder pads on armor), and vines form a belt-like appearance on its chest. It no longer hides with hits arm blades, instead having them out ready to attack. This Pokémon is known as 'The assassin of the forest', which makes sense when you find out its name Grassassin. It has amazing speed and a decent physical attack but below average special attack.

It also has a very interesting special ability: Sudden Attack. When this Pokémon is swapped into battle it will automatically perform its first attack. This means that you can have one Pokémon out and right when the opponent thinks they are going to attack it, Grassassin takes its place and attacks.