This is a work of fan fiction using characters from the Harry Potter universe, which are trademarked by J.K. Rowling. I do not claim ownership of these characters nor the locations such as Hogwarts, Hogsmeade, etc. that are Rowling's creations. This work also includes Pokémon, which belong to the Pokémon Company, and I again claim no ownership of these characters.
I thank both Rowling and the Pokémon Company for the universes they have created that allows me to do something like this for my own entertainment and, hopefully, the entertainment of the readers.
There was a short break as the last of the battles of the second round came to an end. With only eight trainers remaining there needed to be some time allowed for each of them to catch their breath and prepare for their next battle.
For the quarter finals there was only going to be two matches going on at a time, making it easier for the spectators, of which there were still many, to watch as many battles as possible.
As Professor Flitwick started making the draw for the next round Harry felt his anticipation rise. There were only a few battles left now before the end of the tournament and even if Harry wasn't matched up against Ron, Hermione or Ginny the other competitors, Malfoy, Daphne, Blaise Zabini, and Ernie McMillan, were all incredibly tough trainers to face.
Even so Harry found himself breathing a sigh of relief as his name, the very first to be drawn, was paired up with Ernie. This was the ideal draw, in Harry's mind, for while Ernie was undoubtedly strong Harry knew with a hundred percent certainty that he could beat him.
And from the looks of it Ernie was thinking the same thing. The normally confident boy was shifting nervously as he stood across the battlefield, the two trainers waiting for Professor Flitwick's signal to start. Harry could practically read the boy's thoughts as they flitted across his face and knowing Ernie's doubts just made Harry even more confident in himself.
"Everyone ready?" Flitwick asked, rushing forward to the space between the two battlefields. "On the count of three select your Pokémon. One, two, three." Each of the four trainers threw their Pokéballs.
Talonflame appeared before Harry with a confident cry, ready for battle. It hadn't been a difficult decision for Harry to make. He knew Ernie's Pokémon, knew their strengths and weaknesses, and with wanting to save Charizard for later Talonflame was his best bet.
On the other side of the field stood Ernie's Sceptile, which slightly surprised Harry, but only slightly. While Sceptile had an enormous disadvantage it was Ernie's strongest Pokémon. He was bringing out his best to beat Harry.
Between the battlefields Flitwick piped up. "Everyone ready? Begin."
"Sceptile, use Leaf Storm!" Ernie was not messing around. Immediately a barrage of leaves flew towards where Talonflame hovered.
"Dodge them, Talonflame!" Harry instructed, watching as Talonflame swooped calmly out of the way, just like he had done so many times before on the Quidditch Pitch. "Now Flame Charge!"
Talonflame flew down at Sceptile.
"Sceptile, use Rock Slide!" Sceptile crouched down on all fours as Talonflame approached. As it did so rocks began to form in midair, crowding out the ceiling of the hall above them before they began to fall heavily across Talonflame's path.
"Dodge, Talonflame!" Harry cried, knowing a single hit could deal out a lot of damage.
But he needn't have worried. Talonflame flew through the falling rocks with ease, weaving and ducking and soaring through unharmed as he closed in on where Sceptile stood.
"Detect!"
Just when it seemed inevitable that Talonflame's attack would connect the world suddenly shifted. Talonflame, surprised, suddenly found himself missing his target, soaring inches from where Sceptile stood, and for a moment he became incredibly vulnerable.
"Pound!"
Sceptile's tail whipped round as if from nowhere and caught Talonflame full in the face, halting his momentum and sending him tumbling wildly through the air, only just able to scrabble to remain airborne.
"Quick Attack, Sceptile!"
"Agility!" Harry cried urgently, knowing he could not let Ernie press his advantage. With Talonflame vulnerable Sceptile was already in motion.
But Talonflame's Quidditch experience pulled through. Showing almost a sixth sense for where Sceptile would appear Talonflame shot off, dodging Sceptile's powerful swipes by inches as he soared upwards, safely into the air.
"Sceptile, use Rock Slide again!" Ernie called immediately and Sceptile responded, the rock formation building above Talonflame's head and beginning to crash downwards.
That gave Harry an idea.
"Talonflame, go straight up!" He shouted, pointing Talonflame all the way up into the rafters above. Talonflame shot off immediately, weaving expertly through the falling rocks until he found himself fluttering high above them, obscured from those still standing down on the ground below. "Now Roost!"
Out of sight Talonflame landed. Out of sight he remained.
"Where is he?!" Ernie cursed, eyes scanning the beams in the roof above, trying to make out Talonflame's figure hidden in darkness. "Sceptile, you have to find him. Use Sunny Day!"
Harry could not believe his luck. Even as Sceptile flung the glowing orb into the air, shining blinding sunlight onto the battlefield below and throughout the rafters above, illuminating Talonflame's hiding place, Harry knew that Talonflame had had all the rest he needed. And with the new weather over the battlefield his attacks would be twice as deadly.
"Talonflame, Flame Charge!" Harry called and immediately Talonflame hopped down from his resting place, swooping down from the rafters with his body covered in flames as he charged in towards Sceptile.
"Sceptile, Solar Beam!" The blast of energy formed immediately, powered up by the false sun hanging in the air, and it shot off towards Talonflame with deadly power.
"Acrobatics!" Talonflame swooped out of the path of the attack, switching directions sharply as he honed in on Sceptile, who could do nothing more than watch as Talonflame moved in close and collided, hard.
"Now Fire Blast!" Harry shouted, pressing his advantage.
"Dodge it, Sceptile!" Ernie cried desperately. It was immensely clear that any direct hit would be the end of the battle.
Sceptile staggered to its feet, throwing itself aside on instinct in a way most Pokémon would never have the athleticism to achieve, as the flames of Talonflame's attack burned past it.
But Sceptile did not escape unharmed. A glancing blow against its leg burned hotly and Sceptile cried out in agony, eyes screwed shut against the pain as it rolled across the ground to land in a crouch, nursing its burning appendage delicately.
Harry took advantage.
"Flame Charge!" He shouted and Talonflame flew in towards the grass Pokémon who quite simply could not bring itself to dodge.
"Detect!" Cried Ernie and Talonflame swooped past.
"Brave Bird!" Undeterred Talonflame came flying in yet again and this time there was no avoiding his attack. Talonflame crashed into Sceptile with tremendous force, sending the grass type Pokémon flying across the battlefield to land sprawled out on its back, gasping for breath.
The order to use Fire Blast was on the tip of Harry's tongue but Harry stopped himself as he realised that there was no need. Sceptile was out for the count.
"Congratulations!"
Ron was the first person to reach him once the battle was over, clapping him on the shoulder with a grin as a downtrodden Ernie returned to his Hufflepuff supporters. "Into the semifinals. Great work."
"Thanks," said Harry, holding out his arm where Talonflame had perched himself, gently stroking the fire bird's rather warm plumage as the false sun above them finally began to fade.
"We got a bit lucky," Harry admitted, eyes on his Pokémon as he tended to him. "I knew Talonflame could win but it was a lot easier once Sceptile had used Sunny Day."
Ron nodded in agreement. "Yeah, that was a right cock up."
A loud bang sounded from the remaining match, causing Harry and Ron to turn to watch.
Hermione was in battle.
"Come on, Hermione!" Ron cheered supportively as Mismagius struck out with a powerful attack, floating purposefully through the air. "Show 'em what you're made of!"
Mismagius was clearly far from fresh, Hermione's battle having been going on for as long as Harry's had been, but she certainly was more than up for it. She was firing down attacks, evading with her telltale calmness, and looked more than capable of taking this fight.
It was the other side of the field, however, that caught Harry's eye. Hermione's opponent for the quarterfinals was Ginny, and it was her Gengar, looking equally as ready for battle, that stood in Hermione's path.
"Dude, you know that's your sister she's battling," Harry reminded Ron, raising an eyebrow.
"Sure," Ron replied, looking to Harry as though confused on what point he was making. "Come on, you're supporting Hermione too, right." Unfortunately Harry wasn't sure he was.
"I'm staying out of it," he said quickly, unwilling to be drawn into making a comment. "I'm not taking any sides here. I want them both to win." Ron shrugged.
"Suit yourself," he said, rolling his eyes. "Be like that." An explosion turned his attention back to the battlefield once more. "Great shot, Mismagius!"
The battle seemed to be in a bit of a stalemate but despite this it couldn't be long before the two Pokémon started to fade, and the blows they took began proving decisive.
And at this moment Mismagius was on the attack.
"Mismagius, Dark Pulse!" Hermione cried, her Pokémon responding immediately with the attack. But Gengar dodged agilely, leaping backwards and firing back with a Shadow Ball, forcing Mismagius to shield herself.
"Magical Leaf!"
The never miss move caught Gengar off guard and he staggered backwards as he was caught mid-evasion, slow to recover as the first signs of fatigue started to settle in.
Mismagius pressed her advantage.
"Ominous Wind!"
The deathly powerful gale whipped up by Mismagius thundered throughout the battlefield, causing those watching to flinch away as it built up into a storm that went rushing towards Gengar, ready to strike in what would be a devastating blow.
"Gengar! Protect!"
The shield sprang into place just in time as the Ominous Wind struck. The fierce gale swept across Ginny's side of the battlefield and hammered into Gengar's defences with primal ferocity.
But Gengar's shield held strong.
"Shadow Ball!"
"Into the ground, Gengar!"
As Mismagius's attack aimed to strike her opponent off guard Gengar dodged, his body seeming to fade away as he sunk down into the cold stone floor itself. As he did so all that was left of his presence was a sickly looking, inky puddle of darkness in the spot where he'd been standing.
A set of eyes opened and stared up at Mismagius.
"Mismagius, use Shadow Ball!" Hermione shouted.
"Dodge it, Gengar!" Ginny instructed and the inky blob shifted across the ground, smoothly evading Mismagius's Shadow Ball attack with ease as it crashed into the floor behind him.
"Magical Leaf, Mismagius!"
"Protect!"
A shield, appearing as nothing more than a thin sheen that covered the inky blob on the floor, deflected the Magical Leaf attack with ease as Gengar began to advance. It slipped left and right, zeroing in slickly on an increasing panicked Mismagius as she slowly began to back away in fear. Too slowly.
"Shadow Ball!"
Gengar burst from the ground suddenly at the call, springing up to Mismagius's level in a flash and hanging mere inches from his fellow ghost type, his attack already formed in his hand as he held it aloft, a malevolent grin firmly in place. There was no time to react, Hermione's mouth open in a silent cry, Mismagius and Gengar hanging in midair for what seemed like an eternity, before Gengar threw his attack and the Shadow Ball struck, connecting with an almighty crash.
As the explosion obscured their vision of the Pokémon Mismagius's form fell limply from the smoke. She floated towards the ground, landing softly on her back with a graceful elegance as her eyes remained closed. She did not move.
"Excellent! Excellent battle the both of you." Professor Flitwick had hurried over at the battle's end, his face alight with excitement. "Wonderful. Just wonderful battling. I think you've both deserved a good rest before the next round." And he hurried off again.
"That's my cue," Ron said with a grimace as Hermione and Ginny moved to shake hands, their respective ghost Pokémon coming together too now that their battle was over. From the other side of the hall Daphne was approaching. It was to be her and Ron fighting it out for a place in the semifinals. "Wish me luck."
Harry did so before hurrying off, meeting Hermione and Ginny on his way as they quickly cleared the battlefields. Ron and Daphne would be battling where Hermione and Ginny had just been. Draco Malfoy and Blaise Zabini took the other battlefield.
Harry leaned back against the wall, getting himself comfortable as he prepared to watch the battles. Though his interest was primarily on Ron and Daphne, hoping Ron would win even if he wasn't as against Daphne as others might think he was, more than a bit of his interest was on the other battlefield. He didn't know much about Blaise Zabini, truth be told, but up against Malfoy it made for an interesting matchup. And despite knowing Zabini must be strong it almost felt like an inevitability that Draco would go through. It almost felt as though he had to, until Harry had the chance to battle him.
Sitting between the two girls, Professor Flitwick going through the usual commands as the four trainers chose their Pokémon, Harry turned to Ginny.
"Congratulations," he told her, dragging her attention away from the battlefield. "That was a great battle." Ginny smiled.
"Thank you, Harry," she said. Her tone was a lot less braggadocios than it was before. Now the competition was at its business end there was little time for jokes. "I''m sure your battle was great as well. Obviously I was a bit distracted at the time. You did win, right?"
"Yeah." Harry let out a small laugh. "Yeah, Talonflame got me through." Ginny grinned.
"I'm glad," she said. "I wouldn't want you to be knocked out before I had the chance to beat you myself." Okay, so maybe it wasn't totally gone.
"To be honest, that was all I was thinking about," Harry joked back, Ginny grinning in response. "But seriously though, you were great."
"Really?" Ginny asked, an odd smile on her face. "You're not just saying that so I let my guard down?" She raised an eyebrow at him.
But Harry wasn't playing.
"No, I really mean it," he told her seriously. "You were great, especially with the way you fought back like that after Mismagius was on the offensive. It was brilliant." He paused. "I hope I do get to battle you," he told her. "Competition aside, I know it will be a great battle."
The odd smile on Ginny's face remained as she looked up at him, seemingly trying to piece something together from what she could see on his face. Harry felt awkward, worried that perhaps he might have given too much away, but Ginny's continued smile, only growing more genuine as she watched him, caused Harry to unconsciously smile too.
For a long moment they didn't say anything.
From beside Harry Hermione jumped, jostling Harry as her elbow poked into his ribs and snapping him back to the present. He blinked, his mind slow to catch up, and he turned to the girl in surprise. Hermione's form was rigid, her hands clutching onto her knees so tightly that they were completely pale, her body practically shaking in place as she leaned forward towards the battlefield.
"Sorry," she murmured, glancing guiltily at Harry before quickly looking back to the battlefield. "Close one."
Harry blinked. "What?" He asked, clueless. Hermione frowned.
"The battle," she said, gesturing out towards the battlefield, sounding scandalised. "Are you not watching?"
Chastised, Harry turned his gaze forward.
As Hermione had indicated both battles were already well underway. On the field closest to them Ron had gone out with his Blastoise, the tough water type stepping in as Ron's most powerful Pokémon with Arcanine too exhausted from his matchup with Neville. On Daphne's side of the field hovered her Vespiquen.
"Hydro Pump!" Ron shouted, directing Blastoise into attack. The bulky water Pokémon took aim with his mighty cannons and blasted a jet of high pressured water across the battlefield.
Vespiquen, wings beating fiercely, dodged it.
"Keep it up!" Ron shouted encouragingly and Blastoise repositioned his cannons.
"Vespiquen, use Air Slash!"
As another high pressured jet came flying towards the queen bee Pokémon Vespiquen struck back. A sharp blade of air formed, scything across the battlefield and meeting Blastoise's attack head on. The water split in two, Vespiquen's attack carving a path through the Hydro Pump before hammering into Blastoise, pushing him stumbling backwards on impact.
"Air Slash, again!" Daphne called. A second attack came flying Blastoise's way.
"Use Rapid Spin!" Shouted Ron.
Blastoise sprung into the air, arms, legs and head tucking into his thick shell as he began to spin rapidly, his body becoming a blur. The Air Slash attack struck him, fighting to knock him back, before it eventually broke apart uselessly against Blastoise's defences.
Daphne scowled. "Vespiquen, Attack Order!"
It was an attack Harry had never seen before. For a moment it seemed like nothing was happening, the action on the battlefield going oddly still as both Pokémon hovered in place, before a loud buzzing started to echo throughout the hall. Looking around for the source of the noise there were more than a few gasps as hundreds of tiny dark figures began to stream from beneath Vespiquen's honeycomb-like body. They swarmed, like a horde of angry bees, right across the battlefield, with Blastoise, still spinning in place, in their sights.
But they did not crash into him. Instead, to Harry's shock, they began to surround him.
For a moment Blastoise continued to spin, even as he was obscured by the swarm of angry bees surrounding him, before he suddenly came to a screeching halt. He staggered, raising his arms out defensively as the bees swarmed around him, nipping here and there, leaving Blastoise powerless to defend. They would not relent.
"Blastoise!" Ron cried, looking on in panic. "Blastoise, hang in there! Use Rapid Spin and then Hydro Pump!"
Blastoise spun, eyes closed against the all encompassing swarm, desperate to escape them. And a moment later he did as water blasted from the holes of his shell. The attacking swarm was washed away in an instant, any bee touched by the water immediately falling to the ground, defeated, and after mere moments they had all been eradicated and Blastoise was able to pull up, triumphant, and glare across the battlefield.
"Use Skull Bash!" Ron instructed excitedly and Blastoise went charging, head bowed in preparation.
"Double Team!"
Blastoise's attack missed. The water type Pokémon was left floundering as he found himself flying through what appeared to be Vespiquen, only for the image to fade the moment he came into contact. Looking up, he found himself surrounded.
"Ice Punch!" Blastoise swung at the nearest copy of Vespiquen, his ice covered fist swiping through and disintegrating the image. Undeterred he moved on to the next.
"Air Slash!"
From behind Blastoise's back the real Vespiquen sent out her attack, crashing the wave of compressed air into the back of Blastoise's rock hard shell. The water type stumbled, knocked off balance, but recovered quickly and glared over his shoulder.
"Hydro Pump!" Ron called and Blastoise shot out the attack immediate. Like before Vespiquen was able to dodge, too agile to be caught so easily, but she wasn't prepared for what happened next. "Water Pulse!"
As one cannon blasted water in a vicious stream towards where Vespiquen had just been hovering, the other redirected. The sphere of water caught Vespiquen unawares, crashing into her and dousing her completely, leaving her disorientated and sopping wet.
"Skull Bash!"
Blastoise pressed his advantage, charging forward before Vespiquen had the chance to recover, and he crashed into her with full force.
Vespiquen was tossed through the air, hitting the ground hard and bouncing across the stone floor. Bedraggled, she struggled into the air, her wings struggling with the water that now soaked them.
"Finish this with Ice Punch, Blastoise!" Ron shouted triumphantly and Blastoise charged, fist at the ready.
"Attack Order!"
Immediately Blastoise pulled up, memory of the attack before giving him pause, and as the loud buzzing began to build once more he braced himself for the attack.
"Blastoise, stay calm!" Ron told him, even as the dark swarm appeared from Vespiquen once more. "We know what to do, remember! Start using Rapid Spin!"
Blastoise nodded. He leapt up into the air, spinning rapidly, and waited as the swarm began to approach him.
But it didn't.
"Heal Order!" Daphne instructed and the swarm stopped in midair. Everyone waited with bated breath, not sure what to expect, before the swarm started to fly back, away from the rapidly spinning Blastoise, back towards where Vespiquen still hovered. They returned from whence they came, the buzzing going with them, and as they did a soft glow enveloped Vespiquen. Her wings began to dry. Her bruises began to fade.
"Blastoise, use Skull Bash!" Ron cried, realising too late what Daphne was doing. Breaking from his spin Blastoise charged forward, thundering across the battlefield with his head bent.
"Defend Order!" Daphne instructed and the swarm appeared once more. They rose up between the two Pokémon, forming a physical barrier between them, and though Blastoise was able to smash through it he was unable to continue with his attack. Blastoise stopped before her. "Air Slash!"
The attack struck Blastoise from point blank range and sent him staggering, even going so far as to briefly lift him off his feet as he fell backwards, wincing as he clutched his chest.
"Now Hidden Power!"
Blastoise was not given enough time to dodge. The mysterious attack built up before Vespiquen in a moment before it went flying the short distance across the battlefield, crashing into Blastoise and knocking him into the ground, sending him skittling across the floor with tremendous force.
The Hidden Power must have been either grass or electric type for Blastoise struggled to rise back to his feet. He looked exhausted and battered, while Vespiquen looked renewed as she buzzed across the battlefield.
"Attack Order!" Daphne shouted.
"Hydro Pump!" Shouted Ron.
The two attacks collided in midair, the Hydro Pump punching a hole through the centre of the swarm and crashing into Vespiquen before she had the chance to dodge. But the rest of the swarm, the outer fringes, remained, and they continued on.
"Blastoise!" Ron shouted as the bees buzzed forward but Blastoise wasn't listening. The bees had swarmed him again and he was too tired to fight back. He swiped his arms helplessly, doing his best just to try and protect himself from their sting. "Blastoise, Rapid Spin!"
But Blastoise couldn't do it. He'd reached the end of his strength.
Across the battlefield Vespiquen had recovered. She hovered forward.
"Hidden Power!" Daphne instructed.
The build up to Vespiquen's attack was slow, she was clearly fatigued, but it did not matter as her target was incapable of fighting back. The attack formed and a moment later it flew forwards, obliterating what remained of the swarm and crashing into Blastoise, knocking him to the ground as the attack washed over him.
At last, battered and bruised and at the end of his strength, Blastoise's eyes fell closed.
A/N: That's it for this chapter. Thanks for reading. If you enjoyed please remember to Review and follow me on Twitter for further updates.
I'll see you next time for the semi-finals.