Harry lasted out with his left hand, his fingers grazing Jonas' ear as the Elite 4 member ducked most of the blow before moving to drive his shoulder into Harry's solar plex. The young man found himself now on the defensive, leaping back before Jonas could knock the wind out of him and backpedaling as the younger of the Kenway brothers tried to kick Harry's shin. Knowing that he'd be doomed if he let Jonas lead him about wherever he wanted Harry decided to go back on the offensive. Not that he let Jonas realize that; Harry began to edge away from his sparring partner, just enough to force Jonas to extend his reach a bit more with each swing. Finally, after several attempts that saw Jonas clipping little more than Harry's shirt, the older man swung his fist at Harry and realized that he'd overextended himself.

With a grin Harry caught Jonas' wrist with his right hand and squeezed. Not hard enough to do any lasting damage but enough to make Jonas wince. Unlike a flesh and blood hand there was no give and no hope of wiggling free when the fingers that were gripping one's wrist were made out of the finest Dark Iron. Not that that stopped Jonas from trying. He yanked his own arm back several times, trying to rip Harry forward and send him stumbling. Harry decided not to deny him his wish, making it look like Jonas' last tug had him tripping over his own feet before he released Jonas' wrist and brought his right arm up to catch the other man in the chest, sending him sprawling to the ground.

"The Drunk Man's stumble... that's new."

"I have good teachers," Harry said as Jonas easily leapt back to his feet and fell into a defensive position.

"You know in a real fight that wouldn't have worked on me."

"How do you figure?"

Jonas made the universal signal for time-out and Harry, knowing the man wouldn't pull a fast one, walked over and accepting Jonas' wrist once more when the man held it out. Once more Jonas pulled but this time his free hand went to his side, pulling out a concealed dagger and bringing it up. Without saying a word he first pantomimed hacking off Harry's hand. Then he pointed the tip of the blade at Harry's belly. Finally he brought it up where it would be perfect to stab him right in the eye.

"Strategy like that is good but realize someone like Greyback knows those tricks and has countermeasures. You need to counter his counters."

"Right. Continue?"

"Yeah."

As the two of them began to circle each other Harry chanced a glance over at the rest of the group. Clair was coaching Remus through a few basic katas, correcting his posture when he began to slouch or let his shoulders droop. At first his guardian had sworn he was only going to make sure Harry was safe and wasn't going to end up broke in half by the 'deranged Kenway family'. Remus has stuck by his word until, after some egging on by Sirius, he'd decided to engage in a bit of hand-to-hand combat with his old friend.

Sirius had easily tossed Remus over his shoulder three times, leaving the other man gasping on the ground.

After that Remus had quietly told Harry that if he was going to protect him then he needed to get into shape. Clair had been more than willing to help, coaching him in the basics of martial arts training. Sirius had joked that Remus would have a killer rack after all the exercise but Harry's guardian had merely flipped him off before asking Clair to continue.

As for Sirius himself he'd been partnered with Lance, the two of them currently going at it with bo staffs. Lance was an expert at the weapon, as staves were the chosen weapon of dragon masters, but Sirius was no slouch and was able to keep things interesting for Lance Blackthorn. A handful of yards away from them Jack and Jasmine were sparing much like Harry and Jonas were; father and daughter were both grinning like mad as the rained kicks and punches on the other, going at it as only two who had utter faith and trust in each other could.

"Enough," Lugia finally called, the combatants finding their limbs suddenly immobilized by the legendary's psychic grip. Lugia had learned quickly that it was best to force them to stop as it was simply not in any of them to just stop a fight mid-swing. Harry, for his part, found himself staring at Jonas' fist while his own foot was heading towards the older man's ankle before Lugia whisked everyone to different sides of the Hall. "I think it is time to try something new."

"And what's that?" Jasmine asked once she was free of the psychic grip, rotating her arms to work out the kinks. Baby Love let out a squeal and happily toddled towards Jack, pulling a small wagon filled with bottled water. Jack took a moment to kneel down and kiss the baby's forehead before allowing her to happily continue on her way, the infant Pokemon squeaking happily as she toddled towards the others.

Lugia moved slowly about the room, his sheer bulk forcing all to pay attention to him. "When you battle Team Nocturne, Mr. Potter, it will be with your Pokémon. This is a benefit and a curse, for while it will allow you to strike out at twice the number of targets it also requires a level of trust in your Pokémon few trainers have. You must know in your heart that when you give a command they are on the same wavelength as you. If you allow even a touch of doubt to enter your head your focus will be divided and you will fall. The only way you can be sure you understand how they battle is to witness it first hand, when there is no danger to yourself."

"So like a tradition battle then?" Harry asked.

The legendary laughed. "Only in spirit. You, Mr. Potter, will compete in a best of seven battle against your companions." He gestured at Remus, Sirius, Lance, and the Kenways, who were just as surprised as Harry at this new development. "They will each send out one Pokémon. You will then be allowed to select your own Pokémon before doing battle. Your Pokémon will only be allowed to battle once, so you will have to choose wisely."

"That's a bit unfair though," Clair pointed out. "We're much older than him."

"Treat it like a gym battle," Lugia stated, giving his version of a shrug before directing his attention at Harry. "The way we deal with the impossible reveals how we deal with life. You may believe this cruel or unfair, to suddenly throw you into such a competition-"

"-but life isn't fair," Harry said firmly, narrowing his eyes. "Believe me, I understand getting the short end of the stick better than most." He flexed his hands. "Speaking allowed?"

"Only before each match, purely for the sake of time. Once the battle starts you will be like a normal trainer. This is a test that will strip away everything but your mind and your Pokémon's will."

"And the same for us," Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest. "So, who is reffing this?"

"I'll ref," Sirius offered. "Honestly, I've been slacking off. I only got Duskull, a Dusknoir, my Empoleon, and Padfoot." He rubbed the back of his neck. "I need to get back out into the long grass. Kinda screws up the best of seven..."

"Which is why I'll be stepping in!" Tonks called out as she entered the Hall, surprising the others.

"What are you doing here, kiddo?" Sirius asked, running up and giving his cousin a big hug.

The former auror chuckled. "Well, I can't just be running around handling things for you lot, can I? Need to have some fun too."

"How are things?" Jonas asked. "The rest of the Elite 4 giving you problems?"

Tonks scoffed. "As if they would say a word when I got a letter with your signature on it. 'Let it be known that Tonks'- thanks for not using my first name- 'is acting in my stead as Elite 4 Law Enforcement Commander until I have returned from my sabbatical.' I handed it over to the Johto officials and they didn't say boo." She paused, before winking at Jasmine. "Might have also dropped Jack's name around... you sure you ain't their king?"

"Positive," Jack said, bristling.

"Yeah sure?" Tonk said, sideling up to Jack and elbowing him in the side. "Because your people sure did treat you very kingly..."

"Positive."

"Kinda positive?" Tonk said with a grin, loving her tweaking of the Father of Johto. "Because-"

Jack, without moving a muscle, unleashed a Pulse that had Tonk quickly backing away.

"Very sure," Jack said sullenly.

"Bloody hell, I think I'll just stand over here." Tonks quickly moved away from Speaker, Lance and Sirius snickering at her.

Lugia cleared his throat. "I am glad you are here, Miss Tonks. You are welcome to compete... and Lord Black, you will as well. We will make this a best of eight then; I will act as ref for this match."

"Don't see that every bloody day," Jasmine muttered.

"Well, who am I to argue with a literal legend," Sirius said. "So who is starting us off?

"I will," Lance said, stepping forward. "and I've got the perfect Pokémon to start us out."

Harry sent out Dobby before quickly slipped into the Speaker's Realm, careful not to pull Jack, Jonas, or Jasmine in with him (something Lugia had been kind enough to show him so he could have a touch of privacy). "So guys," he said, Dobby connecting his mind to all his Pokémon's, even those still in their balls, "What are you thinking?"

"Well, it should be me first, right?" Togekiss said. "Fairy vs. Dragon?'

"Except Clair is also a dragon user," Harry pointed out.

"And wes know Scary Lord Jack has Powerful Smaug available," Dobby pointed out.

"And I don't think any of them are going to go with what is expected," Harry added.

"What do you mean, sir?" Ludwig asked.

"Lance and the rest know I've seen several of their Pokémon battle. I think they are going to make this interesting, try and give me something different than I'd expect. And they are going to push me as hard as they can."

"So be prepared for anything and don't have anything set in stone," Firebolt said.

"Tch," Kommo-O said, and though Harry couldn't see his newest Pokémon he could tell just from his tone that the fighter was crossing his arms over his chest, a look of annoyance on his face. Kommo-O, Harry was quickly coming to realize, was a proud fighter who looked at the world in annoyance, feeling that only those that were worthy of him deserved anything but scoffs. "You can worry all you want about the unexpected. I'll take out everything you leave behind and take out whoever my opponent is."

"You say that now, Vegeta," Hedwig taunted, "but there is a difference between talking a big game and backing it up."

"Enough," Harry said. He glanced at Hedwig. "Vegeta? I ruled that name out."

"You can rule out what you like, partner, but you can't fight fate. Vegeta suits him, Jack was right about that."

Harry rolled his eyes. "Alright, so let's see what Lance sends out before we come up with a game plan. If I can counter it without using Togekiss let's go with that, so we can save her for something that needs a Fairy." Pulling out of the Speaker's Realm Harry looked at Lance. "Let's see what you've got."

Lance smirked and selected a pure red Cherish ball and that had Harry instantly on his toes. Cherish balls were some of the rarest balls in the world and were usually only used hold Pokémon given out as prizes... or by Elite 4 members, and even then they were rare to get. Smaug was held in a Cherish Ball and Harry imaged that Lance hadn't used his to catch a Pidgey. "This is a beauty I caught a few years back." Without another word Lance let the ball fly, the red energy bursting out of it and swelling bigger... and bigger... and bigger.

Harry took a step back as the beast appeared, making him look tiny in comparison. Oh, he knew this Pokémon well, but that wasn't a comfort. In fact it made matters worse, as he knew just how powerful it was. Worse, while he'd seen this Pokémon up close before he'd never seen one with scales as red as blood.

"Bloody hell!" Jack exclaimed. "You're the bugger that caught that red Gyarados?!"

"I was under cover at the time," Lance said with a shrug.

"What were you doing in Johto after the war?" Jonas asked.

Lance's smile dropped slightly and he shifted. "The Prime Minister was concerned when we got reports about Team Rocket doing experiments at the Lake of Rage... he thought... well..."

Jack blinked. "He thought I was working with bloody Team Rocket? God damn it, Lance!"

"Hey!" Lance barked, holding up his hands though when he saw how upset his once more best friend was. "I knew you weren't! Giovanni wanted to rule... that isn't you at all. No way would you bring in a Kanto crime boss after winning your freedom. The Prime Minister though was a prick and was sure you were cutting deals and he sent me to investigate. I was working to prove you were innocent. And you were!"

"Damn right I was," Jack huffed. "Fine, you snuck into Johto and caught a Gyarados. Can't get mad at that. At least I won't if you put on a good show."

"That's up the Harry, isn't it?" Lance asked as he turned his attention back onto the teen.

"And I'll aim to please," Harry said before holding out his hand. "Leafeon!"

His starter rushed onto the field, his leaf-like tail swishing back and forth. "Right... this will be fun."

"An interesting choice. Let's see how it works for you."

Lugia rumbled in agreement. "The first match starts in 3...2...1... begin!"

"Dragon Tail!" Lance called out.

"Quick Attack into a Leaf Blade!" Harry countered, Leafeon not even bothering to confirm he understood as he leapt to avoid the massive tail of the enraged serpentine Pokémon. Leafeon's nimble feet easily allowed him to rush up the Red Gyarados' body before launching himself once more into the air, his tail going stiff as he whipped around and slashed Lance's Pokémon on the face. It was only gravity though that allowed Leafeon to avoid the snapping jaws of the crimson monster, though he did move into another Quick Attack so that he could avoid the massive beast as he tried to crush him under his bulk.

"Was that an attack?" Sirius asked.

"I think it was more of a 'I just want to squish him' move," Jasmine said, watching as Leafeon dodged another half-Thrash/half-Headbutt, getting just daring enough to stay close enough to flick his tail at the beast before leaping back. Gyarados, not amused in the slightest, tried to chomp down on the offending appendage but Leafeon just managed to get out of the way. A cockier Pokemon would have laughed or made a joke but Leafeon knew that getting a few minor scratches in didn't mean that he was dominating Lance's Gyaradon. The serpentine Pokemon could take a ton of his attacks before he slowed down; if Leafeon got hit once or twice by the massive bulk of the water type he'd be done.

"This isn't working, Gyarados!" Lance called out. "We need to speed things up. Get in the air and launch into a Hurricane!"

"Of course he'd know that," Leafeon muttered as he began to dig his paws into the ground so he could brace himself.

"Wait, no!" Harry called out, startling Leafeon even as Gyarados began to fly above them in tight circles, churning the air with each circuit. "That will leave you unable to dodge if he moves into something more directly physical."

Leafeon grunted as the winds began to pick up, making him strain and struggle against the blast. The rest of their friends and family backed away even as Lugia threw up a psychic barrier to protect them. "I'm open to other options!"

Harry pursued his lips before crying out over the roaring winds, "Use the air to your advantage!"

"Say what now?!"

"Be like a dandelion!" Harry called out. "Let the wind move you about."

"How would… wait… no, I got the idea!" Leafeon tensed, crouching slightly, ears twitching as he focused on the air currents before leaping into the air. For a moment he spun about like most Pokémon did when they were caught in the Hurricane attack but then Leafeon fluffed up his grass-like fur and stretched his ears and tail out as far as he could, shifting his body until he began to shakedly glide along with the air currents.

The damage one took from a Hurricane attack wasn't from the winds themselves; it wasn't like an Air Cutter where a Pokemon was able to unleash a blast so precise that it turned the very air into a weapon. The sheer size of the attack meant that could never come to pass. No, the attack's power came from what the winds were able to pick up and send flying about the battlefield. While the obvious was sending the target itself smashing into walls (which was what Gyarados was attempting, forcing Leafeon to be on alert even as he struggled to stay oriented in the swirling storm) that wasn't the only focus of the attack. Chunks of stone, loose branches, even bits of dust and grit could cause damage when propelled at high speeds. Of course, unlike moves such as Sandstorm and Hail, one could never know just what would be grabbed and the high speed winds required more energy to maintain than the lesser 'Environmental Hazard' attacks.

Leafeon was finding the pros and cons of a Hurricane firsthand, pushing off of walls and diving into new air currents even as he tries to avoid both bits of flying stone and Gyarados himself.

"Something's not right," Harry muttered to himself. "Leafeon, watching Gyarados carefully! He's not putting his all into his attack."

"You think this is him half-assing it?" Leafeon complained.

"Language!" Remus chided. "Harry, have you been cursing around your Pokemon?"

Harry, rather than answer (as he knew Remus would be able to tell he was lying if he said 'no') focused on Lance who was, in turn, watching him with a critical eye. "What is he up to?" Harry narrowed his eyes, watching as the red Gyarados did another spin, twisting and wiggling his body as he completed another pass. "That's not right. Why move like that? Going straight would help him build up more speed. Dancing about like that is just slowing-" Harry suddenly snapped his eyes towards Leafeon. "Get ready! He's doing a Dragon Dance!"

"He…" Leafeon looked up at the twisting form of his foe and gulped when he saw the draconic energy beginning to form along his fins. "Aw shit."

"Harry!" Remus scolded.

"Eeep," Harry squeaked.

"Aw, are ya in trouble?" Jasmine teased. "Take your punishment like a man and not a bitch, Harry!"

SMACK!

"GAH! Mum!" Jasmine cried out, rubbing her bottom.

"You aren't too old for me to spank, young lady! You remember that!" Clair said sternly. Jasmine looked over at her father but Jack refused to meet her eyes; he might love his little girl but if he wasn't a fool to stand between his wife and child.

While normally Harry would have found the sight of his girlfriend rubbing her bum something to focus on with all his attention at the moment he was working on a plan to deal with Lance's Gyarados who was working to get faster and stronger with every pass. There was one trick he could pull off… but it would mean Leafeon catching on to a hint without Lance cluing in. It was risky and he didn't know… "Damn, if only you could Dragon Dance as well, Leafeon," Harry grumped. "Then we'd be able to meet him attack for attack."

"It is a shame," Lance said as Leafeon began to leap about more erratically, doing all he could to avoid everything Gyarados was throwing at him, "but you work with the hand you're dealt. Being a Pokemon trainer means taking what you are dealt and turning it into a winning hand. Gyarados is powerful but he's slow compared to your Pokémon. Dragon Dance allows me to overcoming the speed problem while also making his strong enough to take out your Leafeon with a single blow!" Gyarados let out a bellow as he went into another part of the routine, the purplish glow of draconic energy growing more intense each time he completed a circuit. Leafeon, Lance could tell, wanted to attack, but didn't dare risk it; instead he merely continued to leap about the walls and the floor of the arena. "You gave it a good shot, Harry. Might I suggest you begin hunting for an Electric Type? That would have saved you. Gyarados! Waterfall!"

The red-scaled beast roared, the winds dying off as he suddenly went from circling the battlefield to rushing forward, water shooting out from the deep pools that surrounded the arena and surrounded him, cloaking him liquid swirling armor as he became a watery torpedo. Leafeon though, rather that dodging, simply swished his tail as he dropped to the ground and rushed to meet Gyarados head on.

"Is he insane?" Tonks exclaimed as Leafeon and Gyarados collided, their collision hidden in an explosion of water.

Harry merely shielded his face as the water from Gyarados' attack rained down upon him. "Not at all." He watched as the two Pokémon became visible… and both staggered, clearly hurt. "I just knew Leafeon could handle him."

Lance stared at Harry and his Pokémon in shock. "How? How did you manage to match Gyarados in raw strength after his Dragon Dance?"

"I don't know Dragon Dance," Leafeon said, struggling to remain standing. Gyarados thought wasn't in any condition to take advantage, as he was at that moment struggling to keep his head up. The serpent was sporting a large gash on his face and had similar cuts along his side. "But I do know Sword Dance."

Lance's eyes went wide before he let out a laugh. "All that erratic movement when you were in the air… you were doing a Sword Dance right under my nose!"

Harry shrugged. "I figured you'd be so concerned with Gyarados powering up you wouldn't notice Leafeon doing it."

Lugia cleared his throat. "I declare this match a draw. Neither Pokemon can continue the battle."

Harry nodded, walking over with a Super Potion while Lance recalled his Gyarados. "You did a good job, buddy."

"Maybe I'll believe that when everything stops aching," Leafeon moaned. "Seriously, can we get an electric type to deal with Flying types so I can just stick to the ground and water Pokemon?"

"I'll add it to the list," Harry said with a smile, stroking Leafeon's head. "Still, good job."

"Are you ready to continue or do you need a minute, Mr. Potter?" Lugia asked.

"I'm ready," Harry said. "War doesn't give you a chance to breathe. Who's next?"

Sirius shrugged, stepping forward. "Well, I figure I might as well get my embarrassment out of the way."

Harry just pulled a face. "You might only have a few Pokemon but if you want me to believe for a second you aren't a great trainer then you're insane."

"I'm serious… and Sirius." The Lord of Sevii waggled his eyebrows. "Alright Harry, let's show the Kenways how to put on a show! Dusknoir!"

Harry didn't even flinch when the Pokemon that had caused some much pain in that terrible future that had never come to pass appeared before him, cracking his knuckles and bobbing in the air. Instead he merely held out his hand, the Pokeball shooter embedded in his palm lighting up. "Oh, I have just the thing for you!"

"Attack as his Pokemon appears! Shadow Punch!" The Dusknoir nodded, rushing forward and channeling phantom energy around his fist…

…only to stop dead in his tracks when, rather than sending out a Pokemon, Harry allowed Hedwig to swoop down and easily dissipate the attack.

"Normal and Ghost Pokémon can't hurt each other," Harry said simply.

"Just not with their natural attacks. Thunder Punch!"

"Air Slash and roll!" Harry commanded, Hedwig using the attack to drive herself away enough so that the punch only caught the tips of her talons. Dusknoir let out a groaning growl, rubbing his face, and began to pursue the flying Pokemon, Hedwig spreading her wings wide and beating a hasty retreat.

"She's faster than she should be," Jonas commented as the two Pokemon began a complex battle of dives and twists.

Remus nodded. "A side effect of the Magnus process. As a Pokemagnus repeatedly bonds with their partner and lets them evolve the Pokemon will begin to keep the strength, speed, and defensive powers that they would have gotten had they been allowed to evolve naturally. Hedwig might look like a Hoothoot but she's a Noctowl in every sense that matters."

"I've heard about that occasionally happening with trainers who hold strong bonds with their Pokemon and choose not to evolve them," Jack said. "Sam Oak did a paper about a trainer… Asp? Ass?"

"Ash," Lance said as Hedwig and Dusknoir continued to dodge each other's attacks. "And his Pikachu, yes. I've met the boy twice. He helped out in Johto when I caught my Gyarados and again during the Hoenn Incident."

Jack raised an eyebrow at that, his fingers running along Baby Love's forehead, the young ice-type cooing in delight. "Didn't know about that."

"You aren't the only person in the world to lead an interesting life, Jack," Clair told her husband. She smiled as Baby Love let out a squawk and hurried over to her, big bright eyes looking up as she demanded that 'mama' give her some attention.

"Try a Brick Break when she gets in close!"

"Dive in but switch the tackle to a Moonblast!"

Jack watched the battle for a moment before returning to the topic. "Right, Ash Ketchum. According to Oak the kid's managed to train a Pikachu to be stronger than a Raichu. Put his base voltage output at 207 on the Tesla Scale."

Lance shook his head. "He wrote that paper two years ago. According to Gary Ash's Pikachu has only gotten stronger. Kukui in Alola has been salivating at the thought of doing a new paper but Oak is fighting him… says Ash started with him."

"It better not delay his paper on the origins of the Nidoran species. I've waiting for that ever since he hinted at it at the Castelia Conference last year."

"You read Samuel Oak's research papers?" Remus asked, surprised.

"Twist in and give him another one!" Harry called out.

"Double Thunder Punch!" Sirius yelled.

"…Air Slash, now! Yeah!"

"Block! Block!"

"Why does everyone seem to forget that I'm the headmaster of a very prestigious Pokémon school. I have my doctrine and everything!"

"Maybe if you didn't run around beating people up with sticks?" Lance wagered.

Jack gestured at his friend. "Yet you wear that cape and no one questions your credentials-"

"This cape is amazing."

"If you are Dracula," Jack commented.

"Shadow Ball!"

"That just isn't fair!" Sirius whined.

Lance frowned. "Did we just miss something?"

"Just the entire match," Jonas said dryly as Sirius recalled his knocked out Dusknoir. "Let's give Harry a five minute breather."

"Sounds good to me," Harry said as he gave Hedwig a Pokebean. "But who am I taking on next?"

"Well, considering Sirius did so poorly in representing Avalon..." Remus said with a smirk, "I suppose it is up to me."

Harry swallowed, having a sinking feeling things were about to get a lot tougher.