"You ready for this?" Sirius asked as Harry rolled his shoulders and worked the kinks out. While he shouldn't be forced to leap about the battlefield he'd found that just standing there watching as his Pokémon fought their hardest was enough to leave him tense and his muscles aching. Better to stretch now than to be feeling it later. "Because we can always hold off. Maybe have you face Tonks or Jack."

Harry shot Sirius a dark look. "How is fighting the guy that killed members of the Elite 4 better than facing Jasmine?"

"Because Jasmine is crazy?" Sirius said with utter seriousness. Harry glared at him all the harder and Sirius held up his hands. "Hey, I love the girl, I really do, but she is nuts when it comes to fighting." He leaned in and whispered. "When they say someone lusts for battle-"

"That is my girlfriend you are talking about," Harry reminded him.

"...really? I thought you two were just snog buddies."

"How is this a helpful conversation?"

"It isn't," Sirius said with an infuriating smirk. "I'm just bored waiting for the battle to begin." Harry fought the urge to slap his guardian and Sirius, wisely, decided to back away so that Harry could focus on Jasmine, who had surprised him by changing out of her jeans and long sleeve tee and putting on a brand new and rather ornate looking outfit. While he himself had put on the Gauntlet/Battling outfit he'd worn throughout the tournament, Jasmine had gone with a completely different outfit than her Tournament outfit.

"Like it?" she asked, holding out her arms and giving a twirl. "It is my new Gym Leader outfit."

Harry though just raised an eyebrow. "Yeah, I've been meaning to ask about that... why does every gym leader have to wear... costumes?"

Clair shouted out, tugging on her outfit, "This isn't a costume!"

"It kinda is," Tonks pointed out. "I mean, the one piece, the cape that has its own sleeves, the boots, the cape-"

"Capes are cool!" Clair and Lance both shouted.

"Keep telling yourself that," Harry muttered.

"People don't go around wearing that kind of thing on a day to day basis."

"…I WEAR IT ON A DAY TO DAY BASIS!" She glared at the former auror and snarled, "People who wear combat boots to every event there is don't get to talk about fashion choices!"

"Hey, my outfit is at least practical…"

Jack chuckled as he grabbed his wife's arm and kept her from throttling Tonks (and while Clair wasn't an Ironside or a Kenway by blood she certainly was mimicking her husband and daughter when it came to that desire). "It's a trainer thing, Harry. The higher you get in the ranks and the more titles you gather the more people expect you to stand out. You can get away winning your first Elite 4 in shorts and a tank top but by the time you are a repeat champion people want you to have a 'look'." Once he was sure that Clair wouldn't murder Tonks while screaming about the benefits of capes he let her go and gestured towards his own outfit. While he currently wasn't wearing his long coat he had donned his red overshirt and his bracers that held his shrunk down escrima sticks. "Hell, I had this outfit before I went revolutionary, so I can't even claim I'm immune to it. Trick is to make it look complicated while also allowing you to adapt."

Jonas nodded, tugging on his own coat. "Though that's why I recommend wearing layers. Easy to strip them off and easy to add to them."

"Is this another crack about my bare legs?" Clair demanded, hands of her hips. "You know I wear flesh-colored tights!"

"Sure you do..." Jonas groused.

"Jack, hit your brother."

"Why?"

"Because I am your wife and you want to get laid sometime again this year."

"OW!" Jonas yelped.

Tonks paled. "I am not old enough to hear this."

"Neither am I," Lugia rumbled.

Remus looked down at his rather plain looking suit. "I don't dress weird."

"That's because you are the quiet gears that keep the machine of progress moving," Sirius said. "We could get you a mask though if you really want one!" He pulled out his own Lord of Sevii mask. "We could be twinsies!"

As the adults bickered like children Harry took a moment to look over Jasmine's new outfit. It was a blend of her old school outfit and father's battle clothes. She wore a pair of dark pants with metal studs running up the sides of her legs that did enough to show off her curves will not hindering her movements. Complimenting this was a dark gray shirt and a belt with the buckle designed to look like the international symbol for Steel types. On her wrists she of course wore her bracers though she'd added a pair of black gloves under them. Her feet were clad in tall leather boots that went up to just below her knees and the toes were capped with steel. Over all of this she wore a custom long coat with a black under attached to it. Though there were many metal fasteners running along it Jasmine only fastened the top two so that the coat could flair out like a robe or a cape. The jacket itself was a steely gray with red accents and featured a large popped collar much like Lance's.

Jasmine had even changed her hair, tying her blonde locks into an intricate set of braids that were then positioned to form a bun. She'd allowed a few loose strands to dangle free, hinting at the wild child she was under the controlled gym leader she sought to be.

The entire outfit had a wonderful turn-of-the-last-century meets modern steampunk feel to it that perfectly fit a steel type user.

"...I think you need to think about getting yourself a new outfit," Hedwig whispered as she settled on his shoulder.

"Yeah," Harry muttered before looking at the still bickering adults. "Could you-?"

"Yeah," Hedwig said before letting out s screech that had everyone blinking. "Shut up, would ya! We're trying to battle here!" She spread her wings and flew off. "All yours, Harry."

"Thanks," he muttered as he rolled his wrist, selecting a Pokéball.

Lugia, deciding to actually act like the legendary Pokémon he was supposed to be, cleared his throat and declared, "This one vs one match will be treated as a Gym Battle with an opponent who has 5 badges. Speaking is not allowed and the trainers may not personally engage each other or the Pokémon." He paused for a moment and Harry tensed. "Begin!"

"Firebolt!" Harry shouted, firing out his Typhlosion's Pokéball, the Pokémon of House Potter letting out a roar as fire burst from the heat vents that ran along the back of his neck.

"A good choice!" Jasmine called out, quickly getting into the role of Gym Leader. She reached into her coat and selected a Great Ball. "But I wouldn't be much of a Steel trainer if I didn't know how to deal with Fire Types. Maleficent, I choose you!" Giving the ball a toss the Hall trembled slightly as the massive Steelix emerged and let out a roar of her own before narrowing her eyes and focusing on Firebolt.

"Alright buddy... let's do this," Harry said. "Swift!"

The Typhlosion nodded and curled up into a ball, rocketing around the Steelix who watched him carefully, thumping her tail.

"Let's see what sort of traction he has! Earthquake!"

As the two Pokémon clashed Tonks turned to Jack. "So you think she'll be ready to be a gym leader?"

Sirius nodded. "Yeah... don't get me wrong Jack but I'm nearly twice her age and I'm not ready to leap into being a gym leader yet. I'm glad I'm waiting for when Harry gets out of school."

"She has enough Pokémon," Clair stated as Firebolt did his best to keep rolling even as the earth trembled under him. "She'll only be able to do One on One matches for a while but in a few years she'll have enough to do the standard 1 to 5 battles." She paused when a great clang filled the air as the Steelix tried to smash Firebolt with her tail only to miss. It was clear to all the adults that Jasmine wanted to curse but, remembering this was supposed to simulate a gym battle and that it wasn't just Harry being tested but her as well, held her tongue and merely gave another command. "Getting the low level ones was the hardest part, honestly. Jasmine is more like Jack than me-"

"No!" Tonks said in mock surprise, earning a glare from Clair and a chuckle from Remus.

"-and it bugs her not to train a Pokémon fully."

"As for if she is ready… she has to be," Jack said, crossing his arms over his chest, watching as Harry commanded Firebolt to leap into the air and try and deliver a falling Flamethrower at Maleficent. "I can't keep her in the nest forever, as much as I want to. She needs to grow up, to make her own mistakes, to learn and try. It… it wouldn't be fair to her, otherwise." His jaw worked and from the way his muscles tensed it was clear that despite his words the last thing he wanted to do was let his baby girl go out on her own. "I've been at her side since the war ended. School, vacations… the most we've gone not seeing each other is less than a week. I need to give her this chance to get out from under my shadow."

Lance patted his shoulder. "Yeah yeah, she is getting so far away from you, being about a 3 miles from the school…"

"Her gym is in the same town as your school?" Remus asked.

"Yes," Clair said, rolling her eyes, "and this big baby is acting like she is moving to a different city. He left school and began traveling different regions… Jasmine stays in the same zip code and he mopes."

"She's moving out!" Jack whined.

"Again, down the road!" Clair complained. "It's not that big of a deal, Jack!"

"Firebolt, leap using Swift and coat yourself with flames!"

"Maleficent, dodge it! Dodge!"

BOOM!

Jack just shot his wife a smirk. "Oh really? Not a big deal? I supposed that is why I caught you last week watching Jasmine sleep, crying and whispering, "What if she has a nightmare?"."

"…that is entirely different," Clair said, waving her hand dismissively.

"So I guess you wouldn't mind if just me and her move everything to the gym and you stay at the school-"

"If I do that you'll have her apartment looking like a tool shed!" Clair complained. "You need me to make sure it is livable."

"I am capable of living like an adult, Clair." Lance snickered at that and Jack shot him a dark look. "You have something to say?"

The dragon trainer laughed. "Just remembering you showing up at my apartment after your first true sole expedition. You couldn't sleep in the fold up I'd gotten for you and decided to sleep in the bathtub. Ate in there too."

"Your bath tub is very comfy," Jack scoffed.

"I also remember your first apartment, though I don't think that is a fair word for it."

Tonks glanced at Lance. "What do you mean?"

"He had a desk, a bunch of boxes, a mattress, and more dust that he did furniture."

"I hardly stayed there, give me a break," Jack complained. "My office is bitchin' now, you should see it!"

Sirius laughed. "You did not just use the word 'bitchin''."

The conversation faded away as they watched Jasmine and Harry battle. The two of them were doing well, commanding their Pokémon to constantly counter and then counter the counters. The entire battlefield was being used, with Firebolt striking the walls and even the ceiling as he moved around, always on the move so the massive Steelix couldn't strike him. The two of them were wearing matching looks that all the adults recognized quite well. It was a mixture of annoyance, determination, and joy. The look that someone could only get when they discovered something that hadn't realized they were missing while in school learning how to train Pokémon and could only come about when they went out into the real world and used all they had learned. The wild throbbing in their hearts. The rush. The sensation.

The exhilaration of a real fight!

"FLAMETHROWER!"

"IRON TAIL!"

The two Pokémon collided into each other and the Hall of Speakers filled with the clanging of metal and flashing of white-hot flames.

When everyone could see and hear properly again they found that Firebolt and Maleficent were a bit worse for wear but still ready for a fight. The two were spotting scratches as well as cuts (for Firebolt) and dents (Maleficent) but otherwise weren't hurt nearly enough to stop them from fighting. Harry and Jasmine shared a look before they called out attacks to start the whole process up again.

"Nymphadora…" Lance said softly, "I have a question."

"Is it "Why did you smack me"? Because the answer is "You called me that name"."

Lance smiled slightly at that. "Tonks… have you gotten any word from Daggertooth?" The former auror lost her grin. "That bad?" Lance asked with a sad smile.

"They've placed you on paid leave while they investigate the Tournament and the accusations made by Avalon." She turned to Sirius and Remus. "It seems our former region wants to declare everyone who left the Graveyard on the Ghost as international terrorists."

"Of course they do," Lance said with a grunt. "And paid leave is a nice way of saying I'm fired, my career just doesn't know it yet."

Tonks sighed, hating that she was the bearer of bad news. She clicked her teeth before finding something that could be considered good news. "Some of your students aren't happy about it and are protesting. I hear Gary Oak turned down an offer to work at the Kanto Elite 4's Department of Mysteries and is trying to convince his grandfather to move his lab out of the region."

"Samuel won't go," Lance said, running his fingers through his hair. "Gary is his grandson and after Robert died he practically raced Gary and his sister himself… their mother just couldn't handle the death…" Lance shook his head. "But no, even if Gary begs him he won't move. That lab is his home. He raised Robert there, his wife is buried there… I wouldn't have him move just for me."

"Especially when you don't need Daggertooth," Jack said firmly. "You have Olivine Pointe."

"Jack?" Lance asked.

"We were meant to do this together, Lance. You and me… Olivine is ours. We were her masters when we were students and we should be her masters now." The Father of Johto turned fully to stare at his best friend. "I want you to be my co-headmaster."

Lance blinked at that. "Not deputy headmaster?" he joked.

"I'm serious, Lance," Jack said firmly, pausing only as Jasmine's Steelix landed a painful blow on Firebolt, the Typhlosion shaking his head before getting back into the thick of battle. "I curse Koga even more for what he did, how it tore us apart. We should have been given Olivine together and made her the greatest school in the world. You did well with Daggertooth, but now it is time to come home."

Lance licked his lips at that and in a quiet voice whispered, "I get the bigger office."

"I'll keep mine and knock down some walls to make yours-"

"Alright, this isn't working!" Harry called out, cutting off what Jack was about to say. "Let's try something a big different." His face screwed up a bit as he took in the battlefield. Maleficent's constant thrashing had left the Hall of Speakers' floor torn up and riddled with holes and impact craters; while Lugia would be able to repair it with his mental powers (and Harry didn't quite know HOW he managed to do that… he just did) for now it was a pitted battlefield. The rock was cracking and breaking, with fissures running through it…

Harry paused. The problem with fighting the Steelix was that its sheer size meant that a blast that would normally overtake a normal Pokémon only hit a small section of her. She was able to keep going, shrugging off the wounds like a boxer would bruises; oh, eventually she would fall but one had to have the stamina. And right now Harry didn't know if Firebolt had that. But looking at the ground and then at his Pokémon… it occurred to him that he might know just how to end the battle in one final strike.

"Okay Firebolt, going about something different!" Harry called out. "Strike Maleficent right in the oculars with a Smokescreen!"

"Right in the ocu- Dodge!" Jasmine shouted the moment she realized what Harry was going for but the Steelix was a fraction of a second too late and howled as the smoke struck her right in the face, blinding her.

"Alright, right here!" Harry called, pointing to a fissure right next to him, his Pokemon rolling over to where Harry stood. "Turn up the heat!" Firebolt nodded and shot a blast of flames right at the ground. "Hotter… hotter… give it everything you have." The stone began to glow as Firebolt flame drilled right into it.

"What is he doing?" Jonas asked only to see the Avalonians had gone pale. "What is it?"

Sirius, Remus, and even Tonks couldn't say a word. They merely watched as the fires from the Typhlosion began to distort the air and steam began to shoot out of the cracks in the rocks as water droplets that had wormed their way through the little fissures and holes instantly evaporated. Maleficent tried to move in close but the super heated steam hit her and drove her back. The air began to shimmer and tremble and Harry focused on Firebolt, feeling a connection similar to his magnus bond with Hedwig and his Speaker bond with Leafeon thicken and tense like a steel cable. For those watching the air shimmered and the image of Harry began to distort in the wake of the flames into something else. Someone else.

"…James?" Sirius whispered, reaching out as he stared at the image of his best friend that appeared before him, Remus placing a hand on his shoulder only to freeze himself. Then, just as soon as it had begun it ended and there was a thunderous CRACK! as the stone shattered and buckled, tossing Harry, Firebolt, Maleficent, and Jasmine back.

"Call the match!" Remus shouted. "Call it!"

Lugia nodded and sent out blasts of water, cool enough to stop the flames but not enough to cause the Hall to shatter under the sudden change of temperature. He placed force fields around everyone and Harry finally blinked as he realized Firebolt was no longer attacking.

"…so," Lance said finally, "anyone mind telling me what the hell that was?"

"Signature Attack," Remus said as he carefully made his way across the broken battlefield to check on Harry.

"Signature-what?" Harry asked as Remus finally got to him and helped him up. "And why are you all looking at me like you've seen a ghost?"

Jonas glanced at his brother. "Jack, lecture mode."

"Could you not word that like I am a robot?" Jonas merely continued to stare at him and Jack finally sighed before adopted the stance and bearing he had used a year ago when Harry had seen him at Olivine Pointe during his presentation. "Signature Attacks. To first understand one must understand Signature Moves. First postulated by Prof. Benjamin Hawthorn in 1867 and confirmed by him in 1878 via the 'Hawthorn Experiment'-"

"Not a robot yet knows all that off the top of his head…"Lance sang.

Jack just continued on, ignoring Lance's comment. "A Signature Move is a move that is only been observed being performed by a single Pokémon species. Of the over 728 official moves, as recognized by the International Pokémon Battle Organization, around 15% are still considered to be Signature Moves; including the moves that were once considered Signature Moves the percentage goes up to roughly 30%. Roughly. Been a while since I went over the numbers so it could have changed. Haven't done this lesson in three years.

"A Signature Attack is a subcategory of Signature Moves. Attacks are Moves that are only known by a small segment of a particular Pokémon species. Only 10% of all Signature Moves are Signature Attacks as well." Jack clasped his hands behind his back. "A Signature Attack is usually known by a Family Pokémon and the methods of using them are closely guarded secrets to the point that even if a family breeds a particular species of Pokémon for sale they will only teach Pokémon that remain in the family. The reason is simple: the element of surprise. There are trainers that spend years learning about every move, determining which ones are worthy of study and countering and which are never a threat to their Pokémon. These trainers turn battles into games of chess where all the moves have already been determined and they believe that victory is achieved before a single blow comes. A Signature Attack destroys all that."

"That's how Jack managed to defeat me," Lance admitted quietly. "How he won the war. Dark Lightning, the Signature Attack of Azog."

"And all future Pokémon to come from his bloodline," Jack stated. "I spent 18 months in the Whirl Islands… not every day was learning how to be a Speaker. This place held knowledge long lost… I was happy to take it for myself. My ancestors all added to the Kenway Legacy. Edward gave us our name. Haythem our Home. Connor or Tyranitars. I gave us Dark Lightning."

Clair nodded. "The Blackthorns also have a Signature Attack: Draco Maelstrom. That one has been handed down for generations but we almost never use it except for the most dire of moments."

Jonas cleared his throat. "The Ironsides also have a Signature Attack for their Aggrons: Infinite Spears." Jasmine shot him a dark look, wondering why this was the FIRST she'd heard of such an attack. "You'll learn it soon enough. It is your legacy."

"And what does that have to do with… me?" Harry asked, though he had a feeling he knew the answer.

It was Sirius who answered, his voice shaky. "There are those that believe that Signature Attacks are more spiritual than physical. Less of… learning the move… more discovering it. My family longed for one but we never figured it out. I know that Malfoy… the bad snakey ones, not the good hot lesbian ones… are desperate to get one too. They never did. But the Potters?"

Harry and Firebolt shared a look.

"It's called Hellfire Barrage. You didn't finish it but…" Sirius swallowed. "I don't know how you knew how to start it but for an instant… I saw James standing where you were."

The young man swallowed before whispering, "I think I need a lot more practice."

"Someone just stated the obvious-" Jasmine said before Lance's dex began to screech. "What the hell?"

Lance frowned. "Emergency call." He pulled out his dex and flipped it open. "Cynthia? What is it?"

"Is Jack still with you?" she asked in a panic.

"Uh… yes. Why?"

"Has he left you at any time in the last few days?"

Clair cleared her throat. "Other than the few hours when he was with me? No. Lance and him are close again but-"

"What is going on?" Remus said, cutting off her joke.

"Turn on your holocaster. It doesn't matter what channel."

"I've got it," Clair said, switching on her dex and aiming the protector out over the ruined floor of the Hall.

The sight that greeted them ensured that none of them would ever consider what Harry had done to the floor to be considered 'ruined' ever again.

The blue light of the holocaster did little to hide the horror of the projected land in flames. The few buildings that had remained standing were crumbling shells with flames flickering and bursting from their windows. Great plumes of dark smoke rose from further inland and the shattered remains of vehicles had been tossed about the torn up roads. But worst of all were the bodies. Though they were small in the image there was no missing the brutalized corpses that littered the ground. They laid where they had been struck down, their limbs twisted in odd positions, some lying down like they had taken a nap in the middle of the street while others were leaning against buildings, their lifeblood staining the stone and woof. The worst though was the great oak tree that Harry remembered well from his own childhood; Dudley and his gang had chased him up it hundreds of times and he could practically feel the sharp twigs and rough bark even at that moment against his palms. But where once the tree had been full of leaves now its fruit was the dead. The bodies of the citizens of Little Surrey had been strung up in the tree, impaled on branches and wrapped around the thick trunk so that every inch of it was coated in blood and cooling flesh. Before the tree stood a figure wearing Jack's coat and masked hood, his arm raised in defiance before he gestured at the three poles that had been driven into the ground. Harry leaned forward as he stared at the heads that had been driven upon them, their fat and bloated tongues lulled out as the birds pecked away at their eyes.

Uncle Vernon

Aunt Petunia

Dudley

The rest of their bodies had been hacked into pieces, their organs used to spell out a special message that became clear as 'Jack' teleported away: SO TOO WILL DIE THE ENEMIES OF HARRY POTTER

"What… what the hell is this?" Remus whispered.

Jack swallowed. "What is this, Mr. Lupin? Someone just framed me for genocide."