Lily had been 11 years old when she had been first shown the Avalon Pokémon League. A representative from the Ministry had brought her and Severus there so that the government could show off their impressive building before she got her trainer license. She had been the first person in ages to leave Little Surrey and travel to Avalon… the first person to leave 'that bizarre little cult they have on that island', as the selected guide had told her with a cheerful smile. As if Lily was supposed to hate her home and her family. Lily loved Pokémon… had dreamed of meeting them and raising them and having them as a part of her life from the moment Severus and Mr. Snape had encountered her at the docks and shown off Mr. Snape's Wingull, who had burst from her Pokeball. She'd known that her father and mother would be horrified by her desires to be a trainer and thus she had run away from home… which was her right. They might not have realized it but the law stated that just like on the mainland when a child turned 11 they could leave home. So Lily had done just that, sneaking onto Mr. Snape's boat and only revealing herself the moment they were in Avalon waters, declaring on the stern that she wished for sanctuary. But that didn't mean that she hated her parents. She'd talked with them, sent them letters, and though her sister had refused to say another word her parents had responded back. Yes, it was to tell her that she was being foolish and that she was abandoning all they had taught her but they had talked with her. She loved her mom and dad… she just loved Pokémon more.

Yet somehow Avalon seemed to think that one couldn't love and care for someone and disagree with them. You either supported everything they did or you hated them forever.

'Which explains how Dumbledore came to this moronic solution.'

They'd brought her to the Pokémon League to finalize her trainer license… though Lily had known even then it was in an attempt to impress her. To make her stare in awe at the massive building with its Caesara Region-inspired columns and marble floors inlaid with gold. It was supposed to make her see the strength of Avalon and be entranced… and intimidated. 'Remember how small you truly are' and all that rot.

It might have worked if she were any other child who had come on their own to this strange region and was trying to navigate her way through it. The sight of the Pokémon League might have made her desire to be a part of the Ministry or at the very least fear it and wish to tow the line. The problem was that Lily had chosen Tobias Snape to be her guardian after he and his son had already become her friends and thanks to his influence Lily wasn't one to be mesmerized by fancy architecture. No, Mr. Snape was a simple man with simple beliefs and Lily had come to share those same feelings.

"Bah, bunch of empty headed fools living in their gilded cages thinking that makes them special. They don't know the meaning of hard work! How can one understand people if you haven't stuck your hands into the mud along with them? You want me to follow a man whose never tugged on a rope till his palms were raw and callouses built up on his fingers? They have soft hands, Lily, weak hands. City hands. Been counting money all their lives. Have no understanding of what we've gone through and yet they will trot out every election and act like they know us, understand us, and want what is best for us. Bah! They want us to sit down, shut up, and smile when the cameras are on. And the sad thing is a lot of people fall for that garbage. Think they truly do care for us. Not me though, Lily. Don't trust'em and never will. And you'd be wise to do the same."

So when she looked up at the great stone edifice of the Pokémon League she didn't feel awe or dread. She only felt annoyance that so much money had been wasted on a glorified monument to the rich. She wanted to tear the entire damn thing down brick by brick and build homes for those in need and pave roads for travelers. Make the building actually have a purpose!

Some called her out as a hypocrite and had actually done so to her face. She was a Potter now and Potters, like the Blacks, lived in their great estate. Except that while Lily lived in the Potter Mansion she didn't make use of 90% of it. After their wedding and honeymoon Lily had made it clear her intent to her in-laws, with them arriving the first morning she was there to find her cooking in the kitchen, having told the servants to bugger off and let her make her own damn breakfast and yes she knew how to fry a bloody tomato. And she'd done the same for lunch and dinner too. You made your own meals so you could appreciate them! After James' parents had passed she'd begun to work on shutting down much of the mansion as living space and letting James and Sirius use it for their funhouse. No, if she had her way they'd be living in the caretaker's cabin on the edge of the property. Now that was a small home, a decent home… one that made sense, damn it! There would be no hundred rooms that no one entered or servants quarters because she wouldn't have servants. And if anyone thought her children would be raised by nannies and wetnurses then they were fools. She needed to be there, to ensure they knew the value of hard work and dedication. Not to be soft.

Her children would have strong hands. Coarse rough hands. Proper hands.

"So… we could always bugger off," Peter said softly, moving to walk with her as James walked up to one of the check-in counters to get their id badges. "They really only need James for this and he'll have his Gym-Wife with him."

"Gym-Wife?" Lily whispered.

"Sirius."

Lily snorted.

"Am I wrong?" Peter asked. "Which anniversary will Jimmy remember, your wedding or when he first met Sirius?" Lily shook her head and Peter pointed at her. "There's your smile."

"I'm glad you're here," Lily said as James continued to talk with the check-in clerk. "I need someone who isn't wrapped up in this gym leader nonsense. A normal human being."

"The fact that you called me normal is quite shocking," Peter said with a self-deprecating smirk.

"But it's true. James and Sirius grew up with this madness. They are used to it. They were going to the Pokémon league when they were kids and never saw how… outrageous all of this is. How unneeded it is. It's left their entire world views skewed."

Peter bobbed his head back and forth before nodding in agreement. "Yeah… yeah, I see that. They are far from the worse, as I'm sure you know. Some of the gym brats are right pricks. Hell, Parkinson's family hasn't had a gym in decades yet he still acts like he is one of the elite few. Still, it did screw with them royally. There were a lot of times during our first few years at Hogwarts where they'd say something like they expected all the rest of us to understand and I had to remind them that no one knew what they were bloody talking about. Comments about growing up in the gym and forgetting no one else had. They didn't understand how money worked and I'd have to point out to them that no, I couldn't buy an elaborate costume for one prank, I couldn't afford it. And they'd get this odd look like they'd never heard the words 'couldn't' and 'afford' put together before. I had to train Wormtail even harder than them and they didn't understand until I practically beat it into their heads that I couldn't ask mommy or daddy to let me go to some exotic location to train and catch new Pokémon… I had to make due with what I found. That's why I got so excited when I spotted something rare when for them they could actually consider if they wanted to catch it or not." Peter frowned. "What about Remus?"

"He isn't a gym leader but his mother is Jr. Leader for the Clearwaters and Remus is going to be a Gym Inspector. He's wrapped up in their world too. Not as much as James and Sirius but he is wrapped up into it."

"I'm working at the gym too though."

"You are running a shop, Peter. You need to worry about inventory and paychecks and marketing. James and Sirius don't. They can just waste money on gags and call it a day… they make a mistake they throw more money at it." Lily shifted her weight a bit, wondering why she'd agreed to wear heels to this. She'd rather be wearing flats if she had to be dressed or a good pair of boots. "If you make a mistake it could break the store. You are grounded. Normal. I need that today. A reminder of who we are doing this for." Bitterly she added, "Or harming."

"And it has nothing to do with still feeling like an intruder, right?" Peter pressed.

Lily sighed, not saying anything as James passed to each of them a badge which declared her a 'Guest of Gym Leader James Potter' and they moved to stand in line. The Ministry had taken to such strict security measures thanks to the rise in violence, ensuring that trainers coming to complete forms and, when it was open to challenges enter the Elite 4 chambers, confirm that visitors were who they said they were.

"People were going to judge whoever he married," Peter pointed out gently. "You could have been champion of Sinnoh or a daughter of House Lovegood and they would have whispered and wondered if you were good enough. That's how things are, you know that. Hell, just look at the fuss kicked up when Bella married Rodolphus."

"Don't remind me," Lily muttered. The Black Daughters had caused such a stir in Avalon society that even with Lily making it clear to one and all she didn't give a damn about such gossip she still had to hear all about it. Lucius Malfoy had went to Lord Black to forge a marriage contract between him and one of Lord Black's nieces, stating that if he wished to reform House Malfoy (which Lily still hadn't found any evidence of existing in Avalon, despite the man's claims that they had been driven into exile centuries ago) he needed a proper wife. Everyone had assumed it would be Andromeda, the most beautiful and cunning of the Black Daughters, but she had shocked everyone by running off to Unova and marrying Ted Tonks at one of the Game Corners, getting herself exiled from the family as a result. The next sister was Bellatrix but she had apparently claimed that Frank Longbottom was going to propose to her at any minute. Lily didn't know why Lord Black had bought that up, as it was no secret that Frank was dating Alice Baird, daughter of the powerful Northern Avalonian House Baird whose island, Bairdton, was an important shipping port. That meant Lucius ended up with Narcissia… and when Frank married Alice Lord Black had been forced to scramble to find Bellatrix a husband, finally settling on Rodolphus, the son of The Tower of Avalon's warden Ricigard Lestrange. Everyone had been shocked that a daughter of House Black would marry so low, even lower than Ted Tonks, who didn't even belong to a powerful house but within a few years had proven himself one of the best lawyers in all of Avalon, second only to his wife.

"Everyone expected James to marry amongst high society. Lord Greengrass' daughter Alisa or one of the Trench twins. If not them they thought he might look across the pond… Clair Blackthorn was whispered about until she got engaged to the Kenway heir, then Agatha Specter's granddaughter Samantha, though seeing as she ran off to marry that Durwood fellow there was never a chance. All of us at Hogwarts knew he was destined for you… hell, even Snape knew it, though he didn't like it…"

"'Didn't like it' is rather charitable. I believe he suggested I tried lesbianism before hooking up with James. He even made a list of possible girls I could date…"

"…but we all knew it was coming. But outside of school? No one saw it coming and it shocked them. So they reacted badly. But they'll come to accept you."

"What if I don't want them to accept me," Lily shot back as the line finally began to move. "What if I don't care one lick about them?"

"Then don't care."

"Except not caring doesn't mean they won't still try and get me to be a part of their grand game. And frankly I'm not in a mood to be a pawn on their chess board." They reached the security checkpoint and Lily held out her badge. "They want to change me, Peter. They want to make me into a meek little housewife who frets away in her study while her big strong husband makes all the decisions. And that's not happening. I am a firebrand…" She scowled as she was waved through. 'Or I was,' she added to herself as she remembered just why they were there in the first place.

Their group of five made their way through the great atrium of the Pokémon League, Lily barely glancing at the great golden statue that dominated the main part of the high hall. The Fountain of Eternal Unity was a lovely thing until one actually began to study it and realized just how oppressive, bigoted, and misogynistic it truly was. A truly massive fountain made of blue and black marble, clear water bubbling within it, and on a pedestal stood five figures. The first were the now believed near-extinct Trinity Pokémon of Avalon: a bearded Sentorest, the burning Mantirex, and a prancing Caprocean. They each looked up at a woman dressed in a loose, robe-like dress and she in turn was staring up with adoration, clinging to a tall noble male trainer who held aloft a precursor to the Pokeball. Water shot forth from the orb and fell down on the others though the stream was directed in such a way that the male figure never got wet.

Past this Fountain Lily and the rest of her group took one of the side hallways and went up a flight of stairs to reach the Council of Gym Leaders' Hall. A dark room with paintings of famous gym leaders from the past placed between curved screens the main feature was the great table that sat in the middle, shaped like a large donut, hole and all. Lily saw that they were some of the last to arrive and the other gym leaders were chatting with each other, deciding to use the gathering as a chance to network. She rolled her eyes and leaned against a wall, her arms folded over his chest while James, Sirius, and Remus networked, her husband sparing her a glance to see if she wished to join him; her glare made it clear that no she did not. Tobias Snape's dismissive words echoed in her head and she made no move to join in with the glad-handing, Peter mumbling that he was going to get a bite to eat and asking if Lily wanted anything. She gave an affirming grunt, not caring if she was coming off as unladylike.

To her right she saw Arthur and Molly Weasley, a touch surprised that both of them had come as Molly had a home full of young ones who, from what she and James had heard, were absolute terrors. The two of them had dressed as best as they could but the Weasleys had always been a poor gym family due to the lot breeding like Lopunnies so what they considered best most would sneer at. Chatting with them was Selene Lovegood, the new bride of mad Xeno Lovegood. The Kalosian woman looked utterly stunning in her pantsuit, her silvery hair so long it nearly reached her ankles yet she managed to pull it off brilliantly. No one knew how the half-crazed Xeno had managed to get the exotic beauty to fall for him, especially as it was rumored that she was one of the Veela, but whatever he had done had worked and despite men throwing themselves at her (and a few women too) she only had eyes for her husband, claiming after each advance, "Xeno makes me laugh".

Sweeping her eyes across the room she paused on the form of Orion Black and she was quite glad to see that the bellowing beast he called a wife wasn't with him; James had done all he could to keep Lily from ever meeting Walburga Black as Lily had promised James' mother on her deathbed that the next time she saw Walburga she would bend her nose so far into her head she'd make Dumbledore's crooked beak look like the work of the finest plastic surgeon. She had no love for Orion, as she blamed him for how Sirius had been treated at home nearly as much as his wife, as the man should have done something to stop it, but she didn't hate him either. It was merely loathing at worst and she had no desire to deal with him. She was sure James was glad of that as he had warned her that Orion played all sides and unlike other bluebloods who looked down their nose at Lily because she wasn't for a noble house Orion would merely greet her with a smile… and then find a way to twist her to his advantage. He wouldn't hate her either… he would just use her.

Orion was sipping a drink, alone, but the same could not be said of the final four gym leaders. Frank Longbottom was chatting with James, clearly just as nervous as him. Apparently Augusta, Frank's mother, had finally decided to retire and put him in charge and this was his first Council meeting. Runimarch Diggory, the widow Maura Clearwater, and Clarence Greengrass, the three elder statesmen/women of the Gym Leader Council were huddled together, discussing this and that. Those three tended to vote together but Lily wondered how things would shake out now that Augusta, the final member of their voting block, had left.

"Everyone, if we can be seated?" Dumbledore said, entering the room in what was for him a muted dress shirt but for anyone else was a wild fashion disaster. Per the charter of the Avalon Government the head of Hogwarts always attended Gym Leader Councils and would serve as the tiebreaker if they ended up split; a hold over from where Hogwarts had been a true seat of power with first Merlin and then the Founders. The need for such a tie breaking vote though had rarely happened, as the power block had ensured that, but Dumbledore still came, enjoying his standing. Lily had come to realize that the kindly old headmaster had a need to be in control and thus attracted such positions of power to himself because he did not trust others to do as he desired. "Everyone, please?"

"You okay?" James asked, walking over and offering his arm.

"Let's just get this mockery done with," she said, pushing away from the table and marching towards the seat reserved for her as James' wife.

She knew she was being horrid to James but frankly she didn't care. As Dumbledore rattled on, giving the minutes of the last meeting and asking if there was any new business before they got to the actual meat of the meeting Lily sat and stewed, hating what they were about to do and hating all the more that for all her intelligence she couldn't figure out a way to prevent it. She wished that Severus was there, as it was so much easier to be an anti-social bitch when her brother was ready to be an anti-social bastard with her. She'd avoided the tedious dances at Hogwarts thanks to Severus, the two of them sneaking down to Flitwick's workshop or Slughorn's lab to work on pet projects. She had people she was friendly with but Severus was her brother in all but blood and her dearest friend and for a long time no one could compete with that. Besides dances and events bored her to tears; one time McGonagall had actually punished her by forcing her to go to a ball. Even when James and her had begun dating she'd made it clear to him that she wasn't one for small talk and tedium. "Let me tackle something to stimulate my mind or leave me be," she had told him once. It was common for her to walk about with her dex open, reading an article or watching a video. "My mind is like an engine and if you let it sit for too long without letting it run then it seizes up." That was the case here with this tedium.

Still, tedium would be better than what was to come next.

"If there is nothing else let us get to the matter of the day," Dumbledore said pleasantly. "We have been gathered to vote on the selection of a new undersecretary for the Ministry. But before we vote it is only fair to let him speak for himself." Lily tensed at that, having already guessed that Dumbledore wouldn't just go for a vote and instead would make it a show.

The reason why the Hall had its ring table was that, much like the fabled Round Table that Merlin had set up for the first king of Avalon, his final apprentice Arthur Pendragon, there would be no head of the table. This made presenting things hard though and thus when one was invited to the Hall of the Gym Leaders they stood inside the ring, able to be seen by all in attendance. The floor spiraled open and a platform slowly rose into view, on it four people.

The first was Antonin Dolohov, called the Mad Sinnohian but only behind his back. Though he had been born and raised in Avalon he bragged about his ancient Sinnoh roots and had adopted the accent and customs of that region. His dark hair was wild, from the curly mop on his head to his mess of a beard to his huge eyebrows, and he had am intense look at all times that made one question his sanity. He was a twitchy man, constantly shifting and moving, itching himself like he was infested with Jolticks, and prone to working his jaw like he was chewing on a wad of tobacco. Already in his early 50s he was the oldest of the four to arrive but he was no elder statemen. More like a madman screaming on a corner about his toenails having listening devices in them.

Next was Michael Travers, another dark haired figure but where Dolohov was wild and unkempt Travers was put together and pristine. His dark beard was neatly trimmed, his hair short and pulled back in a ponytail, and he carried himself with an air of aloofness. Lily wasn't fooled, however… Travers was a beast that knew how to pretend to be tame. He had been so bad at Hogwarts for his bigotry and hatred that even though he'd graduated 3 years before Lily attended her first year people still whispered about all the horrid things he had done. It was rumored that he had a fondness for little girls, especially those that thought themselves better than everyone else, but of course no one could prove a damn thing. His eyes swept across the room and Lily saw that he liked to linger on the younger women, smirking when they cringed. He didn't glance at her though… he avoided her gaze. A pity. She would have enjoyed staring him down.

After Travers was the only woman that was part of the group: Bellatrix Lestrange. If one were to look at her from a distance they would find her to be rather beautiful. Hair as black of the night sky, skin pale like moonlight, lips red as blood. An aristocratic face and a body that managed to have both ample curves and strong muscles. She wasn't a soft woman who got by eating candy and who would balloon out after a few years. No, she worked hard, trained, and it only made her more alluring. But as one got closer they saw that Bella wasn't… right. Her hair was soft curls but there were stray strands that managed to stick out, hinting at just how much madness lay under the surface. Her pale skin was unnatural and her lips red from where she tugged at them with her teeth, like she couldn't stand not having some flesh to chew on and so consumed a bit of herself. It was the eyes though that truly made Lily's skin crawl… when she looked at you and focused it was like you were a creature before some hungry savage beast that wanted to play with its food before eating it. Rumor had it that Bellatrix was trying to become a magnus with one of her ghost Pokémon and the Marauders had warning both her and Severus NEVER to attempt a bond with a ghost. All the books had warned that only those under extreme supervision could try such a thing as the nature of the unliving Pokemon and a human would result in madness. Bella was proof of that.

The final figure though made Lilly willing to invite all three of the others into her house if it meant she got to strangle the life from him. Tom Riddle. Voldemort.

Once Riddle had been a handsome man. Lily had seen his photos in papers, celebrating his many championships at the Avalon Pokémon League. But what grace and beauty he'd once had was long gone. Riddle claimed that it was an old hereditary disease that had attacked him and that won him a lot of sympathy but Lily didn't buy it for a second. The ugliness of Riddle's body represented the ugliness of his soul. His head was completely hairless, with his head bald and him lacking eyebrows or any whiskers. His skin was a pale gray and one could see dark veins running along his scalp. His eyes were forever bloodshot and red and he seemed to have trouble breathing through his sinuses as he was prone to sucking his mouthfuls of air, causing him to make hissing sounds wherever he went. He frame was unhealthily lean, with Lily able to see bones and muscles that she shouldn't have been able to otherwise. Even attempting to wear a dark cloak over his body did little to hide the wrongness of him.

Voldemort smiled, a thin-lipped grin that did little to push aside fears before slowly taking in each and every person there, his gaze finally landing on Lily. She'd unfortunately encountered Voldemort before, from afar a few times and once or twice when he'd tried to convince James to join his movement and every time he was near he seemed to sense her and have eyes only for her.

"Lady Potter," he greeted, his voice neither high nor deep.

"Mr. Riddle," Lily countered.

His smile faltered. "I go by Lord Voldemort now. An ancient name to reflect my desire to rebuild House Gaunt."

"Apologizes… I grew out of calling myself silly names when I was five." She looked him over with a critical eye before putting on her best "Smug Elitist Bitch" persona, raising her head slightly before adding, "And dress up as well."

Voldemort merely smiled. "I wouldn't know about that, Lady Potter… you have done well to hide your roots."

"I hide nothing. I'm expected to dress like this. I'd have preferred to wear a comfy tee and some jeans but because these fools are scared to even say your name I'm expected to dress up pretty for you." Voldmeort was clearly pleased that the Gym Leaders were frightened of him. "Don't get too smug… not very impressive to get cowards and bootlickers to suck on your shriveled malformed nut-"

"Lady Potter," Dumbledore said firmly, shooting a dark look her way, "if you could please let us continue on?" Lily glared right back at Dumbledore for a moment before finally nodding. They would have to give Voldemort what he wanted but that didn't mean that Lily had to make it easy on him. Of course knowing the bastard he would probably take joy out of it… seeing her hate him so and still agreeing to give him power. Not for the first time Lily wondered about convincing James to tell all of Avalon to piss off and moving away. Kalos sounded wonderful… Sirius would love it, what with all the nude beaches, and Remus would grow to love the arts there. Peter would go along because they could set up shop anywhere and Severus was used to traveling thanks to his youth. They could pick out a small island just off the main shore, set up a little hotel for trainers, have Tobias visit when he was in the area, and leave Avalon to burn… "Now then, Lord Voldemort, if you would like to say a few words?"

"Gladly," the bald bastard said with a kind smile, holding out his arms wide as he slowly turned, taking time to look at each and every person in the room. "Good Gym Leaders… I will not insult you by introducing myself. I am quite aware of my reputation and how I am known to all of you. Many things have been said about me, for good or for ill. There are those that call me a monster or a demon, someone who lusts for power and desires only for himself. But there are others who, rightly so, say that I am merely a product of our society. We are told that Pokémon become how they are because nature abhors a vacuum. If there is a space that is lacking in a predator one is created. Herds will naturally select a new leader when the old one falls or proves unable to lead. The same is true here. I never wished to become a revolutionary. I had no desire to rise up like this and lead my movement. But I had to because SOMEONE had to stand up! Someone had to save Avalon. We are taught of the great knights who have risen up to bring Avalon back from the brink… and fate has chosen me to do just that.

"Our great region is broken. Once we were the envy of all the world. Fair and just, peaceful and prosperous. Where everyone had a position and there was no doubt that security could easily be found. But there are no Merlins anymore… no man to lead us into the light and show the way. We are a ship without a rudder and we have seen time and again how this has caused the younger generations to flounder and falter. Where there should be support and aid there is instead a dismissive need to send them out without aid, without support, and let them sink or swim. My friends… what has happened to us? How did we let it get this way? Once the Gym Leaders were true leaders of society. Once people came to you for advice and aid. Now they actively avoid you… because it is not acceptable culturally. No, better to be a rebel, to be a punk or a thug, listless and without care for tradition or the word of law… than it is to simply seek help.

"I wish to make the world a better place. A place where you are respected again. Some claim that I want to turn all but the elite into a slave race but that is far from the truth! Those same people say that Pokémon are slaves but they are not! With a Pokémon you train it, you work with it, you tell it when to act… and for our lesser members of society the same care must be given. They must be taught, they must be guided, and yes sometimes they must be commanded. Sometimes a strong hand will be needed, to make them see why they must do some things and not do others. Does this make us slaveholders? Or good caretakers? What I desire-"

"Hello, is this thing on?"

Voldemort stopped, tripping over what he was going to say next as the screens that were sunk into the walls of the Hall suddenly flickered on, staticy light flashing and bouncing as a clearly computer-generated image of a man's face appeared. The digital avatar had a long face with a beaklike nose, short cropped hair, and large ears. It appeared to be frowning before, looking about the room, it spotted Voldemort and gave the widest close-mouth grin it could.

"Oh, it seems that it is. Hi there!"

Voldemort turned to Dumbledore, his good calm nature shattered at the interruption. "What is the meaning of this? What are you playing at old man?"

"I am playing at nothing, my boy. I am as startled as you are-"

"Excuse me, yeah… mind paying attention to the big floating head? That's would be lovely, thanks." The head bobbed up and down before continuing, its Northern accent filled with a mixture of amusement and barely contained annoyance… and odd combination, to be sure. "Right, I suppose you lot are wondering just who I am. Or maybe not… all depends on how naughty you've been. I am Looker of the International Police. Hope you don't mind but I decided to go with this daft old mug for our conversation... just felt right."

"I don't know who you are but you will cease this communication and leave us to our business," Dumbledore stated firmly.

"No."

"Excuse me."

"I said no."

"I… do not understand. What do you mean, 'no'?"

"It means no."

"Look here, Looker-" Dumbledore said, rising up.

"No, you see here!" Looker declared, shifting from humor it barely controlled fury. "I heard that you lot were about to do something galacticly stupid so I said to myself, "Looker, you aren't going to let that happen. You are going to hack the Pokémon League, you are going to reveal all of Voldemort's dirty laundry, and then, just to finish off, you going to wipe every stinking Team Nocturne grunt off the face of the map!"

"Someone, shut off those screens!" Dumbledore demanded only for Orion Black to hold up his hand.

"I do not think so," the old man said, slowly turning his head to stare down Dumbledore. "Clearly this man has information and I for one would like to hear it. If it is meaningless it will harm nothing to let it be said."

"I agree with Lord Black," Maura Clearwater stated. "I'd like to start with this Team Nocturne you speak of. I haven't heard of them."

"That right?" Looker turned to stare at Voldemort and his supporters. "Have you?"

"Not at all," Voldemort said firmly.

"Well, that is rather odd then, isn't it? Because I'm pretty sure that is the name you've given to your little band of rustlers, cut throats, murderers, bounty hunters, desperados, mugs, pugs, thugs, nitwits, halfwits, dimwits, vipers, snipers, con men, muggers, buggerers, bushwhackers, hornswogglers, horse thieves, train robbers, bank robbers, ass-kickers, shit-kickers and Methodists."

"Could you repeat that?" Xeno asked, having pulled out a pen and paper while Selene snickered.

"You dare slander our lord?" Dolovoh demanded.

"Do I dare? Do I dare?" Looker mocked. "Oh… I do more than that." The screen flickered, changing from the digital head to a meeting of robed figures, all of them wearing masks… save for the man at the head of their assembly, the same bald-headed, pale skinned monster that stood before Lily and the Gym Leaders.

"-call us rabble rousers and firebrands. Little more than a mob screaming in the street. But we are nothing of the sort. No… we are so much more. We are the organization that will bring Avalon to its knees and then place our boots upon its throat! We will rule those simpletons and fools, ridding this region of all the undesirables and leaving only a glorious paradise for us! We are Grindelwald's dream refined and perfected! We are Team Nocturne and together we will seize control of Avalon and then the world!"

"My my my," Looker said, the scene ending. "That seemed rather authoritarian. But perhaps that was a different pale bastard with delusions of grandeur." The Gym Leaders murmured to themselves while Voldemort cringed before quickly rallying, opening his mouth to speak only for Looker to cut him off. "But words are just words, aren't they? It's not like you ordered anyone to, oh I don't know… assault a poor girl?"

The screen changed again and Lily trembled in rage as video, this time from what was clearly a spy camera, showed Voldemort standing with Travers, patting him on the shoulder. It wasn't what he was doing that bothered Lily but what the two said that had her blood boiling.

"You have done the cause well, my faithful servant. You have done the cause well. Gregston moved against us and now will see the error of his ways."

"As you command I obey, my lord. But… why wasn't I allowed to finish? Would it not have sent a better message to rape the bitch? Maybe stick a bastard in her belly?"

"And risk your exposure? Oh no… this will warn Old Gregston what happens to those that oppose Team Nocturne. He'll think twice denying us again and when I do see his daughter she will understand that further pain is mine to grant… or to postpone."

Lily stood up from her chair. "You son of a bitch…"

"Ah, someone gets it!" Looker declared. "But for the rest of you lot do you need more proof?" Images began to flash across the screen. Voldemort meeting with vandals. Bellatrix torturing Otis Oppernhammer, finally proving just what had happened to the man and how the injuries that had been written off as 'meaningless' had truly come to pass. Payments given to aurors to look the other way. Threats made. Property damaged. Again and again traced back to a clearly fuming Voldemort. The Gym Leaders watched on in horror and even Dumbledore had given up trying to get the feed shut down, now openly staring at Voldemort, disgusted by what he had seen; clearly the old man had his limits. "I have more if you need to see it."

"I think that is quite enough," Frank Longbottom said, standing up from his chair. "You and your false piousness, Voldemort. You claim to wish to aid Avalon but then attack it like a parasite. You claim to value traditions but I noticed that many of the old families were targets! What if we denied you your position, what then? Will you attack my family? Or the Greengrasses?"

"There is no 'if' about it," James declared, moving to stand in unity with Frank.

"I'll be dead before I allow you a position of power!" Runigard Diggory shouted.

"That… can be arranged!" Voldemort sneered before sending out a Krookodile. Diggory was struck down before he could even reach for his Pokeball, the other gym leaders crying out in panic as the large red dark type launched a Dark Pulse that struck the old man and sent him crashing against a wall, a smear of blood left on the cracked wood. "Perhaps your replacement will be more open!"

For one horrible moment it looked as if the Gym Leaders would let that affront go unanswered. They sat there, quiet and numb, cowed into being silent.

All save one.

Lily leapt over the table and threw out an all red pokeball, her Blaziken bursting out. "Sky Uppercut!" she shouted, the burning fighter nodding and delivering a hard blow on Krookodile's chin that sent him arcing over the table and crash down behind the Clearwater Gym Leader.

"Protect our lord!" Travers screamed, going for his own Pokeball only to cry out when Selene Lovegood called forth a Drampa that unleashed a Dragon Breath on his arm, causing him to drop his Pokeball. Bellatrix whipped around, calling forth her Empoleon only for her command to attack dying in her mouth when she found herself facing her uncle, Lord Black staring her down before he slowly summoned forth his own Empoleon. The far older and stronger water type glared down at Bella's Pokémon and she quickly recalled it, realizing that she had no hope of taking on Lord Black. She still raged though, snarling at him but Lord Orion, much to Lily's surprise, just stared her right down.

"Crunch!" Voldemort yelled.

"Low Sweep and then use a Flame Charge to speed up!" she shouted, the Krookodile going down hard. "Now rapid Double Kicks and move into a Blazing Kick!"

Voldemort snarled and called forth a second Pokémon, his Espeon. All signs of the calm, regal, policitally-minded man had been driven away and in their place was the rage of a despot who hadn't gotten his way. "Shut the whore up. Cru-"

"Hellfire Barrage!" James roared, calling forth his Typlosion. The Potter Family Pokémon formed mid attack, blasting a stream of fire into the ground, causing the platform Voldemort and his minions were standing on to buckle before they were forced to leap off of it, just avoiding the gas vents that formed and then ignited right under them. "No one… attacks my wife!" James bellowed.

Voldemort recalled his knocked out Krookodile, looking about as Lily's Blaziken and James' Typlosion were joined by Frank Longbottom's Venusaur, Remus' Reuniclus, Sirius' own Empoleon, Peter's Darmanitan, and Selene Lovegood's Drampa. Even Dumbledore rose and called forth his Sableye.

"Outnumbered and outmatched," Looker's digital head proclaimed. "Not a good day for you."

"It's over, Tommy boy," Lily snarled. "You lost."

"This is far from over," Voldemort said, he and his minions summoning Yamasks who quickly teleported them away.

Peter looked at the ruined remains of the Gym Leader Council Hall and shook his head. "Guess that's the end of negotiations."

~MC~MC~MC~

"The war truly began after that," Remus said, finishing his tale. "Voldemort felt that there was no reason to hide anymore, not with everything out in the open. Looker broadcasted the entire thing, sent it out to every dex, just in case Dumbledore tried to cover it up. Except for some it didn't prove he was corrupt it proved how powerful he was. Those that longed for that power as well flocked to him while others hid deeper in hopes of avoiding his wrath. Dumbledore was forced to take action with the Ministry but by that point it was too late… Voldemort had been plotting for years and while that revelation forced him to act far sooner than he expected he was so far ahead of us it was humbling. We were used to small time thugs, maybe a small gang. He had an entire network ready to spread terror and cow the public into accepting him."

"Lily and James took the lead as best as they could, made the Order public knowledge though they claimed they had started it, but for the most part we were all flying blind, reactive rather than proactive." Sirius shook his head, thinking about just how different the Johto-Kanto War and the Avalon Civil War had been. Harry had heard from the very leaders of both sides how organized they had been, even in the beginning. Even the Sons, who had been the underdogs of the war, had been better prepared than Avalon had been to fight against their foes. "Dumbledore wasn't as bad as he was in the graveyard last spring; wasn't so… extreme in his denials. But still, he always pressed for the more conservative route. To stun rather than to hurt, never to kill. To be cautious, never daring. He argued that we did no one good dead… James didn't want to listen, Lily especially. They argued that if it were up to Dumbledore we'd sit on our hands and let Voldemort do as he wished. But more than enough people bought into what he was selling… felt that while they did want to stop Team Nocturne they didn't want to die doing it. Better to live in fear than to buy freedom with their lives. That's why they honor our parents… because they were willing to sacrifice what so many were scared to give up."

Harry frowned. "That's why Umbridge said that they were like the Sons… that they caused the war. Because if they had just shut up and been quiet…" He held up his hand. "I'm not agreeing with her… just saying what she thought. How she twisted what happened to fit her own views." He shook his head. "But why didn't you guys want to say a word?"

"Shame," Remus said without hesitation. "We almost sold your future for peace in our time. We knew it was wrong but we were weak and scared… and our conviction was fragile and easily broken. If it hadn't been for Looker and then Lily…" He trailed off, shaking his head. "It doesn't matter anymore. The Order is dead and-"

"No," Harry said, cutting him off. "The Order isn't dead. Just in disuse." Sirius and Remus stared at him but Harry was firm. "Dumbledore wasn't wrong when he decided to create the Order… but he didn't use it properly. I won't make the same mistake."

"Harry-" Sirius began.

"No," Harry repeated. "You said it yourself: Nocturne was better prepared. It had its network, its soldiers and its spies and its connections. People say I am my mother's son or that I look like my father. But I'm not my mom and dad… I'm not going to die to save Avalon. I'm Harry Potter… and I'm going to reforge the Order of Moltres and then I'm going to destroy Voldemort once and for all."