Thankfully, there was no line when they entered the building. The main lobby looked just like a fancy hotel, complete with a clerk behind the desk. "Welcome to the Naturis League. Which competition are you signing up for?"
"I'm doing Singles, my name's Ash Ketchum."
"We're doing Doubles as a team, we're Harry and Iriana."
The clerk typed in their information, then gave them their room keys and their number. "The League doesn't start till tomorrow, so you have the rest of the day off. Please go to the designated locker rooms on your number, we had to split both competitions into two groups, there are so many challengers!" She laughed. "Anyway, good luck."
"I'll see you guys later, I'm gonna explore a little bit." Ash said and walked off, Pikachu waving goodbye.
"Harry, I'll check out the rooms. Why don't you call Professor Oak and the others and let them know how you're doing?" Iriana suggested.
"Good idea, I'll meet you up there later." Harry said, taking the extra room key.
After hunting for a bit, he finally found the video-phone. Typing in Oak's number, he was pleasantly surprised to see not only Oak, but Giovanni (Persian at his side) and Delilah sitting at a table playing a game.
"Hey guys!" Harry called. When they realized who was calling, they raced over to the phone.
"Harry, lad how are you doing? Where are you?" Oak asked
The emerald eyed Trainer grinned, "I'm calling from the League building."
"You made it! I'm so proud of you." Giovanni said with a grin.
Delilah, after looking him over to make sure he's alright, asked, "Have you seen Ash yet? He should be there by now."
"Oh, I've seen him alright." Harry began with a laugh, and then proceeded to explain what had happened in the cave.
"Wow, seems like you've had quite the adventure just getting there." Giovanni said with a proud look in his eye. Oak said nothing because he was typing furiously on his laptop.
Delilah just rolled her eyes at the Professor, "Just be careful and have fun. We'll be there watching you both tomorrow."
"Okay, see you guys later." Harry said, ending the call. Feeling tired again, he headed up to his and Iriana's room. Finally finding it, he was a little surprised at the look of the room. It resembled the kind of room you would find in a suite at a five star hotel in Italy. Thankfully it had separate rooms for himself and Iriana, one door already closed and he could hear her sleeping. Changing into some pj's, Harry climbed into the soft bed and was out like a light.
Harry woke up early the next morning thanks to the sun shining through his windows. Blinking and stretching, he stumbled out of bed and went to the windows, which were actually glass doors that led out to a balcony. Standing outside, Harry enjoyed the crisp morning breeze and looked around. The balcony overlooked a large park it seemed, the perfect size for training in. There were a couple Trainers out there with their Pokémon, though they were all asleep.
Chuckling quietly to himself, Harry went back inside to do his morning routine. Fifteen minutes later, he once again found himself beside a sleeping Iriana. Remembering waking her up, and the punishment he received afterwards, Harry decided it would be worth it to repeat.
'Though how do I wake her up this time?' He mused to himself. If there could have been, a light bulb would have appeared over Harry's head and he raced out of the room. Coming back with two metal lids from the kitchen and a grin worthy of the Cheshire Cat, Harry stood by the bed. Taking a deep breath he yelled while slamming the lids together "WAKE UP LAZY BONES!" Once again, the effect was instant.
"I DIDN'T DO IT! THE FLAMING SAUSAGES MADE ME! THEY WANTED THE FLYING MUSHROOM!" Iriana screamed; running around the room like a chicken with its head cut off. Harry was rolling on the ground laughing with tears running down his face.
He froze though, when he felt it. The feeling of something wrong in the universe, the feeling that would send anyone running for the hills. He glanced up and saw Evil Incarnate! Iriana was standing there, eyes wide and shooting flames, snarling at him with multiple ticks in her forehead. Looking like that Harry decided that she would scare the crap out of Voldemort if he saw her.
"Oh crap." A freaked out Harry took off running down the hallways, and enraged Iriana right on his heels screaming "GET BACK HERE SO I CAN SKIN YOU ALIVE!" The other Trainers, who heard the commotion and opened their doors to find out what was going on, fell over laughing at the scene the two made.
"Poor kid." One Trainer said.
"Yup, glad it's not me though. Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned." Another said.
"Or in this case Hell hath no fury like a woman deprived of beauty sleep." An older female Trainer said, making all the other Trainers nod sagely.
Thirty minutes, several apologies to both Iriana and League staff, and nursing several bumps and bruises, Harry and Iriana were sitting in the League locker rooms. The other Trainers kept shooting Harry looks of sympathy and frightened ones at Iriana, who was sitting there at peace with the world.
"You know all you would have to do to win this would be just glaring at your opponents." Harry said, placing an ice bag on a large bump. "They would head for the hills faster than you could say 'Nurse Joy.'"
"Maybe, but where's the fun in that? Maybe that'll teach you not to wake me up like that." Iriana shot him a look.
The emerald eyed teen snickered, "But it's so worth it to see you running around like that and yelling nonsense."
"Yeah, yeah. Just remember Harry, revenge is a dish best served cold." Harry shuddered at the look in her eyes, the kind that promises retribution.
Everyone stopped talking when the announcer came over the speaker. "Ladies and Gentlemen! Welcome to the Naturis League Pokémon Tournament! Today is the elimination round with each Trainer having only one Pokémon each. The winners will move on to the Quarter-Finals where the Trainers may use two Pokémon each. Winners of that will move to the Semi-Finals, letting Trainers use three Pokémon in the same manner that the Glacies Gym uses. These winners will move to the Final competition which will have each Trainer using four Pokémon in singles, and in Doubles two Pokémon each!" The crowd is so loud outside that the Trainers inside the locker rooms can hear them. "I wish you all luck! Let the Tournament begin!"
For the next few hours, names were called for battling. Thanks to the giant TV in the locker rooms, the waiting Trainers could see how their competition was fairing. After each win or loss, the winners' pictures moved up the tournament roster while the losers' pictures faded out. Finally, Harry and Iriana's names were called.
"This is it, you ready?" Harry asked
"I was born ready." Iriana replied.
The two clasped arms for a moment, then headed out to the arena. As they made their way to their spots, they took in the arena. Stands filled with hundreds, maybe even a couple thousand people were filled up, all cheering their heads off. The arena itself was just place dirt, nothing special to give Pokémon any advantage. Bright sunlight filled the arena thanks to it being open to the elements. Looking closely, Harry saw Oak, the Rockets, Naomi (who was holding something) and Delilah in stands. He gave them all a quick wave, which they all waved back at him with smiles on their faces.
At the other end of the field they saw the opposing Trainers; both had brown hair and were wearing casual clothes, though the girl was wearing a pink shirt and the guy wearing blue. They looked like twins.
"In the red box John and Jane! And in the blue box we have Harry and Iriana!" The crowd cheered at both teams when the announcer said their names.
Just then, the referee popped up from the ground. As he was dusting himself off, Harry turned to Iriana, "I swear that guy is following us! Doesn't he have anything better to do than stalk us?" Iriana just shrugged while laughing. Harry's reactions to the referee were always funny.
"This will be a two on two battle, each Trainer using only one Pokémon. First team to have both Pokémon KO'd or gives up, loses and the winners move on to the next round. Please send out your Pokémon!"
"Metang, I choose you!" Harry called.
"Shelgon, show 'em what you're made of!" Iriana cheered.
"Infernape, let's do this!" John yelled.
"Vaporeon, take 'em out!" Jane shouted.
The first Pokémon looked like a brown, gold and white monkey with its hair on fire. Harry's Pokedex said: Infernape, the Flame Pokémon. Infernape's fiery crown reflects its fiery nature and its speed is unmatched.
The second Pokémon looked like a bluish fox covered in scales with a light blue lion-mane made of fins. Its tail looked like a mermaids. Iriana's Pokedex got this one: Vaporeon, the Bubble Jet Pokémon. Vaporeon love fresh, clean water and can make their bodies melt away into the water as well.
"And….begin!" The referee called.
"Infernape use Flamethrower!"
"Vaporeon use Ice Beam!"
"Shelgon use Protect!"
"Metang, use Psychic!"
While the Ice attack landed on Shelgon, it didn't do any damage what so ever. Metang's eyes glowed, as did the Fire attack. It froze in mid-air, and then was hurtled back towards Vaporeon, landing a hit. Though being a Water-type it didn't do that much damage.
"Shelgon, use Headbutt!" Iriana called.
"Metang, use Psychic, throw Shelgon at the other Pokémon." Harry ordered.
The Steel/Psychic nodded and glowed again, lifting up the Dragon type who started spinning in the air at a rapid pace.
"Vaporeon, get ready to dodge!" Jane said.
"Infernape, use Fire Blast to keep Shelgon away!" John yelled.
Metang made a motion like he was throwing a ball, and Shelgon shot off like a bullet. Vaporeon jumped out of the way while Infernape launched the powerful Fire attack. It didn't do anything to stop Shelgon, but it coated his form in flames.
"Oh crud." John said, realizing what had happened. It was too late for Infernape to dodge and got slammed by the powerful combo, knocking him out cold.
"Infernape is unable to battle!" The referee called as John recalled his Pokémon.
"It's all up to you Vaporeon. Use Hydro Pump!" The Water-type took a deep breath, and then launched a powerful jet of water.
"Metang use Iron Defense!" Harry called out. Just before the attack hit, Metang's body took on a steely color and it crossed its arms in front of its face. It looked like a stand-off, neither Pokémon were letting up, but they had forgotten something, or more likely, someone.
"Shelgon, use Zen Headbutt!" Iriana called.
"Oh crap I forgot about you!" Jane called in panic.
Shelgon had snuck around the two Pokémon while they were all distracted and waited for his order. At such a close range, his attack was super effective and launched Vaporeon clear out of the ring, out cold.
"Vaporeon is unable to battle! The winners are Harry and Iriana!" The referee said, raising a blue flag.
"We did it! We did it!" Harry and Iriana cheered. They turned to Jane and John and said, "Great battle guys" The two Trainers looked a little happier and nodded before walking away.
Iriana and Harry were about to go over and hug their Pokémon for a job well done, when they both started to glow. As they changed, Harry turned to Iriana and mock-glared, "That's it, no more battling for you! Every time you do a Pokémon evolves!" The crowd gave a few chuckles when they heard this.
The first Pokémon done evolving was Harry's. It was a large, teal-colored metal, quadrupedal Pokémon; its feet had three straight, white claws that it stood on. It also had a white 'X' on its face that crossed between two red eyes, giving it the impression of 'eyebrows' and a 'mustache'. Harry's Pokedex said: Metagross, the Iron Leg Pokémon. Metagross has four brains in total. Combined, the four brains can breeze through difficult calculations faster than a supercomputer. This Pokémon can float in the air by tucking in its four legs.
Iriana's Pokémon was a quadrupedal dragon-like Pokémon. It was primarily blue, but had accentuations of red and gray coloring. Its wings were a bright red. It had three spiky extensions splayed from the sides of its face. Iriana's Pokedex said: Salamence, the Dragon Pokémon. Equipped with sharp teeth and massive claws, weighs over 200 pounds, and has the fastest speed of all the Flying-type Pokémon. Both Pokémon, Harry realized, kept their battle scars from when they were Metang and Shelgon, giving the Pokémon tough and feral looks.
"Well I'll be! Two evolutions in one go! Congratulations Harry and Iriana, you two as well Metagross and Salamence." The announcer said, clapping along with the audience.
Grinning ear to ear, Harry and Iriana recalled their Pokémon, waved to the crowd and walked back to the locker rooms.
Once they got there, they got shouts of 'Good job', 'Congrats', and 'Well done' at them from the contestants that haven't battled yet. Blushing at all the attention, they grabbed some bottled water and headed to the cafeteria, where the Trainers who have already battled sat down and relaxed, several of them having their Pokémon out to eat.
"Harry, I'll grab us a table and get us something to eat, why don't you grab whatever it is you need and spoil our Pokémon with a feast?" Iriana suggested with a grin.
"Good idea, they've certainly earned it." Harry agreed and walked off.
Ten minutes later found Harry and Iriana sitting at a table eating some fruit salad Iriana made while all their Pokémon were feasting on the special Pokefood Harry had made. Harry kept blushing every time one of their Pokémon commented on the food.
"You know one of these days; we'll either get you to stop blushing so much, or make you blush so hard you'll pass out." Iriana teased.
"Oh ha ha, make fun of the one who feeds you." Harry mock-glared, waving his fork threateningly at her. He stopped though when he felt a tug on his pants. Looking down he saw a Togetic, having already seen one in the lobby earlier and checked it out with his Pokedex. Leaning down to be eye level with it, Harry asked kindly, "Do you need something?"
"That food smells so good, may I have some?" She asked shyly, a light blush on her white cheeks.
Harry just grinned, "Of course you can. I'll fix you something right now." Standing back up, Togetic in his arms, Harry made his way to the food area.
"Togetic! What do you think you're doing young lady? You shouldn't have gone wondering off." A brown-haired Trainer wearing a blue and white skirt outfit came over. She looked at Harry and said, "I'm sorry she bothered you. She kept trying to go over to yours and that other girl's table. I turn my back for one second…"
Harry just laughed and handed her Togetic back, "Not a problem, she just wanted some Pokefood so I said I'll make some for her."
The girl blushed, "Um…if it wouldn't be too much trouble…could you make some for all my Pokémon? Togetic wasn't the only one trying to get to your table."
Blinking, Harry said bemusedly, "Sure, I don't have a problem with that. So they all want some Pokefood?"
"Yes please."
Before Harry could say something else, another Trainer walked up, dressed in a suit of all things, "Could you make some for mine too?"
"And my Pokémon as well." "Ours as well." "Us too!" "Pretty please?"
Harry just stood there blinking as all the Trainers in the cafeteria all came up to him, asking him to make his Pokefood for their Pokémon, their Pokémon agreeing with them eagerly. He turned to Iriana, who had appeared when he was first being bombarded, with a clueless look on his face.
The lavender eyed girl just laughed, "I can't leave you alone for one second can I? First it's flower arrangements, now it's gourmet Pokefood. At this rate, you'll be the most beloved person in the world; fan girls will follow your every movement!" She laughed harder, as did the other Trainers, when Harry started blushing while at the same time paling at the thought of fan girls chasing him.
Seeing their hopeful looks, as well as the ones all the Pokémon were sending, Harry sighed but had a smile on his face. "Okay, here's what I want you all to do. Get all the Pokémon in groups based on their types. I'll make large helpings of food specifically for that type." Nodding frantically, all the Trainers started giving their Pokémon Harry's orders while he and Iriana went to the kitchen.
"Iriana, you're gonna be my helper. I'll tell you what I need, you bring it. Got it?"
"Sir yes sir!" Iriana said, mock saluting.
The next twenty minutes were filled with frantic cooking, mixing, baking, and the like for Harry while Iriana ran herself ragged getting all the ingredients he called for. The other Trainers would be in charge of the food going to certain types. Harry created a large pot of each type of Pokefood, which he would give to the Trainers to separate into smaller bowls. New Trainers that came in were briefed about what was happening and helped out in whatever way they could.
Finally, Harry and Iriana were done. They walked out to see all the Pokémon happily eating the food made for them. All the Trainers ran up to the two and gave them either a handshake or a hug, causing the two to blush repeatedly.
"Man, thanks so much! I haven't seen my Pokémon enjoy their food like that in a long time."
"Have you ever considered being a Pokémon Chef?"
"How can we ever repay you?"
Harry held up his hands to stop the endless flow of statements and questions, "It's no big deal, I'm happy that I was able to help out. And thanks to the Berries I put in the food, all your Pokémon will get an extra boost of energy and vitamins to keep them healthy."
Iriana added, "We made tons of extra food, so if any of your Pokémon wants seconds, just go to the kitchen. All the pots are labeled for what type the food is meant for." The two made it back to their table, which was now surrounded by all the other Pokémon from the other Trainers, confusing the two. "Uh…what are you guys doing? Shouldn't you be by your Trainers?" Harry asked with a half-grin.
"We are. They moved their tables over here." A Machamp said, pausing in his eating.
Harry quietly relayed the response to Iriana, who shrugged and nodded, "Okay, if your Trainers are alright with it, its fine by us."