As the Doubles elimination continued, the Trainers and Pokémon swapped stories of travels and battle between watching the matches on the huge TV. Everyone got a good laugh when Harry told them about the two times he woke Iriana up, causing the girl to whack him upside the head. She got her revenge though, when she said that Harry was the one who created the flower arrangements sold in Terra. He had to run around to avoid the fan girls he had among the Trainers. A Pidgeot finally took pity on him and picked him up, put Harry on its back and flew high into the air, causing the Trainers to fall out of their seats laughing at the look on fan girls' faces. All in all, they were having a great time together.
Harry finally returned to the ground when the announcer's voice came over the speakers, "And that concludes the Doubles Elimination! Up next is the first of the Singles Elimination! And the first Trainers are…Ash Ketchum vs. Gary Oak, both from Pallet Town!" They could all hear the crowds cheering.
"I hope Ash wins." Iriana said from her spot on the floor curled up near Salamence with Dragonair's head on her lap. After everyone had had their fill of food, they all moved the tables to the other side of the cafeteria for room just lay on their floor with their Pokémon. It didn't matter if it was yours or someone else's; they just curled up to watch the battles. Harry for example was leaning against Absol (who had drawn many admirers for her coloring, which she was enjoying) with the same Togetic from earlier in his lap with a Natu on his shoulder, playing with his hair.
"Me too. He's a cool guy." Harry added, shifting to get comfortable.
On the TV, both Trainers choose their Pokémon, Ash choosing Pikachu, while Gary called out Blastoise.
"Interesting." Murmured one of the Trainers. "Each one chose their favorite Pokémon, with them also being their very first Pokémon given to them."
"Won't Ash have the advantage? With his Pokémon being an Electric-type and everything?" Togetic's Trainers asked.
Surprisingly, Iriana answered, "Usually that may be the case, but I've heard of Gary and his rival/friendship with Ash. Gary would have made sure that his first Pokémon would be able to stand up to Electric attacks better than most Water-type Pokémon."
The battle had already started, each Pokémon firing off attack after attack, neither one getting hit nor losing any ground.
"I've heard of that too." A younger Trainer said, curled up near Harry's Serperior. The Grass-type didn't seem to mind, having curled around the kid. "They've pushed themselves all throughout their Journeys, making sure their friend was up to the challenge while also bettering themselves."
On the TV, the crowd gasped when Pikachu became coated in lightning and then charged at Blastoise, hitting it dead center with the powerful attack.
"They've still kept their friendship going, right?" Harry asked.
The suit-wearing Trainer nodded, "Of course they have, they've been best friends since they were little, I've heard. But that doesn't stop a little friendly rivalry, though they will always have the others back when they need it."
Back to the TV, they saw Blastoise, with sparks emanating from his body ('That last attack must have paralyzed Blastoise' a Trainer muttered), fired off a jet stream of water right at Pikachu. The little Electric-type just stood there, a glint of something in his eye, same as with Ash.
"What are they waiting for?" Iriana muttered. They got the answer quickly.
Right before the attack landed, Pikachu jumped high into the air and fired off a Thunderbolt straight at the water stream. The lightning, using the water, headed straight for Blastoise, who was unable to stop firing long enough to stop the arc of lightning. Combined with the water the attack was super effective, knocking the turtle-like Pokémon out cold.
"Blastoise is unable to battle! The winner is Ash Ketchum from Pallet Town!" The referee said over the cheering the crowd was doing. Ash ran out onto the field, grabbed Pikachu and twirled around in happiness at the victory. Gary recalled his Pokémon and went out onto the field. Though no one could hear what they were saying, they had a pretty good guess when the two Trainers clasped arms and grinned.
A few minutes later Ash walked into the cafeteria and was bombarded by hugs from Iriana and Harry. "Thanks guys but could you let go? You're kinda strangling me." The brown-eyed Trainer said laughing.
Harry ran off to get some food for Ash and his Pokémon while Iriana led them over to their little island of Pokémon, explaining what had been going on. Thinking their idea was great, Ash let out all his Pokémon, just in time because Harry came out with bowls of Pokefood and some fruit.
They let Ash and his Pokémon snack while they watched a couple battles on the TV. A few minutes later, Ash was finished. "That was great you two, and I haven't seen my Pokémon eat that fast since Brock made his own Pokefood."
"Are you kidding? This food is a lot better than Brock's! And I didn't think that was possible." Pikachu said, patting his full stomach, which made Ash laugh.
"Come on guys, we should head to the Pokémon Center and get our Pokémon checked over." Harry said, standing up. Nodding, Ash and Iriana followed suit, recalled their Pokémon and said their goodbyes to the other Trainers.
They gave their Pokémon to Nurse Joy, who beamed at all of them. "Congratulations on winning the first round. I'll take good care of your Pokémon. It'll be an hour or so for them to be fully healed."
"Not a problem Nurse Joy, we got plenty of time to kill." Iriana said. The three Trainers flopped down on the comfy couches in the waiting lobby, just chatting away.
"Well, well, if it isn't Harry and Iriana. With Ash as well it seems." A familiar male voice said.
Turning around, they were all surprised to see Pyro, Aqua, Trema, Ario, Bolt, Toxica, Spectra and Crystal all standing there with grins on their faces.
"Hey guys!" Harry said happily, he and Iriana running towards the Gym Leaders, Ash following at a slower pace. The duo was passed around for hugs while Ash received a couple of hugs and handshakes himself. After that, they all sat down on the couches or chairs.
"What are you guys doing here?" Harry asked from his spot between Toxica and Trema (the two haven't let go of him since their hugs, much to his embarrassment and the enjoyment of the others)
"We came to watch you kick butt in this competition and to cheer you on." Crystal said, her usual cold eyes showing warmth at the two.
"We wanted to be here when you two beat the Champions." Ario added.
Iriana and Harry blinked, surprised at this information. "We have to fight the Champions? Who are they?" Iriana asked.
Ash answered her, "The Champions are the greatest Trainers in their regions. For Kanto and Johto, since they share the Indigo Plateau, is Lance. Hoenn's Champion is Wallace. Cynthia is the Champion of Sinnoh, and Omnera's Champion is Astra."
"Wow, so what happens if you manage to beat them?" Harry questioned.
Pyro grinned, "Whoever beats them will be named a Pokémon Master, and one of the Greatest Trainers in the world."
"You'll get your chance to see them next time you battle; we'll be in the stands sitting with them." Aqua added.
Toxica looked at her watched, "Speaking of which, we better get to our seats, the second round is going to start soon." All the Gym Leaders waved goodbye and left out the side door, wishing the three good luck.
"Well that was a nice surprise." Iriana said happily.
"Hey kids, your Pokémon are all ready!" Nurse Joy called them. Grinning, the three Trainers ran to where the pink-haired nurse was standing with three trays with Pokeballs on them, Pikachu on her shoulder, who jumped to Ash's when he was close enough. "Left is Ash's, Harry's is middle, and Iriana's is on the right." They clipped the Pokeballs on their belts.
"Thanks a ton Nurse Joy." Ash said happily with Pikachu rubbing his cheek.
"Yes, thanks Nurse Joy." Harry and Iriana said. Nurse Joy smiled and went back to her post.
Ash fixed his hat, "Well, now that we have our Pokémon –"
"ASH!" A familiar feminine voice yelled.
Harry and Iriana started laughing as Ash was tackled to the ground by his mother, who was asking questions at the speed of light. It seemed that Ash could understand her because he kept turning different shades of red.
"MOM! I'm fine, could you please let me up?" Ash said patting his mother's back.
"Oh, I'm sorry honey." Delilah gushed, helping her son to his feet then brushing him down.
"It's good to know Delilah never changes when it comes to her son." Another familiar voice said.
Recognizing it, Harry and Iriana turned around to see Professor Oak and Giovanni, Persian at his side, walking up to the two with smiles on their faces. Harry was about to go hug the two humans, but was bowled over by the feline Pokémon.
"And it's good to know that Persian hasn't changed when it comes to her cub." Giovanni joked. He turned to Iriana. "You must be Harry's battle partner, Iriana, correct? I don't believe we were properly introduced last time we met."
"Yes sir. You must be Professor Oak." Iriana guessed, smiling at the Pokémon Professor.
Oak laughed, "Yup got it in one. We just got here so we came to say a quick hello before we went to our seats. Jesse, James, and Meowth are holding them for us."
Attention was drawn back to Harry who was trying to get Persian off of him. It seemed she kept asking questions just like Delilah was doing. "I'm fine Persian…yes I have been eating right…no I'm not deathly ill…Oh those? That came from waking Iriana up." The teen finally freed himself and was standing behind Iriana for protection.
The announcer's voice came over the speakers, "The quarter-finals of the Doubles Tournament will start in a few minutes. Spectators, please return to your seats. Trainers, please head to your locker rooms."
"I guess we better get going." Oak said. He and Delilah left with Persian. Giovanni, though, stayed behind, whispering something in Harry's ear. The black-haired teen looked confused but nodded to whatever the Rocket Boss said.
"Come on Harry! We're one of the first pair to battle." Iriana called from down the hallway, Ash at her side. Harry gave a quick hug to Giovanni and then raced down the hall.
"What did he want Harry?" Ash asked.
Catching his breath, he replied, "He just wanted to ask me something important after the battle and to tell us good luck, he also said that his Rockets haven't found Kesorir yet."
The two nodded and they continued walking/jogging towards the locker rooms, seeing it was already filled with Trainers.
"Well, we better get going Iriana." Harry said to his friend.
The lavender eyed girl grinned, "We got this in the bag."
"Hey you two." Ash said. "I'm gonna be taking a seat in the coach's bench behind you guys. The TV's in here don't do battles justice, not like watching them in real life."
"Fine by us, let's go." Iriana said, dragging Harry behind her, Ash took a side door to the coach's bench. The second they walked outside, the crowd went wild with cheers.
"Wow, that's kinda weird." Harry muttered, staring at them all.
As they walked to their spots, Iriana saw something, "Hey Harry, look. It's the Leaders with the Champions."
Following her gaze, Harry saw them. The first was a guy with spiky red hair wearing a dark blue outfit with orange lines, black boots, and a black cape with a red underlining. He had a stern face but looked eager for the upcoming battles.
The second was another guy. He had teal hair that was covered by a strange white hat. He wore a blue and white shirt, the blue fading to white, and light purple pants. He also wore a cape like the first one, but his was white with blue underlining. He had a small smile on his face as he glanced around.
The last two Champions were girls. The first girl had long, light blond hair, her bangs covered part of her left eye. She was wearing a black tank-top, over than was a floor length black jacket that had black feathers at the end of the sleeves and coat, which was only held together by one black button under her chest. Her pants were black and her shoes were, you guessed it, black heels.
She was talking to the other Champion. She had long hair too, bright silver, it was held with a silver tie in the middle, her bangs fell gracefully on either side of her face to her shoulders. She wore a form fitting dress with long flared sleeves that faded from purple to yellow with a silver star in the middle, the dress stopping mid thigh, and slender black, heeled boots.
"I wonder who's who?" He whispered to Iriana. She just shrugged, saying 'I have no clue' without words.
Making it to their spot, they saw their opponents coming out. They were both guys, one wore a black and red shirt, blue jeans, and sneakers. The other Trainer wore a very fancy green suit.
"What is it with people thinking they can battle in clothes like that?" Iriana asked, shaking her head. Harry didn't say anything, knowing it would wiser if he didn't try to talk fashion with a girl.
The referee appeared in the same manner as before (causing Harry to start twitching when he saw it was, once again, the same one). He was just about to speak, when…
BANG!
Hundreds of puffs of smoke clouded the arena, making everyone temporarily blind. When the smoke finally cleared, Harry and Iriana were shocked to see hundreds of the Quasso goons, complete with whips, everywhere with their Pokémon out. With them threatening people, the Trainers in the audience and in the arena couldn't send out their Pokémon to help.
"I told you I would have my revenge, you little brats." A cold voice said. Kesorir appeared from behind a bunch of grunts, two elites flanking him. He motions to Harry, and the elites grab him, causing multiple members of the audience to cry in outrage. Kesorir walks to the middle of the area, the elites dragging Harry, ripping his shirt off in the process.
"What's the matter Kesorir? Can't fight your own battles so you send thugs to do your dirty work?" Harry spat angrily.
"You have been a thorn in my side long enough boy." The Quasso Boss snarls. "And now to make an example of you so no one else will ever challenge Team Quasso!" He grabs one of the whips from a grunt. The elites threw Harry to the ground; he didn't even have a chance to stand up when the first lash started.
Pain. That's all the registered at first, mind blowing pain. It was like having a Crucio used on him in concentrated form. He could feel his blood running down his back with each lashing. He could also feel his skin burning from the contact with the red-hot whip. All the while Kesorir continued to scream, "Everything was perfect! We were going to rule the world. But thanks to you, my company is in ruins, my plans destroyed! I'll make sure you feel every bit of pain I felt!" To Harry's credit, he didn't once scream, though he did cringe horribly and glare at Kesorir.
The audience could only watch in stunned horror at the torture the black-haired teen was going through. Harry's friends were taking it the hardest, cringing with phantom pain whenever the whip landed with a sickening sound on his skin. "We have to do something!" Aqua whispered fiercely, tears running down her cheek.
"But what can we do? These goons have everyone hostage. They'll use those whips on the audience members if we try to interfere." Ario said, tears falling from his eyes as well.
"It's time you die brat! Slowly and painfully!" Kesorir roared, getting the whip to wrap around Harry. Feeling the red-hot whip around his torso and not letting go, Harry finally screamed. Those screams were the stuff of pain-filled nightmares that would haunt the audience members for many months afterwards.
'Pain…why is it always pain when someone tries to kill me?' Harry mused to himself while he was still screaming. 'Help…I need help…'
'We hear you. Hold on.' A voice echoed in Harry's mind.
'What?...That voice…Arceus!'
Everyone was distracted at the loud roar that echoed from the sky. They were shocked to see the Legendary Pokémon Arceus, Dialga, Palkia, and Giratina fly out of a hole in the fabric of reality.
"That's right!" Iriana exclaimed, tear tracks on her face. She turned to Ash, who nodded back at her. The two started to concentrate, calling for help.
More roars, and every Legendary Pokémon appeared, shocking everyone once again. Mewtwo created a Shadow Ball and threw it at the whip Kesorir was holding, causing it to disintegrate to dust. Cresselia and Darkrai, as carefully as they could, picked up the near- unconscious Harry and brought him over to Ash and Iriana. The second he was set down, all his Pokémon came out, determined to protect their Trainer, Iriana's and Ash's came out as well. All the Psychic Legendaries glowed, causing all the whips to disintegrate.
Without the threat of the whips, every single Trainer in the stadium called out their Pokémon, forcing all the grunts into a circle in the middle of the stadium with their own Pokémon.
Lugia spoke telepathically so everyone in the stadium could hear him. "You have tortured Pokémon as well as humans. You also attacked one of our friends. You will not leave this area alive."
Kesorir, eyes wide and crazy, made to run at Harry and finish was he started. He didn't even get three steps when Arceus fired his signature attacks at the Quasso goons. They didn't have time to scream before they were all gone, their Pokémon as well.
"They will never again walk this world. Their Pokémon are scattered around the world, Wild once again without any memory of what they were forced to do." Arceus said.
Once that was done, several of the Legendaries went over to Harry's group. Celebi, Mew, Latios and Latias used their healing abilities on Harry, soothing his pain but unable to heal him fully.
"Thanks guys." Harry said voice hoarse. The four Legendaries just nuzzled their friend.
"Well…" The announcer started in a broken voice. He cleared his throat and tried again. "The Tournament will be postponed for a few hours while Harry gets checked over. And I for one thank him for the courage he has shown today and before, standing up to those horrible people."
Harry is helped up by Iriana, who he leaned on, unable to stand by himself. Ash stood close by in case an extra hand was needed. Harry turned to the Legendaries, "Thanks a million everyone."
"You are very welcome Harry. We will see you soon." Arceus said. He nuzzled Harry for a moment and then vanished with the other Legendaries.
A few hours later Harry was standing in the locker room with Iriana, finally let out of the 'evil' Nurse Joy's clutches. Ash had to go get ready for his own battle. He would have missed it if it wasn't for Harry pushing him out the door.
"You sure you're okay Harry?" Iriana asked concerned.
Looking like half a mummy with all the bandages he had, Harry laughed and replied, "Yes, I'm feeling fine. Nurse Joy is very thorough. I hurt like heck though, but I'll live. Plus after our battle they're making me go to the hospital." He gave a strange look, like he was constipated at the thought of going to see the doctors.
Iriana started to snicker at his look. Shaking her head, she stood up, "Come on, our battle is gonna start soon." Still very weak because of what had happened, Harry still had to lean on her to walk.
They walked out into the bright sunlight of the arena and nearly turned deaf because of all the cheers. Stunned, the two just stood there for a few minutes. Iriana then smirked and turned to her friend, "I think they were concerned about you."
"Ya think?" Harry replied with a snicker. They made their way to their spots, but there was already someone there, their opponents from before.
"We've talked it over." The suit-wearing one began. "And we believe you deserve to go to the Finals more than us."
"What?" The two flabbergasted Trainers asked.
"Not only did you stand up to that jerk Kesorir." The other trained started, "But you saved everyone here along with the Pokémon. And before you say it was the Legendaries that did it, who called them here in the first place?" He smirked at their faces. "Good luck and kick butt in the finals!" He ordered before walking away.
The suit Trainer had explained what they were doing to the referee, who nodded. "Winners by forfeit, Harry and Iriana!" The crowd went absolutely nuts with their cheers for the duo.
"Well, I guess we're going to the Semi-Finals Harry." Iriana grinned. Her happy expression turned into a confused one at Harry's put-out look. "What's up?"
"I was hoping to avoid a trip to the hospital by battling, but I guess you can't have everything in life." He sighed dramatically, making Iriana snicker.
"Come on drama queen." Iriana said, pulling him out of the arena. The ambulance was already waiting for them.
"Up you get kid." One of the paramedics said, helping Harry onto the stretcher. He was quickly hooked up to an IV. "This is gonna put you to sleep, that way it's easier for all of us when we start to work on you. You'll wake up sometime tomorrow."
Harry only heard bits and pieces of what the other said before he was out like a light.