"I know I keep saying this," Tonks said as she darted into Harry's tent and quickly shut the flap, "but dear Arceus is it cold and I hate this place!" She took off her hat, which was caked in snow, and shook it out, much to Harry's annoyance as that only made the bottom of his tent wet. "Why can't all-powerful beings have their secret lairs be someplace warm? Alola is lovely this time of year! Heck, if he still wants snow Mewtwo can go into the mountains if he wants!"

"Maybe he doesn't like tropical drinks," Harry reasoned.

"Then use a DoorDash or something!" Tonks complained. "There is no reason to live this far north! Find a nice island near the equator, that's all!"

"I think when they go to warm climates they're required to move into volcanoes," Luna stated, not looking up from the card game she had been playing with Harry when Tonks had burst into the tent. "One extreme or the other, that's how these things work."

"Fine, I'll take the lava over all of this snow! I have on twenty layers and my nipples are still so hard and chaffed that I can't even jiggle slightly without-ow!" She had bounced on her heels a bit to demonstrate only to cup her boobs in pain. "I'm going to have to put so much tape on these mamas."

"Could you please remember that I am your cousin and NOT interest in talking about your breasts?" Harry complained, looking down at his hand before setting a card down, Luna quickly selecting it rather than drawing.

"It's Avalon… do you realize how many people are related to each other?" Tonks teased. "You and I banging wouldn't make people bat an eye." She gave her chest a wiggle. "Come on Cousin Harry, play with my titties."

"For fucks sake, Tonks!" Harry complained. "You talk to Remus like that?"

Tonks blinked. "What?"

"Don't play innocent with me, Tonks," Harry said with a slight smirk. "I know you two are fucking."

"Language!" Tonks scolded him. "And we… we aren't…"

"The walls aren't that thick at his place," Harry pointed out. "And our rooms are next to each other."

"…oh shit," Tonks whispered, sitting down in a heap. "You know?"

"For a while now. By the way I learned many new curse words thanks to you."

"I… I can explain," she said quickly. "It was during your 5th year and-"

"I don't care," Harry said, cutting her off.

"Please let me explain-"

"No, I mean I don't care that you and Remus are bumping uglies."

Luna looked down at her lap. "Mine is rather pretty. Not sure what Jasmine is doing that you think they're all ugly…" She smiled. "Because I don't need thin walls to know you two are screwing like Lopunnies."

Tonks held up a hand. "Normally that would be a ton of fodder for teasing but I need to make sure… you honestly don't have a problem with me and Remus… being together?"

"Even if I did, which I don't, why does it matter? Unless one of you was an absolute monster and being together would mean torture or the like… if he makes you happy then good. If you make him happy then good."

"You do get a bit of a say in this," Tonks argued. "He is your guardian."

"He is but I'm an adult now, Tonks."

"You're seventeen."

"You know what I mean. It's not like I'm three years old and you're going to be my new step mom. I'm going to be moving out within a year or two and… I have no right to look down on you and your life choices. Same as with Remus. As long as you are both happy and it doesn't hurt either of you… then stop worrying about it. I'm happy for you both." Tonks let out a breath and Harry frowned. "Were you really hiding this because you two were concerned with what I'd think?"

"No… yes… kind of?" Tonks finally admitted. "I mean… Remus was freaked out because of the age difference and him being self conscious about his role in your life and worried how you'd react and me…" She rolled her eyes skyward. "Yeah, I was worried what you'd think and I didn't want to my Remus choose between the two of us, kid."

"Well, you don't."

"Well...good," Tonks said, shifting slightly as she squatted down to watch harry and Luna continue to play their game. "That's... great."

"You had a whole speak ready to give when you finally admitted the truth, didn't you?" Harry said with a smirk.

"No!" Tonks looked away.

Luna merely shrugged. "I think she found it more sexually thrilling to hide the relationship from everyone but now that she's been forced to admit it the sexual thrill is gone and she will end up like every female character Akira Toriyama ever made: A housewife and mommy."

Harry snorted at that and Tonks glared at the blond. "Okay? That right there? Fuck that noise. I am not ending up barefoot and pregnant standing in a kitchen making... potato pancakes."

The teens blinked and Harry actually mouthed 'potato pancakes' to an equally befuddled Luna.

"Or whatever moms make their kids! My mom is a lawyer, okay? She didn't have time to make... chocolate... chip... burritos."

"Dear lord Tonks how do you even survive living on your own?" Harry asked.

"Takeout," Tonks stated.

Harry just shook his head. "Was there another reason for you to come in here?"

She nodded. "Yeah. The Wyrdeer wanted me to let you know that none of you should leave the tents once the final lights out is called. If you need to pee do it now otherwise you are using a bottle."

"That is disgusting but I get it," Harry said, crinkling his nose. "With how cold it is-"

"It's not that," Tonks said, shifting a glance towards the tent flap. "Listen, I gave the speech to Neville and Hermione already but apparently the Wyrdeer are spooked about something. They say this storm feels... unnatural."

Luna bobbed her head back and forth. "Mewtwo is supposed to be very powerful. He might be causing the storm."

"Possible but the Wyrdeer aren't happy at the moment so I'm not going to press my luck. We have about 20 minutes before we need to lock things down. They are going to settle around the tents to protect us but their leader made clear we are to remain put and not move until they give the okay. We do and they won't both to protect the idiot."

"Right, should finish this then," Luna said and she rapidly laid her cards down. "I win."

"You don't..." Harry paused as he looked over her cards. "How the hell-"

The flap opened up and a heavily bundled Neville stepped into the tent, sitting down just inside and knocking his boots together to get the snow off them. Outside Harry could see that it was pitch dark with only the glow of the Wyrdeer herd's horns to illuminate the whirling snow. Things had been fine during their ride that day, just like the last 5 days of traveling further north, but just as they'd finished setting up camp for that night the storm had rolled in and proven to be a rager.

"Hermione is waiting for you two," Neville told Tonks and Luna, the latter quickly donning her winter gear and giving Neville a... well, it was hard to call it a kiss as her entire face was covered and so was his... and they then stepped out, leaving Harry and Neville alone in the tent. "Tonks give you the warning?" Neville asked as he took off his outer most layers.

"Yeah. Glad I was careful with how much I drank during supper," Harry teased before sliding into his sleeping bag before sending out Firebolt and Ludwig. "Alright guys," Harry asked as he slipped into the Speaker's Realm, "you remember to sleep ?"

"We did, sir," Ludwig replied, Firebolt giving a slight nod in agreement.

"Good. You two will be standing guard tonight."

That caused the Pokemon to pause. "We are of course ready to serve, sir... but may I ask why? You haven't asked us to guard you or Master Longbottom since this journey began."

Harry conceded that point. The fire types had mainly been providing heat to help keep the the fuel they used at a low. "You're right. Normally the Wyrdeer team is able to protect us. But... they are leery right now and that makes me leery."

Neville chimed in. "They don't like the look of this sudden storm."

"Right," Firebolt said before curling up at the edge of the tent, right at the flap. "We got this."

Harry chuckled and tossed his dex over to them, Neville doing the same. "I'm glad we brought the extra batteries and solar charger." He pulled out a pair of earplugs. "Dex is all qued up."

Ludwig said... something... but Harry couldn't hear him and soon he settled down into his sleeping bag, eyes shut as he felt himself begin to drift, the muted light of the dexes the only thing to illuminate the dark tent as the Wyrdeer lowered the glow of their antlers and let the icy plain they had set up camp fall once more into shadow. It was an odd sensation, falling asleep like that... feeling his body begin to slow down to rest while his mind was still just active enough to realize what was happening. Every limb felt heavier. He was aware of the sleeping bag and how it was pressing against his chest. He'd read once that people sometimes woke up with the same sensation, their minds awake but their bodies asleep, and that was what had caused people to believe certain Pokemon could haunt them or possess them. He had to admit if he didn't know what was happening himself he would have been freaking out.

His mind drifted as he felt himself sinking further and further into a deep sleep. The last week had gone smoothly enough despite the rapidly dropping temperatures. The sleigh was well protected from the elements and if Harry thought they could have done so easily he would have suggested they all just sleep in there and not bother with the time spent setting up the tents. At first the journey had been rather interesting, as the icy region had been filled with all manner of Pokemon that could survive the frigid environment. Large Avaluggs rising from nearly frozen over rivers and snow drifts to shake themselves free of the powder before lumbering off. Sneasels quickly burrowing into the mounds to hide themselves. An Alolan Ninetails had appeared at one point just as the sun was setting, flaring out its tails and letting out a cry that had made tears form in Harry's eyes.

But as the days had rolled on the land around them had become more barren. Oh, he could feel that there were Pokemon out there but the cold temperatures and more hostile weather made it far harder for them to simply wander about freely. He knew many dwelled under the snow and the frozen rivers that crisscrossed the land, or hid in underground caves that were only known about by certain species thanks to communal knowledge that was passed down from parent to child. But for the teens in the sleigh there had been... nothing... and they'd finally begun to distract themselves with their dexes or idle chat to pass the time.

'Isn't that how it always is though? If someone isn't instantly entertained they dismiss what is around them.'

That thought... wasn't Harry's.

'It's rude to enter one's head without permission,' he thought.

'It's rude to enter one's home as well.'

'Mewtwo,' Harry thought.

'You are a curious one, Harry Potter. A curious one indeed.' Harry felt a... tug... at the base of his skull and the next thing he knew he was standing in the Dursley kitchen, 7 years old and using a stool to reach the stove so he could manage the bacon that he had no hope of being able to eat. 'There are hints of a far happier beginning but the strongest memories of your youth are of servitude you never asked for.'

The pan he had been using the fry the bacon suddenly leapt from the stove and wrapped itself around his hand.

Harry struggled, falling back from the stool but rather than fall to the ground he found himself just falling. Onward and onward. And as he did more pans and utensils flew at him, slamming into his skin. He struggled to rip them off but he couldn't and that only made him tumble about until he was suddenly jerked to a stop. He blinked, feeling something heavy on his head, and when he looked around he found the world tinted an odd bluish green. There was something in his head... something making his mind fuzzy, but he knew that things were VERY wrong.

Suddenly there was a light and he realized he'd been trapped in some kind of enclosed space; it had been very tight, allowing almost no movement, and Harry had been hanging from thick cables. A device that the cables were attached to forced him forward and he looked about as best he could, realizing he was in a rather plain-looking Pokemon Gym... with a young Gary Oak standing before him.

'Defeat the boy,' he heard echo through his head and Harry found his hand raising up-

'No,' Harry snarled and he flexed his right hand, feeling the blaster activate and destroy the armor he was wearing. His fingers free he began to tear at the armor, ripping it off piece by piece and causing it to turn back into pots and pans.

As he did so he saw that the gym had faded away, leaving him standing in a void with the being he sought out.

Thanks to the dynamaxing Harry had shot up in height, making up for the years of neglect he'd suffered from during his time in Little Surrey. He stood 6 feet tall, just a touch shorter than Jack but taller than Sirius which had always been a matter of amusement for him. Sirius would often purposely rising up slightly on his toes in order to get himself Harry's height, only to shrink back down the moment he thought no one was watching.

But Mewtwo made Harry feel like a child again. 6 foot 7, the white psychic type dominated the void not just because of his length. Nor was it because of his strange features. He looked like a Mew (based on the images he'd seen in his textbooks) where everything about that Pokemon had been reversed. The thin tail made thick with a swelling at the base before it tapered off to a still rather girthy structure. The tiny torso stretched long. The short legs and massive feet had been swapped while the barely there arms on Mew were the length of a man's on Mewtwo. And where the First Pokemon had a round, rather innocent looking head with wide eyes and open features Mewtwo had a small sharp head with hard eyes and a stern presence.

No, what made Harry feel rather small was just the Pokemon's utter presence. Mewtwo, even just standing (floating?) there, was able to make Harry feel just how mighty he was. Harry knew at once any belief that he might have a chance holding back the psychic type was a delusion. If Mewtwo wanted to he could rip Harry's mind to shreds.

"But where is the purpose in that?" Mewtwo asked, his voice ringing out even without opening his mouth. "A fool destroys without studying. That is what so many in the world do, don't they? They see something that is slightly different and rather than try and learn about it and see WHY it is the way it is they choose to either try and dominate their will upon it or destroy it completely and utterly so it might never bother them again."

Mewtwo waved its paw and the void shifted, showing flashes of different regions all over the world. "A river floods, overflowing its banks. While one can learn the cycles of this rise and fall instead it is decided to make a dam, so that the river might be controlled. Be tamed and made to behave. But in the rush to control the power of the river no one bothers to learn how it works and the purpose for these floodings. The dam is made but the aquatic life that called the river home finds itself trapped, unable to bypass the dam. The ecosystem is destroyed and what was once thriving is left... barren. The same for the precious farm lands that they were trying to save. The flooding brought nutrients that the soil desperately needed... and with it gone all that was left was the dried out clay. Because they didn't bother to actually learn.

"That is how it is with so much of humanity. They build a city on a hill because they enjoy the view but do not realize that they destroyed a Pokemon's mating place. Then they get mad when the pokemon invade and try and destroy them or move them but that only compounds the problem. Onward and onward in a vicious continuous circle. And if they don't destroy something... they merely try to force it to change.

"Scyther's natural evolution was Kleavor. It had existed for far longer than most of your human settlements have stood. It is natural; the Scyther find Gravellers to test their blades against and for those that are lucky they find the stones needed to trigger their evolution within their hides, while for the Gravellers the strongest survive and become Golems. But then there were humans who decided that they didn't like Kleavor. It was far too wild for all but the most dedicated trainer that was willing to learn of its temperament. And the stone needed for it to evolve was too costly to waste. Why not adapt the process? Force Scyther to become something else. Something more convenient. And thus the Metal Powder was made from the stones and Scythers evolved into Scizors. And the Kleavors were lost. Only then people wonder why Golems are smaller and so much more rare. And why the Scythers seem so lost and savage without their enemy to fight."

Mewtwo floated around him, head held slightly up as it gazed into the void that surrounded them. "Time and time and time again, Mr. Potter. From the child that forces their Pokemon to stop using a favorite move because another is so much better for a contest to the breeder who forces an Eevee into an evolutionary form it never wanted because they desire a fluffier tail. Humanity forces change or destruction." Mewtwo paused. "Your Aunt and Uncle tried the same thing with you, did they not?" He waved his paw and once more they were in the Dursley's kitchen in Little Surrey. "You were not what they wanted so they tried to force you to become like them. But you would never be able to do that so they decided to just break you instead. Destroy you.

"And yet..."

The images changed and Harry watched flashes of him with his team appear before him.

"You let your Eevee decide which form to take, showing trust in his choices. You inspired loyalty in your Chandalure because he knows that you would do for him just as much as he does for you. When you captured that Toxicitry you allowed him a choice few others would have. The mighty Zygarde became yours but you knew you needed to earn the right to claim him and did not pout or fume over such things. You accepted it. You are a... curious human, Harry Potter. You remind me of another... a trainer I hurt greatly because of my own need to change or destroy rather than understand and accept. Yet he not just forgave me... he saved me from myself. Yes... you remind me of his greatly."

"Can I ask… who was he?"

"Who is," Mewtwo said and for the first time Harry sensed that Mewtwo was… pleased. "And perhaps I will tell you. But… not yet." Mewtwo moved to stand before Harry once more, face to face. "I need to be… sure about you. To confirm that you are worthy."

"You want to test me?"

"Study you."

Harry shook his head. "Yeah, that makes sense."

"You humans have your Pokedex entries on all of us… why not do the same with humanity?" Mewtwo paused. "Though… you aren't exactly human anymore are you?"

"My dna is a sock drawer at this point."

Mewtwo studied him for almost a minute. "Ah. A jumbled mess."

"…did you just have to scan my mind to get a reference?" Mewtwo didn't say a word. "Never talk with Luna Lovegood you'll-"

"I have been warned," Mewtwo said and Harry SWORE there were a touch of concern in his voice. But it was gone within the next instance. "But yes… a test or two, Mr. Potter. To determine if you are worthy of what I hold." The legendary Pokemon paused. "Hmmm… speaking of Miss Lovegood, I believe I shall borrow from her." He leaned in and Harry forced himself not to flinch. "Your first task: Save the Cheerleader. Save the World."

Harry's eyes snapped open and he slowly groaned, reaching up and rubbing his face with his forearm. He was back in the tent and he was sweating up a storm. Which shouldn't have been shocking because he had just had a mental conversation with the world's most deadly Pokemon! A little bit of night terror sweat was to be expected.

Only… when he looked over at Neville he saw his friend had kicked out of his sleeping bag and stripped off his shirt, leaving him bare-chested as he muttered in his sweat-soaked sleep.

What the hell?

"Ludwig, Firebolt," Harry said, his two Pokemon turning towards him. "Are you heating things up in here? More than usual?"

"No Sir," Ludwig said as they entered the Speaker's Realm. "But now that you mention it I do find it a touch warm in here…"

"Just a touch?" Harry groused as he too removed his shirt. "It feels like a fucking sauna!" He went over to the temperature gauge on the tent and frowned as he stared at it. "I still have it set for 58 and your flames should bring it to 68 but it says its nearly 88 in here! And… wait."

Harry frowned.

It said the outside temperature was listed at 83!

"That's not right," he muttered to himself, dread filling him as he moved to the opening of the tent, Neville shifting and waking up behind him.

"Harry, what are- HARRY!" Neville cried out, clearly panicked at the sight of Harry bare-chested and preparing to open up the tent to the blistering cold of the tundra.

But Harry unzipped the tent and instead was hit by a warm breeze.

Slowly, very slowly, he stepped out onto soft green grass. The sky was still dark but the stars were now far different. He smelled fruit juice in the air and heard the buzzing and chipring of bug pokemon. In the distance he could see the lights of a city. The tents were still there, the Wyrdeer who stared at him in shock were there though their sled now sat on a field of grass, but the land around them…

Harry pulled out his dex and activated the GPS.

LOCATION: ALOLA

"Aw fuck."