Chapter 20

"He wants us to get him a blanket."

The astonishment in Ria's voice almost caused Harry to laugh, the look her face made did cause him to laugh.

"Master, don't laugh at me, it's absurd that he wants something that simple."

Harry couldn't hold back the chuckles that still escaped his lips as he tried to answer his Pokémon's obvious confusion.

"Ria I remember a time when you wanted me to get you a cape because you thought it would make you cool. Plus you really seem to like that belt you've got."

The look of embarrassment that spread across her face caused Harry to laugh even harder and even Ivan joined in, Ria simple huffed and crossed her arms at her trainer laughing at her at such a time.

With a shake of his head, Harry turns back to Ben who is still in the middle of the way and starts walking towards him, Ria quickly follows after Harry with Ivan trodding along behind. John of course choose to float after the group letting the unique style of travel his species had be a good scouting technique, Hedwig of course watched from on top Ivan's head ready to launch into the sky when ready.

Once Harry was close enough he removed his backpack and started rummaging around until he finally pulled out a thick woolen blanket with a picture of a Jigglypuff singing on it.

"Does this work for you Ben?"

Ben gave a cry that sounded like he was happy and grabbing the blanket in his mouth, he uprooted himself and moved back to the tree line curling up with the blanket and seemingly falling asleep. With a shrug, Harry and his party moved on climbing the mountain path hoping that the next task was just as easy, but knowing the houses that he thought where left, they would be too easy.

After five minutes of walking, the group came to a large clearing that had a cave at the other end, Harry realized that the cave was the only obvious path forward but he didn't like that he had to cross the very obvious trap to get to it.

So he looked up at Hedwig and gave her a nod, with a bob Hedwig took flight and started circling the area, but even after ten minutes, she found nothing.

So Harry with as much caution as he could muster let Ivan and Ria lead the way will he had John cover the rear and Hedwig stayed on Harry's head to make sure he was watched carefully. But before the group even got a quarter of the way across the clearing a rumbling started before something crawled over the cliff where the cave resided.

It was a multi limbed creature mostly red with some bright yellow glowing from its underbelly, eyebrows and a mustache of flames created a long flowing X on its face on both ends of the creature, but what truly made the creature frightening was that it was the size of fifty Ivan's from what Harry could tell.

But Harry couldn't let his mind be clouded by fear and new that he had to act quickly, so with an effort he made the connection with his entire team through Ria and started telling them all what he needed them to do.

"Ria start distracting that thing, use your speed and size to keep it off kilter, use shadow claw since this guys a fire type. Ivan give her back up but stay in the sky, your rocket legs give you better maneuverability so use it along with high horse power to get that guys attention."

Instantly Ria rushed forward while Ivan seemingly had his legs disappear into his torso and a jet of flames propel him upwards.

"John try and get perish song on him and baring that a sing and dreameater combo, I know you don't like it but once you get close to time ending, I'll throw you in your ball and then call you right back out ok?"

The little salute John sent Harry's way made a smile spread across his face as he watched John float towards the tree line to try and get as close as he could without being noticed. Ivan came barreling down from the sky and hit the giant with a high horsepower leaving a large bruise on the side of its head, Ria came in from the left side and hit it with a shadow claw leaving a small amount of dark vapor on the creatures stomach.

But that didn't seem to hinder it much as it seemed to make a large fire tornado near its mouth and shoot it towards Ivan, but missed due to Ivan using a few tricks he picked up from Hedwig and tucked into a barrel roll by cutting of his jets at the last second to drop out of the way.

Ria took that opportunity to hit it with another shadow claw that cause it to stop the flame tornado and turn its head down to her.

John had finally gotten close enough and started a perish song which went unnoticed as Ivan used another high horse power and seemed to do some real damage to the creature as John finished up his song and then started firing of sing to try and make it easier to take this thing down. Harry had sent Hedwig high up to see if she could spot any other creatures approaching but he was getting an all clear which he was happy to hear.

Soon enough the creature was asleep and Ivan, Ria, and John had returned to Harry's side to watch as John was about to fall to the perish song before Harry simply returned him to his ball and then let him back out.

The creature shined brightly almost blinding the group before the light disappeared and when the group looked back they saw the creature but much smaller, roughly the size of a grown man instead of the titan they had previously fought.

The group moved forward wary of a trick but wanting to move on from the area before something came looking at what made all the noise.

So the group entered the cave and soon found themselves climbing even higher up the mountain, with occasional glimpses of the outside through collapsed cave walls. Creating a beautiful that Harry almost stopped to admire, but he knew that he still had a trial to finish so he pushed on and finally found the exit to the cave.

Upon exiting Harry and his group found themselves on a large plateau covered in a fresh powdering of snow that almost seemed to glow under the moon light.

But the group was on high alert after the last time the entered a large open area, so with caution on the mind and the past battle still fresh in the imagination they slowly moved forward till the reached where the path seemingly continued.

As the group climbed Harry tried to figure out what the next trail could possibly be, he had already done the trial for Ravenclaw, and he guessed that the trail for Hufflepuff was dealing with Ben. The last trail had to be Gryffindors since it would take more than just smarts and kindness to face that large a creature, so that left only Slytherin, which would be something to do with either cunning or ambition.

As they rounded the next bend the group sees a large castle imposing yet holding an ethereal beauty to it on the top of the mountain nestled into its peak, and there before the front door stood a creature that had to be the final trial.

At first Harry thought it was a person until he realized that it was to oddly colored and sized for one, it started out blue at the top of its odd hat shaped head and slowly turned into pink at what would look like a dress, before turning white at where the creatures legs should be.

A long arm with a large hand seem to dangle from the top of the hat like it was hair, and the creatures face was pure almost Snow White with two pink spots where the eyebrows would be.

It's eyes where black with bright blue pupils and looking like slits, Harry knew this Pokémon, he had seen it a lot of times while shopping with his aunt, it was a Hatterene, and now he could guess what the final trial was.

After all everyone in Galar knew that if you couldn't control your emotions around a Hatterene, then you where going to see a nurse joy sooner then you would like.

So with a deep breath and a pray to Arceus, Harry returned all his partners and moved towards the only thing between him and what house he would be sorted into, no pressure.