"Orion, use Water Gun!"

The little Piplup nodded, firing off a thin yet strong stream of water from his beak. Any pride the water-type might have felt in his attack faded when the Quilava he was facing refused to do the decent thing and faint after the first strike. Orion glared at the Potter Family Pokémon, waving his stubby wing at Firebolt and chirping his displeasure.

"Come on now, you can't expect him to go down so easily just because of the type advantage!" Harry said with a laugh. Turning his attention to his other Pokémon, Harry shouted, "Firebolt, use Fire Quills!" The Quilava rushed forward, leaping a few feet in front of Orion and doing a back flip. The moment the fire pores on his back were pointed at the Piplup Firebolt shot off several fire-hardened shards of bone. The super-heated quills struck Orion, causing the Piplup to tumble end over end. It was Firebolt's turn to be pleased... and his turn to get annoyed when Piplup stood up, eyes narrowed in determination. His little wing easily broke the quills, sending them tumbling to his feet. "And you can't expect to win through sheer strength," Harry gently teased Firebolt.

"Toki!" Togetic called out from the sidelines, waving her pom poms. The rest of Harry's Pokémon were spread out on the edge of the homemade arena and it was clear from how they acted that they were, in their own way, rooting for their chosen champion. Togetic and Ludwig the Litwick were rooting for Firebolt (Ludwig honoring a fellow fire-type while Togetic stuck with the candle that was her best friend) while Hedwig the Hoothoot and Eevee cheered Orion (as they felt, like Orion, that Firebolt was trying to take their spot of glory beside Harry; Orion was trying to do the same thing but they overlooked this hypocrisy for the moment). Dobby the Alakazam had refused to pick, choosing to wear a shirt that bore a picture of both Pokémon hugging each other; Harry wagered Dobby had teleported to Luna's to get that particular item. Zygarde merely basked in the sun, occasionally opening an eye to see what everyone was excited about before drifting back to sleep.

Summer was in full swing in Avalon and everyone, be that human or Pokémon, was enjoying the few short months of warm weather before the cold returned with a vengeance. It was quite common for Harry to spend much of his day out in the sun, running around and training with his Pokémon. He'd never been allowed to just have fun in warm weather; the Dursleys tended to make him stay inside during the summer and only gave him outside chores in the dead of winter. The exercise he was now getting had helped Harry finally do away within the last bit of pastiness and scrawniness that had plagued him since he'd left his Uncle and Aunt's. Harry now sported a nice tan and had filled out a bit with lean muscle; he wasn't a bulging bodybuilder but he didn't look like a twig anymore. The last few weeks had also seen all his Pokémon grow stronger and for the most part the other Pokémon had supported each other in their training.

The only bump in the road had been when Firebolt evolved. Harry had known that Firebolt would most likely be the first. Ludwig, according to Prof. Snape (Harry couldn't bring himself to call him Uncle Severus and Snape had admitted that he'd probably shudder at the name if Harry did use it), needed another year before he would evolve. Dobby and Zygarde couldn't evolve and Totemic couldn't reach her final form until Harry managed to get a Shiny Stone. Harry had thought that Eevee might evolve but Speaking with him revealed that Eevee wasn't quite ready yet. Eevee had told Harry two weeks earlier that he sensed that this would be the year but the time simply wasn't right for him to take that step. All Eevee knew was that he felt in his heart that he would evolve on his own without the need of an evolution stone; considering the cost of getting one made Harry quite glad Eevee was taking a different path.

Thus, it hadn't been a surprise to anyone when Firebolt had evolved into a Quilava... except for Orion. The Black Family Pokémon had seen it as an insult that he hadn't evolved yet (especially when a FIRE type had beaten him to it) and had taken to being rather passive-aggressive whenever Firebolt was around. It was little things, like getting the Quilava's food wet or squawking in his ear when he was just about to fall asleep. Firebolt, for his part, would use his new bulk to shove the Piplup about. When Harry had found his fire Pokémon sitting on Orion he'd decided to have the two battle each other so they might be able to work out their tensions.

"Guys, come here," Harry called out, motioning for Orion and Firebolt to walk over to him. Sirius had been utterly annoyed at the lack of a training area at Remus' house and thus decided that if Harry's guardian refused to provide for the boy a place to battle with his Pokémon then it was up to his godfather to correct that injustice. Harry and Remus had spent two days talking Sirius out of building a state-of-the-art training facility for him (Sirius' plans would have put to Pokémon League to shame) and in the end Sirius had agreed to simply go with a courtyard design that could double as a tennis court.

"Pip?" Orion asked as Harry knelled down, placing a hand on each of them.

"Quil?"

Harry smiled. "You both did good out there... not great, but good." The two Pokémon clearly didn't know how to feel about that comment and Harry fought back a peel of laughter as he stared at their confused faces. "You both battled your hearts out but you also made key mistakes." He looked over at Firebolt. "Just because you evolved first doesn't mean you can use brute force to win every battle. You have to be cunning. Yeah, I know, that doesn't sound very 'Gryffindor'..." Firebolt nodded in agreement, "but there is more to life than blind courage."

Orion looked pleased with his rival getting a dressing down but when Harry turned towards him the Piplup gulped. "As for you, you're so sure that type advantage will win that you don't fight like you should. You won't always be the favorite in a match and when that's the case you need to fight like an underdog." He looked the two over and seeing that his words had hit the mark nodded to himself. "I am proud to have both of you on my team... never forget that." Seeing the two puff up a bit with pride Harry smiled and pulled out their Pokéballs. "Ok guys... return." He glanced over at the others and did the same, leaving only Hedwig and Dobby out. The Alakazam remained out as Harry needed him to go grab his luggage. As for his Hoothoot, when she'd become Harry's pokemagnus partner the energy from the bonding had shattered Hedwig's Pokéball. Their bond was forged in something stronger than a Pokéball. Now, like Padfoot and Mooney, Hedwig stayed with Harry at all times.

"Pronglet, you out here?" Sirius called out. The Head of House Black emerged wearing a simple yellow dress shirt and black slacks, a pleasant smile gracing his lips. Harry had noticed that ever since Sirius had moved next door of him and Remus the old Marauder always had a smile plastered on his face. It wasn't a smirk or a cunning grin or a sinister twitch of his lips that spoke of danger and adventure. No, it was a quiet smile, one that spoke of contentment and inner peace. Harry knew it wasn't just the sight of him that did this for his godfather; he understood that for Sirius he had, at long last, found his way to a place he could call home, surrounded by those he loved and cherished.

"Yeah! Just wrapping up one last training session," Harry called out, Hedwig circling him as he made his way towards Sirius' house. "Dobby is getting my suitcases ready."

"Good," Sirius said, clapping the boy on the back. "I want to get a move on... want to be in our cabin and all settled before the boat takes off."

Harry chuckled. "Remus wanted to leave hours ago."

"Remus is a fussy old bitty," Sirius said simply. "Come on; let's go before he begins pacing."

As he followed after his godfather, Dobby and Reuniclus psychically carrying the luggage, Harry couldn't help but mentally thank Prof. Dumbledore. When the old man had suggested that Sirius take Harry on a trip to Johto to see the Gauntlet World Championship the teen had only hoped for a few days visit before returning back to Avalon. Sirius had come up with a much bolder scheme: a massive 3-week event that would have Harry, Sirius, and Remus journeying through the cities of Johto. Harry's birthday happened to land right in the middle of the trip and Sirius had merely said that he had some big surprises for his godson. Harry had been concerned that Sirius was spending too much money on him, especially after he'd bought the beach house, but the Marauder had waved off such fears.

"You keep forgetting that I'm the Head of House Black," Sirius had said with a smirk. "The Blacks have quite a bit of wealth; I figure they spent enough supporting Voldemort the least I could do is spend just as much supporting you!" When Harry hadn't been fully convinced Sirius had dropped the other shoe. "Also, as one of the commanders of the Sons of Johto I am going to get a lot of discounts and freebies."

Harry's smile lessened slightly as Sirius and him walked over to Remus, who was standing with Padfoot and Mooney looking utterly cross that godson and godfather had taken so long. As they neared the ship Harry couldn't help but feel a twinge of nerves. He'd been nervous going to Johto, remembering well the footage Ginny and the rest of his friends had showed him of the attack on Oroku Koga. He still found it hard to believe that Sirius was part of the Sons of Johto… that he'd killed. And now he was going to a region that was ruled by the men and women many people in the world thought of as being on the same level as team Rocket and Team Nocturne... the only difference being that the Sons had won.

"The good ol' S.S. Sara!" Sirius said with a grin as the group turned towards the dock and spotted their ship. "Now this is the only way to travel!"

"If by travel you mean cling to the rail for dear life while praying you don't get thrown overboard then yes, you are right," Remus groused.

Sirius gave his friend a mock gasp. "Don't tell me you're still prone to seasickness!"

"You now I am," Remus growled, eyeing the ship warily as if he were scared the thing would suddenly grow teeth and try to bite him. "I still don't see why couldn't have flown."

Sirius rolled his eyes. "The only major airport is in Western Johto right near Goldenrod. I want us to come near New Bark so we can travel the region. We take a plane and we are already a day's drive away from Olivine, which would make the whole point of this trip redundant. Now stop being a baby!" He showed his tickets to the porter, who quickly nodded and collected their luggage from the Pokémon. "Come on!" Sirius said, grabbing Remus and Harry's shoulders and giving the two a shake. "This is a hydrofoil! It will have us in Johto by tomorrow! It will go by so quick you won't have time to get sick."

~MC~MC~MC~

"I...urggg... hate you," Remus moaned, clinging to the toilet like it was a long lost love returned home.

Sirius merely rolled his eyes. "We haven't even reached top speed yet!"

"Merlin help me," Remus whimpered before going through another dry heave.

Harry listened to all of this in disgust. Their room was quite spacious and was made up to look like a hotel room. They each had a nice full size bed, the ship's satellite allowed them to watch any program from any of the regions, and the large angled window allowed him a wonderful view of the ocean. Wailords were occasionally breaching as the S.S. Sara picked up speed, skimming the water as she hurdled towards Johto. Harry had downloaded some info on the boat and had learned that the ship was able to achieve its great speeds by keeping most of its hull out of the water. This made it very fast but Harry had learned that if the waters got rough it could mean they'd end up with a VERY bumpy ride. He glanced over at the bathroom; while he couldn't see Remus retching he could certainly hear him and Harry was rapidly discovering that while he didn't get sea sick the sound of others doing so definitely didn't help matters.

"I'm going to walk around," Harry said, Hedwig hopping over to join him.

"Good idea!" Sirius said. "Why don't you see where the dining room is, that way-"

"UUURRRGGGGGGGG!"

"Oh, that didn't sound good," Sirius said with a grimace. Remus' hand shot out of the bathroom and flipped his friend off before he returning to cuddling the while porcelain.

Harry quickly made a beeline out of the room, Hedwig flying onto his shoulder as the two made their escape. The S.S. Sara wasn't the size of the super cruise liners like the S.S. Anne but it wasn't a tugboat either. The four non-cabin floors that were open to the public had many shopping centers, a small indoor pool (do to its speed only the crew was allowed to go to the top deck and even then it was only in emergencies), an arcade, 3 restaurants, a Game Corner, and many lounge areas. Harry had already decided to pass by the shops, deciding that he'd rather save his money for Johto then waste it all on the ship.

Stepping into the elevator, Harry considered just what he should do with his time. He was in no mood for a swim and he wasn't that hungry... especially after Remus' conversation with the loo.

"Hey hey hey!"

Harry leapt back in shock as a sword slid between the elevator doors, stopping them just before closing. He took a step back, eyes wide, as the blade wiggled a bit before the doors realized something was in the way and parted. Harry found himself pressing his back against the elevator's back wall when he saw that the sword was hovering in the air by itself.

"Thank you, Xena," a young woman said, sliding into the elevator. "Sorry about that," she said with a smile, light brown eyes twinkling with mirth. "I'm guessing from the wide eyes you've never seen an Aegislash before?"

"Nuh uh," Harry said, hating that he felt like such a dolt. He was trying to muster up some words to say to the young woman but his near impaling had left him tongue-tied. It wasn't often that one had a ghostly sword pointed at them.

It didn't help that the new arrival was very attractive. She was wearing a pair of low-slung jeans that hugged her hips and a set of strappy sandals. The pants weren't the only things that were clinging to her frame, as the belly-baring top looked as if it would burst apart if she took too deep of a breath. Her entire outfit allowed Harry a chance to see a lot of tanned smooth skin. But this was no stick-thin supermodel; no, the strange girl was strong, with well developed legs and arms and a flat tummy with just the hint of ab muscles. Her long hair may have been a light brown at one time but the same sun that had left her a healthy bronze had also lightened her hair to a dark blonde.

"Avalon, right?" the young woman asked. "I can tell. They don't have Aegislashes there. My father explained it to me once but honestly I wasn't paying attention." She gestured towards her Pokémon, who had slid onto her back and shut her eyes. "Honestly, if it isn't a Steel type I tend to forget the minor details."

"You're not from Avalon?" Harry asked, all at once wincing at how dumb that sounded. He could tell that from the way she spoke, as every word had the lilt of her words that she was a native Johtoan.

The young woman didn't show any sign of annoyance at his stupid question, much to his relief. "Nope. Never even been. Avalon only recently was friendly with Johto so my parents won't let me go until they are sure it is safe... especially on my own." She chuckled as the elevator dinged and the both stepped off onto the top floor. "Took too much time convincing them to let me visit Kalos by myself and they are Johto's allies!"

Harry nodded; he remembered being told at some point that after the Johto/Kanto War the regions had been divided. Unova and Kalos had signed treaties with the newly freed region and begun open trade with them. Other regions, such as Sinnoh, had sought to block any recognition of the new Johto Government. It had taken a lot of bartering before Johto had been viewed as a legit region.

"What made them finally decide to let you go?" Harry asked, walking over to a table at the front of the ship. To his delight his new friend joined him, motioning for a waiter.

"I told them that they both had traveled during the summer when they were my age... hell, they had been younger! Can I get a milkshake? Strawberry. A two pokepuffs for my Aegislash."

"And you sir?" the waiter asked.

"Same but chocolate. Only one puff though."

The young woman clicked her tongue as the waiter left. "Oh, how very disappointing."

"What's that?"

"I was waiting for you to order the same drink as me then we'd be able to compare notes on other ways we are similar. That would have broken the ice and allowed us to discover more about each other. A pity."

Harry, rather than once more become tongue-tied, instantly fell into the same back and forth he shared with his friends. "Maybe I did it because I want us to compare differences."

"Ah, now that's a clever one." The waiter returned and handed them their shakes. "Thank ya." She dipped her spoon into the frosty goodness and watched Harry from hooded eyes. "So, what brings an Avalon boy to Johto?"

"My godfather and my guardian are taking me to the Gauntlet Championship."

His companion raised an eyebrow. "Coming a bit early for that, aren't ya?"

Harry laughed. "We're going sightseeing. Sirius is hooking us up in some pretty exclusive places-"

"Sirius?" the young woman said, leaning forward. "Sirius Black? The Lord of Sevii?" Harry nodded and the girl clapped her hands. "Damn, now this is a small world!"

"You know him?" Harry asked. "I mean you know him as in personally... not in a 'I've heard his name before...' sort of... oh Merlin, I'm rambling like Luna."

The young woman took pity on harry and didn't laugh to hard at his fumbling. "Yeah, I know him personally." She took a moment to slurp up some of her milkshake before considering Harry, sizing him up. "You honestly don't know who I am, do ya?"

"Should I?" Harry asked, assuming she was merely joking.

The teen just shook her head, a look of utter delight crossing her features. "Oh, now this is wonderful... it really is. This is Winter Solstice and Freedom Day all rolled into one!" She casually rested her head in the palm of her right hand, her index finger extended and idly running along the edge of her ear. "It's been a long time since I've met someone who didn't know who I was." Her eyes drifted down and to the right and Harry followed her eye line. He gave a start and the young woman smirked. "Ah... finally noticed it, did you?"

Harry's gaze could not be pulled away from the sight before him. There, tattooed on her tanned wrist, was the letter J. He knew that tattoo well; Sirius had the same one on his wrist, marking him as one of the Sons of Johto.

"Hello," the woman said, extending her other hand, "I'm Jasmine Kenway."

~MC~MC~MC~

Author's Notes: Ladies and Gentlemen… welcome to Book 4!

This is the one I've been looking forward to. It may end up being the longest in this series, as I am just bursting to put so much stuff into it. I finally get to TRULY explore all the other regions. The cast is going to nearly triple in this book and we are going to get many cool new revelations.

Oh… its going to be a wild ride!

And thus we meet the daughter of the Pokémon World's most famous revolutionary: Jasmine Kenway, heir to the Ancient and Noble House of Ironside, protected child of the Ancient and Legendary House of Kenway. Based on the gym leader from Johto, Jasmine is an interesting example of taking what is established and embellishing it. To me, in the games, Jasmine is always young… maybe two or three years older than the main character (like here). She is young and sweet and caring.

This Jasmine? This is her at 16 going on 17 in her wild child phase. This is her pressing the boundries and seeing what she can get away with. This is also a Jasmine that's been raised by Jack and Clair, both of whom are not known for being subtle. Don't worry, I haven't forgotten who Jasmine is and I we will see her kind, loving side… this spunky, sassy Jasmine (who I would say has a bit of Buffy Summers in her) is just merely one facet.

Finally, the Avalon Pokedex will return next chapter as we start on the Water Trio of Avalon!