Light-Speed Clocking Out

"It's still that Cockatrice, fantastic! That way, the last Magical Creatures Sean and his team will face is a tired one!"

In the stands, a student peered through a magic telescope at the Magical Creatures in the arena and spoke excitedly.

"In fact, quite the opposite—" someone countered.

"What do you mean, 'opposite'? Who do you think you are to say that?... Uh, excuse me, Professor Scamander." The student blushed.

When did the professor come to my side...?

Newt turned and smiled, "I'm just here to get a feel for the atmosphere—please don't take it to heart."

"But, Professor, why did you just say exactly the opposite?"

"Because that guy... doesn't know what it means to back down... even I have a hard time dealing with the Cockatrice."

"That..."

"It's okay, just watch." Newt smiled.

——

"Let us welcome the last pair of Champion, Sean Wallerup, Daisy Potter, Stephanie Ollivander from Hogwarts!"

With Mr. Bagman's shout, the tent was pulled open, and someone walked out from the path outside the fence.

Sean was walking ahead, squinted his eyes—the weather in the Scottish Highlands was really nice today.

Sean and his two companions were greeted by thunderous cheers and applause. Looking down from the bottom, all he could see was a sea of jubilant people.

"Looks like everyone's really looking forward to us," Sean said to Daisy with a smile.

"Yes—" Daisy swallowed, still a little nervous.

Sean smiled slightly and asked as he walked forward, "What do you guys want to eat tonight?"

"Ah?"

"Finish this quickly and go to the kitchen to tell the House-elves Boris —of course, we have to avoid Hermione. She's been quite busy lately and is very unhappy about me ordering the House-elves to cook."

"Ah, oh, oh, okay..." Daisy stared blankly as Sean walked slowly forward, as if he were walking through a corridor in a castle.

"Let's go." Stephanie pulled Daisy along, and the two followed.

"Now, our Champion have officially entered the arena!" Mr. Bagman shouted excitedly, pointing his wand to his throat. "They are about to see their first opponent in the Four-School Tournament —a very angry Cockatrice!"

The circular enclosure was magically arranged to resemble a rugged mountain range. Sean and his companions stood at the very edge of the enclosure, while in the center rose a towering ridge, from which the deep rumble of Fire Dragon could be faintly heard.

That was their destination for the second phase, and their current task was to deal with their opponent standing in the front half of the arena— the Cockatrice.

A Cockatrice that has completely lost its mind.

It is about seven meters tall and has a huge chicken head covered with white spots. Its comb spreads outward like a crown—a sign that the Cockatrice has completely lost its mind.

Its thick, lizard-like body was covered in charred marks and scars, suggesting that the previous teams hadn't held back.

Beneath the enormous reptile's thigh was a massive chicken foot, pitch black, gleaming with a chilling light.

"Gurgle—" Without any probing or hesitation, the Cockatrice let out a piercing cry upon spotting Sean and his companions, and then charged forward madly!

The audience screamed, and Mr. Bagman's commentary was shrill. "A completely different situation has arisen compared to the previous teams! The Cockatrice didn't even have time to say hello before it went to enthusiastically hug our player!"

From the referee's box in the stands, Karkaroff sneered, "This beast has completely gone mad. Dumbledore, I suggest you keep an eye on him, otherwise, the first death since the restoration of the Triwizard Cup might just happen."

Dumbledore remained silent, but Grindelwald laughed heartily, "Guess how long it will take?"

Karkaroff glanced at him with some apprehension, then frowned and said, "Judging by how weak his legs are..."

"I'd guess five seconds," Grindelwald said with a smile.

Karkaroff said somewhat ingratiatingly, "I think he can last a little longer..."

"Huh? I wasn't talking about Sean."

"Oh? What is Wallerup talking to his teammates about? But isn't it a bit too late to discuss battle strategy now!" Bagman exclaimed in surprise.

"This thing is actually quite similar to the Basilisk. The Cockatrice is hatched from a male egg by Cockatrice. Its gaze is also deadly, but not as terrifying as the Basilisk. Its venom comes from its comb, and the less rational it is, the more toxic it becomes. Moreover, it spreads very rapidly." Sean was explaining the Chicken-bodied Serpent-tailed Beast to his teammates.

"I remember everything, but that guy is coming!" Daisy pointed sharply behind him.

"Isn't this the key point? These stupid creatures are much easier to deal with than you think, especially in these moments when they lose their minds—remember to close your eyes, otherwise making eye contact will make you feel uncomfortable for a long time."

As Sean spoke, he even turned his back to the Cockatrice!

"Oh my god! Oh my god! Merlin's beard! What's wrong with Wallerup? He's facing away from the Cockatrice! Has he decided to die?!" Bagman exclaimed.

"Sean— " someone in the audience shouted, and many others covered their mouths, afraid to make a sound—why, why is Sean turning his back...

"Coo-hoo—" The ear-piercing cry of the Cockatrice rang out from behind Sean!

"Ah—" the girls screamed, too afraid to watch what was about to happen.

Sean looked at Daisy and Stephanie, and the figure of the Cockatrice leaping up behind him rapidly enlarged, its mad shadow already enveloping him!

He shrugged. "Look, it's even lost the most basic sense of biological crisis..."

"Boom!"

A terrifying giant hand burst from the ground behind Sean! It grabbed the Cockatrice as easily as it would a chick!

A speck of dust fell onto his shoulder, Sean patted off carefully. "Even the Flobberworm could sense the immense magical power, yet it didn't react at all..."

The sudden appearance of the giant hand plunged the entire stands into an eerie silence. Mr. Bagman's wand, pointing to his throat, trembled slightly, and a series of indescribable bubbles echoed throughout the paddock.

"Good! That's my student!" Professor McGonagall was the first to shout excitedly. Her hair was a little disheveled, but the pride on her face was undeniable.

At that moment, Bagman finally realized. "What a beautiful Transfiguration!"

"Sean —!!!" Cheers came like a tsunami.

"Sean ..." Daisy and Stephanie opened their eyes to find the boy in front of them smiling.

"You were secretly casting spells the moment you entered the arena..." Stephanie said.

"Hmm, this Cockatrice doesn't have any new tricks up its sleeve, especially when it's acting like it's not thinking straight." Sean took the rope from Daisy and casually waved his wand.

The rope swayed past and tied a pretty bow on the middle finger of the giant stone hand.

"Hahahaha—" Grindelwald laughed heartily.

Karkaroff's eyes were filled with fear. This level of Transfiguration was actually created by a fifth-grade student!

"Albus, your school has produced a monster..." Madame Maxime said softly, "What a loss..."

Exchanging a Hogwarts charter for their school's stay-at-home certificate is a huge loss...

Dumbledore finally couldn't help but smile.

Meanwhile, in the center of the venue, Sean and his group were heading towards the true destination of this project.

As the ridge drew closer, Sean took a deep breath and smiled happily, "Ah, that familiar Fire Dragon aura."

Daisy was no longer nervous at all. She nudged Sean and said, "Sean, you've never encountered an adult Fire Dragon before."

Sean's smile froze, then he said somewhat angrily, "Even if I transform into it myself, it counts!"

"So you're going to expose your Fire Dragon Animagus to communicate with those two black dragons?" Stephanie stopped in her tracks.

On the mountain ridge, two terrifying vertical pupils were already fixed on the three of them!

Those were two fully grown... Hebridean Black Dragon!

The thirty-foot-long behemoths saw the uninvited guests and opened their mouths wide.

"Roar--"

Two dragon roars are the signal for the top Magical Creatures to launch an attack!

Even the gasps of the spectators in the stands were drowned out, followed by the rare sunshine of the Scottish Highlands.

The Hebridean Black Dragon takes flight!

Sean's pupils suddenly contracted!

"The black dragons have spotted our Champion! Good heavens! Good heavens! Why do these teams always encounter such different situations? These two black dragons are even more aggressive than the Hungarian Horntail! They've pounced!"

The dust kicked up by the wings covered the entire sky like a monster rushing towards us, and the dragon's roar that made everyone's blood boil was ringing out wildly!

"These two Hebridean Black Dragon are a real couple, and they're currently in their most violent phase! And we can see that the larger one is the male Fire Dragon, and it's on the verge of going out of control in order to protect its wife and children!" Mr. Bagman shouted.

The male Hebridean Black Dragon was clearly more ferocious than the female Fire Dragon. Its roars came one after another as if it had been greatly stimulated, and the audience had to cover their ears.

"Roar—" The dragon roar was accompanied by a burst of scorching flames, and the temperature of the entire enclosure rose rapidly.

Newt, who had been watching all this, frowned in confusion—normally, the more ferocious one should be the female Fire Dragon with maternal instincts...

"The Hebridean Black Dragon is completely enraged. How will our Champion deal with this...?" Mr. Bagman's eyes widened.

On the ground, Sean's eyes widened in disbelief.

He stood motionless, muttering to himself.

"Mr. Wallop? Mr. Wallop?! Good heavens, why is Wallerup standing still again!"

"The Hebridean Black Dragon isn't some mindless Cockatrice, and Transfiguration can't contain such a powerful behemoth—could it be that Wallerup is truly terrified?!"

The spectators in the stands covered their ears and whispered among themselves, "Why is Wallerup not moving again? Is he going to use Transfiguration again?"

"Don't be silly, that's impossible, and the opponent has two Fire Dragon!"

"Wallerup is Dragon Speaker, have you all forgotten?!"

"But look at the appearance of the Hebridean Black Dragon, especially that male fire Fire Dragon. How can a completely enraged Fire Dragon listen to the words of a wizard!"

"Oh no, why isn't Sean moving?! The Fire Dragon has pounced!"

In the center of the arena, the almost out-of-control male Hebridean Black Dragon charged straight at Sean like an arrow released from a bow. It had even opened its huge mouth, and its sharp white teeth emitted a terrifying light!

"Ah—!" The girls screamed, and even the professors couldn't sit still. Professor McGonagall even raised her wand, ready to intervene in the match.

"Minerva, calm down, don't disturb them—" Dumbledore gently pressed her hand down.

"But Albus! Sean suddenly stopped moving. This isn't Transfiguration can do... Hmm? You mean, interrupt?" Professor McGonagall's eyes widened.

Under everyone's watchful eyes, the frenzied male Hebridean Black Dragon charged toward Sean, then slammed its head down!

"Wallerup! Referees, aren't you going to intervene?!" Mr. Bagman roared.

"It's over, it's too late... He bit down..." the audience thought in despair.

"Roar—" The Hebridean Black Dragon roared!

"Did it... did it eat Sean?" The timid girl asked tremblingly, not daring to open her eyes.

Silence was her only response.

"What happened..." The anxious girl mustered up her courage and secretly opened her eyes.

She saw her classmates staring blankly at the center of the field, as if they had been petrified.

It wasn't just one person; almost everyone around her had this expression.

"Sean has been eaten..." The girl's eyes reddened, and she looked toward the center of the field, suppressing her fear.

Then I witnessed a scene I will never forget in my life.

The thirty-foot-tall behemoth, the crazed Hebridean Black Dragon, was now bowing its head and rubbing against it repeatedly.

It was rubbing against Sean's hand...

Just like the cat she kept...

Even the dragon's roar turned into a soft whimper, like a lost pet finally finding its owner, crying... whimpering pitifully...

The girl was also stunned.

In the center of the arena, Daisy stared at Sean, her face frozen. She turned her head away, realizing that even the usually aloof Stephanie wasn't much better than herself.

Sean just said, "What a coincidence, running into an old friend..."

And then... it turned out like this...

"Ah, it's been a long time..." Sean exclaimed.

He touched the rough scales on the nose of the Hebridean Black Dragon and pressed his body against them.

Sean gently stroked the black dragon while exclaiming with amazement, "It's been years, and you've grown so much... You even have a wife, and I don't even have a girlfriend... How can it really be you?!"

Under everyone's watchful eyes, he forcefully punched the black dragon's nose.

The Hebridean Black Dragon let out a joyful roar.