The Spirit Cat in the Golden Chest, a Swarm of Scorpion-tailed Beasts
In the center of the maze, Aaron yawned, feeling a bit bored.
He sat beside the trophy, not looking at the trophy, but at a golden treasure chest placed in the corner, a contemptuous smile appearing on his lips.
He didn't know what Fantastic Beasts were inside the treasure chest, but he was certain there would be a more detailed Marauder's Map.
But he had already reached the finish line. He could have easily waited for the others to come to him, appealing to their emotions and reasoning with them, so that they could all share the championship in the Triwizard Tournament. That would have benefited everyone.
As for the golden treasure chest filled with uncertainty, get as far away as possible; only a fool would open it.
Just as Aaron was thinking this, a scream broke the silence. Judging from the sound, it was clear that someone was fleeing for their life in a panic.
"A generous gift of crabs! This woman is doing this on purpose, isn't she!"
Aaron suddenly stood up and used a lock-picking spell on the golden treasure chest.
At that moment, he made up his mind that he would never make promises lightly again. Now he was the fool who opened the treasure chest.
But there was nothing he could do; he had thought of everything except the Champion ' abilities.
One of Adrian's conditions was that no major accidents would occur. If he really refused to help, then he would have to go home and go on blind dates after the holiday.
The treasure chest was opened, but instead of a colossal creature, a black cat the size of a lion with sharp snouts and fangs, and an eerie blue light emanating from its pupils, jumped out.
"The Spirit Cat, it must have been borrowed from the Ministry of Magic!" Aaron thought to himself, speechless. This was definitely Adrian's doing.
It wasn't that he looked down on Fudge, but rather that the Minister for Magic never made any serious decisions.
The Spirit Cat looked at Aaron in front of it, bared its fangs, and pounced with a running start.
Stupefy.
The blue light struck the Spirit Cat, but it split into three the instant it landed.
The three Spirit Cat glared menacingly at Aaron and slowly approached him from three directions.
"If it were any other time, I would really like to hang out with you guys, but I'm sorry, I'm in a hurry."
As Aaron spoke, he waved his Wand, and three earthen cages rose from the ground, trapping the Spirit Cat inside.
He then quickly ran to the treasure chest and took out a Marauder's Map.
As expected, this map was incredibly detailed, including not only the various routes in the maze and the exact locations of the Champion, but also the locations of various dangerous Magical Creatures. Most importantly, this map had no time limit and remained valid until the end of the competition.
"As expected of a golden treasure chest, the tools it contains are reliable, but..."
Wow... are these people really that cunning?
Aaron glanced at the map briefly and couldn't help but gasp.
He saw more than twenty Dementor, two Blast-Ended Skrewt, seven Boggart, one Acromantula, three giant crabs, and a Troll on the map.
This maze was converted from Quidditch Pitch. It's not particularly big, but it's not small either, though it's still a bit cramped to accommodate so many Fantastic Beasts.
The Champion would encounter a Fantastic Beasts almost every few turns. If it was Dementor or a Boggart, they could deal with it using special spells. But if it was Blast-Ended Skrewt Troll, a creature with magic resistance, they would have to run away immediately.
After all, their magic power is not unlimited. Subduing a behemoth is too much effort, and if they encounter other dangers and their magic power is insufficient, they can only wait to die.
However, to find the correct route, you have to keep opening boxes, and the number of dangerous creatures will continue to increase. The longer it takes, the greater the danger will be.
Aaron located Phoebe on the map. She was running wildly through the maze and, by sheer accident, was closest to the center.
The Fantastic Beasts labeled behind her is Scorpion-tailed Beast, a hybrid that resembles a crab, lobster, and scorpion.
"Not too far." Aaron calculated the distance and followed the screams and the map's directions to find the place.
However, before leaving the center of the maze, he unlocked the three cages containing the Spirit Cat and unleashed several spells that struck them, multiplying the number of Spirit Cat several times over.
After all, he had to defend his championship position, and there was definitely no time to set up a protective barrier.
Apart from Phoebe, the other three were not too far from the finish line, with Harry and Cedric seemingly still walking side by side.
If someone else takes the credit for his rescue, he'll be left with nowhere to cry.
Turn left, turn right, turn left again, then go straight...
Phoebe's screams grew clearer and clearer, accompanied by a dense chorus of footsteps that sent chills down one's spine.
The Lumos illuminated the path ahead, and Phoebe, dressed in a blue tracksuit, hurriedly ran over. Her face was covered in sweat, and she looked not only disheveled but also clearly panicked.
"Run, run!" Phoebe shouted hoarsely, "Behind us..."
"I know about the Scorpion-tailed Beast."
"No, no... Run quickly."
"Even if it's a Scorpion-tailed Beast, how big can it get, even if it's a bit bigger? I can still..."
Halfway through his sentence, Aaron swallowed hard.
He finally understood why Phoebe was in such a sorry state; she was followed not by a single Scorpion-tailed Beast, but by a whole swarm of Scorpion-tailed Beast, at least several in number.
Each Scorpion-tailed Beast is the size of a crab, and in addition, they have a certain degree of magic resistance, so even adult Warlock can only run away when they encounter them.
"What kind of luck do you have?" Aaron asked as he led Phoebe toward the finish line.
"How would I know?" Phoebe said, on the verge of tears. "I just opened a silver treasure chest and a bunch of monsters came out, even more difficult to deal with than the underwater monster Grindylow."
Forget about that, run! If you get caught, you'll be devoured without a trace.
"I have a way to deal with them, but there is one small condition."
Phoebe was stunned for a moment, and her expression turned rather unpleasant. She knew very well what attracted boys to her most.
"You should know that you can't get rid of them with your speed alone," Aaron continued. "So? How about it?"
After hesitating for a moment, Phoebe quickly kissed Aaron on the cheek and said with a blush, "Are you satisfied now?"
Aaron was completely dumbfounded and stopped in his tracks.
It wasn't that he couldn't accept it, but it was too sudden and caught him off guard.
Meanwhile, several spectators outside the stadium also witnessed this scene, each with a different expression.
Draco's eyes widened, and he silently gave the screen a thumbs up. Ron looked at Aaron with envy and jealousy, and unconsciously touched his own face. He had never been kissed by a pretty girl before. Hermione, sitting next to him, had fire in her eyes and was having trouble breathing.
Adrian and Jeans exchanged a glance, a playful smile playing on their lips. They hadn't expected such an unexpected surprise while watching a game; they rarely saw their younger brother (young master) looking so embarrassed.
"Don't wait any longer, they're catching up soon!" Phoebe shouted anxiously.
"Um... actually, that's not my condition," Aaron said somewhat embarrassedly.
"That's too greedy!" Phoebe said with some dissatisfaction. "Kissing isn't out of the question, but you have to officially date me first, then we'll be boyfriend and girlfriend."
Upon hearing this, Aaron's lips twitched slightly.
"I'll let it go since you took advantage of me earlier, but can you please stop thinking about this now?"
"You..."
"We'll explain later, let's deal with this immediate problem first." Aaron said, snapping his fingers. An Illusion Magic concealed the two figures and projected their illusions into the corridor.
However, the phantoms did not run away. Instead, they made exaggerated movements, and as their limbs trembled, the Scorpion-tailed Beast followed suit, being led in the completely opposite direction.
"That... is it resolved?" Phoebe was somewhat incredulous; she had been thoroughly humiliated by these creatures.
"If you read more books, you'll know that Scorpion-tailed Beast can mimic human movements, but that only stops them from attacking. Getting rid of them isn't so easy."
Phoebe also came to her senses and looked at Aaron, asking, "What did you just say was the condition?"
"Giving up the championship, well... strictly speaking, it can't be called giving up," Aaron said bluntly. "I mean, all five Champion will touch the trophy together."
"Hmm?" Phoebe's pupils widened slightly, and she immediately understood his plan. Her tone was complex as she said, "This is your plan?"
"If we're all tied for first place, and I can fulfill all the conditions, then no one's at a disadvantage!" Aaron said seriously.
"Well... I want to hold on a little longer."
"Hey! Are you being so disrespectful?" Aaron wasn't surprised by her attitude and directly showed her the Marauder 'Marauder's Map in his hand.
"This is... which box did you find it in?" Phoebe asked in surprise and doubt. If she had this map, she might have already won the championship.
"The finish line, I've been waiting for you for a long time. I wouldn't have come if I hadn't heard your screams."
So... in a sense, I'm already a champion.
Phoebe was silent for a moment, then said, "Okay, I agree to your conditions, but what about the others..."
"I will try to persuade others, but if that doesn't work, I'll have to beat them into submission."
However, I can only give you half of the 1,000 Galleon prize money, because I've been spending quite a bit lately and am really struggling to make ends meet.
Phoebe forced a smile and returned the map to Aaron.
"Oh dear! I think we need to speed things up. Harry and Cedric are only two corners away from the finish line." Aaron pursed his lips, but he wasn't too worried.
After all, when he left the center of the maze, he had increased the number of Spirit Cat several times over, which was equivalent to having more than a dozen powerful and swift beasts guarding the trophy.
The two of them alone could not subdue those Spirit Cat in a short time. If they were attacked with magic, their numbers would multiply, and they would be in trouble themselves. How could they have the mind to compete for the trophy!