We All Had Bright Futures

"It was actually a hybrid Pokémon world."

After reading Professor Oak's story, Flender pinched the bridge of his nose and said awkwardly.

That Pokémon world had actually mixed together the Pokémon Special manga, the movies, some game settings, and parts of the TV anime.

This Professor Oak had two grandsons and one granddaughter: his eldest granddaughter, Daisy Oak, mainly appeared in the games; his eldest grandson, Xiao Lu, was a Pokémon Special character; and his youngest grandson, Gary Oak, was a TV anime character.

Pallet Town alone had a whole pile of capable Champions, from the Pokémon Special trio to the TV anime duo, plus the protagonists of the Let's Go Pikachu and Eevee games—a total of five Champions before and after all that. A five-minute Champion was still a Champion.

Ash Ketchum and Red both existed. Red followed the Pokémon Special setting, not the silent god of war from Mt. Silver in the games, while Ash Ketchum followed the Rainbow Hero setting from the movies. There was no classic trio, but the true protagonist trio still existed.

With that, the story of Professor Oak's Pokémon world became incredibly messy. Combined with how deep the waters of the Pokémon world already ran, it seemed even more dangerous.

Setting everything else aside, just the Legendary Pokémon that basically took turns appearing in every region once a year were enough to make one's heart tremble.

Although the Legendary Pokémon in that world did not seem particularly impressive in action, their settings were genuinely terrifying. Several world-ending disasters had been connected to them.

They were far more terrifying than the Hundred-Thousand-Year Soul Beasts in Flender's world. At most, those beasts could affect one large region, nowhere near an entire world.

Flender was not the only one thinking this way. Dumbledore felt the same.

After Dumbledore finished reading the Pokémon story, he was deeply shocked.

In his view, the people of that world could be called Hagrid on average. Not only were they tough and resilient, but they could also build good relationships with "Fantastic Beasts."

It was just that the magical creatures in that world seemed much smarter and more powerful than those on his side.

Dumbledore quietly glanced at Fawkes, who was sleeping. At least in his world, there were not many magical creatures as intelligent as Fawkes, and there were basically none that could drown the land or evaporate the oceans to destroy the world.

[Member Dumbledore has changed the permissions for the Harry Potter and Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them stories. Everyone may now view them.]

[Dumbledore: This is my story. Although no one asked, I would like everyone to understand this old man a little better.

However, to be precise, this should be the story of those two children, Newt and Harry. So I have trimmed some parts concerning them. What does not belong to me is not mine to share.]

Dumbledore had also quietly read the story of Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them. However, because it was a story of the past, it had not shocked him, only made him nostalgic.

Following the footsteps of the other group members, Dumbledore had only slightly altered those stories beforehand, concealing some of the children's privacy. Just as he had said, what did not belong to him was not his to share.

[Flender: The right choice, Headmaster Dumbledore.]

Flender voiced his approval. The reason he had previously set other people's stories to visible only to himself was the same: if something was not his, he had no right to share it.

Dumbledore was an honest man as well.

After Flender entered Dumbledore's story, he discovered that although Harry's parts had been trimmed, the main storyline had not been changed in the slightest.

It included terrorists among the school professors, a thousand-year-old Basilisk lurking within the thousand-year-old academy, Dumbledore himself being insulted and berated, even his own death, as well as his bewildering and complicated youth.

As for everything related to himself, whether good or bad, Dumbledore had not cut anything. He believed that since it was his story, he still had the right to share it.

[Samuel Oak: I never expected your world to be so dangerous too, Mr. Dumbledore?]

Samuel Oak shook his head, sympathizing with each other's bleak futures.

[Dumbledore: ...]

Stroking his beard, Dumbledore recalled Mr. Oak's story.

It seemed that your world was much more dangerous than mine. At least my world had no monsters capable of ending the world, did it?

[Flender: It seems we are all the same. Our futures are both bleak and bright.]

Flender thought about his current world. The bad news was Douluo Continent; the good news was that it was the manga version.

The protagonist was a normal person, even a charismatic and righteous figure. He was countless times better than the protagonist of the original novel!

As long as those young people were properly nurtured, the future crisis of divine selection could be overcome normally.

Angel God, Rakshasa God...

Tsk. To be honest, no one needed to condemn something as major as unification based on their stance.

But the wanton slaughter of entire sects, corrupting nature and devouring life, treating everyone other than oneself as inferior, forcing all Spirit Masters to join and hunting them to death if they refused as heretics—those actions truly made one shudder with fear and chill.

"Angels possessed no holiness, while Rakshasa was indeed terrifying and evil. If the Spirit Hall Pope lineage had been even slightly normal, it would not have become so detestable."

Flender sighed. Regardless of anything else, the Spirit Hall in this manga world of his truly was not anything good.

No matter how one put it, the Pope lineage had to bear the greatest blame.

The grandfather disregarded all living beings under heaven, the father was a Chamber of Secrets Douluo, and the granddaughter was one of the rarest promising talents in the world, yet she had been led around by her family circumstances like a puppet.

Forget it. Whatever Spirit Hall was now or would become in the future had nothing to do with him. At present, he was merely a minor half-Spirit Saint, and his goal was only to establish an academy open to the world. It had nothing to do with him.

If anyone had a real connection, Zhao had a much greater one with Spirit Hall than he did. After all, Zhao had indeed been hunted by Spirit Hall back then.

[Ding! Fate lines of group members Flender, Dumbledore, and Samuel Oak have been detected changing.]

[Basic Gift Pack has been distributed.]

Just as Flender lamented the disparity between worlds, an unexpected notification brought him back to his senses.

"A Basic Gift Pack? What was that? A beginner's gift pack?"

Flender was puzzled. Before he became a Spirit Saint, this Golden Finger had never provided him with anything. It could only be considered decoration.

Eating the delicious candy Dumbledore had sent over, his mouth full of sweetness, Flender casually opened the gift pack. He wanted to see what was inside.

[Ding! Your essence has been enhanced.]

[Ding! Forbidden Divine Knowledge has been imparted.]

Buzz!

The instant he opened the gift pack, Soul Power throughout Flender's body suddenly went berserk, like sodium tossed into water, erupting in a violent reaction.

Whoosh—

A gentle breeze swept in, and pale blue energy spread across a radius of a hundred miles.

Every living being within it felt their body lighten. It seemed as though a faint current of air brushed across their faces, but the sensation immediately vanished, like the wind itself—arriving without a trace and leaving without a trace.

Crack, crack, crack...

A series of crisp cracking sounds came from Flender's bones.

At some point, he had donned a dazzling suit of armor, emerald green like a gale and azure blue like the sky. His entire body was as eye-catching as a tornado.

"This is... the Martial Soul Bone Armor True Form?"

Flender's mind trembled. That was the complete form of a Spirit Master's Spirit Bone, as well as the most terrifying weapon on this continent and the one closest to a god.

Yet he did not possess a single Spirit Bone, nor had he received any divine revelation. Where had this come from?

Bang!

Just as Flender was confused, a soft sound rang out, and the bone armor across his body completely dissipated, as if it had never appeared.

His mind trembled slightly. Just like when he had first opened the Chat Group and knowledge had automatically appeared, Flender gained many strange inheritances.

They were forbidden knowledge from a distant era on this continent, an era before gods had appeared—knowledge of ascending the steps to godhood!

At the same time, in the wizarding world, within the Hogwarts Headmaster's Office, Dumbledore closed his eyes and sensed the surging magic within him. In the blink of an eye, he soothed it.

He extended his hand, then glanced at Fawkes beside him again. Dumbledore let out a delighted laugh.

That was because Dumbledore's outstretched hand now looked exactly like Fawkes's claw. Even the texture of the Phoenix feathers on the upper part of his arm was identical.

"Animagus, magical creatures..."

The former Head of Transfiguration blinked, then sorted through the new knowledge that had appeared in his mind.

"Magical manuscripts for every course at Hogwarts: Transfiguration, Charms, Herbology, Potions, even Ancient Runes, Dark Arts...

"The Four Founders, Merlin, even that senior..."

Dumbledore shook his head.

"This truly is a terrifying gift."

At the same time, at Oak Research Lab in Pallet Town of the Pokémon world.

Professor Oak stared blankly at his palm, which was glowing green. His lips trembled as he spoke the term.

"Viridian Force!?"

"And..." Professor Oak closed his eyes and sensed the knowledge that had appeared in his mind.

"Forbidden knowledge from the Ancient Pokémon Era?"