The Birthing Nundu

As someone who can find a Diricawl even while just taking a stroll, Newt's greatest characteristic is that he's never short of unexpected surprises.

Since tomorrow is the first day of school, Kyle originally planned to have dinner here and then go back.

But he had barely taken a bite of the freshly baked caramel potato cake when Newt rushed over, grabbed Kyle by the collar, and dragged him into the trunk.

"W-what's wrong?" Kyle followed Newt with a bewildered look, stuffing the remaining half of the caramel potato pancake into his mouth in a few bites.

"The Nundu is about to give birth, tonight," Newt said without turning around, grabbing Kyle's arm. "We have to get there right now."

"Huh?" Kyle's lips twitched.

The Nundu is a Fantastic Beasts resembling a cougar, entirely black with a large venom sac on its neck, which makes even its breath carry deadly poison.

Although it can actively control toxins within the body, it depends on the situation.

Kyle didn't think it would have the energy to care whether its poison would accidentally harm others while it was giving birth.

No, it should be said that the Nundu is at its most dangerous at this time.

Childbirth consumes a lot of energy. In order to safely get through the period of weakness and to prevent other creatures from approaching, they will instinctively release large amounts of highly toxic gas into the surrounding area.

Going there now would be practically the same as committing suicide.

Can I not go?

Kyle tried to refuse.

"I'm not scared, it's just that caramel potato pancakes don't taste good when they're cold..."

"It's okay, Tina can make it again."

"That's too much trouble..."

"Tina loves this... She makes a lot every day, sometimes so much that even the Niffler have to eat it all."

"But..."

Kyle was about to say something more, but Newt suddenly slapped his forehead and casually pulled out something about the size of the Golden Snitch.

"This was made with Dumbledore's help. It contains a stone formed from the stomach of a Re'em. Carry it with you, and the poisonous mist will have no effect on you."

"..."

You should have brought this good stuff out sooner.

If he had known about this thing earlier, he wouldn't have waited until now.

Kyle took it immediately.

It was a small ball made of silver thread, with a fine net on the outside, enclosing a golden "stone".

Kyle picked it up, and could faintly smell the fresh scent of earth...

He nodded.

Yes, that's right, it's genuine Bezoar.

It is the same substance as the Bezoar in a goat's stomach, and both have strong detoxifying properties.

The color is a bit too bright; ordinary Bezoar is more brownish, but this one is a golden color like Galleon.

Kyle plucked a leaf from the side, turned it into a rope, threaded it through, and hung it around his neck.

Just to be on the safe side, he made sure the rope was very short.

After all this is done...

"Get ready, Kyle, we need to hurry."

Newt grabbed Kyle's arm and Apparition him to a meadow east of the box.

The moment Kyle arrived here, he sensed something was wrong.

Just like London in the early morning, a pale green mist, visible to the naked eye, filled the air above the grasslands.

However, there seemed to be an invisible wall at the edge of the grassland, preventing the poisonous fog from spreading further outward.

It must have been Newt who arranged it.

"Is it enough to just carry it?" Kyle couldn't help but ask, looking at the cloud of poisonous fog before him.

After all, Bezoar is usually only effective for detoxification when placed in the mouth.

"Yes, you can bring it with you."

Newt nodded. "The Re'em is almost immune to all toxins, and its Bezoar naturally counteracts the Nundu... Oh, and this too."

Newt took out his wand and waved it gently, and a transparent bubble appeared above Kyle's head.

He was the same way.

"Alright, let's go in."

Newt was the first to step into the poisonous fog.

Kyle paused for a moment, then looked at Fawkes who had followed behind him and said...

"Fawkes, quickly think of something that's making you sad, so you can squeeze out some tears. I might need them later."

You don't need many, a pint is enough.

It's always good to be prepared. The Phoenix Tears can even cure the Basilisk's poison, so the Nundu will have no problem with it either.

Hearing Kyle's words, Fawkes couldn't help but flap his wing at him.

It is a phoenix, not a water tap.

A pint of tears? You really dare to say that... What, are you quenching your thirst?

Even if you drank it like water, you wouldn't need that much.

Enraged, Fawkes grabbed Kyle's clothes and, without a word, dragged him into the smoky grassland.

The combination of the Bubble-Head Charm and Bezoar was indeed very effective; the poisonous mist that appeared around him dissipated automatically.

They hadn't walked far when the two humans and the phoenix quickly found the Nundu on a huge rock.

It lay on its side on the rock, its belly swollen, and occasionally let out painful groans.

Newt stepped forward, gently placed his hand on its chin, and rhythmically kneaded it back and forth.

"Doing this will make her feel much more relaxed," Newt explained.

Kyle watched his actions and asked doubtfully, "But if we're that close, won't the smell of the Bezoar affect it?"

"There might be a little, but it's not that serious."

Newt glanced down. "It's probably like someone who doesn't like vegetables smelling carrots."

Kyle nodded, understanding Newt's meaning.

Although I dislike it... it's not that hard to accept.

Kyle sat down next to him, watching Newt stroke the Nundu's chin.

Under his skillful touch, the Nundu's breathing gradually calmed down, and it stopped groaning in pain.

But as I just said, this is destined to be a long process.

Kyle assumed that Newt had brought him here specifically to broaden his horizons, as he felt this was a rare opportunity.

It wasn't until two hours later... when Newt's methods also lost their effectiveness, that Kyle realized he had been brought in as a "chat companion."

That's right, it means exactly what it says: chat with the Nundu to distract it.

It was easy to tell from the other's tone that it didn't want to talk, and even tried to bite Kyle because it found Kyle a bit noisy, but Newt managed to calm it down in the end.

"Don't stop, keep going!" Newt urged.

With no other option, Kyle could only grit his teeth and continue talking to himself.

The problem is, Kyle doesn't know what to say either.

He had already repeated all the comforting words he could think of several times. If he said them again, the Nundu would probably really bite him.

Even Newt couldn't stop him.

With no other option, Kyle could only change the subject to the Fantastic Beasts he had encountered.

From Fluffy to Norbert the Norwegian Ridgeback, combined with the events that take place at Hogwarts, it's like telling a story.