The Dragon-Phoenix Dispute

And where did this strange, Fantastic Beasts come from? How could it possibly fight Fawkes to a draw?

Immediately afterwards, a large crowd poured out of the castle. With phoenixes fighting, who would want to eat dinner!

Tom rushed ahead, looking anxious, afraid that Usachi would get hurt.

Although this little guy has eaten quite a few meteorites, he has a strong foundation.

But he's only two and a half months old, still a baby. If they really fought, he might not be a match for Fawkes.

Fortunately, the situation wasn't as bad as he thought. Usachi was very cunning; he secretly stacked several layers of Dragon Dance when he flew out.

Now, with a significant increase in both speed and power, he can actually go toe-to-toe with Fawkes.

Fawkes flapped its wings, and a fireball gathered on its chest, growing larger and larger until it was bigger than its own body, before it blasted it towards Usachi.

"Usachi, unleash the Hyper Beam!" Tom blurted out, instantly getting into character.

Forget being a wizard, today he's the Pokémon Master, Tom the Tom!

"Roar--!"

Usachi opened his mouth, and a purple beam of destruction shot out, carrying an intense aura of annihilation.

It not only dispersed the fireball, but also forced Fawkes to quickly descend and take cover.

After dodging the beam of light, Fawkes turned and glared at Tom, his eyes seeming to say, "Hey kid, you're not playing any sportsmanship, actually ordering this ugly dragon to attack me?"

Tom chuckled sheepishly at the glare, scratching his head. "I couldn't help myself, it was purely uncontrollable. You guys continue, I won't interfere!"

Usachi didn't hold back, taking the opportunity to stack two more layers of Dragon Dance, and charged forward again, slashing at Fawkes with his claw.

"Mr. Riddle, is this your pet?"

Albus Dumbledore and several professors walked over to Tom, their eyes filled with astonishment as they looked at Usachi, who was fighting with increasing ferocity in the sky.

This little guy looks completely different from a purebred fire dragon, but its dragon might is even stronger than that of a fire dragon, and even a sub-dragon can't compare.

"Yes, her name is Usachi. I found her by chance during summer vacation," Tom readily admitted.

"Looks like she and Fawkes had a little falling out?" Albus Dumbledore asked with a smile.

"This little guy is too possessive. He got upset when he saw Fawkes standing on my shoulder. He's just being childish, playing around," Tom said nonchalantly.

Thinking it would be a good opportunity for Usachi to stretch his muscles; since the little guy was born, all he does is eat and sleep, and if he doesn't get some exercise, he'll become a useless dragon sooner or later.

Albus Dumbledore's lips twitched, but he didn't stop it; he also wanted to observe this Fantastic Beasts more closely.

Snape stared at Tom with a strange look, feeling incredibly envious: Why does this kid always get all the good things?

He looks down on ordinary Fantastic Beasts, but where did he find this one that can rival a phoenix? Let him go find one too!

"Eh--!"

As Usachi's Dragon Dance stacked up, her speed and power continued to rise, and the golden light around her grew brighter and brighter.

Fawkes, who had only been playing around, became serious, and a blazing holy flame ignited on his body, instantly increasing his power.

Albus Dumbledore was astonished: This little fellow, he actually managed to push Fawkes to this point?

The air grew increasingly scorching, Fawkes blazing like a blazing sun in the night. Usachi roared to the sky, unleashing an energy ball into the heavens.

The energy sphere pierced through the dark clouds, exploded instantly, and transformed into dozens of meteors that fell from the sky.

The Fawkes raced wildly, smashing several meteors to pieces, but a few still managed to land on the ground, creating large craters.

Several more crashed into the Black Lake, creating huge waves that frightened the young wizards watching, causing them to retreat in fear.

It wasn't until the meteor landed and exploded that they truly realized just how terrifying the attacks from those two little guys were.

"Bang--!"

Fawkes rushed in front of Usachi, slammed it away with a wing, and the flames burned Usachi, causing it to roar in pain as it soared into the sky.

His body began to spin rapidly, stirring up the clouds and creating a massive tornado that was about to take shape, its eye pointing directly at Fawkes.

Albus Dumbledore's expression changed slightly, and he quickly said to Tom, "Mr. Riddle, we can't fight anymore, the students will be affected!"

Tom, however, smiled and shook his head, looking confident.

"Professor, don't worry. Usachi just suffered a loss. If he stops now, he'll definitely throw a tantrum when he gets back. As for his safety, I'll take care of it."

As soon as he finished speaking, Tom waved his wand with a flourish, and a protective shield radiating white light spread out in front of him.

It expanded and expanded until it finally sheltered all the young wizards who were watching.

After a year of training, coupled with the enhancement of body-strengthening potions, his magical power is now vastly different from what it used to be.

Tom glanced at Snape subconsciously, his eyes full of provocation.

Snape caught his gaze, and although he didn't fully understand what he meant, he was instantly enraged by being provoked by a junior.

He gritted his teeth and roared, "Riddle, what are you looking at! Look again and I'll deduct points from your Slytherin!"

Tom grinned, his tone incredibly smug:

"Nothing else, I just feel that after your vacation, Dean, you look so weathered, almost like the old portraits at Hogwarts."

Snape snorted coldly, his gaze drifting almost imperceptibly towards Albus Dumbledore, his accusatory look practically overflowing.

How could I not look haggard? I spent the entire holiday running around Continental Europe with Albus Dumbledore, searching for Voldemort's trail.

The total time spent at home is less than five days; who wouldn't find that unbearable?

Albus Dumbledore kept his eyes straight ahead the entire time, as if he hadn't seen Snape's gaze at all.

With an innocent "I know nothing" attitude, the main strategy is to avoid seeing it and not worry about it.

Looking up at the sky, Usachi had already revealed himself as the overlord of the skies, with the air currents swirling into the eye of a storm.

A tornado, seemingly reaching the sky, rose up and trapped Fawkes in its center.

The tornado was about to expand further, Albus Dumbledore just raised his wand, ready to end this farce.

The storm suddenly stopped, its rotation slowed down, and it vanished without a trace after a dozen seconds.

"Who won? Who won?" The little wizard, who had been squeezed to the back row, jumped up and down anxiously, standing on tiptoe to peek into the center of the arena.

"It's Usachi! The phoenix can't fly anymore!"

A sharp-eyed young wizard shouted at the top of his lungs, and everyone looked closely and saw Fawkes lying on the ground, his feathers disheveled, looking like a drowned rat.

Usachi swooped down from the sky, lashed Fawkes several times with his tail, and then landed triumphantly on Tom's shoulder.

With chest puffed out and head held high, they exuded an air of "I'm the best," blatantly asserting their dominance.

"Hold head high--!"

"Alright, alright, I know you're amazing, my little darling." Tom chuckled and ruffled Usachi's hair.

He then went over and picked up Fawkes, carefully grooming its messy feathers.

In truth, he knew perfectly well that if Fawkes hadn't been trying to tease him from the start, Usachi, with his small frame of only two and a half months old, wouldn't have been able to win at all.