— — — — — —
Before, Tom had experienced all sorts of ways to enhance his focus and perception—methods to speed up thinking or improve insight. The existence of the Study Space was one of them. It helped him concentrate deeply without distractions from the outside world.
Then there was the Turbo Mode—something far more terrifying in terms of effect. Just ten minutes in that mode was equivalent to several days of intense study for him.
Even the trial reward for his soul had similar benefits. As his soul grew stronger, so did his memory and understanding.
So now, sitting inside the Meditation Room, Tom could clearly feel the boost it gave. The most incredible part? The Turbo Mode had gone from lasting ten minutes to twenty.
In other words, it was like getting double the value for the same price. A total bargain.
From now on, if he wanted to study magic or reflect on his experiences, this would be the go-to spot. Totally worth it.
Grinning from ear to ear, Tom stepped out of the Meditation Room and explained everything to Andros. He even granted him full access to the Room so he could try it out himself.
Tom figured Andros would be out in three to five minutes at most. Instead, he ended up waiting half an hour before Andros finally emerged, face full of shock.
"That was... insane," Andros muttered, stunned.
In life, Andros had reached his peak fairly early. Before his death, there hadn't been much room left for progress—his magic power had only grown a little over time.
But just now, in a mere thirty minutes, he'd started getting vague insights again.
A 20% boost might not mean much to someone like Tom, who was still in a rapid growth phase. But for a powerful figure stuck at the limit, it was like that final straw that pushes the boulder over the edge.
"Take your time enjoying it, Andros," Tom said with a wave and a smile. "I've got stuff to deal with outside. If your roommate shows up, fill him in, will ya?"
With that, Tom quickly exited the space.
There was still a grand prize waiting for him! If the Advanced Gacha pull gave him something that useful, what kind of insanity would a Legendary Gacha bring? Maybe it'd unlock the Turbo Mode for free?
So as soon as he returned to the real world, Tom couldn't wait—he immediately activated the Legendary Gacha.
The system went full spectacle. His vision was completely overtaken by blinding golden light. Then, suddenly, he felt something heavy drop into his hands.
As the light faded, Tom finally got a good look at what he was holding.
A... lumpy, uneven egg?
Before he could even process what he was seeing, his skin—toughened by his Freak Trait—started to sting. Drops of blood oozed out, absorbed instantly by the eggshell.
Crack! Crack!
A sharp sound echoed as the shell began to break.
A terrifying pressure burst out from inside. Tom's chest tightened under the weight of it—but just as quickly, the sensation shifted. The oppressive feeling faded, replaced by something familiar and... warm. Like a bond.
Tom wasn't affected anymore—but half of London's animals definitely were.
Wild creatures and house pets alike were jolted awake, panicked. Some roared madly, others whimpered on the floor. Countless people were shaken from sleep by the chaos.
And then, a tiny black head poked its way out of the shell. Two small horns jutted out from the top, etched with strange markings. The creature stared at Tom with big eyes, then wriggled further out so it could nuzzle against his palm affectionately.
"...A black Caterpie?" Tom muttered in disbelief.
"Squeee!"
The little thing exploded in protest, flailing around to express its anger.
"Okay, okay, don't get mad! I was just joking," Tom laughed, rubbing its head gently. "Of course I know what you are—Rayquaza. Black Shiny Rayquaza, even."
Honestly, if it wasn't shiny, he might've mistaken it for a Caterpie. It looked way too similar.
Only now did the little Rayquaza lift its head with pride and begin munching on its eggshell with tiny bites.
Rayquaza. The dual-type Dragon/Flying Legendary Pokémon.
Tom stared at it, full of awe.
The mightiest Legendary Pokémon from the Hoenn region. The undisputed ruler of the skies.
He still remembered how it beat the crap out of Kyogre and Groudon in ORAS—and even more so, that epic showdown against Hoopa. That black Shiny Rayquaza, Mega-Evolved, took on seven Legendaries at once and crushed them all.
It completely changed his understanding of just how powerful a Legendary could be.
Even among all Legendary Pokémon, Rayquaza was easily top three. And a Shiny one? That was an undisputed monster. Worthy of one of the super-ancient Pokémons.
With this it on his side, Tom would finally be able to relax.
Who cares about the "esteemed Headmaster Dumbledore"?
Nah. He's just Old Dumbles. Scratch that—Little Dumbles.
Soon, Rayquaza had gobbled up every bit of her eggshell. It chirped in satisfaction, then slithered like a snake into Tom's arms and promptly fell asleep.
Snapping out of his daze, Tom chuckled and shook his head.
He was getting ahead of himself. This Rayquaza was just a baby. For now, he still had to rely on himself.
He stroked its tiny head, then Apparated back to the orphanage.
Tonight had been a major win.
The Meditation Room would supercharge his studies and save him tons of points. And Rayquaza was a future powerhouse that could one day shake the world.
Best part? Having a Legendary dragon Pokémon as a pet? Way cooler than Dumbledore's phoenix.
He was in Slytherin, and now he had a serpentine dragon. Couldn't be more perfect.
...
After getting home, Tom played with the sleeping Rayquaza for a while longer before finally dozing off himself.
The next morning, he woke up to a... very moist sensation.
Opening his eyes, he found Rayquaza—who had apparently woken up earlier—licking his cheek with its tiny tongue. When it noticed he was awake, it let out a few excited chirps.
"You little menace," Tom grumbled. "Can't a guy get a decent night's sleep?"
But the little one wasn't fazed at all. It kept wriggling and chirping cheerfully.
"I can't keep calling you 'Rayquaza' or 'little one' forever. You're gonna grow up someday, y'know."
Tom scratched his chin, thinking of a name. Then another thought hit him.
"Wait... are you a boy or a girl?"
He picked up the slippery dragon and examined it from all angles—but identifying a Pokémon's gender was way beyond his expertise.
Fortunately, it sent him some jumbled messages via telepathy. After a moment of processing, Tom blinked in realization.
"Oh... so you're a girl."
"In that case... I'll call you Usaki."
"Remember now, you're Usaki from this day on," Tom told her seriously.
She gave him a look that maybe said she understood, but he didn't mind. Even a newborn Legendary wasn't going to be mentally mature. It would take time.
"Alright," he said, scooping her up. "Let's go meet your big sister and aunties."
Tom walked over to the bedside, pulled a card-sized box from his pocket, and set it on the ground. As soon as it touched the floor, the box expanded rapidly. He flipped open the lid and hopped in.
This was his custom Riddle-style version of Newt Scamander's suitcase—a magical pocket world that went way beyond what he expected. The interior space could comfortably hold an entire Quidditch pitch.
He'd even transplanted vegetation and trees from the Forbidden Forest. In the center was a pool the size of a standard swimming pool, enchanted to stay crystal clear and pure.
Normally, packing that kind of spatial expansion into a suitcase would make it impossible to shrink again. But Tom wasn't using ordinary materials—his was crafted from the finest dragonhide and reinforced with dragonbone. The durability was off the charts. When compressed, it shrank right back to pocket-size—a simple card case, easy to carry around.
With Usaki in his arms, Tom stepped into the suitcase world. Three unicorns were lazily basking in the sunlight that streamed in from a magically created skylight. But the moment they saw him and the baby Rayquaza, they jolted up in panic, staring fearfully at the bundle in Tom's arms.
Even after Tom introduced her and demonstrated her harmlessness by playfully squishing Usaki into a ball in front of them, the unicorns stayed visibly on edge.
Turns out, even baby Rayquaza gives off serious Legendary beast vibes. The pressure from Usaki's aura was more than the unicorns could handle. In the Pokémon world, powerful Legendaries like Rayquaza didn't share their territory either. It was just nature.
Originally, Tom had planned for the unicorns to help look after Usaki—a few magical babysitters. But clearly, that wasn't going to work.
And to make matters worse, Usaki had become super clingy. She refused to be left alone, sticking to him like glue.
Right now, she was small enough to fit in his arms, no problem. But later?
He remembered that an adult Rayquaza was at least a dozen meters long—massive by any standard.
"...Forget it." Tom sighed.
She was just a baby. Not even a day old. It was normal for her to be clingy. She'd grow out of it.
"Don't scare your sister and aunties, got it?" he said as he rubbed her tiny head. Then he walked over to the unicorns to feed them their daily dose of Patronus. Usaki watched curiously, then imitated him by nibbling on a piece herself.
But the moment she started eating, the unicorns froze. A new competitor?! They didn't even dare glare at her—instead, they just started eating faster.
Usaki, on the other hand, barely reacted. She had a couple bites, lost interest, and stopped altogether.
That's when Tom realized—he had no idea what Rayquaza was supposed to eat.
In a hurry, he ran over to the small storage room at the edge of the suitcase world. He brought out every kind of pet food and magical herb he had.
Usaki sniffed the herbs and dismissed them immediately. She nibbled a few types of pet food, then gave him the most expressive, disgusted stare he'd ever seen on a creature without eyebrows.
So he took her into the storage room itself.
That's when Usaki's eyes locked onto the frozen dragon meat—and lit up like twin spotlights.
All of it had been preserved with a Freezing Charm. Tom took out one piece and melted it for her. She tore into it with such joy that it made him chuckle. One piece wasn't enough. She devoured three more in a row before finally curling up and falling asleep, completely content.
"She must've eaten at least ten pounds of meat total."
Tom had no idea how her tiny body could even hold that much.
With Usaki sound asleep, Tom finally got a break. He shifted his focus and entered the Study Space, ready to test out the effects of the Meditation Room.
When he arrived, Andros was in the middle of explaining the room's benefits to Grindelwald. The dark wizard's eyes gleamed with interest.
"It's really that effective?" Grindelwald asked.
Andros nodded solemnly. "I've used it all night. The improvement is hard to describe in just a few words. If I'd had something like this back in the day, I might've reached that SSS-tier."
His tone was filled with emotion. "Who would've thought we'd still have a chance to grow stronger even after death?"
Grindelwald twitched. "Andros, you are the one who's dead. I'm very much alive."
"Eh, details," Andros said with a grin. "You've been locked away for fifty years. Might as well be dead, don't you think?"
Grindelwald: "..."
If Andros weren't as strong as he was, Grindelwald would've strangled him for that mouth by now.
Still... he couldn't deny the fire that was rekindling in his chest.
A chance to grow stronger—even after all this time?
Despite spending half a century in isolation, Grindelwald's passion for magic hadn't faded in the slightest. If there was still a path forward, there was no way he'd give it up.
"Gentlemen," Tom interrupted as he approached them, "I understand the excitement, really—but let's stay focused. You can use the Meditation Room whenever I'm not here. But only after you've finished the research on the flight spell. That's the priority."
"Don't worry, Tom," Grindelwald said seriously. "Andros and I have a solid direction now. We should be able to finalize it within the next few days."
"Excellent." Tom nodded, satisfied.
He didn't know how long it took Voldemort to create his flying spell—but from the moment he assigned the task until now, only two and a half months had passed.
Not bad at all.
Tom stepped into the Meditation Room and instantly entered his Turbo Mode. He began sorting through all the magical problems and theoretical issues he'd been putting off, comparing them to the notes and insights Andros and Grindelwald had offered.
Twenty minutes later, the Turbo Mode ended. Tom came out of it with a head full of new insights. He stayed in the Meditation Room for another hour, reviewing everything before finally exiting the Study Space.
By then, it was 10 AM.
Seth was still practicing in the backyard. After checking that he was alright, Tom left the orphanage and raised his wand. With a few quick swipes, his appearance changed rapidly—he now looked exactly like Michael and still had his Tom cat mask.
Grindelwald's human transfiguration technique was now completely in his grasp.
So now, Tom could use his transformation and Confundus Charms to pass any identity check without issue.
.
.
.
Yo~
I remember I said I'd drop 10 chapters, but I couldn't because of a health issue—sorry about that. Today I posted 5 chapters, tomorrow another 5, and after that I'll figure out the bonus and daily chapters.
Hope that doesn't ruin my relationship with the stones 👉👈
...
Read 50+ advanced chapters now at: patreon.com/_Coreal