The young wizards' battles, in Charles's eyes, still looked like chicks pecking at each other—completely at the beginner level.
Ordinarily, the professors shouldn't have known as much about Pokémon as their students did. But professors were professors for a reason—each of them had at least one exceptional talent. Even someone like Lockhart, for instance—at the very least, his literary skills were quite impressive. If he were ever made to teach History of Magic, he might actually make that dry class a bit more entertaining.
Then again, Charles quickly banished that horrifying thought. If Lockhart really did become the History of Magic professor, those famous figures in wizarding history might all end up getting rewritten with Lockhart's face on them.
Snape, as usual, had only made a brief appearance before leaving. He explicitly stated that anyone who wanted to challenge him had better help him sort his potion ingredients first. And, of course, he added with a nasty smirk that they'd better stock up on antidotes before trying.
Quirrell almost left at the same time as Snape—not to follow him, but simply because he wanted to return to his office early and rest.
The other professors were different. Most of them were happy to stay and have fun with the students—even Professor McGonagall, who was usually the strictest of them all.
Pokémon battles seemed to have rekindled a long-forgotten spark of excitement within her.
Which meant that, when the young wizards attempted to challenge Gryffindor's Badge of Courage, they might just have to face a serious Professor McGonagall!
Even if she didn't personally take the field, her Pokémon's level alone would be enough to make the students suffer.
After a full afternoon at the club gathering, Harry, Ron, and Hermione were all exhausted and decided to head back to the dormitory for a bit of rest.
"Pika-pi!" Pikachu chirped happily, perched proudly on Harry's shoulder. It had won five consecutive matches that afternoon and was basking in its glory.
Ron had also scored several victories, which did wonders for his confidence.
Hermione, on the other hand, wasn't particularly enthusiastic about Pokémon battles, which left her Litleo feeling a little deflated—it had been hoping to shine under her command.
But Hermione, of course, didn't notice her partner's disappointment.
Meanwhile, after returning to the Nature Reserve, Charles finally took a moment to check the rewards from his completed missions.
[Congratulations! You've completed the Legendary Quest – "So You're the Dark Lord, Huh?"Reward: Key Item – Feather of Destruction; TM: Oblivion Wing, Dark Pulse, Shadow Ball.]
[Congratulations! You've completed the Stage Quest – "Journey of a Trainer Begins."Reward: Moltres's Flame; 8 Random TMs.]
Charles first pulled out a small cluster of orange flame. The fierce fire burned steadily in his hand—but it didn't feel hot at all.
"Moltres's Flame, huh? Doesn't seem all that different from a normal flame," he mused, studying it closely.
The temperature was definitely higher—about three times hotter than ordinary fire—but if this was supposed to be the legendary Sacred Fire of Moltres, it was a bit underwhelming.
Before he could think further, the fire in his hand suddenly changed.
From its center, a dark crimson glow began to spread—consuming the original orange hue and transforming into something that looked like evil incarnate, burning with malevolent energy!
The oppressive aura radiating from the flame made Charles feel his spirit begin to tire.
"This… this is the Galarian Moltres's flame?" His eyes lit up. Unlike the original Moltres, the Galarian variant emanated pure, terrifying malice.
Strictly speaking, it wasn't even fire—it was a manifestation of dark psychic energy, capable of attacking the soul itself.
Which explained why Charles had felt fatigued the moment he touched it.
[Moltres's Flame:The orange flame of Kantonian Moltres possesses regenerative power, capable of healing wounds when burned across the body.The Galarian Moltres's aura manifests as an evil flame-like energy that drains the souls of living beings upon contact, leaving behind nothing but white ash.]
"So it's true… Galarian Moltres can't even learn Fire-type moves by leveling up. Even with TMs, the only thing it can use is Sunny Day," Charles murmured.
He compared it to Fiendfyre—but quickly realized there was no real comparison to be made.
One burned anything combustible, including magical energy itself; the other devoured the soul.
Instead of comparing them, it'd be better to combine them. If he merged Fiendfyre with this evil aura… a brand-new flame magic could be born—from his own hand.
After all, how could the world's most promising wizard not have a fire spell of his own creation?
As for the orange flame's healing properties, he tested them and found the effect mediocre. No wonder Moltres itself needed to absorb volcanic energy to recover—this level of regeneration was barely worth mentioning.
His verdict: "Worse than leftovers."
Still, better than nothing. And besides, the system had generously included the Galarian Moltres's evil aura version of the flame as well—pretty nice, honestly.
After fully absorbing the flame, Charles picked up another reward item—a black feather, faintly radiating malice.
[Feather of Destruction – A feather from Yveltal, the Pokémon of Destruction.It carries a dark aura that boosts the power of Dark-type moves.]
"As expected—it's Yveltal's feather. But I wonder… would its dark aura interact with Moltres's evil flame?"
Charles held the feather tightly and summoned the flame again. As soon as the dark aura of the feather mingled with the evil fire, the dark crimson energy around him surged violently—engulfing him entirely.
If he hadn't restrained it, the energy might've spread across the entire reserve.
Even so, the other Pokémon around him didn't dare come near.
At that moment, Charles looked like he was shrouded in an infernal storm of malevolence. The oppressive power roared skyward like a pillar of dark flame.
If Voldemort saw him right now, he'd probably drop to his knees and beg to be taken as an apprentice.
Now this—this was what you called a true Dark Lord.
Charles immediately dispelled the energy. This wasn't something he could use lightly—if Dumbledore saw him like this, that trust meter would plummet straight from MAX to zero.
Not because the move would corrupt his mind, but because it could literally kill souls. Wasn't this basically the Pokémon-world version of a Dementor's Kiss?
Charles knew well that a lot of Pokédex lore was exaggerated, but the Galarian Moltres's aura really was no joke.
Soul destruction wasn't out of the question.
It all depended on the strength of the user. Weak-minded wizards, for example—even if they cast Avada Kedavra, the power would be pitiful. Sometimes a simple Expelliarmus was more effective.