12 Months Later
Time had flowed almost suspiciously so.
Deep within the underground forest, inside a small log cabin tucked between luminous trees, an old-fashioned alarm clock rang.
Jingle bell~Jingle bell
At exactly seven in the morning, Grindelwald opened his eyes.
His movements were automatic and almost ritualistic.
He rose from the bed, changed into his exercise clothes, washed his face with cold water, and stepped outside to begin his daily run through the woods.
For a full hour he jogged in a disciplined circle around the forest, breath steady, posture upright.
When he finally returned to the cabin, sweat beading on his forehead, he sat before the small wooden table…
And at that precise moment, a sumptuous breakfast materialized with a soft poof.
Milk, perfectly fried eggs and warm toast.
A small notebook resting at the corner.
Grindelwald ate calmly, flipping through the notebook as he chewed.
The first page contained The Eight Honors and Eight Disgraces.
The second page listed his lessons on helping others.
The third page summarized several moral stories Garfield had assigned.
He read each word with focus. When he finished, he closed the notebook and… smiled.
From his coat pocket, he pulled out a thick book whose title gleamed faintly…
Das Kapital.
Under Garfield's incomprehensible and overwhelming educational crusade, Grindelwald's mind had against all logic… transformed.
He was no longer the dark wizard who once tried to reshape the world through terror and charisma.
Now he sought to break the barriers between ordinary humans and wizards.
To create a future where both sides learned from each other, communicated freely, and prospered together.
All because of his great ideological mentor… King Garfield Pando Godzilla.
The one who raised him from the pit of narrow individualism to a grand new vision of coexistence and mutual respect.
"Thank you, Great Mentor, Garfield," Grindelwald murmured reverently.
…
Of course, reaching this level had not been easy for Garfield.
He had paid a heavy price… his magic control had skyrocketed.
He had developed unparalleled mastery over binding spells.
He had endured countless mixed doubles and N-hit combos using golden bonk sticks.
He could now subdue an enemy in seconds without breaking a single rib.
But the most terrifying side effect…
Garfield squinted at his reflection one morning and sighed. "…Am I getting fatter?"
"Is it my orange coloration?" He poked his round belly in horror.
"The old saying is too accurate… ten orange cats, nine are fat, and one is very fat… Why am I becoming the tenth?"
Garfield shuddered… he refused to think about it further.
…
At ten o'clock, Garfield finally opened a portal and stepped into the underground forest.
The moment he crossed the threshold, a faint golden shimmer rippled across an invisible protection barrier… his own design. He wasn't stupid.
Grindelwald looked sincere these days, but Garfield would never trust the inside of a former dark wizard's heart.
"Good morning, Mentor." Grindelwald stood at attention.
"It's time to move your body." Garfield said.
"Mentor, your schedule truly works wonders. My body feels healthier every day."
"Then keep exercising."
"Yes!"
The routine began.
Stretching.
"1234… 2234… 3234… "
Limb exercises.
"1234… 2234… 3234… "
Finishing movements.
"1234… 2234… 3234…"
They switched positions and repeated the entire set. When they were done, Garfield opened a portal with a flick of his tail.
"Alright. I'm leaving. See you tomorrow."
"Goodbye, Mentor."
Grindelwald watched him leave, eyes bright with admiration.
He wiped the sweat from his brow, sat down at the small desk in front of the cabin, opened Das Kapital and his notebook, and began studying again with earnest determination.
A full year of this, without fail.
✦••┈┈••✦••┈┈••✦
Meanwhile, Rin Nohara had not been idle.
She trained every day… running, stretching, practicing ninjutsu. Her chakra grew smoother and more responsive.
But she could learn nothing beyond what she already knew.
It was as if an invisible protection mechanism rejected any attempt to acquire Garfield's magic.
No matter how she tried, the knowledge slipped away like light through water.
But there was one thing she could learn.
Radio gymnastics.
Garfield introduced it casually one morning, fully expecting Rin to give up halfway.
Instead… her eyes lit up.
For Konoha shinobi, physical training was rigid and demanding… leaf concentration, tree climbing, water walking, and chakra control.
But this? This was a full-body rhythmic exercise blessed by the call of the times. Something so profound, so esoteric, so physically balanced…
…it would probably take the Hidden Leaf five generations to research properly.
So Rin practiced it earnestly.
Under the shining guidance of Garfield's 'Call of the Era' routines, her physical fitness skyrocketed.
Her chakra flowed smoother and her stamina increased. She moved with the ease of someone finally finding a training system that matched her gentle, steady rhythm.
But when she rested, when the moon was bright and the underground forest lay quiet, Rin would sometimes sit alone on the cabin roof.
Gazing at the starry sky, she whispered names only her heart remembered…
Obito.
Kakashi.
Minato-sensei.
Kushina.
Her classmates.
Her world.
Whenever Tina, Baima, or Garfield saw her perched beneath the moonlight, they felt a knot in their chests.
Were lovers, friends, and comrades truly doomed to be separated across worlds?
Garfield looked down at the glowing Time Stone hanging at his neck.
Its power pulsed faintly.
"…" He had not made a decision.
Yes… the Devourer talent in his species meant he could theoretically eat the Time Stone.
But what would happen afterward?
Even the films hinted that the Infinity Stones were sheathed in protective crystalline layers to control their output. Goose only swallowed the Space Stone with its outer casing.
The Time Stone's shell served a similar purpose.
If Garfield swallowed it unprotected… would he be overwhelmed?
Would his tiny devouring body survive? Would time itself unspool around him?
He didn't know.
The uncertainty gnawed at him.. but worry solved nothing.
So Garfield developed a routine.
…
Every day, he opened a portal and returned to England specifically, Carter Manor, where he lived his alternate life as the kingdom's pampered orange cat king.
He followed little Peggy Carter around, inspected the house with grave seriousness, and rode atop his loyal hound, Carl, to patrol his territory.
Garfield perched regally on Carl's broad back as the dog trotted through the manicured gardens.
Suddenly, Carl stopped.
"What is it, my loyal knight?" Garfield narrowed his eyes. "Something suspicious?"
Carl solemnly answered, "No, Your Majesty Great King Garfield. I think you are… a bit heavier today."
Garfield twitched. "…Carl, that is a hallucination."
"Oh. Maybe."
After successfully deceiving the simple-minded hound, Garfield sat in dignified silence… though inside, shame prickled.
Carl had not imagined anything.
Garfield knew… he was gaining weight.
After finishing patrol and checking the manor's protective enchantments, Garfield and Carl returned to the bedroom.
That night, after eating five adult-sized portions, Garfield melted blissfully into Peggy's arms.
Soft and warm.
Peggy absentmindedly scratched his chin, massaged his belly, stroked his fur. It was bliss… except for the moments she grabbed the back of his neck.
Cats had highly sensitive motor nerves there.
A biological weakness.
And Garfield, despite being a magic-devouring cosmic creature… had not escaped this evolutionary flaw.
Whenever Peggy hooked a finger behind his neck, Garfield froze.
He could move, technically… but it always felt as if his whole body turned into an obedient puppet for a split second.
"Peggy." Garfield grumbled, "Can you not grab my neck?"
"No." She said cheerfully, continuing to scratch.
"Let's negotiate," He tried again. "If you stop grabbing my neck, I'll tell you who your future husband is."
Peggy's face turned red.
"You! I'm still young!" she sputtered.
Not in the future, Garfield thought, smug in the privacy of his furry head.
He continued lounging in her arms, purring as the future founder of S.H.I.E.L.D. massaged his belly.
Comfortable.
Outside, through drifting clouds, an owl glided down toward the window of Old James's study…
꧁𓊈𒆜༺⚜༻𒆜𓊉꧂
Phantom your way through a treasure trove of chapters waiting on P@treon!
PhantomDream