"How about this? I can give you all of my magical notes—every experiment I've ever conducted, everything I've learned to surpass the limits of humanity itself and become what I am today!"
Voldemort's voice dripped with temptation.
He watched Charles Gold's face, expecting even the slightest flicker of desire—but was quickly disappointed.
"What's wrong? Don't you want to transcend human limits?"
"Don't you crave the might of supreme magic?"
"Don't you wish to rule the world with unrivaled power?"
Three questions in a row—any other wizard might have hesitated. But not Charles.
"What you call transcending humanity—is that what you mean by turning yourself into a noseless, half-dead freak?" Charles frowned, his tone filled with disgust. "You don't even have a nose. And you're bald!"
"So what?" Voldemort snapped back immediately. "I became stronger!"
So what if he was bald?That bald guy next door could obliterate the lord of the universe with a single punch!
"But you're not that strong," Charles said innocently. "You still lost to Dumbledore, didn't you?"
"You had Horcruxes and still got beaten down by Dumbledore. And you dare call yourself strong?"
Voldemort: "..." "If you hadn't mentioned Dumbledore, we might have kept talking,"
"I think our conversation ends here."This time, he hesitated no longer. Flames surged from his hand, swallowing the cursed ring whole.
Voldemort's twisted shade screamed within the fire before disintegrating into pale ashes that scattered across the floor.
Charles bowed slightly toward the ashes."You did help me become stronger—just not in the way you intended."
[Gaunt Ring Horcrux Destroyed Successfully.][Current Horcrux Destruction Progress: 3.][Congratulations! Phase Reward Acquired: Level +2, New Ability: Magic Guard, Paradox Pokémon: Roaring Moon (available for capture via battle).]
"Paradox Pokémon?" Charles rubbed his eyes. He thought he'd read that wrong.
The last two Horcrux destructions had only yielded information about Legendary or Mythical Pokémon. But this time, he received an actual battle opportunity to capture one.
That was new.
Roaring Moon—a Paradox Pokémon resembling Salamence, with slightly lower base stats overall but far more efficient distribution.Its Special Attack was a mere 55, but its Speed and Physical Attack were excellent. Overall, it was an incredibly promising Pokémon.
Its temperament, though, was far more savage than Salamence's—wild, violent, and powerful beyond measure.A formidable opponent indeed.
Charles checked its details: Level 50, Ability—Protosynthesis.
He planned to summon and capture it once he returned to the Nature Reserve. At that level, his Charizard could still take it on. And even if Charizard failed, he himself—now at Level 61—was more than capable of stepping in.
After surpassing Level 60, he could feel his magic rising to an entirely new realm.Power surged through his body like an endless current, intoxicating in its intensity.
This near-effortless growth—it was addictive.
"Hmm?"Snapping back from his thoughts, Charles turned his attention to his new Ability.
Magic Guard.
[Magic Guard: Prevents damage from weather, items, Abilities, status effects, recoil (except from Struggle), and indirect sources.]
It was an impressively useful Ability. At the very least, it meant he'd be safe from most environmental effects and lingering statuses.
Still, it wasn't perfect.For instance, paralysis couldn't be avoided entirely. Burns wouldn't sap his HP anymore—but his physical strength would still be halved.
Still, if he'd had this before, Voldemort's curse would have been no threat at all.
Magic Guard couldn't stop HP loss from using Curse on oneself, but it could block curses from others.
Now, with this new Ability, he no longer needed to worry about being cursed—or poisoned by any of Snape's secret brews.
After destroying the Horcrux, Charles didn't leave right away.A sly smile crept across his face.
"If Regulus could think of replacing a Horcrux with a fake… why can't I?"
He could craft a perfect replica, return it to its place, and—just for fun—add a few surprises to Voldemort's existing curse.That should make for a memorable discovery later.
Of course, forging a flawless copy wasn't easy. Regulus's fake locket was crude, but it worked because of its hidden location within that cave mechanism.
This ring, however, sat out in the open.
"I'll have to use a bit of alchemy. I'll make one when I get back," he mused. "No need to rush."
For now, he needed to restore the scene and erase any traces of his magic.
"Reparo Totalis!"
With a sweep of the Rainbow Wand, the Gaunt Shack reverted to its original state.The scorched floors and walls regained their damp, moldy texture, and the lingering traces of the shattered soul vanished completely.
It looked just as dilapidated as before—minus the missing Horcrux, of course. But it had always been a ruin anyway.
Once satisfied, Charles Apparated back to the Riddle Manor in Little Hangleton.
In the courtyard, the sunlight was blinding.Frank Bryce was still standing there, dazed and stiff. The old man clearly wasn't doing well—few could withstand such an ordeal at his age.
"Ah, sorry—I forgot about you," Charles said apologetically.
He truly was sorry. He hadn't expected the mission to take so long. The poor old man's lips were cracked and dry.
Charles conjured a cup and filled it with clear spring water. "Here, drink."
He decided to bring the man along afterward. Saving a life was easy enough for him—and his company could always use more staff.A diligent gardener like Frank would make an excellent security guard.
Once that was settled, Charles returned to Hogwarts.
He had barely sat down in his office chair when a thud-thud-thud came from the window.
An owl—one of the Great Horned Owls he'd lent to Hagrid—was pecking at the glass, a letter clutched in its beak.
"Has Hagrid found Voldemort?" Charles muttered, opening the window and retrieving the note.
It contained only two hastily scrawled words:
"Come quickly!"
(End of Chapter)