"Where is he?"
Harry and Pikachu continued their search, frustration growing with every step. He couldn't help but wonder if this jungle was as large as the Forbidden Forest—how else could his opponent still be nowhere in sight?
He almost regretted not choosing Houndour.At least Houndour's nose could've helped him find the enemy faster.
Harry thought he was steadily moving forward in his search, but to the audience, it was clear—he'd been running in circles the whole time. The forest was that kind of place—once you lost your sense of direction, it stretched on endlessly, trapping you in its maze.
"Seems like he's not all that impressive after all."Karkaroff chuckled as Harry wandered aimlessly like a headless fly. "Dumbledore, it seems your famous boy isn't quite living up to his reputation. The Slytherin champion's already set the perfect trap for him."
Dumbledore only smiled, offering no rebuttal.
Indeed, Harry's situation wasn't looking great.
"Pikachu, can you catch the opponent's scent?"
With no better option, Harry placed his hopes on Pikachu. It wasn't a canine Pokémon, but its sense of smell was still far beyond human capability.
However, in a forest like this—thick, damp, and filled with unfamiliar scents—trying to pick up a stranger's trail was near impossible.
"Pika… pi…"Pikachu lowered its head and sniffed hard, then shook it helplessly.
Harry—usually reckless and confident—now felt utterly frustrated. He tilted his head upward, staring into the thick canopy where sunlight barely filtered through. Even if he climbed to the treetops, he doubted he'd see much of the jungle beneath.
The scene reminded him of that night in the Forbidden Forest.
"Wait… the Forbidden Forest!" Harry's eyes brightened. "Maybe I can make him come to me!"
Back during that detention night, Hagrid had told them—if you're in danger, fire a signal into the sky.That wasn't difficult—anyone with a wand could do it.
But, of course, doing so would also give away your position entirely.
Still, Harry Potter of Gryffindor wasn't one to overthink. He raised his wand toward the sky, sparks bursting from its tip—
BOOM!
A burst of red light shot into the air, flaring brightly through the treetops.
Watching the red signal fire streak upward, Kelly raised his wand and pointed at the ground.
"Transfigure!"
The spell struck the soil. In an instant, the earth morphed into a human-shaped figure—one that looked strikingly similar to him. He left the replica and his Pokémon behind as bait.
Up close, the differences were obvious—the imitation lacked subtle facial details, and it didn't move at all, more a statue than a real person. But in this shadowy forest, it was convincing enough to fool a charging opponent.
"Now, come to me, Harry Potter," Kelly murmured.
He'd revealed his location on purpose—to lure Harry in. With the trap set, the prey had no choice but to walk into it.
Meanwhile, Harry, who'd planned to expose himself first, froze when he saw a red flare rising in the opposite direction.
"So he gave himself away first? Guess he's getting impatient too!"Thinking his opponent had made the same reckless move, Harry sprinted toward the light without hesitation.
"Come on, Pikachu! Let's go!"
Outside the field, Ron and Hermione both groaned aloud as they watched through the massive screen.Harry's impulsiveness was once again on full display—if the opponent exposed his position, it could only mean one thing: a trap.
Especially when the opponent was a cunning Slytherin.
"What a shame," Draco Malfoy said smugly, arms crossed. "Looks like Potter's getting knocked out in the first round. Don't disappoint me, Weasley—if you go down early too, I'll have no one left to laugh at."
"Worry about yourself!" Ron snapped, glaring.
Back on the field, Harry was crashing through the bushes toward the source of the flare. Soon, he spotted a shadowed figure standing motionless in the dark—and beside it, a huge, hulking silhouette.
A grin spread across his face.
"Pikachu, use Thunder Shock!"
Pikachu leapt forward, lightning bursting from its body and striking the shadow beside the figure.
BOOM—!
Dirt exploded everywhere, blinding Harry's vision with flying debris. But he didn't stop—he dashed straight through the cloud.
He knew one strike wouldn't be enough to fell his opponent's Pokémon, so he pressed on, wand flashing as he shouted spell after spell.
"Petrificus Totalus!""Incendio!""Pikachu—Thunder Shock again!"
A barrage of attacks filled the air, explosions thundering one after another.Then silence.
Harry and Pikachu finally stopped, realizing something was wrong. Kelly hadn't reacted—not even once.
True, Harry had aimed at Kelly's Pokémon, but in the chaos, he couldn't be sure the blasts hadn't hit the trainer too.
"Hold it, Pikachu," Harry said, lowering his wand. "Let's see…"
No movement. No sound.Had he… knocked Kelly out?
That would be bad—attacking another trainer was against the rules, and if Kelly was hurt, Harry could be disqualified.
He held his breath, hoping that wasn't the case.
Then, as the dust slowly settled—what appeared before him wasn't a fallen boy, but two charred piles of earth vaguely shaped like a person and a Pokémon.
"What the—?"
Before he could take another step, a thin white thread shot out of the shadows, wrapping tightly around him and Pikachu.The world spun wildly—and when he blinked again, he and Pikachu were hanging upside down, trapped in a massive spider web.
Worse yet, the threads binding Pikachu gleamed faintly purple—poisoned silk.
"The poor Harry Potter has walked right into Kelly Ralph's trap!"
Up above, riding on a Fearow, Lee Jordan's voice boomed across the arena.
"I must say—what an absolutely disgraceful move!"
"A fourth-year student using a trick like this against a first-year! Utterly shameful! Someone tell me—does this even count as legal?! He practically attacked Harry!"
His words whipped the audience into outrage, though the duelists couldn't hear the commentary during the match.
"Not illegal," Snape replied smugly. "The rule forbids attacking trainers. Attacking requires causing harm."
From the other side of the web, Kelly Ralph descended slowly, hanging beside a large, vibrant spider whose sharp limbs gleamed like spears.
"That's—Ariados? Your Pokémon evolved?" Harry gasped. He remembered Kelly's Pokémon being a Spinarak—but now, it had transformed into its fierce evolved form.
"One must make progress," Kelly said lightly.
Ariados's evolution wasn't exactly hard to achieve; it was no surprise. Most participants' Pokémon had evolved at least once by now.
"Well then, Harry Potter," Kelly continued calmly, raising his wand."Your match ends here."
"Fame is nothing without power."
He pointed forward. "Ariados—use Poison Sting!"
(End of Chapter)