This Fireball Dragon was massive, its scales a deep red that shimmered with a metallic luster in the sunlight.
It was bound by thick iron chains, yet its eyes still brimmed with wildness and brutality.
The staff carefully placed it in the center of the arena before quickly retreating.
Bagman's voice rang out again, louder this time than the previous three.
"Let us welcome the fourth champion with the loudest applause!" His voice was so loud it threatened to shatter the Amplifying Charm.
"The solitary Dragon from Hogwarts, the Monarch of the Eternal Night, the embodiment of invincibility, the strongest man — Charlie White!"
The entire stadium erupted in thunderous cheers.
Hogwarts students took out their exclusive Charlie cheering badges and pinned them to their chests, where they glittered in the sun.
Countless students raised their wands toward the sky, sending fireworks shooting upward, where they exploded to form the four golden characters: "Charlie Must Win."
Inside the tent, Charlie's mouth twitched as he listened to that string of exaggerated titles outside.
It makes it sound like I bribed someone; surely Bagman isn't a member of the fan club too, is he?
A sudden image popped into his mind: Bagman wearing a cheerleader skirt, his burly frame exposed, leg hair sticking out from under the hem, waving pom-poms in his hands.
Charlie shuddered and quickly shook off the terrifying image.
He took a deep breath, pulled back the curtain, and stepped out.
The blinding sunlight made him squint, and the cheers instantly reached their peak.
The students in the entire stands stood up, waving their arms and shouting his name.
Charlie stood where he was, his gaze landing on the Fireball Dragon in the center of the arena.
The Dragon had already broken free from its chains and was crouching beside its nest, flames rolling in its throat.
Its eyes were fixed on Charlie, its vertical pupils filled with vigilance and hostility.
The cheering in the stands gradually died down.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the performance to follow.
Charlie did not move; he simply stood there quietly.
The Fireball Dragon didn't move either, guarding its nest, its tail flicking restlessly, but it did not step away from the Dragon eggs.
Charlie didn't act directly to avoid the Dragon stepping on the Dragon eggs.
He raised his hand and waved it.
A stone on the ground suddenly expanded and deformed, turning into a large black dog in the blink of an eye.
The dog wagged its tail, walked to the center of the arena, then lifted its hind leg and urinated toward the Fireball Dragon.
This was undoubtedly an act of territorial provocation for any animal.
The Fireball Dragon's pupils instantly narrowed into slits.
It roared, spread its wings, and suddenly took flight, charging directly at Charlie.
It was as fast as a red train, and the gale it whipped up sent gravel flying across the ground.
Countless hearts in the stands were in their throats.
The first three Dragons had already demonstrated terrifying destructive power; it went without saying what would happen if someone were hit head-on by such a Dragon charge.
But Charlie stood where he was, motionless.
The Fireball Dragon drew closer and closer: ten meters, five meters, three meters...
Just as it was about to collide, Charlie's body rapidly expanded.
His bones crackled, his muscles grew frantically, and patches of deep red scales appeared on his skin.
His back arched, his arms transformed into thick forelimbs, and a pair of massive wings tore from his back.
Bang!
The two Dragons collided with a dull thud.
Charlie's expanded form sent the other flying; the Fireball Dragon tumbled several times in the air before landing on all fours, plowing deep furrows into the ground.
The stands were silent.
Everyone's eyes were wide, their mouths agape, unable to speak.
Charlie's size at this moment was a full circle larger than the Fireball Dragon in the arena; with his wings fully spread, his wingspan was over twenty meters, even larger than the four Dragons that had appeared before.
The deep red scales shimmered with a cold light in the sunlight, spikes extending from his spine to the tip of his tail, and his golden vertical pupils exuded coldness and oppression.
"Animagus!" Bagman shouted excitedly.
"Charlie's trademark, Dragon Animagus!"
The stands erupted in even crazier cheers.
The Fireball Dragon climbed up from the ground, shook its head, and stared at Charlie warily.
Although there was a difference in size, it had no intention of backing down.
Charlie lunged forward, and the Fireball Dragon roared as it met him.
Just as the two Dragons were about to collide again, the ground beneath the Fireball Dragon suddenly collapsed.
The hard rock instantly turned into a pool of water; the Fireball Dragon lost its footing, lost its balance, and fell heavily into the water.
Exclamations erupted from the stands.
"What?"
"He used a Spell while in his Animagus form?"
"How is this possible?"
At the judges' table, Crouch sat up straight, and even Karkaroff, who had been expressionless, showed a look of shock.
According to common knowledge in the Wizarding World, an ordinary Animagus cannot use Spells after transforming because, upon turning into an ordinary animal, the magic within the body falls into a dormant state.
But Charlie transformed into a magical creature, so his magic remained active; plus, having mastered non-verbal and wandless magic, he could cast magic in his Dragon form.
The Fireball Dragon fell into the pond, and water splashed everywhere.
Charlie didn't hesitate and lunged with his massive Dragon body.
His dragon claw pinned the other's neck, pressing it firmly into the water.
The Fireball Dragon struggled frantically, its tail whipping up splashes, but Charlie's strength far exceeded its imagination.
Charlie swung his other dragon claw, slamming it heavily onto the Fireball Dragon's head.
Bang!
Charlie's attack didn't stop; claw after claw, each one left the Fireball Dragon dizzy.
The Dragon struggled desperately, but the more it struggled, the tighter Charlie pressed.
The water in the pond was churned into a turbid mess, and the Fireball Dragon's roars gradually grew weaker from their initial fury.
Its tail stopped thrashing, and its wings went limp.
Charlie released his dragon claw and stepped on the Fireball Dragon's head.
The Fireball Dragon let out a whimper, the sound full of grievance and plea for mercy.
Its eyes cleared, and its pupils rounded.
"Whimper..."
Charlie lifted his foot, and the Fireball Dragon immediately scrambled out of the water, crawling and tumbling to the edge of the arena, where it huddled and shivered.
Then Charlie transformed back into his human form, his clothes slightly soiled.
He walked toward the Dragon eggs.
Seeing him approach the nest, the Fireball Dragon let out a mournful cry, but it didn't move a muscle.
It wanted to rush up to protect the Dragon eggs, but the beating it had just received made it clearly realize that it was no match for him at all.
It could only watch helplessly as Charlie walked to the nest, reached out, and picked up the golden egg, becoming an incompetent mother.
The stands erupted in thunderous cheers.
"Perfect!" Bagman jumped up in excitement.
"Charlie White has shown us in his own way what absolute power suppression is!"
At the judges' table, Dumbledore smiled and raised his wand, casting a "10."
Bagman, without hesitation, gave a "10."
Crouch pondered for a moment and also gave a "10."
Madame Maxime looked at the shivering Fireball Dragon in the arena and finally gave a "10" as well.
Karkaroff's expression was extremely ugly, but under the gaze of all the students, he gritted his teeth and waved a "10."
A perfect score.
Only then were the students satisfied and let him off the hook.
If he had dared to rig the scores just now, the angry students around him would likely have rushed up and torn him to shreds.
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