"Come on, let's go see if there are any Dark-type Pokémon inside the castle!" Draco grabbed Goyle by the sleeve. The chubby boy had also managed to catch a Pokémon—not a remarkable one, just a little Rattata.
As for Draco's other lackey, Crabbe—if he hadn't wasted all his Poké Balls on that Munchlax, maybe he could've caught something too. Even a Caterpie would've been better than nothing.
Though Draco felt a bit sorry for his friend, he couldn't afford to waste time.
"But we don't have any Poké Balls left," Goyle complained helplessly. Poké Balls had to be exchanged for points, and at Hogwarts—without the patronage of his family's house head—someone like him wasn't likely to earn many. Truth be told, he was lucky just to have joined the club at all. His Rattata had probably just lost its senses and stayed inside the Poké Ball by accident.
"We're scouting first, understand?" Draco sighed at his partner's lack of brainpower. "By the time you get enough points, the good Pokémon will already be taken. If you find them first, you've got a better shot at catching them!"
"I want to find Dark-types and Ghost-types. There should be plenty of those in this castle. I did want a Dragon-type, but—nah. I'm not that into those monsters anymore." His voice was casual and cocky, his stride more like a street punk than a noble's son.
"Let's head somewhere secluded. That's where those two types show up most often."
The pair made their way toward the dungeons. In the original Hogwarts layout, the Slytherin dormitory, the Potions classroom, and the school dungeons were all located underground.
Hufflepuff's common room was also in the basement, though snakes and badgers rarely got along.
"Let's see what this basement has to offer. No dormitories here? This Dumbledore really has no taste—basements are perfect, warm in winter and cool in summer!" Draco scoffed. "Of course, our Dumbledore isn't much better—he actually admitted that his magic isn't as strong as Voldemort's. Shows how old he's gotten. I'd rather see Headmaster Snape or Professor Charles take over, wouldn't you?"
As he spoke, he raised his wand and cast Lumos. The dungeon brightened considerably.
It didn't look like a place meant for living. More like a half-natural cave, roughly expanded by hand. A few Rattata hiding in the sewers darted away when the light struck them, vanishing into the darkness.
Following close behind, Goyle shuddered. "But… aren't you afraid to say the Dark Lord's name out loud? He's not dead yet."
"So what?" Draco shrugged. "He's a beaten dog now. I'll admit I used to admire him—pure-blood supremacy did sound cool—but Professor Charles exposed his secret. He's just a half-blood! A half-blood ruling over us? Utter hypocrisy."
"Now I'd rather believe Professor Charles—blood doesn't matter, ability does! Even my father agrees now. You probably didn't know, but he and Professor Charles are great friends! And me—I got special attention from the Professor last year. He taught me what true honor means! I think he sees me as one of his favored students," Draco bragged proudly.
They continued deeper into the tunnels—well, Draco continued talking, and Goyle only responded with the occasional grunt.
He really wanted to say that Professor Charles's true protégé was obviously Neville Longbottom.
"I bet you're thinking that Neville Longbottom is Professor Charles's successor!" Draco said suddenly.
Goyle instinctively nodded—then froze when he felt Draco's glare burning through the darkness, quickly shaking his head so hard his cheeks jiggled. Only then did Draco smirk and look ahead again.
"Neville Longbottom. Sure, he's gotten stronger lately—but what has he learned from the Professor? Magic? Pokémon expertise? No! He's just been practicing swordsmanship! What's he planning to do, use Fury Cutter himself? And he only joined the club this year!" Draco sneered.
Not that he truly despised Neville—truth be told, that chubby Gryffindor had once saved his life in the Forbidden Forest. Draco didn't like admitting it, but Neville had undeniably grown stronger.
"Do you really think he deserves to be the Professor's top student?" Draco pressed.
Goyle shook his head immediately."Exactly! As fellow Slytherins, it's obvious that I—what's that?" Draco stopped mid-sentence, a dark shadow flickering across his vision. The light was too dim to see clearly.
"Maybe it's a Rattata?" Goyle suggested dumbly.
"I don't scream over a Rattata!" Draco snapped, his eyes narrowing like blades as he tried to recall the shape."It had two faces! And red eyes! Looked absolutely evil!" The more he remembered, the paler his face became. "Definitely Ghost-type! We have to find it!"
His fear was quickly drowned by excitement.
He needed a second Pokémon. He used to have a Purrloin, but it ignored his orders and preferred to stay with his mother. So Draco had given it to her as a gift.
Now, with only an Ekans left, he couldn't help envying Harry Potter and his friends—each of them had at least three Pokémon already.
He rushed forward, the faint light on his wand flickering like a candle in the wind.
"Wait for me!" Goyle stumbled after him, but Draco didn't slow down. The heavyset boy's short legs soon fell behind. At a bend in the stone passage, he completely lost sight of Draco.
"Draco!"
"Raco…"
"Co…"
His voice echoed through the cavern, fading and twisting until it sounded like a ghost's mournful wail.
A chill ran down Goyle's spine. He hunched his shoulders, trembling.
——
"Where did you go? Goyle, did you see—Goyle?"
Draco turned, but behind him there was only darkness.
His heart clenched tight, every beat a struggle. Yet the pounding in his chest only grew louder.
Pokémon were the last thing on his mind now—he just wanted out.
The cave was damp; there should be footprints somewhere.
"It's fine—just retrace your steps," he muttered, holding his glowing wand toward the path he'd come from, searching for any sign of his trail.
Then, from the darkness, came the sound of breathing.
Huuuuh—
The light on his wand flickered once… and went out.
(End of Chapter)