HP: The Arcane Thief
chapter-128

Members of Team Mahoutokoro

Enzo: Wind, Seeker

Takeshi: Lightning, Beater

Uyeda Koichi:, Water (Beater)

Muto Akira: wind (Chaser

Namba Saburo: Earth (keeper)

Shibuya Amaya: Water female (Chaser)

Suko Megumi: Fire female (Chaser)

Team Hogwarts

Aston Anderson: Chaser

Diana Hudson: Chaser

Regan Newman: Keeper

Patricia Afonso Chaser

Bruno Owens: Beater

Elijah Roberts: Beater

Axel Hunt: Seeker

Here's the chapter:

….

"IT'S… IT'S HUNT! AXEL HUNT HAS SUDDENLY REAPPEARED IN THE GAME! AND HE HAS THE SNITCH! SWEET SWEET MERLIN! I AM JUMPING UP AND DOWN IN MY SEAT RIGHT NOW! HE'S BACK! AXEL HUNT, IS BACK IN THE GAME!" Exclaimed Jordan.

The audience went totally bonkers. Some were jumping up and down, some were throwing whatever they had into the air, some were screaming their lungs out.

Patricia crashed into him, laughing and crying at the same time. "Thank Merlin you're alright! You had me worried the whole time!"

His teammates had back as well, all colliding into him, celebrating his return. 40 minutes is not a long. But they felt like they had died a hundred times in that period of time. They were planning on relying on Axel, but then they were suddenly left to shoulder all the hopes, expectations and pressure by themselves. It was nerve-wracking, not to mention extremely difficult and painful. Now seeing Axel back, they were simply overwhelmed with relief.

Though, amidst the festive atmosphere, the Mahoutokoro were dealt a huge blow upon Axel's return. Things weren't going according to the plan. Team Hogwarts turned out to be much more difficult to beat than they had thought, Or simply said, they were so focused on dealing with Axel that they didn't give much thought to the rest.

But even so, they had still managed to bring the situation under control. They had covered the gap, and they were finally in the lead, with the Slytherins finally running out of their tricks. But now, Axel Fucking Hunt was actually back, suddenly destroying everything.

The guy simply should not be allowed to play. First of all, he has an uncanny ability to spot the snitch. Something that's the most difficult thing for a seeker. Then he has the ability to perfectly use the launching boom, one of the most difficult tricks, like it's nothing. And he times it so well that he can even catch the snitch while doing it. And lastly, his ability to survive. The guy is an unkillable cockroach. So many have tried so many things. It's like he can survive everything.

The rest of the Hogwarts team, even though surprisingly skilled, was still within their grasp. They were within bounds of reality. But Axel… his mere presence evoked a sense of hopelessness into their hearts…. as if facing an unbeatable adversary.

Before the game could resume, Madam Hooch blew the whistle, signalling a half-time, much to the audience's disappointment.

"Fuck!"

"Halftime?! Now?! Are you kidding me?!"

"Damn it! Just when it was getting interesting…"

The audience was understandably pissed at the timing.

"Oooooh, it's half time! I know, I know it sucks, especially at a moment like this, but it's also true that both the teams are in a dire need of a break. Especially with so many things broken in their bodies. I doubt even Hunt managed to come out completely unscathed," said Jordan.

—Hogwarts Changing Room—

"Quickly! Show me where you're hurt! Diana, where is madam Pomfrey?! Call her already!"

No sooner had Axel entered that changing room, Patricia had stripped off his t-shirt to check his injuries. The rest of the team also surrounded him, apparently also worried.

"Jeez, who told you I'm injured?" Asked Axel in exasperation, stopping her in the process.

Patricia paused in her actions. "Wait, you're… you're really not injured?" She asked in confusion, looking at his uninjured upper body. "H-how? I mean why?"

Axel frowned. "What do you mean how or why? I told you Mahoutokoro can't beat me," he said. It was as simple as that.

"Mate, if you're not injured… then what were you doing this whole time?" One of his teammates, Elijah Roberts, finally asked the question everyone was curious about.

Axel shrugged. "Me? You know, I was sitting in the stands, watching the match, eating popcorn."

Teammates: "....."

"So… while we were putting our lives on the line, fighting against Mahoutokoro with everything we had, you were just... chilling in the stands? Watching the match?" Asked Anderson, the chaser.

"That's pretty much it," said Axel with a nod, but then frowned at the outrageous expressions of hid teams. "What are you getting angry for? I also did it for you guys."

"For us?"

"How is it for us?"

"Bullshit."

Axel rolled his eyes. "I see. You guys are okay with just being my cronies who won because of me."

"What did you just—"

"Guys, stop!" The teammates were about to burst out but Patricia stopped them, raising her hand. "He's right."

"Patricia, you—"

"Think about it. What would have happened if Axel had just done his thing? Sure, we would have won by a massive lead, and sure, we might not have had to work so hard. But what would we have been in the end? Just some unimportant teammates who relied on Axel to win the match," she said, making them fall into contemplation.

"But now? What are we? Now we're the team Hogwarts. Team Hogwarts, who fought tooth and nail against Mahoutokoro to keep the match even while Axel Hunt was absent. Each of you did something out there that everyone will always remember you for. For a little while, you had the attention of the whole world on you. Tell me, would that have been possible with Axel's presence on the pitch?"

Everyone was silent, their expressions easing up. They now looked at Axel in a different light. That's right, wouldn't they have been just a bunch of nobodies if Axel had just cruised through the match like he always does? Now, even if he's back, and they can't have the spotlight anymore, they were at least able to give their contributions in the match.

Realizing this, they genuinely felt thankful to Axel, who had given them this chance.

Patricia turned to Axel. "Axel, I would really like to thank you for what you did and I think the rest of them also feel the same way."

"Uh…" Axel just looked at his teammates, who were all looking at him like they were indebted, and felt a bit stumped. This wasn't quite what he was trying to convey. He wasn't doing anyone any favours here. Sure he gave them their spotlight, but that was only because he was feeling too lazy to play on his own. This was just mutual benefit.

But oh well, if they are feeling grateful, who is he to stop them?

So he shrugged, waving his hand. "Well, now that I'm back, you guys can relax now. Just focus on not getting more banged up than you already are."

That concluded the meeting. The Hogwarts players began getting treatment for their injuries. Axel just chilled, ready to play the next round.

While on the Mahoutokoro side, things weren't so peaceful. Quite unexpectedly, in their changing room, the Team Mahoutokoro was graced with the presence of Headmaster Yujiro himself, surprising the hell out of them.

"Headmaster?"

"Master Yujiro?"

"Headmaster!"

The injured players and the Medical Nins who were healing them altogether hastily bowed their heads to the Yujiro.

Unlike Hogwarts, rank mattered a lot at Mahoutokoro. Someone like Yujiro was an existence who would rarely give them a glance.

Yujiro's eyes, which always seem close, opened. "You all… have disappointed me today."

!!!

It was just a few words. But coming from him, it made the whole Mahoutokoro team kneel on one knee in shame.

"We are extremely sorry, Headmaster. We just—" tried Takeshi, but he was cut off.

"I do not want to hear any excuses. Now, listen up. Due to some… circumstances, it is imperative that you win this match."

Takeshi bowed his, "I assure you Headmaster—"

Yujiro shook his head. "Save it. I don't need to hear your meaningless assurances. Even though it is unfair to interfere, I will teach you one move. You had better not fail me."

"""We will not disappoint you, Headmaster!"""

Team Maoutokoro were overjoyed. Any guidance from the Headmaster himself is something any ninja would kill to have. And they were getting it just to win this match.

….

Coming out of the Mahoutokoro changing room, Yujiro pondered how low he had fallen. Interfering between a small match between kids.

But what could he do? He didn't have a choice.

Yujiro remembered the conversation he had with his granddaughter right after he and Dumbledore had convinced him to play the match.

"Grandpa, I do hope you did not antagonize my friend in any way just now," she had said, taking the brat's side without even trying to know the whole situation.

That had already set Yujiro off. How did he antagonize that brat? If anything, Hunt was one who antagonized him and Dumbledore.

"Aki, are you trying to protect that brat without even knowing the situation?" He had asked in irritation.

But his granddaughter had the nerve to look amused at that. "I'm not trying to protect him, jiji. I'm trying to protect you."

That was the breaking point. After that, they had ended up with a bet that if Axel loses the match, Akiko would stay away from him, and if he wins, well he won't win. How can he win? He's just a 13 year old brat.

…

"And Ladies and Gentlemen, the match resumes! The atmosphere of both the teams is completely different compared to how it was at the start. Team Hogwarts has gotten their seeker back! Let's see what happens next!

"Hogwarts is in possession, and what... what is happening? Mahoutokoro isn't defending! They're flying in the centre. Have they already given up on the match?!"

Something peculiar was happening in the pitch. While the team Hogwarts was trying to score, Mahoutokoro hadn't moved at all, making the Hogwarts players fly right past them.

A gust of wind picked up, causing everyone's cloaks to flutter and there was a light drizzle of rain. The Hogwarts players didn't see anything wrong, so they decided to take the opportunity to score.

"AND THERE IT IS! AXEL HUNT HAS THE SNITCH AGAIN! HOW CAN HE MAKE IT LOOK SO SIMPLE AND CASUAL?!" Exclaimed Jordan.

"If someone can catch the snitch with such ease, the mahoutokoro were absolutely right to target him." said Jin.

"But... what are the players of Mahoutokoro doing?" Asked Travis, drawing attention to the Mahoutokoro players, who still hadn't moved from the centre.

Everyone found that out soon enough. Because very soon, the wind had turned into a storm that covered the whole pitch, and the rain had become a stream of water, pouring non stop. The two wind affinity ninjas and the two water affinity ninjas had exhausted all of their magic on it.

Even though the rain was annoying and the storm was making it a bit difficult to fly, the Hogwarts players still weren't getting any damage from this. So they simply continued.

"Hogwarts scores again! Merlin's sweaty pants! What is going on with this match?!"

On the other hand, Axel had already stopped flying. Something just didn't feel right. The only area where the wind and rain was reaching was the centre, where the Mahoutokoro players were gathered. It was really difficult to see them in all the rain.

[Arcane Eyes]

Axel activated Arcane Eyes to see what was up. And inside, he saw Takeshi making hand seals. Axel's eyes widened as he realized just what was about to happen. "Fuck."

"HEY! STOP THEM!" He yelled to his teammates, who were too busy scoring goals. Though surprised at his out of character reaction, his teammates didn't waste their time dallying. With Patricia in lead, they launched spells toward Mahoutokoro.

But, too bad, it was already too late. Takeshi had finished his hand seals. Dense Lightning covered his hand as Takeshi grinned.

"Damn it," Axel raised his hand, and the storm halted for a brief moment as his eyes glowed. But he closed his eyes, stopping himself from using his power, feeling extremely vexed. He could, but he didn't stop what happened next.

"LIGHTNING BARRAGE!"

Everything seemed to happen in slow motion to Axel. Takeshi launched his most powerful Jutsu, and his teammates' screams sounded in his ears as Lightning ran through his body, which had travelled throughout the pitch due to the access stream of water that was pelting him and his teammates.

When the spell stopped, team Hogwarts all fell to ground, like flies who had just been electrocuted, smoke still emitting from them.

"WHAT... WHAT THE FUCK?!" (Jordan)

….

To be continued.

title: "A Savage Reawakens" or "One vs all"

A.N.: It's not that I end at Cliffhangers. Anywhere I end will be a cliffhanger. It's just that good 😞