The second match was already underway.
âThatâs a pet beast I havenât seen before.â
Qiao Sang remarked, observing the creature at the center of the arena. It had a blue body with a white belly, long blue whiskers, a thick upward-curving tail, and prominent front teeth.
âThatâs a Marine Gnawer.â Xu Yixuan explained, adjusting her glasses.
âItâs a pet beast from the Guwu Region. Donât be fooled by its small size, its teeth can gnaw through trees.â
Her thoughts drifted momentarily before she added, âYou know, itâd be nice to have one around. Opening walnuts would be a breeze.â
Realizing she had gone off track, she returned to the topic at hand.
âAnyway, donât worry. While the Marine Gnawer is a regional pet, itâs no different from any ordinary water-type pet beast. Just go about the fight as usual. Even He Dadao could win this round.â
No sooner had she spoken than the Marine Gnawer launched a Water Stream Jet straight at the opposing pet, a Blaze Gorilla. The gorilla didnât dodge and responded head-on with Blazing Flames.
Just when it seemed the two attacks would collide, the Water Stream Jet unexpectedly spiraled around the fire attack, closing in on the Blaze Gorilla and striking it directly. The gorilla let out a pained roar.
Cheers erupted from Pinghai High Schoolâs section.
Fortunately, the Blaze Gorillaâs thick hide prevented it from being knocked out immediately.
Xu Yixuanâs lips twitched.
Was she being proven wrong already? Could He Dadao handle this or not?
It was only the second match.
Qiao Sang, however, was more focused on the Marine Gnawer, replaying the earlier move in her mind.
Having trained Lubao in Water Stream Jet, she understood the intricacies of controlling the attack.
Redirecting its trajectory was already challenging, but making it spiral around another attack required immense precision and physical control.
This wasnât something an average trainer could teach.
âSheâs got skills.â Qiao Sang murmured, eyeing the Marine Gnawerâs trainer.
In the past two tournaments, Shengshui High School hadnât gone up against Pinghai High, leaving He Dadao with limited information about their team.
Beyond knowing their names, pets, and water-training expertise, he was clueless, unlike his prepared approach against Fiqi Beast Taming High.
As the match progressed, He Dadao lost both the second and fifth rounds, earning only 12 points in total. With this score, he was likely to be temporarily removed from the top tier of contenders.
âMatch A2: Shengshui Highâs Qiao Sang versus Pinghai Highâs Zhou Jing.â Announced the broadcaster.
He Dadao slumped into his seat, still recovering from his losses.
âNo big deal. You lost two matches, Iâll win them back for you.â Qiao Sang said, patting his shoulder before heading toward the arena.
He Dadao snapped out of his funk and watched her walk away, grumbling internally:
This isnât even a team competition! Your win doesnât help my record at all!
Still, he relaxed his posture slightly. Deep down, he did feel a bit better.
But then Xu Yixuanâs voice chimed in.
âHow did you lose two matches to Pinghai High? Especially against that Marine Gnawer. You made me look bad after I vouched for you!â She said, her tone icy.
âThis wasnât even a water-themed field. How could you lose? Didnât the coach repeatedly remind you not to spam moves if you couldnât gain an early advantage? Why donât you listen?â
âAnd another thingâŠâ
He Dadao sighed heavily.
Never mind. My moodâs ruined again.
As Qiao Sang stepped onto the field, the crowd buzzed with speculation.
âToo bad we wonât see the Flame Hound this time.â
âWhy not?â
âPinghai High exclusively uses water-type pets. Qiao Sang wouldnât send out the Flame Hound.â
âTrue. But maybe weâll finally see her third pet. Nobody knows what it is yet, only that itâs water-type.â
âRelax. Weâll find out eventually. Even if she sends out her Treasure-Seeking Demon, itâs not like it can sweep the competition like the Flame Hound.â
âFair point.â
As the chatter continued, the arenaâs star formation activated, summoning a familiar figure.
âYal!â
The audience fell silent, then erupted in confusion.
âWhatâs going on? Why did she send out the Flame Hound?â
âDidnât she watch Pinghai Highâs matches earlier? Zhou Jingâs pets are both water-type!â
âShe has three pets! Why pick the one at a disadvantage?â
âWell⊠the Flame Hound does have psychic abilities.â
âThatâs true, but water-type moves deal double damage to it!â
âWhy are you so worked up? Are you from Shengshui High?â
ââŠOh. Right.â
On the field, Zhou Jing gave Qiao Sang a wry smile.
âYou know both my pets are water-type. Are you overconfident or underestimating me?â
She didnât wait for an answer, issuing her first command. âHigh-Speed Spin!â
âBanban!â
The yellow-shelled, orange-spotted Star-Spotted Turtle retracted into its shell and began spinning rapidly, hurtling toward the Flame Howler.
Star-Spotted Turtle. A mid-tier pet beast, it prefers swampy grasslands. Each of its orange spots can spray water.
Qiao Sang recalled the petâs details but didnât issue any instructions.
The Flame Hound remained motionless, its gaze fixed on the spinning opponent.
Why isnât it moving?
Zhou Jing frowned, sensing something amiss.
Her expression shifted as realization struck. âChange direction, circle behind it!â
The turtle abruptly veered left, positioning itself behind the Flame Hound.
At that moment, the Flame Houndâs eyes glowed blue.
As I suspected
, Zhou Jing thought, exhaling in relief. She had studied Shengshui High meticulously.
The Flame Houndâs psychic abilities were powerful enough to control advanced-level moves like Flame Burst.
Qiao Sang smirked.
This oneâs got some skills.
âYap!â
Realizing he couldnât restrain the opponent with his psychic abilities, Yabaoâs eyes gleamed with excitement.
My trainer was right!
The opponents are only getting stronger!