Jaw-Volt Bug, a mid-level dual-type Bug and Electric pet from the Lianke region. It excels at using acrobatic flight to confuse opponents, then seizing the moment they falter to unleash an Electric Beam... As Qiao Sang looked at the insectoid pet before her—with its yellow eyes and a pair of large mandibles—its information surfaced in her mind.
Almost the instant the battle was announced to begin, Jaw-Volt Bug launched an attack.
At this stage of the regional qualifiers, when a Beast Tamer initiates an attack before even speaking, it generally means a battle plan was formulated before the match.
"Jaw!"
Yellow arcs of electricity shot from Jaw-Volt Bug's mouth toward Lubao's position.
Lubao's figure flickered, constantly changing direction to dodge the attacks.
The lightning struck the ground, blasting shallow craters into the arena.
The spectator stands were noisy; the expressions of the crowd shifted rapidly within the few short seconds since the start of the match.
"The opponent's pet has the Electric attribute, what are we going to do about that?"
"Holy crap, that lightning is trying to blast Ice Lugia to death! So ruthless! Where's the referee? Referee!"
"Ah, as expected of Ice Lugia. Most Water-type pets slow down when moving on land, but look, it doesn't!"
"It's unfair! Why isn't it a Water Terrain? In our Guwu region, the arena should be in the water!"
On the field, Lubao had already broken through the dense offensive and closed the distance to Jaw-Volt Bug.
According to the data, Ice Lugia's close-quarters attack is Water Tail. Given the distance, it likely intended to use that move. It was too late to counter with an Electric-type move, but with Jaw-Volt Bug's biting power, it should be able to bite Ice Lugia's tail directly.
But if it actually did that, would he ever make it out of this arena?
Maybe it should just dodge, but this was a competition; if it really dodged, would it just stop attacking after that... Tang Zhongyi's brain was like an overloaded CPU, nearly burning out.
"Bite!" Just as Ice Lugia was only half a meter away from Jaw-Volt Bug, Tang Zhongyi instinctively issued the command.
This was an instinct born from long-term battle training.
But the moment the words left his mouth, Tang Zhongyi regretted it.
Who gave him the courage to let Jaw-Volt Bug bite Ice Lugia?!
Ice Lugia could dodge an Electric Beam, but how could it possibly dodge a tail delivered right to its mouth?
It's over, it's over! I'm not going to die at seventeen, am I... Various thoughts flooded Tang Zhongyi's mind as panic surged like a tide.
At that moment, Qiao Sang spoke: "Ice Claw."
"Lu."
Lubao raised its claw, and a surge of frost instantly condensed upon it, transforming into a terrifying shredding weapon that struck Jaw-Volt Bug without mercy.
Simultaneously, Jaw-Volt Bug opened its mouth and bit down on the oncoming Ice Claw without hesitation.
Then, it froze.
"Jaw..."
So cold, so hard...
In that moment of daze, the frost surged. Jaw-Volt Bug was knocked back several meters, its mouth covered in a thin layer of ice.
Seeing this, the spectator stands instantly erupted.
"Beautiful!"
"Still wanted to bite Ice Lugia! Serves it right!"
"Ice Lugia, you're the best!"
In Qiao Sang's battle videos, Ice Lugia mostly used Water-type moves; he had almost forgotten it also knew Ice-type skills... Tang Zhongyi breathed a sigh of relief, feeling as though he had survived a catastrophe.
Jaw-Volt Bug bit down hard, and the ice in its mouth shattered instantly.
"Jaw!"
Then, it turned and let out a loud cry toward its own Beast Tamer.
Tang Zhongyi paused, and his scattered thoughts gradually settled.
What was he doing? Win or lose aside, he had finally made it here, and yet he was actually worried about hurting his opponent!
"Fly up!" Prompted by Jaw-Volt Bug, Tang Zhongyi quickly adjusted his mindset.
Just as Tang Zhongyi adjusted his mindset, Lubao's Icy Wind was unleashed.
Jaw-Volt Bug flapped its wings and had just left the ground when the bone-chilling wind appeared before its eyes.
Sensing the crisis, Jaw-Volt Bug's speed suddenly increased.
But it was too late; its right wing was still hit by the cold wind, freezing over with a layer of thin ice.
Tang Zhongyi's heart sank. Jaw-Volt Bug's greatest strength was relying on acrobatic flight to confuse the opponent.
Now that its wing was injured, its flight speed would definitely slow down. How could it make the opponent falter now...
"Jaw!"
The command to "fly up" meant using flight to confuse the opponent; this was a secret signal between it and its Beast Tamer.
Jaw-Volt Bug endured the discomfort and increased the frequency of its wing flaps.
Qiao Sang looked at the field and saw Jaw-Volt Bug flexibly changing its flight direction. Every time it seemed it was about to approach Lubao, it would veer away, as if playing a game.
Tsk, if Jaw-Volt Bug's wing weren't injured, under high-speed flight, while it might not make Lubao falter, it really would have hope of putting some psychological pressure on Lubao... Qiao Sang thought calmly.
"Lu."
Lubao watched Jaw-Volt Bug flying around it, its expression as cold and aloof as ever.
This is too calm... Tang Zhongyi stared intently at Ice Lugia's unchanging expression, unable to find a suitable opening for attack for a long time.
Just then, Lubao suddenly sprayed Powder Snow in a certain direction in the air.
At that moment, Jaw-Volt Bug was still flying.
The next second, everyone saw Jaw-Volt Bug foolishly fly exactly toward the direction where Ice Lugia had just sprayed the Powder Snow.
Among all of Lubao's Ice-type skills, its proficiency with Powder Snow was the highest.
White snow crystals fell directly onto Jaw-Volt Bug, instantly freezing its entire body.
"Tang Big-Bug!" Tang Zhongyi shouted.
"Water Tail." Qiao Sang looked at the frozen Jaw-Volt Bug and felt slightly uneasy, deciding to let Lubao deliver a finishing blow.
"Lu."
Lubao leaped up, and water instantly swirled around its tail.
*Bang!*
The water-wrapped tail struck Jaw-Volt Bug, slamming it directly into the ground.
The ice cracked slightly, and on the giant holographic screen, everyone saw the fainted Jaw-Volt Bug.
Cheers erupted from the audience, with many people embracing each other in excitement.
"Ahhhhh! Ice Lugia won!"
"I knew it! I knew it!"
"Ah! Ah! Ice Lugia is so cool! I love it!"
"Won! Won!"
To someone who didn't know better, looking at this scene, they would think it was a victory at some Interstellar Tournament.
...
In the contestant area, except for Sun Boyi and the coach from the Guwu region, the other coaches were frowning.
"That Ice Lugia seems to be able to predict Jaw-Volt Bug's flight trajectory."
"How is that possible? That Jaw-Volt Bug was flying randomly," the person next to him said, full of disbelief.
Predicting an opponent's next move was generally something only Psychic-type pets could do. Even with advanced insight, it shouldn't be something a high school student's pet could achieve.
"Or perhaps it has a skill related to vision, causing Jaw-Volt Bug's speed to actually slow down in its eyes."
The person next to him stopped talking.
If Ice Lugia had a vision-related skill, it really would be possible.
Even if the speed wasn't slowed down, but rather its vision was advanced enough to clearly see the opponent's movement trajectory, it would indeed be possible to predict where the opponent would appear next just as they changed direction and flew less than a meter. After all, in such a short time, they would definitely be in one general direction.
The person thought for a moment, took out the tablet they carried, opened a file, flipped to the page for the Yuhua region contestant Qiao Sang, and wrote
【Ice Lugia's eyes are unusual】
...
As the first match ended, the countdown to summon the next pet did not appear immediately.
Instead, a high-energy BGM played, its momentum magnificent and shocking.
Qiao Sang silently facepalmed. This BGM was an interlude from a war movie representing victory in war.
This was just a battle between mid-level pets; it didn't fit at all...
"Friends! Was the match just now exciting!" Yi Ao interacted excitedly into the microphone.
"Exciting!" the audience shouted in unison.
"Tell me! Who just won!" Yi Ao continued.
"ICE LUGIA!!!" The audience's voices echoed throughout the entire arena.
"Lu..."
This was the first time Lubao had heard so many people shout its name in unison.
It paused and glanced toward the spectator stands.
With just that one glance, the stands exploded again.
"Holy crap! Was our voice too loud? Did we scare it?"
"Ahhh! Ice Lugia looked at us!"
"Damn it, if I'd known, I would have bought a ticket for Section C!"
"Ah! I bought the wrong ticket! I shouldn't have bought the first row!"
Yi Ao suddenly felt a bit depressed that he was the host; he was standing too high up, and Ice Lugia couldn't see him at all!
"Teacher Yi, follow the process!" The staff's voice sounded in his earpiece.
Yi Ao steadied his mindset and shouted into the microphone
"Next is the final match of this morning. Shall we count down!"
"3!"
"2!"
As the audience counted down, Qiao Sang pondered the upcoming situation.
According to the data, Tang Zhongyi's only remaining pet was Glow-Glow Grass.
Glow-Glow Grass, a mid-level Grass-type pet from the Lianke region. Like the Jaw-Volt Bug just now, in a certain sense, it also countered Lubao.
Qiao Sang had an impulse to swap Lubao out, but looking at the fanatical state of the audience, she felt it would be somewhat immoral to swap out the highly anticipated Lubao on the first day.
Especially since she had keen hearing and heard many people crying because they saw Lubao.
Forget it, I still have an Ice-type... Qiao Sang abandoned the idea of swapping Lubao.
"1!"
As the countdown ended, the final match began.
Glow-Glow Grass can absorb sunlight and convert it into energy. Fortunately, the ceiling is closed, and sunlight cannot enter... Qiao Sang thought to herself as she looked at the generally yellow pet.
Lubao took the lead by spraying Water Gun.
A thick stream of water shot straight toward Glow-Glow Grass.
Why isn't it using Ice-type skills? The damage from Water-type skills is clearly not great... Tang Zhongyi responded: "Dodge, use Verdant Terrain!"
Water Gun is a straight spray; Glow-Glow Grass easily dodged it by jumping three steps to the side.
"Glow-Glow!"
Immediately after, Glow-Glow Grass let out a cry, and its two feet emitted a tender green light.
This light sank into the ground, covering more than half of the arena in front of Glow-Glow Grass in the blink of an eye.
Verdant Terrain allows all pets standing on the ground to recover a small amount of stamina. Additionally, the power of Grass-attribute skills is increased by 30%.
Lubao has Healing Light, but Verdant Terrain restores stamina, not energy, so it didn't have much effect on Lubao.
The biggest beneficiary was Glow-Glow Grass... Qiao Sang made a snap decision and decided to proceed as previously planned
"Melt Water!"
Hearing its Beast Tamer's words, Lubao leaped forward and vanished.
Using a Water-type skill wasn't for attacking, but to hide its tracks.
At this stage of the regional qualifiers, as long as one was attentive, they could learn about any trait an opponent's pet had used in previous matches.
Tang Zhongyi was not surprised by Ice Lugia's Melt Water.
He decisively commanded: "Grass Knot!"
Glow-Glow Grass closed its eyes.
Whether it was because Verdant Terrain enhanced the power of Grass-type skills, or because she had only seen Grass-type pets use Grass Knot in videos, a slight sense of crisis arose in Qiao Sang's heart.
Grass Knot, a mid-tier Grass-type skill, causes knotted grass to suddenly sprout from the ground to trip the opponent, thereby dealing damage.
The heavier the opponent's weight, the stronger the power.
Logically, since Lubao was currently dissolved in water and in a liquid state, Glow-Glow Grass's use of this move should be ineffective.
Could it be that it can perceive where Lubao will emerge and then use this move?
Always assume the opponent is powerful; just assume it can perceive it!
Qiao Sang waved her hand and shouted: "Use Ice Claw first, then continue!"
A small puddle of water on the ground rippled. Just as Lubao's head emerged from the puddle, Glow-Glow Grass suddenly opened its eyes.
Its eyes were now glowing with a green light.
Simultaneously, two green-glowing blades of grass suddenly shot out from the ground on both sides of the puddle and connected above.
As long as Lubao's body fully appeared, it would inevitably be tripped.
The hearts of all the spectators leaped; they wished they could jump onto the field immediately and pull out that eyesore of a Grass Knot.
On the field.
Lubao's body shot out of the small puddle with lightning speed.
It was not tripped.
Because as half its body emerged from the water, its front claw was already condensing a sharp Ice Claw radiating cold air.
Lubao swung its sharp claw forward, slicing the knotted grass in half with a *swish*.
Immediately after, water swirled, and Lubao, wrapped in a torrent of water, shot straight up into the sky.
The threat of Water-type skills isn't great, but a water jet also has physical attack power and will definitely cause damage. However, if it can withstand this move, then using the current 30% Grass-type power boost to hit Ice Lugia, the advantage in the subsequent battle might be seized... Tang Zhongyi's mind raced, staring intently at the descending Ice Lugia, not issuing a command immediately.
Glow-Glow Grass neither dodged nor avoided. Just as the water jet was about to collide, Tang Zhongyi shouted
"Bind, use Parasitic Seed!"
Tang Zhongyi's plan was sound: as long as Glow-Glow Grass could withstand the move and plant a Parasitic Seed on Ice Lugia, the seed would consume its condition at regular intervals.
Even if Ice Lugia used Healing Light, it could only treat it temporarily.
Parasitic Seed could continuously drain its condition; Ice Lugia couldn't use Healing Light indefinitely unless it ignored the energy consumption.
"Glow-Glow!"
Glow-Glow Grass extended its short claws, and vines shot out from its short toes.
The effect of Parasitic Seed is good, but opponents aren't targets; they won't stand still and let a Parasitic Seed land on them. This guy wanted Glow-Glow Grass to bind Lubao, control it, and then use Parasitic Seed at close range.
In an instant, Qiao Sang realized the opponent's intention.
Unfortunately, he underestimated the attack power of Lubao, who had already consumed an S-rank Potential Enhancement Potion.
"Lu!"
Lubao let out a cry, and when it was only about 5 centimeters away from Glow-Glow Grass, the water flow suddenly expanded threefold.
"Glow-Glow!!!"
Glow-Glow Grass could not withstand it and was sent flying backward.
"Tang Big-Glow!" Tang Zhongyi's face was full of disbelief.
(End of Chapter)