Day three of the regional qualifiers.
The Haicheng Pet Battle Arena.
"Friends! This is the scene of the National Campus League regional qualifiers! We meet again!" Yi Ao shouted into the microphone while hovering in mid-air, interacting with the crowd. "Did everyone sleep well last night?!"
"Yes!"
"No!"
The audience responded enthusiastically.
In the contestant area.
Xu Yixuan, who had successfully advanced to the points round, was in a great mood. Looking at the packed stands, she remarked with emotion
"This is too exaggerated. There was hardly anyone here the first two days, but as soon as you showed up, it filled up completely."
This wasn't some venue for a few thousand people; these were stands that could hold eighty thousand!
"Everyone is here to see Lubao," Qiao Sang smiled.
Hearing this, Xu Yixuan paused, seemingly thinking of something, and asked, "Do we count as friends?"
"We do," Qiao Sang replied, puzzled. "Why?"
"Then I want to ask a favor of you," Xu Yixuan said.
Qiao Sang became wary. "Tell me what it is first."
Xu Yixuan leaned in and whispered, "If we face each other in the points round, could you please not send out Ice Lugia?"
Qiao Sang: "...Okay."
...
A total of 144 contestants competed in the regional qualifiers for the Guwu region.
After the elimination rounds, 72 remained.
According to the points round rules, everyone would initially be divided into 8 groups of 9 people each.
After this round of the points competition, the first-place contestant from each group would advance directly, locking in their spot for the national tournament.
Meanwhile, the bottom three contestants in each group would be eliminated at this stage.
The remaining 5 people from each group would be regrouped to select the top 32 contestants based on points.
The 8 contestants who advanced in the first round would compete in the final stage to determine the top eight of the regional qualifiers.
After two days of competition, the elimination rounds had completely concluded.
Although there were 72 matches in the elimination phase, the regional qualifiers had morning, afternoon, and evening sessions, so two days had been sufficient.
"Next is the group list for the first round of the points competition!" Yi Ao shouted. "Everyone, please look ahead!"
Instantly, enlarged holographic photos of all the advancing contestants appeared on the field.
The people in the contestant area silently covered their faces, unable to bear the sight.
The photos shuffled rapidly and froze after a dozen seconds.
Qiao Sang's gaze swept across quickly, and she soon found the group she had been assigned to.
[Group B: Yuhua Region, Qiao Sang] [Guwu Region, Chen Ye] [Xilu Region, Guan Shuyi] [Lianke Region, Li Hua] [Xilu Region, Bai Binbin] [...] [Lianke Region, Xu Tong] [Lianke Region, Zhang Xueming]
Bai Binbin, Zhang Xueming... Seeing these two familiar names, Qiao Sang quickly pulled out her phone and opened her notes.
[Bai Binbin, Xilu Region, E-rank Beast Tamer] [Note: One high-level pet, Super Evil Drapion. A dual-type Dark and Poison pet with a fierce temperament. Both its claws and tail can release potent toxins. The claws on its arms possess destructive power capable of tearing a car into scrap metal; even without toxins, it can suppress opponents with raw strength.] [High-level Skills: Dark Pulse, Venom Bomb; both suspected to be at the Small Success stage.] [Ability: Sniper. When a pet with this ability hits a vital point, the damage dealt is greater than usual.] [Ability: Poison Point. There is a 30% chance of poisoning an opponent when they use a contact-based skill to attack a pet with this ability.] [One mid-level Normal-type pet, Scythe Mongoose. Agile, with sharp claws as its strongest weapon.] [Ability: Poison Boost. When a pet with this ability is poisoned, its attack power increases.]
Qiao Sang scrolled down the screen.
[Lianke Region, Zhang Xueming, E-rank Beast Tamer] [Note: One high-level Ice-type pet, Ice Sea Lion. The thick blubber on its body can not only resist cold but also reflect enemy attacks.] [High-level Skills: Blizzard, Mount Tai Press.] [Ability: Oblivious. A pet with this ability is not affected by Attract or Taunt, nor does it react to Intimidate.] [One mid-level Fairy-type pet, Mime-Sprite. Fragile; the proficiency of its Attract skill seems very high.] [Ability: Super Luck. With this ability, it is easier to hit the opponent's vital points when attacking.]
It seemed the biggest rivals in the points round would be Bai Binbin and Zhang Xueming... After reviewing their data, Qiao Sang patiently read through the remaining six contestants.
Although the system grouping was random, there were certain backend instructions—for example, each group must have 2 to 3 contestants possessing high-level pets.
This was to ensure the fairness of the grouping, preventing a situation where a contestant with only mid-level pets accidentally made it into the top eight.
Xu Yixuan had entered Group E; she began checking the contestants in her group who only had mid-level pets.
Since every group had contestants with high-level pets, dreaming of taking first place in the group to advance directly to the nationals was out of the question.
However, as long as she ensured she stayed in the top six of her group, there was still a chance to make it to the national tournament.
...
The first round of the regional points competition officially began.
As match after match started, discussions erupted in the audience.
"What's that pet called? It looks so huge, yet its speed is actually that fast."
"I think it's called a Twin-Headed Brown Bear. It's big, but look at how developed its leg muscles are."
"This contestant named Zhang Chu is quite interesting; he won the match relying on two Bug-type pets."
"Why are you being a pet-type discriminator? There are no useless types, only useless Beast Tamers."
"You can't put it that way. Bug-type pets generally grow fast in the early stages but have a low ceiling. In the late game, they can't compare to others; they only have a chance to go on a rampage at this current stage."
"Why does that pet look so much like a Void-Reality Grass?"
"It's the evolved form of Void-Reality Grass, the Giant Sincerity Grass."
"I'm impressed! I didn't know a slacker like you knew the evolved forms of pets from other regions."
"Sigh, I'd rather not know it. My last girlfriend suddenly rented a Giant Sincerity Grass, and then we broke up."
"Tsk."
Ninety-five percent of the audience were from the Guwu region. Although most weren't particularly interested in the matches themselves, they had a great appetite for discussing pets from other regions.
As time passed, Qiao Sang's battle for the day began.
High-energy BGM kicked in at the perfect moment.
Once Yi Ao excitedly announced the contestants about to take the field, blue and white lights simultaneously descended upon the contestant area.
As the contestants suddenly appeared on the field, the entire stadium erupted in cheers.
The audience and contestants from other regions were no longer as bewildered as they had been on the first day.
There was no need to specifically research the significance of Ice Lugia to the Guwu region.
After the first day of competition, various pieces of information about Ice Lugia had dominated the headlines of every major news outlet in the Guwu region; it was hard *not* to know.
"Ice Lugia! Ice Lugia!"
"I consulted the Divination Pig yesterday; Qiao Sang will definitely send out Ice Lugia today!"
"Then it's a lock, brother!"
"Qiao Sang! I love you! Let me see Ice Lugia!"
"Everyone, be rational! Qiao Sang's opponent in this match is Zhang Xueming, who has a high-level pet. What if Ice Lugia gets hurt!"
Amidst the intense shouting of the crowd, Lubao and Mime-Sprite appeared on the field.
This time, Qiao Sang wasn't influenced by the audience, but rather by the intelligence she had gathered—Mime-Sprite was female.
(End of Chapter)