Chapter 34: Cheering Up

The same venue, the same day, discussing the same people, yet the conversation was completely different.

"How long do you think he can last?"

The "he" wasn't explicitly named as a woman or a man, but those nearby understood exactly who was being discussed.

"Three minutes, maybe."

"I think two."

"With the experience from the first time, it's gotta be at least five minutes."

"Is there no possibility of winning?" asked one of the examinees who had been defeated by Lu Liangye.

"You're still here?" the person who said five minutes turned around in surprise.

The defeated examinee: "...I'm waiting for you guys to finish so I can go back and grab some snacks."

...

"Water Bubbles!"

As Sun Boyi announced the start of the battle, Lu Liangye's expression turned solemn as he issued the command ahead of time.

The Water Ring Channa raised its forelimbs slightly, and dozens of crystal-clear, spherical water bubbles immediately materialized in the air, forming a dense cluster between the Water Ring Channa and the Fire Fang Dog. Blue and red... afterimages were reflected on the transparent bubbles.

"What's wrong with that Fire Fang Dog?!" a cry of astonishment rose from the stands.

In fact, it was the Fire Fang Dog that had launched the attack first. Before the water bubbles could even manifest in the air, the Fire Fang Dog had exerted force with all four limbs and charged out at extreme speed.

The water bubbles subsequently surrounded the Fire Fang Dog.

Fire fears water; some fire-type beasts don't even bathe once a year simply because they hate water and don't want to touch it.

However, the Fire Fang Dog's pace did not falter for a second as it charged resolutely into the center of the water bubbles.

It moved forward at high speed, its positioning exceptionally flashy; not a single one of the dozens of water bubbles managed to touch its fur.

Qiao Sang was not surprised. During this period, the Fire Fang Dog's speed and explosive power had improved significantly. It could almost avoid being touched by a ball even under a Level 4 automatic baseball pitching machine, let alone these slowly floating bubbles in the air.

What use was quantity? At most, they were just stationary obstacles.

The Water Ring Channa was still holding its forelimbs up to control the energy output, and the bubbles not only obscured the Fire Fang Dog's silhouette but also blocked some of the Water Ring Channa's vision.

"Quick, dodge!"

A frantic command from the Beast Tamer suddenly rang in her ear. The Water Ring Channa tried to obey and move out of the way, but before it could lower its forelimbs, it was struck by a violent force and sent flying backward.

"Circle!!"

The Water Ring Channa felt both pain and confusion as it was sent tumbling.

How did it fly out like that?

"Final strike," Qiao Sang spoke her first words of this battle.

A searing flame condensed into the size of an adult's fist and mercilessly smashed toward the still-wailing Water Ring Channa.

The Water Ring Channa struggled for two seconds before falling still.

"Water Ring Channa!"

Lu Liangye rushed toward his pet in a single stride. Seeing no response from the Water Ring Channa, he cried out urgently, "Teacher! Teacher!"

Qin Wen walked over to the Water Ring Channa and said calmly, "It's fine, a little licking will fix it."

With that, she summoned Lick-a-Drop...

...

"Holy crap, did you guys see that just now?"

"I saw it. Lu Liangye didn't even last two minutes."

"That Fire Fang Dog is badass."

"No, it's that Beast Tamer! She didn't even start giving commands, and the Fire Fang Dog already attacked!"

Generally speaking, rookie Beast Tamers like them would follow the opponent's commands for their next move during a battle.

For example, if the opponent said "Spark," they should know whether to have their pet defend, dodge, or launch a counter-skill.

But that girl hadn't even issued an order, yet the Fire Fang Dog had used its "Ram" skill. The subsequent coordination and result clearly showed that the Fire Fang Dog wasn't acting recklessly against her orders, but was attacking with her tacit permission.

This kind of situation had only appeared in high-level matches.

High-level Beast Tamers would study their opponents' pets before a match to formulate a series of signature move combinations, specifically so the opponent wouldn't be able to predict their next move during the fight.

This was also the main reason why most large-scale competitions do not specify who attacks first.

It's for the thrill.

There are also some high-level Beast Tamers who don't use tactics based on research, but rather place full trust in their pets, letting them fight freely and only issuing commands if something unexpected happens or at a critical moment.

However, both of these scenarios are things only high-level Beast Tamers do.

And the girl in front of them was a rookie...

...

"What's her name?" Liu Yao asked.

"Qiao Sang, from Wencheng Junior High," Sun Boyi said, checking the examinee files in his hand.

"I remember Wencheng Junior High had a student recommended to our school this year," Zheng Guoping remarked.

"There was one, named Dai Shushu. Her parents are both ordinary people, so I have a strong impression of her," Sun Boyi replied.

"Ordinary people?! Are there really children born to ordinary people who undergo spontaneous awakening these days? What is her brain development level?" Zheng Guoping looked astonished.

"5%," Sun Boyi said.

"This kid is good. If her middle school entrance exam results are fine, let her into the Elite Beast Taming Class," Liu Yao spoke up.

"I don't think that's a good idea. Even if she's a spontaneously awakened Beast Tamer born to ordinary people, her brain development is only 5%. Our Elite Class was established to contend with Litan; we have to consider all aspects. How is her contracted pet? How is her personal combat ability? And she..." Zheng Guoping trailed off.

Because Sun Boyi was looking at him as if he were an idiot.

"What? Am I wrong?" Zheng Guoping glared back in dissatisfaction.

Sun Boyi spoke leisurely, "The Vice Principal said *if* her middle school entrance exam results are fine. Do you think someone who has been recommended for early admission even needs to take the entrance exam?"

Zheng Guoping: "..."

Oh, so he was talking about that Qiao Sang...

Whether it was the Fire Fang Dog or her own combat performance, it seemed like entering the Elite Class wouldn't be a problem...

But being looked down upon...

It felt terrible...

At this moment, the center of attention, Qiao Sang, was taking out Qi-Source Milk from her backpack for the Fire Fang Dog.

After two battles, she had firmly secured one of the five special recruitment slots for Shengshui Middle School.

But her goal wasn't just one of them; it was first place.

The second and fifth place finishers had to score 50 points higher than the minimum passing score on the entrance exam, while the first-place finisher only needed to meet the minimum passing score.

She was well aware of the difference.

50 points!

How many practice problems would she have to grind through to raise her score by that much!

And now, she was only one step away from that 50-point gap!

The Fire Fang Dog sat leaning against its seat wearing triangular sunglasses, holding the milk with one paw and drinking it quite contentedly.

On the field, the second battle had just begun, featuring the pets Chubby Pigeon and Long-Eared Cat.

"Ya!"

"Ya ya!"

"Ya ya!"

The Fire Fang Dog sat up straight, holding the milk in one paw and waving the other to cheer.

It would cheer for a bit, take a sip of milk, and then continue cheering.

Its cheering subject was the Chubby Pigeon.

The Fat Pigeon at home had a good relationship with it; every time it finished its own plate, it would see the Fat Pigeon and push its energy meal over for it to eat.

As a member of the same species, the Fire Fang Dog naturally had to cheer for the Chubby Pigeon.

"Ya!"

"Ya ya!"

"Ya ya!"

Ten minutes later.

Under the enthusiastic cheering of the Fire Fang Dog, the Chubby Pigeon lost...

(End of Chapter)