Chapter 49: The Smell of Money

Chapter 49: The Smell of Money

Could this be a relative of the investor?

Everyone quickly dismissed the thought.

Investors were incredibly wealthy; a relative wouldn't likely be contracting nothing more than a Caterpie...

Qiao Sang felt relieved.

She didn't know how the first battle went, but this should be Fang Sisi's first official match with Caterpie. As long as nothing went wrong, it would be a good start.

"Fire Fang, who do you think will win?" Qiao Sang asked.

Contestant No. 12's pet was a Sand Rat, which specialized in self-defense and evasion.

Meanwhile, Caterpie was synonymous with weakness; before its evolution, it was basically at the bottom of the power rankings among junior pets.

If nothing unexpected happened, it was impossible for Fang Sisi to win.

Qiao Sang only asked Fire Fang so it could observe the situation on the field and develop the ability to judge the skill levels of both sides.

"Ya."

Fire Fang barked, pointing its paw toward Fang Sisi.

Qiao Sang: "..."

Is Fire Fang's eyesight really that bad?!

"Why?" Qiao Sang couldn't help but ask.

"Ya ya."

Fire Fang explained with its slightly raspy voice.

This person had just praised it for being handsome.

Qiao Sang breathed a sigh of relief.

At least it wasn't bad eyesight...

"Contestant No. 12, Zhang Shuo, is 16 years old this year and already has one year of beast-taming experience. His opponent is contestant Fang Sisi, who only recently became a beast-tamer. Sha Duo, what do you think the direction of this match will be?" the middle-aged commentator with slicked-back hair asked the handsome young man beside him.

In normal pet competitions, commentators are divided into lead and co-commentators.

The lead commentator usually has good vision and a silver tongue, responsible for the frantic real-time reporting of the match's progress.

The co-commentator is mostly a guest invited by the organizers, often someone with their own following.

They are basically responsible for analyzing strategies and tactics from a professional perspective to help the audience understand the match.

The guest invited for this Baixin Tournament was the recently popular Sha Duo.

In a recent tournament in the Yuhua region, he had won over the audience with his handsome looks and a spirit that refused to give up until the very last moment.

Although he ultimately stopped at the top 24, his popularity was higher than some of the top 10 contestants.

"I think..."

Before Sha Duo could voice his opinion, the match had already ended.

He continued, "It seems I don't need to say anything."

At the very start of the match, the Sand Rat burrowed directly into the ground, and the Caterpie was left standing there blankly before being ambushed and knocked unconscious by the Sand Rat emerging from the earth.

Qiao Sang put away her phone, which she had been using to record, and checked the time.

21 seconds.

It wasn't entirely unexpected...

Fang Sisi returned to her seat with Caterpie and let out a long sigh. "I lost so miserably."

Qiao Sang nodded. "It was a bit miserable."

Fire Fang didn't speak, but it nodded a few times in agreement.

Fang Sisi: "..."

As her best friend, shouldn't she be comforting her?!

"However, Caterpie isn't naturally at an advantage at this stage. Once you evolve it into a Flabébé, the opponent shouldn't be a match for you," Qiao Sang said.

Fang Sisi looked at the plump Caterpie and felt somewhat comforted.

She hadn't planned on going very far in this competition; she just came to join the fun and gain some experience.

Fang Sisi quickly adjusted her mindset.

She pointed at the match for Group 7 and laughed, "Hahaha, that Deepwater Turtle is so silly, just standing there like an idiot letting people hit it."

Qiao Sang: "..."

Had she forgotten that Caterpie had also stood there motionless before being taken out...

The matches were mostly uninteresting.

Most of the audience consisted of the contestants' friends and family, and as the number of contestants dwindled, the stands emptied significantly.

But soon, spectators who had just left returned to their seats upon hearing the discussions.

"Oh my god, it's a Little Rhino!"

"Which young master came here to play?"

"Didn't you hear the host? His name is Lu You."

"Among the Lu families in Hanggang, who else besides the Lu Group could be this wealthy?"

"The Lu Group is one of the investors for this competition, right? Did they invest just for their young master?"

The battles between F-rank beast-tamers didn't attract them, but an unevolved Dragon-type pet brought them all back.

Qiao Sang stared intently at the Little Rhino on the field.

This was her first time seeing a Dragon-type pet in person.

These scales...

These claws...

These horns...

Every single detail exuded the smell of money...

The match on the field went without a hitch, with the Little Rhino securing a victory with absolute dominance.

There was a reason why the Dragon-type was widely recognized as the strongest attribute.

Whether in defense or attack, they far exceeded ordinary pets.

Fortunately, they were rare, grew slowly, and had long evolution cycles; otherwise, they really wouldn't leave any room for ordinary beast-tamers to survive.

"Contestant No. 67, Lu You, has just achieved an impressive victory. It seems he is a seeded contestant for this competition," the commentator praised Lu You.

Qiao Sang agreed with the second half of the sentence, but the first half was quite exaggerated.

Although the Little Rhino was a Dragon-type, it was still a junior pet.

It was clear it hadn't undergone much training; they had traded ultimate moves for two rounds, and it eventually won using Dragon Claw, a high-attack skill.

Compared to the previous matches, it was quite exciting, but "impressive" was a stretch.

Qiao Sang put down her phone and watched the video she had just recorded.

If they continued to win consecutively, there was a high probability they would become opponents later on.

As a qualified beast-tamer, analyzing opponents and formulating tactics was part of the curriculum.

"Qiao Sang, send me a copy of the video you just recorded. I was too focused on the match to record it," Fang Sisi suddenly said.

"Do you like the Little Rhino too?" Qiao Sang asked.

She had a reason to ask; there had been over 30 matches so far, yet Fang Sisi hadn't thought to record a single one.

"What? The Little Rhino is too ugly, that's why I don't like it. Didn't you notice the Apricot Mushroom just now? It was so cute! Especially that cry it made when it was defeated and fell to the ground—it was so adorable! Hurry, give it to me, I need to watch it again!" Fang Sisi said excitedly.

Qiao Sang: "..."

She had forgotten that Fang Sisi was a sucker for aesthetics...

...

After several more matches, the first F-rank beast-tamer with a mid-level pet finally appeared—Contestant No. 99, Guo Yiqi.

This was a truly overwhelming battle.

With a single flap of its wings, Guo Yiqi's Poisonwing Butterfly scattered toxic powder that instantly knocked out the opponent's White Sand Fox.

Qiao Sang watched the recorded video and took notes in her memo pad.

"What do you think of the Poisonwing Butterfly?" Fang Sisi spoke up from the side.

Qiao Sang was slightly stunned; she hadn't expected Fang Sisi to discuss this with her.

She thought for a moment and said seriously, "Fire types counter Bug types, but they don't counter Poison types. Fortunately, the Poisonwing Butterfly's toxicity isn't high. Fire Fang can use high temperatures to decompose its toxic powder. However, in this match, the butterfly only used its powder and hadn't used other skills yet. I think if we encounter one, we should strike first to gain the advantage; it's better to keep the rhythm in our own hands."

Fang Sisi: "..."

"I wasn't asking you about that. I was asking if you think the Poisonwing Butterfly is pretty."

Qiao Sang: "..."

(End of Chapter)