Chapter 1078: Thunder Dragon vs Lightning Hound
Chapter 1078: Thunder Dragon vs Lightning Hound (Combined)
Qiao Sang was taken aback for a moment. "Meichouni is also participating in the match?"
"Xunxun~" Treasure Seeker nodded.
"There's nothing strange about it", Migala said. "Both wild beast companions and bonded familiars can participate in the match. The champion is widely recognized, and there are generous prizes, so most familiars of the appropriate level want to join."
Wild beast companions from all over the city have signed up for the match, so it must be quite popular... Qiao Sang collected her thoughts and looked at Qingbao, saying, "Do your best today. If you have a match in the afternoon, I'll come over after Thunder Dragon's morning match is over."
"Qingqing~"
Without the unpleasant smell, Qingbao was in high spirits and nodded.
However, Treasure Seeker's eyelid twitched, and he shot Qingbao a look that said, "What do we do when the Beastmaster comes?"
Qingbao remained unperturbed and responded with a look: If you really have a match in the afternoon, you can go play in the morning.
Treasure Seeker had an "I should have thought of that" expression and discreetly gave a thumbs-up.
Qingbao accepted it happily.
After Spatial Shifting to the Quicksand Tower and seeing Treasure Seeker and Qingbao leave, Qiao Sang and Teacher Mikara Spatial Shifted to the entrance of Mulei Stadium with Pengamei.
Almost as soon as they appeared, people and familiars around them turned their attention.
Even Treasure Seeker, who was quite the attention-seeker, didn't get this much attention back when he was around. It seems everyone saw the match from yesterday... Qiao Sang thought as she headed for the Contestant Area's express lane.
Suddenly, a bipedal lizard familiar with a microphone and a man carrying a camera ran over quickly.
"Dudu?" The bipedal lizard familiar asked, then handed the microphone over.
Do I look like I understand you? Qiao Sang remained silent.
Just as Fangy and Steel Treasure were about to translate, the bipedal lizard familiar had a "I almost forgot" expression, handed the camera to the man, and passed the microphone to him.
The man took it naturally and asked, "I'm a reporter from the Beastmaster Storm Channel. Can I ask you and Thunder Dragon a few questions?"
Isn't he the cameraman? How did he become a reporter... Qiao Sang thought to herself but said, "Sure."
"Do you have anything to say about Thunder Dragon defeating a higher-ranked Fire Shell Snail yesterday?" the man asked.
"No", Qiao Sang shook her head.
The man: "...Didn't you say you would answer questions?"
Qiao Sang's tone was sincere, "I really don't have anything to say about that."
The man: "..."
"Dudu", the bipedal lizard familiar called out, holding the camera.
The man, after hearing this, pointed the microphone at Thunder Dragon and asked, "Do you have anything to say about winning against the Fire Shell Snail yesterday?"
Thunder Dragon glanced at him and turned his head away, clearly uninterested in answering.
"Tingbao", Qiao Sang called.
"Tingting." Little Tingbao reluctantly turned back and called out, indicating he had nothing to say. After all, it was yesterday's match.
"Dudu."
The bipedal lizard familiar translated.
The man looked embarrassed and asked again, "How did you two meet?"
"Tingting." Thunder Dragon called out without hesitation.
She chose me before I was even born.
Despite not wanting to answer, Thunder Dragon was willing to do so because Qiao Sang was patient enough to answer others' questions... Migala, watching this scene, recalled the past when she was young and "Debt Dragon" was interviewed, looking annoyed and walking away. She felt a mix of emotions.
At this moment, her phone vibrated repeatedly.
Migala took it out and saw a series of voice messages from "Debt Dragon." Her lips twitched.
She didn't listen to the messages but immediately transferred some money and put the phone back in her bag.
However, this time, the mobile phone continued to vibrate.
Migala took out the mobile phone.
It was a call.
The caller ID read: Debt Dragon.
Migala paused for a moment, then moved to a spot a bit further from Qiao Sang before answering the call.
"Dragon King?"
...
Half an hour later.
Inside Mulei Stadium.
"Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the Bonding Contest match!" the host announced loudly from the field.
"After four days of intense matches, we have determined the 16 remaining contestants!"
"Over these few days, we've witnessed the harmony between humans and familiars, as well as the lack thereof in some cases. I believe everyone has reconsidered their bond relationships by the end of the matches. However, harmony can be cultivated through interaction, which is one of the purposes of these matches—to help everyone identify issues between themselves and their familiars..."
The host continued to speak at length, clearly more verbose than in previous rounds of the matches.
After about ten minutes, he said:
"Today, for the 16 to 8 match, we will not use a unified battle format. Instead, contestants will take the stage one by one to determine the final eight."
In other words, there were too few contestants.
The initial intermediate familiar matches were short, and if all contestants were to battle at once, even with cameras on each battlefield, the time would be insufficient. To extend the live stream, it was best to have contestants compete in groups.
The same format would be used for the following rounds.
The on-site coordinator had already informed all contestants of this arrangement before the match began.
Qiao Sang took a seat in the front row of the contestant area, waiting patiently.
The contestant pairings were determined by guest draw.
Fujian drew "Qiao Sang, Thunder Dragon", and Railway Justice drew "Yu Shike, Lightning Hound."
The Lightning Hound, an Intermediate Electric Beast, had a strong attraction to fast-moving objects, often chasing vehicles or other familiars on the road... Qiao Sang recalled the information about his opponent’s familiar and sighed inwardly:
Another Intermediate Beast...
In the previous match, Thunder Dragon had been lucky, activating its multiple scales trait and benefiting from the opponent’s Flame Wall, which intensified its attacks and secured the win.
Now, all remaining contestants likely knew about Thunder Dragon’s multiple scales trait. This match would not be as fortunate.
There were so few Intermediate Beasts, and his luck was so poor that he had encountered two in a row before even reaching the top ten...
Little Tingbao hung around Qiao Sang’s neck, showing little interest in his opponent, seemingly unaware of the gravity of the situation.
The match proceeded smoothly.
Battles between initial Intermediate Beasts were quick, usually concluding within five minutes.
Qiao Sang watched with interest.
Although the familiars’ levels were low and the commands issued by their Beastmasters were unremarkable, these familiars were new to Blue Star and Supernest, making them quite intriguing.
Soon, after a green monkey-like familiar fell to the ground, the host announced:
"Next up are Contestant Qiao Sang and Contestant Thunder Dragon, as well as Contestant Yu Shike and Contestant Lightning Hound!"
Under the watchful eyes of the audience, Qiao Sang and Thunder Dragon took their positions on the field.
A black-haired, black-eyed man, around 20 years old, led a yellow, short-limbed, lightning-tailed canine familiar, roughly 80 centimeters in size, to the other side of the field.
In the stands, the audience began to buzz:
"How did Thunder Dragon end up paired with another Intermediate Beast again?"
"Bad luck, I guess, but it's not a sure loss. Yesterday, Thunder Dragon won against the fire shell snail under Qiao Sang’s command, didn’t it?"
"Is the Lightning Hound stronger than the Fire Shell Snail?"
"Qiao Sang really drew the short straw. Dragon-type Beast Companions are generally arrogant. Didn't the news say that a prodigy Beastmaster bonded with a Dragon-type Beast Companion, then lost in a battle competition? The Dragon-type Beast Companion didn't break the bond but moved to a different place to live alone. During the mediation, it directly said its Beastmaster was too weak and unworthy. What do you think will happen if Qiao Sang loses this match? Will the Thunder Dragon still bond with her?"
"It will definitely still bond with her. Qiao Sang is clearly a prodigy-level contestant. Otherwise, the Thunder Dragon wouldn't have been able to defeat the Fire Shell Snail yesterday. From her demeanor, it's obvious she's from a wealthy family. Dragon-type Beast Companions look for two things in a Beastmaster: wealth and talent. She has both."
"That's not always the case. The prodigy Beastmaster in the news also met those requirements."
"Don't forget, this Thunder Dragon is Blue Star's familiar. Its personality might be a bit better than the Dragon-type Beast Companions we have here."
Amid the chatter, the number "3" appeared on the field.
The Mechanical Voice began its countdown:
"3, 2, 1, Match Begins."
Almost simultaneously, both the Thunder Dragon and the Lightning Hound were enveloped in Yellow Lightning Arcs, which converged and struck forward.
Qiao Sang quickly assessed the power of the Lightning Hound's Discharge and made a split-second decision:
"Dodge."
The Thunder Dragon instinctively moved to the side at her command.
Two yellow lightning bolts, one thick and one thin, collided in mid-air. The thicker yellow lightning quickly overpowered the thinner one and struck the Thunder Dragon's original position.
"Bang!"
The lightning missed its target.
"Flash of Lightning", Yu Shike said.
"Discharge around you", Qiao Sang said almost 0.1 seconds after the opponent's command.
Flash of Lightning has an extremely strong burst, and with the Thunder Dragon's speed, it was impossible to dodge. The best strategy was to wait until the opponent was close and then release the lightning.
The Lightning Hound's limbs tensed, and a white glow appeared around its body as it shot forward like a white lightning bolt.
At the same time, Yellow Lightning Arcs appeared on the Thunder Dragon's body.
When the "white lightning" was about three meters away from the Thunder Dragon, it suddenly jumped upward, the white glow disappearing to reveal the shadow of the Lightning Hound.
Simultaneously, Yellow Lightning Arcs condensed around its body.
Qiao Sang's pupils dilated, and she shouted:
"Move!"
The Thunder Dragon tried to move, but the speed of the lightning was too fast.
Just as the Thunder Dragon began to shift, the yellow lightning power shot out from the Lightning Hound, striking the Thunder Dragon with a loud "bang."
"Tingting!"
The Thunder Dragon let out a painful cry.
Yu Shike's face showed a look of surprise.
"Lightning Freak."
The Lightning Hound wore a smug expression, as if to say, "You still got hit by me."
Qiao Sang felt a thrill. The Lightning Hound had somehow managed to convert the Flash of Lightning into a Discharge mid-action. This was a sensation she hadn't experienced in the previous matches.
Her gaze fell on Yu Shike's face, and she became even more certain of her thoughts:
The sudden skill change was the Lightning Hound's own idea!
In the guest area:
"During the Flash of Lightning, the Lightning Hound jumped into the air and converted the skill into a Discharge, successfully attacking the Thunder Dragon. It's unclear whether this was a pre-planned strategy by Yu Shike or a spontaneous decision by the Lightning Hound", Fujian Reflection commented.
"Whoever came up with this idea, I can only say it was well done."
"Railway Justice."
Railway Justice nodded.
Feodor said,
"I think it was Lightning Hound's own idea. It must have seen the electric arc on Thunder Dragon and understood Qiao Sang Contestant's intentions, so it switched from a close-range attack to a ranged attack."
In Flame Sky Star, during battles between Professional Beastmasters, many familiars often change their attack methods on the fly based on the match situation, and the results are often excellent.
Migala thought to herself, Qiao Sang has finally encountered a familiar like this...
In the Intergalactic Match, Flame Sky Star's Professional Beastmasters are the most troublesome.
And the reason they are troublesome often lies with their familiars.
Whether it's Blue Star or other planets, when familiars don't follow the Beastmaster's commands, the result is usually failure.
But it's not like that on Flame Sky Star.
Here, familiars grow up in the environment of battle competitions, developing sharp combat instincts and reaction abilities. They can change their actions in an instant based on the opponent's movements.
This can lead to unexpected results in matches.
And these results are almost always positive.
On the field.
"Electro Maniac..."
Lightning Hound, who had been smirking, suddenly frowned and looked at the distant opponent.
The Thunder Dragon, which had been howling in pain, suddenly stopped, blinking its eyes under the lightning power, as if it had encountered something it couldn't understand.
The yellow lightning dissipated, and it was unharmed.
"Tingting!"
Thunder Dragon was initially stunned, but then yellow lightning arcs rapidly appeared on its body, converging into a powerful strike aimed at Lightning Hound.
The power of the lightning seemed even stronger than before.
Yu Shike realized things were not good.
Lightning Rod Trait! Qiao Sang's eyes lit up.
A familiar with the Lightning Rod Trait can resist electric attribute moves and even boost its special attack power when hit by electric-type skills!
He hadn't expected Thunder Dragon to have this Trait.
If that's the case, there's nothing to fear from an electric attribute familiar like Lightning Hound!
As this thought flashed through his mind, Lightning Hound quickly dodged, avoiding the lightning attack.
"Keep Discharging!" Qiao Sang commanded.
"Tingting!"
Yellow lightning arcs appeared on Thunder Dragon's body, continuously striking Lightning Hound.
Lightning Hound, now aware of Thunder Dragon's Trait, didn't counterattack immediately but instead dodged clumsily.
This Thunder Dragon actually has the Lightning Rod Trait. Could it be that it will once again succeed in a higher-level challenge... The audience watched the match intently.
"Flash of Lightning!" Yu Shike called out.
"Electro Maniac!"
Lightning Hound transformed into a white lightning bolt, darting left and right to avoid the incoming yellow lightning strikes, charging towards Thunder Dragon.
In the guest area.
"Thunder Dragon has the Lightning Rod Trait, so Lightning Hound's electric-type moves are ineffective against it and even increase Thunder Dragon's special attack power", Fujian explained.
"Lightning Hound is now using Flash of Lightning, a normal skill. It can dodge attacks with high-speed movement and also take the opportunity to attack. Contestant Yu Shike's command is very appropriate."
(End of Chapter)
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