Chapter 765: Bouncebear
Chapter 765: Bouncebear (Combined)
6:25 PM.
Open-air Beastmaster Arena.
Contestant Area.
Many eyes were fixed on the Redfamiliar, whose appearance had clearly changed from the last time it was seen.
Fangy held its head high, relishing the attention.
Birit hesitated for a moment before finally asking, "Where did you get the new look?"
Qiao Sang paused before replying, "At Pet Elegance Salon on Kulgar Street 221."
Birit also paused, then said, "It looks great, really stands out."
Are you serious... Qiao Sang turned to look at Birit with a complex expression.
To be honest, if she hadn't invested in that Pet Elegance Salon, she might never have gone there a second time.
Fangy, usually so handsome, now had a head that looked like a rocket.
Fangy, hearing the conversation, puffed out its chest even more.
It was very satisfied with its new look.
Birit resisted the urge to look at Flame Kiru and returned to the main topic. "Are you confident about the upcoming match?"
"I'm confident, but not absolutely so", Qiao Sang said.
It wasn't that she lacked confidence, but the remaining three opponents, aside from their Familiar Skills proficiency, were stronger than her in every other aspect.
Especially in terms of hand speed...
Thinking about this, Qiao Sang raised her hand and began practicing her seals.
Birit looked at her, then smiled in satisfaction.
At that moment, the Announcer's enthusiastic voice echoed throughout the arena. "Ladies and gentlemen! Welcome to the Beastmaster Star Tournament! Tonight! We will witness the Semi-finals of this year's Beastmaster Star Tournament! Who will be the two contestants to reach the final?"
Cheers and shouts erupted, with everyone cheering for their favorite contestants.
"Let's look at the big screen!" the Announcer continued.
As he spoke, the Giant Virtual Screen in the center of the Arena displayed four photos.
The photos quickly alternated.
After ten seconds, they settled.
Qiao Sang looked at her opponent's photo. It was a square-faced man with thick eyebrows and dark red hair.
Compared to other well-groomed Star Beastmasters, he exuded a rugged charm.
Just then, Birit's voice sounded.
"Vakher, a C-Class Professional Beastmaster. Unlike the other contestants, he specializes in combat-type Familiars. All his Bonded Beast Companions are combat-type, making him an expert in this category."
"I know", Qiao Sang said seriously.
She had done her research. Her opponent had participated in various Fighting-type Pet Beast matches and later gained fame by defeating a Psychic Pet with a Fighting-type Pet in the Beast Arena Championship.
To win a Psychic Pet of the same level with a Fighting-type Pet, this opponent was definitely not to be underestimated.
Birit spoke calmly, "Just stick to your rhythm and don't let him throw you off."
Qiao Sang nodded. "I understand."
Without waiting for the staff, she picked up Fangy and walked toward the passage.
With only four contestants left, including herself, there was no need for a long wait. Her turn would come soon.
...
Fifteen minutes later.
The Announcer's voice echoed through the passage.
"Next up are contestants Vakher and Qiao Sang!"
Qiao Sang waved her hand, summoning Fangy back into the Beastmaster Codex, and walked out of the passage.
At the same time, Vakher waved to the audience stands and strode confidently into the arena.
Cheers and shouts erupted immediately.
The battle hadn't even started, and the audience was already boiling over with excitement.
The semifinalists were officially announced last night, and almost everyone who managed to grab a ticket today is a fan of one of them.
"Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!"
"Vakher! Vakher!"
"Qiao Sang! Check your private messages!"
"Vakher! Never give up in battle!"
While Qiao Sang and Vakher's fans were the most vocal, the fans of the other two contestants remained relatively calm.
"Do you think Qiao Sang will use Flame Kiru in this match?"
"Probably, they've already done the special styling for it. If it doesn't fight, wouldn't that be a waste?"
"Speaking of which, that styling is really unique! Where did they get it done?"
"Who knows? If you like it, just take a photo and find a familiar beauty salon to replicate it."
"Who do you think will win between Qiao Sang and Vakher?"
"Qiao Sang, I think. Her familiars have diverse and rare attributes. Not to mention Iceapura and Flame Kiru, just that Ghost Ring King alone could take out two opponents in one go."
"True, Ghost-type and Psychic-type familiars have the advantage over Combat-type familiars. All of Vakher's familiars are Combat-type, so they're basically at a disadvantage."
"It's hard to say. While Vakher's familiars are all Combat-type, not all of them have only Combat-type attributes. The Ghost Ring King is indeed fragile, but if it gets hit by a non-Combat-type Ultimate Move, the match could be over."
"The Ghost Ring King isn't that fragile."
"I've seen Vakher's famous match. He was getting crushed in the early stages, but then he used one move to defeat his opponent. It wasn't that the Ghost Ring King was fragile; it was that Vakher's Combat-type familiars have incredibly powerful Ultimate Moves."
Amid the chatter, a mechanical voice announced:
"3, 2, 1, Match Begins!"
The audience stands fell silent.
...
On the field.
Qiao Sang's hands moved swiftly to form seals.
Her seal-forming movements had become a muscle memory, requiring no extra thought.
Two Amber Star Arrays lit up almost simultaneously on the field.
I actually didn't lag behind... Qiao Sang was pleasantly surprised.
She had braced herself for another disadvantageous start.
The speed of her seals has improved so much... Vakher was taken aback.
As the most prominent contestant in recent times, it was hard for him to ignore his opponent. Almost everyone had told him that if he faced Qiao Sang, he needed to deal a heavy blow right from the first move.
A figure with a brown and white body appeared within the Amber Star Array.
Qiao Sang didn't have time to see its true form before it rolled forward, condensing white light into a large, spherical shape and rolling towards her at an incredible speed.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker appeared at about the same time, so it wasn't panicked.
It grinned and, in the next second, appeared high in the air.
The white spherical object didn't stop rolling. It traced a semicircular path on the ground, then bounced back and forth, growing higher with each bounce.
A General-Class Combat-type and Dark-type dual-attribute familiar, Bouncebear... Even though its true form wasn't visible yet, Qiao Sang recognized its profile.
Bouncebear, known for its aggressive and impulsive nature, solves problems with brute force. Its body is highly elastic, allowing it to bounce higher and higher. If left to bounce for a long time, it can reach heights of several hundred meters...
Qiao Sang's expression grew serious.
If that was all it could do, it wouldn't be much of a problem. But she had watched Vakher's match a couple of days ago.
He enjoyed using Bouncebear's Bounce Trait along with Mountain Crush.
Moreover, Bouncebear had Dark-type Skills, which were particularly effective against Ghost-type opponents. If it hit Treasure Seeker with a Bounce Trait-boosted Mountain Crush, it might be an instant kill...
He couldn't let the opponent control the rhythm of the battle...
...
Meanwhile, as the Ghost Ring King appeared high in the sky, the audience in the stands first froze in surprise before bursting into laughter.
"Ha ha ha ha..."
"Ha ha ha! What's up with Ghost Ring King's hairstyle?"
"Whoever styled it must be a genius!"
The Ghost Ring King's golden hair was tied into two small pigtails, standing symmetrically on its head.
A hairstyle that was common in children looked particularly comical on a General-Class Beast Companion, especially one known for its eerie nature.
At that moment, no one felt the Ghost Ring King was a Ghost-type Beast Companion.
"Phew!"
In the Contestant Area, Birit, who had just taken a sip of water, immediately spat it out.
...
On the field.
Bouncebear bounced higher and higher, almost reaching the same height as Treasure Seeker.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker teleported to the spot where Bouncebear had just jumped from, about to use 2D Shadow Control to connect with it.
At that moment, Bouncebear's descent speed suddenly increased.
Treasure Seeker sensed the danger and, unable to use Shadow Control in time, vanished from its spot.
"Bang!"
The next second, a massive crater appeared on the ground.
"Xunxun..."
Treasure Seeker, now several dozen meters away, looked at the crater, patted its chest, and showed a "scared to death" expression.
Bouncebear bounced out of the crater, soared into the sky, and landed in a flat area when it came back down.
"Bouncebear detected Ghost Ring King's approach! It used Mountain Crush while falling!" the Announcer explained professionally. "It seems Vakher has done his homework, knowing not to let Ghost Ring King get close to shadows. How will Qiao Sang respond?"
Vakher smiled.
Ghost Ring King's most troublesome moves were Shadow Control and Hypnosis.
As long as Bouncebear kept bouncing and moving, Ghost Ring King couldn't control it. Hypnosis, despite being a Mid-Rank Skill, had an extremely high proficiency. In this match, even a two-second Hypnosis could change the outcome. However, with Bouncebear's bouncing speed, it was nearly impossible to make eye contact for Hypnosis.
There was a chance in this match!
He couldn't let the opponent control the rhythm any longer... Qiao Sang said seriously:
"3D Expansion!"
3D Expansion? Vakher's brow furrowed, and he instinctively became alert.
Qiao Sang either gave no commands or commands that had a critical impact.
"Xunxun!"
Treasure Seeker heard its Beastmaster's voice and called out.
Then, a six-meter-tall Ghost Ring King, also with two small pigtails, appeared on the field.
The entire audience burst into laughter again.
This... Seeing Treasure Seeker use Dark Shadow, Qiao Sang's lips twitched.
Vakher's gaze involuntarily moved to the head of the giant Ghost Ring King, and his attention was somewhat diverted.
Just as his attention was distracted, the towering Ghost Ring King extended its Short Toe.
At the same time, Qiao Sang's voice rang out, "Block!"
Two shadows, each a meter wide, suddenly emerged from the ground and quickly split apart.
Dozens of one-meter-wide shadows shot up into the sky, crisscrossing and extending wildly!
And at that moment, Bouncebear had just landed on the ground!
This was a pre-arranged trap using Shadow Control to form a net in the air, waiting for Bouncebear to walk into it! Vakher, regaining his focus, instantly understood Qiao Sang's intention.
He wanted to speak, but Bouncebear, moving so fast it was a blur, shot up in an instant, making direct contact with the net of interwoven shadows.
Almost immediately, the edges of the dozens of shadows converged downward, surrounding it.
The net of shadows above, impacted by Bouncebear, bulged into a spherical shape.
As the shadows were about to completely envelop Bouncebear, Vakher shouted loudly, "Roll!"
Qiao Sang, hearing the other's voice, was momentarily stunned, thinking, "Why is he swearing now?"
However, Bouncebear fell at a speed even faster than the shadows' enveloping, breaking through the only exit.
This time, it didn't bounce back up but instead began rolling rapidly along the ground.
Qiao Sang: "……"
So that's what he meant by 'roll'...
"Ghost Ring King used Shadow Control to form a net above Bouncebear!" the announcer exclaimed. "Although Bouncebear didn't get caught in the net, it changed its trajectory and started rolling on the ground!"
"Block again!" Qiao Sang called out.
"Xunxun~"
Treasure Seeker moved its Short Toe.
The towering Ghost Ring King synchronized its movements.
The interwoven shadows above began to spread rapidly, expanding the range of the net.
At the same time, dozens of shadow edges suddenly surged toward the ground.
The white light on Bouncebear didn't dissipate, and it rolled like a massive white ball, weaving through the falling shadows.
"Bang!"
The shadows struck the ground, shattering the arena where they made contact.
The shadows rose from the ground and repeatedly stabbed at Bouncebear.
The rhythm was off... Seeing that the shadows had already covered a third of the arena and were spreading downward in arcs, Vakher felt a tightening in his chest.
Now, the area in which Bouncebear could roll was shrinking due to the continuous attacks. If this continued, Bouncebear would eventually be controlled by Shadow Control...
The rhythm of this battle needed to be reclaimed!
With this thought, Vakher didn't hesitate and shouted, "Close-Range Ambush!"
There was no skill called Close-Range Ambush; there was only a high-rank dark-type skill called Critical Ambush... The other side was going to move in close and then use Critical Ambush... Qiao Sang quickly analyzed the meaning behind this command.
Since he was certain the other side would move to Treasure Seeker's current position, this was also an opportunity...
Qiao Sang's gaze was fixed on the arena, not daring to let his guard down.
"Bouncebear!"
Bouncebear suddenly shot up from the ground again.
But in the instant it rose, several more identical figures appeared in the air, also rising.
The shadows fell, hitting a few of the spherical figures.
The spherical figures instantly dissipated.
At this moment, Treasure Seeker was below the net of interwoven shadows in the air.
Three spherical figures, moving so fast they were blurs, broke through the shadows' assault and charged at Treasure Seeker from three different directions.
(End of Chapter)
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