The ghostly green flames surged in from all directions, seemingly unavoidable. However, they left a deliberate gap.
Qiao Sang focused on the opening above Lubao and shouted decisively, “Jump!”
Lubao swung her tail against the ground, launching herself into the air with a powerful leap.
The ghostly flames collided midair, producing a deafening explosion.
Seeing this, Xu Yixuan’s heart leaped with joy.
The purpose of releasing the ghost flames wasn’t to strike Ice Qiya directly but to guide it into a specific spot she had intentionally left open!
The match schedule for the group stage had been released the day before, so Xu Yixuan knew she would face Qiao Sang today.
Though she thought the odds of Qiao Sang sending out Ice Qiya in the group stage were slim, Xu Yixuan still devised a strategy to counter it, just in case.
Ice Qiya, being an endangered beast, couldn’t be allowed to sustain visible injuries, or she'd risk a visit to the police station.
Moreover, its healing light ability made it difficult to win without rendering it unconscious. Injuring it severely was too risky, but there was a gentler way to secure victory: Having Dream Phantom lead it into a dream state and then dragging or carrying it out of the battle area.
Just as Lubao leaped into the air, Dream Phantom materialized in front of her, its eerie red eyes glowing ominously.
The audience immediately began buzzing: Follow current ɴᴏᴠᴇʟs on novel[f]ire.net
“Ah! That Dream Phantom was lying in wait for Ice Qiya to jump right into its trap!”
“That’s its signature move, Phantom Glance. Once you’re caught, it’s almost game over.”
“To avoid the ghost flames’ blast radius, Ice Qiya had to jump high, and Xu Yixuan clearly calculated this, positioning Dream Phantom perfectly. With Ice Qiya's current altitude, it’ll take at least two seconds to land, plenty of time to activate the move.”
“No! My Ice Qiya! If it falls into the dream state and crashes down, won’t that hurt?!”
“Wait, look closely! Ice Qiya's eyes are closed!”
In the arena, Lubao soared with her eyes tightly shut, avoiding direct eye contact with Dream Phantom’s red glow.
“Icy Wind.” Qiao Sang called calmly.
“Lu.” Lubao responded, sneaking a peek to confirm Dream Phantom’s location before snapping her eyes shut again. She opened her mouth, releasing a white crystal-like frost that instantly froze Dream Phantom, mere inches away.
Normally, Icy Wind was a low-level ability, and Dream Phantom, a mid-level beast, could typically break free with minimal effort. However, the close range made escape nearly impossible. Combined with Lubao’s increased mastery of the ability, Dream Phantom remained trapped.
Xu Yixuan, unable to see Lubao’s closed eyes from her angle, watched in shock as her carefully laid plan unraveled before her.
How did Phantom Glance fail?!
With no time to dwell on what went wrong, she shouted, “Ghost Flames!”
On the ground, the frozen Dream Phantom twitched its claws.
At that moment, Lubao, now with eyes wide open, swirled a massive stream of water around her tail.
In the blink of an eye, the water-encased tail struck Dream Phantom with tremendous force.
The ice shattered into fragments, scattering in all directions. Dream Phantom was sent flying nearly ten meters away before coming to a shaky halt.
“King of Nightmares!” Xu Yixuan cried out in distress.
“Phan…” Dream Phantom groaned weakly, staggering to its feet.
The audience fell silent, momentarily awed.
“You have to admit, this Dream Phantom is unusually durable for a Ghost-type beast.”
“Do you think Ice Qiya’s tail hurts from hitting so hard?”
“By the way, doesn’t anyone else wonder why Ice Qiya closed its eyes earlier?”
“What’s there to wonder? Qiao Sang must’ve instructed it beforehand.”
“I’ve never seen a Ghost-type beast with this much endurance! The last one I saw was bawling because it hadn’t eaten enough.”
“Xu Yixuan placed third in the province last year. With a reputation like that, it’s no wonder her Dream Phantom is so resilient.”
Before anyone could say more, the referee’s whistle blew.
“The winner: Qiao Sang from Shengshui High School!”
It turned out Dream Phantom had been flung out of bounds.
The man with a bureaucratic face in the audience froze, his earlier confidence now shattered.
Qiao Sang, too, was bewildered.
Why did it have to fly out of bounds?
She sighed, looking at the dazed Dream Phantom as if scolding it for letting her down.
Sensing her disappointment, Dream Phantom turned its head, locking eyes with her.
Why are you so useless? Why did you fly so far? Qiao Sang’s gaze seemed to say.
Dream Phantom, already holding on by a thread, took this as a personal insult and fainted on the spot.
Qiao Sang blinked, then shrugged. At least this might still count toward Lubao’s points.
After the match, Qiao Sang returned to the stands with Lubao in her arms. The audience, however, was too distracted to focus on the next match.
“Did Ice Qiya really close its eyes during the jump?” Xu Yixuan finally asked, unable to hold back.
“Yes.” Qiao Sang replied.
“You planned that beforehand?”
“Yes. Last night, I told Lubao that if she had to act under pressure and couldn’t locate Dream Phantom, she should be ready to close her eyes. Lubao simply understood and executed perfectly.”
“Lu.” Lubao chimed in coolly, as if to say, Basic skills, really.
Xu Yixuan sighed. Chessboard strategies, hers had been one move short.
Then, recalling something, she glanced nervously at Lubao.
“I lost… but I don’t have to report to the police station, right?”