Beast Taming: I Can Add Points

”It’s starting! It’s starting!”

”The final match is actually a showdown between a mutt and a stray cat, huh? Is this what they call fate?”

”What do you mean, ’stray cat’? It has a proper name, the Huajing Cat! Its Evolutionary Type is Shadow of Ancient Jing.”

”Doesn’t the ’mutt’ also have a proper name, the Yu Dian Dog? But you guys still call it a mutt all day long...”

”A mutt is a mutt. But cats are different. Kitties are so cute~”

The Yu Dian Dog and the Huajing Cat were the two Pet Beasts most familiar to all the students, and also the two most widely distributed Pet Beasts in the Yu Dian District.

However, due to popular preference, the gap in their public standing was just a *smidge* large.

The Huajing Cat was often associated with elegance, obedience, and cuteness... whereas the Yu Dian Dog was a silly little mutt. Even after evolving into a Yu Dian Farm Dog, it was just a silly big mutt.

”The Real-time Energy Values for both sides are so high. I feel like this match is going to be a nail-biter. Uh, but then again, every match has been a nail-biter, so I guess that was pointless to say...”

”I don’t think so. Cyan already showed its strength in the last doubles match. It was practically flawless. I’m leaning more toward Cyan winning.”

”+1... Even though Yu Bao is an Earth and Fire Dual Element type, which counters Cyan to some extent, the Yu Dian Farm Dog specializes in offense and defense, while the Shadow of Ancient Jing excels at control and offense. That’s a counter on the level of playstyle, which is even more fatal.”

”You have a point, but Yu Bao’s Beast Tamer is Su Zhi.”

”Speaking of which, during his self-introduction yesterday... what did Su Zhi say Yu Bao specializes in again?”

[Specializes in Control Field, non-contact combat, and mobile warfare.]

Wang Haokun mentally chewed over the three terms Su Zhi had used, his gaze fixed on the Yu Bao sitting primly on the ground opposite him. The corner of his mouth twitched slightly.

’It’s not that they’re completely unrelated... it’s just that they’re poles apart.’

’None of those three fighting styles fit the profile of a Pet Beast like the Yu Dian Dog.’

His imagination was coming up a bit short.

”Hee hee.” Yu Bao flashed a bright, cheerful smile.

’To think that my opponent in the last match would also be a Shadow of Ancient Jing. This must be the arrangement of fate.’

’If I pretend I’m Brother Xiaoyue and give it a good thrashing, it’ll feel so good, right...? Ahem, how could I think that? I, Yu Bao, am clearly Brother Xiaoyue’s loyal little bro.’

Xiaoyue watched from a distance, its paws tucked in, its expression completely blank.

’I can’t shake the feeling... some treacherous subject is plotting against me!’

Cyan: ”...”

”Mrow?” Cyan asked Wang Haokun for instructions through the Beast Taming Space.

The atmosphere of the fifth match was the most peculiar. A full minute had passed since it began, yet neither side had made a move.

If the opponent were an ordinary Yu Dian Farm Dog, it would be fine. Cyan would just need to maintain its distance and focus on control. It might even be possible to win a war of attrition using only Deep Forest Grip.

However, that dumb little dog on the other side seemed to be full of mischievous ideas.

’And the way he’s looking at me feels... a little off...’

’My instincts are screaming that a rash attack would play right into Yu Bao’s hands... I have no desire to be cast as some low-IQ side character!’

”Continue the stalemate. Have Deep Forest Grip ready to cast at any moment.”

Wang Haokun also chose the safest approach.

Having reached the final round, he was actually under a lot of pressure. Su Zhi’s ”unpredictability” factor, in particular, made him a more difficult opponent than those whose strengths were clear and obvious.

’I’d rather cede the initiative than play sloppily and give them an opening to exploit.’

Wang Haokun suddenly felt a pang of regret. ’If only I’d also taken the route of custom-training my Pet Beast like Su Zhi,’ he thought. This feeling of being roasted over a fire by an information gap was truly awful.

’After we get back, I’ll have Cyan learn some off-curriculum Skills...’

WHOOSH!

A storm of sand and dust suddenly roiled up from the other side. A massive cloud of it swirled around Yu Bao before sweeping toward them in a single wave.

Wang Haokun’s eyes shot wide open.

’It’s a Sandstorm!’

’So fast, and without any wind-up... It has to be at least a Tier Two Sandstorm!’

He could even faintly see specks of Mars mixed in with the sand and dust. They were two conflicting Elements, yet they blended together without the slightest disharmony.

Even after evolution, the Yu Dian Dog had relatively few Earth and Fire Dual Skills. Aside from the Racial Skill, Yanhuang Blessing, most of its Skills were single-Attribute.

But Yu Bao had actually fused Fire Element Energy into the Sandstorm, developing a new variation!

”Deep Forest Grip! Contract the vines to defend! Look for a chance to counterattack!”

Despite his amazement, Wang Haokun ordered Cyan to counter without any hesitation.

While the strategy of holding their ground ceded the offensive initiative, it provided the greatest assurance that they wouldn’t be forced into a passive position while defending.

The instant Yu Bao made its move, Cyan followed up. Several vines spiraled, intertwining and overlapping to form a dense, airtight barrier.

WHOOSH—

The storm of Fire and sand howled as it swept over the barrier of vines.

Grit hammered against the plant’s surface, instantly scouring the tough exterior into a blur. Flames descended, immediately setting them alight. Before long, almost all the vines were dotted with points of Mars, like flowers blooming in an instant—a strange and beautiful sight.

But under Cyan’s airtight defense, the Sandstorm’s attack didn’t reach its body. Only a small amount of sand seeped through the cracks between the vines.

’No... the sand that seeped in should have been at the end of its momentum. It’s impossible for it to still be moving this fast!’

Wang Haokun immediately realized what was happening. ”Cyan! Use Flying Leaf Storm on that clump of sand!”

”Mrow!” A pale green Light Array immediately lit up around Cyan. Gleaming green leaves shot out one after another, blanketing the entire area in an instant.

The moment Yu Bao materialized, it found itself surrounded by the Flying Leaf Storm. It quickly used its Sand Manipulation Technique to maintain its balance while simultaneously summoning a Quicksand Shield to block all the incoming leaves.