Liu Yi turned her head and saw a girl with a ponytail standing beside her, holding a drink.
The girl was wearing a light yellow school uniform, with the words "Chenguang High School" embroidered on her chest.
She didn't have a pet by her side, so it seemed she had already recalled it to her Beast Taming Space.
"Mhm." Liu Yi nodded.
The girl casually sat down in the empty seat beside her and offered another drink: "Want some? It's free in the staging area, berry sparkling water. Tastes pretty good."
"No, thank you." Liu Yi politely declined.
The girl didn't mind, taking a large gulp of her own drink before looking Liu Yi over. "Which school are you from? You look familiar."
"Tianqi Beast Taming High School."
"Oh, from Longwu." The girl nodded, then her eyes widened suddenly. "Wait, you're not Liu Yi, are you? The Beast Tamer of the Silver Snow Fox and Moling Dragon?"
Liu Yi nodded slightly, not denying it.
The girl's eyes lit up, and she immediately leaned closer. "It really is you! I'm Lu Ruili from Chenguang High School, and we're opponents in the first match!"
She spoke, her tone devoid of any nervousness, instead brimming with curiosity and excitement as she scrutinized Liu Yi.
"Is your Silver Snow Fox really that powerful? I saw your Longwu High School Entrance Tournament video on the Beast Tamer Forum, and that Extreme Cold Storm was absolutely incredible! Is it real? Or was the video exaggerated?"
Liu Yi was silent for a second, glancing at her overly friendly opponent.
"It's real."
"Whoa—" Lu Ruili drew out her words, taking another big gulp of sparkling water. "Then I'll have to see it for myself today. But my Iron Claw Weasel isn't bad either; even though it's a Junior pet, Fighting and Steel-type against Ice-type means I have the attribute advantage!"
She winked at Liu Yi, completely lacking any nervousness about the upcoming match, more like she was chatting with a friend.
Liu Yi looked at her, the corner of her mouth curling up a pixel.
"Mhm, good luck."
"Hey, why aren't you nervous at all?" Lu Ruili tilted her head. "This is the National League! The first match! I barely slept last night, tossing and turning while planning tactics, only to wake up this morning and realize I'd forgotten everything, haha!"
Liu Yi didn't answer, her gaze returning to the Sky Colosseum outside the window.
Lu Ruili followed her gaze. The floating islands were slowly moving under the sunlight, their energy shields glowing with a faint blue light, occasionally traversed by staff members riding maglev skateboards.
"By the way," Lu Ruili suddenly lowered her voice, "who are you planning to send out later? Silver Snow Fox or Moling Dragon?"
Liu Yi turned her head, looking at her guileless opponent.
"Guess."
Lu Ruili paused, then burst out laughing. "Good point, good point, tactical secrets! I won't ask then; I'll find out when we're on the field anyway."
She stood up and brushed off imaginary dust from her clothes.
"I need to go get ready. Even though I probably can't beat you, I still need to let my Iron Claw Weasel put on a good show. See you on the field!"
She waved at Liu Yi and turned to walk to the other side of the staging area.
Liu Yi watched her retreating figure, lost in thought.
This opponent was quite interesting.
...
At 9:10 AM, the broadcast in the staging area sounded again.
【Contestants for C-District Battle Zone 7, please proceed to the teleportation point. Repeat, contestants for C-District Battle Zone 7, please proceed to the teleportation point.】
Liu Yi stood up, taking one last look at the Sky Colosseum outside the window.
The sun was just right, and the breeze was gentle.
She took a deep breath and walked towards the teleportation point.
The teleportation point was located at the end of the staging area, a circular platform about three meters in diameter. An electronic screen stood at the edge of the platform, displaying:
【C-District Battle Zone 7 · Teleporting】
【Contestant: Liu Yi (Tianqi Beast Taming High School)】
【Opponent: Lu Ruili (Chenguang High School)】
A staff member stood beside the platform. Seeing Liu Yi approach, they smiled and gestured for her to step on.
"Please stand in the center of the platform. There will be a slight sensation of weightlessness during teleportation, so please do not panic."
Liu Yi nodded and stepped onto the platform.
A faint hum vibrated beneath her feet, followed by a flash of white light.
When her vision cleared, she was already standing at the edge of a floating island.
It was a circular floating island about twenty meters in diameter, with a surface made of special energy material that provided moderate friction when stepped on.
The edge of the floating island had a transparent energy guardrail, about half a meter high, which prevented accidental falls without obstructing the view.
Liu Yi looked around.
Battle Zone 7 was composed of five floating islands. The one she was on was the largest, located in the center of the zone.
The other four floating islands, varying in size, circled around at different speeds.
Some rotated clockwise, some floated up and down, and one moved slowly along an irregular elliptical orbit.
There were no connecting structures between the five floating islands, only a surging sea of clouds and whistling high-altitude winds.
Above the battle zone, the energy shield had already activated, a faint blue light membrane enveloping the entire area, both preventing pets from falling and preventing skill leakage.
Liu Yi saw her maglev skateboard hovering in front of her, emitting a faint blue light.
She lightly leaped onto the skateboard.
The device beneath her feet vibrated slightly, then quickly stabilized.
She maneuvered the skateboard to an altitude of about ten meters above the floating island. From this vantage point, the layout of the five floating islands was entirely visible.
On the opposite floating island, Lu Ruili was also in position.
She stood on her maglev skateboard, waving at Liu Yi.
Liu Yi nodded slightly in response.
At this moment, a mechanical voice echoed throughout the entire battle zone.
【C-District Battle Zone 7, National High School League First Stage, First Round: Liu Yi of Tianqi Beast Taming High School versus Lu Ruili of Chenguang High School.】
【Match Rules: Both sides may deploy two pets for 1v1 combat. The match ends when all two pets from one side are incapacitated.】
【Both contestants, please release your first pet for battle.】
Lu Ruili took a deep breath, her expression becoming serious.
She raised her right hand, and with a flash of light from her palm, a figure leaped out from her Beast Taming Space, landing on the floating island beneath her.
It was a yellowish-brown beast, about 0.6 meters long, with glossy fur and forelimbs covered in metallic claws that glinted coldly in the sunlight.
The moment it landed, it struck a battle pose, its claws crossed protectively over its chest, its sharp gaze fixed on its opponent.
An Iron Claw Weasel.
"Little Tie, don't be nervous." Lu Ruili's voice came from above. "Stick to what we practiced: probe first, don't rush."
"Iron Claw!"
The Iron Claw Weasel let out a low growl, lightly pawing the ground with its claws.
At the same time, Liu Yi summoned Ziyue from her Beast Taming Space.
The silver-blue figure appeared in the center of the floating island, its two fluffy tails swaying gracefully, its purple eyes calmly fixed on the Iron Claw Weasel opposite.
A faint chill emanated from its body, and a thin layer of frost quickly condensed on the surface of the floating island beneath its feet.
"Both contestants, prepare—"
The mechanical voice sounded again.
Liu Yi maneuvered her maglev skateboard to rise slightly, finding an optimal observation angle.
Lu Ruili also adjusted her position, her maglev skateboard hovering about eight meters directly above her Iron Claw Weasel, her hands gripping the edge of the board, clearly still a bit nervous.
"3—"
"2—"
"1—"
"Match start!"
Rate on N.U.
