Chapter 174 - Eat My Fireball
"I hereby announce the start of the semifinals of X Province"s City League Tournament!
"The first match will be between Cannes"s juvenile team and Xiayuan City"s juvenile team. The game adopts a defense system and can"t have repeated players. According to the result of the draw, Cannes team will send players to guard the ring first."
Along with the host"s sweet voice, warm applause rang in the audience. This was followed by various cheering voices.
"Which of you will be the first to go up?" The coach Zhao Kong looked at Zhao Li and the others. The defense system was very unfriendly to the first player, who could be easily restrained by the opponents.
Only Su Bai, Zhao Li, Qian Shan, Wan Shui, and w.a.n.g Er were eligible to play. The others were reserves and were not eligible to play without reporting.
Since Chen Ruoxue was not here, her position was filled in by the reserve player, w.a.n.g Er.
Li Xing subst.i.tuted for Su Bai before, but the moment he arrived yesterday, they reported it.
"I"ll go." w.a.n.g Er stood up and walked onto the arena.
Following the successful selection of a defender, Xiayuan City quickly identified an attacker Luo Lei.
"Hurry up. I wanna watch the showdown between the strong. The group of chickens in Cannes are too boring. Xiayuan City, I"m rooting for you!"
"Hurry up and fight fast. Xiayuan City is invincible."
"Huh, Cannes is last every year, but now it"s like their team is holding a fake match in the semifinals. Did they bribe the organizers?"
"Exactly, our G City didn"t even make it to the semifinals despite being third place last year. They"re last place last year; how could they enter the semifinals now?"
...
There was a lot of discussion among the audiences in the auditoriums. They all felt that Cannes had paid their way through. Few people were optimistic about them and felt that they were too fake.
However, it was true that it was a bit false for the ever last place Cannes to rush to the front all of a sudden.
Not only were there few fans on the Cannes"s side, no one even was sitting there. Some people who were from Cannes dared not admit it, for fear of being implicated by the discussion next to them. No one shouted or cheered for Cannes"s team at all.
"Sigh… Our Cannes team is so pitiful. Not only did we fail to receive any advertis.e.m.e.nts, no one"s cheering for us, either. Even people from our city aren"t optimistic about us. Everyone even thinks that we paid the organizers to enter the semifinals." Li Xing spread her hands sadly.
"Sigh! Cannes has always been last place or second to last. No one would believe such a sudden change." Zhao Li smiled bitterly.
The others were also expressionless. They were not angry over being scolded. The most annoying thing was that the results of their hard work had been devalued by everyone.
"Let them say whatever they want; don"t pay attention to it. Once we win the championship and prove our strength, they will naturally change their minds," Su Bai said indifferently. Expecting the audience to have the ability to distinguish their strengths was hopeless since all they did was blindly follow the crowd and trend.
"Start!"
Following the announcement of the host, w.a.n.g Er opened his contract book and released his Electric Python. It was well-trained and was already a high-level warlord with an impending evolution.
On the opponent"s side was a Mountain-moving Rock restrained against the Electric Python, rendering its lightning attack completely useless.
"Give up struggling! Mountain-moving Rock, use Mountain-moving Strength and get rid of it!" Luo Lei let out a sneer and shouted.
The Mountain-moving Rock, which had already approached the Electric Python, exploded with powerful spiritual power and gathered huge force to grab the latter and slam it to the ground.
The Electric Python"s Electric Shock did not work. Although its dragon teeth and other skills could cause damage, as long as the rock monster"s crystal nucleus was fine, it would suffer no injury.
The commentary on the side could only chalk this up to attribute restraint.
Expectedly, w.a.n.g Er was defeated and walked down with his injured pet.
Luo Lei stood in the middle of the field and smiled provocatively at Su Bai and the others.
"I"ll go next. My Flame Crow is a flight pet; it"ll be useful against an earth pet," Zhao Li said.
"Don"t worry; you can slowly exhaust it," the coach said.
Zhao Li quickly went to the field, relying on the advantage of the flying Flame Crow. It exhausted the Mountain-moving Rock and bombarded it with attacks, showing off really good effects.
Soon, the Mountain-moving Rock"s spiritual power was almost exhausted. Zhao Li instructed the Flame Crow to launch its decisive killing attack, the Cross Flame Burst.
The huge explosion landed on the Mountain-moving Rock, and the result was already clear at a glance.
However, at this moment, Luo Lei"s contract book lit up, and a mid-level warlord Water Enchantress flew out. It directly controlled the Flame Crow with a burst of water circulation before the latter could dodge and ended it with a water cannon.
"How is it? Are you happy; are you surprised?" Luo Lei laughed provocatively.
His Water Enchantress had been his hidden trump card that he had never revealed before. He had prepared it just to show off his skills in the semifinals.
"F*ck! Luo Lei actually has another warlord pet. He"s f*cking showing off."
"Sigh. The ticket to watch this compet.i.tion isn"t worth it. Cannes"s team is so weak it feels like a counterfeit match. Both of their players were killed so easily; it"s really boring."
The audience, who felt a little bored, complained that Cannes"s team was too weak.
"Sorry, I"ve let you guys down." Zhao Li apologized to Su Bai and the others in embarra.s.sment. Although he also had a second pet, it was only a high-level servant and he could take it out to fight.
"It"s not your fault. His Water Enchantress was specifically contracted for this compet.i.tion. It isn"t well-trained at all; he probably caught it in the wild." Yu Lingyue shook his head.
Next up was Qian Shan. He had carefully cultivated his Diving Crocodile, so he easily got rid of the Water Enchantress, which had been caught in the wild.
However, the opponent"s goal had already been achieved, and it was the turn of the next player to defend.
Moreover, the second player had a wood attribute rabbit which restrained the water attribute, so Qian Shan was badly defeated.
So far, only Su Bai and Wan Shui were left on Cannes"s team. Three people lost on their side, but only one person lost on the opponent"s side.
The audience and the live comment section in the broadcast room scolded them for buying spots in the semifinals.
Wan Shui"s appearance not only failed to alleviate the complaints but also aggravated it and made people even more convinced.
The opponent not only had a Wood Spirit Rabbit but also a Swamp monster. The two directly defeated his Lava Salamander.
"What is wrong with this year"s game? The standards at the semifinals are still so low. The difference in strength is too big, isn"t it?"
"They"re rubbish. Don"t even think that they can win the championship after paying their way through. I think even I can win against them judging from their lousy states."
People laughed. "Is this the level of the top teenagers in their city? It"s really shocking."
"Isn"t it nice to place last every year? Did they have to come up and be abused? Are they more comfortable now?"
"Hurry up and send the last rubbish forward. I want to watch the battle between Ancheng and Baihe City; this is the worst match I"ve ever seen."
Wan Shui returned to the team and apologized with a sunken face. "I"m sorry; I was too lousy. I"ve let you guys down."
"It"s alright. Just treat it as an experience." The coach shook his head. The opponent indeed had very good methods; he had sacrificed a contract page and directly contracted a high-level wild monster.
This was why they were defeated so badly, but the audience did not care about it and simply looked at the result.
"I"ve had enough of the abuse from the audience and the live broadcast room. There"s obviously a problem with the opponents, but they"re putting the blame on us, instead," Li Xing said angrily.
"It"s okay. I"ll win the match for us; just sit down and watch." Su Bai stood up from his seat and walked toward the center of the arena.
"The player who is playing now is Su Bai, the one Cannes made their starting player today. He"s probably his team"s ace. Let"s see how he will perform. Now, I announce the start of the game. Su Bai, fight against Li Xue."
Upon hearing that he was the ace, the audience focused a little more.
"You"re the ace? Let me see how good you are. Swamp, Wood Spirit Rabbit, you two attack!" Li Xue was merciless.
With a snap of his fingers, Su Bai"s gold contract book appeared. Immediately, the Purgatory Fire Thief appeared on the ground with an Earth Hammer over its shoulder. It swept the entire arena with its mid-level commander aura.
"Roar!"
"Wait. He has the legendary gold contract book! His pet is such a powerful mid-level commander. Did Cannes"s team hire outside aid?"
"He"s an elite Pet Tamer; did he come to the wrong place? Where did Cannes invite such an outside aid? Is it even possible?"
"Not only did they buy themselves spots in the semifinals, they even invited an outside aid just to win the championship? Wow, Cannes is really too shameless!"
On the contrary, the scolding in the auditorium became even louder. Cannes team"s performance had been too terrible, so their first reaction upon seeing him was to consider him outside aid.
At this time, the commentator, who had been in a daze for a long time, finally found Su Bai"s information and quickly explained, "Don"t misunderstand; it is strictly forbidden to invite outside aid in this compet.i.tion. From the information we obtained, Su Bai is not an outside aid but rather a genius trainer of Cannes.
"He is an official member of Cannes"s juvenile team. He was unable to partic.i.p.ate in the points match because he went deep into a monster wilderness and failed to receive a notice. Now, he has officially returned. There is no problem with this. Please don"t question his ident.i.ty."
"Really? Such a fierce person exists in Cannes? I don"t believe it. Su Bai doesn"t look like a teenager. He"s probably in his twenties, right?"
"It"s impossible for him to defeat four people all by himself, though. After all, there are two captains with commander pets on the other side."
"It"s getting interesting now; we can finally watch a decent battle. I hope that he can change Cannes"s fate."
"Although I"m not optimistic about him winning, I still look forward to his battle. That"s a Purgatory Tyrant, a super rare pet. I"m rooting for him; I"ll be his fan if he wins."
...
With the explanation, coupled with Su Bai"s appearance and pets, the discussion in the audience gradually changed. Although it was difficult for him to defeat all four people, many people began encouraging him with fairly friendly att.i.tudes. Some people even dreamed of the unlikely chance of one G.o.d defeating four people and brainlessly bet on his victory.
However, the synchronized live broadcast room was full of complaints; some people accused him of being outside aid, while some said that the broadcast would explode if he won.
On the battlefield, when the dino saw the two enemies in front, it looked at him suspiciously. "Roar~" Ah Bai, do you look down on me? Aren"t they too weak?
"Some people looked down on me. Just kill them," he said blankly.
"Roar~" Okie!
The dino hit the ground with the Earth Hammer, causing two terrifying spiritual shockwaves to hit the two pets.
This process was repeated three times, rendering the pets completely unable to withstand its attacks.
Finally, Ren Xue, the deputy captain of Xiayuan City, came on the court. She looked at him with a dignified gaze. "Your Purgatory Tyrant is very strong, but my Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider isn"t weak, either."
She released her Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider, which was an eight-meter-long ferocious monster with a fiery red body and red lotus patterns.
Its claws were red, sharp, and cold. Flames burned on its body as it exuded the domineering aura of a low-level commander.
In the wilderness, they could both be regarded as overlords.
"This battle between the Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider and the Purgatory Tyrant might be interesting. Both are overlords of the fire attribute; let"s look forward to their performances."
After explaining the data of the two pets, the audience"s interest was aroused and they looked forward to the game.
They liked watching this kind of evenly matched game, where moves were exchanged back and forth.
Once the game began, the Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider took the lead in attacking and launched a tentative Flame Jet at the Purgatory Fire Thief.
Glancing at it, the dino raised its claws and sent its Blighted Fireball.
"Roar~" The stupid spider actually unleashed a fireball! Can you make it hurt? Why does it tickle, instead?
While provoking the opponent, the dino calmly resisted the Flame Jet with its flesh, not in the least bit bothered.
"Hiss!"
The Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider let out a disdainful roar, indicating that the dino"s fireball was not even enough to tickle it. At the same time, it did not even bother resisting the Blighted Fireball.
The audience was speechless. Were they commander pets, or were they playing house?
Just when Blighted Fireball touched the Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider, an abnormal change occurred. This small fireball quickly expanded, engulfing the monster in the blink of an eye.
A large flaming red mushroom cloud then rose in the air, directly smashing the shield over the battlefield. The audience heard a deafening sound, accompanied by a terrifying shockwave.
With a bang, the body of the Red Lotus Fire Demon Spider was directly hit by the shockwave on the energy shield in front of the audience. Its blood was reflected on their retinas together with the shield which shattered like tempered gla.s.s.
In an instant, the stadium of tens of thousands of people became silent. The spectators sat there, the shocking scene still imprinted in their minds.
After tens of seconds of complete silence, the live broadcast room was filled with "What the f*ck?!"
The dino stretched its claws. "Roar~" I already said that it"s a killing move, but you didn"t believe me. Now, you know better, right?
"…I asked you to get rid of the opponent, not to create a terrorist attack." Su Bai stared at it exasperatedly, also stunned.
"Roar~" That"s not the fastest way! Besides, you must pretend to be violent. Ah Bai, don"t you see the shock in their eyes? Isn"t it cool?
The Purgatory Fire Thief looked sheepishly at him and then made excuses.
"Alright, you win."
Seeing the group of people, who had been scolding them incessantly just a while ago, now looking stunned, he had to admit that it felt refreshing.
He even wanted to respond by saying: "Aren"t you guys good at cursing? Keep going!"
When the audience returned to their senses, the compet.i.tion officials hurriedly came over to repair the shield.
The commentator also began commenting on the scene moments ago. "G.o.d, what kind of skill was that earlier? Its power actually directly broke the shield which was resistant even to monarch attacks. Was that the release of an atomic bomb?"
"He"s too fierce; he"s a real man. I really liked that explosion."
"He"s too handsome; I also want to learn this trick. Is it the legendary fireball technique? Isn"t it an attack of a monarch monster?"
"He deserves to be Cannes" ace player. He is on the roll and may even win against all four opponents, including the championship, with overwhelming force."
"Who has his information? What kind of trick is that? He"s too strong. The level of Cannes"s replacement youth this year is surprisingly high. If no one can find a way to restrain him, the champion of X Province"s City League Tournament may really be decided in advance."
The audience was shocked senseless. They originally thought that it was impossible for the boy to defeat four opponents, but then there was such a shocking and terrifying scene. When the terrifying shockwave swept through, they even thought that they would die.
Not only were they shocked, they also could not understand it. Including some strong players, even those with fire-attribute emperor pets frowned and wondered how this had been done.
The official referees of the compet.i.tion could not identify it, either. Faced with the inquiries around them, they really wanted to say that it was a hack. They really had no other explanation for it.
However, there was no doubt that this battle had completely established Su Bai"s position. No one dared to underestimate him. Many viewers directly became his fans and searched for all kinds of information on him.
Some other teams also urgently inquired about his information, desperately looking for ways to deal with him.
The members of the Xiayuan City team, who had started to celebrate entering the finals, were even more dazed at this time. Their faces were stiff from shock at having witnessed an unimaginable scene.
Captain w.a.n.g Dalong clenched his hands into his fists gloomily. He thought that Cannes was a little cat; who knew that it was a peerless tiger lurking in the dark? He could not think of a countermeasure to face this trick.
The storm and smoke on the battlefield gradually settled. Ren Xue coughed and got up from the ground, looking at Su Bai in disbelief.
"What kind of skill was that? How did you gather so much spiritual power into such a small fireball?"
Her voice was amplified by a loudspeaker, and the audience, who was shocked inside, watched expectantly. They had never seen such a terrifying skill in their entire lifetime.
Su Bai glanced at his opponent and replied, "I hacked the system."
Ren Xue: "…"
The audience: "…"
B*llsh*t.
They did not understand what was going on, but it was very fascinating.
Starting from this game, people no longer dared to look down on the beginner Fireball skill of the fire attribute, and this battle scene also remained a mystery.