Chapter 982: Pet Fans

Read at: https://blogspot-translatedstories.blogspot.com/?m=1 

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Accompanied by the commentator’s voice, the cheers arrived, and the entire stadium erupted.

"Ahhh! Qiao Sang! Qiao Sang!"

"Ghost Ring King! Ghost Ring King!"

"Holy crap! Did you see that? Ghost Ring King used Brick-Breaking!"

"That throw against the Ink-Stinger Beast was just too cool!"

"Wait, let me wrap my head around this. The hand seal for Shadow of Darkness is clasping hands, right? But just now, it was the Substitute that clasped its hands. Don't tell me it was the Ghost Ring King's Substitute that unleashed the Shadow of Darkness!"

"It definitely was. The Ghost Ring King who clasped its hands just vanished."

"I’ve heard that when Substitute proficiency reaches a certain level, it’s practically the same as the original. Anything the main body can do, the Substitute can do too."

"Man, I envy pets with Substitute. If I had one, I’d make it go to work for me every day."

"Seriously, I got goosebumps. At the end, that Ghost Ring King Substitute actually smiled, it looked like it had its own consciousness."

"I still can’t figure out when that Substitute was even cast."

"A Ghost-type using Brick-Breaking... a Ghost-type using Brick-Breaking..."

"Think about it this way: Qiao Sang’s Steel Sword Falcon is only a General-level pet and it already knows the super-tier skill Holy Sword. If you look at it like that, a Ghost-type knowing a Fighting-type skill is pretty easy to accept."

"That actually makes sense!"

"Heavens! The Top 8! She made the Top 8!" In the family seating area, Ye Xiangting suddenly stood up, ecstatic. She waved her light stick and screamed. Then, remembering something, she pulled out her phone and started snapping photos of Qiao Sang and Little Treasure, who was waving his claws on the field.

Liu Yao’s steady face couldn't hide his joy either. While he didn't stand up and scream, he and his Sky Bat were constantly waving their support sticks. Mikayla remained the most composed, wearing only a faint smile.

On the commentary stand, Tian Yiwan didn't immediately introduce the next round's matchups as usual. Instead, he spoke with emotion: "Qiao Sang is truly the strongest dark horse of this regional Grand League. Making the Top 8 in her first-ever appearance."

Tang Xueran agreed: "A 17-year-old competing in the Grand League and reaching the Top 8 is truly unprecedented in the history of this tournament." 

She paused and added with a smile, "The Ghost Ring King is still waving enthusiastically to everyone. I look forward to seeing him on stage again in the coming matches."

"Xun xun!"

On the field, Little Treasure waved his claws warmly to every section of the audience, not missing a single corner.

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10:30 PM, Beast Center, Room 2603.

The curtains were tightly drawn. Qiao Sang came out of the bathroom after washing up and leaned against the bed. She pulled out her phone to check today's trending searches. Little Treasure silently floated over, pressing close to his Beast Master to stare at the screen.

[Qiao Sang Advances to Top 8]

[Divine Blazing Lion vs. Aggro-Bust Sparrow King]

[Ice Emperor Ram vs. Wobbuffet]

[The Real and Fake Ghost Ring King]

[Ghost Ring King uses Brick-Breaking]

[One Ghost Ring King is worth two?]

Even though the match was in the morning, these topics were still trending late into the night. Qiao Sang clicked through them. Beyond praise and shock, many netizens had turned into "know-it-alls," analyzing how the match could have gone differently or dissecting tactics.

>The Ice Emperor Ram's Ice Field Domain is truly broken. But maybe a Ground-type that can burrow and attack from below could stand a chance.

>The Divine Blazing Lion is fierce. With that brutal combat style, if you aren't faster and stronger, it'll just run away with the tempo.

>I re-watched the Ghost Ring King match several times. My conclusion: It definitely cast the Substitute during the initial invisibility. If the Ink-Stinger Beast had combined Rain and Ink to make Black Rain, it might not have fallen for the trap.

The higher the rank, the more famous you get, and the more the netizens analyze... they even figured out exactly when Little Treasure used Substitute, Qiao Sang thought, about to put the phone away.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure chirped, blinking his eyes and holding out his claws.

"Don't play too long." Qiao Sang laughed, handing it over.

Little Treasure took the phone and nodded repeatedly, happily scrolling through the threads about himself. Meanwhile, Qingbao nudged Little Treasure, asking to train her Charm.

"Xun xun." Little Treasure replied without looking up. Go find Big Brother Yabao.

Qingbao hesitated. Yabao is about to sleep.

"Yap yap!" Yabao, who had just closed his eyes, immediately snapped them open. He gave a spirited bark, indicating he could sleep a little later.

"Qing qing~" Qingbao’s eyes twinkled as she called out sweetly, saying Big Brother Yabao was the best.

"Xun xun..." Little Treasure suddenly looked up, dazed.

Big Brother Yabao? The fifth child is calling Yabao 'Big Brother' now?

Before he could investigate, the phone vibrated. Little Treasure looked down and instinctively clicked a news pop-up: [Variant Mutated Ghost Ring King spotted in Eagle Country, same as Qiao Sang’s!]

Little Treasure: ???

He scrolled down and saw a candid photo of a Ghost Ring King. At first glance, he was startled: Isn't that me?! He narrowed his eyes and looked a second time with a critical gaze.

"Xun xun..." He sighed in relief. It wasn't as big as him, didn't look as smart as him... he was definitely more handsome.

"Gang Zhan." Gangbao pointed a wing at a spot in the photo. Isn't that the hair accessory you lost?

Little Treasure froze. He looked closer and saw the purple grape hair clip. He widened his eyes: "Xun xun!" That IS the one I lost!

Gangbao gave a humored look. Turns out humans were already secretly taking photos of you back in Eagle Country.

Little Treasure wanted to explain that the fourth sister wasn't as smart as him and couldn't read, that this was probably fake news using old photos from Eagle Country for clicks. But looking at the photo of himself with the grape clip, he felt a sudden sense of kinship.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure acted bashful. Gosh, people were already snapping secret photos of me in Eagle Country? And now they’re making 'fake news' about it? Doesn't that mean I'm super famous?

Thinking his fame was all due to his performance in the tournament, Little Treasure’s fighting spirit surged. He couldn't resist the urge to train. He put down the phone, summoned a Substitute, and started working right there. Gangbao watched with a smile, then picked up the phone and put it on the charger.

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The next morning, 9:30 AM. Suburban Villa.

Qiao Sang arrived via Little Treasure’s Spatial Shift. As soon as the Muscle-Guard Tiger opened the door, Yu Le rushed over excitedly.

"Qiao Sang! You made the Top 8 with a 3-0 score! That was incredible!"

"I didn't expect it myself." Qiao Sang said modestly.

"That’s the Top 8! Only a handful of people have ever hit the Top 8 with a 3-0 in this Grand League, and your opponent was Qi Fuqing!" Yu Le paused. 

"By the way, many people in the neighborhood know you’re training here now. They might let their pets sneak over to watch. You can just ignore them."

"Pets sneaking a look?" Qiao Sang was confused.

Yu Le laughed. "It’s not polite for people to barge into someone’s home, but when pets do it, we can't say much if they claim they’re 'lost.' A lot of pets are your fans now. Last night, an Aroma-Seed and a Rolling-Pig snuck in saying they were lost. Even my Muscle-Guard Tiger is a fan now."

Qiao Sang looked at the tiger in surprise. "You’re a fan?"

Yu Ke added with a smile, "To be precise, he’s a fan of the Ghost Ring King. During that match yesterday, he was cheering 'Hu-ji, Hu-ji' so excitedly. I haven't seen him like that in a long time."

"Xun xun?" Little Treasure appeared, looking thrilled. My fan?

"Hu-ji..." The Muscle-Guard Tiger looked bashful. He truly admired how such a slender body could master Brick-Breaking. As a Fighting-type, he knew how hard it was.

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure was ecstatic. This was the first time a pet had declared being his fan to his face. He immediately took off his gold ring, pulled out a pen and paper, and wrote down the signature he had been practicing for days.

"Hu-ji!" The tiger took it solemnly, promising to treasure it.

Yu Le’s eyes lit up. "Can I have one too?"

"Xun xun~" Little Treasure was overjoyed, his gold ring becoming even more lustrous.

After the signing session, Qiao Sang went to the outdoor training field. After setting the others to their routines, she sat under a tree to watch the morning's match livestreams. Even though she knew her remaining opponents, she needed to see if they had any new tricks.

About half an hour later, a pleasant fragrance wafted over. Qiao Sang felt her mind relax. She felt a tug on her pant leg. Looking down, she saw a 20cm green pet with big eyes and two leaves on its head, the Aroma-Seed.

"Are you lost?" Qiao Sang asked with a smile.

The Aroma-Seed shook its head and looked toward the*Ice Emperor Ram. It chirped admiringly, asking for a photo. It even pulled a camera out from the grass.

"You're a fan of Lubao?" Qiao Sang asked.

"Xiao-xiang!" The seed nodded.

"Want a photo with her?" Qiao Sang asked. The seed nodded again but looked toward Lubao timidly. It didn't dare ask.

"Lubao, a fan wants a photo!" Qiao Sang called out.

"Lu Di." Lubao walked over, dissipated her cold aura, and stood patiently next to the Aroma-Seed.

"Xiao-xiang..." The seed peeked at Lubao bashfully. Qiao Sang snapped the photo. 

"All done."

As the Aroma-Seed left, a pig’s head suddenly popped out of the ground.

"Fan-fan!"

It was a Rolling-Pig. Qingbao translated: He is a fan of the Divine Blazing Lion. He wants a signature.

Yabao’s ears twitched. He teleported over immediately, lifting a paw. Where do I sign?

The Rolling-Pig jumped out of the hole, handed Yabao an ink pad, and then flipped onto its back, exposing its belly.

Qiao Sang: ...

She didn't even need a translation. The pig wanted the signature on its stomach.

Before she could say anything, more small pets started poking their heads out of the grass and trees, eyes filled with expectation.

Qiao Sang: ...

Since when did pets become such professional paparazzi?

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