Astral Pet Store (WN)
chapter-12

1

The whole venue was in an uproar!

Zhang Xiao had lost two times in a row!

To make it worse, Zhang Xiao had sent out precious pets like the Dragon Hound and the Stone Rhino. One of them had the bloodline of a king beast and the other was a pet that was antagonistic to the Lightning Rat. For the second pet, it would reach the fourth rank once it grew into adulthood!

Two pets like this had both been defeated by a cheap, low-rank Lightning Rat!

“Is that a pet skill of the thunder family, Thunder Shadow Illusion?”

“Good heavens, how can a Lightning Rat use such an advanced pet skill?”

“That is simply horrifying. That is the king of rats!”

Many students present had recognized the “Thunder Shadow Illusion.” They discussed heatedly in shock.

“I won again…”

Su Yanying felt she was dreaming as she looked at the Lightning Rat which was bouncing back to her. None of it seemed real.

“Sh*t!!”

Zhang Xiao was embarrassed by the shouts of surprise that came from around the venue.

He could blame his carelessness and underestimation for losing the first round. However, he had to admit inferiority since, for the second game, he sent out the Stone Rhino but failed again.

A mere Lightning Rat had defeated him. How shameful that was!

“If it weren’t for the fact that the Starry Hiero Beast is still in cultivation and I cannot bring it here, I wouldn’t have allowed the match end like this!” A cold and vicious glare filled Zhang Xiao’s eyes; he directed his ill intent to Su Yanying who was in the distance. He couldn’t stomach the fact that she had humiliated him!

“Next, please send out your pets for the third match,” The judge said loudly. Then, he looked at the Lightning Rat in Su Yanying’s arms. This little guy was amazing. It was so talented that it would incur jealousy. Without any surprises, the Lightning Rat was capable enough to defeat all the other low-rank pets with the two advanced pet skills.

“Hmm!” Zhang Xiao snorted coldly. He turned around and went off the stage without the third pet.

He admitted defeat.

He had another pet that was more powerful than the Dragon Hound; that pet was his ace card for the preliminary matches, but it wasn’t much different from the Dragon Hound.

Besides, he still had to find a strategy to counter the “Thunder Shadow Illusion” constructed by the Lightning Rat. To fight the Lightning Rat recklessly with no regard for the consequences would lead to a lose-lose situation.

He had many more opponents to compete with. Losing this one point would not hinder him from passing the preliminary match. He didn’t need to reveal all his cards which would only expose all his abilities to others.

With the departure of Zhang Xiao, a great deal of cheering broke out at once.

Except that there was some booing amid the cheers.

Nobody could have thought that they would cheer for a low-rank, cheap Lightning Rat at a grand and serious event like this. While surprised, they found this turn of events hilarious.

“I won…”

Su Yanying stood there, absent-minded, and watched as Zhang Xiao left the stage. The passionate cheers were telling her that everything was real.

She…

She didn’t do anything and still she had won.

The Lightning Rat that was lying in her arms; to think she had once considered removing the contract that had brought her such an effortless victory.

“Thunder Slash, Thunder Shadow Illusion…” Su Yanying looked at the Lightning Rat that was nuzzled up in her arms. This was strange. Surprisingly, the pet skills that were so intimidatingly powerful could be found in a Lightning Rat.

Why didn’t she know that it was so talented in combat before?

She just left it for a month at the store and it came back a different person. No, a different rat.

The thought of pet boarding reminded Su Yanying of something. The confusion in her eyes was fading away. She wondered if everything was related to that pet store she went to.

But, that was just a normal pet store. This was unlikely.

…

“Such an eye-opening day!”

“Right. We have just witnessed a magical fight.”

In the leaders’ seats, some powerful people were still amazed after the battle had come to an end. They were smiling brilliantly.

“I’ve heard some stories. People say that some low-rank pets are incredibly talented and can learn rare pet skills, and even have the ability to defeat more advanced pets. I had always doubted that. But it seems like it’s possible…” the strong-built person exclaimed.

The red-haired lady nodded in agreement. “For a Lightning Rat to have two advanced pet skills is far from a coincidence. It must be due to its master’s training. All I can say is that its master is a genius!”

“That girl over there? Well, well, interesting. She is so confident that she didn’t apply any of the most basic augmentation effects to the Lightning Rat. It seems that we have yet to have a full understanding of what the Lightning Rat is capable of.”

“Ha, ha, you are reading too much into it. But, it’s not an easy task to train a low-rank Lightning Rat to this level. I am curious. If she has such abilities, why wouldn’t she train other, more advanced Astral Pets? Is it possible that there is some special reason for it?”

“Vice Principal Dong, this girl deserves our attention.”

“Of course. I will never pass up on a talent like her!”

…

…

It was getting late.

At the Pixie Pet Store on Taohuaxi Street.

It was already dark outside by the time Su Ping woke up. He had slept straight into the night.

He got up and turned on the light. The incandescent light was kind of offending to the eyes. Su Ping placed his hand in front of his eyes and squinted to get used to the light. Then, he heard his stomach growling.

Only then did he remember he hadn’t had lunch yet.

But, other than the starving belly, Su Ping felt he was refreshed, hale and hearty.

He looked at the time. It was after ten and this was when he usually closed the store.

Of course, the other pet stores weren’t like this. Some stores would even stay open all night and two groups of people would have to take shifts. However, those were the stores that had a healthy business. Besides, the old Su Ping was unwilling to stay in this little store. He couldn’t wait to pack up early so that he could go back home and play games in his cozy nest.

And yet, this Su Ping was the newcomer. Naturally, he couldn’t violate the original owner’s rules. Besides, he was indeed hungry.

He found the keys, turned off the lights, and locked up in one smooth action.

He rode the bike and headed north.

Half an hour later, Su Ping arrived home.

“I am back.”

His mother Li Qingru was sitting in the living room watching TV. She turned the volume down as soon as she saw Su Ping coming in and changing his shoes. “How was the business in the store today?” she turned around and asked him.

Su Ping observed her expression; she was concerned about the store.

“It was fine…” Su Ping gave a vague answer. He couldn’t tell her that he had slept through the afternoon.

Afraid that he would feel upset, Li Qingru comforted him and gave him some advice, “Take your time and don’t give up. As long as you take good care of every pet, the good ratings will increase and so will the business.”

When Su Ping changed his shoes and stepped into the living room, she stood up and asked, “You must be hungry. I’m going to heat some dishes for you. Or, do you want to eat with your sister when she comes back?”

“She hasn’t come back yet?” Su Ping was surprised.

Usually, Su Lingyue would have already finished her dinner at home by this time. Why hadn’t she returned yet?

“Don’t you remember? Your sister’s academy is hosting a tournament today. She will be back later,” Li Qingru said, grumpily. She knew about the relationship between this pair of siblings. She found it annoying, although she couldn’t do anything about it.

They were too old to always listen to her.

“Right…”

Su Ping didn’t seem to be interested. “I’m hungry. I’ll start without her,” he said.

While he wanted to reconcile with his sister, he was unwilling to simply head on to bouts of suffering. He was starving and had to eat first. What was more, even if he wanted to wait for his sister to come back and eat with her, she might not appreciate the kindness.

“Mom, I’m back.”

Unexpectedly, the door was opened just as Su Ping uttered the last syllable. Su Lingyue stepped in. She glared at Su Ping since she heard his last sentence.

After she changed her shoes, she walked directly to the living room. She rolled her eyes when she saw Su Ping standing in the corridor. “Move out of my way!”