Torchic VS Luo Sanpao (Seeking Follow-ups, Seeking Collections)

Nighttime. The bright moon hung overhead.

The playground of Nuoding Academy was deathly silent. Under the moonlight, although the surroundings were dim, one could still see clearly.

Dean Ding stood outside the sparring arena to observe, while Yu Xiaogang and Ye Chen stood within, both preparing for a duel that would determine their master-disciple relationship.

Just as Ye Chen had stated, he could accept Yu Xiaogang as his master, provided that Yu Xiaogang possessed the strength to make him willingly concede.

Yu Xiaogang was full of confidence regarding this; after all, no matter how powerful the Torchic Martial Soul was, it lacked the augmentation of a Spirit Ring and possessed no Spirit Skills.

If he could lose a spar against a Spirit Scholar who lacked even a single Spirit Skill, he would truly become the living embodiment of the saying, "There are no trash Martial Souls, only trash Spirit Masters."

No, this didn't even count as a spar; it was merely him, in the capacity of a master, giving his disciple his first practical combat lesson!

Thinking of this, Yu Xiaogang clasped his hands behind his back and looked at Ye Chen opposite him, saying calmly, "I will honor my previous promise: I will not use Spirit Skills, and I will use only thirty percent of my Spirit Power to fight you. Begin whenever you are ready."

"Very well. Come out, Torchic!" As he spoke, Ye Chen threw his right hand forward. A red light was cast out, transforming into the shape of Torchic as it landed on the ground.

Immediately following, a golden light swirled around Torchic's body, giving it a shimmering, radiant appearance.

At the same time, Yu Xiaogang also summoned his own External Martial Soul. A purple light descended before him, revealing itself to be Luo Sanpao.

Ye Chen and Yu Xiaogang were currently twenty meters apart, while their respective Martial Souls, Torchic and Luo Sanpao, stood before them. The two locked eyes, the atmosphere thick with tension.

In terms of physique, Luo Sanpao's length and girth both exceeded one and a half meters, while Torchic was small and exquisite. As they stood in confrontation, it looked quite like an adult pig standing next to a chick; one could tell who was strong and who was weak at a glance.

As an outside observer, Dean Ding looked at Luo Sanpao, then at Torchic, and couldn't help but shake his head with a wry smile.

He truly couldn't imagine how Torchic could possibly defeat Luo Sanpao, nor could he imagine what kind of Spirit Ring Torchic would need to absorb in the future to become powerful.

"Torchic, use Focus Energy!" Ye Chen's command broke the silence of the night.

Torchic took a deep breath, and a circle of yellow light gathered around its head. As the Focus Energy skill activated, the probability of landing a critical hit increased significantly.

Seeing this, Dean Ding and Yu Xiaogang were both stunned. Was that fleeting light effect on Torchic a Spirit Skill?

But Torchic clearly hadn't obtained its first Spirit Ring yet; how could it possibly have a Spirit Skill?

"Focus Energy? Could it be an innate ability?" Muttering to himself, the calmness on Yu Xiaogang's face turned to gravity. He waved his hand forward and said in a deep voice, "Sanpao, use Tackle to test it out!"

Receiving the command, Luo Sanpao kicked off the ground with all four feet. Its round body surged toward Torchic with the momentum of an air current; the speed wasn't fast, but the assault was particularly fierce.

Watching Luo Sanpao charge over, Ye Chen remained calm and unhurried as he ordered, "Torchic, don't dodge. Use Ember to attack directly."

"Chamo!" Letting out an excited, strange cry, Torchic's eyes turned sharp. With a surge of force from its abdomen, a dense spray of small flames shot out from its beak, whistling through the air with a red glow as they streaked toward Luo Sanpao.

"Is that a fire-attribute Spirit Skill?" Dean Ding gasped involuntarily.

He hadn't expected that Torchic could not only use a skill called Focus Energy, but also fire-attribute skills?

Yu Xiaogang was equally astonished. He had initially guessed that the Focus Energy skill Torchic used was an innate ability rather than a Spirit Skill.

He never expected, however, that this tiny Torchic would possess two innate abilities.

"Xiaogang, what are you spacing out for? Give the order!" Dean Ding's voice suddenly interrupted Yu Xiaogang's train of thought.

Snapping back to reality, Yu Xiaogang was shocked to see that Luo Sanpao was about to collide with the small flames Torchic had spat out, and it was already too late to dodge.

If it were hit by these flames, the damage Luo Sanpao sustained would also backlash onto himself!

Realizing this, Yu Xiaogang hurriedly commanded, "Sanpao, come back!"

As his voice faded, Luo Sanpao, who had been charging at Torchic, dissolved into purple light.

Because of this, Torchic's Ember skill missed, and the hot air in the surroundings quickly returned to room temperature.

Although retracting one's Martial Soul was somewhat unsportsmanlike, a Spirit Master could indeed do so during combat, and it could even be considered a tactic.

Therefore, Yu Xiaogang didn't feel guilty; instead, he broke into a cold sweat, his face filled with relief.

"Master, it seems your strength is not as formidable as I imagined."

Ye Chen changed his tone and suggested, "You should use your Spirit Skills and your full Spirit Power to fight. There is no need to hold back anymore."

"However, remember: in the coming fight, you cannot retract Luo Sanpao into your body again, otherwise this spar will be meaningless and there will be no way to determine a winner."

Hearing these words, Yu Xiaogang's body stiffened, as if the pride in his heart had been stung.

He had intended to go easy to demonstrate his strength, but he hadn't expected to be hoist with his own petard. Not only did he fail to enhance his image as a powerful two-ring Soul Grand Master, but he was also being looked down upon and even warned by a six-year-old child.

Calming his frustrated emotions, Yu Xiaogang shed his usual decadence, his eyes turning sharp. "Fine. I will not retract my Martial Soul again, and I will use my Spirit Skills to fight you. If your Torchic gets hurt because of it, don't blame me for not showing mercy!"

As soon as he finished speaking, two yellow Spirit Rings instantly lit up beneath Yu Xiaogang's feet, and a rich aura of Spirit Power permeated the entire arena.

"Sanpao, come out!"

With a loud shout from Yu Xiaogang, Luo Sanpao appeared once more, its eyes and aura becoming several times more ferocious than before.

The second Spirit Ring flew from Yu Xiaogang's body and settled onto Luo Sanpao.

Luo Sanpao opened its mouth and inhaled air frantically, its belly expanding at an alarming rate until it looked like a gradually inflating purple balloon.

At the same time, Yu Xiaogang pressed his palms together, then thrust his right hand forward, shouting with a stern expression, "Fart like a mist, second Spirit Skill, Hypnotic Sleep Luo Sanpao—"

Receiving the command, Luo Sanpao let out a low growl. The second Spirit Ring around it seemed to transform into a yellow curtain of light. Its round body leaped into the air, turning in mid-flight, and a loud boom suddenly erupted.

Boom—

Following the loud noise, a pale blue stench with a diameter of twenty meters enveloped Torchic. The thick, pungent smell of flatulence instantly filled the air, making one feel drowsy just by smelling it.

"Chamo, chamo—" Torchic's movements paused slightly, but it showed no signs of panic. Its sharp eyes remained fixed on the encroaching pale blue stench, waiting for Ye Chen to issue his next command.