"That was close! I almost arrived late!"
Xiao Hongchen dropped onto the soft sofa, picked up the freshly squeezed juice on the table, and gulped it down, letting out a satisfied hiss.
"Shrek's match just started. What are you in such a hurry for?" Meng Hongchen never missed an opportunity to jab at her brother.
The Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy would fight in the second match, immediately after Shrek Academy's match against the Dou Ling Royal Academy. With the time needed to repair the arena included, they had more than enough time.
"Know yourself and your enemy, and you'll never lose a hundred battles. The Dou Ling Royal Academy might have held back during the Round-Robin Tournament. Who knows? They might explode with power in the Knockout Tournament and strip Shrek down to its underwear."
Xiao Hongchen earnestly lectured his little sister on the virtues of caution and humility, then abruptly changed tack. "Of course, whatever trump cards Shrek Academy has hidden, they're no match for our two metals combined!
"Qing is invincible among his generation, Xiao is peerless among his peers, and Qing and Xiao united are invincible under heaven!"
"You hopeless idiot brother. Keep riding Ultimate Metal's coattails."
Little Meng gave Brother Xiao no face whatsoever. Everyone at the Sun Moon Royal Soul Engineer Academy knew that whenever the Three-Legged Golden Toad faced the Machine Element, the outcome was invariably a savage thrashing that sent him spinning like a top. Even Grandma Lin would be invincible under heaven if she teamed up with Lin Qing!
Not bothering with her brother's insistence on pairing himself with Lin Qing, Meng Hongchen looked above the Tournament Platform. A pink-and-blue figure flew through the sky on blue-and-gold butterfly wings. The Light Goddess Butterfly soared overhead, trailing a rainbow-like wake.
Three