Chapter 23: First Battle— Little Raven VS Little Fire Fox

Around them, the single Beast Tamers who'd hoped to impress the girls let out collective sighs.

'Almost had a chance'

But it turned out that guy wasn't here to show off—he'd actually come to battle with them.

Though slightly relieved, the crowd couldn't help feeling a bit puzzled.

'Wait… So he's on a date with these beauties and actually wants to battle?'

'Is he serious?'

Feeling all those stares from the crowd, Asher raised a brow in confusion.

'...isn't everyone here for battles?'

But before he could give it much thought, June was already on the battle stage, shouting impatiently.

"Stop dawdling."

"If you're too scared, let Ivy go first."

Asher shook his head, casting aside his doubts. Right now, the most important thing was the battle in front of him.

For contracted beasts, it was only through combat that they could truly grow, learning to wield their skills with flexibility and power.

Asher stepped up, standing opposite June.

She crossed her arms, looking fired up. "This is your first battle with Little Raven, right?"

"Well, don't worry. I won't go easy on you."

"Consider this your first lesson in Beast Tamer battles."

June's tone made it clear she thought she had this match in the bag.

Ivy, hands clasped nervously, watched Asher with a bit of concern in her gaze.

June noticed immediately. "Ivy, aren't you supposed to be on our side? Why're you looking so worried about him?"

Ivy: "…Oh, oops, haha~"

Her smile was shy, her stance wobbly.

June didn't want to get mad at her bestie, so she just shot Asher a dramatic eye-roll.

"Bring it on."

The sleek, glossy Little Fire Fox stepped forward, swaying with a cute yet graceful stride as it entered the arena.

Asher released Little Raven from the beast space as well.

"Little Raven, right here." Asher pointed to the area outlined in white for the battle. "You've got this."

With a determined glint in its eye, Little Raven spread its wings, puffing up proudly as it half-flew, half-tumbled its way to the designated spot.

Flying may not be its thing yet, but that didn't mean it couldn't look cool.

For a moment, Asher almost wanted to hide his face.

"Pfft," Ivy couldn't help but giggle, covering her mouth with her long, fair fingers when Asher glanced her way, her eyes still sparkling with mirth.

She tried her best, but she just couldn't hold it in.

The referee took his place at the side and called out, "Both beasts are in position."

"The rules are simple: the match ends when one side surrenders or loses combat ability, at which point the other side is declared the winner."

"Now! Three…"

"Two…"

"One!"

"Begin!"

At the referee's shout, both Asher and June's eyes sharpened.

The battle was on.

"Little Raven, Eagle Eye."

Little Raven's beady eyes were already brimming with fighting spirit, but the moment Asher called out, they turned steely, a heavy pressure radiating from its gaze. It was as if Little Raven's stare had turned into a solid weight, bearing down on Little Fire Fox.

Little Fire Fox's body trembled uncontrollably.

"What an intense aura." June's eyes went wide with surprise. 'Eagle Eye?'

'Is this level of intimidation really possible with Eagle Eye?' She could hardly believe it.

Fortunately, her battle experience quickly kicked in, and she regained her composure. "Little Fire Fox, close your eyes. Don't look at it."

Eagle Eye's intimidation worked through eye contact, so all they needed to do was avoid the gaze.

"Yip… yip…" Little Fire Fox whimpered softly.

It was trying its best to move, to look away… to not keep staring…

But caught off guard, Little Fire Fox was completely stunned by Little Raven's strike.

The overwhelming fear had paralyzed it, even making the simple act of closing its eyes a struggle.

The surrounding crowd of single Beast Tamers let out low murmurs of surprise.

"...Is this for real?"

Initially, they had been drawn in by Asher showing up with two girls, thinking he was just here to impress them.

But when they realized he wasn't here to show off but to battle, they'd almost walked away.

Then, hearing it was his first battle, their interest was piqued.

A newbie, going up against a girl with solid battle experience?

Respect to Asher for having the guts to take her on.

Not every guy could handle losing to a girl.

Truthfully, no one thought Asher could beat June in his very first battle.

Especially when her beast was a rare Little Fire Fox.

Asher's chances seemed slim.

But the moment Little Raven's Eagle Eye took effect, leaving Little Fire Fox visibly shaken, everyone's jaws dropped. They began murmuring, "What kind of pet beast is that? Anyone recognize it?"

"...Hard to say. It kind of looks like a Oriental Peacock, but the size and color seem off."

"Maybe it's a variant?"

"But Oriental Peacocks fly, and this bird looks too round to take off. Whose variant would be too heavy to fly?"

"Could be a downside of the mutation—its aura might be stronger, but its body has some limitations."

At that theory, the crowd fell into thoughtful silence.

It… did make some sense.

Now, they were even more reluctant to leave.

A rare Little Fire Fox versus what might be a mutated Oriental Peacock. The outcome had just become uncertain.

Asher, meanwhile, was fully focused on the battle, tuning out everything else. Seeing Little Fire Fox deeply shaken, he was surprised but seized the chance immediately.

"Little Raven, Peck."

Peck was Little Raven's only offensive move.

Neither Asher nor Little Raven would pass up this rare opening.

In an instant, Little Raven's plump, rounded body launched forward like a bolt of black lightning.

No one saw exactly how it moved, but in the blink of an eye, Little Raven was on Little Fire Fox's back, raising its soft yellow beak and delivering a sharp peck straight to the fox's waist.

"Yip yip ow~"

Little Fire Fox let out a heart-wrenching wail as it collapsed heavily onto the ground.

The crowd's eyes widened in disbelief, 'No way, no way…'

'Did this mutated Oriental Peacock just take out its opponent in one move?'

"Little Fire Fox, roll over and shake it off."

June's heart ached for her pet, but with the battle ongoing, she couldn't just give up. She had to act fast.

The intense pain helped Little Fire Fox snap out of the Eagle Eye's intimidation, giving it control over its body again.

Enduring the pain, Little Fire Fox rolled across the ground in a frantic attempt to throw Little Raven off.

Caught off guard, Little Raven's claws lost their grip, and it was tossed to the ground.

"Now's our chance."

"Little Fire Fox, Fireball."

Ping-pong-sized fireballs began launching one after another, speeding straight toward Little Raven.

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