A self-imposed, ridiculous challenge— that was the one second was all about when Yun Zhe blurted it out. It was a pretty impossible challenge that shouldn't have happened. No matter how high-leveled someone was, winning over a beast tamer in under one second should have only been a thought. But for Yun Zhe, it was the reality, and he did it in front of everyone the moment the referee signaled the commencement of the match.
Technically, Yun Zhe won, but it shouldn't have been allowed due to how he did it. It was plainly clear that Claire was still not yet prepared when the signal was given, and Yun Zhe took advantage of that fact. In the end, this was what gave him his win in the second round of the Official Beast Tournament.
Then again, it's not like it was Yun Zhe's fault that Claire wasn't ready. The signal was already given, and Yun Zhe attacked Claire without breaking a single rule of the tournament. It may have looked a little bit questionable, but he won fair and square.
Claire was the one at fault here, in simple terms. Had he paid attention to the signal, or at the very least, put his guard up before the start of the match, he wouldn't have lost so easily like that.
And just like that, the second round was over, and Claire tasted defeat before he even felt the pressure of the match. At the moment, he couldn't feel anything at all since Yun Zhe knocked him out cold with a nice chop to the neck.
As for the crowd, they had no idea whether they should boo or cheer Yun Zhe on. In the end, the majority of the spectators decided to clap their hands as the verdict was passed. Yun Zhe had won his match, and Claire lost— that was the bottom line of the result.
While the echoes of the audience's claps resonated in the Grand Stage, Yun Zhe waved his hand towards them before grabbing his right wrist with his left. He put a lot of force on that attack that his right hand stung a bit. "At least I won... didn't expect that to work though. I'm pretty sure that if it were someone else, he or she would probably be able to react on time. If it were Satoshi, he would've slapped me back before I even attacked, and then he'll proceed to integrate with his tamed beasts in a split second while I do the same."
Yun Zhe was aware that his surprise attack wouldn't have worked on Satoshi, much less every other candidate who survived the second round... or at least, that's what he assumed since deep down inside, he felt a tad bit guilty that he cut Claire off before he got to enjoy the atmosphere of the second round.
Making a mental note that he should apologize to Claire for his needless demonstration of strength, Yun Zhe headed to the exit of the Grand Stage. He walked towards the waiting room, shuddering at the thought of receiving Satoshi's reaction to his underhanded tactic.
When he got to the entrance of the waiting room, he breathed in and out for a couple of seconds first. And then, he swung the door open while wearing his futile attempt of a poker face. Satoshi, who was sitting by the couch, his back towards the door, turned around with a hilarious smile on his face. Obviously, he was teasing Yun Zhe for being a show-off on the stage.
"One second, my butt, you just wanted to show off. Poor Claire, his moment was stolen from him before it even started. How will you make up to him now?" Satoshi unleashed another attack before Yun Zhe could say anything.
Heaving a sigh, Yun Zhe collapsed on the couch, waving his hand in front of Satoshi. "I know, I know... I got carried away. But he should've been able to defend against that attack though... it's not like my attack was insanely fast... nor was it unexpected."
"But no one does that. Normally, they give the opponent some time to settle first before they strike. I digress though since anything goes when it comes to a fight. Moreover, this is the Official Beast Tournament we're talking about here. If one were to join it with such a half-hearted attitude, they're bound to lose like that." Satoshi said back.
At the end of the day, what Yun Zhe did was not against the rules despite it being questionable. So as mentioned before, it was ultimately Claire's fault that he lost.
"I wonder what they have in store for us for the third round." Yun Zhe muttered after clearing his throat. He was trying to divert the topic from his show-off blunder.
"Probably another surprise with the audience involved... that or we're going to fight in pairs. This is still the third round and there are still sixteen of us left." Satoshi responded.
It was probably confusing for some people that there are only sixteen people left in the third round. After all, there were at least more than a hundred participants who joined the Official Beast Tournament. There was no way that there were only sixteen people left on the third round, it just doesn't add up.
The reason for that lies behind the fast-paced setting of the Official Beast Tournament itself. Because beast tamers have little to no time to prepare in between rounds, they were forced to retire due to exhaustion. After all, it's not like all of them have a healer in their team of beast tamers like Satoshi. A rookie mistake, but it happens every single year. There were a number of participants who would exhaust themselves in the first and second rounds to the point where they wouldn't be able to continue anymore.
"Top sixteen huh, for us first-timers, this is not bad." Yun Zhe said to himself. "But I'm aiming for the number one spot. You too, right?" Yun Zhe asked extending his arms towards Satoshi while forming his hand into a fist.
Satoshi bumped his fist in response and smiled. "Of course," He confirmed.
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