It was the next day and Ning arrived at the Arena to watch Saphandra's battle with Barry once again.
This time, the crowd numbered just as greatly as yesterday, but they were also chanting Saphandra's name more so than Barry's.
The boss of the arena was watching this match too from up in his little viewing area. He hadn't come to watch Barry's fight the other day, but when he learned that he lost, he had to come to watch it this day.
Saphandra and Barry both appeared on the stage after the host's announcement.
"Wanna bet again?" Saphandra asked. However, Barry didn't say anything and kept quiet.
Saphandra looked towards the betting zone and sighed. The odds were still against her, but it was almost nothing compared to the massive amount that was there yesterday.
'No point in fighting forever then,' she thought.
"START!" the referee started the match.
Barry suddenly slammed his feet on the ground as his feet sank into the stone. All around him, massive blocks of rock appeared that basically melted at his touch.
As if the rocks refused to accept his presence, his body would simply phase through the stones.
That was the power he had summoned today. Since Saphandra attacked him with the rocks so much yesterday, he summoned the power that would counter her.
He could also control the rocks easily, so he started shooting them at her.
Saphandra didn't even put up her arm as she stopped the massive chunks of rocks that were flying toward her. With just a thought and a glance, the rocks would stop flying towards her and then get sent back towards Barry.
Barry didn't dodge these rocks as he didn't need to. However, Saphandra simply shook her head.
"I think you forgot what happened yesterday," she said.
Before Barry could even realize what she was talking about, he felt a force push upon him, and once again he was sent out of bounds.
As easily as dealing with a child, Saphandra won her match.
The crowd cheered as Barry was no longer the number 1 in the arena. While he kept the title, everyone already started calling Saphandra the true Number 1.
The crowd stayed around for the following matches, but Ning left. There was nothing more to do.
For the next two days, he simply passed his time just roaming around the city, or reading books.
When Thursday came around, he finally got a chance to fight. After all, today was the day his match with Hartmann would take place.
Ning walked onto the stage and saw another person walk out from the other side.
The host introduced them, but Ning had no records to be introduced by so the audience watched him as he was a blank slate.
'Not as many people huh?' he thought. He didn't think he was going to earn much this time.
"Wear this," the host brought two black blindfolds and had both Ning and Hartmann wear them.
Ning didn't have to do this before, so he wondered why they were doing this.
After he wore the blindfolds, they were both told to summon their beasts.
Ning couldn't help but wonder what type of beast he should summon. More so, he couldn't help but wonder what type of beast his opponent would summon.
If only he could see.
'Ah!' he realized why they were wearing blindfolds and continued with the summoning.
"I need a beast that is strong both physically and elementally. As long as you come with me, I am willing to give you all my spiritual energy," Ning spoke the words of his bond.
The lights that shined all around him got brighter as they came closer to him.
Ning smiled when he saw the many lights and reached out his hand for the light that shined the brightest.
As he grasped it, the bond was forged and the beast summoned.
Ning opened his eyes to look at the summoning circle, but the blindfold wouldn't let him see.
By the time he got rid of it, the beast was already summoned.
Standing in front of Ning was a yellow-bodied beast that stood on all four. Its body was the shape of a tiger, however, on its back was a massive armor-like shell.
Growing out of that shell were many thorn-like spikes that grew grayish in color at the stem but got purple as they reached the tip.
Its tail was spherical at the end with similar, but smaller, thorns growing out of it.
The head of the beast also looked like a tiger's but there were no stripes on its body as a traditional tiger would.
The beast growled at the hulking elephant was that summoned in front of it. The elephant was mostly blue in color and Ning quickly realized it was a water-type beast.
His own beast was unique in that it didn't any specific element it adhered to, but it did have poison on its spine which would prove fatal to any beast that it struck.
Ning wondered if that was a good idea or not.
'Their ranks are vastly different. He should be able to win without using his spikes,' Ning thought.
"Don't use your spikes at the elephant, okay?" Ning said as the match started.
The beast roared and dashed forward to attack.
Ning panicked a little. "Hey! Slow down. We need to keep the match going for a bit to earn," he said, but the beast wasn't hearing him.
It reached next to the elephant and at the same time, the elephant blew out water from its nose with an impressive force behind it.
Even then the Elephant wasn't able to stop the beast's progress as it appeared next to the elephant and hit it really hard on the side of its head.
The elephant was immediately unsummoned and Ning's victory was announced.
"Dammit! I told you to wait, didn't I?" Ning said. "I am never summoning you ever again. Now go back."
Ning waited for the beast to unsummon. However, it didn't go back at all. Instead, it stared Ning straight in the eye, daring to defy him.
