Where mysterious and wonderful creatures known as Soul Pets roam the skies, the lands, and the oceans!
Where people born with talent are able to become Soul Pet Trainers and capture these Soul Pets to battle each other!
Li Wei hadn't want to spend his second chance at life in what felt like a more brtual and fantasy version of Pokemon, nor did he want to spend it stuck on a deathmatch island where only ten out of a hundred other people would survive - but his like was clearly meant for something much more.
(Based on "The Charm of Soul Pets," this story is mostly for my own benefit, so if anyone does read it, expect for drastic changes to occur every now-and-then.)
In the center of the wooden campgrounds of Green Nightmare Island stood two teens, each respectively standing a fair distance away from each other on the dirty battlefield that would decide their fate. One teen, smaller and thinner than every other teen on the island, with incredibly curly black hair and nervous blue eyes, had an uneasy expression on his face while the other teen, taller and bulkier than the second tallest teen by a whole foot, with unruly black hair and arrogant brown eyes, had a confident expression in himself.
But, while both of them had different expressions on their faces, their eyes burned with determination - it was the final battle to see who would live and who would die.
And, at the command of the Boss of the Green Nightmare Foremen, the two teens started their own incantations.
From Wang Yan came mysterious brown letters and unknown runes, circling around him until they all gathered into an unusual symbol in front of him - and from that symbol came forth an equally unusual beast!
With short legs and a long tail, a small head with beady eyes and a pointed snout, and a heavy body covered in brown scale-like armor, everyone looked at the pangolin-like Soul Pet with a shocked expression - the Scaled Armor Beast! A High Class Servant with an outstanding defensive ability, to those who understood them could tell that it was a powerful 8th Stage Soul Pet. While the title of Green Nightmare Island's Strongest was still in circulation after the death of Zhou Shengmo and the abnormal strength of Chu Mu's Moonlight Fox, it was clear from everyone's expressions that they believed Wang Yan to be the one to inherit the title.
But then everyone turned to look at Li Wei's Soul Pet.
Similar to the mysterious letters and unknown runes that came from Wang Yan's incantation, but shaded a sinister bloody red rather than the bestial brown, a beast even bigger than Wang Yan's Scaled Armor Beast came forth!
With a muscular and robust build, supported by sturdy legs and protected by a heavy needle-like red armor, and outfitted with a pair of curved and formidable horns, the shock that everyone had was even more than the appearance of Wang Yan's Scaled Armor Beast - the rhinoceros-like Needle Beast! Also a High Class Servant, the Needle Beast was famously known among the Servant Rank to have both absolute strength and absolute defense - even more than the Scaled Armor Beast and Hunting Wolf combined.
"Someone actually managed to capture a Needle Beast!"
"He looks so small next to it!"
"I think it's reached the 2nd Level already!"
Even the apathetic and cold Chu Mu, who had gained the attention of everyone with his abnormal Moonlight Fox, looked surprised that someone had actually been able to capture a powerful Needle Beast without the additional help of someone else. Much like himself, Li Wei had all but disappeared the moment that they had been able to wander the island, and most people had assumed that the small and thin boy had died in the wild!
But the person whose expression changed the most was the once proudful Wang Yan, who looked much more cautious and nervous than before. He knew that his Soul Pet's defensive ability could likely stand a chance against Zhou Shengmo's Hunting Wolf due to their similar Stage, but even he knew that the absolute strength of the needle beast could potentially harm him.
"Body Blow!"
Unexpectedly, it was the small and uneasy Li Wei that gave the first command!
Like a spear thrown by a warrior from ancient times, the Needle Beast charged forward at the Scaled Armor Beast with a surprising amount of speed for a power-type Soul Pet. Seeing that the beast was charging at his own Soul Pet, Wang Yan panicked and quickly gave out the first command that came to mind.
"Curl Up!"
The Scaled Armor Beast immediately curled into the unbreakable ball form that it was well-known to do, all of its armor protecting its vitals from any attack.
BOOM!
An immovable object meets an unstoppable force! The sound that was caused from the Needle Beast striking the Scaled Armor Beast caused many of the teens to jump from surprise, and but had them wide-eyed was how Wang Yan's Soul Pet was launched into a tree, cracking it from the sheer force - but its armor unfazed by the powerful blow.
"Roll around the Needle Beast with your Rollout!" Wang Yan commanded quickly.
Although his battling skills were questionable at best, Wang Yan knew from the sheer force of the blow that relying on his Soul Pet's incredible defense would only get it killed, and so he commanded his Scaled Armor Beast to first gather some speed.
And although his Scaled Armor Beast was surprised by the power behind the attack, it listened to its Trainer's command and immediately went back into its ball form. But, unlike last time, it began to slowly roll around the Needle Beast - slowly, but soon began to build-up speed!
"Barbaric Strength!" Li Wei commanded, still uneasy but never once overwhelmed.
And the Needle Beast's muscular build soon started to bulge as its muscular form increased in muscles and power, its sturdy legs tensed and ready to move with a command. He knew that it was futile to chase after the Scaled Armor Beast soon after it had rolled into a rolling ball, so he had his Soul Pet build-up its own strength.
Soon, dirt was flying in the air as the Scaled Armor Beast's speed had reached a point where it was but a blur to the teens' eyes, and Wang Yan knew that any faster would have confused it.
"Now!"
The Scaled Armor Beast immediately turned around to charge at the Needle Beast like an iron ball thrown by a powerful man!
"Horn Thrust!"
But the Needle Beast had the aid of a Soul Pet Trainer to guide him, and it immediately turned to face the rolling ball and thrust its horns forward!
An immovable object meets an unstoppable force once more! But this time, the roles are reversed!
As the two Soul Pets clashed, a sound not unlike a sword being sharpened ringing throughout the battlefield, the two Trainers both had a worried and determined expression on their faces. They both knew that this moment would decide who would live and who would die!
Soon, a horrific nose filled the air as the Scaled Armor Beast's outstanding defense lost to the absolute strength of the Needle Beast - its horns had pierced through the armor of Wang Yan's Soul Pet and stabbed its insides! In the end, Wang Yan was too stunned to speak as the Needle Beast proudly raised its horns and let out triumph below before swinging its head, launching the dead body of the Scaled Armor Beast away from it.
"Sorry," Li Wei said as Foreman Cao Yi walked towards them, "But I don't want to die."
Cyan Nightmare Main Island was truly a beautiful island.
So much bigger than the isolated Green Nightmare Island and filled with a lust, vibrant flatland that was decorated with the small forms of various Soul Pets, even the nervous Li Wei and cold Chu Mu couldn't stop the feeling of excitement when he saw the small seaside town on the island - a town that looked civilized and well-built.
As the boat docked onto the berth, one of the countless other boats and ships that looked so much better in comparison to their wooden one, the seaside town did not once stop its bustling activity. Crates that were likely full of various goods, cages full of various Soul Pets between Servant and Warrior Class, all of these went back and forth between the town and the boats.
"Follow those two and they'll arrange everything!" Boss Cao Yi said to the ten surviving Trainers of the brutal Green Nightmare Island, pointing at Boss Zeng Ze and Boss Gu Lei, before heading off in another direction away from them.
"Follow us, yes." Boss Zeng Ze said with an annoyed and tired expression, and led the young Trainers down a cobblestone street that had them fascinated. Decorated with houses and stores that matched the theme of a seaside town, wooden boxes filled with flowers that made the air smell pleasant, it had them reminded of their own homes and towns.
But, as they reached the top of a mild hill, they all were able to see what was no doubt a special location on the island - crafted from sturdy granite and other stone materials that made it feel like an imposing palace, a building that resembled a demonic church with much more effort made into it then the small town, and with a noticeable a sword-like roof could be seen.
"That church is the Cyan Nightmare Palace. Buildings that have that same roof are off limits because none of you have the qualifications to enter them, but maybe that'll change in the future." Boss Gu Lei explained to the confused and intimidated Trainers as he led them down the hill, away from the Palace and into a circle of normal, wooden cabins that looked like better versions of the cabins back on Green Nightmare Island.
"Since all of you are new to the Cyan Main Island, none of you have any Titles and are seen as the lowest of servants - none of you have any power but to live on this island, and any disobedience will be sentenced to death. In a few days from now, we will bring you to that Palace to let you fight against members of other islands. Based on your individual performance, you will receive a job and responsibilities that will allow you to earn resources, and those who standout will receive certain rewards. I remember that, some time ago, the reward for the top five was a High-Class Warrior-Rank Soul Pet!"
At Boss Zeng Ze's words, everyone immediately brightened at his words. High-Class Soul Pets were an obvious powerhouse that could compete with Soul Pets of a higher Class if trained correctly - Li Wei's Needle Beast was an example of a powerful High-Class Servant-Rank Soul Pet that could, in the future, battle against even Warrior-Rank Soul Pets!
"Now, if only some of you could obtain a decent job." Boss Gu Lei muttered, a disappointed tone in his voice.
"You'll be living here from now on," Boss Zeng Ze continued as he handed out a single gold coin to everyone, "It's not any different from the cabins on Green Nightmare Island, and you'll have more freedom these days - but, since none of you even have a Title, don't enter places that none of you know that you shouldn't be entering."
And that was that.
"Boss Zeng Ze," Li Wei called out before the two bosses could leave, "How will the battles be like?"
What he was afraid of was that it was a random selection of Trainers to be sent into battle - there were only three Trainers that he knew of that could be reliable in battle. Himself with his powerful Needle Beast, Chu Mu with his abnormal Moonlight Fox, and Ting Yu with her Thorny Precious Rose Demon - everyone else had Middle-Class Soul Pets, since Chu Mu had murdered the others with High-Class ones.
"Asking about the fighting already," Boss Zeng Ze asked with a raised eyebrow, a look of interest in his eyes, "Well, the battles are all the ten Trainers from one island versus the ten Trainers of another island, and you could only summon one Soul Pet. So I recommend that all of you learn to battle alongside each other."
Huh.
As the two of the three Bosses of Green Nightmare Island left the Trainers, Li Wei felt uncomfortable as all but one of the ten surviving Trainers looked at him for guidance - all except Chu Mu, who had, naturally, left for his room.
"Why are you all looking at me?" Li Wei asked, confused.
All eight of the Trainers looked at each other, all of them aware of the reason, but none of them felt comfortable telling him. That is, until one of the Trainers, a girl that Li Wei recognized as Ting Yu, barely stepped forward.
"Umm, well - besides Chu Mu and his abnormal fox, you're the strongest one out of all of us. So we, ah, think you should be the leader."
Oh.
For Li Wei, who had originally intended to follow Zhou Shengmo due to the boy's knowledge, this was a situation that he had no idea how to prepare for. In fact, he had wanted Chu Mu to be the leader since, in his heart, he felt that the cold teen was more powerful than him, if not much more informative about the world and Soul Pets.
But he was a former Pokémon Champion in his small neighborhood back home, and if he needed to be the leader, then, well, he'll try his best.
"Okay, well - oh, Chu Mu, don't leave yet. I need everyone but Chu Mu and Ting Yu to tell me their Soul Pet so that I know more about them."
The information he received didn't make him feel better about their chances: Feng Gu with his 2nd Phase Rock Monster was the best of them, and Yang Xiao's 7th Stage Double-Headed Snake was a surprise, as well as Zhou Yun's 2nd Phase Bramble Demon, but none of them really stood out as powerful.
"Well - we can't really practice at the moment since we are all tired, so we'll rest up for tomorrow, but practice your cultivation before you sleep. I'll see if I can figure something out."
And that was that.
"Chu Mu, are you going to train?"
"Yes. I need to look around first."
The dark-haired and dark-eyed boy was so cold and expressionless most of the time that it made Li Wei feel incredibly uncomfortable, but he could understand why when they had barely survived the deathmatch and horrible experience on Green Nightmare Island.
"Okay - I wanted to ask if you could focus on your Soul Pet's Demon attribute a bit more. I need a Soul Pet that can reliably move around and dodge attacks to confuse the more troublesome enemies, and your Moonlight Fox meets all of them."
It was true.
Chu Mu's abnormally powerful Moonlight Fox was powerful and much faster than normal, and its Demon attribute means that, if trained, it could confuse and cause discord to the enemies that his Needle cannot handle without trouble - such as faster and airborne Soul Pets like the Cyan Bird back on Green Nightmare Island, even if they cannot harm him.
"I will." Chu Mu said with a nod of his head before he turned around and left back to the seaside town.
And Li Wei let out a sign of relief.
"Okay," He told himself, "Now to cultivate."
Cultivation.
It was a concept that was still so unusual for him, a topic that he had barely known about in his previous life. Even now, after the literal trial by fire that he had undergone to learn how to cultivate before his soul could be consumed by the Cyan Nightmare, it could still be refined, for a lack of better words.
Take a deep breath, feel the energy around you, and pull it in.
That had been the main method that he had learned, before he had obtained Needles, and thus had a more reliable means to increase his Soul Power and his Soul Remembrance.
Sat on his bed, thankfully away from prying eyes, Li Wei reached into his Soul, to touch his Soul Power within his Soul Remembrance, and relied on the unusual sensation of touch to feel it. Like a ball of condensed water was the best way to describe his own Soul Power, and, based on that information, he imaged pulling the water in the air - the Soul Power in the air - into that ball of water to add to it.
Deep breaths. The Cyan Nightmare had been fed yesterday on the boat - you won't die today.
