Weakest Beast Tamer Gets All SSS Dragons-Chapter 130 - Tamers Friendly Competition - 8

"REN!" he shouted, throwing himself against Feng in a desperate attempt to break through.

Klein's first punch connected with Ren's stomach, driving the air from his lungs. The second crashed into his side. The third struck his face, making him spit blood. The fourth would have downed him if Astor wasn't holding him upright.

"This one is for daring to strike me," Klein prepared the final blow, his lion's power concentrating in his fist like golden fire.

Even then, held and beaten, Ren refused to surrender. His mushrooms pulsed one last time as he gathered his remaining strength, their light steady despite his battered state.

"And this," he managed between ragged breaths, blood staining his teeth, "is for underestimating me."

His final kick connected with Klein's knee, making him stumble, curse in pain and fail the hit.

But the price was steep when the lion kid recovered.

The fifth blow finally connected with Ren's face, Klein's enormous golden lion hand sending his head snapping back. This time, consciousness fled from him like morning mist before the sun.

"Ren!" Min fell to his knees watching his companion collapse. His snake, sensing his anguish, released the cobra and coiled protectively around him.

"Victory for Klein's team," Yang announced as he saw Min surrendered, medical auxiliaries rushing onto the field.

The battle had ended.

The result was expected.

But no one who witnessed the match would forget how the mushroom boy faced the academy's elite and, though he lost, did it on his own terms.

♢♢♢♢

Silence hung heavy over the field while the auxiliaries tended to Ren and Taro. Min remained on his knees, his snake wrapped around him in an attempt at comfort.

Klein spat blood while wiping his split lip, shoving away the auxiliary trying to heal him. His victory felt... different from what he'd imagined. The humiliation of being knocked down, of needing help to defeat a mere commoner with a spore...

"He knocked Klein down," someone murmured in the stands, breaking the silence.

"Incredible," another whispered. "Would he have been knocked out in the end if Astor hadn't helped him in time?"

"And the lion's roar... it didn't work on Ren. How...?"

Lin watched from her position as they loaded her student onto a stretcher. Her hands, which had been clenched throughout the battle, finally relaxed. The marks of her nails remained in her palms, crescents of worry etched in flesh.

The three cousins remained silent, though one gripped the edge of her seat so hard her fingers had gone white. Each impact on Ren had made her flinch imperceptibly.

"My lady," a maid whispered. "Should we...?"

A subtle gesture silenced her, though concern remained evident in the maid's eyes.

In the higher stands, the six new students exchanged meaningful glances.

Klein couldn't stop staring at where Ren had fallen. Five direct hits. He had needed five direct hits, plus his companions' help and 2 of their beasts, to defeat someone that was supposedly the weakest in the academy.

"Lord Klein," one of his followers approached. "That was an impressive victo…!"

"Shut up," Klein cut off the attempt at flattery. His lion dimmed briefly, its golden patterns dulled by exhaustion and something that might have been shame.

Min couldn't stop following Ren's stretcher with his eyes, his snake mirroring his worried movements.

"Easy," an auxiliary restrained him gently. "Your friend will be fine. He just needs rest."

"You don't understand," Min smiled weakly, tears gathering in his eyes. "That's not why I want to go. I want to be there when he wakes up... to tell him that was the most incredible battle I've been in and that he defended our honor like he promised."

♢♢♢♢

Yang found Lin watching as the auxiliaries carried Ren to the infirmary. She maintained her stoic expression, but he knew her well enough to see the worry swimming in her eyes.

"Did you really expect him to win?" he asked softly, taking his place beside her.

Lin shook her head while sighing. "The difference in beasts was too great," she responded after a moment. "Ren is clever, reckless even... but there are barriers not easily overcome with just..."

"Don't see yourself there," Yang smiled slightly. "Your crane isn't considered a good beast for its rank either, yet the other day you were crucial to the Director's victory."

Lin recalled the battle against the mercenary, how her kick had created the necessary opening. The memory brought a ghost of pride to her face.

"Everyone's contributions matter," Yang continued. "Ren didn't win, true, but he gave a performance worth remembering. Like you, he refused to accept the limitations others tried to impose."

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A small smile formed on Lin's lips as she watched her student being transported. Even unconscious, there was something in his expression that suggested satisfaction.

"You're right," she admitted. "Ren is worth more than just his fighting ability. His way of analyzing situations, his persistence..."

"If he had any other beast," Yang nodded, "he probably would have won today. Even with a common combat beast, his tactical ability..."

He stopped seeing Lin shake her head, her eyes fixed on the stretcher where Ren rested with a slight smile on his face.

"You know? I have the feeling that even if he could, Ren wouldn't want another beast as his first," Lin said softly. "During training, even the hardest sessions, I've never seen him sad or frustrated about his spore."

She paused, searching for the right words in the afternoon light.

"He always seems... grateful."

Yang observed Lin, noting how her expression softened when speaking of Ren. The usually stern combat master had found something special in this unusual student.

The stretcher disappeared down the hallway. The last students began dispersing, still commenting on the surprising battle that may become an academy legend.

"Then I'm sure he'll find his place," Yang assured. "Like you found yours. Sometimes someone's true worth isn't in winning every battle."

Lin nodded, remembering her own struggles to be accepted as a combat master with a bronze crane as her beast.

♢♢♢♢

Light filtered through the infirmary windows when Ren opened his eyes.

The mushrooms in his hair pulsed weakly as his vision cleared. In the adjacent bed, Taro slept deeply, his eyes occasionally moving beneath his lids as if responding to some dream.

He removed the small bread balls from his ears.

Min, who had been looking out the window, turned at the sound of movement. His hands twisted nervously as he approached the bed, his snake coiled anxiously around his shoulders.

"Ren, I..." his fingers played with the edge of his shirt. "If I had gotten there sooner..."

"And steal all my fun?" Ren tried to sit up, wincing as he still felt some of the blows. "I was the one who wasted the opportunity. If I had knocked Klein out when I had the chance, we would have had that three-on-two we planned."

He leaned back against the pillows, a small smile forming on his bruised lips. "Though that first hit... Klein's face when he went down... no one's going to forget that anytime soon."

Min laughed softly, letting his shoulders relax a bit. "Especially after all that speech about crushing victories and great differences?"

"Exactly," Ren nodded. "And in the final battle of the semester..." his mushrooms pulsed stronger, their light carrying a promise, "we'll have our rematch."