The black smog disappeared, and Eve reappeared next to Jamie. Eves tail's wagged, and Jamie started rubbing her around the neck. Jamie smiled and said "Well done Eve. But you can't use the skill that allows you to use other skills simultaneously when we practice."
Eve's tail dropped slightly. She huffed then mentally sent "fine."
As Jamie started to tinker with the setting, he asked Eve "I never did ask you. How often can you use that bite?"
"30 times."
Jamie set Eve to fight with Blackwing as a Bystander again, the fighting style to Life and Death (Frontal Encounter), and the location to a Stadium. Jaime selected a single stage 3 crow to fight. Jamie hesitated on the pain feedback, before gritting his teeth and setting it to medium.
Jamie took a deep breath and said to Eve. "This time your fighting a crow. You can only use your Empowered Bite and Black Smog abilities. You need to try to time the Black Smog for the right moment. I've also put the feedback up a notch. "
Eve licked Jamie's hand in response. Jamie started the match.
Once the countdown was done, Eve started running towards the crow. Jamie cursed and sent to Eve "Stop!. If you charge towards the crow, it will fly over you and kill me."
Eve faltered, before slowing down. Jamie started running towards Eve while Eve turned back around. By the time they met up and were facing the crow, the crow was at the center of the stage. Jamie sent "time your skills well."
The crow swiftly closed in. When it was within twenty meters, it started to beat it's wings and a small gust formed, blowing Jamie. He was sent flying backwards with a curse. Eve turned around, and ran towards Jamie as he lay and the ground, moaning, as the crow started halting the gust, while Eve constantly looked behind her. When she saw the crow start flying forwards while focusing on her, or more precisely, her back, she started slowing down gradually.
The crow dived, and as it closed in on her back, she suddenly ran forwards in a brief burst of speed, Black Smog forming around her. The crow flapped to raise it's altitude a little, focusing on Eve's back. Too late, it noticed the Black Smog starting to block it's visibility, it released a caw from it's throat as it tried to ascend, gust starting to form beneath it's wings. Eve turned around and pounced on the crow, biting down onto it's chest, and dragging it to the ground, where she then proceeded to finish it off.
"Match Over. Tamers Victory."
Eve and Jamie disappeared, then reappeared on one side side of the stage. Jamie gave Eve a wry grin, saying "Good job finishing it off when you did. I think I was on the verge of dying."
"Wimp."
"Hey, I'm the Battl..."
Blackwing cut Jamie off, transmitting to Jamie, "Me fight."
Jamie scratched his head, then transmitted to them both. "Okay, going forward, I will let you both fight at the same time. Blackwing fights the stage 2 eagle, Eve the stage 3 leopard. I'll time you both and gradually limit the abilities you can use use in each fight.
>>>>
After Jamie exited the Virtual Training Room, he saw Ivan waiting for him outside. Ivan nodded towards Jamie and said "were closing up now."
"Okay."
Jamie took a couple of steps forward, before thinking of something, and paused., before asking "Ivan, can I ask for some advice regarding my bonded beasts?"
"Sure. What do you want to know?"
"The dragon, Blackwing, has had a reaction to a basic chaos evolution stone. Problem is, I saw a video of one at a much higher stage that looked exactly the same."
Ivan turned to Blackwing, studying it. "Interesting. But what do you want to know?"
"I wanted to know your opinion on if I should increase Blackwing's stage normally, or evolve him."
"Generally, I would say let it increase it's stage normally. If you use an evolution stone or another material, it often gives access to new abilities that it wouldn't normally get just by increasing it's stage. However, you don't know what the new stage limits are if you evolve it. It could be higher, or lower. Additionally, you don't know if it can evolve again, and if it can what types of materials it would require. It's a risk. On the other hand, if you just let it stage up normally, you probably would know what your getting. That dragon, do you know what stage it's parent's were?"
Jamie shook his head. 'No. I saw a video of one though. I think it was stage 7."
"So you should probably increase it's stage normally, it's safer, and stage 7 is considered high. Perhaps, even after it reaches that stage, it can still get much higher. That is, unless you know what it's new limits are after evolving it?"
"I don't."
"There is something else you need to keep in mind. Using evolution stones sometimes alters a creatures behavior, and the degree of behavioral changes can also differ. Having a rampant dragon is not something you would want."
Jamie nodded. "Thank you."
Ivan smile. "Think nothing of it. Keep in mind, this is just my opinion. Ultimately, weigh the pros and cons and do what you think is best. I'll see you later."
>>>>>>
The next day, Jamie got up early, jogged around the neighborhood with Eve behind him, then took a shower. He then spent two hours improving his Astral Body, then ate breakfast and fed his bonded beasts. He then headed to the government branch building with Eve accompanying him. After a thirty minute drive, he arrived at a large, grey, five storey building. As he entered through the glass automatic double sliding doors, he could see eight people lining up at the black reception desk. Frowning, he looked around, and he could see most of the seats along the wall were taken, with two people standing, and some of the people in the room were accompanied with beasts. As he looked around the room, he spotted his highschool friend John. They made eye contact, then they waved to each other, before Jamie lined up. After five minutes had passed, a tall, muscular man with a scar above his right eye in a military uniform walked to the reception area accompanied by a lean male with smooth skin and a buzz cut, in a black suit, holding a black touch pad. The man in the military coughed, and said, in a loud, booming voice.
"I need everyone that came here to register as a Battlepet Master Trainee and Novice Martial Warrior to please come with me."
With that almost everyone in the room reacted, turning there heads to the man in the military man. The military man and the man accompanying him turned around and walked away, and a large group of people started following behind. He led the way to a large tinted door, then turned around.
"Everyone here will line up, and Lynch here will check your identities before you are allowed in."
The military man then entered the room, while people started lining up. Jamie joined near the back of the line, with Eve besides him, holding his wallet in his hand, while he waited. When it was Jamie's turn, Lynch asked him in an easygoing manner "Can I see your ID?"
Jamie flipped open his wallet, showing it to the man. The man scrutinized the ID, then looking carefully at Jamie's face. He tapped on the touch pad for a moment, before saying to Jamie "You can go in."
Jamie walked inside the room, looking around as he entered. It was an incredibly large room, half filled with general purpose tables for two people spread evenly around the room, leaving a large gap between the tables. Each table had two black chairs behind them. Jamie shook his head "This is almost like highschool all over again" he thought.
Eventually, as he looked around the room, his gaze fell upon John, who waved him over, pointing at the seat at his table. "Exactly like high-school" Jamie thought wryly.
Jamie walked over, and took a seat next to John, with Eve lying down on the floor next to Jamie. After he had taken a seat, John smiled and slapped Jamie 'lightly' on the back, almost causing Jamie to face-plant on the desk.
"It's been awhile Jamie. How have you been?"
Jamie straightened up, rubbing his back. "Good. I managed to become a Battlepet Master Trainee. "
"Congrats. Did you end up working at Battlepet store?"
"I did. I Started working at Warpets Delux. "
"Nice. After Highschool was finished I sta...."
The man in the military coughed, and said, in a loud, booming voice. "Everyone, I need your attention."