"Roar!"
The Great Izuchi used Agility once more, raising its Speed by another two stages. At this point, its Speed was maxed out at a +6 stage bonus, increasing its base speed by a staggering four times.
"ROAR!"
The Great Izuchi charged, closing the distance to the Arzuros in a blur.
"GRAWR!"
The Arzuros met the charge with one of its own, lowering its shoulder for its signature Assault Tackle.
Fwish!
Just as they were about to collide, the Great Izuchi sidestepped, deftly dodging the Arzuros's attack. In the same fluid motion, it swung its massive tail around, unleashing a Power Tail Swipe.
SLISH!
The sharp hook claw on its tail sliced into the Arzuros's soft, unarmored abdomen, tearing open a massive wound. Blood and viscera sprayed across the ground.
"GWOOOH!" the Arzuros howled in agony, its charge coming to an abrupt halt. It had completely underestimated the Great Izuchi's speed and paid a heavy price for it.
"Roar!"
Ignoring the Arzuros's pained cries, the Great Izuchi spun around, leaped into the air, and brought its tail down again in another powerful arc. This time, it used the blunt back of its claw instead of the cutting edge. The attack wasn't meant to kill, but to incapacitate.
CRACK!
The heavy tail smashed squarely into the Arzuros's head.
The Great Izuchi landed gracefully. Behind it, the Arzuros swayed for a moment before collapsing to the ground, unconscious.
"Go, Poké Ball!"
Seeing the Arzuros was down, Zhang Tian immediately threw a Poké Ball.
Fwoosh!
A beam of red light shot out, engulfing the Arzuros and pulling it inside. The Poké Ball fell to the ground, shook a few times, and then clicked shut. Severely injured and unconscious, the Arzuros had no strength to resist.
[Successfully captured the Arzuros!]
[Arzuros beginning Pokémonization...]
[Pokémonization successful!]
[Arzuros's Pokémon data is as follows:]
Arzuros
Level: 38 (Elite Tier)
Type: Fighting
Ability: Big Bully (Attack power x2 when facing enemies smaller than itself.)
Unique Skills: Assault Tackle, Back Slam, Triple Slap, Pinning Combo, Shoulder Tackle, Predation Attack
HP Base Stat: 100
Attack Base Stat: 150
Defense Base Stat: 100
Special Attack Base Stat: 60
Special Defense Base Stat: 60
Speed Base Stat: 70
Total Base Stats: 540
"This ability is interesting. The Arzuros is 3 meters tall and 5.5 meters long, which is larger than most Pokémon, but not particularly big among monsters. Even my Great Izuchi is slightly larger. This means the Arzuros is better suited for fighting other Pokémon," Zhang Tian mused, stroking his chin as he reviewed the data.
"Come on out, Arzuros."
Zhang Tian released his new Pokémon, then took out a low-grade healing spray and applied it liberally to its wounds. The Arzuros shook its head, gave Zhang Tian a complicated look, then lumbered over to the Slagtoth carcass and began to eat. Seeing this, the Great Izuchi didn't hesitate to join in. After evolving, its appetite had grown, and the battle had left it hungry.
Once it had eaten its fill, the Arzuros lay down on the ground and fell asleep, a large snot bubble forming at its nose. As it slept, its grievous wounds began to slowly heal.
"In the games, injured monsters go to sleep to recover their health," Zhang Tian observed. "I didn't expect real-world monsters to have the same ability. It's slow not as fast as in the game but it's still impressive. At this rate, it'll probably take the Arzuros over ten days of deep sleep to fully recover. That's too slow. I need to find a better way."
He looked at the Arzuros's wounds and sighed. "It's a shame this healing spray is so low-grade; it barely has any effect on an elite-tier Pokémon. Should I go back and buy a high-grade one? No, those are way too expensive. And taking it to a Pokémon Center is out of the question. Not only is the cost an issue, but showing up with a Pokémon nobody has ever seen before would bring me nothing but trouble."
"To use my monster Pokémon openly, I'll need to be at least Elite Four-tier in strength. Wait... Herbs and Escuregot! I remember that in the game, both of them can restore health. If I can catch an Escuregot and Pokémonize it, I'll have my own team medic. I won't have to worry about injuries anymore."
With this new plan, Zhang Tian recalled the Arzuros to its Poké Ball, took out his drone, and began searching for an Escuregot. After scanning the area for a bit, he found one.
"Let's go, Great Izuchi."
Zhang Tian climbed onto the Great Izuchi's back, and they headed towards the Escuregot's location. The Escuregot was a large, green snail, about 0.4 meters tall. In the game, setting one down would cause it to release a green mist that healed players who stood in it.
"Go, Poké Ball."
Upon finding the creature, Zhang Tian tossed a Poké Ball. It didn't even shake; the capture was instantaneous, a testament to how weak the Escuregot was.
[Successfully captured the Escuregot!]
[Escuregot beginning Pokémonization...]
[Pokémonization successful!]
[Escuregot's Pokémon data is as follows:]
Escuregot
Attribute: Normal
Ability: Healer (When using healing skills, the healing effect is greatly increased.)
Unique Skill: Healing Mist
HP Base Stat: 30
Attack Base Stat: 30
Defense Base Stat: 30
Special Attack Base Stat: 30
Special Defense Base Stat: 30
Speed Base Stat: 30
Total Base Stats: 180
"Awful base stats, but it doesn't matter. Its role is a medic, not a fighter." Zhang Tian shook his head, then focused on its ability. "A great ability, perfect for a medic." He was very pleased with this part.
After recalling the Escuregot, Zhang Tian looked toward a bamboo forest not far away. He remembered seeing a flock of Bombadgy there while scouting with the drone.
"Great Izuchi, into the bamboo forest." Zhang Tian pointed.
"Roar." The Great Izuchi nodded and charged forward. The speed boost from Agility hadn't worn off yet, and it moved with incredible velocity.
CRASH!
It thundered through the forest, snapping bamboo stalks with every heavy step. The loud commotion sent the flock of Bombadgy scattering in panic. Unfortunately for them, their speed was no match for the Great Izuchi. It quickly caught up to the flock and, with a few swift strikes, knocked out eight of them. Compared to the Great Izuchi, the Bombadgy looked small, but they were actually over two meters tall.
"The hunt is complete. Let's head back."
Zhang Tian had the Great Izuchi pile the unconscious Bombadgy together, then recalled it to its Poké Ball before teleporting back to his living room. He looked at the mountain of birds with a satisfied smile. These eight would be enough to feed his growing team for a good while, even with the massive appetites of the Great Izuchi and the Arzuros.