Zhang Tian turned his attention to the Tobi-Kadachi's unique skills. One, in particular, stood out to him as a "god-tier" ability that perfectly synergized with its innate characteristics.
This skill was called Charged State.
Charged State
Category: Status
Effect: When activated, the Tobi-Kadachi enters a charged state. All of its skills become Electric-type.
With this skill, the Tobi-Kadachi could perfectly leverage the power of its Flying Thunder ability.
"A powerful, high-speed attacker. As long as it doesn't run into a Trick Room team, it can basically run circles around its opponents with its incredible speed," he assessed. "Plus, after becoming a Pokémon, it learned Agility and Quick Attack. These two moves push its speed advantage even further."
Zhang Tian smiled with satisfaction. As a veteran Pokémon player, he was well aware of the potent combination of the Tobi-Kadachi's ability and its Charged State.
After recalling the Tobi-Kadachi, Zhang Tian rode the Great Izuchi back to the Great Wroggi's corpse. He had recalled the Arzuros to its Poké Ball on the way here; compared to the Great Izuchi and the Tobi-Kadachi, its speed was just too slow.
"With this Great Wroggi carcass, Pidgeotto should be able to reach Level 36," he calculated. "However, the Great Izuchi, the Tobi-Kadachi, and the Arzuros are all big eaters. This probably won't be enough to last them ten days. At most, they'll finish the Great Wroggi meat in five days. Looks like I'll have to hunt again after that."
He looked at the corpse, trying to estimate how long the food would last.
"They're hard to raise. The more monsters I have, the more food I'll need. Raising just these three is already a challenge. If I had ten, or twenty... it would be impossible. Unless I feed them the meat of normal-tier monsters like Bombadgy and Slagtoth, but that would slow down their growth considerably."
"It seems that in the future, I'll have to be more selective about which monsters I capture. Only the strong ones are worth it; there's no point in subduing the weak ones."
Just as he was about to head back, Pidgeotto cried out.
"Pidgeo!"
"Someone's coming?" After two years together, Zhang Tian could basically understand Pidgeotto's calls.
He looked back and saw two beautiful dragon maidens dressed in shrine maiden attire approaching. It was Kamura Village's Quest Maidens, the dream girls of every hunter: Hinoa and Minoto. Hinoa carried a huge Hunting Horn on her back, while Minoto was equipped with a Lance and shield. Both were accompanied by large Palamutes.
"You, the one taming the monster... Are you one of the legendary Riders?" Hinoa asked, looking at Zhang Tian with curiosity. As a Wyverian, she knew of the Riders, unlike ordinary hunters who were mostly unfamiliar with them.
"That's right," Zhang Tian said, guiding the Great Izuchi closer to Hinoa and Minoto and giving a slight nod.
After seeing him confirm his identity, the sisters exchanged a glance. Then, Hinoa smiled warmly. "Your Excellency, Rider, have you eaten yet? If not, you are welcome to return to Kamura Village with us. Our village's specialties are quite delicious."
"As a matter of fact, I haven't." Seeing the invitation, Zhang Tian didn't refuse. After all, he needed to go to Kamura Village to forge equipment anyway. Even if Hinoa hadn't invited him, he would have made his way there eventually.
"Then please, come with us, Your Excellency." Hinoa beckoned, then mounted her Palamute and set off.
"Great Izuchi, keep up." Zhang Tian patted his mount, and they fell in line behind the two sisters. The Great Izuchi carried the Great Wroggi's corpse in its powerful jaws.
"Why did they invite me?" he wondered as he followed them. "My Great Izuchi shouldn't be that impressive to them. Based on the game's plot, these two are strong enough to take on a Rathalos. They can even handle monsters like Tigrex and Zinogre. My current combat power shouldn't be anything special in their eyes."
"In Monster Hunter Stories, Riders are incredibly powerful, eventually even taming Elder Dragons. Perhaps they see my potential and that's why they invited me. Kamura Village is currently facing the threat of the Rampage; they're in desperate need of strong fighters. Even if my current strength isn't much, they lose nothing by inviting me. But if I have great potential, they gain a powerful ally for Kamura, maybe even the key to victory. It's a good deal for them either way. Of course, it's also possible they're just being hospitable."
"I never thought I'd actually meet these two one day," he mused, his thoughts beginning to wander. "The dream girls..." Zhang Tian shook his head with a smile.
As a Monster Hunter player, Minoto and Hinoa were two of his favorite female characters. Alongside them were Fiorayne, the Royal Knight of Elgado, and the Ace Gunner, Luchika.
With Hinoa and Minoto leading the way, they encountered no large monsters. It was clear the two sisters knew the Shrine Ruins like the back of their hands. The few small monsters they came across scattered and fled at the sight of them.
After about half an hour of running, they finally left the Shrine Ruins behind. Along the way, Zhang Tian had used his system's analysis on Hinoa, Minoto, and their Palamutes.
Minoto (Lance)
Level: 79 (Champion Tier)
Hinoa (Hunting Horn)
Level: 79 (Champion Tier)
Hinoa's Palamute
Level: 59 (Elite Four Tier)
Minoto's Palamute
Level: 59 (Elite Four Tier)
The fact that both sisters were at the Champion tier truly shocked him. But after a moment of thought, it made sense. In the Rampage quests in the game, the two were nicknamed the "Wyverian Dragonslayers." A single shot from their mounted cannons could deal far more damage than the player and send monsters flying. Mizutsune, Tigrex they sent them all reeling with one blast, which spoke volumes of their strength. In Kamura Village, aside from Elder Fugen and Master Utsushi, the sisters Hinoa and Minoto were likely the strongest fighters.
"We're here, sister." Minoto looked at the village in the distance, wiping a bead of sweat from her brow. She spoke with a gentle, slightly weary tone. Compared to the sunny and outgoing Hinoa, Minoto was more introverted and appeared soft-spoken, almost easy to bully. But underestimating her would be a fatal mistake. This was a woman who would fearlessly charge a charging dragon head-on.
"Mm," Hinoa nodded, then turned to Zhang Tian with a smile. "We've arrived, Your Excellency, Rider. I hope you like Kamura Village."
"I'm sure I will," Zhang Tian replied with a smile of his own. "With two such beautiful young ladies here, Kamura Village must be a wonderful place."
Hearing him call them beautiful, Minoto blushed shyly. Hinoa, however, beamed happily. "Thank you for the compliment, Your Excellency."
"My name is Zhang Tian. Just call me Zhang Tian," he said with a wave of his hand. "Calling me 'Your Excellency' sounds too formal."