"Pidgeo!"
Seeing that Zhang Tian was idle, Pidgeotto chirped happily. After playing with his Pokémon for a moment, Zhang Tian began rummaging through his supplies. The drone had been destroyed, so he needed a new one. Fortunately, he had prepared three spares; otherwise, he would have had to order one online.
An hour later, Zhang Tian reappeared in the bamboo forest of the Shrine Ruins.
"What a huge pit," he muttered, climbing out. He carefully scanned the area but found no monsters nearby.
"I hope that Rathian isn't around, otherwise I'll have to flee again," he thought, taking out the new drone and starting it up. Pidgeotto stood alert on his shoulder, acting as a lookout, ready to sound the alarm at the first sign of danger.
Whirrr...
The drone took off, ascending into the sky. Luckily, there was no sign of the Rathian this time. The drone began surveying the surroundings, and with its high-powered camera, Zhang Tian could easily see for a great distance.
"Monsters fighting over territory. Interesting."
On the screen, he saw two monsters battling near a stream: a Great Wroggi and a Tobi-Kadachi. The Tobi-Kadachi was stronger, but the Great Wroggi had brought over a dozen of its smaller kin, and for the moment, the two sides were locked in a stalemate.
"I remember in the games, the Tobi-Kadachi has a higher ecological standing than the Great Wroggi. Even with a dozen Wroggi helping it, the Great Wroggi is bound to lose," Zhang Tian analyzed. "I have to hurry. The Great Wroggi won't last much longer before it tries to escape."
After quickly recalling the drone, he summoned his Great Izuchi.
"Great Izuchi, use Agility. Keep using it as we run, until you're at your limit," Zhang Tian commanded as he leaped onto its back.
"Roar." The Great Izuchi nodded in understanding and then shot forward, using Agility repeatedly as it ran to build up incredible speed.
The Great Wroggi was a velociraptor-like monster with purple scales, roughly the same size as the Great Izuchi. The Tobi-Kadachi, on the other hand, had the body of a wolf and the head of a snake, with a massive tail and long, silver-gray fur. At 11 to 15 meters long, it was slightly larger than the Great Wroggi.
By the time Zhang Tian arrived, the battle was already over. The Great Wroggi was pinned to the ground, and its dozen followers lay dead nearby, all victims of the Tobi-Kadachi.
"ROAR!"
The Tobi-Kadachi leaped into the air, its tail crackling with electricity, and brought it crashing down on the fallen Great Wroggi.
CRUNCH!
The mace-like tail instantly crushed the Great Wroggi's head.
Tobi-Kadachi
Level: 39 (Elite Tier)
"The Great Wroggi is dead. A pity. I could have captured two elite-tier monsters today," Zhang Tian said with a touch of regret. He glanced at the corpse, then threw out the Arzuros's Poké Ball.
Fwoosh!
The red light flashed, and the Arzuros appeared. The sudden appearance of another large monster, alongside the Great Izuchi, made the Tobi-Kadachi retreat cautiously.
"Pidgeotto, use Gust! Arzuros, use Assault Tackle! Great Izuchi, Power Tail Swipe!" Zhang Tian ordered the moment he jumped off the Great Izuchi's back.
"Pidgeooo!" Pidgeotto flapped its wings, sending a powerful gust of wind toward the Tobi-Kadachi.
At the same time, the Great Izuchi shot forward like an arrow. Having used Agility three times, its speed was terrifying. The Arzuros, in contrast, charged forward at a much slower pace.
"Hiss!"
The Tobi-Kadachi leaped backward to dodge the Gust, then immediately turned to flee. It had just finished a long fight with the Great Wroggi pack and was in poor condition. It had no desire to fight three new opponents. It might have stayed to fight a single enemy, but against three, retreat was the only option.
However, it had severely underestimated the Great Izuchi's speed. In just seven or eight seconds, the Great Izuchi had caught up.
"Roar!"
The Great Izuchi closed in on the Tobi-Kadachi's right flank, spun its body, and swung its massive tail. The Tobi-Kadachi reacted by leaping into the air, narrowly avoiding the deadly hook claw. It had excellent jumping ability and could even glide for short distances, so it often took to the air during fights.
Swoosh!
The Tobi-Kadachi spread its wing-like membranes and began to glide away. A normal Great Izuchi would never have been able to catch it. But Zhang Tian's was no ordinary Great Izuchi.
In just a few strides, it caught up and cut off the Tobi-Kadachi's path.
"Ptooey!"
The Great Izuchi opened its mouth and shot a glob of saliva its Water Spit attack. The Tobi-Kadachi twisted gracefully in the air to dodge, but the maneuver cost it its momentum, and it began to fall.
"Roar!"
As the Tobi-Kadachi fell, the Great Izuchi was already charging. Before the Tobi-Kadachi had even landed, while it was still two meters from the ground, the Great Izuchi struck.
Power Tail Swipe!
With no leverage in mid-air, the Tobi-Kadachi could only try to turn its head while raising its right claw to block.
CRACK!
The Great Izuchi's hook claw smashed through the Tobi-Kadachi's foreleg and slammed into the right side of its face. The sound of breaking bone was audible as the sheer force of the blow sent the Tobi-Kadachi hurtling to the ground.
"Roar!"
The Great Izuchi swung its tail again, just as it had with the Arzuros, and brought the blunt side of its claw down on the Tobi-Kadachi's head.
THUD!
The monster was knocked out cold.
A few moments later, Zhang Tian arrived with Pidgeotto and the Arzuros.
"Well done, Great Izuchi." After praising his Pokémon, he threw a Poké Ball at the unconscious Tobi-Kadachi. The red beam engulfed it, and after a few shakes, the ball clicked shut.
[Successfully captured the Tobi-Kadachi!]
[Tobi-Kadachi beginning Pokémonization...]
[Pokémonization successful!]
[Tobi-Kadachi's Pokémon data is as follows:]
Tobi-Kadachi
Level: 39 (Elite Tier)
Type: Electric
Ability: Flying Thunder (+50% power and +100% speed when using Electric-type skills.)
Unique Skills: Charge, Roar, Flying Tail Slam, Claw Swipe, Soar
HP Base Stat: 80
Attack Base Stat: 80
Defense Base Stat: 80
Special Attack Base Stat: 80
Special Defense Base Stat: 80
Speed Base Stat: 160
Total Base Stats: 560
"A base stat total of 560. That's 20 points higher than the Great Izuchi and Arzuros," Zhang Tian noted. "However, aside from its incredible Speed, its other stats are average. The ability is good, though. It'll make the Tobi-Kadachi even faster."
After reviewing its data, Zhang Tian was quite satisfied.