The Escuregot spat out its green mist, and under its healing properties, the Blood Orange Bishaten was soon fully recovered. Even its gouged-out eyes were restored.
"Having a healing Pokémon is so convenient," Zhang Tian sighed.
After a moment, he recalled the Arzuros, which had once again done nothing but watch from the sidelines. Then, he instructed the Great Izuchi to divide the Tetranadon corpse into three parts. The Great Izuchi, the Blood Orange Bishaten, and the Tobi-Kadachi each carried a portion.
"Let's go home," Zhang Tian said, mounting the Great Izuchi. With a wave of his hand, he and his three monsters set off for Kamura Village.
"Hinoa, I'm back," Zhang Tian announced, arriving at the quest counter and placing the Tetranadon's massive head at his feet.
"That was fast! I didn't think you'd be back until this afternoon," Hinoa said with a smile, glancing at the trophy.
"I got lucky. I found the Tetranadon as soon as I arrived, so it didn't take long," Zhang Tian replied with a slight smile. He then took a game console from his backpack, along with a matching solar charger, and placed them on the counter.
"A game console!" Hinoa's eyes lit up the moment she saw it. For the people of the Monster Hunter world, a game console was a piece of high technology. It was easy to get hooked on, especially since they'd never seen anything like it before.
"Zhang Tian, here is your quest reward: 5040z." Hinoa quickly processed the quest paperwork, then brought out a bag of gold coins and set it on the table.
From what Zhang Tian had learned over the past few days, 1z was equivalent to one silver coin, and 10 silver coins could be exchanged for one gold coin.
"Finally, I'm rich," he thought happily, placing the gold coins in his backpack. With this money, he could buy some Pokémon-related items, as well as some of his own world's technology. For instance, he had always wanted one of the spatial backpacks sold at the Pokémon Center.
Hinoa, equally happy, put the game console away. She then looked at Zhang Tian, her face slightly flushed, and said softly, "When I'm done with my work, I'll take you to dinner."
"Alright. I'll head home first. Just come find me at my house when you're finished." Zhang Tian nodded, then picked up the Tetranadon's head and left.
After returning home, he took off his heavy armor and released his monsters to eat. As for himself, he planned to save his appetite for dinner with Hinoa.
"After the exam, I'll go to a jewelry store and sell these gold coins," he mused, stroking his chin. "As long as Pidgeotto evolves into a Pidgeot, I shouldn't have any trouble selling them. An elite trainer selling some gold won't raise too many eyebrows; my social status and strength will be high enough."
"Now, for the Bishaten's training plan. Its Exploding Pinecone skill is very strong, so we'll focus on that. We'll also work on its inverted combat style, using its tail as a third leg. That shouldn't be too difficult, since it already likes to attack from a handstand and balance on its tail." After a moment of thought, he had a solid plan.
"Roar," the Arzuros grumbled, slowly lumbering over to him after it had finished eating.
"What's wrong, Arzuros?" Zhang Tian asked, looking at it with a puzzled expression.
"Roar," it rumbled, a hint of grievance in its tone.
"You're saying you want to fight?" Zhang Tian hadn't been with the Arzuros for long, so he couldn't quite understand its cries. He took a guess.
"Roar!" The Arzuros nodded vigorously.
"Alright, alright. Next time, I'll definitely let you have a fight," Zhang Tian said with a helpless sigh, seeing how upset it was.
It's not my fault your legs are too short to keep up! he grumbled to himself.
"Roar!" The Arzuros nodded happily and then waddled away on its "short legs."
"Zhang Tian, are you home?" Hinoa's voice called from outside.
Hearing her, Zhang Tian put down the Long Sword he'd been practicing with, wiped the sweat from his brow, and shouted back, "Hinoa, wait a moment! I'm going to change my clothes!" He was covered in sweat from training and didn't want to show up for dinner like that.
"Okay!" her voice came back.
He went back into his room, closed the door, and traversed back to his old home. After a quick shower, he changed into a nice set of clothes and returned to the Monster Hunter world. He was now dressed in casual wear, with a decorative gold monocle over his right eye, giving him a relaxed yet mysterious air. He was a good-looking young man, and after becoming a hunter, his physique had become even better.
He walked out to the gate where Hinoa was waiting. The moment she saw him, her eyes sparkled.
"Zhang Tian, are those clothes from your hometown?" she asked with a smile.
"That's right. Do they look good?" he replied with a sunny smile.
"They look very good," Hinoa nodded. "You don't look like a hunter at all now. You look more like one of the scholars from the Scribes." A curious look appeared on her face. "Have you read many books?"
"A great many," he nodded. "In my hometown, I started reading when I was three and have been studying ever since."
"Oh! Could you tell me a story?" Hinoa's eyes shone brightly, an eager expression on her face.
"Of course," he nodded. He stroked his chin, thinking for a moment. "I'll tell you a story about the sun, called 'Hou Yi Shoots the Suns'."
He began to slowly recount the ancient myth. He spoke with enthusiasm, and Hinoa listened with delight. They walked and talked, laughing all the way.
"Ah, to be young!" Fugen mused, stroking his chin as he watched the two of them from a distance.
"Old friend, aren't you afraid he'll steal her away?" said another old man with white hair standing beside him. It was Hamon the Blacksmith, a man whose strength was said to be no less than Fugen's. Fifty years ago, it was he who had repelled the Magnamalo.
"Let him try! The affairs of the young are their own. We old folks shouldn't meddle," Fugen said with a smile. "Besides, I have high hopes for this young man. He may be the one to help us solve our Magnamalo problem."
"I hope so," Hamon sighed softly. "Hinoa has finally grown up. And we... we have grown old."
"Come on, old friend. Let's go have a drink," Fugen said, pulling Hamon along as they strode away.
"Zhang Tian, we're here," Hinoa said, leading him to the dango shop. "The Bunny Dango made by Yomogi is the most delicious. Let's go in." She eagerly led the way inside, clearly a big fan of the place.
"Sister Hinoa, who is he?" a little girl of about twelve or thirteen, dressed in green, asked, her eyes full of a gossipy flame as she looked at Zhang Tian.