Whirr... Whirr...
After the Luxury Ball shook a few times, it clicked shut. Zhang had subdued the Nargacuga.
[Nargacuga successfully subdued!]
[Beginning Pokémonization...]
[Pokémonization complete!]
[Nargacuga's information is as follows:]
Nargacuga
Level: 59 (Quasi-Elite Four Tier)
Type: Dragon / Dark
Ability: Red Comet (Speed +100% under normal conditions. Speed +200% and Attack +100% in darkness.)
Exclusive Moves: Bite, Tail Swipe, Giant Slalom, Tail Slam, Blade Wing, Dragon Rush, Tail Spike Shot, Predation, Swallow-Tail Flash.
Base Stats:
HP: 80Attack: 160Defense: 80Sp. Atk: 40Sp. Def: 80Speed: 160
Total: 600
"A base stat total of 600, just like Rathalos. Its ability is great, and its stat distribution is excellent too." Looking at the Nargacuga's stats, Zhang nodded in satisfaction. Both its ability and stat distribution were top-notch.
Next, Zhang reviewed its moves.
Blade Wing was a good move, similar to Quick Attack, increasing its speed by 100%. But the most impressive move in the Nargacuga's arsenal was Swallow-Tail Flash.
Swallow-Tail Flash
Type: Dragon
Category: Physical
Power: 40
Effect: When used, the user's Speed is increased by 200%.
The Nargacuga was already incredibly fast. With this move, it would become a true speed demon.
"Escuregot, come out." Zhang released the healing snail to treat the Nargacuga's injuries. After it was fully healed, he mounted his Arcanine and rode back to the outskirts of Qingyu Village.
"I've hunted the Nargacuga! You don't have to worry anymore!" Zhang shouted toward the closed village gate.
"What?" The middle-aged man he had spoken to earlier appeared on the wall again, a look of complete surprise on his face. Zhang had only been gone for half an hour at most. To have completed the hunt already was unbelievably fast.
"Thank you!" the man shouted down.
"No problem. Well, I should be heading back," Zhang said with a wave. He turned his Arcanine and sped away.
"Such a strong young man, to hunt a Nargacuga so quickly…" the man marveled, watching Zhang's departing figure. "I remember even the top-tier veteran hunters from the guild take several days to complete a hunt like that."
"Woof!" The Arcanine suddenly skidded to a halt and let out a loud bark.
"You smell blood?" Zhang's brow furrowed. He generally understood his Arcanine's signals. It had detected the scent of human blood nearby, and a lot of it.
"Let's go, we'll check it out." He urged the Arcanine in the direction of the scent.
Six minutes later, they arrived at a trade road. There, a crimson Arzuros was calmly eating honey that had spilled on the ground. Behind it lay the corpses of several ordinary people, surrounded by discarded and broken carts. It was clear that a merchant caravan had been attacked. Though most had escaped, many had tragically lost their lives.
"Redhelm Arzuros!" Zhang immediately recognized the monster. It was a powerful Deviant of the Arzuros, a notoriously aggressive individual known for its ferocity. A Redhelm Arzuros shared the same ecological niche as a Rathalos or a Nargacuga.
Redhelm Arzuros
Level: 59 (Quasi-Elite Four Tier)
"Roar!" The Redhelm Arzuros spotted Zhang. It rose onto its hind legs and let out a threatening roar.
"Who do you think you're scaring?" Zhang smiled faintly. He raised his hand and released his Rathalos, Brute Dragon, Crimsondog Beast, Gardevoir, and the newly subdued Nargacuga.
The moment it saw the Rathalos and the Nargacuga, the Redhelm Arzuros froze, a flicker of fear in its eyes. Both of them were its ecological equals, with comparable strength. A two-on-one fight was not in its favor. As for the Brute Dragon and the Crimsondog Beast, it didn't pay them much mind. Their ecological ranks were a level below its own.
"Awooo!" The Arcanine let out a long howl, activating its Intimidate ability.
Under the effect of Intimidate, the Redhelm Arzuros's attack power was reduced by a quarter. Unfortunately, since the Arcanine was only at the Gym Leader tier, the ability wasn't fully effective against a quasi-Elite Four opponent. A full-power Intimidate would have reduced its attack by a third. Still, even a partial reduction was enough to make the Redhelm Arzuros uncomfortable. It could feel its own strength draining away, leaving it with only three-quarters of its original power.
"Roar!" Without needing a command, the Brute Dragon, Rathalos, and Nargacuga began using Dragon Dance, while the Crimsondog Beast used Bulk Up.
"Grrr…" With a low growl, the Redhelm Arzuros shook its head and decided to flee. Not only was it outnumbered, but its strength had been mysteriously sapped. It had no intention of sticking around for a fight. Except for a few hot-headed monsters like the Yian Garuga, most would retreat once they realized they were outmatched.
"Gardevoir!" Zhang called out.
"Shaaa…" Gardevoir nodded and raised its hands. A pink light flashed, and the fleeing Redhelm Arzuros suddenly reappeared right in front of Zhang's team.
The Redhelm Arzuros stood there, stunned. It had no idea what had just happened or how it had been teleported back.
"Hiss!" The Nargacuga was the fastest to react. It instantly launched its attack.
Blade Wing!
The Nargacuga shot forward like a black shadow. Its sharp blade-wings slashed across the Redhelm Arzuros's neck, tearing through skin and flesh and severing its artery. Blood gushed from the wound.
"Graaah!" the Redhelm Arzuros howled in pain, raising a claw to cover the gash.
Fwoosh! The Crimsondog Beast hurled its exploding pinecones, which slammed into the Redhelm Arzuros's face.
Rumble! Rumble! The beast was engulfed in the fiery explosions.
Watching the battered Arzuros, Zhang contemplated whether to finish it off. The meat from a quasi-Elite Four tier monster would provide a significant boost to his Pokémon. However, the Redhelm Arzuros was too small. It was only slightly larger than a regular Arzuros and wouldn't provide much meat, not enough to last more than a few days.
Forget it. I'll keep it alive. There's too little meat to make killing it worthwhile, he decided. If I keep it, I'll have another quasi-Elite Four Pokémon on my team. Plus, it's already at level 59, not far from 60. With a bit of training, it can reach the Elite Four tier.
After weighing his options, Zhang decided to capture it. If the Redhelm Arzuros could understand his thoughts, it would probably sigh in relief, thankful for its relatively small size.
"Roar!" The Brute Dragon and the Rathalos both unleashed torrents of flame, engulfing the Redhelm Arzuros and sending it flying.
Thud!
After struggling for a moment, the heavily injured and blasted beast collapsed, unconscious. A six-on-one battle had been no contest at all.
Despicable outsiders, ganging up on me… no honor! If the Redhelm Arzuros could speak, it would surely be shouting such accusations.
"Go!" Zhang raised his hand and threw a Luxury Ball.
Whirr... Whirr...
The ball shook twice and then clicked shut. The severely injured Redhelm Arzuros had no strength left to resist.