Su Yi, The Pokemon(?) Master (Pokemon X Monster Hunter Fanfic)

With the now-familiar sensation of teleportation, Su Yi once again arrived in the Pokémon world, on the Isle of Armor, in the Focus Forest.

However, just as the New Continent had given Su Yi the "surprise" of the Steel Dragon, the Pokémon world was not to be outdone. Before Su Yi could even steady himself, a sharp cry suddenly rang out.

"Who's there!?"

Before Su Yi could react, a fierce kick, carrying strong gusts of wind, came hurtling toward him.

"What—!?" Su Yi barely had time to cross his arms in front of his chest in defense.

Boom!

A loud, muffled impact. At that moment, Su Yi felt as if the Five Dragon Gods of Creation were watching over him.

"Puga!"

Like Dio Brando, caught off guard and pummeled by Star Platinum's rapid punches along his escape route, Su Yi was sent flying far into the distance.

Thud!

"Cough!"

His body crashed into the ground, dealing him secondary damage.

Clang!

A Poké Ball at Su Yi's waist suddenly burst open. Rucao leapt out in a panic, rushing to his side with a frantic cry.

"Su Yi, meow! What happened, meow?! Don't scare me, meow!"

"It's a human!?" The culprit of the attack exclaimed in surprise.

"Meow!" Rucao, outraged, turned its head, gripping its bone dagger tightly. "Who are you, meow? Are you also a Pokémon, meow?"

"A talking Pokémon?"

"Cough, cough, cough." Su Yi weakly raised his hand. "Rucao, I'm still alive. Quick, give me some medicine."

"Su Yi! Here, meow!" Rucao immediately handed over a potion from Su Yi's waist.

With trembling hands, Su Yi took the bottle and gulped down a couple of mouthfuls, finally catching his breath.

"Are you okay, meow?" Rucao asked worriedly.

"I'm fine." Su Yi shook his head and looked at the girl before him.

She wore a headband, a snug and lightweight martial arts outfit, wrist and knee guards, and was barefoot. Behind her stood a Machop, Machoke, and Machamp—there was no doubt. This was the talented Galarian fighting-type prodigy, Bea, whom he had briefly met at the train station before.

People often joked that Bea was a humanoid Machamp. Now, Su Yi had the privilege of experiencing her strength firsthand.

"It's you?" Bea also recognized the person she had encountered before.

"I'm really sorry! I thought a Pokémon was trying to ambush me, and I was already on high alert, so I acted on instinct." Bea apologized as she approached and extended a hand to help Su Yi up.

"What… kind of strength is this?" Su Yi muttered as he was pulled to his feet, his arms still throbbing in pain.

"By the way, why did you suddenly appear behind me?" Bea asked curiously.

Clearing his throat to cover his awkwardness, Su Yi replied, "Uh… well, I used a Pokémon's Teleport move to get here. I didn't know someone was standing there."

"Teleport, huh? I see… I was too reckless. I apologize again." Bea bowed slightly, along with her three Pokémon.

"It was just an unfortunate accident, no need to be so formal." Su Yi waved a hand dismissively.

"But you're the one who got hurt…" Bea said, looking guilty.

"Here, where's your camp? I'll carry you back!" she said seriously.

Su Yi's mouth twitched. If people found out that he was nearly sent to meet the Creation Dragons by a single kick from a girl and then had to be carried back by her, his reputation as a hunter would be finished.

"No need! No need! I have a reliable partner." Saying that, Su Yi quickly summoned his Kulu-Ya-Ku.

"Kwaa?" The bird wyvern tilted its head in confusion, seeing Su Yi—who had been lively before—now grimacing in pain as he climbed onto its back.

"A Pokémon I haven't seen before?" Bea murmured, intrigued.

"At least let me escort you back. I also have some ointment—" Bea insisted.

"Really, it's fine. Kulu-Ya-Ku, head back the way we came!" Su Yi lightly nudged its sides.

"Kwaaa!" Kulu-Ya-Ku cried out, dashing toward Master Mustard's dojo.

Bea could only watch as Su Yi disappeared into the distance.

"The sun's already setting. Let's head back too." She looked up at the orange sky before packing up to leave.

However, when she returned to Master Mustard's dojo, she found herself face-to-face with Su Yi, who was in the middle of having his wounds bandaged. They stared at each other in awkward silence.

"Uh…" Bea was at a loss for words. She hadn't expected this person to be a member of Master Mustard's dojo.

"Oh? Bea, you're back? This is Su Yi. The delicious meals you've been enjoying these past few days—he provided the ingredients. Oh, and the medicine I gave you? He made that too." Honey, Master Mustard's wife, smiled as she introduced him.

"I see…" Bea felt a pang of guilt.

However, Honey sighed in disappointment. "If Su Yi hadn't said that he got kicked by a Machamp and hurt his hands, you could've enjoyed another of his delicious meals tonight."

Su Yi's face froze mid-bite. He opened his mouth, raised a hand, but it was too late. He could only close his mouth awkwardly and stare at the table.

"M-Machamp?!" Bea was stunned. Then, any guilt she felt instantly vanished, replaced by embarrassment and irritation.

By Pokémon standards, Machamp's physique was impressive—but using it to describe a young girl? That was a bit…

Su Yi weakly explained, "It was just a metaphor for strength…"

Bea glanced at Su Yi's bandaged hands and decided to let it slide.

Since Su Yi's hands were injured, tonight's dinner was prepared by Honey—Galar-style curry rice.

As Su Yi savored the flavorful dish, new ideas about cooking began forming in his mind.

That night, in his room at the dojo, Su Yi held a Pukei-Pukei egg up to the ceiling light. Through the translucent shell, he could faintly see the forming embryo.

"It's almost ready to hatch." Su Yi marveled.

"I wonder when the fire dragon egg will hatch…" He glanced at the small nest nearby, where a Larvesta slept soundly atop an egg.

"Tomorrow, I'll restock on camping supplies, then continue tracking Pukei-Pukei. After that, I need to find a way into Giant's Bed…" A sly grin spread across Su Yi's face. "Heh, heh… Regirock, here I come."

Planning for the next day complete, Su Yi drifted off to sleep.

The Next Morning

Thanks to the herbal medicine, Su Yi's arms had mostly recovered. He helped Honey prepare breakfast.

Bea also woke up early and entered the dining hall. However, today, her gaze toward Su Yi was… different.

Su Yi felt uneasy. Was she planning to kick him again?

"Su Yi," Bea suddenly spoke. "I heard you recently became a trainer, yet you were able to fight on par with Leon's main team."

"Leon went easy on me. He didn't even use Dynamax." Su Yi replied truthfully.

"How do you know he went easy?" Bea asked, curious.

Su Yi shrugged. "Isn't it obvious? He didn't even take off his hat."

Everyone knew—some people's hats were their true selves.

"He didn't take off his hat?" Bea frowned, puzzled.

Recalling the legendary battle from his past life, Su Yi chuckled. "Throwing aside his cape and hat—not as a champion, but as a true trainer—that's what it means to fight without restraints."

"Without restraints…" Bea murmured in thought. She had always chased after Leon in Pokémon battles, but the pressure only grew heavier, making her feel lost.

Perhaps, this person—whom Master Mustard had praised as a late bloomer—held the answers she sought.

"Su Yi, battle me in a Pokémon match!"

"Hm?" Su Yi blinked, then smiled. It had been a while since his last battle.

"Alright, let's do this."