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

I have great respect for the first person who ever ate a wild mushroom—because there was a real chance it was poisonous.

But Su Yi was lucky. He was probably the first person to taste the specialty fruits of the Rotten Vale.

"Mmm! Sweet and tangy—this is delicious! Rucao, try one!" Su Yi handed a fruit to Rucao.

"Ok, meow!"

Rucao eagerly peeled off the skin and popped the flesh into its mouth.

"Meow~!"

The feline Pokémon didn't say anything; instead, it was completely immersed in the fruit's unique flavor.

The dark red flesh was crisp, with a mild sourness that enhanced its sweetness. The moment it hit the tongue, the balanced flavors of tart and sweet made one want to savor every bite.

"Is it really that tasty? Too bad I can only consume electricity, Roto…" Rotom Phone said regretfully.

"Let's gather some for everyone to try later. Good things should be shared!"

Su Yi picked all the fruits—tentatively naming them Rotten Vale Fruits—and stored them in his Inventory.

"Alright, now we need to figure out how to climb up."

Su Yi looked up.

Countless rock pillars and slender mountain spires stretched upward from the Rotten Vale, supporting the Coral Highlands above. Through the mists of toxic fumes, the layered, uneven terrain of the Coral Highlands was faintly visible.

"There are vines here! We can climb part of the way up, meow!" Rucao pointed to the tenacious vines growing along the rock wall at the edge of the marshy area.

"Let's climb up a bit first."

Su Yi swiftly ascended using his grappling hook.

Ding!

Before long, he latched onto a massive fan blade bone and pulled himself up onto a gently sloping path.

"These must be the remains of the Dalamadur."

The path beneath Su Yi's feet was entirely formed by the serpent king dragon's elongated bones, which had, over countless years, fused with sediment and rock. The only thing still clearly recognizable was the large, fan-like blade bones, a silent testament to the creature's former majesty.

As Su Yi gazed at the remains in awe, the scoutflies on his waist suddenly floated toward a puddle of black sludge covering some bones.

"Tar-coated bone fragments… is that a Radobaan?"

Following the slope upward, Su Yi spotted numerous tire track-like patterns etched into the dirt.

The Radobaan, a creature wrapped entirely in skeletal armor, spent its days recklessly drifting across the remains of the Serpent King Dragon like some crazed biker.

Frankly, Su Yi didn't find the creature appealing at all. Whether in the game or in reality, he had no real desire to capture one.

"Come out, Odagoron."

After some thought, Su Yi released the Savage Claw Wyvern.

"Snort!"

The wyvern exhaled deeply, sniffing the air and taking in the familiar scents of the Rotten Vale. It seemed to feel at ease in this environment.

"Odagoron, you should know the way from the Rotten Vale to the Coral Highlands, right?"

Unlike the Great Girros and the Radobaan, which remained in the Rotten Vale year-round, the Odagoron needed to sustain its highly mobile body.

Because of its fast metabolism, it required a large amount of meat. However, the Rotten Vale was scarce in food, and competition for fresh meat was fierce. Relying on carcasses that fell from the Coral Highlands was too unpredictable, so Odagoron's would often venture up to the highlands to hunt.

"Awoo!"

Odagoron affirmed.

"Then I'll be counting on you to lead us to the Coral Highlands."

"Huff!"

Odagoron let out a breath, then crouched down, gesturing for Su Yi to climb on.

"Thanks!" Su Yi smiled as he swung himself onto the wyvern's back.

"Hiss—!"

The only issue was the wyvern's hard, keratinous ridges along its spine, which made sitting uncomfortable, causing Su Yi some mild discomfort.

"Meow!"

Rucao, being clever, opted to cling to Su Yi's back instead.

"Awooo!"

With a low growl, Odagoron tensed its powerful muscles and leapt up, gripping the surrounding rock wall.

The wyvern scaled the cliffside swiftly, leaping from rock to rock. Su Yi clung tightly to its back, watching as the landscape blurred past him.

The protrusions on the rock face and the small ledges along the rock pillars became the wyvern's stepping stones. After a series of agile jumps, it landed atop one of the towering stone columns. By now, they had ascended to about the middle of the valley.

"Let's take a break. You're still injured."

Su Yi patted the wyvern gently, signaling it to rest.

Panting slightly, the Odagoron layed down to recover its strength. Su Yi took out some roasted meat and offered it to the wyvern to replenish its energy.

"So high up, Roto! Whoa! What kind of Pokémon do you think that massive skeleton belonged to?"

Rotom Phone zipped out of Su Yi's backpack, hovering in midair as it surveyed the valley below.

At that moment, the Coral Highlands above must have been basking in intense sunlight, for the golden rays pierced through the toxic mists, illuminating the usually dark and shadowy Rotten Vale in a rare moment of clarity.

With the improved visibility, Su Yi and his team finally caught a glimpse of the true landscape of the Rotten Vale.

A colossal skeleton coiled through the valley's rock formations, its ancient bones stretching across the canyon in a massive, winding graveyard. Countless enormous remains lay scattered throughout the area—some fused with the bizarre rock formations to become cliffs and ceilings, while others had sunk into the depths of the yellow mist, revealing only fragments of their size.

This dragon's graveyard seemed to be whispering a somber elegy, an echo of the ancient dragons' final lament.

"This… is an indescribable feeling. We should take a picture to remember it."

Rotom's voice softened, as if afraid to disturb the slumbering souls of the dragons that rested there.

"From time immemorial, the 'whale fall' of the elder dragons has nourished this strange yet thriving world. This land… is worth a lifetime of exploration."

Su Yi couldn't help but sigh in awe.

Just like the Research Commission that had arrived on this continent, many had devoted their entire lives to uncovering its secrets. By the time the Fifth Fleet arrived in the near future, some members of the commission would have already spent forty years accumulating knowledge, all for the sake of unraveling the mysteries of this New World.

But how many forty years does a person have in a lifetime?

Many had come here in their twenties, and by now, they had spent more than half their lives on this land—dedicating themselves to discovering the truth behind the elder dragons' migrations and the ecosystem of the New World. They were the true adventurers, the pioneers, whose tales could be sung in epic ballads.

"And our adventure is only just beginning, Right, Rucao?"

"Thats right, meow!"

Rucao's bright eyes sparkled as it admired the strange yet eerily beautiful scenery. It was just like the time they had climbed the Ancient Tree Forest together to gaze upon the vast land below.

Just as Su Yi had said—this was only the beginning of their adventure. The view might be breathtaking, but their true goal lay even higher.

Once they had rested enough, Su Yi and Rucao once again mounted the Odagoron.

Navigating the steep canyon walls, the wyvern carefully climbed, each movement balancing caution with determination, as if walking a tightrope toward the sky.

This ascent bathed in sunlight, reaching ever higher, was reminiscent of Icarus soaring toward the sun.

But unlike Icarus—whose wings melted, sending him plummeting into the endless sea—what awaited Su Yi at the summit was a radiant, dazzling ocean of coral.

Crack!

With a powerful grip, the Odagoron hooked its claws onto the edge of the Coral Highlands and leapt forward, bursting into the blinding sunlight.

"Coral Highlands—here we come!"