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

The coral highlands was basking in bright sunlight, as if Groudon itself had visited and summoned a Sunny Day.

Finally escaping the dark and gloomy Valley of Miasma, Su Yi felt a surge of relief as the warm sunlight lifted his spirits.

However, his Odagoron was struggling—its sensitive eyes found the light too harsh, and since it had no eyelids, it couldn't even close its eyes for relief.

Yep, Odagoron was a real tough one—the kind that even slept with its eyes wide open.

"You should rest inside the ball for now." Su Yi quickly recalled Odagoron into its Poké Ball.

"What's that, meow?" Rucao pointed toward something in the distance.

At this moment, they were standing on a small, plate-like plateau. Water trickled down from the higher plateau above, filling the "plate" and forming a shallow pond.

In the pond, aside from a few small fish, there were also creatures resembling anglerfish. They moved by waving their fins, crawling through the shallow water with their plump, chubby bodies.

"Oh, those are Lantern Fish." Su Yi observed these strange environmental monsters with curiosity.

"Lantern Fish?" Rucao tilted its head in confusion.

"Watch closely." Su Yi said as he slowly approached them.

The ripples caused by his footsteps startled the wary little creatures. The "lanterns" on their heads suddenly lit up, and they quickly darted into the nearby coral and rock crevices to hide.

"What a peculiar Pokémon, Roto!" Rotom clicked its camera shutter, capturing the image of these plump little creatures wriggling away.

"Huh? That spot is glowing too, meow wow! It's a shell, meow! Why is there such a big shell here, meow?"

Rucao's attention was drawn to a large scallop shell reflecting the glow of the Lantern Fish's lights.

"That's a Pearl Shell! Looks like we just hit the jackpot!" Su Yi exclaimed excitedly and quickly ran over to the massive shell growing at the edge of the coral plateau.

"Is there treasure inside, Roto!?" Rotom eagerly followed, ready to capture another amazing shot.

Squatting down, Su Yi examined the massive shell emerging from the water. The slightly open shell revealed a faint glow inside.

"Here comes the loot!" Su Yi used his harvesting knife to tap open the shell. The moment it cracked open, a few pinkish shrimp suddenly leaped out!

Su Yi reacted swiftly, catching two of them in his hands.

"These are… Coral Shrimp?" Su Yi observed the jewel-like, translucent pink shrimp in his palm and made a guess.

In the game, there was a food-related quest linked to the Lush Coral Plateau that unlocked Coral Shrimp as an ingredient. The rare finds inside Pearl Shells also unlocked two other types of shrimp ingredients.

The crystal-clear, coral-colored shrimp in front of him strongly resembled the description of Coral Shrimp—"shrimps that glisten like gemstones."

"A new culinary discovery—New Ingredient GET!"

Su Yi stored the Coral Shrimp safely and retrieved a fist-sized pearl from inside the Pearl Shell.

The perfectly round, pure white pearl shimmered brilliantly under the sunlight.

"So beautiful, Roto!" Rotom snapped more photos excitedly.

"There's more over here, meow!" The feline Pokémon waved its paw excitedly.

Su Yi rushed over and found three Pearl Shells clustered together behind a coral formation.

"Haha! This feels just like a gacha pull!" Su Yi rubbed his hands together and immediately cracked open two of them, finding more Coral Shrimp inside.

One of the pearls was even deeper in color, as if it held the vastness of the ocean within.

"I want to open one too, meow!" Rucao raised its paw, eager to try.

"Here you go!" Su Yi handed the small knife to Rucao.

"Meow!" Rucao eagerly pried open the Pearl Shell.

At that moment, the pearl inside reflected the sunlight, radiating a dazzling brilliance.

"Did we hit the jackpot? A super rare item?!" Su Yi exclaimed in surprise.

"Meow!" The feline Pokémon lifted the pearl high, its face full of excitement.

The flawless, pure white pearl emitted a soft glow, resembling a full moon in the deep night.

Two Luminous Pearls, one Deep Sea Pearl, and now, a super rare, pristine white pearl.

"Looks like we won't have to worry about money for a while." Su Yi grinned as he carefully stored away their valuable finds.

"This is incredible. Such a small pond contains such a rich ecosystem." Su Yi marveled.

There were Lantern Fish, various small fish, Pearl Shells, shrimp hidden within coral and shells, and an abundance of aquatic plants. Despite its small size, the pond was a microcosm of the thriving ecosystem of the Lush Coral Plateau.

The Lush Coral Plateau was composed of layered plateaus covered in coral, requiring frequent climbing to navigate.

Using a grappling hook and vines, Su Yi climbed up from the coral basin to a wide, solid plateau. The coral and rocks here intertwined, forming bizarre, three-dimensional structures.

"What are those?" Rotom focused on a group of creatures swaying in the wind.

"Those are Wrigglers! Hahaha!" Su Yi laughed upon seeing the garden-eel-like creatures.

These Wrigglers emerged from holes in the ground, swaying back and forth in the wind while continuously opening and closing their mouths to feed on drifting coral eggs. Watching them wobble about made Su Yi feel 'fuwafuwa', as if he were swaying along with them.

However, they were extremely timid creatures. As Su Yi approached, they instantly retracted into their burrows.

"If the weather is good at night, a rare Orange Wriggler Queen might appear. Too bad it's not nighttime yet. Maybe we can try later tonight?" Su Yi mused as he continued forward.

As they ventured deeper into the dreamlike Coral Highlands, a magnificent coral forest came into view. The pink coral trees resembled actual trees, but their branches were made of coral. Around these trees, Floral Winged Dragons hovered, feeding on the drifting pink coral eggs.

Near a wind tunnel, clusters of glowing jellyfish-like creatures floated up and down with the breeze—these were the plateau's unique Sky Medusas.

"Like a dream… Perhaps this is what that phrase truly means."

In this vibrant coral wonderland, pink coral trees shed their coral eggs like falling cherry blossoms, while Sky Medusas shimmered with shifting colors, creating an otherworldly spectacle. Though this was a high-altitude plateau, it felt as though they had stepped into a deep-sea paradise—a truly dreamlike and surreal scene.

Whoosh!

A strong wind rose, carrying the coral eggs into the sky. At that moment, a streak of cherry blossom pink flashed across the heavens.

"Hide, quickly!" Su Yi reacted instantly, pulling Rucao into the nearby grass.

Up above, a cherry-colored wyvern let out a thunderous roar that echoed across the plateau. It swooped down, diving into the startled Raphinos flock. The dragons scattered in panic, but the wyvern skillfully twisted midair, its razor-sharp talons latching onto one of them.

Without hesitation, it lowered its head and bit off the most delectable part of its prey, all while still flying. Then, it released the half-eaten body, letting it fall into the Valley of Miasma below, where other creatures would feast upon the remains.

"Pink Rathian—the Queen of the Coral Highlands!" Su Yi gazed at the majestic predator, the bringer of cherry-colored tempests, and couldn't help but admire its fierce beauty.