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

A sea dragon burst from the water, crawling on four limbs like a crocodile. Its long, powerful tail swayed gently, and its slender neck spread out like a cobra's hood. Its hardened blue armor shimmered under the light, with two distinct rows of sharp spikes protruding from its back.

Striding forward with imposing majesty, the sea dragon dwarfed the Great Jagras. With each heavy step onto the shore, the Great Jagras growled and backed away, clearly intimidated by the sheer presence of the newcomer.

"It really is a Lagiacrus! Isn't this the scrapped monster from Monster Hunter: World?" Su Yi whispered in amazement from his hiding spot.

In early development footage of Monster Hunter: World, the Lagiacrus was shown inhabiting the flooded areas of the Ancient Forest. However, due to issues with its skeletal structure, it was ultimately cut from the final game.

Thinking about it, the Ancient Forest being near the sea made the presence of a Lagiacrus entirely logical—it was only technical limitations that prevented it from appearing.

And now, this monster, which should have shined in the game, was here, striding onto land, asserting its presence over the entire forest.

"More and more monsters are making their debut, huh?" Su Yi murmured with excitement.

In just two days, he had encountered an Anjanath, Nargacuga, Rathian, Great Jagras, and now a Lagiacrus—five large monsters in total. This untouched land, free from the interference of hunters, was a paradise for monsters.

Games are just games. Due to technological and storage limitations, many creatures that could logically exist here were not represented in-game. But in reality, this continent was far richer in biodiversity than anyone could have imagined!

ROAR!

The Lagiacrus let out a thunderous bellow and snapped its jaws shut, effortlessly killing a Kulu-Ya-Ku. Just as the Great Jagras continued retreating, the Lagiacrus prepared to enjoy its meal.

ROOOOAR!

A mighty roar suddenly echoed through the sky.

Whoosh!

A massive fireball descended from above, crashing down in front of the Lagiacrus.

Boom!

The explosion sent the Great Jagras tumbling, its scales scorched and charred. It panicked, scrambling to get back on its feet.

The Lagiacrus roared in fury, its twin rows of dorsal spikes crackling with azure lightning. Sparks of electricity danced across its body as it entered an enraged state, furious at having its meal interrupted.

Crackle!

A bolt of electricity lashed out, striking the already unfortunate Great Jagras, sending it into spasms.

From above, the challenger let out another mighty cry, flames curling between its fangs.

The newcomer was none other than the King of the Skies—Rathalos!

"Damn! This is a classic showdown!" Su Yi's eyes widened in excitement. This battle between the King of the Skies and the Lord of the Seas was straight out of Monster Hunter 3's CG trailer.

Two apex predators—one ruling the sky, the other ruling the sea—one red, one blue. One weak to thunder, the other weak to fire. They were natural rivals in Monster Hunter lore.

(Though, to be fair, Rathalos has gained more and more rivals over the years…)

Both titans clashed, relying solely on their own strength.

Rathalos spread its claws and dove, but the Lagiacrus twisted its body, swiftly dodging the attack.

Missing its target, Rathalos instead seized the Kulu-Ya-Ku's corpse, asserting dominance over the battlefield. The Lagiacrus immediately retaliated, spitting out a crackling ball of lightning.

Rathalos wasn't about to back down, unleashing an explosive fireball in response.

Boom!

Lightning and fire collided, sending shockwaves and dust billowing in all directions.

Flapping its powerful wings, Rathalos cleared the dust cloud and slowly ascended with its stolen meal. The Lagiacrus, emerging from the settling debris, could only roar in frustration as the flying wyvern carried off its prize.

In the end, Rathalos, with the advantage of flight, came out on top. The defeated Lagiacrus begrudgingly retreated back into the water, while the battered Great Jagras limped toward the forest, having barely survived the encounter.

"This is my chance."

Su Yi pushed through the tall grass, approaching the battlefield. His waist-mounted Scoutflies swarmed out, their green glow clustering around a patch of charred, broken scales.

Moments later, the Scoutflies began trailing through the forest, locking onto the Great Jagras's scent.

Lagiacrus and Rathalos were way out of his league for now—but a heavily wounded Great Jagras? That was an opportunity.

Following the Scoutflies deeper into the dense forest, Su Yi noticed that the Great Jagras hadn't even bothered to conceal its trail. Broken branches, claw marks, and even bloodstains painted a clear path for him.

"Back to its nest? Not hunting for food?"

The Scoutflies led him to the entrance of a cave. He hesitated.

Based on its ecological habits, the Great Jagras likely nested here, and the smaller Jagras would seek refuge within.

That meant if he entered now, he wouldn't just have to face an injured large monster—he'd also have to deal with a pack of annoying small ones.

That wasn't the scenario he had planned for.

His initial thought was that the wounded Great Jagras would be in desperate need of food, and since they occasionally preyed on smaller Jagras when starving, the little ones would likely be in hiding. That would have given him a chance to face the Great Jagras alone.

"Wait… I remember that this cave has another exit in the game. Maybe it left through there?"

As he considered his next move, a sneaky figure caught his eye.

"…A Kulu-Ya-Ku?"

A scrawny, pale-yellow Bird Wyvern cautiously approached the cave. It had a frame similar to a Velociprey, a slim torso, and a head resembling a dodo's. Red and yellow feathers adorned its head and forearms.

"Guess I'll let you go first."

Watching the Kulu-Ya-Ku creep into the cave, Su Yi smirked and quietly followed.

Due to the Ancient Forest's abundant humidity, the cave was warm and damp. Luminescent moss provided faint illumination, casting eerie greenish light throughout the tunnels.

The Kulu-Ya-Ku navigated the cave with practiced ease, suggesting it was a frequent trespasser. Its target soon became apparent.

Reaching a crude nest of twigs and rotting leaves, the creature began rummaging through the debris. Moments later, it unearthed a basketball-sized egg.

As expected, this was a Great Jagras egg, buried in the soil for incubation.

Crunch!

The Kulu-Ya-Ku used its sharp beak to crack the shell open, then eagerly thrust its head inside, feasting on the contents.

It was, after all, a notorious egg thief.

"An unexpected bonus."

Su Yi crouched behind a rock, watching as the Kulu-Ya-Ku devoured its stolen meal. Suddenly, a thought clicked in his mind.

Wait… A Rathian and a Rathalos hunting in the same area, a Great Jagras egg… Could it be breeding season?

His eyes widened in realization.

A male and female Rathalos sharing the same territory, hunting in turns, carefully bringing food back to their nest—was this proof that the Rathian had already laid eggs, and the pair was taking turns guarding them?

Of course, stealing a Rathian egg was suicide. One of them would always be watching.

But then he recalled something from a Monster Hunter ecology guide he had read before his journey.

On the New World continent, a Rathalos would mate with multiple Rathians. Only the strongest Rathian would get to share his prime hunting grounds and raise their offspring together. Weaker Rathians, on the other hand, would retreat to the Wildspire Wastes to raise their young alone.

If that were true…

A lone Rathian mother wouldn't always be home. She'd have to go out and hunt.

Su Yi shook his head, setting the thought aside for now.

Even if the theory was correct, he had no idea how to reach the Wildspire Wastes yet. Stealing a Rathian egg was just wishful thinking at this point.

Crunch!

Another eggshell cracked. Su Yi peeked over and saw a pile of broken shells in front of Kulu-Ya-Ku.

"You greedy little thing! Leave me at least one!" Su Yi cursed under his breath. While he was busy thinking, the Kulu-Ya-Ku had already dug up several eggs. Great Jagras usually laid only three to four eggs—not many to begin with.

After devouring the egg in its claws, the Kulu-Ya-Ku dug into the soil again, pulled out another egg, and then carried it toward another part of the cave.

"You can't even eat anymore, and you're still hoarding?!" Su Yi was speechless. Cautious by nature, the Kulu-Ya-Ku was likely planning to take the egg back to its nest for later.

As soon as the Kulu-Ya-Ku left, Su Yi hurried over to the nest and started digging. The soft soil was easy to move, and he followed the loosened dirt where the Kulu-Ya-Ku had been. But no matter how much he dug, he couldn't find any more eggs.

"You little bastard, you took them all?!" Su Yi grumbled.

Just as he was cursing the Kulu-Ya-Ku for being too greedy, the culprit suddenly came rushing back from the direction it had left, still clutching the Great Jagras egg.

"What happened?!" Su Yi quickly hid in a side tunnel and watched as the Kulu-Ya-Ku scurried toward the exit.

A furious roar echoed from behind.

"The nest owner is back!" Su Yi saw an enraged Great Jagras chasing the Kulu-Ya-Ku out of the cave. Though Great Jagras weren't known for fiercely guarding their eggs, it was still their territory, their property.

And this particular Great Jagras was covered in scars—it was the very one Su Yi had been tracking. Behind it, several Jagras followed closely.

"The Great Jagras has returned after eating its fill, and I didn't even get a single egg. Was all this effort for nothing?"

Su Yi was frustrated.

Still determined, he decided to track the Kulu-Ya-Ku, hoping to find its nest and steal an egg from the egg thief's own stash.

Despite its size, the full-bellied Great Jagras wasn't as fast as the Kulu-Ya-Ku. The latter strode confidently out of the cave—

Then, out of nowhere, a massive set of jaws clamped down.

Thud!

the Kulu-Ya-Ku was slammed into the ground, teeth sinking into its body. The attacker shook it violently before smashing it against the earth.

From inside the cave, Su Yi broke into a cold sweat as he witnessed the brutal scene.

A big one had arrived!

Thud, thud, thud!

The heavy steps of the predator shook the ground. It lifted the Kulu-Ya-Ku high and then slammed it down hard.

Inside the cave, the Great Jagras, seeing an intruder blocking its den, roared in warning.

"Are you serious?! You're picking a fight with an Anjanath?!"

Through the flickering light at the cave entrance, Su Yi identified the attacker—it was none other than the forest's notorious brute, the Anjanath. While not as dominant as a Rathalos, it was still a terrifying bully in the ecosystem.

He vividly recalled its behavior in the game—Anjanath would grab a Great Jagras, violently thrash it, and then tear it apart.

Pure brutality. Absolute carnage.

Roar!

The brute wasn't one to tolerate provocation. The Anjanath lowered its massive head into the cave, snarling furiously at the Great Jagras.

Gyaaah!

The Great Jagras refused to back down, defending its nest.

But it clearly underestimated the Anjanath's foul temper. The beast crouched, tensed its powerful legs—then forced its way into the cave.

"Hell no! Time to run!"

Su Yi abandoned his plan to track the Kulu-Ya-Ku. After the Anjanath's rampage, there were no more eggs to steal—everything was "bird gone, egg shattered."

Realizing it stood no chance, the Great Jagras turned to flee as well.

The cave wasn't very large. Sprinting at full speed, Su Yi saw a glimmer of light ahead. Behind him, the echoes of roaring and crashing grew louder, closing in fast.

The bright light expanded as he burst out of the cave.

A moment later, the bloated Great Jagras also scrambled out. But the Anjanath, right on its heels, slammed into it with full force.

The Great Jagras tumbled across the ground, rolling several times before struggling back to its feet.

Meanwhile, the Anjanath emerged from the cramped cave, stretching its body before unleashing a deafening roar.

"That Great Jagras is doomed," Su Yi muttered, sparing a moment of silence for the poor thing.

The Anjanath flared its nasal crest and spread the heat-dispersing membranes on its tail, sniffing the air as its predatory gaze locked onto the Great Jagras, preparing to tear it apart.

Then—it stopped.

It sniffed again, then turned its head toward Su Yi.

"Shit! Did it find me?!"

Su Yi immediately ducked behind a tree, his heart pounding.

Gyaaah!

A panicked cry rang out from the Great Jagras.

Thinking the Anjanath had turned its attention back to its prey, Su Yi felt a momentary sense of relief.

Then—

Whoosh!

With a deafening crash, the tree behind him was shattered.

Su Yi had instinctively dived to the ground the moment he heard the sound. As he got back up and turned around, he saw the Great Jagras lying beside the broken tree, barely clinging to life.

The Anjanath flared its nostrils and fixed its murderous gaze directly on him.

Roar!

The brute let out an even more furious howl—far more enraged than when the Great Jagras had provoked it.

"Wait a minute… You're the one that chased me before?!" Su Yi's eyes widened in realization.

What were the odds?

All this from a single Dung Pod incident?

Clearly, this Anjanath held a grudge.

"You've got the wrong guy! I'm outta here!"

Su Yi turned and bolted.

Roar!

The Anjanath bellowed in rage and gave chase.

As he ran, Su Yi cursed, "You sneaky bastard! If I had another Dung Pod, I'd make you eat it again!"

The forest erupted into chaos as the chase unfolded. Su Yi racked his brain for ways to escape, completely unaware that he was heading deeper into the jungle.

The breeding season had the monsters on edge, and beneath the towering trees, a green-scaled wyvern carefully moved between the shadows.

Hearing the approaching commotion, the creature let out a warning roar.

The Rathian ignored the insignificant Su Yi and instead glared at the Anjanath, baring its talons in challenge.

The brute couldn't ignore such a formidable opponent. It turned its attention toward the Rathian, locking eyes in a tense standoff.

Seizing the opportunity, Su Yi dove into the underbrush, running until the sounds of roaring and battle faded behind him.