A crimson shadow streaked across the sky.
Below, flocks of wingdrakes scattered in panic. Even though this red silhouette wasn't much larger than them, the instinctual fear embedded deep within their genes warned them of a predator far more dangerous than themselves.
On the ground, several monsters noticed the figure overhead. Some were curious, why would a male Rathalos be here? Even if it were a young one who had just separated from his parents, he should've chosen a forest to settle in, somewhere easier to survive.
But this was the Wildspire Waste, a land of desert and dunes.
Yet not even the swirling sandstorms could block Yuno's keen vision. He followed the river for a while, spotting migrating Kestodon herds, nimble Kelbi dashing from predators, and even a Kulu-Ya-Ku stealing an egg from an herbivore nest.
But Aki was nowhere to be found.
Eventually, Yuno realized he had flown too far from her territory. No matter how unwilling he was to turn back, he had no choice.
Normally, Aki would never hunt too far from her nest. Along the way, Yuno had seen plenty of herbivores, but none showed signs of being hunted, meaning Aki hadn't passed through this area at all.
Following the same logic, continuing further along the river would be pointless.
He took a moment to circle back, returning to the nest.
Everything was as it was. No blood scent. No signs of return. That meant Aki hadn't come back while he was gone.
Frowning, Yuno spread his wings and flew out again.
This time, he set course for the lake where Aki had first picked him up.
But the moment he climbed higher, his enhanced aerial vision locked onto a patch of the Ancient Forest, trees were shaking violently in that area.
It looked far beyond Aki's usual hunting range. But just in case…
Yuno banked his wings and changed direction, flying straight for it.
Aki was having a really bad day.
After making sure her little "hatchling" wouldn't sneak off, she had gone to her usual hunting grounds to pick out a nice, plump herbivore for lunch.
But as soon as she arrived, she found a rampaging Anjanath tearing through the lake area, scattering every herbivore in sight.
Its size, bulk, and sheer aura of violence left no room for argument.
She decided not to push her luck and went elsewhere to hunt.
Only to find... that damned Pukei-Pukei trespassing in her territory again!
Even worse? The idiot didn't run like usual.
Instead, it shamelessly sat there stuffing its face with poison mushrooms, tongue flicking wildly, like it didn't even see her.
And when she approached to drive it off?
It opened its wings and dared to challenge her.
Oh, hell no.
She didn't care that the Pukei-Pukei had grown a lot since last time, so much that it was now visibly larger than her.
She wasn't backing down.
Back when she was smaller than this, that freak used to run the moment it saw her. Now that she had grown stronger, it thought it could stand toe-to-toe with her?
Absolutely not.
With a thunderous roar, she charged like a green freight truck, crashing into it without hesitation.
And the Pukei-Pukei didn't back down either, it rammed right back, skull-first.
The two dragons collided like monster trucks.
And, to Aki's frustration, neither could overpower the other.
She couldn't believe it.
That sneaky mushroom-thief who used to cower in the trees had now become her equal?
It was like that loser from high school you used to laugh at suddenly turning up buffed out and trading blows with you. Humiliating.
She felt like part of his power fantasy.
And that, she could not forgive.
Her blood boiled. She had to kill him, today.
This wasn't just about territory anymore. It was about pride.
The two monsters clashed again and again. One had size, the other had species advantage. Neither gained the upper hand.
Their immense stamina pushed the battle far beyond its starting point.
Which was why Yuno didn't spot them right away upon arrival.
By the time he got there, the entire area was devastated.
Scorched ground, collapsed trees, giant boulders corroded by venom, right at the center, Aki was locked in a standoff with a Pukei-Pukei.
She looked battered.
Cracks ran through multiple sections of her scales, the elegant toxic spines on her back had been broken in several places, and blood dripped from the jagged horn on her snout.
Her poisonous tail spike was soaked in violet venom.
Most serious of all, her right wing membrane had been hit directly by venom. A large patch of it was discolored, purplish-red and oozing blood.
For a female Rathian, using breath attacks and venom-spitting was a last resort, it burned a lot of stamina.
The fact that Aki had used both meant that idiot Pukei-Pukei had really pissed her off.
And even now, despite her injuries, she had no intention of stopping.
But the Pukei-Pukei wasn't doing great either.
Its worst injury was a puncture wound through the abdomen, clearly from Aki's snout spike.
But despite this, it looked... annoyingly full of energy.
It was clear: Aki was losing.
Neither of them noticed Yuno flying overhead. Right now, their focus was locked entirely on each other.
Both had matched strength. Neither dared glance away.
That gave Yuno the opening he needed.
With a flap of his wings, he soared higher, positioning himself directly above the Pukei-Pukei.
Then, he dove.
[Acceleration] activated the moment Yuno expressed killing intent. His speed climbed with every second.
By the time the Pukei-Pukei sensed movement, he was already nearly upon it.
It turned its head slightly, recognizing Yuno's form, and then… dismissed him.
It didn't even bother defending.
From its perspective, a juvenile male Rathalos, even with a diving attack, could at best deliver a single scratch.
Those fragile baby bones couldn't possibly survive a head-on collision.
So it left its back exposed, choosing instead to brace against the bigger threat:
Aki.
Once again, the queen charged forward.
As the Pukei-Pukei found itself attacked from both sides, it made a fatal miscalculation,
It forgot that Yuno...
Wasn't just a baby anymore.