"A Nargacuga! Dammit! I just escaped the 'Forest Tyrant' Anjanath, and now I've run straight into the 'Swift Wyvern'!" Arlow gritted his teeth, the searing pain in his back flaring with every breath.
The forest had once again shown him the cold cruelty of this world. This wasn't a video game; the environment didn't scale to your level.
It didn't care if you were a rookie or a veteran—it simply unleashed whatever predator happened to be at the top of the local food chain.
An Anjanath was a brute—a powerful but dim-witted physical attacker. A clever Hunter could use tricks and environmental traps to slip away.
But a Nargacuga? A Nargacuga was a surgical, cautious, and lightning-fast assassin. Once it locked onto its prey, it rarely let go.
"I'm out of Dung Pods, meow!" Lucerne cried, his voice trembling as he realized their last line of defense was gone.
The Nargacuga let out a low, vibrating growl as it crept out of the shadows. Its eyes, framed by vivid red markings, glowed with a predatory hunger, tracking Arlow's every movement with lethal intent.
Clang!
Lucerne drew a bone carving knife—hardly longer than a kitchen blade—from his belt. With his other paw, he tossed Arlow a small, rounded glass bottle emblazoned with a paw-print seal.
"Drink the Mega Potion and run as fast as you can, meow! I'll hold it back!"
In that moment, the tiny Palico's silhouette seemed to tower over the forest floor.
"No! I'm the one who got you into this. I'm not leaving you behind," Arlow shouted. He knew the stakes. In the games, Hunters and Palicoes just fainted and got carted back to camp.
But this was reality. Lucerne's simple leather gear marked him as a rookie; against a Nargacuga, he wouldn't stand a chance. "Besides... I still have one card left to play!"
"Take this!" Arlow activated a Capture Ball, watched it expand to its full size, and hurled it with all his might at the approaching beast.
The Nargacuga watched the incoming sphere with suspicion. It lashed out with a claw, intending to swat the "stone" aside.
But the moment its fur brushed the surface, the ball clicked open. A beam of brilliant white light erupted, enveloping the massive wyvern and sucking it inside.
Arlow didn't expect a "One-Throw Wonder" capture, but it bought him the seconds he needed.
"What happened, meow?!" Lucerne yelped, staring at the spot where the giant predator had suddenly vanished.
"No time to explain! Lucerne, do you trust me?" Arlow pulled out another Capture Ball. If he needed a first partner, who could be more reliable or loyal than a Palico?
Thump! The ball containing the Nargacuga shook violently on the ground.
"Arlow?" The cat looked lost.
Arlow offered a strained but determined smile. "My skills as a Hunter are non-existent right now, but I need your help. I want us to be a real team. Will you be my partner?"
Lucerne looked into Arlow's eyes, seeing a mixture of desperation and sincere hope. The Palico nodded firmly. "I'll help you, meow!"
"Then don't fight the light. Come with me... let's do this together, Aibo!" Arlow reached out with the ball.
"Partner? Yes, meow!" Without hesitation, Lucerne pressed his paw against the center button. Ping! The white light pulled the Palico safely inside.
BOOM!
Simultaneously, the first Capture Ball shattered under the sheer force of the Nargacuga's rage. The wyvern emerged, shaking its head in confusion before locking its eyes back onto Arlow, its fury reaching a boiling point.
[Quest Complete. Rewards have been sent to Inventory. Return immediately or Continue Exploring?]
"If I survive this, I'm coming back to catch you for real!" Arlow laughed breathlessly, clutching the now-still ball containing Lucerne.
ROAR! Insulted by the prey's laughter, the Nargacuga flexed its bladed wings and lunged, its razor-sharp feathers poised to decapitate him.
"Return!" Arlow screamed.
Flash!
Just as the blade-wing was about to split him in two, Arlow dissolved into a pillar of light and vanished.
Whine? The Nargacuga skidded to a halt, looking left and right. Its prey was gone. The scent had vanished into thin air. After sniffing the ground for a few moments, the confused predator slunk back into the shadows of the Ancient Forest.
"Another forest?! Are you kidding me?"
Arlow felt the world blur for a split second before his feet hit solid ground. He looked around, expecting the rustic wooden walls of Astera or a Hunter's camp.
Instead, he was surrounded by lush greenery again—but the atmosphere was different. The oppressive, prehistoric dread of the Ancient Forest was gone.
"Is something else going to jump out at me?!" Still buzzing from the adrenaline of his near-death experience, Arlow stayed low, scanning the brush.
Pop!
The Capture Ball in his hand opened automatically. Lucerne tumbled out, bone knife at the ready. "Arlow! Where are you, meow?!"
"I'm right here! Take it easy, we're safe... for now," Arlow exhaled, patting the frantic cat on the head.
Lucerne looked around, sniffing the air. Once he confirmed there were no Large Monsters nearby, he finally relaxed. "That was amazing, meow! How did you escape like that?"
Arlow rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "Mostly luck. If that 'Return' command hadn't worked instantly, I'd be Nargacuga kibble. I have no idea where we are, though."
"If this is still the Ancient Forest, I can find a landmark, meow." Lucerne pulled out a small compass and looked up, searching for the colossal, sky-piercing Great Tree that served as the heart of the New World.
But there was nothing. The trees here were tall, but they weren't the gargantuan, ancient monoliths of the New World. The sky was a clear, vibrant blue, and the air felt... softer.
"Arlow... where is the Great Tree, meow?" Lucerne looked lost.
"I don't know..." Arlow scanned the treeline for clues. Suddenly, his eyes locked onto a strange creature peeking out from behind a trunk.
"Huh?!" Arlow yelped. It wasn't because the creature was scary—it was because it was impossibly familiar.
"What is it, meow?! A monster?!" Lucerne raised his blade, looking toward the tree.
A pink, rounded creature about three feet tall stepped out. It had stubby arms, a pouch on its belly with an egg inside, and tiny, curious eyes. It looked like a cross between a marshmallow and a nurse.
"A Chansey?! That's a Pokémon! What kind of world is this? Wait—did 'Return' mean returning to the Pokémon world?!" Arlow's brain was doing backflips.
Is this a Pokémon system in the Monster Hunter world? Or a Monster Hunter system in the Pokémon world? Or both?!
He looked at the book on his belt. It had the Sapphire Star and the Fifth Fleet emblem—pure Monster Hunter. But he was using Poké Balls and standing in front of a Chansey.
"Monster Hunter... Pokémon... It's a crossover! A dream collab!" Arlow felt a surge of excitement. As a fan of both franchises, the possibilities were endless. This wasn't just survival anymore; this was the ultimate adventure.
"Lucky?" The Chansey stepped closer, its expression shifting from curiosity to deep concern.
"Arlow! You're bleeding everywhere, meow!" Lucerne cried out.
Arlow looked down. Now that the adrenaline was fading, the world began to tilt. A massive pool of blood had soaked through his tattered shirt from the Nargacuga's tail spike. The long, jagged wound was finally making its presence known.
"Oh... I feel... a bit lightheaded..." Arlow's face went pale. He swayed for a moment, then collapsed onto the soft grass.
"Lucky!" "Arlow!"
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