"That should do it."
Looking at the Great Jagras lying motionless on the ground, lacking even the strength to struggle, Arlow knew the moment had come.
"Chansey, I'm counting on you!" Arlow released Chansey.
Given the severity of the Great Jagras's wounds, it wouldn't survive long after capture without immediate medical attention. He needed Chansey ready to stabilize it.
"Go! Capture Ball!" Arlow gripped the red-and-white sphere and threw it with a practiced flick, striking the Great Jagras.
The ball clicked open, and the monster was enveloped in white light before being pulled inside.
Wobble! The Capture Ball shuddered violently.
Arlow clenched his fists, more nervous now than he was while mounting the beast. He only had seven Capture Balls left in his possession.
The initial quest provided five, and the completion reward gave another five. However, he had already used one to distract the Nargacuga, one for Lucerne, and one to bring Chansey along.
In a world where he had no current way to manufacture more, every ball was a precious resource. He couldn't afford a single failure.
Wobble! The ball shook again.
"Don't fight it... look at the state you're in," Arlow whispered, as if trying to reason with the creature inside.
Wobble... The trembling weakened significantly. Arlow held his breath, his eyes fixed on the sphere.
Click!
The ball fell silent. Everything went still.
Arlow, however, was anything but still. He rushed forward and scooped up the Capture Ball. He held it tight, took a deep breath, and performed the pose he had dreamed of since he was a boy.
Holding the ball high toward the canopy, Arlow grinned. "Great Jagras! Get da★ze!"
"Meow!"
"Lucky!"
Lucerne and Chansey joined him, cheering and celebrating the hard-won victory.
"Finally!" Arlow exhaled, and as the adrenaline faded, waves of exhaustion and soreness crashed over him.
This was his first true capture. Lucerne had joined him out of trust, and Chansey out of kindness; neither had been won through battle.
He had originally planned to start small—maybe an Aptonoth or a Kestodon—but life had other plans. His first successful hunt was a Large Monster, preceded by a series of near-death encounters with Rathalos, Lagiacrus, and an incredibly persistent Anjanath.
As an adult, Arlow forced himself to stay grounded. He realized that while the "Golden Finger" gave him a massive advantage, he still had to apply the knowledge personally.
The hunt had been a gamble—he only succeeded because the Great Jagras was already half-dead from turf wars. It was a lesson in the Hunter's creed: be cautious, but when the moment strikes, be decisive.
Once he regained some stamina, Arlow released the Great Jagras to check its status.
The fifteen-meter-long lizard appeared on the grass, looking pathetic and weak. Even for the lowest predator on the food chain, its sheer physical presence was daunting. It let out a low, weary growl.
Arlow didn't drop his guard. Monsters weren't like Pokémon; they didn't inherently understand the concept of "belonging" to a trainer. To them, Arlow was a jailer. He had to tame it.
"Easy now." Arlow tossed a Sitrus Berry toward it.
The Jagras flinched back, looking at the fruit, then at Arlow. There was a glimmer of scrutiny in its reptilian eyes.
Arlow followed his gut, pulling out another Berry and eating it in front of the monster. After a long pause, the Jagras opened its maw and swallowed the fruit.
The effects of the Pokémon-attribute Berry were instantaneous. As its energy began to return, the Jagras stepped forward, barking for more.
"Here's another." Arlow tossed a second one and slowly began to approach.
The Jagras became restless as it got closer, baring its teeth. Lucerne immediately stepped in front of Arlow, his bone knife glowing with energy. "Don't even think about it, meow!"
Arlow sighed. "It's going to take patience. At least it didn't try to kill me instantly. Chansey, use Heal Pulse."
"Lucky." Chansey nodded, bathing the monster in soothing light. It took a significant amount of Chansey's energy, but eventually, the jagged wounds began to knit together, leaving behind faint silver scars.
Feeling the pain vanish, the Jagras relaxed. Arlow tossed several slabs of Aptonoth meat from his inventory. The monster devoured them and instinctively turned toward its cave.
"Wait, we're still right by the nest," Arlow realized. He looked at the map; the pursuit had circled back.
The Jagras crawled toward the entrance but stopped, looking back at Arlow. Its eyes seemed sharper, more intelligent than before. Is it becoming smarter because it's a 'Pokémon' now? Arlow wondered.
He recalled the Jagras into its ball. Just then, his Scoutflies swarmed toward a patch of ground near the cave mouth.
"Scales... decorative feathers... and blood. These belong to that Kulu-Ya-Ku the Anjanath attacked," Arlow noted.
Hum—
The Hunting Manual on his belt vibrated, the Sapphire Star on the cover pulsing with blue light. He opened the [Quests] page to find a new Investigation report.
Quest: Hunt the Kulu-Ya-KuSupport: None Rewards: 5 Capture Balls, 2 Trap Tools. Time Limit: 3 Days.
"An Investigation Quest!"
Arlow analyzed the details. He could choose to accept or decline. If he accepted and failed to find the target within three days, he'd lose the quest and wouldn't be able to trigger another one for that specific monster for a while.
"Should I take it?"
He had a Great Jagras now, but it was an unstable asset. On the other hand, the Kulu-Ya-Ku was definitely injured from the Anjanath's assault.
If he waited, it would heal. If he went now, it would be an easy mark—provided the Anjanath didn't show up again.
"Let's go for it. A Kulu-Ya-Ku isn't naturally aggressive toward humans. As long as we watch out for other predators, we're golden."
"Are we hunting again, meow?" Lucerne asked, showing no sign of fatigue, only excitement.
Arlow checked the sun's position and set the Scoutflies to the Kulu-Ya-Ku's scent.
A short while after they left, heavy, thudding footsteps echoed near the cave.
The Forest Tyrant—the Anjanath—emerged from the trees. It flared its nasal crest, sniffing the ground where the Kulu-Ya-Ku had been. Suddenly, a familiar, pungent scent wafted into its nostrils.
ROAR!
The Anjanath's eyes flashed with a vengeful light. It ignored the bird's tracks and began to accelerate, following the scent of the human who had dared to disgrace it.
Meanwhile, Arlow and Lucerne were climbing higher into the interior of the Great Tree.
"A Flashfly! Nice." Arlow moved quietly, catching a large, glowing insect in his net. "The resources up here are incredible.
No wonder the researchers in the game wanted to build a cultivation base using the Great Tree's saplings."
He continued his climb, gathering materials and following the trail, unaware that the "Tyrant" was closing the distance behind him.
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