CRASH!
The Rathalos was slammed to the ground by its own flames, the flesh on its back scorched black.
"Roar!" The Anjanath strode forward, opened its mouth, and clamped down on the king's neck. It was the Dragon-type skill, Skullcrusher Bite. With a sickening crunch, the Rathalos's scales shattered. The Anjanath's massive teeth severed blood vessels, and hot dragon blood gushed out.
At the same moment, the Great Izuchi's attack arrived.
Power Tail Swipe!
Its massive hook claw slammed into the Rathalos's face, carving a deep wound and gouging out its left eye.
"Hah!" The Blood Orange Bishaten, holding an Exploding Pinecone in each hand, used its tail to spring behind the downed king. It slapped the pinecones onto the charred patch on the Rathalos's back.
KABOOM!
The explosion tore the flesh from the monster's back, blasting open a crater so deep that white bone was visible.
"Sacred Sheathe Combo!" At the same time, Zhang drew his sword and unleashed a flurry of three slashes, all aimed at the same spot on the Rathalos's left leg. The sharp energy blades severed its hamstring.
"ROAR!" The Rathalos struggled to its feet, trying to shake off the Anjanath, but with its leg crippled, it couldn't generate any force. Between that and its other grievous injuries, it was completely unable to break free.
"GRAWR!" The Arzuros arrived, leaped onto the Rathalos's back, and its immense weight forced the king back to the ground. Seeing its chance, the Anjanath shook its head violently, wrenching the Rathalos over.
The King of the Skies was powerful, but Zhang and his team had no honor. They ganged up on it, giving it no room to retaliate.
"Helm Breaker!" Seeing the Rathalos thrown down, he immediately pressed the attack, leaping up and bringing his sword down on its right foot. The Bishaten, Tobi-Kadachi, and the others all unleashed their own skills, a relentless barrage of attacks hammering the downed king.
THUD!
In the end, the overwhelmed Rathalos was knocked unconscious by a tail slam from the Anjanath.
"There really is strength in numbers," Zhang said with a grin, throwing a Luxury Ball. The red beam engulfed the Rathalos, and after shaking a few times, the ball clicked shut.
[Successfully captured the Rathalos!]
[Rathalos beginning Pokémonization...]
[Pokémonization successful!]
[Rathalos's Pokémon data is as follows:]
Rathalos
Level: 58 (Elite Four Tier)
Type: Fire/Dragon
Ability: King of the Skies (When airborne, Speed x2, Attack x1.5, Special Attack x1.5.)
Unique Skills: Flame Breath, Triple Fireball, Roar, Wyvern Rush, Air Drop Fireball, Tail Swipe, Fire Resistance, Flying Pounce
HP Base Stat: 100
Attack Base Stat: 120
Defense Base Stat: 80
Special Attack Base Stat: 120
Special Defense Base Stat: 80
Speed Base Stat: 100
Total Base Stats: 600
"A powerful ability and excellent stats. A base stat total of 600, same as a pseudo-legendary," he evaluated. He then looked at its skills. Aside from Fire Resistance, they were all standard damage-dealing moves. Unlike the Anjanath or the Tobi-Kadachi, it didn't have any game-changing unique skills.
"A pity," he said, shaking his head, then chided himself for being greedy.
After recalling the Rathalos, he walked over to the unconscious Rathian and threw another Luxury Ball. It shook twice and then captured her.
[Successfully captured the Rathian!]
[Rathian beginning Pokémonization...]
[Pokémonization successful!]
[Rathian's Pokémon data is as follows:]
Rathian
Level: 46 (Gym Leader Tier)
Type: Fire/Dragon
Ability: Queen of the Land (When on the ground, Speed x2, and Type changes to Fire/Poison.)
Unique Skills: Flame Breath, Fireball, Roar, Wyvern Rush, Poison Tail, Fire Resistance, Ground Pounce
HP Base Stat: 100
Attack Base Stat: 110
Defense Base Stat: 80
Special Attack Base Stat: 110
Special Defense Base Stat: 80
Speed Base Stat: 100
Total Base Stats: 580
"Compared to the Rathalos, she's much weaker. Not even as impressive as the Anjanath," he noted. "Still, she's decent. Much stronger than the Great Izuchi." He wasn't thrilled, but he wasn't disappointed either. After all, the Rathian wasn't an apex predator, just a mid-tier one.
"Escuregot." He released his team medic, along with the two injured wyverns. Without needing to be told, the Escuregot began its healing work.
Once they were cured, he took out the map Hinoa had given him. He still had a quest to complete and food to gather, so he wasn't planning on heading back just yet. "Let's see where the other Rathian are." He quickly found the nearest reported sighting.
"Let's go!" He recalled all his Pokémon except for the Rathalos and Gardevoir, then climbed onto the king's back with his companion and took to the skies.
By a river, a Rathian was feasting on the carcass of a Great Izuchi. Such was the law of the jungle. As it ate, a red shadow descended from the sky, snapping its neck in an instant. It was his Rathalos, using its Flying Pounce the same move it had used to attack him.
"Nice job, big guy." Zhang patted the Rathalos's head, then dismounted and butchered the dead Rathian, storing the materials in his spatial backpack.
"I remember the Shrine Ruins are also home to Nargacuga," he thought. "Now that I have the Rathalos, I can try to take one on. Even though it hasn't been formally trained, its raw power is on par with a Nargacuga." He pulled out the map and began searching for Nargacuga habitats. Both were at the same ecological tier, so he was confident he could manage it. If he could capture a Nargacuga, he would have two Elite Four-tier Pokémon. At that point, he would have a solid measure of security in both worlds.
Wooooo...
As he was studying the map, he suddenly heard a peculiar sound, like a train's horn.
"Bazelgeuse!" His pupils contracted, and he quickly looked up. The sound was instantly familiar from his time playing the games.
A massive flying wyvern appeared in the northern sky. Its skin was crimson, covered in silver scales with black markings. It had a large head and a small tail and was twenty-three meters long, even larger than his Rathalos. This was the "World Police" itself. Like Magnamalo, the Bazelgeuse was an Elder Dragon-level monster.
Bazelgeuse
Level: 89 (Sub-Legendary Tier)
"Fuck," he couldn't help but swear the moment he saw it.
Fortunately, it wasn't headed for him. It was flying toward the distant mountains.