Chapter 149: Su Yi: What? Unconvinced?

Like the Anjanath, the Fulgur Anjanath is a monster with a very high metabolic rate.
The previous chase and fierce battle had caused it to expend a great deal of stamina.
To make matters worse, this was no longer its territory, but rather the domain of the Rathalos and Rathian couple.
Now that the Anjanath had fled, continuing to fight this group of monsters would yield no benefits whatsoever, while carrying a high risk of sustaining severe injuries.
Weighing the pros and cons, the Fulgur Anjanath decisively chose to escape.
Su Yi paid no mind to the retreating Fulgur Anjanath and instead hurried over to check on the Great Jagras.
There were puncture wounds from sharp teeth, shattered scales, charred black marks from lightning burns, and the impact of being thrown—it was uncertain whether its bones had been injured...
With such severe injuries, treatment had to be administered immediately.
Su Yi quickly released his Blissey, having one cast Heal Pulse while the other fed it a Max Revive and sprayed it with Hyper Potions.
Fortunately, the Great Jagras had acquired the constitution of a Pokémon; otherwise, it would have been bedridden for at least half a month this time.
"Awooooo..." Recovering a sliver of strength, the Great Jagras struggled to its feet.
"You've done well enough." Su Yi gently stroked its head.
The Fulgur Anjanath occupied a higher ecological niche than the standard Anjanath, rivaling that of the Raths.
Among Su Yi's palamutes and monster companions, in a one-on-one fight, only the Nargacuga could match it.
For the four Odogaron and others to battle it for so long and inflict a considerable amount of damage on the Fulgur Anjanath was already an impressive feat.
Especially the Great Jagras, which once faced a nine-in-ten chance of death upon encountering an Anjanath.
Now possessing the power of Pokémon, relying on its moves and the battle techniques it had learned over these past days, it had managed to hold its own against the Fulgur Anjanath in a direct confrontation for over ten minutes. It had truly fought with all its might.
Although the Great Jagras belonged to a relatively low ecological niche among monsters, it consistently and silently carried out Su Yi's commands, daring to fight and charge forward without hesitation.
"Get some good rest for now." Su Yi recalled the Great Jagras.
Next, Su Yi and Blissey checked the injuries of the remaining palamutes and monster companions one by one and treated them.
"Lucky..." Blissey walked over, pointing worriedly at Su Yi's arm.
Su Yi looked down and saw that, likely due to that emergency landing and blocking the attack of the Yian Garuga, the arm holding his shield was covered in bruises and scrapes.
"These are just minor issues," Su Yi said dismissively, skillfully bandaging himself.
"Lucky~" Blissey cast a Heal Pulse on Su Yi.
"Thank you." Su Yi smiled and stroked Blissey's head.
Su Yi stood up, looked at the two paths pointed out by the scoutflies, and decisively chose to continue tracking the Anjanath.
Although the Fulgur Anjanath was injured, its combat capability had not diminished.
Unlike the Anjanath, whose physical functions had declined to the point where it could barely sustain a fight.
Furthermore, the Anjanath was the target of this mission, so it was best to resolve the matter swiftly.
Deep in the forest, the Azure Rathalos and Yian Garuga's whereabouts were unknown, and his group had once again entered the territory of the Rathalos and Rathian.
At a time like this, it would be unwise to waste energy tracking the Fulgur Anjanath, which still retained substantial combat power.
"Let's deal with the Anjanath first." Su Yi tracked the target guided by the scoutflies.
...
"Fulgur Anjanath, Yian Garuga, Azure Rathalos—this is a complete mess," Aiden said as he hurried along.
Any single one of these monsters would be enough of a headache to deal with, yet Su Yi had to face several of them at once.
"Just when we think we understand this forest, it always gives us unexpected surprises," said the Field Team Leader, who had successfully rendezvoused with Aiden.
"I hope Su Yi is doing okay," Aiden said.
...
Chirp, chirp!
A Rookidee flew into a vine-covered tree hollow, discovered something, and let out a happy chirp.
"Blue, did you find Su Yi?" Aiden's voice came from the opening above the tree hollow.
He peered downward, only to see a natural hammock woven from vines spread out below.
The Nargacuga was lying there, savoring a roasted Aptonoth.
Su Yi lay next to the Nargacuga's furry flank, his hands resting on his chest, looking entirely at ease.
"As long as you're safe, Su Yi," Aiden said with a sigh of relief.
Meanwhile, the Field Team Leader directed his attention toward the Nargacuga: "Is that a Nargacuga?"
Its quiet appearance while eating strongly resembled a giant, focused black cat.
"You're here," Su Yi nodded.
"Sorry we're late. How did the hunt go?" Aiden dropped down and asked.
Su Yi produced a Poké Ball, shook it with a smile, and said, "Piece of cake."
"Although you ran into numerous unexpected situations, you still completed the mission. You and your team are incredible," the Field Team Leader praised.
Initially, upon hearing about the chaotic and complex situation, he had almost been tempted to abandon the mission and rethink their plans.
Yet Su Yi had overcome all obstacles, completing this treacherous and winding mission in barely half a day.
"Befriending monsters and hunting alongside them—this method is truly efficient," envy flashed in the team leader's eyes.
"Can you tell me what kind of battle you went through?" Aiden asked eagerly.
"It was thrilling, to say the least." Su Yi smiled as he began to recount.
This Ancient Forest, much like when he first arrived here, had taught him another lesson.
That is, never underestimate the wildness and danger of nature. No matter how detailed a plan one has, once you enter this place, you must always be ready to adapt on the fly.
Although the journey was full of thrills and excitement, the conclusion was smooth and steady without any unexpected twists.
Upon tracking down the Anjanath's nest, Su Yi decisively dispatched the Nargacuga and Odogaron to directly suppress the weakened Anjanath with an attack.
Su Yi thought to himself: With formidable generals like the Odogaron and Nargacuga at my disposal, a mere Anjanath is nothing more than picking off low-hanging fruit!
The mission was successfully completed.
...
Astera, Headquarters.
"Yian Garuga? The New World continues to surprise us."
"It's as if our decades of exploration have only scratched the surface of an iceberg," the Commander sighed, looking over the report submitted by the Handler.
"Thank you for your hard work on this hunt, Su Yi," the Commander expressed his gratitude.
Su Yi spread his hands and said, "I'm used to it."
"Our future investigations into the Ancient Forest will need to be even more cautious and meticulous," the Commander stated.
What other monsters still lurked in the depths of this forest?
The exploration of the New World had only just begun.
"Go get some rest first. Until the survey team sent to the Wildspire Waste returns, you don't have any missions for the time being."
"Thank you again for your help this time," the Commander said appreciatively.
In truth, it was a mutually beneficial arrangement for both sides. Su Yi gained intelligence and support, while the base secured safety and research data.
...
At the back-alley pen, Su Yi released his monster companions to stand guard around him, then tossed out the Anjanath's Poké Ball.
"Roar!" Having recovered a bit of stamina inside the Poké Ball, the Anjanath let out a furious roar the moment it emerged.
Su Yi frowned, placed his hands on his hips, and said unhappily, "What? Unconvinced?"
At his words, several of his companions bared their fangs menacingly, staring fixedly at the Anjanath.