Within the vicinity, the only creature worthy of the Uragaan's poisonous mushroom challenge, besides the squad, was the Daimyo Hermitaur.
Li Fan was confident in his judgment.
However, the reason behind the Uragaan's actions was somewhat unclear.
As they advanced into the jungle, a pool of blood on the ground caught the squad's attention.
Looking up, they saw the corpse of a dead Uragaan hanging from a tree branch.
"Judging by its condition, it died not long ago. There's a horrific penetrating wound in its abdomen, meow," analyzed Felyne.
"Such a wound couldn't have been caused by a Jaggi... Did the Uragaan change its target because of this?" Li Fan speculated as the squad continued on.
They found four more Uragaan corpses along the way, all dead from massive penetrating wounds.
After examining them, Li Fan deduced, "It seems the Uragaan tribe's ability to coordinate in combat is even stronger than recorded in ecological surveys. They not only carry various mushrooms directly to the combat zone but also have individuals responsible for gathering them for subsequent replenishment."
"Are you saying these dead Urgaans were specifically gathering mushrooms for the Uragaan King because it feared running out during combat?" Eudora asked, surprised.
"Precisely. However, they were ambushed midway. If I'm not mistaken, the attacker was the Daimyo Hermitaur," Li Fan stated with certainty.
"In that case, the Uragaan King went for revenge, meow!" Felyne's understanding clicked into place.
"Normally, the death of ordinary individuals in a tribe wouldn't incite such intense hatred. It seems there's a significant history of animosity between the two," Li Fan further elaborated.
The vast majority of monster ecology in the Monster Hunter world is solely for self-preservation.
It's normal for a pack-living monster to lose a few subordinates.
If such an event alone were enough to provoke the strongest individual of the tribe to fight desperately, that species would have long been eliminated by nature.
The only logical explanation is that the Uragaan King and the Daimyo Hermitaur have engaged in countless battles before.
The Uragaan King realized it was no match for the hunter squad. If it continued to linger, even if it could escape with injuries, it wouldn't gain an advantage in subsequent battles.
Then, both it and its entire tribe would have to migrate.
If the migration of the Elder Dragons in the dense forest was cyclical, then the Uragaan King, having settled in the vicinity for at least two years, should have noticed this.
With that thought, Li Fan began to agree with the Uragaan King's decision.
Because migrating during the Elder Dragon's presence in the dense forest would be suicidal.
"I didn't expect the Uragaan King to be pushed to such a desperate situation..." Li Fan sighed.
After concluding their investigation, the squad continued their pursuit.
Following various traces for about half an hour, the squad emerged from the jungle onto a sandy beach.
The beach connected to the coastline, with only a few coconut trees offering any cover. With the suddenly open view, the squad quickly located the Uragaan King.
*Hoo~ Hoo~ Hoo~*
The Uragaan King, exhaling purple toxic gas from its mouth, was running frantically on the beach. The few mushrooms wrapped around the end of its pink tail trembled with each jolt.
"Why is the Uragaan King running, meow?" Felyne observed for a moment, unable to detect any pursuers.
"Under the sand," Li Fan replied, observing the trembling surface of the beach.
*Boom! Boom! Boom!*...
As the tremors intensified, countless grains of sand were kicked up into the air.
The Uragaan King looked back for a moment, sensing the attack was imminent. It accelerated briefly and lunged forward.
*Boom! Clang!*
A sharp, massive bone horn erupted from the sand.
"Ugh... meow!" The squad was aghast.
Two red crab claws emerged from the ground, their tips digging deeply into the sand as they continuously moved, dragging the creature's body beneath the beach, along with a single-horned dragon skull from its back, upwards.
*Whoosh!* A large cloud of sand exploded as a Daimyo Hermitaur, over ten meters long, leaped from the sand pit.
*Clack! Clack!*
The Daimyo Hermitaur emitted sounds similar to a small Hermitaur, raising its massive claws and intimidating the Uragaan King, which had just gotten back on its feet.
*Roar! Roar!*
The Uragaan King didn't back down, letting out two roars and quickly circling to the side.
The Daimyo Hermitaur's two pairs of legs moved rapidly, adjusting its body's orientation.
However, the Uragaan King seemed highly experienced, recognizing that its opponent's turning speed was slower.
As it reached the rear, it leaped, wrapping its arms around the sharp horn of the single-horned dragon skull.
*Whoosh! Whoosh!*
A purple toxic breath spewed from its mouth, quickly coating the surface of the single-horned dragon skull.
The Daimyo Hermitaur stomped its legs forcefully, shaking its body left and right. However, the Uragaan King, with its arms crossed and tightly gripping the horn, showed no signs of being thrown off.
*Hoo... Hoo...*
The potent toxic breath began to turn yellowish.
A single undigested poison mushroom in its stomach couldn't sustain the Uragaan King's breath for long.
*Swish!* With a flick of its pink, segmented tail, a reddish-brown nitro mushroom, tossed into the air, landed in the Uragaan King's open mouth.
As it chewed rapidly and forcefully, a red-orange dust diffused from its mouth.
"How many times has this Uragaan King fought the Daimyo Hermitaur? It seems more experienced than a hunter in its responses," Eudora remarked in surprise.
"Thinking about it that way, the Daimyo Hermitaur must have accumulated considerable combat experience as well," Li Fan said.
As soon as Li Fan finished speaking, the agitated Daimyo Hermitaur suddenly stopped shaking. It pressed its legs down, storing energy, its claw tips digging deeply into the sand, and its entire body sank.
The Uragaan King sensed something. This time, it used all four limbs, clinging tightly to the giant horn like a monkey on a tree trunk.
*Clack! Clack!*
*Swish!* The Daimyo Hermitaur's four legs leaped forcefully, soaring into the air instantly.
The two humans and the cat looked up, then quickly lowered their heads, following the Daimyo Hermitaur's descent.
*Boom!* The Daimyo Hermitaur smashed into the beach, creating a large crater.
The immense impact sent the Uragaan King flying from the single-horned dragon skull. The poison and paralysis mushrooms wrapped around its tail scattered onto the sand.
*Roar... Roar...*
The somewhat dazed Uragaan King let out a couple of low growls, trying to get up.
However, as it tried to support itself with its forearms, it realized its right arm was already caught in a crab claw.
*Snap....*
The crab claw slowly tightened.
*Roar!*
The Uragaan King let out a fierce roar of pain, but its right paw, scratching forcefully, only left a few shallow marks on the hard crab claw, causing no substantial damage to the Daimyo Hermitaur.
Seeing no hope of escape, the Uragaan King inhaled deeply, its belly swelling, and spewed out a reddish-orange nitro breath.
When the surrounding nitro dust reached a certain concentration, it jabbed its right paw's sharp claws towards the crab claw.
*Hiss!* A stream of sparks contacted the nitro dust!
*Boom!* A giant fireball instantly exploded between the Uragaan King and the Daimyo Hermitaur.
The crab claw opened, and both retreated, simultaneously creating distance.
"Two three-star monsters fighting to this extent, meow!" Felyne was awestruck.
The battle between Zinogre and "Puff" near Cala Village had left a deep impression, but it felt like both sides had held back.
The current battle, however, utilized their abilities to the fullest, with a sense of "fight to the death."
Win and live, lose and die.
So simple, yet so brutal.
*Clack... Clack...*
The Daimyo Hermitaur's mouthparts emitted clusters of light purple bubbles, clearly affected by the previous toxic gas breath.
However, judging by their standoff, neither side showed any intention of backing down.
"Puff, you were unwilling to fight the Uragaan King, but surely you can fight the Hermitaur?" Li Fan tentatively asked.
*Roar!* Puff let out a high-pitched cry as if confirming.
"Hmm... While I have great confidence in you, I suggest caution. It would be best to lure the Daimyo Hermitaur to fight in an area with relatively hard terrain, like the dense forest," Li Fan advised.
The impact of the Daimyo Hermitaur's giant horn erupting from the sand was no joke in terms of power.
Li Fan didn't want Puff to get into any accidents.
Therefore, the safest approach was to avoid fighting on easily excavated sand.
Li Fan learned about monsters' use of excavation from Jaggi.
Jaggi's head carapace could be used as a shovel-like tool, and its actual digging ability was decent, but only if the soil quality was moderate.
Otherwise, even if it could dig, the speed would be incredibly slow, let alone using underground movement for surprise attacks.
Li Fan judged by sight and deduction that since the Daimyo Hermitaur could move underground and release such a powerful attack with the single-horned dragon skull dragging behind it, its digging ability must be superior to Jaggi's.
The best way to limit its digging capabilities was to fight in an area with harder soil.
Puff slithered across the beach, its serpentine body twisting.
The Uragaan King and the Daimyo Hermitaur were momentarily stunned by the appearance of a third party joining the fray.
However, as Puff approached, it suddenly changed direction, circling behind the Daimyo Hermitaur and coiling in place.
The Daimyo Hermitaur, inexplicably caught in a pincer, was confused. Its body immediately tensed and lowered, its crab claws protecting its face.
Neither the Uragaan King nor Puff made a move, and the situation froze.
"I understand. If Puff attacks the Daimyo Hermitaur, the Uragaan King will surely join in to gang up on it. If Puff withdraws, the Uragaan King will also retreat, and the situation will return to the starting point."
"Jaggi, attack the Uragaan King. Try to drive it away from the battlefield," Li Fan commanded.
*Roar!* Jaggi excitedly leaped onto the beach and began to dig, its ten-meter-long body quickly disappearing underground.
The desert was the primary habitat of the Barroth, and Jaggi was particularly excited to fight on the beach.
Sensing the tremors from beneath the sand, the Uragaan King understood what this meant.
Seeing the Daimyo Hermitaur crouching defensively right in front of it, it was momentarily bewildered.
But as the tremors grew closer, the Uragaan King abandoned its stalemate and turned to flee.
The crab claws protecting its face shifted slightly. The Daimyo Hermitaur looked on, realizing the Uragaan King, which had been flanking it, was escaping, and was about to let its guard down.
*Sizzle!*
A stream of water shot past from the single-horned dragon skull on its back.
*Splash!* Old bone fragments shattered and flew, and a black liquid seeped from the cracked skull.
Sensing damage to the single-horned dragon skull on its back, the Daimyo Hermitaur immediately entered a rage state.
Its four legs moved rapidly, and its body carved a semicircle across the beach as it turned to face Puff directly.
After raising its claws in a threatening gesture, it quickly stirred the sand in front of it, and its body rapidly sank into the sand.
Puff turned its head, twisting its body continuously, and slid elegantly towards the dense forest.
Having previously spread a layer of frothy lubricant on the sand, its movement speed was exceptionally swift.
Meanwhile, the Uragaan King, lacking experience fighting Barroth, attempted to attack while riding on Jaggi's back.
However, the mud on Jaggi's back was recently applied. Even though it had picked up a lot of sand while digging, it wouldn't solidify in a short period.
With a slippery, muddy back, the Uragaan King's powerful forelimbs had no grip, and it was quickly thrown to the ground.
Jaggi lowered its head carapace and charged.
*Bang!* As it collided with the Uragaan King, its head carapace was raised, followed by a forceful downward smash.
*Clang!* The Uragaan King, struck heavily, sank into the sand.
It extended its paw, still trying to push itself up, but the accumulated injuries and exhaustion from three consecutive battles made even standing up on its own a luxury.
"Stop resisting, or you will die," Li Fan warned as he ran over.
The Uragaan King looked up at Jaggi for a moment. Seeing that it wasn't continuing its attack, the paw it was struggling to lift slowly lowered.
Li Fan had accumulated quite a few Intermediate Poké Balls during his time without capturing monsters.
However, completing the three-star monster Pokédex would bring more powerful Advanced Poké Balls.
The last time he completed a Pokédex and received an upgrade in Poké Ball quality, it didn't retroactively improve the already received Beginner Poké Balls.
So, these Intermediate Poké Balls were likely to become obsolete, making them difficult to use for capturing four-star monsters.
But Li Fan felt it wasn't a complete loss. These Intermediate Poké Balls could still be useful for capturing monsters at the Cala Village ranch for breeding purposes.
He tossed the Poké Ball, and the Uragaan King was absorbed into it with a flash of white light.
*Tsk! Tsk! Tsk!*
The ball vibrated violently three times.
A hazy yellow mist drifted from the seams of the ball, indicating a successful capture!
Li Fan took out his handheld device to confirm.
[Uragaan King] Male (Unnamed)
HP: 101/1501
Status: Critically Injured, Exhausted, Mildly Poisoned, Mildly Burned, Mildly Hungry.
Level: 14
Strength: 59
Agility: 49
Intelligence: 31
Skills: [Incompletely Digested] The Uragaan King can ferment food within its body, storing it in an incompletely digested state for a short period.
[Foul Breath] Incompletely digested food can be expelled from the mouth, and the breath changes depending on the ingested material.
[Stinky Fart Breath] Incompletely digested food can be expelled from the backside, and the breath changes depending on the ingested material.
[Mushroom Hunter] The Uragaan King can accurately locate mushrooms.
Description: Beast species, pack-living monster.
Often reviled by many hunters and monsters due to its perpetual foul odor.
Lively and irritable, it enjoys teasing lower ecological niche monsters and attacking wild Felyne villages.