The two Blade Dragons retreated over ten meters and leaped away to escape.
The Fire Dragons hovered for a moment before turning and flying off.
The Gluttonous Snake stood up, shook off the dust clinging to its body, and slowly flapped its wings to ascend.
Li Fan sighed in relief, grateful that this crisis had finally been completely resolved.
When he had captured his first four-star monster, a Rathian, he had considered its widespread distribution across various regions in addition to its aerial transport capabilities.
This way, even if they encountered each other in the sky, there wouldn't be hostility between fellow species.
As for the Gluttonous Snake's strategy of calling for its companions to protect it, Li Fan had never considered it.
However, he speculated that only the piteous cries of a young or old Fire Dragon might attract other Fire Dragons.
Otherwise, if a severe injury and a subsequent cry could summon such a scene, the Guild would not have issued quests to hunt Fire Dragons.
Furthermore, this was a technical skill, requiring consideration of the volume and intensity of the cries, as well as the location.
One also needed to possess resilience, otherwise, if you died before help arrived, it would truly be game over.
Li Fan surmised that if the Gluttonous Snake had been captured, he might have found related skills in its characteristic column.
Retracing their steps, Li Fan approached Yeye, who was staring straight ahead motionlessly.
Following Yeye's gaze, he saw Little Fool tending to Naughty.
Goo~ Goo~
A large tear rolled down from Yeye's round red eye.
"Why are you so sad?" Li Fan asked curiously.
Yeye tilted its head down and wiped its eyes with its claw-wings.
Goo goo!
"So you're moved... Anyway, let's get you into a ball. There are too many Fire Dragons here, I'm afraid they'll mistake you for takeout."
Li Fan said, then put Yeye into its ball.
He approached the two dragons. Naughty had already curled into a ring.
A large, glistening bubble of snot floated from its nose.
Its upturned lips were curved in a blissful smile, clearly indicating that due to severe injuries, it had entered a forced hibernation state.
Li Fan examined the outward-facing wounds, which were quite horrifying.
Roar~
Little Fool let out a low growl.
"Yes, Naughty's injuries will indeed require a lot of meat to heal. You go hunt first, I'll watch over things here."
Li Fan said, releasing the Giant Ape to set up a small Twilight Barrier in the surroundings.
Then, he fired a signal flare into the sky to assemble the team.
Before attempting the capture, there was supposed to be a communication phase, but the team was not aware of the current situation in this area.
If other hunter teams approached and saw a severely injured, hibernating Rathalos, they might be tempted to attack, so the capture needed to happen without delay.
However, the capture capability of a Great Ball was equivalent to that of a four-star monster, and its effectiveness on a five-star Rathalos might not be optimal.
Li Fan pondered for a moment, then took out a Friendship Ball.
He stepped back a few paces, and the Friendship Ball, adorned with a pink heart, was thrown.
Whoosh! Naughty turned into a white light and entered it.
Countless heart-shaped phantom images erupted from the ball.
Pop! Pop! Pop!
After three strange sounds, Naughty was successfully captured!
The broken horn of the Chameleos that had been embedded in its head fell to the ground.
It worked? Was this the power of love?
Without any communication, it was taken in a single ball. This was something Li Fan had not anticipated.
He took out his handheld device to check its attributes.
"Why is the cursor on this handheld device moving on its own... Ah, it's stick drift. If only I had some WD-40 here."
Li Fan wrestled with the drifting joystick for a long time before finally selecting the pixelated icon of the Rathalos, marked with a red exclamation point.
【Rathalos】 Male (Unnamed)
Health: 790/5409
Status: In Love, Severely Injured and Hibernating, Fractured Left Leg Joint, Torn Right Leg Wound, Minor Crack on Skull, Moderately Torn Wing Membrane.
Level: 29
Strength: 261
Agility: 330
Intelligence: 199
Skills: 【Exceptional Specimen】 This monster is innately gifted.
【King of the Skies】 This Rathalos possesses unparalleled aerial potential. As its control over flight improves, it can seamlessly integrate various attacks while airborne.
【Juvenile Stage】 Rarely fearful.
【Lean Build】 Overexertion.
【Airship Buster】 Adept at attacking airships.
【Prey Sense】 Particularly sensitive to the scent of meat.
【Skilled Hunter】 Adept at hunting.
【Poison Resistance - High】 Rathalos possesses strong resistance to poison.
【Brute Charge】 After a brief charge-up on the ground, the Rathalos will sprint rapidly to charge.
【Fireball Barrage - Triple】 The Rathalos can accumulate up to three fireballs in its mouth, which can be rapidly fired at three different targets.
【Flame Breath - Novice】 After a brief charge-up, it sweeps a fan-shaped flame forward.
【Tail Spike Injection】 The Rathalos flips into the air and thrusts its tail spike, penetrating the target and injecting venom.
Description: Flying Dragon species, widely distributed.
Its dive-bombing attacks are the nightmare of countless monsters.
It is named King of the Skies due to its superior aerial abilities.
So Naughty was also an Exceptional Specimen, but it seemed that due to constantly flying at high altitudes, its energy consumption was very high, making its build appear somewhat slender.
After reviewing the detailed information, Li Fan released Naughty from the ball again.
Apart from the change in location, Naughty's sleeping posture was almost identical to before.
Li Fan then looked at the system prompts.
With Naughty's addition, the requirement of seven monsters of four-star or higher to upgrade the five-star compendium was met.
The Great Balls he received daily had been upgraded to Silver Crown Balls, featuring a silver triangular crown on the ball.
Additionally, the Adaptability Ball and the Fate Ball were added to the selectable ball options.
The Adaptability Ball's effect was to create a habitat preferred by the monster within it.
The Fate Ball's effect was to significantly increase the capture probability if your goals aligned with the monster's.
The Adaptability Ball was easy to understand; putting Gyaas inside would create a snowy environment, and putting Yeye inside would create a dark, ancient forest environment with tall trees.
The Fate Ball was a bit abstract. How exactly could one align their goals with a monster's?
After analyzing the functions of the new Poké Balls, Li Fan went to check the unlock method for the six-star compendium.
It still required seven monsters, but the star requirement was raised to five-star or higher, and the reward was, as expected, a Gold Crown Ball.
About an hour later, Eudora, Dilu, and Zhan Zhan arrived to rendezvous.
"Hmm... Zhan Zhan, why are you carrying the Great Sword of the Zinogre?" Li Fan asked curiously.
"I don't know. I used your ultimate technique, Sword Abandonment Art, to throw the great sword to dodge an attack. Zhan Zhan found it and is now carrying it in its mouth, refusing to give it back to me," Eudora said helplessly.
Woo! Woo woo! Woo!
Zhan Zhan, refusing to open its mouth, let out a whimper.
"Ah? You're saying this is your tail blade?... It really looks like it." Li Fan recalled that when he forged two Zinogre weapons in the village of Honoka, he had opted for full forging to maximize weapon strength, rather than the material-saving incomplete forging process. Thus, he had used both tail blades.
The Zinogre would definitely recognize its own tail blades after being forged.
Zhan Zhan had shown no reaction when it saw the Zinogre Great Sword. I could have assumed it didn't mind, but it turns out that weapon was not made from Zhan Zhan's tail blade.
"Zhan Zhan..."
Whoosh! Zhan Zhan's head rapidly lifted and turned sideways, immediately throwing a tantrum.
"Your tail blade is not lost or destroyed; it simply exists beside you in a different form, and it helps Eudora fight enemies. Isn't that good?" Li Fan tried to reason.
Hoo~ A wave of scorching heat erupted from its mouth. Zhan Zhan glanced down, hesitating.
"Think about how the Chameleos was struck by the great sword. You played a part in that. In the future, Eudora's target is Kushala Daora. If a weapon forged from your tail blade repels it, then you will be... you will be a hero among Zinogres!"
Zhan Zhan's gaze immediately became serious, its mouth slightly agape.
Li Fan gripped the hilt of the sword and attempted to draw the Zinogre Great Sword.
But the sudden forging and grinding pulled the great sword back in.
After about 20 seconds, Zhan Zhan turned its head and actively brought the hilt closer.
After Li Fan drew it out, the team let out a gasp as they saw a white light appearing on the edge of the Zinogre Great Sword's blade.
"Is this... a handheld version of the White Emperor's Holy Sword?" Li Fan was quite surprised.
But upon reflection, it didn't seem that difficult to understand.
Zhan Zhan's forging and grinding previously had two modes.
One was the red-hot, molten fire attribute infusion.
The other was an explosion infusion from burning minerals.
The explosive infusion was too dangerous, and Li Fan had only attempted it a few times.
The White Emperor's Holy Sword was an advanced version of the molten fire attribute infusion, but the temperature was too high for ordinary materials to withstand.
However, the Zinogre Great Sword was different; it was a weapon forged from a Zinogre tail blade itself.
Eudora took the great sword, looked at the blazing white edge, and slashed at the grass.
Boom! The ground cracked. Even though Eudora exerted no further force, the high temperature of the blade continued to scorch the ground, causing the sword to sink deeper.
"This penetration power is quite impressive. It seems Zhan Zhan can cooperate with you more in the future," Li Fan suggested.
"The problem is, will Zhan Zhan be willing? What if it takes the weapon away mid-battle?" Eudora voiced her concern.
Roar! Roar!
Zhan Zhan roared.
"Zhan Zhan says it won't. Your charging aerial slashes against the Chameleos are deeply etched in its mind. You are the most heroic female hunter Zhan Zhan has ever seen, not only skilled but also beautiful..."
Li Fan was halfway through his translation when Eudora interrupted, "Zhan Zhan only roared twice, does it contain so much meaning?"
"I embellished it a bit."
"Uh... Well, since Zhan Zhan said so, please convey to Zhan Zhan that it is the fiercest and most majestic Zinogre I have ever seen, and I look forward to our cooperation."
Eudora, having been heavily praised, appeared very pleased.
"Eudora, you are the fiercest and most majestic Zinogre it has ever seen, and it looks forward to our cooperation."
Li Fan said, gesturing, and finally gave a thumbs-up, making a "great job" gesture.
Roar! Zhan Zhan chirped happily.
"Wait, what you said... is there any difference from me saying it directly?" Eudora asked tentatively.
"No."
"Then why doesn't Zhan Zhan understand when I say it directly?" Eudora was confused.
"Body language, tone, and expressions are all crucial for conveying information. It's a bit difficult for Zhan Zhan to understand if you just speak," Li Fan explained.
"I see." Eudora seemed to understand.
Shortly after, Fray arrived overhead in the Honoka, piloting the Honoka.
Due to the large number of Fire Dragons in the area, they couldn't descend. Li Fan first put Naughty into its ball, and then the team rode on Little Fool's neck back to the airship.
By the time Naughty woke up, it was already sunset.
Seeing the sky tinged with orange and yellow, Naughty propped itself up with its wing-claws on the deck, pushing its body up with its feet.
"Naughty! Don't move! The airship will capsize, meow!" Fray, holding the steering wheel, cried out.
Before he could figure out what was happening, the aroma of raw meat reached his nostrils.
Naughty lowered its head and saw that the deck in front of it was piled with chunks of beast meat that had already been butchered and skinned.
Sensing no threat, Naughty began to swallow them greedily.
Before long, Little Fool appeared on the side of the Honoka, flying alongside.
Hoo~ Splat!
With a sideways swing of its body, Little Fool dropped a herbivore carcass it was carrying in its claws onto the deck.
The two dragons looked at each other in the sunset glow, feeling a desire to approach recklessly and a simultaneous urge to flee.
A moment later, Little Fool swooped down and disappeared.
Naughty stretched its neck over the side of the ship and looked down, but saw only an endless sea of clouds and a rapidly closing cloud hole.
"Uh... why are you peeking here, meow?" Dilu asked curiously from the crow's nest atop the mast.
"This isn't peeking, this is creating space for Naughty and Little Fool to interact," Li Fan said, looking down.
"I can't understand, meow." Dilu sighed.
"By the way, Dilu, what is love like for Felynes?" Li Fan asked curiously.
"If you're not a hunting cat, you can find a suitable meow in a village or town to start a family, or you can search for a suitable gathering place in the wild, meow. But hunting cats, as loyal companions to hunters, don't need partners until their hunting careers are over." Dilu explained.
"Isn't that very boring?"
"Not at all, meow. The experiences of adventuring with you are enough for this meow to recall for a long time. If I have enough time, I plan to write a memoir, recording all the team's stories." Dilu said, looking at the sunset.
"I feel like the adventure has just begun... Remember to make me sound more formidable, and don't write about the encounter with the Giant Ape. If it outsells 'Hunting the Sky,' we'll make a fortune!" Li Fan replied.
"Okay, meow!"
Above the sea of clouds, the airship gradually drifted away.
Four days later, the Honoka hovered above the canopy of the Ancient Forest.
The team ate well and slept soundly on the airship, with two Fire Dragons escorting them.
Fatigue and hunger were non-existent, so they did not choose to return to the research institute for rest.
Instead, they directly headed to the Ancient Forest to prepare for the hunt of a Zinogre in the Forgotten Ridge.
After a simple cleanup of the suspended campsite at the top of the canopy, Li Fan began to study the combat plan.
The combat portion was divided into two phases: an aerial combat phase and a ground combat phase, with the ultimate goal still being capture.
As for the difficulties, in addition to the Zinogre itself being a tough opponent, there was also the complex environment of the Forgotten Ridge.
After all, it was the habitat of the Valstrax, and even the Dragonatory had difficulty venturing there.
Any oversight could lead to the entire plan's failure.