Hunt Begin

It took Cersei some 5-7 minutes to fill Item-M in with the major things about Kai and his strength.

If it was in his hands, Kai would rather give up everything and sit down to learn everything that was in M's mind and about her box. But time was of the essence. He had both his Side Mission and Hidden Mission to take care of first.

She stepped towards him as Cersei finished. The awe on her face hadn't vanished, but it had become even more apparent. The Book and its capabilities, the Glitch, the Ghost Serpent, his Privileges, and all the deeds that Kai had done after resurrecting in the Primordial Tower had become a sacred tale for her. Even more petrifying were Kai's missions to hunt 4th-floor Contestants.

Yet, it was Kai's encounter during the Blood Prophecy and then him getting a reply from Hastur by sacrificing the Coreless Wand that had shocked her the most.

Though, to Kai's dismay, she was as ignorant about the Door, the Patterns, and the tattered strip of cloth as him. Things hadn't finished there. 'How can a mere Coreless Wand be sufficient for a reply?' She had mumbled incredulously. Then she had told him that only the most exquisite things could bring a reply out of the prayer upon sacrificing them.

Kai didn't know if he should be glad about it or distressed.

She also had not much to say regarding Robin's presence. 'I've heard of the Sun and Moon organization,' she had commented . 'It's nothing but a group of lowlife mercenaries. Red Sun, if I'm not mistaken, is the lickspittle founding member.'

She had also told him to not eat the Rock Cake unless Kai couldn't finish his Attribute Quota of the 1st-Set through missions. Otherwise, it would do nothing but waste an Attribute Point. The best time to eat it would be in the 2nd Set, where Contestants struggle to complete the quota.

Kai smiled upon thinking about that. 'Item-M is showing her usefulness quite early,' he thought, beaming. 'Wonderful!'

There was a tinge of pain hidden behind that smile, too. It was hard to let go of his chance to devour a Pokemon. Not that he could without raising his Snake Instinct Proficiency to 100%, but Kai had been positive that after hunting the three Contestants, he would have closed the gap significantly.

It was then that Item-M approached him and kneeled.

"Master, forgive me," she said sadly. "Because of me, you gave up on your chance to devour a Pokemon's blood essence."

Kai said nothing. He looked at Cersei, who came up to him and stopped beside him as if she was his queen or something.

'Well, she is almost useless for now,' Kai thought, looking at Cersei. He had decided to not use Blood Prophecy ever again until he would have the power to break it in between by himself. He'd rather not find him stuck in some unavoidable paradox, like dancing at the fingertips of some unknown and unimaginable being.

"I have some counsel," Item-M said, lifting her head to look at him. "I am not completely sure about it, as your circumstances and powers are unique, even for my experiences. If it works, you can hit two targets with one arrow."

Cersei sneered and then blushed when Kai glared at her. He would have already sent her away if he didn't need her to talk in his place.

"Speak…" Kai commanded, concentrating.

"Right now," she began, standing up, "it is the Elementary Ability, Snake Instinct, that's keeping the master from devouring a Pokemon (-Kai nodded-). But if you were to encounter a strong and suitable Pokemon, then you don't need to hold yourself back."

Kai's eyes narrowed.

"Explain yourself, servant," Cersei ordered in his place. Item-M didn't look at the Character. Her eyes only reflected Kai and only Kai.

"I had lost all Abilities when I failed my mission," she said. "If it wasn't for HIS mercy, the System would have discarded me. Instead, I got a chance. A chance to live by sacrificing almost all my Stats, including Worth, Abilities, Skills, Items, and Titles. So some 30 years ago, I was sent to the 1st floor to monitor the Twin-Peak Organization. There was a time when I had lost my will to battle and spent most of my time practicing my lost Origami Ability."

Kai recalled Marine Roland's words from the 1st floor. One could either get Ability from the Random Worlds or in the Primordial Tower by investing a huge amount of time.

"After 10 years of practice, I finally got my Elementary Origami Creation back," Item-M said. "The moment I got it, the Ability itself rose to become a Master Ability. The Proficiency was the same as when I had lost it. So, if I am right, then you can let go of the Snake Instinct. If a non-magical snake beast has given you this Ability, then I am sure a magical snake-type beast will give you one too. The moment you get it, your old proficiency will return, most probably."

Kai's eyes shone with understanding.

The old woman wasn't finished, though. "Then there is this 3rd unknown Contestant," she said, pointing out the Contestant about whom Robin had spoken. "The Spinning Duo are Bladers, according to the reply you have got from HIM. Then, this 3rd Contestant is likely to be a Pokemon Trainer. 4th-floor Pokemon Trainers either have two Pokemon or an evolved Pokemon, if they had got their first Pokemon on the first floor."

Now Kai knew what his Item was suggesting to him. There were too many loopholes in this plan and there was the risk of losing his Snake Instinct Ability. Still, Kai had never feared taking risks. If there was even a single fact backing up the risk, then Kai could do anything for the potential benefit.

"So, I counsel," Item-M said, "master to go to the forest and search for the Pokemon, meanwhile I will search for those trio's whereabouts. If I see the tiniest possibility of a good Pokemon, then I will share my location with you. Hunting the three Contestants will not be easy, but hunting one of them using me will be a piece of cake for you, master."

"Haha!" Kai roared, his laughter booming around the hill. He didn't reply to Item-M, but just turned around and dashed for the thick of the Ilex Forest. Behind him, Cersei disappeared, and hundreds of tiny bugs exploded out of Item-M's Inventory, spreading in all directions.

It was time.

Time for a reckless hunt.

39 Minutes to Glitch's Hibernation.

********

AN: What do you think? Would Kai get a suitable Pokemon or not?

Next chapter might be a little late. Many Pokemon will make appearance. Their fate though.... Sigh!