Argent Brachydios

Physic Brachydios is a subspecies of the Brachydios that makes its first appearance in Monster Hunter Tri: High Tides where it is exclusive to G-Rank and specialises in purely physical attacks and various movements that the standard species isn't capable of.

Physiology
Physic Brachydios has the same build as the standard Brachydios but with major differences. Its arms and general build are significantly more muscular than that of the standard Brachydios. Its horn on its head now ends on a sharp spear-shaped point with various mace-like spikes that surround the edges of the horn: these various spikes being almost metallic in terms of material. Its pounders have spikes that are equivalent of brass knuckles: extra spikes unveil and glimmer bright due to the brilliant sharpness when the Brute Wyvern is enraged. Its tail is also significantly longer than the tail of the standard Brachydios. Lastly, it is smaller than the standard Brachydios which grants it a boost in agility and stamina that the normal counterpart wouldn't have access to. Colour scheme-wise, its silver in colour with some traces of dark grey and white with glimmering purple eyes.

Behavior
Despite its many differences, it still retains the extreme hostility and aggressiveness of the standard Brachydios, using its supreme agility to subdue prey and challengers alike. They're capable of evading attacks from challengers which sparks a theory that this subspecies is significantly more intelligent than the standard species with various evidential descriptions of its observed behaviours. Physic Brachydios has distinct behaviours of punching, puncturing and beating rocks, solid stones and boulders in order to maintain its physical strength. Unlike the regular Brachydios, this subspecies does not lick its pounders due to it not needing to although it often cleans them via water filtering which explains why its able to visit the shoreline sector of the Volcano (3rd) alongside being encounterable in the Misty Peaks.

Explanation
Brachydios start off young without the slime mold before adapting with the slime mold and utilising it as a weapon: forming a symbiotic relationship. Some Brachydios never interact with the slime mold thus grow up their whole lives without it - this chain throughout the years starts an evolutionary gap between the slime mold Brachydios and the physical Brachydios which eventually evolved to retain the features that make it specifically suited for being a physical fighter. In modern times, this split has caused the Physic Brachydios to be considered a subspecies of the slime-mold Brachydios due to it being discovered distantly after the discovery of the slime-mold Brachydios. The reasoning for them not being discovered sooner is due to their traces being mistaken for other monsters, compared to the slime-mold from the standard Brachydios which in comparison, is immediately recognisable and resulted in the standard Brachydios being discovered first.

Placement In Food Chain
Minimal - Extremely Low - Low - Average - High - (Extremely High) - Apex - Legend

Main Prey: Rhenoplos, Gargwa, Aptonoth, Duskar

Arch-Rivals: Other members of its kind

Tracks
Tracks: Drilled rubble, Pounded rocks, Skewered Carcass, Battered Carcass

Specific Locale Interactions

 * Its signature Shattering Impact attack in the Volcano (3rd) causes eruptions of lava to spew out and around in random directions which can inflict Fireblight although the Physic Brachydios itself doesn't inflict the ailment - there is an equivalent of this attack in the Misty Peaks which causes geysers of water to spew out and inflict Waterblight.

Special Behaviors

 * When inactive in combat with a hunter, it will proceed to punch and puncture rocks until they're shattered to rubble. A shiny typically drops when this occurs and can range from being a 'Stone' or a various kind of Ore.

Abilities
Physic Brachydios has zero utility of the slime that the standard species has thus has to solely rely on its physical prowess which it is specifically adapted to. Its arms are incredibly muscular which results in its physical attacks dealing extremely high amounts of damage - when enraged, its physical attacks become insanely strong to the point where it can cause the ground to shatter into earthquakes with its strongest punches. Its smaller size allows for it to be extremely agile, being capable of doing the equivalent of an 'Absolute Evasion', avoiding attacks from the hunter while countering them with specialised combo-chained attacks. The sharp ridge on its horn is often used during its attacks where it skewers hunters or "drills" the ground.

Attacks
''Note: It has all the physical attacks that Brachydios has although none have an affliction with Slimeblight/Blastblight - all a now pure raw. This lists the brand new attacks/movements it has.''

Note: It will actively avoid pitfall traps, shock traps and miasma traps - meaning that you have to be clever with your trap placements when facing Physic Brachydios.

Note: When enraged, its ground punches can inflict 2 second Quake: one spin of the animation instead of two that would normally occur to the likes of Shen Gaoren's stomps or Rajang's belly slam.

Absolute Evasion: When a hunter is hitting the Physic Brachydios, it will be able to evade through your own attacks - it does this via jumping and spinning mid-air before landing a small distance behind the hunter and directly looks at the hunter and immediately chain-locks its next attack.

Aerial Roll To the Side: When jumping in the air, it has the ability to do an aerial roll and launch itself to the left or right side of it before chain-locking into another attack.

Extreme Leap: It can leap a significantly higher distance than the regular Brachydios - it has a distinct animation mid-air as it prepares its right or left fist for impact of when it hits the ground. This attack can cause Quake.

Back-Hop: It has the ability to back-hop, similarly to the likes of Great Jaggi, Great Wroggi and Great Baggi.

Great Rush: It can run at double the speed that the standard Brachydios does and then instantly chain-locks into another attack when it gets close to a hunter.

Auto Homing-In: When doing its continuous ground punch attack, it has the ability to turn to the hunters position while continuing its continuous ground punch attack, if the hunter proceeds to move position again, it will turn directly to them while still doing the attack.

Chain Punch + Leap: While doing the continuous ground punch attack, mid-ways through the attack it will turn to the hunters position and immediately leap at them while punching the ground.

Echoing Roar: It will punch into the ground twice while scratching its feet and proceed to unleash a powerful roar as it looks into the sky. This roar deals damage and can send the hunter flying - alongside causing rubble to vibrate and roll about in the environment.

Precision Punch: While punching, it will directly auto-aim its left or right arm right on the hunters position - changing its aim if the hunter moves from the original position.

360 Tail Whip: It will do a 360 tail spin in once go and sometimes proceeds to unleash a powerful punch from the left or right side of it. The punch in particular causes Quake.

Backstep Skewer: It will take one step backwards and proceed to skewer its horn directly on the hunter: dealing an extremely high amount of damage. - It typically does this if the hunter is underneath it.

Frontal Punches: It has the ability to do frontal punches directly on the hunters in front of it, aiming directly at them and sending them flying with high amounts of damage dealt - unlike the regular species that specifically aims for the ground.

Roundhouse Punch: It will leap high into the air and proceed to spin in a 360 degrees angle before slammings its left or right fist into the ground extremely hard - ths causes a mass amount of Quake - Physic Brachydios will combo chain into another attack immediately after doing this - usually a standard leap attack.

Side-Kick: It is able to lift its left or right leg and proceed to kick the left or right side of it - in similar fashion to Tzitzi-Ya-Ku and Kulu-Ya-Ku.

Omega Ground Punch: It will lift its right fist extremely high into the air while roaring in an almost Redhelm Arzuros-like fashion before slamming its right fist extremely hard into the ground which causes large ounces of rubble to be forced upwards into the air due to the sheer impact of the punch before crashing down into the ground in an Area-of-Effect: this attack deals a colossal amount of damage.

Skewer Charge: While charging, it can aim its horn skewer directly at the hunter which deals minimal damage but the damage can stack on if the hunter is still within the radius.

Circular Boulder Launch: It will slam its horn into the ground and proceed to drill a large circle shape move then backstepping and proceeding to slam the ground close to the circle but outside of it which forces a large boulder out of the ground - Physic Brachydios will then proceed to punch it extremely hard with the other fist which sends it barreling at rocket speeds at the targeted hunter. Getting hit by this attack is a potential OHKO with anything below 300 defense.

Triple Circular Boulder Launch: It will drill 3 large circle shapes and proceed to slam both of its fists into the ground which forces 3 boulders upwards - Physic Brachydios punches two of them and sends them barreling in alternating directions instead of a straight like while the last one is pushed by its tail and thrown high into the air to land on a targeted hunter. This deals less damage than the singular Circular Boulder Launch attack but it can still deal an extremely high amount.

Shattering Impact: Physic Brachydios will have a distinct roar animation before slamming its fists in a circular fashion over and over before leaping extremely high into the air in a straight line before then slamming both of its fists into the ground while roaring extremely loud: this causes an Earthquake to occur in the surrounding zone that Physic Brachydios is present in as rubbles of rock, foilage and general rubble are send barreling everywhere across the entire area: this attack stops after 10 seconds and causes a massive amount of Quake during the attack - getting hit by the actual impact of the slam itself is an instant OHKO without Guts or below 900 Defense.

Ecology

 * Habitat Range

It inhabits relatively the same locales as the standard species although is known to visit more water-filled sectors of these locales such as the shoreline sector of the Volcano (3rd). Its also been sighted in the Misty Peaks which is a locale that the standard Brachydios is never encountered in.


 * Ecological Niche

Relishes in being the apex predator of its territory and fighting off other members of its kind, the standard Brachydios, Lagiacrus, Zinogre, Azure Rathalos and various other top-tier predators that would challenge this species.


 * Biological Adaptations

Its smaller size allows it to be significantly more agile than the standard Brachydios while its muscular legs grant it the ability to run at rapid speeds and leap great distances without troubles. Its "metallic" spikes that clad its arm pounders are extremely hard, sharp and lethal to even touch due to the remnants of sunlight heating them up which increases the sheer pressure of Physic Brachydios's punches, combined with its increased muscular prowess in its arms makes Physic Brachydios's punches extremely lethal to even the hardest shelled predators, able to potentially fracture an enemies carapace into dust and shatter their bones into rubble. Although this potent pressure cools off for a period of time when Physic Brachydios's cleans its pounders in water sources before returning when they dry.


 * Behavior

Physic Brachydios is a natural wildcard whom is known to punch and beat boulders into rubbles to maintain their physical strength - their lack of ailment leaves them relying on their physicality which means that they need to make sure they're extremely strong and remain strong for the remainder of their lives. This results in them causing a lot of environmental damage and provoking monsters and hunters alike: both of which, Physic Brachydios will attack, bruise and batter without much second thought, indicating its hyperactivity that far exceeds the standard species.

Elemental Dispute

 * +25 Fire
 * +25 Water
 * -5 Thunder
 * -25 Ice
 * -15 Dragon
 * 0 Earth
 * 0 Wind
 * 0 Aether
 * 0 Nature
 * 0 Matter

Skills

 * Adrenaline +2
 * Critical Eye +2
 * Defense +50
 * Great Guts
 * Attack Up (Extra Large)
 * Vitality (+50 Health)
 * Speedling (Movement Speed increased 15%)
 * Evasion +1
 * Evasion Extender
 * Ice Res -2

Head

 * Impact: ★★★
 * Cutting: ★
 * Ranged: ★★

Body

 * Impact: ★
 * Cutting: ★★
 * Ranged: ★★

Arms

 * Impact: ★
 * Cutting: ★
 * Ranged: ★

Tail

 * Impact: ★★
 * Cutting: ★★
 * Ranged: ★★

Legs

 * Impact: ★★
 * Cutting: ★★★
 * Ranged: ★★

Note: Requires Purple Sharpness to pierce the arms/pounders - if broken, White Sharpness is required.

Element Effectiveness

 * Fire = N/A
 * Water = N/A
 * Thunder = ★
 * Ice = ★★★
 * Dragon = N/A

Status Effectiveness

 * Poison = ★★★
 * Sleep = ★
 * Paralysis = ★★
 * Blast = ★★
 * Stun = ★★★
 * Blind = ★