How many points would it take to unlock one of the ???? skills? Just out of curiosity, since I'm fairly certain that at this point those 2x5 blocks would be best going into dodge and trickery. Highest chance of survival and trickery might help on trapping food without damaging it too badly.
Also, this is currently how I'm thinking of the choices:
[ ] Scorching Wind Wolf - The cutest, fluffiest wolf puppy in history, it barks happily whenever it sees you. It has white fur with streaks of red and orange through it that glow like fire. A member of an ancient species of wolves, they are capable of extreme speed and a monstrous command of fire.
Cute puppy is cute. Seriously, though, it could be useful as a form of transport (if we can ride it, Princess Mononoke-style) and its control over fire will be an
immense help with later recipes when we branch out (which we need to do). Not sure how fast "extreme speed" is, but don't think that it will be able to outpace a thunderbird.
[ ] Golden Rukk - It is presently still a chick and unable to fly, but he belongs to a prestigious lineage of legendary birds. With feathers of gold that crackle with lightning, at the very least it is a conqueror of the skies.
Once it is able to fly, it will be allow us to cover even more ground than riding the wolf. The ability to give us a higher viewpoint and greater field of vision will also inevitably be useful, especially with higher trickery. The ability to catch flying food is also quite welcome, though lightning = char broiled for the smaller ones. (Also, if reading through Kancolle quests has taught me anything about naval warfare, it's that planes/flying creatures that can look directly down on the water are a submarine's/submerged creature's worst enemy.)
] Leviathan - Though currently small enough to wrap around her waist, fully grown this sea serpent will be hundred of meters long. With a innate command of water and ice, it is a deadly monster in both environments.
Very useful for catching seafood, which is essential to us as a sushiya. If it can help us travel around underwater, then that's even better. Could be useful as an escape route, especially once it grows to huge sizes. (Once it gets big enough, could we travel around inside it, like Noah/Finding Nemo? If we could somehow build a mobile kitchen base or even just a storage closet, that would be fun as all hell.)
[ ] Terra Lion - A kitten with a deep connection with the earth, even at its young age it could carry a man upon its back. When matured it is a physical colossus, capable of taking innumerable hits upon its thick hide while striking with enough force to destroy a fortress. Like all cats though it can be rather temperamental.
Hmm... A connection with the earth would be very useful for finding underground animals, certain plants
and buried treasure. If it can sense all things in contact with the earth in a certain radius, like earthbending, then that would also be useful for avoiding unpleasant encounters. I don't believe I need to mention it's capability as a tank. Least useful in my opinion, because cats aren't well known for following orders. You don't own them, after all. They own you.
For now, I believe I'll go with the:
[X] Scorching Wind Wolf - The cutest, fluffiest wolf puppy in history, it barks happily whenever it sees you. It has white fur with streaks of red and orange through it that glow like fire. A member of an ancient species of wolves, they are capable of extreme speed and a monstrous command of fire.
option, because of its future utility. Very tempted to go for the bird, though.
