As Qingliu pondered, Aipom grew visibly anxious when it saw that he showed no intention of taking the grilled fish.
That anxiety became even more obvious after it glanced at the expressionless Snover beside it.
It waved both hands wildly, its tail gripping the branch skewering the grilled fish and holding it within easy reach of Qingliu, all while chattering nonstop.
Although he could not understand what it meant, its expression gave him a pretty good idea.
Just then, Agumon spoke up beside him.
"It's saying it was wrong, that it'll never steal anything again, and begging us to let it go."
"?"
A question mark practically appeared above Qingliu's head. "You can understand what other Pokémon are saying?"
Agumon nodded blankly.
"Why didn't you tell me before?"
"You never asked."
"..."
If Qingliu had not known how oblivious Agumon normally was, he would have thought it was deliberately messing with him.
But on second thought, since Agumon was now a Pokémon, it was perfectly normal for it to understand other Pokémon.
"Then why didn't you try talking to those Unown we ran into at the ruins? And what about the wild Pokémon we encountered on the way, or those Magikarp in the river you nearly tormented to death?"
"Because I couldn't understand what the Unown were saying. They just babbled on and on. There wasn't any need to talk to the ones we met afterward. As for the Magikarp... I don't think I heard them say anything."
"..."
Qingliu fell briefly silent at Agumon's explanation.
Either it could not understand them or there was no need to listen. As for the Magikarp... with those eyes so full of wisdom and untold stories, they really did not look like Pokémon capable of speaking up for themselves.
Still, Agumon's ability to understand Pokémon speech would certainly come in handy.
The Team Rocket Trio's Meowth had provided Jessie and James with plenty of help, both openly and behind the scenes, thanks to its ability to speak human language.
"Since you can understand them, find out what's going on here. Remember to question them separately."
Agumon looked a little puzzled, but obediently questioned them as Qingliu instructed.
Soon, they learned the general course of events from the two Pokémon.
Aipom had always lived nearby and liked sneaking out of the trees to snatch food, hats, and other belongings from travelers.
When it went out today, it happened upon Agumon and Qingliu catching fish and caught the scent of grilled fish as well.
Having never eaten grilled fish before, Aipom found its mouth watering. It crept closer, then sneaked up and stole a fish just as Qingliu called Agumon over to eat.
But before it could enjoy its prize, Snover stopped it.
Snover had been taking a walk nearby and happened to spot Aipom stealing. It took a shortcut to cut Aipom off, and after a brief "friendly discussion," Aipom "very willingly" offered to return the grilled fish to Qingliu.
And that had led to the scene before him.
Having learned the truth behind the missing fish, Qingliu breathed an inward sigh of relief. Thankfully, it was not the worst-case scenario he had imagined.
The rest did not matter quite so much.
"There'd better not be a next time. Otherwise, you'll run into someone ruthless one day, and returning the food won't be enough to get you out of trouble."
Without a word, Aipom nodded rapidly, slipped through a gap in the loosened Leech Seed vines, and dashed into the forest, looking unwilling to stay even a moment longer.
Only Snover remained, standing motionless.
To be honest, Qingliu was very interested in this Snover.
It had gone out of its way to stop Aipom simply because it saw it stealing, even though Qingliu was a complete stranger. Such behavior was truly noble.
"Thank you very much for your help."
Qingliu bowed slightly in thanks.
Startled by Qingliu's rather solemn gratitude, Snover hurriedly waved its stump-like arms to indicate that it was nothing.
"If you don't mind, please take this grilled fish as a thank-you gift."
Qingliu offered Snover the grilled fish Aipom had just returned.
Smelling its fresh aroma, Snover looked intensely curious and examined the grilled fish from every angle. Rather than immediately reaching for it, however, it first plucked two ping-pong-ball-sized spheres from a barely visible part of its body.
"Wuko~ Wukoyee~"
Qingliu looked at his translator.
"It says it wants us both to eat what it's holding."
The Agumon-brand translator got straight to work.
"Sure, let's trade."
Qingliu handed the grilled fish to Snover and received two little ice balls that radiated a faint chill.
"Can we eat these?"
Agumon examined the little ice ball held between its claws as it asked.
"They're good stuff. Give it a try."
Qingliu tossed his little ice ball into his mouth.
Almost instantly, a cool, refreshing sensation burst across his mouth, as though he had eaten not an ice ball but a popsicle with an exquisite texture.
Agumon opted to gulp its down whole, tossing it straight into its mouth. Its eyes immediately took on a look of lingering delight.
"Delicious!"
Agumon could not help praising it.
Seeing Qingliu's and Agumon's reactions, Snover gave a shy smile.
Then it lifted the grilled fish in its hands and took a small bite.
As something entirely new to its diet filled its taste buds, its spirits visibly rose as well.
"Wukoyee, wukoyee!"
Snover's eyes narrowed in delight as it ate. Every so often, it raised a hand as though trying to give the grilled fish a thumbs-up, but the lack of five distinct fingers made the gesture look rather clumsy. In the end, it scratched its head in mild embarrassment.
Watching it, Qingliu became increasingly convinced that this Snover was highly intelligent. Its behavior was very natural, without the slightest trace of a wild Pokémon's untamed nature.
So, after eating half a grilled fish and taking the edge off his hunger, Qingliu looked at Snover, which was gradually growing familiar with Agumon, and slowly asked a question.
"Snover, if I remember correctly, your kind usually lives on the cold, snowy mountains near the northern part of the Sinnoh Region, right? The temperatures there should suit you perfectly. But this is the central part of the region, where it's warmer. It shouldn't be very comfortable for you here. Can you tell me how you ended up here?"
As he spoke, Qingliu lowered his gaze slightly, watching Snover's expression.
Sure enough, at Qingliu's question, the smile that had been on Snover's face a second earlier froze in place.
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