Agumon vs. Snover

Despite Snover's reaction, Qingliu showed no intention of stopping.

"Was I wrong? Or do you think she can take over her father's Gym?"

"Woookee!"

Snover nodded without hesitation.

That display of absolute trust deeply moved Candice, who stood behind Snover. She hadn't expected Snover to step forward and defend her while they were in the middle of an argument.

Especially not with such determination in those eyes when it came to the goal they had set before starting their journey.

Feeling that she couldn't let Snover down either, Candice sniffled.

"Even if I'm not doing well right now, I believe that as long as Snover and I keep working hard together, I'll overcome my little shortcomings and become a qualified Gym Leader."

Her voice sounded slightly nasal, but her tone was firmer than before.

Qingliu quietly watched Candice and Snover.

Their eyes were completely different now, united in determination and confidence.

Qingliu smiled faintly.

"Since you're both so confident, let's have a battle."

"A battle?"

"Yes. Prove to me through your performance that you really have what it takes. Of course, if you're afraid to battle a rookie Trainer like me, forget I said anything."

Qingliu spread his hands as he spoke.

Candice didn't answer immediately. Instead, she looked at Snover, who turned to look at her as well. Their gazes met, and then they nodded together.

"No problem. Let's do it!"

"Woookee!"

The clearing at the edge of the forest was spacious. After putting enough distance between them, Candice secured the blue jacket tied around her waist and took a deep breath.

"I'll be using Snover. What about you?"

Seeing that Qingliu made no move to take out a Poké Ball, Candice asked.

"My Pokémon is this guy."

Qingliu called toward the rock behind him. "Agumon, finished eating? Come out. We've got work to do."

Agumon?

Candice's brows knitted at the name.

Was that a nickname for his Pokémon? Or something else?

As she puzzled over it, a small, yellow, dinosaur-like Pokémon leaped out from behind the rock and reached Qingliu in two bounds.

"What Pokémon is that...?"

Looking at Agumon across from her, Candice realized she didn't recognize him.

She had consistently ranked first in the entire Pokémon training school in Snowpoint City. She knew all sorts of Pokémon knowledge by heart, and identifying each species was among the most basic skills.

Yet no matter how thoroughly she searched her memory, she couldn't recall anything about him.

An unknown Pokémon?

At that thought, Candice pulled her Pokédex from her pocket and pointed it at Agumon.

But even the Pokédex, which normally processed information swiftly, fell silent for over ten seconds.

Just as Candice began to wonder whether it was broken, a cold, mechanical voice finally sounded.

Even then, it offered only a single, simple sentence.

[No data available. A mysterious Pokémon.]

"No data?"

Candice's eyes widened.

There wasn't even a single relevant record or piece of data about this Pokémon in the Pokédex.

What was going on?

Candice stared at Agumon, then turned her gaze to Qingliu.

"An unemployed drifter and an unknown Pokémon... What a strange combination. But I'm not going to concede just because of that.

"Judging by how he feels, this mysterious Pokémon should be close to Snover's level. The gap shouldn't be so big that we don't stand a chance."

Candice slowly shifted her gaze to Snover, whose steady back faced her.

"Snover, we'll strike first. Use Ice Shard!"

Snover moved at her command. Shards of ice materialized out of thin air and, guided by Snover, shot toward Agumon.

Although she didn't know what species he was or what type he had, his appearance suggested that he was very likely a Dragon-type Pokémon.

That method of judging could sometimes be wildly inaccurate, but she had no other option now. She could only try approaching it from that angle.

"A smart choice."

Qingliu couldn't help praising her.

Candice's demeanor had clearly changed the moment the battle began.

Clearly, she had the ability to become the Snowpoint Gym Leader and a teacher at the Pokémon School in the future.

But if this was all she had, she still had a long way to go.

"Agumon, dodge to the side, then charge straight in."

Agumon lowered his body and pushed off with his powerful legs, instantly springing to the side. After dodging the incoming ice shards, he broke into a headlong charge.

His reactions and speed are that fast? And judging by his claws, his main attacks should be close-range. That must be why he's closing the distance.

Candice thought rapidly while issuing her next command.

"Snover, don't let him get close so easily. Use Icy Wind!"

Glittering snowflakes appeared within a faint white mist, and the temperature plummeted as the icy wind blasted toward Agumon.

The instant Icy Wind began blowing, Qingliu predicted where it would strike and how much ground it would cover. "Dodge left, then jump forward and keep charging."

Thanks to years of surviving in the wild, and with most environments in the Digital World being harsher than those in the Pokémon world, Agumon had exceptionally quick reflexes.

Almost the moment Qingliu spoke, Agumon began moving.

After rolling left to avoid the first wave, he drove his powerful legs into the ground, leaving two deep footprints as he leaped high into the air.

Just then, a surge of vibrant green energy erupted from Snover, sweeping up leaves and grass from the ground and blasting them toward the airborne Agumon.

"Using Icy Wind as cover, with Leafage waiting in ambush behind it."

Seeing through Candice's attack, Qingliu said, "Agumon, use Razor Claw!"

Agumon was far from defenseless in midair. Without worrying about whether he could land steadily afterward, he made his claws flare with orange light.

A moment later, two enormous orange energy claws enveloped his hands and arms.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

His claws slashed rapidly, filling the air with sharp whistles.

Almost instantly, every energy-coated leaf and blade of grass was shredded by the orange claws, turning into green fragments that drifted slowly through the air.

Candice clearly hadn't expected such a well-hidden ambush to be smashed apart with sheer force.

But now, she had no time to be shocked or think about anything else.

Because Agumon had already reached Snover.