A beatdown

"Get down! Dodge!"

Candice spoke urgently, so fast that even her voice turned a little shrill.

Snover had also seen Agumon's swinging claws and instinctively tried to move.

But it was already too late.

Just as Candice's voice reached him and Snover began to move, Agumon's claws slammed down first.

Smack!

A crisp sound rang out across the clearing.

The terrifying force sent Snover flying backward. He sailed a good ten or twenty meters through the air, then plowed a deep furrow through the ground before finally coming to a stop.

Candice hurriedly called out, "Snover, are you okay?"

Clutching his chest, Snover answered with a pained expression, then braced his arms against the ground and slowly stood up.

"Whoo-kyee..."

Seeing that Snover could still fight, even though he wasn't in great shape, Candice let out a sigh of relief. Then she fixed Qingliu and Agumon with a grave stare.

"So strong."

Whether it was his reflexes or his speed, this mysterious Pokémon had performed far beyond her expectations.

Not only had he evaded Snover's Ice Shard with two effortless twists and turns, but even against two moves launched in succession, he had easily dodged the first and smashed straight through the second without any trouble.

And most importantly...

With considerable apprehension, Candice looked at the distance Snover had flown after taking Agumon's head-on blow, as well as the furrow he had left in the ground.

Just how much strength did it take to produce such a terrifying result with a single hit?

Their levels were clearly about the same, yet they were on completely different tiers.

Hadn't this guy just said he was a rookie Trainer?

With such terrifying strength, he was still only a rookie Trainer?

Then what did that make her?

Still, at least this mysterious Pokémon's fighting style seemed fairly limited.

Both attacks had relied on agile movement and quick reactions to close the distance, followed by a strike combining those sharp claws with terrifying strength.

Snover had decent defenses, and most of the moves he knew were ranged attacks. As long as he kept enough distance and attacked with those moves, she still had a chance of winning.

With that in mind, Candice called, "Snover, use Leafage."

Snover raised his left hand. Drawn by green grass-type energy, the fallen leaves and weeds around him rose into the air again and flew straight toward Agumon.

At the same time, Snover raised his other hand, sending a freezing wind laden with ice crystals right after them.

Once again, it was a combination of two moves.

This time, however, Candice didn't have Snover stay in place. Instead, he kept moving, concealing himself behind the leaves and Icy Wind to confuse Qingliu and Agumon's line of sight.

That way, even if Agumon could break through both attacks again, she would have enough time to make Snover evade his charge.

Where would he come through? Above? Below? Or through the middle?

Candice's gaze darted up and down as she prepared her next move.

But to her complete surprise, this time Agumon neither dodged nor tried to break through. He didn't even move.

"Agumon, Pepper Breath."

Surrounded by the attacks, his figure already obscured, Agumon abruptly opened his mouth.

A moment later, a blazing ball of fire burst straight through the middle of the leaves and Icy Wind.

Wherever Pepper Breath passed, the leaves burned to nothing and the icy wind instantly evaporated. Wrapped in ash and mist, it shot straight toward Snover at a speed far beyond Agumon's own movement speed.

For a moment, Candice couldn't react.

In her judgment, Agumon hadn't used a ranged attack because he probably wasn't very good at it.

He might have possessed ranged attacks or moves, but Candice had never imagined that his ranged move would be this powerful.

In a single instant, Pepper Breath tore apart both Leafage and Icy Wind.

More importantly, it was simply too fast.

So fast that by the time she tried to speak, it was already too late.

Pepper Breath had struck Snover dead on.

As a dual Grass- and Ice-type Pokémon, Snover took a Fire-type move head-on. The overwhelming type disadvantage instantly pushed Pepper Breath's damage to its peak.

"Snover!"

Candice cried out in shock.

This time, however, Snover didn't answer her. Enveloped in flames, he slowly collapsed onto the grass.

Clearly, Pepper Breath had done tremendous damage, leaving him almost completely unable to fight or move.

Candice hurried forward to check on Snover, but Agumon blocked her path.

"What do you think you're doing?"

Candice glared angrily at Agumon, who only reached her stomach, then began to look up to demand why Qingliu was stopping her from checking on Snover.

But to her surprise, the little dinosaur before her actually spoke in human language. "Qingliu has his reasons for doing this. Don't worry. Everything will be fine."

Was that this mysterious yellow-skinned Pokémon?

He could actually talk?!

Hearing a voice entirely different from Qingliu's coming from right beside her, Candice was bewildered for a moment. But she quickly realized this wasn't the time to worry about that.

She had to check on Snover now. If necessary, she would end the battle and take him to a Pokémon Center for treatment.

But Agumon showed no intention of stepping aside, and Qingliu remained silent nearby.

"Are you trying to kill Snover?!"

Candice roared and reached for the belt behind her waist. She grabbed two Poké Balls, pressed their buttons to enlarge them, and prepared to release the Pokémon inside and force her way through.

But she was stopped.

It wasn't Qingliu who stopped her, nor was it Agumon.

It was Snover, who had remained on the ground after being struck by Pepper Breath.

He shakily raised a hand toward Candice and waved it slightly, signaling that he could still fight.

Then, slowly and painfully, he struggled up onto his knees. After taking several deep, ragged breaths, he shakily rose to his feet.

Even though his entire body was scorched black and his breathing was terribly weak, even though he looked as if he could collapse at any moment, he had truly stood up.

He looked at Candice just like that.

The heat and smoke had yellowed the rims of his eyes. His gaze was exhausted, yet extraordinarily resolute.

As Snover's Trainer, with him being the first Pokémon she had ever owned, Candice understood what he wanted to convey. To prove that they truly could achieve their goal, he was still willing-and still able-to keep fighting.

Even if he had to stake his life on that proof, he had no regrets.

At that moment, Candice could no longer hold back her tears.