Poké Ball

"Hahahahahahaha!"

Qingliu lay on the grass, laughing up at the sky. Only when he had tired himself out did he finally say, "Now do you see why Snover couldn't stand you before? What goes through that head of yours all day?"

"You were the one who worded it ambiguously."

Now that Candice knew Qingliu had no ulterior motives and only wanted to look at her belt and Poké Balls, her face flushed so red it looked ready to bleed over the enormous misunderstanding she had caused.

"Here. If you want to look, hurry up."

Eager to put an end to Qingliu's laughter, Candice quickly took off her belt and tossed it over.

Qingliu caught it and held it in front of him.

There was nothing particularly interesting about the belt itself. It was just an ordinary belt fitted with little attachments to hold Poké Balls. After fiddling with it briefly, Qingliu turned his attention to the Poké Balls.

Each ball was half red and half white, with a black band running around its middle and a white button at the very center.

He gently pressed the button, and the Poké Ball instantly grew from the size of a ping-pong ball to the size of a baseball.

Even Qingliu couldn't help marveling at the wonders of "technology" as he witnessed the Pokémon world's most outrageous loophole.

After hefting it in his hand and getting a feel for it, Qingliu shrank it and put it back.

"If you have enough to spare, could you give me one? Consider it a thank-you gift for helping you earlier," Qingliu said, looking at Candice.

"Huh?"

Candice, who hadn't understood what Qingliu was doing, blinked at his words. "You mean a Poké Ball?"

"Yes."

"Sure, though these aren't worth much. What do you need it for? Did you find a Pokémon you wanted to catch but didn't have a Poké Ball on you?"

Qingliu shook his head. After a moment's thought, he said, "No. I just need one to keep Agumon in."

"Agumon?"

This was the second time Candice had heard that name today, and naturally, she knew who it referred to.

Her gaze shifted to the small yellow dinosaur who was also lying on the ground nearby.

Alert eyes, sharp claws, a powerful physique, terrifying flames, and the ability to speak human language. Most notably... Agumon had utterly overwhelmed her Snover despite being at the same level.

This mysterious Pokémon was shrouded in mystery from head to toe.

"You haven't caught Agumon yet?"

"That's right. Since I don't have any Poké Balls, I haven't been able to catch Agumon, even though Agumon's been following me all this time."

At that, Candice took a Poké Ball off the belt without hesitation and handed it over.

"I only bought this one recently. Go ahead and use it."

"Thank you."

"By the way, would you mind telling me which region Agumon comes from? Why does my Pokédex say there's no data?"

Candice took out her Pokédex again and pointed it at Agumon.

The Pokédex remained silent, then delivered the same cold, mechanical response.

[No data available. This is a mysterious Pokémon.]

At her question, Qingliu rested his chin in his right hand and began choosing his words.

Seeing this, Candice assumed he was reluctant to answer a question that touched on private matters. She hurriedly explained that she had only been curious and asked him to forgive her if she had overstepped.

"I did want to keep it a secret, but the fact that Snover trusts you so completely tells me you're someone worth trusting. I don't mind telling you, but I hope you'll keep it confidential for me. Can you do that?"

Qingliu looked straight into Candice's eyes.

Candice couldn't help growing serious as well.

Putting herself in his shoes, Candice knew that if she had such a powerful Pokémon-one that had never been discovered or recorded in the Pokédex-she certainly wouldn't show it to others lightly, for safety's sake. Especially not someone she had known for less than a day.

Yet even after helping her once already, he was willing to keep trusting her and tell her about it. That undoubtedly took considerable courage, as well as faith in her.

Instinctively, Candice wanted to live up to Qingliu's faith in her.

"I promise I won't tell any person or Pokémon anything about Agumon, and I'll ask Snover to do the same," Candice solemnly promised.

"Thank you."

Qingliu gave her a gentle smile, like a friendly older boy from next door.

"Agumon is a Dragon-type Pokémon from 'File Island.' You're not the only one who's never seen one before. I was shocked when I first found Agumon, too. According to Agumon, there was a flash of light while fishing by the water, and upon opening those eyes again, Agumon found this place nearby."

"File Island? I don't think there's an island like that near the Sinnoh Region. Did Agumon drift over from an island somewhere much farther away?"

"Probably. After all, there are still places in this world that the Pokémon League hasn't discovered or explored. Perhaps that's why Agumon's information hasn't been registered in the Pokédex.

"But what's really interesting is that Agumon can understand human speech and even translate what other Pokémon say."

With Qingliu's subtle guidance, Candice's attention shifted entirely to Agumon.

Agumon's easygoing nature, the strength demonstrated earlier, and especially the ability to speak, which allowed them to communicate without any barriers, soon won Candice over.

She even stopped caring about her earlier misunderstanding with Qingliu. Calling Snover over to join them, she had Agumon translate, and the girl and her Pokémon began communicating directly through their Agumon-brand translator.

When they reached something amusing or interesting, she even burst out laughing without the slightest concern for appearances.

Qingliu quietly watched the scene.

He had indeed introduced Agumon to Candice, but everything he had shared was relatively unimportant.

The fact that Agumon was a Digimon, Agumon's true origins, and the Summoning Panel were all crucial secrets. Qingliu would never, and could never, let anyone besides himself and Agumon know about them.

But from Candice's perspective, even the little information he had shared was undoubtedly a gesture of trust.

He could see it in the subtle changes in Candice's attitude after he revealed those details about Agumon.

Before, he had been someone who had done her a huge favor. Now, he was a friend who had done her a huge favor, someone who shared a secret with her and whom she trusted in return.

Once two people shared that sort of bond, their relationship took on a special quality, bringing them closer than ordinary friends.

Only now had Qingliu truly maximized the chances that Candice would be willing to help him reach Snowpoint Temple in the future.

As for whether this was too calculating, Qingliu's view was simple: Agumon could handle being the clueless one, while he took care of anything that required brains.

"Besides, who can say whether she'll end up helping me more, or I'll end up being a greater help to her?"

Qingliu looked up at the night sky and murmured to himself.

As the night deepened, drowsiness set in.

Snover and Agumon's voices gradually grew quieter. After asking which way Qingliu was headed and saying they could set off together tomorrow, Candice fell asleep as well.

Qingliu tended the fire and quietly began his watch.

Early the next morning, the two of them covered the final stretch of the journey and arrived in Solaceon Town.

But to Qingliu's surprise, not long after they entered town, Candice kept peering toward the center of a noisy crowd nearby with a startled expression.

Following her gaze, Qingliu looked over as well.

Then, to his surprise, he realized he knew that person too... a girl with long blond hair.