The process was brief, and the questions were direct.
Before long, Qingliu had gotten Agumon to tell him everything about himself.
He really did not know any Taichi Yagami or any DigiDestined. He was simply another Agumon who lived on File Island.
Before Qingliu summoned him, Agumon had been catching fish by a creek. Faced with the round passage that suddenly appeared before him, Agumon had walked straight in with the curiosity and fearlessness of a reckless brute.
Once his eyes adjusted to the bright light and he could make things out, he found himself looking at the sky of the Pokémon world.
As for his "urgent business," he had spotted several stranded fish in a small pool beside the creek before entering the passage. He was afraid that if he returned too late, the fish would die and no longer taste fresh.
That behavior and way of thinking were certainly very Agumon.
Meanwhile, Qingliu's brief explanation had helped Agumon understand how he had arrived here and roughly what kind of world he was in.
As for the rest, he tried hard to listen, but things like "Pokémon" and "unique creatures" really made his head hurt.
Agumon scratched his head awkwardly. "I'm really sorry. I think I understand every word you're saying, but once you put them together, I don't understand any of it."
Qingliu had expected that and waved it off.
"I'm the one who should apologize. It was my first time using that thing, too. I never expected it to bring you to a completely unfamiliar world."
Originally, he had only wanted to see what sort of Pokémon the panel could summon as his starter Pokémon. He had never expected it to cross into an entirely different fictional universe and summon Agumon.
Ultimately, he had caused this. It was his fault.
Agumon, however, did not mind at all. He waved a large claw and said, "It's fine. I don't have any friends on File Island anyway, so wherever I am makes no difference. As long as there's food and I don't go hungry, I'm happy... grrrr..."
Halfway through, Agumon's stomach suddenly betrayed him with a growl.
His previously firm tone immediately turned somewhat regretful. "It's just a shame about those fish in the pool. If I'd known, I would've caught a few to fill my stomach before coming over."
"Hahahaha."
The unexpected yet entirely understandable remark made Qingliu burst out laughing.
He might not be the Agumon Qingliu remembered, but that carefree, food-loving personality was exactly the same. Was it an innate trait of his species?
Recalling Agumon's "hungry" status on the panel,
Qingliu took out several ping-pong-ball-sized wild fruits he had gathered along the way for lunch and offered them to him.
"Fish aren't easy to find around here, but I'll find a way to make it up to you later. If you're hungry, make do with these fruits for now."
Looking at the fruit before him and hearing Qingliu's words, Agumon fell silent for a long time. His eyes gradually grew moist, and he had to sniff several times to stop them from leaking.
Throughout his life alone on File Island, he had never had any friends or companions. If he wanted to fill his stomach, he had to find food and hunt for himself, even if it meant facing life-threatening danger.
He had offered food to other Digimon before, hoping to earn their trust and become friends, but they had either vanished without a word or turned on him the instant they got the food.
He had thought that after so many years alone, his heart had gone as cold as a dead fish. Yet, to his surprise... as soon as he arrived in this "Pokémon" world, he met a creature who willingly offered him food.
What was more, this creature was a human, a completely different species from him.
Agumon suddenly felt as though none of this was real, but the truth was right before his eyes, and he was deeply moved.
Since the other party was so generous, he could not be rude in return.
He decided that once he had eaten his fill and left this place, he would show off the fish-catching secrets he had learned over the years and catch a whole pile of fish for this human in repayment.
Then Agumon accepted half the fruit and pushed the other half back.
"Half is enough for me. You eat the rest."
Agumon's tone was firm, his stance clear: he would take only half, and if Qingliu offered any more, he would refuse it all.
Qingliu nodded without saying anything.
His attention had already been drawn to the changes in several of Agumon's fields on the panel.
[Friendship] 10 (met once) → 60 (genuinely accepts you and considers you a friend) [Status] Hungry (improving)
Why did his friendship shoot up so much all at once?
Just because I shared a little food with him?
Recalling how Agumon had looked ready to cry, Qingliu quietly watched him wolf down the fruit and began to form a few guesses.
He might seem oblivious, but he has a sensitive side, too.
Still, this meant Qingliu did not have to worry about how to persuade Agumon to stay with him for the time being.
The next thing to do was leave this place...
Suddenly, a faint hum came from the opening in the boulder, making Qingliu look up in surprise.
"These guys actually stuck around."
Based on the pattern over the past few days, once he disappeared from sight, the Unown would usually circle for a while before scattering and going back to sleep.
It was only after discovering this pattern that he had been able to enter and leave the ruins in one piece.
Yet today, they had gone against their usual behavior and lingered outside for so long?
They slack off when they should be serious and get serious when they should slack off.
Qingliu dismissed the panel with a wave and looked toward the sound.
Seeing Qingliu's movement, Agumon glanced in the same direction while continuing to chew his fruit.
An Unown slipped through a crack in the rock and flew in from the far end of the ruins' passage. After looking around and spotting Qingliu, it immediately let out a piercing cry.
"Jima!"
At its call, Unown flew in one after another. Their numbers far exceeded the earlier group; at a glance, there were at least thirty.
Now, they were staring at him with utter fury.
Clearly, their earlier volley of Hidden Power had not only failed to eliminate him, the "intruder" and "vandal," but had also allowed him to slip into this corner of the ruins and nearly hide right under their noses.
That string of events had pushed their fury to its peak. They looked ready for a fight to the death!
Standing beside Qingliu, Agumon naturally sensed their aggression and undisguised hostility as well. Still chewing, he said, "Qingliu, are these the creatures you mentioned that look a lot like me in this world... the ones called 'Pokémon'?"
"Yes."
"They don't look very friendly."
"It's more than that. To be precise, they'd rather beat me to death right here."
"That won't do. You're my friend. I can't let anyone bully my friend."
Agumon swallowed all the remaining fruit in his claws in one gulp, then burped. "Leave it to me."
"I'm glad to hear you say that, but there are too many of them. There's no point fighting a losing battle. We should retreat for now..."
Before Qingliu could finish, Agumon suddenly threw his head back, fierce orange flames rapidly gathering in his mouth.
The next second, a fireball wreathed in blazing flames shot from Agumon's mouth, streaking across more than a dozen meters toward the thirty-odd Unown.
Boom!
Flames exploded, and an Unown that had no time to react fell straight out of the air, reeking of scorched flesh. It hit the ground, unable to battle.
A single hit had knocked out an Unown instantly!
Before you continue