"That's strange. Last time I was around here, I still ran into a few Pokémon now and then. I even let all of you out to avoid any surprises, but this time I haven't seen a single one."
The girl in a school uniform, a backpack on her shoulders, pushed aside the bushes blocking her path and muttered in confusion.
Snover strode ahead with both arms held out in front.
Besides Snover, another Pokémon stood behind the girl, and one more stood at her side.
Behind her was a stout-looking Snorunt with an entirely black body, most of it hidden inside a conical cloak. Only a pair of small blue eyes and a few large front teeth showed.
The Pokémon at her side was also black, but unlike the one behind her, its body was slender. Its left ear and tail were a dull red, and its slanted, triangular eyes gave Sneasel an especially vicious look.
"Still, that's probably a good thing. Battles would only slow us down. But where did Qingliu run off to? He said he'd be training around here."
Candice looked around.
Snover, who had remained silent all this time, suddenly seemed to catch a scent and began scanning its surroundings. Seeing this, Sneasel twitched its nose a few times before raising a hand to point ahead and to the right.
"Snea!"
"Sneasel? Are you saying there's something up ahead?"
Candice asked after seeing the exchange between Snover and Sneasel.
Sneasel nodded.
"Then let's go take a look over there first."
They headed in the direction Sneasel had indicated. The closer they got, the more excited Snover became.
It had caught the aroma of the fish it had eaten last time, and this time it smelled even better. Just smelling it from a distance made its mouth water.
"Sno, sno, ver!"
Sneasel and Snorunt caught the aroma too, but without knowing what was going on, they merely looked at Snover and Candice in mild confusion.
Candice smiled. "It's probably him. Come on, let's sneak over and give him a surprise."
The girl and her three Pokémon crept closer. Once she spotted the boy and Agumon sitting beside the campfire, she silently made a gesture.
Snover understood. It took a deep breath and gathered its Ice-type energy, preparing to blow an Icy Wind.
But just as it finished gathering its energy, before it could open its mouth, a sudden wave of scorching heat descended with a whoosh.
What was going on?
For a moment, Candice was bewildered.
Hadn't she told Snover to use Icy Wind? How had an Ice-type move turned into a Fire-type one?
But none of her three Pokémon had any Fire-type moves. Besides, why did this feel so familiar, almost like Agumon's Pepper Breath?
Wait... could it be?
Candice abruptly looked up. A fireball had passed through the bushes and was already right in front of her.
The sudden turn of events stunned Candice, who had been about to have her three Pokémon ambush Qingliu and was completely unprepared herself. Fortunately, her panic lasted only an instant. Her accumulated training instinctively prompted her to issue a command, but then she seemed to remember something and stayed silent.
Snover, Snorunt, and Sneasel all looked anxiously at Candice. When she showed no sign of speaking, the three Pokémon exchanged glances, swiftly gathered their energy, and prepared to build an ice wall in front of them together.
Unexpectedly, before they could finish constructing the wall, the fireball reached them.
But just as it drew close, it seemed to lose the energy sustaining it and instantly broke into tiny sparks that vanished.
Candice immediately wore an expression that said she had expected as much. The three Pokémon looked baffled, though Snover alone seemed thoughtful.
"Ah, sorry. I thought some Pokémon was trying to ambush us. I didn't realize it was you."
Qingliu walked over slowly with Agumon, offering his explanation with a smile.
"That was exactly the same trick you used in our last battle. Do you really think I'll believe you didn't do it on purpose?"
"But you didn't dodge either, did you?"
"That's because I saw you, and I recognized Agumon's Pepper Breath. I don't get it. You're usually so levelheaded. I never expected you to have such a twisted sense of humor."
It was the first time someone had complimented him from that angle, and Qingliu smiled a little sheepishly.
Seeing Qingliu smile only made Candice angrier, and she launched into a barrage of complaints.
Snorunt and Sneasel were left confused by how the situation had completely reversed in the space of a minute.
Meanwhile, Agumon and Snover, who already knew each other, got together and started chatting.
Seeing that its big brother seemed to be on good terms with the other Pokémon, Snorunt hesitated briefly, then edged over to join their conversation.
Only Sneasel kept a stern expression, staring at Agumon.
That fireball had clearly come from Agumon. With that level of power and speed, Sneasel might not have been able to block it at all if it had been the target. It could only have relied on its speed to dodge.
And as the distance between them shrank, Sneasel instinctively felt a powerful premonition.
This was an extremely dangerous Pokémon. Every inch of Agumon radiated an aura that left Sneasel feeling as though it were sitting on pins and needles, making it deeply uncomfortable.
"Hello."
A fairly neutral voice sounded in front of Sneasel. It looked up to find Agumon standing before it with a hand extended. After a brief hesitation, it held out its own hand and shook Agumon's.
"My name's Agumon. Snover told me you're Sneasel. I hope we'll get along," Agumon said as they shook hands.
Get along in the future? Why not start right now?
Seeing how harmless Agumon appeared, Sneasel suddenly extended two white claws from its seemingly small, delicate fingers and slashed straight at Agumon.
A hand suddenly entered its field of view, blocking the space between them.
"Sno-ver!"
Snover shook its head firmly, making it clear that it would not allow this.
With its big brother taking that stance, Sneasel could hardly keep going. It retracted its claws and pulled its hand free from Agumon's grip, then put its hands on its hips and silently walked off to sit on the other side.
This left Snover rather embarrassed, and it hurriedly explained that Sneasel simply had that kind of temperament.
Good-natured as ever, Agumon naturally wasn't angry. Once Agumon said it was fine, the mood gradually eased again.
"Sorry. That one's always been like this. It doesn't trust anyone and is all prickles. It took a long time together before it slowly accepted me, Snover, and Snorunt too."
Candice, who had watched the entire exchange, explained with a smile.
"Why do I get the feeling that apology wasn't sincere at all?"
Qingliu glanced at her expression as he replied.
"I just learned it from someone."
"We haven't seen each other for a few days, and now you're awfully cocky."
"This isn't being cocky. It's confidence in my own strength. So, what do you say? Want to battle me again?"
Candice spoke with a smile, her face full of challenge.
Before you continue