"Got it!"
As the Poké Ball opened, a flash of red light burst out. The instant Agumon appeared, he opened his mouth and fired three shots of Pepper Breath at the three figures rushing toward them.
The three figures checked their charge and dodged sideways with extraordinary agility, evading the Pepper Breath aimed at their faces.
"The same evasive movements as Misdreavus... but I was already prepared for that. Keep firing Pepper Breath."
When resources were scarce, precision strikes were the answer. When resources were plentiful, saturate the area with firepower.
Agumon had been capable of firing thirteen consecutive shots of Pepper Breath from the start. Now, with his level and physical condition both improved, firing twenty in a single breath was easy.
Fireballs the size of bowl rims poured from Agumon's mouth, covering the surrounding space from every angle without leaving a blind spot and engulfing the three ambushers.
Clearly, they hadn't expected Qingliu and Agumon to pull this move so suddenly. They hurriedly used their respective methods to defend themselves.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The shots of Pepper Breath exploded one after another. The three figures blocked the attacks coming straight at them, only to be caught by the blasts from the fireballs beside them, throwing them off balance.
"Agumon, charge in! Razor Claw!"
Orange energy instantly coated his claws. Agumon leaped up and slashed down hard at one of the figures.
"Gas!"
The target cried out in alarm, its body seeming to turn intangible as it drifted a considerable distance backward. Razor Claw hit nothing but air.
At the same time, their information appeared before his eyes.
[Species] Gastly/Gastly/Gastly [Category] Gas Pokémon [Type] Ghost, Poison [Ability] Levitate [Level] 17/17/18 [Exclusive moves] None [Learned moves] Confuse Ray, Lick, Hypnosis, Mean Look, Payback/Confuse Ray, Lick, Hypnosis, Mean Look/Confuse Ray, Lick, Mean Look, Payback, Spite, Acid Spray [Base stat total] 310 (HP 30, Attack 35, Defense 30, Special Attack 100, Special Defense 35, Speed 80) [Friendship] 0 (Indifferent toward you ×3) [Status] Normal [Information summary] A Pokémon said to be formed from a mixture of poisonous gas and souls. Its gaseous body is difficult to touch, and for that same reason, it is sometimes blown away by strong winds. It uses its unusual body structure to envelop opponents, injecting toxins through their skin to weaken them.
"Because they're made of gas, only moves can hit them effectively?"
There was another point he needed to watch out for: aside from the level 18 Gastly, both of the others knew Hypnosis, and he had nothing on him that could wake Agumon up.
"I have to find a way to take those two Gastly down first and stop them from using Hypnosis before they get the chance. I'll have to use that move..."
Watching the scene, Qingliu quickly considered the information on the panel.
"Agumon, don't use Razor Claw without my command. Keep using Pepper Breath."
Agumon also realized that his last attack hadn't missed solely because his opponent was agile. Its body seemed somewhat ghostlike, too. He abandoned his claws and resumed his fireball bombardment.
Two Gastly let out eerie cries, their forms shifting between intangible and solid as they spat strangely colored light from their mouths to block the incoming fireballs.
Meanwhile, the highest-level Gastly dodged its way across the intervening space and flew right up to Agumon. It spread its mouth into a grin, its gaze instantly turning dark and deep before imprinting itself on Agumon.
It was Mean Look, the same move Misdreavus had used in its final struggle.
Unfortunately, the move was utterly useless against Agumon. He had no intention of fleeing, nor did he feel any fear or hesitation. Instead, he simply began gathering flames in his mouth.
His reaction left the Gastly, which had just finished using Mean Look, a little bewildered.
Wasn't he supposed to be frightened? Why was he different from everyone else that had been hit by it?
Agumon: Sorry, but I really am different. I'm a Digimon wearing a Pokémon's skin.
"It would be rude not to return the favor. Agumon, charge up your flames."
Qingliu deliberately raised his voice, immediately drawing Gastly's attention. Seeing the flames in Agumon's mouth and remembering the earlier barrage of fireballs, Gastly hurriedly slipped into a nearby wall, hoping to deprive Agumon of his target.
What it hadn't realized, however, was that Qingliu's intended target had never been it, but... the other two Gastly.
Roaring flames gathered in Agumon's mouth. The other two Gastly still hadn't understood why the first had suddenly fled. While they were puzzling over it, Qingliu's voice rang out again.
"Agumon, use Small Explosion!"
An enormous fireball slammed straight into their faces at a speed that belied its size.
BOOM!!!
A thunderous roar suddenly filled the air, followed by a terrifying wave of heat that swept across the entire second floor. Its scorching force burned away all the nearby sinister chill.
"Gas?"
The strongest Gastly floated by the ceiling, staring at the scene in bewilderment.
Never mind showing no signs of being affected by Mean Look-what was that terrifying attack he had suddenly unleashed?
Then it saw two Gastly fall out of the center of the fiery explosion and hit the floor. Their bodies were covered in burns, and more than half the gas surrounding them had been vaporized. Their eyes were shut tight; they had clearly lost the ability to fight.
"Great work, Agumon."
With neither side holding a type advantage, Agumon had knocked out two level 17 Gastly-the particularly troublesome Ghost-type Pokémon-with a single Small Explosion. Qingliu was extremely satisfied with the damage it had dealt.
And judging by the way the flames burned, its power didn't stop there.
His only regret was that the three Gastly hadn't been in the same spot, preventing him from taking out all three at once.
Still, compared with the level 18 Gastly, Qingliu was much more concerned about Hypnosis.
In the real world, this move was particularly troublesome without adequate countermeasures. For him and Agumon right now, the threat was simply too great.
That was why Qingliu had ordered Agumon to unleash the highly stamina-intensive finisher, Small Explosion, almost immediately after entering the fight: to finish things as quickly as possible while Agumon was at his freshest, minimizing the strain on his stamina.
Now that those two hidden threats had been removed, only one Gastly remained, with no type advantage. As long as they stayed reasonably careful, taking it down wouldn't be a problem.
"Agumon, can you keep going?"
Qingliu looked at the panting Agumon and asked.
"No problem. I can still keep going."
Agumon waved a hand and drew in a long breath, steadying his heaving chest as he fixed his gaze on the sole remaining Gastly across from him.
"Good. Clear a path with two shots of Pepper Breath, then charge in and use Razor Claw."
The moment Qingliu gave the command, Agumon sprang into action.
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