My family has the final say on this

"Did you choose somewhere so remote because you didn't want to reveal anything about him?"

Cynthia pointed a slender finger at Agumon and asked curiously.

When she had come down from the Fifth Floor and ordered Gabite to stop Spiritomb, she had already noticed this very unusual Pokémon.

Even after going through everything she had learned in her mind, she had found no information whatsoever about this Pokémon.

Not even the Pokémon that had disappeared or gone extinct over the course of history matched him.

This had sparked Cynthia's keen interest, but she had been too busy dealing with Spiritomb to pay this Pokémon any attention.

In response to Cynthia's question, Qingliu fell silent for a moment, then nodded in acknowledgment.

If possible, Qingliu would have preferred not to reveal Agumon even to Cynthia. But when she had appeared earlier, his attention had been focused on Spiritomb, and by the time he realized it, it was already too late.

Still, given the Champion's integrity, he didn't have to worry about her leaking the secret. Besides, someone whose background allowed her to choose a Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon with excellent potential like Gabite as her starter Pokémon had no need to resort to underhanded tricks.

Rather than act evasive, he might as well admit it openly.

"He hasn't been registered in the Pokédex yet. I'm worried some people might get ideas because he's so rare, so I usually try to keep him out of sight. During this Lost Tower challenge, I deliberately avoided the cameras on every floor."

"That makes sense."

Cynthia nodded in agreement with Qingliu's approach. "Even I've never seen a Pokémon like this before. It's good to be careful. No matter how clean things look on the surface, there's still filth the League can't reach. May I pet him?"

Qingliu didn't answer immediately. Instead, he turned to Agumon with a questioning look.

Agumon had his head lowered and his hands crossed in front of him, avoiding Qingliu's eyes.

"Human looks don't make much difference to you, do they? Why are you suddenly getting shy?" Qingliu asked with a smile.

Agumon immediately lifted his head and protested, "I'm not shy! It's just the first time someone's come up and asked to pet me, so it's a little... a little..."

The sudden voice left Cynthia's mouth forming an O.

Only after staring in surprise for a while did she recover. Gazing steadily at Agumon, she said, "He can even talk?"

"Yes. Agumon could already talk when I met him on the first day."

As long as it didn't involve things like the panel or Digimon, there was no need to deliberately conceal an ability like speech. It would be discovered sooner or later, and while rare in the Pokémon world, it wasn't unheard of. Qingliu then shared a little basic information about Agumon.

After taking some time to process it, Cynthia gradually came to terms with this information.

"No wonder you're so careful. A rare species that can also talk really could attract unwanted attention."

Then she looked at Agumon and asked gently, "Agumon, may I pet you?"

Agumon was still a little embarrassed, but since Qingliu showed no objection, he finally nodded.

With Agumon's permission, Cynthia gently placed her hand on his head, stroking him as she studied him with curiosity.

His appearance and build looked very much like Tyrunt, a Pokémon revived in the Unova Region from a hundred million years ago. But his coloring and finer details were different, his arms stronger and his claws sharper.

Most importantly, Agumon's two large green eyes were remarkably expressive. Combined with his rare ability to speak, it was obvious that his intelligence and responsiveness likely surpassed Tyrunt's. Even most other Pokémon probably couldn't compare.

The more Cynthia observed him, the more astonished she became.

Not only did this Pokémon she had never seen before have remarkably firm skin and muscles, but even the aura he gave off was distinctly different, as though he had been born to fight.

That feeling... was just like the Gabite she had chosen from a group of Pseudo-Legendary Pokémon back then.

No, she could even say it surpassed that.

And judging by his current height and weight, he probably still had room to evolve.

What level would he reach after evolving...?

Suddenly, tomorrow's battle stirred a curiosity and competitive drive in Cynthia that she hadn't felt in a long time. She wanted to see how an unknown Pokémon like this would perform in battle.

She also looked forward to seeing whether Qingliu, his trainer, could surprise her.

"You helped me resolve the problem with Spiritomb. How about I help you out too?"

Giving Agumon's head a gentle pat, Cynthia stood up and asked.

Qingliu looked at Cynthia in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"I imagine you're being so careful not only because you're worried Agumon's uniqueness might attract Pokémon hunters and evil organizations, but also because you're concerned the League might take an interest in him, right?"

"That has crossed my mind."

After a moment of silence, Qingliu nodded. Then something occurred to him, and he asked, "So, by helping me, you mean...?"

"I'll publicly vouch for Agumon's legitimate origins, and have my family contact Professor Oak, who makes the Pokédex in the Kanto Region, to register Agumon's basic information. That way, the League won't be able to give you trouble over those issues."

Hearing Cynthia's offer, Qingliu thought it would work too.

And this way, it wouldn't just be the League. Even those rats hiding in the shadows would have to take Cynthia's presence into account before going after him and Agumon.

No one wanted a Champion watching them every day, not even a Legendary Pokémon.

This was no ordinary favor anymore. It was an enormous one.

However, it would also subtly bring him into Cynthia's family's camp.

Of course, that wasn't a bad thing. Cynthia's identity as a Mythology Scholar already made her someone he intended to keep an eye on in the future, so whether or not they became connected didn't really matter.

"I'd like to know how you plan to vouch for me."

"My family are all experts in Sinnoh mythology, and my grandmother is even the curator of the Sinnoh History Museum. If I want to write Agumon up as a Pokémon revived from a fossil from some ancient era, isn't that up to me?"

A hint of playfulness slipped into Cynthia's voice.

Qingliu was left speechless.

She had a point. Her family probably wrote the ancient history textbooks. Adding a Pokémon that actually existed really wouldn't be difficult.

"Honestly, I really need your help with this. But isn't it a bit out of proportion to what I did earlier?"

"Yes, which is why I have a condition."

Qingliu looked at Cynthia and asked, "What condition?"

Cynthia said earnestly, "For tomorrow's battle, I want you to fight me with everything you have."

"I would have done that even without you asking."

Cynthia nodded in satisfaction and held out her hand.

"I still don't know your name."

"Qingliu."

"Then... see you tomorrow, Qingliu."

Qingliu reached out and shook Cynthia's hand.

"See you tomorrow."