Planning ahead: goals and a route

The panel could summon things, and it had already summoned a Digimon into the Pokémon world in its own unusual way.

Did that mean it could summon other things from the Digital World too?

A Digivice or a Badge, for example.

At that moment, Qingliu suddenly found himself missing the conversational systems in the novels of his previous life, the very ones he had once scorned. If he had a question, he could simply ask instead of fumbling through everything himself.

Sure enough, comparisons only made things hurt more.

But he had no other options now. He could only take things one step at a time.

"If Agumon can evolve naturally once he reaches the right level, that would be ideal. But if that doesn't work...

"I'll need a backup plan. I'll have to explore ancient structures, just like I did with the Solaceon Ruins, and try out the panel's summoning function."

As he thought, Qingliu sorted out the path ahead of him.

First, he needed to find the direction of the nearest town and look for food along the way to restore their strength. Once he arrived, he would gather useful information and figure out where he was in the timeline.

Ideally, he would also get a map to help him locate ancient structures and ruins in the Sinnoh Region. After that, he would set off on a journey.

If he came to the Pokémon world only to stay in one place, he might as well not have come at all.

Besides, only through a real journey and its trials could he grow quickly and gain the strength to protect himself.

After all, even a semi-utopian world like the Pokémon world had its villains.

Pokémon poachers who trafficked Pokémon illegally, armed gangs who stole other people's Pokémon-these things lurking in the shadows could never be completely eradicated.

Agumon was so "rare," possibly even the only one in the entire world. Sooner or later, those criminals might set their sights on him, and a fierce battle would be hard to avoid. Qingliu and Agumon had to be capable of protecting themselves.

Still, those were ultimately minor troubles that would not affect the bigger picture.

The ones capable of truly affecting the world were the evil organizations.

Team Rocket, operating across Kanto and Johto and fixated on Mewtwo; Team Magma, entrenched in Hoenn and obsessed with Groudon, and Team Aqua, pursuing Kyogre; Team Galactic, here in the Sinnoh Region, trying to control Dialga and Palkia; Team Plasma, whose targets in the Unova Region were the Tao Trio; Team Flare in the Kalos Region, and so on...

No one knew when they would begin to act. If he happened to get dragged into their plans without the ability to deal with them, things would not end well.

Qingliu believed in preventing trouble before it happened. Anything that might happen warranted preparations, let alone something highly likely-practically certain-to occur.

And the key to facing those things with confidence was ensuring Agumon evolved successfully.

What he lacked right now was mainly the time needed to make that "successfully" happen.

So he had better make the most of his time and start with what was right in front of him.

Qingliu glanced at the dead branch's shadow, which had already moved some distance, then picked up a stone nearby and placed it at the tip of the shadow.

The shadow's original and current positions now formed a straight line. Qingliu drew a perpendicular line through the middle, making a cross.

"If I remember correctly, the Solaceon Ruins are west of Solaceon Town. With north at the top, south at the bottom, west on the left, and east on the right, west should be this way."

Qingliu looked up toward the west indicated by the cross on the ground, then toward the direction he had been traveling.

"Good. I was a little off course, but not by too much. We should be able to see the town before long. Agumon..."

Qingliu was just about to call Agumon over to set off when a series of muffled rumbles suddenly reached his ears.

"Grrr~ grrr~~"

Agumon scratched his head awkwardly beside him. "Sorry. I think I'm getting a little hungry."

The mention of hunger made Qingliu feel a slight pang in his own stomach. If even he was hungry, Agumon had to be worse off after fighting a battle and firing off attacks like there was no tomorrow.

Qingliu raised his head and kept scanning their surroundings.

In such a lush, green forest, a clearing open enough for sunlight to reach the ground was clearly unusual. Yet here it was.

That meant either something was wrong with this patch of ground, or... something had absorbed all the nutrients nearby.

The former was unlikely. When Qingliu had planted the dead branch earlier, the soil he turned up had looked no different from the soil elsewhere.

That left only the latter possibility.

"Found it."

In a corner at the edge of the clearing, Qingliu spotted a distinctly different tree.

It was rather small compared with the other large trees, but it showed no signs of malnutrition from being shaded out. Instead, it was laden with fruit.

The fruit was blue all over, with only a hint of green around the stems. Looking closely, he could see small, grain-like indentations in the skin.

One of the most classic Berries-Oran Berries.

"These Berries are really popular among Trainers. Agumon, go pick a few and give them a try."

At Qingliu's words, Agumon immediately ran over.

Then he took a running start, tucked his arms against his body, and slammed his shoulder into the fruit tree.

Thud!

A muffled impact rang out.

The tremendous force made the Oran Berry tree sway, knocking several ripe Oran Berries to the ground.

Agumon picked up a few, cradled them against his chest, and hurried back. He offered Qingliu one that looked particularly round and plump.

"Here."

He's hungry, and he still offers me one first.

Touched by Agumon's concern, Qingliu smiled and declined. "These Berries are for Pokémon. Human teeth can't bite through their skin. You eat first. Once you're full, we'll find something I can eat."

At Qingliu's words, Agumon frowned, lifted one to his mouth, and bit down hard.

His sharp teeth instantly pierced the skin. The fruit lasted less than a second before he bit straight through it.

"..."

"Hahaha, well, this is awkward."

With his excuse exposed on the spot, Qingliu gave an awkward laugh, picked up a Berry, and began eating it.

"Don't look at me. One is enough for me. See whether you feel any different after eating. Normally, an Oran Berry should restore quite a bit of stamina."

Agumon no longer hesitated. He opened his wide mouth and quickly chewed the Oran Berry inside.

Soon, the distinctive fragrance of ripe fruit filled his mouth. Before he could savor it, the sweetness turned faintly astringent.

That astringency mingled with the fragrance, instantly becoming sweet juice that burst through his mouth, throat, and stomach.

Most importantly, he could feel the sweet juice nourishing his body, rapidly easing his hunger.

"It's delicious! And I really am starting to feel less hungry."

Agumon spoke as he ate.

Eventually, he grew impatient with how slowly he was eating and simply tossed all the Oran Berries in his hands into his mouth. A few quick chews finished them off, but his expression showed no sign that he was full.

"If you want more, go pick some. There are plenty left. Try to get more this time, though. We'll take as many as we can carry. Besides eating them on the road, we can sell some later."

Something as useful and inexpensive as Oran Berries was bound to be in high demand, especially ones as big and plump as those on this tree. Once he reached Solaceon Town, he would find somewhere to sell them for a little money.

Money was essential away from home, especially since he would be traveling afterward. For now, every little bit he could earn counted.