Magikarp

He also needed to buy a Poké Ball first.

Because Agumon was rather unusual, until Qingliu was strong enough, it was best not to openly wander around with him in towns, where all sorts of people gathered.

Staying inside a Poké Ball was the safest option.

And buying a Poké Ball cost money, too.

As Agumon set about gathering fruit, Qingliu got up and began searching the surroundings for suitable trees.

There were too many Oran Berries, and they had no backpack, so he could only find some pliable bark and make a makeshift one himself.

With one dull thud after another as he rammed the tree, Agumon knocked down all the ripe fruit that showed signs of coming loose.

Qingliu also found a tree with relatively pliable bark and had Agumon peel off a large piece. After some simple adjustments, he had Agumon control the temperature of his Pepper Breath to heat the edges until they were soft enough to stick together. Finally, he used Agumon's claws to poke four holes near the corners and tied on braided grass ropes as shoulder straps.

Once it cooled naturally, their makeshift bark backpack was finished.

"Not counting the two in Agumon's hands, there are fifty Oran Berries in total. If we can sell them all, that should be enough for a Poké Ball and some necessities."

After packing all the Oran Berries, Qingliu hoisted the backpack onto his back and set off west.

Agumon walked beside him, insisting quite vehemently that he should carry it instead.

In the end, Qingliu decided they would take turns carrying it, and only then did Agumon agree.

Just as when they had left the ruins, they traveled through a sea of trees, catching faint glimpses of sunlight filtering through the leaves. The earth beneath their feet was soft, and they could only keep moving forward.

But unlike his cautious self when he had first arrived in this world, now that Agumon was beside him, he no longer needed to be so careful.

When the weaker wild Pokémon living in the forest saw Agumon and sensed the formidable air he gave off, they chose to steer clear.

Over time, that saved the two of them quite a bit of time.

As for stronger, higher-level Pokémon, Qingliu, who kept scanning their surroundings with the panel, spotted them in advance and took detours.

Maintaining that efficient pace, they walked for most of the afternoon before finally reaching a river, where they could make out the faint outlines of human buildings in the distance.

"Whew."

Qingliu let out a long breath, surveyed their surroundings, and sat down on a nearby rock.

"Agumon, put the backpack down. We'll rest here tonight."

Agumon, who was carrying the bark backpack, paused at his words.

"We can already see the town. Aren't we going to get there before dark?"

Qingliu shook his head. "Even if we pick up the pace, it'll definitely be dark by the time we arrive, and we might not find a place to stay. Besides, lots of nocturnal Pokémon come out at night. If we run into a troublesome one when we're exhausted from walking, we'll be in danger."

"All right."

Agumon nodded and gently set the backpack aside.

Since Qingliu had a plan, all he needed to do was follow it.

Along the way, Qingliu had already done many things beyond his understanding, and more importantly, he had been right every time.

That made Agumon feel that, since thinking wasn't his strong suit anyway, he might as well leave it all to someone quick-witted like Qingliu. He could just handle the fighting.

In Qingliu's words, it was a sensible division of labor and a perfect partnership.

Just as Agumon was feeling deeply impressed by his own cleverness, a rather dull sound came from the nearby riverbank.

Agumon's expression instantly turned serious.

He knew that sound all too well.

It was definitely a big one!

After all his years of catching and eating fish, he knew the ways of fish inside out. He judged that the sound of something entering the water just now had definitely come from a fish, not some other object or creature.

And it was definitely a large, agile fish with plenty of stamina and athletic ability.

Otherwise, the sound of it hitting the water would have been sharper, not so dull.

That immediately reminded Agumon of the resolve he had made back in the Solaceon Ruins, when Qingliu had shared his food with him: he would catch fish to repay him.

And throughout their journey, Qingliu had made sure he had enough to eat and drink, while Qingliu himself had eaten nothing other than a few berries.

That clearly wouldn't do, but Agumon had been powerless to help. After all, there were few skills he could put to good use in the forest. It was a blessing he hadn't gotten lost.

But now, his chance to repay Qingliu had arrived!

Agumon carefully settled the backpack full of Oran Berries, then broke into a dash toward the riverbank.

"Agumon, what are you doing?"

Seeing Agumon's sudden, unusual behavior, Qingliu couldn't help asking.

"I'm going to catch fish. Wait a minute."

Without looking back, Agumon simply opened his mouth wide and shouted his reply.

Catch fish?

Qingliu frowned and looked toward the river directly ahead of Agumon, running along the edge of the forest.

"Are there ordinary fish in this world? Or does he mean fish Pokémon?"

Qingliu brought up the panel and began scanning the river.

Soon, a fish leaped high out of the water and entered his field of view.

It was a red fish.

It looked very much like a carp, but yellow whiskers longer than a catfish's grew beside its mouth, and a gleaming golden, crown-shaped fin sat atop its head.

Its information promptly appeared on the panel.

[Species] Magikarp

[Category] Fish Pokémon

[Type] Water

[Ability] Swift Swim (boosts speed in rain)

[Level] 5

[Exclusive moves] None

[Learned moves] Splash

[Base stat total] 200 (HP 20, Attack 10, Defense 55, Special Attack 15, Special Defense 20, Speed 80)

[Friendship] 0 (doesn't know you and isn't familiar with you)

[Status] Healthy

[Summary] Almost completely lacking in both strength and speed, it has nothing going for it besides its reproductive ability. It is the weakest Pokémon in the world.

It is said that Magikarp were very powerful in the distant past, but at some unknown point, they gradually became exceptionally weak.

However, thanks to their abundant energy and love of jumping, they willingly or unwillingly serve as shields, allowing more Pokémon to survive longer.

"So it's a Magikarp."

Seeing what it was, Qingliu was no longer surprised.

As a prime example of prolific breeding, Magikarp could be found in every known region. As long as there was water, they could thrive.

"But this thing really isn't something you should eat."

Setting aside whether eating Pokémon was acceptable, Qingliu remembered more than one person in the Pokémon anime saying that Magikarp tasted awful. Besides, they were almost entirely bones, with hardly any meat and nowhere worth taking a bite.

In other words, catching one would be a waste of effort.

With that in mind, Qingliu was about to call Agumon back.

But before he could speak, Agumon opened his mouth toward the river and fired a blast of Pepper Breath.

He didn't stop after the first shot. A second followed immediately, then a third, a fourth... an endless barrage.