The system panel’s function was to summon things, and it had already managed to uniquely summon a Digimon into the Pokémon world.
Did that mean it was also possible to summon other things from the Digital World?
Like a Digivice, Crests, or something similar.
At this moment, Sinshi suddenly felt a bit nostalgic for the AI-conversational systems in the novels from his previous life—the ones he used to despise.
If he had any questions, he could just ask directly instead of slowly figuring things out on his own.
Sure enough, comparison was the thief of joy.
However, he had no other options right now.
He could only take things one step at a time.
“It would be best if Agumon could naturally evolve after reaching the required level.
But if that doesn’t work…
“Then I’ll need a backup plan.
I’ll have to explore other ancient structures, just like the Solaceon Ruins, to test the panel’s summoning function.”
While pondering this, Sinshi sorted out his immediate goals.
First, he needed to pinpoint the direction to the nearest town and find food along the way to replenish their stamina.
Once they arrived, he would gather useful information to determine exactly what point in the timeline he was currently in.
Ideally, he could also get a map to help locate the ancient structures and ruins across the Sinnoh Region.
After that, he would officially begin his journey.
If you came to the Pokémon world and didn’t travel, you might as well not have come at all.
Moreover, only through the trials of a real journey could one grow rapidly and gain the strength to protect oneself.
After all, even in a semi-utopian world like Pokémon, villains still existed.
Pokémon poachers who illegally trafficked Pokémon, armed syndicates that snatched Pokémon from others—these elements living in the shadows could never be completely eradicated.
Agumon was incredibly “rare”—perhaps the only one of his kind in this entire world.
It was entirely possible that those criminals would set their sights on him sooner or later.
When that time came, a fierce battle would be inevitable.
It simply wouldn’t do if he and Agumon lacked the ability to defend themselves.
However, these were ultimately just minor nuisances; they couldn’t affect the grand scheme of things.
The ones truly capable of impacting the world were the evil organizations.
Team Rocket, spanning across Kanto and Johto, obsessed with Mewtwo; Team Magma, entrenched in Hoenn and fixated on Groudon, alongside Team Aqua, who pursued Kyogre; Team Galactic, right here in the Sinnoh Region, plotting to control Dialga and Palkia; Team Plasma in the Unova Region, targeting the Tao Trio; Team Flare in the Kalos Region, and so on…
No one knew when they would make their moves.
If he accidentally got swept up in their schemes without the power to fight back, the ending wouldn’t be very pretty.
Sinshi preferred to nip problems in the bud.
He liked to be prepared for anything that had even a slight chance of happening, let alone events that were highly probable—or rather, inevitable.
And the key to having the confidence to face these threats head-on was Agumon’s smooth evolution.
What he lacked right now was primarily the time for things to go “smoothly.”
Therefore, he needed to seize the moment and start with what was right in front of him.
Sinshi glanced at the shadow of the dead branch in front of him, which had already moved quite a distance.
He picked up a stone from nearby and placed it at the tip of the shadow.
With this, the two positions of the shadow—before and after it moved—formed a straight line.
Sinshi then drew a vertical line down the middle, forming a cross.
“If I remember correctly, the Solaceon Ruins are to the west of Solaceon Town.
Following the standard cardinal directions—north up, south down, west left, east right—west is this way.”
Sinshi looked up toward the west indicated by the cross on the ground, then at the direction he had been traveling all along.
“Thank goodness.
Although we did veer off course, it wasn’t by too much.
It shouldn’t be long before we spot the town.
Agumon…”
Just as Sinshi was about to call Agumon to set off, a series of continuous, muffled rumbles suddenly reached his ears.
*Grumble~ Grumble~~*
Agumon scratched his head awkwardly beside him and said, “Sorry, I think I’m a little hungry.”
At the mention of hunger, Sinshi realized his own stomach was feeling a bit empty.
If he was hungry, it went without saying for Agumon, who had just gone through a battle and spammed his skills like his life depended on it.
Sinshi raised his head and continuously scanned their surroundings.
In a lush, dense forest like this, it was obviously quite unreasonable to have an open clearing where sunlight could pour straight down, yet here it was.
This meant that either there was something wrong with the soil, or…
something had absorbed all the nutrients in the vicinity.
The former was highly unlikely.
When Sinshi planted the dead branch earlier, the overturned soil didn’t look any different from anywhere else.
That left only the latter possibility.
“Found it.”
In a corner at the edge of the clearing, Sinshi spotted a completely different tree.
Its size was slightly petite compared to the other large trees, but it showed absolutely no signs of malnutrition from a lack of sunlight.
On the contrary, it was laden with fruit.
They were entirely blue berries, with only a slight hint of green near the stem.
Upon closer inspection, one could even see slight granular dimples on their skin.
It was one of the most classic berries—the Oran Berry.
“These berries are extremely popular in the Trainer community.
Agumon, go pick a few and try them.”
Hearing Sinshi say this, Agumon immediately ran over.
He then took a running start, tucked his arms close to his body, and slammed into the fruit tree with a heavy shoulder tackle.
*Bang!*
A muffled thud echoed out.
The immense force sent the Oran Berry tree shaking violently, and several ripe Oran Berries instantly tumbled to the ground.
Agumon picked up a few, cradling them against his chest, and quickly trotted back.
He handed over one of the plumpest, roundest Oran Berries.
“Here.”
‘Even though he’s starving, he still offers it to me first.’
Touched by Agumon’s caring gesture, Sinshi smiled and declined.
“These berries are meant for Pokémon.
Human teeth can’t bite through their skin.
You eat first.
Once you’re full, we’ll go find something I can eat.”
Hearing Sinshi’s words, Agumon frowned, brought one to his mouth, and took a fierce bite.
The berry’s skin was instantly pierced by his sharp teeth, completely breaking open in less than a second.
“…”
“Hahaha, well, this is a bit awkward,” Sinshi chuckled.
Seeing his bluff immediately exposed, Sinshi laughed awkwardly, picked up a berry, and popped it into his mouth to eat.
“Don’t look at me, one is enough for me.
See if it has any effect after you eat it.
Normally, consuming an Oran Berry restores quite a bit of stamina.”
Agumon hesitated no longer, opening his large mouth and rapidly chewing the Oran Berry.
Soon, the unique, refreshing fragrance of a ripe fruit flooded his mouth.
Before he could even savor it, the sweetness transitioned into a faint tartness.
The clash between the tartness and the fragrance instantly transformed into a burst of sweet juice that exploded across his mouth, throat, and stomach.
Most importantly, he could feel that sweet juice nourishing his body, causing his hunger to rapidly fade away.
“It’s delicious!
And my stomach really isn’t hungry anymore,” Agumon said while munching.
Eventually, finding his eating pace too slow, he simply tossed the rest of the Oran Berries into his mouth all at once.
After a few quick chews, he polished them off completely, though his expression showed he was nowhere near full.
“If you want more, go pick some.
There are plenty left anyway.
But try to get as many as possible this time.
We’ll take whatever we can carry.
Aside from eating them on the road, we can also sell them later.”
High-quality, affordable goods like Oran Berries definitely had a large demand in the market, not to mention how large and plump the ones on this tree were.
Once he reached Solaceon Town, he would find a place to sell them for some cash.
When traveling away from home, money was undoubtedly a necessity.
Especially since they would be journeying later, it was best to earn whatever they could right now.