Chapter 47: The Finals—Here I Come (Please Recommend)

Zhao Jie watched Hua Feihua and Zhou Ze in the ring. The former’s expression barely changed, but the latter’s face was full of dejection.

Hmm?

Suddenly, Zhao Jie’s gaze met Hua Feihua’s, but almost immediately, both looked away at the same time.

“Agumon, be careful out there,” the two elders kept reminding Agumon as the match was about to begin, pointedly ignoring Zhao Jie altogether.

“Will Zhao Jie from Group F and Ding Mao from Group R please come to the stage? The finals of the second half will begin in ten minutes,” the announcement echoed. Zhao Jie led Agumon onto the stage, while Ding Mao appeared across from him with his Lalamon.

Their eyes met for a moment, but neither spoke. They simply stood quietly, waiting for the match to officially begin.

Zhao Jie studied Lalamon. Its body was oval and clearly not built for speed. As long as Agumon could seize the opportunity, there was real hope for victory. On the other hand, if Agumon was drawn into Lalamon’s rhythm, a comeback would be unlikely.

“The match begins.”

At the instant the whistle blew, a faint light shimmered across Lalamon’s oval form as it unleashed its inherited move, Photosynthesis. At the same time, its signature attack, Nut Shot, erupted from its body.

In a flash, it was as if rain fell upon the stage—poisonous seeds showered from Lalamon’s position toward Agumon.

Baby Flame.

Agumon charged forward. The moment Lalamon’s Nut Shot was unleashed, a small burst of fire shot from Agumon’s mouth.

“Oh?” Master Feng, who had been calmly sipping tea while standing on his chair, suddenly let out a soft sound of surprise, his eyes watching the screen intently as the two Digimon battled.

Hua Mantian, who had been keeping an eye on Master Feng, was momentarily taken aback and turned to watch the Digimon in the ring. Yet, to him, neither Agumon nor Lalamon seemed unusual.

He couldn’t see anything noteworthy.

This was only natural—Hua Mantian was a battle master, while Master Feng studied the origins and various applications of digital energy. Their perspectives differed greatly.

“Interesting,” Master Feng murmured after watching for a while, then withdrew his gaze, losing interest in the battle. The amount of digital energy stored in this Agumon’s body was unusually high, but it was only enough to surprise him, nothing more.

Boom.

Flames burned, forming a barrier against the seeds unleashed by Nut Shot. Yet, some seeds inevitably landed on Agumon, hampering its movements.

Still, Agumon pressed ever closer to Lalamon. With Agumon’s abilities, as long as it managed to get close, victory would be within reach.

“Tough break,” someone sighed regretfully at Agumon’s plight.

Already, faint purple spots had appeared on Agumon’s body—a sign that the poison was taking hold. The paralysis toxin wasn’t lethal, but it would steadily slow Agumon’s movements.

“It is tough,” another concurred. Although Agumon used fire to drive off Lalamon’s attacks, Nut Shot’s range was too wide—Agumon obviously couldn’t defend against them all.

“Come on!”

Zhao Jie watched Agumon in the ring, his lips pressed tightly together. Now, all he could do was rely on Agumon itself. He had no better plan. Lalamon was even trickier than he had imagined yesterday.

“Baby Flame!”

‘Baby Flame.’

Agumon’s eyes burned with resolve. It recalled the helplessness it had felt facing Garurumon back in the Digital Secret Realm, remembered the care Zhao’s parents had shown it.

It would not allow itself to lose here.

Advance!

Agumon, keep going.

“Baby Flame.”

Though purple spots now covered it, Agumon continued to push closer to Lalamon.

“Agumon,” Zhao Jie murmured anxiously, feeling the digital energy in the center of his brow surge with unprecedented vitality.

Yet the energy only circulated quietly—it could not burst forth. Still, through this connection, he could sense Agumon’s condition.

With dogged persistence, Agumon finally managed to unleash a burst of flame near Lalamon, forcing it to halt its attack.

With Photosynthesis active, Lalamon still looked somewhat drained. That relentless move had clearly taxed its stamina. It couldn’t understand why Agumon, in such a battered state, still pressed forward.

Why not just surrender?

“Of course not. I, Agumon, hate losing the most,” Agumon replied, almost as if it could see into Lalamon’s thoughts.

Boom!

In the end, Lalamon lost the battle. Stunned, it looked up from below the stage at the purple-spotted Agumon standing above.

At that moment, this battered figure was etched deep into Lalamon’s memory.

“Hah.”

Agumon didn’t turn around, but looked off toward the lounge, where two people were watching it compete.

See? I, Agumon, will never lose.

Finals, here I come.

“With this victory, Zhao Jie from Wuling City and his partner Agumon have won the second half of the finals!” the referee announced, while several cameras zoomed in on Agumon’s purple-dappled form.

Compared to the earlier victory by Spiritmon, Agumon’s triumph was clearly far more stirring.

“Teacher Zhao, you said before that this Agumon was just lucky. Now that this so-called lucky Agumon has made it to the finals, what do you think?”

Think? What do I think, seriously?

Hearing the host’s question, Zhao Zhe forced a stiff smile.

Suddenly, he remembered that “what if” Xiao Ming had mentioned before.

A chill ran down his spine.

Spiritmon, you must win! Otherwise… otherwise, my reputation as Teacher Zhao will be in ruins!

PS: Please recommend, please recommend, please recommend. I beg all of you kind readers to vote for Agumon—let its stats look just a little better!