Chapter 22: Just an Ordinary Day: You Are the Challengers!
The lingering spiritual aura gradually faded into the horizon, leaving behind a sky waiting for the pale moon to rise. A rich evening glow cast a golden veil over the land, bathing the Village of Beginnings in a warm, dreamlike haze.
"Fist of the Beast King!"
"Pummel Whack!"
The continuous, earth-shaking commotion echoed from the nearby clearing. Tai naturally turned his head toward the source of the shockwaves, watching the dust kick up into the twilight sky, before shifting his gaze back to the young man standing beside him.
"I say, Mizuki, is this really okay?"
"Hmm?"
Mizuki, who was currently occupied with a cutting board and a fresh batch of wild vegetables, glanced over. His hands never stopped their rhythmic chopping.
"I mean Leomon," Tai clarified, gesturing vaguely toward the tree line. "He is still fighting Ogremon out there."
"It is fine. Do not underestimate their stamina," Mizuki replied casually, sweeping the diced greens into a simmering iron pot. "For them, this is just a very normal daily routine."
He paused, the wooden spoon resting against the rim of the pot. A sudden, familiar glint flashed in his eyes as a smile tugged at the corners of his mouth. "Compared to worrying about them, if you want to spar, you could always go over there and join in."
"Ah? Me?" Tai pointed a finger at his own chest. The sheer absurdity of the suggestion left him stunned for a second, and he quickly waved his hands in front of him. "Are you sure you are not just sending me to my death?"
"Oh, believing is your magic." Mizuki dragged out the syllables in a teasing lilt. "If I can wrestle with a Digimon bare-handed, why can't you?"
Wiping his hands on a cloth, Mizuki stepped forward and gave Tai's shoulder a firm, encouraging pat. "You are a DigiDestined, you know. Be spirited. Do not lose face."
"Really?"
Tai, who had initially been entirely unsure, felt a spark ignite in his chest. His brown eyes lit up as he processed the logic.
Thinking about it, it really made sense. If Mizuki could throw down with giant monsters, why couldn't he? He was a DigiDestined! also, if he could push his own physical limits and become stronger, he could do a much better job of protecting Kari when the time came.
Driven by this sudden surge of courage, Tai quickly finished washing the last of the ingredients in front of him. He turned his head to look at his orange reptilian partner, who was currently spacing out and watching a butterfly drift past.
"Agumon! How about we go spar with Leomon and Ogremon?"
"Eh!? Us?"
Agumon blinked, tilting his large head in an adorable display of confusion. But the moment the words fully registered, the primal fire of battle quickly ignited across his reptilian face.
"Mm!" Tai nodded firmly, punching his palm. "Leomon is yours, Ogremon is mine! No problem, right?"
"Of course no problem!" Agumon quickly scrambled to his feet, dropping into a low, aggressive fighting stance. "Hearing you say that, Tai, I can feel my whole body ignite!"
"Power is boiling! Spirit is burning!"
"Now we are invincible!"
The boy and his Digimon shouted the final declaration in perfect unison. After exchanging a fiery, determined glance, they spun on their heels and charged blindly toward the distant sounds of combat, not looking back even once.
"Mizuki, wait for my good news!" Tai's voice echoed back through the trees.
"Oh my. Young and full of vigor," Mizuki murmured, watching the two kids rush out one after another. He let out a soft, amused sigh and returned to stirring the stew.
At this moment, LadyDevimon, who had been hovering silently nearby, finally spoke up. "Mizu, are you tired? Do you want to rest?"
"It is nothing." Looking at the tall, dark-winged angel beside him, Mizuki smiled warmly and shook his head, refusing her suggestion. "This much is nothing at all. After all, in the past, I had rested long enough in a sickbed."
He breathed in the crisp evening air. Right now, he wanted to try everything, to experience every sight, sound, and sensation this world had to offer, perhaps to make up for the bitter regret of being bedridden for so many years in his previous life.
However, just as he finished speaking, LadyDevimon suddenly leaned in closer, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "Um, Mizu..."
"Were you just teasing them?"
Mizuki let out a sudden, dry cough, his stirring hand freezing for a fraction of a second. "LadyDevimon, how can you say that? I was purely thinking of inspiring their fighting spirit."
He straightened his posture, looking entirely serious. "As everyone knows, the Digital World is full of crises. It is a good thing to train early and improve oneself. I have absolutely no intention of playing tricks on them."
He delivered the speech with absolute righteousness. Yet, despite his flawless execution, LadyDevimon somehow felt a distinct, nagging sensation that Mizuki was completely full of it.
But on second thought, his logic was not entirely flawed. Ogremon and Leomon were both seasoned warriors who knew how to hold back. There was no actual danger in letting Tai spar with them.
Still... recalling how Mizuki had almost exclusively displayed a gentle, mature demeanor in the past, a strange, complicated feeling surged in LadyDevimon's heart.
'I didn't expect Mizu to have such a mischievous side.'
As LadyDevimon silently lamented this new discovery, Tai and Agumon's voices suddenly roared from the distant clearing, echoing through the quiet forest.
"Leomon! Ogremon! Your battle is over!"
"Now, you are the challengers!"
Leomon and Ogremon: "?"
— — — —
What exactly Tai experienced in that clearing, no one knew except Ogremon, Leomon, and Agumon, who were the sole witnesses to the event.
The only thing that was absolutely certain was the aftermath. When Tai and Agumon finally returned to the camp, heavily leaning on each other for support, the boy looked utterly disheveled. His goggles were askew, his blue shirt was covered in dirt and grass stains, and his hair was somehow even messier than usual.
Interestingly, Tai's expression showed absolutely zero anger at being tricked. Instead, his dirt-smudged face radiated immense joy and unbridled excitement.
Seeing this bizarre reaction, Mizuki, who was in the middle of tasting the broth, paused entirely.
"Mizuki, I knew you didn't lie to me!" Tai cheered, pumping a scraped fist into the air.
"Tai, you couldn't be..."
"Mm! I succeeded just now! I really sparred with Ogremon!" Tai bounded forward like a child who had just unearthed a buried treasure, his words tumbling out in an excited rush. "Although I didn't win, according to Ogremon, I seem to possess the physical strength of a Rookie Digimon!"
"..."
Listening to Tai proudly declare his power level, Mizuki fell into a deep, heavy silence.
At the exact same time, in a dark, hidden corner just outside the borders of the Village of Beginnings.
Several Bakemon floated silently among the dense foliage, their hollow eyes fixed on the Digimon camp in the distance. It turned out that among the ghost troops who had retreated earlier, a select few had secretly stayed behind under Devimon's strict orders.
Their mission was to monitor the situation here, waiting in the shadows so they could find the perfect opportunity to launch another invasion someday.
But right now, smelling the rich, savory fragrance of Mizuki's cooking wafting through the evening air, thick streams of saliva continuously dripped from their jagged, fanged mouths.
"So fragrant... So fragrant..."
"Those guys are really too careless, leaving themselves wide open like this."
"Um, should we try to snatch a kid?"
"Yes! Then, the first credit of autumn will belong exclusively to our Bakemon squad!"
The ghosts huddled together, giggling and secretly plotting their grand ambush, completely unaware of the quiet footsteps approaching directly behind them.
"Yo ho. The first credit of autumn? You guys are quite poetic."
The Bakemon flinched, their white sheets stiffening in sheer panic.
Before they could turn around, the calm, mocking voice spoke again. "With your timid appearance, you talk about claiming the first credit of autumn. Tell me, do you want the first stick of incense for the Qingming Festival instead?"
Just as the young man finished his sarcastic threat, one of the Bakemon, entirely missing the deadly implication of the tomb-sweeping holiday, subconsciously nodded its large head.
"Oh! If you give it to me, I will definitely take it!"
Mizuki: "..."
The air froze. This time, it was Mizuki's turn to fall into a deep, suffocating silence.
Standing just a few paces away, Tai tilted his head and offered a very helpful, entirely genuine reminder.
"Um, Mizuki, they are ghosts. If you offer them incense, they won't get angry. They will actually be very happy."
"..."
Under the blank, unblinking gazes of Tai, Agumon, and LadyDevimon, Mizuki stood frozen for a long, agonizing moment. Slowly, deliberately, he turned his back to the ghosts.
"Tai, I am leaving them to you."
"How dare they fool me like this? Since we are companions, please give them a very good beating."
Tai: "..."
Although Tai desperately wanted to point out, 'It is not that they fooled you, it is that you completely misunderstood how ghosts work,' his surprisingly high emotional intelligence kicked in. He forcibly swallowed the words, deciding it was best to save his friend's pride.
"Agumon, let's go!" Tai pointed forward, his voice ringing with renewed vigor. "Let's teach these bad guys a good lesson!"
"Oh!"
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