Chapter 37: Eh? Are We Really Doing This?!
"Brother Mizuki?"
Just as Mizuki and Aegiochusmon were talking, Kari, having finished her healing duties, noticed the commotion nearby.
With a bright look of surprise, she jogged over, her curious gaze sweeping over Aegiochusmon's unfamiliar form.
"Brother Mizuki, did Elecmon Digivolve?"
"Huh? You actually recognize me?"
Before Mizuki could even open his mouth, Aegiochusmon blurted out, crossing his arms. "My appearance changed completely!"
"But Elecmon is still Elecmon, right? Even if you Digivolve, your core essence does not change."
Kari giggled behind her hand. She tilted her head, studying Aegiochusmon's face. Despite the delicate, almost pristine features of his new form, he still carried that same energetic stubbornness.
Her gaze then shifted to the tall, imposing figure draped in dark leather. "And LadyDevimon, you too. Welcome back."
"Oh... Um. Yes."
Faced with Kari's warm greeting, LadyDevimon stiffened, suddenly appearing incredibly reserved.
It certainly was not out of any dislike for the young girl. She was simply overwhelmed by the direct affection. After all, just as Kari had pointed out, even though she had now reached the Ultimate level, her inner self remained untouched. Beneath the terrifying demonic exterior, LadyDevimon was still that timid little Salamon who barely dared to speak above a whisper when addressing Mizuki.
Watching the fearsome dark angel instinctively shrink back and lean against his shoulder for support, Mizuki let out a fond, silent sigh. He patted her arm gently before turning his attention back to Kari.
"Kari, where are Taichi and the rest of the group?"
"My brother?"
Mizuki paused. He could not tell if it was merely a trick of the light, but for a fraction of a second, a sharp glint of extreme wariness flashed through Kari's eyes at the mention of Taichi.
A blink later, the shadow vanished. Kari smiled, returning to her usual, adorably innocent self.
"My brother and the others are currently undergoing special training with Leomon. I can take you to them right now."
"Eh, are you sure? It looks like you have your hands full here..."
"It is fine. My healing work for today is completely finished. My brother and I made a strict promise. He is not allowed to push himself to the breaking point, and neither am I."
Despite her small stature and youthful face, Kari carried herself with a quiet, grounded maturity that often caught people off guard.
Watching the little girl turn and confidently lead the way, Mizuki offered another soft sigh, adjusting his grip on his parasol as he followed her path.
"Weak! Too weak!!!"
Guided by Kari, Mizuki had barely approached the edge of the training clearing when a burst of arrogant, booming laughter echoed through the trees.
Having crossed paths with him once before, Mizuki instantly matched the grating voice to the green-skinned brute, Ogremon.
"What are you clowns even doing? Are you trying to tickle me to death?" Ogremon roared, flexing his massive, muscle-bound arms. "These so-called partners of the DigiDestined are nothing but a massive disappointment!"
Listening to the ogre's triumphant mocking, Mizuki blinked in mild confusion. He cast a sideways glance at his companions.
"Ogremon? Acting as a sparring partner for the children's Digimon? How exactly did you manage to arrange that?"
"That was my brother's doing."
Before Aegiochusmon could offer a guess, Kari spoke up from the front, her tone perfectly casual. "My brother deliberately provoked Ogremon, questioning his strength until he agreed to stay and prove himself."
"Right now, Leomon is in charge of training my brother and the other kids in hand-to-hand combat, while Ogremon took over the duty of beating up everyone's Digimon."
"Taichi, huh..."
Mizuki rubbed his chin. Given Taichi's natural cunning and sharp instincts, manipulating a hot-headed brute like Ogremon into doing their dirty work sounded exactly like something he would pull off. Not to mention, the current Taichi was practically an enhanced version with Kari acting as his anchor.
As these thoughts drifted through his mind, Kari led them through the final line of trees and into the open dirt clearing.
The scene was exactly as the booming voice suggested. All around Ogremon's designated zone, the Digimon partners of Matt and the others lay scattered across the ground, groaning and clutching their bruised bodies. Judging by the craters in the dirt and their battered states, they had been subjected to a brutally harsh lesson.
When Mizuki stepped into the clearing, the only one still managing to keep his feet was Greymon.
"Oh? It is you, kid."
Ogremon easily sidestepped a desperate, heavy charge from the massive dinosaur. With a brutal twist of his hips, the green brute launched a devastating counter-attack, his fist glowing with dark energy.
"Pummel Whack!"
The shockwave slammed into Greymon's chest, sending the heavy Champion-level Digimon skidding backward until he collapsed into the dust. Snorting in satisfaction, Ogremon finally turned his full attention toward Mizuki.
"Do not tell me you came all the way out here to train, too?"
"Me?" Mizuki pointed a finger at his own chest, tilting his head.
Before he could utter another word, Ogremon let out a harsh, barking laugh, his voice dripping with absolute disdain. "I strongly advise you to drop the idea right now, human."
The ogre crossed his thick arms, looking Mizuki up and down. "Look at those pathetic, twig-like arms and legs. I would not even need to lift a single finger against you. One heavy breath from me might just blow you away into the next forest."
"Ahaha..."
Faced with the ogre's smug, toothy grin, Mizuki simply offered a light, breezy laugh. He sensed absolutely no genuine malice or killing intent from the brute. It was just pure, unfiltered arrogance.
However, while Mizuki possessed a bottomless well of patience for such antics, LadyDevimon absolutely did not.
Hearing this ugly creature openly mock her precious partner, the dark angel's eyes narrowed into dangerous crimson slits. She stepped forward with decisive, lethal grace. The dark leather wrapping her left arm shifted and elongated, the razor-sharp claws fusing and extending into a wicked, jagged demonic sword. She leveled the dark blade directly at Ogremon's throat.
"Ogremon. Do not you dare speak to Mizuki with such disrespect." Her voice was a cold, venomous hiss. "Or perhaps you are eager to taste my LadyDevimon Sword?"
"Oh? Now this is interesting!"
A brute truly lived up to his title. Staring down the deadly, crackling blade of an Ultimate-level Digimon, Ogremon did not flinch or show a single ounce of fear. Instead, a savage, eager grin split his face, his muscles tensing in pure anticipation of a real fight.
Wait a minute.
Mizuki paused, his eyes narrowing slightly as he observed the scene. A sudden thought struck him.
Could it be that Ogremon was deliberately throwing out those cheap insults just to provoke LadyDevimon into a brawl? Did this muscle-brained brute actually possess that level of tactical intelligence?
Mizuki watched closely. Right as Ogremon shifted his stance, Mizuki keenly caught a fleeting, unmistakable glint of sly calculation in the ogre's eyes.
He was completely stunned. The brute really was playing them!
"Alright, Ogremon. If you are begging for a beating, I will gladly teach you your place."
Dark energy flared around LadyDevimon as she bent her knees, fully prepared to launch herself forward and cleave the green Digimon in two.
But just before her boots left the ground, a hand gently caught her shoulder, pulling her back.
"Mizuki?" She blinked, the dark aura instantly dissipating as she looked back at him in confusion.
"It is alright, LadyDevimon. There is no need to get so worked up."
Mizuki stepped past her, a lighthearted, almost overly pleasant smile blooming on his face. "Ogremon does not mean any harm at all."
He casually tapped his closed parasol against his shoulder. "Since he is so incredibly enthusiastic about sparring with me, I cannot exactly ruin his hard-earned fun, can I?"
"..."
Staring at that gentle, flawless smile, LadyDevimon suddenly felt a familiar sense of deja vu. If her memory served her right, this was the exact same expression Mizuki wore right before he mercilessly teased Taichi into a corner.
Realizing the deeply mischievous, trollish nature hiding just beneath her partner's angelic exterior, LadyDevimon instantly understood the assignment. The cold anger melted from her face, replaced by a soft, knowing smirk.
"Alright. If Mizuki says so..." She stepped back, folding her arms.
"Hey, hey, are you seriously going through with this?"
Watching Mizuki casually stroll toward the towering ogre, Aegiochusmon leaned over, whispering nervously to LadyDevimon. "I know Mizuki has some decent fighting skills, but he has not even reached the Champion level in raw power, right? And Ogremon is considered extremely dangerous, even among Champion-level Digimon!"
The commotion had not gone unnoticed. Across the clearing, the children had paused their own brutal training sessions, their attention drawn to the standoff.
The moment Taichi spotted Mizuki walking unarmed toward Ogremon, the bright joy of reuniting with his friend instantly shattered, replaced by sheer panic.
"What?! Mizuki is going to fight Ogremon one-on-one?" Taichi gasped, his eyes widening. "No way, that is way too dangerous!"
He immediately lunged forward, fully intending to drag Mizuki out of the danger zone.
But before his foot could hit the dirt for a second step, a small hand clamped firmly onto his wrist, halting his momentum completely.
"Kari? What are you doing? Let go, we have to stop him!"
"...Silly brother." Kari kept her grip tight, murmuring the words so softly they barely carried over the wind.
"Huh? Did you say something, Kari?"
"...Nothing at all."
Maintaining her perfectly calm, unbothered expression, Kari shook her head. She raised her free hand, pointing a slender finger toward the unfolding scene.
"Brother, do you not know Brother Mizuki well by now? Do you honestly believe he is the type to act on blind impulse?"
"Well..."
Forced to pause, Taichi rapidly mentally reviewed Mizuki's track record. While the guy occasionally pulled stunts that looked entirely reckless from the outside, the truth was that every single variable always remained perfectly within his calculated control.
Izzy stepped up beside them, wiping sweat from his brow as he adjusted his posture. "Taichi, Kari is absolutely right."
"Classmate Mizuki is not a foolish person," Izzy added, a sharp hint of analytical anticipation flashing in his dark eyes. "I predict we are about to witness a miracle very soon."
As for LadyDevimon? She stood tall and silent, making absolutely no move to join the children's frantic discussion.
She felt zero need to explain Mizuki's capabilities to them.
Exactly. It was purely out of confidence. It definitely was not because she was still too shy to hold a normal conversation with a group of humans!
Paying no mind to the whispered debates happening behind his back, Mizuki maintained a steady pace, stopping exactly five meters away from Ogremon.
The green brute stared down at the exquisite youth standing before him. To anyone else, Mizuki looked like a fragile piece of art, a child too pristine to exist in this harsh digital reality. But Ogremon's eyes held zero appreciation for human aesthetics.
All that burned in his gaze was deep, unfiltered contempt.
"I am warning you right now, kid. Do you seriously want to spar with me?" Ogremon cracked his knuckles, the sound like snapping branches. "I will admit you might have some flashy little tricks, but compared to a truly powerful Champion-level Digimon, you are entirely out of your league."
In response, Mizuki simply smiled. With a fluid flick of his wrist, he folded his parasol shut, the fabric snapping tight. "Do not worry about me, Ogremon. I know exactly what I am doing."
He lowered his stance slightly, his voice dropping to a smooth, conversational hum. "Rather than wasting breath, let us just get this started."
"After all, 'it is always best to do good deeds without delay'..."
As the words left his lips, a dangerous, hidden light flashed through Mizuki's slightly narrowed eyes.
Or perhaps, 'it is best to commit evil deeds promptly'.
The very instant that mischievous thought crossed Mizuki's mind, Ogremon let out a battle cry and launched his massive frame forward!
Initially, the ogre only intended to close the distance and throw a feint to scare the arrogant human into submission. He had no intention of actually crushing the boy.
But a split second later, his eyes bulged in shock. Mizuki's figure had simply vanished. No warning, no blur of motion. He was just gone.
"Where exactly are you looking?"
A calm, familiar voice whispered directly into his right ear.
Ogremon flinched violently, his heart leaping into his throat. He whipped his heavy head around, swinging his club blindly, but his weapon only cleaved through empty air.
Before he could even process the miss, a single finger poked sharply into the soft, unprotected flesh of his left waist.
"Over here."
"You wretched little brat! Are you trying to make a fool out of me?!"
After three more dizzying exchanges of swinging at shadows and getting poked in the ribs, Ogremon finally grasped the terrifying reality. The human's speed did not just surpass his own; it completely eclipsed it.
The realization instantly burned away his contempt. In its place, a roaring, competitive fighting spirit ignited within the ogre's chest.
"Stop dodging and fight me fair and square, like a real man!" Ogremon bellowed, spinning around to face the clearing.
"You mean you actually want me to get serious?"
"Is that even a question?!"
Following the sound of the voice, Ogremon finally locked eyes with the slender figure that had reappeared directly in front of him, standing perfectly still.
Mizuki tilted his head, a look of mock pity on his face. "But if I go all out, it means you are the one who is going to suffer."
"Are you looking down on me, you bastard?!"
Furious at the perceived insult, Ogremon roared to the heavens. He raised his massive, bone-crushing fist, his muscles bulging with dark energy as he charged forward like a runaway freight train.
Watching the incoming behemoth, Mizuki let out a long, helpless sigh. Slowly, almost lazily, he drew his right arm back, curling his fingers into a fist.
"Well then. Here I come."
Mizuki stepped into the strike. "Hit me with everything you have got!"
Ogremon roared in response, the sheer fighting spirit radiating from his green body making him appear incredibly ferocious, like a true demon of the digital wasteland.
However, that terrifying aura did not last.
A fraction of a second later, the savage excitement on the ogre's face was violently overwritten by absolute, paralyzing shock.
Before Ogremon's brain could even register the blur of Mizuki's fist connecting with his jaw, a sound like a cannon blast echoed across the clearing. His vision instantly shattered into blackness, and his consciousness was entirely snuffed out.
The massive green body was launched off the ground, flying backward through the air before crashing into the dirt in a lifeless, unconscious heap.
And Mizuki?
He stood perfectly balanced in his follow-through stance. Slowly lowering his fist, he looked at the twitching, knocked-out ogre with a deeply worried expression plastered across his face.
In reality, beneath the mask of concern, a wicked, triumphant glint danced in his eyes—the exact look of a prankster whose trap had sprung perfectly.
"That is exactly why I warned you about me going all out," Mizuki murmured softly, shaking his head in feigned sympathy. "You ended up being the one who suffered."
Across the clearing, the children who had witnessed the entire sequence—watching Mizuki effortlessly toy with a terrifying Champion-level Digimon before knocking him out cold with a single, casual punch—stood frozen like statues.
Their jaws hung slack. They were far too stunned to utter a single syllable.
Only LadyDevimon, who possessed absolute, unwavering faith in her partner's monstrous capabilities, and Kari, who had already calculated this exact outcome, remained completely unfazed, their expressions barely shifting as the dust settled.
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