Chapter 60: Oh No! My Cat!
The turbulent waves of the ocean finally gave way to calmer waters. Following the chaotic battle alongside Whamon, the children's journey had become surprisingly smooth sailing. Guided by the massive aquatic Digimon, the silhouette of their destination soon broke through the horizon—the Server Continent.
"Well then, Chosen Children, this is where we must part ways for now," Whamon's deep, rumbling voice echoed across the gentle surf as they disembarked onto the sandy shore. "Do not worry about your vessel. I will have some trusted acquaintances in the sea keep a close watch over it. Should you ever find yourselves in need of assistance, you only need to call for me."
The giant Digimon blinked his massive eyes slowly. "This is not just the apology I wish to convey to you, but also my deepest gratitude."
After leaving these words, Whamon's colossal body slowly sank into the ocean under the children's watchful gaze, leaving behind only a spray of white foam and a gentle wake that lapped against the beach.
After watching Whamon leave, Taichi and the others turned their attention inland. A vast, uncharted wilderness stretched out before them, marking the true start of their new journey, just as they had planned from the beginning.
"But speaking of which... where exactly should we go now?" Looking at the unfamiliar surroundings, Takeru scratched the back of his head, slightly confused as he surveyed the dense foliage.
"I do not know. Should we just walk and see?" After a brief moment of thought, Mimi offered a suggestion that was not really a suggestion, adjusting her oversized sun hat.
"Um, everyone—"
Just then, Taichi suddenly spoke up, his voice cutting through the ambient rustle of the wind. He was staring off into the distance, his brow furrowed in deep concentration. "I think I am sensing something..."
The group froze. As soon as he said this, the children immediately looked at Taichi with surprised eyes, and then shifted their gaze collectively toward Mizuki, who was standing nearby looking entirely relaxed.
Previously, when they had obtained the Tags and digivolution Keys, Mizuki had taught them the necessary knowledge regarding this subject. He had detailed how a Crest was used to guide the light of the human heart. When paired with the digivolution Key, it allows a partner to successfully evolve to the Ultimate level.
Taichi's sudden reaction now was undoubtedly indicating that the Crest matching him was somewhere nearby!
"I did not expect you, Taichi, to be the first one to find a Crest..." Izzy murmured, adjusting his laptop bag. His words carried a hint of emotion and a faint, amused smile. "That really is your style."
"But, if I remember correctly, Taichi's Agumon can already evolve to the Ultimate level, right?" Mimi asked curiously at this point, tilting her head. "After getting the Crest, will he unlock a new form, or will it be a further strengthening based on his original form?"
"Maybe a sword will grow out of MetalGreymon's other claw," Mizuki's voice drifted over lazily, laced with his signature teasing drawl.
However, due to their previous experiences, even a seemingly joking remark like this prompted the children to believe him. After all, Mizuki and Izzy were the only two external brains among them. If Mizuki said it, there was a high chance it was true.
"Turning into a sword?" After briefly imagining that scene in his mind, visualizing a heavily armed cyborg dinosaur, a look of sheer anticipation could not help but appear on Taichi's face.
"Alright, Agumon, let us go!" He pumped his fist into the air. "Let us try to get the Crest quickly!"
"Yeah!!!" Agumon cheered, matching his partner's boundless energy.
Next, Taichi proactively took on the task of leading the children, letting his instincts guide them through the dense jungle. Interestingly, as they advanced, the first thing the children found was not the glowing Crest, but an area resembling a settlement. The trees parted to reveal a clearing filled with small, mushroom-like houses.
"Where is this?" Sora asked, looking around the quiet structures.
"Koromon's village!" Palmon was the first to answer, her leafy arms waving excitedly. "This is Koromon's village."
"Koromon?" Mimi tilted her head in confusion, her brow furrowing slightly. "Why does that name sound familiar?"
"I used to be a Koromon," Agumon, standing next to Taichi, said to Mimi helpfully.
"Oh! So that is it!" Mimi realized, then clapped her hands together, instantly dismissing the trivia. "Ah, never mind! As long as I know it is a village, that is enough!"
She stretched her arms above her head, letting out an exaggerated groan. "Walking for half a day has completely exhausted me. I hope the village has a place where I can take a bath!"
Saying this, Mimi excitedly ran toward the village, her fatigue magically vanishing. Palmon followed closely behind her, trying to keep pace.
However, Taichi noticed Agumon's abnormality at this time. Compared to his usual liveliness, Agumon seemed somewhat quiet now. The orange reptile was sniffing the air, his eyes narrowed in suspicion.
"Agumon, what is wrong?" Taichi asked, his voice dropping to a serious register.
"Taichi... how should I put it, I have a strange feeling."
Taichi's jaw tightened. After hearing Agumon say this, he subconsciously looked in Mizuki's direction.
Sensing his gaze, Mizuki gave a slow, deliberate nod. He still remembered that in this segment of the plot, the place Taichi and the others were heading was indeed Koromon's village. However, this place had now been occupied by Etemon's Pagumon subordinates. As for the real Koromon, they had been imprisoned in the waterfall behind the village.
Thinking of this, Mizuki held Taichi's gaze and nodded toward him once more, a silent warning passing between them.
After receiving the response, Taichi subconsciously took Kari's hand. Sensing Taichi's action and the sudden tension in his grip, Kari did not say anything, but instead tightly gripped Taichi's hand in return, her bright eyes scanning the seemingly peaceful village with newfound caution.
"Let us go," Taichi said, his tone carefully neutral. "We cannot let Mimi run too far by herself."
The children spoke, caught the subtle shift in atmosphere, exchanged knowing glances, and nodded in perfect unison.
The subsequent events unfolded just as Mizuki remembered. Taichi and the others encountered the Pagumon who had occupied Koromon's village and were warmly hosted by them with open arms and a lavish feast.
However, perhaps due to Taichi's earlier silent conversation with Mizuki, the children did not let down their guard against the Pagumon as they might have originally. They accepted the hospitality with polite smiles, all while keeping their defenses firmly raised.
Yet, the Pagumon seemed completely oblivious to this, instead feeling incredibly smug and whispering in the shadows, believing they had successfully fooled the group.
Just like this, night arrived.
Watching the children supposedly asleep in the large guest tent, a few Pagumon crept through the entrance flap. They exchanged wicked grins in the darkness, then set their predatory sights on the Digimon among them.
Their target was immediately obvious. A Baby II Nyaromon!
Compared to the other Rookie-level Digimon, Nyaromon, being a mere Baby II, was undoubtedly the weakest and easiest to handle. Driven by mischief and their cruel nature, the Pagumon quietly approached Nyaromon. After successfully lifting the pretending... ahem, deeply sleeping little cat into the air, they quickly scurried out and left the tent.
Once the scratching noise outside stopped and faded into the distance, the children, who had supposedly been asleep, opened their eyes in perfect unison.
Mizuki sat up slowly, stretching his arms with a theatrical yawn, and was the first to speak. "Oh no! My Nyaromon is gone! Who did this?"
"The Pagumon! Those despicable Pagumon!" Mimi whisper-shouted, dropping her own act as she sat up, her face scrunched in disgust.
"As expected, those guys were up to no good from the start!" Takeru said indignantly, clenching his small fists.
"Palmon was not wrong, this truly is Koromon's village. Now it seems those Pagumon have taken it over." Without even needing Mizuki's reminder, Izzy quickly figured out the answer after a moment of thought, pulling out his laptop.
"So, where are the Koromon now?" Sora asked, her brow furrowed in concern.
"I already sent Phantomon to look for them." Kari also spoke up at this moment from her sleeping bag, her voice calm and composed. "I believe with their abilities, they should be able to find them quickly."
Watching the children excitedly discuss their next tactical steps, Mizuki raised a single, elegant eyebrow, feeling a bit depressed. He let out a heavy, exaggerated sigh, clutching his chest.
"I said, is no one going to show me any concern?" he complained, his tone dripping with mock sadness. "My partner has been kidnapped, you know!"
Hearing Mizuki say this, the children all paused their strategizing and looked over.
However, there was not a single hint of worry or panic in their eyes now. Instead, they all stared at him with an indescribable, perfectly synchronized sense of strangeness.
"I mean..." Taichi finally broke the silence, scratching his cheek as he gave the older boy a deeply unimpressed look. "Mizuki, are you sure your Nyaromon is the one we should be worried about right now, and not those Pagumon?"
Facing Taichi's piercing gaze, Mizuki pondered for a moment, pretending to consider the ethical implications of a terrifying Ancient Species being let loose among a group of weak grunts. Then, he tilted his head, flashed a bright smile, and playfully winked.
"Ehe~ ☆"
"Stop with the 'Ehe'!" the entire tent shouted in unison.
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]