Chapter 64: Children vs. Etemon!
As the first pale streaks of dawn pierced through the lingering gloom of night, a faint, golden glow bathed the chosen children.
They stood shoulder-to-shoulder, their eyes locked in unison on the desolate stretch of road ahead. The air was heavy, practically humming with unspoken tension. The surrounding wasteland was dead quiet, but not a single muscle relaxed among the group.
Everyone knew this silence was nothing more than the suffocating calm before the storm.
"..."
A short distance behind their defensive line, Mizuki lounged comfortably on a pristine white chair—one that looked entirely out of place in the rugged Digital World. He shifted slightly, his relaxed posture belying his sharp senses.
His half-closed eyes fluttered open, narrowing into a sharp slit. "They're here."
As if the world itself were answering his declaration, a low, rhythmic tremor began to pulse through the ground. The vibrations grew steadily more distinct, rattling the loose pebbles at their feet.
Through the rising dust, a massive, armored Monochromon lumbered into view, dragging a bizarrely flashy trailer behind it.
Seeing the target finally arrive, Taichi's jaw set. He took a decisive step forward, his goggles glinting in the early light. "Agumon, are you ready?"
"Yep! Always ready, Taichi!" the little dinosaur chirped, his claws flexing in anticipation.
But before Agumon could even summon the data to digivolve, a familiar figure stepped directly into their path.
"Matt!?" Taichi blinked, surprised to see the blonde boy and Gabumon blocking his way.
"Let me go first," Matt said, his voice low and steady. He didn't even turn his head to look at Taichi. "My Gabumon hasn't reached the Ultimate level yet. But after all the brutal training we've gone through lately... I need to know exactly how strong Gabumon and I are right now."
Taichi stared at Matt's rigid, determined back for a long moment. The fierce resolve radiating from his friend left no room for argument.
"...Alright," Taichi finally breathed out, giving a firm nod of approval. He stepped back, yielding the vanguard.
Before Matt could take another step, a smaller voice piped up.
"Matt, wait!" Takeru rushed forward, his fists clenched tight. "Patamon and I want to help you too!"
"Us too!" Joe pushed his glasses up his nose, stepping up alongside Sora.
"We can't just stand back and rely on Taichi and Mizuki for everything," Sora added, her eyes flashing with quiet determination. "Even if our partners haven't reached the Ultimate level yet, we have to prove we can hold our own!"
"..."
Matt's brow furrowed. He opened his mouth, the instinct to protect his little brother and his friends urging him to refuse. But as the words rose to his throat, he swallowed them back. He looked at their faces—saw the exact same burning need to prove themselves that he felt in his own chest.
A faint, almost imperceptible smirk tugged at the corner of his mouth. "Fine. Just don't hold me back then."
A wave of relief and excitement washed over the group. The children and their Digimon exchanged confident grins.
"Don't worry about us!" they chorused back.
"..."
Watching the others rally together, Taichi and Kari fell back, walking over to where Mizuki was still casually seated.
Taichi stared at the back of the older boy's head, then down at the immaculate white chair. He still had absolutely no idea where Mizuki had pulled that piece of furniture from, but he pushed the thought aside. Tilting his head, Taichi asked, "Mizuki... do you honestly think they can win?"
"...What do you think?"
Mizuki didn't bother turning around. He simply tossed the question back over his shoulder, his tone perfectly neutral.
"Me, huh..." Taichi muttered, his gaze drifting back to his friends.
How was he supposed to evaluate this? After their grueling survival training on File Island, there was no question that everyone's combat instincts and raw power had skyrocketed. They were hardened.
But the enemy rumbling toward them wasn't just another Champion. This was an Ultimate level Digimon!
The gap between Champion and Ultimate wasn't a simple step up; it was a massive, crushing chasm of data density and raw output. That wasn't an opponent you could defeat merely with grit and perseverance.
When Taichi failed to answer, Mizuki let out a soft, dry chuckle. He didn't offer any further comfort.
There was no time for it, anyway. The garish trailer had finally ground to a halt right in front of them!
Suddenly, a pair of massive speakers deployed from the roof of the trailer. Deafening, aggressively loud rock 'n' roll music blasted across the wasteland, shaking the very air. The heavy metal doors of the carriage hissed open, lowering like a drawbridge to reveal a vibrant orange silhouette.
The creature looked like an ape, but its fur was entirely unnatural—it resembled a cheap, oversized mascot suit complete with visible stitching.
This was, without a doubt, the tyrant the Tyrannomon had warned them about: King Etemon!
Yet, as the smoke cleared, the imposing aura of a dark overlord completely vanished. Between the silver microphone clutched in his hand and the worn Monzaemon plushie dangling from his waist, he looked less like a terrifying dictator and more like a washed-up comedian.
"You must be the DigiDestined~!"
Etemon leaped from the trailer, performing a flashy mid-air spin before sticking a perfect, dramatic landing right in front of the kids. He immediately thrust his microphone toward them like a talk-show host.
"You brats have got some serious nerve! How dare you stand up the great King Etemon!" He strutted back and forth, his voice dripping with theatrical outrage. "Didn't you get the memo? I was waiting for you on the other side of the desert! But nooo, you completely ignored my brilliant script and took a detour into this godforsaken dirt pit!"
He rattled off his complaints at a machine-gun pace, barely pausing for breath. He gave the stunned children absolutely zero chance to interrupt.
Then, just as quickly as he started, Etemon abruptly stopped pacing. He struck a dramatic pose, his faux-anger melting into a smug, exaggerated grin of admiration.
"But hey, seeing as you've now wisely walked right into my trap, I'm feeling generous. I can allow you all a quick~ and painless~ end."
"What the heck are you babbling about?"
Looking at the Digimon striking bizarre poses in front of him, Matt finally couldn't stand it anymore. He whipped out his Digivice, the screen flaring with brilliant light.
"Gabumon, digivolve!"
"Let's show this funny-looking guy what you can do!"
"I'm on it, Matt!"
Gabumon digivolves—!
[BGM starts!]
Garurumon!!!
The majestic blue-and-white wolf materialized from the blinding data rings, letting out a ferocious howl. But as Garurumon lunged forward with bared fangs, Etemon didn't even flinch.
Instead, the monkey Digimon let out a goofy laugh and executed a comical, sliding sidestep, effortlessly dodging the massive wolf's pounce. Before Garurumon's paws could even touch the dirt to pivot, Etemon's hand shot out, his fingers clamping down on the wolf's thick tail!
"Oh no!"
"Just a measly Champion level Digimon? Is this all the legendary DigiDestined amount to?"
Although his tone was as frivolous and comical as ever, Etemon displayed a physical power utterly different from his ridiculous appearance!
With a casual flick of his wrist, Etemon hoisted the massive Garurumon entirely off the ground. He began spinning the giant wolf around in mid-air like a helpless windmill, the sheer centrifugal force creating a violent gale.
Seeing their vanguard being treated like a literal toy, the rest of the children didn't hesitate for a single second, promptly initiating their partners' digivolution!
"Gomamon, hurry and save Garurumon!" / "Joe sure likes to boss people around~"
"Palmon, we can't let this bad guy keep bullying Garurumon!" / "Mimi, I'm going in!"
"Biyomon, please—" / "Yes!"
"Patamon! Go let that bad guy see your true power!" / "Oh! Leave it to me, Takeru!"
"Tentomon, follow the battle plan..." / "Understood!"
digivolution—!
As the light of digivolution shone brightly across the battlefield, the partners of the five children quickly completed their respective transformations.
"Oho? A bit interesting!"
Seeing five Champion level Digimon attack him from various angles, Etemon smirked. Bored with his current toy, he casually hurled the dizzy Garurumon high into the air.
"Catch him!"
"I got it!"
Garurumon hurtled through the sky, on a direct collision course with Ikkakumon's heavy frame. But before the two could crash and ruin their formation, Kabuterimon swooped down from the sky in the nick of time, catching the falling wolf in his primary arms and averting a collapse.
"Sorry for the trouble, Kabuterimon."
"It's alright, just be careful."
As Kabuterimon gently set the recovered Garurumon down on the dirt, the main battlefield erupted. Ikkakumon and the others launched their formal engagement with Etemon!
At this moment, Ikkakumon slammed his massive paws into the earth. Every step of his colossal, fur-covered body produced a deep, dull thud that echoed like a roaring war drum across the wasteland.
"Angemon, coordinate with me!" Ikkakumon roared, his horn crackling with energy. "I'll defend, you attack!"
"Understood!" the six-winged angel called back, taking to the sky.
Because of the cramped, high-stakes combat training they had endured inside Whamon's stomach, Ikkakumon and Angemon's cooperation was far better than the others'.
Ikkakumon charged straight at the monkey, using his sheer size and weight advantage to directly meet Etemon's devastating punch!
While the opponent was locked into hitting Ikkakumon's thick hide, Angemon dove from his blind spot. The angel's staff spun rapidly, unleashing a fully charged attack straight at Etemon!
[Hand of Fate!]
"What!?"
Perhaps not expecting the power of a mere Champion level Digimon to be so formidable, Etemon was caught entirely off guard. Locked in his punching stance, he couldn't completely dodge Angemon's attack, taking a glancing blow from the concentrated holy light directly on his abdomen.
"Ow, ow, OW! You little rascal, you really dared to do that!"
Feeling the searing pain radiating from his stomach, Etemon gritted his teeth. He bared his fangs, his muscles bulging as he prepared to advance and rip into Angemon.
But before he could take a single step, he was once again knocked away by a brutal headbutt from Ikkakumon!
"You can't forget about me, little guy~"
After knocking Etemon backward through the dirt, Ikkakumon shouted to his companions waiting on the flanks.
"Now!"
No, he didn't even need to say it.
Izzy's Kabuterimon, Mimi's Togemon, Sora's Birdramon, and the recently recovered Garurumon had already surrounded the staggering Ultimate, launching a massive combined assault!
[Mega Blaster!]
[Needle Spray!]
[Meteor Wing!]
[Howling Blaster!]
"And of course, our—" Ikkakumon roared, his horn opening up.
[Harpoon Torpedo!]
[Hand of Fate!]
An incredibly swift and dense barrage of fire, lightning, holy light, and explosive missiles instantly engulfed the exact area where Etemon stood.
Watching the fierce, blinding explosion erupt ahead, Taichi couldn't help but clench his fist in excitement!
"Yes! Well done, everyone!"
However, this seemingly optimistic situation did not change the expressions of Kari and Mizuki, who were standing nearby.
Neither of them was smiling. Their expressions remained cold, serious, and utterly unmoved by the fiery spectacle.
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