Digimon Black Market, central trading zone.
"It's been a long time, Kei."
Surprised, the black-market merchant named Kei raised his head abruptly. He paused, momentarily stunned, before finally noticing the young hacker smiling at him in greeting.
"You..."
Clearly astonished by the young hacker's sudden appearance, Kei stared at the boy, at a loss for words.
"I thought you'd decided to leave for good. What brings you back here?"
After a brief hesitation, Kei steadied his emotions, replying with an expression caught somewhere between joy and resignation.
"And those two behind you—are they your friends?"
Seemingly displeased with Kei using the word "friends" to describe Chen Ze and Renamon, the young hacker frowned slightly before correcting him.
"They can't really be called friends. I just had no choice but to bring these two 'disasters' along while running for my life."
Chen Ze could only smile awkwardly at this, realizing that this young hacker—actually Piddomon in disguise—probably had a far more complicated past than he'd imagined.
Meanwhile, Renamon paid them no mind, continuing instead to curiously examine the Digimon locked inside the cages behind Kei.
Unlike the Digimon they'd encountered earlier in the Black Market, these creatures—though somewhat listless—didn't appear to have had their intelligence deliberately suppressed.
From this point alone, Renamon judged that this particular black-market merchant, who clearly knew Piddomon, was different from those they'd met before.
At least Kei hadn't intentionally transformed his "goods" into lifeless, rigid "programs" to make them easier to sell.
"Running for your life?"
Kei instantly picked up the key phrase in the young hacker's words, his expression shifting noticeably as he quietly struggled to calm down an unseen presence lurking in the shadows.
Kei knew exactly what was happening: the being hiding behind the scenes was clearly displeased. It absolutely hated the fact that whenever Piddomon stirred trouble, he'd immediately dump it all on him.
"Hmph. What's the matter, am I not welcome here anymore?"
Sensing something was amiss, Piddomon momentarily revealed the petulance fitting his youthful disguise.
"Of course you're welcome. How could I possibly say no?"
Quietly ignoring the hidden being's displeasure, Kei smiled, opened his arms, and stepped forward to warmly embrace the disguised Piddomon.
"This place will always be your home. You can always come back whenever you wish."
"Welcome home."
...
Is this merchant also a Digimon in disguise?
Watching the almost familial interaction between the young hacker and Kei, Chen Ze, who'd been quietly observing the entire scene, felt a storm of confusion rising inside him.
He could think of no other explanation besides that Kei himself was also a disguised Digimon.
Yet this only led to another question—did Digimon really have familial relationships among themselves?
Even in the Digimon anime of his past life, scenes depicting the bonds between Digimon themselves were exceedingly rare. Thus, Chen Ze remained uncertain about whether Digimon truly experienced relationships akin to family.
"Are you really a Digimon merchant?"
While Chen Ze remained lost in thought, Renamon—after thoroughly examining Kei—finally voiced her curiosity aloud.
"Do I not look the part?"
Letting go of the young hacker, Kei studied Renamon in return, then posed his question calmly.
"No."
Renamon maintained her elegant posture, glancing dismissively at Kei before giving a blunt answer.
"At the very least, not like those merchants outside."
Those other merchants outside only viewed Digimon as mere AI programs, indifferent to their own wishes.
But the merchant standing before her now was clearly different. The Digimon in his care still retained their individuality, still carried that untamed wildness in their eyes.
Renamon had no doubt—if anyone attempted to purchase these particular Digimon, they'd immediately bare their fangs and roar defiantly at their would-be masters.
"So, in your eyes, what exactly makes a qualified Digimon merchant?"
Completely disregarding the expression on the young hacker's face, Kei turned his curious gaze toward Renamon, this Digimon who'd chosen willingly to accompany a human while clearly retaining her own free will.
"Cold-hearted? Ruthless? Or perhaps purely profit-driven?"
Smiling as he summed up the general perception of black-market merchants, Kei then gestured toward the cages containing the Digimon behind him.
"In my opinion, those merchants out there aren't true Digimon traders at all."
"The relationship between humans and Digimon was never meant to be one-sided exploitation. That kind of thinking severely limits the potential of both sides."
"Take these Digimon behind me, for example. They're not strictly being forced into captivity; rather, I'm merely helping them find a partner more suitable for their growth."
"By the same token, anyone who wants to buy a Digimon from me but can't manage to tame one properly doesn't deserve to become their partner in the first place."
Listening to Kei's self-righteous explanation, Renamon didn't conceal her disdainful expression at all.
"Quite a fancy justification, but that still doesn't change the reality of your enslaving Digimon. They're merely being forced to accept your so-called ideology."
"You're not just deceiving these Digimon—you're also deceiving yourself, trying to ease your own guilty conscience."
"Because you know full well Digimon aren't simple AI programs, but individual lives possessing wills of their own."
At this point, the mocking look on Renamon's face vanished instantly, replaced by absolute neutrality, devoid of expression.
"Of course, I won't deny that exceptions exist. Like that Agumon, for instance."
Drawn by Renamon's words, everyone, including Chen Ze, simultaneously turned their gaze in the direction she indicated.
There, isolated in a cage off to one side, was a uniquely styled Agumon—dressed as a traditional Japanese samurai, holding a sharp katana in one hand.
Just like a genuine samurai straight out of ancient Japan, this strangely attired Agumon wore not only authentic warrior garments but even sported a finely detailed family crest on its chest.
Even more striking was that, unlike the other dispirited Digimon around, BushiAgumon remained peacefully seated with its eyes calmly shut, appearing not as a captive but rather as a disciplined warrior deep in meditation.
Even as every pair of eyes in the area landed upon him, BushiAgumon showed no hint of discomfort, continuing instead to sit serenely in place, legs crossed, absolutely motionless.
---
A/N: The moment I saw the image, my immediate reaction was, isn't this basically Agumon as Yasuo?
T/N: 4 chaps meeting this weeks quota, i was toooo lazy and slept allllllllll week sorgee
bonus chaps
100 stones -> 1 chapter
200 stones -> 2 chapters
300 stones -> 3 chapters
and so on
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