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( bonus Chapter)
Card-swap evolution. The concept came from the third generation of Digimon media, where tamers could use physical cards to grant their Digimon temporary abilities, stat boosts, or trigger evolution to higher forms.
"If I separate the evolution-triggering function from the Digivice and d istribute it across auxiliary cards, the Digivice's construction requirements drop significantly." Luke's pen flew across paper. "Better yet, I can segment the evolution data by stage, creating individual cards for each evolution path. The Digimon's base form stays constant. The auxiliary card determines which direction the evolution goes."
The more he developed the idea, the more viable it became. By the time he looked up from his notes, the sun had crossed the sky and was sinking toward the horizon. He'd been at it for the entire day without stopping.
The door opened quietly. Mana floated in with a tray of food, saw his state of total immersion, and just as quietly placed the tray on the desk beside him before withdrawing. She'd learned by now: when Luke's eyes had that particular intensity, interrupting him was like trying to stop a river by standing in front of it. Better to put food within arm's reach and wait.
Deep into the night, Luke finally set down his pen. The table was buried under sheets of paper covered in evolution trees, system diagrams, material calculations, and card specifications. The breakthrough from the Evolution Stone had cascaded into a full architectural design for the Digimon card system.
"Master, you haven't eaten all day. Please." Mana appeared again, food reheated and steaming.
Luke looked at the tray, then at the dark sky outside, and realized his stomach had been screaming for hours.
"Thanks." He ate gratefully while Mana fussed over him, and then deliberately shut down his work for the night. Even genius had to sleep.
-----
Several days later.
Luke dressed, told Mana he'd be away for the Youth Training Competition, and headed to the Association headquarters.
The building was relatively quiet this early, but the few Card Masters present immediately noticed something unusual: Nina Ashby, Harrison Cole's personal secretary, was standing at the entrance. Waiting.
Nina didn't wait at doors. Nina processed paperwork, managed schedules, and occasionally terrified junior staff with her Monarch Realm pressure. She did not do reception duty.
"Who's she waiting for?"
"Must be someone important. She's the president's right hand."
"Maybe a visiting dignitary? Another branch president?"
The speculation died the moment Luke walked up to the entrance and Nina's face lit up with a warm, professional smile.
"Welcome, Luke." She stepped forward to greet him. "President Cole is expecting you."
The onlookers' jaws collectively loosened. The mysterious VIP was a kid. A high school student, from the look of it.
"Hold on. Isn't she single?"
"She's always been single. Never even a rumor."
"And now she's waiting at the door for a boy young enough to be her student? Is this an older woman, younger man situation?"
Nina's enhanced hearing picked up every word. A flush crept up her neck. She wanted very badly to turn around and demonstrate exactly what a Monarch Realm Card Master could do to gossips with overactive imaginations. But Harrison's instructions were clear: escort Luke directly to the office.
She kept walking.
Luke noticed her staring at him as they moved through the corridors. What Luke didn't know was the storm happening behind Nina's composed expression. She'd personally processed every piece of his paperwork. The direct enrollment. The elite promotion. The fastest membership-to-elite climb in Association history. She knew the facts of his file intimately, but not the reason behind any of it. And now, seeing him in person for the first time, she couldn't find a single thing about him that explained why Harrison Cole had broken every rule he'd ever set.
He was young. Handsome, sure, a bit more than his file photo suggested. But otherwise? He looked like any other high school student. There was nothing visibly extraordinary about him.
And yet here she was, personally escorting him to the president's office.
"Excuse me, is there something on my face?" Luke noticed the woman who'd been assigned to meet him was staring. She'd contacted him the day before to arrange the pickup time, but this was their first face-to-face meeting, and the intensity of her gaze was starting to feel unusual.
"No! Nothing at all." The secretary's composure cracked, a blush appearing on her cheeks. "President Cole and the others are waiting. I'm Nina Ashby, the president's secretary. Please follow me."
Behind them, the onlookers tracked their path with laser focus.
"She's taking him toward the president's office."
"The president's office?"
"Maybe it's not a romance after all…"