Chapter 8: When the Gears of Fate Begin to Turn
A single meteor blazed a silver trail across the boundless, clear sky, and in its wake, the gears of fate began to slowly, irrevocably, turn.
A gentle breeze whispered through the forest, ruffling the boy's dark hair and softly tapping against his half-closed eyelids. Mizuki gazed at the distant horizon, a long, satisfying stretch working the stiffness from his limbs before he slowly rose from the ground.
Some time had passed since the desperate battle against Devimon.
Though the encounter had left him battered and on the verge of collapse, the passing days had allowed his body and spirit to mend. He had recovered. While he still couldn't guarantee a decisive victory against a foe of that caliber, he knew he would never again be as helpless as he was that day.
The soft crunch of footsteps sounded from behind him. It was Elecmon.
The small Digimon, who had miraculously survived Devimon's initial rampage, had been found and brought back to the Village of Beginnings by Koromon and Monodramon. His fortunate absence meant he had been spared the brutal fight that followed.
Elecmon's eyes followed Mizuki's gaze toward the sky. "Mizuki," he began, his voice hesitant, "is that the meteor you were talking about?" He paused, then corrected himself. "Or rather… the DigiDestined."
"Yes. That's them," Mizuki confirmed with a simple nod. "It seems they've finally arrived in this world."
"What do you plan to do?" Elecmon asked, his tail twitching with a hint of nervousness.
"What to do?" Mizuki repeated, a thoughtful hum in his voice. He recalled the faded, cherished memories of the anime, of the courage and camaraderie he had so admired. He couldn't deny the considerable soft spot he held for these children, especially their charismatic leader, Taichi Yagami.
A faint, mischievous curve touched Mizuki's lips.
"Of course, I'm going to go 'say hello'," he said, the words laced with hidden meaning. "After all, I still need to 'borrow'a little of their'power'."
Elecmon tilted his head, his expression a mask of confusion. "Is this about BlackGatomon?" he ventured, his tail swaying gently in the breeze. "But… are those DigiDestined you mentioned really reliable?"
"Who knows?" Mizuki shrugged, his tone light. "But there are at least two or three dependable ones in the group." He turned his attention from the sky, his expression softening. "Besides, I'm not going to find them for their sake. It's for someone else entirely."
As he spoke, Mizuki's hand gently stroked the small, sleeping form curled up beside him.
A pair of eyelids flickered open, revealing large, luminous eyes that soon reflected his own image.
"Mizu," a sleepy voice murmured, "is it time to eat?"
"Not yet, BlackGatomon," he answered softly.
BlackGatomon, a Champion-level Digimon. She was, without a doubt, the same Nyaromon he had first met in this world. After their harrowing battle, her digicore had been grievously contaminated by Devimon's dark virus. The holy power representing light and the viral data representing darkness—two diametrically opposed forces—were now locked in a constant, violent struggle within her core. The conflict had been so severe it had nearly caused her data to collapse entirely.
Though she had eventually stabilized, she could no longer maintain the power of her Ultimate form. The strain was too great, forcing her to degenerate back into her Champion-level state as BlackGatomon. To conserve energy and keep the warring data in check, she now spent most of her time in a deep slumber.
Curiously, however, a remnant of her original nature persisted. Perhaps because the light within her had not been completely extinguished, Mizuki's BlackGatomon possessed a feature unheard of in her species: the golden Holy Ring that typically only a Gatomon would wear.
"Instead of eating, we should be getting ready to leave," Mizuki said, his gaze shifting toward the direction where the meteor had fallen. He carefully scooped her soft, warm body into his arms.
"It's time we found some external help to fix your problem."
— — — —
Mizuki moved with silent purpose through the lush, tropical rainforest bordering the Village of Beginnings, BlackGatomon nestled securely in his arms. As he had told Elecmon, his destination was the landing site of the DigiDestined.
His reasons were twofold. A small part was indeed driven by a fond, childhood nostalgia, but the overwhelming motivation was for BlackGatomon. After weeks of careful observation and care, he had confirmed his theory: her condition stemmed from a catastrophic imbalance. The immense dark power forced upon her by Devimon was overwhelming the holy data that was her birthright.
He remembered Devimon's chilling words: the brighter the light, the deeper the shadow it casts.
If this darkness could not be purged from her body, then perhaps he needed to approach the problem from a different angle. Instead of trying to remove the shadow, he would amplify the light until the two forces reached a stable equilibrium.
And the key to that plan rested in the hands of the newly arrived children. The Digivices they carried were more than just simple tools; they were conduits of immense, pure data and a unique power capable of creating miracles. He was certain that power could help BlackGatomon finally bring her internal data back into balance.
Just as Mizuki was contemplating the best way to approach them, a commotion up ahead shattered the jungle's tranquility, instantly capturing his and BlackGatomon's attention.
"Mizu—"
In a heartbeat, BlackGatomon was fully alert, her sleepy demeanor vanishing. Her gaze snapped to the boy holding her, her body tensing, ready for his command. It was an unspoken promise; even if it meant risking the collapse of her own data, she would not hesitate to force an evolution to LadyDevimon to protect him.
Everything she was, she was for him. He was the most special, most important being in her entire existence.
But just as fiercely as she valued him, Mizuki valued her. He would never ask her to make such a sacrifice.
"Don't be nervous, BlackGatomon," he whispered, his voice a calming balm. "Let's see what's going on first."
"...Mm. I'll listen to Mizu."
After a shared, understanding glance, Mizuki leaped, landing silently on the thick branch of a nearby tree, concealing them both within the dense canopy.
— — — —
It was as if he were watching a scene play out from a script written long ago. The DigiDestined, led by a brash Taichi Yagami, had met their respective Digimon partners just after arriving. And immediately after, they had been ambushed by a vicious Kuwagamon.
By the time Mizuki found them, the children were already cornered, their backs against a cliff edge, their faces pale with terror.
"Mizu, those people are in danger! What should we do?" BlackGatomon whispered, her voice tight with concern.
Though she had been reborn as a Virus-type, a creature of darkness, the innate kindness she possessed as Nyaromon had not faded in the slightest. Still, before she would ever act, she looked to the boy beside her for guidance. In her eyes, Mizuki was her world. After the time they had spent together, his gentleness and unwavering care had made him her everything.
"Danger… you're not wrong, on the surface," Mizuki murmured, his eyes fixed on the scene below.
"?" BlackGatomon looked at him, confused.
A knowing smile touched his lips. "But the DigiDestined are beings who can summon miracles."
The very instant the words left his mouth, seven brilliant beams of light pierced through the jungle canopy, bathing the children's small partners in a radiant glow. In a flash of data and energy, all of them evolved, transforming from their In-Training forms into their Rookie stages!
"They… they actually evolved?!" BlackGatomon stared, her eyes wide with astonishment.
As a Digimon who had grown up in the wild, she knew better than anyone how arduous the path of evolution was. It required immense data accumulation and experience, yet those little ones had achieved it in an instant, despite their data levels being nowhere near the required threshold.
"See? That's their power," Mizuki said, gesturing toward the glowing devices clutched in each of the children's hands. He then gently picked up BlackGatomon. "And now, it's our turn to make our move."
He knew this part of the story well. While the newly evolved Rookie Digimon could hold Kuwagamon back for a time, they were still far from strong enough to defeat it. According to the original script, this fight would end with all of them being knocked off the cliff and into the river below.
This was his chance. He could step in, prevent that from happening, and consider it a small apology for the data he was about to snatch.
"BlackGatomon," he said, his voice low and clear, "when the fight starts again, I need you to absorb as much of the scattered data from their Digivices as you can."
He met her determined gaze. "With the support of that pure data, you'll definitely be able to balance the power inside you."
"Mm! I understand, Mizu!"
She nodded, her resolve hardening. As BlackGatomon turned her attention back to the battle below, her expression was firm. If she could solve this problem, if she could finally stabilize her body, she could spend more time with Mizu—awake, by his side, instead of lost in an endless slumber.
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