Chapter 21: So... Am I Being Targeted?
"Mizu, how are you feeling now?"
The divine light enveloping Mizuki's leg receded. Under Angewomon's incredibly thorough treatment, his right leg was completely restored, without so much as a lingering scar.
Her expression was a mixture of worry and anticipation. In response, Mizuki sprang to his feet with a fluid kip-up, then snapped off a series of whip kicks into the air. The movements were so sharp and sudden they startled everyone watching.
Each kick produced a vicious crack that split the air, a sound sharp enough to raise the hairs on their arms.
"Wow… I guess it's true what they say," Taichi said, his eyes wide with awe. "Everyone from your country really does know martial arts." The stereotype he held for the great Eastern nation deepened.
"And I told you, that's purely a stereotype," Mizuki shot back with a helpless glare before turning his attention back to the angel Digimon.
"You were a huge help, Angewomon. Thank you."
"No… it's what I should do… I mean…"
A faint blush colored Angewomon's cheeks at the sight of Mizuki's warm smile. A moment later, a veil of darkness washed over her, and in a swirl of shadows, the holy angel reverted to the familiar form of LadyDevimon.
Witnessing how casually Mizuki's partner shifted between her forms, the other children subconsciously glanced at their own Digimon.
"Um, Agumon," Taichi began, "can you also transform as freely as Mizuki's partner?"
"?"
Agumon, who had just de-digivolved from Greymon, blinked his large eyes, looking a bit lost. He wasn't sure if he could, but under Taichi's expectant gaze, he puffed out his chest with a surge of confidence.
"Hmm~ I'll try my best!"
"Oh! I believe in you!"
With that, Taichi and Agumon clasped hands and began performing a strange, "mysterious" dance on the spot.
Watching the two of them goofing around, the other children couldn't help but feel a sense of exasperated fondness. The comical display, however, did wonders to dissolve the lingering tension from the battle, and the atmosphere grew much more relaxed.
On the other side, Mizuki watched the familiar scene unfold, his own eyes blinking in surprise. He recognized that dance. Wasn't that the victory jig Taichi and Zeromaru performed in the Digimon V-Tamer 01 manga?
He recalled his own history with the franchise. After the first season of the anime, he had been so disappointed by its sequel that he'd given up on watching subsequent works. Instead, he had immersed himself in the lore, reading up on various Digimon settings and the original comics. Among them, the V-Tamer manga, which predated the first anime, had left a deep impression on him.
'So, will this Agumon eventually evolve into Zeromaru?' Mizuki wondered, though he couldn't be sure.
Perhaps it was the butterfly effect of his own presence, or perhaps it was Kari's. Taichi's approach to things was far more cautious than in the original story, and his personality seemed more optimistic and cheerful.
Speaking of Kari… Mizuki's gaze drifted, intentionally or not, to the girl standing beside her brother. She was still as small and slender as he remembered, but her complexion was much healthier than it had been in the anime.
It was said that Kari's frail health in her youth was largely connected to her possession by the entity known as the Constant. But the Kari he saw now was clearly the picture of health.
'In other words… the Constant didn't target Kari this time,'he reasoned silently, connecting the seemingly unrelated clues in his mind.'Because she wasn't frail and sickly, she was able to come to summer camp.'He turned his attention back to himself.'If the Constant didn't target Kari, then… could I be her substitute?'
After all, in the original storyline, the character of "Mizuki" never existed.
But as he thought it through, the logic began to fall apart. He didn't have a Digivice. It was highly unlikely that he was one of the DigiDestined.
"..."
At that point, the trail of clues gathered through thought and observation went cold. It was frustrating, but dwelling on it further was pointless.
Just then, the other children began to stir. The high-strung tension of the battle had faded, and now that they could finally relax, a wave of physical exhaustion washed over them.
Mimi's shoulders slumped, her hand pressed against her stomach as it let out an embarrassingly loud growl. "On another note," she said, her voice weary, "is anyone else starving?"
"We've been running around all day, and we haven't even had a chance to eat."
"That's true," Taichi and Koushiro agreed, exchanging a glance before nodding.
While Taichi went to check on Kari, Mizuki looked over at Elecmon.
"Elecmon, would you mind taking the children to get something to eat?"
"I'd do it even if you didn't ask," Elecmon replied with a cheerful nod. "They're the legendary DigiDestined, after all. But even if they weren't, we owe them a proper meal for protecting the Village of Beginnings."
"The Digimon are going to treat us to a meal~"
Hearing the exchange, not only Mimi but also little Takeru began to look excited.
Yamato, however, remained a bit skeptical. "Can we really eat what Digimon eat?"
"It should… be fine, right?" Joe added, sounding just as unsure. He considered Mizuki, who had appeared before them and seemed to know so much. Did that mean he'd been living here for a while?
"Come on, isn't it obvious?" Taichi finally stepped in, dispelling their worries with his usual confidence. "If it wasn't edible, Mizuki wouldn't have suggested it, right?"
Kari followed her brother's lead, bowing politely to both Mizuki and Elecmon. "Brother Mizuki, Elecmon, thank you both."
"It's nothing, no need to be so formal," Elecmon said, waving a small paw.
"Actually," Mizuki chimed in, "your worries aren't entirely unfounded."
He continued, "Humans can eat Digimon food just fine. But… putting aside the few Digimon who are natural chefs, most of our cooking might not agree with your human palates. However," he added, a slight smirk playing on his lips as he gestured to himself, "that all changed when I arrived."
Following his words, all eyes in the group once again fixed on Mizuki.
Mizuki: "?"
Koushiro's eyes lit up. "I see…"
"Koushiro, you figured something out?" Taichi asked.
With a knowing expression, Koushiro pushed up his glasses. "Taichi-san, have you forgotten? Mizuki-san is from China."
"The quality of Chinese cuisine is considered top-tier all over the world."
"There's even a saying: 'Not every person from China knows martial arts, but every single one of them knows good food!'"
"He's right, he's right!" Mimi exclaimed, clapping her hands in agreement. "Chinese food is the best! Whenever my parents took me on vacation to America, we always went to eat in Chinatown!"
Listening to their conversation, the other children, who had initially held no great expectations for Digimon food, began to show a renewed and growing interest.
Amidst the rising tide of excitement, only Mizuki, the focus of all their hopes, wore a wry smile.
"Alright, a little warning first," he said, raising a hand to temper their enthusiasm. "I'm just an average cook. If you build this up too much in your heads, don't blame me when you're disappointed, okay?"
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