Chapter 144: Observing in the Shadows
"BlackAgumon, you bastard—!"
"Oh? It's BlackGatomon~"
Not long after stepping out of Impmon's recovery room, a sharp, overly familiar voice sliced through the corridor, making every dark scale on BlackAgumon's body stand on end.
He forced his jaw to unclench, slowly turning his head toward the source of the sound.
Sure enough, a familiar feline figure was stalking down the hallway. BlackGatomon moved with quick, aggressive strides, her dark paws hitting the floorboards with heavy intent. Trailing just behind her were two smaller Digimon.
Seeing the sheer hostility radiating from her narrowed eyes, BlackAgumon's mind instantly flashed back to the miserable memory of being ruthlessly hunted by her. A cold bead of sweat broke out across his forehead.
"BlackGatomon, wait, hold on a second, we can talk this out—"
He scrambled backward, raising both clawed hands in a desperate, defensive posture.
To his absolute shock, the furious feline stopped dead in her tracks just a few paces away.
She stared at the cowering dinosaur, her eyebrow twitching violently. She let out a heavy, annoyed breath and rolled her eyes. "What is wrong with you? Are you afraid I am going to eat you or something?"
BlackAgumon kept his mouth shut. His rigid posture and wide eyes answered the question perfectly.
BlackGatomon's eye twitched again. She felt her temper running unusually short today. Was it because this oversized lizard had witnessed her embarrassing, dark past? Or was it because a certain simpleton had casually exposed her deepest thoughts earlier?
Probably a frustrating mix of both.
She closed her eyes, taking a long, slow breath to force her bristling fur to lie flat.
"I came to find you so you could look after these two little ones," she said, her tone finally stabilizing as she gestured with a claw toward the duo behind her. "I still have my own patrol duties to finish."
"Oh, so that is it. It is them."
BlackAgumon lowered his guard, letting out a quiet sigh of relief. He remembered them well. It was entirely thanks to the sudden intrusion of these two that he had managed to slip away from BlackGatomon's murderous pursuit earlier. They were his literal saviors.
"Gatomon, and this one is—"
"I am Zubamon," Mizuki chimed in, his voice dripping with wide-eyed, innocent enthusiasm.
"Zubamon, is it? I see." BlackAgumon gave a slow, respectful nod.
Despite the briefness of their previous encounter, his combat instincts were sharp. Beneath their unassuming Rookie-level exteriors, he could keenly sense a dense, terrifying well of dormant power.
His posture straightened, his demeanor shifting from comedic panic to serious responsibility. BlackGatomon had brought him two genuinely incredible juniors.
They were currently standing in the private VIP sector of the luxury cruise ship. Under normal circumstances, only trusted Digimon belonging to their inner circle were permitted past the heavy velvet ropes. For BlackGatomon to bring these two newcomers here directly spoke volumes about her assessment of them.
Understanding the assignment, BlackAgumon waved a claw, gesturing for the two disguised partners to come closer.
"Leave it to me, BlackGatomon. I will show them around the area." He offered a reassuring grin. "You can go handle your business with peace of mind."
He paused, his expression softening slightly. "Oh, right. Impmon has already woken up. She seems to be recovering quite well. If you find the time later, you should go check on her."
"Is that so..."
BlackGatomon's ears perked up slightly. She studied BlackAgumon's face for a long moment, searching for any trace of a joke, before giving a curt nod.
"I will go see her. But I have to finish today's shift first."
"Oh?" BlackAgumon raised a scaly brow, clearly amused by her dedication.
BlackGatomon shot him a withering glare, rolling her eyes once more. "Look, although there are plenty of things about you that deeply annoy me, I have to admit one thing." She crossed her arms. "Compared to Agumon and Monochromon, you are actually somewhat reliable."
Without waiting for a response, she spun on her heel and marched down the corridor.
Yet, after only a few steps, her pace faltered. She stopped, her back still turned to him.
"By the way," she called out, her voice lacking its usual bite. "You are clearly the strongest fighter among us. Start acting like it. Be a bit more confident when you face me. Looking so timid all the time... are you looking down on me?"
"Looking down on you? Not at all."
BlackAgumon blinked, momentarily stunned by the sudden lecture, before a warm, genuine smile spread across his reptilian snout. "It is true that my combat strength is a little higher than yours. However, compared to oppressing my companions with raw power and making myself unapproachable, I much prefer this relaxed atmosphere."
He looked down at his own dark, sharp claws, his voice dropping to a quiet, resolute murmur. "After all, for me, strength is only meant to protect."
BlackGatomon did not turn around. But in her mind's eye, she could perfectly picture his calm, serious, yet undeniably gentle face.
Her lips pressed together into a tight, thin line.
"Fool..." she muttered under her breath.
This time, she did not stop walking, disappearing around the corner of the grand hallway.
Watching her vanish, BlackAgumon let out a helpless, rumbling chuckle. He shook his head and turned his attention back to the two Digimon standing quietly beside him.
He was fully aware that Gatomon and Zubamon had been silently observing the entire exchange. He did not mind it in the slightest. In fact, he welcomed it.
"So, how does it feel?" he asked, his tone bright and welcoming. "Do you think you can get used to the atmosphere around here?"
Belle and Mizuki exchanged a brief, sidelong glance.
"It is alright," they answered in perfect, practiced unison. "Everyone seems pretty friendly."
Beneath his Zubamon disguise, Mizuki felt a sudden, heavy wave of emotion wash over his chest.
It had only been one short week. Just seven days. Yet, looking at the dark-scaled dinosaur before him, the growth was staggering. Mizuki remembered when this BlackAgumon was nothing more than a violent brute, a creature completely reliant on savage force to solve every problem. Now, he stood tall as the dependable, emotionally intelligent big brother of their little found family.
Even BlackGatomon had changed. Her original gloomy, manipulative edge had softened dramatically, making way for a much more expressive, outgoing personality.
They were healing each other. Influencing each other in the best possible ways.
As for Monochromon, Mizuki could not say for sure, having not crossed paths with the armored beast just yet. But if he had to guess who had changed the absolute least, it would undoubtedly be Agumon. That guy still radiated the exact same painfully honest, simple-minded energy as always. It felt remarkably similar to the vibe of Taichi's Agumon from his memories.
It was a funny contradiction, really. Megadramon and Greymon were closely related evolutionary lines, yet the virus-attribute BlackAgumon standing right in front of him was infinitely more mature and reliable than his vaccine-attribute counterpart.
Mizuki hummed a quiet, happy tune in his mind.
Oblivious to the deep, nostalgic pride swelling inside the disguised Zubamon, BlackAgumon chuckled again. "Hehe, I am really glad to hear you say that."
He waved a claw toward the end of the corridor. "Come with me. I will take you to your assigned rooms. Along the way, I can fill you in on what happens next."
"Then we will be in your care, BlackAgumon," Mizuki said politely.
"No trouble at all."
As they walked through the opulent halls, Mizuki took in the surroundings. He recalled the history of this massive luxury cruise ship. It originally belonged to Kiwimon, one of Etemon's loyal subordinates. Thinking back to the main deck earlier, where he had spotted Kiwimon aggressively directing a squad of miserable Numemon to scrub the floors, Mizuki gave a small, internal nod of approval.
They had successfully brought Kiwimon into the fold. Excellent.
His strategic musings were interrupted by BlackAgumon's low voice echoing from ahead.
"BlackGatomon should have already briefed you on the nature of our faction, right?" BlackAgumon glanced over his shoulder, his tone dropping to a conspiratorial whisper. "Although we are currently taking orders from Myotismon, we are absolutely not loyal to him."
"So, we are spies?" Mizuki tilted his golden, bladed head, playing the part of the curious rookie perfectly.
BlackAgumon scratched his chin, pondering the word. "I guess you could call it that?"
"Guess?"
"Well, this arrangement was only finalized recently. The thing about Myotismon is that he does not actually care whether his subordinates are genuinely loyal or not." BlackAgumon's eyes narrowed slightly. "His focus is entirely singular. He only cares about completing his grand plan. Because of that, we do not have to break our backs hiding our lack of devotion."
Realizing that might sound a bit too reckless for new recruits, he quickly raised a finger to clarify. "Of course, we still cannot push our luck. At least on the surface, we have to put on a convincing show of obedience."
Belle and Mizuki shared another look, both nodding in understanding.
"We get it," Belle said, her voice smooth and calm. "So, what exactly is our true purpose here?"
"That is exactly what we need to discuss." BlackAgumon stopped walking. The relaxed, friendly big-brother aura vanished, replaced instantly by a chilling, deadly seriousness.
"The absolute biggest reason we infiltrated Myotismon's ranks is to tear that bastard down."
A fierce, bloodthirsty glint flared in his yellow eyes. The ambient temperature in the hallway seemed to drop a few degrees. For a split second, the raw, violent nature of a Virus-type Digimon bled through his civilized exterior, thick and suffocating.
"He dared to attack the adult we respect," BlackAgumon growled, his claws flexing instinctively. "And that is a sin we will never forgive."
Mizuki blinked, a bead of sweat forming under his disguise. "Eh..."
Taking a deep breath, BlackAgumon reined in his surging killing intent, forcing his posture to relax. The oppressive pressure vanished as quickly as it had appeared.
"By the way, speaking of that adult..." BlackAgumon looked between the two of them. "I assume BlackGatomon told you all about him, right?"
Mizuki stared at him in utter silence.
"Strange. Why are you making that face?" BlackAgumon tilted his head, genuinely confused. "Did she skip the speech?"
Knowing BlackGatomon's usual fanatical recruitment pitch, she should have spent at least twenty minutes singing their savior's praises.
Realizing his blank stare was suspicious, Mizuki quickly scrambled to recover. "She did! She definitely did. According to BlackGatomon, that adult... um, he holds a very special place in all of your hearts, doesn't he?"
Belle kept her face perfectly neutral, staring straight ahead. She did not say a single word, but through their bond, Mizuki could feel her practically vibrating with the effort of holding back a burst of hysterical laughter.
"I knew it." BlackAgumon sighed, a look of deep understanding washing over his face. "How could BlackGatomon ever change her ways?"
He shook his head, offering the two newcomers a helpless, apologetic smile. "Honestly, you do not need to pay too much attention to her exaggerated preaching. I will gladly admit that the adult is an incredibly great person, but knowing his personality, he really does not like being placed on a pedestal like that."
BlackAgumon placed a hand on his hip. "So, when you finally get to meet him, just be yourselves. Compared to playing the role of a strict superior, he much prefers to treat us Digimon as his family and companions." A wry smile tugged at his lips. "Though, I must admit, I find his lack of self-importance a bit helpless sometimes."
Exactly. Exactly!
Listening to the dark dinosaur's earnest words, Mizuki felt a massive surge of validation. If it would not completely blow his cover, he would have marched right up and clapped BlackAgumon on the shoulder in deep, tearful brotherhood.
The one who truly understands me is BlackAgumon!
It was the absolute truth. Mizuki despised the feeling of being worshipped. Whenever he lent a helping hand, it was never for rewards, glory, or blind devotion. He did it simply because he wanted to. Because it was the right thing to do.
On a deeper level, rather than throwing himself into the center of a lively, chaotic crowd, Mizuki's nature always drew him to the edges. He preferred to sit quietly beside his friends, watching over them, silently protecting the beautiful bonds they shared.
Was that contradictory? A leader who refused to lead from the front?
Perhaps. But weren't humans fundamentally built on contradictions?
"Sorry, I got a little off-topic there." BlackAgumon coughed into his fist, breaking Mizuki's internal monologue. "If we really start talking about that adult, we could stand here for days and nights and still not finish. Let us focus on the current situation."
His expression hardened once more.
"As I said, our primary objective is to take down Myotismon. However, there is a secondary motive at play here: self-improvement. A massive portion of the power we currently wield is a direct result of that adult's generous help. We infiltrated this faction to hone our own skills, to ensure we do not develop a lazy, crippling dependence on his protection."
"I understand," Mizuki nodded approvingly. "One must forge their own strength."
"However," Mizuki continued, tilting his head to play the devil's advocate. "If the goal is just to take down Myotismon, it seems like your group already has the firepower to do it, right? Is there really a need to keep lurking in the shadows?"
He listed off the facts. "Big Sister BlackGatomon possesses Ultimate-level strength, doesn't she? And she just said that you are the strongest among the group, Big Brother BlackAgumon. That means your power must have reached the Ultimate level as well. With two Ultimate-level fighters, there is absolutely no reason you should lose to a single Ultimate-level Myotismon."
Hearing the tactical breakdown, BlackAgumon fell silent. He crossed his arms, his brow furrowing in deep thought. After taking a few moments to carefully organize his words, he looked back at the disguised duo.
"First of all, battles between Digimon are never simply determined by numbers." His voice carried the weight of a seasoned veteran. "As Digimon yourselves, you should be very clear about this fundamental rule."
The outcome of a life-or-death struggle was never dictated by mere quantity. It was dictated by the sheer density and quality of one's data.
"Myotismon is not just an Ultimate. He is a veteran powerhouse who has existed for far, far longer than any of us. His combat experience is vast. When you factor in his massive accumulation of data and his seemingly endless array of dark, treacherous tricks, we simply do not have the absolute certainty required to completely eradicate him."
BlackAgumon's eyes darkened, a shadow falling over his scaled face. "Not to mention, he is currently holding onto a terrifying trump card."
"A trump card?" Belle raised a delicate brow.
At those words, any lingering trace of boredom vanished from her mind. They were not the only ones plotting Myotismon's downfall. Sharing the exact same objective as this rebel faction, Belle refused to miss a single scrap of vital intelligence regarding their mutual enemy.
"That is right." BlackAgumon did not attempt to hide the grim reality.
"It is a gate. A dimensional door that leads directly into the Human World."
He looked down the corridor, as if staring through the steel walls of the ship toward their looming enemy.
"Myotismon possesses the exact means to force that door open. Even if we manage to overpower him in a direct fight, if we cannot completely destroy his core data in that exact instant... if he manages to escape through that gate and hide himself within the Human World, the consequences will be catastrophic."
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