Chapter 183: Is it really okay to be this unbalanced?
"Myotismon! Myotismon, can you hear me?"
"Hurry up and open the passage. We have 'new stock' waiting."
LadyDevimon stood before an empty stretch of the dark cavern, channeling her dark energy into the unique communication frequency Myotismon had left behind. Her voice echoed off the damp stone walls, laced with a distinct hint of impatience.
Barely a moment after her words faded, the air ahead rippled. A projection of dark mist coalesced, rapidly forming the tall, imposing phantom of Myotismon.
"LadyDevimon," the vampire lord's aristocratic voice drifted through the projection. "What is it? A harvest so soon?"
"Soon?" LadyDevimon crossed her arms, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly. "Myotismon, are you mistaken? Quite a bit of time has already passed on this side."
"Some time has passed?"
The phantom of Myotismon frowned, a subtle tightening of his pale features. The temporal flow between the Digital World and the Human World was clearly distorted.
Catching the shift in his expression, LadyDevimon tilted her head, her curiosity piqued. "What's wrong? Is there some issue with the time?"
"...That is not something you should concern yourself with."
Myotismon's gaze flicked over her, cold and dismissive, instantly steering the conversation back to his primary objective. "Back to business. Bring up the Digimon you found so I can take a look."
"As you wish."
Though she didn't get the answer she wanted, LadyDevimon merely shrugged. It hardly mattered. She would be heading to the Human World soon enough; she could investigate the temporal anomaly herself when the time came.
More —
"Bring it up," she commanded, snapping her fingers.
From the shadows behind her, a heavy, dragging sound echoed through the chamber. A massive, hulking figure was slowly hauled into the light of Myotismon's phantom projection. A Megadramon, its metallic serpentine body coiled with effort, and a much smaller Monodramon strained against the sheer weight of their captive.
Between them lay the unconscious form of ShogunGekomon, a colossal, spore-covered behemoth.
"Hmm? This is... ShogunGekomon?" Myotismon's eyes gleamed with recognition.
"That's right. Well?" LadyDevimon rested a hand on her hip, a smirk playing on her lips. "Does this fellow meet your expectations, Myotismon?"
"Not bad, LadyDevimon. You truly are an excellent partner."
Myotismon had heard rumors of this ShogunGekomon wandering the Server Continent. While its actual combat strength was negligible in his eyes, its raw data volume as an Ultimate-level Digimon was substantial. To Myotismon, creatures like this were nothing more than premium fodder—stepping stones to fuel his eventual digivolution to the Mega-level.
Naturally, he did not withhold his praise for the dark fallen angel who had secured such a massive feast for him.
Of course, praise was all it was.
"LadyDevimon, I acknowledge your contribution," Myotismon declared, his phantom form gesturing toward the back of the chamber. "Now, throw this big fellow through."
Deep within the castle ruins, the heavy stone gate groaned. Dark energy flared along its edges as it slowly ground open, revealing a swirling vortex of digital space.
Meanwhile, completely hidden in the dense shadows cast by the gate's opening, Izzy sat cross-legged on the cold floor. The pale glow of his laptop screen reflected in his intense, focused eyes. Under the cover of LadyDevimon's transaction, his fingers flew across the keyboard in a silent, frantic blur, rapidly analyzing the data streams radiating from the portal.
The gate was only open for a brief window—just long enough for the Megadramon and Monodramon to heave the massive, unconscious bulk of ShogunGekomon into the vortex. But for Izzy, that brief window was enough.
By the time the heavy doors slammed shut and Myotismon severed the connection, Izzy hit the final key.
"Izzy, did you get it?" Taichi whispered, stepping out from behind a crumbling pillar.
"Yes, Taichi. I've confirmed it," Izzy replied, turning his laptop screen toward the group.
Seeing that the coast was clear, the rest of the DigiDestined and their partners emerged from the darkness one after another, gathering around the glowing screen.
"The method to open the gate is exactly as we previously analyzed," Izzy explained, pointing to the scrolling lines of code. "What we need to do next is extract Digimon data that meets the specific criteria and inject it into the stone table ahead."
Taichi leaned in, reading the translated parameters. "Ultimate-level, Champion-level, Rookie-level." He paused, his brow furrowing. "And for attributes: Data-type, Virus-type, Vaccine-type."
He looked up, meeting the eyes of his companions. "Going from Ultimate down to Rookie isn't difficult for us to cover. However... regarding the attributes, if I recall correctly, we don't seem to have any Data-type Ultimate-level Digimon, do we?"
A heavy silence fell over the group. Among the Digimon present, they had an abundance of Virus and Vaccine types. But when it came to Data types...
The children instinctively turned to look at their respective partners.
"Gabumon," Matt started, looking down at the reptile-skinned pelt of his partner. "If I remember correctly, you're a Data-type, right?"
Gabumon nodded firmly. "That's right, Matt. I'm a Data-type Digimon." He paused, his ears drooping slightly. "However... after evolving to my Champion-level, Garurumon, I become a Vaccine-type."
"Garurumon's Ultimate form is very likely WereGarurumon, which reverts back to a Data-type Digimon," LadyDevimon chimed in, leaning against a nearby wall with a casual smirk.
Hearing this, Gabumon lowered his head, a wave of disappointment washing over him. He wasn't at the Ultimate level yet. He couldn't help them open the gate.
Seeing his partner's dejection, Matt immediately dropped to one knee. He reached out, his hand hovering awkwardly for a second before he gently patted the fur on Gabumon's head. 'Hey, don't worry about it,'Matt muttered, his cheeks coloring slightly as he stumbled through the comfort.'We'll figure it out.'Standing a few feet away, Taichi quietly observed Matt's clumsy but genuine attempt to console Gabumon. A soft smile spread across Taichi's face.'Compared to when we first arrived in this world, Matt has really changed a lot.'
Seeing his friends grow and mature always brought a sense of warmth to Taichi's chest. However, that fleeting moment of pride was quickly crushed by the weight of their current dilemma.
"Data-type... Data-type..." Taichi scratched his head, groaning in frustration. "Why didn't I notice before that our team was so incredibly unbalanced?"
His complaint drew a chorus of unanimous, weary nods from the other children.
Looking at the roster, the reality was glaring. Among the partners present, excluding Gabumon, Palmon, and Patamon, the other five were strictly Vaccine-types. And even worse, once they evolved a stage, both Gabumon and Patamon defected from the Data camp, running straight into the embrace of the Vaccine attribute.
That left exactly one candidate.
Palmon. Or rather, her Champion form, Togemon.
"In other words... it falls on us in the end?" Mimi blinked, realizing that every single pair of eyes in the cavern had naturally shifted to her and her partner. She pointed a trembling finger at herself, then looked down at Palmon.
"Palmon..."
"Mimi..."
They stared at each other. Though visibly reluctant, Mimi understood the stakes. For the sake of opening the gate and getting home, she reached into her shirt and pulled out her Crest, clutching it tightly under Palmon's expectant, wide-eyed gaze.
Mimi knelt down, her expression turning deadpan, almost solemn. "Palmon, promise me something, okay?"
"What is it, Mimi?"
"Don't—" Mimi swallowed hard. "Don't evolve into a big dummy again!"
Seeing Mimi's utter seriousness regarding the giant, boxing cactus form, the originally enthusiastic Palmon lost a bit of her excitement. She puffed out her cheeks, replacing her cheer with a touch of fierce determination.
"Don't worry, Mimi! For your sake, I won't turn into a big dummy again!"
"Mmm~ I believe in you, Palmon!" Mimi beamed, pulling the plant Digimon into a tight hug.
"...A big dummy?" Agumon tilted his head, watching the emotional exchange with utter confusion. He scratched his snout. "But being big is clearly cool."
He turned to Taichi, tugging on his partner's shorts. "Taichi, do you also think it's better if I stay smaller?"
"Well..."
Taichi rubbed his chin, his gaze drifting upward as he visualized the possibilities. Having a humanoid partner like Mizuki's LadyDevimon or Kari's Angewomon would certainly be convenient. They could fit through doors, sit at a table, blend in a bit easier...
He remained silent for a long moment. Then, the hesitation in his eyes vanished, replaced by a burning, absolute conviction.
"As expected, bigger is better~!" Taichi declared, pumping his fist.
"Right?!" Agumon's eyes sparkled. "Getting really big is what makes you look cool~!"
Thrilled that his partner shared his exact sentiments, Agumon grabbed Taichi's hands. The boy and the dinosaur began spinning in a rapid circle, launching into their own bizarre, impromptu dance right in the middle of the dark cavern.
"Get big~!" Taichi chanted.
"Get big~!" Agumon echoed.
"Big is good~!"
"Big is great~!"
Watching the two goofballs spin around like tops, LadyDevimon's lip twitched violently. She slowly turned her head, casting a sidelong glance at the holy Digimon standing quietly beside her.
"It seems your colleagues are quite laid-back~" LadyDevimon drawled, her voice dripping with dry amusement.
Facing the dark angel's teasing, Angewomon said absolutely nothing. She merely tilted her head downward, silently closing her eyes behind her silver visor, projecting an aura of deep, long-suffering exasperation.
However, in stark contrast to Angewomon's silent disdain, Kari watched the spinning duo with a bright, gentle smile.
"As long as Big Brother is happy~" she murmured softly, her eyes crinkling with pure sisterly affection.
"Kari..." Angewomon sighed softly, though a faint, fond smile finally tugged at the corner of her own lips.
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