"Sorry, but you've probably mistaken us for the wrong Digimon."
With an awkward smile, Chen Ze—still in Agumon's form—froze for a moment, then quickly realized that this Angemon was most likely chasing the same data stream they were.
But the two of them weren't born from that data; they were accidental intruders. Chen Ze absolutely didn't want Angemon getting the idea that they were deliberately deceiving him.
Besides, while Chen Ze did want to find a way back to his own world, the hacker in him preferred active solutions—not being dragged along under someone else's authority.
"Mistaken Digimon…?"
Angemon clearly hadn't expected Agumon to say something like that; he stiffened in surprise.
He had descended here upon "God's" command, tasked with retrieving a partner who had accidentally fallen into the human world. But this "God" had never told him what that partner actually looked like.
So when he saw Chen Ze and Renamon, of course he assumed they were the escaped Digimon.
"'God' will make the judgment. My mission is simply to bring you back to the Digital World."
After a brief pause, Angemon made his decision. Seeing two Digimon who obviously didn't belong to the human world, he felt it best to take them both back first—and figure it out from there.
"'God'… and the Digital World, huh?"
Hearing this confirmation from Angemon, Chen Ze blinked in surprise.
Angemon being from the Digital World, and arriving to reclaim a stray Digimon—this lined up with his own guesses.
If this world really was the universe of Digimon Adventure Season 1, then this should be the very first point of contact between humans and Digimon—the so‑called "Hikarigaoka Incident."
After this event, the Digital World would become aware of humanity's potential, and begin intentionally selecting children to enter the Digital World to assist Digimon evolution.
But in Chen Ze's memory, during the Hikarigaoka Incident, the one retrieving Digimon wasn't Angemon—a Champion-level being—but a Parrotmon of Ultimate level.
And there was something else—
What was this "God" Angemon was talking about?
In none of the movies or the main series did anyone mention such a being.
The only figure even remotely fitting that concept was the "One Who Wishes for the Stability of Worlds"—the entity that discovered the human world and chose the children for the Digital World.
Later supplementary lore described this "stability-wisher" as the Constant, one of the genuine deities responsible for maintaining and evolving the Digital World.
So… a real Digital World is far more complex than the anime ever showed?
Coming to this conclusion, Chen Ze instinctively took a step back, eyes growing steadier, more alert.
He didn't know why he and Renamon had appeared here in the first place, but to a true godlike being like the Constant, both of them had to be considered "irregularities."
And Chen Ze was not willing to gamble on how such a being would treat irregularities, even if its portrayal in the anime had been relatively benevolent.
"God…?"
For reasons unknown, even Renamon bristled at the word. Her tone shed its earlier elegance, replaced by a sharp, rebellious edge.
"If you can defeat me, I don't mind going to meet this 'God' of yours."
Angemon fell silent.
Though he had prepared for the possibility of using force to retrieve his "partner," he naturally preferred to avoid combat if possible.
"If that is your decision, then I only hope you honor your promise."
Lightly spreading his six wings, Angemon straightened his posture, gaze fixed on Renamon—not underestimating her despite her being only a Rookie-level Digimon.
In the Digital World, the strong devoured the weak, and talented Digimon were never rare.
Especially those of "combat species"—for them, fighting opponents above their level was commonplace.
Pang!
Before Chen Ze could react, Renamon—born of the Digital World's rules—struck first without hesitation.
Leaping from the traffic light like a pouncing tiger, she dove at Angemon with breathtaking speed, every movement fluid and fierce, showcasing her terrifying combat instinct.
Clang!
Seeing this, Angemon didn't hold back. His golden holy staff swung instantly, slamming directly into Renamon's trajectory.
Wh—BOOM!
A violent shockwave tore through the air the moment they made contact.
If Renamon embodied agility and precision, then Angemon was raw power and decisive force.
From Chen Ze's perspective, their battle had already surpassed human comprehension—each movement carried the destructive potential of a modern weapon.
Especially Angemon: every swing of his staff ripped through the air, creating ear-splitting sonic booms.
Under such extreme sonic pressure, nearby glass objects shattered instantly, and most electronic devices around them lost functionality.
"This is… the power of a Digimon?"
Even more terrifying than Chen Ze had imagined. In two lifetimes, he had never witnessed any creature wield such destructive force using only its physical body.
"But… why does this feel kind of exciting?"
Maybe it was his natural temperament, or maybe it was Agumon's instincts overriding his human logic—but Chen Ze felt his blood boiling, his body itching to leap into battle.
If humans weren't a little chuuni in their youth, what kind of youth was that? And this time around, Chen Ze was at the perfect age for it—his excitement was undeniable.
Just like when he first discovered the world of hackers, that instinctive male admiration for strength, destruction, and power was being fully awakened inside him.
Whether by coincidence… or fate…
As Chen Ze's emotions burned hotter, a stream of zeros and ones flashed across his eyes.
—His Digital Core had fully activated.
[Name]: Agumon
[Level]: Rookie
[Attribute]: Vaccine
[Type]: Reptile
[Family]: Dragon's Roar, Nature Spirits, Unknown
[Signature Skill]: ???
[Special Move]: ???
[Profile]:
A reptile Digimon whose wild survival instincts have been largely overwritten by an unknown hacker.
Aside from possessing data matching Agumon's external appearance, it doesn't even know how to properly swing its own claws.
Perhaps it will one day rediscover its instincts, but for now, it is merely a non-human creature with exceptional physical potential.