Chapter 113: Kokatorimon: Where Did This Digital Country Bumpkin Come From?
"So, to sum it up... that is why they left."
"I see..."
Mizuki listened quietly to Venusmon's explanation. The understanding in his eyes was quickly overshadowed by a helpless, affectionate sigh. He ran a hand through his hair. "Those kids... I never once saw them as a burden."
"It is precisely because you never viewed them that way that they feel such a burning need to prove themselves." Even with her eyes obscured by her elegant visor, Mizuki could feel the weight of Venusmon's gentle, piercing gaze. "It is the only way they know how to respond to your boundless kindness."
As soon as the words left her lips, Venusmon's divine figure began to shimmer. Soft, warm light enveloped her, shrinking her statuesque form down until the glow faded, leaving behind a small, round, pink fairy.
Piximon fluttered her tiny wings, stretching her stubby arms with a satisfied groan. "Ah, this body is so much more comfortable-pi! Venusmon's form is nice and all, but those two massive lumps on her chest just get in the way of everything-pi!"
Mizuki blinked, his expression deadpan. He very deliberately turned his head, selectively ignoring the little fairy's shameless complaints.
"So, little brat Mizuki, what is the plan-pi?" Piximon zipped over, hovering right in front of his nose. "If you want to catch up with them, you still have time if you leave right this second. They only set out this morning, and with that many Digimon dragging their feet, they definitely are not moving fast."
"Should I go after them...?"
Under the expectant gazes of both Piximon and Belle, Mizuki fell into a heavy silence. His mind raced, calculating the variables.
Myotismon.
To Mizuki, the vampire lord was not an impossible threat. But to the rest of the Digital World? He was a walking nightmare. Sure, BlackGatomon's group boasted four Ultimate-level combatants, which sounded impressive on paper. But Myotismon was no ordinary Ultimate. He was an ancient, cunning predator who had spent years accumulating dark data and endless, treacherous tricks. In terms of raw, terrifying power, Myotismon was already brushing against the very threshold of the Mega level.
Worse still, his true danger did not lie in his magic—it lay in his cold, calculating intellect.
Mizuki's jaw tightened. "I definitely have to go after them."
Belle immediately stepped forward, her eyes flashing with readiness. "Then we—"
"But not right now."
Mizuki met Belle's gaze, his expression softening, before turning back to the hovering fairy. "Piximon is right. They want to prove their worth through their own actions. If I swoop in and save the day right out of the gate, I would just be trampling all over their resolve."
"I am so glad you understand-pi!" Piximon's face lit up with a wide, approving grin. "Blind kindness can sometimes be deadlier than the fiercest poison-pi! Everything in moderation. Do not overdo it, and let them grow-pi! That is the correct path!"
Fluttering closer, Piximon reached out with a tiny hand and affectionately patted Mizuki on the head. Then, she unhooked a large, neatly tied bundle from the end of her spear and shoved it into his arms.
"Since you have got your head on straight, let's eat-pi! Once you are full, it is straight back to training-pi!" Piximon crossed her little arms, puffing out her chest. "I went through a lot of trouble gathering these ingredients and preparing this meal, so you better eat every last bite without wasting a crumb-pi!"
Seeing the tiny, round Digimon acting like a bossy older sister was too much. Mizuki and Belle exchanged a single, knowing glance before bursting into bright, ringing laughter.
"Understood, Big Sister Piximon-pi!" they chorused in perfect, teasing unison.
The fairy's pink face instantly flushed a deep, furious crimson. "Mmm~! Stop that right now-pi! I told you a hundred times not to imitate my speech-pi!"
"Hahahaha!"
For a brief, golden moment, the clearing echoed with the warm, joyous laughter of a human and his Digimon, the bright sound gently washing away the lingering melancholy of their friends' departure.
Meanwhile, far across the sprawling digital landscape...
BlackGatomon and her newly formed traveling party had already encountered a rather interesting obstacle on their journey.
Looming over the desert sands was a massive, heavily armored land cruiser. And groveling on the deck of this ship was its owner—one of the former commanders of Etemon's army, the Champion-level Digimon, Kokatorimon.
"Kokatorimon, oh Kokatorimon... what am I going to do with you?"
BlackGatomon sighed, shaking her head with utter exasperation as she literally stood on top of the giant bird's back. She cast a sideways glance at a group of Numemon, who were huddled in the corner, trembling like leaves. "Why are you still playing this boring little captain game?"
She pressed her paw down a little harder, making the giant bird squawk. "Do you not have any ambition at all? Now you have stooped so low you are trying to scam us."
Originally, BlackGatomon's group had simply wanted to hitch a ride. They had stumbled across Kokatorimon's land ship by pure coincidence and fully intended to pay for the fare using the funds they had looted from Etemon's pyramid reserves.
But what did this overgrown chicken do? He took their money, refused to start the engines, and then arrogantly declared that he was going to enslave all of them to work as deckhands on his ship!
How could BlackGatomon possibly tolerate such disrespect?
Sure, once upon a time, she might have been a lowly stray who could be kicked around and ordered to do menial tasks. But times had changed! She had joined the ranks of the great, benevolent, handsome, kind, gentle... Lord Mizuki!
Through his grace, she had evolved into a powerful Ultimate-level Digimon: LadyDevimon. Even though she was currently maintaining her Champion form to conserve energy, her pride was absolute.
Honestly, if this foolish bird was not the only one who knew how to pilot the ship, BlackGatomon would have deleted his data the second he opened his beak.
Just then, Impmon, who had been hiding safely behind BlackGatomon's legs, timidly poked his head out. Seeing that Kokatorimon was thoroughly pinned and helpless, the little demon's courage instantly skyrocketed. He strutted forward, placing his hands on his hips, and began to jeer.
"Foolish Kokatorimon! Now you know your place, do you not?!" Impmon cackled, pointing a tiny finger at the crushed bird. "Not only did you fail to drop to your knees and beg for mercy upon hearing the terrifying name of Lord Myotismon, but you even dared to try and swindle us! This is the end of the line for you!"
BlackGatomon: "..."
She stared blankly at the little demon, completely speechless at his sudden, borrowed bravado. Before she could even formulate a reprimand, Kokatorimon spat out a mouthful of sand and squawked furiously.
"Bah! What right does a puny little runt like you have to talk down to me?!" The giant bird thrashed weakly under BlackGatomon's foot. "I did not lose to you, I lost to this BlackGatomon! It is not your turn to gloat!"
Kokatorimon twisted his neck, his beady eyes flashing with stubborn arrogance. "And who the heck is Myotismon anyway?! Never heard of him! He sounds like some digital country bumpkin who crawled out of a forgotten mud puddle!"
As Kokatorimon spoke, a look of absolute, fanatical worship washed over his feathered face.
For some inexplicable reason, a violent chill suddenly raced down BlackGatomon's back. Every instinct in her body screamed that something incredibly embarrassing was about to happen.
Sure enough, in the very next second, Kokatorimon puffed out his chest and declared with absolute reverence: "I serve the one, true, great King of all Digimon—King Etemon! A mere nobody like Myotismon? King Etemon could crush him into data dust with a single finger!"
BlackGatomon: "..."
It seemed news of Etemon's spectacular defeat had not reached this isolated desert yet.
But more... why did this scene feel so painfully familiar?
BlackGatomon stared at the fanatical bird. If her memory served her right, not too long ago, her past self used to act exactly like—
A violent shudder wracked her body.
'No! Stop! Do not think about it!'She squeezed her eyes shut, her mind racing in a desperate panic.'That foolish, groveling stray was not me! I am the highly intelligent, sophisticated BlackGatomon! That is right! I was never tricked into blind loyalty like this idiot Kokatorimon! I was never a pathetic King Etemon fangirl!''Yes! The past is an illusion! It never happened! It does not exist!'
Standing on the deck of the ship, BlackGatomon continuously recited these mantras in her heart, desperately hoping that sheer willpower alone could scrub away the dark, humiliating history of her past...
[Akarin's Note:
Enjoying the story? Dropping a quick review, comment, or Power Stone means the world to me and keeps these daily updates flowing!
Want to read 50 chapters ahead or just want to help keep a shameless translator alive? (My livelihood actually depends on this, haha 😭). You can support me directly here:
(P.S. Just remove the brackets and replace the [.] with a regular dot . to use the links!)
✨ Patreon (50 Advanced Chapters): patreon[.]com/AkarinTL
☕ Ko-fi (Support / Sponsor): ko-fi[.]com/AkarinTL
🔗 All My Links: linktr[.]ee/AkarinTL
Thank you so much for reading and keeping this project alive!]