Chapter 162: Are All Mega Levels Just Airheads?
"This place should suffice."
Gallantmon's deep voice echoed through the cavernous space. Under the Royal Knight's lead, Mizuki and the rest of the group descended into an underground ancient ruin. The heavy scent of earth and old stone filled the air. Traces of time mottled the towering pillars and arched ceilings, yet the structure stood proud, completely devoid of the rotting decay one might expect from such an age-old sanctuary.
Sensing the curious gazes of the Digimon trailing behind him, Gallantmon paused and glanced over his crimson shoulder armor.
"This is where I usually meditate and train." He gestured toward the weathered walls with a gauntleted hand. "I am quite fond of these marks left by the passage of time. Therefore, I only perform the most basic maintenance on this area, just enough to ensure the ceiling does not collapse on my head."
He lowered his hand, his tone shifting back to business. "But enough about my personal tastes. Let us end the small talk here."
The Royal Knight shifted his attention toward Mizuki, his gaze landing specifically on the smooth, egg-like Digitamamon resting securely in the human's arms.
"How is the child's condition?"
"He is fine now," Mizuki replied, his voice gentle. He ran a hand over the smooth shell, feeling a steady, rhythmic pulse beneath the surface. "Though it looks like it will be quite some time before he wakes up."
As if responding to the soothing touch, Digitamamon let out a series of soft, comfortable snores, shifting slightly in Mizuki's embrace.
Beside them, Dorumon watched with wide, expectant eyes, her furry tail giving a subtle wag. Catching the little dragon's eagerness, Mizuki smiled. He carefully lowered Digitamamon onto her back, making sure the sleeping Digimon was secure.
"I will leave the care of Digitamamon to you from now on. Is that okay?"
"Yes! No problem at all, just leave it to me!" Dorumon puffed out her chest. She had been desperately wanting to contribute, to do something useful for the group after everything they had been through. Naturally, she accepted the task without a second thought. A warm spark of joy bloomed in her chest at being trusted with such an important duty.
Watching the peaceful exchange, the sharp glint in Gallantmon's visor softened.
The quiet moment, however, was soon interrupted by the heavy, metallic thud of footsteps. WarGreymon X approached, his broad shoulders supporting the battered frame of MetalGarurumon X.
"Gallantmon, thank you very much for your assistance," the dragon warrior spoke, his voice rumbling with exhaustion but laced with deep gratitude. "May I ask if I can temporarily settle MetalGarurumon X here?"
Gallantmon tilted his head, his crimson cape shifting with the movement. He looked over the battered Mega with a spark of piercing interest. "And what do you intend to do afterward?"
Feeling the weight of everyone's gazes suddenly fixed upon him, WarGreymon X straightened his posture. The exhaustion in his eyes was instantly replaced by a burning, unshakeable determination.
"I am going to do what I feel I must do."
"Protect the remaining Digimon?" Gallantmon challenged, his voice dropping an octave. "With your current strength?"
WarGreymon X's pupils contracted slightly, the harsh truth of those words striking him like a physical blow.
Without a single warning twitch, Gallantmon moved.
A blur of crimson and silver flashed through the dim cavern. The tip of his holy lance, Gram, slipped effortlessly through a glaring gap in WarGreymon X's battered defenses, stopping mere millimeters from the dragon warrior's throat. The air in the ruins instantly grew heavy, thick with suffocating pressure.
"WarGreymon X!" MetalGarurumon X snarled, forcing his damaged joints to move. He tried to lunge forward, but his heavily damaged body betrayed him. His metallic legs buckled, sending him crashing back onto the stone floor with a harsh clatter. "Damn it... my body... hasn't it recovered yet?" he ground out, his claws scraping uselessly against the rock.
Ignoring the frustrated cyborg wolf, Gallantmon kept his lance perfectly still, his hidden eyes locked onto WarGreymon X.
The dragon warrior did not flinch. He did not step back. Even with a legendary weapon pressed against his vital point, his golden eyes remained completely devoid of fear or hesitation. He was every bit the veteran hero the legends claimed him to be.
Meeting that unwavering glare, Gallantmon held the stance for a long moment before finally lowering Gram, the suffocating pressure vanishing as quickly as it had appeared.
"You should already be keenly aware of the absolute gap between yourself and us Royal Knights," Gallantmon stated, his tone calm and measured. "Although the X-Antibody has stimulated your latent potential, that alone is nowhere near enough to oppose us."
"I know," WarGreymon X replied, his voice steady.
"You know?" Gallantmon questioned, a hint of genuine confusion bleeding into his regal demeanor. "If that is the case, then why throw your life away—"
"I know, but..."
WarGreymon X slowly raised his clawed hands, staring at the scarred metal. "This is not a question of whether I can win. It is a question of what I must do."
He lowered his hands, his golden eyes burning with a fierce, blinding light. "If I turn a blind eye to the tragedies happening right in front of me just because I weighed the pros and cons, I would be betraying my own heart. I would no longer be myself."
He took a deliberate step backward, bowing his head slightly in respect. "Gallantmon, I am deeply grateful for the sanctuary you have provided us. But right now, I have to go." He turned toward the exit, the shadows of the cavern stretching across his battered armor. "There are still countless Digimon out there waiting for a miracle. I know I cannot save every single one of them... but I will save as many as my hands can reach!"
Leaving those heavy words hanging in the air, WarGreymon X marched toward the tunnel leading back to the surface. His back was rigid, carrying the weight of a world falling apart.
Gallantmon watched the retreating figure in silence. Just as the dragon warrior was about to cross the threshold of the shelter, the Royal Knight spoke up once more.
"What if I told you there is a way to increase your power?"
The words echoed through the ruins. "Do you not wish to become stronger, so that you might save even more Digimon?"
At the mere mention of gaining strength, WarGreymon X did not even break his stride. Power for the sake of power held no appeal to him. However, the phrase 'save more Digimon' struck a nerve. His heavy footsteps ground to a halt against the stone floor.
He stood frozen in the shadows for a brief second. Then, he lifted his foot and took another step forward.
"I am sorry, Gallantmon," he called back without turning around. "If this were the past, I would have humbly begged for your guidance. But right now, every single second counts. For every moment I stand here delaying, an innocent Digimon out there might die."
Gallantmon let out a long, weary sigh. "...That thick head of yours. Your sheer stubbornness and absolute rigidity are quite comparable to a certain dear friend of mine."
Seeing that WarGreymon X was genuinely about to walk right out of the shelter to his death, Gallantmon completely dropped his deep, mysterious mentor act.
In a blur of motion, he executed a high-speed dash, appearing directly behind the stubborn dragon. Before WarGreymon X could even register the movement, Gallantmon grabbed him by the back of his armor and hurled him straight through the air, directly toward MetalGarurumon X's position.
Across the room, MetalGarurumon X was still struggling to force his internal systems to reboot. He blinked his optics open, only to be greeted by the sight of a massive, bright yellow object hurtling through the air right at his face.
'That thing looks awfully familiar...'the cyborg wolf thought dizzily.'Why does it look exactly like that idiot WarGreymon X?'His optics widened in horror.'Wait—no! That IS WarGreymon X—'
"Oof!"
Before MetalGarurumon X could even voice a warning, hundreds of pounds of Chrome Digizoid slammed into him, pinning him flat against the hard stone floor under WarGreymon X's heavy, flailing body.
"Gallantmon, you bastard—!" WarGreymon X roared, thrashing wildly. Having been completely caught off guard and manhandled by the Royal Knight yet again, even someone with a temper as famously good as his could no longer hold back his frustration.
"WarGreymon X, are you trying to crush me to death?!" a muffled, furious mechanical voice groaned from directly beneath him.
WarGreymon X froze. He looked down, realizing he was currently squashing his injured comrade. "...Sorry, MetalGarurumon X."
Instantly dropping his aggressive posturing toward Gallantmon, the dragon warrior awkwardly scrambled off the cyborg wolf, his metal claws slipping on the stone in his haste.
From the sidelines, Mizuki and Belle watched the entire spectacle unfold. WarGreymon X was currently trying to awkwardly haul MetalGarurumon X back onto his feet, while the cyborg wolf grumbled and cursed with a face full of absolute gloom.
Belle blinked, her crimson eyes tracking the chaotic display. After pondering the interaction for a moment, she tilted her head and looked up at the human beside her. "Um, Mizu..."
"Yes?"
"Do you feel like this scene is... somewhat familiar?"
"...Probably," Mizuki replied, a dry, helpless smile tugging at the corners of his crack-covered face. He crossed his arms, thoroughly amused by the sudden shift in tone. "After all, these hot-blooded, Courage-crest-type sunny characters all tend to share a few very specific brain cells."
While Mizuki and Belle casually critiqued the unfolding comedy, Dorumon sat frozen nearby. The look in her wide, purple eyes clearly displayed the real-time shattering of her mental filters.
In her original impression, WarGreymon X—the legendary hero who had swooped in to save her life—was a powerful, proud, and incredibly dignified warrior. He was the absolute peak of cool.
But watching him now, fumbling around and getting tossed across a room like a sack of potatoes... why did he suddenly seem like a complete airhead?
Actually, it was not just WarGreymon X. She looked over at Gallantmon, who had completely dropped his regal aura to physically throw someone, and then at MetalGarurumon X, who was currently whining about his dented armor. They were all supposed to be legendary figures, yet they were bickering like a bunch of overgrown Rookies.
Did everyone at the peak of power act like this?
A horrifying thought suddenly crossed the little dragon's mind. Could it be that evolving to the Mega level automatically turned you into an airhead?
Thinking of this, Dorumon's ears drooped. She had been secretly looking forward to the day she might finally reach her own Mega form, dreaming of becoming a majestic, impressive guardian. Now, however, her enthusiasm for digivolution felt significantly dampened.
A very strange, very concerning new impression of the world's strongest fighters had just been permanently etched into her mind.
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