Taking the initiative

"Hahahahaha! After all this time together, I never realized you had such a sense of humor, Elecmon. Don't worry, I'm not going to get myself killed on purpose. After all, if you die, you can return to the Village of Beginnings and have someone look after you. If a human like me dies, I'm gone for good."

Of course, Zhou Zhu had thought long and hard before deciding to stay at Andromon's factory. From what he had learned over the past few months, Digimon were territorial too.

On a smaller scale, there were Digimon like Elecmon, MegaKabuterimon, and Phantomon. On a larger scale, there were the likes of Etemon, Gekomon King, and Myotismon.

That meant Andromon's factory was undoubtedly Andromon's territory as well.

No one who dared challenge Andromon would ever appear within its bounds. After all, aside from Andromon and Monzaemon, there were no other Perfect-level Digimon on File Island. Everyone knew better than to cross the powerful Andromon.

But that also gave him a loophole to exploit. While Andromon was stuck, the factory could be considered the safest place on all of File Island-at least for him.

"Hmph! I'm not being funny. Don't brush this off, Zhou Zhu. Andromon really is strong. Probably a hundred times stronger than that Devimon!"

Watching Zhou Zhu roar with laughter, Elecmon tried hard to put on a serious expression and warn him.

"All right, I understand. Andromon is a Perfect-level Digimon, after all, while Devimon is only a Champion." Faced with Elecmon's concern, Zhou Zhu obligingly accepted the warning.

Still, now that he thought about it, why hadn't Andromon, a Perfect-level Digimon, stepped in when Devimon had beaten the DigiDestined so badly in the original story?

After all, even a Champion like Leomon had joined the fight. Andromon hardly seemed like the type to sit on the sidelines.

Besides, if Andromon had teamed up with Monzaemon, the strength of two Perfect-level Digimon would probably have been enough to finish off a mere Devimon on File Island, even with the Black Gears boosting him...

Zhou Zhu didn't dwell too much on those questions. It had been so long, after all. Perhaps he had missed something when he watched the anime back then.

The next day, after arranging food for the babies, Elecmon set off toward Andromon's factory with Zhou Zhu, who had already packed his belongings, and Flamemon.

"Elecmon, how come no Digimon have attacked us along the way?" Ever since leaving the Village of Beginnings, Zhou Zhu had been tense. Although his data and physique were already synchronized with Flamemon's, he still couldn't relax.

With Flamemon's current physique alone, he probably couldn't withstand an attack from even an ordinary Digimon of the same level.

"Heh, everything from here to that stream up ahead is my territory. Who would be blind enough to attack me, Elecmon? Besides, even beyond the stream, most of the Digimon in that area came from the Village of Beginnings. They have to show me at least a little respect. Don't worry. The road to Andromon's factory is pretty safe."

Elecmon found Zhou Zhu's cautious glances in every direction amusing and offered an explanation.

"Phew... Is that so? That's a relief."

Zhou Zhu couldn't be blamed for making such a fuss. This was the Digital World, where there were no laws. If he ran into even a single Champion-level Digimon, his life would no longer be in his own hands...

At this stage, Zhou Zhu felt less secure than at any other time.

They encountered quite a few Digimon along the way, but most were acquainted with Elecmon. After all, Elecmon was something of an old hand in this area.

"We're here, Zhou Zhu. This is Andromon's factory. How about we just take a quick look around outside?" Looking into the depths of the factory, Elecmon felt a faint unease stir.

"It's fine. Didn't you say Andromon wasn't a vicious Digimon? At worst, we'll be chased out. Surely Andromon wouldn't start slaughtering us just because we wandered in by accident?"

Recalling Andromon's personality in the original story, Zhou Zhu strode resolutely into the factory.

"Hey, Zhou Zhu, you... Oh, fine. I'll come with you. That way, we can look out for each other."

Even if my reputation doesn't carry any weight with Andromon, I'm still the caretaker of the Village of Beginnings. Surely Andromon won't go so far as to kill me?

Tap, tap... Tap, tap... Tap, tap...

Only the footsteps of Zhou Zhu and his two companions echoed through the silent factory...

"Andromon, are you there?"

Zhou Zhu had no intention of searching everywhere for Andromon in such a huge factory. After all, if he accidentally triggered some mechanism that freed Andromon from whatever was holding him in place, it would be game over.

Besides, with Andromon's Perfect-level strength, there was no way he wouldn't hear that shout.

"Andromon, I'm Elecmon from the Village of Beginnings. I've come to discuss something with you."

Unlike Zhou Zhu, Elecmon immediately announced who he was to avoid any unnecessary misunderstandings.

"..."

A long silence followed...

"Elecmon, our voices should've been loud enough, right? With Andromon's strength, there's no reason he wouldn't hear us."

Looks like Andromon is already being controlled by a Black Gear. That means... the plot has already begun!!!

"Of course! Even I could hear something that loud, let alone Andromon. He must be busy with something. Should we look around some more?"

Could Andromon happen to be out of the factory? Surely he hasn't gone to challenge that Devimon to a fight?

"Let's not. This is Andromon's place, after all. We'd better not wander around." Are you kidding? In this situation, the best thing to do is stay right here and touch nothing.

"Huh? Really? So we're just going to stay here? That's so boring." What exactly is Zhou Zhu trying to do? Humans are so complicated...

"If you're bored, you can head back to the Village of Beginnings first. Don't worry about me. I'll be fine with Flamemon here to keep me company. Besides, isn't it almost time for the babies at the Village of Beginnings to eat?"

Seeing how bored Elecmon was, Zhou Zhu reminded him directly. After all, he had no idea how long he would have to stay here. If Elecmon kept him company the whole time, the Baby-level Digimon back at the Village of Beginnings might starve until they turned back into Digi-Eggs...

"I almost forgot what I needed to do! Good thing you reminded me, Zhou Zhu. I'll get going. If you run into Andromon and really find yourself in trouble, just tell him you're one of the guards at the Village of Beginnings. I'm sure he'll go easier on you."

Only after Zhou Zhu's reminder did Elecmon realize that he seemed to have been away for quite a while.