Virus-type Digimon

Zheng Fan followed Leomon out of the Biyomon village. Before they left, the Biyomon gave Zheng Fan plenty of gifts and strange food. Since his battle with Leomon had wrecked their houses, the original plan to leave at dawn had become a plan to leave once the houses were rebuilt. Helping others build houses was something Leomon had never done before, but since the Biyomon were involved, the proud warrior had no choice but to swallow his pride and help Zheng Fan chop down trees and haul timber. What a strange turn of events.

Watching Leomon chew great mouthfuls of the strange food the Biyomon had given them, Zheng Fan finally became too hungry to bear it. He picked up the heap of flowers and grass and began his "meal." He could hardly be blamed. Originally, he had only wanted to hunt something so he could get a little meat, but after he and Leomon worked together to kill a Kuwagamon foolish enough to provoke them, he watched it dissolve into scattering energy. Even the part they had cut off broke into fragments. Only then did he understand Leomon's strange attitude toward food. "I don't know what the Digimon in your homeland are like, but once a Digimon on File Island is killed, they turn into data, then become a Digi-Egg in the Village of Beginnings. Most Kuwagamon evolve from Tentomon, and most Tentomon evolve into Virus-type Kuwagamon. Kuwagamon are Digimon with nothing but fighting instincts. What they love most is causing trouble everywhere, until the Digimon on File Island kill them." Leomon sounded a little wistful. After listening, Zheng Fan asked, "Leomon, most Tentomon evolve into Kuwagamon? What about the others?" "Kuwagamon nests attract Mochimon. If a Mochimon leaves the Village of Beginnings and enters the forest, they have no choice but to seek strength. Those who grow up alone all evolve into Kuwagamon, while Tentomon who live with other Digimon evolve into Kabuterimon," Leomon said. "I can remember things from before I died. Back then, I desperately pursued strength and ended up evolving into a Virus-type Mad Leomon. Later, I was killed. Thinking about it, someone capable of killing a Mega-level Mad Leomon... perhaps I crossed the Royal Knights." Zheng Fan could hear the confusion in Leomon's words, but he did not know what puzzled him.

"The Royal Knights-is that one Digimon, or a group of Digimon?" "They should be a group. I remember wanting to join the Royal Knights after I regained my senses. But in the end, my body couldn't hold on, and I died." "Why?" Zheng Fan silently committed the organization's name to memory: the Royal Knights.

While Leomon was still thinking, an energy ball rose into the sky not far away and burst like a firework. "Hurry, it's the Village of Beginnings!" The moment he saw the energy ball, Leomon charged into the forest without a second thought. Zheng Fan could only follow close behind.

Deep in the forest lay a scene straight out of a kindergarten: strange drawings, floating blocks, eggs scattered all over the ground, and many little creatures even smaller than the Biyomon huddled nervously together. This had to be the Village of Beginnings.

"Ogremon, what are you doing? Unforgivable! Beast King Fist!" Leomon, who was in the lead, had already attacked. His Beast King Fist targeted an entirely green Digimon, another humanoid, with a strip of animal hide wrapped around his waist. With his back to Zheng Fan, his face was hidden. Ogremon took the impact of the Beast King Fist squarely on his back while carefully placing a tiny Digimon into a little nest with both hands. "Leomon, stop!" Seeing Leomon prepare another attack, Zheng Fan hurried to hold him back. A red Digimon on the ground also cried, "Leomon, stop! Ogremon came to help us!" The green Digimon named Ogremon turned around. "Leomon, you actually ambushed me! Come and fight me!" Ogremon held a bone club in his left hand, and Zheng Fan noticed that it shared the same properties as Leomon's Man Soul. Ogremon had an especially large head. When he spoke, his mouth opened wide enough to take up half of it, and he kept waving the bone club in his hand.

Just as Leomon and Ogremon reached a standoff, a buzzing sound came from the distant sky. Zheng Fan looked up and saw a red Digimon with two thick pincers and the membranous wings distinctive to insects on its back. He shouted, "Watch out, everyone! Kuwagamon! There are three-four!" The red Digimon on the ground cried, "Leomon, Ogremon, stop thinking about your duel! Help me get rid of these Kuwagamon!" When Zheng Fan had decided to hunt, Leomon had told him that Kuwagamon were savage Digimon. Even two Kuwagamon could not coexist peacefully. Why had four of them gathered to attack the Village of Beginnings, a place that was practically sacred to Digimon? That was something to consider later. Right now, they had only one task: destroy every Kuwagamon. Kuwagamon were Digimon whose attacks were purely physical, and their enormous pincers left nothing but wreckage in their wake. Of course, because their attacks were entirely physical, even though they could fly, they could only attack enemies on the ground by diving.

A Kuwagamon dove straight at Zheng Fan. Instinctively, he bent backward again to dodge, raising Night Dawn and slashing across its underside. By the time the Kuwagamon finished its dive, a wound had opened across its belly. Thanks to the peculiar nature of Digimon, not a drop of blood flowed out, and there was certainly none of the meat Zheng Fan wanted. When he found a moment to glance around, he realized that he, Leomon, and Ogremon were each holding off one Kuwagamon. Beams of light shooting from the red Digimon's back were keeping the fourth at bay, but the red Digimon was a little weaker, and the Kuwagamon was flying forward against the beams.

"Overlord Fist!" Ogremon had unleashed his special move. Much like the yellow fist-shaped energy of Leomon's attack, Ogremon's Overlord Fist was formed from green energy, with his large face faintly visible within it. The Kuwagamon struck in the head let out a piercing shriek and immediately tried to change direction and fly away. The great bone club in Ogremon's hand was even more terrifying. Taking advantage of the moment when the Kuwagamon turned, he smashed the club against one of its huge pincers and actually broke it clean off. "It seems the defenses around a Kuwagamon's head are much weaker." Half of its face had caved in. Seeing that Ogremon's attack was effective, Zheng Fan settled on a plan. When Ogremon dove again, he leaped high into the air and thrust the Night Dawn Sword straight at the Kuwagamon's head. Although Kuwagamon possessed only fighting instincts, fighting was not all they could do. Sensing danger, it used its ability to fly to end its dive early, then flew toward the injured Kuwagamon. The Kuwagamon Zheng Fan and Leomon had killed earlier had only died after they worked together to slice off its lower body. Facing one alone, neither Zheng Fan nor Leomon had as easy a time as Ogremon. Leomon had drawn Man Soul, but he was on the defensive, making even less headway than the red Digimon. Ogremon paid no attention to anyone else. The Kuwagamon with a broken pincer had become much more cautious after taking flight again, and another Kuwagamon had come to help it, but Ogremon ran about with ease, using the trees to cause both of them plenty of trouble. "Overlord Fist!" Ogremon unleashed his special move again. While dodging, the Kuwagamon with the wounded belly collided with the one locked in a stalemate with the red Digimon. "Sparkling Thunder!" "Overlord Fist!" Struck by both Digimon's special moves at once, the injured Kuwagamon shattered. Unlike before, some of its fragments were absorbed by Ogremon. With one Kuwagamon gone, the battle became much easier. With Ogremon and Elecmon's help, Zheng Fan drove the Night Dawn Sword straight through a Kuwagamon's great head. But when they went to help Leomon, something unexpected happened. "I, Leomon, will never accept help from an enemy!" Though he was struggling badly, Leomon refused everyone's help. He blocked each of the Kuwagamon's dives, but his own attacks could only land on its huge pincers. Sharp as Man Soul was, it was no match for the Kuwagamon's pincers in a head-on clash. Since Leomon would not let them help, everyone could only watch from the sidelines.

"Hello, I'm Elecmon, a Rookie-level Digimon. What Digimon are you?" "I'm Zheng Fan. What's going on between Leomon and Ogremon?" "You don't know?" Elecmon said dejectedly. "Leomon and Ogremon hatched on the same day. I was already a Rookie-level Digimon then. Now they've both evolved to Champion, but I'm still a Rookie." As he spoke, Elecmon buried his head in his hands. "Tell me about Leomon and Ogremon," Zheng Fan urged. "Leomon and Ogremon were good friends when they were In-Training. It was only later, after everyone evolved, that things changed. Leomon is a Vaccine-type, and Vaccine-type Digimon are very popular, while Ogremon is a Virus-type. Since everyone fears Virus-type Digimon, Ogremon decided to defeat Leomon. But he can't beat him." Elecmon really could not understand why the weaker Ogremon could defeat Kuwagamon, while the stronger Leomon could not.

Watching Leomon struggle against the Kuwagamon alone, Zheng Fan felt a measure of admiration for him. Leomon fought by pressing straight ahead. It was hard to say whether that was better or worse than Ogremon's hit-and-run tactics, but a head-on fight against an enemy that could fly was unwise. Even so, with Ogremon's example right before him, Leomon still refused to change his fighting style. He was not stubbornly trying to save face; he was steadily honing his fundamentals. It seemed Ogremon would have a very difficult time defeating Leomon in a head-on duel.

"Beast King Fist!" The yellow fist finally struck the Kuwagamon. Man Soul cleaved straight down, opening a huge wound in its head. "Beast King Fist!" Leomon aimed another special move at the wound and successfully destroyed the Kuwagamon. By then, night had fallen.

As the Village of Beginnings' chief caretaker, Elecmon provided some food. Ogremon, who called himself a hunter, also offered some meat, finally giving Zheng Fan a chance to eat something other than plants.

"Ogremon, have you ever seen any of the powerful Digimon on File Island?" Unlike Leomon, who traveled around challenging powerful opponents, Ogremon hunted in the wilderness. Zheng Fan thought his knowledge of beastlike Digimon might prove helpful. "The strongest Digimon on File Island are Andromon, the Ultimate-level Digimon at the Factory, and Monzaemon, the Ultimate-level Digimon in Toy Town. There might be an Ultimate-level MegaSeadramon by the sea, but I've hunted plenty of Seadramon and never seen one. Digimon in the sea are so annoying." Leomon and Elecmon also listened quietly. They were all sitting far away from the Village of Beginnings. The newborn children had to be kept away from topics such as hunting and growing stronger. How they developed in the future would simply depend on their own luck.

"Leomon, come and fight me!" Once Leomon had rested, Ogremon challenged him to another duel.