Kangarumon

The Fellowship of Five-or rather, one human and four Digimon-walked through the forest, enjoying a cheerful journey. But perhaps Mimi Tachikawa was the only one truly enjoying herself. She had no idea what finding Kangarumon meant.

Sukamon was also unconcerned about Kangarumon. Intelligence played a small part in that, but trust in himself and his companions was the real key. Although Sukamon was not a Beast King-class Digimon, he could still mark out territory with his poop. Once he had set up his territory, there was no way a fellow Champion like Kangarumon could approach without him noticing. That was how confident Sukamon was. Besides, with a specialist like Chimairamon handling short-range predictions, dealing with a Digimon like Kangarumon was child's play.

But everyone had their nemesis. Sukamon might not fear Kangarumon, but he would never dare defy the venerable Elderlymon. If Elderlymon was nervous, Sukamon grew even more nervous.

Although Palmon was a Rookie, her special move happened to counter Kangarumon perfectly. In a team so desperately short on fighting power, she was more than qualified to serve as its second-line fighter. If a Digimon like Kangarumon, who relied on both agility and speed, carelessly let Poison Ivy bind him tight, he would become nothing more than another name on Palmon's list of victories.

Chimairamon understood the stakes and kept a vigilant watch on his surroundings. He knew just how important his responsibility was.

"Elderlymon, I'm so tired." Children always turned to adults when something was wrong. With his kindly, approachable appearance, Elderlymon had already become the person Mimi Tachikawa wheedled for favors. Palmon declined to comment.

"Mimi Tachikawa, please hold on a little longer. You're an ordinary human. You aren't suited to receiving my power's blessings." Knowing what she was about to ask, Elderlymon firmly refused. It turned out that when she had complained of being tired earlier, he had used a little of his support power on her.

As the saying went, practice was the sole test of truth. Elderlymon had never had an opportunity to support a human before, so he had not known how his power would affect one. Mimi Tachikawa had unwittingly become his guinea pig. Elderlymon was not human, but the ability to recognize problems was universal. He easily noticed adverse changes in her after she received his support. Until he had a definite conclusion, he was neither willing nor able to help another human that way.

Of course, Mimi Tachikawa did not feel that anything was wrong with her body. She only hoped Elderlymon would lighten her burden a little more. Still, she was a good child. After he refused, she did not resort to embarrassing antics like crying, throwing a tantrum, or threatening to hang herself. She merely gazed at him pitifully. That led Elderlymon to conclude that his support abilities affected human minds, strengthening his resolve never to use them on humans again.

Uh, did Zheng Fan count as human?

"Elderlymon, lots and lots of Digimon have entered this area. They're all unfamiliar Digimon," Sukamon suddenly said.

"How many unfamiliar Digimon? You mean Digimon that don't live in this area, right?" Although Sukamon's wording was imprecise, Elderlymon understood what he meant.

"Elderlymon, why would they be Digimon that don't live here rather than brand-new Digimon?" Mimi Tachikawa asked. "The Kangarumon you're looking for counts as a newly evolved Digimon, doesn't he?"

"Digimon leave traces of themselves where they live," Chimairamon explained. "They might not even know which traces they left, but we can see them. Mimi Tachikawa, aren't we amazing?" Sukamon, who was beneath Chimairamon, protested, "What do you mean, we? I'm the one who can find those traces. You have nothing to do with it."

Elderlymon kept smiling, burying his anxiety deep inside. "When Digimon move through an area, they inevitably leave their own marks. If those marks differ from every other mark in the area, we can be sure the Digimon doesn't live here." He added, "Of course, it could also be an unfamiliar Digimon. But even if Sukamon finds a Digimon unfamiliar, I'm certain to recognize it." Unless it's a new Ancient Digimon, Elderlymon thought.

"They're heading toward us." It was hard to say how Sukamon managed it. He had shown no sign of sending or receiving information, yet he could track their movements, even if only in the most basic sense.

"There are Cyclomon, DemiDevimon, Lobomon, and some others. They're all just Rookie Digimon." As the Digimon approached, Sukamon received increasingly complete information. He could now identify exactly which Digimon they were. But it seemed a little late.

"Barrier!" With Elderlymon's furious shout, a white shield rose, keeping the swarming Rookie Digimon outside.

There were no tragic scenes of moths flying into flames or birds crashing into walls. Still, DemiDevimon attacking Elderlymon so desperately was abnormal in itself. Anyone who heard about it would have been shocked.

The Cyclomon had completely abandoned their usual habits as well, openly exposing themselves to sunlight as they unleashed their special move, Sonic Wave, at Elderlymon. His Barrier blocked every attack, producing nothing but successive ripples.

Like Cyclomon, Lobomon were non-sapient Rookie Digimon, normally roaming the grasslands in packs. Of course, since they were only Rookies, no number of them could defeat a Champion, so a Champion WereGarurumon led them. If a Lobomon evolved into Garurumon, however, it would usually leave the grasslands. That had nothing to do with species. Sapient Digimon generally did not like traveling with non-sapient ones.

The Lobomon's attacks were even weaker. Cyclomon's attacks covered the upper and middle sections of the Barrier, while DemiDevimon thrust their syringes through the gaps between the Cyclomon, unconcerned about hitting their allies. The Lobomon formed a ring around the bottom, occupying every position from which they could attack. They struck the Barrier relentlessly with their claws, but could not raise even a ripple. Fortunately, there were only Lobomon; WereGarurumon had not appeared.

As though determined to prove that Elderlymon had yet to master his skills, Sukamon hurled a lump of poop at a Cyclomon. The result was plain: Elderlymon's skills indeed needed work. His Barrier blocked passage from the inside just as thoroughly as from the outside. The poop struck its inner wall and released an overpowering stench, mocking them all.

This time, Mimi Tachikawa was not the first to react. She was a young girl, after all. It was impressive enough that she had not fainted at the sight of bats. Her attention was entirely on the bats outside the Barrier, and she almost ignored the smell of poop. The other Digimon, however, had complete faith in Elderlymon and were treating the whole thing like a holiday. Sukamon's special move turned that into an utter disaster.

Even Elderlymon could not stand it. He stamped his cane against the ground, and the Barrier instantly expanded by a third, flinging away the Digimon surrounding it. The stinking poop was tossed out along with them.

"Elderlymon, watch out!" Sukamon and Chimairamon cried out at the same time.

"Indomitable Body!" Elderlymon shouted, and a ring of red light rose around him. The instant he finished speaking, a figure dropped from above, ignored the Barrier entirely, and pounced on him. Looking closely, the others saw that the figure had grabbed Elderlymon's clothes with one hand, while the other had transformed into a short sword. He was about to stab Elderlymon, but the red glow of Indomitable Body held him back. The figure was Kangarumon.

Elderlymon had fought Kangarumon more than once. Protected by the glow of Indomitable Body, he kicked at him. As a Digimon, the strength within Elderlymon's frail body was not to be underestimated. Kangarumon narrowly avoided the blow with a backward somersault.

"Poison Ivy!" While Kangarumon was still airborne, Palmon struck. Six long vines lashed toward him.

Kangarumon was an agile Digimon, after all. An ordinary person would have been unable to dodge in that position, but he twisted evasively in midair, letting the six vines brush past him.

But Palmon still controlled Poison Ivy. Kangarumon knew that too, so the moment he landed, he charged at her.

Naturally, Elderlymon would not let him have his way. He swung his cane with all the flair of the Dog-Beating Staff Technique, keeping Kangarumon a meter away.

Without Chimairamon whispering predictions in his ear, however, Elderlymon could not have blocked Kangarumon's movements so precisely.

Sukamon no longer dared attack. Although he was confident in his accuracy, the collateral damage from spreading poop was simply too great. It was a divine artifact for indiscriminate damage.

Although Kangarumon was nimble, his limited intelligence eventually allowed Palmon to catch his rhythm. The instant he landed, three vines wrapped around his legs and hoisted him upside down.

"Palmon, hold him. I'm going to destroy the Black Gear," Elderlymon said. As he spoke, a strange light gathered in his hand.

Kangarumon hung in midair without a word. Only once the fighting ended could Mimi Tachikawa finally get a clear look at him.

Kangarumon wore a stylish outfit. The cape behind him still looked as though it were fluttering in the wind, rather than drooping while he hung upside down. A large hat sat on his head. Although it concealed most of his head, Mimi Tachikawa could still sense a black gleam in his eyes.

Elderlymon's light shone on Kangarumon, making his body tremble. Sukamon and Chimairamon looked rather eager, as though they wanted to experience that light again. But Kangarumon was still under control, so naturally he could not feel its refreshing effect.

"Aah!" Kangarumon, who had remained silent all this time, finally let out an agonized scream and thrashed wildly. Black runes surfaced across his body.

Perhaps his protagonist mode had kicked in or something. Kangarumon's scream triggered a strange change, and chaotic data energy surged into his body. Elderlymon's Barrier was instantly destroyed. The Lobomon and the others lunged at the group.