Cardmaster Twister

Mastermon blocked the flying spikes for everyone while still finding time to attack Kangarumon. With a wave, lightning, flames, and ice arrows appeared out of thin air, filling the gaps in the Spiky Bump Punch assault. These little attacks were neither particularly powerful nor particularly weak, and they even canceled one another out. Earlier, Kangarumon had kicked an ice arrow, leaving his lower body almost completely frozen without doing much damage. Then a fireball struck him a moment later, breaking the ice outright. Still, it was easy to imagine these little attacks alone scaring off a whole crowd of Digimon hoping to fight Mastermon.

After several forceful attacks were repelled, Kangarumon actually stopped outside Cactismon's attack range and spoke. "Mastermon, you really are powerful." His eyes burned with fighting spirit. Sitting on Cactismon's boxing glove, Mimi Tachikawa said indignantly, "We're powerful too!"

Mastermon looked at Kangarumon and said, "Kangarumon, I can feel it. Your attribute is changing." Kangarumon smiled. "Yes, I've already sensed a new way to grow stronger. On the road ahead, you always have to give something up." As he spoke, black runes flickered across his face and hands, the only exposed parts of his body.

"Virus-type." Mastermon sighed heavily. "To think you would choose this path. Then all I can do is wish you well. Please think carefully before deciding to kill in the future."

Kangarumon was taken aback by Mastermon's blessing. He had never expected that response, and the rebuttal he had prepared went unused. But Kangarumon was easygoing by nature, and he replied, "Mastermon, I'll become even stronger and come back to challenge you." By the time he finished speaking, he had climbed a tree. He leaped, and a pair of wings actually sprouted from his back, eventually taking the form of a bird Digimon around his body.

"So it's Migemon. I never thought Kangarumon would absorb him too." Mastermon sighed, but Kangarumon had already flown far away.

"Mastermon, has Kangarumon become a Virus-type Digimon? Don't you have any prejudice against us Virus-type Digimon?" Cactismon asked, secretly delighted. After all, Cactismon was a Virus-type Digimon too.

Mastermon said, "Data-type, Vaccine-type, Virus-type-are there really so many differences? In my long life, I've met countless Digimon. All I know is that Vaccine-types excel at defense, while Virus-types excel at offense. In terms of evolution, Data-types strengthen themselves, Virus-types kill and devour, and Vaccine-types can evolve through battle or strengthen themselves."

"Then why does everyone dislike Virus-type Digimon?" Mimi Tachikawa asked on Cactismon's behalf.

"In the beginning, Digimon of all three attributes were equal. Even if Virus-types evolved by killing, death merely meant turning back into a Digi-Egg for us Digimon. There was nothing about Virus-type Digimon worth hating."

"Later, one Digimon successfully achieved a new evolution and became a Mega Digimon. A true ancient Digimon. We called him Beelzemon. That name meant that when he killed a Digimon, he absorbed not only their data, but their Digicore as well. They could no longer turn back into Digi-Eggs. For the Digimon he absorbed, it was as terrifying as falling into hell."

"Speaking of which, Zheng Fan and I once thought about giving Digimon names. But it wasn't really feasible. Who would give them names, and who would use them?" Elderlymon shook his head with a wry smile.

Hearing this, Palmon said, "Mimi Tachikawa, give me a name. There used to be lots and lots of Palmon living together where I came from. I'm afraid that if we go to our Palmon village, you won't be able to recognize me."

"A name?" Mimi Tachikawa thought for a moment, then spotted the flower on Palmon's head and clapped her hands. "I've got it! Your name will be Tachikawa Hana. Haha, I'm a genius!"

Watching Palmon celebrate her new name, Elderlymon sighed. He truly did not want to bring up that part of history again.

A rumbling came from the island. Mimi Tachikawa lost her footing and fell to the ground, and Sukamon and Chimairamon hurried over to help her up.

Listening to Mimi Tachikawa and the others making a fuss, Elderlymon narrowed his eyes toward the source of the tremors and silently thought, Kangarumon, I hope you can keep a clear head all the way to the end.

Izzy Izumi walked through the town with his laptop on his back, while Tentomon chattered beside him about interesting stories from the Digimon World. To Izzy, they were interesting stories; to Digimon, they were common knowledge.

"They say that back then, Goatmon, the chief of Sheep Village, brought lots of sheep Digimon to the Village of Beginnings. Goatmon was a Mega Digimon."

"Tentomon, is Tonkotsu a sheep Digimon? Sheep give birth to live young."

"Izzy Izumi, I've told you, this is the Digimon World. All Digimon hatch from Digi-Eggs," Tentomon said.

"Sorry, Tentomon. Please go on," Izzy Izumi quickly apologized.

"When you're talking about sheep Digimon, you have to pay special attention to the Rookie-level Lazysheepmon. When it comes to laziness, Lazysheepmon's achievements are famous throughout the Digimon World. Dandanmon was Lazysheepmon's good friend. Goatmon was afraid Lazysheepmon would starve, so he specifically sought out Dandanmon. Lazysheepmon only avoided starving to death thanks to Dandanmon's care."

"Tentomon, can Digimon starve to death too?" Izzy Izumi asked.

"We Digimon can't starve to death. The data energy floating in the air is enough to keep us alive. But if we want to evolve, we have to strengthen ourselves with data energy, and that makes us feel hungry. Although we can't starve to death, it's painful and very uncomfortable. That's why we look for food to eat."

"Later, a great battle broke out on Infinite Mountain, and many of the Digimon who fought in it died. Even the Mega-level Goatmon died."

"Tentomon, that was the Darkness Invasion battle Andromon and the others mentioned, right?" Izzy Izumi added.

"That's right. Lazysheepmon disappeared after that battle too, leaving only Dandanmon on File Island. Later, Dandanmon evolved into the Ultimate-level Digimon Tonkotsu."

"This town developed entirely thanks to Tonkotsu's cooking. They say Ogremon once challenged Tonkotsu to a ramen-making contest, but Tonkotsu beat him easily."

"Then, Tentomon, what do Digimon use to buy food?" Izzy Izumi had thought of a crucial question.

"Izzy Izumi, why would we need to buy things?" To his surprise, Tentomon did not even know what that meant.

"Well, buying things means exchanging things of equal value. It means circulating currency. It means, it means..." Izzy Izumi broke into a sweat. "If Joe Kido were here, he'd definitely know how to answer a question like this." His complaint was filled with resentment.

"Izzy Izumi, I get it." It did not matter that Izzy's explanation was muddled; Tentomon understood. "Back then, everyone simply found ingredients and gave them to Tonkotsu, who turned them into food. But it took two portions of ingredients to make one portion of food."

"Tentomon, you weren't a Digimon from that era, were you?" Seeing how familiar Tentomon seemed with everything, Izzy Izumi asked, "Going by the timeline, none of you had been born when Tonkotsu left File Island. Where did you learn all this?"

"Izzy Izumi, I'm a Digimon who can fly." Tentomon proudly fluttered his wings. "If you fly around, look at things, and ask questions, you learn."

"But Biyomon can fly too. Besides, you were still an In-Training Mochimon when we met, remember?"

"Huh? Was I?" Tentomon froze. A moment later, he recovered and said, "But I just know it. How strange. Why do I know all these things?"

Izzy Izumi flicked Tentomon on the head. "Stop thinking about it. No matter how many strange things happen to Digimon, it's normal." Izzy had come to terms with it first.

There was not a soul on the town's streets. Although nothing looked particularly dilapidated, and moss had not covered the eaves, a sense of desolation still hung over everything.

"Izzy Izumi, there's a sound over there." Tentomon gave Izzy that single warning before shooting off.

"Tentomon, wait for me! Slow down!" Izzy Izumi hurried after him, only for Tentomon to suddenly vanish up ahead.

Izzy Izumi reached the spot where Tentomon had disappeared and waved his hand through the air, but found nothing unusual. He walked back and forth three or four times, yet still could not find Tentomon.

A buzzing sound came from behind him. Izzy Izumi turned to see Black Gears sweeping toward him in a swarm that blotted out the sky. For a moment, he stood frozen.

"Try my three queens!" The voice alone made its owner's confidence unmistakable. Three cards flew out from the same spot where Tentomon had disappeared. Playing cards-they were actually playing cards. And they really were three queens.

The queen at the front shone with white light. The instant it touched the first Black Gear, it became a Barrier. The dense swarm of Black Gears behind it crashed into the barrier, making quite a spectacular sight.

The second queen bore a flame pattern. It passed straight through the barrier formed by the first, white queen and burst into a sky full of sparks upon hitting the Black Gears, instantly setting every one of them alight.

The third, golden queen drifted slowly forward. There was no explosion, nor any dazzling display of light. It simply floated past, and the white barrier vanished, the red flames went out, and the black gears shattered. After destroying everything, the golden queen continued its leisurely climb into the sky, leaving Izzy Izumi terribly worried that it might fall back down.

"Hello, Chosen Child. I am a magician from the distant Server Continent. You may call me Lord Card, or Mister Magician, though of course I would prefer you to call me Mr. Cardmaster Trist. There is one thing I would like you to remember, however: I am different from other Digimon."

A slender young man wearing a cowboy hat appeared before Izzy Izumi.