Have You Ever Seen a Broom Fall from the Sky?

"Roar..."

As that power shot into the sky, Guilmon, who had been playing dead, immediately sprang up into a defensive stance, growling low in his throat.

"Hey, you! What's going on?"

Sensing the power that made Digimon tremble with unease, Impmon hurriedly questioned Mo Yan.

Within that power, Impmon sensed a volume of data greater than anything he had ever felt before.

And that enormous mass of information was filled with a certain malice.

Smack!

Mo Yan flicked a finger, sending a wisp of forceful wind into Impmon's forehead.

"Show some respect. You should call me mentor, teacher, or even coach."

Watching the pillar of data light shoot into the sky, Mo Yan spoke without turning his head.

In his dealings with Impmon, Mo Yan neither adopted a traditional teacher-student relationship nor catered to Impmon's temperament. Instead, he treated him more like a friend.

Over these days with Mo Yan, Impmon had experienced a respect and ease he had never known before.

That was why, faced with all of Mo Yan's training and setbacks, Impmon had never backed down or admitted defeat. Instead, he earnestly completed every task Mo Yan gave him.

"Tch, what a nag!"

At Mo Yan's correction, Impmon tossed his head dismissively.

"Some humans always think anything unknown will hurt them. They're full of persecution fantasies.

In the end, they become frantic, paranoid, and stubbornly determined to destroy whatever unknown things they can't control.

But they never stop to consider the consequences of doing so.

Or rather, even if they guess what will happen, they'll still blindly and confidently carry on with their plans."

While silently calculating how powerful that force would ultimately become, Mo Yan explained those humans who thought themselves so clever to Impmon.

"Takato's really nice!"

Hearing Mo Yan's words, Guilmon instinctively raised a claw and spoke up, then resumed his vigilance.

"..."

Mo Yan's words left Impmon deeply puzzled, struggling to understand.

Limited by a Rookie Digimon's way of thinking, Impmon saw human children and adult humans as practically two different species.

So he couldn't understand what Mo Yan was saying.

"Confused, aren't you?

But humans really are that strange.

Their lives are filled with contradictions and choices.

They're always binding themselves with all sorts of shackles, wearing all kinds of masks, and playing a host of incredibly complicated roles.

By contrast, human children have the purest hearts.

Through the power of the Digital World, that purity of heart can take tangible form, becoming a power that drives Digimon to evolve.

That's also why the Digital World likes human children."

Mo Yan withdrew his gaze and looked at Impmon, his tone wistful.

"Humans are so complicated. Being a Digimon is much easier."

Impmon tried his hardest to understand Mo Yan's words, but ultimately gave up on understanding them right then and instead tucked them away in his heart.

"Takato isn't complicated at all!"

Completely oblivious to the mood, Guilmon once again did his best to sing Takato Matsuki's praises.

"Yes, very complicated."

Ignoring Guilmon's endorsement, Mo Yan turned to look east, his voice carrying a world-weariness and wistfulness Impmon couldn't understand.

Ignoring both Mo Yan's usual musings and Guilmon, Impmon looked in the same direction as Mo Yan.

Unable to understand what Mo Yan and Impmon were thinking, Guilmon seemed to catch a scent and happily looked in the direction everyone else was watching.

"Guilmon!"

Under the gazes of Impmon, Mo Yan, and Guilmon, Takato Matsuki ran out of the woods.

"Impmon? Mo Yan?

You're here too?

Did you see that?"

The moment he appeared, Takato Matsuki saw three pairs of eyes staring at him, giving him quite a fright. Then he pointed toward the pillar of light.

"Takato."

Hearing Takato's words, Guilmon immediately called back.

Impmon and Mo Yan nodded, neither intending to speak.

"Takato, something big is coming."

Watching the pillar of light continually devour Digimon and the swirling clouds form a strange phenomenon in the sky, Guilmon spoke in a grave tone.

"A Digimon's coming?"

Following Guilmon's gaze, Takato Matsuki also noticed that the spectacle had grown even more impressive than before.

"That's right. It should be an Ultimate Digimon."

In the aura emanating from those swirling clouds, Mo Yan sensed some somewhat familiar data.

Putting that together with what he knew from 03, Mo Yan guessed it should be TigerVespamon.

Still, he wasn't entirely sure.

After all, with his own intrusion, he couldn't guarantee that the plot would remain exactly the same.

Besides, as a veteran playboy, there was an ocean of data that felt familiar to him. Who knew which one it would be?

"Then we can't just ignore it.

Guilmon, let's go!"

Pulling down his goggles, Takato Matsuki spoke to Guilmon without hesitation.

However, Takato Matsuki didn't invite Mo Yan and Impmon to come along and deal with the Ultimate Digimon about to appear.

That was because Mo Yan had once said that humans themselves were responsible for Digimon appearing in the human world.

It was because of humanity's ever-growing desires.

It was because of humanity's excessive exploration of and interference with the Digital World.

Ultimately, that had damaged the barrier between the two worlds, allowing Digimon to reach the human world along the channels carved by human desire.

Human desire also drove Digimon mad.

Moreover, the Digital World had given humans the ability to eliminate that influence.

Although the ones who wielded that power were human children.

So Mo Yan would not take the initiative to help Takato Matsuki and the others deal with the Digimon.

Besides, after everything he had experienced lately, Takato Matsuki's expression held less hesitation and more resolve.

He didn't know how much he could accomplish, or whether he could avert the final catastrophe,

But!

Until that final catastrophe arrived, he would keep trying!

"Okay, Takato."

Hearing Takato Matsuki's call, Guilmon responded with great enthusiasm.

With that, Takato Matsuki took the lead and ran toward the Twin Towers.

"Do you want to go take a look?"

Watching Takato Matsuki and Guilmon run off, Mo Yan calmly asked Impmon whether he wanted to go watch.

"Tch, what's there to see?

That's an Ultimate we're talking about.

How could those brats, whose partners can only evolve to Champion, possibly defeat an Ultimate Digimon?"

Arms folded across his chest, Impmon had no confidence whatsoever in Takato Matsuki and the others.

A gap in strength couldn't be bridged by hot-blooded enthusiasm alone.

The gap between Ultimate and Champion Digimon was far greater than the gap between Rookie and Champion.

Expecting a Champion to defeat an Ultimate was, essentially, a foolish Digimon's pipe dream.

Since the Digital World's birth, only a tiny handful had managed such a feat.

Those who could were all Digimon with cheat-like advantages, wielding some kind of authority.

Of course, Impmon had learned all this from the books Mo Yan had given him.

Among them, the one who most awed and inspired Impmon was the being who had defeated countless Mega Digimon in Rookie form, created the Three Great Angels, and established the Realm of the Gods.

Lucemon, who had ultimately ascended to become the Angel God.

After reading that account, Impmon had instantly become a fan and declared that he would do the same.

In the end, all Impmon received was Mo Yan's merciless mockery and criticism.

"It seems you still don't understand the DigiDestined, nor have you taken what I told you about why they were chosen seriously."

Hearing Impmon's words, Mo Yan's voice turned icy-so cold that Impmon instinctively began backing away.

"Mo Yan, did you miss me?"

Just then, a voice brimming with vitality rang out from high overhead.

A witch in fiery-red wizard robes descended from the sky astride a broom.