Disclaimer: All respective characters and settings belong to their respective franchises.
"Human…partners?"
Kiba said each word as if it were foreign to his tongue. What the hell were they talking about? What the hell was even going on anymore? Could it be in some way similar to how shinobi had Summoned Beasts or his clan's ninken?
Hiruzen clenched his jaw, his lips pressed so tightly that he could have chewed right through the lining of his gums. They all kept staring at the monitor, helplessly watching the conversation unfold, and wishing that they were there to properly press for answers.
Their only hope, it seemed, was Shikaku, who had opened his eyes after being deep in thought. "Would that be the entire population?"
Gryzmon didn't answer right away; that would have been enough confirmation for him. "Not all, of course," he said, "but this place was founded on that idea. Digimon bereft of their partners can have a place to call home, just like humans who somehow find themselves here."
"Reasons?"
Gryzmon released a breath before replying, "What's there to tell that you can't already make an educated guess? There happens to be a very real occupational hazard associated with being a Chosen Child. Incidentally, one of the worst ways to go just happens to be when they're riding on their Digimon in the middle of an attack that could eviscerate everything within a hundred miles. Trust me, it only looks cool when you're at a safe distance. You would not believe how often that used to happen."
Many of her listeners couldn't help but wince at that tidbit. "Going from that, there are those who succumb to accidents, although that's rare. To a point. Then, there's the ever-present caveat of adulthood, when the magic goes away and they just...forget or leave it all behind. Much of the time, deliberately." She paused. "Oh, and old age. Can't forget that."
Hanumon chimed in with, "That's how mine went."
Hiruzen suppressed a cough.
Naruto spoke up, "Does that mean there aren't that many anymore?"
Gryzmon chuckled. "So long as our worlds are intertwined in some way or another, Digimon and human children will continue to form connections, for however long Yggdrasil allows it to be. Even now, there remain active Chosen, both young and old."
Hiruzen and the others read between the lines, being more than astute enough to pick up on it. "You can't possibly mean…"
On her end, Gryzmon freely admitted, "You could call it an organization, a secret society, every other designation under the sun; they couldn't care less. Having said that, you should understand more than anyone else that I am not under any obligation to speak for them. The only thing I can tell you is the bare minimum."
Hiruzen had never been more envious than he was now, watching Shikamaru flash his flask out. Simply stumbling upon this had already set his intelligence network back by at least several decades, if not centuries. How long had this organization existed? How much reach and influence could they have? Could they even have had a hand in their world's affairs?
Then, a more pressing thought occurred to him, which was prevalent among the rest of his faction present.
"Right under our noses," Kakashi said, expressing what was left unsaid.
Anko added, "It could be anyone."
"You're from Konoha, correct?"
All of the humans reeled back in surprise. "You…know about the Hidden Villages?" Shikaku asked warily.
"Of course," Gryzmon confirmed. "The Chosen Children come from all corners and walks of life. Shinobi, civilians, samurais. Konohagakure, Sunagakure, Kumogakure, Iwagakure, the Land of Iron. There have been tensions in the past, naturally; and still to this day, much of it has been mediated since the establishment of Gen'nai."
Hiruzen's eyes nearly popped out of his sockets as he realized in amazement, "That wouldn't happen to be…the Hiraga Gennai?"
"And he would be?" Anko questioned.
"How uncultured," Kakashi remarked dryly, followed by a grunt from the kunoichi as she slapped him.
A rōnin who abandoned the life of a samurai, Hiraga Gennai went on to live the life of a free-thinking scholar and philosopher. Hiruzen had only met the man once on a visit to his villa during a mission from his younger days. Hiraga had already been getting on in years, spending the remainder of his days in peace, doing calligraphy and writing. He read and owned many of his own works.
"Maybe he named it after himself?" Anko theorized, drawing some looks. "Hey, for all we know, he could have been chosen too."
"Oh, and before any of you ask, yes, Hiraga Gennai did indeed name the organization after himself," Gryzmon revealed, vindicating the kunoichi, shocking the rest, while puzzling the younger ones save for Shikamaru and Shino. "Though, it was more out of a bet he lost to a friend."
"What is the purpose behind this…Gen'nai, pray tell?" Shikaku asked, wanting to keep the conversation on point.
Gryzmon replied, "At first, it was a means for the humans to have a sense of refuge by collaborating with others. An alliance, if you will. The Digital World, as you may already be aware, is rarely, if ever, kind."
"At first?" Shikaku echoed pointedly.
Gryzmon continued, "As time went on, Gen'nai grew in both number and influence, with quite a bit of its members coming from... rather affluent backgrounds."
Hiruzen found himself warding off the beginnings of a headache. It wouldn't give him the slightest bit of pause if it spanned all the way to the Daimyō's very court.
"Apart from their obligations here, Gen'nai would do its part in keeping tabs on their own world, with a few interventions here and there. And as much as possible, to find and secure others who have been chosen."
Shikaku tried to beat back the trepidation in his voice, "Obligations?"
"Have any of you ever given thought as to the logic of it? Why children? Why partner up with creatures like us? Why are there even any chosen in the first place? A clear answer has always eluded us, leaving many reaching for anything to make sense of why they're thrusted into this world. There have been those; and even now, searching for such an answer." A small snicker escaped past the she-bear's lips. "Apart from those who simply choose to roll with the punches, not caring for a reason and just diving headlong into adventure."
Gryzmon lowered her gaze. "I suppose...that's what it has always truly been. An adventure. Ever since Ōtsutsuki Hagoromo saved the Digital World from a crisis thousands of years ago with his own partner by his side, countless others over the millennia have followed suit. A crisis, a Digimon as powerful as they are evil, whatever the challenge, there have always been heroes on call to deal with such. This would culminate into Gen'nai serving as peacekeepers more than anything."
Bokomon had shifted in his seat slightly, drawing attention to the part about Hagoromo's partner, which wasn't unnoticed by those watching, and most especially by Gryzmon, who gave him a glance upon mentioning it.
The bear's demeanor became pensive as she added, "That doesn't mean, however, that there haven't been...outliers."
"Ah," Anko began knowingly. "For every ankle biting little angel, there's always a brat to balance out the universe."
"Those who take advantage of their partners, treating them no better than tools or slaves. They would revel in whatever opportunities and freedoms offered by the Digital World, doing whatever they please to satisfy their impulses. And then…there are those who would take advantage of it all to benefit their home village."
A collective chill gripped the older half of her audience at that revelation.
"If they don't perish by their fed up partner's hand first or from brazen recklessness, Gen'nai would jump in to deal with them," Gryzmon added, alleviating some of the tension.
"They're either silenced or sworn to secrecy," Kakashi surmised. "The organization must possess a vast enough network to encompass the elemental nations. Otherwise, we would have heard about at least something. Unless, of course..."
It wasn't simply a possibility, but an assurance, and something they should have taken into account ever since becoming embroiled in this fantastical situation. That they couldn't be the only ones in on this incredible secret. Based on the she-bear's words, the organization could hardly be called perfect. Gen'nai was bound to have let something slip, causing Hiruzen to bristle with worry. If another village—or heaven forbid, several—had already had exposure, the scenarios racing through his mind were anything but ideal for them and Konoha. The only scrap of comfort he could draw from this was that Sunagakure could be excluded, if only because he hadn't mentioned or betrayed anything. While he had proven to be hardly the most cooperative, they couldn't discount the man as a source of valuable insight on what to expect in the coming months.
If nothing else, his reaction upon being informed that they already knew made him wish that he had had a camera at the time.
Shikaku continued. "Is there infighting?"
"Disputes used to be fairly common, yes, before bylaws were put in place that forbid infighting."
"What? They're told to behave themselves?" Shikamaru interjected, drawing an admonishing glance from his father.
A ghost of a laugh escaped Gryzmon, "As far as hard discipline goes, then yes."
Kakashi looked to his superior. "Hokage-sama, if all of this is true, then this could mean…"
Hiruzen was hesitant to even entertain the thought, that those from wildly opposing sides of the aisle could ever band together under one banner. It wasn't unwelcome to him, all things considered. One of the unempathetic realities of politics was that alliances were always, always, fickle. The invasion of Suna looming over their heads simply stood out as the most recent case. But here Gen'nai was, painting him a picture of it being indeed possible, albeit, not without some hiccups.
"Okay," Kiba chimed in. "Based on all of the bullshit I've just heard...and yes, I was listening," he seethed at Shino cocking a brow at him, "there's this secret club or whatever that's full of guys from all the other villages? I mean, isn't that something of a big deal? Are we really going to believe that it's been hush-hush all this time?"
"Well, they do have a pretty hefty advantage of all this never even entering people's minds," Kakashi pointed out. "It hasn't even been that long since we came to learn about the Digital World and everything attached to it. And, if they do happen to have shinobi in their ranks, then secrecy simply comes with the package."
Kiba blinked. Not that long?
"There's also the matter of loyalties," Kakashi continued. "Gen'nai, as an organization, cannot exist or survive without adequate cohesion. Unless they've put aside most of their baggage, then it's a house of cards just waiting to collapse at the slightest nudge."
"Well, they've lasted this long, so they must be doing something right," Anko figured. Or they had to have one hell of a bastard at the helm to keep them in check.
Shikaku took a sharp intake of air before asking his next question. "What would be the odds of us running into Gen'nai?"
Gryzmon replied, "They'll find you, not the other way around."
"They might already have," Anko speculated. She brandished her Digivice -V-. "Would explain this. If not, it could have been that mangy cat."
Kiba and Shino wondered amongst themselves as to what a bracelet or a cat had to do with anything (other than the fact that the accessory looked pretty cool), while Hiruzen was contemplating if he should up his para-vigilance! Up his vigilance on his day-to-day conduct. Shikaku on his end wrestled with the information that had been spoonfed to them. Nothing concrete to glean from obviously, but frustratingly enough to keep him awake at night, with the only silver lining being that Gen'nai was not at the forefront of their priorities.
Without prompting, Hanumon rose from his seat before his wife did, followed by Bokomon grabbing Piyomon's hand. The ape rushed past the humans towards the door, as Shikaku signaled for the boys to get ready. It was midway through their entire conversation that the Nara Head took note of them being the only ones left in the restaurant. A pair of Burgamon had exited from the kitchen to beckon them over, hurried along by the sounds of a growing disturbance from outside.
Gryzmon, who was in the lead, looked over her shoulder at the party trailing behind her and said, "Hanu will keep them busy. Head straight for the station. A train should already be waiting for you."
"Bokomon contacted you beforehand," Shikaku realized.
The scholar's lips stretched into a guilty grin. "Like I said, you can't be too prepared here."
"Once you make it there, follow whatever instructions you're given," Gryzmon told them. "Don't bother coming back. We can take care of ourselves."
"What about-"
"Hanu can slow them down. He'll be fine," Gryzmon assured Naruto, who couldn't help but glance back as they were sneaking their way through a dim corridor after being funneled through the door, only for another adjacent one to open midway from the kitchen, the scent of food more prevalent than in the dining area, causing Chōji's mouth to water. Choosing to trust the she-bear's words, they entered through said door, finding inside a passageway.
They kept walking until they soon came upon a set of stairs that went down, which was swallowed by the darkness once the door behind them had slid shut. In spite of this, there was little difficulty traveling down the flight of steps, with Gryzmon still in the lead.
After walking for about two minutes, they landed on a floor and trudged ahead. After about another ten minutes, they stopped where the darkness was thickest, pitch black flooding their vision. Shikaku was the most used to it from shinobi training; the corridor was roughly wide enough for at least three people to walk through unison. The noises and smells of food were long behind them, leaving only a sterile odor and the sounds they made.
In the darkness, they heard Gryzmon's voice for what could only be the final time. "There's a street about two blocks from the station. Don't stop for anything. Go straight ahead. I'm gonna go back and help Hanu."
As soon as there was a crack of light from a door being opened, none of them waited for Gryzmon to move out of the way; they deftly zoomed past her, the she-bear not even flinching.
The one thing she could impart to the departing party was a smile, assured that they would meet again.
The shinobi ran like the wind as they took to the rooftops. From the corner of Naruto's eye, he could make out several rookie digimon going in the opposite direction down the backstreet they had just flown over.
Shikaku saw it as well, likely crowding to where the disturbance was, either to spectate or to help slow their pursuers down.
Bokomon pointed ahead to a wide building, where they could make out a sign on the roofed entrance, written in Digimoji. The scholar read it for them. "Daiba Station."
"Daiba?" Naruto echoed. The syllables sounded distinctly native to their ears, which was probably part of what made it a town built by both humans and Digimon. Going through the automatic glass doors, they entered a wide lobby. The interior seemed deserted, mired by an eerie silence. Bokomon led the way as they sprinted through the lobby and rounded a corner, passing a winding series of glass-paned windows that encompassed the entire wall to their left, illuminating the hallway as it revealed to them a lush, scenic landscape, overlooked by vast hills in the distance.
The sight would have been breathtaking to them had they not been in such a hurry, unable to afford any distractions. Soon, they reached the section of the terminal where they could buy tickets.
As they neared a booth among three that was segregated by queue, they could make out a figure occupying one at the farthest end; and only one. Through the window, which had a gap at the bottom, they could have mistaken the occupant to be human were it not for the green of its skin. Atop its head was a shock of red hair that was styled in a mohawk. Silver earrings were visible on each of its pointy ears, with its head and face appearing ape-like, with two very pronounced bottom canines protruding from the sides of its mouth. What stood out only slightly more that juxtaposed its otherwise savage appearance was the blue suit uniform it wore, complete with black tie. Rather than acting feral, however, the figure seemed relaxed, if not bored, a glazed look in its eyes, head propped against an enclosed fist, its attention glued to what looked like a small panel that fit snugly in the palm of its other hand.
Bokomon walked up to the counter, looking up at the figure and saying, "Excuse me."
There was a delay before the creature shifted its eyes downward and lazily responded in a male voice, "Yes?"
"Six tickets, please," Bokomon politely asked.
Blinking slowly, the creature let out a breath. Barely moving an inch, the creature's thumb, where it was gripping the small panel, made a few pressing motions. Shortly, a tiny slot by the edge of the counter produced a chain of tickets, which Bokomon gently pried with a tug after running his gold card through a scanner next to it.
He faced the others as he tore out a ticket and passed one to each. "Here. Don't lose this. If they find you without one once you're already inside, they won't have any qualms about ejecting you out of the train - even while it's running at full speed."
"Full speed? How fast are we talking?" Naruto asked curiously with some inkling of trepidation, not knowing what to expect.
"The fastest should be at about 450 km/h, but the one we're taking shouldn't clock more than around 300."
All of the humans gaped, their jaws failing them. Never in their entire lives, nor in their wildest dreams, could they have ever imagined that a vehicle existed that was capable of reaching such speeds. A mere ferry would be torn to shreds.
The creature at the counter let out a snort after hearing the blonde's question, muttering humorlessly, "Newbies."
"Dipshit," Anko countered, figuring that she could gauge the little troll's abilities from his insult.
Goburimon
Stage: Rookie
Type: Oni
Attribute: Virus
A mischief-loving, impish Digimon with the appearance of a small oni. Cunning but lacking courage, it never acts alone; instead, it always attacks in groups while hiding in the shadows of trees or buildings. However, once outnumbered, they run away at full speed just like baby spiders dispersing. To make up for it, its intelligence is a little higher than other Rookie Digimon.
Goburi Bomb: Launches an explosive fireball.
Living Shield: Uses magic (high level programming) to erect a barrier.
Goburi Strike: Strikes the enemy with a swing of its club.
Iwa Tobashi: Summons a large boulder and throws it.
Goburi Rush: Dashes forward to swipe at the enemy with its club repeatedly.
After reading the profile, Shino offered his opinion. "Are these techniques common to the species, or do they learn them incrementally?"
Anko answered, "Preprogrammed. Every individual Digimon comes equipped with techniques that are common among its species, with only the level of proficiency varying. However, given our limited understanding, there may be exceptions."
Shino nodded. "A decent lineup, nonetheless. If he was a shinobi…"
Kiba scoffed, proclaiming, "Pft! Please, me and Akamaru can take that guy down in two seconds flat. No, half that."
"I wouldn't get cocky, kid," Anko admonished the boy coyly. "These things are tough. Really tough."
"Speaking from experience?" Shino prodded, to which the kunoichi expressed her answer with a gruff sigh.
At the checkpoint, Bokomon guided them on how to pass through the gates by running the serial number of the ticket over the scanner, causing the automatic doors to slide back and allow each of them entry.
Shikaku and the group couldn't help but be awestruck by how state-of-the-art everything had been, and no doubt the others back home were as well. There might come a time that their world would eventually achieve such a level of modernization, but Shikaku knew that it would require the consolidation of capital and labor to even attempt an endeavor that, in hindsight, seemed egregiously ambitious. It would necessitate the other world powers to allocate resources, which, for obvious reasons, Shikaku couldn't see happening anytime soon.
Upon reaching the platform, Bokomon pointed them to a set of wide open doors, leading them to enter another hallway. What struck them as odd was that there was another door at the opposite end, allowing them to spy the bare expanse of the platform from across where they stood. Naruto was bemused by the sight, and so were the rest of the humans after Bokomon paused in place.
He looked down at the scholar next to him, asking, "Uh, hey, where else do we need to go?"
Bokomon shook his head, replying, "Nowhere. We're here."
"Eh?" The shinobi barely had time to ask what the scholar meant before the doors on either side of the room slid shut, causing them to tense up in alarm. "H-Hey! What's going on?"
"We're here," Bokomon calmly explained. "This is the train."
"What?" No one was sure who said it, but they were certain that it wasn't Naruto, whose focus had been diverted to a shift beneath his feet. It was sudden enough to startle him, but not throw him off balance. The others took note of it as well, becoming even more alarmed at what they presumed to be a trap or earthquake. Bokomon only shook his head and directed them to a door at the far end of the hallway, as none of them were in any immediate danger.
At each end of the "walls" were single rows of seats beneath wide glass windows, revealing to them that the room they were in was moving, the outside view in motion.
"No, no, this isn't our car," Bokomon said, barring Shikamaru from approaching the seats to sit down and clear his thoughts.
"Car?" Shikamaru echoed oddly.
Bokomon let out a sigh, telling them, "I promise that you won't regret this, so please, if you could all just follow me to our suite, I'll gladly answer all of your questions. Deal?" With no further remarks, he directed the party to follow him as he made his way towards the door at the far end, grabbing a metal handle located on the middle right side and pulling to slide it open, revealing a small gallery where another door at the end was waiting for them. "Thanks to the gold card, I snagged us some first class tickets, so we'll be able to spend the night here, traveling in style."
As they advanced through what Bokomon further explained were a winding series of cars; both amazed and unsure as to when and where it ended, the quality of every lobby they passed only became more intricate and splendorous. Air-conditioned, the cold felt isolating to them, contributing to how dreamily unused they were to the luxury as they marched in a single file through the narrow walkways. They couldn't ignore the white satin drapes that shone like fine marble, the velvet chairs that were drastically unlike the single rows, facing each other in pairs with a table in the middle, which they could presume to be for dining purposes.
Their audience back at the apartment could only marvel at such accommodations, captivated.
"Nice digs," Anko said with a breathless whistle, and not without a little envy.
Kiba's eyebrows scrunched into a more envious scowl as he watched Naruto surrounded by such luxury. Noticing this, Shino drew the other boy's attention with a soft nudge, silently shaking his head to dissuade whatever covetous thoughts were plaguing the Inuzuka's head. Kiba clicked his tongue, pushing down such treacherous emotions, calming himself with the thought that he could never see himself in that lifestyle. Hell, give him the great outdoors any day, as that was who he was at heart, a rough and tough-
"Here we are," Bokomon declared, with Shikaku finding a light switch and revealing to them what could only be nothing short of a palatial abode fit for royalty. A luxury suite couldn't rightly do justice to describe its opulence, the blue carpeted floor giving off the impression that merely grazing it with their sandals would be a crime of the highest order. The leather-bound chai-thrones; counting four in total, were just the right balance between soft and firm that Chōji had ever sat on, grinning with giddiness as he did a few test bounces, his arms spread over the supports. Shikaku walked up to a wooden desk drawer, admiring the smooth craftsmanship, the sunlight gleaming off of the lacquered finish that one could mistake for polished crystal, and just as smooth as he seamlessly glided a calloused hand over it.
Naruto crept around the room in a mesmerized trance, his eyes fixated on the chandelier. "This is way too rich for my blood," he remarked nonchalantly, his jaw hanging slack. "But I could get used to it."
"Guess I'm only human," Kiba thought to himself, seething as his envy came crashing back with a vengeance.
Daiba VIllage…
"GRAAGH!"
A large figure fell onto its back with a loud thud; the ground shook from the impact, the pavement developing a spiderweb crack, which only added to the ruinous state of the street. As he struggled to breathe, the giant's grip on consciousness slowly faded. Torn portions of his suit revealed the blackened areas that were either scorched or bruised, further aggravated by the countless needle-like hairs piercing his body.
The two others with him were sitting just a ways away, several Rookies barring them from taking any action to assist their associate, forced to watch the battle unfold one-sidedly. Their leader was beside himself as he beheld their loss, indignant. It had been a simple challenge the inhabitants issued to them upon their arrival. Instead of a classical demolishing and pillaging of whatever they could get their hands on, the citizenry, with an almost eerie calmness that threw them off, proposed a good old fashioned duel. Win, and they'd have free rein over the village and any information on the humans. Lose, and...
"Th-This can't be…"
Etemon abhorred weakness within his ranks. So much so that anyone less than a tenth of his standards were expendable without a second thought. It was why they were routinely worked to the bone in training, a dog-eat-dog environment where they were free to weed out any chumps with impunity. Etemon himself dedicated hours into rigorous, soul crushing training, ensuring that he was always on top no matter the challenger that came knocking. And yet…
"Well, that should about settle it," Gryzmon said, having arrived midway into the duel to witness her husband deal the finishing blow. "So, what'll it be, gentlemen?"
The one next to the leader, now in rookie form himself, turned to him and said, "They've got us, chief."
According to their intel, this Daiba Village was one of the only settlements in Server that wasn't under their fold, formally recognized as neutral territory. Nothing else significant was said about it, and only because Etemon barely commented on the matter when it was brought up in the briefing, making it seem like any other podunk town just ripe for the taking. It was only when the fight was well underway that he realized what had instilled in him a sense of foreboding ever since stepping foot in this place; none of the citizenry were riled up. Not one. Not even so much as a cheer or holler escaped their mouths. They simply stood back and spectated in calm silence.
As soon as they passed through the gate, they managed to accost a local, a mere Muchomon. They intended to begin their campaign of terror by beating the poor bastard bloody, as a sign that they meant business. What gave them some level of pause, however, was that other than a reflexive grunt or two, the little scab showed no fear or distress, nor did he cry out in pain once.
He didn't beg, nor did he plead, not even fighting back to save his own miserable life. Nothing but sheer, unflinching indifference that was shared by the other locals, rendering their threats moot. Said Muchomon was now standing amongst the crowd, on his feet like nothing other than looking scuffed and the blood on him drying.
"Well? Get it over with."
"Get what over with?" Gryzmon echoed coyly.
Gnashing his teeth, the leader grumbled, "Cut the shit." He could have evolved to even their odds, but something told him that it wouldn't help. "Just what the hell kinda kooky town is this?"
"You mean Etemon didn't tell you?" Gryzmon asked, sounding hardly surprised.
The leader could only narrow his eyes in bemused silence. Had Etemon withheld information from them, or was their intel shoddy from the start? Their original mission before being sidetracked was to ransack the scholar's home for any further clues that could provide the locations of the other Spirits. For just such a hunt, their best trackers were given items that the target had been in contact with, and it just so happened to be accompanied by other scents that didn't register. In all likelihood, it was the humans that had sheltered him in their world.
The Gryzmon inclined her head as she spoke to them, "Hm, I suppose it really doesn't matter as far as anyone here is concerned. But, you did assault one of our own, so we can't really let that slide. What do you think, honey?"
Hanuman, who bore only a few scratches, bounced his bone staff on his shoulder as he pondered, saying apathetically. "Hardly worth the effort. Let's just toss them out."
Rather than object, the she-bear merely shrugged at her husband's words. "Let's do them one better. You boys are looking for Bokomon, correct?"
The only answer they received from their captive was a groan; the giant of the trio slowly came to. "We can point you in the direction he and his friends are going."
"Save it for the next sucker, sister," the leader dismissed crossly, keenly transitioning his attention between the encompassing crowd's reaction that betrayed shock or objection, having already gathered that these people had assisted the targets in their escape. To his astonishment, they remained placid.
"Oh, I'm being quite sincere," Gryzmon replied with a chuckle. "They're heading for Glister Terminal."
"Glister Terminal? That dump?"
Gryzmon nodded. "The very same."
"...Why tell us that?"
"Hm, it could just be us wanting to get you out of our hair, or we're feeling mighty generous after your friend over there put up such a good fight," Gryzmon said, which was bullshit to the leader's ears. The "fight" had been heavily one-sided, with Hanumon deftly dancing around the opponent as the latter brazenly wasted movement, indulging in his bulk and power to cause as much damage as possible in the surrounding area in hopes of pinning him down. "Take it or leave it."
The leader and his subordinate shared a glance, realizing that they were in no position to refuse. And even if they could, it had only now dawned on them that they would stand little, if any, chance.
"So boys, what'll it be?"
The real reason the Muchomon had been so complacent in the first place wasn't that he was too weak to try and fight back.
It was because…
The looks from the crowd, unnerving as they were, in that very instant struck a chord of recognition within him.
It wasn't just apathy or indifference.
No.
"Fine," the leader finally conceded. "We'll take it."
Gryzmon smiled, and the glint of pity in her eyes shone with amusement.
That was what it was.
Amusement.
A/N: A short chapter, but I was bogged down with plenty of other stuff.
