Chapter 87: Geerbeast

Only now did Feng Xue notice that the Digimon protagonist before him seemed to be in an abnormal state—its eyes, unlike those of a human, were devoid of light and spirit; instead, its pupils were contracted to pinpoints, radiating a wild, bestial aura. Accompanied by a deep, guttural growl, it looked as though it might pounce at any moment.

“Is this… an inability to suppress its primal instincts?” Feng Xue scratched his head. While it was true that Digimon in their beast forms were harder to control than in their humanoid forms, such issues typically arose only after reaching the mature stage. For a Digimon in its growth phase to already fail to restrain its wildness—this was a first for him.

Upon further reflection, Feng Xue realized the cause—Guilmon had not experienced the two stages of infancy. Born directly from Takato’s imagination, it had emerged fully in its growth phase, akin to a child skipping the process of learning to walk and talk, instead receiving an adult’s body from the outset. The result could only be something akin to a wild child, untamed and feral.

“But… can’t it even gauge the difference in strength between itself and others?” Feng Xue eyed Guilmon’s aggressive posture with a sense of awkwardness. “No wonder this species dares to charge at Ultimate-level Digimon even as infants.” (Guilmon’s baby stage, Jyarimon, is endangered in the Digital World precisely because of their tendency to challenge any foe, not due to rarity but from recklessness.)

“Though I don’t know who you are, since you’ve attacked me, I have no reason to back down!” At that moment, Ruki’s voice, brimming with fighting spirit, rang out. “Take him down, Impmon!”

“Come on, give me a break!” Feng Xue groaned, watching Takato wave his arms uselessly in the distance, while Guilmon prowled, searching for an opening to pounce. Feng Xue suddenly felt that nothing he did next would be right.

Still, since things had reached this point, it seemed there was no choice but to fight. With that decision made, his white cloak began to flutter, though there was no wind.

At the very instant he raised his right foot, Guilmon saw its chance. With a primal roar, it lunged like an ancient beast, sinking its sharp fangs into Feng Xue’s left arm without hesitation.

“No way, how is this possible!” Feng Xue was certain this wasn’t a special move, nor was its charge anything extraordinary, yet he hadn’t managed to dodge. In fact, before the thought to evade even crossed his mind, Guilmon’s teeth had already closed around his arm!

“Good thing I’ve got my bracer…” Feng Xue felt the pressure on his wrist, but it was still within tolerable limits. Still, having it latch on like that was hardly ideal. His cloak split apart, dissolving partially into a cloud of data particles that condensed around his right fist, which he then drove down towards Guilmon’s head.

Yet, as if under the influence of some mysterious power, Guilmon’s pupils abruptly dilated, returning to their original, spirited state. Without a second thought for the battle at hand, it released Feng Xue and charged straight for Takato instead.

“This guy really doesn’t play by the rules!” Feng Xue’s empowered punch struck only air, leaving him with a hollow feeling, bordering on frustration.

“Impmon, what are you waiting for? Attack!” Ruki’s voice rang out again. Feng Xue, too, felt an urge to take a swing at Guilmon, surging after it with fists raised. But as always, the plot’s inertia proved insurmountable. At that moment, a voice suddenly cried, “Stop!” Though the command held no real power over Feng Xue, he found himself halting involuntarily.

Turning, he saw the voice’s owner—Jianliang, clad in a green vest and accompanied by his Terriermon.

“Young man, have you been practicing Lawful Magic?” Feng Xue was at a loss. He’d had no intention of holding back, yet upon hearing that voice, his actions had ceased entirely, as if by some emergency protocol—like a “program termination.”

Of course! Now he understood; Jianliang must have swiped a card at that moment. The original series’ pointless card-swipe animation had misled him—who said you had to strike a pose to use a card?

From then on, Feng Xue regarded Jianliang with newfound caution. Still, perhaps due to the fixed expressions of Digimon eyes, neither Jianliang nor Ruki seemed to notice his wary gaze.

As for Takato? That silly boy was still gleefully hugging Guilmon’s head.

But as Feng Xue stood there, bemused, the diminutive Terriermon scampered up to him.

“You’re really strong! How many battles have you fought? Can you already evolve?”

“Terriermon, why are you asking him that?” Jianliang voiced the question Feng Xue himself was thinking.

“It’s nothing, really!” Terriermon’s hypnotic “Don’t rush” echoed out, and Feng Xue couldn’t help but relax.

“Why must Digimon who are partners with humans fight each other?” it asked.

“Hey, get this straight—it was that red one who suddenly jumped to attack me!” Feng Xue cut off Ruki before she could spout any nonsense about battles being Digimon’s destiny, pointing irritably at Guilmon, who was still cuddling with Takato nearby.

“Uh…” Takato replied, “I don’t really know, Guilmon just went for it. He’s not usually like this!” His answer, though naive, actually made it sound more credible.

“Hmph, it’s just in their nature,” Ruki finally insisted, heading back toward Akihabara without a backward glance. “Isn’t fighting the destiny of all Digimon?”

Feng Xue sighed, about to say something, when Ruki’s voice called out again, “Impmon, what are you waiting for?”

…

As Feng Xue suspected, there was little to entertain in Akihabara of this era—no maid cafés (the first opened in 2001), nor any bespectacled, backpack-wearing otaku, or cosplayers in their showy outfits. For now, it was simply an electronics district selling various peripheral goods.

That said, Japan’s transportation was certainly convenient—thanks to the Shinkansen, one could travel between most major regions in a single day. Though the country was small, even in this era, such travel would be impossible in China.

Ruki’s luck, it seemed, was astonishingly good—the kind found only among the truly fortunate. Unlike Feng Xue, who was plagued by misfortune, she managed to collect nearly all the rare cards from just three booster packs, while his own efforts never yielded more than a single rare, no matter how many he pulled. At this point, his envy was beyond words.

As Feng Xue brooded over Ruki’s luck, she suddenly asked, “Impmon, you want to become stronger too, don’t you?”