Chapter Eighty-Nine: The Battle in the Parking Lot

“Sniffles, sniffles, sniffles, sniffles...”

“Ah!”

Rika jolted awake from her dream, glanced at her own palm, and let out a breath of relief as though reassured at last. “It was just a nightmare.”

“That little imp really is infuriating,” she muttered, her face still a little pale. Even now, she was still frightened by the tidal wave of snot monsters from her dream.

“That kind of disgusting thing? No way.” It seemed she had made up her mind: from now on, unless absolutely necessary, she would never use her cards. If Feng Xue knew, one wondered whether he would reflect on whether he had overcorrected.

Just as Rika’s thoughts were in complete disarray, Feng Xue walked in carrying a tray. “You’re awake? Today’s breakfast is assorted side dishes with plain porridge...”

“Mm, got it.” Rika answered flatly, then went out first to wash up. She was not the sort of heroine in many anime who bathed every morning, but she was also not some shut-in who would sit down to breakfast without even washing her face.

“The place where we ran into those two Tamers yesterday has been cordoned off by the authorities today,” Feng Xue said in a relaxed tone as he watched Rika eat her breakfast at an unhurried pace.

“What?” Rika was startled. If not for the fact that Feng Xue’s side dishes were exceptionally tasty, that single shock might have made her choke to death.

“Cordon, police, Self-Defense Forces, military vehicles, the disease control bureau, and so on,” Feng Xue said with an air of complete indifference, but the more Rika listened, the more tense she became.

“How could that be? Why would the government even care...”

“Why wouldn’t it?” Feng Xue rubbed his head in some annoyance. The people here not only had an appallingly low sensitivity to politics, but also almost no trust in the government. In the Land of the Rising Sun, even disaster relief after earthquakes was often handled by the local underworld; the government could almost be described as inactive. For that very reason, many people did not even understand what the government’s functions actually were.

“What do you think the government is? Yesterday’s battle destroyed the park facilities. For anyone, that is already far beyond ordinary brawling, isn’t it? A scene like that, as if the ground had been plowed over, looks like the result of heavy weaponry no matter how you look at it. Even if they don’t suspect terrorists have entered the country, they should at least wonder whether some lunatic has gone on a rampage.”

“But what does a lunatic have to do with the government?” Rika still looked utterly unable to understand, and Feng Xue could only sigh at the cultural difference. Did this country not have a law allowing madmen to kill people with impunity? He really had not checked that.

“Fine. In short, the government has started paying attention to Digimon, creatures with tremendous destructive power, so be careful when fighting. Understand?” Feng Xue gave up trying to explain and went straight to advice instead.

“You should’ve said that first!”

Rika slung her schoolbag over her shoulder in a very carefree manner and began her daily school routine.

“Oh, right, your lunch box!”

“It’s your lunch box!”

Whenever Rika got out of school, Feng Xue always found himself marveling at how leisurely and easygoing Japanese schools were: classes started at nine, ended at three, and if you stayed behind, there were club activities too. No wonder the atmosphere of early romance in this place was so intense. After all, with so much free time, if you didn’t use it for an early romance, you could only spend it being a shut-in.

On the way home, the Arc Light Device suddenly emitted a red glow.

“What is this?” It was the first time Rika had seen the device shine like that, and for a moment she was unsure what to make of it.

“There’s a Digimon nearby, not one that just arrived. One that’s been here for quite some time, maybe even one with a Tamer!” Feng Xue’s already keen senses seemed to form a link with the device, allowing him to quickly understand what it wanted to convey.

“Oh?” Hearing that it was a Digimon, Rika immediately perked up. “This is a busy district. Without heavy fog... right, the parking garage!”

As soon as she finished speaking, Rika ran ahead toward the underground parking lot not far away.

“This is really...” Feng Xue shook his head and had no choice but to follow.

Soon enough, a red figure entered the underground parking lot. It could only be Guilmon.

Before Feng Xue could even show himself, Rika had already stepped out from behind a concrete pillar and said in a cool pose, “Digimon are drawn to one another. They were born for battle.”

“Drawn to one another? Do you think we’re some kind of stand users?” Feng Xue complained inwardly, but at that moment he had no mind to listen to the conversation between the two protagonists. He had to concentrate and face the dangerous red dinosaur before him.

Guilmon was strong, almost among the strongest in the rookie stage aside from primal types. For instance, the first Lucemon was absurdly powerful, able to crush champion-level opponents while still in the rookie stage; but after that, Lucemon became just an ordinary angelic rookie, and its combat strength could only be called average. Guilmon’s strength, however, was entirely different from Feng Xue’s.

If Feng Xue’s strength lay in martial skill and experience, then Guilmon’s strength lay in its savagery and innate talent. It was a kind of strength born with it, complete and unadulterated.

Against such an opponent, even someone as strong as Feng Xue could not afford to be careless.

Its eyes, narrowed to the extreme, gleamed with bestial light. Guilmon actually struck first, firing a Guil Fire Cannon straight at Feng Xue.

Against such a straightforward attack, Feng Xue certainly could not be hit. With only a sidestep, he avoided the blast. Yet the power of that spitting attack far exceeded his expectations. After blowing a sedan car to dust, the scattered sparks even made Feng Xue, at a distance, feel a scorching sting.

“Damn it. Aside from the area of effect, that attack is almost as powerful as Tyrannomon’s Mega Flame!”

Though shocked, Feng Xue’s feet did not slow in the slightest. The instant Guilmon finished its breath attack, he surged in close and slammed a hook punch packed with all his strength squarely into Guilmon’s jaw.

“How is that possible!”

Feng Xue’s pupils contracted. As he retreated at high speed, a trace of fear flashed in his eyes. That blow had merely made the other’s head tilt a little. It had not even broken through its defense!

“What a joke. That kind of hardness...” Feng Xue was somewhat at a loss now. This Guilmon was not some ordinary Digimon at all, but an extremely enhanced rookie shaped by the child’s imagination. Though it still could not match the terrifying primal types, its skill power and defenses were fully capable of contending with champion-level foes.

As for Guilmon’s base stats, Feng Xue had always wanted to complain about them. Its attack power was one thing, since after all it was a draconic type. But its defense was what truly broke the scale. Not to mention how Renamon’s finisher could not even scrape the skin of armored champions famed for their defense, even the strongest champion-level Darkdramon failed to break through its defenses. After evolving into Growlmon, Gryphonmon bit down with all its strength on half of its body, and yet it still did not kill it. That was the difference between ultimate and champion level.