Chapter 116: Taichi's Invitation: Let's Go Blast That Old Vampire Together
I have to admit, Piximon was exceptionally competent as an instructor.
Whether it was fine-tuning Belle's sensory perception or drawing out the respective Light of the Heart hidden within each of the DigiDestined, the small fairy had devised a flawless, highly customized training regimen in a remarkably short span of time.
Take Izzy, for instance.
After sweating through several grueling hours under Piximon's strict curriculum, the red-haired boy had managed to push past his physical limits. He could now fire off several consecutive energy blasts from his own hands, a significant upgrade from his original cap of launching three or four Miniature Mega Bursts at most.
The progress was so rapid that Izzy was already attempting to perfectly replicate the destructive force of Kabuterimon's signature Mega Burst using his own willpower.
"That Izzy guy is really working his heart out..."
After lingering on the sight of his friend's intense focus for a moment, Yagami Taichi withdrew his gaze. He wiped a bead of sweat from his brow and rolled his shoulders.
"I have to hand it to her. Teacher Piximon's training methods are incredibly effective." A wry, somewhat exhausted grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. "It is just that she has a bit of a short fuse, ahaha... Kind of reminds me of my mom."
"Is there a possibility..."
Mizuki leaned casually against the shaft of his parasol. He cast a sidelong glance at the goggled boy beside him, a deeply deep look swimming in his dark eyes. "The reason Teacher Piximon has such a terrible temper is because we are intentionally provoking her at every given opportunity?"
"Hiss..."
Taichi drew a sharp breath through his teeth. The gears in his head finally clicked into place. Realizing the implication, he whipped his head around, staring at Mizuki with wide eyes. "Wait. Hold on a second—"
"Are you telling me you were completely aware of what you were doing?"
"Does that even need to be said?"
Mizuki tilted his chin up, the very picture of arrogant pride. A smug, utterly unapologetic smirk blossomed on his face. "After all, my heart and my actions are as clear as a mirror. Everything I do is just, beep~"
"...Seriously." Taichi's eye twitched, his voice dropping into a flat deadpan. "Every single day, I become increasingly convinced that you have an absolutely rotten personality."
"Thank you for the compliment, desu~" Mizuki chirped, shamelessly adopting a sickeningly sweet tone.
"I wasn't complimenting you, you idiot!"
Yagami Taichi rolled his eyes so hard they nearly vanished into his skull. Dropping the banter, he immediately shifted his weight, dropping into a low, balanced fighting stance aimed directly at Mizuki.
Seeing the sudden shift in demeanor, Mizuki could not help but raise a single, intrigued eyebrow.
This sparring match was not just a random brawl; it was a highly specific, targeted training exercise personally arranged by Piximon.
Besides allowing Taichi to gain the high-pressure combat experience he desperately needed to grow, it served a much more crucial purpose: forcing Mizuki to actually restrain himself during a fight.
After all, when this guy fought for real, he was a terrifying force of nature who treated his own life as spare change.
To Mizuki, as long as the enemy was destroyed, collateral damage to his own body was entirely acceptable. Never mind a broken arm or a shattered leg—even his own beating heart could become a bargaining chip to be traded for absolute victory if the situation demanded it.
Regarding this suicidal tendency, Piximon had already scolded Mizuki relentlessly. 'Cherish yourself properly, beep!' she had yelled, smacking him over the head countless times within this single, exhausting day.
To enforce this lesson, Piximon had used a special marker to draw bright targets over various vital points on Mizuki's body.
What he needed to do now was ensure that not a single one of these marked spots was struck by Taichi, thereby correcting his frantic, self-destructive fighting style bit by bit.
What Taichi had to do was the exact opposite. He had to preserve his own life under the overwhelming pressure of Mizuki's counterattacks while aggressively hunting for openings, trying to land as many solid hits on those marked targets as humanly possible.
"Are you rested enough?"
Mizuki asked, lazily kicking the tip of his closed parasol up from the dirt and catching the handle with a fluid spin of his wrist. "Are you absolutely sure you do not need another breather? I really did not hold back with that strike to your face earlier~"
"So you know that?"
Yagami Taichi touched his cheek. Though the bruised flesh had been completely restored by Kari's gentle healing light, a phantom stinging sensation still pulsed beneath his skin, a lingering reminder of Mizuki's ruthless speed.
"Stop talking nonsense," Taichi grunted, his muscles tensing like coiled springs. "Let's just get this started."
"Yes, yes, yes~ Then you had better grit your teeth~"
The moment the last syllable left his lips, the air cracked. Mizuki lunged forward, closing the distance in a terrifying blur of motion. He materialized directly in front of Yagami Taichi almost in the blink of an eye.
'So fast!'
Seeing the blunt tip of the parasol thrusting straight for his face, Yagami Taichi violently jerked his head to the side. The fabric scraped past his ear as he narrowly dodged the fatal attack. Relying purely on honed instinct, Taichi instantly pivoted, driving his tightly clenched right fist forward in a brutal counter-punch aimed squarely at Mizuki's ribs!
However, Mizuki had already anticipated the retaliation. Without even looking down, he snapped his left hand up, catching Taichi's flying straight punch in an iron grip.
"What are you planning to do next?"
Hearing Yagami Taichi ask this sudden question mid-combat, Mizuki blinked, genuinely caught off guard. "What next?"
"Our next move, of course."
Although his right arm was immobilized, Taichi's offensive momentum did not falter for a fraction of a second. He twisted his hips, channeling his entire body weight into a lightning-fast left fist aimed straight for Mizuki's jaw!
But Mizuki was simply one step faster than him!
Instead of retreating, he leaned into the danger. His right arm, still holding the heavy parasol, bent sharply at the elbow. Stepping directly into Taichi's guard, Mizuki slammed his elbow brutally into the center of the younger boy's chest.
The breath left Taichi's lungs in a violent rush. The sheer force of the blow sent him stumbling backward. Capitalizing on the created distance, Mizuki fluidly transitioned his stance. He swung the parasol in a wide, vicious horizontal sweep, the heavy weapon tearing through the air toward the young man in front of him.
Seeing the incoming strike, Yagami Taichi ignored the agonizing ache radiating from his sternum. He quickly brought his hands back up, crossing his forearms tightly in front of his chest just in time to intercept Mizuki's sweeping blow.
A heavy smack echoed across the clearing. The sheer friction and impact tore a shallow, bleeding cut across the skin of both his arms.
"Ow, ow, ow..."
Taichi hissed through clenched teeth, staggering back another step. The searing sting of having his arms cut open was definitely an unpleasant sensation.
However, Taichi had experienced quite a few life-or-death battles in the Digital World by now, so his threshold for pain had grown tremendously. This level of injury was entirely bearable for him.
Just then, a warm, soothing sensation washed over his battered arms. He felt the torn flesh knitting back together at a visible pace. He knew without even turning around that Kari was using her power.
"Thank you, Kari," Taichi called out, waving over his shoulder toward the young girl standing a short distance behind him.
In response, Kari offered him a sweet, encouraging smile, her eyes crinkling at the corners. But the smile was fleeting, quickly replaced by a mask of intense concentration.
Piximon's specialized training plan for Kari was entirely focused on precision and controlling her own abilities.
The fairy Digimon had astutely noticed that because of Kari's inherently gentle and giving nature, the girl constantly overexerted herself, pouring far too much energy into her healing spells. Expressed in gaming terminology, this was a severe case of Overhealing.
Even if Kari's latent reserves of Light Power were vastly superior to the other seven children, this method of wantonly wasting her strength was a dangerous habit that was always inadvisable.
Therefore, what Kari needed to do now was carefully throttle her output, dispensing only the exact amount of Light Power required to mend the wound.
Because she was consciously holding back, the healing speed of the cuts on Taichi's arms was noticeably slower than before. But Taichi did not mind this delay in the slightest; he knew it was necessary for his sister's growth.
Across the dusty clearing, noticing that Taichi was recovering, Mizuki respectfully halted his relentless assault.
Recalling Taichi's earlier question, Mizuki elegantly twirled his parasol through his fingers like a seasoned swordsman before resting it against his shoulder. He looked up at the digital sky, his expression turning thoughtful as he calmly responded.
"What am I planning to do next?" Mizuki paused. "Most likely, I will go hunt down Myotismon. After all, those children have already gone ahead to look for him."
"Is that so?"
Having already learned the situation from Mizuki, Taichi nodded slowly. He expressed a deep, empathetic understanding regarding the dangerous path BlackGatomon and the other Digimon had chosen to walk.
He wiped the dirt from his cheek and looked at Mizuki with a bright, determined spark in his eyes. "In that case, why do you not just join us?"
"After all, you do not need to stick to your original solo plan anymore, right?" Taichi grinned, pointing a thumb at his own chest. "Our target is Myotismon either way, isn't it?"
Hearing Taichi extend such an earnest invitation, Mizuki was genuinely taken aback. His eyes widened slightly in surprise.
Although he knew with absolute certainty that they would eventually clash with the undead lord, Mizuki truly had not expected the collision to happen so rapidly.
He quickly did the mental math. How many days had they actually been wandering across the Server Continent? Two days? It had not even been three full days, had it?
Then, a sudden realization struck him like a bolt of lightning. He stared at Taichi, piecing the timeline together. "Wait... Did you guys also run into Myotismon last night?"
"That is right. Honestly, I think that guy only came hunting for you after he finished fighting us," Taichi nodded firmly, his expression darkening slightly as he confirmed the situation.
After listening to Taichi's casual account, the expression on Mizuki's face instantly became incredibly subtle. A complicated mixture of amusement and sheer disbelief twitched at the corner of his mouth.
So, let me get this straight... Myotismon came looking for him to vent his anger right after getting beaten back by Taichi and the rest of the group?
What kind of astronomically bad luck was that...
But the humor quickly faded into cold tactical analysis. If that was truly the case, would a heavily pressured and humiliated Myotismon accelerate his plans? Would he attempt to head to the Human World even earlier than originally anticipated?
Mizuki's brow furrowed as he sank deep into his thoughts, calculating the shifting variables.
But the very next second, Taichi's loud, energetic voice shattered the silence, interrupting his strategic musings.
"Mizuki! I am fully recovered!" Taichi shouted, slamming his fists together. The cuts on his arms had completely vanished, leaving behind unblemished skin. "Let's continue!"
"...Fine then~"
Watching Yagami Taichi charge toward him like a fearless, unstoppable bull, Mizuki let out a long, helpless sigh. The faint trace of a smile touched his lips before he quickly banished it, his eyes hardening back into the cold, focused gaze of a warrior. He raised his parasol, shifting his weight, and stepped forward to meet the charge once more.
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