Chapter Twenty-Five: Barumon Evolves

“Loretta Beast, take care of those behind us.”
Seeing the few remaining Snot Beasts trailing them, Qin Fei’s spirits lifted.

“I refuse!”

Qin Fei hadn’t expected Loretta Beast to reject him so bluntly and without hesitation.

“Why not? With your abilities, you should be able to handle them easily...”

He furrowed his brows, puzzled, as he looked at Loretta Beast running ahead.

“They’re filthy. I don’t want to absorb their data at all.”

So that was her concern.

“Then just chase them away, will you?”

...

Suddenly, something unspeakable swept past Qin Fei’s waist, narrowly missing him.

Qin Fei: ...

Loretta Beast: ...

“Ah, do something!”
Mimi shrieked, ducking behind a large tree as another piece of dung was hurled in their direction.

“I’ll do it.”
Barumon gritted his teeth. For Mimi’s safety, or at least for the sake of her clean clothes, he felt it was his duty to stand up and protect her.

“Poison Vine!”

He spread his hands, ready to unleash his special move.

“Ah! Splat, splat...”

But before Barumon could act, the Snot Beasts behind him caught sight of him—then, as if they’d seen some terrible monster, they turned tail and fled in terror.

“Huh?”

Barumon stood there perplexed, but Mimi rushed out to cheer, “Barumon, you’re amazing!”

“But... but I haven’t done anything yet?”

Barumon was still completely at a loss.

“Crimson Shard!”

Bang!

Suddenly, the sound of combat erupted behind Mimi. She and Barumon spun around, their faces changing.

At some point, a towering Digimon, its body resembling a giant yellow plush bear, had appeared and was locked in fierce combat with Loretta Beast.

“That’s... Teddy Beast!!!”

Barumon’s expression grew tense—this was a fully evolved Digimon.

“Welcome to Toy City.”

Teddy Beast’s voice was flat and emotionless, its strange words punctuating its relentless attacks on Loretta Beast.

Under the immense pressure, Loretta Beast’s attacks barely had any effect; she was forced onto the defensive, dodging desperately.

“What is that? Is it a Digimon too?”
Mimi eyed the plush giant, feeling it posed little threat.

“Don’t be fooled by its appearance, Mimi! It’s a powerful Digimon!”
Barumon hastened to explain, not wanting her to underestimate the enormous Teddy Beast.

“It loves toys, and toys love it back; that’s why it’s the mayor of Toy City...”

“Then it should be a good Digimon, so why is it fighting Qin Fei and the others?”
Mimi looked at Teddy Beast in surprise.

“That, I’m not sure.”
Barumon cocked his head, equally puzzled.

Mimi watched the battle anxiously. It was deadlocked: Loretta Beast’s attacks barely affected Teddy Beast, but Teddy Beast couldn’t land a hit on the nimble, petite Loretta Beast either.

...

“Teddy Beast, we mean you no harm!”
Mimi suddenly ran forward, as if to explain.

“Mimi, stay back! There’s a Black Gear inside Teddy Beast!”
Qin Fei shouted a warning, stopping her in her tracks.

“Black Gear?!!”
At his words, Mimi’s expression grew grave and she retreated without hesitation.

“Baru... Barumon, it’s the Black Gear again—what do we do?!”

“You’re asking me? I have no idea!”

The pair were thrown into a panic, completely at a loss.

Qin Fei paid no heed to the frantic Mimi and Barumon. His gaze remained fixed on Loretta Beast, who was gradually being overwhelmed. His face grew serious.

Teddy Beast wasn’t actually as strong as one might expect; its power didn’t quite match its fully evolved status. It was as if it had overexerted itself and was now running on empty.

Still, a camel on its last legs is bigger than a horse—an Ultimate-level Digimon is still an Ultimate, and Loretta Beast was two evolutionary stages behind. That kind of gap couldn’t be closed by numbers alone.

In the anime, Teddy Beast was “defeated” by the Champion-level Cactusmon, but most likely only because the Black Gear was forced out, prompting Teddy Beast to stop fighting. Otherwise, the outcome would have been far less certain.

“Mimi, Barumon, run! I’ll hold it off!”
Qin Fei drew a deep breath, his voice tense as if facing a grave dilemma.

He hesitated—Barumon’s evolution into Cactusmon hinged on a certain trigger. If things deviated from the story, Mimi and Barumon might not survive.

But if he destroyed Teddy Beast’s Black Gear ahead of time, how would Barumon gain the chance to evolve?

“No!”
Suddenly, Mimi shouted and strode toward Qin Fei, her fear now suppressed deep inside.

“I can’t run away when my friends are in danger!”

Pressing her lips together, Mimi looked at the small figure of Qin Fei standing ahead, shielding her. She realized that the last shred of hesitation in her heart had vanished.

“Even if Barumon and I are weak, even if everyone thinks I’m fussy, even if you think I’m no help at all—this time, I want to fight alongside you... Barumon, go help Loretta Beast.”

“Mimi... I understand.”
Barumon’s eyes changed. Without hesitation, he charged straight at Teddy Beast.

“Mimi, you... be careful. If there’s danger, hide behind me.”
Qin Fei saw the unwavering determination in Mimi’s eyes and finally stopped trying to hold her back.

Not everything could follow its original course. Ever since he’d joined the Chosen Children himself, the future had already gone off track.

If Mimi and Barumon lost their chance for evolution, he would simply create a new condition for them.

Having made up his mind, Qin Fei’s hand moved, drawing a card from his deck.

“Card Slash!”

“Defense Module G!”

Without hesitation, he swiped the card through his Digivice, his eyes locked on the struggle between Loretta Beast and Teddy Beast.

A transparent shield, crystal-like and gleaming, instantly enveloped Loretta Beast.

Bang!

With a crisp sound, Loretta Beast was sent flying, the force of the blow only stopping when she crashed through the fourth tree. Fine cracks appeared in the crystal shield.

“As expected...”

Qin Fei’s eyes narrowed as he examined the shield.

Normally, against a fully evolved Digimon, Loretta Beast’s barrier would barely withstand a single attack. But now, it was only slightly damaged—proof that Teddy Beast’s strength had been severely depleted.

“Qin Fei, I think I can win.”

Under the protection of the crystal shield, Loretta Beast quickly got to her feet, her fighting spirit blazing ever higher. The massive data contained within Teddy Beast was irresistible to her—she could sense that this plush bear Digimon was above Champion level.

But she noticed Qin Fei simply shook his head and looked instead at Mimi’s Barumon.

...

Loretta Beast seemed to understand, rolling her eyes helplessly at Qin Fei. Her Tamer was being a bleeding heart again.

...

“Poison Vine!”

Thin vines, mere threads compared to Teddy Beast, suddenly wrapped around its body—only to be torn to shreds with a single swipe.

Against such strength, Barumon seemed especially small and weak.

But Barumon didn’t give up. He charged at Teddy Beast again, Mimi’s plea echoing in his mind.

“Barumon, digivolve!!!”

“At last—”

As he saw Mimi’s Digivice finally begin to glow, a smile broke unbidden across Qin Fei’s face, and the heart he’d been holding in suspense at last relaxed.