Chapter Five: Ancient Gaia Beast

"Whew~ Thank goodness, finally someone familiar! You are… you are…? Oh, whatever, I was scared out of my wits just now, thought I was the only one here!"

The moment she saw Qin Fei, Mei Mei threw herself at him, tears of joy streaming down her face, happier than seeing her own family.

"Mei Mei, Mei Mei, am I not here too?"

As Mei Mei clung to Qin Fei, overcome with excitement and unable to form coherent sentences, a peculiar voice chimed in.

Looking down, they saw the Seedmon with two big leaves atop its head, sticking close to Mei Mei and kindly 'reminding' her.

"Yes, yes, and this strange creature as well."

Finally realizing that her embrace of Qin Fei was a bit too intimate, Mei Mei blushed and quickly let go, taking a step back. She crouched down, curiously examining the odd little creature that had been following her.

"I'm Seedmon, I've been waiting for you, Mei Mei. I'm not a strange creature."

"Waiting for me? What are you talking about?"

Seedmon called her name so easily, which made Mei Mei feel even stranger. She was certain she had never seen such a creature before.

But after seeing Qin Fei, the anxiety Mei Mei had been holding onto finally released, giving her the presence of mind to take in her surroundings.

"By the way, where are we anyway? And what’s that behind you?"

Mei Mei suddenly pointed in surprise at the Blacktoothmon behind Qin Fei.

"That? That’s Blacktoothmon, my partner—just like your Seedmon."

Qin Fei crouched down and hugged Blacktoothmon openly. Now that they were in the world of Digimon, there was no need to hide his own Digimon, Blacktoothmon. After all, all the children who arrived here had their own... their exclusive Digimon.

"Just like Seedmon? Partner?"

Mei Mei was hearing this explanation for the first time. She looked suspiciously at Blacktoothmon in Qin Fei’s arms, then at Seedmon at her feet.

"Mei… Mei Mei… I’ve never seen this Digimon on File Island. This guy seems dangerous!"

Seedmon seemed a little scared, hiding behind Mei Mei as it looked warily at Blacktoothmon.

"Dangerous?"

Mei Mei was taken aback, staring at Blacktoothmon with confusion. She actually thought Blacktoothmon looked even cuter than Seedmon and couldn’t see any trace of danger.

Hearing Seedmon’s cautious tone, Qin Fei sensed something off in Blacktoothmon’s demeanor. It was letting out a low growl, as if threatening Seedmon.

"Blacktoothmon, look at me. Don’t do that—they’re all my friends."

Qin Fei gently lifted Blacktoothmon, gazing into its eyes. Somehow, its pupils had turned into beast-like vertical slits, radiating a desire for battle.

"Qin Fei’s… friends…"

Perhaps it was Qin Fei’s caring gaze that did it, for Blacktoothmon’s pupils gradually cleared, once again showing the innocence of a child.

"Can they play with Blacktoothmon?"

Blacktoothmon asked happily.

"Of course they can. We all can play with Blacktoothmon. We’re all partners, remember that, Blacktoothmon."

Qin Fei stroked Blacktoothmon’s soft fur, finally at ease… and recalling how, when designing his Digimon, he had made it a Virus-type, which was known for being battle-hungry—most often appearing as antagonists in the anime.

That’s why, upon first meeting Seedmon, Blacktoothmon reacted so aggressively.

"It’s alright, the child was just shy at first. He’ll settle down soon enough."

Qin Fei put Blacktoothmon down and gestured for Mei Mei and Seedmon to come closer.

Mei Mei seemed unconcerned, unable to resist hugging the round, fluffy Blacktoothmon, while Seedmon remained wary.

"Mei Mei… Mei Mei… I’m your Digimon partner!"

But seeing Mei Mei’s affection for Blacktoothmon, Seedmon quickly grew jealous, circling angrily at Mei Mei’s feet.

"Haha…"

"Chomp chomp~ chomp chomp~"

"…"

"Stop! Quiet, something’s coming!"

As the two children and their Digimon played, Qin Fei’s expression suddenly shifted. He seemed to hear the sound of trees being sliced nearby, as though some danger was rapidly approaching.

It was then that he vaguely recalled the plot of the first series… Mei Mei was the last child found by the group, because at that time, she was being chased by Kuwagamon…

"Qin Fei, there’s a dangerous presence!"

"Mei Mei is in danger!!"

Blacktoothmon and Seedmon’s voices rang out at the same time. Their Digimon senses were far sharper than those of Qin Fei and Mei Mei, but they were still a bit late.

"Damn it, Blacktoothmon, Seedmon, run!"

Without hesitation, as if he knew exactly what to expect, Qin Fei grabbed Mei Mei’s hand and ran in the opposite direction, quickly disappearing into the thicket.

"Bang~ Crack!"

Sure enough, the instant Qin Fei and Mei Mei entered the woods, a pair of enormous orange pincers reached out from the trees behind them, slicing through trunks and branches alike.

It had clearly spotted Qin Fei and Mei Mei.

"Oh no, it’s Kuwagamon—a vicious Digimon. We’re in real danger!"

Seedmon explained in a panic, eyes full of fear. At their current baby stage, they stood no chance against a mature Kuwagamon.

"Ah! It’s chasing us!"

A glance behind sent Mei Mei into a panic.

"Buzz buzz~"

"Get down, everyone!"

Hearing the rapid wingbeats approaching, Qin Fei’s face changed and he tackled Mei Mei to the ground.

The giant pincers narrowly missed their heads, flying overhead.

Their immense force snapped countless trees ahead.

"What do we do? Help!"

Mei Mei broke down in tears.

"Keep running, don’t stop!"

Seeing Kuwagamon turning back, Qin Fei refused to just wait for doom. He grabbed Mei Mei and dashed off in another direction.

At that moment, he could only hope the rest of the group would find him and Mei Mei soon, or else there would be no hope.

"Dark Flash!"

Suddenly, Blacktoothmon called out, opening its mouth wide and unleashing a jet of pitch-black energy.

"Crack!"

"Thump thump thump~"

Something strange happened.

Kuwagamon, completely unguarded, took the hit from Blacktoothmon’s attack, staggered, and nearly fell from the air, crashing into another patch of trees.

"Huh? We won?"

Mei Mei’s mouth hung open in surprise at the sight of Kuwagamon tumbling into the woods.

"Impossible. We need to run while we can."

Qin Fei, however, knew exactly how strong Blacktoothmon was—after all, he had designed its Digimon skills himself. Against a mature Kuwagamon, the damage would be minimal.

If it were just a Champion-level Digimon, Qin Fei might have risked it with his Rookie Blacktoothmon.

But against a mature form, he had no illusions—the difference in power was unbridgeable.

"Screech!!"

They hadn’t run far before Kuwagamon’s piercing roar sounded again.

Clearly, it had been enraged by the earlier attack.

"Unbelievable… Where are Tai and the others? I can’t really die here, can I?"

The wingbeats grew louder, and Qin Fei was nearly despairing.

"…"

"Qin Fei, and Mei Mei?!"

Suddenly, familiar voices called out nearby, and a rush of relief flooded Qin Fei’s heart.

Ahead, the six figures and their Digimon partners running toward him were, in Qin Fei’s eyes, more precious than anything else.