24. Elder Gennai

As Devimon’s data dissipated, the fractured File Island began to pull itself back together.

At the foot of Mount Miharashi, Meramon hauled a Yokomon out from a deep fissure where it had stumbled during the island’s upheaval.

"Thank you, Meramon!"
"We owe you so much!"
"You saved us!"

The residents of the Yokomon village hopped about excitedly around Meramon. The massive turbulence that had rocked the island had hit these Fresh-level Digimon—who lacked even basic self-preservation skills—the hardest. Had Meramon not rushed down from Mount Miharashi the moment the chaos began to hold up collapsing trees, crush falling boulders, and evaporate the rising tidal waves, this village of Yokomon would surely have suffered heavy casualties.

Meramon, however, showed no signs of pride. He gazed toward the peak of Infinity Mountain, where the darkness was steadily receding, and murmured, "No, it was Tai and the others who saved us."

***

In Toy Town, as the anomalies on the island vanished, Elecmon, who had been hiding inside a building wrapped in red hearts, poked his head out and asked Numemon standing outside, "Is the disaster over?"

"Yeah... looks like Tai and the others won."

Numemon wiped the sweat from his brow. Elecmon was the administrator of Primary Village—or rather, its kindergarten director. His duty was to care for the babies that hatched from Digitama. These babies were Fresh-level Digimon, even more fragile than the Yokomon.

"Thank you so much, Numemon. Without your help, these babies would have been..."

Numemon gave a reassuring smile. "I only provided a shelter. Compared to me, they are the true heroes."

The "they" Numemon referred to were the group of Numemon behind Elecmon, who were busy frantically tending to babies like Botamon and Poyomon. Among the sea of green, slimy Numemon, a black one wearing a snail shell and a crown was barking orders.

That was Black KingNumemon, an Ultimate-level Digimon and an evolved form of Numemon. Yes, the Numemon who had once made a promise to Tai had now evolved into the third Ultimate-level Digimon on the island.

"If you want to thank someone, thank Black KingNumemon. He was the one who, the moment the turmoil began, used the sewers spanning across File Island to bring all the children here."

In truth, Elecmon hadn't expected that the Numemon, who had once only hidden in dark sewers, would become the saviors of Primary Village simply because they knew the underground routes like the back of their hands.

Black KingNumemon smiled at the praise, his mustache-like antennae twitching playfully. "We may not have great power, but precisely because we are small and weak, we can handle the menial tasks that those shining saviors cannot."

Looking toward the direction of File Mountain, Black KingNumemon thought: As long as I keep moving forward on my own path, one day, I will be able to stand beside you as well.

Hey, Tai, Zeromaru, have I managed to get a little closer to you yet?

***

As Devimon was erased, the temple atop the mountain melted away like spring snow under a scorching sun. Standing at the peak and looking down at the Digimon helping one another, Tai felt a profound sense of relief.

"Devimon, you were truly a strong opponent. Really, truly strong..."

"If it had been me and Zero when we first arrived in this world, we certainly wouldn't have been able to defeat you."

Watching Devimon’s data drift away like a bat with tattered wings before slowly fading into nothingness, Tai murmured, "Be a good person in your next reincarnation, and evolve to be even stronger. I’ll challenge you again—it’s a promise."

Zeromaru came up to Tai’s side and tugged at his sleeve. "Tai, Leomon and I found something."

"What is it?" Tai snapped out of his thoughts and followed Zeromaru to the spot where the temple had stood.

With the temple gone, the summit of Infinity Mountain was now a flat plain, save for a single device in the center that resembled a projector.

"Nani kore?" Tai let out a sound like Yugi Muto seeing four mysterious cards.

Suddenly, the device emitted a vibrant rainbow of colors, and within the light, a figure appeared. It was the projection of an old man in a black coat with a red shawl. His hair was tied into a ponytail, and his hunched frame barely reached a meter in height.

"A human!?" Though Tai knew he was in a parallel world, seeing a human from that world still stirred him.

As Tai ran closer, the human, who should have been merely a projection, turned his head as if he could see him.

"Ho ho ho, so you are the DigiDestined... eh? Why is it just you?" The old man looked left and right, only to see Tai alone.

That shouldn't be right. If my transmission connected, it meant Devimon on File Island had been defeated. Wait... wait, wait, wait. Could it be?

The old man’s forehead beaded with sweat. "Uh, tell me, did you defeat Devimon all by yourself?"

Tai shook his head. "No."

*Thank goodness.* The old man felt a surge of relief. It seemed the other children must be resting elsewhere.

Tai added, "Zero and I defeated the evolved Creepymon."

"Hm?" The old man made a face like someone looking at their phone on the subway.

*No, no, no, no, that’s not right. Something is definitely wrong, isn't it?*

The old man knew of Creepymon; it was a super-powerful Ultimate-level Digimon capable of suppressing a Mega-level and multiple Ultimates. How could children who hadn't even obtained their Crests defeat an enemy of that caliber!? Yet, his logic told him Tai wasn't lying—he couldn't have known the name "Creepymon" if he hadn't encountered it.

So, how on earth did he do it?

Seeing the old man lost in thought, Tai asked, "Um, old-timer, are you okay?"

"Ah? Oh... sorry, sorry, I was just distracted."

"It's fine, it's normal for the brain to slow down when you get old," Tai said, offering a comforting smile.

*Does this kid know how to talk to people?* The old man’s forehead was covered in dark lines, feeling the need to retort. "I may look like a human, but I only resemble one on the outside."

Tai looked apologetic. "Oh... so your brain being slow is just natural then."

???

Is this kid the bearer of the Crest of Sincerity? How can he be so brutally honest?

The old man coughed twice. "My name is Gennai. I have been trying to establish contact with File Island for a long time, but due to the interference of dark forces, I have only succeeded now."

"Contact? From where?" Tai asked.

"I am currently on the other side of the ocean, far from File Island, on Server Continent."