Borg Village, hidden deep within dense mountains and ancient forests, was a small settlement inhabited by relatively weak Digimon. Its strongest resident was a Centarumon.
Borg Village had long avoided contact with the outside world. Two years ago, that Centarumon had arrived covered in wounds; after being saved by the villagers, it stayed to protect the community.
Digimon are vast and varied. By attribute, they are categorized as Vaccine, Data, or Virus, representing Order, Neutrality, and Chaos respectively, though these are not absolute rules. By evolutionary stage, they range from Baby I, Baby II, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, to Mega. There are also Armor, Burst, Hybrid, and X-Antibody forms, making the system far more complex than Pokémon.
Salamon was currently a Rookie; its next stage would be the Champion-level Gatomon. Centarumon was also a Champion level. In the outside world, it might be a mere lackey, but in Borg Village, it was the supreme power.
It possessed a cold, taciturn personality. Since being rescued, it had spent every day patrolling the perimeter of its own accord, as if perpetually fearing something. For two years, this patrol had become a deeply ingrained habit, though the acute dread of an enemy attack had long since faded into the background.
On this day, while Centarumon was wandering outside the village preparing to pick some fruit for food, it suddenly saw a giant bird descend from the sky. An English-speaking human and a Salamon jumped down from the giant bird's back.
Wait... a human?
"Human, halt!" Centarumon aimed its custom-made bow and arrow at the newcomers.
The human was, naturally, Aomori. He wore a smile, observing this strange yet somewhat familiar Digimon. Centarumon was an Animal-type Digimon—half-man, half-beast, with a horse's lower body and a man's upper body. Its head was encased in a helmet revealing two crimson eyes, its hands were covered in metal, and several metal pipes protruded from its back, giving it the appearance of a cyborg.
"Don't be nervous. We mean no harm," Aomori raised his hands to show he was unarmed. Salamon, perched atop his head, chirped in support: "It's true!"
"Humans represent conflict. You are not welcome here." Centarumon pulled the wooden bow slightly tighter. "Leave at once!"
Given the intense hostility, Aomori knew words wouldn't suffice. He spoke up: "Are you really going to let us just leave? We already know the location of this village. Aren't you afraid that after we leave, we'll return with tens of thousands of Digimon to raze this place to the ground?"
"Human!" Centarumon was visibly provoked. It released the bowstring, firing an arrow at Aomori.
A hand's breadth from his eyes, a massive hand snatched the wooden arrow out of the air. With a light snap, the arrow was broken and tossed to the ground.
The owner of this arm was shirtless, revealing terrifying, shock-inducing muscles. His reddish-brown hair flared out like a demon's mane, and his face wore an expression of absolute invincibility.
Another human appeared out of nowhere? Centarumon was bewildered, but its hands didn't slow down. Since an attack had been made, it decided to keep them all here.
With the twang of a bowstring, wooden arrows flew in rapid succession, but they were all easily batted away by the human.
"You're too weak. I don't want to step in myself, so I'll let him test the quality of a Champion-level Digimon. Don't underestimate him; he is the Strongest Creature on Earth!" Aomori waved a hand dismissively at Centarumon. Carrying Salamon on his head, he began walking toward the village, with Pidgeot following behind one step at a time.
Centarumon was filled with alarm and rage. It tried to chase Aomori, but was grabbed by the "Strongest Creature on Earth" and pinned to the ground. It could only watch helplessly as Aomori entered the village.
"Get off me!" Centarumon's metal arm clicked and shifted into a cannon barrel, but its only response was a bone-chilling grin.
BOOM!
Having already entered the village, Salamon looked back at the site of the explosion and asked worriedly, "Will he be okay?"
"Don't worry. He knows how to hold back."
That human was, in fact, Ditto in transformation.
In the last dungeon, for some reason, Ditto had become obsessed with the bizarrely styled Yujiro Hanma. It often took his form, later learning his "Demon Back" and even managing to trade blows with Oliva, the "freest man in the world," with uncanny accuracy.
And yet, before that, it could never learn Water Stream Rock Smashing Fist or Exploding Heart Release Fist no matter how hard it tried.
As long as Ditto didn't cause trouble when Aomori needed it, he let it do as it pleased.
The houses in the village were crude wooden shacks, now completely empty of life. The Digimon had long since hidden themselves, but under Aomori's Mind's Eye, their movements were plain to see.
Aomori walked to a cliff wall at the back of the village and knocked politely. "Hello? Is anyone home?"
About two minutes later, an opening cracked in the rock, and a pink bird with a single tuft of hair on its head stepped out.
"Biyomon?"
"Human, there is nothing here that you desire."
To Aomori's surprise, Biyomon's voice was raspy and low, like that of an old grandmother.
"I just wanted to ask for directions. Are there any places nearby where many Digimon gather?"
Biyomon took a long look at the tail-wagging Salamon on his head, then shook its head. "I haven't been to the outside world in many years. I don't know the place you speak of."
"However, Centarumon should know."
"Back to him again, then."
Aomori chuckled. As he turned to leave, he heard Biyomon say, "Human, if you don't want to look for trouble, you'd best not run around everywhere with that one."
Did she recognize the Holy Ring?
Without looking back, he simply waved a hand to show he had heard.
After Aomori left, several small, round Digimon hopped out from the cliff side; they were still in their Baby stages.
"Biyomon, who were they?"
"I don't know." Biyomon sighed. "The Server Continent is about to fall into chaos again."
…
Returning to the village entrance, Aomori saw Ditto still in the form of "Yujiro Hanma," sitting on Centarumon's back. Centarumon's lower four legs were on the ground, while its upper arms were held and twisted behind its back, clearly subdued.
"..."
For some reason, this scene felt entirely natural, exactly like something that man would do.
Walking around to Centarumon's front and looking into its dull, lifeless eyes, Aomori cleared his throat. "Now you know we mean no harm, right?"
"What about Biyomon and the others?"
"They're fine. But you have to answer my questions, otherwise 'fine' can become 'not fine' very quickly."
After a long silence, Centarumon dejectedly lowered its head. "I understand. Ask."
"Where are the places nearby where many Digimon gather?"
"About a thousand kilometers to the east, there is a place called Ore Town. That is the only large gathering spot nearby."
"Did you come from there?"
"Yes. It is an important territory of Myotismon, guarded by his subordinate, SkullMeramon. I barely escaped with my life. That is all I know."
"Ditto, come back." Hearing Aomori's call, Ditto reverted to its original form and hopped over to his feet.
"I hope you aren't lying." Aomori returned to Pidgeot's back with Salamon and Ditto, setting off once more.
Watching his receding figure, Centarumon slowly stood up from the ground.
"SkullMeramon is invincible."
Haunted by the painful memories of the past, Centarumon returned to Borg Village, its spirit broken.
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