Chapter 185: Two Worlds Time
"Ta-da! I am Lillymon~ Your one and only partner!"
The fairy Digimon twirled in the air, her petal-skirt fluttering before she hovered right in front of the dumbfounded girl.
"What's wrong, Mimi? You look completely spaced out. Are you mesmerized by my new look?" Lillymon offered a playful, exaggerated wink, her vibrant green eyes sparkling with mischief.
When Mimi remained frozen, her mouth slightly agape, the fairy tilted her head. Curiosity getting the better of her, Lillymon leaned in close, waving a tiny, leaf-gloved hand in front of her partner's face.
But before the Digimon could even blink, Mimi's shock shattered. With zero warning, the girl lunged forward, snatching the fairy out of the air in one swift, desperate motion.
"Mimi?!" Lillymon squeaked, her wings buzzing in sudden panic.
"Lillymon!" Mimi wailed, burying her face against the Digimon's floral scent. "This is amazing! Palmon, your Ultimate form is just too cute—"
She paused, her teary eyes suddenly narrowing as a new realization hit her. She pulled back just enough to glare at the fairy.
"No, wait! More —Palmon, I mean, Lillymon! How dare you play a prank on me like that?!"
Mimi's face was a chaotic canvas, rapidly cycling between overwhelming relief, bubbling joy, and pouty indignation. Seeing her partner's emotional whiplash caused a visible bead of sweat to drop down Lillymon's forehead.
"Mimi, you look genuinely terrifying right now," Lillymon teased, though she nervously tried to inch backward. "Could your mind be clouded by evil forces?!"
"Your mind is the one clouded by evil forces!" Mimi shot back, her reproachful glare melting instantly as she yanked the fairy back into a bone-crushing hug. "As punishment for being so naughty and scaring me half to death, you are hereby sentenced to be my personal plushie doll!"
"Ugh~ Mimi, wait, you're squeezing too tight!" Lillymon flailed her slender arms, though she didn't actually try to break free.
"Hehehe~ But Lillymon, you smell like fresh spring flowers~" Mimi giggled, nuzzling her cheek against the fairy's soft petals.
Watching the chaotic but heartwarming reunion from a few paces away, Izzy let out a soft, amused sigh.
"Well, that's certainly one way to celebrate," he muttered, adjusting the strap of his laptop bag. Shrugging off the girls' antics, he turned his analytical gaze back to the massive, wilting flower bud resting on the ground.
Stripped of the immense energy that had fueled Lillymon's digivolution, the colossal bloom was already withering. Its physical form fractured at the edges, dissolving into a stream of shimmering, emerald-green data codes that floated upward like fireflies.
His fingers flying across his portable keyboard, Izzy swiftly intercepted the dissipating stream, siphoning the residual data into his terminal before it could scatter into the atmosphere.
"Izzy, what exactly are you doing?" Tentomon buzzed closer, tilting his metallic head as he watched the glowing streams funnel into the screen.
"I'm securing the residual data left behind by Lillymon's digivolution," Izzy explained, his eyes reflecting the scrolling lines of code. "Specifically, the signature of a Data-attribute Ultimate level Digimon."
He hit the enter key, locking the file.
"We're incredibly fortunate. Even after achieving Super digivolution, Mimi's partner retained her Data attribute. With this, we finally have the missing key to pry open the gate."
As he spoke, his screen flashed with a confirmation prompt, smoothly integrating the newly acquired fairy data with the fragments he had carefully gathered earlier.
But before he initiated the final sequence, a lingering question gnawed at his mind. Lowering his laptop slightly, Izzy shifted his gaze across the clearing.
His eyes locked onto the imposing, leather-clad figure of LadyDevimon. The fallen angel Digimon was in the midst of turning away, preparing to rally her scattered troops, but she paused. The heavy chains draped across her shoulders clinked softly as she glanced over her shoulder, catching the boy's intense stare.
"Is there a problem, human?" she asked, her tone cool and measured.
"Actually, yes. There is something I would like to ask you, if you don't mind." Izzy stepped forward, offering a polite, formal bow. Despite the chaotic circumstances, his innate shyness around unfamiliar—and highly intimidating—figures remained intact. He chose his words carefully. "Earlier, during your confrontation with Myotismon, I couldn't help but overhear your exchange. You mentioned something regarding the flow of time?"
"Ah. So you caught that, did you?"
LadyDevimon turned fully to face him, her crimson eyes narrowing slightly in appraisal. She crossed her arms, tapping a sharp, clawed finger against her bicep. Meeting Izzy's gaze—one burning with an unquenchable thirst for knowledge—she found no reason to conceal the truth.
"You are correct. Between your Human World and our Digital World, there is a distinct discrepancy in the flow of time."
She let out a slow breath, her dark aura flickering.
"However, I am not privy to the exact mechanics of it. I only know what was gathered by Myotismon's intelligence network. According to Phantomon—one of his chief lieutenants—the temporal flow between the two dimensions was originally vastly unequal."
"But then, not too long ago, something shifted," LadyDevimon continued, her voice dropping to a serious murmur. "For reasons unknown to us, that massive temporal gap was forcibly smoothed out. The two worlds synchronized."
Izzy absorbed the information, his mind racing to connect the dots. He nodded slowly. "I see. But based on Myotismon's visceral reaction earlier... it appears that synchronization has been broken. The time difference has reappeared."
"Precisely." A faint, mocking smirk touched LadyDevimon's dark lips. "Although that arrogant fool Myotismon refused to admit it out loud, his panic betrayed him. Your deduction is more or less spot on."
She uncrossed her arms, the chains rattling once more. "Is there anything else you wish to pry out of me, little scholar?"
"No, that clarifies everything. Thank you for your guidance," Izzy replied, bowing his head respectfully once more.
"Think nothing of it." LadyDevimon waved a dismissive hand, though her tone softened a fraction. "I must admit, compared to the loud, impulsive brats you travel with, you are significantly more pleasing to the eye."
Perhaps it was his unwavering politeness, or perhaps it was a mutual respect between two highly analytical minds. Whatever the reason, the usually ruthless fallen angel found herself treating the red-haired boy with a surprising degree of civility.
"I need to go assemble the remnants of my forces," she stated, her commanding presence returning in full force. "Wait here until I return. Do not wander off."
With a sharp pivot, LadyDevimon strode away, her dark wings sweeping behind her without a backward glance.
As she departed, the crunch of footsteps signaled Tai's approach. The goggle-wearing boy stepped up to Izzy's side, his brow furrowed.
"Izzy, you look like you've just seen a ghost. Why is your complexion so pale?" Tai asked, his voice laced with genuine concern. He glanced in the direction LadyDevimon had gone, then back to his friend. "I mean, I get it. The time difference messing up means we might have been gone longer than we thought, and it'll definitely cause a massive panic back home. But... it shouldn't be serious enough to make you look this terrified, right?"
Seeing the deep, anxious lines etched into Izzy's forehead, Tai couldn't stop the question from spilling out.
Izzy didn't answer immediately. He closed his eyes and took a long, shuddering breath, visibly struggling to suppress the turbulent emotions churning in his chest. When he finally opened his eyes, they were dead serious.
"Tai," he began, his voice barely above a whisper. "Regarding this entire situation... haven't you noticed something fundamentally wrong?"
"Wrong? How do you mean?"
Tai blinked, taken aback by the sheer gravity in Izzy's tone. But as he stared into his friend's intense gaze, the gears in his own head began to turn. A sharp glint flashed in Tai's brown eyes as the scattered pieces of the puzzle suddenly aligned. The casual confusion melted from his face, replaced by a heavy, solemn realization.
Izzy was never one to look at a problem at surface level. He always dug for the root cause. And while Tai might have played the role of the reckless leader, his tactical instincts were razor-sharp. When forced to analyze the situation with the same depth as Izzy, the glaring abnormalities became impossible to ignore.
The timeline laid itself out in Tai's mind. Initially, the temporal flow between the Digital World and the Human World was wildly out of sync. Then, inexplicably, it had been perfectly balanced. But now, just recently, that balance had shattered, reverting to its chaotic state.
And the timing of these massive, reality-altering shifts aligned far too perfectly with the actions of a certain someone.
"The time difference..." Tai muttered, his fists slowly clenching at his sides. "The synchronization of the two worlds... the sudden loss of that balance..."
His mind raced at breakneck speed, processing the sheer scale of the manipulation. Under Izzy's quiet gaze of approval, Tai connected the final, terrifying dots.
"Izzy," Tai breathed, his eyes widening in shock. "Could it be... is the existence pulling the strings behind all this trying to—"
Before Tai could voice the horrifying conclusion, Izzy raised a hand, shaking his head with a subtle but firm motion. He shot a pointed glance at their surroundings, silently commanding Tai to drop the subject.
Some truths were entirely too dangerous to be spoken aloud. Knowing the reality of the situation was enough; broadcasting it could invite disaster. In a world governed by sentient data and invisible forces, they could never be certain if unseen ears were listening from the shadows., as terrifying as their theory was, it remained just that—a theory, lacking the concrete evidence needed to prove it.
Reading the silent warning etched into Izzy's features, Tai swallowed his words and gave a stiff nod. They didn't need to exchange another syllable. The unspoken bond forged through countless life-or-death battles allowed the two friends to communicate volumes in absolute silence. They were on exactly the same page.
Yet, despite the crushing weight of their discovery and the terrifying uncertainty of the future, Tai felt a strange fire ignite in his chest. Unlike Izzy, who was weighed down by the logical implications, Tai's mood shifted away from despair.
A fierce, determined grin tugged at the corner of his mouth. How else could he look at it? Ever since this nightmare began, they had been constantly saved, guided, and protected by Mizuki. He had carried their burdens time and time again. Now, the tables were turning. This was finally their chance to step up and repay the debt!
Tai's knuckles popped as he clenched his fists tight. They were comrades. Partners in survival. No matter what god-like entity or cosmic force was manipulating the strings from the shadows, Tai swore to himself that he would never let them lay a finger on Mizuki.
Standing beside him, Izzy felt the oppressive dread in his chest begin to thaw. Infected by Tai's unwavering, radiant optimism, the suffocating pressure of their reality lightened considerably. With a leader like Tai, even the impossible felt manageable.
However, wrapped up in their silent vows of brotherhood, neither Tai nor Izzy noticed the pair of observant eyes tracking their every micro-expression.
Standing a short distance away, Kari watched the secret, wordless exchange between her older brother and his best friend. Kari remained perfectly still, her expression unreadable.
'...''It seems my foolish brother is planning to do something incredibly dangerous behind my back again,' she thought, a mixture of fondness and exasperation swirling in her chest.'He really never changes.'
Suppressing a helpless sigh, Kari tore her gaze away from the boys and turned to the loyal protectors hovering by her side.
"Angewomon," Kari said softly, her voice carrying a maturity far beyond her years. She then glanced at the three floating, white-sheeted ghost Digimon hovering nervously behind the angel. "Big White, Second White, Little White."
She offered them a warm, radiant smile. "Please, take good care of me from now on."
"Yeah! You can count on us, boss!" the three Bakemon cheered in unison, thumping their hollow chests with absolute, comical conviction.
Even though the ghostly trio had no idea what had prompted the sudden formal request, their loyalty to the girl was unwavering.
Angewomon, however, was far more perceptive. The holy angel caught the subtle shift in Kari's demeanor—the quiet resolve hiding beneath her gentle smile. Yet, the overwhelming joy of finally being reunited with her destined partner washed away any lingering concerns.
Kneeling gracefully, Angewomon gently took Kari's small hands in her own.
"This is the very duty for which I was born," the angel vowed, her voice ringing with absolute devotion. "No matter what trials lie ahead, I will protect you, Kari."
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