But now, it seemed there was no way out—he had to confess the truth.
If he kept lying and ended up offending both sides at once, Da Xiong would really be finished.
Not that his current situation was any better.
At least now, after Doraemon found out that the one who had secretly eaten his dorayaki was none other than Da Xiong himself, his displeasure was written plainly on his face.
"Da Xiong, this is all your fault. You have to take responsibility."
"If you can't get Doraemon to help us, then you'd better be prepared to pay the price!"
"I think you can already feel your bones starting to itch, right? Don't worry, I, Fat Tiger, will give you a nice massage later. I promise you'll really feel it. Heh, heh, heh, heh…"
Fat Tiger leaned in close, his face almost pressing against Da Xiong's, his voice full of cold, malicious threat.
Though he was smiling, in Da Xiong's eyes that grin looked more terrifying than any demon from hell.
And those thick, meaty fists of his—it looked like he could barely restrain himself from smashing them right into Da Xiong's face.
The danger was written all over Fat Tiger's expression, and Da Xiong felt like he could hardly breathe.
"Alright, alright! I'll make it up to you! Doraemon, don't worry, this will absolutely be the last time!
Even if I have to spend every bit of my allowance this month, I'll buy you all the dorayaki you want! So please, you have to help me just this once!"
"Please, I'm begging you… You can see how it is, right? If you don't help me, Fat Tiger's definitely going to beat me up! You don't want to see me turn into a panda, do you?"
Da Xiong's voice trembled, his words coming out half in tears.
Then, almost collapsing against Doraemon, he leaned close, whispering into his ear like a desperate man pleading for his life.
"Hmph. You said it yourself. No backing out later, understood?"
Following Da Xiong's fearful glance, Doraemon turned toward Fat Tiger and Suneo.
Fat Tiger was holding a thick, heavy baseball bat, slapping it rhythmically against his open palm. The corner of his mouth curved into a smug, almost feral grin.
Doraemon knew Fat Tiger's temper all too well.
Even if he was only threatening Da Xiong with words now, if anyone pushed him too far, he might just start throwing punches—and not even Doraemon might be spared.
So after making sure Da Xiong truly understood the weight of his mistake, Doraemon decided to forgive him—for now.
After all, what Fat Tiger wanted was just a spacious place to play baseball. For Doraemon, helping with that was nothing at all.
There was no need to get beaten up over such a small thing. That would just be… unprofitable.
"Mhm! I promise I won't back out…!"
Hearing Doraemon finally agree, Da Xiong almost burst into tears of joy.
Just a little later and Fat Tiger's fist would've landed squarely on his face.
If Doraemon had waited even a few seconds more, that punch would've gone to waste!
"Well then, let's find a good spot."
"Hmm… I think I left it around here somewhere…"
Mumbling to himself, Doraemon began rummaging through the 4D Pocket on his belly.
"Found it!"
"Anywhere Door!"
"With this, we can go anywhere we want, anytime we like!"
In no time, Doraemon pulled out a pink wooden door, complete with a frame.
It was a familiar gadget, one that had appeared many times before—so Da Xiong, Fat Tiger, and Suneo weren't all that shocked to see it.
"Alright then, take us somewhere spacious and open… somewhere warm and peaceful, where no one will bother us!"
On Earth, there were countless places that fit those conditions. Without any exact coordinates, opening the Anywhere Door was like drawing from a blind box—you never knew what you'd get.
Even Doraemon himself couldn't always tell where the door would lead.
But as long as it met Fat Tiger's requirements, it didn't really matter where they ended up.
"Okay, it's set. Let's go."
After waiting a few moments for the door's spatial connection to stabilize, Doraemon turned to the others and said calmly.
A soft hum echoed as the Anywhere Door opened, and a dazzling light poured through.
Green—an endless stretch of vibrant green filled their sight.
Before them spread a vast grassland, stretching as far as the eye could see. The horizon blurred where the blue sky kissed the rolling plains.
In the distance, flocks of birds circled gracefully in the air.
The breeze carried the fresh scent of wildflowers and sun-warmed grass.
The portal had opened on the edge of a cliff, overlooking the plains far below—a perfect vantage point to take in the breathtaking view.
From here, they could see the entire sweeping expanse of the earth beneath them.
"Wow~! It's so beautiful here~!"
The moment he saw the scenery, Da Xiong's fear of getting pummeled instantly melted away.
He gazed at the endless grasslands and couldn't help but sigh in awe.
Even Doraemon couldn't hide a genuine smile at the sight before them.
Fat Tiger and Suneo were the same. Though Suneo was used to luxury—his wealthy father often took him traveling—he, too, was awestruck.
Even with all his experience, the sight before them left him as stunned as the others.
"Hmm, this place is perfect. Since Doraemon went through the trouble of finding us such a great spot, I'll let you off this time, Da Xiong."
Fat Tiger surveyed the open field, already plotting where he'd start his batting practice. Then he turned toward Da Xiong, nodding magnanimously as if granting a royal pardon.
"Heh… hehe…"
Da Xiong scratched the back of his head awkwardly, forcing a dry laugh.
Somehow, even though he had done all the work helping Fat Tiger, it now felt like he owed him gratitude.
Seriously… how did that even happen?