Zero and Rina heard the commotion coming from within Toy Town, but before the two of them could even check it out, several Toy Agumon hurriedly ran toward them in panic.
"It's terrible! We must inform Monzaemon-sama immediately… Ah, Lady Rina?"
Rina and Zero quickly stepped forward to ask what was happening, then got an answer that left them between laughter and tears.
"Oh… They've woken up and are now causing trouble?"
As for who "they" referred to, Zero and Rina immediately had an idea.
"It's alright, just leave this to us."
After reassuring the Toy Agumon, Rina and Zero hurried toward the source of the noise.
There, two figures were confronting each other across a street—it was Leomon and Ogremon, who'd both been swept up in the previous incident and then rescued together.
Naturally, the Black Gears in their bodies had already been scanned and eliminated, and their consciousnesses had returned to normal, but it seemed they still weren't planning to settle down.
Even now, Ogremon had one arm wrapped in bandages, and Leomon stood across from him with gauze around his forehead. Both looked like patients nowhere near fully healed.
Leomon stood protectively in front of a group of trembling Toy Agumon, glaring fiercely at Ogremon.
"These friends saved our lives! If you can't bring yourself to say thank you, fine, but how dare you raise your hand against those who saved us?"
Ogremon irritably swung his bone club, his tone thick with violent disdain.
"Shut up! Those guys did that on their own! I never asked for their help, so don't expect me to thank anyone!"
As he finished speaking, he turned a provocative gaze toward Leomon.
"Enough of this nonsense. Our fight isn't over yet! Come at me again—don't tell me a few tiny wounds are enough to stop you!"
However, Leomon completely ignored Ogremon's provocation.
"I have far more important things to do right now—I have neither the time nor interest to indulge your childish antics!"
At these words, Ogremon flew into a rage.
"You dare call our fight mere antics? You bastard, don't joke with me!"
Having lost all patience for further argument, he swung his club and stepped forward aggressively. At that moment, Rina calmly pulled out her Digivice.
"Zero, help cool his head a little."
"On it~"
Zero didn't even need Rina's reminder; he'd already prepared himself for battle. With a flash of bright light, Ogremon suddenly found a tall and robust figure appearing before his eyes.
"Gaah—?!"
Ogremon was still injured, while Zero had mostly recovered. Not to mention their combat abilities weren't even in the same league—and it was also a sneak attack. With every advantage stacked against him, Ogremon had no chance to react before Zero slapped him flat onto the ground.
"...You're so damn noisy! If you want to cause trouble, get the hell out! If your yelling disturbs Hajime-chan's recovery, I'll tear you apart!"
Villains needed even meaner villains to handle them. Even if, by the end of Adventure, this tsundere ended up as a semi-ally after fighting side by side a few times, right now Ogremon was unquestionably a troublesome villain.
And the simplest way to handle a hot-tempered villain like him was just beating him into submission.
Thinking about it now, the Digimon series really was childhood enlightenment material for some very questionable tastes. At this moment, Zero suddenly realized—his earliest understanding of the meaning of "tsundere" actually came not from a cute anime girl, but from this Digimon who wasn't even human.
You really couldn't underestimate kids' shows. The original Adventure director blatantly stuffed personal interests into the script. The episode where Tai returned alone to the real world was actually layered thick with sis-con and bro-con subtext. Looking back, that was also Zero's earliest exposure to those particular fetishes.
And don't even get started on Adventure 02's infamous Dagomon episode. The scriptwriters blatantly snuck in Lovecraftian horror—and pure original-flavor Cthulhu at that. By Tamers, the D-Reaper's design went even further over the edge…
Just what the hell did you guys show children, you sick bastards?! How could kids even eat after watching this?!
In any case, the tsundere pinned beneath Zero's paw obviously wasn't ready to yield yet. Zero also knew it wasn't realistic to expect Ogremon to become an ally at this point.
"...Now, you have two choices. Either apologize properly—if the Toy Agumon are willing to forgive you, we'll drop this matter—or, if you can't even manage basic manners, then please get lost."
As soon as Zero finished speaking, the Toy Agumon around them indignantly agreed.
They'd been kind enough to help the wounded Leomon and Ogremon, only for this guy not to appreciate their goodwill at all, even returning kindness with hostility. Naturally, even the best-tempered Digimon couldn't accept such treatment.
"That's right! Apologize or get lost—you're not welcome here!"
Ogremon didn't care about the angry shouts of the Toy Agumon, but he couldn't resist Zero's overwhelming power.
"Tch! Whatever. Did you really think I wanted to stay in this ridiculous place anyway? I'll leave!"
He stood up, shooting Leomon a fierce glance—only to hear Leomon reply calmly:
"Don't forget who made you look so pathetic. You don't dare take revenge on Devimon, so instead you lash out at these weaker children. You're nothing but a cowardly weakling who bullies the defenseless."
Those words clearly struck a nerve. Ogremon's forehead veins bulged as he shouted back furiously:
"Who said I only bully the weak?! Fine! Stay here and keep playing house—I'll smash Devimon's head with my own hands! We'll see what you have to say then!"
With that, he stormed off without looking back. Watching Ogremon's departing figure, Zero couldn't help but silently sigh.
…Being a tsundere is one thing, but his IQ doesn't seem too high either. Falling for such a simple provocation… Looks like he'll spend his life as someone else's punching bag.
In any case, Zero didn't plan on getting along nicely with this half-villain right now anyway. After casually dismissing Ogremon, Leomon sighed softly, then bowed slightly toward Rina and Zero in gratitude.
"...Thank you for saving me earlier. Unlike him, I'll never forget this kindness. I'll repay you someday."
Zero quickly devolved back to Koromon and calmly replied:
"No worries. Your sincere thanks is already repayment enough. Besides, we only rescued you because someone else asked us to—so technically, you don't really owe us anything."
After all, the reason Leomon had ended up in Devimon's clutches in the first place had something to do with Andromon's request. Now that they'd saved him, the debts on both sides were cleared.
And Andromon and Zero's side could also use this as thanks for the two pieces of equipment Leomon had previously provided.
In the midst of this commotion, a faint and somewhat weak voice suddenly sounded:
"Zero, Rina…are you both alright? How long have I been unconscious?"
Upon hearing that voice, both Zero and Rina felt relief flood through them.
"Everything's fine. Welcome back, Hajime-chan~"