Chapter 136: Gatomon Noticed Something Was Wrong
"Is that it... did we really escape?"
Gatomon tilted her head back, her wide blue eyes reflecting a vast, unblemished expanse of azure. It was a stark contrast to the suffocating, perpetually overcast skies that choked the lands surrounding the dark lord's castle. She murmured the words softly, the syllables catching in her throat as a surreal, dreamlike haze washed over her senses.
Myotismon. That terrifying shadow had loomed over her every waking moment for years, dictating her survival through fear and cruelty. Had she truly shaken off his suffocating grip just like that?
It felt entirely too fragile to be real.
Yet, the evidence surrounded her. A gentle, untainted breeze ruffled her white fur. The crisp, earthy fragrance of crushed grass and blooming wildflowers drifted up from beneath her paws. Every sensory detail anchored her to this new reality.
This was freedom.
She closed her eyes, letting the warmth of the sun soak into her skin, savoring the hard-won peace. But the heavy crunch of footsteps breaking through the underbrush pulled her back to the present.
"Congratulations, Gatomon."
Her ears twitched. She turned slowly, her gaze settling on the imposing, muscular figure emerging from the tree line. "...Leomon?"
After a brief pause, she squared her shoulders, her guard instinctively rising. "Is this why you sought me out?"
"...Yes, but not entirely."
Leomon made no attempt to deflect her piercing gaze. He stood tall, his expression open and unashamed as he admitted the truth.
"I never cared for Myotismon's methods. Infiltrating his ranks was simply my way of finding a vulnerability—a method to tear down his empire from the inside."
"If that is the case, wouldn't abandoning your post to leave with me ruin your entire operation?" Gatomon stared at the towering beastman, a flicker of genuine confusion breaking through her usually guarded demeanor.
Leomon offered a slow, gentle shake of his head. "Perhaps."
"But if I were to turn a deaf ear to the cries of those suffering right in front of me, all for the sake of some grand, distant objective..." He paused, his grip tightening slightly on his sword hilt. "...Then what right would I have to speak of stopping evil? How could I ever claim to protect anyone?"
As long as someone needed help, no matter how small or insignificant the plea might seem, Leomon would answer. That was the core of his being. His absolute code of conduct.
Gatomon searched his clear, unwavering eyes. She found no deception there, only a stubborn, blinding righteousness. A quiet sigh escaped her lips, carrying a trace of exasperated fondness. "What a fool..."
She shook her head, a wry smile tugging at the corner of her mouth. "I should have known. Anyone willing to travel with an idiot like Ogremon has to be a fool himself."
Leomon reached up, scratching the back of his mane with a sheepish, awkward chuckle. "Ah..."
Before he could formulate a proper defense, a green-skinned figure stomped into view, brandishing a bone club with an indignant scowl.
"Hey! Gatomon, what is that supposed to mean?" Ogremon bared his crooked teeth, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you mean I am an idiot? I will have you know I am actually incredibly smart!"
Gatomon watched Ogremon puff out his chest in a pathetic attempt at intimidation. She could not stop the dramatic roll of her eyes. "Yes, yes, yes. You are an absolute genius." Her tone dripped with dry sarcasm. "The brilliant, terrifying, and all-powerful Lord Ogremon."
Ogremon lifted his chin, entirely missing the sarcasm. "Hmph. That is more like it."
The faint jingle of bells signaled Wizardmon's approach. The cloaked Digimon stepped quietly to Gatomon's side, his staff resting lightly against the earth.
"Gatomon, what is our next move?" His voice was muffled beneath his heavy collar, steady and loyal. "Is there a specific place you wish to go?"
Gatomon fell silent. The sheer concept of having a choice—of picking a destination simply because she wanted to—felt foreign.
Instead of answering immediately, she shifted her attention back to the beastman. "Leomon, what are your plans?"
"Me...?" Leomon blinked, clearly surprised to be brought back into the spotlight. He recovered quickly, his expression hardening into a mask of determination. "I will likely remain in this region. I need to keep searching for an opening."
He looked back toward the direction of the dark territory. "As long as Myotismon's army remains standing, these lands will never know true peace."
A heavy shadow crossed his features. "Especially now. He recently added someone incredibly dangerous to his ranks... BlackGatomon."
The mere mention of the name conjured the image of that sleek, dark-furred feline in Leomon's mind. She was entirely different from the mindless brutes and cruel sadists that usually populated Myotismon's army—creatures who relied solely on brute force and terror to oppress the weak.
This BlackGatomon possessed a chilling intellect to match her lethal power. She was calculating. Shrewd.
During their chaotic escape from the castle grounds, Leomon had caught snippets of panicked shouts from the pursuing guards. They were screaming that Deathmon was dead.
Leomon remembered the battle with absolute clarity. Their combined, desperate assault had heavily wounded the massive Digimon, but it had not been a fatal blow.
Yet, Deathmon had perished. And considering the only other capable entity present in that sector after their departure was BlackGatomon...
The conclusion painted a terrifying picture.
BlackGatomon had likely been lurking in the shadows all along, waiting for the perfect moment to strike!
Perhaps she held no true loyalty to Myotismon at all. But a rogue element of that caliber, operating on her own hidden agenda, could easily become a threat far worse than the vampire lord himself.
Leomon's gaze sharpened, his voice dropping to a grave timbre. "That BlackGatomon is exceptionally dangerous. With her operating within their ranks, the difficulty of dismantling Myotismon's forces has multiplied tenfold."
"BlackGatomon..." Gatomon muttered, her tail swishing thoughtfully behind her.
She pictured the dark variant of herself. They shared the same silhouette, the same fundamental data structure, yet stood on opposite sides of the battlefield. But as she replayed the events in her mind, a nagging inconsistency tugged at her instincts.
"Is she truly as evil as you believe?" Gatomon voiced the thought aloud, her brow furrowing.
Wizardmon turned his head sharply, the bells on his hat chiming. "Did you notice something out of place?"
"No... not exactly." Gatomon shook her head slowly, piecing the puzzle together as she spoke. "I just cannot shake the feeling that she deliberately let us escape."
She paced a few steps forward, her mind working rapidly. "Think about it. If her only objective was to assassinate Deathmon while he was weakened, she had absolutely no reason to step out of the shadows and interrupt us while we had him cornered."
It was true. Once Gatomon had realized Deathmon was severely injured, she and her allies could have easily slipped away into the chaos.
So why did BlackGatomon choose to reveal herself and launch an attack right then?
Setting aside any personal vendetta she might have harbored, or some twisted desire to avenge the innocent Digimon Deathmon had slaughtered... the timing was far too precise.
Gatomon stopped pacing and looked at her three companions. "Between the four of us, we possessed the firepower to finish off a heavily injured Deathmon. But doing so would have triggered a massive, drawn-out battle. It would have caused a massive commotion, drawing every guard in the sector straight to our location."
Her blue eyes glinted with sharp realization. "BlackGatomon could have easily waited in hiding until we finished the job, or until we were overwhelmed. But she chose to intervene early."
She let the weight of the statement settle over the group. "Her sudden appearance made it look like she was stepping in to protect Deathmon from us. But in reality? She shut down the fight before it could escalate. She prevented the commotion from trapping us."
Leomon absorbed the tactical breakdown, his jaw tightening as he processed the logic. "So, you are suggesting..."
"I know it sounds completely absurd," Gatomon admitted, holding up a paw to stall their objections. She met the gaze of each companion in turn—Leomon, Ogremon, and finally, Wizardmon.
"But is it possible that BlackGatomon was extending an olive branch? A twisted show of goodwill?"
The wind rustled through the trees, filling the sudden, heavy quiet.
"Could she be looking to join forces with us?"
The three Digimon stared at her, entirely speechless. The implications of a high-ranking dark Digimon secretly aiding their escape hung heavily in the air, leaving them trapped in stunned silence.
Miles away, far removed from the sunlit sanctuary the escapees now enjoyed, a suffocating dread had descended upon the dark lord's domain.
The atmosphere inside Myotismon's castle was thick enough to choke on. The shadows seemed to writhe and claw at the stone walls, reacting to the foul, oppressive aura radiating from the throne room.
The master of the castle had returned.
Sensing the abrupt, violent termination of Deathmon's data signature, Myotismon had temporarily abandoned his campaign in the human world, stepping back through the dimensional gate into the Digital World.
He sat upon his throne, his crimson eyes glowing with a cold, aristocratic fury. The silence in the grand hall was absolute, broken only by the terrified, ragged breathing of the guards kneeling on the cold stone floor.
A brutal, agonizing reckoning for his subordinates' utter incompetence was about to begin.
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