EDEN Free Area, Kowloon Lv. 4 depths.
Chaotic data drifted aimlessly, half-formed structures floating around like discarded building blocks…
This place was infinitely close to Kowloon Lv. 5; by every standard, the danger level here had spiked dramatically.
Even someone like the young hacker didn't dare casually delve deeper.
"I told you already, you've got the wrong guy. Are you ever going to stop?"
Standing irritably on a floating data-block, the young hacker glared at the relentless pursuer behind him, feeling another surge of helplessness.
"As long as you're an Account Hunter, I haven't got the wrong guy."
If Keisuke Amazawa hated any kind of hacker most deeply, it would definitely be these "Account Hunters" who made a living by stealing and selling other people's information.
He would never forget those dark days when his stolen account had branded him a cyber-criminal, destroying his reputation.
Back then, to reclaim his account and regain people's trust, Keisuke even infiltrated hacker hideouts alone, hoping desperately to track down the thief.
But when a clueless rookie walks into a hacker's lair, the result is predictable.
If he hadn't encountered his fated Digimon partner by chance, those vicious hackers would've stripped Keisuke clean—digitally speaking.
Yet thanks to that incident, Keisuke also met a unique hacker team investigating Account Hunting—the Hudie group.
A special hacker team dedicated to helping others and maintaining cyber security.
Hudie mainly took requests to recover stolen accounts or track down intrusive hackers, quickly becoming a small yet renowned group within the EDEN hacker scene.
Hudie consisted of three core members, headed by their leader, Ryuji Mishima, who was also the one who first discovered Keisuke.
Perhaps seeing something in Keisuke's courage, or perhaps worried he might misuse his Digimon's power, Ryuji made an exception, inviting him into the team after gaining approval from the other two members.
Except for particularly tricky missions, as a rookie, Keisuke usually teamed up with one of the other members while steadily learning hacker skills.
This time, while tracking the young hacker's movements, Keisuke had temporarily paired up with Ryuji's younger sister, Hudie's beloved little genius—Erika.
Keisuke handled fieldwork in the digital world, while Erika provided critical support and surveillance.
"Why the hell are you so damn stubborn?"
The young hacker naturally knew about the Hudie hacker group. He'd even dealt closely with another Hudie member—Chitose.
In his mind, Chitose was someone shrewd, charismatic, and highly skilled socially—so why did this guy chasing him have such a rigid personality?
"Don't trust a single word out of that guy's mouth. Remember, we're here to finish the mission," Erika's voice promptly echoed in Keisuke's ear. He could practically imagine her slightly annoyed yet fully focused expression as she worked behind the scenes.
Because, after all, there had been several occasions where Keisuke's kindness messed up their missions, forcing Erika to ask Chitose to step in for damage control.
"I know. This time I definitely won't mess up," Keisuke replied with firm assurance.
Despite Keisuke's confidence, Erika, on the other side of the network, remained skeptical—he had said the same thing plenty of times before.
"Don't underestimate him. That guy's hiding something."
But fortunately, though Erika was quick to anger, she was incredibly reliable in critical situations.
Right now, for example, by continuously scanning the young hacker's avatar, Erika had discovered something suspicious in his data.
But she couldn't determine exactly what it was, so she simply warned Keisuke to stay alert.
"This guy's hacking skill… it's at least as good as mine."
Keisuke's eyes widened immediately, knowing Erika's skills better than anyone. Only he knew just how exceptional Hudie's beloved prodigy really was.
"Got it."
Realizing the severity of the situation, Keisuke wasted no time and decisively activated his Digimon Capture program.
Bzzzzt—
A massive surge of data burst forth from Keisuke's virtual screen, and a nearly two-meter-tall, lion-like humanoid Digimon suddenly appeared at his side.
"Leave this to me, Keisuke!"
A deep, majestic voice echoed—this was Keisuke's partner, Leomon.
As a Beast Man-type Digimon hailed as the "King of Beasts" and "Noble Hero," Leomon stood out among Champion-level Digimon.
Unlike most aggressive Digimon, Leomon possessed an iron will and strong sense of justice, making him among the most human-friendly Digimon one could encounter.
In fact, precisely because of that temperament, Leomon had appeared spontaneously to protect Keisuke when he was cornered by hackers.
Although at the time he had only been a Rookie-level Liollmon, his unwavering spirit and strong sense of justice had already begun to show.
"Be careful. That guy might be dangerous."
Keisuke stepped cautiously behind Leomon, still uneasy enough to remind his partner once again.
From Liollmon to Leomon, Rookie-level to Champion-level.
Keisuke had watched Leomon grow step by step, yet no matter how many times they fought side-by-side, he could never get used to letting Leomon take risks for him.
"Relax, Keisuke. I'll take good care of myself."
Slowly drawing the katana at his waist—the legendary blade Shishiou-maru—Leomon refused to let his guard down, despite his opponent seemingly being "just a human."
Even lions go all-out hunting rabbits; Leomon understood this principle all too well.
"Another 'special case'?"
Observing the intimacy between Keisuke and Leomon, a rare expression of surprise crossed the young hacker's face.
Just what kind of day is this?
Why had he encountered Renamon, and now Leomon—Digimon that shared such unusually close bonds with humans?
More importantly, the humans partnering with these Digimon clearly didn't treat them as mere tools.
Is this a sign of a new age?
The thought flickered through his mind briefly before he immediately dismissed it.
No. Humans and Digimon can't coexist peacefully. Those Digimon enslaved as human tools are proof enough.
Remembering that Meramon controlled and abandoned by humans, the young hacker's eyes flashed with determination.
"In that case, don't blame me for what comes next."
His voice sank instantly into a darker tone. Staring at the tightly bonded partners, he no longer concealed his hatred or resolve.
"Humans and Digimon… are destined to be enemies!"
---
A/N:
Regarding Keisuke's partner Digimon, I considered several options.
Initially, I thought of the solitary, independent Monochromon, whose personality suits a hacker well. But given that its Mega-level is Justimon—a "Masked Rider"-style character obsessed with "justice"—I dropped that idea. After all, someone constantly shouting "Justice Prevails!" wouldn't really fit a hacker's image.
After some thought, I concluded: as the protagonist of Hacker's Memory, isn't Leomon the ideal match for Keisuke (shrug)? Its various Mega-level evolutions all strongly represent "personal justice," perfectly fitting Keisuke's character.
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