With the enhanced senses granted by her Digimon nature, Moss heard the sound of footsteps approaching from afar.
Judging from the rhythm, someone was dancing as they walked.
As the distance closed, she saw a young Black man in bell-bottoms, carrying a boombox, his hair permed, and wearing sunglasses.
The sunglasses-wearing youth noticed Moss as well, and her stunning curves and bold outfit instantly energized him. He strode up eagerly and asked, "Hey lady, wanna go on a date?"
Moss didn't answer right away. Instead, she smiled charmingly and asked in return, "What year is it?"
Momentarily distracted by her seductive smile, the young man blinked and then said in surprise, "You don't even know that?"
"I have a rule for dates," Moss replied. "First, I don't date guys who don't know what year it is. That just means they lack common sense."
The youth jumped at the opportunity, quickly answering, "It's 1976!"
Moss had already guessed it was the 70s based on the bell-bottoms, and hearing the year confirmed her suspicion—this was the time travel arc of Jackie Chan Adventures, specifically the Talisman arc.
She nodded and said, "Thanks. Bye."
"Wait, didn't you say—"
Moss waved him off. "I'm not interested in dating men."
Two tears streamed down his face. "How could you play with my pure heart… boohoo…"
—Is that Shendu gold?Moss remained unmoved, turning away coldly and walking off.
At this point in time, more than 20 years before the main plot, the Talismans already existed, but Moss had no idea where they were—especially the Tiger Talisman.
She vaguely remembered the Tiger Talisman appeared in a pie-eating contest hidden in a fruit pie, but before that? Who knew?
So the first thing she needed to do wasn't searching for Talismans—it was to get back to the main storyline's era.
And that would be easy—just hitch a ride with Jade.
But instead of going to her school directly, Moss headed to San Francisco's Chinatown.
There, she found Uncle's Antique Shop. But at this point in time, Uncle wasn't selling antiques yet. He was selling cassette tapes.
Moss opened the door and stepped in, meeting the black-haired version of Uncle.
Back then, Uncle only knew kung fu—not magic.
"Welcome!" Uncle said cheerfully when he saw a customer arrive.
Such a strange outfit… he thought. A new fashion trend? A Hollywood star, maybe? And how does she see through that mask?
Aloud, he asked, "Miss, what kind of tapes are you looking for?"
"This place is perfect for selling antiques," Moss replied.
Uncle blinked in confusion.
Was she here to buy the store instead?
Well… if she paid more, he might consider it.
"…Sorry, I'll come back later." Moss suddenly cut herself off and turned around, walking out quickly.
Angewomon was curious. "That fast? Where are we going now?"
She usually didn't question Moss's decisions and just shared her vision passively. But that sudden turnaround was abrupt—it was clear Uncle had just started chatting, so why leave?
In a narrow alley, Moss whispered, "This world has both righteous qi and dark qi. I just sensed a surge of righteous qi."
"Righteous qi?"
"Our senses are linked. You should be able to feel it too," Moss said, closing her eyes to focus.
Moments later, Angewomon said, "I feel it now. It's like gravity—everywhere."
Righteous qi and dark qi have no consciousness of their own, but they affect all things, like the underlying code of the world.
Of course Angewomon could sense it—she had great spiritual potential. After all, the "Receive Evolution" spell had been her own innovation.
Moss knew she wasn't as adept at magic theory as Angewomon, but she wasn't bitter. Everyone has their strengths. They were two souls in one body—one for the outside, one for the inside—a perfect balance.
Returning to the point, Moss said, "Our presence has strengthened the righteous qi. But balance demands that dark qi rise in response, creating a vacancy…"
Her arrival as a divine figure had tipped the scales, so the world would balance by empowering a new evil to fill the gap.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the Earth—
In a gloomy castle, a man stood.
White-haired, heterochromatic eyes, slender waist, black robes.
He was Daolon Wong, the strongest dark chi wizard in the world.
Suddenly, he sensed a rise in dark qi and muttered, "A vacancy has appeared."
But that was odd—why would a vacancy form?
No recent demon deaths, no fallen spirits… Where did this spot come from?
It wasn't from a loss—it was from an increase. In other words, righteous qi had risen, prompting a corresponding rise in dark qi.
Backwards causality!
It had always been that evil moved first, and good responded.
Why had the righteous side made the first move this time?
Was today's righteous representative an aggressor?
Daolon Wong couldn't figure it out—but he did know one thing: "If I claim that vacancy, my power will grow even more! Hahahaha! My era has arrived!"
Personal skill + the tide of the times = greatness.
Daolon Wong didn't lack skill. He just needed the opportunity.
Now, it was here!
But just as he got excited, he sensed someone else had taken the spot.
Damn it! All he did was hesitate for a moment!
"Who? Who claimed the dark qi spot?" he shouted, enraged. "Is there a stronger dark chi wizard than me?!"
Impossible. Totally impossible!
Unless some ancient demon was resurrected, there shouldn't be anyone in this tech-dominated age stronger than him!
Back in San Francisco, in the shadow of a building across from Uncle's shop—
Moss stood cloaked in darkness, having received the soul of Myotismon. Just as she'd sensed righteous qi before, now she felt the surge of dark qi.
Righteous and dark qi were opposites, yet unified.
Two sides of the same coin—righteous qi was omnipresent, and so was dark qi.
Her arrival had enhanced righteous qi and created a vacancy in the balance.
Ordinarily, some demon would fill that role.
But to avoid unexpected complications, Moss filled the vacancy herself.
"I am righteous qi. I am dark qi. When I am righteous, I'm a warrior of light. When I'm dark, I'm a demon queen."
That's the freedom she claimed—just like the meaning of "Free-type."
In the Digital World, the most famous Free-type Digimon was Imperialdramon. According to lore, it could be either a savior or a destroyer. A Free-type could shift freely between Vaccine, Data, or Virus types.
A being that could become either a saint or a demon.
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Each 10 Powerstones? (1 Bonus Chapters)
BONUS (were at 80 powerstones)