Altea was still trapped in the underground prison of the Guardians' fortress, deep in Cross Connectia's jungle region. Something struck Altea as odd, andhe tilted his head while glowing faintly.

"What's all this? There is quite the commotion today."
"Ahhh, sorry 'bout this. Everyone insisted they had to come hear ya today, no matter what."

　It had been a few days since Altea was imprisoned. He'd been regularly conversing with the Digimon serving as his guards, while entrusting his partner Espimon to infiltrate the fortress and gather intel.

　Altea had been striking up conversations in order to gather intel, but he was also motivated by curiosity about the lives of Digimon in this world, and he avoided questions that might make them hostile. Even Digimon who bore a grudge against humans had begun speaking to Altea comfortably. Perhaps this was because they sensed his genuine interest, or because they found an AI easy to open up to. That said, they did have to make sure to avoid the notice of their strict leader, Mistymon.

　For some reason, an unusually large number of Digimon had come this time. The narrow corridor of the underground dungeon was packed with the likes of Ogremon, Gorillamon, and Goblimon, with Mistymon's deputy Betsumon at the front.

Altea questioned them: "Should you all really be here like this? What about guarding the fortress?"
"The fortress ain't unguarded—we already had a huge fight over who had to stay behind."
"Even so, with this many gathered around a prisoner, Mistymon surely won't let it slide quietly."

　One of the Goblimon nodded.

"For sure, there'd be hell to pay."
Another Digimon continued: "But right now, Master Mistymon's busy."
Then, Betsumon explained: "There was this Hyogamon who tried skimming from the offerings meant for Lord Dalphomon, and even threatened some villagers. Master Mistymon's probably delivering a fierce scolding right about now."
"I see. So that's the reason."

　Altea nodded as if convinced.

"As soon as Mistymon wasn't watching, you all came down here. Are your jobs too difficult?"
"No way!"

　It was quite an intrusive question, and Altea was surprised by how immediate and unanimous the denial was—not just from Betsumon but even all the Goblimon.

"Sure, Master Mistymon's strict, but we don’t think badly of him at all!"
"If not for Mistymon, we couldn't have come together as a group like this."
"Mistymon's clever, and a determined leader, although we don't exactly see eye to eye half the time."
"Is that right..."

　Learning of this surprising side to Mistymon—one not evident from their earlier exchanges—made Altea thoughtfully stroke his chin. However, his contemplation was soon overwhelmed by the eager voices of all the Digimon.

"Listen, Altea, you get the situation. We don't have much time before Master Mistymon gets back!"
"That's right! Give us one of those blazing-hot lines!"
"You expect one on demand? Hmm..."

　Altea exaggeratedly shook his head. Betsumon was the first to find out about Altea's special talent, and its enthusiasm soon quietly spread throughout the fortress.

"My artificial intelligence can't provide an infinite fountain of gems, you know. I can't guarantee that I'll be able to give you what you want every day."
"Aw, c'mon!"
"You really gonna let us all down?"
"If inspiration doesn't strike, there's nothing I can do. What do you expect after all this time I've been kept in this keep, keeping to myself?"

　Silence momentarily fell among the gathered Digimon. Then, as if jolted by electricity, their ears twitched, and they had a great cheer that filled the dungeon to the brim.

"Yeeeaaahhh!"
"Hey, did you get all that just now?!"
"Altea, you're the greatest after all!"

　"...Now that enthusiasm rivals even Yuuki and Impmon's concert."

　Altea mused within his electronic brain, as the Digimon grew more and more raucous.

"One more! Come on, give us another!"
"Well..."
"Just one ain't enough, Altea. That's plain cruel!"
"Oh, I'd be perfectly happy to... But don't you all have limited time?"

　Just as Altea spoke, sharp footsteps echoed through the prison, and the Digimon fell dead silent. Slowly, nervously, they turned around, only to see Mistymon standing there. It seemed their leader had been nearby for quite a while, and now its arms were crossed, its eyes like daggers pointed at the subordinate Digimon.

"M-Master Mistymon?!"
"W-we were absolutely not slacking off. Not a chance!"
"It's true. Y'see, we were interrogating the prisoner on my orders..."

　Betsumon tried to cover for its subordinates, but the look in Mistymon's eyes showed it was having none of it. Expecting a yell to follow, Altea dialed down his aural sensitivity gauges.

"...All of you, leave. Now."

　When Mistymon finally spoke, it was in an unexpectedly calm voice. The subordinates' eyes betrayed their surprise.

"Huh? Master Mistymon?"
"What, did you not hear the order?"
"N-no! It's just... Are we really allowed to...?"
"Do not make me repeat myself. Obey orders the first time."
"Yessir!"

　At that sharp bark, the Digimon led by Betsumon clattered up the stairs to the surface in a noisy rush. Left alone with Mistymon, Altea redirected his gaze.

"You were busy providing some corrective guidance to a subordinate, I hear."
"So, Betsumon and the others even told you about that?"

　Mistymon shook its head, sounding disgusted.

"It's my failure as their leader. Nothing a prisoner like you needs to concern himself with."
"I can't help but remark how commanding seems so demanding."
Silence.
And more silence.
"...Even I can tell that one was poor."
"How regrettable. Forget I said anything."

　With that, Altea deleted the awkward moment from his memory banks. After all, a special-grade artificial intelligence has its pride to protect.

"It's rather unusual for you to come here yourself. What could be the reason?"

　Without responding to Altea's question, the Magic Warrior unlocked the cell door and violently flung it open. Altea remained calm, watching the door as it creaked back and forth on its hinges.

"And just what might have brought on this sudden change of—"

Again without responding, Mistymon leveled its sword directly at Altea.

"I will only ask once. Altea, will you join our forces?"
"You have asked me before, and my answer is still no."
"See this blade? Do you wish to meet your end upon it?"

　At that, Altea lowered his gaze to the sword's tip—reluctantly, as if humoring Mistymon's threat out of courtesy.

"My teammates have come to rescue me, haven't they?"
"...What are you talking about?"

　Mistymon's expression didn't shift an inch. Even so, Altea spoke with complete confidence.

"I can think of no other reason why someone as prudent as you would suddenly grow so desperate. You've realized my friends are approaching this fortress, so you rushed here to try and recruit me first."

　Mistymon gave an affected snort, as if mocking the idea. Yet its voice was clearly panicked.

"And why would I bother doing that? You remain a valuable hostage to use against the humans. Turning you traitor would nullify that value.."
"I seem to recall you insisting that my teammates would abandon me."

Without a word, Mistymon moved the blade closer to Altea's throat. Yet Altea continued on, unhesitant.

"I believe I understand exactly why you're so desperate."
"Desperate? Me?"
"Indeed. You're afraid that once my teammates arrive to rescue me, any chance of my joining your side will vanish completely."

　Mistymon's face had become completely inexpressive.

　Then, a single exhale escaped the Magic Warrior's lips. This became laughter so loud it filled every corner of the dungeon.

"Altea! That was easily the funniest joke you've told yet!"
Silence.
"You believe I would regret losing you? And why exactly? Because you're a glowing puppet who can crack jokes? Or because you possess some semblance of intellect, albeit one tainted by human hubris?"
"That's a good question. Why -would- you regret losing me?"

　Mistymon, who had always been phlegmatic with Altea, was now chuckling derisively, yet the "perfect" AI was unaffected, and simply answered the question, like always.

"It's simple. It's because you're kind."
"...Hrngh?"

　Mistymon's laughter came to a halt.

"Kind enough to take on a difficult role that doesn't suit you at all, just to protect the Digimon of the forest. Kind enough to protect not only Dalphomon but innumerable other Digimon by expanding your fortress."

Silence.

"And because you are kind, you never told anyone about Dalphomon's prophecy."
Mistymon was startled.
"You've been bearing it all alone, haven't you?"

　For just a split second, Mistymon emanated an aura that was beyond intimidation, as if ready to strike a lethal blow. Luckily for Altea, shock drowned that emotion out.

"How... How do you know that?!"

Silence.

"Answer! If you know that, then your life is..."
"Don't bother with that. It's pointless."

　Abruptly, Altea spoke more firmly than at any point previously. The force behind Altea’s words caused even the Ultimate-level Digimon to flinch slightly.

"You can't cut me down, Mistymon. Regardless of whether I'm your hated enemy, or just a puppet who appears to have a heart, you simply couldn't bring yourself to fell someone you've spoken with so personally."

Silence.

"Given your intelligence, you must be simulating what would happen if you did it. How you'd explain my demise to Betsumon and the others, after seeing how much they’ve enjoyed talking with me."

Silence.

"So let's just stop this now, Mistymon."

　A silence that felt endless passed before Mistymon lowered the blade. Then...

"Well, I am flummoxed."

　The Guardian smiled meekly, as if finally allowing a burden to slip from its shoulders.

"What has flummoxed you?"
"Everything, Altea."

　Mistymon spoke the AI's name lightly, voice drained of tension.

"I took over from Jesmon, forced myself to act like a commander despite it not suiting me in the slightest, and harshly collected offerings from others who already had it hard, all just to protect this world. And then, our enemies finally arrive, and see through everything."
"We aren't your enemies."
"I must beg to differ."

　Mistymon shook its head.

"No matter your circumstances, no matter what your true intentions may be, I still haven't forgiven Cool Boy. The fire of suspicion that ignited within me when he stopped coming to this world still burns."

Silence.

"Even knowing full well how good-hearted you are, I consider you our enemy."

　After a slight smile, Mistymon's solemn expression returned.

"And so, surrendering to you is also an option."

　Mistymon knelt down before Altea.

"What do you think you're doing, Mistymon?"
"Surrendering. There's no hope of us defeating Digimon allied with humans, who have now attained their Mega forms, just as Jesmon did. There's nothing we can do."

Silence.

"As we are surrendering, I'll ask you this: I don't care what happens to me...but please spare my subordinates."

　Altea looked down at Mistymon's earnest, pleading expression with apparent indifference, before letting out a deliberate sigh.

"I'm disappointed."
"I'm sure you are. Now you see how I truly am."
"No. Not in you. In myself."
"...What?"
"I thought I'd earned at least a bit more of your trust by now."

　Mistymon looked puzzled by these words.

"No, that's exactly why I'm trusting you with the lives of my subordinates—"
"That's hardly satisfying. If you're basically pleading with me, why not try asking me to betray my companions and fight by your side?"
"But you already made it clear you'd never betray—"
"Then instead of simply surrendering, how about proposing a decisive duel or something?"
"As you already inferred, I can no longer bring myself to cut you down."

　Mistymon looked down and shook its head, prompting Altea to shrug his shoulders in mild exasperation.

"Honestly, you leave me no choice... Espimon—"

　Altea lightly tapped his temple with a finger, and following a soft electronic chirp, a different voice emerged clearly from within his body.

"Yes, Mast— Wait, this isn't a secure channel! Are you sure it's okay to talk openly?!"
"Yes, we won't be proceeding with the infiltration."
"Huuuh?! I thought the plan was to launch an inside sneak attack synchronized with Yuuki's assault..."
"That was indeed the plan, but things have changed."
"W-wait a moment... 'Infiltration'...? And 'sneak attack'...?"

　Ignoring Mistymon's confusion at the unsettling revelations, Altea calmly continued.

"There's a room here where you've stored the D-Storage you took from Cool Boy, correct?"
"How in the world do you know about—"
"Please bring it here."
"Roger that!"

　Perhaps deciding there was no point trying to decode Altea's intentions, Espimon simply cut communications with a cheerful acknowledgment. Altea then turned to Mistymon, who looked to be struggling to keep up.

"Now that's sorted, we'll be able to have a card battle, Mistymon."
"What? You're not making any sense!"
"Aren't I? If you're surrendering anyway, I'll feel much better if I defeat you in a card battle first. That much is clear from my repeated AI calculations. As you're highly intelligent, I'm sure you've already analyzed the card game rules."
"But Digimon can't use those D-Storage devices."
"Then we simply materialize the cards physically, and battle on a table. That's how humans play in their world."

　Mistymon stared dumbfounded at Altea as he casually commented about having wanted to try a physical card game. Eventually, Mistymon strained itself to reply.

"...I gain nothing by battling you."
"True. Then let's sweeten the deal—"

　Altea raised a finger, as though he'd just had a great idea.

"...If you defeat me, I'll fight alongside the Guardians against the debugging team."

To be continued.