In the Digital World, on a quiet grassland somewhere.
When Ace stepped out of the portal, this was the scene that greeted him: BanchoLeomon sat as steadfast as a mountain on a giant rock, meditating with his eyes closed, exuding a restrained, domineering aura.
And at his feet, a cute Digimon the size of a small dog, with long ears, a fluffy tail, and a golden Holy Ring around its neck, was running about happily, letting out cries of "Miiwu, miiwu."
Seeing Ace appear, the Salamon immediately scampered over on its four short legs and affectionately rubbed against Ace's pant leg.
It tilted its little head up, looking at him with its big, moist, blue eyes full of attachment.
"Mii~ Ace~ You're here!"
Ace bent down and gently picked up the Salamon, stroking its soft fur.
Salamon closed its eyes comfortably, purring.
"It's been half a month. How's it adapting?" Ace asked BanchoLeomon.
"Very well." BanchoLeomon opened his eyes.
Looking at the Salamon acting spoiled in Ace's arms, a trace of rare softness appeared on his stern face.
"It's very energetic and very smart. Although it's still small, the light-based power within its body is very pure."
Ace nodded, his gaze softening as he looked at the little one in his arms.
More than half a month ago, while exploring a remote snowy mountain area in the Digital World, Ace had accidentally discovered a Digi-Egg emitting a faint, holy light in an ice cave.
He brought it back out of curiosity and carefully nurtured it with his own Digi-Soul.
Unexpectedly, a few days later, the eggshell cracked, and what hatched was an adorable YukimiBotamon.
The little creature was exceptionally close to Ace from birth.
When he brought it back to the Fairy Tail guild, its fluffy, snow-white, and cute appearance instantly conquered all the women in the guild.
Mirajane, Lisanna, Cana, Levy... even Erza couldn't help but steal a few more glances.
The result was that the YukimiBotamon was subjected to inhumane "torment," being hugged, petted, and fed from all sides, leaving it completely dizzy.
In the end, it could only hide behind Ace with teary eyes, looking at him pitifully as if to say, "Save me..."
Helpless, Ace could only temporarily bring it back to the Digital World and entrust it to the steady and reliable BanchoLeomon, giving it a relatively quiet environment to grow up in.
"I'm taking you back this time. You might see those big sisters again, you know," Ace teased, tapping Salamon's wet little nose.
"Mii?!" Salamon's body stiffened, its ears drooped and it burrowed its head into Ace's chest, showing its fear.
"Don't worry, we're going on a mission this time. They won't have a chance to 'bully' you," Ace comforted with a smile.
After giving BanchoLeomon a few more instructions, he held Salamon and opened the portal back to the world of Fairy Tail.
...
Outside Duke Evarlue's mansion, in the afternoon.
The Duke Evarlue in question was scanning the women present with a critical eye.
He merely glanced at Lucy before shifting his gaze away, instead nodding frequently at the more "uniquely featured" ladies with a look of appreciation.
Lucy suffered an unprecedented blow!
Her entire being turned gray and white, petrified on the spot, with a cold wind seemingly blowing in the background, carrying a few fallen leaves.
"Pfft..." Hiding in the shadows, Ace almost burst out laughing and quickly suppressed it.
The Salamon in his arms also poked its head out curiously, tilting its head at the group of "strange humans" in the distance.
"Mii?"
Just then, Natsu and Happy also snuck over stealthily to meet up with Ace.
"Ace! You're here! Did you see that? There's definitely something wrong with that duke's eyes!" Lucy complained indignantly.
"I'm obviously a hundred times prettier than those people! He didn't even look at me!"
'His fetish is... rather unique,' Ace thought.
It's not just unique, he's practically a role model for extreme fetish perverts!
"Mii—!"
Suddenly, Salamon's body elongated and changed within a flash of light.
When the light faded, what appeared in Ace's arms was no longer the small, snow-white, cute puppy, but a petite Digimon resembling an upright cat.
"Oh? It evolved?" Ace was a little surprised, but more than that, he was pleased.
"Whoa! Ace! Your Summoned Beast changed again!" Natsu looked at Gatomon in amazement, then excitedly nudged Happy beside him.
"Happy! Look! It's a cat! It turned from a dog into a cat!"
"Aye! So beautiful!" When Happy saw Gatomon, especially its beautiful cat eyes and elegant posture, his own eyes lit up, and his heart blossomed.
He flapped his wings, wanting to get closer. "Hello! My name is Happy! What's your name? Let's be friends! Aye!"
However, what greeted him was Gatomon's merciless and incredibly swift cat slap.
Smack!
"Waaah!" Happy was slapped across the face, sent spinning into the trunk of a nearby tree.
"..." Natsu and Ace were silent for a moment.
"...what a fierce cat," Natsu commented.
Gatomon elegantly retracted its paw, licked it, then looked at Ace and spoke in a clearer, girlish voice with a hint of haughtiness that it didn't have as a Salamon.
"Do you need my help with the mission, Ace?"
"Uh, not for now." Ace wiped away non-existent sweat.
It seemed that after evolving, Gatomon's personality had also changed a bit, gaining a cat's elegance and... a bit of a temper?
"Let's not worry about that for now. The mission is what's important," Ace said, placing Gatomon on his shoulder.
"Natsu, Infiltrate the mansion and find the mission objective."
Thanks to Natsu's brute force, Ace's calm analysis, and Gatomon's agile reconnaissance, the three of them (plus two pets) quickly infiltrated the depths of the duke's mansion, which seemed heavily guarded but was actually full of holes, and found the secret room.
However, just as they were about to leave, the door to the secret room burst open.
Duke Evarlue, surrounded by a large group of fully armed guards, blocked the entrance.
"Who are you? How dare you trespass in my treasury!" Duke Evarlue shouted sternly.
"We're mages from Fairy Tail! We're here to expose your true colors!" Natsu stepped forward without fear.
"Hmph, you're courting death! Seize them!" Duke Evarlue waved his hand, and the guards swarmed forward, clashing with Natsu.
Natsu laughed heartily, punching and kicking with flames flying, handling these ordinary guards with ease.
Seeing his guards were no match, a sinister glint flashed in Duke Evarlue's eyes.
He pulled out a golden Celestial Spirit Key from his pocket.
"I didn't want to use this power... you forced my hand!" He bit his finger and dripped blood onto the key.
"Open, Gate of the Maiden! Virgo!"
A golden Magic Circle spread across the floor, and a massive figure slowly rose from it. I
t was an exceptionally tall and obese female Celestial Spirit in a maid outfit, with a face that was... well, very "unique"—Virgo of the Maiden!
"Capture these three intruders, and that strange cat!" Duke Evarlue pointed at Ace and the others.
'Strange.... according to the original plot, didn't Natsu appear with Virgo? Oh well, I'll let Gatomon handle this.'
"Gatomon," Ace said faintly.
"Understood." The Gatomon on his shoulder leaped down gracefully, landing lightly and blocking Virgo's path.
"A little.... kitty? You think you can stop me?" Virgo looked down at Gatomon dismissively and raised her giant foot, about to stomp down.
However, Gatomon's speed was like lightning.
Its figure blurred and vanished from its spot, reappearing in the next moment at the side of Virgo's ankle.
"Lightning Paw!"
The seemingly small fist contained astonishing power and speed.
It instantly struck Virgo's thick ankle.
Bang!
Virgo felt a piercing pain and numbness shoot up from her ankle.
Her massive body instantly lost its balance, and with a boom, she fell to one knee, shaking the ground.
"What?!" Both Duke Evarlue and Lucy were stunned.
Gatomon pressed its advantage, its figure flickering again.
This time, it appeared on Virgo's shoulder and kicked her in the side of the face.
"Ugh!" Virgo grunted, her head spinning.
On the other side, Natsu had more or less finished off the guards.
Seeing Gatomon's fight, he whistled. "Cool! Ace, your cat is awesome!"
The battle ended quickly.
Virgo was knocked to the ground by Gatomon, temporarily out of commission.
Seeing his greatest support defeated by a "cat," Duke Evarlue's face turned pale with fright, and he was easily subdued by Natsu.
...
The mission was a complete success, although they didn't get a single cent of the reward money.
But for Lucy, the biggest gain was an abandoned, exquisitely crafted golden key—the Celestial Spirit Key of Virgo.
"T-This is..." Lucy held the key, feeling the powerful Celestial Spirit energy contained within, her heart pounding with excitement.
She knew this was one of the twelve Zodiac Keys that Celestial Spirit Mages dreamed of.
"It seems Virgo likes you," Ace walked over, looked at the key in Lucy's hand, and smiled.
"It's yours now. Treat your new partner well, Lucy."
"Yes! I will!" Lucy nodded vigorously, clutching the Virgo key tightly to her chest, even though the process had been a bit convoluted and the blow to her pride had been a bit much.
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