Ruki spun around abruptly, and the next second, she was caught by Bai Yu, lifted completely off the ground.
Ruki's eyes widened in terror: "W-what are you doing?!"
Renamon shrieked, "Let go of Ruki!"
Bai Yu said playfully, "What can I do? Of course, I'm capturing the king before the thieves."
He wasn't stupid; if he let Ruki stand there giving Renamon various "BUFFs," how could he win this battle?
Ruki's face flushed with anger: "I'm a Tamer! There's no reason to attack a Tamer in battle!"
Hearing Ruki's self-righteous words, Bai Yu couldn't help but be amused.
Although Ruki was more mature than other children her age, her understanding of Digimon battles was still stuck in the "game" stage.
She believed that Tamer battles meant releasing their respective Digimon and letting them fight each other.
As for herself? She would just stand by, giving commands and watching; attacks, of course, wouldn't fall on her.
That's right, after all, Ruki hadn't experienced the truly brutal battles that would come later.
Currently, at most, she had only dealt with some Digimon that had materialized in the real world. These Digimon usually focused only on Renamon, who was also a Digimon, and paid no attention to Ruki standing nearby.
Bai Yu gripped Ruki, applying slight pressure to prevent her from struggling free.
"Today, I'm going to teach you a lesson."
Bai Yu's voice carried a hint of seriousness and a touch of admonishment.
"Battle is not a game, and you are not an outsider. If you don't know how to protect yourself... you could die!"
With that, Bai Yu suddenly extended a claw, snatched the d-ark digivice from Ruki's hand, and with a click, he took the d-ark digivice.
Then Bai Yu flicked his wrist and unhesitatingly threw Ruki away.
"Ruki!" Renamon cried out, its body like a golden lightning bolt, rushing towards Ruki, catching her mid-air to prevent her from falling and getting injured.
Ruki, held by Renamon, looked at Bai Yu with lingering fear, then at her empty wrist.
"My D-Arc!"
Bai Yu stood still, looking down intently at the blue d-ark digivice in his hand.
The primary color blue, this thing was indeed good, but he was not destined to enjoy it.
Thinking that he probably wouldn't have a Digimon partner, and thus no D-Arc or digivice, Bai Yu felt a little emotional but not too disheartened.
Because he had the system, and something better.
After Renamon put her down and she regained her footing, Ruki immediately roared at Bai Yu: "Give me back my D-Arc!"
Bai Yu shook his head, listening to her naive demand: "It seems you still haven't realized. Do you think your opponent, or even enemy, would agree to such a request?"
Ruki was choked by Bai Yu's words. She opened her mouth but found she couldn't retort. After a few seconds, she still stubbornly managed to blurt out: "You're cheating!"
Bai Yu no longer answered Ruki's words. Some lessons cannot be taught with words, but an experience teaches a person instantly.
Bai Yu launched another attack, his orange-red figure once again turning into an afterimage, charging directly at Renamon and Ruki.
After their recent encounter, Renamon was now completely unwilling to let Ruki get far from her. She shielded Ruki behind her while fully concentrating on dealing with Bai Yu's attacks.
However, how could Renamon, with a "burden," be Bai Yu's opponent?
Bai Yu's offensive surged like a tide, wild and precise, quickly forcing Renamon into a flustered state.
With one claw, he pushed Renamon back several steps, and Bai Yu's orange-red figure stood firm.
"Get ready, I'm about to unleash my ultimate move."
As soon as he finished speaking, Bai Yu quickly pressed the dial and the driver separately, then rotated the entire driver.
"Final Time!"
A cold and majestic electronic sound echoed, as if announcing an irreversible judgment.
"Flame Lynx Kick!"
Accompanying this declaration, Bai Yu's right leg was instantly enveloped by surging orange-red flame energy. The flames solidified without dispersing, like the materialized fangs of a fierce beast, emitting a high temperature capable of melting metal.
Bai Yu crouched slightly, accumulating power.
The next moment, Bai Yu's figure leaped high into the air, then, with an incredibly graceful posture, he turned his body, his right leg like a battle-axe carrying flames that could incinerate everything, kicking fiercely towards Renamon below.
The air was torn by the extreme speed of the dive, emitting a sharp whistle.
Renamon clearly felt the power of Bai Yu's attack.
"Ruki!" Renamon didn't have time to think, forcefully pushing Ruki, who was behind her, far away. The next second, she turned around and quickly crossed her arms in front of her body.
Boom—!!!
A deafening roar suddenly erupted.
An orange-red flame shockwave spread wildly outwards from Bai Yu's landing point, the ground cracked, and dust shot skyward, instantly engulfing everything.
Renamon's golden figure was sent flying backward in the explosion's firelight like a withered leaf in the wind, crashing heavily against a nearby ruined wall with a dull thud, then sliding powerlessly to the ground, no longer moving.
Smoke billowed, obscuring vision.
"Renamon!" Ruki stumbled quickly towards the direction where Renamon had fallen, the broken stones under her feet almost causing her to trip.
The smoke at the center of the explosion slowly dispersed, and Bai Yu's figure reappeared. At his feet, a small crater was clearly visible, with scorched marks remaining on the edges of the soil.
Bai Yu slowly stood up, his gaze falling on Ruki, who was anxiously checking Renamon's condition not far away.
Looking at the young girl's small face, filled with worry and fear, Bai Yu calmly said: "Don't worry, I have a sense of proportion, it won't die. However, I won this battle."
Bai Yu indeed had no intention of killing. In that last Flame Lynx Kick, he had deliberately held back some of his power at the last moment.
Sure enough, just as Ruki was extremely anxious, almost on the verge of tears, Renamon, who had been motionless, twitched her eyelids slightly. She let out a faint groan and slowly opened her eyes.
Although she still looked very weak and her breathing was somewhat erratic, at least her life was not in danger. However, Bai Yu's restrained attack still caused her a considerable injury, making it difficult for her to fight again for a short time.
Seeing Renamon awaken, Ruki's heart, which had been hanging high, finally dropped heavily. An indescribable sense of relief instantly swept through her limbs, and her body, previously tensed from extreme nervousness, suddenly relaxed.
Ruki let out a long breath, as if expelling all the fear and unease in her chest with that single breath.
Bai Yu took off the dial on the driver. The next second, the majestic orange-red Lynxmon Armor on him transformed into countless light particles, slowly dissipating into the air, revealing Bai Yu's handsome and refined face. Only a few tiny beads of sweat seeped from his forehead, and his breathing was slightly hurried.
The feeling of fighting in his first transformation was indeed good.
Although it consumed a bit of stamina, making Bai Yu feel a little tired, he was already very satisfied that he could successfully win this first battle and not suffer a setback at the start.
Moreover, this feeling of controlling power was truly captivating.
