Chapter Twelve: The Evolution of the Rolling Beast
A semester always passes quickly. Li Ping had already taught all he could; from here on, it would be up to Zhao Jie and his classmates to rely on themselves. Whether their Digimon could evolve to the rookie stage, and whether they could gain admission to their desired universities, depended solely on their own efforts—there was little more Li Ping could do for them.
“Rolling Beast, tomorrow our special training begins.”
Before bed, Yang Dong spoke seriously to Rolling Beast at his side.
Following Li Ping’s advice, it was best not to let their Digimon evolve to the rookie stage until they had fully mastered the digital energy within their bodies. Yang Dong had now achieved this, and Rolling Beast’s evolution was imminent.
“Yay!”
Rolling Beast responded excitedly; it had long yearned to evolve. Each time it received a mountain of snacks, it had to share most with the Wildman Beast, which felt like torture.
Once it evolved to the rookie stage, it was confident it could become the top Digimon in Wuling No. 1 High, and never again would it have to share its beloved snacks with Wildman Beast. The thought thrilled it so much that it didn’t fall asleep until the latter half of the night.
Early the next morning, Zhao Jie set out with Rolling Beast on the road back to his hometown, planning to spend the days until Rolling Beast’s evolution there.
Rolling Beast pressed its face tightly against the window, despairing as the city grew ever more distant.
“Rolling Beast, once we’ve mastered our signature move, we’ll return.”
At this, Rolling Beast found a bit of spirit. My snacks, wait for me!
The ninety-minute journey was not short, but there was no alternative; Wuling was a mountainous region, and the roads were winding. Now, at least, they were paved with asphalt. In the past, they were dirt roads, slow and dusty.
By noon, Zhao Jie had reached his old home. His grandparents had already prepared a room for him—not as comfortable as the city, but warm and familiar.
“Rolling Beast, let’s begin.”
He led Rolling Beast into a dense forest. There were few children in rural areas now, so Zhao Jie wasn’t worried about being disturbed.
“Yay!”
Rolling Beast hopped ahead, its body radiating a pale white light—the light of evolution, which Zhao Jie had witnessed once before.
But this time, Zhao Jie sharply felt the digital energy at the center of his brow surging.
The Stone of Courage!
He quickly took out the item he’d purchased with points, guaranteeing Rolling Beast’s evolution to Agumon. Though Rolling Beast could evolve without it, the result was unpredictable.
The Stone of Courage was pitch black, but as Zhao Jie brought it out, it swiftly merged with Rolling Beast’s evolution light, dissolving into countless stars that scattered across Rolling Beast’s body.
“Rolling Beast, evolve!”
Zhao Jie suddenly shouted, a bit theatrical, and in his heart, the theme song “Brave Heart” began to play—he’d long wanted to do this.
Today, he finally had his chance.
Buzz…
Zhao Jie felt the digital energy at his brow grow hot. According to Li Ping, this was the moment to channel that energy outward, letting it merge with the light of evolution.
For Zhao Jie, after a semester of training, it was no challenge.
Soon, the two energies merged. Rolling Beast before Zhao Jie shattered into fragments, and a cascade of zeros and ones shimmered within the light of evolution.
“What is this…”
Zhao Jie’s eyes widened as he watched the endless stream of zeros and ones, his mind shaken.
Binary code?!
The flickering zeros and ones—weren’t they binary code?
The flashing lasted only a few seconds before the light of evolution vanished, and a yellow-skinned Agumon with large eyes appeared before Zhao Jie.
Buzz…
The digital energy returned to the center of Zhao Jie’s brow, but this time, he sensed something different: inside, a multitude of zeros and ones continued to flicker.
“No wonder Mr. Li Ping said the digital energy in the human body is a kind of program.”
Zhao Jie, feeling the changes in the energy, murmured to himself.
Huh?
He opened his eyes and was met by a pair of clear, bright eyes.
“Crunchy noodles!”
Seeing Zhao Jie awake, Agumon waved its claws before him, chanting over and over.
“Crunchy noodles, crunchy noodles!”
Zhao Jie: ???
Hearing Agumon’s words, Zhao Jie’s mind filled with question marks.
Crunchy noodles?
Instant noodles?!
He never expected Agumon’s first words would be “crunchy noodles” rather than his name. Was his training really such a failure?
“Stop it, stop it, don’t wave anymore.”
Zhao Jie looked at Agumon, a headache forming. It had evolved, yet remained a foodie.
“Crunchy noodles.”
On hearing Zhao Jie, Agumon stopped wandering, but stared at him with wide, pitiful eyes.
Finally evolved—delicious crunchy noodles, here I come!
“All right, all right, since you’ve successfully evolved, let’s go home.”
Seeing Agumon’s pitiful look, Zhao Jie chose to compromise.
“Yay!”
Agumon nodded eagerly, and together they returned to the house.
Crunch!
Crunch!
After evolving, Agumon’s appetite had multiplied several times. What was meant to last a week was devoured in a single day.
“You truly are a glutton now.”
Zhao Jie stroked Agumon’s head, a bit helpless.
But upon reflection, it was a blessing—Agumon didn’t crave foods rich in digital energy, which eased Zhao Jie’s financial burden. If it ate those as voraciously as regular snacks, his family truly couldn’t afford it.
“Delicious…”
Agumon enjoyed Zhao Jie’s caresses while munching on snacks—life couldn’t be more comfortable.
“Agumon, let’s work hard together from now on!”