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Chapter 17: The Beast Within
Deep in the Woods – A Few Hours Later
The sun had started to dip behind the trees, casting golden streaks through the thick forest canopy. A perfect place to train. Joshua stood in the center of a small clearing, the grass beneath his feet slightly damp, the air thick with the scent of fresh earth and pine.
No distractions. No interruptions. Just him, his evolving abilities, and the question of how far he could push them.
Taking a slow breath, he rolled his shoulders.
Time to see what these forms could really do.
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Phase One: Garurumon X – The Hunter Unleashed
Joshua's body shifted instantly. Fur spread across his skin like wildfire, his muscles tightened, bones stretching into their canine form with a series of satisfying pops. His senses sharpened—his hearing became acute, every rustling leaf crystal clear, and his vision adjusted, detecting the slightest movements in the shadows.
Garurumon X.
He exhaled through his fangs, feeling the sheer agility in his limbs. Without hesitation, he exploded forward.
The world blurred. Trees became streaks of green and brown as he sprinted at inhuman speeds, his paws barely making a sound against the forest floor. His mind registered every detail—the placement of rocks, the uneven ground, the shifting wind—his instincts were honed to perfection.
Then, an obstacle.
A fallen tree, its thick trunk lying across his path. Instead of slowing down, Joshua pushed harder.
With a burst of muscle power, he jumped.
For a moment, he soared over the fallen tree, the wind whipping past his fur. Then—a perfect landing, paws hitting the ground smoothly, body still moving at full speed.
He smirked. "Fast. But let's test my precision."
Spotting a large tree ahead, Joshua lunged. His claws extended, slicing through the bark like a knife through butter. The deep gashes left behind made him grin.
He wasn't just fast. He was a predator.
But speed wasn't enough. He needed strength too.
He turned his focus to a boulder nearly the size of a car. Without hesitating, Joshua dug his claws into the ground and launched himself at it.
SLASH!
The rock split in half, fragments flying in every direction.
Joshua landed smoothly, breathing in deep. Perfect balance. Incredible speed. Razor-sharp precision.
"Garurumon X is an assassin," he muttered to himself. A hit-and-run hunter, not a brawler. Against someone faster, he'd have to outmaneuver them. Against someone stronger, he'd have to strike first and vanish.
This form was about tactics, not brute force.
Which meant it was time for brute force.
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Phase Two: Greymon – The Titan's Roar
Joshua let the Garurumon X form fade, taking a deep breath. His body was adapting faster. The pain of transformation was starting to lessen, and his stamina wasn't draining as fast.
Good. He was getting stronger.
Now for something bigger.
His muscles swelled instantly, bones stretching into dense armor-like plating. His skin hardened, shifting into tough, orange scales. His tail extended, slamming into the ground with enough force to send a small shockwave through the dirt. Clawed fingers clenched into fists, his breathing now a low rumbling growl.
His entire body radiated power.
Joshua stomped forward, the sheer weight of Greymon's form making the ground beneath him crack slightly. This wasn't just a beast. This was a walking force of destruction.
He turned his attention to a massive oak tree, its thick trunk standing like a natural fortress.
Perfect target.
Joshua twisted his hips, braced his stance, and swung his tail.
CRACK!
The entire tree snapped in half like a brittle stick, the top half crashing to the ground with a violent boom.
He bared his teeth in satisfaction. "Good. But now… let's test raw firepower."
Taking a deep breath, Joshua focused. Heat built in his chest, spreading through his throat as his maw glowed a deep, molten orange. He could feel the power condensing, the pressure almost unbearable—then he released it all at once.
"NOVA BLAST!"
A massive fireball erupted from his mouth, the sheer heat distorting the air around it. It crashed into another tree, exploding on impact. Flames surged outward, engulfing the entire area in a burning inferno.
Joshua grinned. "Now that's real firepower."
He clenched his fists. Greymon was a tank. A brawler built for overwhelming strength and endurance. The sheer power in this form meant he wouldn't have to dodge—he could take hits and keep going.
But that also meant speed was a weakness. He turned, testing his reaction time. Slower than Garurumon X.
If someone fast enough attacked him, he'd struggle to land clean hits.
Good to know.
Joshua returned to human form, rolling his shoulders as the warmth of battle faded.
"Greymon's a battering ram. But I'll need to play smart."
Two forms down. One left.
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Phase Three: V-Mon – The Missing Link
Joshua looked down at his hands, frowning.
Garurumon X? The perfect assassin.
Greymon? A walking tank.
But V-Mon?
He hadn't pushed that form much. Something about it felt… incomplete.
Why?
Garurumon X specialized in agility and precision. Greymon excelled in power and durability.
So where did V-Mon fit?
Joshua ran a hand through his hair, thinking. Every form had a role. If Garurumon X was built for speed and Greymon for raw strength…
Then maybe V-Mon was about balance.
Not the fastest. Not the strongest. But adaptable.
Joshua exhaled, staring at the burning wreckage from his Nova Blast.
"Looks like I've got some work to do."
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End of Chapter 17
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Chapter 18: Testing the Warrior's Might
The Dark Streets of Gotham – Midnight
Joshua moved through the back alleys, his small but muscular frame shifting with ease in the shadows. The glow of flickering streetlights cast his blue-scaled form in an eerie hue, highlighting the V-shaped mark on his forehead.
Tonight, he was testing V-Mon in real combat.
No more theories. No more guesses. If this form was supposed to be the balance between speed and power, then he needed to prove it right here, right now.
And Gotham? It was full of test subjects.
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The Prey: A Drug Deal in Progress
Ahead, in a run-down parking lot, four men stood around a black SUV, counting stacks of cash under the dim glow of a flickering lamppost. The scent of cheap cigars and unwashed bodies filled the air.
One of them—a greasy-haired thug in a leather jacket—held a briefcase filled with white powder.
Drugs. Money. Low-tier scum.
Perfect.
Joshua smirked. Time to see what V-Mon could do.
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The First Strike: Speed & Power Combined
He didn't hesitate. No warnings. No dramatic entrances. Just action.
Joshua launched himself forward.
BANG!
His feet slammed into the pavement, launching him like a blue missile. He closed the gap in seconds, twisting mid-air as his foot smashed into the closest thug's jaw with a brutal CRACK!
The man's body flew backward, crashing into the SUV's side with a metallic crunch.
"WHAT THE FU—?!"
The others barely had time to react before Joshua struck again.
A second thug reached for his gun—too slow. Joshua's fist buried into his gut, lifting him off the ground. The man gagged, eyes bulging, before Joshua spun and kicked him into the pavement.
THUD! The thug didn't get up.
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Adapting in Battle: V-Mon's Strengths & Weaknesses
Joshua analyzed instantly.
V-Mon's strikes hit harder than expected. His muscle density made his small frame deceptively powerful.
He wasn't as fast as Garurumon X but faster than a normal human.
He had agility, but it wasn't as precise as Garurumon X.
He could take a hit—but not like Greymon.
Conclusion? He needed to stay mobile while dealing fast, heavy damage.
No dragging fights out. End them before they could react.
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The Final Opponent: A Gunman
The last thug was smart. He didn't reach for a knife or try to throw a punch.
He pulled a gun.
Joshua's eyes locked onto the barrel instantly.
Shit—
BANG!
The gun fired.
Joshua reacted on instinct. He threw himself sideways, the bullet grazing his shoulder with a sharp sting.
Pain flared, but his body kept moving. He rolled, then kicked off the ground with explosive force.
Before the gunman could fire again—
BAM!
Joshua's headbutt slammed into his chest like a battering ram. The gunman's ribs cracked, his body flipping over the SUV's hood. The gun skittered across the pavement, useless.
Silence.
The fight was over.
Joshua stood there, chest rising and falling, the faint burn of the bullet graze barely registering.
He looked at his scaled fists, then at the unconscious criminals.
V-Mon was a brawler. Not as strong as Greymon, not as fast as Garurumon X—but the perfect in-between.
With the right techniques, the right training… this form could become unstoppable.
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The Aftermath: Taking Their Cash
Joshua exhaled and cracked his knuckles. His first crime fight in V-Mon form? Success.
Now for his payment.
He crouched beside the knocked-out dealer and grabbed the briefcase full of cash.
He popped it open. Stacks of hundred-dollar bills.
Joshua grinned. "Don't mind if I do."
He grabbed another thick roll of cash from one of the unconscious thugs. His pockets were stacked now.
Gotham's criminals weren't just his punching bags.
They were his gold mine.
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End of Chapter 18