Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

They found the portal the same day.

Takato wanted to show his parents where Guilmon had stayed most of the time… and he was missing Guilmon already.

“So, it’s still there,” Yamaki said, taking his sunglasses off to look at it. Takato thought it would have made more sense to take them off when he walked into the tunnel where it was dark, but, well, that seemed to be Mr. Yamaki.

“Is it… Okay?” Takato asked.

He turned to look at Takato and frowned. “You’re not planning to go in there now, are you? I’d like the time to build another communicator.”

“I mean, you’re not going to cover it over with concrete or something?”

“Why would I…” Yamaki sighed. “The Digital World isn’t going to go away, Takato. We can’t stick our heads in the sand. First the Wild Ones – Digimon – now the D-Reaper. We do need to know what’s going on there in order to keep the world safe. Both worlds. Since Digimon and humans worked together against the D-Reaper, we may need their help again. We need to find out how many of them are still alive, and if they’re willing to work together with us to stop the next D-Reaper. The government is going to want to send diplomats, that kind of thing.” From the way he rubbed his temples, Yamaki seemed to agree with Takato that he wasn’t suited to being diplomatic. “I’m not going to stop you,” if Takato tried to run for the portal, “but people want to know what happened. What the Digimon are really like. After the D-Reaper, people might end up terrified of everything that comes from the Digital World.”

“You should tell them about Guilmon,” someone said from the entrance to the shed.

“Ryo?” Takato asked. “How did you get here?”

“I saw your parents come back without you and head over to Yamaki and the Monster Makers,” Ryo said, looking past Takato and Yamaki at the portal. “Sorry about leaving you guys to apologize to my dad, but I need to get back to the Digital World. Once I find Hopmon, I’ll bring your partners back to the real world for you.”

“You know how Digimon are traveling to the human world from inside the digital one?” Yamaki asked.

Ryo shrugged. “It’s pretty straightforward. If you want, after I drop the kids’ partners off I could take some of your guys back with me. Give them the guided tour. Of whatever’s left,” he said, staring at the portal guiltily, and sighed. “Well, I’d better get in there before someone else starts taking the place apart.”

“You’re going back right now?” Takato said. “You’re not going to stay, at least long enough to get some things together?”

“I’ve had enough of interviews and being the Legendary Tamer,” Ryo said. “Henry and Terriermon are the ones who deserve the credit, I didn’t really do anything. And you need to tell them about Guilmon. It’s not like I can tell them about Cyberdramon without giving Digimon a bad name. Monodramon’s great, but… Well, hopefully we can burn up enough energy as Justimon that he’ll  be able to stay Monodramon most of the time now. I have to thank you guys for figuring out biomerge Digivolution. I was getting really afraid that if he evolved any further, his next evolution would be rational even less often and it’d be all my fault.”

Takato winced. “Yeah, Megidramon was scary, and that wouldn’t have happened to Guilmon if it weren’t for me. It’s not your fault Cyberdramon goes berserk, though.”

“He thinks he needs to protect me from something. I thought that what he was sensing was the D-Reaper, but I could feel him when we were Justimon and that wasn’t it.” Ryo looked grim for a moment before smiling at Takato. “Well, I’d better get in there before my Dad tracks me down,” he said, giving them a wave goodbye before he walked into the light.

“After practically encouraging minors to go to the Digital World twice, I really hope that’s safe,” Yamaki said, once the last trace of the color of Ryo’s shirt had vanished.  “Judging from Shibumi’s research, it should be perfectly safe as long as you believe it’s safe, like biomerging… And I shouldn’t have said that in front of you.”

 “Oh no!” Takato realized.

Instantly Yamaki was focused, hand reaching for his cell phone. “What’s wrong?”

“If Ryo went, how are we going to stop Rika from going?” It really wasn’t a question. “There’s no way, and Rika’s… really not diplomatic.”

“I’ll see if Riley can cover for me long enough for me to rig up another communicator. I know why you couldn’t get through most of the time before: I can reuse some of what let the Ark get through…” Yamaki put his sunglasses on and walked out of the shed. “Riley, how long do we have until reporters are allowed into the restricted area?”

-

Purple Yaamon screamed as he fell through the air towards the rough, pitted surface of the Digital World.

Calumon screamed with delight, and Caprimon and Gigimon joined in.

“Why are we yelling!” Gummymon wondered.

“I don’t know,” Gigimon said, twitching his red batlike ears. “Everyone else was.”

“This is all very exciting!” Caprimon sounded pleased, but he was wearing a helmet and could use his blue and white-ringed tail to correct himself so he wasn’t spinning around as he fell.

“I’m screaming because look at the ground! We’re not going to survive that like this, and I have to get back to… Oh,” Yaamon realized when Marineangemon flew over to turn him around.

Azulongmon summoned a cloud beneath them and they fell into it, rolling over a few times before coming to a stop.

“I’m glad to see you are alright,” a small brown Chocomon greeted them, bowing her three-horned head.

“Lopmon?” Gummymon wondered. “How’d you get here before us?” They still looked like each other, except Gummymon was a very pale green and only had a single horn lump on his head.

“A strange field appeared around the room where the adults were working, and while I was examining it I thought about how worried I was about the Sovereign. I found myself here.”

“That human is alright,” a small yellow Digimon with wings and a long orange plume on top of his head chirped. “She has kicked her father’s shins, and ordered her ‘brother’ to inform him that she will never speak to him again. It isn’t justice for the untold millions of Digimon that human condemned to death, but still. This pleases me.”

“Thank you,” Chocomon said, and bowed again.

“Why are you… wait, you’re not?” Gummymon stared.

Pokomon walked over on her small yellow legs, tail in the air. “Chicchimon… are you the Sovereign Zhuqaiomon?”

“Oh really?” Calumon walked over and laughed with delight. “You’re my size! Let’s play!”

Chocomon rushed to stand between Calumon and her master. “The Sovereign is resting! All of them gave up their other digicores so that Sovereign Azulongmon could remain in this form and use his power to transport the surviving Digimon to safe areas.”

“My rookie and champion evolutions are humanoid,” the baby bird chirped, disgusted. “Unless I need to fight, I’d rather stay in this form. A lower evolution conserves strength, and will help me regain it faster so I can assist Azulongmon with the relocations. Several of the planes of the Digital World are in the process of falling apart.”

“The Digital World is falling apart?!” Hopmon’s fanged mouth widened in horror, small purple fins flailing. “Oh no!”

“No,” Azulongmon’s voice rumbled around them. “The Digital World will survive, and thanks to your brave efforts we will no longer have to live in fear of the D-Reaper.”

“Yay!” Calumon said, and began to dance around.

“I have the power of clairvoyance,” Chicchimon said. “Watching you kill other Digimon on the orders of you human masters disgusted me. You did not even absorb their data, so their strength was lost and they died knowing that they could do no more to defend other Digimon against the True Enemy. However, I am forced to admit…”

They heard a whine followed by an exhausted, “Will you please keep it down?” A smile white head poked up out of a pile of cloudstuff. “You got a chance to rest before the True Enemy attacked; I was on blob-clearing duty when it started.”

“No, I did not get a chance to rest after my shift holding it back,” the bird said.

“That was your own fault,” both the Plotmon and Azulongmon answered, although there was an extra word in the Plotmon’s reply.

Gigimon’s red ears perked up. “Takato said that’s a bad word and-“

Pokomon shut his mouth by covering it with her tail.

An Otamamon poked his own head up to say, “You’re all noisy.”

“Definitely noisy,” Armadillomon agreed. “Why are these babies here, Azulongmon?”

“I thought you might want to congratulate them on saving both our worlds?”

“Fine fine.”

“Congratulations.”

“I owe you my life and the lives of the Digimon in the Western Region, but be quiet! The next person who wakes me up is getting smacked with a Happy Paw, because I won’t be happy.”

Azulongmon sighed and the part of the cloud with Plotmon, Armadillomon and Otamamon separated from the rest. “They’ll be grateful once they’ve had some sleep.”

“The Sovereign have been fighting since the D-Reaper first attacked,” Pokomon said. “It’s amazing there’s still enough strength even among the… five of you for one of you to remain a mega.”

“Don’t you need to sleep too?” Calumon wondered, holding a hand to his mouth.

“I’m going to go find Ryo,” Hopmon said, bouncing towards the edge of the cloud.

“It’s not safe out there,” Azulongmon told him. “There are a great many wounded Digimon, desperate for data so they can retain their mega evolutions.”

“Even while we fought the true enemy, Digimon still turned on each other for the data to heal themselves. Just as the humans intended.” Chicchimon glared at nothing, at least nothing they could see. “Let him go, Azulongmon. Let that human’s slave suffer the consequences of how the humans made us.”

“I’ll be fine,” Hopmon said. “Anyone who tries to absorb me won’t be, though!”

“If you fall, who knows where you’ll end up,” Pokomon said, the little fox running to get between him and the edge of the cloud. “If we work together it will be easier for us to find a way back to the human world.”

“But I know the way,” Hopmon said, tilting to the side. “I just have to get enough data to fly again.”

“No remorse for killing your fellow Digimon for the sake of a human.”

Hopmon shifted again, and then fell over on his side. “Right, Digimon don’t come back to life.” He pushed with the short fin on that side in a rhythm until he managed to rock himself back upright. “I keep forgetting…”

“Wait,” Gummymon said. “You mean that when you were going around killing everything as Cyberdramon, you thought they were going to come back to life? Like in the anime? Wow.” He laughed. “How did the Digimon King end up with such a dumb partner?”

“Yes,” Pokomon agreed. “The competition for Rika was fierce.”

The purple Digimon frowned thoughtfully and tilted to the side again. As some of the others leaned towards him to hear the answer, Hopmon tilted, and tilted, and finally fell over again. “I can’t remember.”

Yaamon, Gummymon, Chocomon and Pokomon fell over too. Or rolled over, in Yaamon’s case.

“Look,” Gummymon said, when he got to his feet, or rather his pad again. “Stick with us, and we’ll get you back to your Tamer, ok? Otherwise you’ll probably get lost, and then how’s he going to find you.”

“It’s okay,” Hopmon said, waving for them to relax with the fin that was sticking up, still lying on his side. “Ryo will always find me.”

“Just like Takato!” Gigimon said, and laughed happily, bouncing over to Hopmon and pushing him back upright with his nose. “Let’s wait for Takato together, okay?”

“If Ryo is coming to find you, you should stay in one place,” Pokomon said. “If you’re both wandering around, you might miss each other.”

“Stay in one place so Ryo can find me….” Hopmon’s tilting left him leaning against Gigimon. “That sounds right!”

“With that horn up top and your head so empty, no wonder you’re top-heavy,” Yaamon muttered. “But I gotta get back to my Tamers too.” His ears perked up. “Hey, since we did save the world and everything, that’s gotta be worth…”

Chicchimon snorted. “If we had mega amounts of data to spare, I’d be helping Azulongmon move the survivors to stable planes.”

“How’s that supposed to work?” Gummymon wondered. “You’re all fiery and burny.”

“Perhaps we should take the other Sovereigns’ advice and sleep on it?” Pokomon said, raising her voice slightly.

“Hey!” Calumon poked the cloud. “Aren’t you tired too?”

Azulongmon coughed. “Actually, I was sleeping when I sensed your fight with Zhuqaiomon. He was recovering from his own battle against the D-Reaper, and I was resting up so that when Baihumon became exhausted, I could take his place slowing down the D-Reaper’s advance. That’s why Antylamon was at the South Gate: it’s one of the duties of the devas to guard us while we recover our strength. Otherwise some power-hungry mega might get lucky.”

“And I doubt a Digimon willing to kill one of the defenders of the digital world would be willing to take your place holding back the D-Reaper,” Pokomon curled her tail.

“When I fight – when I fought, Zhuquaiomon acted as my spotter. While I recovered, I would handle the business of the Sovereign while Ebonwumon fought, Baihumon spotted for him and Zhuquaiomon rested for his own battle. After Zhuqaiomon exhausted his strength, it would be Baihumon’s turn to face the True Enemy, and then mine again.” The cloud shook as Azulongmon chuckled. “Once we’ve rebuilt the digital world, I don’t know what I’m going to do with all that free time.”

“Something will come up. And that’s if Ebonwumon doesn’t retire and separate permanently. You’ve found all the Digimon in this area, drop them off and move on to that area in Baihumon’s Quadrant.”

“Are you certain? I sense more distress from both of the regions in-“

“Panicking fools. Those planes are more stable than they think.”

“In that case, I’ll go to the west next. Why don’t you get some sleep, Chicchimon? I’ll wake you when I need you to look for any unconscious Digimon I missed.”

“I’m not here to set a good example for these heretics,” the little bird squawked, but he was sound asleep by the time a human fell out of the orb in the sky.

Chapter Text

“Ryo!”  Hopmon jumped up excitedly.

Ryo knelt down next to him, grinning. “You okay, Hopmon? Didn’t get into any trouble while I was gone?”

“I was going to go looking for data so I could go find you, but Pokomon said I should stay in one place to wait for you.”

“Right, that’s how it works, isn’t it?” Ryo said, more to himself than Hopmon, and frowned. Turning to  the little yellow fox, he smiled and said, “Thanks for keeping him out of trouble, Pokomon.”

“It was my pleasure,” she said, always polite.

“Really, I owe you one,” Ryo told her. “So… how about I pay you back by getting you guys back to your Tamers?”

“Yay!” Calumon and Gigimon agreed.

“Cyberdramon should be able to carry all of you, but it might be better to make two trips…”

“If you lead the way, I shall follow you on my noble steed,” Kapuriman said and hopped on top of Kenta’s partner, his blue and white-striped tail wrapped around the mega’s neck like a feather boa.

“Sure?” Ryo asked, and Marineangemon nodded cheerfully. “That leaves… Calumon, Gigimon, Gummymon, Pokomon, Yaamon… Chocomon?”

“I need to stay until the Sovereign have safely recovered,” the little brown in-training said seriously. “It’s my duty as the last of the Devas.”

“Well, I should be back way before then, so just let me know and I’ll take you up by yourself when you’re ready to go,” Ryo told her. “Carrying five in-trainings isn’t a problem, right Hopmon?”

The little purple-and-yellow Digimon tried to nod, but tipped over backwards. Ryo caught and steadied him, and he digivolved into Monodramon. “Yes, Ryo,” he said, embarrassed.

“I’ll ride on your back,” Ryo said. “I can probably fit Gigimon, Gummymon and Yaamon in my bag, so if you hold Calumon and Pokomon? They have hands and feet, so they can hold on to you, too.”

Monodramon nodded. “I’ll be careful not to forget they’re there.”

“I want to see Rika again, but is this such a good idea? It hasn’t even been an hour since we were fighting the D-Reaper.” Pokomon said.

“Cyberdramon’s strong,” Ryo assured her. “It’s not that hard to get to the human world and back.”

“No, what I mean is…” Pokomon drew on her reserves of tact. “People tend to lose their tempers more easily when they haven’t had enough sleep. I believe you said that Cyberdramon reacts to the presence of strong opponents?”

Ryo paled a little. “That’s a good point. Monodramon. Can you promise me that if we take off from here instead of getting dropped off somewhere, you won’t attack Azulongmon?”

“He caught you when you fell.”

“And he’s helped you and the others too, it looks like. Can you promise me, Monodramon?” Ryo asked, looking into his partner’s eyes. “Please?”

“I, I don’t want to. Right now. He’s too weak, almost an ordinary mega. Someone this weak could never be a threat to you.” Monodramon looked down at the cloud. “I’ll try and make sure I remember when I’m Cyberdramon.”

“Alright, I’ll believe in you.” Ryo stood up. Reaching into his card pouch he drew out a card. “Digi-modify! Ma-Wait, no wrong card.” He stared at the image of a red and blue Digimon wrapped in green digicode. “When did I even get this one? Normally one of the others just turns into a blue card temporarily. Huh, I wonder if this was the first blue card I found and that’s how this ended up in my deck, but… Now I’m getting déjà vu. Maybe I need a nap.” Shaking his head, he put the card back in his pouch. “Let’s try this one…” He tilted it, and the light that reflected off of it was blue, with a gleaming Digimon symbol. “Digi-modify! Matrix Digivolution activate!”

-

“Watch out!” Ryo yelled to warn anyone on the other side of the portal as the light enveloped them, but it was still a good thing that Cyberdramon went back to Monodramon as they tumbled through into the real world, sending the two Digimon in his arms flying.

When they all landed on the ground in the shed, Calumon jumped off the top of the pile and ran outside. “Hey, Jeri!” She caught him when he leaped into her arms and he laughed, delighted to see her again. “You’re smiling!”

“I’m so happy to see you again!”

Most of the others ran to follow him, except Yaamon, who peered around the edge of the doorway.

And Hopmon.

“…Ow.”

“Ow,” Ryo agreed once he caught his breath, wincing as he pushed himself up off the ground. That horn had hit him in the stomach. “Are you okay, partner?”

“I don’t feel so good…”

Ryo winced, leaning down and brushing some of the dirt off. “Let’s get you something to eat before you go back down to Ketomon.”

“Maybe I should be Ketomon. I’m nicer then.”

“You need to be able to protect yourself. We’re going back to the Digital World, and with it like that, a lot of Digimon are going to want to get the power of a Tamer for themselves. If you’re a baby, they’ll download you for breakfast… breakfast,” Ryo said longingly.

“Will there be fried chicken?” Hopmon wondered hopefully.

“Probably not for breakfast, but there’s got to be something, right? Come on,” Ryo said, scooping him up.

“Takatomon…” Gigimon looked up at his tamer. “You got big. Did you evolve?”

The brown-haired goggle boy laughed. “No, Guil-Gigimon. I thought you understood about humans by now.”

“Maybe?” Gigimon wondered, ears drooping. “My head is tiny.”

“Well, you’re in a younger evolution, so maybe… You were really mature when you were WarGrowlmon.” Takato bent down and picked him up. “Hey, I bet you could ride around on my head like this! Like Patamon.”

“Sheesh, Henry,” Gummymon was scolding his Tamer from Henry’s shoulder. “Now I’ve got something in my eye too.”

“Lopmon? Where’s Lopmon?” Suzy looked around. “Lopmon!” she called, running into the shed, almost bowling over Ryo.

Looking down at the small fox kit in her arms sternly, Rika said. “You are way, way too cute. Come on, Pokomon, you need to eat and rest up ASAP. You’re just way too cute, I’ll never hear the end of it if Mom sees you before you’re Renamon again!”

“Of course, Rika,” Pokomon said, folding her short legs under herself serenely.

“Seriously, you need to get down from there,” Kazu told Kaprimon. “I must look like I’m wearing a coonskin cap.”

“A higher vantage point will allow me to spot danger.”

“Come on, this is the human world, and the D-Reaper’s gone, right? You don’t have to worry about rampaging Digimon trying to eat you because you’re a Tamer’s partner and they want to get to the human world…” Kazu blanched. “…good thing you got back here fast.”

Kenta looked at his partner. “I wonder why you’re still a mega.”

MarineAngemon shrugged.

“Yeah, he didn’t turn back to a rookie when he got into the Ark, even though Cyberdramon did,” Kazu agreed. “We’ve all got little baby Digimon, and you’ve still got a mega? You suck, Kenta.” Kazu poked him in the arm to let him know it was a joke.

“Hey, you’re the one who got the knight in shining armor.”

“Yeah, Andromon was going all over the Digital World protecting the innocent, just like Ryo!” Kazu said proudly. “Yeah, who needs a mega when I’ve got a hero for a partner. Right, Kapurimon?”

“Right!”

“They’re here?” Dr. Wong said, mystified. “But they shouldn’t be able to be here. It should be almost  impossible for them to survive, that was why we needed to incorporate code to send all the Digimon back to the Digital World, and strengthen the barrier until it was safe for them to return.”

“It appears the effect is weaker than we thought,” Yamaki said. “Or maybe the will of the children is stronger. Good.”

“Good?”

“If it worked, someone would have wanted to use it. Maybe combine it with Juggernaut. Try to seal the barrier between the worlds ‘for good.’ Make it impossible for digital life to survive in the real world, so we would be ‘safe.’ The last thing I want is to end up the first in a long line of fools,” Yamaki said.

“Sheesh, will you let that go already?” Riley asked him.

“You had a point, Riley. I’ve learned from my mistake, but I need to find some way to keep anyone else from following in my footsteps and throwing the baby out with the bathwater. Possibly literally,” since most of those looked like fairly unevolved forms.

“You didn’t try to stop him because this was the outcome you wanted?”

“Hypnos knows how to work the media, although that’s more Riley’s field than mine.”

“Thank you sir,” Riley said, although it sounded anything but genuine.

“Before, it was ‘we’re safe now that the Digimon are gone.’ Now take a look at the adorable heroes who saved the world.”

Suzy screamed. “Where’s Lopmon!”

She ran up to her father. “I hate you, Daddy, I hate you!”

Dr. Wong froze, but thankfully Henry ran over to grab her before she did too much damage.

“Wait, no!” Ryo followed Henry. “Your partner’s fine, Suzy. She’s just staying in the Digital World until the Sovereign don’t need her anymore. I promised I’d help get her to you as soon as she’s done, okay?”

“But I want Lopmon! Daddy sent Lopmon away!”

“Hey, hey!” Gummymon said. “What am I, chopped liver?”

“I love you, Terriermon, but you’re not Lopmon. I. Want. Lopmon!”

“Ahem,” Pokomon said with tiny dignity, seated in Rika’s arms. “Sovereign Zhu… Sovereign Chicchimon? If you are watching this. When Lopmon was stripped of her title and power as a Deva and sent into exile, did that not free her from her duties as a Deva? I believe sending her here would be sufficient repayment for any debt you might owe us. Or in your generosity, perhaps you might give young Suzy a boon, in recognition of her efforts to avenge the fallen Digimon upon one of their creators.”

Suzy blinked at her. “What does all that mean?”

“It means that you might get Lopmon back sooner because you punched Henry’s dad,” Gummymon told her. “Maybe you should hit him again, just to be sure.”

Henry bopped him, but gently because he was weakened.  He had to hurry and grab Suzy again with that hand, since she renewed her efforts to break free of his grip. “Gummymon!”

“He installed a program into me without asking and then I might have gone splat! In the Digital World, where there’s no food! I saved the world, I should have least have gotten a huge celebratory feast out of it, right?”

“They’re shouting…” Hopmon said, turning into Ryo’s side.

“Right.” Ryo nodded. “Give me five minutes, Suzy. Can’t exactly complain about being a taxi service when one of the Sovereign’s doing the same thing…”

Chapter Text

 “Open wide!”

“Suzy, really, I think I’m stuffed!”

“There’s always room for chocolate! Shouldn’t you know that when your name is Chocomon now?”

“Suzy, leave her alone,” Henry told her. “Look at Terriermon: he really did eat so much he passed out. Chocomon can’t play with you if she’s asleep, right?”

Guilmon was also sound asleep on the floor next to the table, with a dreaming Terriermon chewing on one of his claws. Henry’s partner had said something about “Bread Guilmon,” or maybe “BreadGuilmon” in his sleep.

“He’s still eating!” Suzy pointed to where the yellow top of Hopmon’s horn could be seen over the top of a KFC bucket.

“I can’t remember the last time I had fried chicken!” Hopmon said, with frequent pauses to take another bite and repeat words that were rendered incoherent by the food still in his mouth.

The Digimon weren’t the only ones passed out: most of the Monster Makers and Hypnos personnel had already left to go get some actual sleep, or just crashed on one of the couches around the edge of the room. The end of the world made for one major programming deadline crunch.

“Please don’t mention food,” Yaamon groaned.

“Agreed,” said Pokomon, shuddering.

“The D-Reaper is dead, right?” Ryo asked Dr. Wong. “The Sovereign said it kept reappearing out of nowhere to wipe out whole regions in ancient times, so please tell me it’s not going to come back again and again.”

“Well, we regressed it back to its original form, a harmless program.”

“But it’s not dead.”

“Well, no, but it’s not alive, either. There’s no reason it should undergo the same mutation.”

“But it could. It could regain its power and end up tough enough the Sovereign can’t handle it again.”

“Well, theoretically, I suppose.”

The Tamer groaned. “You suck,” Ryo told him. “You suck so much.”

“So?” Rika asked. “If it comes back again, we’ll just go back to the Digital World and beat it again, before it gets that strong.”

“Tell you what,” Ryo said. “You’re the Digimon Queen now, I needed your power to fight that thing: you can be the D-Reaper’s official nemesis. If it comes back again, you fight it.”

“What, you scared?” Rika asked him, more puzzled than accusatory. “The thing that was scary about it was that we couldn’t really hurt it.”

“Yeah,” Impmon said. “I wouldn’t mind getting to beat up on a weak D-Reaper. We’ll show it!”

“Yeah!” Ai agreed, and Mako nodded, grinning.

“Ok, the D-Reaper is officially Rika and Impmon’s job. No take-backs,” Ryo warned them. “If I find it in the Digital World, I’m calling you guys.”

“And what would you be doing in the Digital World?”

“Dad…” Ryo winced. Busted.

“You missed more than a year of school!”

“Look, I already promised to take the government people and science teams there and back, right? So I’ll be coming back to the human world a lot more often, I can take a correspondence course and bring my homework to the Digital World with me!”

“That’s not the point, Ryo! You’re still a kid: who died and made this your job? So you won some tournaments, that doesn’t mean you’re obligated to leave home and nearly get yourself killed I don’t know how many times!”

“Dad, it’s not li…” Ryo looked to the side. “I guess…” He looked around the room. “I’m not the only one who can, right?” He tried to cover it up with a laugh, but it was an honest question.

“Absolutely not,” his father told him. “There’s a whole government agency, and the UN and other countries now, and those Sovereign in the digital world. Let them do their jobs.”

“And what are we?” Rika wondered, glaring at him. “Chopped liver? You promised to show us how to get back when we were still in the Digital World, remember?”

“…Yeah.” He ducked his head, blushing. “Sorry about that. Thanks, Rika.”

-

“Ugh, interviews,” Rika said.

Ryo nodded in agreement. Word.

“Have you guys got any tips?” Takato asked nervously. “I haven’t done anything like this before.”

“Talk about how cute Guilmon is,” Ryo said.

Rika looked at the door disgustedly. “Don’t worry if you look scared or awkward. People eat that stuff up.”

“My dad said that this is practically a screen test,” Henry said. “I mean, the reporters are real, but Riley’s managing it and we’re minors. They’ll cut anything you ask them to cut.”

From Rika’s grimace at the words ‘screen test,’ that was not something that made having to do this any better.

“If they ask one of you to biomerge, mind if I join in?” Ryo asked. “I need to burn off some of Monodramon’s energy before he evolves any further. I really don’t want him hitting Strikedramon during an interview because there was a mega nearby, or we’re in trouble.”

“Justimon looks like something out of Kamen Rider.” Henry looked thoughtful. “Gallantmon and Sakuyamon are fine, but MegaGargomon’s a big war machine. We don’t want them to think that Digimon are only for fighting. It’s not like we can hide that Digimon are dangerous, but…”

“But they’re our dangerous,” Rika finished for him.

“Hey, what about us?” Terriermon asked.

“You play videogames. Guilmon, you probably want to mention Takato’s family’s bakery. Renamon? You’re just awesome.”

Rika nodded. Yes, yes she was.

“Oh, I can tell them about Guilmon bread?”

“Is that okay?” Takato laughed nervously.

“Renamon?” Rika said. “You’re on shutting up Impmon duty if he says anything stupid.” This time it was only the four heroes who went inside the D-Reaper, it wasn’t like they could avoid being recognized, but since Beelzemon looked like a demon people were probably going to want to be reassured or something. “Seriously, Ryo, wanting to become a mega in front of the cameras? If you just needed to be a mega for awhile, why didn’t you volunteer for that scanning thing?”

“I did, but after I said I didn’t know what he was talking about with the Sovereign having something to do with biomerging in the real world, he said that I was doing something different from you guys and he should scan you for a baseline first.”

“Wait,” Henry said. “You biomerged in the real world without the Sovereign’s help?”

“Yeah?” Ryo said, and shrugged. “Why, is it different from biomerging in the Digital World? I didn’t manage to biomerge before we left, so I wouldn’t know.”

“And he said he didn’t want to scan you after that?”

“Right? Well not for awhile, anyway.”

Henry stared. “Wow. I guess Mr. Yamaki really is on our side…”

“We couldn’t biomerge in the real world because we were real matter instead of data here,” Rika told Ryo.

“…Huh?” Ryo wondered. “But Digimon turn from solid matter into data and back again every time they Digivolve in the real world. All matter is made up of information.”

“Well, technically…” Henry supposed, but frowned at Ryo, because that was really oversimplifying how easy it should be.

“Yeah,” Ryo admitted, more complicated than that. “It’d be formatted differently, but translating between different systems and file formats, like human thoughts and the digital world, is what digivices do.”

“Or maybe you’re weird and staying in the Digital World that long meant that even when you got back you’re still data?” Rika hissed. “So nobody say anything about that.”

“I really don’t think it works that way…”

“And how would you know?” Rika asked him.

Ryo paused. “You’re right, I have no idea. I should probably talk to one of the Monster Makers. For now I’ll be careful then, thanks Rika.”

“You’d want to talk to Curly and Babel,” Henry told him. “They’re the physicists.”

“Not Shibumi? I thought he was the one who made the digivices.”

“No.” Henry said. “My dad warned me about him. He cares a lot more about what’s interesting than about people.  I think he did something unethical, besides handing the blue cards out to kids without telling them.” Someone could have died. Some kids probably did. “Not that my dad can talk when he uploaded a program into Terriermon without telling him…”

“No telling Shibumi I’m interesting, got it.” Ryo said, and shuddered. “My dad already found out I got banged up a bit in the Digital World and I’m going to have to schedule runs to the Digital World around physical therapy as well as turning in homework. If he finds out something else I’m getting kind of worried he might put a hit out on Monodramon.” When Ryo’s partner was the reason he had to leave home and all this happened to him.

“I’m sorry, Ryo,” the little dragon said.

“It’s not your fault, Monodramon.”

Takato looked sad. “When I designed Guilmon, I thought that having a demon dragon partner who went berserk when he attacked the enemy would be really cool. Cyberdramon is just like the personality I wrote in Guilmon’s description. But it’s really not so cool when you have to live with it. Seeing you and Monodramon… makes me realize that I just got lucky. I could have really messed Guilmon up because I didn’t think about what it would mean that Guilmon would be a real person, and my friend. It feels really unfair that you have to live with what I was dumb enough to ask for.”

“Why?” Ryo asked. “It’s not like it has anything to do with you.”

“It’s the Monster Makers’ fault for thinking it would be cool for Digimon to kill each other for data,” Henry said grimly. “Cyberdramon’s fits… that’s how they programmed Digimon. I almost want the press to find out about that, so they know that it’s not the Digimon’s fault. It’s what we humans did to them when we created them, it’s our responsibility.”

Ryo was staring at him like he was speaking in tongues, the same way he had when they told him that there was anything weird about biomerging in the real world.

“What?” Terriermon asked.

“Nothing,” Ryo said, rubbing his head. “Maybe I hit my head more times than I thought…”  

-

While Hypnos and Echelon were tracking down other gates, the portal in Shinjuku park was the famous one – and the one with a guide – so once the small war over who got to send what people on the first official trip to the digital world was settled and Yamaki and Daisy had modified their cameras and other equipment so they would probably work in the Digital World, that was where they gathered.

With more cameras set up around the shed, and press camping in the green to watch the actual departure.

Some people had decided to wait after hearing that it would take awhile for a new ark to be built, and for now they’d have to be carried by a Digimon.

Since Cyberdramon would have to carry them through in shifts, Rika and Renamon were going because Sakyuamon could fly, so she would be guarding where they were dropped off while Ryo went back and forth. She’d also be carrying Takato, Henry and their partners, since Ryo didn’t think it was a good idea for Cyberdramon to carry them.

Hypnos had borrowed some of the military’s tents so they could secure an area for their equipment and talk out of sight of the cameras. “You’re certain that Rika and Renamon can stay as Sakuyamon without problems?” Riley asked Ryo for a final check inside one of the tents.

“Cyberdramon doesn’t growl at Sakuyamon for some reason. Not sure why, but I’m not going to look a gift horse in the mouth. I’m more worried about Monodramon pushing all the buttons on their equipment and breaking something.”

“They signed liability forms, you won’t have to pay for it if anything gets broken.” They were going into a dangerous, mainly unexplored (by humans – well, Ryo had explored much of it, but the D-Reaper had altered the terrain enough his knowledge of its prior geography was practically useless) world. They should know better than to think it would be safe, even if the Sovereign had been warned that they were coming.

Monodramon looked up Henry and poked him in the leg to get his attention, and Terriermon’s when he looked down to see what Henry was looking at. “Are you Ryo’s enemy?” Monodramon asked Terriermon.

Terriermon’s ears stood on end. Monodramon was supposed to be saner than Cyberdramon, but he did not like the sound of that. “No way. I don’t even play the card game!”

“It’s true,” Henry said, smiling to defuse the situation. “The computer games, now…”

“You defeated the D-Reaper, and that makes you the most powerful Digimon. Yes!” Monodramon realized. “I do! I do remember fighting Digimon with humans before! That means that Ryo’s enemy may be one of you…”

Ryo groaned and pointed his digivice at Monodramon. A purple band of light whipped out from it to wrap around the dragon child. “Sorry about this,” he said, pulling with his digivice to drag Monodramon away from the other Tamers. “And that’s why we stay in the Digital World.” He turned away, walking towards the flap separating off this part of the tent. “Come on, Monodramon. The Sovereign weren’t picky about who they let Calumon digivolve, there are probably lots of evil megas preying on the weak in the Digital World right now. Behave until we’re done playing taxi, and once we’ve dropped everyone off with the others I’ll let you go hunting.”

“You know, that band of light that comes from Ryo’s digivice? It feels like I’ve seen it before,” Henry said, looking thoughtful.

“It’s just like the ones the Digidestined used to hold down VenomMyotismon so Wargreymon and Metalgarurumon could finish him off,” Takato told Henry. “Only those came from their crests, not their digivices.”

“Well, of course you’d know anime trivia,” Rika said, tapping her foot.

Henry looked thoughtful. “Since the D-Arc program makes our thoughts reality, I wonder if Ryo can do that because he saw it in the anime and thought it was just something Tamers could do…”

“I would not be surprised,” Rika agreed. “But I guess that if I had Cyberdramon instead of Renamon, I’d want a leash too. Or a better partner.”

“We’re really going back to the Digital World,” Takato said, to change the subject just in case Monodramon could hear them through the thin canvas wall. It wasn’t like it was Monodramon’s fault how he was programmed. “I hope… I hope they’re doing okay.”

“If the Sovereign created the Devas and an entire level of the Digital World, while they were fighting the D-Reaper on a regular basis, I think that with the D-Reaper gone, they’ll be able to, well, do more.” Henry said. “Azulongmon really didn’t like people fighting when they didn’t have to, and even Zhuqaiomon didn’t like Digimon fighting Digimon just because they were made that way. I think there’s hope that things will be better now. For the Digimon that survived the D-Reaper, anyway.”

“Like you guys haven’t been wondering about this for the last week?” Rika asked. “You could stay back here talking or we could get this show on the road and find out.”

“Right,” Takato said, and smiled. “Come on, Guilmon.”

“Oh, I hope this time we don’t lose all the bread…” Guilmon hoped some of the Sovereign were still tiny, otherwise they’d barely even be able to taste the bread, and he wanted to thank them for letting him and Takato biomerge so he could protect Takato from the D-Reaper in this world. Takato’s dad had shown him how to make spicy bread, and it was easier to taste, but what if they didn’t like it? Although it was hard to imagine anyone not liking bread.