Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

August 1, 1973: Mumbai, India – 11:59 AM

Rai never found herself bored at home; she always found something to do even if she didn't have anyone to do it with. Most of the time, it was some menial daily chore. It isn't like she was antisocial or anything, her parents just had a lot of expectations for her even at the young age of nine. Rai just knew she had to meet them. Besides, it wasn't like she didn't have any friends, just not any in her town, or her age.

Rai sighed as she turned on her computer and looked at an old messaging conversation where she could escape the stress of her daily life. "That's odd," she muttered to herself. "He's not here right now?" She looked to the clock and quickly did the math in her head. "It's only around 3:29 in Japan right now, so he should at least be awake."

Rai turned back to her old conversations and started scrolling through them to see what they were last talking about to refresh her memory. It's not like they could do much of anything other than communicate with other people with the computer yet anyway.

Don't you ever think that you were meant for something more than just life on Earth?

No. Frankly, I'm not quite sure what even means.

It's silly but I was just wondering because lately, I've been feeling like I was destined for something huge.

Maybe you've just been watching too many superhero movies.

Yeah, just forget about it. Ah, it's almost time for me to go to bed. We'll talk some more some other time.

Okay, how about next Saturday?

Sounds good, I'll be on again when it's noon at your place.

Rai looked back to the clock and watched as the minute hand ticked and hit the twelve. She then turned back to the screen and tilted her head curiously. "What in the world did he mean by all that anyway?" she wondered aloud.

Suddenly, as if to answer her question, her screen turned black and then turned back on with an extremely bright white flash. She sat up in surprise, her seat falling to the floor with a loud clatter but before she could even say anything, a strange light came out from the computer and into her hands., leaving something behind.

"What in the world?" she gasped.

She stared at the strange device that her computer had given her. It was yellow, rectangular, and had just a few buttons right below the square screen. Without even thinking about it, she decided to press the center button and the device turned on.

A woman's voice came out from the device and it startled the holder but she didn't drop it out of fright or anything. Rather, the voice had the opposite effect, it intrigued the curious girl and made her hold it closer to her face, as if she could see more. "Rai Tabassam, are you prepared to face your destiny?"

"What?" was all she could get out. She was reminded of the conversation she had with her pen pal from Japan and wondered if he had gotten this strange device as well. "I'm sorry but I'm not quite sure if I understand."

"The Digital World needs you."

"The Digital… World?"

Suddenly, a new voice came from the device; it wasn't like the computerized woman anymore. It sounded more like a pleading young man. He didn't sound very desperate and pathetic but there was this sense of urgency behind his tone. "Please Rai, we need you!"

Rai just couldn't turn down a cry for help, even if it was from a stranger. "Then I will! Just tell me what I have to do."

"Point the D-Sync to the computer screen and I will tell you everything in person."

Rai assumed that the 'D-Sync' referred to the strange device so she complied and suddenly, she was sucked into the computer. She was expecting all kinds of crazy things, someone to pop out of the screen, an image of whoever she talking to will show up, anything except for being drawn into her own computer like that.

A strange and unforgettable journey was about to unfold before her.

August 1, 1973: New York, USA – 2:23 AM

There was no way Babel was going to be able to sleep with what had happened earlier that day. He got punished for something that wasn't even his fault, but he covered for his 'friends' anyway. He supposed that he should've been used to it by now but he was just getting tired of it.

Babel huffed in frustration when he finally decided to get out of bed and change into his morning clothes. He put on a blue sweatshirt, brown cargo pants, and his lucky baseball cap and then got out of the house without waking his parents.

It might seem strange for an eleven year old boy to think this, but he felt that jogging always cleared his head. In hindsight, it was probably not the best idea to do it in the middle of the night in New York of all places though, but Babel didn't care at that moment.

"This is probably the dumbest thing I've ever done," he muttered as he started his night jog.

Babel had already run past four city blocks before getting the ominous feeling that he was being followed. That probably wasn't the best feeling to have when you're alone and out in the streets and in the middle of the night. He then remembered hearing on a news station earlier that day on the radio that there was a murderer on the loose in downtown, New York, somewhere in his neighborhood.

His jog steadily became a run and soon he was sprinting when he heard the footsteps behind him get faster. "Okay, this has become more than just another one of my 'dumb ideas'. This is the epitome of stupidity for me."

It was only a few seconds later when he noticed that the footsteps behind him had stopped. Babel stopped to a screech as he tried to catch his breath. He looked behind him and couldn't see anyone behind him so he figured he was safe. He turned back around and fell to his butt in fright when he saw a figure wearing a white cloak standing in front of me.

"P-Please don't kill me!" Babel pleaded. "I'm just eleven years old!"

"What?! Why would I kill you? That explains why you were running away from me."

Babel's trembling stilled just a little bit as he took a closer look at the person. He now saw that the figure had a barely physical form, it was wavering and static-like, kind of like a television set with bad satellite connection.

"Who are you?" asked Babel, when he finally had the courage to speak.

The cloaked figured pulled out a strange gray device and gave it to him. "I am a messenger from the Digital World, here to give you this D-Sync and tell you that you are needed to save us. Without you, our world will be doomed."

Babel was now more confused than he was before but he took the device anyway. "I'm not quite sure I understand what's going on. I mean, why me? Like I said, I'm only eleven, what can I do?"

"You may be a child but you are destined to do great things."

"You sound like my mother," Babel scoffed. "And I know I won't. I may be a kid but I'm not naïve. There's a reason why I'm top of my class and that's because I see the reality of this crazy, messed up world we live in."

"I never said that your destiny was in this world though," the cloaked figure chuckled. "There is a world where the laws of this reality don't exist. Why don't you press the center button on your D-Sync and you'll get what I mean."

Babel glanced down at the device before looking back up to ask what the person meant but he was gone. "What the…? How did he even do that?"

He looked back at the D-Sync and his first instinct told him to just toss it away and forget about it but his curiosity got the better of him. He pressed the center button and a computerized, female voice came out from it after the screen flashed on.

"Babel Jones, are you prepared to face your destiny?"

Babel wasn't quite sure what to say so on impulse; he decided to just go along with it, thinking it was just some sort of childish prank. "Um… Yeah. Who is this?"

The voice didn't reply, instead, someone new answered him. The new voice was high pitched, male, and slightly nasally and he chuckled in childish amusement, as if Babel should know who he was. "I'm your partner silly!"

"My partner?"

"Why don't you come to the Digital World and meet me for yourself?"

"That would be nice, I suppose, but how do I get there?" Babel asked. It was just another thing to add to his bad idea list. "I mean, I don't really have a passport or anything."

"Don't worry; your D-Sync will take you there."

"Wait, what?"

There was no reply, not that he had the time to get one in the first place when he suddenly became a small ball of gray light. As the light, he was shot right back to his house, through the window of his room and into his computer.

August 1, 1973: Moscow, Soviet Union – 10:28 AM

Daisy hated the sweltering heat of Moscow in the summer but she was at least grateful that it was only 23 degrees Celsius which isn't as warm as other places in the world. She was sitting on a park bench all alone while watching the other kids her age play with their friends.

She knew that her parents were worried about their ten year old daughter not having any friends since it wasn't exactly normal for someone her age to be by her lonesome. But it's not like Daisy could control how people saw her or the laws of society that had made them see her the way they do.

"They're all idiots anyway," she muttered to herself.

The main reason why she didn't have anyone to hang out with was because her appearance made people view her differently. She hated to wear feminine clothing and despised having long hair because it got in the way of daily activities all the time. Daisy always wore plain t-shirts and shorts during the summer, add that with her pixie haircut and aggressive attitude, you get Daisy, the unintentional male impersonator.

It was because of people mistaking her identity and then her reacting venomously that throws people off. But what made it worse for her are the bullies that actually think she is trying to be a boy. They'd treat her differently, they'd tease her, and she couldn't even use a public bathroom without them saying something nasty about her. Even if she was acting more masculine in their eyes, what was wrong with that?

One day, she attacked a boy for teasing her and then his big brother actually hit her. It wasn't just him either, there were many people there but she didn't bother counting. She just knew that she went back home with a black eye and writing on her forehead that labeled her as 'UGLY'.

Daisy subconsciously rubbed her forehead with the back of her hand. "It still feels like it's there…"

There was one person around her age who understood her even though they never actually met face to face in real life. Although the last time they had spoken to each other, they had a rather strange conversation and Daisy just couldn't make heads or tails out of it.

"What did he mean by destiny?" she wondered aloud.

There was a sound in the distance that distracted her from her thoughts but it was completely unfamiliar to her. She's heard of people describing this sound before and the one thing she could guess it to be was a locomotive of sorts, running down tracks.

"A train?" she muttered.

Daisy looked off to her right, where she believed she could hear the sound and suddenly, out of nowhere, a train came charging in and stopped right in front of her. The doors opened as if expecting her to step in.

A high-pitched, nasally, German accented voice came from the train. "All aboard!"

Daisy blinked and looked around. The first thing she noticed was that no one seemed to notice the strange train and the second thing she noticed was that no one nearby had said that.

"Hello? Is there a conductor on this train?"

"Hey, that's rude!" said the train indignantly. Daisy jumped back, she knew for sure that the vehicle had spoken but that was impossible. "I'm no ordinary train, I'm a Trailmon! I'm an Angler Trailmon more specifically and I am here to take one Margaritka Kaipova to the Digital World."

"Whoa, you're not taking me anywhere," Daisy snapped. "My parents always told me to keep away from strangers and I'm pretty sure that applies to trains as well."

"Ahem!"

"Okay, Trailmons."

"Ugh, just step inside."

Daisy hesitated but then she peeked into the Trailmon car and noticed a pink device sitting in one of the seats. It seemed to be waiting for her or something. By some mysterious force, she walked in and picked up the device.

"Angler, what is this?" Daisy asked. 'I'm definitely going crazy. Or maybe my boredom has led to me creating this fantasy train.'

"That is your D-Sync," Trailmon replied as the doors slid shut. Daisy's head snapped to the door in panic, ready to shout at Trailmon to let her out but she didn't get the chance to when she heard the engine start. "Hang on to something. This is going to be a rough ride."

Trailmon sped off and it seemed to create a portal in front of it which it entered and soon enough, Daisy found herself riding on train tracks suspended in midair, high above the ground. She looked down below and she could see a forest beneath her.

"I know I've never ridden on a train before but I don't think they're supposed to take you to places like this!" she yelled. She didn't even realize when her thumb accidentally pressed the center button of her D-Sync until it turned on and a female, cheery voice popped out from it.

"Hey Margaritka! It's great to finally meet you!"

"Huh?" Daisy stared at the device. "Wait, how do you know my name?"

"I'm your partner! But can I call you something else? Margaritka is kind of hard to pronounce for me."

"Um…," Daisy wasn't quite sure what to say. "Well, I guess you can call me whatever you like."

"Then how about 'Daisy'? That's what Margaritka translates into in English, right?"

"Yeah…," Daisy nodded, numb from the shock of being ripped away from everything she knew. "I guess Daisy sounds nice."

August 1, 1973: Hong Kong, China – 2:29 PM

Janyu sniffed as he wiped away the last of his tears. He sat at his desk with his computer in front of him while trying to fix his glasses with some tape. They had been snapped in half thanks to a couple of mean bullies.

They always picked on him because he was the weakest in their tai-chi class. Usually, he was able to avoid getting beat up by simply avoiding them, but other times, he hid behind his best and only friend, Cho Lin Zhang, the best student in the class. Janyu had seen him fight three other kids in their class blindfolded and still win.

But Cho was away in Japan at the moment for summer vacation so there was no one to protect him until the school year started up again. Janyu supposed it was for the best, he had to learn to take care of himself for once in his life rather than depend on others to solve his problems.

So he chose not to run away but he regretted that decision now. He didn't understand what he did to deserve such abusive treatment. Maybe it was just because he had been hiding and running away from the tough situations in life. Either way, he just wished he was more capable than he was now.

He put on his glasses once he got the tape on just right. "Oh..." he whimpered. "Why do I have to be so weak and pathetic?"

Janyu needed to relax himself so he went out to his dad's large garden outside the house. It contained everything from rice paddies to all kinds of fruits and vegetables. For Janyu, it was very calming to just sit there and let his thoughts take over, well, so long as they weren't the negative ones.

"At least I'm not afraid of bees like some of those bullies," Janyu chuckled when a bee landed next to him. Janyu let the insect crawl on to the palm of his hand and he stared at it as its wings fluttered but never took off. "I don't know why people would avoid such incredible creatures."

The bee flew away soon enough and Janyu decided that it was time to take care of some of the crops while his father was at the market in the city. He took the hose and filled some buckets with water. He carried them out and started watering the plants. He covered about half of them when a strange beeping sound drew him back towards the house.

"What is that?" he asked no one in particular. One of the bees from outside followed him in and landed on his shoulder as he walked over to his computer. "I hope none of those bullies hijacked into my account and sent me some nasty messages like last time. Or maybe it's just him."

Janyu was just about to turn on his computer when something caught his eye in the corner of the room. Something was glowing and it seemed to be hiding in his bookshelf.

"Hm? Hello? What are you doing over there?" Janyu asked as he approached it.

The unknown creature made some indecipherable noises before sticking its head out so that Janyu could see it more clearly. It was unlike any animal Janyu had ever encountered in his life but somehow, he felt like he could understand it.

"What's your name?"

He was answered by a series of curious sounds.

"You don't have one? Well what do I call you?"

Another reply without the use of actual words.

"A Digi-Gnome, huh. What are you doing here?"

The creature finally got out from the bookshelf and floated over to Janyu, causing the bee to fly away and out the window. The Digi-Gnome simply dropped a green device into the human boy's hands and then started flying around Janyu's head, becoming almost like a halo.

Janyu nodded in response to whatever the odd creature had tried to communicate to him and pressed the center button of the device. The screen flashed once and then a female, computerized voice came out from it.

"Do you wish to become stronger, Janyu Li?"

Janyu blinked, he was unsure of what to say since he was never good with dealing with strangers. "Well, yes, I do but… I don't think it'll ever be possible."

"It is very possible Janyu, you just need to believe in yourself."

Suddenly, a new voice came from the device, it sounded rather childish but at the same time, had this undertone of maturity to it as well. "It also helps if other people believe in you too," the voice said. "And I believe in you, Janyu! I'll be there with you for every step of the way while you face your destiny in the Digital World!"

"My destiny?" Janyu muttered.

"Janyu, we need your help so can you please come meet me?"

Janyu didn't know how to say no. "I guess, but what do I have to do?"

"Just point your D-Sync to your computer screen."

Janyu blinked and then did as he was told. "Like this?" There was no reply from the device but there was one from his computer as his room was filled with a bright white light. One second, the bee from outside saw his human friend standing in his room with a floating digital creature and the next, they were both gone.

The bee seemed to shrug as it buzzed back towards the crops.

August 1, 1973: London, England – 7:29 AM

Robert tossed the soccer ball upwards from where he was lying on his bed and he kept this constant motion for the next few minutes. He then groaned and slowly dragged his back down the bed, as if he was melting, taking the sheets with him as he found himself lying on the floor.

"I am so bored," he bemoaned. It had only been ten minutes since he had woken up and he was already bored with his day. Breakfast wouldn't even be ready for another forty minutes.

He and his family had just moved to London, England from America a week ago and he had no one to hang out with, being the new kid in the neighborhood and all. If they had moved to Hokkaido in Japan; then he would've at least known somebody there at least. Then again, his parents would never allowed him to meet with a stranger without adult supervision in a foreign country… But at least he would know someone!

He had wanted to make some new friends the day before. And it's not like he was shy, far from it. According to all of his friends back home, well, old home, he was vulgar, blunt, and probably the most outgoing ten year old in the world.

When he had gone out to try and make new friends, he suggested playing soccer with some of the neighborhood kids. When he had asked them, they had looked at him as if he was speaking a completely different language but then one of them said that Robert had meant 'football'. The kid then apologized for his friends not knowing the American term for the sport so Robert apologized as well for confusing them momentarily out of obligation.

They didn't really want to play and so they basically left Robert alone with the other kid who he found out was named Nigel.

Nigel apologized again for his friends' rude behavior before chasing after them. Robert knew that Nigel was nice but it didn't matter, to him, all he saw was a British brat.

"They probably all think they're superior to me," Robert muttered spitefully.

He angrily threw his soccer ball as hard as he could at the wall which ended up making it bounce all around the room until it hit his computer. The ball somehow turned on the machine before making a stop on his bed.

"Oh yeah, maybe he's on right now!" Robert grinned as he quickly sat in his chair. He glanced at the clock and took a moment to think about it. "It should only be somewhere between three and four in the afternoon over there so he should be on right now. Or at least be awake." He sighed in disappointment when it turned out that his friend was not even on at the moment. "I guess it's back to being bored!" he groaned.

Robert grabbed his soccer goggles and placed them around his neck. He was about to go downstairs to meet his parents ahead of time but stopped when he remembered that he hadn't turned his computer off just yet.

He walked back to his computer to find a strange message on it.

Robert McCoy, are you ready to face your destiny?

"Huh? My destiny?" Robert read. He looked it over and over again before clicking the 'OK' button. It was better than being bored at least.

The message changed and it showed an image of an egg that seemed to be pulsing, beating like a heart would. Underneath it, it stated: You are about to start an unbelievable journey into the Digital World? Are you prepared for this? Click the Digi-Egg if you are.

Robert did as the message stated and suddenly, there was a bright flash of light and lying in front of him was a red device of some sort. He slowly picked it up and turned it over in his hands to try and figure out what exactly it was.

"Okay, I'm dreaming, I'm not even awake yet. I mean, I did eat a lot of pizza last night," Robert tried to rationalize. He looked back to the screen and saw a new message there.

Press the center button of your D-Sync.

"A D-Sync, huh," he muttered. "I guess that's what this thing is called." He flipped the device over in his hands again before staring at the front of it. "I guess since this is a dream, it can't hurt to try," he shrugged as he pressed the button.

The screen flashed and a kind of raspy, masculine voice came out of it. "Hey Rob, it's nice to finally meet you!" the voice chimed. "I've been waiting for you for a long time now."

"Define long."

"I think like two or three decades!"

Robert knew that he was no math prodigy but he at least knew how long a decade is. "That's impossible; I wasn't even born then so how could you be waiting for me for that long if I didn't even exist."

Robert could almost imagine the owner of the voice shrugging. "I don't know. Time difference?"

"Yeah, that's not how it works."

"Well, putting that aside. Are you ready for the adventure of your life?"

Robert didn't answer right away. Instead, he took a few seconds to think about it as he looked around his room. It's not like his parents cared anyway if he was gone for a long time, it was their decision to move to London and they didn't even give him a week's notice. They basically got up and left one morning and that was that. Besides, this was all a dream anyway. But if it wasn't, then this is going to be one heck of a journey.

"Okay, let's do it," Robert smiled. "By the way, what do I do exactly?"

"Just point the D-Sync at your monitor."

Robert slowly turned to face his computer screen which no longer had any more inexplicable messages popping up on it. There was just a blank white screen and he had no idea what was going to happen next but there was only one way to find out. "Well… Here goes nothing!"

August 1: Sky Tracks – 3:32 PM (Japan Time)

Daisy watched the clouds rolled by, waiting for something exciting to happen already. Sometimes, you need to be careful of what you wish for or you just might get it. The top of the Trailmon car opened up and suddenly, four screaming kids came falling in from the sky and onto the floor in front of her.

"What the heck do you guys think you're doing?!" Daisy shouted, once her initial fright vanished.

"Dude, calm down," Robert groaned, not noticing the vein that popped on her forehead. "It's not like we chose to drop from the sky just now."

"Yeah, man," Babel muttered, bringing another vein to appear on Daisy's forehead. "Geez, you have a lot of energy for someone awake in the middle of the night."

Daisy didn't even hear the last part of Babel's statement; she just hit both of the guys atop the head with her full strength. "I'm a girl, you dimwits, and don't make me have to prove it to you!" she shouted at them while they rubbed the bumps forming on their heads.

"Wait," Rai said as she helped Janyu up. "Did you just say middle of the night? You do realize that its noon right? It's technically the middle of the day."

"You're both wrong," Robert muttered. "It's early in the morning, somewhere like 7:30, at least when I last checked my clock anyway."

Janyu walked over to the window where Daisy was staring out of earlier and tried to estimate the time of day from the position of the sun. "Well, if you ask me, I can tell you that it's past noon but it's too bright to be night," he stated. He then looked down and started trembling uncontrollably. "And now I realize we're still high in the air and that I'm freakishly afraid of heights!"

He jumped away from the window and accidentally bumped into Daisy who basically picked him up and tossed him into Babel's arms, making both boys fall back onto the floor. "Look, I don't know what you brats are doing here or why you're here but just to let you all know, I hate dealing with strangers," Daisy scoffed irately.

"Brats?" Robert repeated. "You can't be more than a year older than us!"

"I'm ten."

"So am I!"

Once Babel got back up with Janyu as well, he joined in on their conversation about age. "Well, I'm older than both of you! I'm eleven so you guys have to follow me!"

"Yeah, right!" Robert and Daisy both stated.

"You two aren't so different at least," Rai giggled. That was when she realized something was off. "What language are you guys speaking right now?"

"English."

"Russian.

"English."

"Mandarin."

"That's what I thought," said Rai. "You guys all sound like you're speaking Marathi to me but I doubted you were all from Mumbai like I am." She then took her chance to look out the window and examine their surroundings. "But I wonder where in the world we are and how we're all capable of comprehending each other despite our obvious language barriers."

"It is strange when you think about it," Babel agreed. His eyes wandered over to Robert's belt and he saw the red D-Sync attached to it so he unconsciously reached for his in his pocket. "So you got one of those D-Syncs too?"

The five of them all ended up taking out their D-Syncs and showing them to each other.

"Ugh, I hate the color pink though," Daisy groaned.

"What are we even supposed to do with these anyway?" Robert asked.

"What are you even doing with those goggles?" Babel inquired. "Did the guy who gave you your D-Sync tell you that you were going for a swim or something?"

"Hey! For your information, this is part of my outfit!" Robert retorted. "And what guy? My computer gave this to me."

Rai sighed in exasperation. She was the youngest one there and yet, she showed more signs of maturity than the rest of them. This group was completely dysfunctional; how were they supposed to save an entire world? Well, depending whether or not these kids were here for the same reasons she was, which reminded her. "Hey, I just realized. None of us even know each other's' names. Why don't we introduce ourselves to each other rather than get into another pointless argument? I'll start; I'm Rai Tabassam of Mumbai, India."

"I'm Robert McCoy," Robert said next. "I'm from… Well I was born and raised in Miami, Florida of the US but then I moved to London in England."

"I'm Babel Jones of New York back in America."

"Well, I'm Margaritka Kaipova of Moscow but you guys can call me Daisy."

"…I'm Janyu Li from Hong Kong."

Right after Janyu had finished speaking, the door to their cart opened up and what appeared to be a huge candle hopped in. Upon closer inspection, all of them could now see that it had a face and even the fire on top of his head had one as well.

The candle seemed to sigh in relief and opened the door to their train car fully. "Oh good, you guys finally stopped fighting with each other."

Rai recognized the voice. "You sound like that guy from my D-Sync."

As soon as she said that, two other strange creatures appeared at the doorway alongside the talking candlestick. One was much smaller and it appeared to be amphibious, with his only way of transporting itself would be crawling on his front fins. The other looked like a little puppy with a golden collar around her neck. The three of them ran into the cart and approached the human children.

"I'm Candlemon!" the candle said, greeting Rai personally. "For the duration of your stay in the Digital World and for however long you are willing to be friends me, I will be your Digimon partner. It is an honor to meet you!"

The amphibian hopped into Babel's arms in joy and excitement at meeting his partner. "I'm Betamon! I'm going to be your partner, Babel! I mean, if you're okay with it."

The last one waltzed over to Daisy calmly and rather sophisticatedly. "And I'm Salamon. It's really nice to finally meet you in person, Daisy, and not just talk to you through your D-Sync. I hope you guys are hungry because we asked the other two to bring us snacks since we figured you guys wouldn't have any money on you anyways."

"The other two?" Robert repeated. He noticed that he and Janyu didn't have partners so he figured that those were the Digimon that they were referring to. He then noticed that Janyu didn't seem as frightened by the Digimon as he had been when he discovered they were so high above the ground. "Wait, Janyu, you're not freaked out at all by this?"

"Well, they kind of remind me of animals from our world, except for Candlemon," Janyu replied with a shrug. "And at least they're not scary looking monsters that want to eat me like in movies or in some of my nightmares."

At the doorway to the adjoining train car, two more creatures appeared, both were carrying plastic bags full of snacks. One was floating about one meter off the floor and he appeared to be a massive bumblebee, big enough to wrap your arms around. Though he looked a lot cuter with eyes that weren't nearly as insectoid as his body. The other was an armored dragon who was craning his neck higher in order to keep the errands from dragging across the floor.

Digital Analyzer: FanBeemon is an insect Digimon and a natural carrier of the X-Antibody. They are strong and dedicated workers of their hive and they tend to be cheerful unlike most other insect Digimon. They tend to get along most with the gentle plant-type Digimon such as Palmon or Lillymon.

Digital Analyzer: Ryudamon is a dragon Digimon and a natural carrier of the X-Antibody. Ryudamon is known to be an "experimental" Digimon being one of the very first Digimon to have ever existed. Despite the heavy, Japanese-style armor it wears, which give him plenty of defensive ability, he is incredibly nimble. They are Digimon that do not fear others that are stronger than they.

"Janyu! I can't believe I finally get to meet you!" FanBeemon cheered and flew towards the bespectacled boy. "I've been waiting for so long to finally meet you and boy was it a long wait!"

"Oh…," Janyu said in surprise before smiling. "Well it's great to meet you too FanBeemon."

"Man," Babel stated when he saw the huge bee; it was the largest Digimon with them aside from Ryudamon. "I'm not really a big fan of bugs, especially not if they're that big but this guy actually looks kind of cute."

"I have to agree with you there," Rai smiled.

Ryudamon walked over to Robert and stuck out his claw. "Hey there Rob, it's great to finally meet you in person. The name's Ryudamon but all of my friends call me Ryudamon."

"Good to know," Robert chuckled as he shook the claw. "So, now that we've gotten the introductions out of the way, can one of you Digimon tell us what this place is and what we're doing here? Because I have to be ready for breakfast with my folks in about another half hour and I don't think they'd like it if I suddenly disappeared."

"Yeah, and my parents barely ever let me out of the house," Rai nodded. "If they found out that I traveled to a completely other world without their permission then they're going to blow a gasket. And that's not something you want to see them do."

The Digimon were all silent as they glanced to each other and then back to their respective partners. They were staring at the humans as if they were the strange creatures, although in the Digimons' eyes, they probably were.

Finally, Ryudamon, who appeared to have taken the leadership role among the Digimon, spoke up. "I'm not quite sure you guys understand. Our world is in grave danger and you guys are going to be staying here for quite a long time if you're going to save it."

"Wait, what?!"

Chapter Text

Primary Station – 6:54 PM

"There must be some mistake! I need to be home or else my parents are going to freak out!"

"Calm down, man."

"I told you, I'm a girl, Robert!"

Right after Daisy screeched that, the Trailmon came to a stop at a rather colorful station. "This is the end of the line! All passengers are to get off unless you want to go backwards. But I will not be making a stop to the human world this time."

"Wait!" Babel called up to the Trailmon. "You've got to take us back! We don't belong here."

"Sorry," the Trailmon replied. He didn't sound very apologetic though. "The Digi-Core that Azulongmon gave me was a one-way ticket. You kids better get off now."

"We never signed up for any of this!" Daisy huffed.

Robert wasn't going to wait for any of them; he stepped out of the train car and looked back at the other humans with Ryudamon by his side. "Well, you guys can waste your life in there if that's what you want. I'm going to do something productive and try and figure out why we were called here in the first place." He was followed by Rai and Candlemon who seemed to agree with him. Janyu reluctantly came afterwards with FanBeemon buzzing right behind him.

"It can't hurt to do a little exploring," Rai shrugged. "Who knows? It could be fun."

Daisy and Babel glanced at each other, not quite sure if they should just leave the Trailmon. Then again, it probably wouldn't be the smartest idea to just split up with the only other humans in a strange world. They both rushed after the others who were already quite a distance away. "Hey, wait for us!"

"I'm the one falling behind!" Betamon huffed in exhaustion from the back.

"Well hurry up then!" Salamon called after him. She didn't have any room to talk considering she was being carried in Daisy's arms.

"Hey, I'm trying my best here!"

About half an hour passed since they started walking from the Trailmon station and they could see that the sun was setting on the horizon. Babel, being from New York and since his body was still in that time zone; he was absolutely exhausted and it showed in his hunched back and sluggish movement. "Hey guys!" he yawned. "Maybe we should find a place to rest. I mean, the sun is setting and I'm really tired."

"Oh, that's right," Rai said. "You're from New York so it was the middle of the night when we ended up in this world."

The other kids stopped and stared at the pathetically drooping Babel. Since Robert already adjusted to the London time zone, he was the most awake out of the five humans. "Come on Babel, don't be a baby," Robert chuckled at the little, unintentional pun. "Babel the baby, I'll keep that in mind."

"Shut up, dude," Babel groaned. "I'm so tired I'm starting to see things. Like a tower made out of those little toy blocks that I used to play with when I was still a baby."

"Huh?"

"Uh, Babel, you're not the only one who sees it," Daisy muttered.

"That's Primary Village," FanBeemon buzzed. "It's one of the two areas where most of the world's Digi-Eggs are protected and sheltered until they're hatched. All five of us weren't born in either of those places though."

"Do they have beds?" Babel asked.

"Yeah," Betamon answered. "They're kind of small for humans though. But it doesn't really matter because the ground itself is actually really soft and comfy."

"I'll take it!"

Babel shot off like a rocket all the way to Primary Village, surprising them all but they chased after him. By the time they had caught up, they found that the eldest human child had already fallen fast asleep on the plush ground, snoring rather loudly for an eleven year old.

"We haven't even eaten dinner yet," Robert muttered.

The word dinner instantly made Ryudamon perk up with an expression of hopefulness and excitement. "Are we going to be eating dinner soon?"

"I hope so," said Janyu. "We already ran out of snacks from the train."

Ryudamon's right ear wiggled a little as he turned in that direction. "I can hear a river nearby. Maybe we can catch some fish." He then paused before looking up at his partner with a curious expression. "Humans do eat fish, right?"

Rai nodded. "Well, we do but…"

"There are fish in this wacky world?" Robert muttered.

"Are there fish in your world?" Candlemon asked.

"Yeah."

"Then why shouldn't there be fish in ours?"

The humans glanced at each other and Daisy decided to answer for them. "I'm not sure how we're supposed to reply to that."

Robert looked up at the sky and noticed that the sun was almost below the horizon now. He turned back to the others and knew that they were all hungry for some grub. "Okay, how about this? Ryudamon and I will go out to the river and catch us some fish to eat. I think two others should go with us just in case something unexpected happens and everyone else should stay here to babysit Babel."

"Whoa, who died and made you leader?" Daisy inquired.

"It doesn't really matter if he is the leader," Rai quickly interjected, not wanting a fight to break out when they were hungry. "I mean, it's a pretty good plan when you think about it. All right, Candlemon and I will stay here in case it gets dark. You guys can just follow Candlemon's flame to get back here."

"Well, I'll go with you," Daisy sighed. "I can't stand Babel's snoring so it's probably better for me to get away from him for a bit. Come on, Salamon."

Betamon decided to join them as they were about to split up. "I'll go with you guys! I'm pretty good at hunting for fish; besides, it's been a long time since I last went swimming. These flippers have got to move around in their natural environment, after all."

Robert didn't mind having more members so the five of them trudged on towards the river with Rai and Janyu waving them off. It didn't take very long, only about five minutes and they could still see a small glowing flame in the distance. The darkness made it difficult to see but once their eyes adjusted to it, they were able to see what they were hearing, the rushing stream of the river.

"Okay, what do we do now? We don't have any fishing rods," Daisy pointed out.

Robert didn't answer right away; he just stared at the river while thinking really hard. "I have absolutely no idea."

"You're kidding, right?" Daisy groaned.

"Don't worry, Rob," Ryudamon grinned as he dipped his front claws into the river. "I'll catch some fish in no time! Just watch! And Betamon will be able to get some fish too. He already dived in!"

Robert grinned as he stepped into the river as well, glad that he was wearing shorts but the water was really cold. He inhaled sharply when it made contact with his bare skin but got back to his smug grinning once his body got used to the temperature. "All right! Then I'm going to try catching some of these suckers with my bare hands too!"

"That's the spirit!" Ryudamon laughed.

One minute into searching for food turned into splashing water on each other. Daisy groaned in irritation as she leaned back against a tree and slid down. "Ugh, boys!"

"You can say that again," Salamon muttered. "I think Betamon went a little further downstream, I'll go see if he's caught anything yet."

Daisy, deciding that it was more productive to do that than sit around watching the other two be childish decided to follow her partner. "Robert, Ryudamon! We're going to check up on Betamon. You guys better not run off without us!"

"Sure, whatever," Robert said before getting drenched in water thanks to Ryudamon. He turned back around to the laughing dinosaur. "I'm going to get you for that!"

"Yeah, right!"

The heavy armor on Ryudamon meant nothing considering how quickly he could dodge his partner. Robert finally stopped after a few minutes of running around and he hunched over, trying to get his breath back. "H-Hey, I think I've run out of fuel. I'm tired."

"Aw, you're no fun," Ryudamon muttered. But out of respect for the boy, he walked back to his partner, only to realize too late that it was a trick. Robert grabbed Ryudamon into a headlock and they fell back into the water together.

"Ha ha! I got you!" Robert laughed.

"Hey, that's not fair, you tricked me!" Ryudamon coughed before he started laughing as well.

"You deserved it," Robert chuckled. He stood back up after he had calmed down. "Well, we should probably see if Betamon caught anything since it's obvious we're not going to get anything for dinner. Where did Daisy say they were heading?"

"Downstream," Ryudamon said in response. "Boy, I sure do hope that Betamon caught enough for all of us."

After meeting up with Daisy, Salamon, and Betamon who apparently caught thirty fish in about ten minutes, they started walking back to Primary Village. They could still see Candlemon's light in the distance but then it started moving around frantically and they started to hear crying. Daisy brushed it off by saying it was Janyu but as they got closer, they realized that there were several voices crying, not just one.

"That cannot be good," Robert muttered as he started running.

"Hey, wait!" Daisy calls after him. Ryudamon chased after Robert as well, leaving just Daisy, Salamon, and Betamon to drag a makeshift leaf bag full of fish back to the others. And only one of them was remotely strong enough to pull the makeshift sack.

As Robert and Ryudamon got closer to where the rest of their group was waiting for them, they could hear what sounded to be some sort of battle cry. It was protective and it did not sound familiar so it couldn't belong to any of the others. It became even more worrisome when a bolt of electricity lit up the night and struck the spot right in front of them.

"Whoa!" Robert yelled. "One more step and I would've been zapped."

They were now close enough to make out some sort of small beast Digimon glaring up at Rai and Janyu. Both of their Digimon partners were standing protectively in front of them and while they were standing firm, Janyu looked as if he was about to break down crying.

"Hey, look Rob, Digi-Eggs," Ryudamon pointed out.

Robert blinked and looked over to notice the round objects behind the protective and unfamiliar beast Digimon. He could also hear babies crying from inside little cradles and he wondered, was this Digimon their caretaker?

"H-Hey, we're not here to hurt anyone," Robert said slowly and calmly.

"You're intruders!" the Digimon interrupted. "You're here to hurt the babies! Well I won't let you!"

Robert tried to get closer to the Digimon to try and show that they were friendly but the beast only glared at him threateningly. His tails were raised in the air and sparks were flying out from them. "Super Thunder Strike!"

The attack would've hit Robert hard if Ryudamon hadn't jumped in and used his hard armor to protect them from the attack. "Why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Ryudamon shouted. "I'd be more than happy to oblige in a little brawl."

"Yeah! Leave the humans out of this!" Candlemon added with a firm nod from FanBeemon.

None of them really noticed the registration of shock on the Digimon's face when he heard that they were humans. Robert quickly put himself in between his Digimon partner and their assailant, not wanting either side to get hurt.

"Wait, Ryudamon! There's no need to fight this guy! He was just trying to protect the eggs and he's right about one thing. We did trespass. I think that it's only fair we apologize."

Ryudamon didn't protest, he knew that the human boy was right but before he could say anything, the other Digimon did.

"I'm sorry; did I just hear that Candlemon say that you guys were humans?" Robert nodded and the unusual Digimon stood up on his hind legs and got closer so that he could examine their faces. "I thought you guys looked strange for Digimon. Could it be that you guys are the humans from the prophecy?"

"The prophecy?" Robert, Janyu, and Rai repeated.

"Right," Ryudamon nodded. "According to an ancient legend, creatures known as humans from another world will one day come to ours to save us from the forces of darkness, otherwise known as Apocalymon, the beast that passed through the wall of fire."

The unfamiliar and now friendly Digimon nodded. "I was worried that you guys were agents sent by Apocalymon to hurt the babies so I was just trying to protect them." He bowed to them respectfully and apologetically. "I'm sorry for attacking you, it was my mistake."

"Don't worry, it's not your fault," Rai smiled. "You were just doing your job."

Robert smiled as well but it dropped quickly. "Besides, if it's anyone's fault, it's this Apocalymon guy."

"Yeah," FanBeemon buzzed. "Apocalymon has been the source of all the mistrust and destruction in the Digital World. We were all chosen to assist the humans from another world to defeat him and hopefully return peace to our world. We hope you guys are willing to help us."

The insect Digimon was staring hopefully at Janyu but the boy just turned away nervously. "I'm not sure. It sounds really dangerous and besides, we can't really do anything about it. We're just kids. The biggest struggle we ever had to deal with is school."

Rai was just about to agree with him but Robert quickly cut in. "It doesn't matter if we're just kids; I know that we can do anything we put our minds to. We'll take down Apocalymon and bring peace back to the Digital World no matter what it takes."

"That's right!" Ryudamon grinned. "And we'll knock down any bad guys that get in our way!"

The caretaker of Primary Village smiled widely as he grabbed Robert's hands and started shaking them in gratitude. "Thanks you so much, the entirety of the Digital World rests in your hands! By the way, my name is Elecmon and if I could do anything to help you on your quest, do not hesitate to ask. I'll be sure to provide whatever I can if it means the defeat of Apocalymon."

"Actually," Rai said thoughtfully. "Is it okay if we sleep here tonight? We're all really tired and we don't really have any place to rest."

"Sure, no problem," Elecmon laughed. "I already saw your friend out cold over there. So stay as long as you want! I don't mind. I'll be sure to let the babies know that you're not goons of Apocalymon either."

"Thank you, Elecmon."

They introduced themselves to Elecmon and then walked back to where Babel had fallen asleep. Apparently, Rai and Janyu had walked off to see the babies when Elecmon came and attacked them, mistaking them for enemies. It was amazing that the New Yorker was able to sleep through all of that, although, it might've been because he lived in the hustle and bustle of one of the biggest and loudest cities on Earth.

"Geez, this guy may be the oldest but I'm more responsible than he is," Robert scoffed.

"You're more responsible?" a female voice growled angrily.

Robert turned around in time to have a large fish come flying in and smacking him in the face. He fell backwards and onto the plush ground but the fish to the face still hurt. He looked up to see Daisy glaring down at him, with a furious expression on her face, clearly upset over him ditching her.

"Oh… Hey, Daisy…"

The blonde flicked his forehead. "Don't 'Hey, Daisy' me! I had to drag all of those fish by myself! No offense to Betamon or Salamon but they don't have that much physical strength and you're a boy! You're supposed to be a bit more chivalrous or at least know that physically, a male can grow more muscle mass than a girl can!"

"Well I forget that you're a girl sometimes," Robert shrugged innocently, only realizing too late what a mistake that was.

"Will he be okay?" Elecmon asked. He poked the huge bump on the top of Robert's head; the human boy was lying out cold along with the other boy, but for a different reason.

Janyu and Rai both glanced at each other before giving Elecmon a simultaneous nod. "Yeah, he'll be fine."

They spent the rest of their evening eating their fill in freshly caught fish and helping out with taking care of the several baby Digimon. They were admittedly impressed that one small Digimon like Elecmon was capable of taking care of all of them by himself. They went to bed on the plush ground with full stomachs and hopeful wishes for the morning. But most of all, the humans were hoping to find out more about why they were called here and why a strange world needed the assistance of human children to get rid of their evil.

"I still can't believe you have to feed two hundred babies by yourself," Robert huffed as he got to his twentieth baby of the day with a milk bottle. "It is absolutely insane."

"Well, it's not usually this many," Elecmon chuckled. "There was a surplus in the birthrate and the Trailmon are running on a tight schedule so they haven't been here recently to actually pick up the babies and take them to their parents or at least to a more suitable home for them."

"What about the Trailmon we were on yesterday?" Babel asked.

"That was a passenger Trailmon," Elecmon replied. "We need a cargo Trailmon to transport the babies although these precious little guys really shouldn't be considered cargo."

Rai finished drying the cradle that a Punimon had dirtied and looked up from her work. "That reminds me, the Trailmon we were on yesterday said something about 'Azulongmon's Digi-Core', what exactly did he mean by that?"

Elecmon wasn't sure how to answer but lucky for him, Candlemon did. "Ordinarily, Digimon don't have the power to pass through the barrier between worlds unless it's very weak. But that hasn't happened in the past few millennia, so one of our great Sovereigns, Azulongmon, gave that Trailmon the temporary power to travel between the two worlds. Unfortunately, it was only a one-way ticket, it's a lot of power used up in that one Digi-Core."

"If the Sovereigns are so powerful then why don't they take care of this Apocalymon?" asked Babel.

Betamon shook his head. "That would never work because the Sovereigns need to stay on the celestial plane of the Digital World. If they were to leave then the entire Digital World would become unstable. Even one of them leaving could cause permanent damage to the digital makeup of the Digital World."

Robert groaned. "I'm tired of listening to you guys, you all sound like you want to go back home. Well, I'm not like you guys; I don't want to find some easy way out of this. I plan on sticking around and taking down Apocalymon."

"Do you even hear yourself?" Daisy scoffed. "What can we do?"

"A lot more than you might think if we just believed in ourselves," Robert retorted. Ryudamon nodded in agreement and he could not be more proud of Robert being his human partner. "Besides, I want to hear more about that prophecy you were talking about, Elecmon. Can you tell us about it?"

"Sorry," Elecmon shrugged. "I only know about the humans coming to our world part, that's the part most Digimon know. If you want to hear the full prophecy, you're going to have to…" The beast Digimon trailed off when he noticed the baby Digimon had become eerily quiet and they were hissing like danger was close by. "What's wrong?" His fur started bristling the same way it did when he had encountered Rai and Janyu last night, except this time, it was justified. "Everyone hit the deck!"

"Mirage Blaster!"

Everyone ducked as close to the plush ground as possible when an orb of energy flew over them. It exploded upon impact with a pillar made of blocks nearby and it was completely demolished. But what scared the humans the most was the fact that it left nothing behind, the majority of the tower just burst into data and carried off by the breeze.

"What is that?" Janyu whimpered.

They could now see a creature galloping in on the scene with a black chain wrapped around his neck. It appeared to be a zebra with the same striped pattern on his fur but unlike zebras in the human world, this one had a horn like a mythical unicorn and wore a mask. It was obvious that he was able to sneak up quietly because the plush ground absorbed the sound that would've been made by his hooves.

Elecmon's eyes widened as he stood now, recognizing the creature. "That's ShimaUnimon!"

Digital Analyzer: ShimaUnimon is a variation of Unimon with a similar appearance aside from the lack of wings and striped fur. They are kind and gentle creatures although they do not hesitate to attack when they feel they are in danger.

"Mirage Blaster!"

The babies started crying as the second explosion resounded through Primary Village. The humans and their partners immediately started gathering up the young Digimon and carrying them as far away from danger as possible. Elecmon, on the other hand, ran up to ShimaUnimon in hopes of reasoning with him.

"ShimaUnimon, stop!" Elecmon pleaded. "This isn't like you! You were supposed to help me, help us! You promised to carry these babies back to their homes but then you disappeared! Are you going to break that promise and destroy this village which we worked so hard to protect together?"

ShimaUnimon neighed angrily but it didn't seem to be intended for Elecmon, rather it sounded like he was angry with himself. There was pain in his voice as he turned to the little beast Digimon and shot lightning from his horn. "Striped Blaster!"

"Look out!" Robert grabbed Elecmon and rolled over on the ground to dodge the attack. "I am so glad the ground is so soft!"

"ShimaUnimon…," Elecmon whispered. "I can't believe this happened to you."

"You mean he wasn't always homicidal?" Robert coughed.

"It's that blasted Dark Chain around his neck!" Elecmon was almost in tears as he said it but he was more furious than he was sad. "That's how Apocalymon takes control of innocent Digimon like ShimaUnimon. Please, Robert, you need to save him, you have to destroy that Dark Chain."

Robert stared into the watery eyes of Elecmon before giving him an affirmative nod. "No problem. If all we have to do is get rid of that Dark Chain then we should be able to take care of it easily. Ryudamon, let's take this guy down!"

Ryudamon was one step ahead of him as he stood in front of the brainwashed equestrian. "Right!"

"I'll help too!" FanBeemon buzzed.

"Same here!" Candlemon nodded.

Salamon and Betamon were too weak physically to help out so they focused on trying to get the baby Digimon out of there. Janyu and Rai also focused on that as well while Robert stood like a general, ready to fight ShimaUnimon.

"That kid is out of his mind," Daisy muttered.

Ryudamon opened up his mouth and a barrage of explosive fireballs came flying out. "TERA Burst!"

FanBeemon pointed his stinger at ShimaUnimon and started shooting them forward like poisonous projectiles. "Gear Stinger!"

Candlemon reached up and pulled out a fireball from the top of his flame. He tossed it with perfect aim at ShimaUnimon. "Lava Loogie!"

All three attacks came together and struck the Dark Chain on ShimaUnimon's neck with perfect precision, prompting a small cheer to come from Robert but it disappeared when he saw that the chain was still intact. It looked like even the combined power of three Rookie level Digimon wasn't enough to destroy a chain made by an evil like Apocalymon.

"What are we supposed to do now?" Candlemon asked nervously.

"I'll get back to you when I think of it," Robert muttered.

ShimaUnimon didn't give the human boy any time to think as he shot more lightning at them. Robert was able to jump out of the way but the trio of Digimon got electrocuted. They all let out screams of pain and when the attack was over, they were left fried.

"No! Ryudamon!" Robert gasped as he picked up the armored Digimon. "Please tell me you're okay."

"I'm fine Rob… You worry too much," Ryudamon replied unconvincingly.

Elecmon was doing a head count of the babies by this point and realized one happened to be missing. "Where is Chibomon?" He looked back down to where the battle had ended all too soon. ShimaUnimon was clearly struggling to control himself while under the influence of the Dark Chain when Elecmon noticed the baby Digimon cowering behind a fallen plush block. "Chibomon! Get over here, quick!"

Chibomon's eyes opened a little and he started hopping towards Elecmon and the other four humans as quickly as he could. He only made about ten hops before ShimaUnimon took notice of the small blue creature.

"Mirage Blaster!"

"No!" Elecmon shouted.

"Chibomon look out!" Rai cried out.

Robert's body moved on its own as he dropped his partner's body onto the soft ground and ran straight for Chibomon. He picked up the baby Digimon and held the little guy close to his chest, keeping his back pointed to where the attack was coming from. The sphere of energy never hit him, though he did hear the sound of an explosion from behind him.

Robert slowly turned his head, not knowing what to expect although he already knew what had happened. "Ryudamon…," he whispered when he saw the immobile form of his partner. He remembered hearing from his partner that his armor was very strong so it could shield him from many attacks but despite its heaviness, he was still quite nimble which would explain how he was able to jump in so swiftly. "Why did you do that? We've barely known each other for two days but you protected me."

Ryudamon chuckled weakly but it ended quickly, it was too painful for him to actually laugh. "Are you kidding Rob? You're my friend. It has nothing to do with how long we've known each other; it's about how we connected. The way we played in the river last night, doesn't that make us friends?"

Robert didn't even think of it like that, it might explain why he could never hold on to any friends that long. It might also explain his reluctance to actually try again in making new friends in London. "Ryudamon…"

ShimaUnimon was preparing another attack and it was obvious that Robert couldn't count on Ryudamon to protect him again. It was clear to the others as well because they were all yelling at him to get out of the line of fire. But all he could focus on was trying to help Ryudamon and breaking ShimaUnimon from Apocalymon's control.

"Rob, get out here."

Robert shook his head. "There is no way I'm going to abandon a friend." He was hoping for some way they could get out of this and as if to answer his prayers, his D-Sync beeped. He took it off his belt and a small compartment opened up in the back, revealing a bronze key with a dragon's head as the handle. From there, Robert could see a keyhole at the top of his digivice and it was obvious to him what he had to do as he stuck the key inside, turned it, and a red light flashed. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

Ryudamon's eye became wide as he felt immense power coursing through him. A ring with an ancient form of Digi-Code formed around him and began spinning faster as his data dispersed and rearranged itself to a much stronger form. "Ryudamon Digivolve to… Ginryumon!"

"Mirage Blaster!"

Ginryumon wasn't even fazed when the attack his him, his armor was now a closer part of his body and tougher than it ever was before. He only had three legs and the feet were all similar to that of eagle's talons but he was obviously still a dragon.

Digital Analyzer: Ginryumon is known as the Silver General, being a natural-born leader. His armor is tougher than that of even Monochromon, virtually nothing can pierce through it. Despite the increased weight in his armor and lack of a fourth leg, Ginryumon is still rather quick on his feet, surprising most of his opponents.

"He digivolved," Salamon gaped in awe.

"Cool!" Betamon breathed. "I always wanted to do that."

Robert was speechless as he stared at the Champion form of his partner. Ginryumon glanced back and Robert caught the smallest sight of a smile before turning back to ShimaUnimon with aggression. "Get him Ginryumon!" Robert smiled.

"Mirage Blaster!"

The orb went right for Ginryumon's face but he pierced through it with his own attack. "Battle Rod Break!" He used his own body as a shield, breaking right through ShimaUnimon's attack with a powerful thrust and slamming into the zebra.

ShimaUnimon neighed as he fell back, giving the dragon Digimon a clear shot at the Dark Chain.

"Don't hurt ShimaUnimon!" Elecmon shouted. "Just destroy the Chain and he should be back to normal!"

Ginryumon nodded and before ShimaUnimon could launch another attack, the dragon opened his mouth and sent sharp spears flying out at the Dark Chain. "Armor Piercing Blade!" The Chain shattered into dozens of pieces and fell to the ground without a sound.

"Huh?" ShimaUnimon seemed to blink; it was hard to tell with his mask on. "What happened to me? I feel like I was in some sort of trance or something."

"It's okay," Ginryumon said with a sigh of relief. "It's all over now."

They cleaned up Primary Village while putting the babies back in their original places. As they were doing so, they watched Elecmon explain to ShimaUnimon about what had happened prompting the equestrian Digimon to apologize several times for his misbehavior. Not that anyone really blamed him.

"I never thought that I'd fall under the control of one of Apocalymon's dreaded Dark Chains," he said before clopping over to Robert and Ryudamon. "You two are the ones I have to thank for saving me, correct? Thank you so much for saving me back there!"

Robert chuckled sheepishly as he rubbed the back of his head. "There's no need to do that."

"Yeah," Daisy smirked. "It was just a stroke of luck."

"ShimaUnimon," Rai called, trying to drown out the bickering that immediately arose between the Russian and goggle-head. "If you don't mind me asking, how exactly did the chain get on you anyway? Did it just possess you?"

"And where were you?" Elecmon asked. "You were supposed to come right back after your first delivery."

"Well, to answer the human's question, the Dark Chains are simply scattered all over the Digital World at random and it was only a stroke of bad luck that I had fallen victim to it," the equestrian neighed as an explanation. "As for where I was… Well, while I was heading back for my second round, I saw the Trailmon Corporation building and one of the Trailmon was still there. I pleaded with him to come and pick up the rest of the babies to make things a whole easier for Elecmon and would you speak of the devil."

At that moment, a Worm Trailmon came chugging into Primary Station in the distance and he blew his whistle to signal to them that he had arrived.

"Great!" Babel sighed. "I'm glad that solves one problem but there's still one other thing. What are we supposed to do? We don't belong in this world!" He held up his hand before Robert could mention anything about kicking Apocalymon's butt, assuming he had one. "Even if we do find some way to defeat this evil mastermind, how do you propose we get back home afterwards?"

Janyu placed an egg down onto the soft ground and looked over to Elecmon. "Elecmon, before ShimaUnimon came, you were telling us something about where we can go to learn the full prophecy. What were you saying?"

"Hm? Oh right!" Elecmon smiled. "I was just saying that you kids would have to go to the Mystic Temple all the way in Magic Village in order to learn about the complete prophecy. Unfortunately, you can't really get there by Trailmon and I don't have a clue on how to get there. Only those who are given permission by a mage Digimon can actually get in."

"Great, just great!" Babel moaned. "Just where are we supposed to find a mage Digimon?!"

Candlemon awkwardly raised his hand. "Um… Actually, Magic Village just so happens to be my birthplace and home…"

"Really?" Rai blinked before smiling broadly. "That's perfect! Then you can get us in!"

"Y-Yeah…," Candlemon nodded nervously. It wasn't like he couldn't get them in; it just wouldn't be easy for him to face his past. The others were all too excited that they would finally be able to get somewhere in this bizarre world, for him to mention anything.

"That's perfect!" Robert cheered. "Then I say we head over to Magic Village right now!"

"Let me take you part of the way there," ShimaUnimon offered. "I'm needed here to protect it from future dangers but I can take you to the next Trailmon station since most Trailmon stop at Primary Village and head back the way they came."

"That would be great!" Ryudamon grinned.

"I still don't think we should stay in this world for too long but it beats just waiting around for an answer," Daisy scoffed.

"Then what are we waiting for?" Babel chuckled. "Let's go!"

ShimaUnimon turned to Elecmon. "Where did you put the spare wagon I asked you to keep safe? I think I lost the other one when I got possessed by that Dark Chain."

Elecmon and ShimaUnimon ran off in another direction before coming back with a covered wagon for the humans and their partners to ride in. Elecmon latched it onto ShimaUnimon while they stepped inside; there was enough space for them and the extra food that Elecmon packed for them.

"Thank you for everything Elecmon," Rai smiled as ShimaUnimon started galloping away from Primary Village.

"Yeah, we'll be sure to visit again one day, hopefully after we take down Apocalymon and restore peace to your world," Robert added.

"Stay safe until ShimaUnimon gets back!" Ryudamon waved.

Elecmon's and the babies' forms got smaller as they got farther away from them. They could still faintly hear them saying goodbye to them though.

"Okay, we have a destination in mind so that's progress," Salamon said. "But I have to wonder… How is this ragtag team of seemingly random Digimon and humans going to take down a powerful Digimon like Apocalymon. Do any of you have any idea or a battle strategy of some sort?"

"Not really," Robert admitted. He then pulled out the bronze key he had used for Ryudamon's evolution and inspected it. "What I really wonder about is Ginryumon. I'm amazed that this key popped out of my D-Sync and suddenly, I knew exactly what to do. It was like some sort of ethereal presence had taken over me or something."

"Maybe a bit of that Dark Chain fell on you," Babel chuckled. "But I agree with you. I wonder if all our D-Syncs have keys in them to help our partners evolve."

"Maybe that's why this world needed humans," Rai suggested. "Because the strongest Digimon need to evolve so they need our power to activate the keys or something like that."

"As much as that makes sense…," Daisy muttered. "I think we're still going to need a better explanation for this whole thing. We've already been gone from Earth for a legitimate twenty-four hours; do you guys have any idea how worried our families must be?"

The humans became silent as they thought about home and how their parents must be feeling. The Digimon had no idea what to say to get their minds off of it so they remained silent until Ryudamon spoke up.

"Either way, I'm sure we'll find a way to defeat Apocalymon and get you guys back home, safe and sound," the dragon told them. "And I'm sure that you guys helping us digivolve will be the key to that."

Robert chuckled as he flipped the key in his hand. "I sure hope you're right about that."

Chapter Text

Toy Station – 1:16 PM

"It looks like this is as far as I can take you," ShimaUnimon neighed, stopping at a Trailmon station made of giant Lego blocks. Apparently, they were at Toy Station, none of them really thought the sign was necessary to tell them that. "You just keep following these tracks to Shellfish Beach and then veer off into the forest. I can never remember what direction it's in but just keep going from there and you should reach Magic Village."

"Thanks ShimaUnimon!" Robert grinned as they all stepped out of the covered wagon.

They all said their goodbyes and soon enough, the equestrian Digimon galloped back to Primary Village.

"Okay," Daisy said as she studied the Trailmon schedule posted in the station. "It looks like the next Trailmon to Shellfish Beach won't be here for another hour or so. Do you guys think we should just keep following the tracks to the next station or just kill time here?"

"I think we should stay, it might be a better idea than just running the risk of missing the Trailmon. After all, it could take way more than an hour to make it to the next station," Babel suggested.

"If Babel says it's a good idea then I think so too!" Betamon chimed.

While the others were taking a vote, Robert was looking off into the distance, squinting to make sure he wasn't seeing some sort of illusion. "Do I see a huge amusement park or is that just my imagination playing tricks on me?" he asked out loud.

"That's Toy Carnival!" Ryudamon said excitedly when he noticed. "I always wanted to go there! I had no idea it was here!"

"Really?" Daisy blanched. "I mean, we're at Toy Station."

Ryudamon shrugged. "I guess it never occurred to me."

"Well I think we should go," Robert said. "I haven't been to an amusement park in such a long time and it could be a lot of fun." He looked to the others to see if they were with him as well although it didn't really seem like they were.

"We'd probably be gone for more than an hour, we'd miss our train," Daisy reminded him in an irritated tone. "How can you be so nonchalant at a time like this? We're trapped in a world where nothing makes sense to us and you want to play around? Do you even realize how stupid your own ideas are?"

"Well…," Rai said in an attempt to soothe Daisy's riled up emotions. "We are kind of stressed out and tired. Maybe a trip to Toy Carnival could be good for us. You know, to de-stress ourselves. Besides, I've never been to an amusement park before and I really want to ride in a Ferris wheel."

Daisy still seemed like she was against the idea but the oldest in their group looked like he was all for it.

"I think it'll be fun," Babel chuckled. "I mean, I was supposed to go to Coney Island's Luna Park the day after we came to this world so Toy Island may be a good substitute since I was really looking forward to it."

"Babel, what's a Coney Island's Luna Park?" Betamon asked his partner.

"It's an amusement park back in the Human World," Robert answered.

"I'm still not convinced," Daisy muttered. "Babel, do you really think that just because you missed out on a day of fun back home, it's supposed to persuade me into going with you guys? I'd rather just wait for the Trailmon by myself."

Robert and Babel looked at each other and shrugged before running off towards Toy Carnival with their partners in hot pursuit. "Suit yourself!"

"Wha-?!" Daisy started as she uncrossed her arms in surprise. "Well, if you guys are really going!"

Rai giggled as Daisy picked up Salamon in her arms and ran after them. She then turned to the only other human left with her. "Janyu, aren't you going to come with us?" she asked. He had been silent the entire time and it only occurred to her now that something may be wrong with him.

"I…," Janyu hesitated. "I'm just not sure if going to an amusement park is the best idea right now. I mean, we really should be heading to Magic Village as soon as possible."

"I don't think there's really any need to rush," Rai said after a moment of silence. "Besides, I never would've thought that you would agree with Daisy on something."

"Yeah," FanBeemon buzzed. He sounded even more concerned for Janyu than Rai did. "Is there something else bothering you Janyu?"

Janyu stared at Toy Carnival in the distance before turning away with flushed cheeks and quivering pupils, but he didn't want Rai or his partner seeing it, not that he was hiding it very well. It wasn't difficult for Rai to figure out what was really going on through Janyu's head.

"That's right, on the first day we all met; you told us that you were afraid of heights," Rai said. "So I guess you wouldn't want to ride on the roller coasters or the Ferris wheel." Janyu didn't respond so the Indian girl figured her intuition was probably correct. She sighed and grabbed his hand, pulling him towards Toy Carnival anyway. "There are more to carnivals than rides, you know. We can play lots of games that remain grounded. Besides, the Ferris wheel isn't even scary."

"Yeah, Janyu," FanBeemon buzzed beside him. "Besides, if you get scared, don't worry, I'll be right there by your side."

Janyu looked downward but the corners of his mouth were now slightly pointed upwards at least. "…Thanks."

"There you guys are!" Robert exclaimed when he saw them approaching. "They're having this big special today. Ten visitors in a single group and we get to go in for free which is lucky for us! Oh, but additional goods and services inside the park still need to be paid for."

"I still don't think this is a good idea," Daisy grumbled.

"So you say," Babel smirked. "But here you are with us."

"I just don't want to end up alone in this world," Daisy retorted indignantly.

Robert was talking to the ToyAgumon behind the ticket sales booth and soon they were admitted inside. The little dinosaur made up of colorful blocks opened up the gates for them with a cheerful smile. "Welcome to Toy Carnival, I hope you enjoy your stay here!"

Rai giggled at her new friends' behavior before pulling Janyu into Toy Carnival, quickly followed by the others. "Okay, how about we meet each other in about two hours at the entrance?" Rai suggested. "We'll miss the next Trailmon but we should be able to catch the one right after."

"That sounds good to me," Babel nodded before picking up Betamon. "Come on; let's go check out the coasters!"

"Yeah!" the amphibious Digimon cheered.

"You have fun with that," Robert called after the older boy and his partner. "Ryudamon and I will hit the food stands! I'm feeling a little hungry. How does that sound?"

"Definitely!" Ryudamon grinned.

Daisy watched them run off and coincidentally, right after they turned a corner and were out of sight, her stomach growled loudly. She blushed madly in embarrassment as the other two remaining humans and their partners stared at her in amazement. They never would've believed that someone like her could make such a noise even if it was involuntary.

"Sounds like you're a little hungry too," Salamon remarked. "Why don't we go over to the snack bar? I still have some leftover Digi-dollars to spend so you don't have to worry about paying for it or anything."

"That sounds great…," Daisy sighed. She turned to Rai and Janyu. "I expect to see you two back here in two hours and no later. Now if you'll excuse me, I have to refill my stomach."

"That's an interesting way of saying 'eat'," Candlemon commented as the Russian girl ran off with her partner.

Janyu looked around the carnival with an expression of awe, it was his first time ever being in a place like this and even though that was the same for Rai, she was less amazed. Instead she was more amused by the older child's reaction to stepping into an amusement park for the first time.

"Janyu, why don't we go together? This way you'll have someone other than FanBeemon by your side," she offered.

"Huh? Are you sure?" Janyu asked. "I don't want to trouble you and besides, you'd probably have more fun if it was just you and Candlemon. I'm not very interesting…"

"It doesn't matter if you're not very interesting," Rai laughed. "I just like being around you, is that so wrong?"

"Well… Okay," Janyu nodded. "So where do you want to go to first?"

Rai put a finger to her chin as she thought about it. Her eyes immediately fell upon the large spinning wheel above her. "…The Ferris wheel."

Janyu was hesitant but he didn't want to make Rai feel sad on her first trip to the amusement park so he followed her to the Ferris wheel. And it was probably one of the best experiences of his life. From there, they spent the rest of their two hours playing games like the bumper cars, ring toss, whack-a-mole, and balloon darts. They even got their picture taken with the mascot of Toy Carnival, a friendly and extremely playful Monzaemon.

"It's kind of funny that we got to take a photo of a giant stuffed bear while holding a smaller, stuffed version of that same bear," Janyu laughed. Rai agreed while holding the Monzaemon doll they had won back at the ring toss.

"And this cotton candy is delicious!" FanBeemon buzzed. "I wonder what the recipe for it is. Does it have honey?"

"I'm not sure," Candlemon smiled. "But it's definitely tasty! It's not very filling, but definitely tasty!"

They stopped at the entrance of Toy Carnival where they were greeted by Daisy, Babel, Salamon, and Betamon. It seemed like the only ones missing at the moment were Robert and Ryudamon and who knows where the two of them had run off to. Knowing them, they probably forgot that they were supposed to meet the others at this time.

"Ugh, I knew we shouldn't have left them alone!" Daisy grumbled. "Should we go out and look for them?"

"They might come back at any time," Babel reminded her. "For all we know, they could be on a ride and they haven't gotten off it just yet."

"Fine," Daisy groaned. "We'll wait a little bit longer for that idiot. But seriously, just because he found a way to evolve his partner to the Champion level and suddenly he has to walk all over us! He does realize that we're in a really precarious situation if we don't find a way out of this…" The others were now just conversing with each other and completely ignoring the other human and she soon realized this. "Hey! Are you guys even listening to me?!"

And so they all waited for the last two members of their group. Five minutes passed, which soon became ten, which soon became half an hour, which soon became an aggravated Daisy continuously banging her head against the plastic brick wall out of frustration until Rai stopped her. The wall may have been plastic, but hit it enough times and something's bound to give. And they couldn't afford to pay for property damage nor did they have the medical knowledge to treat a bleeding forehead wound.

"That's it, we're looking for him," Babel huffed. He slapped his knees and then tried to stand back up but his legs had fallen asleep while he had been in his crouched position so he groaned in pain and toppled over. "You guys go on ahead. I'll ask the ToyAgumon at the ticket booth to keep an eye out for Rob and to call us on the PA system if he does."

"Okay, we'll be right back if we see Rob," Rai nodded.

"I'll drag him back by his hair," Daisy added angrily.

"I hope we find him soon," Janyu nodded. "We already missed the second Trailmon."

The group split up so that it was a pair with one human and their Digimon partner. They hunted all around the amusement park for Robert and it wasn't long before two pairs ended up bumping into each other. That group just so happened to be Daisy and Babel.

"Daisy, check out what I just found," Babel called over to her.

She walked over to him and looked in his hands to see a red D-Sync. "That's Robert's! Do you think that means he's in trouble? Where did you find it?"

"Over there," Babel gestured towards a narrow space between to snack booths.

The two humans nodded to each other before going through the narrow space, which soon became a path, with the Digimon following right behind them. The path soon widened enough so that they could stand next to each other and as they kept walking, they found another path branching out to the right and inside, they found a room filled with electronics and seemingly random but sophisticated machinery.

"Let me go!" a familiar voice shouted out.

"Yeah, we did nothing wrong to you!" another voice added.

"That sounded like Robert and Ryudamon," Betamon murmured.

"What are we going to do?" Salamon asked.

A third, monotone voice joined them, one absolutely unfamiliar to them. "Yes, whatever shall you do?"

The four of them froze as they turned their heads around slowly to see a yellow floating gear staring at them but the gear points were triangles rather than squares. He stared at them expressionlessly which made sense since it was a robot but it was still unsettling.

"Um… Who are you?" Daisy asked.

The Digimon stared back at her. "I'm Solarmon and you are not allowed here. This area is for authorized personnel only."

"Be careful Daisy!" Salamon advised. "Solarmon is one of Apocalymon's goons! He's one of the few who doesn't need a Dark Chain to do his bidding."

"And I'm Hagurumon," another robotic voice said from inside the room.

They turned around again but wires suddenly came flying at them and tangled them up, muffling their cries for help as they were dragged into the secret room. The humans were placed and strapped onto tables, right beside Robert who was strapped onto the other table next to them. He was missing his goggles though. The two Digimon were thrown into a cage along with Ryudamon who could only watch helplessly.

"I found the human's D-Sync, Hagurumon," Solarmon droned.

"Perfect!" Hagurumon replied. "Apocalymon will be very pleased with us. Now take the other two humans' D-Syncs."

"You stay away from us!" Babel shouted.

"Yeah, and give me back my goggles!" Robert added.

The floating gears ignored them as they took their digivices. Hagurumon drifted to a computer and stared at the screen, he manipulated a couple of wires in order to click on a few buttons and something seemed to scan Robert.

"Hm…," Hagurumon muttered. "It seems that there is something interfering with the scan."

"What are you going to do to us?" Daisy asked in a panicked tone.

"You two better stay away from them!" Betamon snapped.

"But I don't think we can do that," Hagurumon stated as he drifted next to Robert's table. "Our lord and master, Apocalymon told us that we can do whatever we want to you as long as we dispose of your bodies afterward. And what we want to do is research, organic creatures such as yourselves are fascinating so we want to learn everything we can about them. So first, we need to scan their data but these… pieces of fabric seem to be in the way. We must remove them!"

"Wait, what?!" a blushing Robert exclaimed.

"Can't you leave them on?" Daisy inquired. "I'm too young to be seeing this!"

Hagurumon signaled to Solarmon who floated up to the wall and placed himself into an indentation shaped like him. His eyes began glowing and the wires from earlier came in and wrapped them around a panicking Robert. As soon as the shirt was removed and the pants were just about to go, Daisy released a shrill scream, not knowing what else to do.

Rai stopped in her tracks when the scream reached her ears. "That was Daisy!"

"She sounds like she's in trouble!" Candlemon chimed.

Rai was just about to go investigate when Janyu's voice caught her attention.

"Rai!" the bespectacled boy shouted. He caught up to her just in time with FanBeemon by his side. "FanBeemon was just searching from the air and he saw Daisy and Babel get kidnapped by some Digimon. They were over there."

"I guess that explains why I just heard Daisy scream," Rai nodded. "Robert and Ryudamon must be with them as well."

"Then let's go!" Candlemon said.

The two of them quickly ran into the alleyway and found themselves looking into the same room that Daisy and Babel had been looking into earlier. All they could really see was unknown machinery and wires but they could definitely hear the voices of their comrades coming from inside.

"Wait, don't take off my underwear!"

"Kya! I don't want to look! Why do I have to be the one next to him?"

"I almost forgot that you were a girl until you said that."

"Shut it, Babel!"

Rai didn't even hesitate to run in with Candlemon and FanBeemon following after her. She stopped midway while the Digimon continued on and she looked back to Janyu who was trembling in fear. "Janyu, what's wrong? Come on, we have to go save them."

"I can't," Janyu muttered. "What if there's a really dangerous Digimon in there?"

"Then we'll just have to beat them," Rai replied.

The Chinese boy shook his head, he was embarrassed that someone younger than him was so brave but he just couldn't help it. "How? What if they're really strong? We can't digivolve our partners like Robert can. And what if FanBeemon… what if he gets hurt or worse?"

"That won't happen!"

"How do you know?"

Somehow, Rai knew the answer. "If you believe strongly enough then you'll be able to protect him with your power."

"My… power? But what power do I have?"

"Your heart and your emotions; put them to good use by showing the Digimon that we never surrender because as humans, we are stronger than any obstacle that gets in our way!" Rai said firmly. "If you believe in that then anything can happen."

"…Rai… How can you be so brave and strong?"

Rai turned away. "I'm not… I'm just trying to be…"

"Lava Loogie!"

"Gear Stinger!"

The sound of explosions was soon followed by mechanical voices yelping in surprise. The two humans ran into the room to find the others strapped to operating tables and their partners trapped in a cage. The captured ones cheered when they saw their rescuers.

"Rai, Janyu! Thank goodness!" Daisy sighed in relief. "Quick! Grab Robert's pants and put them on him!"

Hagurumon and Solarmon shook away their disorientation and glared at their attackers while Rai opened up the cage and Janyu was freeing the humans from their binds.

"We're not going to let you get away with this!" Hagurumon hummed angrily.

"That's right!" Solarmon agreed. "We'll destroy you for Lord Apocalymon!"

The other three Digimon joined FanBeemon and Candlemon. "Oh yeah? And how are you going to do that? We overpower and outnumber you!" Ryudamon growled.

"You are right about that," Hagurumon grinned.

"So right, so right!" Solarmon chimed.

"But Apocalymon has given us a special gift just to defeat you!" Hagurumon laughed.

The two gears floated higher and fit themselves into two more gear indentations. As they started turning, a small section of the floor opened up and something started to rise from underneath. What arose was a Digimon with the appearance of a child wearing a homemade Halloween costume with his weapon of choice being a giant pen clipped to his back. They gasped when they saw the Dark Chain wrapped around his right arm.

"This is Omekamon and he is very excited to play with you," Solarmon laughed.

Digital Analyzer: Omekamon is a fairly young and naturally clumsy Digimon. And because he doesn't know what he is supposed to be, he dresses up like his hero, the Royal Knight, Omnimon. The giant pen was originally the software that made him into being, but now, he uses it as his weapon.

"Hmph," Ryudamon scoffed. "Come on Rob; let's show them why they shouldn't mess with us! Digivolve me to Ginryumon!"

Robert had just finished slipping back into his shirt when he gave his partner a firm nod, not noticing that the two gear Digimon had made their escape while they were distracted by Omekamon's appearance until… "You got it buddy… Wait, where'd my D-Sync go? And my goggles! They're gone too!"

"My D-Sync is gone too," Babel realized.

"Those two metal heads still have them!" Daisy remembered.

"What?!" their partners exclaimed.

"Those D-Syncs are very important for us to digivolve!" Salamon said. "We have to go get them back or the entire fate of the Digital World may as well be doomed!" She was about to leap out the exit and chase down their former captors when Omekamon got in their way.

"Lava Loogie!"

The cones taped on to the top of Omekamon's head burst into flames and in a frantic panic, he started trying to put it out by stopping dropping, and rolling. It would've been comedic if they weren't supposed to fight him.

"You guys go," Rai said. "Janyu and I can handle Omekamon."

The three humans and their partners who had lost their digivices ran off, pursuing Hagurumon and Solarmon. Once they were gone, Rai stared at Omekamon who had put out the fire with a sympathetic expression. Janyu took notice and he had to wonder why she looked like she felt sorry for him when he remembered a photo he had seen earlier that day. It was a 'Missing Digimon' poster of Omekamon. The park manager, Pandamon, told them what had happened.

Omekamon was the clown of the big top in Toy Carnival, everyone made fun of him because he couldn't do anything right. He just stood there, did silly things and everyone laughed at him. Even though he wasn't even aware of his own situation, he knew he was being teased and that made him feel sad. But he couldn't do anything about it, because his boss, Piedmon, wouldn't let him. It had been presumed that he had run away after having had enough of Piedmon's torment and the jester Digimon was fired from Toy Carnival.

"Omekamon was being bullied," Janyu muttered.

"And he still is," Rai sighed sadly.

When Omekamon spoke, it surprised them both. Since the only possessed Digimon they fought was ShimaUnimon, they had no idea that they were capable of talking in their mindless state. "Don't laugh at me. Don't pity me. I don't like you! You're mean!"

"He sounds broken and confused," Candlemon commented. "How am I supposed to attack a guy like that?"

Omekamon took off the pen on his back and he launched it at them like a rocket, not just at the Digimon but at the humans too. "Graffiti Rocket!" It didn't damage them physically; the pen just exploded and stained them all in ink.

"Ugh, this is going to take forever to wash off of my wings," FanBeemon buzzed.

Janyu was knocked back in surprise and his glasses fell, not that they would be useful anymore covered in ink. Rai helped him up but right after she did that, they all realized that it was getting increasingly difficult to breathe.

"What's going on?" Candlemon coughed. "I'm losing air!"

"It's the paint fumes!" Janyu answered. He wiped the ink off of his glasses using the inside of his shirt which was luckily left unstained. "They're everywhere!"

Candlemon was rubbing the ink out of his eyes when Omekamon charged at him. "Omeka Kick!" The attack was surprisingly powerful and would've been fatal if he had crashed into the machinery but Rai caught him at the risk of getting burned.

"Candlemon! Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I think so."

Omekamon picked up his pen and walked over to the two of them. "You're mean, I don't like you! Stop laughing. Stop laughing. Stop laughing!" He raised the pen, ready to strike and Janyu didn't know what to do. Rai and Candlemon were defenseless and FanBeemon couldn't fly with his wings covered in wet ink. Janyu wanted to run away, far, far away; back home preferably but he knew he couldn't just leave Rai there. She helped him so many times even though they were complete strangers; it was time to return the favor.

"No!" Janyu ran straight for them and pushed Omekamon to the ground. Omekamon got back up quickly, dragging the human along with him too. The mistreated Digimon focused his attacks on Janyu who was putting his tai-chi lessons to good use by eluding every one of Omekamon's attacks.

"You deserve this!" Omekamon said, tears starting to form in his eyes. "You always point and laugh at me for years now! I hate it! You're a bully! Leave me alone; leave me alone; please… Leave me alone! I just want you to stop laughing!"

Janyu soon ran out of space to keep dodging so he ended up falling to the floor on his butt but he didn't stop glaring up at Omekamon. His attacker would've struck too if Janyu hadn't snapped loudly, causing him to stop midway. "If you're going to attack us then you're no better than those bullies! I've been hiding behind my friend for years and I thought that was shameful. I wanted nothing more than to fight back but he always told me not to, it would just make me a bully. And now I see why! Omekamon… You just want friends who care about you…"

"I… do…?"

Janyu nodded, his glare fading to a smile when he saw the redness disappearing in Omekamon's eyes. "If you want, we can be your friends. And I know that Pandamon would like to be your friend too, he's been worried about you ever since you vanished. So please… Don't fight."

Omekamon lowered his weapon and he would've dropped it to the ground if the Dark Chain on his arm didn't start glowing erratically. It seemed like it became painful for Omekamon as evident by how he was screaming all of a sudden. The chain soon stopped glowing but now his eyes were glowing red again and no more words were said, simply actions as he raised his pen again.

"Stop laughing… Bully…"

Janyu would've been done for if it hadn't been for his partner buzzing in and pushing Omekamon out of the way. When Janyu had flinched in surprise, he heard a jingle from his belt and looked down. The glowing from the Dark Chain had apparently distracted them from the glowing coming from his own D-Sync after he had given that speech.

He pulled out his digivice and saw that a compartment had opened up to reveal a bronze key with the base being a hexagon, presumably a honeycomb. Inside the hexagon was an indentation of a honeybee. "This is…," Janyu whispered before looking up to see his partner being sent across the room. "FanBeemon, I'm going to give you an upgrade!"

FanBeemon huffed as he got back up and smile at his human partner. "Then let's do it!"

Janyu jammed the key right into the hole at the top of his D-Sync and turned it. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

FanBeemon was enveloped in a bright green light as a ring made up of digi-code appeared around him. His data rearranged itself from one body part to another, shaping him and giving him a more robotic form. "FanBeemon digivole to… Waspmon!"

Digital Analyzer: Waspmon is a cyborg Digimon and a natural carrier of the X-Antibody. From an organic species, it has become much more efficient with the capabilities of hovering rather than flapping in order to fly. They are able to move rapidly in various directions, like the queen in chess, in order to defend against any enemy. Furthermore, their stingers are replaced with a powerful laser cannon giving them incredible attack power.

"That's amazing…," Rai gasped in awe.

"It certainly is," Candlemon nodded.

The only one not impressed was Omekamon. "Graffiti Rocket!

Waspmon's information was proven accurate when he hovered right, picking up Janyu in the process while avoiding the pen rocket. It splattered against the wall at the same time Janyu was put back on the ground, next to Rai.

"Thanks Waspmon," Janyu smiled.

"No problem," Waspmon nodded. "But what do you want me to do about Omekamon?"

"Just destroy the Dark Chain on his arm, which should free him from Apocalymon's control," Janyu told him. "He's not a bad Digimon at all."

"Understood."

Waspmon got closer to his opponent who sent another one of his powerful kicks at him. Waspmon's speed and ability of multi-directional movement allowed him to evade the flurry of kicks that came with the overemotional enemy.

"Omekamon's surprisingly fast," Janyu muttered. Then he remembered another thing that was mentioned in the analysis, Omekamon is supposed to be naturally clumsy. That meant they could use one of his previous attacks against him. "Waspmon, fly over to your right!"

Waspmon did exactly as he was told and after reaching that spot, was forced to move upwards to dodge another kick. But this time, Omekamon landed on the paint from his Graffiti Rocket attack causing him to slip and fall onto his back.

"Now's your time to attack!" Janyu shouted.

"Right," Waspmon hummed. "Turbo Stinger!"

He fired a rapid-fire salvo from his laser cannon, precisely aiming for the Dark Chain and when the beam made contact, the evil mind control device shattered into pieces.

Rai and Janyu got up and cheered for the insect Digimon. "All right Waspmon, you did it!" they cried out happily.

"Huh?" Omekamon blinked. "What… happened?"

Janyu went over and helped him up. "It's okay. You don't have to be afraid any longer."

Toy Carnival – 4:09 PM

"Stop those gears from getting away!" Robert shouted.

"Now there's a sentence I never thought would be said," Daisy huffed.

It didn't seem like the other two were used to this much physical activity but lucky for them, Babel would jog almost every day so he was able to speed past the other humans and catch up with the gears. Betamon, who was in his arms, jumped out and tackled Hagurumon to the ground while his partner held down Solarmon.

"Ha!" Babel said triumphantly. "Looks like we finally caught up to you." He took the D-Syncs from them and returned them to their rightful owners. "Okay, red for Rob, pink for Daze, and gray for me."

"Please, don't call me 'Daze' ever again," Daisy muttered as she attached the digivice back onto her belt. She turned her head over to the left a little to see Pandamon running towards them with ropes to keep Apocalymon's goons as captives.

Right after they made sure that Solarmon and Hagurumon were unable to escape, they hurried back to where they had been trapped so that they could assist Janyu and Rai. In a few minutes, they made it back into the small room to find that the battle had already been finished but not before Robert charged in and slipped on the ink. He slid across the room and crashed into the opposite wall, prompting an 'Ooh' from everyone else.

"Are you okay Rob?" Ryudamon asked.

"I think so…," he groaned unconvincingly.

"Whoa," Babel and Betamon breathed when they saw Waspmon hovering in the middle of the room.

"Janyu, don't tell me this used to be FanBeemon," Daisy said.

Janyu nodded with a smile. "Yeah, that's right. It's amazing right? He was able to digivolve!" He then looked over to Omekamon who was timidly hiding behind him. "Come on Omekamon, there's no need to be shy. There's Pandamon, right there."

Pandamon reacted when he heard his name and he walked towards Omekamon. "Omekamon, is that really you? Where have you been all this time?"

Omekamon bowed down to Pandamon as if the bear was some sort of lord and if he didn't do so, then he would end up getting punished. "I'm sorry for disappearing like that; please don't hurt me like Master Piedmon does all the time! I can't take spinning sword torture anymore!"

Pandamon paused as he took in what his subordinate just told him. He had heard of this spinning sword torture from the Mammothmon who had worked with Piedmon. Apparently, he straps Omekamon to a spinning wheel and then throws swords at him, they aren't real but it is absolutely terrifying for the victim.

"Omekamon…," Pandamon muttered guiltily. "I'm so sorry for putting you up with me. I had no idea that Piedmon was so cruel. I already fired him… So you can come back without having to deal with someone like that again."

"But… I don't want to be laughed at anymore," Omekamon whimpered. "Everyone just points and laughs and they make fun of me. I don't like it Pandamon!"

"…I'm sorry," Pandamon said. "I didn't know… How about you work by my side instead? All you need to do is greet visitors and make sure they're happy and I'll make sure they won't laugh at you. No, I promise you that."

Omekamon was getting teary-eyed knowing that someone he worked with was so kind to him, he ended up embracing the stuffed panda. "Thank you, Pandamon!"

"No problem," Pandamon chuckled lightheartedly.

"Um… I don't mean to interrupt but…," said Rai who was staring at the ropes that Pandamon was holding which led out the door. "Why exactly are you holding those ropes?"

"Well, we captured those floating clunk buckets," Babel said proudly. "Correction, Betamon and I were the ones who captured them."

"Yeah, whatever," Robert scoffed as he rubbed his sore back. "But can your partner digivolve?"

Waspmon hovered over Robert's shoulder with Janyu standing by him. "You realize that I can digivolve too now, right?"

"I know!"

Rai cleared her throat to get their attention once more. They all turned to the youngest human there and noticed that she was holding the end of the ropes and they were tied to absolutely nothing. "If I'm not mistaken, Solarmon and Hagurumon shouldn't be invisible… or weightless."

"They escaped!" they shouted.

"As expected of Apocalymon's minions," Pandamon muttered.

"You're the one who said they wouldn't get away!" Daisy, Babel, and Robert snapped.

"That's fine," Janyu smiled. "Besides, if our job in the Digital World is to stop Apocalymon's reign of terror, then we're going to end up finding Hagurumon and Solarmon again. Eventually, we'll be able to defeat them."

"That's my partner for you," Waspmon chuckled. "Calm until the very end."

"Since when?!" Daisy and Babel yelled.

Salamon was able to calm her partner down. "Well, we wasted enough time here. It's about time we go back to the Trailmon station and get on the next Trailmon to Shellfish Beach." Just like last time, she was about to leap out the door and head back but Pandamon stopped her by coughing.

"Wait, you guys are going to Shellfish Beach by Trailmon?"

"Yeah," Daisy nodded. "Why? Is there something wrong with that?"

"Well…," Pandamon started. "You see, the railroads from Toy Carnival to any Trailmon stations forward were all destroyed in a battle between Apocalymon's forces and some forest Digimon so no Trailmon can go to Shellfish Beach as of now. So unfortunately, you're either stuck here or you may have to walk all the way if it's urgent."

The humans and their partners stared as Pandamon finished talking before collapsing to the floor in hopeless heaps.

"You mean we wasted so much time here for nothing?!" Daisy screeched.

Janyu felt like they had spent more time than they needed too as well but he felt like he really accomplished something. He was able to get FanBeemon to digivolve for the first time but not only that, he helped a bullied Digimon make a friend. "I'm kind of glad we wasted our time here. After all, we all need a break every now and then."

Waspmon nodded in agreement before reverting back to FanBeemon. "Yeah, and let's do our best to save the Digital World."

"I'm with you."

Chapter Text

West Egg Village – 10:27 AM

"West Egg Village?" Rai read.

"Hey, that's the same name as where the Great Gatsby is set," Robert chuckled. He then looked over to Daisy. "There's a character in there named Daisy too, maybe you'll fall in love with a rich guy here and then kill your husband's lover."

"How is that funny?" Daisy inquired irately.

"Well, it sounded funnier in my head," he replied sheepishly.

"You know, I never would've pegged you for the fine literature type of guy," Rai giggled.

"I'm not," Robert said. "But my dad is and when I told him I was bored on our flight to London, he gave me that stupid book to read. But after reading the first two chapters, I was already too deep in to stop. At least I'll be prepared for a book report and impress the teacher."

Babel's stomach started growling. "Well, I don't really care about the Great Gatsby, no offense to F. Scott Fitzgerald, but I do know that where there's a village, there's a place to eat. So I say, let's go and get some food." The others, except for Daisy, cheered with him as they made their way into the village.

The Russian girl stopped them. "Hold it!" she shouted with an air of absolute authority. "Are you guys forgetting our mission? We're supposed to be going to Shellfish Beach and then to Magic Village; we've wasted enough time already."

"But a little food never hurt anybody," said Rai.

"Yeah," Betamon agreed. "Besides, we won't make it very far on empty stomachs."

Salamon brushed up against her partner's leg when Daisy wasn't budging. "You know, I'm kind of hungry too and I'm also really tired. We haven't really had anything to eat since about two days ago aside from a couple of light snacks here and there."

Daisy decided to give in to their begging expressions although they really only belonged to the Digimon, Robert, and Babel. "Fine, but we have to make it quick. And we also have a budget so we have to look for a place that provides provisions for a low price. We spent too much money on some pretty useless purchases back at Toy Carnival."

"Uh, I wouldn't call this useless," Robert grinned as he took out the Monzaemon doll from Rai's bag.

"I would," Daisy scoffed. She took the stuffed bear and shoved it back into the other human girl's bag before turning away. "And while you guys are on your lunch break, I'll be doing something productive and gather some information."

"Information on what?" Babel questioned.

"On Apocalymon!" she snapped. They took note of how the closest Digimon other than their partners started staring at them. "If our only way back home is to fight him then we're going to need to know everything we need to know about him. Not to mention a map might be useful just in case we get lost or something."

"You're going to fight Apocalymon?" Salamon inquired.

"What?" Daisy said, looking down. "You know that Salamon!"

"Um… Daisy?" Janyu said.

She turned around to look at the bespectacled boy only to see another Salamon, more specifically, her own, staring up at her. Daisy then turned back around and stared at the other Salamon, wondering where in the world she had come from. "Um…"

"Salamon! There you are!" someone called from afar.

The humans and their partners pivoted their heads to the right and saw that the crowd of Digimon was splitting apart like the Red Sea to let another Digimon through. And when they saw what that Digimon was, they understood why the crowd made so much room for her to walk through. There was a giant cactus with ellipses cut out for her face, wearing red boxing gloves, and had a rather worried looking expression running towards them.

"Ah, Miss Togemon," the other Salamon smiled. "I'm sorry I ran off, I just saw these strange creatures and wanted to see them up close!"

Togemon picked up Salamon in her boxing gloves before scolding her lightly. "Salamon! You shouldn't be so rude as to call others 'strange'. I apologize for my student's…," she trailed off when she actually took in the appearances of the humans. "Oh my! I just realized that you're not Digimon! Aren't you creatures… humans?"

"Yeah, we are," Robert nodded, once again, asserting himself into the leadership role.

"They're the ones in the prophecy! I'm sure of it!" Salamon said enthusiastically.

"Then maybe we'll finally be able to stop living in fear of that Apocalymon," Togemon said happily.

"Uh…," was all the humans could get out.

Digital Monster School – 10:53 AM

"I had no idea that Digimon went to school too," Janyu said as they walked inside the building. "It's like one of those olden day schools where all the grades were in one classroom."

Robert stared at the legless Digimon sitting in their chairs, staring up at the humans. "But in this class, there's only one grade."

They were face to face with, quite literally, faces, Koromon, Wanyamon, Budmon, Tsunomon, Yokomon, Yaamon, Kapurimon, and Puttimon. Salamon went outside to play in the playground with the older Digimon.

"Young Digimon, greet the humans who have come to save our world from the evil Apocalymon," Togemon introduced.

The humans and their partners felt a little embarrassed to be introduced in such a fashion. Well, all except Robert who seemed to like the idea of being called a savior of the Digital World even though he hasn't done anything yet. The young Digimon greeted the visitors politely but it appeared as though they were skeptical. It's no wonder, they've lived under the tyranny of Apocalymon for so long that the idea that he could be taken down by a couple of humans only seems possible in theory.

"Yup, that's us!" Robert smirked. "We're the heroes here to save the day!"

"Aren't you full of hot air today," Daisy muttered with an eye-roll.

"Isn't that how he usually is?" Salamon sighed.

"How do we know that you guys are really the DigiDestined?" Tsunomon asked them.

"DigiDestined?" Rai repeated.

"According to the legend, that's what you guys are," Candlemon told her.

"Yeah!" Yaamon agreed. "Prove it to us! According to the legend, the humans are supposed to help their partners digivolve!"

A smug grin formed on Robert's face as he flipped out his bronze key in a 'cool guy' fashion. The light caught his goggles and they flashed like he had made some sort of grand appearance in a theater. The other humans just stood in the background thinking that he had increased in hot air overnight. "No problem! D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Ryudamon Digivolve to… Ginryumon!"

The little Digimon stared in awe as the new Digimon stood before them. Ryudamon stared back at them and for a long time, there was silence. It was broken almost instantaneously when the class burst into happy cheering, some were even trying to play on Ginryumon who didn't seem to mind. The only ones in the room who weren't very happy were the other humans and their partners because they knew, by just looking at the American goggle-head, that his ego was being well-fed at the moment.

"I heard from Salamon that you humans are a tad hungry," Togemon remembered.

"Yeah, we kind of are," Babel chuckled when his stomach growled in agreement. "Would you be able to spare some food to us?"

Togemon smiled, or at least, they were sure she smiled; they couldn't tell since her face was just holes. "You're in luck! You see, every morning, our local Digitamamon cooks food for the children's lunch period and today, he made a little too much for us. We have plenty to go around and enough for seconds too."

The DigiDestined had half a mind to start cheering like they were the little kids in the class. "That's great!" they all said.

Togemon continued her lesson with the class while they had an early lunch outside, near the park where they could watch the Rookie level class hang out and have fun. It was kind of depressing for the humans who were only reminded that they would be alone when they returned home. It made them almost consider staying there in the Digital World.

"I wonder what my friends are doing back in the states," Robert wondered aloud. "I know no one in London misses me right now." He sighed and leaned back. "You guys all probably have friends you want to get back to."

Babel scoffed, sounding like he was amused by Robert's comment. "Yeah, my 'friends' are just great, I'm sure they all miss having me around to take the heat for them. They just have me around so that when they get into trouble, they can use me as a scapegoat. As a matter of fact, the day I came to the Digital World, I was grounded by my parents because my so-called friends and I egged a teacher's car and then they ran off without me so I took all the blame. I didn't even want to do it but stupid Pete dragged me into it!"

"What does being 'grounded' mean?" Betamon asked.

"It means not being able to fly," FanBeemon answered.

The amphibious Digimon became wide-eyed as he looked up at his partner. "Babel, you can fly?"

"No!"

"Being grounded means you're restricted from doing certain things if you do something bad that your parents don't like," Robert answered. "My parents used to do that to me all the time because I always misbehaved in class."

"Yeah, I can totally see that from you," Daisy chortled.

Rai placed her piece of bread back into her bento box. "I've never gotten into trouble once with my parents but it feels like I'm always grounded. I never leave home because my parents want me to study all the time so I never have the chance to make friends or anything. I was always too busy…"

"So I'm not the only one who was alone back in the human world," Janyu mused quietly. "I take a tai-chi class but I'm really bad so I get bullied by some of the other students. I have one friend but he's in Japan for vacation all summer so I'm stuck alone with those bullies."

Daisy was surprised; she never would've guessed that someone as gentle as Janyu would've been stuck in a similar situation as she was back at home. It was just because they were different in comparison to other kids and they get picked on for those differences, it's really stupid. But she wondered how the Chinese boy could grow up to be so kind while she became so spiteful. They were in similar situations so why was it so different? Was it because of that one friend Janyu talked about or was it because she's weak?

"What about you Daisy?" Robert asked, breaking past her thoughts. "You got any friends back in the Soviet Union?"

"We don't have to ask about her getting grounded," Babel chuckled. "Her oppressive government probably already does that."

There it was. It was simply because she grew up in the Soviet Union, where a communist government ruled and according to everything she had learned in history, Americans considered anything associated with communism to be bad. It wasn't fair; Janyu grew up under a communist government so why was she the one being picked on?

"You guys have really teamed up on me lately," Daisy said to them. "As a matter of fact, you've all teamed up so to answer both your questions, no, I don't have any friends and apparently, I still don't! But Robert, you apparently have Babel, and Janyu clearly has Rai on his side! Furthermore, my government isn't as oppressive as you idiotic Americans seem to think it is! Do you guys seriously believe in every word fed to you by your 'unbiased' government?"

They were all surprised by her sudden outburst but they all became distracted when they heard a scream coming from the park. They all turned to see a crying Budmon being teased by a Gazimon and a Goblimon, both Rookie level Digimon so they had a clear advantage over her. A Koromon and a Wanyamon tried to stop them but they were easily brushed aside. The young ones were apparently let out of class for recess while the humans were talking.

"Aw, you're so cute it makes me want to puke!" Gazimon laughed while holding Budmon up by her tail.

Goblimon held up his club close to her head, which was basically her entire body. "If I hit her with this, how far do you think I could send her?"

Gazimon cackled cruelly. "I don't know! Why don't we find out?"

"This is what you get for being weak!" Goblimon laughed as he raised his club.

Daisy took a few steps back when she heard that, she remembered whenever she had been bullied by a couple of guys and when she tried to fight back, they called her weak. She hated that word because that's what everyone referred to her as. But she also felt that it was true, she couldn't protect herself. She felt that she was so pathetic that no one even wanted to help her, which was why she was alone, even now.

Her attention was brought back to the scene and she noticed that the others had taken a couple steps towards the bullies, about to stop them. But they paused when two of the other Rookie level Digimon, Patamon and Lopmon, came in to stand up for Budmon.

"Hey, why don't you pick on someone your own size?" Patamon said in his best 'tough-guy' voice.

"Yeah!" Lopmon agreed. "You two are an embarrassment to Digimon everywhere! You should be ashamed!"

Gazimon put down Budmon who immediately took the chance to hop away to safety. She squeezed herself between the Koromon and Wanyamon from earlier and hid behind them, trembling and too afraid to watch what was about to transpire.

"Do you think we care what you puny little weaklings have to say?" Goblimon growled.

"That's right. You two are weak compared to other Rookie Digimon so you've got no right telling us what to do," Gazimon added.

Daisy was about to go back into the school building because she didn't want to hear the words that would come next. It was the words she heard all the time whenever she was teased. "If you're weak, you don't deserve to live". And she knew they were right.

"So what if we're weak physically?" Patamon inquired. Daisy froze. His 'tough-guy' act had faded into one with booming conviction. "It doesn't matter because what truly matters is how strong you are in your heart. Some of the younger Digimon have been forced to endure your bullying for so long and the fact that they're still able to smile afterwards is what makes them strong."

"That's right," Lopmon nodded. "It's the same for most Digimon nowadays, we have to withstand Apocalymon and his tyrannical ruling and some of us even have to suffer seeing our friends get controlled by him! But those of us who are still standing and believing that things will get better one day are the real strong ones. Those who abuse and boast about their physical strength are the cowards who are too afraid to stand with everyone else."

"…Wait, I'm confused," Goblimon muttered.

Gazimon scoffed and pushed his companion down for his lack of understanding. "We don't care what you brats have to say!"

As soon as Goblimon got back up, the two bullies were getting to launch their attacks at the smaller Digimon who were preparing their own attacks. At that moment, Togemon rushed out of the building with Salamon tailing behind her.

"All four of you stop it this instant!"

The bullies froze since their attacks were close-range but the other two had already launched their mid-range moves and they couldn't be stopped now.

"Boom Bubble!"

"Blazing Ice!"

Gazimon fell to his butt while Goblimon suddenly became a SnowGoblimon.

"Sorry Miss Togemon," Patamon and Lopmon quickly said.

"I'm not the one you should be apologizing to," Togemon huffed.

Koromon and Wanyamon hopped over to their teacher. "But wait, it wasn't their fault," Koromon piped up.

"Yeah, they were just standing up for Budmon because she was being bullied by these two," Wanyamon said.

"It's true miss," Salamon nodded. "I saw the whole thing myself which is why I went back inside to get you in the first place."

The teacher turned back to the ones in question. "Well you still should've told me instead of fighting them. What if one of you had been seriously injured? You know, just because your teacher has been absent doesn't mean you can do whatever you want."

"We're sorry…," all four involved Rookies said.

Salamon bounced towards Patamon and Lopmon with an exasperated expression. "Geez, you two aren't going to be like this when Pegasusmon comes to pick us up so that we can start our lives in the League of Angels together, are you?"

"Anyway, where is Budmon?" Togemon asked.

Koromon and Wanyamon turned around and realized that the plant Digimon was gone. "Huh? That's weird. Where did she go?"

"Oh dear, you mean she's gone?!" Togemon shouted.

None of them had seen Budmon hop away into the forest with tears streaming down her face, well, no one except for Daisy. Budmon reminded Daisy of herself and she just had this feeling that she had to help the little Digimon out.

"I was sure I saw her run in here…," Daisy muttered.

"Daisy, don't you think we should go back?" Salamon asked. "We're going to get lost in here by ourselves. And besides, the others will get really worried when they realize that we ran off on our own."

"As if they would care," Daisy scoffed. "I don't know about this whole 'save the world' business but it sounds like some sort of suicide mission. The others can go if they want to but it shouldn't involve me, I don't belong in this world or any world for that matter. I'm weak…" Patamon's and Lopmon's words about true strength didn't help; she wasn't just weak physically but emotionally and mentally as well. "I really am pathetic…"

"That's not true and you know it!" Salamon said.

"Well what do you know?!" Daisy snapped. "You've barely known me for a week. You don't know me…"

"…You're right, I don't. But I do know that you're not weak."

Daisy crossed her arms and continued on her search but was still listening to her partner as she looked. "And what makes you say that?"

"I don't think a weak person would be trying so hard to help someone else," Salamon told her matter-of-factly. Daisy stopped in front of the bush she was about to check and listened patiently. "If you were truly weak then you'd just ignore the fact that Budmon ran away instead of running in here the way you did."

"I only did it because I felt bad for her, that's all," Daisy replied.

"Did anyone help you when you were pushed around?" Salamon asked.

"…No."

"Then this just proves my point even more. You realize that the right thing to do for someone in need is help and not just standby while things are happening around them. Even though no one came to your rescue, you're trying to come to Budmon's."

"That doesn't make me strong," Daisy retorted. "It just makes me sympathetic, which has the word 'pathetic'."

Salamon was about to respond when they suddenly heard Budmon scream. They turned and immediately ran towards her cry, finding that she had been captured by the tail of a giant floating sunflower Digimon.

"Now that is a big flower," Daisy gasped.

"That's Sunflowmon," Salamon said. "Togemon said that she's the teacher for the Rookie level Digimon who's been absent for the past few days."

Digital Analyzer: Sunflowmon are Digimon who prefer to bathe in the sun rather than fight in battles. However, as they absorb sunlight, they become much more energetic as well as physically stronger. They are gentle creatures but have been known to destroy entire towns with their Sunshine Beam attack after storing sunlight for days.

Daisy's eyes were drawn to an eerie glow on Sunflowmon's tail which she could easily recognize. "A Dark Chain!"

"Sunshine Beam!"

Daisy and Salamon ducked behind a bush and they heard what sounded to be a loud crack and then a tree falling. "And I thought my teachers were evil," Daisy muttered. "Salamon, let's save Budmon and then get out of here."

"Wh-Why are you doing this, Miss Sunflowmon?" Budmon shook.

"You've been a naughty child and you deserved to be punished," Sunflowmon replied darkly.

Salamon leapt into the air and collided with Sunflowmon's face, pushing the plant Digimon back a few feet but not off balance. It did give Daisy a chance to grab Budmon out from her grasp and get away a few meters. "Come on Salamon, let's get out of here!"

Salamon was just about to go after her human partner when she was whacked to the side by Sunflowmon's tail.

"Salamon!"

Sunflowmon focused on fighting the Rookie Digimon who kept trying to stand back up every time she was whipped back down by the larger Digimon's tail. Daisy could only watch as her partner struggled more and more to stand with each blow. She was silently praying for Salamon to just stay down already, to give up, she couldn't win this fight but Salamon was persistent. "What are you doing? We need to go!" Daisy finally shouted.

"Daisy…?" Budmon called from her arms. "You can't just leave Sunflowmon here by herself. We have to destroy that Dark Chain."

"But what can we do?" Daisy said in a distressed tone. She looked back to her partner. "She's never even fought in a battle before. We're too weak, I'm too weak. I can't even get Salamon to digivolve. I… I can't do anything."

"We've been over this…," Salamon coughed. "Physical strength doesn't matter. If I were to give up now, then we'd lose all hope but if I don't, we can keep on fighting."

"But you can't win this fight!"

"Then help me win! I need you, Daisy!"

Sunflowmon raised one of her massive arms and her expression changed into an unsettling smile. "Smiley Slap!"

Daisy put Budmon down and immediately ran straight for Salamon. She grabbed the small Digimon into her arms and held her close just as she was slapped away. She kept rolling until she crashed into a tree, causing some leaves to fall on top of them.

"Are you okay, Daisy?" Salamon asked.

"My body is still physically weak so no, not really," Daisy admitted quietly but then she flashed her partner a quick smile. "But I'll keep going until there's nothing left of me. I can't always let the guys be ahead of me."

Salamon smiled back and nodded firmly. "Yeah, let's give this teacher a lesson in respect."

Sunflowmon didn't seem to like the way they were talking about her so she raised her tail up and the thorns seem to protrude out of them way more than usual. She swung it in their direction and the sharp projectiles were sent flying. "Cactus Tail!"

Daisy's D-Sync had started glowing, and when the bronze key popped out of it, she caught it, with an image of a pair of angel wings as the head. She could see the thorns were only a meter away but that was all the distance she needed. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Salamon Digivolve to…" Salamon's form became more human-like as the glowing pink ring surrounded her body. From her back grew four gorgeous wings and she appeared to have gained golden plated armor. In one hand, she held a staff and in the other, La Pucelle (The Maiden), her sword. "Darcmon!"

"Oh wow!" Budmon sighed. "She's so pretty."

Digital Analyzer: Even though Darcmon is a low-ranking angel Digimon, she is known to slice through any enemy like a blade through air. She fights on the battlefield almost as if she is dancing, putting on a performance like no other. She has thus been dubbed as a "Goddess of the Battlefield".

"La Pucelle!" Darcmon cut right past the thorns and flew straight for Sunflowmon.

The flower Digimon was surprised by the sudden power and speed gain of the angel Digimon so she did her best to avoid her sword. The best Sunflowmon could do now was evade and keep her tail, with the Dark Chain around it, out of Darcmon's range.

"I won't be able to break the Dark Chain this way!" Darcmon shouted.

"Well I'm sure we'll be able to figure something out!" Daisy said back in response. But she wasn't sure what. Darcmon was clearly faster than Sunflowmon but with Sunflowmon's massive size and the limited space they had in the forest, it wasn't exactly difficult for Sunflowmon to keep her tail out of sight. How could they destroy the Dark Chain without putting bodily harm to the victim? "That's it! You need more space for Sunflowmon's tail to become a target. So send Sunflowmon in the only direction where it'll lead to more room, up!"

Darcmon's sword began to glow radiantly and she began to perform a magnificent sword technique that resembled that of a dance. "Baptism of Love!"

Sunflowmon appeared to have lost composure as she tried desperately to avoid the cuts and soon enough, she was backed up into a corner. Daisy was right, the only escape now, was to fly upwards and Darcmon followed. In the sky, there was plenty of room to dodge an attack but for someone as fast as Darcmon, it might be a little bit difficult.

"Sunshine Beam!"

Darcmon gracefully avoided the attack and ended up right in front of Sunflowmon.

"Sunflowmon, as a teacher, you dish out punishments to students who misbehave," Darcmon said. "However, as a messenger of the heavens, I must deliver divine judgment upon your heart. You have succumbed to the darkness of Apocalymon and now, I shall set you free."

"Uh, Sunshine–!"

"La Pucelle!" Darcmon flew right underneath the flower and cut through the Dark Chain, leaving it as two pieces falling to the ground. "The heavens speak, and they say your heart is pure. I hope you will continue on this path of light."

Sunflowmon slowly floated back down to the ground and drowsily opened her eyes. "What was I doing?"

"You were possessed by a Dark Chain but don't worry," Daisy smiled. "Darcmon saved you."

Budmon shook her body, well, head in Daisy's arms. "No, you saved Miss Sunflowmon, Daisy."

Sunflowmon turned herself to face Daisy with a smile. "Then I thank you from the bottom of my heart. Please, let me take you back to the school building."

Just before Daisy could accept, she heard four voices calling out to them. They belonged to Rob, Rai, Ryudamon, and Candlemon. "What are you guys doing here?"

"We've been looking all over for you!" Robert practically shouted at her. He was too out of breath to keep yelling consistently. "You… You idiot! You… You know, you…. You really had us… worried… back there! What were you… thinking?! It's dangerous to be… on your own."

By this time Rai had caught her breath. "We didn't know what to do when you vanished. Robert and Babel were the most worried though, they ended up arguing about where you were and then we ended up splitting up."

"You guys… were really that worried about me?" Daisy blinked.

"Of course we were!" Robert coughed. "You keep us in check when we're doing stupid things. Without you, we'd probably be stuck in one place for way longer than necessary." Robert stopped looking and sounding so angry when he noticed that Daisy had started crying. She had one arm holding Budmon, and the other to cover her eyes. "H-Hey, I'm not that mad at you. I was just really worried."

"I know," she sniffed. "I just can't believe you guys were that concerned though. I really thought you guys didn't care about me."

"Don't be ridiculous," Candlemon said. "You can be bossy sometimes but if you weren't, we wouldn't really get anywhere."

"And it would be boring if everything always went the way Rob wanted," Ryudamon grinned before getting a punch to the head from his partner.

"Daisy…," Rai said as she gave the other girl a hug. "I know it's seemed like we've all teamed up and kind of left you out but I promise you that you will always be our friend."

"Thank you, Rai…," Daisy nodded. Over Rai's shoulder, she gave their goggle head a smile. "And thank you, Rob."

Robert blushed and turned away from the two girls before realizing something. "Hold on, where is Salamon and what's with the giant flower. Wait…Could it be that Salamon digivolved into this massive thing?!" Someone tapped his shoulder and he turned around to see Darcmon staring at him. "And you must be the Digimon that Salamon fought!"

"I am Salamon, you idiot!"

"Whoops… Heh, sorry…"

Sunflowmon couldn't help smiling; she always loved seeing children get along. Which reminded her, they needed to get moving. "We should go back to the school now; Togemon will be really worried about you, Budmon."

Digital Monster School – 2:43 PM

"I can't believe that Salamon digivolved and we weren't there to see it!" Betamon said.

"Eh, I'm sure it wasn't that special," Babel muttered.

"Hey, how long are you going to keep denying that you were worried about her?" Robert asked.

"I'm not denying anything," Babel scoffed. "I knew she would be fine. You were the one whining about her. I bet you have a crush on her."

"Pfft! As if!" Robert exclaimed. "Besides, every time I see her for the first time on a new day, the first thought that comes to mind is that she's a dude."

"That's true."

"I can hear you, you know!" Daisy shouted at them as she knocked their heads together. "Geez, you guys really have no idea what the term tact means, do you? I'm surprised the two of you haven't killed yourselves insulting people."

"Ow… That hurts, you know…," both Babel and Robert groaned.

"Then watch what you're saying next time!"

"I can't believe we were worried about you," Robert grumbled.

"I heard that!"

Daisy sighed in exasperation but she felt pretty happy to know that they really cared about her. She was about to walk back into the school where the students should be over with celebrating over the fact that Sunflowmon and Budmon had returned safely. But before she reached the entrance, Janyu came over to stop her.

"Daisy… Why were you so mad before?" he inquired.

"I…" Daisy wasn't sure if she should respond with the truth but judging from the expressions of the others who had overheard, they all wanted to hear it. "Well, you see, I thought that I was being picked on for being weak and because I'm a Soviet. You know, with the whole Cold War thing going on between America and my country, I can be a little paranoid. But now I realized that it was just stupid of me to think of something like that. After all, our generation isn't as conservative as our parents."

"That's definitely true," Babel chuckled.

"Why don't we forget about my little outburst?" Daisy suggested. "I'm glad that you guys are my friends even if we don't know all that much about each other yet. Well, I guess by that logic, I can't really call you guys, friends, just yet."

"By the end of this adventure, I'm sure we'll all be the best of friends," Robert promised.

"I would hope so," Rai smiled. "I don't think I'd be able to survive who knows how long with you guys fighting. Then again, it would be kind of weird for you guys not to fight."

"True, I can't imagine myself being 'the best of friends' with any of you guys. Well, except maybe Rai," Daisy grinned.

"Hey, now that is just rude," Robert chuckled.

As soon as they stepped back into the school building, a crowd of young Digimon surrounded them; most of them seemed to be interested in Daisy and Salamon though. It wasn't long before Togemon and Sunflowmon stepped in to prevent an accident from happening.

"You have our gratitude, DigiDestined," Togemon said after the kids had settled. "If it weren't for you, something terrible could've happened to Budmon and you brought back Sunflowmon and released her from that horrible Dark Chain. I know that if anyone will be able to save our world from Apocalymon, it's you."

"I couldn't agree more" Sunflowmon nodded.

"Hey, Daisy's Salamon," Patamon called. "You wouldn't happen to be that same Salamon who was raised by the League of Angels, were you?"

Daisy blinked. She had heard of the League of Angels before because Patamon, Lopmon, and the other Salamon had been talking about it. Apparently, for those three, after they digivolve to their Champion forms, they will be let into the League of Angels. It sounded like it was some sort of society for angelic Digimon which would make sense considering Salamon just evolved into Darcmon.

Salamon smiled. "You guessed right. And I remember Seraphimon asking you guys to join when you're ready."

"Is there any advice you can give us before we go?" Lopmon asked.

"Just remember to always hold on to hope," Salamon replied. "At least, that's what Seraphimon always tells me."

Daisy poked her partner from behind. "Hey, who's Seraphimon and what's this League of Angels thing?"

"Seraphimon watches over our sector of the Digital World," Salamon answered. "However, he can't do it by himself so he created the League of Angels and has hundreds of holy Digimon working under him. His right hand mon, Murmukusmon, is the Digimon who took me in an raised me. He was also the one who told me that I was one of the Digimon destined to save this world from darkness. And that's when I set out to find you."

"Then I guess we're going to have to visit him to thank him," Daisy smiled.

"Really?" Salamon gasped. "That would be great!"

"Hey, are you guys forgetting our next stop?" Robert said. "We're supposed to go to Shellfish Beach and then to Magic Village."

"That's right!" Babel sighed. "I almost forgot!"

They all turned to the two teachers and bowed. "Thank you all for your hospitality. We have to go now but we hope to see you all again one day."

They ran out of the building without even hearing the goodbyes from the kids or the teachers but as they were running, Togemon wished them luck. They slowed down as they neared the park and they noticed that Koromon, Wanyamon, and Budmon were all waiting for them on the swings.

"Shouldn't you guys be in class?" FanBeemon buzzed.

"Budmon had something to say to you guys," Wanyamon replied.

Budmon hopped down from the swing and approached Daisy. "Um… I just… I wanted to thank you for running after me before. Usually, no one really cares about what happens to me other than Koromon and Wanyamon. So, thank you so much!"

"You shouldn't say that no one cares," Daisy sighed. She bent down and patted the plant Digimon on the head and smiled. "Sometimes, the most unlikely of people care about you and you just don't realize it."

"Whoa, Daisy, you actually look like a girl when you smile like that," Robert teased.

"Yeah, that's right, who would've thought it was possible?" Babel added.

A vein popped on Daisy's forehead as she shot up and started chasing them down. "When I get you two, I am going to tear your heads off!"

"It looks like some things will never change," Ryudamon sighed.

"I don't think that's true," Salamon smiled. "Just look at them. Robert and Babel aren't the only ones laughing this time around."

"I did say it would be weird if they didn't fight," Rai chuckled. "Hey, wait up!"

The others ran to catch up with them and as they ran, they waved goodbye to the ones they were leaving behind.

"You know," said Koromon. "One day, I want to be partnered with a human too."

"Yeah," Wanyamon nodded. "I bet my partner will be really smart and cool!"

"I don't really care about strength," Budmon giggled. "I just hope to be best friends with my partner."

"Yeah, me and my partner will be something amazing together," Koromon breathed.

"Oh? And what would that be?" Wanyamon asked.

"Hm…" Koromon took a moment to think about it but the answer came quickly, almost naturally, as the DigiDestined faded into the crowds of the bustling town. "We're going to be… the ultimate team!"

Chapter Text

Trailmon Railroad – 9:13 AM

"Geez, when we left the school, they could've at least told us that the railroad from there to Shellfish Beach was fixed," Robert muttered as he sat back in his seat. "We walked two whole miles before finding out from that nice Gatomon."

Daisy threw her empty cup at him. "Yes, we're all well aware of what happened just last night. We were there, you imbecile."

"Come on, we're just cranky because we didn't get much sleep last night," Rai said tiredly. "Why don't we all try to get a little more rest before we get to our destination?"

"It won't be much," Salamon muttered. "We're only about ten minutes from Shellfish Beach."

The entire group groaned but they knew they couldn't do much about it.

After a couple of seconds passed without anyone saying another word, Robert stood up and adjusted the goggles on his head. "Well, I say we should decide who the leader of this group is. After all, we're going to have to make some tough decisions while we're here and I think having a leader will make it easier to know who does what."

"Ooh, I nominate Rob!" Ryudamon cheered. "I mean, he was the first one to get his partner, me, to digivolve so it only makes sense."

"Heh, I was thinking the same thing," Robert grinned.

"Somehow, I feel like the two of you talked about this last night," Daisy muttered before talking a little louder so that they could all hear her. "But I do agree that we need someone to make the tough decisions and I say it's me. After all, all of you guys tend to get distracted and want to have fun. I'm always the one to remind you that we're stuck in some bizarre world where we were chosen to save it from destruction."

"That's right," Salamon nodded. "Daisy keeps us on track. Besides, the League of Angels watch over our section of the world and I am a part of them so it only makes sense for the two of us to take charge."

"But if you guys were in charge of everything, it'd be boring," FanBeemon buzzed, flinching away when the two girls glared at him.

"Even so, I definitely don't want to be the one making the tough decisions," Janyu chuckled nervously.

"That's true," Rai nodded. "What about you, Babel? You're the oldest, what if you were the leader?"

"Are you kidding?" Daisy laughed. "Do you remember our first day here? He fell asleep when Elecmon attacked you guys. He's barely able to take care of himself!"

"That seems a little harsh," Candlemon said.

"She has a point though," Robert shrugged. "I mean, besides, he hasn't even been able to get Betamon to digivolve yet."

As they talked, the oldest member of their group stood up, walked to the back of the train, slid open the door, and went outside for some fresh air. His partner followed him but stopped when he got to the door; he turned around and shouted at the others. "You guys need to learn a little word called 'respect'! Hmph!"

The door slammed behind the amphibious Digimon and they all recoiled from the sound.

"I think you guys went too far this time," said Rai.

"I was just joking around," Daisy replied innocently. "I was expecting some snarky comeback, not for him to leave like that."

"You sounded pretty serious to me," Janyu said.

"Fine," Daisy surrendered. "I'll apologize to him later. Rob, you joined in so you should too."

Robert acted all offended at first but one look from the others shut him down before he could even say anything about it. "Yeah, you're right about that. Hey, maybe Rai should be the leader since she's such a great pacificator."

"I think I'll stick to just being a buffer," Rai chuckled. Her smile soon dropped though as the others went back to animated conversation and she turned over to the door leading to the outside. "I hope he's okay…," she mumbled.

Babel stood outside staring as the scenery changed at fifty miles per hour. He was bothered by the fact that he wasn't annoyed by what the others had said about him. What really irked him was that he felt they were right. He's the oldest; didn't that mean he was responsible for them until they got back home?

He glanced down at Betamon who decided to follow him out. The little guy still wasn't able to evolve unlike three of the others. It made Babel think that there might've been some sort of fluke, like that man who gave him the D-Sync back in the human world, mistook him for some other kid.

Babel pulled out his D-Sync and stared at it. "There's no way I'll ever make this stupid thing work," he muttered.

"Don't say that," Betamon chimed. "I haven't digivolved yet, but that doesn't mean I never will."

Babel knew that his partner was just trying to cheer him up but he just felt so angry at himself at the moment that he ended up directing it at his own partner. "We've faced danger every two days since coming to this world and every single time, someone else steps up to the plate to save the day! Even Candlemon freed that Kunemon who was possessed by a Dark Chain last night! I've been completely useless on the other hand."

"That's not true!" Betamon said in response. "You're stronger than that, Babel. Besides, just because you're the oldest doesn't mean you have to be responsible for everyone."

Babel scoffed. "Yeah, you're right about that. I'm always responsible for my friends back home and it sucks pretty badly too. Every single time they do something bad, they pin it on me, like I'm the one responsible and I always end up being the only one getting in trouble. Some friends they are… They couldn't even share the blame with me."

"That's because you're letting them push you around," Betamon said. "It's different here and you know it!"

"Heh… I don't know about that," Babel muttered. "I mean, it doesn't even seem like anyone here even likes me. They're probably just tolerating my existence until we go home. Then everything will be the same as it always has."

Betamon just wasn't sure what to say to his partner anymore. Babel was just in a slump and it was hard to get him back to his cheerful self from when they had first met. Then again, he wasn't all that happy when he first got here either.

"Babel… We're friends, right?" Betamon asked.

"What?" Babel blinked. To be perfectly honest, he didn't even know his partner all that well but what was he supposed to say to the little guy? If nothing else, Betamon was a far better friend to him than anyone else has been in his lifetime. "Well, yeah, I guess so."

"Why aren't you sure?"

"Because we…"

"We haven't known each other for that long, right?" Betamon finished for him. "But that doesn't matter. I like you, Babel. I think you're amazing and you're a lot of fun to be around when you're not sulking. So can't we be friends?"

The pleading look that Betamon was giving him made him cave a lot faster than he would like to admit. "Yeah…Of course we can. Maybe we should move on from these darker topics though. Hm… Betamon, what were you doing before you met us? We all know Salamon was with the League of Angels, but what about you?"

"Nothing much," Betamon shrugged. "I just lived a carefree life at Java Lake."

"What made you realize that you were my partner?"

"…I just felt it. I know this must sound strange but there was this part of me that just knew I had to go meet you and now… Here we are."

Babel opened his mouth to say something else but then the train whistle blew and the Trailmon came to a slow stop. "We are now at Shellfish Station. Anyone who does not have a ticket to any destination past this station will be asked to leave."

Babel almost forgot, they used up the last of their Digi-Dollars to pay for those tickets. "I guess it's walking from here on out," he muttered. "Come on Betamon, let's get off before the others decide to leave without us."

"They wouldn't do that!"

Babel ignored him and just left the train, catching up with the rest of the group at the station. As he got closer, the Trailmon started to move forward again. He noticed that the group was waiting for them at the station and that Robert and Daisy were arguing about something.

"No surprise there," he muttered. "What are they fighting about this time?"

"Rob wants us to take a break to play at the beach," Janyu replied. "But Daisy says she wants to continue on to Magic Village."

"So it's just the usual argument," Babel muttered before coming between the two of them. "Both of you stop it! If you guys keep arguing about this matter then we're just going to waste more time. I say we take a vote."

"When did you become this authority figure?" Robert scoffed.

"I think it's a great idea," said Rai, not wanting more conflict than there already was.

"Well, knowing this group, I'm nearly certain we're going to spend the day on the beach," Daisy retorted. "I can guarantee that Babel is already thinking about taking Robert's side."

Robert had a smug smirk on his face but then Babel spoke up. "Actually, I would've voted to go to Magic Village. The sooner we find out why we were called here, the sooner we'll be able to go home. I don't really think I want to stay here much longer."

"What?!" Robert gaped. "Have you been spending too much time with Daisy? Don't be such a stickler!"

"We are in a bit of a rush," Rai added. "And this world is in danger; we can't make too many pit stops."

Robert was about to continue the argument when they heard screams for help coming from the beach. They watched a small group of Gomamon hopping towards them. "The Sea Fang Gang is coming! Everyone, get out of the way!" one of the Gomamon shouted.

"The Sea Fang Gang?" Ryudamon blinked.

"I don't know who they are but they sound like trouble, we should go help," said Salamon.

Babel was going to protest, about to say something like how other Digimon could just help but he had no time to as they all started running towards the beach. He groaned but he picked up Betamon and chased after them.

When the DigiDestined arrived on the scene of the crime, they saw a Gesomon, a Shellmon, and an Ebidramon terrorizing the beach and looking like the ugliest seafood platter in the universe. None of them were possessed by Dark Chains though.

Gesomon grabbed a Gizamon and started shaking the small amphibious creature and Digi-coins began dropping from his fur. "Ooh, would you look at this! You've got a rare gold doubloon, one with Azulongmon's face etched into it."

"Hey, give that back!" the Gizamon whined. "CaptainHookmon gave it to me and I don't want to lose it!"

"Too bad," Shellmon laughed. "If it's so precious then you shouldn't have let us seen it showing it off to your friends over there."

"Let go of me!" Gizamon struggled.

"Why don't you oblige, Gesomon?" Ebidramon snickered.

"With pleasure," the squid said as he tossed Gizamon at a small group of Otamamon.

"What jerks," Daisy huffed. "I can't just stand back and watch this happen."

"Yeah, let's knock them down a peg," Robert nodded.

Robert, Janyu, and Daisy all pulled out their bronze keys while the other two watched. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Ryudamon Digivolve to… Ginryumon!" "FanBeemon Digivolve to… Waspmon!" "Salamon Digivolve to… Darcmon!"

The Sea Fang Gang were laughing at the poor Gizamon's expense that they didn't even notice the three new Digimon until Waspmon was directly in front of them. "You know, my partner and I hate bullies like you three."

"What's it to you?" Gesomon asked before getting hit with Waspmon's Turbo Stinger attack.

"Hey, now that was rude," Ebidramon said as he tried to hit Waspmon with his claw. Unfortunately for him, his attack was blocked by Darcmon's blade.

"If you thought that was rude then you're going to hate this!" Darcmon smirked. "Dancing Sword!" Not even the oversized lobster's armor could protect himself from the sharp, swift cuts from the angel's weapon.

Shellmon watched as his companions were being beaten back before noticing Ginryumon staring at him. "I bet you're with those two. You better call them off before I get mad!" Ginryumon continued to stare in silence. "You don't want to see me mad!" There was still no answer from the armored dragon. "Fine, you asked for it! Aqua Blaster!"

A geyser of water shot out from his head at high pressure but Ginryu stood his ground, using his armor to shield himself from his enemy's attack. The dragon then started to charge forward, right through the blast and smashed into Shellmon. Ginryumon then took a step back and shot several daggers from his mouth. "Metal Armor Blade!"

The shellfish Digimon crashed into each other as a succession of attacks were launched from the DigiDestineds' partners.

"Ha! Now that's what I'm talking about!" Robert cheered as the shellfish started to flee.

"We'll get you back for this!" Gesomon said.

"The boss is going to come and take you all down," Shellmon added.

"You just made the biggest mistake of your lives!" Ebidramon called back.

The three Champion level Digimon reverted to their original forms and joined their partners. "You did great, FanBeemon," Janyu smiled.

"We really showed them the meaning of respect," Daisy laughed.

Rai didn't seem as cheerful as the others were when she noticed how all the Digimon on the beach were now giving them terrified looks, like they were the Sea Fang Gang. "Hey, what's wrong with all of you? We're not going to hurt you guys," she said, trying to coax them out.

Babel picked up the golden doubloon that Gizamon had dropped and walked over to amphibious creature. "Here, this belongs to you."

"Thank you…," the Gizamon said shyly as he took the coin. "But you should've just let them take it…"

"What?! Why?" Robert asked. "They were terrorizing you guys!"

"Yeah, you're the most ungrateful bunch I've ever met," Daisy huffed.

Then they noticed that the group of Gomamon that had run past them earlier was coming back, and with a large a powerful looking Digimon beside them. Despite looking rather old, his body was still rather muscular with a black patch over his scarred, left eye. The large Digimon stopped in front of the humans who were staring up at him, afraid that they might have to fight him as well. In one hand, he held a large metal hammer but at the moment, he was using it as a walking cane but they knew he was probably capable of using it to smash them to bits.

"You must be the DigiDestined," the formidable Digimon said, his eyes getting slightly wider. He then glanced around before coming to a conclusion. "Don't tell me that you ran off the Sea Fang Gang from here."

"Yeah, we did!" Robert said with pride.

"But these Digimon are acting more afraid than they were before," Ryudamon added.

The other Digimon gave a sort of sad frown. "I suppose I should tell you then. First, allow me to introduce myself, I am Zudomon and while I am thankful that you protected the denizens of Shellfish Beach, I do wish you would've let me handle it. Come, I will tell you everything in my cabana."

They reached a rather large hut that was even bigger on the inside. None of them could even imagine reaching for the doorknob though they didn't have to since Zudomon did it for them. They followed him inside and it wasn't long before they noticed that the group of Gomamon and the one Gizamon had followed as well. They were seated on the carpeted floor where the Gomamon gave them some cabbages which were apparently for eating.

"I don't even eat vegetables at home," Robert groaned.

Rai took a bite out of it. "Mmm! These don't taste like cabbages, this one tastes like chicken!"

"Everything tastes like chicken nowadays," Daisy muttered before taking a bite out of one as well. "Actually, this one tastes kind of like borscht. I miss the one my mom would always make during the cold winters."

"I don't know what cabbages are but these are the best tasting food balls I've ever had!" Ryudamon laughed.

"You never know what you're going to get though and some can be disgusting," Candlemon chuckled.

Once the group had settled and gotten themselves comfortable, Zudomon began to speak.

"The Sea Fang Gang has been here for a long time now and every time, I would always stop them from causing too much damage," Zudomon said. "One day, they were doing an excessive amount of terrorizing at a small restaurant nearby and I had enough so I tried to delete them out of anger. An old friend of mine, Scorpiomon, stopped me and promised to take the three of them under his wing. From then on, there was a lot less bullying going around although it still happened from time to time but Scorpiomon would always scold them afterwards. It took a few weeks but the Sea Fang Gang had rehabilitated and even made Scorpiomon their honorary boss."

Janyu blinked. "The Sea Fang Gang mentioned something about getting their boss when they left. Don't tell us that Scorpiomon decided to become a bully like them."

Zudomon shook his head. "No, not exactly. You see, the Sea Fang Gang respected Scorpiomon and owed their whole lives to him, claiming that they would never leave his side. Scorpiomon said something similar to me, stating that they were his brothers now and I had to say, seeing the turn-around in their behavior made me more proud than ever to call Scorpiomon my friend. But then Apocalymon rose and the Dark Chains came around, taking Scorpiomon as one of his minions."

Zudomon sounded very angry with himself as he slammed his hammer into the ground to emphasize his point. Everyone inside the hut, aside from him, levitated for a solid three seconds. He sighed heavily as he reminisced about the times before Scorpiomon had unwillingly turned to Apocalymon's side.

"I'm still not sure what happened," Daisy muttered although she could take a guess.

"The Sea Fang Gang were horrified that this happened to their boss and pleaded with me to help them out and free Scorpiomon," Zudomon answered. "I wanted to, but it is impossible. I told them that and they were very upset with me so they returned to their usual antics, making it a statement how they would follow their boss down the road to darkness. There is still a little bit of my old friend within Scorpiomon, I know that. I tried to stop the Sea Fang Gang when they started up again but then Scorpiomon intervened, saying he won't have anything happen to his brothers…"

"This sounds like it comes straight out of some storybook," Robert said.

"I don't understand," Rai shook her head. "Why is it impossible for you to free Scorpiomon from the Dark Chain? Can't you just break it? I mean, that's how we've been taking care of any other Digimon captured by one."

One of the Gomamon chimed in for Zudomon. "You mean you don't know?"

The DigiDestined and their partners gave them a confused look.

Gizamon hopped over to them while putting the doubloon back into his fur. "The Dark Chain is capable of taking hold of multiple Digimon, especially if you come close to a Digimon who is already in its hold. If Zudomon had tried to free Scorpiomon, then he would get controlled too and none of us could bear it if that happened. Some Digimon are able to destroy the Chain quickly enough before it can take hold of them though."

Zudomon took over from there. "Unfortunately, as you can see, I'm very old and my reflexes aren't what they used to be. I could be captured and then it would just cause a lot more damage to this beautiful beach. I would not be able to bear it if I was the one responsible for ravaging my own home."

"I still don't get it," Salamon said. "How come that never happened to any of us?"

"Humans were called to save our world because they are not affected by the Dark Chains," said Zudomon. "And because of their connection with certain Digimon through a device known as the D-Sync, those Digimon are not affected as well."

"That explains why this world needs us," Daisy nodded.

Robert suddenly stood up with a look of determination etched onto his face. "Zudomon, allow us to fight Scorpiomon and free your friend from the Dark Chain."

"I cannot allow you to do that," Zudomon quickly shot down, surprising the humans.

"What? Why not? Isn't it our job to do stuff like this?" Daisy asked.

"You're not ready," Zudomon answered. "I can tell that you're all fairly new to this world and that your partners can only reach the Champion level. Scorpiomon and I are at the Ultimate level, we are far more powerful than your partners are at the moment despite old age."

"Well we won't know if we don't try," Rai argued.

"He's your friend," Janyu reminded Zudomon. "And you said that you wouldn't be able to bear it if you knew you were responsible for wrecking your own home. Don't you think that Scorpiomon feels the same way? We have to at least try."

FanBeemon buzzed in agreement with his partner. "Besides, it's not like we have to beat Scorpiomon. We can make a plan, catch him off guard, and destroy the Dark Chain before he even gets a chance to hit us."

"That's the right way of thinking," Robert grinned. "So is everyone in agreement here?"

Babel quickly shot up before anyone could say anything. "Have you all gone insane?!" Everyone paused and stared at him quietly. "We don't know what to expect from an enemy like this and according to all the Digimon here, he's on a whole other level in comparison to our partners. We wouldn't stand much of a chance. I get that all we have to do is destroy the Chain but what if someone gets hurt or worse before we even succeed in doing that? What will we do then?"

"Wait until we heal before we start moving again," Ryudamon answered.

"You don't get it!" Babel snapped. "Something terrible could happen and you don't seem to heed anyone's warnings to stay out of this. It's not our problem."

"And you guys say I'm the pessimistic one," Daisy scoffed. "Usually, I'd agree with you Babel but I can't just sit back and watch while innocent beings are being pushed around by Digimon who just lost their way."

"She's right," Janyu nodded. "It just wouldn't feel right to move on without doing something."

"It also wouldn't feel right having a couple of broken bones but none of you seem to care about your own safety!"

Robert stood up this time. "What the heck is your problem? We're all just trying to do a nice thing and you just start complaining!"

"I have a right to," Babel retorted angrily. "Don't you realize how dangerous this quest is?"

"Yes, we do!" Robert snapped. "But that doesn't mean we can't stand and fight."

Babel stood there, silently fuming before giving up, there was no use trying to persuade them and he already mentioned earlier to Betamon that he wasn't going to be held accountable for their actions. He's not responsible for them. "Fine, but I'm not going with you."

Robert seemed to soften up after that. "No one is forcing you to. You and Rai should stay back and watch over the little Digimon here. If you see the Sea Fang Gang approaching you guys, then you have to take them and run as far away as possible."

Babel was going to say something about how he wasn't responsible for anyone's safety but his own but one glance at the fearful looks on the Gomamons' and Gizamon's face made him bite his tongue. "All right, I'll keep them safe. But you have to make sure you and the others come back safe too."

"We will, I promise," Robert nodded before turning to the others as they started making a plan of attack.

Zudomon watched as the children immediately started making battle plans and he knew there was no way of dissuading them from fighting this strong enemy. But seeing their determination seemed to convince him to at least try to save his age-old friend.

"All right then," Zudomon huffed. "I will cooperate with you and your decision to fight. However, I advise you that you back out of the fight if it gets too dangerous and head straight to Magic Village. You kids are our only hope and if we lost you in this one battle, the Digital World would be doomed."

"You can count on us," Robert nodded.

While the kids made strategies on how to take on Scorpiomon, who, according to Zudomon, would most likely show up at noon, Babel left the hut with Betamon following behind him. Gizamon took notice and quickly followed them out.

"Are you okay Babel?" Betamon asked.

"I'll be better once this mission is done and over with," Babel huffed. He almost wanted them to fail so that he could be right for once but knew how sick that was. "I just wish they would listen to me for once. I mean, an Ultimate level Digimon sounds pretty dangerous to me."

"They are," Betamon nodded. "But I sort of agree with the others, it just wouldn't feel right to just leave without doing anything to help."

"No… I suppose it wouldn't…"

Babel paused and turned around when he heard Gizamon approach them. "Um… I just wanted to thank you," said Gizamon timidly.

Babel blinked. "Thank me? For what? I was saying that we should leave you guys, there's no reason to be grateful towards me. It's Rob you want to thank."

"No, not about fighting the Sea Fang Gang for us," Gizamon shook his head. "…For giving me my doubloon back. And also, for saying that you would protect my Gomamon friends and me… Even if you don't think so, I think you're really brave."

"…Thanks kid," Babel smiled faintly. "That means a lot."

About an hour passed with Babel just having a conversation between himself, his partner, and Gizamon. By then, the group inside seemed to have made a battle plan and Zudomon had just left his home for a breath of saltwater air.

"You are Babel right?" Zudomon asked as he approached the oldest DigiDestined.

"Yeah," Babel nodded. "I'm sorry, Zudomon, for being so negative about everything when you're putting your hopes in us to free your friend."

"Don't apologize for anything," Zudomon chuckled. "In fact, watching the way you argued with Robert, it reminded me of myself and Scorpiomon when we were younger. Even though we were friends, we'd fight all the time especially due to his rashness."

"I wouldn't exactly call Robert my friend," muttered Babel.

"I would," Zudomon said. "When one of the Gomamon asked if you were really capable of protecting them, Robert said that he would put his life in your hands."

"…He said that?" It was hard for Babel to believe considering Robert was slamming him earlier about sleeping on the first day they were here.

"He did," Zudomon nodded. "He trusts you."

Babel was more than surprised but even more so when the group left the cabana and walked over to him.

"Hey, Babel," Daisy called over. "Listen, about earlier in the Trailmon, I'm sorry for saying that you were irresponsible and all those other mean things. I was just joking around."

Robert nodded. "Yeah, so was I. I was actually expecting you to make a comeback like how careless I am most of the time."

"Or how bossy I can be," Daisy laughed.

"Why are you apologizing now?" Babel asked.

"We realized, well, Rai pointed us in the right direction, but we realized that we haven't really made you feel like part of the team," Robert admitted before putting a hand on Babel's shoulder. "But you're one of the best friends I've ever had and I know I'll be able to count on you on anything."

Babel stared at the goggle-head for a long time before laughing. "You really know how to apply pressure to something, huh?" He looked up at the sky and saw that the sun was nearly on top of them now. "You guys should go. Be sure to free Scorpiomon or I'm going to put a Dark Chain around you guys."

"Yeah, we'll be sure of that," Robert chuckled. "Come on, let's move out!"

Shellfish Beach – 12:03 PM

Robert stood on the white sandy beach with Ginryumon by his side; to his left, behind a large boulder hid Daisy and Darcmon while to his right, Janyu and Waspmon hid in the cover of thick foliage. Zudomon stood on Robert's other side and he raised his hammer when they saw something burrowing towards them from underneath the surface.

"Zudomon," said a nasally voice as Scorpiomon made himself known. "Was it you who was responsible for the damage done to my brothers?"

Robert narrowed his eyes on the Dark Chain on their opponent's tail. "Actually, my friends and I are the ones who are responsible."

The Sea Fang Gang approached and stood by their boss.

"Yeah, that's one of them!" said Shellmon.

"You should bury him six feet deep in sand!" Ebidramon added.

"Wait, where are those other two?" questioned Gesomon.

"They're not here," Ginryumon answered. "I will be the sole fighter to face your boss if it means protecting my comrades."

Scorpiomon nodded. "I can respect that… though that doesn't mean I will show you mercy!" The Ultimate Digimon charged in with his claws outstretched, hitting Ginryumon's tough armor. Even with the dragon's strong armor though, he could still feel a lot of pain from the way Scorpiomon was striking at him over and over.

The Sea Fang Gang attempted to help out Scorpiomon but this was where Zudomon came into the plan. The shelled walrus kept the three of them occupied by chasing them around with his hammer. Scorpiomon saw that his comrades were in danger so he turned around for just a moment. "You leave them alone!"

Ginryumon bit onto Scorpiomon's tail, keeping sure to avoid the knife and kept him still. "Now!" he shouted through gritted teeth.

Darcmon and Waspmon flew out from their hiding spits at top speed, aiming right for the exposed chain on Scorpiomon. Unfortunately for them, Scorpiomon saw them coming and immediately burrowed into the sand, dragging Ginryumon with him.

"He's strong enough to take a heavily armored Digimon with him?" Daisy gasped.

"That's not all I can do," Scorpiomon cackled as he tossed Ginryumon out of the ground, smacking right into Waspmon. He then started using the knife at the end of his tail as a sword, combating with Darcmon's own blade. "Tail Blade!"

While Darcmon was trying to parry her foe's tail, she hadn't noticed him preparing an attack on his other end and was blasted away.

Janyu ran over to Waspmon as the other humans did for their partners. "He's strong!" Janyu said. "How do we beat him?"

"We just have to keep going," Waspmon groaned.

"Right, we can't give up," Ginryumon agreed.

"We're the partners of DigiDestined," Darcmon added.

"And it's our responsibility to take care of the evil that plagues this world!"

Scorpiomon scowled at them for calling him evil. "Who do you think you are, labeling me? I'm just trying to protect my little brothers! Let's see you act tough after this! Scorpion Storm!" He started hurling bullets and streams of sand, blinding them all or even knocking them down.

Zudomon glanced up from where he had tied up the Sea Fang Gang and his eyes widened when he saw them scattered in a mess. "No!"

"And you're next, Zudomon," Scorpiomon hissed.

Babel was really thankful for his daily jogs or else, this would've been a real pain, carrying both Betamon and Gizamon while trying to get to the battle. "Gizamon, are you sure the others are in trouble?"

"Well, last time I checked, he was going toe to toe with Darcmon's sword," answered the furry Digimon. "So yeah, I would think so… Oh! I think we're almost there! It's just over this big sand dune!"

Gizamon was right and Babel quickly ran over to Robert, trying to wake the younger boy up. "Come on, man, wake up!"

Robert murmured something before opening his eyes. "Babel? Thanks… I guess I'm the one sleeping on the job now."

"Yeah, I guess so," Babel chuckled before getting serious. "You need to wake the others up. Scorpiomon and Zudomon are duking it out over there and right now, all Zudomon can do is keep moving away so the Dark Chain doesn't possess him as well."

"It's definitely a great defense mechanism," Robert grumbled before waking up his partner. "Ginryumon, you've got to help out Zudomon. Babel, you wake up the others, I'll go and hold him off for as long as I can."

Babel shook his head. "No, you wake up the others; you need the few extra seconds to get the sand out of your ears. Betamon and I will take care of it." The older boy stood back up and started on his way towards the fight between the two Ultimate Digimon.

"Wait!" Robert quickly called. Babel took a short pause. "Be careful."

"I will" Babel nodded. "Come on Betamon!"

When the two of them reached the fight, Betamon shot an electric shock towards Scorpiomon, diverting his attention. "Water Tower!" A pillar of water was shot towards Scorpiomon but it left him completely unaffected and unfazed.

"I don't have time to deal with you pipsqueaks!" Scorpiomon snapped as he slapped Betamon into the seawater.

"Betamon!" Babel called before glaring at the huge scorpion. "Aren't you supposed to be one of Zudomon's best friends?! You shouldn't be doing something like this! You love this beach as much as he does, don't you?"

Scorpiomon's red eyes flashed. "Of course I love this beach! That's why I want to make it all mine so no one can bring harm to it ever again."

"That Dark Chain has made him all delusional," Babel muttered.

"I don't need a pesky human giving me any speeches," Scorpiomon suddenly snarled as his tail was about to whip forward and slam into Babel. The human watched as Gizamon suddenly leapt in the way of the attack but Babel quickly grabbed him and shielded him as he was knocked away.

"Babel?" Gizamon muttered in his protector's arms. "I was trying to protect you, why did you do it for me instead?"

"Are you stupid?" Babel grumbled as he got back to his feet. He felt a rather deep gash in his back though and he knew he was bleeding. "You would've been completely destroyed. As if I can let you do that."

There was a pause but then Gizamon placed his gold doubloon in Babel's hands. "Thank you… I want you to have this…"

"Shouldn't you be giving me a gift after we win?"

"It's a good luck charm… It'll make sure you win and I'm giving it to you now because…You're my hero!"

Babel was surprised; he had never been called a hero before although, he was pretty sure most kids his age hadn't. "Well, I guess I have to win now. As a hero, it is my responsibility to make sure you and your home is safe." Suddenly, his D-Sync started glowing brightly, blinding Scorpiomon and keeping him from getting any closer than he already had. "This is…" Babel trailed off as he stared at the bronze key that had popped out of a secret compartment. "Betamon, time for an upgrade! D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Betamon Digivolve to…" The amphibious Digimon's form started to glow underneath the ocean's surface and his body began to expand in length. He took on the new appearance of a humongous see snake. "Seadramon!"

Digital Analyzer: Seadramon is known as the terror of the deep. They have a long, serpentine body which they use to writhe themselves around enemies and prey to keep them from escaping. Despite the majority of them lacking intelligence and speech capabilities, there are a few that are far more advanced.

"He actually digivolved!" Babel cheered.

"That's so cool," Gizamon smiled.

"Another Champion isn't going to help you," Scorpiomon cackled. "Tail Blade!"

Seadramon dived underwater to avoid the attack and then quickly resurfaced, wrapping his tail around Scorpiomon to keep him from moving despite having all of the scorpion's sharp body parts piercing into his scales. "You're not going to escape this time!"

"I can still drag you under the sand just like your pal from earlier," Scorpiomon boasted.

"Let's see you do that after this! Ice Blast!" Seadramon ended up spouting a stream of ice, freezing his victim and keeping him solid as the other DigiDestined started showing.

"Whoa, is that Betamon?" Daisy blinked.

"He's got Scorpiomon captured!" Janyu chimed.

"Then let's not let this chance go to waste," Ginryumon shouted. "Everyone, launch an attack at the Dark Chain, Seadramon won't be able to hold him down forever! Metal Armor Blade!"

"Bear Buster!"

"Dancing Sword!"

The three attacks fused together and shattered the Dark Chain into bits, releasing Scorpiomon from its grasp and thus, allowing Seadramon to release him from his grasp.

"What happened?" Scorpiomon groaned before getting pulled into an extremely strong hug by Zudomon.

"I'm so glad that you're back," Zudomon sobbed, tears rolling down his wrinkly cheeks.

"I'm glad to be back," Scorpiomon choked out. "Where did I go? Can you let go of me, you're crushing my exoskeleton."

"Sorry," Zudomon sniffed. "You were in a dark place where I thought you would never return."

"Geez, why do you have to be all witty all the time?" Scorpiomon chuckled. "Maybe I should just go back to that place if you're going to be like this. It can't be that bad if I was there long enough for you to miss, you big baby."

With each statement, a new vein popped onto Zudomon's forehead and the large beast started hitting Scorpiomon with his hammer out of irritation. "You have no idea how worried I was and here you are joking about it! I should've just let you stay possessed! You're always like this!"

"Ow, okay! I'm sorry!"

Rai had arrived on the scene not too long ago and Candlemon burned the binds on the Sea Fang Gang who tackled their boss to the ground. "Boss, we're so happy that you're released from that horrid Dark Chain!"

"The Dark Chain?!" Scorpiomon repeated. "Oh… So that's why you were all so worried. I'm guessing these are the DigiDestined who saved me. I am in your debt. Is there anything I can do to repay you?"

"One thing," said Daisy, turning Babel around. "What can you do about this?"

"Ow!" Babel growled. "Don't whip me around so fast!"

"I will get MarineAngemon to take a look at it," Zudomon chuckled. "After that, will you be heading off to Magic Village to find out the rest of the prophecy?"

"Actually…," Babel said as he looked at the other DigiDestined who were staring at him expectantly. "I was thinking we could stay here for a few days and relax a bit. After everything we've gone through today, I think we've earned it."

"Well, we're going to have to stay until you heal," Daisy grinned.

Seadramon smiled as well. "And I could really go for a nice swim!"

"Oh, man, I forgot that we need bathing suits!" Robert gasped.

"I'm sure we'll figure something out," Janyu chuckled.

"Just keep my flame away from the water," Candlemon laughed.

Babel smiled at how carefree everyone had become right after the battle as he followed Zudomon to see MarineAngemon. Gizamon padded up to him and poked his leg. "See? I told you that the doubloon would help you win."

"Yeah," Babel nodded. "Here, you can have it back."

"No, I want you to keep it," said Gizamon. "I know it'll help you in the fight against Apocalymon."

Babel smiled. "I know it will. And hey, by extension, it'll mean you saved the world too."

"And then I'll be a hero?"

"For sure!"

Chapter Text

Forest of Enchantment – 10:42 AM

Candlemon sighed as he watched the DigiDestined bicker like they never had before. Well, three of them were bickering, Janyu was bawling, and Rai was just looking on with a worried expression. "I told you guys not to get your emotions too riled up," Candlemon said in exasperation. He was glad that at least his partner was still sane.

Usually, Rai would pass this off as normal behavior but the three children arguing, their words actually contained malice and it scared her. To make it worse, the way Janyu was crying made it sound so desperate and alone like he was wailing from the bottom of a well. Even the other four Digimon had gotten involved with this chaos. "Why are they all acting this way?"

"The fog magnifies negative emotions," Candlemon told her. "It works in the same way the Dark Chain does, only this fog is for protective purposes only. It's the only reason why the Magic Village is out of Apocalymon's grasp because any Digimon who enters usually go insane. If you stay calm then you can get through it without too much trouble but since the forest is so large, most Digimon get lost, thus getting frustrated. For us, Robert complained about being tired and then Daisy got annoyed at him, and then Babel got annoyed at her. After that, Janyu tried to stop them but they mentioned something about going back home and he started crying because he's homesick."

"And then the other Digimon got involved," Rai finished with a nod.

"I'm glad that you're okay though," Candlemon sighed. He glanced up at his partner and noticed how tears were threatening to burst from her eyes but she blinked them away. He was surprised; he had never seen Rai cry before.

"How much longer until we get to Magic Village because I'm kind of scared that these guys might actually start killing each other," Rai inquired.

Candlemon shook his head to get rid of his previous thoughts. "We shouldn't be much farther. Although we have to be careful, when we're getting close, the sentries of the village will attack, thinking we're an enemy. So let me do all the talking."

Rai nodded in understanding. "I'll tell the others so they don't go berserk and do something they might regret."

The two of them looked forward and noticed that it was already too late as they were all in fighting stances. They could see something moving around in front of them and soon the figures got closer and they could now see that they were Woodmon.

"The sentries!" Candlemon exclaimed as he hopped to the front of the group while Rai tried to keep them from doing something drastic.

"Who dares to approach the Magic Village without permission?" one of the Woodmon asked, presumably the leader of the sentries.

"Um, sir?" Candlemon chuckled nervously as he approached the Champion. "I am Candlemon, I am a resident, or at least I was, of Magic Village and I wish to gain entry. You see, I have with me, the humans from the prophecy who have come to save our world from the dreaded Apocalymon. So if you would just spread out and have us go in, that would be great. By the way, you look lovely today; did you guys have a trim?"

Daisy took a few steps forward. "Yeah, we could really use the time to go in there, get to know the full legend, and then leave this stupid world."

Candlemon tried to shush her but then Robert stepped forward and pulled the girl back. "Excuse me, but I am the leader here and I should be the one to talk to these clowns."

Candlemon could feel his wax melting faster as Babel took a step forward, pinching the goggle-head. "Since when did you become our leader? If anything, I should talk to these pinheads since I'm the oldest."

Candlemon could tell, without even looking, that the Woodmon were fuming behind him. Rai would've gone up and dragged those three back if Janyu hadn't suddenly burst into tears and started throwing a tantrum. "I want to go home! I don't care about saving this world anymore!"

"Well, that went well for the first five seconds," Candlemon murmured, officially giving up.

Woodmon picked up Candlemon and tossed him aside. Rai ran over to him while the sentries moved in on the others, looking fully prepared to tear them limb from limb. "You may be humans but I can tell the difference between heroes and public menaces," the leader growled. "We will delete you trespassers at once!"

"Yeah? Then bring it on!" all the Digimon aside from Candlemon retorted.

Their partners all pulled out their bronze keys; even Janyu did despite dribbling tears and snot. As they were getting ready to jam them into their D-Syncs, the Woodmon had their arms raised in preparation of using them like clubs. Candlemon squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting to see the violence that would've inevitably ensued if a familiar sounding Digimon had not interfered.

"Crystal Barrage!"

The group of Woodmon immediately leaped backwards as multiple ice creations came crashing down between the two groups. After that, the fog lifted a little around the DigiDestined, leaving them feeling dazed and confused.

"What just happened?" Robert groaned.

"Uh… I think we've arrived at Magic Village," said Salamon.

Just then, they saw a wizard floating down towards them, dressed in all white with a hat, cape, and a staff with a snowflake as they head. He had a rather serious expression on as he walked towards Candlemon and then turned to the head sentry. "Excuse me, Woodmon, but it would appear that kid brother really has brought the humans of legend here. So I ask you kindly to let them pass, I'll keep an eye on them once they're past the gate."

"Wait, kid brother?" everyone aside from Candlemon repeated.

"Heh… Hey, big brother," Candlemon greeted sheepishly.

"We'll talk inside," his older brother replied curtly.

The leader of the Woodmon stepped forward. "But sir, are you sure we can trust them?"

"No, but you can trust me," the wizard replied. "They hold the devices of legend, the D-Syncs. And those things they had said, they probably meant it but only in a small way as the enchanted fog is used as our defense mechanism. Besides, what choice do we have if we want to rid our world of Apocalymon? You could've deleted the Digital World's only hope."

"R-Right…," the Woodmon nodded sheepishly as they separated to let them enter.

"How come you never told us you had an older brother?" Daisy whispered.

Robert stared at the bronze keys in everyone's hands. "And why do we have our keys out?"

Babel shrugged. "I don't even know half of what's going on here but I don't really care right now. We've finally made it to Magic Village, that's what matters most. But I am interested in this brother of yours."

Said brother paused and turned to them. "You know I can hear you. I prefer we talk back in our home but I suppose I should at least introduce myself. My name is Sorcerymon, and I am the guardian of Magic Village as well as the older brother of Candlemon as you have all figured out."

Digital Analyzer: Sorcerymon is a Demon Man Digimon and one of the few who can use digital magic. They specialize in a form of ice magic and possess the special ability of healing themselves. Most Sorcerymon tend to be kind and accommodating however, they also tend to go overboard when trying to protect the things that are important to them. They are loyal and are known to have a strong will.

The group introduced themselves and continued to follow him until they came into view of a quaint village. Wizards and witches could be seen flying around the area while some Candlemon hopped around, lighting the place with their flames. Sorcerymon walked past most of the buildings until he came to a tower in the center of the village which was apparently his home.

"Wow, Candlemon, you never told us you lived the luxury life," Ryudamon gaped when they came into view of a massive feast being prepared by the magical Digimon.

"It never came up," Candlemon shrugged.

Rai took note of how her partner didn't seem very happy to see his brother again after so long. It made her wonder if something bad had happened between the two of them before he went searching for her. She didn't have much time to think about it though when Sorcerymon led them into a room where they could all sit down and have a civilized conversation.

"It's nice to meet the DigiDestined which I have heard so much about," Sorcerymon started as he used magic to bring a kettle of tea to them. He poured each of them a cup and then set it in the center of the table so that anyone could refill their own. "But I can tell that you need much more preparation before fighting Apocalymon."

"Um… Yeah," Robert nodded when he noticed that no one else was going to talk. "That's why we came here. We were hoping that we could start by learning the full prophecy at Mystic Temple. This wouldn't happen to be it, would it?"

Sorcerymon shook his head with a chuckle. "No, the Mystic Temple is like an ancient relic for our people. I have memorized the legend by heart, something Candlemon would've been able to do if he just visited the temple as often as I have. But I think it might be better for you to see it for yourselves."

"Well, where is it?"

"It's on the outskirts of the village," Sorcerymon answered. "I will take you there myself after lunch."

"Thank you," Robert nodded.

"For the lunch too," Ryudamon added with a smile.

"So what do we do until then?" Daisy asked.

Sorcerymon stood up and walked over to his little brother who hadn't made eye contact with him since they entered the village. "You can all explore the village; I'll ask Witchmon to go get you all for lunch. Though, Candlemon, I ask that you remain so that I may talk to you and it might be best if your partner stays as well. It'll only take a minute."

The group slowly exited the room with Candlemon making silent protests that he should not be left alone with his brother. Janyu paused once the door closed behind them and Robert noticed that so he walked over to the bespectacled boy.

"Is something wrong?" Robert inquired.

"I'm worried about Candlemon," Janyu replied. "He doesn't seem to like Sorcerymon very much."

"Oh, come on, all brothers are like that sometimes," Robert told him. "I know I'm like that with my older brother. Whenever he visits from university, I pretend to hate him and avoid all eye contact with him. And then, he corners me and forces me to hang out with him. But the truth is, I want to spend time with him. Honestly, I don't know why I do all that evasion stuff. Brothers are just really weird friends and besides, this is something they need to deal with. It's a family matter."

"I guess I get the feeling," Janyu nodded. "I have two sisters, one is older and the other is younger. We like to fool around in similar ways too."

"See?" Robert chuckled. "Now come on, let's go see what this village does for fun."

Janyu nodded and followed the goggle-head out. "Yeah, okay."

Magic Village – 11:13 AM

"So, you are my kid brother's partner?" Sorcerymon asked.

Rai nodded, she wasn't quite sure why she felt so nervous but she did know she was fidgeting quite a lot in her seat. It made her feel like she was acting rude and her parents always hated that. Even though her parents weren't there, their strict teachings were emblazoned on her mind so she quickly sat up straight and started breathing properly.

"I haven't been Candlemon's partner for long but yes, I am his partner," Rai answered clearly.

Sorcerymon took a sip from his tea and took note of how Candlemon was dripping wax all over his handle. "From what I saw earlier, you have yet to bring out Candlemon's potential."

Rai blinked. "Huh?"

Candlemon quickly took over for her. "Um, it's true that she hasn't been able to get me to digivolve but I know she will one day!"

"Why haven't you digivolved?" Sorcerymon asked, now directing himself to his brother.

The Rookie Digimon wasn't quite sure how to answer. "Erm… It's probably because it's not the right time. And besides, what does it matter if I haven't evolved yet? I'm still young. And it took you several years to become Sorcerymon."

"You really should've paid more attention to the prophecy when you were being taught it," Sorcerymon sighed.

"What does that have to do with anything?"

The sorcerer was starting to lose his patience with him. "The legend states that a human could bring out the true potential of a Digimon they are partnered with in less time than it would take normally. By now, you should've seen your Champion form at least once. But since you haven't, how can you be sure that you are this girl's partner?"

Candlemon knew the answer his brother was expecting him to say and he also knew that it wouldn't be sufficient. So he simply looked away, without a decent response to give when Rai suddenly spoke up, forgetting all the teachings her parents gave her since she was a toddler.

"Candlemon is my partner!" Rai stated firmly.

Sorcerymon hadn't been expecting her to answer. "What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because he's stuck by me since day one," Rai replied. "I don't think he would do that unless he was my partner."

"So then it's just a feeling of yours?" Sorcerymon questioned before looking over to Candlemon. "The same reply I was expecting from him. Perhaps you really are partners but I still have my doubts. Tell me, Rai, how much do you trust your partner?"

"What do you mean?" Rai asked.

Sorcerymon took another slow sip from his tea before looking Rai right in the eye. "Did he tell you that he ran away from the village without telling anybody? Or that he stole some of the village provisions and Digi-Dollars?"

"Candlemon… did that?" Rai breathed before looking over to her partner. "How could you do something like that?"

Candlemon couldn't believe that Rai would turn against him so quickly although he could understand how upsetting it would be from a third person's perspective. "I had to! Sorcerymon would never have let me out of the village on my own and I needed those supplies so that we could survive!"

"You know how important those supplies were to the village!" Sorcerymon suddenly snapped, the area around him getting covered in frost and the temperature of the room rapidly dropping. "We barely leave the village to get more supplies because the world has becomes so dangerous. We needed that money to buy more provisions if we ever ran out and you took them all because you had a feeling that you were a Digimon of the legend. You barely know the legend and you were born in Mystic Temple!"

"Candlemon… You shouldn't…," Rai huffed. "You could've left without those supplies. Or you could've told somebody about you leaving. Your friends and family must've been worried sick about you! They could've thought you had been deleted and then what would they do?"

"I can't believe you're siding with him instead of me!" Candlemon retorted, without even thinking about it. "You're supposed to be my partner!"

"And how do you know that?" Rai snapped back, she felt like crying right about now and Candlemon knew that. She had been unstable since they had stepped into that fog and yet, she wasn't letting any of it out.

"Because–!"

"Because it's just a feeling, isn't it?" Rai finished for him. "I haven't been able to make you digivolve like the others and it barely feels like I belong here with everyone else. You don't have any proof that I'm your partner so why are we wasting time like this?"

Sorcerymon decided that this would be a good time to reveal his true intentions. "Then I would like to ask you to leave Candlemon here in my custody like he was supposed to be. I will make him work to pay off the supplies he took."

"Wait!" Candlemon suddenly exclaimed. "I'll prove that I am Rai's partner!"

The sorcerer raised an eyebrow. "Oh? And how do you propose you do that?"

"According to the legend, a Digimon partnered with a human is also supposed to be stronger than the average Digimon, so I challenge you to a magic duel!" Candlemon proclaimed. "And if I win, you allow me to continue traveling with the DigiDestined because when we defeat Apocalymon, the world will be safe again. And I promise that I will pay off everything that I stole."

"And if I win, you have to stay here and pay it off the way I say," Sorcerymon added. "You can't win against me brother; you never have been able to."

"That was before I met Rai," Candlemon shot back. "Right, Rai?" Rai stood up and walked towards the door, not once looking back at her partner. "Rai?"

"I'm not going to go with you," Rai sniffed. "It's one thing to steal supplies; it's another to challenge your own brother to something so pointless. You're just going to get needlessly hurt so why don't you just save everybody some time and stay here?"

"But Rai, I-I can't do that…"

"You also can't steal the only things your hometown needs for survival but that didn't stop you…"

"Rai…" Candlemon just stood there in shock as Rai left the room in a hurry.

The youngest Chosen Child leaned her back against the door and started to cry. She listened as Candlemon told Sorcerymon that their duel would be at three before she ran away, not wanting anyone to see her in such a state.

Magic Village – 12:34 PM

It was lunch time now and the group was as hungry as they had ever been. They stared at Candlemon once he had finished telling them what had transpired in the room after they had all left. It was more than a shock to them.

"You can't just leave the group!" Ryudamon said.

"Yeah, who cares if you haven't digivolved? It took us different times for it to happen," Betamon added.

Babel crossed his arms and leaned back in his chair. "I'm going to be honest, it does seem wrong to run away with supplies which were important for the village's survival."

"Oh come on, Sorcerymon was obviously blowing that way out of proportion," Robert scoffed. "Just look at this feast prepared!"

Candlemon didn't respond immediately but as time passed, they realized that the lunch was prepared for the entire village and it was pretty clear that the lunch was not nearly enough to keep everyone's stomachs satisfied. "The food stock is running low and this is as much rationing as they can do."

"I… see…," Robert muttered, defeated.

"So are you sure about this duel?" Salamon asked. "I mean, Sorcerymon is on a whole other level compared to you."

FanBeemon buzzed his agreement. "And you saw what he could do. He'd probably coat your flame in ice somehow without having it melted."

"I can beat him," Candlemon replied, although he didn't sound very confident. "I know I can…"

Daisy looked around worriedly. "Hey, where's Rai? I haven't seen her since we left you guys alone with your brother."

Candlemon's expression darkened as he hopped a little ways away. "I don't know… She probably went off to explore the village too and just hasn't come back yet. But if you see her, tell her that I will win against Sorcerymon if it means traveling with her again…"

They watched him hop off and at that moment, Sorcerymon entered the dining area, slightly levitating. He floated over to Robert, whispered something in his ear, and suddenly, the goggle-head was following the levitating sorcerer back into his office. The others simply watched with concerned expressions, especially when he asked Ryudamon not to follow them.

"So, what did you want to talk to me about in private?" Robert asked once the door was closed behind them. He didn't particularly like the Digimon considering everything that was happening at the moment but what choice did he have?

"It's about Candlemon."

"You mean the Digimon you're trying to control? What about him?"

Sorcerymon didn't appreciate the tone that the human was giving him but he understood at the same time. "I just wanted to know, with the short time you've been adventuring with him, how has he been? Has he been eating right? He hasn't been too much trouble has he? He hasn't gotten hurt any time while you were fighting possessed Digimon has he? Is he having fun?"

Robert just stared as he was being bombarded by questions before he started laughing, leaving the other side of the conversation with a confused expression on his face. "I'm sorry, it's just… I thought you didn't care about how Candlemon felt about these things. The way he described you, it seemed like you had control over his life for so long. I can kind of understand, if I just upped and left – well, I kind of did – my brother would probably be losing it too. And when I get back, he'll probably yell at me but…"

"Older brothers just worry, so much, and we have difficulty expressing that sometimes," Sorcerymon sighed.

Robert nodded with a pained smile on his face. "I miss my brother so I can understand why you were so worried. I'm sure he would prefer if I stay home rather than be on some life-threatening mission to save the world."

"Exactly! See, you understand."

"But… I also see Candlemon's point. He has his own life and to answer your questions, he's been eating well, he hasn't been any trouble, he's helped us out of several tight spots, and most of all, he's having a lot of fun on this journey with his partner and the rest of us." Robert paused as he watched everything he had said sink into the Digimon's head before continuing. "And there's no way Rai can save the world without him."

Sorcerymon sighed; he knew exactly what Robert was saying. "I guess it's time I should let go…"

"Yeah, I think so," Robert nodded.

"Then I guess I'll just let Candlemon win the duel so he can go."

Robert tilted his head to the side. "Why can't you just call it off?"

Sorcerymon shook his head. "We have rules in Magic Village, ancient traditions that we follow. Once a duel is called; I can't call it off, only the one who set the challenge can." He walked over to the window and looked at the massive sun dial outside. "And in about two hours, I have to fight with my little brother."

"Well you can't just let him win."

"Why not?"

"He'll know and it'll hurt his pride. Just go into this duel with everything you've got. I have a feeling that Candlemon will surprise you."

There was a long moment of silence before Sorcerymon nodded. "Fine, I'll give it my all. But just know that if I win, he's going to have to honor our deal."

Robert nodded but he held his confident smile. "I know he'll win."

"We'll see."

Magic Arena – 2:58 PM

"I'm worried, there is no way he can win this," Salamon huffed as they got into their seats in the front row.

Babel looked over at Witchmon who was their guide as well as Sorcerymon's secretary. "Um, excuse me, what is this force field thing around the arena? Is it to keep viewers from interfering with the match?"

Witchmon nodded. "It's a magical barrier to keep the audience outside and all stray attacks inside. It's just to make sure that anyone not involved in the duel will get hurt. Only the participants of the match are allowed through the barrier."

"What happens if we come in contact with it?" asked Janyu.

"It depends on who cast the barrier," Witchmon replied. "Since Sorcerymon was the one who cast it, it'll most likely freeze you unless you're a participant."

Robert looked around and noticed how their group wasn't just missing one girl now. "Hey, where's Daisy?"

"She ran off to find Rai," Ryudamon replied.

"I just hope Candlemon will be okay after this and that we can continue traveling together," Betamon sighed.

They quickly became quiet along with the rest of the audience when they heard trumpets resound through the air. Once the instruments ceased, the gates at opposite ends of the arena were raised and out stepped the two brothers.

"There is still time for you to call off this match, little brother," Sorcerymon reminded him.

"Why? Are you suddenly scared to fight me?" Candlemon shot back. "I'm not going to lose to you Sorcerymon. I've grown up in the month I've been gone."

Sorcerymon waited patiently for the gong, signaling the start of their match, to sound before raising his staff. "Then allow me to evaluate what you've learned in that one month. Crystal Barrage!"

Candlemon hopped backwards to avoid the icy creations and shot a couple of fireballs towards his brother. "Lava Loogie!"

"You're going to have to do better than that," Sorcerymon scoffed as he waved his staff around. "Drowning Aquarius!" Suddenly a stream of water appeared under Sorcerymon's control and he used it to extinguish the flames before they hit him. Then he blasted straight for Candlemon who narrowly avoided the attack. "I'm not done yet! Ice Illusion!"

Candlemon's eyes widened as everything turned white around him. The entire arena was covered in a snowstorm created by Sorcerymon. He wrapped his arms around himself as he tried to keep himself warm but he could feel his wax solidifying and his flame diminishing.

"I can't see anything anymore," Ryudamon gasped.

Babel gulped when he noticed a dancing little dot in the storm. "But I can still see Candlemon pretty easily. Sorcerymon's going to get him!"

"And Candlemon won't know where he's going to come from to strike," Salamon muttered.

The storm vanished as soon as it came but not to Candlemon's favor as his older brother had appeared behind him. Sorcerymon raised his staff and whacked the candlestick away, causing him to slam into the opposite wall.

"There is still time for you to surrender," Sorcerymon told him as his opponent shakily tried to get up. "You can't win."

"I won't… I won't give up," Candlemon shook. He was still shivering from the snow but he didn't care about that right now. "I'm going to keep fighting no matter how many times you knock me down! And… And I'm going to win!"

Sorcerymon glanced towards the crowd where the DigiDestined sat; he wanted to see how confident Robert would be seeing Candlemon being tossed around a bit. The goggle wearing boy had told Sorcerymon that Candlemon would surprise him but so far, it was the exact result he had pictured. When his eyes fell upon the group, he noticed that Daisy had joined them, with Rai in full tow.

"I found her," Daisy said. "How are things going?"

"Not good," Janyu replied. "Candlemon doesn't stand a chance unless a miracle happens."

"Or if Sorcerymon decides to surrender because he gets tired," Babel muttered.

Daisy didn't really need to hear that, she could see that Candlemon was in bad shape and one glance at the younger girl with her told her that Rai thought the same thing. "Candlemon…," Rai said quietly.

"You're really worried about him even though you kept insisting you didn't care about him anymore," Daisy chuckled. Rai look towards the blonde. "You know all those supplies he took? Yeah, it was a terrible thing for him to do. But he had the right intentions. And besides, we'll all work together to repay that debt."

"But he could've let the village starve!" Rai argued.

"You're right," Daisy nodded. "But if he loses this battle, you're losing a friend."

It never occurred to her that she'd be losing Candlemon as a friend although she knew the case if he lost this duel. She was so preoccupied, thinking of the mean deeds he had committed and how he was willing to fight his own brother that she had forgotten one crucial fact. Candlemon was her friend and he had been with her from the start. No matter what happened, he trusted her with his life, the same way she trusted him. And now, he must think she had betrayed him.

Sorcerymon looked away from the humans and stared at Candlemon with an even more serious expression than he did before. "Let me ask you something, Candlemon. What is your reason for trying so hard in this duel? You must know you're in the wrong."

Candlemon looked away in shame. "…You're right. I was wrong to have stolen those supplies for my own selfish purposes." He then looked back at his older brother, with no hint of shame or guilt, just the will to fight. "But if I lose, then that means I will be separated from Rai and I need to be with her to protect her. The entire time she's been in the Digital World, I've only seen her smile, laugh, and look at a fight with worry. But I never saw her cry. Because I've figured it out, she was taught to never show her tears."

Rai's eyes were starting to get watery. "Candlemon…" She remembered telling Candlemon that she was raised by her parents who owned an inn. She worked there from time to time when she wasn't studying and she was always told to sit up straight, never stutter, and never to cry in front of a customer. She had to be an adult so that they could take her seriously and come back again. Candlemon knew she worked at an inn but she never told him about those strict teachings given to her since birth. But he found out.

"I want to protect Rai because she's scared of this world but she won't show it to anybody," Candlemon continued. "But I can't do that if I'm here. I have to be with her so I can always make her feel safe, no matter what!"

Sorcerymon wasn't expecting such a long-winded, yet powerful, response. "Enough! You should've thought of that before challenging me!" He raised his staff, prepared to finish Candlemon off with one more attack. "Crystal–!"

"No!" Rai screamed as she ran through the barrier.

The rest of the audience gasped and some even tried to follow her but they immediately turned blue upon touching the force field. "That is f-f-f-freezing!" Babel chattered being one of the victims of the barrier as Rai embraced her partner.

"Why was Rai able to get through?" FanBeemon asked.

Robert watched as Rai helped Candlemon back up and smiled. "It's because she's Candlemon's partner. That makes her one of the participants in this match."

"You came," Candlemon smiled.

Rai was crying for the first time since she came to the Digital World. "You're right. I'm scared of this world but I'm more scared of leaving this village without you by my side. I'm going to help you win this duel if it's the last thing I do."

"Thank you… Rai."

Sorcerymon lowered his staff and turned away from them. "This match is over. Candlemon, you're going to be staying here to pay for those supplies."

"Now hold on," Candlemon grunted, taking one hop forward. "You're always slamming me for forgetting the prophecy but I think you forgot the rules of this duel. This match isn't over until one of us gives up or is unable to continue and I haven't done either."

"What can you do in your state?" Sorcerymon asked.

Rai wiped away her tears and stood up. That was when they all noticed the bronze key in her hand with a sun shape for the base. "He's about to show you and while we're at it, I'm going to prove that we really are partners!"

"When did she get that key?" Daisy blinked.

"I guess it was just a miracle," Robert chuckled.

Rai quickly jammed the key into her D-Sync and turned it just as Sorcerymon turned back around to face them. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Candlemon Digivolve to…" A yellow ring surrounded Candlemon as he could feel his form changing. The flame on his head changed into a hat, his body became much more human-like and clothes suddenly appeared on him. He looked like a darker colored version of his brother and the only difference seemed to be the staff that appeared in his hand with a sun to top it off. "Wizardmon!"

Digital Analyzer: Wizardmon are wizards advanced in the elements of earth and fire. They are noble and strong Digimon that try to keep everyone happy. One way of keeping the people around him happy is by playing practical jokes by performing basic magic tricks for show. However, they also tend to have a rather shy side to them as they attempt to conceal their face all the time.

Sorcerymon stared at his brother with wide eyes. Even though they looked like each other, Wizardmon was still significantly shorter than he was. "You actually digivolved! But it would appear that you've only grown thirty centimeters."

A vein appeared on Wizardmon's forehead. "I don't need to hear that from you! Electro Ball!"

Sorcerymon took to the skies in order to avoid the ball of energy. "Crystal Barrage!"

"Blink Breeze!" It was literally an attack where if you blinked, you would have missed the entire thing. For those who didn't blink, they would've seen the sudden wind that had rushed in and changed the course of Sorcerymon's attack, sending it towards the wall.

Rai was lifted back into the audience so she could watch from a safe distance. "You can do it, Candlemon!" she cheered once she was back in her seat.

"I knew he would be powerful but I wasn't expecting him to be capable of all this," said Janyu.

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Daisy chuckled.

Rai was glad she had gotten back into the crowd as both fighters raised their staffs and the sky darkened.

"Ice Illusion!"

"Electro Squall!"

Srocerymon created a freezing snowstorm whereas Wizardmon summoned an intense thunderstorm minus the rain. It was the worst natural disaster anyone had ever seen and if not for the barrier, they, and the entire village would've been blown away. Even though they couldn't see the match very clearly anymore, they heard the sounds of attacks being exchanged as well as the occasional Thunder Ball being launched.

"I wish I knew who was winning," FanBeemon buzzed.

"Wizardmon is, I'm sure of it," Ryudamon replied.

The powerful storm disappeared soon enough with both fighters breathing heavily and staring each other down.

"I didn't want to have to do this brother," Wizardmon wheezed. He raised his staff and dark magic was swirling around his being. "Forgive me for this. Vision of Terror!"

A dark cloud of black energy surrounded Sorcerymon and suddenly, the Digimon was screaming in agony. At the current moment, he was experiencing his worst nightmare, forcing him to see visions of his most terrifying fears. Wizardmon didn't want to leave him in such a state for too long so he immediately launched a Thunder Ball towards him with the remainder of his energy.

Sorcerymon was knocked backwards and onto his back. Without any more energy to maintain his current form, Wizardmon degenerated back to Candlemon. He was exhausted from the fight but seeing Rai run to him brought back his smile.

"Okay, w-w-w-why is the b-b-b-barrier still up if the match is over?" Babel asked. He had touched it again and once again, he was hugging himself to try and get warm again.

Witchmon answered for him. "Because the match isn't over yet."

"But Sorcerymon is…" Salamon trailed off as she watched the white Digimon suddenly get back on his feet without bending any of his limbs. He brushed the dust off of his cape and clothes and appeared to have no injuries whatsoever.

Candlemon groaned. "I forgot he could heal himself."

Rai let go of him. "Candlemon, there's no way you can win with all the injuries you've sustained."

"I have to… If I want to stay with you."

Candlemon would've sent a fireball at his brother if his foe hadn't stuck his staff into the ground. "I surrender," said Sorcerymon.

His little brother blinked. "Come again."

Sorcerymon chuckled as the force field around the arena disappeared. "I don't have the energy left to continue this fight. I used the last of it in order to heal myself. Besides, I think I've seen enough to know you're going to be all right on this journey."

"But what about those supplies I stole?" Candlemon asked.

"You taught me something," Sorcerymon said as he got up. "We were all afraid of going out there because of Apocalymon but you were willing to take the chance and actually try to fight him. I think it's about time we took your example and work to get more money and buy more supplies rather than waiting for danger to come. I'm proud of you, Candlemon."

Candlemon smiled just as he and his partner were joined by the rest of the DigiDestined and their partners. "You have no idea how long I've waited to hear those words from you."

"Um, sorry to cut into this sweet brotherly moment but is it okay if you could take us to Mystic Temple now so we can learn the full prophecy?" Daisy asked.

"Ah, yes, I had forgotten that that was your original mission," Sorcerymon chuckled before turning around. "Follow me."

Mystic Temple – 4:22 PM

"I am really starting to hate stairs in this world," Robert huffed as they finally reached the top floor.

"There are a lot of pictures and Digi-Code here though," Rai gasped when she saw all the stone tablets surrounding them.

Sorcerymon continued to silently lead them down a long hallway until they reached a nonagon-shaped room. On each of the walls, aside from the one with the door, there were different images and words written on them and they seemed to read upwards, leading up to a much bigger picture on the ceiling.

"There are a total of nine legends that speak of humans," Sorcerymon told them. "Even though they all mention humans stopping a darkness from destroying the Digital World, this is the only one that speaks of the keys used to initiate digivolution. It speaks of a powerful Digimon who intends to take control of the Digital World and causing ruin if he fails."

"If he fails, won't he be deleted?" Betamon asked. "How would he try to bring ruin then?"

"To be honest, I am not sure," Sorcerymon replied.

"These other legends look pretty scary to me," Daisy muttered before pointing at one in particular. "Like this one. It has drawings of a human from each of the others and they all look like they're fighting some freaky beast. It's kind of frightening."

"It's strange," said Sorcerymon. "Even though the one on the ceiling shows that they all cross paths, that one makes it look like they already meet. But the one that truly interests me is the one that speaks of the Legendary Warriors. According to this, it takes place during a time when all the Legendary Warriors only exist as spirits and they must take humans as their hosts in order to save the world from a fallen angel."

"Who are the Legendary Warriors?" Robert asked.

"They're the very first Digimon," Ryudamon answered. "They're also known as the Ancients and they're extremely powerful." He knew exactly what Daisy and Babel were about to ask so he quickly continued. "But unfortunately, they are susceptible to the Dark Chain just like everyone else so they can't really fight Apocalymon in our place."

"Wait, there's something wrong here," Candlemon called, bringing their attention back to their own legend. "According to this, there are supposed to be six human children who enter our world to save it. We only have five."

"I thought that was unusual," Sorcerymon muttered.

The humans all glanced at each other wondering who this sixth child could be.

"How come we never met his Digimon partner or anything?" Salamon asked.

"I don't know," Betamon shrugged.

"Well, whatever the case, we're going to find this sixth kid," Robert said, determination in his tone. "We all know that we're not ready to fight Apocalymon the way we are now. We're going to need all the help we can get. So I say our first priority should be to find this final teammate of ours. He should be somewhere in this world."

"Sounds like a plan to me," Babel chuckled.

"I'm in," Daisy nodded.

"There is one more thing I should tell you," Sorcerymon said. "According to the prophecy, there are supposed to be more keys for you guys to unlock more evolution stages for your partners. However, they aren't locked in your D-Syncs like the first ones. They are scattered all over the world."

Daisy groaned. "Great, so we also need more of these small keys in this huge world? How are we supposed to do that?!"

"I don't want to hear any negativity," Robert suddenly said. "We'll succeed but only if we work together. Are you guys with me?"

The entire group glanced at each other before giving the goggle-head an affirmative nod. "We're with you."

"I wish you luck on this journey," Sorcerymon nodded. He bowed to them in respect but then something occurred to him. "There is something I forgot to tell you, Candlemon." His younger brother hopped over to him. "When you ran away from the village, FlaWizardmon got worried and searched for you. He hasn't come back since..."

Candlemon's eyes widened. "What?"

Chapter Text

Desert of Emptiness – 3:43 PM

"I cut my hair so that whenever it got really hot, I wouldn't have to feel the stupid heat," Daisy huffed in frustration. "Granted it never helped in the winter but I always liked the idea of not having to wait too long for my hair to dry and I could always wear a hat. But never did I think I'd be walking through an accursed desert, sweating like a hog!"

"Oh, come on, it's not that bad," Robert shrugged with a rather satisfied grin on his face. He was marching ahead of the rest of them. "Then again, I was raised in Florida so I'm more used to the heat than the rest of you guys."

"I don't know what this 'Florida' is but I'm generally okay with the heat too," Ryudamon agreed with a smile.

"You do have a similar appearance to an armadillo," Janyu nodded.

FanBeemon tilted his head to the side. "You mean an Armadillomon?"

"I think an armadillo would be the equivalent in their world," Salamon pointed out.

"Well, armadillos in our world don't fight like you guys can so I don't think they would be equivalent. In appearance and size perhaps if that's what you mean," Babel chuckled. He paused and looked behind him and noticed how the youngest member of their group was trailing rather far behind from the rest of them.

"My wax is melting really fast…," Candlemon moaned.

"Don't worry Candlemon, I'm sure it won't be long before we find a place to rest," Rai assured him. It was clear that the heat was getting to her as well, especially since she had hair that fell just above her waist.

Betamon, who was in his partner's arms looked up towards the one carrying him as he turned around. "Babel?"

Babel didn't answer and he just walked over to Rai and placed his cap on her head. Rai blinked in surprise and she looked up rather timidly. "I realize it's probably a bit warm and tad big for you but it'll keep the sun out of your eyes at least. It might even provide a little bit of a shade from the heat."

"Ah, you don't have to worry about me," Rai quickly said as she tried to remove the hat and return it.

The older human placed his hand down on her head to keep the hat from being removed. "Trust me, you need it a lot more than I do right now," Babel chuckled.

When the oldest of the group turned back around, he noticed Robert staring at them with a wide smile on his face. "Aw, don't you two look adorable."

"I'd rather look adorable than like an idiot with those goggles over your eyes," Babel retorted.

"And he didn't miss a beat," Daisy chuckled.

Robert adjusted the goggles as if to fix some slight alteration at the same time as a rather strong gust blew, bringing along sand with it. "Hey, they look awesome on me," he shot back as the others shielded their eyes. "And besides, they protect me from the sand. I bet you guys wished you had a pair of these babies right now!"

"As if!" Daisy scoffed.

"You never know, they could become a fad in the future or something," Janyu smiled.

"Totally," Babel nodded although it was obvious he didn't think so.

Apparently, it wasn't obvious enough. "Thank you," Robert grinned.

"I think he was kidding," said Ryudamon.

Daisy chuckled. "I'm starting to think your goggles are strapped on too tight."

"It's amazing how far this group has gotten," Salamon smiled. She was sweating and miserable in this heat but she liked how everyone was getting along better compared to their first week there. "Do you guys remember how you interacted with each other in the beginning?"

"Yeah, none of you guys could really joke around, especially not during a time like this, when we're completely lost," FanBeemon buzzed.

"Well if we didn't joke around at a time like this then we'd always be complaining," Daisy grinned. "And after all this time, I am nearly certain that no one wants that from me. The same as how I won't want to hear that from Rob."

Almost as soon as she said that, Robert started moaning and groaning as if in serious pain. "Are we there yet? I want to go home. I need to use a bathroom. Daisy's hair is reflecting the sunlight in my eyes!"

"You're wearing goggles and she's walking behind you," Babel replied in her defense.

"You also lack common sense," Daisy snickered.

"Hey, there's no need to gang up on me!" Robert gasped in mock insult although he was laughing along with them.

Rai decided to walk a little faster to catch up with everyone else as she held Babel's cap above her eyes so she could see where she was going. Hearing the group laugh and talk to each other was a great leap to the opposite side of the spectrum from when they were all arguing in that forest. She was glad. For her whole life, she had been deprived of social interaction with kids her own age outside of school that she had almost forgotten what group laughter was.

"Hey," Janyu stopped, causing them all to pause as well. "Do we have any idea where we're going?"

Candlemon hopped forward. "Well, my brother told us that the next stop on our journey would best be Leomon Village. It'll give us a good chance to stock up on more provisions since we only received enough supplies to survive for about another two or three days."

"How long until we get to Leomon Village?" Betamon inquired.

Robert glanced around. "First we need to find a spot to rest, my feet are killing me."

"Sounds like the best idea you've had so far," Daisy huffed.

Ryudamon tugged on his partner's pant leg and pointed into the distance. "Hey, look! An oasis!"

Robert used one hand to shade his eyes from the blinding light, squinting to get a better look at what appeared to be a palm tree on the horizon. He smiled giddily and made a break for it, leaving the others behind. "Oh, yeah! Finally we can get some more water!"

"Hey! W-Wait for me!" Ryudamon stammered as he pursued his partner.

The rest of the group watched them run off, each of them thinking the same thing; the oasis could very well be a mirage. But they chased after their unofficial leader anyway. Surprisingly, none of them could catch up to him. It was like he either had a ton of extra energy in reserve or his veins had adrenaline pumped into them at several doses per second.

"Geez, this guy doesn't know when to slow down," Daisy huffed.

They screeched to a stop when they heard Robert shout from ahead of them.

"Ryudamon!"

This was followed by a rather large explosion, causing them all to duck down for their own safety as a wave of debris went over them. They were coughing up sand by the time they were getting back up.

"It sounds like they ran into some trouble," Salamon muttered as they stood back up.

They agreed with the holy Digimon and their thoughts were confirmed when they heard Robert's voice once more. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Ryudamon Digivolve to… Ginryumon!"

The armored Digimon charged towards the black figure in front of them but the opposing Digimon simply sidestepped, causing Ginryumon to crash into a sand dune. The figure began to take form rather than stay as a terrifying shadow. Robert instinctively took a step back when he saw the tall, thin demon-like Digimon, he had arms that reached down to his feet pointed with sharp claws, along with blood-red, cracked wings. His face was hidden beneath a mask with six eyes and his head was topped with two long horns.

"I think I'm face to face with the devil," Robert shivered despite the intense desert heat.

The demon tilted his head to the side, not saying a word as he studied the human.

"Robert, stay away from him!" Ginryumon warned his partner. "That's NeoDevimon, a servant of Apocalymon and he is far more powerful than any other enemy we've faced."

"You mean he's even stronger than Scorpiomon?" Robert asked although he knew the answer to this question already. Scorpiomon was elderly and frail, not to mention all they had to do was destroy a Dark Chain. This guy knew exactly what he was doing and he definitely didn't look fragile.

Digital Analyzer: NeoDevimon is a completely new Digimon, born from a dying Devimon. Devimon wished for more strength and was consumed by the powers of darkness, artificially enhanced so that his wish could be granted by Apocalymon. The mask he wears restrains him and suppresses his own power. It is said that he wears it in order to control his own will.

Okay, so maybe he didn't know exactly what he was doing. "If we destroy that mask, will he be freed from Apocalymon's control?" Robert asked tentatively.

NeoDevimon's voice was finally revealed in a deep, guttural, and satanic tone. "Foolish human, I have full control of my own actions. Lord Apocalymon only gave me this mask in order to make sure I do not disobey his orders."

"So he doesn't trust you?"

"It's more like I'm not the most predictable of Digimon."

"Uh-huh… I see."

"Enough talk!" NeoDevimon bellowed. "Stun Claw!"

Ginryumon charged forward and threw Robert onto his back, leaping out of the way of the outstretched arm. The goggle-head leapt off of his partner as soon as they got far enough away and then Ginryumon rushed back towards NeoDevimon. The fallen angel Digimon only laughed as he stopped Ginryumon's attack with his open palm, lifting the dragon over his head and tossing him into the lake.

"Ginryumon!" Robert shouted out of concern as he ran into the oasis.

NeoDevimon didn't stop him; instead, he just gave another deep laugh and vanished into the air. He reappeared a couple yards away, startling the four humans and four Digimon who were running towards the oasis.

"NeoDevimon!" Salamon hissed.

"I'm guessing he's bad news," Daisy muttered.

The Digimon all took their places in front of their respective partners in defensive positions.

"Do not fret, little ones," NeoDevimon laughed. "I will not delete any of you just yet. Right now, I am most curious about the spiky haired one and his little pet dragon."

"Rob," Babel murmured before shouting at the Ultimate Digimon. "What have you done with them?"

"Nothing," NeoDevimon raised his hands up innocently. "Not yet, anyway."

"You better leave them alone," Candlemon growled.

"First, I must keep you occupied so you will not interfere," NeoDevimon replied.

"You asked for it!" FanBeemon buzzed. "Let's digivolve!"

The humans nodded as they all pulled out their keys. However, right before they could jam them into their D-Syncs, NeoDevimon raised his claws and expelled a wispy shadow over them. "Deep Sorrow!"

The humans suddenly froze up as they dropped the objects in their hands into the sand. The color was drained from their eyes and they crumpled to the ground. The Digimon panicked as they try to awaken their respective partners and keep the keys from getting lost in the grains of the desert.

NeoDevimon laughed as he vanished once more. He reappeared within the oasis, in time to find Robert helping Ginryumon out of the water. "Now then… Where were we?"

Janyu's Nightmare – 4:02 PM

Janyu continuously looked behind him as he ran through the crowded streets of the marketing district in Hong Kong. He couldn't really see his pursuers through the masses but he knew they were still after him. He wished he wasn't so weak, he would be able to protect himself, but the very fact was, he was a weakling.

The bespectacled boy paused when he found himself in front of an old building, it didn't seem like anyone had been there for years. He turned around and realized that the crowds were starting to thin out, he was going to lose his cover once his pursuers broke through that last line. So Janyu did the first thing to come to mind, he ran into the building. He continued running, bounding up steps three at a time, even after he heard the front entrance doors burst open, he didn't stop. He found his way into an office and began pushing objects to block the door.

Janyu was breathing heavily as he sat down onto the dusty floor. He waited patiently and listened to the scuffling outside in the halls.

"I think he went that way!" someone called.

"Wait, what about this room?" someone else inquired.

"Nah don't even bother trying, the door is locked, we can't get in," another one replied.

"Idiot, then he might be in there," the first guy chided.

Janyu tensed up when he heard them attempting to jiggle the door open. He hoped that the office desk, chairs, and filing cabinet would be enough to keep them from coming in. Hopefully, they would eventually give up and leave him alone. They would just leave, forget about him. But they would only pick on him again the next day when they saw him at the dojo.

Janyu suddenly started crying into his knees. He wished they would just go already! He wished his parents hadn't signed him up for tai-chi! Why couldn't he just learn from his grandfather or something? He just wished he had nothing to do the stupid martial arts.

The sudden, loud banging on the door almost scared Janyu's soul out of him.

"Hey, Janyu!" the bully outside shouted. "I can hear you crying!"

"Yeah, why don't you come out and face us like a man?" another one jeered.

"You're just a wimp," the last one laughed. "You don't deserve to be taking the same class as us. Sensei is just wasting his time with you."

"Then stop wasting time with me!" Janyu screamed with the tears running wildly down his cheeks. "Just leave me alone!"

"…Leave me alone…," Janyu muttered.

FanBeemon stared at his partner in disbelief. "I'm not going to do that! Please Janyu, wake up! You're just trapped in some dream!"

Daisy's Nightmare – 4:02 PM

Daisy stared at herself in the mirror, touching the various bruises all over her face. She quickly shuffled through her mother's makeup and then applied some in an attempt to blend the injuries with her skin. She was glad that her parents weren't home just yet. But it was probably a bad idea to do this now, she felt like crying and that would made the makeup run. Daisy had to hold her tears inside as she took off her shirt.

There was a long pause as she stared at the large purple bruise on her side where she had been kicked by one of the older kids. She was lying on the cold, hard ground, in tears but they didn't care about that. They especially didn't care that she was physically weaker than them and she was also a couple years younger.

So she's a tomboy who liked having her hair short, to them it only meant she was a dyke. She's ten; she didn't know what type of people she liked. And besides, she didn't think it mattered too much but she knew it mattered a lot to everyone else in the Soviet Union.

She held her shirt up and stared at the words they wrote on the back of it in big black letters. They were all derogatory, demeaning, and insulting words. And they burned through the fabric and into her skin.

Daisy couldn't take it anymore. She could feel the weight of their fists raining down on her as she felt to her knees and started sobbing into her shirt. It was painful, oh so painful. And it didn't help being all alone, just crying in her bathroom.

Her breathing caught in her throat when there was a single, booming knock at the bathroom door. Had her parents come home?

"Hey Margaritka, what are you doing in there, you little queer?" the person outside taunted.

Daisy froze. She knew that voice; it belonged to the teenager who had kicked her. She hated him with all her heart but there was no way for her to fight back against someone nearly twice her size. And she was sure that he had others with him, waiting for her to exit so they could pummel her some more.

"Go away!" she croaked. Her throat hurt from crying.

"Come on now!" the guy snickered; obviously he was trying not to expose that he wasn't alone. "Why don't you step out here? I came to apologize for my rude behavior from earlier."

"Stop!" Daisy shouted. "Just stop it and go away!"

"…Go away…," Daisy mumbled.

Salamon's eyes became sadder with Daisy's negative tone. She wished that she could get through to Daisy somehow. "Please wake up. I can't stand to see you like this…"

Babel's Nightmare – 4:02 PM

Babel sat on the park bench as he looked around the dark playground. It certainly felt lonely and quiet around here without anybody else around here. Then again, what other kid would be taking a midnight jog in crime-filled New York? Hell, what adult would take a midnight walk in crime-filled New York? The seventies are a time filled with criminal happenings.

He had to consider himself lucky that he hadn't been caught up in any acts. Well, depending on whether or not those pranks his 'friends' drag him into constitute as criminal acts. He really wished they would grow up already. Though he couldn't really say he was exactly mature but he certainly wasn't as childish as the people he hung out with.

"They can be so annoying," he whispered into the night.

Just then, he heard rustling coming from the bushes next to the bench he was sitting on and immediately, he stiffened. Like he had believed, no reasonable adult, teenager, or child would be outside in the night, especially on a night when crime was high. This meant that this person was either insane or he was a criminal and judging from the sounds of approaching sirens, Babel knew exactly which one it was.

Except that he was wrong.

"Babel?" a voice in the dark called.

Babel's eyes had long since adjusted to the dark so he could recognize the owner of the voice pretty easily. "Pete? What in the world are you doing here?"

Pete gave Babel a disapproving look as if Babel had done something wrong. "As if you don't know," Pete chided. "We were supposed to be egging Mr. Eckerman's house but you failed to show up. So we decided to go along with the plan without you but then the fuzz showed up and now I'm going to have to get out of here. Since you didn't show up, you should take the fall for me. It's the least you can do after ditching us."

Babel blanched. "Ditching you?!" He couldn't believe what he was hearing.

"Just take these egg cartons!"

Babel refused to comply. "You guys were the ones who ditched me last night when we egged Mrs. Fielder's house and I didn't even want to do it. I was just watching you guys throw eggs, I wasn't even needed. But when the cops showed up, you guys decided to use me as a scapegoat and then fled the scene! I'm still in trouble for that stupid stunt you pulled and I'm not even supposed to be out tonight."

"So you're still breaking the rules anyway?" Pete laughed. "You don't deserve to be walking around, acting all righteous."

Babel wanted to cuss him out right there but then realized that he couldn't hear the sirens anymore though the lights were a giveaway. He could tell that the police were approaching them and apparently, so did Pete, who dropped the egg cartons at Babel's feet.

"Dude!" Babel shouted, realizing his mistake as Pete ran off.

A flashlight was beamed at Babel's face and he came face to face with two burly looking cops. "Didn't we find you yesterday?" one of the policemen asked.

"Yes…," Babel nodded. "Good evening… officers…"

"Is it?"

"Not for me right now," Babel sighed. "But I had nothing to do with Mr. Eckerman's house, honest!"

"Oh really? Then how did you know that was why we confronted you?"

"…Lucky guess?"

"And what about the egg cartons at your feet?"

"A chicken flew over my head and laid it?"

Babel didn't know what he was doing, covering for Pete. The guy was a jerk anyway. Why was he taking the fall anyway? It was probably because he didn't have any other friends. But this wasn't right. They only hung out with him because he was so easily pushed around by them. He was always their scapegoat, not their actual friend.

"You have a sense of humor, eh kid?" one of the officers scoffed. "Come on, we're taking you to you back to your parents."

Babel quietly followed them to their car and sat in the back. "Great. I really am alone in all of this…"

"I'm all alone…," Babel grumbled.

Betamon spit out a wet bubble at his partner's face but there was simply no reaction. "Aw man, please Babel, you're not alone! I can promise you that!"

Rai's Nightmare – 4:02 PM

Rai sat in her chair, her posture was perfect, hands together on her lap, her eyes were soft, a smile graced her features, and her feet stayed together at the heels. She was quiet and polite to the customer in front of her as she served him with her best manners as she always did.

"You're such a well-rounded girl," the man chuckled softly as he took a sip from the tea she poured for him. She was now preparing a fresh dish of curry in front of him. "I'm surprised. Most children your age would most likely be spending time with their friends."

"Well my parents hope for a better life for me one day than having a permanent job at this inn," Rai explained. "So I spend the majority of my time focusing on my studies."

"Quite impressive," the customer nodded. He then sighed heavily. "Although it feels like you should be outside with other children your own age. It must get pretty lonely when you don't spend enough time with them."

Rai paused as she was about to pour the rice onto the plate from the rice cooker. "Um…I don't really have any friends to spend time with in the first place so it doesn't really matter."

The man blinked in surprise. "Really? I figured someone like you would be very popular. You must have some friends from school."

"I don't talk much," Rai replied. This was true, to the teachers; she would talk all the time to answer questions. But she had been taught never to talk too much so she stays quiet whenever she was around other students. They would often get bored due to the lack of conversation from her end. "And it's difficult for me to actually approach anybody."

"Quite a shame," his eyes softened.

"Yes, it is…," Rai nodded. She felt like crying but she wasn't supposed to expose such a negative emotion in front of a customer so she mustered up her strength into another one of her award-winning smiles. "Your curry is ready. I hope you come back again."

"Of course."

She hated the pitying tone in his voice but hated herself more for telling him that one fact about herself. As soon as he was gone, she relaxed her spine so that her shoulders slumped a little bit. Even highly trained hostesses had trouble maintaining their posture all the time.

Rai glanced out the window and immediately regretted her action. She saw kids from her class playing a little ways away while she was stuck inside. She wanted badly to join them, to talk to one of them, but she knew she would never be able to. She started to cry when this reality hit her.

"I don't have any friends," she sniffed. "Everyone probably hates me…"

"…Everyone hates me…," Rai whimpered.

Candlemon winced upon hearing Rai degrade herself in such a way. "How could you say something like that?! I'm your friend Rai and I don't hate you at all! I love you! I will never leave you alone! So please wake up already!"

But it was no use, the four human children were all still, motionless, and silent.

Desert Oasis – 4:04 PM

Robert clung tightly to Ginryumon's armor as they ran the inner perimeter of the oasis to avoid NeoDevimon's deadly claws. But there was no way they could count on evasion forever so as soon as they were able, Robert dismounted and Ginryumon launched several sharp blades flying towards the dark Digimon who batted them away with his equally sharp claws.

"This is impossible for me to do alone," Ginryumon growled. "Where are the others? We need backup!"

"I hate to admit it but you're right about that," Robert breathed. He looked behind him in the direction where he had been before running off on his own. "I'll try to get them here! You just try to stall NeoDevimon!"

"Right!" Ginryumon affirmed. This meant he didn't have to win, he just have to keep on the defensive for as long as possible.

"Stun Claw!"

"Oh, no you don't!" Ginryumon snapped as he leaped in NeoDevimon's way, blocking the attack from reaching Robert. It wouldn't be the first time Ginryumon was thankful for the heavy armor he wore as he readied his counterattack. "Hurry Rob!"

Robert didn't have to run very far. He had been expecting to find his friends back at the large boulder he had left them at but it turned out they had all passed out nearby, with the Digimon trying frantically to wake them up. "What happened?" he asked. "This is no time to be taking a nap!"

"They're not napping!" FanBeemon buzzed, he was on the brink of crying. "They were put under some spell by NeoDevimon and now they're stuck in some eternal nightmare! We can't seem to reach out to them!"

"What?" Robert gaped. "But Ginryumon can't beat that guy without your help. What are we supposed to do?"

"I have a theory," Salamon chimed. "Robert, none of us are able to get through to them but that may be because they're stuck in the human world of their nightmares. We don't exist there so we can't really help them but maybe you can."

Robert wasn't quite sure how to respond to that so he simply nodded and went for the closest unconscious human. He grabbed onto Janyu's hand and held onto it tightly. "Come on Janyu… I'm right here, buddy. There's nothing to be afraid of."

Janyu's Nightmare – 4:07 PM

Janyu searched around the room, his panic increasing with each slam he heard on the door. There had to be some way to escape this godforsaken enclosed space! But there wasn't a ventilation system, a window, or a second entrance. Yeesh, no wonder this building was closed down. It must've been suffocating for the previous owner.

"What do I do?" he muttered to himself.

As if the bullies outside heard him, one of them answered. "Give yourself up!"

"Yeah! You can't stay in there forever. Just come out and get it over with!"

Janyu wanted them to just disappear off the face of the Earth but he learned from his parents and his teacher that such thoughts shouldn't enter his mind. Then he wished that he would disappear, that he never had been born in the first place. He wouldn't have to suffer this way then.

"GO AWAY!" Janyu screamed at the top of his lungs.

"Janyu?"

Janyu opened his eyes that were squeezed shut just a moment earlier. He stared at the door. He recognized that voice from somewhere, it didn't belong to those bullies but it didn't feel like he had heard this voice before and yet there was something familiar and inviting about it.

"Robert?" the name passed his lips without him even realizing it. His breath caught and he almost felt like crying again, except in relief this time. "Robert! Help me!"

The bullies' voice came back. "Hey, who is this kid?"

"I'm a friend of Janyu's," Robert spat back.

"Janyu has friends?" one of them laughed. "I thought only Cho stuck up for him but it looks like there's a second idiot in town."

"Hey!" Robert shouted. "Anyone would be lucky to be friends with Janyu! That kid is stronger and cooler than all three of you losers!"

Janyu could hear a fight happening outside and he couldn't believe he was inside this musty office while Robert was fighting his battles. It was just like with Cho. He was always hiding behind someone rather than standing up for himself. Janyu began tearing away at the objects he used to block the door and quickly came out to find two of the bullies pinning Robert down to the ground while the third one was about to start stomping down on his face.

"Leave him alone!" Janyu screamed and he pushed the third bully to the ground.

His companions were stunned by Janyu's sudden tackle which loosened their grip on Robert who took this as his golden opportunity to move his arms in a way that made his two capturers collide heads with each other. He got back up to see Janyu kicking his opponent's butt, it was rather impressive.

Janyu finally stopped when the bully pleaded for mercy. "Leave me alone from now on!" He then looked over to Robert. "And leave him alone too."

The three bullies ran off quickly and Janyu walked over to Robert.

"You did awesome," Robert smiled.

"They're a lot tougher in real life," Janyu chuckled. "…Thanks for coming to save me."

"What are friends for?"

"You… You really think of me as your friend?"

"Did you not hear what I said about you?" Robert grinned as he pulled Janyu into a one-arm hug. "You're an amazing friend. This reminds me, we have to save our other friends who are also trapped in their own personal nightmares. We need everyone in order to beat NeoDevimon."

Janyu had almost forgotten about the demon that placed him under this horrible experience in the first place. "Right, I'm with you, Rob."

Janyu blinked and realized that he was lying on sand. He sat back up and started brushing the sand that had stuck onto his face and gotten into his mouth. "If my mouth wasn't dry before then it certainly is now," he groaned.

FanBeemon flew into his partner's arms, hugging him tight. "Oh, Janyu! I thought I had lost you!"

"You'll never lose me, FanBeemon," Janyu chuckled. He glanced up at Robert who gave him a small nod. Janyu returned the gesture before moving over towards Babel and taking his hand. He watched as Robert took Daisy's.

Daisy's Nightmare – 4:09 PM

Daisy stood on the toilet, trying to block out the relentless taunts coming from outside her bathroom door, as she tried to reach for the small window above her. She gave up eventually though; she just wasn't tall enough to reach it. And if she tried to stack any of the items around her to get herself to actually reach it, then she would surely fall. Something made of the toiletries around her would be very unstable.

"I can't believe this," she groaned as she sat down on the toilet. The incessant banging on the bathroom door was only getting louder. She didn't even care anymore. She reached forward, her fingertips on the door handle, when she realized something.

There was a quiet tapping sound from above her and then she saw the window open and a boy's face peeking in. At first, she had thought it was one of the kids who came to beat her up but then she realized that his face was much too kind to have those ill intentions. Her eyes widened when she remembered who this face belonged to.

"Hey," he smiled, his goggles glinting.

"Robert!" Daisy gasped in shock. "What are you doing here?"

He put a finger to his lips to signal her into silence. "You don't want those guys outside your door to hear you," he whispered. He reached his hand out to her and she took it in hers. He pulled her out of the window and once they were both out into the fresh air, they ran for cover behind the neighbor's house.

"How did you get here?" Daisy asked.

"I'm your friend," Robert replied simply. "Like I could ever leave you alone."

"Well… Thanks, you really saved my butt," she chuckled. She looked down and her smile faded when she realized they were still holding hands with each other. Robert seemed to realize this as well as they glanced at each other and quickly pulled their hands away.

"Sorry," they both blushed.

"Um…," Robert hummed before deciding to change the subject. "It's surprisingly warm here in Russia. I was expecting it to be colder."

"I live in Moscow, not Siberia," Daisy rolled her eyes. "And besides, it's a misconception that my country is cold all year long. We follow the seasons like every other country, you dolt."

"Yeah, I knew that," he laughed.

"So… What do we do now?" Daisy asked.

"We take care of the guy who put you through this hell," Robert answered matter-of-factly.

Daisy had almost forgotten but then she gave a firm nod. "NeoDevimon."

"Right. So let's get a move on. But we have a stop to make first."

"Then let's do it."

Babel's Nightmare – 4:09 PM

Babel was escorted out of the patrol car by the two cops as he was led to the front porch of his house. He should've been used to this routine of seeing his parents after he got into trouble, even if he wasn't the actual cause, but every time felt more nerve-wracking than the last.

"I keep telling you guys that I didn't do anything wrong," Babel huffed.

"And we've told you that you've failed to produce any evidence that you aren't too blame because right now, all the signs point to you," one of the cops replied.

Babel didn't even know why he tried. He watched the officers ring the doorbell and it only took about two more rings before his father answered the door, a new record. Mr. Jones stared at his son who looked up at him guiltily. The man sighed as he pulled Babel closer to him.

"What did you do this time?" he asked in a tired voice. "I'm getting sick of answering the door in the middle of the night just to find you accompanied by policemen. Do you know how hard I work just to try and give you a happier life than I did?"

Babel had heard this a hundred times before. Automatically, his father would try to pin the blame on him and then try to appeal to his sympathetic side by talking about how lucky he was. After all, his dad lived during a time when African Americans were sharply shunned. Sure, they weren't slaves anymore but it sure as hell wasn't much better growing up in the forties as a black man. Not to mention living through World War II as well.

"I…," Babel paused but he decided not to even try. "I egged Mr. Eckerman's house, I'm sorry."

"Again?" Mr. Jones blanched.

"Technically, I didn't egg his house again, this is just the second time I went egging," Babel responded. But he could tell his dad wasn't in the mood for humor that night. And technically, he had never gone egging before.

"I am so sorry for him officers," Mr. Jones apologized. "I'll try to keep him indoors during the nightly hours from now on."

"Actually, there's more," one of the officers said, stopping them from going back inside. "The egging incident caused about two thousand dollars in damages for the windows, a couple of lamps, and the couch."

"Did you use eggs or rocks!?" Mr. Jones snapped.

"I honestly don't know," Babel sighed.

Just then, someone ran up into the porch light. He looked like some random kid about a year younger than him but there was something about him he recognized. The kid ran up to the officers and tugged on one of their sleeves.

"Um, actually, Babel had nothing to do with the egging," the random kid said. "It was me and a couple of other guys. Don't blame him. He wasn't even there! One of my friends probably bumped into him and then dropped the carton in front of him to frame him."

"And who are you?" the cop asked.

"My name is Janyu," he replied. "I'm a friend of Babel's."

Babel's eyes got wider. "Janyu?" he breathed.

"Is that like a generic Chinese name?" one of the officers asked.

"Don't ask such a question," the other one chided.

"Look, the point is, Babel is completely innocent. My family and I will pay the two thousand dollars of damages for Mr. Eckerman," Janyu continued as he stood by Babel's side. "I've known Babel for a short time but I know he would never participate in something like that."

Babel couldn't have Janyu get in trouble, even if this wasn't real. "No! It was me! I was there too. Janyu, you don't have to cover for me."

"And you don't have to lie," Janyu replied.

Babel didn't even care that he was in front of his father or the policemen, right then and there, he pulled the younger boy into a hug. "Thank you. I can't believe you're actually willing to do something like this for me."

"That's what friends are for," Janyu chuckled, returning the embrace.

They separated and they noticed how they were alone now. The adults around them had suddenly vanished into thin air without a trace of their existence. "So, what's going on?"

"NeoDevimon," was all Janyu had to say for Babel to understand.

"Let's go take care of business then," Babel chuckled.

Rai's Nightmare – 4:11 PM

Rai didn't know when she had finally stopped sobbing but she did know that the sun was setting now. Her eyes darted from the fading orange light coming in from the window to her stretching shadow on the other side. She wondered how long it had been but she didn't really care.

She staggered onto her feet at the same time the door opened. She was expecting to see another guest but instead, she saw her mother standing there.

Just like Rai, Mrs. Tabassam had perfect posture, her hands were together, and a polite and respectful smile graced her features. Rai hated this image of her mother. It was so fake; generated by the policies of the inn they ran.

Not to mention, while they pretended to be ladies of high society, there were so many people outside their quiet inn who were suffering. Just because Rai doesn't go out much doesn't mean she's blind and naïve to the world. One of the few children she spoke to was the daughter of a prostitute from a nearby brothel. Then when her mother found out about their relationship, she restricted Rai from ever speaking to her one friend ever again. And this came from the very woman who wanted her daughter to make some friends her own age. Well, whose fault is it that she was an outcast?

"Rai, it's about time we went back home," Mrs. Tabassam smiled.

Rai hated the tone her mother used on her. It was if she was talking to a guest rather than her own flesh and blood. But Rai knew the rules so she quickly assumed the exact same posture and face as her mother, becoming a mirror image of the wretched machine standing in front of her.

"Yes, mother," Rai nodded politely. "I will be with you in a minute. Just allow me to collect my bearings."

Mrs. Tabassam gave a nod and then left through the door. Rai relaxed her shoulders and she let her long hair cover her eyes. She didn't hate her mother, at least, not the one she was with at home. The one in the inn, that one, she couldn't stand. But what could she do about it? It's work.

Rai felt some fresh tears threatening to pour down her eyes as she looked around the empty room. It was in this room that a part of Rai would die. Every time she entered, she felt another piece of her heart rot and fall off into a corner to disappear. It was a room, in which there would be no escape, not unless she followed through with her parent's plans for her, become some big shot and move far away from here. But she doesn't need to make it big, she just needs to get away but her parents have driven her own will out of her. She can't do anything without them.

Rai stopped when her eyes landed on the window, she saw someone standing out there. It was a child not much older than she. But it wasn't just one child, there were three others with him, waiting for her to crack open the one thing separating them.

"Who are you?" Rai whispered when she opened the window.

"Rai, you're not saying you forgot us, have you?" the boy at the front inquired.

She recognized his voice and she searched her memories to connect the voice to a face. But she didn't need to; his goggles gave his identity away. "Rob?" She took a closer look at the people behind him. "Daisy, Janyu, and Babel too! You're all here!"

"I can't believe you actually forgot about us," Daisy chuckled. "Then again, you're not really the one who's at fault for that."

Rai nodded, she knew exactly what the older girl meant. "Yeah, NeoDevimon did this to us."

"Rai, you know that we'd never leave you alone right?" Janyu asked.

"Besides, you still have my hat," Babel reminded her.

Rai looked up and noticed the cap on top of her head. She hadn't even noticed that she was still wearing it the entire time. Her mother would not have approved of her wearing something so out of uniform. That's when Rai realized, she wasn't as mechanical as her mother and she didn't plan on being a machine like her. "Thanks again for this."

"What are friends for?" he shrugged in response. "Now let's go take care of unfinished business."

Robert opened the window all the way so that there was no longer anything in between them. The four of them held out their hands to Rai even though she only needed two to pull her out of that dreadful room. Rai smiled, happy knowing that these guys were there for her. If this had been real life, she wondered if she would've been able to grab onto their outstretched arms and gone with them, defying her mother. But as they pulled her out that window and into the outside world, she felt the curse breaking and she was set free.

"You're free now," Robert chuckled.

Rai nodded; a real smile on her face. "Let's use some of that freedom."

Rai opened her eyes and realized her arms were in the air, being held by four other hands that pulled her to her feet. She dusted herself off and then picked up the key in Candlemon's hands. The four previously dreaming kids held their keys up high and they reflected the sunlight from above.

Babel chuckled softly as he knelt down, picked up his hat, and put it on Rai's head. "You almost forgot this."

She nodded. "Thanks."

Chapter Text

Magic Village – 4:05 PM

Witchmon flew around on her broomstick as she watched the various residents of the village go in and out of from the walls surrounding their hometown, on their way to their new jobs. It felt good, rather than being afraid of what was out there, they were going to get more money for provisions. She certainly had to thank Candlemon when he returned again.

Once she was done with her sightseeing, she returned to the office in the temple that stood in the middle of the village.

"You seem happy," Sorcerymon commented when he drifted in. He collapsed onto the couch and stretched himself out.

"And you seem tired," Witchmon giggled as she floated towards him. "Here." She began to rub his neck to try and keep him relaxed. Everyone in the village knew that if their chief was stressed, then he would be cranky, and then he would be grumpy, which is never good for the villagers. "Do you really think that Candlemon will be able to defeat Apocalymon? I mean, I know we should be positive but… It just seems so unlikely."

"If anyone can do it, he can," Sorcerymon sighed. "I'm just surprised that he grew up without me looking."

"You must be very proud," Witchmon smiled before her expression became downcast.

Sorcerymon placed a gloved hand over one of hers which was still resting on his shoulder. "What's wrong? You were just smiling a second ago. Did I do something wrong?"

Witchmon shook her head. "It's just… Where do you think my brother is?"

"FlaWizardmon," Sorcerymon muttered. He had asked Candlemon to keep an eye out but who knows where the mischievous arsonist could be in the Digital World. Either way, Candlemon has always been the pyromancer's top priority, next to his sister. "He'll turn up. He's a tough guy. He's the only one to have ever been able to defeat me in a duel."

Witchmon giggled and smirked. "What about your own brother?"

"Right, I forgot about that," Sorcerymon chuckled. "You don't have to rub it in."

"Well, you sort of let him win," Witchmon crooned. "So I guess it doesn't count that much. I could tell that you still had plenty of magical energy left in you. You're such a nice big brother. I really like that about you."

Sorcerymon smiled. "No. I didn't let him win. If the duel continued, he still would've won. He inherited something from your brother. He's determined, tough, and he won't give up. That's the kind of guy FlaWizardmon is, so don't worry about him so much."

"Okay. Are you worried about Candlemon?"

"Of course I am. But in my case, he's planning on challenging the evilest Digimon in the Digital World; I think I've earned my right to worry."

"Fair enough."

Sorcerymon raised his hand. "I'll get us some tea."

"That sounds nice," Witchmon nodded.

He used telekinesis to bring the tea tray towards them and began pouring their drinks. But when he lifted his cup, a crack appeared in it, causing him to stop. "How…?"

"Isn't that a bad omen?" Witchmon asked. Her tone was worried again.

Sorcerymon did not consider himself a superstitious Digimon but he knew when something was wrong. "Candlemon…"

Desert of Emptiness – 4:14 PM

"Ginryumon!" Robert shouted as he watched his partner get thrown to the ground once more.

"I'm okay…," Ginryumon grunted as he staggered back onto his feet. He had been staying on the defensive for the last couple of minutes and he was starting to feel a bit hazy. There was no way he could hold his Champion form for much longer. "But I am going to need some help."

"Guilty Claw!"

Ginryumon stood firm as he took the attack head-on. "Hurry it up!"

"You heard the dragon," Daisy called out. "Get your keys ready!"

"Don't have to tell us twice," Babel smirked.

All four of them spun their keys around before jamming them into their D-Syncs. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"FanBeemon Digivolve to… Waspmon!" The android insect flew in close range and let loose. "Turbo Stinger!" He aimed for NeoDevimon's claw, causing the demon to retract his attack when he felt the incessant stings, giving Ginryumon the chance to leap backwards.

"You insolent pest!" NeoDevimon snarled. "Stun Claw!"

"Salamon Digivolve to… Darcmon!" The angel got in the way of the attack, using her holy sword to block the claw. "La Pucelle!" She then raised her staff which flashed a magnificent light into the demon's eyes. Being a heavenly Digimon, she had a clear advantage over a being of darkness.

"He's stunned! Now's our chance!" Ginryumon shouted.

Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!" The sea snake wrapped his body around NeoDevimon, keeping him locked in place. "Ice Blast!" Just like the time with Scorpiomon, Seadramon kept their enemy encased in solid ice before releasing him of his grip. "Your turn, Wizardmon!"

"Candlemon Digivolve to… Wizardmon!" The magician had his arms raised to the sky as clouds had begun to form above them, brimming with electrical energy. "I'm going to use the majority of my energy for this attack! Electro Squall!" An intense lightning strike came down on the living ice sculpture, making a satisfying crackle sound when it made contact. "Did that finish him?"

The smoke from the attack cleared away and all they saw was chunks of ice. No NeoDevimon in sight. The humans busted out into a cheer.

"Yeah!" Robert grinned. "That'll show the bad guys not to mess with us!"

"You guys did amazing out there," Rai nodded.

Janyu's smile fell when he saw that their partners didn't seem to share in their excitement. "Waspmon? What's wrong?"

"He's still alive," Waspmon answered, stopping the other celebrations.

"But we just hit him with one of our most powerful attacks," said Babel as he cautiously looked around. "How do you guys know we didn't defeat him?"

Darcmon decided to handle the explanation. "When a Digimon is killed, they are deleted and leave behind a cloud of data in their wake. That data will then go back to either Primary Village or the Village of Beginnings to be reborn. Sometimes, they will go somewhere else entirely."

Wizardmon took over from there. "But we didn't see him get deleted. Even in the smoke, his data should've been seen floating around here somewhere if he had been destroyed. But all we see, other than sand, are the ice chunks. He's still alive."

Wizardmon's statement was confirmed when they heard that deep, throaty laugh that could only belong to NeoDevimon. Wisps of black smoke began to emerge from the pieces of ice and came back together to create a physical form. "I must give you measly pets some credit. I had not expected the five of you to work so well together after only a few weeks but you underestimate me," NeoDevimon laughed. "I am far more powerful than any ordinary Ultimate. You must all be aware of this fact by now."

"Well, we're no ordinary Champions," Ginryumon argued. "So… We were just kind of hopeful. But we will win."

"Hope… What a strange term…," NeoDevimon mused as if he was fascinated by the word. "Why would someone hold on to something so unreal, so false? Ah, but I suppose that is a benefit of youth, you don't have to think in the real world. You can just remain in the world of your fantasies, pretending that something like hope exists."

"You're blubbering way too much," Seadramon hissed. "Water Breath!"

NeoDevimon raised a clawed hand and simply blocked the attack. "Pathetic."

"You've got defense, but let's see you keep up with my speed," Darcmon said as she flew at top speed towards him in an elaborate dance with her sword. "Dancing Sword!"

NeoDevimon didn't just keep up with her speed, he was faster than her. He evaded and blocked her blade with one hand before batting her away. She fell into the sand and Ginryumon quickly used his body to shield her when their foe tried to use his Guilty Claw attack again.

"Such a bore," NeoDevimon yawned as he picked Ginryumon. "And I've played with you enough already." He tossed the armored dragon out of the way but he was luckily caught in midair by Seadramon.

"Let's see if you can keep up with this," Wizardmon huffed as he tried to find the rest of his magical energy. "Magical Game!" He cast a spell on himself which multiplied his body by fifteen. The several Wizardmons began floating and running around in an attempt to keep NeoDevimon distracted.

"Do you really think I'm that stupid?" NeoDevimon had noticed that Waspmon was charging up for his most powerful attack, one that could essentially take down an Ultimate. NeoDevimon shot black darts flying to each magical clone and one of them did hit the real one.

"Wizardmon!" Rai shouted as she ran to her partner. "Are you okay?"

"Other than feeling stabbed in the chest, good…," Wizardmon groaned.

"Don't move so much," Rai advised him.

The other Digimon were still in the midst of battle, trying to keep NeoDevimon out of the reach of their wounded comrade. But it wasn't easy, even with their combined strength, agility, and decent teamwork. He was simply too powerful.

"You're all pests!" NeoDevimon snarled.

"Then maybe we can annoy you to death," Ginryumon growled back. "Waspmon! Are you ready?"

"I'm ready! Move!" Waspmon droned as the other three Digimon leapt out of the way. "Bear Buster!"

To amplify the attack, the other two long-distance fighter Digimon joined in. "Ice Blast!" "Metal Armor Blade!" Piercing blades and icicles mixed with a strong laser made for one big bang. As the smoke cleared, they could hear that irritating laughter once more.

"What does it take to defeat this guy?" Babel gaped.

"Something tells me an Ultimate," Daisy muttered.

I've had enough fooling around," NeoDevimon laughed as he grabbed Seadramon by the tail. He rudely used the gripped Digimon as whip, cracking down on each Digimon, one by one before slashing the sea snake with his claw. They each returned to their Rookie forms before flying towards their respective partners. That only one left was Wizardmon who was still in the nurturing care of his own partner, Rai, who stood between her partner and the opponent.

"Ryudamon, are you okay?" asked Robert.

"Salamon, speak to me," Daisy sniffed.

"FanBeemon, you're okay right?" Janyu whimpered.

Babel cradled Betamon in his arms but his current concern was their youngest member. "Rai! What are you doing? You'll be killed!"

NeoDevimon stared at Rai who, despite trembling with fright, was standing firm. She wasn't about to lose her partner, not after having gone through so much just to have him continue traveling with her.

"There's a certain legend concerning the DigiDestined," NeoDevimon finally spoke. "It speaks of how a certain Devimon was destroyed by the youngest human child and his partner. Now, while this legend is obviously not about me, I cannot take that chance."

Rai couldn't move. She was petrified. "Wizard…"

"Guilty Claw!"

The attack pierced the sand, causing a lot of it to fly upward and the thing about flying sand is that every individual piece can give the illusion of broken up data. So the others were horrified when the attack struck and when the sand came back down due to gravity, Rai and Candlemon were gone.

"No!" Daisy screamed.

"They… This can't be happening," Janyu trembled.

"W-We're just still in a nightmare, right?" Babel stammered.

They were all so young and they had never seen death before so even if they didn't see the specifics, this was still horrifying. They were shaking as their Digimon partners were lying still, trying to get their muscles to listen to them and move.

"I'm sorry Rob, we failed…," Ryudamon sobbed.

"Stop…," Robert sniffed. "That's enough. God… Rai…"

NeoDevimon wasn't quite sure he had destroyed them though. It didn't feel like his claw made contact with flesh or data but he supposed it didn't matter. The fear emanating from his soon-to-be victims was absolutely intoxicating. He could deal with the other two later if they were still alive. For now, he simply had to carry out his master's orders and destroy the Chosen Children. "It's about time that the eight of you joined your friends."

"I don't want to die," Janyu whimpered.

"This… This wasn't supposed to happen," Daisy choked out.

"Guilty Claw!"

"Ice Barrier!"

NeoDevimon was surprised when his claw blasted through a wall made entirely of ice rather than crashing into the skulls of human children. In the same way the children were surprised to see Sorcerymon standing there with his arms raised to hold up the barrier.

"Sorcerymon!" they all gasped.

"Good to see you too," Sorcerymon grunted. "Everyone, grab on to me." They quickly complied just as NeoDevimon tore through the rest of the shield. "Hang on tight! Magical Game!" NeoDevimon got to watch as they all vanished into thin air.

"Transport magic," NeoDevimon scoffed. "So that must be what Wizardmon had done too."

Desert West Town – 4:21 PM

"Rai?" Candlemon coughed. "Are you okay?"

Rai nodded as she got to her feet, losing her balance for a moment. She looked around and noticed that they were still in the desert but it was clear that they were several kilometers from where they were before. She looked up at the sign indicating their location which was directly above them. "Desert West Town," Rai read. "What is this place? And where is everyone else?"

Candlemon looked away from her, as if ashamed and embarrassed. "I had to get us away from danger so I teleported us as much distance from the battlefield as my magical energy could take me. But I can only bring the people who are in contact with me."

"Well… I guess you're going to have to rest up your energy before we can go back," Rai sighed.

The candlestick shook his head, still refusing to look at his partner. "I can't. I'm still new to magic so I only know how to teleport to random places."

Some people would probably get mad since that meant they were lost but Rai was raised to stay relaxed in tense situations. "Hey. Don't go beating yourself up over it; you did it to save us. I'm just worried about the others; do you think they got away from NeoDevimon?"

"Teleporting wasn't my idea," Candlemon told her, finally directing his eyes towards her. "Sorcerymon telepathically told me to and that he was going to do the same for the others."

"So they're safe!" Rai released a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding.

"As far as I know," Candlemon nodded. "Thankfully, the distance of teleportation depends on how much magic is used. I had to react quickly and use up the rest of my energy so we ended up somewhere farther than I would have liked."

"But we're safe for now," Rai smiled. "And that's what matters. Come on, we'll rest up, and tomorrow, we'll go search for the others."

"Sounds like a plan," Candlemon nodded before picking up an object buried in the sand. "Hey, it's Babel's cap!"

"Yeah," Rai blinked as she took it back. "I guess I was still wearing it when you transported us away."

"Then we better hang on to it."

She nodded. "I feel like this means a lot to Babel."

Desert-Jungle Border – 4:21 PM

"Sorcerymon, how did you know we were in danger?" asked Robert.

The sorcerer shrugged. "Call it brother's intuition."

Sorcerymon had just explained the basic situation to them, including the part about Candlemon and Rai being alive. He had to act quickly so he transported them to a random place and unfortunately, it wasn't going to be easy to track down Candlemon and Rai. Sorcerymon never bothered to learn much more about transportation magic as he never really went anywhere outside the village very often. But now he wished he knew more about it.

"Thanks for saving us though," Ryudamon sighed.

"Yeah, we could've been mince meat," Babel nodded.

"Are you going back to the village?" asked Janyu.

Sorcerymon nodded. "I will. But first, I will be transporting back to our original location and then jumping around to keep NeoDevimon off your trail. You don't have to worry about him getting to Magic Village, there's a reason why we haven't been attacked for decades. You guys just worry about finding my little brother."

"Will do," Robert saluted.

"We hope to see you again soon," FanBeemon buzzed.

"Hopefully neither of us will need saving then," Sorcerymon chuckled before vanishing into thin air.

"Well that was a lucky break," Robert laughed. "Let's get a move on! We don't know where Rai could be so we should probably start looking before it gets to dark. Then again, she's the one with the walking, erm, hopping light source, so she should be fine during the night."

"Stop it! Just stop it," Daisy suddenly snapped. This was her first time speaking in a while.

Everyone stared at her in shock, including her own partner. "Daisy?" Salamon whispered.

"We almost died back there!" Daisy shouted at Robert. "But here you are acting as if all that happened was Rai fell into a river and washed away somewhere else. But she was there, by death's door and we were absolutely helpless."

"And that's why we need to find her!" Robert shot back in frustration. He couldn't understand why she was arguing with him about this. "What are you even trying to say?"

Daisy wasn't sure herself but then the answer came to her so she calmed herself down to sound more reasonable. "I know that you promised to try and save this world but I never signed up for this. Since day one, I've wanted to go back home. Back to Earth and away from all of this insanity."

"Daisy, you can't serious!" Janyu gasped.

Daisy nodded. "I'm going to find a way to get back home, with or without you guys. And if I happen to bump into Rai along the way, then I'm going to try and convince her to come with me. If I can't, then I'll point her to you guys."

"Daisy…," Salamon whispered, she couldn't believe what she was hearing from her own partner.

To Robert, it didn't matter how rational Daisy sounded, the things she was saying were ludicrous in his mind. "Fine! Go back home and forget about this world, forget about us!" he yelled. "Because apparently, when a world full of living creatures asks for help, Daisy is too scared to do anything."

"You know that's not true!" she retorted.

"Well if you were braver, you would've stood up to those bullies rather than using me as part of your escape plan," he snapped.

Daisy felt like crying now. "It was your plan! And those bullies were in a dream!"

"But it's something that's happened to you before. And you know it. Or else that wouldn't have been your nightmare."

Daisy shook her head before turning to the others. "I'm going to go. If either one of you two wants to come with me back home, where it's safer, then hurry and speak up because we all know where Rob stands." She turned around and was going to walk away when Babel grabbed her shoulder.

"Thank you, go ahead and knock some sense into her," Robert huffed.

Babel glanced between the blondes. "Actually, I'm going to go with Daisy. I want to go back home."

"What?" Janyu gaped.

"So you're both going to leave us?" FanBeemon sniffed. This team was falling apart without their buffer in just a matter of seconds.

Robert was shocked too but he turned away from the two of them so that they wouldn't see the tears brimming in his eyes. He tried to keep his voice even as he tried to calm himself down. "Fine! You guys can both be traitors! But just know that back home isn't exactly a favorable place for either of you."

"We're not traitors," Babel spat. "How is going home traitorous? If anything, we're ready to take on our troubled lives once more. You're too afraid to go back though!"

It was quite the accusation which caused Robert's tears to be replaced by a raging fire. "I am not afraid!"

"Oh?" Babel blinked. "So you're telling me that you're willing to go back to your lonely life as the new kid in London? From what I hear, you hate it there because you don't have any friends! You've got this delusion in your head that we would be the best friends in the whole world! But guess what. Back home, we all live in different countries, we all knew this. So give up on the delusions and go back to reality."

Robert was smaller in size in comparison to the older boy but he wasn't about to let Babel talk to him like that. So he grabbed Babel's shirt collar, causing all of the others to shout in surprise. "What the hell does that mean?" Robert yelled at him.

Babel smacked the younger boy's arms away and then shoved him onto the soil on the jungle side of the border. "Do you think that if we work together to save this damned world that we'll be friends forever?" he scoffed. "I'm thousands of miles from all of you! Do you really think that we'll be able to keep in touch? And even if we do, we all live in different time zones! Not to mention the possibility that we could die here!"

"If we stick together, then we'll survive!"

"We freaked out from thinking that Rai died! Imagine what would happen to us if we see one of us actually die."

"That won't happen!"

"Do you think NeoDevimon agrees?"

Robert froze up. NeoDevimon. It was more than likely that Apocalymon had more minions as powerful as that demon so who knew how strong Apocalymon was? Until their last battle, he believed they would be invincible until the end but that wasn't true. They were all vulnerable.

"That's why we need to find those other keys," Robert whispered but he didn't sound too sure.

"And how far will they take us?" Babel asked as he got back up. "Past NeoDevimon maybe but against Apocalymon? From what we've heard, he's one of the most powerful Digimon in this world. We'd probably have a slim chance at victory. I'd rather go back home where my life isn't in danger, than take that chance."

Babel turned away and started walking, Daisy and their partners soon followed after him. Janyu helped Robert back to his feet, with one eye watching the others move away.

"You're not going to stop them?" asked Janyu.

"They've made up their minds," Robert sniffed.

"They're being cowards," Ryudamon grumbled before repeating it in a louder tone so that they could hear. "Even Salamon and Betamon!"

"Stop, you're making Janyu upset!" FanBeemon drooped.

"No… They're not cowards," Robert said quietly. He took a few steps forward and called out to them. They didn't turn around but they did stop. "I'm not going to ask you to come back but I do want to apologize for some of the things I said! You're right; I am expecting us to be friends when we go home. But even if we can't, then I just want you to know that, I will never forget you guys. We said that we'd always be there for each other. And that's what I'm always going to tell myself when I'm home. Even after I make great friends in London, I will always be thinking about you guys. And I hope you guys will think of me too."

Salamon and Betamon looked up towards their partner and saw them crying. Neither of them would turn around because they didn't want Robert to see but it was obvious they were going to miss him too. So to prevent the possibility of changing their minds, they kept moving but they both raised their hands to the air. A symbol. Something Robert had created the night before because he wanted them all to have some sign of their friendship. Those two thought it was stupid but…

Robert felt like crying now. He knew they wouldn't see, not with their back to him, but he raised his hand to, all five fingers reaching for the vast blue sky. Janyu followed suit and they all kept their hands raised until they lost sight of each other.

"They're gone…," Janyu sniffed.

"Yeah… We should get going too," Robert sighed. "We've got to find Rai."

"…Right."

Desert West Town – 7:00 PM

"I'm really worried," Rai muttered as she looked out the window.

Candlemon flattened out the sheets on his partner's bed, being a candlestick; he slept standing up so there was no need for a bed for him. They had decided to stay at an inn for the night and leave in the morning when he replenished his energy. It was a good thing they had more than enough money to stay in a one bed room. But unfortunately, since they were the ones holding onto the money; that meant the others didn't have any funds on them.

"True," Candlemon nodded. "If they found themselves near a town or something, then they won't be able to buy anything."

Rai shook her head. "That's not what I meant. I just have this really bad feeling."

"It's probably just worry," Candlemon said, though he didn't sound too sure. "If it's just a feeling than I don't think we should be too concerned."

"I guess," Rai sighed. She just wished she could shake the feeling. She glanced down at her palm and flexed her fingers. "A sign of our friendship, huh. It's actually really lame, especially since it's the universal symbol for asking for permission from a teacher but… I guess it's the thought that counts. And it really is a sweet thought."

"What are you murmuring to yourself?" asked Candlemon.

Rai gave him a little smile. "Nothing important. Don't worry about it. On a different note, I'm starting to get hungry."

"Yeah, me too," Candlemon nodded before hopping to the door. "We can't afford anything fancy but I'll try looking for some convenience store goods. Do you mind?"

"Convenience stores? In the Digital World?" Rai blinked before giggling. "I guess our worlds really aren't that different. Sure, I don't mind. Just don't keep me waiting for too long."

"I'll be back as soon as I can," Candlemon promised as he hopped away.

Rai watched her partner's flame vanish as he cut the corner. He forgot to close the door. She stood up and did it for him and then noticed the dancing flame outside the window. Candlemon waved to her and she returned the gesture. She was wondering how everyone else was doing at this current moment. She wished she knew.

Rai looked at her palm once more. "One thing's for sure, I'm going to return to you guys so you better be waiting for me." She noticed Babel's hat on the bed where she had left it. She picked it up and raised it into the air, her five fingers weren't splayed out like Robert had told them to be but the gesture meant the same thing. It was a sign of their new bonds and hopefully, they were unbreakable.

Desert of Emptiness – 7:00 PM

"Maybe we should've gone through the jungle path," Daisy muttered. "I forgot how cold it can get in the desert in the nighttime."

"You've been to a desert before?" Salamon inquired.

"Well, no. I just learned about them in geography class," Daisy replied.

"There's probably food on that side too," Babel huffed. "It probably wasn't the brightest idea to aimlessly wander out into the desert." He stopped and started looking around for anything that remotely resembled a tree because that would mean they were close to a place with vegetation. "Geez, I'm starving."

"Don't we have some spare provisions in that bag of yours?" Betamon asked his partner.

Babel had almost forgotten. When they made that pit stop at Magic Village, they decided to pack some food, not too much to drain the facilities of their providers, but enough for about a day. They had some leftovers from the previous night and since there were only four of them now, it should be enough to satisfy their hunger.

Babel was the one to carry everything, mostly because he was the oldest; at least, that was Robert's justification. It didn't bother him but the reason was a little bit annoying. But now he was glad that he had 'ordered' Babel to carry them, because that meant they wouldn't have to starve out there.

"Well… Let's dig in," Daisy said unenthusiastically.

"You don't sound very happy," Babel pointed out.

"I feel… guilty," Daisy admitted.

"The others can find food for themselves," Babel scoffed.

"But…," Daisy trailed off. She wasn't sure where she was going with this so she decided to change the subject. The blonde glanced over to their partners. "What about you guys? Aren't you upset that we plan on going home?"

"Of course we are!" Betamon said.

"But… We respect your decisions," Salamon sighed. "Neither of us wants to force you into a situation you don't want to be in."

"Thanks," Daisy smiled. "I'm really going to miss you, Salamon."

"We'll meet again, I'm sure of it," Salamon replied with a mirroring smile.

Babel looked to the amphibious Digimon and realized that his own partner wasn't as understanding as the holy Digimon. He couldn't blame him though, after all, he promised that Gizamon that he would try and save this world. That reminded him.

"The doubloon?" Betamon blinked when he saw Babel take it out of his pocket. "You still have it?"

Babel nodded. "But now I can't keep my promise to Gizamon... Betamon, can you keep this?"

"Huh? Why?"

"Because, I'm not going to stay in this world," Babel replied as he placed the doubloon into a pocket that he discovered hidden in Betamon's fur a while ago. "So I want you to return it to Gizamon when you get the chance."

"He's going to be real upset with you for not keeping your promise," Betamon accused his own partner.

"I know," Babel nodded. "I hate myself for doing this but I just can't risk it. I can't leave my whole life behind for this mission. I need you to understand Betamon. Your world will be saved; it just won't be because of me or Daisy." The boy hesitated for a moment. "Maybe you'll even find a new partner."

That last statement struck Betamon hard. "No! There is no other partner for me than you, Babel."

"That's sweet of you," Babel said, biting his lip as he pet his partner's head. "I wish I could be your partner for longer but… I'm really sorry."

Betamon finally let the tears break past the brim of his eyes. "I'm sorry too. I'm going to miss you so much."

"The same goes for me," Babel nodded and he hugged his partner. "I'm sorry…"

Termination Jungle – 7:00 PM

Robert splashed his face with the river water to try and wake himself up. He was going to take first watch for the night while Janyu and FanBeemon slept. Apparently, a lot of the giant insect Digimon that resided here were extremely territorial, especially towards other insects so when they caught sight of FanBeemon, they went berserk. It was best to sleep with one team member awake, and Robert volunteered despite the Chinese boy's protests.

"We're back," Janyu said as he walked out of the thicket behind the other boy. He and his partner had gone gathering for some fruits in the jungle while Ryudamon was hunting for some fish.

"Great, I was starting to get really hungry," Robert grinned.

"It's kind of funny," Janyu chuckled as he watched Ryudamon struggle with one of the fish.

"Yeah… I should probably go help him," Robert sighed as he ran to his partner.

"Actually," Janyu said. "I was talking about the fish." By then Robert and his partner were able to wrestle the fish onto land where it flopped around hopelessly. "I didn't expect a creature from our world to even exist here considering we've only seen Digimon."

"That's true," Robert nodded. "I'd give anything for some ordinary mosquitoes in this damned jungle instead of those other bug Digimon, though."

"Same here," Janyu muttered.

The two Digimon glanced to each other before shrugging it off as simply human talk they couldn't understand.

"Did you get a fire going?" FanBeemon asked, bringing the topic back to current relevance.

Robert shook his head. "I gathered the wood and placed them over there but when I tried and kept failing, I gave up. Janyu, help me out."

"Yeah, sure," Janyu nodded as he placed the fruits down nearby.

With the two of them together, it didn't take very long for them to get a fire going. After that, they sat around it, chomping down on fruits while leaving a fish on a rotisserie over the fire. It felt so unusually quiet with so few of them in the group.

"I'm worried about Rai," Ryudamon finally said after some time.

"She's got Candlemon with her, she'll be fine," Robert brushed off.

"But what if she runs into NeoDevimon?" questioned Janyu. It was very unsettling to think about Rai getting cornered by that demon Digimon all alone. They couldn't even make a dent on him with five Champion level Digimon.

"She's careful and Wizardmon has that teleportation spell of his," Robert reminded them. "She can escape to live and fight another day."

"But what about food?" asked FanBeemon. "If Wizardmon used the rest of his energy to go someplace else, and he didn't have much left in the first place, then chances are, they could still be in the desert. There's not a lot of food you can find out there."

Robert had forgotten about that. Babel and Daisy were going to be fine because they had the oldest member of their group carry their provisions but Rai didn't have any food on her. This was worrisome indeed but worrying wasn't going to help. "We're just going to have to hope that they landed in a town or something. Candlemon has the money with him."

"True, I guess we have no choice but to stay optimistic in a time like this," Ryudamon huffed.

"What about Daisy and Babel?" asked Janyu.

"They've got the provisions with them," Robert answered automatically.

"But for how long?"

"They can cross the rest of the desert in a day or two, I'm sure of it."

"If you say so…"

Robert could see that the other boy was worrying excessively over the others despite not knowing where any of them were at this point. The goggle-head knew that this was only going to pile onto those worries but he just had to address it. "I'm more concerned over how they plan on getting back to Earth. We barely know how we ended up here."

The two Digimon glanced to each other, both thinking of the same thing.

"There is one way for you to go back home that we know of," Ryudamon confessed. He was kind of afraid that it would tempt them into choosing to follow the other two but he wanted to make sure that they knew it wasn't impossible to return to where they came from.

Robert and Janyu stared at the dragon Digimon in surprise as if he had suddenly appeared to them from out of thin air. "How?" they both asked.

"DarkTrailmon," FanBeemon buzzed in reply.

"DarkTrailmon?" they repeated.

"He's a mythical Digimon so no one actually knows if he exists," Ryudamon continued. "But there have been several sightings throughout the Digital World of a Trailmon with a black exterior, and glowing red eyes along the sides, chugging away on the tracks but never once stopping. He would be followed by dark shadows and a wispy fog before vanishing without a trace. A few Digimon have claimed to have been abducted by this mysterious Digimon and then taken to other worlds before always returning to the Digital World, in a Trailmon station closest to their home."

"If it's just a myth then we can't really depend on it too much," Robert sighed.

"It's still a possibility though so we can't rule it out," FanBeemon said. "If DarkTrailmon really exists, then he has the ability to travel to other worlds without the use of a Digi-Core from one of the four Sovereigns. So maybe Daisy and Babel will meet him."

"Maybe," Robert said absentmindedly before returning his gaze on Janyu. "Why didn't you go with them?"

"Huh?" Janyu blinked.

"On the first couple of days we were here, the most you would do is whine about going back home and how you hated being in this world," Robert reminded him. "So given the chance, and now knowing of this possibility, why don't you want to go home?"

"Because Rai is missing and she's a precious friend to me," Janyu replied simply. "FanBeemon is my partner, this is his world and it's in danger. You're my friend and you saved me from my nightmare, I can't let you go through this alone. So, basically, I just can't leave when there are still so many debts I have to repay."

"But… Isn't this all a delusion of yours?" Robert ventured. "I mean, like Babel said, we can't all keep in touch, or at least, it will be really difficult for us to. And I have my doubts that the Digimon will be able to come with us back home."

"I have one friend back home," Janyu told him. "He's away for a short vacation but it's very possible he may actually move there permanently. We can't keep in touch but I will always have his memory and that is enough for me. I don't have time to worry about the future, that's what he told me. So I'm going to do just that, stop worrying and make plenty of memories with you guys so that when I go back home. I'll have plenty of stories, and plenty of bonds to keep the memories alive. That will be enough."

Robert wasn't expecting this answer but he liked it. "You are wise beyond your years, Li."

"Thanks," Janyu smiled before he thought about the two kids who had just left them. "I'm going to miss them."

It didn't take a genius to know what who he was talking about. "…Yeah, me too."

Chapter Text

Desert West Town – 12:07 PM

"Still nothing?" Rai sighed.

Candlemon shook his head. "I can't get a feel of the others anywhere. If I could, then I could digivolve to Wizardmon and transport us there but without their data signatures, there's no guarantee that we'll appear in the right spot. I could accidentally take us to the middle of an ocean and that wouldn't be good for either of us."

"Yeah, I never did learn how to swim," Rai muttered. She squinted as she looked upwards, staring up at the hot sun, directly above them. "It's noon, we should probably go get some lunch and a cold drink or you're just going to end up tiring yourself out again, like yesterday."

"Yeah, good point," Candlemon agreed. "The melted look does not look good on me."

The two of them moved over to the local saloon and when they entered, they heard the upbeat piano playing into their ears. It was such a lovely melody, the kind you hear in the old west movies. However, unlike in those movies, everyone in this town is very friendly. There haven't been any showdowns at high noon at least.

"Good afternoon Etemon," Rai smiled as she and her partner sat at the booth.

"Ah, if it isn't Rai and Candlemon!" the monkey Digimon greeted them. He was wearing a bartender outfit while he was wiping a glass clean. The only part of him that was bare was everything below his torso which was as naked as every other Etemon. "I'm guessing the two of you had no luck today either, huh."

"Nope," Candlemon said with a heavy sigh. "Usually, I would've picked up four clustered Digimon signals. Well, only if I've been with them long enough and I have."

"Well, cheer up dolls," the waitress, a peppy Lillymon with a southern American accent giggled. "I'm sure you two will reunite with your friends eventually. You just have to hold on to the hope that you will." She gave the two of them complementary glasses of cold milk. "Here, on the house."

"Are you sure?" Rai asked. "I mean, you guys have been giving us rooms here and even food for free. I feel like we've been leeching off of you."

"Nonsense!" Etemon laughed. "You're the heroes of legend! We can't have our heroes starving and baking on the streets, now can we Lillymon?"

"No, no we cannot, darling," Lillymon giggled.

Candlemon lowered his tone and leaned in close to his partner. "They're so nice but sometimes, they creep me out."

"At least they're helping us out," Rai chuckled quietly.

For the past two days they've been in this town, things have gone relatively well for the young girl and her partner. They haven't dealt with any brainwashed Digimon and the Digimon they have met are pretty friendly, like Etemon and Lillymon. They're also strong so any 'bandits' that stroll into town are almost immediately kicked out. The food was between good and scrumptious and the temperature was never too unbearable.

Rai almost forgot that this world was in deep peril. The thing that reminded her was the doors to the saloon bursting open and a large star-shaped Digimon collapsing inside.

"Sheriff!" Etemon and Lillymon gasped when they saw the newcomer.

The song playing on the piano came to an abrupt stop and all the patrons had their eyes on the law enforcer on the floor. Hushed whispers traveled through the saloon while Lillymon was helping the sheriff onto her lap.

"Speak to us SuperStarmon, darling!" Lillymon pleaded as Etemon ran back and forth in panic behind the bar.

"W… Wa…," the injured Digimon croaked out weakly.

Lillymon looked to her employer. "Hon! He needs waffles! He clearly skipped breakfast this morning!"

"I'll cook them up right away!" Etemon shouted.

SuperStarmon shook his head in the tiniest of movements. "Wa… Wat…"

"Hon! He needs a watch! He clearly needs to know what the time is!" Lillymon snapped.

Etemon frantically looked around before ripping the clock off the wall and throwing it onto SuperStarmon's body. It landed with a clunk against his golden chest. "I don't have a watch!" Etemon panicked. "Will that big one do?"

SuperStarmon shook his head again. "Wat… Water..."

"Hon! He needs a watermelon! The heat makes him think that it's summer!" Lillymon snapped.

"But watermelons don't grow in the desert!" the bartender screamed back.

Candlemon groaned loudly. "Oh for Sovereign's sake, he's asking for water!"

"Really?" Lillymon tilted her head to the side. "Don't you think that sounds a bit unreasonable?"

Rai came over to SuperStarmon with her glass of milk. "It's not water but it'll quench your thirst," she said to him as she helped him up. SuperStarmon had enough strength to take the glass from the human and took a sip which was good because Rai had no idea where his mouth was.

"Thank you," SuperStarmon wheezed as he sat onto one of the chairs. "I'm glad there was someone sensible here."

"Sorry," both Etemon and Lillymon murmured.

"But what happened to you?" Lillymon asked. "And where are…?"

"Deputymon and Starmon were both destroyed during our mission," SuperStarmon said bluntly. Things became very silent then. "They were both equally my right hand mon and they worked so hard. Only to be deleted by some filthy minion of Apocalymon. That Digimon puts the word monster back into Digital Monster."

"So even this town has been ravaged by Apocalymon," Candlemon grumbled. He clenched his fists so tightly that they became even whiter than before. "That guy… I'm definitely going to give him what for when I see him!"

SuperStarmon stared at Candlemon for a while. "Well, you're a new face. And now that I've shaken off that woozy feeling and my vision is returning, I must say…" He turned to Rai. "You don't look like any Digimon species I'm familiar with."

"I'm not" Rai said. "My name is Rai, I'm a human."

"Oh, a human," SuperStarmon said before his eyes bugged out from underneath his sunglasses. "A human?! That's it! You two can defeat that flaming menace whose been terrorizing our town! You must be a DigiDestined of legend, correct?"

"Um… Well, yeah, I guess," Rai shrugged.

"Whoa! Now hold on a minute!" Candlemon quickly said, bringing his hands up. "Rai, you don't even know who this enemy is! But he's obviously powerful to have defeated two Champion level Digimon and even give an Ultimate a run for his money. I don't stand a chance on my own."

"I understand why you'd be worried about that," SuperStarmon sighed. "But the Digimon is only an Armor level Digimon. He's not as powerful as an Ultimate but he can certainly bring his power up to that level. He just did this thing, like, disappearing in one place and then reappearing somewhere else without even having to move. But the thing you really have to watch out for is how he can manipulate you. He tugs at your heartstrings and makes you feel like you're the most special Digimon in the world, and that's when he strikes!"

"Pulls at your heartstrings?" Rai repeated.

Etemon and Lillymon were nodding in agreement. "It's true, we've both been victims to it," said Etemon.

Candlemon stood there, on the chair as he thought about this. There was something resembling fear in his eyes. "Wait, you said he was a flaming menace? And an Armor level Digimon? Disappear and reappear? Pulls at your heartstrings?"

"Yes, those are all things I said," SuperStarmon nodded.

"What's wrong?" Rai asked.

"FlaWizardmon," Candlemon breathed. "That fits FlaWizardmon's description exactly! Rai, he's my friend from Magic Village! I can't believe it… He's actually here. And he's Apocalymon's minion?" Candlemon shook his head desperately. "No! There's no way I could fight him. And even if I did, there's no way I would be able to beat him. He's the only Digimon to have ever officially defeated my brother in a magic duel. I could never defeat him."

"You don't have to beat him," SuperStarmon told him. "You just have to subdue him. I could barely get close to him because I could risk having been infected with the Dark Chain virus. But you just have to subdue him and then Lillymon can shoot a Flower Cannon at him and destroy him into bits of data!"

"The Dark Chain works like a virus?" Rai blinked as she took in this new information. That would explain why it spreads to others the way it does.

"No!" Candlemon snapped. It wasn't an answer to his partner's question. "I can't! I won't let you destroy him! Can't we just destroy the Chain like always?"

"We don't know where it is," Etemon confessed. "We only know that he has a Dark Chain on him because it spread to a few other townsfolk but we were able to set them free. But without knowing where the virus is on FlaWizardmon, we can't just pinpoint it and destroy it."

"Even so… He's still an innocent Digimon who's being controlled by an evil force," Rai reminded them calmly before directing herself at SuperStarmon. "You enforce the law here as the sheriff. Would it be right to execute a Digimon with no control over his own actions?"

"No… I guess not," SuperStarmon sighed. "Curse my law abiding integrity! But what do you suggest we do if we can't terminate him?"

"We can try to reason with him first," Rai suggested.

"Don't you think we've tried?" Lillymon sighed. "But the thing is, he doesn't even care for destroying our town or spreading the Dark Chain virus like Apocalymon seems to desire. All he seems to want is food and chances to flirt."

"That is definitely FlaWizardmon," Candlemon groaned. "I guess the Dark Chain didn't change his personality at all as it would seem."

"Maybe that means his heart hasn't changed," Rai said vaguely as she paced around the saloon. "Perhaps we really could talk him out of it. But I think the only one capable of doing that would be you, Candlemon."

Candlemon wasn't so sure and he was about to voice out his worries when a sudden explosion sounded from outside. A hearty laughter reached their ears as they all ran out to see a wizard Digimon, similar to Wizardmon except his clothes were flaming red and it was very clear that he had the base element of fire. He was also less calm in comparison to other mage Digimon they've met; he seemed a lot more excitable and energetic.

"Didn't I tell this dusty old town to lay out a feast whenever I come to visit?" FlaWizardmon laughed. "Geez, you guys can't even follow a simple order!" He tossed a couple of fireballs at some Ponchomon who fled before their sombreros could get caught in flames. He laughed joyfully as he watched them run. "Pathetic! I can't believe that you guys are Armor Digimon like me!"

"FlaWizardmon!" Candlemon shouted as he hopped over to his old friend. "Stop this at once! What would Sorcerymon think if he saw you? What would your own sister think if she saw you behaving this way?"

FlaWizardmon stopped laughing and he turned to look at the Rookie level Digimon. At first, he just seemed really pissed that someone was actually interrupting him but when he saw who it was, he seemed genuinely shocked. It quickly glossed over, returning to his pissed expression.

Digital Analyzer: FlaWizardmon is the Armor level flaming wizard Digimon. His defensive and attack power are far more powerful than other mage Digimon. They tend to have dreams to be the strongest so their training regimen is much more intense compared to most Digimon.

"I don't have a sister and I certainly don't like anyone talking to me as if they know me," FlaWizardmon spat before taking on a completely different tone. It sounded flirtatious and casual at the same time. "Even if it is from a cutie such as yourself."

Etemon, Lillymon, and SuperStarmon all gasped, cheeks flushed and eyes wide. "Those are the same words he used to lasso my heart!" they all said.

"Yup, he hasn't changed…," Candlemon muttered before putting his focus on what was really important. "FlaWizardmon, don't you remember me? It's me, Candlemon! I'm your friend and you always acted as a mentor to me! I can't stand knowing that you're on Apocalymon's side! Weren't you the one who wanted to show me a world without darkness? Without Apocalymon ruling our world? I thought… I thought you wanted to take me to a world bathed in light!"

"He said such things?" Lillymon squealed.

"He has such a way with words!" Etemon wailed.

"Don't tell me that you two were lovers!" SuperStarmon gasped.

"We were not!" Candlemon shouted indignantly, loud enough to push their fantasies back into their heads and their bodies into the saloon.

Rai would be lying if she said she wasn't curious about the nature of her partner's relationship with this old friend of his but this was no time for that. "FlaWizardmon… You don't know me but I'm a friend of Candlemon and he's told me a lot about you."

"Yeah?" FlaWizardmon cocked his head to the side. "You don't say? Let me guess, he's always saying how much of a pain I am, how too energetic I am, and how I'm always bothering him when he's busy. He's always blaming me when I try to brighten up his day."

Rai shook her head. "You're wrong. Candlemon didn't say any of those things. He always said that no matter how depressing things got, you would always be able to cheer him up. He tells me about how he had so much trouble trying to evolve when everyone else around him was already at the Champion level. He told me how you believed in him and tried to help him out. He told me about how much you support him and how much you make him feel wanted no matter what."

FlaWizardmon seemed genuinely surprised by this but he wasn't about to be swayed so easily. "Well, if he thinks so fondly of me, then why did he leave without telling me?"

"Because!" Candlemon quickly shouted. Was FlaWizardmon really upset when he did that? The Dark Chain takes one's emotions and amplifies them. Was his sadness and anger over Candlemon's sudden departure enough to have FlaWizardmon manipulated like this? "I didn't want you to worry about me! I thought you might stop me from going… But that's why I left that note specifically for you! I still wanted you to be the one to know before anyone else. But I just couldn't say out loud that I was actually leaving! Because… It would've made leaving you feel all too real…"

"You… You really mean that?" FlaWizardmon blinked. He took a step towards his old friend but suddenly, black lightning coursed through his body from his stomach and he lurched forward as if he was in pain. "Gah! S-Stop!"

"FlaWizardmon!" Candlemon shouted as he tried to get closer.

The Rookie Digimon stopped when FlaWizardmon started laughing again. "You really are a pathetic little wax figurine, aren't you? Do you really think you can stop me from messing with this town?"

"This isn't you!" Candlemon tried one more time.

"Shut up!" FlaWizardmon shouted angrily. "Magic Ignition!" Blue flames appeared on each of his fingertips and he shot them out towards them as if they were bullets.

Rai was one step ahead though as she jammed her bronze key into her D-Sync right before he used his attack. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Candlemon Digivolve to… Wizardmon!" As soon as his evolution was complete, he used his Magical Game attack to cast a firewall spell. It was able to protect himself and the wooden saloon behind him from catching fire.

"It looks like conversation won't get through to him," Rai told her partner.

Wizardmon nodded gravely. "I know. But this is like his old self too. Actions always did speak louder than words for him."

Rai felt like she was watching another magical duel as the two mages launched flames and lightning bolts at each other. Wizardmon was at a clear disadvantage considering he had to watch out for his surroundings and make sure that none of the innocent townspeople got hurt. Rai saw this and she turned to the Ultimate Digimon hiding in the saloon.

"Quick! Help me get the townspeople out of here or at least to a place where things aren't as flammable!" Rai ordered and they complied. "Good luck, Wizardmon!"

"Thanks…," Wizardmon muttered as he leapt over another burst of flame which hit the sand underneath him. "Thunder Ball!"

"Magic Ignition!"

Etemon covered Rai from the explosion as they ran past. She was worried about her partner but she had to hope that SuperStarmon had done some damage to the Armor Digimon before he got here.

"Thunder Cloud!" Wizardmon raised his staff above him which summoned dark clouds to gather overhead and lightning to wildly strike down.

"I see you've gotten a lot stronger," FlaWizardmon smirked as the lightning struck down around him. "But you don't have much control over your elemental storm, now do you? Allow me to show you how it's done. Fire Cloud!" The storm clouds seemed to have switched masters as they began targeting Wizardmon but instead of launching lightning bolts, balls of fire began pouring down.

"Magical Game!" Unfortunately, the barrier this time was not strong enough to protect him.

Rai knew something was wrong when the dark clouds from a few buildings away started shooting fireballs. But she couldn't focus on that right now as her main priority was to make sure that the civilians didn't get hurt. This was evidently necessary as houses started bursting into flames.

"They really should've built them out of mud instead of wood," Rai muttered to herself. "Being in this heat alone makes them a fire hazard." Why was she even thinking about fire safety at a time like this?

"No time to gather your precious possessions, you just have to get to safety!" Etemon ushered.

"As sheriff of this here town, I command you all to listen to the bartender's advice!" SuperStarmon added.

Rai estimated that about two minutes had passed since they left Wizardmon alone and she knew that he was going to try everything to bring his friend back no matter how many times he was going to get knocked down. She wondered why she always ended up in situations like these.

"Rai!" Lillymon called as she fluttered down. She chose to patrol the skies so that she could see if there were any other Digimon who needed to be moved from the moving wildfire. While she was at it, she was keeping an eye on the battle to see if they were making any progress at pushing FlaWizardmon down but her current tone implied the opposite. "This is really bad! The saloon is on fire and all of the milk is going to spoil! Oh, and also, it looks like Wizardmon needs some help."

"That was your second thought?!" Rai blanched, fighting the urge to pinch the bridge of her nose, sigh loudly, and agree with her partner's sentiment that these Digimon weren't very bright. "Lillymon, take me to the battlefield!"

"Are you sure about that?" Lillymon inquired even though she was already grabbing the human girl by the waist. "It's like a miniature warzone out there."

"I'm sure," Rai nodded as they took off.

The two of them made it to the match quickly just as Wizardmon crashed into the wall of the saloon, breaking wood and possibly getting splinters into his body. "Rai?" he moaned when he saw the blurry silhouette of his partner.

Rai helped him up. "Are you okay?"

"Not going to lie… I've had better days," Wizardmon groaned.

FlaWizardmon walked towards them with a smug look on his face as he got more flame bullets at the ready. "So, are you going to quit, Wizardmon? If it was the old me, I would've been proud of you just for getting to your Champion level but as the new me, I find it sad that you needed a lowly human to help you reach it."

"…You can't… You can't say that about Rai!" Wizardmon uttered weakly. "She's been there for me through everything since I met her! She's been nothing but good to me just like you were."

There was a long pause as FlaWizardmon contemplated these words but they weren't going to stop him from releasing the bullets. "Then I guess you don't need me anymore."

The solemn way he said it, Wizardmon just knew that his old friend was in there, somewhere! "Please!" he begged. "Don't do this! I know you don't want to delete me! Don't you want to see Witchmon again? She needs you! I…" He hesitated, but now was not the time to be embarrassed by the truth. "I need you! Please!"

The Armored Digimon froze up again. "You… need me?"

"Of course I need you, you idiot!" Wizardmon snapped. "I thought you promised me that world bathed in light but now you're acting like that never happened! Well, I need you to remember that promise and take me there!"

FlaWizardmon shook his head and dark lightning started running through his body again. The flame bullets vaporized into the air as he started screaming in agony, falling to his knees. "W… Wizardmon!"

It was the old him, Wizardmon knew he was in there! "What is it?"

FlaWizardmon grabbed the fabric on his stomach and tore it off, revealing his skin but also, the glowing Dark Chain wrapped around his abdomen. It was continuously sending black electricity throughout the body of its victim. "The Dark Chain! Destroy it while I'm still in control!" FlaWizardmon grunted.

"R-Right!" Wizardmon nodded as he directed his staff at the target. Energy began gathering at the sun, creating a ball of lightning for his Thunder Ball attack. But when he launched it, it was clear that it wasn't nearly enough power to destroy the Chain as it all it did was push FlaWizardmon back a couple of feet.

"Hurry up!" FlaWizardmon snapped, he could feel himself losing control, slipping back into the brainwashed version of himself.

"I used up too much of my magical energy!" Wizardmon moaned. "What do I do?"

Lillymon put her hands together and got herself ready for a Flower Cannon attack. "Then allow me to handle this!"

"No!" Wizardmon protested. "You're too strong! You'll destroy him with that attack!"

"That's true…," Lillymon visibly drooped. "I don't really know how to hold my own power back."

Rai looked at the two Digimon before placing her hand on her partner's forearm, the one holding the staff. "But Wizardmon does! Lillymon, do you think you can give Wizardmon some of your power so he can charge up for one more Thunder Ball? One that's strong enough to destroy that Dark Chain?"

Lillymon nodded at the request and placed a tender hand on Wizardmon's other arm. Wizardmon felt the Ultimate's energy surging through him as he charged up for another attack. But the process was much too slow, FlaWizardmon was going to lose control and start attacking against his will soon.

"You can do this, I know you can!" Lillymon cheered him on.

"We know you can," Etemon corrected as he joined in on the energy transfer. "I'll give you some of my energy as well."

"Same here!" SuperStarmon nodded as he put a hand on Wizardmon as well. "I don't have much energy left but as long as I speed up the process."

Rai watched as the ball got brighter and much more powerful, her grip on her partner got tighter. "We're all here for you!"

"Then let's do this," Wizardmon smiled once he had enough energy. "Ultimate Charge: Thunder Ball!"

The attack was launched and it made contact with a massive explosion against FlaWizardmon's body. When the smoke cleared, Wizardmon ran in and found his friend unconscious on the sand. Rai helped them into the saloon to rest while the other Digimon went off to bring back the townspeople. During all this, the storm clouds from earlier started gathering again, all over the desert and suddenly, it started raining. The weather phenomenon doused the flames and wetted the sand, leaving them all feeling refreshed.

It felt like it was a completely new day on the desert with yesterday having been washed away with the rain.

Meteor Mountain – 8:43 AM

Babel's eyes fluttered open as he stretched his sore bones out. He wasn't about to complain, it was just luck that they were able to get out of the desert before night fell. If they were still in that desert, the sun would've been mercilessly beating down on them, waking them up in a pool of their own sweat like the previous day.

"Good, you're awake," Daisy huffed. "I was going to go down to the river and splash water onto your face."

"Good morning you too sunshine," Babel yawned. "So… Where are we headed now?"

"Where do you think? We're looking for the DarkTrailmon station," she reminded him.

"But we don't even know if it exists," Salamon pointed out.

Daisy rubbed her chin thoughtfully. "Well, that's our best bet if Babel and I want to go home. I don't usually like depending on myths for hope but as of right now, we don't have much of a choice." She tossed a couple fruits and vegetables they had collected the night before at the other human. "Breakfast, eat while we walk. We're headed to the top of that mountain to get a better view of our next destination."

"You're as irritable as always," Babel muttered as he peeled a banana.

"You're eating it wrong again," his partner warned.

"Huh?" Babel blinked. "Oh, right." He almost forgot, bananas didn't have their edible insides in the Digital World, if you peeled them, you'd just end up with nothing but the peel. Luckily, Betamon found out that the peel itself was edible and as it turned out, it didn't taste that bad. Babel still wouldn't recommend eating a banana peel from his world though.

As the small group continued their arduous trek up the steep mountain, silence befell them. Something that both Babel and Betamon were not used to but the girls seemed perfectly fine with the mute atmosphere.

"And I heard that girls talk more than guys," Babel said with a full mouth.

"I don't want to hear any sexist jabs from you," Daisy snapped back. "It's the late twentieth century; you can't really get away with that! If it was still the mid-twentieth century; then that might be a little different."

"I personally don't see much of a change," Babel grumbled.

Betamon looked from his partner to Daisy before settling his eyes on the other Digimon. "What are they talking about?"

"Human world stuff most likely," Salamon shrugged. "I don't really get it."

"We're talking about gender equality," Babel told the Digimon before saying louder to Daisy. "Which I totally support, by the way!"

"Doesn't sound that way to me!" Daisy shot back.

"Gender equality?" Betamon repeated.

"You know, treating men the same way they treat women," Daisy said.

"Which neither of us are," Babel added. "I'm a boy and you're a girl. Can't we leave that fight for after African Americans don't have to face discrimination anymore in my home country?"

Daisy rolled her eyes but then she noticed the confused expression on Betamon's face. "What? Do you not know what 'gender' means?"

"We know what it means," Salamon replied for the amphibious monster. "But Digimon haven't been concerned with something that trivial in a long time. Whether or not someone is male or female simply doesn't matter."

"Eh?" Babel blinked. "But what about finding a husband or a wife? Well, since you're Digimon, I guess a better word would be mate."

"Ah, a mate," Salamon nodded. "Well most Digimon don't care what the gender is so long as the personality is a good match for them. Though there is a large percentage of Digimon that still put gender into account as they simply aren't attracted to one. We mostly choose mates based on species, for example: humanoid, amphibian, avian, plants, beast, insect, dragon, and so on. But many of us don't even care about species much anymore."

"So, two male Digimon and two female Digimon can be together?" Babel asked. He seemed genuinely curious whereas Daisy appeared to be a little uncomfortable with the topic.

"That's right," Salamon nodded.

"But if you don't care about gender anymore, how do you tell?" asked Daisy.

"Usually by voice but mainly through our excretory parts," her partner replied. "You two have gone to the bathroom before so I would assume that humans are the same."

"I think we should change the topic now," Daisy said quickly, not wanting to talk about… that.

Suddenly, they heard what sounded to be an extremely loud bird squawking above them. They looked up and noticed two similar looking birds made out of fire in the same nest on the mountainside. They had the same body shape and size but they were different colors and the one they had heard was the orange bird.

"Oh! So now it's my fault that your massive butt is taking up all the room in our nest?!"

"Quit shouting, you old hag! Do you really think that expelling air out of your fat beak is going to make you any prettier?"

"Hmph! You're just jealous that my wingspan is far larger than yours!"

"How dare you! My wingspan is clearly wider than yours! A blind Digimon would be able to see that!"

"My talons are sharper than yours too!"

"We can't say the same about your eyes!"

"Or your brain!"

The small group couldn't help staring at the two giant birds arguing with each other, they looked like a bickering, old married couple and because of their previous conversation; that may be the case. They weren't sure if they should interrupt of just stand there.

"Who are they?" Daisy hissed.

"The brighter one is Birdramon and the darker one is Saberdramon," Betamon answered.

Digital Analyzer: Birdramon and Saberdramon are known to be the firebird avians. Their entire body is composed of fire and other than their color; most aspects about them are generally the same. Talons, wingspan, eyesight, attacks, and even mental capacity are all alike. Despite this, they will tend to argue over which is better. Though, like every species, there are individuals that vary from others.

Babel's face was covered by his hand. "That description felt incredibly ironic somehow…"

Just then, Birdramon noticed the small group of travelers and pointed them out to Saberdramon. "Hey you!" Her voice caused the four of them to visibly jump up in surprise. "We must ask; which of us do you think is stronger?"

"Um… Well, we can't really tell by just looking," Babel chuckled nervously.

"Out of curiosity, are you two mates?" Daisy asked.

The two birds seemed appalled by the very idea. "Heavens, no! We're sisters!" Saberdramon gasped.

"How dare you plant such a horrid idea into our heads!" Birdramon continued. "We ought to teach you a lesson!"

"Wait a minute sis!" Saberdramon said. "That's a great idea! We'll figure out who's stronger by seeing how quickly we can delete them!"

"That's the best idea you've had a long time!" Birdramon nodded.

"What?!" the group shouted as the two winged beasts took to the skies. As they left the nest, their claws became visible and the group could see the Dark Chains wrapped around their ankles. This meant they were being controlled by Apocalymon!

The humans quickly took out their keys just as the birds came down, talons out. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Salamon Digivolve to… Darcmon!"

"Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!"

Seadramon swiftly gathered up the two humans and moved away from the talons at the same time Darcmon drew her sword and aimed right for Saberdramon's wing but she was able to move away just enough not to get damaged too much.

"Meteor Wing!" both birds shouted as they both launched balls of fire at the angel Digimon.

Darcmon tried to avoid them all but there were just too many, her wings got singed and she crashed into the ground.

"No!" Daisy shouted as Seadramon let the humans off.

"Don't worry," Seadramon growled as he turned back around. "I've got this! Ice Blast!"

Birdramon's wings froze up in midair but her sister quickly thawed them out and they continued their soaring sky tricks. Their acrobatics made it difficult for Seadramon to catch them with one of his own attacks and they grabbed him by their talons, swinging him into the trees.

"Seadramon!" Babel yelled.

"How are those two working so well together?" Daisy murmured worriedly as she watched the partners attempt to fight back. But neither sea snake nor angel seemed to stand a chance against the birds' flawless aerial teamwork.

"Yeah," Babel agreed. "They were just arguing as if they hated each other a few moments ago."

Daisy paused and jerked her head to the older child. "Wait, say that again!"

"Say what again?" Babel blanched.

"The part about them hating each other!" Daisy clarified and judging from the look of recognition on Babel's face, she knew that he got it too.

"Dancing Sword!" Darcmon declared as she swung her magnificent blade around only to have it appear like an acrobatic decoration in the air. However, Birdramon and Saberdramon were just too quick for her to keep up with and when she neared one, the other would just brush her off her trajectory with a wing beat.

"Ice Winder!" Seadramon growled as he tried to wrap up one of the birds but the other simply slashed through his scales with her claws, causing him to let go. The two foes then moved back a bit before releasing their double Meteor Wings, causing several collisions against his body.

"These two are tougher than they look," Darcmon huffed.

"No kidding…," Seadramon groaned before noticing their human partners in the nest. "What are you two doing?"

Birdramon and Saberdramon turned to their nest and noticed the humans.

"What do you two nasty beings think you're doing?" Birdramon chirped.

Saberdramon nodded in agreement. "Get out of there before we tear you to shre–!"

"I say!" Daisy gasped happily while keeping her gaze only on Babel. "This is quite the luxurious nest! Such a wonderful breeze you can feel at this height and such a lovely view from this position! This is like a deluxe penthouse! Obviously, the smarter of the two sisters, Birdramon, chose this location!"

"Who cares?" Babel scoffed, crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the other direction. "Even if Birdramon has the brain, Saberdramon is the one who does all the work! It's clear that she was the one who built the nest which is so extravagantly made that only a true professional such as herself could've done it! That is what will get you far in life!"

"Well, Birdramon clearly has sharper talons!"

"Well, Saberdramon has the wider wingspan!"

"Well, Birdramon is stronger!"

"No, Saberdramon is stronger!"

The humans stopped themselves from acting out their little charade and turned to the sisters in question. "Which one of you is stronger anyway?" Daisy asked.

"Can you prove it to us in a fight?" Babel added.

There was a long pause here, as if everything had frozen before Birdramon turned to her sister.

"Heh, did you really think we would fall for that?" Birdramon scoffed.

Saberdramon nodded in agreement. "That's right. Such poorly executed theatrics would never fool beautiful intellectuals such as us. Though the boy human is right, I am definitely the stronger one between us."

A vein popped out of Birdramon's forehead as she glared at her sister. "You're wrong! The girl human is correct, I'm the stronger one!"

"Do you want to prove it, sis?"

"Of course, I do!"

The two of them splayed out their wings for the other to see before releasing their signature attack. "Meteor Wing!" There was a massive explosion, almost sending the humans flying out of the nest but once the smoke cleared, the two birds were still and fried.

"Now's your chance!" Babel called out to their partners.

Seadramon used his sharp fangs to crush the Dark Chain on Birdramon's ankle while Darcmon slashed through the Dark Chain on Saberdramon's ankle. And with that, the two birds fell from the sky and into the mountainside below, crashing into solid rock.

"Hopefully, they won't blame us for that…," Daisy murmured.

After a few minutes of explanations and making sure that everyone was safe, they were given a free ride to the peak of the mountain as a show of gratitude from the bird sisters. Once they reached the top, they could see all around them and what they saw was both breathtaking and heartbreaking. It was such a beautiful landscape but there were large areas that were burned, destroyed, or gone completely.

"What in the world…," Babel breathed.

"Those are the areas ravaged by Apocalymon and his mindless minions," Birdramon explained in answer to their unvoiced questions. "Many innocent Digimon, controlled by the Dark Chain go and destroy their own homes and if they are released from their control, they find themselves without a place to return to."

Saberdramon showed them the other side of the mountain where there used to be a forest as evident by the burnt stumps and scent of burning lumber. "He made us destroy the forest there. Many of our friends are gone because of him, because of us, in some cases. We drove them away or we were forced to delete them."

"That's just horrible," Daisy muttered.

"Why don't you guys march up to Apocalymon and fight back?" Babel asked.

"His fortress is heavily guarded," Birdramon answered. "Even if we somehow manage to reach him, he is still much too powerful and will even threaten us with the lives of the Digimon he's enslaved. So instead of fighting back the old-fashioned way, we fight through our resilience. We try to live as happily as possible, making sure that we don't let his actions change our ways. We hold on to hope. We hold on to that one thread of light in this world of darkness."

"What's that?" Daisy inquired.

"You guys," Salamon answered. "You're that one thread of hope that everyone was holding on to. We know you guys think it's stupid to rely on children from another world but we didn't have much of a choice. And you've proven time and time again that you can stop Apocalymon. That it's possible!"

"But we cannot stop you if you want to go home," said Saberdramon. "We've placed a heavy burden on your shoulders and now it's time for us to relieve you of it. We know where DarkTrailmon's realm is, we can take you to him."

The birds were about to shift their direction when Babel called up to them. "Wait! Saberdramon! Take me in the opposite direction! I… I want to save this world!"

"You're not going to make me look like a wuss!" Daisy snapped at him. "I'm coming too! Besides, Rob is probably driving himself crazy without us."

"Are you guys sure about this?" asked Betamon.

The humans glanced at each other before nodding. "We're more than sure."

"Could you guys fly us to our friends?" Daisy asked. "We've got a lot unfinished business we need to attend to."

Birdramon and Saberdramon did as they were asked and took off for the desert. Betamon shifted the doubloon that his partner gave to him out of the pocket in his fur and gave it back to Babel. Babel looked between the coin and his partner in a small bout of confusion.

"You should hold on to it," Betamon said. "As a sign of your promise to Gizamon and… to me, that you'll protect this world…"

"I will…," Babel nodded as he put it in his pocket.

A few hours passed by and they could see the jungle where they had parted ways with Robert and Janyu but as they got closer, a light flashed in front of Babel's eyes, but it caught everyone's attention. In that moment, Rai and Wizardmon were there and unfortunately, they fell to the sand below.

"Whoa!" Daisy shouted as they landed on the ground. She helped the other girl up while Babel picked up Candlemon, who had degenerated when he fell. "Where did you guys come from?"

"An old western town…," Rai groaned. As soon as she dusted the sand off herself, she took the hat on the ground and gave it back to Babel. "Here… I forgot to give this back to you before all that craziness with NeoDevimon happened."

Babel chuckled lightly as he placed the hat on his head. "Rai… We're glad to have you back. And boy, do we have quite the story to tell you."

"I was going to say the same thing," Rai giggled.

Chapter Text

Termination Jungle – 11:15 PM

The blond boy sat at the stone table, being served tea by the friendly Dokugumon in the middle of the humid jungle. His partner, a dragon Digimon, sat next to him. The two of them were chatting amiably with the arachnid Digimon.

"Again, we are so sorry to attack you," said the lead Dokugumon. "We thought you were one of Apocalymon's minions! But that is absolutely no way to treat one of the legendary heroes of the Digital World!"

The boy laughed along with them. "I already said it was fine! I'm not hurt and neither is my partner."

"I guess so," Dokugumon nodded. "Now, you must tell me how you plan on dealing with that pest, Apocalymon. Furthermore, where are those other humans foretold of in the prophecy? I thought that there were supposed to be six of you. At least, that's what that fire wizard Digimon told us."

The boy looked down, his expression reading as low-spirited and the Dokugumon immediately started apologizing for making him feel depressed.

"No, it's not your fault," he shook his head. "It's just that… I got separated from the other humans a while ago. I don't know where they are. But we made a meeting place in case that happened, Leomon Village, you wouldn't happen to know where it is, would you?"

The matriarch spider brightened up considerably upon hearing this. "Yes, as a matter of fact, we do! The Leomon Village isn't too far in the eastern direction. If you keep on your path over here, you'll make it there by tomorrow morning! Well, that's assuming if you start traveling there right away. But I assume you're very tired."

The boy shook his head again but he was smiling gratefully this time. "I'm not tired at all! You don't need to worry about me! But it would be very nice to rest for a while. I just hope we're not invading your space."

"Not at all! You're one of the heroes! Take all the time you need to rest up!"

"Thank you."

He stood up at the same time the ground began shaking. The Dokugumon began looking around frantically whereas the human's partner slowly got up from his resting position. His pupils dilated into slits as he began growling.

"Wh-What's happening, matriarch?" one of the Dokugumon asked.

"I don't know!" she replied.

From the trees emerged a large dinosaur-like creature with horns sticking out of his head. The Dokugumon dwarfed in size to this massive creature. But the most notable feature was a glowing Dark Chain wrapped around his neck.

"It's one of Apocalymon's goons! For real this time!" the Dokugumon yelped.

"It's Tuskmon!" one of the other Dokugumon screamed.

The matriarch turned to the human pleadingly. "We need your help! Normally, we'd be able to ward this monster away no problem but that Dark Chain could get us too! Please help us take him down! As one of the Chosen Children, you and your partner are immune to those evil powers."

The human nodded as the Dokugumon kept their several eyes on the Digimon. "You won't have to worry about the Dark Chain around Tuskmon," he said as he pulled out his bronze key. "You have to worry about the ones I have for you." He held up his blue D-Sync and turned the lock before any of the kind bugs could register what he just said. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

Desert West Town – 1:25 PM

"I'm glad you're doing better now FlaWizardmon," Rai smiled as she tended to their former foe.

"Well… I'm just glad you were able to stop me before I could do any more damage than I already had," FlaWizard chuckled. He then looked over to Wizardmon who hadn't degenerated back to his regular form. "I've got to say, evolution looks good on you."

Wizardmon looked away and his collar was able to cover up the fact that he was blushing. "Thanks…"

They were all in the saloon which was mostly okay if singed a little on the outside. Lillymon had brought out a first-aid kit but after a while of getting tangled in the gauze, it became very clear that the only one capable of using the contents of the kit was Rai. Etemon was serving everyone in the saloon cool milk so that they could relax from the initial panic they had experienced.

FlaWizardmon thanked the primate Digimon for the beverage before looking over to the sheriff. "I'm sorry about what I did to your deputies…"

"We all make mistakes," SuperStarmon sighed. "Besides, they'll be reborn one day. And on that day, I'll be sure to train them to become the best deputies this here town has ever seen."

"I'll look forward to that day," FlaWizardmon smiled. "Though, I'll refrain from destroying them next time."

"That would be a great help to me!" SuperStarmon laughed, smacking FlaWizardmon's back so hard that his head slammed into the bar table.

"Are you okay?" Rai blinked.

"I'm fine…," he moaned. "There's a reason why I'm an Armor Digimon. I'm pretty durable in that sense." He then looked back over to his childhood friend. "You know, you could take a seat next to me instead of awkwardly standing there."

"Oh… Right…," Wizardmon nodded. He continued standing there.

"…"

"…"

"I said…"

"I like standing…"

Rai looked between the two mages. She was pretty good at reading the atmosphere and she didn't feel it to be awkward or tense between these two, so what exactly was the problem? She still felt the need to defuse this somehow though. "Um… FlaWizardmon, when do you think you'll be well enough to go back to Magic Village? I'm sure that everyone back there is really worried about you, especially your sister, Witchmon."

"That's right…," FlaWizardmon blinked. "Wizardmon… I was really worried about you! You really shouldn't have left without telling me! I'm really proud of you for finding your partner and finally digivolving but you had us all really worried."

Wizardmon looked down. "I know. I'm really sorry. But I was just afraid that you'd stop me…"

He sighed. "I guess I would've… Even if it would've been hypocritical since I'm always telling you to stick to what you believe in."

"Then why would you have…?"

"I don't know," FlaWizardmon shrugged. "Maybe because I'd be worried about you? Maybe because I'm afraid of losing you? Maybe because I'm in love you?"

Everyone in the saloon who heard him blushed and those who were drinking; did a spit take with their milk. Wizardmon began speaking in tongues while blushing so hard that his clothes were glowing red. FlaWizardmon began laughing raucously, like someone had just told the best joke in the universe.

"I knew it! You were just kidding!" Wizardmon snapped indignantly. He was still glowing crimson though.

"He really does fool with your heartstrings even when he's not controlled," Lillymon gasped for air.

"It makes my heart pound so painfully when he says such naughty things," Etemon agreed in the same way.

"I should be arrested for the filthy thoughts that have entered my mind," SuperStarmon huffed while holding up his handcuffs.

Rai giggled. "You really do like to joke around, don't you?"

FlaWizardmon looked away with a half-convincing smile. "Yeah… I do…"

Rai could see how solemn FlaWizardmon had become and she suddenly felt bad. And she only felt worse when her partner couldn't pick up on the pyromancer's tone. Wizardmon was pretty dense, after all. But even so, it would appear that the not-so-bright residents of Desert West Town had picked up on it as well. Wizardmon really was hopeless.

"Ah!" Wizardmon blinked. Everyone else other than FlaWizardmon turned to him. Did he figure it out? "FlaWizardmon! We need your help!" The others dropped their expectations while FlaWizardmon turned back to his friend. "We got separated from our friends and we really must return to them! But I don't know how to use my magic very well yet. Do you think you can help us get back to them? Something really bad could've happened to them."

FlaWizardmon nodded. "Sure, that shouldn't be a problem. But I can tell you're in a rush so I'll give you a shortcut spell."

"A shortcut spell?"

"Yes," he nodded. "You see, if you have an item that was precious or holds many memories of its owner, then you can trace it back to that owner. Then, using your Magical Game: Teleportation spell, you should transport yourself to a spot close to the owner of that object."

Wizardmon looked to Rai. "Do we have anything like that?"

Rai didn't think so until she felt a hand on her head. It was FlaWizardmon and his hand reminded her that she was still wearing Babel's hat.

"Babel's hat!" she gasped.

"I can feel the presence of its previous owner," FlaWizardmon grinned. "So I know that you can use this to take yourself to him."

"This is great!" Rai smiled.

"Yeah, it is," Wizardmon nodded in agreement. "What about you FlaWizardmon? Will you be able to go back home?"

"I'll be fine… I don't need you worrying about me," FlaWizardmon chuckled. "Now go, you're in a rush right?"

Wizardmon nodded again as he took the baseball cap in both of his hands. He closed his eyes as he drew out Babel's essence from it, it retraced back to its original owner and he could see in his mind's eye; Babel and Betamon, both of whom were holding on to what looked like a giant bird leg, flying through the desert. It was an odd vision but it must've meant something.

"I know where to go," Wizardmon smiled. He turned to FlaWizardmon and hesitantly gave him a hug. "I'm really glad that you're okay. I really missed you…"

FlaWizardmon returned the gesture. "I missed you too. But I know you'll come back to me, and when that day comes, we'll be able to celebrate our independence from Apocalymon. On that day, I'll be very proud of you, maybe just as proud as I am of you right now."

"Thanks… Say 'hi' to my brother and your sister for me."

"No problem." FlaWizardmon paused as Wizardmon got ready to use the spell. "Hold on. I have one more thing to impart on you."

"What is it?"

"This." FlaWizardmon pulled Wizardmon close to him, tugging the mage's collar down so that his mouth was exposed. He then placed a kiss right on the smaller wizard's mouth, causing the residents of the town to go crazy. Rai was also blushing as well, even through her dark skin, it was clear.

"W-w-w-what was that for?" Wizardmon stammered once he was able to pull away. If the people in the saloon were blushing, then he was absolutely on fire. His entire body, including his clothes, was a bright shade of crimson.

FlaWizardmon shrugged with a coy and rather triumphant smile on his face. "Let's just say it's like a little charm for good luck. Though I know you don't need it."

"…Come on…," Wizardmon said to his partner. "W-We're going now…"

Rai quickly said her goodbyes to Etemon, Lillymon, and SuperStarmon before she and Wizardmon vanished. At the last second before they had transported, Wizardmon whispered a soft goodbye to FlaWizardmon.

"They were nice kids," Etemon sighed.

Lillymon nodded in agreement. "Oh, darling, I'm starting cry a bit. I swore I wouldn't cry but I just so hate goodbyes."

"I feel like a waterfall," SuperStarmon sobbed. "Today shall always be national 'Rai and Candlemon Day!'"

"Shouldn't it be 'Candlemon and Rai Day'?" Etemon asked.

"How about just national 'DigiDestined Day'?" Lillymon offered.

SuperStarmon rubbed his… chin thoughtfully before turning to their guest from Magic Village. "What do you think, FlaWizardmon?"

"I say… we save it for the day they defeat Apocalymon," he chuckled before looking back at the spot his childhood friend had been standing just moments ago. "I'll be waiting for you back home… Candlemon…"

Termination Jungle – 12:24 PM

"FanBeemon?" Janyu called. He was really getting worried about his partner now. The insect Digimon had gone off about an hour ago to gather some more fruits for lunch but he hadn't been back since. It shouldn't take that long to gather fruit, should it?

Robert walked over to the Chinese boy. "We should probably go look for him."

"Yeah, let's go," Janyu nodded.

"Shouldn't one of us stay here in case FanBeemon comes back?" Ryudamon asked.

"Can he read?" Robert asked.

"Only Digi-Code," Ryudamon told them. "I can leave a message for him if you want. It'll only take a few moments." He spent his time gathering some pebbles from the stream and rearranging them into a language that neither of the humans had ever seen before in their lives. "There. It says that we're going off to look for FanBeemon and that he should wait here for us."

"Perfect," Robert grinned. "We'll look for him for one hour. If we can't find him, we'll come back here to see if he came back."

"Sounds like a pretty good plan," Janyu nodded.

"See?" the American laughed. "I told Daisy that I could…" He trailed off when he remembered that Daisy had decided to try and find a way home. He hoped that both she and Babel were able to find DarkTrailmon or some other method of returning to Earth.

"Yeah," Janyu nodded, ignoring the statement which was good, Robert didn't want to talk about the deserters. "We've got to find FanBeemon."

The three of them packed up their stuff and reentered the jungle in search of their friend. As they traveled through the dense, humid rainforest, they couldn't really find any signs of FanBeemon anywhere. After about twenty minutes of walking, they were about ready to give up and start heading back to the riverbed to see if Janyu's partner had gone back. But just as they were about to go back, Ryudamon noticed a fruit lying on the ground.

"Hey, look!" Ryudamon pointed.

"What?" Robert blinked before following his partner's eyes to the purple, pear-shaped fruit. "It's just a fruit."

Janyu was able to get what was wrong with the picture. "Yeah, but look around it. There aren't any trees around that grow that fruit on their branches so it couldn't have fallen off. That must've been a fruit that FanBeemon was carrying."

"He sure went far to get it then," Robert whistled.

Ryudamon began sniffing the ground near the fruit before catching on to their friend's scent. Not only that but, he caught the scent of a three other creatures. "The soil here is slightly upturned and it makes a barely visible trail in that direction," the dragon Digimon pointed out. "It seems like FanBeemon got into a scuffle and then was dragged away. He must've dropped the fruit by accident or even on purpose so that we could find him."

Janyu's worries now had some ground to stand on. "Then we have to save him!" He ran off ahead of them.

"Wait, Janyu!" Robert called after the boy as he pursued him. "You can't just go off on your own!"

Robert and his partner stopped when they heard Janyu scream. They glanced at each other before crouching down and taking a more stealthy approach to wherever they were going. As they got closer to where they heard Janyu's scream, they could see that he was tied up by some white substance. In front of him were three arachnid Digimon and they were dragging him away somewhere. Most likely the same place where they had taken FanBeemon as well.

"Dokugumon," Ryudamon hissed.

Robert stuck his tongue out in disgust. "Ugh, I hate spiders. And those are huge!"

"Did you see what was on their legs?"

"No, but I can take a pretty good guess."

The pair followed them all the way back to their hideout which was actually just a clearing in the jungle. It wasn't very clear at the moment though, everywhere you looked, you could see spider webs. In one that was made just as artists would depict them, FanBeemon was entangled and struggling to escape. Janyu was thrown down next to him.

"Janyu! Are you okay?" FanBeemon asked, concerned.

"Yeah… I'm okay, more or less," Janyu nodded meekly. "But what happened?"

"I was ambushed," FanBeemon explained. "I couldn't digivolve without you so I was completely defenseless against three Champion-level Digimon."

"Don't worry, we're going to get out of here soon enough," Janyu promised.

The Dokugumon started murmuring to each other before parting like elevator doors as their matriarch crawled past them. She began climbing the web until she was right above the human and his Digimon partner.

"What shall we do about them, matriarch?" asked one of the Dokugumon.

"Exactly what Lord Apocalymon wants us to do," the matriarch replied venomously. "We shall exterminate them like the insects they are."

"Hey!" FanBeemon buzzed. "Janyu is not an insect!"

"That's what you're mad about?" Janyu sighed.

"How are those two so calm while being surrounded by giant spiders?" Robert muttered. "For one thing, one of them is literally a snack food for them. Not to mention, these things are incredibly disgusting and disturbing. God… I hate spiders…"

"Rob… You really don't like spiders…," Ryudamon mumbled.

"That's what I've been saying!" Robert shook his head as he realized he should've been focusing on trying to save his abducted comrades. He held up his key and his D-Sync as he got ready for their rescue mission. "You ready?" After getting an affirmative nod from his partner, he turned the key. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Ryudamon Digivolve to… Ginryumon!"

Desert of Emptiness – 12:34 PM

Babel was laughing uncontrollably after Rai's retelling of what had transpired back at Desert West Town. "Congratulations Candlemon! You experienced your first kiss!"

"Sh-Shut up!" Candlemon snapped. "I'm not counting it! H-He stole it so it doesn't count! And what makes you think it was my first?!"

"You already sort of admitted it," Daisy pointed out. Even she was trying to stifle a giggle at the thought of a glowing red Wizardmon.

Betamon still seemed clueless to this whole talk concerning romance or even mates. It seemed that everyone could figure out that in comparison to the other Digimon, he was much younger. Which was ironic considering Babel was the oldest human in the group.

"Still… I can't believe you guys were planning on going home," Rai breathed.

"Well, they changed their minds and that's what matters," Salamon smiled.

"Hey, we can't let you and the other two boys do the cool stuff," Daisy grinned.

Babel nodded. "You guys are important to us. There's no way we were going to let you guys handle this dangerous, and possibly suicidal, mission all by yourselves. Besides, I'm the oldest; I've taken on a personal responsibility to watch over you guys."

"How generous," Daisy deadpanned.

"Did you kill yourself making that statement?" Babel shot back.

"Can I kill you with my next one?" Daisy fired.

"There's no need to fight," Betamon interjected. "Also, I just realized something rather troubling."

"What is it?" his partner asked.

"I was just thinking that we all ran into trouble of some sort. FlaWizardmon at the town and these two, we're hitching a ride with, at Meteor Mountain," the amphibious Digimon explained. "So it's very possible that Ryudamon and the others ran into a fight as well. And we all know that we had trouble in our fights. What if they can't get out of theirs?"

"That is rather troubling…," Rai murmured.

"But they're strong too!" Candlemon offered. "They won't go down easily. Not to mention both Digimon are carriers of the X-Antibody which means they're a lot tougher than the rest of us. They can handle almost anything!"

"Still, we should probably hurry just in case," Daisy replied.

Salamon nodded in agreement. "We can't be taking unnecessary risks now." She looked up to the bird Digimon carrying them. "Do you think you could pick up the pace? We want to make sure that we reach our friends before they run into any trouble."

"Not a problem!" Birdramon cawed.

"If you're looking for speed, then you're very lucky to have bumped into us," Saberdramon added.

"As sisters, we are naturally competitive."

"So, if we just imagine this to be a race for some prize…"

"Then we'll surely pick it up a bit."

The two birds glanced each other with fierce and determined expressions before shooting forward like rockets. The riders all had to hold on for dear life so that they wouldn't be kicked off and fall into the endless sea of sand below them.

"This is not 'picking it up a bit'!" Babel shouted over the roar of the wind. "This is a million times more than 'a bit'!"

Dokugumon Den – 12:50 PM

Ginryumon launched out several blades from his mouth, causing the Dokugumon to jump away from the sharp weapons. They cut through the web with ease and both Janyu and FanBeemon fell to the dirt below. Robert sprinted towards them and got to work untangling them while Ginryumon handled keeping them back for as long as he could.

"Thanks," Janyu nodded to Robert once he was free. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"FanBeemon Digivolve to… Waspmon!" As the insect Digimon grew in size, he was able to break through the sticky web wrapped around him. As soon as he was free, he started blasting his lasers at the Dokugumon. "How do you like me now?"

"Gah! I've never had lunch attack me before!" one of the Dokugumon yelped.

Robert shuddered before looking over to the other human crouching next to him. "Hey, Janyu, how come you're not afraid of spiders?"

"Eh?" Janyu blinked, not quite understanding the question. "Are you supposed to be?"

"What's with your fascination with bugs?" Robert groaned.

"I don't really have one," Janyu shrugged. "But my family lives on a farm and we all have a good understanding of how bugs help out with our workload. Spiders eliminate the pesky bugs that will be detrimental to the crops and bees help pollinate. The only bug I've ever had a problem with are centipedes and they're everywhere during the rainy season. Have you ever seen a centipede before?"

Robert shook his head and then shuddered as he imagined a centipede. He's never seen one but he figured that the sight of them could be very damaging to his mental health. "I hope I never have to…"

The Dokugumon were being pushed back by the force of two powerful Champions but they were still up against an army of giant spiders. Every time they destroyed one of their Chains, another would replace it from a neighboring Dokugumon that was still under its influence. Two Digimon were not nearly enough to keep up with the waves of enemies. Not to mention, the Dokugumon were able to figure out that the Chosen Digimon had to protect their partners so they had to keep one eye on Robert and Janyu at all times.

"There's no way they can win a fight this imbalanced," Janyu muttered.

"I know," Robert nodded. "But what can we do about it?"

A trio of Dokugumon, including the matriarch, got together. "Poison Cobweb!" Together, they spun a bright purple web that entangled Waspmon and prevented him from moving. The poison it was doused in; seeped into Waspmon's interior circuits.

Ginryumon tried to free Waspmon with his sharp weapons but a Dokugumon jumped on top of him and started spinning a web to keep his limbs restrained. The two humans tried to help out but they were instantly captured by the arachnids.

"Trapped again…," Janyu moaned.

Ginryumon growled in frustration. "This can't possibly get any worse."

"Robert… Do you have any idea of what we can do?" Waspmon hummed.

Whenever they were in tight situations, Robert seemed to come through for them in the past. But the usually positive American boy didn't know what to do. There were only four of them, and only half of that amount was capable of fighting. The truth was, they couldn't win a fight like this without the others. And if they couldn't win against a group of lackeys, how could they ever hope to defeat a monster in control of an entire world?

"This would've happened eventually…" Robert bit his lower lip. "There's no way we would've been able to defeat Apocalymon without Daisy and the others. We're just too weak on our own." He squeezed his eyes shut. "I think it's over… I'm sorry I dragged you into this, Janyu…"

"This isn't the end, Rob!" Ginryumon protested. "We can still win!"

"How?!" Robert shot back.

"You can't," the matriarch cackled as she approached them. All of her eyes gleamed with hunger as she eyed each of them, sizing them up, as if trying to figure out which dish to try on the menu. Her eyes finally stopped on Robert. "Since you seem to be their leader, I want you to witness each of their deaths. And I'll start with the other human."

"No!" Robert gasped.

Janyu froze up as he watched the spiders advance toward him. He's never faced death head on before but he remembered how he felt when they believed that NeoDevimon had killed Rai. He couldn't have Robert go through that same pain.

"Robert… Don't worry about me… You'll find a way out of this…," Janyu told him. The quiver in his voice betrayed the fearlessness he tried to display. Tears involuntarily started falling from his eyes and Waspmon was struggling like crazy as evident by his hectic buzzing. "I'll… be fine…" A smile, a hiss, and a pounce…

Robert shut his eyes and turned away but returned his gaze when he heard a loud slapping sound. His eyes widened when he saw Seadramon there in a pose that showed he had just smacked away the forces of Dokugumon with his large tail.

"Don't you dare hurt our friends!" Seadramon snarled ferociously. "Ice Blast!" He was able to freeze up half of the Dokugumon in their tracks, literally.

Darcmon flew in from above and used her blade with excellent precision to cut through the webs that had ensnared the two humans and their partners. "Dancing Sword!" Once her beautiful display of swordsmanship was done, she looked at all the former captives. "Geez, you guys can't do anything right without us."

The Dokugumon that weren't frozen charged in but they became distracted by another voice. "Magical Game!" About twenty Wizardmon dropped from the sky and took up offensive stances, scaring the remaining six Dokugumon backwards as the humans dropped in as well.

"Sorry, but you just fell for a couple of illusions," Rai grinned.

"Ugh, I've never been on a plane before but I'm pretty sure this is airsickness," Daisy groaned.

"Hey, at least we got here before Janyu got eaten," Babel chuckled before covering his mouth to keep from puking. "Though, a smoother ride would be pretty nice next time."

"Rai!" Janyu gasped as he ran over to her and hugged her. "I was afraid I wouldn't see you again." He then turned to the other two. "You guys too! I'm glad you came back for us…"

"Yeah, well, who else is going to cover your butts when you dive into trouble?" Daisy shrugged.

Robert slowly got up off the ground and walked over to their lost members. When he reached them, he smiled brightly. "I'm glad you guys are here too. I really missed you… Now, why don't we show these bugs what we can do together?"

"Sounds good to me," Babel smirked.

"Ginryumon!" "Waspmon!" "Darcmon!" "Seadramon!" "Wizardmon!" "Attack!"

The five Digimon all nodded as they launched their attacks on the twelve Dokugumons' Dark Chains, releasing them from the evil spell. And once they were free, the DigiDestined finally found a moment to breathe, relax, and celebrate their reunion.

Proxy Island Shore – 2:37 PM

A human boy opened up a bag full of candy, unwrapped one of them, and popped it into his mouth. He chewed methodically as he watched the screen in front of him and listened to NeoDevimon's report. He leaned his head against Tuskmon's since he was sitting upon one of his tusks anyway.

"So they were able to defeat the Dokugumon huh…," the boy chuckled. "This is a lot more fun than I thought! I knew I chose the right players for this game!"

NeoDevimon laughed darkly. "Of course, you are the main boss in this game. When will you choose to confront them on your own?"

The boy grinned. "The main boss doesn't show up until the end, NeoDevimon. I'll get there." He paused when he saw his partner climbing up Tuskmon's body and sitting down next to him. "So, how does the island look?"

"Every Digimon inhabiting this island is now under the control of the Dark Chain," his dragon partner replied. NeoDevimon nodded and the screen vanished, once the fallen angel Digimon was gone, the dragon Digimon could focus on another topic resting on his mind. "Shibumi… Are you sure this is what you want? You don't seem to take too much joy in enslaving Digimon like you say you do. I'm your partner, I can tell these things."

"…I don't," the boy, Shibumi, replied with a shrug. His smile was gone and it was replaced with an expression of solemnity. "But I will do anything to escape him…" His playful smile returned then. "Besides, this game is way more fun than what I was doing back home! Know what I mean, Dracomon?"

The dragon, Dracomon, paused before nodding. "Yeah, I guess I do…"

"So, let's have more fun with this game tomorrow!"

"Of course… I'll do anything for you, partner…"

Dokugumon Den – 1:15 PM

Robert jumped up when the matriarch had finished telling her story. "Another human showed up before us?!"

"Not only that, but he was the one responsible for enslaving all of the Dokugumon," Daisy muttered, her brow furrowing. "This is a rather pressing matter. Who would've thought that the sixth DigiDestined was working for the enemy?"

Babel leaned back and sighed heavily as he tried to figure this out with the rest of them. "But it doesn't make any sense! We were called her to save this world from Apocalymon and yet, one of us is actually working with him?! Why? What happened?"

"Maybe he was chosen by mistake," Janyu suggested.

Salamon shook her head. "There's no way that could be the case. I know the Sovereigns and they said they would choose the most good-hearted humans to save this world."

"Then why was Daisy chosen?" Babel asked, getting a punch from said girl.

"But no one is perfect," Betamon added. "It's very possible that this other human is just evil to the core or something. I mean, we know the Dark Chain doesn't work on humans or their Digimon partners, so he has to be doing this of his own volition, right?"

"I can't believe we might actually fight a human, that's very different from fighting a Digimon," Rai drooped.

"How so?" Candlemon blinked.

"Well, humans don't get reborn like Digimon do for one thing," Janyu explained. "So if one of us were to die, we would be deleted permanently. There is no such thing as a Primary Village or a Tree of Rebirth in our world. Some countries and religions believe in reincarnation but chances are, we wouldn't remember a thing from our past lives. The only way we could defeat a human enemy would be restraining him and taking him back home. I don't think any of us have the will to kill him…"

"Yeah, that's true…," Daisy sighed.

"But we still have to find out why he would do this though," FanBeemon buzzed, reminding them. "Maybe we might even be able to convince him to our side!"

"The prophecy does state that there should be six humans," Candlemon nodded, hand to his chin. "Besides, having one more ally would increase our chances of defeating Apocalymon, even if it by a small margin."

"But if he's doing this of his volition, would we really be able to persuade someone like him?" Salamon asked.

Robert, who hadn't spoken in a while, finally opened his mouth. "We will. I refuse to believe that this other human chose to side with Apocalymon willingly. There must be some ulterior reason or perhaps Apocalymon has manipulated him to his side somehow. Convincing him to our side shouldn't be too hard." The others looked to each other and they all voiced out their agreements to Robert. They all had the same feeling as well. "Good…" He turned to the matriarch. "Do you remember where he went?"

The Dokugumon took a moment to think about it before brightening up. "Ah, yes! He mentioned something about Leomon Village before he put the Dark Chains on us, so it's possible that he was heading there!"

"Hey, that's where we were heading anyway!" Ryudamon grinned. "I've always wanted to meet a real Leomon too! They're some of the coolest Digimon species around!"

"Are they really that great?" his partner asked.

Ryudamon nodded enthusiastically. "They're really strong and not to mention noble warriors!"

"Not to mention beautiful," the matriarch swooned, causing the DigiDestined to pause and stare at her dreamy-like expression. Well, it bordered between daydreaming and lewd. "They're such handsome and muscular creatures, oh, if only I could have one all tangled in a web so that I…"

Birdramon and Saberdramon, the two sister birds who were sitting there the whole time, quickly interrupted so that the youth wouldn't have to hear what sorts of fantasies the matriarch had of the leonine Digimon.

"Well, we should probably get going back to Meteor Mountain," said Birdramon, stretching out her wings.

Saberdramon nodded in agreement with her sister. "After all, Leomon Village is deeper in this jungle and there's no way the two of us could fly you there. We wish you all the luck in the world! And we hope that our paths may cross with yours again one day."

"But hopefully, on that day, it won't be as enemies," Birdramon laughed lightheartedly. "Until next time!"

The two firebirds took off as the DigiDestined group waved goodbye. They then turned over to the matriarch who pointed them in the direction of Leomon Village. They all knew that they had no time to waste, even as they stood talking, the sixth human child could be out there enslaving Digimon according to Apocalymon's orders. The Digital World was in much more danger than they had originally thought if one of their opponents was a fellow human. They had to be careful.

Termination Jungle – 10:11 AM

Morning came and as usual, trouble has a way of finding the DigiDestined, every single time. This time, in the form of the very person they were searching for. Shibumi flew in atop a winged, green dragon Digimon. The pair landed on a tree branch above the group on the ground. Robert and the others froze up when they saw them. Unlike most dragon Digimon, this one actually looked like one from European myths with his scales, three-pronged claws, and ferociously hungry expression.

"You!" Robert gasped.

"His partner looks pretty scary!" FanBeemon buzzed.

Ryudamon knew exactly what that Digimon was. "That's Coredramon! The Champion form of Dracomon!"

Digital Analyzer: Coredramon aren't very good flyers, they usually only fly very low to the ground and for short periods of time. But their legs are highly developed, giving them the adept ability of jumping and running at incredible speeds. Digimon with the "-dramon" suffix contain dragon-gene data and the higher the ratio, the closer their body image looks like a dragon. Coredramon are known to have a 100% dragon DNA ratio, making Coredramon a pure-blooded dragon Digimon.

"Oh?" the boy, Shibumi, chuckled as he got off his partner's back. "I guess I don't have to introduce my partner to you guys. But I'm wondering if you guys would even have a chance at defeating my partner. He's much stronger than all of your half-baked partners."

Of course, all of the Digimon were irked by that.

"What did you call us?!" Salamon growled, which was new considering her usually level-headed personality.

"We're way stronger than that overgrown lizard!" Betamon added. "Let's show them, Babel!"

Babel nodded. "Yeah, if we're talking about Dragon DNA, it's obvious that you have more in you as Seadramon than that guy! D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!" The sea dragon twisted his body in the air like a corkscrew as he faced his giant head at Coredramon. "Ice Blast!"

Shibumi smirked as Coredramon grabbed his partner and leapt out of the way at a surprising speed. Once he dropped off his human, he began running back to the battlefield, swerving past the trees and foliage with such ease, it was as if this entire jungle was a course he had built and committed to memory. "Green Flare Breath!"

Seadramon was such a large target and there wasn't much room to evade in the first place so he was struck down with ease by the stream of green flames. It was so powerful that it passed right through his body, destroying a large mass of his data.

"Seadramon!" Babel shouted with worry as Betamon started falling from the sky.

"D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!" the other four children shouted.

Darcmon quickly flew up and caught Betamon before dropping him off in Babel's arms. The other three focused their attention on the now still dragon Digimon.

"Metal Armor Blade!" "Bear Buster!" "Thunder Ball!"

Shibumi, who was watching from afar, smiled. "Not bad… But not good enough. My partner is simply too fast for you guys."

As he said, Coredramon easily weaved past the three attacks gracefully before charging straight at them. He leapt into the air, spun around and smacked Waspmon hard with his tail, striking swift and deep. "Strike Bomber!" The tail was tough and it propelled Waspmon into Wizardmon, causing them both to crash into a thorn bush.

"In one attack, they're both back to their Rookie states!" Janyu gasped.

"Wizardmon wasn't even the one who was struck," Rai added, hands over her mouth.

Darcmon quickly flew in and tried to land some blows with her blade but by simply shifting his weight around, Coredramon was able to dodge every slice and strike. Ginryumon joined in with his own blades shooting out from his mouth but neither of them could hit Coredramon at all. "G Shurunen II!" Coredramon's horns began to glow before he shot out laser beams from his mouth, blasting the two Digimon and sending them back to their regular forms.

"But how?!" Daisy winced.

"We were just caught off guard," said Robert as he held up his key. "Come on, let's try this again!"

"Right!" the others quickly nodded as they pulled out their keys. "D-Lock…!"

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Shibumi cut in before any of them could use their keys. "It's true, now that you've seen Coredramon's arsenal of attacks and you've seen his speed with your own eyes, you'll be better prepared. You might even be able to win. But…" He produced a silver key from his sleeve and tossed it into the air. "You won't be able to beat me unless one of you has one of these…"

Salamon gaped at the shimmering object. "A silver key?"

"Don't tell me…," Ryudamon mumbled.

"Your suspicions are correct! I found this yesterday when I was exploring near Leomon Village. Imagine my surprise when Apocalymon was right about it being in their ruins. Now then, allow me to give you a little demonstration of my full power," Shibumi smiled as he produced his blue D-Sync in his other hand. "D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

Coredramon was enveloped in a blue light as a ring spun around his body. "Coredramon Digivolve to…" His form became larger as he became a four-legged creature. His wings took the form of two giant claws and a morning star was added at the end of his tail. If anything, he became even more terrifying than he was before. "Groundramon!"

Digital Analyzer: The giant arms that have mutated on Groundramon's back allow him to efficiently dig through the ground. As expected, they are naturally indigenous in underground tunnels and seldom come back to the surface. Their personality is very ferocious in comparison to his previous forms, and it is said that if you were to ever encounter one, you will surely lose your life.

"An Ultimate Digimon…," Rai shivered, thinking back to their fight with NeoDevimon. And she wasn't the only one reminiscing.

"There's no way we can beat that thing," Daisy shook. "We're not strong enough as we are."

Shibumi laughed, he seemed to relish seeing how fearful they were. "Don't worry; I won't destroy you guys right now! That would be too easy, but also, I can't." He glanced over to the side. "After all, you'll protect them… won't you?"

There was a long moment of silence before an anthropomorphic lion appeared from the trees. He had a piece of wheat stuck between his lips, wore a cap, a black leather jacket hanging over his shoulders, pants, a scar across his torso, and a white mane running down his back.

"So you noticed my presence… Not bad…," the lion mused.

"BanchoLeomon, chief of Leomon Village," Shibumi chuckled. "And the first Mega Digimon I've ever seen other than Apocalymon. Who would've thought you'd be the one patrolling the borders today?"

The other humans and their partners turned their gaze towards the possibly new ally. He was simply emanating power like no other they had felt before. Neither NeoDevimon nor Groundramon could possibly rival this absolute force of nature.

"A Mega Digimon?"

Chapter Text

Termination Jungle – 11:27 PM

"I still cannot believe that we lost so easily to that twerp when it was five against one!" Daisy huffed in annoyance. "It was such a humiliating loss!"

"It's only natural," said Janyu. "We didn't know a thing about his partner and their capabilities but chances are, they knew exactly what we were capable of. Not to mention, they seemed to know the area very well and used it to their advantage."

BanchoLeomon walked ahead of them, leading them towards his village. When he showed up, Shibumi took off underground while riding his partner but left behind a couple of Dark Chains. The supposedly inanimate objects began moving like dangerous snakes and charged straight for the leonine Digimon who was able to protect himself using his long-range attacks to avoid brainwashing. Unfortunately, their opponent had gotten away at that point.

"As long as you five are safe, it should be fine," BanchoLeomon told them calmly.

"Wow, Ryudamon was right, your species are really cool," Babel nodded, clearly impressed.

"Still though, why was that other human out to get us like that?" Rai wondered aloud. "I just can't make any sense of it."

"My village has been wondering the same thing," BanchoLeomon sighed. "As a matter of fact, a lot of Digimon in this area have started to believe that humans are actually on the side of evil. I was following you guys when I sensed your presence to destroy you if you were suspicious but then you started fighting that other human. I knew then, that something was off."

"Apocalymon did something to him, I know it!" Robert piped up.

Daisy didn't seem convinced with that theory. "Rob, I don't know what kind of make-believe world you live in, but clearly, it's not Earth. Humans can be just as bad as evil Digimon are. Don't forget that World War II wasn't that long ago."

"She's right," said Babel. "I'm not agreeing but we really should consider that possibility."

"Maybe we should talk about this later," FanBeemon buzzed. "We Digimon happen to be very tired from that fight and we need to regain our strength."

The humans glanced to their partners and noticed how sluggish their movements had become. They all ended up carrying their respective partners except for Rai. Candlemon was much too heavy for the small girl to hold properly so BanchoLeomon carried him for her.

"What we need is a silver key," Robert grunted as he shifted Ryudamon's weight in his arms. "If just one of us had one, we could probably be on par with that guy. Speaking of which, he never did tell us his name, did he…"

"No, he didn't," Ryudamon shook his head weakly.

"His name doesn't matter right now but I do agree with Robert," Salamon chimed in. "If one of us could enter the Ultimate level, then we might be able stand a chance against Groundramon. Not to mention we still have to face NeoDevimon at some point as well."

Rai rubbed her chin in thought. "Well, we were already searching for the silver keys but we don't even know where to start."

"If you're searching for something, then I know a Digimon who may be able to help you," BanchoLeomon suddenly said, bringing their attention to him. "He lives in the village that neighbors mine but unfortunately, the two of us are natural enemies. I won't be able to guide you there but I can point you in the right direction. But you have to be careful; their guards will challenge anyone who approaches to make sure that they aren't from Leomon Village or one of Apocalymon's minions."

"Enemies?" Candlemon blinked. "But, during this time of despair, shouldn't you be working together?"

"I want to and so does the chief of their village," BanchoLeomon replied. "But unfortunately, many of our villagers disagree. We have issued a truce where we would help each other with provisions and protection if we ever need it but we are still not allowed to enter the other village without a good reason."

"That other village," said Ryudamon. "Would it be Ogremon Village?"

The chief of Leomon Village nodded. All of the Digimon seemed to have some idea of what that was aside from Betamon who was about as clueless as he usually was. The humans looked to their partners and got a quick explanation of the grudge between the two species.

The Ogremon all have frightening appearances and have been treated with prejudice by many other Digimon since ancient times whereas the Leomon species have been adored because they are all so beautiful and easy to approach. The Ogremon species became envious and some were petty enough to start fights with the leonine Digimon. Small wars broke out until they became separate, natural enemies ever since.

"That's just not right," Babel huffed.

"Well, just seeing their faces made young Digimon cry so older Digimon always assumed that they were harassing the youth," Salamon explained. "Though, nowadays, a lot of Digimon don't care about it as much but unfortunately, old habits die hard."

"They've held a petty grudge against us for so long already," BanchoLeomon sighed.

"It's rumored that the Demon Lord that embodies envy was once a Hyogamon which is part of the Ogremon species," FanBeemon pointed out.

"Who are the Demon Lords?" Janyu asked.

"A dangerous group of Digimon who have been sealed away and hopefully, they'll never come back," BanchoLeomon answered. "It was only thanks to the four Sovereigns and the ancient Legendary Warriors that this world isn't shrouded in any more darkness than it already is." He paused in front of a cluster of cherry trees and after tapping on one of them lightly with his knuckles, they came alive and started parting the way for them.

"Welcome back," each of the cherry trees said.

"Living trees?" Daisy gaped.

"They're Cherrymon," Betamon told her.

They moved past them and entered a large village, it wasn't as big as Magic Village but it was certainly much more rustic. Everywhere they looked; there was a Leomon or some variation of their species. Some seemed wary of the humans which seemed to be natural because of what BanchoLeomon had told them.

"Hey, there are even some Elecmon here!" Robert pointed out, remembering the first Digimon they had met aside from their own partners and Trailmon.

"They evolve into Leomon," the chief smiled fondly, as if reminiscing his days as a Rookie. "Though there are some who cling to our ancient evolutionary line and evolve from Leormon. Most Leormon have evolved into Liamon though, a newer species compared to Leomon though you'll see many of them here as well."

"It feels weird to be stared at with such disdain," Daisy remarked. "I mean, usually, we get curious glances and sometimes, expressions of awe. But to be stared at with scorn is totally…" She trailed off as she thought about the bullies from back home.

The others had some idea of what she was thinking about so they let it hang there.

The chief brought them to his hut and then told them to wait while he addressed his village to explain that they weren't a threat to them. It wasn't long before they started dropping by to apologize for treating them so disrespectfully. In truth, their apologies were so respectful that the humans felt rude just for receiving them.

The Digimon were getting their well-deserved rest and it wasn't until dusk that they had awoken. A feast was thrown in their honor and once again, the DigiDestined felt rude just being the recipients of such kind offerings.

Since this was a village filled with carnivores, the humans had to wonder why they didn't expect to see a huge table with a large assortment of meats.

While eating, BanchoLeomon turned over to the humans with a serious expression on his face. Then again, that was pretty much the only expression they saw on his face. The Leomon species are incredibly stoic.

"I have some good news for all of you," said the chief. "Apparently, it has been rumored that there is a silver key in a hidden cave on Mount Freeze."

The group brightened up considerably upon hearing that.

"That's great!" Robert practically cheered.

"I wonder which one of us it belongs to," Rai mused.

Babel rubbed his chin with a smug grin on his face. "On a mountain called Mount Freeze, it's got to go to me and Betamon since he does have ice based attacks."

"But if it's a mountain, don't you think it would belong to a Digimon all about flight?" Daisy pointed out. "And I don't know about you guys but Darcmon is definitely the best flyer so it probably belongs to the two of us!"

Janyu was the only one who didn't seem as excited. He had kept his eyes on BanchoLeomon and noticed that there was a frown plastered there. "Is something wrong BanchoLeomon? You don't seem too happy about this."

"Mount Freeze is incredibly dangerous," BanchoLeomon sighed gravely. "It's basically the equivalent of facing several Ultimate level Digimon at once. Seeing your performance against a singular Groundramon, it is very clear that none of you are prepared to take on such a treacherous quest. I suggest that you put off going there for the time being."

"What?!" Robert snapped. "But we need a silver key or we won't stand a chance against Apocalymon!"

"I can't believe I'm saying this, but I agree with Rob on this one," Daisy nodded. "How can you expect us to get stronger without the silver keys?"

BanchoLeomon's raised his paws in front of the two of their faces; they were big enough for him to crush their skulls right then and there. Ryudamon and Salamon stood up, ready to protect them but all BanchoLeomon did was flick both of their foreheads, sending them backwards, sprawled on their backs.

"I didn't say for you to forget about the keys," BanchoLeomon huffed as he stood up. "I just said that you weren't ready. I want to defeat Apocalymon as soon as possible as well but there will be no point if you all just keep going on suicide missions. You can get stronger as partners without having to access the next level."

Babel helped Robert back up. "How?"

The stoic lion broke his emotionless face with the slightest of smiles. "Starting tomorrow, the ten of you shall start training at Leomon Village. I will personally help your Digimon become the strongest they can be at their Champion level and one of the Leomon shall train the humans."

"Train us?" Daisy asked with an eyebrow raised.

"If you're always standing around then you will become easy targets for enemy Digimon," the chief explained. "Leomon will teach you evasive tactics and the basics of free running so that you will be able to protect yourselves while your partners fight. Your safety is important too, your partners' main focus is to protect you guys, they won't succeed in winning a fight if you're always in danger. Do you understand what I'm saying?"

The humans and the Digimon all nodded numbly. It was strange, earlier; they were all impatient and twitching to get a move on. But now, they felt a sudden need to stay and learn. Plus, Ryudamon looked pretty excited to be working with his heroes.

Mount Freeze – 8:15 AM

IceLeomon walked through the blizzard as if it was simply a light drizzle. He was completely unfazed by the cold which was reasonable. He stepped into the cave nearby and walked deeper until he saw a glowing, frozen stone. That one piece of ice seemed to illuminate the entire cave but most of all; it amplified the silver coloring of the key stuck inside of it. It would remind anyone of the invincible sword, Excalibur, as it would seem that no matter how hard IceLeomon tried, he couldn't pull it out.

"One of the humans must be the one then…," he sighed after trying once more.

He was the one who had found the key originally and two days ago, the DigiDestined were told about the key. He was then instructed by the chief to go back to the cave and make sure that the key would not be stolen. Chances are, Apocalymon wouldn't want the humans to have it so it must be defended.

IceLeomon was honored to be chosen for this job and he didn't really mind spending a couple of days here until the DigiDestined got there. The ice and cold was a much better environment for him compared to the humid jungle which was why he traveled between the two places so often in the first place.

The leonine Digimon's ear twitched when he heard snow crunching underfoot. He jerked his head around and saw a human approaching. It was too soon for the DigiDestined to be here, that meant this was the one working for Apocalymon.

"An IceLeomon," the human mused when he came into view. It was Shibumi alright, IceLeomon's intuition had been correct. "You're an Ultimate level Digimon who has trained in the severe cold, building up his mighty will and body. Most certainly a high quality Digimon with powerful attributes… You would make an excellent addition to Apocalymon's army."

IceLeomon took on a defensive position, his massive paw reaching for his sword. "What do you want?"

"Oh, it's not what I want," Shibumi chuckled. "It's what Tuskmon wants."

Suddenly, from under IceLeomon's feet, the ground began to shake and the lion was able to react quickly, jumping out of the way of Tuskmon leaping out from the snow. Tusk used his Horn Buster attack which was basically him firing laser beams from his horns. IceLeomon used his sword to block the beams and jumped out of the way when the Dark Chain on one of the dinosaur's horns tried to attach itself to IceLeomon as well.

"You won't beat me by using one of your evil henchmen," IceLeomon growled as he jumped high into the air. The Dark Chain reacted to his close proximity and tried again to capture the leonine Digimon. "Blizzard Breath!"

IceLeomon was able to freeze the Chain using his breath and keep it in place while gracefully landing on Tuskmon's head. He used his blade and successfully destroyed the brainwashing accessory. Tuskmon was released from the curse and fell into the cold snow. "Thank you…," he groaned weakly.

"You're even stronger than I thought!" Shibumi laughed. "You were able to take down a Digimon possessed by the Dark Chain easily without getting caught yourself. Most Digimon don't even try to fight possessed Digimon because they're too afraid of getting caught by the Dark Chain."

"Well you should know my species will not run away from evil with our tails in between our legs," IceLeomon snarled. "We are a prideful clan and we know that good will eventually triumph one day."

Shibumi didn't seem fazed by this but he did seem to stiffen a little whenever the word 'evil' came up. He didn't seem to like hearing that word.

"Cute speech," Shibumi acknowledged.

"Why are you doing this?" IceLeomon asked. "You don't seem to be a bad child and I don't sense that you've been brainwashed."

Shibumi hesitated before answering. "As a human, I have various responsibilities. And whenever I try to escape them, I end up on the 'wrong side'. As if my own beliefs and morals don't mean anything at all! In this world, I can escape such things."

"But you torture and oppress the inhabitants of this world!" IceLeomon snapped. "Do you not realize that your actions have consequences?"

Shibumi covered his ears as if hearing the lion's voice was hurting him. "I've heard this speech so many times before. It's annoying. Why do adults always think they're right? Why must everything be definite? And why does the bad guy have to lose all the time?"

IceLeomon wasn't sure what the boy was talking about but he didn't have much more time to wonder about it when the human pulled out his silver key and his blue D-Sync. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

Dracomon's eyes glowed in the distance from a couple of feet away, shrouded in the snowstorm. "Dracomon Warp Digivolve to… Groundramon!" In his new form, he dug into the ground and popped back up next to his partner.

IceLeomon felt this sudden sense of fear rushing through him, this Digimon had a corrupted data stream and his eyes showed nothing but bloodlust. He held on to his sword so tightly that his knuckles became paler than usual. "I may not win this battle…"

Groundramon leapt into the air and spun around, aiming the iron sphere right for IceLeomon's head. "Megaton Hammer Crush!"

IceLeomon narrowly avoided the attack and quickly retaliated before his opponent could get back on his feet. "Frozen Fury!" He launched his own version of 'Fist of the Beast King' but it didn't hit Groundramon. His foe had buried into the ground long before he had even attacked. "No!"

Groundramon was right underneath him now; he could feel the little vibrations under his feet. "Giga Crack!" The ground under him broke apart and he fell into the fissure where he came face to face with Groundramon once more. But once again, he was just a second too short of reacting. "Scrapless Claw!" Groundramon had grabbed hold of IceLeomon and was now holding him in between the arms of his back and trying to crush him.

IceLeomon felt each of his bones being crushed in the closing space. He had to escape somehow; there was no way he could win this fight by himself. He was about to use an underhanded tactic but he felt it was necessary as he tilted his head towards where Shibumi was standing. "Blizzard Breath!"

Shibumi fell into the fissure on purpose in order to avoid the attack aimed at him and landed on his feet without a scratch. "Attacking me, thinking that I couldn't defend myself or that my partner would get distracted, wrong move," he smirked. "Groundramon, release!"

His partner did as he was ordered and IceLeomon was about to take off when Shibumi threw a Dark Chain in his direction. IceLeomon was too weak to avoid the Chain. The Chain clung itself to his neck, practically strangling him and he let out a loud roar that shook the mountain. It wasn't long before he was standing again but this time, he was on Shibumi's side as evident by his lifeless eyes. They could hear a rumbling from nearby which probably meant an avalanche was coming.

Groundramon degenerated to Dracomon. "What about Tuskmon?"

Shibumi had almost forgotten their former minion. "We don't have a choice but to leave him. He'd be too slow to escape an avalanche anyway." He and his partner climbed onto IceLeomon and they jumped away to a high peak where they wouldn't be touched by the avalanche as the ground below them got buried by a new layer of snow.

"Looks like the cave got swallowed up too," Dracomon remarked.

"We'll leave it like that then," said Shibumi. "It doesn't really matter whether or not they get that silver key anyway. There's no chance that they'll find the others. Well, not before they get destroyed." They got off of IceLeomon. "We'll leave this guy here so that he can guard it just in case. Now come on, we should go find other territories to conquer!"

"Shibumi…," Dracomon started. "Why… Why are you treating the Digital World like a game? I'm not just some character to you, am I?"

Shibumi's expression softened as he patted his partner's head. "Of course not! I didn't mean to sound that way. But I guess… I'm sort of enjoying being in this world, it almost feels like a game but I know I should take it seriously. If I get killed, I get killed for real. And I know that you feel pain too so I don't want you taking on more than you can chew."

Dracomon felt strange, why was Shibumi so set on working with Apocalymon when he knows that what they're doing is evil? Shibumi seemed to be lost in this world and yet he doesn't seem to want to be found. Just what exactly happened back in his home world that makes him so reluctant to go back?

He remembered. Apocalymon had told Shibumi that if they fought against him then there would be two outcomes. One, they won and then they'd have to return home to Earth. Or two, they were destroyed, killed forever while their partners will be reborn without memories of their adventures. In a way, this means that Shibumi chose Apocalymon's side because he doesn't want to go home; either that or he doesn't want to risk death. Both are probably factors.

Leomon Village – 5:30 AM

A loud roar resounded from outside, causing the entire village to wake up. And by the entire village, that meant the DigiDestined group because the majority of the villagers were already awake at this time.

"What in the world was that?!" Daisy snapped.

"That was SaberLeomon making the wakeup call for anyone who's still asleep," BanchoLeomon replied calmly. He was instructing IceLeomon to head to Mount Freeze to protect the silver key from getting stolen. "I hope you all slept well."

"Yeah… But then we had a rather rude awakening," Babel yawned.

They had all stayed in the chief's hut which was big enough for all of them plus one Mammothmon. There was definitely no need for all of that space but who are they to question it. Today would be the start of their training anyway so they decided to save their questions for that.

Ryudamon was already up and ready while the others were still trying to get used to the sunrise. "So, when does our training start, BanchoLeomon? Ooh, are we going to learn how to send energy out of our paws like your species can? What kind of lessons are you going to teach us?"

BanchoLeomon chuckled lightheartedly. "You're an eager one, aren't you?"

"Definitely," Ryudamon nodded rapidly.

"I'm almost worried that your head is going to fall off," Salamon rolled her eyes.

Robert rubbed his partner's head affectionately. "We're going to do just fine in training, I'm sure of that! With Ryudamon's enthusiasm, you'll get everything that BanchoLeomon will be teaching you from day one!"

"I bet it'll be the same for you Rob!" Ryudamon chimed. "Let's both get really strong!"

"For sure!"

IceLeomon laughed as he picked up the bag of provisions he was going to be taking with him. "Looking at you two reminds me of my younger days," he smiled softly. "I have no doubt that you two will become even stronger than our chief one day."

"Really? You think so?" Ryudamon's eyes were literally sparkling.

"If you retain the spark you have now, I guarantee it," IceLeomon told him. "I should get going now. It's a long way to Mount Freeze. I wish you luck on your training!" He took off just as the DigiDestined said their farewells to him.

"Man, the Leomon species really are super cool!" Robert stretched. "I can't wait to get started on training!"

"We should probably freshen up first," Janyu chuckled.

"Yeah, I need to splash some cold water on my face to wake myself up," Rai giggled.

The group had a small breakfast while BanchoLeomon introduced them to the Leomon who will become their instructor. Apparently, the two of them are brothers. Unlike most of the Leomon they had seen, this one had several scars running down his arms, making him appear even more rugged and intimidating than others. Although it would probably make certain Digimon, such as the matriarch Dokugumon, swoon.

The group suddenly shuddered at the thought.

"What's wrong? Is it cold?" Leomon asked.

The response was simultaneous and unanimous. "It's nothing, don't worry about it!"

After breakfast, they all got ready for their training as they separated into Digimon and humans. Before being taken apart though, the Digimon were all brought to their Champion levels like BanchoLeomon had requested. The chief was going to take his group to a little battle training area while Leomon would take the humans into the jungle with SaberLeomon as an extra guard.

"Out of curiosity, what exactly is free running?" Babel asked, remembering the term from yesterday. He was definitely a good jogger so he figured this would be something easy for him but he needed to make sure of course. No need to act arrogant for the wrong reasons.

"Hm… It's kind of difficult to explain in words," Leomon muttered once they had reached a cliff. They paused and he turned to them. "Well to start, it's a method of movement in which you shorten the distance from you and one location. In order to do so, you must use your location to the best of your ability, thinking for no more than a split second in order to know where to go next."

"Um… I'm not sure I got that," said Daisy.

"I'll show you an example then," Leomon smiled. He pointed to a tree standing on a stone pillar several meters away. "One of you, give me an estimate of how long it would take us to get from where we're standing to that tree?"

Janyu took this one as he was fairly decent mathematician. He took a look down the cliff and the bumpy path that leads to the stone pillar. "Well, climbing down this cliff without getting hurt would probably take some time, maybe two minutes at most. If we were then to run across the bumpy path and cross that stream, it would probably take another minute. Climbing up the pillar will take much longer as it's pretty steep so I would have to say, a total of six minutes at least."

"I see," Leomon nodded. "My species are pretty good jumpers so usually, we could just close this distance with one leap. But in this case, I'll be climbing down the cliff and getting to that tree using free running. Can one of you time me?"

"I'll do it," Rai offered.

She was to start counting any time.

Once she started, Leomon fell backwards over the cliff and they all gaped as he did a back flip and landed on his feet on a ledge. He then began leaping down from ledge to ledge, small enough distances for a human to get through. He then raced across the bumpy path, hopping from the taller stones to reduce the chances of tripping up. He finally reached the stream in which he was able to leap in a single bound and then used wall jumping to get to the tree. He grabbed on to a branch and looked back to the children. "Time?"

"…A little more than seven seconds…," Rai breathed.

"Obviously, as humans, your times will be longer than mine but I won't have you practicing here," Leomon told them and they all heaved sighs of relief. "You'll have a much simpler course done in the jungle." He swung from the branch and landed next to Robert who just stared in complete awe. "You'll get good at it in no time with proper training."

They all felt pretty excited for this, it definitely sounded enjoyable though they didn't think that they could ever be as good as Leomon. They made it to an obstacle course of sorts which was to help them build themselves up from lower body and upper body strength.

While climbing up one of the ropes to scale a concrete wall, Robert looked to Leomon and flashed him a wide smile. "You know Leomon, next to Ryudamon, I think you'd be the coolest partner out there!"

Leomon seemed surprised but smiled at the sentiment. "Thank you… Though I don't think I'll ever have a human partner."

"You never know," Robert smiled as he continued climbing.

When midday came around, they all had a small lunch together in the jungle as they talked about what the Digimon could be doing for training. They all felt like they should be there in case their partners developed new skills but Leomon promised them that they would get a chance to see them in their next fight.

"Leomon…," Daisy began. "This had been on my mind for a while now… Well, I heard that Digimon don't have genders or at least, they don't care about them anymore. But I was just wondering if there were any female Leomon."

"Did you not notice any when you came in?" Leomon asked.

The humans glanced at each other. "I don't think so…," said Daisy. "And I didn't get a good chance to see everyone last night during dinner because it was so dark."

"What do they look like?" Babel questioned.

"Basically like I do except they don't have a mane, they're not as muscular, and they wear chest bindings," Leomon replied. "You guys probably didn't notice them because they're usually out hunting. Most also tend to be wanderers and don't like staying in one place."

"Funny, in our world, the male lions are the ones who prefer to wander," Janyu mused.

"Though it is the same that female lions are the ones who do the hunting," Robert added.

"I'm still stuck on the chest binding part," said Daisy. "But I guess it makes sense considering the male Leomon walk around shirtless."

"Does it make the female part in you react?" Babel teased which got him a slap to the side of the head.

Rai had her mind on other things, she was thinking about the training still. "Still though, I wonder about this training. Will it really help us if we do it separately? I mean, from what I can tell, our partners are strongest when we're nearby."

"But distance makes the heart grow fonder and in this case, our bodies to be stronger," Babel smiled.

Robert understood what Babel was saying. He felt that, while he's training and while Ryudamon is training, their bond is getting stronger because they're constantly thinking about the progress of the other rather than their own. If they keep up with this mindset, they really will get good before they know it. He stood up suddenly and pumped his fists into the air excitedly. "Okay!" he cheered. "Now that we're full, let's get back to training!"

Before he could run off, Babel grabbed him and yanked him back to the ground. "Never do hardcore exercise after eating; I learned that the hard way."

"Whoops, sorry," Robert laughed. It was rather infectious as they all started laughing along with him, the stoic Leomon included. SaberLeomon who preferred to be staying in the shadows while watching over them, looked up for a moment before shifting into a better position for ignoring them and catching up on his nap.

"It really is strange," Daisy sighed once she finally caught her breath. "When we first got here, our only thoughts were trying to find a way home. Even after that first day, we were thinking about it every day. Now, I feel like we can actually remain determined in staying here and winning this world back."

They all nodded in agreement.

"Let's beat Apocalymon and take back the Digital World!" Robert piped up, raising his drink. They all did the same.

Leomon smiled as he watched the scene before him. It's been a long time since Apocalymon started his tyrannical rule, that the lion felt this. Hope.

Leomon Village Battle Training Field – 7:15 AM

The partners of the DigiDestined all stepped into the wide open space, each taking a different spot around BanchoLeomon to form the points of a pentagon. Ginryumon was excited and was just itching to get the training started. Waspmon and Wizardmon were both patiently waiting for it to begin. Darcmon was scoping out the area as if trying to commit the entire place to memory. Seadramon simply appeared to be confused as he glanced around with a blank expression.

"So, what are we going to do?" Ginryumon hopped around.

BanchoLeomon put his thumb and index finger into his mouth, making a loud whistle which signaled a Leomon to appear next to each of the Champion Digimon. They pulled out blindfolds and placed them around their eyes.

"Hey, what's happening?" Darcmon yelped.

Wizardmon was about to reach up to pull it off when the Leomon next to him stopped him.

"I noticed during your fight with Coredramon that you all counted on your eyes too much and you were unable to anticipate the quick movements of your opponent," BanchoLeomon explained. "Furthermore, you're too slow when it comes to be adjusting to new surroundings so in this fight, you will be thrown obstacles in your way while you try and hit me, once. Any one of you can do that."

"But, how can we hit you if we can't see you?" Seadramon asked.

"You use your other senses," the chief replied simply. "Darcmon and Wizardmon, the two of you have heightened sixth senses but you don't use them to their full ability. Right now, you can probably sense my energy easily. Ginryumon and Seadramon, the two of you have excellent noses on you so you should be able to catch unfamiliar scents fairly well. Waspmon, you may be mechanical but I do believe the buzzing sound you create sends vibration signals back to you so your sense of hearing should be advanced as well. And all of you can sense slight shifts in the ground or the air to gauge out my approximate location."

"What's the point of this exercise?" Darcmon huffed.

"If you enter a fight against a fast Digimon, you won't be able to rely on your eyes as much," BanchoLeomon told them. "Though later, I will help you train your kinetic vision so that you'll be able to keep up with fast movements as well. Furthermore, the ability to rely on your other senses will help you in protecting your partners."

"And we may come across a Digimon that fights like I do," Wizardmon pointed out. "Using illusory tactics to create mirages or even doppelgangers in which case, counting on your eyes would be a major mistake on our parts."

BanchoLeomon nodded even though they couldn't see it. "That's right. Now, try to hit me. You can go all out if you want; your attacks shouldn't do too much damage to my body."

The chief had seen their disconnected fighting style the day before so he decided that he would simply stand still while they all tried to attack him.

Ginryumon was the first to move but as he started stomping forward, Wizardmon felt the movement and automatically wondered if it was BanchoLeomon. He sent a Thunder Ball in that direction and Ginryumon heard the electrical crackle in the air so he tilted in a way so that his tough armor could protect him.

Seadramon and Darcmon immediately charged forward, crashing into each other but Seadramon, having more inertia, pushed the angel Digimon towards Waspmon who was able to hover over her. The sea snake did flinch though and flicked his tail which ended up causing Wizardmon to trip.

Ryudamon changed direction and shot weapons aimed in Wizardmon's direction who quickly teleported away in Seadramon's direction. Waspmon quickly hovered downwards as a few stray spears went flying in his direction.

Darcmon got back up and charged once more, feeling frustrated that she was embarrassed in such a way. She had thought that it was BanchoLeomon who had punched her and she was about to try and use her sword on him when Wizardmon appeared on Seadramon's head. The aquatic Digimon began lashing out wildly at the sudden body falling on his head and whipped Darcmon right into Ginryumon.

Waspmon had finally charged up his most powerful attack and aimed it straight for BanchoLeomon, there was absolutely nothing in his way. He launched his Bear Buster attack but Wizardmon jumped down from the crazed Seadramon and got hit by the blast instead.

BanchoLeomon sighed as he watched this messy disarray, untangle themselves from each other. He clapped his hands together once, causing a loud enough sound to stop them all from moving. "I think it's time for a break because that was an absolute disaster."

"Sorry…," they all muttered in response.

"Don't be," he shook his head. "I expected this result, to be perfectly honest, which is why I suggested we do some training. After resting up a bit, I want you guys to try something else. I want you all to get to know each other, really know each other. Your voices, your attacks, your presence, everything that will help you work together as a real team. If you don't feel confident in knowing your teammates, then we won't ever be able to get started on the real training."

The Digimon all nodded as they huddled around in a circle. They knew they were a mess and most Digimon may try to argue that the training is stupid which a few of them actually felt. But they also knew that he was right. They need to start working cohesively or they will be pulverized by any Digimon stronger than the Champion level.

"We saw how Birdramon and Saberdramon worked together, we wouldn't have been able to beat them if they weren't so petty and competitive as well," Seadramon sighed.

"That's true," Darcmon nodded. "Even if we were to reach the Ultimate level, we'd probably run into a variety of problems."

"Then we have to really work together on this," Waspmon hummed. "If we don't get this down, I don't think any of us can call ourselves partners of a Chosen Child."

It wasn't until sunset when Leomon went to retrieve their chief. BanchoLeomon was surprised that they had actually spent that long before challenging him again. He had expected them to argue, protest and try to fight right away. The chief smiled despite himself, their attitudes were in deep contrast with the newly evolved Leomon of the village he had to train before.

Ginryumon took a deep breath when BanchoLeomon returned to the arena. "We're ready."

The training began and it started in the same way it had before, with Ginryumon charging forward but this time, no one else moved. BanchoLeomon leapt right over the charging assailant, which then prompted their two best flyers, Darcmon and Waspmon, to advance. BanchoLeomon was incapable of moving in midair but he saw what they were trying to do. One was aiming her sword for his head while the other was pointing his stinger at his legs.

The lion tucked his body in so that he could avoid both of them before falling to the ground, landing on his feet. He felt a sharp presence above him and looked up noticing Seadramon staring down below. The sea snake released an Ice Blast which was more of a direct icicle shower.

BanchoLeomon rolled out of the way only to find Wizardmon in front of him. The mage looked like he was about to launch a Thunder Ball attack so his body responded only to realize too late that it was actually an illusion. He had sidestepped slightly to the left where the real Wizardmon swung his staff like a bat, landing a strike on him!

The lion smiled as he opened up his palm to let go of the sun head on the staff. "I must say, I'm not very impressed by this but you were able to achieve your goal. That's certainly a small step towards victory and your training." The group of trainees gasped in unison, happy to hear some form of praise from the Mega level Digimon but then he continued. "However, you'll never get anywhere if you simply plan things beforehand. I expect you all to try again tomorrow, after sleeping apart from each other so you don't get a battle strategy down."

"Well it's your own fault for leaving us alone to our own devices," Darcmon shrugged innocently.

BanchoLeomon chuckled softly. "Yes, I suppose it is. Now, get ready for dinner, your partners should be coming back from their own training shortly."

Ginryumon and the others started on their way back when he paused and ran back to the chief. "Thanks again for offering to train us!" the dragon smiled widely. "But I'm going to have to warn you now that it's a big mistake for you."

"Oh?" BanchoLeomon raised an eyebrow in amusement. "And why is that?"

"Because you're my teacher now!" Ginryumon explained with that playful grin of his. "And the student will always eventually surpass the teacher!"

BanchoLeomon smiled as he knelt down and rubbed one giant paw on his armored head. "I look forward to it."

Chapter Text

Termination Jungle - 1:30 PM

"Shoot!" Robert grunted when he fell out of the tree. He glared at Daisy who was smirking from above him. "You pushed me down!"

Daisy laughed. "You can't prove that! Now if you excuse me, I have a lunch to catch."

Leomon had given them a prize once they completed the race he had set up for them. Their job was to get from one point to another, the distance measuring up to 1000 meters which was a little bit more than half of a mile. The first one there gets to eat first from the small feast that had been laid out for them. They were all fairly hungry since lunch was supposed to be an hour ago, so basically, the earlier they made it there, the more food they got. Having a prize certainly made them more motivated to complete their training.

"Go on Rob, you have to go back to the beginning," Janyu reminded him as he leapt from one branch to another.

That was one of the rules that had been set out for them. They had to make it to the finish without touching the ground, if they did; they would have to go all the way back to the beginning. They had all mastered the basics of free running but they were having some trouble with balance and climbing. Well, aside from Daisy, who was apparently an expert at moving vertically, and Janyu, who had exceptional control of his center of gravity.

Leomon waited for them at the feast.

The first one there was Rai who was the least physically adept of the group so it was no wonder that everyone else was questioning how she had made it to the finish line so quickly. She wasn't fast, she had close to no stamina, and her strength was low. But she was smart and a quick thinker. At the start, she was able to find another path to the finish where the branches hung low and close together. That way, she didn't have to exert that much energy with jumping and climbing, she just had to focus on running. That kind of quick thinking will surely save her many times in the future.

Babel came second as he was not only the oldest but also the fastest, due to being a dedicated jogger. Physically, he had more upper body strength than the others as well. He was capable of climbing the trees in record time and swung from branch to branch easily.

Daisy was third to arrive to the feast. Physically, she didn't have much strength, she struggles with keeping her balance and her speed wasn't very high either. But she was an excellent jumper and she was an even better climber. If Daisy fell to the ground, she would be back in the air in no time.

Janyu was fourth but he wasn't far behind from Daisy. They were about two seconds apart from each other when crossing the finish line. All of his attributes are pretty good, balance, speed, and strength, but he didn't have much stamina so he probably got winded easily on his way there. Most likely, he took about three breaks to catch his breath. But aside from Rai, he never once touched the ground.

Robert was the last to arrive much to Leomon's surprise and yet, expectations at the same time. Like Janyu, Robert had good attributes all round including stamina. But he does have the tendency to rush and show off so it was more than likely that he had made small mistakes and ended up falling multiple times.

"Gah!" Robert gaped when he saw that most of the meal had been depleted. "No fair! You guys ate everything!"

"Shame," was all Daisy could say. But her triumphantly smug expression told more.

Robert fumed and he turned his back childishly, causing the other humans to laugh. Rai walked over to him and held out some food that she had saved leftover. Not just her, the other three had all saved a little something for their teammate.

"I know how much you love the gravy they make," Babel smiled.

"You didn't really think that we'd be cruel enough to leave you without lunch, right?" Janyu added.

"Besides, there's no way we'd be able to eat all of this food by ourselves," Rai giggled.

Robert was more than thankful to have friends like these guys. He voraciously gobbled up the food as Leomon got ready to address them all.

Leomon cleared his throat and they all turned to the leonine creature. "I have to say that I am quite impressed by all of your progress. Even novice Leomon have trouble grasping free running but you've all made incredible progress in a matter of two weeks."

"Well, you have to admit, we are pretty good," Robert smirked, prompting Daisy to roll her eyes. But he dropped his superiority act and smiled to their mentor. "But we never would've made it this far without such a great teacher."

The other kids nodded in agreement and Leomon felt rather flattered.

"There is still much for you five to learn but I think we can take the rest of the day off seeing as you have all worked so hard," Leomon remarked with a smile. "Why don't you all head back to the village to see the progress of your partners?"

Leomon Village Training Area - 1:45 PM

BanchoLeomon has faced many surprises in his day and he's seen several talented fighters but he has never seen Digimon progress so quickly through their training regimen as these five. They had all graduated from blindfolds when they were able to prove that their other senses were just as useful in battle about a week ago. Training on kinetic vision was a cinch for them. They caught on quick and were able to keep up with the fastest Liamon and their movements.

Their job was really easy, all they had to do was chase the Liamon and use their attacks to stop them from moving forward. In other words, hit the spot where they would've taken a step, stopping them in their tracks. They were not allowed to make direct confrontation with the lions but it seemed like they didn't need to.

"Their accuracy has improved by leaps and bounds," the chief commented when Darcmon threw her sword right in between one of the Liamon's forelegs.

Waspmon was much faster than the Liamon too and he was good with maneuvering past the obstacles they had set up earlier. It was easy for him to shoot his lasers right past their targets, a mere centimeter from hitting their noses which cause them to make an abrupt stop.

Wizardmon wasn't nearly as fast but his smaller physique and invisibility tactics helped him approach the Liamon without them noticing. He had learned to mask his presence but the Liamon were capable of catching his scent. Which was what Darcmon was for, she was working together with Wizardmon and she made sure to keep them distracted enough so they wouldn't use their sensitive noses to their advantage.

Ginryumon and Seadramon had the most difficulty with this training since they were large, easy to spot, and not very swift. But when they teamed up, they were unstoppable. Seadramon was able to slow down the movements of the Liamon by slithering around to block their escape routes. Then, Ginryumon shoots out spears from his mouth and puts them in makeshift cages, made from the weapons.

At that point, all of the Liamon had somehow been restricted from movement and BanchoLeomon had to cease the training.

"I only asked you to attack once to keep them from moving forward and you took it a step further," the chief laughed. "I didn't think that you'd be able to keep them from moving completely. I am quite impressed with your incredible progress, really."

The Digimon all felt rather proud of what they had learned in the past two weeks as they helped free the incapacitated lions. Most were stuck in the sharp cages; then there were those who were trapped in some sort of electrified cage made by the mage Digimon, and others were simply frozen in place by the sea dragon's ice attacks.

"Do you think we're strong enough to go up to Mount Freeze yet?" Seadramon asked. He actually enjoyed training but he was also impatient to get the silver keys.

BanchoLeomon rubbed his chin a bit as he shattered the ice around one of the Liamon's feet. "I think you're all more than ready. When do you all want to go?"

"We'll have to talk to our partners about it first," said Darcmon.

Wizardmon nodded in agreement. "But I think we'll want to go as soon as possible."

"Then I shall get some provisions provided for your quest," BanchoLeomon stood up and walked back to his home while Leomon was going in the opposite direction with the five humans following him. The chief stopped when he was beside his brother and he looked to the DigiDestined. "How have you been doing with your training?"

The humans all smiled but they allowed their mentor to answer for them. "They've all improved greatly since the first day," Leomon smiled. "I think they may be good enough to climb Mount Freeze without running the risk of losing someone up there."

"I was thinking the same thing about their partners," BanchoLeomon chuckled as he walked off.

The humans reached the training area and they immediately split up so that they could embrace their respective partners who all returned to their Rookie forms upon seeing each other. They all seemed to be excited about having the chance of finding a silver key.

"I wonder who it belongs to…," said Babel.

"I just wonder what my Ultimate form will be like," Ryudamon mused.

FanBeemon began buzzing excitedly. "I bet mine will be super cool and strong!"

"I already know what I'm going to be," Betamon cheered proudly. "The Ultimate form of a Seadramon is always a MegaSeadramon! The leader of Java Lake, my home, happens to be one too! He's really strong and protected all of us like we were his own children!"

"Whatever, I'm sure that my partner is definitely going to be the most elegant and graceful of all!" Daisy squealed.

"Yeesh, whenever you show your feminine side, it really scares me," Robert remarked, earning a fist to his shoulder from the Russian. "Ow!"

"What matters most is that we can use the Ultimate Digimon to defeat Apocalymon," Rai reminded them, bringing them out of their fantasies and back to the grim reality. "With the silver keys, combined with the training that we should maintain every day, even after leaving the village, should help us a great deal."

Ryudamon suddenly seemed depressed. "I forgot that we're going to have to leave the village soon. I kind of wish we got to stay here a little longer."

"Oh, come on Ryudamon," Robert grinned. "You can always visit this place again after we save the world."

"He's probably going to have to return home first," Salamon remarked. "Come to think of it, we all have to return home at some point to tell them everything that's been going on." She suddenly regretted what she said when she saw Ryudamon droop even lower than before. "Ryudamon… Don't tell me…"

The humans and Betamon looked between them, none of them could figure out what had just transpired but they all knew that it had to be something tough to talk about. Robert laid a comforting hand on the back of his partner to let him know that he was there for him.

"What is it?" Robert asked, genuinely concerned for his partner.

"A lot of Digimon don't have homes to return to or they never had a home in the first place," Candlemon explained.

"I was one of those Digimon," Salamon sighed. "I was born far away from most villages and towns and I simply wandered about with no destination or purpose. My aimless wandering paid off though when I encountered a Seraphimon, who I later learned to be the leader of the League of Angels. He took me in and I found a home for myself."

FanBeemon's wings fell down a little as he thought about his own past. "My home was burned down by Apocalymon's goons, a couple of DarkTyrannomon that he had under his control burned Chip Forest, where I grew up, to the ground and I lost all of my friends and family. They'll be reborn but I want to defeat Apocalymon so he doesn't get the chance to enslave the reborn Digimon like he plans to."

"I'm sorry to hear that, FanBeemon," Janyu said. He didn't know how else to be supportive but it was all that his partner needed for now.

Robert finally looked back to his own partner, wanting to prompt the dragon about his past. "What about you? What happened?"

"I was the same as Salamon except that I never found a home to call my own," Ryudamon confessed. "I was born in Dragon Valley but not in any villages near there. I was simply abandoned as an egg and I didn't know how I got there. I roamed around but the Digimon that grow up in the Valley are ruthless and they measure your worth in strength. Since I was only a newborn, I was defeated easily, countless times. Not just defeated, sometimes I was even destroyed and reborn."

"That's awful…," Babel commented before Ryudamon continued.

"But the Valley has its own place of rebirth and I was always taken there. But somehow, every time, I would end up alone and destroyed again. The last time I was reborn, I resolved to leave and find my own destiny, a new home. On my journey, I felt a sudden destination form in my mind and before I knew it, I was on a Trailmon, on my way to meet Rob."

"I can't believe they would do that to a fellow Digimon," Rai muttered.

"But most Digimon don't remember their past lives so they forget all of the bad things that had happened," said Candlemon. "How come you did?"

Ryudamon shrugged, not knowing the answer for himself. "I just do…"

"Well, remembering the past will only help you get stronger for the future," Robert said. He had been affected by his own partner's life story; they could all see that, even the usually clueless Betamon. "Besides, I think after this is all over, you can probably make a home for yourself. You'll be an international hero!"

Ryudamon smiled at Robert's optimism. "Thanks, Rob…"

Just then, they all felt the ground shake a little and they noticed the Liamon beginning to sniff the air. Ryudamon did the same and he could detect a familiar, non-leonine scent coming from where BanchoLeomon was supposed to be. Leomon, concerned for his older brother's safety, quickly rushed off, with everyone else from the training area, following right behind him. When they reached the chief's home, they saw a pale blue Tuskmon there, huffing in exhaustion, hungry, and possibly thirsty.

"I've never seen a Tuskmon of that color," Betamon remarked.

"This one's practically frozen!" Salamon snapped.

"There's no way that my flame is strong enough to thaw him out," said Candlemon.

BanchoLeomon was already on it as he got a couple of Leomon to bring torches and hold them close to the dinosaur Digimon. He also brought a lot of food since this massive monster was most likely going to need to eat a lot when he can move again.

The DigiDestined all moved closer to try and hear what the shivering Digimon was saying to the chief. Well, all of them except for Ryudamon who was frozen in place. Robert stopped and stooped down to his partner's height.

"Hey, what's wrong?" Robert inquired.

Ryudamon's pupils darted from his partner to the Tuskmon. "One of my killers was a Tuskmon back in Dragon Valley…," he admitted.

Robert did the same as his partner and his pupils dart between the two dragons before he sighed sympathetically. "It probably isn't the same Tuskmon," said Robert. "I know it's hard but this guy was probably a victim of Apocalymon just like everyone else in this world. You can't let your own personal feelings or fear get in the way of our real mission."

Ryudamon nodded. "I know… But I will always have my personal feelings and fears. And one of them will always be to protect you."

"Well this time, let me protect you," Robert smiled as he led his partner over to the rest of the group.

When the pair reached them, they could see that they were all chatting about something and judging from their expressions, they knew that it couldn't be good. Even the chief looked rather worried about whatever Tuskmon had just told them, with his eyebrows stitched and a frown set.

"What's going on?" Robert asked.

"IceLeomon got captured by a Dark Chain," Daisy told them. "Apparently, that snot-nosed brat was the one who did it."

Ryudamon's eyes widened. "We have to go save him! I mean, we were planning on going to Mount Freeze anyway."

BanchoLeomon shook his head. "I can't let you all do that. IceLeomon is very strong and he would be able to defeat you all easily if given the chance. I'll go."

Ryudamon wasn't about to accept that answer no matter how much he revered the chief's strength and wisdom. "IceLeomon's been enslaved by a Dark Chain, if you try to save him, with the majority of your close-range attacks, it's likely that you'll be captured as well. What will we do with a Mega level opponent then?"

BanchoLeomon knew that the young dragon was right, of course. "Then, what if I accompany you all so that you can avoid some of the other Digimon like the Mammothmon that live there? I'll protect you but I promise to stay out of your way when you fight IceLeomon. With the training you've all done, you should be able to beat him."

"Then we're going to need supplies," said Candlemon. "My flame will go out up there without anything to protect us from the elements."

"Right, I'll be right back," BanchoLeomon nodded.

Mount Freeze – 2:30 PM

It had already been about three days since they had set out on their journey and they've only made little progress up the mountain. But even though they were less than a third of the way there, they could already feel the effects of the freezing weather and the heavy snow. As they kept moving with their snow coats on, they stopped when they heard an elephant trumpet. They paused and watched as a herd of Mammothmon approached them.

"Stay back," BanchoLeomon instructed them.

"Wait!" Robert quickly said as he grabbed the massive paw of the chief. "Take a look at their ankles."

BanchoLeomon paused and examined the spots on the Mammothmon and saw that each of them were mindless slaves to Apocalymon. The Dark Chains were glowing black against the shining white snow. He bit his lower lip in aggravation.

"You can't fight them if they're all controlled," Janyu muttered. "One might break and attach itself to you."

"Maybe there's another path to take," said Daisy as she began looking around.

Mount Freeze – 2:45 PM

Shibumi laughed a little as he rode on the back of Coredramon. He was having a little fruit snack as his partner ran at full speed up the mountain. "I still don't see why we have to check up on them. That IceLeomon was strong, he even fought those Mammothmon and had his Dark Chain infest the entire herd."

"They're orders from Lord Apocalymon," Coredramon replied. "To be perfectly honest, I really don't want to come back here either but we can't really disobey him."

Shibumi's content expression fell from his face and he sighed. "Yeah, I know." He looked back up, trying to squint through the blizzard to see if he could make out any human figures. "But even so… Those other kids and their partners were probably trampled by the Mammothmon. And even if they did find another path, IceLeomon surely took them out. There's no way that they would stand a chance against a healthy Ultimate."

Coredramon would've agreed if his eyesight was like his partner's. But they weren't, his eyes were much sharper than a human's and he gasped when he saw what was in front of him. He skidded to a stop and Shibumi understood his partner's sentiment.

"I don't believe it…," Coredramon gaped.

"Me neither…," Shibumi shook, and not from the cold. "We have to hurry! We can't let them get that key!"

Coredramon nodded and he quickly made another path, running faster than he did before, right past the peacefully roaming herd of Mammothmon with non-operating Dark Chains lying beside in the snow.

Mount Freeze – 4:20 PM

Riding on Seadramon's back helped them get up the mountain much faster than walking would've. Waspmon, Darcmon, and Wizardmon all flew beside the sea dragon while the others all rode on top of him. BanchoLeomon still felt shocked by what had happened a little over an hour ago.

The Digimon showed the ripe fruits of their training by taking every instruction they had been given to heart. Rather than fighting the herd with frontal attacks, they used guerilla warfare tactics, slipping in and out of the battle. The humans helped out as well, by using free running, they were able to lead the elephants to their partners where they had the perfect shot of the Dark Chains. They were able to free the entire herd without making direct confrontation with any of them.

They didn't have to defeat them; they just had to free them.

"I knew that you were all more powerful than ordinary Digimon but I didn't expect you all to win such a fight so easily," BanchoLeomon remarked.

"It's like we said, we have some pretty amazing teachers," Robert chuckled.

"You okay with carrying all of us?" Babel asked his partner.

"This is no problem at all for me," Seadramon laughed. "Even the cold doesn't bother me much once I start moving."

"Good," Babel nodded.

Darcmon and Wizardmon suddenly shot their heads up when they felt the presence of another Digimon from above.

"Everybody hold on tight!" Wizardmon ordered. "Seadramon, turn left!"

Seadramon did so, at the same time IceLeomon fell from above with his sword drawn, Darcmon immediately used her own blade to parry the blow. She wasn't as strong as an Ultimate-level Digimon, anyone could see that but she was able to use his momentum against him and throw him into the snow below by twisting around his body in midair and land an axe kick on his back.

"IceLeomon!" BanchoLeomon gasped as Seadramon stopped, lowered himself, and let the passengers off.

"We got this!" Waspmon hummed as he aimed his blaster at the leonine Digimon before he could get back up. "Bear Buster!"

IceLeomon was dazed but he was able to shake it off quick as he did a back flip to avoid the powerful attack. That was when they noticed the Dark Chain worn around his neck like a collar. It was easy to spot since he was so pale but his mane buried most of it so they could only get a clear visual when he was moving.

Over the course of the last three days, BanchoLeomon had been instructing the group on IceLeomon's fighting style so that they could all get some idea of how to defeat him but they all knew that this was going to be a tough battle anyway.

"We need to get you kids that silver key," said BanchoLeomon, turning to the humans. "All of you! Keep IceLeomon occupied until we come back!"

"Right!" the Digimon all replied in unison.

BanchoLeomon and the kids quickly started running higher up the mountain and BanchoLeomon was able to find the place where the key should've been. The cave was buried in an avalanche so they all started working on digging it out and once they had made a big enough hole, they were able to squeeze themselves into the cave. They couldn't really see much so they all held each others' hands as they started walking forward, deeper into the cave.

Back with the Digimon, they tried their best to avoid the brunt of IceLeomon's attacks since they knew that it would be over if they were to get hit by just one of them. They remembered their training and circled their foe to try and confuse him but it didn't seem to work. It might've been because this opponent and received the same training as they had.

"Blizzard Breath!"

"Ice Blast!"

Seadramon's attack was not one that could counter that of an Ultimate's, and even as he tried to flee from the attack, his tail still got encased with ice by the attack.

The other Digimon tried to hone in on the rest of the set of new skills they had obtained. They wondered if they could try and slow his movements by using their kinetic vision to keep up with his speed and then using their attacks to trap him.

They decided to try it out. With the quick Darcmon and the invisible Wizardmon, they were able to lead him right towards Ginryumon who launched many spears as he could and trapped the leonine Digimon in a fenced up cage made up of weapons. Waspmon charged up for another Bear Buster but he didn't have the chance to release it as IceLeomon leapt over the fence and used the insect Digimon as a springboard, kicking him into the snow while slashing the wings of Darcmon with his sword.

"He hit two of us in just one movement?" Ginryumon gaped.

"Rai and the others better return fast with that key," Wizardmon muttered as he released the invisibility spell.

That was the least of their worries as they saw a green flash speed right past them, throwing up snow in his wake. They all knew who had just run past them and they all knew where he was heading. Ginryumon was one of the slowest in the group but he was the first to break away and he ran to follow Coredramon and to protect their human partners.

Seadramon was about to follow when Wizardmon stopped him. "Wait! If we chased them down, then IceLeomon will only follow and the humans will be in more danger than before! We're going to have to fight this guy with just the four of us."

Ginryumon was one of the slowest of the group but when he felt that his partner could be in danger, he just knew that he had speed things up. So, driven by pure adrenaline and his protective instincts, he was running right beside one of the fastest runners in the entire Digital World.

Shibumi's eyes widened as he looked back at the racing dragon and he bit his lower lip in annoyance. "Impossible! He shouldn't be able to keep up with Coredramon's speed and his heavy armor should be slowing him down even more! How did they get this strong?!"

"With training!" Ginryumon shouted back as he opened his mouth. "Metal Armor Blade!" Sharp spears shot from his mouth and Coredramon immediately jumped into the air with his strong legs to avoid getting stabbed, his partner clinging on for dear life on his back.

"Shibumi, let me handle this on my own," said Coredramon.

Shibumi hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"Don't worry about me," Coredramon reiterated. "I thought you wanted to stop those other humans from getting a silver key!"

Shibumi reluctantly nodded and was about to use his own silver key when Ginryumon shot spears right for the human. The spears weren't aimed to kill but Coredramon stopped the attack anyway with his claws. The sudden movements stunned Shibumi and it was obvious that if he tried to use the key, Ginryumon would continue trying to hit him with spears, thus compromising one of Coredramon's weaknesses. This meant that he could either stand back and watch, wasting time, or run to find the other humans.

"Good luck Coredramon!" Shibumi called before running off to the buried cave.

Ginryumon tried to pursue the boy but Coredramon jumped in front of the cave as soon as Shibumi crawled through the hole that had been made. "You're going to have to beat me before going anywhere."

Ginryumon growled. "Why are you doing this? You're just like the rest of us Digimon!"

"Don't act like you can understand me!" Coredramon spat in return. "You will never understand what I've been through before I found my partner! I am loyal only to him and no one else! Especially not to some damned prophecy!"

Ginryumon recoiled from that venomous retort but it was clear that Coredramon definitely wasn't the bad guy here. And neither was his human partner. But as of this moment, they had to be considered bad guys if the DigiDestined were ever going to succeed in their quest.

"Then why is your partner doing this?"

"That is of no concern of yours!"

Ginryumon crouched down low before lunging forward. "Then I'll just have to make you answer!"

Mount Freeze Cavern – 4:40 PM

The group, excluding BanchoLeomon, gasped collectively when they entered upon a spacious part of the cavern. The walls and ceilings were lit up beautifully by strange, glowing ice crystals, and in the center of this room was the giant rock with the silver key jammed inside. The only problem was that it was set upon a one meter radius stone pillar, surrounded by similarly shaped but smaller sized pillars in a room where they could see no floor, no bottom.

BanchoLeomon knelt down with his arms out. "I'll jump you over there."

"Yeah…," Babel shook as he tried to find the bottom. "I don't think our free running skills are good enough to handle this…"

Rai was about to put herself in BanchoLeomon's arms when they heard someone shout from behind. They all jerked their heads back in the direction of where they had come from and saw Shibumi running towards them, he did not look happy.

"I'm not going to let you take that key!" Shibumi snapped.

"Ugh, this brat," Daisy rolled her eyes. "You do realize that you're just one human and you're up against a Mega level Digimon. Besides, there's no way you can pull out the key either."

Shibumi smirked. "I don't have to." He pointed at the rock that the key was stuck in. "The rock is indestructible and immovable; however, I've learned that the keys are not. As a matter of fact, with the right tool, I can easily destroy it. That tool is known as the Apocalypse Claw, and guess who is the only Digimon with has access to a tool like that."

They all tensed up when they saw him pull out a small black claw from his coat pocket. BanchoLeomon immediately put himself between the humans.

"You can't destroy the key if you can't reach it," the village chief growled, baring his fangs. "I just have to keep you occupied while the DigiDestined go after it."

Shibumi's smug grin came back as he unzipped his coat and opened it to reveal the Black Chain that he wore underneath his coat like chain mail. "I don't think you're going to want to come near me, BanchoLeomon, unless you'd like to become one of Lord Apocalymon's minions."

Robert quickly pulled BanchoLeomon back. "Let us handle this one on our own. Our free running isn't as good as Leomon's but we can definitely reach that key. You focus on avoiding him."

BanchoLeomon nodded and quickly ran as fast as he could before Shibumi could even touch the Digimon, into the spacious room, hanging from the ceiling. He looked down on the humans. "Think of this room as the place for your final exam, with me as your proctor!" he bellowed. "Your objective is to obtain that silver key and escape. You may begin at any time!"

Shibumi was stunned for a moment but he snapped back to focus when he noticed all five of the other humans leap off the ledge. For a short second, he thought they were all insane or suicidal, but then he saw them all land on a stone pillar without so much as receiving a scratch. He understood now.

"So you've all received some training too…," Shibumi grumbled before racing forward.

The six human children began jumping from pillar to pillar, each one was trying to reach the silver key before another but they kept getting in each other's way. And since they all had their main focus set on keeping their balance, it wasn't exactly easy trying to keep up with each other.

"Tch, he's pretty fast," Robert remarked when Shibumi cut off his entry point.

"Yeah, well, I'm faster!" Babel laughed as he made it to the key.

Shibumi bit his lower lip again as he tried to get to Babel but Janyu quickly got in his way and nearly knocked him off balance with a feint punch. Shibumi got his balance back but by then, he was blocked off and he had to keep moving if he wanted to maintain his balance.

With their enemy distracted, Babel stared at the key. He noticed that there wasn't any particular design etched into it and it just seemed like a plain circle. It was weird but he tried to pull it out anyway with a grunt of effort. It didn't budge.

"It's not mine!" he called out.

Babel turned around and saw Rai coming towards him and Shibumi approaching in another direction. He hesitated for a moment too long in thinking about what to do, thankfully, Daisy had him covered as she quickly tackled Shibumi. The two of them nearly fell into the abyss below if Babel hadn't rocketed forward and grabbed onto Daisy's hand.

"Thanks," Daisy exhaled breathlessly.

"No problem," Babel grinned as Janyu joined them and helped out as well.

Shibumi hadn't fallen either, even without the help of others, he was capable. He used one of the Dark Chains he was wearing like a whip and latched onto one of the pillars. He used his own free running skills to close the distance between himself and the top of the pillar, wall running from one pillar to another until he was safely on the top again.

Rai had noticed the same thing that Babel had about the key but she decided not to dwell on it as she tried to pull it out, once again, to no avail. "It's not mine either!" Rai yelled.

The Indian girl flinched when Robert landed beside her. He touched the key with one hand and quickly pulled back when a flash of red light suddenly filled the cave. Everyone who was still standing on a narrow pillar nearly dropped into the abyss. Robert blinked away the red lights in his eyes and he stared at the key in disbelief, it suddenly had the design of a dragon head, matching his bronze key.

"It's mine," Robert breathed. It bounced off the walls and everyone heard him. Shibumi became even more determined to stop them and the others were just as determined to stop him.

As Rai left the pillar, he wrapped his hand around the key and felt a voice calling to him. It asked him if he was worthy to hold and use this key. The voice asked him what he wanted to do with the key.

Robert wasn't quite sure. He wanted to use it to defeat Apocalymon and save the Digital World but that didn't feel right. That felt like something he had to do or was being forced to do. This had to be something he wanted and needed all at once. And he knew the answer when he felt a pain in his arm, the one he was using to try and pull out the key.

Ginryumon had gotten hurt outside, something had happened to him. Robert knew this for sure, even though he couldn't see it. So he knew the answer, he wanted this key to help his partner, his dearest friend, to protect himself, to fight and win this battle. Ginryumon was always protecting Robert, so the human wanted this key to return the favor. He wanted to protect his Digimon partner with this silver key. And with that, he pulled out the key with ease.

BanchoLeomon fell from the ceiling and landed right next to Robert, he picked him up and rushed out of there. Once again, the fast movement had stunned Shibumi, giving the chance for the other humans to get out of there as well.

When they got out of the cavern, they saw two dragon Digimon in a deadlock. Neither Coredramon nor Ginryumon were going to give up on this fight but it seemed like they were both trying to catch their breath at the moment.

"Ginryumon! Your leg!" Robert gasped.

Ginryumon's right foreleg didn't look like it was doing so well, it was bruised and burned, no matter how you look at it; it was clearly broken in some way. "Its fine," he coughed.

Shibumi quickly got out of the cave as well and joined his partner, his own silver key in hand. "It doesn't matter if you have that key! My partner's got more experience compared to yours and by the time we're finished with you lot, we'll destroy all of your keys!"

"Somebody's a sore loser," Daisy muttered.

BanchoLeomon would've stepped forward and fought Coredramon himself if Shibumi hadn't taken precautions with his partner too. All over his arms and legs, Coredramon had Dark Chains on him, they didn't work of course, but they will if they come into contact with another Digimon that wasn't partnered with a human.

"I'm afraid I can't really do anything in this situation…," BanchoLeomon stood down as he glanced over to the human children. "I leave this fight up to you guys…" Yet he knew that they would all succeed.

Everyone turned to look at Robert and from their expressions; Ginryumon could tell who was a new owner of a silver key. He was glad that his intuition had been correct into thinking that the key belonged to his partner. Now, he stood on equal fighting ground with Shibumi and his partner.

"Are you ready to do this, Rob?" Ginryumon asked.

Robert looked from the new key in his hand to his partner before nodding. "Yeah… I think so…"

Shibumi and Robert simultaneously put their silver keys into their D-Syncs and turned them. "D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Coredramon Digivolve to… Groundramon!"

"Ginryumon Digivolve to…" The heavy armor seemed to sink into his natural skin and it became hardened scales. His face became much more dragon-like and his feet were lifted off the ground as he became airborne. He became much more snake-like in body shape and his legs shortened, while holding an orb in each of his front claws. "Hisyaryumon!"

"He's huge!" Daisy gaped.

"He definitely looks a lot more powerful," Babel nodded.

Digital Analyzer: Hisyaryumon is the Ultimate form of Ginryumon and another carrier of the X-Antibody. Compared to his previous forms, his speed has increased exponentially without the weight of his heavy armor. His defense may have dropped dramatically but he makes up for it with incredible speed, power, and precision. There isn't much known of their personalities as they are extremely rare and tend to stay within their habitats above the clouds.

Groundramon snarled, once again, losing his own personality and become a ferocious monster, only acting upon his partner's will. "Do you really think that a lesser dragon such as yourself can defeat me?"

Hisyaryumon was much tamer compared to the animalistic growling coming from his foe. "I am not a lesser dragon, but you are quite the confused one," Hisyaryumon replied calmly. "But you should know, you will be defeated by my own claws."

"I'd like to see you try," Groundramon roared. "Allow me to show you the difference in our power levels!" He turned around quickly, aiming the iron sphere on his tail right for Hisyaryumon's head. "Megaton Hammer Crush!"

Robert and the others all gasped, knowing that if this blow connected, then it would be over before they could even see what their new ally was capable of.

But Hisyaryumon would never let that happen. He may be much calmer than he had been in his previous forms, but he still retained some of that pride he always gloated about. And he wasn't going to go down without a fight. "Legendary Dragon Blade!" His body twisted and morphed into a sharp, giant sword and he used this new form to block the iron sphere. Even as a supposedly inanimate object, he was still capable of communicating. "Like I said… I will win this battle."

The spectators gaped at what had just happened in front of their eyes, not even Groundramon could believe it. Groundramon's iron sphere was known to break nearly every material, including Chrome Digizoid, the hardest metallic substance in the Digital World but Hisyaryumon just blocked it with ease.

The two fighters disconnected and faced each other, both in their original forms, sizing each other up.

BanchoLeomon looked to the humans who all looked so hopeful and then he looked back at Hisyaryumon. "I still can't believe how quickly they've all progressed…," he smiled to himself. "You each get full marks on that final exam."

Chapter Text

Mount Freeze – 5:00 PM

Shibumi and Robert simultaneously put their silver keys into their D-Syncs and turned them. "D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

"Coredramon Digivolve to… Groundramon!"

"Ginryumon Digivolve to…" The heavy armor seemed to sink into his natural skin and it became hardened, metallic scales. His face became much more dragon-like and his feet were lifted off the ground as he became airborne. He became much more snake-like in body shape and his legs shortened, while holding an orb in each of his claws. "Hisyaryumon!"

"He's huge!" Daisy gaped.

"He definitely looks a lot more powerful," Babel nodded.

Digital Analyzer: Hisyaryumon is the Ultimate form of Ginryumon and another carrier of the X-Antibody. Compared to his previous forms, his speed had increased exponentially without the weight of his heavy armor. His defense may have dropped dramatically but he makes up for it with incredibly, speed, power, and precision. There isn't much known of their personalities as they are extremely rare and tend to stay within their habitats above the clouds.

Groundramon snarled, once again, losing his own personality and become a ferocious monster, only acting upon his partner's will. "Do you really think that a lesser dragon such as yourself can defeat me?"

Hisyaryumon was much tamer compared to the animalistic growling coming from his foe. "I am not a lesser dragon, but you are quite the confused one," Hisyaryumon replied calmly. "You should know that you will be defeated by my own claws."

"I'd like to see you try," Groundramon roared. "Allow me to show you the difference in our power levels!" He turned around quickly, aiming the iron sphere on his tail right for Hisyaryumon's head. "Megaton Hammer Crush!"

Robert and the others all gasped, knowing that if this blow connected, then it would be over before they could even see what their new ally was capable of.

But Hisyaryumon would never let that happen. He may be much calmer than he had been in his previous forms, but he still retained some of that pride he always gloated about. And he wasn't going to go down without a fight. "Legendary Dragon Blade!" His body twisted and morphed into a sharp, giant sword and he use this new form to block the iron sphere. Even as a supposedly inanimate object, he was still capable of communicating. "Like I said… I will win this battle."

The spectators gaped at what had just happened in front of their eyes, not even Groundramon could believe it. Groundramon's iron sphere was known to break nearly every material, including Chrome Digizoid, the hardest metallic substance in the Digital World but Hisyarumon just blocked it with ease.

The two fighters disconnected and faced each other, both in their original forms, sizing each other up.

Despite being so large, Groundramon was actually pretty light on his feet so he charged forward again, using the iron sphere on his tail as his main weapon but Hisyarumon was just as fast. They were able to stay on par with each other, a metal mace clashing with the warm steel of a self-able sword, causing sparks to fly.

"We need to check on our own partners!" Babel suddenly realized.

"You're right!" Daisy gasped as she turned. "Rob, we'll leave this up to you and Hisyaryumon!"

Robert gave them a thumbs-up before the four other kids ran off from the battlefield to the other one down the mountain. BanchoLeomon was conflicted with following them and staying behind. It was still possible that Hisyaryumon would need some assistance in this fight.

"BanchoLeomon," said Robert abruptly, cutting through his thoughts. "I'm going to try and get those Dark Chains off of the other human and if I succeed, I'm going to need you to jump in and restrain him. That'll make his partner stop battling as well since from what I can tell; Groundramon will do nearly anything for the sake of his partner."

The chief wasn't sure if this was brilliant or insane, after a moment's thought, he decided it was the latter. "But what if you were the one to get hurt or worse? Hisyaryumon will likely be the one to surrender if that were to happen."

"I already considered that possibility," Robert answered without missing a beat. "You can't get near the other kid but you can get near me. You're still more than fast enough to pull me away if I get into trouble. Ryudamon told me about how high your levels of speed and kinetic vision are, not to mention that you have some pretty amazing instincts. I trust you with my life."

BanchoLeomon was more than shocked. His younger brother had told him that Robert exceeded in all physical examinations but his brain power was lacking compared to the others, yet he was able to think about this swiftly.

"Do have any proper battle training though?"

"Sort of… Leomon said that we wouldn't be able to take out strong Digimon, but weak Champions and Rookie level Digimon are within our battling range."

BanchoLeomon exhaled and nodded. "I'll keep an eye on you, then…"

"Good," Robert nodded before running forward, straight for the other boy.

Shibumi's eyes were locked on the battle so he almost didn't notice the other boy until he was right in front of him. He bent back backwards like he was in a limbo contest, easily dodging the punch that Robert had thrown. He quickly used his momentum to tumble back onto his feet, only now realizing that Robert's true aim was for the Dark Chains wrapped around his stomach.

Robert's right hand extended forward, grabbed onto the top chain and pulling back, yanking the wearer with him but unraveling it a little as well. Shibumi twisted around in his grip and quickly landed a clockwise kick onto Robert's side, pushing him away.

"I see you've received some training from the Leomon," Shibumi huffed when he landed on his feet.

Robert held the side of his stomach as he looked back at the other human with one eye open while grinning. "You're not too bad yourself…"

As usual, Babel was the fastest among the humans and he was able to race back to their partners before the others though they eventually caught up as well. While the younger kids attempted to catch their breath, Babel watched as IceLeomon evaded another one of Wizardmon's attacks and then latched onto his partner's tail, swinging the serpent like a whip and crashing him into Darcmon.

"Things are not looking good," he muttered.

"Bear Buster!"

IceLeomon's senses were heightened to the max, he had heard the humming of the cannon charging for a while now and he knew exactly where the insect was hiding. Waspmon was almost directly above his head, just a meter or two behind, using the angle to hide himself. IceLeomon cart wheeled to the side, avoiding the attack. He then turned his head around so fast that they all thought it would snap right off. "Blizzard Breath!"

His aim and range were perfect as well, freezing Waspmon's wings and causing the android bug to fall from the sky.

"Waspmon!" Janyu gaped. "Are you okay?!"

"I'm fine…," Waspmon groaned as he got out of the deep snow.

"How are they supposed to win this fight?" Rai wondered aloud.

Daisy bit her lower lip in frustration. "If only we had another silver key…"

Babel had to say that he was envious of Robert. Not only did the goggle-head get to have his bronze key first, but he even found his silver key first. Granted, it was best in this situation where Ginryumon had detached from the others but he still sort of wished that he had found it. But he also knew that there was more that they could do.

"Guys, we can help them in another way," said Babel, grabbing their attention. "Why do you think we've been training with all of those free running lessons for? We can take IceLeomon's attention and distract him from our partners."

"There's no way we'll be able to do that!" Daisy snapped. "He's senses are sharpened like a knife! He'll be able to attack us easily."

Rai began looking around and her head started calculating. "Actually… If we remain along the perimeter in which those ice pillars form, we'll have plenty of cover from IceLeomon's attacks. Not to mention they'll reverberate sound nicely and IceLeomon probably depends a lot more on his hearing in a situation like this, so making shouts will probably break his concentration."

"What about our own partners?" asked Janyu. "Or what about IceLeomon's sixth sense?"

"None of our partners depend as much on hearing as much as their other senses," Babel answered, noticing how they were all liking this plan already. "The real problem is the sixth sense though, what are we supposed to do about that?"

Daisy began looking around like the younger girl had and suddenly came up with an idea. "Babel, you said that you're the pitcher for your little league baseball team, right?"

"Huh? Yeah…," Babel wasn't sure of what Daisy was thinking of or why she even decided to bring it up now, but it seemed that Janyu was able to pick it up pretty quick.

"Snowballs," Janyu realized. "We make them and while running, we pass them on to you so you take aim, fire, and it'll break IceLeomon's thought process when he's distracted with physical assaults all the time. And if you aim it just right…"

"We can lead him right into our partners' attack range. Just think of this as another sparring match with Leomon, except instead of using scabbards, we're going to be using our partners to make a strike," Babel nodded, piecing it all together. "Let's go!"

Leomon Village – 5:00 PM

Leomon, the one who had been training the humans for the last two weeks since they had arrived at their village, was sitting back as he watched the other villagers prepare for dinner. He couldn't help but wonder if they were all right on Mount Freeze. They shouldn't be too cold as they packed a lot of warm clothing; the real trouble was whether they'll put their new skills to use.

"I really shouldn't be too worried," he sighed to himself.

The scarred lion had other priorities at the moment. With the chief gone, it was his duty to take care of the village until he gets back. Obviously, this job was easier said than done but a few days without his older brother wouldn't kill them or anything.

"Yo, Leomon!"

Leomon's eyes twitched when the voice reached his ears and he began moving faster to the chief's hut to avoid confrontation with the owner of the voice. It clearly didn't work as the mystery voice leapt down from an overhead branch and landed on the lion, causing them both to crash to the ground.

"Ow!" Leomon yelped. "What in the world do you think you're doing, WereGarurumon?"

The wolf Digimon finished off the rest of his rice ball and chewed slowly for a long time just to irritate the impatient feline he was sitting upon. He then proceeded to pretend that he hadn't realized he was on top of the temporary chief. "Eh? I fell out of my tree. Good thing there was this comfy cushion down here!" said WereGarurumon casually, bouncing up and down on top of the Champion's back.

"Get off of me!" Leomon snapped.

WereGarurumon shook his head childishly. "No! Not until you apologize for rudely ignoring me!"

Leomon exhaled and blushed underneath his fur as he apologized. WereGarurumon got off of his cubhood friend and when Leomon got to his feet, he slammed a kick into the Ultimate's side, sending him away.

"Now we're even," Leomon smirked.

"You're so mean, Leo-chan…," WereGarurumon whined.

"Leo-chan?" Leomon repeated. "Where did that nickname come from?"

"It just sounded really cute," WereGarurumon grinned as he got back up. "I was up at Translate Mountain a little while ago and apparently, 'chan' is an honorific used in the Earth language known as Japan. It's usually referred to someone who is close to you personally or for childhood friends and commonly… for lovers."

"What was that pause for?"

"…No reason…"

Leomon turned back to the chief's hut and rubbed his temples. "Geez, you're as annoying as ever."

"So…," WereGarurumon chuckled as he threw an arm over his friend's shoulders. "Do you want to go with me on an excursion to Translate Mountain next week? It'll be a lot of fun and just some good old fashioned, digital bonding! What do you say?"

"I say that I'm amazed that you can still enjoy life while Apocalymon is ruling," Leomon sighed.

"Well if we were to give up our ordinary way of life, then that would mean he's already won."

"True, I can't really argue with that. But I'm not sure if I'm up for a vacation just yet."

"Aw… Why not? You used to love our animal bonding trips!"

"Love is a strong word for that. Anyway, my brother left me in charge of the village while he's up on Mount Freeze with the DigiDestined," Leomon continued, ignoring WereGarurumon's shocked gasp upon hearing the word 'DigiDestined'. "I have to wait until he returns before I get back to you with an answer."

"You're too cruel, Leo-chan!" WereGarurumon huffed.

"And you're too childish," Leomon muttered.

"You should've told me when the DigiDestined arrived to the village! I would've set up a huge greeting party for them!"

"Well… Things have been pretty hectic around here, actually. There was this other human boy…" Another shocked reactive gasp from the lupine. "And he sort of attacked the village so there were a lot of complications when we met the real Chosen Children."

Leomon grabbed the rice cooker from inside the chief's hut which was absolutely enormous and dragged it out to the center of the village. He began dumping massive amounts of rice into the cooker as WereGarurumon watched with a bored expression.

The wolf waited patiently for the mundane task to be done. "So… Can I stay with you until the DigiDestined come back so I can meet them?"

"Go home!"

WereGarurumon raised his hands up innocently at the same time a flash of smoke puffed up from beside the rice cooker. The two anthropomorphic beasts turned their heads to see a red-cloaked mage Digimon waving the smoke away and coughing.

"FlaWizardmon, that had to have been your least spectacular entrance ever," WereGarurumon remarked with a snicker.

"I didn't transport myself here, honestly," FlaWizardmon coughed. "Sorcerymon got mad at me because instead of working, I was flirting with everyone in the village so he cast the teleportation spell on me. Seriously, that guy is just way too uptight for his own good. How could someone as cute as Candlemon come from the same data stream as that guy?"

WereGarurumon poked a clawed finger on Leomon's cheek who promptly slapped the hand away. "That's how I feel about this guy and his older brother."

"Chiefs are such a pain," FlaWizardmon and WereGarurumon groaned.

"You two have absolutely no right to say that!" Leomon snapped before taking a deep breath. FlaWizardmon had frequently visited the village before, always claiming how fun it was to try and seduce such a serious species as the Leomon. So he had heard a lot about this Candlemon and despite having never trained with the partnered Candlemon, he figured it had to be the same one. Before he could mention it though, the pyromancer beat him to it.

"That's right; did Candlemon and the other DigiDestined make it here yet?"

Leomon blinked. "Ah, so he really is the same one." He walked them to a low table so that they could sit down and continue their conversation. One of the other Leomon served the trio saucers of sake from a gourd before they settled back down. "They actually did, two weeks ago. How did you know that they'd come here?"

"Sorcerymon directed them here," FlaWizardmon grinned. "He said something about BanchoLeomon training them or something."

"That mage can read my brother pretty well," Leomon chuckled.

"Quick question, why didn't Sorcerymon just teleport them here?" asked WereGarurumon. "He did that with you."

FlaWizardmon sighed. "You still don't get how magic works, huh… Teleportation magic is easy when done on your own body or a small object. But to do that to a person or Digimon takes a ton of magical power. He can do it to about eight people max if he uses his full power but that would probably put a detriment to his health and even his life span." There was a short pause here. "If he tried to conserve that energy, then he'll only be able to transport them a short distance."

"I guess that makes sense but it sounds real complicated." WereGarurumon took a swig from his cup before turning over to Leomon. "So, how did their training go anyway?"

Leomon took a moment to think of the best way to describe their training sessions before smiling. "Incredible…"

Leomon walked around the open field as he felt the five children trying to hide their presence from him. Unfortunately, they didn't have a chance with his finely tuned senses as even covering themselves from his sixth sense did not keep him from hearing that one leaf rustle to his right or smelling the human skin in the tree to his left.

He could hear the rustling in the leaves getting faster from both sides of him but from the vibrations in the ground; he knew where the real attack was. He quickly made a back flip over Babel who had charged in from behind with his scabbard which they were all faking was a sharpened knife.

At the same time, Janyu and Robert leapt out from their hiding spots as well and they tried their best to get a stab in with their own scabbards. But their mentor was simply too swift for them to get him. Every jab, hook, and kick was deflected or evaded. Babel even tried to get the 'kill' for himself and even though their teamwork was still a little sloppy, Leomon couldn't help having his attention be diverted.

Both of the other girls were nowhere to be seen but they could be heard from every angle, running through the forest and shaking up as many branches as possible.

Leomon didn't want to exert too much of his energy, figuring that their plan was to wait until he was fatigued and then have Daisy deliver the finishing blow since she was much faster than Rai. So he made swift movement, pushing the boys away from their target and into brambles and tree trunks, knocking them down to their butts.

The three of them were slowly getting up and Leomon was in his defensive stance but he let it go when he heard something drop and then Rai scream. His head immediately jerked into her immediate direction which was in between where Robert and Janyu were.

He realized what their real plan was and quickly sidestepped to avoid Babel's stab only to feel the cold metal of someone else's scabbard on his side where he had stepped. He couldn't help smiling as he turned to Daisy who spun the scabbard around in her hand.

"You hid your presence well," Leomon acknowledged as everyone rejoined them, including Rai, who was perfectly fine.

"Rai's plan worked perfectly!" Robert grinned.

Leomon chuckled. "Still, it was a rather risky plan. If all three of you were to try and attack at the same time against a strong opponent possessed by the Dark Chain, then he wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Remember this in a real battle."

"We know," Babel laughed before droning mechanically. "We're only allowed to fight weak Champions and Rookie Digimon."

Janyu continued the recitation in the same droning tone. "Otherwise, we will either put our own lives in jeopardy or compromise the battling abilities of our partners."

"Don't worry, we're not suicidal," Daisy grinned. "But still, you have to admit that plan was the best one we've had so far! After all, this is the first time where we were able to hit you. Every other time was like trying to grab a gymnast on twenty shots of espresso."

Rai giggled. "Well, the plan wouldn't have worked that well if we hadn't executed it the way we did."

Leomon knew that these kids had potential from their progress with free running but to think that they were able to succeed in combat training as well. It's not that his expectations for them were low; he just never expected them to exceed then like this.

Babel and Robert already had impressive speed and strength for children of their size in comparison to the lion's bulk. Janyu already seemed to have received battle training of some sort and he was definitely the most agile of the group. Daisy was probably the most impressive with her ability to blend in her surroundings and hide her presence. It's almost like she's invisible in every sense of the word. Rai isn't very good with battle but like with free running, she has a good eye and can properly maneuver through areas and think up plans on the fly.

"Are all human children this impressive?" Leomon asked.

The five of them all looked to each other before they all started cracking up. "Not really."

"I never would've expected that from humans!" FlaWizardmon laughed. He paused when he noticed how depressed WereGarurumon had become. "What's wrong? I've never seen you so upset when you had sake in front of you."

"He's just upset that it took him four whole months before he was able to hit me in a sparring match when we were growing up but it took these kids only two weeks," Leomon chuckled. "Don't be a sore loser."

"So, where are they?" FlaWizardmon inquired.

"Mount Freeze."

"What?!" FlaWizardmon immediately shot up from his sitting position so fast that it caused the low table to clatter and the saucers to fall.

"The sake!" WereGarurumon pouted.

"Mount Freeze is a dangerous place with a cruel climate," FlaWizardmon snapped. "There's no way they'd be able to survive up there! Not with the huge chances of avalanches and the powerful Digimon living up there!" He began a panicked pacing towards the snowy mountain in the distance. "I'm going after them."

Leomon laughed, causing the mage to stop in his tracks. "You worry too much! To be honest, I felt the same way as you did just moments before but when I really think about it… I am one hundred, no, a hundred and ten percent confident that they will come back just fine."

FlaWizardmon had never seen the serious Digimon look so determined of his own convictions that he couldn't help sitting back down, apologizing for the spilled beverages and then silently hoping that the lion was right. Yet, strangely enough, he found himself believing every word the temporary chief had said despite his earlier doubts.

Mount Freeze – 5:15 PM

IceLeomon jerked his head when he heard a girl's voice bouncing off the frozen pillars. He nearly forgot that he was in the middle of the battle and made a quick leap to avoid Darcmon's sword. At that same moment, he saw a dark shadow pass between two pillars, pitching a snowball right at his face. With the beast's vision impaired for that short moment, he felt a heavy tail slam into his stomach and push him right into the awaiting Bear Buster attack from Waspmon.

"Pesky humans," he scoffed.

IceLeomon quickly stood back up and focused his senses again only to catch Janyu's shout hitting his eardrums and then Daisy began singing broken fragments of a Russian folk song while bouncing around to cause the most disturbance. Rai convened with her own partner who cast a spell on the two snowballs in her hands which she handed off to Babel. The eldest human ran off again, making sure to keep his position a mystery to the lion.

"Shuffle!" Wizardmon shouted.

"Ice Blast!"

"Turbo Stinger!"

IceLeomon made his way to dodge but he stopped himself when neither attacks where aimed directly at him. They were distractions to allow the Digimon to begin circling him at their best speeds so that he wouldn't be able to keep up with each of them.

"La Pucelle!"

IceLeomon quickly unsheathed his blade and blocked the angel's slash but from his periphery, he could see a yellow flash of electric light heading towards him so he quickly deflected the blade and jumped. He realized then that it was just a snowball and not one of Wizardmon's Thunder Ball attacks so it harmlessly hit Darcmon's forearm.

Seadramon made another whipping motion with his tail and IceLeomon latched onto it, easily using it to maneuver himself back to the ground without harming himself. His speed and senses were still superior to theirs' but there were too many figures to pay attention to all at once.

"Thunder Ball!"

IceLeomon dodged again but his eyes widened when he saw the attack meld with the rest of the snow rather than exploding. It was another snowball! Wizardmon had faked it but where was the mage Digimon then? He couldn't hear anything because of Janyu's, Rai's, and Daisy's combined yelling. He couldn't hear the snow shifting which meant he was likely in the air. He couldn't see him anywhere he turned which left one place.

IceLeomon's head jerked upwards at the same time the powerhouse attacks were released, aimed right for the Dark Chain on him.

"Bear Buster!"

"Electro Squall!"

A flash of lighting combined with a powerful, cannon-like blast. The attack hit IceLeomon and erupted in a brilliant flash of light, leaving him buried in the freezing snow, the Dark Chain disintegrating beside him. He smiled to himself, knowing that he was free from the grasp of evil.

"You're all a lot tougher than you look," IceLeomon chuckled weakly.

"Don't talk too much," Rai whispered as their partners degenerated.

"We used up way too much energy with those attacks," Salamon huffed.

Candlemon flopped down beside her. "I'm way beat… And kind of hungry..."

Betamon made some sort of incoherent moaning sound. "Yeah, can we eat yet?"

"I'm just glad that we were able to win this fight," FanBeemon buzzed.

The humans all laughed a little as they helped IceLeomon up into a sitting position. They all pooled in the first-aid kits they had brought with them and working together, figured out how to treat the wounds of the Digimon.

"The plan was a success!" Daisy grinned.

Babel nodded. "It was just like that training session with Leomon."

Janyu suddenly stood up when he heard the heavy clang from a couple of meters away. "How do you guys think Rob is doing?"

Robert ducked when Shibumi threw another right jab at him and he quickly made a low sweep with his left leg but Shibumi was able to jump right over it. The Japanese boy quickly made for a roundhouse kick which made contact with Robert's side but he caught onto the leg and pulled him close, grabbing him by the collar and shoving him to the snow. The two of them were now grappling each other in the cold, their skin turning blue as they rolled around, trying to pin the other down.

Their partners paused for a moment when they saw the two humans fighting each other.

"You're going to get frostbite if you keep that up!" Hisyaryumon snapped, concern laced in his tone.

Groundramon, who was displaying animalistic behaviors until he noticed his partner's blue skin, nodded in agreement. "Shibumi, you have to worry about your own health as well! I won't be able to fight as well if there's a chance that you'll get sick."

Shibumi was able to push Robert off of him who collapsed a few feet away and they were both trying to catch their breaths. Now that they weren't wrestling together with their body heat meshed together, they felt the full effects of the cold and they both started shivering uncontrollably.

BanchoLeomon wrapped a warm fuzzy arm around Robert to try and warm him up. "Are you okay?"

Robert nodded before looking over to the other boy. He couldn't hear very well since there was some snow in his ears but he was sure he had caught a familiar name in Groundramon's words. "Did he say that you're Shibumi? It can't be that you're that same Shibumi… Are you?"

Shibumi smirked and nodded. "Yeah… That's right. I'm Shibumi, Gorou Mizuno, your friendly pen pal from overseas. You really couldn't figure that out… Dolphin?"

Robert was surprised but now he knew for certain that this was the boy he talked to about destiny just a week before he ended up in the Digital World, especially considering the fact that he knew Robert's screen name. But that meant one other thing.

"Does this mean that Janyu and the others…?" Robert trailed off.

Shibumi nodded, his smug expression still plastered on his face. "Yeah, they're all the other pen pals I've told you about in various messages. Janyu is the shy 'Tao' who was always having trouble keeping up with his tai-chi classmates. Daisy always went by her real name, 'Margaritka', saying that nicknames shouldn't be something you give yourself, always the prideful one. Then there's Babel who always went by 'Babe' since he admired Babe Ruth and wanted to be a great baseball player like him. Finally, there's Rai who was the unconfident 'Curly' who had never once disobeyed her parents."

Robert couldn't figure any of this out for himself and it was no surprise, it's not like he had ever heard of the nicknames that the others had. He didn't even know if any of them actually had computers despite the fact that he ended up in this world through one.

"Rob, what's he talking about?" asked Hisyaryumon.

Robert opened his mouth to answer but nothing came out so instead, Shibumi made an order. "Attack now, Groundramon!"

"Scrapless Claw!" Groundramon grabbed Hisyaryumon with the two giant claws on this back and started holding him down between them, slowly crushing the bones of the other dragon Digimon.

Hisyaryumon released agonizing screams and Robert had absolutely no idea what he could say or do to help his own partner out. He began searching his brain for ideas but it's not like he knew Hisyaryumon's capabilities that well as of yet. "Hisyaryumon!"

"In just a few more seconds, your partner will be deleted and as long as my own is wearing those Dark Chains, BanchoLeomon won't be able to help him out," Shibumi laughed shakily, he was still freezing from rolling around in the snow. "This is my victory, Dolphin."

Groundramon's snarling didn't even sound remotely Digimon anymore, it was just pure monster. The bloodlust in his eyes was further evidence to his bestial behavior.

But Hisyarumon wasn't about to give up just yet. He slowly tucked his arms in, letting the orbs press up against Groundramon's arms. "Every Direction Wheel!" From both of them orbs, rays of light were emitted in every direction and repelled the claws away from his thin body.

"What?!" Groundramon snarled when his arms unclasped the dragon above his head which was very bad for him.

"Legendary Dragon Blade!" Without missing a beat, Hisyaryumon turned back to his sword form, dropping right onto Groundramon's skull, making a painful cracking sound and causing Groundramon to yell loudly which shook the entire mountain.

"Whoa!" Daisy exclaimed when she tumbled the rest of the way to Rob with the others following right behind her.

"Are all of you okay?" BanchoLeomon asked as he caught them all with ease.

"We're good…," Babel muttered though it was muffled since his face was shoved against BanchoLeomon's muscular bicep. He slowly pushed himself off and repeated himself before looking over to the ended battle. "Looks like we've got two victories today."

Shibumi's eyes widened when Dracomon fell into his waiting arms. He looked at his injured partner and then back to the DigiDestined group. He took good note of IceLeomon standing protectively over them. He couldn't believe that an Ultimate actually lost a fight against four Champion level Digimon but then again, he couldn't believe that his own well-trained partner had lost this battle as well. These other humans were far tougher than his initial assessment had made them out to be.

Robert and the rest of the team would've gone to nab the other boy if they didn't see the avalanche that was approaching them at alarming speed. BanchoLeomon quickly gathered up the group in his large arms while IceLeomon and Robert latched onto Hisyaryumon. The two powerhouses made their way into the air and onto an ice pillar just as the snow crashed down below them.

As for Shibumi, he had no means for getting out of there swiftly and Robert was just about to call his partner to help out when a dark shadow started swirling nearby. NeoDevimon slowly stepped out of the dark gate, causing them all to gasp at the sight of their old foe. The fallen angel Digimon helped his fallen comrades and flew up.

"You two are quite the nuisance," NeoDevimon laughed. "You couldn't even dispose of the DigiDestined properly."

"Like you have any room to talk," Shibumi scoffed.

Another dark gate appeared and they were going to pass through it when Robert called out to the other boy. "Shibumi, wait! I still want to know why you're doing all of this!"

Janyu, Daisy, Babel, and Rai all looked up from where they were; eyes wide and shocked when they heard the familiar name that they had all spoken to for nearly a year now. This was the mysterious boy from Japan who always wanted to hear about their problems and never spoke about his own personal situation. The same strange boy who talked about nothing but destiny for that last week they had spoken to him online. It was that very same Shibumi.

Hisyaryumon's focus wasn't on the human but rather on the wounded dragon in that boy's arms. "Dracomon? Could it be?"

Their enemies didn't reply and they just passed through the gate without another word.

Black Abyss – 5:30 PM

Shibumi and Dracomon fell onto the hard floor; at least it felt like a floor. Everywhere their heads would turn, they would only see more pitch-black darkness. It felt like they were in a world in which nothing ever existed, the end of time, or something like that.

"Solarmon!" NeoDevimon called out lazily.

The sun-shaped gear Digimon drifted into sight and floated over to the injured dragon Digimon and the shivering human. He led them through the darkness and into a lit-up room filled with machines where Hagurumon was already working. They set the boy into a small bed and wrapped a heated blanket around him while putting Dracomon on an operating table.

"You don't have to perform a surgery on him," Shibumi chattered. "Just patch up the wound on his head and apply some herbal medicine or something to help him heal faster!"

"What do you think this is? A human world video game?" Hagurumon droned.

"The medical process is a long and grueling so he might be here a while," Solarmon added.

Shibumi scoffed but didn't complain any further, he just wanted his partner to be fixed up. He looked around the room and noticed that NeoDevimon was no longer anywhere to be seen. "Hey, where did that giant eyesore go?"

"Master NeoDevimon?" Hagurumon blinked as he glanced around. "He probably went to report to Lord Apocalymon."

Shibumi collapsed in the bed and buried the pillow into his face. "Great, now I'm going to have a failure marked on my permanent record by the principal himself."

"I will never understand your human world analogies," Solarmon sighed before noticing a small signal beeping on one of the machines. He moved over, turned it off and activated the giant screen in front of them which showed nothing but darkness. "Lord Apocalymon?"

"I would like to speak to Shibumi," Apocalymon replied, his voice sounding deep and distorted. "What happened out there? Did you perhaps overestimate yourself or did something happen outside of your precise calculations?"

"They received some training in Leomon Village, that's the only explanation I can come up with," Shibumi replied, feeling a little disappointed in himself. "And I also underestimated their skills. I shouldn't have done that and I promise that I won't let another failure happen again."

"I would hope not."

Shibumi then looked up at the screen. "But, Apocalymon… You said that the DigiDestined were weak and that they would never stand a real chance against you. I saw your power but I got a glimpse of their capabilities as well. Were you really telling the truth or did you just want me to do your dirty work for you?"

Apocalymon sounded vaguely offended by this accusation. "Shibumi, you know that I would never lie to you. Not like the humans you know. I am programmed to be incapable of such a horrid sin in the first place. You can trust me…"

Shibumi's eyes lost all color as he nodded. "Yes, of course. Apocalymon would never lie to me…"

Dracomon struggled to keep his eyes open but he almost wished to un-see what he did. His partner wasn't brainwashed but it was clear that it was something close to that. Maybe it was the darkness in the child's heart. "Shibumi…"

Shibumi looked up when he heard his partner's weak voice call his name. He rushed over to the dragon's side and took his claw in his hand. "Hey, I'm right here." The color had returned to his pupils. "Everything will be just fine. Trust me…"

"I will…," Dracomon weakly nodded.

"Don't move or talk too much," Shibumi shushed. "But I wanted to know… Earlier, it seemed like Hisyaryumon recognized you… Did you two know each other at one point?"

Dracomon took a moment to think about it. "I'm not sure…"

Leomon Village – 7:29 PM

Three days later and the group had finally made it back down the mountain and into the village. On the first day, they welcomed back IceLeomon, rested their new Digimon, and praised Ryudamon on his new evolution. On the second day, they finally brought up Shibumi and began talking about how they all got to know him. On the third day, they spent it getting to know IceLeomon and learning that he was fighting against the control of the Dark Chain which explained why Babel and the others were able to succeed in beating him without a silver key of their own.

Finally, they had returned and there was a huge feast awaiting them.

BanchoLeomon celebrated their return in full swing and made sure to reintroduce the humans as the heroes who brought back IceLeomon to their home. It felt like a miniature festival and with the sun setting, it felt like the perfect time to let loose and just have fun, forget all about the danger they had just gone through a few days ago.

"I am so glad that you're safe!" FlaWizardmon gushed while hugging and nuzzling Candlemon.

"Get off of me!" Candlemon snapped irately. "You're clingier than you usually are!"

"Ah, so this is the famous FlaWizardmon we've heard so much about," Babel grinned.

"You two most certainly make a happy-looking couple," Daisy added to the teasing.

Leomon felt enormous pride when IceLeomon retold of how the DigiDestined were able to defeat him using tactics that the scarred lion had taught them. His pride dropped immensely when he saw WereGarurumon greeting Janyu by giving the boy sake.

"I can't really drink this…," Janyu chuckled awkwardly as he held the cup delicately, like it might explode.

WereGarurumon clearly wasn't himself at the moment. "What are you talking about? Sake is the true essence of life!"

Tuskmon had decided to stay in the village to recover and wait for IceLeomon to come back so that he could thank him properly. After that, Tuskmon then turned over to Ryudamon to thank him as well for defeating Dracomon in his place for all the trouble he had caused.

"That wasn't much of a problem," Ryudamon laughed before getting serious. "But… Tuskmon, I wanted to ask, where did you come from?"

"Me?" Tuskmon cocked his head to the side as if to think about it for moment. "Dragon Valley, the same place as that Dracomon actually. You see, there were a lot of Digimon there who always liked to act macho and they always assaulted him despite being a newborn. I felt bad for him and one day, I tried to approach him but then I saw that he had a human by his side. That was when I was attacked and then became one of Apocalymon's mindless drones."

"I see…" Ryudamon nodded. "So… He really was the same one…"

Robert had heard the whole thing and he was able to put the pieces together easily enough. "That Dracomon was just like you, huh…"

Ryudamon hesitated, but nodded. "Yeah… He and I… We thought of each other like brothers since no one else looked out for us. We were always reborn next to each other and we always had a clean slate for our friendships. Then one day, I was reborn, and he wasn't there anymore. That was the day I decided to leave Dragon Valley, actually…"

Robert gave his partner a supportive hug before looking up to Tuskmon. "Thank you Tuskmon, sir, for telling us that."

"Actually…," Ryudamon whispered. "Tuskmon is female."

"Eh?"

Tuskmon blushed. "It's true… I am…"

Robert felt rather embarrassed for getting mixed up so he tried to apologize but he ended up tripping over his own words so he slumped downwards before shooting back up. "Okay, well, let's forget about that awkward moment and start on a clean slate! We can worry tomorrow but tonight, we party!"

There were cheers all around but WereGarurumon was the loudest. "This calls for more sake!"

"Keep that away from the children!" Leomon snapped.

There were cheers, and laughs, all around and all night long.

Chapter Text

Ogremon Village Entrance – 3:23 PM

The small group peeked out from their hiding spot in the leaves and noticed the two massive guards standing in front of the village entrance. They both looked really strong despite only being at the Champion level. The humans and their partners glanced over to their two escorts who were in some sort of teasing match. Well, only one of them was teasing while the other was trying his best not to lash out violently.

"So, what do we do now?" asked Robert. "Go up to those guards, tell them we're the DigiDestined, and then walk through the gates?"

Daisy bit the inside of her thumb. "They don't look the like the types to let anyone into their village so easily."

Leomon grabbed WereGarurumon's paw and squeezed so hard that the werewolf began wincing at the pain surging up his arm. The lion looked back to the group of humans and his eyes darted to the two Digimon standing guard at the village.

"They're not," the lion answered. "Those two are the Gold and Silver twins, Kinkakumon and Ginkakumon, and the strongest pair from Ogremon Village. Even one of them is enough to give me a run for my money."

"Not me!" WereGarurumon smirked.

"And if they were working together?" asked Babel.

WereGarurumon sulked away. "Okay, me in that case."

Leomon shook his head and rolled his eyes. "The only way to gain entrance into their village is proving that you're more powerful than the guards unless you're there to renew a treaty. The best way to defeat them is to separate them, they won't be able to do as much damage then."

Ryudamon smirked. "Well, with the silver key, I'll be able to beat them no problem as Hisyaryumon!"

Robert nodded. "Yeah, no doubt about that!"

"You shouldn't take the silver key's power so lightly," Janyu sighed.

Salamon shook her head, showing that no matter what they said; there was no way they would be able to convince the pair to listen to them. So, instead, she turned back to their escorts. "So, what can you tell us about those two ogres?"

"The smaller, golden one is Kinkakumon," Leomon answered.

Digital Analyzer: Kinkakumon is a rampaging girl who is feared by many in the Digital World when paired with her little brother. She is known to rush into anything, battle, a store, a restaurant, and more likely, a love affair. But she's not exactly the romantic type, if she falls for you, then she will violently beat her love into you. And since she's a thoughtless Digimon, she tends to fall in love because of a misunderstanding. She wields the Seven-Star Gold Rod which is a powerful club with digital energy spikes surrounding it.

WereGarurumon started chuckling. "I remember a time when she was desperately in love with you because of a silly misunderstanding."

Leomon blushed furiously underneath his fur as he reactively reached for the scars covering his arms. For the longest time, the Chosen Children and their partners had believed they were battle scars but apparently, they were from the spiky club the crazy, lovesick ogre wielded.

"So, that means, the giant, silver one is Ginkakumon," Candlemon muttered.

Digital Analyzer: Ginkakumon is a behemoth of a boy who, unlike his sister, isn't very human-like in appearance but in stature. The Crimson Calabash he carries on his back is a gourd which holds his older sister's favorite drink. Supposedly, the inside is connected to another dimension and if you're sucked into it, you will be converted into Kinkakumon's favorite alcohol. Ginkakumon dutifully watches over his sister and if a recent 'lover' of hers does her wrong, he will be sure to shake him with enough force to wreck a mountain.

"This is not going to be easy for us," Betamon shuddered. "Can we really beat them?"

"Like we said, you have to separate them of you'll be beaten easily," Leomon muttered as he stood up. "Well, I think it's about time for WereGarurumon and I to go take our trip to Translate Mountain now." He slung his bag over his shoulder and leapt out of the tree at breakneck speed.

"He didn't even give us a proper goodbye," FanBeemon buzzed.

WereGarurumon laughed. "He just wants to avoid his nutty ex-girlfriend. I can't really say that I blame him." He picked up his bag as well and smiled at the group. "I hope that our paths will cross again. Until next we meet!" The lupine Digimon leapt off after the group made their farewells to him.

As soon as it was just the DigiDestined group again, they leapt out from their hiding spot, startling the twins at the gate who immediately got into battle stances. The humans quickly raised their hands to show that they were no threat made from Apocalymon.

"Humans?" Kinkakumon gasped.

"That must mean that you're the Chosen Children from the prophecy," Ginkakumon growled. Unlike his older sister's smooth and delicate voice, his was incredibly gravelly and sounded like a wild animal trying to communicate if it was being taught a human language.

"So… Since you know that… Are you going to let us through?" inquired Babel.

"What do you want from us?" Kinkakumon asked, ignoring the question.

As usual, the group let Robert take charge with talking with possibly hostile forces. He doesn't have the most tact in the group but he's definitely more of a people person and what people seem to like hearing, is confidence. That was exactly what Robert had whenever he talked for the group.

"Actually, we came to see Shamamon," Robert told them. He pulled out the silver key he had with him and held it up so that both of the ogres could take a good look at it. "You see, currently, we're in search of other keys like this one so that our group can reach the Ultimate level. It'll help us defeat Apocalymon and we heard that Shamamon will be able to help us find them."

"And who brought you here?" Kinkakumon questioned. It seemed like she was interested in the confidence in Robert's voice which made the goggle-head a little nervous about continuing with this conversation.

Robert glanced to the others and nudged his partner with his foot. "Go ahead, Ryudamon… Tell them."

The dragon Digimon opened his mouth to speak when the golden ogress stopped him. "I don't want to hear it from you… I want to hear it from the human boy."

The others felt an odd mixture of amusement and awkwardness as they all had the same feeling about Kinkakumon's fascination with Robert. Well, all of them except Betamon who stared at them blankly, trying to figure out why everyone else was acting a little differently. Ginkakumon, on the other hand, just watched his sister curiously and then trained his stony gaze on the boy, as if waiting for him to say the wrong thing.

"Um… Well, a Leomon and WereGarurumon escorted us here," Robert answered.

"A Leomon?" Kinkakumon gasped, hand to her heart. "I knew I recognized that beautiful, old scent!" Suddenly, her face contorted from one of lovelorn into one of complete anger as she slammed her club onto the ground, sending a miniature earthquake rippling underneath their feet. "And he was with that mongrel again?! It's because of that damned mutt that I never get to see my beloved anymore! How dare he steal my lovely lion away from me?!"

Ginkakumon sighed as he tapped the gourd on his back, as if contemplating whether or not he should charge into Leomon Village and try to convert the scarred lion into a beverage. "Sister, don't you think it's time for you to let go of this infatuation with that fleabag? He's from our enemy village, after all."

"Love transcends all of that!" Kinkakumon screeched before running forward, rushing past the group and started to violently destroy a pine tree with her club. They all watched and flinched every time they heard the loud crack of the tree breaking apart. "How! Dare! He! Just! Leave! Me! For! That! Filthy! MUTT!"

"Yup, she's nutty," Babel nodded.

"No doubt about it," Daisy agreed.

Robert and the others just watched the distressed female ogre as she was panting to catch her breath after demolishing an innocent tree. Robert took a step forward and he started speaking before thinking about his word choices, which is something he does all the time anyway.

"Hey… You know, you don't have to be so hung up on Leomon," Robert stated bluntly. "There are other Digimon out there."

"Really? Do you think there is one for me?" Kinkakumon sniffed.

Janyu and the others opened their mouths to try and stop their reckless leader from saying what they all knew would come next. "Of course! Why wouldn't there be?"

Kinkakumon was absolutely sparkling as Robert soon realized what effect his words had on this thoughtless Digimon. Janyu huffed in exasperation, Daisy slapped her forehead, Babel rubbed the bridge of his nose, and Rai just turned away. As for the Digimon, they all groaned at the basic idiocy of the human aside from Betamon who still didn't fully comprehend what was happening in front of him.

"It's like you can see into my soul and read the engraved plating upon my very heart," Kinkakumon swooned before lifting her club high. Her silky voice warped into something more monstrous and screechy. "Allow me to take your heart!"

"Metaphorically, right?" Robert chuckled nervously.

Kinkakumon answered with a battle cry and she charged forward, swinging her club around wildly. Babel reacted quickly and pushed the younger boy out of the way of the rampaging lady and the others immediately took a couple of feet back so that they wouldn't have to get in harm's way. The group watched as the two ogres joined together in their battle stances.

"If you wish to gain entry into our village," recited Ginkakumon.

"Then you must defeat us, the notorious Gold!" continued Kinkakumon with her club in front of her.

"And Silver siblings!" Ginkakumon finished.

Robert grinned to himself as he took out his silver key. "Then we'll just have to win a free pass inside, won't we? Let's go Ryudamon!"

"Right!"

"D-Lock 2 Disengaged!" There was a sudden pause as Robert realized he couldn't turn the key in the hole of his D-Sync. He glanced to the others who just watched him struggle with the key. He slowly turned to them with a panicked expression. "It's stuck…"

"What?!" the others gaped.

The ogre siblings immediately charged forward at the same time the other four humans pulled out their bronze keys, jamming them into their D-Syncs. The group turned the keys at the same time since theirs weren't jammed inside the keyhole. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"FanBeemon Digivolve to… Waspmon!" "Salamon Digivolve to… Darcmon!" "Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!" "Candlemon Digivolve to… Wizardmon!"

"Split them up!" Babel ordered.

"Right!"

Wizardmon jumped forward and waved his staff, creating an illusion in front of them for temporary protection. "Magical Game!" An electric net appeared in front of them so that it stopped the two ogres from advancing forward because they were afraid of suddenly getting zapped by the fake net.

Seadramon shot forward and swerved directly in between Ginkakumon and Kinkakumon, passing through the net which broke the illusion. Waspmon hovered into the silver ogre's side and started shooting lasers in order to keep the behemoth from moving forward. Wizardmon and Darcmon went over to the elder sister's side in an attempt to try and keep her from getting to the kids but she jumped right over them.

Kinkakumon was going ballistic as she swung the club over her head. But her sole target appeared to be Robert as she ran right past the other four humans without so much as second glance at them.

Daisy called her partner. "Darcmon!"

The angel Digimon was the fastest one in their group so she was able to intervene and used her sword to counter the spiky club. The two women clashed using their weapons which sent sparks flying way to close to the humans for their comfort.

"Keep her away from Rob as best as you can!" Daisy commanded.

Rai turned over to the boy in question. "If the silver key won't work, then you have to use your bronze one. Having Ginryumon is better than not having him on the battlefield at all."

"I realize that," said Robert. His eyes darted to the spot they were standing on before. "But when Babel tackled me earlier, I dropped both of my keys over there." Ginkakumon kicked the dirt where Robert's eyes were on and they all saw the keys fly off somewhere behind the ogres and too close to the village gates for any of them to reach without having to try and run past one of their foes.

"We'll have to do this without Ginryumon then," Janyu muttered.

"What?" Ryudamon pouted. "This is so unfair!"

Robert picked up his partner and ran into the cover of the trees so that he could watch the fight without having to get caught in the crazy lady's weird and deadly way to love.

"Ice Blast!"

Ginkakumon was slow so he wasn't able to avoid the attack as he was frozen solid to the ground. However, what he lacked in agility, he made up for in massive amounts of power. He broke through the ice easily, but not before Waspmon had his powerhouse attack at full charge.

"Bear Buster!"

Ginkakumon crossed his arms across his chest and blocked the attack with his thick limbs. The attack exploded, leaving a couple of injuries on his body but not enough to be considerable damage.

His jaw unhinged and he aimed for Waspmon. "Ogre's Fire Shot!"

A fireball blasted into the android insect and he was burned down, falling down to the ground and crashing like a malfunctioning helicopter. Seadramon got distracted when he saw his teammate fall to the ground in a blazing fire.

"Waspmon!"

Ginkakumon turned right for the bigger Digimon, lowered his back and started charging forward. "Ginkaku Rush!" The silver ogre latched onto the sea dragon and started pushing him forward, dragging the long tail across the stony ground which may have given him a rash. The enemy just kept charging until he collided into a thick tree which fell upon the sea snake, crushing him.

Darcmon swung her blade around in her delicate dance as she clashed with Kinkakumon's powerful club, it was a surprise that it didn't end up shattering the thin sword altogether. Both of their weapons clashed with each other and they held their stance for a bit before Kinkakumon broke it off by thrusting a fist into the angel's stomach.

Darcmon doubled over while Wizardmon began shooting as many Thunder Balls as he could at their foe who immediately started evading the attacks with unbelievable speed. Darcmon got back up and quickly swung her sword which was blocked by the club again. Wizardmon joined in the physical fight with his staff but both of them were unable to strike the ogre anywhere on her body.

"She's keeping them on the ground," Rai noticed.

"What do you mean?" asked the other girl.

Rai gestured to the fight their partners were locked in. "Both Darcmon and Wizardmon are capable of flight but neither of them are taking off the ground despite having a clear advantage if they did. But Kinkakumon's using her club to keep hitting them downward so that they have no chance to get up off the ground. Why?"

Daisy noticed it now as well. "Get off the ground!"

"What?" Darcmon blinked.

It was too late as Kinkakumon leapt backwards and smashed her club into the ground, pulverizing the surrounding area and causing the two other human-like Digimon to fall back. "Ogre's Explosive Burial!" Darcmon ended up getting lodged into the ground and Wizardmon's head hit a sharp rock.

"That hurt!" Wizardmon grunted as he tried to get back up. Bad decision.

"Lightning Ogre Kick!" Kinkakumon's leg became coated in electricity as she drop kicked the mage, sending him flying to the fallen tree that was crushing Seadramon. "If this is all that the DigiDestined are capable of, then I don't like our chances of defeating Apocalymon."

The four combatants slowly got back up from where they had fallen and they quickly moved closer to their partners and stood in front of them. The ogres were now together which was exactly what Leomon had warned them not to let them do.

"Still standing huh?" Ginkakumon growled.

"It seems like Leomon forgot to tell you that this was a fight to the death," Kinkakumon laughed. "Your death!"

"Let's join together and show them what we've really got!" Ginkakumon laughed.

"Brilliant idea, brother!" Kinkakumon grinned.

The glass pane on Ginkakumon's stomach slid open and Kinkakumon leapt inside so that she could send an electric current surging through her brother, giving him a major boost. The four partners of the Chosen Children were much too weak to dodge and when they tried to convince the humans to run off, they refused, wanting to help their partners instead. Ginkakumon raised his arm and the electricity pulsed through his limbs and they could actually feel it like a powerful heartbeat.

"It's over for you! Gold and Silver Thunder Attack!"

Robert stuck his head out from where he was hiding. "No!"

The group was exposed to the high voltage from the attack and in a giant explosion, there was nothing left behind besides burnt grass and ashes. Robert had pulled his goggles down so that the debris wouldn't get into his eyes but that didn't stop him from thinking that bits of his friends were raining down on him.

"They… No! It's not possible!" Ryudamon gasped.

Robert stumbled over to the spot where his friends were last standing and fell into the dust. "How…?"

Kinkakumon slowly got out of the cockpit and laughed as she walked closer to the last of the DigiDestined. He couldn't believe that these two ogres were so dedicated to their jobs that they would actually delete the only hope the Digital World had of defeating Apocalymon.

"I will give you two choices now," Kinkakumon giggled. "One: You can decide to join your friends and I will gladly do so for you and your partner. But if that's not what you want, then you can pick two: You can join me and live happily ever after in holy matrimony."

Robert bit down on his teeth in pure anger, hard enough to make him gums numb. "I will never join you!"

Kinkakumon frowned as she was finally directly in front of the human. "Fine… You've made your choice then." She raised her club when her brother called her. Her head swiveled around as she scowled at Ginkakumon. "What? Can't you see I'm in the middle of something important?"

"I heard that a Digimon partnered with a human can't be controlled by a Dark Chain but are they also unable to be reborn?" Ginkakumon inquired; his head to the sky.

"What kind of question is that?" Kinkakumon scoffed. "Why would they lose their abilities to be reborn?"

Ginkakumon's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "There was no data when we destroyed them."

"What?"

"No data…," Ginkakumon gasped when he realized. "An illusion!"

"Ice Blast!"

Kinkakumon's head jerked to the left and she saw the still living Seadramon who breathed his icy breath on her, freezing her to the ground. Ginkakumon ran forward in an attempt to free his elder sister and he ended up tripping on a trip wire set up by the four humans they thought had been destroyed.

"Got him!" Daisy smirked.

"I can't believe it worked," Janyu exhaled.

"Of course it did! With Wizardmon's Magical Game," Rai giggled.

"It wouldn't have been possible without yours and Janyu's quick thinking," Babel chuckled.

Ginkakumon's girth made it difficult for him to stand back up which gave them the time for two other Digimon to hover down towards him. Wizardmon's invisibility wore off and he formed a dark cloud above the ogre's head while Waspmon charged up his laser to maximum strength.

"Thunder Cloud!"

"Bear Buster!"

With the two attacks together, they were able to cause a huge amount of damage to his body which made him immobile but not destroyed.

Kinkakumon broke free of her frozen prison and gasped when she saw her brother laying there. "Ginkakumon!" She tried to reach out for him when Seadramon grabbed her by the ankle with his tail and flung her to the tree line where Darcmon was waiting with her blade.

"Dancing Sword!"

Darcmon made a powerful forward thrust that pierced Kinkakumon's side in a way that wouldn't end up deleting her but made enough to leave her struggling to stand once she dropped to the ground. The angel hovered down and joined the rest of the group in their victory.

The siblings tried to get back up but they were stuck to the ground.

Kinkakumon struggled to speak as she looked at the DigiDestined. "How…? When did you…?"

Robert was just as speechless as the ogres. "I'm a bit lost too…"

Daisy rolled her eyes before glancing down to Kinkakumon. "Seriously, you might want to find a newer crush that isn't as big of a numbskull as this guy. He was only a meter way and he didn't even notice us talking to our partners about this plan when we were 'refusing' to leave our partners' sides."

"That's when you did it?" Ginkakumon gaped.

"We saved up our power during the test fight to see just what the two of you were capable of," Janyu explained. "That way, when it came time for us to put our real plan into action which was to substitute ourselves with illusions to fake destruction, you guys would completely underestimate our power while we knew exactly what your power was about."

"Smart," Ginkakumon acknowledged as he slowly stood up from his crumpled state.

"And romantic!" Kinkakumon swooned.

"Uh-oh," Rai giggled.

Their partners returned to their Rookie stages as they started cheering over their victory. Ryudamon joined them since it seemed like he had known the plan all along and was only playing along to make their faux deaths seem more believable.

"Am I really the only one who didn't know about this plan?" Robert questioned to no one in particular.

Now that the trial to enter the village gates were over, the ogres were a lot more friendlier and they even apologized for trying to kill them earlier. The humans never thought it would be so easy to forgive their potential murderers. Before they knew it, it was time for them to finally meet the Shamamon they had heard so much about.

Banner Forest – 4:51 PM

"Hurry! Run away! It's the Dark Chosen Child!" a HoneyBeemon squealed.

The insect and flower Digimon of the forest immediately started fleeing in a frenzied panic as they tried to get away from the child. A couple of Kuwagamon who were brave enough to try and fight back, charged towards the human walking towards them.

Shibumi didn't even flinch back from the stag beetle Digimon as he made the decision to call his own stag beetle army to fight them back. "Go! BladeKuwagamon!"

Digital Analyzer: BladeKuwagamon are mecha-insect Digimon made into the shape of a dangerous sword-like weapon out of Chrome Digizoid. They have the trait of reacting without distinguishing between things that move and things that don't. It's said that if someone is attacked by a swarm, even if it is a Mega, they will have their whole bodies penetrated by the blades and be destroyed.

"The perfect henchmen," Dracomon grimaced. "Well, at least this means that I will hopefully not need to be involved in this fight."

"You needed the rest anyway," Shibumi chuckled as he watched his army relentlessly sting the armored Kuwagamon right through their exoskeletons. Many of them were instantly deleted while others were enslaved by the Dark Chains attached to the BladeKuwagamon.

"It's almost going to be too easy to take over this area," Dracomon mused.

Shibumi's ear twitched as he caught the sound of a branch breaking when it was stepped on. Out from the corner of his eye, he was able to see an Okuwamon trying to sneakily inch his way closer to the human. The boy didn't even need to look to his partner to tell that Dracomon had caught the scent of the Ultimate Digimon.

Shibumi snapped his fingers and gestured to a small cluster of five BladeKuwagamon. "You! Change targets!" He jabbed a thumb behind him and automatically, the mechanized weapons turned around and flew right towards the Okuwamon.

"Spark Blade!" "Spark Blade!" Spark Blade!" Spark Blade!" "Spark Blade!"

Okuwamon screamed and if it weren't for the fact that he was a level higher than his attackers, he would've been destroyed. So, instead, the five Dark Chains split and spread around the giant insect, making him another mindless crony of Apocalymon's.

"Like I said, it's going to be too easy to take over this…," Shibumi trailed off. He grabbed onto a tree and quickly climbed up it just as a beam of golden light exploded near the base of the tree. Dracomon wasn't as swift and he got caught in the blast, but not directly so he didn't take too much damage. "Who's there?"

He saw a golden figure zip by and using close combat skills, he was able to take down the captured Digimon and destroy their Dark Chains so fast that he didn't get caught in any of their brainwashing powers. Finally, this hero of Banner Forest stopped his speedy assault and paused in front of the tree where he watched Shibumi sitting on the branch.

"The golden protector of the forest," Shibumi smirked. He took a good look at the data of this Digimon and was able to get a good idea of what this Ultimate was capable of and what he saw was extremely satisfying to him. "You would make an excellent addition to Apocalymon's army."

The protector pointed an accusing finger to the human. "You are a disgrace to the Chosen Children. I will be sure to eliminate you myself so that this world will be free of your plague."

"We'll see about that," Shibumi muttered as he pulled out his blue D-Sync. "Let's go, Dracomon!"

Dracomon stood up and started snarling, his eyes becoming slits. "I'm ready."

Shibumi pulled out both his bronze and silver keys, first jamming the bronze one in and then the silver one, turning them both consecutively. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

"Dracomon Warp Digivolve to… Groundramon!"

The fierce dragon bared his fangs at the golden beetle standing in front of him who got ready in a defensive stance. "I will never lose to those who have surrendered their hearts to evil," the protector claimed. "Justice will always prevail!"

Shibumi paused. "Evil…? Whatever… I'm just glad I don't sound like some cheesy superhero. Finish this quick, Groundramon, and don't forget the Dark Chain."

"I won't…," Groundramon growled.

Ogremon Village – 5:07 PM

The village wasn't as pleasant looking as Leomon Village but this place had its own rustic charm to it. The buildings were a lot bigger and though the work isn't as well done, it certainly keeps them from collapsing within them. The trees were even used to the village's advantage with the many vines and even ropes used to connect from place to place.

Several species of ogres swung around to get to various places and interacted much more civilized than you would expect from the beasts. There were many that just seemed to like to joke around and laugh with each other though.

An Ogremon and Fugamon stepped up towards the DigiDestined.

"Welcome to our humble village but is still better than that Leomon Village," Ogremon greeted.

"It's been a long time since someone had been able to defeat Kinkakumon and Ginkakumon together," Fugamon nodded approvingly. "So, we hear that the ten of you are here to see Shamamon. His temple is just this way."

"He has his own temple?" Babel blinked.

Ogremon shook his head. "Actually, the temple belongs to Titamon, the chief of the village but originally, it was only home for the shaman. Which is why it's called the Shaman's Temple and not the chief's temple. Titamon isn't the type to boast about his position anyway unlike a certain lion chief we know."

"You guys seem to really want to insult Leomon Village every chance you get," FanBeemon buzzed.

Robert stared at the silver key he was holding between his fingers. "I don't get it, why didn't the key work?"

"Maybe they only work when we're fighting an Ultimate Digimon," Ryudamon theorized.

Rai shook her head. "But the first time we saw Shibumi digivolve Dracomon to Ultimate, there were only Champions he was facing up against so that wouldn't make much sense. Unless it was because his D-Sync detected BanchoLeomon hiding nearby, he shouldn't have evolved to Ultimate by that logic."

"Well…," Babel mused. "Then it could just be that the silver keys aren't as great as we thought they would be if they can just become defective whenever." Babel snatched the key out of the other boy's hand. "Should we even bother with finding them if there's a chance they'll just be faulty?"

"But they still have the chance of being useful too," Salamon reminded them.

Candlemon's flame flickered a bit. "I just wonder why it didn't work this time when it did last time."

Ogremon and Fugamon paused which prompted the DigiDestined to stop right behind their escorts. They noticed a small goblin-like creature walking towards them while tapping his wooden club against his shin with every step he took, making a rather soothing rhythm as he walked.

"You must use both of your keys if you want to reach a higher level than that of Champion," the creature chanted. "In order for the silver one to work, you must use the bronze and turn that key first. This will allow the light of digivolution to flow and fully touch upon your partner."

"Shamamon," both of their escorts bowed to the smaller Digimon.

"Welcome, DigiDestined, I have been waiting for you," Shamamon smiled.

They all bowed to the shaman the same way Ogremon and Fugamon did out of respect. When they stood up straight again, Robert took a look at both of his keys. "Wait, why do you need to use both to evolve to the next level? It just seems rather tedious."

Janyu rubbed his chin before coming to a realization. "I get it! When we use our bronze keys, we open up the first D-Lock which implies that we opened a gate of some sort. And the silver keys open the second one. In other words, the way evolution works is similar to how floodgates work. If you open the second gate without opening the first one, then nothing will flow out. It may seem tedious but it does make a lot of a sense when you think about it that way."

"Come to think of it," Daisy said. "Shibumi never once evolved his partner straight from Rookie to Ultimate, but rather, he only used his silver key after having Coredramon by his side."

Shamamon led the group into the temple so that he could talk to them properly without distraction. He seemed friendly enough so they didn't think there would be a problem with being around him.

When they opened the great doors to the Shaman's Temple, they all gasped loudly when they saw a giant, one bigger than any Digimon they had ever seen before. Hisyaryumon and even NeoDevimon would dwarf in comparison to this guy. The already high ceiling was too low for the chief so he had to slouch in order to fit in the room.

His appearance didn't help make him appear any less intimidating than his size already made him out to be. Tusked horns on his head, sharp spikes on his shoulders, shaggy white hair running down his back, shining gauntlets and shin guards, bulky build, and to top it all off, a huge broadsword that matched him in height, filled with dark energy on the blade, and a SkullGreymon's head as a hilt.

"This is Titamon, the chief of our village," Shamamon introduced them.

Titamon acknowledged the humans and their partnered Digimon with a small nod. "It is an honor to meet the human children of prophecy."

Digital Analyzer: Titamon was born from the hatred of Digimon who had been defeated by the Olympian Digimon and he is, by far, one Digimon who rivals in strength with that of a Sovereign. He is known as a One-Man Division and he runs through the battlefield in search of the heads of the Olympus XII. His large arms are made from skulls containing data of all the foes he had defeated and his sword, known as the Beheading God Sword, is made from the bones of a SkullGreymon. What makes him truly fearsome is the inexhaustible hatred that fuels his strength.

Humans and Digimon alike, swallowed nervously at the sight of him.

"Made from hatred?" Rai shuddered.

"Rivals that of a Sovereign?" Candlemon added.

Robert could feel chills running down his spine. "Why isn't this freak of nature fighting Apocalymon?"

Titamon heard it and his eyes flashed for a moment, causing them all to jump back a step. "Hatred fuels my power source but at the current moment, I do not hate anyone or anything for that matter, not even Apocalymon. And the Olympians have long since vanished so I have no enemies to hunt down."

"What about BanchoLeomon?" inquired Daisy. "Isn't he like your mortal enemy?"

Titamon shook his head, the top of which was brushing the ceiling, shaking the entire building. "On the contrary, BanchoLeomon and I are actually drinking buddies. And neither one of us wants our villages to be at each others' throats. I just wish that some of my ogres would agree."

Shamamon chuckled as he started leading the group to a spiral staircase. "Chief, you may talk to them as much as you'd like later. I have important matters to discuss with them at the moment. I hope you do not take my request to be rude."

"Of course not, shaman," Titamon replied. "Very well, I shall accept your request."

The group continued along in silence for a little bit until they reached a small carpeted room. It had a rather tranquil atmosphere with rosemary incenses scenting the room and soothing lighting above their heads. There were cushiony seats everywhere in the space and dream catchers lined the wall. It was like a meditation room for expert gurus who have lived to be a hundred and ten.

"He's surprisingly friendly for someone so scary," Betamon remarked.

"I know, right?" Babel laughed. "I was afraid that he would stomp on us if we said the wrong thing to him."

Shamamon laughed as he poured each member of the large group with hot, sweet tea. He then lit a scented candle and placed it on the center of the wooden table and waved his wooden club over the flame, spreading the scent of freshly baked bread around the room. "He does give off that impression, doesn't he?"

"It smells like a bakery," Rai hummed.

Daisy took a closer look at the flickering flame. "I didn't even know a scented candle could smell like this."

Janyu picked up the cup of tea, blew on it, and took a sip. His entire body felt warm all of a sudden and he felt more relaxed than he had in months. "And this tea is absolutely divine. I can't even tell what flavor it is but it's delicious."

"Yeah, that's true!" Salamon gasped after taking a sip of her own. "I've never had anything like it!"

Shamamon chuckled and lowered his voice as if he was telling them a secret. "That's because it's my own personal recipe. I thought that you would all like to relax some while you're not running around saving the Digital World. After all, it's not fair for us to ask you to do something when you didn't even know about this world at some point."

"Thank you," Robert smiled. "But we've all gotten past the part where we were all wanting to go back home."

"Even so, spending quiet time without the thought of danger is nice once in a while, is it not?"

"I'll give you that."

They all made a small toast and took a simultaneous sip from their cups. They then sighed dreamily as they let the scent of a bakery take them away.

Banner Forest – 5:13 PM

Shibumi stabbed one of the meat apples with a stick and let it hover above the fire so that it can cook. It's not like it was the first time he had eaten meat apples before but he always forget that they needed to be cooked or it would taste like raw meat. Just today, he decided to take a bite out of a raw apple and it tasted disgusting.

"That battle took longer than expected and I even needed to get involved," he sighed. "I'm exhausted." He looked over to Dracomon who was tending to the wounds on his arms before cooking his own apple. "You must be too."

"I'm okay," Dracomon replied unconvincingly.

"You winced," Shibumi pointed out with half a smile. Once his apple had finally been cooked, he pulled it away from the fire and pointed it towards his partner. "Here, eat."

Dracomon seemed surprised by this gesture and he shook his head. "No. You should eat first. I'll cook my own once I'm finished with fixing myself up."

"You need to keep your strength up in case we get attacked again. We still haven't conquered this entire area yet, so there still might be some rebellious Digimon around," said Shibumi. His eyes betrayed the unfeeling tone of his voice. "Besides, you'll be too weak if you're hungry."

Dracomon hesitated before taking a bite from the apple. "Tastes like bacon," he smiled, remembering the word for it from the last time they had eaten these deceitful fruits. "Why don't you take a bite too?"

Shibumi grinned and took a bite from the other side. "It's delicious." He was quiet for a moment as his expression darkened. Dracomon could tell that something struck a chord in the human, though he wasn't quite sure what. "I haven't had real bacon in ages."

Dracomon wished he knew the history of his own partner. "Shibumi… We've been together for several months now. Why won't you tell me more about your life in the human world?"

The boy took a moment to think about it. "Can I tell you part of the story? I promise I'll tell you the rest later when I feel up to it."

"…Yeah, okay."

"What do you want to know?"

"Anything you're willing to tell me right now."

Shibumi took a deep breath. "I guess, you should know that I had a really happy family at one point, like when I five years old or something. I lived on my dad's farm and worked every morning but it wasn't tiresome or brutal, it was actually quite refreshing and lots of fun. But despite being the heir to farmland, I was allowed to go to a normal school and try to become whatever I wanted. As it turns out, the happiness that my parents showed was just an illusion. They got a divorce two years later, when I was seven."

Dracomon didn't completely understand all the human world terms that were thrown at him but he could figure some things out based on the context of the story. "So, what happened? Why did they have a divorce?"

"I don't really know, actually," Shibumi shook his head. "Maybe they just lost their romantic spark or something. They certainly didn't fight often or so it seemed."

"What happened next?"

"My mother became my sole parent and I lost most contact with my dad," Shibumi sighed, his voice was starting to break now and he had this far-off look to his eyes. He shut his eyes for a bit and when he opened them again, he was staring at his partner. "I think I'm done for now. We can talk more about my broken family later."

Dracomon was grateful that his partner was willing to share this much personal information all at once at least. "Sure…"

Shibumi started cooking two more meat apples and during the roasting, a screen appeared in front of them. The first time this had happened to them, it startled them but now, it was just a normal thing that occurred to them. On the digital screen, NeoDevimon reared his ugly head which were the thoughts going on in Shibumi's head.

"What do you want?" Shibumi asked in a slightly annoyed tone.

NeoDevimon laughed darkly as he stared back at them. "I just wanted to tell you that we plan on invading Ogremon Village tomorrow where those other DigiDestined kids are. Would you like to invite yourselves along?"

Shibumi and Dracomon shared a glance before shaking their heads together.

"We're going to need to rest for a bit, to be honest, so we'll sit this one out," Shibumi answered. "But if you run into trouble, just give us a call. We can't promise that we'll be there immediately though."

"Of course," NeoDevimon laughed.

"Don't underestimate those kids," Dracomon warned the demon. "Especially not when one of them has gotten his hands on a silver key now."

"They probably don't even know how to use it properly," Shibumi scoffed.

NeoDevimon laughed harder this time. "You mean like you when you first got your silver key?"

Shibumi frowned. "Shut it."

"And unfortunately, they are well aware of how to use it now," NeoDevimon breathed. "Shamamon is about to reveal many secrets of the DigiDestined to them."

Chapter Text

Banner Forest - 9:19 AM

Two gear shaped silhouettes hummed as they floated above Shibumi's head while the human slept soundly on the thick tree branch that kept him off of the ground. It still wasn't a very smart move considering many of the insect Digimon indigenous to the forest can fly and some of the beast Digimon are decent climbers. The gears turned to face each other and started talking while the boy slept.

"Humans are such stupid beings. How could he be so incompetent as to fall asleep in a hostile area?"

"I don't even get why Lord Apocalymon bothers with him."

"Lord Apocalymon is always talking about how talented the boy is."

"Do you think the master has some ulterior motive?"

"Possibly, I mean, Lord Apocalymon never liked humans in the first place."

"Well, the human boy's certainly a less scary boss than either Lord Apocalymon or Master NeoDevimon."

A fireball flew precariously close to the gears, causing them both to panic. They began to circle around in frenzy before crashing into each other and falling down to the base of the tree where their eyes looked up and caught the blurry outline of Dracomon.

Dracomon looked practically feral. His nostrils were flared, his fangs bared, his pupils dilated into slits, and he was snarling like a territorial tiger. Despite being on their side, the machine Digimon were terrified by the look on the dragon's face. Now they remembered how Dracomon ended up working for Apocalymon in the first place instead of being on the opposition.

"Please don't destroy us, oh gracious one," Solarmon pleaded.

"Uh, yeah, you wouldn't want to destroy fellow subordinates of the master, would you?" Hagurumon stammered.

A flame started forming in his mouth, but right before he let it go, his partner woke up and called out to him. Dracomon extinguished the fire and he looked upwards to where Shibumi was staring down at him. His wild animalistic traits suddenly vanished without a trace.

"Shibumi?" said Dracomon inquisitively, like he had no idea what had just happened.

The human boy watched the trembling gears at his partner's feet. He slowly stood up on the branch and jumped down to the ground with a soft thud, landing on his feet without getting a scratch. "What's going on?"

Dracomon blinked, glancing between the gears and his partner before taking a step back, allowing his colleagues to get back up. "I'm not sure. Last I remember, I was eating a turkey flavored meat apple and leaning against a tree to keep watch." He looked over to the thick trunk he was leaning against not too long ago. "I must've fallen asleep or something, because I don't remember what came after."

"You mean… like your fights as Groundramon?" inquired Shibumi. "Has that ever happened before as Dracomon?"

Dracomon scratched his chin with a claw. "I'm… not sure…"

While the partners conversed over this strange phenomenon, the two Rookies slowly moved to the side to have their own private discussion about it. They were far enough away that neither Shibumi nor Dracomon could hear them even after their training to increase their observation skills.

"Dracomon is more dangerous than I thought he'd be," Hagurumon whispered.

Solarmon nodded in agreement. "It would be trouble if he ever mistakes us for the enemy."

"True…," Hagurumon mused. "I guess that means we have to stay on his good side or else he might go berserk because we said the wrong thing."

"All we need to do is not offend the human."

"Why did Apocalymon have to reprogram that digi-lizard like that?"

"Well, if the master didn't, Dracomon wouldn't follow the master's orders the way he did."

"But didn't NeoDevimon tell us to keep an eye on him? Wait… Why did he tell us to do that again?"

"He believes that Dracomon is having doubts. He's starting to remember things."

"Well… What are we supposed to do about it?"

"Uh… Um… Er… Oh! I remember! We were supposed to…"

Shibumi called out to the gears, startling them. The human walked over to them and they realized that they were shaking again; they were scared that Shibumi had overheard what they were talking about. And if that was true, then Apocalymon would have their heads at the ends of a pike if NeoDevimon didn't get to them first.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Shibumi inquired.

They visibly relaxed.

"We're here to deliver a message from Lord Apocalymon," Solarmon told Shibumi. "He's worried about your state of wellbeing and he would like you to relax a bit. Go back to the Abyss and rest up. He will call you again when you are needed."

Shibumi frowned. "I'm not against vacations, but we haven't finished conquering Banner Forest yet."

Hagurumon remember the rest of the message now. "NeoDevimon will take over for you."

"And the DigiDestined?" Dracomon questioned. The dragon wanted to see the other humans again, but not because he wanted a rematch from the other dragon, but because he had some questions he wanted answered. Maybe he could get away from his partner for a while, even if it was going to make him ache with guilt.

"Don't worry about them," Solarmon assured them.

"We can take care of them," Hagurumon added.

Shibumi raised a skeptical brow and had to put in a lot of effort not to laugh. "You two? No offense, but you're not exactly the strongest Digimon in Apocalymon's army. You'd get creamed if you faced off against them."

Hagurumon's and Solarmon's eyes became dull and they were suddenly enveloped in data cocoons. Shibumi and Dracomon took a step back, stunned by this. When the cocoons were gone, there were two new Digimon standing in front of them, both of whom still didn't look that strong but Shibumi knew at this point in time that you can't underestimate any Digimon.

Ogremon Village - 9:46 AM

Robert frowned as he watched Rai play with the masses of Pagumon surrounding the young girl. He wasn't a big fan of the In-Training Digimon after they stole his goggles and threw them into the lake. Betamon retrieved them for him and then they stole Babel's cap and there was now a rather large tear in the headwear, which Daisy was now patching up. So, Babel was also frowning with the younger boy.

"Sure, they're sweet little angels with the girls but with us, they like to play pranks," said Robert in an agitated tone.

Babel nodded in agreement. "This is sexism at its highest point."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "Get over yourselves. Rai is just really nice to them so they like her. It's that simple."

Janyu chuckled softly. "That's true, I don't get why we always have to overcomplicate things."

"What do you mean, Janyu?" FanBeemon buzzed nearby.

"Well, I personally believe that humans are actually rather simple beings even though most people claim that we're really complex," Janyu explained, addressing them all. "As humans, we try to make ourselves complex by creating facades and masks to hide behind so no one ever knows us at our core. And yet, we're unbelievably simple. Humans smile when they're happy, frown when they're not, laugh when they think something is funny, and cry if it's sad."

Babel nodded, clearly impressed. "Wow, you broke down the basic human psyche so easily that it really does make us seem that simple."

Rai was relieved of her babysitting duties when their partnered Digimon took over since they weren't all too interested in the humans' conversation. The youngest member of their group joined up with the others and it would appear that she heard it all.

"Well, that's one way you can look at it," Rai mused. "But you're just thinking about a child's nature."

Daisy stopped sewing for a bit as she pondered this. "True, but Janyu did mention that we create those layers on our own, making ourselves far more complex than we actually are. We hide how easily our emotions control us which is exactly what makes us complicated to outsiders."

"That may be true but at the same time, you're forgetting that other things force us to throw on layers or masks," Robert pointed out. "As kids, we don't realize we are kids and have this naïve belief that we're invincible. But as we get older, we realize that we aren't impervious to outside judgment. We develop feelings of self-consciousness and throw on layers because we think that everyone is looking at us and judging."

"Exactly," Rai nodded. "But then there are people who don't care about what others think, what happens to them?"

Babel answered this one. "Because we think everyone is judging, we do the same, creating a vicious cycle. So, we start singling out the people who act like they don't care and push them around. Then they usually hide their tears, which creates a contradiction because it is proof that they care. They build up walls and thus, once again, becoming complicated. Either way, humans are no longer simple."

Daisy shook her head. "One little flaw in that way of thinking, there are people who are that simple. They're rare, but they exist. They don't have facades, they don't have any walls built up, they're genuine, and they live by reacting. They don't think before their actions or before they speak. Easy to figure out and everything you know them to be when you meet them."

"You sound like you speak from experience," Robert laughed.

"No," Daisy snorted. "I know they exist because my grandfather is one of them. And all the time, I wish I was that easy. Everything you'd know just from looking at me. I pretend nothing affects me when in truth, I'm broken down and building new walls for myself when those crack."

Janyu put his hand to his chin in thought. "Daisy… I live by reaction. I don't think I have many barriers up and as far as I'm concerned, people usually have me figured out as soon as they see me. I'm weak, I'm timid, I'm fragile, and I'm overly sensitive. If that's the definition of simple, then I want the opposite. I feel like I'd much rather be complex."

"I don't think it's a bad thing," said Robert. He gestured over to Rai. "I mean, Rai's pretty easy to figure out as well. We knew that she was smart and kind from the moment we met her, not to mention optimistic."

Rai shook her head. "That's not true. Remember that time we were going through that forest to get to Magic Village? I didn't lose it because I had built up countless layers to protect myself from showing my tears or rage to anyone. You don't see all of me immediately."

Babel put a hand up. "Hold on! I think we're getting muddled up with our definition of complicated here! The definition of simple is correct though. You get to know everything just from the first time meeting with them."

"He's right," Rai realized. "A complicated human is someone who is unpredictable. Someone you just can't figure out completely no matter how long you've known him or her."

"That makes being complicated sound like a good thing," Robert laughed. "After all, you get to learn new things about them every day."

Daisy rolled her eyes. "So you say… But won't that get annoying over time?"

Robert shrugged. "Some people don't like others who are easy to figure out."

"I don't think there's an easy answer to which is better," Janyu shook his head.

Rai silently contemplated their entire conversation for a while as she tried to figure out what more to say about it. Nothing in particular came to mind but then she started laughing out of nowhere, causing the others to stare at her like she had lost her marbles.

"Sorry," Rai giggled. "It's just… I've never had friends before because I was isolated in my own home for a large portion of my life. Suddenly, I'm dropped into a foreign dimension where I meet you guys. Now I can't be sure, but I don't think most friends have the kind of intelligent conversations that we do."

"I don't think any of us really know what real friends talk about but I would definitely agree with you on that," said Daisy.

"I just had school friends, not real ones," Babel shrugged.

Robert leaned back a little. "I did have real friends…" He didn't say it in gloating manner, it was more forlorn. "And I can tell you guys right now that friends don't have conversations like we do. I did have one who I could get all philosophical and personal with but… then I moved."

"I had a friend like that too," Janyu smiled bitterly. "He didn't move or anything, but I'm just wondering what'll happen when I return. Won't I seem different to him?"

Daisy put a friendly hand on the boy's shoulder. "If he's a true friend, he'd stick by you no matter what."

"I hope so…," Janyu nodded.

Rai was suddenly really quiet. "I don't want to lose this… What we have. When we go back, we'll all be separated internationally and we won't be able to have these kinds of conversations anymore."

"I know what you mean," muttered Babel.

"We're forgetting something," Daisy sighed. "We all had a friend we could talk about anything with even though we didn't see him physically."

"Shibumi…," Robert nodded.

They all got quiet and they were all certain that they were thinking about a personal and intelligent chat session they once had with their old friend and new enemy. From their conversations, they didn't know a lot about Shibumi since he didn't like talking about himself much. If they accumulated the bits and pieces they had acquired over time, then they had a general idea of what he was about. Basically, what made him happy, what he thought was funny, but one thing they didn't know was what made him tick. He didn't share any sad stories or anything that made him feel anything less that neutral. They knew the layers, but nothing at the core. So how could they call him their friend if they couldn't figure out why he was working for Apocalymon of all beings?

"Well, at least we all know that he's complex," Babel finally stated. "I can never tell what that guy is thinking."

Daisy bit her lower lip. "I do know that we need to stop him before he puts any more innocent lives in danger."

"You seem unsure about that," Rai pointed out, sharing the sentiment.

"That's because…," Daisy started. "He's always been a great listener, I told him almost everything about me because I had no one else to turn to. He wasn't physically there with me, yet he became the shoulder for me to cry on." She crossed her arms and tightened her grip on each side. "I know I was totally for defeating him a few days ago, but when we started talking about friendship and such, I had my doubts."

"It's like the whole simple and complex debate," Janyu said suddenly. "I think Shibumi is more complex than the rest of us. The reason for his unpredictability is the unbelievable amount layers he's built around himself. We can't see what's truly going on inside and I think…"

Rai picked it up from there. "There's a powerful darkness inside of him and Apocalymon has taken advantage of it. This probably means that he's brainwashed." She took a few paces forward, with her back turned towards them so that they wouldn't see her troubled expression. "Though a part of him must want to do stuff like this. I mean, with all my conversations with him, I never took him to be the sadistic or homicidal type, that's for sure."

Robert wrinkled his brow as he thought about it. "What makes you think a part of him wants to cause suffering and destruction?" he inquired.

"The way he laughed at us when he was winning," Babel pointed out to him. "Not to mention those Dark Chains that control innocent minds obviously cause pain to Digimon. A human who didn't have some inner anger or sadness at the world wouldn't do something like that."

"Then we just need to make him let us in and maybe we can help him," suggested Robert.

"The question is, will we be able to do that?" Janyu questioned.

Robert didn't answer immediately; he just looked off to the distance, as if searching for Shibumi in the horizon. "...We have to try."

Their sensitivity training really paid off, they realized, when they felt the subtle shaking of the ground. They reacted quickly and threw themselves over the Pagumon as a tremor sent the entire village in a trembling panic.

"What's happening?" Candlemon shouted over the yells.

Salamon poked her head out from the crook of Daisy's arm. "It came from the entrance!"

The group of DigiDestined ran off to the direction where they believed the epicenter of the earthquake to be, except for Rai who ran back into the Shaman's Temple to retrieve their keys from Shamamon since he had asked for their keys to help them find the missing silver keys. Robert was the only one who still has his keys since he had already found his silver one. But hopefully, Shamamon was done with whatever it was he was doing with their keys.

"No!" Daisy gasped when they reached the entrance.

Janyu and FanBeemon ran over to the fallen Kinkakumon while Babel and Betamon reached over to Ginkakumon. The ogre siblings looked pretty banged up.

"Are you guys okay?" Betamon inquired.

Salamon remembered just how difficult it had been for them to take the two gatekeepers down. "Who did this to you?"

Kinkakumon groaned as she stirred a bit, pointing a weak finger at the direction of the debris where they could make out the silhouettes of two gear shaped Digimon. "Them… They were way… Way too… powerful…"

The Chosen team realized immediately who the figures were. They hadn't seen this pair since their day at Toy Carnival.

"No way…," Robert stared in disbelief.

"Those two?!" Daisy shook her head. She crossed her arms, refusing to believe her eyes. "They must've been backed up by NeoDevimon or Shibumi."

Hagurumon and Solarmon slowly hovered out of the dust cloud and the DigiDestined automatically noticed something off about them. Their pupils were dilated to tiny dots in a crimson expanse; they looked emptier than machines should be. But their smiles made them appear much more malicious and sinister too. It was remarkably unsettling for each of them. Who would've thought that robots could get even more emotionless?

"Be careful…," Ginkakumon groaned. "Far stronger than… meets the eye. Do not underestimate…"

Babel nodded. "We'll keep that in mind."

The gear Digimon slowly became enveloped in data cocoons which was most certainly something the humans and their partnered Digimon had never seen before, but they figured it couldn't be good. And as they thought, once the cocoon unraveled, they realized why. The gear Digimon had evolved to their Champion levels.

Hagurumon became an even larger hunk of metal with its only organic part seeming to be his eye which was revealed through a rectangular-shaped hole in the steel. He had some sort of steam tank attached to his back and a round lid at the top that looked like a cockpit. His arms were long and they reached down to the ground, dragging along behind him and ended with three long claws that seemed capable of ripping out the eyes of giant.

Digital Analyzer: Mekanorimon are known to be non-sentient creatures as they do not have minds of their own. Rather, they are driven by a small being from inside of the cockpit. Without a driver, Mekanorimon are usually pre-programmed with a specific set of instructions, most of which are usually search and destroy.

"Oh, good," Daisy chimed sarcastically after hearing the description from her D-Sync.

"I have a pretty good guess on what his pre-programmed instructions are," FanBeemon buzzed.

As for Solarmon, he wasn't nearly as large as his companion. He had a human-like body that was only his torso and stopped short of his waist. His lower body consisted of an old-timey alarm clock with its own set of mechanical arms, giving this creature a grand total of four arms.

Digital Analyzer: Clockmon is a terrifying species of Digimon who is said to govern the passage of time, possessing the capability to rewind and fast-forward time. Because he is known to possess such a dangerous ability, they usually choose to remain neutral in conflicts for if they ever lean to one side, the balance of the Digital World is said to collapse.

Babel could not believe his ears. "And here I thought it couldn't get worse."

Ryudamon glared accusingly at Clockmon. "Nothing about this says neutral! I thought your boss wanted to take over the Digital World, don't you think that if you take his side it will destroy the entire universe?"

Clockmon laughed, which didn't sound very authentic. "That's just a legend! I do not possess such powers but that doesn't make me any less of a threat."

"We are so in trouble," Babel remarked.

Robert took a step forward and jammed in his bronze key. "We'll see about that." He turned it ninety degrees and then switched it for his silver one, turning the hole one more time. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Ryudamon Warp Digivolve to… Hisyaryumon!"

Hisyaryumon changed into his sword form and made a quick slashing motion for the two robotic Digimon. Clockmon raised a hand, looking as if he was going to stop the blade with his gloved hand, but instead, the air vibrated in front of his palm. The DigiDestined and their partners' eyes widened when they saw Hisyaryumon freeze in midair.

Mekanorimon's red optic circle blinked once before firing a laser out of it continuously at the still dragon. "Twin Beam!" About nine seconds later, he stopped his onslaught and Hisyaryumon abruptly flew backwards from the force of the attack.

"Hisyaryumon!" Robert cried out as his partner landed in crumpled heap in front of them.

Daisy touched the head of the dragon. "What happened?"

"Clockmon froze his time," Salamon gasped.

"I guess he does have some control over time," Candlemon muttered. "This does not bode well for us."

Clockmon laughed mechanically. "I have control over a Digimon's personal time, one at a time. It may not seem useful when there are five of you but trust me, I am a force to be reckoned with." He took a few steps forward and raised his hammer in front of him. "Go ahead and try me."

Betamon growled and through grit teeth spoke his next words. "We will!"

The four Rookies jumped forward with the intent to do as much damage as possible to the machines and Clockmon laughed again. The humans knew that this was going to be impossible for their partners at the current stage they were in.

Clockmon made no move to pause them, instead, he pressed a hand to his chest and for a moment, they saw a rewind image appear on his chest. He was suddenly back in his original position, directly standing behind his companion whose red optic circle started blinking again. But instead of lethal lasers, he fired out disk bombs aimed right for all four of the Rookies. They were all launched back to the feet of their respective partners.

"I never said I couldn't do it to myself," Clockmon laughed.

"You might as well surrender now while you have the chance," Mekanorimon droned.

"Don't ever do that again," Daisy scolded her partner. "You guys could've been deleted, or worse! Never take a risk like that again."

"We make no promises," Salamon moaned.

FanBeemon groaned. "But that really hurt. We may have overestimated our own skills after our fight with the ogre siblings."

"In our defense, we were all one form higher," Candlemon murmured.

Janyu noticed a small human figure running towards them with four shining objects in her hand. She picked out three of them and tossed them overhead, one heading for Janyu, Daisy, and Babel each. With a shout from Janyu, the other two looked up as well and grabbed them.

"Then let's change your odds," Babel grinned.

"Let's do it!" Daisy agreed.

"One form higher, coming up!" smiled Janyu.

"D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"FanBeemon Digivolve to… Waspmon!" "Salamon Digivolve to… Darcmon!" "Betamon Digivolve to… Seadramon!" "Candlemon Digivolve to… Wizardmon!"

The four Champion level Digimon immediately took a position in four opposing corners of their opponents, giving them nearly no room to escape while Shamamon tended to Hisyaryumon's injuries. Waspmon began charging up for his Bear Buster attack while Wizardmon started creating thunderclouds above the machines' heads.

Clockmon's eyes glimmered. "Perhaps I should've been clearer."

Seadramon's breath started releasing a cold mist meaning he was about to use his Ice Blast attack while Darcmon set herself up to propel into motion just in case. At the same time, Clockmon was raising his hammer again but he didn't seem to have it pointed at anyone or anything in particular.

Mekanorimon beeped a few times. "Perhaps you should've."

"Surrender," stated Clockmon simply as the four Champions attacked.

"Bear Buster!"

"Ice Blast!"

"Thunder Cloud!"

Clockmon's eyes gleamed, reflecting the plasma blast, the ice shards, and the lightning bolt in his eyes as Mekanorimon wrapped his arms around his companion. Clockmon pointed the hammer in the direction of Darcmon.

The angel Digimon immediately shot forward, surprising herself as she was suddenly standing right where Clockmon had been a second ago making a motion as if she intended to slash them. Mekanorimon had flown off with the walking timepiece, out of range from the other three attacks while Darcmon was caught in the middle of it. Her expression was that of a deer in the headlights as she uncontrollably swung her blade into thin air just as the attacks connected. Daisy let out a terrified shriek when an explosion rang in their ears.

"Darcmon!" she screamed.

"No!" Seadramon gasped.

Clockmon and Mekanorimon laughed together but they froze when Darcmon suddenly appeared behind them. She made two successions of slashes with her sword, sending the two goons sprawling to the ground.

"How…?" Clockmon muttered as he pushed himself back up.

"Impossible," Mekanorimon droned.

Wizardmon cleared his throat, bringing their attention to him. He was holding his staff and he had the sun pointed at the spot where Darcmon had reappeared. "You're not the only one with special powers, you know," the mage told them. "I teleported Darcmon at the last second before our attacks connected."

"Awesome job!" Rai cheered.

Daisy released a grand sigh of relief. "You're the best, Wizardmon."

"That shook me up a bit, that's for sure," Darcmon muttered. "I guess we shouldn't be preparing ourselves for future attacks or Clockmon will just use them against us. Those buckets of bolts are a lot smarter than they let on."

"We can still take them," Waspmon assured them.

"But we've got to be careful," Janyu called out to their partners. "Clockmon is the one you should keep your primary focus on but don't let your guard down around Mekanorimon either. If we do that, we should be just fine."

"Well that was vague," Babel smirked.

Robert stood by his partner until Shamamon had finished bandaging the dragon up. Hisyaryumon slowly floated back up in time to hear thunder roaring from the village. A huge explosion rang out as the Shaman's Temple crumbled before their eyes.

Shamamon's eyes went wide with worry. "Titamon!"

Even from where they stood, they could see the mountain that was Titamon rising from the rubble, looking as intimidating as ever. But he didn't do anything other than stand there like a statue. But they could feel enormous amounts of energy pouring out from the godly Digimon, as if he was fighting off something with only his presence. A small, rectangular-shaped creature started circling Titamon, twirling a Dark Chain in its claw.

"No!" Shamamon gasped as he took off in the direction of the village chief. "If Titamon is taken then all will be lost!"

"Not even we would stand a chance against a behemoth like that guy," Babel murmured.

Daisy nodded in agreement before looking over to Robert. "Rob, you and Hisyaryumon can leave those two to us. You guys have to protect the village chief or else we'll be in as much danger as we would if we were fighting Apocalymon himself."

Robert hesitated. "Are you sure?"

"We'll be fine," Janyu promised.

"Wizardmon's magic balances out Clockmon's temporal powers," Rai added. "Now go before it's too late."

Robert nodded as he leapt onto his partner's back and they took off as soon as the boy grabbed on. The pair took off, leaving their friends behind to take out the rest of the trash. Clockmon and Mekanorimon didn't look worried though, as a matter of fact, they seemed glad to finally be rid of the Ultimate.

"Confident, aren't you?" Wizardmon huffed.

Mekanorimon beeped a few times. "Your friend doesn't stand a chance against Tinmon."

"We made him ourselves," Clockmon smirked. "It's a flawless machine and its sole goal is to destroy all that dares to get in the way of our master."

Waspmon made some indignant buzzing sound. "You shouldn't underestimate Hisyaryumon."

"If you do, it'll be your downfall," Darcmon stated.

Clockmon laughed, it was starting to get really annoying to listen to the various sounds of clinking as his head rolled back and his shoulders convulse. "I suppose I should say the same to you but it won't matter. Hisyaryumon is still new to his Ultimate form; Tinmon has been tested and tweaked over a hundred times until it was perfect. We'll see who really wins."

"You're wrong!" Janyu snapped. "Tinmon isn't nearly as perfect as you think."

Clockmon frowned. "And what makes you say that?"

Babel took a step forward. "Because Tinmon lacks one important thing that Hisyaryumon and Rob both have!"

"My calculations do not detect any flaws in our creation," Mekanorimon droned. "You humans are delusional."

Daisy shook her head. "No, we're not. What Tinmon lacks is a heart!"

"It's the heart that will determine the victor," Rai confirmed. "Tinmon can be taken apart for scraps but Hisyaryumon… He will never give up, even if you tear him limb from limb. That's the kind of heart that Robert and Hisyaryumon share."

Clockmon's frown deepened, looking as if it was drilled into his face. "I've had enough of your nonsensical chatter! We shall destroy you!"

The four humans and their partners stood firm, allowing the conviction from inside their hearts to be shown in their eyes. There was a fire burning, a determination to show that no matter what kind of doubts they had, they were now a united front in fighting against Apocalymon and bringing the Digital World from out of the darkness, no matter what it took. No question marks, no inquiries, and no inflections at the ends of any of their sentences, only powerful conviction.

"Bring it on!" they shouted.

Remains of Shaman Temple - 10:14 AM

Robert had picked up Shamamon and thrown the Rookie behind him as they flew closer to Titamon. According to the shaman, the ogre was remaining still to focus his energy in trying to not get caught by the Dark Chain.

If they could break the Chain, then Titamon may be able to release himself from control though it would take a while before he was fully free from it. Still, doing so was a much better alternative than having Titamon be controlled. And if that were to happen, well, they tried not to think about that.

"What is that thing?" Robert asked referring to the foreign Digimon.

"I've never seen anything like it before," Hisyaryumon replied.

It was a machine, they could tell that, and it was almost like a child had drawn a crude picture of what he thought a robot without legs would look like. It was made of simple polygons like rectangles and it had a small arms moving back and forth. Its antennae made the occasional warbling sound, like it was trying to send a transmission to someone.

Shamamon's eyes widened when he realized what it was. "That is a manufactured Digimon, created by Apocalymon! It has no heart and isn't even alive. I have heard it from Digimon seeking refuge in our village. It's called Tinmon."

Digital Analyzer: Tinmon, a machine-type Digimon, manufactured by Apocalymon. No other information is available.

"They created their own Digimon?" Robert frowned. "Is that even possible?"

Hisyaryumon nodded a little as to not shake off his passengers. "Using the data of destroyed Digimon. It looks it was compiled of Datamon and Thundermon data."

"That's just wrong," Robert muttered. His eyes scanned the fake Digimon as he tried to locate a Dark Chain controlling it but the only Chain he saw was the one that it was holding and trying to wrap around Titamon. "It isn't controlled?"

"We have to destroy it," Hisyaryumon told Robert.

"Will it return to Datamon and Thundermon eggs?" Robert inquired.

Both of his digital companions paused, but that was all Robert needed to answer his question. Tinmon was made from the data of innocent Digimon and they can never come back, never be reborn. Which meant that destroying Tinmon meant deleting what it was made from.

"We have no other choice," said Shamamon.

Robert pulled his goggles away from his eyes to his forehead. "I know…"

Hisyaryumon flew down low and dropped off his passengers before soaring straight for Tinmon. His body hardened and changed into his sword form, striking down on the Dark Chain, breaking it into two. Tinmon flew off into another building now that it wasn't holding onto a singular Chain.

Titamon's body shifted, like he could suddenly start moving when the Chain broke. The part of it that was still trying to wrap around him started to disintegrate little by little. "I must not move from this position until I have fully deleted the Dark Chain that is attempting to brainwash me," said the chief without moving his mouth. It was like he was communicating telepathically. "Hisyaryumon, can I trust you to protect the village in my stead?"

Hisyarumon nodded in confirmation. "Not a problem. Just take your time."

The dragon turned to the building with a rectangular hole in the roof at the same time Tinmon flew out. Its two-pronged claw was pointing at him and it began spinning erratically as electricity pulsed through it, sending a lightning bolt at Hisyaryumon. "Thunder Ray!"

The orbs Hisyarumon carried in his claws started emitting powerful rays of light that shot out in every direction to counter the attack. "Every Direction Wheel!"

Hisyarumon's attack power was immense compared to Tinmon's so not only did it blow away the Thunder Ray attack, but it kept going. And it would've struck down the fake Digimon if it hadn't been able to move so quickly out of the way.

Tinmon made a few mechanical whirring sounds. "Calculating the probability of victory, ten percent. Evidence and files show that Hisyaryumon's stats are phenomenal, power at ninety-three, defenses at seventy-two, speed at eighty-eight, and skill at sixty-three. Adapting power levels, seventy percent, eighty percent, ninety percent shall be enough." Its head started spinning when it reached ninety percent. "Adaption complete. Re-calculating the probability of victory… Ninety-nine percent."

Hisyaryumon scoffed. "You can't predict the outcome of a battle based off of numbers."

"Though it was rather off putting, hearing all of that," Robert admitted.

"Nothing we can't handle!" stated Hisyaryumon.

Tinmon didn't respond with any actual words, just robotic beeps and whirs. It started hovering in all directions at supersonic speed as it shot out Thunder Rays wildly. Hisyarumon used his own speed to keep up but a few bolts landed on him.

"What's going on?" Hisyarumon grunted. "That thing didn't have this much power before."

"So when it said that it was adapting…," Shamamon mused. "Tinmon must have a massive expanse of power that it taps into depending on the situation it's in. It would seem that in a normal situation, its power is likely to be at fifty percent or below."

"So if it's at ninety percent now…," Robert muttered. "So it might actually have about twice the firepower than before."

"That's not good," said Hisyaryumon as he changed forms. "Legendary Dragon Blade!"

Tinmon continued its hovering maneuver but instead of using it for offensive purposes, it was using it for evasive purposes. Robert was getting more and more frustrated with every time a swing missed which was about two per second. But he wasn't frustrated with Hisyaryumon.

He came to an understanding of why people yell at their foes to stand still even if their enemies wouldn't listen. He was certainly tempted to shout for Tinmon to stop moving, not that the oversized circuit board would even think to comply. Not that it could even think at all.

"Thunder Ray!"

Hisyaryumon, in his sword form, was stunned when an electrical surge passed through his body, reverting him to his original form. "This thing is too fast for me to keep up with!"

The image of Seadramon constricting his enemies using his serpentine body popped into Robert's mind. "Try using your long body to your advantage!" he called out. "You might be able to keep him still for one Every Direction Wheel!"

Hisyarumon was hesitant. "But…"

"Well, you can't use Legendary Dragon Blade or you won't be able to bend!" Robert stated, thinking this was the issue.

Hisyaryumon nodded. "Got it!" He wasn't as fast as Tinmon but if he could circle around the robot with a large enough perimeter; he might be able to restrict the robot's movement. He started putting all of his energy into his speed reserves and circled around Tinmon. Once the robot was stuck in the middle, Hisyaryumon attacked. "Every Direction Wheel!"

Tinmon shot upwards and evaded most of the blow. But Hisyaryumon ended up hitting the end of his tail with his own attack.

"No, Hisyaryumon!" Robert shouted. That's what the dragon had been worried about earlier.

"I'm fine…," Hisyaryumon grunted.

"But it's my fault that you even got hurt like that," said Robert apologetically. "It was a stupid plan."

Hisyaryumon shook his head as he turned his focus on Tinmon. "That's not completely true. I was able to burn the bottom half of Tinmon at the very least." Robert took notice of how Tinmon was significantly slower. "I should have a better chance against him now."

"Yeah…," Robert nodded, cheering up instantly. "Yeah, you're right!"

Shamamon narrowed his eyes on Tinmon. "I would not be too sure about that."

Tinmon whirred loudly, bringing Robert's attention back to it. "Recovery Power!" A soft glow emanated from the robot as loose data bits from the buildings began gathering and repairing its damages. "Repairs are at sixty… seventy… eighty… ninety… one hundred percent!"

"I don't believe it!" Robert gasped.

"It's completely healed!" Hisyaryumon growled.

Robert continued trying to think of a plan while Hisyaryumon changed forms and continued trying to cut down the fake Digimon. But it just wasn't possible to hit the machine when it was fully repaired, and as long as there was still loose data around, it would continue to heal itself no matter how many times it was attacked. Robert knew this for a fact and he was just racking his brain for a plan to outsmart the robot.

"That would be impossible."

Robert looked up and turned to Titamon. The godly Digimon had somehow read his thoughts. "What do you mean? Are you saying I can't win?"

"No," Titamon answered. The fact that he wasn't moving made the ogre very unnerving but Robert didn't show that. He was too concerned with the fight and too upset with himself. "I am only saying that it is impossible to outsmart it. Not with the current wisdom you have acquired."

Robert frowned. "What do you mean?"

Shamamon knew or at least had an idea. "That robot has been pre-programmed with information. It knows how you think and how your partner fights. Not only that, but it's capable of adapting to new situations then most likely, it has the data of the Digital World's battle and war history. You cannot outsmart a machine like this."

"Unless…," Titamon started. "You give the machine incorrect information."

"What are you talking about?" Robert asked.

"I overheard your conversation about human nature with your friends," Titamon explained. "It seems to me that you are overcomplicating a simple problem. Do you know what I am attempting to convey to you?"

Robert had an idea as he stopped thinking so hard. The simple answer was to make an aberration from his usual fighting style. In every battle he's been in since he arrived in this world, he would try to make up some sort of plan. This time, he was going to charge in first.

"Thunder Ray!"

Hisyaryumon crashed beside Robert who immediately ran to his partner's side.

"If you're up to it, I'm going to need your help," Robert told him.

The dragon groaned. "What's the plan?"

Robert gave him a half-smile. "The plan is for you to be a sword and for me to do the work."

"What are you talking about?"

"Just trust me, okay?"

Hisyaryumon hesitated but seeing Tinmon charge up for another attack spurred him back into action. "Of course… Let's do it. Legendary Dragon Blade!"

Robert watched his partner change form but unlike how it is usually, the weapon was significantly smaller as it was now something that Robert could hold in his hands. The human lifted the sword which was surprisingly light, which he realized was because Hisyaryumon was helping him keep it steady. It was also warm for something that was supposed to be made of cold metal and he felt a heartbeat in it that felt synchronized with his own.

Robert smiled when he remembered that his digivice was called a D-Sync which Sorcerymon had explained was short for Digivice Synchronization. It was a title that shows the powerful bond between Digimon and human, their heartbeats beating in sync with each other.

"I can do this," he breathed to himself.

A small whisper emanated from the sword. "I know."

Robert smiled again. "Then let's go."

Chapter Text

Ogremon Village Entrance - 10:15 AM

"Ice Winder!"

Seadramon aimed to restrict Mekanorimon's movements while Darcmon and Waspmon attempted to keep Clockmon's attention away from his companion. Unfortunately, Clockmon caught the attack from his periphery, so he fast-forwarded Darcmon's time when she was facing them and she zoomed in between Seadramon and his target.

"Magical Game!"

Wizardmon casted the spell on Clockmon which put the machine in between his comrades but Clockmon quickly paused Seadramon's time. Darcmon took this as a chance to behead Clockmon's organic body but she was attacked from behind.

"4-Disk Break!"

Darcmon would've suffered much worse injuries if Waspmon hadn't used his stinger to shoot down several of the disks before they reached the angel. But it was still enough to cause her to stop using her wings and drop to the ground. She was caught by Waspmon before hitting the dirt though, but at the same time Seadramon was un-paused which meant crashing into the other two and getting into a tangled mess on the ground.

Clockmon laughed, the bolts rattling in his head and body. "Where is your 'heart' now? All that matters in a battle is skill and calculations!"

"I hate to say it, but we're losing this battle," Babel grumbled. "What are we supposed to do now?"

"Come on, we're all pretty smart! We can figure something out," said Daisy.

Rai and Janyu both brightened up at the same time, and even though they didn't know it, they had actually come up with the same plan. The younger of the two spoke first.

"It's obvious! Clockmon is the biggest nuisance on the battlefield, however…"

"He can only control the time of one Digimon at a time…"

"If we add more opponents for the bots to fight, then…"

"He'll have less of a chance of controlling our partners' time…"

"Because his focus will be spread too thin."

Daisy and Babel caught on quickly as well and they immediately went to work. All four of them spread out, diving into the foliage for cover which distracted Clockmon for a moment since it was strange for the humans to just hide in the event of a battle.

"If you plan on keeping my attention like when you had fought against IceLeomon, it's not going to work!" the machine droned. "Mekanorimon has heat sensors so he'll be able to detect you from anywhere! And we're connected mentally wirelessly, so whatever he sees, I see as well."

"Works for us!" Daisy giggled.

The partnered Digimon didn't have a clue what the kids were thinking but they knew to trust them, after all, they have yet to break that trust. So the partnered Digimon did their best to keep the goons occupied until the kids returned with whatever counterattack they had in mind. As for Clockmon, he was trying to figure out why Mekanorimon had just detected one of the heat signatures running back into the village.

"One of your humans ran off!" Clockmon snapped. "You see? Machines are clearly far better than you organic beings. You feel things such as fear and run at the first sight of danger. Well we have a word for that, bad sportsmanship!"

"Who says one of us ran away?" Janyu called from a tree that Mekanorimon attacked to drive the boy out, but it didn't work.

"Yeah!" Rai's voice added. "Maybe we needed to get something from the village."

Not being able to physically see the children was starting to get on Clockmon's nerves, so he shouted at the tree line, as if hoping for a response from the plants. "Just get out here and fight!" He rewinded Waspmon so that he almost collided into Wizardmon.

"If you say so," Daisy sang.

Clockmon blinked as new information came from Mekanorimon into his mind, which was of a human's heat signature rapidly approaching from the village. Three Ogremon clubs were thrown into the air at the same time Babel leapt out with a club in hand, ready to bash in Clockmon's skull. Clockmon's reaction time was good as he raised his hammer and paused the human in midair but at the same time, three other figures leapt out, each grabbing onto a stray club and running straight for Mekanorimon.

"Wizardmon, get ready!" Rai ordered.

The three kids jumped; ready to use the clubs like they were playing whack-a-mole at an arcade, at the same time Mekanorimon charged up his Twin Beam. Wizardmon used his teleportation spell and suddenly, Mekanorimon was facing Clockmon as he fired off his attack.

"No!" Clockmon's eyes widened with fright as he paused his own companion.

Babel was able to move again, but his target had moved away so he wouldn't get hit. Still, that wasn't the end of their plans. "Seadramon!"

"Ice Blast!"

Clockmon dived away, thinking the attack was meant for him, and only realized too late that the attack was meant for Mekanorimon who was still frozen. And now, the machine was frozen literally as well. Un-pausing his comrade wouldn't do much to help his mobility.

Clockmon racked his brain for some sort of plan but four humans surrounded him with dangerous clubs and four Digimon with dangerous attacks at the ready, he was in trouble no matter how you looked at the situation. The eight of them expected to be done with this, seeing the crazed and panic-stricken look in their foe's eye, but they were mistaken. Clockmon smirked and placed a hand on his own chest and fast-forwarded himself so quickly that he vanished.

"Chrono Breaker!"

All eight of them felt a light tap on their chests before Clockmon returned into view, next to the frozen Mekanorimon who had broken out of his ice prison.

The humans and their partners felt weird as they tried to remain balanced on their feet. Just then, the Digimon all reverted back to their original forms and the humans collapsed, dropping their weapons. Something was terribly wrong and it obviously had something to do with Clockmon's attack.

"What's going on?" Betamon moaned.

"I feel really weird…," Janyu muttered.

Clockmon laughed. "Did you really think I didn't have any offensive attacks? My Chrono Breaker attack destroys a person's time, causing them to pause for eternity until their body just disintegrates with the rest of nature. Who needs to pause the world when you can just super-speed your own body?" He walked towards them with an ugly smirk on his face, spinning his mallet in one of his hands. "You can't win. After all, you're just a bunch of humans and Digimon traitors."

"Just a bunch of humans and Digimon traitors?"

Clockmon froze up as Mekanorimon's message popped into his brain, that of being two more heat signatures rapidly approaching them. The two machines turned to find that Shibumi was there whilst rising upon Coredramon.

"Shibumi?" Rai blinked.

Salamon tried to growl but it hurt to move. "What is he doing here?"

Shibumi dismounted from his partner and slowly approached Clockmon. "I came to check on these two nuts and bolts, when I heard that comment about being just humans and Digimon traitors. I hope you realize that Lord Apocalymon will take it personally if you insult me."

"But," Clockmon tried to cover up. "We were insulting them, not you."

"No, you said humans, and I do believe that I'm a human," Shibumi countered. "How about I show you what a human can really do?"

"What?!" Clockmon blanched.

Mekanorimon beeped. "Shibumi, we are on the same side, there would absolutely be no point in fighting us. And if you end up destroying Clockmon, the humans' and their partners' times will resume and we will all be in danger then."

Shibumi scoffed. "Even if they're un-paused, they would need time to gather their bearings and evolve their partners once more which, if I'm correct, will take several hours because of the disruption of their time. That's plenty of time for you imbeciles to get away."

"But if we fail this mission because of you, then Lord Apocalymon will have your head!" Clockmon pointed out.

Shibumi nodded. "And that means he has to know?"

"Well…"

"Who do you think he'll believe? A machine that mostly thinks about himself, or his precious protégé?"

"Well…"

"Well nothing!" Shibumi pulled out his silver key and jammed it into his blue D-Sync. "D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Coredramon Digivolve to… Groundramon!"

Groundramon immediately used the two claws on his back to make a movement as if he was going strike down on Clockmon. The machine, in response, tried to pause the dragon's time but the scaly creature fooled him and dug underground instead.

"What?!" Clockmon gaped. "Wh-Where did he go?"

Mekanorimon used his heat sensors to try and follow the dragon's movements underground. "I detect that he is…"

"Giga Crush!"

Mekanorimon never had the chance to finish as the ground beneath him and Clockmon opened up and they both fell into the crevice with mechanical shouts. Mekanorimon could fly though, so he used his jets to keep himself suspended in the air as he relocated Groundramon still hidden in the earth. As two massive claws broke through the dry dirt, aiming to strike, Mekanorimon struck back first.

"Twin Beam!"

The Champion's attack had absolutely no effect on the dragon of one whole level higher.

"Scrapless Claw!"

The claws wrapped themselves around Mekanorimon and crushed him into a metallic ball, but not enough to destroy him, just leave a badly damaged Hagurumon in his grasp. He tossed the gear back onto the surface where Shibumi caught him.

During this, Clockmon rewinded his time and brought his own body back onto the ground where he was trying to stop his fast-ticking mechanical gear of a heart. His frantic expression found himself staring into Shibumi's. And while Clockmon tried to strike fear into the boy with an intimidating expression, it was clear that the opposite result was being achieved when Shibumi simply stared back, with a blank one. Looking into the boy's eyes was like looking into the barrels of pistols.

"They say you can't program fear into a machine, therefore, they lack the basic instinct to survive no matter the cost," Shibumi whispered to the clock coldly. "Funny, how the thing you make fun of humans for is something you possess yourself. If you didn't, you wouldn't be shaking this much."

"D… Damn you!" Clockmon spat.

"Megaton Hammer Crush!"

Clockmon used his powers to freeze Groundramon in midair but it left him wide open to any attack from behind which was exactly what Shibumi took advantage of. The boy spun the Ogremon club he had picked up and smashed it into Clockmon's back, shattering the thin layer of glass protecting his time face. To complete this destruction, Groundramon was un-paused and he continued the action of bring down his iron sphere onto Clockmon's head which caused a horrible crunching sound.

Rai winced when she saw Solarmon left in a round impression in the dirt. "How ruthless…"

"How can you be so cruel?" Babel snapped accusingly. "You're a human, like us, with a beating heart!"

Shibumi scoffed as he picked up both gear Digimon and dumped them onto Groundramon's back. "Is that how you thank someone who just saved your lives from an eternity of frozen agony? Well, either way… The reason why I can be so heartless is because I hate anything with its own mind."

"Then, is that why you work for Apocalymon?" asked Daisy. Her tone was completely accusatory and venomous. If her words were knives, they would be used with the intent of stabbing right through the boy's chest. "So you wouldn't have to think for yourself?"

"I suppose I should've rephrased that… What I meant was, I hate anyone who is able to form an opinion of me. And Apocalymon can't have an opinion for me… It's practically impossible," Shibumi explained. "I should know, after all, I created his program."

"What?" Salamon gasped.

They were struck speechless as they gaped at this boy who is the very reason for why everything in the Digital World was thrown out of balance. But how? How did this one boy know to create such a being of great evil?

"But why?" asked Betamon. "What have we ever done to you?!"

Shibumi shrugged. "Nothing… But I will do anything for Apocalymon because he has never lied to me and he never will. He is incapable of such a thing."

"I don't understand," FanBeemon buzzed weakly.

"If Apocalymon can't form an opinion of his own, then why does he want to destroy this world?!" Candlemon yelled.

"Because he has all of my opinions," Shibumi shot, silencing them all once more as he stared them down. "He's seen the intense loneliness of a child that knows when everybody enjoys life without him. He understands what it feels like to be given the leftovers when everyone else gets the main course. He understands what it's like to live on the unfair side of living. Apocalymon has no intention of destroying the world, only recreating it so that no one has to face prejudice and loneliness."

"The Dark Chains…," Rai realized. "Apocalymon… No, you intend on enslaving the Digimon of this world so that they can't form their own opinions. That's what you want…"

"Exactly… It's because of things like opinions that wars break out and people can't agree on anything simple without physical violence," Shibumi huffed. "Ogremon see Leomon to have superiority complexes, Leomon see the Ogremon as savages, and thus, a separation is born. The people of Germany saw Hitler as a hope for a better future while the rest of the world saw him as a totalitarian dictator, scum of the Earth. Americans see communism as the decline of humanity, Cubans saw it as a chance for a better life. Opinions cause divisions and problems between hundreds, thousands, millions of people. So why can't everyone just think alike? Would that not be better for the world?"

"No…," Daisy said.

"Opinions do matter because if they didn't exist, then we'd all just be mindless zombies!" Babel added.

Janyu nodded in agreement. "If we all had the same opinion, there'd be no point in trying to live a full life if everything will be met with the same feeling and level of approval. Without opinions then we won't be able to experience various activities that bring out all sorts of emotions."

"Some people feel a high when jogging, others feel a rush of adrenaline from riding roller coasters," Rai continued. "Not everyone will agree to like these things but…"

"It brings diversity and makes every individual unique," Daisy finished off.

Shibumi didn't respond for a long while, after a drawn out silence, he mounted his partner. "I knew that you guys wouldn't understand," he shook his head. "All of you prefer to think on such a small scale. What about the thousands that die because of an international dispute? Do you think they deserve death because they believe that their country is correct in a pointless standoff that could've been resolved with a peaceful compromise?"

Babel fixed the younger boy with a look. "You're looking for total agreement, not peaceful compromise."

"...That's your own opinion."

With that, Shibumi took off, leaving the others to wonder about the mystery behind his character. Why did he choose to save them? What original purpose was Apocalymon supposed to serve when Shibumi created him? And did Shibumi always know about the existence of the Digital World or did he stumble upon it by accident? There were too many questions surrounding this one person and so few answers to go with them.

"What are we going to do about him?" asked Daisy.

Babel shook his head. "Let's worry about that later…" He looked over to where Titamon's rigid, gargantuan body stood. "I wonder how Rob's doing."

Remains of Shaman Temple - 10:23 AM

Robert lurched forward, tumbling to dodge the Thunder Ray attack and when he landed on his feet, he started running. He was extremely thankful for the excessive amounts of exercise that gym class and the Digital World has put him through. But mostly the latter, since without Leomon's training, there was no way he'd have been able to scale the walls of the building as quickly as he did.

"What is happening?" Tinmon questioned monotonously. "Cannot compute." It was still fast so it continued to dodge all of Robert's slashes.

"Compute this!" Robert shouted as he flung the sword, hoping that Hisyaryumon felt his thoughts in the same way he had felt the dragon's.

Tinmon moved to the right swiftly, dodging the flying blade with ease. Robert jumped forward in order to try and catch Tinmon but it moved backwards as Robert plummeted multiple meters to the ground but he landed safely on his feet. However, he smiled; another thing that Tinmon could not understand but knew that it meant something had gone his enemy's way. And its computer programming was absolutely right.

"Every Direction Wheel!"

Hisyaryumon had turned back to his dragon form when he had flown behind Tinmon. The robot had been too distracted with what was in front of it to realize what was happening behind it. The attack hit it directly.

"Yes!" Robert cheered.

Shamamon was stunned by this sudden development but nodded with an impressed expression. "That was a brilliantly conceived plan."

Titamon laughed, once again, not moving any part of his body. "Not exactly, shaman. The human is smart and you're not wrong about it being a good plan, although, he hadn't thought of it beforehand. He was playing by ear."

"What do you mean, Titamon?"

Robert smirked. "I winged it. I only thought of that 'plan' at the same second I threw Hisyaryumon. Not everything needs to be pre-planned or have overcomplicated twists and turns."

The cocky grin faded from Robert's face when he noticed the data raining down to the ground, there was no egg that was left behind so that meant Robert had just assisted in the destruction of a living creature, despite what everyone said about it being fake. It made Robert's heart ache even though he knew that it was necessary to protect the village.

"I understand your pain," said Titamon.

Robert blinked, realizing that he was starting to cry. "How can we hope to save the entire world if we can't even save just one Digimon?"

The human walked over to Ryudamon and sat down beside his partner. It wasn't long before eight others joined them and sat around the rubble, Shamamon took one look at the group and knew that they all had stuff that they wanted to say to each other.

"We lost… Miserably…," Babel admitted to Robert.

Robert looked up, wondering what the older boy meant by that when his friends were all okay. They were a bit banged up, but overall, in a decent shape. "What? Did they realize Tinmon was destroyed and just ran off?"

"No," said Daisy. "Shibumi saved us."

That caught Robert's attention. "He did?"

Robert and Ryudamon listened to the story of Shibumi, about why he was working with Apocalymon and about some deep-seated darkness in his heart that they have yet to figure out. By the end of the story, Robert stood up. The others expected him to be in the same state of dazed confusion as they had been but instead, they only saw the fiery eyes of determination on his face.

"That settles it… I'm going after him," Robert huffed.

Daisy made a sour face. "Um, shouldn't we be going after the silver keys? We had four Champions but we were nearly demolished by half of that. I think we could use the additional firepower, you know?"

"I know, just hear me out."

Babel sat up straighter. "Because that's always a good thing to hear."

"Listen." Robert stressed this word so firmly that they decided to stop fooling around as they kept their eyes on him. "I'm going after Shibumi, and I want each of you to go after your respective silver keys on your own."

Salamon's jaw dropped. "Have you lost it?"

"We're not as strong as Ryudamon is," Betamon added. "It's dangerous for us to be on our own."

Candlemon shook his head. "You've had some good plans… This is not one of them."

Robert gave them a look that stopped them from making further objections or criticisms. "Look, I personally think it will be faster if we go after the silver keys on our own and I have a score to settle with Shibumi. But there's more to my reasoning… Hearing how your battle went with Nuts and Bolts, reminds me of how out of sync I was with Hisyaryumon during our own battle. We've gotten close as humans and Digimon, but not as partners."

"You're saying we still think on different wavelengths from our partners?" Rai inquired.

"Exactly," Robert nodded. "If we get to know each other better, our battles are likely to become easier."

"That's a stretch," said Babel. "And what's the point of separating?"

Ryudamon picked it up here. "Not only is it for one-on-one bonding but Apocalymon is moving at a much faster pace when it comes to enslaving the digital race. Just a month ago, he would've never even tried to put a Dark Chain on a Digimon as strong as Titamon. If this goes on, before long, he'll find a way to enslave the Sovereigns. If that were to happen, all hope will truly be lost."

"He's right…," Salamon sighed with resignation. "We need to hurry up or it'll be too late."

Daisy bit the inside of her thumb as she pondered it. "Okay…," she finally relented. "I still don't like this plan but you've never failed us before." She laughed. "When I come back, you'll see a whole new Salamon and possibly, a whole new me."

Babel's shoulders slumped. "Fine, I'll go with the plan too." He kneeled down on one knee and ran his fingers through the mane running down Betamon's back. "But just so you guys know, you'll be missing one heck of an evolution."

Rai giggled. "Then I'll do the same! Candlemon and I will make sure to come back stronger than ever before."

Janyu was the most reluctant to go with this plan, but after some prodding, he nodded in agreement as well. "But we have to make a promise that if we encounter any enslaved Digimon that are too strong for us or NeoDevimon and his lackeys, we turn away. I don't know what I'd do if I lost you guys."

"Only if we promise one other thing," Robert smiled. "We come back with an answer to the question of simplicity and complexity. Which one of them is better when it comes to human nature."

This brought out laughter from all of the other humans while the Digimon looked on with puzzlement.

Shamamon walked up to the group with five round objects in his hands. "I assume that you will all be heading off very soon." They nodded in response after mentioning something about staying for lunch at least. "Well, then I guess I should give these to you."

"What are they?" inquired Rai as a round object was placed into each of the children's hands.

Upon closer inspection, they realized that they were compasses, but each of them was pointing in a different direction.

"They shall lead you to your silver keys," Shamamon told them.

Robert held up his. "Then why do I get one?"

"It'll help you find your way back to the others," Shamamon explained. "When the other four accomplish their searches, then their compasses will point towards yours and yours will glow to inform you that it will be time to meet your friends."

"Wow," Robert smiled. "This is great!"

Salamon laughed. "And here I was about to ask how we would reunite or know when to reunite."

The plan was set and after lunch, it would be put into motion. The five kids and their partners had to pack up and mentally prepare themselves for their individual journeys ahead. Clutching the compasses close to themselves, they felt ready to face the future with their heads held high, so long as they held on to the promise and the hope that they would eventually meet again.

Black Abyss - 12:34 PM

"My, my," NeoDevimon chuckled with amusement when he entered the machines' lab. He saw Hagurumon and Solarmon lying side by side on the operating table with Shibumi standing beside them with a set of tools. "Making repairs, are we?"

"And upgrades," Shibumi responded absentmindedly.

"Ah," the fallen angel nodded. "So the self-proclaimed perfect beings do have room for improvements. I hope you remove their humor functions and those annoying clanking sounds of theirs when they speak. They were always so aggravating."

Shibumi didn't answer which didn't really bother the Ultimate very much as the human continued working on the machines. The boy moved a computer keyboard closer to him and with his eyes glued to the screen in front of him, rapidly went to work on creating a new program for the robots. While he was doing that, another screen popped up behind him that displayed only pitch-black darkness.

"Lord Apocalymon," NeoDevimon bowed graciously.

Apocalymon acknowledged his servant before addressing his creator. "Shibumi, I must ask, why had you interfered with the gears' work? They had been so close. Did you take that much offense to their anti-human comments?"

"...No."

Dracomon sighed with disappointment; he had been hoping for his partner to explain his actions clearly. They were as much of a mystery to Apocalymon as they had been to Dracomon who had actually been there.

"Then why?"

"Machines are supposed to be emotionless. I can't have the DigiDestined be defeated by creatures with opinions."

"Dracomon has opinions."

Shibumi stopped working when this was brought up. He set aside the program he was working on as he contemplated a proper reply to this. "Yes, but not when Dracomon is at the Ultimate level. Apocalymon, you reprogrammed him to be like that, didn't you?" There was a grunt in response to show that the boy is right. "You knew that I didn't like opinions and human behavior so you gave him those akin to that of a wild, undomesticated animal."

"I thought he would be better suited to be your partner that way."

Dracomon made a face; he didn't like the idea that his data stream was touched and changed by someone, especially not by their cruel master. NeoDevimon just seemed impressed with the extensive vocabulary that the ten year old possessed.

"Thank you for your concern," Shibumi remarked. "But please inform me of what you do next time. If you don't, then it'll feel like you're keeping secrets. And secrets are just a way of making you lie to me." Shibumi swiveled around to stare at the screen and Dracomon recoiled to see the same dead look in his eyes as when he had spoken to Apocalymon last time. "And you know that I hate lies."

"Of course," said Apocalymon. "I would never lie to you."

Shibumi stared at the line of codes he already started with. "Can you send me the schematics of the program you used on Dracomon? I want to see if I can use them as a basis for the new software I'm about to upload into these metal heads."

"I am afraid not."

Shibumi frowned. "Why not?"

"While Digimon are made of data, there are various types of Digimon and Dracomon is organic whereas Hagurumon and Solarmon are mechanic," Apocalymon explained. "It would be dangerous to try and modify an organic programming code into creatures that are not. I think it would be best for you to create an original program, there are very few that can rival you intellectually at your age, after all."

The human thought about this before shaking his head. "You're wrong about that, those other kids, those DigiDestined are as intellectually adept as I. That's why I won't be able to win against them at the current state I am now."

"So what do you plan to do?"

"...Go on my own journey to get stronger."

Apocalymon chuckled. "Well then, if that is the case, then I shall bestow a gift for you."

"A gift?"

NeoDevimon bowed to his master on screen before fading into the shadows. It wasn't long before he returned with a black compass in hand which he gently lowered into Shibumi's open palm.

"What's this for?" Shibumi questioned. "It's not like I'm not going to get lost."

"It's for finding your gold key," Apocalymon told him.

Both Shibumi and his partner were surprised, but not because they didn't know about the existence of the gold keys. They had just always been told to never go after it because it wasn't something Dracomon was capable of handling.

Shibumi had seen Dracomon in his Mega form once, and he still had the scar for proof and Dracomon still held onto that guilt of hurting his own partner. After that incident, Apocalymon sent the key to some remote location where Shibumi would never be able to use it again.

"But you said it was too dangerous for us to use it!" Shibumi protested.

Apocalymon laughed. "Actually, I said that you were not ready for it. But it has been months since then and I've seen how much progress you've made. Even as Groundramon, your partner loses control but you somehow keep him tamed enough to follow orders. I think you will be able to control a Mega as well."

Shibumi was hesitant. "Are you sure? What if... What if he goes wild again?" Shibumi looked to his partner who had only been keeping his eyes on the human the entire time to gauge out how he feels. "He might end destroying his own body if he goes crazy like that."

"That is why you shall search for it yourself. You see, I had hidden it away in a location that would require having to go on a treacherous and perilous journey," Apocalymon explained. "I have no doubt that you will be able to conquer your trials and tribulations and emerge far more mature and powerful than ever before. By the end of your sojourn for power, you will be able to have full control over the Mega evolution."

"...You have that much faith in me?"

"I cannot lie to you."

"...Fair enough. Then as soon as I'm done with the modifications I'll..."

Apocalymon stopped him there. "It is best for you to be off as soon as possible. I shall complete the modifications for you." Shibumi tried to protest but his creation cut him off again. "I know that I said that it would be better for you to create an original program for them, but that was before hearing about your plans to become stronger. Creating a perfect program suitable for Hagurumon and Solarmon will take quite some time."

Shibumi reluctantly nodded, relenting his project over to Apocalymon who was programmed with impeccable logic and precise calculating capabilities, so it was probably best to heed his advice when given his counsel. The boy moved to another room after excusing himself to prepare for his journey in the morning.

"Shibumi...," said Dracomon, entering the room and making sure that the door was firmly shut behind him. "You said that you aimed to eliminate opinions but Apocalymon seems to have plenty of those. You've seen him angry and I have a lot of opinions too."

"I know..," Shibumi muttered.

"Then why do you want to eliminate opinions?" Dracomon inquired with no reply from his partner. "Forgive me if I am out of line but I think that other human was right when he said that you want total agreement rather than compromise. You just don't like it when someone's opinion doesn't line up with your own."

"A lot of people are like that."

"Then why...?"

"Because it was an excuse!" Shibumi snapped. "I don't want to eliminate opinions but in order to rid the world of lies, it's necessary to do so. And I know that none of them would understand if I had said I wanted to do that."

"So you lied? That seems..."

"Ironic? I know, that's because I cared about their opinions about me. I didn't want to be seen as a psycho or as a pity case which is incredibly shallow, I know," Shibumi scoffed. "So you see, thinking that your words will hurt someone or cause judgments bring out stupid, pointless lies that are absolutely unnecessary."

"...Why do you hate lies so much? And what makes you think that they won't understand? They're humans too..."

"Doesn't mean that they will understand though," Shibumi sighed. "Humans aren't as simple as machines. Usually, the young are innocent and therefore, don't realize how much things like broken promises can destroy and empty ones can kill. But being young also makes those people very fragile so when they are met with such things, they will be jaded for life. Lies hurt so much when used the wrong way... And they usually are."

"So... You were hurt by lies?"

"...Yes."

"You won't tell me more, will you."

"Not yet."

"That's okay," Dracomon nodded. "I'll wait until you're ready." The dragon bit his tongue before promising that he'd never leave the boy's side because there was no certainty to such words. "If you ever need to talk... You should," was what the dragon said instead. "Okay?"

There was a long pause before Shibumi returned to his preparations. "Yeah... Sure."

Ogremon Village - 2:16 PM

"How do you know where to even search for Shibumi?" Daisy inquired, slinging her bag over her shoulder.

"You ask that now?" Robert laughed. "I'll find him… I just have a feeling I will."

Janyu finished running through a checklist of all of the supplies each of them had in their bag. "I think we're all ready to get going though I have to admit, I'm more nervous right now than I've ever been during any of our fights."

"Hey," said Babel. "In all of our battles, we ran the risk of losing someone, this trip is no different. We talked about this. But here's the thing, none of us are going to leave anyone behind. We will meet again, we promised."

"But what if…," Rai breathed. "What if we won't be able to keep that promise? What will we do if one or more of us breaks it?"

They looked to Robert, as they always did whenever they felt lost about something. It was strange, they never elected a leader and even argued about having someone lead them, but whenever trouble reared its ugly head, Robert was the person they turned to. Was it because he had somehow asserted himself into the position? Or was it because they trusted and believed in him that much?

Robert chuckled. "It's funny; I was just thinking that Shibumi would hate making a promise like this."

Babel's brow furrowed. "What do you mean?"

"He never told you guys?" Robert asked, receiving a collective shake of heads. "Back before I got a computer, Shibumi and I sent letters to each other. We were old-fashioned pen pals even before discovering messaging. Anyway, he always talked about his dad and how busy he was. I realized, just now, how many of them mentioned his dad breaking some sort of promise. I have a feeling, that's one of the reasons he wants to eliminate opinions…"

"What do opinions have to do with promises?" Daisy questioned.

"Opinions shape the words that leave our mouths," Rai answered. "So, we think we're not busy when we make the promise to do something, when factually, we are not. I think that's it. Shibumi wants to get rid of lies and false promises, not opinions."

"Exactly," Robert grinned. "Though, he never really talked about his family much after I got a computer."

Janyu stood up. "It probably has something to do with the length of mail receiving time. Since it would most likely take several days to receive post from America to Japan, to Shibumi, it probably felt more like sending a diary to an unknown destination without having to have a connecting reply. But with a computer, everything is quick so in a few minutes, you get an active conversation rather than a listener for your personal woes."

"Ah, I get it," Daisy nodded.

"His family is probably part of his inner darkness too," Rai remarked. "Something he's buried deep inside of all the layers and walls he's built around his heart to make sure no one ever gets to it and sees it. He probably personally believes that it's some sort of weakness that will be ridiculed if it's ever revealed."

"Hm…," Robert mused. "What do you guys think?"

"I think that our individual vocabularies and overall knowledge of the world is far too advanced for the average child to comprehend," Babel laughed.

"Well, I do have an IQ of 187," Daisy gloated.

"You took an IQ test?" Rai giggled. "So did I, 176."

"169," Robert chimed.

"173," Babel chuckled.

The other four looked to Janyu who blushed. "198…"

"Dang, we knew you were smart but that's on a genius level!" Babel laughed, putting Janyu in a mock headlock.

"Actually, all of our IQs are technically on a 'genius' level," Daisy grinned before turning over to Robert. "You've got to be lying though. The fact that you have the lowest intelligence quotient of the five of us is something I believe but 169 is way too high for you. It's higher than Einstein's."

"I could say the same about you. How is it higher than Rai's?" Robert shot back.

While Daisy pretended to beat Robert, the other three continued the conversation.

"I'm really going to miss these talks we would have," sighed Rai.

"Well don't because we will have them again," Babel promised her. He took his cap off his head and placed it on top of the younger child's who gave him a questioning look. "You never know if you go into a desert again or the sun beats down on you. So… Just hold on to it until we see each other again, okay?"

Rai was about to protest when it occurred to her that he was just trying to make her say that they will meet again. So she clamped her mouth shut, pulled the hat down to use the shadows to cover her blush, and smiled. "Yeah… I will. Thank you, Babel."

Robert and Daisy stopped fighting long enough to start teasing Babel who ended up getting dragged into their charade.

Janyu glanced over to the Digimon as they walked towards them, ready for their upcoming journey. So the boy called for the other humans and they joined together, the ten of them, for one last time before they were to set off.

"What were you guys doing?" asked Robert.

Each of their partners glanced at each other before holding up something in their hands and placing them into their respective humans'. The Chosen Children each took a good long look at the delicately weaved craftsmanship of the bracelets, each were in the color of the D-Syncs with small flecks of all the other colors as well. So, there was a red one for Robert, green for Janyu, pink for Daisy, gray for Janyu, and yellow for Rai.

"What are these for?" inquired Daisy.

Ryudamon answered for the group. "Promise bracelets."

"To show that individually, with your partners, that our bonds will be forever," FanBeemon buzzed.

"And the little specks of the other colors," Salamon picked up. "Is to show the bond you have with each other."

"We even added blue for Shibumi," Betamon piped up before they could point it out.

Candlemon finished the explanation off for them. "Because according to the prophecy, he is one of us. And we don't fully understand it, but we can guess that he was once a friend of yours back in your world too. That's why… You guys can't give up on him!"

Robert smiled, gave his partner a tight squeeze, and put on the bracelet. "Don't worry, we won't."

"Hey, you don't speak for the group," Daisy laughed. "Though I admit, I don't plan on giving up on my once-only friend so easily either."

"That does double for me too," Rai added.

"Then I guess Rob really does speak for us," Babel shrugged.

The five of them took a look at each of their bracelets on their wrists which seemed to sparkle in the right light. According to their digital friends, they each made one for their partners with some help from Shamamon who made them into good luck charms.

"If that's the case, then let's make the promise on these bracelets," Robert smiled.

The other four nodded and that's what they did. They made a promise that they had no clue of whether or not they'd be able to keep, but they did it because they wanted to. It's superstitious, and it was built only on opinions, but they wanted to believe that it was possible to make miracles happen if you at least try.

Chapter Text

Digit Swamps – 11:24 AM

Betamon slowly pulled himself out of the water and started spitting out the mud. Babel frowned as he watched his partner gag and retch until his throat was clear of whatever had contaminated his system. It wasn't long until the amphibian finished and he just flopped down, breathing heavily as he tried to get clean air back into his lungs.

"Are you okay?" Babel asked his partner, rubbing soothing circles into the little guy's back.

"Not really," Betamon coughed.

Babel reached into his bag a pulled out the towel he had packed in there, covering his partner in it and wiping away the gunk. Betamon resisted at first because of how rough the cloth was but soon enough, he gave in to the cleaning.

"Ugh, your fur is still sticky," Babel remarked before stuffing the towel back into his bag. "But anyway, did you find anything down there?"

Betamon shook his head. "Nope, I could barely see anything beyond the mud. I guess you were right…" He drooped, upset that his theory had been incorrect and that he had wasted their time. "I was just hoping that the silver key could be down there."

"Hey, don't beat yourself up over it. I think you might be right about one thing, the key has to be some place involving water," said Babel.

"Right," Betamon nodded before plopping himself down on Babel's lap, peering at the compass attached to his belt notch. "Where is it pointing to by the way?"

"West," said Babel.

Babel picked up his partner in his arms and was about to set off when a loud noise almost made him lose his footing on the thick tree root. It sounded like something with a solid exterior crashed into a tree with a yowl of pain.

"What was that?" inquired Betamon.

Babel shook his head. "Who knows, do you think we should check it out?"

"Well, we can't just leave if it's a hurt Digimon."

"I was actually thinking of running because this swamp is not giving me kind thoughts," Babel shrugged. "It seems like Rob was right when he said that we're out of sync." He sighed. "Alright, let's go check it out."

Babel pivoted on his heel and made a slow approach towards where the loud, possibly life-threatening sound had come from. It didn't take them long to find a fallen tree and a giant, red beetle collapsed in front of it.

Betamon gasped. "That's a Kuwagamon!"

"I guess he crashed into it?" muttered Babel.

One thing didn't make sense though, why would any creature of this size be flying in a swamp with the branches of the trees hanging so low?

Before they could ask this question or even find out if Kuwagamon was okay, the creature picked himself up. The pair was relieved for one second before noticing the Dark Chain wrapped around the insect's waist.

Babel ducked and rolled out of the way from the monster's snapping jaws as he tossed Betamon into the water. He quickly pulled out his key and his D-Sync from his back pocket. "D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

Seadramon burst out of the water at the same time Babel jumped, grabbing on tightly to his partner.

"Aw, and I just got cleaned!" Seadramon groaned.

"Less complaining, more escaping."

With Seadramon's advantage in the water and slim frame, it was easy for them to lose the Kuwagamon on their tail. But it was barely a minute of relief when a Snimon slashed his way through a pair of thick trees to try and attack them. Seadramon had to make an abrupt left turn to avoid getting hacked by this other big, nearly tossing his partner overboard.

"I knew swamps were infested with bugs but the geography here is not suitable for ones of this gargantuan size!" Babel yelped.

"I'm going to pretend I understood that," Seadramon's huffed in response.

"Are bugs this big supposed to be indigenous to this swamp?"

"Indigenous?"

"Native!"

"Oh... No, not as far as I know!"

There was another concerning piece of information to take note of. Before they had entered this swamp, they had come across a kind Babamon who gave them lodging for the night. According to her, Apocalymon had yet to send anyone to try and conquer the swamp, so there shouldn't have been any Dark Chains to worry about but that Kuwagamon had just proved them wrong.

"This is not good," Babel breathed. He could hear buzzing insects in all directions and he already caught sight of a Flymon sporting a Chain of his own. "There are way too many brainwashed Digimon in this area, if we don't watch our step, we're done for."

Seadramon stopped moving for moment as he tried to figure out where to go next but they couldn't tell which direction was safe and which had a carnivorous giant bug. They were about to resort to standing their ground and fighting an army on their own when they heard someone call out for them a couple meters away. They turned and noticed a Gekomon sticking his head out of the swamp water with an Otamamon beside him.

"Human!" the Gekomon croaked. "Come with us if you want to live!"

"Suspicious, but less dangerous than the bugs," Babel remarked.

Seadramon swam towards the pair and they dived back underwater. The DigiDestined and his partner shared a puzzled look before the human took a deep breath. If Seadramon had shoulders, he's shrug as he dived underneath.

"Whoa!" Babel shouted.

Seadramon had somehow surfaced into dry air and they both fell backwards, falling into a shallow pool of swamp water. Seadramon degenerated as Babel nursed the bruise on his arm from how he fell off the sea creature.

Betamon rolled onto his belly. "That was weird."

The pair looked around and noticed that they were surrounded by Gekomon and Otamamon from all sides but it was clear that none of them were possessed. And a little ways away, they saw an ancient East Asian temple that didn't seem to have a limited height. But as they craned their necks to try and see the top, they gasped at the sight of the sky which wasn't even a sky, it was water.

"Are we at the bottom of the sea?" inquired Babel.

The Gekomon from earlier took a step forward. "Nope, this is our home, the Musical Marsh which lies directly underneath and parallel to the Digit Swamps. It's a secret home for us Otamamon and Gekomon but when we saw you, Chosen Child, we just had to bring you here."

"Why?"

Otamamon answered this question. "You saw what was up there! It's really dangerous but the thing is, we get our food from the Digit Marsh. Food doesn't grow down here and we're starting to run low on provisions. We'll starve if we don't get rid of those Dark Chains on them."

"And they're also our neighbors," added the Gekomon. "Not the bugs, they flew in here to escape Apocalymon's wrath from some other jungle and they chose this place because the climate here was suitable for them to live in but they ended up bringing a monster with a Dark Chain along with them. Our neighbors, the Floramon, Mushroomon, Palmon, they're being terrorized and we can't do anything to help! So we desperately seek your assistance, hero of the Digital World!"

"Hero?" Babel blinked as he stood up. "Hold up! I'm not going to say that I can't help you guys but I'm only one person."

Otamamon gasped. "That's right! The other humans from the legend! They must be with you, yes?"

Betamon shook his head. "No, we split up in search of our silver keys to get stronger. I want to help too but in this case, our mission takes priority since there is no way I'd be able to get rid of all of those massive bugs by myself."

The crowd drooped when they heard this but at least they didn't toss the pair out.

"We're really sorry," said Babel. "But do you guys think you could show us the way out of the swamp? Preferably out of a western exit."

Gekomon looked up. "I'm afraid not. If we could pack our things and leave, we would. Remember? We have to get food."

Babel blinked and that was when he noticed that a lot of them were really skinny with sunken cheeks and protruding ribs. He also noticed that a large number of the Gekomon were holding eggs, their people who probably starved to death and were reborn to start a better life. But that won't happen if their provisions are dropping every second. So they would have to live an endless cycle of famine until someone saves them?

Just then, a loud voice bellowed from the temple. "Lunch!"

The pack didn't seem very enthusiastic as thin as they seemed but they trudged towards the voice. Babel and Betamon ended up following them and the next scene to unfold before them was just as horrific as any other they had seen thus far. ShogunGekomon, looking like he had lost a ton of weight, was holding a ton of fruits in his arms which he set down in front of his subordinates.

"This is all I could retrieve from up there," ShogunGekomon boomed.

He sounded so healthy, but the lack of fat that was usually on him said otherwise.

Betamon piped up, noticing that ShogunGekomon didn't have any food himself. "Aren't you going to eat anything?"

The chief of the Musical Marsh glanced down and he smiled weakly at Babel and his partner, causing the two of them to feel a crack form in their hearts. "My people are much more important than I. Besides, I have plenty of fat leftover; I can survive for a couple of months." Days were more like it, but neither Chosen Child nor partner said anything. "I apologize on behalf of my people for dragging you into this mess. If you'd like, I can try to escort you out Digit Swamp if you would allow me."

Babel could not be hearing this right. Here was this Digimon who was practically at death's door and he was willing to risk his life just to help Babel get out of the swamp. It was likely that the Ultimate would get enslaved if he stayed up there for too long, one misstep and it would be all over for the denizens of Musical Marsh.

"How can we save the entire Digital World if we can't save one Digimon?" Babel muttered, paraphrasing what he had heard Robert say. He slowly looked up. "I'm afraid we're going to have to refuse your offer but I need to know, how long have these bug Digimon been here?"

There was a long pause as ShogunGekomon thought about it. "Perhaps it has been about two months now?"

"You've been suffering this for that long?" Babel murmured.

Betamon knew exactly what his partner was thinking. "We want to help! We don't know if we'll be able to drive out all of the bugs or destroy their Dark Chains but we'll try!"

"We'll even bring in some food for you all!" Babel added.

The Digimon stared at the human and his partner in awe, eyes wide as they heard all of this.

"A-Are you sure?" ShogunGekomon stammered.

Babel looked down at his bracelet that Betamon had made for him. He had no idea what the others would say about this. Actually, everyone aside from Daisy would've probably done everything in order to help. Daisy would probably be in the same position as he, conflicted until she heard and saw the whole story.

"Yes… And I will succeed."

Silver River - 12:17 PM

"This is your fault, you know," Robert sighed.

The pair had come across a small tribe of Fugamon, they had assumed that they were as friendly as those from Ogremon Village but they were wrong. This tribe was extremely savage and did not take kindly to strangers, especially not as unfamiliar as a human. So they tied them up, threw them onto a raft, and sent them downriver.

"You're the one who thought they were the same as the other Fugamon we've met!" Ryudamon shot back.

Robert squirmed in the rope he was bound in with his partner. "Well how was I supposed to know that they were unable to form coherent sentences? I thought that all Digimon in this world spoke the same weird digital language!"

"We speak Binary," grumbled Ryudamon.

"Binary?"

"Yes, that's our language."

"Then why did those Fugamon not speak it?"

"Some Digimon pass through Translate Mountain and then they start speaking something else."

"Because that makes a boatload of sense."

"When you and the others arrived in Trailmon, we passed over Translate Mountain, that's probably why you guys speak Binary too," Ryudamon sighed. "I think if someone heard our language without having it be translated, it'll come out like a series of 'beeps' and 'boops' or something."

The pair finally gave up on their struggles and just sat there, hoping for some friendly passerby to save them.

"I'm sorry…," Robert exhaled, once he could no longer handle the silence. "I should've been more cautious. I guess that's what Daisy meant when she said that I'm much too reckless for my own good. I'm always getting us in trouble."

"That's not true," Ryudamon sighed.

"Yes, it is, and you know it."

Ryudamon laughed. "Please, we get in trouble because we're unable to say no to those in need. Every time we go to an area that's suffering under the iron fist of Apocalymon, we just have to step in and save them."

"Or at least try."

"Yeah, at least try."

The pair continued to joke around and laugh, practically forgetting that they were stuck on a wooden raft, not having an inkling of an idea of where they were drifting towards. But when it became harder for them to hear the other over some loud noise, they suddenly became aware of their surroundings again.

"What is that?" asked Robert, who was still facing upriver.

Ryudamon pursed his lips. "...Waterfall."

"...This is still all your fault."

"We are not playing the blame game now."

The raft hit the falls and they both screamed on their way down, causing a head to pop up from at the base of the waterfall, the owner of which was a Tortamon taking a bath. The raft broke apart as soon as it the hard, spiny shell of the tortoise Digimon and the pair landed in the water, heart racing, crazed look in their eyes, but in generally good shape.

"That was close…," Robert breathed.

Ryudamon looked up at the enraged Tortamon. "And this is going to be even closer!"

"Strong Carapace!"

The spikes on Tortamon's shell began to glow before they were launched at the pair. Robert wasted no time in digivolving Ryudamon into Ginryumon, who used his strong armor to deflect the spikes from hurting either of them.

"We don't want to fight!" Ginryumon snapped, trying to reason with him.

Robert picked himself up. "Yeah! We fell on you by accident!"

But Tortamon didn't seem to be listening which meant they had to stick to fighting. "Spinning Attack!"

Digit Swamp - 2:21 PM

Seadramon panted heavily as he kept himself wrapped around the Kuwagamon and Snimon to keep them from escaping. The jaws from the former and the sickles of the latter were digging into Seadramon's body though, causing sharp pain in those areas but he was resilient.

"Hurry up!" Seadramon grunted.

A small legion of Gekomon rushed out of the trees and came as close as they could without getting possessed by the Dark Chains. "Symphony Crusher!" The Chains shattered and the bugs were freed, and momentarily confused as to why they were wrapped in a living scarf.

Seadramon degenerated and fell into the water where he was caught by an awaiting Gekomon. With that, they dived back underwater and resurfaced into Musical Marsh, the two bugs being dragged along with them. In the two hours since Babel agreed to help them out, there had been significant changes made on this side of the wetlands, mainly, there were a bunch of newly freed bug Digimon flying around without terrorizing anyone.

"Okay, these two make twenty," Babel counted. "And it looks like the Dokugumon came back with a feast." He smiled with pride as he watched the starving Digimon gobble down on the food while thanking the arachnids and Babel at the same time.

"Twenty?" ShogunGekomon repeated. "I think that's almost all of them! To think that just one Chosen Child could do this much!"

Babel's ego was being fed graciously, the longer he was there. "Well, I don't usually gloat but to be fair, I am the strongest and most dependable of the Chosen Children. You guys are really lucky that I was the one who had to head this way."

Betamon rolled his eyes as he tried to catch his breath. "Hey… Can I have a banana?"

The Gekomon who was holding the Rookie quickly fetched the fruit for the amphibian who ate it, skin and all. "You must be really tired at this point, Betamon," the frog Digimon remarked. "Don't you think you deserve a break?"

"That would be nice," Betamon nodded with a small smile.

But then Babel clapped his hands together and went over to his partner. "Come on, no breaks! We have just one more Digimon to take care of and we'll be out of here. We have to find our silver key as soon as possible; we can't waste any time at all!"

Before Betamon or the Gekomon could object to this, Babel moved away from them, tossing and catching his bronze key in hand. Betamon weakly pushed himself up and attempted to follow his partner but it was very clear to Gekomon that he was being pushed way too hard. If this keeps up the way it is, Betamon may literally die from exhaustion.

"You don't have to do anymore than you already have," Gekomon told Betamon. "You really should be resting."

Betamon would agree if the other denizens of the Musical Marsh didn't look so grateful and cheerful, it was like it went from the Great Depression to the Renaissance which makes no sense chronologically but the analogy fits this situation. The amphibian smiled the same smile that ShogunGekomon had flashed to Babel earlier and it broke Gekomon's heart in the same way.

"I'll be fine," Betamon coughed, still smiling.

Gekomon looked down. "Then in that case, let me just advise you to be cautious." He slowly brought his eyes up to stare into Betamon's. "This last Digimon is the monster that we mentioned, the one who started this downward spiral. The creature is at the Ultimate level so if it gets too dangerous, I want you to dive into Musical Marsh as soon as possible, forget the stupid mission and promise to save us! We're not worth it if you destroy yourself."

Betamon looked from Gekomon and his partner, who was impatiently tapping his foot. He thought about the promise that the human made, claiming that they would succeed.

"I'm sorry, I can't promise you that…"

As soon as Betamon hopped his way to join Babel's side, they immediately moved their way towards the deep part of the pool which served as the gateway between the two parallel sides of the wetlands. Before setting off, Betamon evolved, causing Gekomon to cringe at the sight of the bruises on his scales but it seems Babel's big ego was obscuring his view of his partner's pain. Babel simply ignored the injuries, mounted his partner, and dived back into Digit Swamp followed by the small legion of Gekomon.

It didn't take them very long to reach the huge clearing where the massive Orochimon laid, resting his eight serpentine heads but all eight pairs of his eyes opened when he sensed Seadramon's less-than-discreet approach.

"A human," Orochimon hissed, his tail rattling menacingly behind him. "You must be one of the children my master told me to keep my eyes on."

Digital Analyzer: Orochimon's roots are unknown, dating to parts of the ancient Digital World that has yet to be studied by historians anywhere. Though the ancient documents that were deciphered depicts this monstrosity as a menacing being who had to be sealed away because of his power to bring any area to the brink of destruction.

Babel's eyes were drawn to the chain curled in a spiral around Orochimon's tail but it would be useless trying to reach it with eight ugly snake heads keeping guard of it.

"And you must be the hideous hydra I'm meant to get rid of," Babel taunted.

It didn't seem to affect Orochimon in the slightest to be called hideous. "How amusing, do you really think that your pathetic partner stands even a ghost of a chance against me? I must say, I admire your gusto."

The boy had to admit, he was nervous, but he was still confident in his partner's capabilities. He dismounted and let out the order. "Go, Seadramon!"

"Ice Blast!"

Orochimon stood completely still as his body slowly froze up, covered in ice until it looked like a poorly conceived ice sculpture. The multi-headed snake broke right out of his frozen prison with ease, throwing sharp shards of ice everywhere. Babel had to duck behind a tree stump to avoid getting impaled.

"Do you really believe a puny Champion can defeat and Ultimate?" Orochimon laughed. He pointed his heads at Seadramon. "Inferno Blast!"

Seadramon tried to avoid the flamethrower by swerving to the right but it didn't help him much when the swamp water began to boil and burn him anyway. The several Gekomon lying underwater, awaiting their signal jumped out of the water themselves, screaming about the intense heat as blisters began to form all over their skin. Babel wasn't even standing in the water anymore but it felt like he was standing at the mouth of a volcano.

"Ice Blast!" Seadramon tried again but Orochimon countered with another flamethrower which actually did roast the sea snake.

"Seadramon!" Babel called out.

The human boy stared as his partner glowed faintly, reverting to Betamon and falling into the water. Babel ran over to the spot where his partner fell and pulled him out, noticing that various scorch marks weren't the only things the amphibian was covered in. There were bruises and cuts from all of the other battles that Betamon had been in just that day and Babel couldn't believe that he hadn't noticed them before.

"Did we win…?" Betamon groaned.

Babel's bit down on his bottom lip, hard enough to make it bleed a little as the tears rolled down his cheeks. "Why? What were you… What is wrong with me?"

Orochimon laughed again, his tail rattling behind him as he sharpened itself into a blade. "I'm afraid that our party must come to an end. Ame no Murakumo!" The tail charged downwards in an attempt to cut right through Babel and his fallen partner, it would've too if another attack hadn't intervened.

"Musical Fist!"

Orochimon was knocked away by the powerful sound wave unleashed from ShogunGekomon's horns.

The Gekomon from earlier had asked the chief of Musical Marsh to come to the surface to help Betamon, knowing that his new friend wouldn't stand a chance against Orochimon and he wouldn't run away either. The frog hopped his way to Babel quickly, grabbing the boy's hand and dragging him back to safety.

"Don't just stand there, go!"

Silver Falls - 2:32 PM

"We're sorry, again for crashing into you like that," said Robert.

Tortamon shook his head. "I should be the one apologizing to you. I attacked one of the Chosen Children after all."

"Well, then at least let us thank you," Ryudamon grinned. "After we lost our provisions because those Fugamon stole them from us, you were kind enough to replenish them by collecting food for us. You have our gratitude."

"Oh, no, think nothing of it," Tortamon chortled. "It's the least I could do after you brought that Antidote Fruit to me to cure me of the poison that I had ingested."

"Which made you lash out at us, so you didn't need to apologize," Robert grinned.

Ryudamon busted up laughing. "We've gone full circle!"

Robert and Ryudamon thanked Tortamon one last time before they turned around and headed off, in hopes of finding Shibumi. As they were moving though, they both wondered how the others were doing with their individual journeys. Hopefully, they were all keeping to the promise of staying away from Digimon that were much too strong for them to handle alone.

Robert stopped walked suddenly as the thought struck him, dampening his mood considerably. "You don't think anyone would be reckless enough to fight an Ultimate before getting their silver key, right? I mean, Apocalymon can easily send an Ultimate to any one of them, possibly cornering them. What if they won't be able to get away?"

"Come on, Rob," sighed Ryudamon, pausing mid step. "Don't think like that. The others are tough and more importantly, smart, they'll know what to do if they find themselves in a tight situation. I am a little worried about Babel though. Sometimes, he can be as reckless as you."

Robert didn't even deny this claim because he knew it to be true. Babel didn't like getting into precarious situations where death was a high possibility, but there had been times when he let his emotions get in the way of thinking straight. Like the first time Betamon had evolved into Seadramon, Babel let his envy towards the others prevent him from realizing what could be done if he had just put his pride down and helped out the group.

"I hope he doesn't do anything stupid…," Robert muttered.

"I hope the same for Betamon," Ryudamon admitted.

"Betamon?"

The dragon Digimon sat himself down, leaning against a thick tree. "You've probably realized by now that Betamon is lot more childish compared to the rest of us. That's because he was born very recently, he doesn't have any past lives like the rest of us."

Robert knelt down beside his partner. "You mean he's never been reborn before?"

"No," Ryudamon shook his head. "Betamon is young and he has a bare minimal understanding of how the world works. He also has this mindset that everyone has good inside of them, even Apocalymon. Before we met you and the others, Betamon used to tell us about how he wanted to make Apocalymon into a good Digimon. Not only that but he also told us that whoever his partner is, he would follow him no matter what the results would be."

"So if Babel desperately wanted to fight someone stronger than Seadramon?"

"Betamon would fight until he died."

Robert didn't say anything in a long while. "What's it like? That first death, I mean."

"...The worst" Ryudamon exhaled. "It's not just terrifying but excruciatingly painful as well. After the first ten times, you start to get used to it which makes it even more frightening when you're reborn, because you remember not caring about life. I was so used to being deleted over and over again back at Dragon Valley that I… I became horrified at what the outside might be like. If every Digimon I ever encountered would be the same."

Robert hugged his knees to his chest. "Scary."

"Yeah… I don't want Betamon to experience something like that."

"It's not like we can do anything about."

"Not now anyway."

Another question struck Robert as he was pushing himself up. "Hey… That Zudomon we met was really old and there were pictures in his house that showed him when he was younger. Does that mean Digimon have lifespans?"

"Yes and no," Ryudamon answered. "We most certainly live longer than humans but a lifespan for us is different. Our lifespans are renewed when we are reborn but they are also renewed every time we evolve and degenerate. If you exceed your lifespan in one of your evolutionary stages, you die permanently, no way of ever being reborn. But most Digimon can only dream of living that long without ever being destroyed so it's difficult to ever die forever. I'm willing to bet that Zudomon has been around since the birth of the Digital World."

"What about Apocalymon?"

"...There are some Digimon who are immortal."

"And he's…"

Ryudamon nodded. "It's unfortunate but true, Apocalymon is one of them. Digimon of the light and darkness attributes have eternal life, I don't think there is any real explanation for why yet. Digimon scientists are still trying to figure that out."

"Digimon scientists?"

"Beings like Gennai."

"Gennai?"

"Gennai is the person who brought me, FanBeemon, Salamon, Candlemon, and Betamon together," the dragon explained. "I heard that he personally delivered Babel's D-Sync to him. He looks like a human except he's made of data, like a Digimon though he doesn't fight like one."

"Well that's a bit confusing," Robert chuckled.

"Yeah, I know," Ryudamon grinned.

Their laughter and smiles fell quickly though.

"I hope the others are okay…"

Musical Marsh - 7:43 PM

Several bug Digimon gathered around the one window, trying to look inside to catch a glimpse at their savior lying in bed. What they saw instead was the crowd of Gekomon, Otamamon, Floramon, Mushroomon, and various other Digimon standing around the bed, praying for the furry Digimon's recovery. Babel had been by his partner's side the entire time, sitting on his knees until they were numb with tears running down his face until there were no more to shed.

"I am so sorry…," he would murmur every now and then.

"Everybody get out!" ShogunGekomon bellowed from down below. "Give the Chosen Child and his partner some space!"

The crowd sluggishly moved out of the room but some of them looked back when they noticed one Gekomon refusing to budge.

Babel must've sensed the presence of the fuming frog because he turned around to face the Gekomon who looked absolutely furious. The boy opened his mouth to say something but shut it when he felt a wet webbed hand slap him across the face, causing the crowd in the hallway and the bugs outside to gasp in shock.

"What is wrong with you?!" Gekomon shouted. It was nothing compared to how loud ShogunGekomon could boom but in Babel's ears, the words were far louder than the chief's. A jet turbine might as well have sounded like a mouse's squeak compared to this.

"I…" Babel choked out.

Gekomon shook his head disapprovingly. "Betamon worked so hard to free twenty Digimon in two hours; anyone would be winded and broken down after all of that. Not to mention, you weren't even there to help seventy-five percent of the time. Rather, you were down here, 'manning' the provisions when it was us and the newly freed Digimon that were gathering the food. You were just eating up all the gratitude everyone was giving you just because it looked like you were the one in charge but you didn't do anything aside from take credit for your partner's hard work and efforts!"

If it was any other time, Babel would protest. But he knew that Gekomon was right. He hadn't done anything aside from boss Betamon around all day. Not once did he even bother to praise Betamon for a job well done. He was too busy trying to take center stage and absorb the undeserved praise.

"I know," was all Babel could say.

"I just don't understand," Gekomon scoffed.

Babel slowly brought his chin up to look up at the frog. "What?"

"Why would a Digimon go so far for a human?"

"Be… cause…"

Babel and Gekomon turned quickly over to the bed where Betamon was stirring just a tiny bit. His eyes were opened up just a little but it didn't seem like he had the strength to do more than move his mouth to speak to them.

"Ba… bel… He's my… friend and… partner," Betamon smiled weakly. "And he… we… made a promise to protect you guys. To save you from hunger… I can't break a promise like that. Because… Gekomon… You are my friend too. So please… Don't fight… I don't like seeing… either of you upset."

"Don't talk…," Babel shushed.

Gekomon shot a disdainful look towards the human. "You don't deserve a partner like Betamon."

Babel stood up, fists clenched and jaw set. "I'm not going to break my promise." He pulled out the gold doubloon he had been keeping in his pocket and placed it right by Betamon. "And I'm going to make a new promise to you. I will never ever put you in any type of danger that I wouldn't throw myself in."

"Right," Gekomon scoffed.

"I'll prove it."

Babel raced to the window and flung it open, causing the bugs to move away as he jumped out, scaling down the temple and hopping from one giant bug off the other until he landed with a splash. Before any of them of them could stop him, he dived right through the exit and found himself in Digit Swamp.

Digit Swamp - 7:55 PM

Orochimon lifted his eight heads off the ground and gave Babel an amused stare. "Oh, you're back? Quite a persistent human, you are, not unlike Shibumi is. But you're also quite stupid, tell me, are all you organic beings lacking in the intellegence department?"

"To be honest, yeah, humans are pretty dumb," admitted Babel. "And so is my partner. He refused to tell me about his health condition and didn't even bother to ask for rest, which makes me the dumbest since I didn't notice any of it in the first place. So we do stupid things like persisting in endeavors that are nearly impossible, for example, me standing here right now. I probably stand no chance against you but… I made a promise… And I plan on keeping it."

"How sweet," Orochimon hissed. Then, without wasting any time at all, "Inferno Blast!"

Babel charged forward just as the flames engulfed the spot he had been standing in. He was already pouring sweat thanks to the heat and even though the water he was standing in was boiling, he continued running until he made it to the dry plot of land that Orochimon had made his vantage point. Then, without missing a beat, Babel jumped as high as he could, grabbing onto the loose fur that made up the hydra's body and climbed it.

Orochimon glared down at the human and he tried to use his seven mechanical heads to nab the annoying human but Babel just avoided the first set of fangs and then latched onto the head for dear life. As soon as the head reared back to its original position, Babel jumped onto the black-scaled one, the one he figured out was the only real head.

""What?!" Orochimon gasped.

Babel pulled out the dagger that Leomon had given each of the children before they had left the village and stabbed the eye of the snake. The reptile hissed and whipped itself around in pain, launching Babel right off and landing behind Orochimon.

He held back the yelp of surprise and hurt upon finding himself on the dirt as he quickly got up, not even stopping to dust himself off. He grabbed onto the tail that was being wildly whipped around and reached for the Dark Chain, he hit it with his dagger but it did nothing aside from make a few sparks fly. His dagger had more scratches than the Chain did.

"Ame no Murakumo!"

Babel yelled when the tail sharpened into a knife, the blade cutting into the boy's armpit and forearm where he had been hanging on. He let go and landed on his butt once more and he knew that there would be no time to roll out of the way of the sharp tail coming towards him.

"Babel!"

A small body tackled Babel out the way of the sword and lucky for them, they were both safe.

"What are you doing?!" Babel and Betamon both shouted at each other.

"You're supposed to be resting! Roll to my right!"

"And you're not supposed to be taking on Digimon higher than a Champion, especially not without me!"

"Just go back down there and let me handle this! Roll again!"

"First of all, you're going to bleed out if we don't end this soon," Betamon pointed out. "Second, roll to your left this time! And third, we're in this together, whether you like it or not, so hurry up and digivolve me because I'm feeling as fresh as a daisy! And roll to your right again!"

Babel smiled after they both avoided another whack-a-child attempt by Orochimon's tail. "Then let's do this. D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

Seadramon closed his jaws on the sword right before it came down on his partner and he twisted his tail in a way that enabled him to wrap around the eight heads, clamping them all together. It was clear that he wasn't about to let go any time soon but that didn't stop Orochimon's real head from wriggling around in the smothering of his other prosthetic heads.

"Looks like his own mechanical advancements became his own undoing," Babel grinned as he gripped his dagger with his good arm which also happened to be his right; unfortunately, he's a lefty so this was going to be trouble. "We have to make this count so get ready buddy!"

"Just do it already!" Seadramon growled. His strength was waning already after only a few seconds of evolution.

Babel eyed the Dark Chain as carefully as he could, weighing the weapon in his hand before reeling back, he hoped all of his pitching practice in baseball would pay off in this moment as he let go and the projectile went flying straight towards the Chain. Seadramon let go of the tail and released an Ice Blast on the dagger, encasing it in ice until it became a massive frozen javelin that struck the Chain and broke it right in two.

"Yes!" Babel cheered.

The Chain fell off and sunk into the mud just as Betamon landed in Babel's right arm.

"We did it," the amphibian huffed.

"Yeah…" Babel exhaled. "We really did…" He glanced at his right arm which looked really bad at this moment. "Yeah… We should probably check ourselves in back in Musical Marsh because we are in dire need of medical attention."

The pair turned their attention back to Orochimon who was just recovering from his dazed state and he slowly turned to them. "How did… Why am I feeling so much pain? The last thing I remember…" He gasped. "I was enslaved by that dreadful Apocalymon!" Orochimon took a closer look at the pair. "You must be a DigiDestined and you saved me! For that, I must thank you."

"No problem," Babel smiled. "But, you should really be thanking Betamon. If it weren't for him, then we'd be in serious trouble."

"I see, well, thank you especially then," Orochimon grinned which did not look appealing at all as they watched his forked tongue run over his lips. "And I shall show you my gratitude by allowing you to enjoy the insides of my stomach!"

Babel and Betamon cried out as they saw the jaws coming for them but once again, were saved by ShogunGekomon.

"Musical Fist!"

Orochimon rolled onto his back and he blinked, noticing the giant frog and the swarm of insects. "Oh… Was I the cause of your distress?"

"Yes," ShogunGekomon nodded slowly. "And now that you don't have a Dark Chain on you for us to fear, we can finally fight back. Kuwagamon, if your group wouldn't mind…"

The army of giant bugs buzzed and all started charging towards Orochimon who got the message loud and clear and was chased out of the swamp.

Babel and Betamon sighed in relief before they were taken back to the temple for immediate care. They were greeted like heroes but Babel continued to deflect most of the glory to Betamon who humbly returned it to his partner. When they were both lying in their adjacent beds, Babel with his arm wrapped in bandages and Betamon with bandages all over, the Gekomon from earlier came in.

"Um…," Gekomon croaked. "I wanted to apologize to you, Babel. You risked your life; you took on Orochimon all by yourself despite not being a Digimon."

"Babel is a lot tougher than he looks," Betamon chuckled.

"You're one to talk," Babel laughed. "You could barely speak earlier but just a few minutes later and you suddenly have the ability to waddle at warp speed and push me out of the way of a deadly sword? You, Betamon, are the real MVP."

"Thanks… I think?"

"It's a compliment."

"Oh, okay, good."

Gekomon laughed at the pair's conversation before pulling two shiny objects and placing them by Babel's good arm. "You dropped your dagger back there, it broke in half but I was able to weld it back together. And Betamon ran out without the doubloon so… I'm just returning them."

"Thank you," Babel nodded. "You're a really good friend to Betamon, you know. So I was wondering… If you could be my friend too…"

Gekomon grinned. "Definitely, just promise to visit us again."

"Yeah… I promise."

Chapter Text

Trailmon Railroad – 12:34 PM

Daisy watched the landscape run by as she stared out the window, checking her compass every so often to make sure that they were going in the right direction. Not for the first time since she left the others a week and a half ago, did she find herself thinking about how they were doing.

The intercom came on and Trailmon's voice rang through it. "The next stop will be the Floral Terminal, the last stop on this train."

Salamon looked up from the tomato bisque she had been consuming. Since it was already lunch time, the two of them had moved into the dining car to get some grub. Salamon usually takes her time with her food, but after the announcement, her eyes got wide and she slurped the rest of her soup in one go before jumping down from her seat.

"Let's get back and put our seatbelts on," said Salamon urgently.

"Huh?" Daisy blinked. "But, I haven't even finished my food yet."

"Just grab it to go! Like us, right now, we really have to go!" Salamon urged.

"Why?"

The intercom turned back on. "Now approaching… Floral Terminal."

"Oh no…," Salamon groaned.

Daisy looked out the window before her partner could stop her, though what she saw with her own two eyes certainly stopped her heart.

The train was headed straight towards a cliff wall, showing no signs of stopping, and even though she couldn't see it, she had a sinking feeling that there were train tracks shooting straight up. There was no doubt in her mind that Floral Terminal, the last stop on this Trailmon line, was at the top of that giant plateau.

Daisy pushed herself back inside the car just as the train shot upwards. The force of gravity immediately threw Daisy and Salamon against the wall. The girl was having trouble breathing, actually, she was having trouble just trying to keep her eyes open and her mouth closed. Salamon looked like a pancake squished against the wall, it didn't help that a piece of butter landed right in the middle of her head.

Both of them had gone on a number of thrilling rides on their little detour to Toy Carnival from way back when, but the speed and steep slope of this train ride was far more terrifying than any one of them.

It felt like half an hour had passed before the vehicle finally slowed down, causing the pair to slap against the floor of the train. They were both breathless and their backs were awfully sore as they pushed themselves onto their trembling jelly legs.

"I'm going to puke," Daisy moaned.

The train pulled into the station, whistled, and called for the passengers to get off before wishing them all a good day. "We hope you had a satisfactory ride with the Trailmon Corporation. Thank you for choosing us over Locomon Express."

"I am so writing them a complaint letter," Salamon huffed. "They need to rebuild the tracks on an actual slope rather than straight up! Not all of us are trained astronauts."

"The Digital World has astronauts? The Digital World has space?"

"Cyberspace."

"Of course."

The two of them wobbled out of the cart and they realized that there were actually a lot of Digimon leaving the same Trailmon. Daisy had heard that this place was extremely popular among tourists, especially recently since it's been said to be one of the most peaceful places in the Digital World at the moment, untouched by Apocalymon's Chains of evil. That meant good things for Daisy at the very least, no fighting while she was here.

"Oh my!" chimed a Floramon who noticed them. "You two don't look very well! You need to be taken to bed immediately to get some rest."

"Thank you so much," Daisy smiled weakly. "But, we don't really have much money to offer in return."

Another Floramon skipped over to them. "Nonsense! We get many visitors here who feel sick to their stomach after such a horrendous train ride up to our humble village. So we usually offer them a free place to sleep until they can get back on their feet!"

If she had been feeling well, Daisy would've sighed in relief because the last two villages they had gone to, they were given special treatment just because she was a human and therefore, a savior of the Digimon and their world. She didn't like it all that much so she was grateful to know that they weren't doing this to curry favor and it was just basic courtesy for them. But since she was totally dizzy and nauseous, she appreciated the fact that the Floramon carried her off before she blacked out on their soft petal-like hands.

Pluto's Graveyard - 12:53 PM

Shibumi had chills running back and forth across his spine as soon as he stepped into the graveyard with its perpetual starless night. Not only was it creepy but it was also the place where Dracomon explained the only ways for Digimon to die. The first is for them to outlast their several millennia lifespan and the second is to be destroyed by a Demon Lord, Titamon, or Plutomon. There was a third way which is absorbing a deleted Digimon's data but that's been a thing of the past for so long that most Digimon have forgotten they were even capable of doing such a thing.

"How do you remember?" inquired Shibumi.

"I saw NeoDevimon do it once and he explained it to me," replied the dragon. "I don't ever want to do that to another Digimon though. I don't think I'd be able to stomach it either."

"Good, I wouldn't want you to," Shibumi nodded. Though this new information about the fallen angel Digimon was definitely unsettling, he always knew that NeoDevimon had evil in him, but to learn that he was the cruel type of Digimon to keep others from being reborn made the human boy feel sick. "Who are the Demon Lords and Plutomon anyway?"

Dracomon moved towards a wilting willow tree and sat down beneath the branches, looks like it was story time. "The Demon Lords come from ancient lore, stories passed down from generation to generation about the Devils of Origin. You see, back during the Digital World's genesis, Digimon were underdeveloped and they behaved like wild beasts, only reacting on their emotions rather than thinking. The Demon Lords slowly arose out of all the negative feelings that Digimon would feel."

Shibumi nodded along to every piece of the story. He had already heard that the Demon Lords were ultra-powerful and that each represented a different sin. They were not only deadly but it is said that they cannot be destroyed; only sealed away.

"So anger became the Demon Lord of Wrath," Shibumi deduced.

"Right, but there are other stories surrounding the origin of the Demon Lords," said Dracomon.

"Like what?"

Dracomon looked around as if he was about to expose some government swine and wanted to make certain that they weren't being eavesdropped on. "Supposedly, the Demon Lords were all once normal, everyday Digimon that succumbed to the darkness spread by an evil even greater than them. I heard there's a book of legends detailing each of their stories though it's been lost for an eternity now."

"Scary," Shibumi shivered. He wondered what would happen if Dracomon would succumb to the darkness but he quickly shook the thought out of his head. It's true that Apocalymon was basically the embodiment of a lot of bad things, but he's still got many good points. He's not evil, not all darkness is evil, Shibumi had to continuously remind himself of that fact. He had to shake the thought out of his head so he turned back to his original query. "What about Plutomon, who's he?"

"A dangerous fellow, that one," Dracomon grimaced. "He's a bringer of justice, or so he claims to be, and he goes around slaughtering those he sees as the scum of the earth. In his eyes, anyone who has done a crime should be punished by paying the ultimate price. He's a cruel Digimon…"

"Are you sure Plutomon doesn't just absorb Digimon?"

"Hm… I never thought about that. Plutomon is one of the oldest Digimon in the world so it's possible that he would still retain such a skill."

That was when the name of the area came back to Shibumi, this was Pluto's Cemetery after all. So, more than likely, Plutomon probably killed the Digimon but their data never dispersed, they were simply killed like a biological being would've been. And then the monster probably buried them here since there would be no point if a Digimon's data was just dispersed into the air, forming into useless packets of data that just drifted around like tumbleweeds.

"What about when a Digimon that absorbed others gets deleted?" questioned Shibumi.

His partner shook his head sadly. "Not quite possible, once that data is absorbed it gets broken down even further and soon, it will merge with the one who absorbed them in the first place. Though, I've heard it is possible to reconfigure the absorbed Digimon if the absorber is destroyed soon after the absorption."

"We've used the word 'absorb' a lot in this one conversation."

"Of that, I am aware."

"So… There's no other way other than that for an absorbed Digimon to be reborn?"

Dracomon put a claw to his chin in thought. "I suppose… There is one other way. There is a myth that claims that the Sovereigns are capable of bringing back a Digimon that's been lost. It has something to do with this idea that when something is gone, it's never completely gone in the Digital World. There is always some portion of the data floating around in cyberspace and if the Sovereigns can get their hands on it, they can reconfigure the Digimon by compacting it along with extra data."

"...Does that rule… about something never being completely gone, do you think it applies to things other than the Digital World?"

"I'd like to think so," Dracomon nodded. The dragon rested his head in Shibumi's lap. "But if it doesn't, remember this Shibumi… We became friends here, in the Digital World, so even if we get into fights or something bad happens to one of us, remember that what we have will never disappear."

The boy softly stroked the top of the dragon's head. "Yeah… I'd like to think so too… I just wish I could…"

"Shibumi…"

Dracomon understood now that Shibumi refused to trust in promises and ideals no matter how pretty they were because there was always a possibility that it wasn't the truth. And when you discover how painful it is to never be able trust someone again, it's just the most hurtful thing for a beating heart.

But Dracomon wondered, why must everyone work so hard to make ideals and truth so far from each other? If people could just focus on the positives in their own lives and the fact that everyone is capable of love, then maybe truths and ideals can be the same thing? Why must sentient creatures make things so complicated?

Floral Terminal - 3:47 PM

Daisy awoke to the fragrant scent of rose petals and as she sat up, she realized why. The bed that she had been sleeping in was made completely out of rose petals and it felt so comfy, she wanted to lie back down and drift off to another heavenly sleep. But she knew that wasn't something she should be doing in a stranger's house.

"Salamon?" she called out.

Her partner walked into the room, happily bounding into Daisy's arm. "And here I thought you were going to sleep until dinner."

Daisy raised a brow at Salamon's uncharacteristically enthusiastic behavior. "You seem giddy."

"Floramon was about to give me a tour of the village!" Salamon explained. "And I'm giddy because I already looked outside and the sight just took my breath away! You have to come see it!" The puppy-like Digimon hopped of the bed and scrambled out of the room, with a half-tired human trailing in her wake.

"The sight of a village can't make you that…" Daisy trailed off once she stepped outside and was greeted by a friendly Floramon. But what made her stop talking was the miles of a flowers she could see in front of her, and at the end of the colorful array of petals was the edge of the plateau. They could see various areas all around for miles and it really was a breathtaking view, the azure sky spotted with fluffy white clouds, so close to the lush greens of the forests, the crystalline lakes, the snowy landscape farther north, the mountains to the east, and vast, glittering sea to the west.

"Unbelievable, right?" Salamon sighed.

Daisy wanted to say something about the beauty of it all but she was at a complete loss for words; it was then that she heard the soothing sound of a piano being played. In the center of the village, the plaza; was a Mushroomon, doing exactly that, it was meditative sound, probably played when you were trying to focus and it was absolutely beautiful.

"The Mushroomon in this village love playing that song," Floramon smiled. "They play others as well but they all give the same feeling."

"Like you're floating on a cloud at the mercy of the breeze," Daisy giggled.

If that was all to the tranquility of this village, then it wouldn't nearly be close to the reality because Daisy's other senses were starting to come alive as well. When she had mentioned the word 'breeze', she noticed that there was one blowing her way and it felt amazing on her skin and in her hair. The wind jingled some strange fruit in the trees that made wonderful chiming melody that went perfectly along with the piano and it carried along the scent from a nearby bakery, the smells of freshly baked bread and sweet honey nectar filled her lungs.

"Amazing," Salamon breathed.

Daisy couldn't believe that this place existed, untouched by Apocalymon's hand. It was like a dream come true, but her pessimism has taught her to never believe in perfection.

"How come Apocalymon or his goons can never get here?" inquired the Chosen Child.

"That's because, we Floramon, have a special attack known as Rain of Pollen," their host explained. "Every time we catch invaders trying to reach our haven, we use it to stun them and they usually end up crashing back down. Either that or our paralyzing pollen keeps them still enough for the Mushroomon to attack the Dark Chain and relinquish them from their enslavement."

"Smart," Salamon nodded.

Daisy was still a little suspicious but she really didn't want to pop her dream bubble. "So there's no catch to the perfection of this?"

"Hm…," Floramon mused. "There are many refugees that come here to avoid Apocalymon's evil and we have to turn down many of them because we can only fit so many here in our tiny village. Thankfully, our gardens are enough to provide everyone and the refugees with enough food to last us our lifetimes."

"Wow…," Daisy nodded. "You know, I never thought a place like this could exist. It almost makes you forget that the world is in as much danger as it is now."

"What about the economy of your village?" questioned Salamon.

Floramon cocked her head to the side. "Economy? Money is such a frivolous thing but we do use it to buy necessities or pleasantries we don't have in the big city. We make money by going into the big cities and towns and selling products specially made here. And while we don't charge, we often receive generous tips from tourists."

"Now I wish that I lived here," Daisy smiled. "It's so wonderful and everyone looks so friendly and happy, even the refugees!"

Salamon didn't want to, but she had to correct her partner. "Not all of them."

A small Kokuwamon was wandering the streets, looking very lost and unsure of where he should be. Many of the villagers stopped to try and offer him some of their help but he would just shake his head and continue his aimless wandering. When he was only two houses away, Daisy could hear what he was saying.

"He's asking around for his parents…," Daisy murmured.

Floramon appeared very sad too as her head drooped forward like she was wilting. "He must be the one that Cherrymon told me about. Our village elder, Cherrymon was visiting a neighboring city to see an old friend when he bumped into a Kokuwamon whose own little city was ravaged by NeoDevimon. He was told by his mother that if they ever got separated, to come to Floral Terminal because we would receive him with the warmest hospitality."

"And his mother promised to meet him here," Daisy concluded.

Salamon looked up and noticed a tear rolling down her partner's cheek. "Are you okay?"

"Huh?" Daisy blinked, rubbing away the tear. "Yeah… I'm fine."

Daisy couldn't help thinking about a time when she had gotten lost in town after being chased away by some bullies. She ended up far away from her school. Actually, far from any place that was familiar to her and she ended up sniveling in the middle of the street until a kind, elderly gentleman found her. He was able to lead her all the way back to her neighborhood using the vague descriptions she gave him about her house. It took all day but they made it back, Daisy remembered the relieved look on her mother's face that day.

"Are you sure?" Floramon went on, breaking through Daisy's flashback. "Tears are usually a sign of sadness if not accompanied by a smile."

Daisy sniffed and chuckled. "You know, if Apocalymon wasn't trying to take over this world and make everyone mindless to eliminate sentient thought, I would find your kindness a tad nauseating but now it's just refreshing." She then turned back to the Kokuwamon who had stopped just a meter away in order to keep himself from bawling his eyes out. "I think… We should help him."

"That's uncharacteristic of you," Salamon remarked.

"We can't just leave him like this…"

"But what are we supposed to do? We can't exactly liberate his entire city by ourselves."

Daisy started walking towards the Kokuwamon. "Maybe I'm being uncharacteristically hopeful, or maybe I've spent way too much time with do-gooders like Rob, but I don't want to leave him here… Not like this." She knelt down and the Kokuwamon looked up at her before she gave him a big hug. "I'm going to help, Salamon."

Salamon sighed. "Sometimes, you can be even more stubborn than Rob so I know there's no arguing. Well, either way, you can count me in."

"Can I help?" asked Floramon.

Daisy smiled. "We might need it."

Pluto's Cemetery - 6:12 PM

The graveyard was big, but not large enough for them to be stuck there for more than a day. No, as it would turn out, many of the graves did not contain corpses of Digimon, according to a Phantomon they met there, if they did, that would mean over one million digital bodies underneath their feet. The graves without corpses were not empty either, SkullGreymon inhabited those graves and they come out to play when they meet trespassers. The Phantomon that provided the earlier information was slaughtered and then absorbed which meant he was never coming back.

So, all in all, Shibumi would've been out of there already if not for taking down an army of undead and then enslaving them, and mourning the loss of a short-lived friend.

"Don't you think we should get moving?" Dracomon asked.

Don't get the Digimon wrong, he liked the friendly reaper Digimon as much as his partner did, and it was cruel for the guy to have been permanently deleted just for trying to protect them. But Dracomon did not like being in the graveyard, it gave him the creeps, especially since there was now a legion of skeletal dragons roaming around aimlessly, each sporting a shiny new Dark Chain on them.

Shibumi understood how his partner felt so he stood up from the small memorial they had put together for Phantomon and started moving again. "Dracomon, before me, did you have any friends before meeting me?"

"...I guess, there's that Ryudamon," his partner replied. "But my memory is really hazy from back then. But from what Ryudamon said, I can presume we once got along. And then this whole thing with Apocalymon happened."

Shibumi knew he created the line of coding that evolved into Apocalymon but he also knew that Dracomon was untouched by him. But when he arrived to this world due to Apocalymon's beckoning, there was Dracomon's egg, waiting for him.

"So, does that kind of make me your first friend?" asked Shibumi.

"I guess so," Dracomon nodded. "I mean, you and I both know that I don't particularly like Apocalymon or any of the others in fact. If you weren't around, I'd probably still be in Dragon Valley, getting destroyed over and over again."

"But isn't that another reason to do this? Those dragons deleted you over and over because they decided you were weak."

"Yes," Dracomon nodded. "I know, if we eliminate opinions, Digimon don't have to go through such prejudice and discrimination. But it doesn't feel right to be doing this! At least, not for me… An ideal world shouldn't be made by force."

Shibumi understood this too, and he so badly wanted to wait for a world devoid of such unfairness to be born but sadly enough, he was aware that it wasn't likely to happen in his lifetime.

Tourists that visit East Asian countries that suffer from a crime but are turned away by police, middle eastern terrorists targeting democratic countries, America mistreating illegal immigrants, and overall, every country in his world belittling those who are just a little different from the norm. A world devoid of discrimination is too far away in the future for Shibumi's taste, so he wants to make one.

"Let's change the subject," Shibumi sighed.

Dracomon nodded, agreeing to this, he didn't want to get into argument about morals right now. "Tell me about your friends back home."

"...I didn't really have any," Shibumi admitted. "For the longest time, I went to ordinary public school but when I moved in with my dad, I was pushed into an agricultural school where math, science, and English are all secondary subjects. They're still the core subjects in terms of standardized testing but when it comes to me, who didn't care about the primary subjects in that school, not many kids wanted to get along with me."

"What about your pen pals?"

Shibumi snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure they all want to be buddies with the guy who stabbed them in the back."

"Just tell me about them."

"Which one?"

"Whichever you want."

Shibumi took a second to think about it before an old conversation with Daisy came to mind. "There's Daisy, she's certainly an interesting person. Just from her messages, I was able to picture exactly how her personality was like, feisty, tough on the exterior, and very proud. She didn't like being ordered around or told what to do but it was obvious from some of the stories she told me that she wasn't as strong as she made herself out to be."

"How so?"

"Daisy was a target of bullying, she was always telling me about how some morons would go after her because she liked wearing pants and having short hair," Shibumi said, a nostalgic expression on his face though it was clear that he didn't like retelling this story. "It wasn't just verbal abuse too, she was physically harmed and harassed just for being herself but she always put on a brave face about it. But the one thing she would repeat over and over was how no one would help her."

"Not even you?"

"I couldn't… Unlike Digimon, we can't just take a Trailmon over an ocean to get to another destination."

"Oh…"

Shibumi shook his head. "It's fine. The point is, Daisy was always scared and annoyed of her bullies but never angry with them. Her agitations were always reserved for the bystanders, the people who never partook in the abuse but would never do anything to stop it either. They would just stand there awkwardly. Daisy's proud, but she even admitted to crying once, bawling and no one came to help her… It breaks my heart knowing that there are others like that too."

Dracomon made a face. "Some people just don't realize that doing nothing is basically just as bad as bullying, because they're allowing it to continue."

"Exactly," Shibumi nodded, happy to know that his partner agreed. Daisy's story was one of the several he had to justify his actions for forcing an ideal world into existence. "But… She did tell me about one man who actually helped her when she was crying, expecting nothing in return. Where rotten people exist, there are those who are not rotten as well."

Terra Power Plant Entrance - 8:57 PM

The group hid behind the hedges at the entrance of the little town. It had taken them a little over a week to make it to Kokuwamon's home which turned out to be the power plant of this continent. According to Floramon, if the Digimon here were getting enslaved, then power running to all the major cities and towns will be shut down, possibly causing a major panic.

They had to pass through Neon City in order to get here so Daisy understood what was at stake here. The metropolis runs on electricity to power all of their lights, their stores, their refrigeration units, without power, the Digimon who have no idea how else to live, could go berserk. It was obvious how dependent on electricity they were, so Daisy knew they had to do this job quick so she can save the local cities and get back on her silver key hunt.

"Is it done yet?" Daisy asked Darcmon.

Her partner had evolved a little earlier and she bought a sword while they were in the city which she sharpened and gave Daisy to use. The angel also made a few of her own personal touches to the weapon so that it was as light as the dagger Daisy uses but it was much more practical in combat.

"Yup," Darcmon nodded. "This should be tough enough to break the Chains but stay close to Floramon and keep your dagger on you at all times."

"Right," said Daisy before turning over to Kokuwamon. "You need to stay hidden. If we don't come back within an hour, you have to go back to Floral Terminal, don't worry about us." She then looked over to their flower friend. "The same goes to you, if things start to look dicey, I want you to hightail it out of there. You shouldn't have to suffer just because of my foolhardiness."

"Don't be ridiculous! I'm always happy to lend a hand," Floramon twirled.

"And that's what I'm worried about," Daisy sighed.

Darcmon took over. "What she's saying is, if we get in a tight situation; don't help us unless you are certain that there is a ninety percent or higher chance of you escaping."

"Hm… Okay!" Floramon chimed. "But just to warn you, I don't know math very good."

Daisy resisted rolling her eyes. "Great, your only flaw appears to be lack of education but your personality makes up for most of it."

"Okay!"

"Seriously… Stop it."

"Okay!"

"Enough of that friendly tone; dial it down."

"Okay!"

"You have no idea what 'dial it down' means, do you…"

Floramon paused and then shook her head sheepishly. "No… Not at all."

Daisy sighed and then stood up, tightening her grip on the hilt of her new sword so that she was ready in case a fight called for her assistance. "That's fine, don't worry about it." She scanned the area for any of the possessed Kokuwamon sentries and when she spotted an opening, the Kokuwamon they brought along tugged on the hem of her shirt. "Hm?"

"Why are you doing this for me?" inquired the young creature. "I know that it's important so that no one on the continent loses power but you didn't know that before. So, I wanted to know why you would want to help a stranger like me when it's so dangerous."

Daisy's usually hard eyes softened and she knelt down to the machine's level. "This might be a foreign term because I know it's not used very often, but what I'm trying to do is be nice. Back home, no one was ever nice to enough to offer me something to dry my tears or make me smile, they would just walk on by or stare like I was a pitiful performance put on for their stone hearts. So I know how you feel, when no one wants to help… But that doesn't mean, you have to be like them. I want to help you, selfishly, because I want to prove to myself that I'm a better person. But most of all, I want to help you, simply because I'm here and able to."

Kokuwamon's eyes sparkled as they stared into Daisy's. "Thank you…"

"Don't thank me yet," she smiled before getting up. "We'll be back as soon as we can."

Daisy found another opening in the defenses and scaled the wall, carefully throwing her body over the barbed wire at the top while Darcmon took Floramon over the other side. Floramon was instructed to stay behind them while they reviewed their plan which was to take down the main bad guy, which, according to Kokuwamon's description, should be the only Ultimate in this place and somewhere in the main control room of the power plant. After taking him down, the rest should be easy.

Daisy brandished her sword and ran into the main building and with Darcmon by her side, the two of them worked in a dance as they moved around electric shocks and punches thrown by Thundermon. As they maneuvered gracefully through the corridor, they made sure to smash their blades into the Chains, breaking them while Floramon explained to them to get out and meet a young Kokuwamon hiding out at the front gates.

As for the Chosen Child and her partner, they stopped in front of the metallic gates that led into the main control room which was supposedly huge. Now it was time to initiate phase two of their plan to save the power plant.

"It looks like you've got the hang of things," Darcmon chuckled with bemusement.

Daisy nodded. "Yeah! It seems like the trick is to think of the weapon as an extension of my own arm and move with it as if it was natural."

There was a long pause and Daisy noticed a slight twitch in her partner's right eye. "For you to figure that out and master it in no time is frightening."

"Really?"

"We'll talk about your quick mastery of a deadly weapon later."

Daisy and Darcmon nodded to each other before opening the doors to reveal the control room with its base of operations being in a cylinder in the center of the circular room. For a moment, they didn't see any enemies until they heard what sounded like a chicken squawk.

The pair looked up and noticed a stream of electricity being diverted from the mess of cables above them and into a round, rooster-like Digimon. It was huge too, about as big as Seadramon would be if he coiled up into a ball.

"That's Sinduramon!" Darcmon gasped.

Digital Analyzer: Sinduramon is the Rooster Deva and loyal servant to the Sovereign, Baihumon. His spherical armor is the toughest of all the twelve Devas so if he retracts his head and wings into the ball, it is best not to bother them. He is willing to pick a fight with just about anybody and he is known to absorb electricity from their surroundings which cause blackouts.

There was a Black Chain circled around Sinduramon's weapon, the Bao Chu on his back. And as he stopped siphoning electricity, he shot bolts towards Daisy and her partner who ducked and rolled out of the way.

"This isn't good," Darcmon muttered. "If a servant of the Sovereigns have been possessed, then that means Apocalymon is getting bolder. It won't be long before he starts enslaving stronger Digimon to join his brainwashed army!"

"I thought we knew that already when he tried to nab Titamon," Daisy scoffed. "And why is that thing so huge!"

"They're usually no bigger than a basketball but when Sinduramon absorbs electricity, they grow exponentially in size," Darcmon explained as she continued zigzagging through lightning bolts. "And since he's in a power plant, well, that's a lot of electricity to absorb."

Sinduramon remained suspended in air while firing his Positron Pulse attacks at them, making it nearly impossible for Daisy to reach him. She could scale the cylinder in the center of the room but since it was clearly made out of conductive material, she would be in danger if she did that. So it was up to Darcmon to try and break the Dark Chain.

"La Pucelle!"

Sinduramon rotated his body so that the angel's blade would only strike his armor which, true to the information they were given, wasn't even scratched by the attack. He rotated again, faster this time, using his wing to slap Darcmon across the face, sending her flying into the cylinder.

"Positron Pulse!"

Darcmon was struck with several volts of electricity, causing her to scream in pain. Daisy knew she had to do something, and lucky for her, Darcmon had pushed off from the cylinder. So the human girl pulled herself onto it, and climbed like a free running pro. Once she made it to Sinduramon's level, she swung out and let go, preparing a drop kick for the Deva's face.

But Sinduramon was just as quick as she was, retracting his head into his body, causing Daisy to fly past and now she was on a quick descent towards the metal floor. Darcmon was free from the attack from before so she quickly flew to her partner's rescue at the same time Daisy threw her sword at the Chain. Sinduramon avoided the blade with ease but not before Daisy caught sight of the little trail of lightning that followed her new weapon.

As soon as Darcmon set Daisy safely on the ground, she charged back at Sinduramon but the rooster was faster than his looks let on. The human ran for her sword and picked it back up again, her eyes focused on the airborne battle. And for a fraction of a second, her eyes widened and Darcmon noticed it.

"Baptism of Love!"

The angel performed her beautiful dance once more but once again, Sinduramon either deflected using his armor or spun out of the way. But one thing was for certain, Darcmon made sure to have a last swing bring her all the way around the cylinder, out of their opponent's view.

"Hey!" Daisy snapped, catching the avian's attention. "You must be pretty pathetic to be picking on someone a lower level than you!"

Sinduramon squawked loudly, clearly insulted by this. "Positron Pulse!"

The bird was smart, he knew that Daisy was capable of sidestepping or rolling out of the attack's range, so the overgrown chicken made sure to send bolts of lightning in a large enough area so that no matter which way she moved, she would be struck by a fatal hit. But unfortunately for Sinduramon, Daisy was smart too, and thanks to Leomon, her eyes were trained to watch everything practically in slow motion. So at the very last second, she raised her sword and stabbed it into the ground beside her before rolling in the opposite direction.

"Now!" she yelled.

Sinduramon got distracted by his attack veering a little off course and hitting the sword like a lightning rod that he failed to notice the little flower Digimon above him, waiting over the steel grate on the ceiling.

"Rain of Pollen!"

The Deva had no time to register what had happened, he just knew that he was suddenly paralyzed but since he was an Ultimate level, he could shake it off easily. But there was still one second of dulled movement for Darcmon to take advantage of.

"Servant of Baihumon, my heavenly blade shall now deliver divine judgment upon your heart. La Pucelle!" With one swing, the blade cut right through the Dark Chain, sending two pieces of a whole falling to the floor with a resounding clang. "Judgment is complete, your heart is pure, please continue servicing your lord for the benefit of the Digital World."

Terra Power Plant - 12:34 AM

"You did it!" Kokuwamon cheered, flying into Daisy's arm and spinning her around. Well, she was the one who spun.

"Yeah," Daisy giggled. "We did."

With Sinduramon's help, they were able to free the entire power plant easily, with his long-ranged attacks, he broke apart the Thundermon's Chains swiftly and since they were all thunder-attributed, they weren't harmed too badly in the process. As for the enslaved Kokuwamon, it wasn't difficult with Darcmon and Floramon's combined attacks.

"I knew you could because you said you would!" Kokuwamon laughed.

Daisy smiled softly as she hugged Kokuwamon one more time. "Just remember that just because most people won't take the time of day to help, it doesn't mean you have to do the same. Help those in need and they'll probably return the favor for others one day."

"Okay, I promise," Kokuwamon nodded enthusiastically.

Salamon yawned as she approached them, with a tired Floramon lagging behind her. They had already said goodbye to Sinduramon who took off to the western hemisphere of the Digital World to continue his job as a servant of Baihumon. But not before he issued an official apology to the Digimon of the plant of course.

"We should probably rest here before dropping Floramon off," said Salamon.

This caught Floramon's attention. "You mean, you guys won't be staying at Floral Terminal?"

Daisy gave their short-lived host an apologetic smile. "Sorry, but we have to continue our quest to find our silver key or else we won't be able to face our friends the next time we see them." She pulled out her compass which she hadn't looked at since they were on the Trailmon a week ago but when she saw the needle pointing in the direction of where they came, her eyes widened. "No way…"

Salamon looked at it and gasped. "Do you think it's back in Neon City?"

"Or maybe… It's in Floral Terminal," muttered Daisy. She shook her head at the pure irony of it all. The key was so much closer than she had thought.

"Yay!" Floramon grinned.

Chapter Text

Pluto's Cemetery – 3:43 AM

Shibumi's eyes slowly opened and the first thing he noticed was how everything looked as if he was seeing things through black-tinted glass. He couldn't remember how he got here or what had happened except for being in that graveyard. Dracomon and he had left the grounds of the dead but then something happened and now he was here.

"You're a stubborn one."

The second realization came to Shibumi when he heard that ominous voice speaking to him. He was floating in a pool of dark water, headfirst, which he realized when he had to pull his head up to look at the owner of the voice. But all he could see was the silhouette of a blurry creature; he looked like a soldier of sorts, wearing a dark cape, and a tail in the shape of the devil's.

Shibumi opened his mouth and found his voice easily enough. "Who are you? Where is Dracomon?"

"You trespassed onto my land and you choose to take my words," the figure chuckled darkly, giving Shibumi his third realization. "Your friend is fine by the way; I chose to spare him on a whim. But I can't say the same will go for you if you don't start choosing your words carefully."

"You're Plutomon…," Shibumi gasped. "I remember! We encountered you outside the cemetery and you attacked us!"

Plutomon laughed as sat down upon a tombstone, crossing one leg over the other in such a casual motion, that it was like he was having tea with an old friend rather than a prisoner. "Yes, because I had left this place for a couple of days and I come back to find a large majority of my servants under someone else's control. Tell me, would that not irk you in some way if I had done the same to you, assuming you had servants, of course."

"They attacked first! We acted out of self-defense."

"Hm, and I guess the same goes for my guard dog."

Cerberumon… The dog Digimon didn't actually do anything to provoke an attack from them, Shibumi just didn't want to go around the huge cemetery, so instead, he chose to blast his way past the sentry. So Plutomon was right about that, he shouldn't have attacked Cerberumon just because he was too lazy to go all the way around. Though, in his defense, the burial grounds are hundreds of kilometers in length and width.

"What about Phantomon?" Shibumi glared. "He lived here but those SkullGreymon destroyed him! Not only that, but they absorbed him too so he can never come back."

"I warned Phantomon," was all Plutomon had to say to that.

Shibumi decided that he didn't like this Digimon but he knew that he shouldn't make an enemy out of someone this strong. If it came down to it though, he may actually be resigned to death by this godly Digimon's hand.

"So, what are you going to do to me?" asked Shibumi.

"Hm…," Plutomon mused in faux thought. "I want to test your worth as a living being, your convictions, beliefs, and heart. This may be hard to believe, but I am not as cruel and unfair as some Digimon make me out to be."

Shibumi was told that Plutomon was denied admittance into the Olympian XII because of his cruel methods for dishing out justice. It was always permanently destroy, never ask any questions for reasoning, no room for discussion of any sort, so why would he give Shibumi this end result instead of imminent doom? What ulterior motive could this Digimon have?

The boy's eyes narrowed with suspicion. "I don't understand…"

"You don't believe me," Plutomon laughed. "I can't say I blame you, I don't even believe in my own words. But I do want to test your worth. If you are scum, I will kill you. However, if I find that your heart has at least a ninety percentage of good, then I shall set you free… on a whim, of course."

"Right… So how will you test me? We both know I can't win in a fight against you."

Plutomon didn't answer, he just gestured to something that Shibumi couldn't see but whatever it was, soon came into view. It was a cloaked Digimon and from underneath the garment, breathed a metallic skeleton torso, lightning as arms, and hands on a scythe made of pure energy.

Digital Analyzer: MetalPhantomon is a fully mechanized version of the reaper Digimon, Phantomon, which operates on an energy supply from another dimension Digital World. It is even rumored that they are simply puppets whose strings are being pulled by someone.

"I repurposed your friend," said Plutomon.

"You're…" Shibumi stared as he came face to face with the metal skull. "...Phantomon? But how? He was deleted and absorbed!"

"Do not underestimate what a god can do," Plutomon replied, bemused by the human's reaction. "And you heard the information your D-Sync gave you, right? Well, allow me to tell, all of this world's MetalPhantomon are puppets to me, I control them all."

Shibumi opened his mouth, about to say something about how wrong it is to take over someone's will when realization number four hit him hard, he was doing the exact same thing so he had no right to judge. Maybe it was because no one he knew personally had been taken under the influence of a Dark Chain, or maybe it was simply because of how friendly Phantomon had been to them when they had arrived. For other Digimon, they've been hostile to Shibumi and Dracomon but Phantomon just seemed excited to talk to someone, and not because he was lonely, but because he loved interaction of any kind.

"When one of those SkullGreymon approached us, Phantomon tried to give him a hug," Shibumi muttered.

"You feel affected by this, don't you?" Plutomon said, sounding sympathetic though the human knew that it was just part of his act. "How do you think the hundreds of Digimon feel when they see their friends, siblings, and mates taken by your creation's Dark Chain?"

"My… creation? How did you know that?"

Plutomon laughed again. "Like I said, do not think that there are limitations for a god like me. Furthermore, if you must know, you have been asleep for days, young Gorou Mizuno. And in that pool you are currently in, I learn everything about you because your memories flow to me. However, it comes at a price, as you begin to lose your memories, your body begins to rot and soon, you will be nothing but bones, sinking to the abysmal bottom."

Shibumi gasped. "What?"

The God Digimon found this entertaining, no doubt. "But you are a special case; I only received very few memories from you. You are quite strong to resist the effects of the Dark Ocean for so long. And that is the real reason why I must see if you are worthy to live your life. I want to see just how much of you is doing good and how much of you is a pawn of evil."

"You keep mentioning that test but I still don't understand what I'm supposed to do!"

"My friend, you do not have to do anything…"

MetalPhantomon raised his weapon and a small, ghoulish scream echoed through Shibumi's ear canals until he lost consciousness again. The last thing he saw was Plutomon tossing a dragon-shaped silhouette into the water. The last thing he heard was Dracomon's voice, calling out to him.

May 27, 1966: Hokkaido, Japan – 12:55

Shibumi opened his eyes to find himself in a meadow full of beautiful flowers and Dracomon next to him. For a moment, he couldn't figure out where he was until a giggling toddler skipped right past him to the only tree in this clearing. The little boy jumped into the arms of a beautiful young woman, causing Shibumi to gape in shock.

"Shibumi… Where are we?" asked Dracomon. The little guy already figured out that this wasn't the Digital World. But when he looked up at his partner for a response, he noticed that Shibumi was taking slow, zombie-like steps toward the pair of humans. "Shibumi?"

The Chosen Child's eyes watered. "Mama…?"

"Your mother?" Dracomon stared, eyes drawn back to the scene in front of them.

"Look!" the little boy squealed to the woman, holding up a small crown made out of flowers. "Papa helped me make it for you!"

The woman smiled, giggling at the sight of her son being so enthusiastic to give her this homemade present. It wasn't just any kind of smile either, it was the kind she reserved for the people special to her, the ones who can make her feel like the whole world revolved around her. It's not selfish, not when only the people who mean most can make her feel that way.

"It's beautiful," she said, trying it out on herself before laughing again at her son's ecstatic reaction to her approval. "But you know, they would look so much better on the most special boy in the world." She slowly lifted the crown off of her head and placed it on the boy's.

"But I made it for you," he drooped.

"Then I guess you'll just have to make another."

"Okay!" he brightened. "I'll go ask papa!"

Shibumi's back straightened as he knew what was going to come next, he quickly turned around and almost fell backwards when he saw the man directly in front of him. He had his straw hat shading him from the sun and that friendly smile that he wore whenever he saw his son and wife. "Papa…"

Shibumi raised a hand to reach out for his father, for the image that he had yearned for but the man just passed right through him, like a ghost.

"I don't mind helping you make another crown," the man winked, causing his son to jump for joy. "But we really should be having our picnic now if we don't want to miss lunch. Then we'll go back to making crowns. And you should make one for me too, I'll feel left out if only you two are the ones wearing flowers in your hair."

"Yeah!" the toddler nodded. "Let's make them for everyone back at the farm too!"

The man laughed as he lifted the boy into the air, spinning him around. "That's a lot of crowns, you have quite the determination!"

Shibumi wanted to cry right there as he watched his younger self laugh in a way he hadn't for years now. Dracomon wanted to say something but he knew that now was not the time, so the pair just watched as the scene continued, the family laughing and playing around like they had all the time in the world to just have fun. By the time the sun started setting, all three of them were wearing flower crowns and they had set up a camera to take their picture to save for future reference.

Shibumi had the photo image etched into his memory, of a smiling couple with their jumpy son sitting on half of each of their knees, in a way to show that they were both his. There was a tree in the background, on his father's side, and the grass was all swaying to the left. But the most noticeable thing were the flowers, despite being a black and white photo, it was like they were bursting with color. Over the years, they've faded away.

"Shibumi…," Dracomon breathed as the family started packing up.

His partner wiped away the tears running down his face. "Why did it all have to change?"

"Can we come back here again?" the toddler asked.

"Of course, Gorou-chan!" his mother replied, giving him another one of her famous smiles. "We can come here every spring if you'd like! Isn't that right, Hiroshi?"

His father flashed all of his teeth at the thought of spending this kind of quality time with his family again. "I don't see why not, Mika! Gorou, next time, why don't we take one of the horses and I can teach you how to ride out here? I promise!"

"Yeah!"

Shibumi's legs were numb from standing still for so long but he didn't care, when he heard his father's last statement, he couldn't help but stomp one foot forward and scream at the receding family. "Liar! You never kept that promise! We never came back here!" As if breaking a spell, the entire memory shattered like a glass and all that was left was a blank canvas.

"Whoa!" Dracomon yelped.

October 3, 1967: Hokkaido, Japan – 9:48 PM

The memory came back together and they found themselves in the hallway of a dimly-lit house. Shibumi knew instantly where they were when his eyes fell upon Gorou with his back against the wall, ear pointed to an open door where yelling could be heard. This was one year later and this was the first fight his parents had that he could hear.

"You said that you would make time for us this week but there you were again, trudging through the dirt as always and then tracking it inside! Do you not know how long it takes for me to get this floor spotless?" Mika screamed.

"And you have no idea how hard it is to be outside in the heat, trying to keep a roof over our heads!" Hiroshi snapped back. "I want to spend time with my family but you know how hard it's been since so many of my workers had to be laid off."

"Of course I know how important your work is…," Mika softened. "But what's more important? Your work or me and Gorou-chan?"

Shibumi stiffened and Dracomon noticed. "Don't say it," the boy whispered.

"You know how much you mean to me but sometimes, I have to put some things ahead of you."

The yelling resumed and it didn't take long for it to become crying. Shibumi wanted so badly to run in there but he knew that he couldn't do anything since no one could hear or see him in this world; they were just his memories after all. Gorou, o the other hand, did try to stop this. He ran in there and clung onto his mother's legs, sobbing uncontrollably.

"Gorou-chan!" Mika gasped. "How long were you out there?"

Gorou didn't answer that question; he just continued screaming through his sobs as he stained his mother's favorite apron with his tears. The couple put their argument on pause to cheer him up and soon, they were both holding him in his arms and shushing him until he calmed down enough to speak clearly.

"Please," Gorou sniffed. "Please, promise me that we will always be a family."

The couple looked to each other and Shibumi could see, now that he was older, that they shared a look of love and caring. "We promise you," Mika whispered to her son, with Hiroshi nodding his head beside her.

"Liars…," Shibumi choked out.

December 31, 1969: Hokkaido, Japan – 4:12 PM

The memory broke apart and came back together again, this time they were standing in a schoolyard and it was clearly wintertime with the pretty white flakes of snow falling down to the ground, none of it sticking. Shibumi knew where they were, the primary school he had gone to before transferring, when he was six years old on the day after another broken promise. There was Gorou, sitting upon a swing while watching his breath in front of him as another boy approached from behind.

"Hey, Yushima!" Komaba called out.

Gorou looked up from where he was sitting. "Komaba… Don't call me that."

"Eh? What do you mean?" the other boy stared. "Don't tell me I've been saying your name wrong for the last few years."

Gorou shook his head; he was clearly depressed and a little bit angry. "My parents filed for an official divorce yesterday so my name is Mizuno now because my mom chose to go back to her maiden name. Which is fine by me… Papa's just a big old meanie…"

Komaba's expression became sympathetic as he occupied the other swing. "Hey, don't say that."

Shibumi opened his mouth and found that his words matched exactly what Gorou's words were, probably because no matter how much older he'd get; they would always be his words. "But it's true! I… I saw him hit mama…"

"He probably just lost his temper," Komaba replied. "If he showed regret for what he'd done right after, then I think you can forgive him for that one infraction."

"Maybe…," Shibumi and Gorou said. "But it certainly won't be happening any time soon! Anyway, I'm angrier about the fact that they broke their promise to me. They said that we'd always be a family but look at us now… We fell apart in less than two years since they made that promise to me. They're such liars…"

"It's not like you guys aren't a family. I mean, sure, you live in two separate houses but you're still a family."

"Family isn't just about the bond of blood but the bond of love."

"Well, don't they love you?"

Gorou paused before nodding slowly. "But I'm not sure if I can love my papa after all of this…" He finally turned to his friend so that he could speak with him properly. "Besides, I almost never see my dad anymore and my mom started working several shifts to keep the roof over our head, so I barely see her too. When I used her argument against her, she said that she had no choice in her case, but all I believe is that she's a hypocrite for blaming papa for putting work ahead of family."

"What's a hypocrite?"

"It's someone who says one thing is wrong, but goes and does it too."

Komaba grinned, playfully hitting the other boy's shoulder. "Man, farming school really isn't for you! Sometimes I wish I had a brain like yours too."

"You've got one," Gorou said, giving him a small smile. "If you just applied yourself in academic areas, you might surprise yourself. But it doesn't matter; you have big dreams to start your own farm, don't you? Didn't you say that you wanted to build it with your own two hands?"

"Of course!" Komaba laughed. "If you've got a passion for something, then you might as well start from scratch to get the full experience!"

It was at this point that Gorou realized something, he was neighbors with Komaba but the two of them didn't go to the same school, so what was he doing here? "Hey, what are you doing at my school anyway?"

"Huh? You mean I have to have a reason to visit my friend?" Komaba laughed before settling down. "Actually, my folks couldn't pick me up so I decided to walk all the way back, that's when I saw you." He checked his watch. "I should probably get going now; you should probably go too, before you catch a cold from being out here too long."

Gorou looked down and kicked a pebble. "I'm waiting for my mom…"

"I thought she was working multiple shifts."

"She is, but I can't walk around by myself."

"You talk as if we're in the big city rather than the countryside," Komaba huffed as he got up from the swing. He took Gorou's hand and pulled him up, without letting go, he started leading the boy back towards the Komaba's residence. "Come on."

"H-Hey!" Gorou attempted to protest.

"You'll catch a cold, come on, you can wait at my house until your mom comes home from work," Komaba told him.

"Are you sure? I don't want to…"

Komaba stopped here and turned on the other boy. "Mizuno!" Gorou flinched, since this new surname reminded him of what had happened the day before and after all the trouble Komaba went through to try and change the subject. "I'm your friend, which means I have to look out for you! I promise to always be by your side, no matter what."

February 17, 1970: Hokkaido, Japan - 11:24 PM

Shibumi finally turned away from the scene, but when he turned around, he and Dracomon found themselves in a completely new place, the living room of Shibumi's second house. Gorou was seven years old and his weathered, weary mother was seated on the couch, reading her son a fairy tale storybook.

"Mama… Can you promise to always be by my side?"

"No matter what happens…," Mika smiled. At the time, Gorou hadn't noticed how weak she was. "I promise…"

Shibumi didn't think he had anymore tears to shed but he certainly felt like breaking down again as he watched his mother cough, hack, droop, and slowly decaying. It was only a month later when this promise was broken, destroyed, annihilated, and proven to be another useless word written in the sand, only to be washed away with the waves. And as his mother slowly drifted off to a sleep she would never wake up from, young Gorou just continued reading the storybook, without checking on Mika, not once.

"Wake her up," Shibumi croaked.

"...and the little girl, with her pretty red shoes…"

"Wake her up!"

"...got ready for the ball in her pretty red dress…"

"WAKE HER UP!"

"...but when she arrived, everyone laughed. Because nothing ever goes right for her…"

The blank canvas came back and pretty soon, the memories began flashing past, staying long enough for them to know what had happened in each scene.

A funeral service held for Mika Mizuno, and Hiroshi Yushima taking legal custody of his son. A promise that was made to his four year old son, Gorou, that he could do whatever he wanted when he became an adult. A promise broken as Hiroshi enrolls his son into an agriculture-centered school. Another promise broken as he gets teased by the other students and Komaba stands by, doing nothing to help. And everything crashing down on Shibumi as he sits in a classroom; with everyone laughing at him, because nothing ever goes right for him.

July 20, 1973: Shibumi's Bedroom – 2:10 PM

Hiroshi stood outside his son's bedroom door, trying to figure out whether or not he should knock, finally deciding to leave the ten year old alone. Inside the room, Shibumi found himself seated in front of a computer, talking to it, talking to him, Apocalymon.

"A game?" Gorou tilted his head to the side.

The dark figure on the screen flickered. "That's right. But you can only participate if you want to, but if you do, you'll be able to visit my world."

Gorou brightened up when he heard that. "Really? I'll be able to enter your world?" He quickly calmed down though as a million thoughts came rushing into his mind. "But I won't be able to stay for long; my dad will get worried about me."

"Do not worry, Shibumi," Apocalymon chuckled. "Time moves differently between our worlds, an hour in your world is the equivalent to a whole year in my world. You can spend years here without your father even noticing that you are gone."

"Okay… But what are the details to this game?"

Shibumi didn't have to listen because he remembered all of this by heart; he knew everything that would come afterwards. The point of the game is to create a perfect world, one where there didn't have to be discrimination, broken spirits, broken pride, broken promises, and broken hearts. It was so simple to, remove the will of the sentient creatures of Apocalymon's world and that was that, no one can argue over their differences or assault another without reason.

Gorou didn't like the idea of this game but Apocalymon reminded him of everything that went wrong for him and he became convinced. But a game with one player was no fun especially since not many can really challenge Apocalymon or the Dark Chains. So Apocalymon asked Gorou to choose five other players.

Gorou knew exactly who to choose, the five people he had met through the computer, because he knew them inside and out. And for the next few days, he became obsessed with the idea that it was his destiny to create a perfect world. During this time, Apocalymon would get things ready on his side.

Dracomon knew what happened next as they found themselves in the abyss that Apocalymon called home. He was inside an egg and Shibumi walked over to it, his presence alone making him hatch. And before long, they became friends and partners. They received a couple days head start in this game to do what they wanted around the Digital World until a Trailmon disappeared one day. When it came back, they knew that the other five players had arrived.

Let the games begin.

Pluto's Cemetery - 5:06 AM

MetalPhantomon finally stopped draining Shibumi's memories which stopped the little presentation that was happening on the water's surface for Plutomon's viewing pleasure. The human boy and his partner started waking up and the first thing they heard was the god's amused chuckle.

"You are quite jaded for such a young human," Plutomon mused. "Promise after promise, broken by your father, your mother, and the only friend you ever had."

"So what? You tested my worth, what's your verdict?" Shibumi spat.

Plutomon paced around, as if trying to figure things out, once again, just another part of his act. "What do you think, Gorou?"

"You and I both know that my answer to that question will be biased towards my benefit," said Shibumi. "I know that it's wrong for me to take away the will of innocent Digimon and Apocalymon may actually be playing me, I know both of these things. But as the stupid, sentient creature that I am, I can't help but trust in Apocalymon even with the possibility that he is lying. In the end, a world where no one has biased opinions is the closest thing to a utopia."

"If that is your belief," Plutomon chuckled. "Human beings are the ultimate paradox, aren't they?"

"What?"

"You claim to hate lies and yet you go around spouting them, especially to those other DigiDestined by saying things like how lies aren't part of Apocalymon's code," Plutomon grinned. "When a human loves a book or a television show, they wish to know the ending but they also wish it would continue forever. Humans are filled with inconsistencies, stupidity, and biased opinions. But it's not like I cannot say the same about Digimon. You want to set those things aside but once you do, what are you left with? Nothing but an empty shell, just like the MetalPhantomon you see before you."

As much as Shibumi didn't want to hear it, he knew it was the truth. By taking away their will, they take away everything that makes them a living being, leaving nothing behind.

"I…" Shibumi didn't know what to say.

Dracomon had been against the idea of enslaving Digimon since day one, but he didn't like seeing his partner squirm which seemed to be Plutomon's preference to the boy's state of being. "Shut up! It's true that what Shibumi is doing doesn't look good to us but the end result is something desirable! A world where we don't have to deal with lies and broken hearts, tears and discrimination, a world devoid of such things is a wonderful world to me!"

Plutomon didn't miss a beat. "But do the means justify the ends?"

"Maybe not… But if the end result isn't good…" A few moments ago, Shibumi wouldn't have been sure if he would mean these next words, but now that he was already starting, he didn't stop because he knew he really meant this. "Then I will destroy Apocalymon myself and free every Digimon I enslaved!"

"I see," Plutomon nodded. "You're willing to go through all of that work, and if it doesn't work out the way you hope, you will try to reverse your mistake. You are quite a noble being, and I must say, I am quite curious to see how things go for you."

"Does that mean you'll let us go?"

MetalPhantomon slowly reached a free hand out to take hold of the pair before floating back to the top and out of the water where Shibumi could now get a clear look at Plutomon. But the God was nowhere in sight, as soon as they resurfaced, he disappeared but his voice had not.

"I will set you free on one condition," Plutomon's voice laughed. "If you are able to defeat MetalPhantomon, you shall gain freedom."

"What?" Shibumi gasped.

"You mean we have to destroy him?" Dracomon questioned.

The disembodied voice laughed again. "Of course! His data will reconfigure and while it may take some time, he will soon be Phantomon again, with his own will and spirit back. Is that not a desirable end result for you?" The voice began fading away, as if the owner was slowing walking away from the scene. "I wish you luck!"

MetalPhantomon faced the pair but he didn't do anything, it seemed like he was waiting for them to get prepared before making a move. Dracomon looked behind them and noticed the massive gates which probably meant that if they won this battle, those gates would open for them and they could resume their search for the gold key.

"Shibumi, I don't think we have a choice but to fight," Dracomon informed his partner.

"I know," the boy nodded as he pulled out his two keys. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

"Dracomon Warp Digivolve to… Groundramon!"

Shibumi took a step back, almost tripping over a tombstone behind him which reminded him of their morbid location once more. "Groundramon, I know your natural environment is underground but I highly recommend that you remain on the surface for the duration of this fight."

Groundramon snarled but he obeyed his partner.

"Soul Predator!"

MetalPhantomon's sickle enlarged as it came down upon the dragon who quickly used his mutated arms to catch it right before it could sink into his skull. Despite not getting the sharp blade lodged into his cranium, the energy that the sickle was made from burned right through his scales.

The reaper wasn't done yet either, he stopped emitting energy into his weapon which changed it back to a fancy, if creepy, staff, which he spun around and hit Groundramon on the chin, sending him flying into a large tombstone, breaking it under his weight.

"Are you okay?" Shibumi inquired. He wished he could help, but he didn't have any weapons like the other five humans did and it's not like one person, running around, shouting randomly was going to be enough of a distraction for a Digimon who had only one goal, defeat Groundramon and load the dragon's data.

"I'm fine," Groundramon growled, rolling onto his feet. "Megaton Hammer Crush!"

The reptile flipped forward, using the spiked iron ball at the end of his tail as his weapon of choice but MetalPhantomon blocked it easily with his staff. The phantom twisted his body in a way that used Groundramon's momentum against him, causing the partnered Digimon to crash into the ground, the graves digging into his back. Just as MetalPhantomon made sure he was a good distance away, the energy that his sickle was made of came back.

"Grave Scream!"

Shibumi covered his ears immediately but with Groundramon on his back, he was unable to do the same so his eardrums were assaulted by the wailing screams of a banshee, destroying him from the inside out and Shibumi knew this.

"No!" Shibumi had to do something, anything to get MetalPhantomon to stop.

So he did the sanest thing he could come up which was also the craziest idea he had ever had in his entire life. He charged right into the fray of battle and when MetalPhantomon noticed him, the reaper tried to cut him down with his sickle which Shibumi avoided by vaulting over a tombstone, right over the deadly weapon.

But the human boy wasn't completely free from injury, his knee ended up scraping along the top of the grave, skinning it which wasn't too bad. He didn't even notice the stinging until he had to stop moving when his eardrums were given the full assault of MetalPhantomon's Grave Scream. But Shibumi couldn't stop now, even when he could feel blood leaking out from his ears, he continues running, staggering at the beginning, but not stopping.

MetalPhantomon was a puppet, so he wasn't capable of surprise but that didn't mean he couldn't become unsure of what to do when the human grabbed onto the hem of his cape and swung himself all the up to the Digimon's face.

Shibumi clenched his hand into a fist and before he knew it, he felt a power surging through him like never before as a burst of blue data appeared on his hand. He swung a punch and when it connected, the Grave Scream stopped and MetalPhantomon was sent flying over Groundramon's head and into the pool of dark water.

"What happened?" Groundramon wheezed.

Shibumi fell to the ground, his head hitting a tombstone but he shook off the disorientation. "Never mind that! He's in the water, dig!"

Groundramon moved close to the pool and dived into the ground, as MetalPhantomon slowly rose out of the surface, he did the same thing, but at a much faster pace. "Giga Crack!" The ground opened up and a large arm reached up, pulling MetalPhantomon down with him, slamming the reaper into the bottom before he turned around, iron sphere in air before bringing it down with a crack louder than the Grave Scream. "Megaton Hammer Crush!"

A flurry of data flew out of the abyss as Shibumi crawled over as quickly as he could. When he looked over the edge of the fissure, he found the injured and fatigued form of Dracomon lying next to… Phantomon!

"It's over…," Shibumi breathed.

Gates of Hell - 5:21 PM

"What was that just now?"

Plutomon turned away from the screen that had just given them a play-by-play of the battle that had just taken place on the other side of his graveyard. He looked down with bemused interest at the other human boy at his feet.

"Your friend unlocked his Digi-Soul," the God answered, as if that explained everything.

The boy adjusted the goggles on his head as he glared at Plutomon. He really didn't like how the god put on this air of superiority without ever implying anything to being better than anyone else; it bugged him to no end. "Okay, but what is it?"

Plutomon chuckled. "It is what connects a human to a Digimon. Basically, the heart, the spirit, the embodiment of all of your emotions are packed within the Digi-Soul. Gorou's convictions rang powerfully for the first time today and seeing his partner get hurt, well, that was just the trigger he needed to activate what has been inside of him all this time. Not many humans can do that, and those that are able to, don't usually have one so powerful."

"Whoa, back up!" said an armored Digimon beside the human. "You said it connects a human to a Digimon, what does that mean?"

"We Digimon are fascinated with emotion," Plutomon explained. "You see, back during the genesis of the Digital World, the word 'emotion' was nothing but a word. However, when a human arrived to our world suddenly, we were introduced to happiness, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust. Well, that is, the human put it into words for us."

"Wait, there were other humans aside from us?" the boy asked.

"Oh, yes, hundreds have visited our world before although none have bonded with Digimon the same way you and Gorou have," the God chuckled. "Not every human is capable of doing such a thing. Only those with a strong heart can do so."

"So, does that mean you know why my friends and I were chosen to save this world?"

"Of course, but I won't be the one to tell you. You will find such things out yourself in due time."

Plutomon was about to make his leave as it would seem that the pair he was talking to had run out of things to say. After all, he was a very busy Digimon, he had to go around delivering justice to the forsaken lands where evil Digimon terrorize the innocent and must pay with their lives. He must go back to the cruel methods he adored, not all of them are allowed the same merciful punishment as Plutomon gave to Shibumi. But just as he was about to fade away from that place, the human stopped him.

"Wait!" said the boy. "Why did you listen to me when I asked you not to destroy Shibumi?"

Plutomon tilted his head to the side, as if contemplating this question. "Perhaps it was out of curiosity. Or maybe I just wanted to see why Gorou Mizuno became Shibumi. Or… Hm… Perhaps it was your conviction that made me change my mind. It's like I said, we Digimon are fascinated with human emotion." With that, he was gone.

"Rob…," the armored Digimon called out. "We're starting to waking up."

"I know, Ryudamon," the boy nodded. "But now we know where Shibumi is. We have to go to Pluto's Cemetery."

Pluto's Cemetery – 10:11 AM

Shibumi must've passed out from exhaustion last night because when he awoke, he found himself still in the graveyard with Dracomon and Phantomon watching over him. As soon as his eyes were open, the reaper Digimon cried tears of joy and embraced the human, luckily, he didn't have a very strong grip so it didn't provoke any of the wounds Shibumi obtained the night before.

"We should get going before Plutomon comes back," Dracomon shuddered. "I know we should feel lucky that he spared us but it's certainly surprising how much we can live through before death takes hold of us."

"Can I come with you?" asked Phantomon, finally letting go of his embrace.

"But this is your home," Shibumi pointed out.

Phantomon shook his head. "But it doesn't make me feel safe, I like being with people who like me! And won't try to destroy me either. Don't worry, I'll try my hardest not to be a bother but if I start to annoy you, don't hesitate to tell me so! It'll hurt my feelings a little, but I'll appreciate your honesty!"

Shibumi chuckled wholeheartedly. "Phantomon, you are a delight to be around. Okay, you can come, but if we get into a fight, don't get involved."

"Okay!" Phantomon saluted before pulling out a second sickle out of his cloak. "Oh, that's right! Dracomon told me everything that happened last night! I don't want you to do anything reckless like that ever again, so take my spare sickle for self-defense! It's perfect for your height!"

"Are you sure?" Shibumi blinked.

"Positively!"

"But I don't know how to use a scythe."

"I'll teach you! Now let's go!"

Shibumi and Dracomon watched as Phantomon floated off with a little dance to his movement. The pair shared a look before making a silent decision right there, neither of them was to talk about what they saw in that water. Because neither of them were ready to broach the subject in real life just yet. So they were going to wait until the day that all of Gorou Mizuno can be revealed.

"Shibumi," said Dracomon. "Did you mean that? What you said to Plutomon…"

The boy didn't say anything at first, but then he nodded. "Yes, if the ideal world I create becomes a mistake, then I will do everything to change it back. But that doesn't mean I shouldn't try to achieve the world that I want."

Chapter Text

anner Forest – 10:27 AM

Janyu and FanBeemon had passed by this one strip of a forest by Trailmon two days ago and as they passed by, they noticed how the compass continued to point towards it which meant the key had to be somewhere in there. FanBeemon had told his partner about this forest. Supposedly, it cuts right through the entire continent in one giant rectangle. You can't really get lost in there but they had heard rumors that Shibumi made a pit stop there. This meant there might be some brainwashed Digimon they had to deal with first.

"Amazing," Janyu gasped in awe as they entered the woodlands. "You can barely see the tops of the trees."

FanBeemon buzzed around as he swerved around some of the trees. "Well, of course! There needs to be a lot of space here because a lot of plant, insect, and beast Digimon call this place their home. They need the room to roam and coexist peacefully."

Janyu couldn't help thinking about what Babel and Daisy had told him about the Birdramon and Saberdramon they had met several weeks back. Those firebirds were forced to destroy the homes of their friends and neighbors on the mountain by Apocalymon. The Chinese boy was also reminded of Scorpiomon, who allowed his gang of misfits to terrorize the beach he loved so much.

"Do you think some of the Digimon here ended up attacking their friends?" Janyu asked. It was barely above a whisper but FanBeemon heard him clearly.

"Unfortunately…," the insect nodded. "I don't understand how Shibumi can't see how much this kind of thing hurts innocent Digimon!"

Janyu shook his head. "I think he does realize what he's doing. Either he's trying to pretend it's the right thing, or he truly believes that the end result will justify his cruel methods to reaching that goal. I… I don't agree but I can see where he's coming from."

FanBeemon would've been horribly shocked to hear this if they hadn't talked more about the boy's past on the Trailmon ride. Janyu's ancestors and even elderly relatives had gone through several international grievances in his very own country.

It started with the Boxer Rebellion back in 1900 which was happened in northern China to stop the spread of western and Japanese influence. The foreigners took control over the country's foreign affairs and even colonized China.

Then there's the Nanking Massacre in 1937, a mark on their history in which mass murder and even mass rape occurred during the Second Sino-Japanese War. Janyu's great aunt had been there with her family when they were all mercilessly disposed of. And simply because Nanking had surrendered to the Japanese rather than fight back, it went against the invaders' strong beliefs and that's when the slaughtering took place.

Now, on a smaller scale, Janyu was being oppressed and degraded by bullies who saw him as weak and different compared to them. Shibumi must've seen the unfair history of the world, he must've gone through some sort of oppression, or else Janyu wouldn't be able to understand him the way he does.

"Your world doesn't sound like the best vacation spot," FanBeemon drooped.

"Well, not all the places in my world are hectic warzones," Janyu chuckled. "I hear Sweden and Canada aren't bad places to live. It's my personal prediction that in less than half a century, Sweden will have and hold the highest standard of living in the world."

"What does that mean?"

"It's nothing you have to worry about."

The pair continued on through the forest in silence and as they moved, they started feeling someone's eyes on them. Their sensory training really paid off sometimes and they both mentally reminded themselves to thank Leomon when they saw him again.

"Do you know what time it is?" asked FanBeemon.

Janyu pulled out his green D-Sync to check the digital clock on it which they noticed on their first day in the Digital World. They were able to figure out that the time was the same as Japan time though they couldn't figure out why.

"Not lunch yet," Janyu replied. "But if you're hungry, we can take a break,"

"That sounds like a good idea," FanBeemon nodded.

Janyu followed his partner's movement before turning around, pretending to put his things down against a tree trunk when in actuality; he was getting a visual on the shadow that quickly rushed behind a tree. The human quickly ran forward, sprinting to the left, drawing the dagger he kept on his side while his partner rushed to the right.

The pair stopped when they saw the cowering Digimon sans Dark Chain.

"You're…," Janyu started.

"A Gabumon!" FanBeemon buzzed.

The canine Digimon slowly uncovered his eyes and looked at them though he still looked rather nervous. "Please leave me alone. I… I didn't mean to follow you or anything! I swear I'll do everything Apocalymon says!"

"Shibumi…" Janyu shook his head as he sheathed his weapon. "We're not going to hurt you." He offered a hand to the beast Digimon. "And we didn't mean to scare you before. We thought that you were an agent of Apocalymon so we were a bit over cautious."

Gabumon blinked a couple of times as he got a good look of them before taking the hand. "I'm sorry…"

"You thought that we were like that other human who was here," said Janyu. Gabumon nodded. "Well, if that's the case then we can't really blame you for reacting the way you did."

FanBeemon nodded in agreement. "But don't worry! Janyu and I won't hurt you! But I have to ask, what are you doing all the way out here? There are other possessed Digimon around, don't you think you should be staying undercover somewhere? Or at least back with your family, you seem kind of young to be out and about by yourself."

Gabumon timidly nodded, his eyes locked with the ground and Janyu had to wonder if he had been like that too whenever he met new people. Once upon a time, the child had a tendency to hide behind his mother or his best friend rather than directly interact with those he was unfamiliar with. So this must be what it's like to be on the other side of an awkward social interaction with a shy sentient being full of fear.

"I…," Gabumon spoke up. "I went out to gather some medicinal herbs for some of my injured friends but then I saw you and got scared. So I started hiding but I kept watching you guys. And… Well, there aren't any enslaved Digimon on this half of Banner Forest, or at least, not a lot."

Janyu put a hand to his chin as he processed this new information. "It sounds like Shibumi didn't fully complete his job here when he came to take down Clockmon and Mekanorimon back at Ogremon Village. That would explain why we haven't encountered any enemies despite being this deep into the woods."

"We should probably take you back to your friends," FanBeemon suggested.

"How did they get injured anyway?" asked Janyu.

Gabumon slowly looked around, as if expecting an unexpected assailant to jump out and attack them if he started telling them what had occurred. "Well, you see. One of my friends, a RedVeggiemon, was enslaved and my older brother, Garurumon tried to free him. He was successful but not before taking a ton of injuries because he had to spend so much of his energy evading the Chain. RedVeggimon also got a couple of burns on him from Garurumon's Howling Blaster attack."

"I see, but at least they're both okay," FanBeemon nodded.

"True," Janyu agreed before addressing the beast. "But even though it worked out for you this time around, I highly recommend that you avoid any other enslaved Digimon, even if they are your friends. I understand how tough that can be but if you or your brother gets captured too, it'll only exacerbate the situation for others."

Gabumon looked away, as if he was ashamed of his actions. "I know…"

"Come on, point us in the direction of your friends," Janyu sighed. "While we're at it, you can pick up some herbs to treat their wounds."

Gabumon slowly started leading them in the direction of his friends which was going to take a couple of minutes according to his estimation. This gave Janyu plenty of time to reflect on how much he had grown over the course of a few months. It was certainly amazing…

Sanzo Shrine - 11:34 AM

Robert has never felt so sick of stairs before in his entire life until he started this stupid trek to reach some shrine at the top of the damned incline. Ryudamon had much more stamina, being a Digimon, but even he was starting to feel rather winded by this upward climb.

"We're... so... close," the dragon huffed before collapsing.

Robert flopped down beside his partner as he weakly counted the remaining steps to the top. "Just… It's just twenty… Twenty more steps…"

"Wa… Water…"

Robert couldn't feel his legs anymore but his arms were good at least, so he pushed himself onto his back, fished out his canteen from his bag, and took a quick swig before handing it to Ryudamon. The dragon watched the container of water drop down in front of his face and he downed the rest of it one go. Robert grabbed it back and shook it before whining about it being empty now.

"We need to rest and regain our energy," Robert muttered.

"Agreed," Ryudamon nodded. "I wonder how the others are doing."

"Hopefully, they don't have to climb up and up and up and…"

"I get it!"

The human's mind began picturing scenarios in which his other friends ended up in dangerous situations where they couldn't get out of without putting up a fight. It wasn't a fun activity so he violently shook his head but that only succeeded in hurting his noggin.

"Ow…," he groaned.

Ryudamon glanced over at his partner. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing…," Robert sighed before something came to mind. "Do you think there's anyone we should be worried about? I mean, I know everyone is tough and smart, but what happens if they bump into someone who's the same, like NeoDevimon."

"I have no doubt in my mind that Rai and Wizardmon will be able to get away because they've got magic on their side," Ryudamon answered. "Daisy's got a good strategizing brain and there's a good reason why Darcmon's known as the goddess of the battlefield. Babel is more than tough, he's fast and he's got a good arm on him so I'm sure he'll be able to help Seadramon out when they're in a tight spot. The only ones I'm not sure about are…"

"Janyu and FanBeemon," Robert finished.

"Janyu's grown up quite a bit though, hasn't he?"

"You're telling me! He used to be such a crybaby but dang! He matured faster than the rest of us."

"I bet he was always like that, it was just fear that made him cry. He just had to get over that."

"True…" Robert propped himself up on his elbows. "We can't be left behind by Janyu. I know that we're the ones who can evolve to Ultimate, but the fact is, Janyu went toe to toe with a Digimon back in Toy Carnival. Babel even has a scar on his back from Shellfish Beach and Daisy was thrown into a tree back at Digimon preschool. I don't plan on trailing behind them."

Ryudamon grinned before pushing himself to his feet. "Yeah, you're right! Everyone else took on an Ultimate by themselves on Freeze Mountain while we fought Groundramon on equal footing! This means that they're starting to surpass me as well."

Robert's usual enthusiasm was returning to him. "Why are we complaining about stairs?"

"Yeah!" Ryudamon shouted. "We'll conquer anything that gets in our way!"

The two of them, filled with newfound energy, sprinted up the remaining score of steps before making it to the top. They saw the shrine and a monk Digimon seated in front of it, meditating, but that wasn't what caught their eye. It was the sliver of dark color that stood out on her bright clothing that rang bells for them.

"A Dark Chain?" they blanched.

The monk opened her eyes and Ryudamon quickly identified her as Sanzomon, the owner of this very shrine.

Digital Analyzer: Sanzomon is a Digimon who travels the Digital World to achieve enlightenment she has overcome many ordeals on her travels. She carries no weapons for there is no need to; rather, she unleashes attacks by reciting sutras with the purified energy in her DigiCore. Despite all the power that this monk has attained, she has chosen to use them only for healing and purification.

"Okay, so that means she won't attack us… Right?" asked Robert.

It was at that moment that an ape Digimon holding a golden cudgel leapt out from the interior of the shrine and in front of the meditating monk. "You dare to disturb my master's sleep?" he bellowed. A Dark Chain glowing eerily around his waist. "I shall destroy you both for your impudence!"

Digital Analyzer: Gokuwmon is said to have been born within the magma of Boot Volcano. He became the student of the renowned Sanzomon who placed the Kinkoji on Gokuwmon's head as a way of restraining him from using excess energy in the reckless fights he gets himself into. He is a master of martial and magical arts and his weapon, the Nyoikinkobou can extend for miles. This weapons also fires a lightning cannon when connected and as powerful pistols when split in two which shoot lightning bullets.

"Oh, good, she has a bodyguard," Robert groaned before straightening his back and pulling out his two keys. "Let's go Ryudamon!"

"Ready when you are!"

"D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

Banner Forest - 11:37 AM

"Did you feel that?" FanBeemon asked his partner.

Janyu turned away from Gabumon who was a little ways away, collecting herbs for the medicine, over to his partner. For a moment, the boy didn't have a clue as to what the insect was referring to but then he felt it too, the sudden drop in temperature and the eerie silence that was somehow suffocating. He recognized this feeling but he couldn't quite put his finger on it.

"Yeah," Janyu nodded. "It feels dangerous, we should probably get away from it, whatever it is."

FanBeemon agreed so they called Gabumon back to them. But when they told him that they should probably reach their destination through another way, the canine seemed stunned and worried. He dropped the various plants in his arms and started running in the direction of his wounded friends.

"Wait! Gabumon!" the pair shouted as they pursued him.

As they got closer, they realized the presence they were feeling, the heavy aura of darkness that penetrated through even the brightest of light. "NeoDevimon," Janyu hissed as he grabbed Gabumon and pulled him down, covering his mouth.

FanBeemon landed on his partner's head and the human silently moved in a little bit closer, peeking through the bush they were using as cover.

"Howling Blaster!" "Chili Pepper Blaster!"

Janyu didn't have to leave their cover to feel the heat from these two combined attacks, and judging from the muffled cries coming from Gabumon, the voices belonged to his brother and friend. And it would seem that the one they were attacking was NeoDevimon, just as they expected, who deflected the pair of attacks with his claw.

"Such a pathetic display," NeoDevimon laughed. "Neither of you are even fit to be my footstools but I suppose I have no choice but to place these pretty collars on you." He raised a Dark Chain, swinging it around like it was a whip which seemed to succeed in frightening Garurumon and RedVeggiemon.

Janyu wanted to help the pair, really he did, but he had made a promise with his friends that he wouldn't jump into a reckless fight with a low chance of victory. Against an opponent like NeoDevimon, there was no way he would be able to save the victims while keeping that promise. He wondered, for a moment, if this was a conflict Shibumi had with broken promises because if Janyu broke this promise, there was no guarantee that he would survive like Rai and Wizardmon had that time in the Desert of Emptiness.

"We can't fight him," Janyu shook his head.

"What?" Gabumon gaped. That was when the canine was able to get out Janyu's grip and he rushed out of the bush despite their protests. "L-Leave them alone, NeoDevimon!" The demon stopped moving and laid his six eyes on the Rookie. "Y-You're j-just a big bully! Blue Blaster!"

Janyu stared at the scene before him, too stunned to move. Gabumon was clearly mortified at the prospect of challenging a foe as powerful as NeoDevimon, yet he was standing up to the fallen angel with all the courage he could muster, for the sake of his friends.

NeoDevimon didn't even flinch from the stream of blue flame but he was obviously amused by Gabumon's attempt at a rescue. "My, my, it seems there was another weakling here. Tell me, doggie, are there more hiding somewhere?"

Janyu stiffened and FanBeemon pressed down on his partner's head.

"No!" Gabumon sniffed loudly. "There's no one else!"

The human was stunned once again. He had told Gabumon to leave things like fighting Apocalymon and his army for the Chosen Children, but when it comes time to do such a thing, Janyu cowers in hiding. But here was Gabumon, taking the devil head on despite the fear and to make the guilt feel worse, he was even keeping Janyu a secret even though the boy just indirectly stated that he wouldn't be coming to Garurumon's and RedVeggiemon's aid.

"Gabumon! Get out of here!" Garurumon snapped. "There's no need for you to get caught up in this too!"

"Yeah!" RedVeggiemon nodded vigorously. "You're still a kid! Don't throw your life away for us!"

Gabumon didn't even turn to look at his friends and his resolve didn't weaken, rather, it seemed to have gotten stronger. "No! You guys would stand up for me in any situation so I want to stand up for you guys! We're in this together!"

"Who am I kidding?" Janyu muttered as FanBeemon waited for his partner to spur into action. "I haven't grown up at all on this journey despite all the history I've gone through." NeoDevimon started approaching the trio with the Dark Chain held out. "Or at least… I haven't grown up completely."

NeoDevimon's facial expressions are difficult to decipher but it was clear that he was surprised when a human boy sudden appeared in front of him with a buzzing, android bug in front of him. Waspmon immediately shot his lasers at the Chain which broke in half and Janyu rolled forward, grabbing onto each end of the Chain and twirling them around his forearms, making pretty decent gauntlets. He jumped forward and threw a punch at NeoDevimon's gut with as much of his strength as possible which actually seemed to damage the fallen angel.

"Oomph…," NeoDevimon exhaled as he took a step back. "I see that your time in Leomon Village was well spent for you mongrels."

Janyu took on an offensive pose with Waspmon hovering right over his right shoulder.

"Why did you…?" Gabumon blinked.

"You just stood up for us," Janyu answered without turning around. "And you stated that your friends would stand up for you if the situation was reversed. Well, I consider myself as your friend and I'm going to stand up for you."

NeoDevimon straightened his back. "Hmph, and Shibumi told me that you were going to be the crybaby of the group."

"Oh, I am," Janyu replied with a little smile. "So what do you think that tells you about the others?"

Waspmon dropped the herbs that Gabumon had left behind back into the bipedal Digimon's hands. "Treat your friends' wounds; we'll try to finish this fight as quickly as we can. Just be sure to get away as soon as you're ready, even if we're not."

There was no time to argue so Gabumon quickly started on the medicine while the DigiDestined and his partner started leading NeoDevimon as far away from the group as possible. This wasn't going to be easy. But what did that matter when someone needed saving?

Sanzo Shrine – 11:40 AM

Gokuwmon split his weapon into two, holding them like twin pistols and started firing them at Robert who held up the Legendary Dragon Blade and deflected as many of the bullets as he could while avoiding the rest. Hisyaryumon, in the form of the blade, reminded Robert that he could still feel bullets even in that form.

"Sorry," Robert huffed as he ran forward.

Gokuwmon put his staff back together and used it to extend forward which Robert was able to narrowly evade by sidestepping it. Before the staff could retract to its original size, Robert hitched a ride on it and got as close to the ape as possible before swinging the sword.

Gokuwmon arched his back as the blade sliced off the fur on his chin but what he didn't expect to happen was for the weapon to continue flying backward. He swung his head back and was only able to stop himself within a centimeter of beheading himself as he found Robert's unsheathed dagger at his throat and a dragon at his back.

"Every Direction Wheel!"

From Hisyaryumon's orbs came omni-directional rays of light that all pointed to the Dark Chain at his waist.

Unfortunately for them, Gokuwmon was quick and strong as he swung Robert right off his weapon and then leapt over the beams of light which nearly struck the human instead. Gokuwmon then landed above Hisyaryumon, on top of a bunch of clouds that he had gathered from the vicinity. But he wasn't done with his tricks as he used his Secret Technique: Waking Shadow attack which produced a series of afterimages that made Digimon and partner think they were under attack by a horde of Gokuwmon when in reality there was only one to worry about.

"Super-Electrified Lightning Cannon!"

Hisyaryumon had been so focused on the fake doppelgangers that he failed to notice the powerful electric cannon from right above him. An explosion of energy exploded out of the cudgel and Robert was nearly blown away from being close by.

"Ryudamon!" Robert gasped when he saw his degenerated partner lying in the dust.

Gokuwmon jumped off the cloud and landed beside his master. "Hmph, a human and a digital pet are no match for I, Gokuwmon!" He raised his weapon up for one more charged cannon attack as he pointed it at his fallen targets. "I shall destroy you for Lord Apocalymon!"

Another Lightning Cannon, but this time, with no afterimages to distract them, Robert was able to pick up his partner and roll out of the way. He then reused his bronze evolution key and Ginryumon was suddenly by his side.

"Why didn't you evolve me further?" asked Ginryumon.

"I have a plan," Robert told him. "Even as Hisyaryumon, he's too fast for you. It's better to have your armor and plus, I'm going to need something from you as Ginryumon." The dragon listened to his partner's strategy before opening his mouth and showing the end of a weapon which Robert pulled out with ease, a spear. "Gokuwmon, there is so much more potential in a human then you think there is and I will show you!"

Gokuwmon looked like he wanted to laugh. "Do you really think that a spear will change your chances of victory?"

"We'll see," Robert grinned.

The ape wasn't stupid; of course, he was well-aware to never underestimate an enemy, especially if they seem to have come up with a new plan of attack for themselves. But he wasn't sure what to expect from these two foes, especially not when Ginryumon took several steps back and gave the floor over to Robert.

The human sprinted at full speed towards Gokuwmon who immediately broke his two weapons and started firing them as pistols. But the beast man failed to notice one crucial detail, Robert wasn't holding the spear with the blade end pointed at him.

As soon as the first few bullets were a mere inch from making contact with Robert's body, the boy stabbed the ground with his staff and pole vaulted over the remainder of the attack. Gokuwmon's eyes were glued to the human boy flying over his head that he had nearly forgotten about the other enemy who was charging straight through the lightning bullets with his armor deflecting them like they were flies.

"Battle Rod Break!"

With one powerful thrust, Ginryumon bashed his armor-plated head right into the Chain and it shattered. Gokuwmon fell backwards and for a moment, he was completely stunned by the fact that he just lost to a human and a Champion. But it quickly cleared away as he realized he was free from the hold of darkness.

"You are… quite an impressive child," Gokuwmon remarked with a smile.

Robert chuckled. "You're not too bad yourself."

They then turned over to Sanzomon who had watched the entire battle with her own eyes but she hadn't moved an inch. But it was strange, she didn't seem like she was going to be attacking them any time soon. As a matter of fact, she didn't seem like she was under Apocalymon's control at all.

"Thank you, human of legend, for saving my student," said Sanzomon. She slowly stood up but the Dark Chain didn't fall, she just walked over to Robert and asked him to break it with the spear in his hands and right after he complied, there was another pair of shattered Chains on the ground. "I had visions that you would come and save us from the hold of evil though I had doubts as to whether or not you would truly be able to defeat Gokuwmon."

"Master," Gokuwmon broached. "Why weren't you under the influence of the Chain?"

Sanzomon could tell that the visitors were wondering the same thing. "The more powerful the Digimon is in heart, the more unlikely will the Chain be to possess them. The Olympos XII, the Sovereigns, the Legendary Warriors, and the Royal Knights fall under this category. However, if the Chain was to be put on them and stay there for an extended period of time, they will suffer the effects of it."

"I see," Robert nodded before a thought struck him. "The Digimon partnered with the Chosen Children, could it be that they were chosen because they are strong in heart?"

Sanzomon laughed, it sounded like gentle wind chimes. "Yes, you are correct. Ryudamon and the others are very firm with their beliefs so it is not impossible for them to be brainwashed, it is just highly unlikely and time-consuming."

"Maybe that's what happened with Dracomon!" Ryudamon gasped.

"You're right," Robert agreed.

Gokuwmon suddenly started growling at the mention of the other dragon Digimon. "He and his human partner were the ones who had enslaved me and my master! They were here just the other day when it happened!"

Robert's eyes widened. "You mean they passed through here?" This meant they were getting closer.

Sanzomon nodded. "I can point you in the right direction. However, first, I must tell you, a very close friend of yours is in danger. He is currently locked in combat with a terrible beast and I am afraid that he will lose this battle."

"...Who?"

"Janyu Wong is fighting against NeoDevimon."

Ryudamon was stunned by this revelation but Robert just laughed.

"That guy again?" the boy shook his head. For all the mystical front that Sanzomon had put up, this one little action brought her out of it since it was the one reaction she hadn't anticipated from the Chosen Child. "You're wrong, Janyu will win this fight."

"Why?"

"Because he needed my help last time and like me, he doesn't plan on getting left behind by anyone."

Banner Forest - 11:41 AM

Janyu remembered the day he arrived in the Digital World, how he had just received a short pummeling from his classmates and he had to fix up his glasses with some tape. Sorcerymon was able to fix them using his magic when they had arrived in Magic Village though. But that wasn't the point, the point is that he hated being put into those tai chi classes, he believed there would never be a practical use for them. Well, he was wrong, very wrong because right now, those skills were keeping him alive.

"Guilty Claw!"

The boy whipped out the Chain on his right hand, catching onto a branch overhead and pulled himself up, narrowly avoiding the claw. He then flipped himself back to the ground just as the other claw came crashing into tree, causing it to fall down with a heavy crash behind him.

"Bear Buster!"

NeoDevimon raised his palm and blocked the attack but he seemed surprised because it actually burned a little. The attack itself barely fazed him, but to think that he could actually be scorched by a Champion never occurred to him.

The fact that someone below his level could hurt him angered NeoDevimon. "Stun Claw!"

Waspmon zipped out of range from the attack before coming back around to NeoDevimon's behind. "Turbo Stinger!"

The fallen angel snarled when he felt the multiple stings running along his back so he turned back around to see Janyu charging at him with another punch ready. But the demon was faster; he quickly changed from his physical form into the untouchable form of shadows, passing right through Janyu and behind Waspmon.

The android insect barely had time to register this change when he was backhanded and thrown against a thick tree trunk.

"Guilty Claw!"

"Gah!" Waspmon choked out when the hand was wrapped around him, the claws digging into his back, slowly breaking apart his data bit by bit. NeoDevimon was going to crush him like the bug he was if his partner didn't do something quick.

Janyu charged forward with the makeshift gauntlets and clasped his hands together before jumping, he was going to come crashing down like a hammer on NeoDevimon but once again, their foe was just one step ahead of them.

NeoDevimon reached out with his other claw, without even having to look and nabbed Janyu. He then turned his head around so that all six of his glowing eyes were focused on him. "I was unable to kill your friend all those days ago but I saw the fear and desperation in your eyes when you believed I had. The fact that you no longer retain that expression when facing me is irksome, nauseating, insufferable! I want to see that face again! I want to see you squirm in your nightmares!"

"Leave him alone!" Waspmon hummed but that only made NeoDevimon's grip tighter. "Ack! J-Janyu!"

Janyu's pupils flew to his constricted partner. "Wasp…"

"Deep Sorrow!"

Janyu's Nightmare – 11:43

"Janyu?" Daisy called. She found the boy crouched down beside the stream, watching the surface as if he was searching for something in there. "There you are! Come on, everyone's going to start eating dinner without us if you don't hurry up."

The boy paused. He looked around, desperately racking his brain as he tried to recall the immediate events that had happened before because he couldn't seem to remember. "Uh… Right, okay. What are we having tonight?"

"We couldn't find much," Daisy confessed. "But Betamon caught a lot of fish so I guess it'll be a seafood platter tonight."

"Four nights in a row, huh…"

"Yup, it's a good thing there are a lot of sources of water in this world."

The pair made it back to their campsite where the others had been waiting for them with fishes at the fire. Janyu and Daisy sat down and while the other immediately started digging in, the former was just noticing that something was off here. Robert was still cheery and enthusiastic about everything as always and Babel was humoring their unofficial leader with offhanded witty remarks. All of their partners were all normal too, stuffing themselves to the point of exploding, except for Salamon who was as patient as always to receive her fill. But someone was missing from here.

"Where are Rai and Candlemon?" asked Janyu.

The entire group suddenly became quiet and the normally optimistic members of their group were dead silent.

"Did you hit your head? You seemed a little dazed earlier, maybe you've got a fever running," Daisy inquired, her voice was laced with concern. She reached over and pressed a hand to the boy's forehead but he pushed her away.

"Guys, I'm serious," Janyu stated firmly. "Where are Rai and Candlemon?"

Babel suddenly shot up, looking incredibly insulted. And that was when Janyu noticed that the older boy wasn't wearing his cap. "Janyu, man, this isn't funny!"

"I hate to say it, but I agree with Babel," FanBeemon remarked although he was worried too.

Janyu was starting to get scared. "What's going on?"

Finally, what felt like a tense twenty seconds of no one making a move whatsoever, Robert decided to answer the bespectacled boy's original question. "Rai and Candlemon are dead; they were killed by NeoDevimon a month ago. We held a funeral service, remember?"

Janyu couldn't believe what he was hearing and he didn't want to believe it. "No! W-We were all together! Sorcerymon got us out of that situation and Wizardmon got Rai to safety too! And then we got into this big argument and split even further before rejoining altogether and fighting Shibumi! W-We trained together at Leomon Village! All of us, including Rai!"

Betamon spoke up. "All of those things did happen."

Salamon shook her head. "Except for the part where Rai is alive."

Janyu wanted to yell at them more, they were all lying to him but why? He knew, he remembered. He wanted to bring up more memories concerning Rai like the one where they all held their hands out to her in her…

"Nightmare…," Janyu whispered, completing his thought. His surroundings cracked like a mirror before falling apart, he was waking up and he knew it. "NeoDevimon…" He clenched his fists tightly. "The same trick…"

Banner Forest - 11:44 AM

"...It won't work on me twice!"

NeoDevimon staggered backwards, accidentally releasing Waspmon as he used his claw to cover his face where a crack was revealing itself in his mask. Janyu was breathing heavily and he felt something wet in his hand, he looked down and noticed that his fist was bleeding. He had punched NeoDevimon right in the face but how did he even get out of the fallen angel's grasp in the first place?

"Gabumon! You guys saved Janyu!" Waspmon gasped.

Janyu turned around and saw their new friend running towards them with a still hurt Garurumon and RedVeggiemon following right behind him. And now that Janyu was able to focus again, he noticed a burn mark on NeoDevimon, on the arm that was used to hold him which meant that it was thanks to these guys that he had been freed.

"That is some perfect timing," Janyu huffed, a smile appearing on his face.

NeoDevimon slowly let go of his face, a chip falling from his mask and finding itself lost in the fallen leaves on the ground. The entire group inhaled sharply when they caught a glimpse of the beast's true face, pale gray skin and a wide, black smile.

"You shouldn't have done that, you insolent child!" NeoDevimon bellowed. His composure and calm, the sophistication that he usually displayed in front of them was completely gone now that part of his mask was. "I will make you pay for what you have done! I will rip you limb from limb, keeping you alive only so you watch me eat you piece by piece!" Each word rang with malice and each syllable seemed to make the entire forest shake. "Guilty Claw!" The attack ripped trees out from their roots and the stray leaves were blown in every direction, it was like seeing the inside of a miniature hurricane in the shape of a fist rocketing towards them.

"Look out!"

Waspmon immediately pushed Janyu out of the way of the claw which tore into his side, bringing him right back down to FanBeemon. The human quickly got away from the other Digimon, knowing that he was the target so he had to make sure no one got hurt for his sake.

"Stun Claw!"

This was NeoDevimon's weaker attack and yet it did the same damage to these woods and Janyu tried to run away from the claws of his assailant. He ended up tripping over a root and tumbling into a tree, he was only able to move just a little bit before the claw grazed his side, making him bleed for the second time in just a matter of a couple seconds.

"Agh!" Janyu grunted, one hand clutching the wound, trying to keep himself from bleeding out.

NeoDevimon started walking towards the cornered boy and everyone else was too petrified to move. "How…?" the fallen angel snarled. "How are you able to have so much power even though you are only a human? A child no less!"

Janyu narrowed his eyes despite the intense pain he was in. "Humans are so full of potential, you can't even imagine just how powerful they can be but it all depends on their convictions and their heart. That's why none of us agree with Shibumi, because despite these things making people do wrong, there are so many others who are able to use their potential for good! But it's more than that… I… I want to get stronger because I can't… no, I won't be left behind by the others!"

"Foolish!" NeoDevimon roared. "Guilty-!"

Janyu shut his eyes but nothing happened to him. When he reopened them, he stared at a pointed claw that was just a mere millimeter away from impaling him. It was obvious that not hitting his target was not part of NeoDevimon's plan as evident by his struggling against a chain that had appeared and was holding him back. Behind the demon was a tear in the air, a black portal where the chain had come out of, Janyu assumed.

"NeoDevimon," a dark voice said from the portal. "If you continue with your mask as it is, you will lose control and destroy all of Banner Forest. You are in dire need of repairs." NeoDevimon was slowly being dragged into that other world by the beckoning of that evil voice that sent chills running down everyone's spines.

NeoDevimon sent one last spiteful look at Janyu. "I shall get my revenge on you, boy, mark my words." And with that, he was gone.

Janyu wasn't sure what had happened but he was grateful for it all to be over. He would question everything once he regained consciousness, yes, that is what he decided as the world around him became black.

The next thing he knew, he had awoken on a bed made of leaves, being treated by Gabumon. Beside him was FanBeemon who was in need of medical attention as well.

"Why did Apocalymon stop NeoDevimon from destroying us?" Janyu weakly uttered.

"Who knows?" Gabumon shrugged as he applied some foul-smelling ointment on the gash on the human's side. "My guess is that if NeoDevimon's mask remains broken for too long, he will go berserk and go on a reckless rampage. A valuable servant like that could get destroyed by someone strong enough so I suppose Apocalymon didn't want that."

"But if Apocalymon could do that weird portal thing…," FanBeemon frowned. "Why didn't he ever use it to kidnap us or destroy us?"

"Maybe he can only use it on his servants, they may have something embedded into their code that gives them a connection to Apocalymon's home," Gabumon answered. "Whatever the reason, I don't think you should look this gift Unimon in the mouth. You two should rest…"

Janyu did feel really tired right now, sleep sounded like a great idea. "Yeah… Thank you again, Gabumon. I'm happy to call you my friend… And you know? You were really brave."

The last thing Janyu saw was a smile gracing Gabumon's face. "So were you, Janyu," was the last thing he heard.

Chapter Text

Hell's Trail – 12:12 PM

Robert spun the spear in his hand as he charged forward; Gokuwmon evaded the attack with ease before appearing behind the boy and sweeping his feet out from under him using his cudgel. The human received a face full of dirt as his spear landed in front of him.

"Ugh, I can't master it!" Robert groaned.

Gokuwmon scoffed as he tossed Robert's dagger into the air. "Well, this small thing isn't going to save you if you get caught in a tough situation. That spear is the best thing you've got for self-defense and seeing the way your grip it, I can already see that you have the potential to be a true master."

The boy had wanted to learn how to use a proper weapon so that he could keep himself safe if Ryudamon was ever busy in a fight. Sanzomon also advised him of this because she could see his other friends and Shibumi learning how to fight for themselves, using brand new skills that they were picking up rather than just the ones they were taught by Leomon. And that's when Gokuwmon offered to teach him how to use the spear. Robert didn't refuse; he wanted to walk on the same ground as everyone else, after all.

"This is much harder than free running," Robert sighed.

His teacher rolled his eyes. "Then hold on to those teachings. You act as if once you learn the way of the spear; you won't have any use for the other skills you have gained."

"Well if I learn how to fight, I won't need to run."

"You're thinking too narrowly."

Ryudamon woke up from his nap and he groggily lifted his head, staring at his partner and Gokuwmon. He wished he could teach Robert but even though he is able to produce such weapons from his own body as Ginryumon, he is still completely clueless when it comes to actually using one in battle. But he had faith that Robert could learn, even if Gokuwmon wasn't the most patient of instructors.

"Another thing, you're too loud in your approach."

"Well Rai's the only one who aced the stealth exam!"

"You're also too loud in general."

"Hey!" Robert yelled.

Gokuwmon unplugged his fingers from his ears. "I rest my case."

Robert wanted to master his weapon as soon as possible but he knew that the longer they remained in one spot, the farther away Shibumi was getting. He walked over to his fallen spear and picked it up. "Okay, let's try this out one more time and then we'll break for some lunch."

Ryudamon stood up. "I'll start foraging for some grub!"

"Are you sure?" Robert blinked. "Shibumi passed through here, there could be enslaved Digimon lurking around."

"I'll be extra careful," Ryudamon promised.

Robert was a little reluctant to let the dragon leave their campsite on his own but Ryudamon was swift and nimble. If the Rookie ran into trouble, he could run back to camp for some evolutionary help. "All right, but come back here as fast as you can if you get yourself into a dangerous situation."

"No worries."

"I hope not."

Gokuwmon swung his staff, nearly taking out Robert's head if he hadn't ducked at the last second. "Don't let down your guard!"

"Don't nearly kill me!"

Ryudamon snickered before silently wishing his partner luck though he believed that Robert didn't need it. He believed in Robert even if he wasn't competent all the time. For now, all Ryudamon had to focus on was getting lunch ready. And as he was going to do that, his mind ended up trailing off to his early memories.

Dracomon and he barely knew each other but they were in the same situation. In Dragon Valley, abandoned Digi-Eggs were somewhat of a delicacy and if no one was going to take possession of them, they were often eaten. Dracomon's and Ryudamon's eggs were two of the lucky ones as they were never in range of a hungry, rampaging, overgrown lizard. And somehow, they hatched near each other at the same time. Automatically, the pair registered the other to be their sibling.

They ate the nearby plant and any prey they could lay their teeth on. Once they were both old enough to walk on feet, they traveled to a nearby tribe together.

But weaklings were not welcome there, or in most tribes down in the Valley. They were challenged and told that if they lost, they would be deleted. If they won, they would be free to come and go as they please from the tribe.

Over and over again, they were deleted by a variety of Digimon, Tuskmon, Airdramon, Cyberdramon, Tyrannomon, they were relentless and ruthless, exactly how they were brought up to be. Every time the brothers were deleted, their data would float to the top of the Valley, wanting to go to Primary Village or the Tree of Beginnings, but the data never made it before returning as an egg and rolling back down to the bottom.

Time and time again, they were safe from being eaten in their vulnerable forms as eggs. And every time they hatched, they would register the other as brothers. Until one day, Ryudamon was reborn alone.

"What happened to you?" Ryudamon whispered. "The one with Shibumi... It must be him."

Translate Mountain Base - 12:21 PM

Dracomon popped his head out from the top of the tree line as he stared at the top of the volcano that was said to bring about languages from all over the multi-verse right into your own lungs once you breathed in the smog. It shouldn't even be called a myth since it's already been proven to be true. A Fugamon tribe once walked in and then came out speaking in a tongue that was unfamiliar to most everyone yet they could understand each other.

The dragon hoped that he and Shibumi wouldn't end up speaking an entirely different language from other Digimon once they went up there. According to the compass, Apocalymon has hidden their golden key in that volcano.

He heard the clang of metal and he quickly scurried back down to the bottom where he saw his partner swinging the sickle and blocking every slash that Phantomon made for him. Phantomon was swift and he could turn himself invisible, disappearing and reappearing all over Shibumi but the boy had trained his senses well and was able to block every attack with relative ease.

The sparring came to an end when Shibumi made a sweeping motion with his weapon, the point stopping just before piercing Phantomon's throat.

"I'm impressed," Dracomon chuckled.

"Ooh, I am too!" Phantomon nodded enthusiastically. "You're really good with the scythe, better than I am even! You sure do learn fast!"

"I have a great teacher," Shibumi smiled as he smoothly moved the scythe to his back where the blade slid into its sheath.

Phantomon started clapping his hands with glee at being complimented before hiding his own weapon into his cloak… somehow. He didn't even seem fazed by the fact that he had been so close to death in a sparring session. Shibumi had to say, he was actually pretty nervous himself when he almost murdered the Digimon but he was so grateful he was able to stop himself though he felt a little wobbly.

"We should probably head up the mountain before it gets dark," Dracomon advised his partner.

Phantomon drooped a little. "Aw, but I was hoping we'd get to eat lunch."

As if it was scripted, Shibumi's stomach growled. "Yeah, I could use some grub too. What about you Dracomon? You haven't really eaten in a while either."

Dracomon agreed so the three of them got a fire going and then unpacked the meat apples that were stored in Shibumi's bag. As they waited for the 'fruits' to be cooked, Phantomon was rapid-firing random questions about humans.

"Do humans have to pee?"

"Um… Yes."

"How many languages are there in the human world?"

"I think over three-hundred."

"Do humans have nipples?"

"What kind of question is that? And yes… Wait, do Digimon?!"

"Most do."

And then the queries started becoming a little more personal. "What are your other human friends like?"

Shibumi didn't say anything but he didn't seem unnerved by this question. Phantomon, on the other hand, believed he stepped on a landmine when Shibumi suddenly became quiet. The specter glanced over at Dracomon who shook his head in the slightest of manners before indicating, with his pupils, to ask Shibumi about something else.

"Um… Well…" Phantomon struggled for another question which was odd since it seemed like he had a million of them. So instead, he decided to try something else. "Sorry, I didn't mean to strike a nerve or anything. I shouldn't have brought it up."

"No," Shibumi shook his head. "You were just curious, I get it." The boy smiled a bit, he couldn't help wishing that the people of his world were more like Phantomon. Someone who didn't make snap judgments about anything and was sweet to everyone he met, even if they were out to enslave their entire race. "It just caught me off guard. And… Well, I don't have any human friends. I used to have a couple but complications arose."

"What about the DigiDestined?" asked Phantomon.

"I'm their enemy… I don't consider myself their friend," Shibumi snorted. Well, not anymore, anyway.

The ghost tilted his head to the side. "Just because you don't, doesn't mean that they don't consider themselves to be your friend."

"Why would they?"

"You never know." Shibumi didn't reply, he just took the three cooked apples and passed them around to his comrades before putting three more by the fire to be roasted. But Phantomon wasn't about to let this go so easily. "Tell me about one of them."

Shibumi took a bite, savoring the taste of beef before thinking about it for a moment. "Robert is incredibly headstrong and stubborn, but he can be extremely sweet at times even if he's a little bit naïve. He's actually kind of like you, Phantomon, except that he has a short temper and usually expresses his emotions with rowdiness. Even through a screen, I could tell that."

"He's seems interesting," Phantomon nodded encouragingly.

"Yeah," Shibumi smiled, nostalgia taking hold as he thought about some of his conversations with the other boy. "Out of all of them, he was the only one who didn't talk about the negative things going on in his life or the unfairness of life. Well, that is until his parents decided to move to London abruptly. That day, he just complained and complained. It was kind of annoying but also kind of amusing." The smile vanished and was replaced with a frown. "And then I said something stupid to him."

"Hm?"

"I told him that if I was in his position, I would hate my parents."

"...What did he say in response?"

Dracomon stopped chomping down on his apple as he looked up at his partner, waiting to hear this response as well. He knew he wasn't supposed to talk about Shibumi's memories concerning his parents, so this was probably the closest he was going to get to learning something new.

"For a few minutes, he didn't say anything," Shibumi sighed. "And then… He told me that he couldn't hate his parents, no matter how unfair they could be. After that, the conversation became stiff and awkward until he logged off. Our next chat was normal again and he didn't bring it up… That's when I started to resent him, probably because I expected him to understand my position out of all of them. Well, Babel and Rai might've."

"Shibumi…," Dracomon started sympathetically.

The boy shook his head. "That's enough sharing time for me. Let's just eat these apples before they get cold and then we can get moving again."

It was obvious that he didn't want to talk about it anymore, even Phantomon could tell so they continued their lunch in silence.

But something nagged Dracomon from the back of his mind, concerning what Shibumi had said about wanting someone to understand him. Could it be that was how Apocalymon could get under the human's skin, because Apocalymon claims to understand his creator? Perhaps people are drawn to those who can empathize or relate to their problems or situation.

Another thought flashed through Dracomon's mind, a memory of himself and another dragon Digimon being deleted. Two more memories came right after, the first being him hatching and the second was calling someone 'brother'.

As far as he knew, he was an only child. So… who was it?

Hell's Trail - 12:25 PM

Cerberumon slowly rose from his slumber when he caught the scent of a human nearby. Plutomon may be an all-powerful god Digimon, but he was still susceptible to the powers of the Dark Chain so he did not free any of his subordinates from their bounds. So the guard dog was still under the control of Apocalymon's influence but this did not mean he would shirk his original duties as the protector of Pluto Cemetery.

The hellhound left his post and made it quickly to the training grounds of the human who was in the middle of combat with a Gokuwmon. He started growling menacingly but he kept his presence shrouded from the pair. He was aware that they were not enemies but he wanted to see where this sparring match would go.

The boy was quick with his spear and he parried the innumerable blows made by his opponent but Gokuwmon was far stronger than an average human. Each hit was like a blow to push the boy's forearm into his shoulder.

"Robert, you're too rigid," Gokuwmon pointed out. "Don't fight my blows, absorb them. Your physical strength is nowhere near the same level as mine."

Robert jumped backwards with his weapon held out in front of him, blade pointed forwards. "I know but I'm trying to be on the offensive."

"You have to find an opening before changing to that directive."

The human bit his lower lip before charging forward, ready to be on the offensive rather than beaten back. Gokuwmon sighed, knowing his words fell upon deaf ears so he continued to evade and block the attacks with ease before slamming one end of his weapon into Robert's stomach. For reference, imagine walking into the corner of a rounded table, belly-first.

The boy doubled over, clutching his stomach and dropping his weapon. "Gah! That hurt, you know!"

"You're much too impatient."

"Yeah, like you're Sir Patience."

Robert picked up his spear again and used it as a cane to help himself up. Now that he wasn't moving so much or focused on combat, he could feel a presence nearby. There was a slight increase in temperature and there was just the faintest of growling.

"You're definitely going to need to practice…," Gokuwmon droned on that he almost didn't notice when Robert snagged his dagger back from his instructor's belt. He unsheathed it fluidly before throwing it towards Cerberumon who jumped out of his hiding spot, into the open, to avoid getting hit.

Both Ultimate Digimon paused as they stared at the human, jaws slack.

"How did you…?" Cerberumon growled.

"In the words of my teacher," Robert grinned. "You're too loud in your approach."

Gokuwmon had to say that he was genuinely impressed with his pupil. For a while, he was starting to believe that Leomon did not train the boy properly in terms of combat but what he had just witnessed proves that Leomon had taken the proper steps for Robert to at least protect himself.

The ape turned back to the hellhound and realized that there was a Dark Chain wrapped around Cerberumon's neck.

"I'm afraid I won't be able to use any of my close range attacks on him," Gokuwmon warned Robert. "But I will try to use the Nyoikinkobou to keep him at bay."

"No worries," Robert smirked, showing off with some spinning tricks with his spear. "I'll be able to get close enough to smash that Chain to bits, just watch me! Against a real foe, you'll be surprised by how strong I really am."

"Somehow, I doubt that," Gokuwmon sighed.

Cerberumon launched forward like a rocket, surprising Robert and causing him to fall backwards, luckily, the canine wasn't after the boy. Gokuwmon broke off his staff into two and started shooting lightning bullets but Cerberumon was fast and well-trained, he zigzagged through the gunfire before coming close and aiming to bite down on the ape's forearm.

Gokuwmon took note of how the Dark Chain that was wrapped around Cerberumon's neck came alive and slithered a little bit in his direction. So he quickly gathered up a bunch of clouds and took off into the air where Cerberumon could not reach physically.

"Super-Electrified Lightning Cannon!"

Cerberumon's eyes widened when he saw the pillar of lightning come down towards him but he wasn't appointed as Plutomon's guard dog for nothing. "Emerald Blaze!"

Robert covered his eyes from the flash of lightning that blinded him but he was unable to protect himself from the heat that radiated from the attacks canceling each other out. The attacks continued to rage on against each other, neither seeming to have the upper hand until a major explosion occurred, blowing Robert away where he found his tossed knife.

"We appear to be evenly matched," Gokuwmon smirked. "And I've even given you a handicap."

Cerberumon snarled ferociously. "Your fancy bundle of clouds isn't going to stop me. Plutomon assigned me to keep people from trespassing into his lands, do you really think he would choose me if I lost to someone of the same level? I will show you my true power!"

"Ooh, I'm scared," Gokuwmon taunted.

"Slide Evolution!" Cerberumon became wrapped in a data cocoon which captured the stunned, disbelieving attention of both Gokuwmon and Robert. "Cerberumon Werewolf Mode!" True to the name, the canine was now standing on his hind legs and the heads that were on his shoulders dropped down into his hands, becoming powerful-looking firearms. His dark, metallic skin shimmered in a new black armor that was obviously difficult to penetrate. And he wasted no time to show off this new form. "Hellfire!"

Gokuwmon had no time to avoid the attack as it shot upwards, almost like a literal rocket. It burned his arm and he ended up dropping his weapon, even stumbling and falling off his perch on his cloud. He plummeted downwards, into the waiting jaws of the mechanical dogs on Cerberumon's hands.

The ape would've been done for if Robert hadn't run forward, swinging his spear like a madman. The blade was actually strong enough to bring a crack to Cerberumon's armor.

Cerberumon took a leap backwards as Gokuwmon landed ungracefully next to Robert.

"Thanks," Gokuwmon huffed as he grabbed his weapon with his unburned hand.

Robert nodded shakily and paused. He was shaking? He's fought against several enemies, many of them being at the Ultimate level but no matter how difficult things seemed, he was always willing to give it another go. But who was he kidding? He was fighting something that was probably even stronger than an ordinary Ultimate who was able to harm his own weapons instructor. So, yes, he was shaking out of fear but that didn't mean he was going to back down.

"You should rest," Robert told Gokuwmon. "Let me do some fighting."

Gokuwmon slowly rose back on his feet. "No way, you are not ready to take on an adversary this strong on your own."

"Until that burn heals, neither are you," Robert retorted without missing a beat.

Cerberumon grew tired of their talk so he took aim with his cannons and fired. Gokuwmon took up his cudgel in his good arm and used the cannon feature himself but it was only one weapon as opposed to the dog's two so he wasn't able to block all of the volcanic fireballs that were coming at them like meteors.

But that was plenty of help for Robert to charge through the flurry. He focused only on taking out Cerberumon and not on the several amounts of fireworks blowing up around him or the absurd heat that they produced.

It didn't take long for the human to reach the werewolf and he made at least a dozen thrusts with his spear in four seconds but Cerberumon evaded them before grabbing the weapon in the jaws of his right head. He tried to break it but to no avail.

"What is this thing made of?" Cerberumon growled.

Ryudamon suddenly jumped in, head butting Cerberumon on his actual head. "The same thing as my armor!"

Cerberumon stumbled but he regained his footing in no time while the dragon that tackled him landed on the ground in front of his partner. The spear clattered onto the ground which Robert picked up and held in front of him once more.

"Nice timing," Robert breathed.

"I saw the explosion and came running," said Ryudamon. "Funny how you told me to stay safe and trouble ran into you."

Gokuwmon was about to approach the partners when they stopped him.

"You can rest now," said Robert.

Ryudamon nodded. "We can take care of the rest."

"D-Locks 1 & 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

Translate Mountain Base - 12:34 PM

"Shibumi… Am I your friend?" Phantomon asked hesitantly.

Shibumi chuckled. "I've had some bad experiences involving friendship but I don't think it would be the same with you, Phantomon. You're too sweet to ever tell a lie or do anything to make someone feel bad. I really meant what I said when I mentioned that there should be more Digimon and people like you. So yes, I do consider us to be friends."

"Okay, good," the reaper nodded excitedly.

Dracomon paused mid-bite on his meat apple when a thought occurred to him. "Hey, Shibumi. You don't have to answer but I have to know, if someone told a lie to protect you from something, would it be okay?"

The boy paused. It's not like he didn't know the answer. After all, when most people lied to him, it really was to protect him from the cold hard truth.

"What made them think I couldn't handle the truth?" Shibumi muttered so low that Dracomon almost didn't catch it. "Wouldn't it be easier for me to face reality right away rather than have them string me along for a journey along the pointless road known as 'hope'? Every time you get lied to, you get pulled into wishful thinking, mindless dreaming, that someday, you'll get what you've always wanted or that one wish you've held on to will come true."

"But what if they aren't lies? Just promises that couldn't be held on to because of unforeseen circumstances?"

"There's a simple solution to that, don't make empty promises."

Dracomon looked away for a moment, Phantomon just floated their awkwardly, trying to drown it out by munching on his apple. Then, the dragon looked back, determination set in stone on his face as he pulled Shibumi to look at him.

"You made a promise earlier, at the cemetery," Dracomon stated firmly. "If things with the Dark Chains and Apocalymon don't work out the way you hope they do, then you will work yourself ragged to bring it back to the way it was." Shibumi nodded, not quite sure where his partner was going with this. "Knowing you, I know it's not empty but then it's just proof that not every promise is made out of any obligation to protect. Some promises are truly made to be kept."

Shibumi scoffed. "I will hold myself to my promise but my promise has millions on the line. Putting one person on the line is just as cruel because you can break them, leave them jaded and shattered. That's why you can't make an empty promise."

"Then let me make a promise," Dracomon snapped. He was done treading around that word with his partner, he wanted to prove something. "Let me promise you that I will always be by your side, no matter what happens. It was always unspoken before, but this time, I'm telling you to show you that it won't be empty. No matter what, I will keep it."

Shibumi was stunned but he remembered the last promise that his mother made to him. "How do you know that for sure?"

"I don't," said Dracomon, he was staring his partner in the eye. "But I will keep it."

"If you break it, then you will be just as cruel as they are."

Dracomon didn't have to ask who 'they' was. "If I break it, you'll know you were right all along and it probably won't kill you, it'll only strengthen your beliefs. But if I keep it… Then I hope to see you smile for real. Not from the satisfaction of victory, not from talking to me or Phantomon, but because you can believe in something like hope again."

"Fine…," Shibumi sighed. "But what's gotten into you?"

"I'm… I had a friend and we made a promise to each other to always be by each other, to always be the other's brother," Dracomon confessed. "Since I'm not with that Digimon right now shows that we both broke that promise to each other. But I don't feel the same way you do…"

"That was just one-."

"But it was important to me!" Dracomon snapped. "I don't know where that friend is now but I have some idea. I want to prove to myself that there is such a thing as hope and if I keep my promise to you, then I know that one day… I can go back to find my friend and fulfill my promise to him as his brother."

"You believe that strongly in your convictions?"

"As do you."

The corners of Shibumi's mouth tugged upwards as he leaned back, resting his head on the trunk of the tree. "Fair enough…"

Hell's Trail – 12:37 PM

Cerberumon's heavy firearms made him look like he wasn't very limber but in truth, he was able to evade every one of Hisyaryumon's Every Direction Wheels like a secret agent in a spy movie doing gymnastics through a security laser grid. Robert kept his eyes on his partner's attacks until he found the perfect opening.

Four lasers came striking down on Cerberumon who took a jump backwards. Since the attacks were all curving, there was enough room for Robert to run straight through until he was directly in front of Cerberumon, making a forward thrust right for the dog's Dark Chain collar.

Cerberumon lowered his head and chomped down on the spear, he couldn't break it though but he was able to yank hard enough to pull Robert into a tree.

"Gah!" he grunted.

Cerberumon would've thrown the spear elsewhere but he noticed that Robert was still hanging on to his weapon. "Let go!" Cerberumon growled. His words had come out a little impeded with his fangs on the weapon.

"Legendary Dragon Blade!"

The guard dog couldn't turn around to see the attack but he had better senses than most Digimon as evident but how he moved one of his hands over and snapped down on that blade with his other jaw. Gokuwmon tried to assist them, he was aware that if he used the firearm function in his weapon, Cerberumon could easily use one of his hostages as a shield. So instead, the primate extended his Nyoikinkobou right for the Chain but Cerberumon used his only set of free jaws to clamp down on that weapon.

"It looks like we're in a stalemate," Gokuwmon muttered, refusing to let go but unable to free the Nyoikinkobou.

Cerberumon's nose flared in frustration. "Gokuwmon, Hisyaryumon, you two are both Digimon, why do you follow this human on this suicidal mission to defeat Apocalymon? The beast of darkness is far more powerful than anything in the world, so why do you resist? What makes you believe so strongly in this futile quest?"

The two Digimon were about to answer but it was Robert's firm shout that responded first. "It's not futile!" His knuckles had turned white from clutching on to his spear and the end of it was digging into his stomach. His legs were locked with the trunk of a tree and no matter how hard Cerberumon yanked, he couldn't make the boy let go. "Even when everything looks hopeless, you've got to at least try! Apocalymon makes Digimon unhappy, he is cruel and he is trying to force his ideals on all of you! I haven't been everywhere in this world but where I have been, Digimon are content with the lives they lead without Apocalymon. And places ravaged by the enslaved used to be their home and they are made to destroy them against their will! I want to stop that!"

"He promised several Digimon that he will save this world!" Hisyaryumon added. "And a promise is a promise!"

Cerberumon snarled again. "A promise is just an empty word."

"You're wrong!" Robert snapped. "Promises aren't empty!"

"I promise, if you ever need anything, you can come to me."

"How can I do that if I'm moving to another continent?"

"Whether it's friends you can never keep in touch with because you're too far away!"

"I promise, if you ever need anything, you can talk to me."

"How can I do that when you're going off to college?"

"Or a brother you had to leave behind when your dad got a new job and had to move!"

"We promise, if you ever need anything, you can tell us."

"How can you say that when you're taking me away from everyone without talking to me first?"

"Or parents who break a promise once!" Robert yelled. "It doesn't mean that those promises were meaningless, it just means you have to try harder to keep them in the future! I made a promise to my partner that I will save this world, I've been let down so many times that I know what it feels like! I won't let him go through the same pain I did!" Robert stopped himself here, was this how Shibumi felt? No, there was more that Robert had to say.

"A broken promise does not mean a broken person. We can survive no matter how cruel it is for the promise to be broken because we can learn from it. We can learn to value the time with your friends, to spend as much time with your brother as possible, and to talk to your parents when something really bothers you. I won't let promises, broken or not, remain empty."

Robert twisted his body and pulled the spear free from the dog's jaws. He reached up and grabbed onto a low branch, pulling himself up to his feet where he kicked himself off from the trunk and threw himself towards Cerberumon.

The hellhound was surprised but he wasn't about to let go of the other two weapons so he evaded the blade coming towards him.

But when Robert landed, he wasn't done yet as he grabbed the Legendary Blade's handle and spinning the spear in his other hand, jammed it into the closed jaws of Cerberumon's hand. He pushed down, using it like a lever until he was able to free the sword and with a spin, he swung the blade, smashing it against the Dark Chain on Cerberumon's throat, freeing him once and for all.

"What…?" Cerberumon blinked, returning to his quadruped form and letting go of Gokuwmon in the process. "...happened?"

Robert collapsed and he gave himself a once-over. There were splinters sticking out of his legs from being in the lock with the tree, his right hand had gotten a cut from the reckless spinning with his spear, and he probably sprained his ankle on the landing. It was all very painful, but he had never felt more relieved.

"It's over…," he exhaled.

Ryudamon collapsed next to him. "And I'm going to throw up."

Translate Mountain Base - 12:58 PM

"Cyber City?" Shibumi blinked.

Phantomon nodded so violently that the other two were almost afraid his head would roll off, not that they've ever seen it under the hood. "It's really close by and they have a lot of stores and restaurants I would love to try out! I know you're in a rush and all, but I would really like it if the three of us could go together, to forget the awkward atmosphere that I caused."

Shibumi chuckled. "You didn't cause it, don't worry. But yeah, a few days of rest and relaxation sound nice."

"I think so too," Dracomon agreed.

Phantomon applauded and started floating around in a circle while Shibumi began packing up their supplies. Dracomon awkwardly kicked up the sand until he decided to just walk up to his partner and tap him on the shoulder with one of his claws to get his attention.

"Hey…," the dragon started.

Shibumi didn't turn away from his task. "Hm?"

"I didn't step over the line with some of the things I said, right?"

"...No… I always knew you didn't agree with these methods and you're only showing your convictions. That's good…"

"When and if the Dark Chains do possess everyone, the word 'conviction' will be a thing of the past."

Shibumi didn't reply right away. "Good things are needed to be sacrificed sometimes for the greater good, this much I know," he sighed. "Because of this rule, I've been hurt more times than I can count. But if the ends really do justify the means, then I think this will be one that is worth it."

"You believe strongly in your convictions too…"

"You have to believe in something."

"Yeah… You do… Shibumi?"

"Yeah?"

"I believe in you."

Pluto's Cemetery Gates – 1:12 PM

Ryudamon watched his partner get a noogie from Gokuwmon while Cerberumon informed them of a secret underground passage that they can take to get to the other side of the graveyard which would cut the time it would take to get across by at least half. As they laughed, yelled, and snapped at each other, the Rookie pondered his partner's words.

He wanted to fulfill the promise he made to his brother, Dracomon. "I promise, the next time I find you, I will make you remember."

"Ryudamon! If you don't hurry up, we'll leave you behind!" Robert called from ahead.

The armored Digimon chuckled before bounding forward. "You're one to talk! How many times have Daisy used those exact words on you?"

"Hey, that's not fair!"

"That's totally fair."

Ryudamon believed in his partner, his words, his convictions, and his beliefs. Probably because he wanted to believe in his brother too, that they will see each other again and despite breaking their promise to each other, they will be able to learn from it and become even closer than before.

Chapter Text

Interscope Hotel – 7:30 AM

"Rai Tabassam? This is your wakeup call!"

Rai yawned as she shut off the intercom after thanking the Digimon on the other side. She stretched herself out before waking up her partner and taking a look at the outside. They had arrived in the floating Cyber City late last night, thankfully, they were able to find a hotel with a room for them and it had the best view of everything the city had to offer.

"So, Locomon can really fly, huh?" Rai giggled. "It all felt like a dream, soaring into the night sky, being close enough to touch the clouds."

Candlemon nodded, rolling his stiff… neck… around after sleeping erect like he always does. "Trailmon need tracks for everything, Locomon, on the other hand, have the ability to take flight. But even so, they aren't a business to be trifled with."

"Hm? Why not?"

"The president of their company, GranLocomon, is a bit… loco."

"I'm guessing it's more than a pun."

Candlemon hopped over to the phone and ordered room service so that they could have some breakfast. While he was doing that, Rai checked her compass to make sure they were in the right place. The object was going crazy, according to Candlemon, there an electromagnetic field which kept the city afloat, and it was probably interfering with her compass. But one thing was for sure, last night, it was definitely pointing at this city.

"It looks like we have to scour this entire place until we find it," she sighed.

"Uh-oh," Candlemon groaned. "This is the biggest city in the entire Digital World, complete with skyscrapers, restaurants, and international landmarks! The silver key could be anywhere in this entire place… And here I was hoping for a well-deserved break."

Rai put a hand to her chin and thought about it for a moment. "Actually, I think we can narrow down our options."

"Eh? How so?"

"I have a theory," Rai explained. "I think all of our silver keys can be found someplace that coincides with you guys, our Digimon."

"That doesn't make much sense; Robert's key was on Mount Freeze."

"How many different Hisyaryumon have you ever seen in your lifetime?"

"Eh?" Candlemon didn't have to think about it, there was only one Hisyaryumon that he knew of. "Just Ryudamon, why?"

Rai held up her yellow D-Sync and pulled up the holographic image of the Digital World encyclopedia which used to activate by itself whenever they were in front of a new Digimon, but she was fiddling with it a few nights ago and realized she could do it manually too. She quickly searched through the Digimon before finding Hisyaryumon.

"According to this description, if you remember, Hisyaryumon are barely seen outside of their natural habitat in the clouds," she said before pulling up an image of Mount Freeze. "And Mount Freeze is one of the tallest mountains in the Digital World, piercing through the sky, and it is said that no one has ever reached the top. This implies that no one really knows what is up there, theoretically, the summit could even be a playground for Hisyaryumon."

"Wow!" Candlemon brightened up. He deflated quickly though. "But… We don't know what my Ultimate form is."

"Really? We met a lot of Wizardmon in your hometown, have none of them evolved?"

"My evolutionary line has been lost in history," Candlemon sighed. "Supposedly, my Ultimate form was some sort of warrior in ancient times with proficiency for both magical arts and combat. Our history books are old and although they contain pictures, the words have been worn away with time."

His partner, ever the optimist, wasn't about to give up. "But this is a start. We can go exploring today, maybe there's a psychic or magic stores; those are possibilities for the key's whereabouts. And who knows, maybe a Digimon may have even seen it before. We just have to keep our heads up."

Candlemon smiled, grateful to have his partner's positivity. "Yeah! You're right; we can't give up when we haven't even started!"

"That's the spirit!"

Just then, there was a knock at the door, their breakfast had arrived. "Room service!" a chirpy voice called.

"That voice…," Rai blinked.

"I've heard it before," Candlemon added.

The door swung open and a flowery fairy Digimon came in, rolling a cart with their food on it. "I hope you enjoy your…" She trailed off when she noticed who she was serving. There was a long moment of silence before she squealed and pulled both human and partner into a tight hug. "Rai! Candlemon! It's so good to see you both again!"

"L-Lillymon?" Rai gaped. "What are you doing here? Nothing happened to Desert West Town, right?"

Lillymon giggled, letting go of them. "Nah, don't be silly! The sheriff is doing a great job protecting the town. And FlaWizardmon drops by every now and then too; he's actually started working as chef at a steakhouse in town to pay for provisions for Magic Village."

"So even that guy can pull himself together and do actual work," Candlemon huffed. "And here I thought he was always going to mooch off my brother for the rest of his life."

Rai ignored her partner's comment. "So, what are you doing here?"

"Oh, my big sis, Rosemon, is a city gal and she works at this hotel," Lillymon explained. "But she's on a maternity leave because she just had a child with her girlfriend, Lotosmon! Isn't it wonderful? I'm officially an aunt!"

"Digimon can have babies together?" Rai stared at Lillymon. She was nine years old but she was smart enough to know a lot of things already, even when both of her parents were prudes. "Not only that, but two Digimon of the same gender can have children together?"

"Is that not how it works in the human world?" Candlemon asked.

"Well… We have to work out some other complications first," Rai muttered.

Candlemon wasn't sure he needed to know what complication his partner meant but he chose to explain baby making for Digimon. "There are shrines set up all over the Digital World. When mates want to and feel that they are ready, they ask the Digimon Sovereign or some other god Digimon to grant them an egg mixed with their data. By the next day, they usually find one in the shrine's altar. How do you think the population in the Digital World keeps growing?"

"If only things were that simple back in my world."

Lillymon decided to continue her little story. "Oh, and as for why I'm working here, Rosemon felt bad that no one was going to work her shift and that the staff might be short handed, so she called me to take her place! I'm only going to be here for a couple weeks before heading home though."

"I see, congratulations to you and your sister," Rai smiled.

"Thanks!" Lillymon cheered. "But that's enough about me, what about you two? What brings you to the city?"

Rai started to explain in vague detail, what had happened since they freed FlaWizardmon from Apocalymon's control and how they were currently on a journey to retrieve their silver keys to take it a step further in evolving their partners. It sounded like a satisfactory explanation to Lillymon though.

"An Ultimate Digimon will certainly increase your chances against that nasty Apocalymon," Lillymon nodded. "But if you really want to beat him, why not go straight to Mega? You'd become so much stronger."

"Yeah, I think we would need a gold key to do that," said Rai. "But I doubt you'd be able to skip an entire stage just like that."

"It's a very rare occurrence but for the most part, you're right."

They spent a few more minutes chatting with Lillymon before she had to get back to work. Once she was gone, they gobbled down their breakfast and got ready to start their hunt by doing some exploring. It was definitely going to be a long day.

Candlemon wasn't kidding when he said that this was the largest city in this world considering they passed by practically hundreds of stores. There were shopping malls, courthouses, restaurants, hotels, department stores, and even arcades. It was only after they had walked passed their two-hundredth food related establishment, a bakery, did they realize that it was about lunchtime and they were starving themselves by looking at billboards, ads, and restaurant windows.

"I don't think we can get back to the hotel and eat there," Rai sighed. She looked over at Candlemon who reached into his flame and mysteriously pulled out his wallet. "We had to pay for the Locomon fare and the upfront costs at the hotel too."

"Uh-oh…," Candlemon murmured.

"What is it?"

The magical being slowly turned his wallet upside down and Rai watched as three coins and a crumpled up bill fell out. She picked them back up and counted it up; she understood Candlemon's sentiment though she had hoped the crumpled bill was a large one. With the cash they had now, they didn't have enough to pay the end bill of their hotel stay, not to mention, they need to get off this floating city at some point but without money, they won't be able to ride a Locomon.

Candlemon sighed. "Maybe FlaWizardmon isn't the only one who needs to pull his weight around."

"Yeah…," Rai nodded in agreement. "We should probably find jobs."

"You're fired!"

Rai and Candlemon jumped when they heard the booming voice and the doors to the bakery flew open, a Gotsumon was thrown out and he face planted into the cement. The pair looked inside and they saw a Kongoumon glaring down on the stone Digimon.

"H-Hey," Gotsumon whimpered. "Th-That really hurt, you know!"

"You know what else hurts?" Kongoumon spat spitefully. "My business! Who adds rock salt to crepes? They're supposed to be sweet!"

Gotsumon looked down as Kongoumon marched back inside.

"Looks like this place is hiring!" Candlemon chimed, a big smile on his face.

The Chosen Child gave her partner a disapproving stare for being so insensitive before helping the sniveling, unemployed Digimon back up. "Hey, are you okay? Don't cry, that mean Digimon just doesn't know your true worth."

"But he's right," Gotsumon whimpered. "This is the fifth job I've been fired from. I don't know what I'm going to do."

"Wow, five jobs," Candlemon whistled.

Rai gave her partner another disapproving look. "If I may ask, why are you so distressed about this?"

Gotsumon stared at Rai for a while, as if trying to figure out if she was trustworthy before he got up and started heading toward the park, Rai and Candlemon following right behind. They sat down on a concrete bench so that they could talk properly.

"You see, I'm a bit of a klutz so I don't usually work," Gotsumon explained. "Rather, I stay at home and do chores to keep myself busy. My best friend, Pumpkinmon is the one who pays rent and he's a great chef so he owns a private business with all kinds of pumpkin based food. But one day, he lost his temper with a customer and attacked him. Pumpkinmon… He got arrested and I have to bail him out! He's done so much for a moocher like me that I just have to do something about it. But his savings only cover about half of it…"

"And you've been trying to find work to pay the rest," Candlemon concluded. "To make matters worse, because you're a klutz and have never worked a real day of your life, you have no idea what you're doing; you mess up, and get fired."

A third disapproving look was shot from Rai. "Candlemon…"

"Sorry… I lack tact, you know."

"I've noticed."

Gotsumon dropped his face into his hands and started bawling. "What am I going to do?!"

Rai didn't even hesitate. "Let us help! We kind of need to find some work too, so how about this? The three of us try to do as many odd jobs and such for as many people as we can and we share the money. We only need enough to cover ordinary expenses so we'll give you two-thirds of everything we make."

"Whoa! Two-thirds?!" Candlemon blanched.

"R-Really?" Gotsumon sniffed. "Are you sure?"

Rai nodded firmly despite Candlemon's subtle protests to the very idea. "I want to help. I can evolve Candlemon into Wizardmon and he can help out at the bakery you were just fired from and he can transport us to the hotel. I can ask Lillymon if she could give us a meeting with the boss and maybe we could do room service or act as the concierge."

Candlemon exhaled, giving in to his partner's acts of kindness. After all, it was one of the things he liked most about her, even if it did sidetrack them or had a lack of profitable benefit. "Fine, I'm ready whenever you are."

"Oh, thank you both so much! I will forever be in your debt!"

Wizardmon took them both back to the hotel, over time, he had learned to hone his magical skills and he could transport about three people with him at a time. As he dropped them off, he teleported back to the bakery where Kongoumon put him to work immediately.

As for Rai and Gotsumon, they talked to Lillymon and were able to get suited up for work. Gotsumon worked as the concierge's assistant, which had minimal chances of accident and since he knew the city so well, he was able to suggest many of the famous tourist traps to visiting Digimon. Rai worked herself ragged, running between floors to clean, deliver food, and replace toiletries. She did these things back in her family's inn but that was only one floor, this building was about thirty times worse since it was thirty times as big.

By evening, Wizardmon appeared directly in their hotel room and collapsed. His gloves were worn and parts were even burned from touching the oven several times. He degenerated at the same time Rai opened the door and threw herself into the bed she had to make herself as maid for the day. Gotsumon and Lillymon were right behind her.

"I never would've thought that such a little thing like you could be such a hard worker," Lillymon remarked, looking at Rai as she placed a couple of dishes of food on the table. "The boss wanted to give you guys these, on the house, for all of your hard work."

"Could you thank him for me?" Rai groaned.

"Sure," Lillymon nodded. "You get your rest now. Remember, you don't get paid until you've done two more days of work. But the more work you do, the higher the pay will be."

"Do you want her to rest or work until she drops?" Candlemon moaned.

Gotsumon started twiddling his thumbs sheepishly as he tried to come up with the right words to say. "Um… I really want to thank you guys for all you've done for me already. And you guys are putting way more work than I am so I thought… Well, I want you guys to take two-thirds of the money we make."

"No...," Rai shook her head. "You need it more than we do."

"But you two deserve it more."

Candlemon pushed himself off the floor. "No one is denying that and truthfully, I would like to keep the money. But Rai always has to play the good girl and help everyone we see, no matter how long the detour is from our real mission." He hadn't meant to say that but it spilled out. He was tired and cranky and it was obvious that it struck the wrong chord in his partner.

"You have been so rude today, you know that, Candlemon?" Rai snapped. "Not only have you been insensitive to Gotsumon but you act as if we're the only ones with problems in this world! How can we save the entire Digital World if we're incapable of helping just one person right in front of us?"

Candlemon hadn't wanted to push this but he did and what Rai said irked him as well. "Hey, my attitude is not the problem here! It's the fact that you think we're responsible for all the bad things in everyone's life! Our priority is to save the Digital World; we can do the smaller acts of kindness when we're done with that!"

"We need the money too!"

"And we could've worked for it ourselves!"

Gotsumon and Lillymon tried to stop the sparks from flying but with no success as Rai yelled at Candlemon to stay out of the room that night. He said he'd gladly sleep outside if it meant not facing her in the morning.

The next two words were spoken with venom and the closest thing to hate from the both of them which was a first.

"Good night!"

Gotsumon drooped. "This is all my fault."

"No," Lillymon tried to soothe. "I'm sure they'll get over this."

Cyber City - 2:44 PM

"So, there's poverty even in the Digital World too," Shibumi remarked when they passed a homeless Chuumon.

To keep from attracting too much attention, the human boy donned a cloak to cover his identity, if anyone were to ask, Phantomon was supposed to say that he was his brother. The three of them were planning on staying in the city for a couple of days before heading to Translate Mountain to retrieve the key. So, they planned on making a reservation for a room at Interscope Hotel and as Phantomon checked them in, Shibumi went over to the concierge's desk to ask for a map of the city.

"Welcome to Interscope Hotel!" Gotsumon greeted happily.

"Thank you," Shibumi nodded. "Do you have map?"

The stone Digimon nodded. "Sure!" He went under and pulled out a folded up map but not before hitting his head on the table as he tried to get back up. "Ouch! Here you go, good sir, I hope you have a nice day exploring."

"Are you okay?" Shibumi inquired. He turned to face the Digimon, accidentally revealing his face thanks to the angle.

"You're a human!" Gotsumon gasped.

"Uh… N-No, I'm just a Digimon with a human-like face."

"I know the difference between a Digimon and a human. You must be one of Rai's friends!"

Shibumi paused before he gave Gotsumon a long look. "Rai is here?"

Gotsumon nodded but his smile faded away rather quickly. He started explaining the situation between Rai and Candlemon, their fight that had happened nearly a week and a half ago but has yet to be extinguished. Shibumi listened and it wasn't long before his two digital companions joined him at the desk and heard the last few snippets of the conversation.

"Should we really stay here?" Dracomon whispered. Phantomon shrugged.

The human took a deep breath as he tried to figure out what to say. "Rai's not the type of person to hold a grudge, not someone like her. She's just stressed and probably beating herself up over the argument right now. I bet she just doesn't know how to apologize and she's trying to figure it out now."

"How do you know that for sure?" inquired Gotsumon.

"That's just the kind of person she is," Shibumi answered. "We got into an argument once and we hadn't spoken to each other for a while. When she finally messaged me, it was like an apology in novel form. For a whole week, she was trying to figure out what to say to me and how she could say sorry about it. Rai can get agitated as much as anybody, when she gets stressed over too much work, she can be quick to anger. I bet Candlemon was just surprised to see someone so mild-mannered get so angry."

"I see…"

"Anyway… Gotsumon… Can you do me a favor?"

"Sure, what is it?"

"Don't tell Rai I'm here or that I talked to you."

"Huh? Why not?"

Shibumi shook his head. "Please? We're supposed to be on our own individual journeys, I don't want to interfere on the growth of her relationship with Candlemon. It's good for them to learn about the other anyway."

"Okay," Gotsumon nodded.

"Thanks," Shibumi smiled.

Interscope Hotel - 5:27 PM

"Gotsumon!" Candlemon called as he hopped through the lobby. He had just come back from his job as a stove because the one at a local restaurant had broke down. "I got paid a lot for this one job and I think we finally have enough to bail out Pumpkinmon!" The Rookie stopped talking when he reached the desk, noticing Rai there, still dressed as a waitress, holding her own pay.

Gotsumon watched both of their expressions carefully and noticed that neither of them was even mad. Rather, they looked more like they wanted to cry and hug each other but just wasn't sure how to go about doing that. Shibumi had been right.

"That's great!" Lillymon chimed. "You guys should probably go bail him out now while you have the chance."

Gotsumon nodded before giving Rai and Candlemon a grateful smile. "Thank you again, so much! This means a lot to me."

"No problem," they replied awkwardly.

The three of them quickly put the money together before heading out to the jail where Pumpkinmon was locked up. When they reached the brick building, Rai couldn't help feeling apprehensive about something, like she should be watching her back when inside.

As they were about to step inside, the door flung open and a Gargoylemon, a police Digimon, flew out in a panic as a huge pumpkin crashed through the wall and nearly flattened them. As they dusted themselves off, they saw the cause of the ruckus was actually Pumpkinmon. He had not only escaped his cell but he had a Dark Chain wrapped around his neck.

"Oh no!" Gotsumon gasped. "Pumpkinmon!"

Digital Analyzer: Pumpkinmon is a puppet Digimon with a surreal pumpkin head with an axe stuck in it. According to legend, this Digimon came into existence from a mutation that occurred during the Western holiday known as Halloween. Since it wasn't a malignant virus, there was no harm to be intended and for the most part, Pumpkinmon rarely fight unless it is necessary. One significant trait to be noted about this Digimon is that his blank face barely expresses emotions though there have been many that do.

Rai quickly grabbed Gotsumon before he could hug his enslaved friend and get mind controlled too. "Don't! The Chain will take you over, too!"

Candlemon shot a look at the floating Gargoylemon. "How did this even happen?"

"I… I don't know," Gargoylemon admitted, a bit shameful that he had nearly failed in his duty to protect the citizens of the city. "He was perfectly normal, talking about his best friend and what new recipes to add to his restaurant one minute, the next thing I know, he's throwing a huge pumpkin at the laser bars in his cell to get out."

"Did you have an inactive Dark Chain in your evidence locker?" asked Rai.

"Y-Yeah…? I guess it must've reactivated or something," Gargoylemon stammered.

Pumpkin took a step forward, his red eyes glowing furiously as he narrowed them on Gotsumon. "You pesky jerk! Why the hell are you always leeching off of me when you can just get off the couch and do some real work for a change, huh? You stressed me out so much that I took it out on an innocent customer and got myself arrested! This is all your fault!"

"P-Pumpkin…," Gotsumon gaped, tears starting to fall. "I… I'm sorry! I had no idea that's how you felt!"

Rai and Candlemon stared at the Rookie Digimon before glancing at each other.

"We took our stress out on each other… Didn't we?" Candlemon murmured.

"Yeah, we did," Rai nodded before shooting a glare at Pumpkinmon. "I say, we do something a little more productive and take our stress out on that Dark Chain."

"Yeah," Candlemon grinned.

Rai let go of Gotsumon and asked Gargoylemon to watch out for the Rookie. "Listen, Gotsumon… You worked hard even if you don't think so. And that Chain amplifies negative emotions, maybe that is how Pumpkinmon feels sometimes. But he's your best friend… Most of the time, he loves you… I'm sure of it."

"You think so?" he sniffed.

Rai glanced at her battle-ready partner. "All best friends fight, argue, and think negative things about each other… The important thing is to forgive each other when it really counts." She turned back around with her bronze key in hand and her D-Sync in the other. "Let's show him what we mean, Candlemon!"

"Right!"

"D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Candlemon Digivolve to… Wizardmon!"

Gargoylemon sent them a quick warning. "He may look small and weak, but he's still an Ultimate so be careful."

"We will," Rai nodded as she clutched the hilt of her dagger.

"Trick or Treat!" Pumpkinmon raised his hands over his head and a massive pumpkin appeared over his enemies' heads and as it dropped, Rai quickly grabbed Wizardmon's cape and they teleported out of there, reappearing behind Pumpkinmon.

"Thunder Ball!"

Pumpkinmon ducked the attack and Rai made a forward thrust with her dagger at the Chain but their foe quickly tumbled forward, dodging that too. He reached up and pulled the axe off his head before charging at the two of them and swinging like an insane lumberjack out for blood.

Wizardmon and Rai blocked the chops using their weapons but because Pumpkinmon was an Ultimate, his strength was totally disproportionate with his plush body. Rai's knife ended up flying away from her grasp and she could've been slashed if Wizardmon hadn't gotten in the way. The girl quickly grabbed onto the mage's shoulders, flipping herself over the two Digimon, ending up behind Pumpkinmon and locking her arms underneath Pumpkinmon.

"Got you!" she claimed. "Now, Wizardmon!"

Wizardmon used one of the sun's rays on his staff and made to break the Chain but Pumpkinmon wasn't going to go down that easy. The Ultimate was still able to move his arms and they weren't able to disarm him so he tossed the axe backwards, nearly tearing off Rai's ear. She flinched, releasing him a little which was enough for him to slip away and retrieve his weapon.

The wizard stopped his thrust just as the tip of his staff almost hit Rai's throat.

"Pumpkin Squash!" Orange pumpkin guts flew out of Pumpkinmon's palms right for them.

Wizardmon tried to redirect the attack. "Blink Breeze!" But the wind wasn't enough so the pair quickly hit the ground, letting the pumpkin innards hit the jailhouse and as they got back up, they noticed the wall dissolving behind them.

"It's acidic?" Rai gaped.

"I didn't think it was that powerful but now I see," Wizardmon huffed.

Pumpkinmon ran forward, hacking away with his axe once more and the two had to dodge the attacks as quickly as they could. Wizardmon took to the skies and picked up Rai while he was at it and soon, they were high above the ground, out of Pumpkinmon's reach by about several feet.

"How are we supposed to beat him?" Rai questioned.

Gargoylemon joined them with Gotsumon in his arms. "We have to make sure he doesn't run into the city; there are hundreds of thousands of pedestrian Digimon out there. If all those Digimon were to be enslaved, then the decline of the Digital World will be unbelievably rapid."

Wizardmon took a page out from his partner's book and he decided to take the nice guy route in this. "Gotsumon, if you're really Pumpkinmon's best friend, then you'll be able to slap some sense into him. You'll be able to keep him distracted enough for me to hit the Chain."

"What?" the Rookie replied. "But… What he said…"

"Aren't his true feelings, at least, not all the time," Wizardmon told him. "Look, some Digimon are really dense and they won't be able to understand your feelings if you don't tell them. You have to let him know how much you appreciate him, love him, and make sure that every day is as easy as possibly for him! Don't let him think that you only want to be with him because he keeps you off the streets."

"Wow, FlaWizardmon should take your advice," Rai giggled.

"Huh?"

"Nothing... But are you certain this plan isn't too reckless?"

"If I could do it for FlaWizardmon, Gotsumon can do it for his friend."

Gotsumon looked between his friend, who was throwing a miniature tantrum down below, back to Wizardmon before giving a determined nod. "I'll do it! Gargoylemon, let me down close to him, I have to talk to him before I lose him forever."

The police Digimon did as he was told and Wizardmon hovered close to the ground.

"Gotsumon!" Pumpkinmon growled.

"Pumpkinmon!" Gotsumon yelled, catching the Ultimate off guard. "I know that I'm accident-prone and I always cause trouble for you when I'm tumbling into people or breaking displays in stores. I always make you clean up my messes even when I'm only trying to make you happy. But I try every single day for you because you always forgive me when I do something stupid. Every time I make Pumpkinmon smile, I feel good… So that's why I want to keep making you smile! Because if I can do it, you'll know that I'm worth it."

The puppet stood frozen there for a long time. "Gotsumon… I…"

Wizardmon and Rai knew the drill from last time, when FlaWizardmon was about to snap out of it, more power was sent through the Chain and into the enslaved Digimon's body. So the pair acted quickly as Rai was let go in front of Pumpkinmon. She shot forward and grabbed the axe out of Pumpkinmon's grip.

"Thunder Ball!"

Pumpkinmon couldn't even turn around to see the sphere of electrical energy flying towards him. The Chain around his neck shattered and fell to the ground with a clangor as its victim dropped to the floor in numb confusion.

"Huh? What?" Pumpkinmon blinked.

Gotsumon raced to his friend and hugged him. "You're back! I'm so happy!"

Pumpkinmon chuckled as he patted his friend's hand. "Yeah… I'm happy too."

Rai and Candlemon looked at each other as they watched the set of best friends hug things out and laugh, tears almost falling at the prospect of losing each other. The partners turned to face each other with apologetic expressions.

"I went too far with what I said," Candlemon started. "I was really cranky and Kongoumon was a real slave driver of a boss and I ended up taking it out on you because you were there and I could. But if I was ever given the chance to again, I wouldn't do it because these last few days have been so painful without talking to you."

Rai giggled. "I feel the same way. And, I'm really sorry too. I have a short temper when I'm tired and lacking sleep."

"Do you think we'll fight like that again in the future?"

"Everyone fights like that every once in a while."

"We just have to apologize for the really hurtful things we say?"

"Yeah…," Rai nodded. "We have to own up to the mean things we say. It's true for people who actually mean the rude things they say too. After all, everyone has boundaries; we should respect them even when we don't agree with them."

"I know," Candlemon chuckled before holding out his arms for a hug which he received.

"I love you, Candlemon."

"I love you, too."

Gargoylemon floated down and gaped at his demolished jailhouse before clearing his throat loudly to get the others' attention on the destruction of property in front of him. "If you're all done with your individual love fests, need I remind you that you still need to pay bail? Not to mention, now I have to ask you to pay extra to fix this place!"

"I can repair it for you," Gotsumon piped up as he immediately got to work, creating rocks and then shaping them into bricks in no time at all. The others were a little astonished to see him make quick progress and in no time at all, the jailhouse was back.

"Gotsumon!" Rai smiled. "You do have something you're good at. You can have a job in construction."

"Eh? You think so?" Gotsumon blinked. "I mean, most Digimon don't need a worker with special skills anymore, they can have machines like Kenkimon do all the work for them in a matter of minutes. Are you sure I can make a living out of this?"

"Why not?" Pumpkinmon chuckled. "My restaurant will even sponsor your business!"

The group started laughing together, none of them noticing the human boy who had witnessed the entire battle from his cover on top of a nearby building. A Phantomon and a Dracomon watched as the boy stood up and started walking away.

"Why did you do that?" asked Dracomon.

Phantomon had the same question on his mind and though he kind of knew the answer, he didn't quite know the motive. "Well, nothing bonds warring countries like a common enemy. But why would you go out of your way just for Rai and Candlemon?"

Robert shrugged. "I hate war; the only thing it's good for is rallying people together. Back in my home world, England and France would join any war just to fight each other. So long as one was named the enemy, they would take the opposing side."

"That doesn't answer the question."

"I don't know why I did it," Shibumi sighed. "I guess I felt bad or thought they needed a push in the right direction." His shoulders slumped forward as he thought about how much he would laugh and enjoy his conversations with Rai. "Or maybe I just felt that I owed her for always making me smile when I was down."

"That was your last Dark Chain," Dracomon pointed out.

"So?"

"We won't be able to keep any other Digimon at bay if we get attacked."

"We only have one other destination to go to… I wouldn't worry about it."

"If you say so."

Kabo Shoppe – 6:23 PM

Pumpkin spice latte, a slice of pumpkin pie, and even soup made with the prime ingredient being pumpkin. The specialties of the Kabo Shoppe, served to Rai and Candlemon on a discount, not for free. He was still running a business, after all. Gotsumon got the best friend discount which actually was completely free.

"This is all delicious!" Rai grinned.

Pumpkinmon smirked triumphantly from behind the massive metallic pot he was hiding behind. "I know right? I just don't understand how any customer could have a complaint about my food." He used his axe to start cutting up more vegetables for the next batch. "But, let's put that in the past. It feels good to be back in the old store and behind the stove after two weeks of being in the slammer."

"I've missed Pumpkinmon's cooking too!" Gotsumon chuckled. "No one can ever compare."

"That's right, were you feeding yourself alright without me?"

"Huh? Um… Well… I was kind of busy and distracted."

Pumpkinmon shook his head with disapproval. "That's no good, Gotsumon, you have to eat properly. Geez, you have almost no life skills."

"Well… I'm the only one who ever picks up after myself when there's a mess."

"Eh? And who was it that said I cleaned up all of the messes you make?"

"That's different, you make literal messes," Gotsumon sighed. "But still… I did mean everything I said back there. I'm always counting on you when I should be picking up my slack; it's not fair for you. So, Pumpkinmon…" To emphasize his next statement, he slammed his fists onto the table, causing the cutlery to clatter. "Don't let me back into our house until I pay back half the rent for the last year!"

"Let's not go crazy here," Pumpkinmon chuckled. "I really don't mind."

A query came to Rai's mind as she watched the interaction between the close roommates. Pumpkinmon was obviously really patient in order to deal with Gotsumon's clumsiness, over reactive personality, and sense of guilt so why did he lose it to one customer's complaint and get arrested?

"I know you don't want to talk about it, but how did you get arrested? What did the customer say?" Rai broached. "I mean, I know that there are plenty of rude people out there when it comes to customer service but you seem patient enough to handle things maturely."

"Hm?" Pumpkinmon blinked. "Oh, he said my pie was a tad overcooked."

"Eh?"

Gotsumon leaned in close to Rai and whispered low enough so that his best friend wouldn't hear. "Pumpkinmon has a really bad temper when someone says something bad about his food… or his patience. So, even if there is something you don't like about his food, don't say anything."

Candlemon hadn't heard anything that had been said in the last few minutes. "Pumpkinmon, the soup is a tad over-." Rai and Gotsumon slapped their hands over his wax mouth before he could complete his sentence and Pumpkinmon stood there, glaring at them, hatchet in his hand.

"What were you about to say?"

"Nothing," Rai giggled. She knew she had to change the subject. "Um… Listen, Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon, you two know the city pretty well, right?" The two of them nodded in response. "Well, I was wondering if you could help us on our quest." The girl explained her theory about the silver keys and why they had to search for them. "Do you know any places in Cyber City that could be related to magic or anything possibly concerning Candlemon?"

"Not that I know of," Gotsumon shook his head, after thinking about it.

"Actually…," Pumpkinmon cut in. "You could check out some antique shops, if the evolution has been lost in history, perhaps you could start there or maybe even the museum. If none of those places work then I suggest the Grand Library. You'll probably get more information there."

"I see," Rai nodded. "Thank you."

"It looks like we finally have a lead," Candlemon sighed in relief.

"Yeah… We have to complete our mission, no matter what."

Chapter Text

Radiant Sea – 10:34 AM

Babel yawned loudly and stretched out his sore back, never did he believe that he would've fallen asleep on a wooden raft in the middle of the ocean. He softly rubbed a hand through Betamon's fur who was probably feeling worse than he did. After what had happened back in the swamp, the boy wanted to make sure that he wasn't pushing his partner too hard.

"I can keep swimming, if you want," Betamon piped up.

Babel shook his head with a tender smile on his face. "No, you should keep resting. It shouldn't be long before we hit land." He then took out his compass and looked at where the needle was pointing. "Or… wherever this thing is leading us. If our key happens to be underwater, then you'll need your strength to dive down and get it."

"Yeah, I guess so," the Rookie nodded.

The human child looked back and frowned, he saw a dense fog up ahead and he could hear this weird ominous ringing. Immediately, his heart dropped to the pit of his stomach at the thought that they might encounter a ghost pirate ship. As the mist came closer to them, they started seeing the vague silhouette of a large boat, definitely fitting the outline of pirate ships as depicted in the films that Babel has seen in his short lifetime.

"Pirates?" he whispered.

"Maybe they're nice pirates?" Babel ventured.

"Are there even nice pirates?"

"Gizamon mentioned his hero was Hookmon."

Babel put his hand into his pocket, feeling the cold of the gold doubloon that Gizamon had given him. That day felt like years ago but he always found himself back to that coin that he received, it felt special and it was given to Gizamon from Hookmon, a pirate, right?

"Ahoy!" someone shouted from the ship's deck. "Who be down below?"

"Um… I'm one of the DigiDestined and I'm with my partner, Betamon!" Babel called back. "We're on a journey and we're a little lost!"

"One second!"

The pair glanced at each other but their necks snapped back up when they heard a peculiar squelching sound that was slowly approaching them. They were starting to get nervous and Babel slowly placed a hand over his D-Sync in case they had to fight off some slimy henchman but soon, the silhouette of a creature slithering down the side of the ship came into view and it was an Octomon, clinging to the side of the boat.

"Ahoy!" he greeted cheerily.

Babel let a few seconds of awkward silence pass before responding. "Hello."

The octopus continued. "Our captain is benevolent enough to let you two scallywags on board so excuse me if I get a little fresh." Babel and Betamon shared a confused look before they felt tentacles wrap around them and soon, Octomon was climbing back up with two passengers in his grasp. Now this was a feeling completely new and weird for Babel.

"Who, exactly, is your captain?" inquired Babel since this seemed to be a rather sluggish ascent.

"Why, CaptainHookmon, of course!" Octomon laughed.

They soon made it back on deck where the two partners were immediately standing face to face with what looked to be rather human. He wore a huge pirate hat on his head, had silver hair, a silver beard, an eye patch over his right eye, all black and stereotypical pirate clothing except his white shirt was pulled up a bit to reveal his toned stomach. Aside from that, he had a variety of weapons on him, an anchor attached to his left arm, a sword-gun in his right hand, and instead of a peg leg, his entire right leg was a firearm.

Digital Analyzer: The captain of a heroic pirate ship that cruises the oceans of the Digital World, he is relied upon to exert his excellent leadership upon his reliable crew. He excels in the art of survival but the duty to take care of his crew members weigh heavily upon his shoulders, he is aware firsthand of the difficulties but judging him from the outside, you see that his will has yet to waver no matter the challenge. CaptainHookmon crosses the ocean with gentlemanly conduct and never fights an unreasonable battle, if he must however, he will not pull any punches if the safety of his friends are on the line.

"He sounds like a nice pirate," Betamon whispered.

"I can hear you," CaptainHookmon snapped, making the two of them stiffen in fear. The seafarer cracked a wide grin at seeing their reaction. "But don't worry; I won't hold your preconceived assumptions against you. After all, you are both needed to save this world from Apocalymon, right?"

"Uh, yes, we are," Babel nodded.

"Why don't the two of you take a seat and we can have a friendly conversation?" CaptainHookmon continued, gesturing to a small wooden table nailed to the deck. They walked over and seated themselves as Octomon served a jug of rum for the captain and two cups of soda for the visitors. "What brings you two youngsters out to sea?"

Babel explained their story, of how their group split up and that they were now in search of their silver keys which, for him, the compass pointed towards the ocean. After a whole day of exploring the shore, they finally decided to build a raft and set out to sea, not expecting it to take so long to reach their destination.

"We contemplated the possibility that the key could be underwater," Babel sighed. He reached into his back pocket and pulled out his bronze key, holding it out so that CaptainHookmon could get a good view of what the head should look like. "A fish scale with the indentation of a sea dragon's head on it."

"I see," CaptainHookmon nodded. "Unfortunately, I've never seen anything like it before now." He then stood up. "But I do believe your key may very well be on the seafloor. We were just about to go treasure diving, perhaps you would like to join us."

"You mean, like going to a sunken ship to retrieve a treasure chest?" Babel blinked.

"Of course!"

The boy started imagining an underwater adventure, seeing a sunken pirate ship, exploring the ruins, and then seeing a treasure chest filled to the brim with gold and jewels. It's not like he wanted the treasure for himself but just the idea of doing something like that seemed like a lot of fun.

"I'd love to!" he nodded enthusiastically, the sparkles from his imagination showing on his eyes.

Betamon nudged his partner on the knee. "Babel, you can't breathe underwater."

The boy was not deterred from this idea. "I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that CaptainHookmon can't breathe underwater either since he doesn't exactly look like a sea creature. He must have some sort of scuba gear we can use or something."

CaptainHookmon stepped over to the side of the ship. "Close…" A Divermon came over and handed the captain a whistle which was blown and soon, three pink little creatures started floating up until they were eye level with CaptainHookmon. "Little beauties, how have you been?"

"We've…" started the first.

"...been…" continued the second.

"...good!" finished the third.

"Captain!" the trio cheered happily.

Betamon was gaping at the tiny Digimon in awe. "Wow, those three are MarineAngemon! They don't look like much but they're actually all at the Mega level which makes their healing and protective abilities super strong!"

"Impressive," Babel mused.

One of the MarineAngemon floated over towards the human boy, puckering her little lips and blowing a bubble which fit itself around Babel's head like a helmet. "This will help you breathe underwater!" the adorable angel smiled.

"Thank you," Babel nodded.

CaptainHookmon also had a bubble around his head as he gestured for the two visitors to approach him. They looked down, over the side of the boat and noticed two Submarimon waiting for them down below, CaptainHookmon grabbed onto a thick rope and started scaling down the side until he found himself safely occupying the bigger armored Digimon.

"What are you waiting for, Babel? It's an open invitation!" he called.

Babel nodded as he started climbing downwards. Betamon just dived right into the water and waited patiently until the human was lying down on his stomach, inside Submarimon.

"So the bubbles are only a precautionary measure?" Babel inquired.

CaptainHookmon nodded in response. "I don't want to run any risk of drowning, that's for sure. Say… Babel, have you ever gone under the ocean before?"

"I've been to the beach but I've never been past the shallow end," the boy admitted.

"You'll love the ocean, Babel," Betamon piped up. "I've been under several times now and I never get over how beautiful it can be down there." The more he talked about it, the more eager he became to start their treasure hunt so without wasting any more time, they dived, followed by the three MarineAngemon.

For a moment, when they had submerged, Babel had instinctively held his breath and squeezed his eyes shut. But then a gentle voice spoke up. "You don't have to hold your breath; I will provide plenty of oxygen for you."

"Submarimon?" Babel exhaled.

"Yes, open your eyes now, Babel," Submarimon instructed. "You're missing the view."

The boy opened his eyes and gasped at what he saw. Above, he could see the surface of the water, glittering from the morning sun and down below, hundreds of thousands of colorful fish and sea Digimon swimming about. He looked around and noticed Betamon swimming by his side, laughing, and up ahead was the captain in his own Submarimon.

"Amazing, right?" Betamon laughed.

A small group of Dolphmon swam by, mimicking the Rookie's joyous laughter.

"Yeah," Babel breathed. "I've never seen anything like it."

CaptainHookmon got his Submarimon to slow down a little so that Babel could talk to him directly. "The ocean is a wonderful place, Babel. But there are people who want to hurt this ecosystem by littering and dirtying. It hurts the innocent animals and Digimon here. Ever since Apocalymon showed up, it's gotten worse, he's trying to surface the sea Digimon to enslave them and to do so, he pollutes and contaminates these waters."

"That's awful," Babel shook his head. "Back in my world, people don't realize how bad pollution can get. But no one really seems to care all that much."

CaptainHookmon seemed to have a pitying look on his face, not for Babel, it was more directed to his world. "That's no good, Babel. You have to take care of your world. Otherwise, everything that made it beautiful once before will become ugly."

"I don't want that," he grimaced.

"I don't think anyone does but there will always be people who are too lazy to do anything or too stubborn to believe in the facts."

"Is it just hopeless then?"

CaptainHookmon gave the boy a small smile. "No, it is never hopeless. So long as there are people who believe, people who are willing to do something, there is hope for the world. Because those people will take the time to work for a more beautiful world even when others will laugh at them or tell them they're wrong. It's because those people care."

Babel liked the sound of that but he couldn't pull his head out of all the negatives that kept popping up. "It still sucks that some people won't believe that the world is deteriorating, no matter how much evidence is thrown at them."

"They can still participate in helping the environment," CaptainHookmon chuckled. "Even if they don't believe something is wrong, at least in their eyes, they'll be making the planet prettier than it ever was before. It can be as simple as that."

"I guess so…," Babel nodded, smiling at the notion. "When I get home, I'll definitely take your words with me."

"I would hope so."

A MarineAngemon moved forward and started getting ahead of them. "We're almost there! Mermaimon is waiting for us!"

"Mermaimon?" Babel repeated.

"My girlfriend," CaptainHookmon clarified before toning it down to a whisper. "Don't tell her this, but the real reason why I'm looking for treasure in this vicinity is because there's supposed to be the most beautiful diamond ring somewhere. I want to give it to her and propose."

Betamon did a little spin. "Aw, that's amazing! I'm sure she'll love it."

"Glad you think so."

Submarimon made a little laugh. "Our captain always wants the best for Mermaimon and the rest of the crew. Half of the treasures are given to us and the rest is usually donated to various charities around the globe. We Submarimon live for nothing more than taking passengers to see the beauty of the ocean so we usually take our share to orphanages."

They soon cleared an underwater sand dune and they saw an ancient shipwreck and a mermaid Digimon swimming towards them. She placed a hand on the glass of Submarimon, well, after affectionately rubbing the Armor Digimon. She pressed her hand on the glass and the captain placed his over hers, they said something under their breaths and smiling so widely, it was obvious to anyone that they were happily in love with each other.

"Definitely nice pirates," said Betamon.

"Yeah," Babel agreed.

The Octomon that so kindly brought them on board and jovially waved goodbye as they left. The Divermon that had fetched the whistle and gave an amiable smile to Babel and Betamon. These Submarimon who want nothing more than to share their wonderful world. The MarineAngemon that are happily zipping around as if everything was their playground. And the captain, a Digimon who was just so selfless and giving.

Betamon sighed sadly. "How can someone think of destroying this happiness?"

"Yeah," Babel knew that his partner was thinking of Shibumi. "Maybe if he saw this for himself, he'd understand how atrocious his actions really are."

The Submarimon moved forward into the shipwreck, turning on their headlights as they searched the various rooms. Mermaimon joined Babel to introduce herself and get to know him; she was incredibly bubbly but very kindhearted, just like the pirates.

"This is your first underwater voyage, am I right?" Mermaimon giggled.

"Uh, yeah, it is," Babel nodded. "I've never seen anything more incredible in my life."

The mermaid understood what the boy meant. "I've always wanted to visit the land though. Digimon native to the land are pretty lucky that they can visit our world any time they want but I don't think I'll ever be able to see what a forest or a city is like."

"Don't say that," Babel chuckled. "Maybe you can talk to CaptainHookmon, I'm sure he can figure out a way for you to visit the land."

Mermaimon's cheeks took on a tint of pink and she shook her head. "Oh, I know he would do that. But I can't ask him of that. He would work day and night for months just to do something to make me smile or help me achieve some goal, so I don't want to bother him with something so selfish."

"You two are really devoted to each other, huh…"

"Any two lovers need to be if they've been together long enough."

"Yeah… I guess so."

Mermaimon looked away. "But it's not like us getting together was such an easy path. There were so many Digimon against the idea because I live in the ocean and he lived on land but we always found a way to see each other, to tell each other 'I love you', and I don't think I could ever be with anyone but him."

"My parents often say the same thing," Babel chuckled.

"Did your parents have a rough time trying to prove that their love is no different from others?"

It was a genuine question and Babel didn't have to think very long to know the answer. He was very well aware of the challenges that his parents had to face growing up, up to the point when they had gotten married. It wasn't easy for them.

"In my world, people think there's some importance in the color of your skin or the gender you're attracted to," Babel confessed. "My parents… My dad is a black man and my mother is a white woman and they constantly face harassment and disgusted stares wherever they go. It wasn't until six years ago that the Supreme Court finally made interracial marriage legal but by then, my folks had already moved to New York where there were no laws denying their love. They had conceived me five years prior to that so it was probably a smart choice. What they had gone through… They didn't care so long as they could be together."

"I don't quite understand it all… But I know that your mother and father loved each other very much," Mermaimon told him.

"Yeah… I know," Babel choked up. "And I'm always taking them for granted or acting as if they're the problem when in reality, I'm just projecting my anger at my social issues towards them. They don't deserve a brat like me as their son."

"Don't say that," Mermaimon shook her head.

"Yeah," Betamon added. "I've been with you since day one and I know you're a good kid. A great kid!"

"Thanks," Babel sniffed.

A MarineAngemon suddenly swam up to them, looking like Christmas had just come early. Actually, Babel hadn't been keeping track of the days that have passed since he got to the Digital World. So for all he knew, it really was Christmas.

"The captain found it!" he cheered.

They followed the Mega Digimon all the way to what used to be the lower deck and soon they found CaptainHookmon outside of Submarimon, trying to find a way to lift the heavy box of treasure. Mermaimon moved to the other side of the chest and tried to lift it along with her lover but it didn't seem to be doing much at all.

"Let Betamon try," Babel suggested.

The couple glanced at each before wondering what the boy was going to do as a flash of light suddenly blinded them. Once their vision came back, they nearly received a heart attack upon seeing Seadramon there who wrapped his tail around the chest and started swimming out of there, back to the ship on the water's surface.

CaptainHookmon took one of Mermaimon's hands in his own. "I will see you soon, my dear."

"Of course," she nodded.

They embraced each other before separating. Mermaimon and the MarineAngemon waved goodbye as they swam away, the mermaid only stopping once to remind Babel that he is worth more than he believes to be before taking off for home.

Once they reached the surface and made it back to the deck, they stared at the chest to try and figure out how to open it. For what was supposed to have been on an ancient shipwreck, it sure wasn't easy to pry it open and find the contents.

"I'll take it to my office to see what I can do," CaptainHookmon explained.

"There must've been other treasure chests equally heavy or heavier than this one," Babel remarked. "How did you pick up those in the past?"

"Usually, I would have some Divermon with me but I wanted to get the ring myself since this is especially important for me," the captain explained as he and Octomon dragged the chest away. "But thank you for the help, Babel. You can talk to the crew and help yourself to anything in the fridge."

"Yeah… No problem," Babel smiled once the captain was gone.

For a moment, Babel and his partner were unsure of what to do but then Octomon held out a massive platter of raw fish with rice wrapped in seaweed. "Sushi?"

"..."

"..."

"Sure."

Interscope Hotel - 11:26 AM

Phantomon was happily dusting the room so that there wouldn't be as much work for the maids when a large picture frame started shaking. The photo was suddenly replaced by the face of Apocalymon, making the reaper scream in terror.

"Who are you?" Apocalymon asked.

"I-I-I-I," Phantomon stammered.

Shibumi quickly stepped in front of his ghostly friend. "He's just an ally, Apocalymon, there's no need to give him a bad cop interrogation." The boy took a look at his creation's face, trying to gauge if he was wrong, if it was a mistake to go through with this enslaving the digital race idea but the more he looked at Apocalymon's face, the more he wanted to believe in him. "What is it? You don't usually pop in unless you have something important to tell me."

"The trap you set in Radiant Sea, it seems that CaptainHookmon has finally taken the bait," Apocalymon explained.

"I see," Shibumi nodded. He had set that trap several days ago after he heard about the cruel seafarer who pillaged villages and stole everything from them. "It won't be long before he opens that chest and hopefully, it'll spread to everyone in the ocean. Discrimination and cruelty in the Radiant Sea will be gone."

"Yes, of course," Apocalymon nodded. He glanced over at the cowering Phantomon. "Is he like a guide for you?"

"No, he's only lived in Pluto's Cemetery for most of his life," said Shibumi.

"I see… Shame…" Shibumi's eyes narrowed; did he just see a ghost of a smirk on Apocalymon's face?

"Is that all?" inquired Dracomon. "We don't want to get other residents too suspicious or hear any strange voices."

"Of course. I wish you three a safe sojourn." With that, the face of Apocalymon was gone and the photo frame continued to contain the painting of a wondrous flowery meadow. Shibumi couldn't help but be reminded of the field that his family went to years ago, he almost wished for the darkness that was there mere seconds ago.

Phantomon was still trembling uncontrollably even after Apocalymon was gone. "H-Hey… If Apocalymon can just transport himself anywhere like that, how come he doesn't do that to places where Digimon can be captured?"

"He can only transport to places that have a special code implanted in them," Shibumi explained. He gestured towards his partner. "I added that code into Dracomon and NeoDevimon has it too because he was manufactured by Apocalymon. So, wherever I and NeoDevimon are, those are the only places Apocalymon can go to. Oh, Hagurumon and Solarmon too."

"Oh… I see," Phantomon nodded. Another question came to mind concerning the conversation that the boy just had with Apocalymon. "Um… About that trap you mentioned setting for CaptainHookmon, what were you talking about exactly?"

"It's difficult to enslave Digimon that are in or on the ocean," Shibumi explained. "We have many Dark Chains on the seafloor but there are many powerful Digimon that are able to destroy them. So we figured that the best way to enslave them is to capture one powerful Digimon and we chose CaptainHookmon as our target. We filled a wooden chest with Dark Chains and I dived down to the lowest deck of a shipwreck, then Apocalymon transported himself there through the line of coding in Dracomon and placed the chest. That's it."

Dracomon added on one missing detail. "We also had to spread a rumor about a rare treasure to make sure CaptainHookmon would get it."

"Oh… So when he opens it?"

"He'll be captured and likely, so will the rest of his crew."

CaptainHookmon's Pirate Ship – 12:58 AM

Betamon looked between Divermon and Babel who were staring across from each other at the chess board. The human had a smug grin on his face as Divermon sweated nervously over which piece to move next since it was his turn but the boy had him cornered.

"H... Here…?" Divermon croaked.

"You sound unsure," Babel smirked.

Divermon did some weird mix of a nod and a head shake. "Um, yes, I've, no, I'm sure I… Wait… Um… Can I…? No. I think… Erm… No! I definitely did the right move!"

"Okay," Babel shrugged and in one movement of the bishop, "Checkmate, mate."

"Gah! How many times has that been?" Divermon groaned.

Octomon raised all except one of his tentacles since he had been keeping track of their games. "Seven straight losses for Divermon. Funny, he's never lost to anything aside from the captain before. You're quite an impressive kid, Babel."

"I'll say," Divermon chuckled, holding out a finned hand. "Great games, boy."

"Thanks, you're a pretty tough opponent yourself," Babel chuckled, accepting the friendly handshake. He looked up at the sun beating down on them and wondered how long CaptainHookmon had been working on getting the chest open. "Should we check on the captain?"

"He usually doesn't like to be bothered but I've never known him to take so long to get a chest open," Octomon muttered.

Divermon jumped down from the stool and the pair went off to check on their leader when the door to the captain's room flung open. There was a moment, with CaptainHookmon just standing there, that Babel was expecting him to start flinging treasure into the air for his crew to catch but instead, what happened was a flash.

CaptainHookmon slowly raised his left arm and the anchor was fired out, destroying the chess table and nearly crushing Babel who was able to jump back just in time. Octomon and a few other crew members immediately ran forward and in the collapsed heap that Babel was in, he could see a Dark Chain coiled around the captain's left leg, the one that was not a weapon. The pirate was fighting off his own beloved crew while Divermon helped Babel up and placed something in his hand.

"The whistle?" Babel blinked.

"It calls the MarineAngemon and Submarimon to the surface," he explained quickly. "You have to get out of here. Without your silver key, you don't stand a chance against our captain." The sea creature tried to push Babel towards the edge of the ship but he stood firm.

"You don't know that," Babel snapped. "We took down Orochimon! Betamon and I can help."

"No, wait!"

"D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

CaptainHookmon was fast so he was able to evade his crew's onslaughts of attacks aimed for his leg but he was also a sharpshooter. Even whilst moving around like he was stuck in a miniature whirlwind, he was able to point with his gun-sword and shoot down many of his own friends, even kicking Octomon in the face with the Dark Chained leg, enslaving the cephalopod almost automatically.

Seadramon made his way around until he was behind the captain. "Ice Blast!"

CaptainHookmon's entire left side got encased in ice but he was able to break out of it with relative ease before pointing his anchor at Seadramon. "Rage Giga Anchor!" It sounded like an explosive gunshot and while Seadramon tried to move out of the range, the chain attached to the anchor wound itself tightly on the Champion's serpentine body. The pirate yanked himself up, smashing his mechanized leg and gun-sword onto the side of Seadramon's face before letting loose. "Leg Revolver and Pirate's Punisher!"

"No!" Babel shouted.

He couldn't do anything to help his partner again as Seadramon fell back to the deck, holes burning in his face. The boy ran over to his friend just as a piercing whistle reached his ears, he glanced backwards to see Divermon blowing another whistle.

CaptainHookmon landed gracefully and pointed his firearm at Babel and he would've shot too if Divermon hadn't intervened. "Striking Fish!" The harpoon messed up CaptainHookmon's aim and he fired at the ship's mast. "Seadramon! Get him out of here!"

Seadramon was weak but protecting Babel was at the top of his list so he grabbed the boy with his tail and dived underwater as soon as possible with CaptainHookmon watching above deck. The human would've drowned if one of the MarineAngemon hadn't arrived sooner and blown a bubble for him to breathe in.

Submarimon came next, looking very concerned when he saw the injuries on Seadramon. "What's happening on the surface?"

"The treasure chest was a setup…," gasped Babel. He looked guilty. "The captain… and the entire crew probably… They've all been enslaved by a Dark Chain." Submarimon's eyes widened in disbelief. "I can't believe this… It all happened so fast."

"We'll talk about this later," Submarimon sighed before glancing at Seadramon who was already showing signs of degenerating. "Return to your form as Betamon, I can give you both a ride down to a special place I know of."

Seadramon hesitantly let go of his partner before returning to his previous form. They both grabbed onto to Submarimon who went deeper down and it felt like hours had passed before they saw what looked to be a domed underwater city which they entered. Mermaimon was already waiting for them and she looked like she had been crying despite being under the ocean, she must've listened to the conversation through the other Submarimon.

"You can breathe in here," chimed MarineAngemon.

The bubble popped but Babel kept his mouth shut. He waited a moment, waiting to see if there was some catch before taking a slow but shallow breath. The Mega Digimon was right; he really could breathe in there.

"But how?" Babel wondered aloud.

"I've heard about these spaces underwater," Betamon mused, if a little weakly because he was still hurt. "Is this the domed city of Atlantis?"

Mermaimon gave him a small smile. "Yes, it is."

Atlantis – 10:12 AM

"Babel?" Betamon called.

The boy stood at the balcony, it was still strange despite having stayed overnight, to think that he was still able to walk, talk, and stand despite technically being underwater. He watched as the sea creatures swam by on the city streets but the only thing on Babel's mind was the thought of CaptainHookmon and his entire crew being mindless members of Apocalymon's excessively growing zombie-like army.

"It isn't fair for good Digimon to be treated that way," Babel frowned.

Betamon swam up to Babel's head and plopped down. "Mermaimon told me something last night. She said that the captain wasn't always good; he used to be just like any other stereotypical pirate when he was a Hookmon, pillaging villages, seaside towns, and just plain being a jerk. It wasn't until he met Mermaimon and fell in love did he realize what a monster he had become. In the end, he changed but there are many pirates out there that haven't so many people still mistakenly judge him for being the bad guy that he used to be."

"Is that why so many Digimon were against the captain and Mermaimon being together?" inquired Babel.

"Yup," said Betamon. "But the captain doesn't want to try to change the stereotype by convincing other pirates to do good deeds, he just wants to keep being himself and maybe people will begin to realize that not all pirates are bad."

The human took a moment to take this in as he wondered about his family once more. He remembered how his parents told him about the number or people that were against their marriage because of their skin color, because of the bad blood of the past and because of the stereotypes. From his father's side, because of the white slave owners and racist whites. From his mother's side, because of the lack of education and relation to devil's music. But they loved each other and that's what mattered to them.

"If CaptainHookmon starts doing bad things because of the Dark Chain, more people will start to think badly of pirates," Babel shook his head. "I… I don't want that to happen."

The boy moved away from the balcony and suddenly, he felt the weight in his pocket lighten. He looked behind him and noticed his compass slowly falling to the floor. He quickly grabbed it and stared at the needle which was pointing eastward.

Betamon swam downwards and took a look at it too. "You don't think…"

"Maybe…"

CaptainHookmon's Pirate Ship – 5:16 PM

"Captain, there is still no sign of the human or his partner," Divermon reported.

"Tch," CaptainHookmon grumbled. "Lord Apocalymon wants that boy and that furball deleted as soon as possible so…" He pointed his gun at the center of Divermon's head. "You better hurry up with it or I will have to make more than two killings."

Divermon swallowed, despite being possessed, he was still somewhat conscious of the fact that his life had been threatened. "Y-Yes, captain…"

As Divermon went for the edge, ready to go back to searching, a sea snake's head reared out of the water with his partner riding him. The creature found himself onto the ship's deck and that's when the rider jumped off, landing gracefully. As he stood back up, they noticed that he had belts wrapped around his shoulders and small metallic balls lining them and in one hand; he held a glittering object, wet with seawater.

"The silver key?" CaptainHookmon gasped.

"It was in an underwater crystal cavern," said Babel, holding it up high. "If Submarimon hadn't brought me down to Atlantis, I never would've found it so in an indirect way; you getting enslaved helped me get my key. My only question is… Why were you so out of control? When we fought Scorpiomon, he still cared about his gang of misfits not to get them captured as well."

CaptainHookmon scoffed. "My coding took forever to rewire, I had opened that chest within the first five minutes of taking it into my office but this stupid body resisted Apocalymon's influence for so much longer. He was writhing and in pain for so long, unable to even call for help. Truly pathetic!"

"He withstood the Chain for that long?" Babel muttered.

"Most Digimon can last only one minute before falling to the darkness," Seadramon hissed.

Babel shook his head. "You're wrong about the captain; he's not pathetic at all! If anything, he's one of the strongest Digimon I've ever known! I know that in the time he was withstanding the pressures of that Chain, he was thinking about his crew, his lover; his close friends because they helped him fight the influence! That kind of love is what makes him strong!"

Not everyone was against his parents union, there were several supporters, ranging from other friends to family members who loved the pair unconditionally and wanted them to be happy even if others weren't going to happy. If it weren't for them, Babel's parents might not have been strong enough to get through every obstacle in their way.

CaptainHookmon did not seem convinced by this though Babel saw a flicker of the old captain in his eyes. "You spout nonsense, fool! Divermon, get that key out of his hand!"

Divermon was quick for someone who naturally moved in the water but so was Babel, he removed one of the metallic balls with his dominant hand and threw it straight at the Dark Chain around Divermon's arm, smashing into it and breaking both objects immediately.

"W-What?" Divermon blinked.

"That ball made a swerve of sorts…," Octomon gaped.

Babel nodded. "That was a curveball, one of the few tricks I've got up my sleeve." He pointed to the projectiles. "I've always been a good pitcher so I asked Mermaimon for something that I could throw that wasn't too heavy, spherical, with enough weight to shatter a Dark Chain if thrown properly. So don't assume that you'll be able to beat Seadramon so easily because this time. He has me and of course, D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"No!" CaptainHookmon snapped, pointing his gun and firing.

Babel kept one eye on his partner who was undergoing evolution at the same time he rolled out of the way. "Seadramon Digivolve to…" The scales on his backside became a dark color but it appeared sleeker. His form began to thicken and multiple fins stuck out of his body but the most important detail was probably the lightning-shaped horn that protruded from the center of his forehead, completing his transformation to Ultimate. "WaruSeadramon!"

Digital Analyzer: WaruSeadramon are a species that have evolved in wickedness, becoming much more sly and deceitful with a tenacity to hunt his prey which exceeds that of MegaSeadramon. However, he is able to control the powers of darkness with the blade-like horn on his head which is the medium in which most of his attacks come from.

Babel suddenly became tense. "What happened? That's not MegaSeadramon… And that description…"

WaruSeadramon's slanted eyes became circular once he noticed his own body. "Eh?! Hey! What's this?!" His initial surprise and shock immediately melted away into one of satisfaction and childish joy. "Wow, this feels super cool!"

Babel was hit with a huge wave of relief as well as a feeling of slight embarrassment. "Nope, he's still Betamon."

"Leg Revolver!"

WaruSeadramon's eyes grew fierce again and he stopped doing his little dance as he suddenly moved at such a speed that surprised everyone, he lifted up both Divermon and Babel and coiled himself up to the crow's nest where he dropped off the Digimon. The bullets harmlessly zipped past them down below.

"You'll be safe up here," Babel reassured Divermon.

"Okay," the sea creature nodded. "Please… Babel, save the captain and the others."

"I will, I promise."

WaruSeadramon and Babel immediately split up, the former cutting CaptainHookmon off from coming into contact with his crew members. The latter latched onto a rope and held on tight as he started swinging around like a jungle man, one hand pitching metal balls and destroying Dark Chains. The ones he had tossed at CaptainHookmon were evaded or destroyed with ease while Octomon used the seven limbs that weren't caught in a Chain to block the projectiles.

"Pirate's Punisher!"

"Dramon Attack!"

WaruSeadramon shot forward and blocked the bullets from hitting Babel before aiming for the captain but the pirate used his mechanized leg as a shield and deflected the lightning bolt blade. Neither gave way to the other so one could easily assume that they were nearly evenly matched. There was a difference though, CaptainHookmon hadn't used an attack to protect himself, he just moved.

"Leave Octomon to me!" Babel yelled as he landed. "You take care of the captain!"

"No problem! You be careful!" his partner replied as he pulled back and breathed a heavy mist to shroud the battlefield. "Strange Mist!" With this kind of cover, CaptainHookmon wouldn't be able to pick out Babel and shoot him out.

Babel ran across the deck with Octomon chasing after him, swinging his sword and shooting blobs of acidic ink.

"You can't win, human," said Octomon.

"Says you."

Babel used a barrel as a launch pad to do a back flip right over Octomon's head, grabbing onto one point of the sea creature's crown and straddling his legs around the Digimon's neck. He arched his back and pulled out a pistol from a hidden holster on his back and pointed it at the Dark Chain wrapped around the tentacle. The boy smiled when he remembered Mermaimon giving it to him, it used to belong to the captain.

With the sound of a gunshot, Octomon was free.

But CaptainHookmon wasn't going to be as easy. "Rage Giga Anchor!"

"Thunder Blade!" WaruSeadramon gathered tons of electrified energy into his horn and parried the heavy anchor that came his way, the electricity traveled through the metal of the chain but CaptainHookmon immediately detached the weapon to prevent himself from getting struck by several watts of electricity. "Thunder Javelin!"

"Leg Revolver!"

The two attacks countered each other and when the smoke cleared, the captain realized that he couldn't see WaruSeadramon anymore, not with the mist around him. It was also getting heavier so the pirate could only assume that his opponent was continuously using his Strange Mist attack whilst discreetly slithering around the boat.

The captain was getting paranoid, thinking that the slightest movement and the faintest of shadows to be an enemy so he opened fire at everything using both of his firearms. As far as he could tell, as long as the mist was there, it meant so was WaruSeadramon.

"Evil Icicle!"

"What?!" the captain gasped as he looked up.

WaruSeadramon had wrapped himself around the crow's nest again, and he had made a giant icicle right over CaptainHookmon's head which was dropping at accelerating speeds. The seafarer jumped back but the frozen weapon struck his hand, causing him to drop his gun-sword which slid across the deck but stopped under the foot of Babel.

"It's over," said Babel, pointing his pistol at the captain's Dark Chain.

"That… gun…," CaptainHookmon breathed.

The boy's grip tightened on the firearm, he had no idea he would ever use one before but he knew that it was something that had once been precious to the old captain, the greedy, selfish one. "But that's not you anymore so stop acting like it. Because the real captain is a strong and kindhearted Digimon."

CaptainHookmon shook his head. "You think so? The Dark Chain amplifies our negative emotions, boy, if it's amplifying mine… Then doesn't this mean that insatiable greed is a part of who I am?"

"Maybe… But no one is perfect. Besides, it took so long for the Chain to dig out those emotions in you," Babel reminded the Digimon. "So I think you're better than you think you are."

A small smile graced CaptainHookmon's face and Babel knew that if he waited any longer, the Chain's auxiliary power would kick in and the pirate would be in immense pain. So by pulling the trigger, the Dark Chain shattered.

Radiant Shore – 6:37 PM

"I'm so happy that you're okay!" Mermaimon sobbed into CaptainHookmon's shoulder.

"I'm sorry for worrying you, darling," the captain replied softly.

They had chosen to set anchor at Radiant Shore to meet Mermaimon halfway along with the Submarimon and MarineAngemon. The rest of the crew was celebrating Babel and Betamon with a couple sea shanties, drinks, and dancing. They were even getting a bonfire started somewhere nearby.

Babel approached the captain with the gun in hand. "Uh… I think this is yours…"

CaptainHookmon grinned before pulling the boy into a one-arm hug. "No, not anymore. I left that old thing behind when I left the old me behind; I want you to have it. You did quite well with it, nearly perfect accuracy."

"Well, Mermaimon taught me how to use it and we practiced for a whole hour. I already had good aim, I just needed to get used to the weight though in my world, guns have a kick in them that make them even harder to use," explained Babel.

"I see," the captain chuckled before glancing over to his lover. "And when did you learn how to use it?"

Babel watched the couple laugh and talk for a little while before he pulled the captain to the side so that he could give him something. "Hey, CaptainHookmon, Betamon and I found this in the crystal caverns in Atlantis…" He reached into the hidden fur pocket on Betamon and pulled out something glittery.

The captain's eyes widened. "This is…"

"...The ring you were looking for."

CaptainHookmon smiled widely before patting the boy's head affectionately. "I guess I owe you for two things now… Thank you, Babel." He stood back up and walked over to Mermaimon. And while Babel and Betamon couldn't hear it, they could see the tears of joy rushing down Mermaimon's cheeks as the two Ultimates embraced and kissed.

"Betamon… When I go home, I don't want to cause any more trouble for my parents. They deserve so much better than that," the boy sighed.

"Even if you caused trouble, I'm sure they'll still love you," Betamon smiled. "They loved each other enough to get married despite everyone's protests and they love each other enough to care for you. They will always be there for you even when they're not around physically. As a matter of fact, I bet they're thinking of you right now and wishing you the best."

"You think so?"

"Yeah… I really do."

Chapter Text

Grand Library – 1:30 PM

"None of the antique shops or the museums had any clues on my Ultimate form," Candlemon sighed as he hopped up the stone steps leading up to the grand doors in between two marble statues of Liamon. "I'm starting to wonder if our silver key is really in the city because I'm about ready to give up altogether."

Lillymon clicked her tongue in disapproval. "Come on, sugar! We haven't even searched the library yet, we can't give up!"

Rai giggled. "I'm glad you have the day off today so you can help us out."

"Well of course, I'm always happy to help!"

Gotsumon raised his hand. "Ooh! Don't forget about me! I'm here to help too!"

"Yeah but you don't even have a job," Pumpkinmon reminded his best friend.

"Well… Not yet…"

Rai giggled as the four Digimon made idle chatter before turning to face the double doors of the library. She pushed them open and as they stepped inside, they were left in awe at the hugeness of the place. They could see dozens of floors and several staircases, books lining the walls from bottom to top, reaching a beautiful stained glass skylight portraying an Angemon and a Devimon. Despite being enormous, there was almost no sound in there aside from occasional footsteps or turn of a page.

"Visitors?!" a sudden gasp broke the near silence.

Their necks craned upwards as they saw a hooded figure leap down from one of the floors, landing on a giant flying book that flapped down to the lobby floor. The creature looked human aside from the fact that he was covered from head to toe in dark robes except for his hands which were more like demon hands. Underneath his tan hood, you couldn't see his actual face but two glowing pupils suggests he had one and the book he was riding looked like a gigantic encyclopedia.

"Wisemon… Hey," Pumpkinmon exhaled. "You nearly gave us a heart attack."

Digital Analyzer: A Demon Man Digimon whose entire being is completely shrouded in mystery because he can appear anywhere in time and space using the Book. Treating the Book as a spiritual vessel, he frequently alters his shape to appear anywhere within the spaces and times that are connected to the Book. Supposedly, his true form exists in an entirely separate dimension and the Space-Time Stones he holds in his hands are able to playback a record of space, preserving every event or object in the entire Digital World.

"Are you the librarian?" inquired Rai.

Wisemon took the girl's hands in his and started shaking them enthusiastically. "It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance! I am Wisemon and you must be Rai! I know all about you because I predicted the arrival of the humans who will save our world and your name appeared as one of them!"

"Predict? Can you tell me where my key is?" Candlemon questioned excitedly.

"No," Wisemon shot down immediately.

"Eh? Why not?"

The librarian finally let go of Rai's hands and stepped back onto the Book. "Because my clairvoyance only allows me to see the general future and not even the exact future, just one out of many possible futures. I cannot foresee specific events, if you want a seer for such a task, I recommend seeing Shamamon in Ogremon Village."

"We have."

"And…?"

"He, uh… He pointed us in the right direction."

Rai decided to take over from there, she explained their situation to Wisemon but as she reached her reasoning for why they were in the library, Wisemon suddenly threw himself over a table and started weeping in despair as if she had told him that his precious puppy died. This was not what they had been expecting when they first laid their eyes on him.

"Uh… Wisemon?" Rai called. "Are you okay?"

Pumpkinmon whispered in a low tone to Candlemon. "Wisemon's really weird, I've only ever seen him twice in my lifetime and the first time, he wanted to dissect my head to see if it was an actual pumpkin. Other than that, he's usually invisible."

Lillymon fluttered over to Wisemon's side and gently patted him on the back. "Come on, doll; just let it out."

Wisemon finally stopped weeping. "I'm sorry… It's just… I had thought that you were all here because you were interested in reading and learning. As you can see, despite having one of the largest collections of books in the entire Digital World, there are barely any visitors aside from one Bokomon. But everyone would prefer to go to arcades or the casino rather than read a book and it breaks my heart. I had a prediction about the human world too… Oh, the world's libraries are all barren and abandoned for the mindless preference of video games, computers, and other technologies!"

"Wisemon…," said Rai. "You said that your predictions are one possible future so you don't know if that will actually happen."

"But my predictions are usually ninety-five percent accurate," Wisemon sobbed.

The small group glanced at each other, they all felt bad for Wisemon; all he wanted was for people to find the enjoyment in relaxing with a good book. So they all knew what they had to do in order to make Wisemon feel better.

"Admittedly, I've been getting less and less customers at my restaurant," Pumpkinmon sighed in distraught. "I wonder if there's a section of books for shop owners looking to improve their consumer margins and help themselves better take care of a private business."

Wisemon brightened up significantly. "The fourth floor, all kinds of books on restaurant etiquette and consumer preferences!"

"What about starting your own business?" inquired Gotsumon. "I plan on starting up a small private business to build shrines and construct other such buildings, but I don't really know how. Are there any books that could help me in that category?"

"Seventh floor, you can learn all about starting your own private business!"

Lillymon put on a thoughtful and slightly concerned expression. "My sister's egg hatched not too long ago and I'm probably going to have to babysit from time to time but I don't have the first clue on childcare! What if I mess up somehow?"

"Childcare and other references for being a good maternal figure are on the second floor!"

"What about books on magical spells? Perhaps a compiled collection of all possible Magical Games that can be performed by a mage Digimon would come in handy for me. They don't even have to have a battle use, I would certainly like to learn a few parlor tricks to entertain at parties," Candlemon added.

"The ninth floor has all kinds of information on that!"

Wisemon was getting more and more excited as each of them asked to look for books, which they were going to do, they were just going to go key hunting while they were at it. Lillymon took each of the smaller Digimon and flew them off to the higher floors so they wouldn't have to walk up the unholy amount of stairs. As for Rai, she asked for the general history of anything and everything in the Digital World which was apparently in the basement.

"Thank you!" she called from behind her.

Rai went downstairs to the basement which looked a lot like a library from her own world except it was much larger in comparison. She noticed a small, white Digimon plodding around with a stack of books in his stubby arms which he placed on a table and started reading. That must be the Bokomon that Wisemon had mentioned.

As she walked through the aisles, scanning the books, she wondered for a moment, where would she be able to find the silver key. That was when she stumbled upon a book that was titled The History of Magic and when she took it out to examine the table of contents, her eyes widened.

Rai spent hours looking through the book and others that were recommended by it. While it may have been a ruse to get Wisemon to stop crying, she really did love reading and learning, and this kind of material was something utterly fascinating to her. "Where have I seen this before?" she muttered to herself, referring to the picture of a wand in the History of Magic book. "Hm… I think it was in one of the antique shops we visited. And a lot of the herbs can be found in the Herb Shoppe that I worked in…"

"Sh!" Bokomon hissed.

"Oh, sorry," Rai winced.

The human was about to return her books when she realized something. "Um… You're Bokomon, right?"

Bokomon sighed in a way to show that he didn't like being bothered while reading. And when he looked up to give Rai a piece of his mind, he froze up. "Oh my goodness! You… You're a human, aren't you? I never thought I'd ever meet a human!"

"Oh… Well, I'm not all that special…"

"Maybe not in your world! But you are a true rarity here!"

"Rarity? Doesn't that imply that there have been other humans before?"

Bokomon's jaw dropped as if he couldn't believe she had just said that. "Wait right here." He hopped off his chair and ran down one of the aisles, returning with another history book, the Digimon Origins? He flipped to the first chapter. "Hikaru and Kurogane, twins from Earth who came to the Digital World during the Genesis Age to help the wild Digimon understand emotions and how to think."

"I see…"

"I'm surprised Wisemon didn't tell you this. He's been excited about the prospect of a human visiting his library for a very long time," Bokomon mused. "He said he wanted to learn as much as he could about human lives and history before researching their anatomy and biology."

Rai almost missed the last part but she made a face when she realized what it meant. "Oh… Well, I'm glad he changed his mind." She shook her head to get the mental image of being strapped to an operating table and then being dissected out of her head. "Anyway, I was wondering… Bokomon, you've read almost every book in this library, right?"

He nodded. "Twice."

"Right, well, I was wondering if you've ever come across a silver key before." Rai pulled out her bronze key with the sun-shaped head. "It should look like this."

"Hm… No, I don't think so."

"Really? Nowhere?"

Bokomon shrugged, giving her an apologetic look. "I mean, the only book I've never read is the Book."

"The Book?"

"Wisemon's Book, I don't even know what's in it."

Rai nodded in understanding and after a little more idle chatter, the pair returned to their own individual tasks. But Rai had another thought in mind aside from searching for the silver key; rather, she went back upstairs and borrowed some of the books before running out of the library.

"Huh? Rai, where are you going?" Lillymon asked from above.

"I need to check something out!" Rai called back. "I'll be back soon!"

With a door slam, she was out.

Translate Mountain Base – 10:11 AM

Gokuwmon and Ryudamon were staring at the fire, cooking their meat apples when Robert returned with three canteens filled with fresh water from the stream. When the boy sat down, Gokuwmon asked a question that had been weighing on his mind.

"Can you tell me more about the other humans?" he inquired.

"The others?" Robert repeated as he chugged down a gulp of water. "Why?"

Gokuwmon took a stick and poked the hot embers. "The fate of my world rests in the hands of humans, but they are all strangers to me except for you. I wanted to hear more about the other humans, reassure myself that everything is going to be okay because there's a certain level of uncertainty involved in trusting five random people to save our world."

"I get it…," Robert smirked before triumphantly jabbing his chest with his thumb. "You want to know if they're as gallant and strong as I am!"

"He's not asking about that at all," Ryudamon huffed.

Robert chuckled to himself. "Yeah, I know, I was just kidding around. The others…" He took a moment to think about it. "Well, if I'm going to put your mind at ease, then I'm definitely going to have to start with Rai before anyone else."

"Eh? Why Rai?" questioned Ryudamon. "I mean, she's great, but she's not very strong."

"Don't you remember what Sanzomon said? We were chosen because of the strength of our hearts, it has nothing to do with brawn or brute force," said Robert. "Besides, when we first arrived to the Digital World, everyone wanted to go home except for me. But while Rai wanted to go back, she also wanted to stay and help. So yeah, in a fight, she probably won't be of much assistance but her kindness and gentle personality really helps us pull through during the worst of times."

Ryudamon smiled a little. "Well, when you put it like that."

"This Rai does sound like a kind person," Gokuwmon nodded approvingly.

Robert grinned widely. "Though she can hold her own in a fight too. Maybe not with her fists but she's got a good head on her shoulders."

"I see…" Gokuwmon suddenly turned around and made a quiet side comment. It sounded vaguely like… "Perhaps it would be easier to teach her how to wield a weapon seeing as this one lacks the mental capacity to properly use a spear."

"Do you really think you can whisper something so long without me knowing that you're badmouthing me?"

"You were supposed to hear it."

"Then don't turn your head to the side!" Gokuwmon and Robert stared at each other for the longest time before the former turned his head to direct himself at Ryudamon. "Now you're just blatantly ignoring me!"

Gokuwmon ignored his pupil. "What about her partner, what is he or she like?"

"He's a bit rash and judgmental but he's an overall good guy," Ryudamon replied. "Candlemon's also pretty strong and clever with his wide assortment of magic tricks. And while he may have a bit of a temper, he's always willing to forgive and forget."

"They sound like they make an interesting team."

"They certainly do."

Robert had gotten tired of them ignoring him, so he decided to do a little exploring through the forest. A few minutes later, he came across a Toucanmon, perched on a branch of a tall oak tree. The avian Digimon looked like he hadn't moved from that position in days, as if he was waiting for someone or something to come along and move him with their energy.

"Excuse me," Robert called. The Toucanmon turned his head. "Have you seen a human pass through here?"

"Other than you?" the bird crooned.

"Uh, yeah, other than me."

"Just one other boy with a resemblance to yours," Toucanmon chanted. "Passed by my tree just a few days before. He had spoken of retrieving a golden key up that mountain. And left for the city past the stone fountain. He mentioned of returning, before the mountain's burning. To bring back the key, yes, the one that he seeks."

"Okay… Weird… rhyming… bird," said Robert awkwardly. "So he's going to return in a few days?"

Toucanmon narrowed his eyes in a menacing way. "Are those not the words I had just said or are you simply a brain-dead airhead?"

"Sorry!"

Robert scuffled away. Toucanmon wasn't very scary and Robert could probably do more damage to him using his spear than the bird could do with his beak. But the human was fairly sure that if a small, rhyming avian was speaking in a threatening tone, it was time to leave.

"Where were you?" Ryudamon asked when his partner returned to their campsite.

"At a Toucanmon's nest," Robert replied, sitting down. "It looks like Shibumi was here a while ago and then went off to Cyber City. But if that feathered rat is right, then he'll be back soon. When he does, we have to stop him."

"Stop him?"

"Yeah… He's after his gold key."

Grand Library – 2:17 PM

"We're after a silver key."

Candlemon was very tempted to hop off his candlestick and splatter in a mess of wax right onto the polished floor. He had been listening Lillymon repeat that phrase over and over again, as if she needed a constant reminder of what their original quest was or she would forget. It had already been a week since they first started searching and it was starting to wear down on all five of them. Well, maybe not Rai because she kept running in and out of the library.

"Learning those magic tricks on the first day was fun and all but I would really like it if we made some progress in our search," Candlemon bemoaned. "I mean, we've already searched through like… twenty whole floors in this place. How many more levels can we search through?"

Wisemon floated up to the same height as their landing using the Book. "This library has seventy-five floors," he said before floating back down.

"Ugh!" Candlemon groaned.

Gotsumon jumped down from the ladder. "There is no way we'll be able to search through all of that."

"Yeah," Pumpkinmon nodded in agreement before crossing his arms. "Especially if those rumors are true."

Candlemon and Lillymon glanced at each other. "What rumors?"

The puppet Digimon uncrossed his arms. "I heard that Dark Chains were starting to make their way into the city. Almost as if Apocalymon is depositing them right into the middle of our metropolis and hundreds of Digimon are already getting possessed. That's why droves of citizens and tourists are starting to flee but so far, it's only speculation."

"Why wouldn't the authorities mention if this was happening?" inquired Lillymon.

"Because their job is to keep the city safe," explained Gotsumon. "Imagine how people would react if they found out that they failed."

"It would also cause a massive panic that might as well destroy the city before the Dark Chains do it," Pumpkinmon added.

Candlemon did not like the sound of this. Everyone had believed that Cyber City would be safe because it floats in the sky but that didn't mean a minion of Apocalymon couldn't infiltrate the metropolis and spread the physical virus. "We need to warn Rai… Where is she, by the way?"

"She's been in the basement like she has been every single day this past week," Lillymon sighed.

The four Digimon marched downstairs and made it down to the basement where they saw Bokomon and Rai seated next to each other on a table, stacks of books on the former's side and potpourri on the latter's side.

"Um… What is this?" inquired Gotsumon.

"Dried petals in a bowl, darling," Lillymon answered.

Candlemon shook his head before placing a hand on his partner's arm and she looked up. "Rai, what are you doing? We're supposed to be looking for the silver key but you haven't made any progress at all. I know reading will make Wisemon happy but we need to hurry up if want to take down Apocalymon."

"I'm sorry," Rai murmured before reaching for a weird staff under her seat. "I was just working on this."

"Ooh…," Lillymon nodded approvingly before frowning. "What is it?"

Rai grabbed one of the books and opened it up to an image of a rough sketch of the same staff. The rod itself was silver and the head was golden, in the shape of a crescent moon with a star on the inside of the bend. It was certainly pretty to look at but they had no idea what it was.

"Before real magic came about, there was a fake kind of magic," Rai set out on her explanation. "But Digimon did not know how to use this magic without this staff which had access to the small, microscopic data streams in the air. Each Digimon has their own digital aura which can be found through data streams and this staff can take herbal medicine and heal a Digimon's wounds from afar simply by sending it in a digital form through the stream and into a Digimon."

Pumpkinmon nodded along but he was still a tad confused. "That's impressive, but how…?"

"That staff was at one of the antique shops we visited!" Candlemon realized.

"And you've been making herbal medicine for the staff to take in," Lillymon gasped.

Rai nodded enthusiastically, happy to know that they understood. "Exactly! This will help me support the team even though I can't fight very well like the rest of them! It was a little rusty but I had a blacksmith restore it to its former glory."

"That's great Rai!" Candlemon smiled before remembering what they came down here for. "But we really do need to hurry up on searching for that silver key." He took a deep breath before retelling the rumors that Pumpkinmon told them.

As they went on, Rai's frown grew deeper.

"I see… That isn't good," Rai muttered. "Then I guess it's time to get that silver key."

"We know and…"

Rai stood up; ignoring what her partner was trying to say, and tapped Bokomon on the shoulder. "Bokomon, I'm about to put your theory to the test. If it turns out that you're right, then I want you to get as far away as you possibly can from what's bound to go down."

"Eh? A-Are you sure about that?" questioned Bokomon.

"Why wouldn't I be sure?"

"It's just… I've never had an intelligent conversation with anyone before I met you," Bokomon blushed. "Wisemon may be smart but he also has a myriad of eccentricities that it makes it difficult for us to have a proper discussion about anything. So if you're going to be in a precarious combat situation, I do not wish to leave you be."

"That's sweet," Rai giggled. "Okay, you can stay but keep yourself around Lillymon, she'll protect you."

The other four could not be any more confused than they were at this moment. Though they were aware that Rai is competent so what she was thinking could not have been a bad thing but it didn't help that they couldn't understand the current situation.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa," Gotsumon exclaimed. "Rai, what's happening here?"

"I think I know where the key is," she whispered.

Candlemon gasped. "Where?"

"The Book."

Candlemon's excitement disappeared instantaneously. "The library is full of books."

Rai shook her head before yelling at the staircase. "Wisemon!" The librarian descended the steps atop the Book and as soon as the other four Digimon laid their eyes on it, they gasped in realization. "Bokomon tells me that when you first predicted the coming of the Chosen Children, you had wanted to give something to one of us. You have my silver key… Don't you."

Wisemon's glowing eyes flickered, changing to red for a second. "That did not sound like a question; therefore, I cannot answer it."

Rai took a step forward. "He also tells me that you don't care about how many visitors you get here, so long as people enjoy what they read, you're content with the lack of people walking through those doors. So you've been acting rather uncharacteristic since the moment we stepped inside here one week ago."

"Why, I have no idea what you're talking about," Wisemon glared.

"You know exactly what I'm talking about."

"I see," Wisemon's eyes became red. "Then I guess it is time to exterminate you for Lord Apocalymon!" He moved his hands like he was orchestrating a band and suddenly, books started flying out of their shelves and were sent flying at the group.

"Flower-!"

"Lava-!"

Bokomon stopped Lillymon and Candlemon from shooting out their attacks. "No! You'll ruin the books!"

"Then let me!" Pumpkinmon jumped forward and raised his hands to the air. "Trick-or-Treat!" A huge pumpkin landed in front of them, shielding them from the barrage of books. "They'll be bruised but at least they'll be intact and legible."

More books, closer to them, started magically leaving their shelves and charging at them so they immediately started running through the aisles, trying to avoid getting pelted by hardcover copies and evading paper cuts from paperbacks.

"Who says books don't hurt anyone?" Gotsumon yelped.

"Okay, so my prediction for this fight had not involved fighting books," said Rai as she ducked under an oncoming thesaurus.

"We're not going to get anywhere like this!" Lillymon grumbled before grabbing Pumpkinmon and flying over the projectiles. The pair of Ultimate Digimon landed on either side of Wisemon, with the others trying to call them back. "Let's take him on like the Ultimates we are! Flower Cannon!"

"Right! We got this, Lillymon! Jack o' Lantern!" Pumpkinmon shouted as he tossed a fiery-like substance.

Wisemon watched the two attacks coming at him from either side but it was like they were moving in slow motion as he drifted backwards and held up one of his orbs. "Pandora Dialogue!" The two attacks suddenly vanished before reversing in movement at a speed that could not be caught by the naked eye. Both Ultimates were blasted backwards by their own attacks and it was certainly painful watching them both double over in pain.

"Pumpkinmon!" Gotsumon gasped. "Why you! Rock Fist!" He started hurling a multitude of rocks at the cloaked Digimon.

"Pandora Dialogue!" The rocks were sucked right into the orb again. He then pointed it at Pumpkinmon before letting the stones loose again. The puppet Digimon was stoned for a whole ten seconds with sharp, rocket-moving rocks. "Oh look, you hurt your own friend."

"N-No! Pumpkinmon, I didn't mean to," Gotsumon winced.

"No worries," Pumpkinmon stood back up, perfectly fine. "It didn't hurt as much as it did a second ago."

"What?" Wisemon scowled underneath his hood.

Rai gasped when she glanced at her staff which was glowing. "It actually worked! The book mentioned that the staff can heal a Digimon depending on how the holder feels and I was just so worried about Pumpkinmon, I guess it did its magic!"

"Even inanimate objects of the Digital World are fascinated by human emotion," Bokomon remarked, taking down notes in a little pad.

"No time to be standing in awe," said Candlemon. "Rai!"

"Oh, right! D-Lock 1 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

Wizardmon flew out from the flash of yellow light. "It seems like only physical attacks will have an effect on you which isn't very good for me. But I have plenty of new tricks up my sleeve. Magical Game!" The mage suddenly became invisible and Wisemon no longer knew where to search. But before the librarian could do anything about it, he was suddenly constricted by something he couldn't see. "Invisible chains, something I learned from one of the books upstairs."

"Hit him now!" Rai ordered.

"Right!"

"Flower Cannon!" "Jack o' Lantern!" "Rock Fist!" "Thunder Ball!"

All four of the attacks came charging at different parts of Wisemon's body since they didn't know where the Dark Chain was on him. But a second before he was struck by the attacks, the Book slammed shut, closing him inside as well. The attacks harmlessly bounced off the massive encyclopedia.

"What is that thing made of?" Gotsumon gawked.

"And how did it close on him?" Lillymon gaped.

"I've been observing him for years and writing my observations down in my own book," said Bokomon, pulling it out of his pants. "The Book is an entrance to another universe, a home that was made for the mysterious Wisemon which can keep him safe and is practically indestructible. My theory is that the only way to destroy it is to delete the bearer."

"Well we're not destroying Wisemon," Rai muttered.

The Book opened up again and suddenly flew straight for Rai and Bokomon, now that Wisemon was free from his invisible constraints. "You two are pests." He held out his other orb in front of their faces. "Eternal Nirvana!"

With Rai's training with free running, she was able to grab onto a nearby shelf and get out of the way before the orb sucked her in, but it was too late for Bokomon who suddenly vanished, dropping his book. "B-Bokomon! W-where did he go?"

"He's been deleted and absorbed," Wisemon chuckled darkly. "And the rest of you are next."

"No!" Rai gasped.

Lillymon quickly flew in and grabbed Rai out of the way before Wisemon could use the same attack on her. Wizardmon gathered up a ton of dark clouds over the bookkeeper's head and released a powerful lightning bolt onto him.

"Pandora Dialogue!" The foe was engulfed in a flash of electricity but it didn't even seem to faze him as it was all sucked into the orb.

"Well that didn't go well," Gotsumon muttered.

Pumpkinmon detached his axe and tossed it towards Wizardmon, knowing that he wouldn't be able to get close enough to Wisemon without getting chained. Wizardmon held on tight to the axe in one hand and his grip tightened on his staff in the other hand. He zipped straight for Wisemon swinging both of his weapons but the Ultimate dodged the attacks with relative ease.

"He sure is swift for a geek," Lillymon murmured.

"Technically, he's a nerd," Gotsumon corrected.

Pumpkinmon rolled his eyes. "That really doesn't matter right now."

"Eternal Nirvana!"

"Lillymon, save him!" Rai snapped.

The flower fairy let go of the girl and then flew right for Wizardmon, pushing him out of the way but inevitably got sucked right into the orb herself. Rai slapped her hands over her mouth as she let out a small cry at the sound of her friend's shriek.

"No…," Wizardmon exhaled, eyes wide when he watched their friend disappear.

Pumpkinmon ran forward and snatched the axe right out of Wizardmon's hand before charging forward. "You're on the chopping block!"

"Eternal Nirvana!"

Gotsumon tried to jump in the way and save his roommate but he ended up tripping on a fallen book and getting sucked into the orb with Pumpkinmon. Rai and Wizardmon could only watch on with horrified expressions as each of their friends were gone. Rai jumped down from the top of the shelf and nabbed the book that Bokomon had dropped, figuring that there might be valuable information to help them take down Wisemon.

"Run!" Wizardmon shouted.

The pair started running through the aisles again just as Wisemon started magically flinging the books off the shelves once more. Rai started flipping through all the information that Bokomon had on Wisemon in the book but she couldn't find anything helpful.

"If we can just flip through the pages of Wisemon's Book, we can probably find the silver key!" said Rai.

Wizardmon grabbed onto his partner and carried her up the stairs, up past a couple of floors with Wisemon following right behind on his magic Book. "Yeah, we're definitely going to need that advantage in order to beat this guy."

"I just wish it didn't take the sacrifices of Bokomon and the others."

"Wait! It was Bokomon who said that the key might be in the book, right?"

"Uh… Yeah?"

"But he also theorized that the Book is an alternate universe, right?"

Rai's eyes widened when she pieced it together. "You're right! But how are we…?" Rai let go of one half of the book she was holding and the breeze, from their ascent, blew the pages back. She quickly stopped it from reaching the back, making it to the last written page. "Eternal Nirvana doesn't actually destroy but…" She gasped. "Wizardmon, we have to go back!"

"What?!"

"We have to make him use Eternal Nirvana on us!"

"But…!"

"Bokomon thinks it'll take us to the Book's reality."

Wizardmon shook his head as he continued swerving past the flying books. "Even if that's true, there's no guarantee that he'll do that. Not to mention, even if we are sent into that alternate universe, there will be no guarantee that we will escape it back to this dimension."

Rai knew he was right but… "It's our only chance. Do you trust me?"

"Of course I do," Wizardmon answered almost immediately before making a U-turn. "Let's go!"

Wisemon watched them get close before holding up his orb. "Eternal Nirvana!"

The Book – 2:53 PM

"Rai? Wizardmon?" Lillymon gasped.

The group was floating around in a black space that they couldn't see much. There were several books floating around as well which Bokomon was reading but when he heard those names spoken, he put down the book he was looking for before pulling out something shiny from his pants. "I believe this is what you are looking for."

"The silver key!" Rai cheered.

"It doesn't matter," Gotsumon shook his head. "We've been looking around for a way out but there doesn't seem to be an exit anywhere in sight."

Bokomon shook his head, holding up one of the books that had been floating around. "It seems Wisemon was hoarding a special book on ancient Digimon lost in time. Wizardmon, you're Ultimate level has a special power that can help us get out of here."

"Really?" said Wizardmon.

Rai took the key from Bokomon's hands. "Thank you Bokomon." She glanced over at her partner. "You ready?" After receiving an affirmative nod from the wizard, she jammed the key into her yellow D-Sync. "D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Wizardmon Digivolve to…" Wizardmon's form remained humanoid but he became taller and his clothes became a brilliantly shining armor. His staff took on the new form of a beautifully blazing sword. He looked like a master magician and a swordsman at the same time. "Mistymon!"

Digital Analyzer: Mistymon is a powerful paladin Digimon with a true mastery over the sword and magical arts. His armor deflects all kinds of magic and though it is a rumor, supposedly, his sword has the ability to rip through dimensions.

Mistymon raised his blade up high, glowing with magical energy and he made a tear in the air which if you looked into, led right back to the Grand Library.

Grand Library – 2:55 PM

Wisemon inhaled sharply when he saw a tear appear in front of him and out stepped the shining paladin along with the same victims he just sucked into his other dimension. He had planned on getting rid of them permanently later but it seemed he waited a couple of seconds too long. "You found the silver key?! Wisemon hid that somewhere in the Book but he somehow locked that part of my memory before the Dark Chains possessed me. How did you find it so soon?"

Bokomon grinned. "Wisemon probably also locked the part of his memory that mentioned anything concerning his favorite book. The guy wasn't a good conversationalist, but he said a lot of his thoughts out loud whenever he was reading."

Mistymon took on a fighting stance with his blade tucked in front of him while Wisemon narrowed his eyes on the warrior.

"That Wisemon really was a wily one," Wisemon grumbled.

Mistymon shook his head as if he could not believe what he was hearing. "Whether you like it or not, you are Wisemon and seeing what you have done for us, we know that you are a good Digimon deep inside. But I will fight you in order to free you from the evil of the Dark Chain."

"How noble," Wisemon rolled his eyes before raising his Pandora Dialogue orb which was still holding Wizardmon's Electro Squall inside of it. A shot of lightning burst out of the ball, running right for Mistymon at an unimaginable speed. "Dodge this!"

"I don't have to," Mistymon smirked, slashing a tear into the space in front of him. The lightning shot right into another dimension.

"Where did it go?" inquired Gotsumon.

"Not sure," Mistymon shrugged. "I think it's like some weird world filled with just data or something. So don't worry, no one from some other universe got hurt."

Mistymon charged forward with Rai following right behind with her staff, the crescent was sharp enough to be used as a blade so while she didn't have any formal training, at least she could fight it out alongside her partner. But even with the two of them together, swinging their weapons, Wisemon was still quick enough to dodge them both.

"Eternal-!"

"No you don't!" Pumpkinmon shouted as he grabbed his axe and tossed it. The weapon knocked the orb right out of Wisemon's hand.

"No!" Wisemon gasped.

"He can't focus on more than two things at once!" Rai realized. "Everyone, attack at a point near him but not at him!"

"Flower Cannon!" "Jack o' Lantern!" "Rock Fist!"

Mistymon added to this batch of flying attacks by gathering as much pyro-elemental energy as he could into his sword before releasing it one go. "Blast Fire!"

Wisemon's cloak caught on fire as he flew upwards to avoid the other attacks. Rai pulled out her dagger and threw it at Wisemon, trying to make him let go of his other orb but it missed and snagged onto his sleeve, ripping it and revealing…

"The Dark Chain!"

"It's over Wisemon!" Just because Mistymon didn't have wings did not mean he can't fly and he proved this by lifting off the ground and bringing his weapon down on the Chain, shattering it into several pieces. "You lost."

When Wisemon finally woke up, lying on a table, while everyone else was putting the books back into the shelves, he started celebrating his freedom from the wicked Dark Chain. They watched as he profusely thanked Rai and Candlemon over and over again for their triumph.

"No problem," Rai giggled.

"To think that I would be saved by a human and an ancient Digimon! Both of you are such rare specimen!" Wisemon exclaimed, pulling out a drill and a scalpel from the Book. "I simply must dissect the both of you!"

"What?!"

"He's joking," said Bokomon.

"Of course I am," Wisemon chuckled, dropping the objects. "I'll have to wait until after you save our world." Just then he asked them all to come closer to him. "That reminds me, I want all of you to leave the city right now."

"What? Why?" Gotsumon questioned.

"Those rumors you've been hearing are true," Wisemon explained. "The Dark Chain possessed me while I was going to a bookstore near the edge of the city. I witnessed Digimon getting enslaved right out on the street and it's starting to spread towards the center. All of you must leave. I'm going to stay behind."

"What? You can't!" Rai shook her head.

Wisemon patted the girl's head. "Do not fret, child. I will be safe if I remain inside the Book. Besides, I have to protect my precious library."

The doors to the library flew open at that moment and Rosemon and Lotosmon ran inside, the former carrying a baby Budmon in her arms. The pair flew over to the group in a hurry; obviously, they had been fleeing from something outside. Rai and Candlemon had met them only once, when Lillymon was introducing them to her family.

"Lillymon! There you are!" Rosemon gasped.

"Sis!" Lillymon smiled but it faded away quickly. "Let me guess, enslaved Digimon are starting to overrun the city?"

"Yes… We have to go, now!" Lotosmon added.

Rai and Candlemon were picked up by Lillymon who started flying towards an open window on the top floor of the library; they said their farewells to Wisemon. Lotosmon did the same for Pumpkinmon and Gotsumon with her girlfriend following suit.

"Wait! Bokomon! What are you doing?!" Rai shouted.

"I'm going to stay here with Wisemon!" Bokomon called back. "He needs the company."

Wisemon smiled underneath his hood before tilting his head upwards. "Stay safe, Chosen Child!"

"Wait!" Rai yelled one more time. "Wisemon, answer me this one question. When we have defeated Apocalymon, what will happen to the enslaved Digimon? Will they be free from his grasp or will they continue to be brainwashed?"

"I'm afraid they will remain mindless," Wisemon sighed. "But fear not, the Dark Chain will lose its other function with the loss of Apocalymon. The wretched Chains will no longer have the power to spread like a virus and after you have completed your task and beat Apolcaymon, the Digimon will take care of the rest and free our brethren."

"I see… Good. Please, stay safe you two!"

"We wish the same for you and your companions!"

As Rai was taken through the window, she watched as the doors were flung open and her two newest friends vanished into the Book before the library was overrun. Overlooking the city from an aerial view, they watched as hundreds, possibly thousands of Digimon run around wild. In the distance, Rai couldn't be sure, but she thought she saw Shibumi, riding atop his partner as they escaped the metropolis that had once been considered safe.

"I can't believe how fast everything can fall apart…," Rai winced.

"It won't end here either," Candlemon muttered. "Not unless we stop it."

"I know."

Chapter Text

Klahzinfang Village – 10:34 AM

With Gabumon's guidance, Janyu and FanBeemon were able to make it to the destination where their compass was pointing to. After giving their gratitude to their new friends, Gabumon and his group continued on to their own home, Red Fur Village. Gabumon even lent the human and insect a map in case they wanted to drop by before heading out.

The village was very old-fashioned; it looked like it came straight out of the Edo era of Japan. And the denizens were very friendly and quiet, none of them caused any trouble nor did they make a big deal out of the arrival of a human.

As for their purpose for being there, well, the compass directed them around town but for some reason, throughout the day, their target seemed to change location completely. It was rather peculiar but they were certain that their key stayed inside the village at the very least. So Janyu's theory was that someone had found their silver key and had taken custody of it.

"Well why can't he or she stay in one place?" FanBeemon sighed.

Janyu shrugged. "Who knows? Maybe they're like Rob, just can't sit still for too long."

They'd already been there for quite some time but had made no progress in their search. They stayed at a local inn run by a friendly Psychemon who they confused for Gabumon at first. They did find out that the two canines were actually twin brothers, much to their surprise.

"Your search for the key hasn't gone well?" Psychemon inquired politely when he entered their room. He was carrying two large leaf bowls with clear water in them for the pair to drink. "Perhaps a cool beverage would help clear your thoughts."

"Thank you, Psychemon," Janyu nodded.

"You've been a great help to us so far," FanBeemon added.

Psychemon raised his paws and shook his head. "Oh no, you two are customers at my humble inn. I must serve the customers as best as I can. And my brothers also mentioned that you saved their lives as well as their friend's and I can never repay you enough for that. So if you ever need any help on anything, do not hesitate to come to me."

Janyu and FanBeemon glanced at each other. They weren't sure how else the owner could help in their case. After all, they had already asked him if anyone in the village had found a key recently but nothing came to mind.

"It's fine," Janyu replied. "We don't need any assistance right now."

Psychemon bowed respectfully. "Very well." The beast didn't leave though; his eyes were drawn to Janyu's hands. "If I may ask, where did those bruises come from?"

The injuries the boy suffered when fighting NeoDevimon had healed a while ago thanks to Gabumon's herbal medicine. However, ever since that day, Janyu's been practicing his martial arts, performing drills on a daily basis that his sensei had taught him.

The previous night, he decided to practice some of his moves against one of the many trees in the forest and he ended up hurting the fists that pounded against the rough bark. But he was determined to get stronger for his friends. Not just so that he wouldn't be left behind, but also so that he wouldn't be a burden to them in battle.

Robert was undeniably extremely stubborn and was even capable of using the Legendary Dragon Blade when faced against a particularly tough opponent. Babel was quick on his feet, with sharp eye and quick reflexes, not to mention, he had some good arms that were good for throwing and punching. Daisy was resourceful and observant; she was also the best climber in their group and the most flexible. Rai was a fast thinker so while she couldn't give them a physical advantage, she could give them a mental one.

Janyu wasn't the best in any area. He was smart and determined to fight as much as the rest of them, but it was obvious that if they were faced with the decision to choose the best person as their backup, he wouldn't be their first option.

"I'm a martial artist," Janyu answered. "I have to practice every day. I can't just shirk my responsibilities."

Psychemon nodded in understanding. "That is what I thought. I see you practicing out in the backyard sometimes. You are very skilled."

No one's ever said that before. He was always the weakest amongst his peers. He always hid behind Cho. Could it be that his experience in the Digital World was helping him improve his skills at an exponential rate? Possibly. Especially since this could be considered real-life experience as opposed to the sparring matches back in the dojo.

"Of course!" FanBeemon buzzed happily. "Janyu is the strongest!"

Janyu smiled, happy to hear it from his partner despite the bias. "We should probably continue our search now."

"Hold on," Psychemon interjected. "There is a dojo in the village. And I'm sure Grizzlymon can provide you better clothing suited for battle."

"A dojo in the village?" Janyu blinked.

FanBeemon went out to scour the village for the key himself, buzzing from tree to tree and villager to villager in an attempt to find something small and silver and shiny. While he was at it, Janyu went to the Klahzinfang Dojo and upon entering; he saw a large Grizzlymon seated behind the front desk.

"A human!" the bear perked up before bowing. "Welcome to my humble dojo."

Janyu looked inside to see a Gaomon practicing some high-speed punches against a sandbag while two GrapLeomon were locked in combat on the mat. There were a variety of other Digimon there as well though none of them particularly caught Janyu's eye.

"Hello, nice to meet you," Janyu bowed. "I heard from Psychemon that I could train here."

Grizzlymon nodded before looking at the boy's clothes. "Don't tell me you've traversed the Digital World in that attire?" He turned around and stuck his head through the curtains that separated the dojo and whatever was in the back. "I need you to make a gi!"

A high-pitched, squeaky but nasally voice replied from inside. "What color?"

Grizzlymon turned back around. "What color?"

"Uh…," Janyu blinked.

Just then, a Minomon dropped down from the ceiling, causing the boy yelp and jump back. His cheeks started flaming, embarrassed that he had just gotten startled by a tiny, adorable bug. It made him seem weak and that was something he wanted to shed the skin of to leave behind.

"You nearly scared him away!" Grizzlymon chided.

"Ah, he's fine," Minomon waved off before examining Janyu closely. "The color will be emerald green and the size will be… Uh-huh. Some Chrome Digizoid gauntlets and shin guards would probably come in handy too since you're a martial artist though I'm not sure how heavy they'll be for you. Would you like a special type of shoes for kicks?"

Now that Janyu thought about it, his bare hands and feet wouldn't be very effective against certain Digimon wearing armor or had tough skin. "Uh, yeah, that would be nice. Thank you. I'm sorry for…" He trailed off, what was he going to apologize for? He hated it, that sounding of weakness. "Thank you…"

"I'll get started!" Minomon saluted before zipping into the back.

"They'll have it done by tonight," Grizzlymon told Janyu.

Janyu reached for his back pocket. "How much is it going to cost?"

"Using the services in the dojo is free of charge," Grizzlymon answered. "As for the gi and armor, it all depends on Minomon."

Janyu thanked the bear again before taking off his shoes and going onto the mat. If he trained with a real opponent, he might actually get stronger. So he asked the Gaomon if they could spar. Thankfully, the canine Digimon agreed, claiming that he wanted to see if boxing or Tai Chi was stronger.

When the sun started setting, FanBeemon buzzed to the dojo's entrance and when his partner walked out, the insect gasped in delight upon seeing the new clothes he was in. The gi was a perfect fit and the new gauntlets, shoes, and shin guards were tucked in his bag along with his other clothes.

Janyu acknowledged his partner with a nod before bowing to Grizzlymon. "Thank you again; I will not forget your kindness." Gaomon also stepped out and the pair bowed to each other, thanking the other for good matches.

"Good luck on your search!" Gaomon chuckled before taking his leave.

"Thank you," Janyu called.

Once Gaomon was gone, FanBeemon immediately buzzed around Janyu in a joyous spiral. "Look at you, Janyu! You look amazing!"

Janyu laughed as the pair started on their way back to the inn, talking about their days. The new clothes had cost a pretty penny but it was definitely going to be worth it in the end if they were going to help him take on Apocalymon. As for FanBeemon, he was unable to find the key but he was able to get a possible lead on where it might be.

"An excitable rabbit has it!" FanBeemon piped up. "That was all that Apemon would tell me."

"Well, that's good enough for now," Janyu assured his partner. "We're better off than we had been this morning at least."

They reached the inn just as the stars started coming out but before they could slide open the front door, a figure shot down in front of him. It was as if the person had been waiting for them on the rooftop.

Janyu automatically dropped his bag as the stranger threw a swift punch straight for the human's face. Thanks to the training done with the wolf boxer, Janyu was able to block it with an open palm. It probably would've been a better idea to just dodge it though because the impact that the punch made was far stronger than a Rookie's and it made his hand sting like crazy.

"Who are you?" Janyu asked as confidently as possible.

FanBeemon's eyes were wide and they glittered in the moonlight, in awe of his partner who he couldn't even recognize if he compared the boy in front of him with the one from day one. "Janyu is so cool! Just to be expected from my partner!"

He was ignored by the stranger but not by Janyu who felt rather giddy inside to be given such a compliment. As for the stranger, when the light hit her face, they both gasped when they saw that it was a rabbit. Just the animal they were looking for.

"Wǒ shì Turuiemon," the rabbit told Janyu, much to their surprise.

Janyu understood what she was saying but he had to take a moment to translate the words in his head which was something he never had to do before. This told him that coming to the Digital World really had somehow affected the language he was speaking. Everything he heard sounded like Chinese but was it possible that it was some other language completely?

"What did you say?" FanBeemon blinked.

Turuiemon sighed as she slowly pulled her arm back. "I am Turuiemon; that is what I said." She returned her narrowed stare on Janyu who hadn't fully relaxed. The rabbit pointed an accusing finger at the child. "Nǐ! Shānzhài!"

"Now what did you say?" FanBeemon huffed in exasperation.

"She called me a copycat," Janyu replied, making FanBeemon gush over his partner all over again because he was just that impressed that Janyu understood the language. How did the boy say that it was his native language? "Anyway, what are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about that gi! It's exactly the same as mine except with sleeves and it's...!" she shuddered. "...lǜsè."

"Hey, who are you calling a loser?" FanBeemon buzzed, insulted.

Janyu snorted, almost laughing out loud. "Actually, she just said 'green'." He uncovered his mouth and composed himself so that he was serious again, it was clear that this bipedal rabbit didn't particularly like him for some reason. "And that just means we both asked Minomon to make our gis, nothing wrong about it being in the same style. There's also nothing wrong with mine being green. Everyone at the dojo said it looked good on me."

"So you admit to using my dojo too! Shānzhài!"

"I'm not a copycat! I didn't even know about you until now!"

"Liar!" Turuiemon reached behind her and pulled out a silver key with a honeycomb as a head, causing the pair to gasp again. So this was the bunny they were looking for. "If you have never met me before, then explain why you have a bronze version of my good luck charm? Shānzhài!"

This was getting ridiculous. And the worst part, this rabbit was one hundred percent serious about this too.

"That's our key!" Janyu and FanBeemon shouted together.

Turuiemon took a step back at their combined conviction. But she wasn't about to relent here, in her mind, she was the one that was right. After all, the child had even decided to mimic her favorite form of martial arts, Tai Chi! There was no doubt that he was a copycat.

"We shall settle this in a duel!" Turuiemon resolved. "For your sake, I will restrict myself from doing karate, muay thai, taekwondo, kenpo, kung fu, judo, jujitsu, and aikido!" With each martial arts style she named, she made a performance demonstrating them before finally settling into the respectful bow pose right before a match. "I will lower myself to your level and only use Tai Chi."

There was no doubt in Janyu's and FanBeemon's that this martial artist was absolutely nuts but they didn't see much of a choice. So Janyu made a deal, if he won their match then the key would go to him but if she won, he would stop copying her, it was simple.

"What if you lose?" FanBeemon questioned his partner.

"Then we'll have to try another method of retrieving the key," Janyu replied. "For now, let's try this."

"Okay, I trust you Janyu," FanBeemon nodded.

The boy picked up his bag. "Alright, we'll head to the back of the inn, there's a wide open space for the two of us to settle things." Turuiemon nodded along to show that she was listening patiently. "FanBeemon will referee the match but if you think he'll be too biased, then I can ask Psychemon."

"No, your partner will do," Turuiemon interjected.

"Great, then…"

"I shall see you at noon tomorrow!"

"Wait, what?"

Turuiemon made a back flip so that she was standing on the roof of the inn once more, she jabbed her finger at Janyu. The way she stood, it was almost like she was doing some sort of dramatic pose. "You better not wimp out on me! Zhídào nà shí!" With that, she was leaping away, a silhouette in the night.

The two of them stood there for a long time as they tried to figure out what had just transpired.

FanBeemon turned to his partner. "What was that last thing she said?"

"Until then!" Janyu translated with an exasperated sigh. "She's worse than Rob."

Klahzinfang Inn Backyard – 11:56 PM

A wide open space with a large building on one side and a cover of trees lining the other side, making it impossible to see anywhere besides the backyard. Janyu suited up in his new battle gear before making his way outside to find his opponent already there, doing stretches and counting rather loudly. There were also three other Rookie Digimon standing out there as well.

"Gaomon?" Janyu blinked when he set his eyes on his sparring partner. "What are you doing here?"

"I heard from Psychemon about your duel so I got worried," Gaomon explained. "Turuiemon may seem like an airhead but she is not a foe to be trifled with. Her skill and fantastic techniques are what make her the best martial artist in the village."

FanBeemon buzzed. "How do you know Psychemon?"

"We are cub hood friends," Psychemon answered. "He also recently became my brother's lover."

Even Rookie Digimon could date, huh. But it was a bit surprising considering how shy and timid Gabumon was, so that must've meant that it was Gaomon who had initiated their relationship. It made the more sense after all.

"No we're not," Gaomon suddenly stated. The thoughts that had been running through Janyu's and FanBeemon's minds disappeared. "Gabumon and I are just friends. Stop saying that we're lovers to every person you meet, Psychemon."

"But you do have a crush on him," Psychemon continued.

"I do not!" Gaomon blushed.

"Either way," Psychemon gave his friend a thumbs-up, "I'm rooting for you two!"

"I don't think you think either way on this subject at all…"

Janyu turned his attention away from the small wolves, though they didn't really look like lupines at all, to face the rabbit who was throwing several punches into the air. All of a sudden, he felt a lump in his throat because the speed of her punches were unbelievable, he had seen Gaomon reach his own maximum speed with his fists and it was nothing compared to what he was seeing now. To make things worse, she was doing leaf grabbing and she didn't miss a single falling leaf which meant that she was not only fast but accurate as well. Those were not fists of fury to be trifled with, like Gaomon said.

"If I win, you will owe me a beef bowl!" Turuiemon suddenly snapped.

"Eh?!" everyone flinched.

FanBeemon landed on Psychemon's head. "I thought the deal was that Janyu had to stop being a copycat."

"Was it?" Turuiemon frowned. A long minute of silence passed as she bopped her fist into her open palm as if she had just realized the word she was looking for. "That's right… I completely forgot. Hm… Okay! What do you want if you win?"

Gaomon slapped his forehead. "Are you that dense?"

Turuiemon jabbed an enraged finger at the Rookie. "How dare you?!" Again, there was another long pause as they waited for her to say something else but she just turned back around, arms at her sides once again. "Well, it's time for my nap."

"Get back here!" the others all snapped.

"Is she really an expert martial artist?" Psychemon sighed.

"Trust me," Gaomon huffed in annoyance. "She's better than she lets on though it is a big shock to everyone else at the dojo."

Janyu and Turuiemon took their spots and she was reminded that she promised to use only Tai Chi to which she didn't protest so that meant she didn't forget about that at least. Gaomon assured the human that he would make sure that she didn't use any other form of martial arts so in a way, he was a secondary referee to this match.

The rules were spoken of clearly. Neither opponent was to kill the other; the match will go on until one side is unable to continue further or if the other person simply surrenders. If Janyu loses, he will stop being a 'copycat' and if Turuiemon loses, she will give the silver key to the Chosen Child. And the most important rule being that neither side was allowed to use any other fighting style aside from Tai Chi. If either one does, then they will have suffer a penalty of being only allowed to use one arm.

That last part of the rule was made up by Turuiemon so Psychemon walked back inside and returned with duct tape just in case.

Either way, that rule was easy enough to follow for Janyu, he didn't know any other martial arts style so he couldn't possibly break it unless he performed something that was misinterpreted to be another style. He was kind of hoping that Turuiemon would make a mistake and suffer the penalty though.

As customary before a match, the two opponents bowed respectfully to each other before FanBeemon called for them to begin. As soon as that one word was uttered, Turuiemon lurched forward, throwing a blurry punch aimed right for Janyu's face.

Janyu would've gotten hit too if he hadn't reacted on impulse and fell backwards, the fist barely missing his nose. While the boy was grateful he didn't receive a black eye, he felt like he had done something cowardly and that just didn't sit right with the new persona he was trying to forge through his training. So in order to recover from that little pitfall, he immediately hopped back onto his feet as Turuiemon came in with a high kick.

The Chosen Child blocked the leg but despite absorbing the blow, he was surprised by how much force she had put into it. While she may not be trying to kill him, she was fighting with that intent in mind. Wasn't that how it was in martial arts? Without that kind of bloodlust, would you really be able to win against a strong opponent?

"Hmph!" Turuiemon scoffed. "I refuse to acknowledge you as a true martial artist! Not with those pathetic skills!"

The two of them broke apart but Turuiemon was relentless in her attacks as she released a flurry of fists, similar to when she was doing her leaf grabbing training exercise. Janyu wasn't fast enough to block them, even if he was, the force would still push him back. So the best he could do was evade the attacks to the best of his ability. But her killer accuracy forced him to deflect some of the punches.

"I don't understand," FenBeemon drooped. "He's clearly deflecting those punches so why does it sound like he's hurting?"

Gaomon explained. "It would be the same if I were to throw a punch at an In-Training Digimon, not that I ever would. But if I did, even if that Digimon blocked it, the difference in power would be far too great for my foe to handle."

"Oh…," FanBeemon whimpered. "Janyu! Do your best!"

Janyu wasn't about to let his partner down so he took the blows head on, keeping his eyes searching all throughout his enemy's body in order to find an opening. "There!" With Turuiemon's next punch, he swung his arms upwards, batting her hands into the air before thrusting both his fists forwards, hitting her on the shoulders and pushing her back.

"Nice hit!" Psychemon commentated.

"Were you always wearing a kimono and holding that fan?" Gaomon wondered.

"And that was commentary from my co-host, Gao-san."

"What do you even think you're doing right now?"

"Co-hosting."

Returning their attention to the match, Turuiemon hadn't lost yet as evident by her quick movements. Being a rabbit, she was able to make high jumps and to confuse her foe; she kept bouncing on her feet, making sure that Janyu couldn't get a clear shot at hitting her.

"I don't even know where to move," Janyu muttered.

"Then don't!" Turuiemon appeared in front of him, once again, tripping him up. To add to the humiliation, she performed a low sweep and kicked his feet out from under him to quicken the fall. "Just stay still and get beaten!"

The spectators gasped when the spike attached to her glove flipped over, having the sharp end pointing outward as she swung downwards.

Had Janyu been any slower, a very graphic scene would've made itself known on that field. So thanks to his quick reflexes, he was able to roll out of the way and get back onto his feet just as the blade sunk itself into the ground.

"You could've killed him!" Gaomon snapped.

Turuiemon clicked her tongue. "Yes, but the rule was that we were not allowed to kill each other. And I didn't, did I?"

Hang on, did that mean that her bloodlust was all real? Turuiemon was really fighting him with the intention of offing Janyu? That was beyond messed up and it was clear that everyone aside from Turuiemon was thinking it.

FanBeemon restrained himself from using his stinger on her. "As the referee, I say you deserve a penalty for your actions!"

There was another dirty loophole that Turuiemon had up her sleeve and she was going to pull it now. "Oh, but ref, you are the boy's partner and has been traveling with him for several months! By all means, I have not broken any of the rules so I can only assume that what you are doing is biased! You're favoring him and trying to make him win, for shame!"

That was why she was okay with FanBeemon being the referee for their showdown, she wasn't afraid that his relation with Janyu was going to affect the results; she was going to use that relation against them. No one likes being called out on something; especially on something that they aren't so this downhill situation was only making FanBeemon sputter.

"Such cowardly tactics," Psychemon scoffed before closing his fan and holding it up to Gaomon like a microphone. "Any comments you want to make, Gao-san?"

The boxing Rookie did have a few choice words. "This is disgraceful to the Klahzinfang Dojo! If you're going to fight Janyu, then take this match seriously and combat him fair and square. Using such tactics are cowardly and insulting to martial artists everywhere."

Turuiemon wasn't relenting though, she kept pulling the bias card on them. It was clear then that if Janyu had done something that could be misinterpreted, Turuiemon could easily point it out. And if FanBeemon didn't penalize him, then she could just say that he was being unfair again. This way, she would always have the upper hand against those who play fair.

"Stop!" Janyu huffed. "There will be no penalty. She didn't break any of the rules."

"But Janyu…," FanBeemon said softly.

Gaomon exhaled and shook his head. "There's no point in arguing. Ref, reset the match at the very least."

"Right," FanBeemon nodded. He was concerned for the safety of his partner but what choice did he have? As he was telling the pair to get back to their original positions before the fight began, the sound of rapid gunfire reached their ears and an explosion occurred on the outskirts of the village. "What was that?!"

The back doors of the inn flung open and their old friend, Gabumon came running through. "Nii-san! Big trouble!"

"Gabumon?" Gaomon blinked, running over to his cub hood friend when he noticed some injuries and his arm. "What happened to you? Are you okay?"

"Ah… Gaomon. You're here too?" Gabumon mumbled, more timidly than usual. But when a second explosion sounded in the air, he remembered what he was there for. "Red Fur Village was attacked and my friends protected me so I ran all the way back here. But I ended up bringing two enslaved Digimon with me. MetallifeKuawagamon and Gargomon."

Turuiemon gasped. "Xiōngdì?"

"Your brother?" Janyu translated.

The rabbit didn't answer as she leapt away, in the direction of the gunfire. Janyu was about to follow when he heard the others talking about MetallifeKuwagamon, who they apparently referred to as the golden guardian of Banner Forest. Apparently, this foe was at the Ultimate level and far more powerful than anyone in the village could handle, they had to evacuate.

"Janyu and I will distract him then!" FanBeemon declared. "You guys get everyone to safety."

It sounded like a plan and the other three Rookies went off to handle the evacuation but Janyu stood completely still as FanBeemon started flying towards the direction of the major explosions. When the human didn't follow, the bug stopped.

"Turuiemon…," Janyu said. "She went the other way to save her brother. But if he's enslaved, she won't stand a chance. All of her moves are close combat attacks."

"But she's just a lousy cheater," FanBeemon pointed out.

"Even so…," Janyu whispered. "I can't just leave her to fight against Gargomon herself. I have to help her out! Can you stall MetallifeKuwagamon until then?" FanBeemon hesitated for a second before gushing over how cool his partner was but Janyu stopped him. "I'm not cool! I'm… I'm a wimp. But every time you praise me like that, I just want to prove myself. But the truth is… I don't deserve that praise."

FanBeemon shook his head. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have made you feel like you had to fulfill my expectations of you. But the thing is, even from day one, I thought you were amazing. I'm not just saying that, I really do mean it."

Janyu smiled and thanked his partner before evolving him into Waspmon. With that, the two of them took off in separate directions.

Klahzinfang Village East End – 12:34 PM

"Shānzhài!" Turuiemon scowled when Janyu appeared by her side. "You even copy the places I go? Is there no end to your mockery?"

They were hiding behind a large boulder while a crazed bunny with firearms for hands, wearing trousers was opening random fire at everything. To make the experience worse, he was laughing like everything he blew to smithereens was a massive joke.

"This is no time for this," Janyu huffed. "You can't fight him because you'll just get brainwashed by the Dark Chain around his neck. So you don't really have much of a choice but to leave this fight to me."

She scoffed. "Nǐ wǔrǔ wǒ."

"I'm not trying to insult you!" Janyu growled. He was getting really annoyed by her now so he grabbed her by the collar and yanked her so that they were mere centimeters apart. "You keep calling me a copycat and acting as if I'm the bane to your existence! But I never intended for any of that! You have multiple fighting styles, this gi was worn by several others at the dojo, and that key belongs to me! Stop treating me like I'm lesser than you!"

Turuiemon smirked and started laughing, much to Janyu's surprise. "So, you really do have some backbone, eh? Well then go ahead, I won't stop you. But let me give you some advice, my brother actually has a limit to his ammo. Avoid his line of sight long enough and he'll run out."

Janyu understood but he didn't have very long. He had to meet up with Waspmon as soon as possible. "Do you think you can help me?"

"Tā shì wǒ de xiǎo xiōngdì shǎguā," (He's my fool of a little brother) Turuiemon grinned. "I'll do what I can."

Gargomon started laughing as he went berserk on the moving targets in his vision. That meant his older sister who suddenly jumped out of her cover and used her highly evolved legs to hop from cover to cover.

With the trigger-happy bunny focused on another target, Janyu was able to move from one boulder to another until he made it to Gargomon's backside. He had to ditch his new boots and shin guards though since they were slowing him down. But that was fine; he only needed the gauntlets in order to destroy the Chain.

Turuiemon maintained Gargomon's attention as Janyu ran out, charging with the intent of destroying the Dark Chain. But Gargomon's right ear twitched, his hearing was so advanced that he could hear the footsteps of a boy through his ear-piercing gunfire. Gargomon spun around and changed targets.

"Wǒ jiē dào nǐle!" (I got you!) Gargomon cackled.

"No!" Turuiemon gasped.

Janyu was prepared for this though as he trained his eyes on the firearms. Every time Gargomon clicked his hands, that meant he was going to shoot and he did that extremely fast. So as soon as the click happened, Janyu bent over, hands on the dirt, before making a back flip right over the large bunny who started shooting.

"Eh?" Gargomon blinked as Janyu landed.

With his fist clenched tight, Janyu threw a powerful punch at the Dark Chain and it shattered in two, falling onto the floor and the force of the punch even knocked Gargomon into the dirt, face-first. Turuiemon leapt down and joined them, praising Janyu for that incredible display of gymnastics as she referred to it as.

"Eh? Wǒ zěnmeliǎo?" Gargomon muttered.

"You were enslaved by the Dark Chain," Janyu answered.

Gargomon slowly pushed himself onto his feet and bowed respectfully to the boy. "And you must be one of the Chosen Children. Thank you for saving me from such a dastardly fate. Wǒ zài nǐ de zhàiwù." (I am in your debt.)

"Hmph," Turuiemon scoffed. "Foolish little brother! If you had just stayed by my side then this wouldn't happened to you! How dare you leave me alone for two weeks?! I had no idea how anything in our house worked at all!"

"Did you cause another fire?" Gargomon sighed.

Janyu blinked. "Another?"

"Hmph, of course I did!"

"Why are you proud of it?!"

Gargomon huffed before grabbing his older sister in a chokehold. "Báichī dàjiě!" (Idiot big sister!)

"Wah! Duìbùqǐ!" (I'm sorry!) she cried out. She also spilled out all the trouble she had caused Janyu and FanBeemon simply because she was lonely without her little brother around. Who, apparently, was told by a whining Turuiemon that she wanted mushroom soup so he went out to pick mushrooms in the forest, that's when he was attacked by MetallifeKuwagamon. So, in essence, his disappearance was actually her fault too. They had plenty of food but she wanted mushroom soup. That just made Gargomon's grip tighter. "Momentai! Momentai!"

"Doesn't that mean 'no problem'?" Janyu blinked.

Gargomon finally let go. "Oh, yes it does. But we like to use it for 'relax' or 'take it easy'."

"Really?" Janyu smiled. "I like that." At that moment, he realized that he had to go help his partner so he bowed to the Chinese speaking pair before starting on his way back. But before he moved, Turuiemon tossed him the silver key. "But I didn't win the duel."

"It doesn't matter. It rightfully belongs to you anyway," Turuiemon said back. "Now go, before I change my mind."

Janyu nodded firmly. "Right. Thank you, Turuiemon."

Klahzinfang Village South End – 12:53 PM

Waspmon had buzzed right into the battlefield and fired his Turbo Stinger attack at the rampaging bipedal insect but every single one of the beams were deflected by a laser blade that appeared in MetallifeKuwagamon's hand. After that, the golden foe launched his Homing Laser attack that Waspmon could not evade no matter how fast he was.

The Ultimate Digimon was just too strong but Waspmon was able to distract him long enough for all the innocent civilians in the area to flee the scene. Janyu appeared to find his partner getting stomped on by MetallifeKuwagamon, it was like his android Digimon was a slave being punished by his master.

Digital Analyzer: A subspecies of Kuwagamon with rapidly boosted offensive power by means of his ramification. Due to his new humanoid form, he's gained a grappling ability and with his tough shell and nimble movements, he boasts top-class balance as an Ultimate Digimon. As a noble warrior of the forest, he's gained the title of the Golden Guardian.

"Waspmon!" Janyu called out.

"No, stay back, Janyu!" Waspmon groaned weakly.

MetallifeKuwagamon turned to see the boy running towards them. "Homing Laser!" Janyu tried doing the flip trick he had done when fighting Gargomon but as the name of the attack implied, it followed its target and blasted his back, burning him and causing him to fall onto the rubble in a painful heap.

"Janyu!" Waspmon shouted.

The human lay there, motionless, as MetallifeKuwagamon stepped off of the other bug and started marching towards the immobile body. As a mindless servant of Apocalymon, it was his job to see if he had eliminated a DigiDestined.

Waspmon was crying but Janyu lay there, whispering a word of gratitude to Minomon for designing such incredible battle gear, it was able to take most of the blow and left him with minimal damage. Though it still hurt like crazy. "Waspmon! You're stronger than I am, so stop crying and start fighting back!" Janyu bellowed, surprising both insects as he jammed the silver key into his D-Sync. "D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

The cyborg bee was covered in a bright green light that caught MetallifeKuwagamon's attention. "Waspmon Digivolve to…" His form became massive, growing several times in size, matching that of WaruSeadramon if he was coiled up into a ball. But the insect's stinger became longer and narrower, making it look more like a laser cannon than before, if that was possible. And on his back were several mechanical honeycombs stacked together like an impenetrable wall. This was a Digimon that could be seen by everyone in the village no matter how far away they were. "CannonBeemon!"

"That's FanBeemon?!" several voices from around the village blurted out.

It was certainly an unexpected change for the once tiny insect.

Digital Analyzer: CannonBeemon is an android Digimon and a natural carrier of the X-Antibody. He is an enormous Digimon and the protector of the mysterious, aerial, covert honey base, Royal Base as it is referred to. His special attack, Sky Rocket Infinity will blow away all enemies from a vast range and all of his energy is stored within his arms carrier which boasts innumerable amounts of ordnance or artillery.

"There are firearms in that thing?!" the several voices sputtered.

Janyu looked down at the encyclopedia on his D-Sync. "They could all hear that?"

MetallifeKuwagamon seemed a bit daunted by the sudden appearance of a behemoth such as CannonBeemon but he tried not to let it show as he fired his Homing Laser several times over. As the description said, there were multiple mounted guns inside the arms carrier as revealed when they opened up and started firing, countering every single Homing Laser with ease and blasting an extra thirty at the enemy.

Janyu's jaw dropped at the amount of attacks that his partner had. "CannonBeemon, you're so cool! As expected of my partner." All of a sudden, Psychemon was standing beside him, still wearing the kimono and holding the paper fan in his hands. "Were you always here?"

He ignored the boy and just commentated on the battle. "Ah, how the tables have turned. In this battle and in the relationship between human and partner." MetallifeKuwagamon still had superior speed and zipped around the giant foe but CannonBeemon could use his firearms from any direction so the smaller Digimon was unable to even get close.

CannonBeemon knew that he was going to get nowhere if they just flew around each other so he quickly flew over to his friends and picked them up, holding them close and enclosing them in his four arms to protect them from his next attack. "Sky Rocket Infinity!"

"You may want to cover your eyes and ears," Psychemon advised.

Janyu did as he was told but still got a glimpse of what happened. There was a sharp, high-pitched ringing in the air followed by a wickedly bright flash of light that encompassed a large radius of the surrounding area. It was a good thing the citizens had evacuated or there would've been a lot of casualties from such a catastrophic attack.

MetallifeKuwagamon had incredibly strong armor and he was at the Ultimate level so he didn't take nearly as much damage but he was still blown away and crashed through the roof of one of the emptied out houses. "Emit Blade!" He used his laser sword to break through the wall and he charged forward at top speed.

"He still doesn't learn," CannonBeemon sighed before aiming with his laser cannon. "Nitro Stinger!"

According to the information on Janyu's D-Sync, that attack had so much more force than Waspmon's signature Bear Buster attack that it could tear right through the heavy armor of certain opponents. And while CannonBeemon wasn't aiming for that far, his aim did succeed at knocking the sword out of MetallifeKuwagamon's grip and tripped him up.

Janyu took this as a chance as he ran across his partner's cannon. CannonBeemon made no move to stop this because he expected the human to do this. After all, they were partners.

Janyu leapt off the tip like he was on the high dive landing right behind MetallifeKuwagamon and he clasped his hands around the Digimon's chest, slamming his re-booted foot into the ground and burying them in there until he was firmly stuck.

CannonBeemon had dozens of weapons on him but MetallifeKuwagamon's speed exceeded nearly any foe they had ever encountered so the best shot they had was to hold him down or they might accidentally delete him. Now that he was stationery, CannonBeemon could make the finishing move.

"Nitro Stinger!"

Klahzinfang Inn – 1:19 PM

Janyu couldn't believe this. After defeating the golden guardian, they had believed that the village had been saved but as it would turn out, an army of enslaved Digimon was coming to attack the village, MetallifeKuwagamon and Gargomon were just the first wave of attackers.

The Chosen Child tried to persuade them to let him stay but they told him he was needed to save the world so they couldn't risk him losing there. Thus, they told him to take the youth of the village on CannonBeemon and fly away. The village was going to be attacked from all sides just like how their sister tribe, Red Fur, had been.

Gaomon held his hand out to a flushed Gabumon. "Are you coming or not?"

"Huh?" he blinked. "Oh, um, right… G-Gaomon…"

Psychemon was still in commentary mode. "And so, begins the adventures of two young lovers."

Gaomon pushed the darker brother off of CannonBeemon. "Stop saying that."

Janyu climbed on to the top of his partner and noticed that Turuiemon was standing there waiting for him while Minomon fixed up the burn on his gi. "Turuiemon? You're not a Rookie or below, why are you coming with us?"

"Hmph," she scoffed. "My brother told me to watch over your training."

"Eh?!"

"You are still…," Turuiemon shuddered. "…green." She clearly had a problem with that color, even when it was used to describe something other than a color. "So, I will teach you some kenpo and judo just in case. You never know when you need to change your style against certain opponents."

Janyu nodded. "Thank you." He bowed to her as custom of student and master. "Please, take care of me, sensei."

Grizzlymon, Gargomon, and MetallifeKuwagamon were seeing them off and wishing them luck on finding the refugee camp where CannonBeemon would be dropping off the village's young ones. "And don't talk to strangers!" the three of them finished off.

Together, the large group of leaving Digimon mustered up a smile and said, "Momentai!"

Chapter Text

Floral Terminal – 12:03 PM

Daisy leapt onto the windowsill of the hut next to her and used it to do a spin flip right over Darcmon, who tried to get Daisy in her blade's swing but missed because of the flip. The human girl landed right behind her opponent and disarmed the Digimon by hitting her forearm with the hilt of her own sword. In one fluid movement, Daisy let go of her weapon and grabbed it again with backhanded grip so that she could turn her wrist with the blade pointed right at Darcmon's throat.

Darcmon exhaled and took a step back. "That makes six wins for you."

"Yeah, but you still have eleven wins over my head," Daisy reminded her partner.

"Still, I never expected that you would get this good in such a short amount of time," Darcmon smiled before returning to her small, Rookie form. "It's impressive. I can understand why Leomon called you and the others his best students."

"I always did test better than my classmates," Daisy nodded, grabbing a towel to wipe away her sweat. "But of course, because the weird girl would be better than others academically, it just gave them another reason to dislike me."

Salamon hated hearing Daisy put herself down like that. But it was hard to come up with any words of advice to make her feel better.

"Even so…," said Salamon. "None of them can say that they're going to save an entire world."

"I haven't done anything yet."

"But I know you will."

At that moment, Floramon, their temporary landlady came out of the hut and asked if they would like her special blueberry pie, fresh out of the oven. Floramon was a great chef so Daisy and Salamon cheered as they skipped inside to feast upon the dessert.

"So how was training?" Floramon asked as she gave each of them a slice.

"I won!" Daisy cheered. "Five more wins and we'll finally be tied again!"

Salamon nodded. "The last time we had been tied was at two, I think."

The girls glanced outside at the beautiful sunshine and gorgeous fields of flowers. So they each picked up their plates and went out to the picnic table right outside the house in order to enjoy the fresh air while watching the young buds and bugs playing around. It's been so peaceful and the little ones were just so happy, it made Daisy and Salamon almost forget why they sparred day after day.

"My biggest wish right now is for this place to grow," Daisy sighed. "One day, we'll make it so that the whole world looks like this one spot. Where there will be no need for kids to wield weapons and they can just have fun like they're supposed to."

Salamon could not agree more with her partner. As for Floramon, that little world on top of the plateau was all she knew, there was no outside world filled with chaos and danger. So to her, the entire world did actually look like that.

But that wasn't true. They had seen it at the power plant. The Kokuwamon child they had brought back home had been so alone and the enslaved Digimon seemed so ruthless, they were all willing to go and destroy their own kind.

"Have you guys heard of the refugee camps?" asked Floramon.

Daisy frowned and even Salamon seemed a bit confused. This was apparently news to the holy Digimon as well.

"You mean places were civilians can hide away from the warzones created by Apocalymon?" inquired Salamon. It's not like the words were unfamiliar to her but the way Floramon said it, made it sound like a legend or a myth.

Floramon nodded as she took a small bite from her slice of pie. "The Legendary Warriors have designated areas in which they are protected by their divine power. Floral Terminal was just chosen to be the refugee camp by the Legendary Warrior of Wood, AncientTroiamon. So we won't have to worry at all about invaders thanks to him."

Daisy remembered hearing about the Legendary Warriors before. They were the first Digimon in the world and supposedly, the only real immortal ones without a lifespan. Every other Digimon in this world is supposedly a descendant since the ancients are just masses of huge data. That data breaks off and soon becomes its own sentient creature.

For a while, Daisy wondered why these powerful Digimon weren't doing anything to stop Apocalymon's atrocities. But what happened to the god-like Titamon showed her how susceptible even the seemingly invincible Digimon were to the Dark Chains. If the Legendary Warriors were to be brainwashed by the forces of darkness, then all hope would be extinguished and the civilians would be likely to surrender rather than continue living to fight back.

So she was glad to know that at least something was being done by these powerful beings to protect the innocent lives from deletion and enslavement. She wondered if she would get to meet them one day.

It was just then that the village elder came trudging towards them. It was always easy to hear when he was coming since his roots would always shift the dirt underneath him as moved. Daisy was still impressed by how such beautiful flowers could grow on top of a stone plateau. But the soft and moist dirt on the top explained it.

"Elder Cherrymon," Floramon greeted respectfully.

"It's good to see you again," Daisy smiled.

The first time the human girl had met the living tree; he explained that the rock that made up the plateau was filled with rich nutrients. And when he saw her sword, he explained that it had been forged from the same kind of stone as the plateau. There was also a special root inside the metal that had the ability to absorb energy and repair itself with every cut it made into flesh.

It made Daisy hesitate to make slashes at targets. But if it could protect her and others, she was willing to use it.

"I wanted to make sure that everything is okay," said Cherrymon in his soft, gravelly voice.

It reminded Daisy of her grandfather. Out of all her family members, she might actually be missing him the most because she had been so close to him. He had always been supportive of her and when she was still a toddler, he would often read bedtime stories or sing her lullabies right before she went to sleep.

For the first month she was in this foreign world, she would think of her grandfather's voice, singing or reading to her. It always managed to make her calmer and think about her situations in a much more rational manner.

But the real reason why he was so important to her was because he protected her from bullies. From when she was aged seven to nine, when she first cut her hair to a 'boy's length', her grandfather would intervene when someone tried to verbally or even physically assault her. As a matter of fact, it was him who cut her hair when she asked for it to be short and even made her feel beautiful when everyone else said such awful things about her choice.

But when she turned ten, she received the worst birthday present in history. Her grandfather was diagnosed with a terminal illness and he didn't have much more time. So for the last few months before she showed up in the Digital World, he was bedridden.

Oh God, what if he was already gone when she came back? It's already been a couple of months since she was last home. Before long, a year would be over and her grandfather…

"Daisy?!" Salamon exclaimed worriedly.

Daisy nearly flinched when a leaf touched her face, drying the wetness that had appeared there. She had just abruptly started crying but the village elder was drying them for her. Just like how her grandfather would've.

"Even when you're crying, you are beautiful," remarked Cherrymon. "But you are most beautiful, when you are happy. So please, no more tears."

Daisy felt like crying even harder because that was exactly something her grandfather said. But instead, she took a deep breath, wiped away the last of her tears, and thanked Cherrymon. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"My dear, there is nothing wrong with people worrying about you," Cherrymon chuckled.

"Can I call you grandpa?" Daisy laughed. She hadn't even meant to say that but it just slipped off her tongue. "Sorry, that was a weird question."

Cherrymon shook his head. "I don't think so. If you feel the need to call me grandpa or you simply want to; then go ahead."

"No, it'd be weird. But thank you," Daisy smiled.

"That's much better for a beautiful girl."

Just then, they heard a Locomon coming towards the plateau and a Mushroomon called saying that the cart had a refugee inside. The flower Digimon wanted to start a tradition of welcoming their refugees with welcome arms. After all, in other camps, Digimon probably feel lonely and helpless with their homes in ruins. But here, they wanted to make the Digimon with nowhere else to go, smile.

Daisy and Salamon finished off their pie and decided to go check out the commotion at the station. Besides, if the newcomer was like them on their first day, he was likely going to be extremely dizzy and unstable from the hectic train ride.

As soon as the train car opened, a samurai stepped out. He looked badly bruised and there were cracks in his armor but he seemed grateful to be in a place where everyone was cheering for his arrival. And as Daisy had expected, he nearly passed out but she shot forward and stopped him from collapsing.

"You… Are you a human?" the samurai asked.

"Yes," Daisy told him. "Don't worry. My friends and I will surely liberate your hometown one day." Unlike her first month there, she was now confident that she and her team would succeed in defeating Apocalymon. Now that she had a weapon of her own, she was more than certain of that.

"Thank you," he smiled thinly. "Boku wa Musyamondesu."

Daisy's eyes became saucers when she realized that he had just spoken Japanese. If she hadn't learned the basic phonetics of the language from Shibumi, she wouldn't have understood him. But she had to wonder, how was he able to speak an Earth language?

"Don't thank me yet. I'm Daisy, by the way," the human smiled. Right now, it was no time to be concerned about something as trivial as that. She could always ask later. What Musyamon needed was some rest.

"He can stay my place," offered Cherrymon. "I have some space in the Hollow." The Hollow was the elder's residence and at the far north end of the village.

Floral Terminal was just full of kind and peace-loving Digimon, Daisy learned that in the several days she had been there. But thanks to that tranquility, she kept forgetting that the outside world needed help. It was Musyamon's injuries that reminded her.

"Salamon," said Daisy when Cherrymon left with the unconscious samurai. "Let's go look for our silver key. I'm sure it must be somewhere around here."

"Right," Salamon nodded.

Floramon raised her hand. "I'll help out too!"

Daisy wished her compass would work but it seemed while the dirt at the top of the plateau was rich in nutrients, the stone itself was highly magnetic. It was why the closest metal city was of a walking distance of three days. The rock's energy and magnetism interfered with her compass so it became very difficult for her to find the key. But she was certain it was in the village.

Daisy sheathed her sword and attached it to her waist before climbing up to the top of one of the trees. While Salamon and Floramon searched the ground, the human girl planned on using her free running skills to search from above. It's probably a strange concept, but she actually felt safer the higher off the ground she was. Probably due to all the times she escaped abusers by getting onto rooftops.

They needed that key as soon as possible. She wouldn't be able to face her friends if she didn't get it. After all, Robert and the others, they were counting on her just as much as she was counting on them. There wasn't any time to waste!

As Daisy hopped from treetop to rooftop, she scoured the ground for anything that would catch her eye. She also checked inside the trees and around the trees. She figured that since Darcmon was a high flying Digimon that the key must be somewhere closer in the sky. That was why it was on the plateau, wasn't it?

But before she knew it, the day passed her by. And it was sunset when she decided to call it a night and by then, she was near the elder's home.

"The Hollow," said Daisy. She wondered if she should check on Musyamon to see if he was okay.

It didn't seem like she had to go inside to see him. "Ningen."

Daisy looked down from her perch on the highest branch to see Musyamon down below. It looked like his wounds were healing up quite nicely which shouldn't be much of a surprise. Floral Terminal was home to some of the best medicinal herbs in the whole world. Daisy was planning on taking some with her when she had to leave.

"You're looking better," Daisy huffed. She was relieved to see him standing again but she was never any good at showing those kinds of emotions. She jumped back down to the ground and smiled brightly at the samurai but the expression faded away when she saw that he seemed angry. "Is something wrong?"

That was when she noticed that his eyes were drawn to her blade. "Ken."

"Sword," Daisy translated before taking it off her waist. "What about it? Have you seen it before?"

Musyamon forcefully snatched it right out of her hands, nearly making her fall over. Now that he was conscious and no longer out of it, he seemed to be acting like a bit of a jerk and Daisy didn't like that. She also didn't like the fact that he just essentially stole her weapon.

"A woman should not being using a sword. It is much too dangerous," scoffed Musyamon.

Daisy scowled. "I don't care what you think. Just give it back!"

"Hmph, you are also a lady with terrible manners," Musyamon continued. He tossed the weapon back into her arms. "Where I come from, only the males take up arms. A woman would just needlessly get in the way. It's how my village was lost. Foolish females thinking that they could protect when their only job was to flee with the children."

Daisy picked up her sword. "How can you say that? In this time, no warrior besides the DigiDestined can fight against Apocalymon's slaves. Whether male or female, it doesn't matter! Both should've run because if not, then both would've been brainwashed by the Dark Chains."

"And that means civilians are just supposed to stand back and watch?" Musyamon spat. "I tried to protect my home because I wanted to! If only the Chosen Children can combat them, then where were you when my village was taken?"

Daisy didn't have an answer. How could she? It wasn't like she didn't want to protect his village, she just couldn't.

"My job is to vanquish Apocalymon," muttered Daisy.

"And how do you plan to do that when you can't even save one town?"

"I… We never meant to leave your home in shambles. We're just doing what we can."

Suddenly, Musyamon drew his sword. "That isn't good enough."

With a downward slash, Daisy was nearly cleaved in two if she hadn't reacted as quickly as she did. She didn't have the time to draw her blade but she used the sheath to shield herself. In another swift motion, she drew her blade and thrust it forward to which Musyamon parried with ease.

"What are you doing?!" Daisy snapped. "I don't want to fight you!"

"Prove to me that a woman can wield a blade as well as a man can," was Musyamon's response.

The two ended up clashing with each other, slash after slash as they tried to nick each other with their blades. Unlike the sparring sessions, Musyamon wasn't holding anything back and Daisy hadn't been in a real fight in a long while. Not to mention, the samurai was covered in armor so it was hard to find a weak spot on his body.

Daisy knew that her best chance of winning was using her exceptional climbing skills. So when Musyamon made a straight slash, aiming for the girl's leg, she quickly leapt backward, using the tree trunk as a kickboard before grabbing onto a branch and swinging behind Musyamon. She then turned around and smashed the hilt of her weapon right into Musyamon's back.

But it seemed that Musyamon was prepared for that. He used her jab to his advantage as he spun around with it and grabbed onto her sword arm before head butting her. Daisy screamed in pain as she started bleeding from her head, she even ended up dropping her weapon.

"Man or woman, if you drop your sword, you might as well be dead," Musyamon snarled. He stabbed the ground with his own blade before kicking hers closer to her. "I will give you a chance." He pressed a hand to his side. "Make a cut here, handicap me."

Daisy slowly stood back up, taking up her weapon once more. "I won't. I won't take your charity. In a real fight, this wouldn't happen."

"So you understand that much," Musyamon scoffed. The samurai picked up his sword again and turned towards the Hollow. "If I were you, I would let the men in your team fight. There is no place on the battlefield for a female who only uses a sword for a weapon."

"So you're fine if a woman can defend herself with other methods?" Daisy frowned.

"Of course," he answered. "Angewomon has Celestial Arrows and LadyDevimon has her bats. But for a woman to use a sword, that is much too dangerous for such a person to wield."

"What about Darcmon?"

"Hm?"

Daisy's partner, in her Champion form, was both a female and a sword-user, nothing else. But when Daisy really thought about it, the others contributed more in battle than Darcmon, didn't they? After all, Ginryumon has his armor and artillery, Waspmon has his speed and lasers, Seadramon had his bulk and ice breath, and Wizardmon has his magic. All Darcmon could do was physical combat and that wasn't the best for every situation.

Now that she thought about it, even among the humans, it was the guys that were more skilled in combat, weren't they? Robert already knew how to wield the Legendary Dragon Blade without any formal instruction, Janyu had previous teachings in martial arts, and Babel was already the fastest and physically strongest of them.

A quick mind and a smart mouth. Was that all Rai and Daisy could add to the team? It made Daisy's blood boil but what could she do about it?

"Hmph, orokana on'nanoko," stated Musyamon before taking his leave.

"Foolish… girl…," Daisy translated. She balled her right hand into a fist before hitting the ground. "Is that… what I am?"

Floramon's House – 10:18 AM

Salamon was worried about her partner.

Two nights ago, Daisy came back from their key hunt with a bleeding skull and refused to accept any treatment. Rather, she just collapsed into bed and went to sleep without a sound. She didn't even eat dinner which was especially worrying to Salamon.

They ended up bandaging the injury it while she was asleep. And in the morning, when asked what had happened, she only gave a two-syllable curt answer which was she fell. It seemed to satisfy their host, Floramon, but Salamon felt like something was off about the human but she just wasn't sure what.

So that morning, Salamon postponed the search for the key and climbed onto the rooftop. Extremely difficult for her small, quadruped, and flightless body but she did so anyway. It was where Daisy was at the moment, eating some frozen yogurt, enjoying the cool breeze, and listening to the musical wind chimes. Anyone would think that she was at peace but in reality, her silence was thick and dark.

"Daisy," Salamon broached. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," Daisy answered.

"You know I know you better than that," Salamon sighed before lying down beside her partner. "Please, talk to me."

Daisy relented with a heavy sigh. "Salamon… Do you ever feel like you're being left behind by the others?"

"The others?" Salamon repeated. Did she mean the other Digimon on their team? "Well… sometimes. They're all really strong and they each possess skills that I envy. But… I know for a fact that it goes both ways."

"Huh?"

"They've all told me before that they envied my dance."

"Your dance?"

Salamon giggled when she saw Daisy's confusion. It was at least a step up from her moody behavior from earlier.

"My movements when I use my blade," Salamon explained. "They told me that I wasn't just graceful when I moved in the air but I was swift. It's true that physically, I'm the weakest, but I make up for it in speed, evasiveness, accuracy, and the ability to catch my enemy off guard. Never underestimate your opponent underestimating you. Sometimes, that can be your biggest and most lethal advantage."

Daisy took a moment to think about it. It was true that people would probably look down on her fighting skills because of her gender and age but wouldn't that just bring her closer to victory? But still, something about her foes not taking her seriously; seriously pissed her off. It made her feel weak.

Not only that, but it makes people dote on her, didn't it? Like Cherrymon. They had never even met before but he immediately took on this nurturing, caring state of mind for her. It was because she was someone he saw needed to be protected, wasn't it? If it had been Robert or Babel, he wouldn't have treated them as nicely, right?

But that was just Daisy jumping to conclusions. There wasn't any evidence for such claims after all.

"Still," said Daisy. "I wonder how Cherrymon sees me. Am I really… so weak that I need to be protected?"

Salamon sighed in exasperation. "You're overthinking it. I'm sure that it's just in Cherrymon's nature to be kind. If he wasn't; do you think he would've taken in Musyamon to stay at his place?" Daisy paused, knowing what the answer was but feeling stupid for not putting that together. "And it's the same as with your grandfather. He didn't protect you from bullies because you're weak; it was because he wanted to. He's your grandpa."

Daisy ended up cracking up. She couldn't believe how stupid she was being. For the umpteenth time since coming to the Digital World, she was grateful that Salamon was her partner. Without her, she would've dug herself a deep hole to jump into by now.

"Thank you Salamon. For always believing in me," Daisy smiled.

"Of course. You always believe in me, after all," Salamon smirked.

The girls hugged just before standing back up to get back on their search. But before they could do that, Floramon yelled in fright, calling for them to come down as soon as possible. If the urgency in her voice was any indication, something bad was going down and as further proof; the villagers were taking off south, heading for the Locomon train station.

"What's going on?" inquired Daisy when they came down.

"That Musyamon refugee, he had a Dark Chain hidden in his armor!" Floramon screeched in panic. "The elder was taken yesterday at dawn but no one realized it until recently. Now everyone is getting as far away from here as possible because half the village is already enslaved."

"Musyamon and Cherrymon have Dark Chains on them?" Daisy blanched.

"This is bad," Salamon added. "We still haven't found the key."

Floramon tried to tug on Daisy's arm to signal her to get running but the human wouldn't budge. "Come on, forget the key! We have to go!"

Daisy pulled her hand out of Floramon's grip before kneeling down to the flower's level. "Listen to me; I want you to get far away from here. Find another refugee camp to stay at. As for Salamon and I, we can't just leave Cherrymon behind or the silver key. They are both important to us."

"But you…"

"We'll be fine. We're strong, remember?"

Floramon was still hesitant but there wasn't any time to waste so she nodded and fled. "Be careful!"

"We will," Daisy and Salamon stated before the latter became Darcmon. They turned to each other and nodded firmly. "Let's go." None of them had said the one thing on their minds though, that they might never see each other again.

The Hollow Entrance – 10:37 AM

The Hollow was once a huge tree but it was struck by lightning and collapsed. However, the trunk itself had remained intact. Over time, flowers began blooming around and moss continued to grow around the base, before long, vines were draped over the roofless ceiling so prevent too much water from leaking through. It became almost majestic, the holy ground, so they made it into the permanent residence of their elder.

However, at the moment, Daisy and Darcmon could not enter for a samurai stood in their way at the door. It was the same samurai that had made Daisy doubt herself solely because of her gender. So now, Daisy had something to prove.

Still, she and Darcmon were already tired out. The entire north half of the village had been enslaved so the two had to dance and cut their way past them in order to get to the Hollow. Could they really get past Musyamon and still save Cherrymon in the process?

"Darcmon, I have a new theory," said Daisy. "The one place we haven't searched for the silver key…" The human pointed at the space right above Musyamon's shoulder, at the entrance into the Hollow. "It has to be in there."

"That would make sense. It is known as the holy ground to the villagers," Darcmon nodded in agreement.

Musyamon seemed irked that they weren't paying any attention to him. "Two swordswomen this time around. Hmph, now I see where the foolish girl got the idea that she could wield such a weapon. Well, I will be sure to brand into your memories the pointlessness of learning the way of the sword for females."

Darcmon frowned. "I see. So you must've been the reason why Daisy was acting so weird. And to boot, you come from one of those backwards-minded villages that still thinks about gender. In case you didn't hear, most Digimon don't even know their genders anymore. For all you know, I could be male."

There was a strange verbal counter that Daisy hadn't been anticipating. But come to think of it, Salamon mentioned it once before. Something like gender was completely arbitrary in the Digital World. She didn't even know that gender was a word at first!

Daisy addressed her partner. "Darcmon, leave Musyamon to me. I have a score to settle with him. You just focus on retrieving the key."

"Are you sure?"

"I am."

Darcmon took flight and shot towards the entrance, Musyamon jumped in order to intersect her movement but Daisy quickly got in the way. She actually latched onto Darcmon's ankle at the same time the angel took flight and let go when Musyamon tried to slash her. Daisy used the flat end of her sword and blocked the blade.

"Your opponent is me!" Daisy snapped.

"Hmph. Node, sore o suru koto, baka," Musyamon smirked. (So be it, fool.)

The two sword-users fell back onto the ground just as Darcmon made it through the entrance. Now, there were no more distractions that could take away their attention from each other. Though Daisy did worry that with her back turned, an enslaved Digimon could attack. But for the moment, she trained her eyes on her current foe.

Both warriors stood still waiting for the other to make the first move. Daisy had to remember the basics which Darcmon had taught her. In a fight between two truly skilled fighters, both will remain still for a few seconds to silently assess the other's skills based on their stance and grip on their sword.

From what Daisy could tell, Musyamon was much stronger than her own partner. But Daisy wasn't just going to rely on her physical strength for this match. No, she intended to dance, just as her partner would.

As if a gunshot rang through the air, both warriors shot forward. They both clashed against each other with their blades, sharpened by their wills. Musyamon's power was overwhelming; Daisy nearly lost her weapon several times thanks to her loose grip. But it didn't need to be tight for her to win this match.

"Your handling of your weapon is too loose," Musyamon scoffed. "You cannot defeat me like that."

"That's what you think," Daisy retorted.

When the swords crossed once more, Daisy's loose grip came to her advantage. It slipped right out of her grasp but she grabbed it quickly with her other hand and swiped. The weapon made contact with Musyamon's armor, shattering the plate that covered his leg.

But it did nothing more than catch Musyamon off guard. "Kuso ̄!" The samurai kicked Daisy in the chest and she was sent flying. "Tch… That weapon is stronger than it looks."

"Your foot is stronger than it looks," Daisy coughed, a hand to her chest. "But I don't plan on losing."

The two ran right for each other once more. And this time, Daisy didn't wait for an opportunity like before, she just let go of her weapon as soon as the first clash hit. After all, any swordsman's one opening is right after they make a cut.

Daisy grabbed the blade with her other hand, thanking the gods for being ambidextrous, but as she made for a slash at her opponent's exposed leg, she stopped short. Peeking out of the bottom of the crack was the Dark Chain and even though finishing the slash would seriously cripple Musyamon, Daisy couldn't do it. Not when she had the chance to destroy the thing that was making Musyamon do evil.

Thanks to her reluctance, she was knocked back once more by another kick. But Musyamon didn't stop there; he also punched and slashed at the human girl, covering her arms, stomach, and thighs with cuts and bruises. But the entire time, she didn't let go of her sword. She didn't want to make the same mistake as the last time they had dueled.

Musyamon was not happy with her tenaciousness. "Anata wa meiwakudesu."

"Yeah… I'm aware I'm a nuisance," Daisy croaked out, coughing up blood. "I learned from some of the best." It hurt to smile but it was something she wanted to do when thinking about her bullheaded friends. Her breathing was uneven and it felt like if she took another step, either her heart or her lungs would explode. "And another thing I learned from them is that they don't stop fighting until they win."

"How obstinate. You know you cannot win. You even hesitated to pierce my skin despite having that opening. That is another reason why women should not take up battle, they hesitate too much," Musyamon grumbled before pointing his blade at her. "But you can't really do much anymore. Not in that state."

Daisy smirked. "That's what you think." She raised her sword and stabbed the ground, piercing it as low as it could go until only half the hilt was sticking out of the soil. She felt the tip of her weapon touch solid rock and they both heard a small crack.

"Nani…? Have you lost it?" Musyamon gaped.

Just then, her hilt started to glow and a bright light came from her sword and enveloped Daisy. The rich nutrients of the soil and the minerals from the stone that made the light, but the strong metal of the sword, created armor for Daisy. When she stood back up, pulling out her sword from the stone, she was like a brand new person.

"It looks like I've gained something rather than lost," Daisy smiled before glancing down at herself. The metal chest plate, gauntlets, shin guards, all her armor nearly surprised her. "Though I was not expecting it to go this well."

"That armor was made by Volcanomon, a blacksmith in the nearby city," Musyamon stated, surprising Daisy. "Cherrymon received it in his mail; he said that he wanted to give it to you before you left. As he was being taken over by the Dark Chain, he hid it somewhere… I didn't know where. But right before becoming completely taken over… He said that your sword will connect you to the armor."

"I see… Cherrymon did that," said Daisy.

"I don't understand how someone who lives in this chaotic world can have so much hope," stated Musyamon. "Naze?"

Daisy figured it out now. The reason for why Musyamon tormented her for being a girl. "Musyamon, you were the girl who defied your village's traditions and picked up the sword, weren't you?" Daisy stated boldly. "And you blame yourself for what happened. That Dark Chain is amplifying your feelings of hopelessness, that this world can never change and that everyone was right about females being unable to fight. Isn't it?"

Musyamon didn't answer for a long time before drawing her sword once more and charging. "Damare! Tada shinimasu!"

"I can't die until I prove you wrong," said Daisy, drawing up her own blade.

The two went back to clashing but this time, Daisy had defenses. Though her own wounds weren't healed, she wasn't planning on backing down. And to her surprise, her armor was as light as her blade and easy to move around in so at least Musyamon wouldn't be able to give her worse injuries.

"I won't lose!" Musyamon snarled.

"Neither will I!" Daisy retorted in return.

Daisy put the rest of the pieces together as they fought. Musyamon hesitated in battle. Someone close to her had gotten possessed and Musyamon hesitated before landing a critical blow, therefore losing her own free will.

Of course, there was more to the story. Daisy was willing to bet that Musyamon had disguised herself as a male to learn the way of the sword. She went up in the ranks of swordsmen among her village. But right before her home was attacked by Apocalymon's slaves; she was found out and ridiculed. She entered the fight in order to redeem herself but now she blames herself for what was lost.

"You gave yourself up to the Chain!" Daisy huffed. "You made yourself suffer and those around you suffer! For that, with my blade, I will deliver my judgment!"

Both warriors made one more slash, putting themselves with their backs to each other. There was a short five second pause before Daisy fell to one knee and Musyamon got a smug grin on her face. But then something metal hit the ground.

"...Anata wa kachimashita," Musyamon exhaled. "Arigato… Daisy. You freed me."

"Musyamon… Was I right? All my theories?" Daisy asked.

"I'm surprised you figured it out so easily," Musyamon nodded. "Yes… I am the female who led my village to ruin. I was so focused on redeeming myself from being ostracized that I tried to fight again Chained Digimon rather than run like everyone else had. I was… stupid."

"You tried your hardest even if it was a mistake," Daisy stated before turning towards the Hollow. "Stay here, I need to go help my partner."

"Matte." Musyamon suddenly stood up and took something out, hidden in her armor was a silver key. "I found it on my first night. While I was enslaved, my mind told me to give it to Apocalymon. But it's yours, isn't it?"

The Hollow – 10:39 AM

As soon as Darcmon entered the elder's place, she was attacked by vines and branches from every single direction. She immediately performed her graceful dance that her teammates envied and was able to weave past the dangerous flora.

"Cherrymon! Stop this at once!" Darcmon called. "This isn't you!"

Hidden in the cover of some thick vines, Cherrymon's elderly voice called back. "Cherry Blast!"

The angel quickly evaded the fruit bombs and now she had an idea of where the living tree was. "This is going to hurt you a little," muttered Darcmon. "Dancing Sword!" She cut through the vines with her dance and as she suspected, they were connected to the old man so each slash ended up hurting him.

"Illusion Mist!"

Darcmon finally made it into a space without vines but she was suddenly stuck in a thick fog. She could barely see within two centimeters in front of her! To make things worse, her head was starting to pound painfully against her skull. Was she experiencing hallucinations or was that really Daisy being strangled by a vine in her periphery?

"Daisy! No!" Darcmon shouted, slashing at the vine but hitting nothing. "Is this like the forest that protects Magic Village? Am I going mad?"

"You can't win, my dear," Cherrymon cackled. "Vine Attack!"

Darcmon began slashing wildly at the vines that were shooting at her from every direction. But no matter how much of the dangerous vegetation she cut down, several more showed up in its place. It wasn't long before she was bound and choking.

"Can't… breathe…"

"And you can't win either, darling."

Just then, Daisy's voice cut through the fog like a knife. "Was that really the dance that the other guys are jealous of?" The fog seemed to be blown away as two armored warriors cut their way through the vines, freeing Darcmon. "Or will you show me a better one?"

"Daisy… Musyamon…?" Darcmon coughed.

The three of them were now standing in front of Cherrymon who seemed displeased with the unforeseen arrivals. Even more so when he saw that Musyamon was with them. This just made more work for him so he used another Vine Attack but this time; all three girls went back to back, covering each other's weak points as they blocked the vines.

"A samurai, a knight, and an angel," Musyamon mused as they cut. "What a peculiar combination."

"And you two know, right?" Darcmon added. "When we're back to back, our only two blind spots…"

"Of course," Daisy smirked.

The girls jumped just as vines came through the ground. Musyamon and Daisy cut the vegetation from below while Darcmon turned her head up to see the vines coming straight down. With grace and beauty, the three of them were able to prevent themselves from getting caught.

Cherrymon was getting angrier by the minute. "You are still two Champions and a human! You cannot defeat an Ultimate like me."

Daisy's smug grin didn't vanish as she pulled out her silver key. "Then I suppose we'll have to level the playing field." Cherrymon and Darcmon stared at the shining object in surprise though both in different senses. "Let's go Darcmon. D-Lock 2 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"I won't let you! Cherry Blast!"

"Darcmon Digivolve to…" Daisy and Musyamon jumped in front of the glowing angel and blocked the attack with their weapons and armor. All while Darcmon became a four-legged creature once more, she started to resemble a gryphon with powerful legs and an eagle's head. Broad and strong wings protruded from her shoulders and she seemed to exude grace and power. "…Hippogriffomon!"

Digital Analyzer: Hippogriffomon is a mythical beast Digimon with the appearance of a chimera since they are essentially made from different animal parts. Personality-wise, they tend to be ferocious and not nearly as intelligent as her previous form because of such beast-like qualities. Despite that, they are a beautiful species who should not be trifled with.

Daisy and Musyamon collapsed to their knees, breathing heavily. "It's up to you now, Hippogriffomon."

"Leave it to me!" Hippogriffomon shouted, soaring right towards Cherrymon.

"Vine Attack!"

"Heat Wave!"

Hippogriffomon emanated a heat wave that burned up the vines before they even reached her. Even in her beastly form, she continued to move with the utmost grace as if she was dancing through the air. With three powerful beats of her wings, she put out the flames she created, thus effectively turning the vines to ash.

"Illusion Mist!"

"That won't work either!" Hippogriffomon bellowed. Just three powerful beats was all it took to blow away the fog. She then got close enough to the old man and hooked her claws through the Dark Chain around his trunk. "This might hurt!" With one yank, she broke the Chain in two.

"She did it!" Daisy and Musyamon cheered. "It's… over…"

The girls went up to Cherrymon to welcome him back to the land of free will but then the branches covering the entrance to the Hollow snapped. They turned back to see dozens of enslaved Digimon trying to break their way through. Daisy and Musyamon quickly stood firm but then a pair of vines picked them both up by the waist and planted them on Hippogriffomon's back.

"Cherrymon, what are you doing?!" Daisy yelled.

"You two need to go!" Cherrymon told them. "Hippgriffomon, there is no roof so fly right through those vines and leaves, don't stop and don't look back!"

"But what about you?!" the trio of girls asked.

"My dears; do not fret over this old man," Cherrymon laughed. "I will be fine. One day, I will see this world in a bright light…" He turned over to Daisy. "And it is the youth of today that will bring about the light of tomorrow."

"But we can't just leave you here," Daisy argued. For a moment, she could see her grandfather doing this for her. She could see his doting expression as he told her to stand back when some stupid bullies were knocking on her door, trying to provoke her.

"You have to," Cherrymon stated just as Mushroomon landed on his roots and a Kunemon stuck himself onto one of his branches. Dark Chains began whipping out and surrounding Cherrymon and if they didn't move soon, Musyamon would get taken again as well. "Now go! Join your friends and save this world!"

Hippgriffomon turned and shot towards the sky despite her passengers' protests. They couldn't argue much though; they had to hang on tight to their feathered ride unless they wanted to plummet into the sea of zombies.

"We're sorry, Cherrymon," Daisy sniffed.

Musyamon noticed a bag in Daisy's lap. "I think the old man left us something."

"Medicinal herbs," Hippogriffomon answered. "I can tell from the scent. For an old guy… he has a lot of guts."

"Just like grandpa…"

Chapter Text

Translate Mountain — 2:13 PM

Phantomon made himself visible next to Shibumi again. "That other human boy hasn't budged," the ghost reported. "It looked like he was standing guard at the base. What should we do? Is he nice? Maybe we can talk our way past."

Shibumi bit the inside of his thumb as he peeked around the trees to see Robert sitting on a rock with a spear slung over his shoulder. Beside the other boy was his armored dragon partner as well as a rather intimidating ape. Shibumi remembered him to be Gokuwmon, someone who got in the way during his travels so he used a Dark Chain on him.

Speaking of which, he recently got out of a call with Apocalymon. Shibumi was given three extra Dark Chains in case they became necessary and he was also told that Apocalymon was creating a new program to help fight the Chosen Children. They were called Voidlings and they were made up of useless data packets as well as death data. In other words, information that is left behind after a Digimon is deleted. Supposedly, Digimon attacks don't work on them and they only follow Apocalymon's orders.

Shibumi wasn't sure if he liked the sound of that. On the one hand, it would make their job easier if the program was completed. On the other hand, if Shibumi decided that what he was trying to achieve was wrong, it would be difficult to atone for his sins. For the most part, the boy hoped that the program wouldn't be complete.

"Do not complete the program," Shibumi told Apocalymon who was coming through on a monitor on a thick tree. "You don't know if they'll be necessary and if they gain sentience, they might end up turning on you." Like Apocalymon might to him. But better to deal with one rogue program than several.

Apocalymon chuckled. "It will take some time to complete in the first place. I'll just do some research and wait for your green light then."

"Promise me that you won't complete it," Shibumi demanded.

"Of course, I promise that I won't complete it."

"Are you telling the truth?"

"Shibumi… Have I ever lied to you?"

Apocalymon never has. And like always, Shibumi relented. But still, there was no doubt that those 'Voidlings' as Apocalymon called them, would be dangerous. That's why it should only be used as a last and final resort.

Come to think of it, Apocalymon only said that Digimon were incapable of touching the Voidlings. So by that logic, humans might have a chance of beating them.

Shibumi glanced down at his hand and flexed his fingers before his pupils darted to the fretting Phantomon. But he wasn't always this little guy, Plutomon once turned him into MetalPhantomon and they became enemies at the graveyard. Shibumi would've lost that battle too, if that strange blue data hadn't enveloped him and he threw that punch. It didn't feel like his punch. What was it called again? The DigiSoul?

"It's what bonds me and Dracomon together, eh," he mused.

Dracomon perked up when he heard his name. "What was that?"

"Ah, nothing," Shibumi waved off. "I was just talking to myself." He then stood up to his full height since he had been hunched over for quite some time now. "Anyway, we should figure out how to get past Rob and his little team. However, if it comes down to it, we need to be ready for combat."

Phantomon turned his gaze to the ground, appearing quite guilty about something. "I'm sorry. If I hadn't wanted to go to Cyber City so badly, we might've already been done with this. You could've gotten your key and not have to worry about the other humans."

In the past few days, Shibumi had explained his entire situation to their traveling companion. Both he and Dracomon expected the ghost to become distraught that he was fighting against the heroes of the Digital World. But instead, Phantomon just shrugged and acted as normally as ever. When asked why, Phantomon's reply was that he knew that Shibumi was a good guy and he knew that the Chosen Children were good, but it was Shibumi he knew personally. So either way, he would be on the side of the good guys.

Phantomon was the most good out of the three of them though. And Shibumi couldn't help but worry about what would happen if he turned out to be the villain by the end of their arduous journey. Either way, this ghost should not be marking himself as the bad guy.

"Don't be silly," said Shibumi. "I really wanted to check out the city too. At least, before it would get taken over by Dark Chains. Besides, we don't have to fight Rob, I've got an idea of how to get past him without getting detected."

That's what he said. But digging underground, clinging onto Groundramon in order to get past the sentries was one rocky ride. Shibumi was grateful for the hooded cape that Phantomon gave him which protected him every time his back hit the wall or something else painful like that.

As a matter of fact, Phantomon bought a lot of fabrics from a store in the city and knitted a special set of clothing for Shibumi to wear. All of the new clothes he got was incredibly protective and would help if he ever got caught up in battle again. Whether they cushioned physical blows, were fire resistant, kept him warm from ice-based attacks, or kept him safe by not conducting electric attacks.

So far, the best quality of the clothes was the resistance to fire because Groundramon finally resurfaced from inside of the mountain! In other words, they were inside the volcano of all things and if the tunic didn't have a cooling feature that activated in extreme heat, Shibumi would be in a pool of his own sweat. It was still pretty hot despite that though.

However, before Shibumi or Phantomon could dismount, something dropped down in front of them from above. Much to their stunned surprise, it was a Leomon and WereGarurumon who both made a uppercut right under Groundramon's chin, sending the dragon flying right out of the volcano's mouth at the top. WereGarurumon used his powerful legs to kick off the sides and then used his signature kick to send Groundramon back onto the ground were the two anthropomorphic mammals landed.

"Owie… That hurt," Phantomon whined.

Shibumi couldn't disagree as he pushed himself up. That's when he noticed Robert, Hisyaryumon, and Gokuwmon standing behind them. "So you had friends guarding at the top as well, huh?" the boy huffed. "I have to say I'm impressed."

"Well, I've seen Groundramon's capabilities already," Robert remarked. "I wouldn't put it past you to go underground."

For the past few days, while Robert waited for the arrival of the other human, he trained himself by studying the entire landscape of Mount Translate. By luck, he bumped into his old teacher and his teacher's friend, both of whom were camping near the top of the volcano. They were then enlisted to help Robert by keeping guard at the volcano's mouth.

Leomon also resumed giving Robert some private fighting lessons in case he ever dropped his weapon. WereGarurumon added his own teachings to Robert's discipline so where he strengthened his arms from the lion, he increased the power and coordination in his legs from the wolf. Gokuwmon, the monkey, continued to teach Robert the proper way of using his spear so that he would use it to the best of his ability.

With three different teachers specializing in three completely different areas, Robert felt like he was ready to take on Shibumi if need be. Especially since the Japanese boy just pulled out a scythe from the inside of his cape.

"So you got weapons and armor now too," Shibumi acknowledged.

Robert smirked, thinking about the plated armor that now guarded his body as designed by his partner. When Ryudamon wasn't training, he was melting rocks in the volcano and instantaneously cooling it to forge a special armor just for Robert.

"I wonder which of us is stronger now," Robert grinned. "But I would prefer if we didn't have to fight."

Shibumi nodded in agreement. "Well, what if I told you that we didn't have to fight each other?"

Before Robert could question it, Shibumi snapped his fingers and all of a sudden, Leomon flipped over the heads of Shibumi and his comrades. The lion drew his sword at the same time Robert twisted his spear around and blocked the blade from cleaving him in two.

"There's a Dark Chain around his waist!" Hisyaryumon gasped.

Gokuwmon bit his lower lip and tried to charge in when WereGarurumon landed in front of him. Just like Leomon, he wore a Dark Chain around his waist as if it was a belt. When had Shibumi put those Dark Chains around them?

"You must think I'm so naïve," Shibumi shook his head. "I was prepared in case something like this would happen. Groundramon had those around his waist and when he was attacked, the Chains extended and enslaved them. It's that simple. Now if you excuse me, I have a key to collect."

"Wait!" Robert called out just as the other human hopped back into the volcano with his partner. The battlefield arranged itself so that everyone on Robert's side was against someone from the other side. Robert was clashing, spear to sword, again Leomon, Hisyaryumon was battling, fang and tooth, against WereGarurumon, while Gokuwmon was using his staff to block Phantomon's scythe.

"You don't even have a Dark Chain on you!" Gokuwmon snarled. "How dare you betray the Digimon race!"

Phantomon frowned, not that anyone could see that through his hood. He started chopping away with his weapon as if it was a kitchen knife and he was trying to mince vegetables. The repetitive action resembled a hyperactive child trying to hit a piñata blindfolded but it seemed to be an effective technique as it kept Gokuwmon busy.

"So mean! You're so mean!" Phantomon cried out. "I'm not doing anything bad! I'm just helping my friend, how is that evil?"

Robert received training from three powerful Digimon. Emphasis on the word powerful because even though Leomon was the only Champion on the field, the human was still having trouble countering some of the slashes. It was ridiculous, having to fight his own teacher in real combat rather than a sparring match.

"Leomon, stop!" Robert snapped. "I'm your own pupil!"

Leomon growled and roared like an actual lion which nearly frightened Robert. "If you are truly my student, then show me the fruits of your training!"

Hisyaryumon became the Legendary Dragon Blade and swung straight down for WereGarurumon who caught the weapon right between his palms. A skill that was said to be near impossible to do so the fact that the dragon just found someone capable of doing it, he knew he was up against someone truly strong. No matter how much of a slacker WereGarurumon would appear to be on the outside, he was definitely a warrior.

"Let go of me!" Hisyaryumon snapped.

WereGarurumon laughed while hopping around excitedly. "Heck no! Now I have a sword like Leo-chan!" His smile vanished when he noticed the sword getting wider. "Eh?" The sword returned to being Hisyaryumon and the dragon twisted around to use his tail as a whip against WereGarurumon, making the werewolf release him. "Ow! Hey, that hurt!"

"So was squishing my head," Hisyaryumon growled.

This standoff of three against three wasn't going to be resolved very quickly. And Shibumi might still have another Dark Chain somewhere on him so it wasn't a good idea for Gokuwmon to run down there or he might get enslaved as well. This meant that the best course of action was for Robert and his partner to win their respective fights as quickly as possible.

Leomon jumped back a few feet before gathering some energy into his fist. "Fist of the Beast King!"

That was something that Robert couldn't block. So he jumped out of the way from the lion-shaped energy blast and tumbled for a few feet as the area where he stood exploded. As soon as he stood back up though, Leomon was in front of him again. The Digimon grabbed hold of the spear to keep it from blocking his blade which was coming right for Robert's face.

The boy bent backwards just as the cold metal flew just a centimeter over his nose. But the goggle-head planned on taking advantage of the position as he threw his legs up and around Leomon's thick neck. In that one fluid motion, he had Leomon in a triangular chokehold.

Robert then let go of his spear, sending seven quick, consecutive jabs at Leomon's wrist, making his victim let go of his own weapon. The boy proceeded to grab the hilt of the sword as it was dropping and stabbed at the Dark Chain, breaking it in two.

Leomon was freed but he was still choking. "Robert… I… can't… breathe."

"Oh, sorry!" Robert piped up, letting go and falling to the ground with a heavy thud, headfirst. "Ow… My head…"

Leomon helped his student back to his feet and took out a medicine kit to help the bump forming on Robert's head. "I'm beyond impressed with the skills and movements you have obtained through your training. You really know how to make a teacher proud." He then rubbed his reddened neck, "And hurt too…"

Robert grinned, thinking about how he applied each of his teacher's teachings in that match. The chokehold was taught by WereGarurumon, the consecutive jabs were from Leomon, and the idea of using the spear to maneuver one's self was from Gokuwmon.

"Hard work really does pay off," Robert said.

As for his partner, he was focusing on moving around WereGarurumon to avoid the wolf's claws and legs. He hadn't expected it to be so hard to hit and avoid a ground-based opponent but WereGarurumon moved so fast and jumped so high that he might as well be a flying.

"Circle Moon Kick!"

A near omni-directional attack and the only place to avoid it was by flying over the wolf's head. But that wasn't enough to escape the menacing claws of WereGarurumon as the bipedal beast leapt straight up, latching onto the dragon's head and digging his claws into the sides of his face. The scales were not enough to protect Hisyaryumon from the stinging pain.

"Let go of me!" Hisyaryumon snapped angrily, again.

A smug grin appeared on WereGarurumon's face. "As you wish." WereGarurumon kicked the air with enough strength to propel himself and his victim downwards, as if they were a meteorite heading right for earth. But just one millimeter from crashing, WereGarurumon twisted himself around and kicked off Hisyaryumon to avoid impact while the dragon collided with the rocks. "Ha ha! Is this really all the power that a Chosen Digimon has? No wonder Lord Apocalymon rules over this world!"

During this monologue, Hisyaryumon kept himself hidden in the kicked-up dust. "Every Direction Wheel!"

Rays of light shot out from the dust cloud and was sent flying at the stationary werewolf who noticed at the last second. But like it was mentioned before, WereGarurumon was fast and agile so he dodged every single deadly beam and ran into the cloud which was starting to clear. "Too bad! Wolf…" Hisyaryumon was nowhere in sight, so he slashed at the air. "Claw?"

"Legendary Dragon Blade!"

From above, a sword came down and struck the Dark Chain from behind. It barely grazed WereGarurumon's back but it still left a cut running down the middle. So as soon as WereGarurumon was freed from the Chain's control, he threw himself at Leomon.

"I'm bleeding, Leo-chan!" WereGarurumon sobbed. "Patch me up and scold Hisyaryumon for me!"

"Get off me!" Leomon snapped.

Robert and Hisyaryumon heaved sighs of relief, glad that those two were finally back to normal. But now they had another task to take care of, and that was to stop Shibumi from getting his golden key. If they didn't, then Dracomon would be able to access his Mega form and they had enough trouble as it was against Ultimates.

Phantomon who became invisible to keep himself from getting attacked by the trigger happy Gokuwmon, froze up when he saw that he had no more allies on the field. This meant that if Robert and his partner felt like it, he would get attacked as well. And since there was no threat of getting possessed again, Leomon and WereGarurumon could probably add their own fighting forces as well.

"Oh dear," Phantomon muttered, not realizing that he just gave away his position to Gokuwmon. "I must warn Shibumi that–."

"Not going to happen!" Gokuwmon snapped as he whacked his staff right on top of Phantomon's head. The little reaper became visible again as he mumbled something unintelligible before passing out, dropping like a sack of potatoes, onto the ground. "That was faster than I thought it would be."

"It just shows how much stronger the Chosen and their partners have become," Leomon chuckled.

WereGarurumon threw his arms behind his head and pouted. "Yeah, but we've been fighting our whole lives while accumulatively, the Chosen have been training for about a few months. But I guess real life fighting really does make you grow faster." The werewolf then gasped extremely loudly.

"What is it?" Leomon asked.

"Our trip! It's ruined!" WereGarurumon bemoaned.

Leomon drew his blade and used the hilt to knock the air right out of WereGarurumon. "Now's not the time for that!" He then turned over to Robert who was looking down into the volcano. "You and Hisyaryumon should go. We'll take Phantomon and get out of your way."

"Thank you, Leomon," Robert nodded. "Go down to the base of the mountain. Hisyaryumon and I will catch up with you when we're done." And when they're done was hopefully when they got Shibumi to realize that the side he was on was wrong. "I don't plan on losing him to evil."

Silent Grove — 2:13 PM

Janyu got a sense of déjà vu as he attempted to sneak up on the person he sensed nearby. When he turned around a tree with a fist, he found himself staring down the barrel of a pistol. But after that, he noticed the person he nearly connected his punch to and the holder of said pistol.

"Babel?" Janyu blinked.

"No way! Janyu, is that you?" Babel blanched.

The two boys excitedly gave each other a hug just as FanBeemon did for a laughing Betamon. Turuiemon just watched the scene in slight confusion, it seemed that she hadn't put together that Babel was actually a friend of her student's. As a matter of fact, she didn't even seem to know that he was a human!

"I've never seen a Digimon like that before," said Turuiemon. "And is that grappling technique from a martial arts style I don't know of?"

Janyu slapped his forehead as he turned around to face the bipedal bunny. "No, sensei, this is my friend and comrade, a fellow DigiDestined, Babel. This means that he is a human, like me. Also, that 'grappling technique' was just a hug."

"Ah… I see," Turuiemon nodded. Did she really?

As the two boys continued heading to where their compasses pointed, they caught up and talked about their individual adventures.

For Janyu, after leaving Klahzinfang, he escorted all the young Digimon into an underground tunnel that connected to both AncientVolcanomon's and AncientKabuterimon's refugee camps. The boy also got to learn that Gabumon did, in fact, like his cub hood friend because despite being a Rookie, Gaomon was mature and strong. Janyu ended up giving some offhanded advice about how Gabumon should try harder to communicate his feelings to the other canine.

As for Babel, after being one of the groomsmen for CaptainHookmon's wedding, they returned to Atlantis which was later designated to be AncientMermaimon's refugee camp. Apocalymon was starting to target the oceans so they needed to stay safe. Under the sea, Babel became a pirate trainee, practicing using his firearm and adding more weights to his shoulder harness to increase his mobility and to keep his miniature cannonballs. He was even given a pirate's jacket made from MetalSeadramon scales which was pretty useful armor if he said so himself.

"Ah, so you are a hǎidào!" Turuiemon chimed in. "Just so you know, I don't have anything valuable you can steal."

"Huh?" Babel blinked.

"She just said that you're a pirate," Janyu translated. "And Turuiemon, don't be so rude."

Babel laughed as the rabbit pompously turned her head, proudly unapologetic. "Nah, don't worry about that," the older boy grinned. "I learned all about the prejudice that comes from being a pirate from the Captain. Pirates tend to be smart-mouthed and they play by their own set of rules, thus people in power like to mark them as the bad guys. But part of being a pirate is to take that stigma and bear it. So yeah, I am a hǎidào."

Janyu froze up. "Pirate."

"Eh?"

"You spoke Chinese…," said Janyu. "I just said the same thing as you. What did you hear?"

Babel frowned before it hit him. Janyu is from China and he speaks the language fluently and naturally, however, ever since arriving in the Digital World, everyone has been hearing him speak in their own native tongues. But just now, what Janyu said, it sounded just like the English word for 'pirate'.

"Say it in English," urged Babel.

"Pirate," Janyu repeated.

Babel blinked several times. That was odd, he understood the word clearly enough but he could hear an accent when Janyu said it. Not only that, but it was slowly processing in Babel's head, like it was unnatural to hear the word. As for the Digimon, they could not be more confused by what the humans were trying to accomplish.

"Gah, language is way too confusing in this world!" Babel groaned before looking over to the Digimon. "What language are we speaking?"

FanBeemon and Betamon tilted their heads to the side. "We just talk." They never had a name for the dialect they speak.

Before their conversation on the in and outs of the digital language could branch any further, they all instinctively jumped away when they felt a shift in the air. The humans tucked and rolled one way while the Digimon went the other. When they got back up, they could see that the dirt and plants on the road where they were standing on before was completely upturned and destroyed.

"You new guys have some good reflexes," Turuiemon acknowledged.

"I'm not about to let my training go down the drain," Babel smirked before glaring at where the attack had come from. "So, whoever tried to attack us should come out now. Don't worry, there's a smidgen of a chance that I won't make you walk the plank."

"You even talk like a pirate now," Janyu noted.

They watched as a self-sustaining tornado came down from the sky and hit the ground in front of them. When the wind stopped blowing, it revealed three Ultimate-level Digimon inside, very familiar ones that caused the other Digimon to gasp at the sight.

"Deva!" Turuiemon gaped.

"And they all have Dark Chains," Betamon shuddered.

FanBeemon buzzed with worry. "So it's true then, Apocalymon really is getting bolder with who he enslaves."

Digital Analyzer: Mihiramon is the Tiger Deva and a loyal servant to the Sovereign, Azulongmon. He is known to be the biggest ruffian among the Deva but he is also a brilliant tactician, specializing in surveying any terrain. With his tremendous speed, he is faster than the wind racing along the land and can exceed the speed of sound when flying on his two wings. It is best to avoid this beast in combat or he will cut you down with his claws, fangs, and his true mastery of the Samurai Tiger Tail (Treasure Stick).

Digital Analyzer: Caturamon is the Dog Deva and a loyal servant to the Sovereign, Baihumon. He is a wise Digimon, and as such, tends to look after his comrades as if they were his younger brothers (though the two he protects most do not seem to have the same degree of obligation). His sense of justice is strong and he remains unsatisfied until something can be clarified into black and white. He serves as a moderator, transforming into Bǎo Chuí (Treasure Hammer) to pass judgments on guilt and innocence.

Digital Analyzer: Kumbhiramon is the Rat Deva and a loyal servant of the Sovereign, Ebonwumon. Despite his diminutive size, he boasts great wisdom, with the ability to read nearly anyone's thoughts aside from his own master. He also has a bad habit of announcing his next move before he strikes. This Deva is not well suited for battle, but thanks to his powerful telekinetic abilities, he has free and total control of his Bǎo Chǔ (Treasure Pestle).

"Hmph," Caturamon scoffed. "You did well to avoid my attack. But you are still a pirate, an enemy of the law."

"Ah, you're just cranky because he dodged your sneak attack ~chu," Kumbhiramon snickered.

Mihiramon put himself close to the ground as if he was on a prowl and the sight in front of him was his prey. "This is no time to be going at each other, we must destroy this group lest they destroy our Lords. I expect that you two will not get in my way?"

"Get in your way?" Kumbhiramon snapped sharply. "You should stay out of mine ~chu."

"Enough!" Caturamon bellowed. "The humans and their partners are our enemies, not each other."

The way they were speaking, it couldn't be! Was it possible that the Dark Chains actually rearranged the data in their brains so that they think the Chosen Children were out for the Sovereigns' heads? And they were well-aware that despite their quarreling, the Deva were not to be underestimated. Especially since these three were titled to be the smartest of the twelve.

"We're not your enemy!" Janyu tried to object.

"I will be the judge of that," Caturamon snarled. "I will exact my revenge for my comrade, Sinduramon."

"Revenge?" Babel frowned. "What did we do?"

"Talk is cheap ~chu!" Kumbhiramon squeaked. "Let's just destroy them now!"

Both boys pulled out their keys at once before an attack was sent out. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Evolution!" Janyu was hoping to get out of this sticky situation as fast as possible while Babel was kind of thinking that he wanted Janyu to see his partner evolve.

"FanBeemon Warp Digivolve to… CannonBeemon!" "Betamon Warp Digivolve to… WaruSeadramon!"

Turuiemon's eyes bugged out when she saw the tiny Rookies become behemoths right before her very eyes. The two colossal Ultimates flew in and pushed the Tiger and Dog Deva away, leaving the Rat behind to be taken care of by the humans. The martial artist had gotten into a fighting stance while Babel was pointing his pistol at him.

"Aw, I got the humans ~chu?" Kumbhiramon groaned.

"Better not underestimate us," Babel grinned.

Janyu glanced over to his teacher. "Turuiemon, stay safe and please observe my progress."

Turuiemon nodded and hopped onto a tree branch. This was a good chance for her to see her pupil in actual combat as well as observe the other human. He seemed really laid-back and almost overconfident of his victory, could she really entrust the Digital World's future to someone like him? Well, she was just going to have to find out.

Snake Road — 2:13 PM

Rai had been escorting the refugees to AncientTroiamon's camp when she bumped into Daisy who was just leaving that exact place. It was a good thing they did bump into each other because that camp was already overrun by Apocalymon's zombies. So they had to switch gears and go to AncientWisetmon's camp which was thankfully close by, Neon City.

"You're heading back to Desert West Town?" Rai blinked.

Lillymon nodded. "I can't keep traveling with you gals forever you know. Besides, with all the commotion going on in major cities and even refugee camps, I want to make sure that my friends are safe. If anything, they'll probably be following FlaWizardmon into Magic Village since I heard that it was going to be the newly designated camp for AncientTroiamon."

After the incident at Floral Terminal, the Legendary Warriors were doing strict checks on refugees to make sure they didn't have a Dark Chain on them. Many felt uncomfortable with those security checks but thankfully, they understood. And it didn't take long or was too invasive, not to mention, no refugee was ever turned away once the check was over. The only problem was, despite those checks, some Digimon were still paranoid and kept their suspicious eyes on the new refugee that would enter the camp.

For Lotosmon, Rosemon, their baby, Gotsumon, and Pumpkinmon, it wasn't as big of a problem since they had two humans with them. It seemed like the Chosen Children were greatly revered and trusted throughout the entire world.

However, they were not adored by everybody. The girls faced a lot of backlash from some refugees that went as far as blaming them for being unable to protect them. Even the ones that were being ostracized as the new guy turned on the humans. Apparently, so long as they didn't save the world at breakneck speed, they were considered failures to the prophecy.

Daisy found it unfair, it wasn't their fault. But there was really no point in arguing with the dissenters if they were so set on making their probably heroes into villains. Thankfully, the ratio of supporters to dissenters was astronomically high.

"Are you sure you don't need a human escort?" asked Rai.

Lillymon shook her head. "I'll be perfectly fine on my own, Rai. I haven't been caught by a Chain yet."

"Well, if things look too dangerous, head back to Neon City," Daisy suggested. "I'm sure you'll be kept safe there."

Lillymon nodded before taking off, waving to her new friends as she left. And with that, they were on their way to Translate Mountain which was where their compasses were now pointing to. As Shamamon had instructed them, once they had their silver keys, clink it against the glass and it will then point them in a new direction, towards Robert's own compass.

As they were heading down the winding road, Rai was able to get to know Daisy's swordplay instructor, Musyamon. According to the woman warrior, she had wanted to become the strongest swords-user in the Digital World but she gave up on that dream after her home was taken and she was ridiculed for being a female. However, meeting and fighting with Daisy has changed her mind.

"I want to reach my dream of being the strongest," said Musyamon. "This way, no other female from my village will feel ashamed for doing something out of the ordinary. Of course, if they want to do what the other women do, then that is fine too."

"Cooking?" inquired Daisy.

"And making weapons for the males," added Musyamon. "My brother actually wanted to forge armor for the men but he was ridiculed for that. So we switched our identities for a time though it seems I was found out. I wonder how my brother is doing right now. Hopefully, he got away."

"I'm sure he did," Daisy smiled before addressing something she had been meaning to for a while. "Hey, Rai, what's with the mantle?"

The younger girl was wearing a robe that was made from a fabric knitted by Lillymon's hands and infused with some of Wizardmon's magic. It's a special mantle with a nebula pattern that has granted the wearer the ability to fly (not very high) and turn invisible (if you put up the hood). Daisy wanted a demonstration of the mantle's abilities but before she could ask, they felt the ground quake beneath their feet.

They all crouched low and those with weapons, lodged them into the dirt to keep them stable. It was still making them feel rather sick though.

"This is no natural earthquake," Salamon grunted.

They looked up to see three figures approaching them from the shadows. Two of them appeared to be centaurs though their bodies were most certainly not human. While the third, in between them, was small, and resembled a monkey.

'"Deva?" Candlemon blanched. "So Apocalymon isn't just targeting whole cities but servants of the Sovereign as well?"

Salamon nodded. "Yeah, we fought Sinduramon at a power plant. It never occurred to me that the others were caught as well."

Digital Analyzer: Vajramon is the Ox Deva and a loyal servant of the Sovereign, Ebonwumon. He is a seeker of the truth and aims for detachment of all emotional and material concerns. His warrior-like personality values honor to a fault and he loathes cowardice and effeminacy. With his well-tempered strength, he can easily wield the twin Deva Blades, Bǎo Jiàn (Treasure Swords) that he carries on his waist.

Digital Analyzer: Pajiramon is the Sheep Deva and a loyal servant of the Sovereign, Zhuqiaomon. She is a powerful figure and is believed to be the ruler of dreams. She does not like to make friends very easily, even among the Deva, and almost never changes her opinion. She is known to be the "Dark Deva" with a cruel personality because she lacks feeling and consideration for others. She never lets go of her Bǎo Gōng (Treasure Bow) for even a second, which fires powerful arrows of lights at her foes.

Digital Analyzer: Makuramon is the Monkey Deva and a loyal servant of the Sovereign, Baihumon. He has a rather curious disposition of never speaking and showing emotion on his face, making it nearly impossible to decipher what it is he is thinking if he is not moving. His bodily movements are the only way to know how he is feeling for they are full of emotions and he is only capable of expressing himself through them and his overdramatic poses. He has a habit of collecting things that catch his eye within his Primal Orb, Bǎo Yù (Treasure Ball) and in battle, would much rather lock up his opponents than fight.

Makuramon had his eyes on the two humans as he had never laid eyes upon such creatures before. So he turned to his two comrades with a ballerina spin and bowed low, before straightening his back and pointing at the humans.

"The wizard and the knight are yours to do what you wish," Vajramon answered.

"Hmph, I do not wish to accommodate him but since it's the humans, I don't care," Pajiramon added.

Daisy scowled. "I've only met you guys for about a minute and I already don't like you."

Rai got back up and checked her staff to make sure it was okay. She had used up Daisy's entire bag of medicinal herbs to create powerful concoctions inside the staff. Hopefully, the shaking ground didn't mess anything up. "Daisy, they serve this world's Gods, maybe we can settle things by talking to them."

"I don't think so," Daisy shook her head before pointing at their waists. "They've all got Dark Chains on them."

"So I guess talking would be futile," Musyamon sighed before taking a couple of wary steps back. "I will leave this in your hands Kishi Daisy and Mahotsukai Rai."

"Hm? You speak Japanese?" Rai blinked.

"Not the time for that," said Daisy.

The girls quickly pulled out their silver keys as the Deva seemed to wait patiently for them. That was to be expected from the hoofed and horned ones, they probably wouldn't want to fight Rookies, they were after a challenge. And that was exactly what the Chosen Children would give them. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

"Salamon Warp Digivolve to… Hippogriffomon!" "Candlemon Warp Digivolve to… Mistymon!"

Mistymon charged in with his blazing sword which clashed against Vajramon's crossed blades as the two Ultimates stared each other down. As for Hippogriffomon, as soon as she had finished evolving, Pajiramon started firing a flurry of arrows at the mythical beast who immediately took to the skies to avoid getting punctured. The last of the Deva trio ran for the humans sending a roundhouse kick for them but Daisy blocked it with the flat side of her blade.

"What can traitorous Digimon do against us?" Vajramon growled. "I will sooner let you take my head than allow you to steal my master's!"

Pajiramon didn't like the other Deva but that was one thing she could agree on. "Your treacherous ways shall end with a shot from one of my divine arrows!"

"Traitorous Digimon?" Mistymon frowned.

"Treacherous ways?" Hippogriffomon repeated.

It became clear to them then that these three Deva had clearly been hypnotized into thinking that the humans and any allies of the humans were enemies. From what Sinduramon told Daisy from that time, he had been the only one captured at the time but the stronger a Digimon is, the more likely it would be used to capture others. So these Deva were probably terrorizing towns under the influence of the Chains, believing that it was some benevolent order made by their masters.

They had to put a stop to them.

Musyamon blamed herself for what happened at Floral Terminal. She knew that the Deva would probably react the same way once they were set free from the brainwashing. It was a burden that she had to bear so she decided that if there was any way of helping the Digital World overcome the darkness, it was by becoming Daisy's sword instructor.

Now, the samurai had to hope that she had taught the human girl well enough to fight against one of the twelve exalted Deva. She had no idea what kind of training that Rai had gone through but her partner was a mage himself, hopefully, she learned well too.

"I hope my teachings paid off," she muttered to herself. "If not, this world may fall at Apocalymon's feet."

Chapter Text

Silent Grove – 2:20 PM

"They disappeared?" WaruSeadramon blinked.

CannonBeemon hummed in disagreement. "Mihiramon is a master at surveying his surroundings, he must've taken refuge in a place we can't see or sense. As for Caturamon, the Dog Deva has the ability to become the wind, we wouldn't see him that way."

"Wow, you sure do know a lot!" the sea snake praised.

"Well, no, we learn about the twelve Deva in school."

"Really?" WaruSeadramon turned away with a thoughtful expression on his somehow un-fearsome face. "I never went to school before."

That explained a lot.

The two Chosen Digimon quickly stood back to back as they carefully observed the area, wondering where their foes were hiding and where they would attack first. It was almost nerve-wracking because even without having to learn the specifics of them, any citizen of the Digital World knows not to mess with these powerful Digimon.

So Apocalymon really was getting bolder if he was going to strike the personal servants of the Sovereigns. Before long, their world would turn forsaken, the cities and villages would be abandoned and overrun by the mindless. They couldn't have that, which was why they had to finish things up here as soon as possible and regroup with Robert and the others.

"Treasure Hammer!"

"From above?" CannonBeemon gasped.

The two Ultimate Digimon quickly pulled away from each other as a hammer landed in between them, cracking open the earth beneath them. Since both of them were hovering about a meter off the ground, they were safe, or so they believed.

From inside the fissure below, a tiger roared, and the second missing Deva leapt out, his armored tail striking into the stomachs of his enemies. "Samurai Tiger Tail!" It left them doubled over in pain, or at least, trying to in CannonBeemon's case.

"From above and below, our two blind spots," CannonBeemon grunted, a little bit impressed though not very surprised.

"Don't worry!" said WaruSeadramon. "I'll keep them still!"

The slithering behemoth coiled his long body around the two Deva, trying to bind them and constrict their movement but they refused to stand still for even a moment. It was no surprise that they were up against the most brilliant of the Sovereign servants, considering how in sync the two of them were. Not to mention, they'd probably spent years training together.

On the other hand, CannonBeemon and WaruSeadramon had never even seen each other's Ultimate forms until that day. There was no way that they would be able to know how the other liked to fight in their new bodies immediately.

WaruSeadramon finally got a hold of one of them which he seemed pretty excited about. "Okay, hit him with your best shot now, CannonBeemon!" The insect Digimon saw the problem immediately though, the serpent had wrapped up the wrong one.

"WaruSeadramon! Get away from him!" CannonBeemon ordered.

"Eh?" WaruSeadramon exclaimed.

Caturamon, the one tangled up by his form. Immediately became a whirlwind and slipped out of the serpent's grasp with ease. It was then realized that the Deva had simply been playing around with WaruSeadramon. They had moved him around in loops until he was a scaly pretzel and Caturamon getting captured was all part of the plan.

"Ack! I'm a knot!" WaruSeadramon gasped before tumbling onto the ground. As he was now, he couldn't float very easily.

"Tiger Wing Blades!" "Śwabhojana!"

Both Deva slammed into the ground with their Treasure weapons, creating another fissure which caused the tangled knot to fall in with a scream. Lucky for him, CannonBeemon reacted fast and was able to lift him back into the air before dropping him off on top of a tree.

"If they're going to do team attacks, then we should to," CannonBeemon urged.

"Huh? But I'm still stuck like this," WaruSeadramon struggled.

The android sighed but this wasn't the time to reprimand his comrade, they needed to work together like they used to. "Just use a long range attack. That horn probably acts the same way as a MegaSeadramon's would, right?"

"Uh-huh!" WaruSeadramon nodded before pointing his horn at the two Deva on the ground. "Thunder Javelin!"

CannonBeemon cocked his high-caliber laser cannon. "Nitro Stinger!"

The Deva used their new fissure to their advantage as they leapt inside, effectively avoiding the beam attacks that pelted the ground. The Chosen Digimon didn't know what to do by losing sight of their foes but the rustling of the leaves behind them was an indication to get out of there.

"Treasure Stick!" "Treasure Hammer!"

CannonBeemon quickly got in the way of the weapons, getting hit himself, but he didn't have a choice with his companion the way he was. "Gah!" the robotic bug grunted before pushing back. "WaruSeadramon, try to free yourself! I'll distract them!"

"A-Are you sure?" WaruSeadramon asked.

"No questions!" CannonBeemon shouted. "Sky Rocket Infinity!" The massive cargo that he carried opened up to reveal his extensive artillery before he opened fire. Unfortunately, at such close range, it was inevitable that he would do damage upon his own body. But he blasted the Deva away, back down onto the ground where CannonBeemon soon joined them and started firing his Nitro Stinger at them which they evaded.

All of this while WaruSeadramon was stuck at the top of a tree, tangled up like a ton of cords you left in the basement for a week. Hopefully, if he struggled enough, he would be able to get loose. But he felt pretty helpless when he squirmed about and then fell out of the tree and onto the ground.

"Owie…," he whined. He opened his eyes and looked up to see Turuiemon standing there, looking down on him. "Help?"

Turuiemon sighed and squatted down to wipe the tears that were brimming around his eyes. "You know, most WaruSeadramon and pirates are seen to be bad Digimon." She then started tugging on him to try and get him untangled. "There are stories about them terrorizing the innocent and being overall chōuchù."

WaruSeadramon tilted his head to the side. "What's a… cho-choo?"

"A jerk," Turuiemon translated before continuing. "Never in my wildest dreams would I have thought that one of this world's saviors would be a pirate with a thought-to-be bad Digimon partner. But how am I supposed to think of you as bad when you're a mess in the dirt and crying like a hurt child?"

"Oh… Sorry."

"That's what I'm talking about," Turuiemon said. "You're way too innocent to be bad."

"You know… You're not as excitable as I thought you to be," WaruSeadramon stated when he was finally free.

Turuiemon shot up and dusted herself off. "Of course not!" she shouted in indignation. "I, sensei Turuiemon, am a master of a variety of martial arts and disciplines! I would never behave as a child would…" She trailed off as she stared at a tree to her left. "That… is a nice tree…"

WaruSeadramon's pupils darted around in slight confusion. "Um…"

"What was I saying again?"

"You were… telling me to help CannonBeemon."

"Yes! Of course!" said Turuiemon before pointing in a random direction. "Hop to it then!"

"He's…," WaruSeadramon used his tail and pointed in the opposite direction, "…actually over there."

As for CannonBeemon, he was in a rather tight pinch against the two Deva, firing his laser at them almost at random. Caturamon, with the ability to become a twister, gathered up his tiger comrade and they were able to avoid the lasers as if a toddler was trying to throw pebbles at a housefly.

When the Deva got close enough, they would use their Treasure weapons to beat up CannonBeemon, his metallic skin was already covered in bruises and dents. So after a going through this pattern a few times, CannonBeemon's only choice was to stay on the defensive. He started using his ability to move in every direction without having to turn to dodge their flurry of attacks but without occasionally firing at them, they would just continue their advances relentlessly.

"I can't do this by myself," CannonBeemon huffed, fatigue starting to get to him.

Suddenly, Caturamon stopped attacking and he flicked his tail to signal Mihiramon to halt from advancing as well. "Why don't you give up your human and that heathen Digimon comrade of yours?" the Dog Deva inquired. "Why would you go so far to protect him when he causes you so much trouble?"

"WaruSeadramon can be a little slow at times but he's a good friend!" CannonBeemon defended.

"Hmph," Mihiramon scoffed. "He is a Digimon twisted by darkness; they are known to terrorize the weak and defenseless. If you want further proof, look at the corrupted beast's partner, a pirate of all things! Have you not heard of those who pillage villages and steal their gold for their own selfish greed?"

"We speak to you only because you seem like you can be reasoned with," Caturamon continued. "Change your ways and cast away the barbarians that seek to put you on the wrong path. You will atone for your sins and be forgiven by the benevolent Sovereigns if you do."

CannonBeemon's pause made it look like he was hesitating to make a decision when in reality; he knew exactly what he wanted to say to them. "Sorry, but I think you guys are the ones on the wrong path between us."

"What?"

"I haven't seen Babel and WaruSeadramon for a long while, so they could've encountered a big bad pirate that's corrupted them into pillaging or whatever," admitted CannonBeemon. "But you guys are also badmouthing Janyu, who I know isn't what you say. And if you ask me, I trust Babel and his partner, way more than either of you as you are now."

"Then perish, fool!" Mihiramon snarled.

The two of them lunged forward, Treasure weapons ready to deliver the final blow just as CannonBeemon opened up his cargo. Before one could hit the other though, an eerie mist blew in and covered them, it was a debilitating fog that made everyone inside feel heavy.

A scaly tail whipped in and yanked CannonBeemon out and to the android's relief, it was just WaruSeadramon. Despite the implications in his retort to the Deva, he really did trust his life in the other Digimon, they were friends after all.

"I'm glad you're okay," CannonBeemon whispered.

"Same to you," WaruSeadramon nodded with a smile. "You know, you're acting a lot more mature in this form, then again, you're like that as Waspmon too. So I guess you're only more like me when you're a Rookie."

"Huh?"

Now that CannonBeemon thought about, his personality did alter somewhat when he evolved, but as FanBeemon, he was almost as childish as Betamon. But essential parts of his personality still remained, his protective nature, his bonds with the others, and the fact that he trusts each and every one of them so much. Could it be possible though, that when he evolves, new codes are added to his personality?

Dracomon changed too, didn't he? Whenever Shibumi's partner evolves, he became more wild and savage, like his ability to think for himself vanished. Well, no, a more accurate description would be if he was enslaved by one of Apocalymon's Dark Chains. Every other enslaved Digimon still retained essential parts of their personality but behaved as if almost everyone was their enemy. It made sense.

But the Dark Chains can't capture a Chosen Digimon. So what if they could be broken down into data and insidiously infect such a Digimon when they show an opening? For example, during their evolution.

That must be it.

"Roar of the Heavens!" The mist was blown away by Caturamon's attack which also leveled down part of the woods while he was at it.

CannonBeemon glanced over at WaruSeadramon. He would have to save that theory in his back pocket for now; they had to deal with this first. "WaruSeadramon, fight as if I'm in my Champion form and I'll fight as if you're in yours. Lucky for us, our current bodies aren't too different from them."

"Huh? Are you sure?" WaruSeadramon asked. "You're about eight times bigger than before."

CannonBeemon nodded as the Deva turned to face them. "It's fine. I was thinking about this when you said my personality changed but… We're still the same Digimon inside even if our outward appearance has changed. That's why I believe our fighting styles hasn't changed either. We just think they have because these are our new forms."

"Ah, I see."

"What are you blabbing on about?!" Mihiramon shouted.

Caturamon released another powerful supersonic howl. "Roar of the Heavens!"

The only way to dodge such an attack would be to fly up, which was exactly what they did. WaruSeadramon dropped an Evil Icicle down upon their foes but they were able to roll out of the way just as Mihiramon took flight.

"Samurai Tiger–!"

CannonBeemon, instead of flying out of the way, hovered forward, batting Mihiramon back down to the ground. "Nitro Stinger!"

Caturamon turned himself into a hammer and deflected the lasers for his fallen companion. But it was after he turned back to normal that they realized that WaruSeadramon was nowhere to be found. They didn't have any time to dwell on it as CannonBeemon released his signature Sky Rocket Infinity at them which was basically a copious amount of firearms opening fire on them.

As bullets and lasers pelted the round and they jumped around from side to side, avoiding the shots using their superior speed, they were unable to hear or feel the thing tunneling directly underground. WaruSeadramon had dived into one of their fissures and, by coating his horn in electricity, started digging his way until he was directly underneath their opponents. It was certainly difficult for a sea-native Digimon but he was able to succeed somehow.

"Darkstrom!" The earth under the quadrupeds' feet cracked open and they were engulfed in a swirling whirlpool of darkness, unable to escape. Of course, in the blackness, it would be difficult to see the Dark Chains which CannonBeemon was supposed to hit, so WaruSeadramon stopped spinning them after a while.

As the Deva were dropping to the ground, still disoriented from the unexpected rinse cycle, CannonBeemon had a clear visual of the Chains. "It's over! Nitro Stinger!"

The Chains broke and the two Deva returned to normal, but not before their heads hit the solid ground with a thud. Not to mention, being in the whirlpool left them feeling sick to the stomach. They looked pretty angry as they got themselves back up. Then again, they always looked that way.

"Are you two okay?" WaruSeadramon broached.

Caturamon nodded, he did seem a little woozy though. "Yes, thank you… Chosen Digimon."

"We said some hurtful things about you and your partner," Mihiramon added with a slight bow. They decided not to mention that he was about twenty degrees off from facing the sea serpent. "Please, forgive us for that."

WaruSeadramon frowned, cocking his head to the side. "Hm?" He hadn't heard any of it!

"Well, it doesn't matter anyway," CannonBeemon chuckled. "Knowing this guy, I'm sure he would've forgiven you two anyway."

The Dog and Tiger Deva looked to each other but seeing the innocent confusion on the aquatic Digimon's face convinced them to let it go for the moment. But now that they were seeing each other, they realized that there was one other missing.

"Khumbiramon!" Caturamon gasped.

"We must stop him from hurting your partners at once!" Mihiramon stated.

The two of them were about to start running back to the clearing when Turuiemon showed up in front of them. Before saying anything, she kneeled down low, palms and even her forehead touching the soil at their feet.

"Majestic Deva, I, master Turuiemon, am at your service," she said before hopping back to her feet in one fluid movement. "But I must correct you on something. The humans will be just fine, but your comrade may require counseling after being beaten by two young children."

"Ah, she went from sensei to master," WaruSeadramon noted.

CannonBeemon sighed. "As always, you notice all the wrong things."

Snake Road – 2:20 PM

"Terra Blades!" "Treasure Bow!"

Vajramon stabbed the ground with his twin swords, sending a quake pulsing towards their foes which had enough strength to start hurling jagged stones upwards. Pajiramon cocked her bow and fire a hailstorm of arrows in the same direction.

With attacks coming from every direction except behind them, their only choice was to start running in reverse. Mistymon wasn't fast enough to run away from the earthquake that was following him so Hippogriffomon used her front claws to latch onto him and throw him onto her back.

The magic warrior turned around to deflect the arrows coming at them, using his blade. But while they did a pretty decent job at deflecting the projectiles, it wasn't good enough as an arrow impaled his left shoulder and a rocket-like stone blasted through Hippgriffomon's right wing. This caused them to spin out of control and crash land into the ground.

"Mistymon, are you okay?" Hippgriffomon asked.

"I'm fine," Mistymon replied. "Let's try using a tag-team fire attack."

Hippgriffomon nodded in agreement. "Heat Wave!"

"Blast Fire!"

The two blazing attacks joined together in intense waves of flames that engulfed the Deva, or at least, that's what it looked like. In truth, the horned Deva had actually used their powerful hind legs to leap right over the attack.

"Thunder Stomp!" Pajiramon used her height above ground to her advantage when she landed, sending a small localized quake on the two Digimon that were now on the earth. They were stabbed by a myriad of rocks before getting sent into the air from the impact.

This was where their damaged bodies were coming up to meet the Ox Deva. "Treasure Swords!" He swung his blades out which were blocked by Mistymon's own and Hippogriffomon's claws. But it wasn't enough to protect them from the beams of energy that would shoot out at them from point blank. Once again, leaving them as immobile heaps as Vajramon landed.

"Hmph, this was much too easy," Vajramon scoffed.

"I concur," said Pajiramon. "This was truly pathetic for two Ultimate level Digimon. Let's put them out of their misery."

The two of them turned to face the Digimon of opposite gender to them, aiming their Treasure weapons at the throats of the near lifeless beings. But these two were trained warriors, hooves in the ground; they could feel that these beings were indeed lifeless. Despite that, they weren't dispersing into data so that meant…

"Core Darts!" "Sonic Voice!"

Vajramon sheathed his weapons at the same time he rolled out of the way of the pulse of air that blew up the pile of rocks behind him. Pajiramon changed the target of her Treasure Bow and fired, deflecting the flaming darts that were coming for her Dark Chain.

"I see, magical decoys," Vajramon chuckled. "As to be expected by a mage of your caliber, Mistymon."

Pajiramon examined the fake Hippgriffomon closer before it poofed into a pile of feathers at the same time the Mistymon fake turned into an empty suit of armor, resembling his own. But despite finding these false bodies, the Deva could not find the real ones.

"No vibrations," Pajiramon noted. "They must be airborne."

"The wizard must've also cast a spell on themselves to make them invisible," Vajramon added, swinging out one of his swords and stabbing the empty suit of armor in rage. "Such cowardly tactics do not befit a warrior! I will be sure to punish him for mocking the noble sport of combat."

The two them were cautious as they stepped around, glancing in every direction for any sign of their prey. For two Deva as anti-social as they were, they certainly worked well together, but then again, for their masters, they would probably throw away their independent pride to perform their duties.

Mistymon and Hippogriffomon, hovering just an inch off the ground, were both too nervous to even breathe since it was obvious that the Deva had received intense sensory training. Uttering a single syllable or even moving a millimeter against the wind would probably give away their location. But for just one moment they wished to be granted the ability to read minds, so they could discreetly formulate a plan. How else could they consult with each other without letting the Deva strike them down first?

They both became extra tense when Vajramon started sniffing the air and then looked straight at them. Was his sense of smell also beyond extraordinary? But after a whole ten seconds of looking through them, he turned back around. They couldn't even exhale in relief.

But then Vajramon held up his blade and dropped it, letting it fall to ground and having the blade point in their direction. Automatically, Pajramon turned in their direction with her crossbow raised and fired a flurry of arrows at them which caused them to split apart and roll out of the way. But the Deva were faster than they were, meeting them halfway and using their front hooves to knock them back into each other.

"Vhanijvala!" Pajiramon fired a special arrow at both of them, making them fall asleep. "Welcome to my nightmare world, there is no escape."

Vajramon crossed his arms as he approached their sleeping foes. "I do not approve of your tactics either."

"Complain about it after you've figured out a way to escape my nightmare world yourself," Pajiramon retorted. "Besides, our assignment was to destroy these two so let's get this over with and return to our masters already."

As the two hoofed Deva repeated what they did before, pulling out their Treasure weapons, the two opponents suddenly woke up. Hippogriffomon used his two claws and swiped the Treasure Swords out of Vajramon's hands before using her Sonic Voice attack to destroy the Chain on his chest. Mistymon hooked his blade between the pulled back string and the bow of the Treasure Bow, slipping it out of Pajiramon's grasp before firing a few Core Darts at her Dark Chain.

"Uh… Huh?" Pajiramon blinked, looking around. "I was… enslaved?"

Vajramon fell to his knees as the Chosen Digimon heaved sighs of relief. But their worries weren't over yet as the Ox Deva picked up one of his weapons and pointed it at his stomach. It caused both Hippogriffomon and Mistymon to freak out, trying to stop him from committing suicide.

"I have shamed my master's name! I must atone for my sins!" Vajramon shouted as they tried to stop him.

Pajiramon sighed and placed a hand on her forehead. "You're as high maintenance as ever. Remember that our masters are the only ones who can punish us. You don't need to go so…" She trailed off when she realized that the weapon that never leaves her side was no longer by her side. "My Treasure Bow! I never let go of it! Where'd it go?!"

Once the Deva had calmed down, they asked for the forgiveness of their saviors which was given to them pretty easily. The one question they had on their minds though, how had they escaped the nightmare world so easily and beaten them just like that?

"My blade has the ability to break through barriers between worlds," Mistymon answered. "And you two aren't the only ones who received sensory training."

Hippgriffomon nodded. "We knew that it was your Treasure weapons that gave you an advantage over us. So inside that world, we spend a minute to think of a plan, which was, to spend a second using our ears, nose, and touch to figure out your locations and how to disarm you."

"As expected of the Chosen Digimon," Vajramon nodded in approval

"Yes, I can see why the Sovereigns told us to leave Apocalymon to the Chosen Children," Pajiramon agreed. She then got this annoyed expression on her face when she remembered something. "Ugh, we have to retrieve Makuramon before returning though."

"That monkey is more high maintenance than you are," Vajramon sighed.

"Are you making a mockery of me?" Pajiramon snapped.

"They can work like the perfect team in combat," said Mistymon once they started bickering.

"But they act like bitter siblings when it comes to anything else," Hippogriffomon added. "Well, we should probably check on our partners. By now, they should've already taken care of Makuramon. Do you agree, Mistymon?"

Mistymon chuckled. "One hundred percent."

Silent Grove – 2:20 PM

"I will now feint left and go right ~chu!" Kumbhiramon snickered.

His narration of his own movements gave away his actions and Janyu was able to follow them with ease. But every time he did, the Rat Deva would look so shocked, as if his attack was supposed to be a secret.

Janyu sent a quick left hook at Kumbhiramon who dodged it, as well as the following three spiral kicks and a right rolling knuckle. Despite revealing his actions through his oblivious narration, he also had the uncanny ability to know exactly what Janyu was going to do before he even did it. The encyclopedia did mention that he had near telepathic abilities.

But it seemed like Khumbiramon only had the ability to read one mind at a time. It was either that or it depended on how close his foe was because Babel stood back several meters, firing his pistol with killer accuracy. As a matter of fact, it was like Babel was telepathic as well because no matter how close, the bullets never struck anywhere close to Janyu but it almost always hit close to Kumbhiramon.

"Tch, he's pretty fast for something so round," the pirate trainee muttered.

Janyu tried low sweeping the Rat, making him announce that he would jump upwards. "Does that thing ever need to reload?"

"It runs on data streams in the air," Babel answered as he fired three bullets at the airborne rat, hoping that he wouldn't be able to dodge them in midair. "So long as the Digital World is alive, my pistol won't ever run out of bullets."

"Treasure Pestle! This will counter those pesky bullets ~chu!" Kumbhiramon announced, and he did exactly that.

But unfortunately for him, he still could not avoid the next attack which came from below. Janyu, still crouched down low, performed an uppercut at the bottom of the round Digimon, sending him flying into the sky. Babel removed an iron ball from his shoulder sash and pitched it like a baseball, aimed right for Kumbhiramon's Dark Chain.

Janyu was more than impressed by the other human. Babel not only had quick eyes and the accuracy of an expert assassin, but he had the strength to lift one of those iron balls and even carry an entire harness of them on his shoulder. Just what kind of training did the American child go through?

They looked up at Kumbhiramon who was starting to freak out over the approaching projectile, which might as well have been a cannonball in comparison to his own size. The Rat was oblivious as to how his foes could predict his every move but he was still the most cunning of the twelve Deva, so he shouldn't be underestimated.

"Deva Clone!"

Where there was one, there was now six Kumbhiramon. The one in the way of the ball exploded into bits of data while the other five landed back on the ground, looking ready to fight back. They all charged for the boys, each of them announcing something different which muddled together and made it difficult for either one of the boys to figure out what to do.

"I will–." "Treasure–." "…pretend to…" "Feint right–." "…left flank ~chu!"

Janyu cart wheeled in the opposite direction of the rats coming in from almost every forward direction while Babel fired at them. But two of them, the ones that used the words 'pretend' and 'feint' supposedly, changed direction and fired bullets of energy at Babel from their Treasure Pestle.

"Whoa!" Babel tucked and rolled out of the way as two clones hopped towards him.

"You're a firearm user ~chu!" one of them smirked.

"And the best way to beat one of those is…" the other continued.

"Close quarters combat ~chu!" they shouted together.

Janyu, distracted by this, got flanked by the remaining three clones that left scratch marks all over him. But he didn't even care so long as his friend was in trouble. "Babel!"

"Idiot!" Babel snapped at him before unhooking the sash with all the iron balls. He swung it like a whip and smacked both Kumbhiramon away before firing his pistol at them about twenty times, leaving nothing but data particles behind. "Don't focus on me! Deal with those three!"

Janyu nodded, trying to shake off the remaining three but they clung onto him like their lives depended on it. At least they didn't scratch him up and drew blood when he struggled. But in the blink of an eye, Babel was beside him, kicking off one of the clones and shooting another in the face, causing the third one, and the only one wearing a Dark Chain, to jump off.

"Sorry," Janyu huffed. He spent so long learning how to fuse different martial arts styles all together but he was still being protected.

"Don't worry about me or yourself," Babel suddenly stated as the Rat Deva regrouped. "I'll do that for both of us. After all, I am the oldest."

Janyu objected to this train of thought. "Babel, that's not fair to me."

"Why do you think I learned how to use a firearm?" Babel winked. "It's so I can cover you guys while you take on the baddies at close quarters. So don't worry about what will happen if you accidentally miss because I won't. And the reason why you shouldn't worry about me…"

"Deva Clone!"

Kumbhiramon was once again, six, which surrounded the two kids and created a hexagon-shaped barrier around them. Babel tapped the center of his chest and Janyu realized that the older boy wasn't wearing the harness anymore. Where the pirate had left it, the object had left a giant dent and it made the ground it was on, look like it was sinking.

"You just don't worry about a pirate," Babel finished as the rats lunged at them from all angles.

Too fast for Janyu to catch, Babel pushed him down and using his back, swung his legs around while shooting wildly, blasting away all six of the Kumbhiramon. When Babel finished his maneuver and landed back on his feet, the bespectacled boy understood. Don't worry about anything, just go wild.

The six foes quickly gathered together, announcing what they were going to do next, but none of them were able to finish their statements when Janyu was upon them. While the Chinese boy tumbled and attacked, he realized the secret brilliance to Kumbhiramon shouting his next move. It made the opponent think about their own next move, which in turn, told Kumbhiramon what to do next. It might be considered a little counter-productive but the Rat was undeniably strong so it was a method that worked or at least, he was used to.

Janyu flipped onto his hands and did a split kick, knocking two approaching opponents away. "The simplest way to beat him," Janyu muttered to himself as he got back onto his feet. "…is to not think at all." He backhanded a Kumbhiramon from behind before tumbling forward and in between two more which were knocked away by his perfectly performed butterfly kick.

Obviously, one hit each from Janyu wouldn't be enough to destroy them but Babel was prepared every time Janyu finished up one, leaving them stunned for two seconds. But two seconds were plenty for Babel to aim and shoot, breaking them down to nothing but data particles.

"Uh-oh ~chu," the last Kumbhiramon muttered. "W-Well, you still can't win ~chu!"

"We'll see about that," Janyu smirked before charging forward.

Babel spun his gun around before firing about fifty bullets, creating an outline around Janyu's body. That way, no matter which way Kumbhiramon went to dodge, he would still get hit by a bullet. So he thought up of an idea.

"I will now leap up to the boy's height and when he gets here, I will claws his eyes out ~chu!" Kumbhiramon declared as he did exactly that. Only realizing too late that Janyu was thinking again and the boy had thought of the perfect counter. "Oh no ~chu!"

Janyu slid across the dirt, the same way a baseball player would try to reach a base without getting out, the same way Babel once demonstrated to him when they were playing their own game of mini-baseball. The boy slid right under Kumbhiramon as the bullets hit blank targets, and he stood up, grabbing Kumbhiramon by his Treasure Pestle.

"Now Babel!" Janyu shouted.

Babel nodded with a wide grin on his face before pointing the barrel of his gun right at the Dark Chain. "It's like I said, it's the plank for guys I don't like." With one more bullet, the Chain was gone and Kumbhiramon was set free.

Snake Road – 2:20 PM

Musyamon knew that she had taught Daisy pretty well in the ways of the sword, but the samurai never believed that her pupil would have to face up against one of the Deva. It was only minimal relief to know that Rai was with her. And it was only minimal because she had no idea what the wizard-in-training was capable of.

The girls started out by trying to hit the Monkey Deva using physical attacks, but the creature was harder to catch than a slippery eel. He wasn't just avoiding their attacks like a normal Digimon either, no. When he jumped over Daisy's blade, he tumbled a few feet before landing with his legs spread out and his hands raised in the air like he had done a cheerleader trick. When he spun around Rai's staff, he did a pirouette topped with the Egyptian as the finishing pose.

"This guy is treating our battle like a joke," Daisy complained.

Rai nodded in agreement before jumping back. "Let's try a different tactic. Daisy, get out of the way!" She flipped a switch on her staff before swinging it out in an arc, releasing some sort of yellow powder into the air.

"What's this?" Daisy questioned but didn't dare walk into it.

"A stun powder," Rai answered. "If it gets into your skin, you'll be paralyzed."

"Wow, that's a neat trick!" Daisy grinned before they turned their eyes back on their foe.

Makuramon didn't get caught up in the dust though, rather, he used his Treasure Orb to suck it all up where it wouldn't touch him, leaving the two girls confounded. It seemed Rai wasn't the only one with an extraordinary weapon.

"New plan," said Daisy. "We disarm him first."

Makuramon tilted his head to the side when he heard that so he squeezed his hand shut, causing the orb to shatter with the dust inside. He then raised his other palm and a new orb appeared which he then shattered again. He repeated this process until Daisy shouted at him that they got it.

"The encyclopedia made it sound like he only had one of those things," Rai sighed. "But it looks like he can keep on reproducing them when he breaks one."

Daisy's eyes widened when she heard that and Rai seemed to understand the meaning behind her own words as well. They had a brand new plan now, but it was only going to work if they worked together, so they lunged forward, weapons ready.

Daisy put together the teachings she received from both Darcmon and Musyamon, displaying a graceful dance combined with the samurai sword style of iaido. Rai was not as skilled in combat as her comrade, so she focused more on swinging her staff from the endpoint, keeping her distance. But both of them were no longer put off by Makuramon's over-the-top poses and ridiculous stances, they were taking this seriously even when it looked like their foe was not.

The only problem was, Makuramon's gloves were much stronger than they looked, acting as excellent guards for him as he deflected the sharp parts of their weapons. He was even able to grab Daisy's sword before she could sheathe it with one of his gloved hands, without even getting cut. He pulled it down and stepped on the flat side, throwing the girl off balance before he used his free foot to kick her chest, knocking her back.

Daisy was grateful that her chest plate dulled the impact of the blow but it was of little relief because Rai was now facing off against the Monkey Deva on her own, even if it was for a few moments. "Watch out!"

Makuramon fell onto his back, avoiding a stab from Rai's staff. But then he raised his legs and clapped them over the weapon, rolling backwards and yanking the young girl forward. Not only was she now disarmed but she was too close to her foe to avoid the flurry of punches that he threw at her, knocking her back several meters.

The primate Digimon wasn't done just yet though, as he created a new orb. "Primal Orb!"

The projectile was sent flying at the fallen girl. Rai crossed her arms over her face in a vain attempt to shield herself but it was Daisy who saved her in the end. The older girl removed her sheathe from her waist and used it as a lever to catapult a large clump of dirt in the way, which got sucked into the orb rather than the human girl.

Makuramon was stunned for a moment but it was enough time for Rai to stand and get out of the way before the orb crashed into the dirt. While the orb was still intact, before it could break, Daisy ran forward, picking up her blade and the staff, tossing the latter weapon to Rai's feet.

Daisy's job was to keep Makuramon occupied so that he couldn't shatter the orb while Rai prepared another powder. But once Daisy was an inch away from slashing Makuramon, the Monkey Deva flicked his wrist and the orb came flying back towards them. Daisy was forced to jump backwards unless she wanted to be sucked into the Primal Orb.

Makuramon squeezed his hand shut again and the orb shattered once more, sending shrapnel at Daisy but her armor protected her from most of it. There was only a scratch on her left cheek and a maybe a few shards in her hair. But so long as her hands and feet were okay, she could still fight back. But for now, she had to retreat to Rai.

"Are you okay?" Daisy asked. The older girl was fretting over Rai's bruises and the younger girl was trying to get her to stop. "Let me handle this. You should stay back."

"Daisy, I'm fine! I can still fight!" Rai objected.

"No, you can't. You'll get hurt or worse, I'm not going to lose another friend," Daisy argued.

"Who? Cherrymon?" Rai snapped, causing Daisy to freeze up. "I'm not him; I don't need your protection. Don't forget that you weren't the only one asked to defend the Digital World from destruction. I'm here too… remember?"

Daisy stared at Rai's distressed face before thinking about the moments before they had split up, the times when they trained together and fought together. It's true that they hadn't been together for a long time, but that didn't mean that Daisy got super strong while Rai lagged behind. The other girl probably thought the same thing that Daisy had during training, they couldn't be left behind.

"Yeah… you're right…" Daisy breathed before giving Rai an earnest look. "What do we do, Rai? You're the brains of this operation."

Rai took a moment to think about it, examining the posing Makuramon and looking at the determined Daisy. "I think I have an idea…"

Makuramon didn't like being unable to hear their plans, so he created another Primal Orb which was sent flying towards them. The girls quickly split up which was fine by them since Rai already finished whispering their plans.

Daisy ran forward but got caught up by the Primal Orb that was chasing her. So the blonde had to pause and take care of that situation first and foremost. While Makuramon waved his arm around to control the ball, he looked around for the other girl only to notice that she was gone.

"Ha! Hyah!"

Not only was one human missing, but the other was shouting awfully loudly. Could it be that she was trying to cover the sound of something else? Like perhaps a switch from above? Well, that was exactly what Makuramon heard thanks to his heightened senses, and it indeed came from above.

A pink powder came raining down towards the Deva and as a reflex; he flicked his arm towards his body, bringing the Primal Orb back to protect him from this dust. But that was a mistake because he made an opening for Daisy. But he couldn't use one of his arms or else the orb would move!

He used his foot to try and kick her but his head automatically pivoted away when he heard something land on the grass on the other side. Rai had used her mantle to turn invisible and to hover above the ground enough to be above him, now that she didn't need either of those effects, she was beside him and swinging her staff.

Makuramon used his free hand to block the staff and his foot to kick away the sword. But the poor Deva was focusing on too many things at once, he hadn't even realized that when Rai landed, Daisy switched her blade with her sheathe. So Makuramon only kicked the scabbard out of the way as Daisy spun around and with a swift swing of her actual blade, effectively shattering the Dark Chain.

"We did it!" the girls cheered as Makuramon stumbled backwards, causing the ball to move as well. The humans froze up as the pink powder fell around them.

"So yellow paralyzes… What does pink do?" Daisy inquired as she felt her eyelids get heavier.

"It's sleep powder," Rai answered before both girls and the Deva fell to the ground, fast asleep.

Musyamon slowly moved out of her hiding spot and approached them, glad to know it was over even if it was not the ending she was quite expecting. Still, this fight proved what the humans were capable of together, one could only imagine how strong they would be once they reunited with the rest of their friends.

Chapter Text

Translate Mountain – 2:40 PM

Shibumi could still feel the intense heat of the lava making him sweat like one of his father's pigs on the farm in summer. The cooling feature of his clothes weren't enough to keep him from feeling like the main course on the hibachi but that wasn't important. He had to concentrate on getting that golden key, wherever it was in that wretched place.

"Why did Apocalymon hide it here?" Shibumi muttered.

Groundramon snarled without giving a real answer. It often unnerved the boy to see his own partner behave in such a way that he was almost unrecognizable. Yet, despite the change in behavior that Groundramon goes through, the dragon Digimon still went to great lengths to protect Shibumi.

Shibumi continued walking along the narrow ledge while Groundramon clung to the walls right beside him, using the large claws on his back to hang on. When the human boy glanced down at the bubbling lava, he could see words rising up with the steam. The Japanese child stopped for a moment as he watched the different terminology for the word hello passed him by.

Hola

Bonjour

Konnichiwa

Aloha

Ni hao

"Spanish, French, Japanese, Pidgin, Chinese…"

When Shibumi first showed up to this world, he passed over this very volcano and he inhaled some of the rising smoke. Suddenly, he no longer spoke his native tongue, Japanese, yet everything he heard was in that language. It was certainly peculiar but he supposed it helped him understand the language of the Digital World, whatever that would be.

"Let's keep going," Shibumi sighed.

He took a step forward and that part of the ledge gave way under his weight, if Groundramon hadn't used one of his claws to keep the boy from falling, he would've plummeted right into the hot molten rock. That would've been a rather pitiful death for someone who aimed to unite the world under one thought. But it at least confirmed something for Shibumi, that his partner would be there no matter what changes he went through.

Groundramon's pupils were trained on his partner. "Be… more… careful…"

It was hard to remember, did Groundramon ever speak to him in that form? If he did, then it wasn't much. Actually, did he ever say anything besides the names of his own attacks? Shibumi barely saw the Ultimate's mouth move. But it did, right? It couldn't have just been his imagination.

Maingat

Försiktig

Makini

Attento

Vorsichtig

"Tagalog, Swedish, Swahili, Italian, German..." Shibumi blinked, those weren't words for hello.

Careful? That was the last word that Groundramon had uttered. Did this volcano repeat words that other beings had spoken? But Shibumi hadn't said hello. Did that mean that either Leomon or WereGarurumon had? They were probably here for a joyful excursion, WereGarurumon had probably shouted the word into the mouth of the mountain, waiting for the alternate-lingual echoes.

Shibumi still wanted to eliminate opinions because it made so many beings hate and destroy each other, how could anyone want that? But at the same time, he wished he could do that without robbing others of their free will. Was such a thing possible?

"Shibumi!" Robert suddenly called from above.

The boy looked up to see his pursuer, mounted on Hisyaryumon's back as they flew downwards. Shibumi didn't have any more time to waste so he jumped off the ledge and smashed his scythe into the wall, slowing his descent to an outcrop near the bottom.

"Groundramon! Stall them!" Shibumi called before searching around. He had to find the golden key before Robert caught up to them.

Unfortunately for him, Robert was also willing to take dangerous risks to achieve his goals which he proved by jumping off of Hisyaryumon and landing on a piece of a land across from Shibumi. The blond quickly ran forward and using his spear as a pole vault, landed in front of the other boy.

"Don't run away," Robert huffed. "I just want to talk."

Omilía

Govorit

Phūd khuy

Hadith

Disputatio

"Greek, Russian, Thai, Arabic, Latin…" Shibumi swung his scythe around and pointed it at Robert, the blade shining in the light. "Sorry, but I don't feel much like talking." The boy lunged forward with his weapon ready to behead.

"Whoa!" Robert yelped as he blocked the attack with his spear. "Are you trying to kill me?"

Shibumi kicked his foe's weapon out of his hands before using the momentum to spin around and make a swing at Robert's ankles. Lucky for the goggle-head, he was able to jump over the attack. "That's kind of the idea."

The two of them swung and stabbed their weapons in an attempt to strike the other one down. Well, in truth, Robert was just trying to defend himself since he didn't actually want to hurt the other human. But either way, both of them were still exerting energy in a space that was already hot enough as it was, if they continued their physical activity, they could end up passing out from heat stroke.

"Calm down!" Robert shouted. "There's no need for violence here!"

Both of their blades clashed and their faces got just few inches from each other, sweat falling down and evaporating as it hit the ground. Shibumi was breathing quite heavily and Robert knew that if they didn't end this soon, the boy was likely to collapse.

"Then let me get my golden key," Shibumi exhaled.

"You're not in any condition to lead negotiations," Robert argued. "Just put down the scythe."

Shibumi scowled as he kicked Robert's hands, causing him to let go of the spear. He used his scythe to toss the weapon away before placing the scythe in a way that gave Robert no place to run. "Then I guess there is a need for violence."

As for their partners that were fighting above, it was clear that Hisyaryumon had the advantage due to the fact that he could fly. Groundramon didn't even have a ledge to keep his footing so instead, to gain his own personal advantage, he dug into the volcano wall where Hisyaryumon couldn't hit him in his blade form.

From the other side of the volcano, Groundramon busted through spinning with the iron sphere on his tail swinging at full force. "Megaton Hammer Crush!" Hisyaryumon narrowly avoided getting pulverized by the destructive weapon though his skin still got grazed by one of the metallic spikes on the sphere.

"Groundramon, stop this!" Hisyaryumon shouted. "Don't you remember me? Don't you remember when we were friends? Brothers?"

Groundramon clung to the wall and gave no response other than a sinister growl. "Scrapless Claw!"

"Every Direction Wheel!"

The two attacks collided with each other, causing Groundramon to lose his grip on the wall and start plummeting down to the bottom of the volcano. Hisyaryumon, using a long-range move, was perfectly undamaged but he didn't want his foe to fall into the boiling magma so he quickly flew down and pushed the other dragon away and onto the ground. When the heavyweight Digimon landed on solid rock, it caused the whole place to shudder, causing the human boys to fall onto their butts as rocks fell from above.

It was too dangerous for a big fight in there. Shibumi even considered taking the match outside when he heard something metallic drop with a clink. He whipped his head around before noticing a shimmering golden light nearby.

"That has to be it!" he gasped as he scrambled for it.

Robert's eyes widened as he realized that the other boy picked up the golden key. That meant that he and Hisyaryumon were going to be big in trouble but there was no way that they could get the key out of Shibumi's hands before he was able to use it. So instead, they had to at least get to a different battlefield.

"Let's get out of here!" Robert called after his partner.

Hisyaryumon nodded in agreement before flying skywards, letting Robert jump and latch onto the end of his tail as they flew out of the mountain. As they were heading out, they could hear what sounded to be a key turning and clicking before the volcano erupted in a blue light.

"D-Lock 3 Disengaged! Initiate Digivolution!"

"Groundramon Digivolve to…" Robert tried to look back to see what monster they would be facing but he was blinded by the light of evolution so he couldn't really see. "Breakdramon! Tazer Strike!"

Immediately after his evolution was complete, missiles came flying out in the shape of drills as Translate Mountain started crumbling. Some of the drills flew past Robert and Hisyaryumon, scratching them and injuring them before they crashed into the ground. The shock from the impact with the ground seemed to have degenerated Hisyaryumon back to his Rookie form.

"…He… demolished the entire mountain?" Robert huffed.

"What unbelievable power," Ryudamon gulped.

From the debris and rubble stomped out a dinosaur that was composed out of all kinds of heavy construction machinery, like bulldozers, tractors, cranes, and more. Drills lined his spine and were at the ends of his two tails while the two claws that were on his back in his previous form, was replaced with heavy-duty cranes. The most intimidating part about this Digimon was his sheer size, he nearly rivaled that of the mountain that he now stood on top of. There was no doubt that this combination of man-made machine and myth-based legend was stronger than anything they had ever faced before in battle.

Digital Analyzer: Rumor has it that Breakdramon was destined to destroy everything, leveling it to the ground. He supposedly possesses the power and ability to surpass all machine Digimon. However, in exchange for this godly power, he gave up all the organic parts to himself, losing his motivation and emotions. It is for that reason why he is known as a weapon of mass destruction and why he will never falter when he takes bodily damage. When he passes through an area, everything will be reduced to nothing.

Shibumi stood on top of his partner's head. "Robert! This is the kind of power that my partner has! Surrender now and I might decide to spare you!"

"As if I'll take that offer!" Robert snapped as he stood back up. "We won't be losing to you, Shibumi!"

"You don't stand a ghost of a chance against my partner."

"I won't know unless I try!"

For all the confidence that Robert displayed, he was definitely worried about the outcome of this battle. He was at a clear disadvantage against this behemoth especially since he'd never taken on a Mega before and he was all alone. But still, it was like he said, he had to try.

Suddenly, a familiar voice reached their ears. "Maybe we should even the playing field first."

A twister and a glowing orb came flying in before making stops on either side of Robert, dropping off two kids and two Digimon each. The goggle-head could not have been more ecstatic when he saw all of his friends there, smiling and ready for battle just as their partners were.

"Hey, Rob, missed us?" Babel smirked.

"Sorry we're a bit late," Daisy added. "We got tied up."

Robert's smile became even broader. "Hey, don't worry about it, you guys showed up just in the nick of time. Though I must say, you guys look like you just came out of the best costume party of the century. Where did you guys get the new threads?"

"A village dojo."

"An antique shop."

"An underwater utopia."

"A used-to-be refugee camp."

"Sounds like you guys had quite the adventures without me," Robert laughed before getting serious. "This time, I know for a fact that we won't lose to you, Shibumi. It's about time we knock some sense into that pompous skull of yours!"

Candlemon hopped over to the fallen Ryudamon and helped the dragon Digimon back onto his feet while the others joined them. It was obvious that they wanted to catch up on everything that had been going on for each of them but it wasn't the time then.

"It's good to see you guys again," Ryudamon breathed. "Though you were kind of cutting it close there. A minute later and we would've been grounded into the actual ground."

Candlemon grinned. "Oh? Then you're saying you would've lost if you fought without us?"

"Ha! As if! You guys might have your silver keys now but I got mine first so I'm the most experienced out of the five of us!"

"Hey, hey, Ryudamon," Betamon chirped. "What's Robert?"

Ryudamon blinked, a little puzzled by the amphibian's question. "What do you mean?

"Well, Daisy is a knight and Rai is a mage," Salamon answered.

"And Janyu is a martial artist while Babel is a pirate," FanBeemon continued.

Betamon's head bobbed up and down enthusiastically. "So what's Robert?" They all turned to the one human that they hadn't identified just yet. Judging from the armor that he wore that was similar to Ginryumon's, one could say that he was… "A samurai?"

"A shogun!" Robert shouted, holding his spear high above his head before getting the back of his head hit by both Babel and Daisy. "Ow! What was that for?!"

"Well, while a shogun was the commander-in-chief during feudal Japan, it doesn't necessarily mean they fought any battles of their own," Janyu stated. "Not to mention, with the abolishment of feudalism in 1867, there really isn't such a thing as a shogun anymore."

"Right, because there are knights, pirates, and mages exist in today's day and era," Robert guffawed.

Shibumi, standing over them, couldn't believe that they were having such a conversation when they were supposed to be fighting him and his partner. It made him question if the five of them really were the heroes of legend. But despite the fact that he should've taken the chance to attack them while they were distracted, he couldn't help listening in on the discussion which led him to telling his partner to hold back for now.

"Hey, for your information, I have ancestors who were knights during the medieval times in Western Europe," Daisy corrected. "Therefore, I have every right to don this armor and claim myself to be a knight. Unlike you, traipsing around in samurai armor."

"Guys, now isn't the time to fight about this kind of thing," Rai sighed, remembering that she played mediator between these guys.

"And Rob does bring up a good point," Babel chuckled. "Okay, how about this? You're a shogun samurai! How does that sound?"

"I'll shorten it to shogun," Robert grinned.

"Are you done?" Shibumi drawled. "Because Breakdramon is getting bored and when he's bored, he likes to bore holes. Usually into living things."

"That is some morbid word play," Daisy murmured.

It seemed like Shibumi was done being courteous to them as he gave the signal for his partner to start attacking once more. The mechanical goliath let out a shrieking roar that made the victims anyone who had functioning eardrums. "Destroyed Rush!" The two shovel arms struck the ground repeatedly, breaking it apart but despite the tremors he sent towards the five humans and their digital partners, they weren't as unstable as one would expect them to be.

"Now that we're all together, we definitely won't lose to you!" Robert shouted as they all held up their bronze and silver keys.

"D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

"Ryudamon Warp Digivolve to… Hisyaryumon!" "FanBeemon Warp Digivolve to… CannonBeemon!" "Salamon Warp Digivolve to… Hippgriffomon!" "Betamon Warp Digivolve to… WaruSeadramon!" "Candlemon Warp Digivolve to… Mistymon!"

WaruSeadramon circled around the humans, gathering them up and out of the way of Breakdramon's attack while the other four kept the beast's eyes on them. Babel pulled his pistol out of his holster and aimed at Breakdramon's head, opening fire at Shibumi.

"Be careful not to hurt him!" Rai told him.

"Relax, it's like a rubber band snap except it hurts a hell of a lot worse," Babel chuckled. "Also, it fires out energy, not bullets."

Shibumi was having trouble trying to hang on to his partner's head while simultaneously deflecting the attacks with his scythe. So at some point, he was forced to slide down Breakdramon's back and find his footing on the ground where the other five humans were dropped off to face him. It was time for them to settle things their way.

As for WaruSeadramon who turned back to check on the fight between the Digimon, he could see that everyone was just trying their hardest to avoid getting struck down while flying around Breakdramon. They had to be extra-cautious after all, since they were only Ultimates, they didn't stand much of a chance against a Mega if they were to face him head on. They needed to be smart and without even talking about it, they were all aware of that fact.

"Taser Strike!"

With a total of six drills on his body, Breakdramon was able to let them loose on each of them, two for Hisyaryumon for good measure. They practically acted as homing missiles as each of them attempted to avoid getting bored into.

Mistymon was the first to evade getting struck by the drill as he cut open a rift in the air that sent the drill into another dimension. The magical warrior moved around to help the others with their dilemmas while two of them focused their attacks on Breakdramon.

"Thunder Javelin!" "Nitro Stinger!"

The two attacks didn't even make the monster flinch as their energy-based blasts only bounced off his armor. Breakdramon then whipped around at a speed that was contradictory to his size, causing his two tails to cut into the two attackers, sending them flying off.

"Let's try physical attacks!" Hippogriffomon called out as her front claws glowed brightly.

Mistymon joined in with his blade and Hisyaryumon made his own contribution by becoming the Legendary Dragon Blade as the three of them charged forward. However, Hippogriffomon was knocked away by one of Breakdramon's shovel claws and the other grabbed Hisyaryumon in sword form and used him to parry and strike Mistymon.

"Hey! No one said you could use me as your weapon!" Hisyaryumon called out before getting rudely discarded.

"Gravity Crush!"

Mistymon and Hippogriffomon slowly rose out of the ground to see that the mechanized dragon had somehow lifted off the ground and was on his way to flatten the two of them. If he succeeded, they surely would've been destroyed. So they were lucky when WaruSeadramon came to their rescue.

"Go all out!" CannonBeemon commanded.

"Every Direction Wheel!" "Sky Rocket Infinity!" "Heat Wave!" "Blast Fire!"

It was a wave of intense heat, blazing hotter than the inside of Translate Mountain; that enveloped Breakdramon and covered him in a cloud of dust. It was supposed to be strong enough to leave him with scratches and wounds but all it did was make the beast angrier. His enraged roar made sound waves almost physical as the Chosen Digimon attempted to keep themselves still and not pushed back.

"What is with this guy? Is he invulnerable?!" Mistymon huffed.

"I never thought a Mega level Digimon was this strong," WaruSeadramon added.

"Everyone stay calm," Hisyaryumon reminded them. "We've gotten out of nearly every scrap before by working together, we can definitely take this guy on."

But even so, the few pinches they couldn't get out of on their own were those against Digimon that were one level higher. Like the time they were facing NeoDevimon for the first time. There was also that time that they were fighting Clockmon and Mekanorimon but had to be saved by Shibumi himself. If Shibumi's singular Ultimate partner could defeat the foes that they had trouble with, how could they hope to defeat him in his Mega form?

"I'm sure that Dracomon is still in there!" CannonBeemon called out as he avoid Breakdramon's shovel arm. "If we can reach out to him, we might have a chance of getting him to turn back to normal and maybe talk some sense into Shibumi!"

"CannonBeemon may be right. We can't fight him when he's in full-out rampage mode like this," Hippogriffomon agreed.

As for the humans' battle, Shibumi knew that he wasn't much of a match for five others, no matter how much longer he had been surviving the Digital World. It was just too much of a disadvantage in a battle amongst humans to be outnumbered the way he was. But there was one hope for him, the other five would hesitate in causing too much bodily harm to him while he was prepared to sully his hands with blood.

"Since he's a human, let's try avoiding conflict," Rai said before flipping a few switches on her staff and swinging. Upon waving it in an arc, a pink cloud of dust creeped towards Shibumi at an alarming pace. While he had no idea what it was, he knew that he probably shouldn't inhale it.

As the Japanese boy backed away from the dust, Babel fired some bullets aimed to stun or at least damage the younger boy. But Shibumi was skilled as proven by how he wielded his scythe to deflect the blasts. Unfortunately for him, with the distraction of the pink powder and pirate's pistol, he almost didn't notice Janyu making his way around the powder and towards Shibumi.

Janyu ducked under the blade of the sickle before releasing a flurry of spin kicks at the boy. However, to the bespectacled boy's surprise, Shibumi was able to absorb the blows with his free hand while still blocking the bullets with his weapon. Shibumi grabbed Janyu's ankle, keeping him still.

"You're trained in kenpo?" Janyu gasped.

"Better than you are at tai chi," Shibumi smirked.

The smug grin was immediately wiped off his face as he was forced to duck under the swing of Daisy's sword coming from behind. He also ended up letting go of Janyu's leg which allowed him to regroup with Daisy and Robert who had both made it over to their side.

"You okay?" Robert asked their comrade.

"Better now," Janyu nodded.

They turned their eyes back on the other boy who continued to impress and surprise them as he displayed his ability to block Babel's bullets without even having to look. "That was rather cowardly, don't you think, Margaritka?" Shibumi scowled.

"Hey, you're the one doing that," Daisy commented, referring to the expert handling of his weapon. "We're just using everything we can to our advantage."

"Not very honorable for a knight."

"A knight works for justice which means cutting down the root of evil and malady," Daisy told him before pointing her blade right at him. "And in this case, that means you, got it?" She didn't even let him react before she was up in front of his face, swinging and stabbing with her sword as if she was slicing through melted butter.

"She went from Japanese style iaido to European fencing?" Robert blanched.

Shibumi barely had the time to protect himself with his scythe as he avoided getting cut by the blade and he was also forced to do a backbend, holding on to the ground with one hand in order to evade the arc of one of her swings and an iron ball that nearly took his head out. The projectile continued on its path until it exploded against a rock, releasing a smoke that caused Shibumi to cough and squint.

Janyu was the only other person who knew about that iron ball that was latched onto Babel's harness. It gave the Chinese boy the chance to move in and disarm Shibumi by hooking his arm on the handle of the weapon and then sending a skyward kick at the other boy's back, sending him flying.

"Janyu switched from tai chi to muay thai?" Rai gasped.

"That was pretty impressive, you guys!" Robert praised. "I never thought that you guys would learn various styles of martial arts and sword fighting!"

"It's not over yet," Daisy frowned.

The body of Shibumi, flying through the air, vanished and only leaving behind a pile of old clothes while the physical person was nowhere in sight. It was almost as if he had left behind a substitution to take the blow. To make matters worse, the weapon that Janyu had taken out of Shibumi's hands was only a long stick.

"How did he do that?!" Robert groaned.

Shibumi had been training himself to fake taking hits so when Janyu had kicked him, he had actually jumped a millimeter before the impact would've hit him. Not only that, but using Phantomon's cloak, he was able to turn invisible and thanks to months of training, he perfected the art of twisting in midair to evade attacks. But in this case, he used it to confuse his enemies.

"Damn it," Babel muttered. "I can't shoot what I can't see."

"He must use a similar mantle as mine," Rai added.

The five of them tried to be as quiet as possible to see if they could detect Shibumi's movements using senses other than sight. But Shibumi wasn't an idiot; he obviously knew how to keep quiet in situations such as these.

Robert heard what sounded to be a knife whizzing through the air at an alarming speed so he pivoted on his heel and held up his spear horizontally, blocking the scythe that nearly cleaved him directly down the middle. The fact that Shibumi could've killed him though left the other four humans in shock as they didn't think that even Shibumi would go that far to attain his goals.

Shibumi had his scythe hooked on the spear so he yanked back with the intent of disarming Robert but he hadn't expected said boy to have such a strong grip on the weapon. Shibumi ended up pulling Robert with the spear and striking his shoulder with the blade in the process, slicing it clean open and having blood spurt out, stray droplets hitting his stunned face.

"Gah!" Robert yelled out as he tumbled forward.

"Blood…?" Shibumi breathed in a hoarse whisper.

"Yeah, that's what happens when you cut someone!" Daisy snapped.

Robert got onto his knees, hand pressed firmly on his cut shoulder but then he realized something, the wound was somehow stitching itself back up. "I was going to say that it wasn't that bad but now it looks like it really isn't that bad."

Rai, unbeknownst to them, was using her staff to send the stored medicine through the data streams in the air into the wound which was what was patching up Robert. With the fact that he was going to be okay tucked into their minds, Daisy and Janyu continued their onslaught of attacks on Shibumi who took a moment but recovered enough to continue blocking them.

While they were going at it and Robert was waiting for his shoulder to stop stinging, Babel lowered himself down to Rai to ask her something. After getting confirmation, he removed one of the iron balls from his harness and awaited her instructions.

"Twenty degrees to the left," she whispered. "A speed of approximately five meters per second should be sufficient. Given the changes in the wind… give it two more degrees. If I'm correct, there should only be a twenty-five percent margin of error in these calculations."

"That should be good enough," Babel nodded. "And don't worry, I'm calculating with you so if you're wrong, we both are."

Robert had noticed the two of them conversing quietly and wished he could hear them but then he watched as Babel rolled one of his iron balls along the floor like a bowling ball. That was when their aim became apparent as Shibumi walked right onto it and slipped, falling onto his back. This gave Janyu the time to remove the scythe out of Shibumi's grip and for Daisy to hold her blade at his throat. It was obvious that she wouldn't go through with slicing his throat open but all she needed was to keep him hostage for the moment.

The humans called for Breakdramon's attention who was tossing their partners around like rag dolls. He had used his Gravity Crush in order to stomp down on CannonBeemon and WaruSeadramon, thankfully, their size was enough to keep from getting destroyed though it did leave two flatted In-Training Digimon in his wake. His two shovel arms had grabbed onto Hippgriffomon and Mistymon each, flattening them into the ground and scraping them along like they were sponges against linoleum. But Hisyaryumon probably had it worst of all as his body was bored into by the drill on top of Breakdramon's head.

"CannonBeemon shared his theory with us!" Janyu shouted. "Let our partners go and we'll let yours go."

"And then let's have a serious talk. No more of this unnecessary violence!" Rai added.

Breakdramon dropped his three victims who all reverted to their In-Training forms, obviously a repercussion from evolving into Ultimates twice in a day and from losing a fight to a Mega. The machine stared down at his partner who was completely defenseless as he stared back. Knowing Dracomon, he would definitely surrender for Shibumi's sake and for just a moment, a look of recognition passed through his eyes.

For just a moment.

"Machines are easy to reprogram," a robotic voice said.

"We just need to infect them with the Dark Chain virus," another chimed in.

"Just do a little bit of rewiring and done!"

"You have a loyal servant of Apocalymon!"

From behind Breakdramon rose Hagurumon and Solarmon, looking more emotionless than usual. A dark portal opened over the gears' heads and the speechless onlookers all felt a shiver go down their spine as Apocalymon's malevolent laughter hit their ears. The greatest evil in the Digital World had finally achieved it, his strongest slave.

Breakdramon let loose a roaring shriek that shattered the eardrums of the humans. It was unlike anything that they had ever heard before and Shibumi tried calling out his partner's name but Breakdramon only reacted by trying to crush them all with his shovel arms.

"Look out!"

WereGarurumon had Janyu, Daisy, and Shibumi in his arms in an instant as he fled the scene which was of the ground complete upturning itself. Turuiemon was able to gather up Robert in her own arms while Leomon picked up Babel and Rai.

The earth shook beneath their feet as they ran off into the woods where Gokuwmon was waiting for them. The ape had gathered several clouds to create an escape vehicle for the Chosen Children who were all dropped off onto the cloud. Musyamon soon showed up with all of their partners, aside from Breakdramon of course, in her arms as she let them off.

"What are you guys doing?!" Robert yelled.

"You have to go without us," Leomon told them. "We've taught all of you everything you need to know."

Rai felt tears threatening to pour down her face as she grabbed onto their old teacher's hand. "No, we're not leaving without you!"

"Be brave, be strong, young ones," Leomon said.

"Wish I could've gotten to know all of you brats better," WereGarurumon smirked.

"There's still a few things I could've imparted on you," Gokuwmon chuckled.

"Be sure to make me proud, shānzhài," Turuiemon grinned.

"Thank you for reminding me of my dream," Musyamon smiled.

The cloud started moving at high speeds despite the protests of the kids who were all reaching out to try and grab onto the Digimon. But it was like trying to grab air because their fingers slipped right through theirs as Breakdramon released another Taser Strike attack. The last sight they saw of their Digimon friends was of their backs as they each took blow of a drill and their data floated off into the azure sky.

There was, of course, a sixth drill that continued following them. It stopped short though, as if it had hit an invisible obstacle which it had. When the obstacle revealed himself, Shibumi was the one in shock as he realized that it was Phantomon.

"No…," he croaked out.

Phantomon slowly turned to face them as he drifted towards the ground, giving one last smile to Shibumi for being his friend when others found him to be nuisance in his own home. "Good luck out there… Shibumi. Don't… forget to… write…"

"Leomon!" "WereGarurumon!" "Gokuwmon!" "Turuiemon!" "Musyamon!" "Phantomon!"

Black Abyss – 6:15 PM

NeoDevimon pressed his palm on the face of his new mask, shifting it ever so slightly here and there to ensure that it was still there. To think that his true self had nearly been unleashed upon the world. He was lucky that Apocalymon had been keeping tabs on him or else he would've gone more than overboard.

"You fear your true self too much," Apocalymon remarked.

"If either I or you could control it, I would release it," said NeoDevimon. "But because I cannot, I shall keep it sealed with this mask. Perhaps one day, I will be able to let loose. Like a day when you do not exist so that I may hope to destroy the world myself."

"You'll have nothing to gain through destruction."

"Why would I want to rule this lifeless clump of dirt?"

This was the strange relationship between Apocalymon and NeoDevimon, they were not really master and servant though they address each other as such. Rather, NeoDevimon only serves Apocalymon to repay the debt of having his mask. It also made certain that the fallen angel wouldn't fall prey to the beckoning whispers of the Dark Chain.

Apocalymon chuckled softly. "This 'lifeless clump of dirt' holds more secrets than you could ever imagine." He shut up when he heard what sounded to be a mechanical door opening from afar, the creaking sound resonating throughout the empty space as if there were actual walls. "Ah, our newest ally has arrived."

From the depths of darkness, an atrocious roar echoed through. Hagurumon and Solarmon preceded the beast with the monster roar, the two of them with cables sticking out of their back which connected into various ports of the beast, Breakdramon.

For months Apocalymon had to wait and gradually infect Dracomon little by little until the dragon would be under his control without letting him know. And Shibumi was necessary to evolve Dracomon into the war machine that he was now. That was all the human boy meant to him. Even Hagurumon and Solarmon were clueless to these plans until they were completely reprogrammed. Now they were as mindless as any other Digimon enslaved by the Dark Chain.

"You are truly cruel, my lord," NeoDevimon stated.

"The ones who rule this world design the rules. If those rules are false or ludicrous, then only the fools will follow them," Apocalymon chuckled. "For someone to truly believe that the Dark Chain would one day wipe out an entire species and reborn them with the same set of values and ideas is beyond foolish. And that is exactly how I would describe Gorou Mizuno."

"I see, so that's why he went along with the Dark Chain plan," NeoDevimon nodded.

Breakdramon seemed to have calmed down once he was in the direct presence of Apocalymon though inside, he could not comprehend why. As the D-Sync encyclopedia had mentioned, he lost his emotional self in the trade-off to gain this monstrous power. But why? He couldn't seem to remember anything at all about his past. It was so fuzzy.

All it knew was that the creatures made of flesh, the ones that could bleed, they were his enemies as well as any Digimon that chose to side with them. They were arrogant beings that wanted to usurp the stronger. Logically speaking, only the strong deserved to exist in this world because they were the only ones who could survive. Yes, that was Breakdramon's sole purpose in living.

Lantern Cavern – 7:20 PM

The cloud had taken the kids and their partners over to Sanzomon's shrine who knew exactly what had happened to her student without needing them to tell her. Babel had asked for instructions on how to get to Lantern Beach which was luckily close by. At the current moment, they were taking a rest in a sea cavern and having dinner.

They ended up taking the deathly quiet Shibumi with them though as per Daisy's conditions, he had to be treated as their captive. They had tied his hands behind his back with some rope but once Babel had come back with some fish to cook, Daisy freed the boy so that he could eat.

"Janyu, Rai, the food is almost ready," Daisy called.

The other two children were at the entrance of the cave, hands clapped together as they prayed for the friends they had lost. There were six wooden crosses erected from the sand, each one for a lost ally. Everyone else aside from Shibumi had already paid their respects.

"We'll be right there," Janyu called back.

"Well hurry up because these guys may be small but they are ravenous," Robert stated, referring to their In-Training partners.

They had never actually seen these forms of their partners before so it took a while for them to figure out who was who exactly. Kyokyomon was Ryudamon, Frimon was FanBeemon, Kyaromon was Salamon, Bukamon was Betamon, and DemiMeramon was Candlemon.

"What about Dracomon?" Rai asked, hoping to get Shibumi to break his silence. "What's his In-Training form?"

Shibumi barely glanced up but they saw his lips move so that must've meant that he mumbled a response. Rai asked for him to repeat it but he just turned away and sulked. The other girl, Daisy, huffed in exasperation before spinning him around and shoving a fish into his mouth.

"Ow! Hot!" Shibumi yelped.

"He speaks!" Daisy smirked. "Now, I don't know how things work in Japan but usually when a question is asked, we expect a clear answer."

Shibumi rubbed his mouth a bit before speaking. "Babydmon… That's Dracomon's In-Training form."

"That sounds so cute!" Rai smiled.

Shibumi finally addressed the group seriously rather than moping around. "I don't get it. I've done so many awful things including enslaving countless Digimon with the Dark Chain. So why is it that you took care of my wounds, feed me, and try to get me to talk? If I were you guys, I'd have tossed me into the ocean with an anvil anchoring me down."

"That's much better than my burned at the stake idea," Babel joked, receiving a slap from Daisy.

"Shibumi, none of us blame you for what happened," Robert told him. "Besides, from the way you reacted to my bleeding, you actually had no idea that we could bleed in this world. I'm willing to bet everything I have that Apocalymon fed you a ton of tall tales about how everything in this world could be reborn, even us."

Shibumi was completely shocked. Robert had hit the nail on the head and it seemed like the others had figured it out as well.

"What about those Digimon that died? You don't hate me for that?"

Janyu shook his head. "Why should we hate you when we haven't even heard the whole story from you? Besides, it was Breakdramon that had done it but Apocalymon who manipulated Breakdramon to do it. You are far from being the culprit of their deaths."

"But I made Apocalymon."

"And if just one out of the five of us had asked you to talk about your problems rather than droning on about our own," Rai said. "Then we might not even be in this situation in the first place. You made Apocalymon because you felt alone… right?"

"Communication is key in any relationship," Daisy stated.

"And conversation is supposed to be transactional," Babel added.

"Which means this time, we want you to tell us what's happening in your head," Robert finished off.

Shibumi sat there as he stared at the faces of the five kids he had been conversing with for months behind a computer screen. For the longest time, he believed that no one would ever listen to him and when they would, it wouldn't affect their judgment or decisions in any way. But if everyone in the world could stop and listen like these kids, maybe he wouldn't want to rid the world of opinions and lies as much as he did.

He wished he had known all this before it was too late.

"Apocalymon is too strong to defeat," Shibumi muttered. "You guys didn't even stand a chance against Breakdramon…"

Daisy sighed. "I guess that's it then." She glanced over to Robert and Babel who nodded in agreement with her, much to the confusion of the other two members. "Shibumi, if you want to head back home. Leave the same way you came here. We'll be heading off to find Apocalymon."

"Wait, you guys are planning on leaving him alone?" Rai gasped.

"That's way too dangerous!" Janyu agreed. "Half the continent's been overrun by Apocalymon's slaves and there's no doubt that the free Digimon will look to Shibumi with disdain. At the very least, we should help him!"

"It's like the man himself said," Babel stated. "He doesn't deserve our kindness or pity, why give it to him?"

"We have our own agenda to fulfill. We can't waste any more time on side quests," Robert added.

The three of them seemed determined to do things that way but before they could do anything else, Shibumi suddenly threw himself to the ground. It finally happened, the words flowed out of his mouth like a river as he explained everything. His family's problems, his mother's death, his father's insistence on making him a farmer, his one friend's betrayal, and Apocalymon's sweet words. But the one thing he wanted to say to them now was…

"Please! Save Dracomon!" he practically shouted. "It's all my fault that he's gone. I had thought that since Digimon could be reborn, I would be okay when they died but when Phantomon died for me… us… I realized… That I've made so many Digimon suffer a fate like this. Suffer this horrible, awful pain of… of losing a friend! And I… I don't want to lose Dracomon!"

There was a short moment of silence before Robert turned back around and took a step forward. "So if we save Dracomon, what will you do?"

"…I don't know…," Shibumi feebly replied. "I can't forgive myself but… if Dracomon is saved then I don't care what happens to me."

The three kids that were nearly about to leave him alone smiled to each other before helping Shibumi back up. It had been their plan all along to save Dracomon but they wanted to know what Shibumi wanted first. If he said he would leave Dracomon and go home, then he couldn't be the sixth Chosen Child. That's what they wanted to find out.

"You'll have to come with us," Daisy said.

"You do owe your partner an apology," Babel grinned.

Janyu and Rai finally got it.

"And once that's done, you can figure out what you want to do next," Janyu continued.

"But just remember that Apocalymon was the reason for all this," Rai finished.

That's when Shibumi remembered his other promise. It was that if he was wrong and if the world would be worse off because of him, he would fix it himself. There was no way he was going to break that promise now. It was up to him to right his wrongs.

"Thank you…," Shibumi sniffed. "Really."

There was just one problem. Like Janyu said, the continent really was overrun by countless slaves to Apocalymon. It would be nearly impossible to step foot into any territory without getting attacked by some small army of sorts. The only way to avoid it was probably by sea but it's not like they could ride Seadramon for days at a time.

"I present to you… Babel Jones's pirate ship!"

The other kids just gaped as they saw a wooden ship rise out of the ocean from inside a bubble made by MarineAngemon. It was given to the oldest member of their team by CaptainHookmon since the pirate Digimon wouldn't be sailing the seas for the time being. Not while he was on his honeymoon with his beloved underwater. This meant that Babel could use it for the duration of their travels so long as they were successful at liberating the world.

"Welcome back, Captain Babel!" Octomon and Divermon called from the deck.

"I'm a captain now," Babel grinned. "Guess that means I'm the leader."

"You wish," Robert and Daisy replied.

Chapter Text

S.S. Hook Pirate Ship — 1:13 AM

They were taking shifts keeping watch in case Apocalymon decided to send some flying nuisances at them or even swimming ones. Daisy decided that she would take the first shift but it seemed like no one on that ship had been sleeping regularly for the few days they'd been traveling. So while Daisy stood at the highest point of the ship, inside the crow's nest, scanning their surroundings, she was joined by Janyu and FanBeemon.

"Couldn't sleep?" she asked with a knowing smile.

Janyu shook his head. "I kept having this recurring dream about Turuiemon."

They'd talked often of their lost friends and what made them special. They didn't want to forget the happy times they spent with them or the hope that those Digimon exuded because of the humans. Despite that, they were unable to protect those Digimon.

"She was your teacher, right?" Daisy inquired. "The one who taught you all those various martial arts styles?" The boy nodded in response. "What was she like? Anyone with skills like that sounds pretty interesting to me."

"She was…," Janyu started, looking to his partner for help.

"Eccentric," FanBeemon filled in. "If you didn't know her for more than a day, you probably wouldn't like her."

But despite that, Turuiemon was still very special in their hearts. To them, she could walk into a room and everyone would drop everything just to revolve around her. Not because she was self-centered and that's how she saw the world working, but because she just commanded that kind of bizarre authority. Once she got under your skin, it was hard to say no to her.

"I bet she would've loved sailing on a ship like this," Janyu breathed.

"I doubt it. Remember, she doesn't like pirates," FanBeemon reminded him.

"Yeah, but I could tell she loved traveling," Janyu chuckled. "Remember all those squeaks of delight she uttered when riding you as CannonBeemon? She was constantly pointing out mountains and forests and talking vividly about how she wanted to jump off you and run wild."

Daisy smiled. "So in other words, on a ship like this, she'd say she wanted to jump overboard and dance on the ocean?"

Janyu and FanBeemon laughed, agreeing that that was exactly something Turuiemon would say she'd do. And knowing that eccentric rabbit, she wouldn't just try to do it, but she'd probably succeed. After all, she proved to Janyu that she could practically dance across the sky. Doing it on the ocean seemed a lot more plausible.

"Dance across the sky," Salamon mused. "Didn't Musyamon describe our swordplay like that?"

Daisy nodded, biting her bottom lip as she averted their eyes, training them on the twinkling stars in the night sky. "She used to say that if we wanted to, we could shatter a star with our blade and make hundreds of falling ones."

Salamon, sitting on the edge of the crow's nest, looked up as well and at the same time, both she and her partner cried out that they found one. Janyu and FanBeemon looked upwards but they didn't see what the girls found. What were they even looking for?

"Shooting stars," Salamon smiled.

"It's part of Musyamon's training regimen for us," Daisy explained. "Find at least ten shooting stars before going to bed."

Janyu had to say that he was impressed, especially after she called out that she saw another one. He turned around and saw it right before it was gone. The knight had incredibly fast eyes, no wonder she was able to stay on par with Shibumi during their blade battle. Though their new traveling companion must be even quicker considering he blocked Babel's bullets and his punches while he was at it.

"What about you guys?" asked Salamon. "Did Turuiemon leave you with a certain training schedule?"

FanBeemon didn't fight like his partner or his teacher but it wasn't like he didn't learn anything from them. "She said that imagination is always important. Envision your foes, your allies, the battlefield, the plans, the strategies, the styles, everything comes from your mind before getting implemented into battle. Once you see yourself winning, that's when your victory is assured."

"What else do you guys imagine?" Daisy inquired.

"Turuiemon's dream…," said Janyu.

"Her dream?"

When Turuiemon dreamed, she dreamed big. She was the biggest dreamer. It wasn't something like being the best at a certain martial arts, it wasn't something like being happy, and it wasn't for anyone but herself. Again, not in the self-centered sense. It was simply her philosophy that you can't do anything without an element of selfishness in it or else you won't have as much drive to do it.

"She said she always wanted to visit all five of the moons," Janyu sighed.

Turuiemon didn't just want to visit them, she wanted to bounce around from each one. That's why she was so determined to fight back against Apocalymon. Saving the world and making sure others were protected wasn't good enough for her though it was a fantastic reason. The real reason was that she wanted to finish him off quicker so she can get started building her rocket to the moons already. It felt unfair that she had to postpone it because some lunatic wanted to take over the world.

"When this is over… Musyamon said she was going to change her village's rules on a female's and male's place," Daisy said. "For me… when this is over and I go home, that's what I plan to do as well. Change the world's views on what women and men are allowed to do."

Janyu nodded. "When I go home, I want to make sure that all of the weak feel protected but give them the chance and understanding to protect themselves."

"When Apocalymon is defeated, I want to be a true guardian angel," Salamon chimed in. "To protect and oversee this world, to make sure that no one like Apocalymon ever rises again with malicious and malignant intent!"

"I want to go back to my forest and rebuild it!" FanBeemon buzzed. "I want to make sure everyone has a home they can return to! I want everyone to be happy and to never fear anything ever again!"

The four of them looked to each other with broad smiles before practically shouting out to the world. "That's why we'll beat Apocalymon!" The four of them quickly covered their mouths when they realized they might accidentally wake up their comrades but then they started laughing uncontrollably. They couldn't help it. It was just too funny.

"We'll do it," Daisy nodded with determination. "We'll save the world."

"So that when Musyamon, Turuiemon, and everyone else is reborn, they can achieve their dreams in a peaceful world," Janyu agreed.

Lower inside the boat, below the deck, the oldest member of their group was awake taking inventory of their provisions. He had been trying to sleep for about half an hour before giving up, pacing around the room for ten minutes before getting bored, deciding to get a snack which took another five minutes before he realized he should check their stock. It wasn't long before he was joined by another sleepless member of their crew.

"Hey," Babel nodded towards Rai. "I was just checking our food supply. We're going to have to dock soon to replenish it."

Babel babbled on until he felt something soft land on his head. He looked down at the younger child and saw her hands raised as she placed his lucky cap up there. It had been so long since he last wore it that he forgot that he had even given it to Rai for safekeeping. It seemed like she forgot too.

"A captain needs his hat," Rai smiled.

"He also shouldn't be trying to count anything in the dark," Candlemon remarked, filling the room with his firelight.

Babel pulled his cap down a bit, making a shadow dance over his eyes and hide the gratitude spilling out on his expression. "Thanks. I really appreciate it. But you guys should probably get some sleep, we're going to be docking tomorrow."

Rai ignored him and reached up again, touching the top of his head. "You've gotten taller."

"So have you," Babel replied.

"Have I?" asked Betamon.

"We're not humans, we don't get bigger over time," Candlemon sighed in exasperation. "We really should give you a proper education."

Babel and Rai both laughed but it died down rather quickly as they thought back to their heights. They had already talked to Shibumi who knew how long they had been in the Digital World. It's been approximately eleven months, almost a full year. This meant that they were all a year older than when they first showed up.

"Can you believe it?" Babel chuckled unconvincingly. It wasn't very funny. "I'll technically be a teenager in a year."

Rai nodded, her outside representing Babel's inside. "And I finally hit the double digits. Who would've thought?"

The two of them wondered how time could get away from them. It took them a month to all reach the Champion level and another month to find Leomon Village and receive training. Leomon… Was he really gone? Did he really die? It felt so unreal because they didn't have much time to mourn. And it was just so sudden.

"I've never had anyone die before," Babel confessed. "All of my grandparents, my parents, they're all alive and well. My classmates, my neighbors, none of them have ever worn black and started bawling from what I can tell. I wonder… How am I supposed to react? How am I supposed to behave now that… an important teacher is gone?"

"My grandmother died when I was seven," Rai admitted.

"…Was she close to you?"

"No, she was stricter than my parents and only ever complained about young people," said Rai. "But despite that, I felt guilty during her funeral because I had to pinch my cheeks in order to cry. Crying at a funeral was the 'polite' thing to do, I guess. But after Leomon died…"

After Leomon died, she desperately wept for him to return because her hands were over one of his right before they separated. So for a moment, she wondered what would've happened if she was strong enough to hold on to him, to pull him onto that cloud where they were sent to Sanzomon, to safety. She cried because she wasn't strong enough to do it. She cried because she wanted to learn more about and from her mentor. She cried because he shouldn't be gone yet.

Crying isn't the polite thing to do, Rai had realized. It was the uncontrollable thing to do. The part of your heart or soul that was wrenched from your bosom and crushed along with that of the deceased. And it was of little comfort knowing that he would be reborn.

"If you still want to cry… you can," Babel told her.

"But I… have to be strong," Rai whimpered.

"Being strong doesn't mean putting up a façade. It means being able to keep going no matter how bad things get."

Rai broke down then, the walls that held back every last one of her tears that she had yet to finish shedding. Babel pulled her into his embrace as she shuddered violently in his arms. He combed his fingers through her long hair while whispering that she would be okay.

"I don't want to lose anyone else like this," Rai sobbed. "I want to get stronger to protect everyone."

"We will protect them," Babel promised quietly.

Just then, they heard someone singing Happy Birthday and when they turned around, they saw Betamon pushing forward some bread they had packed. It was dipped in some chocolate sauce and Candlemon held a stick on each hand, both of them alight with a tiny flame from his head.

"We don't have a cake or small candles," said Candlemon. "But we figured this should be good enough for a human's birthday tradition, right?"

Betamon bobbed his head up and down. "That's right! To Babel for turning twelve and Rai for turning ten and all the others turning eleven. Happy birthday! Now, quick, blow out the cand – er – flames, and make a wish!"

Babel and Rai glanced at each other before laughing. Once they had finally calmed down, they each blew out the flames of a different stick and broke off the bread into four pieces. As they ate, they talked about happier things such as their times training with Leomon, when he had praised them and when he made them feel welcomed. Someone like him was definitely going to be reborn into a much more beautiful world. They would make sure of it.

"Oh, what did you wish for?" asked Betamon.

"They can't tell us or they won't come true!" Candlemon huffed.

If it was an ordinary birthday, Babel probably would've made a wish concerning little league, about becoming the best pitcher probably. But this time, he didn't want to be selfish and wished for everyone to be safe and happy.

For Rai, she probably would've made the typical wish of having happy guests at her parent's hotel. But this time, she wanted to be selfish for once. She didn't have to give all her wishes to her parents. Some wishes had to be her own once in a while. This time, she wished to eat some food from her favorite restaurant back home. Okay, so she wasn't completely selfish, she also desired for everyone to eat with her, to share the experience with her best and closest friends.

"Thank you guys," Babel and Rai said to their partners. "Really."

Outside, at the bow of the ship, Shibumi watched the waves rock the boat. He used to get seasick all the time but his mind was so preoccupied with thoughts of his lost partner and the lying program that was Apocalymon, he had no room to think about the unsteady swaying of the vehicle.

After a long while of trying to see his face in the sea, he came to the conclusion that even if he could see a clear reflection, it would still appear distorted and corrupted. It wouldn't look human, it would like a true monster, one without care for the precious things in life because he would be the one to destroy it all.

How would such a monster appear? Sharp fangs that overlapped his dry lips, blood red skin, horns, a wildfire head of hair, and five eyes, no pupils, what else? It would be scary and horrifying and terrifying and mortifying and frightening and etcetera, etcetera. And everyone would run and scream like…

"Gyahhh!" Shibumi jumped.

Like Shibumi when he doesn't notice Robert creeping up on him and slapping his hands right onto the boy's shoulders. The American boy apologized to the startled Shibumi while Ryudamon just seemed surprise that someone as seemingly coldhearted as Shibumi could emit such a sound.

Shibumi waited for his heart to start decelerating before making room for his new companion to join him at the railing. What was he supposed to do? Tell the person he was depending on to save his partner to go back? He didn't want to be rude though he certainly didn't want to be amiable either. He didn't deserve to be friends with them.

"Remember when I told you about how I love riding on boats?" asked Robert.

Shibumi nodded though he didn't answer. Robert wanted to become a marine biologist, like his father, his favorite animals being dolphins. Why else would his screenname be 'Dolphin' of all things? And on boats was one of the places Robert said he felt most at home.

"And you said you weren't a fan," Robert continued. "Even though I had no idea how you looked like, I could still picture you making a rather displeased face at the thought of being on a boat. And then I made a promise that I would cure you of your seasickness one day?"

Shibumi actually didn't remember that though it sounded familiar.

"Well… You're not seasick. But it looks like Babel fulfilled my promise."

Was this some sort of guilt-tripping torture? Was Robert mentioning all of this as a reminder for Shibumi that he tried to get rid of opinions because of some false promises? Since Robert couldn't fulfill it before Babel, it meant Robert did something wrong when in fact he didn't? Shibumi got it. His logic was messed up, screwy, and completely blown out of proportion. But he wanted to amend his mistakes.

"I just wonder what went wrong with my programming," Shibumi sighed. "That's probably my biggest mistake of all."

"Everyone makes mistakes," said Ryudamon.

Robert took a good look at the side of Shibumi's face, examining the other boy's expression. After a while, Robert couldn't really learn anything new so he just pulled his goggles down over his eyes and hopped onto the rail, walking all the way up the bowsprit, arms spread out to either side of him to hold his balance.

"H-Hey!" Shibumi called out. "What are you doing?! You're going to kill yourself!"

"Then that'll be a grave mistake on my part," Robert responded without turning around. "If I live and get injured or scarred, then it's a mistake I'll have to live with. If I promise that I won't slip and do slip then that's just a part of life's unpredictability. My point is, I'm going to live with whatever happens that I could not control and if it was something within my scope of control; then I'll just have to learn from it."

"You're risking your life to lecture me?"

"I'm risking my life every day just by being here."

"But this time, you're intentionally putting yourself in danger."

"We're putting ourselves in danger by bringing you on board our team," Robert pointed out, walking back towards the other boy. "Apocalymon has a record of making portals near his servants, how do we know he won't use you as a way of getting to us?"

Shibumi didn't look up when he answered. "Because Dracomon was his connection to me."

"Pardon?"

All Digimon that are under Apocalymon's control are infused with an extra line of code that connects them with their master. This gives the great evil the ability to create a portal close to them and take them away or lead them somewhere else. Apocalymon wasn't able to do that with biological beings like humans so the Chosen Children were in the clear.

"Well, either way, my point was that you're going to have to live with your mistakes and broken promises because that's just a part of life," Robert reiterated, sitting down on the railing. "We can't fix them once they're done. But what we can fix are the other problems. Not the accidents that happen and are over with, I'm talking about the hate, the discrimination, and the carelessness."

Shibumi looked away, clenching and unclenching his fists. "That was exactly my intention."

"Forcing someone into something and trying to fix something are two completely different things."

Shibumi already poured his heart out them. He told them about his family and his social situation, all the driving forces that made him believe so strongly in the cause that he had taken a part of. Was there some part of him that wanted to force his father to listen to him? To force his classmates to stop teasing him? To force his formerly best friend to be around him?

Should he have tried harder to reach an understanding with them instead? Rather than blame them for everything that had gone spiraling down? Should he have spoken to them? In a way, breaking everyone out into war and trying to push everyone to follow one's will was just as bad as the biggest villains in history, wasn't it?

"I must seem like a real idiot to you guys," Shibumi muttered.

"Nope," Robert piped up. "Just normal."

Ryudamon nodded in agreement. "We've all made mistakes that sound reasonable in our heads but turn out to be absurd in the end. We just have to own up to them and if it's something that can be fixed, then we'll try to fix them. But it's better to go about it in the proper way. Instead of changing everyone to see what you see, try meeting them in the middle instead."

"That's what I plan on doing when we go home," said Robert. "The last thing my parents heard from me before I vanished was that I hated them for moving without my consent. But now I realize how petty and immature I was being. What about you? Is there anything you want to try to fix?"

Of course there was. There's his father, his classmates, his friends, and… his mother. "…Everything. I want to be able to fix everything."

Main Deck — 10:22 AM

"The closest dock is about an hour away from here," Divermon reported to the Chosen Children. "Unfortunately, I couldn't really do much investigating because the whole port town's been taken over by Apocalymon's Dark Chains! Everyone's acting like they're half dead."

Shibumi nodded, thinking that it made sense. "The Dark Chains make Digimon see everyone not wearing a Chain as their enemy. So if an entire town is taken over, then they'll go about the days as they always have except everything they do is for Lord Apocalymon."

The door to the captain's quarters was wide open, so that the two people inside, Babel and Octomon could hear everything they were saying. The pair soon joined the others on deck whilst pushing a barrel with something inside it.

"I figured something like this would happen, so I asked a favor of CaptainHookmon and his crew before leaving them," said Babel.

He removed the lid from the barrel and pulled out a long robe that was made by Mermaimon, a mask resembling the face of a Baromon made by CaptainHookmon, and a chain that was found by Divermon and painted black in Octomon's ink. Seeing the costume, everyone understood what he was planning. Since the actual Dark Chains didn't work on humans, they could go in disguised and no enslaved Digimon would know the difference.

"This could actually work," Shibumi nodded.

"Just in case, I think more than one person should go," said Rai. "It'll be too dangerous otherwise."

"Yeah, but we didn't have the time to make more than one disguise," Babel sighed.

"Not a problem," Candlemon cut in. "I can use magic to make temporary doubles of the costume but it'll only last for an hour."

"That'll have to be good enough," Daisy muttered.

"But who's going?" FanBeemon buzzed.

They were thinking that half the humans should head out to town to restock while the others remained on the ship to protect it. Just in case some Digimon were going to do a security check, they needed the ones staying on board to be disguised as well. The real question was trying to figure out who should go and who should stay.

In case the ones in town got found out, they would need to make a quick escape. Therefore, Rai and Candlemon decided to go so that they could just magically transport their way onto the ship. It was best for Shibumi to stay on board because according to Daisy and Babel, they still didn't fully trust him. From that comment, Robert made the executive decision that those two guarded Shibumi and try to see if they should trust their new member. That didn't exactly go over so well.

Sometime in the middle of their bickering, six paper cranes came floating down from the sky and made a home in the crow's nest. Ryudamon had noticed them so he asked FanBeemon to retrieve them. When the insect Digimon came back down, he was carrying the six cranes, they glowed as if they were made from light itself.

"Wow, they're so pretty," Betamon breathed.

Robert poked the wing of one. "But what are they–." He was cut off when it suddenly unfolded itself. "Whoa!"

They had asked Sanzomon to tell the families of the deceased, what had happened. They deserved to know after all.

In the letter that Robert had just opened, it was from the priestess telling them that Turuiemon's village was taken over so there was no one to tell. But that the youth of Klahzinfang had made it to the refugee camp, much to Janyu's relief. Musyamon's family was already taken over, Daisy knew this, so there was no one to tell there either. As for Leomon and WereGaurumon, there was apparently a letter from BanchoLeomon for them.

The five remaining cranes unfolded themselves and they were all letters from friends of theirs.

The first was from BanchoLeomon, telling them how proud he was of their feats which had traveled all the way back to his village. He also told them that his brother's death was not their fault. To end the letter, he asked if they were keeping up with their training and to tell them that he and his villagers were safely at Magic Village, AncientTroiamon's camp.

The second was from CaptainHookmon, who was wondering about the health and safety of his crewmates, Babel and Betamon included. He talked about how he was doing, how his wife was doing, and the fact that they were hoping to have a baby once things settled down. Finally, he asked for Babel to visit again soon and to bring his own crew.

The third was from Floramon, which caused Daisy to stop breathing for a moment. Apparently, her floral friend was safe and she made some new friends, Gabumon, Gaomon, and Psychemon. So halfway through from asking Daisy about everything that was happening, the letter was soon addressed to Janyu, asking about the happenings in his life.

The fourth was from Lillymon, SuperStarmon, and Etemon, they even wrote the letter in their western accents, much to Rai's amusement. It felt good to know that they were all safe though it seems Desert West Town was taken over a few days ago. Halfway through reading it, she handed the piece of paper to Candlemon.

"It's from my brother and FlaWizardmon," Candlemon blinked. The more he read, the more his left eye twitched.

"What's wrong?" asked Rai.

"They're arguing on paper…," Candlemon grumbled.

They could've at least asked him about how he was doing rather than use the other half of the paper as a battleground for their comebacks! But still, this meant that the two of them were doing just fine which was a huge relief to the living candlestick.

The last letter was from Gekomon and Gizamon who ended up meeting when they went to AncientMermaimon's camp. One asked about Betamon a lot, hoping that the amphibian wasn't pushing himself too hard like last time. While the other asked about Babel and then had an excitable retelling about meeting CaptainHookmon.

"Neither of them have changed at all," Babel chuckled.

"Nope, they're still the same as ever!" Betamon agreed with a big smile.

Apparently, they could write responses to their friends. It explained the stack of papers that Sanzomon had dumped into their hands before they left. All they needed to do was write their letter, fold it into a crane, and then just think about the person they want to send it to and it will fly there. It was certainly useful.

"I want to write to Pandamon and Omekamon too," said Janyu. "It would be nice to hear how they're doing."

"Can I send a letter to the League of Angels?" asked Salamon.

"Nothing is stopping you," Daisy shrugged.

"Could you evolve me?"

"Why? Oh… You can't write…"

Babel took a sheet before realizing something. "The written language in this world is Digi-Code but we can all read it. Or at least, I'm able to read signs and words in English."

This had long been a topic of discussion for them, how in the world did language work? Apparently, so long as you knew the English alphabet, anyone could read and write it which is what was under many signs they had passed over time. Digi-Code was becoming almost a lost form of writing.

"Ah, but I distinctly remember Ryudamon saying that you only know how to read and write Digi-Code," Janyu mentioned, looking over to his partner. He was thinking about the time FanBeemon was captured by the Dokugumon and they left a note for him in case he showed up there.

"I can't seem to get the hang of that new alphabet," FanBeemon admitted.

Shibumi watched as they group laughed and started writing their letters to their friends. He couldn't help feeling left out but that was a given. He hadn't made any friends in the Digital World aside from Dracomon and Phantomon. And he couldn't send letters to a slave of evil or a dead Digimon.

So to get his mind off things, he stood up and walked over to the helm of the ship, watching as they got closer to land. It wouldn't be long before they hit the port town of Jewel Heart, supposedly rich with gemstones and crystals lining the city. Before the apocalypse, it used to be a famous tourist stop. Now it was a den of zombies.

"And it's all my fault," he croaked out.

Something wet and slimy landed on his shoulder. "What's all your fault?"

"Whoa!" Shibumi yelped, he's been getting startled a lot more easily nowadays. He must be getting paranoid, thinking that Apocalymon will show up behind him one day. But this time, it turned out to be Octomon and Divermon, looking rather concerned. "Sorry, you guys just scared me."

"Well, we are living in scary times," Divermon nodded.

"Yup, we definitely are," Octomon agreed.

Shibumi had to wonder why these two even bothered trying to converse with him. They should know what he had been trying to do to their world, right? So why put on the façade of being friendly around him? It made him feel like a sand sculpture waiting for the waves to crash into him and destroy him. Maybe that was what he deserved. To be eroded away by the waves.

"So… Octomon and I were wondering…," Diver started.

What? Why he wasn't in the gallows? Why he wasn't behind bars? Why he wasn't overboard?

"What are you?" Octomon finished.

Shibumi frowned, not the question he had been anticipating from these two. "I'm a human. Why? Should I be something else?" When the two aquatic Digimon shook their heads, Shibumi realized what they were really asking. It was the same question that Betamon had asked of Robert days ago. "Oh… I don't… I don't have another label besides human."

"Really? You kind of look like… a rogue?" Divermon suggested. "Or with your weapon, maybe a reaper?"

Octomon was starting to get excited. "He can turn himself invisible and is incredibly skilled in battle, maybe he's a ninja! I've always thought ninjas were super cool. How they could be all stealthy and deadly at the same time."

"Does ninja work if he has a weapon like that?" inquired Divermon.

"What about an executioner?" offered Octomon.

Shibumi grimaced, he definitely didn't like the sound of that one. "Absolutely not. And sorry, but I don't think I'm a ninja either. I feel like I would need projectiles to throw if that were the case," he sighed. "Honestly, rogue sounds to be the most appealing. Why would I want to be a bringer of death?"

"Well, I don't think that's all reapers do," said Divermon.

"Yeah, aren't they used to harvest crop?" Octomon added.

Shibumi almost lost his footing when he heard that. Octomon wasn't wrong, reapers were machines that are used to harvest crop; his dad used one all the time. Still, that double meaning hadn't even occurred to the boy.

"A reaper, huh…," Shibumi muttered as he pulled his scythe out of his cloak. "I wonder about that."

The Grim Reaper only brought death to those when their time was up. It wasn't like he was just allowed to take lives here and there. A lot of people saw the entity that way, as someone who simply collected souls. But there had to be more in his job description, right?

Does he let the souls of loved ones stay together even after death? Does he allow souls to watch over their living loved ones, cheering them on? But how would that translate over to Shibumi? What would make him a reaper in the same sense that Babel was a pirate or Rai was a magician in training?

"You don't take souls until they're ready to be taken," said Divermon, after he had finished lecturing his crewmate. "By that logic, doesn't that mean you try your hardest to protect them until their time arrives? Isn't that part of a reaper's job?"

Honestly, Shibumi didn't think so. But still, he really did like the sound of that. And to be honest, he had only started seeing the Digital World in a new lens. Octomon and Divermon were about as friendly as Phantomon had been and the way those Digimon in the letters spoke, they were so genuine and amicable that it was hard for him to believe that he thought the world was full of sin. That the world deserved a rewrite. Because from what he saw, that wasn't the case at all.

"What have I been doing for all these months?"

So a reaper who protects souls both alive and dead. He wanted to be able to do that. He wanted to protect the six Digimon that died on that day and all the Digimon he made suffer. He also wanted to protect those other humans, the ones that are still trying to amiable to him even after everything he had done.

But first, he needed to know, why were Divermon and Octomon being so nice to him? Where did this naïveté come from in a world that's in chaos?

"Well, because Babel says he trusts you and we trust Babel," said Octomon.

"Babel told us not to tell him that!" Divermon snapped.

That was a surprise. Babel trusted him? But just before, Babel was talking about how Shibumi should remain on board because he didn't trust him. Why would he lie about something like that? That was when an old conversation they had resurfaced in his memories.

Babe: Gorou, can I tell you a big secret?

Shibumi: Sure, anything you want. Go ahead.

Babe: I trust you more than anyone I know.

Shibumi: …Is that your big secret?

Babe: It's big to me!

Shibumi: How so?

Babe: Do you have any idea how hard it is to meet a trustworthy person nowadays? I feel unbelievably lucky to have met you! You know, I thought you were some creep when you first messaged me, but now I feel like I can confide in you for anything.

Shibumi: Does that mean you'll always trust me?

Babe: Always. Even if you do something heinous, I'll trust that you had your reasons.

Shibumi: Thanks, Babel. That means a lot to me.

"So Babel's keeping that promise…" Shibumi breathed.

"What was that?" asked Divermon.

"Nothing," Shibumi smiled. "I was just thinking though… Staying on this boat with Babel and Daisy isn't such a bad thing. I can probably start on fixing one of the things I ruined." That was his promise to Robert the previous night, wasn't it? To fix everything.

Jewel Heart Port — 11:31 AM

Robert, Janyu, Rai, and their partners all put on their costumes, well, in the Digimons' case, it was just putting on the fake chain. Babel showed them a treasure chest filled with the world's currency that CaptainHookmon gave to him and they each took a small bag to gather provisions. Before leaving, they told each other to stay safe.

"Why didn't you tell us about your gold hoard earlier?" Daisy asked.

"If I had, Robert would've stolen some, I'm sure," Babel answered. "Speaking of which, Octomon, find a new hiding place for the treasure chest."

"Aye-aye captain!" Octomon saluted before complying.

Once the eight-legged creature was gone, Divermon and Shibumi called the others over. In Shibumi's hands, there was a deck of a cards, essentially the same ones they would use back in the human world. Except the backs of the cards had angel wings decorating them and the Jacks were Cherubimon, Queens were Ophanimon, and Kings were Seraphimon.

"Ooh, a League of Angels edition deck," Salamon chimed in.

"I was just explaining the rules of Digit to Shibumi," Divermon told them. "You guys want to play?"

"It's just Poker to us," Babel said to Daisy's confusion.

"Oh," Daisy nodded. "I've never played before."

"Before meeting CaptainHookmon and his crew, neither did I," Babel chuckled. "But you'll catch on quick, don't worry about that. How about, to make things interesting, the loser of each game has to tell the truth to whatever question the winner has."

They didn't have any complaints with playing the game that way so they all sat down on the deck and started the game with Divermon as the dealer. And to be honest, for Shibumi, it felt really nice to not think about everything that had been worrying him lately. Especially when the group laughed whenever someone thought a certain hand could beat another.

As for the other half of their team going into town, it was one of the most nerve wracking times they had ever experienced as they were greeted by possessed civilians. Dark Chains wrapped around their necks, waists, arms, and legs as they spoke monotonously. Robert had to use all his willpower not to pull out his spear and start stabbing at the Chains.

Once they got into town, they were struck by the glittering jewels that decorated every single structure and shop around them. It was probably every greedy person's version of what heaven looked like. Except the buildings weren't made of gold.

"Okay, we should stock up on fluids first and foremost," Rai told them. "I think Candlemon and I can handle that."

"I think I'll buy some bread and hit the fish market," Robert stated.

"Okay, but just be sure to be as discreet as possible," Janyu reminded them. "If we get caught as the Chosen Children, we'll have a riot on our hands. Probably worse. So Rai, if things go south, teleport right back to the boat, don't wait for us."

"That's… easier said than done," Rai sighed. "I can't leave you guys behind."

"Don't worry, hopefully we won't need to make a break for it if all goes well," Candlemon reminded her before they all looked to Robert.

"What?" their unofficial stated. "Why are you guys staring at me like that?" It wasn't long before it clicked in his head. "Oh come on. Do you guys really think I'd expose us and we'd have to run back to the ship? I'm incredibly responsible."

"Mhm," was their response.

"Et tu, Ryudamon?" Robert sighed when he noticed his own partner against him.

The group split up after agreeing that they would regroup within forty-five minutes at the dock, before their costumes vanished. As Janyu was taking a look at the fruits and vegetables at the farmer's market, he heard a huge ruckus coming from the plaza. He and FanBeemon ran over to see a Spadamon sans Dark Chain trying to run from a snake Digimon.

"That's Sandiramon, one of the Deva," FanBeemon whispered.

Sandiramon wrapped himself around the Spadamon who was screaming for help. The Dark Chain that was coiled around Sandiramon's body weaved itself around the captive and suddenly, the screams were over. Spadamon was just another mindless slave like the rest.

But what scared Janyu the most, other than the fact that no one did anything, was the fact that the innocent Spadamon had made eye contact with him. It was like the little Rookie knew that a human was underneath that mask and he was pleading for his help. It made the boy feel queasy.

"A sssstowaway," Sandiramon hissed. "He arrived here on a wagon days ago and wassss trying to convert his former friendssss away from our lord and sssssavior, Apocalymon. Our lord will uproot this world from the fools that threaten our happinesssss."

Everyone in the plaza cheered upon hearing the Deva's words and Janyu was sure he was going to lose his breakfast. From all the way across the square, he saw another Baromon, next to a Candlemon so he knew right away that it was Rai. They seemed to have a silent conversation about how awful things had become in that town. And it was likely that there were other places in the same situation. Cyber City and Klahzinfang Village being only two out of several victims.

"We should go," FanBeemon whispered.

"Yeah…," Janyu agreed. "I'm just glad Robert didn't witness this. He probably would've gone berserk and then our cover would've been blown. Come to think of it, Daisy and Babel probably would've stuck their necks in as well…"

"Yeah, that's true," FanBeemon sighed.

"I hope all those refugee camps really are safe sanctuaries."

Chapter Text

Jewel Heart Port — 12:16 PM

They could hear him coming before seeing him so they quickly stopped their card game and threw on their disguises. Divermon and Octomon quickly went inside the ship and snuck out the window, into the water, to hide in case of inspection. The three humans dressed as Baromon and the two Digimon with fake Dark Chains on them, stood rigid and nervous as a dragon Digimon landed on the deck.

The beast that greeted then had silvery white hair upon his head and upper lip, as well as four legs and two arms ending in tri-pronged claws. On top of his head were a set of moose antlers, or so they appeared. The most unique feature on this dragon was that he wore clothing of some sort.

"Majiramon?" Salamon gasped quietly.

"This is a Deva's town?" Shibumi muttered underneath the mask.

Shibumi explained to them that every town that had been taken over completely had at least one overseer. Daisy confirmed this, remembering how Sinduramon was sort of like the boss at the power plant she had gone to. Usually, the overseer was of the Ultimate level, like the one here.

"Stay calm," Babel whispered to him. "If you freak out, you'll blow our cover."

"What business do you have at this port?" Majiramon asked them in a low, guttural growl. It was almost impossible to understand his words because it sounded simply like an animal growling. "What is it that you are doing for Lord Apocalymon?"

Shibumi was given a light push forward from Babel. It had been the plan originally for Shibumi to handle all the talking since he knew what slaves of Apocalymon would want to hear. Thus, it made sense for him to be their frontman.

"We are on duty to capture the Digimon of the sea as Lord Apocalymon has not had an easy time procuring such a feat," Shibumi lied. "Not when they hide in the depths like cowards while their brethren work for the happiness of our lord."

Babel, Daisy, and even their partners felt like kicking Shibumi for saying those things about their seafaring friends but they could see it in the way his robe shuddered that Shibumi wanted to do the same thing. It actually pained him to say those things about Digimon like Divermon and Octomon who had been nothing but kind to him. So if they hadn't been convinced before that Shibumi was on their side, they were certainly getting there.

"I see," Majiramon nodded.

"We only await our comrades to return with provisions," Shibumi continued.

Majiramon continued nodding as he paced along the perimeter of the deck, all four of his feet scratching up the boards with his nails. "I hope you don't mind, Baromon, Betamon, and Salamon, but I must perform an inspection of your vessel. You never know when there might be stowaways. We had one earlier today."

"Yes, of course, Majiramon," Shibumi bowed respectfully, the others following suit so as to not arouse suspicion.

The Deva continued pacing around the deck, making them tense up every time he brushed past them. After the fourth trip, they were starting to think that his tail was grazing their legs on purpose. And by the fifth trip around, Majiramon had stopped, and suddenly, his face was directly in front of Shibumi's. The Japanese boy took a step back and his lungs stopped working for a moment.

"Is… your inspection done?" Daisy asked tentatively.

Majiramon did not move his head away from Shibumi's face as his pupils slowly looked over to Daisy. "No… Not yet. I just have a few very important questions for you lot that I wish you'd answer honestly." His pupils darted their way over to Babel. "And only the truth."

They all swallowed.

"What is it?" Babel inquired. "Ask away and we will reply truthfully."

Majiramon sluggishly moved his head away so that he could look at the entire group of five. "Why does your vessel… stink of humans?"

There was a moment when their hearts lurched into their throats and the waves crashing against the ship sounded like thunder in their eardrums. Betamon opened his mouth to answer the question and Salamon quickly covered it. They could still salvage this. They needn't panic just yet.

"Well, you see," Babel said, taking over. He's had a record for lying through the skin of his teeth thanks to his career as a neighborhood troublemaker. "We were only gifted by the Dark Chain last night, after we had foolishly helped the Chosen Children. But by then, they were long gone so there was no point in pursuing. I guess they left their stench upon our ship."

"…And this is the truth?" Majiramon questioned, one skeptical brow raised.

"We assure you, it is," Salamon nodded. "You can check this entire boat and you will not find a single human on board."

"I see," Majiramon mused, brushing his claws through his mustache. "Then let me ask you this. Did you really think that a Deva would not have sharpened his senses like a knife? Did you not think that I did not hear you whispering conspiratorially as I was landing? Did you not think that I had not seen three humans throw on masks and robes? Did you not think I saw two unchained Digimon run inside and hide from me?"

Now they're cover was blown.

Babel plucked off an iron ball from his sash underneath his cloak and threw it in the face of Majiramon, it went off with a big flash, temporarily blinding the dragon. As for Shibumi, he pulled out Babel's pistol which had been given to him just in case, and he pulled the trigger whilst pointing it towards the sky. Simply by changing a setting, it acted as a flare gun, signaling to their friends to return to the boat immediately.

"D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!" Daisy shouted.

Hippgriffomon pushed Majiramon off the ship as screaming spread from the docks and into the town. The two mythical beasts were in midair combat when Rai and Wizardmon suddenly appeared on the deck. Betamon dove into the water to retrieve Divermon and Octomon while the two human boys disembarked to keep the enslaved Digimon from coming on board.

"Daisy, is everything okay?" Rai asked.

"We're good for now," Daisy replied, keeping one eye on her partner. "Do you know where the others are?"

"They should be on their way back if they saw the flare," the younger girl replied.

Daisy groaned. "Why did you have to say 'if'? If they plan on running all the way here, we'll run out of time! There's no way we'll be able to keep an entire town off our backs before they arrive. We should've thought of a backup plan."

"We did," Rai replied, removing her costume.

Wizardmon was holding up two shirts, Daisy recognized them as Janyu's and Robert's. With objects that still had remnants of the previous owner, Wizardmon can easily find them and transport them back to the boat using his magic. So with a momentary flash, he was gone.

"I knew I shouldn't have doubted that pretty little brain of yours," Daisy smirked.

Rai smiled before running over to the side and calling out for the boys that were locked in combat to cover their mouths and noses. They complied as she pulled out her staff and released a pink powder which caused the rampaging Digimon to stop moving and fall right to sleep. Babel and Shibumi gave her a thumbs-up before noticing their aquatic friends resurfacing.

"Quick, get on board and reel in the anchor," Babel instructed them before looking up at the girls. "Did Rob and Janyu come back yet?"

Daisy was about to tell him that they hadn't when Janyu and his partner popped on board along with Wizardmon. The mage then disappeared once more while Rai reported that it didn't matter since she had given her partner a piece of her clothing so that he could return to the boat no matter where they were. That was good enough for Babel as he got back on the deck.

"Nitro Stinger!"

Hippgriffomon quickly moved backwards as CannonBeemon's attack struck Majiramon, just a fraction of a centimeter from blowing the Dark Chain spiraling his body to bits. But the Deva was cautious as well as skilled, he wouldn't let the precious Dark Chain; that Lord Apocalymon ordered to be protected at all costs, get destroyed.

"Even I know I cannot win in a battle like this one," Majiramon scoffed.

He flew off into the distance just as Robert returned on the boat and they set sail. Some of the more persistent townspeople were throwing themselves into the sea in an attempt to chase after them. Watching this, Janyu asked if the fake Chains could conduct electricity and if there were any innocent Digimon in the water.

"No, the waters around the town have been abandoned," Divermon answered. "No one wants to be near a town that's been taken over."

"Most of the oceans are empty as of now," Octomon added.

Janyu thanked them before taking one of the fake Chains and throwing one end into the water, he held on to the other end while emitting electricity from the palms of his hands. The others stared in shock when he electrocuted the Digimon in the water, though not enough to leave them unconscious, just enough to send them back to shore for their own safety.

"How did you do that?" Robert asked. "That was awesome!"

Janyu held up his hands and they noticed that he was wearing black gloves that he hadn't before. "I got them while I was in town. They send electrical pulses based on my thoughts and apparently, they're used for Digimon that want to cook food on the go. Incredibly dangerous which is why many weren't being sold."

"Well, they'll definitely be useful in combat," Daisy remarked.

"Did you guys remember to buy food?" Betamon chirped up.

Robert smirked before dumping three plastic bags onto the deck which opened up to show the various kinds of meat substitutes that were inside. Meat apples, meat drinks, and even meat that was made from loose data particles to resemble and taste like meat but wasn't actually made of meat because there was no actual meat in the Digital World.

"Are you trying to fatten us up?" Daisy frowned.

"Well, I figured since we exercise so much, we'd need more protein to keep us going," Robert retorted.

"I figured that would happen," Rai sighed.

"You even said yourself you'd buy bread and fish," Janyu reminded their unofficial leader.

"Oh… yeah… I did."

Janyu and Rai, thankfully, did buy fruits, vegetables, and drinks so they quickly stored the food and continued sailing. For now, they were going in the direction of the Black Abyss, where Apocalymon was. After all, they had no clue where any of their golden keys were and there were certainly no leads as to where Breakdramon was, so the plan for now was to try and confront the big bad. Or at least, that was the plan until a paper crane flew down.

Lunabelle Island — 5:16 PM

A few days had passed since they left port, and they were finally making it to the island BanchoLeomon had asked them to visit. It was apparently the birthplace of WereGarurumon and was supposedly the home of a world-renowned fortune teller. The island itself was shaped like a crescent and as the boat hit the sandy beaches, a wolf howl filled their ears.

"How do we know if this island is safe?" Salamon asked.

Shibumi shrugged. "As far as I know, Lunabelle Island was never a target on Apocalymon's map so hopefully, there won't be anything to worry about."

They certainly felt worried though. The entire island felt uninhabited and there was a creepy feeling of being watched by something. Miles away, they could see a volcano, it seemed active with the smoke coming out from the mouth but it didn't seem like there was any indication of it erupting any time soon.

"Was WereGarurumon really born here?" Candlemon muttered.

"According to what BanchoLeomon knows," said Daisy.

They agreed that it would be much too dangerous to simply walk into the forest unless they wanted to be ambushed. So they agreed to take to the skies which is what Robert, Janyu, and Daisy did on their Ultimate level Digimon. The others remained on board, looking through their binoculars to see if they could find anything of interest.

"I'm surprised no Digimon has come to greet us or anything," Shibumi muttered.

"Maybe BanchoLeomon was misinformed and this island is just deserted," Rai shrugged.

"Or Weregarurumon was joking about it the entire time," Candlemon sighed. "I wouldn't really put it past that wolf. He seemed about as shifty and untrustworthy as FlaWizardmon, and trust me, I definitely know FlaWizardmon."

"Do you now?" Babel smirked, raising his eyebrows suggestively.

"Sh-shut up! You know what I meant!"

It was inside jokes like these that made Shibumi feel almost left out but then he'd look down to see that Betamon was as confused as he was. But as he was about to turn back in the direction of the island, he noticed something coming from behind them. It looked like a massive ship, probably twenty times the size of their own vessel.

And from the bow stood a bipedal rabbit who was taller than the palm trees that grew on the beach. She looked at the smaller boat as Shibumi called for the attention of the others. What they were staring at was Antylamon, one of the twelve Deva, and unfortunately for them, there was a Dark Chain on her waist.

"Enemy sighted," she said before jumping off her boat and landing on theirs. Their ship rocked back and forth for a bit, causing Shibumi to cover his mouth to keep himself from losing his lunch. His seasickness really hadn't disappeared yet. The bunny looked up and one of her massive paws became an axe. "Commencing elimination."

Babel and Rai pulled out their keys. "D-Locks 1 and 2 Disengaged! Initiate Warp Digivolution!"

"Bunny Blades!"

Antylamon's axe-hand could've cut them down in half if Mistymon hadn't protected them with his own blade. However, not only was the Deva larger in size but her strength was clearly nothing to sneeze at either. Mistymon was pushed right through the wood flooring and into the ship's lower quarters.

WaruSeadramon wrapped himself around the Deva, keeping her trapped, but left just a big enough opening for his partner to shoot some bullets at. But as Babel drew his pistol, the large boat hit theirs, tipping them over and making them all fall onto the sand. Octomon and Divermon quickly helped the humans up before being told to hide away in the ocean.

"Don't tell me there are more of them," Babel muttered.

Like a drawbridge, a large door opened up from the ship and an enormous pig stampeded out of there, making a deep squealing sound that shook the island to its core. From behind the pig, a cobra slithered out and Rai immediately recognized him as the other overseer from Jewel Heart, Sandiramon. That meant that the giant boar was likely a Deva as well.

"Vikaralamon and Sandiramon," Shibumi affirmed. "Not good news at all."

From the deck, Majiramon took flight and was going after Hippogriffomon who was trying to fly down to meet up with the others, seeing them in trouble. But the dragon cut them off and they were now locked in midair combat like they had been just a few days ago. Daisy was simply trying to hang on for dear life while swinging her sword around in an attempt to keep Majiramon from getting any closer than he already was.

Thankfully, Janyu was able to make it back and assist as he and CannonBeemon started attacking Vikaralamon. WaruSeadramon was grappling with the hissing Sandiramon, tangling and biting each other. Which left Mistymon to clash against Antylamon.

Digital Analyzer: Majiramon is the Dragon Deva and a loyal servant to the Sovereign, Azulongmon. He is an extremely calculating Digimon who will not lift a finger if the action does not benefit himself in some monetary fashion. If something does interest him in terms of money, he will poke his head in no matter what it is he has to do. He has a habit of expressing everything in values of money and uses his Treasure Arrows, which are the hairs of his whiskers and tail, to fight. Incidentally, the Treasure Arrows are worth five thousand Japanese yen!

"Why yen specifically?" Daisy muttered.

"I will not be questioned by a girl in armor that costs only one hundred thousand yen," Majiramon stated. "It must be at least five hundred thousand or it won't be very good quality!"

"How the heck do you know how much my armor costs?" Daisy blurted out before pointing an accusing finger at the dragon whilst flying around in circles. "Besides, I don't want to hear that from someone who's prized Treasure Arrows are twenty times less than my armor!"

Majiramon smirked triumphantly. "You have impressive mathematical skills but what you do not understand is that each and every one of my beautiful strands of hair cost 5000 yen! And I have much more than twenty hairs, my dear!"

Daisy let out a rather sharp gasp of disbelief as she hung her head in shame. "I've lost."

"What the hell are you two even doing?!" Hippogriffomon shouted. "And how come Majiramon changed personalities?!"

Digital Analyzer: Antylamon is the Rabbit Deva and loyal servant to the Sovereign, Azulongmon. She is the owner of a very kindhearted spirit and possesses a fondness for small things, and because she attends to them with profound tenderness, if one were to hurt the small thing in question, Antylamon's personality would reverse. She would strike them down with her Treasure Axes. Supposedly, if a cut is made, it won't stop spreading until the victim's form is no more.

"They even made a gentle Digimon into one of Apocalymon's cruel warriors?" Rai gasped.

Antylamon cocked her head to the side. "Apocalymon? My efforts are for Azulongmon only. I was informed that a little Tokomon had been harmed by a couple of humans and there are no humans but you and your comrades. Therefore, I must make you pay for harming the young one!"

"A fondness for little things and if one dares to harm them, her personality is reversed," Mystimon muttered.

"So the Dark Chain has manipulated her into thinking we did something bad," Rai grimaced.

Digital Analyzer: Vikaralamon is the Pig Deva and loyal servant to the Sovereign, Ebonwumon. He is an observer of things and will always watch things from the outside without ever losing his broad smile. He also has the special skill of sleeping with his eyes wide open though it is made evident when one hears him snoring and the grinding of his teeth. The light that he spews from his mouth is his beloved Treasure Wheel which has different effects depending on the color. Yellow takes the form of a disk, blue takes enemies captive, green heals, and so on and so forth.

"Oh, he really is smiling broadly," Janyu remarked.

"Shouldn't we be more concerned over the fact that he has a massive variety of attacks and we don't even know what most of them do?" CannonBeemon pointed out. "If we're not careful, we'll be beaten to a pulp. Vikaralamon is known to be one of the most difficult Digimon to win against."

Vikaralamon squealed loudly again.

"Is he able to communicate normally?" Janyu inquired.

"As I said, that is not our concern!" CannonBeemon snapped.

Digital Analyzer: Sandiramon is the Snake Deva and loyal servant to the Sovereign, Zhuqiaomon. He is the most cunning and cruel of the Deva who would prefer to slowly rob his foes of life by choking them to death while tormenting them rather than instantaneously killing them. Sandiramon specializes in subterranean movement and wields a spear of light he creates from his mouth known as the Treasure Spear. When handling his weapon in his tail, he can use it as well as any warrior can with their hands.

"How about I have you slither down the plank instead of walking it?" Babel spat.

"Yeah, you tell him!" WaruSeadramon agreed.

Sandiramon's forked tongue brushed over his lips. "Do you honestly believe that I will lose to a lawbreaking pirate and half-baked sea serpent? Neither of you are even worthy enough to stand upon the ground I move upon!"

"Somebody's full of himself," Babel mumbled.

"I can't believe Apocalymon sent the remaining Deva at us!" CannonBeemon hummed. "He must really want to get rid of us!"

"Remaining Deva?" Shibumi blinked. He counted up the ones he could see and there were only four of them. From what he had heard, the others had defeated a total of seven Deva, but there were twelve in total which meant one was missing. "Indramon… and Robert!" They heard what sounded like a horn blowing in the distance and when they looked up, they saw Hisyaryumon crash into the volcano.

Lunabelle Volcano — 5:32 PM

Robert wondered why he had such bad luck around volcanoes. He was just going up to the mouth to check out a suspicious figure when the air wavered and a giant, bipedal horse suddenly appeared out of nowhere, with a giant conch horn in front of him which he blew into. A loud sound wave struck Robert and his partner and they crashed into the side of the mountain in a painful heap.

"What in the blazes was that?!" Robert coughed.

"Indramon," Hisyaryumon answered with a groan. "He's one of the twelve Deva and thought to be one of the stronger ones at that."

Robert was the only one on the team to have yet fight a Deva so he had no idea what they were capable of firsthand. Though for the last couple of nights on the ship, they'd been sitting around the fire while recounting their individual journeys and fights. That included the ones with the Deva. They had made the assumption that they would come face to face with the remaining ones eventually, it looked like that time was now.

"Well, I say we knock this Deva off his high horse!" Robert shouted.

Hisyaryumon cocked his head to the side. "He is a horse."

"Then we'll knock him down!"

The air around them suddenly started gathering around one place, spiraling into a twister that rustled the leaves of the trees around them, even lifting up some pebbles that clatter against various objects. Right before their eyes, Indramon made his appearance, like he had at the top of the volcano, mane covering his eyes as he seemingly looked down upon the tiny beings in front of him. His conch shell was strapped to his shoulders like a backpack, albeit an incredibly dangerous one.

"So you are a human," Indramon stated. "How unrefined in both posture and speech patterns." A vein appeared on Robert's forehead but the Deva wasn't finished with his commentary. "However, I am in no position to speak with my unrefined fighting style."

"Then why mention it at all?!" Robert snapped. It was bothersome for a Digimon to insult someone just to insult himself.

"How crude. You have absolutely no manners," Indramon mused. He then added as an afterthought, "Like me at the dinner table."

"Stop doing that!"

Hisyaryumon narrowed his eyes on the colossal creature. "Careful Rob, Indramon may not seem very serious but as I mentioned before, he's known to be one of the stronger Deva. If we underestimate him, we'll be dead where we stand."

"It would be wise to heed your partner's words," Indramon advised. "I should've heeded my friends when they told me not to bet on the fourth Centarumon at that equestrian race. I should've entered it myself. Oh wait… I was banned from doing that."

Robert slapped his forehead, wondering what was exactly going on in Indramon's head for him to insult himself so much. Maybe it was the Dark Chain making him behave this stupidly? Perhaps Apocalymon has a petty grudge on this particular Deva and wanted him to embarrass himself. Yeah, an evil bad guy would be that petty, wouldn't he? Either way, Robert was hoping, given Indramon's personality, that this guy was not actually a servant of one of the gods of the Digital World.

Digital Analyzer: Indramon is the Horse Deva and loyal servant to the Sovereign, Zhuqiaomon. He is notoriously known to have an intolerably arrogant personality. Whenever he opens his mouth, only gloating comes out and he is constantly fussing over the glossiness of his mane and tail. He indulges in his talents and ridicules those who work hard. Despite his cultured appearance, his battling style is incredibly unrefined with the way he uses his Treasure Shell to bludgeon his opponents to death as if it were a cudgel.

"My skills are less refined than that," Indramon remarked after hearing the encyclopedia entry.

"How is that arrogant?!" Robert shouted incredulously. His theory had to be right.

Indramon removed the shell from his back and true to the encyclopedia entry, he held onto one end while smashing it into the ground. Robert latched onto Hisyaryumon who quickly flew away from the impact though the aftermath still left them blown away.

"I never would've thought that the Dark Chain could reverse someone's entire personality!" Hisyaryumon said as he swooped below Indramon's swing. "According to Candlemon, they're supposed to retain the essential parts of their personality!"

That's when another theory struck Robert. "What if… he brags to cover up his insecurities? Like, in reality, he realizes that he is not as talented as he thinks in everything and therefore, gloats as a defense mechanism against it."

"Are we really going to study – whoa!" Hisyaryumon yelped as he flew in between Indramon's legs and found himself behind the horse. "The psychological aspects of his gloating?"

"It could be important!"

"How exactly?"

"I don't know!"

Robert instructed Hisyaryumon to fly right over the Deva's head before dropping him. The dragon turned himself into the Legendary Dragon Blade while Robert pulled out his spear, the two of them were planning on stabbing into the horse's shoulders and sliding down until they cleaved clean through the Dark Chain around his waist. But as soon as they were supposed to break skin, the horse vanished with the breeze.