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Chapter Text

Hello everyone and welcome to the prologue of my Digimon Frontier Fanfiction. The same rules apply if you read my Digimon Tamers Fanfiction. I will be using the Japanese names but will be using most of the American Digimon names and attacks.

Names are as followed: Japanese=English Names

Takuya Kanbara = Same Name

Kouji Minamoto= Koji Minamoto

Tommy Himi = Tomoki Himi

Zoe Orimoto = Izumi Orimoto

J.P. Shibayama = Junpei Shibayama

Koichi Kimura = Same Name

Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters in Digimon or the pictures and just like to tell a story.

Long ago, a weird message spread throughout the surrounding area of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Most of the adults just ignored it, but not the children. All of the kids followed the instructions leading them to the basement of a train station. Inside, trains were ready to take them to a place called the Digital World.

The Digital World was another planet where Digimon lived. The terrain and features were very similar to ones in the real world except for everything there was made of data or fractal code. Even the Digimon were made of data. If injured enough, fractal code would start appearing around them.

As the trains left, 5 children's cell phones started to change and turn into Digivices. They were Takuya Kanbara, Kouji Minamoto, Tomoki Himi, Izumi Orimoto, and Junpei Shibayama. These children were the next Digi-Destined chosen by the Legendary Warriors. They didn't know it yet, but they were about to go on a life-changing adventure.

Upon arriving, they found out that this new world was in danger from a dark archangel named Cherubimon and needed their help to stop him from destroying it. Following the stranger's message, the children started to travel and found the spirits of the Legendary Warriors turning them into Digimon. The experience was amazing.

From there, they journeyed through the Digital World and battled all kinds of Digimon. They fought against Beast-type Digimon and the other evil Legendary Warriors. Internal fights were made, and feelings were challenged, but in the end, they overcame it.

During their travels, they came across their sixth companion, Koichi Kimura. The boy was otherwise known as Kouji's older twin brother. Cherubimon manipulated the boy and used the Powers of Darkness on him. Thanks to Takuya and Kouji, he was saved and turned into the true Legendary Warrior of Darkness.

With their new companion and teammate, they finally made it to their destination: the castle where Cherubimon resided. Inside, they found Ophanimon imprisoned. She was the person who sent out the message to all of the children in hopes of saving her corrupt friend.

The children all fought valiantly, but the evil archangel was too strong and overpowering. Just as all hope seems lost, Ophanimon broke through her cage and tried one last time to reason with him. It didn't work. Cherubimon dealt a fatal blow to her.

Using the last of her strength, Ophanimon changed Takuya's and Kouji's Digivices. Following her final words before turning into a Digi-egg, the children listened to their spirits and found a new strength. By combining the spirits of the Legendary Warriors, they achieved the power of Unified Spirit evolution.

With their new power, the children managed to defeat Cherubimon after a gruesome battle. They did it. They won and saved the Digital World. That's what they thought though.

Shortly after, they learned about the true mastermind behind the destruction of the Digital World: Lucemon. In ancient times, he was an angel Digimon who descended to the world during the war between human and beast Digimon. With his power, he ended the war and brought peace to the world.

Unfortunately, the peacefulness was only short-lived. Due to Lucemon's beliefs and pride, he thought the world would be a much better place if he had absolute control over it and became a tyrant. He was unstoppable until the 10 Ancient Legendary Warriors rose and rebelled against him.

After a decisive battle, the Legendary Warrior managed to defeat Lucemon and sealed him in the dark area. Exhausted from the battle, they decided to spend the last of their lives in deep slumber. Before sleeping, they released their spirits and entrusted them with the three angels Digimon: Sherapimon, Cherubimon, and Ophanimon. For a time, peace finally came to the Digital World.

Little did they know, Lucemon never gave up. He bided his time and when it was right, he took the opportunity to corrupt one of the angels, Cherubimon, to do his bidding. The poor angel never even knew he was being manipulated.

Due to the corruption, he fatally attacked Seraphimon and took Ophanimon hostage. He then spread his influence to other beasts Digimon and 5 of the Legendary Warriors to steal data in the Digital World and find the other spirits of the Legendary Warriors. This is what led Ophanimon to send out the message to the children in the Real World. It was a good thing too, because the chosen children were able to defeat him. Now, they had to face the new enemies.

As soon as Cherubimon lost, Lucemon sent two Royal Knights to finish what he started. They were the Passionate Warrior, Dynasmon, and the Indifferent Warrior, Crusadermon. The duo was powerful too. The first time the Legendary Warriors battled, they mopped the floor with them and blasted them to the moon.

Even after multiple rematches, the children were beaten every time. But they never gave up. They kept fighting and getting stronger until finally the Royal Knights were defeated. Just as Takuya and Kouji were just about to scan their data, Lucemon jumped in and took the Knights' data for himself, turning him into a stronger form: Lucemon Falldown Mode.

This new form was even stronger than the Royal Knights together. Not only did Lucemon defeat two transcendent, mega-level Digimon, but he also destroyed all three moons in the process. After he collected the fractal code of the Digimon who survived the moons' destruction, he went back to the dark area to fulfill the knights' promise of going to the Real World.

Thankfully, all of the children survived thanks to a little luck and the power of the three reborn angels in their rookie forms. They had to stop Lucemon from entering their world. Digimon weren't supposed to be in the Real World. If one ever went there, it would lead to a distortion and then the world's destruction. The children weren't going to let that happen!

Quickly, the Legendary Warriors all spirit evolved to confront and stop Lucemon. They all fought hard but even together, they were no match against the prideful angel. Just as Lucemon released the finishing blow to the Legendary Warriors ending them, Koichi jumped in and blocked the shot. He managed to save his friends but at the cost of his own life.

Thanks to his sacrifice though, the other children managed to combine all the spirits of the Legendary Warriors and formed a being that far surpassed the Ancient Legendary Warriors. With this new power, they bisected Lucemon and purified him, forming two eggs.

Unfortunately, things were far from over. When the kids purified him, they were only able to take the light data, but not the darkness forming a black egg. Soon, the egg took in the data of the dark area and changed to take the form of a purple dragon holding a black orb. It was Lucemon Shadowlord Mode.

The dragon then flew into the direction of the Real World still intent on invading it. The children quickly follow suit chasing after him. They finally caught up to him when they reached the basement of the train station. It was the place where everyone first left for the Digital World.

They had to hurry. Lucemon was almost through the real world. The train station was the final barrier before entering Shibuya. When they finally caught up to Lucemon, they used all kinds of attacks on him. Too bad it didn't work. The dragon kept regenerating whatever attacks were thrown at it.

[Tide of Despair] Noticing the interference, Lucemon exhaled a purple flame of destruction blasting the Legendary Warriors back down the train station. They de-digivolved back into their human forms with their fractal code showing.

Takuya tried to get back in there but was stopped by Kouji. They couldn't stop Lucemon if he kept healing from damage. But how were they going to stop him then? Takuya pounded a broken elevator in frustration, while everyone else was in despair about what to do.

Just as everyone was at the point of giving up, the spirits of the Legendary Warriors appeared before them and spoke. They were talking with them!

When the Digi-destined fought as Digimon, the spirits were always with them as well. They've been together every step of the way and knew their feelings well. Knowing that the spirits were still with them gave everyone strength. This final battle was not over yet!

The children's spirit evolved together one last time into their mega-level Digimon. When Lucemon was about to break free into the Real World, the kids managed to pull him back down to the empty space of the Digital World. This was going to be their final battlefield.

After learning the dragon of Lucemon was just a puppet and was being controlled somewhere else, the children decided to take a risk. They plunged into the orb the dragon was holding and found the true controller. It was Lucemon Larva form.

The children quickly punched the larva Digimon cutting off the link with the dragon. With no one to control the monstrous beast, the dragon started to enter a berserk state attacking anything around him. The kids quickly used this opportunity to pin the dragon down and slice him in half. The dragon was defeated as fractal code escaped out of his body going back into the Digital World. But it wasn't over yet.

The larva of Lucemon came from behind the children, giving them a fatal blow. Before doing it though, the spirits of the Legendary Warriors released the children out of their form taking the hit themselves. "Why, you!"

"This world is mine!" Lucemon said. "It exists for me!"

"Why, you!" The spirits replied. They then dispersed out of their mega-level form each taking a slash at Lucemon.

"I lost..." Those were Lucemon's final words before he let out a scream as his body dispersed into tiny light particles. The fractal code didn't even appear.

They did it. The Legendary Warriors finally defeated Lucemon. Soon, fractal code started to appear out of their Digivices going back into the Digital World. Landscapes started to form. The once-empty Digital World soon became whole again full of life.

Unfortunately, the children couldn't admire the newly formed world, because the gateway to the Real World was closing. The children would be stuck in the Digital World forever if they didn't return. Quickly, the spirits grabbed their partners and pushed them on the way back home.

They barely had time to say goodbye, but they would never forget the time spent in the Digital World. The memories and lessons would always be with them.

In the middle of the trip, Kouji found out from the Spirit of Darkness that his brother, Koichi, was still alive. There was still time to save him, but he had to hurry.

The children soon came out of an elevator. Looking at the time on the clock in the station, it still showed the same time when the kids left for the Digital World. It seemed like they never left. Sounds like the two worlds' times each run differently.

Quickly, Takuya led everyone to where Koichi was when he was here as a Digimon called Flamemon. They found the stairs where Koichi fell and some officers. After inquiring, the kids learned that Koichi was transferred to the nearest hospital and rushed there themselves.

Entering the ER room, they found the boy laying on the bed with an oxygen mask. His eyes or vitals showed no signs of life. Kouji slowly walked toward his brother in tears and told him he was back. He wanted his brother to wake up, and spend time together. He hoped for a miracle to happen.

A miracle happened. All of the children's Digivices started to glow. Some of the light went into Koichi. As a tear slowly left Kouji's eye hitting Koichi's forehead, the comatose boy's eyes started to refocus. He was alive again.

Koichi slowly lifted his hand to hold his brother's and smiled at him. "I wanted to meet you too."

Takuya, Tomoki, Izumi, and Junpei all smiled and ran happily toward the brothers. Their Digivices turned back into cell phones finishing their experiences in the Digital World. It was finally over.

Or was it? The thing about endings is. It just means a new beginning. This story isn't over yet.

There was something the Legendary Warriors didn't notice. When Lucemon: Larva was destroyed and released a bright light, there was a small red magic circle that depicted a symbol hidden within. It looked like symbols of the Legendary Warriors but with a different design and pattern.

The magic circle dissipated and blended with the scattered light before any of the kids or spirits noticed it.

Somewhere in the space between the Real World and Digital World, there was a flat, circular altar made of ancient rock with seven pillars surrounding it and a giant stone diamond right in the center of them. Above the pillars were magic circles emitting ominous energy. They each had different symbols and colors. The colors were specifically red, light blue, orange, blue, purple, yellow, and green.

Suddenly, the red magic circle started to crack until it completely broke apart into a gas-like energy. The energy slowly entered the diamond in the center of the room. The stone briefly turned red before going back to its clear colors. Soon, silhouettes began to appear in front of the other magic circles.

"So Lucemon was defeated." Someone said, "The voice came from the yellow circle and he didn't sound sad to see the angel gone."He must've faced a tough enemy. He was the strongest one out of us all. Only by a bit though."

"That's what he gets for going alone." Someone else said giggling. It was from the green circle this time. "He should've waited for the rest of us, but as usual, his pride got in the way."

"At least he was able to accumulate enough energy for us, and his defeat has lit a beacon for an opening to the Digital World." The purple circle spoke. It sounded like an old man. "Should we take advantage to invade? Is it time to wake him up?"

The purple silhouette directed his gaze to the blue magic circle. The blue circle didn't say anything, but sounds of snoring could be heard through it. It appeared like the blue silhouette was sleeping.

"I don't care as long as I get to devour." The light blue circle spoke up growling. It sounded like a hungry beast. "Let's go right now!"

"Not yet..." Finally, the orange circle spoke up. Judging from how none of the others immediately said anything after, this orange silhouette was the leader of this circle. Lucemon may have been the strongest out of all of them, everyone here knew the orange silhouette was the most diabolical. Even Lucemon didn't want to fight this guy and his mind games.

"Reason being?" The purple circle questioned finally. "From what I have observed from Lucemon's final moments, the Digital World just reformed. Now is the perfect time to invade and take over.

The red magic circle was connected to Lucemon and was bonded with another magic circle. When the prideful angel was defeated, the others were able to see almost all of the memories of their fallen acquaintance. They were able to understand the situation.

"Then what?" The orange circle replied. He also saw those memories too. "Unlike Lucemon, our power still needs to grow or those children would save it again. No, we need a better plan."

"What do you have in mind?" The yellow circle asked.

"We wait. We enter the Digital World slowly integrating with it, and then change it from the inside. We strike and take over once we have accumulated enough power there."

"What about those children?" The green circle couldn't help but speak up. "As you said, even if we take over the Digital World, those kids will just save it again."

"Who said anything about just conquering the Digital World?" The orange circle couldn't help but let out a grin.

"You don't mean..."

"You all saw the memories. You know what those humans can do and their ingenuity. We could use that." The orange circle continued. "It might take a few human years, but once we control the Digital World, those children are next. Let's make sure they never set foot into the place again."

The orange silhouette said some more details about the plan and what to do. Everyone agreed to it. Once the discussions were finished and roles established, the silhouettes started to fade going back into their magic circle until the orange one remained.

"Enjoy the years of peace Legendary Warriors, because it will be the last moments you will ever spend." Those were his last words before he disappeared as well.

Chapter Text

Shibuya is a special ward in the city of Tokyo, Japan. Due to being a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station and Shibuya Station. Its estimated population is around 228,906 people.

The place is a center for youth fashion and culture, and its streets are the birthplace of lots of Japan's fashion lines and entertainment trends. It's the go-to spot for entertainment, shopping, fashion, and restaurants for anyone locally or internationally. The ward also has amazing sites to visit like the Hachiko Memorial Statue and the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Its most famous site would be the city scramble crossing called Shibuya Crossing.

Shibuya Crossing is known to be the world's busiest pedestrian crossing with at least around 3,000 people crosswalking every two minutes. Between the time of 3:00-6:00 PM is the most hectic time for the crosswalk due to students getting out of school and workers going home. This was the best time to see all kinds of different people walking the streets.

There was a cafe overlooking the Shibuya Crossing. Inside were people drinking coffee or baristas taking customers' orders. On one of the tables sat two teenagers. Both were wearing their specific school uniforms.

The first person was a boy with messy brown hair. His skin was lightly tanned and had brown eyes. He wore a red shirt under a black blazer, black pants, white socks, and orange/red shoes with white soles. Although his appearance right now was kind of messy, the boy pulled off the image looking handsome.

The second person was a girl with beautiful long, blond hair and amazingly smooth skin. Her school uniform consisted of a long-sleeve button-up shirt over a light brown sweatshirt, a tan pleated skirt, purple socks, and light brown shoes. The way this girl stylized her hair made her look amazing. Some people in the cafe couldn't help but stop and stare at her for a second.

On the table were books. More specifically, they were books and workbooks on languages from Japanese to Italian and cultures in Italy. Judging from the two actions, the boy was studying extensively at the books, while the girl was helping him by being his tutor.

"C'mon, Takuya! You can do it! Forza! Forza!" The girl encouraged his friend while he was writing in one of the workbooks. "Also, those words do not say I want a glass of pizza."

"Alright alright, I got it, Izumi." The boy called Takuya replied, a little annoyed as he erased his answer.

These teenagers were Takuya Kanbara, and Izumi Orimoto otherwise known as the Bearers of the Legendary Spirits of Flame and Wind. It has been 7 years since their trip to the Digital World. When the children came back home, they slowly returned to their normal lives. The experiences they had there would always be with them as they continued to grow and live in their world.

Izumi went on with her life trying to be the kindest girl she could be, while still retaining her strong character. Before she came to the Digital World, the girl had trouble making friends due to cultural differences. Her classmates couldn't understand her or her strong personality causing the girl to be shunned. Although Izumi acted tough and uncaring about it, she felt pretty lonely and insecure about herself inside.

But now thanks to the experiences she gained in the Digital World, she learned to be more kinder and open-minded about the people around her. The thing about doing something new is that it takes time for things to adjust. Izumi's classmates were probably the same since they don't understand the social norms in Italy.

So, the girl took things more patiently and taught her classmates some Italian pronunciations and facts about Italy. Izumi even made pasta for the whole Home EC class. Her classmates really loved it and the new things they learned from her. Izumi finally felt like she was making true friends.

Takuya learned about the importance of family and working with others. At first, he was a bit self-centered and found his family annoying, especially his little brother Shinya. Why did he have to take care of the little snot-nosed brat? His mom always took the little boy's side too.

However, through the adventures with his new friends, he took his family for granted. Being a big brother was really important and from interacting with Tomoki, he found out that Shinya looked up to him and his actions, so Takuya had to be a good role model. Now, Takuya really treasures the time spent with his family and has become an amazing leader.

Going through his years in school, the boy still played soccer to this day. With his strong-willed personality and being a team player, his soccer skills were exceptional. It led to a talent scout from Italy offering him to play on the team there even though it was only the D series. He immediately accepted. It was an opportunity of a lifetime for him.

There was just one problem. Takuya didn't know any Italian! Although there might be a translator there who could help him, the boy couldn't rely on a translator forever. He had to learn the language, especially during games, so the boy went to the only person he knew who could speak fluent Italian: his friend Izumi Orimoto.

She accepted, and together with Takuya scheduled to meet for tutoring sessions. They met up 3 times a week for 1-2 hours of study sessions. Izumi was confident in about three months that her friend would completely master and speak the Italian language. Unfortunately, she forgot to factor in one thing.

Takuya was inept at learning. The boy never studied outside their study sessions and could barely retain what he learned during them. She tried every study technique she could think of, but the Takuya still had trouble learning. He was completely hopeless! Izumi lost count of how many times she nagged at the boy.

What was supposed to be a three-month thing stretched into eight months, and Takuya still barely knew how to speak Italian fluently. The boy was leaving for Italy in a few weeks. What was he gonna do?

"Let's call it a day then," Izumi said as their study session time was up. She would have to think of a more creative method to have her friend learn. Together they packed up their belongings, left the cafe, and walked in the direction of the train station going home.

As they walked through the Scramble Crossing to get to the station, Izumi couldn't help but let out a sigh. Takuya got annoyed by it. It was the fifth one she let out as they left the cafe. "Izumi, if you want something to say then say it." The boy said.

"Takuya, what are you going to do?" Izumi asked. "You're going to Italy in a few weeks and still nowhere close to speaking Italian."

"I know, and I'm working on it. It'll be fine" Takuya sighed at his friend's opinion of his Italian. "Besides, even if I can't learn the language on time, there are always charades."

"Please don't!" Izumi put her hands up exasperated. "Do you know how embarrassing that would be?"

"You're not doing the charades. I don't see the problem with it."

"Think about your reputation. What will your teammates think when you're doing that? Also by doing that, you'll give your soccer opponents a lot of body signals causing a big disadvantage for your team." Izumi put on a teacher stance. "No, you need to learn Italian and that's final!"

"I will. Tomoki already lectured me about it on the train a week ago. I promise to make more of an effort. Whatever it takes!" Takuya said determinedly. He also felt a little guilty for doing this to Izumi. She was taking time off her busy schedule just to help him. "Thanks for teaching me. I know how much time this is taking from you."

Izumi's eyes softened at those last words. "It's fine. It's what friends do right?"

"Yeah..." Takuya said smiling. He was really glad to meet Izumi and the others in the Digital World. Although it was hard for all of them to meet together, they still contacted each other and met up once in a while. Their friendship was still as strong as ever.

"Is that our soccer superstar Takuya Kanbara?" While waiting on the pedestrian signal to walk. Takuya heard a female voice talking about him. Turning his head toward the sound, he saw two girls around his age wearing the same school uniform as him.

They were probably girls that went to his school. Takuya, being a nice guy, waved at them acknowledging them. The girls grabbed each other's hands squealing in delight. "It is, and he just waved at us!" One of the girls screamed happily.

Izumi, noticing this, smiled. "Look at you Mr. Popular. I didn't know you were so well known in your school."

It was true. With Takuya's athletic body from soccer and fiery charisma, he was quite popular in school. Most girls from his school came to his soccer matches to watch him play and screamed whenever he scored a goal. When the school found out he was scouted to go play in Italy, his reputation soared even more.

"Wait a minute! Who's that person next to him?" The girls weren't finished yet. They got wide-eyed when they saw Izumi. "Is that Izumi Orimoto? The famous reader model?!"

Hearing that, it was Izumi's turn to wave her hand at them. The girls screamed even louder jumping up and down. "OMG, it is! I've got to take a photo!" said one of the girls taking out her phone. "I guess the rumors were true. Takuya is hanging out with a model."

"Look who's popular now." Takuya couldn't help but tease. When Izumi entered high school, she decided to try out modeling on a whim and actually liked it. Through the rest of her high school years, she became a reader model and was slightly famous outside her school for it.

"Oh shut it," Izumi replied playfully, shoving him aside. The girl was used to this fame. She was all smiles at first then her expression grew worried. "Takuya, is this alright?"

"What is?" Takuya answered with confusion.

"About being with me." Izumi heard those girls say something about rumors of her hanging out with Takuya. It wasn't hard to figure out it was gossip about the boy's love life. She didn't want girls at his school to think he was already taken. "Wouldn't hanging out with me alone so many times be getting in the way of your girlfriend or getting one?"

"I don't have a girlfriend right now and don't plan on getting one. Like you said, I'm leaving in a few weeks for Italy. I won't date and commit to a long-distance relationship with some girl." Takuya explained. "I don't mind it at all."

It was true. Before, Takuya used to get endless amounts of love letters from his locker. It got even worse when his scholarship to play in Italy came up. It was fine at first, and Takuya even went on dates with some of those girls. But they didn't work out.

For some reason, Takuya didn't feel right when he went on dates with those girls in his school. He was also getting sick and tired of emptying his locker full of letters every day just to dump them in the trash later. Fortunately, one of his classmates found out about him hanging out with Izumi and told his friend about it.

The rumor spread like wildfire that he was hanging out with a reader model. Soon, Takuya got fewer letters in his locker every day until it was completely empty. The boy should have been a little dejected to see the empty locker, but if he was being honest, he was kind of glad the love letters stopped coming and thankful for Izumi tutoring him due to it.

"Oh, that's good then," Izumi said quietly as she walked the middle crosswalk when the pedestrian signals turned white.

Takuya followed her. His eyes narrowed on Izumi. The boy might have been imagining it, but he felt like the girl's recent reply sounded perturbed. "Izumi..." Takuya started to say wanting to inquire about it, but something strange happened.

Fabrics of barcode-like strips started to cover the surrounding area. It covered everything around Shibuya Crossing: buildings, trees, and even people. The only thing it didn't cover was Takuya and Izumi.

Takuya was shocked. He recognized these weird barcodes. It was fractal code, and those only existed in one place: the Digital World. What was it doing here?!

As fast as the fractal code came, it disappeared just as quickly. Everything was back to normal, but there was one thing missing: the people. The once bustling city where thousands of people walked the Shibuya Crossing was empty. The area around the scramble crossing was like a ghost town now.

"Takuya, what's going on?" Izumi said. Her voice sounded slightly fearful. She wasn't used to seeing the crosswalks empty like this.

"I don't know, but we need to get out of here," Takaya said, walking toward the girl. Just then, the ground exploded a few feet away from them. The sheer blast blew the pair apart.

"Ugh." Takuya groaned while grabbing his head. He was lucky to get away with just a headache. Where did that explosion come from? Giant cracks and rubble appeared a few feet from where he was. The boy quickly looked at the explosion.

Judging from the heat coming off the ground and the direction of where the smoke was coming from, it looked like it was a laser blast that caused the explosion like the ones seen in sci-fi movies. Using the smoke, Takuya followed the trajectory to the origin of the attack. His eyes widened in shock at what he saw.

In his sights were two humanoid beasts. One looked like a white gorilla with a hand cannon on his right hand, while the other appeared to be a black, zombified two-legged lion. They were Digimon!

Gorillamon: A champion-level, beast-type Digimon whose special attacks are Power Lifting and Energy Cannon. Not only was this Digimon powerful in strength, but he was also very fast and nimble despite his size. His hand cannon was used for mid and long-range combat. He was a formidable foe.

MadLeomon: A champion-level, zombie zinger-type Digimon whose special attacks are Beast Blaster and Poison Claw. Although it was originally a lion Digimon, thanks to multiple dangerous modifications, he turned into his current appearance. Most of his intelligence and consciousness were lost in the process, but in turn, he gained deadly attacks and massive strength. It would not be wise to take him head-on.

What were they doing here!? Takuya remembered his Digimon friend telling him that if Digimon entered his home, it would mean the world's destruction. The boy had so many questions and judging from their ferocious looks and attacks, they were not friendly.

"Takuya, are you okay?" The Bearer of Flame turned toward the sound of the voice and found Izumi. She looked a bit winded but otherwise unharmed which made the boy glad. Unfortunately, the two Digimon heard the voice too, putting their sights on her.

"Izumi, get out of here now!" Takuya yelled. As much as he wanted to go to her, the explosion earlier caused a divide between them, and the boy couldn't get to her on such short notice. "Go and find help!"

"But what about you!?" Izumi said, now noticing the Digimon and the situation. "I'm not going to leave you!"

"Don't worry, I'll be fine," Takuya replied. Actually, the boy didn't know how to get out of this situation, but he wanted Izumi to be safe. "I'll catch up. I promise. Go!"

Izumi looked conflicted, but in the end, she complied with her friend's wishes. "You better be safe when I come back. You hear me!" With that, the girl turned around and ran in the opposite direction.

Gorillamon wasn't going to let the girl get away and aimed his hand cannon at Izumi, powering it up. He was going to shoot her!

'Oh no you don't,' Takuya quickly looked around to find anything that could stop Gorillamon. On the ground, he found his gym bag. All of his stuff was spilled out: soccer uniform, cell phone, and even 3 soccer balls. He kicked one of the balls without a second thought.

The ball went flying like a rocket. It swerved and hit right in between Gorillamon's eyebrows causing him to flinch. The energy beam that was just fired overshot going over Izumi's head.

Gorillamon repositioned his cannon ready to take another shot. Before the gorilla could fire again, his hand grabbed something that was aimed at one of his temples. It was the second soccer ball.

The bulky ape turned his attention toward Takuya. Anger and annoyance could be seen on his face. He gave the ball a strong squeeze until a pop sound was heard. "Change of plans. MadLeomon, go after the female." He growled. "This one's mine."

[Energy Shot] While the black lion went after Izumi, Gorillamon aimed his cannon at Takuya and fired energy bullets. Unlike the previous strong beam, energy bullets didn't require a load time. The bullets shot immediately toward the boy.

Takuya quickly dribbled his last ball and moved in another direction. Energy bullets came at him everywhere causing smoke and rocks flying everything. Gorillamon grinned at the destruction thinking of the boy's demise, but his smile froze.

Speeding out of the smoke was Takuya. He looked unharmed and was astonished he was too. The boy thought the bullets would be faster, but it kind of felt like a soccer match to him with the bullets being soccer balls or incoming opponents. He just avoided them when predicting their trajectory.

Gorillamon continued firing at him, but he couldn't land a hit on the boy. Takuya just kept on bobbing and weaving like he did on scrimmage against other soccer players. The ape was getting even angrier. "Stay still, you little fly."

The gorilla decided to change tactics, stopped firing energy bullets, and started to charge his cannon again. It looks like he was ready to fire another wide, strong beam again.

Takuya had to think of something quick. His instinct told him that there wasn't a way to dodge the next attack. The boy had one soccer ball left. He had to make it count and made a powerful kick.

The ball didn't even go in the ape's direction. It just flew in a random area. Gorillamon let out a laugh. "Nice shot, Your aim needs work."

'That's what he thinks' Takuya may have a tough time doing things like studying and being on time, but there were other qualities he excelled at. One of them was soccer.

Takuya knew Gorillamon would intercept the ball if kick it like last time, so he had to be a little more creative. Throughout his school years, the boy played all kinds of diverse soccer games. One of those types of games was street soccer.

In some countries, local areas couldn't afford a fancy grassy field to play on or even soccer balls to use, so the kids there had to use anything they could find as a substitute. This would include balling up a lot of newspaper and using woven wood to make a soccer ball. For the field, the players had to use what was around like their neighborhood streets to even inside a rowdy family diner.

What stood out to Takuya the most was the rule that players could use the environment as an advantage. A player could kick the ball at a wall rebounding it to score the goal. and it would count. Those were the rules, and players had to be familiar with the environment to do this. Some soccer players grew famous thanks to this type of soccer game.

Takuya used street soccer just for this purpose. He lived near Shibuya all of his life, so the boy knew where everything was. All the ball flew, it hit the walls of buildings, signs, and lamp posts. The soccer ball moved about from all kinds of angles until it finally hit its destination: right inside Gorrillamon's cannon when firing.

A misfire and implosion happened. Takuya grinned as he headed toward the closest manhole. The first part of his plan worked.

The boy would use his last soccer ball to stop and stun Gorillamon, while he made his escape toward the sewers. Although the place stunk, the ape would have a difficult time trying to fit in the manhole to pursue. It would give Takuya a chance for a breather and regroup with Izumi. Unfortunately, he underestimated the biology of Digimon.

[Power Lifting] A giant shadow flew up into the air and landed right in front of the manhole. It was Gorillamon. His hand cannon looked a little damaged but otherwise unharmed. Before Takuya could retreat, the ape grabbed the boy's arms and chest with his left hand and lifted him off the ground like a feather.

"Alright, human. Playtime is over." Gorillamon growled. Although that implosion didn't damage him much, it still hurt. Angry, he used his immense strength and gave the Bearer of Flame a strong squeeze like a stress ball.

Takuya grunted in pain. It felt like his chest was caving in and his windpipes clogged. His bones were on the verge of being crushed. The boy may have had an athletic body, but even he wouldn't last long if the ape pressed any harder.

Gorillamon let out a condescending grin. Was this the all-so-powerful Legendary Warrior of Flame? He could break this boy like a twig right now.

"You should be lucky it's me that is ending you," Gorillamon said, deciding to torment the teenager. "The girl has it worse. MadLeomon's attacks are known for being slow and painful. I can just imagine the screams now." The ape laughed maliciously.

"Yyy-," Takuya tried to say something, but Gorillamon's grip was tight on him.

"What?" Gorillamon loosened his hold a little just enough to talk. "Do you want to scream for mercy or thank me for a quick death?"

"You won't be able to!" Something just snapped inside Takuya. If there was something he hated the most, it was someone hurting his best friends. "I am not letting you or anyone else hurt her!" His blood boiled and his voice roared with fiery anger. "I will protect her! I will protect Izumi!"

Just then, flames burst out of the manhole covering Takuya and the ape's arm. It started to expand too. Gorillamon felt the intense heat of the flames, let go of the boy, and leaped to get away. What a strong fire! Looking at the relentless flames, he couldn't see anything inside. Did it come for him? Gorllamon quickly charged his cannon.

Takuya, on the other hand, was looking at the surrounding flames after he'd been released from the ape's grip. He didn't feel hot even though he was completely covered in the raging flames. This scene felt so familiar to him. Suddenly, a faded figure appeared in front of him.

This figure had blue eyes and long, yellow hair. He wore red armor with yellow streaks and black spikes on the shoulders and a mask with three white horns sticking out. It was the human spirit of the Legendary Warrior of Flame, and Takuya's partner in the Digital World.

The flame spirit looked at him and smiled. "It's good to see you again, Takuya. Are you ready to fight once more?" He said and held out his hand.

Takuya couldn't believe it! His partner was standing before him again. He had so many questions, but they could wait. Right now, there was a battle going on and these Digimon had to be stopped!

The boy took his partner's hand while he held out the other to the distant flames. His cell phone began to float on the ground, flew toward the fires, and into his hand. A bright light shone over the phone turning into a red, black Digivice. The Spirit of Flame then transformed into its relic form and entered the Digivice. The symbol of flame appeared.

It was time.

[Execute! - Spirit Evolution] The uncontrollable flames disperse, but Takuya wasn't there anymore. In his place was the exact form of the boy's partner. It wasn't intangible anymore.

Agunimon: The Human Legendary Warrior of Fire whose main attacks are Pyro Punch and Pyro Tornado. It's a variable, wizard-type Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientGreymon. Due to its armor, and oriental martial arts skills, he's a formidable fighter in hand-to-hand combat.

Right now, Agunimon was emitting waves of heat and warming the surrounding area. Gorillamon was not impressed. "Hmph! So you managed to attain your spirit. So what, you will still perish in the end, and it will be mine!"

[Energy Shot] Gorillamon fired a charged, high-powered energy beam similar to his first attack and landed dead on Agunimon causing an explosion. The ape smiled at his work looking at the rocks and debris flying everywhere. There was no way anyone would survive, but the Legendary Warrior of Flame wasn't just anyone.

In the clearing smoke was Agunimon. There wasn't a single scratch on him. He took that energy beam head-on, and the warrior didn't even flinch.

"Is that all you got?" Agunimon said, putting his fist together. "My turn then."

[Pyro Punch] Flames danced around the Flame Warrior's arms until they converged on his fists. Agunimon then punched out sending two big fireballs straight toward Gorillamon. They hit the ape straight in the chest and right arm.

Gorillamon couldn't help but let out a miserable screech. He felt like the flames were already searing through his skin and into the bones. The ape quickly used his left hand to smother the flames on his chest and right arm.

Using this opportunity, Agunimon rushed toward Gorillamon until he was only a few centimeters in front of him. The Warrior of Flame then pivoted his body, clenched his fist, and gave a mighty uppercut toward the ape's chin. The force from it was so strong that it caused Gorillamon to go up a few feet in the air.

[Pyro Tornado] Agunimon jumped after Gorillamon and went into a spin. Flames poured out from the holes in his armor turning him into a fire tornado. The red, hot tornado shortly engulfed the ape.

Gorillamon couldn't help but let out a cry. It felt like he was being burned alive in an oven with the help of a flamethrower. The scent of burned fur could be smelled, and seeing his white fur on fire, Gorillamon couldn't take the heat anymore. He just wanted it to end.

It did. The fire tornado ended, and Gorillamon was greeted with a round kick to the chest. This was the final blow for him and an explosion burst behind his back. The ape faded to black as fractal code appeared around him.

"Corrupted, evil soul. This Digivice will purify you." Agunimon pulled out his Digivice and slashed it across Gorillamon's code. "Fractal code, Digitize!"

The fractal code left Gorillamon and went inside the Digivice. Things got stranger after. As the last of the code left, what should have been a Digi-egg in place was an animal. To be exact, it was an albino chimpanzee. It was an animal from the Real World. What was it doing here instead of a Digi-egg?

The chimpanzee looked around confused, saw the tall, fiery Digimon, let out a terrified screech, and scampered off.

With the battle finally over, fractal code surrounded Agunimon turning him back into Takuya. The boy couldn't help but sigh in relief. Fighting a Digimon without his spirit and then battling again with it after such a long time took a mental toll on him. He looked at his Digivice and saw the picture of Agunimon on it.

'It's good to fight by your side again, my friend.' All kinds of feelings welled up inside of him. There were still a lot of questions, but right now, he was glad his partner was by his side once more. Although he wanted to revel in this feeling some more, it had to wait. There was still someone who needed help.

Takuya quickly ran in the direction where Izumi took off. She was still in danger, but before the boy could even take 5 steps, he heard a loud crash. Looking toward the noise, he saw the smoke coming off the roof of the Shibuya 199 building. Part of the roof was destroyed as concrete rocks fell.

In the middle of those descending rocks, something else was falling. It was a person with long blond hair. Takuya's face turned pale, recognizing the figure, and yelled.

"IZUMI!"

Chapter Text

I can't believe someone actually said those words. Thank you so much Mai from Archiveonourown. As promised, here is the next chapter of this Digimon Frontier Fanfiction.

Please enjoy Chapter 2: Leap with the Winds, Kazemon!

During the battle between Takuya and Gorillamon

The Shibuya 199 is a department mall targeted toward young women. On the outside, it is a 164 feet tall tube-like building with a big sign that shows the number 199 at the top of the roof. On the inside, it houses 120 shops on over 10 floors and is the place where young ladies' fashion trends are born.

Each shop offers a cornucopia of hot items like apparel, footwear, bags, accessories, and much more at reasonable prices. They help bring new, up-and-coming fashion designers to light and give customers their unique styles. It is the reason why Shibuya 199 is the epitome of pop culture and fashion in Tokyo.

The place was usually filled with young girls and women shopping, but since being covered in fractal code, the building was completely empty. There were no customers or workers in sight, just the clothes and accessories being displayed until a girl burst through the front doors in a rush. It was Izumi Orimoto.

Izumi looked around the first floor hoping to find help only to put her head down in defeat. As expected, there was no one here. Like every other store and restaurant she passed through, there were no signs of people. What happened to them? Did they just disappear off the face of Japan?

The phones didn't work either. Izumi tried anyone who would answer only for it to go to voicemail or make a static sound on her cellphone. She was on her own.

Instead of going to another building, Izumi decided to stay and make her stand here. She heard what that gorilla said and knew the zombified lion was coming after her. The girl couldn't fight a Digimon without her spirit, so she needed another option. Luckily, she was in the Shibuya 199 store.

Even before she became a reader model, Izumi always liked to shop at the Shibuya 199 building. The girl knew almost every nook and cranny of the stores here which gave her the advantage. She had to work fast though.

Looking around the floor of the building, a plan started to form in her head. Working quickly, Izumi grabbed a fire extinguisher, a big mop bucket, a hatchet, and a few bottles of soap; and started to prep everything. As soon as everything was in position, a loud crash was heard at the front doors.

What used to be the entrance of Shibuya 199 now stood zombified lion with claws decaying the rocks and metal around him. MadLeomon finally caught up. "There you are!" He said looking at Izumi. "Time to die."

[Poison Claw] MadLeomon leaped at Izumi. His claws, filled with this eerie, black energy, aimed straight at her. Seeing as the metal the lion touched earlier just decayed and crumbled into nothing, it was not a good idea to be scratched by those claws.

Any normal person would have been shaking in fear, but Izumi was waiting for it. She just hoped her plan would work. The girl lifted her hatchet and brought it down on the lid of the fire extinguisher positioned earlier.

The lid broke off, and fine powder exploded out like a Mentos-filled soda bottle. The fire extinguisher flew out like a cannon heading straight toward MadLeomon. It hit him right in the head. The impact caused him to be disoriented a bit and land prematurely to stabilize himself.

Usually, the zombie lion would have no problem stepping on the ground for balance. Unfortunately though, what he currently stepped on was a wet, soapy floor.

Before MadLeomon crashed through the entrance, Izumi dumped the mop bucket filled with water to the floor until the whole area near the front doors was lightly covered in water. She then emptied the soap bottles causing the water to emit tiny bubbles. The floor was now a slippery wet zone.

As intended, MadLeomon slipped and fell. Using his earlier leap as momentum, he slid across the first-floor mall and crashed right into the perfume department. Glass bottles fell off the displays and broke on the ground.

The liquid spilled everywhere on MadLeomon and the whole shop. Strong aromas and scents assaulted the black lion's nose making his eyes water. Even Izumi could smell it from across the mall and had to cover her nose. That lion probably had enhanced senses too. She could imagine what pain he was feeling.

With MadLeomon distracted, Izumi ran toward the entrance of the mall but stopped. She initially wanted to regroup with Takuya and back him up, but what could she do? The girl would be more of a liability than help, but she didn't want to leave him alone either. It left her conflicted.

Suddenly something lightly jolted her, and the girl ran toward the elevators.

Crunch Crunch. The noise was coming from MadLeomon. He was slowly adapting to the mixtures of perfume, and coming to. It was time for Izumi to enact the final part of her plan.

Before getting in the elevator, the girl threw the hatchet but not at MadLeomon. The flying blade flew across the mall and hit the keypad for the security system on the wall.

The machine made a hissing sound before the alarm sounded. Soon after, red lasers shot out of the walls of the first floor. These weren't sensory lasers. These were military, lethal-grade lasers. A touch would leave a person with burns, cuts, and scars.

Izumi learned about this system one time when shopping for clothes during mall closing times and knew about the fail-safe activation if the controls were tampered with. She never understood why this mall needed such a dangerous security system, but right now, she was glad for it.

MadLeomon looked at the small red beams and laughed. "Puny human, do you think these things would stop me? How hysterical!" The black lion proceeded to walk through the tiny beams. It was not a good idea.

In normal circumstances, tiny laser beams would be able to hurt the Digimon but not by much. The lasers wouldn't penetrate his skin just leaving some burns. Even if he got his limb cut off by the laser, the lion was a zombie-type Digimon. He would just reattach and regenerate it. There was just one little detail.

MadLeomon was drenched in perfume. The liquid tends to be quite flammable. As soon as the lion touched the red beam, he lit up in flames like a Christmas tree. It didn't stop there. The fire spread out into the shop until the whole place turned into an inferno.

Just as the elevator doors closed, Izumi could hear MadLeomon's miserable screams in the distance. The girl couldn't help but nod her head. Using beauty products can be a painful experience.

The elevator was moving up to the top floor. Izumi put her back against the wall and let out a sigh of relief. MadLeomon was going to be preoccupied, so the girl had a breather for a moment.

As much as she wanted to reunite with Takuya, without her spirits, Izumi would do more harm by showing up. In the middle of her conflicting choices, she felt something calling her. It was coming from above. She didn't know why, but it felt familiar. This led her to decide to go to the elevators and head to the top floor. She just hoped that Takuya would be alright.

Thinking about the boy, Izumi couldn't help but smile. Her friend was completely hopeless. Why did he decide to go to another country to play soccer if he was completely inept at learning the language? She has been tutoring him for eight months and there was barely any progress.

It was a completely reckless choice. Izumi has always kept telling him to look before he leaps, but he never listens. Any normal person would have just given up on him, but the girl never did. Secretly, she always liked Takuya's passionate spirit and kinda enjoyed spending time with him even when he was annoying sometimes. She wondered why, but it was never a dull moment being with him.

The elevator doors opened, and Izumi walked to the highest floor in the building. Looking around the hall of small shops, she didn't see anything out of the ordinary. Closing her eyes, she started to focus on the calling.

It was still there coming from above. Since this was the highest floor in the building, there was only one place where it was coming from. Izumi quickly ran to the stairs and went even higher to the roof.

The lid to the roof should have been locked, but Izumi had no problems with it. The thing was already unlocked and could be easily opened. It was probably due to the laws of this fractal-covered world being different from the real thing.

Walking out to the roof, Izumi was met with the blowing wind. She was standing on the circular platform at the top of Shibuya 199 and could see the other tall buildings across. The girl took a moment to feel the wind blow through her hair. It felt amazing.

Even before she became the Legendary Warrior of Wind, Izumi always liked experiencing the moving winds. It felt like her worries were being carried away. When she was a Digimon, her attunement to the element was further increased.

She could see all kinds of colors from different types of winds. Zephys represented sky blue. Tailwinds looked orange. It wasn't just the colors either. She could also feel the sensation of those different wind variations, their appearances, and tunes.

Even now, Izumi could still feel some of the sensations whenever the wind blew. It made her happy that she was still connected to the Digital World even after the years go by. It always gave her nostalgia.

Taking in the feeling one last time, the girl ran toward the edge of the roof. Before she could investigate what was calling her, she had to make sure Takuya was alright. She looked in the direction of the Scramble Crossing hoping for the best and felt relieved.

In her sights were Gorillamon and red-armored Digimon. It was Agunimon! Izumi didn't know how, but Takuya must have managed to find his spirit here. That was great! Now they had a chance and judging from the fight, Agunimon was winning. If he regrouped with her after beating the ape, they might be able to survive this ordeal.

Just as Izumi finished this thought, the center of the roof suddenly exploded. Rocks and metal flew everywhere and left a hole in the center. Slowly, MadLeomon crawled out of it. He looked pretty bad.

His appearance was even darker than usual and some bald spots showed on his body. The black lion must've been too late to put out some of the flames. Izumi could smell the mixture of overdosed perfume and burnt hair from him.

"You are so dead, human!" Anger couldn't even begin to describe how MadLeomon was feeling. Just recently, the black lion was hit, drenched, and burnt by a weak, puny human, and she didn't even Digivolve. It was humiliating! Now, MadLeomon wanted to tear this girl limb by limb.

Izumi backed away until she was only a step from falling off the roof. There was no way to go or escape. She was trapped.

MadLeomon, noticing her predicament, smiled. Payback was coming. "Any last words, human?" He said.

At first, Izumi was scared not knowing what to do but then her eyes sharpened. She straightened her posture and stood her ground. "Take your best shot, you glorified, ugly kitty!" She said with no fear in her eyes.

[Beast Blaster] MadLeomon did not take the insult well and fired a spirit in the shape of a lion's head. The spirit crushed the concrete on the roof as it headed toward Izumi. This was an attack that bit and crushed anything in its way passing through. If Izumi took that attack, her bones would be crushed. MadLeomon grinned maliciously at the thought.

Izumi did the only thing that was available to her. Before the attack reached her, she turned and leaped off the building. Hard gravel crumbled and exploded where she was standing.

She free-fell down Shibuya 199 with debris and rocks following behind. Even if she didn't die from the fall, the falling rocks would finish the job. There seems to be no way to come out. Izumi should've been afraid, but she wasn't.

As the wind blew down her face, she could feel it. She could feel the mysterious being calling her. It was there, and it needed an answer. Judging from how Takuya turned into Agunimon, it was obvious who it was.

"Spirit!" Izumi yelled at the top of her lungs.

Just then, a bright, pink light shot down from the clouds and flew toward the Shibuya 199. It blew away the falling rocks in the way until it was near Izumi. Wind surrounded them stopping the girl's descent as the mysterious being grabbed her hand.

Sensing that the danger passed, Izumi opened her eyes to see who was her mysterious savior and couldn't help but smile. In front of her was a slightly transparent humanoid butterfly who was glowing pink. It was the human Spirit of the Wind!

"Izumi, è passato molto tempo." The Spirit of Wind said smiling. "Come stai?"

So many emotions ran through Izumi. This was her unforgettable partner in the Digital World. Although she wished the circumstances were better, she was happy to see her spirit once again. There were so many things to tell her, but Izumi didn't know where to start, so she settled with just one word. "Commozione..."

Something started to glow in Izumi's pocket. It was coming from her cellphone! Taking out the device, it started to warp and bend until it morphed into her lavender-pink Digivice. The Spirit of Wind then changed into her relic form and entered the Digivice. The symbol of Wind appeared.

It was time.

[Execute! - Spirit Evolution] A figure flew right back up toward the roof until she overlooked the whole thing. She had fair skin, long purple hair, silk-like butterfly wings, and wore a slightly revealing lavender outfit with a big waistband to cover her stomach, and a visor on her head. She looked like a beautiful fairy ready to ease people's worries.

Kazemon: The human Legendary Warrior of Wind whose main attacks are Tempest Twist and Hurricane Wave. It's a variable, fairy-type Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientKazemon. Don't be fooled by her looks. She can send her opponent flying with just a dropkick.

"Human still must die!" MadLeomon looked at the butterfly with only a single-minded purpose to violently destroy on order. He didn't care if Izumi got her spirit or not. His body radiated energy.

[Beast Blaster] The black lion fired another attack at the butterfly. Kazemon moved to dodge and flew down at him. Her legs were positioned for a flying sidekick.

[Poison Claw] MadLeomon retaliated back and swiped out his right claw filled with toxic energy. Kazemon swerved slightly to the left avoiding the attack by an inch. Using her legs, Kazemon used MadLeomon's arm as a base, propelled over him, and landed behind him with her hands. She was now on the ground doing a handstand.

[Tempest Twist] Kazemon split her legs apart and pushed her hands on the ground in a circular motion. She started spinning with her legs still in the air and headed toward the black lion. As MadLeomon turned his head, he was met with a whirlwind kick to the right cheek. The force was so strong that he flew off the building. Before he did, however, he managed to grab Kazemon's left calf taking her with him. Now, both of them were falling.

"If I am going down," MadLeomon said with no fear of hurdling toward the ground. "I'm taking you with me." His grip was still tight on the butterfly.

Kazemon just looked at him like he was an idiot. They were now fighting in mid-air, and she was the Legendary Warrior of the Wind. It was pretty obvious who had the advantage.

[Roseo Temporale] Kazemon then unleashed rapid-fire machine-gun kicks at the black lion. Eyes, nose, ears-nothing was spared as she kept kicking. MadLeomon had to let go of her leg. Both her legs were now free and attacked him with double the force. She ended the attack with a backflip kick in the air and watched the black lion descend further down.

MadLeomon, disoriented as he was, started to shift his body weight toward the Shibuya 199 building. It would stop his descent if he could crash through the windows or grab something. It was better than hitting the ground. Unfortunately, Kazemon wasn't going to give him the chance.

[Hurricane Wave] Long, pink tornadoes appeared out of Kazemon's fingertips. With a wave of her hands, she threw the tornados at MadLeomon. The tiny tornados started to intertwine forming one strong wind wave. Once the attack landed on MadLeomon, he flew down like a bullet. He wouldn't be able to grab anything. All the black lion could do was wait for the inevitable.

MadLeomon crashed into the ground hard leaving a giant crater. Even if his physical modifications made him tolerant to most pain, he wasn't gonna get up after falling 50 meters off a building. The Digimon couldn't even move his fingers. The black lion slowly faded to black as fractal code appeared around him.

"Through a fresh wind, this Digivice will purify you into a beautiful and just soul!" Kazemon said flying down in front of MadLeomon with her Digivice in hand. "Fractal code, Digitize!"

She scanned her Digivice through the black lion's fractal code causing it to enter the device. As the last of the code left MadLeomon, his shadowy figure disappeared, and in his place was a black cat. The little guy looked around curious until he saw Kazemon.

"Meow," The black cat let out a mew at the butterfly before scampering off. Fractal code surrounded Kazemon until Izumi appeared. She looked at the running feline in confusion. Why did a black cat appear instead of a Digi-egg? First the the disappearing people and now this! The situation was getting stranger and stranger.

"Izumi!" Before the girl could delve any further, she heard someone say her name. It was Takuya. He was sprinting toward her.

"Takuya- oh" Izumi couldn't even finish her sentence as the boy hug her tight. The girl could feel his hands trembling on her back.

"You're okay..." Takuya whispered silently. He was really worried about her.

Izumi's eyes soften. Even when the gang lived in different areas coming back from the Digital World and could only chat on phone calls or emails, their friendship never weakened. If anything, it only made it more meaningful. Izumi was about to hug back when the boy pulled apart.

"How could you do something so stupid?!" Takuya reprimanded slightly angry.

"Excuse me!" Izumi replied offended by the insult. There goes the tender moment.

"Jumping off the roof of a building?" Takuya elaborated. "That was a completely reckless thing to do!"

"Well, it was either that or be chomped off by a lion." Izumi crossed her arms staring pointedly at her friend. "Besides, I don't want to hear about it from you!"

"What? Name one reckless thing I've done."

"How about five?" Izumi was not backing down and put her hands on her hips. "From last month."

Takuya didn't have a reply for that. He had to pause for a moment to remember what he just said. Did he just reprimand someone for being reckless? The boy chuckled and scratched the back of his hair. "Sorry, I guess I was a bit worried. You did fall off a building."

"I get it," Izumi said calming down. Seeing your friend fall off a tall building with falling rocks would make her worried too. "At least you know how I feel about your antics. I've been dealing with it for years around you."

"C'mon Izumi, I know you like it." Takuya smiled as he playfully elbowed his friend.

"You wish," Izumi replied lightly pushing his elbow away. Her face maintained a stoic expression. Inwardly though, she was trying not to smile. There were times when she did find her friend's antics amusing.

Even in this stressful situation, Takuya always had a way to lighten the mood and keep moving forward. They were just attacked by Digimon in the Real World for goodness sake, and he wasn't even phased by it! She wished she had his optimism. She was extremely worried about how were they going to get back to their world.

Just as her thought finished, fractal code surrounded the area once again covering the ground and buildings. It looks like their environment were about to change into something else.

Takuya grabbed Izumi's hand immediately. He did not want to be separated from her again. The girl did not reject him.

Both held their Digivices tightly ready for another battle. As fabrics of fractal code disappeared, the new sight left the duo surprised.

The buildings and sites were still the same, but the people were back. The recent ghost town of Shibuya returned to its normal, bustling state. The damages caused by the earlier battles all but disappeared. It was like it never happened.

Takuya and Izumi looked around in confusion. Were they really back? Was this really Shibuya, Japan?

"Mommy, Mommy Look! Those two people are holding hands!" A little girl nearby said with her mom looking at the pair. "Are they in love?"

"Let's not interrupt them, sweetheart." The mom replied pulling her daughter to the crosswalk.

In response to that question, Takuya and Izumi both got flustered and let go of each other hands. They were back. They were definitely back.

"Sorry," Takuya said. His face turned to avoid his friend's line of sight.

"I- It's fine. I understand why you did it." Izumi replied trying to ignore her flustered expression and looked at her cell phone.

When the fractal code left, their Digivices glowed and transformed back into cellphones. Looking at it, she wondered if she imagined it all. Was it even real? Was I dreaming?

The symbol of wind appeared on the screen of the phone followed by the picture of Kazemon. Okay, it wasn't a dream. Whatever was going on though, the Digital World must be in trouble again.

Although it has been years since she's been there, the place was still a second home to her and her friends. If it was in trouble, Izumi was going to do everything in her power to help.

She looked at the picture of Kazemon intently and smiled. It was good to have her partner back. The Spirit of Wind was like a part of her and a dear friend.

"Takuya..." Izumi said getting his attention. A thought suddenly occurred to her. "If we were able to get our spirits and got attacked by Digimon, wouldn't that mean..?"

At first, the boy didn't understand what Izumi was getting at but everything clicked into place as his eyes widened. "The others!"

Takuya quickly tapped into the contacts on his phone trying to call Tomoki or Kouji. The spirits were back, and Digimon were attacking. They had to let their friends know and warn them.

Izumi did the same with Junpei and Koichi. After 7 years, something was once again stirring around them. She just hoped her other friends were okay and that it wasn't too late.

Looks like Takuya and Izumi were able to fight off their battles, but what about the others? Who will the Digimon strike next? I could tell you guys, but that would ruin the story so sit tight. I'll get the next chapter ready for everyone next month. Eat some ice cream or frozen yogurt until then. 

I hope you guys are enjoying the story so far.

Chapter Text

To the guest and mai who commented on the reviews, thank you. Seeing reviews like yours about my fanfiction inspires me to keep writing more. It made me really happy when I saw your comments. Thank you again for also telling me to take my time. I wish I could post faster, but my writing is slow with my job and life. I will promise though that I'll keep posting chapters on a monthly basis at least.

For everyone who liked and bookmarked this fanfiction thank you for bearing with me.

Without further ado, here is chapter 3 of my fanfiction: Freezing Determination, Kumamon

Shibuya High School was a co-ed, private secondary school in the ward of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. People called Shiba-Shiba for short. The school was divided into two divisions, the junior division and senior division. Students went to school here for six years and could only be admitted to the junior division.

The school's goals were to develop students' skills in succeeding in an international, diverse world, and the academy was currently ranked as one of the top 10 junior high schools in Japan. Throughout the years, their education system has created some of the most famous people around the world. Examples are athletes, chess players, and artists on an international level. If there was a place that could train you for society inside or outside the country, this school would be it.

At the moment, school was over and every student was either going home or doing extracurricular activities. Some played basketball or practiced kendo with their bamboo swords in the gym. Others were in the home EC room making fresh cookies.

In a certain part of the school, there was a plaza. It was mostly covered in grass with bushes and trees carefully planted around. A fountain was centered in the middle with granite tables and benches surrounding it as sidewalks made of decorative concrete stretched out making different pathways. It was a beautiful scenery and a great place where students could study and relax.

There was a boy sitting at one of the tables. With his green school uniform on, he was 180 cm tall and had brown hair. He looked focused writing something on a big white poster.

"Tomoki, I got the flyers printed!" Another boy with glasses said running toward Tomoki with a bundle of paper.

That's right. The tall, brown-haired boy was Tomoki Himi, otherwise known as the Bearer of Ice. Out of all of the children's experiences in the Digital World. Tomoki was probably the one who changed the most through them.

Through their adventures, he made great friends with the other children and saw them as older siblings. Tomoki even looked up to Takuya as an idol, but most importantly, the boy found courage.

Before entering the Digital World, Tomoki used to be bullied, especially by two boys. It was hurtful. He didn't know why he was being picked on and cried. Why were these boys mean to him? He didn't deserve it.

It was during his time there that he found real courage. He stood up to two candle Digimon without a care for his safety, helped two drowning birds who stole from him, and even saved the bullies during a situation. The most important lesson Tomoki learned though was why he had no friends.

As a child, Tomoki's parents babied him a lot. He used to get everything he wanted. It made him spoiled. It made his brother Yutaka angry with him to no end. The boy always thought his brother was a big bully for it.

The truth was Yutaka was looking out for him. When things go bad, Tomoki would hide behind other people. He also used to ask others to do what he wanted making him selfish. It resulted in him having no friends.

Thanks to his experiences in the Digital World though, he found out why. A person shouldn't be so selfish. Friends should worry about and help each other. If everyone was selfish or spoiled, where would the world be?

After returning home, he became more courageous. Tomoki started to stand up to other kids and speak up against them. His actions made others touched and the little boy was surrounded by great friends. Some of them used to be his bullies.

The boy in the glasses was one of them. His name was Teppei. He used to bully Tomoki before entering the Digital World. Now, he was one of his closest friends.

"Thank Teppei," Tomoki said as he took the flyers. "These will definitely help with the campaign."

"I still can't believe you're running for student council president," Teppei replied. "You'll probably be the first-ever first-year to be president in this school."

"Someone has to, right? It might as well be me." As the years went by, Tomoki's justice only grew. When he entered senior high, he found out there were cases of bullying in his school and wanted to do something about it. It was the reason he was in the plaza. He was making a giant banner with his slogan: 'Bullying and mean behavior are unforgivable!'

Tomoki didn't know how at first, but after a pep talk from Takuya on a train ride, he decided to run for president of the student council. It was a total shock. Usually, the role went to a second-year student, but Tomoki wanted it now. He couldn't wait another year for it. More problems could arise if not addressed sooner.

By being student council, Tomoki could have more outreach and interactions with all of the students, clubs, and extracurricular activities. He can organize events like the school's cultural festivals in a really fun, happy environment. Most importantly, Tomoki wanted to lead by example.

Since he was going to be a big leader in the school, a lot of students would be looking up to him and ask for advice. He wanted to show others that there were other ways besides hurting people. Tomoki wanted to fight injustice and helped people who can't help themselves.

"I still wished Katsuharu was still here." Tomoki continued. "Did he really have to go on vacation as soon as classes were over?"

Katsuharu was the other boy who used to bully Tomoki. He was supposed to help with the campaign too but had to leave early with his parents to go on vacation.

"Going snowboarding right after school is over? I would leave early too." Teppei raised his eyebrow. "Why? Did you want more help with the campaign? There is still time, and he can help you when he comes back."

"No, it's not that," Tomoki replied. "It's just I wanted to ask both of you something before leaving today."

"What's that?"

"Why did you guys bully me back then?" Tomoki asked. He had a serious look on his face.

"Umm..." Teppei paused. He didn't know how to answer that. They were friends now. Why would his friend ask that question now? Were there still some negative feelings about it?

"Don't think I am holding a grudge or something?" Tomoki explained as if reading Teppei's thoughts. "I just want to know why you and Katsuharu did it back then and understand it. What was the cause of it?"

Tomoki wanted to stop bullying, but he had to understand why it was happening. What causes a person to bully someone else you barely know? Was there an issue with the person or someone related to them? These were questions that Tomoki wanted to know.

By understanding a problem can a solution be given. Tomoki decided to learn more about bullying, so he'll be more open-minded when communicating with others- victims and bullies alike. And what better way to ask his former bullies in elementary school questions about bullying.

Teppei gave Tomoki a deep look. He could see the sincerity in his friend's eyes and also his determination. The boy couldn't help but smile at it.

Not only did Tomoki have amazing courage, but he also had a very high EQ. He didn't want just to stop bullying, but to make the world a better place. It was the main reason why Teppei and Katsuharu wanted to help him with his campaign. Tomoki would make a great student council president.

"I guess..." Teppei then started to explain. When he first met Tomoki, he thought the little boy was a wimp. Saying selfish things and thinking he would get what wanted, peeved Teppei. When he pushed him down to the ground and called him weak, it felt good and right. It led him to keep doing it to the poor boy.

The truth was though that Teppei hated himself. Back then, his life wasn't so good, and he was powerless to do anything about it. He despised the world and wanted to take it out on someone. It could've been anyone, but the lucky person was unfortunately Tomoki.

Tomoki listened with rasped attention. His face showed a neutral expression. It was surprising to know about something negative in life could bring harm to others. Now it was time to figure out how to help. "So what changed?"

Teppei turned his head away from him and said, "Not telling."

"What? Why not?" Tomoki asked.

"First off, it's embarrassing for me to talk about," Teppei replied. "And secondly, it's just my problems. Everyone has different circumstances and bullies for different reasons. My solution may not work with others."

"I understand that," It was going to be a long road to stop bullying since it's been going on for generations. But if something doesn't happen, how does it stop? "But I want to do something. I want my words and actions to do more to stop bullies. I want to tell them that what they're doing is truly wrong."

"Tomoki," Teppei looked hard at his friend. "Trying to understand a bully and wanting to know more is a great first step. It's amazing. Just give it time. I know you'll find a method. Just take it a step at a time."

"Thanks, Teppei," Tomoki said. In the Digital World, he learned that his courage can make a difference. Now, it was time to see if he could turn it into something that could help everyone.

"It's not a problem," Teppei replied, smiling. "Actually, talking about this with you made me feel better and happy about how far I've come."

"I'm glad." Tomoki smiled back, reminiscing about their early childhood. Both of them have come a long way since then. "It's a little early, but let's go get some ice cream after we put up these flyers. I've been craving it for some reason.

"Sure thing." With that, they packed up and started to put flyers across the school.

Unfortunately, they didn't go even a few steps before fractal code started covering the plaza. It covered the few students surrounding them and the structure of the entire school.

"What the?" Tomoki looked around alarmed. He knew what kind of phenomenon was happening. The same thing happened in the Digital World.

When a Digimon takes part of an area, it turns into fractal code, and either goes into the taker or transforms into a ball or shape to make the data easier to carry. Part of the area then disappears leaving only a hollow area with only the dark area in sight.

A similar situation was happening right now. The question was why. This wasn't the Digital World, and it looked like this phenomenon was a little different.

Tomoki couldn't explain why, but it felt like the fractal code wasn't taking the area away. It was more like putting a blanket over it. The fabrics of barcodes were overwriting the area, but not taking it. It was really strange.

When the fractal code disappeared, all that was left was Tomoki and Teppei along with an empty school. The few students around them were gone, and the used-to-be vibrant place turned a bit eerie.

"Tomoki, what's going on?" Teppei said a little fearful. He has also been to the Digital World and experienced fractal code before. He just didn't expect it to happen here in Japan.

"I don't know.." Tomoki replied surveying the area. He had a bad feeling about this. "But we need to get out of here."

Tomoki's hair suddenly stood on end. Instinctively, he tackled Teppei moving them from their original positions.

Just then, a rock surrounded by flaming magma landed on the spot where Tomoki and Teppei were. It was followed by other fiery rocks hitting different parts of the plaza causing the whole area to be engulfed in flames.

Teppei shuddered looking at the spot they were just at which was a molten pit of black grass and fire. If Tomoki hadn't pushed him out of the way, who knows whether he'd be alive.

"Come on," Tomoki said pulling Teppei up. "We need to move!"

"But where?" Teppei asked. Looking around, all he could see was flames. Thanks to the raining fire, most of the plaza was burning. Smoke was already starting to block their vision.

"This way!" Tomoki quickly led Teppei to the fountain of water. The boy quickly jumped and submerged himself in the water. Teppei, immediately understanding what his friend was doing, followed suit.

Once they were completely soaked, they took out their wet handkerchiefs and covered their mouth and nose. If the duo ever touched the fire, it would at least go through the wet water first before burning. The handkerchief covering their faces was to protect themselves from inhaling smoke. Even if the fire could be avoided, breathing in the smoke for too long would still be fatal to the person.

"Now what?" Teppei asked. Although they were completely soaked, it wasn't going to be enough. There was still too much fire around them. They would still be burned alive.

"Hang on," Tomoki answered, staring at the area that wasn't burned yet. He was looking for something. He just hoped it was still there. His eyes lit up when he saw it.

In his line of sight was a water box. The boy quickly ran to it and ripped off the lid. Inside was a pipe with a valve on top along with some control settings. Tomoki grabbed the valve and started to turn it clockwise while inputting the settings to the highest output.

Shortly after, sprinkler heads popped out of the ground and sprayed water all over the plaza. This was the school's sprinkler and irrigation system. Every few days, the sprinklers go off at night making sure the plants are properly hydrated. Usually, the system is automated, but there was a manual override in a water box near the fountain in case the plants needed extra water. Tomoki was using just that.

The water dowsed the flames making things a little cooler. A bit of fire was still there, but a path of escape was now available. Most of the smoke disappeared as well.

"Let's go!" Tomoki said as he and Teppei ran across the plaza avoiding the lingering flames. There weren't any fires inside the school building, and with the emergency indoor fireproof system, it would be pretty hard to even light a fire. If they could get inside, they wouldn't have to worry about getting burned.

[Burning Fist] A fireball shot out somewhere and headed straight for Tomoki. The boy jumped out of the way dodging the attack. The fireball kept going and hit a half-burnt tree setting it ablaze.

"Tomoki!" Teppei shouted. When the fireball flew past, it created a line of flames separating them. He wanted to go to his friend's side, but the fire was too hot.

"You go on ahead!" Tomoki shouted. Whoever caused all of this only wanted him. Teppei was collateral damage. "I'll catch up!"

Teppei felt slightly conflicted but consented to his friend's wishes. He ran in the other direction and disappeared to safety.

Tomoki turned his head to the origin of the fireball and saw the instigator of everything. It was a humanoid figure shrouded in crimson flames. He had blue eyes, and his mouth looked like it was sewn shut. It was a Digimon!

Meramon: A fire, data type champion level Digimon. Special attacks are Burning Fist and Magna Bomb. He is known for his violent temperament like the flames enveloping his body and attempts to incinerate everything he touches. It's best to keep a safe distance from the walking fire hazard.

"Hello, human," Meramon said, looking at Tomoki in contempt. He started walking toward him but stopped when water from the sprinklers landed on him. It made a sizzling sound before evaporating. "Annoying liquid."

Meramon roared and unleashed a strong heat wave on the lower part of the ground. The plastic sprinklers melted and stopped spraying water. The environment was starting to get hot again.

"Ah, much better." Meramon conjured a fireball with his hand and set his sights on Tomoki. "Now, where are your other companions? If you tell me, I will give you a quick death."

'So he is after me and the others.' Tomoki thought, but what did they want from them? He and his friends haven't been to the Digital World in 7 years and now they returned trying to attack them.

What was going on? Was there something stirring once again in the Digital World? One thing was certain though. Tomoki needed to get out of here. "I don't know, but even if I did, I wouldn't tell you."

With that, Tomoki quickly ran away from the fire elemental to another part of the school building. Meramon just scoffed at the running human and threw his fireball. He then manipulated the fireball to move around the boy creating a ring of fire.

Tomoki had to stop running. He was trapped with nowhere to go surrounded by flames.

"I thought you would be more of a challenge." Meramon looked at the defenseless Legendary Warrior of Ice and conjured up another fireball. "Well, it's to be expected. Without your spirits, you're just a weak, brittle ant."

Meramon summoned another fireball ready to throw it at the boy. If the attack landed, the flames would be enough to leave Tomoki's body completely charred.

"Stop right there!" Part of the line of fire was extinguished, and a figure ran through the opening. It was Teppei. "Leave my friend alone!"

When Teppei escaped, he didn't run away. Tomoki just saved his life again, so he wanted to save him this time and grabbed something helpful. In his hands was a hose with a handle that shot out a high-speed blast of water.

Sometimes the school's sprinkler system would shut down and need maintenance, so a backup was needed. Near the outer perimeter of the plaza, there was a hose connected to the water supply in case of emergency. And boy, was this an emergency.

Teppei pointed the hose at Meramon and let it rip. Water shot out from the handle landing straight on fiery Digimon.

"Guh-," Meramon grunted as the water hit him creating a sizzling sound. Although it may have sounded painful, the flame elemental was feeling more annoyed than pained. At first, he didn't care about this other human, since Tomoki was his main target. It was a mistake, and Meramon intended to correct it. He used his arm to block the rest of the water and launched the fireball with the other. It flew like a fastball toward Teppei.

Teppei immediately dropped the hose and tried to move out of the way. Unfortunately, he was a little too late. The fireball hit his arm and the hose.

"Ahhhh," Teppei let out a miserable scream as he fell to the ground clutching his arm. The flames burned through his clothing and into his skin. The skin first blistered before turning charcoal black. The pain was unbearable. The slightest touch would tear the black skin apart showing the red blood underneath.

"Teppei!" Tomoki yelled through the ring of flames. Seeing his friend screaming like that devastated him.

Meramon smiled at his latest work and fire another fireball. This one hit the boy's right front calf. Teppei screamed again and grabbed his leg. Tears kept streaming out of his eyes. He couldn't even get up.

"Stop!" Tomoki shouted at Meramon. He didn't want his friend hurt more because of him. "It's me that you want! Take me!"

Meramon stopped his attack, looked at Tomoki, and smiled menacingly. "I will. Don't worry, but first I want to torment this one first." He stared at the injured boy on the ground. "I've never seen a human hurt before. The sight intrigues and excites me."

Something just snapped inside of Tomoki. Meramon was hurting his friend and doing the one thing he hated most: bullying. The fiery Digimon could have ended Teppei and him right there, but no. Meramon wanted to slowly torment and hurt them.

The worst part was that he was enjoying this. Seeing a person with permanent scalding from burns made the Digimon happy. It was completely unacceptable!

Tomoki roared out and ran through the flames. He didn't care if he got burned. All of his thoughts were on his injured friend. Luckily, his soaked body protected him from most of the fire. He made it out with only parts of himself on fire.

"That's enough!" Tomoki stood in between Teppei and Meramon. His arms outstretched to protect his friend. "If you want him, you're going to have to go through my dead body!"

"Tomoki..." Teppei said. Although he was still in pain, the fact that his friend just ran through lethal flames to protect him said a lot of things. His friend didn't even bother to put out the fire still on him.

"Two for one then," Meramon said unimpressed. He conjured another fireball and threw it at the boys. This one had enough power to burn both of them together.

Tomoki stared at the incoming fireball with no fear in his eyes. His feet stayed planted. If he died then so be it. He would rather perish with the courage to protect Teppei than live in fear thinking about what he could've done. His eyes stayed on the fireball coming right at him. He was going to see this through to the end!

Suddenly, the fountain behind Tomoki and Teppei completely froze over. Something popped out of the ice and fired a ball of snow-colored energy. The attack put out the fireball and landed in between Meramon and Tomoki creating a wall of ice.

"What?" Meramon looked at the ice in shock. He didn't expect this. His arms erupted in flames as he unleashed fire attacks on the ice wall in an attempt to break through.

Tomoki, on the other hand, was surprised. This ice attack just saved his and Teppei's life. Soon, the temperature became colder. The leftover flames on his body dissipated.

Teppei stopped feeling pain in his arm and leg. The freezing air was making his wounds numb from the burning sensation. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief.

Tomoki turned around to see who was their mysterious savior, and his eyes widened. In front of him was an intangible small snowman that looked like a teddy bear. It was the Legendary Spirit of Ice and his partner.

"You've gotten a lot taller, Tomoki." The snow bear said grinning. "But you're still the same person back then. A hero who stands up and fights injustice. Let's join forces once again and continue this fight. What'd you say?"

The boy couldn't say no to that. With a simple nod to the head, Tomoki pulled out his phone from his pocket. The device let out a bright light and morphed into a light blue, green Digivice. The snow bear jumped up, transformed into his relic form, and entered it.

'Crash' The ice wall crumbled as Meramon finally broke through. His flames were raging for a fight.

"You're not going to hurt my friend anymore!" Tomoki faced the fiery Digimon and pointed his Digivice at him. The Symbol of Ice appeared on the screen.

It was time.

[Execute! Spirit Evolution] The plaza suddenly dropped by 20 degrees. In the place of Tomoki was the same snow-like teddy bear but tangible. He had a camo attire with dark green and orange shoes. On his back was a launcher used to fire snowballs.

Kumamon: A variable, beast-man type Digimon. Special attacks are Blizzard Blaster and Frozen Tundra. He is descended from Ancient Warrior: AncientMegatheriummon. His body can change into any shape with ice and can blend in a snowy environment. Fighting will give his opponents chills.

"Perfect," Meramon said, smiling at Kumamon. "Now I can take your spirit and destroy you."

[Magma Bomb] Meramon fired a condensed red ball of energy into the air. It exploded causing multiple rocks filled with fiery magma to fall down the sky. They were all heading toward Kumamon.

[Blizzard Blaster] The snow bear pulled out his rectangular launcher and fired out snowballs. From his feet, skis popped out. Using the recoil from the launcher, he moved around the plaza as snowballs kept firing. When the condensed snowflakes hit the magma rocks, the hot rocks cooled down quickly before breaking apart. They became harmless little rocks falling to the ground.

Once Kumamon took out the magma rocks, he changed his aim toward Meramon. The snowballs turned into liquid and then evaporated as they hit the flaming elemental body. Meramon tried to retaliate by firing fireballs, but he couldn't land a hit on Kumamon. The Digimon's flaming body was starting to weaken due to the snow.

"Stay still, you stupid bear!" Meramon yelled as threw another fireball, but it missed like all the others. Kumamon was skiing too quickly. He needed to think of something quick. If this kept up, he was going to be finished.

He looked around and his eyes landed on Teppei. Meramon smiled maliciously. He ignored the pelting snowballs and raised his hand conjuring a huge fireball. "If I can't hit you, I'll hit your companion then."

"Noooo!" Kumamon yelled as Meramon was about to throw the fireball.

[Frozen Tundra] Kumamon jumped, and his body morphed into the shape of an icicle turning himself into a projectile. He flew toward Meramon and hit him straight in the chest. The large fireball dissipated.

"You fool..." Meramon laughed evilly. His attack may have failed, but he got Kumamon right where he wanted. The snow bear was lodged right inside of him and couldn't get out. "I'm the embodiment of flames!"

Meramon turned up the temperature in his body and released more flames. "I'm gonna melt you until you're nothing but steam!"

Kumemon grunted in pain. He could feel his body starting to liquefy. If this kept up, he wasn't going to make it. He was starting to lose hope until he looked at Teppei.

Although the cold air helped, the wounds were still visible on his arm and legs. Teppei still showed a pained expression. If not treated soon, the damage could be permanent.

'No' Kumamon was not going to lose. If he lost, who was going to stop Meramon from hurting Teppei? He had to win. He had to save his friend! A determined light shone through Kumamon's eyes.

[Frozen Tundra] The snowbear sucked in all of the air around until his body was completely inflated. He then converted the air into cold energy and released it outward from his body, cooling the flames. It didn't stop there as Kumamon continued to spread his attack. Soon, the fiery Digimon's chest started to freeze, turning into ice.

"How are you..." Meramon said in shock, feeling his strong flames weaken. He tried to stop Kumamon, but the cold was slowing down his movements. The ice was starting to spread out of his chest. For the first time in Meramon's life, he felt cold.

The freezing ice continued to spread covering his torso then his arms and legs, until it reached his face. The crimson flame Digimon looked like an ice sculpture now. He was completely frozen over inside and out.

Kumamon broke out of his chest causing the sculpture to shatter. All that was left of Meramon was his dark shadow and fractal code appearing around him.

"I will not forgive those who bully others! This Digivice will freeze that boldness like ice and purify you." Kumamon said as pulled out his Digivice and swiped it on the fractal code. "Fractal Code, Digitize!"

Meramon's fractal code entered the Digivice. Once the last of the code was gone, all that was left of Meramon was a ball of flame the size of a baseball. With nothing to keep it burning, the fireball disappeared in the air like it was never there in the first place.

Fractal code surrounded Kumamon as he turned back into Tomoki. The boy then ran to Teppei. Although he was curious why there was no Digi-egg when defeating Meramon, his friend's condition takes precedents.

"Teppei, are you okay?" Tomoki said looking concerned. He also felt a little guilty. Although it wasn't his fault, he knew that Meramon was mainly after him. Teppei was just a way to get to him. His friend didn't deserve this.

"I'll live," Teppei replied trying to hide his pained expression. "What was that Digimon you digivolved into earlier? I thought the big ape-like one was your form."

"It's one of my two forms. One is my beast form while the one earlier was my human."

"Why didn't you use that one when you battled the Centarumon back then? Were you trying to impress me and Katsuharu by showing how big and strong you are?" Teppei asked teasingly. He saw Tomoki looking guilty and wanted to lighten the mood.

"Well, I did want to make an impact back then," Tomoki replied smiling as well. "Come on, let's get you some help."

Suddenly, fractal code started to cover the whole plaza again. Tomoki was surprised, but not by the area around them. It was because he and Teppei were covered in fractal code as well. More specifically, it was their clothes that were being covered. Teppei had his arm and leg covered in it as well.

Before Tomoki could even question what was going on, the fractal code disappeared. The plaza returned to its vibrant scenery with not a speck of fire. The few students in the plaza appeared as they were before. Everyone was normal again.

The most shocking thing was themselves. Their clothes used to be soaked or torn due to the fires. Now, they were as good as new.

Teppei looked in shock at his arm and legs. Just seconds ago, his injuries were charred and bleeding. Now, they were gone, undamaged, and didn't hurt anymore. Even his clothing came back and covered it.

"Teppei, are you okay?" Tomoki asked. Although his friend looked fine, he wanted to make sure.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Teppei replied waving his arm and leg for assurance. "See, it doesn't hurt anymore."

Tomoki let a sigh of relief and looked around the plaza. Everything was really back to the way it was. It was like the fiery battle with Meramon didn't even happen. What was going on?

The boy looked at his cell phone which reverted from his Digivice. The picture of Kumamon appeared on the screen. The look the snow bear gave was intense. Whatever was happening, it must have something to do with the Digital World, which is also affecting the Real World. "Teppei, I need to-."

"Go," Teppei said finishing his friend's sentence. He was on the same train of thought. "I can take care of things from here. Go find your other friends. You might have your work cut out for you again."

"Thanks," Tomoki said saying his farewells to Teppei, and ran out of the plaza. As soon as he was out of school, his cell phone started ringing. Looking at the caller ID, it was from Takuya. He was just the person Tomoki was about to call.

"Hello?" Tomoki answered. "Takuya, is that you?"

"Tomoki! Thank god you answered!" Takuya said through the phone. His tone sounded frantic. "You're not going to believe what happened to me and Izumi."

"Let me guess. Your spirit appeared and you were attacked by Digimon."

"You too!? Are you okay?"

"Yeah, just letting everything sink in. I forgot how small I was back then," Tomoki said trying to calm his nerves. "Takuya, I think we all need to meet up now and talk."

"Agreed, Me and Izumi are already trying to contact the others. Tomoki, can meet up with us at our usual hangout now?"

"I can. I should be there within an hour and let you know when I get there."

"See you there and be careful." After saying their farewells, Tomoki hung up the phone and ran to the nearest train station. He was going to see his closest friends again. Friends that took care of him in the Digital World.

It looked like his adventures as a Digimon were about to begin once again. A hero's work was never done!

The Warrior of Ice has reunited with his spirit. Who will be next? Tune in next time on Digimon Frontier 2: Fractal Fusion. Some of the details might shock you. 

As a reminder, please let me know what you guys think of the story and post a review. I would love to hear your thoughts on it.

Chapter Text

Guest: I can't tell you much since it would spoil the story, but mostly everything I write has a reason. I'm very surprised though. You managed to analyze and figure out so much from just reading a few chapters of my fanfiction. It's quite impressive actually. I'm also still new to AO3 and fanfiction, so some tags may have been forgotten or maybe I did so purposely. Sometimes tags can spoil the mystery of a story but really mostly I forgot. I'll add him if I get the time.

Kazemon95: Thanks for the comments. I'm glad you like my story so far and hope you like the future chapters.

Here is next chapter of my fanfiction: Bringing the Thunder, Beetlemon

HonDai University, or HU for short, was a college where musical geniuses were trained. It was located in Suginami City, Tokyo, Japan. Besides the core classes, the college taught a wide variety of musical courses like orchestra, opera, and pop. A lot of famous musicians and singers came from this University.

Colleges were a little different from high school since students could choose their own classes. It was also the best time to relax and goof off. In Japan, most people put in all their studies and work from middle and high school. If one got into a prestigious college due to their middle school and then high school exam scores, they were basically set to get a great job out of college.

Once your workplace knows what amazing college a student graduated from, getting a job would be as simple as pressing a button. It created a very lax environment in universities. Four years of college was actually the best vacation most people in Japan got before they joined the workforce. Although there were exceptions, it was the social norm here.

In a certain classroom, a teacher was explaining to his freshmen class of around 25 people about the core probabilities of mathematics. The classroom was set up like a room in a high school. The desks were arranged apart in a set, so each student sat in pairs.

There was a particular stout boy in one of those pairs. He had spiky brown hair and eyes and wore an orange shirt, blue jacket with yellow pockets, khakis, white socks, and blue and yellow sneakers. It was Junpei Shibayama.

Junpei Shibayama was the Bearer of the Legendary Warrior of Thunder. Before becoming a Digimon, he was always surrounded by people and known for his magic tricks. Although he seemed to be quite popular in school, he never really had any close friends. One time, he walked by himself in the rain without an umbrella. It was depressing. The boy felt alone but never showed it, saying things he never really meant and hiding his real feelings.

During his adventures in the Digital World, Junpei learned a person should be vulnerable and themselves. Only by trusting others and being honest can real friends be made. These experiences have made him many friends in school. He teaches them magic tricks every now and then. In turn, the boy learns something from them as well.

Now, Junpei has more friends than he could count. He wasn't the lonely boy walking in the rain anymore.

Since he was the oldest of the group, he was the first to go to college. For his major, he decided to go into the musical arts, specifically opera. He first got inspired by Shizuka Arakawa in the Turin Olympics singing. Although Mr. Arakawa is a great, inspirational person, it wasn't the real reason why Junpei got into opera singing.

The real reason he got into the art was due to a certain female companion. He wanted to have a closer relationship with Izumi Orimoto since the opera played in the Olympics was Turandot by Giacomo Puccini.

Giacomo Puccini was an Italian composer known mostly for his opera. From his lifetime to now, the man is regarded as the greatest and most successful proponent of creating opera music.

Since the man was an Italian composer and opera's origins are in Italy, Junpei decided to take up music as a major to learn more about Italian culture. Music was one of the big ways of understanding different people and cultures without actually speaking. One performance could reach people better than words ever do and touch them beyond their lives and cultures.

If the boy trained and mastered the music, he would become closer to understanding Izumi and her falling in love with him. It was one of the many steps in his plan to capture Izumi's heart. Some of them usually don't work out. Ok, all of them never work out, but Junpei was not going to give up. He was going to win over his friend one day. Besides, singing was actually quite fun for him. His voice projection was amazing.

Right now, Junpei was writing stuff down in his notebook attentively while also checking the time on the wall. It looked like he was waiting for something.

"Alright, it's close to that time." The math teacher said as he finished the last part of the lesson. "Why don't we call it a day, today? Class Dismissed!"

"Junpei..." A girl who sat next to him said, but she never finished the sentence as the boy jumped up from his seat, grabbed his stuff, and bolted out of the room. He did not want to hear what his classmate had to say.

The girl just looked at her classmate's retreating figure. "Why does he always run?" She said putting her stuff away and leisurely went after him.

Junpei burst through the glass doors of the school building. There, he saw the bus that would take him to the train station and ran like crazy. If he could get on that bus, he would get off the campus and be scot-free.

Just as he was about to make the bus, two men in suits came out of nowhere and grabbed him. From their attire, they looked to be bodyguards. Junpei tried to break free, but the men's grip was too strong. The students at the bus stop looked at the spectacle and continued to board the bus.

They should have been worried that a fellow student was being held against his will in broad daylight, but they were used to seeing this every day and moved on. Once everyone boarded, the bus closed its doors and drove off. Jumpei slumped his shoulders in defeat. It looks like he wasn't getting away today.

"Do you guys really have to do this every day?" Junpei said annoyingly at the bodyguards. "Don't you guys ever get tired or bored of doing this?"

"We're just under orders." One of the bodyguards said. "Now, do you want to be escorted back, or do we need to carry you again like that other time?"

"Let's go," Junpei said, picking the former option. The boy walked back toward his school building until he was near the entrance. The bodyguards flanked him on each side to prevent any escape.

"Junpei Shibayama!" A female voice shouted.

In front of the entrance was a girl who looked about the same age as Junpei. She had aquamarine eyes and wavy, long black hair. Her outfit consisted of a white cotton t-shirt, a navy blue jacket, a gray pleated skirt with white socks, and brown shoes. It was the same girl who called out Junpei earlier in the classroom. She had her arms crossed and was looking pretty peeved.

If anyone saw her, they would describe her as a refined girl who had an aura of a royal princess. She was very beautiful. Most boys would be in awe of the girl's appearance and try to impress or flirt with her, but Junpei just groaned.

"Saya," Junpei said annoyingly at the girl. The boy was completely immune to the girl's appearance. He had known her for some time after all and only had eyes for Izumi.

"Why do you always do this?" The girl called Saya walked until she was in front of Junpei. "You know we have to practice on our vocals every day after classes, and you keep running away from them."

"Those are just simple exercises to strengthen our lungs," Junpei replied. "I can practice those anytime when I'm alone."

"Yes, that's true, but I'm your opera partner, remember?" Saya pointed to herself. "We need to do these exercises together, so our voices can be in sync and harmonized."

"We don't have to be together almost every day for that. A few times is enough." Junpei closed and leaned back a little to relax. Talking to this girl took a lot of mental strength from him. "Also, you need to stop using your bodyguards to restrain me. They have better things to do than catch one person."

"Stop running away from me and I will." Saya stared accusingly at Junpei then turned to the bodyguards. "Toshiro, Makoto, good work."

The bodyguards nodded to the girl in acknowledgment and continued their job blocking Junpei's escape.

"Practices make perfect after all." Saya continued turning her attention back to Junpei. "Now, are you going to continue to struggle or come with me to the studio?"

The boy inwardly grumbled about how unfair this was.

Introduction needed to be in order. This girl was Sayaka Hashimoto or Saya for short.

It was at the beginning of his first year in opera class when Junpei met her. The way she walked in the classroom had a regal feel to it, and her looks stunned the whole class. It would have stayed that way for a while too until she opened her mouth and started singing.

It sounded like an angry banshee screeching. Junpei and everyone in the classroom had to cover their ears. It was awful. The boy could've sworn he heard glass shattering far away. Could someone really sing this badly?

Once she was finished, no one said anything for a few minutes. Their ears were still recovering from the singing. Junpei thought the teacher would kick her out or at least berate her, but he just put on a strained smile, politely gave her some pointers, and to try again. Saya didn't take them and continued to sing. Outside, birds were quickly fleeing when hearing the sound.

This continued for three days. Earplugs were becoming a thing in the classroom. The weird thing was that no one was saying anything. The teacher tried to teach her, but she wasn't listening to his advice.

Junpei couldn't take it anymore. If this continued, the boy was gonna go crazy. On the fourth day of enduring this terrible singing, he got up from his seat and lashed out at the girl with a lot of words. He let out all of his pent frustration for five minutes straight.

Saya was red in the face from being insulted. She took her stuff and ran out of the classroom in angry tears. Everyone looked at Junpei in shock and thought he was really brave.

What Junpei didn't know was that Saya was the daughter of the man who owned Hashimoto Industries. It was one of the biggest businesses in Japan. They had a lot of power and recently donated a large sum of money to the university to let Saya attend even though she had an awful singing voice.

There was also the news when she first entered the university, an older college student tried to woo her. When he listened to her sing, he insulted her similar to what Junpei did but a little more harshly. The result was the boy got kicked out of the university and could never come back. A teacher tried to defend him, but he also got kicked out and fired as well.

Everyone knew about it, which is why her classmates and teacher didn't say anything about her voice. Well, everyone except for Junpei. Most of the time, he was always the last person to know about these important things. One of his classmates took pity and told him everything.

Junpei's eyes went wide at the news, but he didn't regret it. Although he could get expelled, he would just go to a different university. There were plenty around that focused heavily on music after all. He had to prepare for the worse.

Contrary to expectations, Junpei didn't get expelled from entering class after two days. He surprisingly became Saya's opera partner. It was quite the sensation for everyone, including Junpei. It didn't end there.

In every classroom Junpei attended, whether it was math, science, or history, Saya now appeared and always sat right next to him. The boy tried to change his seating or classes, but the teachers and classmates adamantly refused, so he was stuck with her.

It should've been great getting attention like this from a pretty girl, but Junpei was just annoyed with her. He had to endure her singing and deal with her in his regular classes. The boy got a splitting headache when he was always with her.

She's also been dragging Junpei to one-on-one vocal sessions since their music teacher recommended it for their endurance and vocal cords. Practicing with your partner would help harmonize and enhance each other's voices, so Saya forced the boy into these sessions every day for the practice.

Junpei couldn't believe she picked now to listen to their teacher. He also had a feeling that this girl pulled some strings in order for all of this to happen. He just didn't know why. Was this some unique way of torturing him? If it was, it was working.

The boy could have transferred schools, but it was a lot of paperwork. Junpei didn't want to go through that since he wasn't getting expelled. So he did the next best thing, he ditched his sessions and ran.

When his classes were over every day, Junpei would run away from the girl and leave the campus as quickly as possible. Her influence could only be in HU. If he could get out, she would have no power over him. It worked for the first few times, but unfortunately for him, Saya was a rich, stubborn girl.

On the fourth day of his escape, he was stopped by two bodyguards. They were told to restrain and escort him back to the school building where Saya was waiting. Junpei tried to resist the first few times, but the bodyguards just picked him up like a sack and carried him all the way back.

At first, the students on campus were shocked at the scene and started panicking, but the school was already notified in advance about it and calmed their students. Turns out, Saya got 10-12 bodyguards stationed at the exits of the campus to prevent Junpei from leaving. They were ordered to use any means, except for violence, to bring him back to the girl.

No matter where the boy ran, he would almost always get caught. He then understood that this girl was never going to leave him alone.

As the year went by though, Junpei got kind of used to being around her. Although she was stubborn and hard-headed, she was very driven and determined. Thanks to their practice sessions and finally listening to their teacher's advice, Saya's voice improved significantly. Now, the girl has become one of the top students in the class and has an amazing voice. Junpei respected her a little for it.

Still, it didn't stop him from trying to escape. Saya still insisted on doing practice sessions with him even though she was exceptional now. Although he got captured 9 out of 10 of the time, he'd still take those odds. Plus, it was a really good exercise for him. Students and faculty were already used to their game of cat and mouse which continued all the way to the present day.

Typically, Junpei would just give in and follow Saya to the studio for practice. The boy was about to agree but stopped. He felt something bad was about to happen.

Suddenly, fractal code appeared and blanketed the surrounding area. It covered everything including the two bodyguards that were next to Junpei. The only things they didn't cover were him and Saya.

Junpei was shocked. What was fractal code doing here? The only time when fractal code appeared like this in Japan was when Lucemon almost popped out in Shibuya. Was something similar happening now?

Soon, the fractal code disappeared leaving only an empty campus. It looked like Junpei and Saya were the only two people left in the area.

"What just happened?" Saya said, freaking out. It was an understandable reaction. She just witnessed this weird phenomenon and the next thing she knew, everyone around her just disappeared. It was unnatural. "Toshiro! Makoto! Where did you go?!"

"Saya, we need to relax and think," Junpei replied in a calming voice. He noticed his opera partner's frantic tone and wanted her to stop panicking. The boy wasn't as afraid due to being familiar with fractal code. "Let's try calling and see if we can get a hold of someone."

Saya nodded and pulled out her phone. She started dialing her father, the police, or anyone who could answer her calls quickly.

Junpei, on the other hand, tried dialing Izumi, Takuya, or any of the other Legendary Warriors. If anyone knew what was going on right now, it would be his other companions who went to Digital World with him.

Unfortunately, no matter who they called, no one answered. It just created a buzzing sound. It looked like they were alone in this predicament.

Junpei was thinking about the next plan of action when Saya screamed all of a sudden. "What the heck is that?!" Her eyes stared fearfully into the distance.

The boy followed her line of sight, and his body shook. Flying in the air was an insect-like beetle the size of a truck. His body was covered by a red, sturdy shell and had pincers sticking out between the sides of his mouth. Those things looked like they could crush a boulder easily into powder.

Kuwagamon: A champion, insect, virus-type Digimon. Special attacks are Scissor Claw and Power Guillotine. The menacing insect is known for its tenacity and powerful pincer attacks. Once he clamps on to his opponents, he will squeeze until their life is put out. It is highly advised to not be near his pincers.

[Scissor Claw] The insect Digimon readied his claws and flew toward Junpei and Saya like a torpedo. He was going to dive bomb and bisect them with his claws.

Junpei quickly ran to get away but stopped when he noticed Saya wasn't with him. Turning around, he saw that the girl was still staring at the Kuwagamon. "Saya! What are you doing?! You have to move!"

But Saya wasn't listening. She was like a deer in headlights too stunned to budge. The gap between Kuwagamon and Saya grew closer.

Just as the ferocious insect was about to slice the girl into two, Junpei grabbed her arm and yanked her to the ground. Kuwagamon flew past them and rammed through the glass doors of the school building. It was like a falling helicopter crashing right through the revolving doors of a retail store.

"Come on!" Junpei grabbed Saya's wrist as they ran away. Judging from the sounds of destruction Kuwagamon was doing inside, it would take a while before he could get out of that building.

Once the pair were at a safe distance away, they stopped to take a breather. Saya was starting to come back to herself. "Junpei, what's going on? What was that thing?" She asked. "You know something, don't you?"

Junpei may have also been afraid of Kuwagamon, but it was more of a surprise than fear. He didn't have the initial fear that Saya had. The girl was smart and from his earlier actions, it felt like Junpei was already used to this kind of danger. These factors led Saya to believe her opera partner somewhat knew their current situation.

"It's kind of hard to explain." Junpei didn't deny it, scratching his head. "But it's probably after me. If you stay away from me and hide, you should be fine."

"And what about you?"

"I'll think of a plan to lure the insect and stop him. Once everything is fine, I'll call and let you know to come out."

Saya gave the boy a hard look. "No."

"No?" Junpei looked at Saya questionably. "What do you mean no?"

"I'm not going to let you face that thing alone," Saya answered. "You're gonna need help. My help."

"Saya, I can't let you do that," Junpei tried to dissuade her. He didn't want to put the girl in danger. "It's way too dangerous! You were almost cut in half a few minutes ago!"

"I was unprepared. It won't happen again." Saya answered back fiercely. "Besides, you saved my life. It doesn't sit right with me. I want to pay it back; nothing you say or do will convince me otherwise. Now, are you going to let me help, or should we argue until the beetle catches up and eats us?"

Junpei let out a long inward groan. Even now in this dangerous predicament, this girl was being extremely stubborn. Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do to stop her, and he did need help. "Fine, but you have to listen to me. If it gets too dangerous, you run. Got it?"

The girl nodded in confirmation, and the pair ran into a different part of the campus.

...

Crash. Glass shattered as Kuwagamon finally broke out of the building after untangling himself from the mess inside. He flew high into the air to search for his prey.

"Kuwagamon! If you want me, I'm right over here!" Junpei shouted. His voice resounded in the air.

The flying insect followed the sound and found Junpei standing on a large stage surrounded by stone stands and chairs in a semicircle. This was HU's University outdoor stage. Many showcases and concerts were performed by students on this stage to show off their musical talents. Now, it was going to be the area of confrontation between a human and Digimon.

Kuwagamon flew toward the stage and landed right in front of Junpei. His face looked menacingly at him like he wanted to eat him alive.

"Whoa there," Junpei said, backing away a little. "I just want to talk."

He looked up at the insect trying to ignore his threatening jaws and tried to reach out. "What are you doing here? Are you lost? Maybe I can help."

"Orders... Lords..." Kuwagamon growled slowly, uttering his intentions through words instead of sentences. "Kill!"

Kuwagamon widened his pincers and positioned them between Junpei. He didn't care what the boy had to say and would squeeze him like an orange.

"Saya!" Junpei shouted, pulling out a microphone.

Near the middle area of the stands, Saya was there with headphones on messing with the soundboard. She raised the volume on the thing to the highest output. "It's done! You're good to go!"

There was a big chance that things weren't going to end peacefully with Kuwagamon, so Junpei stood at a specific spot on the stage as insurance. He initiated the talk to make sure the insect wouldn't attack immediately after seeing him. When Kuwagamon landed in front of Junpei, he was positioned right next to the loudspeakers.

These weren't just regular loudspeakers. These were 165 decibels speakers with an output of 30,000 watts. Listening to sounds higher than 85 decibels would cause permanent damage to the inner ear leading to hearing loss. Sounds at 110 decibels can cause instantaneous hearing loss. What would happen when exposed to 165 decibels at close range?

"Figaro!" With a wave of his hand, Junpei turned on his noise canceling earphones and unleashed his bass singing voice to the microphone. His sound blared out from the speakers and hit Kuwagamon like a tidal wave. The force knocked the insect back to the edge of the stage.

Kuwagamon's body kept twitching violently. His ears felt like they were on fire. It looked like the sound attack did a real number on him.

Junpei smiled and gave a thumbs-up to his opera partner. Saya, in turn, returned it with a smile herself then her expression changed. "Junpei! Get out of there! The thing's not down yet!"

Kuwagamon shook off the pain and roared out, unleashing a sound wave of his own. The force caused Junpei to fall back a bit. The boy tried to sing again, but Kuwagamon flew quickly towards him.

[Power Guillotine] With a swing of his head, he hit the boy with one of his pincers causing him to fly across the stage. He then grabbed the loudspeakers and used his pincers to crush them like a trash compactor. Pieces of metal and paper fell to the ground as the sound equipment turned into a pile of scraps.

Once the insect finished destroying that demonic sound device, he turned his sights to Junpei. It was time to end the little gnat. Slowly, he approached him. His claws were ready to tear him apart.

Junpei clutched his chest still recovering from the earlier blow. There were no broken bones, but it hurt like crazy. Now he knew what a baseball felt like when it got hit by a baseball bat during a game. He could see Kuwagamon coming for him, but there was nothing he could do. The pain was too much. He couldn't even get up and run.

Then out of nowhere, headphones came flying and hit Kuwagamon. "Leave him alone! You stupid beetle!"

"Saya! What are you doing?!" Junpei shouted fearfully. The person who threw the headphones was obviously Saya. "I told you to run if the situation got too dangerous. You have to get out of here!"

But Saya didn't listen and proceeded to throw anything she could get her hands on at Kuwagamon to stop him from approaching her opera partner. Junpei didn't abandon her when she stood frozen in fear. She wasn't going to abandon him when he was helpless.

"I told you to leave him alone!" This time, the girl threw the whole soundboard at the insect. It took both her arms to throw the thing, and the heavy sound tech landed right on Kuwagamon's temple. That got his attention.

Kuwagamon roared ferociously at Saya causing her to fall backwards. He then flew and landed right on top of the girl using his four arms to pin her from escaping. He lowered his head closer toward Saya. His mouth was dripping saliva as he closed in.

Saya screamed in fear. This insect was going to eat her alive. She tried to pound his arms to get out, but Kuwagamon did a really good job trapping her. There was no way to escape.

"Don't you dare lay a finger on her!" Junpei yelled. His pain was slowly subsiding. He pushed himself up and walked toward Kuwagamon and Saya. "Don't you dare hurt my friend!"

This was the first time Junpei ever called Saya a friend. Although she annoyed Junpei to no end and was forceful in some ways like a spoiled brat, she wasn't a bad person at heart. With all the time they spent together, there was a type of trust that developed between them. He considered Saya kind of a companion now, and never wanted to see the girl in pain.

"No," Unfortunately, there was still nothing Junpei could do. Even if he was in tip-top shape, the insect Digimon was too strong for him. All he could do was watch as Kuwagamon's jaws came closer to the girl. "Saya!"

Saya looked at Junpei and smiled. She was still afraid, but it was as if she was telling him it was going to be okay. The girl didn't regret a thing.

That shook Junpei. Tears started to come out of his eyes. Kuwagamon's mouth was finally in range. One chomp from his jaws, and it was all over for the girl.

"Please don't do this!" Was there really nothing Junpei could do? No, he wanted strength. He wanted power. He wanted the power to protect the people he cared about once again.

"STOOOOOOOPPP!"

Lightning suddenly came out of nowhere and struck Kuwagamon, electrocuting him. The attack paralyzed him temporarily and created an opening in his arms. Saya took this opportunity to break out from his hold and escape to safety.

Junpei was stunned. He should've been surprised that lightning came out from such a clear sky, but it felt so familiar to him. Looking up, he saw a transparent, humanoid figure floating down toward him.

"Yo," The figure greeted. He gave Junpei a kind look like he was meeting an old friend after a long time. "I hope I'm not too late."

"Just a little," Junpei laughed, wiping away his tears. All of the worry and anxiety he had felt earlier disappeared. Right in front of him was his partner in the Digital World, the Human Spirit of Thunder. All types of nostalgia welled up within him. "It's good to see you again. Have you been doing well?"

"It's good to see you as well, but we should save any further talks for another time." The Spirit of Thunder said, turning to look at Kuwagamon. The insect was slowly starting to break out of the paralysis. "Right now, we need to take care of this bug."

Junpei nodded his head. He had enough of Kuwagamon hurting his friend. This bug had to be squashed before he could do any more harm. He pulled out his cell phone which glowed and morphed into a blue, yellow Digivice, and pointed it toward his partner.

The Spirit of Thunder transformed into his relic form and entered the Digivice. The Symbol of Thunder appeared on the screen.

It was time.

[Execute! - Spirit Evolution] Kuwagamon finally broke out of the paralysis and turned to face Junpei again. Except, he wasn't Junpei anymore. In his place was a large humanoid-shaped beetle Digimon. He was covered in blue and yellow armor-like exoskeleton and had a large horn on his head. Small sparks of current electricity emitted around his armor. If anyone touched him, they would be shocked by his static electricity.

Beetlemon: The human Legendary Warrior of Thunder whose main attacks are Thunder Fist and Lightning Blitz. It's a variable, android Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientBeetlemon. Despite his large build, he has keen movements which are actually techniques used to produce high-voltage electricity from his body. Combined with this and his combat prowess, he is a force to be reckoned with.

"I'm ready for round 2, bug," Beetlemon said. His fingers crackled with electricity.

"Junpei?" Saya said at a safe distance from both Digimon. When she saw Junpei transform into a powerful, muscular man beetle, she looked a little stunned. Was this her opera partner? Unfortunately, Kuwagamon wasn't as affected by his enemy's new appearance.

[Power Guillotine] The insect flew at top speed and rammed his pincers straight at Beetlemon. The impact caused a shockwave causing smoke and broken rocks to fly everywhere.

"Junpei!" Saya screamed. That looked like it really hurt, but the surprise kept coming.

When the smoke cleared, both Digimon were alright and at a stalemate. Kuwagamon's pincers gripped against Beetlemon, but he couldn't pierce through him. He crushed and pushed, but the Bearer of Thunder didn't even budge. Beetlemon's armor was too thick.

"What's the matter?" Beetlemon said. "It looks like you're having trouble with your jaws. Let me help with that."

Beetlemon grabbed the pincers and pushed them apart, freeing himself. He then lifted Kuwagamon up until he was mid-air. With a mighty roar, he swung the insect around and threw him at the stands. The chairs and rocks broke like paper as Kuwagamon crashed through.

[Thunder Fist] Strong electricity erupted from Beetlemon's fists. He jumped off the stage and clasped his hand together into a double-hammer fist. With the electricity condensed into his hands, he brought the attack down. It was like slamming someone down with the hammer of Thor.

The sound of thunder was heard as the attack connected. It pushed Kuwagamon down creating big cracks on the ground. The insect felt like he just got hit by a 15 story brick building and then struck by lightning. Electricity spread throughout his body electrocuting him.

Even if Kuwagamon had strong vitality, this attack was too much for him. Soon, fractal code appeared around him.

"Soul that is infused with evil," Beetlemon said, pulling out his Digivice. "Be purified by my thunder. Fractal code, Digitize!"

Beetlemon swiped on the code causing the fractal code to enter his Digivice. Kuwagamon soon disappeared and what was left in its place was a saw stag beetle.

Fractal code surrounded Beetlemon as he transformed back into Junpei. The boy stared at the saw stag beetle in confusion and picked it up for examination. After poking it a few times, he concluded that the beetle was just a normal everyday insect which was weird. Normally when a Digimon was scanned, a Digi-egg would appear, but it didn't appear this time. Was it a phenomenon for entering the real world?

"Junpei?" Before the boy could continue, Saya said his name out of the blue causing him to release his hold on the beetle. The insect flew off and escaped to the nearest forest.

Saya walked to her opera partner cautiously. There was a little fear in her eyes as she approached him.

Junpei could understand that. They were just attacked by a terrifying, man-eating insect and he just turned into a menacing electrified beetle. If it was his first time witnessing this, he would be freaked out too. It was her next words that surprised him.

"Are you okay?" Saya said, grabbing Junpei's hand to check the pulse. Although she was still in shock by these recent events and had a lot of unanswered questions, the concern for her opera partner outweighed everything.

"Uhh," For a moment, Junpei didn't know how to answer that. He wasn't used to seeing the forceful girl so concerned for him. Just as he was about to reply, fractal code once again appeared and covered their surroundings.

"Not again!" Saya freaked out while Junpei gripped his Digivice ready for another fight.

The fractal code soon disappeared and everything returned back to normal. College students appeared again around them and continued to walk around the campus.

"My Lady!" Someone shouted in the distance. "My Lady! Where are you?!"

Relief flooded Saya as she heard those words. It looked like they returned to their world. "Toshiro! Makoto! I'm over here!"

Moments later, her two bodyguards came rushing over. They relaxed slightly when they saw their lady unharmed. "Thank goodness you're alright. When you and Mister Shibayama disappeared, we thought of the worst." Toshiro said.

"You guys didn't see us run or go anywhere?" Saya asked.

"Both of us had eyes on you and Mister Shibayama the whole time. One second you both were there and the next you were gone." Makoto answered strangely. "We thought your runaway used a new magic trick on us again and took you with him."

"Although this latest magic trick was pretty neat," Toshiro added. "The way you both disappeared so fast and moved here. It felt as if you stopped time."

'That's a new tidbit,' Junpei thought. The boy still does magic here and there, but mostly as a hobby. There were times he was able to trick some bodyguards like Makoto with a sleight of hand to get away, and it worked. Unfortunately, this would only work so many times and the bodyguards were used to his tricks now.

"How is that possible?" Saya asked again. "You guys disappeared on us and just a few moments ago, we were attacked."

"Attacked?" The bodyguards pulled out their tasers and aimed at their surroundings. They were prepared to fire any threat in sight. "Where and who?"

"It's gone now," Saya answered. "But it was a giant red beetle. You should have seen it. It almost ate me for crying out loud!"

"A giant red beetle?" Makoto lowered his taser and looked at Saya skeptically. "My lady, I know it's not my place to say this, but I think you've been watching way too many monster movies."

Saya was about to defend herself but stopped when Junpei grabbed her shoulder. He shook his head silently telling her that it would be pointless. Her bodyguards would never believe their outlandish story.

The girl relented. Even Saya wouldn't believe it if she hadn't experienced it herself. "You're probably right. Still, could you guys patrol the area? I need to have a moment with Junpei."

The bodyguards consented and left. Saya turned her full attention to her opera partner when they were alone. "Junpei, Explain. Now!"

"It's kind of complicated," Junpei answered. He didn't know where to start, so he asked a question first. "Have you ever heard of Digimon or the Digital World?"

Junpei wanted to know if Saya experienced something similar to Junpei and his friends, but seeing the confused look on her face, it looks like she never heard of those terms before. "Was that the name of the creature that attacked us earlier or the macho man you turned into?"

'Macho man?' Junpei's mouth twitched a little at the nickname, but it deeply made the boy think. If Saya never heard of or been to the Digital World, why was she dragged into that data-like real world when her bodyguards weren't? There were many unanswered questions. One thing was for sure though. Something big was happening, and the boy needed to get to his friends.

"I'm sorry Saya, but I have to go." Without even waiting for her reply, Junpei left and headed to the nearest bus stop. Checking the time, the bus would take 15 minutes to arrive again, but he wished it would show up sooner.

Just then, a limo pulled up in front of him. When the window lowered, an old man in a suit was in the driver's seat. He looked at Junpei and said. "Mister Shibayama, I was instructed by My Lady to take you where you wish to go."

'Saya?' Junpei thought, surprised. He parted ways from the girl for 2 minutes. How did she get a ride so quickly?

"Junpei Shibayama!" In the distance, Saya was there with her arms crossed. "I still don't know what's going on, but I expect you to tell me everything after you finish what you have to do."

Although she wanted to know what was going on now, it must have been pretty big seeing Junpei's serious expression. Since she wasn't going to stop him, the girl decided to help him a little by calling her transport. He did kind of save her life after all.

Junpei stared at Saya for a moment before giving her a sincere, genuine smile. "Thank you, Saya. I really appreciate it. You're pretty awesome, you know."

"I don't need you to tell me that," Saya said, turning around. "You just better come back. We still have vocal lessons together." She then walked back into the campus.

Junpei silently thanked Saya again and entered the limo. He told the driver to head to the nearest train station. In the middle of the drive, his cell phone started ringing and his whole face lit up at the caller ID.

"Izumi!" Junpei squealed enthusiastically.

"Junpei, are you alright?" Izumi asked, slightly concerned. "Were you attacked by Digimon in any way? "

"How did you know?"

"It happened to me and Takuya a little earlier. We were afraid they were going to come after you guys as well."

"Wait, why were you already with Takuya?" Junpei asked with a trace of suspicion. He didn't like it when his other guy friends were with his long-time crush. They were his competition.

"I was tutoring him in Italian when it happened," Izumi explained. "You know how dense he is when it comes to learning, school, or mostly anything that involves a lot of brain power."

"Hey!" Someone else shouted through the phone. It was definitely Takuya.

"Well, it's true!" Izumi rebutted. "If you want to prove me wrong, start by having a real Italian conversation without just saying the word 'si'." It was followed by sounds of grumbling.

Junpei couldn't help but laugh. His trace of suspicion disappeared. Learning about Takuya's antics was always an enjoyable thing and a good running gag for the whole group. Junpei and Izumi then briefly explained their recent encounters.

"This is worse than we thought," Izumi concluded. "Junpei, we all need to meet up. How fast can you get to our usual hangout?"

"The place inside of Shibuya Station?"

"That's the one."

Junpei thought for a moment and said, "I'm heading in that direction right now and will be there in under 2 hours."

"Sounds good, we'll see you then."

"Yay! I can't wait to see you again Izumi!" Junpei hung up his cell phone and told the driver new directions to the Shibuya train station. He looked out the window giddy with excitement.

Although there would probably be a ton of danger in the future, he would spend more quality time with Izumi. It would mean more opportunities to capture her heart. Junpei couldn't wait to see her again.

Junpei has reunited with the spirit of thunder. There are only two people left now.

The light will be next, but since it can't exist without darkness, I'm thinking about posting 2 back to back chapters next month. They are twins after all. What do you guys think? If I do this though, there might be a delay in posting the next chapter the month after.

Please let me know your thoughts on the reviews. Until next month everyone!

Chapter Text

The Meiji Jingu Garden was located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan right next to Yoyogi Park. It was the best place to feel the sacred atmosphere of Japanese historical shrines since the site was created between 1603 to 1867. People could walk through a peaceful forest and explore the beautiful inner garden.

Walking on the trail was a boy around 17 years old. He had black hair tied to a low ponytail and dark, blue eyes. He wore a blue jacket with yellow stripes on the sleeves over a yellow shirt with a blue neckline and sleeve trimmings, gray pants that ended at his ankles, long blue socks, and white sneakers with blue stripes. Around his neck, he had on a blue bandana with dark gray stripes. On his back was a brown, durable traveler's backpack. It was Kouji Minamoto.

Kouji Minamoto was the Bearer of the Legendary Warrior of Light. Before going to the Digital World, he had a tense relationship with his parents. His birth parents divorced when he was young. His father, Kousei, took custody of him and got remarried. The boy couldn't get used to his new stepmother and could never utter the word 'mom' to her.

He missed his birth mother, but couldn't see her anymore since his father told him she was dead. It made Kouji grow distant from everyone around him. He thought to himself 'What was the point of being close to family and friends if they're just going to leave you in the end'. And so, he grew apart from those around him and became a loner.

That all changed after Kouji went to the Digital World. There, he found real friends he could put his trust in even though they could drive him crazy sometimes. Most importantly, it was the place where he met Koichi. He was his older twin brother Kouji didn't know existed.

Turns out, his dad lied to him about his birth mother dying. She was actually very much alive and took Koichi into her custody. Both parents never told the other about their existence. They thought it would be better this way. Clearly, it was the wrong choice.

While trying to catch up to his brother, Koichi got into an accident with his soul going into the Digital World where Cherubimon corrupted him with the spirits of Darkness. He transformed into an evil legendary warrior and almost fought Kouji to the death.

After finding out the truth, Kouji was indecisive about how to handle Koichi. He just found out he had a twin brother. This was a lot to take in for him. But thanks to Takuya knocking some sense into him about the bonds between brothers, he was able to save his new sibling.

There was still some tension, but thanks to his friends and travels, the bond between them grew. Over time, they started to act like real brothers.

One time, Kouji finally decided to cut his hair short like Koichi in junior high. It made the twins look totally identical. It caused people to mistake them for the other. Since they went to the same school, a girl confessed to him thinking he was Koichi. He told her to meet his brother at a cafe later to continue their confession, but not before playing a little prank on him.

It was a spectacular event. Koichi had to apologize to the girl and her parents multiple times. When they met up again, they threatened each other with identity theft. It was really funny but normal. They really were starting to act like real brothers now.

Still, Kouji got tired of people mistaking him for his older brother, so he decided to grow his hair long again. This way, people could tell who is who. Unlike the rest of the group, they were the ones who would meet each other multiple times every week. They didn't know each other when they were younger, so they wanted to spend as much time with each other now. This was especially true since they were going their separate ways after graduating high school.

After graduation, Kouji decided to become a backpacker. It was a hiker who carried necessities and supplies in a backpack. They usually travel around the world going to different landscapes with just a backpack. Even when younger, Kouji always wanted to travel and see the world. It was the reason why he was at the Meiji Jingu Garden, for practice.

Although he had been through tougher hikes and travels like Mount Mitake and Mount Takao, he liked to see his brother who was interning nearby. It was really convenient for both of them. Besides, he loved taking in the scenery in the Meiji Jingu Garden.

Kouji usually came here a couple of times every change in season. Although the area was small with only 83,000 square meters, they had 150 species of irises totaling around 1,500 flowers in the garden. They were also surrounded by Japanese maple trees and other plants.

There was another site called Nan-Chi Pond. It would be the first place visitors would see when entering the garden. The pond was filled with 8,300 square meters of pure spring water. Some carp living in the pond are said to be the offspring of the carp released into the pond by a famous emperor a hundred years ago.

All of the features combined made the garden a beautiful place to go to. Kouji always loved coming to see the vibrant trees, plants, and ponds. It gave him a sense of peace and tranquility. He could lay against a hundred-year-old azalea tree and sleep there all day if he wanted to.

Kouji was now exiting the forest on the way to his brother's internship. It was getting around that time to meet up with Koichi. He couldn't wait to meet up and talk with him again.

Just then, a strange phenomenon happened. Fractal code appeared around and surrounded him. It covered the trees, land, and even the skies until everything was covered in fractal code.

When the code disappeared, everything returned to normal. The trees and plants still seemed to be the same, but Kouji felt something was off. Usually, when he walked around the garden, he would hear birds and other animals making noises. But now, everything was deathly silent. It was like they were afraid to make any sounds.

It could only be one thing. The animals and insects were trying to hide from something. When a predator was so powerful, the instincts of the other animals kicked in. They would hide where they could and pray that the predator would leave them alone. Whatever was causing the animals in the whole area to be this terrified, it had to be a powerful being. Judging from the recent fractal code, it had to be Digimon related even if it sounded unbelievable.

Kouji ran to the tallest Japanese maple tree, climbed on the branches, and used the leaves to cover most of his body. Taking out binoculars from his backpack, he scanned the surrounding area until he saw something abnormal in the distance.

In his sight was a big, red-eyed Doberman dog. His coat was black, but the fur around its muzzle, paws, and inner body was brown. Blades jutted out from each leg, and his paws had three toes with long claws on each. It had gear-like protrusions on its spine and knees, and in each thigh contained a red gem.

Dobermon: A champion, vaccine demon beast Digimon whose main attacks are Grey Noise and Black Beam. He is a ferocious Digimon who's a trained hunter. Once he sets a target, he'll stop at nothing to hunt it down.

The dog did not look friendly. A terrifying aura kept radiating off from him. Even Kouji felt a little bit of pressure from a distance. It was no wonder the local animals fled and kept their sounds to a minimum.

Currently, Dobermon sniffed the ground while checking his surroundings. It looked like he was on the hunt for something. Or someone. Slowly, he headed in the direction where Kouji was hiding.

'That mutt!' Kouji knew exactly what Dobermon was doing. He had a pet dog named Garm. When the boy came home, he would be greeted by his dog at the door every time. No matter what time Kouji was home, Garm was always there on time.

How did he know? The answer was simple: scent.

Dogs were 40 times more sensitive to smells than humans. They can actually smell between 1,000 to 10,000 times better than people depending on the breed. It's why hunters take dogs to hunt. They can track wild animals better than they could. Even the police use dogs for various purposes. If trained correctly, dogs could find drugs, bombs, and even dead people.

There was a type of dog called a man-trailing dog. They were used to track a unique scent of a particular individual through trailing or air scent. It's usually for people who have gone missing under suspicious circumstances or to track down criminals. Dobermon was currently using this method to find Kouji. It would only be a matter of time before he found him too.

Kouji quickly took out his handkerchief and sprayed deodorant on it. He sprayed on the cloth until it was drenched with the smell. Breaking off a stick from a branch, he tied his handkerchief to the wood and threw it as hard as he could. The stick went sailing in the air until it landed somewhere a hundred feet away. He then proceeded to grab the leaves and berries on the branch and rubbed them all over his face and body trying to mask his smell.

Dobermon paused momentarily but caught the scent again. He ran in another direction away from Kouji.

The boy let out a sigh of relief. His impromptu plan worked. Good thing he took all those survival training classes. It really came in handy. Unfortunately, this was only a temporary solution. Dobermon was bound to figure out his ruse. He needed another plan.

The question was how. He was completely outmatched and alone. Kouji needed help. He needed his spirits!

Just then, his cell phone started vibrating. Taking the device out, it showed a bright light and morphed into a dark blue and black Digivice. The screen glowed, and a GPS map appeared. It was a map of his area with two dots. One showed his current location while the other was not far away from here.

Kouji felt a sense of deja vu and smiled a little. This scene felt so familiar to him. Something was guiding him somewhere, and it looked like he would need to do a little tracking of his own. The boy jumped down from the tree and started to gather the dead branches on the ground. Although he wanted to follow his GPS coordinates immediately, he had to deal with the pooch first.

...

Dobermon sniffed the ground more diligently. When he finally thought he caught his prey, it turned out to be just a cloth on a stick. His senses must've been failing him. He had to up his game and put his senses on high alert. He was not going to let his prey get away and picked up the scent again.

Walking silently through the trees, he found a person in a blue and yellow jacket with a bandana on his head crouched down with his back turned to the dog. Dobermon's eyes lit up murderously. He found his target and his prey didn't even notice him. He was wide open.

Slowly, Dobermon stealthily made his way to Kouji. He was moving so quietly that the boy didn't even turn around. This made him grin. He was going to accomplish his mission sooner than expected.

Once the dog was at a close enough distance, he pounced at Kouji with full force and grabbed the boy's head with his jaws. Dobermon was going in for the quick kill. He ripped the head out from the body and swung it around like a rag doll. He then stopped in confusion.

When he first bit down, he should've tasted something like blood and soft skin. But all he could taste was something hard and bitter. He spat out what was in his mouth to see what he bit.

On the ground wasn't Kouji's head, but a piece of wood that came from a trunk of a dead tree. Kouji's bandana was there, but it was tied on the top of the wood covered in leaves. His supposed body was just a jacket that was stuffed with sticks and leaves.

Doberman growled in anger. He had been tricked! The human knew he was hunting him and made this distraction.

'Well, it wasn't going to work.' Dobermon thought. He already caught his scent again in the distance. The human wasn't going to get away again if he booked it. This time, he was going to hunt his prey down and end him.

'Snap' Just as Dobermon was about to chase after the boy again, the ground beneath him made a cracking sound. A second later, it broke apart causing the dog to fall 15 feet into the earth. It was a pitfall trap!

'Very clever, human!' Doberman silently cursed as he crashed to the bottom of the pit crushing some rocks. The pitfall trap was smart, but it wasn't going to be enough. The hole wasn't that deep and the dog could jump out of it easily. It wouldn't even be a second. Did this human really think this was going to be enough to stop him?

'Buzz Buzz', Tens of thousands of bees and hornets suddenly appeared and filled the whole pit. Their stingers looked ready to strike.

When Dobermon crashed to the bottom breaking some rocks, those rocks were not rocks. They were actually nests and hives around the forest. The dog accidentally destroyed the insects' homes.

Initially, the bees and hornets would be too afraid to attack due to Dobermon's immense pressure, but they just lost their homes and brethren. Who knows if they will be next? Their anger far surpassed their fear. All at once, they attacked him.

For the first few seconds, they had a hard time breaking his fur but were able to penetrate it after multiple tries. They also attacked his eyes and nose as well. The dog's whole body was being swarmed by the bees and hornets.

Dobermon howled miserably. He rammed his body against the wall and rolled around the ground in an attempt to stop the stinging. Bees and hornets were crushed as the ground and body met. Unfortunately, the insects were too numerous. For every one killed, another would take its place. The stinging seemed endless.

...

Out in the distance, Kouji was following the direction of his GPS. He smiled when he heard Dobermon's howling. It looked like the dog triggered his trap.

Before this place was covered in fractal code, there was an area near the trail that had a big naturally made sinkhole 15 ft deep. Authorities had to close off part of the area until they could fill the hole back up again. Kouji decided to use it to his advantage.

First, he searched the forest and located three beehives and 2 wasp nests. Very carefully, he took them out of the trees and placed them at the bottom of the sinkhole. Luckily, Dobermon's pressure was still affecting them, so they didn't sting Kouji as much.

Second, he found weak sticks to put across the hole and covered it with leaves. With the sticks as support and leaves as camouflage, the sinkhole looked like flat ground anyone could walk over. Those sticks would only support a fully weighted person for 5 seconds before they break causing them to fall in.

Lastly, he stuffed his jacket and bandana with leaves and sticks to make it look like himself and positioned it on top of the camouflaged hole. He angled his dummy in the direction where Dobermon would only see his back since his impromptu dummy looked nothing like him in the front. With one last finishing touch, Kouji sprayed the last of his deodorant on the thing and ran off to follow his GPS.

Kouji hoped the scent would be strong enough to attract Dobermon and attack the fake. It was. The dog fell for the trap hook, line, and sinker. 50-500 stings could cause death to a regular adult. A bee hive could house 60,000 to 80,000 bees, while wasp nests could house over a hundred wasps. Although a fraction of the insects didn't have stingers, the numbers would still be in the 10,000. The boy shuddered thinking about being stung that many times.

Even with that, Kouji didn't think Dobermon would die from the stings. The dog was a full-blown Digimon after all. But it would buy him enough time to find what he was looking for.

After ten minutes of jogging, his GPS led him to a teahouse. It was Kakuun-tei, a replica of a rest home for Empress Shoken by the order of Emperor Meiji at the time. The place was originally burned down during WWII but rebuilt again in 1958.

Kouji couldn't help but raise his right eyebrow looking at the tea house. Was his Digivice really telling him to go in there? This was a historical landmark. Tourists weren't really allowed to enter due to restoration purposes.

Still, it was either this or get mauled, so Kouji kept going. He moved apart the sliding doors and went inside. His eyes scrunched in confusion at what he saw.

Inside had the usual tagami floorboards, a short-legged table, and the other traditional furniture. It was the lighting that was the problem. The place was much darker than it should've been. Pockets of light could enter the room, but they were having little effect illuminating the place.

What was going on? Kouji walked deeper into the house. He looked around, but he couldn't find the reason for the lack of light. Why would his Digivice lead him here?

'Grrrr' Something growled in the dark environment. Following the sound, a big dog appeared at the door. Parts of his body had multiple bumps and swelling caused by bee stings. His eyes were staring ferociously at Kouji.

It was Dobermon. He finally caught up to the human, and he looked ready to murder. Who could blame him? Anyone would be mad from being almost stung to death. Without a second thought, Dobermon pounced at the boy. His claws aimed to kill.

Kouji was trapped. He couldn't go anywhere due to being inside the tea house. There was nowhere to run. All he could do was be attacked to death by Dobermon. Was this really it? Was he going to die just like that?

"Cover your eyes..." A mysterious voice said out of nowhere. Kouji was surprised by the new voice but complied with its wishes. He quickly shut his eyes ignoring the incoming deadly dog.

The small pockets of light suddenly got brighter and converged to a single spot between Kouji and Dobermon. It turned into a ball of light. As soon as Dobermon touched it, the ball popped like a balloon releasing an extremely bright light.

Dobermon got blinded and felt like he crashed into a wall. A force pushed him back and next he knew, he was outside the tea house. When his vision came to, he saw the entire house covered in a barrier of white light. It looked like someone wanted him out and to not be disturbed. The dog had a feeling who it was.

When Kouji opened his eyes, the previously dark room was now highly illuminated. It was like someone turned the brightness setting on their TV to the max. An average person would've had trouble seeing through all this light, but Kouji didn't have that problem. Being bathed in this light, he felt warm and familiar.

Slowly, a tall ghostly figure appeared and walked toward Kouji. He looked at the boy with nothing but love and respect. It was the Human Spirit of Light.

Kouji, in turn, gave a smile of his own. This was his Digimon partner who fought together with him in the Digital World 7 years ago. It was great to see him again.

They should've been talking but they didn't have to. Just by looking at each other, a silent communication was made. They didn't need to speak to know what the other was thinking. Their personalities were just that expressive and simple.

[Grey Noise] Outside, Dobermon howled at the tea house releasing a formless gray soundwave. As soon as the noise touched the barrier, the whole thing shattered like glass. The dog then started to emit a black glow. Whatever the pair was going to do there, they needed to do it now!

The Spirit of Light held out his hand to the boy. They needed to join together once again to fight the battle. Kouji took it without any hesitation. The spirit turned into its relic form and entered the Digivice. The Symbol of Light appeared on the screen.

It was time. [Execute! - Spirit Evolution]

[Black Beam] Dobermon fired a black beam from his mouth. The attack penetrated the doors like paper and wreaked havoc. Anyone inside would've been fatally injured, but those two weren't just anyone. A figure flew out and landed across from Dobermon uninjured.

He was a tall humanlike figure covered in white and blue armor. On his head was a helmet in the shape of a wolf's head covering his blond hair, along with a long scarf around his neck. He was currently radiating warm light.

Lobomon: A warrior, variable Digimon whose main attacks are Lobo Kendo and Howling Laser. He is the human descendent of the Ancient Legendary Warrior: AncientGarurumon. Although this Legendary Warrior appeared to be cold and aloof, he is actually a kind-hearted Digimon.

"So you found your spirit huh? It doesn't matter though. It'll make the hunt much more satisfying." Dobermon said as he fired another black beam.

[Howling Laser] Lobomon retaliated with his own attack. He lifted his left armguard, gathered energy, and fired off a white beam from his wrist.

The black and white beams collided causing an explosion. Smoke filled the entire battlefield. Lobomon protected part of his face from the blowback trying to find Dobermon. Unfortunately, the smoke was blocking most of his vision.

[Styx Striker] Suddenly, Dobermon came out of nowhere and slashed Lobomon across his chest. The armored wolf grunted in pain, then fought back and punched him. But all he hit was air. Dobermon already retreated back into the smoke.

This time, the dog came at him again from the side and slashed across his back. When Lobomon turned to face the mutt, he ran back into the cover of the smoke. Lobomon fired light bullets from his arm at the retreating figure, but none of them hit their mark.

Legs, arms, back, and chest, Dobermon popped out of the smoke and used his claws and blades to attack Lobomon's body each time. The armored wolf tried to fight back by punching, kicking, and firing lasers, but the dog would just retreat back into the smoke and attack in a different direction. This continued for some time.

'This freakin mutt!' Lobomon tried to take another swipe at the dog but missed. He knew exactly what Dobermon was doing. The annoying mutt was using the Hit-and-Run tactic on him.

The Hit-and-Run tactics are a tactical doctrine of using simple surprise attacks on your opponents and withdrawing before they can retaliate. They would constantly maneuver around their enemies avoiding direct confrontation. The purpose was not to decisively defeat, but weaken the enemy over time through small calculated attacks. Such attacks would expose more defensive weaknesses and have a psychological effect on their enemies with minimal damage to themselves.

After being attacked for the 10th time and missing his target, Lobomon just had about enough. Claw and blade marks became apparent on his armor. He needed a new strategy and closed his eyes.

He knew the Hit-and-Run tactic really well. Usually, small armies would often employ them in the short term in preparation for a full-scale battle under favorable conditions. Since his body was beaten and bruised from the attacks, this would be the optimum time for Dobermon to land the one strong, finishing blow on him. This would be the strike where the dog would be the most vulnerable after attacking.

And so, Lobomon closed his eyes and tapped into his instincts. He may not be able to see Dobermon, but he could feel him using his other senses as a Digimon. Slowly, he could hear the patches of grass being stepped on and the sounds of high breathing around him. From these sounds, Lobomon could imagine where his foe would strike next.

Dobermon finally came out from the smoke. This time he appeared behind the Warrior of Light's back. His claws readied to pin him to the ground, and his body glowed black. Lobomon was right. He was going to fire his black beam attack from blank range to finish the Legendary Warrior of Light off.

[Lobo Kendo] Lobomon opened his eyes and swerved to the right dodging the fierce attack. He then took out his Licht Schwert or Light Sword and made an upward motion slashing Dobermon who was still in mid-air. The blade made of concentrated light touched the dog's underbelly before slicing through and out his back.

At first, Dobermon only felt tingling but then the abrupt burning sensation came. He couldn't help but make a pained yelp. It wasn't the only thing.

The energy that he was storing up inside his body to unleash a black beam backfired. Lobo Kendo interrupted Dobermon's charged-up attack causing the energy to wreak havoc inside his body. It was like a plasma grenade going off inside your stomach. The pain felt unimaginable. Dobermon couldn't take it anymore. His whole body went completely black, and fractal code appeared around him.

"Soul that squirms in darkness," Lobomon said, pulling out his Digivice. "The holy light will purify you! Fractal Code, Digitize!" He proceeded to run his Digivice on the code.

Doberman's fractal code quickly entered the Digivice. As the last of his code disappeared, a normal-sized doberman pinscher took its place. The dog looked around in confusion. When he was Lobomon, he started growling at this unfamiliar figure.

Fractal code surrounded Lobomon transforming himself back into Kouji. He looked at the dog and pulled out a dog treat. Kouji always has some on hand for Garm at home. "It's okay, boy. I'm not going to hurt you," The boy offered the treat to the Doberman. "Here."

The dog, seeing a familiar human, took his guard down slightly. He cautiously walked toward Kouji and took a sniff at the treat. It smelled nice, so he took a bite and enjoyed the flavor.

"See," Kouji said gently, patting the dog's head. He then lightly scratched his stomach. The dog rolled over on the ground enjoying the pampering. "You like being scratched like this, don't you boy?"

The Doberman was too happy to even reply.

Kouji took advantage of the Doberman's relaxed state to properly examine him. Although the danger had passed, it was better to be safe than sorry. He also wanted to know why an actual dog appeared instead of a Digi-egg. Maybe some clues might be discovered from the canine.

After a quick diagnostics, he didn't discover anything abnormal. He found a collar meaning this dog was a house pet and had an owner. Whatever brought him to this weird place also brought the animals and insects as well, but it didn't look like Kouji wasn't going to get any more clues out of the dog.

One thing did stand out to him though. This Doberman had a very similar appearance to Dobermon. He just wasn't as big and didn't have deadly special attacks.

Kouji wasn't sure, but he had a feeling that this dog was just a vessel. Like how the Spirit of Light needed him to evolve into Lobomon, Dobermon probably needed something to evolve as well and took control of the canine. When he took his fractal code, he gave the dog back his freedom. Although it was just a hunch, it was the best the boy could figure out since this place wasn't the Digital World.

The question was why and how. Was the Digital World in danger again? And how was it related to this weird area similar to the Meiji Jingu Garden in Japan? There were so many questions and so few answers.

Before Kouji could think any further, a noise of glass shattering rang out in the distance. The noise spooked the Doberman, and he ran away into the garden.

Turning toward the sound, Kouji saw smoke coming out of a building in the distance followed by a huge slash mark from a sword on its outer walls. The same building where his brother was interning.

"Koichi!" Kouji quickly ran to the damaged building. If he was attacked, there was a high chance the others were targeted as well including his older brother.

Kouji needed to get to him fast. He just hoped his brother could defend himself until then.

Chapter Text

Before and during the battle between Lobomon and Dobermon...

The JR Tokyo General Hospital was located in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan, and around a 15-20 minute walking distance from Yogogi park. The building had 10-12 floors and was your typical hospital with operation, ER, and check-up rooms. People with mild to severe injuries come here daily to get treated. Doctors and nurses were always moving about assisting their patients in any way they could.

Walking on the 6th floor of the building was a pale-skinned boy with short black hair that parted to the sides of his face. He appeared to be around 17 years old and had dark blue eyes. He wore a red long-sleeved shirt under a white lab coat, white pants, and green sneakers with yellow streaks. Judging from his age and nametag on the lab coat, the teenage boy looked to be an intern or volunteer to help out in the hospital. He was currently really engrossed with reading the clipboard in his hand while writing notes.

"Koichi!" Someone yelled breaking the boy's thoughts. Looking up, he could see a man around his forties walking up to him. He wore a similar lab coat, but his coat was much longer.

"Dr. Nakimura hello," The boy named Koichi said sending greetings. "What can I do for you?"

"I heard from the nurse that you visited one of my patients recently with her and talked with him." Dr. Nakimura replied. "Did you learn anything new?"

"His symptoms are fever, sore throat, and coughing. Signs point to the common flu."

"I concur, but he's been having these symptoms for weeks and the fevers keep fluctuating from severe to mild erratically. His immune system should've adapted to this. There must be something more."

"Well..." The boy started to say but stopped himself.

"Koichi, if there is something you know, say something." Dr. Nakimura said noticing the boy's indecisiveness. "I wouldn't have come to you if you didn't have sound advice."

"Okay, when talking with him earlier," Koichi continued. "He tensed up a lot when his wife and gaslighting was mentioned. I think the cause of the increasing symptoms could be stress."

"Wife's issue and stress?" Dr. Nakimura was confused but understood the boy's point of view. "Stress can be a factor for a weakened immune system, but it has to be long-term for it to cause an effect."

"True, but he's been married to her for 3 years. With how extremely tense he was from talking about her, it's enough time for stress to accumulate and cause some real lasting effects." Koichi continued his analysis. "Plus, he's also worked a construction job with a lot of heavy lifting. Being physically and mentally exhausted can destroy one's health. I recommend stress relief pills for the short term. A long-term solution is therapy, preferably couples therapy. It will be hard, but this is the best option if he wants to get better. I've listed other small solutions that could..."

Dr. Nakimura looked at the boy with a smile as he kept rambling about his analysis. When Koichi didn't hear a response, he saw the smile and asked. "Doctor, why are you smiling like that?"

"It took me around 12 years to become a real, professional doctor," Dr. Nakimura answered. "But with you, it will probably take less time than that. I'll probably be calling you Dr. Kimura in a few years."

"Sir, it's just a basic analysis, and not that serious," Koichi said modestly. "Besides, I haven't gone to college and studied for my medical license yet."

"I've worked with college interns in their fifth year before and never seen anyone who analyzes as well as you. You've only been here for a few weeks and your diagnostics skills are far beyond theirs." The doctor praised. "If you keep up this hard work, I've got a feeling your name is going to be very well known in the medical world, Koichi Kimura."

"Thank you," Koichi said bowing slightly at the praise. "I'll keep up the hard work."

That's right. The boy in the short lab coat was Koichi Kimura. He was otherwise known as the Bearer of the Legendary Warrior of Darkness.

Before entering the Digital World, he was raised by a single mother and his grandmother. His childhood, unfortunately, wasn't that happy. Don't get him wrong, his grandmother and his mother loved him dearly. The problem was that his mother worked a lot of jobs causing her a lot of physical stress on her body while his grandmother fell ill. Although they never said anything, Koichi could feel the sad and negative atmosphere.

To make matters worse before his grandmother passed away, she told him that he had a younger twin brother. Koichi was shocked. He had a younger brother, and he didn't even know about it.

To confirm this, he followed the address his grandmother provided before passing. When he neared his destination, a dog suddenly came out of the road causing him to hide in the corner. Following the dog came a boy with longer hair and two middle-aged adults who looked exactly like him. They were probably Koichi's biological father and his brother's new mother.

It was true! Koichi felt excitement when seeing his brother. He wanted to come and greet him but stopped. His brother looked happy with his current life, and couldn't help but feel envious. If he appeared, wouldn't he mess it up? This made him keep his distance from him.

His grandmother's passing, his mother's physical pains from working too hard, and not being able to truly get to know his unknown brother made Koichi sad and lonely. He felt everyone was starting to leave him in some way, but he wasn't giving up. He wanted to, at least, meet his brother face-to-face.

When the mass messages came telling everyone to go to Shibuya Station, Koichi followed his brother to the elevators. Unfortunately, he fell down the stairs trying to get to him. The fall caused him to black out.

For some unknown reason, his soul left his body and wandered into the Digital World. While wandering, he fell into his dark thoughts about his family drifting away from him. It was then Cherubimon appeared.

Feeling the child's inner darkness, the evil archangel decided to corrupt him. Using the Spirits of Darkness, Koichi turned into a mindless, emotionless Digimon who wreaked havoc in the Digital World. The other Digi-Destined had a really tough time fighting him. Fortunately thanks to their efforts, they were able to free him and have another powerful ally by their side.

As Koichi joined the team, he finally had time to spend time with his brother, Kouji. It was awkward at first, but as time passed by, they were able to properly talk and bond. It was touch and go there thanks to the Royal Knights and Lucemon, but the two finally met and saw each other in the Real World.

After coming back from the Digital World, Koichi and Kouji spent a lot of time together. They were inseparable. Throughout the seven years, they met and kept in contact the most compared to the others. They went to the same school and even played pranks on each other from time to time. Nothing could separate them apart. They finally became true siblings while finding their paths.

While Kouji became a backpacker, Koichi decided to be a doctor which is why he was at the hospital. He was in an internship learning the basic ropes. Usually, the interns would just be helping out with the patients' necessities and listening to how doctors communicate with their patients. Since most interns haven't even entered college yet, there wasn't much meaning in teaching them abundant medical knowledge yet. Talking about diagnostics on patients was rare between doctors and interns.

Koichi, though, was an exception.

Maybe it was due to being the Legendary Warrior of Darkness or the fact that his soul left his body spending a long time in the Digital World before returning, but Koichi developed some sort of weird ability. He could see the darkness in people. To be more specific, he saw a type of black aura on them.

After waking up at the hospital from his fall, he was surrounded by his friends. They were happy to see him which made things normal. It was when his mother came by that things became weird.

She entered the hospital and was relieved her son was alright, but Koichi felt something completely different seeing her. Around her back in specific areas, black auras were emitting out of her body. At first, Koichi was scared that something happened but seeing the normal look on her, he relaxed. She didn't seem to notice the black aura. Things then got even weirder.

When Koichi brought up about knowing and meeting his brother, the black aura in her spiked up considerably. The boy had to back away slightly seeing it. After calming her and letting her know that he just wanted her to meet Kouji the black aura faded, but there was a new area where it occupied: around her heart. And it stayed there.

It wasn't just Ms. Kimura. After being discharged, he saw many of these black auras in the people around him. Some were big. Some were small, but they were there on specific parts of people's bodies. Koichi was freaking out a little bit. What was going on with him?!

Although he was worried about himself, he was mostly concerned about his mother. Even after returning home, the black auras in her body didn't leave for days. He was especially worried about the recent one in her heart. The others on her back were bad, but it was nothing compared to the darkness in her heart. What kind of horrible things would this dark aura do?

It finally disappeared when Kouji and Ms. Kimura met and had a nice heart-to-heart. Koichi let out a sigh of relief. It looked like this black aura didn't seem to be harmful to people, but it got him thinking. What was it, and why did it disappear now? Her mother's back still had those black aura spots as well.

Koichi decided to tell Kouji and their friends to see if they could help. At first, they were shocked but helped him out. They surmised that his ability came from his body returning to the Digital World.

When something entered the Digital World, human or object, it would become data and Koichi didn't go to the Digital World through normal means. Unlike the other Digi-destined, only his soul entered the world. It was the reason why fractal code didn't appear on him when the Royal Knights attacked them and why he was always uninjured. His body never became data, but his soul did.

His friends figured when his soul returned to his body, something must've mutated within him causing this weird new sight. They couldn't go to a doctor about it. Who would believe them? Hello, my friend can see some black auras in people due to going to a place where there are intelligent Digital Monsters called Digimon and time moves much faster there. No one would believe them, so they decided to do their research and investigation.

Through their observations, they figured out Koichi's new ability wasn't harmful to him in any way. The black auras, he was seeing on people's bodies, were what they were feeling about that area. They divided it into two categories. The first category was injuries.

If Koichi recalled the dark spots on his mother's back, they were probably from the back pain due to overworking a manual job. Those weren't very dark because his mother already knew about the pain and pushed through it. Over time, these types of darkness would disappear naturally with normal healing. It was the other category that was interesting.

The second category was emotional pain. These auras were much darker compared to injuries and would take a longer time to disappear. These auras were caused by bad events in people's lives causing them negative, emotional pain. Injuries can also be a part of that, but it would have to be a big emotional circumstance for it to happen. An example would be a professional player quitting football due to an irreparable injury. The darker the aura, the worse the thoughts are.

When Koichi brought up Kouji to his mother, it must've opened up an old emotional scar darkening her heart. She must have been very scared and nervous to meet her other son, possibly having to communicate with her ex-husband too. It was only through actually meeting and Kouji assuring her that no communication needed to be made from his father did the darkness in her heart was dispelled.

In summary, the boy could see the darkness in people. If anyone had mid-to-high negative emotions on them, he would be able to tell on their bodies. He wasn't a mind reader, but he could tell the emotions like sadness and anger in people. He was kind of like an Empath, but only with negative emotions.

At first, this new ability took some getting used to. Seeing and knowing someone's darkness and emotions wasn't always a good thing. But with the help of his brother and friends, Koichi learned to adapt. Now, he could turn the ability on or off, and if focused, he could pinpoint someone and figure out their negative emotion.

Even though Koichi could only sense emotions related to darkness, it was still a pretty useful ability to have, and that was why Dr. Nakimura asked him his opinion on his patient.

Sometimes, patients and the people related don't share everything with the doctor about their injuries. Either they don't know or want to keep it a secret. Withholding such information could cause doctors to give the wrong prescription or surgery causing a worse injury. Some people even blame doctors for their new situation. This was where Koichi came in.

Whenever a patient or someone related to them lies or withholds information, Koichi would see the darkness in them and tell the doctors in private.

At first, the doctors didn't believe him. The boy was only an intern, but after one of them finally took his advice due to not finding the root cause of an illness, the patient fessed up when confronted and told his secret causing his sickness. After some days of treatment, the person was correctly treated and cured. The doctor was shocked. Koichi's advice worked!

Soon, more doctors started taking the boy's advice and found their rate of saving patients increased. It was insane. Was their intern a whisperer or something?

When they inquired about how Koichi knew the secrets and injuries, he told them he could read body language well since he couldn't tell them about his special power. It would probably land him in a mental institute and be experimented.

Now, doctors and nurses would often bring the boy into their consultations to help with procedures. Conversations like with Dr. Nakimura were a regular thing for Koichi and also caused him to stay later than usual. Although he was staying in more, he wasn't getting anything out of it.

Doctors, in turn, would share their experiences with the boy. They couldn't let him attend big surgeries or operations, since he was still too young for them, but they would explain what kind of symptoms to look out for in diseases and let him watch doctors do simple procedures like stitching.

Koichi absorbed everything like a sponge. The staff in the building were impressed by how much information the boy retained. It's only been about three weeks since the start of his internship, and the boy already could stitch flesh wounds, name common to some rare sicknesses on patients, and immediately provide treatment for it. This isn't just from listening to doctors either. He must've been studying hard about medicine even before starting the internship. It was really rare to find someone this hardworking in the field of medicine and have a talent in reading body language and people.

And he was still only a high schooler! Imagine what would happen when he officially becomes a certified doctor. After finding out how he made a perfect score on his mock exam, the upper management of the hospital was already considering funding the boy for his college tuition and hiring him full-time right after. This was how much the staff here highly thought of their intern and expressed their sincerity.

With his current performance, Koichi was on the road to becoming an amazing doctor. Everyone couldn't wait to see what kind of waves this boy would make in the future. They were looking forward to it.

After saying his goodbyes to Dr. Nakimura, Koichi checked the time on his phone and walked to the elevators wanting to exit the building. It was getting around the time to meet up with his brother, Kouji.

Ever since coming back to the Digital World, the brothers spent a lot of time together in school and their free time. They wanted to make up for the time lost from being apart for years, especially since both were going to be far away from each other in a few weeks.

With Kouji's dream of being a backpacker, he was going to leave Tokyo after graduating high school. There was only a little time to spend together, so they wanted to make the best of it and set up multiple meet-ups. Today was one of them.

Unfortunately, those plans had to be temporarily put on hold.

As Koichi walked toward the elevators, the hallway suddenly transformed into fractal code. It covered the whole hospital and the recipients. The boy looked around in surprise. This wasn't new to him, but this was Japan, not the Digital World. Fractal code shouldn't even exist here! What was going on?

The fractal code disappeared as soon as it appeared. The hospital returned to its normal appearance with one difference. There were no people! The staff and patients were nowhere to be found. There was only silence in the halls. Not even a pen drop could be heard.

Koichi quickly walked through the halls and activated his ability. He wanted to confirm if there was anyone still here. Although his ability could only find people with darkness and negative emotions, this was a hospital. There were always high emotions here, good or bad.

After moments of looking, he couldn't sense anything. He even extended his senses outside the building, but nothing. It looked like he was the only person in this weird world.

Just as Koichi was about to stop his ability, it detected something. It was a darkness, a big one. The boy quickly focused and studied it. Whoever it was had darkness filled with anger and hatred.

It was currently on the move. Heading straight to where the boy was. It was actually around the end of the hallway. A few moments later, the figure stepped in and appeared in Koichi's line of sight. His eyes widened in shock.

He had a human-like figure covered worn down rags, furs, and armor. In his hands was a big sword that looked like it had gone through countless clashes. He looked like a samurai in the Edo period. It was a Digimon!

Musyamon: A champion, wizard-type Digimon. The main attacks are Shogun Sword and Ninja Blade. According to the records, he was created from a virus-infected foreign game software. The reason why his armor is worn out is due to endless battles. Be careful of his sword. It can absorb the opponent's life when slain.

"Finally," Musyamon said as looked at Koichi and pointed his sword at him. "I have found the Warrior of Evil. Prepared to be killed like countless others from this blade."

"Wait," Koichi putting his hands up in surrender. He backed away a little very slowly. "Why are trying to kill me? I've done nothing wrong."

"I do not need to waste my breath with you." Musyamon readied his sword. "Now die!"

[Ninja Blade] The samurai slashed down with his sword creating a vertical wave of the light. It was heading straight toward the boy cutting through anything in its way.

Before the blade light touched him, Koichi quickly moved back and jumped into another corner of the hallway barely dodging the attack. The blade light continued its course until it hit the wall at the end of the hall shattering the glass on the window and creating a deep, clean cut. The building's material did little to stop this. It was as easy as cutting butter.

Koichi inwardly shuddered at the blade mark. He could see the floor below him through it. Half his body would have probably been gone if he got hit by that. The boy kept running.

Although the situation wasn't looking good, Koichi still kept his cool. Like his doctors always tell him: Always maintain your composure when facing something unexpected. During surgical operations, there is always going to be an unpredictable factor that could affect the whole procedure.

It was never a good idea to panic and freak out. It would be a waste of time and lead to mistakes in a life-threatening situation. The best thing doctors could do was to keep calm, think through the problem, then create a plan. Only by thinking through with a calm mind could an effective solution be made.

This lesson wasn't just important in the medical world, but also everyday life. It's always good to maintain your composure in stressful situations.

Koichi did just that. He kept calm and thought about how to deal with his current problem. Soon, a plan started to form, and the boy ran to the nearest ER room.

Once inside, he locked the door and shut off the lights. The whole room instantly turned pitch black. Koichi then walked deeper into the room blending with the darkness.

A few moments later, slash marks were heard and the door fell to pieces. Musyamon stepped through the broken wood, looked at the dark room, and scoffed. "Do you think you can hide from me just because it's a little dark?"

"What a foolish thought," Musyamon walked deeper into the room and raised his sword. The blade emitted a ghostly glow and slowly illuminated the whole room until everything was visible to the naked eye.

"Who said anything about hiding?"

A few feet away from the samurai was Koichi, and he seemed to be holding something. In his hands were metallic pads that were brimming with power. Right next to him was a machine that connected to the pads and looked like it was set to the highest output. They were manual defibrillators.

Defibrillators are devices that send an electric pulse or shock to the heart and restore a normal heartbeat. If a person's heart suddenly stops, defibrillators would help it beat again. There were 2 main types of defibrillators.

The first were the automated external defibrillators or AEDs for short. They could be found in many public spaces. The machine could automatically calculate the shock so that inexperienced bystanders could use these devices in the event of an emergency.

The second was manual defibrillators. Unlike AEDs, manual defibrillator's settings could be changed. Only professionals should use these kinds of devices. This was what was currently in Koichi's hands.

These weren't just any regular manual defibrillators. These were the latest state-of-the-art defibrillators that dish out 3,000 volts of electrical shocks. Manual defibrillators in their regular settings can send a healthy adult into cardiac arrest. What would happen if it was used on its highest setting? Koichi was about to find out.

The boy wasn't hiding from Musyamon. He was setting up the machine and positioning himself close to the samurai, so he wouldn't notice him. Now, it was the time to strike.

Before Musyamon could do anything, Koichi ran up to the samurai, rubbed the metal pads together, and rammed them into Digimon's chest. "Clear!"

At first, Musyamon only felt a little tingle, then the electrical pain came causing him to grunt. It felt like he just got kicked hard.

Koichi, seeing the defibrillators taking effect, rubbed the pads again and gave Musyamon another electrical shock. "Clear!"

The first one was bad enough. The second one was even worse. The samurai had to take a few steps back. This one felt like a donkey came by and kicked him while he was down.

"Enough!" Before Koichi could give him the third dose. Musyamon powered through the pain and waved his arm knocking the boy to the floor. He then set his sights on the machine and unleashed blade lights on it turning it into pieces.

Don't underestimate the biology of Digimon. Their bodies were more robust and adaptable than humans. Although the defibrillators were powerful, Musyamon would be able to adapt to them after one or two shocks.

"Now with that demonic device taken care of, it's your turn," Using both his hands, Musyamon raised his sword. He wasn't going to give this boy any more chances. Although the defibrillators were harmful to him, they still hurt like crazy. He had to finish him off now and slashed down.

There was nothing else Koichi could do. The defibrillators were the only plan he could come up with on such short notice. He didn't have a backup. All he could do was close his eyes and wait to be cut in two.

A quick swish sound was made as the sword made contact. The force was so strong that the edge of the blade punctured through to the lower floor. Anything in its way would've been easily sliced apart, but there was one weird thing.

Koichi wasn't there anymore!

Musyamon looked at the floor in confusion. What used to be a boy lying on the ground now only had an empty, dark floor. His sword only cut the ground. Where was his enemy? It was like he disappeared into thin air.

After sensing the sword never coming, Koichi opened his eyes and looked around confusingly. Musyamon was nowhere to be seen, but he wasn't in the hospital anymore. He wasn't even sure he was still in Japan.

All around him was just darkness. Even when someone was stuck in a dark room, their eyes would adjust and see the outlines of the things inside. But here, nothing could be seen but the pitch, black endless void. It felt like a person could walk here for days but still never see the end of it.

Koichi should've been afraid, but he wasn't. For some reason, this darkness felt familiar and endearing to him. He got a feeling that someone used the darkness to save his life, so he had no reason to be afraid and silently thanked it.

"Koichi..." A voice in the void suddenly said. Something started to warp in the darkness. It kept bending and changing until a figure appeared.

He was intangible like a ghost and wore black armor that looked like a lion. The being looked at Koichi with kind eyes. "It's been a long time. Being a doctor suits you." It was the human spirit of darkness, Koichi's partner in the Digital World.

"Low-" Koichi started to say but froze when he saw his spirit fade in and out. "What's wrong?"

"To save you, I grabbed and took you into the world of shadows," The Spirit of Darkness explained. "It's one of the worlds closely related to darkness, but it used up the last of my power."

"Meaning?"

"It won't be long before I revert into my weakest form, and you will be ejected out of this world." The Spirit of Darkness was starting to become more transparent. "We don't have much time."

"But there are so many things I want to tell you," Koichi looked deeply at his partner. Unlike the others Digi-Destined, he didn't get the chance to talk to his spirit face-to-face. Although they were always connected, it wasn't the same. Seeing his spirit now, Koichi understood what his friends meant when they talked about the amazing sensation of seeing their partners. He could feel it right now with his. There was a lot he wanted to say to him.

"And we will," The Spirit of Darkness said, understanding his partner's thoughts. "But we need to take care of Musyamon right now. The longer he is in your world, the more danger it will be in. This will be another perilous battle. Will you take on the powers of darkness once again and fight with me?"

Koichi didn't even need to say anything. The answer was obvious. He pulled out his cell phone and pointed in front of his spirit. The cellular device emitted a bright light and morphed into a black, gray Digivice.

The Spirit of Darkness couldn't hold his form anymore, but he didn't need to. He found his partner and that was all the power he needed. His intangible body completely faded turning into his relic form and he flew into the Digivice. The symbol of darkness appeared on the screen.

It was time.

[Execute! Spirit Evolution] Inside the hospital, a wall broke apart as Musyamon stepped out of the ER room. He was not looking too happy.

"Where are you, Warrior of Evil!" Musyamon roared in the empty halls. "Show yourself and face me!"

"I'm right here..." Someone said.

Following the voice, Musyamon saw a humanoid figure across the hallway. He wore black armor with gold highlights that resembled a lion statue. The lion's head was attached to his chest. He held a black and silver spear that looked powerful, and darkness always seemed to be enshrouding him. This was Loweemon.

Loweemon: The Human Legendary Warrior of Darkness whose special attacks are Shadow Lance and Shadow Meteor. He is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientSphinxmon and is known to be called the Jet-black Warrior. Although he utilizes the powers of Darkness, he uses them for justice.

"So you've transformed into your unholy form," Musyamon said, looking at Loweemon. "This is good. My sword will taste the life force of a Legendary Warrior.

[Shogun Sword] Musymon's blade started to glow in an eerie light, and the samurai launched himself at Loweemon. His sword aimed at the opponent's neck.

[Shadow Lance] Loweemon parried back with his spear. A loud rang sounded, and the foes flew back a little. The Warrior of Darkness stood guarded. He could feel his soul being pulled toward the sword. This attack must've been how Musyamon drained the life force of his opponents. He had to be careful touching the blade and avoid lethal blows.

And so, both Digimon clashed with their sword and spear. Neither of them backed down. Unfortunately, Musyamon had the advantage in their bouts.

Usually, a spear would have the high ground over a sword due to its longer range and strong momentum of power. The problem was the location. It was an enclosed hallway. A spear couldn't exert its full strength within a limited space compared to a sword. Loweemon was starting to lose ground, and Musyamon knew it too.

With a strong swing of his sword, the samurai deflected the spear to the side causing the long weapon to be lodged in a wall. It would take a few seconds for the weapon to be pulled out, but a few seconds was all Musyamon needed. He smiled and japped out his sword aiming at Loweemon's head with all his might.

Musyamon did it! He was going to take the life of the Legendary Warrior of Darkness.

It was that moment. Loweemon's eyes lit up. Just as Musyamon basked in his post-victory, Loweemon was waiting for this moment. He knew his weapon had a big disadvantage in an enclosed hallway, so he needed to find a good opportunity and let his opponent's guard down. Although his spear was currently stuck to the wall temporarily, he still had another weapon.

With a small wave of his hand, Loweemon conjured up a shield in the shape of a sphinx head and slanted it at a 45-degree angle. The blade made a ringing sound as it connected to the shield. The trajectory changed and barely missed Loweemon's face passing through the left side of his face.

By missing the target, it caused Musyamon's attack to be overshot pulling his body with him. He couldn't change his movements on such short notice. The samurai was wide open.

Pulling out his spear, Loweemon tackled Musyamon and pushed him down the hallway until the samurai hit the wall. The shaft of his spear pinned the samurai's neck and arms trapping him. He wouldn't be moving anytime soon.

"Haaaaahh!" Loweemon roared, and his body started bulking up. The energy was being channeled and concentrated inside of his arms and torso.

[Shadow Meteor] The lion's head on his chest opened its mouth and released a golden energy wave. The attack hit Musyamon at point-blank range. The wall behind cracked and crumbled as the Shadow Meteor blasted right through the concrete to the outside.

Musyamon's ragged body slowly fell out of the building and landed on the grass. The samurai couldn't move a single finger or toe on his body. He couldn't fight anymore and fractal code started to appear around him.

Corrupted, wicked heart," Loweemon jumped out of the building and landed in front of the fractal code. He had his Digivice in his hand. "Sleep in the Darkness you were born from. This Digivice will purify you!" He swiped on the code. "Fractal Code, Digitize!"

"Hmph! Me? Wicked?" Knowing his demise was near, Musyamon decided to say his last words. "If anyone should be called wicked, it's you! I may have been defeated, but there will be others. Mark my words, you will pay for your sins!"

The last of the fractal code entered the Digivice causing Musyamon to disappear. What appeared in his place was an action figure that looked like a samurai. Fractal code then surrounded Loweemon, and Koichi reappeared. He looked at the action figure deep in thought.

Although he was confused about why there was a figurine instead of a Digi-egg, he was thinking more about the samurai's words.

'Mark my words, You will pay for your sins!'

What did he mean by that? Koichi didn't have any sins. When the boy used his powers on Musyamon, he saw hatred and anger but didn't know they were directed at him. Musyamon must've had some serious issues with him, but why though? This was the first time the boy had ever seen or met the samurai.

"Koichi!" Before Koichi could think further about the words, someone yelled his name in the distance. Turning around, he saw his brother, Kouji, running frantically toward him.

Kouji kept running until he was face-to-face with Koichi. He stopped for a moment to take in a breath and took a glance at his brother.

"You're okay," Kouji said in relief. "When I heard the explosion, I thought something bad might've happened."

"I'm okay," Koichi replied smiling at his brother. Although they've grown much closer over the years, it always made Koichi happy to see the concern from Kouji. His smile then froze, and he asked worriedly. "Are you okay though?"

Kouji's current appearance didn't look good. His navy jacket and signature bandana were missing. Twigs and leaves appeared on parts of his body smelling like a Japanese Maple tree. He looked like the guy who ran badly through a forest getting away from a predator.

"I'm fine," Kouji said brushing off some of the leaves on his body. "I just had a run-in with a dangerous Digimon."

"You too?"

"Yeah, you must've had a battle too then," Kouji said, noticing the samurai action figure and hole in the hospital wall. "It looks like you got your spirit and won. That's good, but we're still stuck in this weird place. Any ideas on how to get out of here?"

Just as the words were said, fractal code once again appeared and blanketed the area. It covered everything, except for Kouji and Koichi. The brothers quickly held their Digivice preparing to Digivolve at any moment. They were ready for any threat, but it wasn't necessary.

The fractal code disappeared, and everything returned to normal. Doctors, nurses, and patients reappeared at the hospital doing their daily routines. Damages due to the battle were gone. The most surprising thing was what happened to Kouji.

He was wearing his navy jacket and bandana again. There were no twigs or leaves on his body, and he didn't smell like a maple tree anymore. The boy looked clean and neat.

"How in the world-" Kouji said surprised inspecting his new appearance. This was what he looked like before fractal code appeared. This was unreal. It was like what happened a few moments ago didn't happen.

"Koichi," Kouji looked questionely at his brother. He wanted verification from him that he wasn't dreaming or losing it.

"I witness everything too. You're not going mad." Koichi said. " Besides, look at this."

Koichi showed Kouji his Digivice which turned back into his cellphone. The symbol of darkness appeared on the screen followed by Loweemon. This meant that what they did was real and not a hallucination.

Just then, Koichi and Kouji's cell phones started ringing. Looking at the caller ID, it was from Takuya and Izumi. The brothers' eyes lit up. If anyone could understand the current situation, it would be their other comrades of the Legendary Warriors. They answered the call.

"FINALLY! ARE YOU GUYS ALRIGHT!? YOU'RE NOT HURT, ARE YOU? WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU GUYS AND WANTED TO WARN YOU," Koichi and Kouji were both bombarded with loud, urgent questions filled with worry.

Guys Guys, slow down. We're fine," Kouji said using one hand to cover his cell phone blocking some of the sound. "Start from the beginning and say it quietly. What happened?"

Takuya and Izumi told the brothers about their battles. They also told them about Tomoki & Junpei's recent encounters, and an emergency meet-up needed to happen.

Koichi and Kouji listened to every detail without interruption. After their friends finished, the brothers also told their experiences and agreed to the meeting. With all the details out of the way, they ended the call.

"It looks like something is about to happen once again," Kouji said, looking at his cell phone. The symbol of light appeared on the screen along with Lobomon. "But this time, we are going to start it together." The boy looked at his brother.

Last time when he first entered the Digital World, Kouji didn't even know he had a brother. Now, he was going to start on a new adventure with him. It couldn't have made him any happier. "It'll be good to see everyone again after a while. Hope you're in the mood for soba noodles."

"I don't think I have much of an appetite at the moment." Koichi smiled. He saw his brother's joyful mood and knew the reason why. "I'm happy we can start on a new journey together too." He then stared deeply at the ground. "Because we're going to need all the help we can get."

"Koichi?" Kouji knew that all-knowing look. "Is there something more?"

"It's just a feeling, but it's better to tell you when everyone else is present," Koichi replied, turning his attention away from the ground. "We should get going."

Koichi and Kouji then walked in the direction of the Shibuya Station to meet up with their friends. It looked like there was another adventure in store for them.

As for that feeling, Koichi always had an affinity toward the darkness. Now that his spirit returned to him, the connection was even stronger. Somewhere deep inside the Earth was a barrier. Behind it was a passageway that led to another world.

The boy couldn't confirm it, but he could feel something evil near the barrier. It wasn't just one either. There were multiple presences, and the pressure they each gave off was close to that of Lucemon. It made Koichi inwardly shudder.

Whatever was happening to Earth, it was only just the beginning.

Chapter Text

Shibuya Station first opened around 1885 and is now known to be the second busiest train station in Japan. Every day, around 3 million passengers ride the railways to their destinations. Some people even had to go underground just to get to the right train.

The interior was completely stunning. The walls were decorated with abstract artwork from different people. Pillars underground lit up in different colors guiding passengers to their trains. There was even a touch screen that had a map of the whole station with directions. They had everything: shops, restaurants, and even a tiny bookstore. It might as well have been a small airport or mall.

In one part of the area was a soba noodle* restaurant. It was a pretty simple, convenient place with booths and counter tables. Customers would just come in to get a quick bite of the Japanese noodles before heading to their next destination.

One of the booths had 5 high schoolers and 1 college student. They were enjoying a wide variety of chilled, stir-fried, and hot soba noodles. It was the six legendary warriors: Takuya, Kouji, Tomoki, Izumi, Junpei, and Koichi.

When everyone was together, they each shared their recent battles and opinions in more detail. In the end, they were able to deduce three main factors.

The first was the weird area covered in fractal code. Only the Legendary Warriors and a select few would be dragged into it. Everyone else was exempted. Whatever that fractal code did, only Digimon were allowed to be in it. The teenagers tried to spirit evolve outside of it but to no avail. They couldn't even turn their cellphones back into Digivices. It looked like they were only able to transform in that place.

The second was the time. According to Junpei, time seemed to completely stop there. It was why the bodyguards were so shocked when he and their lady disappeared. To them, only a second passed by when Junpei and Saya stayed there for 10 to 15 minutes at most.

The final factor was the space. From Kouji and Tomoki's experiences, any damage or loss of clothing on the body would be immediately repaired and healed after returning to the Real World. Their appearance would return to the first time they entered the fractal world.

Unfortunately, that was all they could figure out. Kouji deduced that the Digimon were taking over animals or objects, and Koichi could feel that something evil trying to break through to the Real World. The question was why. Who was doing all these things and attacking them? What is causing the weird fractal phenomena? And more importantly, what was happening in the Digital World?

There were so many questions but very little answers. The gang was at a dead end, so they did the only thing they could do. They ordered food.

"Whew, I needed that," Takuya said after slurping down a mouthful of hot soba noodle ramen. Although the boy frequently came here, he felt the food here was especially good after his battle with Gorillamon. "I might have to order another helping."

"Takuya," Junpei said, eating his stir-fried noodles. "As much as I like soba noodles, why are we here?"

"I'd like to know that too," Izumi said, munching on her side of shredded carrots. Although she was with Takuya when the Digimon came attacking, he didn't tell her the reason why everyone had to meet at this specific place. She and the others were quite curious too.

"Well," Takuya started to say. "'I'd thought we might find some answers here."

"In a soba noodle restaurant?" Koichi questioned.

"Yes in a soba noodle restaurant," Takuya answered, looking around the restaurant. "You guys remember, don't you? This was the place where it all started for us."

Before this area became a Japanese noodle restaurant, elevators were stationed here. Elevators that led to a secret underground train terminal. It was the place where all the Legendary Warriors, except for Koichi, took the train and entered the Digital World.

Even after the elevators were gone, everyone still had a big connection to the place. When they all gathered again under another mysterious message and ate at the restaurant for the first time, they were greeted by their spirits again 2 years later after departing from the Digital World.

Turns out, the spirits sent the message for the meeting. They wanted their partners to see and talk to each other again. It was quite the surprise but they took it in stride as they chatted and ate for hours that day.

Now, the teenagers make this restaurant one of the places to meet when gathering. Their spirits don't communicate with them anymore, since it was a one-time thing, but it didn't matter. The connection established here was enough for them.

"Since our spirits talked with us here for the first time," Takuya continued. "I thought we would find some clues or for them to communicate with us like before, but I guess I was wrong."

Takuya let out a defeated sigh. They've already been at this restaurant for over 2 hours, and nothing abnormal happened. He thought they could get some answers here.

"Considering what little information we have," Kouji said, dipping his chilled soba noodles into the sauce before eating it. "It's not a bad plan. It's more surprising you came up with it."

"Hey!" Takuya shouted, offended.

"Takuya, relax," Tomoki said, calming his easy-to-trigger friend. "Kouji is just messing with you like always. Don't put too much of it to heart."

Takuya gave Kouji a look but dropped the subject to finish the rest of his food. Tomoki looked at both of them and shook his head. Why were they almost always like this when meeting?

Although Kouji and Takuya have been best friends for years, they still butt heads from time to time. Their friends usually have to intervene before it gets worse. They were so used to it now that they each decided to take turns. It was Tomoki's turn today.

"Besides fighting, why don't we think of another plan somewhere else like places we were attacked? There might be some clues," Tomoki raised his hand to signal a server. "Waiter, check please."

That check would have to wait as fractal code appeared again and covered the whole restaurant. When it disappeared, there was only an empty restaurant and the sounds of noodles being left on the grill. Six cellphones lit up and changed into Digivices. It looked like Takuya's hunch was right.

Everyone quickly gripped their Digivices and got into fighting positions. They looked around their surroundings anticipating an attack. A few minutes went by, but a Digimon never appeared. Everything seemed quiet and normal.

"Koichi," Kouji said signaling his brother. He wanted him to use his power. If anyone could find someone from a mile away, it would be him.

"I'm not seeing anyone," Koichi replied scanning the area. "There's no one here. At least not one with malicious intentions."

"Takuya... Kouji..." A voice said near them. It was coming from their Digivices. Looking at their screens, all it showed was static, but they knew someone was trying to communicate with them.

"Tomoki.. Izumi.." The voice became more pronounced. The static started to go away and a picture appeared. It looked like some weird animal face emoji. It had a white face with pointed ears, a single horn above the head, black, beady eyes, small thin eyebrows, and a black mouth. "Junpei! Koichi! Can you guys hear me?"

"Bokomon!" Everyone said. They all knew this face and voice too well. It was their companion and guide in the Digital World.

Bokomon: A rookie-level, vaccine-type Digimon who is known to be a scholar. Although he is not a combative Digimon, his knowledge more than makes up for it surpassing most ultimate-level Digimon. He carries a green book in his pink waistband called the Monoshiri Book or Book of Knowledge. The book has a lot of information about the Digital World and Real World. Some of it was recorded by him, while the rest were from his past predecessors.

"Thank goodness, I was finally able to get in contact with you guys," Bokomon said happily. "It's good to talk to you again, my friends."

"Friends?" Someone else said. The screens then changed to an emoji that looked like a yellow rabbit. "What friends? I don't see anyone."

"Neemon!" Everyone was excited. They knew the other Digimon as well. He was their other Digimon companion who looked like a two-legged rabbit with red pants on.

Neemon: A rookie-level, data-type Digimon who is the companion of Bokomon. He is known for his carefree personality and bumbling antics. Despite his appearance and vacant personality, he's fast when it comes to escape. He's also a surprisingly well-informed person, but his information isn't helpful most of the time.

"Of course, they're not here," Bokomon said. "They're in their world, and we must talk to them using this device. We talked about this, remember?"

"Are you sure it's them?" Neemon questioned. "They don't sound like our friends. These voices sound much deeper."

"Of course it's them! Humans grow differently from Digimon. They have to go through a thing called puberty."

"What's puberty? Sounds delicious! Can I eat it?"

"No, you idiot!" Bokomon shouted. A sound of a rubber band snapping was heard followed by an ouch from Neemon.

Everyone on the end of their Digivices couldn't help but laugh. Those two haven't changed at all even with their new status.

When their spirits first communicated with them at the restaurant, they learned about Bokomon and Neemon's new life. Bokomon took in the three baby archangels Digimon and raised them like his own children while becoming a traveling scholar. His main expertise was history, research, and exploration. He wanted to record everything he experienced, so Digimon could learn more about their world: past and present. It was thanks to his research that the spirits could communicate with them back then.

Neemon became Bokomon's assistant, a very lazy assistant. Instead of helping, he would be either asleep or falling on something. Bokomon lost count of how many times he waistband slapped the yellow rabbit. Despite those shortcomings, he made a pretty good uncle. Whenever Bokomon was busy with research and recording, Neemon would play with the kids to keep them occupied. The children always loved having him to keep them company.

As for the three archangels Digimon, Patamon, Salamon, & Lopmon were very happy. The last thing the Legendary Warriors heard from them, they were about to Digivolve into their champion forms, and this was 5 years ago. It made everyone happy to hear their friends in the Digital World living well.

It was especially good to hear from them now. Weird things were happening here in Japan, and they needed answers. Their knowledgeable friend might just have them.

"Bokomon," Kouji said, getting right to the point. "We need your help. Strange things recently happened, Digimon attacked us, and we don't know why."

"Tell me everything," Bokomon said.

Everyone then told their stories and theories. They told him about the fractal-covered world similar to their own, and about how the Digimon turn into animals or objects after being scanned. Not a single detail was left out. Bokomon listened without interrupting.

"I can't believe it," Bokomon said after everyone told their story. "They did it. They sacrificed their bodies, and you each entered a fractal field! I thought it was just a theory, but from what you all said, it happened. This is unbelievable!"

"Sacrifice themselves?" Takuya said, confused. "Who are we talking about and what's a fractal field?"

"There's a lot to explain," Bokomon answered. "I'll have to start with our two worlds."

Bokomon then proceeded to talk about the Real World and Digital World. Thanks to his diligent research, he was able to find a lot of things. Although they were similar in appearance, both were created differently. The Real World was made from actual life with its inhabitants being flesh and blood. The Digital World, on the other hand, was made from data as well as the Digimon who lived there. Different worlds had natural rules and laws that governed them to prevent imbalance.

If inhabitants from either world tried to enter the other, the rules and laws of that world would descend upon them. Depending on the circumstances, the world would either change the person or prevent them from entering.

The laws of the Digital World were the former and very lenient. Whenever someone entered the Digital World, their body would be converted into data similar to the Digimon. This way, the body composition will match to the Digital World causing no imbalance. When they want to return, their body will return to its original state.

The laws of the Real World were the latter. They were much harsher and more demanding than the Digital World. There was a reason Digimon couldn't survive in the Real World. Besides the strong barrier preventing them from entering, the Real World's laws wouldn't convert their bodies. They would be stuck as data.

If Digimon, especially strong ones, could enter, the world's natural laws would do everything in its power to reject and destroy them. This includes destroying part of the world to do it. It was the reason Digimon never bothered to enter the Real World. It wasn't worth the risk of their life. Only Digimon as prideful as the Royal Knights or Lucemon was stupid enough to attempt it. Besides, the Digital World was enough for them.

It seemed impossible for Digimon to live in the Real World, but there was always a loophole. When Takuya returned from the Digital World by himself, he returned as Flamemon. He was a Digimon at the time, so how was he able to survive in his world without it rejecting him?

During the trip to stop Lucemon from entering Japan back then, Takuya told Bokomon about it, and the little Digimon surmised that it was because of him.

In the Digital World, Digimon are born from Digi-eggs and grow up in the area around them to become stronger. The Legendary Warriors, on the other hand, were only spirits or relics. They were made of the last fractal code of the Ancient Legendary Warriors and needed vessels to become Digimon. Takuya was the vessel at the time, and since he was originally from Japan, the natural laws wouldn't reject him as much.

If that were the case, wouldn't the same apply to other Digimon? Weren't Digi-eggs just another sort of vessel for them? Thanks to Bokomon's research and some powerful influences, Digimon figured out a way to enter the Real World. They would have sacrificed their bodies and left their Digi-eggs behind. Their powers, thoughts, and bodies would all be transferred into fractal code and enter the Real World.

The fractal code would be perceived as sending data like an email, so the Real World's natural laws didn't reject it much. Once in, they would then search for a suitable vessel similar to their digital biology and take it over. This was the reason why animals or inanimate objects appeared when the Legendary Warriors scanned their defeated foes.

An albino chimpanzee as Gorillamon. A black cat like MadLeomon. A ball of fire as Meramon. A saw stag beetle as Kuwagamon. A doberman as Dobermon. And a samurai action figure as Mushyamon. All of these animals or objects had characteristics that were similar to their counterparts. Fractal code would then enter the animals or objects turning them into their Digimon forms. With things from the Real World as their vessels, they were safe from the natural laws.

Unfortunately, they underestimated how harsh those laws were. Although the natural laws didn't reject them anymore, their power levels were still too strong for the Real World. Rookie-level Digimon were safe since their strength was slightly superior to a full-grown adult or wild animal. They could roam freely with their suitable vessel. It was the champion level and above Digimon that was the problem.

Their strength was too strong, and their attacks could cause real devastation. The Real World would never allow such a power to exist alongside its inhabitants. To combat this variable, the Real World borrowed some data from the Digital World to stop it. And thus, the fractal field was born.

A fractal field was created when a champion-level Digimon or above first entered the Real World. Fractal code would appear and cover a certain perimeter around them creating a different area. It would be the exact replica of the original. Not only that, but time would completely stop in that place. This was because time in the Real World and Digital World ran differently.

In conclusion, the Real World would create a separate mirror world for Digimon to roam freely. Damage done in the mirror world wouldn't affect the original, and humans wouldn't be in there either, so balance was maintained. Animals and inanimate objects could be there since most of them were perfect vessels for Digimon. This was the temporary solution that the natural laws created.

Only people touched by the Digital World could enter a fractal field. This explains why Takuya and the others appeared in one. They were the Legendary Warriors. Teppei too. Although he wasn't a Legendary Warrior, he's entered the Digital World like other children. He was part of this list.

There was also another way to enter. Data would still be a part of people even after returning. If a person spends a long enough time with another who has been in the Digital World, some of that data would transfer to that person making them enter the fractal field as well. This was how Junpei's opera partner was able to go into the fractal field with him. She at least spent 8 hours a day with him in school studying or doing vocal exercises.

Once one entered a fractal field, they would be stuck there. There were three main ways to get out.

The first option was for the Digimon to leave and return to their world. It wasn't a very popular option as they didn't have a Digi-egg to return to. Their fractal code would be returned to the soil of the Digital World and be reborn again.

The second option was that Digimon had to suppress their strength to that of a rookie level. They would change into their vessel form and walk around unimpeded, but if they unleashed even a little of their true power, the fractal field would immediately appear. They could suppress their strength again to make it disappear but a long time was needed.

The third and final option was to defeat and scan the Digimon. The Digi-destined had experience on this one. Once scanned, the vessel would regain its freedom. Their memories as a Digimon would fade away or be a bad nightmare at most.

If one of these conditions were met, the fractal field would disappear, and the surviving inhabitants would be returned to the Real World. Any injuries or loss of clothing would revert to their original state when entering, and time would resume. People outside had no clue a phenomenon happening just a few feet near them.

When Bokomon finished his explanation, everyone went quiet taking in all the information. Everything matched what they experienced, but it was still shocking for them. Digimon found a way to enter their world. It was a lot to process.

"I don't get it," Takuya said, breaking everyone's thoughts.

"I'll give you the downgraded version later," Kouji replied.

"Not that," Takuya retorted. "What I mean is why. Why are Digimon entering our world? What reason do they have in coming here now?"

What Takuya asked made sense. Earlier, Bokomon said that the fractal field was all theoretical. Testing the theory would involve actual live Digimon with a chance of death, so what changed? What would cause Digimon to risk their lives just to enter the Real World?

"Bokomon," Takuya continued. "What's going on in the Digital World? Is it in danger again?"

The Digivices were silent for a moment before Bokomon spoke in a gloomy tone. "Yes, Takuya. The Digital World is once again in peril and this time, it's even worse than the last one."

No one liked the sound of that.

"But how?" Kouji asked. "Even if the Digital World faced danger again, our spirits and the three archangels would've stopped it."

Although it would take a lot of time for the 3 archangel Digimon to regain their previous mega-level forms, it's been 7 years. With the time acceleration in the Digital World, the angels should've been back to full strength.

"I- It's difficult for me to tell you," Bokomon's tone got even sadder. It felt like the little guy lost something really important to him. "The details would also be fragmented if they were coming from me. It might be better if they showed you."

Suddenly, the Digivices' screen shone a bright light and filled the whole restaurant. Takuya and others shielded their eyes as the light engulfed them.

Chapter Text

When Takuya opened his eyes, he was in a completely different area. All around him was a mixture of grass and barren soil. He smelled smoke coming from recent explosions. This was a battlefield.

Looking at his hands, he saw that they were black with white, red, and yellow striped arm guards on. He was Agunimon. His partner must've been showing him a recent memory of the Digital World.

Agunimon looked around and saw the other Legendary Warriors behind him. His friends were probably experiencing the same thing he was. Besides the usual six warriors, there were 4 additional Digimon here: a green metallic figure with two circular mirrors, a naiad or water nymph, a wooden automaton or karakuri puppet, and a gnome. These were the other Legendary Warriors.

Mercurymon: The Human Legendary Warrior of Steel whose special attacks are Dark Reflection and Offset Reflector. It's a variable, mutant-type Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientWisemon. He is known for his knowledge and can think of countless battle tactics. Be careful of his mirrors, they are known to reflect any attack no matter the strength.

Ranamon: The Human Legendary Warrior of Water whose special attacks are Draining Rain and Dark Vapor. It's a variable, fairy-type Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientMermaidmon. Be careful of her emotions. If she's in a bad mood, her aquatic attacks become much stronger and erratic.

Arbormon: The Human Legendary Warrior of Wood whose special attacks are Roundhouse Punt and Blockade Seed. It's a variable, cyborg-type Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientTroiamon. His facial expressions are hard to discern due to his appearance, but once he enters into battle, he becomes a force to reckon with. Foes will have a difficult time with his keen and tricky movements. Sometimes they are made into his marionettes.

Grumblemon: The Human Legendary Warrior of Earth whose special attacks are Seismic Sledge and Jack in the Box. It's a variable, ogre-type Digimon who is descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientVolcanomon. He's known for his craftsmanship with earth and can also move underground like swimming, so opponents should watch their feet.

Agunimon then looked in front and saw three angelic-like beings radiating holy light. The first two were male and female. They had a human-like appearance with golden wings and blue-silver armor on them. The last one had the appearance of a large pink bunny with very long arms and ears. Two holy rings were attached to each ear near his head. These were the three archangels or Celestial Digimon of the Digital World!

Seraphimon: A mega-level, angel-type Digimon whose special attacks are Strike of the Seven Stars & Testament. He is known to be the being closest to goodness, and an executor of the Laws in the Digital World. When darkness appears, he will be the one to purify everything.

Ophanimon: A mega-level, angel-type Digimon whose special attacks are Eden's Javelin & Sefirot Crystal. She is known as the Holy Mother to Digimon and imparts her mercy and love throughout the Digital World. Even if a Digimon is evil, she would always use reason first before fighting.

Cherubimon: A mega-level, angel-type Digimon whose special attacks are Lightning Spear & Heaven's Judgment. He is a guardian of the Laws of the Digital World and is known for his vast wisdom. His lightning technique could be considered a form of divine punishment to Digimon.

With the three Celestial Digimon and the ten Legendary Warriors together, they made a strong lineup. Very little Digimon would dare battle them. Unfortunately, they met their match today.

Each of the Legendary Warriors or Celestial Angels was beaten and battered. They had their knees on the ground looking defeated. Some of their armor was cracked and on the verge of breaking apart. These were powerful warriors who defeated the Lucemon. Who could've fought them to this degree?

"~Haa~, this was disappointing," Someone said, sighing from above. "I expected much more from you than this."

Looking up, Agunimon saw their attackers. In the sky were six beings in a spell circle. They each radiated a specific color of blue, yellow, light blue, green, purple, and orange. It would've been a pretty sight to look at, but the colors felt wrong. The Digimon around them were too menacing for words.

In the blue circle stood a large sleeping baby. His head looked too large for his body. He kept snoring peacefully as if this battle meant nothing to him.

In the yellow circle stood a biker. In his hands were double-barrel shotguns. He analyzed the Digimon below endlessly to see who gave him a formidable battle.

In the light blue circle stood a large, red alligator. He had a long mouth with an endless amount of razor-sharp teeth. One chomp could destroy half an island.

In the green circle stood a woman with a voluptuous body. Every small movement seemed seductive in some way. With her slightly revealing clothing, men would look at her drooling.

In the purple circle stood an old man with a wooden staff and blood-red wings. He had a white beard that went all the way down to his feet and looked at Celestial Angels' golden wings with a gleam in his eyes. If he melted them down and turned them into solid blocks of gold, how much money could he get?

Lastly, the orange circle stood a solitary figure. He was mostly cloaked in robes, so all a person could see were his eyes, horns, and purple wings. He looked down at the warriors below in contempt.

"Who are you and why are you doing this?" Ophanimon said as she looked up at the six Digimon with a little fear.

When the Legendary Warriors and Celestial Digimon gathered together to discuss the current Digital World inside of Ophanimon's castle, they appeared and attacked out of nowhere. Half the guards stationed here suddenly turned on them, backstabbing the unsuspecting ones. Soon, a battle broke out.

Most of the castle was destroyed, and the white flowers surrounding the area turned into fallen petals or crushed dirt. The peaceful place was a war zone. The ones left were them, these 6 terrifying beings, and some leftover troops.

Their strength wasn't the reason why Ophanimon was afraid. The reason was their incredible patience. The Angel of Mercy knew most of the guards that betrayed them for years. If there was even a hint of evil, she would've sensed it. They must've hidden their emotions deeply.

Also, when she tried to call for reinforcements, they all replied being attacked. Similar reports started coming in, and half of the Digital World went into turmoil. This wasn't something that could happen in a day. A lot of planning was needed to turn their peaceful world upside down.

To stay hidden for so long and come out with a force strong enough to challenge them and the whole world. How long did they wait for this day? What lengths did they all go through to make this happen?

The cloaked Digimon looked at Ophanimon and tilted his head. "You guys know Lucemon, right?"

Everyone froze at the mention of that name. Of course, they knew Lucemon. He was the tyrant angel Digimon who almost destroyed the Digital and Real World. Even though he was defeated, his name served as a reminder of his evil deeds and that one Digimon shouldn't rule over all.

"Why ask about that tyrant?" Seraphimon said. "He's no longer of this world to spread his excessive selfish desires."

"True, but he was sort of an ally to us."

"An ally," Seraphimon became more alert and pointed his sword at the figures menacingly. "Speak! Who are you people?!"

"You don't remember us?" The old man said, stroking his beard. "I guess it makes sense. It has been many years after all. Don't the Demon Lords ring any bells for you?"

"Demon Lords?" Ophanimon said, surprised. She remembered some old records in her library. "The story to keep children well-behaved? It's just a myth."

Long ago before the Ten Ancient Legendary Warriors and even before the war between Human and Beast Digimon, there was a tale about seven beings called the Demon Lords. Each dictated one of the seven sins and had unimaginable power. They ruled with an iron fist and caused mayhem throughout the Digital World. Places and Digimon turned into an apocalyptic disaster. They wouldn't stop until the whole world was dyed in their malevolent colors.

The Demon Lords almost succeeded too until the other Digimon retaliated back. Human, Beast, Royal Knights- Digimon from the whole world, and three moons banded together and fought them bravely. There was no discrimination between them, just their willpower to protect and save their home. Although born from tragedy and destruction, seeing all the different, unique types of Digimon fighting in harmony was a beautiful sight.

Through countless lives, the Digimon finally defeated the Demon Lords. They were still too strong to be scanned, so they were sealed and thrown into deep space where they would spend the rest of their lives in confinement. Peace gradually returned in the Digital World, but it was too soon to celebrate.

As the Demon Lords were about to be expelled, they vowed to return and finish what they started. Even if it took multiple millennia, their evil will once again take root and spread throughout the world and its inhabitants. This was the story told to many Digimon children to keep them well-behaved and never have bad intentions for others.

To be honest, the story was so old that most of the Digimon forgot about it during the Human and Beast war, to say nothing of it now. The only reason Ophanimon remembered was because Neemon tripped on a bookshelf causing the book to hit his head. When Bokomon found it, he decided to read it to his children as a bedtime story.

Although the book was worn out, and the pictures faded, the words were still somewhat legible. If they said who they said they were, the Digital World was in big trouble. The question was how. If these guys were so dangerous, how was there no history and records on them? With little to go on except for a storybook to scare children.

"We're a scary storybook now?" The biker said. "No wonder why it was so easy to take over. Although," He turned toward the sleeping figure. "We might have played a part in that."

"What do you mean?" Ophanimon questioned. "According to the book, you guys were thrown into another space. What could you have possibly done to the Digital World?"

"Even though we were thrown in a different space," The cloaked figure said. "Our power to influence remains. We couldn't completely control Digimon due to the distance, but guiding and pushing them in a specific direction was a simple matter."

"As time wore on, we indirectly arranged many things. We made Digimon tired and lazy to record our history in the Digital World, making us forgotten over time. We then made many plans for our return." The cloaked figure looked down at the angels and Legendary Warriors mockingly. "Including starting a war."

"You!" Cherubimon said. His body was shaking in anger. Although he was reborn, Bokomon and Neemon taught him about the war that caused Lucemon to descend to the Digital World. A short-term peace leading to a long-term oppressive tyrant. "You caused the War between Human and Beast Digimon!"

"Funny thing really," Even though the orange Demon Lord was cloaked, everyone could tell he was grinning maliciously. "How setting off a tiny, little spark can cause an all-out war."

[Lightning Spear] Cherubimon conjured a spear made of lightning and threw it at the cloaked figure. The spear flew like an arrow as it made its way toward the target.

"You really should watch what you throw," The cloaked figure said, looking at the flying projectile in contempt. He grabbed the lightning spear like a baseball and redirected it back at Cherubimon.

"Ugh," Cherubimon used both his hands to block his own attack, but the force blew him back. Before he did, Seraphimon and Ophanimon both appeared behind him for support mitigating the blowback.

"Are you alright?" Seraphimon said, looking at his friend with worry. Getting hit by one's attack was the worst.

"I'm fine," Cherubimon replied. "I'm sorry. I let my anger get the best of me."

"It's quite alright. We understand," Ophanimon said. She then turned her attention back to the Demon Lords. "If you caused the war between Human and Beast Digimon, was Lucemon descending to bring peace part of your plan as well? Was he a Demon Lord too?"

"Yes, he was." The cloaked figure confirmed casually as if a spear hadn't been thrown at him a couple of moments ago. "Thanks to that war, an opening was made to the Digital World, but only one of us could go. After talking, we decided on sending Lucemon. His appearance of a child angel made him perfect for gaining other Digimon's trust."

"Then what? Become a tyrant and suppress everyone under his thumb?"

"The original plan was to gather enough chaos for the rest of us to come through," He held up two fingers. "But there were two miscalculations."

"The first was Lucemon. As you all know, he was a prideful and selfish little prick. He thought he alone was enough to rule the Digital World and didn't make releasing us his priority."

"The second was the Legendary Warriors. Never in our wildest imaginations did we expect there could be 10 warriors powerful enough to seal Lucemon delaying our arrival," He looked at the Legendary Warriors deeply. "And even after they all passed away, their spirits remained and destroyed him. An amazing feat."

"But I suppose I should be thanking you for it. If it wasn't for destroying him, we would have never found our way back to the Digital World. The leftover energy from his defeat was enough for us to all come through."

"Wait a minute," Cherubimon said. "If you guys could enter the Digital World when it was reforming, why didn't you take it over then? That was the perfect opportunity."

"It was because the Digital World was reforming that we didn't take it over," The cloaked figure replied. "The Digital World needs to be in its strongest state for what we have planned."

"What do you mean?" Ophanimon asked fearfully. She had a really bad feeling about this.

"Let's just say the Digital World isn't just the only thing we want," The cloaked figure stopped explaining. "But enough about that. It's time again for the Demon Lords to resurface! My brethren, let them hear your names!"

"Belphemon," The sleeping Demon Lord on the blue spell circle murmured while snoring loudly.

"Beelzemon!" The biker Demon Lord on the yellow spell circle said.

"Leviamon," The alligator Demon Lord on the light blue spell circle growled.

"Lilithmon," The woman-like Demon Lord on the green spell circle said.

"Barbamon," The old man Demon on the purple spell circle said.

"Daemon," The cloaked figure Demon on the orange circle said. He was the last to be introduced. "Now quake in fear as our names resound throughout the whole Digital World! We will not stop until everything is at our mercy!"

All the Demon Lords' spell circles shone as they released their powerful auras. The pressure was so strong that the Legendary Warriors and Celestial Digimon all knelt. It felt like gravity increased by threefold.

"Even if you beat us and take over the Digital World," Agunimon said, resisting the pressure. "It won't be that easy. We'll fight and take it back again. We defeated Lucemon with our power. You guys won't be any different!"

"That's true," Daemon replied. "But from what I know, you chose humans from the Real World to save it. If it weren't for them, this place would have long been Lucemon."

"Which is why I need to rectify that variable," Daemon raised his hand to the sky. Black energy seeped out of it and formed into a fog of smoke.

It then started to turn into a picture. Weird buildings were shown not native to the Digital World. Down below, there were strange moving vehicles driving on paved roads and humans walking around them.

Everyone shook. They recognized the place. It was the Real World. More specifically, it was Tokyo, Japan. Daemon was opening a portal to the world of humans. He wasn't thinking about entering it, was he?

"Are you crazy?!" Ophanimon shouted. Thanks to Bokomon's research, she knew about how Digimon could enter the Real World. With how long the Demon Lords stayed in the Digital World, having spies around them was a given, so they must've known about it too. "Even if Digimon can survive in the Real World, your strength is too strong. Not to mention the barrier, the laws there would destroy you!"

"That barrier is quite troublesome," Daemon replied. "And we're not strong enough to break it down yet, but I can leave it open just enough to let some weaker Digimon pass through." He pointed down toward the underlings. "Like my minions."

Down below were the leftover troops of the Demon Lords. There were around 15 champion-level Digimon. Looking closer, most of the Digimon were the opponents the Digi-Destined battled recently: Gorillamon, MadLeomon, Meramon, Kuwagamon, Dobermon & Musyamon.

"Is this really what you want?" Ophanimon asked the Demon Lord's troops. "It's a one-way trip. There's no way to return to your previous lives here. You might not even make it."

Even if there was a way to get to the Real World, there was still some level of danger. The barrier may have been partially cracked, but it was still an unstable space. Some Digimon might not even step foot in the human world. The cost wasn't worth the risk.

Tell me my loyal subjects," Daemon said. "What is your answer to that?"

"We have no fear!" The troops said without flinching. "We follow the will of the Demon Lords!"

"~Ohh~ How loyal!" Lilithmon giggled at the troops with malicious glee. "You know what you must do next."

"Yes, My Lord!" Soon, each soldier darkened as they released their fractal code. Barbamon manipulated the code and guided it to the portal. With the fractal code gone from the Digimon, pure-white Digi-eggs appeared and flew off into the distance.

"Go, my subjects," Daemon said as he watched the fractal code enter the portal. "Find those Digi-Destined and end them!"

The Legendary Warriors and Celestial Digimon looked at the fractal code in shock and horror. They couldn't understand why these Digimon would sacrifice their lives just to go to the Real World, but more importantly, they were worried about the Digi-Destined.

Without them, the spirits of the Legendary Warriors, their partners would be punching bags to Digimon. They had to go and help them, but the question was how. The three Celestial Digimon all looked at each other and nodded their heads.

[Heaven's Judgment + Strike of the Seven Stars] Cherubimon summoned thunderbolts in the air around him, while Seraphimon unleashed seven super-heated spheres of light. Both attacks shot at the Demon Lords.

'Snort,' Belphemon snored even louder than usual, and the attacks of lightning and light clashed against something. It was like they hit an invisible wall weakening before breaking through. Lilithmon then exhaled a light, purplish fog that engulfed the rest of the attacks. The light spheres and lightning corroded or weakened until they dissipated.

"Oh, so you still want to fight eh," Beezlemon said. He cracked his fist and jumped after Seraphimon. Shotguns readied. "Fine by me."

"I want food!" Leviamon followed suit and went after Cherubimon. "Maybe you can feed me."

Cherubimon conjured up a lightning spear, while Seraphimon gripped his sword. They both flew out and engaged their enemies. Sounds of lightning and gunshots were heard as the battle began.

[Eden's Javelin] Just as the Legendary Warriors were about to join the fight, Ophanimon turned around and shot a white beam from her javelin. The beam landed on all 10 of the Legendary Warriors and enveloped them in a large sphere of light.

"Ophanimon," Lobomon said in surprise. "What're you doing?!"

"Quickly detach from your vessels," Ophanimon replied. "I'm transporting all of you to the Real World."

"What?!" Agunimon said. "But we can still fight. If they win here, the Digital World is doomed."

But Ophanimon shook her head. "As we are now, we have no chance against them. Half of the Digital World has already been taken over and is in chaos. This wasn't done overnight. The planning they did to make this all happen must've been long, and it's frightening. We don't know what else they have up their sleeve, so we must not make any rash decisions."

"Besides, I'm more worried about your human partners in the other world. They're defenseless without you all. Most importantly, we're going to need their strength. They saved this world once, and we need them to do it again. It's time for you to reunite with your human companions."

"But what about us?" Grumblemon asked. His hands gestured to Mercurymon, Ranamon, and Arbormon. "Unlike the six of them, the rest of us don't have humans to call partners."

"Don't worry," Ophanimon replied with a kind gaze. "All the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors has a perfect compatibility with a human. Once you find them, you'll know they're your partner. They might have been even closer than you think but enough about that. We must hurry. Seraphimon and Cherubimon will not be able to hold off the Demon Lords for much longer. I ask you all again to quickly detach from your vessels!"

All the Legendary Warriors shared looks and nodded. They hated to admit it, but Ophanimon was right. The Demon Lords were too strong and cunning. They needed their human partners. Their power was the only thing that could stand a chance against the Demon Lords, but first, they had to save them.

Everyone closed their eyes. Shortly after, pure, white Digi-eggs exited out of each of their bodies. Their solid bodies turned illusionary as the beast spirits appeared beside them. They all reverted into their spirit form.

The Legendary Warriors had three different forms. The first was the relic form. This was their weakest form. Their minds would be in deep slumber, and any external forces could control them. Unless willingly, the Legendary Warriors would never go into their relic form.

The second was the spirit form. In this form, they can move and think on their own, but their bodies are akin to that of a ghost, basically weakened rookie-level also couldn't fight at full strength and at most use one or two full power attacks or moves before their energy depletes. Once depleted, they would automatically revert to their relic form.

The third and final was the real form. This was their strongest form. The Legendary Warriors would become tangible and could fight for a longer period, but there was a prerequisite. A vessel was needed.

The spirits of the Legendary Warriors were strong, but they needed a source or vessel from a tangible being to execute their power. Not only did the vessels have to be real, but they also had to be extremely compatible with the spirit. If not, the Legendary Warrior wouldn't even be able to exert 50% of their power.

Although they would have preferred their human partners as their vessels, purified Digi-eggs were the next best thing. Unborn Digimon had pure energy and was easy to guide after hatching, so the Legendary Warriors could easily exert their full strength.

As 10 pure, white Digi-eggs flew off in the distance, Agunimon and the other Legendary Warriors watched and silently thanked them. Those eggs have fought with them for many years, so gratitude was given.

"Aaahh," Two Digimon screamed. Off into the distance, Cherubimon and Seraphimon were in dire straits.

Seraphimon's armor was damaged beyond repair. Multiple gunshot wounds were apparent on his torso. His throat was being gripped by Beezlemon's strong hand.

Cherubimon was even worse off. Leviamon's jaws clamped hard on the Angel of Law's body. It went from his right shoulder down to his left hip. Hundreds, if not thousands, of razor-sharp teeth, pierced deeply into his skin.

These were fatal injuries. There was no coming back from that, and fractal code started to appear around them.

"Hmm. I expected more of a fight," Beezlemon said slowly, taking the fractal code. "At least, you sedated me somewhat."

"Not the food I want," Leviamon said, following suit. "But it's still delicious!"

"You may have defeated us-," Seraphimon said slowly.

"-And you can take our fractal code-," Cherubimon said, still resisting.

"-But you will never take our spirit!" They both said simultaneously. There was no stopping their fractal code from being taken, but they weren't going down without a fight. They had to give Ophanimon enough time to send the other warriors to the Real World.

[Heaven's Wish x2] A bright, holy light erupted from both Seraphimon and Cherubimon. Thin, silk-like threads appeared and wrapped all around Beezlemon and Leviamon's bodies. To the two Demon Lords' surprise, they found that they were stuck. They couldn't move no matter how much power they exerted. Two orbs of light also exited from the two Celestial Angels' bodies and landed on Ophanimon.

Heaven's Wish was a move only known to the high class of archangel Digimon. Shiny threads made of pure light would wrap around their opponents immobilizing them temporarily and 100% of their power would be transferred to another person or attack without repercussions. It was a powerful move but came with a high price: the life of the user.

As the last of the fractal code entered Beezlemon and Leviamon, two Digi-eggs appeared and flew into the distant sky. Ophanimon felt the energies from Seraphimon and Cherubimon intermingled with hers, and a tear fell from her eye.

"Cherubimon. Seraphimon," Ophanimon said with a hardened tone. "I will not let your sacrifices be in vain."

With her newly acquired strength, the Angel of Mercy transferred all her power into the sphere of light. The sphere became more solidified and refined. It was finally ready to depart.

"Alright, now all that's left is- Aah!" Ophanimon didn't get to finish as the golden claw came out of her chest.

"Do you really think we're going to allow you to let the spirits escape?" Lilithmon said behind Ophanimon. A corrosive energy seeped out of the golden claw and toward the Angel's chest. "Fat chance."

"Ophanimon!" Everyone yelled. Some of them tried to break out of the sphere and help her, but it was too strong. They could only watch as the corrosive energy spread throughout her chest.

"This isn't goodbye," Ophanimon said, straining a smile as her fractal code appeared. "Just until the next time."

Ophanimon raised her javelin, and the sphere flew up toward the sky. It was heading toward the portal Daemon made.

Lilithmon tried to intercept it, but she felt a strong resistance from her hand.

"Since you're here," Ophanimon said. Her hands gripped the golden claw. She wasn't about to let the witch leave. "You might as well stay."

Lilithmon growled at the Angel of Mercy then turned toward her fellow Demon Lords. "Stop them! Those spirits are getting away!"

Barbamon raised his staff and fired off a concentrated dark fireball. The attack hit directly at the sphere.

"Ahh!" The spirits inside screamed. A crack appeared, but the sphere stopped only a second, resuming its course.

"What a strong ball," Barbamon commented. "Daemon. Belphemon. Help me out here. All three of us together should be able to break it."

Barbamon aimed his staff again to attack with an even stronger fireball. Belphemon took in a big breath and held it in for a second. It looked like the sleeping Digimon was about to let out a big snore. With his subjects finally exited the Digital World, Daemon dispelled the portal causing it to quickly close, and raised his hand at the flying sphere ready to unleash a destructive inferno. All three of them were ready to launch their attacks. If they all hit, the spirits could forget about reuniting with their human partners, but Ophanimon wasn't going to allow that.

[Sephirot's Crystal+Heaven's Wish] Ophanimon manifested 10 multicolor crystals between her hands as her body released a holy light. Golden threads appeared and wrapped around Lilithmon immobilizing the witch. All the energy the Angel of Mercy had poured into the crystals making them even stronger and shinier. Once they filled to the brim, she fired them off into the air.

The crystals then separated and shot in three different directions hitting Daemon, Barbamon, and Belphemon. The last ditched move stunned them for a few seconds, halting their attacks. Just as the portal closed, the sphere flew through and into space.

Ophanimon smiled. The last of her fractal code entered Lilithmon, and her Digi-egg flew off into the distance, but she completed her objective. The spirits were on their way to the Real World. Unfortunately, things weren't over yet.

Entering between worlds wasn't easy. Travelers would be met with many obstructions from the barrier. Obstructions so powerful that they could break apart Digimon's data.

Midway through the trip, the spirits felt the sphere shake inside. At first, it only shook a little, but as they delved further in, the shaking became uncontrollable. The crack from Barbamon's attack got wider. It started to stretch and spread out.

"I don't think we're going to make it," Kumamon said, looking at the cracks. They were halfway covering the sphere. If the sphere broke before getting through the barrier, the spirits would never get to the Real World.

"We will," Agunimon said.

"How do you know?" Beetlemon asked.

"Because I believe in the Celestial Digimon and their strength. Even damaged, they wouldn't send us to our doom. I believe in their power, but more importantly, I want to see Takuya again."

No one objected to that. The others also wanted to see their partners again or soon-to-be partners. As the sphere persisted, the shaking got worse. Everyone inside felt like they were experiencing an earthquake. The cracks almost covered the entire thing. Any more and the sphere will break, but they could see it. In the distance was a large screen or picture that showed the island of Japan. It was the portal to Earth.

'Just a little more,' Agunimon thought, ignoring the constant shaking and cracking. 'We can make it!'

The sphere transport finally couldn't take it anymore and broke apart. The Legendary Warriors were so close. They were only arm's reach apart, but it wasn't enough. All the spirits could do was close their eyes and let the obstructions between worlds take over them.

…

When Agunimon opened his eyes again, he was in a different area. All around him were humans, big and small, milling about. Weird metal contraptions drove near them following a light that shone red, yellow, or green. Looking up, he saw buildings similar to the Metal Area of the Digital World but made of rock, glass, and wood.

Although the Spirit of Flame could see humans, they couldn't see him. Some of them even walked right through him making them feel hot for some reason. To them, he might've been considered a ghost. He was there, but unseeable and intangible.

Agunimon's eyes lit up. They made it. They arrived in the Real World.

He turned around trying to find the other spirits, but they were nowhere to be found. Even his beast spirit wasn't with him. The early destruction of the sphere must've separated everyone putting them into different locations.

Although Agunimon wondered where the other spirits were, he had bigger problems. His partner, Takuya, was still in danger. The other Digimon who entered before them were going to end him, and they had a good head start. He had to get to the boy fast before it was too late.

Closing his eyes, the Spirit of Flames tried to make a connection to his partner. Even being worlds apart, he could always feel the bond with Takuya. He didn't know all the specific details of the boy's life, but he knew his partner was happy and doing well. With them being in the same world now, the bond was only stronger.

Shortly, Agunimon felt a strong pull. He could feel that Takuya was still alive. It wasn't too late! But better to be safe than sorry, Agunimon flew and followed his instincts even if it did lead him into the underground sewer system.

Soon, the other spirits in the different areas followed suit and flew to their chosen warrior. Each had a different method of travel, but they all had one goal: to reunite with their human companion. The spirits just hoped that their enemies hadn't gotten to them yet.

Agunimon kept moving and closed his eyes, ending the vision.

Chapter Text

Takuya opened his eyes and breathed. He looked around and found that he was back at the empty soba noodle restaurant. The boy then looked at his Digivice deeply. What he saw previously was most likely a recent memory of Agunimon. It took him a minute to process everything.

The others were silent too. They must've experienced the same thing. If what everyone just witnessed was true, then the Digital World was in more danger than they thought.

Lucemon was problematic enough. Now, there were 6 other Demon Lords with similar strength. It was no wonder the Legendary Warriors and Celestial Digimon couldn't beat them.

"Did spirits finish showing you?" Bokomon asked. He was still communicating with them through the Digivices. "Me and Neemon witnessed everything from afar. It was… difficult to watch."

"Bokomon, I'm so sorry," Izumi said. Watching your children go down like that must've been heartbreaking for him.

"My children did what they had to do to save the Digital World. I'm nothing but proud of them," Bokomon's voice quavered, but it was stronger than before. "All of your spirits' powers together have created a fractal field allowing me to communicate with you all again. They made the right judgment."

Everyone nodded. Without their spirits, who knows what would have happened to them? And now the Digi-destined knew how their enemies and spirits came to the Real World.

"Alright, we can't let the 3 Celestial Angel Digimon's sacrifices be in vain," Takuya said, getting up. "We got our spirits back. Let's head back to the Digital World and beat those Demon Lords!"

"Whoa, slow down there buddy," Kouji said, stopping the energetic boy. "I'm all for saving the Digital World again, but aren't you forgetting something."

"What?" Takuya asked. "What could I forget? Last time, we didn't bring much to the Digital World. I technically didn't even have a train ticket at the time."

"Our beast spirits," Kouji held up his device to Takuya. Only the picture of Lobomon showed on the screen. "They came with the other spirits when entering our world, but they haven't shown up yet."

"Oh, that. Well, they'll just meet us on the way to the Digital World. The other spirits came to us. The beast spirits will too. It'll work out."

"But Takuya. If the beast spirits came to us, wouldn't they've shown up already? In our visions, the human spirits flew to us quickly. It only took them a matter of minutes to get to or find us. The beast spirits have been in this world for hours, they should've met with us by now."

Takuya was stumped. As much as Kouji peeved him sometimes, his logic was sound. Where were their beast spirits?

"What do you mean the beast spirits aren't with you?" Bokomon asked. "They weren't with your other spirits?"

Kouji briefly told Bokomon about the spirits' trip to the Real World. Although the little Digimon witnessed them leaving, he didn't know what happened during the trip.

"I see," When Kouji finished, Bokomon contemplated for a moment before answering. "In the Digital World, the human spirits had a way to communicate and guide the beast spirits. Now that they've been separated, the beast spirits are following their primal instincts. Instead of going to you guys like your human spirits, they may have flown into a specific area in your world to reside in."

"Do you mean that we're going to have to look for them?" Junpei asked.

"I'm afraid so," Bokomon confirmed. "And you won't be able to go to the Digital World without them either. Their strength is needed to save it."

"But how?" Tomoki asked. "The Real World is just as big as the Digital World. It would be like finding a needle in a haystack."

"Hang on," Bokomon said. Sounds of tapping could be heard from him. "This should help."

Soon, each screen of the Digivices shot out a ray of light. They all converged at the center of the table forming a rectangular screen. It showed a landscape with 6 different color symbols. Everyone's eyes went wide. This was a map of Japan with the locations of their beast spirits.

"Well, this is convenient," Junpei said, looking closely at the map. "I didn't know our Digivices could do this."

"They didn't use to be," Bokomon replied. "When Ophanimon transferred all of Seraphimon, Cherubimon, and her power to the spirits, she didn't just use it to transport them. She left them the power to change and upgrade your Digivices when they made contact with you all."

"This power gave me the means to communicate with you all again even though I'm in the Digital World. There are also new features and functions other than the spirit GPS that are still unknown even to me," A beep came from all of the Digivice like a text message. "I just sent the details of the known active functions I've found so far."

"Hmm," Koichi said as he opened the text message. The screen from his Digivice lit up forming a 3D square touchscreen, and the boy scrolled down the message reading the description. "These are some pretty interesting new functions."

"Our new enemies are not to be underestimated. Ophanimon and the others felt like you guys needed all the advantages you could get."

"The new features will be helpful," Kouji said. "But it doesn't answer another question. What about the other eight spirits? I don't see them anywhere."

Kouji looked closely at the map. He could see where his and the other beast spirits' locations, but he couldn't find the human or beast spirits of steel, water, wood, and earth anywhere. If they wanted to return to the Digital World, the other eight spirits were needed.

"Unfortunately, the GPS in your Digivices are only programmed to locate your specific spirit," Bokomon explained. "The only reason why they are shown together is because you all are gathered in one place. I can only surmise that the other spirits are roaming your world finding their own human partners."

"Then how are we going to find them then?" Izumi asked.

"The spirits of the Legendary Warriors are always connected, and by looking at the readings from my end, each spirit contains a portion of the 3 Celestial Digimon's power," Bokomon said. "Once you gather more of your spirits, I expect the link will only grow stronger, strengthening the functions on your Digivices. Once it's strong enough, locating the other Legendary Warriors will be easier."

"For now, let's focus on getting back our beast spirits," Takuya said. "With them, we can all individually fight to our fullest extent."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Worrying about the other spirits was pointless. If they could reunite with their beast spirits again, their strength would go up by another level. Finding the other Legendary Warriors would come after. Who knows? Maybe they've already chosen their human partner.

"One more thing," Bokomon said. His voice was serious. "Takuya. Kouji. After you attain your beast spirits again, whatever you do, DO NOT. And I repeat. DO NOT fusion spirit evolve. That also includes unified spirit evolution for everyone as well."

"Why?" Takuya and Kouji questioned at the same time.

"Although your world has created fractal fields to prevent Digimon from wrecking too much havoc, it only applies to champions and ultimates," Bokomon explained. "Mega-level Digimon like your fusion evolutions would make the fractal field collapse causing you to return back to your world."

"What would happen if we did?" Takuya asked, curiously.

"Think of it like this," Bokomon tried to illustrate through the Digivices. "It would be like two opposing energies colliding around you. They would warp and bend your body and surroundings until one is annihilated. You wouldn't just die. You would feel unimaginable pain and torture. Once it's done, not even your body would be left for us to pick up."

"Okay," Takuya and Kouji both shuddered. "Don't fusion spirit evolve. Got it."

There's more," Bokomon continued. "Although fractal fields can contain ultimates, their energies are powerful enough to leak out to your world causing butterfly effects. When you approach your beast spirits or other Digimon, you guys might experience this phenomenon before entering the fractal fields."

"Now that Bokomon mentions it," Koichi said. "There have been irregular weather patterns and strange sightings happening recently across Japan. Digimon invading our world would explain the root cause of it."

Everyone in the restaurant looked at Koichi questionably. How did he know that? They knew he saw people's negative emotions. Could he now see the world's natural disasters across the distance?

"It's from the news," Koichi answered their looks and pulled out a newspaper. "I work part-time delivering newspapers every day in the morning, remember? I take an extra and read it from time to time."

"Ohhhh," Everyone said in realization, and Koichi just smiled. His friends thought really highly of him. Just because he had these powers did not make him omnipotent. "Bokomon, we haven't encountered any ultimates yet, but should we worry about them destroying the Real World like Megas?"

"For the short-term, no," Bokomon answered. "But the longer they stay in the fractal field, the stronger the butterfly effect will be. Irregular weather patterns could turn into natural disasters if left alone, so it's best to defeat your foes before the worst happens dispersing the butterfly effect. With the barrier between our worlds also getting weaker, stronger enemies will be coming for all of you."

"Koichi, the Archangels, and the Demon Lords all mentioned this barrier," Kouji said. "What is it?"

"The barrier is the formless wall that blocks the entryway between our worlds," Bokomon explained and then elaborated more.

Although the Real and Digital World's compositions were completely different, they were always connected. One could not exist without the other and what both worlds wanted was balance. If many of their inhabitants attempt to go to and from both worlds continuously with the natural laws, it would put a big strain on both worlds, so the barrier was created to prevent traveling.

The only way to open or break the barrier was to cause imbalance. If one world was suffering, the other would come in and assist resulting in the barrier being opened. It was how Ophanimon was able to send her message to all the children around the Shibuya area, and how the Digi-Destined were able to enter the Digital World back then. The Real World allowed the children to enter the Digital World in an attempt to save it.

The barrier wouldn't just open for any reason either. Battles like the War between Human & Beast Digimon or the Atomic Bombing of Hiroshima & Nagasaki meant little to the Real and Digital World even though they were major events in history. To make the natural laws intervene and make the barrier open or break, one of the worlds had to experience massive environmental catastrophes.

When the Digi-Destined entered first the Digital World, Cherubimon and his underlings were already taking data of the land away. Half of the Digital World was gone at the time causing the barrier to open. Although the natural laws couldn't directly intervene with its inhabitants, they could allow others to enter and try to push them in the right direction.

"If what you describe is true and the barrier is breaking," Kouji said. "The Demon Lords must be causing a lot of devastation."

"More than you know," Bokomon replied sadly. "We still don't even know what their endgame is."

"Will you guys be alright?" Izumi asked, worriedly. They still had to find the other spirits. If too much time has passed, the Digital World would be destroyed. "I'm worried that we might not make it in time."

"Don't worry," Bokomon assured. "The Demon Lords are strong, but we're not completely defenseless either. We'll hold on as much as we can until you guys get here. We believe in you all, right Neemon?"

A sound of a bubble popping was heard, and Neemon woke up. "Huh! I'm sorry. Did you say something?"

"Were you just sleeping?" Bokomon asked angrily. "Don't you know we were in a serious conversation! How could you fall asleep at a time like this!?"

"Sorry, I started to doze off when you said 'there's a lot to explain'. I can't help it. Your boring voice and lecture is a great lullab-," Neemon didn't get to finish his sentence before Bokomon gave him a waistband snap. "Ouch!"

Everyone laughed. If Bokomon and Neemon can still act like this then Digital World hasn't been completely taken over just yet.

Suddenly, the screens on their Digivices started fizzing out and sounds of static were heard.

"Bokomon, what's going on?" Takuya asked. "You're breaking up."

"It looks like the Demon Lords found our communication and are interfering with it." Bokomon answered through the static. "Listen, it won't long before our connection will be completely cut off. When you all gather the spirits, come back here to your current location. The spirits will open the way to the Digital World."

Takuya looked at the others, and they all nodded with determination. "We will, Bokomon. Neemon. I promise you. We will all gather the rest of the spirits and meet you both again."

"I look forward to it," Bokomon felt his heart swell. "But be careful. Our intel says that Demon Lords know that you all defeated their minions. They will send more Digimon to fight you all and retrieve the spirits."

"Remember: Trust each other and the spirits," Those were Bokomon's last words before the connection got cut. The digital map at the center of the table dispersed and entered the Digivices. Fractal code appeared and covered the restaurant. When it disappeared, customers and waiters returned and resumed their activities.

"Your check, sir," A waiter stood near the table presenting a check to the group. "Will you be paying with cash or card?"

Each of the Digi-Destined took out yen* to pay for their share of the food and remunerated on what they had just learned. It was a lot of information to process.

"Let's gather the rest of the spirits," Kouji said, looking at the map on his phone. "Like Takuya said, we should start with our beast spirits and then worry about the rest later. We should split up into teams of two."

Everyone nodded in agreement. Although Bokomon said there was still time to just focus on their spirits, the Digital World was still in a crisis. The longer they stay in the Real World, the more destruction the Digital World will be in, especially with the time acceleration. Time was still of the essence.

Being in teams of two was the most optimal method. If one of the Legendary Warriors was in danger, the other would be able to assist and support them. Using the map and locations of the beast spirits, everyone calculated the trajectory and decided the teams. The pairs were Takuya/Tomoki, Kouji/Izumi & Junpei/Koichi.

Junpei got jealous when they figured out the teams. Kouji was going to be spending a lot of alone time with Izumi. It made him extremely envious, and he wasn't the only one.

Takuya felt his gut twist but shook his head snapping out of it. What was he thinking? This was the best and fastest way to retrieve their beast spirits. What was there to be annoyed about?

"Guys, we have another problem," Koichi said, getting everyone's attention. "How are we going to get to these locations?"

Everyone looked more closely at the map and understood Koichi's question. Although all their beast spirits were in Japan, they were located in different regions. Some of them were even on islands.

"It doesn't look that bad," Takuya pointed out.

"Easy for you to say," Kouji said. "Yours is only a few hours away from us. Mine located down in the southern part of Japan devoid of people."

"It looks like we're gonna need transportation to get to our spirits," Tomoki said. "Does anyone have money for airplane tickets? Izumi?"

"Don't look at me," Izumi replied. "I may be a reader model, but it's only part-time, and I don't get paid much. There's no way I can afford last-minute plane tickets even if they are local. Koichi?"

"Sorry," Koichi said. "All the money I make goes straight into my college funds. I can't take any of it out without my mom asking questions."

"Does anyone else have any money to use?" Takuya asked, looking around hopefully. Unfortunately, everyone shook their heads.

"Great," Takuya lightly banged his head on the table. They had to save the Digital World, but they couldn't even get to their beast spirits due to money issues. They were just high schoolers and a college student with only pocket change. Their parents couldn't help either without them asking any questions. "Does no one have any ideas?"

"Ugh," Junpei groaned and everyone looked at him. That wasn't a 'we're doomed' groan. It was more of an 'I have a solution, but I'm gonna hate it' groan.

"Junpei, do you have a way to get us to our beast spirits?" Takuya asked.

"Yes," Junpei answered, looking extremely annoyed. "But I really don't want to use it. It's going to cause me endless headaches."

"Junpei, it's an emergency." Izumi looked at the boy with pleading eyes. "If you know a way, we need to take it."

"You're right," Junpei scrolled down the contacts of his phone. He could never say no to Izumi and hit the call button. "Here goes nothing,"

The phone rang a few times before a female voice answered. "Junpei? Well, this is a surprise. You never take the initiative to call me."

"Yeah, I know, but I have a big situation and need your help."

The phone was silent for a moment before the girl answered again. "Where are you right now?"

"The soba noodle restaurant inside the Shibuya Station," Junpei replied skeptically. "Why?"

"Give me 1-2 hours."

"For what? I haven't even said anything else yet," Junpei wanted to say, but the girl already hung up. "Hello? Hello? Dang it! Sorry, everyone. It looks like we're going to have to wait."

Chapter Text

"Hahahaha," After an hour passed, laughter came from the entrance, and a girl with wavy black hair walked in. The Digi-Destined all turned to look at the girl, and Junpei's eyes widened. It was Junpei's opera partner.

"Saya!" The Bearer of Thunder said in shock. "What're you doing here?"

"You said you needed help," Saya answered. "So here I am!"

"But you didn't have to come all the way here." The girl lived near Suginami City. It was at least a 1-hour drive with traffic. "I could've just told you everything on the phone."

I know," Saya said, smiling. "But this is the first time you asked me for anything. I wanted to see you and experience your facial expressions in person. Your pleading expression will be more meaningful that way."

Junpei gave Saya a look. "You're really making it hard for me to ask for your help. Is coming all the way here necessary?"

"Yes," Saya stated as a matter of fact. "Now, do you want my assistance or not? If so, you know what you have to do."

"Inside the whole restaurant?" Junpei asked, exasperated. "In front of my friends and the other customers."

"I didn't pick this place." Saya pointed out. "You did. Are you going to do it? If not, I'm leaving."

Junpei let out a defeat sigh and knew what he had to do. A method was silently arranged between them if Junpei ever needed help from Saya, but the boy didn't need it until now. He thought he could get away with it since they were talking on the phone, but as usual, he underestimated the girl's determination and resourcefulness. There was no avoiding it.

"Oh almighty goddess of muse," The boy uttered the words with difficulty, folded his hands, and bowed down a bit in an exaggerated manner. "Will you bestow upon me your blessings and assist me in my time of need? I would greatly appreciate it."

Everyone inside the restaurant looked at the pair weirdly. Some of them, including Junpei's friends, were holding back their laughter.

Saya looked at her opera partner smirking. Coming all the way here to see this was worth it for her. "A little sarcastic at the end, but I'll take it. So, what do you need? I'm assuming I need to include your friends as well?"

"That obvious, huh?"

"If it was just for you, you wouldn't have contacted me," Saya knew Junpei somewhat well during their time together. He would never ask her for anything. For him to ask, it had to be pretty big and serious. "Mind introducing me to them?"

"Sure," Junpei sighed. He didn't want to introduce Saya to his friends, but her help was needed. She wouldn't do it without context either, so Junpei walked her to everyone and introduced them each saving Izumi for last. His voice got a little more happy at the last bit.

Saya gave a quick look at Izumi and then stared at Junpei. She gave him a long look. No one knew what she was thinking.

"I'm going home," She said and walked away from the group.

"What?!" Junpei said, surprised. "Didn't you agree to listen and help?"

"I did," Saya turned around to the boy and replied. "I changed my mind."

Saya continued to walk and exited the restaurant. Junpei stared at her retreating figure in confusion. He would never understand this girl.

"Junpei, you idiot!" Izumi said, getting up from her chair. "You guys stay here. I'll go and talk to her."

"Wait, Izumi," Junpei said. "She's my opera partner. Let me go and tal-."

"Don't," Izumi put up her hand stopping the boy. "You've done enough. I'll handle it." Izumi then ran out of the restaurant to catch up to Saya.

"What?" Junpei asked, confused, and turned toward his other Digi-Destined. "What did I say?"

Takuya and Tomoki shook their heads and shrugged. They didn't know what was going on either. Kouji and Koichi, on the other hand, had an idea but didn't want to say it out loud.

"So that's your opera partner, Saya," Kouji said, changing the subject. "Hopefully Izumi will be able to talk to her, but how is she going to help with our predicament?"

"Saya is the daughter of some rich company," Junpei replied. "I was hoping she could help with our expenses on travel."

"That would explain her haughtiness yet elegant demeanor," Takuya said. "She must be really rich. What company is it?"

"We don't talk about it much," Junpei thought, trying to remember the details outside their vocal sessions. "But I think she said it was Hashimoto Industries."

"Hashimoto Industries?" Koichi's whole body shook. "Saya… Saya… Junpei was that girl Sayaka Hashimoto!?"

"That's her full name," Junpei confirmed. "What? Do you know her?"

"Know her?" Koichi stared at his friend with wide eyes. "Junpei, she's the sole daughter of one of the biggest companies in Japan. They're the Top 3 here and Top 10 in the world! Their name shows up in the news and papers at least once a month!"

Takuya, Tomoki, and Kouji listened with surprise. Junpei just raised his eyebrow. They knew the girl must've been rich when meeting her, but they didn't know how rich. From Junpei's story and brief introduction, they thought she was just a talented singer from a well-known family.

"Wow Junpei," Tomoki said. Those were the only words he could say to describe what he was feeling. "How did you get to know someone like Saya?"

"Like I said, she's my opera partner," Junpei answered. "And if I'm being honest, the role was forced upon me."

"So what?" Takuya said thinking about fantasies of being rich. "You must've done some awesome things having such a rich friend like that."

"Whatever it is that you're imagining, stop," Junpei said snapping Takuya out of his rich fantasies. "Besides today, I've never asked Saya for any favors. All we've done together was just classes and vocal sessions."

"Why?" Koichi asked. "From what I read from the papers, the family is enormously rich. An expensive one-week vacation for us would just be pocket change for her. Asking for some things shouldn't be a problem."

"But what kind of friend would I be if I asked that," Junpei answered. After his adventures in the Digital World, the boy valued the bonds with his friends dearly even if some of them were forceful. He didn't want to ask his friends for money or pay for him. It was his bottom line. "I'm not a person who wants to be friends with others just because they're rich."

Takuya, Tomoki, Kouji, and Koichi looked at Junpei and smiled. Out of all of them, Junpei was the one with the most friends outside the group, and they understood why. He had a talent to attract people with his skills and established a connection with them. The boy released a feeling that made it easier to communicate with him. It was weird, but they could feel the earnest trust of the boy. With his morals, not once did Junpei misuse that trust causing him to make many friends.

"Besides, I'm not doing it for free either," Junpei added and grabbed his head. "Saya is the type of person who never forgets things, especially big favors. She's never going to let this go. Just thinking about what she's going to ask me is giving me a big headache."

"I've been her opera partner & classmate for about a year, and I still don't completely understand her. I probably never will." Junpei sighed. "The girl is so powerful and rich, so why did I have to get stuck with her?

"So you don't care if she's rich and powerful?" Kouji asked.

"Why should I care?" Junpei answered with a question.

"Saya is connected to the most influential people in Japan," Koichi explained. "I'm sure a lot of people treat her lavishly getting on her good side. Shouldn't you?"

"Unless they want to, I'm not going to treat someone differently just because they have a little money," Junpei said. "Besides her bodyguards who flank me every day when escaping, she hasn't made any notions to treat her differently. To me, she's just a regular girl and opera partner who I annoyingly see every day."

Kouji and Koichi shared a look. They now had a better understanding of the situation and an answer to why Saya was so focused on Junpei. They just didn't want to say anything. Sometimes, some people have to figure things out themselves.

"Hehehehe," Giggles were heard as Izumi and Saya walked back inside the soba restaurant. Their arms were linked together and were talking like the best of friends.

Izumi! Saya!" Junpei stood up. "You're back! Does that mean?"

"Yes, I'll help," Saya responded to Junpei. "Izumi told me everything. Most of it is still hard to believe, but I did witness some of it with you a few hours ago, so there's no denying it. I've already got Makoto and Toshiro to buy the tickets for you guys. If you guys need anything else, just contact me."

Just as those words left her mouth, Takuya, Tomoki, Koichi, and Junpei's cellphones all received a message. They each looked at their screens and saw that they were plane or train tickets to their specific destinations. Some of them were scheduled to leave in the next few hours.

"Wow, that was fast," Tomoki said. "How did you even get our contact information?"

"Izumi shared it with me while we were talking," Saya replied. "Junpei, you should've introduced me to her a long time ago. Even though I just met her, she is such an amazing girl."

"Thank you, Saya," Izumi said. "But I think you're amazing. You're doing all this stuff for people you barely know. It's so selfless."

"Don't sell short yourself now. I've seen some of your photos or posts as a reader model. You do some amazing work on your two feet," Saya complimented back. "You're even more amazing!"

"No, you are!"

"No, you are!

"No, you are!"

"Okay," Kouji said, breaking the girls' conversation. "As much as I like keeping up with your compliments, we have more pressing issues. Izumi and I still need to get to our destinations."

"Oh! I got that covered too," Saya said.

"How?" Kouji asked, confused. "My destination is located on an uninhabitable island. There's no boat or airline routes that'll take us there."

"Yours was a little more troublesome, so you and Izumi will have to take the private jet."

"Private Jet!" Everyone exclaimed.

"Yes," Saya confirmed. "Since there are no routes, you'll need personal transport. I already contacted the pilot and will send Izumi the meeting details."

"Are you sure that it's okay to use your private jet?" Koichi asked. "Doesn't your family need to use it?"

"Each of my family members has our own private jet," Saya said. "I haven't been using mine since starting college. When I told my pilot, he was leaping with joy. I guess he missed flying or something."

'You have your own private jet…' Koichi and the others, except Junpei, didn't know what to say to that. They only had two words to describe Saya: Rich Girl! Seriously, how did Junpei know this girl?

Thanks, Saya," Kouji said, breaking everyone's stunned state, and got up. "We now have transportation. We should go get ready and go."

"Whoa Kouji," Takuya said, stopping him. "Aren't you forgetting something?

"What?" Kouji asked.

"Our parents," Takuya punched in the contacts on his cell phone. "We need to tell them where we're going."

"No, it'll only implicate them." Kouji rejected. According to Bokomon, people who have been with the Digi-Destined long enough would also get sent to the Digital World. Their parents were in that category. It was best to keep their distance unless they would get dragged into a fractal field and be attacked by Digimon.

"It's too dangerous to tell them," Kouji continued. "Besides, this week is Golden Week*. All of our parents know we're getting together to hang out anyway."

"They think it's only for one day." Takuya corrected. "The trip we'll be taking will at least take 2-3 days with transportation. Our world isn't like the Digital World where we can just enter and come back a second later. We won't tell them about the Digimon, but we have to tell them about the traveling. Unless you want them to contact you, and they found out you're in the southern part of Japan. You know they can do that."

Kouji silently cursed the new technological advances of society. It made some things easier, but made other things harder like keeping your whereabouts secret from your parents. "I get that, but my mom is-"

"-allowed to be your mom," Takuya finished for him. "She worries about you like any family member should. It's her way of showing she loves you. I know it's hard to communicate sometimes, but that's how families work. It's better to tell her now anyway than for her to have a nervous breakdown later if she finds out.

"You're right," Kouji sighed. "I'll call my mom and tell her."

"Great!" Takuya smiled and turned to his other friends. "You guys, too. The faster we finish the calls, the faster we depart."

Everyone nodded, got up, and exited the restaurant. They all went in separate directions around the train station to get some privacy when calling their families.

…

There was a reason Kouji didn't want to contact his family. Don't get him wrong, he loved his dad and stepmother. It was just that his mother could be a real worrywart. Every time Kouji fell on his butt or got lightly injured, Mrs. Minamoto got extremely worried and asked about his well-being. She would nitpick about every single thing he did.

It was extremely coddling, but Takuya was right. It was just her way of loving him even if it was annoying sometimes. He just had to deal with it and called.

As expected, when Kouji told his mom about the trip, she got into full overprotective mom mode.

"You're going on a trip in a few hours with your friends for a few days?" Mrs. Minamoto said, surprised. "Kouji, this is really last minute. Have you packed everything you need? Maybe you should come home so I can make sure."

"No," Kouji rejected. "It's not going to be a long trip like 2 days at least, and I already have the necessities packed."

"Really?" Mrs. Minamoto asked. "You packed your toothbrush, toothpaste, and camping tent?"

"Yes. Yes. And I don't need the tent. I'll be hanging out with my friends near cities and beaches, so I won't need it.

"Cities and beaches? You know my rules about talking to strangers, right?"

"Yes, I know," Kouji said, repeating her rules like he did a million times. "Be vigilant. Keep your distance. And don't let the person drag you into a secluded area."

"As long as you remember, but are you sure don't want to come home first? I can pack you your favorite lunch for the road."

"I'm fine! Stop Worrying!" Kouji exclaimed but calmed down. "But thanks for the concern. I'll be home in a few days and will call if there's an emergency. I don't want to miss out on your home-cooked meals. They're the best, Mom."

"I guess I over-worried again," Mrs. Minamoto said, apologically. "It's just hard seeing you grow up and leave the nest to travel."

"I understand, but it doesn't mean I'll leave for long. I'll come home and say hi. I'm your son, after all."

"Yes, you are," Mrs. Minamoto said, smiling. "Now, let's talk about the dangerous things you'll meet at the beach."

"Mom!" Kouji groaned.

…

While Mrs. Minamoto badgered her son, the complete opposite was happening with Koichi and his mom. Instead of Ms. Kimura nagging her son, Koichi was the one doing the lecture.

After he was discharged from the hospital and returned to full health when returning from the Digital World, the boy decided to take on more responsibilities. Koichi couldn't stop his mom from working, but he could do all the household chores like cleaning and laundry.

Every day, Koichi would make breakfast, lunch, and dinner for him and his mother. He made sure the house was spotless and in some cases, did the medical coverage for the family. He wanted to do anything he could to lighten her load. This continued for seven years.

Even with his morning part-time job, school, and internship, he still did all of the daily necessities. Koichi even made a nutritional meal plan for his mother's health. Thanks to that though, Ms. Kimura has been experiencing fewer injuries during work.

"Mom," Koichi said to his mother over the phone. "I'll be gone for a few days, so I won't be cooking. I've already bought the groceries, so you'll have to make it yourself. Please follow my meal plan and don't overexert yourself during work."

"I got it, sweety." Ms. Kimura replied. "Go and have fun with your friends! I can take care of myself just fine. You also don't have to worry too much about me."

"I have to worry about you," Koichi stated. "Especially your body health. You always work manual labor jobs almost every day, and I need to observe your well-being. It's important to me, and I want you to be happy.

"Your health is important to me, Mom. I don't you to grow up struggling with back and shoulder pains. Kouji and I would be devastated."

"I get it," Ms. Kimura said, dropping the subject. Seriously, how did she raise such a meticulous and hard-working son? Sometimes, it felt like the boy was raising and taking care of her instead of the other way around. It did make her happy to see her son so capable though. "Just don't worry about me too much. You also need to have fun too."

"I will," Koichi said. "But I just want to confirm things. Now let's go over your meal plans and daily activities again."

"Koichi…," Ms. Kimura groaned.

…

"Yutaka, can you tell Mom and Dad I'll be traveling with my friends?" Tomoki said to his big brother on the phone. When he called his parents, they didn't answer and went to voicemail. So he called his brother too just in case his parents didn't get his message. "It should only be for a few days."

"It's not a problem," Yutaka replied. "But don't you have to build your campaign for student council president and finish your daily & weekly chores?"

"They're mostly finished, and Teppei helped me with half of it already." Tomoki then scratches the back of his head. "As for my chores, could you handle them for me until I come back?"

"Tomoki~" Yutaka said, a little unhappy. He was 25 years old and working hard to get his master's degree in science engineering while also holding a full-time job. He came home to relax and spend time with his family, but Tomoki was asking him to do his chores. Of course, he would be peeved.

"Before you say anything more," Tomoki said, wanting to calm his brother. "I've already done half of it. All you have to do is the laundry and dishes. Also, I organized the stuff in your room, and bought something from the store for you."

"Wait, you did what?" Yutaka asked.

"I organized your things and got something for you," Tomoki repeated. "It should be in your room now."

On the other line, Yutaka quickly went to his room to confirm what his brother said was true. Even though he came home to relax, he still wanted to get some of his school assignments done. One of them was doing a paper that took a lot of research and effort. The sheer amount of the research left his room cluttered and messy.

When he entered his room again, the college boy found his room spotless. The books and papers that used to be scattered all over were organized alphabetically on the bookshelf and corners of his desk. His dirty clothes were already in the wastebasket ready to be sent to the laundry, and his bed was made perfectly. It felt like a cleaning service went through the room.

On his wooden desk were two items. The first was a portable music player containing calming music like ocean waves and classical orchestra, while the second was a ceramic incense burner emitting the smell of fresh seawater. These were items that helped Yutaka relax and stay focused.

"Tomoki…" Yutaka looked at his room and items in surprise. "Why?"

"I noticed you were struggling when you studied," Tomoki answered through the phone. "So I wanted to help and get you your relaxing items. It's not much, but I hope it'll help when finishing your research paper."

Yutaka went silent for a moment. He felt touched. His brother went out of his way to do this for him. What a considerate little brother!

He also inwardly laughed. When Tomoki was younger, he was always needy and indulgent thanks to their parents. Yutaka worried this might affect him growing up which was why he was so hard on the little boy back then. His advice wasn't perfect, but he hoped his little brother understood it. Then it happened.

One day, Tomoki stopped asking for expensive video games and demanded an allowance. He wanted to do chores around the house and earn his things. Mr. and Mrs. Himi tried to dissuade their little boy, but Tomoki was adamant. He told them he didn't want to be spoiled and rely on them too much. They couldn't refuse him after he said that.

When Yutaka saw Tomoki again coming home from college, the little boy thanked him and told him that he loved him. The college boy raised his eyebrows in surprise. He last talked to his little brother a few days ago, and the little boy was still spoiled then. Why say this now? What changed?

It didn't end there. When Yutaka walked Tomoki to his school, two older boys greeted him and asked if he wanted to play a game quickly. Tomoki agreed, thanked his brother for walking him, and played soccer with his friends. This caused the Yutaka to pause again. Did his little brother have friends now?

Yutaka didn't know how or why, but when he saw Tomoki playing with his friends and refusing to be coddled by their parents, he felt like his advice reached him. He didn't have to worry too much about his little brother growing up anymore. It was reassuring.

"Alright," Yutaka finally said, breaking away from his past thoughts. "I'll do your chores until you come back. Have fun with your friends, but remember you still have your campaign to worry about."

"I will! Don't worry," Tomoki replied, enthusically. "You're the best, bro!" The boy then hung up.

Yutaka looked at his cell phone for a moment with a smile on his face.

"I could say the same to you too, little brother."

…

Since Junpei was already in college, he had a lot more freedom compared to the others. All he did was text his parents about the trip. Once they texted okay, he was good to go.

While waiting on the others, there was still something he needed to do, and walked over to Saya. The girl was flanked by her usual bodyguards: Makoto and Toshiro when he came over.

"Saya," Junpei greeted her. "Makoto. Toshiro."

"Junpei," Saya gave a greeting of her own while her bodyguards nodded in acknowledgment. "You're coming to me this time instead of running? The surprises just keep on coming."

"Don't get used to it," Junpei retorted. "I just wanted to say thank you. If it wasn't for you, I don't think we would have gotten transportation on such short notice. I owe you one."

"You owe me a couple," Saya raised her chin haughtily. "Starting with vocal training. Stop running away from me and actually walk me to the studio for a change."

"Fair enough," Junpei sighed. He owed a lot to his opera partner now. There was no escaping from it this time.

"Also, you're going to need to take me out to lunch and dinner a couple of times," Saya added. "And pay for it."

"Wait a minute!" Junpei said, practically shouting. "What do you mean I have to take you out to eat?"

"I'm sorry, but do you think last-minute plane tickets and usage of a private jet are cheap?" Saya put her hands on her hip. "It's not, and unless you can pay me back for everything, you'll need to make it up to me slowly. Food and conversation is another start."

"I'm kind of saving the world here! Can't you cut me some slack?"

"Saving the world isn't cheap either, and neither is explaining to my parents why I am spending all this money." Saya defended. "Unless you can find another person who can afford your transportation and believe your outlandish story."

"Ugh," Junpei felt another headache coming. There was no winning this verbal battle. He didn't mind treating Saya to a couple of meals, but the girl came from a rich family. Her tastebuds were probably high class. What he earned for a whole year probably wouldn't even cover an appetizer of what she usually eats.

"It doesn't have to be from an expensive restaurant," Saya said as if reading Junpei's thoughts. "You can take me to places where you usually go to."

"You're okay with fried rice or yakisoba from a food stand?" Junpei asked, skeptically.

"I'm not picky," Saya scoffed. "Seriously, what kind of girl do you think I am?"

"A girl who openly kidnaps her opera partner in public and forces him to vocal sessions," Junpei answered bluntly.

"Touché," Saya said. "But I'm absolutely fine with anything you treat me to,"

"That's good to know," Junpei scratched his head thinking. "But it still takes a lot of money for me to treat you many times. Are you okay with home-cooked meals?"

Saya's eyes lit up for a moment but quickly hid them before Junpei could notice. "I wouldn't want you to get into any financial trouble because of me," she answered lightly. "I guess I could lower myself even more and try some of your homemade cooking."

"Wow, thanks, That means so much coming from you," Junpei said, sarcastically. "But if you're really okay with it, I'll text you after I finish my trip, and we can talk then."

"I'll be waiting for it," Saya said, turning around. Her back faced Junpei. "Until then, it's around that time for me to go."

"You're leaving without saying goodbye to my other friends?" Junpei asked.

"I've just met them today, so it would be weird for me to stick around," Saya answered. "Besides, from what Izumi told me, people highly related to you will be dragged into this fractal field like what happened to me. It's best if I make myself scarce unless I want to be caught in the middle of a battle again."

"You're right," Junpei agreed. His enemies were only interested in the Digi-Destined and the spirits of the Legendary Warriors. They had no interest in the other bystanders, so it would be best to keep a distance from their family and friends. "See you later."

Saya walked off along with her bodyguards but stopped and turned her head to look at Junpei. Her face was filled with worry "Junpei, please be careful and come back safely." Those were her final words as she left Shibuya Station.

Junpei just watched her leave. He wanted to say that he would safely come back, but he couldn't make that promise. Last time, he and his friends narrowly defeated Lucemon. There was no telling what would happen on this next adventure, but he and his friends had to move forward to save both worlds. The homes of the Digimon and humans were on the line.

On the bright side, if Junpei and his friends failed, he didn't have to worry about running from Saya anymore. That was a plus.

Chapter Text

"Mom," Takuya said over the phone. "I'm going on a trip with my friends today and won't be home for a few days?"

"Right now?" Mrs. Kanbara asked. "Isn't this a little sudden?"

"It is," Takuya answered. "But one of my old friends called, and I need to go."

"Takuya," Mrs. Kanbara put on her authoritative motherly tone. "You better not be galavanting and goofing off somewhere. You're leaving for Italy soon and still need to learn about the country. Izumi is taking a lot of time off her hands to teach you as well."

"I know, but it's Golden Week. I want to relax a bit and spend some time with my old friends." Takuya explained, not telling the whole story. "Besides, Izumi's going too, so she won't be able to tutor me."

"Really?" Mrs. Kanbara replied skeptically. She didn't believe her son at all. "Why don't you put her on the phone right now? I'd like to speak to her."

'Mom…' Takuya silently groaned inside.

…

"Dad, it's just going to be for a few days," Izumi said to her father on the phone. "I'll be back before you know it."

"I don't know, sweetheart," Mr. Orimoto said. "Going off by yourself to another part of the country isn't very safe."

"I won't be alone," Izumi reassured. "The guys will be with me."

"Them," Mr. Orimoto's voice turned an octave lower. "You're going with them!"

"Daddy, we've been through this many times?" Izumi asked. "I already told you that nothing is going to happen. We're all good friends. I honestly just think of them as siblings."

"Put that boy on the phone right now," Mr. Orimoto ordered. "You know who I'm talking about."

"Daddy…" Izumi tried to say more but her dad stopped her.

"Phone. Boy. Now."

Izumi sighed and walked to where Takuya was talking to his mom. When she was in front of him, he lifted his head and made eye contact. Just by looking at each other, both got the gist of what the other's conversation to their parent was like.

Without a second thought, both exchanged cell phones and talked with the other parent.

"Mrs. Kanbara," Izumi greeted through the phone. "Hi."

"Izumi!" Mrs. Kanbara squealed. "It's so good to hear from you. So… Is it true that you and Takuya both need to go on a trip?"

"Yes, it's like this-" Izumi then explained in more detail while omitting parts like Digimon or the Digital World.

…

"Hello?" Takuya said through Izumi's cellphone.

"Boy," Mr. Orimoto answered like he was silently reprimanding him.

"It's nice to hear from you too, Mr. Orimoto," Takuya ignored the nickname. He was already used to the man's attitude.

"My little girl is going on a trip with you guys," Mr. Orimoto said. "If I find out anything bad happening to her from you boys, you all better learn to sleep with one eye open."

"Come on, Mr. Orimoto. You've known us for years. Nothing's going to happen," Takuya said. "Besides, all of us are just friends."

'Yeah right,' Mr. Orimoto wanted to say but held his tongue. "I still want you to promise me that you and your friends will watch over her."

"I promise, but you know your daughter is pretty tough right? She can take care of herself."

"I know she is. I raised her," Mr. Orimoto said. "But it doesn't hurt to have more people looking out for her even if it's from you 'boys'. Now tell me, how are your studies for Italy going? Have you learned most of it, so I can have my daughter back?"

"Well…" Takuya paused for a moment then told him the truth. Mr. Orimoto put his foot down and lectured the boy about the importance of diligence and learning. Even if it took years, the man was going to drill the Italian language and culture into him.

Since the gang knew each other for years, their parents more or less met them as well. Some had more interesting relationships than others. Two of them were the interactions between Takuya and Izumi's parents.

When it was around the time of Takuya's 12th birthday party, he wanted to invite the other Digi-Destined to celebrate with him. Mr. and Mrs. Kanbara agreed and were happy to meet his new friends. What they didn't know and what Takuya failed to mention was that one of them was a girl.

Izumi, being an early bird, showed up early, and it all started when she rang the doorbell.

…

Ding-Dong!

"That must be one of Takuya's friends." Mrs. Kanbara said, putting frosting on a cake. She was in the kitchen putting the finishing touches on her son's cake. "Could one of you get the door?"

"I'll get it," Shinya said, getting up from the couch. He and Mr. Kanbara were watching a soccer match. Slowly, the young boy dragged his feet to the door.

To be honest, Shinya wasn't looking forward to meeting his older brother's friends. It would mean less time to spend with him, but Takuya assured him that he would always have time for his little brother. Whether it was his birthday or not. Besides, Takuya wanted to introduce him to a boy his age with as much interest in video games as him, so it made the younger brother a little curious.

When Shinya opened the door, he expected a tall boy or even a little boy. He didn't expect a girl.

"Hi," Izumi greeted. "You must be Shinya. I'm here for Takuya's birthday party."

"Uhhhh," Shinya was tongue-tied. He couldn't stop staring at the girl.

"Shinya, sweetheart," Mrs. Kanbara stopped her work for a moment to look at her son. "Who's at the door?"

Mr. Kanbara also looked in his son's direction, and both parents' eyes went wide. In their sight was a girl with long blond hair and a pretty one at that. They did not expect their older son to invite a girl to his party and could only stare at her in shock.

"Is this the Kanbara's residence?" Izumi asked, cautiously. "I'm not in the wrong house, am I?"

Then the pandemonium started.

"Hi!" Mrs. Kanbara dropped everything and walked to the door. She greeted the girl with a smile on her face. "I'm Yurito. Takuya's mother. Please come in and who do I have the pleasure of speaking to?"

"Izumi Orimoto," Izumi introduced herself and walked inside. "Thank you for inviting me to your home."

"The pleasure is ours," Mrs. Kanbara said, walking their guest to the couch and sitting her down. "Izumi, would it be alright to answer some questions from me?"

"Um, sure."

Mrs. Kanbara then politely grilled the girl with questions like her birthday, life, dislikes, and where she met her son. The mother wanted to know more about this girl but was subtle about it. Izumi, although confused, answered her questions without hesitation leaving some details out like the Digital World. This continued for 10 good minutes.

Even though Mrs. Kanbara only met Izumi a few minutes ago, she could tell that the girl was a great person. Her motherly instincts were screaming to bond with this girl.

Mr. Kanbara observed the conversation between his wife and Izumi nodding his head. Just by looking at Izumi's appearance, he could tell this girl was going to grow up to be a beauty. There was only one thought in the man's mind: His son had good taste!

Shinya couldn't stop staring at the girl. His eyes never blinked. He felt like he was looking at an angel. The lights in the living room bounced off Izumi's hair making her even more radiant.

"Hey! I heard the doorbell ring a while ago," Takuya said, coming out of his room. "Who was at–" The boy stopped mid-sentence when he found his family surrounding and bombarding Izumi in different ways. "Mom! Dad! Shinya! What are you all doing?!"

"I'm just getting to know your friend," Mrs. Kanbara answered, smiling. "Son, why didn't you tell me you were inviting a girl to your party?"

"I thought it wouldn't have mattered," Takuya looked at his family strangely. "Until now."

Well, it does," Mrs. Kanbara's face was beaming. "We were just talking about her life in Italy when she was younger. We should go there on vacation when we have the chance. It seems like such a fun place, and Izumi can come with us to show us around. Would that be alright, dear?"

"If you and my parents are okay with it, sure," Izumi smiled but her eyes were telling Takuya something else: Help Me!

"Izumi, why don't we wait outside for the others?" Takuya said, offering her a lifeline. "They might have trouble finding my house and will need help."

"That's a great idea!" Izumi replied, getting up quickly. "We wouldn't want them to get lost now would we?"

"But we haven't finished our conversation," Mrs. Kanbara didn't want the girl to leave yet. "I still want to show you my son's baby photos."

"Nope, not happening," Takuya grabbed Izumi's wrist and practically dragged her out the door. "We'll come back in when all my other friends are here."

Before Mrs. Kanbara could say anything else, Takuya rushed out of his house with Izumi and closed the door behind him. He couldn't help but let out a sigh of relief. He just avoided an embarrassing disaster.

"Your family's interesting," Izumi said, giggling. "I've never been weirded out and entertained at the same time before."

"They usually aren't like that," Takuya commented, scratching his head. "You must've made some impression. Hopefully, they won't act like that after the others arrive."

…

Takuya didn't know how wrong he was. The birthday party went well, and his parents acted normally when the rest of his friends came over. It was after the party that the weirdness began again.

Somehow, Mrs. Kanbara got Izumi to give out her number, so she could call her 'in case anything happened to her son'. They kept in touch ever since, especially when Izumi was tutoring him in Italian.

Mr. Kanbara went up to his older son, lightly grabbed his shoulder, and said "Good work." He also told him to restrain himself but treat Izumi well. Takuya had no idea what that meant or what to say.

Shinya made a new friend in Tomoki with their shared love for video games, but he also liked Izumi too. Not only was she pretty, she was so nice. The little brother adored her feeling that this was what having a big sister was like. He asked Takuya from time to time when they were going to see Izumi again.

In summary, the Kanbaras loved Izumi. Even though she doesn't visit often, they already considered her part of the family, Takuya was speechless. Even on the rare occasion when he introduced his past girlfriends to them, they were never as warm to them compared to Izumi.

Takuya felt stumped. How highly did they think of this girl? In some ways, his family loved Izumi more than their own son. When he bought it up, they just said it was to prepare for the future. What did that mean?!

While the Kanbaras' first impressions were loving, the Orimotos had a completely different reaction. When Mr. Orimoto found out that his little girl was best friends with 5 boys, let's just say it's not something a father likes to hear.

Whenever the group came over near Izumi's to hang out, Mr. Orimoto would muscle the boys out from his daughter in any way he could. Whenever one of the guys got too close to his little girl, the man would give the boy a stern glare and tell him to keep a 3-foot distance. He was especially hard on Takuya.

Every time the two met, Mr. Orimoto always had something to say to him. It also didn't help that they were both soccer fans with different views. He was a fan who favored Italian-style moves, while Takuya's go-to strategies were Japanese.

When things got too fiery, they would go outside to the makeshift soccer field in the backyard and have one-on-one matches. Mr. Orimoto and Takuya were relentless with each other. It would have stayed that way until one specific match a few years ago.

…

"You're going down, boy!" Mr. Orimoto said, blocking Takuya's path. They were both having their usual one-on-one soccer match. Takuya had the ball and was trying to get past the goal but the man was not having it. Mr. Orimoto kept blocking the boy trying to steal the ball from him.

"Never!" Takuya replied fiercely. He maneuvered the ball from foot to foot to avoid his opponent's attempts to steal. "I won't lose! Japan for the win!"

Could you guys please stop?" Near the entrance of the house was Izumi. She looked at her father and Takuya in frustration. "You've been playing for hours, and everyone else has gone home! Mom's already finished making dinner 15 minutes ago."

"Not until I beat this boy to submission!" Mr. Orimoto answered. "I'm not stopping until I win!"

"Ditto!" Takuya agreed and they continued their battle for the ball.

"Oh for the love of-" Izumi leaned against a wooden pillar and closed her eyes trying to calm down. Why were these two always like this? Her father was hard on all her guy friends, but he targeted Takuya the most. She never understood that.

"Gotcha!" Mr. Orimoto found an opening and plowed right through Takuya causing him to fall on his butt. With nothing obstructing him, the man lifted his leg and gave the soccer ball a mighty kick. The rubber ball shot out like a shooting star straight toward the goal.

"No!" Takuya saw the speeding soccer ball, got up from the ground, and ran.

Mr. Orimoto smiled. No matter what Takuya did. There was no stopping the ball from heading to the goal. It looks like this match was going to him for the win!

But the ball didn't hit the goal. Instead, it hit the metal pole of the goal and changed trajectory heading toward a specific girl.

"Izumi!" Mr. Orimoto's eyes went wide. The ball was heading straight at his little girl's head. Normally being hit by a speeding soccer ball would make a loud sound and make a person move back a few feet. It wouldn't hurt much, but Izumi leaned against a wooden pillar. If the ball hit, her head would slam straight into the hardwood. "Look out!"

"Huh?" Izumi opened her eyes and looked up only to see the soccer ball heading straight at her. There was no time to dodge it.

Just as the ball was about to connect, Takuya came and pushed her out of the way to safety. Unfortunately in doing so, the soccer ball hit the boy causing his head to slam against the hardwood. 'Whack'

"Takuya!" Izumi screeched and ran toward her friend to check on him. His head hitting wood sounded like it hurt. "Are you okay?"

"What is going on out here?" Mrs. Orimoto said, coming out of the house. Unlike her husband, she was more open-minded and didn't mind her daughter having many guy best friends. They didn't meet them as often compared to Izumi's school friends, so she was okay with it. She saw the soccer ball, Takuya holding his head, and her daughter's anxious expression, and got the gist of the situation. "What happened?" The woman glared at her husband.

Mr. Orimoto was tongue-tied. He didn't know what to say to his wife. 'Sorry, I accidentally kicked a ball almost injuring our daughter?' He couldn't say that.

"I accidentally tripped and hit my head when trying to receive the ball," Takuya explained saving Mr. Orimoto from answering. He stopped touching his head. "It's just a little bump. It's nothing."

"Nothing?" Izumi said agast. "Takuya, it sounded really loud. Are you sure you're okay?"

Mrs. Orimoto came and examined the boy's injury. "It doesn't look serious, but it'll leave a big bump. Izumi, let's go inside and see if we can find something to stop the swelling."

While Mrs. Orimoto and Izumi went to get an ice pack, Mr. Orimoto walked up to Takaya. The father had something on his mind.

"Why did you cover for me?" He asked. If Takuya hadn't said anything, Mr. Orimoto would've to confess and be in serious trouble with his wife. With how much trouble he gave to Takuya and his friends, the man thought the boy would use this chance for payback.

"Because we would've to stop playing soccer," Takuya answered. "And the fun with it."

"Fun?" Mr. Orimoto looked at the boy in surprise. "You think this is fun?"

"Maybe not to you, but it is for me," Takuya said, smiling. "It's good practice and I feel like I know you through our plays."

"You know me?" Mr. Orimoto gave him a look. "Ok, I'm curious. What've you figured out about me from our games?"

"You're aggressive but not to chance of injuring someone," Takuya analyzed. "You also played soccer in high school, but stopped somewhere around the middle of college."

"How?" Mr. Orimoto asked, surprised. What Takuya just said was close to the truth. He did quit soccer around his senior year of college but still loved the game.

"The way you played in our last few matches showed me you played soccer for a while. Your skills are similar to the cautious control plays in Italy, and Izumi told me you met your wife in college. Since you haven't used any different tactics currently, it led me to my current speculation."

"Impressive," Mr. Orimoto said, sincerely. "You know about the tactics used in Italy?"

"Yes, ever since you creamed me in the first few games, I researched like crazy and learned about their styles like the catenaccio*."

"You know about the catenaccio? I thought you were only proficient in the strategies used here."

"Just because I support Japanese tactics doesn't mean I don't reject other teams," Takuya said. "Seeing all the diverse styles each team uses to score a goal is so exciting. It's one of the main things I love about soccer!"

Mr. Orimoto looked at Takuya's excited expression and laughed. "You know. You remind me of a certain soccer player. Have you heard of Sukehiro Tomita?"

"Who's that?" Takuya asked. "A fellow soccer player from Japan?"

"He was," Mr. Orimoto answered. "But he then studied abroad in Italy to play there. The man was an amazing midfielder and forward. He had so many diverse maneuvers that left his opponents helpless from scoring goals. His leadership and strategies brought out the best in his team and made a name for himself in the Series A Professional Football League."

Mr. Orimoto closed his eyes, reminiscing about the man. "But what really stood out to me was his expression. He always had an eager look on his face. Every new skill he experienced, he wanted to learn and do. With every loss and setback he had, he got back up and pushed through. The man had an indomitable will, but his expression never swayed."

He always had that excited look to him when playing and talking about soccer." Mr. Orimoto opened his eyes to look at Takuya again. "Sorta like you right now."

"He sounds awesome!" Takuya said, enthusiastically.

"He is," Mr. Orimoto smiled looking at the boy, but then looked sad. "I'm sorry."

"For the head injury," Takuya asked. "Like I said, it's not a big deal and will heal in no time."

"Not that," Mr. Orimoto pointed out. "I'm sorry for how I've been treating you and your friends lately. It was just when I saw you all with my little girl, that something just went off inside me."

"I never understood that," Takuya said. "Why would you be angry about all of us hanging out with Izumi?"

"Because one of you might-," Mr. Orimoto chose his next words carefully. "-Take and hurt my little girl."

Takuya tilted his head at the words. No one could tell what he was thinking. Mr. Orimoto stayed silent. The man wanted to know what this boy's next words were.

"Mr. Orimoto," Takuya finally said. "No matter what happens now or in the future, My friends and I would never want to hurt Izumi. She's our nakama** and very precious to us. The bonds we forged together are unbreakable, and I treasure it every day."

"What happens if something breaks apart your bonds?" Mr. Orimoto asked. "And my daughter is hurt and in pain?"

Takuya's eyes sharpened. His fists clenched, and he gritted his teeth. His body radiated restless anger.

"Then I'll use my own two fists to beat them down," Takuya answered fiercely. "I will never forgive anyone who hurts my friends at the cost of another!"

Mr. Orimoto unconsciously took a step back. The man knew this kid had a fiery spirit but never to this degree. It felt like he was looking at a fire-breathing dragon.

"Then promise me," Mr. Orimoto said, reassessing Takuya. There was more to this boy than meets the eye. "That you'll always look out and be there for my little girl. If I'm not here, I want you to watch over her"

"I will," Takuya answered without a second thought. "She's one of my closest friends. I won't let anything happen to her."

"Takuya! We have an ice pack and bandages ready," Izumi yelled from inside the house. "Can you come to the kitchen so my mom and I can apply it?"

"I'll be right there!" Takuya replied then turned his attention back to Mr. Orimoto. "I'll be back in 15 minutes. Don't think that we're done with our match. I'm not stopping till I beat you!"

As the boy went inside the house to get treated, Mr. Orimoto just stared at him and let out a rare smile. In some sense today, he did lose to Takuya at something, but the man didn't mind it. He was curious to see if this boy would keep his promise and said to himself.

"You better make my little girl happy."

…

Ever since that day, Mr. Orimoto let go of his prejudice and got to know the other Digi-Destined, really know them. He learned that even though they were all young boys, and some were infatuated with his daughter, they weren't bad people. They cared about Izumi and never treated her badly.

Mr. Orimoto still gave them a hard time if they got too close to his daughter, but he wasn't as aggressive as before and welcomed them as guests now. The man was still stern with Takuya the most. The two played soccer from time to time when meeting and Mr. Orimoto would find ways to lecture the boy about something–soccer and daily life. The man actually lectured Takuya more than the boy's father.

The main reason for the lectures was Takuya. Mr. Orimoto knew the boy had talent. Back then when he kicked the ball to the goal, Takuya didn't run after it but instead toward Izumi. The boy knew the ball would hit the goal's pole and the trajectory of where it was heading next all in a short period. His sense of awareness was unparalleled.

Not only that, but the boy had a lot of heart. When he pushed Izumi out of the way and got hit himself, there was no hesitation in his eyes, only seeing his friend safe. It shook Mr. Orimoto. There weren't a lot of people with a lot of bravery like him and his friends. The man wanted to see what kind of amazing person Takuya would grow into and gave him a helping hand through stern communication.

At first, Takuya didn't know what to say about Mr. Orimoto's lectures, but as years went by, he got used to them. First off, he liked playing soccer and executing all kinds of tactics with him. Ever since learning about Sukehiro Tomita, he became a big fan and wanted to be just like the soccer star. Secondly, Takuya felt Mr. Orimoto was just looking out for him. There was no aggression in the man's relentless words and harsh wisdom. At least he now knew where Izumi got her nagging from.

Izumi didn't know what to make of the relationship between the two. They fought fiercely playing soccer one moment and then talking like best buddies the next. It was confusing. She would never understand these boys and their friendship in sports.

If Izumi was being honest, she had this sinking suspicion that Takuya going to Italy to play soccer had something to do with her father. She could never prove it though, and Takuya was okay with it. He still liked the Japanese team but supported other teams' styles as well and wanted to learn more from them. Since it was helpful for her friend, Izumi didn't question any further.

Once Takuya and Izumi talked with the other parent, things were smooth sailing. They got both Mrs. Kanbara and Mr. Orimoto's approvals after some small talk and exchanged back their cellphones.

"Why does this always happen?" Izumi asked Takuya, shaking her head. This was not the first time they exchanged phones. For some reason, it was easier to get their parents' approval from the other rather than their own child.

"I don't know," Takuya shrugged. "Parents are weird. Don't think too much into it. It's about time we meet with the others anyway."

…

Everyone finally finished notifying their parents and met up again. They stood outside the soba noodle shop finishing up the last minute details.

"Alright, we're about to separate and depart," Takuya said to everyone. "Remember, if anything happens, contact each other. We don't know what the Demon Lords will throw at us so be prepared."

Takuya put his hand out and the others followed suit putting their hands all together. "No matter what, we'll never give up. The Real and Digital World needs us, and we can't let the Demon Lords get their way. Let's show them what the Legendary Warriors can really do!"

"OOOHHHHHH!" Everyone cheered and broke off. They separated into their pairs and traveled to catch the train or airplane.

It was time to find their beast spirits.

Chapter Text

Fuji-Hakone-Izu National Park was a national park in the Yamanashi, Shizuoka, and Kanagawa Prefectures, and western Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. The place was divided into four general areas: Mount Fuji, Hakone, Izu Peninsula, and Izu Island. Each area had its unique resorts and landmarks making it a popular tourist attraction. People could spend weeks here and still not completely experience everything, It was a big park.

Walking in one of the forest trails were Takuya and Tomoki. After their train dropped them off at the Hakone-Yumoto station, they took the bus to Senjoku where the GPS led them to the Mount Kintoki hiking trail.

Before leaving, they changed out of their school uniforms into something more casual. Takuya had on a yellow shirt, red/black jacket windbreaker, faded green cargo pants, and his usual goggles around his neck. Tomoki wore a white shirt over a dark green and orange striped sweater vest with khakis. Who knew how much traveling would be needed, so comfortable clothing was a must. And boy was it a good thing.

Mount Kintoki Loop was located in the Hakone area. The trail had a length of 3.5 miles and took approximately 2 hours and 55 minutes to complete. Although it was ranked hard for hikers, the stunning views when walking to the top were completely worth it. Takuya and Tomoki would've enjoyed it, but they were on a mission.

While walking the trail to find the Beast Spirit of Ice, the GPS coordinates showed a place dense with trees nowhere near the path, so Takuya and Tomoki had to go off trail into more rocky, uncharted terrain. It was an interesting, new experience.

"Now I understand why people rarely go off trail," Takuya said as he maintained his footing while pushing away the branches with his hand. "If not careful, you can fall or hit a tree. Tomoki, are you sure this is the right way?"

"We're going in the right direction," Tomoki answered from behind Takuya. He looked at his GPS on his phone strangely. "Something off though."

"What do you mean?"

"The coordinates to the beast spirit kept changing," Tomoki showed his cell phone to Takuya. The screen showed a dot of them and the Symbol of Ice. Their dot remained the same, but the Symbol of Ice kept moving around, never staying in one spot.

"That is strange," Takuya said, looking at the moving symbol on the map. "But it could be a glitch. You know how GPSs can be when they get a faulty signal, especially with all these trees blocking the way."

"Yeah, you're right," Tomoki concluded, but he couldn't shake off this weird feeling. If the GPS app on his phone wasn't faulty, then something must've happened to the beast spirit causing it to move around. The question was how.

Without him, the beast spirit was running on limited energy. It wouldn't be moving around this much. Something else was going on, but Tomoki couldn't put a finger on it. All he could do was just follow the GPS. Luckily, his beast spirit seemed only to be moving around a specific area, so he and Takuya didn't have to change their walking path.

"Tomoki," Takuya said, getting his friend's attention. His tone sounded surprised. "I think we're getting warmer finding your beast spirit. Or this case: colder."

"What is that supposed to mean?" Tomoki asked. His eyes were glued to the GPS on his phone. He wanted to make sure they were going the right way.

"Look."

Tomoki looked up and his eyes went wide. In front of him was still the same forest, but it was covered in a few centimeters of ice and snow. Snowflakes fell from the sky adding more to the winter wonderland. If one looked close enough, they would see snow spreading out and expanding slowly through the area. He and Takuya both ran to the outer perimeter to check it out.

"How?" Tomoki asked, taking a ball of snow into his hand. It felt cold to the touch, and when he squeezed it, it broke apart falling into chunks on the ground. The snow was real. "It's the middle of Spring. There shouldn't be any snow around this time of year in this area."

"This must be the butterfly effect Bokomon was talking about," Takuya replied, scanning the surroundings. "Digimon must've been in a fractal field recently and caused our random snow zone."

"This is insane," Tomoki said. Although the snow was real, it felt unnatural to him. "Takuya. If this was caused by an ultimate or a bunch of champion-level Digimon, imagine what would happen if a mega came through. If Bokomon is right then–"

"Don't think like that," Takuya interrupted. "That won't happen. Let's just focus on the situation at hand: finding your beast spirit. Now we know we're in the right direction. All this snow must be related to him in some way. We just have to keep going."

Tomoki nodded and continued their search. As they walked deeper into the forest, the snow became more apparent and increased a few inches on the ground. The place was starting to look like a regular day in winter.

The Bearer of Ice inwardly shivered, but not due to the cold. He just couldn't believe that his beast spirit could do this and touched one of the trees. It felt cold and fragile. The boy didn't like this one bit.

'Bam. Bam.' Gunshots were heard in the distance followed by birds flying off into the air causing the two boys to jump.

"What was that?" Tomoki asked.

"I don't know," Takuya responded. "But it might be a clue to your beast spirit."

Tomoki and Takuya ran deeper into the woods to follow the previous gunshots. A few meters out, they ran into a small clearing with a shocking sight.

In the area were three burly men and a black dog. Each person had long hunting rifles aimed at a group of Japanese weasels huddled together. The poor little animals were cornered and shaking in fear as the dog growled menacing at them. These guys were poachers.

"What do you think you're doing!?" Tomoki blurted out and walked in between the poachers and weasels. Takuya followed closely behind.

"Well looky here," One of the poachers said. "Some kids wandered out of the usual path and came here. What a surprise."

"Move along kids," Another poacher said. "We're in the middle of the hunt, and those weasels are our prey."

"But this a national park," Tomoki responded fiercely. "Hunting is strictly illegal here. Their populations have been declining in recent generations. The government has even restricted hunting the females to preserve the species. Are you thinking of hurting these innocent animals?"

"It doesn't matter," The last hunter said. He was the leader of the group and the one holding the dog. "We couldn't find the forest protector, so we'll settle with those little weasels over there. Now move," He commanded and pointed his rifle threateningly at Tomoki. "Or do you need a bullet through your body to do it?"

Tomoki looked at the rifle and the man then turned toward the frightened weasels. They were shaking uncontrollably and had fear in their eyes. It pained the boy's heart.

"Then do it." Tomoki turned back to the poachers and said with determination. "Shoot me."

The poachers paused for a moment. They weren't expecting that answer.

"I said move," The leader commanded again. "Do think for a second I won't put a bullet through you!"

"Now wait just a second," One of the poachers said, putting his hunting rifle down. "I'm not shootin' some kids just for a couple of animals. If they're ain't moving, I ain't shooting."

"They will once I do this," The leader lifted his rifle over Tomoki's head and fired, causing a loud bang. More birds around them got spooked from the noise and flew away. "That was your warning shot," He aimed his rifle again at the boy. "Now move or the next will be through you."

Tomoki jumped a little from the sound of the gunshot, but his body stayed firm. He wasn't going to move. He was going to stay and protect these little animals.

Takuya grabbed Tomoki's shoulder and stood beside him. His intent was clear. He was going to be with his friend and support him no matter what.

"They're not moving," The second poacher said, looking curiously at Tomoki. "Why do you want to protect these animals anyway? Do you know them or something?"

"I don't," Tomoki answered. "But I know what it feels like to be chased and hurt in fear. I can't turn my back on people or animals who feel like that, especially in their homes that are supposed to be a safe place for them."

"Yeah…"The other poacher's eyes became softer, lost in thought about something. Shortly after, he also put down his rifle. "I understand that."

Two down. One to go.

"Are you two really stopping just because of two kids," The leader practically shouted. What greeted him was only silence.

"Fine, I'll do it myself!" The leader pointed the gun at Tomoki again. "This is your last warning, kids," He commanded for the last time. His patience was getting thin. "Move or I will shoot you down!"

But Tomoki didn't move an inch. Was he afraid? Of course, he was. Anyone would be afraid to get shot, but when he saw those poor shaking weasels being cornered, it reminded him of a scene.

It was when he was 8 years old. Tomoki was swinging on a swing set when he saw a boy similar to his age being pushed around and surrounded by older kids. They were ganging up on the poor little boy.

Tomoki wanted to help, but couldn't. If he did, those older kids would come after him next. And so, he fled. He ran away without looking back. It was one of his most regretful choices.

Growing up, he's come to learn that doing nothing and running away would just cause people to do bad things more. If you wanted someone to stop or change, you had to speak up–through words and actions. If Tomoki hadn't spoken up to Takuya when he was out of control in his beast spirit form, the Bearer of Flame would probably still be rampaging around and burning forests in the Digital World.

Tomoki was a person aiming to be student council president. A president who wanted to let people know bullying and hurting innocent, scared people or animals had horrible consequences. If he didn't speak up and stick to his morals now, what was the point in running for student council president?

"No," Tomoki said with a voice of cold determination. "This is not a hunting ground. These animals deserve to live life like we do. I'm not moving!"

"Your funeral," The leader loaded his rifle. All he had to do now was pull the trigger.

The other poachers looked at their leader in shock. Previously, they thought he was bluffing. Now, they weren't sure. Was he really going to shoot children for just a couple of uncommon animals? It was a horrible choice with a lot of consequences. Luckily, the choice wasn't going to happen.

"Freeze!" 3 men and 2 women in uniform suddenly came out into the forest clearing with tasers and guns in hand. They aimed them at the 3 poachers. "Hakone Park Rangers! Drop your weapons! You're under arrest for hunting on illegal grounds!"

The 2 poachers immediately dropped their rifles to the ground. The leader hesitated for a little bit but eventually relinquished his weapon as well. There was nothing they could do. They were outnumbered and put their hands in the air.

3 of the rangers went to detain the poachers, while the other 2, a man in his early thirties and a woman in her mid-twenties, walked toward Tomoki and Takuya. The woman in particular walked to them impatiently. She was practically running.

"Tomoki?" The woman said in shock. "Is that you?"

"Misaki?" Now that the woman was face-to-face with Tomoki. He recognized her immediately. "What're you doing here?!"

"I could ask you the same thing," Misaki answered. "You can't walk off trail like this. It's dangerous."

"Officer Tashida, do you know these civilians," The older man asked.

"Yes, lieutenant. I know the taller one," Misaki responded. "He's… a brother of my friend."

'Friend was putting it mildly,' Tomoki thought but kept it to himself. This was not the time or place to say anything personal.

"I see," The lieutenant looked toward Tomoki specifically. "I heard what you and your friend said earlier while running over here. That was really brave."

"Thank you, sir," Tomoki responded, bowing his head a little.

"But also really stupid," The lieutenant continued. "If that man shot you before we showed up, you could have been seriously injured, maybe even dead in this forest. It's good to be brave, but your life is just as important."

"I know, sir. I do," Tomoki's fist gripped and he took a deep breath. "But what's the point in living just to see others take the life of another? Sometimes, it's more important to stick to one's beliefs and morals. I can't stand by and watch someone be killed near their own homes even if they're just animals. They're just as important to be in this world."

The lieutenant looked deeply at Tomoki and nodded. "Very good! I like your answer kid! But let us professionals handle the rest of this. I'll have one of the officers escort you two back."

"No problem, but I have to do something first," Before the lieutenant could reply, Tomoki already run off. He was heading to the weasels.

"Hey," Tomoki said soothingly, staying at a reasonable distance from them. They were still wild animals after all, and the boy did not want to get bit. He bent down to one knee making it seem like he wasn't so big to them. "It's okay now. You guys can leave. We won't hurt you."

At first, the weasels were still scared, but looking at Tomoki's eyes, they calmed down. For some unexplained reason, the little animals understood his words and ran off further into the clearing–careful not to run into any of the other humans.

The lieutenant looked at Tomoki and smiled. He wished there were more people like him. It would make the world a much better place.

"Lieutenant," Misaki said. "Permission to escort these civilians safely back to the correct trail path."

"Permission granted," The lieutenant saluted. "We'll take these poachers to jail then rendezvous at the center."

The lieutenant then met up with his other officers. They had the poachers secured and handcuffed. These hunters weren't escaping any time soon.

"Come on," Misaki said to Takuya, gesturing toward a direction in the woods. "We have a lot of ground to cover."

"Alright…" As much as Takuya wanted to continue the search for the beast spirit, there were too many people. He and Tomoki wouldn't be able to search freely without causing suspicion, so it was best to follow the officer. "Tomoki, let's go!"

"Okay!" Tomoki stood up and was about to go when something caught his eye. Further down the path of the retreating weasels was another weasel. This one looked different. Unlike the others, the weasel had white fur instead of brown. The little guy watched his brethren closely making sure they were safely leaving.

Tomoki couldn't be sure, but there was something different about that animal for some reason. He just didn't know why. White weasels are more uncommon than brown, but not by much. Still, the boy couldn't take his eyes off the little guy.

"Tomoki!" Takuya yelled, breaking the Bearer of Ice's thoughts. "You coming?"

"Yeah! I'll be right there!" Tomoki responded and broke eye contact with the weasel to rejoin Takuya and the park ranger.

With Ranger Tashida leading the way, Tomoki and Takuya started the way back to the trail. They went a few meters out in silence when Tomoki finally said something.

"Thank you, Takuya."

"For what?" Takuya asked.

"For sticking with me in that gunfight earlier," Tomoki specified. "I know risking your life for animals isn't exactly your thing."

"Tomoki," Takuya smiled and laughed a little. "I've known you and watched you grow up for years. I know what kind of person you are. No matter what happens, I'll always support you and be by your side."

"Really?"

"Really," Takuya gave a lighthearted punch to Tomoki. "Besides, we have more important things to worry about. For starters, who is that officer? It seems like you two know each other."

"We do. Her name is Misaki Tashida. She's my brother-" Tomoki coughed. "Ahem, ex-girlfriend."

"Oh…" Takuya did not need any further inquiry.

"Yeah," Tomoki said. forcing a laugh. "Things are a little awkward between them."

"That's putting it lightly," Misaki finally said while still leading the way. She turned to look at Tomoki and smiled. "It's good to see you though. You've gotten a little taller since the last time I saw you. Have you been doing well?"

"I've been doing great!" Tomoki happily replied. "I recently decided to run for student council president at my school, and your knowledge has been really helpful!"

"That's great to hear. How are your polls doing then? Are your statistics accurate?"

"Yes. It's really good because my brother–" Tomoki started to say but stopped. Unfortunately, it was too late. As soon as Yutaka was mentioned, Misaki's smile faded, and turned back around.

"Come on you two," She said, slightly depressed. "We still have a lot of ground to cover."

Tomoki sighed sadly. His shoulders dropped. How did it come to this?

Misaki Tashida was 25 years old and majored in environmental science. She wanted to help the world and prevent the spread of pollution. Making the earth eco-friendly and preventing greenhouse gasses were her biggest dreams.

She met Yutaka around their junior year of college, and they instantly hit it off. Out of the girls his brother brought home with him, Tomoki liked Misaki the most. She was amazing.

The girl was courageous and never afraid to speak her mind. She was very knowledgeable about the environment and endangered species. Half of her free time was spent doing community service like beach and park trash cleaning. Yutaka loved spending time with her.

Then one day out of the blue last year, he and Misaki ended things.

Tomoki never found out why. His brother never told him. He just came home one day, said they broke up, and went to his room. Clearly, Yutaka was upset over the breakup and didn't want to talk about it.

It didn't just affect him. It affected the whole family. The Himi family liked Misaki and treated her like a daughter. Without her, it felt like there was a void between them. It took months for everyone to recover.

At first, Tomoki was shocked to see her again here of all places, but after some thought, it made sense. Misaki's expertise was in environmental science. By being a park ranger, she could study the wildlife and protect the area. It was the perfect job for her, but Tomoki wanted to know something else.

Seeing her expression when mentioning Yutaka, Misaki looked heartbroken. It felt like she missed him, but why? Tomoki always figured she broke up with Yutaka since his brother was depressed at the time, so why did she feel sad? Was there more to it?

"Misaki? Is everything okay?" Tomoki asked with concern. "You seem tired and depressed."

"Oh! no…" Misaki answered, trying to hide her fatigue. "It's not about you or your brother. These recent few days have been taxing on me."

"Does it have something to do with the recent ice and snow here?"

"Yes," Misaki confirmed. She rubbed her temples to stop a headache from coming. "Although it's only been here for a short time, it's already causing so many problems."

"How?" Takuya asked. "There is only a little snow in the area, and it's cool that it's coming from a different season."

Misaki and Tomoki looked at Takuya in disbelief.

"Um… Did I say something wrong?"

"Kind of," Tomoki answered. "Although the snow and ice seem cool at first, it's extremely harmful to the environment. We live in a delicate ecosystem. Any temperate changes could destroy the balance."

"Take the snow for example. We're in the spring season right now where plant life should be thriving," Tomoki picked up a dead plant cold to the touch. "But with the new ice-cold environment, it kills off the plants. Animals eat them for sustenance. Without it, they would starve and die disrupting the entire food chain."

"Not only that," Tomoki picked up a handful of snow and threw it into the air. The snow broke apart into many pieces, and some of them melted to liquid from his touch. "When snow touches the warmer climate of spring, it'll evaporate in the atmosphere causing hail and snowstorms. The cold climate would continue to spread all across Japan creating ecological imbalance."

"Very good Tomoki," Misaki nodded in approval. "Your knowledge of ecology is still excellent!"

"I mostly learned about it from you." Whenever Yutaka brought Misaki home, she would teach his family some things about her major and activities to do to reduce pollution. "Some of the issues I need to tackle as Student Council President involve our environmental problems, so your knowledge comes in handy."

"I'm very glad you're taking our environmental concerns very seriously." Misaki smiled and turned her attention to Takuya. "Do you now understand now what problem we're dealing with here?"

"I'm sorry. I didn't know," Takuya apologized. "But if the snow and ice are such a big problem, why don't you melt them?"

"Using extreme heat is just as bad for the environment as extreme cold," Misaki explained. "The best course of action is to find the source of the snowfall, isolate it, and let nature heal itself naturally."

"It's a slow process, but it's the best solution from harming the ecosystem any further," Tomoki added. "But where is the snow coming from?"

"That's the problem!" Misaki answered, exasperated. "Me and my colleagues have been trying to locate the source the whole day yesterday and today with barely any sleep, but we can't seem to locate it. It's like everything showed through magic!"

The park ranger rubbed her temples to suppress an oncoming migraine. "Not only that. We also have to deal with these poachers trying to hunt down the Protector of the Forest."

"Protector of the Forest?" Takuya said. "That poacher said something about it as well. Who is this Protector of the Forest?"

"You two didn't come all the way here to get a glimpse of the Protector?" Misaki asked questionably. "If not, then why are in an area off limits to the public? You should know better than this, Tomoki."

"My friend said he knew a shortcut to finish the trail faster." Tomoki lied. "We then got lost leading us to find this winter forest."

"This area is pretty far from being lost. You should've retraced your steps and tried to return back to where you guys came."

"You don't know my friend," Tomoki gestured to Takuya. "Once he has something in his head, he won't stop until it's seen through to the end. He's very stubborn like that."

'Tomoki…' Takuya silently fumed but let the jab slide. Although the boy didn't like taking the blame, this was something he would do. Sometimes the best lies had a hint of truth.

As expected, Misaki believed it. "Your friend does look like someone who would take shortcuts without considering the risk."

"Hey!" Takuya spoke up. "What's wrong with taking a risk? Big risks can turn into big rewards or faster trail finishes."

"They can also turn into big losses," Misaki answered back. "With a higher chance to be lost in the forest and be shot at by poachers like what happened recently."

"If it happens, it happens. We can deal with it when we hit that wall. It'll work itself out."

"If me and my colleagues didn't appear, you and Tomoki would've probably been shot!" Misaki pointed out. "The chances of us showing up were very slim!"

"Exactly," Takuya agreed. "You guys showed up before anything escalated and caught some poachers. Even though the chances were low, you still appeared and everything worked out, ~Right?~"

Misaki went speechless. Was he serious? The sad part is she couldn't refute his logic and then turned to Tomoki. "My condolences."

"He's not as reckless as you think he is," Tomoki said, laughing a little. "We're getting off-topic. You said something about the Forest Protector? Who is he?"

"I shouldn't say anything," Misaki said. "But I know what kind of good person you are, Tomoki. I trust you and your friend won't do anything bad. You'll probably find out eventually anyway."

Misaki then explained the Protector of the Forest. It happened shortly after the snow arrived. While some of her colleagues were researching this unexplained phenomenon, they witnessed a giant creature three times their size in the distance. It only appeared for a moment and disappeared, so they surmised it to be a trick of the light.

Somehow two hunters got wind of the news and decided to test their luck. The result was they got flung onto a tree. When they got back up and aimed their weapons, the creature was already gone. It was like the creature disappeared into thin air.

The hunters couldn't get an exact description, but from what they could see, the creature looked like a yeti.

"A yeti?" Tomoki said. "But that's a creature from a myth in the Himalayas. We're nowhere near that mountain range and on an island."

"That's what I thought too!" Misaki replied. "But similar reports have been coming in from more hunters. They've all tried to find and hunt this yeti but failed miserably. The creature always disappears as soon as he appears! The weird part is that he doesn't attack my colleagues, only hunters or poachers hence the title: "The Protector of the Forest."

"He always comes when there's an animal in trouble," Misaki then focused on Tomoki. A thought suddenly came to her. "Sorta like you did, a few minutes saving those weasels."

"I see.." Tomoki and Takuya shared a look. They might've had an idea of the identity of the Forest Protector, and it wasn't a yeti. The question was how.

Like the human spirits, beast spirits needed vessels to use their strength. If not, they would run out of energy and revert back into their relic form. But according to Misaki, the beast spirit has been all around without energy depletion, so how has he been moving around without Tomoki?

"Soon, more poachers and hunters will come when the news spreads," Misaki rubbed her temples. "The unexpected snowfall is already running us thin. The environment will only get worse with the additional people here."

"Will having more people in the forest really hurt the environment?" Takuya asked.

"It's not that simple," Misaki answered. "Yes, one or two more people won't hurt the environment. At most, some grass or flowers would be stomped on, but imagine if more people did the same thing. Even unintentionally, a lot of people can destroy an ecosystem just by simply walking. It's one of the reasons why we have paved trails minimizing the damages in the forest."

"I see," Takuya said, nodding his head in understanding.

"Would poachers just come all the way here just to hunt for something that doesn't even exist destroying this beautiful forest?" Tomoki then asked.

"Trust me. People have done worse for less." Misaki sighed. "They will do almost anything if it gets them rich or famous quickly, but luckily you guys don't have to worry about that. Let me and the park rangers handle these kinds of things. It's not your problem."

Tomoki and Takuya looked at each other having the same thought. It was their problem. The current phenomenon had something to do with the Beast Spirit of Ice, and they had to find him. If not, more people and places could be destroyed in the process. They had to continue the search!

"Ranger Tashida! Do you read me!" A voice blared out from the radio on Misaki's arm. "Ranger Tashida, do you read me!"

"Tashida here," Misaki pressed the button on her radio and answered. "What's up?"

"Big problem! One of the poachers we were escorting escaped!"

"What?!" Misaki shouted in shock. "How? I was there myself! They were securely detained. Did someone help them?"

"No one did," The officer answered. "It was the poacher himself. Somehow he broke out of the metal cuffs using only brute force! Taking his dog, they both ran back inside the forest. The lieutenant and another officer tried to stop them, but the poacher just knocked them out cold with inhuman strength!"

"What about the other 2 poachers? Did they escape as well?"

"That's the weird thing,'' the officer's tone sounded confused. "He just left them here. They were just as surprised at their friend's recent actions. Right now, we're still detaining them and taking care of our people, but we need someone to pursue and locate the runaway."

"Understood. I'll take care of it." Misaki turned her attention toward Tomoki and Takuya. "Looks like we'll have to end the escort early. You guys will have to get back on your own. Try not to get lost again."

Before even hearing a reply, Misaki took off going deeper into the forest. Takuya and Tomoki just looked on as her figure turned blurry until she disappeared into the vast trees.

"We're going after her," Tomoki said. "Aren't we?

"Oh yeah," Takuya answered and they both sprinted to catch up to Misaki.

"A man who broke his handcuffs with inhuman strength," Tomoki said, thinking. "Takuya, you don't think…"

"I think so too," Takuya agreed. "A Digimon must've taken him over."

Although Digimon could only roam the Real World at a rookie power level, they would still be stronger than the average adult. Breaking metal cuffs would be as simple as snapping a toothpick to them. Even if humans are exempted from a fractal field, it's a different story when a compatible vessel is involved.

Like the spirits of the Legendary Warriors, the fractal code of Digimon could also roam freely in the Real World. Once they find the right vessel, the fractal code enters it, turning partially into data. Even if they're humans, once a Digimon takes over them, they become eligible to be in a fractal field.

Stomp. Stomp. Misaki stopped when she heard the sound of crushed snow and scoffed. She knew it was Tomoki and Takuya following her.

"Okay Tomoki," Ranger Tashida turned around to face them. "I know you want to be a hero and stop the bad guy, but you have to let-"

Misaki didn't finish because there was no one to talk to. She could see the fresh footprints in the snow, but no one was in sight. Whoever was standing there just disappeared into thin air.

Chapter Text

Tomoki and Takuya caught up to Misaki and were about to explain themselves when a fractal field showed up. It covered their surroundings including the park ranger. Once the fractal code finished, they were alone in this cold forest.

"Takuya," Tomoki said, pulling out his Digivice. They got pulled into a fractal field. It could only mean one thing.

"Yeah," Takuya responded, following suit. Digimon were near. "We're definitely getting closer to finding your beast spirit… Look out!"

Tomoki and Takuya ducked out of the way as two light-blue spheres flew past them like fastballs. They kept going and hit a tree, freezing it inside and out. The boys looked to see who threw those attacks and saw two snowman-like creatures with the head of a teddy bear appear.

Frigimon: A champion-level, icy-type Digimon whose special attacks are Subzero Ice Punch and SnowBall. These Digimon usually have a warm-hearted, gentle personality and dislike fighting. But thanks to the influences of the Demon Lords, they've been turned into cold-blooded soldiers ready to freeze their foes.

[Execute! - Spirit Evolution: Agunimon & Kumamon]

[Blizzard Blaster] Kumamon took out his Romeo Launcher and fired out rounds of snowballs at the Frigimon hitting the mark. Unfortunately, the attack had little to no effect on them. If anything, the ice bears got slightly bigger.

[Snowball x2] The Frigimon retaliated back and gathered the excess snow on their bodies making and compressing a snowball each. When the two snowballs were compressed until it was as hard as thick ice, the ice bears threw them. They sounded and traveled like a speeding bullet as they headed toward Kumamon.

Before the attacks could hit their target, Agunimon grabbed his friend and moved them out of the way. The snowballs whizzed past them and smashed at the previously frozen tree. The poor thing broke into a million broken pieces as the snowballs penetrated through and hit another tree leaving a big dent 3 feet deep.

"Maybe it's not a good idea to fire snowballs at living snowmen," Agunimon said to Kumamon.

"Noted."

[Pyro Punch] Agunimon punched out two fireballs hitting the Frigimon. Unlike the Blizzard Blaster, the fireballs melted their bodies before exploding like a small bomb going off on a mountain of snow. Fire was highly effective against ice, and fractal code appeared around the ice bears.

As if by an unseen force, the fractal code instinctively left the Frigimon and entered Agunimon's Digivice. The Legendary Warrior of Flames didn't even do anything. Besides the upgraded GPS, this was the second new function of the Digivice: Auto-Scan.

When the Digi-Destined scans a Digimon at a specific class or power level, their Digivice's auto-scan function activates and codes it in. Manually scanning a defeated foe is too time-consuming. Now, the fractal code of their defeated enemies will automatically enter their Digivices without the need to do anything.

For example, all of the Digi-Destined scanned a champion-level Digimon previously, so any future champion-level Digimon will automatically be scanned into the Digivice when defeated. The same could also be said with the ultimate level. Once they defeat and scan an ultimate, the auto-scan will upgrade and take in all ultimate-level Digimon.

Mega-Level Digimon could also be auto-scanned, but it was tricky. This level was the highest a Digimon could digivolve to, and each had different power levels. The auto-scan function had trouble distinguishing all of them and divided them into 3-4 different tiers.

"Yeah!" Agunimon punched his fist up in victory. The last of the fractal code left Frigimon and two balls of shaved ice appeared in their place. It looked like they came from a snow cone machine. "If that's all they've got then getting your beast spirit will be a synch!"

Suddenly over 20+ Frigimon appeared out of the trees and surrounded them. It was like being stared at by a bunch of snowmen. Each ready for a fight.

"You just had to say something, didn't you…" Kumamon sighed. At least now they know how this winter forest started.

Although one or two Frigimon wouldn't cause a big effect, a bunch of them will. No wonder part of the forest looked like a winter wonderland. With all these ice bears around spreading cold energy, it would be surprising if there wasn't any snow around.

[Subzero Ice Punch x20] All the Frigimon punched out a light-blue color sphere. Each sphere contained a freezing, cold energy heading straight toward the two Legendary Warriors. Kumamon dropped to the ground and avoided the attacks, but Agunimon wasn't so lucky. Every Subzero Ice Punch hit and encompassed him in ice.

"Agunimon!" Kumamon shouted with trepidation. His friend looked like an ice sculpture, and he was worried the Warrior of Flame would stay like that. He did the same freeze technique to Meramon earlier.

Crack… Fortunately, his worries were unfounded when he saw small cracks appear on the ice. The cracks became bigger, and the sculpture started to shake.

"Arrggh!" Agunimon roared as he broke out. Luckily, Frigimon's attack froze from outside to inside instead of inside to outside like Kumamon's situation so Agunimon used his flames internally to break free. Still, being hit by that many ice attacks was effective on him.

"Ugh," Agunimon fell on fours breathing loudly. Steam evaporated off of him from leftover melted ice.

"Agunimon!" Kumamon shouted running toward him. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah…" He answered, still panting. "But I don't think I can handle another barrage like that."

Kumamon agreed, but the question was how. They were in the middle of an icy forest and the Frigimon had the advantage here. Agumimon's fire was strong against ice, but in the middle of a snowy environment, the attacks would be weaker. Plus, anything they threw at them, the ice bears would just use the cover of the trees to block and evade.

The Legendary Warriors could use the same tactic, but the Frigimon had the numerical advantage. It would only be a matter of time before the ice bears snuff them out. They needed a plan to take all of them out at once.

It was then that Kumamon looked at the snow on the ground. Many thoughts and scenes passed through his mind.

"We need to break out and get to the clearing!" Kumamon shouted. "They won't do anything to us there!"

The Bearer of Ice's body then melted and morphed blending into the snow. Like a snake, he slithered deeper back into the clearing. The Frigimon tried to stop him, but they couldn't hit what they couldn't see. Kumamon's melted form camouflaged perfectly with the snow, and the ice bears could only watch him escape and turn their attention to their other opponent.

Agunimon, on the other hand, slammed his hand onto the ground releasing a strong heat wave. The snow around him quickly melted into a big lukewarm puddle of water mixing in with the dirt. He then proceeded to do a low spinning sweep kick splashing the water all around.

All the Frigimon around got a face full of water. Their faces went blank for a moment before turning livid. It was like being hit with dirty sweat.

"That was payback for freezing me," Agunimon stated as he sprinted breaking out of the encirclement. "See ya!"

[Subzero Ice Punch + Snowball] The Frigimon chased after him and fired off energy shots or snowballs at the Warrior of Flames. But Agunimon kept swerving and moving through the trees, so the attacks didn't hit him. The Bearer of Flame only had one thing in his mind: To get to the destination.

"Finally!" Agunimon whooped, excitedly. He entered the clearing. Hopefully, the Frigimon wouldn't be able to get him.

Unfortunately, it was only wishful thinking.

Like a stampede of angry bulls, the Frigimon marched out of the woods into the clearing and surrounded Agunimon. Each clenched their fists gathering energy for a Subzero Ice Punch.

'Now what?' Agunimon thought, going into a fighting stance. Did he really think that going back to the clearing would stop the Frigimon from entering like Kumamon said?

Of course not, but Agunimon has known his little friend and watched him grow up for years. He knew Kumamon had a plan, and it involved the clearing somehow. The Bearer of Ice said those words earlier, so he couldn't let the Frigimon be suspicious while indirectly telling him to get to the clearing.

Agunimon didn't know what his plan was but trusted the Ice Warrior nonetheless. He just hoped the little bear would hurry up, or he would become an ice sculpture again.

Unbeknownst to the Frigimon and Agunimon, Kumamon was outside of them stretching his body. He circled the perimeter of the clearing creating a ring of ice in midair.

This was one of Kumamon's inherited traits as the Human Legendary Warrior of Ice. His body could morph and change into any shape he wanted. The Ice Warrior could change into ice spikes to attack the enemy or an ice bridge for a train to ride through. The possibilities were endless.

And by taking the ice and snow around him, he could become even bigger. If Kumamon had enough mental strength and snow, he could be as big as a mountain. Although the Ice Warrior didn't like this unnatural winter, it was the best environment for him to fight in.

Why did the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors prefer humans over pure-born Digi-eggs? Finding a compatible Digi-egg was much easier compared to a human. Not only did the compatibility have to match them, but they also had to have the right personality and willpower. The search was tedious, and the requirements were harsh. So why go through it and bond with a human? There were two main reasons.

The first reason was their emotions. Humans had stronger emotions compared to a Digimon. Strong feelings were powerful in their way. It was a type of strength that allowed Digimon to fight opponents a level or two higher than them. This kind of power was something Digimon alone could never achieve.

The second reason was their ingenuity. Digimon are all born with a specific set of attacks and inherited traits. Throughout their lives, they use those moves as if they're second nature never questioning their strength until the next digivolution, but humans were different.

They were more creative. Utilizing Digimon's inherited traits and skills, humans could create new moves and attacks in a completely different way. These new attacks were called Self-Created Attacks, or SCA for short. There were many different variations and the possibilities could be endless. This situation was one of those moments.

"Agunimon!" Kumamon shouted. "Jump now!"

[SCA: Tundra Bind] Like a drawstring pulling a backpack close, the ice ring rapidly contracted and slammed onto the Frigimon. Their attacks got interrupted, and they were forcibly pushed to the center of the clearing.

Agunimon, hearing his friend's command, immediately jumped into the air. Down below, he could see all the Frigimon clustered together at his original spot. The ice ring had all of them trapped and clumped together preventing any movement or attacks.

[Pyro Darts] Agunimon took advantage of the trapped opponents and fired flaming darts from his gauntlet. He kept unleashing them until his attack looked like fiery rain.

[Frozen Tundra] Kumamon expanded the ice ring and dropped to the ground. He then changed his form into multiple ice spikes making a circle of thick, ice needles all aimed at the Frigimon.

Fire rained above while ice pierced below. Two opposing elements clashed against each other with the Frigimon in the middle. The ice bears felt their bodies melt from the flames then freeze and break apart from the ice. They couldn't take it anymore, and fractal code appeared around them.

Since Agunimon and Kumamon each had a part in defeating the Frigimon, the auto-scan function divided the fractal code equally between the two of them. Half of it went to Agunimon while the other half went to Kumamon. The clustered Frigimon all disappeared, and multiple snowballs appeared falling to the ground.

"That was amazing!" Agunimon said, landing next to Kumamon. "Nice idea leading them to the clearing."

"It was a team effort. Couldn't have done it without you," Kumamon replied, and they both high-fived. The Ice Warrior could've used Tundra Bind earlier, but the trees were in the way. In order to use the attack more effectively, an open space was needed which is why the Legendary Warriors baited the Frigimon to the clearing.

'Beep Beep Beep Beep.' Kumamon's Digivice ranged and vibrated incessantly about a notification. Taking the device out, the Ice Warrior looked at the screen. It was coming from his GPS app.

"My Beast Spirit! It's close!" Kumamon looked deeply at the coordinates. "Really close. It's only a few feet away from us on the other side of the clearing."

"Let's get going then," Agunimon and Kumamon both ran to where the GPS was telling them. When they made it to their destination, the two were met with a weird scene.

In their sights was another Frigimon. He was in front of a cluster of dead trees and branches. Looking closer, there seemed to be small, brown furry creatures running around or shaking through the small openings of the wood and trunks. It was the weasels from earlier along with their other brethren. This must've been the little guys' habitat and home.

"Oh no!" The Ice Warrior shouted. Frigimon lifted his fist and gathered cold energy. He was to attack freezing the animals and destroying their home.

Kumamon pulled out his Romeo Launcher and prepared to fire. He wasn't going to let the ice bear hurt innocent, cute creatures.

He also couldn't help but be confused. Why was Frigimon attacking harmless animals? They weren't doing anything suspicious, and it looked like his beast spirit wasn't even there.

"Don't," Agunimon interjected. "Your attack will only make him bigger. Let me do it."

The Flame Warrior lifted his arm, and concentrated fire blasted out from his gauntlet. [Pryo D-]

"Wait!" Kumamon shouted. Just as Agunimon was about to fling flaming darts, a weasel with white fur popped out and looked at Frigimon angrily. It was the same weasel Tomoki had seen earlier.

"What is it?" Agunimon asked and stopped his attack. He followed his friend's line of sight and noticed the white weasel too. "Is there something different about that animal?"

'That's a good question,' The sense of familiarity came to Kumamon again, but it just confused the Ice Warrior even more.

Why was he so attracted to this weasel? This was his first few times with seeing the animal but Kumamon felt so connected to him. What was so special about the little guy?

"SQUEAKKKKKK," The white weasel screeched loudly and jumped at Frigimon. Fractal code appeared, and the cute little animal transformed into something completely different.

In its place was a yeti-looking creature. He had snow-white fur, hairless brown hands and feet, dark brown claws, and markings on his cheeks/forehead. Two horns poked out of his head along with multiple dreadlocks of hair going down to his calves. The dreadlocks were being held together by metal arrowheads at the end. His outfit consisted of green-orange bracers on each of his forearms as well as dark-brown armor on his chest and shoulders.

Korikakumon: A variable, beast-type Digimon whose special attacks are Avalanche Axes and Frozen Arrowheads. He's the beast spirit descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientMegatheriummon. Don't be fooled by his appearance. Despite his large stature, he's extremely shrewd in combat using anything to his advantage.

Korikakumon tackled Frigimon to the ground. Using his bulky hands, he clawed and ripped the ice bear's body apart piece by piece like a savage beast. Fractal code appeared around Frigimon when half of its body was gone. Korikakumon instinctively took it leaving only a snowball to drop to the ground.

Kumamon and Agunimon looked at the scene in shock. Everything made so much sense now. This weasel had the Beast Spirit of Ice.

When Korikakumon first landed in the Real World in his spirit form, he roamed around a lot trying to get his bearings. Unfortunately, those actions depleted most of his energy reverting back to his relic form. It was then the weasel found him.

Although Tomoki was still highly compatible with his beast spirit, others could use them as well if the compatibility was strong enough. This was especially true in the relic form. Most of their thoughts would be dormant until finding a vessel.

When the weasel touched the spirit, it automatically fused with the animal attaining its power. Since the animal didn't know how to use the beast's spirit, he could only act on instinct. The power was driven by emotions.

Whenever the animal felt angry or threatened, he transformed into Korikakumon and attacked. It was also when the fractal field would appear taking him into the data mirror world. This explains why hunters were only able to catch a glimpse of the Forest Protector before disappearing.

Although fractal fields activate very quickly after a strong Digimon shows up, it still takes a second for it to cover the surroundings and make a mirror world. One second may not seem like much, but it's enough for people to see a glimpse.

Whenever the weasel transformed into Korikakumon and attacked some hunters, he would enter the fractal field by himself alone. With no one to fight or defend, the animal roamed around a bit, calmed down, and turned back into a weasel returning to the Real World with no hunter in sight. With so many appearances and disappearances, rumors of the Protector of the Forest started.

"This is unexpected," Agunimon said, still staring at the yeti. "What do we do? Should I attack and forcibly grab the beast spirit?"

"Don't," Kumamon rejected the idea. "Even though he attacks like a savage beast, he is still an innocent animal. He probably doesn't even know what he has. We need to think of something else."

"But what?" Agunimon asked. "Right now, that beast doesn't look to be in the talking mood."

Kumamon bit his lower lip thinking. Agunimon was right. Looking at Korikakumon right now, the yeti looked like he ripped apart anyone in his vicinity. The best plan was probably to wait until the beast calmed down.

"So that's why I couldn't find the beast spirit…" Someone said. "This thing had it all along."

Agunimon and Kumamon jumped and got immediately into fighting stances. Someone else was here! In another part of the woods appeared a hunter and dog. It was the same hunter and dog they met earlier and the ones who used inhumane strength to escape.

But the weird part wasn't them appearing. Agunimon and Kumamon half-expected it. The weird part was who just said those words. It didn't come from the hunter. It came from the dog.

"I knew there was something off about that dog," Agunimon stated, staring intently at the canine.

"What makes you say that?" Kumamon asked.

"Usually most dogs would bark at any strangers that come near them," Agunimon explained, recalling the times when he came over to Kouji's house. His dog, Garm, kept barking at him until Kouji or the Minamotos told him to heel. "But this one was unusually quiet when seeing us, especially during the gun standoff. It was like he was secretly observing us."

"I was," The dog said in perfect clarity. Unlike him, the hunter looked to be in some sort of daze state. "Thanks for sending us off to those other humans. Their information was especially helpful in finding the beast spirit."

When the Demon Lords sent in more Digimon in groups with a leader after the Digi-Destined, they commanded them to retrieve the spirits of the Legendary Warriors back and eliminate those pesky chosen humans by any means necessary. When the multiple groups entered the Real World after much difficulty, they sensed the strong energy signatures of the beast spirits and separated going after each of them.

This particular controlled dog managed to track down the Beast Spirit of Ice here. He employed all the Frigimon to search inside the fractal field creating the winter forest, while he stayed in the Real World taking over a black dog. He kept up the act of the dog, so the owner never realized his dog was a possessed Digimon.

Unfortunately, no matter how long they searched, the beast spirit was nowhere to be found. It wasn't until he heard more details about the Protector of the Forest from the rangers that he had a better hunch. Working efficiently, the dog mentally communicated with the Frigimon to draw the two Legendary Warriors into a fractal field and attack them while one of them left to assault the weasel home at the end of the clearing.

Using his digital code, he took over the hunter, and they both broke out of the rangers' arrest traveling back to the clearing. There, they stayed back and observed the situation. The results weren't bad.

The dog didn't know how many times he and Frigimon passed by this white-fur weasel in both the Real World and fractal fields. It was just a harmless, weak animal. Never did they suspect the little thing to house the powerful Beast Spirit of Ice.

"Grrr," Korikakumon growled at the dog and hunter in hostility. He recognized the two trying to harm his brethren earlier. His body readied to pounce at them anytime.

"Time to start the hunt," The dog responded and howled at the top of his lungs. Fractal code surrounded him and the hunter. Their appearance was completely different now.

In their place was a large black-armored dog. He had long razor-sharp claws on each leg and three heads. One head was in the middle while the other two were attached to his shoulders each.

Cerberusmon: An ultimate-level, dark animal-type Digimon whose special attacks are Emerald Blaze and Portals of Darkness. He's known to be the Watchdog of Hell and is based on the mythological creature: Cerberus. The claws on his feet are strong enough to easily tear through Chrome Digizoid alloys. His armor is a hard-living shell which can self-repair any damages, and the heads on his shoulders are said to possess sentience.

Cerberusmon pounced at the yeti claws raring to go. Korikakumon responded in kind with claws of his own. Both battled each other like savages trying to dominate the other.

"We're not going to let you do what you want!"

[Pryo Darts + Blizzard Blaster] Agunimon and Kumamon weren't going to allow Cerberusmon to get the beast spirit and launched their attacks as well. Flaming darts and snowballs shot at the three-headed dog with breakneck speed.

Cerberusmon just looked at the incoming attacks in contempt. "Humph!"

[Portals of Darkness] One of the eyes of a head on the dog's shoulders lit up. A portal then opened up in of him and the attacks just went right inside disappearing. Usually, Portals of Darkness would open a pathway to the Dark Area in the Digital World, but this was the Real World. Cerberusmon didn't know where this portal would lead to, and he did not want to find out. Still, it was a good way to stop attacks from hitting him.

"Fangmon! Take care of those two!" Cerberusmon shouted and resumed his assault on Korikakumon.

Suddenly, two shadows rushed out from the woods and appeared before the two Legendary Warriors. They looked like red wolves with exaggerated muzzles. Their bodies were extremely skinny, and each foot had sharp purple claws.

Fangmon: A champion-level, dark animal-type Digimon whose special attacks are Snipe Steal and Blast Coffin. This wolf Digimon lives deep in the heart of the forest and preys upon those who are lost. It's said that their data is derived from the Big Bad Wolf that has appeared in many fairy tales. Once they set their sights on a target, they will never let them go.

[Snipe Steal x2] Using their quick speed, they sprinted and attacked the Legendary Warriors. The first one slashed the launcher out of Kumamon's hands and pinned him to the ground. The second one bit onto one of Agunimon's gauntlets and attempted to rip it off.

The Flame Warrior wasn't having it. He jumped on Fangmon's back and wrapped his other arm against the wolf's neck choking him to let go. Fangmon kept running, and both entered the woods. Shortly after, sounds of punching and scratching were heard.

The first Fangmon started to gather energy in his mouth. He was about to unleash his attack right at his opponent's face, and Kumamon couldn't move.

[Blast Coffin] Fangmon blasted out a white beam. The ground underneath shook from the force, and cracks appeared. The red wolf grinned at his work, but then his smile froze.

When the smoke cleared, all Fangmon saw was rocks and dirt. He expected fractal code to appear or even melt snow, but there were no signs of the Ice Warrior's body anywhere. Was his attack that strong?

[Crystal Freeze] Kumamon popped out from the side and took a deep breath causing his body to inflate like a balloon. When he felt full, he blew it out, unleashing a freezing wind blast. The attack hit Fangmon head-on, and the red wolf froze immediately into an ice sculpture.

Before Fangmon used Blast Coffin, Kumamon was already prepared, and his body melted. Fangmon may have had the Ice Warrior pinned, but it didn't bother the little bear much. Kumamon had the ability to change the structure of his body. All he had to do was morph and move to the side escaping the wolf's clutches.

Unlike Agunimon, Fangmon couldn't heat himself up and break out. Cold energy seeped inside his body, ending him, and fractal code appeared. The data automatically entered Kumamon's Digivice, and a Shiba Inu* appeared. The dog took a quick glance at everything and ran off.

With that battle out of the way, Kumamon focused his attention on Cerberusmon and Korikakumon's fight. When he saw the scene, his face changed. It wasn't looking good. Korikakumon was losing!

Although Cerberusmon and Korikakumon were somewhat equal in power with the yeti having a slightly higher advantage, the beast spirit's vessel was only a small animal. The little guy only knew how to bite, scratch, and rip. Digimon were much smarter than the animals in the Real World, and the hound used more precise attacks. Korikakumon had no chance, and wounds were already apparent on his body.

[Styx Killer] Cerberusmon slashed downward with his claws at the yeti. It was the last straw. Korikakumon couldn't take it anymore and fell to his knees then dropped to the ground. His ability to resist was gone.

"This will finish it," Cerberusmon raised his claw to deliver the finishing blow.

[Blizzard Blaster] Skis popped out of Kumamon's feet, and the Ice Warrior skied toward Cerberusmon and Korikakumon. Grabbing his Romeo Launcher on the way, he fired snowballs at the dog.

Cerberusmon jumped back evading the attack, and Kumamon moved in between the dog and his beast spirit. The Ice Warrior aimed his launcher threateningly and said. "Back off!"

"Humph," Cerberusmon looked at the little bear in contempt and scoffed. He slowly gathered energy in his body. "It doesn't matter if you interfere. I'll just take you both out!"

[Emerald Blaze] Cerberusmon released an emission of scorching-hot green flames from his mouth. The flames were like a rushing stream heading straight for Kumamon & Korikakumon.

Kumamon fired out more snowballs, but the emerald flames engulfed them melting inside, and continued to rage. The Ice Warrior was about to jump out of the way but stopped as a thought suddenly occurred to him.

[Frozen Tundra] Using the snow around him, Kumamon transformed into multiple ice spikes creating a wall of ice. The flames then hit him like a dam blocking the rush of water.

"Ugh…" Kumamon groaned. The flames hurt like crazy taking the full brunt of it, but he still endured. When the attack finally dispersed, the ice spikes were gone. The Ice Warrior laid on the ground in pain.

Fractal code appeared around him.

Chapter Text

"I'll take your spirit first then move on to the other one," Cerberusmon ran to Kumamon rushing to claim his prize. It looks like he was getting two spirits today.

[Pyro Punch] Before Cerburusmon could even get close to the Ice Warrior, a fireball hit him right at the side of the head. The dog felt stunned for a moment before growling in anger. He turned toward the direction of the fireball and found Agunimon.

The Flame Warrior came out of the woods looking pretty angry. Next to him was a flaming heap of what used to be the second Fangmon. Fractal code appeared around the red wolf and automatically entered Agunimon's Digivice. Another Shiba Inu appeared, and the poor little guy ran away scared after seeing two intimidating Digimon.

"Don't even think about hurting my friend!" Agunimon said. His fists lit up in flames, and he ran at the dog to give him a pounding.

"Why don't you humans just stay down and be defeated?" Cerberusmon growled. He sent a bunch of minions and his two lieutenants to deal with the Legendary Warriors, but they were defeated instead. The dog was livid. "Fine! If you want to get something done, you have to do it yourself."

Cerberusmon sprinted at and engaged with Agunimon. Red and green flames clashed against each other as fists met claws.

With no one claiming the fractal code around Kumamon, the code retreated inside the Digivice, and the Ice Warrior transformed into Tomoki. The boy slowly stood up and saw the battle between Agunimon and Cerberusmon.

'Thank Agunimon' With their enemy preoccupied, Tomoki had an opportunity. Quickly, the boy walked until he was face-to-face with Korikakumon.

"Hey," Tomoki said cautiously. Although this was his beast spirit, the vessel was still an animal, so it was best to be safe. "You probably can't speak, but I know you can understand me. I need you to give me the beast spirit."

"Grrr," Korikakumon growled at Tomoki. There was no way he was going to give up the beast spirit. It gave him imaginable power.

"I know you've been given incredible strength from the spirit, but it's also given you stronger enemies like that dog." Although Korikakumon was only growling, Tomoki understood him. Since he was Bearer of Ice, the boy had a strong connection with the yeti and could more or less feel the emotions of the current vessel. "You won't be able to beat him. I can, but I need my spirit back from you."

"Grr," Korikakumon growled again, rejecting Tomoki. He would've shoved the boy away if the yeti could move his body.

Tomoki wasn't surprised with the rejection, since he knew why the animal wanted to keep the spirit. "It's hard, isn't it? Seeing your friends being hunted and hurt like that."

Korikakumon paused for a moment at the statement. What was this boy getting at?

"It's easy to tell after hearing the rumors and seeing you in action," Tomoki said, reading the yeti's thoughts. "You only transformed when your friends were in danger and never attacked first. You're a very peaceful and honorable animal, but the current enemy is too strong. Your strength isn't enough to protect your friends now."

Korikakumon went silent after that. As much as he hated to admit it, the boy was right. The animal didn't know much about the abilities of the beast spirit of Ice and couldn't utilize himself correctly. If he went into battle with the dog again, he would still lose.

"That's why I need my spirit back from you," Tomoki continued, his tone turning gentle. "Don't worry. I promise to defeat Cerberusmon and never let these hunters attack your home ever again."

"Grr," Korikakumon replied in a questioning manner. Could he trust the boy? How could he know if this boy really cared about the animals and their homes here?

"If I didn't care," Tomoki answered. "I wouldn't have created the ice wall earlier."

When Kumamon faced the emerald flames, he could have jumped and dodged the attack but didn't. Instead, he turned into a wall of ice and took the fire head on preventing them from going any further. Why did the Ice Warrior do that?

Deeper in the clearing was the weasels' home. The animals were still inside the wooden fort shaking in fear. If Kumamon hadn't blocked the Emerald Blaze, the flames would have continued destroying the fort and anyone inside.

Although the environment would return to normal after exiting a fractal field, it didn't apply to living beings. If you died inside a fractal field, you would die for real. There would be no chance of returning to life, so even if the wooden fort returned to normal, the animals inside would be gone.

Kumamon didn't want that to happen which is why he transformed into an ice wall. He chose to save a bunch of animals stranger to him knowing full well he might lose his fighting ability but still did it anyway.

Korikakumon witnessed it all and didn't know what to say. The yeti wanted to help his brethren, but couldn't even move a muscle due to the pain. Then he witnessed this boy not only save his friends not once, but twice. A myriad of feelings stirred inside as if the beast spirit was telling him something.

"Please," Tomoki asked one more time. His hand touched the yeti's head. The touch was cold, but strong and caring. "This place isn't just important to you. It's important to all of us. There are people out there who want to protect this place and the environment too. I promise we'll do everything in our power to make sure you all can live in your homes peacefully once more. I give my oath as the Legendary Warrior of Ice!"

That was the thing that needed to be said. The yeti closed his eyes, trusting this boy. Fractal code appeared on the animal as he transformed into the relic form of the Beast Spirit of Ice. The spirit then flew and entered Tomoki's Digivice, releasing a small light.

"Thank you…" Tomoki said and closed his eyes. He could already feel the familiar energy of the beast encompassing him through the Digivice. The beast was raring to go once more.

[Execute! - Beast Spirit Evolution]

[Pyro Tornado] Still fighting, Agunimon went into a spin creating a flaming tornado and engulfing Cerberusmon in it. The dog was surprised at first and then became angry.

"You think this is going to work against me!" Cerberusmon said angrily. He didn't know why, but he had the strangest sense of deja vu, and this fiery tornado made him livid. "Tough Luck!"

[Cerberusmon Slide Evolution - Cerberusmon - Werewolf Mode] Fractal code appeared around the dog, and he transformed into someone completely different. His body was still covered with a black shell, but he stood two feet with massive weaponized dog heads in each hand.

Cerberusmon - Werewolf Mode: An ultimate, wizard-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Inferno Divide and Mad Dog Fire. He is the humanoid, mutant form of Cerberusmon. His data was rewritten as a sturdy body with arms that have developed to crunch through the toughest material and data.

[Inferno Divide] Cerberusmon dived through the tornado to Agunimon. His armored shell persisted through most of the whirling flames. Using his gigantic wolf heads, he clamped down on the Flame Warrior's arms stopping the Pryo Tornado, and blasted him with firebombs at point-blank range.

"Aaah," Agunimon screamed in pain. Although the fire didn't affect the Legendary Warrior, the shockwaves after the detonation did.

[Cerberus Erase] Using the sharp claws on his feet, he performed a high kick then a crescent kick slashing Agunimon's torso, and kept repeating the process. The werewolf did all of this while his hands still clamped on the Flame Warrior.

"Ugh," When Cerberusmon finally let go, Agunimon couldn't take it anymore, and fractal code surrounded him transforming back into Takuya. The boy fell to the ground groaning in pain.

Cerberusmon grinned in victory. He was about to use his hand to crush the boy and acquire the flame spirit, but his sense of danger jolted him. The werewolf quickly jumped out of the way as a tomahawk axe barrelled right passed him.

"Who dares!" Cerberusmon demanded and looked to where the tomahawk came from.

In his sights was Korikakumon again, but the yeti seemed different this time around. Unlike before, he looked more intelligent and had a calm, yet ferocious presence. Like a boomerang, the tomahawk came back, and the yeti grabbed it.

"Ready for round 2 Dog," Korikakumon taunted and gripped his tomahawks. The weapons gleamed in a menacing light.

"You people don't know when to quit. Do you?" Cerberusmon growled back. His dogheads released an intimidating aura. It was as if they were telling you to bring it.

This wasn't going to be like his previous battle with the yeti. He looked around but didn't see the other human, so the brat must've gotten his beast spirit back and Digivolved. This wasn't a simple beast anymore and shouldn't be underestimated. He had to go all out.

"Let's go then!" Cerberusmon decided to take the first attack. He closed both his wolfheads shut, punched out, and launched himself at the yeti turning himself into a canine torpedo.

Korikakumon used the hilt of his tomahawk and blocked the doghead stopping his enemy's momentum. He then used his other weapon and slashed at the humanoid dog.

Cerberusmon responded by opening his doghead and clamping on the tomahawk before it could touch him. He then released and detonated firebombs inside his doghead arms blowing the yeti back.

And so, the clash between the two beasts began. Cerberusmon punched, smashed, and fired off fireballs while Korikakumon slashed, tackled, and waved out a rush of icy wind. Neither of them let up and fought with sheer savagery. Their elemental attacks cancel each other when colliding. Although destructive they may be, both were calculative and waited for an opportunity to deal a lethal blow.

"Gotchu!" Cerberusmon found his opening. He clamped on both of Korikakumon's forearms to stop his movements. With his enemy restricted, the yeti was vulnerable to his attacks.

[Inferno Divide] Cerberusmon utilized the same tactic against Agunimon and detonated multiple firebombs at point-blank range. He was about to use Cerberus Erase as the finisher, but something felt off when his grip grabbed nothing. Korikakumon was gone.

Even when the werewolf fired off highly concentrated firebombs, his grip would still cling to his enemies. But now nothing was grabbing it. Where was Korikakumon? Cerburusmon looked around, but he saw no signs of the yeti. It wasn't until a snowflake touched him and melted on his head that he decided to look up.

Above him, the large yeti was in the air. Arms outstretched with tomahawks reflecting the sunlight. Before Cerberusmon unleashed his Inferno Divide, Korikakumon closed his eyes and focused. When he opened them again, the yeti disappeared freeing himself from the werewolf's grip, and appeared high in the air. Now it was time to use his finisher.

[Avalanche Axes] Korikakumon swung his tomahawks haphazardly, performing a lot of hand movements in the sky. It looked like he was dancing but using deadly weapons. Gravity took hold, and the yeti plummeted down ready to give his enemy a nasty haircut.

[Mad Dog Fire] There was no time to dodge, but Cerberusmon wasn't going to give up just yet. He aimed his wolf heads to the sky and fired off multiple fireballs attempting to stop the crazy tomahawk swinger.

Unfortunately, the attack did little to nothing. Korikakumon just cut through the fireballs dispelling them and kept falling. He landed right next to Cerburusmon, and the werewolf was met with a barrage of tomahawk slashes.

Korikakumon didn't hold back as he swung everywhere at the werewolf's body. Cerberusmon couldn't move due to the cutting pain from the tomahawk dual blades and just wanted it to be over. Finally, the Yeti did his double cross slash finisher and blew the werewolf back.

"It can't be… To be bested by humans in my new form… Forgive me, My Master!" Those were Cerburusmon's last words as fractal code appeared around him.

[Korikakumon - Slide Evolution - Kumamon] Korikakumon transformed back into Kumamon and stood before Cerburusmon Digivice in hand.

"For those who hurt others, may this Digivice freeze that boldness like ice and purify you," Kumamon scanned his Digivice against the werewolf's data. "Fractal Code, Digitize!"

The fractal code left Cerberusmon and entered Kumamon's Digivice. The hunter and black dog reappeared. They both lay on the ground out cold.

"Kumamon!" Takuya shouted and ran to his friend. His condition recovered long ago, and he watched the fight between Cerburusmon and Korikakumon. "You did it!"

"Yeah…" Kumamon answered, but he didn't seem too happy about it and stared at the hunter and dog.

"What's wrong?" Takuya asked. "You're not happy you got your beast spirit?"

"It's not that. I was just thinking about the weasels," Kumamon explained. "Even if I took my spirit back and the Protector of the Forest disappeared, It won't stop the hunters. They'll keep hunting and destroying the wildlife here until they find him."

"I understand that, but what can we do?" Takuya scratched the back of his head thinking. "It's not like we can show them that Korikakumon is gone now and prove it to them." The Bearer of Flame then used his hand to protect his eyes. "Man, the wind is strong here. It could probably take down a house."

Kumamon suddenly looked at the weasels' home as a thought hit him. "Takuya! You're a genius!"

"Really! Thanks! How am I a genius?"

"C'mon! I'll tell you as we go. We have to do this while the fractal field is still up."

…

"Ugh…," The hunter began to stir. When he opened his eyes, he saw two boys he threatened earlier staring at him.

"You're awake," Takuya said. "That's a relief. For a moment, we thought we would have to call an ambulance for you."

"What happened?" The hunter asked groggily. "Where is my dog, Banzai?"

"We don't know," Tomoki shrugged feigning ignorance. "We came looking for you after finding out you escaped, but when we found you, you were on the ground out cold. Your dog's right next to you sleeping."

"Freeze!" In the middle of the conversation, Misaki came out of the woods with a taser in hand. "Hakone Park Rangers! Put your hands in the air!"

Everyone immediately put their hands up, and Misaki looked at the scene. She was surprised when she saw her ex's boyfriend's little brother and his friend.

"Tomoki? What are you and your friend doing here?" Misaki asked. "And how did you beat me here?"

"We wanted to stop the hunter from hurting more innocent animals?" Tomoki answered. "As for the other question, we just got here faster than you."

"But how? I went ahead before you two, and it's the quickest way to get here. I also would've noticed a new set of footprints on the snow even if you got ahead of me."

"We just found a different route that leads us here faster, but shouldn't we focus more on detaining the hunter?" Takuya stated, wanting to divert the subject.

Misaki stared at them suspiciously but complied. She handcuffed the hunter and called back-up for extra assistance with the dog. "Sir, you're under arrest for hunting on illegal grounds and attempted escape." She stated.

"Attempted escape?" The hunter replied, confused. "I don't know anything about escaping, All I remember is being escorted by you guys, then my dog started barking, and I blacked out."

Tomoki and Takuya looked at each other silently communicating. It looked like the hunter didn't remember anything when Cerburusmon took over. The dog must've been the Digimon's main vessel, while the hunter needed to use his werewolf form.

"It doesn't matter," Misaki said. "You still need to be punished for hunting inside a national park."

"Why does it matter?" The hunter asked, angrily. "Most of the animals here aren't even endangered!"

"But this place is an important, protected home to all the animals here," Tomoki couldn't help but speak up. "Is hunting down this Protector of the Forest really that important? He might not even be real."

"People around here have already confirmed sightings of the yeti. If me and my fellow hunters could find the creature and hunt him down, we would become rich and famous!"

"Well, feast your eyes then," Tomoki stated and pointed with his finger. "The yeti that'll make you rich and famous is right over there."

"What! Where!?" The hunter shouted and looked toward the direction where Tomoki was pointing. Misaki also looked, and their gazes turned strange. In their sights was a yeti but wasn't.

The appearance was similar to what witnesses described, but when the hunter and Misaki looked closer, they saw a bunch of wooden sticks covered in snow with small creatures running inside. This wasn't a yeti at all! This was just a weasel home made up of a lot of snow and sticks.

"That's interesting," Misaki said, pulling out her phone. She took pictures and recorded the inanimate yeti. "This proves the yeti doesn't exist here."

"But how?" The hunter asked in confusion. "I've been through this clearing before and would've noticed a huge wooden beast here."

"The wind here is particularly strong in this clearing," Tomoki answered. "The thing must've fallen due to it."

As if on cue, a strong gust of wind came and knocked the wooden structure down. The yeti look alike broke into a hundred pieces. The thing looked like a pile of wooden sticks now.

"No way…," The hunter said, looking at the pile stunned, but he still didn't want to believe it. "That still doesn't explain why the Protector of the Forest was seen by many witnesses at different locations."

"Hang on," Takuya said. "Give it a moment."

Soon after, weasels popped out of the wooden pile and grabbed a stick with their teeth. They gathered at a different spot of the clearing, placed the stick at a specific place, and repeated the process. After a few minutes, two towers started to form which looked a lot like the legs of the yeti. Snow was already starting to cover the sticks making them look like white fur.

"Extraordinary," Misaki said in wonder. As an environmentalist, seeing wild animals doing something amazing was like experiencing one of the seven wonders of the world. She was still recording everything. "The weasels are like artists. They must be using the image of the yeti to scare away bigger animals and people. Really ingenious!"

"While we waited for the hunter and dog to wake, we saw the weasels finished making the head of the yeti," Tomoki explained. "Weaker winds blew past earlier making the structure topple a bit. The winds must also be what probably caused the witnesses who saw the yeti be knocked out. "

"And the weasels had to move from different places in order to find the best area against the wind," Misaki concluded, understanding the whole picture. "What incredible little creatures."

"I can't believe it…," The hunter fell to his knees. "All this time. This was what we were hunting? The Protector of the Forest really wasn't real?"

"Even if he was, you and your friends still shouldn't be hunting at this national park anyway," Misaki reprimanded. "Your actions are destroying the environment here."

"We were just hunting a few animals and testing our luck," The hunter replied, defending himself. "It doesn't matter."

"DOESN'T MATTER?!" Tomoki spoke up, practically shouting. "Of course, it matters. The wildlife here is an important part of our ecosystem in Japan. Your actions are ruining it."

"Is it really that serious? It's only a couple of us hunting in a forest."

"If everyone thought like that, our forest would turn into a wasteland with the animals near extinction in a couple of decades," Tomoki stated.

"So what?" The hunter replied snarkily. "I'll probably be dead by the time that happens."

"True," Tomoki admitted. "But your daughter won't be."

The hunter looked at him strangely. "How did you know…?"

"Your pendant," Tomoki pointed to the necklace around the hunter's neck. "It was open, and there was you with a happy little girl. I assumed she was your daughter."

"…She is," The hunter said as he touched his pendant. It was open, and he quickly closed it. "You really think my actions will make life difficult for my child?"

"It's not absolute, but it's a big possibility. We live off this environment and the more resources we use, the less there will be for future generations to use unless managed properly."

"But hunting is a part of my hobby and livelihood. I can't just give it up."

"I'm not asking you to give it up," Tomoki reiterated. "I'm asking you to respect the rules and don't hunt in a protected area."

There were always going to be people hunting, and Tomoki couldn't do much about that. But he could do something protecting what's important that could resonate with others and lessen the aftereffects.

"Why do you care so much about the little animals anyway?" The hunter asked. "It can't just be about protecting the little people."

"Because even little animals have lives too," Tomoki looked at the weasels' home. His face softened. "With families that love them."

The hunter, Misaki, and Takuya followed Tomoki's gate of the animals' home and saw a hole. Inside were a bunch of baby and adolescent weasels all curled up together. They were all keeping each other ach warm from the cold. The mother was running around them dropping nuts and berries she found to make sure her children were fed.

Their life was hard, but they were trying. The best part was the little guys didn't look sad. They looked happy and content. The onlookers didn't know why, but there was something beautiful about it.

"Huh…," The hunter uttered. It was the only word he said. What the man just witnessed gave him a lot to think about.

Shortly, reinforcement arrived and secured the hunter and dog. They were ready to escort them and leave the clearing when the hunter stopped.

"Keep moving," One of the rangers ordered.

"I will," The hunter answered. "But first, I need to say something first." He then turned his attention to Tomoki.

"I'm not going to stop hunting," The hunter told the Bearer of Ice explicitly. "But I understand your views. I have never seen animals do that before. Thank you. For showing me this and everything else."

The hunter slightly bowed to him. He didn't know why, but in the past few hours, the man felt like he was being somewhat controlled. No matter what he did, he couldn't break out. It wasn't until the appearance of these two boys did something changed, and he's never been more relieved offering his gratitude.

Tomoki looked at this hunter and smiled. "Just don't hunt too much and not in a national forest anymore. That's all I ask."

"I'll keep it in mind," With that, the hunter let the park rangers escort him out of the forest.

"You and your friend really shouldn't have involved yourselves in park ranger's matters," Misaki said. She and another ranger stayed behind to question the bystanders. Misaki talked to Tomoki while the other questioned Takuya a few feet away. The woman didn't have to question Tomoki much since she already knew most of the story but stayed to check up on him.

"Will that hunter and his friends be alright?" Tomoki asked with concern. "They won't get too much of a harsh punishment, will they?"

"No," Misaki assured. "Since they are first-time offenders and no one got seriously injured, they'll probably have to do time for community service. Honestly, your words had more of an effect than community service will ever do. No wonder you're running for student council president."

"Haha, I just did what I thought was right," Tomoki scratched the back of his head in embarrassment. "And expressed my opinion."

"It was good," Misaki admitted. "But reckless! You have to be more careful. I don't want to tell your brother that you got shot in the woods."

"I'm sorry," Tomoki apologized. "I hoped I didn't hinder you on the job."

"Actually, you were a huge help. If it wasn't for you pointing out the weasels' home, we wouldn't have found the true identity of the Protector of the Forest. With the video evidence, this will put the rumors to rest lessening my workload. I owe you a favor."

"I'm just glad I could do my part in helping the environment," Tomoki stated, thankful. "As for that favor, could I use it right now?"

"If it is within my power," Misaki said. "What do you need?"

"I just want you to answer a question," Tomoki answered. His expression was awkward. "Why did you umm… break up with my brother back then?"

The atmosphere between them went silent. Misaki paused for a moment at the question and then looked elsewhere trying to figure out what to say. Tomoki just waited for her to respond. He knew he shouldn't get involved between two people's private and love life, but he had to know. Yutaka was his brother, and Misaki was an amazing girl. What led to their breakup?

"You really want to know, huh," Misaki finally said. "How much did he tell you?"

"Not much," Tomoki answered. "All he told me and my parents is that you broke up with him out of the blue and didn't go into detail."

"Well, he was right for me breaking up with him," Misaki admitted. "But I wouldn't say it was out of the blue."

"What exactly happened?" Tomoki inquired. "If you don't mind me asking."

Misaki really didn't want to recall the breakup. Dating Yutaka was one of the best things in her life, and breaking up hurt even though she was the one who did it. But she knew Tomoki. He was a kind-hearted boy. The break-up must've hurt him in some way too and so, she told him.

It happened when Misaki and Yutaka were starting first-year classes for their master's degrees. For Misaki's class on Environmental Studies and Sustainability, she had to come up with a big environmental project that could help the world and execute it.

Misaki spent days prepping on her project. She had the perfect idea and planned on utilizing it. The girl was giddy with excitement. Unfortunately, things don't always go as planned.

Whenever Misaki tried to talk to potential investors or even people out on the street, they would just ignore her and keep moving. The worst ones rejected her harshly telling her to get lost. It was disheartening. There were so many things that could be done in just a few minutes, but no one listened. One person even cussed her out and told her to just eat a veggie burger if helping the environment is so important.

"Ouch," Tomoki commented. "Does being vegetarian even have anything to do with being an environmentalist?"

"It doesn't," Misaki answered. She wasn't a vegetarian herself. "That guy was just a prick. Luckily, it was only an assignment, and the teacher knew that most of our on-site projects would end up in failure. He didn't tell us, because he wanted us to know what we were getting into when communicating with strangers about environmental preservation."

"I get that," Tomoki understood the logic. It was always good to have some experience before tackling the real thing. "But how does this involve my brother?"

"It happened near the deadline of the project?" Misaki explained. They went on their usual date, and Yutaka noticed his girlfriend's depressed face asking her what was wrong. Misaki poured everything out to him not leaving a single detail out. When she got to the end, Yutaka was silent before finally saying something.

"What did you expect to happen?" Yutaka asked rhetorically. "You can't reach people with those kinds of ideas and expect them to follow."

Misaki went into the deep end and fumed. She spent weeks on this project and got rejected by many people feeling extremely dejected. Now her boyfriend was saying the same thing. She didn't expect him to support her, but how could he agree with those rude mongrels? It was hurtful.

Her sad emotions changed into anger. Before Yutaka could say anything more, she stood up and broke up with him running away in angry tears. She never looked back.

"And that's how we broke up," Misaki finished. "He never called me back after that."

"Oh big brother…," Tomoki shook his head in disappointment. How could his brother say something so rude? No wonder why they broke up. "That is something my brother would say, but not in the context you think it is."

"What do you mean?" Misaki inquired.

"Yutaka probably said those words, because he really cared about you."

"Caring?" Misaki looked at Tomoki incredulously. "You called what he said to me caring?"

"He could have worded it a little better," Tomoki admitted. "But yes, he was probably looking out for you."

"You're gonna have to explain it to me,"

"When you told me about your project and execution plans, it felt like you were pushing me onto something unknown. Yutaka and the people you talked to during the project probably felt the same way creating an aversion to you."

"But preserving the environment is important!"

"And I agree," Tomoki stated. "But other people don't share the same ideas. Would you be comfortable if a complete stranger came up to you and told you about something that might not affect them in their lifetime?"

Misaki paused at that. She hated to admit it, but Tomoki had a point. "So what are you trying to tell me then?" She asked. "That I should give up?"

"I didn't say that," Tomoki clarified. "For an extremely long-term goal like environmental preservation, you're gonna need a more creative approach. If you want people to listen to you and lend a hand with the environment, you'll have to find a way that they will have no choice but to listen and/or convenient for them. It is probably what my brother was trying to convey to you."

"Huh… I never thought about it like that," Misaki contemplated. During the project, she only stuck to the facts and told them about the harm, but she never showed them with action. Maybe that was why her initial approach didn't work. "But if Yutaka wanted me to see it differently, why didn't he just say so?"

"Because my brother can never be direct," Tomoki answered and sighed. The Bearer of Ice loved his brother, but he wished the older boy wasn't so cryptic all the time. Whenever Yutaka wanted to teach him an important lesson, he said it in the vaguest ways.

It took Tomoki a while just to decipher the meaning. The first time when he finally understood his brother's words, he was almost killed by an asura-type Digimon with three heads and four arms.

Although solving Yutaku's cryptic words made the lesson more meaningful, it also caused problems. Some people could take it the wrong way. A great example was this: his girlfriend breaking up with him.

"You really think that's what Yutaka meant when he said those words to me back then?" Misaki asked.

"I'm sure," Tomoki answered. "Trust me. I've lived with him for years. I know how he talks. If he said something like that to you, it means he really cares about you."

Misaki smiled. Her gaze turned gentle, but then she shook her head. "It doesn't matter now," She said depressingly. "The break up was a long time ago. He probably forgot about me by now."

Tomoki witnessed all of Misaki's expressions. He could see that the girl still had feelings for his big brother. He also knew Yutaka still had feelings for her as well. It was time to activate the meddlings of a little brother.

"He hasn't," Tomoki said. "He's been so busy with college that he hasn't had time for another girlfriend. He's also always been thinking about you."

"Really!" Misaki's eyes lit up then dimmed down. "But is it appropriate to call him? We ended things on really bad terms."

"It's fine," Tomoki said. His meddling was taking effect. "If you communicate with him properly, you'll get the answer you're looking for. You just have to take the first step. My brother will be ecstatic to hear from you again."

Misaki smiled at the thought of Yutaka being excited. "I know what you're doing." She said. "You want me and Yutaka to get back together again."

"Is it working?" Tomoki asked, not denying it.

"...Yes," Misaki admitted. "But don't get your hopes up. You might be wrong."

"Maybe I am, but I want you both to face your feelings for each other with everything out in the open." Tomoki grinned. The meddling worked. "And also talk to other people you know about these problems," He added. "If I knew my brother said that to you causing the breakup, I would've told you both this earlier, saving us a lot of time."

"I got it," Misaki laughed. "I'll have a proper talk with Yutaka after I get off work."

Misaki didn't want to say it out loud, but she was excited to speak to Yutaka again. She missed him, and if what Tomoki said was true, then maybe there was a chance to make up. The park ranger was hopeful.

"Why don't we end the conversation here," Misaki stated. "My team still has to do a lot of paperwork after this, and you still need to get out of this forest."

Along with her coworker, Misaki escorted Tomoki and Takuya back to the trail. This time, there were no problems, and they safely made it to the edge of the winter forest. The park rangers gave them a stern reminder not to go off trail again and said their farewells.

"Thanks for escorting us back," Tomoki said, waving Misaki goodbye. "I promise not to trespass without good reason, but you have to call my brother!"

"I'll think about it," Misaki responded, not letting the boy get the full satisfaction of his meddling. She then stopped feeling the surroundings. "Strange, why does everything feel warmer now?"

Tomoki and Takuya shared a look and grinned. Without Korikakumon or the Frigimon inside the fractal field, there was nothing to keep things cold. Slowly, warmth would melt the snow, and the forest would return to normal.

"Looks like your plan worked," Takuya said to Tomoki once the park rangers were gone.

"That it did," Before exiting the fractal field, Tomoki needed to make sure that the Protector of the Forest was a myth. Transforming into Korikakumon, he came up with the makeshift wooden structure idea and communicated with all the weasels on how to make it. At first, the little guys were confused by the suggestions, but luckily the weasel who used to be Korikakumon understood them and executed it. The others followed suit with the yeti as the mold.

Good thing time freezes inside a fractal field because it took a while training wild animals to build a wooden structure of a yeti with just sticks. When Korikakumon transformed back into Tomoki leaving the fractal field. The weasels got to work and made the wooden yeti within an hour. Snow fell on the thing all over during the process causing it to look like a perfect replica of the Beast Warrior of Ice.

When the hunter woke and Misaki appeared, everything went according to plan. With the video evidence that she took along with plenty of witnesses, the myth of the Protector of the Forest would truly become just a myth. The news would spread, and hunters would stop invading the national park.

"I made a promise after all," Tomoki said and looked in the distance.

In his sight was the same white-furred weasel who used to be Korikakumon. He must've followed them all the way here. The little guy looked at Tomoki with kindness and bowed his head thanking him. Without the hunters, he and his family could now live in peace. The residual energy from the Beast Spirit of Ice finally left him and his fur turned brown. With everything said and done, the weasel ran back into the forest to return to his family.

'Thank you for holding on to my beast spirit.' Tomoki thought happily. 'Live your life to the fullest, Little guy,' He turned to Takuya and said. "Alright, I got my beast spirit. Now it's your turn."

"Yeah…" Takuya replied. "I just hope it won't be too crazy getting it."

"I highly doubt that."

Tomoki and Takuya then turned to look at a mountain in the distance. They weren't done with this national park just yet.

Chapter Text

Sukomobanare Island is one of the islands of Amani Islands of Satsunan Islands, Japan. It's about 6.4 kilometers south of Eniyabanare Island, and about 5.6 kilometers southwest of Sukomo Village on western Kakeroma Island. The landscape is rectangular-shape 2 kilometers long and 400-700 meters wide. It's one of the many islands administered by Setouchi, Oshima District in the Kagoshima Prefecture.

The perimeter around consisted of rocks and sand like a beach while the inland had mountain-like terrain with a cluster of trees and plants covering 90% of the island. Due to the size, only small animals like lizards and birds lived there. The place was left untouched by man, and vegetation overlapped everywhere.

The area was devoid of people, but two teenagers were traversing through the forest right now. It was Kouji and Izumi.

Before departing, Izumi changed out of her school uniform into something more casual. The girl wore a blue and white t-shirt under a mauve jacket and a mauve skirt with matching yoga pants underneath. When she was in the Digital World, Izumi lost count of how many times her skirt got in the way when traveling. Well, not this time! She was going to travel more comfortably without her needing to pull down her skirt and stop anyone from wondering what was underneath.

And finally to complete the look, a high-quality elastic purple waistband or haramaki* wrapped over her hips with her jacket slightly covering it. It was her signature style. For most reader models, they had a specific clothing or accessory that defined them. It was like their brand or logo, and the waistband was Izumi's. So whenever people saw a waistband, most of their first thought would be the reader model Izumi Orimoto.

Back when the gang met up again at the soba noodle shop for the first time in a while, Takuya had this crazy theory that Izumi was going to make them create waistbands to increase their popularity. Little did they know that it actually happened without their intervention after she became a reader model. Izumi, on the other hand, had no doubts about her signature brand. The waistband had a lot of different uses.

Not only was it fashionable in Japan. It kept your stomach warm and improved blood circulation in the abdominal area helping people with cold hands and feet. The haramaki was also helpful with pregnancy which was why Bokomon put Sheraphimon's Digiegg inside his haramaki keeping the egg warm and safe. With the right materials and quality, a waistband can be a cute dependable accessory and/or a weapon depending on the situation. Right now, it was doing a great job protecting her stomach from the leaves and swinging branches.

When the private jet dropped Kouji and Izumi off on the nearest runway, a small motorboat was already waiting to take them to their destination. Saya spared no expense when helping her new friends. They were now trying to make their way to the center of the island.

"Tell me again why your beast spirit decided to reside on a deserted island," Izumi said as she moved around some branches. "There's only plants and lizards here."

"Maybe that's why," Kouji replied. "Because there's no people, the place is quiet and peaceful."

"But there's nothing here," Izumi gestured everywhere to the cluster of trees. "What could anyone possibly do here?"

"You'd be surprised. With a little exploration, there're many things you can learn about the place," Kouji pointed to some nearby fruit trees. "Look at those fruits for examples. Most of them are ripe, but only some of them are on the ground partially eaten. It tells us some animals were here but left shortly. Possibly birds during migrations. I also see…"

Kouji then moved on from the fruits to another plant explaining its features. His explanation was detailed and knowledgeable by observing the plant's current state. The more he talked, the more enthusiastic he became. The Bearer of Light would've continued his analysis but stopped when he heard Izumi's laughing.

"What's so funny?" Kouji asked.

"I'm sorry…," Izumi answered, stifling her laughs. "I was just thinking about the first time we met. You've become a lot more open compared to before."

Kouji thought back to who he was before and smiled. "People change. And I wasn't that bad back then."

"Wasn't that bad?," Izumi repeated and looked at Kouji like she heard the funniest thing in the world. "Back when Grumblemon first attacked us, you rather risk falling splat down a mountain than taking my hand."

"I could've climbed back up and didn't need your help!" Kouji said in defense.

"Oh! There it is. There's that cold, loner attitude I know," Izumi exaggerated. "I take back what I said earlier."

"Quit that," Kouji knew the girl was teasing and ended it. "I admit I wasn't exactly the nicest person to get along with back then, but going to the Digital World and getting to know all of you guys was the best thing that happened to me. I'm going to be traveling soon, and it's exciting. Talking to you guys about it makes me feel the most comfortable."

"I know," Izumi grinned. "It's just fun to tease you all sometimes, but I still can't believe your parents finally let you go out and travel the world. Was it hard to convince them?."

"Yes," Kouji confirmed. "It was."

When Kouji was 13 and first talked to his parents about traveling around the world after high school, they adamantly refused. College was a very important time for their son. How could he take classes if he was exploring somewhere on another continent? Not to mention the distance. When would he even have time to visit them?

The boy anticipated their reactions which is why he already thought up solutions. While traveling the world, he would take online college classes. They were similar to the real college classes, but digital and with a lot more freedom. This way, he can still attend an accredited university while exploring the world on his own time. He also promised them to come back and visit them at least once a year if it helps ease their worries.

The Minamotos still weren't convinced, thinking that their son was going through a phase, but they underestimated the boy's persistence. It was his dream to travel the world, and he showed them it wasn't a phase.

To prove it, Kouji bought travel magazines and brochures on campsites and hiking trails. He left them all around the house not making a mess, but enough to let his parents see them. He also bought portable camping gear and went to a local campsite to stay overnight. His dad practically had to drag him back home the first time he tried this.

This continued for 10 months.

And finally, after seeing their son's spirit and conviction, they allowed him to travel the world, but only on two conditions.

The first condition was he had to keep up with his grades in school, especially classes pertaining to foreign languages. If they saw one grade go down, they wouldn't let him go. If Kouji couldn't even do this sort of thing, it meant he wasn't passionate enough about traveling.

The second condition was that he had to take survival classes. There were a lot of dangers when traveling the world. The Minamotos didn't just want Kouji to explore. They wanted him to survive, so he had to take survival courses.

Kouji agreed, and his training to become a backpacker began. For the next 4 years besides going to school and hanging out with friends and families, the Bearer of Light went through a lot of survival training. His parents spared no expense and enrolled him in all kinds of courses. He learned many things about the wildness and the skills a person needs to live off the land. The boy even knew how to skin a rabbit-which hopefully he will never have to do because those little guys are adorable!

In the end, Kouji kept both of his promises and was ready to journey off into the world. His time in the Digital World helped him realize that, so he had to do everything he could to save it.

"I still can't believe your parents put you through all of those survival classes," Izumi pointed out. "They must really worry and care about you."

"Yeah…," Kouji said, agreeing. "But they're my parents, and they love me in their own way even if it's a little coddling sometimes." He then reminisced about his parents and inwardly smiled.

Shortly after returning from the Digital World, Kouji became more accepting of his stepmother, but there was still some tension between them. It also didn't help that his dad lied to him about his biological mother dying. Some issues still needed to be worked out.

Luckily, everything changed when Mr. Minamoto found out that Kouji had been visiting his ex-wife and Koichi recently for a few weeks. It did not start out very well.

…

"I CAN'T BELIEVE YOU'VE BEEN VISITING YOUR MOTHER AND NOT TELL ME!" Mr. Minamoto yelled angrily at the top of his lungs.

"WHY SHOULD I TELL YOU!?" Kouji shouted back. "You've been lying to me my whole life! Why can't I keep a secret of my own?!

"Why you…,"

Mr. Minamoto had been noticing his son was leaving early and coming home late. When he asked him about it, Kouji responded saying "It's nothing." That translated to "It's something really important but not going to tell."

So the man decided to tail his son on one of his long travels. After following him for 95% percent of the journey, Mr. Minamoto stopped. He recognized these streets anywhere. This was the route to his ex-wife's home. Why would his son come here? Unless…

Mr. Minamoto became furious. His son must've been visiting for weeks and didn't tell him. The man returned back to his house not wanting to meet his ex-wife. When Kouji returned, he confronted him about it, and the boy reluctantly admitted everything knowing about his birth mother for a while. Mr. Minamoto couldn't contain his anger anymore and erupted leading to this  wonderful  conversion…

"I lied to you," Mr. Minamoto said, gritting his teeth. "Because it was in our best interests not to see her again, She had her life, and we had ours. I didn't want us to be affected by it, and we both agreed not to see each other again."

"So you told me she died while she was alive a few towns over?" Kouji argued. "Do you know how much that affected me?! I grew up thinking my mother was dead! Sometimes I thought it was my fault that she was gone. Did you have any idea how that felt?"

Mr. Minamoto's expression turned a little softer. He watched his son grow up and knew the boy's pain well, but the man wasn't backing down. "You do have a mother," He stated. "She lives here with you."

"IT'S NOT THE SAME AND YOU KNOW IT!"

Clatter. The sound of something dropped. Looking toward the sound, Kouji and Mr. Minamoto saw Mrs. Minamoto standing there with a bag full of groceries near her feet. She looked hurt and devastated.

"Satomi…," Mr. Minamoto said to his wife. All of his anger turned into worry. "How much did you hear?"

"Everything," Mrs. Minamoto answered in a sorrowful tone and turned to Kouji. "So your mother is alive? That's good to hear."

Although Mrs. Minamoto said those words, Kouji and Mr. Minamoto could tell she took it differently. Her whole body was trembling and her eyes were on the verge of crying. The woman looked like she was going to break down any minute.

"I'm sorry! I have to go!" She turned away and ran to the front door trying to leave the house.

"Sweetheart! Don't go!" Mr. Minamoto called, but his wife didn't listen and kept running. She was about to open the door and leave when Kouji spoke up.

"Mom, wait," Those words caused her to stop. Although Kouji started calling her mom recently, those words still affected her. She turned to look at her son. The boy looked pleading and remorseful.

"You-," Mrs. Minamoto started to say. "You still think of me as your mother?"

"Of course I do," Kouji answered, confused. "Why would I think I wouldn't think of you as my mom?"

"You found out that your real mother is alive and has been meeting her. What you said was true. I'm not your mother."

"That is not what I said," Kouji stated. "I said 'it's not the same'. My biological mom may have given birth to me, but you've raised me. You're just as important to me."

"Kouji…" Tears were about to spill from Mrs. Minamoto's eyes again but for a different reason this time.

"I know I haven't been the best son," Kouji continued. "You had to deal with me and my attitude all this time. It must've been difficult. I'm sorry. I'm sorry for everything."

"You don't have to apologize for-,'' Mrs. Minamoto began, but Kouji interrupted.

"But I do! You've been raising me for all these years, while I've been rejecting you like a disease. It wasn't right, and I shouldn't have done that to you," Kouji broke eye contact with his mother and looked embarrassed. "You're important to me, Mom. I love you."

Mrs. Minamoto couldn't contain herself anymore and ran up to her son, hugging him tight. Her whole body was trembling with happiness. Although Kouji gave her flowers calling her mom, and their relationship was improving, she still felt some tension. But now after hearing her son's sincere words, the final barrier broke between them. Kouji has truly accepted her as his mother.

"I love you too, Kouji…," Tears couldn't stream from Mrs. Minamoto's eyes. It was one of the happiest things she ever heard. "You're the best son I've ever had."

Kouji awkwardly hugged her back. He still wasn't used to openly expressing his feelings, but this felt like the right thing to do. He meant what he said and loved his stepmom. Mrs. Minamoto was a critical part of his life, and he didn't want her to go. He could have two moms, and she's family.

"I've just been going to my other mom to help my brother," Kouji stated as they separated from the hug. "He says my presence helps with her health."

"Your older brother?" Mrs. Minamoto's eyes widened. "You have a brother?"

"Oh right. I guess you don't know," Kouji then explained how he met his older twin brother, Koichi. He started with their first meeting at the Shibuya Train Station. At first, the Bearer of Light was shocked to see someone who had the same face as him. It then led to some truths, disputes, and fighting.

He didn't say anything relating to the Digital World, but he did say enough for Mrs. Minamoto to get the picture. When the fighting ended, there was just confusion and distance. But as time went by, they started to bond and get to know each other, becoming closer. After a big event leading Koichi into a hospital ER, they wanted to be in each other's lives and scheduled meetings at the Kimura's residence for them and Ms. Kimura. The brothers have been talking ever since.

When Kouji finished the story, Mrs. Minamoto took a second to take everything in but then smiled.

"I approve," She said. "You should keep visiting your mom and brother."

"Really!" Kouji responded, surprised and a little happy. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure. You have the opportunity to get to know a family you barely knew. I want you to take it."

"Thank Mom!" Kouji took the initiative this time and hugged his mother. "You're the best!"

Mrs. Minamoto hugged back. Her eyes were gentle. She had never seen her son so affectionate before, and it made her happy as well.

"Now what just a minute," Mr. Minamoto interjected. He was swept up by the feelings of happiness between mother and son, but when his wife approved Kouji to continue visiting the Kimuras, he came back to reality. "I don't approve of this!"

Mrs. Minamoto pulled away from the hug and looked at her husband strangely. "And why not?"

"Tomoko Kimura is my ex-wife," Mr. Minamoto answered. "We both agree never to see each other again, and I don't want Kouji to be spending time with her either! I'm actually surprised that you're okay with this?"

"I'd be lying if I said I am completely okay with this," Mrs. Minamoto said. "But I knew what I signed up for when I married into your family. Tomoko is also Kouji's mother, and he has the right to meet and think about her."

"I don't care! We have a great life, and I don't want her ruining it!" Mr. Minamoto's tone became angrier. "If you're going to allow something, you should at least talk about it together with me first."

Mrs. Minamoto was surprised at her husband's rejection. Her husband really didn't like the idea of anything to do with his ex-wife, and she turned to look at Kouji.

His face showed clear anger, but there was something more underneath: hurt and longing. It felt like someone took his lollipop and whacked him in the face with it.

Mrs. Minamoto always thought that she was the problem that Kouji never opened up to her. She wasn't his biological mother after all, but maybe she wasn't the problem. Seeing her husband's rejection and son's pain made her think differently.

Mr. Minamoto was letting the separation of his first wife affect him and forcing his stance on Kouji. It wasn't right, and she had to do something!

"You're right," Mrs. Minamoto agreed. "We should talk about this. Let's start with lying about your ex-wife being dead. Could you tell me why you told me she passed away when she was actually a few towns over?"

"Ummm," Mr. Minamoto was silent. He did not expect this conversation to go there.

"I mean lying to our son is one thing," Mrs. Minamoto continued. "But lying to me, your wife. You do realize I would've still married you even if she was alive, right?"

Mr. Minamoto's whole body started to sweat.

"And there's a brother too. A twin in fact," Mrs. Minamoto wasn't done yet. "When were you ever going to tell me about this?"

"I didn't want you and Kouji to find out," Mr. Minamoto replied in a consoling tone. His wife looked like on the verge of erupting, and he tried his best to calm her. The man never seen her like this before, so he was walking on uncharted territory. "I hoped my sons would never meet each other at all."

"Hoped they wouldn't meet?" Mrs. Minamoto looked at her husband incredulously. "They only live a few train rides over and are twins! They literally have the same face! It was only going to be a matter of time until they found each other."

"It worked for years. I hoped it lasted for a lifetime. I never wanted to be involved with my ex-wife again. This is my family matter. You shouldn't even care about this! It doesn't concern you."

Silence followed. The sound of a nut cracking broke inside Mrs. Minamoto's head. Her husband just stepped on a landmine.

"Family. Matters. It. Doesn't. Concern. Me?" She iterated each word slowly in calm anger. Her body trembled.

"OF COURSE IT CONCERNS ME!" Mrs. Minamoto yelled in explosive fury. "HOW COULD THIS NOT AFFECT ME? HOW DARE YOU SAY THAT!"

The woman then ranted and lectured her husband on family and communication! If Kouji was affected by his dad's "family matters", then it affected her too. The boy was her son, and she was going to fight for him!

Mrs. Minamoto gave the man an earful and vented out all of her frustrations on the current situation. She told him the importance of family communication, how stupid it was to hide the fact that his ex-wife was alive, and to think about the well-being of their child. Some of the furniture vibrated a little due to the shouting.

Kouji looked at his mom in surprise and shock. He's never seen her this angry before. He always thought she was a kind, but meek woman. Not anymore. This was a new experience for him, and he wasn't the only one.

For every sentence, Mrs. Minamoto shouted, her husband's figure got smaller and smaller. For one of the rarest moments in his life, Mr. Minamoto felt intimidated. He has never seen his wife so angrily passionate before. The sight left him amazed and scared all at the same time.

What seemed like hours but actually a couple of minutes, Mrs. Minamoto stopped shouting, breathing heavily. All of the tension left her body. She felt a lot lighter now.

"I understand what you're saying," Mr. Minamoto said, trying not to look scared by her previous outburst. "But I still don't see why letting Kouji keep seeing Tomoko and Koichi is important to our family."

"Seriously?" Mrs. Minamoto looked at her husband in exasperation. "Just by Kouji meeting them has made our family better. Or have you not noticed our son being more open with us?"

Mr. Minamoto went silent after that. He hated to admit it, but their son has been more open with them lately. Let alone the boy's loving words to his mother a few minutes ago, Kouji looked happier now. For every family walks or dinners they had, he didn't seem so mindful of their presence anymore and even talked with them while smiling. He always thought it had something to do with their one-on-one talk he had with him calling Mrs. Minamoto mom, but maybe it was something more.

Looking back, Kouji becoming more open and calling his stepmother mom for the first time did start when he left for long hours at a time to meet his biological mother and twin brother. Did meeting them make Kouji a better person?

Mr. Minamoto started to feel some guilt in his heart since he was the one who told Kouji his mom was dead but shook it off. No matter what was said or done. Tomoko was still his ex-wife, and he wanted his family to have nothing to do with her. His pride wouldn't let him.

Mrs. Minamoto witnessed all of her husband's expressions. Her anger was rising once more. She knew what he was thinking.

"Kouji, could you take Garm for a walk right now?" She asked. "I need to have a talk with your father alone."

"Sure…," Kouji answered, understanding his mother's implied meaning. "I'll take him to the park and be back in 30 minutes."

"Make it 45 and bring your cell phone with you in case of emergencies, sweetheart." Mrs. Minamoto said kindly then turned her attention to her husband glaring at him.

"You and I are going to have a very long and detailed conversation about this."

…

Kouji never knew what his parents exactly discussed while he was walking Garm. When he came back, his dad consented. There were still some other details they had to work out, but the boy was allowed to keep visiting Ms. Kimura and Koichi.

It made the boy ecstatic, and the final barriers between them broke. Kouji has never loved his family more. It was a day he'll never forget- especially his mom's aggressive outburst. Or what he liked to call it: Mama Bear Mode.

Usually Mrs. Minamoto was a kind and gentle woman. She liked to worry and coddle her son which was extremely annoying to Kouji most of the time. But if something were to happen to him and his well-being, she would unleash ferocity. For such a quiet woman, she had a voice that could cause a building to quake.

Mr. Minamoto and Kouji learned a very important lesson:: Do NOT activate Mama Bear Mode. Mr. Minamoto witnessed it first hand personally and still shudders to this day. He would never hide anything from his wife ever again.

Luckily, Mama Bear Mode rarely happens. Back then, Mr. Minomoto lied about his ex-wife being dead, made Kouji's mental state a mess, and basically told his current wife she wasn't part of the family. Those three factors really did put her over the edge.

It was a new experience, and Kouji's respect for his mother went up a few levels. In some ways, Mama Bear Mode was awesome, but he didn't want to be on the front end on that stick. So he made sure not to make his mom too angry.

"Earth to Kouji," Izumi waved her arm in front of Kouji's face trying to get his attention.

"Huh?" Kouji snapped out of his thoughts. "Sorry, Was thinking about my family. What were you saying?"

"I asked how were your language classes going?" Izumi said.

"Oh? They're going great! I can speak around 8 different languages. I haven't completely mastered the pronunciations of all of them yet, but I can hold a decent conversation."

"I figured as much…," Izumi sighed. "Then why does Takuya have trouble with just mastering one?"

"You know Takuya is more of a physical and instinctual kind of guy, right?" Kouji answered, smirking. "He's not a person who can sit still while learning."

"Still though! How is he going to survive in Italy if he can't speak the language?" Izumi grabbed her head in frustration. "He's driving me crazy!"

"And yet, you still tutor him." Kouji pointed out. "It's almost like you want him to drive you crazy."

"I have no idea what you're talking about."

"Come on, Izumi," Kouji said, flatly. "You've been tutoring him for eight months. If he was that annoying and hopeless, you would have given up a long time ago, but you haven't. Face it. Out of all of us, you like spending time with the idiot the most."

"I do not!" Izumi countered. "If any of you guys needed my help, I would do it no matter how long it takes."

"Really?" Kouji asked, raising his eyebrow. "What about that time when I asked you for help in learning Italian and we stopped after one month?"

"That's different," Izumi responded. "When I taught you, you were incredibly quick to learn the language. In just two short weeks, you already mastered the core words and sentences. After a month, you basically could speak Italian fluently. There was no need for me to keep teaching you."

Kouji gave her that. For some reason, learning foreign languages came extremely easily to him. He had to thank his parents for making him take all those language pronunciation classes. Still though, his friend's logical reasoning left him unconvinced.

"I'm just saying you two hanging out together for so long looks pretty suspic-" Kouji stopped mid-sentence as he pulled a branch away. "Whoa."

"What is it?" Izumi asked and looked past the leaves. "Commozione!"

In front of them was a clear walkable space. The trees were lined up perfectly making a straight pathway, but it wasn't the surprising part. The ground was littered with wild plants. Each plant had Japanese eggplants hanging off their branches. There seemed to be no end to them and by looking at the number of the overgrown wildlife, the vegetable could feed a family for weeks.

"Look at all these eggplants!" Izumi said, amazed. "I guess with no one around they can grow unimpeded."

"Yeah…," Kouji scanned the area warily. "Nature can be crazy sometimes."

Izumi was about to keep walking, but Kouji grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

"Kouji?" She said, "Something wrong?"

"We should go around," Kouji replied, surveying the trees and plants. His eyes stopped at a Japanese grass lizard on a tree. The small creature had a dull brown body except for its head and gray hands.

"Why?" Izumi inquired. "This is the easiest path I've seen so far and your beast spirit is just a few minutes walk deeper after we exit the path."

The lizard twitched.

"It's because it's the easiest path that I find strange." Kouji picked up a very pointy rock on the ground. His eyes never left the reptile, and he yelled quickly. "You might not know what will attack you in the open!"

Without warning, Kouji threw the rock at the lizard. The rocky projectile pierced through the air like a throwing dagger. If it connected, the poor little reptile would be killed.

Izumi felt confused. Why was her friend who likes to travel going to kill a small little grass lizard? The reptiles were practically harmless.

It wasn't until a fractal field appeared, and the lizard transformed into a menacing dragon that Izumi understood.

The reptile was a Digimon!

Chapter Text

The dragon was orange-brown with blue hair and yellow eyes. He had a serpentine-like body with two tattered purple wings attached to his back and wore a metallic helmet with two triangular horns extruding from the back of his head. Replacing his hands were robotic gauntlets with three large metal claws on each arm.

Megadramon: An ultimate-level, android-type Digimon whose special attacks are Dark Side Attack and DG Dimension. He was artificially remodeled and programmed to destroy everything. Beware of his gauntlets. They can release missiles that look like eyeless gray piranhas.

Megadramon looked at Kouji with a mixture of curiosity and anger. His life almost ended.

If the vessel was destroyed while a Digimon was taking over in the Real World, their lives would become vulnerable. Usually, they didn't have to worry too much about it. If a random person or object injured or killed them, their fractal code would leave and find a new host.

Unfortunately, the person who was doing the attacking was Kouji. He was a Legendary Warrior. If he defeated a Digimon in the Real World, their fractal code would appear.

Due to the laws of the Real World, all Digimon would be classified as rookies regardless of their original power level, so the Auto-Scan would activate and take the fractal code. Fighting a subpar rookie-level vessel but getting a champion or ultimate-level data? It was like a free meal. Who wouldn't want to take that deal?

When the sharp rock was thrown at Megadramon, he had no choice but to transform into his true form causing a fractal field. It was better to fight at his full strength than go down due to a weak vessel. The life-threatening rock became a weak pebble and harmlessly bounced off him.

"How did you know it was me?" Megadramon asked Kouji. When he took over his vessel, he looked similar to all the other lizards on the island. His appearance was perfect for reconnaissance. The humans would never find out, but the boy did.

"One," Kouji listed out his points. "Your appearance. Unlike the other lizards here, you were the only one with a metallic gray color on your head. Although the color is unique and doesn't mean much, I've seen you a lot since Izumi and I first set foot on the beach. I will never forget an animal with a unique appearance.

"Two, the eggplants. Even for an uninhabitable island, the vegetation here is unusual, especially in their state. In normal circumstances, some of the plants should've been partially eaten by bugs or lizards, but these eggplants look pristine and fresh – like they don't want to be eaten… This made me think of the butterfly effect Bokomon mentioned.

"Third and probably the most important. Lizards don't TWITCH when a beast spirit is mentioned in a conversation. What animal would act like that with only a couple of words? And the rock throw just made everything clear."

"What a clever and overly cautious human you are," Megadramon stated. "But it doesn't matter. Thanks to you two, I have a better idea of where the Beast Spirit of Light is."

Kouji scoffed. "And you think we're just gonna stand here while you take my beast spirit?"

"No," Megadramon answered. "You both will be too busy fighting the plant life here on this island. Come on out!"

Shortly after, the eggplants started to enlarge and turn green. Pointy leaves grew out from their heads, and arms sprouted out from the sides like vines. They had pointed faces, wide mouths, sharp teeth, and vein-pulsing lower body.

There were at least 30 of them.

Vegiemon: A champion, carnivorous plant Digimon whose main attacks are Compost Bomber and Sharp Leaf. They are fierce, brutal Digimon that use the sweet scent of their breath to attract small prey and pull them in using their tentacle-like vines to devour them.

"Make sure to turn them into fertilizer!" Megadramon commanded and flew off. He was going to retrieve the beast spirit.

Spikes shot out on one of the Vegiemon's hands, and the carnivorous plant swung them at Kouji like a medieval mace. The boy backed out dodging the swing, and the attack hit a tree taking off a deep piece of trunk.

[Compost Bomber] Some of the other Vegiemon threw some of their newly processed pink poop at Izumi like throwing baseballs. The girl ducked out of the way and feces flew deeper into the forest.

"Okay now that's just gross," Izumi commented, disgusted.

The rest of the Vegiemon elongated their arms high in the air. The vines connected and overlapped each other making a giant net. Once the net encompassed most of Kouji and Izumi's vision, it dropped down on them. These devious plants were trying to entrap them like fish!

[Execute! - Spirit Evolution: Lobomon & Kazemon]

[Lobo Kendo] Lobomon used his light swords and sliced the vine net apart. Pieces of vines dropped to the ground wriggling around a bit like worms before going still.

[Sharp Leaf] Some of the Vegiemon retaliated back and took off some leaves on their heads. They hardened like metal, and the carnivorous plants threw them. The leaves spun like shurikens heading straight toward the two Legendary Warriors.

[Hurricane Wind] Kazemon unleashed a pink gust of wind. At first, the leaf shurikens stopped, and then they spun in the opposite direction at the Vegiemon. The two carnivorous plants got punctured and pierced by their own attack. Fractal code appeared around them and automatically entered Kazemon's Digivice. The Vegiemon transformed back into eggplants and dropped to the ground.

Unfortunately for the two Kazemon defeated, another two Vegiemon came and replaced them. Their arms stretched out moving toward the Legendary Warriors ready to grab and pull them into their razor-sharp teeth.

"Ugh," Kazemon blasted out another pink gust of wind pushing the vines away. "There's no end to them!"

"At least it's better than their original intentions," Lobomon stated. "Imagine what would happen if we were surrounded by them."

The original plan of these Vegiemon was to probably wait until Kouji and Izumi walked deep into the eggplant clearing. Once the two were at the center, the Vegiemon would spring up and attack surrounding them. Luckily, Kouji caught them early, leaving the carnivorous plants to launch a frontal assault. This situation was better than being surrounded.

"Besides, I don't think their new plan is to attack us anymore," Lobomon continued, slicing some incoming vines.

"What do you mean?" Kazemon asked.

"Megadramon left, leaving us with these Vegiemon," Lobomon explained, thinking about their enemies' actions logically. "Although they're tough, the two of us are strong enough to take them head-on. It would just take us a lot of time to do it…" A light lit up inside his head. "This means that Megadramon's primary plan has always been the beast spirit and acquire it before we do. These guys are just here to stall us!"

"Makes sense," Kazemon agreed with the logic. "Let's go after the cyborg dragon then."

"Easier said than done," Lobomon looked at the hoard of Vegiemon moving toward them. Their arms stretched out everywhere around them making a blockage. These Digimon-eating plants were not going to let them through easily.

Kazemon stared at the vicious plant hoard and smiled. "We'll just have to make our own way then. Lobomon, you go on ahead and get your beast spirit. I'll stay here and do some weed-whacking.

"And how do you suggest I get through that?" Lobomon asked, pointing at the marching plants.

"Follow my lead!"

[Tempest Twist] Kazemon leaped to the front and stood on her hands. Shortly after, she went into a spin doing her signature whirlwind kicks, and swatted the vines away. Her momentum continued, and she sent some of the Vegiemon in front flying. The rest backed away a little wary of being hit in the face.

"Lobomon!" Kazemon shouted while still spinning. "Twisting Springboard!"

The Light Warrior understood his friend's meaning and jumped on one of the ends of her feet. Like a propeller, Lobomon spun around one time before being launched into the air. He glided right above the hoard of carnivorous plants.

Once Lobomon landed behind them, he kept running toward the center of the island. The Vegiemon in the back turned around and elongated their arms trying to stop him.

"Oh, I don't think so!" Kazemon added a wind element and accelerated her spinning. Soon, the butterfly became a hurricane, and all the Vegiemon got sucked in. They flew toward the center of the storm and were met with whirlwind kicks knocking them into the air.

The sad part was that they couldn't escape. Whenever the Vegiemon were kicked into the air, they would be sucked right back in the hurricane to be kicked again. It was a never-ending process.

The carnivorous plants tried using their vines to stop her or grab something outside the hurricane, but it was useless. Kazemon's spinning was too fast, and the hurricane was too strong. The vines kept getting defected or ripped apart by the kicking and suction force. All they could do was be constantly kicked.

The Wind Warrior was like a blender. She would pound and pulverize until the Vegiemon became vegetable juice. Fractal code appeared around some of them who took assault first and automatically entered the butterfly's Digivice. Eggplants flew around everywhere.

"Hehe," Lobomon saw the hurricane from afar and smiled. His friend was going to be alright. Now he could focus on his beast spirit.

Although Megadramon had a head start, Lobomon wasn't too worried. His initial meeting with the cyborg dragon and the Vegimon told him a lot about their current situation. There were two main factors.

The first was when Megadramon twitched in his lizard form. People only do that when they hear something surprising or shocking. It must've been the former. Lobomon could tell from how well-adapted the cyborg dragon was to the island's environment. It may be speculation, but Megadramon may have already checked the coordinates of the area.

The second was the Vegiemon. They were plant-type based Digimon, and most of the island consisted of grass and trees. If the Beast Spirit of Light was spotted, the Vegiemon would have noticed him by now through the wildlife.

What did this tell him? His beast spirit was still hidden. The island was pretty small compared to Japan, but their enemies still weren't able to locate it. Although his GPS was way more accurate than a Digimon's instincts to detect other energy signatures, their enemies could make up for it in numbers.

So where was his beast spirit?

If their enemies already searched everywhere above ground then that would mean…

Lobomon looked at the ground. Every step felt like he was going up a hill then it hit him. Instead of going to the GPS coordinates at the top of the island, the Bearer of Light ran around the middle part looking for something.

Before stepping on Sukomonare Island, Kouji studied its topography. He knew the island was uphill when journeying to the center. If his beast spirit wasn't on the island, what about inside it?

Lobomon sprinted for some time but stopped when he saw something unusual. Up ahead were a bunch of medium to large rocks stacked together. It looked like a landslide happened a long time ago. Most people would just look at the stones for a second and move on, but the Light Warrior thought differently.

The landslide was completely cut off from the plant life looking out of place. The formation of the rocks told him a story. It felt like they were covering something.

Without a second thought, Lobomon used his light swords and slashed at the landslide multiple times. The blades easily cut through like butter. The rocks broke into smaller pieces falling to the ground. Dirt and debris flew everywhere.

When the smoke cleared, Lobomon could see a cave leading into a tunnel. The rocks were hiding the entrance!

"Bingo," Lobomon said and walked into the cave. He kept one of his light swords on hand as a flashlight while traversing the narrow tunnel.

From what he could observe, this tunnel hasn't been touched by humans before. There were no cave paintings, and the structure seemed to be naturally formed. It made sense. Sukomobanare Island barely had any visitors here, and the rocks did a really good job hiding the cave.

After a short walk, Lobomon could see the light at the end of the tunnel and went into a sprint. He gripped his light sword tightly just in case of an attack. Being overly prepared was never a bad thing.

When he finally exited the tunnel, and his eyes adjusted to the new light, Lobomon was struck with an amazing scenery.

The Bearer of Light entered a large cavern as deep as the eyes could see. Naturally made rock pillars held the area together. Stalactites grew all over the ceiling with droplets of water dripping to the ground. Rays of sunlight shot down from the small holes above making the minerals on the bedrock sparkle.

Thanks to the sun and water, small patches of grass grew on the cavern's ground. Sunlight reflected off of each blade shining brightly. One even had a five-petaled flower growing in the center.

Lobomon took a moment to take in the artistic environment. This place was just too breathtaking!

This was one of the main reasons Kouji wanted to travel the world. Although nature can be dangerous, it is also beautiful. There were so many different places to explore. So many sites to be discovered. And so much life to feel. Kouji wanted to experience it all.

Lobomon journeyed deeper into the cavern. There was no doubt in his mind that his beast spirit was here. It was the perfect place to rest and not be disturbed by anyone.

Sure enough on one of the sunlit grass patches was a phantom wolf. He wore white, blue striped armor with sharp, golden blades sticking out of his claws, chest, and shoulders. Attached to his back were golden claymore wings, and hidden behind each leg were wheels like skates.

KendoGarurumon: A variable, cyborg-type whose Special Attacks are Howling Star and Lupine Laser. He is the beast spirit descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientGarurumon and can move at extremely high speed. His golden claws and blades are known to tear through those he considers evil without wasting a single breath.

The Beast Warrior of Light was curled up with his eyes closed sleeping. Light kept pulsing in and out all over his body. Since KendoGarurumon was in his spirit form, he needed to conserve his energy. So when the wolf first landed, he snuck inside the island to hide until his chosen partner found him.

Seeing his beast spirit sleeping peacefully, Lobomon relaxed. It looked like Megadramon hadn't found the cavern yet. It was time to reunite with KendoGarurumon!

"Kendo-" Lobomon tried to call out but was cut off when something wrapped around his mouth. Any other words he said after sounded like muffled gibberish. "MMmmmfff…"

The Bearer of Light tried to find out who did this, but all he could was something similar to a long pink rope connected to nothing. He readied his light sword. Even if he didn't know where the rope came from, it won't stop him from cutting the thing off.

Before he could, however, something else swept under his feet causing him to fall face to the floor.

What was going on? Lobomon lifted his head and looked for his mysterious assailant, but he didn't see anyone. It confused him. It was like he was fighting invisible people!

Invisible…

Lobomon looked at the end of the pink rope again, but more closely. At first, he saw nothing, but then slowly, he could make out a faint outline. Someone was there! His assailant was just really good at hiding.

"Oh no," The outline said. "He can see me now."

"It matters not," Another voice answered. It must've been the other attacker. "We found the beast spirit. We have no need to hide anymore."

Two areas started to change, turning greener until two large lizards appeared.

They had a green, red-striped bodies and wore an even darker green armor on their upper bodies. The armor was equipped with helmets and goggles. The most noticeable thing was their eyes. They stared at Lobomon and KendoGarurumon simultaneously even though the two were in opposite directions.

Chamelemon: An armored-level, reptile-type Digimon whose special attacks are Tongue Lashing and Camouflage. Although lacking in offensive power, they more than made up for it in stealth and intelligence gathering. Their skin has a unique ability to scan the surrounding environment and match the colors with the textures of their bodies turning almost invisible. It makes them perfect for hiding and espionage.

"MEGADRAMON!" The Chamelemon, who wasn't holding Lobomon with his tongue, shouted. His voice echoed through one of the holes in the ceiling. "THE BEAST SPIRIT IS HERE!"

Moments later, two metal gauntlets punctured through the ceiling. The stalactites around them broke apart creating a gigantic hole, and a metallic head came through.

"There you are," Megadramon said and looked at Lobomon. "Thank you for your help in locating the beast spirit."

Just as Lobomon knew his enemies' situation well, Megadramon understood it more. Even if he went back to the location Izumi pointed to earlier, there was still a chance that he still couldn't find the beast spirit. So what better way than to have the Legendary Warriors lead him to it.

The whole situation between the Vegiemon and Megadramon leaving was a complete ruse. The cyborg dragon wanted to give Kouji and Izumi a sense of urgency to find the beast spirit. Little did the two know, he had his spies, Chamelemon, watch them. The green lizards had been tailing the Light Warrior ever since he escaped out of the Vegiemon's entrapment.

Lobomon silently berated himself. Megadramon basically used him to make his job easier, and it worked. It was like walking with a bank robber inside a vault full of money.

"C'mere you little pup!" Megadramon extended his arm attempting to capture the beast spirit.

KendoGarurumon woke up due to the noises and the next thing he saw, a giant metal gauntlet dropped down on him like a claw machine. Lowering his wheels, the beast spirit sped away avoiding capture.

The hole Megadramon made wasn't very big, so he could only use his arms to grab the beast spirit. Unfortunately, KendoGarurumon was too evasive. Every time the cyborg dragon came close to catching him, the wolf would just dodge at the last minute. It was incredibly frustrating. Luckily, the cavern was small, so KendoGarurumon was never out of reach.

Lobomon quickly pulled on Chamelemon's tongue trying to break out. He had to help his beast spirit!

Although KendoGarurumon was doing a great job dodging Megadramon. Without a vessel, the wolf was running on limited energy. Every movement and attack depleted him. It was only a matter of time before he would revert back to his relic form making him defenseless.

Unfortunately, the two Chamelemon weren't going to let him interfere.

[Tongue Lashing] The tongue around Lobomon's neck tightened locking him in place. Any attempts to move forward, Chamelemon would pull him back in.

[Camouflage x2] Before Lobomon could retaliate, the Chamelemon turned invisible and the other one swung his tail hitting the Light Warrior in the gut.

"Ugh," Lobomon grunted, dropping to his knees. The strike to the gut was painful, but it wasn't the most important thing. The most important thing was his situation.

He was trapped in a deadlock!

The Chamelemon literally had him on a tight leash. Whenever Lobomon moved too far away, the green lizard would pull his tongue stopping him like a dog. The Light Warrior tried to fight back, but the other green lizard would attack him with his tongue and tail.

The little attacks Lobomon could pull off kept missing. Chamelemon were not known for their speed, but they moved just enough to dodge attacks. Their invisibility was a major factor. How could Lobomon hit something he couldn't see?!

This was a typical deadlock and delay tactic. The Chamelemon's attacks aren't strong offensively, but it didn't matter. They only had to delay the Legendary Warrior and give Megadramon enough time to acquire the beast spirit.

'Smart move, but it's not going to be that easy!' Lobomon pulled off the tongue just enough for him to speak and raised his light sword in the air.

"Let there be Light!"

Lobomon's armor and sword released a powerful light and illuminated the cavern. Megadramon and KendoGarurumon weren't affected much due to the distance, but the Chamelemon were a different story.

The green lizards got temporarily blinded pausing their attacks, but most importantly, Lobomon saw them now. Although the Chamelemon could blend into any environment, they couldn't hide their shadows.

Grabbing the elongated tongue, Lobomon flung Chamelemon into the air and then pulled down slamming him onto his companion. Both green lizards erupted in crushing pain, and Chamelemon released his hold on the Light Warrior.

[Howling Laser] Lobomon aimed his armguard and fired a large burst of light energy making a direct hit on the green lizards. The force made them fly, and they crashed hard against the walls of the cavern putting them into a critical state.

Fractal code appeared on them and automatically entered Lobomon's Digivice. The Chamelemon transformed and reverted into chameleons. The two little guys took a moment to look at their environment before slowly climbing their way to the holes in the ceiling and leaving the cavern.

'Well, that's that,' Lobomon thought and ran to the other battle. He handled one obstacle. Now it was time to deal with the other one.

[Dark Side Attack] Megadramon had about enough of this pointless catching and opened his gauntlets. Organic missiles came out and infested the whole cavern. They moved all around and exploded into the ceiling and pillars.

Cave-in!

Large rocks came crashing down. Some landed around Lobomon pinning him. Even KendoGarurumon couldn't avoid them. The falling rocks were too abundant and erratic. The wolf eventually had to stop running, but that was all Megadramon needed.

Two stray missiles came and exploded on KendoGarurumon. The wolf let out a sad yelp. He couldn't hold his spirit form anymore and transformed back into his relic form.

Megadramon reached out and grabbed the Beast Spirit of Light with his right gauntlet. His metal claws closed, securing the beast spirit inside.

"Beast spirit acquired," The cyborg dragon said triumphantly. "Returning to rendezvous."

Megadramon then pulled himself out of the hole and flew away. When he was high in the air, he heard the cavern cave-in and collapsed inside. It made him smile. No one could've chased after him now.

He then flew farther away, but something was strange. He felt flying slightly slower for some reason. Did he gain some extra weight?

Megadramon looked at his body to see what was slowing him, and he noticed it. A certain stowaway was clinging to his tail: Lobomon.

"You!" The cyborg dragon growled.

Before Megadramon exited the near-collapsing cavern, Lobomon slashed out of the rocks pinning him, and witnessed the whole capture. Thinking quickly, he used the falling rocks as stepping stones and jumped out of the hole. His arms reached out grabbing anything as a handhold.

Next thing he knew, he was on Megadramon's tail flying through the high skies. His hands gripped tight on the cyborg dragon's purple fur. One wrong move and the Light Warrior would meet the ground with a splat.

"Give me back my beast spirit!" Lobomon shouted and aimed his armguard at Megadramon. Risk or not, he couldn't allow the Beast Spirit of Light to be taken.

"Sure," Megadragmon swung his tail up, causing Lobomon to go with it. He raised his right gauntlet over his head and brought it down on the Legendary Warrior like a sledgehammer. "There you go."

Lobomon's whole body shook in pain. He now knew what a large metal bell felt like when being hit by a gong. His hands lost their grip, and he free-fell to the ground.

"Enjoy your fall!" Megadramon said maliciously and continued his flight. He could've finished off the Light Warrior but didn't. Gravity would do the job for him.

Lobomon spread out his arms and legs to slow the descent, but it wouldn't stop him from meeting the ground. Even if he was in his Digimon form, it could only do so much to protect him. He was too high in the sky! In the best-case scenario, all of his bones would be broken. He didn't want to even think about the worst-case scenario.

All the Light Warrior could do was sign and close his eyes accepting the fall.

'Well… there were worst ways to go.'

Chapter Text

Before Lobomon could meet the ground with a splat, he felt something grab his hand pulling him back to the sky. Opening his eyes, he saw a familiar lavender fairy with silky, white wings and shouted.

"Kazemon!"

"Seriously?" She berated Lobomon. "I leave you alone for 20 minutes after beating the Vegiemon and next thing I see, smoke is coming out of the middle of the island, and you're falling from the sky! What happened?!"

"He has my beast spirit!" The Light Warrior kept it short, pointing to Megadramon.

Kazemon stared at the retreating cyborg dragon. His figure was getting smaller and smaller.

"Hang on!" With a flap of her wings, Kazemon shot through the air with Lobomon attempting to catch up with Megadramon. They left Sukomobanare Island and flew over the sea. Although the cyborg dragon had a head start, the Wind Warrior was fast and agile. She would catch up to him in no time even if she was carrying someone.

"Where is he even going?" Kazemon asked. Her sight never left Megadramon. "We're in a fractal field. He can't exactly escape."

"I don't know," Lobomon answered. "But he has to stop at some point."

Whenever a fractal field appears, it covers a certain perimeter of the Real World. As for the size of the area, it depended on the Digimon's level and quantity. For example, a fractal field caused by an ultimate-level Digimon would be bigger than one caused by a champion-level Digimon. Numbers also affected the size. The more Digimon they were inside, the bigger the fractal field.

No matter how strong or the number of Digimon inside. One thing was always certain, The fractal field only covered a limited area. Even if a Digimon flew to the edge, they wouldn't be able to pass it.

Sure enough, after flying in one direction for a while, Lobomon and Kazemon saw fabrics of fractal code moving about. The data acted like a dome wall keeping everyone inside.

"Still not understanding why Megadramon wants to come here," Kazemon said.

"Wait!" Lobomon responded and pointed. "I see something! Over there!"

A little bit ahead of Megadramon, near the borders of the fractal field, was a small bat. His body looked like an eighth note of a musical sheet and had built-in red speakers on each wing.

Soundbirdmon: A rookie, avian-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Soundfinish and Giga Scream. The bat-like creature is characterized by their speaker built-in wings. When something suspicious draws near one, it will drive them away by screeching at high volume.

Lobomon looked at Soundbirdmon in confusion. Why would Megadramon want to meet the bat here? What was the purpose?

"What's the point in flying all the way here just to meet a small bat near the end of a fractal field?" Kazemon wondered the same thing but out loud. "Soundbirdmon is only a rookie, so it's not exactly strong in a fight."

'Fractal field… Rookie…," Those few words resonated with Lobomon then his mind lit up in understanding. "I got it! That bat is gonna leave the fractal field with my beast spirit!"

The second option to exiting a fractal field was for a Digimon to suppress their strength to the rookie level. A long time was needed, and it was not recommended to use in a battle. There was no way an enemy would let you escape while fighting. One attack could interrupt the whole process.

Unfortunately, the suppression difficulty only applied to champion-level Digimon and above.

Since rookie-level Digimon are already rookies, they have no problems leaving a fractal field. The process was pretty seamless for them. All they had to do was walk through the borders of data and leave. If a stronger Digimon tried the same method or forced their way through, it would be like slamming into a metal wall, very painful.

Megadramon's plan was simple but effective. He would give the Beast Spirit of Light to Soundbirdmon, and the bat could easily escape the fractal field with the spirit in tow. The Legendary Warriors wouldn't be able to go after him.

Kouji and Izumi could exit the fractal field too, since their human forms were technically classified as rookies. But they would have to de-digivolve and be stuck in the middle of the ocean. Without their Digimon forms, there was no way they could catch up to Soundbirdmon in the Real World.

"Okay, so what do we need to do?" Kazemon asked, understanding the whole situation.

"Here," Lobomon took out his Digivice and pressed some buttons. Fractal code streamed out and transferred to Kazemon's Digivice. "Take this."

"Lobomon…," The Wind Warrior looked at the new data on her Digivice in surprise. "This is…"

"When the time is right, use it." The Light Warrior readied his armguard. The thing has been charging ever since they chased after Megadramon. "Right now, it about time I give those two a nice light show."

True to the Lobomon's speculations, Megadramon did travel here to transfer the Beast Spirit of Light to Soundbirdmon. Without the beast spirits, a big chunk of strength would be gone from the Legendary Warriors making them easier to defeat. When the cyborg dragon was close, he raised his right gauntlet in front of the bat ready to transfer the beast spirit.

[SCA: Howling Flare] Before anything else could happen, Lobomon fired a single bullet of light. This one felt different from the other light bullets. The brightness kept flickering constantly as the light bullet shot toward Megadramon and Soundbirdmon. When it finally went in between them, the thing exploded out releasing an intense light like a flare going off in the night sky.

And Megadramon and Soundbirdmon were right at the center of it.

Megadramon closed his eyes blocking most of the light. He felt his body heat up a little, but that was all. The flare attack did barely any damage to him.

Soundbirdmon, on the other hand, wasn't so lucky. The light was like poison to him and felt like being cooked by the sun. His body couldn't take it anymore, and fractal code appeared.

The data left, and Soundbirdmon transformed into a bat that flew away. Megadramon's sight cleared, and followed the fractal code seeing two familiar enemies.

"You!" The cyborg dragon growled angrily. His plan to safely secure the Beast Spirit of Light blew up in smoke. "I was going to come back and pick up what was left of your fallen body. But fine!" His left gauntlet opened out. "I'll just finish you two off here and now!"

[Dark Side Attack] Organic missiles flew out and targeted Lobomon and Kazemon. They looked like a swarm of terrifying gray piranhas ready to rip at them piece by piece.

[Howling Laser] Lobomon fired multiple small lasers out of his arm guard. The laser beams hit some of the missiles causing them to implode prematurely. He staved off the first onslaught, but it wasn't over yet. The second barrage of missiles came in fast after the first and were almost upon the duo.

Kazemon, thinking quickly, swerved left dodging the first missile by a hairbreadth. Other missiles came at them, but she closely avoided them as well while still carrying Lobomon. All the missiles from the second barrage were close to hitting but never did. Kazemon always narrowly avoided them. How was she doing this?

The answer was simple: vibrations. Those missiles made a lot of noise in the air, and Kazemon could sense that through the winds. Whenever a rocket piranha came at them, the Wind Warrior would feel the air vibrations and make the appropriate action dodging at the last minute and moving just enough for the missile to not explode. Although she couldn't dodge all of them, she didn't need to. Lobomon was with her firing laser beams from his armguard at the excess missiles.

Kazemon's flight maneuverability and Lobomon's precision shooting. Together, they fought through the missile onslaught telling their enemy that this wasn't going to be enough. But Megadramon expected it. His Dark Side Attack was just the appetizer.

The cyborg dragon had his arms crossed. Energy slowly gathered around him filling up like a balloon. It looked like he was inside an inflated balloon.

"Kazemon! We have to get away!" Lobomon shouted, gripping her wrist tightly. The energy around the dragon seemed like it was ready to blow. "Fly now!"

[DG Dimension] Like popping a water balloon, Megadramon stopped gathering and unleashed a massive energy explosion. Wind blew away the clouds and massive waves surfaced from the sheer blast. On an island below, birds couldn't even fly before tumbling to the ground due to the shockwaves. And Lobomon and Kazemon took the brunt of it.

When the attack cleared, there was nothing but clear blue skies.

Megadramon looked at his handiwork in accomplishment. No one in range could've survived this unscathed. He looked around for any remnants of Lobomon and Kazemon. Even if their vessels are destroyed, their spirits can still be intact and captured.

Unfortunately, the cyborg dragon didn't find any trace of the Legendary Warriors: human or spirit. He should've sensed their energy signatures by now. Did he completely obliterate his enemies?

It was then that Megadramon felt something on his right purple wing followed by a stabbing pain.

"Ugh," He grunted and turned to look at his wing. At first, he saw nothing, but slowly the colors on a spot changed, and Lobomon appeared. The Light Warrior's sword was lodged deep in his purple wing.

"How…?" Megadramon asked in shock. He was surprised that the Light Warrior escaped the explosion but was more surprised at how Lobomon appeared. He recognized color blend ability immediately. It was exactly like Chamelemon!

*FA: Chamelemon's Chamoflage] During the explosion, Kazemon stretched out her wings and used the blowback to fly away even faster avoiding most of the attack. It was like a leaf flowing through the winds. Then fractal code exited out of the Digivices and two phantom images of Chamelemon appeared. They covered Kazemon & Lobomon blending them into the environment.

After the explosion cleared, The invisible Kazemon sneakily flew closer to Megadramon and dropped Lobomon on the cyborg dragon's wing leading to this stabbing situation. This was the third newest function of the Digivice: Fractal Assist.

Fractal Assist gave the Digi-Destined the ability to copy other Digimon's attacks as if they're using them. When Legendary Warriors were in the Digital World seven years ago, the fractal code of their defeated foes weren't of much use. At most, they released the enemy's stolen data back into the Digital World, reviving the land or Digieggs. But now their fractal code can be put to better use.

Depending on the special attack, the function would form the weapon the Digimon uses or a phantom image, like an avatar, of the Digimon utilizing the attack. The best part of the function was that the Digi-Destined could use it in any form, whether as a Digimon or a human.

Unfortunately, Fractal Assist did have its limitations.

The first was power. For every special attack copied, the offensive power would only be around 60%. The enemy could easily destroy the avatar with one attack, so it wasn't good against a similarly powerful Digimon.

The second was usage. Each Digimon's fractal code had a one-time use only. Once a Fractal Assist finishes, the code would turn into unusable, raw pure data. The Legendary Warriors also couldn't repeat the same attack even if they had multiple fractal codes of the same Digimon.

For example, Kazemon had a bunch of Vegiemon's fractal code, but she could only use one of them. The rest was just extra storage which was why Lobomon transferred the second Chamelemon's data to her. Better to give to an ally to use than leave in the Digivice collecting data dust.

The third was interruption. When the Fractal Assist was active, the Legendary Warriors couldn't use their own attacks. If they did, the assist would be interrupted and deactivated like what happened to Lobomon. As soon as he plunged his light sword attack on Megadramon's wing, Chamelemon's Camouflage immediately ended causing the Light Warrior to reappear.

In summary, fractal assist was not good against direct battle, but it wasn't supposed to be. The key feature was the attributes. Fractal Assist can copy and utilize a Digimon's signature attributes perfectly.

Take Chamelemon as an example. His attacks weren't very strong, but his attribute to camouflage into its surroundings was. Lobomon and Kazemon didn't need the lizard's attacks but his camouflage. It was the perfect move to get close to Megadramon without him noticing.

"Get off me!" Megadramon shouted. Being fooled by his own ally's move left a bad taste in his mouth. He shook his wing in an attempt to fling Lobomon off, but the Light Warrior held on tight.

"Ugghrrrh," Roaring out loud, Lobomon pushed his sword through until it cut through on the other side of the wing causing heavy damage.

Without both wings, Megadramon lost the ability to fly and spiraled downward. He was like an airplane spinning out of control. Lobomon jumped back into the air, and the invisible Kazemon grabbed him. They both watched the cyborg dragon make an emergency crash landing on Kakeroma Island.

Boom. Megadramon crashed into the forest with a sound like thunder. Trees broke apart from the impact. The cyborg dragon struggled a bit and used the ground to stabilize his body from the impact pain.

[Lobo Kendo] Kazemon flew down and dropped Lobomon. The Light Warrior landed on Megadramon's right arm and stabbed his light sword deep in the dragon's flesh.

"Raahhhh," Megadramon roared in pain. His gauntlet forcibly opened, and the Beast Spirit of Light came out floating near the ground a few meters away.

Lobomon was about to retrieve it, but Megadramon wasn't down yet.

Using his metal head, the cyborg dragon swung at the Light Warrior causing him to go flying.

"Ugh," Lobomon crashed painfully against a tree breaking the trunk and fell to the ground. Fractal code surrounded him, and he transformed back into Kouji.

"Time to go blow you up to kingdom come!" Megadramon aimed his gauntlet at the boy. He was going to unleash missiles blowing Kouji to bits.

[Hurricane Wave] Before he could release the explosive projectiles, a strong gust of pink wind came from above and slammed Megadramon's face to the dirt. In the sky, Chamelemon's Camouflage was dispelled, and Kazemon appeared.

"Kouji!" She yelled. "This is your chance! Get your Beast Spirit!"

Kouji didn't need to be told twice. He took out his Digivice and aimed it at his beast spirit. Like a magnetic pull, the spirit flew and entered the device. The Symbol of Light appeared on the screen.

Kouji closed his eyes, slowly relaxing. He could feel bestial energy surging through his body. The Beast Spirit of Light has reunited with him.

[Execute! Beast Spirit Evolution - KendoGarurumon]

When Megadramon pulled himself back up, he saw the same armored wolf he defeated in the cavern. But this time, KendoGarurumon wasn't in spirit form anymore. The Beast Warrior of Light could now use his real strength, and the wolf was angry. Small trinkles of light gathered between his jaws.

[Lupine Laser] KendoGarurumon breathed out a thick beam of concentrated light at Megadramon. The cyborg dragon used one of his metal gauntlets and blocked the attack. The light beam deflected from the metal before exploding out.

Did that do it?

"Hehehehehe," The smoke cleared with the undamaged appearance of Megadramon's maniacal laughing. "Is that all you got?" He asked.

His metal claws opened, and scythe blades came out attaching to his arms. Megadragmon may have temporarily lost his flight capabilities, but he was far from down. "If so, it's time to skin a wolf!

[Big Mega Fire] Megadramon slithered to KendoGarurumon swinging his scythes erratically. Trees and broken branches cut through like butter as the cyborg dragon made his way to the wolf. He was going to slice him up like pork tenderloin.

Like a car going in reverse, KendoGarurumon drove backwards dodging the scythe by a hairbreadth. His speed increased, and he sped out of the blades' attack range.

"What's the matter?" Megadramon asked tauntingly. "Are you afraid of my scythes, puppy?

KendoGarurumon growled at the provocation. His claymore blades on his wings opened up. "Kazemon!" He shouted. "I need your wind!"

"You got it!" Small pink tornados appeared from Kazemon's fingertips. She then flung the tornados at KendoGarurumon blanketing him with wind.

[UA: Howling Star Slipstream!] The Light Warrior revved up his wheels and shot towards Megadramon like a speeding race car. His golden claymore wings gleamed in sharp light.

"Useless! Useless! Useless!" Megadramon met the incoming wolf with his scythes. Both blades clashed against each other making a loud clang. "Your speed is no match against my might!"

KendoGarurumon zoomed at different angles attacking from multiple sides. If anyone could see, all they would see is a blur.

But Megadramon always met him at each turn. He swung his scythes with absolute precision never letting the Light Warrior too close. Although the cyborg dragon couldn't see him due to the speed, he used his instincts to locate his enemy's location and deduced the next strike. Speed would not be his disadvantage!

After clashing about 50 times, KendoGarurumon ceased his attacks, distancing himself from Megadramon and staring at him.

"What's the matter?" Megadramon retracted one of the scythes on his gauntlet and aimed at the wolf. He was going to release his Dark Side Attack on the canine. "Are you tired from running too much, puppy? This battle has just started!"

"No…" KendoGarurumon answered, locking his claymore wings back. "The battle is already over."

Megadramon didn't understand those words until he felt immense pain. Looking at his body, he saw multiple deep cuts all over him. The cyborg dragon couldn't believe it. He was certain he parried all of Light Warrior's attacks. "How…?"

Usually, if KendoGarurumon used his Howling Star, Megadramon would have been able to parry all of his attacks. But the Light Warrior wasn't using Howling Star, he was using a unison attack: Howling Star: Slipstream.

It was a combination attack between him and Kazemon. The butterfly blanketed KendoGarurumon with wind making his body light having zero wind resistance. With the wind boosts, the Light Warrior's attacks became much faster.

Megadramon did counter KendoGarurumon's attacks, but he didn't counter all of them. Many went through. He just didn't know it.

In fact, KendoGarurumon was so fast that the pain didn't even register with the cyborg dragon until this very moment.

"Ahhhh," Megadragmon issued a final roar before fractal code appeared around him.

[KendoGarurumon - Slide Evolution - Lobomon]

"Soul that squirms in darkness," Lobomon stood next to the fractal code with his Digivice in hand. "May my light purify you! Fractal Code, Digitize!" He scanned the data.

The fractal code left Megadramon and entered the Digivice. The cyborg dragon transformed back into a lizard. The small metallic coloring on his skin slowly faded off and the little creature crawled away.

Fabrics of fractal code surrounded Lobomon transforming him back to Kouji. The boy looked at the screen showing a picture of his beast spirit and smiled. 'I t's good to be working with you again, KendoGarurumon.'

"You did it!" Kazemon said, flying down next to him. "You got your beast spirit back!"

"Yeah," Kouji responded. "But this is just the beginning. I've got a feeling things are going to get much harder from here on out."

During the trip to the island, Takuya and Tomoki relayed their experience getting Korikakumon. The Demon Lords were sending small squads after them now. More and more Digimon were coming through from the Digital World. They had to get the other spirits back quickly before the situation became worse.

"Before transforming back, can you fly us back to Sukomobonare Island?" Kouji asked his flying friend. "I personally don't want to explain to the boatman how we got stuck on another island while our clothes are still dry."

Agreeing, Kazemon grabbed Kouji and took flight again heading back to the island.

Their next destination awaited them.

Chapter Text

Sapporo is the largest city north of Tokyo and the largest city in Hokkaido, the northernmost main island of the country. It ranks as the fifth most populous city in Japan and is the capital city of Hokkaido Prefecture and Ishikari Subprefecture. The whole place is considered the cultural, economic, and political center of Hokkaido.

In terms of attractiveness, the city is ranked first in comparison to other cities in Japan. The annual Sapporo Snow Festival draws in more than 2 million tourists. If there was any place anyone would like to visit in early February, Sapporo would be the place to go.

Walking on one of the sidewalks were Junpei and Koichi. After departing Shibuya Station, they went to Tokyo Haneda (HND) Airport and took a first-class flight. Junpei inwardly sweated when he saw his airplane ticket was first-class.

He would need to have a word with Saya about this later. The Bearer of Thunder owed her a lot already. Economy class tickets were enough in this situation. She didn't need to splurge this much.

Once the two landed at the Sapporo Okadama Airport, they rode the metro, and it took them to the coordinates on Junpei's GPS. That's right. Their destination was the location of the Beast Spirit of Thunder.

The train dropped them off a couple of blocks near the destination. Judging from the route, it looked like Junpei and Koichi were heading to Odori Park.

"Good news," Koichi said, reading a text message on his phone. "Kouji got his beast spirit and is heading with Izumi to get hers next."

"Great…" Junpei responded, unenthusiastically. His shoulders drooped, and he was practically dragging himself instead of walking.

The Bearer of Darkness looked at his friend and sighed. "You're still hung up on my brother and Izumi traveling together. Huh?"

Junpei snapped his head up and looked at Koichi. "How did you…? Oh, right. Your powers to see negative emotions."

"I didn't have to. You've been moping about it during the whole trip here."

"I'm sorry! I can't help it!" Junpei grabbed his head, messing up his hair." It's just that Kouji and Izumi are alone together. A lot of things can happen! What if?! What if…"

The Bearer of Thunder could imagine it now. Kouji and Izumi, alone on an island. The sun is setting. A light breeze is blowing. It's the perfect scenery for a date. The two take one look at each other. The mood grows. Their faces get closer. And closer. Until they're a few inches away. And then…

"Ahhh!" Junpei messed up his hair even harder, stopping his wild imagination. "It's too much! I can't take it anymore."

Koichi clapped his hands right in front of Junpei's face causing the boy to flinch and stagger a bit.

"Junpei. Relax," The Bearer of Darkness said. "You're overreacting."

"Am I?" The Bearer of Thunder asked. "They're all alone together on an island with no people! That got to spark something!"

"It won't. Kouji and Izumi are too focused on getting their beast spirits like the rest of us. I bet all they did was talk."

"How could you possibly know that?"

"One," Koichi held up his phone so Junpei could see the screen. "Kouji briefly texted me their experiences at Sukomobanare Island. The battle went to another island, and there was no mention of romantic endearment."

"That doesn't mean anything," Junpei countered. "Kouji could've left off those details!"

"Two," The Bearer of Darkness stated his second point. "My brother doesn't like Izumi that way?"

"What makes you so sure of that?"

"Because I know my brother. We've been together for seven years. I know how he thinks. He doesn't like Izumi that way."

"Really?" Junpei asked expectantly. "Are you sure?"

"I'm sure," Koichi answered. "To be honest, he's actually quite shy around girls."

"But you told me girls literally follow him and created a fanbase!"

"He does," Koichi laughed, thinking about those poor girls. "But they have a misconception. Whenever girls confront or confess to Kouji, he rejects them nicely and coolly walks away. He always keeps a distance from those girls, but they find him even more charming and cooler. It's actually quite funny. His shyness is making him more attractive. Haha."

"What about Izumi?" Junpei questioned.

"He's okay with Izumi because we're all longtime friends," Koichi answered. "But he doesn't like her that way. I know it for a fact."

"That's a relief," Junpei let out a breath and then gave the Bearer of Darkness a suspicious stare. "What about you? Do you like Izumi?"

"You don't have to worry about that. Izumi is a nice girl, but she's just a really good friend to me," Koichi said truthfully. "Besides, my mom and work are my current concerns right now. I don't want a relationship to get in the way of it."

Junpei's body relaxed slightly. "That's another relief to hear," He said. Thanks for telling me. Now I have two less rivals to fight for Izumi's affection."

Koichi stared at his lovestruck friend. Many thoughts of all of the Digi-destined together passed through his mind until he asked. "Junpei, why do you like Izumi so much?"

"What do you mean?" The Bearer of Thunder asked.

"We've all been together for years, and your feelings for her have never changed," Koichi clarified. "What's so special about her?"

Junpei went silent for a moment gazing slowly at the blue sky. He was thinking about the best way to answer Koichi.

"Do you remember the first time you entered the Digital World?" Junpei answered with a question of his own.

"How could I forget?" Koichi replied. "My soul wandered there and Cherubimon corrupted me, turning me into an evil Legendary Warrior."

"How did he corrupt you?" Junpei continued with another question.

Koichi gave his friend a questioning look. Where was Bearer of Thunder going with this? He answered nonetheless. "The archangel used the feelings of my brother and the pain of my mother to influence me. I had a lot of fearful feelings back then."

"That's it," Junpei pointed out. "That's the reason why I like Izumi."

"Huh?" Koichi responded. What did his feelings have anything to do with his friend liking a girl?

"Before we all entered the Digital World, we all were dealing with something," Junpei explained. "Something inside us that we were struggling with. You with your family and me with my troubles to make friends. When I first met Izumi, I felt a connection to her. Like she understood the feeling of being lonely. It made me want to get closer to her. If anyone could understand what I was going through, it would be her.

"I still don't completely understand why I like her even though it's been years. I just do, and I'm going to do everything I can to win her heart."

"Wow Junpei," Koichi was at a loss for words. "I didn't know how deep your thoughts were of her & us. In some ways, your observational skills are better than my powers to see negative emotions."

"Haha," The Bearer of Thunder chuckled. "I wouldn't say that. I just like hanging out with you guys. You can know a lot of things just by looking at a different angle. Thanks to the opera lessons, I've gotten better at expressing my feelings. Music is all about letting the soul out after all."

"Make sense," Koichi admitted. He now had a better understanding of why his friend liked Izumi so much, but something still irked him. "But Junpei. What happens if Izumi doesn't return your feelings?"

The Bearer of Thunder's face changed. "What are you trying to say?"

"Junpei, it's been seven years. There might be a chance that Izumi might not like you back."

"So what? She's single right now and hasn't attempted to reject me. I still have a chance."

"I'm not saying to give up," Koichi reiterated. "I'm just saying if it doesn't work out with her, you might need another option. There are other girls out there."

"No one can compare to Izumi. There's no girl like her." Junpei stated. "Besides, girls barely spare me a glance. I don't have the qualities they're looking for."

"What are you talking about? You have great qualities. And plenty of girls do take notice of you. …Like Saya for example?"

"Her?" Junpei made a face like he saw poop on the ground. "Why would you mention her?"

"Because she's your opera partner," Koichi answered. "I don't know why you're so annoyed with her. She seems nice and funny."

"That's because you haven't spent time with her," Junpei said. "She's pompous, haughty, obnoxious, forceful, and this is just the start. I got a long list on her."

"She is also helpful," Koichi added. "She did get us those plane tickets."

"Yeah at the cost of me eating with her for who knows how many months. It might even take years!"

"That doesn't sound as bad as you make it out to be," The Bearer of Darkness chuckled. "It might even be fun."

"Nothing is ever fun when it comes to her!" Junpei argued, practically growling the words out. "Why are we even talking about this anyway? We should be heading to my beast spirit."

"Okay Okay," Koichi relented. "Pretend I didn't bring it up."

They continued walking and made it to Odori Park.

Odori Park is known for its stunning landscape, featuring various seasonal flowers and trees, making it a great place to take pictures. The place was already teeming with people.

Locals and visitors alike were sitting on the benches near the sculptures and fountains or taking selfies with the landmarks behind them. Vendors had stands set up down the path selling food and clothing to passing customers.

"Junpei," Koichi said, getting his friend's attention. "Tell me again the exact location of your beast spirit."

"Hang on," Junpei pulled out his cell phone and checked. "According to the GPS, the beast spirit is only a few hundred feet away around the block. Once we cross the street, we'll be there."

"If you're right," The Bearer of Darkness looked at the tall tower in the distance. "Then your beast spirit picked a really popular place to reside in."

Sapporo TV Tower is one of the main landmarks in Sapporo. It was 483 ft high and built in 1957 by Tachū Naitō, a famous Japanese architect who planned the Tokyo Tower. The TV tower used to be the most prominent figure in the city, but with the recent high-rise buildings that have been constructed around Odori Park, the place has become less prominent. It consisted of four levels: the basement, the ground level, the second level, and the third level.

The basement was connected to Aurora Town, which was an underground shopping arcade and an assortment of restaurants called "Tele-Chika Gourmet Court". The ground floor housed the Tower's information center and stores, while the multipurpose hall and administration office were located on the second floor.

Lastly, the third floor contained a restaurant, a souvenir shop, and a lift to the observation deck. To use the observation deck, visitors are required to buy tickets. From there, the entire view of Odori Park, Mount Ōkura, and Murayama can be seen.

"Okay," Junpei double-checked his GPS. It looked like his friend was right about his beast spirit being inside the Sapporo TV Tower. "At least we won't be having trouble getting inside the TV tower."

"I wouldn't be so sure about that," Koichi said. "Something weird's going on."

The Bearer of Darkness looked closer and noticed many helicopter drones flying around. He also noticed the big digital clock attached to the middle of the TV tower kept flickering on and off like it was having electrical problems. His eyes may have been playing tricks on him, but he could've sworn he saw small sparks of electricity discharging out.

"Do you feel anything?" Koichi asked Junpei. He wanted to know if his friend could feel the Beast Spirit of Thunder now.

Although the Digi-destined hadn't seen their beast spirits in years, they still had a connection to them. Like Tomoki vaguely sensing his beast spirit inside a weasel, the others could feel their own spirits as well. Even from two worlds away, their bond never shattered.

"I feel something," Junpei answered, closing his eyes. He focused all of his senses on the TV tower. "But it's off. Like there's a wall between us."

"Let's keep going then," Koichi said. "We'll find more as we get closer to the tower."

The two continued walking, but as they made it to the entrance of the Sapporo TV Tower, they could see the area was closed off. Caution tape wrapped around the perimeter, and a police officer was stationed near the door.

"Well, this keeps on getting stranger," Koichi said. "I wonder why they had to close off the area."

"Only one way to find out," Junpei replied, and they walked closer to the entrance.

"Sorry you two," The officer said, stopping them. "The TV Tower is closed off to the public until further notice."

"Apologies sir. We didn't know," Junpei responded in a respectable tone. "We just arrived here and were wondering why one of the best landmarks in Sapporo is closed off."

"Ah, you must be tourists then. If you guys had come here a few days ago, you would've been able to enter with no problems. But recently, the TV tower has been experiencing a lot of electrical problems."

"Electrical problems?" Junpei focused on those two words specifically.

"That's right," The officer confirmed. "At first, it wasn't so bad. Just the occasional light flickering and power going off & on. But then things got worse. Electronics started shorting out. Some even discharged electric shocks at some of the employees inside. We had to shut down the power for the whole tower."

"Shut down?" Junpei said, skeptically. He looked at the digital clock attached to the TV Tower. It was running perfectly fine. "Wouldn't the clock be off then?"

"That's the thing. The clock should have been off, but it's still working. The whole TV tower is. It's unbelievable. It's like the whole place is completely being powered by another electrical source!"

"I can see why you had to make the place off-limits to the public," Junpei nodded in understanding. "Does that mean my friend and I won't be able to enter the TV tower anytime soon?"

"Unfortunately no," The officer responded apologetically. "We're doing everything we can to resolve the situation though and will hopefully return the place to normal shortly."

"Is that why there are drones flying around the tower?" Junpei pointed in a direction.

"Yes, we recently deployed them to avoid human contact. For some reason if someone enters a certain proximity, they would get a painful electric shock. With the drone, there's less of a chance for serious injuries while also proving the best course of action."

"I'm guessing those flying drones near the clock is the course of action," Junpei pointed in a different direction at the three drones curiously.

While most of the other drones were flying around, three of them stayed stationary in a triangular formation. A cable wire connected one closest to the digital clock while two other wires were attached to the other two. Sparks of electricity came out of the wire and moved to the drones.

Their appearance was different from the others as well. While the drones flying around had a black coating, the one in front had a silver coating with a purple dragon logo on top and the other two a blue coating with a metal bird logo.

"Ah those. Those three are there to drain the electricity." The officer explained. "Even though we don't know where the source is coming from, it's still connected to the whole TV tower. So the plan is to deplete all the energy powering it down."

"Won't the drones shut down once their battery is depleted?" Junpei asked. Drones were like any electronics and ran on a battery. Once their battery hits zero mid-air, they would shut down and fall to the ground.

"That's the beauty of the plan!" The officer answered enthusiastically. "The drones are being powered by the electricity they drain. While the black-coated ones fly around to find the source, the silver and blue ones collect the electricity. If one of them is running low on battery, they'll fly near the trio and be wirelessly charged by the unknown electric source."

"It's an ingenious plan," Junpei agreed. With a near unlimited energy source, the drones could run for an abundant amount of time. "The problem should be solved shortly."

"Right!? You two should explore other parts of Sapporo in the meantime. The TV tower will be fixed before you know it."

"Um," Koichi, who has been quiet for some time, finally spoke. "Why has that drone stopped? I feel like it's been staring at us for a while."

At the start of the conversation with the officer, the Bearer of Darkness noticed the nearest black drone halted for some reason. Since then, the thing stayed there hovering.

"I don't know," The officer answered, looking at the drone strangely. "It shouldn't stop like that. Hang on. Let me call it in."

The officer pressed a button on his radio. "This is Officer Wakeme speaking. I have a small situation and need our tech specialist. Do you copy?"

"I copy," The tech specialist on the radio responded. "What's the problem?"

"We have a drone that stopped all of a sudden. Can you identify the reason?"

"Drones?" The tech specialist sounded confused. "What drones?"

"The drones who are patrolling the skies around Sapporo TV Tower as we speak," Officer Wakeme clarified. "We received the statement from the commissioner yesterday to deploy them."

The other line was silent for a moment before the tech specialist spoke again. "I don't know how that statement got through, but I just checked in with the commissioner. He didn't send any orders to deploy drones.

"What!?" Officer Wakeme shouted. "Then who's operating them?"

"I don't know, but I can tell you it's not me."

'Uh oh,' Junpei and Koichi shared a look. They had a really bad feeling about this.

Suddenly, the stationary drone blared out like an alarm clock and zoomed toward Junpei.

"Look out!" Koichi pushed Junpei out of the way just in time causing them to fall to the ground. The drone flew past and its sharp blades missed his face by a few centimeters.

Junpei shuddered at the flying menace. Any closer and he would've gotten a permanent makeover. What the heck was going on?

There wasn't going to be time to find out as the drone turned back around and came back at them with double the speed. This time, it was aiming right for their heads.

Junpei and Koichi couldn't get up from the ground and dodge in time. The drone was too fast. All they could do was brace themselves as the flying menace raced toward them for a crash collision.

Chapter Text

Before the drone could make the impact, Officer Wakeme came in between and punched it like a boxer. The flying contraption flew erratically back trying to stabilize itself.

"You two!" Officer Wakeme shouted at the Digi-destined. "Get out of here!"

Junpei and Koichi didn't need to be told twice. They got up from the ground and ran away as fast as possible.

The drone finally managed to regain control of itself and flew after them.

"You're not going anywhere!" Officer Wakeme pulled out his taser from his belt and aimed it at the pursuing drone. He was going to tase the flying machine obsolete. Unfortunately, as he pressed the trigger, another flying drone was already upon him.

When the first drone blared out its alarm, it alerted the others. Except for the three drones draining the tower's power, all the black-coated drones converged on the ground. One of them rammed against the officer knocking his weapon out of his hand. The taser flew around and accidentally fired at the poor man.

Bzzt. Officer Wakeme got an electric jolt and fell to the ground spasming. His body kept shaking like a cell phone on vibrate.

"Officer Wakeme!" Junpei shouted, still running. He felt bad for the poor officer.

"Keep going!" Koichi said, right beside him. "They're not after him. They're after us."

Sure to his words. All the drones set their sights on them and chased after them.

"Run! The drones are going nuts!" The passersby witnessed the whole thing and ran away from the scene, but the drones ignored them. They continued to go after the Legendary Warriors.

"What is going on?!" Junpei said, a little freaked out. When some people theorized that robots would take over the world, he always thought they were crazy.

Now, not so much.

The strange problem was that the drones only seemed interested in him and Koichi. "Why are they only chasing after us?"

"Because those aren't regular drones," Koichi answered.

When the drone attacked Officer Wakeme and caused him to shock himself, the Bearer of Darkness thought it was weird. These flying contraptions were attacking too intelligently to be robotic, so he decided to use his powers on a whim. What he saw surprised him.

The drones were showing emotions of hostility towards them. That was impossible! Inanimate objects shouldn't have emotions. Unless…

"They're Digimon!" Koichi concluded. It made sense. If Digimon took over the drones, he would be able to see their negative emotions.

"If they're Digimon, why haven't they transformed into their true forms?" Junpei asked.

"I don't know,"

It was a good question though. If these flying menaces were Digimon, why didn't they transform into their real forms and attack them? It would be way faster than using drones.

"Man! If I could spirit evolve," Junpei muttered. "I would teach those drones a thing or two."

Koichi's eyes lit up. "That's it! That's why they're not transforming into their Digimon form. It's not like they want to. They're choosing not to."

"What do you mean?"

"We can only spirit evolve in the Real World when there is a fractal field. Without one, we can't transform into the Legendary Warriors," Koichi explained. "My hunch is our enemies know that and are opting out using their real forms. Instead, they're using their vessels to deal with us in the Real World."

"Okay, so we can't spirit evolve," Junpei was up to speed. "But neither can they. All those flying contraptions are doing right now is just annoying us at best. Besides giving bruises, cuts, and misfired shocks, they aren't doing anything lethal to us. I mean, what's the worst they can do?"

A drone landed on a nearby vending machine. Small electrical shocks came out of it and entered the other machine. The lights on the machine blinked like crazy and started to shake uncontrollably.

Shortly after, the vending machine shot out soda cans at Junpei and Koichi. The soda cans whistled through the air as they sped toward the two.

"Behind the car," Koichi reacted quickly. "Behind the car right now!"

Junpei and Koichi ran to a parked, electric-powered white SUV and used it as cover. Soon, the soda cans connected on one side of the vehicle. The impacts caused the car to be dented by a considerable amount. Soda bursted out of the cans fizzing crazily around them. One of the cans even broke through the windows on the driver & passenger seats and lodged itself deep into a thick wooden sign.

"Does that answer your question?" Koichi asked, causing both of them to shudder. If one of those soda cans hits them, forget about broken bones. The impact could also lead them straight to the ER room.

The onslaught of soda cans finally stopped. It looked like the vending machine ran out of soda, but it didn't matter. With Junpei and Koichi stuck in one place, all the drones converged circling them.

One of the drones landed on the car and sent out electrical shocks. The SUV started up by itself and drove away leaving the duo's defense. It turned around and shined its headlights at them revving up its engines. The car was going to drive straight at them.

"We're surrounded," Koichi said, standing back-to-back with Junpei. He calculated their odds of getting out of this. They weren't looking good. "What now?

The drones blocked any path of escape. The only direction they could run was to a ramming car.

The SUV couldn't wait anymore and drove to them at top speed. It was going to hit them in a few minutes.

"At a time like this," Junpei pulled out some white balls from his pocket. They looked like mummy-wrapped ping pong balls. "We just need a disappearing act!"

He then threw the ping pong balls on the ground, and they burst out in a smokescreen covering him and Koichi. The SUV kept going and drove right into the smoke. A little fog was not going to stop it.

A second later, the car dispersed through the smoke and accidently crashed against the drones causing them to go into disarray. When they reorganized themselves, their targets were gone. They looked around to find them, but the Digi-Destined were gone. How the heck did those two escape?

The drone detached itself from the SUV, and like the rest, fanned out checking the perimeter. Even if those two Digi-Destined escaped, they couldn't have gotten far. It was only a matter of time before they were found.

Off to the side near a row of bushes, Junpei and Koichi were crouched down out of sight slowly moving away from their attackers.

"You carry smoke balls on you?" Koichi couldn't help but ask.

"Once a magician, always a magician," Junpei answered confidently. "You'd be surprised how much you can do with just a little smoke and misdirection."

Before entering the Digital World back then, Junpei always knew a magic trick or two. Now after coming back, his tricks and skills only grew. Although being a magician was only a hobby to him, he was already a master of misdirection. Making himself and another person disappear in a puff of smoke was child's play to him.

"Incoming!" Koichi said, and the duo quickly hid deeper into the bushes as a drone passed by. Once it was out of sight, they exited the uncomfortable shrubbery. "We need a better hiding spot to regroup."

"What about that place over there?" Junpei pointed to a ramen shop in the distance.

Koichi looked at the restaurant and nodded. The structure looked stable, and thick metal poles were positioned perfectly to prevent cars from driving through. At least in there, they wouldn't have to worry about being surrounded by drones or ramming vehicles. "Let's go!"

Together, the Digi-Destined sprinted toward the restaurant. Once through the glass doors, they saw the interior was similar to other ramen noodle shops. Wooden chairs and tables to seat dine-in customers. A counter with stools for people by themselves. The kitchen was visible to everyone, so customers could watch as the food was being prepared.

Freshly handmade sliced noodles were on the cutting board with flour scattered around. A large pot was on the stove boiling the broth, ginger root, green onions, and shitake mushrooms. It looked like the kitchen was at the stage of prepping food to serve customers within minutes.

"We have to barricade the door," Koichi said, grabbing a broom. He slid the stick through the metal bars preventing anyone from coming in. Junpei moved some of the chairs and tables against the door to give them more security."

"Excuse me," Turning around, Junpei and Koichi saw a man in his 40s behind the counter raising his eyebrow. He had a black apron on with specks of flour. "What are you two doing to my restaurant?"

The duo immediately guessed this man was the chef/owner of the ramen shop. He must've been on break since the dinner service didn't begin for another hour. His face had a look of displeasure.

"We're sorry, sir," Koichi apologized. "But there are a bunch of drones attacking outside. We're just trying to protect ourselves!"

"Yeah, right. And my oven leads to another world full of savory and sweet food," The chef scoffed. "I'm not gullible. Do you really expect me to believe you're outlandish story for messing up my restaurant?"

As if to prove the man wrong, a rock crashed through the upper part of the glass doors leaving a hole. A drone then flew through locking onto Junpei and Koichi. The enemy found them!

Although the barricade could keep things out, a drone wasn't exactly big. All it needed to get in was a small enough opening.

"Get lost!" Junpei picked up some ramen menus and threw them at the drone. Koichi grabbed a chair and waved it around to keep the flying menace out of range.

The drone dodged the objects and flew to the middle of the room. Its speakers opened up and released an ear-piercing noise. The sound bounced off the walls increasing the volume.

Junpei and Koichi dropped their improvised weapons and covered their ears. The sound was too loud. Even the chef in the distance grunted in pain a little bit from that awful noise.

While its speakers were still blaring, the drone took this opportunity and sped toward Junpei's head. Time to give the Bearer of Thunder a grade 4 concussion!

Fortunately, before the drone could crash into Junpei, a bag of flour came from the side and blindsided it. The bag bursted open, and powder exploded everywhere. Most were on the drone. It was then followed by a jug of water.

"Leave to those two alone!" The chef shouted.

The water splashed on the drone mixing in with the flour. Soon, the powder turned into a sticky texture. Some of it got covered on the drone's speakers dampening the volume. Junpei and Koichi uncovered their ears. Although they could still hear the noise, it wasn't as aggravating as before.

"Young Man!" The chef tossed a frying pan to Junpei. "Use this!"

Junpei caught the cookware and swung it at the drone-like hitting a fly mid-air. The thing went flying, crashed against the wall, and dropped into a pot of boiling broth.

Koichi, working quickly, grabbed a lid, ran to the pot, and practically slammed it close. The drone resisted violently causing the pot to shake a lot, but the boy held firm albeit struggling. Soon, the chef came by to help and together, they managed to keep the flying menace from escaping.

The broth entered through the gaps in the drone's electronics affecting its functions. The pot slowly stopped shaking until it went completely still.

"That was exhilarating," Junpei walked over and put the frying pan on the stove. "Thanks for the help."

"No problem," The chef replied. "Sorry for not believing you two earlier. I can't believe a drone attacked like that."

"And there's even more of them outside flying around." Koichi pointed out, looking at the pot sadly. "I'm sorry about your broth. It smelled really good too."

"Eh. I can always make more," The chef waved it off. "I'm going to call the police. They better have an explanation for this!

While the man went deeper inside to use his phone, Koichi lifted the lid. Fractal code spilled out and entered Junpei's cellphone.

"There really was a Digimon in that drone," Junpei said. He believed Koichi, but actually seeing fractal code entered his cellphone was still shocking.

Although Koichi and the chef helped in defeating the drone, Junpei was the main hitter, so the code went to him.

"I had some doubts too," Koichi's eyes never left the pot. When he saw the negative aura disappear inside, he opened the lid to test his theory. The auto-scan function activating was proof enough. "We'll need to get out of here. I'm pretty sure that alarm earlier was a signal to the other drones. They'll probably be here soon."

"Even if we go somewhere else, they'll still find us," Junpei said, annoyed. "The biggest reason is our lack of understanding of the current situation.

"That might not be true…" Koichi recalled everything that happened a few minutes ago. "I have some ideas on what's going on, but it's all based on speculations."

"It's better than nothing. What do you have?"

"Do you remember what Officer Wakeme said about the unknown energy source?" Koichi asked.

The electrical source that's powering the whole tower?" Junpei answered. "Yeah, what about it?"

"It's highly possible that energy source is your beast spirit. The drones must be draining its power slowly weakening it."

"But why?" Junpei questioned. He understood their enemies taking his beast spirit but didn't understand their actions. "Why attempt taking it in the Real World instead of inside a fractal field? Wouldn't be faster to use their Digimon forms?"

"I don't know all the details, so I can't answer the first question," Koichi speculated. "As for your second question, it probably would be faster to use their Digimon form, but would also increase the risk of fighting us."

"Us?" Junpei repeated.

"They don't want any interference keeping us in our world." Koichi looked at the pot where the drone was being boiled. The Digimon could have transformed into its real form but didn't "Even at the cost of their own life."

As long as they were in the Real World, Koichi and Junpei couldn't spirit evolve. Drones were outside trying to kill them. They could take on two or three of them but not all at once.

Time wasn't on their side either.

With drones wreaking havoc outside, the police would have to get involved. Once arriving, the officers would make the whole area off-limits. Junpei and Koichi were just civilians. They wouldn't even get close to the TV tower. Once everything dies down, their enemies would be long gone with the Beast Spirit of Thunder.

"So there nothing we can do?" Junpei pounded the counter in frustration. "They got us."

"Not necessarily…" Koichi said, thinking. The situation was tough, but it wasn't hopeless. "Let's try out that new function of ours, but we'll need to get one of the drones."

Junpei smirked. "No problem. I know just the trick."

…

"Hello, one and all!" Junpei walked out of the ramen place arms outstretched like he was addressing an audience. "Hope you all liked my disappearing trick! For my next act, I'm going to need a volunteer!"

A nearby drone saw the Bearer of Thunder and zoomed toward him.

"Looks like we have a very eager volunteer today. Not a problem! Let me just get my handkerchief," Junpei searched his pockets but came up empty. "Strange. I'm sure I had some on me…"

The drone ignored the boy's actions and continued speeding toward him. Using gravity and motor speed, the flying menace looked like a cannonball hurling at a velocity that could take somebody's head off.

Unfortunately, the drone was too focused on the boy that it temporarily forget about the other Legendary Warrior.

"Now I remember!" Junpei snapped his fingers in realization. "I gave them to Koichi to help with the act."

A rope made out of a lot of handkerchiefs came out of nowhere and collided with the drone. At first, its propellers cut some of the fabric, but soon got clogged by the sheer amount. The machine lost its ability to fly and crashed to the ground next to the Bearer of Thunder.

"Great work Koichi!" Junpei gave him the thumbs up. "Your timing was perfect!"

Koichi popped out of his hiding spot in the bushes and smiled. "Just doing my part to wow the crowd. Let's give them a show-stopper!"

"Right, you are! Now ladies, gentlemen, and Digimon who are trying to kill us. Me and my companion will begin the act!" Junpei pulled out his cell phone and pressed it on the drone. "Beetlemon if you would please."

An image of Beetlemon appeared on the screen. Small sparks of electricity burst out of the cell phone and entered the drone. At first, the thing struggled and released its electricity as resistance, but Junpei's cellphone unleashed stronger shocks. It looked like there was a battle going on between two electronics.

Soon, Junpei's cell phone overpowered the drone continuing the electrical onslaught. The cell device kept going and going causing the drone's alarms to blare endlessly.

Until it happened.

Fractal code appeared and covered the surrounding area. A few seconds later, the data disappeared, and the people around were gone.

"Yes!" Koichi said in victory. The plan worked. He and Junpei entered a fractal field!

This was the fourth newest function of the Digivice: Hacking.

Although the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors had severe limitations in the Real World, they could still offer assistance. One of them was hacking. Since their bodies were digital, they could enter the internet or any electronic device and hack it for their use. All the Digi-Destined had to do was put their Digivice/cell phone next to the device. The spirits would do the rest.

The gang could've hacked through the internet to get tickets for transportation, but it would've left a digital trail. People would ask questions that would then involve the police. They didn't want to deal with the authorities, Asking Saya for help was the best choice. She had the connections, and it wouldn't be traced back to them for breaking the law.

Koichi came up with the idea of using the hacking function due to the drones being electronic. Since their enemies weren't going activate a fractal field, he and Junpei forced them to. Hacking and fighting inside a vessel was not a pleasant experience for a Digimon.

"We did it!" Junpei said triumphantly then his expression changed. "Oh dang it. We did it…"

With the fractal field activated, the drone revealed its true form. Junpei was now standing in what appeared to be a mixture of a fighter jet and pterodactyl.

Pteramon: An armor-level, dinosaur-type Digimon whose special attacks are Missile Storm and Beak. They can fly at the highest altitudes among aerial Digimon and pinpoint bombs on their enemies without revealing themselves. Their eyesight is excellent, capable of capturing the enemy's figure from 10 km in the sky.

Pteramon screeched out. The black armored bird lifted up and flew off causing Junpei to fall like a rider from his horse. Luckily, the boy was prepared and braced himself, so no serious injuries happened.

"Junpei!" Koichi ran to check on him." You okay?"

"Yeah," The Bearer of Thunder answered, smiling. "We did it! We're inside the fractal field."

"Yes, we are. Now we can finally figure out what exactly is going on."

Junpei and Koichi both looked at Sapporo TV Tower again and saw a different scene. Instead of the drones draining the electricity from the tower, there were three Digimon in their place.

The two further back looked like giant blue mechanical birds. They had robotic blue faces and wings with a red crystal on top. Their jaws, long necks, legs, and tails were silver slightly covered in blue armor.

The one in front looked like a purple, cyborg dragon. He had purple hair and yellow eyes. Robotic wings, black gauntlets, and a helmet were attached to his back, arms, and head.

MailBirdramon: A champion-level, machine-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Plasma Cannons and Nightflare. These birds are raptor-type flying Digimon and can perform reconnaissances on the status of battle from the sky. Due to their analysis skills, they have calm and calculating judgments.

Gigadramon: An ultimate-level, cyborg-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Genocide Gear and Evil Claw. He is a dark dragon Digimon who was developed at the same time as Megadramon and a combatant armed to the teeth by further remodeling. His weaponry has the firepower of a small human aerial force.

"D*** it," Gigadramon cursed. "Pteramon messed up. Those two humans have forced a fractal field! We're still not done with draining the target!"

Inside the third floor of the tower was a massive figure brimming with electricity. His entire body was covered in blue, yellow armor, with treads for legs, cannons on the ends of his arms, and a large turret as a horn. The figure looked like an electric-powered tank.

MetalKabuterimon: A variable, cyborg-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Bolo Thunder and Electron Cannon. He is the beast spirit descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientBeetlemon, and equipped with heavy artillery. Due to the heavyweight armor, his mobility is hindered, but in close-range battle, he can obliterate opponents with his various armaments.

When the Beast Spirit of Thunder first landed in the Real World, he flew to the Sapporo TV Tower and inhabited the security system on the third floor. Thanks to his appearance, the whole tower was powered with free electricity and he in turn could fight using a vessel.

When Gigadramon and his soldiers located the beast spirit, they immediately entered compatible vessels activating a fractal field, and invaded the tower.

What was MetalKabuterimon's response? He blasted them without hesitation.

The Thunder Beast Warrior fired at anyone who stepped into the tower. Electric attacks discharged everywhere and his enemies were forced to flee. Some didn't make it and had their fractal code taken instinctively by MetalKabutarimon. Attacking him with numbers in a small space wasn't going to work.

Learning from his earlier mistake, Gigadramon decided to take a different approach and sent the Pteramon one by one. From multiple trials and errors, the cyborg learned that the war tank only attacks when an enemy steps inside the tower. If they stayed outside, MetalKabutarimon wouldn't attack.

Thinking about it, it made sense. The Beast of Thunder entered a security system as his vessel. His mind would be in tune with it, and the security system would only activate when an intruder stepped into the building.

With this new information, Gigadramon had to think more outside the box. He hacked into the police station's computers to indirectly convince the local authorities to cut off the electricity to the TV tower and notify the officers at the scene about the drones' deployment.

But even with cutting off the power, MetaKabutarimon was still there. He was using his own energy to keep the TV tower running. It left people in the Real World confused.

Gigadramon anticipated that. In his drone form, he connected a wire to himself & the digital clock, which was part of the power grid, and slowly drained electricity from MetalKabuterimon. Without an energy source, the armored beetle would lose its form and revert to its relic form. All he and his underlings had to do was stay outside and take the beast spirit power. It was the perfect plan.

Until those two annoying little pests showed up.

Gigadramon couldn't let Junpei or Koichi get too close to the Beast Spirit of Thunder causing a strong attraction between bearer and spirit. He was getting close to completely draining all of MetalKabutarimon's power, so he ordered the black drones aka Pteramon to intercept and kill by any means necessary.

The cyborg dragon also commanded them under any circumstances: Don't transform into their Digimon form. If they entered a fractal field, Junpei and Koichi could evolve getting to beast spirit easier before Gigadramon could finish the draining process.

So only drones came after the Digi-Destined. It ranged from using their vessels to crash into them or hacking into cars to ram them. Even if they didn't kill the two, it would give Gigadramon enough time to sap the beast spirit.

Unfortunately, he underestimated how resourceful the Bearers of the Legendary Warriors were. Who knew the duo could hack into devices like other Digimon and outhack them.

"Mailbirdramon!" Gigidramon shouted. "Take care of them while I finish draining the beast spirit! It won't be long now!"

"Understood," The two Mailbirdramon hovered lower a little towards Junpei and Koichi. Their eyes locked on them. "Pteramon! Converge to this location and commence Operation Rainfall!"

Shortly after, around 15 black armored pterodactyls came out and flew high above Junpei and Koichi. They looked like fighter jets hovering high in the sky.

[Dropping Bombs x15] The artillery shells under Pteramon's' wings detached and fell down. When one touched the ground, it exploded leaving a pillar of smoke and a deep hole. The other followed suit and the area became a bombing zone.

Soon, the shells dropped near Junpei and Koichi. The duo didn't have enough time to dodge and could only use their arms to shield themselves.

As the smoke and debris engulfed them, Junpei finally understood the saying:

Out of the Frying Pan & Into the Fire.

Chapter Text

Luckily, the situation wasn't all bad. Junpei and Koichi were inside a fractal field, so now they could do this.

[Execute! Spirit Evolution - Beetlemon & Loweemon]

When the smoke cleared, Junpei and Koichi were gone. In their place were Beetlemon and Loweemon. Both looked ready to pound some jets.

[Thunder Fist] Beetlemon emitted electricity and discharged it at the Pteramon. The armored pterodactyls took evasive action and swerved avoiding the lightning strikes.

The Thunder Warrior kept on the electrical onslaught, but the Pteramon kept dodging them. "Ugh! I can't hit them!"

"I got it," Loweemon shadow leaped and appeared above one of the pterodactyls in the air. He gripped his spear tightly and thrust it down. "Take this!"

But it was like the pterodactyl had eyes on the back of his head. Pteramon swerved left causing the spear to hit nothing but air.

[Beak Pierce] Another Pteramon flew from behind and rammed his metal beak at the Dark Warrior. The thick armor did little to protect his body, and Loweemon fell to the ground with a loud thud.

"Ow…" He muttered, a little in pain.

[Missile Storm x5] The Pteramon weren't done yet. A small squadron came swooping down and launched missiles from their wings. The explosive projectiles rocketed toward Loweemon. The Dark Warrior didn't have enough time to dodge.

[Thunder Fist] Beetlemon came in between and punched the ground. Lightning shot out and attacked the incoming missiles. The flying bombs exploded before they could touch the Legendary Warriors.

"You okay?" Beetlemon asked in concern.

"Yeah…" Loweemon replied slowly getting up. "But something's up."

"What do you mean?"

"Those Pteramon…," The Dark Warrior looked carefully at the pterodactyls. Beetlemon's Thunder Fist was still ongoing and moved towards weaponized jet birds, but they kept dodging them. No matter where the lightning attacked, the Pteramon kept avoiding it. "They're too uniform. They can dodge our attacks and strike us too perfectly!"

Beetlemon took in what his friend said and admitted he had a point. Even for experienced pilots, it took years of training to maneuver like what the Pteramon were doing. And that was with lightning and spears coming at them. How were they dodging and attacking so effectively?

The Thunder Warrior then stared at the Mailbirdramon. They were just hovering there observing the battle. It looked suspicious.

Beetlemon closed his eyes and focused on his surroundings. As the Legendary Warrior of Thunder, his attunement to the lightning element was strong. He could sense all kinds of electricity including electromagnetic waves.

Soon, he could feel multiple radio waves being broadcasted back and forth between the mechanical birds. Tapping into the feed, the Thunder Warrior heard multiple commands coming from the MailBirdramon telling the Pteramon commands on formations and incoming lightning strikes.

"It's them!" Beetlemon opened his eyes. "Those blue birds are commanding the Pteramon while tracking our movements and attacks."

MailBirdramon were known for their reconnaissance from afar. Along with their inherited calculations, dodging incoming enemy fire while effectively striking back was simple for them. Combined with the destructive force of the Pteramon, they became a strong yet coordinated aerial team.

"That explains the perfectly timed attacks," Loweemon commented. Blindly attacking them wouldn't work making defeating them much harder. They needed another plan. "Any ideas?"

"There is something," Beetlemon offered. "But it's not the right time to use it yet."

"Don't give them any more chances to resist!" MailBirdramon shouted. The lightning from the Thunder Fist faded. "Attack together!"

All the Pteramon dived down converging toward the two Legendary Warriors. They were going to blitz them using sheer quantity.

"For now, let's make a tactical retreat," Beetlemon said to his friend by waving two fingers left and right then gripping it into a fist.

"Got it!" Loweemon responded, and the duo split running in the opposite direction into the streets of Sapporo.

"After them!" One of the MailBirdramon ordered. "They must not not escape."

The Pteramon divided into two groups and chased after them.

Unlike Odori Park, which had a lot of open space to move around, the streets in Sapporo were much narrower. Tall buildings covered the sky making it hard for aircraft to maneuver around in mid-air, and the infrastructure created a maze-like area. This limited the Pteramon flight capabilities, so they had to fly in a single file line in twos and threes to prevent bumping into each other.

[Missile Storm x15] These new restrictions weren't going to stop them. The Pteramon launched multiple missiles from their wings, and they all flew to the Legendary Warriors.

Loweemon used the building's walls as hard trampolines and jumped from building to building. Just when a missile was about to hit him, he shadow leaped disappearing and reappearing a few feet away. It caused the missiles to miss and fly past hitting something else.

Beetlemon just flew around and maneuvered around the exploding projectiles. He had a much easier time flying since his wingspan wasn't as wide as the Pteramon.

No matter how the Pteramon attacked, they couldn't get a good clean hit on Beetlemon and Loweemon. Those two kept dodging their artillery while moving randomly around the streets. It was like playing a game of cat and mouse, and the cats were losing horribly.

"What are you doing?! One of the MailBirdramon berated angrily. They didn't chase the Legendary Warriors like the Pteramon but could monitor and radio them using their electronic communication system. What the Pteramon saw, they could see as well. The MailBirdramon witnessed the current actions of the pterodactyls and grew frustrated. "You have the numerical advantage! Separate and pincer them!"

The Pteramon executed the order and all separated leaving only two to pursue after the Beetlemon and Loweemon each. Soon after, the rest came out of the other streets and alleyways cutting off the duo's escape paths. It forced the Legendary Warriors to run in a specific direction.

The Pteramon regrouped once again, but this time, they had the advantage. The pterodactyls had Beetlemon and Loweemon each heading in only one direction.

And those directions were dead ends.

Looking ahead, Beetlemon could see a big water tower barring his way, while Loweemon had a gigantic billboard in his. There were no gaps or alleyways around the surrounding buildings. In just a few minutes, they were going to reach those places and have to stop.

"Perfect," A MailBirdramon said, grinning. Those two would be stuck soon. "Prepare your strongest attacks then fire at will!"

The Pteramon executed the order. All of their remaining missile were set to be launched with their targeting system locked on to the Legendary Warriors. Their beaks shined menacingly in the sunlight while their thrusters were about to go on to full blast. They were to hit them with full force.

"It won't be long now," MailBirdramon smiled at the situation. "We might be getting two more spirits today."

"Hmmm," The other MailBirdramon didn't think so. Something felt off. Why didn't the Legendary Warriors use any special attacks and just dodged?

On instinct, MailBirdramon pinpointed each location of the Pteramon and crossed checked them on his internal moniter. Nothing seemed out of place. Then he overlapped with the map of the streets in Sapporo, and his eyes widened.

"Wait! Stop!" MailBirdramon commanded quickly. "Don't Attack!"

But it was too late.

[Missile Storm & Beak Pierce x15] The Pteramon fired all of their remaining missiles then their thrusters blasted out turning themselves into shooting arrows. Both types of attacks sped toward Beetlemon and Loweemon at a breakneck speed.

The Legendary Warriors were almost about to hit their dead ends. If they stopped now, a barrage of missiles and sharp beaks would hit them full force. It looked like there was no way to get out of this situation.

Or was there?

Underneath the shell or mask covering half of their faces, Beetlemon and Loweemon were smiling. This is just what they wanted.

[Lightning Blitz & Shadow Meteor] Lightning emitted from Beetlemon's horn and he rammed right through the water tower. The large water tank broke and fell down the streets making a big splash. Loweemon fired off a golden energy wave from his chest at the poles supporting the billboard. The sign fell to the ground causing wind and dust to sweep around it.

Both of their attacks got rid of their obstacles and created a new path. Beetlemon and Loweemon kept going and in the next moment, they reunited again.

But they weren't alone. The MailBirdramon were right next to them! The Legendary Warriors were back at the Sapporo TV Tower, but closer now than ever. How did that happen?

When Beetlemon told Loweemon to make a tactical retreat, he was silently signaling him something more. All of the Digi-Destined have been friends for many years, so they have a silent understanding of each other. The Dark Warrior saw his friend's hand signs and knew what they meant.

Tactical retreating was part of the plan, but hand signals added more to it. Two fingers meant two allies or enemies. In this case: the MailBirdramon. Waving left and right meant separating while secretly pointing to the water tower & billboard. And finally, the grip into the fist meant reaching the blue mechanical birds and delivering a decisive blow.

Although it seemed like Beetlemon and Loweemon were running around randomly, they were actually secretly heading to their designated locations: the water tower and billboard. Two places that blocked the path led back to the Sapporo TV Tower– right next to where the MailBirdramon were.

The Pteramon and the MailBirdramon were so focused on destroying the Legendary Warriors that they forgot the directions they were traveling in. By the time someone realized, it was already too late.

"Time to go up," Beetlemon grabbed Loweemon and flew them higher. A second later, a barrage of missiles came hurdling passed them with the MailBirdramon right in the middle of it.

[Plasma Cannons & Nightflare] There was no time to dodge, so the MailBirdramon unleashed everything they had at their disposal to stop the incoming missiles. They spewed out plasma beams from their mouths and deployed bombs from their wings skimping nothing. Their frantic attacks did the trick and most of the missiles exploded prematurely, but it wasn't enough.

Stray missiles got through imploding the MailBirdramon. And the onslaught wasn't over yet. The Pteramon came following after from opposite sides just to see each other mere feet apart. The pterodactyls couldn't change direction on time and crashed against each other and the MailBirdramon at full speed.

Loud sounds of metal hitting metal rang out. The Pteramon screeched in pain and some of their mechanical parts went flying. It was like playing a massive game of chicken* with the worst possible outcome.

"Ouch," Beetlemon dropped Loweemon off on one of the steel beams of the TV Tower and looked at the head-on collision disaster. "That has got to hurt."

"You're gonna pay for this!" When the smoke cleared, the MailBirdramon and Pteramon had a lot of dents and internal malfunctions but were still operational. The blue mechanicals looked at the Legendary Warriors in a sharp, angry light and radioed the pterodactyls. "All units! Scatter and use Operation-"

"Yeah not this time," Before MailBirdramon could finish his command, electricity emitted from Beetlemon's hands, and the Thunder Warrior clapped his hands together releasing an electromagnetic wave.

"Argh!" When the wave went past the Pteramon and MailBirdmon got a full hit of static noise in their ears.

Getting enemies to crash into each other was a good plan, but it was only part of it. The other part was to get closer to the MailBirdramon. The blue mechanical birds' ability to relay tactics while watching the entire battlefield was troublesome. They had to be taken out quickly.

Beetlemon could disrupt their radio contact via electromagnetic waves, but he needed to get closer to them. The closer the wave, the stronger the attack. It was like nails on a chalkboard right near the ears: painful. For a team that uses radio to communicate, it would make them chaotic.

Sure enough, the noise was unbearable to the Pteramon and MailBirdramon. Their movement became erratic, and they started bumping into each other. Their current formation was in disarray.

"Loweemon, would you like to do the honors?" Beetlemon asked.

The Dark Warrior gripped his spear tightly. "Gladly."

[Shadow Lance] Loweemon jumped down from the TV Tower to the mechanical birds. He shadow leaped in and out while swinging his spear around. When he landed on the ground, the MailBirdramon and Pteramon got hit fatally by his weapon.

Fractal code appeared around them, and the auto function activated. Half of the data went to Loweemon, while the other half went to Beetlemon. Soon, the MailBirdramon and Pteramon disappeared leaving inoperable drones which fell harmlessly onto the ground.

'Strange,' Beetlemon thought. Before the fractal code left the MailBirdramon, they had a smile on their faces. Why did they smile before their demise?

Vrooom. A noise came out from the Sapporo TV Tower. Facing the tower, Beetlemon saw all the lights in the building shut off like someone turned off the generators.

"Oh no," The Thunder Warrior said looking up. If the TV Tower is out of power, wouldn't that mean…

Sure enough, without an electric energy source, MetalKabutarimon inside the building couldn't sustain himself anymore. He powered down reverting into his relic form.

"Finally," Gigasdramon said and punched through the windows. His metal gauntlet opened up and captured the Beast Spirit of Thunder. "I have acquired the beast spirit."

"Nooo!" Beetlemon shouted, flying up. He now knew why the MailBirdramon grinned earlier. They may have lost the battle, but their objective was completed.

[Lightning Blitz] Lightning streamed out from Beetlemon's horn as he rammed upward toward Gigadramon.

[Giga Heat] The cyborg dragon opened his other gauntlet and released a strong heat wave.

"Argh," Beetlemon grunted in pain taking on the heat wave. It felt like he got hit by a full blast from a heater times a hundred. His Lightning Blitz got interrupted, and he could feel his armor heating up.

[Evil Claw] Gigadramon followed up and raised his metal gauntlet in the air. He then brought his hand down doing a 180-degree swing and slammed right at Beetlemon's back causing the Thunder Warrior to drop from the sky.

"Beetlemon!" Before the Thunder Warrior could crash into the ground, Loweemon shadow leaped next to his friend, grabbed him, and landed them safely back to the ground. "You okay?"

"Yeah…" Beetlemon answered and looked up. He saw Gigadramon flying away not even bothering with them anymore. "Where is he going?"

"Kouji mentioned it," Loweemon said, remembering his brother's text message about his battle with Megadramon. "Now that Gigadramon has your beast spirit, he's probably going to meet up with a rookie-level ally to transport it out of the fractal field. Once your beast spirit is outside, getting it back would be next to impossible."

"We can't let that happen!" Beetlemon was about to take off going after the cyborg dragon but stopped. He felt resistance on his back along with a slight pain. Turning his head, he saw one of his wings bent in an awkward angle. "My wing…"

With one wing broken, Beetlemon couldn't fly after Gigadramon making him grounded. "Loweemon, can you shadow leap after him?" He asked.

The Dark Warrior took one look at the retreating cyborg dragon and shook his head. "Can't. Shadow leaping involves darkness and shadows. Gigadramon is too high in the sky close to the sun. I'm sorry. I won't be able to reach him."

"Dang it!" Beetlemon punched the wall in frustration. Was that it? Was there really nothing they could do? Were they going to lose the Beast Spirit of Thunder?

The Thunder Warrior stared at the wall for a good moment and paused. He then glanced up at the Sapporo TV Tower in all of its metallic glory. "That's it…"

Working quickly, Beetlemon palmed the ground under him. Small sparks of electricity dispersed out and traveled throughout the whole city of Sapporo touching anything electrical. Next thing, the lights, and electronic devices all shut down in the whole city as the power was drained out of them converging into the Thunder Warrior.

Beetlemon then put both hands on the base of the TV tower transferring everything to it.

The TV tower lit up like a city-wide night light. Current electricity moved from metal pillar to pillar. The whole thing was now filled to the brim with Sapporo's power grid.

"Beetlemon, what are you doing?!" Loweemon asked, eyes slightly covered from the brightness.

"If we can't come to him," The Thunder Warrior answered. "We'll make him come to us!"

Beetlemon turned around and punched out a small stream of lightning. The condensed electricity traveled through the sky and hit Gigadramon.

The cyborg dragon felt something on his metal wings and laughed. He knew he got struck with a lightning attack from Beetlemon, but it didn't matter. With how much distance was between them, the lightning was significantly weakened. At most, it would feel like static electricity from touching a metal doorknob.

Gigadramon kept flying. Nothing was going to stop him from dropping the Beast Spirit of Thunder to his ally.

But in the next few moments, something would.

Suddenly Gigadramon's speed slowed considerably until he stopped completely. His body was met with strong resistance, specifically his gauntlets and wings, and the cyborg dragon started to get pulled back by an unseen force. How was this happening? Beetlemon's attack didn't do any damage to him, so why was he forcibly going back to the TV Tower?

He wasn't the only one.

Lamp posts, mailboxes, and other objects left the ground and went to the Sapporo TV Tower staying there. It was like every metal object wanted to stick to the landmark.

Loweemon finally understood what his friend was doing.

There were many ways to make a magnet, and one of them was putting a magnetic material in a strong magnetic field. When Beetlemon took all the electricity from the city, he used it to create a magnetic field around the TV tower. The more electrical power you put into a magnetic material, the stronger the magnet. Basically, the Thunder Warrior made one of the biggest magnets in the world and used Gigidramon as the other attractional force.

Soon, the cyborg dragon came back with surprising force and slammed against the TV tower. His metal wings and gauntlets were magnetized against the metal pillars like industrial glue. He wasn't going to be flying again anytime soon.

"You did it!" Loweemon exclaimed. "Gigadramon's back!"

"Great…" Beetlemon fell to the ground on one knee, exhausted. "Because I'm at my limit."

Even for the Legendary Warrior of Thunder, channeling a whole city's electricity was a lot. It was like cramming everything into a small box without bursting. The concentration and control would mentally deplete the user. Fractal code surrounded the Thunder Warrior, and he transformed back into Junpei.

Without Beetlemon supplying energy to the TV tower anymore, Gigadramon could start moving his body again. He forcibly freed one of his gauntlets and aimed it at Junpei. He had to get rid of these annoying pests once and for all.

"Not so fast!"

[SCA: Aerial Shadow Meteor] Before the cyborg dragon could open his gauntlet, Loweemon shadow leaped next to the metal gauntlet and blasted out a Shadow Meteor in mid-air interrupting Gigadramon's attack. Not only that, but the force of the attack was so strong the cyborg dragon's gauntlet flew up and accidentally hit himself in the face.

Loweemon used the opportunity and appeared next to the other gauntlet. He raised his spear and stabbed down on the wrist.

"Ahhh!" Gigadramon roared in pain. The hit to the face wasn't enough. Now he was pierced on the hand. His metal gauntlet automatically opened and the Beast Spirit of Thunder became visible.

The Dark Warrior shadow leaped inside, grabbed the beast spirit, and jumped out.

"Junpei!" Loweemon threw the Thunder Spirit. "I think this belongs to you."

The Beast Spirit of Thunder flew down and landed next to Junpei. The boy lifted up his head and took one look. Standing so close, he could feel the strong attraction coming between them.

"No!" Gigadramon shouted. "You will not take my prize! I will have that spirit!"

[Guilty Wind] The cyborg dragon aimed his gauntlets at them and created a suction force. Small rocks lifted off the ground and got sucked inside the gauntlets followed by the sounds of grinding. Soon, Junpei also started to leave the ground as he and his beast spirit slowly flew toward Gigadramon.

"Not today!" Junpei took out his Digivice and pointed toward his beast spirit. A small beam of light came out touching the spirit, and it quickly entered the Digivice. The Symbol of Thunder appeared on the screen.

The Bearer of Thunder clutched his Digivice tightly to his chest. As soon as the beast spirit was reunited with him, he could already feel his exhausted body being recharged by its energy. "Let's fight once more, my friend."

[Execute! Beast Spirit Evolution - MetalKabutarimon]

Junpei spirit evolved into MetalKabutarimon, and he landed back on the ground hard. Guilty Wind wasn't strong enough to lift his heavy body off the ground now. More importantly, the Beast Warrior of Thunder was back, and this time, there were no security system limitations to stop him.

[Bolo Thunder] Electricity gathered in Thunder Warrior's arm until they were two large orbs. MetalKabutarimon then let it rip. The lightning orbs linked together and spun together heading straight toward Gigadramon.

"Ahhh!" The cyborg dragon took the attack head-on. His body got electrocuted and then went numb. The recently weakened improvised tower magnet got reenergized, and his gauntlets stuck on it to it again.

MetalKabutarimon fired off more Bolo Thunders each more damaging than the last. Gigadramon took them all on, and smoke covered most of the upper TV tower.

"Did that do it?" Loweemon said, looking at the smoke.

Gigadramon roared angrily out as the smoke dispersed. The Thunder Bolos didn't do it. "I have had just about enough of you two!"

With explosive fury, the cyborg dragon ripped off the steel beams from the tower freeing his arms. The metal was still stuck to him, but now he could attack. He aimed his metal gauntlets at the Legendary Warriors and opened them. "Take this."

[Genocide Gear] Countless organic missiles came out and shot toward Beetlemon and Loweemon. They came down upon them like a stream of angry piranhas. It looked neverending. Gigadramon emptied his whole artillery to destroy them.

"Loweemon, throw your spear!" MetalKabutarimon bent down on all fours. A glass panel popped out from his back. It locked onto Gigadramon and missiles as the gauge quickly charged to full. The Thunder Warrior's gun turret aimed perfectly at the center of the explosive piranhas.

[UA: Electron Javelin] Loweemon threw his spear while MetalKabutarimon fired an extremely high-speed positron laser from his gun turret. Both attacks combined, and all the electricity from the laser entered the spear making it more concentrated. The weapon became sharper and faster as it continued its course.

Like a shooting arrow, the spear pierced through the stream of organic missiles like air causing them to implode early. The explosions did little to nothing to slow the weapon's speed. It kept going and plowed straight through the cyborg dragon's chest to the other side of the TV tower.

"No…" Gigadramon looked at the visible hole in his chest. He would've felt immense pain, but the leftover electricity from the Electron Javelin was numbing it. Still, he could feel his life slowly ebbing away.

The magnetism ended, and the cyborg dragon fell to the ground, body barely moving. Fractal code appeared around him as his figure darkened.

[MetalKabutarimon - Slide Evolution - Beetlemon]

The Thunder Warrior approached the fractal code with his Digivice in hand.

"Soul that is infused with evil. Be purified by my thunder." Beetlemon said and swiped his Digivice against the data. "Fractal Code, Digitize!"

The code left Gigadramon leaving only his vessel, the last flying drone. With him gone, the battle in Sapporo was over.

"Wait," Loweemon grabbed Beetlemon's just as he was about to transform back. "Let's get away from here before changing back."

"Okay…" The Thunder Warrior replied, a little confused but complied. He and the Dark Warrior retreated. When they were a good distance from the tower, they transformed back into Junpei and Koichi.

Fractal code surrounded the area, and the two returned to the Real World.

"Look at all this damage," Junpei stared at the current scene. It wasn't good.

Officer Wakeme was still knocked out from being tased. Soda cans fizzled out on the ground everywhere. A car was parked in the middle of Odori Park on the grass. Flying drones laid on the ground broken. And the area was devoid of people. It was awful.

Although the damage done inside the fractal field was repaired, it didn't fix the damage that was already done in the Real World. If Digimon could do this much damage in their vessel forms, what would happen if they used their real forms? Junpei didn't want to think about it.

"But we managed to stop it before it got worse, and that's what's important," Koichi reassuringly patted his friend's shoulder. The reason why he wanted Junpei and him to distance themselves from the TV tower was to avoid attention. If they transformed back then, they would've been smack in the middle of the destruction making them prime suspects. And the last thing they needed was to get the police involved.

Even if they were proven innocent, the Digi-Destined were on a time limit. He and Junpei couldn't waste any time at the police station being interrogated. The best thing to do was let the authorities handle damage control.

"Who's going to take the blame then?" Junpei asked. Someone had to be held responsible for all of this. It made him feel bad if poor Officer Wakeme was it.

"No one," Koichi answered. "This was a technological issue. The police will probably pass it off as a machine malfunction or being hacked. Either way, Sapporo won't be using flying drones again anytime soon."

"I wouldn't want to either after this." Junpei laughed at the last part. "But you're right. We stopped them, and that's what's important. Now let's get the other beast spirit. The faster we get all of them, the faster we can stop all of this."

"Then we better get moving."

Koichi and Junpei took one last look at the Sapporo TV Tower before heading back to the airport to catch the next flight. The Beast Spirit of Darkness was their next stop.

Chapter Text

The Fujiyama Snow Resort Yeti was a ski resort in Susono, Japan. It was located at the Second Station of Mt. Fuji and mainly offered a cafe, shop, a ski school, and amazing views of Mt. Fuji. Although the place was the busiest in the winter, there were other activities tourists could do and the staff could still teach people how to ski with the latest technology and contraptions.

Currently standing at the bus stop was Takuya. He kept rubbing his arm trying to stay warm. Although it was the beginning of Spring, the place was still cold from the leftover snow.

"Achoo!" Takuya sneezed. "Tell me again why we had to stop at a snow resort first."

"Can't be helped," Tomoki said. He returned from a shop and gave his cold friend some hand warmers. "We can't control the bus stops."

After Tomoki and Takuya exited the Mount Kintoki Loop trail, they took the bus heading to their next destination. Unfortunately, the bus had multiple stops and stayed at Resort Yeti for a 1-hour break.

"But why though?" Takuya rubbed on the hand warmers. The small pouches heated up warming his hands. The duo just came out of one cold area. Now they were stuck in another one. Why didn't Korikakumon reside here? The name of the resort literally had "Yeti" in it. The cold was starting to get to him, and he wanted to leave now.

"You'll have to take it up with the bus driver," Tomoki shrugged. "Though I'm pretty sure he stopped for the food at the restaurant."

"Sure, he gets to eat delicious food, while we are trying to save the world but stay in the freezing cold."

"Sometimes heroes don't get the recognition they deserve, but they still do it anyway. Just stick it out for a little while longer. The cold's not that bad…"

"Easy for you to say!" Takuya ran in one place to keep his body warm. "I'm not the Legendary Warrior of Ice!"

Tomoki couldn't refute that and just smiled. Being a Bearer of a Legendary Warrior of a specific element did have its perks. For him, the cold didn't him affect as much compared to others.

"I'm sorry sir, but I can't help you!" A voice shouted in the distance.

Turning their heads, Takuya and Tomoki saw a man talking to the bus ticketmaster near the station. The man with blond hair had a pleading expression on his face, while the ticketmaster looked frustrated.

"Do you think we should try and help them?" Tomoki asked.

"Might as well," Takuya answered. "Anything to stop thinking about the cold."

They both walked closer to the man and Ticketmaster until they were in hearing range.

"I told you I don't understand what you're saying!" The ticket master said. "Can you try speaking Japanese or English?"

"Non ti capisco! Mi sono perso e ho bisogno di indicazioni!" The blond man answered in a different language.

The conversation kept going left and right leaving both parties in both frustration and distress.

Takuya and Tomoki completely understood the problem. There was a language barrier between the two. The blond man must have been a foreign tourist visiting Japan and had gotten lost. Now he was asking for help, but the Ticketmaster couldn't understand him leading their conversation to go in circles.

"Man, if only Kouji was here," Tomoki said, thinking about his multilingual friend. "He could help the poor man."

"Izumi could too," Takuya added. "The man is actually speaking Italian."

Hearing his language being called out, the blond man turned his attention toward Takuya. He walked up to the boy and grabbed him by the shoulders. "Help! Mi scusi giovanotto, ma puo aiutarmi a parlare con questa persona analfabeta?"

"Umm…" Takuya said. He didn't know how to respond to the poor foreigner.

"Per favore! Non so cos'altro fare!" The blond foreigner pleaded. He was really at the end of his wits.

Takuya looked at the begging man and sighed. He couldn't turn his back on someone who needed help and if he could do something about it. "Ok, ti aiutero."

Together with the blond man, the Bearer of Flame walked to the Ticketmaster. The man explained where he wanted to go while Takuya relayed everything in Japanese. If the Ticketmaster needed more details, Takuya would then relayed it to the foreign tourist in Italian making himself into a middleman.

After around 20 minutes, everything was in order. The blond man had a bus ticket and transportation info to Shinjuku. He and the Ticketmaster sincerely thanked Takuya and went on their separate ways.

"Well, that finishes our good deed for the day," Takuya said, stretching his arms for a job well done. "The bus driver should be finished with his lunch break by now. Ready to head on back Tomoki?"

But his friend wasn't responding. Turning around, Takuya saw Tomoki gawking at him like he just witnessed an extremely shocking event. Why did the boy look so surprised?

"Takuya," Tomoki finally uttered. "Did you just speak fluent Italian?"

'Oh, crud!' Takuya silently cursed to himself. He couldn't believe what he just let slip. "Um… Yeah, I guess. The man needed help and directions after all."

"But how?!" The Bearer of Ice asked. The shock didn't leave his voice. "Izumi told me you still hadn't mastered the language yet."

"It's been a long time since we last talked, buddy. A lot can change like speaking Italian easily."

"It's only been a week, and Izumi complained to me about it yesterday!"

'Oh come on!' Takuya silently cursed again. Seriously, why did all his friends keep in close contact with each other?

"Takuya… What's going on?" Tomoki gave him the interrogation stare. He was not going to let this go.

"Nothing is going on," Takuya feigned ignorance. "I can just speak another language. It's not a big deal."

"Oh really?" The Bearer of Ice pulled out his phone and tapped to his contacts. "Then I'll call Izumi and let her know. I'm sure she'll want to know about this."

"Ok ok ok ok ok," Takuya relented, stopping his friend from calling the girl. "The truth is I learned to speak Italian well for a while."

"So you lied to me back then?" Tomoki said recalling their conversation from the train a week ago.

"It wasn't technically a lie. I really did have trouble learning Italian, but then something weird happened."

"What do you mean?"

"Well…" Takuya then got to explaining his story.

It all started after the train ride. Tomoki's words got to him, so Takuya wanted to try a different method of learning Italian. Back in his room, he put on his headphones and listened to a soccer match in Italy. If books and tutoring couldn't help his Italian, maybe listening to it will.

The result was. Takuya fell asleep. Although he loved soccer, listening to it in another language was hard and exhausting. After about 30 minutes, the boy drifted off. By the time he woke up, it was already morning the next day causing him to sigh. It looked like the listening method didn't work.

But contrary to expectations, the method did work. When Takuya put on the headphones again, he had a much easier time understanding the language. At first, the boy thought he was dreaming, but after listening for 1 hour and pinching himself, it was real. Takuya got much better at understanding Italian!

But the question was how?

He checked his laptop more carefully and looked at its history. Turns out, the video was still playing, and on autoplay. So while Takuya was napping away, the soccer match in Italian kept pounding in his ears. Even when the video ended, the next one popped up with someone speaking Italian. This continued throughout the whole night.

"Okay. So what you're telling me is that you unconsciously listened for one night, and now you can speak Italian more fluently?" Tomoki concluded.

"Well, I tried it some more the following nights," Takuya answered. "The more I did that, the easier it was to learn Italian. I still need to work on some of the writing though, but should be able to master that shortly."

"Seriously? You've been struggling with the language for months, and now you completely understand just by listening to it while sleeping?"

"Yeah… I don't completely understand it either," Takuya laughed lightly. "I did look into it online though. They say my automatic learning might have come from a subconscious level."

Takuya automatically learning Italian didn't happen in just a few nights. His months of lessons with Izumi were a big factor. He did retain all the information, but it was stuck like a clog in the drain. Only when he blasted himself nonstop with Italian that the clog break and the knowledge came flooding in throughout his brain.

"I'm just going to stick with the fact you can speak Italian now," Tomoki said, not wanting to go deeper into this. Everyone had their different styles of learning and remembering after all. "One thing still confuses me. If you mostly learned Italian now, why is Izumi still teaching you?"

"Well…" Takuya scratched the back of his head thinking carefully about what to say. "Since I'm leaving in a few weeks, I was hoping just to stick it out."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want Izumi to get a conceited head. If she found out I could speak Italian thanks to her, I would never hear the end of it. She'd be so pleased with herself and wave it around me all the time. It'd be annoying!"

"But isn't she already annoying you with all her nagging during the tutoring sessions?"

"Yes, but it would be worse if she found out. So I'm just going to deal with her for a few more weeks then go to Italy. Then I'll tell her I mastered Italian by living in the country. This way, Izumi won't get to brag about how I learned Italian because of her."

Tomoki was caught up to speed about his friend's secrecy but felt like he wasn't getting the whole picture. "This seems to be a bit complicated just to avoid some bragging. Besides, Izumi isn't like that. She'll probably be happy for a short while then let it go."

"You don't know that!" Takuya retorted. "It's better to be safe than sorry. I'll just deal with the sessions until I leave."

"But that's makes no sense! Why would you want to spend all this time with Izumi when you can just tell her-" A realization hit Tomoki causing the boy to grin. "~Ohhh~, I get it now."

"You do?"

"Yeah," Tomoki's grin became wider. "You want to spend more time with Izumi!"

"What?! No!" Takuya got flustered waving his hands everywhere. "I already told you. I'm lying to get Izumi to leave me alone."

"Sure because what better way to get someone to leave you alone is to spend more time with them." The Bearer of Ice nodded in a non-believing way. "Completely logical."

"It's not like-"

"Tomoki! Is that you?" Before Takuya could finish his sentence, a voice called out in the distance.

Turning their heads, the duo saw a boy around their age coming towards them. He had light brown hair, dark brown eyes, and winter gear covering most of his body. He was a person Tomoki was very familiar with.

"Katsuharu!" The Bearer of Ice said, surprised. "What are you doing here?"

That's right. The person was Katsuharu. Back when they were younger, Tomoki had two bullies. One was Teppei, while the other was walking towards the duo: Katsuharu.

When he saw Tomoki, his first impressions of him were weak and needy. The little boy always hid behind something or someone when things got tough. It made Katsuharu look down and bully him.

But then, he saw that same scared little boy jump in the line of fire and save Teppei, a boy who used to bully the little kid. Slowly, his opinion of him changed and now, Katsuharu is one of Tomoki's strongest supporters and helpers in the campaign for student council president.

"I could ask you the same question," Katsuharu answered waving to Takuya as well. "I told you my reason for being here, remember?"

"Oh! That's right!" Tomoki exclaimed, remembering their previous conversation. "You mentioned earlier you were going on a ski trip. I guess this is where you went."

"Correct," Katsuharu waved his skis to prove it. "That's why I'm here. The bigger question is: Why are you two here? You never told me you were going here. You said you would be working on your campaign."

"I was, but an emergency came up. This is just a stop. Once the bus driver break's over, we'll be heading to our real destination." Tomoki pointed to the closest mountain peak: Mt. Fuji.

Mt Fuji is an active stratovolcano and the tallest mountain in Japan with an elevation of 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft 3 in). It's one of the country's "Three Holy Mountains" making it a famous landmark and cultural icon by sightseers, hikers, and mountain climbers. The place has been used on multiple shows and movie appearances worldwide.

"Mt. Fuji!" Katsuharu said in shock. "You guys want to go to Mt Fuji?"

"Yeah…" Tomoki replied while sharing a confused look with Takuya. "Why? Is there a problem?"

"Tomoki…" Katsuharu looked at his friend sadly. "I don't want to be the one to tell you this, but Mt. Fuji just got deemed off-limits to the public."

"What!" Tomoki and Takuya shouted at the same time. "Why?"

"While I was skiing, some vans stopped by earlier and a couple of scientists looking dudes came out. My mom and I got a chance to talk to one of them, and he told us something alarming about Mt. Fuji."

"What was it?" Tomoki asked. He and Takuya's interests were piqued.

"That the volcano was showing signs of erupting."

"What!" The duo shouted again but louder this time.

"Yeah, those scientists were geologists. One of them was on site doing regular checkups and found irregular signs from the volcano. Signs of the thing erupting. The whole team is probably there right now running extra tests, but judging from our initial conversation, it's not looking too good."

"But Mt. Fuji hasn't erupted since 1707," Tomoki stated remembering his history lesson in class. "Now all of a sudden, it might go off? That's crazy!"

"Yeah, that's why they're closing off the trails to Mt. Fuji until further notice. It's why I'm at the bus station. My mom and dad want me to check the trips on going back to Shibuya."

"But if what you say is true," Takuya said. "Why hasn't there been an announcement yet on evacuation? Wouldn't there be some warning on a natural disaster?"

"Fat chance!" Katsuharu scoffed. "The geologists are still running tests to be sure, so it doesn't cause unnecessary panic. Even if they did announce it, what of it? This is the biggest mountain in Japan. If it erupts, forget the people here. The damage would cause astronomical damage to the whole country taking decades to recover."

"That's insane!" Tomoki couldn't help but say.

"It is. It is also why I'm here at the bus station. My parents wanted me to check the bus rides back to Shibuya just in case. Better to be home if disaster strikes after all."

While Katsuharu said that, Takuya was deep in thought. Something felt off. His beast spirit was located in Mt. Fuji which showed signs of eruption. It couldn't have been a coincidence.

"Katsuharu, did the geologist mention anything unnatural about the eruption?" He asked.

Katsuharu raised his eyebrows and answered. "Now that you mentioned it, yeah. He told me their readings were strange. At first, something had caused the temperature in the volcano to spike but not enough to cause an eruption. Then another force came into play, and both are clashing back and forth. The geologist believed the collision of those two forces are what causing Mt Fuji to go crazy."

Takuya and Tomoki shared a look having the same thoughts. If their hunch was right, the Beast Spirit of Flame went to Mt. Fuji to reside then someone or something found it and is currently fighting it. The enemy must have located the beast spirit first trying to capture it. The duo had to hurry.

"Okay," Katsuharu said, breaking their thoughts. "What's going on? Spill it."

"Nothing going on," Takuya replied.

"Yeah," Tomoki added. "We're just on a vacation taking in the sights."

"Really?" Katsuharu crossed his arms. "Because you would've told me weeks ago if you were going somewhere like Mt. Fuji."

"I felt like being spontaneous and hike on a mountain. Nothing's wrong with that."

Katsuharu's eyes scanned Tomoki and Takuya closely then he sighed. "Something happening in the Digital World again, isn't it?"

"What?" Takuya and Tomoki went wide-eyed and shocked. "How did you…"

"Come on Tomoki," Katsuharu practically scoffed. "I've been friends with you for years. I rarely see your current distressed yet determined expression. Not even when you found out about your competition for president in the upperclassmen did you make this expression. The only time I've seen you make that expression was in the Digital World."

"That still isn't enough to conclude that the Digital World is involved," Takuya stated.

"There is also the fact that you're not with your parents. If you were going on vacation, you would be with them, not Takuya. Seeing you two together secretly trading glances makes me highly believe the Digital World is involved."

"Your friend's very smart," Takuya whispered to Tomoki.

"Yeah, He is," The Bearer of Ice agreed and filled Katsuharu on everything. His friend already figured out most of the situation. Might as well tell him the whole story.

"I see…" Katsuharu rubbed his chin after Tomoki finished. "So you and your friends are looking for your beast spirits and the reason for Mt. Fuji's abnormal behavior is due to a butterfly effect caused by a fractal field from enemy Digimon. That is distressing indeed."

"Yeah, It's why we need to head to Mt. Fuji," Takuya said. "Tomoki and I might be the only ones who can stop it from erupting."

"Then it might be difficult. The area has just been closed off to the public. Even if you manage to sneak through, you'll be spotted by the authorities in no time."

"Great…" Tomoki leaned his back in frustration. He and Takuya could help with the problem on Mt. Fuji, but the police wouldn't believe them. Seriously, what was the point in being the Legendary Warriors if they couldn't use their title to through a mountain? "So we're doomed?"

"C'mon Tomoki. Let's not give up," Takuya wrapped his arm around Tomoki's shoulder reassuringly. "We just have to think of a plan. If we put our heads, I'm sure we'll think of something."

"But will we have enough time?" The Bearer of Ice asked skeptically, "We just got here and don't know the area well. Mt. Fuji could erupt by the time we figure out a viable plan.

"Umm…" Katsuharu then spoke up. "I might have an idea."

Tomoki and Takuya looked at the boy, and then it hit them. They didn't know the area, but Katsuharu did. He's been at the resort near Mt. Fuji for days. If anyone might know what to do here, it would be him.

"Katsuharu do you know how to get to Mt. Fuji without being stopped by the police?" Takuya asked.

"Yes," The boy confirmed. "But the method is a bit unorthodox. How do you two feel about heights?"

…

"This is your idea," Takuya said. "Paragliding?"

Katsuharu led Tomoki and Takuya to a more uphill area where people could paraglide on parachutes. Currently, the workers were strapping them into harnesses.

"It's the best plan I could come up with on such short notice," Katsuharu explained. "The police won't be able to stop us if we're airborne."

Katsuharu's plan was pretty simple. They would paraglide past the blockage and fly straight to the top of the volcano. It was a good plan breaking two birds with one stone.

"But isn't when someone paragliding, they're attached with a rope on their harness." Tomoki pointed out. "How will be able to get to the top of the mountain with the rope on us?"

"That's easy," Katsuharu answered nonchalantly. "Once in the air, we'll detach the rope ourselves and let the wind carry us."

"Wouldn't the workers get angry at us if we did that?"

"You'd be surprised how many people do that here," Katsuharu said. "It's why we had to sign the waivers earlier, remember? They were forms stating the company isn't liable for any injuries or accidents that may occur while airborne."

"That's… convenient," Tomoki didn't delve any further. Well, if their customers kept putting themselves in danger, the company might just make them sign some forms and make it a part of their activities.

"Hold up," Takuya said, eyeing Katsuharu. The boy was wearing a harness too. "You're coming with us?"

"Of course," He replied like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"No," Takuya rejected immediately. "You can't spirit evolve like me & Tomoki. It's too dangerous for you to go."

"True but you're gonna need my help. You guys can't spirit evolve if you can't get to the fractal field at the top of Mt. Fuji."

"Isn't it just flying up a mountain? It's not that difficult."

"Sure. Sure." Katsuharu nodded, understanding Takuya's logic. "Let me just ask you a few questions. Do you know which strings to pull for descending or ascending your parachute?"

"Umm… The ones in front?"

"Can you tell which air current to take to fly you higher before feeling it?"

"Umm…"

"Last question: Do you know how to detach yourself from your parachute before the wind picks up and blows you back into the air again?"

"Uhhhhh," Takuya couldn't answer any of Katsuharu's questions.

"Takuya, just give up," Tomoki said, laughing a little.

It was just like Katsuharu to utilize his knowledge like this. When Tomoki started becoming friends with him, he found out how smart the boy was. He always got straight As in school and had a lot of outside knowledge, not a lot of other kids his age knew. It was mainly the reason the why older boy was in charge of logistics and strategies in Tomoki's campaign for student council president.

"Let's him go with us. If there is any danger, we'll be there." Tomoki added. Although he didn't want his friend to be in any danger, his instructions on paragliding were helpful.

Takuya contemplated for a moment then agreed. Katsuharu's knowledge would make their job easier.

"Alright! You three are strapped and good to go." The worker said. "You guys ready to fly?"

When Takuya, Tomoki & Katsuharu nodded, the worker started up the large fan, and they were off in the air.

"You guys ready?" Katsuharu shouted through the wind when they were high enough, and Tomoki and Takuya both nodded. "Then now!"

The trio unclipped the rope attached to their harnesses and flew higher into the sky. Soon, the natural wind caught them, and they went flying straight toward Mt. Fuji.

"We got runners!" The worker shouted and half-heartily wrote their names down on his binder. When those three came back, they would have to return the company's equipment or pay for them. Luckily, they also paid a down payment, so it wasn't much of a problem.

The worker was too used to people pulling this stunt.

…

"Woohoo!" Takuya cheered. Along with Tomoki and Katsuharu, he was gliding through the air as the wind blasted at his body. It felt so exhilarating. "This is amazing!"

The trio had only been flying for 15 minutes and with Katsuharu's guidance, they were long past the blockage and already halfway up the mountain. "We'll be at the top in no time!"

"Maybe we should probably be vigilant now," Tomoki shouted through the wind.

"What to do you mean?" Takuya asked.

"Well if what Katsuharu says is true, and Digimon are causing Mt. Fuji to erupt, we have a high chance to enter a—"

Fabrics of fractal code appeared covering the mountain and sky. It moved swiftly through the area and left just as quickly.

"—fractal field… Katsuharu! We need to land now!" Tomoki shouted. If they entered a fractal field, the enemy wouldn't be too far away. Their next steps had to be done more cautiously.

Unfortunately, it was too late.

[Wind Seeker] Wind blades came flying and sliced through the strings & parachutes attached to the trio. Without them, Takuya, Tomoki & Katsuharu couldn't stay airborne and were falling fast to the ground.

"You have got to be kidding me!" Takuya complained while Tomoki and Katsuharu screamed. The ground was looking closer to them. First Izumi fell down the 199 building in Shibuya and he & his friends are now about to crash on the hard stone of Mt. Fuji.

Was this going to become a regular thing?

Chapter Text

Time for evasive action!

[Execute! Spirit Evolution - Agunimon & Korikakumon]

While airborne, Korikakumon caught Katsuharu, and he and Agunimon landed safely on the ground.

"Everyone okay?" Agunimon asked.

"Yeah," Korikakumon answered and looked at Katsuharu. "You alright buddy?"

"Uh-huh," Katsuharu nodded, breathing heavily. He wasn't used to attacks like earlier, and it was the second time his life got threatened. The first time was when Crusadermon attempted to take his fractal code in the Digital World. He stared down to try to relax his nerves. "Umm… What coming from the ground?"

A small metal object poked out of the ground. Looking at it more closely, it seemed to be tiny drills. Agunimon and Korikakumon reacted immediately and jumped out of the way as giant moles popped out of the ground roaring.

The moles had purple and white fur. Their nails were like tiny drills and had a longer drill attached to their snouts.

[Wind Seeker] Wind blades came from the skies and whistled straight toward Agunimon. The Flame Warrior leaped to the right avoiding the air attacks.

"They wasted no time in attacking," Agunimon raised his fist. Flames lit up from his gauntlet like a Bunsen burner. He looked at the sky and saw a bunch of humanoid birds.

The humanoid birds possessed wings but had female upper bodies. Their feathers were mostly white except for some golden feathers located at the end of their winds. They wore silver, gold-laced armor on their upper body and had large bird-like claws instead of feet.

Drimogemon: A champion-level, animal-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Drill Spin and Bone Crusher. These mole-like creatures can move underground at high speeds with gigantic drills attached to their snouts. They are rarely rare to encounter due to the species always digging underground.

Harpymon: An armored-level, mythical beast-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Wind Seeker and Silent Symphony. With their bird-like wings and upper female body, they are known as thief Digimon who are called the "Snatcher" due to stealing valuables from ruins.

[Bone Crusher x3+Wind Seeker x5] Three Drimogemon pulled out bones and threw them at Agunimon like boomerangs. Following, some Harpymon flapped their wings and unleashed gusts of wind. The attacks mixed together, and the wind accelerated the spinning bones.

"Not enough," Moving like a boxer, Agunimon swerved left and right dodging the first two bones then grabbed the last one. "Right back at you!" He threw the bone back, and the dog chew toy hit a Harpymon square in the chest. The harpy fell down and crashed into a Drimogemon.

Agunimon took the opportunity and jumped up for an attack. His fists were already on fire. "You're finished!"

[Pryo Pun–]

"Agunimon! Watch out!" Korikakumon shouted.

"Huh?" The Flame Warrior looked up and saw a blink of light come from higher up the mountain. The next moment, a ray beam shot out heading straight towards him. "Uh-oh."

Before the attack could connect, a tomahawk came in between and deflected it for a moment. Agunimon quickly made his body heavier and landed back on the ground. The beam blasted through the tomahawk but hit empty air.

"That was close," Agunimon said. "Thank Korikakumon."

"No problem," The yeti replied, taking back his tomahawk.

The Flame Warrior looked high on Mt. Fuji. Where did that attack come from?

Higher in the distance and a few kilometers from the peak of Mt. Fuji was a robotic two-legged dinosaur. He was covered in black metal armor and looked weaponized for war. In his hands was a sniper rifle used for long-range combat.

Sealsdramon: A champion-level, cyborg-type Digimon whose special attacks are Death Behind and Scouter Monoeye. Story says that only the one that passes the "Selection D", a special test that screens through 100 Commandramon, can digivolve into Sealsdramon. They can over short distances at speeds impossible to perceive with the naked eye and their primary function is assassination.

[Scouter Monoeye] A few meters across from him was a second Sealsdramon. He scanned Agunimon's body. Once he located a vital part, Sealsdramon fired his own sniper rifle shooting a concentrated positron beam straight to the Flame Warrior's heart.

"Whoa!" Agunimon leaned right just enough to dodge the beam. "That was even closer."

"Agunimon! Below!" Korikakumon yelled, but his warning came too late.

[Drill Spin] A Drimogemon popped out of the ground and speared Agunimon. The metal drill made an impact with the Flame Warrior sending him flying.

"Why you!" Korikakumon said, practically growling. He was about to throw his tomahawk at the mole to give his friend some payback.

"Tomoki! Second one incoming below!" Katsuharu warned seeing a tiny metal drill poke out from below. During the battle, he hung on the back of Korikakumon's head hanging by the braided hairs. It was the only place where the boy was safe against the enemy onslaught.

[Drill Spin] A second Drimogemon popped out from under Korikakumon. His drill aimed right at the chest.

Luckily, the Ice Warrior saw it coming and slightly shifted his body back narrowly avoiding a pierce to the heart. He then forcibly grabbed the drill ignoring the spinning and pulled the mole out from the hole. The yeti lifted his tomahawk to slash Drimogemon, but a beam hit his weapon stopping him. He had to let go of the mole as a second beam came through almost hitting him.

[Wind Seeker x12] All the Harpymon flapped their wings creating an area-wide wind blast. The attack hit Agunimon and Korikakumon pushing further.

The Legendary Warriors lowered their bodies closer to the ground. If they didn't, the wind would fly them off the mountain.

"Korikakumon!" Agunimon called pulling out his Digivice. "We need cover!"

"Agreed!"

[FA: Frigimon's Subzero Ice Punch x2] A pair of phantom Frigimon appeared in front of the Legendary Warriors and punched the ground. Two tall ice pillars popped out, and snow bears faded away.

Agunimon and Korikakumon then leaned against the ice like blockages. Wind crashed against it, but the pillars held firm. Now they at least had some cover and regroup.

"Okay, what was that?" The Flame Warrior recalled what happened a few moments ago. The enemy came at them quickly, but it was more than that. "I feel suffocated from fighting these guys."

"More like restrained," Korikakumon answered in understanding. No matter what they did, their attacks kept on getting interrupted. It was like fighting with both hands tied behind your back. "I don't know how they're doing it though."

"They're using terrain warfare," Katsuharu spoke up. Unlike Agunimon and Korikakumon who were fighting for their lives, the boy had an up close and personal front-row seat observing everything. He knew exactly what was going on.

"Terrain warfare?" Agunimon asked.

"It's a military strategy that considers the terrain's effects on combat and movement through tactics," Katsuharu explained. "There are mainly three different types of Digimon out there. Think about what each of them did and our environment."

The Legendary Warrior took a moment to contemplate it and understood what Katsuharu was saying. The Drimogemon used the ground to surprise with their drills, while the Harpymon utilized the high winds to amplify their air attacks. These Digimon were made to fight in this environment!

"So the Drimogemon surprised attack us through the ground while the Harpymon strikes in the sky," Agunion summarized, taking a peek over the ice. "What do the Sealsdramon do?"

"Distance," Katsuharu answered. "They're trained snipers and have the high ground. Their job is to find the best possible moment to halt your movements and launch lethal attacks."

As if to prove his theory, a bullet of light shot out heading straight toward Agunimon's head. The Flame Warrior moved out of the way just in time. The beam pierced right past him taking out a good chunk of ice.

"So they have us on ground, air, and range," Agunimon said, disgruntled. "Great… Does anyone else have anything they like to add?"

"I do," Korikakumon replied unfortunately. "I don't we have a lot of time until the volcano erupts."

"What do you mean?"

"Haven't you noticed it when entering the fractal field? Look at the top of the mountain."

Agunimon looked at the peak of Mt. Fuji and understood what his friend meant.

Before entering the fractal field, there didn't seem to be anything wrong with the volcano. It looked more like a mountain and dormant to the sight.

But after entering the fractal field and looking at it now, Mt. Fuji was far from dormant. Smoke billowed from the top, and the temperature went up a few degrees. One of Japan's most famous landmarks now looked like a dangerous volcano seen in movies.

"Roaawww," The sound of a dragon's roar echoed throughout the whole area causing the whole mountain to shake like an earthquake. The Legendary Warriors grabbed the ice pillar to keep their balance and their enemies temporarily stopped attacking.

After a few moments, the shaking subsided.

"That's not good," Agunimon said. He recognized the roar anywhere. It came from his beast spirit. Judging from the sound, the spirit was in the middle of a battle and losing. "We need to get to the top of Mt. Fuji now!"

If the Legendary Warriors didn't hurry, they were going to lose the Beast Spirit of Flame. Not only that, the volcano was on the verge of erupting. The fractal field was doing a good job containing it, but once Mt. Fuji went off, nothing was stopping it from spilling into the Real World. Who knows what kind of damage will happen?

"That's going to be pretty hard with our current circumstance," Korikakumon said, pointing to the other side of the ice pillar where the Harpymon resumed their air assault. He also looked down to check if any Drimogemon were going to pop up. "Unless you have an idea on how to get passed this."

Agunimon didn't, but maybe someone else did. "Katsuharu, you have a pretty good grasp on the situation. Got any solutions in that smart brain of yours?"

"I do," The boy answered. "The solution is simple but hard to execute. You just have to take out one of the variables."

"You mean taking out the Harpymon, Drimogemon, or Sealsdramon?"

"Right. The strategy they're using against us is solid, but it's too balanced." Katsuharu explained. "Take out one of them and their whole formation falls apart."

"Great idea," Korikakimon said. "How do we do that?"

"Umm… I don't know…"

"What!" Agunimon shouted. "What do you mean you don't know? It's your idea!"

"Look, I'm sorry," Katsuharu responded, slightly apologetic. "But there are a lot of variables going on right now and finding the most optimal solution is going to take time." The boy looked at the ice pillar. The cracks around it were getting bigger. "Which we don't have a lot of. Unless you can think of something faster."

Agunimon didn't, but Katsuharu did have the right idea. Take out one of the Digimon types and the rest will follow. The real question was how, and the Flame Warrior looked around to see if there was anything he could use.

Unfortunately, his prospects weren't much. All he could see was just ground and rocks. Not much work with. It was the perfect area for the Drimogemon to dig around in but not him. It caused the Flame Warrior to sigh but didn't give up. There had to be something around this volcano he could work with.

'Wait a minute…, A thought suddenly occurred to Agunimon. 'A volcano… That's it!'

[Silent Symphony x15] The Harpymon unleashed a series of silent but powerful screeches. The sounds touched the ice pillars, and they shattered like fragile glass causing the Legendary Warriors to jump away from their makeshift blockade.

"Korikakumon! Brace yourself!" The Flame Warrior warned. His fists were already on fire. "Things are about to get a little hot."

[Pyro Punch] Agunimon proceeded to punch out fireballs to the ground multiple times halting their enemies' attacks. He kept at it until the ground around him was red and then touched it humming something to life. Korikakumon and Katsuharu looked at him strangely. What was he trying to do?

Soon though, they found out. Steam started to show up in their surroundings. A part of Mt. Fuji got hotter until the area felt like a sauna.

"Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch! Ouch!" Korikarumon complained. His feet kept jumping up and down. He felt like he was stepping on hot rocks. "Besides burning my feet, I don't see how heating the ground helps us!"

"No…," Katsuharu said, eyes widened in understanding. "It's a great idea! He's going to suffocate them out!"

Soon, the Drimogemon popped taking deep breaths of air. Their faces and hands were sweating profusely. It looked like they wanted to find the nearest lake to drink from. These guys weren't the only ones who could use terrain warfare.

Agunimon wasn't just punching fire into the ground to stop his enemies. He was tapping into the magma deep within the volcano and willing it to heat up the whole battlefield. If it was already hot just by stepping on the ground, imagine what it was like digging under it. The feeling would probably be like being stuck inside a car during 100-degree summer weather. Not fun.

"Nowhere to run now!" Agunimon shouted and dashed in front of the moles. He made sure to appear in the right position to block the Sealsdramon's sight preventing any sniping.

"Agunimon! Use these!" Korikakumon threw his tomahawks to the Flame Warrior.

"Thanks!"

[UA: Pyro Axe Whirlwind!] Agunimon grabbed the weapons, jumped up, and went into a spin forming a fiery tornado. The flaming vortex engulfed the three Drimogemon. First, the moles experienced the burning sensation from the swirling fires then the tomahawk swings came slashing at multiple parts of their bodies.

"Argh," The Drimogemon screeched miserably from the flames and cuts. Fractal code appeared around them, and the data went to Agunimon's Digivice. The flames kept moving leaving behind three moles who scampered down Mt. Fuji.

The fire tornado plowed right through the horde of Harpymon and headed straight toward one of the Sealsdramon.

[Scouter Monoeye x2] Sealsdramon attempted to scan in hopes of locating the Flame Warrior, but it was no use. The swirling flames were making him too well hidden. The snipers readied their weapons to get in the perfect shot.

When the fire tornado moved in close enough, it dispersed and Agunimon appeared. He held the tomahawks in front dropping down fast toward one of the Sealsdramon.

The sniper took the shot, but it was deflected by the tomahawk. The attack didn't even slow the Flame Warrior down, and he kept going.

"Get rekked!" Agunimon slashed deeply at Sealsdramon. He cut from the sniper's left shoulder going down toward his right hip.

"Ugh," Sealsdramon grunted before his fractal code appeared. It automatically entered the Flame Warrior's Digivice, and a worn-out lizard action figure appeared falling to the ground.

Agunimon suddenly bent backward as a beam flew straight past him. The other Sealsdramon fired the other shot. He turned to look at the sniper and said. "You're next."

As the Flame Warrior ran his way toward him, Sealsdramon fired off more shots, but it was no use. Agunimon kept deflecting them with the tomahawks or dodging them. One of the main weaknesses of snipers was short-range combat. Once someone got close enough, they would become easy pickings. Both fighters knew that too well.

"Harpymon! Come and distract the fiery one!" Sealsdramon commanded and moved backward. He wanted the humanoid birds to intercept the Flame Warrior, while he found a new location to snipe.

Unfortunately, Korikakumon wasn't going to let that happen.

[Frozen Arrowheads] As the Harpymon tried to fly to Agunimon, the yeti jumped in between. He swung his body, and his extensible hair braids flew out. The bladed edges on each braid aimed at the humanoid birds.

The Harpymon panicked and swerved. They managed to dodge the bladed braids, but their flight pattern was disrupted. They weren't going to come to Sealsdramon's aid anytime soon.

Katsuharu was right. By taking out the Drimogemon, the Legendary Warriors had an easier time fighting. The current formation was useless on them now.

With no other interference, Agunimon had no problems closing in on Sealsdramon and was only a few feet away from him. He raised the tomahawk and slashed. "You're finished."

"Not yet…"

[Death Behind] When the tomahawk was mere inches away from Sealsdramon, he pushed his rifle back causing the axe to hit the strap. Free of his heavy weapon using the momentum, the sniper moved behind Agunimon and pulled out a knife. He aimed at a specific vital part of the Flame Warrior's back and thrust forward. "Die!"

Screech! The sound of two metals clashing rang out, but the collision wasn't between knife and armor. It was a clash between weapons. Before the knife could pierce the armor, Agunimon angled the other tomahawk to cover his backside making Sealsdramon's last ditch lethal attack ineffective.

"Nice try," Agunimon turned around and gave the sniper a spinning round kick causing him to fly right into the air. "Korikakumon!"

Three bladed braids came and pierced deep into Sealsdramon midair. "Arrgh," The sniper grunted in pain. Freezing cold energy infiltrated his body. Fractal code appeared around him and automatically went to the yeti leaving the second discarded worn-out lizard action figure.

"Roaargggh," Another dragon roar rang out shaking the whole mountain again. But this time, something felt different. The roar was weaker than the last one, the shaking seemed more erratic, and the temperature rose. Whatever was happening inside Mt. Fuji, the dragon was losing.

"Guys! I'm gonna go on ahead. Take care of things here without me!" Agunimon stated, passing the tomahawks back to his friend and sprinting higher up the mountain.

[Avalanche Axes] The Harpymon tried to pursue the Flame Warrior, but Korikakumon wasn't going to allow that to happen. He swiftly jumped up in front and waved his tomahawks crazily at them.

Unfortunately, the humanoid birds were prepared.

[Wind Seeker x15] The Harpymon dispersed and then all attacked with wind blades. At first, Korikakumon managed to slash apart the wind blades with berserk strength. But then the humanoid birds focused their attacks at one point and blasted the yeti back to the ground creating a small crater.

"Grrr…," Korikakumon stood back up growling. Although he and Agunimon managed to beat the Drimogemon and the Sealsdramon, the Harpymon still had the aerial advantage. Avalanche Axes had high attack mobility but low range. Those pesky birds could just attack mid-range, and they knew it too.

His other attack, Frozen Arrowheads, was a no-go either. It had the range, but the mobility was too linear–like a straight-shooting arrow. The Harpymon would easily dodge the Frozen Arrowheads and continue their assault. Korikakumon could manipulate his braided hairs but not against numerous foes. Manipulating each braid simultaneously and doing different things would give in a massive headache. At this rate, the humanoid birds were going to outlast him and catch up to Agunimon.

"Tomoki, do you remember when we were watching that movie where that lady was using a rope dart?" Katsuharu asked. He was still hanging on the back of the yeti's head.

"...Yes," Korikakumon answered, confused. They were still in the middle of a battle. How was remembering a movie supposed to help him?

"Turn your tomahawks into a rope dart. It'll solve the issue of your range issue and beat these birds," Although Katsuharu couldn't do much in fighting, he could still observe the battle and offer sound advice.

"It's a good idea," The Ice Warrior understood his friend's logic now, "but I don't have any chains or ropes that I can attach to my weapons here."

"You don't need rope or chains," Katsuharu pulled up the yeti's hair braid. "You already have the perfect substitute right here."

Korikakumon's eyes lit up, and he quickly manipulated his hair. Two braids each wrapped tightly around his tomahawks. Two more also wrapped around Katsuharu making sure the boy was secured.

"Better hold on," The yeti said to his friend. "I'm about to go crazy!"

[SCA: Avalanche Meteor Axes] Using his new makeshift weapons, Korikarumon went berserk. His tomahawks flew straight at two Harpymon. The humanoid birds managed to dodge, but then the dual-bladed axes pulled back and hit them in their backside. When his tomahawks returned, the yeti twirled the axe at his foot, stepped on it, and pulled at the braid. Once taut to the fullest, he lifted his foot, and Tomahawk shot out to another Harpymon hitting her like a bullet. The poor humanoid bird didn't even have enough time to dodge.

Thanks to Katsuharu's advice, Korikakumon created a new attack. Avalanche Axes always lacked range, but by using his hair braids as rope, the yeti now had a longer distance to attack. Although it took more movements to fling the tomahawks, the cost was well worth the reward.

Remembering how the lady used her rope dart to fight and making sure Katsuharu didn't get accidentally hurt with his attacks, Korikakumon went rampant on Mt Fuji. His tomahawks danced in the air like meteor hammers as they hit the Harpymon.

The humanoid birds couldn't predict the trajectory or dodge the duel-bladed axes anymore. All they could was let the Tomahawks hack them. Their fractal code appeared automatically going to Korikakumon. The Harpymon then transformed into white birds, and the little animals flew away from the mountain. Their defeat was imminent.

With no more obstructions, Agunimon could now get to his beast spirit. As he made his way higher, the slope became steeper, and the Flame Warrior had to resort to climbing. But he made it and stood at the mouth of Mt. Fuji.

"Whew," Agunimon waved some smoke away from him looking down below. He still couldn't see much through the volcanic smog but could feel the temperature rising from the heat waves. The Beast Spirit of Flame was definitely down there. "Here we go."

The Flame Warrior wasted no time and jumped into the volcano. Just like the Legendary Warrior of Ice wasn't affected much by the cold, the heat had no effect on Agunimon, even in magma-level temperatures. Still, Takuya would never attempt this if he was in his human form.

After falling a few kilometers, Agunimon finally landed on solid ground. Looking around, he mostly pillars and patches of rocks with walls surrounding him like a pit. What wasn't rock was filled with molten hot magma.

The Flame Warrior stared at the dangerous bright, red liquid. It was bubbling like crazy, and he could feel something holding in but about to burst. If something wasn't done, Mt. Fuji was set to blow.

"You came…," A guttery voice said in the distance.

Following the sound, Aguinimon saw a creature that looked like he was born from the volcano.

He resembled an earth dragon with a black body matching the minerals of burning coal. His claws, teeth, horns, and other parts of his body glowed bright red like magma, and the spikes on his back kept puffing out smoke like mini-volcanos.

Lavorvomon: A champion-level, rock dragon-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Mightly Flame and Earth Stamp. They are a Digimon whose entire body are made out of lava, and spouts mineral dust as they go about their activities. Even though they have wings, they can't fly but can crawl extremely fast despite their appearance. They usually have a friendly personality, but now have become evil thanks to the Demon Lords' influence.

"So you defeated the Drimogemon, Harpymon, and Sealsdramon, huh?" Lavorvomon said, then smiled. "Unfortunately, it was all for naught."

Hovering around the lava dragon's arms was the Beast Spirit of Flame. It was in his relic form releasing intimidating pressure.

"Don't tell me…," Agunimon stared at his other spirit and could feel it weakening. He heard from the others earlier about how their enemies grabbed their beast spirit and tried to make a run for it.

But Lavorvomon wasn't doing that. Instead of taking the spirit, he looked like he was trying to…

"The Beast Spirit is mine!" The lava dragon shouted in triumph as the last resistance from the relic broke.

"Noooo!" Agunimon dashed at Larvorvomon trying to stop him, but he was too late.

A bright light exploded engulfing both the Digimon and spirit, and the Flame Warrior got pushed back from the force. When the light faded, Larvorvomon or spirit wasn't there anymore. Instead, there was a tall dragon-like creature.

He stood upright like a human in a bipedal posture. His head consisted of a bird-like filled with razor-sharp teeth, and blue, raptor eyes, and was almost entirely covered by a silver helmet with crimson stripes, an emblem, and horns related to the Greymon Species. He had flaming, feathered wings, sharp claws on each of his limbs, and a muscular body covered in crimson armor, inlaid with silver panels and golding etchings. Both forearms were equipped with triangular, golden superweapons.

"...I was too late." Agunimon said, looking at the new Digimon. He knew this appearance all too well. His beast Digimon form: BurningGreymon.

The Beast Spirit of Flame had been taken over…

Chapter Text

BurningGreymon: A variable, dark dragon-type Digimon whose special attacks are Pyro Barrage and Wildfire Tsunami. He is the beast spirit descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientGreymon, and was said to be born from research data from an active volcano. His skin can withstand high temperatures, moving easily in lava, and he possesses superweapons called "Rudriya Darpana" on each of his arms.

When BurningGreymon first landed in Japan, he couldn't find a compatible vessel to bond with and decided to reside inside Mt. Fuji. Being in an environment of his elemental affinity, like an active volcano, slowed his energy consumption and conserved power.

Unfortunately, the hiding place made it easy for others to look.

When Lavorvomon and the others found him, they immediately went on the offensive, weakening the beast spirit. Before they could strike more serious blows, the Drimogemon, Harpymon, and Sealsdramon retreated. Besides the lava dragon, the others couldn't stand the hot temperatures inside a volcano. The mole didn't even attack to avoid touching the magma, and the beast spirit was located right in the center of it. The current environment made it impossible for most Digimon to fight in.

Looking at things currently, Lavorvomon decided to stay and fight BurningGreymon alone while the others stayed outside guarding the entrance. The signs of Mt. Fuji erupting and the dragon's roars from earlier were due to the dragons fighting. Their fighting was inciting the volcano.

After some time, the lava dragon managed to defeat BurningGreymon's spirit form and was about to take it. But he underestimated how ferocious this beast spirit was. As soon as Lavorvomon tried to touch it, he got blown back a bit by the pressure.

Out of all the spirits of the Legendary Warriors, the Beast Spirit of Flame was the most aggressive. It was the reason why Takuya felt so conflicted about transforming into BurningGreymon a second time back then. The first time, he nearly burned down the forest and destroyed his friends. Even in its relic form, the thing was not gonna go down without retaliation.

Lavorvomon growled in frustration. Looks like the only way to get the Beast Spirit of Flame was to make it submit to him, so he put in the rest of his energy to pressure the beast spirit and take it over. Agunimon and Korikakumon managed to arrive during the middle of the lava dragon's work, but by the time the Flame Warrior arrived, it was too late. Lavorvomon took control of the beast spirit.

"Hmm…" BurningGreymon/Lavorvomon closed his eyes and took a moment to adjust to his new form. It was like a fire lit up inside him, invigorating his whole body. "What power…"

He looked at his claws and flexed his muscles, exerting fiery heat. Taking over the beast spirit wasn't part of the plan, but it was the best choice the dragon made. The power felt so good to him.

"Raargh!" BurningGreymon released a deafening roar. The sound caused Agunimon to shield himself with his arms, and Mt. Fuji to shake even worse. The magma around them increased slightly.

"What amazing strength! Hahahaha!" The dark dragon laughed hysterically and looked at the Flame Warrior. "I'm in a good mood today, so why don't you just surrender, and I'll spare your life."

"Don't think that you've won just yet," Agunimon said, getting into a fighting stance.

"You really think you can beat me now?" BurningGreymon mocked like he just heard the funniest thing in the world. "You of all people should know how strong I am."

"We won't know unless I try!"

[SCA: Gatling Burst] Agunimon dashed in front of the dark dragon and performed a series of rapid-fire punches. He attacked multiple areas of the body, not letting BurningGreymon get an attack in. For the final strike, the Flame Warrior jumped and did a spinning round kick to the face.

BurningGreymon's face moved slightly from the force but stopped. "Hmph. Hahaha…" He giggled lightheartedly. "You call those punches. Let me show you what a punch is like." The dark dragon gripped his claws into a fist and jabbed Agunimon straight in the gut.

"Gurrgh," The Flame Warrior couldn't help but cough out, releasing some saliva. He felt like he had been hit by a cannonball.

"Come now," BurningGreymon wasn't done yet, and continued his assault. For each blow, Agunimon got pushed back, losing ground. "Where's your bravado from earlier? This can't be all you've got… huh?"

During the punches, the Flame Warrior grabbed one of the dark dragon's arms. Although he was getting beaten, his fighting spirit didn't falter.

"Raaargh," Releasing a war cry, Agunimon pulled the arm and jiu jitsu flipped BurningGreymon to the ground. The dark dragon became slightly stunned, with his back to the ground.

[Pyro Darts] The Flame Warrior then flicked multiple flaming darts from his gauntlet at BurningGreymon until all he could see was fire.

"Time for finisher!" Agunimon punched his fist together. Flames swirled around his gauntlets, forming a concentrated flaming ball.

[SCA: Blaze Shot] The Flame Warrior tossed the fireball in the air and performed a bicycle kick. The ball shot down at a 45-degree angle, hitting the lying dark dragon straight in the chest.

BOOOOOOOM! A large explosion rang out. Fire expanded wildly around like they were dancing. Any human caught in those would've burned to ash.

'Did that do it?' Agunimon stared at the flames. He had hit his enemy with a lot of firepower.

Unfortunately, it didn't.

The flames dispersed, and BurningGreymon got up and walked out without a care in the world. Some fire lingered on him, but the dark dragon didn't even seem to notice. If anything, the guy had a refreshed look on his face.

"Ahhh… Nothing like a nice, hot, fiery bath to relax you," He said, stretching out his muscles. "Now… Where were we?"

[Pyro Punch] Agunimon sprinted at BurningGreymon, punching out his blazing knuckles. But the dark dragon anticipated the attack and grabbed both of his fists. His fire got put out by the crushing power. The Flame Warrior struggled to push back or break free, but BurningGreymon's grip on him was too strong.

"This was amusing," BurningGreymon said, pressing down. Cracks appeared on Agunimon's feet. "But it's time we ended this farce." The dark dragon then pushed back, lifted his tail, and swung at the Legendary Warrior, hitting him straight in the gut.

The Flame Warrior went flying and crashed hard against the volcano's walls.

"Let me show a real fiery attack." The Rudriya Darpana attached to BurningGreymon's wrist turned around, revealing the turrets at the end.

[Pyro Barrage] Small beams of lasers rivaling a solar heat ray shot out from the weapons, all hitting the Flame Warrior.

"Geh… Geh… Aargh," Using his arms, Agunimon did his best to protect himself from the lasers, but the shockwaves from them hurt like crazy. If he wasn't the Legendary Warrior of Flame, mitigating most of the heat from attacks, Pryo Barrage could've been a lot worse.

"Now this is an attack!" BurningGreymon kept up his onslaught while inwardly laughing. He was using the Legendary Warrior's own beast spirit to beat him. The irony was so blissful. "To die in the hands of your own spirit. What a sad, amusing ending. Hahaha."

Soon, the walls and ground around Agunimon broke apart, caving in on him and creating a small crater. Magma seeped in, forming a pool with the warrior in the center of it.

"Hmm… I wonder which will end you first?" BurningGreymon called. "My lasers? Or the magma? Either way, your demise is coming."

Agunimon kept struggling underneath the lasers, rocks, and magma, but it was no use. His beast spirit was way too strong. He overpowered him in strength, and the beast's firepower obliterated his. The situation was completely hopeless. Slowly, the Flame Warrior started to succumb to his fate. There was no way he could beat his beast spirit.

"Is it really over?" A voice whispered inside his head.

"Huh?" Agunimon froze. Who said that?

Deep within the Flame Warrior's consciousness, in a deep, dark space, were two beings. One was Takuya, while the other was Agunimon. Both were in their spiritual form.

When both vessel & spirit fused, they could communicate with each other consciously, but only if the connection was strong enough. Takuya and the Human Spirit of Flame were doing that right now and created a space just for them.

"Is it really over?" Agunimon asked again.

"...I'm sorry," Takuya answered sadly, "I don't want to give up, but he's way too strong. Our attacks aren't enough."

"I recall us defeating BurningGreymon before in the Digital World. If we beat him then, we can beat him now."

"No offense, but last time the Digimon wasn't exactly willing to be with my beast spirit," Takuya recalled the event well.

Back in the Digital World, when the Bearer of Flame first encountered his beast spirit, a Digimon named Shamanmon found and accidentally spirit-evolved into BurningGreymon. Agunimon had to battle him and managed to beat him, acquiring his beast spirit.

Unfortunately, the difference back then was that Shamanmon wanted Takuya to take the beast spirit away from it. The shaman barely put up a fight.

Larvovomon, on the other hand, wanted and embraced the power of the Beast Spirit of Flame. He had no qualms in using it and even had a strong compatibility, exercising its full strength. There would be no leniency coming from him.

"...True," Agunimon admitted. "Larvovomon has a strong compatibility with our beast spirit, and he using it very well. His firepower far outmatches ours."

"See," Takuya said.

"But there's more to the spirit of a Legendary Warrior than just power." The Spirit of Flame continued. "You can beat BurningGreymon. I know it."

"How?"

"Answer this question. What would happen if BurningGreymon beat you and wins?"

"His power would explode out," Takuya answered instinctively. "The fractal field would break, and Mt. Fuji would finally erupt."

"Thousands would die while millions suffered from the lava and smoke." Agunimon nodded in agreement, providing more details. "Cities will fall, and chaos ensues. Starting with our two friends still fighting on the volcano."

Takuya's whole body shook. He imagined Korikakumon and Katsuharu succumbing to the eruption of Mt. Fuji. His family and friends caught in the aftermath, becoming collateral damage. The lives of Japan turned upside-down due to the tragedies.

"No…," Something lit up inside Takuya. He couldn't let BurningGreymon win. No. He won't let BurningGreymon win! "I'm giving up! Not by a long shot!"

Shortly after, the dark space lit up. Flames brighten the place, powered by Takuya's own determination.

Agunimon looked at his partner and smiled. "There it is," He said. "That's the reason you can beat BurningGreymon."

The spirit slowly walked to Takuya and lightly tapped his chest. "Your feelings. Your passion. Your determination. Those are the feelings that Larvovomon will never have. All he will know is power."

Agunimon's figure started to fade. His power was slowly fusing back into Takuya. "Let those feelings be known, and even the elements will hear you."

The Spirit of Flame became more incorporeal. In a few more moments, he would completely return to his partner, and their inner space would end, but he left some final words.

"Remember, the spirits choose their partners. Although we can be taken over, we decide who we want to be with. We decide who our chosen partner is. Remember. BurningGreymon and I. We chose you!"

"Arrrggggh!" It was the last spark that lit the fuse. Empowered by his burning determination, Takuya roared out as he and Agunimon came together again.

Back inside Mt. Fuji, a massive explosion rang, causing rocks and magma to fly out everywhere. BurningGreymon halted his attacks and saw Agunimon walk out with a fiery passion.

"We ain't done yet!" The Flame Warrior raged. This volcanic showdown was just getting started.

"...Humph!" BurningGreymon paused for a moment before scoffing. He felt something different from Agunimon, but it didn't matter. He still had the upper hand. "Still want to get beaten, huh? Fine! Let's take it up a notch!"

[Wildfire Tsunami] The dark dragon set his whole body aflame. Then, with a wave of his arms and wings, he released a high-temperature tidal wave of flames crashing straight toward Agunimon.

"Ugh," The Flame Warrior took the attack head-on. It felt like he was fighting against the raging currents of flame. Heat coursed through his body. It was powerful.

But you know what. It didn't matter. Compared to his feelings, this pain was nothing!

[Pyro Tornado] Agunimon jumped up into the air and went into a spin. The flames around him moved in sync with him, turning into a fiery tornado.

"That won't be enough to stop me!"

[Pyro Barrage] BurningGreymon aimed his Rudriya Darpana and fired out multiple lasers at the flaming tornado. The heat lasers attack in various areas in hopes of stopping Agunimon.

But the tornado persisted. It kept rising and rising until it exited out of the peak of Mt. Fuji.

"Whoa!" Katsuharu exclaimed. Shortly after defeating the Harpymon, He and Korikakumon slowly made their way to the top and witnessed the swirling inferno. "Did Mt. Fuji finally erupt?"

"Nope," Korikakumon answered. He noticed those flames anywhere. "It's just Agunimon letting off steam."

"What are you trying to do?!" Back inside, BurningGreymon kept up his onslaught, but he had no idea what the Flame Warrior was doing.

The flaming tornado continued to spin, staying in place. It didn't seem like Agunimon was going to attack. If not, what was he trying to accomplish?

Shortly, though, BurningGreymon figured out why. Inside the volcano, the area started to cool down. The magma dried up, turning black. The temperature was so low that even a regular human could step safely inside without thermal gear.

Agunimon couldn't fight BurningGreymon head-on with fire. The dark dragon had way more explosive power, but the beast relied on it too much. So what if the fire was taken away?

The Flame Warrior wasn't using Pyro Tornado to attack. He was using his special move to transfer the heat out of the volcano to outside, cutting off his enemy's big source of power.

"No!" BurningGreymon tried to stop him, but it wasn't just Mt. Fuji that was losing heat. The fire blanketing his body started to go to the flaming tornado, too. He could feel his power draining.

Earlier, the dark dragon could've conserved his energy, but instead, he used Pyro Barrage, speeding up the process. The process became unstoppable, and his power couldn't be reined in. The fire kept on draining until BurningGreymon and the area was a cold, dry husk running on fumes.

"Rrraahhh." The flaming tornado dispersed, and Agunimon roared, coming down with a flying punch. BurningGreymon couldn't even move and couldn't let himself be hit.

'Pow Pow Pow Pow.' The punch connected, and Agunimon followed up with a series of jabs, uppercuts, and body blows. He didn't use any of his fire–only raw, pure strength. He finally ended his onslaught, pulling BurnGreymon by the shoulders and kneeing him in the face. Using the upward force, Agunimon then delivered a double hammer fist to the back of the head, smashing the drained dark dragon to the ground.

BurningGreymon reached his limit, and fractal code appeared around him. The relic form of the Beast Spirit of Flame shone brightly in front.

"Corrupted, evil soul…" Agunimon pulled out his Digivice. "This Digivice will purify you! Fractal code… Digitize!" He swiped against the code, and the beast spirit entered the device.

The relic form of the Beast Spirit of Flame appeared on the screen. Agunimon looked at his Digivice and smiled. BurningGreymon was with him once again. 'Good to have you back…'

Without the beast spirit, Lavorvomon reverted to his champion-level, lava dragon form. He lay on the ground panting heavily.

"Give up," Agunimon said. "I've taken my beast spirit back. There's nothing you can do to fight me now."

"...Hahahahaha," Instead of surrendering, Lavorvomon just laughed manically. That couldn't be good. "You think this is over?" He replied. "We only just begun!"

The lava dragon still had a trick up his sleeve. Fabrics of fractal code surrounded him as his power level spiked.

[Lavorvomon Digivolve to Lavogaritamon]

When the fractal code left, gone was the land-based young lava dragon, and out was a fully grown, menacing one with large, hot, molten-tipped wings that could easily lift his heavy body effortlessly into the air. His leg alone allowed him to stand on two feet and claw through his prey like butter.

Lavogaritamon: An ultimate-level, rock dragon-type Digimon whose special attacks were Melding Blaze and Wild Blast. They usually dwell in the magma beds of active volcanoes in the Digital World or inside volcanoes of other Digimon. Be careful around them, for they can cause an explosion when least expected.

[Melding Blaze] Lavogaritamon fired a laser-shaped heat ray from his mouth. Agunimon guarded against the attack and moved back.

"Since fire doesn't work on you," The lava dragon flew up into the air. Mineral dust chipped off him and sprinkled near the area around the Flame Warrior. "Let's try explosives!"

[Wild Blast] Suddenly, the dust ignited, causing massive explosions. Agunimon went on the defensive, doing his best to protect himself from the multiple impacts.

"Explode! Explode! Explode! Explode! EXPLODE!" Lavogaritamon kept flapping his wings, causing his mineral dust to fall endlessly. When the tiny specks touched the ground or Agunimon, they detonated like mini grenades. Explosions rang out everywhere, and dust filled the area.

"Give up," The lava dragon repeated the Flame Warrior's words in a mocking tone. "There's nothing you can do to fight me now."

If it were before, Agunimon would've had an incredibly hard time beating Lavogaritamon's flight and bombing tactic. But the lava dragon left off a phrase. He had his beast spirit back!

[Agunimon - Slide Evolution - BurningGreymon]

"Rrrrargh!" The dust dispersed as BurningGreymon roared out, making his presence known.

"Futile!" Lavogaritamon berated. "What can you do in your beast form that I couldn't do?" He gave a flap from his wing, sending large amounts of mineral dust to the ground.

[Pryo Barrage] BurningGreymon fired out multiple heat rays. When they touched the dust, the specks pre-imploded before reaching the ground.

"Why don't I show you!" The dark dragon answered and issued out a powerful war cry. His sound reverberated through the walls.

Soon, Mt. Fuji started shaking. The once dried-up ground filled up with magma. Hot temperatures returned, and the volcano became active once again.

"...how is this possible?" Lavogaritamon said, looking at the molten hot liquid in shock. When he wielded BurningGreymon, he thought he was using 100% of his power. The lava dragon was wrong.

Looking at how Takuya wielded the beast spirit, the boy wasn't just using all of his strength, but also Mt. Fuji itself. His power was inciting the volcano, empowering it. It was like he was commanding the forces of nature. How was the Flame Warrior doing this?

"You don't get it, do you?" BurningGreymon answered, his body bathed in flames. "Using the spirit of the Legendary Warrior isn't just about power. It's about feeling the world & elements around you, communing with them, and letting their thought be known. And right now, THEY WANT YOU OUT!"

[Wildfire Tsunami] BurningGreymon swung his body and unleashed a high-temperature tornado. The magma below got sucked in as well mixing with the swirling flames. The flaming tornado became part fire and part liquid as it engulfed Lavogaritamon and continued upward.

Outside, a mixture of fire and lava burst out of the peak of the volcano.

"Oh no!" Katsuharu shouted. "Did Mt. Fuji finally erupt this time?"

"Nope," Korikakumon answered, still recognizing the flames and making sure none hit them. "Still, Takuya is letting off steam. Looks like he got his beast spirit though."

Katsuharu looked at his friend questionably. "Takuya does know we're trying to stop a volcano from erupting, not help incite it, right?"

"Yeah… Takuya has always been reckless. There's no helping that. But don't worry! It always works out in the end."

"If you say so…" Katsuharu answered skeptically, turning his attention back to the peak.

Back inside, the flames died down, and the magma dripped back into a pool. Lavogaritamon lay on the ground in agony. The pores on his body kept dripping out magma. It felt like the lava dragon drank too much liquid, and his body was expelling it in the worst way possible.

"What strength…," Lavogaritamon uttered. He could see his strength ebbing away, and fractal code appeared around him. In the end, the lava dragon learned a valuable lesson, although it was useless now: Don't fight a Legendary Warrior in his element.

[BurningGreymon - Slide Evolution - Agunimon]

"It's over," Agunimon stood in front of Lavogaritamon and scanned his fractal code. "Fractal code! Digitize!

The fractal code left the lava dragon and entered Agunimon's Digivice. A pile of coal then appeared in Lavogaritamon's place and dropped to the ground.

Not long after, though, the volcano started shaking violently. The magma boiled uncontrollably. Mt. Fuji was about to erupt!

"I may have gotten a little too heated up," Agunimon chuckled comically and touched the ground. Closing his eyes, he tapped into the deepest part of the volcano using his affinity for fire.

"It's not time for you to erupt yet…," He said softly. "Thanks for the assist, though, but rest… Come back again in a few hundred years or never. Never works the best!"

As if listening to his words, Mt. Fuji calmed down. The shaking stopped. The magma stopped boiling. And things finally got peaceful.

"Did he do it?" Outside, Katsuharu asked cautiously. These past few minutes had been a roller coaster of 'will it or won't it erupt'. Although things seemed calm now, the boy didn't want to jinx it. "Did he really do it?"

"Yeah," Korikakumon answered, picking up Katsuharu off the back of his head and gently putting him down. Fabrics of fractal code surrounded the yeti, and he transformed back into Tomoki. "It's over. Takuya did it."

"Your friend really is reckless. You know that, right? He almost accidentally caused a volcano to erupt!"

"He is," Tomoki didn't deny it, "but that's how he does things. Despite his recklessness and actions, they turn out alright… Most of the time anyway. That's just the kind of person he is."

"I can see that," Katsuharu stared at the peak. His thoughts wandered. "How lucky…"

Back inside, Agunimon scaled the walls. With the battle over, there wasn't any reason to stay in a place with molten magma. Once he landed on the peak, fractal code surrounded him, transforming back into Takuya. The boy looked down and saw Tomoki & Katsuharu making their way up to him.

"Oooyyy!" Takuya waved at them, about to say the good news of getting his beast spirit back, but then his face changed. "Tomoki! Katsuharu! Look out!"

"Huh?" Tomoki said, confused. Before he could say anything, a force came out of nowhere and knocked him flying.

When the Ice Bearer reoriented himself, what he saw next shocked him. In his sight was a large black-claw hand connected to what seemed to be a portal made out of black fog. That wasn't the shocking part. It was what was in his hands that shook the boy. The mysterious limbed assailant had Katsuharu in a vice grip.

"Tomoki… Help…," Katsuharu called weakly, one of his arms struggling to reach out.

"Hang on!" Tomoki said. "I'm coming!"

But the black-clawed hand wasn't having it. It retreated back into the portal, taking its hostage with it.

"KATSUHARU!" Without thinking, Tomoki sprinted after the limb, heading straight into the black fog.

"Wait, Tomoki. We don't know what's in that fog. We have to be careful," Takuya warned, but either the Ice Warrior didn't listen or didn't care; he kept on running and went right into the portal.

"Tomoki…," Takuya couldn't help but sigh. His friends always did say some of his recklessness would rub off on their youngest companion one day. Guess today was the day. "What the heck. Let's go!"

The Flame Warrior didn't hesitate either and sprinted toward the black fog. Once he was through, the portal disappeared, and fabrics of fractal code covered Mt. Fuji, bringing the area back to the Real World.

When scientists examined the volcano again, they found their readings to be normal, as if the earlier abnormal signs were never there. With a few more tests, they announced it as a false alarm, and Mt. Fuji was open to the public again.

As for the three people who played a hand in stopping the eruption, they were never seen. The trio just disappeared… Where on earth did they go?

Chapter Text

Right after Tomoki got his beast spirit back…

In one of the residential houses in Tokyo, Japan, Teppei was looking at a text message from Tomoki on his cellphone.

Teppei!

Guess what! I just got my beast spirit back! The yeti-looking guy! It was a tough battle, but I got him back. Also, I may have gotten my brother and his ex back together again. If the world doesn't end, I hope to see those two dating, so I can endlessly tease them about it! Maybe I should be a matchmaker instead of student council president! (wink emoji)

"Hahaha," Teppei couldn't help but laugh. Tomoki still had time to set his brother up while fighting for Japan. What a multitasker!

Teppei also couldn't help but be worried. Although his friend didn't mention it in his text, he could tell that getting the Beast Spirit of Ice wasn't easy.

When Tomoki returned back from the Digital World years ago, he told Katsuharu and him all about his journey. Some of the details shook them, especially about Lucemon. They couldn't believe there was someone even stronger than the Royal Knights or how close the Real World & Digital World were about to be destroyed.

Seeing Tomoki becoming braver and saving both worlds made him happy, but knowing how much he risked his life was scary.

"Be careful, Tomoki," Teppei said to himself. "I want to see you when you get back…"

"Don't worry. You'll see him again soon…" An eerie voice said.

Teppei's head shot up and looked swiftly around. Who said that?

Before the boy could blink, fabrics of fractal code covered his surroundings. "A fractal field?! But how?" He questioned, looking around.

If there was a fractal field, it meant a Digimon was nearby, but why? There wasn't a spirit around here. Tomoki would've informed him. Unless…

Black fog appeared behind Teppei. A black-clawed hand came out and grabbed him. Most of it covered the boy's mouth.

"Mmmf Mmff!" Teppei struggled to get free, but to no avail. The hand pulled him into the fog.

The portal and fractal code disappeared. Everything returned to normal, but there was one difference.

Teppei was gone!

Chapter Text

Okinawa was a chain of islands located in the southernmost prefecture of Japan between the Pacific Ocean and the China Sea. It had a subtropical climate with white sand beaches, beautiful coral reefs, and mangrove jungles. Okinawa Island, the main island, was the largest and most populous island in the area.

The place has a unique history and culture. It was once an independent kingdom known as the Ryukyu Kingdom and is the birthplace of karate, a martial art that has spread globally. Castles and sites of its history can still be seen today.

Due to the geographic location, the islands are a perfect place for people to go snorkeling, sailing, and stargazing. The area offers a lot of variety of seafood and vegetable cuisines that have contributed to the locals' longevity. Unlike Japan in the mainland, Okinawa has a diverse set of mixed people: Japanese, Chinese, American, etc., thanks to the area being a trading hub for other cultures and the United States occupying the islands for around 27 years.

"I'm sorry, but I can't help you."

On a fishing dock near one of the beaches of Okinawa, Izumi was talking to a fisherman around 40 years old. She had been talking and convincing the man for 30 minutes, but no luck. The fisherman wasn't having it.

'Okay, time to lay on the charm…' Seeing the conversation not going well, Izumi pouted and put on a wronged expression, looking cute. "~Please, sir. Could you help? This shouldn't be a problem with someone with your muscles~" She said in a coquettish and charming tone, even letting out a wink.

Usually, this would make men, and possibly some women, go red in the face, losing their rationale. Take Junpei, for example. If Izumi did that to him, his eyes would turn into hearts, and he would do anything she'd ask.

Unfortunately, the fisherman wasn't one of those people. He just gave her a deadpan stare.

"Little girl," He said. "I'm a 40-year-old married man with a wife who's not afraid to throw slippers at me for forgetting to take off my shoes when coming home, along with a daughter your age. Good day to you."

The fisherman then returned to his boat, completely ignoring the girl.

"Well, that backfired," Izumi sighed in frustration.

"I'm guessing you didn't have any luck either?"

Turning around, Izumi saw Kouji walking toward her with the same defeated, frustrated expression.

"No," She answered sadly. "And that was the last person too. There are no other fishermen left to ask."

Returning to Sukomobanare Island, the boatman took Kouji and Izumi back to the airport, and the private jet took them to their current destination: Okinawa Island. It was the closest landmark to where Izumi's beast spirit was. According to her GPS, the Beast Spirit of Wind was located between the Okinawa and Philippine Seas. So to get to her beast spirit, they had to get a boat and sail there.

Unfortunately, no one would take them. No matter who they talked to or how much money they offered, no fisherman or boat sailor would take them. And the last one just rejected Izumi.

"If push comes to shove, we might have to swim there," Kouji stated.

"Kouji… The distance is barely under 1000 kilometers. Not even an Olympic swimmer can swim that far. Let alone us," Izumi shot that idea down.

"What about renting a boat then?" Kouji offered another idea. "We can get there ourselves."

"And do you know how to drive one of those boats? Because I sure don't."

The option did come up, but it wouldn't work either. Although she and Kouji had been on a boat before, riding and driving one were two completely different things.

"Well, we have to do something. At this rate, the Demon Lords' underlings are going to get your beast spirit before we even take to the waters."

"I know, but right now, I don't see how that's possib—."

"Izumi? Is that you?" Before Izumi could finish her sentence, a voice called out. Turning around, she and Kouji saw a girl walking towards them.

The girl was slightly shorter than Izumi, had brown hair tied into two braids but some strands sticking out, wore a sky blue button-up shirt tucked in a navy blue skirt with yellow sneakers and white socks. Her skin was lighter, which meant that she wasn't a local of Okinawa who mostly had tanned skin from exposure to the beaches and sun. It was a person the two vaguely knew.

"Chiaki," Izumi said, slightly surprised.

That's right. The girl walking towards Kouji and Izumi was Chiaki.

When Katsuharu and Teppei decided to stay in the Digital World, two others decided to stay and journey together with them. One of them was this girl right here: Chiaki.

"I knew I recognized you two," The braided girl said, smiling. "What a nice surprise."

"...We could say the same thing," Izumi replied. "What are you doing here?"

Although Japan was small compared to other countries, it was still very rare to meet a familiar face in a distant place like Okinawa. Despite its size, Japan had a population of around 125 million people.

"Well, I'm here for my cousin, Minami's," Chiaki answered. "She's getting married this week, and I'm here for her wedding."

"Oh, that's wonderful!" Izumi exclaimed. "Congratulations!"

"It's my cousin who's getting married, but thank you. She and her fiancé, Kai, have been dating for years. He finally proposed to her last year, and they're so happy! "

"How romantic!".

"You don't know the half of it," Chiaki giggled, sharing the sentiment. "But enough about me, what are you and Kouji doing here?"

"Umm…," Izumi didn't know how to answer the question and turned to Kouji for help.

"We're trying to rent a boat and someone to take us to the Philippine Sea 1,000 kilometers away from here," He explained.

Chiaki blinked and took a moment to let the boy's response sink in. "...I'm sorry. Did you just say you two wanted to go to the Philippine Sea?"

"That's right," Kouji confirmed. "It's why we're here."

"Are you crazy?" The braided girl's look changed from questioning to bewilderment. "You guys do know the Philippine Sea is in the middle of a deadly storm, right?"

Oh right. One thing Izumi and Kouji forgot to mention was that the Beast Spirit of Wind was in the middle of stormy weather. It wasn't just a normal storm either. If this weather hit Okinawa, meteorologists would have classified it as a Category 5 hurricane.

Luckily, the storm was nowhere near the island, so the place didn't have to go into lockdown. Still, meteorologists kept a close watch of the area and recommended that everyone not go sailing today.

With that kind of information, it was no wonder Izumi and Kouji kept getting rejected by sailors. No one wanted to risk their lives. Even offered a lot of money, they had to be alive to use it.

Unfortunately, according to Izumi's GPS, the Beast Spirit of Wind was located in the dead center of that storm. If the Legendary Warriors wanted the beast spirit, they had to brave the seas.

"We know about the storm," Kouji said, "but we still have to go anyway. It's important."

"What's so important that you have to risk your lives?" Chiaki questioned.

Kouji shared a look with Izumi using their eyes to silently communicate.

"…Is there something you're not telling me?" Chiaki inquired, knowing they were withholding information.

The duo kept silently communicating until Izumi finally spoke up. "I think we should tell her. She knows about the Digital World, so she won't think we're crazy."

"The Digital World? What does the Digital World have to do with anything?"

Kouji relented and told Chiaki everything. He told her about the Demon Lords, what they were doing to the Digital World, and what he & the others were doing right now.

Chiaki listened with rapt attention. Her expression went from surprise to shock, then finally to worry.

"Oh no," she said. "Are the Mamemon okay?"

During her journey in the Digital World, she and her friends came across a home called Beanstalk Village inhabited by Mamemon. There, the villagers helped and fed them even with their scarce resources. In return, they planted beans which grew to the skies. Although their time was short, Chiaki always thought of them from time to time.

She heard from Katsuharu, who heard from Tomoki, that the Digital World was saved, and the Mamemon most likely returned to their village. It was reassuring. Now, she's just hearing about how the Digital World was in danger again, making her worried.

"We don't know," Kouji answered honestly. "Bokomon didn't go into the details. All we know is that the Digital World is in danger, and to get there, the spirits of the Legendary Warriors are needed. Izumi and I need to go get hers in the sea, but as you can tell, no one wants to go."

I see…," Chiaki said, deep in thought. She understood their predicament. "…I might be able to help you two then."

"Really?" Izumi asked.

"Yes. My cousin's fiancé actually owns a small boatyard not too far from here. We can borrow a boat there. The problem is him. Even if Kai agrees to let us use his boats, he and Minami are too busy with final preparations for their wedding. I won't be able to talk to him, and all the boat keys are under lock and key."

"Maybe that won't be a problem," Kouji said. "Chiaki, can any of his boats start up electronically?"

"Some, yes," She confirmed.

"Then it's fine. If you can lead us to the boat, we can handle that part."

"Okay. Let's go then."

After a few minutes, Chiaki led Izumi and Kouji to a specific part of the boatyard. Standing near them was a speedboat big enough to fit 3-5 people. Judging from its advanced designs, powerful engines, and innovative appearance, this thing was a high-performance, high-horsepower boat made for top speeds.

Kouji whistled. "Now this is a boat. How fast can this thing go? 80 MPH?"

"100-120 actually," Chiaki answered. "It's one of Kai's pride and joy owning a boat like this."

"It shows. I can see why he puts his keys under tight security." While making their way here, they passed by Kai's shack, and Kouji saw a vault through the window. Not only was the safebox electronically sealed, but it was also padlocked in 6 different ways. "Kai really doesn't want any burglars to steal his boats."

"...Yeah, let's go with that." Chiaki turned her to the side, avoiding eye contact.

Kouji raised an eyebrow at the small action. That felt suspicious. He was about to inquire more, but Chiaki continued.

"We're here," She said. "Can you guys get the boat started?"

"Right," Kouji got on the front of the speed, pulled out his cellphone, and pressed it against the controls. "Lobomon, if you would be so kind."

A picture of Light Warrior appeared on the screen, and the hacking function activated. Small pieces of data entered the control board, and soon after, the speedboat roared to life, engines revving.

"Excellent!" Izumi cheered, getting on the boat too, but then palmed her forehead in dismay. "Oh shoot! I was so excited that we finally got a boat that we forgot to find someone to drive it."

You don't have to worry about that," Chiaki said. "We already have a very capable driver."

"Who?" Izumi and Kouji asked at the same time.

"You're looking at her," Chiaki smiled, and got on the boat too. "I'll take you both to the Philippine Sea myself."

The pair looked at the girl in shock. They weren't expecting Chiaki to come along with them.

"You can drive a speedboat?" Izumi asked.

"Yep," Chiaki pulled out sports gloves and fitted them on her hands. "I visit my cousin here a lot, and Minami does a lot of bodyboarding & water skiing around here. I help her by driving the boats from time to time."

"Are you sure you want to go with us?" Kouji asked this time. "This is not a field trip. We're going to heading into some pretty dangerous waters."

"I'm sure," Chiaki put on a life vest and got into the driver's seat. "If the Mamemon Tribe is in danger again, I need to help them in any way I can, and this is the best way."

Izumi didn't need any more confirmation and sat in the seat next to Chiaki, putting on her life vest, but Kouji still felt conflicted.

"Are you absolutely sure you want to go with us?" He asked again. "Your life could be in danger."

Chiaki lost her patience and glared at the boy. "Would you quit your yapping and put on a freaking life vest?! If you ask me that again, I will tie you to a rope and spend the entire trip being dragged in the water!"

"...Sorry," Kouji said tentatively, backing away a little bit. Was it just him, or did this girl's demeanor completely change?

When the boy just put on his life vest, Chiaki's hand had a firm grip on the steering wheel, along with a look of steel determination. "Here we go!" She yelled and stomped on the gas pedal.

The speedboat blasted right out of the boat yard. Kouji didn't even get a moment to sit down. The sheer momentum practically forced him into his seat.

"Ahh," Kouji said, gripping onto his seat tightly. They barely made it out of the boatyard, but the speedboat was already going 80 MPH. "Aren't we going a little too fast?"

"You guys wanted to get there fast, right?" Chiaki replied. "Well, that's what I'm doing."

"…Okay," Kouji had no reason to disagree and resumed holding on.

With Chiaki on the wheel, the trio sped through the seas. They were making great time. But soon, the signs of the storm were coming in.

First, they felt a light drizzle, then the rain poured down like cats and dogs pelting them. The waters became rougher. Further in the distance, giant waves crashed against each other. One hit and the speedboat would easily capsize.

"Uhhh…," Kouji looked at the terrifying, crushing tidal waves in trepidation. "Chiaki… Maybe we should slow down. We need to stop and think about how to proceed…"

But Chiaki wasn't listening. She looked on with fierce determination and increased their speed. The speedboat powered through the raging currents, moving up and down to match the erratic waters. Thanks to its velocity and high-power engines, the boat was doing well, weathering the storm.

Unfortunately, it was about to meet its match. The deeper they went, the rougher the waves.

A few meters away, the waters calmed down a bit, but they gathered together to form an abnormally huge tidal wave.

"Wave! Wave!" Kouji warned. Speed and power weren't gonna cut it this time.

Chiaki worked fast and turned. The speedboat swerved to the side, and they rode across the tidal wave like a surfer. When they made it to the end, the wave subsided, but not before another came, forming a slanted mountain. The girl kept her cool and used the new wave as a ramp.

Whoosh. The speedboat went flying, performed a backwards cartwheel in mid-air, and made a perfect 10 out of 10 landing. There was no time to celebrate, though. More tidal waves formed and crashed about in this restless sea.

Chiaki continued. She moved through the storm like a boss. Whenever a tidal wave was about to hit them, the girl avoided it with high evasive speed and precision.

Kouji and Izumi held on to their seats for dear life. They haven't felt like this since their trip with Trailmon to Beanstalk Village. It was like riding on a rollercoaster without the seatbelts.

This storm was crazy, but the most shocking thing was Chiaki. This girl drove through it without an ounce of fear. How was she doing this?

"Chiaki!" Kouji called out through the raging weather. "Have you done this before?"

"Once or twice," She answered.

Just then, a surprise tidal wave came from the side and engulfed them, forming a tunnel of water.

Chiaki reacted immediately and performed a 360-degree spin, increasing their speed through the wave. They escaped out just as the tunnel of water collapsed in on itself.

"Okay. Maybe three times," Chiaki grinned, obviously lying to the gawking Legendary Warriors. "Why do you ask?"

"Well… You just seem a bit different from before," Kouji carefully said. Judging from their short interactions here and in the Digital World, he thought that Chiaki was a kind person who talked to people in a calming demeanor. He did not expect her to be so crazy and daredevil with an attitude to back it up. "Wait a minute. Is that why Kai puts up all those locks? To also not let you get out to ride in a storm?"

"Yeah. He and other people say that about me a lot," Chiaki answered, not denying it. "I can't explain it, but whenever I'm in the water, I feel so much more alive. My energy spikes up, and I feel like I can do anything."

"So you're telling me you turn into something like this whenever you're on a big body of water?" Izumi asked.

"I guess so. Is that weird?"

"Are you kidding?!" Instead of being shocked, Izumi was ecstatic. "I think you're amazing! Without you, Kouji and I wouldn't have been able to get this far!"

Kouji nodded his head in agreement. Even if they did find a sailor to take them, it was rare to find someone as brave and skillful as Chiaki. Anyone else would have probably freaked out–not her.

"I see… Thanks," Chiaki put her focus back to driving, but she was inwardly a little happy.

Unfortunately, the feeling got cut short. Their journey through the perilous seas was about to hit the second stage.

Fractal code appeared covering the skies & seas around them. When it disappeared, the seas became crazier, the waves stronger. Rain became a torrential downpour, smashing onto the speedboat.

"Whoa!" Chiaki quickly adjusted to these new, dangerous waters, putting 100% of her focus into driving now. "This is some next-level stuff! These kinds of storms are extremely rare!"

That's because this storm isn't natural," Kouji stated. "Look!"

Up ahead, there was a gigantic maelstrom. A twister made entirely of water churning and whirling. The sheer power shifted outwards, causing tidal waves of massive destruction.

"We're definitely inside a fractal field," Izumi said, taking out her Digivice. "That must be the source of what's causing the storm. My beast spirit–she's somewhere in there."

"Then that's where we need to go," Kouji replied. "Chiaki, can you get us near that twister?"

Yes, I should be abl–," She got interrupted as a large flying fish popped out of the water.

The fish's body was light blue with dark blue stripes. He had a head shaped like a torpedo with two blades sticking out of the back. The fins on his body looked like wings on a fighter jet.

The fish opened his mouth, revealing razor-sharp teeth that could pierce metal like a piece of paper. He then arched his body down, coming straight at the speedboat!

Chapter Text

Tylomon: An armor-level, ocean dragon Digimon whose special attacks are Torpedo Attack and Hydro Wave. Due to their unique form, they hold the title of "Jet Plane of the Deep" and can move at fast speeds underwater, even contending with some mega-level Digimon. Because of their ferocious personalities, people who enter their territory are attacked regardless of their size. Another frightening trait is their ability to track, which can distinguish scents 1 km away while underwater.

Before Tylomon could sink his teeth into the speedboat, Chiaki swerved left, missing. He dived back into the water, creating a splash. His shadow under the surface moved about, chasing after them.

"Okay! I've dealt with a lot of crazy storms before. But dodging an attack by a large, angry fish is a new one," Chiaki stated. Sadly, her latest experience was about to become grander.

More shadows started to appear on the surface of the water, about 20 of them, and moved toward the trio. They were keeping up with the speed of a high-power engine boat.

[Hydro Attack x10] Half of the Tylomon went into a spin and turned themselves into water vortexes. They popped out of the water with a single-minded target to destroy the Legendary Warriors and anyone helping them.

[Execute! Spirit Evolution - Kazemon & Lobomon] Izumi and Kouji wasted no time, and spirit evolved!

[Hurricane Wave] Kazemon blasted out a gust of pink wind. The Tylomon's Hydro Attacks got interrupted, and they dove back into the water. The Wind Warrior flew up into the air and unleashed another blast of wind, causing a splash.

[Torpedo Attack x20] Target-seeking torpedoes flew out from the fish's heads. Half popped out of the water heading for Kazemon, while the other half zoomed straight towards Lobomon and Chiaki on the speedboat.

"Whoa! Whaa! Eep!" Kazemon took evasive action and flew further back. She used wind attacks to stop and preemptively detonated the torpedoes, although the explosions left her a little frazzled.

Chiaki used her skills in speedboat driving to dodge some of the other torpedoes. Just when one was about to hit the boat, she'd swerved at the last minute, avoiding the explosions, albeit the shockwaves shook the boat a bit.

[Howling Laser] Lobomon leaped up into the air and fired off light bullets at the rest of the torpedoes, creating exploding pillars of water. Once the last of them was destroyed, he set his sights on the shadows under the water and fired. Bullets of light rained down the seas, hitting like droplets in the water. When it ended, the shadows were gone.

'Where'd they go?' Lobomon asked inwardly.

Splash. Just then, a ring of Tylomon popped out of the sea surrounding the Light Warrior. Their mouths were wide open, teeth gleaming, each ready to tear him up like a bunch of piranhas.

Before Lobomon could become a fish's buffet, Kazemon came in and grabbed him. She carried him flying out of the way. The Tylomon missed their mark, crashed into each other, and dropped back into the water.

The Light Warrior watched as the fish quickly untangled themselves, diving deeper into the sea. Seeing their shadows slowly disappearing under the water caused him to grunt.

"What's the matter?" Kazemon inquired.

"We're at too much of a disadvantage here," Lobomon replied in frustration.

They were currently fighting on the ocean right now. The environment was the perfect battlefield for aquatic-type Digimon. Their biology was suited for fighting and breathing underwater, which most other Digimon couldn't do. It would be insane to challenge them without the proper preparations.

Kazemon was fairing better since she could fly. Lobomon, on the other hand, felt immensely constrained. He was more suited to fighting on land, and the only place where he could stand was on the speedboat. His battle capability was severely limited.

[Terror Spiral x2] Two small water tornadoes popped out in front of them.

Kazemon, reacting quickly, stretched out her wings slightly and curved, barely dodging the attacks. If they got hit by those water tornadoes, they would've crashed into the sea. The last thing the Legendary Warriors needed was being in the water with Man/Digimon-eating fishes.

Lobomon looked ahead at the swirling maelstrom. His mind went through different kinds of variables. "New plan," He said. "Drop me back on the boat. Fighting them head-on won't work."

The Light Warrior then whispered to Kazemon, telling her what she needed to do. The Wind Warrior couldn't help but raise her eyebrow. "Interesting… but okay."

Kazemon dropped Lobomon back on the boat. After finding his footing, he raised his Digivice, and fractal code shot out, moving somewhere between them and the maelstrom.

"Remember!" The Light Warrior reminded. "Make'em mad!"

"Not a problem!" Kazemon replied and flew further back.

"What was that about?" Chiaki asked.

"Nothing to worry about right now," Lobomon answered. "Chiaki… In the next few moments, things are going to get crazy, but whatever happens, keep going straight. Although Kazemon is going to help stave off most of the attacks, it still going to be hectic. Can you keep the boat from capsizing till then?"

"Considering that if I fail, we might all die. Yeah, not much of a choice, is there?"

"Nope!" Kazemon answered from behind. Even through the distance and background noises, she still heard the conversation on the speedboat with her excellent hearing. "You wanted to come with us. What? Has your empowerment from the sea run out of juice?"

"Are you kidding?" Despite sailing in crazy storms, fighting destructive tidal waves, and being attacked by aquatic Digimon, Chiaki didn't falter. If anything, it made her more fearless. "I haven't even gotten started!"

As seawater splashed her entire body, Chiaki felt invigorated by new strength. She took a deep breath, taking it all in, and shifted the speedboat into second gear. "I'VE NEVER FELT MORE ALIVE!"

The boat became faster, sprinting straight toward the maelstrom. Lobomon gripped the railing tightly while making a mental note that only in cases of emergency, never take a boat ride with this girl on the wheel.

[Torpedo Attack, Hydro Wave & Terror Spiral x20] Soon enough, the Tylomon went on the offensive. Water tornadoes, spinning typhoons, and torpedoes came at them like an angry mob. Kazemon used her air attacks to stave off most of the attacks, while the remainder were avoided by Chiaki's driving skills.

"My. My. Is this all you guys got?" Kazemon taunted. "You're gonna have to do much better than that."

[Hydro Wave x2] Two Tylomon turned into water tornadoes heading straight for the trio.

[Roseo Temporale] Kazemon responded in kind. She got to the side of one of the water tornadoes and unleashed rapid-fire kicks. Giving one powerful kick, she used the momentum to do an acrobatic backflip, moving to the other water tornado, and delivered a dropkick. Both Tylomon veered off course, and they crashed back into the sea.

"Better but not quite there yet," Kazemon continued. "To be honest, I don't know why the Demon Lords sent you guys. You'd all be more useful served on a sushi platter!"

The Tylomon went into a frenzy. Their attacks got more ferocious, and they swam towards the trio with an aggressive fury.

"...Is it really necessary to insult them?" Chiaki couldn't help but comment. She had enough on her plate as it is.

"It's fine," Lobomon assured her. "She's just making some light banter to them."

"The killer fish attacking us with torpedoes and blades seems to have a different opinion."

"Don't worry. No matter what happens. Kazemon and I will keep you safe. Trust us."

"...Okay," Chiaki resumed focusing back on driving. Despite sailing around rocky waters, powerful winds, and assaults from temperamental fish, she was doing a pretty good job braving the seas. Her evasive maneuvers kept her and Lobomon safe.

Kazemon kept using her wind to stave off the aquatic attacks while insulting the Tylomon. She was currently outwardly speaking if they should have brought Agunimon here, so he could steam or grill the fish before sending them to the Demon Lords as entrees.

Each insult made the Tylomon angrier. They all swarmed together now like a school of fish. Their attacks became more concrete and precise. Some attacks were starting to land near the speedboat, causing it to shake uncontrollably.

"I don't think we're going to last much longer!" Chiaki said, barely dodging a water tornado by a hair. The attacks were growing too abundant, and she couldn't outmaneuver the next one. "We're going to capsize!"

"It's okay," Lobomon responded. "We're here."

"Here? What do you mean 'here'?"

"This! Kazemon! Now!"

[Hurricane Wave] The Wind Warrior unleashed a wave of pink wind. The attack hit the back of the speedboat, giving it a major speed boost, and the vehicle shot ahead a few kilometers

The Tylomon was about to give chase but froze, feeling an unknown energy below. Looking down, they saw a phantom image of a purple-winged, cyborg serpentine dragon curled up like a ball. Energy kept compressing in it like air filling a balloon to the point where it was about to pop.

Lobomon looked at the scene with a smile and said.

"Boom."

[FA: Megadramon's DG Dimension] The phantom of Megadramon released all of its pent-up power, causing a massive explosion. The Tylomon felt a powerful upwards force and got shot out of the water like a water spout from a whale. They were now in the air, frailing with shock and surprise.

When Lobomon released the fractal code from earlier, it was data he scanned from Megadramon. If he and Kazemon couldn't fight the Tylomon in the water, they were going to force the fish out. So the Light Warrior planted the cyborg dragon into the sea ahead to gather its energy, turning into a ticking time bomb.

Since he couldn't use attacks while using Fractal Assist, Lobomon asked Kazemon to fend off the attacks while insulting the fish. If the Tylomon were angry enough, they wouldn't notice Megadramon near them until it was too late. He and his friends just need to make there safely. And sure enough, the plan worked like a charm.

"Kazemon! Throw me!" Lobomon shouted and jumped up to the sky.

The Wind Warrior grabbed him and, with a 360-degree spin, threw the Light Warrior to the defenseless flying fishes.

[Lobo Kendo] Using one of the Tylomon as a foothold, Lobomon landed and pulled out his light swords. He slashed down at his enemy and leaped to another one. The Light Warrior kept repeating the process until all 20 Tylomon were bisected by his light swords.

Fractal code appeared on all the fish, and the Auto-Scan function activated. The data left their bodies and entered Lobomon's Digivice. The Tylomon then transformed into actual fish and splashed back into the sea, swimming deeper underwater.

Before Lobomon could join them, Kazemon grabbed him and carried him back to the speedboat, where Chiaki looked at them, smiling with her arms crossed. The girl managed to find a small weak spot with a calm wave and put the boat on standby.

"And you guys think I'm daredevilish and crazy when driving?" She said. "What you guys pulled was pretty next level."

"We can transform into Digimon and are used to these kinds of battles, which most humans can't handle," Kazemon replied. "Although you seem to be the exception."

"True enough," Chiaki gave her that. "So what now?"

"Now–," Lobomon landed back on the boat and looked at the swirling waters, "–it's time to enter the maelstrom."

The Tylomon was just the beginning. Whatever was inside that water vortex was going to be much worse.

"We don't have much of a choice," Kazemon double-checked the GPS on her Digivice. "My beast spirit's in there. The question is, how are we going to get inside?"

"Don't worry," Lobomon's armguard slowly charged up. "I got it covered."

"Then what are we waiting for?"

"It's Chiaki," The Light Warrior expressed his concern. "We've barely made it here. Sailing forward is going to be more dangerous. What happens if we push her too hard?"

"Uuuuu… Look at those waves," Chiaki's body trembled with excitement, staring at the dangerous maelstrom. "I always wanted to know what it was like to ride a water tornado."

"Yeah. I don't think she minds," Kazemon said.

Lobomon just shook his head. What was he thinking? He was expressing concern to a person who treated a stormy, raging sea like a skatepark. "Chiaki! Full Steam Ahead!"

"Aye Aye, Captain!" The girl responded like a pirate and went full throttle. With Kazemon flying close behind, the speedboat resumed its course heading face to face into the maelstrom.

[Howling Laser] Before a collision happened, Lobomon fired a concentrated bullet of light at the swirling water. It exploded out, causing an opening big enough for them, and the speedboat & Kazemon shot through.

They entered the eye of the storm.

The inside of the maelstrom was nothing like what it was on the outside. Instead of crashing waves and heavy rains, there was swirling water all around like a wall and a single massive whirlpool under them.

"Whoa!" Chiaki followed the flow of the new water currents as the speedboat landed in the whirlpool. It was shaky at first, but she slowly managed to stabilize the boat. "What now?" She asked.

"We need a bird's eye view," Lobomon answered, signaling Kazemon.

Nodding, the Wind Warrior flew high into the sky until she could see the whole whirlpool below. She scanned the vortex carefully while also focusing on her connection with the Beast Spirit of Wind.

"Anything?" Lobomon inquired.

"All I see is–," Kazemon started to say, but then her face changed. "Lobomon! Chiaki! Watch out!"

Suddenly, a lightning-shaped silver blade popped out of the water right in the path of the speedboat.

Chiaki quickly steered left, barely dodging the blade, although the thing did hit the port a little, causing a small part to be sliced right off. There wasn't even any resistance. It cut through like butter.

Unfortunately, the danger wasn't over yet.

The blade moved like a shark fin above the water and chased after the speedboat. It was like the thing had a mind of its own.

Chiaki stepped on the gas to increase the distance and looked at the accelerating blade, scoffing. For something that looks like a knife, it sure knew how to swim. "What the heck is that thing!?"

"It's coming from under the whirlpool!" Kazemon said. Down below, the Wind Warrior could see that the lightning blade was attached to a shadowy creature that had a serpentine-like body. It slithered and swam at incredible speeds, heading straight toward the speedboat.

Whatever was under the water really wanted to cleave the speedboat in half.

"If this thing wants to cut us into fish food," Lobomon charged his armguard to full power, "it's got another thing coming!"

[SCA: Howling Flare] The Light Warrior fired a flare between the boat and the sea creature. Once the attack entered the water, it lit up in a burst of light. Since water refracted light, it didn't cause any damage above. Underwater, though, was a different story, especially when the sea creature was in close range.

"Roaaarhh," Moments later, the creature popped out of the water, shaking his head to realign his vision.

True to Kazemon's words, the sea creature had a serpentine-like body. His body was covered in red/white scales and had a golden carapace covering his head with seaweed green hair. Attached to the top part of his skull was a lightning-blade that was previously trying to slice Lobomon and Chiaki in half.

MegaSeadramon: An ultimate-level, sea animal Digimon whose special attacks are Thunder Javelin and Mail Strome. They are part of the Seadramon species that have lived long in the harsh seas where the weak are food for the strong. When digivolving from Seadramon, their bodies become larger, heads become harder, and their intelligence is more developed. With their relentless personality, they will chase down prey like a seeking torpedo.

When MegaSeadramon's vision cleared, he saw Kazemon in front of him. The cute butterfly slightly tilted her head and smiled at him.

Then she round-kicked him in the sensitive snout.

The sea serpent backed away a little in painful shock, then became furious. He opened his jaws, revealing his razor-sharp teeth, and lunged at Kazemon like she was his next meal.

The Wind Warrior went left, dodging MegaSeadramon, and flew right past him in the opposite direction. "If you want me," She taunted, "Come get me!"

The sea serpent turned back around and chased after the butterfly. With his attention focused on the Wind Warrior, Chiaki used the opportunity and drove further away from MegaSeadramon.

"Chiaki!" Lobomon stood next to the edge of the speedboat and had one foot on the railing. "Whatever you do, stay away from the battle. One stray attack from MegaSeadramon will destroy and capsize the boat. Keep to the end of the maelstrom. Kazemon and I will take care of the rest."

"Um… How are you going to fight?" Chiaki couldn't help but ask. "You can't exactly stand on water."

"It's fine. Your crazy driving has given me an idea." Before he had any second thoughts, Lobomon leaped off the boat.

[Lobomon - Slide Evolution - KendoGarurumon]

Instead of hitting the water, the wolf lowered his wheels and skied. He was using his speed and velocity to ride the surface of the water like a speedboat. Now, the Light Warrior had more room to fight.

"Kazemon!" KendoGarurumon called. "Let's take'em together! Hold him still for a moment!"

"Okay!"

[Love Tap] On MegaSeadramon's next bite attempt, Kazemon twirled around, dodging the attack, flew on his side, and slammed her buttocks to the face. The sea serpent felt confused and slightly infatuated, stopping in place. Was this a courting technique?

[Howling Star] KendoGarurumon took the opportunity to open his claymore wings. He zoomed at high speeds and slashed past the sea serpent's elongated body, leaving a deep gash.

"Raargh!" MegaSeadramon woke up from his trance and roared in pain, flailing crazily. His erratic state left him vulnerable.

"Time to finish this," Small strings of light channeled in the wolf's mouth as he was about to unleash his Lupine Laser.

"Kouji! Look out below you!" Chiaki warned from the side.

"Huh?" Without questioning it, KendoGarurumon canceled his charged attack and swerved right as a lightning-shaped blade popped out of the water under him. If he didn't move, that blade would've impaled his underbelly.

"You've got to be kidding me," KendoGarurumon looked at the lightning-shaped blade in exasperation. Although the golden color was different from MegaSeadramon's silver, the shape was completely identical. It only meant one thing…

"There are two of them!"

Chapter Text

The golden lightning-shaped blade rose up, revealing the upper body of the second enemy. His appearance was completely identical to MegaSeadramon but with slight variations. Instead of a silver lightning-shaped blade and a golden carapace with green hair, this sea serpent had a golden lightning-shaped blade and a black carapace with yellow hair. His body was slightly darker as well, like he's been in the dark for too long.

WaruSeadramon: An ultimate-level, aquatic-type Digimon whose special attacks are Darkstrom and Evil Icicle. They are Digimon that evolve in vile seas and can control the powers of darkness with the blade on their heads. Their personalities are known to be sly with a tenacity exceeding MegaSeadramon.

MegaSeadramon finally got rid of his pain and dove back into the sea. Seeing his friend safe, WaruSeadramon submerged himself as well. Their shadows moved under the surface of the water as they swam in a circular motion, never touching each other, but matching the whirlpool's currents.

Soon, their speed increased, and the whirlpool became crazier. KendoGarurumon and Chiaki had adjusted their movements to match the new velocity, albeit with difficulty.

"What are they doing?!" KendoGarurumon asked, moving with a whirlpool. If this kept up long enough, he was going to go down from dizziness.

"These Seadramon…," Kazemon watched all the actions of the sea serpents in the air. "They're increasing the strength of the whirlpool!"

MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon were known to be some of the top ultimate-level predators in the sea. A casual movement from them can cause waves that surfers would cheer in joy. If serious, they could sink ships in minutes. The ocean was their turf, and it was hunting season.

[Thunder Blade x2] The lightning-shaped blades came back up the water. Even at a distance, KendoGarurumon and Kazemon could feel the brimming power and sharpness radiating from those blades. They moved with aggressive velocity and precision, speeding straight towards the wolf.

KendoGarurumon reacted immediately and dodged the blade, but just before he could relax, they came back like heat-seeking missiles. The wolf sped in reverse and kept retreating.

And so, the game of Tag began.

The Light Warrior performed zigzags, straight lines, and parallel movements to make himself an unpredictable target, but the twin serpents chased after him relentlessly. Sometimes, their blades would just chase after him. Other times, they would pop unexpectedly out of nowhere, trying to stab him and sink back in just as quickly. Their attack patterns were erratic and kept the wolf fighting defensively.

KendoGarurumon growled. These serpents treated him like prey. Well, if they think of him as an easy food, they were in for a rude awakening. He silently signaled Kazemon and went straight towards the incoming silver lightning-shaped blade.

[Howling Star: Slipstream!] Kazemon blanketed him with pink wind. KendoGarurumon's body became lighter, and its velocity became faster. He opened his claymore wings and zoomed straight at the lightning-shaped blade without stopping.

Clang!

A sound like booming thunder rang out as the two opposing blades collided. The ringing was so loud that Kazemon had to cover her ears.

"Ugh!" Due to the impact, KendoGarurumon got bounced back. He managed to reorient himself, making sure his wheels were still running to stay above water, but there was still pain evident on his face.

And he wasn't the only one.

MegaSeadramon's horn trembled painfully on his head, and a small crack appeared. More attacks like that, and his horn could break off entirely. He submerged back underwater to recover.

"KendoGarurumon… Are you okay?" Kazemon asked, hovering near her friend.

"Yeah," He replied, shaking off the pain. "Don't touch their horns. They're electrofied."

When KendoGarurumon's claymore wings clashed with the lightning-shaped horn, he got jolted throughout his entire body. If the collision hadn't blasted him back, he would've been badly electrocuted.

Underwater, MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon circled in close proximity to each other and communicated. These Legendary Warriors were much harder to kill than their usual prey. They needed a different approach and swam deeper.

"Where did they go?" KendoGarurumon paid close attention to the shadows under the water, and the sea serpents just disappeared. "Kazemon, do you see anything?"

The Wind Warrior flew higher in the sky to get a better vantage point and looked down, scanning the swirling waves. "No," She answered. "No activity in sight. Do you think they retreated?"

"THEY DIDN'T!" A voice screamed at them.

Turning their heads near the edge of the maelstrom, they saw Chiaki being chased by MegaSeadramon from behind. Near them, under the water, was the shadow of WaruSeadramon, ready to surprise attack her.

The sea serpents didn't retreat. They just chose a new target. One of the fundamental rules when hunting a herd: go for the weakest one.

"Hang on!" KendoGarurumon and Kazemon rushed to their friend's aid. "We're coming! Just hold on!"

"'Hold on,' he says." Chiaki scoffed, staring intensely at MegaSeadramon. The sea serpent was gaining speed, and she swerved toward the Legendary Warriors' direction. If these predators thought she was easy prey, they were in for a rude awakening. "I'll do more than just 'hold on'."

When MegaSeadramon was close enough, he lunged at the girl, mouth wide open, ready to devour both boat and human.

Before even taking a bite, Chiaki pulled on a gear. The front compartment of the speedboat opened up, and a rod shot out, slowly expanding into sails. Wind caught on it, and the boat propelled so fast that the next second, it was flying. MegaSeadramon didn't expect the burst of speed and only ate seawater.

"~Ciao~" Chiaki waved at the sea serpent in schadenfreude. "Better luck next time."

MegaSeadramon hissed in anger and came at the girl again.

[Lupine Laser] A concentrated beam of light came from a distance and hit the sea serpent straight in the head. MegaSeadramon put his horn in front, deflecting most of the light beam. The Legendary Warrior of Light had arrived!

KendoGarurumon pushed his attack, moving closer. The closer the distance. The stronger the laser. MegaSeadramon couldn't take anymore and retreated back into the sea.

But he wasn't the only sea serpent in the water.

WaruSeadramon found his opportunity and popped out, attacking the flying speedboat.

[Hurricane Wave] Kazemon came and blasted the sea serpent with pink tornadoes, knocking him back. She kept unleashing wind to keep the menacing sea creature at bay.

WaruSeadramon hissed angrily, but stayed above water, resisting the air stream.

"Watch out!" Chiaki warned.

"Don't worry," Kazemon replied, keeping a close watch on the sea serpent. "I'm keeping a close eye on him."

"No! Not his face! Watch out of the tail!"

"Huh?" Before the Wind Warrior could react, a tail came from the side and whacked her.

Even though MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon's main weapons were their horns and mouths, their whole bodies were considered weapons. If you focus too much on one part of the body, you'll be blindsided by something else.

"Ahhh!" Kazemon couldn't stay in the air and fell into the whirlpool, causing a splash. WaruSeadramon dived back in, going after her.

"Kazemon!" KendoGarurumon cried out. His friend was underwater with aquatic predators, the worst environment for them. He sped towards her, trying to save her, but MegaSeadramon came out blocking his path. The sea serpent hissed in aggression and attacked.

KendoGarurumon had no choice but to retreat. MegaSeadramon pursued him relentlessly without letting up. The wolf growled angrily. With this sea serpent chasing, he couldn't help his friend.

In other words, Kazemon was her own down there.

As soon as the Wind Warrior hit the water, she got swept in by the whirlpool currents. She tried to swim back up for immediate air, but WaruSeadramon came and clamped on her. He then swam deeper, dragging the butterfly with him.

Kazemon saw the surface shrink as she went deeper. With WaruSeadramon's insane swimming, they were already 1,000 feet deep and still going. The water pressure was starting to get to her, and her eardrums were screaming.

When going deeper in the ocean, water pressure increases. To compensate, the body compresses the air inside it, including the lungs and sinuses. Nothing happens in the short term, but the longer and deeper one goes, can lead to decompression illness, like sinus pain and ruptured eardrums.

And those are just the light injuries. There's also oxygen toxicity and death due to overhydration–drowning. Not to mention the dangerous sea creatures. It's why divers and submarines have to be heavily equipped when handling the ocean depths.

Luckily, Izumi was in her Digimon form, so she could handle the pressure better. Still, she needed to get up to the surface, or she'd drown. Readying herself, Kazemon lifted her foot and stomped on WaruSeadramon's eye.

The sea serpent flinched and opened his jaws, freeing the Wind Warrior.

[Hurricane Wave] Kazemon tried to release gusts of pink wind, but it came out more like puffs of bubbles. She changed her tactic and kicked WaruSeadramon, but it felt more like she was gently tapping the sea serpent's scales.

Another big detriment of being underwater: moving was very different. Take punching, for example. When punching out on the ground through air, there's no resistance, and the punch is swift and strong. Punching underwater, however, is much harder. There's more water resistance, and you can actually feel the punch slow down and weaken in strength.

Wind can be depicted as swift and freeing, which are Kazemon's signature attack styles, but unfortunately, being deep underwater restricts her. Her kicks aren't fast enough, and her wind won't even reach enemies halfway. It made her fighting capability go down by 80%, and that was sugarcoating it.

Pointing her fingertips down, Kazemon blasted wind out like turbines and swam up. The Wind Warrior was trying to get back up to the surface. Her thinking was simple. Get back to the surface, breathe again, and return to the sky.

But WaruSeadramon caught on to her plan. Swimming above her, the sea serpent swung his tail, knocking the Wind Warrior back down into the deep whirlpool.

[Evil Icicle] Dark energy formed near WaruSeadramon's serpentine body. They coalesced into multiple black icicles, and the sea serpent launched them all at Kazemon.

"Aaahhhh!" When the icicles hit, they exploded out in dark energy, causing the Wind Warrior to scream. Not only was the explosion strong, but it was also corrosive. It was like a poison that kept on stinging.

When the attack finished, fractal code surrounded Kazemon as she transformed back into Izumi. The Bearer of Wind didn't have enough energy to swim and got dragged by the whirlpool's underwater currents.

WaruSeadramon quickly swam closer to Izumi with his mouth open. He was ready to have his afternoon snack. Soon, the sea serpent had his mouth between the girl, where she could see the razor-sharp teeth up close. One chomp and it was lights out.

[FA: MadLeomon's Poison Claw] Before WaruSeadramon could bite down, Izumi used the last of her strength to do a Fractal Assist. An avatar of MadLeomon appeared, and it used its arms and legs to push against the sea serpent's jaws like a mouth prop. Poison radiated from the black lion's claws, numbing WaruSeadramon's upper gums.

The sea serpent shook and flailed around in an attempt to shrug off MadLeomon. The distraction gave Izumi the opportunity to escape getting eaten. She tried to swim up, but it was difficult.

Even as Kazemon, she had trouble moving. Now that she was back in her human form, the task was twice as hard. The current was too strong, and her lungs were burning from the lack of air.

"Rrrgg!" WaruSeadramon increased his strength and forcibly champed down, crushing MadLeomon's avatar. Using his dark energy, he expelled the numb poison from his upper teeth and swam back to the Bearer of Wind to resume his snack.

'Is this really how it ends?' Izumi looked at the incoming sea serpent regretfully. The situation was dire. Even if she could escape WaruSeadramon, the sea would still drown her. Her consciousness was already going black due to the water pressure. She was barely staying awake through her willpower alone.

Still, Izumi didn't want to give up. She still had many more things to do. More importantly, her friends were still in danger. Up above, KendoGarurumon and Chiaki were still fighting MegaSeadramon. Who knows what's happening up there? Not to mention her other friends still fighting around Japan.

Izumi didn't care about her safety right now. She only wanted to make sure the people she cared about were okay. As her consciousness faded completely black and the water pressure overtook her, she only had one thought in her mind:

'I have to save them.'

Whoosh. Suddenly, the whirlpool underwater currents changed. It stopped pulling down and aimed all of its energy at WaruSeadramon.

The sea serpent was taken by surprise and got pushed back up to the water surface. The sea then shone, surrounding Izumi with sparkling lights. The girl gasped, regaining consciousness, taking deep breaths of air.

"I can breathe…," She said, righting herself. "But how…"

Izumi looked around and felt a wave of nostalgia. There was only one thing that made her feel like this. When she looked down, her body shook with so much emotion.

Floating up to her was the source of the swirling sparkling lights. The figure looked like a statue of a humanoid bird. It had wings for arms and ears stretched out like it was ready to take flight.

Izumi smiled. She recognized this figure all too well.

It was the Beast Spirit of the Wind.

When the beast spirit first landed, the location was in the middle of the Philippine Sea. After wandering around a bit, the spirit decided to hide deep in the sea and dived in. Once at the ocean floor, hidden in one of many crevices, she used the last of her energy to create multiple whirlpools.

The Beast Spirit of Wind reverted back into her relic form, but if anyone tried to find her, they would have to go through multiple maelstroms. And true enough, MegaSeadramon, WaruSeadramon, and the Tylomon located her.

At first, the sea serpents and fishes tried to force their way through, but the swirling waters resisted, grinding painfully at their bodies before pushing them back out. They tried a few more times, but got no results besides cuts and bruises.

MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon growled and swam closer to each other. They moved in a circular motion, increasing the speed until they created their own maelstrom. If they couldn't get through the whirlpools, they'd destroy it.

Although the Beast Spirit of Wind's maelstroms were strong, they were created with limited power. Without continuous energy, they would be destroyed in a matter of time.

One by one, the sea serpent clashed against each maelstrom, whittling them away. The constant collisions were the reason the Philippine Sea was experiencing a deadly storm. Once MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon crushed all the whirlpools, they and the Tylomon could easily search for the beast spirit.

The Beast Spirit of Wind sensed the whirlpools getting destroyed, but could do nothing about it. Her consciousness was going dormant. It won't be long before entering deep sleep. But as her state fully transformed into a relic, she left one last action: an unconscious command.

When someone invoked a specific emotion, the whirlpools would use all their leftover energy and protect the person, pushing anyone else away. The beast would then float toward the person, whether or not it was a friend or foe, like sleepwalking.

As for the emotion that would invoke the command, it was a simple emotion:

The Emotion of Compassion.

The Beast Spirit of Wind knew what kind of person her bearer was. She was a person who was strong but kind to the people she cherished. Despite any dangerous situation she was in, her first thought would be for her friends. Even in her relic form, the beast spirit had complete faith in her partner's compassion, and the girl would come for her.

And so she did.

Izumi stared at her beast spirit. She could feel the strong emotions through their connection and smiled. "You waited for me," She held out her Digivice in front of the spirit.

A small ray of light shot out from the device and hit the relic. The Beast Spirit of Wind flew inside, and the Symbol of the Wind glowed on the screen.

"Thank you," Izumi closed her eyes and hugged her Digivice to her chest lovingly as she floated up.

…

Back above water, KendoGarurumon was having the time of his life with MegaSeadramon. He darted around while the sea serpent tried to eat him. The wolf kept running in circles to cause confusion.

When MegaSeadramon failed at a bite attempt due to disorientation, KendoGarurmon used the opportunity to jump on the serpent and chomp down on the back of the head with his jaws.

"Grgg," MegaSeadramon winced, but didn't let the pain affect him. He raised his serpentlike body higher and performed an aquatic German suplex, slamming the wolf into the water.

[Thunder Javelin] Lightning discharged from his horn, causing the seawater around him to become electrified. KendoGarurumon got badly electrocuted and let go of MegaSeadramon. The wolf tried to swim, but the shocks left him paralyzed.

[Thunder Blade] MegaSeadramon followed up and speared the wolf at the underbelly with his electrified horn.

The Light Warrior felt a sharp, then numbing pain as he popped right out of the water. Fractal code surrounded him, and he transformed back into Kouji.

Before the boy could hit the water again, Chiaki drove by, and he landed precisely on the seats of the speedboat.

"Kouji! Are you alright?" Chiaki asked, worriedly.

"...Yeah," Kouji answered, while also making a mental note to take a long break from the sea. If they survive that long, of course. "Where's MegaSeadramon?"

Suddenly, a large tail broke out of the surface water from under the boat, flinging it high into the air. It went in a specific direction, and at the end of the path was MegaSeadramon. He had his jaws wide open, ready to catch the boat like a Frisbee. One that he would crush completely.

Chiaki tried to change course, but the wind was not on their side, and she couldn't use the water currents in mid-air.

"My parent always did say my life would end at sea," The girl said, slowly accepting their doom. "I just didn't expect it to be so soon."

Well, the sea had other plans.

Just as MegaSeadramon was about to take a bite, WaruSeadramon popped out in between them. Chiaki took advantage of this new variable and slightly bumped against the other sea serpent. She used inertia and veered off course, escaping the first serpent.

"Whew! That was lucky!" Chiaki whistled in relief. "Another moment and we would've been fish food."

"Grr rrgh rrr," When WaruSeadramon reoriented himself, MegaSeadramon growled and hissed, communicating with his buddy in their language. He wanted to ask what happened.

The dark serpent replied back with his own growls and hisses.

"Wait a minute," Kouji stared at the twin serpents. "If he's up here, where's Izumi?"

When the question left his mouth, a change happened on the sea. The whirlpool stopped. The skies cleared. The waters calmed as the sun shone down, sparkling the surface for a picturesque view.

"How is this possible?" Chiaki said, looking at their new scenery in shock. "It was like the storm and maelstrom didn't even happen."

"I think we're about to find out in the next few moments," Kouji answered. He knew this familiar scene all too well.

As if on cue, a small whirlpool formed and spouted out, forming a thick pillar of water. Everyone looked at this new water formation with different emotions. MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon were wary. Kouji smiled, nodding his head. And Chiaki was just plain shocked.

"What's going on?" She asked. "Did a whale suddenly come by?"

The water dispelled, and a girl appeared in midair. Strings of wind surrounded her, keeping her afloat. The Bearer of Wind was back.

"Izumi!" Chiaki called out in relief. "You're okay!"

"I am," Izumi replied, opening her eyes. She looked at the twin serpents fiercely and raised her Digivice to them. "And this time, I'm not going down!"

[Execute! Beast Spirit Evolution!]

In Izumi's place was a bird-like woman with light-blue wings growing out of her head along with a ruff of feathers resembling a hairdo, lightly tanned skin, and bright blue eyes. A pair of brown wings were attached to her back, and three claws were equipped on her hands and feet. She wore an outfit which could be described as a bikini, metallic shoulder, arm & knee pads, and a pink mask.

Zephyrmon: A variable, birdkin-type Digimon whose Special Attacks are Hurricane Gale and Plasma Paws. She is the beast spirit descended from the Ancient Warrior: AncientKazemon, and has the appearance of a composed lady. She can also glide freely through the sky, manipulate wind, and knock out opponents with a simple wave of her arms.

Chiaki looked at Izumi's new birdlike appearance in a daze. "So beautiful…" She murmured to herself.

Screeeech. The twin serpents didn't share the same opinion and hissed, gathering energy for their attacks. MegaSeadramon charged up his horn, while WaruSeadramon had dark spheres around his body.

[Thunder Javelin & Evil Icicle] The twin serpents unleashed multiple lightning bolts and icicles. All going towards Zephyrmon.

The Wind Warrior flew straight ahead in facing the barrage head-on. She bobbed and weaved through the lightning and ice like a leaf riding the wind. The attacks were close to hitting but never touching due to wind resistance and going with the flow.

Zephyrmon dodged all the attacks and appeared in front of the sea serpents. She waved her claws and slashed at the heads, leaving gashes.

MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon roared out in pain, going into a frenzy. They crazily attacked her with their horns and teeth.

But the Wind Warrior was too evasive. She weaved around the air, dodging playfully. No matter what the sea serpents did, they couldn't land an attack on her. It felt like fighting the wind.

[Hurricane Gale] When the opportunity presented itself, Zephyrmon waved her arms, summoning a wind cyclone. Feathers detached from her head and entered the gale, forming a hurricane with projectiles. It hit WaruSeadramon, blasting him back and knocking into MegaWaruSeadramon. Both went down like dominoes and crashed into the sea. New or more cracks on their horns were becoming more apparent.

"Amazing!" Chiaki said, in wonderment. Although this was supposed to be a battle, the girl couldn't help but be mesmerized. The way Zephyrmon moved was elegant and beautiful compared to her opponents' ferocity. It was like the warrior was dancing with the wind despite the storm.

MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon just had about enough. Underwater, they swam to close proximity to each other, and their horns glowed.

[Mail Strome x2] The twin serpents then swam in a circular motion. Their bodies synchronized in perfect harmony. They moved faster and faster until they created a powerful maelstrom.

A concentrated twister made of water formed from the surface. Heavy rain pelted against Zephyrmon, Kouji, and Chiaki as it came closer. A few planks of wood entered, and the maelstrom shredded them to splinters. If one looked closely enough, they could see MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon inside a churning, swirling twister.

"Incoming!" Kouji warned as the maelstrom closed in.

Zephyrmon quickly flew in between it and the speedboat, eyes gleaming dangerously. She could tell the twister was going after her friends and not her. Guess the twin serpents decided it was easier to after them instead of an evasive bird.

Not in this ocean. The Wind Warrior was going to protect her no matter what and dived into the water. Following the underwater current, she swam until she was inside the center of the maelstrom.

[Plasma Paws] Her claws turned into red orbs. She spread her arms and legs out and went into a spin. Zephyrmon followed the flow as she moved up the maelstrom with the sea serpents still inside. Lots of slicing sounds were heard, and when she reached the top, the twister dispersed.

MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon hovered in mid-air. Their bodies are covered in cuts and laceration wounds. The pain was so much that they stopped powering their maelstrom, and fractal code appeared around them.

[Zephyrmon - Slide Evolution - Kazemon]

Kazemon floated next to the sea serpents, Digivice in hand. "Through a fresh wind, this Digivice will purify you into beautiful, just souls!" She said. "Fractal code, Digitize!"

The Wind Warrior scanned the data, and the fractal entered her Digivice. MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon shrunked, transforming into eels. The two water snakes dropped into the sea and swam away deeper underwater.

Kazemon landed back on the speedboat. Fractal code surrounded her as she transformed back into Izumi.

"That was amazing!" Chiaki stated excitedly. To the side, Kouji didn't say anything, but his smirk explained it all.

"Good work," He finally said.

Izumi just grinned and did a victory sign. She got her back her beast spirit and defeated the sea serpents. It was a good day. "C'mon, let's head back to Okinawa."

While Chiaki drove them back to the island, Izumi stuck her head up. Without the storm, they became calm. Sunlight reflected off the water, making the surface sparkle. Izumi closed her eyes, taking in the breeze. She could feel the slight trickle of water touch her skin and smell the enriching beauty of the ocean.

Now this was a ride she could get used to. The ocean breeze felt wonderful. Izumi turned around wanting to tell Kouji about how we should bring their friends here, but stopped.

Unlike her, the boy sat near the stern looking at the distance. He propped his hand to his chin, deep in thought.

"Everything okay?" Izumi asked.

"...Yeah," Kouji replied. "I've just been having a bad feeling."

"About what?"

"I don't know, but I've been feeling ever since you defeated MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon. Something's off, but I just can't put my finger on why, though."

"Land ahoy!" Before Izumi could respond, Chiaki called out, letting them know they were arriving close to Okinawa.

"Let's talk about it more when we land."

Soon, they made it back to the boatyard and tied the speedboat.

"It's good to be back on land!" Izumi stated, releasing a sigh of relief. Although sailing in the sea was fun, with their recent run-in, it was nice to be back on solid ground. "Thank Chiaki. We wouldn't have been able to get my beast spirit if it wasn't for you."

"It was my pleasure." As soon as the girl stepped back on the docks, her demeanor returned back to her quiet, calming personality. "I just want to do what I can to help." She gave a small smile and slightly bowed. "Please make sure the Mamemon are okay."

'Such a different person!'

Kouji looked at Chiaki in disbelief that this respectful girl was fearlessly driving in a maelstrom like a crazy Amazon. If he didn't witness everything himself, he would never have believed it. Maybe she was right, maybe the water does empower her in some way.

"We will, but we have to regroup with the others. Let's go, Izumi. We have to catch the next flight back to–," Kouji stopped mid-sentence. Something was very wrong. When he looked around the boat yard, no one was around.

Sure, the boy wasn't expecting the place to be crowded, but there should've been some people. There was also the sound. It was quiet, eerily quiet. Okinawa didn't have the hustle and bustle of a national tourist landmark.

It finally hit Kouji what the bad feeling he had previously felt was. No people. No noise. But the biggest clue was the fractal code. When Zephyrmon defeated MegaSeadramon and WaruSeadramon, the fabric of fractal code should've covered them, returning to the Real World, but it didn't.

They were still inside a fractal field, and that only meant one thing:

Izumi! Chiaki! Stay alert!" Kouji warned. "There's a Digimon still here!"

"~Toooooo lateeeee~,"

Suddenly, a dark portal made black fog appear on the ground. A black clawed hand popped out from behind Chiaki and grabbed her.

"AAAAHHHHHHH!" The girl screamed fearfully like a victim from a horror movie. She could feel herself being pulled under.

"Chiaki!" Izumi and Kouji quickly ran to their captured friend, Digivice in hand.

But before they could spirit evolve, the portal expanded, covering them as well. The Legendary Warriors felt like they stepped on air and sank under.

And so, Izumi, Kouji, and the captured Chiaki entered the portal. When they all went through, the fog-like portal disappeared. Fractal code covered Okinawa and returned to the Real World. The inhabitants resumed their activities.

The storm that plagued the Philippine Sea abruptly vanished, leaving meteorologists baffled. They surmised it was one of the many unanswered weather phenomena and let the public know it was safe to sail the seas again.

As for the trio who stopped the storm, they weren't on Okinawa anymore. The portal must've sent them to another location.

The question was where.