Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Glancing up to the night sky she thought about the countless times she had looked up at its calmness. It was a precious thing, she realized. An ocean of black illuminated by the scattered lights of a million billion stars from across the universe free for all to see.How she and others took its peacefulness for granted and never stopped to be thankful for it

She shuddered glancing at the ground below. All she could do was hold herself in a terrified embrace.

There was no peace to found tonight.

Where once the quiet of the starry night granted peace, in its place was a grid-laden tear that ran across its surface.

Stretching into the horizon, its ominous blue light bore down to the dark streets. Alone it might have been enough to fill her with nightmares.

Instead, she found the nightmares themselves emerge from the grid.

Monsters.

They tore one another apart as they emerged, vying for dominance and supremacy in a battle the flicker of light scattered at the maw of the grid. Those who emerged victorious changed themselves, growing bigger, stronger, and fiercer. Then in a twist of fate, they resumed their battle against others who had emerged victorious.

She dreaded what would happen when the ultimate victor was found.

But they were not alone.

Terrors came from the sky.

And from the ground? Nightmares.

Nightmares came forth from the darkness and protection of the night and took all. Men, women, and children, none were spared or offered mercy as their very souls were taken from them no matter where they were. 

Echoes of laughter invitations to join the party, to lose herself in the fun being given freely from the witches to those that followed them beckoned to her. They filled the dark street and blackened buildings with their delightfully horrible sound. 

She could hear them calling to her. Her friends, her family, the people that lived in the city. From the shadows, inside of the terrors that had consumed or were consuming them. 

Her hands moved from her side, and she knelt over, clutching her hands to her ears. She shut her eyes and cried to herself. That this couldn’t be. This wasn’t reality, not her reality. How could it be? A world full of monsters and nightmares? No!

They told her how pointless it was, how easy it would be to let herself fall into delight bliss. They told her this, despite the certain end they faced. She raised her defeated head, only realizing just now that she had been crying.

The alley’s darkness crept closer and closer to her, the laughter of her friends and family growing as black hands reached out toward her. 

The sound of laughter gave way to the sounds of festivals, and carnivals. Looking, she could see all manners of rides and games. Like photographs or stills from a magazine, they were plastered everywhere awkwardly and ridden by everyone. Pages and pages were ripped from the invisible, unseen magazines plastered their still images as backgrounds that filled themselves with the people who ran to them. 

Frames of films came to life, playing themselves within their audiences. Candy rained from the ceilings and the walls and the sky into the happy mouths of everyone who asked for it. 

And they kept laughing and laughing. They spoke of joy, and happiness.

They asked her to join them.

Her hand reached out, trying to meet with just one of the black hands coming from the alley. Her friends were calling to her and she felt herself begin to slip into bliss.

There was a price to be paid like an entry to a ride or experience, but she thought that it might be a good one to pay.

Only a fingernail length from her, she closed her tear-stained eyes and let defeat wash over her.

As though the ground itself rose in defiance for her, however, a thundering crash shook the ground beneath her.

Her eyes shot open, quickly reclaiming herself from the jaws of bliss and despair as loud whistles rang out. 

Streams of light flew rapidly overhead meeting the masses of approaching shadows descending from the torn sky above. Like fireworks in a hot summer, they erupted. They did not bring a wonderous and spectacularly colored show, however, instead, they burst into fireballs that devoured all that surrounded it.

The wails and roars and cries of the nightmares from above echoed silenced quickly as more streams shot forth towards them.

The loud, thundering crash resumed, and a fog set over the street she had been at. Glancing to the alley she saw that the terrors had withdrawn.

The thundering crashing got closer, the ground shifting and echoing with its force.

She stood up, looking down the street from where the sound was coming from. The fog, rapidly setting over the city, had nearly blinded her to anything, not within immediate view. She squinted, keeping herself steady despite the loud crashing approaching her.

In the distance, only barely made out by her sight, she saw a building approaching her.

No, she quickly thought, it could not have been a building. It held a frame like a person's, but longer arms than any human she had ever met. Its head was shaped like an upside “T”. Broad, circular shoulders moved from side to side as it took powerful step after powerful step.

Without wasting another thought, she turned away and began running.

The empty fog-filled streets erupted with life, as nightmares began to take shape on the sidewalks once full of people.

Those with bodies shaped like people, but with long gangly limbs that bore claw-tipped hands. Large snout-like heads that hissed with razor-filled mouths with frames that crushed whole cars under their heel. Even some who looked like chimeras formed from everyday items and weapons.

But as she ran past them despite her fear, they paid no attention to her. Their heads were seized by the thundering giant. She felt them crying out, not in sadness or fear but in brutal near animalistic rage.

Without warning, streams of cherry blossom petals came forth from the endless gray of the fog. She lost her footing, caught in the powerful gust of wind as the petals passed. She fell to her knees but ignored any pain that might have come from it. Futilely she covered her head catching only as glimpse as the currents washed away the nightmares. 

The streets were left barren and empty save for claw marks and cinder imprints.

Glancing above the buildings, she caught the faint form of a woman. Sparkles of gold and petals fell off of her and at her side was a long staff adjourned with rings. Most shockingly, her face was shaped like that of a fox with long flowing pigtails.

But as the thundering crashing footsteps reached her, she scrambled to her feet running into one of the alleys as a giant clawed foot dug itself powerfully into the ground. 

Nearly frozen in fear, she could raise her hand and see the massive foot attached to an equally large, and every ascending leg.

The rhythmic and drawing sounds from before began again, different this time as the cried out in lullabies that drew out memories of childhood and infancy. This time however she did not feel the same pull, her gaze and attention were still locked onto the giant next to her.

And then with a soft but high-pitched whine, a maelstrom of loud BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG-BANG erupted. It cut through her now clutched ears, her eardrums pounding with every second that passed.

Her teeth and bones were rattled to their core. She was scared that the sound alone would shake her apart.

Lights and flares sprung from above, past the legs where she could faintly make out a ring of fire coming from where she thought its hands would be. Metal rained from the sky as casings fell and buried themselves in concrete, cars, and even buildings.

Clutching her head, she could hear the piercing sounds of the carnivals, festivals, joyous laughter, and cheers of the dark be drowned out by the earsplitting cry of metal and fire. Perhaps it was merely one sound prevailing over the other. Maybe even, as the petals had done to the nightmares, this had been a banishment. 

But as then the sound faded, and as she slowly opened her eyes, she was instead flying! Her eyes and heading darted from side to side as even the breath to scream failed her. She wasn’t falling, she couldn’t feel the air blowing against her, but it was clear she was in the sky. 

Hanging high in the sky she looked down below and witnessed with her eyes something out of a fairytale.

A knight in gleaming white armor and gallant red cloak charged ahead against a towering, shadowy figure of unimaginable sight! 

Wonder and awe filled her as she witnessed a battle of myth play before her. 

His spear struck against the cage-like frame as the shadow arms swung wildly at the knight.

A great shield came up, defending the knight but scattering him away from the body of the Shadow. The knight did not relent, however, raising his lance proudly into the sky. Blue lightning crackled as it grew into a weapon that split even the sky! The light returned to the lance before shooting forward when the knight thrust his mighty weapon forward. The lance drove itself into and through the body the shadow with speed befitting the lightning it held. 

The shadow's arms fell backward, its body arching like it had been fatally wounded. With a single twitch, however, its arms swung out once again in a long wave. For a single moment, she feared the worst, but when she looked again the knight was in the skies. The knight somehow had lept into the sky with a single mighty kick. 

She felt relief for the knight, silently thanking whoever might listen that they had escaped. 

Then came a terrible gasp from the Knight, and for a moment, she worried for him. But his gaze was not to some injury, nor a tired one. His gaze remained faced down to where he had once been. But the knight wasn’t cornered about himself, no his gaze remained below, where he had been. Following his gaze, a foreboding knot had formed in her stomach. As she met the same place where the knight had been looking, her hands came to her mouth and tears began stinging her face.

The city, her city, the home of her friends….

She didn’t know why. Maybe it was anger or just some kind of sick retribution, but the Shadow hadn’t been attacking only the knight. No, it had struck everything beyond it. Each swing the knight had avoided had continued beyond it, into the city. Each arm had flattened everything, reducing it to a plain flat wasteland devoid of anything resembling a building. 

“Horrible.” and for the first time, she heard her broken, weak voice “It's too horrible. Now everyone-now everyone is...”

She trailed off unable, or maybe unwilling, to say that terrible word.

They couldn’t even be granted the fate of a gravesite, a tombstone in the shape of the city that they once lived and laughed in. The memories she had shared with her friends at school, the times spent after going through the city together. The potential joys, laughter, and even sorrow that could have been shared. 

All gone, reduced to nothing in a single moment.

The Knight let out a mighty roar, raising lance and shield in another assault against the tower shadow.

Droplets of oil paint began to fall onto a blank canvas. Only these droplets lacked color, falling into a rippling landscape as droplets into the bucket. Moved by an invisible brush, the landscape was washed over by colors. Sick reds, pale yellows, and twisting whites swept over everything.

Before her very eyes, the sky unfurled itself into a more flat space for the brush to paint over. It left a void, a space with nothing of what she once saw.

Descending to it, the Shadow raised its arms. Higher and higher they went. It called and beckoned the knight to its grim embrace.

The Knight despite the sight playing out before him remained dauntless. His shield came forth and radiated a brilliant red light to push back against the growing painting below. There was no relent in their attack forcing everything into this last battle.

"They're quite strong. However, if it's just them then this can only end in despair and destruction for the world." Unable to look away as the Knights crimson light grew more and more the voice continued uninterrupted 

"But you can change all that if you wish for it."

"If... If I wish for it." her voice grew in her ears, and she curled her arms to her chest. She was frightened by it, her voice and the idea of her wish. There was no reason to be afraid, deep down something reassured her about it, but still, she was.

“Yes, you possess the power to change Fate itself. So make a contract with me and become a magical gi-” The voice was silent. Cut off by the brilliant emanating crimson light of the Knight, the voice vanished and left her alone.

Blinded by the light, she could only make out the final scene before her.

Large bat-like wings that came with a spear-tipped tail as the crimson glow began to wrap around itself, eclipsing even the Knight that produced it. The Crimson light finally took shape, but she found herself too overwhelmed to look upon it. 

The battle between the Shadow and the Crimson Light continued. A terrible scream like the Apocalypse shattered her into a billion pieces.

And the world found itself silenced for all eternity.

"Whoa, and then what happened?"

"Oh, um, and then I woke up in my bed." Madoka still didn't know what to make of the nightmare. She had bad dreams before but none of them stayed so present in her mind as this one. Until Sayaka just now, she hadn't told anyone, not even her mom. It wasn't that she didn't want to tell or that she felt that she couldn't tell her. It was just that her mom was excited for her work today and she didn't want to take any of that away from her.

But a tiny selfish part of her felt that she should have. Sayaka was her best friend, but sometimes she could get a little-

"Hmm, once I dreamt that I didn't have legs and all I could do was use my arms to move around. Turns out it was just me sleeping with a pair of socks that were a bit too tight. Stuff like that can affect how you sleep you know?"

Madoka smiled crookedly.

Yeah, Sayaka liked to get carried away. Not intentionally sure, but she felt like her mom would have told her something more useful than tight socks being the culprit.

"Still, knights fighting against big nightmares for the safety of everyone? Ufufu how romantic of you Madoka. You haven't been reading something saucy, have you?" Before she could say anything Sayaka vanished and appeared behind her grabbing her sides "No good, no good! I'll have to take you for myself before your eyes start wandering."

"Sayaka! Stop it!" she said between forced laughter as Sayaka's hands ran across her sides relentlessly.

"Morning Madoka, Sayaka." Halting altogether, Hitomi approached them as elegantly as ever "Starting the day off as usual huh?"

Madoka was not surprised but Hitomi was once again flawless. Hair sheen and brilliantly combed. Skin flawless without any hint of product. Even the school uniform somehow looked better just by her wearing it.

"That's right Hitomi, this is true love right now. You can't possibly hope to keep us apart anymore." Sayaka was relentless, despite her protesting and Hitomi decided to play along.

"I should have known better than to keep your star-crossed lovers from each other, but even still." She cleared her throat and right on time, the school bell rang.

Sayaka let her go and Madoka and Hitomi proceeded on their way.

"Thanks, Hitomi." Sayaka was her best friend without a doubt, but she was also glad to have someone as cool and levelheaded as Hitomi to balance her out.

"Oh hey by the way guys did you catch the news yesterday? That bit about the new Digimon-Tamer duo that showed up in Fukushima? It was a Tokomon!"

Digimon, Digital Monsters.

Until four years ago, simply a franchise that ranged from everything from video games to animated shows to card games. But then, the impossible happened. Digimon materialized in the real world, blurring the lines between fiction and reality. The news spread like wildfire, igniting a mix of excitement and fear across the globe.

Madoka had never really been a fan of them, that had always been Sayaka. Still, she remembered the day when Shinjuku had been plunged into chaos by the assault D-Reaper. It had been a digital lifeform that…

How in the face of it, three kids no older than she had been, were all stood against it with the aid of their Digimon partners.

Henry Wong.

Rika Nonaka.

And Takato Mitsuki.

There had been someone else, but Madoka couldn’t remember…

Since then, more and more Digimon have been appearing in their world. Unlike the encounter with the D-Reaper or even the other Digimon that had appeared and wreaked havoc, they found partners, Tamers.

Like the original Tamers, they lived their day-to-day lives in peace.

Or at least that's what she hoped anyway.

"That's the orange lizard one, right?" Hitomi asked honestly only for Sayaka to gape at her answer.

"That's Agumon, Hitomi. Tokomon is the in-training stage of Patamon. Agumon isn't a lizard either he's a dinosaur." Hitomi only gave a nod, and Madoka wondered if she said nothing about how Sayaka sounded so proud of her Digimon knowledge out of kindness.

"Anyways that makes four more Digimon across the last five months. That's just in Japan too. You wanna know what the weirdest part is?"

"What's that?" asked Madoka, happy at how excited Sayaka was.

"None of them have been from Shinjuku."

"Why would that matter?" Hitomi chimed in as well though now Madoka was just a little curious.

"Shinjuku is where the original Tamers live. It's ground zero in terms of Digimon history. Not just their Digimon, but the other Tamers got their Digimon there too." While she couldn't speak for Hitomi, Madoka admitted to finding that a little interesting.

"I even found this chart online that's tracking the bio-emergence of the Digimon relative to the location of Shinjuku and it forms a spiral based on when and where the Digimon first appeared."

"So, what does that mean?" In just that one explanation Madoka had gone from curious to a little put off by just how frantic Sayaka was sounding. The thought of a spiral forming from the emergence of the Digimon sounded ominous.

Cupping her chin, Sayaka gave her a sure and knowing look before snapping her fingers. Madoka focused her gaze and prepared for the worst.

"To be honest I have no idea." Hitomi sighed and Madoka looked at Sayaka in a bit of disbelief and some honest disappointment. All Sayaka could do was stick out her tongue in obvious guilt at dashing her expectations for a grand reveal.

"Honestly you were starting to sound like one of those conspiracy buffs. It's okay to be a fan of Digimon, but I honestly don't think you should buy into those sorts of things." Hitomi was partly right in scolding her, Madoka felt. Sayaka loved to exaggerate and blow things up further than what they were. Mixing conspiracies and theories into that was just a recipe for trouble.

"Sorry, sorry, I saw this cool post online talking about it and I saw that the pattern was showing Mitakihara as being next for a Digimon appearing. Couldn't keep myself from falling into it." Madoka perked up a little at that. A Digimon in Mitakihara? That would mean someone would get to be a-

"I mean, could you imagine how exciting it would be to get to be a Digimon Tamer! Not just the games, the cards, or the show but an actual Digimon partner all for yourself." Sayaka practically swooned, and once more Hitomi had to sigh, though Madoka found herself smiling.

As Hitomi had said, Sayaka was a fan of Digimon and ever since they became real four years ago, she had only become an even bigger one. Madoka was almost certain she had brought Guilmon bread for lunch today.

"I don't know Hitomi, maybe it would be fun. Especially if you got one of the cuter ones."

"Right! And the cute ones always turn out to be the strongest anyway. Smart thinking Madoka." She'd trust Sayaka's word on it. She wasn't at all familiar with Digimon to begin with.

"And on top of being a tamer, you'd get to work with the original three in keeping the worlds, both ours and the digital world, safe."

"You think so? Hasn't there been a lack of Digimon attacks?"

"Sure, but that just means the Tamers must be ready to save the world again like true heroes." Hitomi was right after all, Digimon attacks didn't happen anymore. The Tamers themselves lived mostly normal lives, not unlike themselves, at least from what little she knew of them. Except maybe Rika, who Madoka remembers seeing in a magazine once.

Still, that didn't stop Sayaka from idolizing them.

Madoka could understand it. The Tamers had battled the D-Reaper, and even before then, it had been revealed that they had also been battling hostile Digimon. To them, they might have been the closest things to actual heroes from fiction. Still, she had to wonder how much the image of them matched to the reality.

After all, they were the same age as them.

The School bell rang a second time and with it the three friends took off in a full sprint.

“Sayaka you’ve made us all late!” despite how they were now running, Madoka was jealous about how even running Hitomi still held her grace. 

“Ah, hurry, or else Ms.Saotome will single us out in the morning for being dumped again.”

“How do you know she got dumped again?” 

“Women’s intuition!”

“I still can’t believe you were right about Ms.Saotome. I guess we were lucky that Nazakawa was there to soak up all her attention.” Madoka fed on another fry, letting its salty and crunchiness blend with the soft drink she had taken.

“What’s with her always picking on him anyway? I’m starting to feel a little bad for him.” Hitomi’s concern was brushed off by Sayaka who took another bite of her cucumber hot dog. 

“In the end, all that mattered was that we didn’t get scolded and didn’t arrive late. Anything else is just a detail.” 

There was something to be said about Sayaka’s nonchalant attitude, but Madoka didn’t feel like being the one to say so let her be with a friendly smile.

She didn’t much feel like there was anything wrong with the moment at all. Even if she wanted, maybe the trip was what she needed.

The sound and bustling of the mall flowed well with the quiet and calm music of the cafe they had stopped at for lunch. People went in and out of the cafe, moving throughout their day without any sort of care in the world. 

Madoka found herself happy at the sight. There was something there that she felt had been taken for granted. The normalcy is just moving from place to place without any real urgency or need. The fact she could enjoy a time like this with her very best friends made it even more special, even if she knew it wasn’t.

“So Madoka.” Hitomi's voice had a curious tone, drawing her back from her absorption of the scene. “What were you and Sayaka talking about this morning?” 

Flashes of a desiccated and abandoned city. Dark forces clawing and battling against each other amongst the hollowed-out home she knew. Then, the hopeless battle of the Knight and the Shadow.

The distorted, happy voices of friends and family calling to her…

She jumped in her seat, startling both Sayaka and Hitomi.

Embarrassed, her face went bright red. Silently, she chastised herself for her actions. She had talked with Sayaka so freely in the morning; why was she acting so scared right now? 

“Hey Madoka, it's fine if you don’t want to talk about it.” Sayaka reached out and grabbed her hand, and only then did she notice she had been shaking a little bit.

“I didn’t know that it would bother you like this. I’m sorry Madoka.” 

"N-no that's not it." She glanced around, shifting in her seat trying to think up an explanation or answer

"I just hit the side of my chair with my ankle was all, hehe."

Both Sayaka and Hitomi exchanged unsure glances with each other. Madoka sat there with a forced smile, hoping that they would buy her a white lie and play along with it. Instead, there was just an awkward pause of silence, followed by Madoka's deepening embarrassment.

Finally, Sayaka broke the silence by reaching into her bag and pulling out a plastic-covered treat.

"Guilmon bread!" she exclaimed laying down the pastry on the table "Was going to eat it during lunch but you can have it Madoka."

The wing ears drew into the pastry's small face. Blueberries were placed as its eyes, and tiny holes were made into its nose with cream frosting poking from them. On its shiny golden-brown surface, between the eyes was a set of triangles.

Madoka looked on, entranced by. Picking up the packaged treat she brought it closer to her face.

"Um, Madoka?" Sayaka asked concerned but Madoka could only think back on the nightmare's final moments. Crimson light swirled and took form, growing and growing within itself into a more powerful and more terrifying form than the Knight.

"I saw him." Madoka muttered softly and breathlessly.

"Madoka?" Now Hitomi voiced her concern.

"I'm pretty sure I saw him in my dream." Placing the wrapped treat down, her brow furrowing as her finger pressed lightly on it. She rose her head up to meet the curious expression of Sayaka and the thinking gaze of Hitomi.

"You mean Guilmon? Hold on you didn't mention that to me this morning though." Sayaka was right of course. She didn't mention Guilmon, but thinking back to it, the details began to become clearer. At least some of them were.

"I didn't see him, not like this. He was bigger, a lot bigger, but I'm sure it was still him. I mean, I feel like it was him anyway."

"Hmm if you saw Guilmon then that would make the Knight..." The sound of a chair rasping against the ground came with Sayaka's smile and open eyes as she jolted from her seat "Gallantmon!"

"Hmm, Madoka did you remember watching the D-Reaper newscast back when it first aired? And with how often Sayaka eats Guilmon bread, it's entirely possible your subconscious drew upon both to make the dream that you experienced."

Madoka looked back down at the Guilmon bread. She hadn't told Hitomi all of her dreams and how Guilmon and Gallantmon only made up a small portion of it. There was still everything before It, and what were those other two figures she saw?

"Hey, what do you mean "With how often Sayaka eats Guilmon bread?" I take offense to that." Snapped Sayaka as Hitomi merely smiled back at her "But maybe Hitomi's got a point. I mean why else would you dream of Digimon?"

Madoka looked at the Guilmon bread. Maybe Hitomi was right, and the dream had been a combination of just Sayaka's love of Digimon impressing itself upon her subconscious. But something told her that this was wrong, that it was something else more important.

She just didn't know and somehow this made her feel even more uneasy.

"Oh wait, I know." Sayaka began with a wink that left Madoka puzzled.

"Madoka maybe you're a Digidestined? This dream is your call to action to go out and find your Digimon partner to save the world from destruction!" Sayaka laughed as she fell back on her seat, Hitomi letting out her chuckle.

"Hey quit it!" Madoka cried out indignantly. How was it that Sayaka could be so attentive and yet so mean at the same time?

"Well, it wouldn't be so bad now, would it? You'd have a partner at your side all the time, and you'd get to have adventures besides that."

"Yeah, just think Hitomi, our Madoka raising her D-Ark and calling out to her Digimon to Digivolve into its Champion form. Like this!" Sayaka swiped a fry in the air before eating it.

"You guys..." her shoulders hung dejectedly, drained from the barrage of teasing and laughing.

"Well jokes aside, I do think you'd make a great Digimon Tamer, Madoka." Madoka's perked up as Hitomi spoke earnestly "You're kind, listen, and have great patience. I mean you put up with Sayaka assaulting you every day. Frankly, a Digimon would be a good change of pace for you."

"Hitomi..." Madoka felt tears swelling in her eyes, thankful for the series of events that led to her being friends with someone as mature as Hitomi and further raising the image of her in her mind to new heights.

The thought of being a Tamer had never crossed her mind, but Hitomi's praise made her think of it just then. What would her partner be? How would they get along, and what grand adventures would they go on together? Thoughts swirled in her head about their first meeting, and how important it would be to both.

A cast was sent into the ocean, her mind reaching out in a sea of nothing. She felt it, an already forming connection to the formless, non-existent digital monster in her mind. A flicker of light where there was none-none-at-all that filled her with a foreign warmth that could not be explained by heat. It could not be explained by anything, she thought. Yet it was familiar to her, known to her, as though it had stood beside her, her entire life.

She reached out more and more, hand hovering above it, scared about what would reach for it, unwilling to stay longer but just as unwilling to deny its purpose as a hand.

But just before the formless nothing could touch her, it was cut short, as Sayaka rose from her seat.

There was no sadness because nothing had been formed, and no regret because nothing had lost.

Madoka hadn't forgotten anything at all, so there was no reason for her to feel lost.

None.

"Hey, wait a minute what do you mean assaulting? You're going to make everyone think the wrong thing, Hitomi!" cried Sayaka in righteous fury, as Hitomi merely gave a coy smile as she raised her cell phone up.

"Oh, I forgot I must take tea ceremony lessons in just a bit. This was fun, but I'll see you both tomorrow at school." Madoka waved her goodbye as she left in a small dash as Sayaka called out for her to stop only to be met with another coy smile this time with a dismissive wave of the hand by Hitomi.

Defeated, Sayaka sat back down and turned to her cold fries.

"I didn't think Hitomi still had to take Tea lessons anymore." To Madoka's knowledge, Hitomi had piano lessons.

"Must come with being a rich girl, I guess. Hitomi is going to grow up to be a refined woman." Of that, Madoka felt confident about,

"Hey Madoka, wanna hit the music store? There's this new track I've been wanting to listen to all week."

"For Kamijou, right?"

"Wha-No, not for him. I just really wanted to listen to it is all." Sayaka made no effort to hide her crush on Kamijou, but she was also stubborn when it came to admitting it even existed at all. So Madoka patiently smiled and nodded, leaving with Sayaka after having tossed away what remained of her meal.

She picked up the Guilmon bread, tenderly holding it as she looked up at its face one more time.

"Just a dream." She said to herself, tucking away the pastry as she left with Sayaka.

"Madoka Kaname... Please help me!"

With a solid jerk, she pulled the headphones off her head, looking around rapidly for whomever called out to her.

"Madoka? What's- Ah!" With no warning, Sayaka tore off her headphones, a loud static emanating from them. Not just Sayaka, but soon all those listening to music were attacked by the same static noise. It echoed across the store, forcing everyone to their knees as they held their ears tightly shut.

Mustering up the strength to open her eyes, Madoka saw the static noise manifest itself onto the screens inside the store. The static drove itself into a higher and higher pitch, and with the force of resistance she had used to open her eyes was stripped from her.

"Madoka! Please help me!"

A voice that came not from inside a storm of noise keeping her trapped, but startingly enough from inside her head. One that she had never heard before in her life but that filled her with greater urgency than she had felt before.

Clenching her shaking teeth, Madoka forced herself to her fight. She fought, struck, and battled against the impulses of her body and common sense to give up. But she was driven, determined to follow the cry for help. Her eyes were still closed, unable to waste effort on them and so by instinct alone she took her first step. Feeling the assurance of the ground, she took another step, and then another.

Bit by bit she moved herself forward in defiance. But the sound fought back. It pushed and struck her with greater and greater noise for her troubles.

But it was too late, she had set herself on this and was going to see it to the end.

And like a great weight was rapidly lifted from her chest, she fell forward, and her eyes shot open in an instant as the noise ceased.

Catching herself just before falling, it was only after the ringing in her noise ceased that she could hear both her breath and heart beating happily.

"M-Madoka, are you okay?" asked Sayaka groggily as she struggled to her feet.

"Hmm, yeah Sayaka I'm okay, how about yo-" Straight from a nightmare, the monitors and screens around the music store erupted in a fiery display. Shook, but undeterred by the screams and cries of all the people frantically trying to run from the store, Madoka took off running in the direction of the cry.

Dipping, pushing, and moving through those running from the music store, and those that had gathered around it, it wasn't long before she was standing before a closed-off part of the mall. A long staircase left barely lit and blocked off by a thin sign held up chains.

It was here, she could tell that the voice was leading her here.

Swallowing her fear and hesitation, she went up the stairs and opened the heavy door. Stepping out into a section of the mall that was still heavily under construction, she let her breathing go soft and quiet.

The rattling of nearby chains and the ominous red lights on the pillars created an otherworldly air. It was only because of the distant light of day at the end of the unfinished space that let her know she was still in the mall.

Then without warning, a crashing, thudding noise came from the ceiling above. Falling back, she saw metal plates buck and break, crashing into the ground in front of her as a small, creature curled its body at her feet.

Its white fur was stained and disheveled. Red marks where fur should be littered its body. Soft, forced breaths saw its tiny frame rise and fall. Its long ears also had pieces of them missing.

Kneeling Madoka picked it up into her arms, holding it closely against her chest.

“Was that you?” 

“Help me…” it answered weakly, though once again speaking to her through her mind rather than a voice of its own.

“Who did this to you?” 

And in the second right after her question, her answer came forth. 

Madoka took the small creature and shielded it with her body as entire sections of the metal ceilings came crashing down with vicious fury. Dust and debris were quickly cleared by a single, powerful gust of wind.

“There he is!”

“Thought you could get away did you?!”

“Whose the girl?”

Three bat-like creatures loomed over her. Their body was covered in dark, purple cloth that looked stapled to their body. A skull was imprinted on their foreheads. Sharp deadly teeth came coupled with razor-tipped clawed feet.

“If you know what's good for ya, human, you’ll hand over the creature and leave now.”

“But he’s hurt!” she cried, earning a collective laugh from the trio. She held the tiny creature closer to her chest.

“Yeah and? He’s about to be hurting a lot more.” 

“That’s horrible! Why would do you that to him?”

“Maybe it's because we like pickin’ on things smaller than us?” answered the first one with a sneer.

“Or maybe it is because we’re hungry and decided he was good enough to eat.” spoke the second as it circled to her back and path to the door she came in from.

“Heck, it might even just be that we want to get stronger. Us Digimon need to get what we can these days.” The third circle ahead to her right side, which she saw led out to another exit.

“You’re… Digimon? But wait! If that's true then why would Digimon kill other Digimon? Aren’t you all the same?! Doesn’t that seem wrong to you?!” her earnest plea fell on deaf ears as they all cruelly laughed again.

“Hey, that’s pretty funny! You humans have been trained well by those Tamers and their partners!”

“Yeah, for any real Digimon, it's kill or be killed!”

“Eat or be eaten!”

“Besides…” the first one flew close to her, hanging overhead as its yellow eyes pierced into her soul “He isn’t a Digimon.”

More even then the terror she felt, was a foreign sense of betrayal she could not explain.

She knew about how Digimon had attacked Shinjuku, but it had all been for a reason right? Sayaka told her so, and ever since then, they were supposed to be calm, and peaceful wanting to come to their world for a better life. To find friends, smile, and play with them like anyone else.

Instead, she had been told that the nature of Digimon was conflict. Predation dominated them and they ruled through the conquest of strength.

Had she been so naive? To assume what she was told of them to be the reality? 

Struggling to hold onto something, she held the injured creature to her chest.

And what of him? If he was not a Digimon, then what was he?

But all of that could wait, she knew what she had to do.

“Even if that's true…” She found her strength in the weakness of the injured creature “He called out to me! He asked for my help! So that's why—! That's why I won’t let you hurt him!”

“Stupid human, alright then! Let her have it! Demi-Dar—ARGH!” A white cloud washed over them, blinding them as they picked at the white powder in their eyes. The loud clanging of metal hitting the ground was followed by the rush of someone grasping her hand, and carrying her to her feet in a dash.

“C’mon Madoka, this way!” yelled Sayaka, and Madoka didn’t answer, only listened to the beat of her heart as she ran as hard and as fast as her legs let her go. The exit was close by all they needed to do was-!

“No, you don’t! DEMI-DARTS!” a fast gust of air ripped Sayaka away from her and Madoka quickly let out a cry. The large syringe that pierced the nearby pillar had ripped into Sayaka’s arm. Sayaka held her cry, grasping the wound tightly and doing her best to keep a strong face.

“I’m fine Madoka, keep running!” But Madoka saw the red bleeding through the cracks of her fingers and stalled. Sayaka was hurt and came to her rescue. Sayaka was here because somehow she had decided that she alone could save this small creature alone.

“Scared are ya? Well, it's too late to grovel, I’ll tear you apart with my bare claws! DEMIDEVI CLAW!” Still stuck at the sight of Sayaka's blood and her uselessness being the cause of it, Madoka was primed to get rent by the uncaring claws of the Digimon.

“PYRO-BLASTER!” A powerful red bullet came crashing into the winged Digimon. Its body was blown back, overwhelmed by the raw force carried behind the unexpected attack. Madoka heard its wails before in an instant it was silence, broken into bits that vanished into space.

“One of you?! But how?! Aren’t you supposed to be-” One of the two remaining Digimon was silenced by a roar. Footsteps, heavy and tearing into the ground approached Madoka. She looked up, eyes widened as the figure stepped into the frame for her and Sayaka to see.

“That!” Sayaka began, the pain of her arm fading in just one moment of awe.

A large red, sleek frame was held up atop two powerful legs with two sharp claws for its feet. Its arms were long and his fingers were three in number, all tipped with the shame claws as it felt. White scale painted with black symbols littered its underside. Other black symbols painted his body and face. Sharp teeth were paired with sharp amber eyes, with fiercely dilated black pupils.

“Guilmon…” whispered Madoka as the legendary red Digimon stood before her.

“Right then, DemiDevimon, you better leave them alone! Or else!” warned Guilmon, the softness of his voice betraying the finality of his warning. He placed himself between herself and Sayaka against the two remaining DemiDevimon.

“We can take him.” Said one of the two DemiDevimons, only to be given a frightened and flabbergasted look by the other “We can take him!”

“No way, I ain’t ready to die.”

“We’ll both die if we come back empty-handed! Besides, I don’t see a Tamer with him. It's probably not even THAT Guilmon. Just a dumb wild one that thinks it a hero.”

“Huh, yeah that's true!” the DemiDevimon sneered at the Guilmon, who lowered his head and began emanating a deep growl “If you don’t have a Tamer then that means you ain’t anything to be worried about, you overgrown Iguna!”

Guilmon replied only in his growl.

And then in one bold move, the DemiDevimons began their assault.

“DEMI-DARTS!” They cried as a hail of metal syringes crashed down upon Guilmon. Madoka raised her voice to cry out and warn but silenced herself when she watched the syringes shatter and break upon the Guilmon's scale like glass against the rock.

“What?! Not even a scratch?!” 

Fire came forth onto Guilmons claws, and then the large dinosaur-like creature vanished from sight in blinding speed. 

“FIRE-ROCK BREAKER!” fiery claws came down not as a slash, but instead in a heavy blow meant to crush and pulverize. The DemiDevimon were scattered. One had been sent flying away by the sheer force of the attack. The other, the unlucky one, had been the one to receive it head-on. Madoka watched its body crash and crater into the ground.

“No! How— I’ll make you pay, just watch!” Just before the last remaining DemiDevimon could engage Guilmon, there was a loud pop. A distinct pop that sounds like the confetti poppers at a party.

The DemiDevimon stopped glancing around frightfully, before looking back at Guilmon and then finally at her. No, not her, but instead the creature still held against her chest.

“Tch, We’re too late. Hey Guilmon! I hope you live because I intend to settle the score with you!” The DemiDevimon looked at its fallen ally “Pray for Death.”

And then it bled into the shadows and vanished.

“N-n-no, wait… Ah.. AAHHHH!” The injured DemiDevimon found itself lifted into the air as its body split. No, not split but torn like poorly kept paper that had been allowed to yellow and rot. Then like a note tossed into a fiery kindle, its body was broken into the same particles as the previous DemiDevimon. 

Butterflies like those out of a still frame floated and impressed themselves into the ceiling. Their wings moved up and down as puppets. The ground replaced itself with cards from a deck of tarots, their image blurry and grainy. A picture of a picture that hurt her eyes to look at.

From around her, she watched as the empty, under-construction mall space saw itself be torn away like unwanted wallpaper, replaced instead by a shifting landscape of mad images moving themselves.

“Sayaka!” she called, unable to see her friend no matter where she turned.

Instead, she witnessed cotton balls sprout from the stems of flowers whose base was the small butterflies as before. Their teeth-filled moves were taken from the still images of teeth, haphazardly placed together as thorny scissor-covered hands placed themselves at the end.

She thought they were coming from her, that the madness around her was seeking to snuff out any sense of order left here, and decided her sanity was an affront to its joy.

Instead, she saw them pile upon Guilmon, raising their scissored hands as they struck his body again and again and again. They aimed to take him as they had taken the DemiDevimon, and once more she was powerless to stop it.

“But you can help him, you can change this.” A voice like a dream called to her, and she left herself to listen.

“If you wish for it, you can become a magical girl and save hi-” 

“PYRO-BLASTER!” His body nearly vanished to the swarm before him, his red light shone through the tiny spaces. In one instance a red dome of fire burst around from Guilmon, scattering the creatures and burning away the madness at his heels.

And just as quickly as it had happened, Madoka found herself returned to the space of the mall.

“Madoka!” cried Sayaka as she rushed to her “Where did you go? You were here one second and then gone!”

“Sayaka…” Madoka muttered weakly, regaining her common sense at the sight of Sayaka’s boody arm “Sayaka you’re hurt!” 

“What this?” Raising her arm Sayaka grinned right “Pretty cool right? I took on a Digimon attack and I got a cool wound from it. Bet no one is going to believe me on it, so be sure to back me up you hear?”

Madoka said nothing, letting her sadness and fear be calmed by Sayakas's impervious and confident nature. And then it faded with Sayaka’s worried expression looking behind her.

“Madoka.” in a tone almost alien to her, Madoka turned around to see the face of Guilmon looking straight at her, eyes dilated and with a low growl in the back of his throat.

“Yeah, for any real Digimon, it's kill or be killed!”

She wished the words of the DemiDevimon would have vanished along with itself, but as she looked upon her would-be savior she could not help but feel their pressing force. They had said this was a wild Guilmon, not the one known for being a hero.

Had she been saved only to be turned to its next meal? Or was he also after the creature in her arms?

“Guilmon bread.” Said Guilmon, softy but surely.

“Huh?” both Sayaka and Madoka said in unison, blinking awkwardly.

In the blink of an eye, Guilmons eyes softened into a child. He laughed and walked towards them, pointing with one claw near Madoka’s bag.

“Guilmon bread! It's the new blueberry-cream frost-filled one right? Oh, can I have it, please? Just a bite even?” he begged and waved his tail happily.

Without saying anything, without blinking or even changing the look on her face, Madoka reached into her bag and pulled out the now crumpled and smushed Guilmon bread. 

Wasting not even the time to take off its wrapper, Guilmon dropped it into his mouth and began chewing happily, beating his tail against the ground like a puppy.

“Madoka, I think you just became a Tamer.”

And for a split second, watching Guilmon happily eat his treat, Madoka very much hoped Sayaka was right.

Chapter Text

“Now attack him directly, Gallantmon!” Placing down the shiny knight-embossed card Takato ends the match against Kazu decisively. Letting his cards fall from his hands, Kazu ran his hands through his head in frustration.

“C’mon! You spent the entire match removing all my blockers! How's that fair?” 

Takato placed his cards back into his deck, laughing right before beginning to shuffle them.

“Well maybe if you spent more time working on your deck and mastering it instead of jumping towards the current meta you might have a better chance.” placing down his five security cards, Takato drew out his starting hand.

Kazu wasn’t taking it, however.

“As if, the only reason you keep winning all the time is because of that guilmon deck you have. Everyone who’s anyone knows they made that deck especially strong on account of you saving the world.” 

“Sure they did Kazu, then where’s your Guardamon deck then?” Takato shot back as Kazu also finished placing down his cards and drawing his hand.

Opening the door to the school's rooftop, Kenta waved towards them with a sigh of relief.

"Should have known you guys would be here. You need to hurry, I can't keep making up excuses every time Kazu decides that he needs to keep losing to you, Takato."

"Says you, I was just about to clean him out!" Kazu had begun placing his cards back into his deck and placing them into his bag. Takato let out a laugh as he did the same, knowing that was just Kazu's way of telling him he had drawn a bad hand.

"Whaddaya say Takato, after school, we finish up the match-of-all-matches?"

And before Takato could tell him no.

"Hurry guys class is about to start!" Kenta didn't wait any longer going back ahead of them as both Kazu and Takato took off right behind him.

Tests and lessons first, beating Kazu later!

Despite Kenta's warning, somehow both he and Kazu still made it late to class. It wasn't all that bad, no sticking around after school for detention or having to clean up the classroom. Instead, the teacher had both Takato and Kazu present their essays first.

Kazu managed to plan and was ready for it. Everyone who had been expecting him to flounder and flop was left disappointed. Kazu sat the rest of the class proud of himself.

Was this because of his string of wins? 

Everyone who had expected Kazu to mess up got their wish with his half-baked report on the shifting international economics. Why he chose that to make the subject of his essay, he really couldn’t remember. 

Still despite the teacher scolding him, a few of his classmates laughing, and Kazu’s constant digs about it the day went on as usual. Now he was putting away his shoes in his locker and found himself with a second wind. 

Takato smiled to himself. He’d been looking forward to this day for about a whole month and there wasn’t much that could bring him down now. 

“What’s with that big smile on your face, chumly? Don’t tell me you're all excited about tonight's homework.” Still riding the high from earlier, Takato ignored Kazu and finished putting his stuff away.

“Me and Guilmon are heading out to Tokyo as soon as I get home. There’s this bakery that opened up serving bread Guilmons has been excited to try out.” He must have been smiling hard given how both Kazu and Kenta shook their heads, understanding but no doubt laughing how excited he knew he sounded.

“Once a gogglehead always a googlehead, huh?” Kazu said swinging his bag over his shoulder, Takato laughing at the mention of his nickname.

“You’re one to talk Kazu, you and Guardramon are always patrolling town after school or working on combo attacks, plus scouting out other bakeries.” Kenta added dryly. 

“You bet! Next time a wild Digimon shows up trying to start to trouble me and Guardramon will be there to put a stop to it before it even knows what's going on.” pumping his fist Kazu did not attempt to correct Kenta, who only shook his head in response.

Takato wanted to correct him about that, given what the laws were around wild or emerging Digimon. But the law itself was only about two years old and no wild Digimon have emerged in Shinjuku since their own back four years ago.

He had to pause for a second at that detail.

‘Four years sure went by fast…’ and before he had too much of a chance to dwell on it the voice of a girl called out to him, pulling him from the thought.

“Hey Takato, you doing anything after school? A few of us wanted to go to this new arcade that opened up.” It was a girl from his class, along with a few others from different classes. They were together, giggling to themselves as Takato blinked awkwardly in reply “If you want, Kazu and Kenta can come along. We don’t mind.”

He tried not to think about it too often but ever since the D-Reaper incident, he’d become a bit of a celebrity. Not just him, but Henry and Rika too. It was cool at first, having people speak about him like he was some kind of hero. Guilmon was especially happy since Guilmon bread became the most popular bread his dad had ever made, meaning there were always spares for him to eat.

Still, he wanted to and was going to spend time with just Guilmon today, so he just needed to tell them no.

“O-oh, sorry but I already made plans with Guilmon so I can’t-”

“Oh, Guilmon can come too!”

“Yeah, can you bring him please?”

“He’s sooo cute too!”

Takato laughed awkwardly, cursing himself for not being able to just say no at the start.

Why was he so bad at talking to girls? It's been four years, hasn't it?

“Hey, sorry girls but Gogglehead here has serious business to take care of with Guilmon. You wouldn’t get it, Tamer stuff and all. But hey me and Kenta are still willing to go.” Takato silently thanked Kazu’s vast amount of confidence for taking him out of the conversation.

Instantly the girls deflated and waved them goodbye.

“No thanks! Let’s hang out sometime, kay Takato?” 

“Smooth Kazu. You know they just wanted to hang with Takato right?” dug Kenta who was only waved off by Kazu.

“They’re barking up the wrong tree anyhow. Ol' Chumley here has only got eyes for Jeri.” Kazu began before snapping his fingers “Oh wait, it's actually for Rika, isn’t it? Shooting for the Digimon queen is bold.”

“You don’t know what you’re talking about Kazu.” 

“Uh-huh, so that’s not why you're blushing, right?” touching his cheek he felt the immediate warmth and felt how hot he suddenly was. At this, Kazu let out a laugh followed by a heavy sight from Kenta.

“That’s not cool Kazu.”

“Yeah, but it's pretty funny.”

Not feeling like being teased by Kazu anymore Takato finished getting his stuff and took on off ahead of both Kazu and Kenta. 

Stupid Kazu, of course, he would get embarrassed by him just saying he's got a crush Jeri. Or Rika, Kazu mentioned Rika too. That didn’t make it true, it was just embarrassing. It would happen to anyone he’d bet.

Even still Takato felt some of his thoughts trail off.

No way, Takato shouted in his head, shaking those thoughts out of his mind as he focused on walking home to hang out with his REAL best friend, Guilmon. He’d get home, get ready, and take him to see Tokyo and enjoy that new bread shop. 

Not ignoring Kazu’s calling and trailing behind him the entire time. Nope, not one bit at all.

“Residents of Fukushima were in for quite a surprise when a small family found themselves visited by Tokomon after a brief power outage. One of the many monsters from the world-famous Digimon franchise, Tokomon is among the most recent additions to Japan's growing Digital residents. Their Tamer, a six-year-old girl, whose name has not been disclosed, is likewise another of the many lucky children who have made a connection with these magnificent creatures! Now, for the weather!”

“Seems like everyone getting a Digimon nowadays. That's what, five in the last few months?”

“Four. Tokomon though, they’re pretty lucky.”

“No kidding, Heavens Knuckles! Man Angemon would be so cool.”

Although it had been in the afternoon, the morning news played on one of the many colossal TVs in Shinjuku Square.

It wasn’t all that long after the return of their partners that they would see more Digimon appearing to new tamers. At first, this caused some concern given how the digital world had been reportedly sealed off from their own. Yamaki had even gotten the Monster Makers back to try and figure out what had happened. Everyone except Shibumi that is. In the end, they had concluded that the newly bio-emerged digimon had been managing to squeeze through the grid due to their small size, and smaller power.

Ultimately, nothing coming in could cause any harm on its own, and most of the Digimon making the travel into their world were responding to kids, not unlike what their partners did to them. In the end, the new Digimon Tamers became something of an international phenomenon. Everyone wanted who was a fan of the franchise wanted a chance to be a Tamer. Even those who weren’t still loved the idea of a digital monster all their own.

Which left Takato and the other tamers in a weird place. 

A few of the new tamers had reached out to him for advice on the forums. It caused him just a little bit of flustering but in a good way. Being fourteen, he didn’t think of himself as a veteran in anything, but everyone could only talk about all the battles and struggles he and the other tamers went through in their fight against the D-Reaper.

But for those who were just starting off being tamers themselves, he was happy to find out that they were benefiting from his ups and downs in being Guilmons' partner. 

‘Just don’t tell them how many times you lost Guilmon.’ the overly responsible part of his mind warned him.

“Still, I sorta wish when it was just us, you know?” Both Takato and Kenta shared a look at Kazu’s remark.

“It's great everyone's getting a Digimon, but don’t you miss that sort of sweet feeling of being chosen?”

“The number of people with Digimon in Tokyo is only double-digit. Triple if you go worldwide. Besides, we didn’t even get our partners until after Takato, Rika, and Henry got theirs.” 

“Sure sure we were late for the party but how many of them can say they went straight into the digital world to find their partner? Call it what you will, me? I call it Destiny.”

“So it's all about being special then, huh?”

“Sure is! Takato, you with me on it?”

“Not really, no.” Takato said with a bright smile, “Being special is cool, I guess, but meeting Guilmon was probably the best thing that ever happened to me. If it's the same thing for everyone who meets their partner, then I would trade being special for that any day.”

But suddenly, realizing what he had said, Takato could see Kazu's jeering face and Kenta's shaking head.

“Real heartfelt stuff there chumly! I’ll give ya an A- for soul!”

Takato got flustered, like any boy his age would at his friend laughing at him. He struggled with the burning desire to fire back and give as good as he got. 

Still, he didn't say anything clever or smart to Kazu. Takato let him have his laugh and enjoy himself because he knew for all his mocking, Kazu did feel the same way towards his Digimon partner as Takato did towards Guilmon.

Rika might say it made him a doormat but knowing that he somehow made Kazu's laughhing felt nice, in its weird way.

The rest of the walk was full of the trio talking about the latest season of the new Digimon show, trading cards, talking about rumors surrounding Digimon, and other stuff that faded into a quagmire of spent time.

Takato finally said goodbye to his friends, taking off towards his home. He let the soft but prominent smell of bakery guide him, although he had walked this street a thousand times and so he knew almost as well as he knew his own home.

He pulled out his phone and looked down at the clock. There was still plenty of time to get Guilmon and head over to look at different bake shops he was interested in.

"Excuse me." Suddenly he heard a voice right next to his ear. He snapped his head, turning to see a girl only a few feet from him.

It was a girl.

Long black hair was held up by a band, she wore what he assumed was her school uniform, though her grey and white didn't belong to any he recognized. It seemed almost entirely unworn. Dispassionate violet eyes were accompanied by the thin line of her lips. She lacked an expression, and interest he found.

How long had she been behind him? Was he so lost in his thoughts that he didn't hear her behind him?

"I'm looking for Matsuki Bakery." She said simply and Takato felt the words jumble in his mouth. Still thinking about how sudden she had appeared; he had to clear his throat and straighten himself out.

"Hey! I'm Takato!" he cleared his throat one more time realizing she didn't ask about him "I-I'm headed there too, it's not far from here. Just up the street as a matter of fact."

He felt his cheeks warm and turned to save himself from the embarrassment of blushing in front of the unknown girl.

He kept walking, hearing the soft clicks of the girl's shoes behind him. His eyes move to the edge of his sockets, trying to take more glances at her. Her expression hadn't changed, still expressionless and dispassionate.

"Akemi Homura." This time, her voice came from behind him rather than next to his ear.

"Huh?" He murmured, taking in her name for a moment before thinking about what to say.
She was faster than him in this.

"You're Takato Matsuki. The Digimon Tamer." She said his name as a fact, rather than with any interest or care. He ran his hand behind his head and sheepishly smiled to himself.

"Yeah, that's me!" He must have looked like an idiot, and so he kept facing forward. Why was dealing with Digimon easier than talking to a girl?

"Oh, but I'm not the only Digimon Tamer you know. There's Rika, Henry, Kazu, and Kenta besides all the new ones you see on the news. And that's just Japan too, I hear there are Tamers all over the world." His mouth ran without censor trying to get over the awkwardness he felt.

He would never know if it worked or if she had been humoring him, but she replied to him all the same.

"The Digimon are special, aren't they? I wonder what it's like to have one." There was something about the way she said that. Takato had caught it but was unable to figure out what it was exactly. Pity? Fear? Envy? He didn't know and felt like he would keep thinking about it past any reasonable point.

"Guilmon's my friend. Sure, I have friends, the best ones too but Guilmon is different. Even when I can't see him or when he's away from me, I know he's still there. It just never feels like I'm ever alone and that's... that's nice." He blinked and cleared his throat realizing he was falling into the same sentiment as before "At least that's just me, I don't know what Henry or Rika would have to say."

"I see." She said simply, and for a moment Takato was content she hadn't teased him. But just then.

"Guilmon." And this time he had caught it, no matter how well it tried to hide itself in her tone. He heard the name of his partner, his Digimon, pass through her lips with nothing short of resentment.

His lips became a hard line, and all awkwardness was replaced with an air of tension.

No one would be out of line for saying that he liked Digimon. That might be an understating, but Takato knew he was not alone in his love for Digimon. They were a dream made real for others. Maybe it had been the wrong way to think about it, but a world without them didn't make sense to him. It just seemed wrong.

But Takato knew that these were just his thoughts. If he and others loved Digimon, then it was only natural that others hated them.

Digimon were dreams and wishes made real, but dreams could also be nightmares and wishes empty want. Even if it was four years ago, the world had been introduced to Digimon with the invasion of the Devas and then the D-Reaper not long after.

They were seen saving the world both, as heroes, and maybe that gave enough doubt and protection to Digimon to avoid being treated as just digital monsters. Still, there was no doubt those who saw them as monsters, and only monsters.

Maybe Homura was the same way? Beyond just her name, beyond just the fact that she knew of him, what did he know about this stranger? Nothing at all.

Let it go, he thought to himself, deciding to avoid asking or prodding further. It was her thoughts and that was fine in the end. Right?

"Hey, Homura, do you like Digimon?" He couldn't keep the words in, and no matter how he scolded himself, he knew he had to ask. There was a long, pregnant pause after he had asked his question and he noticed that he had stopped walking, rooting himself to the ground his head held up and looking towards her with a resolute face.

It was a silly, silly question but he felt bold.

He looked into her violet eyes and saw a change. No more was the hint of the resentment he had heard and felt before, instead, there was an equal amount of resolve hidden behind a cool face.

Who was Homura? He asked himself again, the desire to know springing forth from some unknown place.

They held each other in locked gazes, neither shifting nor moving. Takato saw the world around them cease to move and it felt as though time had frozen, no matter how impossible that might have sounded.

And then, as though she was the surface a frozen lake, he saw a break in her expression.

"We're here." She said, raising a pointed finger to her right.

He blinked, being the first to break contact, feeling the tension ease up as he turned his head and saw the entrance of his home.

What look was on his face? Confusion or surprise? How had he not noticed that he had arrived at his own home? Takato wondered if he had been that consumed in his thoughts about Homura.

But before he could think about it any longer, Guilmon came through the front entrance and jumped onto him, knocking him over to the ground.

"Takato! You're back!" exclaimed his partner with childish joy and innocence. His normally brilliant red scales had been covered in what looked like white floury prints belonging to a child. On his head was a long white chef's hat that came accompanied by a white apron at his waist.

"Haha~Guilmon! Did Dad let you cook again?" Guilmon nodded his head raising in his head a piece of bread shaped like himself "Guilmon bread? Again? I guess there's no teaching you anything new huh?"

"Nope, not me this time!" Guilmon turned his neck, at the door was a group of children Takato recognized as being from the neighborhood.

"Guilmon where'd ya go?"

"Look look I made Guilmon bread too!"

"Hey Takato! Can you help Guilmon turn into Growlmon?"

"No no! Turn into Gallantmon!"

Takato smiled, lifting himself from the ground and cleaning up the flour Guilmon had passed onto him from his clothes with some pats. His dad must have let the kids in the neighborhood come in and bake with Guilmon. It was good for Guilmon and kept him out of trouble when he wasn't playing with Terriermon or Impmon, but man they sure could get messy.

"Sorry guys but me and Guilmon were about to go out." The kids "aww"d at this and Takato turned to Guilmon for backup with a nudge of his eyebrows. Guilmon raised a claw to his mouth and turned his head, confused at Takato's gesture.

"Remember Guilmon, we were going to check out all the bakeries?" and Guilmons expression changed running over to the kids with his arms open.

"Okay everyone go clean up now, I have to go with Takato to try some nice, tasty bread!" The kids repeated their disappointed chant "But don't worry next time I promise to Digivolve to Gallantmon!"

Before Takato could say anything, the kids cheered and ran inside alongside Guilmon. His shoulders shrugged a bit, really hoping the kids wouldn't hold him to that promise. Better yet maybe Guilmon will forget about it.

In all the excitement, Takato had forgotten about Homura. But when he had turned to where she had last stood, she was gone. He turned his head towards the other side where the street continued onward, and still no sign of her.

"Where did you go?" his thought was spoken aloud, right as his dad had walked out of their home.

"You’re home Takato, I’d say about ten minutes or so? Couldn't wait to go see the sights with Guilmon huh." His dad cleaned his hands off with a rag and handed him a small thin package from inside his apron

"Here, the kids scrapped together their change and got you a booster pack from that new set you were talking about with Kazu and Kenta the other day."

Takato took the single booster pack and felt the crease of its plastic shelling. He smiled of course, a unique kind of joy that came from the sincerity that only a small kid could produce. But he felt the smile drop, looking more seriously at the colorful package of cards.

"Something wrong, son?" Takato knew nothing was wrong, so why did he feel bothered? He knew it had to do with Homura, but he didn't know exactly why. His question had been simple, right? Why didn't she answer it?

More importantly, why did he care about that answer? He shouldn't but he did, her violet eyes and the feelings she hid behind them lingering in his thoughts.

"I met someone today Dad, a girl." He muttered turning his head back at the spot where Homura was.

His dad gave him a hard pat on his back, taking away from the lingering gaze Takato was stuck on. He had a wizened smile on his face that Takato couldn't understand.

"No point in sticking around out here thinking about missed chances, son. Come on inside, Guilmon's gonna be ready before you know?"

Takato nodded and followed his dad back inside, letting the moment's past fall to the back of his mind.

The corners of his eyes perhaps by instinct or curiosity, glanced at the clock up at the counter of the entrance.

His dad was right, he had come home early. Ten minutes exactly.

Weird, thought Takato, and then he thought about it no more.

Chapter Text

"So, class, as you can see the new laws put in place regarding the bio-emergence of Digimon is a lot like a new relationship. It's a tough and uncharted area for both parties and time and understanding are required so that both can get along happily and without conflict. It is frustrating when, no matter how hard one party is trying to make it work the other isn't and is just refusing to talk about their plans or think about how little time someone has without any regard for serious commitment. Isn't that right Nakazawa-Kun!" There was a pregnant pause in her classroom as her teacher, Ms. Saotome, pointed her stick toward Nakazawa. Startled, he blinked for a moment before raising a finger to himself as if he had forgotten his name. Ms. Saotome could only dig her eyes at him before turning back to the board. The class breathed easy as the subject continued.

Madoka didn't know why her teacher consistently chose to pick on Nakazawa whenever she vented her relationship issues to them. Had he done something she nor anyone else had known about? The thought had crossed her and the minds of others at various times. Each time, however, they settled on being content with the fact that it had been him and not them that their teacher had targeted.

"Now the HYPNOS Group itself was heavily involved with the formation of said laws. The nature of these laws is, at first glance, very simple and straightforward, meant to both protect the Digimon and the Tamers they chose alongside the public at large. Though they're primarily answering to the Japanese Government, the International discussion has also brought them forth due to their expertise and knowledge in the field being unmatched by almost any other group."

Madoka would never have thought to claim to be the most studious or attentive student, but then she also would never have thought to have run into an actual Digimon in the first place. The encounter with the digital lizard had caused a shift in what she cared about, and right now she wanted to know how to care for a Digimon.

Or at least when it came to the law.

Her raised hand was answered only a moment after she had raised it.

"Yes, Madoka?" there was a tiny pause as she felt a few of her classmates look at her, Sayaka included, but she thought about Guilmon and pushed past it.

"Does HYPNOS watch out for all Digimon? I mean, how do they know when a Digimon, from Bio-emerges?"

"According to what's been released to the public, Digimon draws out a lot of energy in manifesting. Converting data, ones, and zeroes into flesh and bone takes effort and the result can be what's called a bio-emergence field. A fog-like structure that helps the Digimon in materializing itself."

"Can they also cause electrical stuff to, umm, break?"

"They can, yes. Typically, this is a sign of the Digimon itself channeling its way through a power grid or the cabling of an electrically wired system. Now back to your first question. How does HYPNOS track the appearance of a Digimon? As mentioned, they're among the foremost in the field of Digital Life. They've developed programs modeled after the Digimon themselves that do enable such tracking. They've even been able to set up a firewall, GARMR, that keeps out the scarier and more hostile Digimon. However, due to the level at which HYPNOS operates the specifications are not known to the public."

"What happens when a Digimon emerges and, um, chooses a Tamer?" Madoka didn't need to turn her head to feel Sayaka digging holes into the back of her head, and she could hear confused murmurs amongst a few of her classmates.

"My, since when did you get so interested in Digimon, or..." Her teacher trailed up, and Madoka braced herself "Could it be you have a very own Digimon friend you want to share with the rest of the class!"

Some of her classmates laughed at their teacher, Sayaka burying her head in her arms to avoid seeing her public execution as Madoka's cheeks flushed and the words failed to form in her mouth, choosing instead to grip the ends of her skirt.

Ms. Saotome let out a friendly laugh, signaling the rest of the class to quiet their laughter.

"Just kidding. If a Digimon does choose you or anyone as its Tamer, what's called a D-Ark also manifests. Now this device is the subject of its discussion both in how it's made and also why it's made, though it's wildly accepted that it can only manifest through this way and acts as a multi-faceted device with various cool functions." Suddenly her teacher took an odd stance before she swiped her left hand past her right hand "DIGI-Modify!"

The class burst into laughter as Ms. Saotome chuckled alongside them. Sitting down, Madoka let out a relieved sigh before turning over to Sayaka who shook her head.

Madoka would for sure hear about it from Sayaka later, probably the day after too but compared to what she had just learned and fully absorbed, she didn't see it as that bad of thing. Instead, her thoughts went to the D-Arks. Of course, she knew what they were, Sayaka had told her plenty of times in talking about Digimon and their Tamers.

They were, as romanticized as Sayaka liked to be, a sign of the Digital world itself. That a child had been chosen to be the partner to a life not found of their world that had not just made the effort to make it here but had made the effort to make it to their chosen child.

Was it Destiny or Fate? Maybe the invisible hand of some God? Or maybe it was simply the yearning from one soul to another across time and space. Whatever the reason was, whatever explanation one could come up with, she could only think of this.

She was Guilmons' tamer, where was her D-Ark?

As school ended, Madoka quickly gathered her things and decided to go home as early as possible. She tried not to waste any time, gently turning down classmates looking to talk to, or Hitomi's request to hang out at the mall again. There was no rudeness or lack of care, as almost any other day she would have talked and hung out with Hitomi, but not right now.

Her mind was occupied solely by the digital monster staying at her home. She thought about HYPNOS, how even if had only been a day that they hadn't shown up despite what her teacher told her.

Maybe it's better that way, she thought to herself thinking about what a change to her life it would be to be acknowledged as one of the few Tamers. She remembered that girl with the Tokomon, and even if the news story had kept her identity private, how much longer would that be the 
case? Madoka didn't know if she could handle everyone knowing about her! 

"Geez Madoka, why don't you just tell everyone you have a Digimon." Sayaka's crude voice came from behind her, pulling her from her deep thoughts.

"Sayaka!" yelled Madoka quietly, raising a finger to her mouth "Please don't say that so loud."

"Why not? It's not like it's against the law to have a Digimon or anything. Oh! I know you're just scared that you'll end up on the news and biff it real big!" Madoka's cheeks flushed as Sayaka raised her hands as part of her show "Oh yes! I love my partner Guilmon and all Pokémon! Ha-ah!"

"Quit it Sayaka!" begged Madoka as Sayaka kept laughing.

"But hey who knows? With your distinct look and Guilmon being Guilmon, you're bound to steal everyone's hearts for yourself." Madoka flushed again, though differently this time "But more important than that..."

Sayaka ran up in front of her, grasping both of her shoulders tightly as she looked at her with a piercing, serious gaze. Madoka shrunk against this, not knowing what had overcome Sayaka so suddenly.

"Madoka Kaname,  it's up to you to save the Digital World! with your partner Digimon" she said in a just and deep voice before letting go of her and winking suddenly "Or something like that anyways."

Spinning around, Sayaka kept on the way to Madoka's home. Madoka let out a soft sigh.

Sayaka had always loved the Digimon and being met with one had caused her no end of joy.

It stood in contrast with how Madoka herself had been handling it. While she had been hesitant to place a hand on Guilmon's head, Sayaka had wrapped both arms around him and had cheered for him saving them.

A tiny part of her almost felt like Sayaka should have been the one to get a Digimon herself.
But this tiny part was ignored by her joy at coming home to her very own Digimon partner. The thought alone made her smile in a way she didn't know she could.

"Oh, did you tell your mom at all about Guilmon?" Madoka shook her head at Sayaka's question. Madoka hadn't of course. How do you tell your mom that you were now partnered with a lizard that talked and breathed hot red flames? She had been lucky enough to avoid her dad and little brother, though the latter was probably not worth mentioning given his infancy. Now, Guilmon was hiding amongst the various stuffed animals in her room, which she hoped would still be the case.

"I don't know what the hold up is. Your mom is a cool lady. Heck, maybe she's a big Digimon fan too!" Madoka didn't know about that. Her mom was cool sure but none of their talks ever gave her the idea that she would be a Digimon enthusiast. It was a funny thought though, her mom being just as passionate as Sayaka about the Digimon that is.

"Yeah, she is cool." Madoka admitted with more than a bit of pride "I guess now I'm just worried that Guilmon isn't..." She trailed off thinking about what her teacher had said in class earlier.

"Is this about the D-Ark?" Sayaka had manifested her thought for her "I wouldn't worry about it." Madoka perked up.

"Really?"

"Yeah. I was on this Tamers forum last night and it turns out not everyone gets a D-ARK when they meet their Digimon partner. Sometimes it takes a day or two before it shows up.
It must be the bonds of friendship that need to be set before you get one." Sayaka brought a hand to her chin "Although it was the internet, who knows if they were Tamers or not."

Privately Madoka had wished she had left that last part out. It did reassure her somewhat though. Madoka had only just now met Guilmon, and although she felt an undeniable connection with him, was it truly on the same level as the Trio of Tamers that had merged with their own Digimon? She hoped that would be the case.

"Did they say anything about what I could do to help it? The bonds of friendship I mean?"

"Spending time with Guilmon couldn't hurt. Just like regular friendship, the more fun memories you make the stronger the bond will be." Madoka nodded her head affirmatively.

She didn't think of it as work or a task but instead that she wanted to show Guilmon that he was her friend. They were together now and he would be able to count on her. Maybe she wouldn't be able to protect him just like he had protected her yesterday, but for sure he would know what a great friend he had in her.

"Whoa whoa whoa, that's quite a fierce look you have there Madoka!" complimented Sayaka 

"Watch out, the biggest Tamer is here."

There was a bit of a teasing tone in Sayaka's voice, but Madoka believed in it. It wasn't a competition, and she didn't want to compare herself to the Tamers of before, but all the same, she was going to do her best. Not just for herself, but for Guilmon and whatever force it was that brought him to her.

The rest of the walk to her home was uneventful. They talked, passing through the streets that became more and more lively as the afternoon drew closer to evening. Various screens played ads, some with Digimon of course though Madoka told herself that was always the case. Sayaka saw one with Guilmon and of course, took it as a sign they should hurry to her home.

The sun was still high when they arrived at her home. Her dad and brother had not been there, a note explaining to her that they had gone to the nearby park to play while there was still a day left. Her dad had left Madoka a meal wrapped nicely on the table. Her mom had mentioned to her that morning that she wouldn't be back until after dinner. She had been working on closing a deal and was in the final stretch of it, so she needed to throw everything at it now.

Madoka loved eating dinner with her family, but she also knew how important her work was to her mother so she couldn't be that disappointed. Still, this did leave her alone with Sayaka but also Guilmon. Even if it was by chance it let her put off revealing Guilmon to them.

She knew it was selfish, but she could live with it for the time being.

Sayaka took off upstairs nearly forgetting to take off her shoes. Madoka couldn't find it in her to chide her. She shared the same sentiment even if instinct had won over her, placing her shoes gently against the entrance to her home and closing the door securely behind her.

"Guilmon!" yelled Sayaka as she fell onto the plush toys, rising quickly as he lifted Sayaka off the ground as her arms wrapped themselves against his frame.

"That's me!" he said cheerfully his bright yellow eyes filling with warmth as he turned to Madoka. 

"See, Madoka, I stayed here the entire day! I'm good at listening."

She smiled warming going up and placing a hand against his head as she rubbed it softly. Guilmon beamed at that, filling Madoka's hand with the warmness from his soft crimson scales.

"I got some Guilmon bread." Sayaka rummaged through her student bag pulling out three different kinds of Guilmon bread "This one is pistachio paste flavored; this one is red bean flavored, and the last one is coffee flavored."

"Sayaka should he be eating something with coffee in it?" Madoka added worriedly despite
Guilmon's glittering eyes.

"Don't worry this one is decaffeinated." Waving Madoka's worries away Sayaka handed the bread to Guilmon, who grabbed it in a clawed hand and began to chew away at it happily.

"Mmm delicoush!" cooed Guilmon through a puffed-up cheek.

"You like Guilmon bread." Guilmon replied with a quick nod of his head before taking another bite "I guess since it was the first thing you ate, that makes sense."

"Mmh, Takato's Dad made it for me." And both Madoka and Sayaka laughed at that.

"I guess that's true. Say, do all Guilmon know about that or is it just you?" Madoka wanted to know more about the Digimon, more about the world they lived in but beyond that she wanted to know more about Guilmon himself. 

Guilmon gave a puzzled, almost confused look.

"Are there more Guilmon?" he asked, and Sayaka and Madoka shared his look of confusion. They looked at each other before they looked back at him.

"Sure, it's like people. There's Madoka, me, our friends, and our classmates." Explained Sayaka as Guilmon raised a claw to his chin.

"Oh, so like all the Chuchidarumon, right? They're all the same but also not. That makes sense! I wonder what the other Guilmon is like." Guilmon turned back to his bread and continued eating it happily. Madoka had expected a more concrete and sure answer from him. She wasn't disappointed though, having at least learned more about him regardless.

"But you still like Guilmon bread?"

"Mm-hm, it was made for me," Guilmon repeated, for an instant Madoka felt content with letting him finish his bread in peace.

"Guilmon how is it that you found Madoka, you know the other day?" Sayaka's question came quickly carrying her usual energy. Despite not being curious about it at first, Madoka found herself suddenly wondering about it too. Not just that, but about who that tiny creature Kyuubey was and if Guilmon had been familiar with him.

"The DemiDevimon was picking on..." he stopped, thinking to himself once again.

"Kyuubey?"

"Kyuubey... haha that sounds like Kyubimon. Yeah, the DemiDevimon was picking on him, so l chased them and tried to stop them. There was this dark alley but that didn't stop me and then I heard you and Sayaka were in trouble, so I came to stop them!"

"Just like a hero of justice!" Sayaka exclaimed, Guilmon smiling in response.

"Me? A hero of justice? That's cool!" Madoka laughed as both Sayaka and Guilmon played off each other, though felt a question of her own come up.

"So... those other creatures, were they Digimon too?" she asked, remembering how the space around them shifted into a surreal landscape and became filled with things that became harder and harder to describe from memory alone.

"No, they didn't smell like Digimon. They didn't smell like anything I've ever smelled before.
And I've smelled A LOT of stuff." Replied Guilmon before suddenly turning his head sharply to the window, the black of his eyes becoming thin and sharp enough to cause Sayaka and Madoka to stand still.

"They were familiars belonging to a Witch." The same voice as yesterday called out, though rather than a voice in her head, it came directly to her ear.

Sitting at the edge of her closed window was the fox-bunny-cat creature named Kyuubey that they had protected the other day.

It jumped down, and Madoka, moved, catching it in her arms as it looked up to her with its small red eyes. It seemed to look into her very soul with them, but something assuaged the feeling of uneasiness she had felt.

"A witch you said." Sayaka spoke up, pulling Madoka from the red-eyed gaze "The kind from the fairytales with green skin and warts?"

That was the same image Madoka had come up with when the term had come up, but Kyuubey merely shook its head.

Guilmon's pupils relaxed, coming up close to her. His nose ran over Kyuubey. Kyuubey did not move or protest. All the same, Madoka felt something in the air shift and turn as a terrible tense feeling began swelling within her.

Madoka turned to her friend wondering if Sayaka might have been sharing in this feeling.

She wasn't, instead bearing a steely look that did nothing to ease the tension inside of her.

"Not something so simple. Think of them as malicious manifestations of negative emotions. The familiars are created from them and serve them within their labyrinth." Madoka thought back to the increasingly distant memory of that horrible place.

"So that place we walked into, it was a Witch's labyrinth?" Madoka felt a tight grip in her heart as Kyuubey nodded.

"Unprotected humans are at risk when they stumble into their Labyrinth like you did," It looked at Guilmon, who nonetheless kept on sniffing him "It was fortunate that Guilmon was there to save you."

"And you too." Added Sayaka as Kyuubey nodded in agreement.

"That's true. Thank you very much, Guilmon." Kyuubey said sincerely, and it seemed like Guilmon had finally finished his efforts, turning away and bringing back another one of the Guilmon breads Sayaka had given him.

With a smile Guitmon tore the bread visage of himself in two, handing the other half towards Kyuubey,

"Guitmon bread!" he exclaimed, as Kyuubey began nibbling on the pastry without a second thought followed soon by Guilmon. Madoka smiled, happy with the kindness that Guilmon had shown towards the unknown creature.

He must have been hungry, thought Madoka as Kyuubey kept eating away at the bread greedily.

She felt the tension ease up, and looking over at Sayaka she watched her friend raise a triumphant thumbs. Strange as it was it felt like they had won a mini conflict of sorts and were basking in the aftermath as both Guilmon and Kyuubey happily ate alongside each other.

"Those DemiDevimon didn't have anything to do with that Witch did they?" Madoka remembered the terrible cries as the DemiDevimon was swallowed by the Labyrinth. How he had broken apart into tiny particles without the Witch or its familiars sparing it a second thought. Maybe she was wrong for feeling sympathy for him, after they had attacked her, Sayaka and Kyuubey, she should feel anger or content with his fate.

But she didn't, feeling only sadness for how it had perished alone.

"No. I don't know why they chose to attack me either, I'm not a Digimon after all so it's not as though I would have given them strength."
"Speaking of which, what are you anyways?" Sayaka as bluntly but innocently as Kyuubey finished the bread.

"Thank you again Guilmon, can I have more later?" Kyuubey didn't wait for an answer

"That's why I'm here, Sayaka and Madoka. You see just like how the Three Tamers protected and saved the world from Digital threats like Wild Digimon and the D-Reaper so too are heroes needed to protect and save the world from Witches. That's where me and my kind come in."

He lept from her arms placing himself atop of Guilmon who blinked curiously.

"Madoka and Sayaka, would you like to make a contract with and become Magical Girls?" Madoka blinked and felt that Sayaka had much the same look of bewilderment on her face as she did.

She had heard him correctly, right? Kyuubey was asking them to become Magical girls?

"Like from the shows?" asked Madoka meekly to the soft nod of Kyuubey's head.

"Yes! Like them, you'd protect humans against the Witches stopping them wherever they might appear." She looked at Guilmon who merely blinked back at her, perhaps not understanding what it was that Kyuubey was saying "If that's not enough for you then when you make a contract with me, I will grant you one wish."

"A wish? Anything at all?" asked Sayaka, speaking in place of Madoka's thoughts as soon as the idea had left Kyuubey's mouth.

"Absolutely. No matter how small or big, how vast or how narrow, any wish you ask will be granted."

Right there Madoka considered what she could even wish for?. It sounded truly fantastical, but what would she want? A new stuffed animal? No, it had to be something more substantial than that. It was a wish after all. It should be for something important and great instead of just something she could find or do on her own.

"A wish? Oh man, that's tough." Sayaka said, her eyes closed and head resting in her hand as she scrunched her face in deep thought "Ohhhh, I can't think of anything! This is so hard!"

"That's okay." Said Kyuubey "You don't need to answer right now. A wish is an important thing after all, and you should make sure it's something that you won't regret." There was a collective sigh from both Madoka and Sayaka. Kyubey had never mentioned there being a time limit, but at least him telling them there wasn't one at all took away the anxiousness she felt.

"Ah, but Guilmon." Kyuubey once again jumped from his place, leaving Guilmon to rub his nose. Madoka giggled, finding the small action cute.

"Madoka had asked you earlier about other Guilmon. You don't know of any even if there might be more. Do you not possess parents? A mother or father, like humans."

"Oh, Takato made me. I don't if that makes him like Takato's Dad or Takato's Mom, though." Sayaka had told Madoka that Takato Mitsuki, the Tamer of the original Guilmon, had designed Guilmon before he had become his partner. Perhaps her Guilmon knew that as well, the same with Guilmon's bread, even if he didn't know about others of his kind.

"So are all Digimon made then?" asked Kyuubey further, to a shrug from Guilmon.

"Takato made me, but I dunno if he made other Digimon. That would be fun though." Guilmon's laughter was shared by Madoka and Sayaka, but not Kyuubey she noted.

"So, you're special then, Guitmon?" Guilmon nodded.

"Sayaka says I'm a hero of Justice."

"You must be a fan of Digimon too." Added Madoka and the thought of Kyuubey being one was funny enough to get a laugh from both Sayaka and Guilmon.

"To be honest I've never encountered a Digimon before. I've seen them everywhere, on the tv's, billboards, even with some other would-be magical girls. But never have I had the chance to meet one in person like this before. It's a wholly new experience."

Other magical girls? Madoka thought to herself, wondering its implications for just a moment before Sayaka had spoken up herself.

"Wait, do you think you could grant Guilmon a wish too? Could he be a magical girl too?" Sayaka pointed at Guilmon with a fierce smile "Guilmon it's time for a new mode change!"
Guilmon raised his arms with reckless abandon and cheered.

"Yeah, I'll get to become a magical girl!" perhaps not understanding exactly what a magical girl was, or at least what a magical girl was according to Kyuubey. Madoka thought about how Guilmon would look dressed in a Sailor outfit, or perhaps a tutu. She giggled to herself, finding the image to be funny. Perhaps Guilmon would like it and become the world's first magical girl Digimon?

Dreams about magical girl Digimon would have to wait however as Kyuubey answers.

"I've never granted a wish to a digital lifeform like Digimon before. No, that's not entirely accurate either. Rather, I do not understand Digimon just yet. Guilmon, if you could wish for something, what would it be?"

Madoka didn't quite get what it was Kyuubey was trying to say. A Digimon was a Digimon, right? 

What was there to understand? And why would understanding what Guilmon was matter when making a wish? It confused her, leaving her wanting to ask Kyuubey to be more specific, to know these things about his limits and why they existed at all.

But she would let Guilmon answer first.

He blinked, looking up to the ceiling, then to Sayaka, and then to herself. He raised a claw to his chin yet again, pondering this as he had never pondered anything before. In doing this, she had begun to wonder what her wish would look like once again.

Guilmon's thinking ceased, and his face became a happy one. Madoka listened intently, hoping for some guidance from her Digimon Partner on what her wish could be. Eyes darting to the side, she saw that Sayaka had been doing the same.

Guilmon spoke, breaking the odd quietness that had set in briefly.

"I don't have a wish, sorry." Guilmon raised the Guitmon bread in his head, its gooey insides spilling sightly over its brown crust "I have Guilmon bread, and I have my friends. I've made new friends too, and I've had fun playing hide and seek. Maybe soon all my friends will get to meet, and we can play together! Mm-hm, all my wishes have come true already."

He answered it as earnestly and as honestly as anyone, human or Digimon, could have.

Madoka felt something click in her heart. She brought her hands to her chest, almost instinctively pressing them against it. She couldn't describe this feeling. Her heart fluttered and felt lighter, but also strangely heavy. She felt like crying for some reason. Not for something found in sadness, but as the only way she could manifest it in the physical.

Kyuubey stopped, staring with an unreadable expression at Guilmon. He blinked every so often, yet not once did he betray himself.

"I see," Kyuubey answered, neither pleased nor displeased with Guilmon's answer. He turned back to Madoka and Sayaka, bowing his head.

"Whenever either of you are ready to make a wish, please let me know. I know both of you will make great magical girls." And with that, Kyuubey jumped away and left through the now-open window in Madoka's room.

"Bye, Kyuubey." Waved Guilmon before he went over to Madoka, pressing a claw softly against her cheek "Madoka you're crying. What's wrong?"

She raised her hand from her chest, feeling the warm tears. She had been crying after all.

Guilmon looked at her, eyes full of warmth and concern.

She was lucky, Madoka thought with gratitude.

"Guilmo-"

"Madoka, I came home early let's eat-"

Both conversations and thoughts were cut off in that instant. Walking in on the scene of Madoka having her tears collected by Guilmon was none other than Madoka’s mom. 

Her face was frozen in another wise happy moment, out of shock or surprise or both no one but she could say.

“Oh! Hi Mrs. Kaname.” Sayaka said sheepishly trying to figure a way out of the increasingly small room “Um, this is Guilmon.”

“Hi, I’m Guilmon.”

“Hello there Guilmon. I’m Madoka’s mom, Junko Kaname.” Her mom said, voice nice and as welcoming as ever “Madoka, make sure that when you come down you set another plate and seat for your friend. It's a pleasure to have you as a guest, Guilmon.”

And without another word, the door closed quietly and the soft footsteps of her mom thundered in her year. Sayaka’s eyes darted back and forth, not able to make sense of what had happened.

Madoka still had the same frozen face, even as Guilmon turned to her.

“Oh, uh, are you in trouble? Madoka?”

She wasn’t and that somehow made it worse for Madoka.

Chapter Text

Takato shifted and swayed as the train blasted through subway station after subway station, bits of light appearing every so often against the blurred background composed of people and the city. Guilmon pressed his head against the glass, trying to catch all the images no matter how hard it was. His soft breath left a fogged imprint of his nose against the glass. Tilting his head, Guilmon stopped to look up at Takato, Takato could only reply with a content smile. 

It had been Guilmon's choice to take the transit system purely for the spectacle of it, even if the places they had been wanting to go had been within walking distance. It wasn’t like Guilmon didn’t know this but he also argued that they didn’t get the chance to do this often so why not make the most of it? Takato wasn’t bothered too much by it either given he had just been looking forward to going out with Guilmon more than anything else.

Though I won’t tell Mom or Dad that, Takato thought cleverly remembering how they had wanted him and Guilmon to scout out the competition more than anything resembling them having fun. It would be all the same to Guilmon he knew. Just an excuse for him to eat more bread made for him by people just happy to give back to one of the Tamers that helped save the world.

Finally after taking too many extra stops and boarding more trains than they probably should have, being doted on and spotted by all kinds of fans young and old, Takato and Guilmon stood in Shinjuku Square. He checked the time on his D-Ark and grimaced a bit at seeing just how much time they had spent on the trains. 

“Alright Guilmon, it's time to get serious.” Takato raised a clenched fist his red eyes burning with fiery determination, clear focus, and perfect clarity. Guilmon cocked his head, clearly confused by the look on his tamer's face. 

“We had plenty of fun on the trains, but now we need to get going on the trips to all the different bakeries.” Takato reached into his back pocket, taking out a sheet with the various bake shops his parents had asked him to visit “We’ll start here and work our way across Shinjuku Square. Top menu and selling items only, got it.”

“Got it!” Guilmon raised a clawed hand to his forehead, a proper soldier in all but uniform returning Takato’s brimming determination until he didn’t. He reached down to the satchel hanging off of him, opening the small black bag and rummaging through it. Takato looked at him curiously, glancing again at the D-pad in his hand to make sure they didn’t lose too much time. After a moment, Guilmon's hands came forth from the bag holding the item he least expected to be there.

“My… goggles?” whispered Takato taking the goggles from Guilmon's outstretched hand. 

Guilmon nodded happily. 

“Your dad told me to bring them with you in case you needed them. We’re going to get serious right? So you better put on your goggles, Takato.” Guilmon said it without a hint that he was making a joke. Takatos fingers brushed over the worn, slightly scratched blue glass of the goggles. The yellow paint had begun to chip he saw, revealing the black, gray-like material underneath. The straps themselves still held on, sturdy as they had ever been.

It was weird to say that he felt nostalgic, only fourteen after all, but he couldn’t think of any other way to describe it. It was because of the show and the card game that he had gotten them, to look more like Tai, and maybe even get to act a bit more like him too. When he got Guilmon he had the silly idea that having them somehow made him a better Tamer. It wasn’t true of course, only time and experience gave him that. Still, he wore it throughout all the adventures, to the Digital World and back, and despite it showing its age, it still filled him with that same energy that he had first felt back when he convinced his dad to buy them for him.

He slipped them over his head, letting the strap rest over the collar of his shirt. Takato looked at Guilmon, who nodded with satisfaction like some great piece of the puzzle had been missing until just now.

“Right then, now we’re set!” Takato once more clenching his hand into a fist, he pumped it with vigor, Guilmon raising his hands in triumph as they set down the trail of bakery goods.

The first was a bakery shop that only specialized in on-the-spot bakery goods, the hot breath of the oven peppering Takato and Guilmons faces but what pulled them in was the warm, steamy smell of freshly pulled bread being pulled out of the oven. They had been given a few samples. Fresh, flaky, and buttery truffle rolls melted in their mouths, the moistness carrying the rich, sweet butter mix, leaving their mouths watering for more. Anpan came after, red bean paste spilling from the small hole where the bean paste had been applied. Though no less moist, the Anpan had been seasoned to a firmer exterior, one that gave away and spilled the bean paste, rolling over the bread itself and covering their tongues in it. Finally satisfied both Guilmon and Takato took a small bag with them, thanking the owners for their hospitality and the bread.

The second shop specialized in glazed donuts with all sorts of sweet toppings, usually sugary cereal brands. Guilmon ordered a chocolate donut glazed with chocolate frosting and covered in chocolate puffs. Takato almost asked him if had gotten enough chocolate but decided against challenging Guilmon's imagination. Takato himself had ordered their bismark, filled not with any kind of bean paste but instead a rich thick Bavarian cream that the owner said came straight from Germany. Takato decided against doubting them, but as the sweet creamy insides spilled outward, all feelings of doubt were washed away. In the end, they walked away with a bag full of them, one for each flavor of donut. Guilmon ended up being unable to help himself, emptying his bag of any of the peanut-filled ones.

The third shop was a mix of cases full of freshly baked goods set alongside brand-baked goods from large companies. Takato's eyes narrowed in steely focus. He looked past all the prepackaged baked goods into the clear glass window housing why he and Guilmon were here. It wasn’t any secret that his family’s biggest selling baked good was the Guilmon bread they had made during the D-Reaper incident all those years ago. At the time it was just a special treat made for Guilmon. However, it did not stay that way. Once Guilmon was caught eating it outside, the demand for it began pouring in. It was great for their family business, but this sort of thing provided an avenue for the competitors to take advantage of it.

“There it is, Guilmon.” it was almost a whisper, but Takato felt Guilmon walk up close to him, lips smeared with chocolate but no less determined or resolved as his tamer was. 

"Agumon bread," Guitmons whispered, Takato nodding his head observantly.

It was only natural in the time following the Digimon's emergence and with Guilmon being the top seller of his family's bake shop other bake shops would also do the same. Taking advantage of Digmon Adventures popularity this bake shop had created Agumon bread. Guitmon would always have the advantage over any Agumon, especially with his larger eyes and the bat-wings. It helped Guilmon bread have a crunchniess to it. Besides that, they had saved the world together and so everyone everywhere recognized Guilmon. Still, he knew Agumon was a great choice if you had to choose, bringing with him all the different variants of his line.

Shaped after his head, just like Guitmon bread had been, your standard Agumon bread was orange-melon flavored. Next to it, a dark-purple color was the virus variant that was a blackberry-guava flavor, and next to that was the Geo variant with a red line mixed along the orange sides of the main bread, this flavor being tangerine-raspberry.

Takato had to swallow the hard lump in his throat. It was worse than what he had thought or had even been advertised. They looked delicious, he admitted to himself shamefully as he betrayed the hard work and efforts of his parents. Still, he would redeem himself soon enough, entering the store where he was greeted almost instantly.

“Hey there Takato! And you brought Guilmon too! I’ll have to let my kids know.” said the owner in a friendly welcoming voice that ignored any reason why Takato might have been here. Takato shoved down any feelings of guilt, remembering where his loyalties stood. 

“Oh! Come to check out the Agumon bread. You’re in luck I have a fresh batch coming hot out of the oven. Filled with creme, wanted to experiment a bit.” 

“That sounds great! Can I get an order of two? One for me and Guilmon? Oh, and can I get one of each to take home?” The owner nodded proudly, and Guilmon looked up at Takato with a happy smile, shaking his tail with joy at the thought of even more filled bread. 

“So, how's your old man handling it? The Agumon bread that is? He must think it's pretty poor of me to copy him.” Takato blinked at the Owner's seemingly proud declaration “Competition is always a good thing, Takato. Having the right character for it can only make you better than how you started. Who knows, maybe after today I’ll be sending my kids to pick up some of the baked goods your family makes. Here you are, Takato. Guilmon, for you, I put the ones that were double stuffed.” Guilmon grabbed them happily, while Takato listened to the tone of the owner's voice. 

He didn’t sound upset or surprised. The opposite he sounded happy, proud even. Perhaps the fact his bakery was so good that his dad had sent him, his son, to scout out the competition as it were. An acknowledgment of talent, if Takato had described it.

In just a short bit, Takato and Guilmon were handed their orders, and with a quick exchange of yen, Takato took a bite, followed shortly by Guilmon. He tasted the regular Agumon bread while Guilmon had opted for the BlackAgumon.

“Mmmmm! Takato, this is so good!” cooed Guilmon, joyously enjoying the soft pastry. Takato didn’t let out as obvious a cry of joy as Guilmon, but inside he knew he felt the same way. The flaky, sugary exterior betrayed the soft moistness of the bread's interior. It broke away easily and only remained in his mouth long enough to leave him wanting another bite. The tangy-sweet flavor left him feeling like he had bitten into some bizarre orange-melon fruit, though he knew that was on purpose.

They had eaten plenty of bread before making it to this store and so Takato had been worried that he might have had to work off the bread sitting in his stomach with the walk home or wait until the next day in school to try it. Yet now he felt like the Agumon bread had itself eaten away at all the other bread to make room for itself and others like himself.

“It’s good, delicious,” Takato said wiping what remained on his wrist while Guilmon licked away at his claws. 

The owner let out a loud laugh, drawing eyes and stares that stayed on him and Guilmon once they noticed them.

“Don’t suppose I could get your endorsement, now could I? I’d promise all the free Agumon bread you could want!” Takato put a hand on Guilmon, keeping his head from rising wildly at the possibility of being given more free bread.

“Thanks but I don’t think my parents would like me endorsing one of their top competitors.” Takato turned him down as respectfully as he could. No matter how good the Agumon bread had been he was still his father's son. Still, this didn’t mean there had to be any kind of ill will towards another fellow breadmaker. 

‘Even if finding out how much Guilmon and I liked his bread will probably make him jealous.’ Takato kept that thought to himself.

“Ah well, you can’t blame me for trying. It's not everyone that can have a Tamer as a kid. Unless you have another Guilmon hidden somewhere else?”

Takato gave a small chuckle, looking down at Guilmon and rubbing his head softly as his partner's ears raised at the mention of another Guilmon.

“Sorry, but Guilmons is an original. One of a Kind even. There’s no one else like him in the whole digital world.” Takato wondered if he sounded possessive, though it wasn’t something he worried about. It was the truth about Guilmon, as unlike any other Digimon, he had wished him into existence, based entirely on all the notes and drawings he did of him.

If there had to be another Guilmon, Takato wondered if they had to be wished into being too.

“Guess I’ll have to make do with Agumon, for the time being that is.” Takato's hand clenched with a staunch smile and looked intently at the owners' statement.

“Just remember, I made Guilmon to be better than any Agumon. Mon-to-Mon, Guilmon can’t lose.” The talk had brought out a boldness in Takato that he hadn’t expected. Whether it was the sugar or the pride he felt in Guilmon or even guilt about how much he ended up liking the Agumon bread.

The owner only gave a laugh, handing Takato and Guilmon their orders just as Guilmon finished his Agumon bread. After handing them the money, and saying their goodbyes, Takato and Guilmon left the store and went back to their planned routes.

“Bye, everyone! Thanks for the bread!” Guilmon waved behind him briefly following behind Takato in a short jog. It wasn’t too long after that Takato felt the bread from the previous store finally push around in his stomach. 

“You think Mom and Dad would say anything if we called out early? I’m getting pretty full.” Takato let out a tired breath, placing a hand against his stomach.

“Does that mean I get to have your bread?” Guilmon said his eyes filled with hungry joy. Takato wasn’t surprised and thought about how lucky he had been to have gotten Guilmon attached to bread instead of something that would have been harder to get for him.

“Sure sure, just remember if you get full too you can’t have that custom order deluxe-sized Guilmon bread Dad promised for you.” that seemed to do a little shake Guilmons desire to eat more bread. If anything it had the exact opposite.

“Hey Takato, do you think I’m the only Guilmon?” Takato looked curiously at his partner. There was no sign or tone of an upset or otherwise bothered sentiment from Guilmon. Guilmon was not asking out of melancholy or sadness. It was a question, simple as. Much like everything Guilmon did, it was born out of pure curiosity.

“Yeah. Well, I think so. I mean I drew you and made up your moves and stuff. I even made your evolutions like Growlmon and WarGrowlmon.” Takato felt pride and joy in that. He kept the original drawings in his room, the white paper tinted slightly yellow with time. Takato had even held onto the prototype notes for some of the moves and tossed around ideas he had.

“Even Gallantmon?” Takato stopped, drawing a blank. He had never thought about that. He knew he drew up Growlmon and WarGrowlmon, but Gallantmon?

“Uh, no. I think I had some ideas about what your Mega evolution would look like but nothing that looked like how Gallantmon does.” 

“If you didn’t do it then maybe the Diginomes did it too. Ha, they answered your wish so maybe you knew what Gallantmon looked like all along and just didn’t know it right then.”

“Hmhm.”  Takato couldn’t help but notice one of the evolutions had gone unmentioned. Megidramon, Guilmons dark evolution. He hadn’t designed him either, but he still existed anyway. Had the Diginomes done that too, basing Megidramon off what he thought and felt during the fight with Beezlemon? If Gallantmon was his wish, then what was Megidramon?

Takato shook his head, freeing himself from that rabbit hole. That was then, a memory of a nightmare that he had already accepted. Now was, neither a dream nor a nightmare but the present where he and Guilmon still had to occupy themselves with more stores and more bread.

And suddenly and without warning Takato felt the hair on his arms raised. He found himself looking around at nothing: nothing at all but the people gaping and taking a photo of himself and Guilmon. Alertness gripped him and held him even tighter.

"Takato." Takato finally stopped, turning his head to see that Guilmon had remained stationed and still, ignoring the looks those passing him gave him. Guilmon was hunched over, head pointing straight. His arms and legs had spread out, with the claws on his foot digging into the concrete sidewalk. Suddenly, Takato felt the alert turn to tension.

"Something... is coming!" Reaching his hand out as his feet began their way toward Guilmon, Takato fought against the powerful gust that tore through the city street. Debris, dust, and more swept across the busy area, the people around him crying out in worry. Through covered eyes, he caught a violet-blue flash past the various screens covering the nearby buildings, distorting and warping the images on the screen. The lights above grew and grew brighter until they burst in terrifying form. Bits of glass rained down just people began panicking, running away at the sudden display.

Some pushed and shoved Takato as he ran towards Guilmon. Takato on his part tried his best not to add to the growing franticness but found himself pushing back. Step-by-step Guilmons powerful legs carved the concrete sidewalk, parting everything between himself and his Tamer like a powerful boulder against a river.

Neither needed to say anything, save a glance to know what was happening.
A wild one, Takato affirmed in his head wondering very briefly if Kazu's words had somehow manifested. The last one that had manifested like this had been-

Takato shook his head. No time for that, his thoughts turned to Guilmon who finally stood in front of him. His golden amber eyes were dilated, muscles tensed and at the ready. Guilmon opened his bag and Takato reached in without a second thought.

The goggles were placed firmly on his head, and with a quick adjustment of the strap, the familiar feel against his face made him feel like a kid emulating the Digi-destined on the TV show. Takato smirked to himself, remembering something Rika had told him a year prior about the TV show.

"I like the show, but honestly? Being a Tamer is way cooler."

He slid his deck of cards on his side and gripped his D-Ark tightly. He didn't want to think of himself as seeking out trouble or danger, but the energy running through him made him reconsider that.

"Alright Guilmon, you ready?" As if Takato had needed to ask, Guilmon shook his head with purpose, turning his neck back towards the violet trail and making its way down the street through more of the screens.

In one sharp motion, Guitmon jumped into the air, landing over the railing into the road full of
emptying cars. Takato followed suit, pressing his hands against the railings and vaulting
over them as he followed after Guilmon, eyes trailing the violet light the entire time, As more and more bulbs and light were broken, showering the area below in fragments of light and glass, Takato could raised his D-Ark, trying to catch a look and identify the Digimon causing all this damage,

No luck it's moving too much, Takato figured it must have been a virus type. Virus types had a nasty habit of overloading most electrical-based technologies. It couldn't have been past at most a rookie stage, but he would have to check with Yamaki after that.
Still, the sight and danger didn't stop Takato from hearing and spotting on-lookers who were recording the sight with their phones, turning towards him and Guilmon in excitement as they ran by.

"Yo! It's Takato and Guilmon! I told you it was a real Digimon!"

"Aw man no way, hey Takato you think after you can hang and take a photo!"

"Go get 'em!"

Takato wanted to shout at them to leave, to follow the crowds away from the danger when suddenly an entire screen burst and exploded large glass, metal, and firey bits down upon the very same group. They stood frozen, perhaps from shock or fear but Takato acted almost on instinct, swiping a card through his D-Ark just as fast.

"Digi-Modify! MetalGarurumon - Metal Wolf Claw!" Guilmons eyes glow a brilliantly icy blue before a stream of blue ice swept forth from his mouth. It rushed ahead at a dazzling speed, washing over the debris like water over stone. In that instant, the debris broke into tiny snowy fragments that peppered the crowds underneath as the blue stream ceased from Guilmon’s mouth.

The crowd “Ooed” and “Awed” forgetting the still-present danger of the wild one. Takato rushed ahead alongside Guilmon. He felt that he should have warned them to leave but upon spotting the emerging and rapidly moving light of the Digimon opted to focus on the source of the danger.

It made a sharp turn, taking him and Guilmon down a dark alley where a familiar fog had begun to appear. It grew denser and denser until all sight of the other end of the alley had vanished in its deep and obscure sight. Takato raised his D-Ark, hoping to catch a glimpse of the Digimon in question. Still nothing, and the fog got more and more obscure in response.

Bio-emergence field or not, they were still in an alley but that meant they were in a tight space where only two direct exits were present for them. Three counting going up and Takato already had card combos in case it came down to it. Despite that Takato knew they had to be careful with whatever they were dealing with. 

In theory, it should only be rookie-level Digimon or below. Nothing Guilmon couldn’t more than deal with but with how many Digimon were coming out sometimes the rookie rank wasn’t entirely fair to how strong or weak a Digimon might be.

And then, all at once, Takato heard the sharp whistle of something passing by. His arm was knocked back and he felt something just graze his skin, tearing at the sleeve of his shirt. Quickly Guilmon jumped in front of him, smacking another, more centered projectile with little effort and allowing a third to crumple and break against the scales of his body. A deep growl came from Guilmon, his body becoming rigid and shaking with rage. His eyes had become sharp, pupils dilating to the point of becoming thin black lines as he peered into the mist.

“I’m fine,” Takato told Guilmon, not wanting to distract him even if he had been hurt. The white sleeve of his shirt had been torn, but aside from the slightest of grazes, Takato had more to fear from his parent's reaction to his shirt being damaged than himself. It was the school's uniform, after all.

“Alright then, come out!” spat Guilmon his voice barely hiding the rage and anger building up inside of him. A sharp, shrill-like cackling came from the most obscure parts of the mist.

“Hehehe so it's true, humans are so weak even a small attack like that is enough to delete them. But I guess it's also true how much stronger they make a Digimon. I  mean, you didn’t even phase from my attack.” 

“He said come out!” shouted Takato, having no patience for whatever talk the wild one was looking to start.

“Why? I haven’t done anything! Aren’t you Tamers supposed to be nice with rookie Digimon?” 

“Not when they go around destroying part of a city and running away. People could have gotten hurt from what you did.” Takato readied his D-Ark, and the sound of repeating flaps began to enter his ears. 

“So if I apologize, you’d let me go? I’m sorry. There.”

“You didn’t mean that sorry!” yelled Guilmon his eyes focusing in on one part of the fog. He dug his feet into the concrete ground once more. 

“How would you know that? Of course, I meant it. I don’t have anything to do with you and your Tamers. Or any of the other ones for that matter. I’m sorry. Now do you want a third or fourth apology or what?”

“If you’re sorry you’ll come with me and Guilmon to HYPNOS. They’ll decide to either send you back to the digital world or, maybe, find you a partner. You could make a lifelong friend, maybe even be friends with Guilmon and me. But you have to stop right now and come out.” Takatos sincerity earned a scornful laughter, and he felt his footing move towards a running stance. 

“You guys are too great, I mean it! I come here, cause a commotion blow up a few things and your response is to ask me if I want to stick around and be friends? Hilario-”

“Help. Me.”

A voice, a tiny one, cried out and Takato felt himself rush forward without another moment's hesitation. More projectiles and large syringe needles landed where Takato once stood. He glanced at them and recognized them and the Digimon that made them. Guilmon tore the concrete below his feet jumping overhead towards the source of the voice, his clawed hand rushing forward in a powerful arc. They smashed into the Digimon, who cried shrilly as he was overcome by Guilmons strength and speed. Crashing into the side of the building, it was pinned down by Guilmon who latched his jaws onto one of its bat-like wings.

As this happened Takato saw something be released from its clutches. A small white against the dreary gray and he rushed even faster, diving his hands caught it and he held it closely to his chest. Its frame was small, barely larger than a cat or a small dog. Its long white ears reminded him of Terriermons though much more frazzled and worn. Large gashes were carved into its side, no doubt from where it had held from. Labored breaths caused its chest to rise and fall weakly. As Takato held it, its body shook either from pain or from the cold Takato could feel from it. 

“Hey it’s okay, we got you now.” Takato reassured it with a warm tone in his voice as he raised his D-Ark towards it “You must be a new Digimon because I don’t think I’ve seen you before.” The blue screen jumped forth, and said…“Invalid subject? What? What does that mean?” Takato glanced back down at the creature as red eyes opened themselves to him “Oh, hi, my name is Takato and that's Guilmon! We saved you from Demi-Devimon up there.”

“What?! How did you know it was me!” cried the DemiDevimon as Takato scoffed at how easily his haughty tone had vanished.

“I watched the show, duh.” DemiDevimon bucked under Guillmon futilely unable to overcome the difference in strength between himself and his partner. Takato took the chance to glance back down at the mysterious white… thing. It must have been a new Digimon that his D-Ark couldn’t register, for some reason or another. What else could it have been? Some new animal that was shaped like a cat-fox-rabbit hybrid thing?

Suddenly Takato felt a push on his chest, and in a blinding moment, the small white creature had lept completely from his arms. Reaching out to bring it back in, Takato was distracted for just a moment as something fell from its white body.

“Gah! It’s getting away!” shouted DemiDevimon in a fit “Copipiemon get out here already and help me!” 

Takato looked around and saw from the very edge of the building that the wall Guilmon had pinned DemiDevimon belonged to a small, almost child-like form. Its toothy-fanged grin peered down at the two Digimon as its glowing green hands raised themselves towards the two. Takato reached out with his D-Ark and examined it quickly.

“Copipiemon. Data type. He’s got the power to-” Takato's words ceased as with a flash, the DemiDevimon turned from one to six separate DemiDevimon!

Three of the six grabbed onto Guilmon’s tail, and rapid flaps of their wings yanked Guilmon away, freeing the original DemiDevimon. Freed and with two more of his copies, DemiDevimon wasted no time, turning towards the helpless Guilmon.

“Bat-Flutter!” cried all three DemiDevimons as they flapped their wings together, showering Guilmon in a torrent of shadowy bats that sent him flying toward the opposite wall. Guilmon shook his head raising himself onto his feet even as rubble came down upon him. The Demi’s laughed, now coming together as all six.

“Tough aye? Fine then! Boys! All at once!” shouted the main DemiDevimon renewed pride dripping from his voice.

“Bat-Flutter!” cried all six in unison, though Takato had seen enough. 

“Wargreymon’s Brave Shield activate!” A golden shield emblazoned with the symbol of courage manifested before Guilmon. The crash of shadows broke against Guilmon as he pushed towards them. With a powerful swing, he brought the shield down upon one of the DemiDevimons, spiking him to the ground where he shattered against the concrete. He turned towards the remaining five, eyes black menacing slits and Takato slashed another card across his D-Ark.

“River of Power Activate!” 

“Pyro-Blaster!” shouted Guilmon as his already powerful attack became sustained, growing in such intensity that it swallowed whole three of the DemiDevimons. Their shrill cries faded just as quickly as they had began. The remaining DemiDevimon gaped, clearly lost at words at how quickly Guilmon and his tamer had cut them down to just two.

“Forget this - you, after that white thing! Don’t let him get away, Copipemon send us somewhere away from these two!” The DemiDevimon narrowly missed a bite from the falling Guilmon.

Takato kicked himself for forgetting about the Copipemon who turned to him and waved softy, all while keeping his sharp toothy grin. Before Takato could say or do anything a wave of darkness opened up towards the end of the alley. It pushed him narrowly catching him off his feet as it enveloped the white digimon. The DemiDevimons vanished into it shortly after white just the Copipiemon stood in front. 

Guilmon pushed ahead, rushing towards Copipeimon while his hands glowed the same green that they had before. And just before Takato could say anything more, a powerful new wave of shadows and darkness pushed him down to his knees. 

He lost sight of Guilmon and the Copipemon for a moment, only a moment when everything ceased. 

The wind settled down and before Takato could register it, everything ceased. The alley had been as it was, barren only with the added battle scars caused by Guilmon.

Guilmon! Thought Takato urgently before crying out “Guilmon!”

“I’m here Takato. I think the DemiDevimons and the Copipemon got away though.” Guilmon said as Takato wrapped his arms around his long red neck. Takato didn’t say anything and fought back the old child-like worry that Guilmon might vanish at any moment. Takato even felt some tears swelling in his eyes, though he managed to hold them back.

Without another word Takato released his hold on Guilmons neck and glanced back at the alley. The white Digimon, the DemiDevimons, and Copipemon? Hunting down weaker Digimon to upload their data wasn’t anything new or unheard. Certainly, it didn’t happen in this day and age with how regulated access to the Digital world had been by Mister Yamaki and HYPNOS, but rules were different in the Digital world.

But it wasn’t just hunting for simple Data, Takato knew that much at least.  

“Oh no!” cried Guilmon with tears swelling in his eyes.

“Wh-whats wrong Guilmon?” Takato wondered if some last-minute realization about the whole situation had come to him. 

“Takato, we dropped all of our bread!” And Takato fought the urge to fall over in disbelief. He let out a laugh, one that felt like he hadn’t laughed in a lifetime. Guilmon’s priorities are where they should be at least. There was nothing he could do now, nothing showing up or appearing on his D-Ark at least. No doubt Yamaki would call him first thing tomorrow morning or heck maybe even tonight with how big a spectacle this had been.

“Well, I still have some money left over. Maybe if we give that endorsement they asked for we can get free bread?” He was joking of course but nothing to see the happy look on Guilmons face. 

Turning to leave, Takatos foot hit something. Something small, round, and black made the most awful sound as it skipped across the pavement. Reaching down and picking it up, Takato examined the small black object.

A black pearl or something like one anyway held within a cage made of a dull metal. At its top, is a small pink ribbon.

“What do you think?” Takato passed it over to Guilmon who sniffed it curiously.

“Oh look at the pink ribbon!” 

Takato smiled, tucking the small object away in his pocket.

“Yeah, it's pretty cute.”

Chapter Text

"Tracking, Bio-emergence imminent. GARMR running at full capacity."

"Good. Is it on track to follow the pattern like the others?"

"Data indicates yes.”

"Hmm, keep an eye on it and let me know when it emerges. Contact Janyu, and tell him I want to meet with him and the other Monster Makers. Before the end of the week, if possible."

"Yes sir."

"Any update on Shibumi?"

"Still missing."

"The most cutting edge data information center in the world and we can't find one man. But that would be typical of him, wouldn't it?"

"Sir?"

"Nevermind. I'm heading out."

Madoka didn't know what she should have expected from meeting her family with a digital creature. Wasn't it crazy to even think about such a meeting in the first place, she thought to herself as she watched it unfold. In some ways, it went much smoother than the worried part of her would have thought about. Guilmon and her baby brother had taken to each other almost instantly. Guilmon made no protest whenever Tatsuya would reach for his snout with food-covered hands and would catch any tossed food that came his way, usually the vegetables he didn't like. Madoka felt some jealousy if she were honest with herself, born mostly out of a childish desire that Guilmon was her partner and should play with her instead. The sentiment couldn't last however, the older sister in her wining out as she smiled happily as Guilmon raised his head back with a smile of his own. 

Even covered in handprints formed from food, she thought Guilmon was meant to smile like this rather than fight monsters.

"I didn't want to say anything when I saw him, but he asked me to make sure I didn't tell anyone he was hiding. "He told me he promised Madoka no would find out where he was", he said." said her Mom to her dad, recalling how she had to come home briefly for some documents and found Guilmon wandering the house curiously. She had said it had shocked her, but the thought of her Mom being cool even when faced by a monster seemed more strange than Guilmon being real. 

Her Dad chuckled, leaning over to wipe away the excess food on both Tatusya's hands and Guilmon's face. 

"I don't think I've ever heard Tatsuya laugh as much as he did when he met Guilmon. I tried to get him to come with us to the park but he just told me the same thing too and I just couldn't break that promise for him." As her Dad finished explaining and her mom gave her a chuckle, Madoka's shoulders sagged wearily.

Basically, despite asking Guilmon not to go outside of her room, he did exactly that and met everyone in her family. 

Madoka certainly felt frustrated at how quickly Guilmon had ignored what she had told him to do. What if he had run outside of her home and into the neighborhood? It had already been a miracle that she and Sayaka had snuck him to her home from the mall.

The neighborhood would no doubt have been in an uproar due to another Digimon of the same kind as the three original Tamers being spotted so close to their homes. And if that happened, then police would no doubt get involved. She didn't think they would hurt Guilmon. Then once they saw they were dealing with a Digimon, HYPNOS would no doubt get involved. Her teacher told her they were concerned with making sure new Tamers were well taken care of and aided but would they assume Guilmon was her partner without a D-Ark? And if they didn't believe her and took Guilmon away from her, then what?

Madoka paused her thinking, turning back to her mom who had asked her a question she didn't quite hear.

"Yes! That is, uh, no?" Madoka exchanged looks with her mom and dad, the brief pregnant silence broken by Tatsuya's giggling as Guilmon licked his cheek clean of the bits of leftover food. Madoka felt herself shrink as her parents laughed at the tender display.

"So Guilmon what brought you to Mitakihara?" Madoka perked up as the question left her mother's tongue. Guilmon broke away from her brother's giggle fits, turning his head with an inquisitive stare.

"Mi-Ta-Ki-Ha-Ra." Like a child learning a brand-new word, Guilmon spoke the word softly and slowly. He pondered it, saying the word a few more times before raising a claw at Madoka with a smile.

"Madoka brought me to her. I think?" Madoka didn't know what to say to that. She felt her heart skip a beat, lifting her mood with it. Had that been true? Had she somehow called Guilmon forth in that desperate moment where she wanted, no, needed to protect Kyuubey from the DemiDevimons? It sounded romantic, though someone like Sayaka might have called it destiny or thread of fate at work. She wanted to believe it to know some greater force had brought her and Guilmon together, the same as had happened with the three Tamers.

"Oh, and how did she manage that?" her mom said coolly as she leaned into her chair, resting her head on her hands as she winked at Madoka. The teasing tone under the coolness wasn't lost on Madoka who also heard the tone of pride in that that said 'That's my girl' to her. She wondered if she should speak up and tell her exactly what had happened. The attack by the DemiDevimons, that horrible place with those frightening nightmares, and how Guilmon had fought and beaten them all to protect her and Sayaka. Instead of that, Guilmon continued.

"I dunno." Guilmons answered lacking any confusion or worry "I remember running into something dark and spooky. It felt like it went forever and ever. Then I heard Madoka and it stopped being so dark and spooky."

Madoka had expected that her Mom would have poked and prodded further. Guilmons answer was very sparse after all and to someone whose profession was driven by her forwardness, she was certain that her Mom was preparing to squeeze as much as she could from him.

Yet the barrage of questions and prodding never came over. Rather than that Madoka watched her mom reach over and gently rub one of Guilmons wing-like ears. It reminded Madoka about how one might treat a well-behaved pet. Guilmon kept his attention to her little brother, neither bothered nor pleased by the attention her mom gave him.

"Madoka pulled you out of the dark eh? That's pretty romantic Guilmon." Guilmon looked away from Tatsuya and tilted his head queerly at her mom. 

"Romantic?" parroting the word with all the innocent confusion of a child. Madoka smiled, laughing softly as she opened her mouth to answer before her mother cut her off.

"Yes, romantic. " her mother began raising a single finger and drawing Guilmons full attention "It means something heroic or mysterious."

"Heroic? Oh, a hero! Madoka, didn't Sayaka call me that?" Guilmon must have remembered what happened shortly after he had beaten the wild Digimon. Sayaka had gushed about the fact that a Guilmon, the same as the one that was a partner to Takato Matsuki, had come to their rescue and had called him a hero. Even if it had happened so recently Madoka couldn't quite remember if she had agreed with Sayaka or not though she knew she had no reason to think otherwise.

"Sayaka's a really big fan of the Tamers' mom. When she saw Guilmon she couldn't help herself from thinking he was the same Guilmon as the one on TV." It wasn't a lie, Madoka had told herself. Everything she said was true but she didn't want to scare her mom or her dad so soon after having them meet Guilmon. In the back of her mind, she recalled what Sayaka had said about how the Tamers had to deal with more wild ones as they appeared. Even if Guilmon was strong she didn't like the idea that he had to fight more Digimon. With that came what Kyuubey had told her; suddenly she felt like wrapping her arms around Guilmons neck.

"I remember that day." her dad spoke up, rising from his chair as he walked over to Tatsuya with a clean wipe "You sat and watched the whole thing. You were so anxious that you ended up crying when you saw that the Digimon fighting against those monsters were kids no older than you were." 

Madoka felt an embarrassed warmth spread over her face. Had she cried? She certainly remembered watching the battle, the same as all kids her age and beyond, no doubt. But to cry in worry for people she had never even met? She truly could not remember.

"I don't want to imagine how their parents must have felt. It must have been awful." Her dad added, and Madoka nodded agreeing silently. 

"In the end there was no choice, right? Those kids and their Digimon were the only ones who could stand against that thing. I don't like the idea of children having to fight in place of adults but they traveled to places no adult had been to. They took charge of the situation and fought and won for everyone. I'm sure no matter how worried their parents must have been they must have also been proud for raising such strong kids."

Madoka couldn't turn away, her heart swelling as her mom turned to her. She winked and smiled, pumping her fist with vigor. Madoka had prepared herself for her mother's energy.

"You hear that Madoka? You have Momma's blessing to go out on your digital adventure. Go show them just how strong a tamer you are!" Her dad shook his head, lifting Tatsuya from his seek as her little desperately reached out to Guilmon who only offered a wave goodbye.

Madoka wasnt sure how serious her mom was. The words had reminded her of the way Sayaka had spoken about being a Tamer. Yet coming from her mother, someone who had never shown interest in Digimon prior, they sounded much more set in stone.

Suddenly she felt terrible for withholding the truth and yet she also felt relieved about her mother accepting the reality that came with being a Tamer. Thoughts ran through her head about what adventures awaited both her and Guilmon. What sort of wild Digimon would they encounter and battle, if need be? Would they also travel to the Digital World despite its near impossibility? What about the other Tamers, would they welcome her to their group? Could she be as gallant as Takato and his own Guilmon had been?

She could not say farewell to all the uneasiness and uncertainty she had felt since meeting Guilmon. Not all at once, anyways. But knowing that her mother supported her, that she would be her top fan and confidant besides her friends filled her with courage she was afraid she lacked. The lack of a D-Ark, the very proof of her partnership with Guilmon, became less of a concern and more of an obstacle she knew they could and would overcome 

She turned to Guilmon, fire in her eyes, and was met with his soft stare, blinking curiously as Madoka stood up from her chair. Their adventure began now!

"Oh but before that make sure you finish your food and put away your dishes." Her mom added as Madoka sat down to her food. Guilmon helped by eating the remaining scrapes on her brother's chair.

They were already working together!

Madoka and Guilmon's adventure would begin as soon as she finished her food and dishes!

The rest of the quiet evening turned into a peaceful night's sleep which then bled into an uneventful day at school. Guilmon had of course stayed home, knowing now that Guilmon would have free rein of the house to and a playmate with her little brother Tatsuya.

Madoka had left with the cute memory of Tatsuya being hypnotically entranced by lifting and dropping Guilmon's tail. Guilmon for his part laid contently, resting his eyes and pretending like he was asleep but ever so often raising them when he noticed Tatsuya struggled with the act.

It was after school now as Madoka and her friends had decided to meet up at the mall again, though she had arrived earlier for her reasons. She waved at them with a free hand, her other hand occupied by a white bag full of things she had bought already. It didn't take long for Sayaka to point out how early Madoka had arrived.

"Eh~ You did come after all. With how fast you left I was sure something had happened with Guilmon." Madoka gasped looking at Hitomi with worried eyes. Madoka couldn't believe that it hadn't even been a full three days and Sayaka was already telling everyone about Guilmon!

"Sayaka really couldn't help herself. Don't worry though she's only told me about it." Sayaka held up her hands together with prayer and a sheepish smile on her face that said 'I'm sorry!' But always the most mature one Hitomi's reassurance caused her to release her held breath.

"Yeah, I'm not the kind of girl who just tells anyone." Said Sayaka as she eyed up the bag that Madoka had been holding onto like she could see its contents "Hey what did you get?" Madoka tried to move the bag away faster than her friend, but she felt like a small cat trying to outpeed a bigger cat. Sayaka reached in and vanished, appearing behind her with a happy noise that sounded like a hollering monkey discovering a new toy.

"Is this-!" Sayak paused as she whipped around revealing in her hands a box of Digimon booster packs "The new set!"

Madoka weakly raised her arm before Hitomi's words came from behind her like a knife through the heart.

"Madoka, not you too. I could stand Sayaka being so enthralled with Digimon but if you start eating all the Digimon bread, watching all the shows, and talking about the card game I'm afraid of feeling left out. Just because you got a Digimon doesn't mean you're allowed to become a fanatic like Sayaka." Hitomi turned her head away, bringing a hand under her eyes that refused to look at Madoka. Madok tried to explain that this was the case. She had her reasons to buy the cards, honest ones at that. She had only ever seen bits and pieces of the first show and only eaten the bread when Sayaka offered it!

"Whoa, and a D-Ark too? Madoka's going all out." Madoka snapped her head back, feeling the decreasing weight of the bag as Sayaka held the still-packaged D-Ark in her hands.

Behind her, she heard Hitomi sniffing dramatically.

They had gone to the same café as before, eating the same meals as and even listening to the same music as before. It would have been a replication of the same day as before without any protest or acknowledgment from them. At least that would have been the case before the events that had happened on that day.

"I see." Said Sayaka, listening to Madoka's explanation "Honestly, I'm not sure how D-Arks work altogether. The forums talk about it all the time, but no one knows for sure especially because there aren't that many Tamers to begin with. Plus, I hear HYPNOS monitors the web for stuff like that. The best you get are some old videos uploaded like forever ago."

Before going o sleep that night Madoka had decided to do a little more research on what being a Tamer meant to the Digimon besides just having them as a friend. She recalled what she had heard in school and had looked up Digi-Modify. Some grainy videos later and Madoka understood a bit more. In them Takato had used the D-Ark and the cards to add or change aspects of Guilmon, his Digimon partner, to make him stronger or to give him an advantage. She even witnessed certain cards used to Digi-volve Guilmon into more powerful and bigger forms. But it wasn't always with the cards, and it seemed to be more drawn to the D-Ark itself. The D-Ark seemed to be the key to everything when it came to the bond of Tamer and Digimon.

Of course, the D-Ark itself hadn't appeared when Guilmon himself had. Even now despite having introduced himself to her family and her resolution to be a great partner to him, there had not been anything tangible to show for it.

She had read online from some unverified source that in special circumstances a real-life device could turn itself into a D-Ark. Perhaps feeling some desperation Madoka had decided to buy the toy version of the D-Ark alongside the newest set of Digimon cards.

Thinking about it now it sounded childish, but she reassured herself that the same must have been said about Digimon being real.

"It's still incredible either way. You hear about it all the time in the news but to get to see it in real life. Say, Madoka, could I meet him? Guilmon that is?" Hitomi's request caught Madoka off guard but brought a shrew expression to Sayaka's face.

"Hohoho~ first Madoka, now you too Hitomi. Soon enough I'll spread and make everyone love Digimon just like how I do!" Sayaka laughed deeply like she had been a villain straight out of an anime. Hitomi had responded just like Madoka knew that she would.

"I just want to show Madoka support is all. Being a Tamer is important to her because she cares so much about Guilmon." Hitomi answered both cooly and elegantly as Sayaka waved it away.

"Sure sure, but when I catch you leaving the game store with a bunch of new cards don't expect me to ever let it go, got it?" Sayaka's reply was met with a quick sip by Hitomi of her drink.

"Anyways." Sayaka cleared her throat turning back to Madoka with serious, gleaming eyes.

"Madoka you got at least four booster boxes. Not just that but they're first edition too. Have you looked at the set online? There's a bunch of awesome-looking alt-art cards you can get here. 

Now if you're just trying to get some good cards for your D-Ark then you wouldn't need the alt art copies. Do you get what I'm saying?"

Madoka didn't it. She didn't even know that the box had been a new set, she just grabbed it because it had Gallantmon on it.

"Be careful Madoka. Sayaka's up to something." Added Hitomi as Sayaka scoffed at her in seeming disbelief.

"You wouldn't get it Hitomi, I mean, how could you? For a veteran like me it's my job to guide a rookie like Madoka in not stressing over things like alt-art card rarity. Being practical is what matters in the end."

"And being able to claim a rare version of a card because she wouldn't know any better is very practical, yes."

Madoka couldn't tell exactly what they were arguing about. She just hoped they would finish soon. She wanted to go home to Guilmon to show him what she had bought with him in mind.

Guilmon who had been lying down curled into himself. Although Guilmon didn't understand what a little brother was just yet, Tatsuya fell asleep against Guilmon. His small soft hands laid on his tail after finally tiring himself out against it. Guilmon shifted his tail raising it up and over Tatsuya's lap to cover him with it.

"Thank you so much for playing with Tatsuya, Guilmon, it made getting the chores done around the house that much easier." Madoka's dad, something else that Guilmon didn't understand, had gone around the house all day stopping only when Tatsuya smelled bad.

Madoka's dad must have had some special powers because when Tatsuya came back, he smelled great!

He had even made Guilmon some food, though it wasn't Guitmon bread. Guilmon wasn't sure if he liked the small white stuff, but Tatsuya sure did.

"Tatsuya was a lot of fun but now he's sleepy. Will he want to play more when he wakes up?" Madoka's dad laughed at Guilmon's question. Guitmon wasn't sure what was so funny.

"I'm sorry Guilmon, I just never expected I'd meet someone with more energy than a four-year-old boy. Yes, I'm sure once Tatsuya wakes up, he'll be more than happy to play with you again. Though Madoka will be coming home soon and I'm sure she'd want to spend more time with you." Guilmon fought against thumping his tail excitedly. It had felt like forever since Madoka and he had seen each other, even if Guilmon could tell that the light in the sky was still out since she left. Would she bring him Guilmon bread? He wondered, thinking also about her friend Sayaka who always had the bread with her.

"I'm going to get the laundry out of the dryer. When I get back, I'll grab Tatsuya and take him to his bedroom so you can wait for Madoka without having to deal with Tatsuya sleeping on you." Guilmon didn't mind in the end but nodded his head as he closed his own eyes, breathing softly as the footsteps of Madoka's dad faded from earshot.

Just then, a pulse ran through Guilmon, and he heard Tatsuya stir. Guilmon raised himself up onto his feet, looking around with sharpening eyes. His nostrils flared and an intense growing emanating from deep within himself.

"Gi-mom?" Tatsuya spoke from beside him, rubbing his eyes gently as he stared up at Guilmon's much more fearsome-looking face. Reaching up and touching Guilmon's thigh, he felt how rigid and tense he had become. Tatsuya rocked his hand against him, trying to get Guilmon's attention but to no avail.

"Gi-mom!" cried Tatsuya to no avail. Guitmon heard footsteps approaching them but kept his eyes pointed toward the clear skies through the frame of the house. Tatsuya rocked against him once more, as hard as his little body could muster.

"Gi-!" the word was caught in Tatsuya's throat, as all light was cut out from the house.

Something had spread itself across every corner, every single window of the house. It peered at him, at Guitmon. Eyes with a toothy, sharp grin that belonged to the monsters of bedtime stories.

It smiled.

Instantly Guitmon turned and wrapped himself around Tatsuya, shielding him as metal and glass broke and littered the room and carpet. Tatsuya heard sounds within sounds and pressed his hands against his ears as the staggering sound of glass breaking shook him.

"Tatsuya!" Cried Madokas dad as he ran into the room hearing the wails and tears of Tatsuya who stood behind Guilmon. The living area had been destroyed, bits of what was furniture scattered and littered through the area as glass and metal surrounded everything around Tatsuya. Guilmon gave a single glance back to Tatusuya, who raised his arm as if to call him back.

"Gi-mom! Gi-mom!" But Guilmon rushed forward, pursuing the force that had attacked him and Tatsuya without a second thought. He jumped upwards placing him onto the forested area behind the house as he dashed and moved across the ground floor. 

Behind him, the tears and cries of a scared little boy were lost.

Chapter Text

“And with my memory back up to six, I digivolve my Wargreymon into Omnimon! Say goodbye to your Gallantmon!” Takato let out a loud lawn, setting his hand on the ground as he rubbed his tired eyes. Kazu had wasted no time today in getting his rematch with Takato and boasted that the new additions he had made would turn things in his favor. It had been an Omnimon-centric deck that focused a lot on removing his cards as he was Digivolved. Normally this wouldn’t have been anything Takato couldn’t have dealt with but a poor night's sleep had left him all but drained. Kazu didn’t mind and took this chance to show off his Omnimon.

“And you’re just the start chumely! With Omnimon I’ll make it all the way to the Digimon queen herself.” Kazu’s boast was cut short by an unimpressed scoff from Kenta.

“Sure and maybe when you go against Rika in the regionals she’ll show up half asleep too and just hand you the win. Heck maybe after that it will become a brand new meta.” Seeing how it bothered Kazu, Takato forced a smile and a chuckle before letting out another loud yawn. Kazu folded his arms looking at Takato with a disappointed gaze.

“Those four years must have done a number on you. Is Guilmon just as tired? I can’t believe I missed out on that wild Digimon. It was DemiDevimon too! Low on the bad guy totem pole but man is his design wicked.” Takato didn’t appreciate how enthusiastic Kazu sounded, recalling the damage the DemiDevimon had caused before getting away at the end. The call with Yamaki hadn’t gone all that much better, though no blame was tossed at either himself or Guilmon. GARMR hadn't detected the Digimon, so Yamaki had grilled Takato to try to get as much info as possible.

Rookies and below were typically allowed easy enough access though often with the caveat that they had been “approved” by GARMR. As Takato understood it, it was basically like running a test on a Digimon. Most that came nowadays usually were responding to a child partner and their D-ARK. This made GARMR’s job easy as it meant the Digimon was on the whole less likely to cause problems. 

In a scenario where the Digimon was seeking to Bio-emerge without a partner the programming of GARMR would assess things like the Digimon type, its personality, and even its evolutionary line to see if it could be granted access. If it wasn’t, the system would simply reflect it backward with an equal force as it used to reach the space between the Digital and human worlds. A much level handed and kind approach compared to the previous Juggernaut Program. 

With all that in mind, how a Digimon as deliberately hostile as the DemiDevimon from yesterday managed to get through was the big question. Though perhaps larger still was where it had gone and the presence of the Copiepimon that was seemingly working with him. While there was at least a trace of DemiDevimon’s bio-emergence, no such thing was true for the Copiepimon. Yamaki hadn’t responded to that news at all, but Takato was certain he was thinking about it just as much as he was. Maybe even more given the growing need for HYPNOS in a post-Digimon world.

The encounter with DemiDevimon had not been the cause of Takato's exhaustion.

"Just had a bad night's sleep was all" Answered Takato with another loud yawn, followed by wiping away the forming wetness around his eyes.

He had made it home later than either his Dad or Mom had wanted even with the explanation by Yamaki. Bedtime captured him as quickly as he had laid down upon his bed. Takato remembered thinking about how comfortable his bed had felt at that moment, and Guilmon agreed.

Sure, his thoughts about the problem faded in the comfort of his pillow. faded with the comfort of his pillow. But as Takato closed his eyes and let himself drift to sleep it felt like he had woken up again.

Calling it a nightmare couldn't do the surrealistic scene before him justice. Floating structures reminiscent of buildings bleeding into buildings like ink within water.

Water itself spread across the ground as though the ocean had been emptied across it, but despite stepping into it Takato could not feel the wetness on his bare feet. He could see the lines and vaguest glimpses of the streets below his feet but watched them form and crumble away into nothingness with each step. He craned his head, trying to make sense of this senseless scene. Calling out, he found that he had no voice, and indeed could hear nothing at all. Not the shifting waters, not the landscape above his head, and not even the empty air.

Takato had once heard descriptions of those born blind or deaf. People assumed that they only experienced darkness or silence. But reality was even stranger- even the deaf and blind could hear and see at least something. But this? This was different. This felt like true nothing, and that left Takato uncomfortable.

"Uck..ick... uck... ick.." The sound of tears broke the true silence as if a light of god casting away the darkness called nothingness. Takato's head spun around to see, in the distance, the vague form of someone. Takato could barely see them, the space between them left them blurry and misplaced, but he was sure they had fallen onto their knees.

"Uck...ick... uck... ick..." Tears kept falling as Takato approached her. Her, it was a her. He was sure it was a girl that cried. As his steps took him closer, he started to make out more of her. She had soft pink hair tied in twin tails that might have been nice but had been soaked wet and left lifeless. Her puffy dress was pink and that as ruined and tattered as it was had been colored a mix of pink and red.

Her shoulders rose and fell, shaking with the falling of tears that sent ripples across the water beneath her. Takato realized he had stopped walking, raising a hand towards her as he said words that failed to make a sound. In his other hand, he felt the sharp piercing of the bauble he had picked up from the encounter with DemiDevimon.

Takato brought it up, looking as the blood ran down his palm and dripped into the water. Her tears and his blood fell through the wase. They emerged in the mirror-reverse of the world as mighty and terrible figures that ross rother in awesome power. Her tears became a cage that would save everything and his blood became a dragon that would destroy everything.

The cage sought to imprison the dragon wishing to free it but it would not be contained. The dragon lashed out, striking against the black bars that would be its care. With each crash of its tail, each bang of its horned head, and each roar the world died more and more. But the cage would not relent, would not bend nor give in to the dragon's horrible wrath. It sought to free the world from grief and sorrow, and a world devoid of absolutely everything was well enough what it would want.

Their stalemate lasted for an eternity. The dragon while contained destroyed the universe. Every world, every star even the space had been reduced to that same horrible nothing. The cage meanwhile was content to leave itself and the dragon.

After all, even that rage was something she would save.

But Takato was pulled back by his friends and pulled back from his cries of futile at the scene and away from the girl, who had raised her head to turn to him.

“Hey, don’t look but seems like your fans want to watch you lose.” with a snide grin, Kazu motioned to the entrance to the rooftop where they were playing their games. Takato raised tired eyes to see the door leading to the roof cracked ever so slightly. If he had been more awake he would have easily spotted the various girls, each from different grades, looking through at them. Instead, they just looked like a mass of unseemly eyes. 

Still, he made an effort to wave at them only for the door to close quickly and the murmurs that followed to be left in their exit. Takato laughed, feeling himself awaking with it. Kazu let out a laugh too and though Kenta kept himself mostly quiet.

“Now let's finish up here unless you want me to make you look bad in class too.” The thought was enough for Takato to look back at his hand and instantly piece out how to take out Kazu’s Omnimon.

“Just make sure you held on to your receipt, okay?” Takato though still tired found energy enough to raise his voice in defiance “First I digivolve my Guilmon into Growlmon!”

“So there was another Digimon with him? Copiepimon, right?” Takato nodded. The rookie-level Digimon had a frightening power that almost took him and Guilmon by surprise. 

Almost anyways.

“So wouldn’t that make it two bio-emergences instead of one?”

“What, like they came as a joint deal?” Kazu placed both hands behind his head, stretching with little care. Takato listened intently though.

“Or maybe Copiepimon came first?”

Yamaki hadn’t said, though the man’s mysterious nature didn’t surprise Takato in the slightest. Still, he had thought the same as Kenta had. It was the only thing that made sense, but that left an even bigger question.

“How would it get past GARMR?” Takato spoke aloud, and not entirely to Kenta or Kazu. Truthfully he had been wondering about it since yesterday after he had spoken with Yamaki, but between his poor sleep and school, there hadn’t been time to think about it. 

“Hmm, maybe there's a back door? I mean how do hackers get around security and firewalls? Back doors!” 

“That’s scary. Do you think it could be the Americans? Or what if it's some kind of Digimon in the Digital World?”

Takato thought about how HYPNOS had collected data and information before better tracking the possible emergence of Digimon. Who was to say that they had stopped at all? He wasn’t someone for conspiracy talk but if Japan had HYPNOS other countries must have had something similar. If that was the case then maybe it had involved America or some other country. After all, Japan was not the only country that had seen Tamers appear, but it was the one where they appeared more regularly. Takato figured that would explain Yamaki’s lack of a response. Still, where would that leave himself and the other Tamers? Fighting wild ones like four years ago most likely. 

Takato frowned at the thought. Digimon was made for the capacity for change. Normally this was expressed through fighting and evolving, but they came to their world for something more. At least, that's what he and the other Tamers thought. Without the danger of the D-Reaper, there wasn’t any worry about any kind of attack by the Sovereigns themselves. If  Wild Digimon were going to keep entering their world, he hoped they wouldn’t behave like DemiDevimon or the Copiepimon. 

Suddenly, a sound came from his pocket and Kazu’s and Kenta’s. All three reached out and watched as a red screen overtook their D-Arks.

“Huh, what’s this?” Kazu lifted his D-Ark overheard.

“Maybe you broke it? But mine is red too. Hey, Takato what do you thin- Huh? Hey, Takato!” Takato left Kenta’s voice behind him, turning away as he ran from the rooftop at full speed. The girls hidden behind the door gasped, taken by surprise at his speed and how quickly he descended the stairs.

A red screen like this meant a hostile Digimon was nearby, but without Guilmon or any of their partners, they were in danger. The school's levels were a blur as Takato ran out from them and exited through the school entrance, ignoring the cries of both his classmates and teachers alike.

“Guilmon!” Takato yelled urgently at the screen as the image of his parent's bakery came into focus. That was another great feature of the D-Ark, letting him and other Tamers see and speak through their partners directly.

"Takato! You won't believe it but your Dad is making Gallantmon-shaped cookies! He's going to make some that are powdered cookies, some that are covered with frosting, and one that's chocolate flavored!" Guilmons elation made Takato smile but inside he wished whatever Digimon was emerging had stayed inside of the Digital World, at least until after he got to listen to Guilmon.

"Guilmon there's another wild Digimon close to where I'm at. I don't know if it's the DemiDevimon or the Copiepimon, but you need to head to where I am. I’ll give you hyper wings but be careful." At his words, and with a quick swipe of a card, the scenery changed suddenly as Guilmon turned and ran outside of his parent's shop and home, rushing with speed that blurred the street. Takato let Guilmon go, confident that he would find him soon through the connection they shared. In the meantime, he needed to find the Digimon and do what he could before anyone got hurt.

His D-Ark beating loudly, Takato took off down the down corner of the school's wall following the growing noise towards where the new wild one would emerge from. 

And then, with speed built up, Takato nearly fell over stopping himself all at once. Heat and ragged breath assaulted him just then. His legs though far from having reached their limit still felt tired and worn. Takato felt the back of his shirt cling to him from the thin layer of sweat built up on it. Just how hard had he been running anyway? The question would have to wait, however.

At the end of the wall where the buildings of the city began, and in sight of the school and all who had jumped up when Takato Matsuki had run from school, was the girl from yesterday Akemi Homura.

Though it hadn't gotten too dark, the sun had set far enough that resting against her made her look almost otherworldly. Homura’s raven hair defied the shine of the setting sun, just like darkness would stand against light itself. Takato felt a slight gust of wind, cooling his hot face though not even the girl's skirt shifted against it. It seemed to Takato as though she did not belong right where she was, though the reason scarily eluded him.

Her impassive, stone-like gaze peered at him without a single blink. Takato, without thinking, swallowed. A sharp knife in his parched throat, he was quickly brought back to his senses. The wild Digimon, and Guilmon heading towards him fast. Takato couldn't waste time being dumbfounded like this.

Takato steeled himself and marched forward. Not towards the girl, he told himself, but past her and even beyond that towards the wild Digimon. Towards meeting with Guilmon and working to defend the world from threats beyond its limits. 

As he approached her, his shoulder nearly grazing hers, she spoke.

“Matsuki Takato. You’re looking for the Digimon, right? I’ll show you where to find it.” Homura’s voice stopped him in his tracks and Takato turned to meet her flat unreadable purple eyes. He wanted to ask her who she knew he was tracking a Digimon. Furthermore, how she knew where the Digimon was. Why she had suddenly shown up now, why she had suddenly left yesterday. 

But above all else, he wanted to hear her answer the question he had asked her.

Takato asked none of these questions, instead he pulled out his D-Ark its screen still shining red, and presented it to her.

“The Digimon is probably going to be angry or aggressive. If you can just tell me where to find it I’ll go by myself.” However mysterious she was, or whatever questions he had, Takato didn’t want her to get hurt. Without Guilmon there wasn’t much difference between himself and Homura, but even still he was a Tamer.

Homura said nothing, simply turning and stepping down onto the sidewalk with a quick right turn. She signaled with a turn of her head to follow her. 

She led him in mutual silence for some time before they headed down the steps leading to a subway station. Takato looked at the oddly empty station, vacant of both people and even the sound of the leaving or incoming trains. But Takato let the soft footsteps of himself and Homura echo as she stepped towards and then jumped down onto the train tracks. 

“Come.” she waved at him, and Takato followed. He took out his D-Ark and allowed the light from its screen to illuminate the dark tracks as the light of the station faded from view, leaving both himself and Homura.

Though the Digimon was on his mind, Takato’s gaze was focused on Homura. 

The train station being empty wasn’t all that strange. The emergence of Sandiramon had been in such a tunnel after all. But even then people had been running away or had even been seen above close to the entrance. Not so here, where he didn’t even remember seeing someone at the entrance. Maybe they had already run away from the Digimon but then why hadn’t he heard anyone as they approached the station together? 

Uneasiness set itself within Takato, and he clenched his D-Ark harder than before. Something felt off with the whole situation. As he kept looking at Homura, he wondered if he shouldn’t have been more insistent that she let him go alone. 

The silence broken up by the sound of their shoes crunching against the gravel between the metal tracks didn’t help either.

“Hey,” like a large pill, Takato swallowed the silence, though Homura did not turn or say anything to him “You must have had to go home or something yesterday, but, ah, do you like Digimon?”  

The silence returned right, and Takato silently cursed himself for asking the same question.

“Digimon.” As the word left her mouth and echoed against the walls of the tunnel Takato felt the wrongness of how she said it, but she continued “I’ve never given them any thought, if I’m honest.” 

‘Then why are you helping me with one?’ Takato wanted to say but bit his tongue.

“I’m sorry if that's not the answer you wanted to hear.” and despite her apology, Takato felt an irrational, alien pity towards her. It didn’t matter to him that she said didn’t like Digimon, plenty didn’t, but she hid behind an apology to end the conversation. He knew she wanted to say something more, that apology told him enough.

But the flaky, crumpling feeling beneath the heel of his foot put an end to the conversation. Homura stopped, and Takato glanced to see a flower crushed beneath his foot. 

“It’s here.” Uttered Homura solemnly before Takato looked back up eyes widening as people, of all ages and sizes, stood around. Dozens of them were in a trance, eyes vacant staring off into the void. All of them had a symbol resembling a butterfly pressed against their neck. 

The uneasy feeling returned in full. Takato wondered if this had been the work of the Digimon they had been looking for. Some sort of power to place them into a trance and take them underground, maybe. Digimon normally only approached people to become their partners, if they wanted that in the first place. But this? He hadn’t seen something like this before.

Takato walked ahead and with that one footstep step a loud, bell began ringing. The sound, amplified by the tunnel, made him clutch his ears. Looking up at the ceiling he made out the multi-eyed form of a… thing. Its form was crudely shaped, held with butterfly wings and a mustache right under the mass of eyes. The thing looked out of place, not because of how it looked but because of how it appeared to him. It looked less like a real thing and more like a panel from a storybook brought to life but without the sense of reality that should come with it.

The scene changed before his very eyes, bleeding away as the people fell into the environment around him. The tunnel bled away and matched the same form of the winged bell ringer. A nightmarish landscape of nonsense. It moved and shifted like a stage play.

On instinct, Takato raised his D-Ark to scan the winged bell. 

“Huh? No Data?” Takato felt a heavy feeling in his stomach but had no time to waste. In one instance the winged bellkeeper dove at him, forcing him to dive to the side. Landing on his feet he ran towards Homura, who was still unfazed, grasping her hand in his as he took off running.

“This way!” he shouted, feeling himself moving faster than before even with someone else in tow. Looking back, he saw that in contrast to his hot face and breath, she had remained cool and unflustered. 

They ran into the unknown as the train tunnel had altogether faded. Takato was unsure about what had been unfolding before him. Digital Fields usually only had a fog that helped stabilize the Digimon emerging. Certainly, some Digimon could change their environment to how they wanted it like with the IceDevimon, but this was at another level This was Something that more resembled the Digital World's own changing and often chaotic landscapes. 

But the digital world was naturally random and chaotic, this landscape... this place, felt more hostile. As if it was by design.

“Guilmon!” Takato shouted at his D-Ark, only to be met with unstable images that brought grumbled sounds. Wherever he was it also acted just like a stronger Digital field, keeping him from being unable to see what Guilmon saw or letting Guilmon hear him. A panicked thought hit him just then. Without Guilmon both he and Homura would be left at the mercy of that strange Digimon and this stranger place. No, not just them but all the people that had been taken by it.

However, his feelings of helplessness were interrupted by something smacking into him, pulling Homura away from him and causing him to land on his shoulder savagely. Takato hissed, eyes clenched shut before he opened them wide with the presence of danger. He glanced around trying to find Homura but instead being confronted by what had crashed into him. 

Much like the Bellringer this was another thing that stood out as wrong to him. At its base where its legs might have been were butterfly wings. Connected to those wings ran a dark column that connected it to a cotton head with a similar black mustache. In what Takato assumed was its arms and hands, was a long staff with the shape of a butterfly at its end.

Takato stood up, biting against the pain he felt in his shoulder. His eyes darted quickly looking around for Homura. 

He saw nothing but the endless shifting and malice landscape before him.

The creature said and did nothing, moving gangly like a puppet on strings as it approached Takato slowly. Takato took a step back, and with another crunch, two more of the same creature sprouted into being. 

The pain in his shoulder faded, and he turned towards how quickly he had been corned. He grasped his D-Ark tightly and swallowed the hard lump in his throat. Despite the odds, he still had faith that Guilmon would find him soon and that as soon as that happened he and he would take on these weird Digimon together, find Homura, and save everyone. 

The thing approached him.

But Takato held faith and hope in his heart as he moved to run.

Just as all three lunged towards the in-motion Takato, the sound of rolling thunder tore them apart. All three of the cotton-headed creatures had holes rapidly blasted into their bodies. The Bellringer, alone, was engulfed by a fireball that knocked Takato off of his feet. 

The air was briefly driven from his lungs by the impact, hazily Takato looked up as a figure landed in front of him.

It was Homura save for two major differences.

One was the shield that rested on her wrist. Simple in its steel design it was embroidered by three jewels across its surface. In Homura’s opposite hand was a gun. 

She turned to Takato, dropping the empty clip before effortlessly sliding another one into it an pulling back on its barrel, Looking at it one more time, seemingly satisfied with it, she slid into her shield where it faded from sight.

Homura leaned over stretching out her hand to him.

Though she offered him support, her eyes told a different tale. Disappointment, but acceptance of that disappointment. Like a parent accepting the outcome of a child. 

“You came here to find the Digimon, right? Leave the Witch’s Familiars to me.” Takato took her hand, bringing himself back onto his now-shaking feet, filled with more questions than ever before. 

But Takato could and would ask them later.

Homura led the way once more down the directionless space. She seemed to have known her way around the place, or if she didn’t she was very good at hiding it. Just another question, Takato figured.

“Dar…volve… to…!” 

The sound came with the shaking and bucking of the very space they occupied. Pieces like props on a stage fell and scattered to the ground next to them before fading altogether.

He heard the echoes of familiar roars that grew with the strength of the shockwaves coursing through the space around them.

Suddenly a fog began spreading across their feet, and Takato knew they had made it. 

Stepping forth, however, Homura pushed him to the ground as a towering metal foot placed itself on the ground with thundering power. Takato looked up, tracing the metal frame of the three large claws. They ran up a large arm that was attached to sickly purple skin. Through the dense fog, ominous yellow eyes pierced through them. The eyes themselves were shielded by the same metal as the claws and the arm that held them. Three horns, one at the snout and two at the sides of the head confirmed it for Takato as to what this was.

“Metal… Greymon!” Or at least, the Virus variant of MetalGreymon. 

After four years of peace, an ultimate-level Digimon had managed to find its way to their world.

But what happened next would burn itself into Takatos very soul for an eternity.

“GUILMON DIGIVOLVE TO….” Takato twisted his neck so fast and hard that he almost felt like his body wouldn’t have kept up with it, eyes opening as far as he could as the familiar voice, the familiar red glow burned brightly across from them, and the MetalGreymon.

Shunting away the fog with the explosive power of Digivolution, Takato knew who and what stood in its place.

“GROWLMON!”

And atop the seemingly impossible sight of a second Growlon, of a second Guilmon, was a pink-haired girl with a brightly glowing D-Ark.

Chapter Text

The monitors around him came to life with still images of the highest political powers in Japan.

Mitsuo Yamaki greeted the attendants with the soft clasp of his lighter.

“Prime Minister. Chief Cabinet Secretary.” Others had joined them but Yamaki felt no need to waste time with unneeded pleasantries. As far as HYPNOS was concerned anyway, amongst those present, only these two mattered in the end.

Behind Yamaki the image showcasing what would otherwise be a scenic view of the Japanese city of Mitakihara. An explosive red line piercing into the sky above quickly ruined it. The sky's blue had been peeled away, revealing the grid-like pattern underneath of the digital world. Beneath his glasses, Yamaki scowled at it.

The Prime Minister was the first to speak.

“Since yesterday I’ve been up to my neck in phone calls, emergency press meetings, and interview requests, wanting to explain what is happening. So, Yamaki, explain.”

“That's still to be determined.”

“So you don’t know.” The Prime Minister shot back instantly, though Yamaki was unfazed by his haughty attitude.

“A lack of an answer does not entail a lack of information, sir. What we know is at approximately Sixteen hundred hours, an attack from a yet unidentified Digimon resulted in the image we see right now.”

“A Digimon with enough power to cause that just, what, showed up and left? It was my understanding that HYPNOS was there to prevent such a thing from occurring in the first place.” The Chief Cabinet Secretary had joined in, though still Yamaki kept a cool composure. It was clear to him that scrutiny was the name of the game here. He just needed to make sure that it was pointed anywhere but himself or Hypnos.

“GARMR is operating as expected and nothing greater than a rookie has been allowed entrance into our world. I can have a report detailing the last Seventy-two hours on your desk within the hour.” He would keep out the fact that the Copiepimon-a champion level- had also somehow gained entrance to himself, for the time being.

“And mine as well.” Began the Prime Minister “Nevertheless that would still leave the matter of whatever that grid-thing in the sky looming over Mitakihara is.”

“We’ve seen this phenomenon before, it’s meant to act as an entrance into and from the Digital World. However, in the past, the entrance was left open and unguarded. That has been resolved thanks to GARMR.”

“Any thoughts on when or if it will seal itself?” A tone of worry underlying the Chief Secretary’s voice.

Yamaki nodded.

“Our current estimations place it within two weeks. Until then I’m sure it will provide quite the tourist attraction for Mitakihara.” A pregnant quiet set over the meeting, and Yamaki stood at the ready for any curveball or question that could be asked of him.

“I’ll share that with the press, and hopefully we can all begin to calm down a bit,” The Prime Minister left first, the monitor he had been present on going black.

“Keep me posted, Yamaki. I want to be arm and arm with you if there's any major development, good or bad. Otherwise, I’m glad that the situation is in your hands.” Yamaki took the compliment in stride, watching as the Chief Cabinents monitor faded. The others, who had been silent throughout the whole thing faded away just as quietly. As all the screens turned black, Yamaki turned and headed out of the room towards a nearby elevator.

He descended, further down than most even knew the building was capable of house. As the doors opened he stepped into a room covered from top to bottom in loose wiring. Among the wiring were various monitors that flashed random images and videos from all types of subjects. Yamaki took out his light, closing it sharply as he took a step forward.

The ground, however uneasy, failed to make him lose his footing.

“Come on out, I don’t have time for this.” Yamaki spoke aloud to the cables and monitors.

“Didja get it?” the voice, sharp and shrewd called from high above. Its tone sounded elated, like a child awaiting their present.

“No, work came up.” Yamaki’s answer was short and quick. However quick that meeting might have taken it had still lasted too long and he was sure that it was far from the last meeting he would have with them.

From the wires below his feet came a small, shambling figure. Its body was shaped like a bulb, with one eye appearing organic while the other glowed yellow. The glass dome had been cracked but held itself together. It walked on three legs with skinny arms that held up large hands

“Ah, no fair no fair! You promised me pork-flavored ramen from that corner shop I like!” It whined, throwing its arms up in the arm. Yamaki could only shake his head at the behavior, though he knew the value he brought far outweighed any tantrum.

“I’ll pick it up for you later, Datamon, but first we have work to do.” Datamon seemed placated with that, walking towards the wall of cables that quickly shifted and coiled to reveal a larger monitor than the ones buried in the walls and cables.

“Fine, but I want an extra cup this time. Oh! Also, get me Guilmon Bread too.”

“Datamon.”

“Hmm? Oh, fine, Agumon bread, but it better not be the peach-flavored one!”

“Datamon.”

“Oh? Right!” Datamon raised out his metal hands. The tips opened up to reveal cables that connected themselves to the monitor across its various ports. The monitor sprang to life, running various lines of code and data before it settled on a diagram of the grid-like tear in the sky.

Various lines of data appeared from its atmospheric pressure to its magnetic field, and even graphs detail its ultraviolet index. All of it came to one conclusion - the tear was not, physically or otherwise, there.

Thinking back on the day when she met Guilmon for the first time, it felt like the memory belonged in a different life. It was crazy to say since she met him a day ago, she knew that, but it was how she felt. She had never played the games or watched the show. Yes, she thought certain Digimon could be cute for sure, but to her, it was never because they were Digimon. Even when listening to other children from different parts of the country receiving and meeting their destined Digimon partners never made her envious or in need of one. Kaname Madoka could have lived her entire life with the most outstanding interaction with a Digimon being a stuffed toy or a one-sided talk with Sayaka.

But now, her lungs burning and legs moving on tired feet, she didn’t want to let Guilmon go. Even if the memory of their meeting did belong to Takato Matsuki, she wanted to make memories just as valid with him.

Madoka had come home to find the lights of firemen and the police outside her house. Her father and Tatsuya had been outside talking to the police as Tatsuya kept trying to reach behind her dads shoulder towards the house. All the while the only word he said was “Gi-Mom!”, in a teary tone only a child could produce.

Talking to her Dad he explained to her that something, something he couldn’t describe had attacked Guilmon and Tatsuya. He told her how Guilmon had protected Tatsuya, shielding him from the attack and the debris that followed before rushing out into the forest to chase after it. Though the experience had shaken her Dad, he remained strong for Tatsuya, holding him close to his chest despite her little brother's cries.

Madoka didn’t know what had come over her just then. Either boldness or recklessness, her body moved on its own, pushing and ducking from the firemen and police officers. Even the cries of her Dad and brother became lost to her. Her mind became set on one thing - finding Guilmon.

But as her breath became hot and ragged, as she felt the tired burning feeling in the back of her throat and the beating of her heart against her chest, she became aware of how clueless she was. She had arrived at some junction, clutching her hand to her chest as her head turned around trying to make sense of where to find Guilmon.

Sayaka had told her that with a D-Ark a Tamer could not only track their Digimon but also see through their eyes with it. Madoka glanced down at the toy she had bought. It was still new, not a scratch on its pink plastic shell. The buttons and screen invited her to press and look at them. But it was just a toy. The D-Ark had yet to manifest for her and Guilmon, after all.

Madoka gathered her thoughts trying to remember at which point in the city the forest ended. If Guilmon ran into the city then it was only a matter of time before he ran into the public. Even if he was not the same Guilmon, he still was the same Digimon as one of the most famous Digimon in the whole world. If that was the case all she would have to do would be wait until some video or even the news found him.

The image of her house flashed just then, and she felt her pulse quicken.

She realized quickly that it wasn’t as simple as Guilmon having been lost or running away. Something had attacked her home, had attacked Guilmon. Madoka recalled that day in the mall and how fiercely Guilmon had fought against both the wild Digimon and the witches' familiars. No matter how sweet he had been, Guilmon was still a Digimon and Digimon fought. If he showed even half the ferocity he had prior then perhaps it wouldn’t be news or gossip that would alert her to him. Maybe she should listen for the sirens of the police and the wailings of the firefighters instead.

“Ah, there you are! It’s good I found you when I did, we need to hurry!” Madoka realized she had let her head fall, looking at her shoes as the people around her walked past. Lifting her head she saw Kyuubey sitting calmly on a nearby stone pillar. His tail waved back and forth rhythmically before he leaped on it and towards her. Strangely, no one took note of him, and they seemed to walk around him as if on instinct.

“But…” Her voice was weak and pitiful but rose as she remembered “I need to find Guilmon. He’s in trouble!” No matter how strong he was, this danger was something she felt in her heart.

“That’s why you need to come with me. Guilmon has followed a Witch into her Labyrinth. He’s in danger without you!” Kyuubey spoke as though he had read her mind. Madoka wondered how she must have looked for him to have read her so easily.

But she didn’t ask anything more from him. She followed after him without question or protest holding the toy D-Ark against her chest as their path took them down towards the Metro station. They bordered the first train that stopped, Madoka not even bothering to see where it was taking her. It felt to her that no matter where her destination was it should be: Guilmon.

"But why would Guitmon follow a Witch? No, Guilmon was only protecting Tatsuya. Why would the Witch attack Guilmon in the first place." Asking about them, Madoka realized how bizarre the Witches were. Kyuubey had briefly mentioned them, and yet Madoka gave the same thought to them as she did to Guilmon and Digimon. She felt scared.

"A territorial dispute. The Witch sensing Guilmon's presence acted to preserve itself." The words came from Kyuubey sweetly but matter-of-factly.

"But Guilmon didn't do anything to it!" her tone near pleading, Kyuubey titted his head towards her curiously.

"But Guilmon did do something to it, remember? Those familiars he saved you from belonged to the Witch in question. It decided to attack once it felt Guilmon so close to its territory."

Her stomach sank t. She had brought Guilmon closer to the Witch, and that's why it attacked her home. Her father and brother had been lucky to escape, but Guilmon now faced it alone. It had all been because of her.

"Is-Is" she stammered before swallowing a sliver of anxiety "Will Guilmon be, okay?"

"Guilmon himself is pretty strong, indeed Digimon are a remarkable kind of life However, witches are varied in their capacity compared to them. Some certainly possess greater ability, but each witch is unique on its own. Guilmon demonstrated prowess equal to a magical girl against its familiars, but within its labyrinth against a witch directly it's tough to say."

Madoka looked back down at the toy D-Ark. The train cart's lights reflected against its plastic screen, as though it had finally come alive. Instead, with the soft sway of the cart her reflection moved across it. Her face looked small, distorted, and unsure.

She wanted to blame herself, to cry, and to give up and turn home. She had no business venturing into the place where Witches lived chasing after Guilmon. She wasn't even a Tamer. But she steadied herself. Guilmon was in trouble and no matter her feelings on the danger of the situation, that was what was important.

The train shifted, though this time was different than before. Madoka stood up joined by Kyuubey who landed next to her. She turned to see the chair she was previously sitting on fade away, twisting and turning into something else. Just like the day in the mall Just like the nightmare.

As they entered the witch's labyrinth and the world's common sense saw itself replaced by an ocean of incomprehensiveness, Madoka felt a pang in her heart.

Whether towards a joyous reunion or tearful farewell, Kaname Madoka resolved to see it herself.

“Guilmon, please wait for me.” With a final prayer to no one, she took to playing the role of a Tamer towards its conclusion. Madoka marched onward with a brave and kind heart alongside the docile Kyuubey.

With an earth-shattering roar, MetalGreymon swung its massive metal in a clear arc toward the much smaller Growlmon. Growlmon was not so still, jumping towards the side before pushing a clawed foot to send himself in a straight line toward the underside of the MetalGreymon.

Growlmons fanged mouth snapped open.

“EXHAUST FLAME!” In that familiar voice, he unleashed a powerful blaze that washed over the MetalGreymon’s belly and chest.

The fire spread past the cyborg-dinosaur body, nipping at the chaotic scenery. A terrible, near monstrous screech was heard, and without warning the MetalGreymon pushed against the flames, and delivered a powerful kick to the frame of Growlmon. Growlmons body was bent sickening and was sent flying with such speed that he briefly became a blur.

Landing on his feet some dozen feet away, he raised his head and let out a garbled snarl before charging back toward the hostile Ultimate.

All the while the girl with pink hair and red ribbons held onto his white hair fiercely.

“This is bad!” Cried Takato stifling his disbelief at their being another Growlmon, let alone an Ultimate Digimon like MetalGreymon. Growlmon was tough but unless someone did something alone he wouldn’t be able to beat an Ultimate level.

If the girl was this Growlmon’s Tamer then it's very likely she might not know how to use her D-Ark to support him. Which just left him with two options, wait for Guilmon(his Guilmon) to arrive to help them or go out there himself and show her how to do it.  

A quick check to his D-Ark to see if Guilmon’s connection with it had been restored made the decision clear to him.
Where he and Homura stood peered over to the area where the fierce struggle raged on, held back by a guard rail that looked out of place. Over was a misshapen and stuck together landscaped to make a staircase that led down to the battleground.

Takato leaped over the rail and stared at the steep drop-off, bracing himself against the rail.
Turning his head back he watched as more of the creatures manifested behind Homura.

"Homura, behind you!" as the words left his mouth Homura held up a tiny black thing in her hand. With a swift move of her thumb down on its head, the scene behind her glowed a mix of brilliant oranges and yellows, sending gusts of wind and dust rushing toward Takato.

Briefly pushed back by the explosion he quickly swung his arms to hold onto the rails. He squinted guarding his eyes against the debris tossed in his eyes. Homura flipped her black hair, unaffected by the intense action. Approaching him, she reached into her shield and held out something to him.

His goggles, the ones with worn paint, and scratched glasses and all.

Takato didn't question it, focusing on one thing as he placed the goggles on his head.

Glancing back at Homura, her face still unimpressed, Takato gave her a thumbs up.

She had brought him this far and had helped him when he needed it, so at the very least, she was on his side.

"TRIDENT ARM!" True to its name the clawed tip of MetalGreymon's fingers shot out towards Growlmon. By itself alone the clawed hand matched Growlmon's entire body in size. A trail formed as Growlmon caught but was forced back in deep trenches his feet dug into the terrain.
Growlmon forced it into the ground with a mighty throw. The sharpened end of his elbow grew into a large blade that crackled with blue energy.

"PLASMA BLADE!" Growlmon brought the blade down with a hard arching swing. His target was not the claw itself but instead, the thick cables that connected it to the MetalGreymon. The blow was not enough to break the cables, however, the blue lightning held within channeled itself through the wire and reached the MetalGreymon.

Blue lightning captured MetalGreymon, forcing it to stagger back and recall its arm. Its eye was shut with pain, an empty cry bouncing across the space.

Dots and blots filled Takato's vision as he steadied himself with each step downward.

It was a good move, though whether the tTamer or Growlmon had decided on it was unknown.

Despite that, Growlmon was hurting. His body was riddled with bruises and scratches.

Catching MetalGreymon's attack was impressive but had left Growlmon's entire body shaking, his head hung low despite the fire in his eyes.

By himself, Growlmon would need a hundred more blows exactly like the last one to even get close to beating MetalGreymon. The opposite, sadly, was not true.

"You have to use a recovery card! On your D-Ark!" Takato stopped mid-way down another platform, taking out his D-Ark as he shouted at the Tamer "Or a card that raises Growlmon's defense! Please!"

Survival was more important than offense right now. If both could just hold out a little while longer until Guilmon reached them, then everything would work out.

But despite raising her head to look at him, the girl did not respond. The distance had been too great and as MetalGreymon shook off the energy that had stopped him, Growlmon raised his head full of the strength and energy he lacked.

Takato hurried down the next platform.

If he couldn't do something, the last clash would be the last one.

Giggling, laughter, and distorted music filled the air where Madoka walked. The shifting sights and parts reminded moved without purpose or point. At least it seemed that way to Madoka.

"Um, Kyuubey?" Kyuubey had taken to walking just a few paces ahead of her but within reach and earshot of her.

"Yes, Madoka?" Kyuubey replied without ever turning his head back to her, though the answer came as though he had been standing next to her.

"What is a Labyrinth? For a witch, that is." Finding Guilmon might be easier if she understood the nature of the place they had entered. Even if the thought of understanding a place and being behind it made her feel dread.

"In the first place, a witch is something formed from the excess curses and evil of the human heart. In the same way that the common world as you know it is comprised of good elements, so too is the Labyrinth the world as defined solely by a being composed of these evil elements." Madoka glanced around, trying to see what she could tell this witch defined as "the world".

It began to make sense, at least somewhat. There was a stasis to it, a place frozen within just one or two or three things. If this was the domain of the witch, then it was an unchanging place forever caught within itself.

Thinking this, Madoka felt some of her dread become sadness. Madoka did not allow herself to dwell on it. She could give it thought after she and Guilmon had left together. To this end, however, her thoughts moved to the conversation she had, had with Kyuubey a couple of days ago.

Magical girls dealt with familiars and the witch that they served. If the witches were curses then magical girls must have been the good Kyuubey talked about. Then there was the wish Kyuubey had said he offered in exchange for becoming a magical girl.

The weight of the toy D-Ark grew into a stone she carried.

With the wish, she could make it into a real D-Ark. It could help her find Guilmon faster, and other things besides that. Sayaka had told her it was how Tamers used cards to make their Digimon stronger and even help them evolve.

She would also become a magical girl and would be able to fight alongside Guilmon to protect people from both witches and hostile Digimon.

It was a nice enough thought but could there be someone who was both a magical girl and a tamer?  She looked at Kyuubey and went to ask him when suddenly a familiar growl echoed against the labyrinth.

Her body moved on its own, not waiting for her thoughts or Kyuubey to say anything. It was driven by instinct, and (she told herself) the deeper connection she was sure was there to Guilmon.

It was long before the checkered walls gave way to a much more open area.

Various rings spun around the room in no particular pattern. Some were patterned in black and white. Others were red and white with more plain, linear designs. Some still had green clovers and triangles spread across them. There was no sense to be found among any of them. Except for, she noted, the butterfly spread across all of them.

In the middle, surrounded by the various familiars she had the displeasure of seeing… something.

Its body was curved like a sickly bean. What she assumed was its head was made of a ill rose garden that was melting away. On its back were sickly yellow butterfly wings that looked as if they had never seen use. Tiny useless black insect-like legs held it up, though did nothing else besides that.

“That’s it. That's the witch.” she heard Kyuubey say. Or at least, that's what she thought was said.

In truth, she wasn’t listening to him, focusing on the scene taking place before the witch’s insect legs.

It was Guilmon but not alone.

Guilmon battled a smaller, black lizard-like creature that looked nothing like the familiars surrounding the witch.

Like Guilmon it also stood on its legs, though it was smaller than Guilmon was. Its emerald eyes shone brilliantly but wildly against its smaller form. Small but powerful-looking arms held large claws at the end of their fingertips.

“PEPPER BREATH!” And from its mouth came a fireball that barreled towards Guilmon. Guilmon moved swiftly, swinging his arm in a downward spiral and forcing the Agumon to jump away, its fireball crushed in a single swing of Guilmons claw.

“PYRO BLASTER!” Guilmon fired a red blast toward the still-airborne Agumon. It collided with his chest and stomach, sending the black-scaled Digimon falling towards the misshapen feet of the witch in a crumpled form.

Guilmon remained tense, a deep grow caught behind locked teeth. He was now as he was when they had first met. Focused on the battle, nothing else seemed to register to him. Even the fact she had entered the room, and finally reached him did nothing to pull him away from his foe.

But Madoka could live with it. Guilmon was well. That was the sole thought as the scene around him bled away from her awareness.

The shrill cry of the witch, pained and lonely, put a stop to that. The Black-scaled Digimon stood up on its legs and its green eyes were overcome with a dark crimson red.

An invisible force spread out scattering the familiar around the witch as they shattered against the rings of the space. Breaking into colorless petals that peeled against the texture of the ring, before swept toward the Digimon. Reaching him, they spun around in a circle. The Digimon rose, carried into the air by the same force as the petals. The petals span faster and faster, over and under him. They cut him away from the rest of the labyrinth. Finally, the petals ceased and what floated in front of the witch and Guilmon looked almost like an egg.

And then, from the void itself, came a dark and hollow voice.

“BLACKAGUMON DARK-DIGIVOLVE TOOO…”

The egg exploded.

The force carried her off her feet, making her land with a loud “SCRUNCH” as she felt something break against her. Raising her head, she watched as Guilmon stood unaffected. Her brief solace was crushed in that same moment as the dark mist was cut by a large, dark blue-clawed foot.

And then another foot joined it.

Two arms, each with claws and hands large enough to crush Guilmon in just one, made their way through the mist.

The horns of a devil, black and obscured by the mist were illuminated by piercing yellow eyes.

The guttural, thunderous roar that followed caused her teeth to shake in her mouth. Her body became like ice, frozen, and still. She felt lightheaded, black and white blots passing across her view. Her ears, she was certain, would give out much sooner than anything else.

“GREYMON!”

The towering form of the blue-scaled dinosaur roared once more at Guilmon. Guilmon was not phased, roaring back at him as he charged head-first towards Greymon. Again, they would battle.

Madoka had no idea for how long Guilmon had battled BlackAgumon. What she saw told her that Guilmon had, or could, claim victory against him. But as Guilmon was sent back with a powerful whip of Greymon’s tail, Madoka was ashamed of the dread she felt.

“Oh, this must be Digivolution. But how strange, to absorb the energy from the familiar and the witch to do it.” Kyuubey walked over to her, as she mouthed a useless plea of help to him. “Madoka, Guilmon is powerful no doubt but that other Digimon has advanced to a higher level entirely. If something isn’t done then Guilmon will most assuredly die.”

It was true, she knew. Perhaps someone like Sayaka could go in-depth on exactly why that was. She witnessed Greymon pick up Guilmon like a toy only to throw him against the ground. Guilmon limply raised himself from it with clenched eyes

That was all she needed to understand it.

“Hel…he…help.” the shock of the roar and the one-sided horror of battle broke the words in her mouth.

Madoka gathered herself, thinking about how pathetic it would be to fail Guilmon right at this moment.

“Help… him. Kyubey, help Guilmon. You’re… You’re the only one who can.” Madoka pleaded, raising herself onto her hands and knees as something broken fell from her small pocket. It was the D-Ark, the toy one. That must have been what she felt break.

The plastic casing had been completely removed from it. Small thin wires sprouted from its sides. The glossy pink ring had also broken, snapped both off of it and into two clear pieces. Sprinkles of green, its motherboard, peppered the area where it landed.

Its screen had been cracked and blackened, unable even to show her reflection.

Madoka picked it up, feeling tears pushing at her eyes.

“It’s just a toy, after all.”

The words felt like poison in her mouth.

“I’m afraid I can’t help him.” Kyubey said calmly and without a hint of remorse.

Madoka couldn’t understand. If he could grant wishes, and make the impossible possible, then surely something like this was nothing. It wasn’t a miracle she was asking for, after all. Just that Guilmon be saved from the clutches of the Greymon.

“I am only here to make a contract and grant your wish in exchange for you becoming a magical girl. If you want to save Guilmon, then you must make a contract with me and wish for it. Or you can wish for something else. I’m sure the power you will gain from being a magical girl will be enough to defeat the Greymon and the witch. Either way, the result is still the same: Guilmon will be safe.”

Kyubey made it sound so easy. Maybe it was that easy and she was a fool for letting Guilmon suffer like was by hesitating.

It wasn’t like she hadn’t already been thinking about it. It was just a single wish and as a magical girl, she could help the next time Guilmon would fight like he was right now.

There would be more wild Digimon. Wild Digimon, and the witches with their labyrinth.

All she had to do was say it, and this would be a bad dream.

Say it. She told herself once, reminding her who she was doing this for.

Say it. A second time, because she refused to listen the first time.

“I wish…”

“Kaname Madoka.” She froze, and somehow, time did too.

“Guilmon?” she spoke as though she hadn’t heard him in a lifetime.

“Kaname Madoka.” He repeated once more.

“Guilmon?”  

“Are you… my Tamer?” Madoka clenched the broken toy tight. Tight enough she could the broken plastic pierce into her palm. She didn’t care.

How did any of the Tamers know? She knew what Sayaka had told her. That it was destiny, that they were chosen. But how did they know that? That the Digimon they met would be theirs. That they were destined for one another?

She didn’t. She didn’t know if she could be someone who was chosen by either destiny or a world she didn’t know.

All that she knew was the brief memories she had shared with Guilmon. It was nothing compared to the rest of her life, only amounting to not even a full two days.

And yet, that made her want to struggle for it even more.

She wanted Guilmon to be there when she left and came home. To hear about how he got along with Tatsuya. To feel a little jealous at how much time her little brother got to spend with her Digimon partner. To be teased about it by her mom, Sayaka, and even Hitomi. She wanted to see how Guilmon himself would grow, who he would become besides just a Digimon that fought other wild Digimon.

And she wanted to see who she would become because of Guilmon being her partner. How it would change her from someone who only saw Digjmon as a cute distraction to having to care for a real one, with all the blessings and burdens that came with it.

Say it, this time a voice she didn’t recognize spoke to her.

And Madoka Kaname rose to her feet.

Time seemed to resume, Kyuubey looked at her with eyes wondering what her wish was.

“Sorry, Kyuubey.” Madoka smiled and bowed to him before looking on as the Greymon had corned Guilmon “I don’t think I need that wish from you, right now that is.”

Madoka took off running.

“Guilmon!” Madoka cried between breaths. Guilmon had been corned, beaten and scratched up by the Greymon. Greymon let out deep growls as it took large thundering steps towards Guilmon.

Thinking quickly Madoka reeled back her arm before lurching it forward as quick and hard as she could. The broken D-Ark arched in the air. Though falling apart mid-air, it remained together long enough to find its mark. It struck the back of the Greymon’s head.

It turned its head, letting one eye fall on her. Turning away from Guilmon, it looked down at her.

Brief fear struck her before she turned away once again. She began running again, hearing the powerful footsteps as Greymon followed after her. She needed to give Guilmon just a chance away from the battle.

She looked over her shoulder, seeing the Greymon hunching over with an open maw of teeth the length of her arm, and clawed hands that reached for her. Another deep growl as Greymon got closer, and closer to her.

Madoka shut her eyes and focused on driving her legs faster and faster.

“ROCK BREAKER!” Guilmons voice cried out and she heard the loud impact of cawls against the skull. She spun around to see Greymon’s head forced onto the ground. Guilmon had jumped on top of claws located at the base of Greymons head. Jumping off of the downed Digimon, Guilmon landed towards her and met his eyes with hers.

Fierce and dilated, Guilmon wordlessly held his hand to her. She reached out and felt the familiar texture of broken plastic. It had been the broken D-Ark she had tossed a moment ago.

“Madoka, you dropped this.” past the scratches and bruises present on him, Guilmon’s eyes softened. They were brightened further by the smile on his face.

She ignored the witch and its Greymon. The labyrinth bled away from her sight as nothing but Guilmon and herself remained.

“Guilmon, what you said early, what you asked me.” Guilmon turned his head at her.

“I asked you something? What did I ask?” Madoka smiled rubbing her hands across her watery eyes before she continued.

“I don’t know if I am your Tamer. But, I want to be.” Something began to rise in her chest. A warm that eased away the fear and doubt she had felt before. She held onto it and let it fill her with boldness and courage as the Greymon, the Witch, and the Labyrinth bled back into reality.

Guilmon stepped in front of her. He stared down the rising Greymon without fear or hesitation.

Madoka did too, clutching the broken D-Ark in her hand. She brought it close to her chest, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath.

“I WANT TO BE GUILMON'S TAMER!” Kaname MAdoka shouted with all heart and soul.

Suddenly, a light erupted from the D-Ark. It pierced and spread across the area, bathing the labyrinth in its glow. Greymon shut its eyes, falling back in response. The witch shivered and recoiled, growing smaller as the light grew.

Madoka brought the D-Ark back to herself. She watched in wonder as she saw it reassemble itself back together. The pink color that had been a glossy plastic saw itself replaced by an ornate metal ring of pink.

She could not say it was as though the damage had been undone. Looking up on it, she could tell this D-Ark had been made from something unsure and for pretending. But there was nothing that said that it could not become the real thing.

Madoka understood it.

This was her D-Ark. This was proof of the bond she shared with Guilmon.

The brilliant light focused itself, turning a deep crimson red.

Guilmon’s entire body glowed the same crimson, though he did not move in fear or worry.

Madoka stepped forward and she saw herself be consumed by the red light that engulfed Guilmon full. She was lifted up into the air and watched as once again the labyrinth before her was replaced by an ocean of red.

It was her and Guilmon again.

“GUILMON DIGIVOLVE TOO…”

Before she could say anything arcs and lines of orange and red spread around Guilmon. Guilmons skin was peeled away from his body. It revealed a grid-like texture. It was as if Guilmon had been reduced to the most base form of his being. The Arcs and lines orange began to surround Guilmon. They closed around him, making the shame egg shape that she had seen around the BlackAgumon before he turned into Greymon.

The egg, being big enough to house Guilmon, grew large and large. In the egg cracks she watched as Guilmon’s skin was replaced. Horns grew from his head, and claws and teeth became larger and fiercer as well.

“... GROWLMON!”

The egg exploded in a blinding display of power. She winced, looking away from whatever had emerged from the egg.

She fell, but only for a short moment. She landed on something soft, but coarse. It poked at her hands and even legs. Opening her eyes she saw that she was raised high enough to meet the Greymon. Maybe even higher, if she had wanted to get closer to him.

Madoka thought that she might have been floating, but ceased these thoughts as she looked at what she had landed. White hair that sat between familiar batlike wings. They were joined now by two large red horns tipped with black.

The white hair, bat wings, and horns shifted themselves beneath her, and Madoka used her free hand to clutch tightly onto the hair. The other cradled her D-Ark against her chest tightly.

“Guilmon?” she asked quietly, looking as the batwings twitched against the question.

“Madoka.” Began the familiar voice of Guilmon “I’m Growlmon, now.”

“Growl….mon.” Madoka let the word sink in through her tongue. Looking down at the newly formed D-Arl, she realized what had happened in the egg.

Guilmon had digivolved.

He had digivolved because of her.

“Guil-Growlmon.” She corrected herself looking at the Greymon who took a step back and let out a low growl “Can you win against him now?”

“Hmmm, only one way to know.” She felt Growlmon lurch forward before Greymon rushed towards them in a frantic roar.

Greymons hands short out met against Growlmons larger hands. The struggle seemed equal, and she was closer to Greymon than she might have wanted.

But it didn’t last. Growlmon swung his arms down, breaking the deadlock and causing Greymon to lurch forward. Growlmon stepped back, twisting his body and letting his tail crash against Greymons face. Greymon crashed, rolling briefly before pushing against the ground and aiming his horns towards Growlmon.

“FIRE ROCK BREAKER!” His claws burst into flames and came crashing down on the head of the Greymon. As he buried Greymon’s head into the ground, Growlmon grabbed Greymons tail and pulled. Growlmons teeth were clenched, his arms flexing against the weight of the Greymon before it finally gave away against his strength. Lifting him clear overhead, Growlmon twisted his hips with a yell.

Releasing his tail, Greymon was sent flying towards the feet of the witch once again. Briefly stunned by the crash against the ground, Greymon stood up with an indignant roar.

An orange light began to form in the back of the Greymons mouth. The orange grew into a vast flame that filled the Greymon’s maw.

“NOVA FLAME!” The large flame barreled towards them. The heat nipped at Madoka’s face, blowing her hair back. Rather than run Growlmon rushed towards it, spreading his arm to the side as the spike on it began to glow blue before crackling with energy.

Growlmon tucked his head, pulling Madoka away from the flame as his blade met the coming fireball head-on.

“DRAGON SLASH!” His blade cut the fireball into two. It landed behind them, bursting into a fiery display that served to leave Madoka stunned at the power Growlmon possessed.

“Amazing.” Madoka’s awe turned to a smile as she looked down to meet Growlmons eyes “Growlmon, you’re amazing!”

“You think so, Madoka?” Growlmon asked, as innocently as when he had been Guilmon. Was this Digivolution? To grow as a being, to change and become stronger but to remain the same as you started? It was incredible. Digimon were incredible!

“I do! Growlmon!” She dug her face into his white hair, trying her best to hug him. They were going to beat the witch, beat the Greymon she had, and go home together. Madoka was more sure of that outcome than ever before!

“Madoka.” Growlmon started as Madoka raised her head from his white hair.

“Hmm? What is-” The words died in her mouth, watching the Greymon rise in the air. The Witch herself broke down into the same petals as her familiars had done previously. Just like before, she encased Greymon in a similar white egg. It grew and grew and grew.

“GREYMON DARK-DIGIVOLVE TOO….”

Growlmon took some steps back and quivered beneath her.

“Madoka. This isn’t going to be easy.” Growlmon uttered quietly to her and her alone. Worry gripped her heart, and she clutched the D-Ark closer to her chest.

The difference in power before had nearly spelled Guilmons end. If they stayed and fought it would no doubt be the same.

They could run, try and flee from the witch’s labyrinth together. But something this strong under the guidance or control or whatever the witches connection might have been would prove harm to everyone in her city.

With that thought, Madoka’s courage won against the situation's danger.

“Growlmon, we have to win against it.” There was no room for hesitation in her voice, and with a nod, she knew that there was no need to convince Growlmon.

“Right!” the egg exploded and something far, far, far larger than Growlmon took steps that seemed to shake the entire world.

“... METALGREYMON!”

Takato was nearly knocked from his feet, staggering to gather himself. The ground felt fragile, cracking under him like newly formed ice. MetalGreymon sauntered over to Growlmon shaking the whole area with each footstep. Growlon had been placed on the back foot.

He glanced down to his D-Ark, hoping that Guilmon had gotten close enough that he could see what he saw.

The screen was still a static one.

Left with no choice but to act, Takato clutched the D-Ark hard and took a deep breath.

Ignoring the breaking ground, Takato ran out, cupping his hands around his mouth.

“HEY! Why don’t you pick a fight with a mon your size!” MetalGreymon stopped, turning his head slowly. He attempted to pierce Takato with malice-filled yellow eyes. Takato didn’t relent, keeping his nerves steeled.

“Yeah, I’ll bet you think you're tough, picking a fight with a Digimon an evolution lower than you! If it was Wargrowlmon in there you’d be crushed without a second thought!” Takato clenched his free hand, feeling the nervous sweat form against his forehead.

Aside from joking with Kazu on his choice of cards, Takato wasn’t very good at trash-talking. Normally something he’d be thankful for, he just needed to give them time.

“C’mon, c’mon turn over here.” Takato muttered to himself, as the MetalGreymon slowly shifted his head and body fully towards Takato.

Takato’s D-Ark came whipping forward, a thick beam of light rushing from its scream. Shooting out like a whip, it wrapped itself around the metal horn at the end of MetalGreymon’s nose. MetalGreymon, caught off guard by it, lurched his head backward in protest. He tried to free himself but was held in place by the beam.

Instantly Takato’s arm burned. The muscles were already spent, and it felt like with any struggle it might have come off.  There was just no way for any human to restrain a Digimon, let alone an ultimate one, by their power. While the D-Ark had been doing the bulk of the work, Takato still needed to act as the one behind the anchor.

“HURRY!” shouted Takato through gritted teeth as he looked at the other Tamer “You-You have to ask for a blue card! Or-nngh! OR use digi-modify to give Growlmon the power he needs to-to RRNGH! Stop MetalGreymon!”

Whether it was his voice falling short, strained by the struggle against MetalGreymon, or the Tamer lacking the ability to do anything of what he had said, Takato was overcome by MetalGreymon.

With a jerk of its head, Takato was lifted from the ground. The energy whip that had been used to hold MetalGreymon in place was now the very same thing that MetalGreymon had used to close the distance between itself and Takato.  

But before Takato could say anything, before he could even react fully to how close he was to MetalGreymon, he found himself pressed against familiar white scales.

“We-we got you!” the soft voice of a girl called out to him, and through the cracks of the large arms that had wrapped themselves around him, he was able to make out Growlmons face, and the face of his tamer.

Very briefly did their gaze meet, but somehow Takato had felt that he had seen her somewhere before.

The small moment didn’t last.

“GIGA DESTROYER!” Frantically Takato reached into his pocket trying to pull out a card that could protect them. Wargreymon’s Brave Shield. BryweLudramon’s shield mode. Something, anything to help protect them!

But he was too slow, or perhaps more accurately, too late.

Growlmon ducked his head, dropping the girl right next to Takato before pressing both of them tightly against his chest.

“Growlmon!” the girl cried in protest in the protective darkness of Growlmons embrace.
Suddenly they were whipped around. Growlmon let out a cry and Takato reached out to grab onto the girl as the heat and fire of the attack attempted to breach Growlmon’s protective embrace.

Violently crashing against the ground, wrenched free from Growlmon, Takato’s head smacked into the ground with violent force. Groggily he fought against the blots of darkness, and blurring colors. He raised his head, looking around to gather himself before settling on the crumpled form of Growlmon.

He stood up, before falling back down to his knees.

“Gui-Guilmon, where are you?” Takato muttered in his shaken state before lifting himself up from the ground and walking towards Growlmon.

The girl, her outfit dirtied and singed, pushed against the side of Growlmon.

“Growlmon! Growlmon! Please get up, you have to get up he’s coming closer!” the girl cried as Takato limply turned his head to see the MetalGreymon taking step after step towards them.  

Takato reached into his pocket, pulling out his cards. They fell from his weak grip, scattering into the ground beneath them. Takato fell to the ground and rummaged through them, trying to find a card that could help them.

However, seeing that most of the cards had been lost during the fall, he gave up not too long after.

He stood up again, walking towards the girl. Her cries had gone quiet, her shoulders shaking.

Getting closer, Takato remembered it.

Perhaps he had heard it a dream.

Takato took more steps before he stood between the MetalGreymon, and the girl and her Growlmon. He had to try something, what kind of senior Tamer would he be if he didn’t?

“Hey, nice work!” Takato spoke to the girl despite looking head-on at the approaching MetalGreymon “I mean it. When I first met Guilmon I made plenty of mistakes. We stuck through to the end and everything worked out. I’m sure it's going to be the same between the two of you.”

Takato chuckled but felt the pulse of darkness across his vision.

“Another Guilmon though. I’m sure Guilmon, my Guilmon, will find that fun. I thought he was the only one. Maybe we can come up with nicknames?” He remembered how Guilmon tried on different hats once, especially liking the cowboy one.

“Oh, I’m Matsuki Takato by the way. Don’t worry, everything is going to work out, you’ll see.”

“Kaname-Kaname Madoka.” there was a hitch in the girl, in Madoka’s voice “Takato? You’re-”

“Ta…kato…mon?” the familiar voice caused the encroaching darkness to fade away, whipping his head back. A red light suddenly burned from his D-Ark and he witnessed the same happen on the D-Ark belonging to Madoka.

Growlmon rose, pulling rubble and crumbling debris as he turned to face MetalGreymon once more.

Only now, possessed by the strength he hadn’t prior, his eyes burned completely red.

The Digital-Hazard symbols on his shoulders glowed the same ominous red. The bands on his wrists and thighs glowed a brilliant orange color that teetered on white hot.

All the while the red light burst from two D-Arks grew and grew in intensity.

“Takato! What's happening!” cried Madoka, nearly blinded by the crimson light.

Takato winced and shook his head.

“I don't-I don't know!”

MetalGreymon held back no longer. He flew far into the air and opened his chest. Inside of it the missiles began to glow.
‘
But Growlmon, driven to protect both Tamers stepped forward and reeled back his head. Inside a brilliant crimson orange overpowered even the glow of their D-Arks swelled.

Takato felt it, this was the final clash between the two Digimon.

“TERRA DESTROYER!” With a loud whistle, MetalGreymon unleashed his most powerful attack.

As the attack closed in on them, Takato turned and ran towards Madoka, reaching for her as Growlmon released his attack.

“PYRO-BLASTER!” the attack belonging to Guilmon, somehow grew to encompass the entire space above them. It spread, consuming MetalGreymon’s Giga Destroyer before catching up to the MetalGreymon itself.

MetalGreymon let out an ear-rending roar before finally being overtaken by the attack. Reduced to data, a creature smaller and resembling a misshapen butterfly also saw itself be caught. Much like MetalGreymon it too let out a useless cry before fading away altogether.

The blast lifted Takato off the ground briefly, stopped only by Madoka grasping his hand. With all the strength in her tiny form, she pulled him down to her. Together they huddled as the attack continued. Its power was unrestrained, and they watched in horror as it also swallowed up Growlmon.

“Growlmon!” Madoka cried out, reaching out a hand uselessly the light of the attack spread towards them.

Growlmon turned his head back. Despite the fact he was being consumed by the clash of the two attacks, Growlmon’s smile tore at her heart..

“Madoka, I had a lot of fun! I promise we’ll play again real soon, okay?”

And with that, Growlmon too was consumed by the brilliant light.

The brilliant light had delivered her to darkness.

The red light pierced into the skyline. It reminded her of what it looked like when a star would fall. Only this time the star had risen from the Earth rather than the sky. As if running into a wall, she watched as cracks began to form and break before giving way entirely a blue grid-like surface underneath.

Homura turned, whipping her hair as she observed the ruined building and station where the witch had made its lair.

At its core were Madoka and Takato, both soundly asleep next to each other. The sight gave a slight pang at her chest but she ignored it in favor of what had happened here. This had gone further than she had expected, hoping that Takato and his partner would have shown up together to aid Madoka and her own Guilmon.

Still, she had accomplished what she had set out to do. Now was everything else that followed.

“Boy, that sure was quite the show.” a familiar, sour taste filled her mouth as the soft sounds of Kyuubey approached her.

“It didn’t go as you expected did it?” Homura said dully, though not without a hint of self-accomplishment.

“It's true, it would have been more ideal for Madoka to have made a contract with me. To say nothing of the absence of the other magical girls, save you.” Kyuubey looked up at her with the same expressionless face he always had “However, I would say what I learned here today was overall a benefit too.”

That unnerved her, but she hid it under an impassive gaze.

“And that is?”

“Digivolution.” Kyuubey began “Digimon are an amazing form of life. I don’t think we’ve ever come across something like them. The Witch being able to bond with one was already an unprecedented possibility, but Guilmon’s transformation to Growlmon truly what stood out.”

If Kyubey would take an interest in the Digimon and their Tamers, then Homura would let him keep talking.

“Cosmic expansion! The creation of a new universe within a cosmic egg of their creation! All are formed from the flow of energy from one to the other.”

Homura and Kyuubey watched as Guilmon, Takato’s Guilmon she presumed, flew overhead on a pair of wings. Landing next to Takato and Madoka, both how had begun to awaken.

“Hmm hmm, the possibilities presented by Digimon are truly amazing.”

When Madoka awoke, it had become nighttime. The moon and the sky seemed peaceful. As she moved her arm, she felt an unfamiliar weight pressing on her arm. Turning her face, she felt the soft breath of Takato against her nose. Before she could say or do anything about the building heat she felt in her face, Takatos face scrunched up and stirred.

Red met red as Takato pushed himself off of her, clutching his head.

“What-? Where did… Growlmon go?”

He’s gone, swallowed up by the fight. she had wanted to say but the words refused to come out in anything that wasn’t a dry hitch in her throat, and the glistening view of her eyes.

Just then, as if the universe had given her a moment's mercy, she heard his voice.

“Takato! There you are!” It was the voice of Guilmon.

Turning her head she saw him descend upon them, backfilled with feathery wings like those of an angel. Landing in front of Takato, Guilmon quickly nuzzled his face into his tamer, the sight filling her with an ache.

Yes, this was Guilmon. A Guilmon who acted, talked, and sounded exactly like what a Guilmon should. Only, this was not her Guilmon. The Guilmon who had saved her, hid in her home poorly, played with her little brother, and amused her mother and father. Where he had gone, if he was still even alive, she couldn’t say.

But before the uncertainty of it all could crush her, Guilmon, Takatos Guilmon stepped forward to her, lowering his head as he examined her.

“Ma.. doka?” She felt her heart skip for just a moment. Clutching her chest, she saw Guilmon's puzzled look change from curious to happiness.

One that could only belong to a reunion long-awaited.

“Guilmon? Do you… know her?” Takato’s voice sounded unsure, lost as Guilmon looked away for just a moment to nod at him before turning back to her with a smile.

“Of course, Madoka is Guilmon's friend! I could never forget her! Oh, Madoka! Like I promise, do you wanna play right now? Huh, Madoka? Why are you crying?”

Whether it was happiness, whether it was sadness, neither, or both, Madoka's cheeks ran wet with her tears as the sirens from afar approached them.

Chapter Text

His breath was steady as the thin layer of sweat formed into a thick bead that ran down his forehead. He stared at the boy across from him. They were close in age, height, and even build. But as silence overtook their stare down, his opponent's more ragged breath betrayed their similarities.

The next movement, the next time they clashed would decide the winner.

He shifted his foot to the side, sliding it against the smooth wooden floor. His back foot raised itself onto its toes. His opponent mirrored him, though unlike him, he raised a tensed, readied hand, tucking his other against his waist.

Bound by the struggle, both united as they shifted their bodies forward to decide this game-winner.

His opponent, gathering all energy left to him, rushed forward with a power strike aimed at his chest. The move was so swift and strong that it sent the sweat flying off of his forehead.

He moved, but only narrowly. His front leg hooked itself around the front leg of his opponent. Laying an open palm against his chest, he pulled the leg back. His opponent, overextended and having spent his all in the struggle, became limp. He pulled him off his feet, and sent him to the ground, catching him by the white of his gi before he could connect to the wooden floor.

Stunned, his opponent could only look up at him as he held a clenched fist and finally released the held breath in a thin stream.

“The match is over the winner - Henry Wong!” gently allowing the boy onto the ground, Henry raised a hand to help him to his feet with a kind smile. 

“That was close if I hadn’t moved when I did I might have been the one on the ground.” Henry did his best to be honest, and that had been closer than an outside watcher might have thought. The boy smiled, scratched the back of his head, and joined the others muttering something to his friends.

A towel came flying at him, nailing him right in the face.

Pulling it down Henry was met with the indignant look of his Digimon partner, Terrierimon.

“What the matter Terrierimon? You didn’t like the sparring match?” Terrierimon humphed as he looked over to the other boys giggling.

“What's there to like about a fight that boring? All you did was circle each other like this,” said Terrierimon as he jumped back and forth on his feet with his arms held out to each other.

“Sparring matches are usually best when neither tries to hurt the other.” chuckled Henry as he patted away the sweat on his face before resting it against his hot neck. 

“Besides you act like you’ve never sat through one of my matches before. Why the attitude today?” Terrierimon folded his arms and looked away from Henry. Kneeling Henry tried poking and prodding Terrierimons soft cheeks, only for the diminutive Digimon to puff his cheeks even bigger.

Finally, Henry scooped up Terriermon's long floppy ears, raising them up and down until, with a sharp jerk, Terrierimon released himself from Henry’s grasp.

“Oooh I hate it when you do that! And in front of all the guys, are ya tryin’ to make me look like whimp!” Terrierimons clenched fist was silenced by the soft, but firm knock against his lone horn.

“Talk.” said Henry firmly.

“I guess I’m just a little anxious is all.” grumbled Terriermon “Takato is in the hospital after having to fight a MetalGreymon all by himself. Then there’s the giant tear in the sky that everyone is acting like it isn’t there. Not to mention the fact there was another Growlmon. All this sitting around and pretending like nothing has happened is getting worked up.”

Henry’s gaze softened.

He had been thinking about much the same things Terrierimon had after yesterday’s visit to this hospital. Looking around, he saw his classmates laughing joking, and mocking one another like any other day should have filled him with ease. Instead, it only served to remind him that things had happened.

Perhaps this was a kind of burden, after all. The burden of knowledge.

“And what would you want to do, Terriermon?” asked Henry honestly. Terriermon blinked for a moment, obviously taken aback by how Henry had been asking him for advice.

Clearing his throat, Terriermon’s response was simple but resolute.

“I say we go to that city, find out what the heck is going on and WHAM BAM mess it up something good for picking on our buddies!”

Henry looked at Terriermon, neither wanting to condone nor condemn his desire for action. 

It was true that seeing Takato at the hospital brought out worried and upset feelings. 

A wild Digimon encounter was one thing, but an ultimate one at that, and without Guilmon there to assist him? If it hadn’t been for the other tamer present…

Henry stopped himself from thinking further.

Maybe he had been lying to himself by trying to go about a day without trying to do something, anything to prevent something like what happened to Takato from happening to anyone else, least of all his family and friends.

Without at least understanding whatever it was that was happening, how could he protect them?

Putting the consequences to the side, Henry patted Terriermons head.

“Hey, what do you say about taking a trip before we head home today?” 

Terriermon looked at him for a moment confused before a large smile formed on his face.

The train ride to Mitakihara had been nice. Save for of course the large amount of kids and adults that all wanted to take their photo with Terriermon.

Setting out they walked into the city junction.

"Mitakihara City. Hope you brought your wallet with you, Henry because we're entering tourist trap central."

"Terriermon we're not here to buy anything. We're here to find out what happened to Takato and if it's what caused that giant tear in the sky."

"I’m sure whatever it was it's still here and waiting for us to find it. So, we might as well take in the sights before we must throw down."

Henry shook his head at Terriermon's willingness to fight. As a Digimon, fighting just came naturally to him but so did an appreciation of peace.

At least that's what Henry hoped. He wasn't always so sure that was true, especially when
it came to Terriermon.

But even if Henry disagreed with his eagerness, he couldn't deny the possibility was there.
Takato had talked about having entered some sort of space filled with creatures that were not 

Digimon. Equally as distressing, if not more, was the presence of an ultimate-level Digimon. MetalGreymon had been stopped by the presence of the girl, Madoka's, Growlmon. 

Another Growlmon, another Guilmon, posed its series of questions but most pressing was the space Takato had mentioned and how the MetalGreymon had made it into their world.

According to Madoka, it had arrived as BlackAgumon before progressing towards its ultimate stage. However, according to Yamaki, there had not been any recorded Bio-Emergences except for the Demi-Devimon that Takato and Guilmon fought days ago.

He alongside Rika had been asked by Yamaki not to investigate things further, and that when something more concrete came up they would be called upon. This was something that his father had brought up to him too after family dinner last night. Henry remembered promising him that he wouldn't do anything.

Terriermon ended up being so proud of how rebellious he was.

Henry had visited Takato in the hospital, and even if both the Doctors, Takato's parents, and even Takato himself had said he would be fine, the idea of his friend having gotten so close to danger left him restless and itching to do something.

Stepping off from the train, Henry was met with looks and stares as Terriermon waved towards everyone.

"We're not supposed to be drawing attention to ourselves."

"Then maybe you shouldn't have gone out with one of the three most famous Digimon in the world.”

"Next time I'll make sure to leave you with Suzie. Lopmon needs a break anyway."

"Guuh-! Henry don't be so mean."

Maybe it was a moot point. Yamaki had told them not to go to Mitakihara city, but he must have been prepared if they did. Odds were good they had already been spotted.

Ignoring the stares, waves, and cheers, Henry made his way to the street level taking out his D-Ark.

"Everyone's surprisingly calm despite the big glaring tear in the sky." Terriermon noted.

"The news and media outlets got ahead of it. Even social media is benign on it. It's turned into just another tourist attraction for the time being." Of course, that was the case because Yamaki had been quick to use the connections and manipulations at HYPNOS' disposal to control the narrative. Hypnos could even edit social networks in real-time to suppress information, if they wanted.

The ethics of it bothered Henry, but the opposite could have been widespread panic and chaos.

Despite the giant tear, his D-Ark was at least working well enough. Takato had told him that upon entering the space, the functions and tracking of his D-Ark began to go in and out.

Henry's plan then, was simple.

Walking around the city, he'd hoped to run into a similar enough space to what Takato had entered. Unlike Takato who didn't have Guilmon with him, Terriermon would let him record information both visually and statistically through him. If there was something more to them than simply being a bio-emergence field.

Takato had entered the subway system but had come out near one of the in-development buildings. The space must not have been linear then and could be anywhere.
How did Takato know how to enter it? The question came to mind that Takato hadn't told him how he had done it, just that he had. Takato had been sparse on details leading up to the conflict with MetalGreymon.

He put the thought to the side for now. Whatever Takato had or hadn't told him was not a concern right now.

"Hey Henry look, it's more me's." Behind a passing toy store was a line of plush toys shaped after Terriermon. They looked accurate enough, though Henry couldn't help but turn away as kids from inside spotted the very real Terriermon on his shoulder.

"So, what do you think Takato's reaction was to seeing another Growmon?"

"On account of having made him? Probably confused more than anything"

"Well, I'm sure that two Guilmons will be more fun than just one."

"I don't know about that. According to Takato the other Growimon vanished alongside MetalGreymon."

"Oh yeah, there was that..."

Kaname Madoka though a new Tamer, had lost her Digimon partner Guilmon. Whether lost or truly gone, Henry didn't know.

She seemed nice enough, holding herself together despite the puffy eyes showing she had cried. It seemed unfair to him that she would have to suffer this.

"All right then we gotta get payback for Takato, Madoka, and her Guilmon. Look out whatever your things are, here we come!" Terriermon raised a fueled fist into the air, though his cute form took the energy out of it as people cooed at his declaration.

Henry struggled to disagree. They were indeed looking for trouble after all.

"Excuse me." A voice, called from behind them.

Turning Henry saw that it was a girl. She was around his age, though a bit shorter. Her uniform was a school one, holding the emblem to a school that he didn't recognize. Blonde hair was tied in twin, curly blonde tails. Under her green eyes, a soft ever-present smile.

"You're Wong Henry, yes?"

"I am, yeah." With Terriermon on his shoulder, there was no point in feigning ignorance.

"I'm Tomoe Mami, it's nice to meet you. I'm sure you're not just here visiting, but all the same, would you like to join me at this nice café?" Her question was nice, polite, and to the point. He certainly had to recognize how forward she was.

“Oh boy shes a bold one, eh? I guess it beats out leaving you a letter in your locker or having a friend of a friend pass you a note in class.” Henry let Terriermons joke go without an answer, choosing to focus on the girl in front of him.

All the same, the seed of suspicion sprouted in Henry.

"I'm sorry but you were right, I'm not just here to visit.”

“I wouldn’t want to waste your time, but I also want to address what happened with your friend.” The incident itself had made news headlines and was talked about across various sites. If she was just interested in gossiping about it, then he didn’t have the time to waste with her. Even if she was asking about it more eloquently.

“Look, I don’t want to be rude but I have to get going.”

“I’m sure, but wandering around aimlessly won’t help you find a witch's labyrinth. For that, you’d need a magical girl. Like me, for instance.” 

Henry looked at her, watching for any sign that she might have been joking or playing with him. Her face never changed from its soft small visage. She sounded serious, and she knew he was looking for something. 

But witches and magical girls? What could that possibly mean?

Henry looked at Terriermon, who had been silent the entire conversation. The small dog Digimon shrugged his shoulders, offering no word or advice.

“Tomoe Mami.” Henry repeated her name, causing her to smile just a bit more “Was that cafe near here?”

“Oh this is so good!” cooed Terriermon as he pulled in another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth. ‘

The cafe specialized in frozen treats, something Mami was nice enough to treat the both of them too. Mami meanwhile enjoyed a small cup of ear grey tea, dropping two small sugar cubes before gently mixing them in.

“Thank you again. You didn’t have to.” His small ice cream cone melted before him, untouched by his lack of appetite, though he imagined he would have to force himself so that Mami hadn’t wasted her money on him.

“It was my invitation, after all. It wouldn’t be fair to ask you for anything just yet. Besides, consider it compensation for taking the time to meet with a stranger like this.” As before, Mami's response was refined and ladylike in such a way that betrayed her. It reminded him of Rika, though in the opposite sense.

But Henry could only give her so much attention, what she had to say was far more present in his mind.

“Witches born from the grief and evil of mankind… Magical girls that are charged with fighting them.”

“If it seems a bit much, I understand.”

“No no, trust me its not that.” Being a Digimon tamer, and all the experiences that had come with it, had left Henry with plenty of room to accept the impossible. It sounded bizarre, but wishes was something Herny could believe in, Terriermon being by his side was proof enough.

“Takato had mentioned strange things inside a strange space he called witches and familiars. He was sure that they weren’t Digimon.”

“He was right of course, but do you believe him now?”

“I trust Takato. When it comes to stuff like this he doesn’t joke around, but seeing is believing.” And even then, one couldn’t always trust what they were seeing for any number of reasons.

“On that, I do apologize. Mitakihara is under my watch, and I do my best to head off any witches before they can cause harm to people.” Besides Takato and Madoka, dozens of people had been found unconscious in the tunnels that ran directly under where he and Madoka had been found. None of them had any memory of what happened.

As Mami had described, they fed on the negative emotions of humans and pushed to the limit they left absolutely nothing left.

“But not this time?” Henry did his best to avoid casting any blame or doubt on them. Mami seemed to take no offense, shaking her head softly.

“Not for a lack of effort. I had been tracking this particular which down for a few days, heading off its familiars before they could harm anyone. Until two days ago when it simply vanished. Tracking it became impossible and when I did, it was all over.”

“So you never actually saw MetalGreymon or Growlmon then?”

“No, I had been told by another magical girl who had arrived on the scene about the fight itself.”

“And this other magical girl, you didn’t know her?”

“Unfortunately not. Magicals tend to pass through Mitakihara on occasion. She could be one of them. Though I’m certain I haven’t come across as many magical girls like her that are as experienced.” 

“I thought you said you didn’t know her.”

“And I don’t, but in what we do you have to develop an instinct for these sorts of things. Even if all magical girls are fighting witches, you sadly can’t assume that all magical girls are kind.”

Maybe that came to Henry as a shock. He wouldn’t consider himself an avid consumer of magical girl shows, but what he did remember was that they were supposed to be. They usually were nice girls who helped others and worked together. Suzie had made him watch enough shows that he wouldn't forget that.

Knowing this wasn’t the case was concerning, but in a way he could understand it. They didn't start getting along with others Tamers like Ruki.

“You think you’d beat her in a fight?” asked Terriermon before shoving another spoonful of ice cream into his mouth.

Henry immediately frowned. Instigating and provoking a reaction was something he had accepted about his partner. Still, why had Terriermon been this way.

But before Henry could scold him, Mami had reached over to Terriermon, pressing a soft napkin against his cheek. She wiped away some ice cream that had stuck to the fur of his cheeks with a soft smile.

“So cute~” Mami cooed and Terriermon merely looked at Henry smugly with cheeks full of ice cream.

“I don’t like to think about fighting my fellow magical girls. Making friends with them would be much better in my opinion.” Mami placed the napkin down holding a finger up towards her chin as she considered her words.

“That said even if I did fight this particular magical girl, I know I wouldn’t lose.” Mami finished with a wink towards Terriermon, who replied with a simple thumbs up.

Henry’s shoulders sagged, followed by Mami’s chuckle and innocent follow-up.

“Oh, did I do something I shouldn’t have?”

Henry smiled, licking at the honey-flavored ice cream Mami had gotten for him. Somehow it tasted sweeter and had an odd warmness he didn’t expect.

“Nothing you did, but I definitely should have left Terriermon home with my sister.”

“You have a little sister?”

“Yeah, and an older one, plus my oldest brother. With my mom and my dad, its just a full house you could say.” Henry ran a hand through the back of his head, forming a laugh before he caught himself.

It was just a twitch, a flicker of a moment. It came so quickly and so fast that it almost could have been said to have never happened at all. Henry doubted it as he played the moment in his head again and again.

If he could trust his eyes, Mami’s seemingly ever-present smile had faltered. For a moment, the warmth she had displayed until now left her face, and was replaced by something hollow and lonely. 

Henry's heart twisted for a moment, but then he blinked and the sign was gone.

Blinking, he could only see Mami’s smile as she lowered her cup fo tea from her lips.

“I think that the three of us can work out this mystery together. What do you say?” She asked, looking at him with genuine curiosity. Henry shook his head, deciding that it had been a trick of the light.

The prudent thing might have been to go back to Yamaki with this new information. Takato had already had firsthand experience, but did he know about what witches were? What about magical girls? Rika had said she was going to go about it by with just herself and Renamon for the time being, but like Takato, she could be walking into a more dangerous encounter than previously thought.

The satisfied breath from Terriermon cut past his thoughts.

"Alright! I'm full and ready to get going!"

"You already finished your ice cream?" Said Henry as the green dog Digimon gave a sharp thumbs up.

"Pistachio-flavored ice cream is the best. Now that I have a belly full of ice cream it's the best time to go take on whatever nightmare team-ups those witches have going on with any Digimon. Right, Mami?"

Terriermon's pumped fist was returned by Mami own fist, gently of course.

"Right!"

"You shouldn't encourage him."

"Ah, sorry. But he's so cute, so I can't be too sorry." Mami teased, Terriermon letting out a barely held chuckle as Henry's shoulders sagged.

"So where do we get started?"

"Using this." Mami said holding out her hand to show a ring containing a brilliant yellow gem.

"Pretty." Uttered Terriermon, and Henry nodded in silent agreement.

"This gem is how magical girls get and use our powers and abilities. In addition, it also leads us towards the labyrinth of witches through the magical residue they leave behind."

"Hold on, did you say you couldn't find the last witch?" asked Terriermon

"But that was only because of the Digimon. Finding a regular witch shouldn't be an issue otherwise, right Mami?"

"Yes, that's right. To get a better understanding of how the possible pairings between the Digimon and the Witch would function, it would be ideal to come across them. However, until we know how exactly common or uncommon it is it would be better to first help you understand how the witches themselves work."

"Seeing is believing."

"Yup."

"Hold on, learning about these witches is fine and all but you're not exactly learning too much about Digimon. That doesn't seem fair." Added Terriermon though Mami seemed unfazed.

"Well then I'll have to make sure to pay extra attention to you, Terriermon." Mami leaned forward resting her head in her hands as Terriermon beat a tiny fist against his chest.

"You can count on me!"

Before he could add anything, Henry jolted. The melted streams of ice cream flowed from the edges of the cone and onto his hand. Acting quickly, he worked to both eat his cone and clean his hand. All the while both Mami and Terriermon shared a laugh.

Later, after they had finished, Henry and Terriermon joined Mami in walking within Mikikhara city. The walk had taken them from the growing lights of the city to dark and seemingly empty buildings as the setting sun gave way to the starry night.

Holding out her gem, it glowed more and more brilliantly with each step they took.

"Ugh." Shivered Terriermon as he rubbed his arms together, taking glances into the dark windows of the buildings around them "This place is giving me the creeps. Where the heck is everyone?"

Henry agreed with him. Nothing seemed wrong at the moment and the buildings themselves seemed well-kept. Yet not a single light was turned on within any of the buildings. People seemed to be absent from both the streets and the buildings.

If he turned, he would have seen the stark contrast between the heavily populated streets and where they stood now. Not just the people, but the light as well.

A line had been drawn in the world, separating darkness from light.

"They prefer it this way, shielding themselves from the light of the world in a prison where they pull those lost to the light to themselves." Mami stated grimly.

"And no one notices?"

"Until recently, would you?"

Henry thought of passing alleys shrouded in darkness, homes without a flicker of light, or people who themselves seemed lost. Had he unknowingly passed such places before without thinking about them? He hadn't asked about the history of the magical girls and the witches if Mami even knew about such a thing. How much of mankind's fear, and dismissal, of the dark be tied to the existence of the witches?

Terriermon rushed ahead, splitting from Henry until he stood step-by-step with Mami.

"That sounds spooky and all but don't expect me or Henry to back down. Witch or not, we're not about to leave you, right Henry?" Henry nodded, giving Terriermon a thumbs up sharing in his resolution.

Mami was silent for a moment, staring at the path illuminated by her gem.
Concerned by the moment's silence, Henry went to speak when Mami finally replied.

Turning she looked down at Terriermon with a different kind of smile that Henry was hard-pressed to describe. Neither happy, nor sad, nor even forced.

He settled on a smile of respite.

"Thank you Terriermon! Thank you, Henry!" as she spoke the ground around them shifted and turned. The ground became covered with a ridged, pore-shaped ground full of creases.

The buildings twisted and turned into white cakes topped with strawberries nestled into frosted flowers.

Despite its familiarity, it was mishappened and looked unreal. Like pictures grafted onto reality.

But as the landscape twisted and turned, Mami's ring turned into a large gem and glowed even more brilliantly than ever before.

"I promise you both, I won't let you down!" Mami's form became colored in the same light as her gem like she had shed her physical form and become composed of pure light.

She turned, spinning around as though she was dancing as petals flowed from her form. Her form spun faster and faster, casting away petal after petal yet not once losing the near miraculous grace she possessed.

Finally, as if she emerged from a cocoon, Mami burst forth.

Gone was her school uniform, replaced instead by a white blouse with a yellow placket line. Puffy sleeves and white arm warmers, a deep oak brown corset with white trims, brown fasteners with a white ribbon on her waist, and a dull yellow ruffled skirt with a deep oak brown trim. On her head was a brown beret-like hat with white fur coming out of it, as well as puce leggings with thin, vertical stripes, deep oak brown fingerless gloves, and deep oak brown calf-high socks with white brims and dull yellow shoes. 

She landed in front of them, giving them both a wink.

"Henry, you should close your both. It doesn't look cool y'know?" flushing, Henry covered his mouth quickly before looking down at Terriermon, who merely had his arms crossed and his head turned sideways in judgment. Beside him, Mami giggled.

"Alright, that was pretty cool but get a load of this!" Terriermon pointed towards Henry who pulled out his D-Ark in confusion.

"Hold on, you want to jump right to champion?"

"You bet! We can't let Mami show us how cool she looks and not show her we can hang with her!" Henry shook his head at Terriermon's reasoning.

Beside him, Mami watched with anticipation. Somehow, that was enough for Henry to cave.

Holding his D-Ark outward, a brilliant green light flashed out as Terriermon was enveloped.

"TERRIERMON DIGIVOLVE TOOO....!"

Terriermon's skin was flayed, showing a green-grid texture underneath. Growing in size, it was wrapped again by new skin to fit his larger form. Gone were his soft, small feet, replaced with large clawed paws. Denim Jeans hung loosely over his waist. His arms also, but it was his hands that saw the most radical change of all. Large machinery clasped itself around his forearm, covering it completely. Twin barrels, one of each arm, slotted themselves into place, leaving behind little imagination of what these new limbs might be for. At the end of them, three prongs extended themselves. 

Finally, a large, oversized magazine belt was slung across his body, clasping into place as he burst forth.

“.... GARGOMON!”

Standing in front of Mami, Gargomon winded up his gun arms before halting them with a loud click.

Mami clapped joyously as Gargomon turned to Henry with a proud grin.
“So all this was to show off, eh?”

“Henry, Momentai.”

Chapter Text

Fire and metal spat forth in a thunderous roar as both of Gargomons Vulcan's spat hundreds upon hundreds of rounds in dazzling speed.His barrage shredded the shapes of all familiars at its end- leaving their shapes as mincemeat. Overpiercing, the rounds tore at the background of cakes, frozen treats, and other sweets.

“Honestly Mami, you made them sound way more scary than they turned out to be.” Gargomon’s bragging was interrupted as a familiar aimed for his head, before being dispatched quickly by a powerful shot by Mami. Her guns though ornate, matched Gargomons own firepower blow for blow, easily reducing the entire familiars body to bits.

“Well Gargomon, I guess we’re so lucky you’re so strong then. Right, Henry?” 

“Oh, this is nothing. You should see me when I’m Rapidmon. Better yet, MegaGargomon.”

“We don’t need to stomp around as a building-sized Digimon.” Henry looked around, watching as the remains of the familiars faded away into nothing “Between you and Mami it looks like this might be overkill.”

Leaping above, Gargomon came crashing down a particularly large familiar before pressing the nozzle of his Vulcans against what Henry assumed was its head. The muzzle and flair quickly eclipsed the familiar’s form. When Gargomon had finished all that remained was the smoke from the bullet craters on the surface below his feet, the smoldering shells that had been ejected, and the gunsmoke coming from his Vulcans. With a sharp whistle of air, Gargomons chambers snapped open, and from his magazine belt, he quickly reloaded his depleted storage. Snapping his chambers closed again, Gargomon let out a chuckle.

“He’s enjoying himself, don't you think?” Mami spoke, landing beside Henry as he shook his head. She was right of course, Gargomon was enjoying himself. Too much, but Henry had known his partner had always embraced the combative nature of the Digimon, much more than either Guilmon or Renamon.

And Renamon used to spend all her time uploading the data of other Digimon thought Henry, looking at Mami

“So what are these familiars anyways?”

“I like to think of them as worker bees. They work towards the sole benefit of the queen, the Witch in this case.”

“By acting as its forces, I take it?”

“Yes, but like a hive they do need to provide sustenance to the queen. A healthy queen means they, in turn, get to continue thriving and expanding.”

The slight shift in her tone, and the implication made Henry almost avoid asking further.

“Do you know how many people have been taken by this witch?”

“I wish I could tell you, but no. However, by how large the labyrinth is and by how frequent its familiars are, it’s more than I’m comfortable speculating about.” Mami sounded grim, monotone even. Henry’s hand tightened up, but he restrained himself from acting out.

The fact finally sunk in. It seemed as though he had entered an entirely different world. 

How many people go missing every day? How many more would be lost without anyone even caring to look for them? Lost not in some alley or some town they didn’t recognize. Instead, targeted for what they had inside of their heart, or because they made a wrong turn. Reduced to nothing more than food for some horrible creature they could have never even considered.

“Mami, just how long have you been a magical girl anyway?” Magical girls themselves brought a different set of questions for Henry, but for now ocused on Mami.

She didn’t seem surprised. It might have been his sight, but he thought he caught a glimmer of relief.

“Two years.” She answered, pausing for just a moment before continuing, “I know what you’re thinking. Where the witches come from and just how long they have been doing this… It scares me to think about it.”

Those thoughts scared him too. While he and the other Tamers had been busy fighting the emerging Digimon, the Devas and the D-Reaper, just what other battles had been occurring behind those? Battles fought by magical girls, all alone if Mami was anything to go by.

Resting his eyes on her face, something sparked inside of Henry.

Henry brought out his D-Ark, swiping down a card that would replenish Gargomon’s ammo supply.

“Last thing we need is to get caught off guard, right?” Henry said with a confident smile, trying to lift Mami’s mood. Watching her smile rise to match his own, it seemed like it worked.

“Ah, I’m letting Gargomon get ahead of me. That’s a pretty poor show of effort on my part.” Mami manifested two more ornate guns at her side. Tucking away his D-Ark, Henry nodded firmly.

“So far they’ve ignored me, but the last thing I want is to be caught alone or too far from Gargomon to help him if he gets in trouble. Even if I’m not as tough as you are, I’m still a Tamer.” That earned a giggle from Mami.

“Don’t worry, Henry, if you get in trouble I’ll make sure to save you, okay?” Mami said with a wink.

Before Henry could reply, Gargomon landed in front of them with a loud bang.

“Jeez, c'mon you two get your head in the game. Don’t sweat it Mami, Henry’s got all the firepower he needs right here.” boasted Gargomon as he raised both of his gun arms proudly 

“And hey if he doesn’t we can always make the jump to Rapidmon, or skip that, and jump straight to MegaGargomon?”

Sighing, Henry heard Mami giggle again.

“Keep this up and I won’t use that Gundramon card Takato gave me.”

The trio continued down further and further, battling more and more familiars as they did so. 

Neither Gargomon nor Mami showed any signs of slowing down. Rather, they had found a sort of synchronicity with each other. Gargomons Vulcans were loud, firing rounds faster than Mami herself could produce with her guns. However, due to both the nature of the guns and the nature of their owner, Gargomons rounds were missed just as often as they landed. Mami, who while possessing a slow rate of fire compared to him, was a far greater sharpshooter. In the military shooter games he used to play, this strategy flushed the enemy out into the open.

Fiction mirrored reality more closely, he thought.

And so, Gargomon would flush them out with a barrage they could not possibly hope to stand against, and those lucky or quick enough quickly found themselves up against the wall that was Mami.

Suddenly, the environment shifted and turned, clearing itself of the brightly colored cakes and treats. It became a murky, oily black as large pillars shaped like matchsticks gave them brief illumination.

“Wow that was a little screwy.” muttered Gargomon before his ear twitched, snapping his head and arms towards the sudden noise.

“Oh, Hello Mami! Hello Gargomon and Henry.” a small red eyed fox looking creature sat calmly at the end of Gargomons barrels. Gargomon blinked, before pulling his arms back and scratching his head with the barrel-hands. 

“Uh, Mami, this a friend of yours or what?” approaching, Henry caught sight of the small white creature, instantly recalling Takato having mentioned seeing it during the fight with DemiDevimon. Pulling out his D-Ark, Henry scanned it.

“No data. Just like Takato said.” muttered Henry under his breath.

“Oh Kyuubey you’re here. Then there must be a grief seed to be found.” Mami stated almost matter-of-factly and Henry made a note to ask her what a grief seed was.

“Yes, its good to see your instincts are sharp as ever.” commented Kyuubey who looked at Henry before walking towards him, all while Gargomon kept an impassive look locked onto him.

“Its good to meet you Henry. I’m Kyuubey, the one who makes contracts with magical girls like Mami for the purpose of fighting Witches.” The small white creature introduced himself sweetly. Henry briefly cast a look at Mami who nodded her head.

“Its nice to meet you too.” Henry answered friendly, deciding that there wasn’t any reason not to be.

“Interesting- so Gargomon is the evolved form of Terriermon... you even create your own armaments.” Gargomon looked down at his Vulcans, spinning them before rubbing the back of his head in confusion.

“I guess I do, yeah.” Answering awkwardly Gargomon before continuing “Wait, you said you make contracts with Mami. What is that supposed to be? Some kind of deal, right?”

Henry listened closely. He had been curious about it, so he counted this among the few times where Gargomons blunt nature was a good thing.

“That's right! In return for granting a wish, the contractor becomes a magical girl that fights witches.” Kyuubeys simple answer was enough to impress Gargomon.

“Wow, a whole wish! Hey, Mami what did you wish for? I’ll bet it was something cool!” Gargomon’s innocent reply was met with the briefest of silence, and Henry thought for just a moment that Gargomon had asked something he shouldn’t have.

“My my you’re getting personal, Gargomon~ We just started our team-up, you know?” Mami stuck her tongue out teasingly “Besides a wish should be a private thing to start with. Even if it came true, you should respect its nature.” 

“Hey, Kyuubey, what did Mami wish for?” Gargomon asked bending over towards the small white creature.

“If Mami wouldn’t tell you then neither will I. Please understand Gargomon.” Gargomon raised his head, clicking his tongue in frustration, much to Mami’s amusement. Henry smiled as well, forgetting for just a moment that they were in another space entirely. 

“All that aside, if you’re here then that must mean there is a grief seed to get from the witch of this labyrinth.” Before he could say anything Mami turned to him “Think of it as the core of the witch itself. Strong enough ones like the one we’re about to face can use it to re-manifest itself if we don’t get it to Kyuubey.”

“Guess it’s a good thing we came along with you then. Don’t know that we’d know what to do with it.” Henry didn’t want to dwell on it, but without her, they might have not even known what it was. 

“Yeah, what we do with a grief seed anyways?” 

“Digimon don’t make use of grief seeds? I wonder why those other Digimon are trying so hard against the Witch then.” Gargomons head snapped and Henry stepped forward.

“Other Digimon?” both he and Gargomon said in unison. Raising his D-Ark frantically, Henry was unable to see or track any other Digimon besides Gargomon. 

“I assumed you knew. But yes, before you arrived with Mami, two Digimon began their attack against it. They forced it to unleash its full power, but even now they are closing in on it.” Raising his head to Mami, the fierce focused look on his face was mirrored on her own. 

“Alright then let's get going which way!” Gargomon’s head turned his head towards where they came from and the seemingly endless corridor ahead of them.

“This corridor was merely just a trap, an illusion. Attack it Gargomon, and it will break.” 

Without another word, Gargomon vulcans roared as their bullets tore apart at the very space.

Like a wall, pieces fell from the open space where a new kind of light shined. 

Following the sounds of monsters and witches, the three of them stepped through the open space. 

In a moment the dark corridor was gone, replaced by vibrant and bright colors. Henry instantly thought about the windows that displayed baked goods. Not the real kind found in stores, but the kind that would be seen in movies or TV. Ones that had every kind of cake, with every kind of frosting, filling, topping, and more. Ice-creams in every flavor, held in every way ice-cream could be held. It put the previous scenes to shame. Under any other circumstance, Henry might have been filled with a sense of wonder, maybe even a desire to eat them. He thought about how Suzie would have loved a place like this.

But his eyes narrowed and snuffed whatever budding sense of wonder tried to take hold. 

Focusing on it, it stood out ot him how fake everything looked. Like in movies and tv, they were props created and placed out of a window that lacked any actual depth. 

It was built to look like the real deal, but nothing else beyond it. 

Hollow, that’s what Henry settled on. Like a cage built to house a lonely bird.
Dismissing it,  he raised his head towards the real importance.

Above, what he assumed had to be the witch, its form cartoonishly long like a misshaped madly colored worm, wirthed back and forth. Its comically large, but dangerously sharp teeth snapped wildly, attempting to devour or tear a chunk from its assailant.

A tainted white cloth with sharpened teeth occupying its mouth and black eyes to match the darkness emanating from under its white cloth. Henry didn’t even need his D-Ark to know which Digimon it was.

“Bakemon. A Virus Ghost Champion-level Digimon.” But Kyuubey had said two Digimon, hadn’t he? So where was the second one?

“Wow, a champion-level Digimon emerging? Guess Takato wasn’t joking when he mentioned the Greymon.” Gargomon spun the ammo chambers open, making he had been fully stocked.

“A virus type? Its a bad time to ask, I know, but what does that mean?” Before Henry could answer her question, Gargomon spoke.

“Means he’s nothing but trouble. Don’t worry though Vaccine trumps Virus every time!” boasted Gargomon as he snapped his chambers back into place with a flick of his arm. Henry placed a hand on his arm and held him back.

“Hold on, before we rush in there.” Henry turned Kyuubey “Kyuubey a day ago my friend Takato saw a MetalGreymon fighting with a witch, not against it like here. Since you knew about this fight, did you see the other fight with MetalGreymon?” 

“I did, yes. It was quite amazing.”

Henry had no idea what was so amazing about Takato and Madoka almost being killed by MetalGreymon, but he kept that thought to himself as he continued.

“You said you don’t know why a Digimon would want a grief seed, but why would a witch work alongside a Digimon in the first place?” Glancing, he saw Mami’s expression become an inquisitive and focused one. 

“The behavior is new, I’ll admit. To be frank, I have no idea what it would be for. Digimon are something I am still learning about, but thus far I believe it's a sort of mirrored relationship similar to what you Tamers have with your own Digimon.” But if that was the case, why were those two fighting?

“DEATH CLAW!” the cry of the Bakemon’s attack ended the conversation. Though aimed at the witch, Gargomon rushed in ahead, jumping and bouncing off of the various treats that littered the area. 

Wordlessly he and Mami shared a look that ended with a smile and a nod with before Henry watched her ascend as well, manifesting yellow ribbons that sent her soaring with a single tug of her arm.

Henry took out his D-Ark, manifesting a screen that let him see everything Gargomon saw.

“Gargomon, focus on Bakemon. Mami will take care of the witch.”

“You got it! Yo, Bakemon! Why don’t you pick on a mon your level!” Lacking warning, Gargomon rained down upon Bakemon hot metal and fire. Bakemon pulled away from the witch, scattering itself as the witch looked at Gargomon with an almost curious look before smiling devilishly.

Before it could act on whatever intent was in his mind, Mami’s ribbons wrapped themselves around it, holding it in place. A genuinely confused look flashed across its face before Mami appeared before it. Landing elegantly, Mami’s calm and almost happy look was betrayed by the assault she unleashed upon it in a moment. 

 A string of fireworks burst open in a dazzling display. The worm-like witch, shuttered and moved, peeling away layer upon layer into a new body to escape from Mami’s assault. 

It managed to pull itself away from the fiery ball, its head bent comically as the butt of Mami’s gun collided against it, sending it away crashing into some large cake-like gnat.

Briefly in awe by how strong she, and perhaps by extension the magical girls themselves, Henry turned his attention back to the battle with Bakemon.

“BUNNY PUMMEL!” colliding the ends of his vulcan into the Bakemon’s mid-section, short bursts of round were unleashed against the body of the ghost digimon. Bakemon cried out in pain, turning back towards Gargomon as he tried to clamp his jaws down upon him. Instead, Gargomon collided his gun-shaped fist into his face, twisting his hips as he sent Bakemon flying away.

“C’mon, now you can put up a better fight than that! First time I get to fight a Digimon in four years, don’t tell me that's all you got!” Gargomon’s words, fierce and hot-blooded, were betrayed by the joyful tone they were delivered in. Of course, Henry had expected it, he understood his partner well enough that no matter how much he tried, that impulse to fight for the sake of the fight was still there. 

“Gargomon don’t get carried away, lets get Bakemon out of here so we can help Mami take care of that witch.” From across the screen of the D-Ark, Gargomon let out a groan. 

“All work and no play makes Gargomon bored, Henry. But I hear ya. Hey, why don’t you use that Gundramon card! We can end this off with a real bang!” Henry sighed at his partner's desire for overkill.
Honestly, he shouldn’t be surprised but he-

“Huh.. what- Gargomon! To the top left its-!” Henry didn’t finish his sentence, a bright flash covering the area. Henry shut his briefly blinded by its intensity. But there was no mistaking what he had caught, far into the corner of the space. It was almost lost in the chaotic landscape, and perhaps it was a miracle he had seen it. 

“Its the Copipemon” cried Henry, shaking his head as he attempted to restore his vision. Takato had told him about it, how it was seemingly working with Demidevimon for some reason. If this was the same Copipemon than the two situations were more linked than he thought. 

Fighting past the blurriness a panic an almost terror-like sensation gripped him. 

Mami, who had also been caught off guard by the sudden light, had been left at the mercy of the witch, who looked down on her the same way a greedy child might look down on a treat.

He opened his mouth, but the words failed him.

The witch opened its toothy maw and moved closer and closer to Mami. Time halted, and Henry felt the terror inside become like despair and hopelessness. His eyes widened, though he did not want to witness it.

It closed its teeth, and in a moment, it was over.

A torrent composed of hundreds of Bakemon, crashed into the witch. 

They swarmed it, covered its once rainbowed black body from head-to-tail in the tainted white of their clothes. Beneath, the witch squirmed, bucking its body as if to shake itself free of the Bakemon, only to fail futile.

Henry’s chest rose and fell, and he became aware of the breath he had held deeply. Glancing he saw Mami, unscathed and unhurt, rub her eyes as she looked down at the struggle between the Bakemon and the witch.

“Gargomon! Go grab Mami and get back here!” A franticness layered Henry’s throat as if the danger had finally sunk into him.

“I don’t think I’ll be able to do that, Henry.” turning down to his screen, Henry saw Gargomons vision being covered with dozens upon dozens of Bakemon. Henry grit his teeth, remembering how Takato had described the fight with the Demidevimon and the Copipemon. This was far beyond what he had said.

However, Gargomon was anything but alone.

Shots rang as the Bakemon were cut down in single blows by Mami, who had landed beside Gargomon.

“The witch doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Let’s clear these Bakemon and head back to it, right?” Mami showed no signs of flinching despite the odds. Gargmon smiled, pumping his arm vigorously.

“Hear that Henry, we can’t let ourselves fall behind now!” 

Emotions still ran wild within Henry. How close they were to losing Mami just then, the sudden legion of Bakemon appeared before them. All within the new reality that the existence of witches and magical girls brought.

He found himself chuckling.

It reminded him of what it felt like when Terriermon had first came through his screen. Only four years ago, but it seemed like a lifetime ago.

Reaching down into the pocket of his school uniform, Henry ran a card through his D-Ark.

“DIGI-MODIFY! HYPER WINGS ACTIVATE!”

Six white wings appeared on Terriermons back. With a laugh and enthusiasm, he lifted himself as though he had been born with his newly acquired wings.

“Terriermon, blast those copies of Bakemon out of the sky!” ordered Henry.

“Now you’re speaking my language! Hey, Mami, have you ever flown before?” Gargomons answer was met with a curious, but knowing, look from Mami who shook her head.

“No, I can’t say I have.” she replied was Gargomon gestured with his barrel hands towards his back.

“Hop on, we’ll show those Bakemon what real aerial domination looks like.” Without another word, Mami grabbed onto Gargomons back, and the two set off into the air towards the legion of Bakemon.

In an instant, Gargomons words proved prophetic.

Flying with the grace of a butterfly, the combined forces of the Digimon and the magical girl made them into a fighter jet. They tore through the Bakemon with ease, bobbing and weaving through any attacks. None of them could get close, not even a little bit. 

Henry couldn’t say the sight, no matter how dazzlingly brilliant it was, made him happy. Violence was violence after. Its necessity didn’t change its nature. But, looking through his D-Ark, he saw Mami’s smile and found some measure of comfort.

“A Digimon and a magical girl? A frighteningly powerful combination.” It was Kyuubey, and only then was it that Henry had realized he had forgotten about him. But he didn’t turn to face him, keeping his attention on both what Gargomon saw, and the larger battle.

“The past few days have been a truly remarkable learning experience.” 

“How so?” Henry replied through his laser-focused attention.

“The Digimon are unlike anything that I’ve ever encountered. Even now, the bond between you and Gargomon grows even more powerful. The manifesting and channel of energy like this is proving to be something to behold.” Henry couldn’t understand what it was he was saying, but listened to him speak anyway.

“Perhaps this is why they are attracted to the Witches. Manifestations of mankind's curses are, ultimately, of mankind itself. The distinction only matters if you look at the outcome, but if you ignore that, the source remains identical. However, don’t you think it's interesting to see the difference the presence of grief seed makes? No attempts to bond with or understand like before, it's a pure animalistic desire on display today.” 

Moments ago, he had wondered about the difference between the two situations.

Breaking his line of sight, Henry turned to Kyuubey.

“What is a grief seed-”

“Ah, they reached it.”

Like bone breaking, or the shattering of glass, or metal being peeled, a terrible awful noise threatened to knock over Henry. Trails of blackness ran across the sky, across the wall and even the ground. Resembling ice that had reached its breaking point, Henry turned his head back to where the witch had been overrun by the Bakemon, witnessing a large black egg forming where the struggle once was.

“BAKEMON DIGIVOLVE TOO…” 
The egg cracked, and as a golden scythe emerged, Henry understood why it was that the Digimon had sought the seeds.

“PHANTOMON!”