Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Water rushed through the hands of a teenage boy, washing over cuts he had all over his arms. He stared at the mirror in silence, already used to those bruises, to the point he didn't care anymore.

Maybe one day your dad will stop this, Dylan… Or maybe not.

Dylan couldn't distinguish himself from a crowd if he was in one. He had short black hair, grayish-blue eyes, a rather soft expression, and a small demeanor as if he wanted nothing more to just go home and use his computer. He also wore a red hoodie, which now covered the cuts on his arm, alongside brown pants and a pair of sneakers.

His stomach growled. Geez, I'm hungry already? I swear I had lunch earlier… weird.

He left the bathroom and took a look around the corridor of his apartment. Dylan's dad was not at home, and he could see the kitchen table empty, filled with the dishes from his last meal, even having insects all over the plates.

"I am not cleaning that," Dylan said, before shivering. "On second thought, if dad finds it like this… Yikes."

Dylan picked the plates, putting them in the dishwasher. Having that made both their lives easier, he just knew it. He chuckled and heard a buzzing noise from his pocket.

"Huh?"

Taking his phone off, he saw a few messages from a person he considered his best friend: Ethan. They have been friends since he was eight, and now, ten years later, he was still close to him. While he waited for the machine to do its job, Dylan began texting.

What's up?

Heya.

Oh hi Ethan.

Sup. Are you free this afternoon? Found something weird.

I guess? Dad's not here, just cleaning the dishes.

Or the dishwasher is, but whatever.

Well then, do you know about this thingy?

…

No?

Of course you don't! Check this out! They have this personality test, and somehow, it's creepy!

Wait.

Do you mean Buzzfeed creepy?

…

I hate you.

Pretty sure you don't.

Whatever, man.

Look, here's the weird thing.

You open the site, and the only thing there is this quiz.

Alright… go on.

When you finish the quiz, the site… vanishes.

Vanishes?

What the fuck are you talking about?

It's like it never even existed! There's no trace of it left!

Okay. And I assume you're gonna go there?

Exactly! What about you? Don't you love some mysteries?

…

I'll think about it.

That conversation was exhausting, and it finished right as the washer was done. Dylan left the plates there and went to his room, throwing himself at his bed and staring at the ceiling.

It was a small room, containing a table for his studies, although there was a laptop on top of it, a closet, and his bed, alongside one window, where Dylan's gaze now was.

"Personality test… Ethan, why are you so weird?"

Ethan knew exactly how to push his friend's buttons. The idea of some weird, unknown place online resonated with Dylan, and he resisted the idea of doing that. But it kept going. What would happen? Would that test be accurate, or would it be just something some random person made to prank people? All those options made him even more curious, especially how the site… deleted itself.

How would that even work? I don't think anything truly vanishes online…

Dylan shivered, remembering some embarrassing pictures his mother took of him when he was a kid, and how they never went away, even if he tried his best to erase them.

You know, at least this makes me forget...

He raised the sleeves of his jacket, the cuts were still fresh. Screw it, he had nothing better to do, and his instincts screamed for him to check whatever was wrong with that site.

"Alright, then. Let's do this," he sighed. "Dad's always saying I'm a failure, so look at me, using a random test to find my own worth…"

Dylan got up, sitting on his chair. Anxiety filled his body, even sweat came down his face. He hadn't even booted the computer yet! He gulped and did just that.

The site was pretty simple, or so Dylan thought. He didn't know much about web design to complain about it, anyway. He saw a black background, with a small area where he could type the question. He found that to be odd, didn't these tests have multiple choices? He ignored it, checking out what the question was.

Do you consider yourself important, whether it is for others or yourself?

"Of course, they start with the question that hurts the most," Dylan rolled his eyes and typed. "I really don't. I'm not important to anyone."

The screen flashed before changing to another question.

Would you ever risk your life for a friend?

"My life is meaningless, why not? They deserve it more than I do," he said to nobody but himself as he typed once again.

Would you ever kill someone?

That made Dylan gasp. What kind of question was that? This was, at the very least, bizarre, which made him remember something: that was similar to the Mystery Dungeon games he used to play as a kid. Those games were fun and always made him cry.

"Those ones were not weird, though," Dylan answered again. "I don't know."

If given the opportunity, would you betray your friends?

"Ha! That one's easier!" Dylan grinned, typing. "Of course not."

If you could describe yourself in one sentence, what would it be?

Dylan tilted his head. This question was harder to answer, but still, he did it. "A worthless pile of garbage, but I'm grateful for my best friend still being by my side."

Do you think you could fight for others you do not know?

"Uh, yeah," he typed. "Of course, they deserve good things."

He saw the site flash again before yet another question popped up on his screen. Right at the top, though, he saw another one, this time, a statement.

Congratulations, you have passed the test. You seem to be… lacking in self-confidence.

"Oh, really? Well, at least the quiz is correct…"

A voice emanated from the screen, startling Dylan. More text appeared letter by letter, making it take some time to fully appear. What he saw made him get closer to the screen.

You lean onto others because you hope they will pity you and accept you. Despite that, deep inside, you think you're not worth all the affection you may receive, and because of that, you might be… Suicidal. Isn't it? Those cuts in your hand prove it.

"W-What the actual fuck?!" Dylan blinked, taking a moment to read the words again, and again, and again. That text was still there, mocking him. How the hell did that site know about his cuts?! Nobody did!

A human like you should be… a Herissmon. You have passed the test, and are now being called. You will learn to have faith in yourself. Do not believe the lies your mind tells. Your existence is important.

"H-Heriss… mon? What, like a Digimon? That children's cartoon?! And… having faith?!" Dylan shivered, backing away from the computer.

The laptop's screen flashed in white light, almost blinding for him, which made Dylan cover his face. That was his mistake, as the screen pulled him closer into it, and if anyone was in that apartment, they would be able to hear his screams. Until eventually, it ceased, and he was gone.

Chapter Text

Pain shot into Dylan's body while he fell. It hurt so much he couldn't even take a good look around, filling the air with a guttural, panicked scream. Although he didn't exactly know what was going on, he could feel his bones cracking, rearranging themselves, and his skin felt like it was being ripped apart.

"A-AH!"

Memories flashed inside his brain. How did that voice know about his cuts? Not even his family knew. And more importantly, where was he going now? The computer sucked him in, didn't it?

It all happened so fast. The test, the glow, it almost felt unnatural, maybe that was a dream? No, a dream wouldn't have pain…

Time passed slowly while whatever was going on happened. Dylan forced his eyes open, just in time to see himself crashing into leaves with a loud thud.

Dylan opened his eyes again, feeling something raspy inside his throat. He coughed leaves and felt numb, tumbling down into the floor.

"M-My head…"

He got up, but dizziness overtook him and he fell down again. Still, he was able to take a good look around, gasping.

"W-Wha?!"

Dylan found himself in what appeared to be a dense forest, with trees that had thick leaves covering the sky. He could also hear the sound of waves, seeing a river right in front of him. But there was one thing that stood out to him: everything felt bigger. He wasn't really that tall, only about five and a half feet, but that was ridiculous!

"...Where am I? A dream. Oh god, th-this has to be a dream!" He stood up again, still confused, but his sight didn't deceive him. He was smaller.

Dylan gulped, remembering something he thought; that test was so similar to a game he used to play as a kid, down to the very detail of the screen telling he's a creature. That sent a shiver down his spine, and he looked down.

"AH!" He fell again, panting, before running towards the river to take a good look. Sadly, his fears were true.

Where once stood a human being was now a short, hedgehog-like monster. Dylan now had bright blue eyes, spikes colored silver and yellow around his head and back, giving the impression of hair, and instead of hands, clawed paws on his arms and legs.

"T-This has to be a dream! I'm not crazy!" Dylan screeched, slapping himself in the face, which sent a jolt of pain to him, confirming that it was real.

It was then that Dylan noticed something else on his arm, a bracelet. It looked like a smartwatch, having a large screen that Dylan assumed was sensitive to touch.

"O-Oh no! Take me back! Voice of life! Whatever you are, j-just take me back! I don't want this!" Dylan touched the screen with his claws, getting more desperate every time.

The watch's screen glowed, before sending a scanning beam all around Dylan's body. A beeping sound came out of the device until it turned into a voice.

Herissmon, a Rookie Mammal Digimon of the Data type. It is brimming with curiosity and will lose sight of its surroundings once it finds something to fixate on, although it is also highly cautious and will make its hard, needle-like quills stand on end when it is afraid. It is very attached to those it has warmed up to, wanting to protect them from all harm. Its special moves are "Lightning Fur", where it shoots lightning-coated quills, and "Needle-Point Dive", where it rams with its body curled up into a ball.

Heriss… mon? Wait, that was what the voice said! Is this what I am now?!

Warning: this specimen of Herissmon contains foreign data, classified as Homo sapien. Please proceed with caution when interacting with it.

Dylan tilted his head. At the very least, this thing knew he was human deep inside.

I'm… a Digimon now? So this is my Digivice? It looks weird, but then again, I don't think I could carry any of the other ones when I'm… like this.

Dylan stood there, unsure of what to do. That felt like a weird mix of Mystery Dungeon and Digimon. If so, would he find a partner? It was better than nothing, maybe if he did, they would help him get back home.

"God damn it! Why did I have to trust Ethan on this?!" Herissmon punched the grass and unintentionally shot some of his quills in a random direction.

Dylan stumbled back, dumbstruck. "D-Did I do that…? Whoa!"

His excitement was cut short, however, when something came out from deep inside the woods. A goblin-like creature, holding a wooden club. It hissed, gazes fixed on the hedgehog.

"O-Oh, hi! I'm Dylan! A-Are you… a good guy? I'm trying to get back home and—"

"Gobli Strike!"

The creature hissed, shooting a fireball from his hand. Herissmon narrowly dodged, moving to the left. Dylan panted, his body was shivering in fear.

"You shot me! What kinda guy does that?! Oh, you must be after the Crest! I'm not letting you take away my chances!"

"C-Crest? Sorry, I have no idea what you're talking abo—"

Another beam shot from Dylan's Digivice, scanning his enemy, while the former human was trying to make it stop, not wanting to anger that Digimon any further.

Goblimon, a Rookie Demon Digimon from the Virus type. It is a mischief-loving, impish Digimon with the appearance of a small oni. Cunning but lacking courage. Its special move is "Gobli Strike", where it launches fireballs at the enemy.

"Lacking courage?! That's it!" Goblimon charged with his club, ramming it against Dylan and sending him across the floor.

Herissmon roared in pain, feeling his body ache with that simple strike. How could a Rookie be so powerful?! Before he knew it, Goblimon was preparing another fireball.

"You're not taking away my chances of evolving! The Crest of Faith will be mine!"

"Ag-Again… I have no clue what you're talking about!" Dylan bit his lips, his mind racing to try and come up with a plan to survive. The Digivice said he had two moves…

Dylan focused as best as he could and before the fire could land, he dashed, body curled in a ball shape. It didn't last, though, as the hedgehog stopped his movement, falling with his face on the floor.

"Ha! You're weak, I'll just load your data! The Crest of Faith will be mine!"

Come on, Dylan! Think! He got up again, panting. His body was still hurt from the previous attack, and being so inexperienced made him an easy target.

Herissmon curled like a ball again, this time, not moving, simply spinning and using that momentum to throw patches of dirt into Goblimon, who dropped his club, rubbing his eyes.

"You piece of junk! I'll delete you!"

"T-Thanks, but no! What's the name…? Lightning Fur!" Dylan concentrated again, firing more of his sparking quills onto Goblimon, sending him into the river.

Dylan panted, falling on his knees. That was exhausting, but at least it was over.

Or so he thought. Another beeping sound came from his Digivice, there was a strange symbol on the screen, shaped like an eye with a horn on top of it. Below the symbol was a simple word: Obsession.

Goblimon jumped back into the ground, his body wrapped in a dark aura. He took one step forward before collapsing in pain, the aura burned him as his body mutated, becoming enveloped in flames that were shaping into the form of a lizard. Claws protruded from his arms, and a metallic helmet formed in his head.

"...YES! I feel the power! I'm Flare Lizamon!" The former goblin roared, smoke coming out of his nostrils. His mere presence burned the grass to crisp.

Dylan stumbled back in shock. Was that an evolution?! He could barely fight a Rookie, let alone some Digimon that was a level higher!

"No!" he cried out, tears streaming from his eyes. He couldn't die like this, in that strange place! He had so many things he wanted to do!

The flaming lizard opened his mouth, sending a stream of flames, and that was the last thing Dylan saw before his body went numb.

Chapter Text

When he came back to his senses, Dylan felt something fluffy and… warm? He groaned for a bit, only to receive a chuckle. That thing he was in moved!

"Good morning, kiddo. Are you okay?"

Dylan blinked and stumbled back, falling to the ground. In front of him were the two creatures, one, a rocky dinosaur, and the other, a wolf with an orange mane and a few drills attached to its body. His Digivice beeped again.

Dorulumon, a Champion Beast Digimon with a chivalrous spirit. The drill on its head is a hardened portion of its hairs, and its "Drill Buster", which rapidly spins the drill and then shoots it, boasts unerring accuracy.

The wolf chuckled. "Ah, so you have that device as well. I'm Dorulumon, pleased to meet you, kid."

"Oh, what is that thingy? The other one has it too!" the rocky dinosaur asked, approaching Dylan.

Vorvomon, a Rookie Rock Dragon Digimon made of a hard, hot ore. There are wings on both of its arms so it is able to fly for up to a few seconds, but it gets tired easily. Due to it being very passionate, the more excited it gets, the more the temperature of its horns and claws will increase.

"W-Whoa! It knows about me too!" Vorvomon's eyes sparkled even more. Dylan narrowed his eyes and backed away.

"Vorvomon, you're bothering him," the orange-furred wolf said, stepping forward with a stoic look. "Greetings. This is Vorvomon, he's a child, a bit excited, but we mean you no harm."

Dylan nodded, sitting on the floor. That whole day felt a lot longer than it was, first he got sucked into a new world, then he almost got killed, and those weird creatures were trying to take him somewhere?! Not a chance!

"L-Look, I'm Dylan, Dylan Walsh! Please, I'm not… like this, I'm a human!"

Dorulumon tilted his head. The child with him, however, got even more cheerful than before. "O-Oh, Yggdrasil almighty! You're the second one!"

Herissmon blinked, still confused. "What do you mean?"

"We come from Cache Village, and a week ago we had another visitor, he claimed to be a… human, was it? Just like you, and come to think of it, he had a device like that."

"Yeah, Master is right!" Vorvomon said, a puff of flames coming out of his mouth. "Master, Master! Didn't he say he was looking for a "Dylanmon" as well?!"

The hedgehog lowered his head, grumbling something to himself. Dylanmon, what the fuck is this? It feels like a Tamers episode!

"He did," Dorulumon looked at Dylan. "We're aware you're confused, but that forest is filled with thugs who're searching for the Shrine. I think your best option is to come with us to the village."

Herissmon stood up and pouted. "Okay, first things first, I'm Dylan. Just… Dylan, okay? Secondly… what was this human's name? Did he tell you?"

"He said he was Ethanmon! But that was weird, I never heard of that species before! You're weird too, are you a subspecies of Herissmon?"

"Again, I'm a human…" Suddenly, something else came up on his mind. "Wait, wait. Hold on, you said it was a week ago? But I talked to him like, fifteen minutes ago, at best! And then I ended up here!"

"Silly, it was a week ago!" Vorvomon stuck out his tongue. "And once we get there, you can help us! Humans are heroes! Since there's two now, we're getting double the help!"

"That is enough, Vorvomon," the wolf growled and turned around. "Let's go, we're only a few minutes from the village. Once we're there, we'll answer all your questions."

Dylan looked at the horizon, and saw the town they were talking about. His legs didn't move, so he asked Dorulumon to carry him again, even if that felt like when he was a baby and his father did the same thing.

The geography this world had was a shock; Dylan's gaze shifted from the ground to rock formations suspended mid-air. How was that even possible? If he could take a guess, he assumed it worked like the cartoons he used to watch.

It's ironic, really, I'm in this place I swear was fictional, and my body… God this body looks weird.

He whined for a bit, remembring that stupid test he had. They seem to think I'm some kind of savior… I'm not. Just some random person.

"Dylanm— Oops, my bad! Dylan! When we get to Master's home, will you train with me? Ethan says you're a good fighter!"

"Of course he did, because why not?!" Herissmon groaned.

They were closer to the village now, right at the entrance. To his surprise, Cache Village was not what he expected at all. He was used to the cities in that world to look like giant medieval towns, but this one felt more modern.

"W-Whoa…"

As he took a look around, his eyes fighted for attention, running from left and right as he stared at the large buildings, for his small size, they seemed huge. Not only that, but they were also decorated with signs that flashed and overlapped each other. However, that city was pretty small, and a lot of the citizens stopped to look at him like he was some sort of celebrity. Did they never see any human before? Well, he didn't look like one now, anyway.

I have to admit, this is really beautiful… It's like an asian city? Whoa.

He was also glad that, even with the ridiculous amount of Digimon he could see, he didn't hear that constant beeping with a voice that sounded like it was taking the information out of Wikipedia. Maybe it was.

Dorulumon chuckled, hearing the sounds of excitement that came out of Dylan's mouth.

"This is it. First, we must talk with the town's chief. He takes care of management here and I'm sure he'll let you live here."

Live here? I want to go home…

"Master's right!" the rocky Digimon said, his tail wagging.

Okay, this little one is kinda cute…

"Alright. I think the human that was looking for you is around… there."

Dorulumon pointed his tail to a small, eastern house. The wolf continued his stroll in that house's direction, and Dylan sighed. He just wanted some space to breath and process that whole thing!

Dorulumon put his paw forward, opening the door. Inside, Dylan could swear it was a japanese house. The only difference from that was a small,armored Digimon, wearing a big, red cape around his back. He seemed to be sleeping on the floor, a small chunk of meat on his mouth.

"If you excuse me, I'll go talk to the chief," with that, Dorulumon left that place.

The hedgehog kept staring at that dragon thing, if that was Ethan, he changed like Dylan did.

"Is that… him?" Dylan said, hearing his Digivice beeping again.

Hackmon, a Rookie Dragon Digimon that shines a cool white. It has an unfettered and restraint-hating, adventure-loving way of life. It specializes in close combat that capitalizes on its keenness, cutting the opponent to pieces with its sturdy claws (Fif Slash), rotating its tail like a drill and thrusting it into the opponent (Teen Ram), and spewing "Baby Flame" from its mouth, which is also usable as a diversion.

Warning: This specimen of Hackmon contains foreign data, classified as Homo sapiens. Please be careful when interacting with it.

"Hi, Ethan!" Vorvomon waved before pouncing towards that dragon, who stood on all four legs when he heard the beeping sound. Around his right arm was another device, similar to Dylan's, but unlike that one, his Digivice was yellow.

"Hm? Heya, Vorvomon! How are you?!" Hackmon said, hugging the dinosaur, who nodded.

"Ethan."

Hackmon turned around and looked at the hedgehog, before his Digivice beeped, telling all the information about that species, just like Dylan's one did before. His eyes widened and he charged towards his friend, pulling him into a deep hug.

"Holy shit, man! It's been a week! I missed you!"

"...Ethan!" Dylan backed away, panting. "What the fuck? How are you here for a week, why did we get transported here, and what the hell do we need to do to get back home?!"

After all those sentences, Dylan fell to his knees, struggling to breathe. He decided to do a breathing exercise to calm down while waiting for answers.

"Dude, I think time passes differently here!"

Dylan rolled his eyes. "Alright, that's great, but… how the hell will we get back home?!"

"I dunno, we seem to be super famous here, I can't let this opportunity go to waste!" Ethan cracked a grin. "And you know you're curious about this whole thing. Come on, man!"

"I'm… damn it," Ethan groaned, defeated. "I'm curious, but also I don't think I deserve to be famous, I'm just some guy!"

Hackmon chuckled again after convincing his friend, at least partially.

Dylan's ears lowered. But… I don't think they should count on me to help them. I guess I can try if that's gonna bring me home.

Vorvomon was watching them all with a stunned look and a goofy grin. He found that to be so cool! As a child, he heard stories about beings from other worlds showing up there, and one of his lifelong dreams was to work with one of those "humans". Maybe that was his chance!

"Hey, you too!"

"Well, Dylan, about that… Vorvomon and I will be training to form our team! Apparently humans have been here before, they're heroes, every time a crisis appears, they're summoned! This is our chance, don't you think?" Hackmon grinned, flashing his cape in pride.

Dylan looked down, his quills drooping. What am I doing with my life?

"By the way, Dylan, what's your crest?"

"Huh?"

"That weird site said mine was "Tenacity". What's yours?"

Dylan sighed, looking at his Digivice. He remembered that right before Goblimon evolved, it had another symbol. Maybe that was another crest.

Finally, he answered. "Faith. Weird thing though, a Goblimon tried to attack me and he… turned into this flaming lizard thing. My Digivice even had a warning about "Obsession". It's bizarre."

"That's a corrupt evolution!" Vorvomon raised one of his wings. "He was next to the shrine, Master says that the wicked can get corrupted by the crest!"

Dylan blinked. "...Oh, that makes sense. He said he was looking for the Faith one. Obsession is kinda… a strong form of faith, I guess?"

Ethan nodded. "That's not all, Dorulumon explained the evolution. Listen—"

They were interrupted by a roaring sound, enough to shake the ground.

Vorvomon shivered, like he knew what that sound was. Both Dylan and Ethan were intrigued enough to go outside and find out what that noise was.

Outside, they saw two Digimon about to fight. The first looked like a mechanical wolf, with two jets on his back, and the other one was another dragon, but it had a long, serpentine tail instead of legs, and its two arms were mechanical, having two large claws.

"O-Oh, it's mister Mach and that Megadramon!" Vorvomon shouted, having arrived at the scene with them.

"MachGaogamon and Megadramon?" Dylan watched as his Digivice said the information.

"They're both Ultimate levels, we can't fight them off!"

The very air around them was heavy, none of the opponents moved an inch, as if they were waiting for the perfect opportunity to strike.

"Ethan."

Hackmon turned around. "Yeah?"

"Is it weird that I'm suddenly curious about all this? I… don't think I'm a hero or anything, but I want to know more about this place."

Ethan smirked, but was blown away by the wind current; Mach Gaogamon had struck his opponent with such strength the air howled. That was going to be a long battle.

Chapter Text

The clash between the two Digimon was enough to make Dylan stumble back, but even so, he tried to take a good look. Vorvomon, on the other hand, cheered as loud as he could.

"Go, mister Mach! You got this!"

"A-Are you guys always having battles like this?!" Dylan gulped, tapping his Digivice to try and get out of that situation.

"You little pests…!" Megadramon aimed, choosing Dylan.

"W-Wait, don't attack me, I'm just a human!" Dylan shouted, trying to make his Digivice scan him again.

"Dude, relax!" Ethan chuckled, puffing his chest. "We're the heroes here, we can't die!"

Dylan wasn't convinced. "What makes you think—"

"Genocide Attack!" Megadramon shouted, preparing to launch a missile. But before he could do that, in a gust of wind, he received a punch to his chin, propelling him to the air.

Mach Gaogamon stepped back, looking at the three Rookie Digimon. "Are you all okay? Please, be careful!"

Vorvomon gasped. "Behind you, mister!"

Mach screamed in pain after getting hit by one of Megadramon's missiles. The canine howled, turning around again. His opponent was flying, flapping his wings.

Dylan could smell the burnt fur, only making him back down again. There's… is there a way I can help?! I don't want them to die!

The blue wolf launched forward with his jetpack, metallic glove spinning like a drill as he rammed his fist on Megadramon's belly. "Winning Knuckle!"

"Whoa, he's so cool!" Vorvomon cheered, watching Mach fly into the air with his opponent. At least for now, they were safe.

Dylan, however, sat down to process. For the time being, he was stuck there, with no visible way of returning home. At the very least, he had his friend. His hyperactive and excited friend.

Ethan, peppy as usual, was celebrating. "Wohooo! Vorvomon! Do you think we'll be able to fly later?!"

"Yeah! We can do this! I'll evolve soon, I know it!" He answered, tail wagging like crazy.

"Oh yeah! Dylan, my dude!" Hackmon said, looking at his friend. "Did you get your Champion form yet?"

"...Are you kidding me? We can evolve here?!" Dylan tilted his head.

"Sure we can! I got mine when I was training with Dorulumon this last week!"

Something was bothering Dylan, sure, he could tell that Vorvomon was just as excited as his friend, but even so… why didn't they seem more scared of that big Digimon that invaded the village?

"Okay, question. About that Mega—"

His sentence was interrupted by the sound of a roar followed by a punch. Soon, Megadramon crashed down into the ground and his entire body glowed, shrinking in size until he looked like a dinosaur with a military outfit, even having… a machine gun.

What the hell… why? Why does it have a fucking gun?! Dylan thought, his brain kept getting those questions, even with all the madness happening.

Mach landed as well, having a proud smile on his face. Vorvomon cheered once again, approaching the big wolf.

"I knew you could do it!" He said.

"Don't worry!" Mach flexed his biceps, they even bulged for a bit. "I'm trained to protect this village!"

"Is… this thing common?"

"Oh, that's a Commandramon!" Ethan nodded. His Digivice didn't even beep to show the info, which Dylan thought was weird, enough to ignore the pun.

"Oh? A newcomer, hello!" Mach waved, flashing another smile "Are you like Ethan? You two seem close."

"Well, I guess I was," Dylan said with a shrug. "I just wanted to know if those raiders are so common."

After that, Commandramon woke up in cold sweat, he stood up with his gun aimed at Dylan, before receiving a piercing glare from Mach that made the small reptile run away in fear.

"Good grief," Mach sighed, turning his attention to Dylan once more. "Sadly, yes. The D-Brigade has lost its way…"

"The what now?"

"Oh yeah, Dylan's new here!" Hackmon punched his friend's arm slightly. "He doesn't know about the deeeep lore you guys have!"

Herissmon looked down, his quills drooping. Ethan was telling the truth, and Dylan only wanted to know what was happening, he needed time to breathe and catch up with everything in that place!

"Ah, I guess that makes sense, let me introduce myself! I'm Mach Gaogamon, but you can call me Mack, it's fine." The wolf said, getting on his knees and extending his hand.

Dylan touched the canine's hand. "R-Right. I'm a Herissmon, I guess, but uh… call me Dylan. I'm a former human."

After the handshake, Mach raised an eyebrow at the mention of "human", looking at Ethan. Those two were… odd.

"Nice to meet you, anyway," Mach continued. "I work to defend this town, alongside a few others. It's kinda like…"

Dylan cringed. Please don't say guild, please don't say guild…

Mach scratched his chin. "Like a guild? Yeah, yeah, we have missions and all!"

God damnit!

"Yeaaah!" Ethan waved. "Vorvomon and I are trying to join! We want to defend this world!"

"Dylan, Dylan! Will you join us?! It might help you with getting home and stuff!"

Defeated, he nodded. "Sure, I mean, what could possibly go wrong, right?"

"Yay! Now, all we gotta do is get our team registered!" Vorvomon was practically exploding with happiness, he jumped around and hummed a tune to himself.

Mach was looking at them, and if he had a tail, it would wag. Such happy children. How could he refuse to let them join the guild?

"Alright, I might need to speak with the guildmaster, but not today, right? You guys need to rest, and I need to find that Commandramon…"

With that, Mach flew away, leaving the three behind. Dylan, now free to process all that, stood up. For now, he decided to gather as much info about this world as he could.

Now back at home, Dylan had his face on the floor, grumbling some unintelligible things to himself, while Ethan and Vorvomon were having dinner on bowls full of meat. Apparently, that place planted meat. How the hell did that even work? It made no sense!

"Hey, I know what you're thinking! We're like in that game!" Ethan smirked, teasing him.

Dylan flopped around, staring at the ceiling. "...I swear to god, if I find one bird Digimon when we get to this guild, I'm gonna lose it."

"We need to think of a cool name! Dylan, do you have any idea?"

He could humor Vorvomon, for now, anyway. "Uh, for our team? How about team… Bastion?"

Vorvomon shook his head. "Nope, there's a Zubamon and Ludomon team with that name!"

"I have no idea who those two are."

"Uh, they're trained by the Legend Arms, a group of Digimon with the power to turn into weapons!" Ethan explained. "Zubamon is a golden sword, and Ludomon is a shield! How cool is that?"

"Fair enough, that is cool, and stylish," Dylan sat down, looking at the large sky that place had. He stood that way for a few minutes, not paying attention to the conversation.

I can't deny that I'm curious… and Faith, huh? I wonder… if this means my existence is needed here. Maybe, maybe I am worth something…

"Heya."

Dylan didn't even notice that Vorvomon had gone to his room, and now only Ethan was left. The Hackmon sat down as well, smiling at him.

"...How did we end up here anyway? God, this day feels like it's been dragging on forever."

"I dunno," he shrugged. "Look, man, I get it. You're confused, and to be honest, I was too. But like… we'll be fine! This must be some fancy new game! Right?!"

He pouted. There was a limit to being naive, and Ethan was nearing that limit. Or maybe he was right and that was just some stupid idea a random company made.

"Regardless, what are we going to do? I mean, we can't be the only ones that site dragged here, right?" Dylan clenched his fist and his quills hardened.

"You kinda look like Sonic now… but like, white."

"Oh, shut up!" Dylan pouted, blushing.

"Well, as for your question… I don't know, maybe we need to help those guys with this big problem they have right now."

Dylan stared at him, waiting for an answer.

"Alright! This world is in shambles right now, there's almost no order."

Ethan checked his Digivice again and continued. "Like, those organizations that protected this world? Gone, killed by the Royal Knights."

Now that was a name Dylan recognized. He gulped at the mention. "I thought those guys were also heroes?"

Hackmon just shrugged. "Weird thing, they went missing shortly after. Still… this has left quite the impact. I think the Legend Arms were one of the first groups to die."

Dylan looked down again. Didn't Digimon get reborn after they were deleted, or was this world just different?

"This village… it has a shrine, possessing a crest," Ethan looked at his friend. "Your crest, Dylan, if what that voice said is true."

There was no way Dylan was some sort of chosen one! Or at least that was how he assumed things to be. "I-I… I'm sorry, I don't believe you."

Ethan sighed. "I don't really get the whole thing. Again, this might be some weird game."

"How so?"

"No evolutions and permanent deletion. I feel sorry for those guys, even if they're just… data."

"I thought you said you had a Champion form, and what does that have to do with the crest?!" Dylan stood up, breathing deeply.

"I activated mine, duh! And all I know is that the D-Brigade is looking for that thing…" Hackmon also got up, forcing a smile. "Look, tomorrow we'll go to the guild and figure this out, okay? You're tired. I'm tired, let's just sleep!"

Dylan reluctantly accepted that idea, too exhausted to even think about everything that day handed him. Maybe tomorrow would be a better day, and that whole thing was nothing but a dream.