Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

It's the spring break of 2020, and A sixteen-year-old Takuma Momozuka and his two best friends, Aoi Shibuya and Minoru Hinata, are currently attending a historical studies camp. On their second day of camp, the trio decides to visit a nearby shrine to investigate the legend of the Kemonogami.

"What's the hold-up, you two?" Minoru said impatiently, "We're burnin' daylight; hurry up!"

Takuma and Aoi promptly shushed him as they pointed at the TV in front of them. A news report was airing, warning of a landslide in the local area. While the trio was talking about the news, Saki Kimshima was looking over her shoulder at them before letting out a sigh and turning her attention back to her phone.

Elsewhere, A young girl wearing an oversized hoodie was frolicking along a riverside path while gleefully humming to herself.

“I can already imagine the look on Kaito’s dumbass face!” She said,

The girl’s name was Miu Shinonome, and her brother’s name was Kaito.

“Miu! I know it’s spring break, but that doesn't mean you can sleep in until noon all week. Get up!” Kaito ordered as he walked towards Miu’s bedroom. He opened the door and approached his sister’s bed.

“If you don’t wake up, I’m going to eat all of your candy.” No response… “Weird, that usually gets her." Kaito thought. 

He then pulled away the covers, and to his horror, a straw doll was lying where Miu should be. Kaito’s heart sank to his stomach when he realized what had happened.

“Oh no.”

Back at the school, a couple of girls were taking a selfie by the classroom entrance when a raven-haired boy wearing a purple headband spoke up.

“Oi, stop blocking the doorway, ya vapid cunts; take your narcissism elsewhere!” he snarled.

In no time flat, the girls had scurried halfway down the hall. The boy sat in the seat across from Saki, as the two of them were cousins.

“Quite the lady killer, aren't you, Ryo?” Saki teased. 

“Whatever.” Ryo scoffed.

Some time later, a tall young man named Shuuji Kayama entered the room and let out a loud whistle to get everyone's attention.

"Alright, everybody, listen up!” Shuuji boomed. “I want to make one thing very clear: this is not a vacation.

“This camp program is considered an extracurricular activity; as such, your behavior here should be reflective of your behavior at school. If anyone is caught breaking school policy, they will be promptly punished when school resumes next week."

A chorus of groans erupted from the students.

“We’re supposed to be on break!” A student cried.

“And yet we're still being treated like we're in school!” another bemoaned.

As Shuuji left the room, Takuma turned to Aoi and Minoru. The ladder had been scowling in Shuuji’s general direction.

“Call me crazy, but something about that Shuuji guy rubs me the wrong way.” Minoru said.

Takuma agreed, “Yeah, almost as if he sees his lowerclassmen as inferior.”

“Knock it off you two,” Aoi scolded, “it’s rude to badmouth people behind their backs; now are we going to that shrine or what?”

The boys let out a unified sigh and grabbed their belongings as they followed Aoi in exiting the school building amidst the mob of other students.

Students were soon pouring out of the school’s front doors to meet with their group leaders. Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru were planning out their route when Saki and Ryo walked by.

“Hey, do you two want to join our group?” Aoi asked.

“Really? Thank you so much, Mu—” was all that Saki could utter before she was cut off by Ryo.

“No thanks, we'll be fine on our own!” he snapped as he dragged Saki away from the trio.

“Sorry about him; he can be a bit of a grouch at times!” Saki exclaimed.

“‘A bit,’ she says.” Takuma muttered.

“‘At times,’ she says.” Minoru murmured.

As they were leaving, Minoru, Aoi, Takuma, and several other students had received alerts on their phones about a rockslide in the immediate area. Shuuji and the teachers were attempting to calm down the students that were still near the school.

Takuma and his friends made it to a beautiful creekside path adorned with cherry blossoms in full bloom. While they're there, Minoru spots Ryo and Saki. Takuma approaches the pair and hopes that Ryo doesn't abruptly remove Saki and himself from the conversation.

“Hey, I don’t think we've properly met,” Takuma said. “My name is Takuma, and these are my friends, Aoi and Minoru.”

“Hi! I’m Saki, and the grouch over there is my cousin Ryo.” Saki beamed, “It’s nice to meet you three!”

“Speak for yourself.” Ryo scoffed.

Minoru was just about fed up with Ryo’s attitude. “Okay, who pissed in his cereal this morning?” he asked. “If he doesn’t wanna be here, he can just ask his mommy to take him home!”

Minoru’s words echoed in Ryo’s mind, sending him into a blind rage. Saki had to grab onto his arm to prevent him from rushing Minoru.

“Don't you DARE talk about my mother, you son of a bitch!” Ryo yelled.

“Aw, did I make the momma’s boy angry?” Minoru taunted.

“Knock it off, Minoru!” Aoi snapped; she gave the brunette a hard shove as she and Saki tried to deescalate the situation.

"Let's just head to the shrine and forget this ever happened, okay?” Saki sighed.

“Fine.” Minoru and Ryo said reluctantly.

With occasional grumbling from Ryo, the group found that a police officer was attempting to soothe a crowd of people who were surrounding him with one of the nearby paths blocked off with police tape.

“Guys, we've got a problem; the path is blocked. Got any ideas, Aoi?” Takuma asked.

“This does pose a problem. There's only one pathway to the shrine.” Aoi mused. “I guess the only thing we can do now is go back.”

“You mean we came all this way for nothing?" Ryo hollered to himself.

While Ryo was having his little freak out, and as Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru were asking around to gather information about the current situation, Saki noticed a young girl out of the corner of her eye and decided to go and talk to her.

"Hi there! My name's Saki," Saki greeted with a cheerful smile. "What's yours if you don't mind me asking?"

Miu turned around to face the blonde, speaking to her. "Oh me? The name's Miu," she said with a cheeky grin, "but enough about me; what are you doing in the middle of Westiddybumfuck, Japan anyway?"

Saki was taken aback by the girl’s vulgar language, but she regains her composure and answers, “My cousin and I are here attending a historical studies camp for spring break. Why are you here?”

Miu let out a huff in annoyance. “Unfortunately for me, I live here. Whoop-de-fucking-doo.” She then looked over Saki’s shoulder and saw Ryo pacing. “Is that your cousin?”

Saki looked behind her and said, "Yeah, that's him; I’ll go get him.” She walked over and dragged Ryo by the arm, much to his dismay, and introduced him to Miu.

After a while, Takuma noticed that Saki and Ryo were nowhere to be seen and began to worry. “Hey guys, do either of you know where Saki and Ryo went?”

“That’s funny; I don't recall being made their keeper.” Minoru said slyly.

“Now’s not the time for you to be a smartass!” Aoi said sternly, “Those two could have gotten lost, and with the frequent landslides, they could be in danger!”

“Aoi’s right.” Takuma said, and he glanced at the unblocked pathway to the left. "Well, unless Ryo decided to be defiant and disregarded a barricade, then that route is our best option for finding them.”

“It’s our only option, but go off, I guess.” Minoru said.

And with that, Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru set off down the leftmost trail in the hopes of reuniting with Saki and Ryo. Little did they know they would find much more than just their new friends, but that’s a story for another time.

Chapter Text

Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru followed the path to a clearing in front of a tunnel; they were just about to enter when they heard Shuuji calling for them.

“There you guys are; the teachers and I have been looking all over for you!” He exclaimed as he folded his arms and looked sternly at the trio. “You know I could have the three of you written up for this.

“But being the generous upperclassman that I am, I will let you off with a warning on the condition that I escort you back to campus.”

Minoru less than subtly rolled his eyes at Shuuji’s monologue as Takuma spoke up, stating that the three of them were looking for Saki and Ryo, who had gone missing. Hearing this made Shuuji let out an annoyed sigh that held the beginnings of a growl.

"Listen, kid, allow me to give you some advice.” He said as he walked ominously towards Takuma, “Stay in a child’s place, and stop trying to be a hero, before you get yourself hurt or worse.”

Minoru then stepped forward to defend Takuma. "Well, here's some advice for YOU: pick on someone your own size!”

A heated shouting match between Takuma, Aoi, Minoru, and Shuuji began with insults being thrown left, right, and center, and it looked as if the fighting would never stop until...

"Excuse me! It would be nice if you guys could help me once you're done fighting!" It was Miu’s brother, Kaito, who had been trying to look for his sister.

The four teenagers soon got a hold of themselves, removed themselves from each other’s personal space, and turned their attention to the boy who was speaking to them.

Shuuji turned to Kaito, his demeanor taking a complete 180. “I apologize for the less than professional exchange I had with my peers. I’m Shuuji, and what do you need help with?”

“I’m looking for my little sister; she ran off by herself.” Kaito explained.

“What does she look like?” Minoru asked.

“She’s about yay big, wearing a green beanie, and..." While Kaito was giving his description of Miu, he caught Aoi in his peripheral vision. Kaito’s jaw dropped as his eyes traced over the girl in front of him. “Smooth black hair, dazzling gray eyes, soft, supple skin—” 

“Ayo, are you still talking about your sister?” Minoru asked, thoroughly disturbed.

This interjection snapped Kaito out of his trance; he started from the beginning and gave the others an actual description of Miu, all the while being careful not to look in Aoi’s direction while he did so.

“If I were a betting man, I would say that she went to that shrine in the woods that she knows not to go anywhere near." Kaito said, distraught.

Aoi noticed that Kaito was distressed and walked over to comfort him. "Hey, don't beat yourself up about it; we'll help you find her." She said, softly.

Her words of encouragement sent shivers down Kaito’s spine as he let out a shaky, "Th–thank you."

Takuma turned to face the tunnel's entrance, "Welp, if there aren't any objections, shall we head into the tunnel then?"

"Who made you the leader?" Shuuji protested, but his complaint was ignored as the group followed Takuma into the tunnel.

As the five of them ventured deeper into the tunnel, Minoru thought to pass the time by making small talk. "So, Kaito, how come you know so much about this place?”

“I live here; my family moved here a while ago.” Kaito said.

"Why did you move?” Takuma asked.

Kaito spluttered as he processed the question; he didn't want to be rude and give Takuma and his peers the cold shoulder. But at the same time, he just met these people; they had no business knowing the real reason he and Miu moved out here.

Although the light in the tunnel was low, Aoi could tell something was up. “It’s okay if you don't want to tell us; we’ll understand.” She said, as she gave Takuma and Minoru a hardy side eye, “Right boys?”

Aoi’s “brothers” began sweating bullets as they frantically nodded their heads. Sooner or later, the group had made it through the tunnel and found themselves in a forest where a ton of peculiar flowers were growing. Everyone was mesmerized by the scenery. Minoru took out his phone and started taking pictures.

“Now’s not the time to be a tourist; we’re here strictly on business!” Shuuji called as he turned to Aoi. “How do you deal with him?” He was taken aback when he saw Aoi staring intently at the flowers, their pollen being whisked into the air by the wind.

“Red spider lilies.” She muttered to herself.

“Are they your favorite flower?” Kaito asked.

Aoi replied, “No, it's just that I saw them in my field guide, and it said that they only start blooming in the fall, and it’s currently springtime.”

"Oh, goodie, that's not creepy at all.” Minoru quipped sarcastically.

Kaito started to get impatient and continued down the trail, turning toward Minoru. “Well, the sooner we find Miu and the others, the sooner we can get out of here.”

The group continued through the forest until they came to a run-down shrine that looked to be in the forest’s epicenter.

“They shouldn't be too far from here, so I think it's safe enough to split up a bit to cover as much ground as possible.” Takuma suggested.

Aoi, Minoru, and Kaito nodded in agreement, while Shuuji simply crossed his arms and walked away. As the group searched the area, Minoru noticed that there was a weird doorway embedded in the rocks behind the shrine.

“Hey guys, there's a wack-ass doorframe lookin’ thing over there!” He hollered.

Shuuji let out a disappointed exhale. “Would it kill you to keep your vulgar mouth shut for five minutes?"

“If you think that's bad, wait until you meet my sister.” Kaito chuckled. “She makes a sailor look like a Baptist grandmother!”

Shuuji scoffed as he and the others followed Minoru to the “wack-ass doorframe lookin’ thing” he was alluding to. When they arrived, they discussed whether or not Saki and the others would have even entered the structure in the first place.

Kaito bellowed Miu’s name as he ran into the cavern on his own, much to the dismay of those around him. As the group entered the cavern, they noticed that the room they were in was covered wall to wall in strange murals and what looked to be ancient writing.

Kaito looked in every corner of the tiny room and let out a loud, frustrated groan. “Dammit! She’s not here!” He was about to dart out of the cavern but was body-blocked by Takuma and the others.

“Hey, I’m just as worried about Saki and Ryo as you are about Miu.” Takuma said calmly. “But running around like a chicken with its head cut off is only going to cause more trouble.”

Kaito huffed, walked to the back of the room, and leaned against the back wall while crossing his arms. The high schoolers gazed upon the cavern walls in awe. Minoru brandished his phone and began taking photos.

“These murals—just what are they depicting? And that strange writing, what does it say?" Shuuji cried, his voice laced with curiosity.

“That’s what I've been trying to figure out.” An unknown voice said the group turned their attention to the source to find an older gentleman who looked to be in his late 50s or early 60s.

“I apologize if I frightened you all. I am Professor Akiharu Minase, and I am researching Kemonogami to uncover the secrets they possess.” The man stated, kindly.

After everyone had made their introductions, Aoi spoke up. “Since you're researching Kemonogami, could you tell us what these murals mean?”

“Unfortunately, I haven't had any luck; the most I’ve been able to piece together is the part where a dragon is seemingly attacking a shrine maiden and five other people.” Akiharu sighed.

After some time, the group was exiting the cavern, and at the same time, Miu, Saki, and Ryo were returning to the shrine building. However, something was off; the sky had grown cloudy and a thick fog had blanketed the area.

“Shit! I knew something like this would happen." Kaito snapped. “Now Miu is lost in the forest while it’s foggy out here!”

Just then, Miu’s voice could be heard in the direction of the outer shrine. "Kaito, is that you?”

“Yeah. Are Saki and Ryo with you?” Kaito asked.

“Yep!”

"Okay, then you three stay put, and the rest of us will come to you! Got it?”

“Got it!”

Kaito’s group trekked through the ever-thickening fog and eventually met up with Miu’s group. After Saki, Ryo, and Miu were introduced to the rest of the party and Miu was given a stern talking to by Kaito, everyone was about to head back to the school when...

“GET AWAY FROM ME, WHAT EVEN ARE YOU?" Ryo screeched.

The group turned to see Ryo slowly backing away from a small rock creature that was staring intently at him. A few moments later, everybody realized that they were surrounded by these monsters.

“Could these creatures?” The professor thought, “Could they be the Kemonogami?"

But before he could put any thought into that idea, the earth began to violently shake beneath him and the kids’ feet.

“Really? An earthquake at a time like this?” Saki cried as the tremors became more severe, and the ground under everyone’s feet soon began to give way.

“Everyone, stay where you are; one wrong move and—” Shuuji was cut off by the ground collapsing beneath him, and soon the entire group was falling to what they thought was their demise.

Chapter Text

Takuma woke up in a daze, surprised that he was even alive at all. He looked around to see that he was back in the spider lily forest, but more concerning was the fact that he was all alone.

He slowly rose to his feet and searched the area for any signs of his friends. “Hello? Aoi, Minoru, anybody? Hello?” Takuma called, but there was no answer. Takuma figured that the others might be at the shrine waiting for him, so he made his way there.

Takuma made it back to the shrine; he was only able to catch a glimpse of Aoi before he was nearly knocked on his ass when Minoru ran over to hug him.

“What's going on, man? I thought we were all going to die!” Minoru blurted out.

“That’s what I want to know!” Takuma said, lightly shoving Minoru away. “It's obvious that we fell underground, which begs the question: why do I still see the sky?”

“Your guess is as good as mine.” Aoi replied as she gazed at the clouds.

“Y’know, we should probably call someone to tell them we're okay.” Minoru suggested.

“Good idea.” Takuma said. The trio attempts to call the camp counselors, but to no avail. Whenever they tried to use their phones, Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru were met with nothing but an earsplitting screech.

"Dammit, no one’s answering!” Minoru said while massaging his ear.

“We’re in a forest, dude.” Takuma said flatly, "What kind of forest do you know that has cell service?”

“Phones don't scream bloody murder when they’re out of service like that!” Aoi protested.

“Let's just head back to the school and tell everyone we're okay.” Takuma suggested.

As the group was making their way back to the school, they heard an unfamiliar voice coming from the shrine. They turned around to see a small, limbless, pink blob.

“Hey, are the three of you humans?” The pink creature asked.

“And what if we are?” Minoru asked with a hint of hostility.

“Are you?” The blob inquired.

“Yes, we are.” Takuma replied noticeably less hostilely than his godbrother, “Why do you ask?”

The blob's eyes lit up as he bounced in between the trio's legs with glee.

“You're the ones! You’re the ones! We're saved!”

Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru were thoroughly confused. What did he mean by “you're the ones,” and who’s we?

“Hold on, pal, we don't even know each other’s names, and you're telling us that we're going to save the world?” Minoru interjected.

"Oh, sorry, my name's Koromon. Nice to meetcha!” Koromon beamed.

Aoi kneeled down to meet Koromon's eyes. “It's nice to meet you too. My name is Aoi, the boy in orange is Minoru, and the boy with the goggles is—”

“Ooh, don't tell me I know this!” Koromon huffed eagerly. “Your name's Taichi, isn't it?”

“Nope.” Takuma answered.

“Takato!”

“You get one more.”

“Uh…Takuya?”

Takuma chuckled at Koromon, trying to guess his name. At first, he was freaked out by the little guy, but Takuma realized he was actually kind of cute.

“Eh…close enough.” Takuma sighed.

“No, not close enough!” Koromon pouted. “Did I get your name right or not?”

"No, you didn't; my name's Takuma, with the letter M."

"Okay, then Takuma, where are we off to next?”

“Well, we were going to go to the school house nearby to tell the camp counselors that we're okay.”

Every word that Takuma said left Koromon puzzled. “Would you care to explain half of the things you just said?”

“Let's save the game of 20 questions for later and get a move on!” Minoru exclaimed.

And with that, Takuma carefully scooped Koromon up into his arms, and the party of four made their way to the school. The group was walking down the trail while making small talk with each other, with the kids learning more about Koromon and vice versa.

The party continued on their way until Koromon noticed Aoi, weirdly enough, talking to a bush.

“Hey Takuma, is it normal for humans to talk to plants?” Koromon asked.

“No. Why do you ask?” Takuma replied.

“Because Aoi’s talking to some bushes over there.”

The boys turned to see Aoi on her knees in front of a small, periodically shaking shrub that they had passed by earlier.

"Koromon, you doofus, she's talking to someone in the bush, not the bush itself.” Minoru clarified.

Takuma and Minoru backtracked to where Aoi was to see just who or what she was talking to. The two of them peered over Aoi’s shoulder and saw another strange creature; she resembled a small dog with four pink legs and snow white fur.

“It’s okay; I promise I’m not going to hurt you.” Aoi cooed as she slowly outstretched her hand. “My name is Aoi; it's nice to meet you.” The puppy sniffed Aoi’s hand and began to lick it, causing the girl to chuckle.

“I’m Xiaomon.” The pup shyly said, Xiaomon was about to exit the bush and climb into Aoi’s arms, but when she did, a small chick-like creature was sent careening into Minoru’s chest, causing him to let out a yelp in pain, which led Xiaomon to retreat back into her bush.

“Minoru? Are you okay? What happened?” Aoi gasped.

“This is bad. Aoi, grab Xiaomon and let's get outta here; those rock monsters are back!” Minoru screamed.

“Those…are…Gotsumon.” The chick coughed.

“And you tried to fight them all by yourself?” Minoru asked.

“I was only fighting one until he called for backup.” Pinamon replied.

Koromon jumped out of Takuma’s arms to confront the approaching Gotsumon. "Well, if they want to call in reinforcements, we’ll just have to do the same!”

“Are you crazy? You might as well be a piece of bubble gum; what makes you think you can fight them?” Takuma yelled.

"Because I’m fighting to protect you!” Koromon proclaimed. “And if I’m fighting for my friends, then there's no way I’ll lose!”

Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru were all moved by Koromon’s words. Xiaomon then lunged from her safety bush and ran to Koromon’s side. “If Koromon is fighting to protect Takuma, then I will fight to protect Aoi!” She huffed.

Minoru looked at Pinamon; the fledgeling was still in a daze from his earlier collision with Minoru’s chest.

“Thanks for catching me; I’m Pinamon, by the way," the chick said.

“No problem; the name’s Minoru. It's a pleasure to make your acquaintance.”

Pinamon nodded and wasted no time in joining Koromon and Xiaomon in assuming a unified fighting “stance.”

Koromon, Xiaomon, and Pinamon charged at the group of Gotsumon with all their might, but every time they charged, the Gotsumon would just shrug off their attacks and counter with a devastating blow.

The kids couldn't watch this any longer, and they jumped in front of the little guys to give them a chance to escape.

“Takuma, what are you doing? We’re the ones who are supposed to protect you! What makes you think you guys can fight them?” Koromon yelled.

“Because.” The kids said, “We're fighting to protect you!”

Koromon, Xiaomon, and Pinamon were touched by the human children’s words, filling them with an indomitable fighting spirit. Their bodies began to heat up as they started shivering and panting heavily. The kids turned to their friends and looked at them in awe.

“Guys, are you okay?” Takuma asked.

“Better than okay, actually!” Koromon boasted, and he then turned to address Xiaomon and Pinamon. “Are you guys ready?”

“Ready as we’ll ever be!” The other two declared

The three amorphous creatures leaped past their human companions and returned to the front lines, a fire present in their eyes that wasn't there before.

The opposing Gotsumon lunged forward to attack, but as they were charging, three bright lights erupted from our heroes’ bodies, completely blinding everyone in the area.

Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru called their new friend’s names to see if they were okay; however, the responses they received weren't what they expected.

"Koromon, Digivolve to … ! Agumon!”

“Xiaomon, Digivolve to…! Labramon!”

“Pinamon, Digivolve to…! Falcomon!”

When the light dissipated, both the kids and the Gotsumon were astonished at what they were seeing. In Koromon's place stood a jet black dinosaur with emerald green eyes.

Xiaomon looked to have matured, her stubby legs and tail becoming realized, and Pinamon had become a prehistoric bird complete with sharp claws and a tooth-filled beak.

“What happened to you guys?” Takuma asked shakily.

“We’ll explain later!” Agumon said as he inhaled sharply. “ Pepper Breath! ”

Agumon launched a fireball from his mouth aimed straight at one of the Gotsumon, knocking it out cold. As one Gotsumon fell, the two that were behind it went on the offensive. Agumon turned to his allies and gave them a nod, as if to say it was their turn.

Labramon and Falcomon sprang into action, closing the gap between them and their opponents, who were preparing attacks of their own.

“ Scratch Smash!”

“Retriever Bark!”

Two more attacks caused the two remaining Gotsumon to fall back as the one that Agumon knocked out slowly came to its feet. The little guys looked to their human friends, who gave a reassuring nod in response.

“Together!” Takuma, Aoi, and Minoru commanded in unison.

Agumon, Labramon, and Falcomon performed a coordinated attack that sent all of the Gotsumon flying. Finally, the battle was over as the three friendly monsters began to cheer.

The kids were as excited as they were confused. Why did those guys change? How did they change? Are these new forms permanent? So many questions, so little time.

“What are you guys?” Takuma pondered in amazement.

“Digital Monsters, Digimon for short!” Agumon replied.

Chapter Text

When the tension of the battle died down, Agumon, Labramon, and Falcomon scurried to their friends to celebrate their victory.

“We did it, Takuma; I couldn't have done it without ya!” Agumon hollered.

“Thanks, you were awesome out there, Koromon!” Takuma smiled.

Agumon laughed, “I’m not Koromon anymore! I’m Agumon now! I’ve Digivolved!”

“I thought you said you were Koromon.” Minoru said.

“He was Koromon, but now he's Agumon.” Falcomon explained.

“So, does that mean you're Falcomon now?” Minoru asked. Falcomon nodded.

“And I’m Labramon!” Labramon said, with her tail wagging in excitement.

“Well, whoever you guys are, thanks a ton. We owe you one.” Takuma said as he reached out to shake Agumon’s hand. Likewise, Minoru was planning on giving Falcomon a fist bump, and Aoi was in the process of rewarding Labramon with a headpat.

When the kids made contact with the Digimon, strange devices appeared in a soft glow on each of their left arms, raising even more questions than they already had.

“Lemme get this straight: first we get our own superpowered pets, and now they just gave us brand new smartwatches? Best! Day! Ever!” Minoru cheered.

“They aren't pets, Minoru; they can talk like the rest of us!” Aoi reprimanded. “But you do make a good point about these devices. What are they even for anyway?”

“If I had to guess, maybe those devices are a symbol of our bonds with each other,” Agumon suggested.

Everyone pondered Agumon’s hypothesis until the silence was broken by Takuma. “If you really think about it, Agumon’s idea does make sense; the devices appeared on our wrists when we touched the digimon, so—”

Aoi then chimed in, "Guys, we need to get to the school ASAP! It’s sundown, and who knows what kind of hostile Digimon will come out at night!”

Everyone nodded in agreement and continued to make their way to the school, the only difference now being the fact that the six of them were basically sprinting.

At last, the group made it to the school, but something was off. Takuma and his friends seemed to be the only ones there, and the school itself was dilapidated, the walls covered in moss, and as for the windows, what windows?

“What the hell happened here?” Minoru exclaimed. “Did an earthquake tear through this place when we were unconscious?”

“An earthquake doesn’t explain the plant overgrowth.” Aoi remarked. "Plus, if an earthquake happened, then we would have felt it.”

Minoru stared thoughtfully at the building. "Yeah, that makes sense. Plus, the building itself doesn't look destroyed; it's just old.”

After a few minutes of theorizing, the group entered the building as night was beginning to fall. The school's interior was just as worse for wear as the exterior; the floorboards were cracked, and the walls were caked in dirt and grime.

“Takuma, is this what all of your schools look like?” Agumon asked worrily.

"Thankfully, no, the schools we’re used to are a lot more taken care of.” Takuma replied.

“How about we split up and do some exploring so that we know where everything is?” Minoru suggested.

Aoi and Takuma weren't too keen on the idea: “I've seen enough horror movies to know that you should never, ever split up. Under any circumstance, Aoi said

“That’s the thing; we won't be splitting up because we’ll have our Digimon by our side, so they can protect us if anything goes south.” Minoru said.

Aoi turned to Takuma as he shrugged and gave her a “he’s got a point” look. She turned her attention to Labramon.

“Don’t worry, Aoi; no matter what happens, I’ll protect you!” Labramon barked happily.

After being comforted by her partner, Aoi rose to her feet and agreed to Minoru’s plan. The trio and their Digimon went their separate ways; Aoi, Labramon, Takuma, and Agumon kept their exploration on the ground. Aoi and Labramon found a slew of medical supplies in the nurse’s office that, weirdly enough, were still fresh.

Minoru and Falcomon took their search upstairs; the former was making quite the ruckus while poking around, while the ladder was trying to make him lower his volume.

“Minoru, maybe you should keep the noise down a bit.” Falcomon said.

"Relax, dude, this place is abandoned; it's not like someone's gonna try and assault me with a chair or—”

“Minoru behind you!”

Meanwhile, on the first floor, Takuma, Aoi, and their Digimon partners reunited at the school's exit after their respective searches when they heard...

“Aaaaaaaugh!”

“What was that?” Takuma asked fearfully.

“It sounded like Minoru, he might be in trouble; come on!” Aoi called.

The two human and digimon pairs raced up the stairs, prepared for a fight, but couldn't believe what they were seeing.

“Ryo?" the teens gasped in unison.

"Oh, it's just you wankers.” Ryo scoffed.

"Yeah, I'm a wanker, so what?” Minoru snapped.

“You're a porn-addicted freak, that's what!” Ryo remarked.

“Don't start, you two.” Aoi said sternly

Minoru gave Ryo a side eye as the brunette rose to his feet and leaned against a nearby wall, while Ryo returned to the classroom he was sitting in.

“Hey Ryo, are you feeling alright?” Takuma asked as he knocked on the room’s door.

Ryo opened the door and poked out his head. “I know you’re not enough of a muppet to have the gall to ask me if I'm feeling’ okay!”

“ Are you feeling okay?” Agumon asked innocently.

Ryo stared down at Agumon, the young man’s eyes full of contempt. "Listen, close lizard breath. I was attacked by some weird rock monsters, and I got caught in an earthquake.

"I woke up alone and was forced to take refuge in a schoolhouse that looks like it'll collapse if you breathe on it wrong by a pack of giant spiders. Do you honestly think that I would feel remotely okay after all of that?”

Agumon said nothing.

“So, are you gonna keep spewing shit, or are you gonna let us in?” Minoru asked impatiently.

Ryo scowled at the younger boy and reluctantly opened the door he was hiding behind to allow everyone to enter. Upon entry, Aoi noticed presumably another digimon laying on a desk; it looked to be in pain.

“Ryo, who’s that?” Aoi asked.

“Why do you wanna know so bad?” Ryo hissed.

Even Aoi, blessed with the patience of a saint, had to admit that Ryo was getting on her nerves. She took a deep breath and calmly yet sternly said, “Because it looks like it's been hurt badly, good thing I found some bandages and disinfectant downstairs.”

Aoi treated the larva digimon’s wounds, and in response to her act of kindness, Ryo’s partner wiggled and cooed in gratitude.

“Can it talk?” Takuma asked.

“This thing hasn't said one intelligible word to me since we’ve met, watch.” Ryo then invaded the caterpillar's personal space and began to shout wildly at it, “Say something, anything. Hello? I’m a plain man, and I believe in plain speakin’. Now Talk!”

Aoi and Minoru pulled Ryo out of his partner’s face as Takuma began to pace the floor, staring at the peculiar smartwatch as he did so.

“Ryo, did a device like the one on my wrist appear when you made contact with your partner?” Takuma asked.

“Yeah, so what?”

“Maybe there's some sort of translator in these things.”

The four teens fiddled with their smartwatches in hopes of finding some hidden features; their hypothesis seemed fruitless until Takuma executed a button combination.

In a flash of light, a ripple effect was emitted from his watch throughout the entire school building. When the group opened their eyes, they were left dumbfounded at what they saw: the room they were standing in was covered wall to wall in giant spiderwebs.

“Yuck, where did all these webs come from?” Minoru exclaimed.

Ryo let out a screech as he gazed upon the spiderwebs; he recognized them as the same ones belonging to the spiders that chased him to the school.

“It was a trap! This place is a trap!” Ryo squealed.

“What do you mean this place is a trap?” Takuma asked.

Before Ryo could even think about acknowledging Takuma’s question, Labramon yelped in distress.

“Where’s Aoi?!”

Chapter Text

The group looked around the room frantically to no avail; Aoi had vanished without a trace. This made Ryo even more hysterical, as he started bouncing all over the place.

"Okay, team, new plan,” Takuma said. “We look for clues about who or what took Aoi and track them down.”

“How are y’all gonna track down Aoi if she vanished without a trace?” Ryo pondered.

He had a point; Aoi was here one second and gone the next; it was as if she teleported. The group stood in silent contemplation.

“Labramon!” Minoru shouted.

“What?”

“Do you still have Aoi’s scent?”

Labramon thought back to earlier that day; she remembered sniffing Aoi’s hand when they first met.

“Yeah. why?” Labramon asked.

“I was wondering, since you still have her scent, maybe you could track her down with your nose.” Minoru proposed.

“Wow, Minoru, you actually used your brain for once!” Ryo snorted.

“Ha-ha, very funny.” Minoru scoffed.

Takuma, Minoru, and the digimon soon took their leave to look for Aoi. Takuma looked behind him at Ryo, who was adamant about staying where he was. The gogglehead thought it best to leave Ryo alone, and he closed the classroom door, prompting Ryo to let out a huge sigh.

“Thank fuck, those pissants are gone,” Ryo said as he scooped his digimon partner into his arms. “Kunemon I’m so sorry for what I said; you know, I don't mean any of the shitty things I say to you.”

Kunemon nuzzled into her human’s neck, although the larva did have a question to ask.

“Keww Kee.” Kunemon chirped.

“You know why I can't act like this around others.” Ryo said while scratching Kunemon’s head.

‘I don't see the big deal; what's wrong with being affectionate in public?’ Kunemon thought.

Takuma and Agumon’s search brought them to the school’s faculty room, which, much like the classroom, was covered in spiderwebs. The duo ran into Labramon, still trying to follow Aoi’s scent.

“Any luck finding her?” Takuma asked.

“No.” Labramon sighed, on the verge of tears.

Agumon walked over to Labramon and gave her a hug to calm her down, as Takuma asked Aoi’s partner about the progress she had made.

“It’s weird; the scent seems to have gone all over the place. Sometimes the trail will start from a wall; I’ll follow it, and then it’ll continue into another wall.” Labramon explained.

Takuma thanked Labramon for the information, and he and Agumon took their leave. The duo continued down the hall when Takuma heard the sound of a piano being played from one of the rooms.

“Agumon, do you hear that?” Takuma asked.

“Yeah, it’s coming from that room. It might be Aoi!” Agumon replied.

They made a beeline for the door, only to find that the spiderwebs were barring the door, meaning no one was getting in.

“Dammit!” Takuma yelled.

“Hey, remember what Labramon said about Aoi’s scent traveling through walls?” Agumon asked. “Maybe Aoi’s captor is using secret passageways to move around the school without us knowing.”

“Okay then, I’ll go look for a different way into this room, while you tell the others to start looking for any suspicious places that might lead us to Aoi.”

Agumon nodded his head in approval as he and Takuma went their separate ways. Takuma found himself in the school’s bathroom; he really didn't want to get by whatever germs lurked there, but he reminded himself that Aoi’s safety took priority.

“Alright, you get in, look for a secret door, and get out.” Takuma said to himself.

Takuma hastily scanned the room from top to bottom, and just as he was about to leave, he spotted a trapdoor on the ceiling out of the corner of his eye.

“Oh, of course it’s in the bathroom. Fantastic." Takuma sighed sarcastically.

“Find anything, Takuma?” Agumon asked.

“Yeah, there's a trapdoor on the ceiling.”

Takuma and Agumon climbed atop the toilet and hoisted themselves up into the opening. Like the rest of the school, the crawl space was enveloped in webs, and every time the duo moved, the more the webs would cling to them.

“Takuma! How much longer? These webs are really gross!” Agumon wailed.

“Just a little bit longer; I think I see some light.” Takuma replied 

The two of them booked it towards the end of the crawl space. Takuma opened the trapdoor above him and climbed out, with Agumon not far behind.

“A piano; this must be where that music was coming from.” Takuma said.

“Who are you two?”

Takuma and Agumon turned to the voice and saw a pair of kids, a boy and girl, presumably siblings, standing in the corner.

“Sorry for barging in; I’m Takuma, and this is my friend, Agumon. We're looking for our friend who went missing; do you have any clue where she might be?”

The girl tugged at her brother’s sleeve and whispered something into his ear. The boy nodded and turned back to Takuma and Agumon.

“My sister wants me to tell you about what took your friend.” The boy said, “This building is the domain of a group of spider-like digimon called Dokugumon. They’ve made their den in the gymnasium.”

“I think I ran into my friend, Labramon, there, and the door was blocked by a bunch of webs!” Agumon shouted.

“But if there’s a secret pathway that leads here, surely we can reach the gym in a similar way.” Takuma suggested.

“He’s right, there’s a pathway leading to the gym under the cafeteria, but just as a warning, Dokugumon won’t give up its prey without a fight, so be ready.” The boy said.

“Thanks for the info! And don’t worry about us; I’ll protect Takuma no matter what!” Agumon said.

Upon hearing Agumon’s words, the girl turned to her brother, a slight smile forming on her face. After gathering the rest of the group in the cafeteria, Takuma begins to explain.

“So, the kid said that there was a secret path in here?” Labramon said doubtfully.

"Yeah, do you think you can sniff it out?” Takuma asked.

While Labramon was looking for the secret path, Ryo and Minoru were giving Takuma a skeptical look. It was the one thing the two had agreed on since they'd known each other.

“I think I found something!” Labramon cried as she pried at the floorboards.

The boys ran to Labramon's side and helped her remove the floorboards, revealing the secret trapdoor the boy in the music room mentioned.

"Well, I’ll be damned.” Ryo huffed.

“I knew you weren’t going loopy, bro!” Minoru smiled.

“Sure you did.” Everyone else said sarcastically.

Labramon was the first to enter, eagerly diving headfirst into the doorway. being one step closer to saving Aoi, with the others following after.

Chapter Text

The team inched their way through the web-infested crawl space, with Ryo complaining every step of the way. Takuma soon saw light coming from a hole, and the group climbed out of the hole into the gym.

Labramon was over the moon when she saw Aoi again. “Takuma! We found her; she’s right where you said she would be!”

“You might want to keep your voice down; those spiders might hear us.” Minoru said it in a hushed tone.

But Labramon didn’t care; she hooped and hollered as she ran to her partner, who was unconscious and encased in webbing, suspended off the ground. However, when she got close, a mob of Dokugumon jumped out and charged Labramon as more Dokugumon emerged from their hiding spots to assist their brethren.

“Let’s go, guys!” Takuma called as he stood back to back with Minoru and Ryo, as their digimon partners assuming fighting positions.

The four partner digimon and the Dokugumon began fighting, exchanging blows and dodging any big attacks their opponent would throw out. While this was happening, the humans were trying to free Aoi from her silky prison.

“Pepper Breath!” Agumon launched a fireball at his opponent, instantly burning it to a crisp.

The other digimon followed suit, and each of them nailed a Dokugumon with their own special attacks. Unfortunately, their rapid extermination of the smaller Dokugumon attracted the attention of a colossal one, no doubt the leader of the entire troop.

It descended from the rafters with a screech, and it nearly crushed the partner digimon. Luckily, they were able to get out of the way just in time, but as they would soon realize, getting squashed would be the least of their worries.

Agumon, Falcomon, Labramon, and Kunemon gave it their all, but the giant Dokugumon was shrugging off all of their attacks and retaliation with its own. The spider shot a dense poison blast at Falcomon and Kunemon and trapped Labramon with a web fired from its abdomen.

Minoru and Ryo rushed to their partners. Minoru was checking to see if Falcomon was hurt, while Ryo had taken Kunemon and fled the scene.

“Coward!” Minoru yelled as he tended to Falcomon’s wounds.

Aoi slowly began to regain consciousness, and as her vision began to clear up, she saw Labramon trapped in webbing and rushed to help her.

“Labramon! Don’t worry, I’ll get you out!” Aoi said as she tried to stand up, but her legs were just far too weak at the moment.

Agumon was narrowly dodging Dokugumon’s attacks, but it was obvious that this wasn't going to last. His movements soon grew sluggish, allowing the spider to land a few big hits on the ebony dinosaur.

“Agumon! Pull yourself together, Agumon!” Takuma said as he picked up a wooden plank off the ground and started fending off the Dokugumon with it. “No matter how strong this guy is, we’re saving everyone, and that's final!”

“Are you crazy?” Minoru screamed.

“Neither of you stand a chance at beating that thing!” Aoi said this while trying to free Labramon from Dokugumon’s webbing.

“We won’t know if we don’t try!” Takuma said.

“I’d rather die fighting than live on as a coward!” Agumon huffed.

With that, Agumon was suddenly bursting with energy, and the screen on Takuma’s wrist device began to shine. Agumon was covered in a distinct aura that was becoming more violent by the second.

“Agumon, digivolve to…! Greymon!”

Takuma stared at the 15-foot dinosaur that dwarfed the Dokugumon that stood in the middle of Takuma and his digimon partner. Aoi, Minoru, and their partners stared in awe at the sight, wondering what exactly happened.

“Turned around.” Greymon growled.

The Dokugumon turned its attention to the voice behind it, only to be promptly swatted away by Greymon’s tail. The dinosaur leaped into the air and onto Dokugumon, who shot poison in a vain attempt at self-defense. Greymon withstood the attack without flinching.

While he was watching the fight, an idea popped into Takuma’s head.

“Mega Flame!” Takuma commanded.

Greymon turned to Takuma and shot him a smirk before returning his focus to Dokugumon. He spewed a torrent of blue fire at the Dokugumon, nearly burning it to a crisp. He then threw the Dokugumon high into the air and impaled it with his front horn, causing its body to disperse into countless particles that flew into the air.

Greymon reverted back to Agumon as the tension of the last half hour slowly faded. Takuma went to help Aoi free Labramon, and they met with Minoru to discuss the prior events.

“You were awesome out there, Agumon!” Takuma cheered.

“Yeah, thank you for saving me, guys.” Aoi said.

“You’re welcome!” Labramon said as she glared at the gymnasium doors. “Although someone was all too happy to leave us in our time of need,"

“Now about what happened earlier—the whole ‘Digivolving’ thing.” Minoru said. “How did you do that again?”

Agumon shrugged his shoulders and said, “I don’t know. I just felt Takuma’s desire to survive deep inside of me, and I guess that’s what caused me to Digivolve.”

“So what you're saying is that if I get myself into trouble, Falcomon will Digivolve to save me?” Minoru asked a bit too enthusiastically.

“Don’t be stupid!” Falcomon scolded, “He's not telling you to throw your life away to make me stronger!”

The two partners began to banter with each other as Takuma, Aoi, and their partners looked at their friends and laughed. Takuma looked around and noticed that the webs had disappeared.

“Hey guys, I want to introduce you to some people.” Takuma said.

Minoru and Aoi were confused. “You mean there are other people staying here?” Minoru asked.

The trio and their digimon went to the music room to greet the two kids and tell them the Dokugumon were taken care of. Takuma knocked on the door, and the boy’s sister answered it.

“Hey you two, it's us again.” Takuma said.

"Hello," the boy said flatly.

“I wanted to tell you two that we took care of the Dokugumon and introduce you to my friends, Aoi, Minoru, Labramon, and Falcomon.”

“Hi, it's nice to meet you. What’s your name?” Aoi asked.

"Haru," the boy answered.

Minoru looked at the boy’s sister, who stared blankly back at him.

“And what’s your name, little lady?” Minoru asked, trying his hardest not to look into the girl’s eyes.

“Her name is Miyuki.” Haru said. “Don't take her silence the wrong way; she only likes talking to me.”

After some time making small talk and getting to know each other, the group figured that it was time to call it a night. Takuma and his friends said their goodbyes to Haru and Miyuki and returned to the classroom where Ryo and Kunemon were.

“You mean we actually have to sleep here?” Ryo blurted out. “After all that just happened? No, thank you.”

“If you don’t like it, you can always sleep outside.” Minoru sneered.

“Knock it off, Minoru.” Aoi said, holding a bunch of sheets. “Let’s just get some shut-eye and discuss things tomorrow.”

Everyone agreed that this one day alone held more thrills than any other. They were all exhausted, both mentally and physically, so once everyone's head hid their pillow, they were fast asleep in a matter of seconds.

Chapter Text

Deep in a forest, Saki, Shuuji, and the professor were being chased by a group of Gazimon.

“Wait, slow down, Shuuji! I can’t run as fast as you!” Saki cried.

The professor looked back to see that Saki was on her knees, wheezing and coughing up a storm. He rushed to her side to make sure she was okay.

"Saki, what’s wrong?” He asked.

“Asthma attack… Inhaler…in my bag.” Saki said between coughs.

Akiharu rummaged through Saki’s backpack and gave Saki her inhaler; she immediately took a couple healthy puffs.

“Are you sure you're okay to continue on?” The professor asked.

“Yeah, thank you for helping me.” Saki said.

Just then, a small brown bunny landed at the two’s feet, promptly followed by an anthropomorphic plant creature and a very angry Shuuji.

“That's what you get for sneaking up on me!” Shuuji yelled at the bunny.

"I'm sorry, Shuuji. What can I do to make you feel better?” The bunny whimpered on the verge of tears.

“You can start by not calling me by my name; it’s creepy.” Shuuji said as he caught a glimpse of Saki.

“And what have you been up to? Twiddling your thumbs in the face of death?”

Shuuji’s words filled Saki with white-hot anger; she was about to say something until the professor began to speak.

“If you must know, Saki was having an asthma attack, and I stayed behind to help her.” The professor replied.

Shuuji promptly snapped back. “I mean this with no disrespect, but Saki is 14 years old. Her not taking her inhaler regularly is foolish.”

The professor sighed. “I understand where you’re coming from; however, Saki is still very young, and as such, she may need help in some areas.”

There was nothing Shuuji wanted to do more than roll his eyes at the professor’s lecture, but Shuuji knew better than to disrespect those with authority over him, so he decided against it.

“And besides, I did take my inhaler this morning; I only had an asthma attack because someone was forcing me to run a hundred miles a minute!” Saki said.

Suddenly, the bushes began to rustle violently as Gazimon came in droves to ambush the group. One of the Gazimon charged toward Saki, but the professor jumped in the way of the attack.

“Professor!” Saki screamed.

Prof. Minase fell to the ground in pain, and as Saki tried to help him up, he refused.

“Go without me!” He said.

Saki was about to give a rebuttal but was stopped by the plant creature Floramon.

“We should probably do as he says. This might be our only chance at escaping.” Floramon said.

Saki let out a reluctant sigh as she and the others made a hasty retreat into the forest.

Takuma let out a sleepy groan as the morning sun shined through his eyelids. He slowly sat up and stretched before finally opening his eyes to find that he and Agumon were the only ones in the classroom.

“Good morning, Takuma!” Agumon smiled.

“Morning. Have you seen the others by chance?” Takuma asked drowsily.

“They're all downstairs; Aoi and Labramon are looking for food in the gym; Minoru and Falcomon are foraging outside; and Ryo is..."

“Being Ryo?”

“Yeah.”

Takuma got up, folded his sheets, and went downstairs to check on everyone. When he passed by the cafeteria, he caught a glimpse of Ryo playing with Kunemon. The two of them were having the time of their lives, until Ryo saw Takuma.

“How much of that did you see?” Ryo asked sternly.

Takuma knew Ryo didn't want anyone to find out, so he decided to play dumb.

“How much of what did I see?” Takuma said playfully.

Ryo scowled in response, clearly unamused. Takuma figured that he should change the subject.

“So, how are you feeling after yesterday?” Takuma sheepishly asked.

Ryo’s scowl grew even meaner as Takuma started to pick up on what Ryo was trying to tell him. The gogglehead apologized for offending the older boy and began to exit the cafeteria as he gave Ryo a parting message.

“Just so you know, your secret's safe with me.” Takuma said.

“It fuckin’ better.” Ryo snapped.

When Takuma left, Ryo let out a sigh. Kunemon, knowing her friend was sad, curled up onto Ryo’s lap.

“Kewwy Kew?” Kunemon squeaked

"Yeah, I'm fine; I'm just disappointed in myself.” Ryo said sadly, “Why is it that I can only be friendly to you?”

Takuma walked out the front doors and breathed in the fresh air. He still had no idea what was going on, but he had to admit, the scenery did look beautiful. While he was enjoying the view, Takuma spotted Minoru and Falcomon.

“Hey, Minoru! Hey, Falcomon! Have you found any food yet?” Takuma said.

“Kinda. We found some berries, but I don’t think these will be enough to feed us all.” Minoru said.

"That, and I’m pretty sure those berries are poisonous.” Falcomon added.

Just then, Aoi opened the school doors and summoned Takuma and Minoru to the gymnasium for a meeting. When the boys and their digimon arrived, they saw Aoi and Ryo surrounded by boxes full of food rations.

“Labramon and I found these rations backstage; we can make do with them for now.” Aoi said.

“But if the state of the school is anything to go by, those rations have long since expired.” Ryo said skeptically.

“I don’t think that's the case, Ryo.” Aoi said. “Yesterday, I found some medicine and bandages, and they were as fresh as the day they were bought.”

Ryo was still apprehensive. “Still, just because the medicine was fresh doesn't mean the food will be.” He said. “We should get someone expendable to taste it; I vote Minoru.”

“Yeah! Good idea!” Minoru said.

Aoi handed Minoru some food as he became the center of attention, everyone’s eyes glued to him, watching what would happen next.

“Um, didn't your parents teach y’all it’s rude to stare?” Minoru asked.

“We’re waiting for you to taste test.” Ryo said, crossing his arms.

“I didn't agree to this!” Minoru yelled.

“You kinda did," Takuma said.

“Yeah, I said, 'We should get someone expendable to taste it; I vote Minoru.’ and you said, ‘Yeah, good idea.’” Ryo said.

Minoru sighed. "Fine, I’ll take one for the team. Fortune favors the bold after all!”

He took a bite and immediately started shaking; his eyes opened wide; he started to sweat profusely; and he screamed at the top of his lungs.

“Minoru?” Aoi said frantically as Minoru fell to the ground.

“Minoru, say something! Anything!” Takuma cried.

Minoru slowly rose to his feet while leaning against Takuma for support. He whispered into Takuma’s ear.

“Gotcha.”

In an instant, Takuma’s face went from genuine fear to harsh irritation. When Aoi saw this, her face followed suit as Minoru’s small chuckles evolved into full-on belly laughs. It became very clear that he was doing a bit.

“You should've seen the looks on your faces!” Minoru barely managed to say between laughs.

Takuma, Aoi, and Ryo had just about enough of Minoru’s antics. The three of them walked calmly over to the still laughing boy, and with fists clenched, they gave Minoru three good licks.

Aoi landed a right hook on Minoru’s arm, and Ryo delivered a nasty gut punch, causing the younger boy to keel over in pain, which left Minoru wide open for Takuma to connect with a double hammer on the back of Minoru’s head.

“Still think nearly giving us all a fucking heart attack is funny?” Aoi growled.

“Ooh, you said the fuck word.” Minoru chuckled weakly.

This only served to fill an already-livid Aoi with even more rage. She cocked her foot back as if she were telling him, “If you still want to eat solid food, knock it off.”

“Now, Minoru, about the food. Is it or is it not safe for us to eat?” Ryo said sternly.

"Okay, okay, the food’s safe, geez.” Minoru said as he slowly rose to his feet again.

“Hey, could you guys keep the noise down?” Haru said.

The teenagers turned to the gymnasium door, where Haru and Miyuki stood.

“Sorry about that; Minoru was being a shithead.” Ryo said.

“Don’t swear in front of the kids!” Aoi told Ryo, who rolled his eyes in response.

“Other than the noise complaint, what do you need us for?” Takuma asked.

“While Miyuki and I were out for a walk, we found this.”

Haru presented the professor’s hat to the group, sending them all into a frenzy.

“If that’s the professor’s hat, then..." Ryo said shakily.

“We don’t know anything for sure; let’s keep an open mind.” Aoi said.

“On the off chance that the professor is still alive, he’s probably alone and defenseless.” Minoru said.

“You think we should organize a search party?” Takuma suggested.

“Maybe, but who's going to look after Haru and Miyuki?” Aoi asked.

“Don’t worry about us; you guys go ahead; Miyuki and I will hold down the fort.” Haru said.

Takuma nodded and addressed the rest of the group. “That settles it; we’ll have some breakfast and head out to look for the professor.”

“Hold on, we were nearly eaten by a bunch of giant spiders not 12 hours ago, and you want us to venture out into the infinitely more deadly wilderness? I’ll pass.” Ryo said.

“I mean, you could stay here and watch Haru and Miyuki.” Minoru suggested.

Ryo pondered the thought as he stared into Miyuki's cold, unwavering eyes, filling him with a sense of dread.

“On second thought, it would be nice to get some fresh air.” Ryo said.

Once the group ate their breakfast and made their final preparations, the team ventured into the wilderness, with Haru and Miyuki seeing them off.

“Hey Takuma, I wanna show you something.” Agumon said.

“Does it have to be right now?” Takuma said.

“I would prefer it to be.”

Takuma sighed and told the group to follow Agumon. The black dinosaur escorted the group to the shrine in the forest.

“Remember when I told you guys that you were all gonna save the world?” Agumon asked.

“How could I forget?” Minoru said.

"I'm showing you how I knew all of that.” Agumon explained.

Agumon led the group to the mural cave behind the shrine building and began to explain what the murals meant.

“Okay, so this mural is showing how you guys and your digimon partners are connected, and this one over here is—”

Before Agumon could finish his sentence, he was interrupted when the others spotted the professor lying unconscious on the ground.

“Professor!” the kids yelled.

“Oh, I almost forgot we were looking for him.” Agumon chuckled slightly.

Aoi pressed her fingers into the professor's neck to check his pulse; the entire room was silent, fearing the worst. Aoi let out a relieved sigh and turned to the group.

“He’s Alive.” She smiled.

The group collectively huffed a breath they didn't know they were holding as Minoru walked over and gently shook the professor awake.

“Where? Where am I?” The professor groaned.

“You’re in the mural cave near the shrine.” Takuma said.

The professor was surprised to see Takuma, his friends, and more strange creatures.

“Those creatures you have. Could they be the Kemonogami?” The professor asked.

The digimon were confused. What was a kemonogami? Falcomon soon answered.

“I’m sorry, but I believe you’re mistaken. Myself and my non-human comrades are digital monsters, digimon for short.” He said.

“Oh! My apologies if I offended any of you.” Said the professor.

“How did you end up here anyway?” Takuma asked.

“I recall being with Shuuji and Saki in the forest, and we were running from those rock digimon from before. I distracted them so Saki and Shuuji could escape.

“This next part may be a little fuzzy, but I came to for a couple seconds and I remembered being carried by a group of gray, rabbit-like digimon.” Explained the professor.

“Hey, who's that geezer talkin’ to?” Said a voice from outside the cave.

A group of digimon fitting the description given by the professor entered the cave and immediately assumed defensive stances, and the digimon partners did the same.

“Who are you?” Takuma said.

“We’re Gazimon, and it looks like you have someone that belongs to us.” The lead gazimon said, pointing at the professor.

“Like hell, we’re letting you hurt the professor! Right, guys?” Minoru said.

“Right!” Takuma and Aoi said.

“Pepper Breath!”

“Electric Stun Blast!”

The two attacks collided and exploded on impact with each other. The partner digimon used the smokescreen to their advantage and forced the Gazimon out of the cave.

“Now, Agumon! Digivolve!” Takuma called.

With a flash of light, Agumon took the form of Greymon to defend his partner once again.

“Bit Fire!” Greymon shouted.

Several blue fireballs were shot out like machine gun fire from Greymon’s mouth, putting a sizable dent in the gazimon’s offensive line. While Greymon was single-handedly fighting off his group of Gazimon, the other partner digimon didn't have it so easy.

Falcomon, Kunemon, and Labramon were fighting an uphill battle and were surrounded by Gazimon. The three of them were being overwhelmed, with Falcomon taking the brunt of the damage.

While he wasn't looking, a gazimon was charging an electric stun blast attack aimed straight at Kunemon. Falcomon saw this and quickly shoved Kunemon out of the way, taking the attack and being flung back.

“Falcomon!” Minoru cried.

Falcomon tried to stand up, but the gazimon’s electric attack paralyzed him so he could barely move a muscle.

“Hey, stay down. You can’t fight anymore!” Minoru said.

“I cannot let Greymon face them on his own, and I won’t let them lay a finger on you!” Falcomon proclaimed.

“Hey! Are you still looking for some punishment?” Said a gazimon as he rushed toward Falcomon and Minoru.

“Falcomon, watch it!”

Minoru ran in front of his injured partner to shield him from the incoming attack. When it connected, Minoru was sent recoiling back in pain.

“Minoru, why did you jump in front of me?” Falcomon asked.

“You threw yourself into danger to protect someone, so I figured it would be rude of me if I didn’t return the favor.” Minoru quipped.

The two of them let out a chuckle as Falcomon slowly walked to Minoru’s side, with a distinct glow around him.

“I appreciate your kindness, but from now on, let me be the one who protects you .”

Minoru’s smartwatch device began to glow like Takuma’s did when Agumon first digivolved. Falcomon was fully engulfed in a flash of light as all parties present dropped everything and stared in awe.

“Falcomon digivolve to…! Diatrymon!”

Diatrymon spread his newly sprouted wings as he addressed Greymon.

“Greymon, this battle has gone on long enough! Let's finish this!” Diatrymon said.

Greymon nodded as he and Diatrymon took aim at the gazimon.

“Mega Flame!”

“Destruction Roar!”

The force from the two attacks sent the mob of gazimon flying into the distance. Greymon and Diatrymon returned to their smaller forms and were met with cheers from their friends.

Minoru congratulated Falcomon for his digivolution, while Aoi tended to the professor’s wounds using the first aid kit she brought. Then the professor told the group that Saki and Shuuji were still on their own and that it would be best to look for them.

“Alright, next item on the agenda: find Saki and Shuuji.” Takuma said.

“Can’t they wait until tomorrow? I’ve had enough action for today.” Ryo whined.

“If you’re cool with having your cousin die a grizzly death, when you could have stopped it. Then sure, we can go back to the school.” Minoru said, trying to get a rise out of Ryo.

As much as he hated to admit it, Minoru was kind of right in guilt-tripping Ryo. He sighed and reluctantly followed behind the rest of the group, as they set out to look for Saki and Shuuji.

Chapter Text

After the Gazimon encounter, the group hiked through the forest with the only sense of direction they had being the professor’s vague generalization of where Saki and Shuuji might have run off to.

“Are you sure this is where Saki went?” Ryo grumbled.

“I don’t know, but if we are headed the right way, you’ll be the first to know.” Professor Minase said.

“Guys! Look!” Labramon said.

The group looked at where Labramon was pointing. Human footprints that undeniably belonged to either Saki or Shuuji were intended in the dirt, but right behind those footprints were larger, more feral ones.

“So, what’s the deal with those bigger footprints?” Minoru asked.

“Whatever it is, I’m willing to bet that it’s not good. We need to hurry and find Saki and Shuuji before whoever made these giant footprints  does."Takuma said.

Labramon sniffed the human footprints to detect and follow the scent Saki left behind, similar to when Aoi was kidnapped by the Dokugumon. After some time, Labramon found the scent, and everyone followed after her.

The footprints led the group to a riverbank; everything was going smoothly until Labramon stopped in her tracks with an apprehensive look on her face.

“What’s wrong, Labramon?” Aoi asked.

“Oh, nothing. Takuma, do you mind if we take a little break?” Labramon said.

Takuma had a strained look on his face. He would rather they not waste any time with their search, but they have been walking for a while, so he decided a quick break wouldn't hurt.

“Okay, everybody, we’ll take a short break here, and then we’ll keep looking for Saki and Shuuji.” Takuma said.

As everyone relaxed by the riverside, Labramon was still as tense as before. Her eyes darted up, down, and all around, clearly looking for something or someone.

“I know you’re here; show yourself.” Labramon growled under her breath.

The silence was broken by a sinister voice.

“Oh, you poor little puppy.” The voice said, “Growl at me all you want, but I can still hear your whimpering all the same.”

A head poked out from the bushes, a red fox digimon Fangmon. He began to laugh as Labramon’s once angry face was stricken with fear.

“Labramon, Labramon, Labramon, Labramon, Labramon.” Fangmon chanted.

Labramon felt something touch her shoulder. She quickly turned around, ready to attack her enemy, until she realized it was just Aoi trying to get her attention.

“Labramon, are you okay? You’re shaking like a leaf.” Aoi said.

“Did you see him?” Labramon asked frantically.

“See who?”

“Fangmon! He was in the bushes, and"

As Labramon turned to the bushes in question, Fangmon was nowhere to be seen.

"Oh, forget it.” Labramon said sadly as she sulked over to the rest of the group.

Aoi looked at the bush Labramon was pointing to and sighed. “I don't know what's wrong with Labramon, but if she’s this torn up about it, it can’t be good.”

The group arrived at a clearing, where a large dam could be seen in the distance. Much to the confusion of the humans.

“Hey. Was there always a dam by the school?” Minoru asked.

“No, but come to think of it, a lot of the landscape seems different than when we first came to camp.” Aoi replied.

‘Could it be that we've been swept into another world? The implications are there—the digimon appearing from nowhere and the altered geography.’ Takuma thought to himself.

At the base of the dam, Saki and Shuuji emerged from the forest. Thankfully, Saki didn’t have another asthma attack, as she was able to take plenty of periodic breaks.

Saki and Floramon sat by the creek to catch their breath, taking in the scenery, when...

“Wait, where’s Lopmon?” Saki asked.

On cue, Lopmon limped slowly out of the forest and collapsed onto the ground. The two girls rushed to his side, using their bodies to shield him from the sun’s rays.

"It's okay, Lop; just tell us what's wrong, and we’ll take care of it.” Floramon said.

“Water…” Lopmon said weakly.

Saki picked Lopmon up and rushed to the river. She reached into her bag and grabbed her stainless steel water bottle, which had a bit of iced coffee in it. Saki dumped the coffee out on the ground, ran it through the stream to rinse it out, filled it up again, and gave it to Lopmon.

When the water met his lips, Lopmon’s eyes shot open as he eagerly began to chug the bottle, savoring the crisp liquid he’d been craving for the past few hours.

“What on earth are you doing?!" Shuuji yelled.

“I’m making sure Lopmon is okay, if you don’t mind.” Saki replied.

“Of course I mind! There's a group of man-eating monsters chasing us, and all you’ve done is shoot the breeze with those vermin!”

“Floramon and Lopmon aren’t vermin! I can't put my finger on it, but these two are different from the creatures that were chasing us. If you got to know them, you'd"

Saki froze, and her body began to shiver as she tried to alert Shuuji about what was standing behind him.

“What is it? Spit it out.” Shuuji said.

“Shuuji, Look out behind you!” Takuma yelled.

Shuuji turned around and saw Fangmon. A red fox with a long snout and black belts along his legs. Shuuji and Saki ran toward Takuma and the others, as Agumon and Falcomon digivolved to fight their opponent.

“Hello again, Labramon.” Fangmon said.

Labramon started to hyperventilate as she hid behind Aoi’s legs.

“Is this the guy you were talking about earlier?” Aoi asked.

"Yeah," Labramon said.

Fangmon chuckled. “Still as cowardly as ever, I see.”

“She’s not a coward!” Aoi snapped.

“If that’s the case, then face me atop this dam!” Fangmon said as he scaled to the dam’s peak.

Takuma, and Minoru turned to Aoi. She gave them a nod, and the two boys nodded back, understating what she meant without a word being spoken.

“I’m glad to see that you’re safe, Professor.” Saki said.

“Same for you, but safe is the last thing I'd call us right now.” Said the professor.

Fangmon, Greymon, and Diatrymon began to fight. While the fight was in the hero’s favor, Fangmon was more than fast enough to dodge and counter most of their attacks. Diatrymon was able to land one or two hits, but Fangmon’s agility made it so that none of them were direct hits.

“He’s too fast! Anyone got any ideas on slowing him down?” Takuma said.

“Try and aim an attack at his legs!” Labramon said.

“I don’t think so!” Fangmon said as he leaped into the air and landed in front of Labramon.

Labramon was petrified to be face-to-face with her tormentor again. Fangmon let out a sadistic giggle, relishing in the terror painted on Labramon’s face.

“Labramon!” Aoi called, snapping her partner out of her trance. “It’s okay to be scared, and you don’t have to be alone. I will always be by your side. Remember that.”

Hearing Aoi’s voice calmed Labramon down, which allowed her to look Fangmon in the eyes with an unwavering glint in her eyes.

"Now, isn't that cute? The little puppy thinks she can stand up to me after a little pep talk.” Fangmon mocked.

While she was being teased, Labramon took a deep breath and let out a resounding bark that pushed Fangmon back and impaired his hearing.

“Now Labramon!” Aoi said, her digital device glowing brightly.

“Labramon, Digivolve to…! Dobermon!”

Dobermon walked slowly towards Fangmon and looked him dead in the eyes. She now stood at eye level with her foe and growled as she lunged at Fangmon with extreme speed.

“Grey Noise!” Dobermon cried.

Dobermon let loose a powerful shockwave point blank in Fangmon’s face, hindering his senses even more. This allowed Greymon and Diatrymon to use their attacks in tandem.

The three partner digimon returned to their base forms and reunited with the group to celebrate.

“Attagirl, Labramon!” Aoi cheered.

While the group was busy celebrating, Fangmon slowly stood up. His vision was blurry, and his ears were ringing. Fangmon mumbled to himself before charging at the group for one last attempt at killing them.

"Watch out!” yelled the professor as he jumped in between the kids and Fangmon.

Professor Minase grabbed onto Fangmon and wrangled him away from the group. In a last-ditch effort to get the professor off of him, Fangmon tried to throw the elderly man off the dam, but thanks to his injuries, he tripped, leading to both him and the professor falling over the railing.

The ordeal happened so fast that nobody had time to process what just happened, let alone do anything about it. All anyone could do was watch in horror.

“No way," Saki said.

An impromptu moment of silence was held, which lasted several minutes until the silence was broken by Minoru.

“Hey! Look over there!”

Minoru pointed at the bottom of the dam, where a thick fog blanketed the area, similarly to when they were near the shrine. Agumon’s face immediately turned serious.

“Takuma, we need to get out of here now!” Agumon said.

As everyone rushed back to the school, Minoru proposed a question.

“Are we absolutely sure that the professor is dead?”

“Are you thick? We all saw the geezer fall off an industrial-size dam, you muppet!” Ryo snapped.

“But there is a deep body of water at the dam’s base," Aoi said.

“Who’s to say he could even swim?” Shuuji replied.

“One thing’s for sure: regardless of whether or not the professor is alive, he's not here, and we have to go on without him.” Takuma said.

“Please have mercy!” A voice said,

“What was that?” Saki asked.

“Over there! It’s Fangmon!” Takuma exclaimed.

Fangmon was lying on the ground; a black smoke was being kicked up at his feet, and he was scared for his life.

“Please, master! I won’t fail again! Just give me another chance, please!” Fangmon begged.

Fangmon’s pleas fell on deaf ears as a black portal appeared behind him as dozens of arms swarmed from the hole in reality. The hands grabbed onto Fangmon and dragged him into the portal, never to be seen again.

The kids were left horrified at what they had witnessed; the sight was so gruesome that Ryo had fainted from shock.

“That’s why we should stay away from the fog.” Agumon said shakily.

When the group returned to the school, night had fallen. After Saki and Shuuji were introduced to Haru and Miyuki, a meeting was held to establish sleeping arrangements. It was decided that the boys would continue to sleep in the classroom while the girls would sleep in the music room.

Late that night, Saki woke up to go use the bathroom, and as she walked down the stairs, she could hear sobbing coming from the bathroom.

“Hello? It’s me, Saki. Can I come in?”

“Yeah.” The voice said,.

“Lopmon? What on earth are you doing here? Shouldn't you be with the boys?” Saki asked.

“I was, but Shuuji kicked me out and told me to sleep somewhere fitting for a monster like me.” Lopmon sighed.

Saki was disgusted. “That’s awful!” She said, “Tell you what? After I use the bathroom, you can come and sleep with me.”

Lopmon shook his head. “Oh no, I don't want to be an intruder or anything.”

“Lopmon, you won't be intruding if you’re invited somewhere.” Saki giggled.

After Saki used the bathroom, she washed her hands and signaled for Lopmon to follow her. When they returned to the music room, Saki woke Floramon up and asked if it was okay if she shared her sheets with Lopmon.

“Of course, I don’t see why not.” Floramon said.

A small smile formed on Lopmon’s face as he climbed under the sheets with Floramon.

"Lopmon," Saki said.

“Yeah?” Lopmon mumbled.

“I just want you to know that from now on, if Shuuji ever does what he did tonight, you're always welcome here. Okay?” Saki smiled.

“Okay. Good night, Saki.” Lopmon muttered as he stuffed his face into the pillow.

“Sweet dreams, Lopmon.” Saki warmly said.

Chapter Text

Kaito and Miu Have been hiking through the forest since the crack of dawn, the latter of whom wouldn't stop complaining.

“Do you even know where the fuck we’re going?” Miu groaned, “My feet are hurting like a bitch, and I haven't eaten anything in days!”

"Look, Miu, I might not know exactly where this path leads, but it has to lead somewhere.” Kaito said.

“Do we have to stay on this path, though?” Miu whined.

“Yes!”

“Why?”

“Because I said so!”

“That’s a bullshit excuse, and you know it! You aren’t mom and dad; you can't tell me to do shit!”

"Well, unlike our parents, I actually care about your well-being and borderline raised you, so yeah, I can tell you to do shit.”

The siblings continued to argue until they felt the ground shake and heard a loud thud.

“The fuck was that?” Miu exclaimed.

“I don't know, but it came from further down the path.” Kaito said, “I’ll go see what that noise was, and while I’m gone, Do. Not. Move. From This. Spot. Do I make myself clear?”

“No, you're still opaque.” Miu cheekily said, much to Kaito’s annoyance.

“I’m serious, Miu. Stay where you are.”

Kaito ran up the path ahead of Miu, and as soon as he was out of sight, a devious grin formed on Miu’s face as she booked into the seemingly endless mass of trees surrounding the hiking trail.

“ ‘Stay where you are’ pfft. Dick.” Miu scoffed.

Kaito had climbed a tree to get a better view of what was making those noises. His heart skipped a beat when he saw the cause of the noise. A yellow, one-eyed dragon with an abnormally developed right arm was stomping around, probably looking for its next meal.

Kaito quickly yet quietly climbed down his tree and rushed to where he told Miu to stay until he got back.

“Miu, we need to get out of here! Now!” Kaito said, but nobody answered.

“Now’s not the time for hide and seek! There's a big ass cyclops dragon walking around, and he looked pretty hungry!”

Kaito looked around frantically for any sign of his sister, but to no avail. His heart sank to his stomach when he processed what happened.

“Oh no.”

Later that day at the school, Takuma was roaming the halls, making small talk with everyone to pass the time until the meeting in the cafeteria. He ran into Saki in the nurse’s office and decided to pay her a visit.

“Hey Saki," Takuma said.

“Oh, hi Takuma! How are you?” Saki sweetly replied.

“I've been alright.” Takuma said, “What are you looking for?”

“Floramon and I were looking for some extra inhalers, but we haven’t had any luck.”

Agumon turned to Takuma, confused. “What’s an inhaler?” He said.

“An inhaler is something people with asthma use to help them breathe," Takuma said.

“Oh, cool.” Agumon said, “What’s asthma?”

Takuma sighed, and Saki giggled at Agumon’s naivety.

"Do you mind taking this one, Saki?” Takuma said.

Saki nodded and crouched to address Agumon. “Asthma is a condition I have that can make it hard for me to breathe sometimes, so I use the medicine in my inhaler to help me.”

“That’s cool!” Agumon said.

“No! Not cool!” Floramon snapped.

Saki rose to her feet and began to speak to Takuma.

“Thank you for saving me yesterday.” Saki cooed.

Takuma blushed slightly. “Oh, well, I shouldn't take all the credit; I couldn't have done it without Agumon.”

Takuma and Saki continued to talk until they heard Minoru and Shuuji’s shouting coming from the cafeteria. When Takuma and Saki arrived, they were just in time to witness the debate’s climax.

“Have you no regard for the safety of yourself and others?” Shuuji yelled, “We all saw what happened to the professor and Fangmon! Our best course of action is to stay here and wait for someone to save us."

“I hate to break it to ya, but that ain’t happening anytime soon, if at all!” Minoru said.

“And what makes you so sure?” Shuuji asked.

“I’ll let Takuma tell you what he told me last night!” Minoru said, pointing to the gogglehead.

‘Way to put me on the spot, dude.’ Takuma thought.

All eyes were on Takuma, waiting for his explanation of the group’s current predicament.

“Last night, Minoru and I were discussing the possibility that we were sent to a parallel world to that of our own when the ground caved in on us in front of the shrine.” Takuma said.

Takuma’s lecture was met with dead silence. Aoi and Saki began to chatter amongst themselves, discussing whether Takuma’s hypothesis held any weight. Ryo, who was sitting in a corner murmuring to himself, began to softly weep as he hugged Kunemon with all his might.

Shuuji, however, was staring daggers at Takuma. “You’re insane; no ifs, ands, or buts about it.” Shuuji said flatly.

“Well, unless you have an explanation for why the digimon appeared and why the landscape is different to our world, then it’s the best conclusion we can come to.” Aoi said.

“Okay, let’s say Takuma is right about us being in another world; that still means our best course of action would be staying here and not venturing into a land infested with monsters that would eat us in a heartbeat!

“And the fact that you all consider these…things your friends is most unnerving.” Shuuji said.

Minrou glanced at Haru and Miyuki, and an idea popped into his head.

“How about this? You, Saki, and Ryo can stay here and look after Haru and Miyuki, while Takuma, Aoi, and I go exploring.” Minoru said.

“I like that idea; it's a fair compromise.” Lopmon said sheepishly.

“Shut up! Nobody asked you!” Shuuji roared, “I’m sorry, Minoru, but I’ve already made up my mind.”

“Okay, you can stay here and watch Haru and Miyuki while we go exploring, then.” Saki suggested.

“That’s not what I meant!” Shuuji said.

Aoi realized something and gasped, “What about Kaito and his sister?”

“They weren’t attending camp.” Shuuji said.

“But they're still in danger; it’s like you said, this world is full of masters that will eat us in a heartbeat.” Takuma said.

“Well, in that case, all in favor of looking for Kaito and Miu?” Minoru said as he, Takuma, Saki, Aoi, their partners, and Lopmon raised their hands.

“It’s settled, then. When do you think we should leave?” Minoru said.

“Not at all!” Shuuji bellowed.

Saki glared at the young man, “This is an A, B, C, D conversation, so please E-X-I-T.” She said,

“Do you think we should take Haru and Miyuki with us?” Aoi said, “Neither of them have a digimon partner to protect them if anything happens here.”

“I don’t know. What do you want to do, Haru?” Takuma asked.

“I’m cool with whatever.” Haru said.

“Whatever…” Miyuki parroted.

When it was time for the group to leave, Saki had managed to get through to Ryo just enough so that he was speaking in full sentences. Shuuji tried, one last time, to convince everyone else to stay, but with no success.

After a while of hiking, the group arrived at a clearing overseeing a valley connected via an old iron bridge.

“This place is so beautiful.” Saki said in awe.

“Nothing’s beautiful about the predicament we’re in.” Ryo whimpered.

Saki, Minoru, Takuma, and Aoi looked at Ryo with pity. Even though he didn't show it, they knew that Ryo wanted and needed someone to help him.

“Hey, there are some people over there.” Haru said.

The group turned to where Haru was pointing and saw Kaito talking to a white-haired woman wearing a white jumpsuit.

“It’s Kaito! And he’s… Talking to another human?” Takuma said in surprise.

Shuuji sneered at Takuma, “Heh, so much for us being sent to a different dimension.”

“Cut the crap, lady! What did you do with my sister?” Kaito yelled.

“You have a sister?” The woman said in an obviously fabricated surprise, “Is that her in the red sweater?”

Upon hearing the woman’s words, Kaito turned around and saw Aoi and the others approaching the two of them.

“Nonononono, She’s not my sister; in fact, I just met her and her friends a few days ago.” Kaito spluttered, his face turning beet red.

“Oh, so she’s your girlfriend then, hmm?” The woman smirked.

Minoru chuckled. “Damn, Aoi. When's the wedding?”

“Oh, hush!” Aoi reprimanded, her face as red as her sweater.

“It’s good to see you’re okay, Kaito.” Takuma said, “May I ask, what were you two talking about?”

“Well—” Kaito said before getting cut off.

“Oh, thank goodness you all got here when you did! I was taking a lovely stroll when this hooligan ran up to me and threatened to beat me half to death!” The woman interjected.

“Hey! I never threatened you!” Kaito said, “Not out loud, at least.”

“Shame on you, Kaito.” Shuuji said.

“You're gonna agree with her without hearing my side?” Kaito asked.

“Yeah, Shuuji, that doesn't seem very fair.” Saki said.

“Shut up, both of you!” Shuuji snapped.

“Yo, Kaito, I’m back! Did ya find out what happened to Miu?” Said a vampire-like digimon, “La naiba (Oh damn), are these new friends of yours?”

The vampire digimon introduced himself as Dracmon and explained to the group what Kaito and Miu were doing until now, how the siblings got separated, and how he and Kaito met.

“I think we all got off on the wrong foot.” Aoi said, “Now, Kaito, please explain how you and Miss..."

“Araña,” the woman said.

“How you and Miss Araña met.” Aoi said.

“Dracmon and I were looking for Miu when this woman showed up. I didn't think anything of it at first, but that was when I noticed Araña was holding Miu’s purse, and I immediately knew something was off.” Kaito explained

“Da (Yeah), I can vouch for Kaito on this one.” Dracmon said.

“Okay. Miss Araña, Why were you holding Miu’s purse?" Takuma asked.

“I was going on my daily stroll through these parts when I stumbled upon this purse on the ground. My first thought was to find a lost and found and leave it there, but I didn't know where it was, so when I saw Kaito, I asked him for directions.” Araña said.

“Everything made sense to me.” Minoru said.

“Me too.” Saki replied.

“Is the fact that this bitch has Miu’s purse not a red flag to any of you?!” Kaito cried.

“The real red flag is you calling my mummy a bitch!” Ryo snapped.

For what felt like an eternity, there was a deafening silence.

“Y’know what? Fuck this shit. C’mon, Dracmon, we’ll find Miu ourselves.” Kaito said.

“La revedere, prietenii mei (Goodbye, my friends)!” Dracmon hollered.

“Is it bad that I don't entirely blame him for leaving?” Minoru asked.

"No," Saki said.

“Does anyone want to help me reason with Kaito?” Aoi asked.

“I’ll go," Takuma said.

Just then, Takuma felt a tug on his jacket and turned around to find Miyuki and Haru.

“You two want to join us?” Takuma asked.

Miyuki nodded.

After a while of walking, Takuma’s group finally caught up with Kaito and Dracmon. The latter welcomed them with open arms.

“Ah, we meet again, prietenii mei (my friends)!” Dracmon said.

Kaito massaged the bridge of his nose. “The fuck do you want?” he said.

“Is that any way to talk to a lady?” Aoi said, feigning offense.

Upon hearing Aoi’s voice, Kaito immediately turned around and started apologizing profusely for his outburst.

“I still wanna know why you guys are following me.” Kaito said.

“To help you look for Miu, of course.” Takuma said.

“And how do you plan on doing that?” Kaito asked.

“Labramon can track down Miu if she can find her scent.” Aoi said.

“The only thing I can think of that has Miu’s scent is her purse, and that woman still has it!” Kaito said.

“Unless we can get it back, we’re doing this the old-fashioned way.” Aoi said.

While Takuma’s group went after Kaito, Araña took the others to a cable car station. Araña told the group that there was a radio tower nearby where they could have a bird's-eye view of their surroundings.

“Are you sure these cable cars will actually work?” Shuuji asked.

“The cars run on a schedule, automatically. No need to worry.” Araña said.

“Yeah, Shuuji. Everything will be okay now that Mummy’s here.” Ryo said.

‘Good Lord, please be quiet.’ Minoru thought while cringing.

After a few minutes, a cable car arrived at the platform. Everyone climbed aboard in a single line. Araña was the last to enter, and when no one was looking, she cracked a devilish smirk.

The cable car slowly gained altitude as it glided across its wires. Saki, Floramon, and Lopmon were floored by the breathtaking view.

“Shuuji, look! Isn't it pretty?” Lopmon asked.

“Shut your mouth before I punch you in your mouth!” Shuuji snapped, causing Lopmon to recoil.

“Don’t be like that, Shuuji. He was only trying to be nice.” Minoru said.

“Mummy, I'm so glad that once we get to the radio tower, we can call for help, and this will all be over.” Ryo spoke.

“Oh yes. It will all be over soon.” Araña snickered maniacally.

“What do you mean by that?” Shuuji asked.

“Oh well, this game was fun while it lasted.” Araña sighed.

The cable car came to an abrupt stop, causing the group to fall over. When everyone got up, Minoru was the first to notice that the cable car was wrapped in spider silk.

“Is everyone alright?” Saki said.

“Other than these spider webs giving me wicked flashbacks, I’m good.” Minoru said.

“Huh? Where’d mummy go?” Ryo said.

“Uh, Ryo… Behind you.” Shuuji said.

Ryo slowly turned around, confused. The being that stood behind him was a half-human, half-spider monstrosity, whose prey fell right into her trap.

“Who are you?! What did you do to my mummy?!” Ryo cried.

“My disguise was that good, huh?” the monster said.

"Shuuji, what are we going to do?!” Saki said.

“I don't know. You’re the ones who wanted to go exploring!” Shuuji replied.

“Now’s not the time to be petty!” Minoru snapped.

Takuma and his group arrived at the top cable car platform, and Miu was nowhere to be seen.

“Why doesn't she ever listen to me?” Kaito sighed.

“Thinking about your sister?” Haru asked.

“Yeah. Does your sister give you any trouble?” Kaito said.

“No, not really. Yours sounds like a handful, though.” Haru chuckled.

“She sure is, but she’s my handful.” Kaito said fondly.

“Hey guys, come look over here!” Takuma said.

“Spider webs? Again?” Haru pondered.

“It looks like there are people inside!” Aoi said.

“You don’t think Miss Araña had something to do with this, do you?” Takuma asked.

“I knew something was off about her!” Kaito exclaimed.

“We’ve got to save the others! Kaito, Aoi, let’s hurry!” Takuma said.

Takuma and his team arrived to see the rest of the group being held hostage within the cable car by a spider-like digimon with an uncanny resemblance to Araña.

“When I lost that brat with the beanie, I thought my plan had fallen through. But now I can offer the four of you to my master instead!” Araña said.

“You’ll have to get through us first!” Kaito shouted, “Now enough tricks; tell us who you really are!”

“I am Arukenimon, a loyal follower of this world’s master. And I was given explicit orders to capture you all to minimize the chances of his plans getting thwarted.”

“In that case, we’ll have to maximize the chances of his plans getting thwarted! Starting with taking you down!” Takuma said.

Dracmon, Agumon, and Labramon charged into battle, with the latter two digivolving. The plan was to have Greymon and Dobermon distract Arukenimon so Dracmon could swipe Miu’s purse away from her.

“Have you got room for one more?” Falcomon said as he jumped out of the cable car, digivolving on the way down.

As Greymon, Diatrymon, and Dobermon fought Arukenimon, the three of them immediately noticed that she was far stronger than any foe they'd fought before. However, that didn't stop Dracmon from enacting his part of the plan, as he was able to snag Miu’s purse while Arukenimon was taunting the others.

“Feeling fatigued, are you?” Arukenimon cackled, “Unfortunately for you, I’m just warming up! Spider Thread!”

Arukenimon shot razor-sharp webbing from her hands. Greymon, Diatrymon, and Dobermon were bound by the webs, and the more they tried to wiggle free, the deeper the webbing would cut into their skin.

“Kaito, I’m goin’ in!” Dracmon said.

“Are you crazy? You’ll get destroyed!” Kaito yelled.

Dracmon ran past the three other digimon and confronted Arukenimon directly.

“And what are you going to do, little man?” Arukenimon said.

“Ochiul coșmarului (Eye of Nightmare)!” Dracmon shouted as he fired red and green energy blasts from the corresponding eyes in his hands, putting Arukenimon into a daze.

“Tell me, Kaito, what do you want?” Dracmon asked.

“Huh?!” a baffled Kaito said.

Dracmon noticed Arukenimon returning to her senses and panicked, "Grabă (Hurry), Kaito! Tell me what you want, and I'll make it happen!”

“I want the power to protect my sister from anything that may hurt her!” Kaito said.

“Say no more.” Dracmon said with his body glowing, Kaito’s desires manifested in potent energy.

“Dracmon, Evoluează în (Evolves into)..! Sangloupmon!”

In the blink of an eye, Sangloupmon used the blades on his paws to free Greymon, Diatrymon, and Dobermon from Arukenimon’s webbing before calling for Minoru and the others in the cable car to brace themselves.

“Lamă autocolant (Sticker Balde)!” Sangloupmon announced as he curled into a ball and hurled thousands of tiny blades in the cable car’s direction in order to cut down the webs holding it in place.

“Alright, Arukenimon, time to get stomped like the bug you are!” Sangloupmon boasted as he turned to find Arukenimon missing.

“Hey guys! We’ll meet you at the top!” Minoru called as the cable car resumed its ascent.

“Got it!” Takuma replied.

Chapter Text

The group was reunited at the upper cable car platform and brought each other up to speed about what was going on.

“Thanks for the help!” Minoru said, “Sorry for not trusting you.”

“And I'm sorry for being so abrasive.” Kaito said.

“It’s a shame Arukenimon got away, though.” Takuma sighed.

“What a disgusting creature she is.” Shuuji growled.

“Help, somebody, help me, please!” A voice cried.

Everyone looked up and saw a ladybug-like digimon trapped in some webs, having had a run-in with Arukenimon. Agumon skillfully sliced away the webs binding the bug digimon using his claws.

The bug digimon was overjoyed. “Oh, many thanks for helping me! I’m Tentomon; it’s a pleasure to meet you all!” He said.

“Same to you.” Minoru said, “How’d you get stuck up there anyway?”

“I was foraging for some food when I saw Arukenimon chasing a little girl, so I charged in to distract Arukenimon so the little girl could escape.” Tentomon replied.

Kaito perked up, “A little girl? What did she look like?”

“She was wearing a green beanie and a sweater that looked three sizes too big.” Tentomon said.

“Do you know where she went?” Aoi asked.

“I didn't see her escape, but it's safe to assume she went further west.” Tentomon said.

“Thanks for the info, and thank you for helping my sister.” Katio said.

“Don’t mention it, and good luck on finding her!” Tentomon said.

The group made their way westward. During their journey, they came across the radio tower Arukenimon told them about.

“Do you think we should climb the tower in order to get a better idea of where Miu went?” Saki suggested.

“Good idea, Saki.” Takuma said with a wink, causing Saki to blush.

The group scaled up the radio tower and was floored by what they saw. The geography was nothing like their home, proving that they were indeed in another world.

“Why are we surrounded by water?” Kaito said.

“Because Japan is an island nation, you fucking idiot!” Shuuji hissed.

Kaito took a deep breath so as not to blow up at Shuuji. “I know that; I mean, why can we see the water? Since the shrine was in the middle of a mountain range deep in the countryside, too far inland to see the ocean,

“Ha! Takuma’s theory was right all along! Betcha feel stupid now, huh, Shuuji?” Minoru boasted.

“Hey, look over there!” Agumon shouted.

“An amusement park?” Aoi mumbled in awe.

She turned to Kaito, his eyes beginning to water from the mere thought of reuniting with his sister.

"It's only a matter of time, then I’ll get to see Miu again!” Kaito huffed with pride.

“What makes you say that?” Takuma asked.

“Miu’s a kid, and amusement parks are everything a kid could ever want in one place.” Kaito said.

While the others were chatting about their current situation, Ryo was staring into the distance. His mind began to wonder as he slowly processed everything that had happened since the Dokugumon incident.

Watching the professor fall to his death, seeing Fangmon beg for his life as he’s brutalized by shadowy hands, being held hostage by Arukenimon, and now knowing that he was probably going to die in an alternate dimension without anyone knowing or caring, caused him to snap.

“Hey, Ryo, Are you okay?” Saki asked, concerned about her cousin.

“Waaaaaaaaaaaaaaugh!” Ryo screamed, “We’re all gonna die; we’re all gonna die!” Ryo then bolted down the tower into parts unknown.

“Ryo! Come back!” Minoru said.

“This is bad. Let’s go, guys!” Takuma said.

Ryo’s breakdown brought him to the old iron bridge in the middle of the valley, where he fell to his knees and began bawling his eyes out. Arukenimon and Cyclomon, the digimon Kaito saw earlier, were approaching him.

“Please, somebody get me out of here! I don’t wanna be here anymore!” Ryo wailed.

“Aw, don’t worry, baby boy; mummy will take you back home.” Arukenimon cooed.

“Stay away from me!” Ryo said.

“Now is that any way to talk to mommy?” Arukenimon said, visibly upset.

“You’re not my mummy; you betrayed me!” Ryo said, “My mother was a loyal woman and far more loving than you will ever be!”

Arukenimon’s patience began to wear thin; she outstretched her hand as she commanded Cyclomon to attack. Takuma and the rest of the group arrived not long after.

“Crap, I forgot about him!” Kaito said, referring to Cyclomon.

“Ryo! Get out of there! Let us handle this!” Saki said.

Ryo stood motionless as Greymon, Diatrymon, Dobermon, and Sangloupmon rushed past him, ready for battle. Saki approached Ryo to try and get him out of harm’s way, and while she was escorting him, he began to whisper to himself.

“I’m sorry, mum; I’m just not strong enough.” Ryo said.

“Kunemon?! What are you doing? Get out of the way!” Greymon shouted.

The two cousins turned around and saw Kunemon in the middle of the battle against Cyclomon, trying to help, but she was only distracting Greymon’s team and was overall a liability.

“Keewy,kew kew!” Kunemon cried as she spewed an electrified strand of silk at Cyclomon.

Unfortunately, the most Kunemon’s attack did was cause Cylomon’s muscles to tense up a bit. The dragon man digimon brushed away the electrified silk and made a b-line toward Kunemon, giving the larval digimon a hardy backhand, sending her flying off of the bridge.

“KUNEMON!” Ryo cried as he broke free from Saki’s grasp and dove head first off the bridge after his partner.

“D-did Ryo just?” Minoru said, trying to hold back tears.

“No. No. No!” Saki said in tears.

“Hahaha! Quit it with the crocodile tears. You didn't really care about him.” Cyclomon taunted.

Saki fell to her knees and bawled her eyes out.

“Why did I let him go? It’s all my fault!” Saki sobbed.

“Snap out of it, Saki!” Floramon said, “I know you didn't let go of Ryo’s arm on purpose, and I know that you truly care for people.”

“But Ryo,”

“No buts! What happened to Ryo was a tragedy, so let's make sure history doesn't repeat itself."

Saki wiped her tears and rose to her feet, filled with a newfound fighting spirit.

“Floramon! Please lend me your strength!” Saki said.

“That’s the spirit, Saki!” Floramon cheered as she began to glow.

“Floramon, digivolve to…! Kiwimon!”

Meanwhile, Ryo and Kunemon had fallen into the river at the base of the valley. Ryo came up for air and began frantically looking for Kunemon.

“Kunemon! Where are you?” Ryo called.

“Keww!” Kunemon chirped from the riverbank.

Ryo heaved a sigh of relief, swam to shore, and embraced his digimon partner.

“I’m so glad you’re okay.” Ryo said, “But what you did was reckless and foolhardy. Don't ever do that again, y’hear?”

Kunemon nodded in remorse before turning her attention to a strange figure who was standing atop the water. The figure was a young woman in her early to mid-20s, wearing a shrine maiden outfit.

“Who are you? How are you standing on the water?” Ryo asked the woman.

“Be not afraid; I’m not here to hurt you.” The woman said, “Your friends are on that bridge fighting, are they not?”

“Yeah, Kunemon got caught in the crossfire and was thrown off the bridge, so I jumped after her to make sure she was safe.” Ryo explained.

“It seems that you and the little one have quite a strong bond.” The maiden said,

Ryo had a solemn look on his face. “To be honest, I don’t think we do.” He said, “Whenever other people are around, I act like a complete twat to her. And even though I don’t mean any of the things I say, I feel like my apologies aren't genuine.”

“Why do you feel the need to hide your true feelings about Kunemon from your peers?”

“Before she died, my mother told me to be strong, and I reckoned that in order to do that, I needed to hide my emotions.” Ryo said, "But I guess that I was showing people how weak I really was.”

Ryo sat Kunemon on the ground and kneeled down to meet her.

“Kunemon, I’m sorry for being so nasty to you. I want us to start fresh. From now on, I’ll make an earnest effort to be friendlier.” Ryo smiled. “Not just to you, but to everyone on that bridge up there. What do you say, girl?”

With a cheerful squeak, Kunemon leaped into her best friend’s arms as her body began to radiate a warm light. Ryo turned to the shrine maiden and smiled warmly.

“Thanks for the pep talk. I needed that.” Ryo said.

Back on the bridge, the team was still fighting Cyclomon. Even if he was outnumbered, Cyclomon was holding his own against his foes, using his muscular right arm for offense and defense.

“This isn't working! We can’t keep mindlessly wailing on him until he keels over.” Takuma said.

“We need a strategy," Aoi said.

“You don’t think that roided-up arm is messing with his balance, do you?” Minou suggested.

“True, but that poses another problem: How do we knock him over?” Kaito said.

Suddenly, a gust of wind blew past as a large black and yellow insect digimon flew past.

“Use your Deadly Sting attack!” A familiar voice commanded.

The insect digimon pointed her abdomen at Cyclomon and fired three missile-like stingers laced with venom that pierced the reptilian digimon’s muscular arm, causing it to go numb.

“Is that Ryo?” Shuuji said in disbelief.

“Yeah, and it looks like Kunemon digivolved too!” Saki said, overjoyed.

“Do it now!” Greymon said.

The digimon launched their attacks in unison at Cyclomon, who was unable to defend due to the effects of Flymon’s venom. A barrage of fireballs, razor blades, ultrasonic sound waves, explosive Chibi Kiwimon, and venom-laced stingers struck the Cyclops digimon head-on.

When the smoke cleared, Cyclomon tearfully limped away as Ryo and Flymon descended onto the bridge and reunited with their friends.

“What happened down there, dude? Wait, are you a ghost?” Minoru said as he poked Ryo’s cheek.

“Well, the fact that you’re poking me should answer the latter question.” Ryo chuckled.

“Still doesn't answer what happened down there.” Minoru said.

“It turns out there is a river underneath this bridge, and while Kunemon and I were sitting on the riverbank, I had an epiphany.” Ryo said, "A shrine maiden was standing atop the water across from me and helped me to realize what my mum’s last words to me really meant.”

Minoru winced a bit and said, “Damn, I didn’t know you lost your mom. Sorry about what I said.”

Ryo shook his head and said, “I should be the one apologizing to all of you. When you were all trying to reach out, all I did was push you away. So let's start over. My name is Ryo Tominaga. It’s a pleasure to meet you all.”

Saki embraced her cousin with tears of joy flowing from her eyes. Ryo smiled warmly and hugged her back. Seeing this display of familial love made Kaito smile as he thought of Miu.

“It’s getting pretty late. Let’s head back to base and get some rest.” Takuma said.

“But what about Miu?” Kaito said worriedly.

Aoi reassured him and said, “I promise, tomorrow we’ll have Labramon track her down using the scent from her purse and make a b-line for the amusement park.”

“Fine.” Kaito sighed.

“Good, now hurry up, before the fog rolls in!” Aoi giggled.

Kaito took a few extra moments to admire Aoi as she walked into the distance. He was awoken from his trance when Dracmon decided to tease him.

“So, when’s the wedding, Amic (Buddy)?" Dracmon said.

Kaito snapped back to reality, red in the face. “Sh-shut up!” He spluttered.

Dracmon cackled mischievously as he jogged to the rest of the group, with Kaito following close behind.

Chapter Text

Deep in a dark and foreboding factory stood a cloaked figure. He was surrounded by several digimon who had sworn allegiance to him. Arukenimon and Cyclomon rushed into the chamber and bowed in reverence in front of the cloaked figure.

“Arukenimon, Cyclomon, since you’ve returned empty-handed, I assume you were unsuccessful in capturing the children.” The cloaked man boomed.

The two of them trembled at their master’s words, fearing that she would meet the same fate as Fangmon. After an ominous pause, the cloaked figure spoke once more.

“Do you at least have an idea about where they'll be headed next?”

“Yes sir! I overheard that the brats were going to the amusement park to the west.” Arukenimon said, “I was able to chase the smallest one there, so the others will be looking for her.”

“I see. Garurumon! Monzaemon!” The cloaked man called.

The two digimon who were standing by immediately perked up and stood at attention. Monzaemon had the appearance of a yellow teddy bear, and Garurumon sported a fur coat as black as night, accented by silver stripes.

“Yes sir?” They said in unison.

“Your assignment is to locate and capture those children at the amusement park. I trust that you will make me proud," the cloaked man said.

“Understood!” Garurumon and Monzaemon said as they departed from the factory.

Later in the afternoon, Takuma, Ryo, and Minrou were talking while playing catch with a football that Kunemon found in the gym.

“So after your mom died, you moved in with Saki and her parents?” Takuma said.

“Yep, when Saki said she wanted to go to camp, they had me go with her to make sure she was safe.” Ryo replied.

“Was your mom your uncle’s sister or your aunt’s?” Minoru asked.

“My uncle’s,”

“You’re the closest thing Saki has to an older brother, correct?” Takuma said sheepishly.

“Yeah, why?”

“I want to ask you a question regarding her.” Takuma said.

Ryo shook his head and smiled. “Yes, Takuma. You have my blessing to date Saki.”

Takuma blushed. “How did you know I was gonna ask you about that?”

“C'mon, dude, don't act like we have seen how you and her look at each other.” Minoru teased.

The three boys' conversation was interrupted when they heard Kaito and Shuuji having a heated argument in the cafeteria.

“It’s dangerous out there!” Shuuji yelled.

“All the more reason to look for Miu!” Kaito replied.

“Well, who’s to say she’s even still alive?” Shuuji shouted.

Everyone looked at Shuuji in pure disdain, utterly appalled that he would even think to say such a thing about Miu to her brother’s face.

“Sh-shuuji! Why would you say that?” Lopmon said.

Shuuji answered Lopmon’s question by slamming the heel of his shoe onto Lopmon’s ear, eliciting the little rabbit to let out a sharp yelp in pain. Saki scooped Lopmon into her arms and hurried to the nurse’s office, but not before staging daggers at Shuuji.

“I don't know why you all are looking at me like that; I was just speaking objectively.” Shuuji scoffed.

“So you’re saying that Miu is objectively doomed?!” Kaito said.

“You said it, not me.”

It took every ounce of willpower Kaito had to not start beating the life out of Shuuji.

“As the leader of this group, I am responsible for the lives of everyone here.” Shuuji said, “It is up to me to weigh the options and make the most prudent decisions.”

“Some leader you are! All you’ve done is be an asshole to everyone."Kaito said, “Admit it. You don’t care about our safety; you just want to order people around!”

“Hmph, I should have known that a hoodlum wouldn't know the first thing about leadership.” Shuuji scoffed, causing Kaito to explode in anger.

When Saki returned from nursing Lopmon’s ear, the two boys were still arguing at the top of their lungs. Everyone was tired of listening to them fight. Aoi told Haru and Miyuki to cover each other's ears. She took a deep breath and let it all out.

"Kaito! Shuuji! Both of you need to SHUT! THE! FUCK! UP!” Aoi bellowed.

“Ooh, Aoi said the fuck word again.” Minoru said under his breath; unfortunately for him, however, Ryo was in earshot. He elbowed Minoru and gave him a disapproving look.

“Kaito, arguing with Shuuji isn’t going to get Miu back.” Aoi said, “And Shuuji, if you’re going to be the team leader, then you need to realize that part of being a leader is helping your teammates when they’re in trouble.

“Do I make myself clear?”

“Yes, Ma’am.” Kaito answered.

Shuuji wasn't listening to a word Aoi had said; he was simply wondering who gave her the authority to speak to her upperclassman in such a way. While the rest of the group was preparing to leave for the day, Shuuji spoke up.

“And just who are you yelling at, little girl?” Shuuji growled.

“I was yelling at you and Kaito to try and get you two to see sense. I apologize if I offended you.” Aoi said calmly yet firmly.

After what felt like ages of following Miu’s scent, the group finally made it to the amusement park.

“Do ya think the rides are working?” Minoru said.

“If the school is anything to go by, then probably not.” Ryo said.

“Miu! It’s me, Kaito! I’m here to save you!”

“Stop right there, by order of her majesty, the queen!” a voice demanded.

The group turned to see three small digimon confronting them. A pink bird named Biyomon, a green plant named Palmon, and a mammal with large wing-like ears named Patamon.

“Who’re you three?” Kaito asked.

“We don’t have to tell you anything, intruders!” Patamon said.

“Well, we’re sorry for intruding; we’re looking for my sister, and we think that she’s somewhere in this park. So if you could please let us pass, that would be appreciated.” Kaito said through gritted teeth.

"Yeah, right, like we’d ever allow kidnappers within the walls of our kingdom!” Palmon said.

“What? No, we're not kidnappers. A few of us almost got kidnapped by Arukenimon!” Ryo said.

“Arukenimon! You guys are working for Arukenimon! Attack!” Biyomon cried.

The queen’s subjects charged forth,ready for a fight. The kids and their digimon weren't particularly concerned, however. Dracmon was able to incapacitate the three attackers with minimal effort, allowing the group to enter the amusement park.

“Hey, Aoi?” Kaito said.

“Yes?” Aoi replied.

“Don’t you think it’s pretty weird that the queen’s subjects not only knew who Arukenimon was but also knew she had an attempted kidnapping record?” Kaito pondered.

Aoi mulled it over. “You don't think Miu is their queen, do you?”

“Only one way to find out.” Kaito said, “And if I were a bettin’ man, I’d say she’d be in that huge castle.”

“Hey, guys! Aoi and I are going to check out that castle. If we’re not back in 15 minutes, then come and look for us. Alright?” Kaito said.

“Why are you two going off on your own?” Shuuji said.

“I don’t want Miu to feel overwhelmed being bombarded by a whole lot of people. We’ll see y’all in a few!” Kaito said as he grabbed Aoi’s hand and ran to the castle.

“So, now what do we do?” Ryo asked while setting a time on his watch.

“We’re going to follow Kaito and Aoi. Now come on!” Shuuji ordered.

“You have fun with that.” Minoru said.

Shuuji rolled his eyes and stomped towards the castle, much to the relief of the rest of the group.

“Words cannot describe how much I hate that man.” Haru said.

“Hate that man.” Miyuki repeated.

Kaito and Aoi arrived at the castle’s throne room. Kaito was about to open the door; however, Aoi put a hand on his shoulder to stop him.

“Are you sure that Miu is the queen of this place?” Aoi said nervously.

Kaito took a deep breath and nodded as he opened the huge, ornamental door. The two teenagers walked around the throne room, calling Miu’s name, for several minutes until they were interrupted.

“There you two are!” Shuuji said angrily, “What made you think it was a good idea to leave the rest of us behind, boy?”

Kaito said nothing.

“I know you hear me, delinquent!”

“Who the FUCK is making all that damn noise!?” A familiar voice shouted.

“Miu?” Kaito gasped.

The curtain at the opposite edge of the room was pushed aside to reveal none other than Miu Shinonome sitting upon her throne, legs crossed, looking very annoyed.

“Miu! Thank goodness I found you, and you’re not hurt!" Kaito cheered with tears in his eyes, running toward Miu to give her a hug.

Miu snapped her fingers, and a mollusk digimon emerged from behind the throne and pelted Kaito with dozens of black pearls, knocking him back.

"What the hell was that for?” Kaito said.

“Personal Fucking Space, retard.” Miu snarled.

“Watch your mouth, young lady!” Aoi scolded.

“Earlier today, you told Kaito and I to, and I quote, ‘Shut the fuck up.’ You have no room to talk.” Shuuji said.

“That’s irrelevant.” Aoi growled.

“Kaito, why the fuck are you always stiking your nose in my business?” Miu asked.

“Because I want what’s best for you!” Kaito said.

“If you really wanted the best for me, you’d let me do things on my own once in a while and let me learn from my mistakes!” Miu shouted back.

“Miu, you are a child!” Kaito retorted.

“I am thirteen years of age, Kaito! And I’m only getting older! You can’t keep me in the nest my whole life!” Miu said.

The rest of the group had arrived before the fifteen minutes had passed because they could hear shouting all the way from the central plaza.

“What’s going on?” Takuma said.

“Kaito and Miu are having a family dispute.” Aoi said.

“You’re just mad that I was intentional and you were a mistake!” Miu yelled.

Everyone’s jaw dropped as Kaito fell to his knees and began crying hysterically while Miu looked on with a malicious smirk on her face.

“Sh-she’s right, I was a mistake!” Kaito sobbed.

“Come now, Kaito. You aren't a mistake; you’re just a happy accident.” Minoru said.

“Miu, apologize to your brother right now!” Aoi said sternly, “What you said was absolutely disgusting!”

“No shit, Sherlock, that’s why I fucking said it.” Miu quipped.

“I don't appreciate your tone.” Aoi said.

"Funny you should say that; neither do I.” Miu stated.

Miu scowled, looked over the room full of teenagers, and turned to her partner digimon.

“Shakomon,” Miu said coldly.

“Yes, Miu?” Shakomon said.

“Send them to the dungeon.” Miu ordered.

“Are you sure you want to do such a thing to your brother?” Shakomon said in shock.

Miu glared at her partner, signaling to the mollusk that this was indeed what she wanted. With a heavy heart and a sorrowful look in her eyes, Shakomon flipped the switch behind Miu’s throne, causing the entire room to shake.

“What’s happening?” Saki wailed.

“I could have sworn she said something about a dungeon!” Ryo said.

At the drop of a hat, the floor the older teens were standing on opened like a trap door, causing everyone standing atop it to fall into a pitch-black hole.

Chapter Text

“Ouch! Is everyone okay?” Takuma asked. His question was met with numerous groans: “I’ll take that as a no.” He said.

“What kind of lunatic would build something like this?” Minoru asked.

“How do your parents manage that girl, Kaito?” Aoi asked.

“That’s the thing; they don’t. She's been my responsibility ever since my family moved.” Kaito sighed.

Ryo placed a hand on Kaito’s shoulder and said, “I know how you feel, bruv, growing up without your parents.”

“Thanks, Ryo.” Kaito said.

Minoru was investigating the iron bars of the cell they were all in and pondered to himself.

“Do you guys think one of the digimon can fit through these bars and get someone to help us?”

“Lopmon’s the smallest. Maybe he can do it.” Floramon said.

“You all really think I can do it?” Lopmon said in disbelief.

“I don’t. In fact, I hope you get stuck.” Shuuji said.

“Don’t listen to him; the rest of us believe in you!” Saki said.

Lopmon tried to squeeze his body in between the cell bars while everyone except Shuuji, Kunemon, and Miyuki was chanting his name. But try as he might, Lopmon couldn't get his head through the bars.

“Ha! I told you he couldn't do it!” Shuuji boasted.

“He did his best, and that’s all that matters.” Saki said.

“If that was his best, I'd hate to see his worst.” Shuui scoffed.

“So you were the ones making all that racket.” A voice said, “It looks like her Rowdiness went a bit trigger happy with her imprisonment tactics.”

The group turned to see a digimon with the appearance of an old man, with long white hair covering his eyes, holding a staff.

“Who’re you?” Minoru asked.

“I am Jijimon. And like the rest of you, I had an audience with Her Rowdiness. One thing led to another, and the next thing I knew, I was down here.”

“By ‘Her Rowdiness', I assume you mean my sister, Miu?” Kaito said.

Jijimon nodded. “Why, yes, I do. Now if you all could stand back a bit.”

The group backed away from the wall as Jijimon took aim and swung his staff at the cell lock, shattering it and allowing everyone to escape. With Jijimon escorting them.

"Y'know, for an old dude, you pack quite the punch!" Minoru said.

“Don’t be rude.” Aoi said.

“Now, I’m sure all of you have had several questions on your minds ever since you arrived in this world.” Jijimon said.

“Yeah. How do we get home?” Shuuji said.

“Be patient, whippersnapper. I have to tell you why you're here first.” Jijimon chuckled.

Shuuji scowled at Jijimon as he continued his explanation.

“This world is known as the digital world, as it is sustained by human technology. It wasn’t always like that; however, before the advancement of human technology, this world was far more primitive.

“Instead of digimon, there were kemonogami, and unlike digivolution, a kemonogami’s evolution was a long and grueling process. During this time, a great battle took place between the five kemonogami sovereigns and a malevolent force simply known as the master.

“Sadly, the sovereigns were unsuccessful in defeating the master; their leader was killed in battle, and the remaining four exiled themselves to the four corners of the world.” Jijimon said.

“Is there any chance that all the digimon that attacked us are working for the master?” Takuma asked.

“And what about those shadowy hands in the fog?” Ryo said.

“The fog is a sign that the master’s foot soldiers are near; the foot soldiers can take many forms depending on rank. And as for Takuma’s question, if Her Rowdiness’ words are to be believed, then the master’s time may soon be running out.” Jijimon said.

Some time later, the group finally reached the surface. Several hours have passed since they were imprisoned, and the sun had started to set.

“Let me get this straight. The eight of us were sent to another dimension, and presumably, our only way home is by killing a primordial demon?” Saki asked shakily.

“I know! Bitchin’ right?” Minoru said.

“Dude, read the room.” Takuma said.

Miu’s subjects, Patamon, Palmon, and Biyomon, were running away from the park in terror.

“Run away!” Palmon cried.

“Enemy attack!” Patamon yelled.

“You three, what’s going on?” Kaito said.

“Oh, it’s you. Well, we’ve got bigger problems right now.” Patamon said.

“Yeah, a group of enemies more dangerous than you guys started wreaking havoc, and they’re after the queen!” Biyomon said.

“Don’t worry, those creeps won’t lay a finger on Miu while we’re around.” Kaito said, “Let’s go!”

As everyone else followed Kaito back into the amusement park, Shuuji had his feet firmly planted in the ground with no intention of moving.

“I’m staying here; have fun getting yourselves killed!” Shuuji said mockingly.

“Don’t be like that, Shuuji. We should go and help!” Lopmon said.

“Shut! Up!” Shuuji yelled as he grabbed Lopmon by his ear and threw him into a nearby tree.

As the group was running through the amusement park, Jijimon told them about the baby digimon that were still trapped, prompting Takuma to devise a strategy.

“Alright, team, here's the plan. Kaito and Dracmon will go and look for Miu; Ryo and Kunemon will fly over head and survey the entire park; Saki, Jijimon, and Miu’s subjects will rescue all of the baby digimon that could get to safety; and as for the rest of you, you’re with me!” Takuma said.

“And remember, you all can keep in touch using your digivices!” Jijimon said.

Everyone nodded and left to go fulfill their respective parts of the plan. Kaito and Dracmon searched the castle from top to bottom; the last place they decided to look was the throne room.

“Are you sure that Miu is still in the castle, frate (brother)?” Dracmon doubtfully said.

“Don’t throw in the towel just yet; there’s still one thing I haven't tried yet.” Kaito said, “If this doesn't work, then she’s for sure not in here.”

Kaito cleared his throat and took a deep breath. “The best part of waking up,” he sang.

There was a prolonged silence. Dracmon stared at his partner, perplexed, until a treasure chest propped against the wall burst open.

“Is not giving a fuck!” Miu sang as she revealed her and Shakomon’s hiding spot, “Dammit.”

The Shinonome siblings departed from the castle on the back of Sangloupmon, with Miu complaining every step of the way.

“Remind me why I have to go with you again.” Miu sighed.

“Jijimon told us that if we defeat Arukenimon’s master, then we might be able to go back home.” Kaito said, “And we need all the help we can get.”

“We might be able to return home, implying that even if we do defeat her master, we’ll still be stuck here.” Miu argued.

“It’s the best chance we have; now hush so I can call Ryo.” Kaito said, “Ryo, this is Kaito; I’ve found Miu. Where do you need us to go?”

“Meet up with Takuma and the others near the ferris wheel. I'll tell Saki to meet us there once she's finished with the babies." Ryo said.

“Got it,” Kaito said.

When Kaito arrived at the ferris wheel, he expected to see Arukenimon again, but he was surprised to see Takuma, Minoru, and Aoi fighting two digimon he’d never seen before.

“Who are these guys?” Kaito asked.

“Some more of the master’s henchmen, no doubt.” Takuma said.

“Who would have thought a giant teddy bear could put up such a fight?” Minoru said.

Sangloupmon joined his comrades in the battle against Monzaemon and Garurumon, and a few minutes later, Saki, Ryo, and their digimon arrived. Miu stood behind her peers, frustrated that she didn't have anything to do.

“Dammit! I don’t wanna stand around and do nothing while everyone else is doing their part.” Miu said.

“But what can we do? I can’t digivolve, and you’re just a kid!” Shakomon said.

“Stop that! You’re sounding like Kaito. Jijimon said that if we want to get home, everyone has to chip in.” Miu said, “I’m tired of being helpless; I want to prove once and for all that I can take care of business by myself, just like Kaito!”

“Your wish is my command!” Shakomon shouted as she began to glow.

“Shakomon, Digivolve to…! Shellmon!

Shellmon wasted no time and leaped into action, using her durable shell to block Garurumon’s FoxFire attack from hitting Sangloupmon. Kaito turned around and saw Miu standing proudly with a shit-eating grin on her face.

“Look who needs to be protected now!” Miu teased.

“Whatever.” Kaito sighed. “Just try not to get in the way.”

Shellmon doused the lingering flames with her Hydro Pressure attack. Then, she retreated into her shell and began to spin at a high speed, allowing her to launch herself towards Monzaemon.

Monzaemon tried to hold Shellmon back, but the force of her attack was making him lose his footing.

“Garurumon! Help me!” Monzaemon cried.

Garurumon glanced at his ally, then turned to the kids and growled, “I underestimated your numbers. Monzaemon, you’re on your own!” Garurumon said, and he swiftly escaped.

“You coward!” Monzaemon yelled as his feet finally lost traction, allowing Shellmon to slam Monzaemon into the ferris wheel’s support beams. The impact was strong enough to instantly break the puppet digimon’s back, rendering him immobile.

The group exited the amusement park and reunited with Jijimon and Shuuji.

“I can’t believe Garurumon would just abandon his ally like that.” Takuma said.

“Neither can I. If anyone tried to pull a stunt like that with us, I don’t know what I’d do.” said Kaito sternly.

“Welcome back, chosen children! Many thanks for all of your help in our time of need.” Jijimon said.

“Jijimon? How’d you get out of your cell?” Miu asked.

“I may not look it, but I’m a bona fide mega-level digimon!” Jijimon chuckled.

The chosen children were thoroughly confused.

“Um, good for you, I guess?” Minoru said.

"Oh, silly me. You all don’t know about the levels of digivolution. Do you?” Jijimon said.

The chosen children shook their heads.

Jijimon smiled behind his beard and said, “I suppose one more lecture wouldn't hurt. Now, broadly speaking, digivolution levels denote how powerful a digimon is. When a Digimon undergoes digivolution, it will typically become a Digimon of a higher level.

“After a Digimon hatches from a Digitama, there are six levels of natural digivolution a Digimon may experience during its life. From weakest to strongest, they are: baby, in-training, rookie, champion, perfect, and mega.

“I’ve heard legends about a digivolution level above that of mega, the ultra level, but mega-level digimon like myself are rare enough as is, so I’m fairly skeptical.” Jijimon said.

“So that’s why Arukenimon was so tough.” Kaito said.

Jijimon’s information caused Shuuji to ponder.

“If I find a way to make Lopmon digivolve past the Champion level, then these lowlifes will have no choice but to listen to my commands, lest they end up as an example for potential dissenters.” Shuuji thought, maniacally chuckling to himself.

After some banter, the chosen children said their goodbyes and began to make their way back to base until they were stopped by Jijimon, who tossed a key to Takuma.

“What’s this for?” Takuma asked.

“That’s the key for the lock I made that bars entry to the underground waterway near the eastern dam. I figured you all would make better use of it than me.” Jijimon said.

“Thank you!” said Takuma as he led the rest of the group back to the school.

That night, Takuma and Agumon were sitting in the cafeteria, pondering about what the group, which Minoru dubbed the “Digidestend,” would do next. When he heard footsteps approaching,

“Hey, Takuma,” Saki said.

“Oh, hey Saki. What's up?” said Takuma.

“I’m taking Lopmon to the bathroom.” Saki said.

“What’s he doing with you?”

“Shuuji has been kicking him out of the boys room, so I offered to let him sleep with me.”

Takuma tapped Agumon on the shoulder and said, “Could you take Lopmon to the bathroom so Saki and I can talk?”

“Sure! Come on, Lopmon.” Agumon cheerfully said.

“O-okay.” Lopmon said.

As the two Digimon left the cafeteria, Saki walked to Takuma’s table and sat down.

“I hate how Shuuji treats him. Quite frankly, I hate how he treats all of us, but I mainly hate the way he treats Lopmon.” sighed Saki.

“Neither do I.” Takuma said, “The most we can do is try to convince him that what he's doing is wrong.”

Saki smiled softly at Takuma before watching the doorway, waiting for Lopmon and Agumon to return. Takuma gazed at the blonde girl; he was mesmerized by how the moonlight enhanced her natural beauty.

“Did you know that you're beautiful?” Takuma said.

Saki was taken aback as she replied, “Where is this coming from?”

Takuma shrugged while smiling.

Saki giggled and rose from her seat. She walked over to Takuma while giving him a sultry gaze. She positioned herself perpendicular to Takuma and plopped into his lap, causing the boy to blush profusely.

“Don't get me wrong; I'm not complaining, but why?” Takuma asked.

“Because you're quite the handsome lad. If I do say so myself.” Saki cooed, letting her accent slip out.

“I always wondered whether you had an accent.”

“Well, wonder no more~”

Saki leaned in and gave Takuma a tender kiss on his lips. Takuma kissed her back and wrapped his arms around Saki's waist to pull her closer. The two of them stayed like that for several minutes before being interrupted.

“Um, excuse me, I'm ready to go back to sleep now.” Lopmon said innocently.

Saki got up from Takuma’s lap and scooped Lopmon into her arms, caressing his back like a baby.

“Night, Agumon.” Saki said, “Goodnight, Takuma~”

“Goodnight, you two.” Takuma said, the five minutes with Saki were still fresh in his mind.

“What were you and Saki doing?” Agumon asked.

“You don't need to know.” Takuma smugly said.

“But I want to know!” Agumon whined

“Too bad, it's none of your business.” Takuma boasted as he and Agumon ascended the stairs and went to bed.

Chapter Text

At the front gates of a palace stood all but one of the Digidestend. They were talking amongst themselves until Lopmon emerged from the huge doors and blew his trumpet.

“Hear ye! Hear ye! His majesty, the High King Kayama, has arrived!” Lopmon cried.

The rest of the Digidestend frantically organized themselves into two single file lines on either side of the pathway. Shuuji exited the palace, backed by a glorious fanfare. He was wearing a crown adorned with numerous gemstones and a regal suit decorated with many glistening badges.

As Shuuji passed by the Digidestend, Minoru broke formation and said, “Yo, Shuuji!”

Shuuji turned around and stared daggers at Minoru and said, “That’s ‘your majesty’ to you! How dare you refer to me so casually?”

Minoru ran up to Shuuji, ignoring the latter’s outburst, grabbed onto his shoulders, and began to shake the older boy.

“Unhand me! Guards! Seize this maniac at once and have him arrested!” Shuuji yelled.

“Shuuji, wake up!” Minoru said.

Shuuji’s eyes shot open as he saw Minoru looming over him.

“Rise and shine, sleeping beauty!” Minoru quipped.

Shuuji ignored Minoru’s remark and left the room without saying a word. He went outside and spotted Lopmon picking berries from the bushes.

“Look at that stupid creature; he and his kind are nothing but trouble. Going so far as to pretend to be human is disgusting.” Shuuji muttered under his breath.

While Shuuji was ranting to himself, Lopmon finished picking his berries and began to head back to the school.

“Shuuji, look! I picked some berries for us to share! Did I do a good job?” Lopmon asked eagerly.

Shuuji glared at the chocolate bunny, grabbed the small box he was holding, and flung it as far away as he could, making Lopmon’s work go in vain.

“Why did you do that? I worked really hard picking those berries,” said Lopmon while crying.

“Because those berries were poisonous, you little shit!” Shuuji snarled, “You were probably trying to kill me!”

“I wasn’t, I swear! It was an honest mistake! I didn't know! I’m so sorry!” Lopmon wailed.

“Pfft, sorry is an understatement. You’re absolutely pathetic.” Shuuji scoffed as he harshly picked Lopmon up by his ear. “Now come on! We have business to attend to.”

In the gymnasium, Floramon was watching Saki pace the floor with a troubled look on her face when Takuma and Agumon appeared.

“Hey, Saki,” Takuma said.

“Hey, Takuma,” Saki sighed as she embraced her boyfriend.

“What’s wrong, hun?” Takuma asked.

“I’m worried about Lopmon. He said he was going to pick some berries to give to Shuuji, but I haven’t heard from him since.”

“Agumon and I will go and look for him and make sure he’s safe. Okay?” Takuma said.

“Thanks, baby.” Saki smiled.

The couple shared a quick goodbye kiss when Takuma set off with Agumon to look for their friend. Some time later, Takuma and Agumon found Shuuji and Lopmon in the forest. He was yelling and throwing nuts at Lopmon.

“Useless waste of space! Don’t tell me you can’t do a single push-up!” Shuuji yelled.

“B-but it’s hard.” Lopmon whimpered.

“So will the kick I’ll give you if you don’t stop complaining!” Shuuji said while preparing a kick.

“Knock it off, Shuuji!” Takuma hollered as he and Agumon emerged from the bushes.

“Get lost, boy! This doesn't concern you!” Shuuji ordered.

“You’re hurting my friend; it does concern me.” Takuma sternly said.

“Did you forget what I told you before we came to this world?” Shuuji asked, “Stay in a child's place, and stop trying to be a hero.”

“If staying in a child’s place means allowing my friends to be abused, then I’m gladly taking every opportunity to escape.” Takuma said as he hoisted Lopmon into his arms and began to return to the school.

“Figures a child won’t know what rigorous training is.” Shuuji sneered.

“What you were doing to Lopmon wasn’t training. You were bullying him.” Takuma said, “What you’re doing here is wrong, Shuuji, and the sooner you realize that, the sooner Lopmon will get stronger.”

After the Digidestined’s meeting, the party wasted no time in returning to the dam, most of them eager and terrified at what they would find in the waterway.

“Hey, Minoru, whatcha reckon we’ll find in the waterway?” Ryo asked.

“Water?” Minoru said.

“Very funny, mate. But seriously, I’m kind of anxious about what’s down there.” Ryo said.

“When we were on the radio tower, I noticed that there was another island to the north. Maybe it's an underground passage there.” Aoi pondered.

“Can you three shut up?” Shuuji said.

“Why? They aren't bothering you.” Kaito said.

“Their voices are annoying.” Shuuji replied.

“To you, they are, but not to us! Minoru, Ryo, and Aoi were just minding their own business, until you wanted to be nosy and start some shit!” Miu said, “If anyone is an annoyance here, it’s you.”

Shuuji turned menacingly towards Miu with his hands balled into fists, making it very obvious what he wanted to do to the girl. Thankfully, Kaito’s parental instincts did their thing.

“Shuuji. If you so much as lay a single finger upon my sister, I will fashion an anklet out of your diaphragm, and I will shatter your retinas with my bare hands.” Kaito growled with a feral glint in his eye.

“I saw Kaito beat a man half to death before my very eyes. He means every word he just said.” Miu calmly said.

A harsh silence filled the air before Shuuji turned around and continued to hike towards the dam. Kaito exhaled shakily and was clearly holding back tears. Aoi put a hand on his shoulder and gave him a warm smile, and he gave her one in return.

“Hey, Miu, Are you okay?” Haru asked.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” Miu replied as she walked away.

“That’s good.” Haru smiled.

Miyuki playfully elbowed her brother and gave him a sly smirk.

“What’s with that face?” Haru said.

Miyuki folded her arms in response as Haru began to catch on.

“It’s not like that!” Haru said while blushing.

Miyuki tussled Haru’s hair as if to say, “Keep telling yourself that, buddy,” as she ran to catch up with the rest of the group.

“I mean, it’s not like I think Miu’s cute or anything.” Haru pouted.

In the distance, hiding among the bushes, Arukenimon had been watching the whole ordeal and was most intrigued.

“That Shuuji boy, if I could give him the extra nudge he needs to turn against the chosen children and become one of the master’s followers, then I’ll surely enter Piedmon’s good graces.” Arukenimon said as she continued to follow the Digidestined.

After a rather tense hike, the group arrived at the dam. Takuma whipped out Jijimon’s key and was about to open the lock, until Shuuji snatched the key from his hand and directed his attention to Lopmon.

“Lopmon! Count how many handfuls of water are in that river and report back to me.” Shuuji ordered, “And even if you're one handful off, I will make you start over.”

“O-okay, Shuuji! I won't let you down!” Lopmon said.

Lopmon scurried to the riverbank and began to scoop up handfuls of water while counting. As this was happening, Minoru and Miu were in stitches with laughter, Ryo and Kaito were letting out a few chuckles too, and Aoi was trying (and failing) to contain her laughter by hiding her face in Kaito’s shoulder.

Takuma, Miyuki, Haru, and especially Saki were far from amused, however.

“Why the fuck would you make him do that?!” Saki yelled.

“He’s going to be there counting forever!” Takuma added.

“I couldn't care less. As long as he’s keeping to himself and not bothering me.” Shuuji said as he fiddled with the old and rusty padlock.

“Oh, so you’re okay with people minding their own business if it benefits you,” Haru said, “but when three of your peers are shooting the breeze, you want to file a noise complaint?”

Amidst the mix of laughter and arguing, Miyuki walked to the riverbank and whispered something in Lopmon’s ear: “Hey, you can stop counting now.”

“You want me to stop? But Shuuji said,” Lopmon said as he was cut off by Miyuki’s whispers.

“Who cares what that jerk has to say anyway?” Miyuki whispered.

“M-miyuki! That’s not a nice name to call Shuuji!” Lopmon gasped.

Miyuki whispered a question into the bunny’s ear: “He’s not nice to you, so why should I be nice to him?”

“Because he’s my partner, and partners are supposed to be nice to each other.” Lopmon answered.

Miyuki had a pained look on her face and thought, 'Shuuji, what have you been telling this boy? He thinks the way you’re treating him is normal, but that’s not the case.’

Miyuki whispered into Lopmon’s ear one last time, “If you two really are partners, then why does he treat you so poorly?”

Lopmon hesitated to answer Miyuki’s question. Deep down, he knew that Shuuji never did and probably never would love him, but the three-horned rabbit’s naivety (and Stockholm Syndrome) did the talking for him.

“I know Shuuji can change! Ryo treated Kunemon badly too, and now they’re as thick as thieves.” Lopmon said, “If Ryo could change for the better, what's stopping Shuuji from doing the same?”

“Miyuki! Lopmon! It’s time to go!” Haru called.

Miyuki hoisted Lopmon into her arms, much to the latter’s dismay, as she followed the others into the waterway. The pathway was dark, cold, and damp, and the group could barely see what was in front of them.

“How big is this place?” Miu wondered.

“It's big enough to get lost in, that's for sure.” Kaito said.

“Exactly, which is why we should all stick together.” Aoi said.

Suddenly, Kunemon began to tense up and started to growl at something in the distance.

“What is it, girl?” Ryo asked.

Kunemon answered by firing her electric thread at the suspicious area.

“My my! As clever as our last meeting, I see.” Arukenimon said as she emerged from the shadows.

“We don’t have time for your tricks, web witch!” Minoru said.

“Yeah, move, or we’ll make you move.” Ryo threatened.

“I’d love to see you try.” Arukenimon said, “Especially after I do this!”

Without warning, Arukenimon slammed a smoke bomb onto the ground that exploded on impact, filling the corridor with thick smoke. Takuma tried to call out to everybody, but his head started to spin as he slowly lost consciousness.

Chapter Text

After some time had passed, Takuma woke up and found himself alone. He frantically jumped to his feet and started calling for his friends.

“Agumon? Saki? Guys?” Takuma yelled, “Where are you?”

“Takuma? Is that you?” A voice called out.

“Agumon?” Takuma gasped.

The black dinosaur poked his head around the corner, overjoyed to see that his human partner was safe. Takuma and Agumon ran to hug each other but were stopped when a voice yelled at them.

“Takuma! Get away from him! He's lying to you!”

Takuma turned to see another Agumon standing behind him, which left him bewildered.

“Which one of you is the real one?” Takuma said.

“I am!” The two Agumons blurted out.

Takuma sighed as he looked at the two digimon, hoping to find some way to tell them apart. After a few minutes, he started to notice something. The leftmost Agumon’s eyes looked just as they always did; however, the rightmost Agumon’s eyes were far more reptilian and were a different shade of green.

“Agumon, were your eyes always like that?” Takuma asked the Digimon to his right.

“Agumon” fidgeted, clearly surprised by Takuma’s question: “Of course they were! We're partners; you should already know.” He said.

Takuma breathed a huge sigh of relief as he turned to the Agumon on his left and gave him a big hug.

“I knew you’d make the right choice, Takuma!” Agumon said.

“Thanks. But if you’re right here, then who’s that?” Takuma asked, pointing at the other Agumon.

The Agumon imposter smirked as he dropped his disguise. His body grew and his limbs disappeared as he revealed his true form, a seadramon.

Seadramon wasted no time and fired a powerful Ice Blast attack at Takuma and Agumon, the latter of whom countered Seadramon’s attack with his own, creating a large cloud of steam that blocked Takuma and Agumon’s vision long enough for Seadramon to escape.

“Darn! Where’d he go?” Agumon said.

“I don’t know, but one thing’s for sure: if Seadramon could disguise himself to look like you, then he’s definitely going to do the same thing to the others.” Takuma said.

Agumon nodded as he and Takuma set out to look for their friends. After some searching, the duo ran into Aoi, who was looking rather troubled.

“Aoi! Are you alright?” Takuma said.

“Yeah, I’m just a little shaken up.” Aoi replied.

“Why?” Agumon asked.

“A while ago, I found Labramon, but when I spoke to her, she was being rude and called me a bunch of hurtful things before running off.” Aoi sadly said.

With that, Takuma and Agumon had a pretty good idea about what was going on.

“Aoi, the Digimon you spoke to earlier wasn't Labramon.” Takuma said, “It was a Seadramon using a disguise to trick you.”

“The real Labramon is probably looking for you as we speak!” Agumon said.

“Well then, let’s not keep her waiting!” Aoi said.

As the trio ventured through the waterway’s twists and turns, they came across Saki, Miu, and their partners watching two Labramon in a heated argument.

“Hey, you two. What's going on?” Takuma asked.

“For the sake of brevity, Floramon, Shakomon, Miu, and I found out that a Seadramon is impersonating our partner Digimon when he tried mimicking Shakomon.” Saki said.

“And now, the bastard’s taken the form of Labramon, and we can’t tell the difference!.” Miu snarled.

Aoi took a step forward and spoke to the two Labramon, “Labramon! If we were in a tough battle and I was in danger, what would you do?”

“I’d drop everything and make sure you're safe, of course!” the Labramon on the right said.

“Eh, you’re a big girl. You got yourself into that mess; you can get yourself out,” the Labramon on the Left scoffed.

Aoi stretched her arms out toward the rightmost Labramon, who wasted no time in embracing her human partner.

“Aoi! I’m so glad you’re safe!” Labramon cheered.

“Me too!” Aoi said.

Having failed to trick the Digidestined for a third time, Seadramon thought that the best course of action was to regroup with Arukenimon. What he didn't think of, however, was the possibility that the Digidestined would be following him.

“This time, you’re not getting away!” Takuma said.

Seadramon turned around and prepared to launch another Ice Blast attack to use as cover for his escape when...

“Fox Leaf Arrowheads!”

Dozens of razor-sharp leaves were embedded into Seadramon’s back, causing him to writhe in pain and flee, revealing that his attacker was a tall, yellow, fox-like Digimon with purple arm guards.

“Who are you?” Takuma asked the creature.

“My identity is none of your concern,” the fox said as he performed a series of hand gestures and vanished in a whirlwind of leaves.

The whole ordeal left the Digidestined confused, but they decided not to dwell on it as their friends were still missing. Meanwhile, the rest of the Digidestined save for Shuuji were thinking about their next steps. Katio was pacing back and forth, worried sick about Miu.

“We can’t keep sitting here while Miu’s lost!” Kaito said.

“Well, what ideas do you have? Labramon’s not here, so we can’t track Miu’s scent.” Minoru said.

“Besides, Miu and the others are most likely looking for us too; if we start waffling about around here, we all may very well be caught in a wild goose chase.” Ryo added.

Kaito sighed reluctantly and drove his fist into a nearby wall in frustration. This caught the attention of Takuma’s group, who all ran to see who made the noise.

“Guys! Glad to see you're okay.” Takuma said.

“Well, ain't that convenient.” Minoru quipped.

“Hey, you won't catch me complaining." Ryo said.

“Let's do a headcount so we know who else we need to find.” Aoi said.

Calling Roll, Aoi made a mental note of everyone in attendance. When she finished, she had a look of worry on her face.

“Sweet! Everyone’s here! Now we can move on.” Minoru cheered.

“No, we're two people short.” Aoi spoke.

“I know for a fact that Lopmon is still missing, but I've no clue who the other person is.” Saki said coyly.

“You guys can't be serious.” An annoyed Aoi said.

“No offense, but are you sure you did your math right?” Kaito asked.

Aoi placed her hands on her hips and sassily turned to Kaito and said, “As a matter of fact, I did do my math correctly; thank you for asking. Shuuji’s still missing.”

“Nope, nobody’s missing a shoe or anything.” Minoru said.

Aoi glared at Minoru, clearly unamused.

“Do we have to go and look for him, though?” Saki whined.

“I hate Shuuji just as much as you do, but we’d be just as heartless as he is if we just left him here.” Takuma said.

“I guess you’re right, but can we please just say that we’re looking for Lopmon?” Saki sighed.

“Of course.” Takuma said as he kissed Saki’s forehead, “Alright team! Let’s go look for Lopmon and, by extension, Shuuji, but mostly Lopmon!”

Chapter Text

Shuuji roamed the corridors of the waterway with a pensive look on his face. Lopmon was following close behind.

“Shuuji, can we please take a break? I’m really tired, and we’ve been walking for hours.” Lopmon sadly said.

Shuuji ignored the poor rabbit and continued to walk. Lopmon fell over in exhaustion; the last thing he saw before fainting was the boy, whom he believed to be his partner, moving further away without a second thought.

“Lopmon? Lopmon, please answer me!” Saki begged.

Lopmon slowly woke up to find himself being held in Saki’s arms.

“What happened? Are you okay?” Saki asked.

Lopmon looked around in a daze, realized that Shuuji was nowhere to be seen, and began to panic.

“Shuuji! Where’s Shuuji?” Lopmon cried, trying to wriggle out of Saki’s grasp.

“Who cares about him? I’m asking about you!” Saki snapped.

Lopmon began to tear up and said, “I care about him!” as he leaped from Saki’s arms and ran off to go look for Shuuji, leaving Saki to process what she had done.

“Oh, why did I have to snap at him like that? Now he probably hates me.” Saki said sadly.

“I’m sure he doesn't hate you; he's just distressed, is all.” Floramon said.

“You think so?” Saki said.

“I know so!” Floramon replied, “Now let's go follow Lopmon to make sure he’s okay.”

As the other Digidestined followed Lopmon, Shuuji was still patrolling the damp corridors, alone with his thoughts.

“Takuma, Minoru, Aoi, Ryo, Saki, Kaito, Miu, and those demons they call their ‘partners.’ I hate them, I hate them all!” Shuuji growled to himself.

Shuuji's brooding caught the attention of Arukenimon. She slowly emerged from the shadows and spoke to the young man.

“I'm guessing you hate those children as much as I do.”

“And why, pray tell, are you speaking to me?” Shuuji said.

“Well, I've had my eye on you ever since your debacle in the forest earlier today. I thought that since you and I basically share a common enemy, we could form an alliance of sorts.” Arukenimon said.

“And what makes you think I would team up with your kind?” Shuuji scoffed, “All you monsters are the same—a bunch of worthless, barbaric wastes of space.”

Arukenimon was genuinely offended by Shuuji's blatant prejudice but regained her composure and cleared her throat.

“Anyway, I overheard you talking about how you wanted more power, correct?”

Shuuji perked up and said, “And what if I do?”

“Then I know exactly how you can obtain all the strength you desire.” Arukenimon said.

Shuuji was still skeptical. “What’s the catch?” he asked.

“All I ask is that, in exchange for me giving you immense power, you must use that power to kill just one of the Chosen Children and bring them to me.” Arukenimon said.

Shuuji turned around and was very confused. “That’s it?”

“That’s it. We’ll bring one of the children to my master; he’ll offer that child as a sacrifice, which will open a gate to the human world.”

Shuuji was now giving Arukenimon his undivided attention, “which means I can finally be rid of this backwater place forever! And with my new power, only a fool would dare to defy me!”

“So I take it; you accept my offer?” Arukenimon said with an outstretched hand.

Shuuji grinned devilishly as he proceeded to shake the perfect-level Digimon’s hand.

“Now then, Arukenimon. Tell me everything you know.”

The Digidestined were following Lopmon’s scent; however, their search proved unsuccessful as they walked for nearly an hour with no sign of the bunny anywhere.

“Lopmon? I don't blame you for being mad at me. I'm mad at myself too.” Saki said.

“Tell you what. Tomorrow morning, I'll make a special breakfast just for you!” Aoi said.

Lopmon slowly poked his head from around the corner and said, “You promise?”

“I promise.” Aoi smiled.

Lopmon walked towards Saki with his head hung in shame. Saki crouched down and gave Lopmon a gentle head pat.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you, Lopmon.” Saki said, “I’ll make it up to you by helping you look for Shuuji, okay?”

“Okay.” Lopmon said.

Saki hoisted Lopmon into her arms as she and the Digidestined pressed onward.

Back with Shuuji, Arukenimon was observing carefully as Shuuji had his arms wrapped around Seadramon’s neck. The latter was immensely uncomfortable.

"Stop, stop, stop! This isn’t working; trying to biomerge with a Digimon you just met isn’t going to get us anywhere!” Arukenimon said.

“That's what I was trying to tell you!” Seadramon gasped.

“Silence!” Arukenimon shushed, “Now Shuuji, are there any Digimon you can think of that you've had some history with?”

Shuuji pretended to ponder long and hard about Arukenimon’s question; one name immediately came to mind; however, he shuddered at the thought of allying himself with Lopmon or the other Digidestined ever again.

“Shuuji!” Lopmon cried as he ran towards his "partner,” with the other Digidestined not too far behind.

“That’s right! The little rabbit, I almost forgot about him.” Arukenimon said.

“If only I were so lucky.” Shuuji sighed.

“Shuuji, what are you doing with Arukenimon and Seadramon?” Takuma asked.

“We were having a lovely chat until you all had to poke your heads where they didn't belong.” Shuuji said.

“Have you lost the plot? These twats tried to kill us, remember?” Ryo exclaimed.

“I do remember, and I wish they did. At least that way, I'd be back home.” Shuuji coldly said.

“Fuck you mean, ‘I wish they did’?” Miu yelled in disgust.

“Exactly what I said.” Shuuji replied as he forcefully picked up Lopmon by his ear and turned to Seadramon, saying, “I need you to keep the riff-raff busy while Arukenimon and I take care of our business.”

As Shuuji walked off with Lopmon in toe, Seadramon scoffed, “Since when was he in charge?”

“Quit the backtalk and focus on your opponents!” Arukenimon said as she followed after Shuuji.

Seadramon rolled his eyes as he addressed the Digidestined and said, “That’s it! It’s about time you twerps saw me at my full power!”

Seadramon began to glow in the same fashion as the Digidestined’s Digimon when they were digivolving.

“Seadramon, Super Digivolve to…! Mega Seadramon!”

Chapter Text

The Digidestined’s Digimon ascended to their champion forms and began to attack Mega Seadramon.

“Guys, are you sure we should be fighting this guy? I’m worried about what Shuuji meant by ‘taking care of business’.” Saki said.

“Well, it’s not like we have any choice now, do we?” Aoi replied.

“Who’s to say we can’t sneak around him while he’s distracted?” Minoru suggested.

“And who’s to say he won’t see us?” Aoi said.

As Aoi, Saki, and Minoru continued to argue, Takuma noticed the canal that Mega Seadramon was wading in. He was reminded of how Seadramon and Agumon’s attacks created thick steam, allowing Seadramon to escape, and an idea popped into his head.

“Greymon! Aim your Mega Flame in the water!” Takuma yelled.

Initially, Greymon was confused, but he quickly caught on to Takuma’s plan and spewed a steady stream of fire at his feet. As soon as the flames made contact with the water, a thick cloud of steam erupted, filling the corridor in an instant.

“We'll keep Mega Seadramon busy here! Kiwimon and Flymon will help you guys save Lopmon!” Greymon said.

“Thanks! Alright team, let’s go!” Takuma said.

While the Chosen Children rushed towards Shuuji’s whereabouts, Arukenimon had caught up with the young man and was on edge.

“Alright, boy. I don't care how you’re going to do this, but make it quick, because I think I heard those brats talking about trying to find us.” Arukenimon said.

“I will take as long as I please. Thank you very much.” Shuuji said.

Arukenimon scoffed as she watched the pathway leading to her and Shuuji’s location intensively, making sure the Digidestined didn’t foil another one of her plans.

“Shuuji, what’s going on? What are you going to do?” Lopmon asked.

Shuuji didn’t answer; instead, he lifted Lopmon into the air, only to slam him onto the cold asphalt. The action caused Lopmon to scream in immense pain, loud enough for the other Digidestined to hear.

“That sounded like Lopmon!” Saki exclaimed.

“It sounds like he’s in trouble; let’s hurry!” Takuma said.

Arukenimon saw the Digidestined approaching the waterway plaza and acted quickly by blocking off the opening with her webbing just as the Chosen Children arrived.

“Oh no, you don’t! I’m not letting you ruin my plans again!” Arukenimon shouted, “Shuuji, do it now!”

Kiwimon and Flymon were trying to break through the thick webs, while the Digidestined could only watch in horror at what Shuuji was doing to Lopmon. Shuuji was absolutely brutalizing the poor bunny, throwing him against walls and crushing his frail body beneath his shoe.

“Shuuji, stop it! Why do you have to be so cruel?” Saki cried.

“Because there is a principle of nature that most every creature knows.
It's called survival of the fittest, and this is how it goes,” Shuuji explained. “The animal that wins has got to claw, bite, kick, and punch, and the animal that doesn't winds up someone else's lunch!”

“But that’s awful!” Lopmon coughed.

“No, what’s awful is that I waited until now to do what I’m about to do.” Shuuji growled as he walked menacingly toward Lopmon.

“This is bad; can’t you go any faster?” Ryo said.

“We’re trying the best we can; Arukenimon sure did a bang-up job with this barricade; I’ll give her that.” Kiwimon said.

Shuuji lifted Lopmon by the neck and began to tighten his grip, squeezing Lopmon’s throat shut.

“Shuuji, I don’t like this. It hurts, and you’re scaring me.” Lopmon gagged.

“Good.” Shuuji stated.

Arukenimon was looking on with glee; her plans were finally coming to fruition.

“Once Shuuji biomerges with Lopmon and supplies me with a sacrifice, Piedmon will have no choice but to...”

Her inner monologue was cut short by the sounds of Kiwimon’s beak and Flymon’s stinger repeatedly poking holes through the web wall blocking the plaza’s entrance.

“Alright guys, on three! One! Two! Three!” Takuma cried.

The Digidestined got a running start and broke through the webs, the force of which knocked them all to the ground. Saki was the first to stand up and sprint after Shuuji, tears streaming down her face.

“Ryo! Kaito! Give me a hand!” Saki yelled.

The two boys nodded at each other and sprung into action. Lopmon looked over Shuuji’s shoulder and saw Saki, the girl who was more of a partner to him than Shuuji ever was.

Lopmon reached his arm out to Saki and said, “Saki, I’m sorry.”

Those three words were all Lopmon could utter before—SNAP!—without warning, Lopmon’s arm fell limply at his side and his eyes began to glaze over.

When Kaito and Ryo punched Shuuji in the back, they were surprised that Shuuji didn't flinch at all. Ryo turned to see his cousin covering her mouth with her eyes filled with terror. He followed her line of sight, and his heart sank.

The others were filled with the same sense of dread when they got close enough; not a word was said, and yet everything was understood.

Lopmon was dead.

“You’re too late.” Shuuji said with a smirk, “Your precious little Lopmon is gone. Boo hoo.”

Shuuji’s digivice began to react violently, emitting a powerful shockwave that knocked the Digidestined away. Shuuji’s body began to glow as he was filled with a terrifying power.

“Now I’ll show you. I will crush you all and make you all understand that I and only I know what is best.” Shuuji cackled.

A pillar of light enveloped Shuuji as he laughed maniacally as his body began to contort and grow in size. Greymon and his group, along with a very injured Mega Seadramon, arrive just in time to witness Shuuji finish his horrific metamorphosis.

As the light faded, everyone gazed at the beast that stood where Shuuji once did. The beast belted out a roar so mighty that it shook the entire room.

“Shuuji, what are you?” Takuma said in disbelief.

Shuuji let out a chuckle accompanied by a demented grin. “For the last moments of your lives, you shall refer to me as Wendigomon.”

Chapter Text

Wendigomon leaped into the air, catching Flymon off guard. Before the insectoid Digimon could think about evading, Wendigomon grabbed Flymon by the thorax and slammed her into the ground, forcing her back to her rookie form.

“Kunemon, no!” Ryo cried.

Dobermon and Diatrymon lunged at Wendigomon, trying to get the upper hand while his back was turned.

“Grey Noise!”

“Destruction Roar!”

Wendigomon caught on to their plan and countered their attacks with his own.

“HOWLING DESTROYER!”

Wendigomon let out a monstrous roar that knocked Dobermon and Diatrymon off of their feet, into a nearby wall, and back to their rookie forms. As the Digidestined struggled against their foe, Arukenimon was observing the battle with a huge grin on her face.

“This day can't get any better! First, I managed to turn one of the chosen children against the others, and now I’ll have a fresh sacrifice to give to Piedmon! Everything’s coming up, Arukenimon!”

“That’s all well and good, but can we please get back to the factory so these injuries of mine can be treated?” Mega Seadramon said as he reverted to his champion form.

Arukenimon shushed her colleague harshly. “Be quiet! You’re distracting me from the show!”

“But I wanna go home!” Seadramon whined.

Wendigomon continued his onslaught, as he was able to hold his own against four other champion-level Digimon. It was obvious to the Digidestined that if a miracle didn’t happen sometime soon, none of them would leave this place alive.

“Well guys, since we’re all probably gonna die here, got any last words?” Minrou somberly said.

“Even though I was a right bellend when we first met, it’s been an honor calling you all my friends.” Ryo said.

“I’m sorry for yelling at you to shut the fuck up, Kaito.” Aoi said.

“Oh, it’s no problem; I actually kinda liked it.” Kaito said sheepishly.

Aoi did a double take. “What?”

“Nothing!” Kaito blurted out.

During the Digidestined’s exchange, Wendigomon was able to put Shellmon, Sangloupmon, and Kiwimon out of commission. The only one left standing against the rogue beast man Digimon, was Greymon.

“You’re still fighting?” Wendigomon asked, “Heh, that eager to die, are you?”

“Nah, I’m eager to make you pay for killing my friend.” Greymon said.

Wendigomon shook his head in disappointment. “You’re just as bad as Takuma. You two are always trying to do the right thing, and look where that mindset got you, with one of your friends dead and the rest soon to follow.”

“We might not have been able to save Lopmon,” Takuma said, “but that doesn't mean we aren't going to stop you from hurting more innocent Digimon!

“Mark my words, Shuuji Kayama, we will defeat you! For this world’s sake, for the human world’s sake, and for Lopmon’s sake!”

As Takuma finished his speech, his digivice reacted in a way it never had before. The gauge on the device’s screen was being filled for a second time with a blue bar.

“Greymon, Super Digivolve to…! Metal Greymon!”

Everyone stared in awe at Takuma’s freshly digivolved partner. Metal Greymon took a few deep breaths before addressing his opponent.

“Now. Let’s rock.” Metal Greymon said.

Metal Greymon aimed his robotic arm at Wendigomon and launched his trident arm at the beast man Digimon. Wendigomon braced himself and caught the projectile. Metal Greymon was expecting this, however, and grabbed the cable his claw was attached to and began to swing Wendigomon in circles.

As he was being swung around, Wendigomon’s grip on Metal Greymon’s claw began to loosen, which eventually caused him to go flying. When Wendigomon hit the floor, the entire waterway plaza shook, causing bits of debris to fall from the ceiling.

“Shit! If this keeps up, this whole room will cave in on us!” Takuma said.

“All of you! Over here, hurry!” A voice called out.

“Oh goodie! The voices in my head are getting louder.” Minoru sarcastically said.

“It’s not the voices in your head; it’s the professor." Falcomon strained.

“Damn, Shuuji must’ve beat you pretty bad if you're saying shit like that.” Minrou said.

“No, dipshit! Turn around!” Miu exclaimed, pointing to the exit behind Minoru.

Minoru turned to see none other than the professor, alive and well. The Digidestined frantically made their way to the exit corridor to meet with the professor.

“We must flee from here, posthaste! I've got much to tell you all, but that comes after,” the professor said.

“We can’t leave without Metal Greymon!” Takuma said.

Professor Minase looked at the battle between Metal Greymon and Wendigomon and said, “I see. On the topic of leaving people behind, where are Shuuji and Lopmon?”

The Digidestined fell silent as they recalled the events of the past hour.

“It’s a long story.” Aoi sighed.

Metal Greymon and Wendigomon continued to fight, with each combatant landing heavy blow after heavy blow. However, Metal Greymon was starting to become fatigued, while Wendigomon wasn't even breaking a sweat.

“You’re at your limit, Metal Greymon. If you surrender now, I’ll make your death as quick and painless as possible.” Wendigomon teased.

“That’s where you’re wrong. I’ve been saving my strongest attack as a last resort.” Metal Greymon said.

The cyborg Digimon took a deep breath as the hatches on his chest opened to reveal two ports that began to glow as they charged up with power. Wendigomon crossed his arms in front of him, preemptively guarding the impending attack.

“Let him have it, Metal Greymon!” Takuma shouted.

“Giga Storm!”

Then there was trouble. Takuma’s digivice screen turned bright red as it began to sound an alarm. Takuma looked at his wrist and feared the worst. Right as Metal Greymon was about to launch his attack, he felt all of his power leave him in an instant.

Without his power, Metal Greymon was unable to sustain the Giga Storm, causing a powerful explosion that Metal Greymon was forced to take point blank. Giga Storm’s misfire forced Metal Greymon back to his rookie form. Once Wendigomon noticed this, he quickly grabbed Agumon and started embedding him into the wall.

“Does anyone have any ideas on saving Agumon?” Takuma asked frantically.

Haru took a deep breath and stepped forward. “I do. Everyone, cover your eyes.”

“Now’s not the time for hide and seek, Haru!” Kaito scolded.

“Cover your damn eyes, I said!” Haru yelled.

“If it’ll make you happy, then fine!” Kaito said.

Haru leaped into action and effortlessly scaled up the walls of the plaza. Miu, ever the defiant one, opened her eyes and saw Haru summon a whirlwind of sharp-looking leaves and launch them at Wendigomon’s neck.

“So fucking cool.” Miu swooned as her cheeks became flushed.

Wendigomon felt a prickly sensation on the back of his neck. He turned his head and saw Haru standing at his feet. With the arm he was using to crush Agumon, Wendigomon tried to crush the young boy beneath his fist.

Haru was able to teleport behind his foe, hoisted Agumon onto his back, and made a mad dash back to the plaza’s exit. Miu noticed Haru coming towards her and quickly covered her eyes to keep up appearances.

“Alright, you can open your eyes now.” Haru said as he ran past the group.

Everyone, save for Miyuki, opened their eyes and followed Haru into the narrow exit to the plaza, much to Wendigomon’s annoyance as he let out a roar of frustration.

Not too long afterwards, the team made it back to the surface all in one piece, physical, mental, and emotional scarring notwithstanding.

“We’re alive. We’re actually alive!” Minoru gasped in disbelief.

His chipper mood was cut short when he noticed Saki. She hadn't said a word since Lopmon died. The poor girl was shaking like a leaf, and she was wearing a thousand-yard stare.

Saki slowly walked to the water’s edge, fell to her knees, and released a lengthy, pained, and gut wrenching scream that could be heard for miles.