Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

The Rainbow Bridge was on fire.

...Or maybe it had been, or would be? Salamon shook their head, knowing how easy it was to lose track of what was and what could be if they didn't concentrate.

Thankfully, Salamon's memory quickly grounded itself. Pushed into a corner, it had been decided that fleeing Odaiba was the only option left. Traveling by air or by water were both vetoed to avoid drawing attention, leaving only one reliable route off the island. At least until they were ambushed.

Salamon stood, scanning the patches of flame and overturned vehicles for everyone else. The sky was darkening as the evening set in, though the smoke from the previously mentioned flames did more to obstruct vision than the lack of light. Their group hadn't been particularly large to begin with, so many of them having stayed behind to stall for time, so Salamon focused on finding their partner. Akira was not only a personal priority, but maybe everyone's best chance of getting out of this.

A sudden gust of wind caught Salamon's attention, however, dragging it towards an approaching figure bathed in shadow. Large and humanoid, with the silhouettes of a blade on its right arm and a cannon on its left, it didn't look like it was in any kind of hurry. Instead, it seemed to follow in the wake of its companion, who burst forward.

Green skin and entrails poked out of the joints of black and purple armor, an ensemble capped off by yellow eyeballs on its shoulders and knees. Argomon's hulking and bipedal form cast an intimidating shadow of its own, and Salamon knew the Mega had enough power to support its demeanor.

Argomon leapt forward, though before Salamon could even flinch, another figure crashed into their attacker. As Argomon rolled backwards, another Mega poised his four legs into an attack position. Black and gold armor damaged, though orange wings still beating, Imperialdramon roared as he flew forward again.

This time, however, Imperialdramon's mass shifted. His data glitched and his bones and joints snapped and cracked as he took on a humanoid shape. Salamon sighed, instantly recognizing the strain being put on Imperialdramon's mode change. Something had happened to one or both of his partners, and it was a sheer miracle of will that he could hold himself together.

Still, Imperialdramon held his ground. As Argomon fired an energy blast from its mouth, Imperialdramon threw his right fist forward, pushing through the beam and connecting with his opponent. On contact, the cannon on his forearm sparked to life, firing and forcing Argomon back further.

Imperialdramon likely would have followed up the strike too, had a shadowy blade not extended forward and pierced his right shoulder. As he fell to his knees, the dark silhouette slowly floated forward, glowing red eyes locked on Salamon.

Yet the greatest sense of dread Salamon felt came from beneath them. While their current position didn't give them a decent view of Tokyo Bay, Salamon felt a pulse echo from the waters below. Within it, they sensed not only their own potential end, but also the potential end of everything that was, had been, and could be.

Imperialdramon stirred, momentarily distracting the dark warrior by leaping up and blocking his path. As Argomon jumped back into the fray, Salamon used the brief distraction to sprint away from the fight.

Up until this point, Salamon had been hesitant to make another jump, the previous two having been risky enough as they were. With the void below ready to swallow all of them, however, opening another tear was their only chance.

Salamon jogged past Mari, Rei, and their respective partners, finally locking eyes on their own partner.

"Akira!" Salamon called out as they jumped up and down on the unconscious boy's chest.

Hearing if not consciously understanding, Akira's eyes opened instantly. The digivice on his waist lit up, filling Salamon with both strength and relief.

"I think you checked that rack already."

Sora Takenouchi's fingers paused on the clothing display in front of her, realizing the statement she had just heard was true. Sora turned to her left, finding Hikari "Kari" Kamiya smiling back at her. While there had been warmth and a light tone to her words, the younger girl had a slight hint of concern in her eyes.

"Who can tell?" Sora replied with her own smile. "They all kinda look the same."

The words came out without much thought, though Sora would never prop herself up as any kind of fashion expert, herself usually dressing for functionality rather than simply for appearances sake. Case in point, she had chosen a simple light red t-shirt, white capri shorts, and sneakers when getting dressed that morning. Not that she expected Kari to judge her for the sentiment, her having opted for a pink shirt and a denim skirt. For the both them, these trips to the mall were more an excuse for them all to spend time together than anything else.

Still, I probably could design a better outfit than this… Sora thought as she glanced at the nearest mannequins in the department store. At the very least, she felt like she could do a half-decent job of mixing and matching the store's current inventory.

"Is that really it?" Kari asked, her thoughts obviously having not strayed from their current conversation. Not all that surprising, given Kari could be just as perceptive and persistent as she was kind. She understood and respected boundaries, though seemed to make exceptions for a select few individuals.

"Yep." Sora kept smiling.

Kari raised an eyebrow. "You sure?"

"You're not gonna out-mom me, Kari."

"Okay!" a different voice called out as the door to a nearby changing room swung open. "I think I've almost got this figured out!"

Mimi Tackikawa stepped out, proving that while Sora might occasionally get bored with the activity of shopping, she never got bored of the people she did so with. A number of different tops and skirts in her arms and back to wearing the purple dress she had started the day with, this outing had mostly been her idea. Mimi being Mimi, this was mainly a pretense to get the girls together the day before the Digidestined's annual August 1st meetup, claiming she needed an outfit for it. By this point, she had mostly gotten over the fact that Yolei hadn't been able to make it.

"Sounds good," Sora confirmed as she moved away from the clothing rack.

"Sora…" Mimi pouted. "You're supposed to be having fun."

"I am having fun," Sora argued, not sure what kind of energy she was currently giving off to her friends.

"She seems a little distracted," Kari added, managing to keep smiling while pointing an accusatory finger in her direction.

"Traitor…" Sora replied under her breath.

Mimi squinted in her direction. "You're worrying about those boys of yours, aren't you?"

Sora rolled her eyes. "You mean the intrepid crusaders?"

Up until this point, Sora had not been thinking about Tai and Matt and their more frequent trips to the Digital World as of late. She would always worry about the pair of them a little bit, but she also trusted them, and they usually only came back from their misadventures with scratches and bruises.

"They'd probably let you go with them if you asked," Kari offered, herself likely doing a fair bit of worrying about her older brother.

"I know," Sora replied with a sigh. They had actually asked her to go on a few occasions, but there were other factors in play. "I haven't been able to, between school and Mom having me pick up extra shifts at the store."

"Uh-huh…" Mimi nodded and took few steps closer. "So you and your mom had a fight."

"No!" Sora snapped defensively, perhaps a little too much so. Pausing for a brief moment, she tried to collect herself. "We just had a… discussion."

"A discussion in which you happened to disagree about something," Mimi countered smugly.

Sora stayed quiet, partially because she was trying to make sense of how they had even ended up in this conversation. It didn't help that Sora and her mother's conflicting personalities were well known amongst the Digidestined. For as many of their differences that the two of them had worked through, Sora still wasn't sure her mother always listened to her when they disagreed on a matter.

"Did you disagree on when lunchtime was?" another voice asked after a moment.

All three of them glanced upwards at one of the store's higher fixtures, finding Kari's digimon partner, Gatomon, waiting for them. The white feline digimon lounged on the shelf, though wide and alert eyes said she was actively waiting for an answer to her question.

"What are you doing up there?" Kari was the first to ask. Luckily, they were the only occupants of this corner of the store at the moment.

"Waiting for you all to finish," Gatomon answered calmly, without skipping a beat.

"And what if someone sees you?" Kari's tone was once again light with a hint of concern in her eyes.

Gatomon shrugged. "If they do, I'm just an ordinary house cat."

"An ordinary talking house cat?"

"Me-ow," Gatomon deadpanned, causing her partner to smile and shake her head.

"Not enjoying yourself much?" Sora chimed in, despite the answer being obvious.

"They're enjoying themselves enough for the three of us." Gatomon pointed one of her gloved paws back towards Mimi's changing room.

Biyomon and Palmon, Sora and Mimi's partners respectively, poked their heads out, having been listening in on the humans for a while. Unlike Gatomon, the two of them had attempted to disguise themselves, with Biyomon wearing a pink hoodie to match her feathers while Palmon wore a sun hat and baggy t-shirt. It was a method of allowing their partners to move around in public the Digidestined had employed since they were children, one Sora more and more questioned the effectiveness of the older they got.

"Hey," Mimi piped up again, waving a finger up at Gatomon. "Don't belittle my assistants."

"She can belittle all she wants," Biyomon declared confidently. "We've almost got this outfit picked out."

"Which one is your favorite?" Palmon eagerly asked the bird digimon.

"Hm…" Biyomon placed a wing on her chin and eyed the clothes Mimi had collected. "The pink one."

"You always pick the pink one."

"Like you're not eyeing the green one."

"Maybe I'll just go scout the food court," Gatomon said as she stood herself up and stretched.

"Alone?" Kari questioned, her concern becoming a bit more recognizable in her voice.

"I can go with her if it'll make you feel better," Sora offered without having to think about it.

"You don't have to," Gatomon insisted, though her her usual confidence seemed to briefly flicker.

"But I want to," Sora countered as she took her first couple steps towards the exit.

Waiting for Gatomon to hop off the shelf, Sora exchanged nods with Kari and Biyomon, any worries still lingering on the future clearing themselves up as she made her way outside. Her thoughts did very briefly return to Tai and Matt, but she quickly told herself that everything on that end was going fine.

Everything was going fine, at least for the most part. That's what Taichi "Tai" Kamiya told himself, even as the side of the building he and his friends were moving through was torn apart.

Luckily, just before the floor could give out beneath his feet, a pair of arms grabbed him by the shoulders and yanked him backwards, causing both of them to topple over. Tai looked over his shoulder, giving a thumbs up to Yamato "Matt" Ishida, who only rolled his eyes in return.

"Come out, humans!" a booming, gravelly voice echoed into the interior. "Let's settle these negotiations!"

Tai glanced back at the hole in the building, getting line of sight on the digimon responsible for creating it, Reapermon. Skulls adorned the towering mechanoid digimon's gold and gray armor. Armed with a large scythe on his right arm and a cannon on his left, the Mega succeeded in at least looking threatening.

Rumors had been circulating the last couple weeks of a digimon trying to muscle in on Machinedramon's old territory, rumors that their group had quickly been able to corroborate. Tai had come to this section of the Digital World with the express intent of not starting a fight, though Reapermon seemed pretty intent on making sure peace talks never got off the ground.

Still, Tai knew he had to try anyway. Standing back and stepping forward, Matt immediately shook his head disapprovingly, which Tai ignored, as well as the sigh that followed. Had Matt actually seemed nervous, Tai might have taken his friend's concerns more seriously, but he seemed more inconvenienced than anything else. Probably because he had chosen to wear boots and skinny jeans that morning, which Tai had repeatedly told him not to do on days they would be doing a lot of walking or running.

"Are you ready to talk then?" Tai asked as he stepped out of the shadow of the building. On this floor, he was able to talk to Reapermon at eye-level. He was a little exposed, but that was why they never went on these diplomatic missions without Agumon and Gabumon. The pair were literally two steps behind him, and more than capable of jumping in at a moment's notice.

"What authority have you to deny me my territory?" Reapermon questioned, leering at them as he spoke.

"This isn't your territory," Matt shot back as he stepped forward, returning the glare twofold.

Reapermon stiffened. "By right of might, it is."

"We'll see about that." Matt's knuckles were white as he clutched his DigiVice.

"I thought we weren't here to fight, Matt," Gabumon said as he gently grabbed his partner's hand and looked up at him.

"We always find one though," Agumon commented. "Tai?"

"We don't have to resort to violence," Tai said calmly, keeping his eyes forward. "That way isn't a path to a better future."

"Who's to say my way isn't the better way?" Reapermon asked, arrogance coloring his words.

"The innocent digimon you've struck down, that's who," Matt answered. "Your way is conquest, not peace."

"You presume to know better? The last despot this world saw was a human slaver, after all."

"That doesn't justify what you've done," Tai countered. "We're giving you one chance to walk away before we make you."

Reapermon paused, to look at each of the four of them. "I fear no Royal Knight."

Tai grabbed his DigiVice. "Sorry to hear that."

As Reapermon prepared to swing his scythe, Agumon and Gabumon flew past Tai's shoulders. Glowing and spinning in a helix of orange and blue data, they grew and changed shape into the heads of their respective Mega forms, said heads eventually extending into a pair of arms. Between those arms, the Digidestined's secret weapon took the shape of a white knight with a billowing cape: Omnimon.

Before Reapermon could swing downward, a sword with runes etched on it extended from Omnimon's left arm. Instead of blocking, however, he swung sword at Reapermon's elbow, cleaving off his forearm. Reapermon howled in pain, attempting to bring up his cannon, but Omnimon was quicker on the draw. A cannon of his own forming from the knight's right arm, he didn't hesitate to fire it pointblank.

The smoke cleared after a moment, revealing Reapermon's head and upper torso had been disintegrated. A couple more seconds passed, and the rest of his body followed suit, bursting into data.

Tai sighed, letting his shoulders sink and the rest of his steadfast demeanor fall aside. While this wouldn't have been his first choice of outcome, the situation in this section of the Digital World had at least been resolved. In that sense, they had put in enough work for one day.

Sora looked forward and brought her mind back to the present. Thankfully, they weren't wading through a particularly dense crowd, so their walk to their destination was relatively peaceful. Still, the lives they led meant that could change at any moment.

Glancing over to Gatomon, who was treading lightly on all fours, Sora couldn't help but notice her repeatedly looking over her shoulder, as though she heard or saw something only to find it wasn't there. A year after the battle with Ordinemon and the fallout of it, a little paranoia with taking the digimon out in public was still common amongst the Digidestined, and even the digimon themselves. With that in mind, however, Sora was getting the sense that her current companion's worries had a different source.

For one, Gatomon clearly wasn't nervous about moving in plain sight around humans. Despite her previous comments, yellow and red clawed gloves, purple tufts of hair on her ears and tail, and a golden ring looped around said tail made her a bit more exotic looking than the average house cat. Plus, the fact that she was out here to begin with was another flag to Sora. While all the digimon were protective of their respective partners, Gatomon was extra so when it came to Kari. This said to Sora that Gatomon was less expecting danger and more actively looking for something.

"Everything okay?" Sora asked, deciding that they were far enough away from the nearest person that it was okay to chance a conversation.

"I don't know," Gatomon answered, attention still focused on scanning their surroundings.

"Any theories?" Sora questioned further, slightly surprised but mostly relieved she got an answer.

"None…" Gatomon shook her head, facing forward again. "Just a feeling that makes the hairs on my back stand up."

Sora gave the area a once-over. "Have you told Kari?"

"Tell her what?" Gatomon finally looked up at her. "Every time I turn around there's nothing there. I don't want to worry everyone over nothing."

Sora hesitated, not having a confident response given that such a significant part of her was hoping that what Gatomon was sensing turned out to be nothing. Though she never liked fighting to begin with, Sora hoped more and more that each battle she and her friends fought would be their last. It was funny in its own way, as she never imagined she would be thinking about any kind of retirement at the age of eighteen.

Unfortunately, any chance at voicing even these concerns was cut short, as the people in front of them were suddenly panicking and fleeing. A few meters ahead, white and wavy energy pulsed to life, converging on a single point. Pausing to check on Gatomon, whose back was arched in a ready position, Sora felt a familiar anxiety take hold of her.

From the midst of the energy, a four-legged figure sprinted out. While appearing to be a large gray mountain goat, long golden horns, a silver and gold collar, and a similarly ornate head shield with a red gem at the center left Sora unable to doubt that this was a digimon. Sora paused for only half a second, mainly to mentally berate herself for leaving Biyomon with Mimi and Kari, though her feline companion sprang into action to compensate.

"Hey, pull over!" Gatomon shouted as she leapt forward.

As Gatomon latched onto their collar, causing the goat digimon to stumble and nearly trip over their feet as they skidded to a halt to Sora's right. From this position, Sora instantly saw a small boy clasping onto the goat's fur. Noting the energy they emerged from had dissipated, she quickly ran over to them.

Gatomon let go of the goat digimon and dropped to the ground, though kept a suspicious eye on them. Hesitating at first, the boy slowly let himself off the digimon, each of his feet touching the ground before letting go of their fur and letting his eyes wander around his surroundings.

To Sora at least, the boy didn't look to be any older than seven or eight years old. Wearing a white t-shirt with some cartoon character on it and tan pants and his short brown hair only slightly disheveled, Sora held in place briefly as she got a good look at the boy, his facial features managing to look both familiar and foreign to her. Eventually, his blue eyes looked downward.

"Gatomon?" he asked, sounding surprisingly calm given he had just been on the run not even a minute ago.

"Have we met?" Gatomon replied, peeling her own blue eyes away from the goat digimon, though the suspicion remained.

"You don't recognize me again?" The boy's shoulders sank, though his voice sounded less like he was outright upset and more mildly disappointed.

"Are you alright?" Sora asked, finally approaching and kneeling down in front of the boy.

"I'm not hurt," the boy answered, looking her over with a notable curiosity. Again, not scared or nervous, but a little confused.

"That's good." Sora nodded and smiled, instinctively looking the boy over for injuries. She found none, though his skin and clothes were covered in soot and ash. Her eyes ended up drawn to the silver D3 on his waist. "What's your name?"

"Akira."

"Nice to meet you, Akira. My name is-"

"Sora!" Biyomon's voice rang out from behind them, prompting all of them to turn around.

Biyomon flew right to Sora's side, with Mimi and Palmon sprinting just behind, stopping just a meter away from their little group. Mimi held for a moment, raising an eyebrow at the new digimon and Akira before looking back to Sora.

"We dropped everything as soon as we heard the ruckus," Mimi explained, voice soft yet uneasy. "What happened?"

"We're still working that out," Sora answered, eyes drifting as the last member of their group stopped at Mimi's side.

"What do we have…" Kari began, only trailing off upon getting a good look at the situation. Her eyeline gravitated to the small boy. "...so far?"

"Mommy!" Akira's eyes, on the other hand, lit up. With all the energy of a kid getting picked up early from school, he ran over to Kari and wrapped his arms around her waste.

Kari's body went rigid at first, eyes still focused on the child hugging her. The area around them, having long been vacated of normal people, somehow became even more silent. After a few more seconds, Kari exhaled, lowering herself to Akira's level and returning the embrace with the same motion.

Not taking her eyes off them, Sora began to mentally and emotionally steel herself. As innocent as the moment in front of her was, the circumstances around it did nothing but declare to her that another battle was coming for the Digidestined.

Chapter Text

Gatomon had spent the last few days feeling as though something was wrong. Exactly what was wrong she couldn't tell, but she hadn't been able to shake the sensation that there was some kind of anomaly in the world around her, constantly just outside her peripheral vision. Then the universe dropped the anomaly right in front of her, out of a tear in reality no less, yet she felt she didn't have significantly more information than she had that morning.

Eyes locked on her partner, who still held the boy that emerged in her arms, Gatomon tried to figure out the most delicate way to proceed. The boy, Akira, had addressed Kari as his mother. While Gatomon had no intent of becoming an expert on human reproduction, she knew the age gap between them wasn't wide enough that this boy could be her partner's child. Still, there was a resemblance, and Akira didn't sound like he was lying. Whatever the case, though, everyone else seemed frozen in place and someone had to make a decision as to what their next step should be.

"Kari?" Gatomon said gently and softly, which was usually enough to get her partner's attention.

"I'm sorry…" Kari replied nervously, separating herself from Akira while staying on one knee to remain at eye-level with him. "I'm not sure why I did that."

"You usually aren't," explained a voice that sounded more childlike than Gatomon had anticipated.

She turned towards the goat digimon, whose name she knew was Oryxmon despite having never seen a digimon like them in her entire life. With an almost naive smile and look about their eyes, Gatomon didn't sense any danger or ill will from Oryxmon or Akira for that matter, though something about them still felt out of place.

"Usually?" Gatomon questioned, deciding they needed to know more one way or another.

"Yeah," Oryxmon answered enthusiastically. "All the times we've met, and all the times we haven't but would have."

"They're younger than they were after the last couple jumps," Akira offered.

"Huh…" Oryxmon's eyes wandered around the group. "I guess so."

Oryxmon suddenly began to glow, shrinking and changing shape into a form more readily recognizable to all of them, Salamon. The white-haired plot hound continued to look them all over like nothing had changed. Despite them having taken on her own Rookie form, Gatomon still felt like she was staring at a foreign entity.

"Who are you?" Gatomon asked, eyes now locked on the Rookie.

"I'm Salamon!" they declared proudly.

Gatomon sighed. "I mean besides the obvious."

"Well I don't know how else to answer that question." Salamon's enthusiasm lowered some as they raised an eyebrow. "Who is anybody? Who are you?"

"I'm…" Gatomon hesitated, slightly annoyed as she weighed the question herself.

Salamon grinned. "Not easy being put on the spot, huh?"

"You were running when you appeared," Sora pointed out as she took a step forward, worry in her reddish brown eyes. "What were you running from?"

"The Light Eater." Salamon's expression and eyes sank, followed by a long enough silence that made it clear they weren't going to say more.

"Easier question," Mimi piped up, placing both her fists on her waist. "Where did you come from?"

"Weren't we on the bridge?" Akira answered, looking upwards and taking in the surrounding mall. "How'd we get all the way over here?"

Salamon perked back up. "The tide brought us here."

"The tide?" Kari asked, an uneasiness reaching her eyes.

"Izzy usually helps with the explaining..." Salamon trailed off, like they were genuinely struggling to find the words.

"Maybe we should head over to his office then," Mimi suggested. "Even if he ends up being as clueless as us, we still need to get out of sight."

Kari stood up and pulled out her cellphone. "I'll call T.K. and see if we can meet us there."

Gatomon took another look at Akira, enough of his facial features essentially spelling out who his father was. Kari likely reached the same conclusion.

"We should probably let the others know too," Mimi added before looking to her left. "Any luck with Tai and Matt?"

"They're not answering…" Sora paused to look down at her own phone. "Probably still in the Digital World. I'll text them to meet us when they get back."

There was no overt confirmation from anyone before they started moving, or at least not one that Gatomon heard. She tried to stay vigilant as she walked with the group, and even though she no longer sensed anything trying to sneak up on them, she couldn't shake the paranoia that she was still missing something just outside of her peripheral vision.

Green hills stretched over the horizon just outside the digital city's limits, an area Matt probably wouldn't have minded walking through if his feet didn't hurt. That said, he had long ago stopped expecting consistency when it came to the placement of the gates the Digidestined used to enter and leave the Digital World, so he was mostly able to keep the discomfort from bothering him. If anything, he was more concerned with getting home before another evil digimon showed up.

"So I think we can call that a win," Agumon piped up, looking over his shoulder and back towards the city. The site of their battle with Reapermon was out of site by this point.

"You know we wrecked a whole city block, right?" Tai pointed out, giving his partner a side-eye.

"Exactly!" Agumon pointed a confident claw into the air. "Just the one."

"And that was mostly Reapermon's doing," Gabumon added thoughtfully.

Tai shook his head. "But not entirely."

"We went there to talk, and he started the fight," Matt spoke up, sensing the tone of his friend's voice become a bit more serious. "That wasn't on us, Tai."

"Says you," Tai replied with a grin, his tone lightening again. "When you have as much natural charisma as I do, you have to take it personally when someone tries to kill you."

"Please…" Matt rolled his eyes. "You have all the natural charisma of a Numemon."

Tai shrugged. "All I hear is jealousy in your voice."

Matt held onto his response, partially because he knew Tai's ego would take any denial as an affirmation, but also because it was clear he wasn't in the mood for opening up. The last year had seen a lot of change for all of them, and possibly for Tai most of all. His stronger sense of duty to the Digital World and the threats that came to and from it, as well as his commitment to the better future he tried to present to Reapermon, all stemming from a promise to the dying Daigo Nishijima. Tai had only mentioned said promise one time, but it was clear to everyone that their late teacher's last moments had affected him.

Not that any of that kept Tai from trying to pretend otherwise. As far as outward appearances were concerned, he often seemed the same as ever, right down to his obnoxious personality. He even dressed like he always used to, favoring his blue t-shirts, cargo shorts, and goggles, though at least the goggles now served a practical purpose thanks to Izzy's upgrades.

"You know, I ran into a group of Numemon a little while ago," Agumon chimed in suddenly. "Their leader was a surprisingly good singer."

"You get his number?" Tai asked. "He might have some pointers for Matt and his band."

Matt sighed. "I'm never gonna try and help you feel better ever again."

"We'll see…" Tai paused, reigning in his cocky grin. "So, any plans for tonight?"

"Not really." Matt paused himself, giving the question serious thought. "Between tomorrow and Dad working late, tonight's probably gonna be quiet."

Tai's eyes widened. "I'm willing to bet T.K. and your mom wouldn't mind you dropping in on them."

"I know…" Matt knew better than to disagree with Tai, though still tried to avoid those dinners when possible. As much as he loved his mother, them having lived apart most of his life naturally came with them not always knowing what to talk about. He would go out of his way to show up if invited, but didn't feel comfortable inviting himself over.

Tai looked forward again. "I'd ask you to stay for dinner, but my mom's cooking doesn't usually agree with people who haven't built up a tolerance for it."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "I appreciate it?"

"Since you saved my life today, I think we can call it even."

"As long as we're only counting today."

With that, they arrived at the outdated TV set that represented this end of the digiport. At first, Tai seemed to reflexively raise his digivice to it, but suddenly seemed to hesitate.

"Tai?" Agumon was the first to ask.

"It's vibrating," Tai replied, presenting his digivice to the group.

Matt hesitated himself, just long enough that any reply he might have given was cut short by a light. Not a light originating from Tai's digivice, but one being drawn to it. As this registered to all four of them, a matching energy began to build up around them.

"Scatter!" Tai ordered, jumping backwards with the rest of them as one final pulse rippled across the area.

Matt nearly lost his footing, recovering to turn back towards whatever had almost hit them. He had expected whatever chaos had started to continue, but was surprised to not only find the energy had dissipated, but also that it had dropped four new and unconscious individuals in its place.

The two digimon among them were instantly recognizable, an Agumon and a Gabumon by whatever stroke of random chance had allowed that to happen. The two humans with them, on the other hand, seemed less familiar.

Both were girls who looked to be around eleven years old, covered in dirt and bruises, though luckily seemed to to have no serious injuries. The first girl had blonde, shoulder-length hair, and wore jeans and a green sweatshirt that was about the same shade as the t-shirt Matt was currently wearing. The second girl's hair was of similar length, though was brown and a bit more unkempt. She wore a yellow t-shirt and cargo shorts, as well as a blue headband and goggles that hung around her neck.

"Where'd they come from?" Tai asked, goggles pulled over his eyes, likely scanning the area using one of Izzy's add-ons. Eventually, he pulled them back up to his forehead.

Matt looked skyward. "Looked like they were drawn to your digivice."

Tai continued forward, kneeling down next to the girl with the goggles and shaking her shoulder. "Hey, kid, can you hear me?"

She grunted, her eyes struggling to open. "Dad…?"

Tai snorted. "Don't think so. Name's Tai. You?"

The girl's eyes opened instantly, lucidity and fear seeming to fill them as she looked Tai dead in the face. She scrambled backwards just as quickly, having barely made it to her feet before tripping over the the unconscious Agumon behind her.

"Ouch!" the digimon yelled in a voice with a slightly higher pitch than their own Agumon. "Rei, what gives?"

"What's going on?" Rei demanded as she frantically looked around the area.

Tai stood back up and crossed his arms. "You're in the Digital World."

"No, I mean…" Rei scrambled back to her feet. "How did we get here?"

"Well, what do you remember?" Tai took a step closer. "Maybe-"

"Stay back!" Rei jabbed a finger in his direction, causing everyone to hold in place.

"Rei?"

All eyes gravitated to the new voice, finding the blonde girl and the other Gabumon conscious and sitting upright. Though she seemed calmer than her counterpart, she was still clearly nervous as she took in her surroundings.

Rei's eye twitched, before looking away from the other girl. "Of all the people for me to be stuck here with…"

"You treat all your friends like that?" Matt asked without thinking.

"She's not one of my friends," Rei shot back, still not looking at any of them.

The blonde girl's eyes sank downward as she pulled her knees up to her chest. Not wanting to add to the clear isolation she was feeling, Matt delicately approached her.

"Don't listen to her," he said softly as he stretched out a hand to her. "What's your name?"

"M-Mariko…" she answered, lips quivering and eyes tearing up as she gave Matt her full attention. She didn't take his hand, instead allowing the Gabumon next to her to help her up. "E-Everyone calls me Mari, though."

Matt didn't reply, instead just staring at Mari and trying to make sense of her. He fixated on her eyes, and not just the sadness in them. The irises were reddish brown, a familiar shade that could only make him think of one other person. Instinctively, he looked to Rei, and despite her being slightly farther away, he could tell her eyes were the exact same color.

"They don't like you either, huh?" Tai commented as he arrived at Matt's side.

"They have Sora's eyes."

Tai remained silent, his lips parting slightly as he looked between the two girls, connecting at least some of the same dots that Matt just had.

"What are you staring at?" Rei asked, her voice softer though not seeming any less hostile.

"Who are you two?" Tai asked back, though the look in his eyes said he had reached a conclusion.

Gatomon kept all of her senses open as their group moved across the city, though luck seemed to be on their side. Discretion tended to vary amongst her friends, so there was always the risk of attracting unwanted attention. Moving across the last crosswalk before reaching their destination, however, they remained mostly unnoticed.

The building they were heading for was in sight, which contained the office that Izzy still claimed to be only watching for a friend. Gatomon looked over her shoulder one more time, to confirm they were not being followed. Satisfied, she led the final approach.

Taking just a couple steps away from the building's entrance, Takeru "T.K." Takaishi waved to get their attention. Not that he was usually difficult to spot, but the boy tended to change his wardrobe up often enough to occasionally throw the others off. Today he had kept things simple with green shorts and a yellow t-shirt, capped off with one of his bucket hats. Gatomon wondered if T.K.'s collection of hats had something to do with his head being Patamon's favorite perch, which was the orange, winged digimon's current location.

"Daddy!" Akira called out as he ran past Gatomon.

Much like with Kari previously, the child didn't hesitate to latch himself onto his supposed father's waist. Obviously confused but still too empathetic for his own good, T.K. simply smiled and placed a gentle hand on Akira's shoulder.

"Hey…" he said warmly as everyone drew closer. "You must be Akira."

"He does kinda remind me of you," Patamon pointed out as he hopped from T.K.'s head to Akira's.

"So…" T.K.'s focus landed on Kari. "Busy day?"

"Apparently both of you will be getting busy at some point," Mimi teased with a playful wink, causing both of them briefly look away from each other.

"Mimi…" Sora warned, only receiving a giggle in return.

"That's assuming they're both who they say they are," Gatomon added, deciding someone needed to keep them all on task.

"Anyone ever tell you you're a little paranoid?" Salamon commented with a shake of their head.

"What do you think, Kari?" T.K. asked, always the second to put all his faith in her.

"I…" Kari paused to look down at the two individuals in question. "...don't think we have anything to worry about. At least not from them."

T.K. nodded confidently. "That's good enough for me."

"Let's get inside then," Gatomon replied, hearing no objections as they all moved to the elevator.

For what must have been the tenth time that day, Matt tried to keep his balance, this time as his group stumbled into Tai's bedroom via the computer screen on the room's desk. Conversation had stalled by this point, Mari and Rei both either refusing or just unable to give any further answers. For better or worse, however, one of their new arrivals was more than chatty enough to make up for their silence.

"You know, if I had to pick, I'd say jumping to a different reality is an easier trip than just going to the Digital World," Rei's Agumon declared, no regard for anyone who might hear her as she spoke. "It's less bumpy and better for naps."

The alternate Agumon being so talkative might have been helpful if not for how she didn't say much more than her silent companions. Despite responding to questions, she didn't give many definitive answers. Matt had even tried changing the subject by asking how there could be a female Agumon, especially given that the only possible difference between the two yellow dinosaurs was that Rei's partner might have been slightly shorter than Tai's. Neither Agumon were particularly helpful on that note, both even going as far as to look at him like he'd asked a dumb question.

With that said, Matt preferred the unintentional condescension to the energy he was getting off of Mari's partner. Despite there being no real physical differences between them, Matt felt like he would have no problem telling this Gabumon apart from his own. This Gabumon had not made a sound since appearing, instead simply staring at him with a leery intensity. Matt tried not to stare back, wanting to avoid being at odds with a digimon connected to his would-be daughter.

A buzzing in his pocket cut off his thoughts, cuing him to fish his cellphone out of his pocket. He looked to Tai as he did, finding him already reading something on his own device.

"Sora wants us to head over to Izzy's office," Tai summarized before dropping his phone back in his pocket. "I'm guessing this wasn't a one-off thing."

Matt shrugged. "When is it ever?"

"Hear that?" Tai glanced over at the two girls. "No reason to be so secretive at this point."

"Why do you have to ask so many questions?" Rei grumbled, dodging all their gazes as she took a step to the door. "Can we just get going?"

"Fine…" Tai put his hands on his waist and didn't take his eyes off her. "No need for the attitude."

"And you don't need to be so annoying," Rei added, a slight twitch in her eye.

Gabumon stepped forward diplomatically. "Maybe we should-"

The turning and clicking of the bedroom's doorknob rang out, pulling all attention towards it. Matt glanced around the room, unsure how or even if he should respond. Tai, on the other hand, was pinching the bridge of his nose, a response that made all the more sense when his mother peered through the door.

"I thought I heard you in here," Yuuko Kamiya said with a friendly smile.

"What's up, Mom?" Tai replied through his teeth.

"Just checking in. Hi, Matt." Yuuko stepped in, briefly pausing as she noticed the rest of the room's occupants. "...and guests?"

"Y-Yeah!" Tai stepped forward, a nervous smile on his face. "They're actually the new blood, fresh off of being chosen by the Digital World."

Yuuko tilted her head, eyes wandering between the girls and their digimon. "How are there two Agumon?"

"Mom, Agumon are a species. The Digital World is full of 'em."

Rei's Agumon extended a claw upwards. "Pleased to meetcha!"

"A pleasure." Yuuko accepted and shook, never dropping her pleasant tone and demeanor. "How do you tell each other apart?"

"Honestly, I probably couldn't tell most humans apart if I couldn't smell you," Agumon chimed in enthusiastically.

"Unfortunately, he's not joking," Gabumon commented without said enthusiasm.

"Will they be staying for dinner?" Yuuko asked. "There's plenty of liver sticks to go around."

She looked around the room again, though this time her gaze landed on Rei in particular. The girl seemed to clench up, alternating between maintaining and breaking eye-contact.

Tai took a couple steps closer to his mother. "Well, uh, you know, we've got to run if we don't want to miss their induction ceremony. Right, Matt?"

"Huh?" Matt spit out by accident, despite part of him having known he was going to get roped into whatever tale Tai came up with. "I mean yeah! T.K. and Kari are waiting up for us."

Yuuko didn't take her eyes off Rei. "Sora too?"

"Uh-huh," Matt answered, though now a little suspicious at how specific the line of questioning had become.

"After then?" Yuuko leaned in closer. "I'm thinking about whipping up a four-bean dipping sauce."

"No!" Rei snapped, with an urgency and dread that could only come with familiarity. Clearly realizing her mistake, she put on a nervous smile to match Tai's. "Sorry, I meant no thank you."

"Our parents are expecting us," Mari offered, earning her a glare from Rei that seemed to shatter the bit of confidence she had been able to dig up.

Yuuko's eyes darted between them. "Are you two related?"

"Mom, why are you asking them so many questions?" Tai asked, this time putting himself in between his mother and the two girls. "You're gonna make them late."

"Fine, just be careful," Yuuko requested, before turning her attention away from her son. "Matt, make sure he calls if you run late."

"I'll try," Matt replied, two parts of him fighting over whether he would pawn the request off on Sora.

"Have fun!"

The group moved out of Tai's room en masse, heading straight out of the apartment. Though he tried to keep his focus forward, Matt didn't miss Mari giving a shy but well-meaning wave backwards, and couldn't miss Rei's Agumon shouting her own goodbye.

Rei, on the other hand, never looked back, marching forward as though she couldn't leave fast enough.

Gatomon didn't have to prompt anyone to knock on the office's door, with Sora doing the honors as soon as the group made their way down the hall. A faint buzzing started immediately after, followed by the door being opened by a familiar red insectoid digimon.

"Greetings all. Your host awaits you," Tentomon said as he held the door so everyone could shuffle in. Once the door was shut, he turned to the other side of the room. "Izzy?"

"Just a second…" Koushirou "Izzy" Izumi clicked his computer mouse with one hand and typed with the other, likely wrapping up whatever he had be juggling before they had called. His misbuttoned shirt, askew necktie, and just the general tired expression on his face said enough about how long he had been at this.

"I guess everyone's a little busy today," T.K. commented, just a touch of levity in his voice.

"Whatever would give you that idea?" Tentomon added as he landed himself on the nearest sofa.

"Did you sleep here last night?" Mimi asked, almost sounding more irritated than concerned.

"Let's focus on the task at hand," Izzy replied as he finally moved away from his computer.

"So yes then?"

Ignoring the comment, Izzy approached the office's common area and stopped in front of Akira. By this point, the child had taken a seat on an armchair, with Salamon at his side. Izzy knelt down to look the boy over at eye-level.

"Hi, Izzy," Akira said with a friendly grin and wave.

"He certainly looks the part." Izzy stood back up and crossed his arms.

"We think they're telling the truth," Kari stated, standing next to the armchair though seemingly refusing to sit down herself.

"Their truth, anyway," Gatomon added.

"Like I said…" Salamon groaned. "Paranoid."

Izzy raised an eyebrow. "You have thoughts?"

Gatomon nodded. "A different Kari might be Akira's mother."

"You mean as in they're from an alternate reality." Izzy paused for a moment before nodding.

The Digidestined had had limited yet memorable experience with alternate realities in the past. Granted, they had not encountered alternate versions of themselves living different lives, but Izzy had made the possibility clear when he had originally explained the phenomenon. It was clear that everyone had hoped that that specific conflict would be their last when it came to dimension hopping, though Gatomon maintained a gut feeling things wouldn't be so easy.

"I didn't recognize it at first because the tear looked different, but I'm almost positive," Gatomon explained, recalling the rifts and portals they had made use of less than a year ago.

"Different how?" Izzy questioned, thoughts clearly turning behind his eyes.

"Calmer, but the energy felt the same."

"You felt it?" Kari asked, not hiding the worry in her eyes.

Gatomon hesitated, having told Sora the truth about only keeping her more recent concerns to herself because she wanted to confirm them. She looked to Biyomon and Palmon, hoping the two had sensed similar and could at least support her recounting of the day's events, though they gave her the same quizzical stares as everyone else. Of her friends, only Patamon and Izzy didn't seem to be waiting for an answer, with the former currently scrunching up his face like he was trying to remember something.

"We can circle back to that in a little bit," Izzy suggested, the tone of his voice basically declaring he knew more than he was letting on. "There's something else that's standing out to me."

"He's got that look in his eyes," Patamon pointed out as he brought his attention forward again.

"The two of them…" Izzy shifted his attention back to Salamon and Akira, prompting everyone else to follow. "They could from an alternate reality, but not a parallel one by the look of it. We've dealt with different realities before, but nothing resembling this kind of time dilation."

"So they're time travelers too?" Mimi asked, skepticism in her voice and on her face.

"Like that Wells fellow?" Tentomon put forward.

"Not quite," T.K. replied, though not looking at anyone in particular. "How would they even do that?"

"I said already," Salamon perked up impatiently. "The tide."

"They keep mentioning that." Kari put a hand on each of her elbows and seemed to go a bit stiff.

Salamon tilted their head in her direction. "When are you gonna stop pretending you don't know what I'm talking about?"

Another pause followed, though the answer was becoming clear. Between the choice of wording and mix of uneasiness and familiarity on Kari's face, everyone's thoughts seemed to be ending up in the same spot.

"The Dark Ocean," Gatomon concluded.

"So to clarify…" Izzy spoke a bit slower, as though he were treading more carefully. "By accessing your version of the Dark Ocean-"

"The Dark Ocean," Salamon interrupted.

"Excuse me?"

"There's just the one," Salamon explained, a gleam in their eyes and levity to their voice remaining despite the subject matter. "It's the space between what is, was, will be, and could've been. A constant companion to all walks of life."

"They're losing me," Patamon admitted, his face scrunching up again.

"The Dark Ocean is a void," Gatomon tried to simplify, though the best she could do was make guesses based on what was being said. "I think..."

"Yep. From it, you can access anywhere and anywhen." Salamon paused, bringing a paw up to touch their chin. "Though it's easy to get lost in if you don't have a paddle."

"What kind of paddle?" Patamon asked, sounding no less lost.

Salamon instead turned back to Izzy. "Should I just wait til everyone else gets here to explain?"

"I think so," he answered, still clearly sorting out his own thoughts.

"Izzy, what's going on?" Sora asked sternly.

"We don't have all the pieces yet."

"Sounds like we have some of them though," Sora argued, her lack of specific information never overriding her concern for the group.

Izzy hesitated, then shook his head. "I just don't want to make any unilateral decisions until Tai and the others get here."

He moved back to his desk, leaving the conversation behind. Sora kept her eyes on him for a few seconds before exhaling, apparently choosing to trust his judgment at least for the moment.

Gatomon couldn't help but return her focus to Akira and Salamon. Even if they could be trusted, there was some kind of shadow hanging over them. She found herself agreeing with Izzy's suggestion to wait for the others, because whatever was coming, she had a feeling they would need all hands on deck to stop it.

Chapter Text

Tai made it a point to not walk at the front of their group, as a way of being able to keep an eye on everyone. Not that there was much to watch out for, as the trip to Izzy's office was mostly silent after leaving the apartment. There were occasional pauses, due to the girls being at the front and not knowing exactly where they were going, but even then conversation was limited to simple directions.

To be fair, Rei and Mari weren't solely responsible for the quiet. Not surprising to Tai, Matt kept to himself as well, never one to start a conversation unless he felt he had to. For his part, Tai still had a bunch of questions, though questions he knew he wasn't going to get answers to.

Naturally, Tai's focus was mostly on Rei, not quite sure what to make of her yet. He did see a fair amount of Sora in her, and not just when it came to physical resemblance. Rei was reserved, but there was definitely a number of emotions bubbling beneath the surface. Tai couldn't help but get flashbacks to when he bought Sora a hair-clip for her birthday, and not so much the argument they had, but Sora's refusal to speak to him after she calmed down. Rei seemed to be about the same age as he and Sora had been at the time, which didn't inspire a lot confidence about Rei's demeanor going forward.

"Yo, Tai!"

Recognizing the voice calling out to him, Tai returned his attention forward again, finding Davis Motomiya jogging over from their destination's entrance. Wearing shorts with grass stains and a green t-shirt, it looked he had come straight from playing soccer, though had apparently made it a point to not forget his D3 and goggles. Movement just behind him made it clear he had not arrived alone.

Veemon was the first to fall in step behind Davis, the blue dragonoid digimon easily keeping pace with his partner. Seeing him, it clicked for Tai how the Digidestined as a whole didn't keep their partners in their In-Training forms as often as they used, though he wasn't surprised either. Izzy had once explained that every digimon had a "base" form that they grew into naturally, and while they sometimes returned to lower levels when running low on energy, staying that way for too long after recovering was like a digimon holding their breath. It mostly made sense to Tai, and even explained why Gatomon was comfortable with always staying in her Champion form.

"Are we taking on groupies?" Davis asked, having paused after noticing Rei and Mari, though neither of them looked back at him.

"Not quite how I'd put it," Tai answered, scratching the back of his head as he actually tried think of a way to explain things.

During that brief pause, Yolei Inoue caught up to them with Hawkmon in tow. A maroon shirt and black pants more in line with how she usually dressed said she was more prepared for the group meeting, though the irritated look on her face said she wasn't prepared for Davis' questions.

"They're not groupies, you idiot," Yolei explained with slight strain in her voice. "Didn't you read Kari's message?"

Yolei looked from Davis to behind herself, where Ken Ichijouji and Wormmon approached, with Cody Hida and Armadillomon just behind them. Ken wore khakis and a black collared t-shirt, while Cody's white shirt and black tie seemed to resemble his middle school's summer uniform. Both seemed to typical to Tai, as Ken was typically more reserved and Cody was only the second kid Tai had ever met who would volunteer for summer school.

"In his defense, the message didn't give a lot of details," Ken offered diplomatically.

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Yeah, but he could try reading between the lines."

"Please…" Davis whined upwards before focusing on Yolei again. "Then why don't you explain what's going on?"

Tai glanced over to Matt, who let off a quiet sigh. While it more typical for them to let the younger members of their team argue and let out whatever was in their system, it was always tempting to interrupt and rush things along.

"They're obviously variants, or…" Yolei trailed off, looking backwards one more time. "What are we calling people from alternate realities again?"

Ken shrugged. "I don't think we ever came up with a name."

"In other words, you don't actually know anything," Davis concluded smugly.

Yolei's eye twitched as she turned back to face him. "More than you and your empty head!"

"Yolei, perhaps you should take a deep breath," Hawkmon suggested, flapping his wings so he could fly up and meet her a eye-level. "You're going to start attracting attention."

"Yeah, Yolei," Davis added. "People are gonna start staring."

"I'll club you," Yolei growled back at him.

"Can you do that inside, please?" Cody requested, quietly yet still sternly. He looked like he had more to say, but likely wouldn't unless he felt he had to.

"Why?" Davis countered, though still looking at Yolei. "She can prove that she can cause a bigger scene than the digimon."

"Don't mind Davis," Veemon said, having walked over to Rei's Agumon and offered her a handshake. "The big mouth's mostly for eating."

"Sound's kinda a whole lot like our Davis," Agumon replied as they shook, though she quickly paused to place her free claw on her chin. "Actually, no, scratch that. That's exactly like our Davis."

"Either way, welcome to our team," Wormmon added, offering one of his front legs as a similar gesture to Mari's Gabumon.

Gabumon didn't respond, however, simply staring back with next to no expression on his face.

"I suppose I should wash it first," Wormmon said as he retracted the leg and looked it over.

"I think Cody's got he right idea," Armadillomon chimed in with a friendly gesture towards the building. "We should move this shindig inside."

"Sounds like a plan," Tai cut in, grabbing the moment to push things forward.

With no protests, they all moved inside. Some bickering and minor conversations continued, but felt like their usual patterns, which Tai was willing to take as a good sign.

Sora couldn't bring herself to sit down. Not necessarily because she was uncomfortable in any way, but Tai and Matt's arrival had brought a number of thoughts and questions she felt like she needed to sort out. She had managed to keep herself from pacing, but her eyes wandered around the room to make up for it.

Granted, enough of the room felt normal to put parts of her mind at ease. Davis' group had each found seats in the office's common area, with him and Yolei having put their current disagreement on hold at the very least. Meanwhile, Mimi sat on Izzy's desk while he worked, gesturing to his computer screen as though she were asking him questions. Izzy didn't seem annoyed, though also didn't seem like he paying complete attention to whatever Mimi was asking him about.

T.K. and Kari, seated just to Sora's right, seemed to be keeping things together despite the current situation. Akira hadn't left their side, enthusiastically talking to them as easily as the rest of them breathed. To T.K. and Kari's credit, they remained attentive, though pauses and glances between the two said that the conversation didn't come as naturally to them.

Not that Sora could listen in on any of these conversations if she wanted to, her thoughts too focused on Rei and Mari at the moment. It didn't help that introductions had been basically nonexistent when they stepped into the office. Just as Tai and Matt were now leaning against the wall next to her, the girls had each picked an empty corner of the room and planted themselves there, leaving Sora with no choice but to try and figure them out from afar.

Mari fiddled with the frays of her Gabumon's fur, occasionally lifting her head to look at Rei or in Sora and Matt's general direction. She was clearly shy if not a bit timid, and Sora was willing to guess she was a sensitive kid as well. As far as the latter trait was concerned, Sora couldn't help but think of Matt, or at least how she knew him to be underneath all the brooding.

With Rei, on the other hand, Tai's stubbornness was the first thing Sora saw. At the moment, Rei sat back-to-back with her Agumon, having taken off her goggles to stare intensely down at them. If Mari was more sad, Rei was angry, an emotion she clearly wasn't about to let go of. The only real uncertainties were what the exact source of it was, and where she would end up directing it.

"Aren't you going to introduce yourself?" Biyomon's voice pulled Sora's attention downwards.

"I'm pretty sure they already know who I am, B," Sora answered as she tried to smile back at her partner.

Biyomon tilted her head, her eyes not breaking contact with Sora's own. "But you don't know who they are yet, and I know you want to."

"I'd give 'em a bit, Sor," Tai warned, eyeline on the far corner of the room.

"Is something wrong?" Biyomon asked, looking in the same direction as though she would see the answer.

"Something's wrong alright." Tai shook his head before turning back to them. "They're just not sharing what that is."

"What exactly do you think happened?" Sora asked, knowing only the girls themselves could give a definitive answer.

"Well, whatever sent them here was recent, so it's fresh in their mind," Matt put forward, only briefly glancing across the room. "They probably haven't had a chance to process it."

Sora considered the possible answers for a moment, though doubted she would be able to guess the specifics. Not that she would be given a chance to if she were capable of doing so. Likely having noticed them talking, Mimi had pulled herself away from Izzy and approached them.

"How are the proud parents doing?" she asked, mischief in her voice but genuine concern in her eyes.

"Here we go…" Matt commented under his breath.

Mimi gave him a side-eye before lighting up again and facing Sora. "So I guess when I asked you which of these two you were gonna choose, you couldn't."

"I think she did," Gatomon chimed in, her and Patamon sitting on the arm of the couch their partners were using and currently listening in.

"How do you mean?" Mimi replied with a raised eyebrow.

"They all… feel different," Patamon explained, pausing for half a second to squint at Akira. "Like the three of them each have different waves coming off them."

"So they're each from a different future?" Sora questioned, trying to make logical connections based on what they already knew.

"But which of them are from our future?" Mimi asked more directly.

"All of 'em and none of 'em," Salamon chirped, currently being held against Akira's chest. "Those choices still gotta get made."

Sora instinctively turned to Matt and Tai, though didn't feel herself questioning the nature of Salamon's answer. Occasional teasing from Mimi aside, the three of them and their interconnected relationships weren't actively talked about amongst the group. Not necessarily because it was a taboo or even sensitive topic, but more because even Sora sometimes felt like she needed some kind of chart to keep everything organized in her own mind.

Among the major watermarks, Sora and Matt had started dating in middle school, or at least what could pass for dating at that age. The two of them had clicked, a feeling that even included the moment they both realized Tai was keeping some distance from them, likely his way of giving them space. A distinct emptiness came with knowing that one of their best friends was taking small steps out of their lives, and their relationship felt less important in the grand scheme of things. They broke things off without any drama or fanfare.

Years later, following the close call that was Ordinemon's defeat and during their first brush with traveling to alternate realities, Tai confessed his feelings for Sora. To what was a surprise to no one, including Sora herself, she admitted to feeling the same. They took their shot, and they felt like they fit together, though a familiar pattern followed. Matt gave his blessing, but ended up keeping his distance like Tai before him, which didn't sit right with neither Sora nor Tai. Granted, Sora and Tai never actually broke up, but it did feel like they had taken a step back into something more comfortable.

If asked about Tai and Matt, Sora had no issue admitting that she loved both of them, and it was only whether or not she was in love with either of them that made her stumble a bit. Still, she never lost sleep over the topic, content in knowing that her connections to them were more important than knowing which of them she might have a daughter with one day.

"Settle the score for me, Akira," Mimi requested as she leaned forward to face the boy. "Which of your uncles is Sora married to where you're from?"

"Neither…" Akira paused to look up at the ceiling. "Uncle Tai and Uncle Matt live together, I think."

When no one replied immediately, Sora couldn't keep her eyes from bouncing between her friends. T.K. whispered something into Kari's ear, causing her to slap him in the arm as she held back a smirk. Meanwhile, Mimi had turned back around to stare blankly at Matt and Tai, eyes almost mesmerized at the sight of them. Sora gave serious consideration to offering her a tissue in case her nose started bleeding.

As for the two in question, Matt seemed to be keeping his composure. He shifted in place a bit, likely uncomfortable with how Mimi was staring at him. Eventually, he turned to Tai, who looked back at him with a blank expression of his own.

"What?" Matt asked, trying and mostly managing to sound aloof.

"I knew it," Tai answered succinctly.

Matt sighed. "Knew what?"

Tai shrugged and finally looked away. "You've never been able to keep your hands off me."

"Tai, I'll punch you," Matt replied through his teeth.

"Case in point."

"Hey, shame on you, Matt," Sora reprimanded, not hiding the grin on her face as she waved a finger in his face. "Threatening physical violence is no way to treat a romantic partner."

"Please be quiet, Sora," Matt whined as he pinched the bridge of his nose.

"That's no way to talk to the mother of your child either," Tai added.

"I hate you both."

"Why didn't Mari and Rei end up near us?" Akira asked suddenly, eyes locked on the digimon in his arms.

"By accident," Salamon answered with downcast eyes.

"Them arriving separate from you or ending up here at all?" Gatomon questioned wearily.

"Yeah…"

"So you don't have full control."

"Nope." Salamon raised a paw to their chin. "They must have got caught in our wake when we jumped. After that, even finding our exit point took some trial and error."

"Maybe that's what you've been sensing lately," Sora suggested to Gatomon.

"Maybe…" she replied, her attention now on Kari, whose own expression suddenly became a bit more muted.

The door to the office swinging open seemed to stop the thought in its tracks, as well as drawing all eyes toward it. Joe Kido pushed through the doorway, out of breath and with Gomamon latched onto the shoulder that his bag wasn't. As per normal, the white and purple sea lion digimon was calm enough for the pair of them, very casually letting himself off his partner's shoulder and joining the group.

"Sorry I'm late!" Joe declared as he closed the door behind him. Though he was wearing khakis, he apparently hadn't had the chance to replace his scrubs with an actual shirt.

"Busy day?" T.K. asked, knowing tone in his voice.

"I've been trying to get ahead on classwork, to be free and have no distractions for tomorrow," Joe explained, sighing as he sunk into an open armchair. "Plus, when this all dropped, I had to explain where I'd be to my girlfriend."

"Right…" Mimi replied, smirks and raised eyebrows being exchanged between her and T.K.

Joe's eye twitched. "You guys still don't believe she exists, do you?"

"What?" T.K. responded in a patronizing tone. "No, Joe-"

"Gomamon, tell them you've met her." Joe sat up straight, focusing all attention on his partner.

Gomamon tilted his head. "Have I?"

"Multiple times," Joe replied, his voice quiet but shaking. "We just had lunch together yesterday."

"I thought that was your sister."

"Since when do I have a sister?" Joe snapped indignantly.

"Hey, if anyone should be offended, it's me." Gomamon crossed his claws, though had a clear smirk on his face. "Call a guy your best friend for seven years and he still can't introduce you to his immediate family."

Joe sat and sputtered for a moment, either unable to believe what he was hearing or simply upset at himself for being baited this way. Whichever was the case, it didn't seem to matter as the laughter in the room around them calmed down.

"Now that we're all here, let's get started," Tai said as he pushed off of the wall he was leaning against to stand near Izzy's desk. Even to this day, Sora was occasionally impressed by how easily he could bounce between his stupid self and a semi-responsible adult.

"What exactly are we planning on doing here?" Joe asked as he sat up straight again, now noticeably more collected than he had been a few seconds ago. "Not that I'm objecting to anything, but Izzy only filled me in on the basics."

"Aren't we just gonna go after some bad guy and clean his clock?" Davis replied as he stood up. Though calm, hints of his usual energy and enthusiasm were present in his face and demeanor.

"It would be nice if we knew whose clock we'd be cleaning," Cody commented, a brief pause following as everyone seemed to wait for an answer.

"Dr-Dragomon…" Mari's voice squeaked out, having at some point gotten up from her corner to stand just outside of the circle of Digidestined. With her Gabumon flanking her, she picked at her finger nails while trying to maintain some eye-contact with everyone else. "At-At least that's what everyone was calling him when Akira first showed up."

"Ring any bells?" Tai looked to the digimon scattered around the room only to receive a few shrugs.

"The Digimon Analyzer's only bringing up stray references," Izzy reported as his eyes scanned his monitor. "No high-quality images, though it seems like we're dealing with an Ultimate level digimon."

"So no sweat for us," Davis put forward.

"Funny…" Rei's voice cut in dryly. She didn't stand up from her spot in the corner, or even look up from the floor in front to her. "That's exactly what you're gonna say in a couple decades."

"Is there anything you can tell us about him?" Sora asked as reassuringly as she could, not directing her question at any of the kids in particular.

"We've never actually seen him…" Mari answered, eyes dropping to the floor as she stuffed her hands under her armpits, and what looked like shame taking over her face.

"You have to at least know what he's after," Yolei chimed in, though only another pause followed.

"You called him the Light Eater," Kari pointed out calmly, eyeline directed at Akira and Salamon.

Akira seemed to hesitate at first, looking down at his partner as if waiting for a cue. More quiet followed, as though a nonverbal conversation were passing between them.

"You can show them," Salamon said with a nod.

Nodding back, Akira reached into his shirt, fishing out a tag and Crest almost identical to the ones the Digidestined had discovered during their first time in the Digital World. Where this golden charm differed from its counterparts was that it was two-sided, revealed as it slowly spun on the string attaching it to Akira's neck. Sora wasn't quite close enough to see exactly which symbols were engraved on the Crests, but she could make out familiar shades of pink and yellow.

"Is that…?" T.K. began, eyes fixed on the tag.

"Obviously, you guys know that inheriting more than one Crest isn't anything new," Salamon said slowly, gesturing towards Davis, Yolei, and Cody. "Light and Hope as a combo, though, that's a rare one."

"So you two are a threat to this Dragomon?" T.K. finally pulled his attention away from the Crests.

"Well, yes and no…"

"Gennai told you guys a bunch of stuff that didn't make sense," Akira said to his would-be parents.

"Dragomon is trapped in the Dark Ocean," Salamon explained, their happy-go-lucky tone now completely gone from their voice. "No idea how or why, but he has been for a while. A lot of stuff gets lost there, and he eats a lot of that stuff, including light."

"Sounds like Agumon," Tai commented.

"Except I've never eaten light before," Agumon added, raising a claw to his chin as though he were giving the joke serious consideration. "I wouldn't know how."

"Welp, you would need to figure out how if you wanted to navigate out of the Dark Ocean," Salamon replied with a matching consideration.

"By light, you mean Celestial energy, correct?" Izzy put forward, though a confidence in his voice said he already knew the answer.

"Izzy?" Tai questioned with a raised eyebrow before a reply came.

"I promise I'll circle back when we have a moment, but right now we need to have the facts straight." Izzy waited a second before turning back to Salamon.

"Yeppers," Salamon chirped, now smiling once again. "Dragomon's got a bit. That's how his minions get around, but dude is big, so he needs a huge dose if he wants to free himself."

"Akira," Kari concluded, sounding just as confident as Izzy had.

"At least that what he seems to think," Salamon responded nonchalantly, raising their front paw to scratch behind their ear.

"You seem to know an awful lot," Gatomon pointed out, her eyes zeroing in on Salamon for what must have been the hundredth time that day.

Salamon simply shrugged. "You were destined to be Kari's partner. I was destined to be Akira's."

"Did Gennai have any kind of plan?" Matt asked as he took a couple steps forward.

"He was translating a prophecy before we left." Salamon paused, face contorting as though they were trying to remember something. "Something about Akira and me needing four holy keys for something or other."

"Should we ask Gennai about it?" Sora suggested.

Izzy placed a hand on his chin. "I'll try, but it's possible he hasn't discovered this prophecy yet."

Another silence followed, helping reinforce for Sora that these kids were time displaced, and solving this particular problem would need a slightly different kind of thinking. Izzy had also once explained that the Digital World's prophecies were more like predictive algorithms than infallible texts, which raised the question as to how much weight they should or even could place on this specific one.

"How long until Dragomon tracks you here?" Gatomon asked, her focus sharp as ever.

"I'd say it's a toss-up," Salamon answered earnestly. "We've been jumping between parallel realities up til this point, so it kinda depends on how long it takes for him to start checking different spots on the timeline."

"We're not just gonna sit around and wait, are we?" Davis questioned, looking around the room before settling on Tai.

Izzy turned towards Davis, then slightly to his right. "Ken, could you get back into the Dark Ocean if you had to?"

"Maybe…" Ken's expression sank, eyes falling to his lap. "Being honest, it's not something I've thought much about."

"Getting in isn't usually the hard part," Kari added, speaking softly though loudly enough that everyone heard.

"I wouldn't worry too much about getting out," Izzy explained, confidence back in his voice. "With a little practice, Patamon and Gatomon should be able to make up for any shortcomings Salamon might have in that department."

"Sounds like a starting point," Tai declared, now standing next to Izzy's chair. "I say we move to the Digital World for now and take things from there."

With even Rei standing up from her corner as everyone started with preparations, sailing suddenly seemed smoother. Not that Sora was under any delusion that things would stay that way, but until that time came, she knew they had to make what progress they could. That included figuring out how to get Mari and Rei to open up so they could help them.

Chapter Text

The group migration wasn't delayed for long, with the task of gathering up what food and supplies were needed for a day in the Digital World easily completed. With that, the only immediate obstacle left was finding a suitable spot to set up a temporary camp, which ended up being a forested area along a narrow river.

That left Gatomon with the last part of the plan, to figure out a way to push into an alternate reality. At present, a portion of their team had found a small clearing where they could attempt a trial and error approach to this goal. The current suggestion was to meditate on the matter, an idea Gatomon went along with only because she didn't have a better solution. Sitting upright while trying to direct all her senses both inward and outward, she made an active effort to reach for the Celestial energy she was allegedly able to harness.

Of course, Gatomon wasn't alone in this challenge. To her right, Patamon sat in what looked like an uncomfortable position, backside planted on the ground with his front legs raised and toes pinched together. On the opposite side, Salamon simply lounged on their back, legs pointed in whatever direction suited them at the moment.

"Anything yet?" Izzy asked, currently sitting on a tree stump with his laptop open, though his eyes currently looked directly at them.

"Nope," Salamon called back energetically.

"Are you even trying?" Gatomon asked wearily, looking at the smaller digimon without turning her head.

Salamon grinned. "It defeats the purpose if you try too hard."

"And how is that?"

"Do you at least have any advice?" Patamon requested, finally leaning forward and landing on all fours.

"Relax." Salamon rolled back onto their stomach. "We're not trying to force our way through. Just gently squeezing into the other side."

"Are we sure they're even capable of this?" Cody asked, softly yet sternly. "Sensing this energy is one thing, but manipulating it sounds like a whole other."

"That's not in doubt," Izzy replied instantly. "I trust my source on this."

"Then why haven't you said anything up to this point?" Cody crossed his arms, though the tone of his voice remained even.

Izzy hesitated, then faced forward again. "That was just an oversight on my part. I've been working a lot, but I would have shared this information if I thought we would need it."

"Then how about a break to recharge?" Mimi suggested as she stepped closer to the stump.

Izzy focused closer on the clearing. "I suppose if the digimon are tired it would be for the best."

"I'm talking about you." Mimi leaned closer and tapped his nose with her index finger. "I haven't seen you eat all day."

Izzy hesitated again, his face turning slightly red. "I'm fine."

"That's been his favorite phrase lately," Tentomon chimed in.

Izzy cleared his throat. "Look, I appreciate the concern, but I act-ack!"

Izzy's objection was instantly cut short by Mimi shoving half a sandwich into his mouth. Where she had been hiding said sandwich and how she pulled this sleight of hand, Gatomon hadn't been paying close enough attention to notice, but it seemed to have done the trick.

"You feel up to finishing that thought?" Mimi asked smugly.

Izzy gave no obvious reply other than to to simply pull the sandwich out of his mouth and finish chewing. Seeming like he shrank some, he closed his computer and took a deep breath.

"I wonder if digivolving would help," Kari put forward after a few seconds of silence. Up to this point, she had been standing just a few paces away from Izzy's stump, silently observing.

"Or maybe it's simpler than that," T.K. added, a hint of realization in his voice. "Maybe, like when they digivolve, they just need a little help."

Kari gave him her full attention. "So you think we have to help them access this power?"

"Oh!" Akira sprang to his feet. "Does that mean we get to play with them?"

Gatomon raised an eyebrow. "We're not exactly-"

"You betcha, partner!" Salamon shouted as they hopped upwards themselves. "Come on over!"

"Got it!" Akira grabbed both Kari and T.K. by the hand and started pulling. "Let's go!"

Neither teen resisted, even smiling a bit as Akira tugged them over. Within seconds, the boy plopped himself directly opposite the digimon, with the two taking seats on either side of him.

"So where do we start?" T.K. asked.

"I thought you were the expert," Kari teased.

T.K. raised his hands defensively. "I like to think I'm more an ideas guy."

"Of course…" Kari smirked and shook her head before moving focus. "How about you, Akira? What do you feel when the two of you jump between worlds?"

"Hmm…" Akira placed a hand on his chin as he looked to the ground in front of him. "Last time it happened, I remember being scared cuz the bad guys attacked us. Then Salamon was jumping on my chest and I felt better."

"Well, in that case…" Salamon reared back and leaped forward.

"Ah!" Akira called out, landing on his back as his partner tackled him. "Mommy, Daddy, help!"

With more laughter than actual distress coming from the scene in front of her, Gatomon simply shook her head. Turning to her right to find a smiling Patamon, she conceded that it wasn't the right time to interrupt them. Thinking on it, Gatomon realized that this could be their lives one day, though hopefully in a more far-off future. Gatomon could think of worse places to end up, so long as she never ended up at the bottom of one of these piles.

Gatomon suddenly froze, less a thought and more a compulsion taking over. Raising her front right paw, she gently traced it along the air in front of her. A familiar light crackled in its wake before dissipating. Not enough to actually utilize just yet, but still a place to start.

Matt could tolerate waiting around, but that didn't mean he had to enjoy it. The group had split up for the moment, with Joe and Davis having gone with Yolei and Ken while they ran tests on the latter's D3 while everyone else helped Izzy sort out how they would facilitate traveling to another reality. Without much technical knowledge to contribute on either front, Matt knew that this was the most he could do at the moment.

That left him, Sora, and Tai to wander the forest a bit. By what Matt assumed was Sora's intention, they had settled on a spot with an eyeline on Rei and Mari. Rei stood at the edge of the river, picking rocks up off the ground and skipping them across to the opposite side. For her part, Mari kept her distance, sitting behind a tree a few meters away from the river. Still, she occasionally poked her head out, as though she wanted to keep an eye on Rei while at the same time avoiding all interaction with her.

"They'd really rather be far away from everyone else, huh?" Gabumon commented, being the first to break their group's silence.

"Maybe they got gas from eating too fast and are shy about it," Agumon suggested, earnestly often seeming like the only way he knew how to speak.

"Too bad you don't get shy about stuff like that," Biyomon growled, poking a wing into the dinosaur digimon's gut.

"Don't jostle him," Gabumon warned. "You'll only make things worse."

"I just wish they'd talk to us," Sora said softly, not taking her eyes off the kids.

Matt didn't have a reply to give. As much as a part of him wanted to help, they didn't know enough to start poking at the two girls to get them to open up. Even if they did, the two clearly weren't ready to do so. The best option they had at the moment was to stay focused on the present.

"What's our plan, Tai?" Matt asked instead.

Tai gave an aloof shrug. "We're doing it."

"I mean after Izzy and the others are done." Matt pushed himself off the tree he was leaning against and took a single step forward. "Where are we going? What are we doing when we get there?"

"We'll have to figure that out as we learn more," Tai answered without facing them directly, staring off into space like he was thinking on the matter. "The best we can do for now is try to help our future selves."

"What about those 'holy keys' Salamon mentioned?" Matt asked. Gennai had messaged them back on the matter, though only to confirm he didn't know anything and would start investigating.

"Honestly…" Tai paused briefly to scratch the back of his head. "Without more info, I think they're a waste of time."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "They sound important."

"They do, except for how we don't know anything about them." Tai's tone shifted, his voice and demeanor suddenly more serious. "They could be the actual keys we keep in our pockets for all we know. Without any clues, we might be better off rushing in and charging at the enemy."

"That sounds like what we're doing," Matt argued, fully against this approach. Also among the things they didn't know was enemy strength and numbers.

"Matt, we're leaving our world defenseless to go on this mission," Tai pushed back, though his tone of voice didn't become any harsher. "How many more Reapermons can pop while we're gone, and that's the least of our worries. A year later, and we still don't know what happened to Gennai's creepy clone."

"We can't fight any of them if we end up dead," Matt returned in kind.

"I know…" Tai leaned back and looked away again. He made it easy to forget that he did consider these things, and had the job of making final decisions. What fell on the rest of them was to make sure that he was making these decisions for the right reasons.

Any further discussion was cut short by Sora suddenly stepping away from them, slowly but deliberately moving towards the river. While part of Matt had hoped she would stay focused to back him up on his concerns, the other part of him knew she couldn't. Sora's heart had long stopped being in this aspect of their job, and that was even before her current distraction.

With a nod to Tai, Matt stepped out as well, the pair of them following just close to stay within ear's length of whatever Sora was up to. Without looking back to them, Sora stopped just next Rei, picking up a stone of her own and skipping it across the river.

"You guys are really loud," Rei said bluntly, barely turning her head.

"Yeah…" Sora smiled, turning to her right to face the younger girl directly. "Most of the time we blame your dad, but I guess we can carry on too."

Rei sighed. "I don't want to do this."

"Do what?"

"This." Rei turned and pointed at the ground between them. "Where you call him my dad and pretend to be my mom. You're not."

"Not yet, at least." Sora's smile stayed constant, not showing any strain.

"Or maybe not ever." Rei's expression, on the other hand, showed next to no emotion. "I know how this all works. You're one off day from me never existing."

"Okay, so we're not your parents," Tai cut in, taking two steps forward, though his demeanor seemed closer to Rei's than Sora's. "That doesn't mean we're not on your side."

"We're trying to help you," Sora added, her eyes sinking and her smile fading. "We want to help you, but we can only do that if you tell us what's wrong."

"I guess I'm a little confused," Rei's Agumon commented, scratching her chin as she looked up at her partner. "They look like your parents, and smell like your parents, so I don't get why we can't at least start over."

"It's…" Rei hesitated, fists clenching as she refused to make eye-contact with anyone. "It's too late for that."

"But-"

"No that's the end of it!" Rei snapped at her partner, anger bubbling to the surface.

"You should give them a chance, Rei," Mari's voice squeaked out, quieting the bunch of them.

Once again, the girl in question had approached without anyone realizing. Still a couple paces away, Mari picked at her fingernails as she stood her ground.

"Stay out of this," Rei growled back.

"B-But they're just…" Mari looked away, her confidence crumbling. "And I w-want to-"

"Well, you can't," Rei stated coldly.

"Hey," Sora spoke up again, speaking in a fair but firm tone that every Digidestined had heard at one point or another. "You don't have to talk to her like that."

"Why does it matter how I talk to her?" Rei grumbled and crossed her arms.

"Because she's your-"

"She's not my sister!" Rei yelled, like a switch had been flipped in her brain. "Stop calling her that!"

"I've never said…" Sora's eyes widened, clearly no less confused than the rest of them were.

From where he was standing, Matt couldn't shake the feeling that the forest itself had heard them with how still everything became. The most notable movement came from Rei, who was shaking in place.

"Like I'd want her to be in the first place," Rei added, voice lower though still clear enough that they all heard. She grabbed her left elbow with her right hand, as if to try and stop the shaking.

"N-No, right, I-I guess you wouldn't…" Mari rambled, some of her words not even sounding coherent. No sobs followed, though tears had started leaking out of her eyes.

Shaking her head, Rei started to march off before someone stepped in her path, Agumon just a step behind.

"What do you get out of treating her like that?" Tai asked, crossing his arms as he looked down at her. "As far as I can tell, Mari's never done anything to you, and I'm pretty sure her existence doesn't erase yours."

"No, it just erases my parents'," Rei said as she glared back up at him.

Tai tilted his head. "What?"

"She and those two twerps show up in my world, bringing Dragomon's flunkies with them." Rei pointed a finger in Mari's direction, but never took her eyes off Tai. "When we had to run, who do you think was the first to volunteer to stay behind?"

Of course, Matt didn't need to guess, knowing better than anyone what Tai's instincts became in a crisis. Worse, Matt knew that under no circumstances would he let Tai fight a battle like that on his own. He looked to Mari, and though she wouldn't look back at him, her expression said enough.

"That's not even mentioning all my friends we left behind when got zapped here," Rei continued, wiping her eyes with the back of he hand. "Like I said, I don't want to do this."

Tai finally let his arms fall to his sides. Though his expression didn't change, if he had any kind of response, he would have said it already. Probably knowing this as well, Rei took the opportunity to walk past him and disappear into the treeline.

"Hey, kid-" Matt began, instinctively turning back Mari, only to find her leaving with her partner as well. He let them go, knowing enough damage had been done for now.

No one had actually made the suggestion to rejoin the others, or at least not that Tai had noticed. Silence carried on for most of the walk back, which only made it easier to notice Sora's slightly lowered shoulders and how she wasn't quite looking directly in front of her. Understandably, Rei's blow-up had not been by design.

Tai looked to Matt, hoping for a game plan on how to help. To Matt's credit, his eyes were on Sora, meaning he was more thinking on the matter. To his discredit, all that added up to was him turning to Tai and motioning with his eyes towards Sora. Basically, he wanted Tai to take point on cleanup this go around.

The problem then became figuring out what to say. Tai shrugged, hoping for some kind of clue where to start, though Matt's only answer was to jab back at him and then to Sora. Accepting he was on his own, Tai waved the back of his hand in Matt's direction before facing forward. As Matt slowed his pace some, Tai increased his so he and Sora were walking side-by-side.

"So that was something else," Tai said after a couple more seconds of silence, deciding to just wing it.

"Something else alright…" Sora repeated halfheartedly, still not turning to face him.

Tai rubbed the back of his head. "I guess it shouldn't be that surprising that there's a timeline where we die a horrible death."

"Yeah…"

Tai paused, then pushed on. "Maybe I'll get like a face tattoo. You know, seize the day while it's still seizable."

"I have some ideas if you need them." Sora finally looked his way, subtle yet sincere smile on her face.

Tai let the relief have a moment. Not that he ever doubted that she was listening to him, but Sora could give Matt a run for his money when it came to shutting down. Luckily, Tai had a childhood's worth of experience getting reactions out of Sora, and he liked to think of it as something of a specialty. Matt might have been counting on this, though Tai also didn't want to give him too much credit.

"That whole thing back there wasn't your fault," Tai said, wanting to say it even if it shouldn't have had to be said.

"No, I know." Sora looked forward again. "I didn't help much either though."

"Honestly, I don't know what you say to something like that."

"Believe me, I'm trying to figure it out." Sora paused, before turning back to him with a bit more resolve on her face. "Rei resents us."

"Us or us?" Tai remarked, trying his best to leave out the snark. As much as Rei was obviously trying to tell herself they weren't her parents, it was pretty clear she had a lot different emotions fighting for control.

"I don't know." Sora sighed and shook her head. "Maybe I'm just being insecure about having a daughter who hates me."

"Maybe she doesn't hate us," Tai put forward instinctively, a knee-jerk reaction to seeing her being down on herself. "Maybe she's just convinced herself this is how she has to act."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "For what reason?"

"To save us?" Tai suggested without any real commitment to the idea. "Like, what if Rei thinks that if she can convince us to not become her parents, we end up with a different future?"

Sora sighed again. "Sometimes I can't decide if you're a genius or just plain stupid."

"Bold of you to assume I can't be both." Tai grinned back at her as she tried to hide a smirk.

"No, you're definitely just stupid." Sora's expression suddenly became serious again. "I'm still not sure how I'm supposed to act."

"What do you mean?" Tai asked back, trying to match her sincerity.

Sora threw her head back, eyes on the sky above them. "Would it be better if I tried to be their friend instead of their mom?"

"Can I be honest with you, Sor?" Tai waited for her to look back at him. "Don't think about it. Just do whichever comes more naturally."

Sora went quiet again, though this time didn't take her eyes off him. Her expression didn't shift much either, leaving Tai not sure whether she liked the idea or was just getting ready to call him stupid again.

"Okay," she eventually said with a simple nod.

By that point, they had just about made it to base-camp. Everyone was already gathered, even Rei and Mari, though the two were back to hiding in opposite sides of the small clearing. At this point, most eyes were centered on their resident problem-solver.

"It's just doesn't make any sense…" Izzy said, eyes locked on his computer screen.

"What's going on?" Sora asked no one in particular.

"I thought I'd take a look at Akira's D3," Izzy explained, gesturing to the cord connecting the device to his laptop. "To get some kind of clue as to how he and Salamon jump between realities. The thing is, I can read its firmware."

"Haven't you been able to read digicode since you were ten?" Joe asked.

"That's just it. It's not written in digicode." Izzy leaned back from his screen and held up the digivice in question for all to see. "It's almost like the code is a human's best approximation of a D3."

"Would that be so weird?" Salamon chimed in calmly.

"But…" Izzy hesitated, eyes darting back and forth. "Who would go out of their way to make their own digivice? Who could?"

Salamon lifted a hind leg to scratch at their ear. "Okay, now you're creepin' into spoiler territory."

Izzy shook his head. "It's just… the ramifications…"

Tai focused on Salamon, who seemed very nonchalant about Izzy's concerns. Eventually, the Rookie noticed his staring and simply winked back at him.

"Sounds like something we're gonna have to learn about the long way around," Tai assured the group, speaking directly to Izzy before looking to everyone else. "Where are we at?"

"We think we're good," Davis answered, mostly confidently.

"Think?" Matt questioned, eyes widening just a bit.

"Given the circumstances, we didn't think we should actually open a gate to the Dark Ocean," Ken elaborated. "Still, tests seemed promising."

"What about you guys?" Tai turned his attention back to Izzy's group.

"We've made some progress," Izzy replied. "Though I still think we're not quite ready to open our own dimensional portals yet."

"Actually, we had a thought on that," Kari said, glancing down to Gatomon before stepping forward. "We were wondering if we'd have an easier time controlling these powers in place made to open gates and the like."

"Sounds like you have a place in mind," Tai pointed out, knowing when his sister still had more to say.

"Myotismon's castle," Gatomon confirmed, with a tone that made it seem like she knew for a fact that this space was the answer they were looking for.

"Didn't we not leave that place in the best condition the last time we were there?" Joe pointed out.

Izzy placed a hand on his chin. "That was before the Digital World was rebooted."

Gatomon nodded. "Myotismon didn't build that castle. He moved in, because of the spot it was built on top of."

A pause followed, with all eyes shifting towards Tai. They had laid out the facts, and just needed him to make the final decision. Hoping he was choosing based on the right reasons, he went with his gut.

"Sounds like it's worth a look," Tai declared, pouring on the conviction.

Chapter Text

A monolith. That was the only way Gatomon could describe the cylindrical plateau that Myotismon's castle rested atop of. Intimidating from a distance, though becoming a whole different type of unsettling once they got closer.

Reaching the summit was simple enough thanks to Imperialdramon, and despite the dragon's size, no extra attention seemed to have been drawn their way. Aside from the echoes of the group's heavier footsteps and brief gusts of wind, the area around them was docile, and every visible corner was devoid of life. Stretching all her senses a little further outwards, Gatomon couldn't detect anyone or anything of note, or at least anyone who wasn't set on staying hidden.

The castle's main entrance remained open, almost like the structure itself had been expecting them. Less welcoming were the shadows just beyond said entrance.

"Yeah, this lines up with just about every vampire movie I've ever seen," Yolei said as she leaned a bit closer, as though she would actually see something that everyone else had missed.

Davis raised an eyebrow. "How many have you seen, exactly?"

"Lost count." Yolei stood up straight and shrugged. "Hawkmon's an enthusiast."

"I find the atmosphere of Gothic horror to be quite exhilarating," the digimon in question explained.

"I prefer something with more vibrant colors," Wormmon chimed in. "Like a musical."

"I gather Yolei and Ken's movie nights involve a few compromises," Cody commented.

Yolei's shoulders sank. "That's assuming Davis doesn't crash them with his stupid action flicks."

Davis snorted. "You're just jealous I have better taste than you."

"It should be this way," Gatomon put forward the second she saw Yolei was getting ready to respond. She had a feeling clawing at the back of her mind that they had limited time, and they couldn't afford to let this particular tangent eat any of that.

"Then let's go!" Salamon cheered, clearly pouring on their upbeat energy extra thick.

Venturing inside, the group went mostly silent again. With the two pairs of Agumon and Gabumon, visibility became less of an issue, the hallways filled with torches for them to light. A few fireballs later, Gatomon was able to more easily lead the group to their intended destination.

Of course, better visibility meant her surroundings were more recognizable. Turning a corner or two, Gatomon felt the hairs on her back stand on end, a few dark hallways triggering her fight-or-flight reflexes. These halls had a number of bad memories associated with them, both done to her and ones she had carried out herself. While Gatomon had come a long way in accepting her past, these memories still hurt on occasion.

"Gatomon…" Kari said softly, likely sensing her distress.

"I'm fine," Gatomon replied quickly, not slowing her pace when she looked up at her partner.

"I don't see how." Kari tucked her hands into her armpits as she eyed the walls around them. "There's a nasty draft in here, and someone should call an interior decorator."

Kari paused to look back at Gatomon, a weak but earnest smile on her face. Gatomon took a deep breath, reminding herself to stay in the present, that a familiar location digging up old habits shouldn't cause her to shut out the people most important to her.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you when I started sensing the reality tears," Gatomon put forward, not wanting to let the issue fester.

"It's okay," Kari replied with a nod. "I know you just wanted to be sure."

Or at least those were Kari's words. She likely even understood and believed them, though Gatomon knew her partner well enough to know that that didn't necessarily mean she felt them. Kari had episodes of doubting herself in the past, and the last thing Gatomon wanted to do was contribute to one of them, especially with an encounter with the Dark Ocean looming on the horizon. Gatomon would have been keeping an eye on her partner regardless of the kind of enemy they were facing, so she simply made a mental note to be ready in case Kari showed signs of any doubts bubbling up.

With that thought, they arrived at a stairwell, and were entering their destination a few minutes following. The Digidestined now found themselves in a large chamber, large as it had needed to be to contain the small army Myotismon had led into the human world seven years prior. At the far end of the room sat a moderately sized pedestal decorated with a grid pattern on its face.

"Is it like tic-tac-toe?" Akira asked as the group moved closer.

"It's a lock," Izzy explained, eyeing the pedestal suspiciously without approaching it. "For the gate between our world and this one."

"Too bad we don't have those cards to open it," Tai pointed out, though with a lighter tone to his voice.

"We won't need them," Gatomon stated, closing the distance towards the pedestal.

Taking a moment to trace her paw along its base, eventually pausing on a loose bit, invisible to the naked eye but clearly out of place once the right amount of pressure was applied. Gatomon pushed the button, causing the pedestal to slide backwards, revealing yet another staircase underneath.

"How long have you known about this?" Tai was the one to ask, though thankfully without any judgment in his tone.

"Just today," Gatomon answered calmly.

Salamon tilted their head. "That's a long time to suppress a memory."

"It's not her memory," Kari explained, matching Gatomon's calm.

In a way, it was fitting that this had all begun with Myotismon. Having clawed his way back to life one more time less than a year ago, he had managed to find a way to move between different realities. The Digidestined had stopped him thanks to new allies, though Gatomon was reminded that her former master would never change. Once the dust had settled, she dealt the killing blow herself, following up by loading his core data so it could never be recycled.

That had been the last Gatomon had thought about him, at least until a couple hours ago. While meditating, one of Myotismon's memories had shaken loose, of a mystery of this castle that even he had not been able to make sense of. Gatomon told Kari first, and before long the group was on their current task.

"Fair enough." Tai nodded before waving everyone else forward. "Let's get to it."

As the Digidestined started downward, Gatomon held herself back, feeling a pair of eyes on her. Turning to find Salamon, a perplexed look on their face, she simply stared back and waited for them to speak.

"You loaded another digimon's data?" Salamon finally asked, though with no obvious emotion in their voice.

"I did," Gatomon replied in kind.

"You've never mentioned it before."

"It probably never came up."

Salamon paused, then tilted their head again. "You don't like me very much, do you?"

Gatomon sighed. "I don't know you, and maybe you shouldn't assume you know the rest of us that well."

"You know, it's nifty gettin' the sense of things with each jump." Salamon grinned, their usual enthusiasm coming back up. "Like, Akira's parents are always Akira's parents. That's when they're not even married, and when they are and have kids that aren't Akira."

"And what about the versions of them that actually are his parents?" Gatomon shot back. For her limited experiences with the multiverse, she didn't like the insinuation that her partner was interchangeable with every other variant of her.

To their credit, Salamon paused again. Raising a paw to scratch under their chin, they did seem to be giving it some thought.

"They…" Salamon turned to face Gatomon again. "...didn't hesitate. Doubt your Kari would either."

Gatomon didn't reply, knowing the statement was true. Not even accounting for any innate connection she may or may not have felt with Akira, who she just innately was as a person meant Kari would defend the boy.

Salamon suddenly started walking down the stairs. "Even if you're right, though, it doesn't hurt to make new friends."

Gatomon arched an eyebrow, though also didn't feel compelled to continue arguing. She followed suit, once again reminding herself they had limited time.

Sora couldn't bring herself to be scared or even be put slightly on edge by the castle around them. This was technically the third time in her life that she had crept through these halls, so the sense of discovery of the unknown had worn itself out. There was the secret staircase they were currently walking down, though even that wasn't exactly a new experience for their group.

Of course, Sora was more than willing to admit that her mind just might have been elsewhere. Rei and Mari were both proving difficult to approach, neither of them having said much to anyone to cue up another conversation. At this point, they were just going along with the group without much resistance.

So Sora waited, not so much because she didn't know what she would say, but more because she knew that charging at the two girls alone and without much of a plan hadn't worked. A knot briefly formed in her stomach, a reminder of the uphill battle it was to reconnect with Biyomon when her partner's memories were erased. Sora knew she would need to approach things differently this time around.

This time, she was intent on taking full advantage of her team. While Tai was leading the group at this particular moment, Matt was walking at her right, being his usual stoic self, which was enough for the immediate future.

"Have you thought about trying to talk to Mari again?" Sora asked him softly, though she assumed anyone walking right in front of or behind them could hear her if they wanted.

"A couple times. She…" Matt hesitated, not looking her way as he stared off into space for a couple seconds. "I don't think she really wants to be around me right now."

Sora held back a smirk, not surprised by his response in the slightest. Matt was projecting in his usual way, always a little afraid that his presence wasn't to anyone's benefit. Maybe one day he would accept not only how much they all needed him around, but that they actively wanted him to be so.

"Sounds like you're just getting in your own head," Sora summarized.

"Or maybe that's genuinely how she feels," Matt replied, the tone of his voice not really arguing as much it sounded like he was trying to present a possibility.

"Why would she, though?"

"Could be any reason." Matt rubbed his neck and looked forward, though this time he was focused in Mari's direction. "Maybe she had a fight with her parents before she left and feels guilty, or maybe she feels like she would be betraying them by leaning on us."

Sora considered both possibilities, but pushed them aside. While she didn't want to assume what her counterpart would want, she wouldn't want her daughter thinking or feeling that way.

"But you'll talk to her anyway, right?" Sora asked, gently but firmly. Maybe slightly more of the latter to get her point across.

Matt turned his head directly towards her, slight movements of his eyes saying he was weighing the request. For someone who could stick to his guns the way he could, he had difficulty saying no in the right circumstances. Half the arguments he lost to Tai were mostly down to this.

"Fine…" Matt finally conceded.

Sora smiled, trying not to seem smug as they finally reached the bottom of the staircase. The new chamber seemed about the same size as the one they had just left, a number of shadows filling the corners thanks to the dim lighting.

"I'll try to talk to Mari once we're settled here," Matt added.

"Right," Sora replied, having almost forgotten what they were here for. "We should probably focus then."

"Maybe things won't be as bad as we're building them up to be," Matt offered, trying to sound reassuring but lacking the confidence. Clearly, he had caught on to her lack of enthusiasm towards another coming battle.

Sora nodded, though felt like she was internally shaking her head at herself. Again, she had never wanted to fight, but she couldn't remember ever having to force herself to stay on task this way. Whatever the source of this was, though, she would power through it for the time being.

Glancing from wall to wall, nothing about the room they had just entered stood out to Tai. The walls weren't blank save for a large circle on the far one, covered in images of what looked like the Digimon Sovereign and small angels if he squinted, scattered in between brief lines of digicode. To be fair, the walls could have contained some piece of game-changing information and Tai just wasn't able to read them, but the fact was he couldn't read them so it all might as well have been chicken scratch.

That was exactly why he followed Izzy and Tentomon across the chamber, knowing where the answers would come from if they came at all. Izzy eventually stopped at the far wall, specifically at a pedestal in similar position as the one on the floor above. It was about the same size as well, though rather than the familiar grid pattern, a single circle was carved onto its flat surface.

"What's this?" Izzy asked, leaning back and forth to look at each side of the pedestal.

"No theories?" Tai asked back, figuring he could be a springboard if nothing else.

"Almost…" Izzy knelt down to examine the base of the pedestal. He then paused, before looking over his shoulder. "You seem like you have something you want to say."

"Nothing in particular," Tai replied with a shrug. He had questions, but he trusted Izzy to answer them when the time was right.

Izzy faced forward again. "You didn't seem as surprised as everyone else when I mentioned Patamon and Gatomon being able to traverse realities."

"Yeah, Takato mentioned a training accident with Lopmon a few months back." Tai modestly scratched the back of his head. Thanks to Izzy's tech wizardry, they had managed to stay in limited contact with the other Digidestined they met the last time they crossed between realities, so Tai occasionally heard things. "He said Henry would know more about the details, which I assumed meant you would have the details if there were any."

Izzy paused again, then nodded. "We might be getting closer to traveling between realities more freely."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound all that excited."

Izzy stood up straight, worry taking over his face. "I'm worried we're looking at a Pandora's Box situation."

"Then leave the box alone."

Izzy sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "But then what happens when someone else opens it first?"

Tai had no answer, but knew it was something he would be taking more seriously once their current conflict was resolved. Anything else was cut short by Kari and her entire "family unit" approaching them.

They were all quiet for a brief moment, though Tai knew that was partially on him. He had taken the opportunity to cross his arms and send a stern look T.K.'s way. The boy seemed confused, until Tai motioned to Akira and then Kari. T.K. shrugged, trying to play the whole thing off with an innocent smile.

"Oh, brother…" Kari grumbled while rolling her eyes.

Tai didn't push any further, at least for the time being. Later, though, he intended to have a talk about what T.K. might end up thinking about doing to his little sister.

"You guys don't sense anything, do you?" Izzy asked the digimon.

"Now that you mention it, the air does feel different in here," Patamon answered, a thoughtful expression on his face. "Like it's tingling the tips of my toes."

"What did Myotismon even use this place for?" Izzy's eyes wandered the walls and ceiling.

"He had no idea what it was," Gatomon explained dismissively. "Didn't really care once he figured out how to use the gate upstairs."

"Seems like some kind of junction point," Salamon put forward confidently.

Gatomon turned to face them. "And what's that?"

"I don't know." Salamon looked over the nearest wall. "Don't think I've ever been to one before."

"Of course…"

"Hmm…" Izzy had suddenly returned to the pedestal, staring at one spot in particular.

Tai took a step closer to see what was up. A small rectangular hole was on the side of the stone fixture, though Tai hadn't been paying close enough attention to be sure whether it had always been there or just suddenly appeared. Before he could ask, Izzy had pulled his laptop out of his bag. After juggling a couple different cords, he picked one and connected it to his computer. Without wasting another second, Izzy plugged the other end into the hole, and suddenly new windows were opening on the screen.

"Anything?" Tai asked, not being able to make sense of any of it no matter how closely her stared.

"A lot of hard data." Izzy sat down on the floor, resting the computer on his lap. "I can read it, but it seems like a lot of numbers and technical information."

"Best guess?"

Izzy closed one window and enlarged another. "Whatever it is, it's lacking a reliable power source."

Salamon waltzed over to Izzy's side, giving the pedestal their own examination. After a couple seconds, they placed their front paw against it. White runes appeared on random spots on the pedestal, with the whole chamber seeming to get brighter in the process. Without warning, the carved circle jutted a couple centimeters outward.

"How about now?" Salamon asked as they turned back around to face the group.

Izzy stood back up, balancing his laptop with one arm while reaching out to the raised circle with his free hand. He hesitated for a split second, before placing his hand on it. He didn't push down, however, instead gripping the edges. Like a dial, Izzy spun the circle both clockwise and counterclockwise, audible clicks sounding off each time he did so. All the while, his eyes bounced between the pedestal and the computer screen.

"Every time I turn the dial, the frequency of the emitted energy changes." Izzy paused to squint at his laptop. "I've seen this before."

"So what's going on?" Matt's voice joined in, him and Sora having moved closer while Izzy was messing with the pedestal.

Without skipping a beat, Izzy pushed the circle down. The runes blinked at the same time, before energy started to pool together at the blank spot on the wall. The energy eventually settled, though Tai didn't need to ask what they were looking at by that point.

It was a portal, a tear in the fabric of reality itself. At the moment, all they saw was white, meaning there was no clue as to where it opened to. Still, it was a bit more progress than they had planned on.

"I think it's connected to the gate upstairs," Izzy began slowly, looking from the dial to the portal. "Though I haven't quite worked out which was built first."

"Can we swing back to the first part?" Tai asked, not wanting to get sidetracked. "What exactly did we just turn on?"

"It's…" Izzy's eyeline found its way to Salamon. "...a junction point. Between the two gates, not only could we probably move between realities, but also each reality's respective material and digital worlds."

"So how do we use this thing?" Tai knew there were concerns, but they had mission to complete and this was what they had to work with.

"Well, that'll depend on the functionality of this gate." Izzy placed a hand on his chin and looked upwards. "It's one thing if it can take us to parallel realities, but moving up and down our own potential timelines might be another. Even assuming we access the Dark Ocean, we have to consider-"

The chamber around them suddenly shook, some dust from the ceiling above them becoming displaced. Tai scanned the room, everyone else seeming as confused as he was.

"I swear it wasn't me this time," Tentomon commented.

"What's that?" Tai asked, eyes bouncing around the room again until settling on the stairwell they had just come down.

"The draft in here suddenly got a whole lot worse," Kari pointed out, doing her best to keep up appearances though clearly strained and shivering.

At that moment, a white mist rolled down the stairs, putting all the digimon on edge. With plenty of twitching ears, wide eyes, and flared nostrils to go around, it was clear they were no longer alone.

"I thought we'd have more time," Salamon's voice squeaked, the first time since their arrival that they actually sounded timid.

As a group, everyone backed away from the approaching mist, gathering in the most defensive positions they could around the control pedestal. Having risen to just about knee-height, the mist stopped just short of their group, and then started to stir.

Shadows started to rise and coalesce, into roughly two dozen figures of varying shapes and sizes, each with purple and black armor and accented with green tentacles and yellow eyeballs. Most common were spherical ones with metal claws, as well as a more slender and humanoid variant. Just one towered above the rest, a brute who looked like he was hunching over to support his own weight.

"I've never seen any digimon like these before," Ken was the first to verbalize.

"Yeah, we'd never seen any Argomon before either," Rei's Agumon rambled off. "Then we started seeing a whole lot of 'em."

Tai looked over his shoulder. "Izzy-!"

"Already working on it!" Izzy's typed quickly, eyes skimming over whatever was on screen. His hands tightened around his laptop, frustration all over his face. "Next to nothing, just like Dragomon. I think the round ones are Champions, and skinny ones Ultimates."

"Th-The big one is a Mega," Mari added meekly.

Yet none of these "Argomon" made any aggressive movements. If anything, it looked like they were standing guard, biding their time until-

"You should be more responsible about where you take your partner, Salamon," a new voice taunted. Or at least it could have been a single voice, as it could have been two or three voices speaking in unison, all gravelly and distorted to the point that it was hard to tell.

One more shadow emerged from the mist, this one tall and lithe. His features soon came into focus, his right side black and covered in red eyeballs, and his left crimson with multiple mouths with jagged teeth scattered on his person. With a pronounced collar and long cape, this new digimon stepped forward, with even the Mega-leveled Argomon deferring to him.

"Any place where we can't see your busted face is fine with me, Abbadomon," Salamon growled, slowly backing into Akira as they spoke.

"Easy now…" The mouth's on Abbadomon's left side all started to grin. "After all, you brought little Akira to a place with thin walls, and chose to use that pesky Celestial energy of yours no less. That takes some combination of arrogance and desperation, wouldn't you say?"

Tai looked down to Akira by instinct, finding the child still refusing to leave Kari and T.K.'s sides. While a shaking hand reaching for his D3 said he was nervous, conviction-filled eyes also said he wasn't as scared as he could have been. For that, Tai couldn't help but respect the little guy.

Shaking his head, Tai took a couple steps forward of his own. While not the smartest move, he did so for a couple reasons, the first of which being that it was his job to be the first one in and last one out.

"So who's this guy?" Tai asked, though kept his eyes on the digimon in question.

"Well, hello, Taichi." All of Abbadomon's eyes widened. "It's been more than a couple minutes since I've seen you this young."

"Have we met?"

"So many times it's grown stale," Abbadomon groaned, turning around to none of the Argomon in particular. "Feel free to eat him or whatever it is you do."

Without warning, a trio of the Argomon sprang towards him. Luckily, Tai could count on the second reason he was able confidently approach the enemy: His own, personal T-Rex.

At the first hint of danger, Agumon had leapt forward. With a bright light, he became meters taller, now with blue stripes and three horns growing out of his brown skull. With the same motion, Greymon spun on his heel, swatting the Argomon away with a single swing of his tail. Planting both feet firmly back on the ground, he leered at their approaching enemies.

"Sorry, acted on instinct," Greymon said softly, or at least as softly as his voice could be. "You want me to fall back and bump it up to Mega?"

The question was a fair one. There was a time when, if they were faced with enemies like these, the Digidestined needed to prioritize getting WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon on the field. Fortunately, they now had seven other Megas they could rely on, which left a little more room for strategy.

"Soon," Tai answered. "For now, let's see if we can't buy the others a couple seconds to digivolve."

Greymon braced himself. "You got it, dude!"

A Champion Argomon scuttled forward, sparking with some kind of energy between its claws. Naturally, however, it wasn't fast enough.

"NOVA BLAST!"

A fireball launched from Greymon's mouth, colliding dead-on with the Argomon and sending it rolling backwards. Out of the smoke, one of the Ultimates flew into the fray, though it wouldn't get far either.

From the corner of his eye, Tai caught lights amongst his friends. The next thing he knew, ExVeemon and Stingmon were flying over his head, fists connecting simultaneously with the Argomon's jaw and forcing it back as well.

One more of their number entered the battle at that moment as well, though Tai didn't quite recognize them. At a quick glance, Tai would have though he was looking at another Greymon, though setting this digimon apart was a more slender build, spikes on their shoulders, and red markings on their skull.

"Tear them apart, GeoGreymon!" Rei yelled, intensity and anger behind her eyes as she marched to the front line and jerked an index finger forward.

GeoGreymon did just so, digging both teeth and claws into the first Argomon she came across, prying its round body apart like an eggshell. Even with data already flaking off its form, GeoGreymon bent down and released a stream of flames downward, disintegrating it.

"And you're next!" Rei declared to Abbadomon.

"Oh my…" He chuckled as he waved a dismissive hand back at her. "I genuinely don't know I should respond to that."

"I don't care what you have to say!"

"Honestly, likewise." Abbadomon's whole body sneered. "Besides, I'd feel pretty bad picking on an orphan."

For a split second, all Tai could hear was dead air. Focusing on Rei again, he saw her cast gaze downward. If he hadn't been so close, he probably would have missed the one tear that dripped down her face.

"Rei…" Tai began, taking a cautious step in her direction.

"I'll kill you," Rei said under her breath, ignoring him and doubling down on her glare towards Abbadomon.

A dark red glow formed in her chest before emitting outward. Rei didn't scream, her focus clear and cold.

GeoGreymon lit up in a matching light, at least until it intensified, leaving Tai unable to see whatever changes in shape came with this digivolution. Tai's expectation was another new form, one that he wouldn't recognize. His expectations weren't met.

The light dimmed, revealing a skeletal figure in the rough shape of some kind of dinosaur. With long pointed claws and a single horn atop her head, the white of her bones was only broken up by the single orange torpedo on her back.

"Uh oh…" Greymon muttered, not even blinking at the sight.

SkullGreymon roared, and the chamber shook once again.

Chapter Text

Sora took a deep breath. Seven years ago, it was easy to panic when a larger scale battle broke out. Not that they had fewer worries nowadays, but they were all more acclimated to thinking in the heat of the moment by this point. Perhaps that was another sign that they had all seen too much fighting in their lives, but Sora brushed that thought aside, instead taking a couple seconds to break down what was in front of them.

SkullGreymon stood out the most, and not just because of what the form represented to both Tai and Rei. In the past, this digimon had been able to overpower their entire team. While they were all stronger now, SkullGreymon was still a walking wild card. She was a distraction at best and a dangerous enemy at worst.

Abbadomon was clearly the greatest single threat, despite having done nothing but talk up to this point. The Digidestined had dealt with plenty of enemies who had high opinions of themselves, though Sora could pick out those who could back up their confidence. Not exactly something she could put into concise words, but an aura and conviction that separated The Dark Masters from, say, Bakemon.

That left the now advancing Argomon, with more seeming like they were materializing from the mist that brought the initial wave. Their leader aside, they seemed less threatening, at least on an individual basis. They had the numbers advantage though, and plenty of past battles had proven that could make the difference. Numbers and persistence, which the humanoid Ultimate at the front of the pack seemed determined to prove.

"Gatomon!" Kari suddenly called out. Not out of panic, but a command. A battle cry.

Likely having already been in motion, Gatomon leapt upward and threw a paw forward. Colliding with the approaching Argomon's forehead, its charge was paused, though not completely deterred. Pushing off the point of impact, Gatomon back-flipped into the air, just as Kari's D3 began to glow with a pink light.

Glowing with a matching light, Gatomon digivolved, taking on a tall and humanoid form, with long blonde hair spilling out over the angelic wings sprouting from her back.

As Angewomon, she called on a bow with one of her hands, from which she loosed two arrows made of white light. The first connected with the Argomon's chest, and the second its head, causing it to falter before collapsing into a cloud of data.

"You too, Armadillomon!" Cody's voice came next.

A second glow followed, the spiked and heavily armored Ankylomon stepping out. After batting away one of the round Champion Argomon with his tail, he planted himself in a defensive position in front of Izzy and the dial he was working on.

"L-Let's try to help, BlackGarurumon," Mari squeaked out, standing just behind Sora's position. She seemed determined, though fidgeting hands and anxious eyes said she was not as confident as everyone else around her.

At Mari's side stood a Garurumon variant, with black fur to match his name. A steadfast look in his eyes, BlackGarurumon charged forward, leaping over the line of Argomon and bee-lining it straight for SkullGreymon.

Sora wasn't sure what her plan was, but wasn't really in a position to question Mari's decision. Looking to Biyomon, Sora found her partner ready, but also sending a quiet and knowing look her way. The pair of them were in a bind.

The chamber around them was plenty large, enough so that Sora was confident that Phoenixmon could fit if she had to. Fitting and being able to fly and effectively fight, however, were two different things. While more of her friends looked like they were joining the fray, some of them were hanging back, probably having come to the same realization she had.

Even if they were strong enough to beat their enemies, they were quickly running out of space down here.

Tai's reflexes kicked in, causing him to sprint the short distance towards Rei. SkullGreymon didn't seem to be moving with any intent, but that didn't make her any less dangerous. Whether on purpose or not, her boney tail swung wild, and Rei was in its path.

Luckily, Tai made it to her in mind, tackling her to the floor just as SkullGreymon's tail flew right around where her head would have been. Tai didn't pick himself up immediately after, turning his head first to see if the tail was coming back their way or if anything else was targeting them.

As a sign that Tai's luck was holding up, Greymon had managed to grab hold of SkullGreymon's tail and her attention along with it. Unfortunately, she didn't seem to like that very much.

Roaring once again, SkullGreymon tried swinging the appendage once more. Greymon resisted at first, but his feet were eventually lifted off the ground. Turning her whole body with the motion, SkullGreymon slammed him into the nearest wall, leaving a sizable indent at the impact point.

"Ow…" Greymon groaned, giving his head a shake like he was trying to stay awake.

SkullGreymon spun all the way around, bearing down on Greymon. With half a second's consideration at most, she splayed out one of her claws to slam downwards, but was stopped mid-swing.

Mari's partner, BlackGarurumon if Tai had heard the name correctly, jumped upwards and sunk his teeth into one of SkullGreymon's fingers. Either out of pain or irritation, she swung her arm around violently. BlackGarurumon let go, just managing to land on his feet. No lasting damage looked like it had been done, though he had bought enough time for Greymon recover and position himself to get back in the fight.

Tai shifted his eyeline, however, knowing there was a lot more going on around them than just this specific fight. His eyes gravitated to Abbadomon, who stood only a few meters away yet seemed uninterested in participating himself.

"Oh, don't mind me." Abbadomon glanced Tai's way, a smug look taking over all his mouths and eyes. "I'm just enjoying the show until it's my turn."

Biting his tongue so he wouldn't take the bait, Tai looked to his side. They needed to pacify the skeletal dinosaur currently turning the battlefield upside-down, and for better or worse, the best place to start solving that problem was Plan A.

"Rei, you have to call her off," Tai requested, clearly and loudly as he could without yelling at the girl.

Rei didn't react, however, eyes glued on her partner, and the rest of her face not giving any obvious emotions. For all Tai could tell, she could have been putting together her own plan or her thoughts were a world away.

"We'll need to up the ante if we want to break through this," Stingmon's voice broke through the chaos.

"Sounds good to me," ExVeemon replied. "Hey, Davis-!"

A snarl and a stomping foot halted their plan in its tracks. The Mega-leveled Argomon propelled himself forward and into the midst of the two Champions. Stingmon veered away at the last second, though by that point, Argomon had his sights set on ExVeemon.

Argomon reeled a fist back, before both precisely and brutally driving it into ExVeemon's gut. Following through on the punch, Argomon pushed upwards and forwards, the impact blasting ExVeemon to the chamber's back wall hard enough to crack the surface. The last Tai saw of ExVeemon was him reverting back to Veemon as he slid to the floor.

More crashing called Tai's attention forward again, this time to see Greymon just manage to dodge one of SkullGreymon's attacks. A burst of blue flames deterred SkullGreymon from following up, instead shifting her focus back to BlackGarurumon.

BlackGarurumon charged head-on, though only for SkullGreymon to clasp both her claws together and slam him to the ground. With what might as well have been the same motion, SkullGreymon raised a foot and stomped down on the wolf digimon with what looked like all her weight. By the time the dust had settled, BlackGarurumon had dedigivolved back into Gabumon.

Tai clenched his fists together, not at a loss as to what to do, but hating what he knew he would have to. A memory of Tokyo Bay flashed in his mind, of Ordinemon and her rampage that almost destroyed both the human and digital worlds. Of Meicoomon, whose life was the price of making sure everyone else would survive.

The decision he made that night stayed with Tai, because he forced it to. Because he needed it to, both a reminder of what was sometimes necessary and a sacrifice he would fight to never have put his friends through again. He didn't want Rei's partner to end up like Meicoomon, and he would still do everything in his power to make sure she didn't, but he couldn't let his fear cloud his judgment.

Standing back up, an orange light beamed from Tai's chest, causing Greymon to glow to match. His partner grew in size, his left arm becoming a large metal claw, armor plating materializing on his skull, and tattered wings growing out of his back.

"No more," Tai said under his breath as he took a couple steps forward.

MetalGreymon charged, shoving SkullGreymon clear of the injured Gabumon, and even causing Abbadomon to casually move to avoid them crashing into him. SkullGreymon took another swipe, though MetalGreymon parried with his metal claw. Balling his organic arm into a fist, MetalGreymon struck his opponent center mass.

Only briefly winded, SkullGreymon charged again, but MetalGreymon managed to catch her mid-stride. Despite both his arms being full, MetalGreymon reared his own skull back, before throwing it forward in an audible headbutt. With the crack across her head resonated throughout the chamber, SkullGreymon recoiled and fell to a knee.

A good start, though winning this fight wasn't Tai's priority just yet. MetalGreymon defeating SkullGreymon was a reliable Plan B, after he had completely ruled out Plan A.

Matt kept his eyes on the clashing forms of MetalGreymon and SkullGreymon, at least for a moment. With the Argomon swarming, he needed to divide his attention, especially with the Mega variant having personally removed Veemon from the fight. All things weighed as objectively as he could, especially his concern that Tai would make a rash and stupid decision, he realized there was only one correct action to take.

He made eye-contact with Gabumon at his side, an agreement passing between them, before they both faced Argomon. Matt could trust Tai while he dealt with the more immediate threat.

Within a second of Matt grabbing his digivice, Gabumon flew into the center of the action. His shape changed, into a large yet slender metal wolf, with yellow wings and a bladed tail.

Digivolution complete, MetalGarurumon braced himself where he stood. Panels on his shoulders flipped open, releasing a cluster of missiles on the enemies right in front of him. With good number of the lesser Argomon vaporized in the bombardment, he now had a straight shot to the Mega.

Argomon took notice, charging forward once again. Not a reassuring sight, especially given how this Argomon was easily four times MetalGarurumon's current height. With that said, neither Matt nor his partner had any plans of fighting this enemy head-on.

MetalGarurumon dashed to the side at the last second, claws out as he slashed at Argomon's left leg. Their enemy flinched and dipped slightly to that side, giving MetalGarurumon the chance to stop short and turn right around. Leaping upwards, he made a similar attack to the back of Argomon's head.

Argomon flailed his arms around in response, though the angle and his size gave MetalGarurumon just enough of a chance to dodge and land back on his own feet. Argomon grunted, before attempting another attack.

As MetalGarurumon dodged again, Matt chanced a look around to assess the rest of the battle. At that moment, Togemon crashed one of her boxing gloves into a Champion-level Argomon, while Angemon used his staff to defend against one of the Ultimates. Palmon and Patamon had each jumped jumped into the fight in hopes of evening the odds, though numbers were still on the enemy's side. As Angewomon flew closer to kick Angemon's opponent aside, Matt suddenly found himself feeling as though that skirmish was a bit too close for comfort.

"We're too boxed in here," Sora spoke up as she moved closer to Matt's side.

He had to agree. A fresh group of Argomon had replaced the group MetalGarurumon had cleared, all the while encroaching closer on the foothold the majority of the Digidestined were holding. Worse, they were becoming increasingly isolated from Tai's side of the chamber.

"Lucky for us, we have an exit," Izzy declared, directing all eyes to the active and glowing portal behind them.

"What's the plan?" Matt asked, not objecting but also not wanting to make a blind leap.

"If we can't defeat the enemy, we'll have to switch to objective denial." Izzy turned back to the control dial. "Akira and Salamon should-"

"Keep the portal open while everyone else moves through?" Salamon perked up, strained smile on their face. "Right on, great plan! Glad we're both seeing the best way to get through this."

"Salamon needs to stay with the portal so it doesn't close," Akira clarified, holding his D3 closer to his chest. "And I need to stay and help Salamon."

"I'm really starting to hate this," Kari said, a down look in her eyes.

"An organized retreat will be difficult in our current position," Ken pointed out. He was calm, though was clearly watching the battlefield in the corner of his eye.

"Then we'll have to work together to change that," Stingmon replied as he landed nearby, gently setting Mari's Gabumon down next to the girl in question. He then flew back to the front line, with Ken following behind as best he could.

Matt might have tried to stop him if he weren't so fixated on Mari. She looked completely demoralized as she knelt down and unsuccessfully tried to pick up her partner. Thankfully, Sora and Biyomon stepped in to make up for Matt's failure and help the two of them.

"Gomamon and I can take the injured through," Joe put forward reassuringly. "The rest of you can join us as you can."

"I always get stuck playing nursemaid," Gomamon grumbled as he moved to stand with his partner at the foot of the reality tear.

Davis was the first to join them, currently giving the semiconscious Veemon a piggyback ride. Frustration and indecision were clearly front and center in his mind as he looked over his shoulder and glowered backwards.

"You tell that big purple lug that he answers to me next time, especially if he messes with anymore of my friends!" Davis shouted as he stepped through the threshold.

"Yolei," Izzy spoke up again. "I need you to go with them to help coordinate things on the other side."

Yolei hesitated, looking both confused by the request and concerned about what she was leaving behind. After looking back and forth a couple times, she sighed and nodded.

"Alright," she said as she motioned for Hawkmon to follow her.

Izzy turned back around. "Cody, you-"

"No," Cody replied defiantly, or at least defiantly by his standards.

"Pardon?"

Cody shook his head. "I'm sorry, Izzy, but while I respect your desire to keep us safe, you can't expect us all to leave you undefended."

"You're such a dummy," Mimi joined in, disapproval in her voice to match her face. "You say you trust us? Prove it." She took off in the opposite direction, towards Togemon.

"Mimi!" Izzy called after her, only to pause and bury his face in one of his hands.

"Sorry to say, Izzy, but I can't bring myself to disagree with them," Tentomon chimed in, resting an arm on his partner's shoulder. "Honestly, the only reason I'm not fighting over there is because I feel I need to be here, protecting you while you work."

Matt sympathized with both arguments, even weighing a similar decision in his head at that very moment. They were in a tight spot, literally and figuratively, but that left them with less time to make decisions if anything.

"Sora," Matt said as he made up his mind. "You should go with Mari."

"And what about you guys?" Sora shot back, almost indignantly. She shot a quick glance in Tai's general direction.

"You said it yourself; we can't stay here," Matt answered, once again sympathizing enough that it made it difficult to argue. "Tai would say the same."

"I know…" Sora looked back down at Mari, then back at him with a soft smile. "It's why I hate you both."

Already having her hands full helping Mari keep Gabumon on his feet, she didn't bother coming back in his direction. Instead, Sora moved to the tear, though constantly looking backwards the entire time.

Once Sora's group was through, Joe and Gomamon stepped in after them. Matt turned back around, just in time to watch T.K. jog past him.

"Where are you going?" Matt called after his brother.

T.K. barely stopped in place. "Kari's gonna protect Akira, and you have to hold the line here, but I know neither of you are gonna be able to concentrate unless someone's looking after Tai."

Matt sighed, knowing arguing here was a losing battle. "Just don't do anything stupid, you hear?"

"Well, duh, somebody has to balance you out." T.K. looked upwards as started moving again. "Angemon!"

With MetalGarurumon still outmaneuvering Argomon, Matt refocused on the fight. This wasn't the first corner they had been backed into, so he told himself to stop treating it like it was. They just had to bide their time for one of their last minute saves.

MetalGreymon projected his claw forward, hitting SkullGreymon dead-on. Tai covered his face briefly, to protect against dust and pieces of rock dug up by SkullGreymon digging into the floor as she was pushed back. As MetalGreymon retracted his claw, SkullGreymon paused, slouching down slightly.

While she seemed to still have some fight in her, she was also slowing down. Tai hoped that at the worst, they could just tire her out so she would dedigivolve. Still, he remembered his own brush with this form, and the chip on his shoulder he carried in the time that followed. If Rei could reach her partner and calm her down, it would be as good for her in the long-term as would be for all of them to resolve this corner of the battle.

"Rei!" Tai called out as he turned around, finding the girl back on her feet. "I need your help over here!"

"I don't know what to do," Rei replied, barely looking at him, still no obvious emotions on her face.

At that moment, a group of Argomon were forced into SkullGreymon's periphery. Agitated, she roared and bludgeoned her way through them, stomping on one and skewering the another with her claws. Tai watched, weighing what he was seeing with what he had just heard from Rei, before tossing it all out and going with his gut.

"MetalGreymon!" Tai yelled as he pointed at his opponent. "We need her to listen to us!"

If Rei didn't know how to reach her partner, then Tai would help, the only way he knew how.

With barely a nod, MetalGreymon sprinted forward. Taking notice, SkullGreymon reeled back her left claw to respond, only to be stopped by a series of cables wrapping around her claw.

Stingmon hovered just out of arms reach, fingers projected outwards from his gauntlets and holding onto the skeletal claw with what looked like all his strength. SkullGreymon considered, but didn't get to respond. Togemon leapt up from just beneath her, delivering an uppercut that propped SkullGreymon up as Angemon brought his staff down on her head.

Tai caught a glimpse of Ken, Mimi, and T.K. in the corner of his eye, but kept his attention on what was in front of him. By that point, MetalGreymon had maneuvered just to SkullGreymon's right. Bringing his claw down on her neck, he didn't stab into it, but just around the bone. As SkullGreymon crashed forward, MetalGreymon's claw dug into the floor, locking her in place.

"Look, Rei…" Tai turned around, taking steps towards Rei to address her directly. "Agumon is still in there, but you're the only one who can reach her."

"Oh, please!" Abbadomon spat out. "You really think the Power of Friendship will fix this!"

"You have to try," Tai added, without turning around.

If Rei's eyes hadn't been glued to SkullGreymon before, they were now. Still, they seemed unfocused, exact eyeline seeming to be constantly changing as she tried to take in her partner's current state. She might have been more present in the moment, but no less uncertain.

"Yes, Rei, try," Abbadomon taunted. "It's not like you have anything left to lose."

Rei clenched her fists together and her eyes stopped moving, uncertainty falling away some. Carefully but intentionally, she walked about half the distance between her and her partner.

"Sk-SkullGreymon!"

SkullGreymon suddenly stopped thrashing, empty eye sockets locking on Rei. It was hard to tell given her current face's limits when it came to emotion, but there seemed to be some recognition on it.

"Hit that bastard with everything you've got!" Rei spun right around, gesturing to Abbadomon with renewed venom and rage.

SkullGreymon reached out with her right claw, digging her fingers into MetalGreymon's leg. Even though he recoiled and pulled off her, she didn't stand back up. Instead, the shark-like torpedo on her spine hummed to life, firing and hitting its mark, flames engulfing the target on impact.

Tai's shoulders sank before the smoke cleared. With seven years experience of fighting evil digimon behind him, he knew the worst of them couldn't be defeated so easily.

"To be clear," Abbadomon said calmly when the smoke did dissipate. "I do respect that call."

He stretched out his left arm, skin and teeth contorting and elongating, eventually settling into the shape of a cannon. With barely another twitch, he opened fire, a fireball emerging and barreling forward.

The attack didn't reach its target however, instead making contact with the ground just in front of SkullGreymon. Still in proximity, MetalGreymon, Togemon, Angemon, and Stingmon all braced themselves, though Tai lost sight of them in the flash of the explosion.

Abbadomon sighed and relaxed his firing arm. "Still, rowdy little orphans need to be put in their place."

"METAL WOLF CLAW!"

Angewomon's attention snapped to her right, just in time to see MetalGarurumon release a stream of blue energy from his mouth. The attack made contact with the Mega-leveled Argomon, encasing his left shoulder and upper arm in a block of ice.

Without pausing, MetalGarurumon sprinted forward, ducking to his right at the last second and sinking his teeth into Argomon's forearm. Firing his thrusters, MetalGarurumon yanked hard and ripped Argomon's arm clean off, leaving behind nothing but ice shavings.

As MetalGarurumon tossed the arm aside and let it dissolve into data, Argomon roared. At first, Angewomon didn't think much of it, at least until she paid closer attention his tone and gestures. Argomon wasn't screaming in pain, but summoning the weaker Argomon around them.

The two she was currently engaging broke off from the fight, doubling back to their leader. Once in proximity, they liquefied, turning into piles of green and purple goo and propelling up to the Mega's wound. Within seconds, they had reconstituted themselves into a new arm.

With surprisingly quick reflexes, Argomon swung his new fist at MetalGarurumon, connecting with sounds of bending and crashing metal echoing around them. MetalGarurumon flipped backwards in the the portal's direction, stumbling as he forced himself to stay on his feet.

"Well that's not good," Matt commented as he moved to stand next to his partner.

An explosion suddenly shook the chamber, drawing Angewomon's eye once more. As the flash and dust settled down, she caught a glimpse of the motionless forms of Agumon, Patamon, Palmon, and Wormmon, as well as a Koromon where SkullGreymon had once stood. Any other thoughts were instantly interrupted by Abbadomon casually turning his cannon in the direction of the reality tear.

"Move!" Angewomon shouted, already in motion.

Of the humans, Kari and Cody seemed to react first, pulling Akira and Izzy away from what was likely going to be the center of the next explosion. Getting as far away as they could in the small amount of time they had, Ankylomon moved to act as a wall between them and Abbadomon's target. Not willing to take any chances, Angewomon touched down next to them, conjuring of a glowing pink barrier as an insurance plan.

By this point, Abbadomon fired, the blast disintegrating the dial and taking out a huge chunk of the mural behind it. The chamber shuddered violently as the portal dimmed and dissipated. Angewomon lowered her barrier, drawing some relief that her charges were all still in one piece.

"No casualties, huh?" Abbadomon said with a shrug. "Eh, I can fix that."

Panning his firing arm to his left slightly, he settled on his initial targets. Tai and the others had moved to their respective unconscious partners, but were now in the line of fire.

Angewomon considered her choices carefully. With how Abbadomon was sadistically dragging things out, she likely could have made it across the chamber before he fired, even with all the lingering Argomon. The issue was more whether or not she was powerful enough to make a difference, or if she would just be prolonging the inevitable.

Her first instinct was to turn to MetalGarurumon, but it was Salamon who caught her gaze. The Rookie crawled to what was left of the control pedestal's base, once again tapping a paw against it. The two of them made eye-contact, just as the wiring below began to spark. Angewomon could faintly feel the tendrils of energy in the air, even if she couldn't quite see them anymore.

She looked to Kari, who gave their plan a nod of approval before thrusting her digivice into the air. With one more light, one more digivolution, Angewomon moved into action. Teal armor formed around her person, her wings became gold, and bow and arrows became a shield to match her armor and a golden javelin.

Now Ophanimon, she didn't turn her weapons on Abbadomon, but the remains of the control dial. Drudging up the energy buried beneath, the magnitude of what they were standing on top of became clear. Not having enough time sift through the different frequencies that Izzy had previously mentioned even if she had known how to, Ophanimon picked a single thread.

Drawing on the little she had learned from her meditation, whether it was her connection to Kari or the peace of mind that came with it, she conducted the energy in arch over the battlefield. The energy crackled to life as it touched down in the midst of Tai's group, causing even Abbadomon to hesitate. In a flash of white light, five humans and their digimon partners vanished.

"Fine…" Abbadomon muttered, before facing the rest of them once more. "Salamon, don't you think you've kept The Master waiting long enough?"

"You can tell Dragomon to go drown himself," Salamon growled back. "He's not getting my partner."

"Don't be like. After all, it's not like Akira will be going alone." Abbadomon dismissed the cannon on his left arm and extended the hand to them. "Dragomon would like you to attend our little party as well."

Ophanimon clutched her javelin tighter, though held off from attacking. Something wasn't sitting right in her gut. The Argomon had stopped advancing, now calmly standing at attention and watching them. With the exception Tentomon, who hadn't seen any fighting yet, they were all tiring out, so there was no reason for them to hold back.

"You're not getting either of them!" Matt shot back.

MetalGarurumon grunted in solidarity, as Ankylomon stomped over to stand at his side. Ophanimon brought her weapons up, but still couldn't shake a dark chill on her neck.

Abbadomon grinned. "Unfortunately, The Master's invitations are not declinable."

As if it had a mind of its own, the mist at their enemies' feet turned black and surged towards them. Before any of them could react, they were engulfed by the darkness.

Chapter Text

It took a few seconds for Matt to realize he was drowning. Worse, he couldn't remember ever hitting the water. As far as he could recall, one second he had been in the hidden chamber underneath Myotismon's castle and next he was here, wherever here was. Not that he had time to think about any of that.

Unable to breathe, Matt's first reflex before realizing he was under water was to gasp for air, a mistake that ended up filling his lungs with water. Now desperate, he followed his second reflex, to swim up to the surface. The problem quickly became the stacking disorientation, not helped by him not not knowing how far down he was. He flailed his arms, at least until exhaustion and the lack of oxygen started to weigh him down. Luckily, his life wouldn't get a chance to flash before his eyes.

Right before he could give up, something came up from beneath him and lifted him upwards. Matt didn't look down, but his third reflex led to him wrapping his arms around a familiar metal frame. Next thing he knew, there was a crash, followed by him gasping again. This time, he was able to breathe.

"Matt, are you okay?" MetalGarurumon's voice broke through the sounds of the water below them.

"I think so," Matt replied between breaths. He continued to cough for a few seconds, expelling what water he could without hacking up an entire lung. "What is this place?"

"Not sure, but if I had to guess…" MetalGarurumon motioned to the sea they were hovering over.

Matt finally took a moment to take in their surroundings, though to be fair, there wasn't much to see. There was no land in any direction, just a single body of water that stretched out to every horizon. If that alone wasn't a confirmation that they had been dropped in the middle of the Dark Ocean, the colors of the world around them looked like they had been dulled significantly.

A couple more splashes caught Matt's attention and broke his train of thought. The first was Ophanimon, who flew up to their side. Bunched together in her arms were Kari, Akira, and Salamon, all of them slowly acclimating to the ocean around them. Kari in particular seemed extra alert, eyes widening as they bounced around their immediate vicinity. With that said, she didn't look particularly surprised as far as Matt could tell.

From the second breach came Submarimon, with Cody, Izzy, and Tentomon clinging to the silver submersible digimon's armor plating. While gasping just as Matt had been less than a minute ago, they seemed to be in one piece.

"You guys alright?" Matt called down to them anyway.

"For the most part," Izzy answered as he did his best to lift himself out of the water and stabilize himself on top of Submarimon. He paused for a brief moment, quickly looking over his person. "Though I think I've lost my laptop."

"Truly a sign of the end of days," Tentomon commented as he stood up.

"We have to find a way out of here," Ophanimon stated urgently. "Now."

Cody scanned the sea around them. "Not that I'm objecting, but how-?"

A series of beeps and alarms cut him off. Matt followed the noise to his digivice, finding the screen blinking red in sync with the alarm. Matt instantly recognized the notification, a distress signal that he would receive from the Digital World whenever Gabumon was in danger. Looking to his friends, their devices were doing the same.

"Izzy…" Matt requested, not sure what to make of the persistent beeping.

"I don't know…" Izzy glanced up, before his eyes locked to a shadow behind him, just beneath the surface. "But if I had pose a hypothesis…"

The shadow grew larger, the figure casting it eventually beginning to surface. At first, the top of a bulbous gray head with red marking, followed by glowing red eyes. Beneath them, tentacle-like mandibles hung over a gaping maw, looking more than large enough to easily swallow them all at once. Judging by how this creature was drawing closer to them, it intended to do just that.

"Let's get out of here!" Matt yelled, a feeling in the pit of his stomach telling him they shouldn't try to fight this foe.

"I… can't…" MetalGarurumon strained to say.

It was only then Matt realized his partner was vibrating. He looked around, finding the rest of their digimon doing the same, their data eventually starting to flake and glitch around them.

As webbed wings and gray shoulders breached, Matt looked around for any clue how to respond. Izzy and Cody shook their respective partners, though they remained in place. Ophanimon seemed only slightly more respondent, though her focus seemed to be on the charges in her arms. Most notably, Kari was shivering and hyperventilating.

"Mommy!" Akira called to her, though the boy didn't seem much better off himself.

Matt braced himself as the sea monster's jaws widened, ready to fight himself if he had to. Tai's bad influence, if he had to guess the source of his sudden second wind. Before the moment came to pass, however, one final voice made itself heard.

Salamon screamed, writhing around in Ophanimon's arms like they were in pain. Their collar lit up, with a white light that was soon matched by Akira's D3. The light expanded, encasing their entire group in a glowing orb.

The titanic creature bellowed in protest, before the orb submerged itself back into the Dark Ocean.

Abbadomon felt the mist at his feet stir, restless and agitated as it moved to coalesce. Not an uncommon occurrence, but not one he had been expecting given that everything had seemed to go according to plan.

Likely thinking the same, Argomon grunted, gesturing to the mist and tilting his head.

Abbadomon sighed. "Well, I doubt he's calling to congratulate us."

Argomon grumbled as he marched to stand before the forming cloud. He complained an awful lot for a digimon who couldn't speak.

Not that Abbadomon had a chance to voice this criticism. The mist finished rearranging itself, though only managing a vaguely round shape. The gaseous figure's only real defining characteristic was a set of glowing red eyes.

"Did all go as planned, my liege?" Abbadomon asked. He stood at attention, but didn't bow. After all, that wasn't part of their agreement.

The dark mist shuddered, emitting a low but intense groaning sound. Abbadomon felt a chill run down his spine, and a hunger form in his core. Not his own feelings, of course, but secondhand sensations from The Master himself.

Dragomon never actually spoke to them, though his demands were always succinct.

Despite that, Abbadomon did still have questions. Again, he and Argomon had played their part, buying time for Dragomon to establish his foothold. While difficult, Dragomon's limited interactions with reality outside of the Dark Ocean allowed him some influence, hence how he had been able to recover warriors and use them for his ends. This had been the first time that Dragomon had been able to snare the runt and their human pet in his mist, after having them trek across multiple realities to track down the pair, though apparently some underestimation had still been made.

Abbadomon wasn't sure if any amount of Celestial energy could separate Dragomon from the Dark Ocean, with how woven together the two were, but he did as asked for the sake of his own goals. The issue was that Dragomon either didn't share or didn't know that their prey could move along timelines. It was fortune that led to them detecting Salamon's use of their powers, and it was anyone's guess where or when they were now.

Dragomon didn't offer any solutions either, his mist dissipating as quickly as it had formed, leaving behind nothing but a quiet chamber full of rubble.

"Apparently someone's a butter fingers," Abbadomon said under his breath as he started to walk away.

Argomon immediately stomped after him, growling insistently and incessantly with each step.

"Oh, relax!" Abbadomon waved a dismissive hand in his associate's direction. "I doubt they've actually gotten that far away."

Argomon slammed a fist against his chest, clearly volunteering to pursue their targets. To be fair, the initial two groups of Digidestined to escape would likely be easy enough follow, assuming they didn't move through time as well.

"No…" Abbadomon considered their options carefully, mostly not wanting to waste his own effort on a fool's errand. "I'll rally up a couple B-listers to track them first. We'll move in once we actually find what we're looking for."

Dragomon had brokered a number contracts with capable fighters, plucked from all lots of life. Some even possibly familiar with the very Digidestined that had entangled themselves in this conflict, or at least variants of them. Abbadomon simply had to sift through the catalog and find the appropriate lost souls.

For whatever it was worth, Tai hadn't lost consciousness when he and the others transitioned between realities. The process was disorienting, however, and at some point he had ended up laid out on his back. Looking at the trees directly above, he took a couple seconds to breathe and very quickly take stock of the battle they had just left behind.

"I guess that could've gone worse," Tai said, not whispering but not particularly loudly either.

"My head still hurts though," Agumon replied. He was laying in mirrored position next to Tai, the tops of their heads touching, with his claws resting on his chest. "My stomach too."

Tai looked past the trees and focused on the sky, which was clear save for the circuit board patterns traced throughout. Coupling that with the fact he couldn't remember ever seeing anything like this before, he assumed they had been moved into an alternate digital world.

Finally sitting back up, Tai let the rest of his thoughts start back up, little by little. There was a small part of him that wanted to panic, solely based on what the state of things had been when they'd left everyone else behind. He ended up choosing not to, knowing how irresponsible it would be given the friends right in front of him that he still had to look after. Plus, he knew better than to count the rest of his friends out with how capable he knew them to be.

Looking around, he noticed Mimi and Palmon getting back on their feet. T.K. and Ken were already standing, the latter carrying Wormmon, while Patamon fluttered upwards and settled down on top of T.K.'s head.

That left Rei, still laying on the ground while staring at Koromon. Tai was just close enough to see blinking and movement in her eyes, which made it seem to him like she was choosing to not stand back up. He decided to let her be for the moment, though kept an eye on her in case there actually was something wrong or if she just never moved at all.

"Alright, everyone huddle up," Tai instructed, standing and walking to a spot in the middle of all of them. "Any injuries?"

"No," Ken answered, looking over the group before his eyes settled on Rei. "Not physical ones at least."

"Where are we?" Palmon asked as she examined the forest.

"Not in Kansas anymore, I'll tell you that," Mimi replied as she looked upwards, likely also having noticed the sky.

Ken nodded. "I think it's safe to say we've moved into a parallel reality."

"What are the chances that we'll spend less time fighting for our lives than last time," Wormmon asked, voice surprisingly hopeful.

"Better question," Tai cut in as he looked to T.K. and Patamon. "Can we get back?"

"Maybe?" Patamon shrugged, though put on an earnest smile.

"We'll work on it," T.K. added quickly.

"I'm more worried about what's happening back home," Mimi said as she brought her eyes back to ground level, her expression sinking along with them. "Even if everyone else got away, those digimon can cause a lot of damage while we're gone."

"Probably not as much as you think," Rei said dryly, missing the attitude she'd maintained since they met. "Abbadomon likes an audience."

By this point, Rei had picked herself up and tucked Koromon under her arm. Any emotions she may or may not have been feeling were currently being buried. As for Koromon, she stayed quiet, aware enough to avert her gaze from the rest of the group.

"He did act like he knew us," T.K. pointed out.

"Maybe a future enemy we haven't encountered yet?" Ken offered.

Rei shook her head. "Not one my parents ever talked about."

"We'll put a pin in that for now," Tai cut in, not wanting them to waste time talking in circles about something that didn't impact the immediate future. "If this is a digital world, then there should be some digimon nearby. I say we go meet the locals."

"I guess we should start walking then," Patamon said with a sigh.

"We?" T.K. raised a playful eyebrow, causing his partner to giggle in response.

"Carry me, Mimi," Palmon whined as she leaned into her partner's leg.

"Carry you?" Mimi placed her hands on her hips as she looked downwards. "What about me?"

"Lead the way, buddy," Tai said to his own partner.

"Already on it." Agumon gave a quick salute before turning his nose outward. After a couple seconds, he had chosen a direction.

Sora raised an arm, covering her eyes as she stepped out into the daylight. Once her eyes adjusted, she looked around and upward, not recognizing the neighborhood their group had stepped into. Her best guess was that they were somewhere in Tokyo, but even that felt like a stretch for the moment.

"Well, we're not back in our reality," Yolei put forward, currently holding her cellphone up in the air but apparently unable to connect to the necessary service to make a call.

"I guess going back isn't an option?" Davis asked, though definitely not the only one wondering.

Hawkmon crossed his wings. "Without Gatomon or Patamon, I'd say our chances are unlikely."

There wasn't really much for them to be certain of. The portal they had stepped through had dumped them into a drainage tunnel or something similar, followed by it closing behind them before any of the rest of their friends could step through. Without anything else to go on, they had started walking, eventually finding surface access.

With the digimon hiding in the shadows just behind her, Sora peaked around the corner, spotting some pedestrian traffic. Somewhat reassuring, given that the Digital World had plenty of cityscapes. Some paranoia crept into the back of Sora's mind, planting the notion that it was at least possible that these humans weren't real, but she made an effort the push the thought away until she saw some evidence of it. They had enough to worry about as things currently stood.

"What should we do?" Sora asked quietly, directing the question to Joe.

"Not sure," he answered with a shrug, though the tone of his voice stayed light. "Besides, I think that's your call."

Sora raised an eyebrow. "My call?"

Joe nodded. "Yeah, the official rule is that you're in charge when Tai's not around."

"No, that's Matt's job," Sora replied through her teeth.

"Matt made the rule," Joe insisted, a weird mix of honesty and humor in his voice. "Right after we defeated Ordinemon."

"His exact words were…" Gomamon chimed in, before pausing to clear his throat and deepen his voice. "The next time Tai goes and gets himself killed, Sora can carry around his goggles."

"So where to, boss lady?" Biyomon chirped, smirk on her face.

"Stop enjoying this." Sora suppressed her own grin. While she appreciated the attempts to lighten the mood, she knew they needed to think over their next move. "We need to figure out where we are."

"Finding a place we could get a snack would also help," Veemon added as he hopped to his feet.

Sora didn't disagree with the suggestion, but also knew they had other pieces to consider. Even putting aside whether or not everyone else was okay and focusing on the present, finding a safe space they could recuperate was must. The problem was navigating a city with an unknown relationship to digimon as a whole.

There was also Mari, who sat against a wall next to her Gabumon. She had been quiet enough since their arrival that Sora had all but forgotten about her. Mari clasped shaking hands together, eyes never raising above them. If just one of them needed a moment to catch their breath, it was her.

Davis sighed. "It would've been nice if Izzy had told us where he was sending us."

"Maybe…" Yolei said softly, pausing to look down at her phone again. "Or maybe he thought he wouldn't have to."

Davis tilted his head in her direction. "Except that Izzy knows that none of us are psychic."

Yolei didn't look up. "Yeah, and you have trouble with things being explained to your face."

"Jeez…" Davis scowled at her. "I didn't even say anything to deserve that."

"Maybe you did and forgot," Veemon suggested, likely trying to be helpful.

"You're supposed to be on my side!"

Hawkmon raised a feather. "To be fair, Yolei doesn't always need to be provoked."

"See! Thanks, Hawk-ow!" Davis was cut off by Yolei flicking him between the eyes.

"Stop yelling, would you?" She presented an empty hand to him. "Do you have any change?"

"For what?"

"I need to make a call."

"To who?" Davis muttered as he turned his pockets inside out. "I'm out."

"Here you go," Joe cut in as he dropped a handful of coins in Yolei's palm.

She gave him a grateful nod before turning to the street. Not wanting Yolei to go alone, Sora gave the rest of them a hand signal to stay put while she followed. Sora didn't ask any questions, though, knowing she could trust Yolei to test whatever theory she had come up with. After walking for a minute at most, they stopped at a payphone, which Yolei quickly slotted a couple coins into.

"Please pick up, please pick up…" Yolei tapped her free hand against the phone, right up until the ringing stopped and the call's recipient answered, at which point Yolei's face lit up. "Yes!"

The person on the other hand spoke, causing Yolei to collect herself. Sora couldn't quite make out what was being said, but they sounded confused.

"Oh, right," Yolei said, realization seeming like it was hitting her face. "We've never heard each other's voices before. It is you, right, Henry? It's me, Yolei."

Sora let herself feel some relief. Not that she had thought Izzy had left their fates to chance, but it was good to know they had some friends they could rely on.

"Yeah, I told you swapping numbers would be a good idea," Yolei continued. "Anyway, I'll gloat later. Boy, do we have a story for you."

Gatomon nearly lost her balance, falling to one knee as she finished dedigivolving. The creature that she had assumed was Dragomon had been drawing nearer, and Salamon was struggling to maintain whatever barrier they were emitting. As Ophanimon, Gatomon had poured what energy she had left into the Rookie in her arms, which seemed to have gotten them… somewhere.

Back on solid ground, Gatomon did a quick assessment, starting with the group and then of their new surroundings. Most of them seemed to be in one piece, with Gabumon and Armadillomon back in their Rookie forms and at their respective partners' sides.

Salamon looked less well off, as Gatomon finally got a good look at the Rookie after setting down them, Kari, and Akira before her Mega form dropped. Salamon lay on their side, eyes closed and breathing heavily, and decidedly not their usual chatty self.

"Are they okay?" Kari asked as she knelt down to check for injuries.

"Yeah," Akira answered, gently picking up his partner and holding them against his chest. "Salamon just gets sleepy when they use their powers too much."

"What happened here?" Izzy's voice pulled all of their attention away from Salamon.

It was a fair question, given the state of the city they had been dropped in the middle of. The surrounding buildings were all wrecked and ruined, the remains of which were covered in green and overgrown plant life. Other than said plants, Gatomon couldn't spot signs of any other living creatures, which didn't sit well with a lingering presence that made her nostrils flare.

"This place wreaks of Dragomon," Gatomon summarized.

"Did he do this?" Cody asked, not taking his eyes off the city around them.

"Or maybe his scent's just lingering," Gatomon added quickly, not wanting to raise unnecessary alarms when they had barely arrived in this reality. "We were pretty close to him."

"Either way, we shouldn't stay out in the open," Matt insisted, him and Gabumon seemingly having already picked a direction. They motioned for everyone else to follow.

As everyone fell in step behind, Gatomon was the only one to linger for a brief second. Not because she disagreed with Matt's plan, but because of something else scratching at her senses that she just couldn't place. As far as she was concerned, they needed to leave this place as soon as possible.

"In the off chance that anyone asks…" Mimi began as she mantled over a log that was blocking their path. She struggled, but kept her balance despite having Palmon's arms wrapped around her kneck, allowing the Rookie to cling to her like a backpack. "No, I'm not feeling nostalgic."

"Shouldn't you be used to this by now?" Tai called back her, waiting for her to catch up before allowing the group to continue onward.

"Oh, I'm used to it," Mimi announced, like she was filing a formal complaint to the trees around them. "I just don't like being used to it. On principle."

Tai snorted. "Yeah, I'm sure this place's manager will wanna hear all about those principles."

Mimi shot him an annoyed look, leaving Tai considering apologizing to avoid the jab coming back to bite him later. While they hadn't been walking for that long, their current situation was a little too familiar for its own good. It was hard feel a real sense of accomplishment for walking through a digital forest for the hundred and thirty-first time.

"It's weird that we haven't run into any digimon yet," Ken pointed out as they moved onto more level ground.

"We're getting closer," Agumon assured them, though paused mid-step to quickly look to both his left and right. "I think."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "You think?"

"Everything around here smells familiar and different, all at the same time," Koromon chimed in, barely any life in her voice. Being the first time she had spoken since becoming SkullGreymon, it was anyone's guess if that was a good sign or not.

"Well that sounds like a wonderful surprise waiting to happen," Tai replied, mostly about these supposed scents, though he couldn't help but worry about a potential relapse on Rei and Koromon's part.

"You doing alright, T.K.?" Mimi asked once they started walking again. "You've been quiet."

"Have I?" T.K. replied, confused look on his face as he suddenly became the center of attention. "I guess I've just been thinking."

"I see…" A sly grin slowly formed on Mimi's face.

"You do?" T.K. looked back at her like she had two heads, a sentiment Tai was starting to share.

Mimi nodded. "You're worried about Kari and Akira."

"I mean, yeah." T.K. massaged the back of his neck. "Of course I am."

"You're so cute." Mimi reached out and pinched his cheek. "You and Kari and your little family. We'll be sending the two of you off on your honeymoon before we know it."

"Can we talk about something else?" Tai requested, feeling irritation suddenly building up in his core.

"I'm just trying to be helpful." Mimi turned her sly grin in his direction. "T.K.'s obviously worried about his baby-mama."

"I just think we should stay focused."

"We can multitask."

Tai growled and faced forward. "Agumon, how much further?"

"We're close." Agumon stopped in his tracks again. "Like really close."

Tai halted to check the treeline himself. "What are you so confused about?"

"That scent…" Agumon placed a claw on his chin. "I know it, but I don't."

"That's what I just said," Koromon added.

Tai sighed. "Can I get an opinion from a non-Agumon, please?"

Any responses from the rest of the digimon were cut off less than half a second later, by the rustling of a large bush just a few steps away from where they had stopped. Tai couldn't even bring himself to even blink as a familiar yellow dinosaur digimon emerged.

"I don't think so, Tai," T.K. commented.

Though this new Agumon had some minor differences from Tai's own partner. Besides being the largest Agumon he had encountered since the one that materialized in the Highton View Terrace apartment, he also wore red bracers on his claws. While clearly not hostile, his eyes did bounce between them, with confusion written all over his face.

"Whoa…" Mimi said after a few seconds of silence. "They grow 'em big out here."

"Uh…" The Agumon hesitated, before glancing over his shoulder and back into the brush behind him. "Boss?"

"Alright, quit your yellin'!"

Rounding out their list of surprise encounters for a day, from the bush emerged a human teenager. Close to Tai's own height with shoulder-length brown hair, he wore a black t-shirt under red and white vest, though said clothes looked like they had seen some wear and tear. He paused upon seeing them, before crossing his arms and tilting his head.

"Who the hell are you people?"

Chapter Text

Tai wasn't exactly sure what his expectations had been as his group introduced themselves to Marcus Damon. Even with said introductions finished as they explained how they came to be in this reality, Tai felt himself second guessing whether or not he had a good read on him. On the one hand, despite Marcus' height and confident demeanor, Tai was almost positive he wasn't any older than T.K. and Ken. On the other, he didn't carry himself quite like any Digidestined or Tamer their group had come across.

Marcus had immediately stepped forward to confront the group, physically taking the lead from his partner. Not that Tai could claim he had never made a a rash decision like that, having done so a couple of times in recent memory, but he always left room for Agumon to step up if needed. As it had stood in those initial moments, Marcus had seemed like he would have tried to deal with them himself if they had turned out to be a threat.

Of course, that was all assuming Tai wasn't putting more thought into their interactions than the group's new potential ally. As Marcus narrowed his eyes and nodded at their tale, Tai felt the odds were about fifty-fifty between Marcus actually taking in explanations of the multiverse or just tuning them out entirely.

"Did we lose you at some point?" Tai asked, deciding they needed to know one way or another before they did anything else.

"A little after you told us your names," Marcus' Agumon answered, tilting his head back and forth as his eyes wandered from person to person.

"They're not from around here," Marcus explained, before putting his fists on his hips and briefly averting his gaze. "At least that's my best guess."

Tai sighed. "It's really not that complicated."

"It isn't?" Mimi chimed in.

Ken took a step forward. "The simplest explanation is that we're friends from a different walk of life."

Marcus shrugged. "I definitely don't think you're lying."

"Though a lie would probably be less convoluted," T.K. commented, earning a giggle from Patamon.

"Well, since we're being honest," Tai cut back in. "There's probably a fight coming right behind us."

"That suits us just fine." Marcus threw his right fist into his left palm. He grinned and looked to his partner, who mirrored the gesture.

Mimi let out a sigh of relief. "Guess we should count ourselves lucky we ran into another Digidestined."

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "Digi-what now?"

"I guess not everything crosses the culture barrier," Wormmon put forward.

"Then what do you call yourselves?" Tai couldn't keep himself from asking.

"We're peacekeepers!" Marcus slammed a fist into his own chest. "After that punk, King Drasil, almost destroyed the human world, we had to seal off the gate between here and there so both sides could rebuild. Agumon and I have been looking after things on this end ever since."

"Sounds kinda like us, Tai," Agumon pointed out without a second's consideration.

"Does it really?" Tai replied through his teeth, not sure if he wanted to agree with his partner or not.

That being said, Tai had to pause at the mention of King Drasil. The unseen entity had worked against them that previous summer, nearly "rebooting" the material world and ending life as they knew it. They didn't hear from him again after beating Ordinemon, Izzy claiming that Drasil had been shut down. The details had gone over Tai's head just a bit, and he was willing to write off whatever Marcus had dealt with as coincidence, though he knew Izzy would likely have had questions and theories had he been present.

"So wait," Ken spoke back up, curiosity in his voice with a small amount of concern. "You're cut off from the material world?"

"How long have you been out here?" Tai asked, latching onto the thought as well.

"A month," Marcus answered, though quickly following up by crossing his arms and looking away again. "Or maybe a year?"

"You don't know?"

Marcus frowned. "Hey, it's not like there's clocks and calendars just lying around."

"Unless you count all the Clockmon," Patamon added with a smirk.

"Tell 'em, Agumon."

The native Agumon's whole body deflated. "I only know how many days it was before the food your mom gave us ran out."

Marcus drove his fist onto the top of his partner's head. "You ate all our food the second day we were here!"

"You know I eat my feelings, Boss."

"How about we head to your camp?" Tai suggested, realizing they were just spinning their wheels at this point. "You do have one, right?"

"Of course." Marcus' confidence came back. "We can't go yet though."

Tai's eye twitched. "Why not?"

"You gonna leave without your sister?"

"My sister?" Tai paused, pretty sure he hadn't even mentioned Kari since running into Marcus. He looked between his friends, doing a quick head count as a consequence. "Where's Rei?"

All eyes snapped to the back of their group, where Rei and Koromon had been sitting just a moment ago. With both gone now, Tai scanned their surroundings, no clear indication of which way they had left in.

"She walked off," Marcus said, with what sounded like disappointment in his voice.

"And no one noticed?" Tai asked none of his friends in particular as he checked behind the nearby brush and trees.

"Isn't that your job?" Marcus asked as stepped closer, looking over the vicinity as well.

Tai snapped his attention back towards him. "Okay, first off, she's not my sister."

"She looks an awful lot like you." Marcus kept his eyes trained on the treeline.

"She's my daughter." Tai paused, realizing the distinction made things worse if anything.

Marcus squinted at him. "Did you have her when you were six?"

"She's from the future."

"You gotta stop acting like everything you say is normal."

"Let's just spread out and look for her," T.K. declared, before glancing up at his partner. "Patamon?"

"I'll get to flying." The little orange digimon flapped his wings and ascended.

With Agumon in tow, Tai chose a direction and set off, not liking the mix of anxiety and failure he was currently feeling. It reminded all too much of how he had felt when Datamon had taken Sora years prior. This time, however, he buried those feelings, deciding he would sort them after he searched every bit of this forest.

Sora breathed a bit easier, even if she wasn't quite ready to relax just yet. It had been easy enough to figure out where they were and decide on a route to their destination. Not for the first time that day was she thankful for Izzy's quick thinking, having sent them somewhere where they had friends who could accommodate them.

Speaking of, Henry Wong currently stood slightly apart from the group gathered in his living room, taking a call on his cell phone while they waited. Tan shorts and a black t-shirt said Henry had not been expecting any formal company that day, but had rushed them into the apartment all the same. His partner, Terriermon, was currently attached to the teen's shoulder with an ear draped over the top of his head, so he could lean closer and listen in on the phone conversation. Henry had protested at first, but eventually accepted Terriermon's current perch.

After a couple more minutes or so, Henry hung up and rejoined the group. Only Joe remained standing, by an armchair currently occupied by Gomamon. Sora sat on the room's larger couch with Yolei, Davis, and their partners, with Mari being the one outlier. Alone and squished into the corner of the nearby love seat with her Gabumon seated at her feet, she almost looked like she was hiding from the rest of them.

"Alright, Hypnos will keep an eye out for any more tears or portals," Henry began, sounding as practiced as Izzy at conveying information to a group. "Though they didn't detect you guys, so we'll see if that even helps."

"Did it have something to do with that tunnel we appeared in?" Yolei asked, curiosity having seemed to replace any urgency she might have been feeling.

Henry shook his head. "Judging by your story, it was more likely the Celestial energy you used to travel here. We're still having trouble identifying it."

"On the bright side, we saved ourselves from a flashy entrance," Joe put forward.

Henry placed a hand on his chin. "That said, I don't remember ever telling Izzy about that tunnel."

"Haven't we just accepted that that place is a weird-magnet?" Terriermon asked impatiently.

"That dial didn't have a map," Yolei explained, eyeline wandering as she paused to think. "Maybe that was just the best spot to open the portal or something like that?"

"I think you're missing the bigger question," Terriermon replied as he leapt onto the top of Gomamon's armchair.

"And what's that?" Henry asked, though with a weary tone to his voice.

"Why does any of this matter?" Terriermon splayed and waved his arms about, addressing his own partner and then the rest of them. "Shouldn't we be more worried about the evil digimon that laid out half your team?"

"Terriermon…" Henry warned.

"What?" Terriermon shrugged. "I prefer my posterior un-kicked if possible."

"I second that," Davis declared, pumping a fist into the air.

Yolei rolled her eyes. "You would."

"No, they have a point," Sora cut in, hoping to avoid having to physically get in the middle of this argument. "We should start planning for when they catch up with us."

"Step one," Gomamon said with a raised claw. "Don't get decked by that Argomon fella."

"It did really hurt," Veemon added softly.

"We could go over what we saw of the fight," Yolei said before pausing again. "Though that wasn't really much of it."

Sora nodded and looked to Henry. "We should get the rest of your friends in the loop as soon as possible."

Terriermon sighed. "Yeah, about that…"

"Summer's actually been a little slow on our end," Henry picked up almost immediately. "We're a little short-handed, between people going on vacation and what not."

"How short-handed are we talking?" Davis asked nervously.

"My sister went with my parents to visit family outside of the city," Henry answered, rubbing the back of his neck as he spoke. "It would take a while to get her and Lopmon back here."

"The whole family was supposed to go on this vacation, but someone was 'too busy' for stuff like that," Terriermon added, his voice not hiding how annoyed he was.

Sora glanced around the apartment, having not given a second thought to how empty it was. Part of her was suddenly grateful that Henry also shared Izzy's work ethic.

"There's also Kazu, who's recovering from an injury from a couple months ago," Henry added, seemingly ignoring his partner's comments.

Terriermon sighed. "And Kenta's still doing his whole sabbatical thing."

Davis' expression sank. "Please tell me Takato's around at least."

Henry nodded. "I already filled him in. He and Rika are gonna meet in the park in case anything else spills over."

"Cool!" Davis leaned back before leaping to his feet, energy suddenly restored. "Shoot him a text saying that Veemon and I are gonna come meet 'em."

"We should help too," Biyomon suggested as she nudged Sora's side.

Sora nodded in agreement. With Hawkmon likely staying with Yolei to help get Henry up to speed, they needed at least one flier out in the field. She had just one other priority to sort out first.

"How about it, Mari?" Sora asked, making it a point to smile again. "You wanna come with us?"

"N-No thank you," Mari answered, looking her way though losing eye-contact just as fast. "I'd probably just get in the way."

"Mari…" Sora's smile faded, a lump forming in her throat. "I could stay if you're still not feeling better."

"No!" Mari snapped, before turning away from everyone entirely. "They need you more than I do."

Sora felt herself being pulled in two directions. On one hand, she could see Mari's self worth crumbling. Whether they could consider each other family or not, Sora hated watching that, let alone feeling like she was contributing to it by leaving Mari behind.

The opposing issue was that Mari wasn't lying for anyone's sake, or at least Sora didn't get that feeling off her. Mari was more or less asking to be left alone, and whether or no that was best for her, having someone doting on her wasn't likely to help her rebuild her self esteem. The more she thought about, the more Sora was convinced she would be making the wrong decision either way.

"Okay," Sora said softly as she slowly stood up. "If that's what you want."

Mari only replied with a nervous nod, which Sora took as a signal to stop hovering over her. Walking away, Sora received a second nod, a more reassuring one from Joe. He would keep an eye on Mari while she was gone.

Sora didn't hesitate as she joined Davis at the apartment's entrance, nor did she slow down as they made their way out of the building. Mentally, on the other hand, she knew would be a completely different story.

Matt kept his head on a swivel, not liking how quiet the ruined city around them was. It felt like the buildings were waiting for them to take just one wrong step or look away for a second too long, so whatever trap they were hiding could spring. Tai would have called him paranoid, to which Matt would have argued was valid thanks to a list of very specific examples.

Brain catching itself on the thought, Matt had to admit to himself that he missed Tai, if for no other reason than he would have filled some of the surrounding silence. They had been separated plenty of times in the past, though each served as a reminder of how used to Tai's dumb comments and more recent brooding Matt had become. Stockholm Syndrome, if he had to put a label on it.

Still, Tai wasn't the only person missing at the moment. T.K., Sora, and two thirds of his friends were outside his ability to reach them, if not in some kind of danger. That was all before considering Mari, though Matt quickly told himself that Sora was a better fit for taking care of her than he was.

"No matter how you slice it, this place makes my insides squirm," Armadillomon said unprompted, looking over the streets himself as they walked.

"It doesn't help that we have no idea where we are," Cody replied, attention focused on one rooftop in particular.

"I mean, it looks like Tokyo," Gabumon pointed out, a small amount of optimism in his voice.

"Yes, but the Digital World has plenty of cityscapes based on our world," Izzy responded as he peered down an alley as they passed it.

Cody looked back towards him. "So it's possible we're in some alternate digital world?"

"It wouldn't surprise me." Izzy turned to look over his shoulder. "What do you think, Gatomon?"

"It's still tough to say for certain," she answered, eyes currently over her own shoulder. She had volunteered to guard the group's rear, and wasn't one give a job she accepted anything less than one hundred percent.

"Do you still sense Dragomon's presence?" Kari asked, stopping just long enough for her partner to catch up.

"Not really." Gatomon hesitated, like she was choosing her words. "More like we've landed in a spot where two worlds are overlapping. Everything is a little too mixed to pick apart.

"I think I see whatcha mean," Armadillomon chimed in enthusiastically. "It's like the static on the TV at Cody's grandpa's house."

"Are you getting that too?" Matt asked Gabumon, though only getting a confused shrug as a reply.

Izzy placed a hand on his chin. "Once we settle on a spot, I'll try to figure where we are."

"We'll try," Cody corrected him, catching Izzy's attention for a brief moment.

"Speaking of…" Tentomon suddenly stopped in midair. "I don't suppose you fancy any of these lovely abandoned buildings?"

"What's up?" Matt asked, noticing the demeanors of all their partners change.

"Movement," Gabumon answered, eyes zeroing on the street in front of them. "Definitely digimon, and they're heading this way."

At first, Matt didn't see or hear anything, though that didn't stay the case for long. Sprinting out from the shadows and into their path, a pair of red and white wolf digimon stopped short just before crashing into their group. Wiry but still large, they growled and beared their teeth as they regained their footing.

"Fangmon," Gatomon identified as she leapt to a defensive position at the front of the group.

The two Fangmon acknowledged each other, and with barely any more consideration, charged forward.

"Oh no you don't!" Tentomon declared, just as he began to digivolve. With the same motion, he intercepted the attack as Kabuterimon and caught both wolves midstride.

"Get to cover!" Matt ordered, leading the rest of them into the nearest alley. He doubted the rest of them were ready to digivolve again after their last battle, which meant leaving this fight to Kabuterimon. Assuming the Fangmon weren't any tougher than they looked, he didn't think this would be an issue.

Of course, that was before Matt considered the Fangmon making use of their numbers advantage. One of the Fangmon sank their jaws into the hand Kabuterimon was holding him in, causing him to flinch.

"Ow!" Kabuterimon called out, just before the second Fangmon jumped for his face and tackled him to the ground. The first grinned, though celebrations were brief.

"LIGHTNING PAW!

Gatomon threw one of her front paws forward, connecting with the Fangmon's lower jaw and successfully pulling his attention away from his counterpart and Kabuterimon. Their original dilemma reappeared, however, as Gatomon almost lost her footing as she landed back on the ground.

"Salamon!" Akira called out as he gently shook his partner. "You have to get up!" Unfortunately, he got no response.

"Can you guys help her out?" Matt asked their remaining reserves.

"Darn tootin'!" Armadillomon declared as he jogged into battle.

"You can count on us, Matt," Gabumon added as he moved into position.

Good that they did, as Gatomon looked like she had fallen back on dodging Fangmon's attacks. Again, she seemed slightly winded, though none of their digimon were known to quit when backed into a corner. In fact, from where Matt stood, it looked like Gatomon had lured Fangmon right where she wanted him.

"DIAMOND SHELL!"

Having rolled into a ball and rebounded off the wall of the alley, Armadillomon was able to blindside Fangmon, slamming into his midsection and propping him up for a follow-up strike.

"BLUE BLASTER!"

Gabumon released a small stream of blue flames from his mouth, hitting their enemy's snout dead-on.

Fangmon recoiled, collecting himself as the three closed in on him. He snarled, and at the last second, released a blast from his jaws that impacted the ground in front of the attacking trio. Gabumon, Gatomon, and Armadillomon were thrown backwards, not anymore injured or weakened than they had been at the top of the fight, but off their feet all the same.

Backed into a corner and watching Fangmon rear back to pounce again, Matt went against his instincts and did what Tai would do. He ran forward, not sure if he was planning on physically joining the fight or just getting closer to Gabumon in the hopes it would give his partner the boost he needed. Luckily, he wouldn't need to find out.

At the last second, a new digimon dropped in from above, right in between Fangmon and their partners. This digimon, a tall and round rabbit with light yellow fur, reeled back one of their oversized fists and drove it into Fangmon's forehead. The wolf digimon rolled and tumbled backwards, eventually ending up at the mouth of the alley.

Fangmon growled louder as he climbed back to his feet, only to be struck by a bolt of electricity from the rooftop above. Without any further ceremony, Fangmon collapsed to the ground.

"Night-night, fuzzy," another new digimon said with a giggle as she floated downward, this one humanoid with a black and pink leotard and a blue jellyfish as a headpiece.

"Are you guys okay?" a voice from the alley behind them called out. Approaching was a human girl, about Cody's height if not his age as well. She wore a light brown school uniform that Matt didn't recognize, with wavy brown hair stretching the length of her back.

"Thanks to you guys," Kari answered as she lifted Gatomon into her arms. "What's going on here?"

"Jellymon, we needed him conscious," the rabbit said with a calm and gentle voice.

"Hold that thought," the girl said as she walked past them, though not before turning around and giving them a smile and a friendly wave. "I'm Ruli, by the way."

Matt paused helping Gabumon back to his feet, to glance at each of his friends and get a sense of where they were. He knew they didn't have any answers he didn't, but they seemed interested in learning more nonetheless. If nothing else, Matt didn't want to pass up the opportunity to talk to first sign of human life since arriving in this empty city. With no visible objections, they moved closer to the unconscious Fangmon.

"Eh, I got an easy fix for that," Jellymon said, a mischievous look in her eyes as her fingers sparked.

She made contact with the Fangmon, zapping him, though nothing seemed to happen. A disappointed look formed on her face, before she rubbed her hands together to call up more electricity. She released it, which was unfortunate for the boy who chosen to approach at the worst possible second.

"Be careful!" the boy yelled as he danced around the electricity spilling onto the ground at his feet. Slightly taller than Ruli, the boy wore a blue uniform, and had silver hair grown just below his ears.

"Relax, Darling," Jellymon teased. "My touch hasn't killed you yet."

She then paused, hovering just over the Fangmon that still wasn't moving. She shrugged, before grabbing his tail and giving it one more jolt.

Fangmon yelped and jumped back to his feet. Looking around and seeing the new arrivals, his eyes went wide as he assumed a defensive position.

"W-We don't know anything!" he barked.

"Then why did you run?" Ruli asked as she crossed her arms.

"And attack us?" Kabuterimon added, currently restraining the second Fangmon in his arms.

"Kabuterimon…" Izzy said with a sigh. "Do you even know what this interrogation is about?"

"I just figured I'd return the favor for helping us."

"We don't know any details," the second Fangmon insisted. "Just that theys was low on mon power and was looking to recruit."

"And you didn't want to join them?" Ruli pushed further.

"What do you take us for?" the first snapped, startling the silver haired boy and nearly knocking him off his feet. "We don't get anything outta kidnapping humans."

The second nodded. "We ran because yous got a reputation for sending mons back to the Digital World."

"Angoramon?" Ruli raised an eyebrow to the rabbit digimon.

"I sense no deceit from them," he answered confidently.

"Alright, you can go," Ruli said directly to both Fangmon. "But stay out of trouble. We have that 'reputation' for a reason."

Kabuterimon released the second Fangmon, and both scrambled off. Matt wasn't convinced that was the right decision, but this wasn't his woorld, nor his call to make. Besides, they had waited patiently, and they needed their questions answered.

"Okay…" Matt kept a cool tone to his voice. "Now can you explain what all that was about?"

"Let's get out of here first," Ruli replied, though paused at the sight of her friend playing with his watch. "What's the holdup, Higashi?"

"The V-Bracelet's acting up," he answered, slapping it with the palm of his hand.

"Do you need help?" Izzy asked as he took a step forward, though quickly paused to check his belt.

Hearing beeping from his DigiVice, Matt did the same, finding it had opened some kind of loading screen. He looked to Kari, Cody, and Akira, their D3's seemingly doing the same. Within a few seconds, all five devices lit up with a green light in sync with Ruli and Higashi's watches.

Ruli seemed to notice as well, eyeing each before taking a long look at Gabumon and the rest of their digimon for the first time.

Higashi hit a button, and ruined city around them contracted, replaced by one still very much filled with human life. Matt's eyes took a moment to adjust to the darkness instantly becoming daylight, but by that point, he wasn't sure whether to focus on the flat screens on every surface or the street full of holograms.

"I have so many questions…" Izzy said softly, his eyes wider than Matt had seen them in a long time.

Chapter Text

Matt tried to summarize their current situation the best he could, but found more than a couple details falling through the cracks. Part of the problem was Izzy, who had been and still was a bit too distracted by their new environment to help with that. Not that Matt was blameless, as more than once his attention was grabbed by some screen or flashing light, which stopped him mid-thought each time.

Izzy's distraction wasn't for nothing, however, as he was able pull a decent bit of info from the surrounding stimuli, and not just their location. Izzy had been the first to spot the day's date, confirming they had moved about sixteen years into the future, though he was also quick to remind everyone that it wasn't necessarily their future.

They had also gotten more formal introductions to their current guides, though Ruli revealing her surname to be Tsukiyono was immediately followed by her telling them all to avoid any formalities going forward. Kiyoshiro Higashimitarai, on the other hand, emphasized his full name, though Matt wondered if that was more to head off anyone else calling him "Higashi" or "Darling."

Their respective partners, Angoramon and Jellymon, followed along, the latter seeming to have retracted her body into her headpiece as she floated slightly above the rest of them. Both were only visible as holographic outlines at present, though the rest of world around them seemed like they couldn't even see that. Izzy had briefly rejoined the conversation to speculate that it might have been a side effect of the patch that Ruli and Kiyoshiro's digivices had uploaded to their own. Not that the digimon being visible or not seemed to draw any extra eyes, with the most attention they got being a child stopping to gawk at Tentomon and ask Izzy where he could "get one."

Eventually, the number of distractions fell, especially after they moved into a more residential area. They stopped at one house in particular, which Matt might have referred to as "modern" if he wanted to pretend he knew anything about architecture. Ruli leading the way to the front door settled any questions as to whose home this was.

"Here we are!" she announced as she unlocked the door and swung it open. "My parents are hardly ever home, so we work out of here when we have to."

"Work?" Cody questioned, inspecting his surroundings as they all stepped inside.

"We'll only ever be working out of here if we don't pull in some kind of revenue," Kiyoshiro cut in, pointing an accusatory finger in Ruli's direction. Matt noted skintight bandages wrapped around his right hand and continuing into his sleeve, though said hand articulated enough to make it seem like it wasn't an injury.

"For the last time," Ruli replied after rolling her eyes. "We're not charging to help people."

"I'm not talking about profiting," Kiyoshiro countered, repeatedly jabbing his finger into the palm of his opposite hand. "We need to consider long-term resources and viability."

Ruli sighed. "Don't you have your own job for stuff like that?"

"My apologies…" Cody said diplomatically. "I was more curious about what kind of work you do."

"We investigate Hologram Ghosts," Jellymon said with waving tentacles and what was likely her version of a "spooky" voice.

"Ghosts?" Izzy asked, pulling himself away from his inspection of the living room around them. While more than polite enough not to touch anything, he couldn't keep himself from looking.

"Urban legends and the like," Ruli quickly elaborated.

"Nearly all of which turn out to be lost digimon," Angoramon continued as he sat down on a nearby couch.

Ruli nodded. "They live all over Tokyo. Plenty of people interact with them every day without even realizing."

"But not all those interactions are peaceful," Matt concluded, knowing how their experiences back home could go.

"That's where Lirurun Investigations comes in!" Ruli explained, like a sales pitch she had memorized. "It's a long story, but we've taken up the job of making sure humans and digimon can live together peacefully."

Matt let himself grin briefly, Ruli's goal reminding him of Tai. While maybe or maybe not the exact words Tai would have used, it was more or less what he had recently devoted himself to. The feeling went away quickly, however, as Matt was also reminded that they had no idea where Tai currently was.

"So what kind of case are you working on?" Gatomon asked, peeling herself off of the window still she was perched on.

"Missing children, unfortunately," Ruli answered, her expression sinking. "Seven have gone missing in the last few days, that we now know were all abducted by the same group of digimon."

"Is there anything we can do to help?" Kari asked without a second's pause, worried eyes very briefly glancing to Akira. The boy had taken Salamon to sit on the couch next to Angoramon.

Matt gave no answer, though he worried about wasting too much time when they could be getting back to their friends. He raised an eyebrow in Izzy's direction, hoping for a second opinion.

"Well, I wouldn't recommend blindly opening another tear while Salamon is still recovering," Izzy said, no conflict on his face or in his voice. "I think it only right that we assist while planning our next move."

Armadillomon stepped forward. "It's not like we have an inklin' as to how we'd tussle with that Dragomon fella."

"Dr-Dragmon?" Angoramon's attention snapped between them.

"Did it suddenly get colder in here?" Kiyoshiro shivered. The room around them had gone still if nothing else.

"You fought him?" Cody asked, reading the room slightly quicker than the rest of them.

"Or at least a version of him," Matt clarified, or at least thought he was clarifying. There was only so much coincidence he was willing to let himself accept.

"Maybe…" Izzy added, seeming slightly less confident than he had a second ago.

"How did you win? Gatomon asked, focus sharp as ever.

"We didn't," Angoramon answered solemnly.

"BlackGatomon saved us," Ruli answered, eyeline lowering as she picked at one of her fingernails. "Opened some kind of gate that pulled Dragomon in, and that was the last we heard of it."

"Alright," Kari replied, her voice maintaining its empathy. "Where do we find BlackGatomon?"

Jellymon shrugged. "He usually finds us."

"Professor Amanokawa might know how," Kiyoshiro offered.

"Sounds like we have plan," a weak voice croaked from the couch.

"Salamon!" Akira called down to his partner.

"We split up." Salamon wobbled as they tried to stand on their partner's lap. "Some of us try to find your friend while the rest look for these missing kids."

Matt found himself nodding, not really having any objections to the plan. There was currently fourteen of them counting humans and digimon, and there was no reason to not take advantage of that before Dragomon's goon squad traced them. The only question was who would go where, but he was sure they could sort that quick enough.

Despite not being all that familiar with the area, Sora didn't feel there was any particular difficulty finding Shinjuku's Central Park. Once there, it was simple enough to get their bearings, which only took as long as it did for Biyomon and Veemon to track two other digimon who weren't actively hiding from them. Eventually, they found their way to an out of the way utility shed, where Takato Matsuki and Rika Nonaka waited for them.

"I'm not even picking up any regular wild digimon," Takato said after greetings sorted themselves out, presenting the group with a holographic radar that emitted from his digivice.

Sora couldn't quite figure out how to read said radar, so she didn't object when Takato stuffed the device back into one of his pockets. Out of habit, Sora noted his blue shorts and white t-shirt, which said to her that, like Henry, Takato hadn't been expecting much in the way of excitement that day. It did create a funny contrast with Rika, who looked like she was wearing the same t-shirt and jeans combo from the one time Sora had met her in person, though Sora was willing to bet Rika's casual wear didn't vary so much. With that said, in keeping with one of the multiverse's recurring oddities, Takato did wear his pair of yellow-rimmed goggles on his forehead.

"That's assuming our enemies haven't found a way of concealing themselves from us," Renamon, Rika's partner, pointed out. The yellow fox digimon stood a couple paces away while the humans had been looking over Takato's shoulder, likely not needing the info as much as they did.

"I don't smell anything funny either," Takato's partner, Guilmon, added without looking in their direction.

The red saurian digimon sat in the shed's doorway, sharing a brown paper bag with Veemon. Sora's eyes looked past them to the shed, very briefly distracted by the contradiction it presented. On the outside, it seemed in good condition, almost like it had recently seen maintenance. Inside, on the other hand, it was full of holes and claw marks that Sora could only think to describe as Guilmon-sized.

"Not sure how much hiding Argomon would be able to do, even if we can't smell him," Veemon said as reached into Guilmon's bag and pulled out a glazed bun.

"What did he smell like?" Guilmon asked with a tilted head.

Veemon's shoulders sank. "Like he wanted to punch me."

Guilmon sighed. "Yeah, I hate that smell."

"I still think Imperialdramon could've taken him," Davis whined, hands in his pockets as he kicked the dirt in front of him.

Rika snorted. "Overconfident much?"

"I mean…" Takato paused and shrugged. "Argomon did make it a point to take ExVeemon out of the fight."

Rika raised an eyebrow in his direction, with Takato's nervous grin widening in response. The pause lasted until Rika rolled her eyes and looked away, followed by a subtle but noticeable sigh of relief from Takato. Just as subtle, notably, was the smirk on Rika's face.

"So basically, we're dealing with bruisers and thinkers," Rika summarized.

"In a sense," Renamon replied, before turning in Sora's direction. "Given your story, it stands to reason that your foes have encountered your group before, if not multiple times."

"So how do we fight bad guys who have beaten us already?" Biyomon asked, raising a wing to her chin.

"You have us this go around," Takato announced with humble reassurance. "So it should be easier to figure out now."

Rika crossed her arms. "Now who's overconfident?"

"Nah, it's just regular confidence," Davis said as he slung an arm around Takato's shoulder. "Once we've got everyone back together, those creeps are history."

Sora couldn't resist smiling, mostly at Davis' unmatched ability to make friends. She wasn't a bit surprised how he had latched onto Takato, having a peer he could relate to in way he couldn't with Tai. Takato and Rika were about a year older than Davis if she remembered correctly, but the gap was small enough that it dodged the hero worship that Davis still hadn't outgrown with Tai.

"So what's your plan?" Rika asked neither boy in particular.

"That's…" Takato hesitated. "...still a work in progress."

"Does that plan involve more pastries?" Guilmon called over to them. All eyes turned to find him holding his bag upside-down and nothing coming out.

"Oh man…" Davis let go of Takato and walked to the shed. "I didn't even get any!"

"I knew I should have grabbed more," Takato said under his breath.

"Still," Davis said as he planted the palm of his hand on his partner's head. "Not even one, Veemon?"

"Couldn't help it," Veemon replied with a shrug. "I'm still feeling lightheaded from the fight."

"How long are you gonna keep playing that card?"

"Depends how long it keeps working."

"I can go make a run to the bakery to get more," Takato offered.

"Cool, we'll go with you!" Davis declared, pulling Veemon down the path in front of the shed.

"Does he even know where he's going?" Biyomon asked as she watched them leave.

Rika shook her head. "Definitely not."

"I'm sure everything'll be fine," Takato said, sounding like he mostly believed it.

"Yuh-huh," Rika responded, tone of her voice lightening. "Just so you know, I'm not the kind of girl who's gonna like all of your friends."

"I'm sure Takato is more aware than most," Renamon chimed in, matching her partner's tone.

Takato gave one last wave before leading Guilmon off in the direction Davis had already disappeared in. The park around them seemed to become quieter with that, during which Rika moved to stand directly at Sora's side, though didn't look at her.

"You've been quiet," Rika pointed out after a few more seconds.

Sora nodded, knowing she was right. "I guess it's everything we're juggling today."

Rika finally turned to face her. "Including a kid you haven't had yet being dropped on your lap."

"Two, actually," Sora replied, throwing up a pair of fingers to match.

"You think this is the universe's way of poking fun at you for always trying to be everyone's mom."

"The thought's crossed my mind."

They fell silent again, Rika's gaze drifting with it. Looking closer, though, she seemed like she was holding onto a thought, one she was figuring out how to express. After a couple seconds, she took a deep breath.

"I don't think we understood what this whole alternate realities thing meant when we first met."

Sora looked off into the distance, knowing Rika was right. Their worlds had been different enough that the gravity of what they had stumbled on didn't sink in. Sora supposed that it was possible that she had an alternate counterpart somewhere in this version of Tokyo, but she clearly didn't become a Digidestined or Tamer. Interacting with the Tamers never came with the expectation that they would have to confront what could have been and what still could be.

Of course, Rika and her friends hadn't been quite so lucky. Sora hadn't gotten all of the details through their limited communication, but she knew they had had a couple incidents within the last year, both of which had sounded personal.

"You have any advice?" Sora asked, feeling it worth the shot to ask even if the nature of their encounters were different.

"I…" Rika hesitated, clearly giving the question some thought. "...really don't."

"Fair enough," Sora replied, feeling her shoulders sink just a bit. "I don't think anyone can be an expert on this stuff."

Rika shook her head. "The more stuff like this happens, the more I'm convinced that our worlds aren't supposed to intersect like this."

"How so?"

Rika sighed, eyes dropping downward. "The last couple times this happened, I feel like we left things worse than we found them."

"Those worlds had their problems before we ever interacted with them, Rika," Renamon said, nothing but conviction in her voice. "And perhaps I'm being naive, but I wouldn't rule out the possibility that we inspired some good."

"It'll be the same for Mari and Rei," Biyomon added, flying up so she could meet Sora at eye-level. "We just have to be patient."

"In the meanwhile…" Rika cut back in, somberness falling off her. "We have some evil digimon to walk all over."

Sora smiled and nodded. "And until then, we have whatever Takato and Davis bring back to tide us over."

"Please…" Rika rolled her eyes. "You know that bag's not making it back here."

Sora laughed, having been given enough of a reminder as to why she wasn't ready to write off "this whole alternate realities thing" just yet.

Tai tapped his foot impatiently, only keeping himself from complaining because he knew that Agumon getting his bearings was key to them tracking Rei down. Within the few seconds that felt like ten minutes, Agumon's nostrils stopped flaring as he focused on a cluster of trees to his right.

"You got something?" Tai asked, not seeing anything in that direction himself.

"I think so," Agumon answered, squinting for a second. "There's definitely a Koromon in that direction."

"Then let's hurry." Tai jogged forward, his partner quickly falling in step behind him.

"Don't worry, Tai. I'm sure Rei hasn't gotten far." Agumon paused, in what was no doubt a moment of genuine contemplation. "Unless you think she can fly."

Tai sighed. "She's Sora's daughter, not Biyomon's, so I'm guessing not."

"If you say so," Agumon replied, not knowing and, thankfully, not caring much about how human reproduction worked.

They continued on, again for what probably felt like longer than it actually was. At some point, Tai stopped short, tripping over a tree root and just managing to keep himself on his feet. Looking to his left, at another tree just a couple meters away, he let himself feel a sense of relief.

Rei sat with her back against the tree trunk, holding Koromon on her lap. Her expression was still muted, but she didn't look like she had picked up any new scratches or bruises.

"Jeez, kid," Tai said as he caught his breath. "You run off on your dad like this back home?"

Rei turned in his direction, but said nothing. Instead, her face contorted, eyes hitting a halfway point between a glare and genuine disappointment. Tai recognized this look, a signature of Sora's to tell him that a joke wasn't always the answer to make her feel better.

"Right, my bad." Tai scratched the back of his head as he walked over and leaned a shoulder against the tree. "Still, you shouldn't have left like that."

Rei shrugged. "Yeah, well, you guys weren't doing anything but talking."

"We do do that a bit." Tai paused, doing a quick reflection on his and his friends' history. "There's a lot of us and just as many opinions to consider."

"Aren't you the leader?" Rei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Still gotta listen to everyone," Tai explained, at the same time trying to piece together where this conversation was coming from. "My job's not just telling them what to do. It's also looking after them and making the best decision based on that."

"Right…" Rei looked away, raising a hand off her partner to pull at the goggles around her neck.

Tai also felt like he saw something else in her, or maybe a lack of something else to be more accurate. A quiet sigh and a subtle shake of her head, said either Rei didn't get the answer she wanted to hear or just wasn't interested in answers period. Either way, he felt like it was his job to find out which, if for no reason other than to try and keep her from running away again.

"Have you heard all this before?" Tai asked cautiously, taking his best shot in the dark.

"Not exactly," Rei answered casually, still refusing to face him.

"Look…" Tai sat down next to her, deciding to go for what he saw as the root of the problem. "I know what you're going through."

"I really doubt that." Rei finally turned towards him, bringing back her disappointed glare.

"I mean in the general sense," Tai countered, wishing he had put more though into what to say to the girl while looking for her. "I can tell you're afraid right now."

"Am I?" Rei asked calmly, expression not changing.

"And that's messing with you using your Crest." Tai paused, a part of him worried he was on the wrong track. "You do have a Crest, right?"

"I do."

Tai nodded. "That's okay, though, because the Crest of Courage isn't about never being afraid. It's about being able to confront that fear."

Rei scoffed. "Except you missed one important detail."

"What's that?"

"I didn't get my dad's Crest."

Without hesitating, Rei reached into her t-shirt and pulled out a Crest tag and shoved it forward for Tai to see. While it was a foggier and darker shade of red than he was used to, he'd know the heart-shaped symbol anywhere. He froze, the mistake he had made fully sinking in.

"I got my mom's," Rei continued, an uncomfortable laughter coloring her words. "Which is funny, because the only thing running through my head right now is how much I hate Abbadomon and all of Dragomon's other lackeys, and how much I want to take them apart. So do you have any advice for that?"

"Rei…" Tai began, but couldn't find the words. After all, he didn't feel like he was much help when Sora was trying to figure out her Crest.

"Didn't think so." Rei let go of her Crest to pinch the bridge of her nose. "Crest of Love… Not really any good when I've lost everyone I've ever cared about."

"Everyone, huh?"

Tai might have jumped if Koromon hadn't spoken so softly. Eyeline dragged down at the same time as Rei's, they found the In-Training digimon looking back up at her partner, hurt look in her eyes.

Rei's eyes widened. "Koromon-"

"No, that actually makes a lot of sense." Koromon's whole body seemed to deflate as she looked forward.

"You know that's not what I meant," Rei argued, her voice a mix of worry and anger.

"All I know is what it feels like to be SkullGreymon," Koromon replied, next to no emotion in her voice. "It hurts, by the way, on top of being really scary."

Rei's eyes began to become watery. "We're really doing this now?"

"I'd storm off, but I don't have any legs, on account of the whole being SkullGreymon thing."

Rei said nothing, looking frozen in place. To be fair, the girl had seemed like she was holding back tears since she first appeared, so it was more a question as to whether she was about to break or double down on holding them back.

Tai reached out to her. "Rei-"

"Don't start again!" Rei snapped before jumping to her feet. "I just wanna leave."

Koromon still in hand, she marched off, passing Marcus and his own partner as she left. Marcus watched her for a couple seconds, before turning back to Tai, clearly having something he at least wanted to say.

"Something wrong?" Tai asked, not really in the mood either way.

"Home base is back that way," Marcus replied, pointing a thumb in the direction Rei had left in. "I'll lead us out."

"Yeah, thanks…" Tai stood and walked past him, essentially tracing Rei's footsteps. After all, there didn't seem to be much else he could do for her at the moment.

Chapter Text

Rei Kamiya had never been bothered by the Crest she was given.

As Marcus led the group towards his camp, the thought couldn't help but bounce around in her head. Not that their march had absolutely no distractions, with this group of Digidestined seeming like they couldn't stop side conversations completely. The issue was more that Rei couldn't bring herself to latch onto or care about what was being said, finding it easier to just lose herself in her own head, so much so that she couldn't quite remember when they had transitioned from forest to their current rocky and barren landscape.

Thinking back, Rei remembered some comments and jokes about getting the Crest of Love. Nothing mean-spirited, but more her friends having their fun with how she had gotten one of the "girlie" Crests. Returning the jabs was easy enough, mostly because they didn't bother her. Despite how she dressed and sometimes acted, Rei didn't carry a chip on her shoulder about being a girl. That was one lesson from her mother that stuck with her, that she should be who she wanted and not who tradition told her she needed to be, which suited her fine on days she wanted to wear sneakers so she could run if she had to.

If anything, pressure to meet expectations came from individual expectation instead of society around her. Her father had been the leader of the Digidestined, and her mother had a reputation for going out of her way to take care of everybody. Again, though, Rei let this roll off her shoulders, treating the whole thing as a personal challenge. Caring for her friends fed into the Crest of Love after all, so the role she had adopted was just a way of being true to herself.

Of course, that all fell apart the day Akira and Mari arrived. They fought and lost and were forced run away as fast as they could. The worst part was that by random chance, Rei had gotten swept up in all this, shunted back in time with no way of knowing what became of her friends. She felt the truth though, that like her family, she hadn't been able to save them.

That all left her with no one to lead and protect, which by extension left her with a useless Crest, with which she could only hurt her partner rather than make her stronger. Rei felt hollowed out, save for the rage at the monsters who had taken the people she loved from her, which she had to figure out how to fight with if she wanted to avenge them.

"You're squeezing too tight."

Glancing under her arm, Rei realized that she had in fact tightened her grip on Koromon. She loosened it, though Koromon's muted expression stayed the same, not even bothering to look back up at her.

Rei sighed. "You know, this whole 'not talking to me' thing doesn't work if you keep talking to me."

"And you know that I can't help it," Koromon countered. "I say what's on my mind and that's that."

"Uh-huh…" Rei scratched back of her head with her free hand. "You could always have someone else carry you."

"It'd be pretty rude of me to ask them to do that."

"I could take her if it would help," Ken's voice pulled their attention to him. Wormmon had moved to his shoulder, leaving him with two free hands.

"No, I'm good," Rei replied quickly. She didn't not want to carry Koromon, but the mixed messages her partner was sending made it anyone's guess what was best for either of them.

Rei did notice Tai looking over his shoulder, concerned expression saying he had at least considered making the same offer. She supposed that was one thing he had in common with her actual father, having a sense for what wouldn't help when he didn't know what would. Rei could admit to herself she was maybe being too hard on him, but she also knew that if there was something Tai could do to set things right, her father would have done so already.

"We're almost there," Marcus announced, drawing all eyes forward.

On the edge of a cliff overlooking a lake sat a small wooden house. Rei squinted, wondering if house was a too generous way of describing it. Getting closer, it seemed more like a hut, one the builder had given up on building halfway through because they weren't sure how to finish it. It did have a roof, though, but planks of wood were missing from the walls, with the side facing them looking like someone had outright smashed a hole through it.

"You live there?" Tai asked before anyone else could speak.

"You're free to look for another roof to put over your head," Marcus shot back, though looked like he was holding back on saying more.

"Seriously, Tai," Mimi chastised while waving her index finger. "You should be thankful we have this instead of acting like a spoiled brat."

Tai sighed, keeping any replies to himself. Rei stayed quiet as well, though noticed noise slowly increasing as they drew closer to the hut.

Mariko Ishida no longer knew where she belonged.

The notion crashed into her as she turned off the bathroom faucet. That no matter how she pushed herself through even the most mundane activities, her normal was long gone. She stepped away from the sink, nearly stumbling backwards, the walls around her suddenly feeling way more alien and distorted than they actually were.

It wasn't as though Mari could go back to her own family's bathroom either. Besides being at least three worlds behind her, there was no guarantee that anything familiar to her was left standing, and all the constants that she valued gone with them. That meant no more picnics to File Island with her generation of Digidestined, no more going with her mother to help at her grandmother's flower shop, and no more bass lessons with her father.

The worst part was that Mari knew she was to blame for all of it. She still couldn't quite grasp who or what was in charge of deciding who would become Digidestined, but she knew they had been wrong for picking her. If that hadn't been apparent to everyone the day she was chosen, it should have been crystal clear when the Digital World started assigning Crests. While her friends were given Crests that highlighted their positive attributes, such as courage or knowledge, the powers-that-be understood that Mari had no such traits.

Reaching into her sweatshirt's front pocket, Mari pulled out her tag with shaking hands. Emblazoned was a golden symbol, one she could only think to describe as an incomplete infinity symbol: The Crest of Destiny.

Mari didn't know what its meaning or purpose was, aside from maybe the Digital World having predicted her current fate. Again, she knew deep down that it couldn't be reflective of anything positive about her character. After all, she hadn't even been able to keep a hold of Satoshi's hand.

A gentle knock at the door paused Mari's train of thought. Taking a deep breath, she stuffed her Crest back into her pocket and approached the door, not surprised to find Gabumon waiting for her on the other side.

Her partner reached out to her, resting a paw on her hand. The memories of her failures still circled her mind, but her shaking came to a stop. Mari nodded at Gabumon, knowing she couldn't waste time making herself more useless than she already was.

Mari moved down the hall, passing Henry's bedroom along the way. At some point, the older kids had moved their conversation there, and Mari could just make out the tail-end of their discussion through the crack in the doorway.

"Not that I can think of," Yolei answered whatever unheard question she had been asked. "After that, Izzy started ordering us through the portal and that was that."

"Well, it's a start," Henry replied, followed by a pause.

"It's still not enough." Yolei's voice didn't hide her disappointment.

"We've made due with less," Joe offered.

Mari leaned away from the door some, wishing she could say anything that would help. She had run into Abbadomon and Argomon a couple times by this point, and tried her best to pay attention through all the chaos of each encounter. She had nothing to contribute though, or at least nothing she thought-

"Listening in on other people's conversations is considered rude in some circles."

Mari jumped back, and may or may not have made a high-pitched noise on being startled. She found Terriermon looking up at her, the Rookie holding a bag of chips in his hands as a sign he had likely just come from the kitchen.

"So's barging into people's rooms without permission." Gomamon sat just a step behind Terriermon, sleeve of cookies resting at his feet.

"Eh," Terriermon said as he looked over his shoulder and shrugged. "I do that all the time."

"I-I'm sorry!" Mari squeaked out, mind now racing as she realized what she had been doing.

"Alright, no big deal." Terriermon tilted his head and arched an eyebrow at her. "Just moumantai, will you?"

Mari tilted her head to match. "Moumantai?"

"Exactly!" Terriermon cheered as peeled his bag of chips open.

"I don't know what that is."

Terriermon paused while reaching into his bag. "Sorry, it's been a minute since I've had to explain it to anyone."

"Do you say it that often?" Gomamon asked.

"Not really."

"Rough translation would be 'take it easy'," Henry cut in, having at some point opened the door to his room. He crossed his arms and focused on his partner. "Which I doubt you're making it easy for her to do."

"Henry…" Terriermon whined, at the very least pretending to be insulted. "You know I always think of the children."

"Is that your excuse too?" Joe asked his own partner.

"Kids filled with anxiety are my specialty." Gomamon grinned as he raised one of his claws to his chest.

"Ah, how could I forget?"

Mari, for as much as she tried, couldn't resist giggling a little.

"See?" Gomamon looked to his partner triumphantly.

Mari froze, her brain catching up with rest of her. More guilt piled onto her conscience, and rightfully so. She didn't have a right to be laughing, not now and maybe not ever again.

"Hey, don't feel bad," Yolei said, catching Mari's attention. "You're good to be happy or sad whenever you want."

Mari looked away again, not sure if Yolei's reassurance made her feel more or less confused. She didn't get a chance to think on it any further, being interrupted by Henry's cellphone ringing.

"Okay, we're on it," Henry said a couple seconds after answering, serious tone confirming that something had caught up with them.

With sunset close to complete, Matt decided he was about as settled in his current location as he was going to get. The group had split in half, with some remaining behind while the rest followed up on leads on the missing children. Kari had instantly volunteered to help Ruli with the search, which meant that Akira had enthusiastically asked if he could accompany them. In keeping with both his Crests, he was determined to find the missing kids and was optimistic about their chances, which ended with Kari caving and letting him tag along.

Less enthusiastic was Salamon, who was still recovering and had stayed behind as a consequence. Matt made it a point to check in on the Rookie, finding them handling being separated from their partner about as well as he expected. Salamon was currently on the living room couch, having rolled over onto their back to stare blankly at the ceiling. Their fatigue did seem to be fading, though, so Matt hoped to get them back to Akira soon.

Other than that, the only other real conflict Matt ran into was him and Cody deciding which of the two of them would remain behind. Neither had felt an urgent need to be part of either group, and both agreed that one of them should help with the search. The final decision ended up coming down to a coin-flip.

Matt walked back across the house, standing in the doorway of the small office Izzy and Kiyoshiro had set up in, and were now joined by Professor Amanokawa. Regarding the man, Matt wasn't surprised by the lab coat, though hadn't been expecting childlike energy and wonder in the body of a middle-aged man.

"BlackGatomon?" The Professor questioned, apparently only just having calmed down enough for them to ask about the digimon in question's location.

"Yes, Professor," Kiyoshiro replied as he spun his chair around and sat up straighter. "We were hoping you could ask him for help."

"Hmm…" Amanokawa place his index finger on his chin and glanced at the ceiling. "I don't really have any deliveries for him."

"So you're saying you can't get in touch with him?" Kiyoshiro asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Don't sweat it, Kiyo my boy!" Amanokawa smiled as he reached out and tussled the boy's hair. "I'm sure we can sort something out."

"Kiyo?" Matt repeated. He probably wouldn't have thought much of the nickname if Kiyoshiro didn't seem to have so many.

Jellymon giggled as she floated by. "A friend of ours didn't really understand human formalities."

"He's not the only one." Kiyoshiro sighed as he looked to his partner.

"I know, Darling." Jellymon waved a dismissive hand in his direction. "That Ruli loves to go against tradition."

"So your new friends are from the past?" Amanokawa asked as he shifted his focus. He seemed surprisingly open to the idea.

"Well, a past at least," Izzy answered. He currently stood by the desk, scratching his chin as though he were still giving the question some thought.

"Their story indicates that reality works on a multiverse theory," Kiyoshiro explained, looking between Izzy and the Professor.

"Does it now?" Amanokawa seemed more focused now.

Izzy nodded. "Yes, as best we can tell, divergences occur at major branching points."

"So more inconsequential decisions don't create branches?" Kiyoshiro asked, his own interest peaking.

Amanokawa's expression sank. "I'd hate to think I create an alternate reality every time I get stumped on what to eat for breakfast."

"It's hard to say given the limited data we have." Izzy paused, looking to his side for a laptop case that wasn't there. "I've played with the idea of starting a multiversal map, but I couldn't wrap my head around where to start."

"I'm starting to think we stayed with the wrong group," Gabumon said softly.

"I'm getting that too," Matt replied. Cody might have been more at home with a conversation like this. At the moment, all Matt could wonder was if they had created a branch by staying in his place.

"So following our timeline directly backwards, we might not end up where you're from?" Amanokawa suggested pointedly.

"It's a likely possibility," Izzy replied without skipping a beat. "We've actually made friends in realities whose timelines run parallel to ours."

"Each with its own Digital World as well," Tentomon added.

"Part of me has started to question whether or not the Digital World itself has generated this phenomenon."

Kiyoshiro placed a hand on his chin. "If not, then you'd have to consider the possibility of ending up in a reality where life on this planet never evolved, or even the Earth itself didn't form."

"Welp, we've all got a lot to think on then!" Amanokawa perked up again, spinning around to face the doorway. "I've got to see if I need any packages delivered. Best of luck, Kiyo!"

The Professor marched out, brushing past Jellymon and right by Matt's shoulder. Within a few seconds, the sound of the font door opening and closing echoed throughout the house.

Matt kept his eyes trained on the doorway. "Well that was…"

"Very normal for him," Kiyoshiro concluded with a sigh.

Matt shrugged. "I guess we should focus on your case in the meantime."

"Let me just double check the warding charms."

Before anyone could question the meaning of the statement, Kiyoshiro had spun around to face the desktop monitor and started typing. Matt didn't have a perfect view, but he could just make out a series of paper talismans appearing on the screen. While he was curious, though, Izzy gave the computer his full attention.

"How exactly do these work?" Izzy asked as he leaned closer to the screen.

"Back before I understood what Hologram Ghosts were, I tried a few methods to keep them out of my dorm room," Kiyoshiro explained, only stopping typing to look back over his shoulder. "Early results were a bit mixed…"

"Nothing was ever going to keep us apart!" Jellymon proclaimed as she wrapped herself around his neck.

Kiyoshiro cleared his throat. "In their current form, these charms keep wild digimon from tracking us, and getting inside if they do manage to."

Izzy grinned. "Prodigious."

"You really think so?" Kiyoshiro asked, surprise in his voice.

"I do." Izzy stood up straight and crossed his arms. "The only reason I'm not asking for a copy of the program is that I'm worried the technology might is a bit too ahead of our time."

Kiyoshiro scratched the side of his face. "Well, uh, thank you, Mr. Izumi."

"Izzy."

"What?"

"That's what my friends call me." Izzy gave the younger boy a friendly nod. "We're friends now, so you should too."

"Trust me, kid," Matt chimed in, leaning against the door frame while he waited. "Our group hasn't been one for formalities in a long while."

"Right…" Kiyoshiro hesitated for couple seconds, then nodded. "I guess I don't mind if you guys want to just call me… Kiyo…"

Matt pushed off the door frame, deciding to go check on Salamon one more time. As easy it was to get drawn into moments like these, it would sit too heavily on his conscience if they wasted too much time. They still had children to rescue, and beyond that, friends to find.

The source of the noise they were hearing became apparent once they reached the hut. Rei counted around two dozen Rookie and In-Training digimon, most of which she was able to pick out. The majority of them had gathered on the opposite side from where they had approached from, in small fenced in area. Again, fence might have been a generous way to describe it, with the planks of wood propped by waist-high posts looking more like they were meant to mark a boundary than keep anyone in or out.

Trying to wrangle the crowd was a gray avian digimon wearing what looked like a ninja costume. Catching sight of them, he broke away from the group, stopping directly in front of Marcus.

"Humans? How did they get here?" the digimon asked, eyes bouncing between each member of their group.

"Long story, Falcomon," Marcus answered. "For now, word is that it's gonna be fightin' time again real soon. We should focus on getting ready."

Falcomon nodded. "Should I alert Gaomon and Lalamon?"

"No," Marcus instructed confidently. "They're either handling something important or on their way back already. Besides, I think these guys can pull their weight."

"What exactly is this place?" Ken asked, looking over the immediate area before his eyes wandered to one of the hut's open windows.

"Like I said, we're peacekeepers." Marcus turned around to face them while gesturing to the group of digimon behind him. "Sometimes that means teaching the smaller guys to throw a punch in case we can't be there to protect them."

"So it's kinda like that one village where Davis taught all those Punimon how to play soccer," Patamon suggested thoughtfully. "Only these guys learn how to punch people."

Rei shook her head, part of her already starting to tune out the surrounding chatter. She was ready to start walking away too, right up until she felt something gently nudge against her leg. Looking down, she found one of the In-Training digimon looking back up at her with wide, innocent eyes. Round with white fur and stubby pink legs and a tail, Rei recognized this particular digimon as Xiaomon.

"Is it true we're gonna have to fight soon?"

Rei hesitated, not sure why the little digimon had gravitated to her of all people. Weirder was that part of her actually thought she knew what to say, that she wanted to be reassuring. The rest of her protested, feeling like she was incapable of being genuine at the moment. Eventually, however, the awkward silence got the better of her.

"Don't worry," Rei said as she knelt down and scratched Xiaomon behind the ear with free hand. She forced a smile, though not as hard as she thought she would have to. "We're gonna take care of everything."

Looking satisfied, Xiaomon waddled away to rejoin their friends. Rei stood back up, noticing Tai was now standing at her side. Scratching the back of his head, he put a somewhat innocent grin on his face.

"You know-"

"Just stop," Rei interrupted him, turning away as she did. "A lot of good my empty words are gonna do when I can't even get my partner to digivolve."

Rei waited for a response, not from Tai, but from Koromon. Despite still remaining tucked under her arm, her partner stayed quiet. Silence saying plenty, Rei committed to walking away.

Rounding a corner of the hut, Rei sat herself down against a wall, where she was sure no one could see her. She set Koromon down on her lap without looking down, focusing on the mostly clear sky instead. She was fully prepared for her thoughts to start running in circles again as well, at least until a shadow cast itself over her.

Rei looked to the shadow's owner, expecting to find Tai. Her expectations were subverted, finding Marcus instead.

"Can I help you?" Rei asked calmly, not sure what local "peacekeeper" could possibly want from her.

"You need to get back in the ring," Marcus answered matter-of-factly.

Rei tilted her head. "Come again?"

"I know a fighter when I see one." Marcus crossed his arms, that and the rest of his body language broadcasting his conviction. "What I can't sort out why you're still moping about it."

"My entire life just got taken away from me," Rei said through her teeth. "My bad if I'm not feeling all chipper right now."

Marcus lowered his voice. "I don't think you know what you feel right now."

"And you do?"

"Listen up, squirt, because we don't have a lot of time." Marcus pointed a thumb back around the corner. "In case you forgot, you're bringing a lot of trouble to people I'm supposed to look after, so I need to know that you're gonna be able to step up when that trouble gets here."

Rei leaned back, looking upwards again. "Well, sorry to say I can't make any promises."

"I know," Marcus replied, his tone softening. "Which is why I'm gonna help you."

"Are you now?" Rei's attention snapped back to him.

Marcus' serious expression hadn't changed. "I'm gonna show you how to get back into fighting shape."

Rei snorted. "You have a flight of steps you want me to run up and down?"

"Not quite," Marcus clapped back, either ignorant to or not caring about her sarcasm. "We run things a little different at the Damon Dojo."

Rei paused, then squinted. "And what if I refuse?"

"I don't think you will. Like I said, you're a fighter." Marcus turned and started walking away. "Finish moping and come find me when you're ready."

"Oh, I absolutely need to see this," Koromon commented.

Rei sighed. A more sensible part of her said she had no reason to listen to some hothead who didn't know a thing about her. The last thing she needed was some new diet and exercise routine, which was decidedly not going to reconnect her with her Crest. On the other hand, she also had nothing left to lose.

Chapter Text

As much as Rei's parents had tried to teach her that appearances weren't everything and that she shouldn't judge a book by its cover, she wasn't surprised in the slightest when the inside of the "Damon Dojo" was a pretty spot on match for the outside. On top of the damage she had already seen, the hut was also pretty sparse on furniture. Aside from a couple bedrolls, rocks and tree stumps seemed to be stand-ins for tables and chairs.

Of course, Rei knew she hadn't come here to comment on interior decoration. Clearly, she was here for the room's centerpiece, an improvised mannequin of some kind. Built around a wooden post standing about two meters tall with some kind of padding wrapped around it, a pair of lanky pieces of wood were attached to it to stand in for arms. It didn't have a head, though Marcus seemed to have that covered by way of crudely drawn picture. With blonde hair and blue eyes, Rei first thoughts of the likeness would have been Matt if he spent less time on his hair if she hadn't known better.

While the room wasn't exactly isolated, Tai and the rest of the Digidestined remained outside and out of Rei's line of sight. Glancing to Marcus and his Agumon, Rei wasn't sure where to start with questioning their intentions. Not wanting to drag things out either, she decided to start with the most obvious problem and work down from there.

"You know, it's gonna be hard for Koromon to punch this thing without any arms," Rei pointed out, as plainly and dryly as she could.

"That's fine," Marcus replied, his tone even and confident. "She's not gonna be the one punching it."

Rei hesitated, realizing all eyes in the room, including Koromon's, were on her. Looking back and forth, the conclusion seemed so stupid that her brain almost refused to let it sink in.

"You're joking, right?"

"The Boss never jokes about punching stuff!" Agumon piped up, pumping a claw into the air.

"And what's this supposed to accomplish?" Rei asked, slightly raising her voice.

"You don't have a handle on your emotions right now," Marcus answered, facial expression remaining unchanged. "They're punching with you instead of you punching with them."

"Did you even understand what you just said?"

Marcus waved a dismissive hand in front of his face. "That's not important right now."

"I disagree," Rei grunted, her shoulders starting to sink. "Very strongly."

"Of all the fights I've been in, none of my opponents were exactly the same." Marcus counted off on his fingers. "Some fought better angry, some happy, and some when they were feeling no emotions at all."

"And there were even a couple weirdos who fought best when they were hungry," Agumon added.

Marcus pointed a finger in Rei's direction. "The point is you have to figure out what works for you and stick with it. Otherwise, you're gonna lose every fight you get into."

Rei hesitated again, though this time, she focused under her arm at her partner. She was looking for any kind of input, ideally for some confirmation that she wasn't the only sane person left in the world.

"Don't look at me." Koromon gave her current form's best approximation of a shrug. "I'ma just watch from the corner."

True to her word, Koromon hopped from Rei's arm and waddled over to the opposite side of the room. Rei sighed, before taking a step closer to the wooden dummie.

Again, given the obvious nature of how it was thrown together, it wasn't particularly intimidating. The issue was with the questions circling around in Rei's head, and not just whether or not Marcus knew anything about what he was talking about. If he was on right track, she worried about this exercise just showing how far she had fallen. Worse, if she couldn't pick herself back up, if she couldn't help Koromon digivolve ever again, what was the point in her being here?

She had to be able to fight, because not being able to meant she had basically died on the bridge, which meant that her friends and loved ones had died with her. Needing to prove that she and they were still alive in some form or another, she reeled her right fist back.

"Wait!" Marcus called out suddenly.

Rei rolled her eyes. "What now?"

"Are you right handed?" Marcus asked, as though it was the most important question in the world.

"Yeah…"

"Take up a proper fighting stance then," Marcus instructed, holding up both fists, his left just ahead of his right. "Lead with your left fist. It'll be easier to block incoming strikes and then counterattack."

Rei squinted at him. "Is this thing gonna hit me back?"

"No, but actual opponents will." Marcus crossed his arms. "You're gonna be smaller than most of them, so you'll need all the leverage you can get."

Rei arched an eyebrow. "Anything else?"

"No, just something I thought I should teach you." Marcus looked away briefly, like he was thinking about something else entirely. He put his confident demeanor back on just as quickly, taking a couple steps back to lean against the hut's wall.

Rei sighed, but copied his fighting pose. After one last deep breath, she took her first swing.

Sora crept through the brush, or at least the best that she could. Rika had gotten a phone call during their patrol, one that had directed them to this spot. All technical information had been glossed over, meaning Sora didn't learn exactly what was detected until she laid eyes on it.

One of the bulbous Champion-leveled Argomon skittered through an opening in the treeline, looking for them if Sora had to guess. Whether it was down to luck or intervention from Hypnos, the government organization that had called them here, there was no signs of any other human life, nor any signs that this Argomon was aware of their presence just yet.

"Pretty convenient that it appeared right here in the park," Biyomon whispered.

"More a convenience on our opponent's part," Renamon replied in kind, eyes zeroed in on the Argomon. "Dimensional barriers are a bit weaker in this park than they are in the rest of the city."

"Should we make this quick?" Rika asked, though the calm undertone to her voice said she had already decided her vote on the matter.

"Probably…" Sora paused, placing a hand on her chin as she surveyed the area around them. "I'm just worried that it's not alone."

Rika glanced to her other side. "Renamon?"

"I don't sense anything." Renamon stood up straighter. "I can go in first to draw out anything that might be hiding from us."

"Do it," Sora instructed. She felt guilty for making the call so quickly for a brief moment, before realizing it was their best option. Renamon could move quickly and quietly, and in the absolute worst scenario, Biyomon could digivolve and make up for any shortcomings in those areas with power.

Without hesitation, Renamon vanished from sight, only to quickly reappear directly above Argomon. Clearly having taken her directions to heart, she traced a claw across the air in front of her, drawing a thin line of energy.

"DIAMOND STORM!"

Glowing shards rained downward, impacting and embedding themselves into the Argomon. The wild digimon made no sound, but twitched and convulsed as it took damage.

Landing right at the wounded digimon's side, Renamon drew a paw back for a follow-up strike. Unfortunately, Argomon flailed wildly, one of its metal claws connecting with Renamon and sending her flying some distance away.

"Sora?" Biyomon requested, already flapping her wings to get into position.

"You're up," Sora confirmed. There was no sign of any other Argomon, and it was time to step in regardless.

Sora grabbed her DigiVice and Biyomon flew forward, though Argomono raised its claws just as quickly. Electricity sparked to life, spreading in every direction. Biyomon took evasive maneuvers, while Sora was saved from a stray bolt by Rika jumping and tackling her to the ground.

Barely given a chance to exchange a thankful nod, the pair of them scrambled away, barely making to a tree big enough to shield them both from any further strikes. They found their cover, but were now pinned by the continuing streams of electricity.

Sora noted Rika reaching her belt for a handful of cards, but before she could pick one, the surrounding energy seemed to slow. Risking peering out from cover, Sora saw the electricity hadn't stopped, but had been drawn in the opposite direction and was converging on a single point.

Acting as lightning rod was Raidramon, Veemon's black-clad and quadrupedal Armored form. In his element, he didn't so much as flinch as the energy poured into him.

"That trick's not gonna work on us, pal!" Davis taunted from beside his partner.

"Finish it!" Rika ordered, Renamon having already thrown herself back into the fray.

"DIAMOND STORM!"

As the kitsune prepared her signature attack, Biyomon flew back upwards to do the very same.

"SPIRAL TWISTER!"

From her wings, Biyomon produced a coil of green flames, which swept through Renamon attack and dragged the energy shards along with it. The now single attack hit Argomon's center mass, slowing for a brief moment before burrowing through it. The wild digimon burst into flakes of data not more than a few seconds after that.

Takato and Guilmon emerged, the latter moving to where the Argomon once stood to sniff the bits of data as they disappeared. Rika jogged out into the clearing, with Sora taking one last look at the forest behind them before joining her.

"Anything?" Rika questioned, looking from Guilmon to her own partner.

"No movement in the immediate area," Renamon answered as she scanned the vicinity.

"I smell something," Guilmon revealed as he looked off into the distance. "A lot of somethings. Not super close but not super far either."

"I'll call Henry," Takato said urgently, already dialing on his cellphone.

Sora remained quiet, partially just being impressed with how on top of things the Tamers were, but also because the foreboding feeling she got from Guilmon's findings. She wasn't surprised, though had hoped they would have had a bit more of a break before they were tracked down. She settled on being disappointed later, however, deciding it was best to focus on team coordination for the time being.

At the mouth of an alley in a section of Tokyo she didn't frequent in her own reality, Gatomon waited for their guides to wrap up their current round of questioning. She would admit that she was curious about this location, a small community of digimon living in an area with a dense population of humans, but kept that curiosity as just that. Ruli seemed to know these digimon, which made it their best bet to let her take the lead here.

"What kind of digimon are we looking for again?" Akira asked, his own curiosity coloring his question more than impatience.

"Bakemon," Gatomon answered, recalling Angoramon quickly mentioning it as they left Ruli's house. Said ghost digimon weren't much of a threat on their own, though they tended to work in large groups to compensate.

"Dang…" Armadillomon said with a sigh. "Makes me feel bad for all the Bakemon who don't try to nab people. Fellas like this lot give them a bad name. Right, Cody?"

"Hm?" Cody's attention snapped over to them at the sound of his name.

Armadillomon tilted his head. "Everything alright?"

"Sorry, I was thinking about something else," Cody confessed, his eyes falling to the sidewalk at his feet.

"Anything we can help with?" Kari offered, light tone and friendly smile saying that she wasn't trying to push the issue.

Cody hesitated, then looked up. "Am I overreacting when I get mad at Izzy for trying to do everything on his own?"

"Not sure if there's an objective way to answer that." Kari leaned back against the wall they were standing in front of, gazing up at the sky above. "We rely on him for a lot."

"Maybe too much?"

"Maybe…" Kari paused, then looked back at Cody. "He's always been the kind of person who'll do everything himself, especially if he thinks it'll save the rest of us a headache or two."

Gatomon considered the matter for a brief moment, maybe even for the first time ever. So many obstacles they had dealt with over the years had been solved by simply defaulting to letting Izzy solve the problem, which to be fair, would often turn out to be the objectively correct solution. Gatomon let the thought go, partially for that reason, but also because she had a small suspicion that Cody's concerns weren't solely focused on Izzy.

"It's not that I don't trust him," Cody continued calmly. "It's just that I know everyone makes mistakes when they're spread too thin."

It was brief, but Gatomon caught Cody's eyes drop towards Akira before bouncing back. If she had to guess, he hadn't been for letting the boy tag along. Being fair, Gatomon had reservations of her own, though reservations she had kept to herself. For one, she didn't want to question Kari's judgment, and for another, she also didn't mind being able to keep an eye on Akira, especially if he was as important as everyone claimed. As for Kari, if she had noticed any of this, she showed no sign.

"Even after all these years, Cody, you're still too polite," Kari said, almost teased.

Cody raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"I don't think any of us would be bothered by you stepping up when you feel you need to."

"What if I'm overstepping?"

Kari shrugged. "Matt might be better to ask for advice on that. If he waited until my brother asked for help to step in, well, my brother probably wouldn't still be here."

Gatomon remembered Cody weighing similar concerns over the years, particularly with T.K., though sometimes with the others as well. He innately saw things in black and white, and shades of gray still made him hesitate on occasion. Focusing back on Cody's concerns about Izzy, the pair them of them sharing a Crest led to the team noticing and often pointing out the similarities between them. Given Izzy's skillset and position, Gatomon would bet that Cody would try to shoulder a lot of responsibility as well, and it was self-awareness of this that was likely giving him trouble.

Anything further ended up being put on hold by Ruli and Angoramon returning to group. Approaching slowly but steadily, they didn't seem to be carrying themselves as though they had learned nothing.

"Are we on the right track?" Gatomon asked, ready to resume their search either way.

"I think so," Ruli answered confidently. "Apparently those Bakemon are still making recruitment rounds, and asking anyone interested to meet them at a warehouse in this neighborhood."

"Sorry about making you do all the talking, by the way," Kari said as they started moving away from the alley.

"Eh, it's not that big a change from normal," Ruli replied with a smile and a wave of her hand. "Higashi's not all that personable, even with the digimon we do know."

"You two don't seem very close," Cody pointed out.

"Probably because the reason we started working together was that we had a mutual friend." Ruli paused, suddenly becoming somber, but just as quickly shook her head and forced a smile back onto her face. "Sorry, have a mutual friend. Hiro's not gone, just not here right now."

"So where is Hiro then?" Kari asked, gentle tone and expression matching how she had been talking to Cody earlier.

"In the Digital World, we believe," Angoramon answered.

Ruli stared upwards. "He never learned to turn down people asking him for help, and that's where he was asked to go. Wish he'd at least mentioned why he was leaving first, though."

"Was he like your best friend?" Akira asked, wide-eyed and innocently. "Besides Angoramon, I mean."

"It's gonna make me sound full of myself, but I've never had trouble making friends." Ruli smile faded, before turning to Kari. "Still, you know this life. It's kinda hard to talk about with people who aren't already a part of it."

Kari nodded. "Most normal people have trouble wrapping their head around a talking cat."

"As your talking cat, I don't think we should waste our time with anyone like that," Gatomon recommended, completely sincerely.

"Actually, I'm pretty sure my friend Mika had a crush on Hiro," Ruli said with a giggle. "Was thinking about letting him know before he left."

"When he gets back, maybe?" Kari offered optimistically.

"Maybe…" Ruli looked away, though kept smiling. "So yeah, I do miss my friend."

Approaching another alley, something made the hairs on Gatomon's back stand up. She stopped short, causing everyone else to do the same in response. Motioning for them to hold, Gatomon took the last couple steps forward and peered around the corner. A single Bakemon floated slowly towards them.

"I really gotta start asking about overtime," he muttered to himself, clearly unaware he was being watched.

"Should we introduce ourselves?" Ruli whispered.

"Not quite yet," Gatomon replied, preparing to pounce.

Something was off, and she couldn't quite place what that was. This Bakemon appeared the same as any other they had run into over the years, but the alarms were going off anyway. At the very least, Gatomon wanted to confirm that she was just being paranoid before they all charged into something they weren't prepared for.

Gatomon angled herself one more time before propelling herself off the ground and into the alley. Making adjustments in midair, her paws touched the opposite wall, which she bounced off of to throw herself at the Bakemon. She landed on top of him, holding a claw up to his eyes to assert that she was in control.

Bakemon blinked and stared. "G-Gatomon?"

At first, she thought she was imagining the recognition in his eyes. Then she tried to tell herself it was coincidence, that this Bakemon must have simply known a different Gatomon, though she quickly threw that thought out as well. After all, her and Kari had had conversations in the past on how digimon recognized each other on a different level than humans did. Of course, that left one other option, one that seemed close to impossible.

"They must have got caught in our wake after we jumped."

Salamon's words echoed in the back of her mind a couple more times, almost tauntingly. Gatomon wasn't sure if she was more mad at them for not making known that what she was looking at was even a possibility, or herself for not being prepared for it.

Either way, Gatomon didn't stoop to taking her frustration out on this Bakemon. She drove her claw into him, precisely and mercifully ending his life. She turned away before his data could finish dispersing.

"Gatomon!" Kari called out as she led the others towards her.

"What did you do that for?" Ruli asked, eyes wide with shock. "We needed to question him."

"No, we don't," Gatomon replied, willing herself to remain calm.

"What happened?" Kari asked, visibly upset but not at her. She had always had a good sense when something amiss, even when she couldn't put her finger on the specifics.

Gatomon turned back to the group. "Ruli, how do you know these Bakemon are looking another child?"

Ruli arched an eyebrow. "We overheard them while they were trying to recruit those Fangmon."

"Do you remember the exact words they used?"

"Before the Bakemon escaped, they very specifically made clear their intentions of finding an eighth child," Angoramon recalled.

"Oh no…" Kari said under her breath, very likely accompanied by memories of the events of seven years ago.

Gatomon turned back to Ruli. "You need to call the others, and let them know something followed us here."

Chapter Text

Matt looked over his shoulder for what was at least the fourth time since their group had gotten onto the subway, checking the other occupants like he would if he were actually searching for something. To be fair, he would have been the first to point out his own paranoia, especially given they were currently seeking out danger rather than trying to avoid it. Still, given the warning from Kari's group, it was a little difficult to not be on edge.

For better or worse, though, Matt had to admit that the recent revelation helped the the different pieces of Lirurun's case click into the place. In next to all the experiences he and his friends had with them, Bakemon were dimwitted goons. Given the task of tracking down the Digidestined of Light in a world where she might not even exist, the logic dictated that they would start grabbing kids at random, or at least seemingly so. If Matt had to guess, based what he had been told and shown of this reality, he was willing to bet the Bakemon had seen these kids interacting with the local digimon, and had drawn their own conclusions. Of course, these implications seemed to be the least worrying, if Izzy's current silence was any indicator.

"So these Bakemon are from your time?" Kiyo asked, not for the first time, though the hurry they had left Ruli's house in meant they hadn't had time to go over a lot of specific information.

"Yes," Izzy answered, though his gaze fixed on the nearest window. "Well, no. Yes and no."

"They're from the past," Matt tried to summarize.

"Our past," Izzy corrected, finally facing the rest of the group. "Seven years back to be precise."

"You people make everything so confusing!" Jellymon yelled, irritably floating around their group.

"Whatever you do, don't ask about that whole debacle with Ordinemon," Tentomon commented.

"How is that possible?" Kiyo asked, seeming like he was he was ignoring the digimon for the moment.

"I can only speculate." Izzy paused, then turned to Salamon. "You called Myotismon's castle a junction point, correct?"

"Yepper," Salamon piped up, currently riding atop Gabumon's head, specifically propping themself up against his horn.

"And based on Abbadomon's comments, walls between worlds are a bit thinner there?"

"I suppose," Salamon confirmed again. They had been noncommittal with answers previous, though Matt could tell the Rookie's responses were still low-energy compared to their demeanor before escaping the Dark Ocean.

Izzy paused, then nodded. "Seems as though Dragomon grabbing us the way he did caused some kind of interdimensional ripple effect."

Kiyo crossed his arms and tilted his head. "All the way back then, though?"

"Multiversal stability seems to be sensitive to abrupt stimuli," Izzy explained, low voice making it seem like he was talking to himself at first. "We've made friends from a reality parallel to ours, and our travels to and from that reality opened tears to a different reality, one neither of our groups had ever visited."

"Why did the Bakemon get here so far ahead of us?" Gabumon asked.

"That actually tracks with Mari and Rei arriving separate from Akira," Matt pointed out, though couldn't have explained more than that if his life depended on it.

Tentomon raised a claw. "Not to be a negative nancy, but shouldn't we be concerned about who these Bakemon are working for?"

Izzy raised an eyebrow. "You mean Myotismon?"

"We are a bit stronger than we were seven years ago," Gabumon offered optimistically.

"Myotismon all turn to dust just the same," Jellymon added with a confident nod.

"We'll keep our guard up," Matt said, trying to match their mood. He didn't like rushing in, but given current circumstances, there wasn't much else they could do that didn't involve making those captured children spend more time in the Bakemons' clutches.

"Agreed," Izzy said, though his gaze returned to the window. "Honestly, though, I'm more concerned about any further tears opening up while we're here."

Matt didn't disagree, though past experiences with Myotismon and his thugs meant he had to focus on them for the time being. Granted, they still had no idea if Myotismon had arrived with these Bakemon, but he remained a wild card until they got confirmation one way or another.

Everyone else seemed to be in agreement, though Kiyo's attention seemed to have wandered. Hand on his chin and staring at the subway car's floor, he clearly had something on his mind.

"Something wrong, Kiyo?" Matt asked calmly.

The boy looked up and shook his head. "I just think we should catch up to the others as soon as possible."

Again, Matt didn't disagree, but looked over his shoulder one more time. He told himself he was just used to having these discussions with Tai and Sora, and had never adjusted to not having them to cover his blindspots. With that thought, he also had to tell himself that they hadn't missed anything, because those kids couldn't wait on them any longer.

Tai liked to think that he had gotten better at waiting over the years, though he would still openly admit that patience wasn't his strong suit. They more or less had a goal, to find a way to regroup with the others, but it wasn't one they could act on just yet. That left Tai with nothing to do but wander the campsite and wait for his friends to complete their respective parts of their current plan.

More than once, reflex brought Tai over to one of the open windows of Marcus' hut to check on Rei. Not that there was much development on that front, outside of Marcus occasionally telling Rei to watch her footwork as she continued to throw her fists at the improvised punching bag. While progress was slow, Tai manage to notice a couple of patterns show up.

For one, not all of Rei's punches seemed to carry the same amount of force as the others. Every now and then, a strike would seem to have noticeably less steam behind it. Tai guessed at a fifty-fifty split between the cause being actual fatigue or Rei questioning the exercise entirely. Not that Tai could blame her if the latter was the case, as he wasn't sure what was being gained here.

Still, after each of these lulls in her energy, Rei would strike again with renewed strength. The source of it was hard to guess, partly because Tai's angle on her made it difficult to see her eyes, but something about it stuck with him. Tai knew Sora's determination when he saw it, but while it wasn't so different from that, he knew that wasn't entirely what he was looking at. Rei's determination seemed familiar, but also not so instantly recognizable to him. Not that Tai expected an explanation, even or maybe especially if he asked her about it.

Shaking his head and stepping away from the window, Tai rejoined the others at the hut's fenced-in area. There, with both his friends and the younger digimon watching from the perimeter, Patamon strained himself and hummed as he stared off into the distance. He was still trying to get a handle on his Celestial energy, which finding the others essentially hinged on at this point.

"How about we take a break, Patamon?" T.K. suggested after a few more seconds of this.

"I'm close," Patamon replied eagerly. "I can feel a tingling in my toes."

"That or they're just going numb."

"Maybe…" Patamon relaxed, before flying over and landing on the fence post T.K. was standing next to. "Gatomon seemed like she figured it out."

"Just wondering," Mimi spoke up suddenly, not looking at any of them in particular. "If it weren't a matter of life and death, what reality would you guys visit?"

"That depends…" Agumon said without a pause, naturally the only one of them not caught off guard by the question. "Which one do you think has the best snacks?"

Tai sighed. "Glad you always consider the big picture, pal."

"It's kinda hard to say given how few we've been to," T.K. put forward.

"Fair enough." Mimi nodded before redirecting her attention. "How about you, Ken?"

"I wouldn't," Ken said quickly and succinctly, now looking down at the ground in front of him.

"Why not?"

"A few reasons," Ken answered, tilting his gaze upwards towards the sky. "My idea of a good time isn't revisiting all the mistakes I've made."

"You've made some good decisions too," Wormmon was quick to point out.

Ken gave his partner a weak smile. "Is it bad that that almost makes things worse? Chances are about even of me being shown how I could have done things better, or how much worse I'm capable of being."

"No," Tai replied when no one else did. "That actually makes a lot of sense."

Tai had stopped holding Ken's time as the Digimon Emperor against him a long time ago, though memories of the brief window he had kept Agumon as a slave still lingered. At those moments, it felt like them staying friends was easier if they pretended the whole thing never happened. In Ken's defense, Tai knew he still held onto his guilt of that period of time, and he himself knew more than his share about mistakes he wished he could take back.

"Besides," Ken continued as he pulled out his D3 and focused on it. "I've got my own leftover messes to worry about."

Mimi's shoulders sank. "Maybe we shouldn't talk about this anymore."

"Do you even have your own answer?" Tai asked, not eager to continue this discussion himself.

"Not really…" Mimi answered under her breath.

"Then why did you bring it up in the first place?"

Mimi paused, taking a deep breath before laser-focusing in his direction. "I'm gonna let your attitude slide, because I know your daughter has you really stressed out."

Tai hesitated for only half a second. "She's not my daughter."

"Keep telling yourself that, Taichi." Mimi averted her and slowly walked to the opposite side of the fencing, Palmon not more than a step behind.

"Oof, she's mad," T.K. commented once she seemed out of earshot.

Tai crossed his arms. "She'll get over it."

"I don't know…" T.K. gave a casual shrug. "The last time she called me by my formal name, I spent a whole week apologizing."

Tai felt his eye twitch. "Alright, you've made your point, Takeru."

"I gotta be honest, Tai. You're nowhere near as scary as an angry Mimi."

"Don't you have to figure out how to get us home?"

"Yeah, but we're kinda stumped," Patamon answered, deflating a little bit.

"Gatomon didn't have any clues?" Agumon asked.

"She thought it might be either resolve or having a clear mind." Patamon paused to stroke his chin. "Or maybe even both. If she did crack it, it might not have been until she had to send us here."

"Too bad resolve and clear minds aren't in surplus right now." Tai turned around and leaned back against the fence.

"Yeah, but I've had worse days," T.K. offered optimistically.

"Yeah…" Tai raised an eyebrow. "You haven't really been thrown off by having Akira around, huh?"

"Less than you have, at least," Patamon added with a giggle.

"Don't push his luck." Tai pointed a finger in the Rookie's direction.

"Akira's a good kid," T.K. said, more genuine honesty in his voice. "Plus, thinking about it, I like the idea of getting to spend the rest of my life with my best friend. I guess knowing there's at least one future worth fighting for makes me want to fight for all of them."

Tai didn't say anything in response, instead looking forward again. As much as his instincts were to give T.K. a hard time sometimes, it was hard to keep up when he said stuff like that. Even narrowing his focus to whatever T.K.'s relationship with Kari might end up being, a more rational part of his brain told him to let it go. After all, Tai had asked T.K. to look after a sick Kari one time seven years ago, and he hadn't stopped protecting her since, so that earned him a small amount of credit.

"Oh!" Patamon broke their silence. "I think we're on the right track!"

Turning on the spot, Tai found the white and wavy energy they were becoming more familiar with radiating off of Patamon. The Celestial looked himself over, flexing his wings as the energy reacted to his movements.

"Can you use it?" Ken asked as he took a step closer.

"Maybe. I-" Patamon cut himself off and looked outward. "I feel something. Some out of place rippley effect, coming this way."

"We know what that means," Tai said, not needing more incentive than that to get back to work.

Not knowing all that much about Shinjuku, Mari stuck to the middle of the group as they moved from Henry's apartment to the park. Of course, the walk was long enough that she questioned why she was even tagging along. She was the weak link in this chain, and thinking about it, the only reason they probably hadn't left her behind was so she didn't mess something up while they weren't watching her. Little did they know that she would find a way to make things worse for them by being here.

Mari wouldn't get a chance to warn them before they reached the end of their path. There, scattered around the steps leading to a utility shed, the rest of their group stood waiting for them. Sora, of course having picked a spot at the top of the stairs so she could watch over everyone, saw them coming. She didn't say anything, but Mari felt her eyes on her, even when she herself looked away.

"We learn anything new?" Terriermon called from his partner's shoulder as he waved up at them.

The red dinosaur digimon sniffed the air. "The Argomon don't smell like they've gotten any closer or farther."

"We're also not sure if it's just them we're contending with," added the bipedal fox digimon.

"Do we have any kind of plan yet?" asked red-haired girl with a ponytail. This had to be Rika, if Mari had been forced to make a guess.

"It's stupid!" Yolei snapped as swung a frustrated kick at the nearest tree. "We still don't know that much about them."

"Just that they're fast and coordinated," Joe added, though much calmer.

"Are they psychic or something?" asked the boy with yellow goggles. Based on descriptions so far, this was Takato.

"N-Not really," Mari found herself saying without thinking, thoughts not even complete yet. "They just… don't think that much."

Her voice had been low, but everyone had heard. Mari picked at her fingernails and questioned why she bothered to open her mouth as all eyes slowly gravitated towards her.

"How's that?" Joe was the one to ask.

"There's only the one Argomon." Mari paused, taking an extra second to realize that everyone was expecting a better answer. "The rest aren't even really alive. Just controlled by him."

"Does that meant the big guy's here?" Davis asked eagerly.

"Not n-necessarily," Mari said quickly, trying her best to keep up with everyone. "He can give them commands, kinda like they're robots or something like that."

"How does he manage that?" Henry questioned.

"Dragomon…" Mari's eyes were alternating between the ground and the people around her by this point. "His minions form contracts with him, giving them special powers or just making them stronger if that's what they want."

"So, what?" Terriermon tilted his head. "They sell their souls to get ahead?"

"That actually all adds up though," Yolei said enthusiastically as she moved back to the group's center.

"Yeah, but what do we do with that info?" Rika put forward.

"Well, it's a start," Sora said as walked down to the foot of the stairs. "Good job, Mari."

"I…" Mari couldn't bring herself to look back up at her. "I didn't do anything. I'm just repeating what Salamon told us."

"Still, it's information we needed," Sora replied, in the same warm and supportive tone that Mari always heard whenever she made a mistake, the one she had never deserved in the first place.

"It's not like it helped any time we've had to fight them." Mari wrapped her arms around herself, to keep them from shaking.

"You can't sell yourself short like that."

"I'm not. I just…" Mari had to pause to swallow the lump in her throat. "I know I'm not gonna be any good to you guys here. You don't have to pretend otherwise."

"Mari-"

"Can we please stop talking about this?" Mari finally looked back up, finding disappointment on Sora's face that was more in line with what she deserved.

Mari sat herself on the bottom step, the only reaction to her movement she noticed being Gabumon following her. The information wouldn't help, if anything her forgetting to share earlier had cost the group time they could have had to make use of it. Now everyone else would scramble, and because of Mari, their fates would end up the same as their future selves.

While the warehouse in front of them was notably less intimidating than Myotismon's castle, Gatomon wasn't about to take it any more lightly. If anything, how inconspicuous it was set off a whole new set of red flags. No signs of Bakemon or any other digimon just meant there was no way of assessing the danger inside from their current position.

"What should we do?" Armadillomon asked. They hadn't been sitting in this dark corner for long, though there was a clear eagerness to strike from some of them.

"Waiting for the others would make this easier," Angoramon suggested.

"Except those kids need us now," Ruli countered. She took a single step away from the group with her eyes on the building, likely trying to decide on the best entrance.

"I vote that we wait," Cody said diplomatically. "We don't know enemy numbers or how well defended the inside is."

Ruli turned back around, not looking discouraged. "We don't know if we can wait that long."

"What do you think, Mommy?" Akira asked, so far the calmest of them all.

Gatomon turned to her partner, who hadn't said much since they had gotten here. Kari looked to the boy, expression muted aside from her eyes, which were wide with concern. Looking back to the warehouse, she was clearly conflicted, though that didn't mean the choice she would ultimately make wasn't obvious.

"I've been in these kids' position," Kari said without taking her eyes off the building. "Their safety should be our priority."

"If it helps, I can go in first," Gatomon offered, sharing her partner's vote. "If these Bakemon really were pulled directly from Myotismon's castle, then I might be able to get them to let their guard down."

"Meanwhile, we'll get into position," Ruli added, eyes now on the warehouse's roof.

Leaving them to do just that, Gatomon began skirting along the outside of the building, watching for the most subtle entrance possible. She had already spent a significant amount of the journey to this building trying to guess at all the different combinations of enemies that might be waiting for them, including having to face a past version of herself. Once her line of thought switched from how she would talk down a version of her who hadn't met Kari yet to how she could probably handily overpower said variant, however, Gatomon had let herself stop trying to predict what was waiting for them. Besides, she was about to get that answer.

Stopping at a window on the ground floor, Gatomon jumped onto the still to peer inside, finding only empty office space. After checking the window and confirming it was locked, she picked a spot on the glass and dug a single one of her claws into it, tracing a circle. Once done, she poked out the circle so that she could reach inside and undo the lock.

Upon stepping inside, she kept all her senses wide open. The initial area was quiet and still, though once beyond that, it wasn't long until she started hearing voices.

"When do you think he'll be back?"

"Meh, wasn't my turn to watch him."

Peaking out from the crate she had ducked behind, Gatomon found a pair of Bakemon lounging in a dark corner. She made it a point exercise restraint, not wanting fall back on the raw instinct she had felt with the first Bakemon. These two could still be useful.

Gatomon cleared her throat. "What are you brainless morons up to?"

"Gatomon?" The first Bakemon turned immediately, genuine shock on his face. "Where have you been?"

"Looking for you lot," Gatomon answered venomously and assertively as she marched forward. The demeanor she often maintained in her former life didn't come back as naturally as she thought it would, which she didn't know how to feel about. Either way, these two were hopefully too dense to notice.

"I didn't think that she cared," the second Bakemon commented under his breath, though the first didn't react.

"Things got a little weird when we followed Lord Myotismon through the portal," he explained. "When we made it to the other side, there was no sign of Phantomon or any of the others."

"But you continued your mission?" Gatomon questioned, so far most of her assumptions had been proven true.

"We figured we might as well," the second picked up. "We still had one of those tag things for detecting the Digidestined brat we're looking for, plus once Lord Myotismon found us-"

"Myotismon is here?" Gatomon asked loudly and suddenly, though more to just get their attention. After all, she had known this was a possibility.

"Y-Yeah…"

"Take me to him." Gatomon took the last steps forward and jabbed the Bakemon with her claw. "Now."

The pair exchanged a shrug before motioning for her to follow. Gatomon did so, diligently but not over-eagerly. Again, all her senses were on alert, looking for any advantage she could glean. Regardless of whether or not her charade worked, she was about to be surrounded by enemies and would need to be able to react quickly.

The area the Bakemon led her to was larger and slightly more open, with a notable lack of artificial light, likely to keep from drawing attention to the building. The skylights let in a decent amount of natural light, though, allowing Gatomon to count at least another dozen Bakemon. One seemed to be giving orders to a few others, waving around a claw with the previously mentioned copy of the Crest of Light tied around it.

"Look who we found, Master," one of the Bakemon declared.

Her guides stopped in place, making a show of presenting her to their master. Or at least was what they thought.

Gatomon hesitated, and not for the reason she had assumed she would. At first glance, it was plain that she was looking at Myotismon, currently sat upon an improvised throne. He didn't react much to her presence, and neither did the two digimon on either side of him that she didn't recognize. The first, a wolf digimon with bat wings draped over his shoulders and eyes and metallic blades for claws, sat obediently at the foot of Myotismon's throne. The second, a humanoid digimon with red pants and blades of his own in the place of a face and appendages, casually sat on top of a crate behind the other two.

Not that any of these oddities were necessary to tell Gatomon what she was looking at. Again, digimon recognized each other on a different level. She glanced at the surrounding Bakemon briefly, to reconfirm they were who they said they were. Having been settling into her new Celestial abilities little by little, she noted how out of place they looked and felt as they moved about the place, clearly not belonging in this reality. This Myotismon and his two lackeys, on the other hand, seemed almost mundane by comparison. Even without that aid, Gatomon questioned how the Bakemon hadn't picked up on how they were answering to a fraud.

The answer came in the form of a brief haze filling her head, which Gatomon quickly shook off. Looking up and finding this Myotismon's eyes glowing a faint red, he was clearly attempting to make use of some hypnotic powers. Gatomon credited her immunity to her former slaver, though was unsure if that was specifically due to having loaded his core data or the gag reflex that anything that reminded her of him caused.

With all this and the failed hypnosis out in the open, Gatomon saw not point in keeping up her performance. She stood on her hind legs and crossed her front paws, glaring upwards to make her point.

"Well, you're no fun at all," "Myotismon" said apathetically. He lifted a hand and snapped his fingers, causing all the surrounding Bakemon to fall asleep.

"Who are you?" Gatomon asked, though only interested in the question as a means to buy her friends a couple more seconds to get ready.

"I feel I should be asking you that." Myotismon leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees and resting his chin on his clasped fists.

"I'm here for the children."

"Oh, them?"

With barely a gesture from Myotismon, the humanoid digimon unlatched the crate he was sitting on. The door swung open, with just enough light to reveal seven children, none of them any older than nine. They seemed thin and pale, with puncture marks on each of their necks with traces of dried blood around the wounds.

Gatomon felt her hair stand on end and claws become tense. These children were alive, but somehow that didn't feel like a consolation. In a way, this was just bad as what she had expected to find, potentially even worse.

"I'm afraid I still have use for them," Myotismon stated.

"Keeping them alive is becoming a bit of a pain, though," the humanoid digimon added, mild annoyance in his voice.

"The unfortunate price of power, Matadormon."

It was their callousness that set Gatomon off, regardless of any similarities or differences to the Myotismon she had known. Not willing to let their disregard for the childrens' lives stand, she pounced without waiting to think about the consequences.

"What a bother…" Myotismon said with a sigh. "Sangloupmon?"

With the wolf diving to intercept her, Gatomon didn't want to take the chance that his claws weren't chrome digizoid. She pivoted in midair, swinging her tail around as Sangloupmon moved to slash at her. Her tail ring lit up, her attacker being parried as a result. Using what momentum she had left, Gatomon diverted, landing on her feet.

A crash resonated overhead, all eyes looking up at the now shattered skylight. Angoramon came crashing downward, with Ruli attached to his back.

"Ms. Tsukiyono…" Myotismon said as he sat up straighter.

"You?" Ruli shot back as she dismounted her partner.

"You know him?" Gatomon asked, though kept an eye on Sangloupmon as he started to slowly circle her.

"We thought he was dead," Ruli clarified, an assumption and sentiment that Gatomon couldn't help but find mildly amusing.

"As if that pitiful lizard could stop me." Myotismon raised his voice slightly, a minor crack in his calm and collected persona.

"What are you even up to?" Ruli's eyes bounced between the vampire digimon and the children he had on display.

"Your and your friends' actions have made it difficult to rebuild what I lost." Myotismon stood, gesturing to warehouse around him. "Try as we might to recruit, most digimon in this city refuse to act against you. At least, that was until my new charges appeared."

"The Bakemon were looking for a kid, so we decided to help them," Matadormon clarified, though he stayed on his perch.

"As you're aware, children with connections to digimon hold untapped power," Myotismon explained as though he knew anything about what he was speaking of. "Their blood will give us that power."

"You're disgusting!" Ruli shouted back.

"You ignorant fool," Gatomon hissed. "You'll never have the power of that bond."

"We'll see." Myotismon snapped his fingers again, reawakening the Bakemon. "My minions, eliminate these intruders."

Gatomon was already in motion before the order was given, ready to respond to any and all the Bakemon if need be. She saw Ruli in the corner of her eye, the girl's hand hovering over her V-Bracelet in a brief moment of indecision. Ruli looked towards the kids, then moved her hand away from her digivice.

"Angoramon, the kids!" she ordered.

"As soon as I'm able," Angoramon replied after punching away a Bakemon. Luckily, he wouldn't have to wait much longer for his moment.

The nearest roll-up door was suddenly smashed inward, the culprit charging inside and scattering the Bakemon.

"Comin' through!" Ankylomon called out, stopping in the middle of the fray.

Gatomon dodged another of Sangloupmon's strikes, this time countering by driving one of her paw into the side of his head. She then turned back to the entrance, just in time to see Kari and Cody sprint inside.

"Kari, we need to-!"

Gatomon's suggestion never reached her partner. In the fraction of a second she had let her guard down, Myotismon was on top of her. The height difference between them meant that his kick easily connected with her head, sending her flying backwards at a pillar, which she hit with the back of her head.

Even with the back-to-back blows to her head, Gatomon never completely lost consciousness, though everything did become a bit fuzzier for a few moments. The next thing that she was able to actually register was Kari picking her up and carrying her out of the middle of the fight.

Trying to focus her vision, Gatomon caught Ankylomon deflecting one of Matadormon's strikes with his shell, and following up by slamming his tail into evil digimon and sending him flying.

The next thing she knew, the seven children were gathered up and being transported out via Ankylomon and Angoramon. With that relief, Gatomon was almost willing to let herself fall unconscious as things resolved themselves.

"Akira!" Kari called out, breaking this delusion.

Gatomon's eyes were wide open again, first noticing one of the seven children had gotten separated from the group, either having fallen off of Ankylomon or had tried to walk on their own despite their weakened condition. Of course, Kari's attention was on Akira, who had sprinted back to save this child. He propped this child up, then gave him a shove when the few Bakemon that still had their wits about them started swarming.

Most unfortunate of all, though, was that one of these Bakemon was the one clutching the fake Crest of Light. Once hovering over Akira, the tag began to glow, and the Bakemon's eyes went wide.

"Master, it's him!"

Gatomon felt no resistance from Kari as she pushed out of her arms and ran back into the fight, and she was sure her partner was running right behind despite her headache still dulling her senses. Neither would end up being fast enough.

The Bakemon backed off as a swarm of bats engulfed Akira. The swarm then flew upward, disappearing through the broken skylight and into the night.

The rest of the minions scattered in different directions, though everyone seemed to range from too stunned to too distracted to do anything about it. Within seconds, the warehouse was silent, and Gatomon's headache seemed to fade as the gravity of what had just happened settled on her.

Chapter Text

Everything seemed to switch over to autopilot once Matt's half of the group arrived on the scene. Now tucked away in a nearby alley, Gatomon tried not to stare at the flashing red and blue lights coming from around the corner. Worried that the only identification the Digidestined had on them were a decade and a half out of date and may or may link much older individuals in this reality, it was agreed to let Ruli and Kiyo handle the authorities while the rest of them waited nearby. Of course, waiting meant they had nothing to do but soak in their own failure.

Kari seemed to be taking things the hardest, though not in any overt or obvious way. She sat on the ground with her face in the palm of her hands, but was completely still and made no noise. To Gatomon, her partner seemed less like she was sad and breaking down and more like she was just staring into some kind of void. Gatomon didn't actually sense any kind of dark aura, but not getting anything at all from Kari was just as bad in a way.

Everyone else suddenly shifted, prompting Gatomon to follow their movement. Ruli and Kiyo approached, their own demeanors relatively muted as well.

"How are they?" Izzy asked on the group's behalf.

"Stabilized," Kiyo answered softly.

"It's doubtful that Myotismon will try to reacquire them," Angoramon added.

"Not with what he's got now," Matt replied before turning to his partner. "Can you pick up a trail?"

"We've got nothing to lose from my trying," Gabumon said with a nod, the pair of them quickly heading off in the opposite direction of the police and ambulance traffic.

"You should have waited," Kiyo said sternly. While the group that had attacked the warehouse had made the decision collectively, he directed his statement at just one of them.

Ruli raised an irritated eyebrow. "Did you not just see those kids?"

"Yes," Kiyo replied, conviction not faltering. "They were being kept alive."

"We didn't know that, and even if we did, that…" Ruli paused, briefly but visibly shivering. "...monster was literally drinking them. I wasn't leaving them with him for another second."

Kiyo jabbed a finger at her. "Instead, you let him have a member of our group."

Izzy took a step forward. "Kiyo, that's not really fair-"

"No, you know what?" Ruli raised a hand to stop him, though kept her eyes on her own teammate. "That all just traces back to the real issue."

Kiyo crossed his arms. "Which is?"

"You're a coward."

"Hey!" Jellymon snapped as she flew into the girl's face. "My Darling might be a bit skittish, but he always comes through for us when it matters."

Ruli looked past her. "That's what Hiro always said, but this is beyond Higashi just getting startled every now and then. If it were up to him, we'd never act on anything."

"It's better than acting without thinking!" Kiyo shot back.

"No, I just think of people other than myself!"

"Enough!"

Cody's yell seemed to freeze the alley, drawing all eyes to him. Initial goal clearly accomplished, the youngest Digidestined marched himself into the middle of the argument.

"We can assign blame later," Cody continued, voice lower but tone just as severe. "Right now, our priority should be finding Akira. Understood?"

Ruli and Kiyo said nothing, instead giving reluctant and guilty nods before separating.

"Good job, Cody," Izzy said as he moved past him to start coordinating their search.

For her part, though, Gatomon felt blame was easy to assign. She hadn't been prepared, arrogantly assuming she knew what their enemies would do and not considering the consequences of leading not one, but two bearers of the Crest of Light into a warehouse full of digimon looking for them. This raid might have cost them their one way of stopping Dragomon, and it was all-

"This is all my fault," Kari said suddenly, both calm and matter-of-fact in her tone.

Gatomon shook her head. "I should have been quicker."

"Or I should have had you digivolve right away." Kari sat up straighter, glancing around the alley. "You probably could have handled that whole warehouse on your own."

"I guess it's hard to say for sure," Gatomon offered, though the words felt empty as she said them.

"Salamon is gone."

Gatomon's attention snapped outward, scanning the alley around them. There was no sign of the Rookie, and likely hadn't been for a while.

"Probably looking for Akira on their own." Gatomon stretched her senses outward for a second before turning back to her partner. "I can track them."

Kari nodded. "Go."

"You won't try to do the same once I'm gone"

"No, but hurry. Once we have a lead, we're not waiting for anyone."

With the agreement passed between them, Gatomon set off, intent on making up for her most recent failure.

Tai tried to stay on task, which currently meant filling Marcus in on what Patamon had sensed and what they might be facing, though he kept glancing to his left. Rei's "training" was paused, thanks to an accident that had occurred literally two seconds before Tai had entered the hut. Repeated strikes had apparently loosened the padding on the training mannequin, leading to Rei hitting the wooden frame directly with one of her more vigor-filled strikes. Mimi was taking a look at her fist, though, leaving Tai to focus on the most immediate threats.

"I can have Falcomon scout things to be sure," Marcus said as Tai finished summarizing their situation. He continued to lean back against his wall, not even flinching at what was likely heading directly for them.

"Patamon says they're close," Tai added, having mostly accepted that he would have to be the more calm and reasonable one of the two of them. "Normally, I'd say we intercept them before we get here, but we might not have the time."

"We'll handle 'em either way," Marcus replied, bordering on overconfidently. He stood up straighter, stretching his arms out and rolling his shoulders.

Tai looked towards Rei again. "I take it the sparring session's not going well."

Marcus shrugged. "That depends on who you ask."

"She's got a killer right hook!" Marcus' Agumon cheered.

Tai sighed. "I'm pretty sure that's not the problem she's trying to work out."

"Call it a consolation," Marcus replied, completely straight-faced.

"How?" Tai briefly recalled Piximon's training from years ago, though that had ended up being unorthodox enough that it looped back around to being useful. Maybe he had become less open-minded as he got older, but he was failing to guess at the secret lesson Rei was going to use to conquer her demons.

Marcus raised an eyebrow. "I'd be thrilled if my sister could hit that hard."

"I think your healing process needs work." Tai pinched the bridge of his nose as turned away from all of them, to lean on a nearby window still.

"Eh," Marcus said as he turned to face the center of the hut. "She's still only on step one."

Tai snapped his attention back to the conversation. "And what's step two?"

"I dunno."

"How could you not?" Tai asked through his teeth.

"It's different for everyone." Marcus paused, crossing his arms and glancing up at the ceiling. "As for me, I like to go from hitting the bag to hitting whatever's pissing me off in the first place."

"I'm starting to sense a pattern with you."

Marcus kept his eyes forward. "As for Rei, I don't know her well enough to say what's next."

"The only person who does isn't talking to her," Tai pointed out, looking across the room for Koromon. The In-Training digimon remained perfectly still, eyes fixed on her partner.

"You could give it a go," Marcus suggested earnestly.

"I just met her this morning."

"Not from her perspective."

"Especially from her perspective," Tai argued, not feeling it was worth reminding anyone how quick Rei had been to say that he wasn't her father.

"Why don't you just change that?" Agumon asked suddenly. Tai's partner had been at his side since entering the hut, but had remained surprisingly quiet up to this point. In typical fashion, the saurian digimon wanted to be helpful even if he was a bit out of his depth.

"You make it sound easy," Tai replied, not having a ready answer for the question.

"I mean, we didn't know each other once." Agumon waved his claws around with a happy expression on his face. "Twice actually, and we became best friends both times. We just had to get to know each other first."

Any remark Tai could think to make never left his mouth. Agumon had a habit of accidentally stumbling on nuggets of wisdom, so being dismissive of his partner felt counterproductive, especially when Tai didn't outright disagree with the starting point he was suggesting.

"I like the way your numbskull thinks," Marcus said before swatting his own partner in the back of the head. "C'mon, let's go check the perimeter."

The pair left, leaving Tai to commit to one more attempt to reach out to Rei. Regardless of any blood ties, Tai always made it a point to support his entire team, which meant he owed her at least that much.

"How's the hand?" Tai asked as he approached.

"I don't think anything's broken," Mimi answered as she closed the first aid kit that she had fortunately remembered to pack earlier that day.

For whatever it was worth, Tai didn't hold it against Mimi for not being sure. Joe had tried to give all of them tips for treating common injuries over the years, but they had all gotten used to him handling all that himself. If anything, she got credit to taking to this advice a bit better than some of the rest of them.

"It's clean, at least," Mimi concluded as she faced forward again. "Are you sure you don't want me to bandage it?"

"I'm alright," Rei answered as she massaged the bruised and cut knuckles on her right hand.

"How's…" Tai began, having to awkwardly pause as he settled on what he was actually asking her. "...everything other than that going?"

"Sounds like you already checked up on me," Rei commented as she glanced to where he had been standing with Marcus.

Tai crossed his arms. "Maybe I wanna hear it from you."

Rei rolled her eyes. "There's nothing to hear. Everything's fine."

"Okay then…" Tai tried his best not to roll his own eyes.

He wasn't actually considering giving up, though if he had for even a second, Mimi looking back at him over her shoulder might have stopped him right there. Somehow managing to mix a glare with sheer disappointment, it was effective except for not offering anything constructive, which Tai had to stop himself from pointing out.

"You know," Mimi said, switching on a cheerier persona in an instant. "After the whole Digidestined thing came to light, my parents tried to understand it and talk to me about it. Even at that age, I knew they were outside their wheelhouse, but looking back, I'm glad they tried."

"What good's trying if you don't get anywhere?" Rei asked, dusting herself off as she stood.

"It's the learning experience," Tai explained without thinking about it. "Plus, you don't know a thing isn't gonna work until you try it."

Rei sighed and shook her head. "Of course…"

"For example, when I turned Agumon into SkullGreymon," Tai offered uncertainly. He felt like he was grasping at straws, but he figured he would try to put his own lesson into practice. "Not that I'm proud of any part of that, but we learned a lot about how how the Crests worked and how not to use them. Hell, it probably had a small part in me finding my resolve when it came to saving Sora from Datamon."

"I've heard that story before," Rei said dryly, having already turned away from him.

Tai's shoulders sank. "Yeah, I guess you would've."

Rei said nothing, apparently too fixated on the hut's training dummie to even turn back around. Tai looked around to everyone else, to see if they had picked up something he hadn't. Mimi didn't glare at him this time, seeming stumped as well. Agumon scratched his chin, any thoughts he might have had looking like they were gone now.

"Look, just stay strong for now, Rei," Tai said as he turned to leave. "I'm gonna get to work."

"That's exactly what he said."

Tai turned right back around at the sound of Rei's voice, though she was still facing in the opposite direction. Tai hesitated, though not because he was unsure of what she was referring to. He supposed that even with decades between them, he and his future self would at the very least still word things the same way.

"The worst part was I believed him," Rei continued, frustration attached to her words. She raised a foot and kicked the dummie. "For a second, I believed in the whole legend around my dad, and that there was no way he could lose. That I would definitely see him again when things settled."

"I'm pretty sure he meant to come back," Tai stated, though the sentiment somehow managed to feel empty despite him knowing it was true. "He just… couldn't."

"Well, then why didn't he just stay instead?" Rei released three more kicks, the dummie shuddering slightly with each impact. "Him and Mom, why didn't they just stay so we could fight together?"

"They were protecting you."

"You say that and it makes sense and I want to believe you, but I don't feel it." Rei glanced over her shoulder, eyes welling up with tears that she once again had no intent of releasing. "I just feel like they left me left me holding the bag, and I don't know how to carry it on my own."

"Believe me, I know the feeling," Tai admitted, memories of Daigo Nishijima's sacrifice flashing in his head, as well as the promise he was holding himself to. "It's up to us to fight for what they sacrificed themselves for."

Rei looked forward again, shoulders tensing and fists clenching. If previous patterns meant anything, she was done speaking for now.

Spinning back around, Tai found Agumon and Mimi holding for him by the door. Finding his resolve again, he led them out. He couldn't know all the specifics of Rei's future, so he would deal with the present. His current self wasn't about to leave Rei with a burden she clearly wasn't ready for, which meant dealing with whatever Dragomon threw at them himself.

Despite everything starting to ramp up again, Sora found herself standing apart from the rest of the group. Yolei and Henry seemed to be going over some last minute planning, though she knew they were mostly dealing minor details by this point. Meanwhile, Davis seemed like he had taken it upon himself to round up most of the digimon for a pep talk. In what was typical fashion for him, it seemed successful in a roundabout way. Of course, that wasn't keeping Rika from standing nearby, probably expecting that she would need to course correct.

The only digimon absent from this little gathering, besides Mari's Gabumon, were Guilmon and Terriermon, both having settled near Takato. While Sora expected Guilmon to gravitate to him, she was surprised to see Terriermon there instead of with his own partner. Currently planted on top of Takato's head, the two seemed in the middle of their own private conversation.

"Seems a little intimidating," Joe's voice interrupted her thoughts, having approached while she was looking over the group.

"No more than usual." Sora tried to keep the optimism in her voice.

"Come on, Sora," Joe replied knowingly. "You'd never let anyone else get away with deflecting like that."

He motioned across the path, to the bottom step that Mari still hadn't moved from. Sora had been making it a point not to stare, knowing that would only add to her own indecisiveness when it came to giving Mari space or not. Plus, constant eyes on her wasn't likely to help the anxiety of a girl who was already a nervous wreck.

"You know what the funniest part is?" Sora asked, deciding she had nothing to hide by this point. "My first thought when the girls first appeared wasn't 'How do I do this?'. It was 'I'm gonna get this right.'"

"Famous last words?" Joe asked, though his knowing tone remained constant.

Sora sighed as her shoulders sank. "It's like I was asking for it."

Joe shrugged and gestured to her. "In your defense, you've had a lot of practice."

"It's not just that," Sora confessed, briefly glancing at her would-be daughter one more time before looking away again. "I think part of me was deadset on doing better than my parents."

"How so?" Joe's questions were plain and simple, which she appreciated. It was a clear indicator that his only motives were to be her springboard.

"Well, my dad, for starters," Sora answered. It also helped that nothing she could say about her parents was news to any of her friends. "I said I was gonna be present and available."

"And your mom?"

"I would always hear them out, always try to understand their side of things, and let them be who they wanted to be."

"Maybe that's not what Mari needs," Joe said, tone a bit more thoughtful, like he was putting more active thought into the problem now. He placed a hand on his chin and looked away for just a brief moment. "Not entirely, anyway."

Sora tilted her head in his direction. "If you have a suggestion, I'm available and willing to listen."

"Did I ever tell you what helped me commit to becoming a doctor?"

"You mean, besides the summer camp that turned into a survival-horror story?"

"That was definitely a part of it…" Joe trailed off, looking lost in a memory, though one that seemed more inconvenient than traumatic. He refocused. "I talked to my dad."

"Oh…" Sora's eyes widened. "Tell me."

Joe raised an eyebrow. "Wait, why do you sound so eager?"

Sora put on a nervous smile and shrugged. "Mimi's conditioned me to respond positively to gossip."

"Uh huh…" Joe's eyes narrowed on her. "Since you're not so down anymore, maybe you don't need my story."

"Wait, no." Sora clasped her hands together and bowed, though partially to hide her smirk. "I still need Dr. Kido's wisdom."

Joe sighed and grinned. "It wasn't a complicated conversation. The short, short version is my dad told me about how my grandfather put the same pressure on him to go to medical school, and he wasn't too keen on it either for a while."

"Did he say what brought that on?" Sora asked, standing up straighter and getting her composure back.

"My brother told him my part in Myotismon's invasion, and he said that made him positive that I would make him proud even if I never became a doctor." Joe paused to scratch his face as sentimentality leaked into his voice. "My actual point, though, is that conversation helped me see my dad as a fallible person, and that just because I doubted myself didn't mean I was on the wrong path."

"That's actually really sweet, Joe," Sora said softly, words genuine because she meant them. "I'm just not sure how that helps Mari."

Joe turned back to her, his composure back. "All that stuff you said about wanting to be present and listen, I have to imagine Future-Sora wanted the same thing."

Sora considered, then nodded. "You're probably right."

"Maybe she succeeded, and maybe Mari's memory of her is her being the perfect mother," Joe concluded confidently. "She'd be worried about disappointing you more than anything, so maybe what she actually needs is to know you're a human being too."

"Maybe…" Sora didn't have any other reply. Other than leap in logic regarding her becoming a perfect mother, the rest of what Joe was saying made at least some sense. Of course, that raised another dilemma for her, whether or not being vulnerable with Mari would be more constructive than protecting her. With the battle with the Argomon looming, she was running out of time to make up her mind.

Mari knew she must have zoned out, because the next thing she registered was Gabumon hopping backwards up two steps, and then taking up an apprehensive and defensive position. Following her partner's eyeline, Mari found what had set him off: a large, red dinosaur leaning forward and sniffing in their vicinity.

"Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you."

"Guilmon!" Takato was suddenly there too, gently pulling his partner back. "How would you like if someone started smelling you without permission?"

"I wouldn't mind," Guilmon answered innocently. "How else would they learn stuff about me?"

"You're right, I can't think of any other way," Takato replied, sarcasm subtle but present. He finally faced forward. "Sorry, that's not exactly why we came over here."

"Th-That's okay," Mari said quickly, knowing she should have been more prepared for the conversation to turn in her direction. "What- Why- Are we going or-?"

"Oh no," Takato spoke calmly as he raised both his hands up briefly. "I just thought someone should check on you."

"Oh…" Mari's eyes sank back to the ground. Even keeping to herself, she apparently was a burden to everyone else.

"Sora's already given us the short version of what you've been through, so I know asking if you're alright is kinda pointless."

Mari's hand tightened around her knees. "Bet s-she left out the part where it's all m-my fault."

"Yeah, I know how that feels."

Mari reflexively tilted her head back upwards. Everyone else so far had been set on telling her that she wasn't to blame for anything, so she was thrown off a bit when Takato actually acknowledged what she was saying. Not so much that he supported it, but there was a genuine understanding in his words and eyes, leaving Mari more ready to hear him out.

"When Guilmon first showed up, I didn't think I could do anything right," Takato continued, taking a moment to pat his partner on the top of his head. "Forget being a Tamer. Some days I didn't know if I could take care of him."

"You did forget the peanut butter a couple times," Guilmon commented, smile on his face and in his voice.

"Yuh huh…" Takato gave his partner a sideways glance before collecting himself. "I think what I'm trying to get at is I had my share of feeling like I was dragging everyone else down."

"You got better, though." Mari clasped her hands together, thumbs fidgeting against each other. "Me, I'm pretty sure messing up is my destiny."

"I doubt that," Takato said, voice becoming slightly sterner.

"You wouldn't if you knew." Mari's hand moved to clasp onto the Crest in her sweatshirt pocket.

"No, because I don't believe in destiny." Takato took a single step forward, kneeling down to meet her at eye-level. "At least not as something you can't choose for yourself."

"That doesn't even make sense," Mari argued softly, her head spinning just a little bit. "How do you choose your destiny?"

"Not easily." Takato paused to scratch the back of his head. "You just kinda know when the moment comes."

"And what if the Argomon get here first?"

Takato paused again, but kept his resolve. "Mari, do you even want to fight?"

"I…" Mari hesitated, knowing he meant more than in the general sense. None of them wanted to fight, but she wasn't making any secret of how she was dreading what was looming closer.

"Both my friends over there," Takato continued, gesturing over his shoulder in Henry and Rika's general direction. "They went through stretches where they didn't want to fight either, and they had to work through that before we could actually be a team."

"What changed their minds?" Mari asked without thinking.

"Well…" Takato's face scrunched up, like he was trying to remember. "Henry's a pacifist by nature, so he had to see that sometimes you have to fight for what's important to you. Then Rika had to learn about trust. Not just with Renamon, but I think also herself too."

"But what if I can't trust myself?" Mari asked as she soaked in what was being told to her, and any way she might be able to use it. "What if I shouldn't?"

"Yeah, I know how that feels too," Takato said, voice softer and sounding more uncertain than previous. He stood back up. "We just gotta take things at at our own pace. The people we care about need us to."

Again, Mari wasn't sure what to do with that, a feeling not helped by her not even being certain if she had any loved ones left, let alone that needed her. The thought took hold, so much that she barely registered Takato telling her he was going to check in with the others and stepping away.

Even believing in all his assurances, though, Mari knew that a battlefield wasn't the place to find herself. Worse, Sora and the others would make protecting her a priority, at a time when the city around them needed and deserved their help more. Looking to the forested area around her, Mari knew she would have to face her demons on her own.

Chapter Text

Tai had never considered himself a workaholic of any kind. He felt like he treated his schoolwork about as seriously as any normal kid did, though according to Sora and Izzy, that was still less seriously than he should. He never viewed soccer practice as an obligation, more a pastime that he put as much time and effort into more because he enjoyed it. Even his duty as a Digidestined, there was a couple years when he would help when needed while trusting Kari, Davis, and their group to take the lead in defending both worlds.

In that last instance, however, things changed in the wake of Ordinemon's defeat. For the life in him, Tai still couldn't decide if the world around him was actively changing, or if he was just seeing the world differently because he was getting older. Whether either or both were the case, that battle was a clear marker for him, when he knew he needed to be doing more for both the people he cared about and the world at large.

Not that he was alone for any of this. Matt was at his side almost every step of the way, Izzy was always on hand to be their guy in the chair, and the rest of their core group was never far away when the situation demanded. Of all the doubts that still lingered, Tai's choice to be more proactive was not one of them.

At least, that was up until today for one very brief instant. Rei's questioning his future self's apparent sacrifice had him wondering about the future again. Questions that included whether or not his work in the present made for the better future he had promised to make, or if he was just setting himself up with a task that would separate him from his family. Did the future Tai make his stand against Abbadomon and Dragomon's forces for his daughter's sake, or because he felt like it was still his duty? Did he even see a difference between the two?

Tai pumped the breaks hard on this line of thought before he could guess at an answer. This wasn't the place, not when they were the only thing standing between hostile digimon and a hut full of younger ones who had never seen combat like this before.

"Why am I getting deja vu from these guys?" Marcus asked casually as they looked into the distance.

Not being able to answer that, Tai pulled his goggles down and adjusted the lenses so they would telescope closer to the approaching Argomon. While Izzy wasn't around to translate any readings the goggles were picking up, Tai recognized the multicolored waves that indicated bits of distortion. Not that he needed the confirmation that the Argomon had come through a reality tear, but he was able to get eyes on a digimon he didn't recognize. Flying just above the small army was a large bird digimon, with golden armor and wings and black talons and a helmet with a sharp head crest.

"That's a new face," Tai pointed out as he pulled his goggles back up to his forehead.

"Crossmon," Wormmon said as he skittered just a hair closer. "He's a Mega, and not a polite one."

"Bring him on!" Marcus declared while slamming a fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "We'll deck 'em just the same!"

"You ready, Agumon?" Tai asked his partner, getting a nod in return.

"Hold on a second, Tai," T.K. cut in quickly.

"What for?"

"Let the three of us handle the first wave." T.K. looked to Ken and then Mimi, getting affirmations from both of them.

"We've seen these Argomon in action," Ken added confidently. "They're tricky, but not particularly strong individually. Crossmon is the unknown variable here."

"Lucky for us that we have one of those too," Mimi said with a smile as she pointed to Marcus and his Agumon.

T.K. nodded. "We can't assume these guys don't know everything about us, plus WarGreymon is our best bet for taking point once we have an opening for Marcus."

"I don't like this plan," Marcus said impatiently.

"No, they're right," Tai argued reluctantly. He didn't like the idea of sitting on the sidelines either, but nothing his friends were saying was wrong. "They'll make a path so we can go on the offensive and take out their leader."

"Fine…" Marcus grumbled, his hands visibly twitching. "But if any of those purple and green creeps get near, I'm laying them out!"

"Yeah, whatever…" Tai held back any sarcastic comments. His reflex was to question why Marcus kept acting like he planned on fighting the Argomon himself, but admitted it was possible that he could do the same bio-merge thing that Takato could. He supposed he would find out either way, instead choosing to brace himself as his friends got into position.

Lifting off the ground while latched onto Birdramon's talon like she had countless times before, Sora went over the attack plan in her head one more time. It was a simple strategy, but assuming their enemy's nature was as it was described to them, that was all they would need. Plus, it was all she could do to keep her mind off more personal developments, though another nearby individual seemed to be having the same worries.

"Sorry about Mari," Takato called out to her, him and Guilmon currently holding onto Birdramon's other foot.

"It wasn't your fault," Sora assured him for what was at least the second time. While it was true he had been the last one to speak to Mari before she slipped away, no one would have caught her if she was determined enough.

Takato shook his head. "I don't even know what happened. I turned away for just a second-"

"You weren't the only one there, Takato." Sora paused, briefly leaning her head against her partner's leg. "If anyone's to blame, it's her father for teaching her to sneak off like that."

"Still, there has to have been something more I could done or even just said."

"You probably did more than you're giving yourself credit for."

Takato sighed and his head sank. "Looking after kids is tough."

"There, there…" Guilmon reached over to gently pat his partner's head. "You're a good mom, Takato."

"Thanks, boy…" Takato replied, though with a slight strain in his voice and a twitch in his eye.

"Heads up, Red Team!" Yolei shouted from Halsemon's back. The Armor digimon swooped in front of Birdramon, guiding their eyelines forward.

A force of Argomon of both the Champion and Ultimate variety was scattered around this clearing of the park. As slow as they seemed at first glance, though, they all seemed to be moving in the same general direction. Sora looked that way, but quickly decided to not guess at where they were going.

"Stick to the plan!" Sora called out, as Birdramon flew forward to head off the Argomons' path.

Takato nodded and pulled out his digivice. "You ready, Guilmon?"

"Just tell me when," Guilmon replied as he leaned forward.

"Now!" Takato pulled a glowing blue card from his pocket, before swiping it through his digivice.

Guilmon released his grip on Birdramon's leg, diving to the ground just as he began to glow with a bright red light.

"Guilmon, matrix digivolve to…"

In the seconds before he hit the ground, Guilmon became exponentially larger. His claws morphed into metallic blades, a massive weapons platform materialized around his chest, and a metal face-plate replace his jaw.

"...WarGrowlmon!"

Crashing to the ground and cutting off the Argomon's advance, WarGrowlmon braced himself. The Argomon at the front of the herd jumped to attack, but that was more or less as expected. WarGrowlmon swung each of his claws, one at a time, each bisecting an Ultimate Argomon. Marching forward immediately after, he stomped down, crushing one of the Champions underfoot.

Of course, that represented maybe a tenth of the enemy force in front of them. The rest, assuming they were mindless drones acting on instinct, could really only react in two ways. They would either try to attack the largest and most obvious target, or try to flee from said target in the interest of self-preservation.

The Argomon, as it turned out, would attempt both. Two of the Ultimates attacked, with WarGrowlmon bringing up both his claws to block each of them. He held his ground without seeming like he was exerting much effort, though was locked in place when two of the Champions bounced upward and latched onto his shoulders. All four began to spark with electricity, causing him and Takato both to grunt and growl in distress.

"I must insist against such tomfoolery!" Halsemon shouted, red beams projecting from his eyes as he swooped down. The first blast hit one the Champions dead on, causing it to burst into data. The second grazed the other, though caused it to lose its grip and tumble to the ground.

Now having the leverage, WarGrowlmon adjusted his grip on the Ultimate Argomon, grabbing each by the head and driving them into the ground. With the front of the fight controlled for the moment, Sora turned her attention the rest of the Argomon as they attempted to retreat. So far, things were still going as planned.

A pair of flashes followed, one green and another a burst of flames, as two more digimon appeared to prevent the Argomons' escape. Birdramon was just close enough that Sora could make out the green-armored Rapidmon and the still-sizzling Flamedramon.

"Hey!" Rapidmon yelled at the approaching digimon. "I didn't approve of any gang activity on my turf!"

"Let's push back!" Flamedramon replied, flames increasing in intensity as he rammed into the Argomon at the front of the retreat. The Champion rolled back into the one behind it.

Rapidmon opened fire immediately after, missiles launching from his arms and the artillery on his back. Anything that didn't hit an Argomon directly forced them back into a defensive position. More electricity sparked between them, but it didn't get far.

With one more flash of light, the shelled form of Zudomon lumbered forward. He raised his metal hammer, and not unlike Raidramon had previously, drew the electricity in his direction and neutralized any threat it represented. Now, with a push coming from five different directions, they herded the Argomon into a single point.

"Spring the trap!" Sora signaled downward.

On cue, the robed form of Renamon's humanoid Ultimate, Taomon, appeared in an instant. From her sleeves, a series of talismans were released and surrounded the remaining Argomon. One tried to reach past them, but received some kind of shock or burn that deterred it. Like a chain reaction, more attempted the same, receiving similar results.

"This won't hold long," Taomon informed them.

"It's time, Sora," Birdramon said as she began to descend.

"Go for it," Sora confirmed.

Getting lower, Birdramon slowed just enough so Sora and Takato could dismount and land safely on ground. Still in motion, Sora grabbed her digivice, prompting her partner to be enveloped in a bright red light.

"Birdramon, digivolve to…"

Her shape changed, becoming significantly taller and more humanoid. Her wings and feathers became a deeper red, as the flames around and shaping her dispersed.

"...Garudamon!"

Eyeing the cluster of Argomon, Garudamon soared back upwards. Following suit, the turbines on WarGrowlmon's back ignited and realigned themselves, allowing him to slowly lift himself off the ground and take aim.

"WING BLADE!"

Calling on the flames around her, Garudamon released a bird-shaped silhouette the arced up and back down to Earth.

"ATOMIC BLASTER!"

With energy already massing at the cannons on his chest, WarGrowlmon fired, a red blast barreling downward.

The two attacks converged, the combined flames and energy making it impossible to see what was happening at the impact point. Sora covered her eyes to shield herself from the heat. Eventually, though, temperatures returned to normal.

"Talk about scorched Earth," Rapidmon quipped.

Sora turned forward again, not finding a trace of the Argomon. In their place, however, was a blackened crater the diameter of a small house.

"Aw man…" Takato sighed. "This park really can't catch a break."

Granted, this particular strategy had been conceived to ensure that collateral damage was localized, which meant things had still gone mostly as expected. Giving the area another once-over, Sora noted the plenty of impact points from stray attacks as well as WarGrowlmon's own footprints, leaving things not quite as clean as they had maybe wanted.

"A foreign scent is still lingering in the air," Taomon warned.

Sora had suspected as much, given how simple this fight had been. The anticipation of another fight, however, wasn't what was creating the pit in her stomach.

Matt stepped back into the alleyway he had left the others in with Gabumon close behind, frustrated though not deterred from his search. They hadn't been able to pick up a definitive trail to Akira's location, the closest thing being the multiple directions the Bakemon seemed to have escaped to. Not feeling that was a strong enough lead, or at least not strong enough to pursue on his own, Matt decided that regrouping was their best bet for now.

The alley was quieter than he had left it, mainly just down to how few of them were still there. Only Izzy, Kari, and Tentomon were present, currently talking in a small circle. Matt's footsteps were loud enough that they turned as he approached.

"The Bakemon scattered," Matt explained before they had to ask. "Picking one to follow is gonna be a shot in the dark."

"We're not exactly drowning in alternate options here," Tentomon replied with a shrug.

"Where are the others?"

"Searching elsewhere," Izzy answered, pulling his cellphone halfway out of his pocket before dropping it back in again. "I'm going to have to figure out a better way for us to communicate when we're outside our reality. I'll go see if I can grab them."

Izzy and Tentomon left without another word. Instinctively, Matt looked to Kari, whose eyes had dropped to the ground. While her stare wasn't distant or vacant, she was obviously tired. Matt didn't say anything immediately, having a pretty good idea of what was bothering her. The real question was whether or not there was anything he could say or do about it.

Gabumon pulled on Matt's leg regardless, gesturing up to Kari once he had his attention. With Gatomon out searching and Tai and everyone else more emotionally qualified to check in with her at least a world away, Matt accepted that it was his responsibility to at least try.

"Back to it then?" he asked her, trying to keep his tone light.

"I'm not taking a break," Kari said plainly, looking back up at him without a beat skipped.

"I didn't say you should," Matt replied earnestly, having already known that asking her to stop was pointless. "After we find Akira is a different story, though."

"Maybe…"

Kari's shoulders sank, though this time she looked upwards at the night sky. Occasional bouts of tunnel vision were an occupational hazard, one they had all been through. For her part, Kari had the excuse of none of them knowing how long they had to catch up with Akira.

"It really was my fault," she added after a moment.

"Trust me, Kari," Matt as he placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't want to play that game."

"You going to pretend you never do?" Kari asked pointedly as she faced him again.

"No, because I'm a pro at it." Matt paused, crossing his arms as a fitting memory and example played back in his head. "Back when I let Myotismon grab you, I spent weeks telling myself that I had failed and doomed us all."

Kari raised an eyebrow. "Myotismon only had me for an hour. Maybe two."

"I know." Matt tried to grin, and maybe sound less brooding. "The fact that Tai never blamed me somehow made it more difficult for me to let it go."

"Is that why you were avoiding being alone with Mari?"

Matt hesitated, having not expected this conversation to be pointed in his direction. "I figured it's better to leave the parenting to Sora and Tai."

"Don't you dare try to convince yourself that you wouldn't be as good a dad as my brother," Kari warned, though with a lighter and more playful tone. "I'll punch you."

Matt smirked. "I don't think you know how to punch people."

"I learned from watching you." Kari paused again, any levity in her voice disappearing as her expression sank. "That's why I thought Akira would be okay tagging along with us. You and Tai were younger than I am now and always came through for us."

Matt's eyes widened. "It didn't really look that easy, did it?"

"It did to eight-year-old me," Kari answered, a tiny bit of nostalgia coloring her voice. "Kinda explains where T.K. got his conviction from. He must have felt invincible knowing you would always come to save him."

"Meanwhile, I actually felt like I would come apart at the seems at any given moment," Matt vented. T.K. getting older and more capable of looking after himself only slightly lessened this anxiety. "Guess you know better now."

"I don't think Akira does," Kari said, the distant stare she had started this conversation with coming back. To be fair, based on everything they had seen of the boy, she was right. Akira's faith in her had been unshakable up to this point.

"Then we rescue him before he learns the truth," Matt replied, which was essentially how he had kept T.K.'s blind trust in him for all those years.

Kari's attention came back to the present, briefly looking back at him with uncertainty. That faded, however, letting her find just enough resolve to nod. After that, Matt wasn't sure which of them had taken the first step, but they were soon moving in the direction Izzy had left in.

"So what's our next step?" Matt asked, knowing they hadn't made much progress since the raid on the warehouse.

"Well, first we need to Ruli and Kiyo to stop fighting," Kari answered. "Then we need a plan."

"Where did Sora and Tai get off to again?"

"I don't think we need them as much as you think," Kari replied, with a familiar blind faith.

Sparks were literally flying over Tai's head as he dug his heels into the ground. At the moment at least, there was no place he hated more than the sidelines, even if T.K.'s logic was still sound. Technically, they were still holding their own, but odds didn't look too good when he stopped to think about them. About four or five dozen Argomon, twice as many as they had faced back at the castle, with them having a third of the fighters they had had in that fight. Plus, there was the possibility of more Argomon lying in wait for them somewhere in this reality.

"Eat this!" Togemon's voice pulled Tai's attention back to the fight, just as she leapt at one of the Champion Argomon. Clocking it with a right hook, it staggered back as more of its kind drew nearer. Togemon inhaled and exhaled, releasing a burst of the needles covering her body and stunning the Argomon closest to her.

While these Argomon were stunned, however, more advanced and zapped Togemon with bursts of electricity. Now stunned herself, she wasn't prepared when one of the Ultimates closed in, swinging its tentacles at her and sending her flying backwards.

"Togemon!" Mimi called out as she moved to her partner's side. Smoke still coming off her, Togemon struggled to sit up.

"I've had it with this!" Marcus yelled, marching a couple steps forward. "I'm going in!"

"But what about Crossmon, Boss?" his Agumon pointed out.

"There's plenty for him too!"

"Not yet!" T.K. cut him off. "We've still got a few tricks left."

"We should probably deploy one of those sooner rather than later," Angemon declared, just as he swung his staff at one of the Champion Argomon.

Said Argomon arched through the air, right in Stingmon's direction. Ready and waiting, the insect digimon reared back one of the glowing purple stingers on his gauntlet before thrusting it into his target's eye. As it burst into data, Angemon spun right around, fist radiating energy.

"HAND OF FATE!"

Energy beamed forward, disintegrating another Argomon. Its comrades responded immediately, however, moving in and surrounding the two. Angemon deflected incoming electricity with his staff, retreating to Stingmon, the pair standing back-to-back as they eyed their enemies.

"I don't suppose you've considered just shunting them out of this dimension," Stingmon suggested.

"I have," Angemon replied. "I'm worried that it would do more harm than good if I'm not careful. Treating it as a last resort for now."

Tai understood the hesitancy, and punching another hole in reality wasn't his first choice at the moment either. Still, with these Argomon encroaching on them and more nearby, they needed a way to neutralize the numbers advantage.

"We need to break their ranks," Tai instructed, reaching for his digivice. "WarGreymon could carve a path right down the middle."

"Or we could use their numbers against them," Ken said softly, as though he was building a plan.

Tai paused in place. "If you've thought of something, now's the time."

Ken pointed an index finger forward. "That electricity is what's mainly keeping us at bay. What if we redirected it?"

"Or at least put them in a position where they couldn't use it," T.K. bounced back.

"We can do that," Mimi said, her voice a low growl. She stood up from her partner's side to face the battle.

"You okay, Mimi?" Togemon asked nervously.

"These Argomon just traipse across realities and destroy whatever they want. Worse, they come to our home and attack my friends." A green glow began to emanate from Mimi's chest, as the light of digivolution wrapped around her partner. "No, I'm not okay. I'm pissed!"

"Togemon, digivolve to…"

From Togemon's form bloomed a smaller digimon, more lithe and humanoid. Her features sharpened, revealing a dress and headpiece, both pink and flower themed, as well as green leaf-like wings.

"...Lillymon!"

Determination all over her face, Lillymon knelt down, sticking her hand into a crevice on their current battlefield's rocky surface. Not more than a couple seconds later, a series of vines grew out of the ground near Angemon and Stingmon, wrapping around the Argomon that surrounded them.

"Jump!" Lillymon yelled once the vines had taken hold.

Not hesitating, Angemon and Stingmon flew back upwards. At that instant, Lillymon clasped her other hand shut, causing her vines to drag the Argomon to the center point where the two Champions had once stood. Now squished together, their attacks sparked but didn't go any further. While it looked up in the air as to whether the Argomon could be hurt by their own attacks, they were neutralized for the moment.

"Going for the strike!" Lillymon called out, as a large flower with a gun barrel formed in her hands. She cocked it once before aiming.

"FLOWER CANNON!"

She fired, hitting the cluster of Argomon as they continued to spark. There was a flash, though the dust seemed to settle just as quickly. While plenty of Argomon still remained, the fifth of the fighting force that these particular ones represented were gone without a trace.

"Alright!" Marcus pumped a fist into the air. "That looks like a path to me. Let's go!" He tore off, his partner close behind.

"Us too?" Agumon asked with a tilted head.

"Oh yeah," Tai answered, already on the move. He paused once more, though, when he noticed the remaining Argomon start to stir.

One of the Champions broke off from the others, dropping itself right into Marcus' path. Not that this caused Marcus to even flinch, and much like he had promised multiple times that day, threw a punch right at the oncoming Argomon. The fist connected, and for moment, both of them seemed to freeeze in place.

Tai froze in his tracks, eye twitching in disbelief. He looked to Agumon, who had stopped in place and let his draw drop open. That was all before what looked like orange data sparked at the impact point, and then quickly erupted all over Marcus' body. As the Argomon rolled away, he turned his attention to Crossmon.

"DNA Charge…" Marcus yelled as he slammed the palm of his hand on top of his digivice. Pointing it at his Agumon, the data transmitted itself forward. "Overdrive!"

"Agumon, warp digivolve to…"

The saurian digimon became stories taller, white armor forming around his person. A red chestplate materialized, with metallic wings of the same color growing out of his back. Golden gauntlets and a matching helmet on his three-horned skull appeared, capped off by a long tail with a sun-shaped mace at the tip.

"...ShineGreymon!"

"Can you do that?" Agumon asked like he was still in awe.

"Why would I have to?" Tai shot back, definitely not petty in the slightest. He grabbed his own digivice and jabbed it forward. "Our way still works just fine."

"Agumon, warp digivolve to…"

Taking on a taller, more humanoid shape, silver and red armor formed on his chest and legs. Golden claw-shaped gauntlets wrapped around his forearms, as green eyes blinked to life on his silver armored skull. Lastly, a shield grew out of his back, emblazoned with the Crest of Courage, before splitting open like a pair of wings.

"...WarGreymon!"

Kicking off the ground at the same time, the two Mega digimon beelined straight to where Crossmon hovered over the battlefield. While the avian digimon didn't try to escape, he did crane his neck back and forth, like he was trying to keep his eyes on both of his opponents.

"What's the matter, bird brain?" ShineGreymon taunted. "Not ready for a two-on-one fight?"

"Filthy Greymon," Crossmon replied, voice somewhere between a squawk and a growl. "You species is a blight!"

"Yeah, yeah…" WarGreymon brandished his claws. "Is your gimmick trying to insult us to death?"

Either in response or just coincidentally, the sky around them lit up with a familiar energy. Not the peaceful Celestial variety that Tai had been seeing all day, but the crackling and unstable kind from their initial interdimensional incident the better part of a year ago. From these tears, two more Crossmon emerged, each behind WarGreymon and ShineGreymon respectively.

"Are we certain this is him?" the second Crossmon asked skeptically, attention clearly on WarGreymon.

"We'll pluck them all regardless!" the third cried out zealously.

"I still like our odds!" Marcus yelled upwards.

Tai didn't add anything, opting to focus instead. With the fight with Argomon getting ready to resume in addition to this fight above them, he dug his feet into the ground once more.

Chapter Text

Sora didn't notice any surprise from anyone when it turned out their skirmish in the park wouldn't be the last they would see of the Argomon. A few more sightings of them had come up, a couple of which even being outside the park's limits. Nothing that they weren't able to quickly mop up by simply dividing their forces, but it was clear the suspicion that there was more to come was proven correct.

Not that Sora was going to be participating in this cleanup. With no objections from anyone else, she had made the commitment to track down Mari. Even if these Argomon were only stragglers, Sora felt like she had left the girl on her own for long enough. The current plan was to start within the park and work outwards from there if necessary.

"You sure you guys will be alright?" Sora asked. While she had made up her mind, she felt a little guilty about walking out on her friends during a fight.

"We're basically dealing with leftovers at this point," Rika answered, briefly but noticeably glancing off the path they currently stood at. Currently the only member of their group not currently seeking out the remaining Argomon, she had insisted on walking with Sora at least this far.

"You're worried about something else," Sora pointed out, concern in the Tamer's voice having been easy to pick out.

Rika shrugged. "Hard to say without knowing what their strategy was."

"But?"

"That last fight felt like a distraction," Rika said with a sigh. "If it were me, and I had an objective that wasn't just break stuff, I'd want to throw my opponent off my trail."

Sora agreed, and so did their present circumstances. These Argomon hadn't been making any effort to hide, and their appearances since had been scattered and sporadic, almost like they were trying to keep enemy forces thin.

"Garudamon," Sora called up to her partner, who still stood on guard nearby. "They're gonna need another pair of eyes in the sky."

Garudamon tilted her head. "Sora-"

"It's fine. They're not after me, and I would've had you up there anyway." Sora paused, trying to pull up a reassuring and confident smile. "Plus, I know how fast you can fly."

"Just call out and I'll know," Garudamon instructed as her wings extented.

"Here," Rika added, handing Sora her cellphone. "Takato's number is under Gogglehead. Call him or Henry and we'll bring the cavalry."

Sora nodded before setting off. She wasn't entirely sure where to start, but she was willing to sweep this park top to bottom if she had to.

Moving through the futuristic cityscape, Gatomon reached out with the Celestial abilities she was slowly discovering. The very fabric of this world felt different from what she was used to, though not in any obvious way. The simplest comparison she could have made if asked was the air smelling a little off or everything around her being a slightly different color, but that didn't feel like an accurate description if she was being honest. More just layman's terms in the wake of something she hadn't figured out how to articulate yet.

Of course, part of her had to wonder if this was all her imagination. Likewise, Gatomon wasn't sure the trail she was following actually existed. Both her friends and the lost Bakemon seemed to cast ripples as they moved through a world they didn't belong to, and Salamon seemed to be no exception.

What made her question her perception was mainly just how unnecessary it ended up being. In the end, it was Gatomon's natural senses that led to her finding what she was looking for. Specifically, her hearing a commotion on a rooftop above. Final confirmation came upon her arrival, in the form of Salamon sliding and tumbling in front of her, clearly having been batted away by a Bakemon.

"You really can't catch a hint, can you?" the Bakemon asked impatiently.

"I'm only gonna ask nicely one more time," Salamon growled as they struggled to stand back up. "Where is Myotismon taking my partner?"

Having seen enough to guess how this would likely go, Gatomon stepped in, dropping herself right in between the two digimon. Bakemon flinched but didn't flee, bringing up his claws as though preparing for another fight. Much like at the warehouse, however, Gatomon resisted her gut reaction to kill on sight.

"Let's try a different approach," she declared, drudging up the data she had borrowed from the late Myotismon.

Gatomon focused on the Bakemon's eyes, bringing up the hypnotic ability that the native Myotismon had used to enslave him and rest. The Bakemon was still at first, and then with a feint glow in his eyes, his expression managed to become even blanker.

"Take five," Gatomon instructed with a wave of her claw.

"Yes, Master…" Bakemon replied as he nodded off, though his words managed to scratch at the back of Gatomon's conscience. She knew the feeling of being someone's slave, so her realization left her with an uneasy feeling in her stomach. She only maintained her hold by telling herself that they still needed to find Akira.

"That trick was neato," Salamon piped up, their optimism sounding strained.

Reminded why she had come all this way in the first place, Gatomon turned right around, flicking the Rookie on the forehead with the same motion. Salamon yelped as they fell onto their backside.

"What did you expect to accomplish by coming out here?" Gatomon asked with crossed arms.

"Like you wouldn't be doing the same for Kari," Salamon replied, trying to lift a paw up to massage their forehead.

"I can handle myself better than you can," Gatomon reprimanded after a fraction of a second's pause. "Plus, we need you to stop Dragomon just as much as we need Akira."

Salamon opened their mouth to respond, but ended up biting their tongue. Their eyes sank with their expression, with a few seconds passing before they looked up again.

"I can't see Akira," Salamon said, speaking more sincerely than they had all day.

Gatomon tilted her head. "I'm guessing you don't just mean at this exact second."

Salamon mirrored the gesture. "Good on you for apologizing to Kari back at the castle. If the two of you hadn't been on the exact same page during the fight, a whole lot of bad stuff could've gone down. I'd list all the people who might've gotten hurt or worse, but you're not really the what-if type."

Gatomon hesitated, piecing together the context of the Rookie's words. "You can see the future?"

"Not really," Salamon answered absentmindedly. "More like I can see branches. Major decision points where realities diverge."

"What does that have to do with Akira?"

"He doesn't have branches." Salamon paused, then quickly shook their head. "Or at least he doesn't make his own."

"How does that work?" Gatomon was trying to follow, but for as much as she had been able to pick up about how the multiverse worked, a lot of it still went over her head.

"Akira's a singularity, but also not really." Salamon's noncommittal answers weren't helping matters much. "The very specific circumstances of his life have made him the perfect vessel for Hope and Light for that prophecy Gennai told us about. Other people might create deviations around him, but he still stays our best bet for stopping Dragomon in all variations."

"You make it sound like he doesn't have free will."

"He does," Salamon insisted, though with their earlier strained optimism. "He's just got the conviction and instincts we need to win this."

"So are you out here trying to save your partner or a weapon?" Gatomon snapped back, the sleeping Bakemon finding his way into the corner of her vision. She had a minor identity crisis taking away an enemy's free will. The idea of doing it to someone she cared about, to Kari, left her feeling sick.

"It's complicated," Salamon grunted. "You saw what happened with Rei and Mari back at the castle. If Akira loses touch with his Crests the same way they have, everything we've been through will have meant nothing."

"If he doesn't get himself killed first." Gatomon's mind played back their day up to this point. Akira's unshakable faith in parents who didn't know him, his dedication to staying by Kari's side, and even throwing himself into the situation that got him captured. How much of that was genuinely who he was and not conditioning?

"I'll never let that happen." Salamon's voice became louder, their calm finally broken. "I'm gonna find him and get him through this."

"And after that? What will his life be like after that?"

"Like I said, I'll take care of him!"

"The both of you are really loud."

Gatomon's attention pivoted to the new voice, its owner standing on the ledge of the roof. It took a beat for her to recognize her own silhouette, probably due to the outfit this digimon was wearing. A teal jacket with a hood and a visor over their eyes, capped off with a red backpack. With blue gloves and black fur in the place of her white, she felt confident that this was the BlackGatomon they had been told about.

"We've been looking for you," Gatomon said, letting go of her argument with Salamon, at least for the moment.

"So I've been told," BlackGatomon replied, voice nonchalant and borderline monotone. He tightened the straps of his backpack and slowly approached them. "You've made a mess."

Gatomon squinted, eyeing the feline closer. "We had to think on our feet to save those children."

"I'm not talking about that." BlackGatomon walked right past them and towards the hypnotized Bakemon. He touched the ghost digimon, white energy crackling at the tip of his claw. "Reality's out of whack."

"It started with Dragomon."

"To an extent." BlackGatomon turned back around and walked a couple circles around them.

Gatomon arched an eyebrow. "Come again?"

"There's more of you, correct?"

"Yep," Salamon answered cautiously. Gatomon wasn't sure if it made her feel better to know the Rookie wasn't any less confused than she was.

"I don't want to have to repeat myself." BlackGatomon turned away again and moved back to the edge of the roof. "Come on, before you stick me with something I can't clean up."

Gatomon sighed, getting the feeling it would be pointless to push for more. She snapped her claws to instruct the Bakemon to wake up and follow. With Salamon trotting along just a step behind, they left the roof, ready to regroup with Kari and the others.

Mari hadn't had a destination in mind when she left the utility shed, which led to her wandering Shinjuku Park for a bit. Eventually, however, a feeling that she wasn't accomplishing anything took hold, so she picked a spot to stop at for at least a brief time. Of course, her problem then became she was literally doing nothing, which only made her more nervous and even a little antsy.

Leaning back against the tree she sat under, Mari stared upwards, only seeing hints of the sky and sunlight past the foliage above. At one point, she thought she had heard some hectic sounds in the distance, perhaps Sora and the rest fighting the Argomon. Not that it made much of a difference, as it had long been established that she had no place in that battle.

"Mari, what was the objective in coming here?" Gabumon asked, currently standing patiently by her side.

"I needed to put some space between them and me," Mari answered softly.

"Because you're afraid?" Gabumon replied without skipping a beat.

"I…" Mari turned to her partner, confused by the intention behind the questioning. "...guess."

"It seems fairly obvious." Gabumon's comments were direct but soft-spoken. He sat down next to her.

Mari sighed. "Says the digimon who's to scared to speak around anyone he doesn't know."

"That's not fear," Gabumon shot back defensively. "It's caution. You never know who's waiting to steal your voice."

"When has that ever happened?"

"Exactly. I've outwitted anyone who's ever tried."

Mari knew better than to press any further. She was certain that even Gabumon wasn't sure where his shyness and paranoia came from, or even which had led to the other. He was a good listener though, even when she failed at being the same for him.

"I'm not scared for me," Mari said, eyes dropping to her hands on her lap. "I'm scared for everyone else. I don't want them to get hurt because I distracted them."

Gabumon shrugged. "You've never hurt me."

"What do you call what happened back at the castle?" Mari clasped her hands together, trying and failing to keep them from shaking. "If Tai hadn't been there, I don't even want to think about what would have happened to you."

Gabumon placed a paw on top of her hands. "I'm no worse for wear."

Mari hesitated, then wrapped her arms around her partner, a clump of fur in each hand.

"It's this stupid Crest," she spoke into his shoulder. "I don't even know what it means."

"You've used it before," Gabumon reminded her.

"Yeah, by accident…" Mari had called on her partner's Ultimate form a couple times in the past, but couldn't remember exactly what had triggered it. Just a desire to help Gabumon and her friends rather than some kind of epiphany.

Gabumon simply nodded. "Then we'll need to figure out something else to fight with."

What that was, Mari had no idea. Letting go of her partner, she reached into her sweater's front pocket, hand hovering over where her Crest was. Knowing that wasn't what would help her at this exact moment, she passed over it, grabbing onto a metallic and rectangular object instead.

Rei stumbled, falling backwards as the hut shook around her. Luckily, it was the half of the roof opposite from where she stood that collapsed in on itself. She coughed once, trying to wave the dust and smoke away so she could see what exactly had happened. Koromon and the rest of the younger digimon were behind her, making them safe, or at least as safe as they could be at present. She ended up hearing what had crashed through the roof before she saw it.

"You outta breath already, ShineGreymon?" Marcus' voice called out. Eventually, he and the aforementioned digimon came into view.

"Just warmin' up," came the Mega's only slightly strained replied. It was him who had crashed into the hut, or more specifically the back of his head and right shoulder. He slowly lifted himself from the rubble.

"What's going on?" Rei asked, taking a couple steps towards them.

"Those Crossmon are about to get their feathers plucked!" Marcus yelled up at the sky.

Rei looked upwards as well, just as ShineGreymon flew back up into the sky. There, she clocked a pair of gold avian digimon, though one of them broke away to fly to another part of the overhead battle. Tracking this second Crossmon as ShineGreymon crashed into the first, his target became clear.

There, a third Crossmon engaged WarGreymon, screeching as he swung a talon. WarGreymon dodged easily enough, dropping down as the talon missed his shoulder. Following up, he maneuvered around the Crossmon's limbs, bringing his own claw up to deliver a strike to his opponent's lower beak.

By this point, though, the second Crossmon had arrived by crashing into WarGreymon headfirst. Catching their target off balance, the pair swung their talons violently, forcing WarGreymon to bring his gauntlets up to try to parry both. He succeeded on the first two strikes, but stuck in between the two Crossmon, one strike slashed at his abdomen.

Thankfully, that first Crossmon came crashing into the one to WarGreymon's right, courtesy of ShineGreymon. Free to retaliate, WarGreymon brought his right leg around in a roundhouse kick to the last Crossmon's head, knocking him away. ShineGreymon flew back into the fray, the pair exchanging a nod as they turned to face the enemy trio again.

"You guys need help," Rei pointed out as she turned away from the fight.

"And who's gonna help us?" Marcus shot back, an angry undertone to his voice. "Not you by the look of it."

"What's the worst that could happen?" Rei spat out, clutching her fists at her sides. She took a step towards the hut's new front door. "You're outnumbered, and at the very least-"

"You can't fight like this!" Marcus grabbed her arm just above the elbow, firmly bringing her back to her starting point. Planting himself between Rei and her intended direction, he jabbed his index finger in her face. "Your brain's in two different places, and that's not even thinking about where your fists want to be. All the parts of you gotta agree on what you're fighting for, or you'll be nothing but a hassle out there."

Rei seethed, but couldn't come up with a response. Clearly knowing this, Marcus spun around and sprinted back outside. At that same moment, the sky above them flashed, the trio of Crossmon charging and firing white energy beams from their head crests. WarGreymon pulled the Brave Shield off his back as ShineGreymon covered his head with his arms, both meeting the attack head on.

Turning away, Rei caught a glimpse of MagnaAngemon bisecting an Argomon bottom-to-top with his beam sword. That arm of the fight had seemed more even, though everyone had seemed to have been pushed to using a sizable piece of rubble as cover. Stingmon sat with his back against it, looking like he was catching his breath, while Lillymon periodically poked her head out to fire shots that kept the Argomon at bay.

Scanning the rest of the battlefield for Tai, Rei spotted him a ways away from the rest, by his own bit of cover. Not that he seemed to be using it, standing upright to where he had the best view of WarGreymon. He was too far away for her to tell if he was injured or not, but even if he wasn't, he wasn't likely to stay that way in his current position.

Of course, Rei was being blocked on trying to affect that outcome. She needed to get back into the fight, but her best weapon wasn't responding to her. Pulling her Crest out of her shirt, she glared at the tag. She wasn't sure if the Crest looking foggier than the last time she had handled it was all in her imagination. Either way, it was a reminder of all the things she was supposed to be doing but wasn't.

Looking around at first and finding what she might need, Rei dropped to a knee. Letting instinct take over, she smashed the tag into the ground. Nothing happened, but that didn't her from trying the same again. And again.

"Stupid piece of junk!" Rei screamed, feeling her face heat up. The lousy thing couldn't even break right.

"I think he's right in what he's saying," Koromon commented, having made it over to her side at some point during her outburst.

"Oh do you?" Rei snapped, not feeling all that much calmer.

"You keep bouncing back and forth between being sad and mad," Koromon explained, calmly and matter-of-factually. "One second you want revenge, the next you're not sure."

"You act like this is all easy."

"It always has been for me."

"Alright, smartass," Rei said through her teeth. "What are you fighting for?"

Koromon paused, eyes widening. "Same thing I've always been: You."

Again, Rei couldn't come up with a response. She stared back at Koromon, knowing she had and never would lie. Yet something wasn't sitting right. Wayward emotions and something building in her chest. Not her previous anger, but just as unstable.

"Well, don't!" Rei choked on her words, her eyes starting to burn. "I don't deserve it. Not after everything I did to you and everyone else."

"That sounds a little melodramatic to me," Koromon replied, though with uncertainty in her voice for the first time in this conversation.

"Have you not been paying attention?" Rei paused, looking away from her partner to the tag in her hand again. "Our friends, my parents, they're all gone because I wasn't as strong as I should have been."

"Rei…"

Except there was nothing Koromon could say that could change the facts. Between disappearing in the middle of the battle that decided her friends' fate, turning her partner into SkullGreymon, and not even being able to get a handle on the simple sparring exercises to help her focus. As much as Rei had learned to hate Dragomon and Abbadomon, it wasn't as much as she had come to hate herself.

Jogging through yet another evacuated section of the park, Sora found herself wishing she had let one of the others help her with her search. Guilmon's nose alone seemed like it could have trivialized this whole task, but Sora had convinced herself that this was something that she had to do on her own. While Rika's phone still left her with the ability to call for assistance, she held off on account of not knowing if they were still dealing with the remaining Argomon.

Sora paused at the edge of a more forested area, questioning what she would actually say Mari once she found her for the thousandth time that day. It was funny in a way, how she probably could have come up with three different things to say to each of her friends were they in a similar funk, but her thought processes just stopped once she was out of her comfort zone. She shook her head, supposing what she said didn't really matter so much at the moment as making sure the girl was safe.

Taking one last look at her immediate surroundings, Sora was just about ready to admit her shortcomings and call for an assist. At least, that was until something caught her ear.

It was faint, but there was a hum in the air. A tune, one that brought Sora back seven years. Equal parts melodic and melancholic, she followed the sound past a set of trees and bushes.

Not more than a couple minutes later, Sora reached the source, thankfully finding exactly what she had been hoping to find. Mari sat under a large tree, not reacting as she continued to play her harmonica. Absolutely refusing to interrupt the girl when she seemed more at peace than she had all day, Sora approached slowly and quietly and sat down at her side, only receiving a silent acknowledgment from Gabumon. As nice as it was, however, Mari's playing eventually came to an end.

"Does that song have a name?" Sora asked softly.

"I don't know," Mari answered without looking at her. "It was something Dad taught me when I was learning to play."

They both went quiet, without even a breeze to fill the silence. Sora waited patiently, though, seeing Mari taking deep breaths, like she was preparing for something.

"I'm sorry," Mari said weakly.

"Hey…" Sora reached a hand out to her, but retracted it, not wanting to push too far. "I found you, so no harm done."

"Yes there is," Mari argued. "I just didn't want to get anyone killed again."

"Mari, you didn't get your parents killed," Sora replied, plainly but confidently. "That was Dragomon and his goons."

Mari shook her head. "Not them."

"Then who?"

"Satoshi."

The name meant nothing to Sora, but she kept herself from asking who they were. Judging by how tense Mari's shoulders seemed, the name must have meant the world to her.

"It was the last thing Dad asked me to do," Mari explained, right hand tightening around her harmonica. "To l-look after my little brother. All I h-had to do was hold his hand, but I couldn't even do that right. It was just one second, right when Salamon was opening a portal for us to escape, he j-just slipped away."

The first feeling Sora felt was guilt, mostly at not having an innate emotional reaction to Mari's story. She wasn't completely apathetic, of course, feeling sympathy for Mari's loss. As far as grief went though, for the son she had never met and whose face she possibly wouldn't even recognize, she felt more numb than anything.

"So I'm sorry," Mari let out, tears following shortly after. "I'm s-sorry I couldn't protect h-him."

"N-No, Mari…" Sora felt herself getting choked up. This time, she didn't hesitate at pulling the girl against her chest. "That wasn't your fault either."

"Yes it was," Mari whimpered into her shoulder. "I'm not even supposed to be here. I was just made a Digidestined by mistake."

"What do you mean?" Sora couldn't help but ask, the question having set off a red flag in her head.

"A-All I do is fail," Mari muttered, only audible due to their proximity. "That's my fate."

"No, listen." Sora gently repositioned her, taking hold of both of Mari's shoulders and lowering her own head so they were eye-to-eye. "There was no mistake. The only reason you shouldn't be a Digidestined is if you don't want to be one."

Mari broke eye contact. "I'm not like you…"

Joe's earlier observations echoed in Sora's head, leaving her with a very easy response. She took a deep breath, ready to knock herself off her own pedestal.

"You're just doubting yourself, just like everyone does," Sora pointed out, though Mari still didn't face her. "Like I still do, all the time."

Mari looked forward. "When d-do you…?"

Sora sighed. "Where to start? How about something close to home? I'm not so sure I'm cut out for this Digidestined lifestyle either."

"You-my mom never mentioned anything like that," Mari replied, her voiced calmed down somewhat.

"This fighting weighs on you, even when you win," Sora explained, actually feeling a bit lighter as she spoke. "My mom noticed, and brought it up yesterday when we were talking about where I would be going to college. I always assumed I'd stay nearby, to help the others if they needed. Mom thinks I should go away, figure out what my life is outside of all of this."

"So are you gonna quit?" Mari asked nervously.

"Who knows?" Sora said with a shrug and a smirk. "This morning, I was worried I didn't have any fight left in me, but as the day's kept going, I keep getting reminded of all the things I have to fight for. All I know is, when this is all settled, it's a choice I'll have to make."

When Mari didn't respond with any follow-up questions, Sora stood back up. Mari did the same, and while Sora didn't assume anything was resolved, she figured this had been enough of a patch job to get them back to the others. That was until something else caught her ear.

Heavy footfalls, hoof beats by the sound of them, drew nearer. They were slow, though, enough that Sora had plenty of time to determine what direction they were coming from.

"It would seem the Argomons' distraction was in vain," a low voice from the treeline declared. "The Light Dragomon seeks has not found its way to this reality."

A samurai digimon came into view, clad in an orange cape, golden shoulder armor, and a helmet with a crescent moon head crest. He had no legs, his waste instead connected directly to his black horse, which wore matching armor and whose head was nothing but a red skull. While his two swords seemed intimidating, his most eerie feature was that he was translucent, like a ghost.

"Zanbamon," Gabumon whispered as he took steps forward.

"My luck was no better in trying to find my own prey," Zanbamon said as he approached, his eyeline clearly on Mari. "You are similar to the one I seek, but you are not him."

Sora instinctively placed herself in front of Mari, though not that she had any delusion of facing this samurai on her own. Their only two options at this exact moment were fight or flight, and Mari wasn't giving any indication which she was more ready for.

Zanbamon pointed his larger sword forward. "Still, I have standing orders from Abbadomon to eliminate all orphans."

Chapter Text

"You can talk?" Jellymon's question echoed throughout the side road they walked down, and her friends seemed to share a more subtle version of the sentiment. The group's newest addition, who the question was directed at, had barely flinched.

"Naturally," BlackGatomon answered aloofly, keeping his eyes forward.

Maybe it was down to a lack of context, but Matt didn't much care about this particular discovery. He was mostly focusing on the task at hand, though there wasn't all that much to focus on at the moment. The Bakemon that Gatomon had hypnotized was obediently leading the way to some kind of safe house, and they apparently still had a little further to go. Naturally, that left a window for conversations like this one, especially since stealth apparently wasn't a priority.

"Actually," Izzy cut in, increasing his pace just enough to match the dark feline. "We were hoping to ask you a few questions."

"I'm a courier, not a tour guide," BlackGatomon replied quickly, still not facing him.

Izzy's eyes widened. "Uh, yeah, but you were the one who dealt with the Dragomon from this reality. We're facing one ourselves, and were hoping you could give us some advice on the matter."

BlackGatomon sighed. "You arrived via The Void, correct?"

"We call it the Dark Ocean," Kari added.

"I'm not going to," BlackGatomon said with a shake of his head. "Is that where Dragomon is striking from?"

Izzy nodded. "Correct."

"Well, to start off, it's unlikely you're dealing with a variant." BlackGatomon's voice had taken on a more condescending tone. "Our two Dragomon are one and the same. To save our reality, I banished him to The Void."

"I'm confused," Armadillomon commented. "So y'all are in the future, but this fella doubled back to the past to mess with us?"

"That's more or less how we got here, Armadillomon," Cody pointed out.

Salamon cleared their throat. "The Dark Ocean has less of a time-line and more a bunch of interlinked hula hoops."

"Then how long has Dragomon been there?" Cody asked, sounding more curious than alarmed.

BlackGatomon shrugged. "Hard to say for certain."

"Look…" Matt interrupted, this conversation having clearly veered too far away from the reason they were having it. "That's all fascinating, but how do we stop him?"

"You don't."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

BlackGatomon finally looked his way. "I mean you don't have to."

"He's having his thugs invade our worlds," Matt explained, not sure what part of their situation had gotten lost here. "So, yes, we do."

"Have none of you asked why Dragomon can send thralls against you but can't leave himself?" BlackGatomon asked pointedly.

"He doesn't have the power to leave," Izzy stated, though sounded like he lost confidence towards the end of his answer.

"That's a fallacy. Power's not the issue," BlackGatomon lectured. "He's become so acclimated to The Void that he can't separate himself from it."

"Someone oughta tell him that," Salamon commented skeptically.

"If he's even capable of normal conversation anymore."

"It doesn't matter, because Salamon's right," Matt reasserted himself. "Whether Dragomon can escape or not, he's gonna keep sending Abbadomon and who knows who else."

"This reality is my domain." BlackGatomon faced forward again. "What you're dealing with is outside my area of expertise."

"You can't be serious," Ruli snapped impatiently. "We put them in this situation. The least we can do is help them."

"I've given my assessment," BlackGatomon replied in her direction. "Also, I remind you that they brought upon our current scenario."

"Which they were already helping us fix before we even knew that!"

"Ruli…" Angoramon approached his partner diplomatically.

"Have you considered circumstances are more complicated than that?" Kiyo asked with less tact.

Ruli rolled her eyes. "Oh, don't start!"

Even the hypnotized Bakemon paused in place at the sound of Ruli's shouting. Matt doubted anyone was shocked that the two were about to start up again, but he had hoped that the pair of locals could hold off for however long they needed to get to where they were going. Of course, he knew better than most that high-stress situations never helped group tensions.

"I'm just making an observation," Kiyo snapped back.

"You observe everything!" Ruli yelled.

"So I don't make snap decisions without information!"

Matt supposed that the flashbacks he started having were unavoidable. Flashbacks to another pair of kids, one headstrong and always game to charge in without a plan, the other needing to be cautious enough to balance those tendencies out. They had fought a lot, very occasionally at the expense of the third party that tried to mediate between them.

Back in the present, Matt observed his own friends. Izzy and Kari seemed worried, while also more reserved on the matter. Cody looked more frustrated, but had apparently already broken up a fight between Kiyo and Ruli only for things to lead back here. For his part, Matt felt out of his depth, but the best mediators he knew were worlds away. In the end, duty won out, specifically that he felt he wasn't really doing his job if he let a friendship deteriorate right in front of him.

"Alright," Matt said, softly at first but raising his voice as he stepped in between the two. "Timeout, guys."

To his relief, Ruli and Kiyo did each take a step back. Glares on their faces said the tension was still there, but that they felt guilty enough to at least take a breath felt like a small win.

"Until they start again," Jellymon commented.

Matt shrugged. "Okay, then let's talk this out now."

"What's there left to talk about?" Ruli asked through her teeth.

"A lot, apparently," Matt explained, calmly and plainly. "Look, we're walking into a fight. How tough or easy it'll be will depend on us trusting each other. With the way things are now, we might be better off with one or both of you sitting this out."

"Maybe that would be for the best," Kiyo resigned.

Matt nodded, but looked opposite him. "What do you think, Ruli?"

At some point while Matt had been speaking, Ruli's eyeline had lowered to the sidewalk. Her fists were clenched at her sides, though her expression had changed from angry to more nervous.

"I think he's missing the point," she finally said.

"Then enlighten me," Kiyo requested, a bit of confrontation still in his voice.

Ruli relaxed and looked back up. "Even before we met, I spent so much time trying to figure out what I wanted to do with my life. Then I met Hiro, and you, and it clicked. Helping people and lost digimon was what I was best at."

"Why do you think I'm still here?" Kiyo asked, actually sounding a bit surprised. "I like helping people too. It's just that someone has to be the voice of reason."

Ruli crossed her arms. "Except you push back against everything."

"Because you never listen to me!" Kiyo paused, his shoulders sinking. "You never had any problem listening to Hiro."

"Hiro was the buffer between you two," Matt concluded. Again, the flashbacks were unavoidable.

Kiyo looked past him to Ruli. "I miss him too, you know."

Ruli shook her head. "I'm not sure we can work together without him."

"That depends on you guys," Matt pointed out, looking ahead of them in the direction they had been walking. "Sounds to me like you both know where Hiro would stand if he were here."

"For the record," Kiyo said after a brief pause. "I don't think we should wait to rescue Akira. I just would be more comfortable if we had a plan."

"Do you have anything in mind?" Ruli asked, cautiously but diplomatically.

Matt looked over his shoulder. "Any thoughts on that, Izzy?"

"Some," Izzy answered, hand on his chin. "It'll be easier once we actually see what we're dealing with."

Their group started moving forward again, some small conversations on potential strategies coming up. Matt took the opportunity to move to the front of the group, where Kari and Gatomon walked just behind their Bakemon guide.

"Told you so," Kari said to him, the smugness sounding a bit foreign in her voice.

Matt played it cool, simply shrugging and not reacting much. At this moment, though, he did note Gatomon looking over her shoulder, leading him to glance in the same direction.

BlackGatomon stared back at them, unreadable as ever. Granted, there didn't seem to be any ill-intent in his eyes, but they were in his sights regardless. What that meant for them, however, would have to wait just a bit longer.

Mari's entire body stiffened. There was a logical part of her brain that registered Zanbamon and the threat he represented, but indecision overwrote those thoughts. She juggled the different ways she could respond, but a voice in her head told her why each wouldn't work. All possibilities boiled down to fight or flight, but thinking specifically-

"Mari!" Sora yelled next to her.

Zanbamon had raised one of his swords, though Sora had reacted fast, grabbing Mari and pulling her aside just as the blade embedded itself into the ground where they had just been standing. Mari and Sora both toppled over, just as Gabumon began to glow and change shape. Now BlackGarurumon, the Champion digimon growled and leapt forward.

Unfortunately, literally nothing happened, BlackGarurumon passing through Zanbamon's translucent form like he wasn't even there. Mari's eyes darted back and forth between the Mega and where he had struck, his sword having been solid enough to leave a sizable impact point. Before she could reconcile the two instances, Sora yanked her to her feet.

Following Sora's lead, Mari tried to run in the opposite direction, though they were cut off when Zanbamon launched himself over them and landed in their path. A jet of blue flames courtesy of BlackGarurumon separated them, or at least appeared to. Zanbamon simply walked through the attack, once again like the flames weren't even touching him.

"Mari…" Sora spoke up softly, now quickly scanning their surroundings. "You have to focus."

Understanding her meaning, Mari looked inward, focusing in on her desire to protect them and any other stray thought that might trigger her Crest. Before she could even identify it, something tugged at the back of her mind.

Digivolution kicking in again, BlackGarurumon stood on his hind legs, the rest of his body shifting into a more humanoid shape. BlackWereGarurumon dashed forward like he had gotten a second wind.

Like before, his claws didn't make contact, but he didn't end his assault there. Consecutive strikes followed, leading to Zanbamon locking onto BlackWereGarurumon with an annoyed stare. The Ultimate dropped a kick downward, though Zanbamon caught this one in the palm of his hand. Without much more effort, he grabbed hold of BlackWereGarurumon and tossed him into a nearby tree.

Mari felt a cramp in her chest, just as she realized how little what she had just accomplished mattered. She wondered if she would even be able to run away correctly.

As far as Tai was concerned, the current battle was the worst kind of fight. At least when dealing with opponents like Piedmon in the past, there had been a clear and identifiable power gap. Back then, when WarGreymon had no chance against the final Dark Master, it was at least a scenario he accepted going in. Their job hadn't been to win, but survive long enough for Matt to return and even the odds, which he eventually did.

What made this fight with Crossmon worse in Tai's mind was the way their enemy had stacked the deck. Yes, WarGreymon as getting tired, his armor worn down and even his Brave Shield starting to crack under repeated attacks. Tai could say for a fact, however, that his partner could have ended this fight on his own if they had only been dealing with one Crossmon. Instead they had to contend with three, three who Tai was convinced were all variants of the same digimon, rallied around some grudge that he didn't even know the origin of.

While WarGreymon squared off with one on his own, ShineGreymon flew into the face of another. The Crossmon blocked the first strike, though was clearly just as surprised as Tai was when Marcus jumped off his partner's shoulder, landing a punch to the side of Crossmon's head. With another spark of orange data, the Crossmon flinched, then swung a talon to retaliate. ShineGreymon was ready, though, grabbing hold of Marcus between his the palms of his hands to shield him, while swinging his tail with the same motion and batting his opponent aside.

Within seconds, though, the third Crossmon charged back in and rammed right into ShineGreymon. Which, of course, was just the same pattern they had been repeating over and over again. Tai looked off to his side, where his friends were drawing the attention of the Argomon. The best hope they had right now was them wrapping up that fight and joining this one.

Before he could count the remaining Argomon, however, a glow from the Crossmon that ShineGreymon had just knocked down caught his eye.

"WarGreymon, heads up!" Tai called out once he saw the sightline.

Reacting immediately, WarGreymon propelled off his current opponent. Crossmon had heard the warning as well, so quickly changed his target.

Tai dove away, though was still plenty close enough that he felt the heat of the impact point.

With another flash of light in the corner of her eye, Rei's attention was drawn back through the hole in the hut. Once more, the distance made it difficult to see exactly what had happened. It looked like Tai had dodged Crossmon's attack, but the dust and rubble combined with the direction he had been thrown in meant Rei lost track of him.

Any sense of dread she felt, however, fizzled instantly. Rei had trouble feeling shock when she was responsible for the ground they were losing, hidden away when she was supposed to be out there helping. Her gaze gravitated to the training dummy, still standing despite everything going on around them. Logically, Rei knew the thing was just a piece of exercise equipment, but that didn't stop her from feeling like it had defeated her.

"I'm sorry for what I said before," Koromon spoke up again. "I know that you still care."

"I deserved it," Rei replied, feeling tired all of a sudden. "If I actually cared about anyone, I wouldn't keep running and hiding away."

"Do you remember when we first met?"

Rei said nothing, but her partner's question was enough to dig up a vivid memory.

It had been five years ago, when her father had taken her to the Digital World for the first time. Rei had grown up on fairy tale-like stories of this place, and seeing it for the first time at that age made it feel all the more like an adventure. She jumped at her first chance to wander off and explore on her own.

The first digimon she came across were a pair of Gazimon, neither beating the stereotypes of them being thugs by picking on a little pink blob. Rei's instincts had kicked in, grabbing a rock and lobbing right into one of their faces.

"Pick on someone your own size, you ugly little weasels!" Rei had warned them.

The one she had hit clutched his nose in pain. Both of them had been pissed. Rei had tried act fast, grabbing the smaller digimon and running back the way she came. The plan seemed to be working fine, until she tripped.

The Gazimon right behind, Rei tucked the In-Training digimon under herself to shield them. The first claw attack came quickly, deep enough that she still had faded scars to this day, though thankfully not so deep that they were life threatening.

A second attack never came, mainly due to heavy footfalls approaching them. Needless to say, the Gazimon were a lot less tough when Greymon was hovering over them.

"I knew right then that I wanted to be your partner," Koromon continued, bringing Rei's attention back to the present. "And I didn't even know what a Digidestined was back then."

"Why?" Rei didn't have the energy to dig up any other response.

Koromon grinned. "Because you fought for the people you loved even when you weren't strong enough to win. Maybe even especially when."

Rei shook her head. "Except that I need to be strong enough now."

"That's why we fight together." Koromon spoke slower, her enthusiasm becoming more strained. "All of us, like you said you wanted to with your parents."

Rei snorted. "These people here don't want me fighting with them, and they're right."

"Stop talking about yourself like that!" Koromon yelled, angry eyes trained forward.

"I don't even know why I'm still alive-"

Rei's thought was cut short by a little pink blob flying at her chest.

Mari's self pity didn't have much time to fester. Within a second of Zanbamon turning back around to face them, Sora had a hold of her arm again. They started to run, though that felt a bit pointless as Zanbamon began to pick up speed again.

Luckily, before the Mega could sprint after them, BlackWereGarurumon flew right through his torso. Not discouraged by failing to make contact again, BlackWereGarurumon spun on his heel, claws glowing like they were digging through the air itself. A lance of energy formed, flying in Zanbamon's face.

Once more the attack phased right through its target, though this time Zanbamon scowled at his opponent. Both swords brandished, he swung once, which BlackWereGarurumon was able to dodge by leaping upward. The Mega jabbed forward with his second blade, and though the werewolf digimon tried to pivot, he couldn't avoid getting slashed in the abdomen. Rearing back on his hind legs, Zanbamon kicked his front hooves forward, one of them connecting directly with BlackWereGarurumon's head. The Ultimate crashed into the ground, back in his Rookie form by the time he stopped tumbling backwards.

"We have to move," Sora said, quieter and calmer than before.

"G-Gabumon…" Mari spoke up, scared but maybe more so of losing her partner.

"I'll get him," Sora replied in a confident and reassuring tone, one that sounded hauntingly familiar. "Now go. The others will meet you at the edge of the clearing."

Mari shook her head. "I can't-"

"Yes, you can," Sora said sternly, before taking a deep breath. "That's the story of our lives. We were chosen to do this job, but that's it. Us winning or losing isn't set in stone. We have to make that happen."

Mari felt as though she had blinked and Sora was suddenly running to Gabumon. Still, Mari couldn't bring herself to run, and not just because of memories of leaving her parents. Her brain had jumpstarted itself, a mess of thoughts all trying to reconcile.

First and forefront, though, was Sora's admitting that she might choose to stop being a Digidestined. It was something Mari had never thought too much about, but obviously her parents had "retired" at one point or another. Their stories had mostly been centered on when they had been her age, so Mari supposed part of her had always assumed that was just fate as dictated by the Digital World, that it had moved on from them to her friends.

Mari still had so many questions now, questions that she might never get answered. Had her parents avoided telling her about their later years as Digidestined on purpose, or just not gotten around to before Abbadomon arrived? Was there a set ending to all of this that they forgot to warn her about, or was she expected to find it on her own?

"...I don't believe in destiny. At least not as something you can't choose for yourself."
"We just gotta take things at at our own pace. The people we care about need us to."
"There was no mistake. The only reason you shouldn't be a Digidestined is if you don't want to be one."
"...when this is all settled, it's a choice I'll have to make."

Whatever her parents thought, it was clear what the Digidestined here and now believed. The beliefs they fought for and lived by.

Mari ran, but in the same direction as Sora.

"What'd you do that for?" Rei snapped, having barely managed to catch the In-Training digimon as she crashed into her.

At first, Koromon only glared back upwards, a fire reignited in her eyes. With as carefree as she typically was, it was rare to see her this angry and focused. The fight outside almost sounded like it had gotten quieter.

"I'm doing what you taught me!" Koromon finally declared.

Rei arched an eyebrow. "In what way, exactly?"

"By standing up for the people I care about!" Koromon wriggled free and dropped back to the ground. "And I don't like the way you're talking about my partner!"

Rei hesitated, then tensed up. "Your partner is weak!"

"And I love her just the same!"

The hut went silent again. Despite how simple the words spoken were, Rei felt them in her chest. Sharp, though not cold or painful.

Rei had had the human-digimon partnership explained to her in a number of different ways by a number of different people. Izzy, for example, was very technical, though most of her uncle's jargon went over her head. Her Aunt Kari, on the other hand, described it as something that could only be felt rather than explained. While this more abstract answer didn't satisfy all of her friends, it suited Rei just fine.

The bond was there regardless, a connection forged to share strength and emotions. Rei didn't need to understand it to feel it, least of all in this moment where he partner's emotions were so loud. They struck and rang as true, so dense that Rei felt stupid for denying their existence.

The Crest of Love around Rei's neck vibrated, ever so slightly, and a flash engulfed Koromon, bringing her back to a familiar reptilian shape.

"Please…" Agumon begged softly. "That little girl who saved me all those years ago, I know how strong she is. We can't lose her."

Rei couldn't think of a response, and anything she could say without thinking was lodged in her throat. While Agumon's words were sincere, Rei still wasn't sure that she had the right to accept them.

"You're still not listening to what I'm sayin'," Agumon added after couple more seconds of silence, as smoke leaked out of her mouth and nostrils. "Fine, I'll show you how I feel instead."

Agumon released a small ball of fire from her mouth, which Rei followed as it flew past her. It hit Marcus' training dummy dead-on, causing it to go up in flames.

"What's the point of that?" Rei looked on as it burned for a couple more seconds. As she turned back around, she felt a soft smile form on her face. "You know you're just gonna keep talking anyway."

"Because I know you're always listening!" Agumon's voice cracked, moisture clearly forming in the corners of her eyes.

"Well, I figure you run your mouth so much that you'll eventually say something right." Rei leaned down, hugging her partner tightly. "Thanks."

"No problem," Agumon chirped triumphantly as they parted, though paused to nervously scratch her chin. "Hey, you don't think Marcus'll be mad that I broke his thingy, right?"

Rei shrugged. "Eh, we'll just blame it on another Agumon. There'll probably be thirty of you guys here by the end of the day."

"Yes, yes, we promise to corroborate your story," Falcomon chimed in, him and the other digimon not completely forgotten in a nearby corner. "Assuming we all survive this."

"Oh, right!" Agumon jogged over to the hole in the wall to peak outside.

"It's time to get in there," Rei announced. She didn't have a plan, but given how things had been going the last time she had looked outside, winging it felt like it would do less harm than doing nothing.

"Do you can beat them?" Xiaomon asked, cautiously stepping out from behind Falcomon.

"You watch us." Rei nodded, before marching outside.

Mari picked up speed, just as Zanbamon seemed to zero in on his targets. Sora had made it Gabumon, but there was no way she would be able carry him and escape at the same time. Mari wished she had time to come up with some kind of plan, but she was out of time for that.

Not thinking period, Mari scooped up a fallen tree branch, before skidding to a halt between Zanbamon and Gabumon and Sora. She had no idea what she was doing, the branch in her hand not even sharp enough to hurt another human, let alone an armored Mega level digimon. At the moment, however, that was no longer the point.

"St-Stop right there!" Mari yelled upward, and to her shock more than anyone else's, Zanbamon stopped in his tracks.

As Rei stepped onto the battlefield, WarGreymon and ShineGreymon looked like they had been backed into a corner. More or less next to each other, with the former down on one knee and the latter hunched over like he was having trouble standing himself. The three Crossmon were closing in, head crests glowing with energy, and that wasn't even considering the Argomon swarming everyone else.

Rei glanced over her shoulder, at the hut full of digimon that needed their protection, and then to her partner. With a nod between them, she had all the conviction she needed.

"I'm ready," Agumon confirmed.

"Then let's get 'em!" Rei pulled on the goggles and sweatband around her neck, yanking them up and snapping them against her forehead. Eyes forward, she felt Agumon's emotions in sync with hers.

"Agumon, warp digivolve to…"

Zanbamon tilted his head, like he wasn't sure what to make of Mari. Eventually, he pointed a sword at her.

"What does this accomplish?" the samurai asked.

"You're not killing anyone else," Mari answered, her legs shaking. "I w-won't let you."

"Very well." Zanbamon nodded. "Die with honor, orphan."

Whether it was fear or determination, Mari legs refused to move. A golden glow and warmth emanated from her front pocket, as a matching sensation was building behind her.

"Gabumon, warp digivolve to…"

Agumon's mass increased in every aspect, arms and legs lengthening to more humanoid proportions. Red plating formed around her legs and chest, while three-pronged gauntlets grew around her wrists. Rectangular and seemingly cannon-shaped wings grew out of her shoulder blades, as yellow eyes blinked to life one her now three-horned head.

Gabumon's form became taller and and more slender, with golden armor covering him from head to toe. Multi-edged blades emerged as shoulder armor, from which a blue scarf billowed out. All punctuated by an ornate naginata materializing in his hand.

"...BlitzGreymon!"

"...CresGarurumon!"

BlitzGreymon impacted the ground like a meteor, right in the Crossmons' path. As they hesitated, she trained her new weapons forward, all crackling with energy.

As Zanbamon brought his sword down over Mari's head, CresGarurumon intercepted it with his own blade. While Zanbamon retreated a couple paces, CresGarurumon adopted a battle stance with a ferocious howl.

Chapter Text

As best Rei could tell, there was maybe a couple second's pause after BlitzGreymon placed herself on the field. An angry squawk followed once the Crossmon were done gawking, the one placed at the center of their formation flying forward first. Even being far enough away that she wasn't in any immediate danger, Rei still felt she was reacting too slowly as talons lashed at her partner.

BlitzGreymon didn't try to dodge, however, instead lowering gauntlets just enough to what looked like a fighting stance. With her left gauntlet, she deflected the talon, something this Crossmon clearly wasn't ready for. Enemy now off balance, BlitzGreymon drove her right gauntlet into him.

A crack rang out as the blow connected with Crossmon's helmet, bits flaking off as he crashed and rolled past his counterparts. An involuntary smirk tugged at Rei's mouth, probably just down to how satisfying the sound and sight were. Now it was time to get serious.

The second Crossmon seemed to think the same, lunging forward without hesitating. This blow caught BlitzGreymon before she could block, audibly scraping against her armor. While there didn't seem to be any visible marks, body language said that she had felt it.

"You gotta keep moving!" Rei called out.

Getting the message, BlitzGreymon kicked herself off the ground, just as the third Crossmon flew in for a follow-up attack. Big and bulky as she was, though, BlitzGreymon wasn't quite as agile as she needed to be. The Crossmon caught her leg, throwing off her balance and sending her stumbling back downward. She stayed on her feet, though the second Crossmon was circling back around.

"Fine, let's try something a little different!" BlitzGreymon bellowed, just as electricity started to spark around her armor.

Said electricity formed a dome around her before the Crossmon could change course. Crashing into the dome, Crossmon screeched as the current dug into his armor.

"Alright!" Rei pumped a fist upward. "Deep fry that chicken!"

"You read my mind," BlitzGreymon replied, energy collecting at the tips of her gauntlets. With the third Crossmon about-facing, she pointed them at the one caught in her field.

"PLASMA STAKE!"

The energy projected forward, sending Crossmon flying backward into his namesake. Rei was ready to give the order to keep the pressure on, if not for the white energy beam hitting BlitzGreymon square in the back, dropping the Mega to her knees.

"Your… kind…" the first Crossmon growled as he approached. "Die!"

Recovered, the other two ascended back into the air, energy building around their headcrests.

"No, no…" Rei muttered, eyes briefly falling to her empty hands, searching for a method to pitch in and support her partner.

An orange tornado suddenly flew over her head, colliding with the second of the Crossmon. Caught unaware, the avian digimon pushed back for a second or two, only for the tornado to push harder. Digging into his chest armor, Crossmon was eventually propelled away and dropped at the feet of the the initial Crossmon. The tornado stopped spinning with that, revealing WarGreymon.

Not far behind, ShineGreymon rose into the air, brandishing a golden double-bladed sword with red accents. The third Crossmon tried to maneuver away, though not before one of his wings was cleaved right off. Grabbing the Crossmon by the head with his offhand, ShineGreymon threw him out of the air, causing him to crash on top of the other two.

Rei peeled her attention away from the fight just in time to notice Tai coming up at her side. Scraped and bruised but not letting of it show on his face, he gave her a nod before locking onto his targets.

"Let's end this," Tai said, both calmly and loudly, as he pointed at the Crossmon. "Concentrate fire!"

"Fire, huh?" Marcus strolled up, smug look on his face. "Well, you guys heard him!"

"On it, Boss!" ShineGreymon replied, as his wings splayed out, drawing in energy and redirecting it into his hands.

"GLORIOUS BURST!"

The fireball blasted from ShineGreymon's palms, just as a similar sphere finished forming in between WarGreymon's claws.

"TERRA FORCE!"

The attacks converged, engulfing all three of their targets. The trio of Crossmon screeched and squawked, though as much as they flailed, they couldn't escape the firestorm.

Not that Rei paid them much mind. While she felt no pity for them, she was past any sense of vindictiveness. By association with Dragomon, they had hurt people she cared about, and she was going to make sure they never got the chance to add to that count.

Rei gave no order, BlitzGreymon taking aim as her shoulder-mounted weaponry rotated itself forward. Electricity massing around her once more, the Mega's entire form seemed to vibrate.

"THUNDER VERNIER!"

The lightning bolt fired from the cannons, leading to Rei covering her eyes to block out the brief flash. When she opened her eyes again, the flames from the previous two attacks had been extinguished along with the three Crossmon.

"I think it's safe to say we got 'em," BlitzGreymon declared as she sank to one knee.

"Yeah, them," Tai added, looking over his shoulder. "That still leaves us with-"

"GATE OF DESTINY!"

MagnaAngemon declaring his attack echoed over the battlefield, a golden gate spinning and opening amongst the Argomon. As it did, it seemed to expand, bits of Celestial energy radiating off it. It was brief, but whatever Argomon remained were drawn in, the gate sealing behind them.

"Ah, man," ShineGreymon whined. "Why'd he have to go and keep 'em all for himself?"

BlitzGreymon, on the other hand, simply exhaled. Her Mega form fell away, leaving only Agumon once more.

"Mega's kinda tough to hold onto," the Rookie commented.

"You'll get used to it," Rei said as she approached, hesitating before latching on and pulling Agumon into a hug. She didn't look back up for a bit, partly due to the cold reminder of how much she had lost hanging around in the back of her head. With that, however, was another reminder of how much she still had to lose and would continue to fight for.

It was a couple seconds before Mari realized that she was holding her breath. Despite two Mega-level digimon staring each other down, everything else had gone still and quiet. The calm before the storm, though Mari's instincts told her they were best off ending this battle quickly before it escalated again.

Zanbamon broke the stalemate first, stepping forward for a single swing for each of his swords. CresGarurumon was ready, raising and reorienting his naginata to deflect each strike. With Zanbamon off balance, CresGarurumon lunged to strike, only to pass through the samurai's ghostly form once more. As CresGarurumon spun on his heel, the two quickly locked eyes again.

Mari focused, specifically on their opponent. Zanbamon was clearly able control when he was solid or not, deftly at that. They needed to anticipate when he would strike, to counterattack faster and harder. A brief moment of eye-contact with CresGarurumon told Mari that the two of them were on the same page. They just had to wait for their moment.

Zanbamon suddenly became more aggressive, and it was then that Mari saw it. As her partner blocked repeated sword strikes, a slight gleam on Zanbamon's swords before each impact became impossible to ignore. Whether it was energy or just sunlight catching the blades differently when they were completely solid, Mari wasn't sure, but this was their best opportunity.

"H-His swords!" Mari pointed out, nervous that saying more would tip their hand. Of course, knowing her luck, she had already said too much, but she told herself to hold the self-pity for if they failed.

CresGarurumon gave no obvious acknowledgment, too busy keeping his eyes on Zanbamon. Instead, there was a quick shift in the positioning of his feet, leading into him pouncing again. As expected, his sword passed through its target, the momentum carrying his entire body through Zanbamon and leaving his back exposed.

Or at least it did for appearances sake. Whatever CresGarurumon couldn't see over his shoulder, Mari had a complete view of. As Zanbamon took the bait, Mari couldn't miss his swords become solid again.

"Now!" Mari called out, trusting the rest to her partner.

His naginata illuminated with blueish energy, CresGarurumon spun back around to face the attack head-on. In the blade's wake, a number of ghostly copies appeared in the air around him.

"ICE MOON FANG!"

As CresGarurumon jabbed his weapon forward, the apparitions followed suit, flying through the air and catching Zanbamon mid-stride. Each one impaled the samurai, everywhere from his shoulders and chest to his individual legs, patches of ice forming at each impact point.

Zanbamon grunted and shifted, his body eventually starting to glitch and vibrate. While some of the patches of ice fell off, others remained, his signature ability clearly hindered now. This was their one chance, and Mari didn't have to tell her partner not to waste it.

CresGarurumon closed the distance between them, going for a wide swing. Zanbamon yelled, however, flexing his left arm hard enough to break apart the ice encasing it. An energy wave flew from the sword in that hand, hitting CresGarurumon before he could get within reach and sending him flying backwards.

Mari's chest went cold, and whatever parts of her brain that had been coming up with their strategies stopped outright. As a frustrated Zanbamon turned to face her, she felt her legs lock into place, though she couldn't decide if that was resolve to fight or them just being as unsure about what to do as the rest of her body.

Fortunately, Zanbamon would only get to take a single step before a massive talon fell out of the sky and landed right on top of him. Mari blinked and shook her head, needing a couple seconds to look upward and register Garudamon's presence.

Mari turned and found Sora standing right next to her, having actually forgotten about her in all the intensity going on around them. Sora, for her part though, seemed just as focused, with a cellphone hanging by her side in one hand, and her digivice glowing red in her other as she pointed it into the sky.

Any questions Mari might have had were cut short when Garudamon's foot shifted. Phasing right through her, Zanbamon rose up, raising both swords in the Ultimate's direction. Unfortunately for him, however, that came with the telling gleam that Mari was becoming all too familiar with.

A golden blur emerged from the nearby treeline, gracefully flying into and past Zanbamon. Coming to a rest a few meters away, CresGarurumon used the pole of his naginata to keep himself on his feet.

Noticing Zanbamon had stopped moving, Mari focused on their opponent, noticing everything was still and quiet once more. About five more seconds passed, before Zanbamon's head fell to the ground, having been cleanly cut off at the neck. A couple more seconds later, the head burst into data, with Zanbamon's body following suit.

CresGarurumon flashed, returning to his Rookie form. Her legs wobbling, Mari sat down before they gave out entirely.

"Good job, Mari," Sora said, leaning down to place a reassuring hand on her shoulder.

Mari said nothing, some combination of relief and exhaustion taking over. Anything else could wait for the time being. After all, there was no telling exactly what was in store for them.

Standing atop yet another warehouse, Matt couldn't decide if it was worth it to feel disappointed or not. Kiyo had given a brief rundown of this Myotismon's history, mainly how he had operated under the guise of an affluent human, and that these warehouses were left over assets from his company. He supposed it wouldn't matter in a few moments anyway.

"They're definitely in there," Salamon said softly as they leaned against one of the skylights.

Matt looked to Garurumon, who confirmed with a nod. It was dark inside, making it difficult to see for himself, but he could just make out shadows moving below them. He looked over the rest of the rooftop, finding Izzy, Tentomon, and BlackGatomon at the ready. Everyone else had probably taken their positions already and were waiting on the final signal.

"We good on the plan?" Matt asked, wanting to confirm before he sent out said signal.

"I wish we had a bit more space to work with," Izzy replied as he peered into the warehouse. It was about three stories tall, which meant it presented the same issue as the crypt they had left behind in their world. Limited space for a digimon like Kabuterimon to be effective in.

"Just stay on standby in case things go south." Matt chanced a glance at Salamon, who he also wanted someone to sit with when the fighting started. While the Rookie's previous actions had led them here, he wasn't about to roll the dice on letting them wander off again.

"We should be fine as long as none of you overcomplicate this," BlackGatomon commented, taking steps away from the window.

Matt rolled his eyes. "And where will you be?"

"In the shadows, in case I need to mend any additional dimensional incursions."

Not feeling that there was anything else worth saying, Matt pulled out Ruli's borrowed cellphone. Taking one last look at the shadows below them, he typed a quick message to Kiyo to confirm they were ready, before hitting another button on the phone labeled "share location".

A couple more seconds passed, and then a pulse of data washed over them. While the cityscape remained, it was once again worn down and covered by the overgrowth from their first arrival in this reality.

"What exactly is this place?" Izzy asked as he looked around them. "Kiyo called it a digital field, but that doesn't line up with how we've come to understand the term. It seems like a separate plane of existence altogether."

"A demi-plane, more accurately," BlackGatomon clarified. "The digital infrastructure is so deeply embedded in this city that it generates a thin but tangible layer between the Material and Digital Worlds. Their Vital Bracelets allow the children access to and from this layer."

"Hence why we arrived there," Izzy quickly concluded. "It's an actual place, not one fabricated by the digivices."

BlackGatomon grunted. "That was likely aided by how often it gets utilized for the children's battles. Barriers between the planes might be thinning out."

"Matt?" Garurumon spoke up.

Not wanting to get distracted by the technical talk, Matt checked the warehouse interior again. The digital "demi-plane" seemed to illuminate the inside, giving him a better view of Myotismon and his goons. They had clearly noticed the shift around them and were looking around the room, like they were trying to make sense of it.

Matt nodded. "Yeah, let's not give them a chance to run."

With one last salute to everyone else, he climbed onto his partner's back. Garurumon approached the skylight, at first gently placing his paw on top of it. He increased the pressure gradually, though, digging his claws into the glass until it eventually shattered. Their way in clear, he dove inside.

As they landed among Myotismon and his assorted henchmen, Matt immediately clocked a container they seemed to be standing around. Recalling Kari's story of where they had been keeping the previous group of children, he had trouble not jumping to conclusions.

"Give us the kid and no one gets deleted!" Matt warned.

Myotismon sighed. "This whole night has been nothing but a bother."

The vampire flicked his wrist, prompting Sangloupmon to pounce into action. Garurumon leapt backwards and on top of a nearby crate. Sangloupmon continued his pursuit as Garurumon dove off the crate, leading the vampiric hound deeper into the warehouse.

With things going as predicted so far, Garurumon slowed down just enough for Matt to dismount. With the two canine digimon starting to circle each other, Matt doubled back, maneuvering until the crate holding Akira was back in his sights.

That was about when Matadormon cut off his path. Matt fell over dodging the first swipe of the digimon's claws, before said claws came back down and pierced the floor around him. While Matt managed to avoid getting so much as scratched, the way the claws were splayed out kept him pinned in place.

"What did you think that would accomplish?" Matadormon asked smugly.

Matt smirked. "Got you over here, didn't I?"

A crash followed, all eyes that been on him and Garurumon now back on the crate in the center of the room. Gatomon clung to the crates frame, having just smashed its lock with her claws.

From his current angle, Matt could have sworn he saw Myotismon's arms and shoulders shake a bit. He reeled his arm back, manifesting a lance of his signature "Crimson Lightning". By the time he brought it down, however, Gatomon able to cleanly dodge the strike.

"Why do you insist on defying me?" Myotismon snarled, approaching where the feline had landed just as the Bakemon started to surround her.

"You could call it a hobby of mine," Gatomon quipped, though while keeping an intense glare in her eyes.

"Don't you dare look at me like that!" Myotismon snapped, voice echoing around them. "You're all beneath me!"

"No, Myotismon, you're the lowest kind of lifeform," another voice replied, one Matt almost didn't recognize due to its severe tone.

Kari stepped out of a nearby shadow, the surrounding Bakemon letting her pass as she stepped to Gatomon's side. Though Kari might as well have been the one surrounding them with how calm she seemed.

"Excuse me?" Myotismon continued to simmer.

"You…" Kari began slowly, never breaking eye-contact. "You ruin the lives of digimon and humans alike on a whim, and still think your actions are justified?"

Myotismon's fists clenched. "I have no need to justify my actions, least of all to those without the power to stop me."

"Uh, Master…" one of the Bakemon said nervously. Wrapped around one of his claws was a fake Crest of Light, which was starting to glow with increased intensity.

"Which is what we were brought here for," Kari continued. "To end your cruelty once and for all."

The Crest flashed, exploding into fragments. In an instant, Angewomon stood before them, Matt wondering if anyone had caught Gatomon's digivolution.

"Give all the speeches you want." Myotismon took a single step back. "You're all nothing but distractions."

Angewomon grinned. "At least you're right about one thing."

As if on cue, the floor beneath them shuddered once, and then continued shaking. Not more than a couple meters away from the crate, the floor cracked, bursting open a few seconds later, filling the air with dust and debris. There seemed to be a brief panic among the Bakemon, only settling when Myotismon waved an angry hand at them. By this point shadows were emerging from the hole that had just opened.

"Howdy," Digmon said as he came into view, drill bits still spinning. Cody quickly appeared by his side, followed shortly by Kiyo, Ruli, and their partners.

The latter two humans shared a glance at one another, not one Matt necessarily recognized, but still felt familiar all the same. Almost in sync, they held out their digivices, their respective partners charging forward without a word.

"Angoramon, digivolve to…"

The rabbit digimon became taller and slimmer, gaining a pair of brown gloves and black pants. As his ears lengthened into a set of blades, a pair determined eyes revealed themselves from behind his fur.

"...SymbareAngoramon!"

"Jellymon, digivolve to…"

As she grew slightly taller, the jellyfish arms on her headpiece grew out, taking on pink and purple accents. Her leotard manifested extra frills, punctuated by black combat boots and gloves sparking with electricity.

"...TeslaJellymon!"

All eyes snapped back to Angewomon just as quickly, as she released a wave of pink light from her clasped hands. The Bakemon around her all faltered, disoriented and looking around like they didn't recognize their surroundings.

Any doubt that they had been freed from their hypnosis was put to rest when they tried to flee in different directions. Digmon was the first to respond, reflexively leaping into midst of the Bakemon, landing on a couple of them.

"Running away? Am I boring you?" Digmon taunted, firing the drills from his arms and nose and pinning the Bakemon to the warehouse's crates and support pillars. "Sorry, I'll try to be a little more animated!"

Looking up, Matt noted a nervous look on Matadormon's face as he took in the battle going on around him. Before he could follow through on whatever thoughts going through his head, however, SymbareAngoramon was right in front of him, delivering a powerful kick to his lower jaw.

Said kick lifted Matadormon upward, giving Matt a chance to roll away and out of harm's way. Not that Matadormon seemed to care either way, quickly turning his blades on SymbareAngoramon. The rabbit digimon was agile enough to keep out of his opponent's reach, however, using the blades on his ears to deflect any strikes he couldn't dodge.

SymbareAngoramon quickly began his counterattack with a trio of kicks, though seemed to overreach on the last one. Dodging, Matadormon took the opportunity to swipe at the rabbit digimon's midsection. Though nimble enough that he was only grazed, SymbareAngoramon was forced to retreat, with Matadormon in pursuing.

Suddenly, like she was hiding in her friend's shadow, TeslaJellymon appeared from behind him. Propelling herself past Matadormon's blades, she managed to latch her hands onto the vampire digimon's face, following up by producing a spark of electricity that stunned him in place.

SymbareAngoramon threw himself back into the fight, throwing out a series of kicks in quick succession, knocking Matadormon onto his back. TeslaJellymon flew up into the air right after, sending down one last bolt of energy. Once the attack subsided, Matadormon twitched, making one last attempt to lift himself back up.

"HOWLING BLASTER!"

Matt turned at the sound of his partner's attack, just in time to catch the blue flames push Sangloupmon away and right into Matadormon. Garurumon approached immediately after, joining SymbareAngoramon and TeslaJellymon in surrounding Myotismon's lieutenants and keeping them contained.

Refocusing on the vicinity of their objective, the whole warehouse was able to watch as Angewomon drove her fist into the side Myotismon's face, sending him stumbling backwards into a stack of boxes.

"Last chance," the Celestial digimon warned.

Myotismon took a moment to seethe, stumbling back to his feet, glancing around the room the entire time. Finally, he drew his arms back.

"NIGHTMARE-!"

"CELESTIAL ARROW!"

Angewomon loosed her attack, quickly and precisely, the arrow sailing cleanly through Myotismon's chest. He stood there speechless at first, repeatedly looking down at his wound. Just as he tried to open his mouth, he burst into a cloud of data before vanishing entirely.

"Like I said," TeslaJellymon commented. "They all turn to dust."

"Alright, we give up," Matadormon said suddenly, standing back up and exchanging a nod with Sangloupmon.

"Just like that?" Matt shot back skeptically.

Matadormon gestured to SymbareAngoramon and TeslaJellymon. "Rumors are that these two could reach Mega if they needed, and that's not even considering what you freaks might be capable of."

Matt decided not to push the issue, especially when no one else protested. Besides, the idea of what would essentially be a formal execution didn't sit well with him.

By that point, Kiyo had reached for his digivice, hitting a button that returned them all to the material world. One last look around confirmed that traces of the previous fight had disappeared, not even a speck of dust out of place, though that seemed to include restoring the lock on Akira's crate.

Digmon stepped up first. "Want me to-?"

Angewomon bypassed him without a word, reaching out to the container and breaking the lock with her bare hand.

"Whoa," Ruli said with wide eyes. "She's pretty fierce."

Before anyone could reply, Angewomon swung the door open, not even giving them a chance to hold their breath over what was inside. Very nonchalantly, Akira stepped out into the moonlight.

"Hiya!" he said with a wave.

"Hiya yourself, pal!" Salamon yelled from the back of the group, running over and tackling their partner.

Matt looked over his shoulder, spotting Izzy and Tentomon as they rejoined the rest of them. Kari, on the other hand, didn't wait to run over to Akira herself. She knelt down and frantically looked the boy over. From his vantage point, Matt couldn't make out any bite marks on his neck or anything similar.

"You're okay?" Kari spat out nervously.

Akira tilted his head. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"It's just that Myotismon wanted to…" Matt chimed in as he approached. He paused briefly, struggling to come up with tact the situation needed. "...drink your blood."

"Yeah, they all did," Akira said with a sigh, before smiling again. "That's why I asked which of them was first, and they started arguing about it."

"Wh-What?" Kari muttered.

Akira nodded. "Uncle Tai always says that bad guys don't stop talking if you let them, so I let them."

For his part, Matt couldn't figure out the right way to react. Under different circumstances, he might have rolled his eyes, as what Akira had just said sounded very Tai. That notion didn't last long after Kari started laughing.

Or at least it seemed like laughing at first. Kari quickly wrapped her arms tightly around the boy, and on closer inspection, there were tears running down the sides of her face.

"Kari?" Angewomon asked softly.

"Sorry, I, uh…" Kari said between breaths, not even looking up at her partner. "I don't know where this is coming from."

"Don't cry, Mommy," Akira said softly as he returned the hug. "I promise I won't let the bad guys take me again."

It was hard for Matt to gauge if the boy's words had made Kari's mood worse, though they definitely didn't seem to calm her down. The whole scene did leave a sinking feeling in his own chest, on the other hand. While their time in this reality had been constantly reminding him of their separation from the others, this was the first time he felt it quite like this. With everything here now settled, Matt was more certain than ever that they needed to find their friends.

Chapter Text

Relative to how the night had been going up to that point, Gatomon felt like everything following departing from the warehouse went quickly and smoothly. Without any speed-bumps or last-minute twists, they were gathered in Ruli's backyard making final preparations to finally leave this reality. She had been a bit concerned about the matter of the displaced Bakemon and Myotismon's lieutenants, though just as quickly as BlackGatomon had disappeared with them, he reappeared on his own with assurances that they all had been "sorted out." Gatomon let any paranoia the statement created pass, allowing herself to admit that her darker counterpart had been straight forward with them and took whatever his duties were seriously.

Everyone else seemed about ready to let the incident go anyway. Izzy and Cody remained vigilant, the latter in particular like he was expecting something to go wrong, while Matt leaned against the house with a quiet impatience. Ruli and Kiyo were mostly calm, having not sniped at each other once since their last big argument.

That left Kari, and while Gatomon always worried about her partner, something felt off at the moment. Kari had calmed down since rescuing Akira, though had also become distant, vacant stares as though she wasn't paying attention. It had seemed worth addressing, though Gatomon's one attempt at checking on her was met with Kari telling her they should just focus on finding the others.

"Are you sure there's nothing else you need?" Kiyo asked as they finished their final goodbyes.

"We're certain," Izzy answered as he placed a hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "If anything, I feel like we've imposed on you all for too long."

"I still think we should be going with you," Ruli said sternly, attitude and eyeline directed at BlackGatomon.

The feline digimon craned his neck in her direction. "Our responsibility is to this city, in this reality."

Ruli crossed her arms. "All the more reason for us to help, as far as I'm concerned."

"And risk some likely complication that would keep you from returning?" BlackGatomon sighed. "I'll reiterate that Dragomon is incapable of leaving the Void."

"Eh…" Salamon piped up, still refusing to take that assertion at face value.

Gatomon felt the sentiment. Even if Dragomon was truly trapped in the Dark Ocean, Matt had been right when he pointed out that it hadn't and wouldn't keep Abbadomon and Argomon from invading other worlds. They didn't have the luxury of waiting for Dragomon to fizzle out.

"Do you know where you're going?" Kiyo asked, like he was trying to change the conversation.

"That is the question…" Cody replied, looking elsewhere for clarification.

"Our first priority is Sora's group, since we know where they are," Izzy explained.

"We do?"

Izzy nodded. "Without getting into the technical aspect of the matter, which is that and then some, I opened that gate to a reality we're familiar with. Once we're back together, we can focus on finding Tai if need be."

"Let's get to it then," Matt concluded, already stood up straight and moving.

With Ruli, Kiyo, and their partners stepping back while her own friends moved to a more open spot in the yard, Gatomon lingered. With BlackGatomon not moving at first either, she decided to take one last try, to appeal for help or at least clarification as to why they weren't getting it.

"What's your actual concern?" Gatomon asked, calmly if not diplomatically.

"Traversal between realities leaves ripples, even with Celestial energy involved," BlackGatomon answered quietly, barely looking at her. "There's no telling what else could find its way here, even if we're careful."

Gatomon arched an eyebrow. "I thought Dragomon couldn't leave the Dark Ocean."

BlackGatomon's ear twitched. "There's more than just him out there. Forces that would gladly take advantage of being able to more easily move between timelines."

"Isn't that another reason to work together?"

Though BlackGatomon's face didn't betray any new emotions, the fact that he didn't have a ready response said enough. He clearly wasn't completely callous, otherwise he wouldn't step in to help as often it was said he did. As usual, the problem was that none of them were in easy positions.

"It doesn't hurt to make new friends," Gatomon said when it became clear her question wasn't going to be answered.

"Good luck," BlackGatomon said as he finally turned and walked away.

"Hmm…" Salamon's voice cut in from behind Gatomon. She spun around to find an amused look on the Rookie's face, likely at having their earlier advice to her echoed.

Gatomon rolled her eyes. "I never said I disagreed with you."

"I'd hope not," Salamon chirped before walking away as well. "You're the one who taught me that, after all."

Gatomon simply shook her head and followed them back to the others, knowing it wasn't worth trying to pick apart the particulars of time travel. Her friends seemed to be having plenty trouble as it was, apparently still discussing how they would reach their destination as she got closer.

"So we're sure that getting back into the Dark Ocean won't be a problem?" Cody asked, mostly patiently.

"Kari…" Gatomon said softly, nudging her partner's leg to get her attention.

"I doubt it," Kari replied without much energy. "I'm more concerned about Dragomon sensing us once we're there."

"Salamon and I'll be extra quiet!" Akira cheered.

"Uh-huh…" Gatomon gave Salamon a side-eye. "Are we sure that'll be enough?"

"The Dark Ocean is still a physical space," Izzy cut in. "Assuming Dragomon hasn't become omnipresent, we should have ample space to maneuver around him."

Salamon have a modest shrug. "Still, Akira's right. We should probably avoid sending up any signal flares as to where we are."

"In other words, I'm driving," Gatomon summarized, before focusing on Izzy. "Once there, you said I'm looking for a reality that feels familiar?"

As she got a confident nod in return, Kari pulled out her D3.

"Sora!"

Hearing her name being called just as she and Mari stepped into a clearing, Sora held in place to give her friends a chance to approach. Jogging at the front of the small group was Joe, with Gomamon latched onto his back, while Rika, Takato, and their partners followed just behind. Suddenly feeling relief on seeing them, it dawned on Sora how she had forgotten to get nervous during the whole encounter with Zanbamon.

Wing beats pulled attention away briefly, the sound of Garudamon returning from one last sweep of the area. As her partner dedigivolved, Sora extended an arm to give Biyomon a perch to land on.

"Any injuries?" Joe asked as he came to a halt in front of them.

"Mari?" Sora looked to the girl in question.

"N-No," she answered, looking away as she nervously stuffed her hands into her pockets.

"Sorry we're late," Takato offered, the words sounding practiced.

"Looks like you took care of things," Rika added, though looked around the area like she was making sure.

Sora handed her back her cellphone. "Credit goes to Mari and Gabumon."

Mari scratched her cheek. "CresGarurumon did most of the work"

"CresGarurumon?" Takato asked, glancing around the group for clarification.

"A Mega based on how he moved and fought," Biyomon explained.

"It never hurts to have another one of those around," Gomamon commented with a smile on his face.

Joe raised an eyebrow. "That's your only takeaway?"

"What else?" Gomamon paused, then poked at his partner's head with his claw. "Or are you worried about sharing the spotlight? I'll have you know that most of us are more humble than you, Joe."

Mari giggled under her breath, which must have been Gomamon's intent based on how he looked at her and beamed. Sora made a mental note to thank him later, just glad to get a glimpse at a different side of Mari, and hopeful to see more by the time this was all over.

Joe held back a grin. "Let's just go."

Without a single disagreement among them, Joe turned back in the direction they all had come from. Before they got very far, though, Mari picked up her pace. She stopped in front of Takato and Rika, focusing on the former in particular.

"Thank you," Mari said with slight bow, though Sora couldn't place if she was being polite or if she was just being shy.

"What for?" Takato asked, scratching the back of his head. "Got here late, remember?"

"What you s-said…" Mari hesitated for a split second. "...helped."

"I don't remember saying anything useful," Takato replied, once again being harder on himself than he likely deserved.

Rika snorted. "I'm sure there were a couple of useful syllables mixed in with the word salad."

Mari seemed to focus. "From now on, I'm going to at least try to choose my own destiny."

A pause followed, none of them saying anything. For her part, Sora couldn't bring herself to speak, to take away from Mari's moment. Unfortunately, Mari's confidence seemed to melt as the silence drew itself out.

"Anyway, I should go!" she said quickly as she moved on, Gabumon close behind.

"Huh…" Takato tilted his head, clearly not sure what to make of what had just happened.

Rika shrugged, before motioning for him to follow. Sora might have done the same, if not for the talons suddenly digging into her shoulder.

"Ow!" Sora turned to her partner. "B!"

Biyomon glared back at her. "Why didn't you call me sooner?"

A fair question now that she had a moment to think about it. Despite how hectic things had gotten, a part of her was convinced that the fight had a couple brief moments where she could have called her friends sooner. Looking ahead at her would-be daughter, a warmer feeling took over, one that came with a flashback to Mari standing up for herself. Sora had been scared, yes, but that didn't stop another part of her from being convinced that things had worked out for the best. Maybe that was Tai's bad influence, but that didn't stop this feeling from coloring her answer.

"I believed in her."

Tai looked over his most recent battlefield, feeling an innate obligation to watch the dust settle. Technically, the end result had been the best-case scenario, though he'd stopped keeping score some time ago. Trivializing their battles meant taking them less seriously, and taking them less seriously left more room for other people to get hurt. Not that he was against letting his friends or even himself feel good about a win, but Tai knew their day was far from over.

"At least none of our people were hurt," T.K. pointed out, like he had guessed what was on Tai's mind. He had approached a few seconds prior, and was clearly waiting on the right time to speak up.

"So you guys feel confident that you can get us where we need to go?" Tai asked plainly. Watching MagnaAngemon incorporate Celestial energy into one of his attacks had doubled as a reminder that they couldn't keep sitting still.

"Mostly…" Patamon answered, pausing to scratch his chin. "Digivolving definitely helped a lot."

"Seraphimon would probably be our best bet if we want to play it safe," T.K. added.

Tai nodded. "Okay, we'll head out once everyone catches their breath."

"Are we sure we know where we're going?"

"Izzy wouldn't have sent Sora's group anywhere they'd be completely lost," Tai assured them. "Worst-case scenario, Takato's team can give us a spot to lay low until we settle on our next move."

They parted without many words after that. While T.K. went to share their plan with Mimi and Ken, Tai moved back to the remains of the hut, specifically to the spot where he had left Agumon. Dutifully as ever, if not lacking a little when it came to subtlety, Tai found his partner peeking around a corner.

Rei sat on the ground around said corner, her own partner quiet at her side. She seemed to notice them quickly, rubbing the back of her hand underneath her eye before turning to face them.

"What's up?" Rei asked, blunt but lacking the apprehension that her voice had carried in most of their conversations.

Tai stepped out from behind the corner. "We're heading out as soon as everyone's ready."

"Well, I'm ready." Rei stood up and dusted herself off.

"You sure?"

Rei tilted her head at him. "I'm not sitting on the sidelines anymore, if that's what you're asking."

The calm conviction in her eyes made it clear she wasn't going to hear any arguments on the matter. Worse, Tai couldn't play dumb as to where she might have picked that up anymore. The biggest question became whether his future self had intentionally drilled this will to fight into her, or if Rei had chosen to emulate it on her own. Either way, he knew better than to push back against it.

"Fine, but we all work as a team from here on out," Tai instructed. "No charging in on your own without thinking."

Rei crossed her arms. "Is that for everyone, or is this a double standard?"

"I…" Tai hesitated as he found his words. "...sometimes have to act first to take care of everyone."

"My job was taking care of my friends to." Rei's expression sank. "Didn't stop me from losing them."

Again, any anger that had been present in her voice when they'd had this conversation earlier was muted, but their was still weight in Rei's words. Whatever epiphany she had reached in the last battle had clearly not absolved her of the her survivor's guilt. Nothing likely would, short of confirming her friends were still alive or avenging them.

"I'm sure your dad told you about returning home from the Digital World for the first time, right?" Tai asked, wanting to help her at least a little bit. "Right after beating Etemon?"

Rei rolled her eyes. "Uh-huh…"

"I didn't realize that time moved faster in the Digital World until I got back, and getting back and realizing everyone had gone off in separate directions had me worried I'd never find my friends." Tai paused, deciding to skip to the end. "My point is that I did find them all eventually. I just didn't give up hope that they were out there."

Rei, surprisingly, nodded. "I'll try to remember that."

Tai decided not to push any further, admitting to himself that he didn't think words could fix all their problems anyway. The pair of them and their respective partners made their way back to the others, finding them reconvening nearby. They passed Marcus first, slightly separate from Tai's friends as they stood around Patamon, likely making last minute plans.

"Looks like everyone's set," Marcus declared as he jumped to his feet.

"Looks like…" Tai looked back and forth before extending a hand to shake. "Anyway, just wanted to say thanks for all the help."

"Eh," Marcus replied, waving the hand away. "Thank me later."

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Later?"

Marcus nodded. "Yeah, after we knock out this Dragomon creep."

"You wanna come with us?"

"I am going with you."

"Don't you have to defend your…" Tai looked over his shoulder, just in time to watch another piece of the hut's roof collapse in on itself. "...dojo?"

"Exactly!" Marcus slammed his right fist into the palm of his opposite hand. "The best defense means decking your opponent before they can deck you."

Marcus' Agumon raised a claw. "Plus, the Boss has an obligation to all dojo members."

Rei gave a nonchalant shrug. "It's fine with me."

Tai sighed, knowing the others wouldn't object either. "Let's get to it then."

"Though that does leave us with a problem," Rei quickly added.

"What're you talking about?" her partner asked.

"There's three of you now."

"Oh yeah…" Tai glanced down at his own partner. "This is gonna get a little confusing."

"How so?" Agumon asked with genuine confusion.

Tai gestured around them. "You're all Agumon."

"And you're all human," Agumon replied with a shrug.

"But what happens when I call your name?"

"I'll answer."

"Yeah, but what's keeping the other two of you from doing the same?" Rei asked impatiently.

"You guys are losing me," Marcus' partner whined.

Rei's Agumon stepped forward. "Yeah, Rei, you're not making a whole lotta sense."

"Would it help if we wore name tags?"

"That's not a bad idea, Agumon."

"I can't take any credit. Agumon suggested it when you first got here."

"I just though it would help the younger digimon tell the humans apart."

"Aw shucks, where are we gonna get name tags?"

"Don't worry, Agumon, we'll just make 'em. Now we just need to-"

"Alright, we get it!" Tai and Rei both snapped.

"How about we just label 'em Numbskull One, Numbskull Two, and Numbskull Three?" Marcus suggested.

"Yeah, but which one would I be?" Agumon asked, confused again.

"Never mind, let's just go!" Tai ordered, leading them over to T.K.'s group before any more headaches decided to pile on.

Cody Hida liked to believe that there was a clear distinction between trust and passivity. That he and his friends each had strengths and weaknesses, and taking steps back from a given problem was not the same as expecting someone else to solve it for him. More that he didn't want to get in the way of someone else's area of expertise.

For example, Cody put his trust in Ophanimon to lead them on the next leg of their journey to reunite with their friends. It had been a jarring transition at first, as her energy pulsed outward, eventually enveloping them in a sphere of light that then sank into the ground.

Or maybe sank hadn't been the right way to describe it, because at some moment that had gone unnoticed to him, the sphere was rising again, rising until they emerged into a bleak and familiar oceanscape. Specifically, they came to a stop on a sandbar, the sphere quickly fading. Ophanimon had promptly planted her javelin into the ground, before lowering her gaze towards the waters at their feet.

Passivity felt like it was taking over the longer they waited. Cody suddenly found himself very aware of how much time passing. While he was counting seconds, each of those seconds seemed like they were dragging themselves out. His socks soaking up the water getting into his shoes didn't help, while not something he was willing to complain about, it served as a reminder that they were on borrowed time.

"What's taking so long?" Cody finally verbalized.

"There's a lot of voices and waves out here," Ophanimon answered, strained like she was concentrating on something the rest of them couldn't see.

As if in response, the winds suddenly picked up, drawing everyone's attention to Cody's right and upward. Seemingly out of thin air, a tidal wave had formed from the uneasy waters, easily a dozen stories tall. Cody felt his eyes widen and legs lock in place, no notion of what he could do to stop it.

Luckily, Ophanimon didn't hesitate, quickly throwing up her free hand. At the last second, the energy that had brought them here was called back up, the sphere reforming just as the wave crashed into it. While Cody nearly fell off his feet, the group remained in place.

"There's gotta be something we can do to help!" Matt called out over the wind and current.

"I don't think there is," Izzy replied, though his eyes darted around their small sanctuary. Despite his words, his brain was clearly working.

"Kari!" Ophanimon shouted as she pushed back against the violent waves.

"I'm trying!" Kari snapped back, pained and angry in a way Cody had never seen from her before. Clutching her blinking D3 in one hand and the side of her head in the other, she was clearly struggling in a different way than the rest of them. "It's like it's fighting back!"

For all Cody knew, the issue they were having could have stopped and ended there, that attempting to move through both time and reality went against whatever passed for natural law in the Dark Ocean. There was also the possibility that Dragomon had detected them and was fighting to keep them from escaping again. That wasn't even accounting Kari's own vulnerability to this place, past stories suggesting that the waters themselves had it out for the Digidestined of Light.

Cody shook his head, knowing none of this mattered in the moment. Simply cataloging what could be wrong was just another form of being passive when he could be contributing. Unable to directly help, however, he settled for taking a few steps towards Akira and Salamon.

"You two should help them," Cody instructed.

"But Dragomon might notice us," Akira pointed out.

"None of that will matter if we drown first."

Cody focused on Salamon, just as they seemed about to respond. The digimon paused instead, however, eyes widening slightly as they leaned closer to Cody. Confused by Salamon's newfound curiosity, Cody looked to the storm behind him to make sure it wasn't something else that had their attention, finding nothing but rising waters outside the barrier.

"Or maybe we shouldn't," the Rookie finally said.

"Excuse me?" Cody asked, having not anticipated that particular response.

"Maybe you should help instead," Salamon suggested confidently.

"I can't!" Cody tried not to yell, but this whole line of conversation felt inappropriate given present circumstances.

"Take it easy, Cody," Armadillomon chimed in, resting a claw against him.

"But you would help if you could?" Salamon continued, undaunted.

"Of course!" Cody had to pause, startled as another wave crashed against the sphere. "But I know my limits, which are currently that I can't help Kari like you two can."

"You're quite wise, Cody." Salamon smirked. "I can see why your friends rely on you."

Cody clenched his fists. "Why does that matter now?"

"It's all that matters. You just have to calm down to see it."

"All I can see is the Dark Ocean closing in around us!"

"So do I." Salamon's tone of voice calmed, resolve filling their eyes. "That's why I'm telling you to hold onto that conviction and breathe."

Cody held back any immediate response, something about Salamon's request sitting with him differently than their earlier comments. Maybe it was the familiarity of it, as clearing his mind in a stressful situation like this sounded like advice his grandfather would give. Not that he had time for any proper meditative techniques, but that wasn't exactly what he was being asked to do.

So Cody took a deep breath, taking air in through his nose and out through his mouth. He repeated the process, all the while searching his mind for a solution that he was sure wasn't there. With that, he tried to clear his mind, some voice in his head telling him to close his eyes and fill his lungs one more time.

Upon exhaling, he felt a pulse. Opening his eyes, Cody immediately tried to lock in on its origin point. While he didn't see anything, he found himself with zero doubts that it was there. Then his eyes landed on his partner.

Armadillomon maintained eye-contact, not even moving to blink, at least until he nodded. With some newfound understanding passed between them, Cody focused on the pulse.

"Armadillomon, warp digivolve to…"

In a flash of light to match the sphere around them, Armadillomon took on a humanoid shape as he grew larger. Shining white armor formed around his person, punctuated by gold laurels and a red undershirt and cross upon his helmet. As his wings emerged, an oversized golden key materialized in his hands.

"...ClavisAngemon!"

Cody's eyes widened as his brain caught up with what had just happened. As much as he tried not to second-guess the new form, it stirred up so many questions.

"Stand back, Cody," ClavisAngemon requested, voice managing to sound both more regal and still unmistakably Armadillomon. He turned his attention to the center of the sphere. "Need a hand, Ophanimon?"

"I just need to focus," she answered without skipping a beat, concentrating downward once more.

"You steer then." ClavisAngemon flourished his key. "I'll help you with the heavy liftin'."

Directing the key upward, energy passed from his form to the barrier around them. While the chaos outside continued, it suddenly seemed quieter and farther away.

"Since when is Armadillomon a Celestial?" Cody managed to ask.

"I never get any specifics when I sense a branch," Salamon explained, sounding particularly pleased. "If I'm lucky, I can pick up on who it centers on, and kinda use context clues to figure how to push them to the best choice."

Cody raised an eyebrow. "You did this?"

Salamon shook their head. "The form was all you and Armadillomon. I just showed you where to look for it."

"But how?"

Izzy stepped forward, keeping his eyes on ClavisAngemon. "We tend to forget that Armadillomon, Hawkmon, and Veemon are ancient digimon that were sealed away. There's a lot we don't know about them."

"Could it have something to do with DNA digivolving with Patamon?" Cody put forward.

"As in it facilitated this or their compatibility was a result of this latent data?"

"You tell me."

"There!" Ophanimon's declaration ended their discussion.

"I'm sensing another ripple," ClavisAngemon replied.

"I know. I'm going to use it as a target."

With her words, the light around them intensified, forcing Cody to close eyes. As soon as it reached its brightest, however, it started to dim.

Cody's eyes adjusted little by little, at first revealing what was clearly a park in the material world of whatever reality they had landed. Any questions he might have had were quickly muted as he caught sight of Seraphimon, which was followed by the faces of everyone he had spent the night worrying about coming into focus.

"I told you they'd make it!" Tai's voice called out over all the rest.

None of them stood still for very long, everyone moving at varying speeds as their groups crashed together. Cody caught Matt moving towards Tai and Sora in the corner of his eye, though he quickly caught sight of Kari, moving slower and less enthusiastically than most of them. A concerned T.K. seemed to notice, quickly approaching her and Akira. Some words were exchanged before Kari gently wrapped her arms around T.K., Akira latching himself onto them right after.

Anything else, Cody didn't get to see, quickly interrupted by Davis stepping into his path. With some effort, Cody managing avoid being pulled into a headlock, though only too late did he realize Yolei had used the distraction to sneak up on him and pull him into a headlock of her own. Ken casually moved closer, not resisting as Davis slung an arm around his shoulder.

Cody managed to catch one more glimpse of ClavisAngemon, who doubled as reminders of both a small win and what was ahead of them. Logic would argue they immediately start preparing for whatever was next, but he found himself relaxing in Yolei's grasp as Davis started to run his mouth. Regardless of what was to come, facing it had just become at least a little bit easier.

Chapter Text

As much as she hated to support certain stereotypes, the tree branch Gatomon was sitting on made the best vantage point. Below, Kari and T.K.'s conversation seemed limited to small talk and simple responses to Akira, which meant no real insight into what had been bothering Kari before their trip through the Dark Ocean. Knowing T.K. was better practiced at getting her to open about these feelings, however, Gatomon pointed her focus at Salamon as they ran back and forth across a patch of grass with their partner.

"Should the rest of us be watching your new friend as closely?" Renamon's voice traveled down from another branch above. While her initial arrival had been quiet, the fox digimon had made no effort to hide her approach.

The question wasn't as easy to answer as Gatomon would have expected. Salamon had done nothing but help in guiding them through this conflict, and unless they were an exceptional liar, their good intentions were genuine. Yet the small Celestial's methods seemed to create a number of questions of their own.

"Have you ever manipulated your partner?" Gatomon asked back instead.

"I like to believe I haven't," Renamon answered, the only variation in her voice being a very brief pause. "Thought the context of our relationship has changed since we first met."

Gatomon nodded. "Same here."

"You're still concerned," Renamon observed.

"It's probably nothing." Gatomon paused, looking down towards Kari and the rest. "Salamon just doesn't seem to have a clear distinction between protecting Akira and defeating Dragomon."

"Where would you draw the line?"

"I don't know…" Gatomon leaned to one side, sprawling herself out across the branch. A catnap would have been helpful if they could afford the time it would take. "I guess Akira seems okay."

"Or perhaps he's too well adjusted." Renamon dropped down to sit herself next to Gatomon, though also kept her vision locked on the "family" below. "How long have they been running from Dragomon?"

"That's a good question." Gatomon sat up straight as she tried to remember if the subject had ever been brought up. Obviously they had been running long enough to end up in at least two different realities, where they had picked up Mari and Rei, though no other survivors didn't necessarily rule out other detours.

"He seems quite attached to Kari and T.K. as well," Renamon pointed out, breaking the dark train of thought.

"I don't think he sees a difference between them and his actual parents."

"Is that just because of his age, or could it be Salamon's influence?"

"Makes a certain amount of sense, given Akira can't lose touch with his Crests," Gatomon replied, though the logic wasn't making her feel any better about the notion. "Seems like a pattern with Salamon too. They basically coerced Cody into making Armadillomon digivolve to Mega."

"Hmm…" Renamon's focus held, though thoughts were clearly forming behind her eyes.

"You have an opinion?"

"To defeat the D-Reaper, our allies turned to a program that forced us digimon to return to the Digital World," Renamon explained, with a mostly neutral tone. "It was not a popular decision amongst our group at the time."

"You see things differently now?"

"Honestly, no. My priority was to be at Rika's side, and they prevented that." Renamon hesitated, before facing Gatomon again. "I will, however, concede to a very personal bias on that front."

Gatomon raised an eyebrow. "So is that an argument for watching Salamon more closely or trusting them?"

Renamon shrugged. "Perhaps both."

"Plan for the worst, hope for the best, I guess."

"I'll help keep watch to the best of my ability," Renamon said as she stood up.

"I owe you one," Gatomon replied with another nod.

"No, you don't," Renamon pushed back, lightly but firmly. "I look after my friends."

Gatomon smirked. "You this soft with with all of them?"

"No, but I know you can be discreet." Renamon let levity take over her voice. "We both have reputations to keep, after all."

As Renamon phased out of view, Gatomon turned her attention downward again. After only a couple more seconds of consideration, she climbed back down the tree to rejoin Kari's group.

As much of a relief as their reunion was, Matt still found himself needing a moment to himself once all the emotions died down. With only Gabumon at his side, he wandered Shinjuku Park for a bit, under the guise of looking for a bathroom. It wasn't even so much that he had a lot to think about, especially after talking with Tai and Sora and all of them getting up to speed. More that he was putting something off, which he quickly realized he could no longer do in the middle of his walk back.

Mari stood in the middle of the pathway, waiting patiently if not nervously. Not alone, of course, as her own Gabumon stood right by her, though still standoffish as ever. Intellectually, Matt knew he didn't actually have anything to worry about, but he was drawing a blank on where to start. He and Mari had barely spoken so far, let alone one-on-one, which somehow made the floor feel like it was covered in eggshells.

"Uh…" Mari ended up beginning for him. "Hi…"

"Is everything okay?" Matt replied, though only after a nudge from Gabumon.

"Yeah, m-mostly…" Mari paused, then focused directly on him. "I just thought we should talk."

"About what?"

"I…" Mari's expression sank. "...dunno."

"Well, let's take a seat while we figure it out," Matt offered, gesturing over to the closest bench. Getting a nod in return, they walked over to it. "Sorry about skipping out on you guys earlier."

"Our group left first," Mari countered as they sat on opposite ends of the bench. "Not really your fault either way."

"Yeah, but sometimes people feel guilty when they shouldn't," Matt pointed out, leading to another brief pause.

"How much did…? Mari began, only to hesitate again. She ended up looking away. "How much did S-Sora tell you?"

"Not a lot of specifics." Matt leaned back, deciding to not stare at the girl in the hopes it would make her less nervous. "Just that you might have some stuff you wanted to get off your chest."

Mari pulled her knees up to her chest. "I lost my brother."

"Given everything, I don't think you need to apologize or anything like that," Matt replied quickly, not wanting to get stuck on the reveal. "To me or your dad."

"But it feels like my fault."

"You know, I chose to leave my brother. Twice while we were in the Digital World, so I know what you're feeling."

Mari nodded. "I thought looking after Akira would make up for it, but I made a mess of that too."

"How?" Matt raised an eyebrow. "You got him here, didn't you."

Mari opened her mouth to respond, but hesitated again as her eyes widened. "Sorry, force of habit."

"So's apologizing by the sound of it."

Matt caught himself a second too late to keep the comment from slipping out. While he would never claim to have a nurturing personality type, he liked to think that he tried to be better than that. Maybe it was down to a mix of dealing with people who weren't used to his attitude and his friends not pressuring him to essentially police himself. T.K. and his family were used him, Sora was empathetic enough to read between the lines, and Tai pushed back when he went to far.

Of course, Matt didn't expect any of this from Mari. She was hurting, in a situation that he couldn't understand, so the last thing she needed was remarks that made it sound like he didn't care. Of course, he probably wouldn't have taken to writing music if simple expression came naturally to him.

"I'm not very good at this, am I?" Matt asked after the silence stretched out for what felt like too long, though then had to question why he couldn't just apologize instead.

"My dad would ask that every now and then," Mari replied, her tone lighter than before. She loosened her grip on her legs, and though she still didn't face him, a small smile formed on her face. "Mom said that meant he was trying his hardest."

"Sounds like something she would say," Matt let slip without thinking.

Mari bounced back to her feet. "I'm gonna head back to everyone else."

"You're okay?" Matt was having trouble pointing to anything that might have made her feel better.

"Not completely," Mari said shyly, though still smiling. "But it helps a little bit to know Dad wouldn't be mad at me."

She gave one last wave before heading back in the direction she had come from. The same direction Matt would have go in too, but he let her get ahead of him. He needed a minute.

"I think you handled that really well," Gabumon said earnestly.

Matt sighed. "That makes one of us."

"Two, counting Mari."

Matt supposed he couldn't argue. He just hoped that his dumb luck would hold up.

Even with all her friends back together, Sora didn't have to think much about who she was heading towards. Rei sat alone at a picnic table, head resting on her arms as she watched the rest of the group move around her, though at the same time not focusing on anyone in particular. She seemed calm though, and that along with Sora's intent to get more a pulse-check out of her rather than a deep discussion made this feel like the best opportunity.

"Hi," Sora said as she across from the younger girl.

"Hi…" Rei replied suspiciously. "Can I help you?"

"Nope." Sora gestured around them. "Just wanted to check in on everyone now that we're all back together."

"Uh-huh…" Rei sat up straight and crossed her arms, coupled with her tone and piercing stare made no secret of her skepticism.

Sora scratched the side of her face. "I mean, Tai did give me a rundown of everything since we separated."

Rei sighed. "There it is."

"What?" Sora asked innocently, or at least that was how she was trying to sound. "I heard you handled yourself really well."

"I'm not in the mood for stories."

"What's that?" Sora had to double-take, to make sure they were still having the same conversation.

"Of 'old times' and how they relate to what we're doing now." Rei's gaze lowered slightly, her voice now more sincere than sarcastic. "I've heard them all before, so I've run them through my head already."

"That's fine." Sora nodded, somehow not surprised by the response. "I just had a couple questions."

Rei's shoulders sank. "Yay…"

Sora held back a smirk. "Like, where did you get this killer right hook I keep hearing about?"

"I don't see what the big deal is," Rei replied, though only after her eyes widened a bit. She glanced away and scratched at the back of her head. "It's hard to be good at tennis without good hand-eye coordination and the strength to follow through."

"You play tennis?" Sora asked without hesitating, as though it were only follow-up question she could ask.

"Don't make that face," Rei shot back.

"What face?" If Sora was grinning, it wasn't due to gloating or anything of the sort. That could be saved for when she told Tai about this later.

Rei rolled her eyes. "The same face my mom made when I told her and my dad that I wanted to play tennis instead of soccer."

Sora coughed, but focused. "She was probably just proud of you."

"And smug."

"The two aren't mutually exclusive."

A pause followed, the cause of which Sora could only take an educated guess at. All she knew for certain was what she saw, which seemed like someone had turned down the dimmer on a light switch. Rei's eyes darkened, her posture weakened, like she had remembered something she had been trying to forget.

"Any other questions?" Rei asked bluntly.

Sora considered, and something did come to mind. Granted, it went against her original plan of not pushing Rei to hard with this conversation, especially given her less confrontational demeanor. Then again, Sora felt like holding back wasn't what the girl needed either.

"Is there anything that you'd want to say to your mom if you could?" Sora asked plainly.

"Not yet," Rei answered with calm conviction.

Sora didn't push any further, Rei's response telling her plenty. Whatever she was holding back, Rei felt like she had to earn the right to express it, and there was no changing her mind. In that sense, their mission remained the same: Defeat Dragomon.

Of course, there being nothing left to be said didn't necessarily mean that there was nothing left to do. So Sora stayed in her seat, until it was clear to her that she was no longer needed.

If he weren't watching with his own eyes, Tai wouldn't have believed the coordinated effort unfolding in front of him. With Guilmon as their foreman, the trio of Agumon helped to organize and distribute the food supplied to them to everyone else, without having to be told to not take more than their fair share. Even with Veemon joining in to avoid being left out, it all ran unrealistically smoothly. All that plus Guilmon never having to clarify who he was talking to felt like this was an elaborate practical joke.

"Did I get pulled into the wrong reality?" Tai couldn't help but wonder out loud.

"They've even got Davis and that new guy you brought running errands," Takato replied as he approached and sat down next to Tai at the foot of the utility shed. "Are you sure this is enough?"

"We just need enough to recharge for now." Tai finally let himself blink. "The idea is that we'll be in and out of the Dark Ocean. Worst-case, we beat a hasty retreat, best-case, it's a simple fight."

Takato raised an eyebrow. "You don't sound convinced."

Tai sighed and shrugged. "I guess I just wish there was more we could do to prepare."

"We're still talking about the Dark Ocean, right?"

"Yes?" Tai glanced down the path, in the general direction he knew Sora had gone in to find Rei. "Maybe?"

"I gotta be honest…" Takato paused to scratch the back of his head. "I don't think I have much advice when it comes to having kids."

"You don't see yourself as the parental type?" Tai questioned, knowing Takato had a good head on his shoulders and was empathetic enough to give Sora a run for her money.

"More I wonder if I should see myself that way."

"Alright…" Tai tilted his head, having not expected that response. "Why's that?"

Takato hesitated, staring off into space. "With everything we're responsible for, I'm not sure we even have time for something like that."

"Yeah, I get that," Tai conceded, the concern easily clicking into place in his own head. "Or worse, the Digital World has its way and, well… just look at Rei."

"I wouldn't go that far," Takato replied, doubts seeming to evaporate on the spot. "I haven't spoken to her, but she seems like she turned out okay. At least, other than having a eldritch monster invading her world, but that just happens sometimes."

"I remember every day of what we went through at her age." Tai leaned back, looking up at the trees and sky. "I wouldn't want that for her or any other kid I might have."

"Fair…" Takato glanced down at the saurian digimon following their marching orders. "The thing is, I go down this rabbit hole and end up reminding myself that I wouldn't trade Guilmon for the world."

"I don't want the digimon to go anywhere either." Tai shook his head, before pinching the bridge of his nose. "Sometimes I just wish they could be here without any Black Gears or Dark Masters."

"Bet they wish something similar when it comes to our world," Takato replied as a sentimental smile formed on his face. "Your world does sound nice though."

"I guess I can't imagine having kids unless I could guarantee that's where they would be living."

"It's not like you could build that world all on your own."

Tai shrugged. "Eh, Matt's just never let me try."

Takato laughed under his breath. "Well, if it makes you feel any better, I think you're already doing plenty."

"But when does plenty become enough?" Tai asked, though couldn't make up his mind on whether or not it was a question he was asking himself.

Takato didn't try to answer, only nodding instead, like he knew exactly what Tai was thinking. Tai decided to let the question go, the answer not having any impact on what the mission was.

Abbadomon tried his best to ignore Argomon's thrashing at the shoreline the pair of them waited on. No doubt that Argomon's building frustration was due to their scouting parties failing to check in. His connection to his aspects wasn't persistent across realities, though the means to send simple messages wasn't beyond them.

"Please stop that," Abbadomon requested, the last time he would ask nicely.

Argomon grunted and jabbed a claw in his direction, though the whole show of aggression was pointless. It wasn't as though Abbadomon wanted to be idling within the Dark Ocean either, feeling his time could be much better spent terrorizing the Digidestineds' world and love ones, or at least gathering up the latter so their misery could be made a show of when their foes did come out of hiding.

Of course, their malevolent benefactor wanted to be ready to move the second that Salamon made another mistake. Impatiently, Abbadomon swiped at the fog around them, calling windows that should have provided communication to Crossmon and Zanbamon. The static he received instead painted a clear picture.

"That's inconvenient," Abbadomon muttered, though he couldn't say he was entirely surprised by their demise.

In an instant, the humidity around them intensified, as did the temperature until the air burned. Abbadomon knew for certain that he would not miss Dragomon's temper tantrums once his contract was complete.

"Alright, alright!" Abbadomon called out to the sea until conditions returned to normal. "We'll get on it!"

Energy began to pool and crackle at a spot just offshore, as a spike of information transmitted directly into his mind provided the context. The universe Zanbamon was investigating had seen a momentary hotspot of Celestial energy. Not necessarily Salamon, but as good a place as any to start.

"Better yet," Abbadomon extended an arm to pause Argomon's march to the tear. "Let's make them come to us."

A gamble, but one that would pay off. Abbadomon knew the Digidestined, knew that they were at least considering taking the fight here. This way, they controlled the circumstances of the fight, and perhaps Abbadomon would be able to put on his show after all.

Chapter Text

Gatomon had settled on a shady spot on the grass, curled up not more than a meter away from Kari. Even though her intent remained to not say more than she had to, she kept her ears open in case her partner's conversation with T.K. revealed anything useful. Not that they said much, with stretches where more noise was coming from the occasional sigh from Patamon, though even he seemed content sit with the silence.

"Well, at least a couple of us aren't worried," T.K. said after another stretch, eyes on Salamon and Akira as the pair's game of tag continued. Gatomon glanced at them as well, though nothing new had been revealed since speaking with Renamon, so it was easy to prioritize what was immediately in front of her.

"Were we like that at that age?" Kari asked in a low voice while staring blankly forward.

"Maybe before Devimon." T.K. gave an uncertain shrug. "I remember trying, but there was always something to worry about after that."

"Yeah, that's how I remember it too." Kari nodded. "Stuff like that really doesn't leave you."

T.K. tilted his head in her direction. "Is that what's got you down?"

"Who says I'm down?" Kari forced a smile, though her masks were easy to spot after years of becoming familiar with them.

"Your best friend," T.K. declared with a cocky grin.

Gatomon loudly cleared her throat, in the off chance her presence had been briefly forgotten about.

"Your best human friend." T.K. looked towards her, pausing to wait for approval. After receiving a nod, he put on a more serious expression as he refocused on Kari. "Of course, we don't have to talk about it if you don't want to."

Another pause followed, and while Kari kept her emotions muted, her eyeline shifted slightly. She was weighing her options, choosing what she was willing to share. Among any and all the ways Kari may have changed since Gatomon first met her was a tendency to be more deliberate with what she shared with the rest of them.

"It's not that," Kari answered cautiously. "Not entirely, at least."

"What happened?" T.K. asked. "Cody only gave me the Cliff notes."

"What else?" Kari pinched the bridge of her nose, frustration in her voice and eyes. Not at T.K., but more likely just present circumstances in general. "The shadows there burn, and even when they don't, they itch and claw at my skin."

"We'll beat them," T.K. assured her. "Just like we always do."

"And after that? Beating Dragomon doesn't change me."

"Why would you need to change?" T.K.'s voice was calm, but managed to carry a hint of disapproval.

"In that reality we landed in, there was a Myotismon. Not the one we've fought, but he was still after the holder of the Crest of Light." Kari stood, taking a few steps away while vacantly staring across the clearing. "There's always going to be another Myotismon or another Dragomon, and I'm always going to be in their sights."

T.K. followed her, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You're talking like you're cursed or something."

"Aren't I?" Kari shot back as she pulled away. She hesitated, wrapping her arms around herself as she slowly continued. "Worse, now I know it's a curse I might pass on. It all just feels wrong."

"We've still got time to figure that out too." T.K. spoke confidently, but his eyes told a different story.

Kari's insecurities weren't a new factor for any of them. Gatomon hated them, but she also made the effort to not dismiss or trivialize them. Even though they were almost always completely false, Kari still sometimes felt like she wasn't as strong as the rest of them, so sometimes it became her job to simply listen.

To T.K.'s credit, he had gotten better about this as well. When the Dark Ocean had first tried to wrap its tendrils around Kari, he had more or less started an argument when Kari had told him about the negative emotions that the shadows were latching onto. Kari learning to be more confident helped on all fronts, though also made for a greater contrast when cracks did start to show. As much as T.K. clearly wanted to say more, he likely was stuck on what would have been best suited for this moment.

Kari shook her head and looked away. "It doesn't feel like time will make a difference."

Gatomon followed her partner's eyeline, noticing the rest of their friends were steadily starting to gather. Without any other kind if acknowledgment, Kari moved to join them.

Gatomon stood and stretched, giving another nod to T.K. before following. They might not have found a way of defeating the demon in front of them, but at least they knew what they were fighting.

"Tai?" Sora spoke up, noticing that his attention had lapsed. She looked past him, seeing that a few of their friends moving along the path below them. No one had actually called for them to regroup, but it was only a matter of time at this point.

Still, if that was all Tai had on his mind, he wouldn't be acting as distant and distracted. If anything, he would charged over to start rallying everyone. No, the culprit was more personal, just as it was for Sora and Matt.

Tai seemed to focus. "Sorry, I was thinking about something else."

"And what's that?" Sora questioned, despite knowing he was about to deflect.

"A couple different things." Tai shook his head and crossed his arms. "Where were we?"

"Nothing much to say." Sora looked to the path again, though not expecting to see either of the two girls in question. The three of them had chosen to meet in the utility shed for a reason. "Rei seems more focused, but still closed off."

"And Mari?"

"Better, at least I think," Matt answered, though with no eye contact with either of them. "I don't know her well enough to say for certain."

"You have thoughts?" Sora asked Tai, though his body language made her question feel more like an observation.

Tai's grip on his biceps tightened. "I still don't like the idea of putting them on the front lines."

Matt shrugged. "It's not like our parents were ever crazy about us fighting evil digimon."

"There wasn't much they could do," Tai countered, standing up straighter.

"Didn't stop each of them from trying," Sora pointed out. Memories of her own mother resisting the invading Bakemon remained vivid to this day.

"That's…" Tai hesitated, yet stayed defiant. "...different."

"Except it's not," Matt argued, taking a couple steps forward. "We were their age during that first summer."

"None of that matters," Sora cut in as their voices started to rise. They were too short on time for the pair of them to fight when nothing constructive would come of it. "The fight's here and they're a part of it. We don't have a choice anymore."

Tai exhaled, his arms falling to his sides. "No, we never do."

With the paused that followed, it was clear the matter was closed. As much as Sora wanted to protect them, Rei and Mari had proven themselves to be capable, or at least as capable as Tai and Matt had been seven years ago. Hopefully, their increased numbers could even out the odds.

"Do we have a plan this time?" Matt asked. "For Dragomon?"

Tai nodded. "Of course."

Matt raised an eyebrow. "Which is?"

"Izzy's working on it."

Sora rolled her eyes. "Do you do any of the actual thinking around here?"

"Do you actually want me to answer that?" Tai replied with a slight smirk.

"You're right," Sora sighed. "I should have known better."

"Look, Matt and Izzy saw Dragomon up close and were basically helpless," Tai explained, calmly and confidently. "Until we know how we're counteracting that weird voodoo stuff, there isn't much point in drawing up complicated battle plans."

"And what about Abbadomon and Argomon?"

"Meh," Matt chimed in nonchalantly. "That's what Omnimon's for."

Sora's shoulders sank. "Not you too…"

"It's not like we'll be alone," Matt added, now more seriously. "Tai might actually be right for once."

Tai leaned closer, ear right in Matt's face. "Care to repeat that?"

"Don't push your luck." Matt shoved him away. "I just think if this were a straightforward fight, we would have these guys beat. The problem is all their gimmicks, which I repeat, we need a plan for."

Tai gestured outside the shed. "Then let's check in with the brain trust."

"Fair enough," Sora conceded as she moved to follow. Mediating for these two was one thing, but arguing with the pair of them when they were on the same page was a losing battle every time.

Mari's legs suddenly felt heavier, and heavier still as her eyes wandered. The small cluster of picnic tables shouldn't have felt this intimidating, especially when she knew most of the people occupying them. The problem was that about a dozen familiar human faces and just as many digimon didn't make her feel any less out of place. Plus, as much as she was trying not to latch herself onto them, Sora and Matt were nowhere to be seen.

Taking a few small steps, Mari looked from table to table. Everyone at Izzy's table was gathered around a computer, probably doing something important that she didn't want to distract them fom, so she backed away from them. A soft voice in the back of her head suggested trying to pick Takato's table out from the crowd, but him having been nice to her was different from her actually knowing the Tamers well enough to intrude. Joe and Gomamon felt like a safer bet, the latter always seeming happy to see her, so maybe-

"Ow!"

Mari nearly lost her balance as bounced off the voice's owner, only kept upright by Gabumon steadying her. Rei had been less fortunate, now on the ground next to her Agumon. Funnily enough, Mari had been trying to work up the courage to talk to Rei again, though couldn't decide what the right time was.

"S-Sorry!" Mari spat out. "I wasn't p-paying attention."

"Whatever…" Rei replied under her breath.

"Are y-you okay?" Mari offered a hand to help her back up.

Rei ignored the hand, picking herself up. "It's just a little dirt."

Mari retracted her hand, wrapping her opposite one around it. "No, I m-mean, like, since the castle and all that… stuff."

"What does that matter?" Rei's voice sounded strained, like she was trying to hide that she thought the question was annoying.

"Aw, come on, Rei," Agumon chimed in. "She's just trying to be friendly and all."

"She doesn't have to," Rei pushed back, before facing Mari again. "We're good. We fought a bunch of giant birds, and Agumon digivolved to Mega."

"Same!" Mari paused, face heating up when it registered how loud her response had been. "Well, I mean, n-not the giant birds part, but turns out Gabumon's Mega form is-"

"Why is this so important to you?" Rei asked impatiently.

"Because we're…" Mari hesitated, catching herself before she used the first word that came to mind, one that would probably only make things worse. "We're a t-team, aren't we?"

"Well, it's a big team." Rei swung an arm at the tables around them. "Check in with one of them."

"But-"

"Look, I don't blame you for what happened to my world, okay?" Rei jabbed a finger in Mari's face. "I know it was all out of your hands. Thing is, that also means we don't have anything in common, so don't strain yourself trying to force this."

Mari recoiled a hair, not being able to think of a response, let alone one she felt brave enough to articulate. Rei wasn't making this any easier, somehow being just as confrontational despite her claims. If anything, it felt like she lying to one or both of them.

"But what about your mom?" Akira's voice interrupted them. The boy stepped closer, eyes wide as he held Salamon against his chest.

Rei hesitated, then shook her head. "I'm not going over this again."

"It's a little more complicated than that, Akira," Mari offered a bit more delicately.

"Nuh-uh," Akira pushed back, as determined as he was innocent. "Your dads are worried too. They all just wanna help."

"And you're just never gonna set him straight on that?" Rei directed her glare at Salamon.

"It doesn't make a whole lotta sense to correct someone who isn't wrong," Salamon replied with a shrug. "Everyone around here is still in flux."

"Yeah, I bet…" Rei rolled her eyes before walking away. "Izzy's probably about to start talking, so I'm gonna take my place."

"I wish Rei wouldn't be so grouchy," Akira said with a sigh.

"She's just…" Mari paused to come up with the right word. "...sad right now."

"Can we help?" Akira's eyes somehow managed to get wider.

"I don't know." Mari had to look away from him. "I don't think she wants our help."

"But we're family."

Mari's words got away from her again. She liked the idea of what Akira was saying, but wasn't sure if she just missed her own family. Maybe helping Rei just wasn't something she could do. Noticing Sora, Matt, and Tai getting closer, she wondered if she even had time left to decide.

Tai couldn't bring himself to sit down. Not that he felt he was being particularly impatient or outwardly nervous, having learned to reign himself in through years of conflicts like this one. It was a compromise he made with himself, remaining ready to go the second they hit a breakthrough or if a shoe dropped, but also giving anyone and everyone else room to do their part. In this specific case, he knew Team Izzy wouldn't let him down.

Izzy himself sat in front a laptop borrowed from Henry, eyes scanning the screen. Tai could make out some charts and the like, though knew his main intention had been to reestablish contact with Gennai. Some thoughts were exchanged amongst the table, which also included Ken, Yolei, and a more reserved Cody, though even those conversations had fizzled out a couple minutes ago.

Looking outward, a good amount of the rest of them had joined Tai in standing around the table. Marcus took things one step further, pacing back and forth, which didn't surprise Tai despite how short a time they had known each other. Kari stood on the opposite side of this circle from him, almost too calm. Something was clearly up with her, though every second Tai had spared to check on his sister had been met with her insisting she was fine.

Not all of them stood in this circle, of course. Davis leaned back against the nearest table, the same table where Joe and Mimi exchanged quiet small talk with their partners. Looking beyond them, Tai noticed Mari and Akira had sat down as well, but stayed silent.

Chancing a peek over his shoulder at a different table, Rei was leaning forward with her hands clasped together. Not unlike Kari, she was making a show of seeming calm and focused. Tai hadn't forgotten either side their agreement. He would still let Rei fight, yes, but not on her own. Another compromise he had made with himself.

"Hmm…" Izzy leaned closer to the computer screen.

"Did you discover something, Izzy?" Tentomon perked up.

Izzy rested his chin on the palm of his hand. "No, just thinking."

Marcus marched over. "Well, I think we should just take the fight to this overgrown squid!"

"Probably not the best idea given this guy can stop us with a thought," Takato replied diplomatically.

"We're stopped right now anyway," Marcus growled.

"What are we all staring at?" Terriermon whined. He hopped onto the table and grabbed hold of the screen to get a closer look.

Henry immediately pulled his partner away from the laptop. "We're waiting on an important piece of intel we need before we can do anything else."

Terriermon crossed his arms. "Maybe Punchy has the right idea."

"Gennai really didn't find anything?" Tai asked calmly. He still wasn't for the idea of pinning their hopes on a prophecy that Salamon couldn't recite in its entirety.

"He still might," Izzy answered as he sat up straight. "There's a lot of algorithms to sort through when it comes to Digital World prophecies."

"So wait, is it a math problem or a fortune cookie?" Rika asked skeptically.

"Both, technically. They're predictive algorithms based on available variables."

"Could that be why Gennai's having trouble coming up with anything concrete?" Ken offered, pausing to scratch his chin. "If the prophecy is from the future, then perhaps there are fewer constant variables to pin down."

"Could be…" Izzy sighed, his shoulders sinking slightly. "Gennai could just be spread thin. We've also had him looking for signs of that dark counterpart of his that caused us grief last year."

"Then it sounds like we need a backup plan," Gatomon said as she jumped onto the table.

"Or at least should agree on precautions we should take," Cody chimed in.

"There's more than just Dragomon waiting for us," Kari added, though seemed to be staring off into space.

"You mean Daemon?" Yolei asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Oh yeah…" Davis snapped a finger and pointed at the group as a whole. "I forgot we locked him in there."

"How do you forget that?"

Davis shrugged. "Hey, cut me some slack. It feels like we're dealing with a new evil digimon every couple months."

"Well, that or Myotismon for the hundred and fourth time," Cody commented dryly.

A sharp ding cut off anyone who might have had anything to add. All eyes zeroed in on Izzy as he leaned closer to the laptop. Tai's attention only wandered briefly, the silence making him question if everyone around him had also stopped breathing.

"So?" Tai asked, having trouble naming anyone other than Gennai that could have sent this message.

"Just a moment…" Izzy managed to lean closer still. "I have to get through his commentary about sifting through his rolodex and his arthritis acting up."

"How old is this guy?" Marcus asked, giving everyone to his left a side-eye.

"Depends on the day," Tai answered, not knowing any other way to do so.

Izzy cleared his throat. "There will come a time when the Light dims, but Hope can be found in the four Holy Keys, so the Light Eater may be locked away."

"That's it?" Tai had been prepared for something abstract that they would need to decipher. What he wasn't prepared for was not getting more than a single sentence to go off of.

Izzy closed the laptop. "Gennai admits it's a rough translation."

"Cool…" Davis scratched the back of head as he looked from person to person. "What's it mean?"

"Everything seems to keep coming back to these keys," Matt pointed out, putting on a furrowed brow that usually meant he was convinced he was right about something.

"Yeah, well, where do we find them?" Tai countered. There was a fine difference between a scavenger hunt and a scavenger hunt without any clues.

Instead of arguing, though, Matt motioned away from the center table with his eyes. Tai followed, eyes first landing on Akira, and then the Rookie Celestial in his arms. If said Celestial starting to stir in place was any indication, they didn't even need to ask the question on their minds.

"Who says anything about needing to find them?" Salamon offered, though their usual confidence didn't seem as strong.

"Stop being coy and help us." Gatomon demanded. She pounced off Izzy's table and stalked towards the smaller digimon. "Where. Are. Those. Keys?"

"They're…" Salamon hesitated, though didn't break eye-contact. "...forward?"

"But whose forward?" Agumon asked, scratching the top of his head. "We're all facing different directions."

"I don't think that's quite what they mean," Gabumon tried to assure him.

"It might as well be!" Rei snapped. At some point Tai had missed, she had stood up and moved herself to the middle of the group. "We have to try something eventually!"

"But w-we can't just go off in different d-directions," Mari piped up, though slouched back down when everyone looked at her.

Rei crossed her arms. "I didn't say that, but-"

They were all silenced again, this time by a crack that thundered above the park. Tai tensed up upon seeing a reality tear crackle and widen. At first, mist and swirling shadows were all he could make out, but they quickly parted. They had to, to make way for the purple and green creatures descending on Shinjuku.

"Oh, how I wonder what will happen to this poor city if this invasion isn't cut off at the source!" Abbadomon's voice carried an extra layer of distortion as it projected from the reality tear.

Tai instinctively looked to Rei, whose fists clenched as she glared upward. They all knew this was a trap, one they had no choice but to rush into. Abbadomon's taunting was just sadism.

"Tai, go!" Takato called out suddenly, as Rika, Henry, and their respective partners gathered by his side. "We'll catch up!"

Of course, the one reason to stay was to defend the city, which Takato clearly anticipated. He gave Tai a nod, communicating everything necessary. The Tamers would defend their home from the invading Argomon, buying time so the Digidestined could save it.

"So, what?" Davis stood at the ready. "We're going up there?"

"No," Ken replied in a low voice. A dark aura pulsed from his D3. "We have a back door."

He outstretched his arms, straining and shaking as shadows poured out of his digivice. Forming just a few steps away from them, the gate was significantly smaller than the one above, but mist and shadows confirmed its authenticity.

While they all moved, Tai knew for a fact that Rei had moved first. He tailed her, not needing to turn around to know that Sora and Matt were doing the same for him. Tai dove through the threshold, sunlight disappearing like it had been switched off.

Chapter Text

Using what limited influence over the veil that Dragomon granted him, Abbadomon peeled back a small curtain. Rubble and surface-level damage covered the human city on the other side, though not quite up to standards of fire and ash that even these lesser Argomon were capable of. Had Dragomon cared enough to ask, Abbadomon would have used the excuse that this assault was merely a diversion. In his own head, the actual reasoning was plainly obvious.

Towering over a handful of the human structures, a green mechanoid digimon fired artillery shell after artillery shell, atomizing any of the Argomon unfortunate enough to take a direct hit. Reference data labeled him as MegaGargomon, though Abbadomon had no experience with this species outside of said data and what he was currently witnessing.

Similarly, a yellow-armored shaman was proving a nuisance. This Sakuyamon was agile, easily able to navigate the battlefield to summon barriers and precision strikes where necessary. One Champion Argomon that tried to attack the shaman from behind was even met by her driving her staff into its eye.

Abbadomon was more familiar with the digimon rallying the other two, a knight with white armor and a red cape. Gallantmon deflected the Argomons' electric strikes with his shield before firing an energy bolt of his own from his lance. The Digidestined having a Royal Knight among their allies wasn't surprising, especially given Omnimon was most often their chosen champion, though it was proving to be an inconvenience.

A low growl from Argomon seemed to also carry this sentiment. Despite the space on this sandbar, the hulking simpleton insisted on hovering over Abbadomon's shoulder.

"Yes, I have eyes," Abbadomon replied as he closed the curtain. "Three more Megas won't tip the scales."

Argomon grunted, gesturing at their feet in protest.

"Then send another wave to keep them occupied. Once we find the boy and the runt, our end of the bargain will be done and it won't matter either way."

Argomon threw up both his arms in an exaggerated shrug, roaring for emphasis like an impatient child.

"They're here somewhere!" Abbadomon snapped, swinging an arm at the ocean around them. "Find them!"

As Argomon rolled his eyes and marched off, the air around Abbadomon became notably heavier. No doubt a subtle reminder of Dragomon's presence. Abbadomon shrugged it off, once again reminding himself that these times were coming to an end. He admitted that the Digidestined making their own gate into this void was a minor setback, but nothing more. The final outcome would be the same as it always had.

Matt hadn't been expecting solid ground to be waiting for them. In fact, he couldn't see any water anywhere. Not that the air around them wasn't humid enough to make up for the lack of visible moisture. They had landed in a grassy field, though the muted colors around them made calling it that feel generous.

The inherent lifelessness to everything around them brought Matt back seven years to cave he had gotten lost in. The cave that had tried to swallow him whole and drown him in his worst fears and insecurities. A handful of conversations with Izzy, T.K., and Kari had tried and failed to make a definitive connection between that cave and the Dark Ocean, though the more Matt thought about it, the less he wanted to know. If it weren't for the important lessons he had learned that day, he would have voluntarily scrubbed the whole experience from his memories.

"Matt?" Gabumon spoke up, bringing him back to the present.

"I hear you." Matt nodded as started a quick headcount of everyone around them. "Everyone here?"

"I think so."

"I'm guessing there's no point in asking where we are," Joe said, pausing to hold his hand up in front of his face and examine it.

"I could do with a few more specifics," Izzy commented, eyeline falling to an empty space under his arm. Whether intentionally or because they had been in a rush, Henry's laptop had ended up left behind.

"All I need to know is where to find this creep I need to perforate," Marcus declared, slamming a fist into the palm of his hand.

"Well, going off sound and smell, the ocean's that way," Gatomon pointed out.

"Then let's get 'em, Boss!" Marcus' Agumon cheered, he and and his partner soon charging off in the designated direction.

"Someone really should stop them," Sora put forward sternly.

Tai raised an eyebrow. "Are you volunteering?"

Sora crossed her arms. "If I have to."

"Don't worry, Sora," Davis announced, giving a quick salute. "Team Davis is on it."

"Who exactly is on this team?" Yolei asked, hands on her hips.

Davis shrugged. "You should know, given you're the secretary."

"Everything about that sentence makes me angry," Yolei growled.

Not that Davis stuck around to listen, already leading Veemon after Marcus. Yolei groaned, prompting a shrug and a nod from Ken and Cody respectively. The trio and their partners followed their team's leader without another word.

"Oh!" Akira jumped up, throwing a fist into the air. "I wanna be on the team!"

"Then let's be on the team!" Salamon joined in, clumsily hopping onto their partner's head and jutting a paw forward. The boy jogged onward without hesitation.

T.K. and Kari following wasn't instinctive, or at least not completely. There was a brief glance, so brief that Matt doubted everyone else saw it. Knowing that pair, though, said glance might as well have been a whole conversation on its own.

"Shouldn't we stick together?" Mari questioned softly.

"Mari's right," Tai confirmed. "Let's not let them get too far ahead."

Following Tai's lead was easy enough, though Matt couldn't shake the sense of unease clawing at the back of his neck. The climate was a factor, the humidity seeming to be working in tandem with a chill in the air. Despite even that, the grass crunched underfoot, dried out and dead despite current conditions. All that before Gabumon stopped in his tracks.

"Something wrong?" Matt stopped to ask.

"There." Gabumon pointed at a hill to their left.

Matt squinted, not because it was too far to see, but because his brain likely didn't want to process what was there. Shadows gathered on the hill, on their own out of place given the Dark Ocean didn't seem to have a natural source of light. Three sets of glowing red eyes stared back at them.

"Agumon?" Tai whispered. Like the rest of them, he was avoiding making any sudden movements.

"I see 'em," Agumon replied before inhaling through his nostrils. "They don't really smell like anything."

"Are they ghosts?" Mimi asked nervously.

"They could be," Izzy answered, hand reaching for a nonexistent computer once again.

"Izzy…" Mimi latched herself onto said hand. "You're supposed to say 'Don't be ridiculous, Mimi. There's no such thing as ghosts.' You know, throw in some science-y talk to sell it."

"I…" Izzy's eyes darted back and forth between her and the hill as he paused to scratch his cheek. "...don't talk like that."

"You talk at least a little like that," Tai chimed in without looking at him.

Izzy shook his head. "There's just a lot we don't know about this place. For all we know, these could be souls that got lost here, unable to find a way to-"

"Izzy!" Mimi snapped through her teeth.

The Digidestined of Knowledge sighed. "Don't be ridiculous, Mimi. There's no such thing as ghosts. In all likelihood, if barriers between realities are being strained, what we're seeing are just echoes of individuals from other realities." He paused to look at Mimi. "Better?"

"Much."

"You would think the Digidestined of Sincerity wouldn't insist on being lied to," Tentomon commented.

Palmon raised a viney finger. "Mimi always says that lying is bad, but sometimes telling a girl what she wants to hear is a necessary evil."

Matt turned his attention back to the shadows, only to find they had vanished. For the life in him, he couldn't decide if them being out of sight made him feel better or worse.

Rei tried to keep her eyes on Davis' half of the group. Not that there was much to break her line of sight, or even any of the fog she had been expecting to be surrounded by, but it felt like everything around them was an active distraction. There was the creatures they had seen of course, the shadows or ghosts or whatever they had agreed to call them, but there was also their physical surroundings.

They had picked up a gravel path that led to an abandoned beach town, or at least that was the best way Rei could describe it. The neighborhood, if it could even be called that, just felt off. The houses looked like they had been built and oriented randomly, and didn't seem to uniform in any kind of size or design aesthetic. They each managed to both feel mismatched and indistinct from one another.

Then there was the hissing. Rei halted, scanning the area for its source.

"What's wrong, Rei?" Agumon asked loudly, looking over the houses as well.

Rei held up a finger and tried to listen. No, she wasn't hearing hissing. It was whispering.

Focusing on windows of each house, Rei spotted glowing red eyes in each of them. Mimi's "ghosts" hadn't retreated, but simply changed positions. The whispering persisted, unintelligible but constant and unmistakable.

Rei clocked an open door in the corner of her eye. A trap, maybe? It could have been a coincidence, but she reminded herself that the best thing to do was-

"...powerless…"

Instinctively, Rei turn on her heal, darting for the open door. Shoving it all the way open, she turned to her right, where a bay window was host to several sets of eye.

Except all she found was an empty living room. Rei's eyes bounced around the room, trying to find where the shadows had slipped away to. Behind the couch or one of the arm chairs? If they were digital lifeforms, they might have slipped into the TV, though how boxy said TV was might have made it too old to be used as-

"Do you recognize this place?"

"Ah!" Rei jumped away from the voice before spinning to confront it.

"S-Sorry!" Mari squeaked out, looking like she had been startled herself.

"Why do you keep sneaking up on me?" Rei snapped, trying to catch her breath.

Mari looked away. "I didn't, I mean, that's not what I meant…"

Agumon inserted herself in between them. "I don't mean to keep butting my nose in, but you had us a little worried when you just took off."

"You two okay?" Sora called from outside.

Rei sighed. "We're fine."

"Like I said, we should try not to get separated," Tai announced as he led Sora and Matt through the doorway. He made sure to make to make eye-contact with Rei, calm and confident.

"You-You didn't answer my question," Mari piped up, though still not consistently looking forward as she spoke.

"No, I don't recognize this place," Rei answered, hoping to drop the whole topic.

"It's still strange…" Sora took a couple steps into the house, looking down the hallway and up a nearby flight of stairs.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Matt asked, eyes more alert as he traced her movements.

Sora put a hand on her chin. "These houses don't even have numbers on them, and everything in here seems so bland. Like they're the Dark Ocean's best guess at what a house looks like."

"Maybe they're reflections?" Tai offered with a shrug. "Like how the Digital World copies things in our world."

"Or they're shadows," Mari added softly.

Rei looked over her shoulder, noticing the TV remote on an end table. It had buttons, though the labels on each seemed like they had faded away. She grabbed hold of it, but had barely lifted it before it crumbled to to dust between her fingers.

Tai was suddenly over Rei's shoulder, looking at her now empty hand. "We keep hearing about how things get lost here. Maybe being outside of normal reality just sucks the life outta things."

"Or could Dragomon be doing this?" Sora asked.

"BlackGatomon made it sound like they're connected now," Matt replied as he glanced back outside.

Sora shook her head. "It's all creepy either way."

"Don't chicken out on me now, Sora," Tai teased. "I need someone to hide behind when the ghosts come back."

Matt rolled his eyes. "You're assuming we don't want them to take you."

"Well, yeah. You'd miss me."

The joking between them was slightly jarring, though Rei couldn't bring herself to say it felt foreign. Back before this had all started, before they knew how bad things could get, her team was much the same. Mai especially had a knack for keeping spirits up, hiding her own fears behind a bright smile. Rintaro would pretend to be immune, claiming it was all a distraction from solving whatever problem the Digital World had dropped on them.

Rei quickly pushed the line of thought away, though, knowing the rabbit hole of what each of her friends would do was easy to get lost in. Mari staring at her didn't help either, her eyes wider and more focused than they had been since entering this house.

"What?" Rei asked with a raised eyebrow.

Mari stuffed her hands in her pockets and averted her gaze. "It's a lot easier for them to joke around, huh?"

Rei shrugged. "They haven't seen what we have."

"They've seen other things."

"Then what other difference is there between us and them?"

"They…" Mari hesitated, but made eye-contact. "...have each other."

Rei bit her tongue, the correct response out of her reach. The trio in front of her seemed ready to take on anything, but so had her parents. They had all stood together, though that didn't stop Abbadomon from knocking them all down.

Even wrapped around Kari's neck and shoulders as she was, Gatomon didn't relax. The Dark Ocean easily lived up to the name BlackGatomon had given it, a void empty enough that she questioned if her senses were working properly. She could smell sea water, and was beginning to hear the sound of waves against the shore, though both were dull compared to beaches in the human and digital worlds. For better or worse, conversation at the front of their group helped assure Gatomon that her hearing was fine.

"I'm just saying, that's dirty fighting, right?" Davis asked, having circled back to how this discussion had started.

"Fair fights are a choice," Marcus lectured, eyes forward on the hill their path was leading them towards. "One not every opponent is gonna go for."

"Yeah, I guess." Davis' shoulders sank. "Just once, it'd be nice if the bad guys played by the rules."

Marcus turned towards him. "There's where you gotta remember that there are different ways to fight with honor."

"How do you mean?"

Marcus pointed a finger in Davis' face. "When two opponents fight, they agree to rules of engagement. A fair fight is sometimes just playing by the same rules."

"So a sucker punch is okay?" Veemon asked, sounding both eager and confused.

"If your opponent puts sucker punching on the table."

"Not that Boss doesn't charge into every fight head-on," Agumon chimed in quickly.

"That's a personal decision," Marcus said as he grabbed hold of his partner's snout and jaw with both hands. "Giving your opponent the occasional handicap is good way to stay sharp."

Davis sighed. "The problem is that every one these guys we're fighting have some kind of handicap."

"That's why we fight together," Ken assured him, moving up to put a hand on Davis' shoulder.

Neither Davis nor Marcus slowed down upon reaching the foot of the hill. Ken paused for half a second to pick up Wormmon, though quickly fell into step behind the other two boys and their partners. Gatomon glanced backwards, Tai's half of the group having stopped at the cluster of houses they had passed by. Gatomon continued her headcount, noting Cody and Armadillomon continuing up the hill. Patamon flew just above T.K., Akira, and Salamon, leaving only-

"Yolei?" Hawkmon's voice broke the train of thought.

Gatomon and Kari both immediately faced the avian digimon. He and Yolei had slightly diverted from the rest of them, the latter's eyes locked a trio of figures crawling towards them. Gatomon looked closer, noting the webbed ears and mismatched diving equipment of Divermon. Only these three were linked together by black chains, with each having a red tint in their eyes. Kari broke into a sprint before Gatomon could speak up.

"Help us…" one of the Divermon moaned, stretching a hand upward.

"They look like they're in pain," Yolei said softly, about to extend her own hand.

"Stay away from them!" Kari snatched Yolei's wrist and yanked her back.

Gatomon dropped to the ground, sensing Hawkmon land at her side, the pair both juxtaposing themselves between the "Divermon" and their partners. The trio recoiled, suddenly moving faster despite their chains, though their eyes seemed to focus on the humans.

"It's the Light!" Divermon hissed. "The Light returns."

"Get back!" Gatomon ordered, ready to pounce if they did otherwise.

The Divermon scuttled away, though Gatomon didn't feel any more at ease. Despite being able to clearly see and hear them, they gave off no distinct scent or even presence. She backed closer to Kari, checking all directions to make sure there wasn't more.

"Sorry about that," Yolei said, voice still low. She blinked and strained her eyes. "I forgot where we were for a second."

"Don't be sorry," Kari offered, forcing a smile. "Not everything here is what it looks like."

Yolei shook her head. "No, I should have known better. Hell, I've been here before."

"It's like Ken just said. That's why we stick together." Kari loosened her grip on Yolei's wrist, lowering it to give her hand a squeeze. Yolei gave a quick nod before relaxing her shoulders.

"Perhaps we should catch up with the others," Hawkmon suggested while gesturing to the nearby hill.

The rest of their group were just about reaching the top. They moved to follow, and while immediate urgency had dissipated, their friends seemed to stop one by one as they made it to the top. Gatomon picked up her pace slightly, coming to a stop once she had a clear sight-line.

At the edge of cliff overlooking the ocean was a lighthouse, white and unassuming, similar to the one that had been present on their first visit. The differences were at the top of the structure, windows cracked and the light itself not operational.

"Didn't we knock that thing down?" Patamon as he landed on his partner's shoulder.

"We did, because it turned out to be a control spire," T.K. confirmed, prompting most eyes to move to the former Digimon Emperor.

"More so it became… one…" Ken trailed off, pausing like his own words were confusing him.

"Is this one a spire too?" Cody questioned as eyebrows around the group started to raise.

"I don't think so." Ken hesitated again, though kept his eyes locked on the lighthouse. "There were a few here, and I only needed to study one when I was conducting my initial experiments on the Dark Rings."

"Ken, are you alright?" Wormmon asked as he stared upwards.

"I'm not sure." Ken pinched the bridge of his nose, struggling, though not necessarily with physical pain. "Ryo said it was better if we forgot, to keep what happened here buried. I guess that didn't stop me from trying to dig it up again."

"Who the hell's Ryo?" Marcus asked, looking from person to person.

Ken's eyes widened again. "We need to get inside this lighthouse!"

"If you say so," Davis replied, already taking a couple steps forward. "So you know what's in there?"

"The pieces are still fuzzy, but they're close. We just need to hurry."

Gatomon was ready to follow, but something in the back of her mind told her to look back over her shoulder one more time. Nothing she could hear or smell, and she might have been willing to own up to paranoia in this instance, but it didn't matter either way. Paranoia or not, it was unfortunately well founded.

The Divermon had returned, and not just the three from earlier. Stretched across the area, at least as far back as the settlement Tai's group would still be at, the horde stared up at them with glowing red eyes.

"Heads up, everyone!" Gatomon called out, for any good it could do. She could only blame herself for letting her guard down.

Without a single one of them shifting their eyeline, the Divermon shook their arms. Their chains rattled, loud enough that they echoed around them.

"What are those things, Salamon?" Akira asked as he grabbed his D3.

Salamon shook their head. "Whatever they were, they're thralls now."

"Forget what they are!" Davis yelled. "What are they doing?"

A chill ran down Gatomon's spine. As the digivices around her erupted into a series of alarms, she about-faced one more time. Dragomon arose from the sea, a tentacled mountain with glowing eyes to match the small army of Divermon.

"I know you said he was big, but come on!" Yolei stared out and up at the monster, not blinking.

Marcus pumped a fist into the air. "Size just means there's more of him to-!"

Dragomon's maw fell open, a deep and guttural horn drowning out the rattling chains. Gatomon felt her insides start to shake and convulse. As each of the digimon dropped to a knee or fell over outright, she tried to cover her ears to block out the sound.

Expecting the Divermon to have started advancing on them, Gatomon was surprised to see them all still firmly planted in place, still flailing their chains. Then, one by one, the chains began to shatter like they were made of glass.

Each Divermon melted where they stood, becoming inky and amorphous blobs that pooled together. Now a black fog, it converged on their position atop the hill. Gatomon was unable to respond or even move, before long drowning in the shadows.

Chapter Text

Despite his feet feeling heavy, Matt pushed on. The pseudo-neighborhood had been swarmed by chained-up digimon, who all simultaneously dissolved into the fog that was currently obscuring his vision. Worse than that, everyone else seemed to vanish in that instant, leaving Matt to wander around and search for the friends who had been standing right next to him. Only Gabumon remained, and even he had taken a few minutes to locate.

"Are you sure you can't smell them?" Matt asked his partner. How little he could contribute himself at the moment was piling onto his anxiety.

"Sorry, Matt," Gabumon replied, his voice low on energy. "I'll try harder."

Matt paused before his next step, feeling the need to mentally kick himself. He didn't blame Gabumon for their lack of progress, but he could see how his impatience could make it seem that way. Of course, that remained his defect. Matt being unable to properly express himself still caused friction with his friends, and more recently, was a reminder that he wasn't the right person to give Mari the reassurance and support she needed.

"Stay away!"

The new voice drew Matt's attention back outward. He wasn't sure if it was a side effect of the fog or just him being caught off guard, but it sounded like it was coming from every direction.

"Mari?" Matt responded once it registered that he recognized the voice.

"Matt?" Gabumon spoke up cautiously, though Matt didn't have time to address whatever concerns he might have had.

"Let go of me!" Mari called out again.

Now having a good sense of what direction he was needed in, Matt took off. Gabumon followed, or at least Matt was sure his partner was following. He couldn't stop his sprint to check, not if Mari or any of his friends had been attacked in the middle of all this. If acting as emotional support was outside his capabilities, he wouldn't fail at physically protecting them.

This line of thought was abruptly cut when his left foot didn't find solid ground on a step. Matt stumbled, only kept from falling forward by Gabumon wrapping his paws around his right leg. Working with his partner to stabilize himself, Matt peered downward, finding a decline at his feet.

Matt's vision then quickly sharpened on movement below. A trio of the Divermon from earlier, dragging a smaller humanoid figure into a nearby crevice.

"There they are!" Matt signaled, already sliding down to stop them.

"Matt, wait a second!" Gabumon called after him, but again, there wasn't time to look back around.

"Let her go!" Matt charged forward, the closest of the Divermon taking notice.

The Divermon pivoted, throwing his spear with the same motion. Matt threw himself backwards, the spear just missing his neck and shoulder. He tried to right himself, but the Divermon was already on top of him. Pinned, Matt struggled to hold back the claws trying to wrap themselves around his throat.

"Help!"

Looking past the digimon attacking him, Matt saw the other two Divermon sinking into the crevice. Between them, Mari's hand poked out, reaching and grasping with the expectation that he would save her.

Matt outstretched his own arm in vain. "Mari!"

"Mari!"

Hearing her name being called, Mari paused to search her immediate surroundings, though the fog around her naturally limited what she could spot. She couldn't even confidently say what she had just heard was a voice. The area possessed an unsettling ambiance, not necessarily static, but maybe a buzzing or ringing next to her ears. Except that every time Mari turned her head to face it, she was met with only blackness.

"Is it the Spooks?" Gabumon asked anxiously.

"I don't know…" Mari took two cautious steps in the direction she was convinced the voice originated from.

"Mari?" the voice repeated, though now calmer and slightly deeper.

Maintaining her pace, Mari managed to avoid walking into the side of one of the houses they passed by earlier. She still stopped in place, however, a new sound becoming audible. The deep and unmistakable rhythm of a bass guitar, projected out of a small but high-quality amp.

Mari moved along the wall, searching for an entrance. She arrived at an open garage door, though hesitated before turning the last corner and looking inside. There was no telling what the shadows had in store for her, though her suspicions were growing. In the end, her curiosity won out.

Seated on a stool with guitar in hand was certainly not Matt. At least, not the one Mari had been traveling with up to this point. This one was older, and notably more familiar to her.

"There you are," her father said as he stopped playing to hold the instrument out to her. "Your turn?"

"O-Okay…" Mari replied almost instantly, like the words had forced themselves out.

Mari took hold of the bass guitar before sitting on an adjacent stool. Alarms were going off in back of her mind, well aware that this entire scenario wasn't right and that she should have been on alert, but the rest of her brain couldn't bring itself to care.

Hoisting the guitar onto her left leg, Mari instinctively moved to pluck the first couple notes. Only the strings were heavier than she was used to, the results clumsy and distorted.

"That's not right," her father said with a shake of his head.

"S-Sorry…" Mari replied, tightening her grip on the instrument. "I guess I'm just distracted by this fog. I got separated from everyone else and-"

"Start again then."

The instruction stung, and managed to halt the words in Mari's throat. Practice sessions between the two of them had never been so militant. More often less stressful moments for the two of them to talk and catch up on how each other's day had gone.

"O-Okay…" Mari managed to squeak out again. She attempted to start playing, but the result was once more clumsy noise rather than music.

Her father sighed. "At this rate, you're never gonna get this right."

Mari's heart sank lower in her chest.

Gatomon quickly had her attention ripped away from the black fog swarming around her, by a burning in her nostrils and chest. Through all the stimuli, alarms still sounded in the back of her mind as to what she was breathing. She took a single swipe at the air in front of her, not expecting results but needing to try anything all the same. Then, right when she assumed everything would intensify further, the air stilled and the burning faded.

Knowing that beating whatever Dragomon had thrown at them couldn't be that simple, Gatomon froze in place. With the fog keeping her from seeing anything further than the paw in front of her face, she focused on what she could hear. Again, everything seemed muted in the Dark Ocean, though she couldn't accept that she had gotten off easy. Taking a single step, she was made instantly aware that she hadn't.

A sharp pain lashed across Gatomon's back. A familiar pain, to which her reflexes were to glare over shoulder. Finding no one behind her, or even a mark from the strike, she took another step. Except another lash cut across her.

Gatomon leaned forward, her front paws digging into the dirt, though the sensation at the tips of her claws froze her once more. Like before, it was familiar in a way that made her skin crawl. With each step, Gatomon was more convinced her claws were digging into flesh rather than dirt and grass. Seeing the ground at her feet made no difference. By her fourth step, she thought she saw data flaking between her claws.

Blinking rapidly, the flakes seemed to vanish, though the pattern continued. One more step, one more lash, one more skewered innocent. Gatomon dashed, with no destination in mind. Not that that mattered. The goal was to escape the memories the fog was trying to force her to relive, the memories that hung over her like a shadow far darker than this mist.

"Not enough. Was never enough. Never will be enough."

No amount of pain could keep Gatomon from stopping short at the sound of Kari's voice. She held still for just one more second, zeroing in on her partner's muttering, then followed it.

"Kari?" Gatomon tread softly, both due to the pain from seconds ago and not knowing what else this fog was capable of.

She found Kari with her knees pulled up to her chest, not even looking up as she drew closer. Gatomon raised a paw to nudge her partner, only to be met with a jolt of static.

Gatomon reeled backwards, followed by an image briefly flashing before her eyes. Shadows, dark as if not darker than the fog around them, and water, maybe? The actual standout had been Kari's hand, reaching towards the surface.

With only her own encounter to draw on, Gatomon had to assume this was what Kari was experiencing. Of course, there remained the question if this was literally what she was seeing and feeling or just an impression left by her current emotions. Gatomon's chest went cold, conflicting voices clouding her mind. The only agreement was that the wrong decision was to do nothing, and trying any approach was better than that.

"Kari, listen to me," Gatomon said softly as she moved closer again. "You're not drowning. I'm right here."

"It doesn't matter." Kari finally lifted her head, literal darkness clouding her irises.

"W-What do you mean?" Gatomon felt a lump in her chest, her partner's words hurting in a way she hadn't expected.

A weak but suspicious voice in Gatomon's mind managed to question whether or not the Kari before her was even the genuine article. Kari herself had reminded them that not everything in this place was as it appeared, so Gatomon focused on what was in front of her. Again, though, everything within the Dark Ocean felt like it was fading away, and the girl here remained vivid to all of Gatomon's senses.

"I'm still not strong enough, even after everything we've been through," Kari replied, voice rising and frustration building. "I'm a vulnerability. A weak point that the Dark Ocean, Homeostasis, and anything in between can use to hurt the people I care about."

"That's not true," Gatomon argued, though it felt like her voice was being physically weighed down.

"There's no cure…" Kari's eyes sank, voice shaking and cracking. "This is the rest of my life, isn't it? Being a burden to everyone."

"Then what does that make me?" Gatomon's eyes widened as she registered the words she had just spoken.

"W-What?" Kari looked directly at her.

"I'm a stray." Gatomon felt her whole body flood with shame. She curled herself into a ball on the ground, facing away from Kari. "A beaten and broken stray. I still have to know where all the exits are whenever I enter a room, and still can't sleep through the night without patrolling the apartment at least once."

"Gatomon-"

"And you were the one who saw past all that. So if I can't save you, what's the point of me?"

"Don't say that!"

Gatomon almost jumped to her feet. Craning her neck, she found Kari breathing heavily. More notable than that, though, the fog in her eyes looked like it was clearing.

"You're… you're not broken." Kari's voice softened while her eyes widened. "You're just flawed, like the rest of us. You're also the most dedicated guardian I could ask for, kinder than you're willing to admit, and more than any of that, you're my best friend."

Gatomon raised an ear. "Even counting T.K.?"

Kari laughed under her breath. "Just don't rub it in the next time you see him."

"You know I'll always be here for you, right?" Gatomon stood back up to face her partner. "Even if there is no 'cure' for the forces of darkness, I'll protect you from them for the rest of your life if I have to."

Before Gatomon could take another step, Kari pulled her against her chest. Gatomon would have returned the hug, but a pair of lights caught her eye. The first Kari's D3, the other her own tail ring.

The lights pulsed in sync with one another, generating Celestial energy and repelling the black fog around them. Forming a clearing, it was almost like the Dark Ocean itself was being held at bay, previously muted colors seeming to return in a couple meters radius around them.

"What next?" Gatomon asked as they separated.

"We need to find everyone else." Kari stood and looked around them. "Where did they go? We were standing right next to each other."

"Depends on how far the shadows carried them," Salamon's voice broke through the fog. After a second or two, a second Celestial barrier overlapped with their own. Salamon stood at its center, collar glowing to match, with Akira at their side.

"Mommy!" Akira sprinted towards them.

Kari knelt down to catch the boy in her arms. "Are you alright?"

"Salamon kept the fog from getting me," Akira declared proudly.

"Looks like you figured that trick out too," Salamon chirped.

Gatomon raised an eyebrow. "Is this something we could have been aware of beforehand?"

"Not unless someone's holding out on both of us." The Rookie's voice carried its usual nonchalance, but also sincerity.

"I'm more concerned with how long our barriers will hold," a deeper voice echoed from the shadows around them.

Gatomon turned around in time to see Angemon and T.K. emerge. Not more than a split second later, ClavisAngemon and Cody appeared to their right.

"Where'd you guys get off too?" Gatomon questioned, relieved though not willing to let them off the hook for making her worry.

"Here and there, I guess?" T.K. answered with a grin and a shrug. Before he could react, Akira was latched onto his waist.

"Still, I might never have made it over here if Armadillomon hadn't convinced me to help him digivolve," Cody added, eyes on their overlapping barriers.

"We should probably stay close together," Salamon suggested as they moved to the middle of the group. "It looks like the concentration of Celestial energy is helping fend off the fog."

"Is there a way to get rid of it completely?" Cody asked, facing forward.

"Maybe we'll find a way once we start moving through it," T.K. offered.

"Let's try this way," Gatomon put forward, picking a direction her instincts agreed on. Part of her considered trying to find the lighthouse they had been moving towards, but Kari and already made their objective clear. Besides, Ken seemed like he had some insight into the structure, and they needed every advantage they could get.

Gatomon took point, though making sure to only stay a couple paces ahead of everyone else. Though their obscured surroundings still annoyed her, she could at least be grateful that her head was clearer.

"You're holding up alright?" T.K. asked, though there wasn't much need to turn around to see who he was talking to.

"Not as bad as I was afraid I'd be," Kari answered, calmer than she had been in a while. "Sorry for being such a downer earlier."

"You never have to apologize to me for how you feel." T.K. paused for second. "But if you feel you have to, you can do it by talking to me."

"Deal," Kari replied warmly. "So, what did you fog make you see?"

"Patamon pulled me back to reality pretty quick." T.K. paused again, then sighed. "It was a quick flash, of right after Angemon defeated Devimon. I was holding his digiegg, only it wasn't hatching. Of course, it took all of two seconds for Patamon to point out that he wasn't in the egg anymore."

"Well, if you want to talk about it…"

"I can listen too if you need!" Akira chimed in.

Kari giggled. "We know."

Everything seeming as right with the world as it could be, Gatomon focused forward again. She was starting to question whether or not she had picked the wrong direction, at least until…

"Boss! Wait up, Boss!"

One of the three wayward Agumon ran across their path. Without a single word needing to be exchanged, they all agreed to follow. Soon enough said digimon and his partner were illuminated by their barriers.

"I can't wait!" Marcus shouted as looked back and forth, like he was trying to pick a direction. "Kristy needs me. I should never have left in the first place."

"I dunno," Agumon replied, though lacking confidence. "Your sister's pretty tough."

"That doesn't mean it's not my job to be there for her!"

On closer inspection, both Marcus and Agumon had the same darkness in their eyes that Kari had, and that Gatomon realized she had likely had as well. Both seemed to be lacking the confident bravado they had been carrying themselves with up to this point, though Gatomon noted some subtle differences. While Agumon seemed low on energy and borderline depressed, he was at least somewhat cognizant of the Dark Ocean around them. On the other hand, Marcus seemed trapped in some kind of delusion or maybe even illusion.

"The fog affects humans and digimon differently," Gatomon summarized.

"Maybe it's designed with humans in mind," Angemon theorized, watching the pair closely.

"Makes sense," ClavisAngemon added. "We can't digivolve without 'em."

"Let's put our findings to the test," Salamon said, marching forward without warning. "How you doin', Agumon?"

"Not so good," the saurian replied with a sigh, shoulders managing to sink lower. "I was never good at saying the right thing."

"Well, sometimes actions speak louder than words." Salamon reached up, tapping a paw against Agumon's claw.

Agumon raised said claw, a recognizable white glow beginning to emanate from it. Looking it over, the darkness in his eyes cleared, and a grin stretched across his face.

"Hey, Boss!"

Curling his claw into a fist, Agumon marched forward. With hesitating, he delivered a blow right to his partner's gut, causing him to fall to his knees.

"What was that for, you blockhead?" Marcus strained to ask.

"You're whining like a little wimp," Agumon declared, pointing downward. "I don't know how Kristy could ever look up to you."

"I'll show you a wimp!"

Fire back in his eyes, Marcus leapt upwards at Agumon, pulling him into a headlock and wrestling him to the ground.

"Breaking this spell ain't easy," Salamon said as they waltzed back over. "Looks like some outside stimuli is needed on top of the Celestial Energy."

"So we have to go around punching everyone?" Gatomon asked, mostly sarcastically.

Salamon shrugged. "I think that's just what worked best for Marcus."

"We'll play it by ear then," Kari said before focusing on Gatomon again. "You have a lock on anyone else?"

She didn't just yet, but that was easily rectified. With both sight and hearing, Gatomon began to scan the fog around them.

Sora could have been walking in circles for all she knew. She had tried stopping a couple times to regain her sense of direction, though each attempt had ended with her feeling light-headed and giving up.

With the fog obscuring her view of the sky, Sora pulled out her digivice. There was the option of having Biyomon digivolve so that they could fly above all this, though a voice in her head quickly pushed back against the idea, insisting that they would then be unable to see what was on the ground.

"What's wrong, Sora?" Biyomon asked softly.

"Nothing…" Sora answered, only just realizing she had stopped walking again. "Just a stupid idea."

"A stupid idea is better than no idea," Biyomon argued, though her voice was weak. "The others need us to find them."

"Or maybe we wouldn't be much help either way."

"What do you mean?"

Sora hesitated, needing a moment to track where her last remark had come from. She knew it hadn't been a conscious thought, but trying any harder to remember made everything else fuzzier. There was also a hissing or buzzing sound drawing her attention elsewhere.

She followed the sound, as though it were the only course of action. The volume increased gradually, almost sounding like whispering, until it stopped entirely.

By this point, Sora had breached some kind of thin veil. Her sightline had increased, though it was wasn't any part of the Dark Ocean she had become briefly acquainted with. No, presented before her was a view of Tokyo Bay.

Tai and Matt stood before her, though didn't do much else. Looking at them closer and the bay beyond them, Sora quickly realized the boys were not only not moving, but also about three and a half years younger than they should have been. Approaching them and waving a hand in front of their faces got no reaction, and also revealed them to essentially be two-dimensional cutouts. Following their eyelines to an armless and blank-eyed Omnimon filled in the remaining gaps.

A diorama, specifically of the battle against Armageddemon. A fight Sora had arrived late to, and not contributed to in an meaningful way.

"Sora?" Biyomon's flew to her side and broke her fixation on the scene.

Sora didn't bother to reply to her partner, taking the opportunity to retreat back into the fog. Only instead of more darkness, she ran into another diorama.

This one was of the first battle with Alphamon from a little over a year ago. The collateral damage of the battle was framed by Tai and Matt once more, both refusing to look at each other. Not a pleasant memory, and not just because of the destruction they had been unable to prevent.

Sora had participated in this fight, though her and Biyomon had been mostly powerless against Alphamon. Worse than that was the confusion the aftermath had left her with, and the regret it had come to cause in retrospect. She had written off Tai and Matt being at odds as normal for them, and not symptomatic of the doubts and fears Tai had been hiding from the rest of them. Fighting was one thing, but being able to read and support all of her friends was a role Sora could always fall back on, a role she had failed at playing here.

Backing into the fog one more time, emerging before yet another diorama. This one in the Digital World, on a shattered landscape not long after the last. Her friends were present, including the group's newest addition, Meiko Mochizuki, though two notable exceptions stood out to Sora. The first was herself, though that might been because these images were from her own memories. The second, of course, was Tai.

More than the previous fight with Alphamon, this had felt like a loss. As much as Agumon had maintained that Tai was alive and they had tried to believe him, their spirits were broken. Worse, this image made Sora's stomach churn as she looked from person to person. Joe and T.K. tended to Kari, Izzy stepped up to console Mimi, and Matt had literally taken up Tai's goggles to lead them through this. Her thoughts became fuzzy again as she tried to remember more.

"What was my part in all this?" Sora asked out loud, once more without any conscious intent.

"You watch and you wait for no one to come home."

The diorama burst into smoke at the sound of the new voice. Sora turned to face it, finding a small boy, or at what she thought was a boy. His face was blurred, like grease had been smudged on a camera lens.

"Who are you?" Sora asked calmly, making sure to keep her distance.

"Nothing but dust now," the boy answered, almost venomously.

"Sora?" Biyomon repeated, though the concern in her voice was growing.

"Mari told you my name, and you couldn't even bother to remember."

"Satoshi?" Sora recalled, having been trying not to dwell on Mari's lost younger brother.

"You don't even care, do you?" Satoshi questioned, voice distorting as he raised it.

"That's not fair," Sora replied weakly, words bubbling up like they were out of her control.

"And that's your excuse!" Satoshi screamed, the fog vibrating around them. "You don't want to be here! You just want to go and live your life while the monsters come for the rest of us!"

Sora couldn't reply, and was questioning whether she had any right to. She just revisited three instances of her not being able to help her friends, either being preoccupied with other aspects of her life or being present and powerless to help.

"Why are you even here now?"

Sora's knees buckled, dropping her to the ground.

Rei leaned against one of the houses she came across, suddenly notably more tired than she had been just a moment ago. It obviously wasn't just her either, with Agumon also dragging herself along just to keep up. The fog was clearly draining their strength, though Rei couldn't bring herself to even try to figure out how.

The fog was familiar, traces of it having been present back in Myotismon's castle as well before Rei had escaped Abbadomon's invasion of her own reality. It hadn't done anything like this either of those times, though it was possible the Dark Ocean was adding some weird powers to the mix. Whatever the cause, it left them blind both literally and figuratively.

"This stuff is thicker than pea soup," Agumon whined.

Rei rolled her eyes. "Have you ever even had pea soup before?"

"That depends…" Agumon scratched her chin. "Does it taste like black fog?"

Ready to ask her partner how she knew what the fog tasted like, Rei paused when a light turned on in one of the house's windows. With no other leads, she rounded the corner and slipped into an open door.

She froze in place upon finding the living room occupied. Rei felt her eyes strain and her words fail her on finding her parents waiting for her. For better or worse, neither acknowledged her, they and their respective partners focused on a younger version of Rei, who sat on the couch while cradling a sleeping Koromon in her arms.

"It doesn't look that bad," Biyomon offered. As she landed on the couch's armrest, the entire living room started to move and come to life.

Rei nearly jumped backwards, though it drew in her focus. Her dad paced back and forth while managing to never take his eyes off the couch. Her mom gently lifted the back of the younger Rei's shirt, looking over a fresh set of bandages. It quickly clicked for Rei that she was watching the aftermath of her encounter with those Gazimon, the day she had first met her soon-to-be partner.

"How are you feeling?" Mom asked as she lowered the shirt back down.

"I'm alright," the younger Rei answered, her eyes preoccupied with the In-Training digimon on her lap. "How's Koromon?"

"He's fine," Dad said, quickly and anxiously.

"She."

"What?"

"Koromon's a girl," Rei insisted.

"Isn't it obvious?" Agumon chimed in with a naive shrug.

Dad paused in place, his eye briefly twitching, but focused again. "Well, she's fine."

"Good." Rei nodded, though her expression remained muted.

"What you did was dangerous," Dad lectured, crossing his arms. "You should have called for help first."

"There wasn't time." Rei's voice cracked and shook as she held Koromon tighter. "She needed me."

"We're just glad you're okay." Mom raised a hand before Dad could continue.

"Why'd they do it?" Rei paused to look up and between her parents. "The Gazimon. Why'd they try to hurt Koromon?"

"Not all digimon are like Biyomon and Agumon," Mom explained, placing a gentle hand on her shoulder. "Some are scared, while others are just selfish and hurt others because they can."

"Then how do we protect the smaller ones?"

"We?" Dad spat out, eyes wide with surprise.

"You guys used to, right?" Rei asked, nervous but determined. "How do I help?"

"Well, you don't have to-"

Mom loudly cleared her throat. She glared at Dad for a quick second, before motioning down at Rei with her eyes.

Dad sighed. "I'll be right back."

He stood and left the room, with Agumon right behind. With heavy footsteps indicating he had moved upstairs, Mom seemed like she was watching him through the wall. With a slightly confused look in her eyes, this was maybe not exactly what she had in mind.

"I did the right thing," Rei said with conviction. Still, a couple tears leaked from her eyes.

Mom instantly slid closer, wrapping her arms around the girl and gently stroking her hair. "Oh no, honey, of course-"

"I was scared, but more scared of something happening to Koromon."

"And your dad was scared too, of those Gazimon hurting you."

More footsteps, though slower this time. Dad reappeared soon after, taking a deep breath before moving back to the couch. He sat down on the floor, directly in front of Rei so he could look up at her.

"I got something for you." He held out a pair of silver-rimmed goggles.

Rei tilted her head. "Are we going swimming?"

"Not necessarily…" Dad spoke through his teeth at first, while Mom just managed to hold back her laughter. "I used to wear them when your mom and I first went to the Digital World. Well, us and the rest of the Digidestined."

"There were a lot of you?"

"And that's the trick." Dad grinned, getting his second wind. "If you wanna do what we did, you need a team just like we had. That way, while you're protecting the people and digimon that need you to, you're also protecting each other. Got it?"

Rei focused on the goggles, letting the words soak in. Finally, she reached out to accept them.

On contact, the memory burst into smoke. Jolted back to the present, Rei suddenly found herself standing between where her younger self and her father had been, holding the goggles that had been on her forehead just a moment ago. She became dizzy, a pit forming in her stomach. She dropped herself onto the couch.

While Gatomon normally had confidence in her tracking abilities, she was also constantly aware of their abnormal circumstances. This meant she was more relieved than she normally would have been on finding Davis and Veemon. Freeing them from their respective mental prisons wasn't instantaneous, but it didn't take much longer than that, and the pair were nothing if not resilient.

"Oh man…" Davis groaned as he massaged his temples.

"Headache?" Kari asked.

"More like lightheaded."

"I think I'm allergic to black fog," Veemon added, slouching lower into his spot on the ground.

Davis hopped to his feet. "Anyway, where to next?"

"I'm sensing something in this direction." Gatomon pointed beyond where Davis was standing. With a nod in agreement between Angemon and ClavisAngemon, the group was on its way again.

With this small win, Gatomon led on more purposefully. The fog and shadows continued to dull her senses, though anomalies were starting to stand out. Ripples that gave off signs of life not common to this void.

Within a minute or two of walking, their barrier's excess light revealed a pair figures just outside its perimeter. Yolei and Hawkmon were in plain view soon enough, the former sat on the ground while halfheartedly poking at some rocks with a stick.

"Yolei!" Kari called out midstride.

"Hold up a sec." Salamon jogged ahead, halting the group and the barrier before they reached their destination.

"Is something wrong?" Gatomon asked, already getting the sense that she wouldn't like what she was going to hear.

"It might be better to sort this out on her own," Salamon answered calmly, confirming Gatomon's suspicions.

"Another branch?"

"Plus a hunch."

"And what if you're wrong?" Kari questioned, both sternly and impatiently.

"Either way, they're an untapped asset." Salamon mainly focused on Yolei, though it was impossible to miss their glance at Cody and ClavisAngemon. They were hoping to add another Mega to the team, and potentially another Celestial.

"With all due respect," Cody cut in as he stepped up. "What happened before was one thing. Given how this environment has been affecting us, I don't think it's fair to expect Yolei to fight this on her own."

"Except if we wake her up, we get nothing." Salamon's eyes bounced around the group, clearly not as confident as their tone of voice indicated.

"This is stupid!" Davis shouted as he marched past everyone.

"Davis, wait-!"

"I don't have your glowy, angel powers, remember?" Davis about-faced. "Me helping her doesn't break Salamon's rules."

"You at least have a plan, right?" T.K. asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Ken and Tai and everyone else are still lost in this gunk. We need Yolei to wake herself up? Well, I know how to speed that up." Davis started marching again, though quickly looked over his shoulder. "Veemon, stay here. I'll be right back."

Veemon reached out after his partner, but said nothing. By this point, Davis had stepped outside the barrier and into the fog again.

Salamon shook their head. "How do we know that won't-?"

Marcus stomped a foot down in front of the Rookie. "An honorable fighter looks after his friends."

"Most of us make our decisions without a multiverse cheat sheet," T.K. offered more diplomatically.

Salamon sighed. "But what if that extra Celestial is our key to winning this?"

"Then we'll find another way to beat Dragomon, but we're not leaving anyone behind," Kari answered, eyes and voice filled with conviction as she watched her friends outside the barrier's light.

Yolei Inoue was comfortable with the notion that she was not the center of the universe. Or any universe that she and her friends had so far come into contact with for that matter. After all, she was one of four children in her family, and just a single Digidestined among a growing number. Expecting to always be the center of attention was not only selfish, but also blatantly ignorant.

Still, Yolei could admit to feeling neglected on occasion. Again, her family was large and easy to get lost in. Somehow, though, it hurt more when her chosen family forgot about her. Thankfully, Yolei had no real memory of being locked in stasis a year prior. Just losing to Alphamon, followed by the shock of waking up and being told how much time she had lost. She didn't blame Kari, T.K., or any of the others for not finding her, knowing full well that the world had been literally falling apart around them. It just hurt a little bit to think about when she couldn't shunt it from her mind.

That was all to say, lost in the shadows of the Dark Ocean, Yolei was content to wait. Yeah, it would have been nice if anyone could have remembered she was here, but a lot had been happening today. She was sure her friends would come for when they could.

"Yolei, perhaps we should find a different spot to wait for the others," Hawkmon suggested as he moved to stand directly in front of her.

"Maybe," Yolei acknowledged, but quickly resumed poking at the dirt with the stick in her hand. "It might not make that much of a difference."

Hawkmon raised a feather to protest, before his wings dropped to his sides. "I suppose not."

Yolei considered her partner's suggestion again, but it seemed less and less worth the effort the more she thought about it. She had already tried finding her friends, but had come up empty handed. Granted, she wasn't positive how long she had searched. It could have been a few minutes, hours, or maybe even weeks like the last time.

"It's just…" Hawkmon spoke up again, though with less certainty. "What if our compatriots are in similar states?"

"It's possible…" Yolei lifted her head to look around, though a whisper in her ear quickly talked her out of doing more. "But what would we even do if we found them?"

"I'm actually not certain." Hawkmon walked around her, sitting down so they were back-to-back. "I guess they might find us eventually."

"If they don't forget about us," Yolei said without thinking. She froze, trying to figure out where the thought had come from, but gave up just as fast. She tossed her stick away and pulled her knees up to her chest.

"When have we ever forgotten you?" another voice chimed in. Not whispering, but all but shouting, in a way that would grate on any normal person's nerves. Davis.

Yolei looked up and confirmed her suspicion. "Hey…"

Davis raised an eyebrow. "That's all I get?"

Yolei shrugged. "What more do you want?"

"How about…" Davis clasped his hands together and leaned forward. "Oh, Davis, I'm so happy and grateful that you're here to save me."

"Nobody's that desperate."

"So it sounds like you're back to normal and ready to go," he replied through his teeth, eye twitching slightly.

Yolei thought about standing, but her limbs suddenly felt heavy. "I'm not sure."

"Not sure? Everyone's waiting for you right over there." Davis turned around to point at the darkness, but hesitated, like he suddenly wasn't sure where he was. "I think…"

"Just go." Yolei waved a hand in his direction. "I'll catch up later."

Davis scratched the back of his head. "I really don't think we're in that kind of situation."

Yolei rolled her eyes. "Oh, what do you know?"

"I know you're getting on my nerves…"

"Even more reason to go." Yolei glared up at him. "You guys don't need me."

Davis' eyes widened. "Since when does the team not need you?"

"I was just saying how absurd a notion it is," Hawkmon commented.

Yolei averted her gaze from both of them. "Name one thing I've done to help today."

"You literally coordinated our whole plan to fight the Argomon back in the park," Davis answered, having the nerve to sound annoyed. "At one point while you were talking, Sora left to take a bathroom break."

"You did a mighty fine job if I do say so myself," Hawkmon added.

"Why do you think I call her the team's secretary?"

"Stop calling me that," Yolei growled.

Davis sighed. "My point is that as loud and obnoxious as you are, you're smart and compassionate enough to make up for it," he concluded, voice managing to sound more sincere than strained.

Not that Yolei was able to face him. "Not enough to help us here."

"Well, now you just sound like an idiot."

Yolei's attention snapped upwards. "Who are you calling an idiot?"

"I dunno…" Davis stuffed his hands in his pockets and looked away from her. "You'd have to be pretty dumb to let a bunch of smoke stop you."

"I'm not letting smoke do anything!" Yolei yelled, with adrenaline spiking and a building heat behind her eyes.

"Are too!"

"Am not!"

"Yolei, I think you're upsetting the fog," Hawkmon warned nervously.

Yolei looked outwards, finding the fog stirring, maybe even vibrating. Her limbs went stiff, a cold feeling creeping into her core. She wondered if this was a sign that she should stop and calm down.

Davis stomped two steps closer. "Then you're either lying or don't care enough about your friends to help us fight back."

"I'll show you!" Yolei jabbed her index finger into his chest, before realizing she was back on her feet.

A different vibration caught her attention. Her D3, blinking with red and green lights. Yolei focused, the heaviness of her limbs and cloudiness of her thoughts now gone.

"Listen up!" Yolei called out, not entirely sure if she was speaking to Davis or the shadows that had been holding her hostage. "I'll admit to having a lot of hang-ups, but you were wrong about one thing! No matter how mopey I'm feeling, I'll never sit on the sidelines when the people I care about need me!"

The blinking of Yolei's D3 settled into a single white pulse, as Hawkmon levitated into the air.

"Hawkmon, warp digivolve to…"

With a calm and almost ethereal light shrouding him, Hawkmon's form expanded. His body shifted from red to a bright blue, while his two wings became six. A pair of horns grew out of a now golden head, as his wing's multicolored feathers emitted a rainbow aura.

"...Valdurmon!"

Splaying his wings out, Valdurmon unleashed a wave of Celestial energy. Even as the fog struggled, it remained unable to breach the newly-formed dome. The residual light even illuminated enough of the area to reveal Kari and a good amount of the others, all watching from a similar barrier.

"I guess this is what Salamon was trying to pull out of you guys," Davis muttered, unable to take his eyes off Valdurmon.

Yolei nodded while taking a closer look at her partner. Like with Armadillomon previous, it was anyone's guess whether this form had been dormant within Hawkmon all along or was a result of his contact with Gatomon's data through DNA digivolution. She put any thoughts and theories on hold, however, knowing current matters were more pressing.

"Yolei, I'm sensing someone else over there," Valdurmon announced, gesturing into the darkness.

"Then let's hurry up!" Yolei called back, her legs already in motion.

She sprinted, quickly noting Davis keeping pace with her. She might have thanked him if she didn't know his ego would only inflate itself even further. Instead, she kept her eyes on their objective, which quickly came into view.

"Ken!" Yolei called out once she was positive who she was looking at.

Ken laid on the ground on his side, barely moving. Getting closer, his eyes were open, though he seemed to be staring off into the distance. Wormmon was at his side, though actually looked up and acknowledged them as they approached.

"Do we have your permission to wake him up?" Davis called back to the others, hints of sarcasm in his voice.

"Yeah, go ahead…" Salamon replied, voice not as chipper as usual.

"Don't bother," Ken spoke up weakly, still remaining perfectly still. "I'm not worth it."

"He's barely talking to me anymore," Wormmon said. While he seemed more lucid, shadows clouded his eyes, not unlike Ken on closer inspection.

"Oh, Ken…" Yolei knelt down, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Digimon Emperor flashbacks?"

"Could be his brother," Davis suggested as he crouched down. "I think he still kinda blames himself."

Yolei looked above them. "Valdurmon, can you help him?"

"I'll see what I can do." Valdurmon landed at their side, his Celestial energy intensifying.

Ken's eyes widened, followed by him looking over shoulder at the source of the light. The few shadows that managed to survive Valdurmon's initial approach dissolved.

Davis leaned closer. "Buddy, when's it gonna sink in that we're never gonna be as hard on you as you are on yourself?"

"Maybe you all forgive too easily," Ken countered, though his voice lacked certainty.

"Ken, I know this fog eats away at you," Yolei began slowly, before letting a smile color her words. "The thing is we're short on time, and if you don't stand up now, I'm gonna slap you."

Ken arched an eyebrow, then grinned back. "And you'll follow through too."

"Bingo."

The darkness in both Ken and Wormmon's eyes fully dissipated. Ken sat up straight, though standing up was interrupted by Davis slinging around his neck.

Yolei took a moment to do a headcount. Her entire team was accounted for, plus Akira and Marcus, meaning that half of their entire group had already been reunited. Darkness still surrounded them despite the protection their Celestial partners offered, plus there was no telling what Dragomon had waiting for them outside this veil. Regardless, Yolei suddenly felt more up to the challenge than ever.

Tai walked faster, powering through the fog despite it technically not offering any resistance. Part of him wanted to stop. The rest of him knew that this desire was just a side effect of his current location. So the plan was simple: keep powering through until he found the others, and then they would fight back.

"You still with me, Agumon?" Tai asked over his shoulder.

"I think so," Agumon answered softly. He was only a couple steps behind, though that was pretty far by the saurian's usual standards. "What are we doing again?"

"Being given the run around," Tai said under his breath.

This wasn't working, though no other alternatives were really presenting themselves. Staring into the empty black only ate away at his patience. Making up his mind, Tai broke into a sprint.

Only he didn't get very far, tripping over a rock or something on his second step. Tai stumbled forward, landing flat on his chest.

"Tai!" Agumon called after him.

Catching his breath, Tai tried to keep a level head. The pain was minor and temporary, but the frustration was building. Looking around where he had fallen didn't do much to sober him, though he didn't imagine many people would be calmed by a spread of cemetery headstones.

Tai stood back up, reading the names on headstones and immediately wishing he hadn't. Hikari Kamiya. Sora Takenouchi. Yamato Ishida. Koushiro Izumi. One to two dozen more that he couldn't bring himself to read.

"Really?" Tai called out. "Is that the best you can do? I've been locked in my share of traps and mazes, and I'm not impressed!"

"Tai…" Agumon approached his side nervously.

Tai turned his attention to the fog above and around them. "Okay, I don't want my friends and family to die. So what? If you wanna throw me off my game, it's gonna take a lot more than a bunch of empty graves for people I know are still alive!"

"How about someone you know is dead?"

Tai's spine went rigid, recognizing the voice and not wanting to turn around. More than that, however, he didn't want to let this fog beat him. He reluctantly turned on his heel.

Waiting for him by the headstones, with a torn labcoat and blood still fresh on his face and shirt, was Daigo Nishijima.