Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Three months ago, before the GRB flood was lifted

 

“I will not let you devour this world as you had mine!” A shining sword clashes against an unknown enemy as the GRB continues to spread below them.

 

(How could he have fallen so far….? How had Quanzunia fallen so easily? Why had her life shattered into pieces, never to be how it was in the past?)

 

“Prepare yourself, Endbringer! The Multiversal Hero will not stand for your disgusting ways!” She declares while her blade slices through the misty body of her opponent, although a shine of an odd color can be briefly seen before she’s attacked again. As she backs away, the mist clusters back up to cover up the empty space, as if it never existed.

 

The shadow laughs at this pathetic display. “Oh, you fool! I will enjoy devouring you today, and then everything else! You are, after all, quite SPECIAL~ ” The sounds of a tongue licking its lips can be heard,  making Lumos hiss in anger. She feels disgusted by the mere thought of that… that thing winning.

 

Still, she knows it’s no empty threat. She’s been fighting for too long, and with how things are going, she may not make it.

 

No! She can’t think that way! She is a HERO! She is THE Multiversal Hero! She will not let this beast roam free!

 

Even…. Even at her own expense…

 

An idea forms. A last resort. It’s desperate, but it’s just what she needs right now.

 

She closes her eyes. She doesn’t regret this at all, and she makes it clear as she looks up at the eldritch being. “I swore a pledge to slay beings like you! Even if it means I myself must be cut down!”

 

“W-What? ” His façade seems to break. “ What are you talking about? How are you not groveling in exhaustion by now!?”

 

She smirks. His arrogance is about to be hoisted by his own petard! “You want my core? You can HAVE IT!”

 

And from her chest, a sphere surrounded by codes of data emerges,  shining brightly as it exterminates the GRB  left in their environment.  Tendrils of light rush out and latch onto the Endbringer, beginning to pull him in with a strength he never expected from her, considering they have been fighting for a LONG time.

 

“NO! NO! CURSE YOU, LUMOSMON ! I WILL NOT LET YOU HAVE YOUR WAY! I WILL DEVOUR EVERY DROP OF LIGHT IN YOU, JUST AS I HAD YOUR HOME!” The psychopath still has the audacity to laugh and sneer at her as he’s pulled in, and Lumosmon can’t even celebrate. She feels the artificial gravity of the world begin to pull her down, her eyelids closing while a brief image of her beloved comes into mind.

 

Heh, how pathetic. Despite everything he’s told her, she still loves him. She… she can only hope that he is stopped before things get worse…

 

Solisamon… my Child form… it’s all up to you now. To keep that THING in before it destroys more than it already has… she thinks. Forgive me… for the burden I have placed on your shoulders.

 

And then….

 

Black.

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove, 

A quiet breeze shaking up. 

You can’t find backup, 

The darkness beckons, 

Here it is, the Doom of all (the doom of all), 

As we fall, fall, fall… 

Trouble is only a mile away, 

Even when we run! 

Your soulful melody echoes, 

Laughing from beyond the grave. 

Fingers fly, the screens come alive! 

The database is wide open, 

Counting up the souls found, 

Nurturing the tools needed, 

Gathering the team up! 

You can’t find anyone in this forsaken world, 

You just gotta keep on 

running and running

even if it’s trouble from a mile away! 

Tick tock tick tock,

Omagatoki ga kita! 

The sun goes down,

the game has begun. 

The game of ghosts, 

the countdown is here! 

Don’t turn back, 

or you’ll miss your chance! 

Light and darkness clash eternally! 

(the grey stains in, it's witching hour time!)

No, no, no, revv yourselves up! (Revv yourselves up!) 

It's about... to get ugly! (To get ugly!) 

Steel your resolve, young of heart! 

The dance goes on 

The darkness approaches 

Take a deep breath (take a deep breath) 

Are you ready (are you ready) 

To dive into this Ghost game?! 

The body count flies up 

the stakes grow higher, 

But do you run ahead, 

When the chains pull you back?

Don’t look back, 

Or the darkness will catch up! 

Your past, your present, your future, 

All of it comes to play! 

This game will never end, 

Let not the evil take you down! 

You’re not as weak or strong as you think, 

Oh, young child, the right path's ahead! 

Fight your way to the end, 

Put trust in your friends!

Let the fire, burn bright! (yeahh!)

Ready for the witching hour? 

Trouble is just a mile away

Present Time, Hazakura Academy, Japan

“A few more guests is no problem. I’m just thankful we can help the future generation through this  project!”  A  fourteen-year-old confirms over the phone to a school not far from his own, looking out the window of his dorm. It’s nothing they can’t handle. As long as it helps their cause, he’s willing to make sacrifices. “Thank you for your cooperation! I hope to see you next week!”

Behind him, a white triceratops dragon Digimon munches on his favorite treat, affectionately known to his friends and adoptive brother as his ‘saikyou’.  His eyes are shut,  savoring this wonderful taste while contented noises rumble from his throat. He really does love this taste!

As the boy ends the call, he looks over to his little brother, also partnered to him via the strange watch he has around his wrist. “Gammamon, don’t eat so much at once, okay?”

“Okay, Hiro!” He answers brightly. “Oh, and don’t forget to do the counting stuff!”

That makes Hiro let out a sigh of exhaustion;  a common thing,  according to Ruli. He’s not BAD at math, per se.  He tends to do quite well at school, actually, and it’s still maintained even after he met Gammamon, that fateful day a year ago or so. He just, doesn’t really like focusing his energy on it when he could be using his brain to focus on bigger things.

One of those things is the setting up of an entire country for Digimon and humans to live in harmony to prepare for an alleged threat to Earth and the Digital world; the Endbringer.

At least, according to GulusGammamon.

Hiro won’t say that he DOUBTS GulusGammamon, but he has his trust issues towards the past self of his younger brother (still his sibling, either way, so he’s living under Hiro’s rules now). The only reason they trust his word on this is because Quantumon, who’s technically their supervisor now,  had confirmed it, and even then, he’s always had a feeling  GulusGammamon was hidingsomething, but didn’t tell them for some reason.

“Hiro?” Gammamon’s voice jolts him out of the dark space known as his mind, and he looks to the bed where the younger mon is laying. Yellow meets green while he asks, “You still don’t trust Gulu?”

“You know it’s more complicated than that,” he points out while sitting on his chair. “He’s only behaving because you beat him even with all his dirty tricks of toying with us. What if he decides to revolt again? With our hands full cause of the new nation-“

“Quanzunia.”

Black suddenly overtakes Gammamon’s yellow, and Hiro jumps while the Jet Black Champion laughs. “Oh come on, Aniki, live a little! I’m having a tease!”

“I’m not taking YOUR jokes,”  Hiro simply answers while crossing his arms. “I’m surprised you even had an idea for the country’s name in the first place.”

“You look down on me too much.”

“You barely look at anyone as people at your level, so that matches out.”

GulusGammamon simply huffs but doesn’t reply.

That is, of course, when someone chooses to knock on the door.

Both of them pause. Hiro reflexively gets up, and GulusGammamon raises an eyebrow but shrugs as he pops a chocolate ball into his, and by extension Gammamon’s, mouth. Kiyo’s upgraded the security, so if it was someone malicious the alarms would have gone off by now.

Hiro sighs. Point proven, among many others, why he struggles to believe a word the black-moraled Digimon spoke.

Still, he heads to the door and opens it, revealing a familiar face as the feline messenger of their boss, BlackTailmon Uver, looks up at him, holding out a small accessory box to him.

“Oh, BlackTailmon Uver! It’s been a while,” he says with a smile. Sure, they’ve seen them a few times within the past three months,  but their visits have mainly been to deliver small things back and forth as support to start up Quanzunia.

They simply tilt their hat at him, holding out the box still, so Hiro decides to take it. “Is it from Quantumon?”

A small nod leads him to inspect the box further. It’s a standard box, around the size of Hokuto, his father’s ring box… wait, he didn’t… No, he couldn’t have…

… He’s acting as if he hasn’t done anything stupid or downright idiotic before. This is AMANOKAWA HOKUTO he’s talking about. The man who’s managed to cause more trouble to him while in the Digital World than when he was here on Earth!

He lets out a loud sigh, and nods at BlackTailmon Uver. “Thanks, anyway. Hope you get some free time eventually.”

The courier gives him a slight smile before tilting their hat again and turning around to walk away. No doubt they have more work to do, so he smiles and waves until they’re out of sight, then heads back into the room.

“Was it the cat?” GulusGammamon asks while popping another chocolate ball into his mouth. His head is now hanging upside down, too, which is something that Gammamon never likes doing, so sometimes he does it to intentionally make him dizzy.

Hiro still wonders why his life is like this, unfortunately. He sighs and nods. “Yeah, it’s Otousan’s ring box. I don’t know what it’s for, but I’m assuming it’s important.”

“Meh. Whatever, I guess.” He yawns. “Oh man, I haven’t fought anyone in sooooo long and it sucks. Can’t I go fight people, Aniki?”

“No, you know what would happen if we allowed you to fight.” One thing Hiro’s had to learn to put his foot down on is when GulusGammamon begs him to let him fight. That was not under the original rules he had set for Gammamon, but thankfully they had managed to clear up the mess left behind. It was still not a pretty incident and only made their efforts harder, so Hiro had to put in a whole new set of rules, leveraging the fact that he had managed to trick him as a reminder of his current situation.  (Needless  to  say,  the  situation  was  now  in their favor, much to the Jet Black Champion’s dissatisfaction.)

“Damn it, where are those cases when you need them?!” He grumbles.

His older brother chooses to focus on the ring box he’s been sent, and as he opens it, he’s acutely aware of the fact that GulusGammamon has gone eerily quiet.

He has too, stunned into silence as he takes out the object inside the box; a soft pink DIM card with teal highlights shining against the lighting in his room. He also notices a hastily pasted sticky note on the ceiling of the box, written in his father’s chicken scrawl.

… Why is it an address to an alleyway?

He has no time to think about anything else, though, because suddenly GulusGammamon is right beside him, snatching the box with wide eyes. This scent, there’s no doubt! “Aniki, we have to go!”

“Wait, what are you talking abo-“

“WE HAVE TO GO!” He yells while grabbing a book lying on the floor and throwing it at the window. Hiro barely has time to yelp before it shatters into pieces, while GulusGammamon flies out.

Of all the reckless things…! He’s so glad he has a tracker on Gammamon after the fifth time their former enemy had disappeared from Hiro’s sight,  so he doesn’t waste time as he rushes out of the door, making sure to snatch the ring box left behind just in case.

He’s never acted this way before….!  He can’t help but muse while ducking under a random high school student, swerving dangerously to try and catch up with GulusGammamon. What on Earth could have elicited such a response from him?

He doesn’t know, but regardless, he has to help. Anyone involved with Hokuto definitely needed it.

He would know, most of all.

The tracker app leads him to an alleyway not far from the park where Clockmon and Gammamon had first fought, but the junior high school student has no time to reminisce. He hears something. Sniffling?

“You took so long Aniki! Man, you’re so slow, no wonder Clockmon went after you!” GulusGammamon mocks with a scowl while he floats in front of the alleyway, arms crossed.

Hiro just raises an eyebrow at him. “You’re one to talk.”

He simply looks away. “That’s not important. My Yin is here and I have to help her. Are you in or out, Aniki?”

“Your Yin? Who’s that?”

“…” he goes silent, but soon he repeats his question, “Are you in or out, Aniki?”

It’s not a surprise for GulusGammamon to be playing dumb, but Hiro supposes he has no choice but to play along for now. “Alright. Let’s go in.”

The Jet Black Champion nods before the two step into the dark alley, unaware of what awaits them.

The sniffles are coming from behind a tattered recycling bin. Even though they both have to wrinkle their noses, they somehow manage to get closer to the source of the sniffles.

“S-Solisa wanna go back! Room better than b-being alone in scary darkness!” A young voice sobs out.

Solisa? Is her full name Solisamon? Is she the Yin?

“Hey, are you okay?” Hiro calls out as he steps closer to the recycling bin.

And almost instantly teal eyes brimming with tears meet his own eyes. An ear piercing scream echoes, and the next thing he knows, an empty soda can hits his forehead and makes him stumble back, pain throbbing from his forehead. “Ouch! That actually hurts!”

GulusGammamon simply snickers from the side, which makes him sigh in exasperation. What even is his life at this point?

The unknown Digimon hides behind the trash can, and if Hiro squints, he can see dark blue hair and light pink fur, not to mention… Something about that white diamond pattern on her forehead seems to scream special to him.

“Oi, Aniki, get out of the way!” GulusGammamon shoves him aside while flying over, although Hiro can’t help but note him slowing down.  Normally he would just push himself onto others.  What…  what makes this  ‘Yin’  different?

He doesn’t like how he crosses his arms and bites his lip at this display of almost-affection when he had…

He shakes his head. Not the time. “GulusGammamon, what are you DOING?”

“She knows me, Aniki!” He doesn’t even look back. Is that a tone of concern he hears? GulusGammamon can feel CONCERN for others? That’s a new one, even to Hiro. “Hey, Yin, are you okay?”

“W-Who you?! Solisamon doesn’t know you!” The Digimon yells back, still hiding behind the trash can.

He sees GulusGammamon still, and then his tone seems to break. “Oi, Oi, Lumosmon, you can’t be serious. Y-You know me, right?"

“W-Why would Solisamon know scary mon?! You scary, have bad vibes too!” She’s scared, Hiro can tell that.

GulusGammamon seems to refuse to entertain that notion. “No! You can’t be… you have to be lying to me!”

“S-Solisamon cannot lie!” The trash can is shaking really hard, he has to stop him!

“GulusGammamon, stop! She really doesn’t seem to know you! I don’t know why you think she would know you-“ he gets his hand swatted away,  and blood is drawn as black eyes glare back at him.

“You stay out of this.” He growls angrily.

Hiro simply glares back. He’s honestly had enough of this attitude! “You have NO right to force a scared kid to fit your vision of whoever this Lumosmon is! She clearly doesn’t remember you at all, so let me help her if you do care for her! The way you’re going about this is WRONG! Just like how your entire tyranny plan was!”

THAT… that seems to slap him hard on the face. His eyes slowly move to the shaking trashcan, and then to the burning emerald eyes of the human who had once tricked him. There is no lie in those eyes. He’s not happy.

“… I…” he looks away, and then bites his lip.

Next thing he knows, black is replaced by yellow and Gammamon is looking back at him. “Hiro? Why are we he-“

His nose catches a whiff of the stench in the air, and he covers it immediately. “Ahhhh! Smelly!”

That seems to surprise Solisamon. She pokes her head out, eyes shining at the sudden shift in his voice. “S-Scary voice gone?”

Hiro nods, smiling softly while stepping forward once. She still cowers, through, making him pause, “Ah, sorry! Did I make you uncomfortable?”

She pokes her head out again. “S-Stay away, please… just want to find Hiro…”

He blinks. Huh? “You’re looking for me?”

Then he remembers what she first said. “You mentioned being in a room before. And the fact you’re looking for me… did Hokuto send you here?”

That name makes her eyes widen. She recognizes it. “Hokuto say I come here to find Hiro! You Hiro?”

He nods. “I’m Amanokawa Hiro. This is Gammamon. Hokuto is my father.” Who also sends weird stuff his way, Solisamon now being the latest one.

That being said, this is the first time he’s been given another DIM card. And it matches Solisamon’s skin color…

He frowns. Well, regardless… “Hey, can I guide you back to my dorm? I think it’s safer that way.” Hokuto rarely gives a warning,  and the card is a very abrupt one, but something about Solisamon is... different compared to the Digimon he’s met before. He doesn’t want to risk anything with this.

Solisamon looks up at him, and for a minute he worries she might not trust him, but soon she nods a bit and moves away from the trash can.

Now that he can see her clearly, he notices the two horns protruding from her hair, with a pink tail resembling a cattail swishing slightly behind her. Is she an Oni Digimon, similar to Kinkakumon and Ginkakumon? Interesting… But what makes her stand out more is the cheek pattern on her left; a yin-yang symbol colored completely white. That’s a rare thing to see, and it’s just as mysterious as the symbol on the metal collar fitted around her neck.

What he DOES recognize though? The green shirt AND the camouflage cargo pants she has on right now, and it proves to him that Hokuto sent her; it’s his spare outfit. He’s visited him once in that room and seen him wear it.

He can’t help but wonder to himself, does he actually need to buy him more clothes to send over?! He’s not a goddamn charity!

“Hiro? Why would you buy Hokuto clothes?” Gammamon’s voice makes him blink in surprise, and then a red flush forms on his face as he realizes he actually said that aloud. Damn it!

Solisamon is giggling, though, a smile forming on her face. She looks pretty happy! He just hopes she doesn’t bite like Gammamon… he makes sure to cover his mouth in case he says that aloud, of course.

If anything, that only serves to make her smile even more, albeit shyly.

He can't help but notice she’s in Hologram Ghost form, so Hiro squats and asks, “Hey, is it okay if Gammamon holds your hand?”

She looks at the white Digimon. She’s not trusting him yet, and honestly that’s fair enough with how GulusGammamon had acted.

It’s why her slowly grabbing his hand surprises him, but nonetheless allows a smile to bloom on his face. It’s honestly refreshing to see her so comfortable, especially compared to a few minutes ago. It brings out a warm look in her eyes, shining bright even in the dim lighting of the alley.

The three then leave the alley and begin to head back to Hazakura. Humans and Digimon alike stop and turn to look at the trio. Most of the Digimon know Hiro and Gammamon. Who doesn’t know them? They were part of the team who stopped GULUSGAMMAMON, the Jet Black Champion.

Then who’s the Digimon they’re with? Something about her… seems different. 

Shivers go down Solisamon’s spine as she walks, her grip on Gammamon’s hand tightening. Please, no more! This is too much!

Gammamon’s somehow acutely aware of the tightening. He turns around and meets eyes with the ones who have the misfortune of not looking away in time and snarls. His pupils dilate, similar to Solisamon’s current pupil shape.

Hiro turns back and notices it. It’s similar to what he would do when faced with bad vibes, but it’s interesting how it seems like he’s more prone to activating that around Solisamon. Maybe it’s connected to GulusGammamon and the mysterious Lumosmon he mentioned.

Regardless, the walk is soon over as they enter the ground floor of the dormitory just in time for a familiar giggle to echo.

Gammamon’s ears perk up, and Hiro pauses. That Ushishishishishishi can only mean one thing…

“Darling, come on, buy me a cute little website domain!”

“J-Jellymon-sama, it’s far too expensive!”

A website domain? That’s a new one. Is she thinking of making one for Quanzunia?

“Why not? I want to set up my business as soon as possible!”

… never mind, that’s Jellymon for you.

“T-There is so much we need to set u- A-Amanokawa-kun!” Well, that cuts off the chance of avoiding this, but then again, Hiro rarely avoids things. It’s just a hassle to deal with this considering Solisamon’s situation.

The grey-haired genius steps into the main hallway at that moment, noticing the addition to the pair as his eyebrows shoot up in alarm. “W-Why is there a Digimon here? I-Is it a new case?”  His head even swivels around,  as if expecting Ruli to pop up behind him. Hiro can’t blame him. Ruli is the one who gets them most of the cases AND  she’s jump-scared him a few times in the past few months, which had earned a couple chuckles from Gulus.

“No, Sempai.” He pauses. “… actually it can be considered a case, but from Tousan.”

“Oh? Your old man sent a Digimon your way?” Jellymon raises an eyebrow as she floats in, blinking once she spots the new Digimon. “Ooh, we’ve got a new pink Digimon in town! She’s really cute too!”

Solisamon gulps and backs away, her pupils growing much smaller as her horns begin to glow brightly. A crackle Hiro’s grown accustomed to hearing from Jellymon comes from the horns.

His eyes widen. Oh crap, this is not good! “Wait, Solisamo-“

The lightning explodes right then.  Both humans feel the jolt of electricity course through them like mad, firing up every neuron in their body, right before the zaps dissipate. Hiro’s messy bed hair has become even more messy, while Kiyoshiro’s hair is as frazzled as its owner.

“S-sorry… sorry…” Solisamon whimpers while hiding behind Gammamon. She’s worried for them, huh…

Hiro tries and fails to pat his hair down, but smiles at her, despite his muscles twitching ever now and then. “It’s okay, Solisamon. We did startle you.”

She’s like a kid who just did something bad accidentally. He can’t be mad at that.

Thankfully his Senpai seems to agree with that as Kiyoshiro dusts himself off. “I-I suppose it’s fine… what’s your name?”

“S-Solisamon…” at least she’s willing to speak up more. He counts that as a pseudo-win.

“Solisamon, huh?” Jellymon looks at her from upside down. Something feels seriously different about her, like a warm light shining in the darkness.

“Oh, right, you mentioned your father sent her over, Amanokawa-kun?” Kiyo turns to him.

Hiro nods, still trying to pat his hair down much to Gammamon’s fascination. “His spare clothes and the fact I got a DIM card that led me to her, not to mention she recognised my name and his. She mentioned a room too.”

“Well considering the last few times he’s sent you something… I think we might need to talk to Quantumon-san,” the older male says. He does trust Hokuto, but he still does not condone how he is so flippant and uncaring about how he goes about things!

Still, since he’s now working with Quantumon while traveling the Digital World, he supposes it has something to do with her.

“My thoughts exactly.” Hiro nods. “BlackTailmon Uver sent the box over to me, so Quantumon should-”

He's interrupted by small whimpering, and they turn to see Solisamon whimpering behind Gammamon again, “NO NO NO NO NO!”

That reaction startles them and Koutarou, Hiro’s friend who’s walking into the lobby, having come back from trying and failing to woo a girl. “Hiro-sama, why is there a girl cryin- wait is that a Digimon?!”

But he’s already approaching her, worry creases forming on his forehead.  He kneels down to meet her eyes. “I’m sorry if we startled you, Solisamon. Do you not like Quantumon?”

She pauses at the gentleness, but doesn’t seem to want to talk as she shakes her head silently.

He frowns, but nods. “It’s okay, don’t worry. Take your time to tell us, okay?”

“Ooh, I do wonder how Ruli would react to her. I bet she would go gaga over her!~” Jellymon’s tease makes both the guys pale. Ruli means well, but most of the time her… exuberant personality makes things harder for them.

Koutarou blinks as he looks at Hiro. “Hiro-sama, why are you pale? Isn’t Lirurun your friend?”

“Koutarou, Solisamon is easily startled.  I  don’t  want  her  to  go  all  over  the place.” Hiro pinches the bridge of his nose.  Koutarou’s known Lirurun for longer, but Hiro’s had time to know the person behind the biggest social media account in their area. He likes to think of himself as a good judge of character, so…

That thankfully seems to make him understand. “Okay, Hiro-sama!”

“Who’s easily startled?” Another voice, this time feminine, then joins the group, and all of them jump this time as a girl with long wavy magenta hair steps into the lobby.

“T-TSUKIYONO-SAN! THIS IS A MALE’S DORM!” Kiyoshiro yelps.

“Oh come on, Higacchi, I still show up here once in a while!” She protests, pouting at the scaredy-cat of their group.

“Still! You shouldn’t be coming in here just because you want to! You made the entire dorm go crazy when you first stepped in!”

Oh, don’t remind them. The horror show they had to put up with is jokingly likened to facing Arachnemon.

Ruli shrugs, blissfully unaware, and that makes Solisamon look at her in confusion. She’s so pretty and confident… at least, that’s the vibe she’s getting from her…

“Ruli, this is not the best time to be here…” Hiro speaks up as he tries to nudge her eyesight as far away from Solisamon as he can.

Unfortunately, her eyes are sharp. Perhaps it’s from the camera hobby she had picked up at one point, because her eyes turn the other way and land at Solisamon.

Her eyes widen as a smile blooms on her face. “Oh, hi! Who are you?”

Solisamon only squeaks and hides behind Gammamon again. She’s poking her claws together now, but at least she says, “S-Solisamon…”

“Awwww, you’re so cute!” Ruli coos. “Hiro, is she here for a case?”

“I guess you can say that. But it’s from Tousan.” Hiro has given up on everything. This is his life now, and he’s had to accept it, but now it’s gotten crazier.

“From Hokuto-San? Does it have anything to do with the unrest lately?” Ruli blinks. “At least, from what Angoramon’s told me.”

“Unrest?” That surprises Hiro and Kiyo.

Gammamon just tilts his head. “Oh?”

Jellymon perks up at that. “Oh, you mean the rumors? We don’t know if they’re true, though.”

“Rumors? Jellymon, what rumours?” Hiro turns to her.

She shrugs. “Something about a weird sensation felt when we were fighting GulusGammamon all those months ago. People are saying that something big and bad is on its way.”

That makes the trio of humans share a worried glance.

What does… what does this mean for Quanzunia?

“ It has been a while, Hiro, Kiyoshiro. ” On the screen of Kiyoshiro’s computer is their boss,  Quantumon,  her fingers still typing, hard at work despite the evident frown on her face. “ I trust Solisamon got there safely. ”

“She landed in a dumpster alley. Seriously, don’t trust Hokuto with that. It makes me nervous,” Hiro drily snarks. 

“ My apologies, but it had to be done promptly. The circumstances have shifted away from our favour.” Worry is an emotion they have not been able to associate with her, but her tone seems to carry that right now.

Kiyoshiro gulps.  “W-What do you mean by that, Q-Quantumon-sama?”

“ It appears… our calculations… ” she hesitates, the creases on her forehead growing, before she sighs. “ It appears there was a miscalculation. We assumed the Endbringer would be coming centuries past your time. However… it appears that the Endbringer had already been in the Digital World when you were fighting GulusGammamon. ”

Hiro shoots up while Kiyoshiro yelps. Both yell at the screen, “WHAT?!”

She nods somberly. “ Somehow his presence sneaked past my sensors and he was about to consume the Digital World. However, there was someone who managed to put an end to him.  Allegedly, based  on  the  little  history  data  I could salvage. ”

“Someone could put an end to the Endbringer?!” Hiro knows he should feel relieved, but something about her tone indicates otherwise…

And as he looks to Kiyo’s bed, he notices GulusGammamon is back, and much quieter, looking away from them.

He chooses to focus on the screen. “Who was it who managed to do it?”

“ It appears that it was a Digimon known as Lumosmon. There are no records of such a Digimon existing, but then again, Gammamon is a rare species. ”

Wait, Lumosmon?… that’s the name GulusGammamon called Solisamon at first…!

His head swivels over. “You know something, don’t you, GulusGammamon?”

GulusGammamon scoffs. “Took you long enough to notice.”

“Three months ago, when you were telling us about the Endbringer… you KNEW he was in the Digital World.” It’s clicking into place. “You LIED to us about it. You spent there months knowing that he was there and yet you enjoyed life, not thinking about what could have happened!”

“Look, I didn’t think that you and Gammamon would have been able to play me, Aniki. Even if I still commend you for that.” He gives Hiro a toothy grin, but Hiro’s lips are a firm line. “Awww, come on, Aniki, lighten up! Plus, he’s gone now right?”

This he directs at Quantumon, but his eyes… shift when she doesn’t answer. “Oi, oi, you can’t be saying…”

Is… he sensing a tone of desperation in GulusGammamon’s words?

“ I do not know for sure, but there are rumours of a group of Digimon working to bring him back… We do not know much about them for now. All we know is that they are currently stationed in the human world, where you are located. ”

Hiro exhales his frustration out and says, “We appreciate the help regardless, Quantumon.”

“ I understand the frustration, Hiro. I can only hope you can uemdmekslskamlejdodjdodjdkjmekmkssdkedmdkdjjdkjooojihshishsi… ”

“Q-Quantumon-Sama?!” Kiyoshiro stammers. He’s now hiding behind Hiro, shaking all over the place. “W-What’s wrong with you?”

“ Heeijde  ijdiuedoeimoedioefnyeif  enefouefo  feoiefo  efoefu  oeufouf  oeufofe?! ”

That tone indicates no jokes. Heck, Hiro isn’t even sure she CAN joke…

Something is wrong. Something is HORRIBLY wrong.

“Senpai, can you check our network right now?!” He turns over.

Kiyoshiro squawks at him, aqua blue eyes wide like saucers. “Amanokawa- kun?!”

“Please! I think something’s tampering with it and preventing us from getting information!"

That makes his back straighten, his eyes sharpening as the one affectionately called Kiyo by Gammamon sits back down on his gaming chair, cracking his knuckles before his fingers start their crazy dance. The sounds of keycaps clacking soon fill the room as they hit the keyboard mainframe, albeit harder than they’re used to. Then again,  they’ve been through abuse from gaming AND Jellymon’s shenanigans, so they should hold up!

The words don’t get clearer, though, and it only gets more warbled to the point the computer begins spitting out a string of binary codes, over and over again. 

01010100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110011 01110101 01101110 01110010 01101001 01110011 01100101 00100000 01110111 01101001 01101100 01101100 00100000 01100010 01100101 00100000 01110011 01101110 01110101 01100110 01100110 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101111 01110101 01110100 00101100 00100000 01101001 01100110 00100000 01111001 01101111 01110101 10000000011001 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101110 01101111 01110100 00100000 01100011 01100001 01110010 01100101 01100110 01110101 01101100 10000000100110

Hiro quickly takes a picture of the code just in time for Kiyo to shut down his gaming computer, but the smoke billowing from the CPU tells them that, well, it’s sorta history now.

GulusGammamon bursts out laughing. “Aw man, that ROCKED!

“It did not!” Hiro turns to him, a stern frown on his face. “Someone was trying to interfere with our communication!”

“A-Amanokawa-kun… y-you don’t think that it was….” Kiyo trails off, his shaking growing more pronounced.

He can’t blame him. His spine is shivering back and forth as the implication clicks in his mind. “You… you’re suggesting that the organisation has already struck?”

“M-Most probably we wouldn’t be able to contact anyone in the Digital world…” the computer genius admits. “It… is not a good position to be in.”

That makes him gulp, and GulusGammamon pauses.

Not in a good position huh?

He looks out the window. I wonder why Yin isn’t coming out… Did she use up so much energy fighting the Endbringer she needs to recover? Or…

The mere notion is laughable, he actually wants to burst out laughing.

But somehow his stomach feels off.

Why doesn’t his Yin remember him? Why is she so scared?

Is…

Is Endbringer still alive somehow?

The GRB… what if it had failed?

No! No! He…

He can’t have done all that for nothing…

Neither of them see a small Digimon fly out of the window, satisfied with their work. They have no way of getting help, so it’s time to let their maker know that it is ready for launch.

Solisamon gulps as she stares at the huge (huggable) Digimon in front of her. His bangs are covering his eyes while he seems to look at her from above, making her quiver from when she was.

Ruli chuckles a bit. Even after all this time, she’s surprised that anyone can be scared of him. But then again, considering how Solisamon seems to be scared of, well, EVERYTHING, she shouldn’t be surprised.  “It’s okay!  Angoramon is very fluffy and friendly!”

Angoramon blinks, but soon a gentle smile forms on his face. “Ah, I apologize if I scared you. I am Angoramon, Ruli’s partner.”

Solisamon looks up at him again, still hiding behind Jellymon, but she squeaks out, “H-Hello! I'm Solisamon!"

Behind his bangs, purely black eyes widen slightly. Angoramon can sense, just like every other Digimon who’s met her so far, something different about her.

He hums a bit. This is interesting… but he can figure that out later. “Why is she here?”

“Well, Hiro and Darling are busy figuring out why she’s here, so we decided to bring her over here!” Jellymon answers with a shrug. “She doesn’t seem to like our boss.”

It takes him longer than he would like to admit to figure out what she means. “You mean…”

She nods, and even the shrug seems a bit more forced now. “Soooo anyway, we thought you could educate her on the human world, help her readjust from living in the Digital world!”

That makes Solisamon blink from behind Ruli. “But… Solisamon only ever in room. Fell from sky somewhere, and then found by Hokuto.”

… THAT IS NEW.

Jellymon pauses. “Hang on, you don’t know ANYTHING about the Digital World?!” How is that possible?! “Even Gammamon knew a bit!”

She shakes her head. Is that a bad thing?

Ruli frowns, rubbing her head. Hiro did not mention that at all! “So… you have amnesia?”

“Amesa?” Solisamon tilts her head. Funny name! It makes her giggle a bit.

Ruli groans. Damn it, she’s tempted to join the “Hokuto is an idiot” club now! She had always made fun of Hiro for having such a dad but now she’s just ready to throw him somewhere.

“Amnesia,” Angoramon is patiently correcting her in the background. “Retrograde amnesia, specifically, is when you cannot remember your past.”

“Retro amesa?” She tilts her head, making Jellymon snicker at Angoramon as he lets out a sigh akin to Hiro. Okay, they’ve been spending too much time together. This is a PROBLEM.

Ruli shakes her head, unsure how to respond to Jellymon being,  well, JELLYMON. “Anyway, you can start talking to Solisamon about the basics. I’ll go get some sweets for her to enjoy.”

“Ooh, did your parents come back recently?” The aquatic Digimon turns over, curiosity piqued.

“They did, actually! And they brought over sweets for everyone!” She grins. “Specifically this cool caramel thing I’ve been itching to share with you!"

Ruli’s parents actually found out what she had been doing during the GRB crisis, and while they had been so scared for her,  they had also relented, knowing her well enough that putting their foot down would not have worked. At all.

“Karmen?” Solisamon tilts her head. What is this thing they call sweets?

Ruli giggles while getting up. “I’ll go get some for you, so you sit nice and tight there okay?"

She nods, eyes shining as she wonders what this mysterious thing is. She’s never heard of it before! Is it a human thing?

Angoramon clears his throat, making her remember the current situation as she blushes scarlet.

Jellymon can only laugh while she helps her sit on the couch, beginning to touch her dark blue hair. It’s so fuzzy and soft, and the warmth she’s been feeling since meeting her is genuinely comforting!

“So… what do you remember?” Angoramon decides to ask. He supposes he needs to gauge what she does know first, and then go from there.

“Ah, Solisamon not remember much. But scary Digimon hunting Solisamon down. Safe in room, but scary lady keep poke poke at Solisamon…”  she shivers.

“Ah, sorry if it brings up bad memories. I just wanted to know just how much you know so far,” he tries to reassure her, although he can’t say the same for himself. She was hunted in the Digital World? He can tell she’s special, no doubt, but to the point she was sent to the human world? Is there something else to her?

She shakes her head. “Know a bit, Hokuto and scary lady teach.”

“Quantumon taught you?” He gasps. That’s an honor and privilege!

“Not lot, bad people…” she shivers again. “They try to take Solisamon.”

“You think they’re those people we’ve been hearing rumours about, Angoramon?” Jellymon asks him. She doesn’t sound teasing, even stopping her braiding of Solisamon’s short but steady locks to meet eyes with him.

He inhales. “It… is a possibility.”

That… does not bode well with them, especially with Quanzunia only at its infancy. They want their country to prosper, but to see that people were against the mere concept so early on…

He meets eyes with Jellymon. “You said Hiro and Kiyoshiro went to talk with Quantumon?”

“Yeah. Also, GulusGammamon had a  connection  to  her, apparently.”  She shrugs. “Hiro mentioned it and I was like, ‘Woah, that battle crazy psychopath can feel something for someone?’”

“Well, we don’t know much about Gammamon, anyway,” he points out.

It’s a fact that’s always fascinated him about Gammamon. Nothing about him seems native to their Digital World, and the GRB only complicates matters. GulusGammamon cannot be trusted either for information, even if they ARE going by HIS information about the Endbringer, so if anything, their questions have only grown.

Bokomon-sensei would have loved this challenge… he offhandedly thinks, and immediately shakes his head. Not the time to think about the past. For now-

“I’m back with the sweets!” Ruli chooses that moment to step in,  cutting through the conversation with a grin while setting down the huge plate with tons of sweets inside.

“Oooh, they really went up and beyond!” Jellymon chirps while leaning in.

She grins back. “Well then, why wait? Dig in!”

Solisamon curiously leans into the bowl and picks up a golden brown sweet, popping it into her mouth. She’s not expecting anything special.

This is exactly why the taste blows her mind. The slightly burnt taste melts in her tongue, mixed in with a creamy undertaste that honestly makes her close her eyes. It’s like nothing else in the world matters; just her and this wonderful, tasty delicacy known to her as Karmen.

“Do you like it?” Ruli can’t help but smile at that big grin. “Caramel is a very nice treat!”

“Solisamon really like it!” She agrees.”Really sweet!”

“We do need to ensure she brushes her teeth enough times after eating it, so maybe let Hiro know. But for now…” Angoramon smiles as he sees Solisamon grab more and more of the caramel candies. “I think it should be fine.”

“Karmen is best!” She cheers, her tail wagging back and forth slightly in accordance to her emotion. “Thank you, Ruli-neechan!”

Jellymon is surprised when Ruli just purses her lips, and her smile becomes more strained. “No worries, Solisamon! You can take everything back to Hazakura if you want!”

“Hazakuwa?”

“That’s the name of the place Hiro and Higacchi stay at!”

“Don’t forget me!” Jellymon protests, puffing up her cheeks. “But yeah, I’ve been sorta staying with Darling!”

That does bring up a question, though;  the dorms had agreed that no guy should bring in a  female Digimon without Hiro or Kiyoshiro’s consent,  what with the Riku situations. Angoramon can’t help but wonder if Solisamon would be the exception to this rule, especially with Jellymon doing the same, but somehow he feels Hiro will make sense for it. He always keeps an eye on the people he cares for and tries to stay out of trouble even if it does seek him out once in a while.

“Can take all?” Solisamon is asking Ruli in the meantime. She wants to bring these amazing treats back to give one to Hiro but she doesn’t like the thought of taking stuff away from someone who likes it…

Ruli nods with a smile. “Of course! You really like it right?”

Solisamon’s tail is swaying again. Her eyes are downright stars now as she cheers, “Ye! Thank you, Ruli-neechan!”

She giggles and pats her head. It reminds her of…

Her smile grows a bit strained at the thought of…. She knows it’s been hard for her, but she really hopes her friend is holding up. She’s cut off contact after the incident . It’s been so long…

“Ruli?” This time, it’s Angoramon who notices. “Are you okay?”

She jumps a bit, her hand jolting and accidentally hitting Solisamon. “Y-Yeah- Oh no…”

The Oni Digimon is hiding behind Jellymon again, but she doesn’t seem scared, thankfully. “O-Owie…”

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to do that!” Ruli claps her hands together. Damn it! They had gotten her to calm down and be happy too!

Solisamon rubs her head, but answers, “I-It’s okie… Solisamon just got jolted….”

Jolted? Is that what she calls surprised?

Jellymon raises an eyebrow, a smirk on her face. “The way you were spacing out like that, one would think you were thinking about a boyfriend!”

She’s very surprised when Ruli argues VERY loudly, “T-That’s not it! It’s just…"

Her eyes land on a picture frame on the top of her bookshelf, and the three follow her gaze-

Angoramon’s ears suddenly perk up. “Look out!”

The girls barely have time to move before the balcony window crumbles into pieces, glass flying everywhere as two shadows land on the floor.

“Wait, those are Dober-… Dobermon?” Jellymon trails off, eyes growing wide at the… monstrosity before them.

Angoramon covers his mouth, unable to speak.

Ruli gasps. 

Solisamon? She’s hiding behind Ruli now, her shaking’s back and she does NOT look good. Tears are leaking out. “S-Scary dogs back…”

“Back? You’ve met these guys before?!” Ruli stands in front of her. She won’t let anything happen to Solisamon!

“Give us the Pure one, and we will leave you alone,” one of them intones. Black sclera, not red, seem to invite them into a void as what used to be a metal collar now floats over it, spinning like a flame wheel.

“Pure one?…” Angoramon’s eyes land on Solisamon, who flinches and scoots closer to Ruli, avoiding eye contact. Had she been keeping secrets?

“Is that what her weird aura was about?” Jellymon asks with a frown. No tease can be heard as the female Digimon slides into a fighting stance.

“Give us the Pure one, or Quanzunia AND you shall fall by our hands,” the other one speaks up, its leg blades having extended to become razor sharp whips.

Ruli mentally calls the first one Taiya and the second one Muchi. It makes it easier to remember. “First of all, Solisamon is NOT an object! And secondly, no! We are NOT handing her over to you!”

“So be it. Your fate has been sealed. Woldegk Blatt!” Muchi’s whips rush at them.

“Petit Tornado!” Ruli holds her hand out.

Angoramon nods, his ears beginning to propel around rapidly as the whips end up wrapping around each other.  Muchi growls,  the whips trying and failing to get loose, but it’s too late.

“Jellymon,  Volt  Knuckle!”  Ruli commands.

“Come get some of me, hehe!”  Jellymon grins as her fists crackle with electricity before she punches the Dobermon in the face, sending Muchi flying to the bookshelf.

Her eyes glass over. She’s going to have to find a new picture frame huh…?

Taiya snarls at them. “You WILL give us the Pure one! Einschränken Rad!”

His wheel spins rapidly and comes right at them, but Ruli yells, “Let’s combo up! Bibi Lariat!”

“Alright!” Both Digimon nod as Angoramon begins spinning his arms, creating twin whirlwinds that hold the wheel at bay.

Then Jellymon creates her electric cannons and waves innocently at the Dobermon. “Have fun, hehe!~”

The electric cannon goes off, and the wheel hits Taiya on the head before he slams right into Muchi, breaking the wall and causing them to be flung out.

(Their eyes go back to normal, small bugs fly away…)

“Whoohoo!! We totally got them!” Jellymon grins.

Solisamon’s eyes are sparkling as she looks at the two Digimon in front of her. They’re so…. So cool! She wants to be strong like them!

Ruli is a bit preoccupied, though. She rushes to the remains of the bookshelf, and inhales when she sees what she’s looking for under some light rubble. Thank goodness it didn’t get crushed…

She folds it and keeps it in her pocket. She’ll be careful with this from now on. It’s too precious to be left out in the open…

Meanwhile,  Angoramon turns to Solisamon.  “Hey,  Solisamon?”

The new Digimon blinks as she looks up at him. “Ye, Fuwafuwa-niichan?”

Jellymon has burst out into cackles in the background, but he’s used to it by now. “What did they mean… when they called you the Pure one?”

It makes Solisamon go quiet, but she shakes her head. “Cannot say! Make swear!”

A swear?

“Swear not to talk about it!” Her eyes have a fiery steel to them. She’s not budging on this one, it seems.

It makes the two Digimon and Ruli share a glance. Who made her promise?

Just what have they gotten themselves into this time?

From above, a figure watches as the sun sets. Two small Digimon, the size of a fingernail, jet over before slowing to a stop. Nervous looks form on their faces. 

 

“I see no Pure one,” their master’s voice is cold.

 

“F-Forgive us… we tried to use some Dobermons to grab her, b-but the girl and two of the Digimon who stopped GulusGammamon…”

 

The figure exhales, gritting their teeth. “Was the test run a success, nonetheless?”

 

That seems to make both of them perk up. “Hai! We were able to harness two different features from each of them and create new attacks!”

 

The figure smirks, a finger reaching out to pet both of them. “Good, good… Then your mission was not a complete failure after all.”

 

They look at the waning sun, a sinister grin forming as they say, “It is time, then. It is time to move onto Phase One of our plan.”

 

Nothing is going to stop them. Nothing will get in their way.

 

Not Lumosmon, not their old friend, NO ONE.

Omoi (whoa whoaaa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whooooaaaaoooo)

Passing by the pictures of

A life once lived.

Happiness, peace, love all abound. 

Yet I could only watch as it burst into flames… Woahhhh…

The souls of the lost sing out their sorrows,

Yet even in darkness,

A light shall shine through.

The small glimpses of past,

Those little smiles, ohh…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last.

From all the things we’ve been through,

Thank you… dear friend…

Your kindness abound,

Even through the darkest times.

The sorrowful smiles

Still give me some hope,

For I know, that you have my back.

Lifting me up when I’m falling down… to zero…

The abyss may seem like a welcoming home.

The tears may never stop,

But then I see you,

And I remember,

And I hold onto those memories… Those bonds…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last. 

From all the things we’ve been through,

The dark… the light…

Ohhh, the memories, the bonds will never go,

As long as we both hold onto these small balls,

Exuding out its wonderful light,

Ohhh…

Thank you, dear friend… 

Chapter Text

Bloodshot eyes stare at the screen in front of her. The wind blows in the background as the moon waxes beautifully outside the window, the clock nearby showing it’s 11.45 p.m.

 

She pushes her hair back, ignoring the pain that erupts while she drops the tangled strands onto the ground. No more imperfections. She can’t stand to live like this anymore! It’s too much!

 

The sound of soft sleeping noises echo from the room beside hers. Her sister’s always slept peacefully, of course she does. (She wishes she can be as peaceful.) That’s how she knows this is the best thing to do.

 

She takes in a deep breath, opening up the blog post she’s found on something called Lirurun. She doesn’t care for social media, but it showed up on her search feed, and she’s desperate now. It offers her a way out of the cage she’s put herself in, and even as her hands itch, long for a chance to swirl her long red hair, she stops herself. It’s gotten her in enough trouble already.

 

She can’t stand, she HATES being who she is! So if this ritual will help her gain what she truly desires, she will take the risk! Plus, not like her “sister” would care in the first place!

 

She begins the chant. It feels… heavier as she starts, it doesn’t get better as she continues.

 

The laptop’s glow grows… glitched. Purple zeroes and ones dance across the screen. A weird symbol shows up for a brief moment, is that…?

 

She doesn’t have time to think, because a pair of bright pink eyes open up. “ Do you wish to be popular? ”

 

She nods. “I… do.”

 

“ Then come! I will make you shine as bright as the moon! Welcome to the Moon of Diana! ”

 

A hand stretches out.

 

She screams.

 

The room goes silent. A mark glows as the creature emerges from the laptop.

 

She bows before the figure. “My queen.”

 

“Welcome, welcome, my dear!”

 

The screen glitches once more, showing the same symbol as before as pink eyes glow in the darkness.

 

She refuses, she will no longer be alone.

 

She is popular, and she will spread her popularity throughout the entire world! Starting with this one c-

 

The clock strikes midnight, and the queen disappears. For a minute, the new recruit scrambles, dazed without her queen, but then another one shows up.

 

“Come, we have… much things to do…” the creature grits his teeth.

 

She can only nod numbly, eyes glazed.

 

Serve… and become popular…

 

Loneliness…. Is but an empty dream now.

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove, 

A quiet breeze shaking up. 

You can’t find backup, 

The darkness beckons, 

Here it is, the Doom of all (the doom of all), 

As we fall, fall, fall… 

Trouble is only a mile away, 

Even when we run! 

Your soulful melody echoes, 

Laughing from beyond the grave. 

Fingers fly, the screens come alive! 

The database is wide open, 

Counting up the souls found, 

Nurturing the tools needed, 

Gathering the team up! 

You can’t find anyone in this forsaken world, 

You just gotta keep on 

running and running

even if it’s trouble from a mile away! 

Tick tock tick tock,

Omagatoki ga kita! 

The sun goes down,

the game has begun. 

The game of ghosts, 

the countdown is here! 

Don’t turn back, 

or you’ll miss your chance! 

Light and darkness clash eternally! 

(the grey stains in, it's witching hour time!)

No, no, no, revv yourselves up! (Revv yourselves up!) 

It's about... to get ugly! (To get ugly!) 

Steel your resolve, young of heart! 

The dance goes on 

The darkness approaches 

Take a deep breath (take a deep breath) 

Are you ready (are you ready) 

To dive into this Ghost game?! 

The body count flies up 

the stakes grow higher, 

But do you run ahead, 

When the chains pull you back?

Don’t look back, 

Or the darkness will catch up! 

Your past, your present, your future, 

All of it comes to play! 

This game will never end, 

Let not the evil take you down! 

You’re not as weak or strong as you think, 

Oh, young child, the right path's ahead! 

Fight your way to the end, 

Put trust in your friends!

Let the fire, burn bright! (yeahh!)

Ready for the witching hour? 

Trouble is just a mile away

The night wanes on as Hiro sleeps in his camping bag, with Gammamon and Solisamon taking the bed. Both males are fast asleep, drained from the rollercoaster that had been meeting the Oni Digimon and losing contact with the Digital World. Oh, and getting her out of the Hologram Ghost form so he could help her freshen up.

Sadly, their newest addition doesn’t seem to share the same issue. She’s tossing and turning, sweat trailing down her forehead as she whimpers.

“-I’m sorry-“

“-CURSE YOU!-“

“-IF YOU WON’T HELP ME, I’LL DO THIS ON MY OWN!”

“-Sheriga. Obsherigamon.”

“-T-Thanks, you’re a nice person too.”

“How did it feel? To watch those around you BURN? All because of your incompetence? You may be a HERO, but you fail to live up to that.”

A huge mouth, galaxies-

She shoots up awake, panting and shaking. The dark whispers echo in her mind, and she shivers. Too much! Too much! She wants back into the room! Not scary even with the-

The sound stirs Hiro up, the teen blinking as he pushes his body off his makeshift cocoon. “Solisamon? Are you okay?”

She freezes. In the dim lighting, for a second, Hiro feels like she’s about to say. He can hear her sniffles. He hopes she’ll answer no. That’s usually how it is with Gammamon, and he’s gotten used to comforting him after the GulusGammamon battle.

He can’t help the sense of disappointment when she stammers, “I-It’s okie! Solisamon's fine!”

(Who does that remind him of?)

“You sure? I can come over if it helps,” he says softly. He’s heard from Ruli that he should be gentle around kids, especially scared ones. Give her space and allow her the choice.

She goes silent. Again, the sniffles fill the room. “…. Solisamon… daijoubu…”

He bites his lip, but nods. “… Wakatta. But if you need anything, please let me know.”

“O-Okie…” she lies down again, trying to close her eyes— images, dreams, nightmares, realities—

Her eyes shoot awake, and before she knows it, she’s jumped off the bed onto Hiro’s chest, making him yelp in surprise. “S-Solisamon!?”

But she tightly grips onto him, shaking hard. “… S-Scary images…”

He..

He strokes her dark blue hair, smiling gently. “Hey, it’s okay. You’re going to be fine, okay, Solisamon? Niichan promises.”

“Niichan?” Her eyes seem to gain a sparkle in them at that. What's that fancy word? It feels so nice!

He nods. He figures that since it was addressed to him, it’s yet another of Hokuto’s impulsive choices, but this time, it reminds him of his first meeting with Gammamon, so he supposes that he’ll have to take care of her too. “I’m your big brother, I think. Tousan (that’s Hokuto, by the way.) must care a lot for you if he wants me to take care, so I'll take on that responsibility.”

That makes her tail sway left and right. “N-Niicha!”

That actually elicits a smile from Hiro. “Yep. Niicha will be here to protect you so the nightmares will go away.”

She giggles back. It feels so cool! “You cool Niicha! Kobanwa Niicha!”

“Konbanwa, Solisamon,” he says with his own smile.

He makes sure to stay up a bit to ensure she’s sleeping peacefully before he gently shifts so that her head is lying on the pillow with his own. Only then does he allow himself some sleep.

“Hiro! Higacchi!” Ruli waves him over as she and Angoramon wait at her usual seat in the cafe nearby Hazakura. “You guys took your time!”

“Sorry, we had to deal with some stuff before coming here,” Hiro answers before he sits down, remembering the chaos of finding Solisamon new clothes from the piles of old clothes he had buried in boxes.

Solisamon pokes her index fingers together. She knows she’s the reason for this… “Sorry… no mean to make late.”

“It’s okay! Hiro can be late in general when he gets called to help at the last minute! He just can’t say no,” she teases the other.

He shrugs a bit. “But I still tricked GulusGammamon.”

“I got you back for that one, though!” Black eyes take over as GulusGammamon flies up and glares at him.

Hiro smirks a bit. “Still got beaten by Gammamon, though.”

He grunts, but goes silent as he notices Solisamon. She’s scurried behind Ruli, poking her head out from behind the human girl. She’s so… scared.

… Yellow returns. Gammamon looks around as he grabs the chocolate in front of him. “Oh! Gulu didn’t take the champion?”

That’s definitely not typical GulusGammamon behavior. Jellymon raises an eyebrow at Hiro. “What did you do to the guy? He’s acting like he got hit by ten losses.”

“I didn’t! I just got mad at him cause he was scaring Solisamon…” he answers with a frown. “He kept on calling her Lumosmon… maybe this Lumosmon is in the same situation as him; her consciousness locked underneath the surface when Solisamon was born.”

“I-It DOES seem likely,” Kiyoshiro agrees with a frown. “But w-where did the Endbringer go a-afterwards? D-Did she stop him or…?”

Silence reigns, but Ruli shakes her head and says, “Well, we don’t know anything yet, so that’ll have to wait for now. I do want to know something, Hiro.”

“Ah? Nani?” He blinks again.

“Hasn’t Hazakura been complaining about you having so many Digimon with you? I mean, you have Gammamon and Bakumon, and Espimon once in a while, and now Solisamon. Your dorm room is quite small and we may need a new base of operations.”

He pauses. “Well, yeah, but…”

“The attack yesterday also tells us that perhaps this new enemy knows a lot about us. Hiro, you may need to consider moving from the dorm,” Angoramon adds. “For Solisamon’s safety.”

“I… I don’t know.” He rubs the back of his head. For once, Ruli’s starting to feel like she’s pushed him a bit too far. She’s never done that before, so the way he avoids eye contact with her is sorta alarming. “I need time to think about this, I guess.”

“A-Ah, sorry,” she apologizes. “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“No, it’s fine!” He reassures her with a smile. “You did bring up a good point.”

“If not you, I would have brought it up, Tsukiyono-San,” Kiyo adds. “I was getting worried about that too. But if you need to talk about anything, Amanokawa-kun, we are always here.  And I believe Nomura-kun would be another good alternative.”

“Thanks, Senpai. At any point, though, I do think we might want to gauge Solisamon’s battle skills,” he says after taking a sip out of his drink. “She brought up on the way here that she wants to help us solve cases.”

“Huh, really?” Ruli tilts her head.

Jellymon giggles. “It was quite the interesting talk, to say the least.”

“So what Niicha do aside from building new place for Digimon and humans?” Solisamon looks up at him as the five walk. Again, the stares are hard to miss. Digimon watch them, they can sense something different about them.

Hard to say the same about humans. The whispers about Hologram Ghosts are still high in the air, especially with just how real they look. One girl even asks Hiro where he got Gammamon and Solisamon, because she wants her own copy!

His only offer is that it’s not possible, sadly, but Jellymon gets on her case about getting cute merchandise. You know, for business. Hiro has a feeling that the website plea being shut down only fueled Jellymon to make her own, and she proves it by showing quite the decent looking site. Even Kiyoshiro compliments it, so now they’re having their own conversation in the background.

Regardless, Hiro’s used to the stares by now, so he smiles as he pats her head. Somehow she’s taller than Gammamon so he can hold her hand while answering, “Oh, we go to school and all that. Human stuff, but we do tend to investigate cases to stop the Digimon who may be causing trouble. Most of them don’t know what they’re doing is wrong-“ Minus GulusGammamon, but he’s his own level of cruel.

At least, that was what he thought until yesterday. “-but if they need to be stopped, we’ll fight. A good amount of our friends are those we have stopped and talked to.”

“Clockmon and Mummymon!” Gammamon cheers from behind, poking his head out of Hiro’s backpack. “We’re tomodachi!”

“Tomodachi…!” Solisamon repeats the word, seemingly fascinated by it. It makes her eyes sparkle, and a fire seems to be lit as she looks up. “Niicha, want to fight with you!”

Hiro blinks, trying to process this. She wants to fight, huh?…

It reminds him of the Clockmon fight, the first time he’s ever synced up with Gammamon.

Eh, she seems determined enough. “Sure! We can talk it out with the others later.”

Ruli squeals a bit. “That is SOOO CUTE!”

Angoramon hums. “But do we want to try and duel her? We do not know how GulusGammamon will react.”

That’s a good point, but Hiro has thought about it. “What if we ask Clockmon for help? He’s a teacher. Or, at least he’s learning. He’s been told that he needs to get a teaching certificate, so he’s double timing between teaching the baby Digimon and learning through books, and Bakumon’s helping him with that. As long as we’re careful, GulusGammamon shouldn’t come out.”

“How IS Bakumon these days? I hear he’s been doing a lot of research!” Jellymon perks up.

“He’s been helping out in the Digimon communities, giving them information about the human world and Quanzunia. I think he, Clockmon and Mummymon have become study buddies.” He is not about to tell them about the one time he came back from a case to see the two Digimon and Bakumon sitting in the dorm lobby talking about autopsies and subtraction. The sheer dissonance of topics was enough to unnerve him, and the look the three shot him that day… he’s ranked it in the top ten scariest moments in his life.

(One guess to which moment was the scariest.)

“That sounds like a good idea!” Ruli claps her hands together. “So far we only know Scatter Zaps, right?”

“Pretty much. I wonder what other attacks you have, Solisamon.” He turns to her with a smile.

Solisamon nods up and down. She can’t wait either! Her tail is wagging again too!

Once they’re done with their drinks, the group gets up to leave, but the three humans suddenly share a glance, their bodies have stiffened up. 

“Oh no, here we go again…” Angoramon sighs.

Solisamon gulps at the looks they have on. What is going on….?…

Ruli is unsurprisingly the first one to move. “ANGORAMON, HUG HIRO AND HIGACCHI!”

“TSUKIYONO-SAN HOW DARE YOU- Ahhhhhh…” Kiyo’s words are cut short as the computer genius sinks into the fluff. Hiro is fast enough to duck under the table, rolling out and passing Ruli, sprinting with all the might he has.

“Amanokawa, get back here!” Ruli yells, zooming right after him.

“What’s the betting pool this time?” Jellymon has a devious grin as she looks at Angoramon.

The rabbit Digimon shrugs. “I think Hiro’s won this round so many times, it’s expected. Ruli definitely should rethink her strategy here, but she’s quite stubborn on that.”

“Eh, sunk cost fallacy, as them humans call it.” The aquatic Digimon chuckles. “Darling is trying, but he’s yet to score a win this tim-“

“I’m sorry, but your friend over there has already paid for your bill, apparently.”

“Wait what?”

Angoramon lets go of Kiyoshiro in surprise, and Hiro and Ruli both turn to stare at him.

“What. When. You BARELY EVEN GOT UP!” Ruli throws her hand into the air.

Kiyoshiro can only smirk, flipping his hair back. “Ah, that is the difference between the three of us. Tsukiyono-san will only do what she thinks will work, and Amanokawa-kun will outrun us both. So I decided to do the rational thing. I simply took a picture of the QR code and scanned it right before we finished.”

“Wait, Senpai, so when you were playing with your phone while we were finishing our drinks….” Hiro is starting to get it.

He smirks. “Sou! I was paying ahead of time, and since the cashier knows the three of us by now, she can put my name to my face and realize it’s for our table! Not to mention I put it down as a reference when paying.”

“So the tactic this time wouldn’t have worked either way… Damn it,” Ruli mutters.

“Well played, Senpai.” Hiro can only clap, because really, it’s sheer brilliance. “I’m more surprised you didn’t just hack into the system, though.”

“Oh, I thought of it,” he casually answers. “But as the dorm leader, I would not be setting a good example to my Kouhai if I did that!”

Hiro can only smile a bit. “That’s fair enough. Alright, let’s head out to meet Clockmon then.”

“Yeah!” Gammamon cheers. He can’t wait to see his friend!

Noticing Solisamon’s confusion as they get up, Hiro sheepishly smiles. “Sorry, it’s like a little game the three of us have. We try to pay for the drinks here since it’s quite cheap and we frequent here quite often. We kinda go overboard, but everyone here is used to it by now.”

“It’s like our second base of operations outside of video calls!” Ruli adds. “We do it cause we feel grateful for each other, even if we do get competitive sometimes."

“You mostly. And apparently Senpai is getting more fired up.”

“SAYS THE ONE WHO WINS OFTEN! HOW ARE YOU SO GOOD AT THIS?!”

Solisamon can only giggle. In spite of the worry she's had at first, she’s genuinely relieved that it’s been sorted out, and that they do it cause they care for each other.

She wonders if she can get the same thing…

As the group leaves the cafe, though, they pass by a group of girls who are gossiping. They seem to be from the Kamakura school, judging from their uniforms, but they’re quite…

Solisamon pauses. Her teal eyes land on the one straggling at the back. She has a huge smile on her face.

She hears… something. Something really painful from that girl’s heart.

A moon? A sun? A star? She doesn’t get what the voice is saying, but it’s… it’s a plea. Somehow she recognizes the begging tone.

She-

“Solisamon?” Hiro’s voice snaps her out of it. “You okay?”

She shakes her head, frowning a bit. “… sad voice.”

His eyebrows raise, and he looks up to see the group of girls leave. They sound happy enough, but something tells him Solisamon has a point here. To trust her gut on this one. They know she’s special already, so…

“Why don’t we look into that later?” He offers. “We can get you used to how we do things after we get a grasp of your attacks.”

Solisamon pauses, looking back once more, but slowly her hand moves front, and he catches it.

He smiles, but as they walk, he takes one look back at them again, and he swears he sees something that shouldn’t be there in the background.

After all, why would someone be fishing from the rooftops?

“It’s been quite a while, Hiro!” Clockmon greets him as the group approaches him at the park. “How’s everything been?”

“Kinda okay, even if we do have some new issues cropping up,” he answers. “But we did gain a new member to our team.”

“Oh?” He raises an eyebrow.

Solisamon pokes her head out from behind Kiyoshiro this time, and his other (nonexistent) eyebrow raises too. “Huh, kid, you find yourself some very special people. She just screams different from afar.”

“We get that. She’s being hunted down by some new organisation for that. But she wants to help us with our work, so we need a grasp of her capabilities. Could you…?” He gestures a bit.

“She’s around Child level right? I don’t feel too comfortable about fighting a Child.” Not to mention he’s had his own experiences with a ‘special’ Child… he still trembles remembering that day when the entity now known as GulusGammamon had nearly killed him.

“I know, but you seem like the best choice to avoid Angoramon or Jellymon being mauled.”

He hums, frowning a bit, but eventually says, “Okay, I trust ya kid.”

Hiro smiles back. “Arigatou, na, Clockmon.”

“Whoop, whoop! Let’s get the party started!” Ruli cheers.

Clockmon chuckles, leading the group to a secluded area of the park. It’s familiar to them, and more so the face they see there.

“Oh, Reppamon!” Ruli waves at the Digimon. “How’s the job you’ve been given?”

“It’s been going great!” The more rational side of the two answers while the blade grunts. “How’s the preparation for Quanzunia?”

“It’s a LONG story. I’ll brief you on it during the next meetup,” Angoramon says.

Reppamon nods, hopping down from the rock he’s been sitting on. “You need the arena to work on more combos?”

"Nah, it’s to see what their new member’s got,” Clockmon answers while gesturing to Solisamon, who eeps as she hides behind Hiro this time.

The blade perks up. There is so much power in her…! “Oi, body! I want to fight her!”

“Wait what?!” He gapes at his tail.

So does everyone else as the blade argues, “Why not?! She seems like a powerful mon!"

Hiro frowns, but looks down at Solisamon. “Do you want to spar against Reppamon instead?”

Solisamon is shaking her head vehemently. She doesn’t want to fight the scary-looking mon!

Clockmon sighs. “You can spar with the others later, Ken. Not now.”

“Oh come on! It’ll be one fight!”

“Do you want to risk GulusGammamon coming out? Cause he seems to care a lot for this mon.” The teacher Digimon sees the blade flinch at the name. “That’s why I’m doing it. I’ve gone up against him and he knows I’m no threat.”

“That IS true…” Hiro nods. “So all the more reason to do this with you then."

He grins, making his sewn lips seem more malicious as he hops to the end of the arena. “Alright, I’m all set, kid!”

Solisamon gulps. SHE’s not. She’s terrified of this fight.

But then she sees Hiro smile at her. “It’s okay, Solisamon. We can do this, together.”

Together?

Her eyes widen at that, but a grin forms on her face. “O… okie!”

As she takes one small but confident step onto the arena, something calls to her.

Her arm answers the call, stretching out to thin air, and before everyone’s eyes, a sword comes into being.

She can’t help but smile. It feels so familiar, so… warm. It’s… just right for her.

Then, instinct kicks in. She slides into a battle stance, ready to fight.

Hiro’s eyes widen. It’s an incredibly practiced stance, it’s almost like she still remembers how to do things! “Hey, Angoramon, didn’t you say that Digimon forget almost all their past experiences when they’re reborn?”

“I did. And that is the case for most Digimon… it appears Solisamon does not play by those rules by default,” Angoramon says. He can’t keep the awe out of his tone. How can he? Here is a Digimon, the second after Gammamon, to defy the laws that had governed their species for so long!

But Hiro can’t help the worry that’s festering in his heart. The last time they had focused more on the uniqueness than the problem…

“I left the GRB here before leaving the Digital World. :)”

“For that long…?”

He shakes his head. Not the time. He can think about it later. “Solisamon, are you ready?”

She nods. “Iku!”

Clockmon’s already charging at her, and she stumbles back at how fast he is, but her body guides her, so she follows along. With a gait that’s almost practiced ease, she slides under his mallet and uses the sword to poke his shoulder.

He grunts, but turns around and swats at her, sending her back a few. Ruli and Gammamon both let out yelps of worry while Kiyoshiro has already covered his eyes. “I can’t watch!”

Jellymon groans as she begins to poke him. “Darling, stop being so scared! She’s not doing too bad!"

Clockmon grins. “Oh? You have some skills, huh?”

Solisamon feels her horns charging up, and the name of the move also flashes in Hiro’s mind. “Scatter Zaps!”

The electricity rushes at Clockmon, who dodges and rushes at her again. Hiro yells, “Again! Make sure to aim around him!”

She nods, and tries to focus the blast range the best she can. Slitted pupils narrow, each attack grows more and more accurate, although at one point, it nearly hits the nearby bamboo. It’s a close thing that makes Angoramon blink. Huh, interesting.

Clockmon does the rational thing in this scenario. He jumps up, dodging the attacks with his own grace. “Not bad, kid! Is that all you’ve got?”

She frowns. She… she can’t figure out any other moves. Does she have any?

The answer comes when Hiro feels a new name flowing into his mind. “Battering Vortex!”

It’s something that Solisamon didn’t even know, but her body does. She feels warm as she feels energy moving into her sword, lighting it up. It’s as if she’s fighting among the stars themselves, with her sword as her guide.

She swings-

“Help! Help! I can’t take it anymore!”

The vortexes disappear as Solisamon freezes. That voice…!

Clockmon takes that chance to swing HIS mallet, sending her back to the ground.

“Solisamon!” Hiro rushes over, checking her over while Clockmon winces. “Ouch, sorry, kid.”

“I okie…” she mumbles, rubbing her head. Ooh, pretty stars…

He pats her head. “You did great. Thank you for your hard work, Solisamon.”

She just leans into his hug, but mumbles, “Niicha, find voice. Voice hurting… sun, moon, stars…”

He blinks, looking down at her at that. “The sun, moon, and stars?”

She nods. “Sad, very sad, very painful… need to… help…”

There are way too many questions right now, but he’s going to trust Solisamon on this one. His gut feeling is telling him to. “Alright, get some rest first. I’ll find the case related to this.”

She nods again, closing her eyes to rest as Hiro gets up. “Guys, I think we have a case now.”

Ruli, Kiyo, Angoramon, Jellymon, Clockmon, and Gammamon blink, turning to look at Hiro.

It’s Ruli who breaks the silence. “Eh?”

“Sun, moon, and stars…” Ruli hums. She has a hand to her chin as she says, “I think I know what you’re talking about. You mentioned they were from Kamakura right? The place where you were possessed by that Doumon’s lord thingie?”

"Don’t remind me,” Hiro sighs. He still wonders what happened back there, honestly… “You know what case it is, though?”

“Yep! It’s a case I wanted us to take on cause it’s growing in reports!” She answers. “So it actually fits in well!”

“I-I don’t think that you should be so excited about it…” Kiyoshiro mumbles.

Angoramon nods. “We do not know where the voice came from. For all we know, it could be a trap.”

“Well, either way, it’s a case, and since Solisamon seems invested in it, we may as well do something about it. Can’t help it if it happens,” Hiro says while patting their newest member’s head. Solisamon smiles at how nice that feels, leaning into the touch.

“Alright!” Ruli grins while opening the most recent blog post under the thread. “The most recent one is from a Pandora Epimetheus. ‘My sister’s been acting really strange. Ella’s always been a shy but sweet kid, but now she’s being downright bombastic and suddenly she’s so popular and rarely home. Not to mention that creepy thing she does every night when she says stuff about her queen… I am genuinely worried for my sister, so can you please help me find out what’s going on?’ Huh, that’s interesting…”

“Let’s text her for an address and go from there,” Angoramon offers.

“Sounds good!” Ruli opens a chat with the user and types out a small message about the case, humming to herself while she’s at it.

“I wonder what the entire thing about a queen is…” Hiro muses.

Angoramon hums. “It’s quite the worrisome situation, too. The number of reports are at a new record, so we should try to solve this case as soon as possible.”

The response takes a while, but soon enough, Ruli’s eyebrows raise. “I got an address, and a message. ‘Thank you very much for taking my case I hope to see you here in an hour! Signed by Pandora.’ Huh, weird.

Jellymon hums. “She might be busy, yknow! Maybe she’s using text-to- speech!”

Gammamon looks up at Hiro. “Hiro, is this the one where you talk to the phone and then it writes for you?”

He nods. “Pretty much. Let’s focus on the case for now, though.”

“Ah!”

The address leads them to an area in between the rural and the urban, where a modest-sized apartment stands at around the Hazakura dorms’ height.

When told they were here to meet Pandora Epimetheus, though, the security guard squints at them. “Huh, you’re not dressed like the usual visitors. Are you nurses-in-training, by any chance?"

Kiyoshiro frowns. “I’m sorry, what do you mean by that?”

“Cause no one ever—“ he catches himself. “Ah, it’s nothing. Here are your passes.”

Once they put on the passes and enter, Hiro frowns. What did he mean? What was he going to say?

He feels like this has something to do with the case, but he’ll have to judge later.

Some flights of stairs later, they knock on a door at the far end of the corridor. Thankfully, they’re all used to doing cardio by now, except for Solisamon, who’s now hanging onto Angoramon for support.

The door opens after a few more knocks. A long haired girl slightly older than Kiyoshiro (maybe) opens the door, and the first thing the group sees?

It clicks.

“Your eyes are so pretty!” Gammamon blurts out, and Hiro hastily tries to cover his mouth, but Pandora can’t help but chuckle. “I didn’t know that you brought kids with you. Still… thank you. It’s a rare compliment considering my situation. Do come in.”

The group is ushered in, and Pandora has to feel her way around to grab a tray filled with teacups and a teapot, but Hiro rushes over and takes it from her. “It’s okay, I can-“

“No, I insist. It’s the least I can do, considering you came all the way for Ella’s sake.” Her Japanese is quite fluent, now that they think about it. Ruli knows this area is where immigrant families live, so does that mean that…? “Yes, I was born and grew up here.”

They all jump, and Pandora gives a sad smile, which only highlights her pupil less orbs. “I’ve heard it all. I do have a Japanese name, and so does Ella, but the documents… never really processed themselves, so we are known more for our Western names.”

“Sokka…” Kiyoshiro frowns. He understands. He’s gone to America to study, and being a young child in university there… well, it was not easy. “I am very sorry that has happened to you, Epimetheus-san.”

“Pandora’s fine.” She sits down across from the group. “Though may I know your names? I know there is an Amanokawa Hiro, a Tsukiyono Ruli and a Higashimitarai Kiyoshiro. After all, your exploits are well known in promoting a country for…”

“Digimon and humans,” Hiro confirms. “I’m Hiro. Sitting in the middle. On your left is Ruli, and your right has Senpai or Kiyoshiro. Our Digimon partners are also here, if that’s okay.”

“No, no, I understand. You need their help to figure out what happened to Ella, right?” She bows. “I must thank you for that.”

“No, no, it’s only right to help!” Kiyoshiro reassures her. “May we know what happened to your sister?”

“Ah, yes, my sister…” she takes out a phone and presses down on a button. “Can you please send to the Lirurun chat the picture of Ella and I? The first one you find."

“Understood!” Her phone answers cheerily, and Ruli takes her own phone out to see the message.

Leaning in from Angoramon’s shoulder, Solisamon’s eyes widen. That’s… “Crying voice is her!”

Hiro hums. Their suspicions have been confirmed, then. They’ll have to ask more about Solisamon’s weird ability to hear these voices later on. “Can you tell us what’s been going on?”

“Of course. Her full name is Dantella Parkinson, but I call her Ella for short. She’s around your age, I believe.” She closes her eyes. “Ella, she’s been… struggling a lot with making friends, you see. It’s hard to be friends with others when you’re made fun of and all for being a gaijin…”

"Gaijin? Can you eat that?” Gammamon asks, but Hiro shakes his head. “It’s what we call people from other countries who come to stay permanently here. People who are seen as outsiders despite their official residency here in Japan.”

“Pretty much. It didn’t get better with… with her mental health struggles. While our parents did try to help, her struggles only got worse with her diagnosis…” she sighs. “I suppose I only add fuel to the flame. After all, I am blind and have my own diagnosis.”

“Diagnosis?” Ruli repeats. “What did you even get? I mean, you’re already-“

Kiyoshiro nudges her HARD, and she yelps. “Oi, Higacchi-"

She freezes when she sees the stern look on his face, slightly veiled anger in those blue eyes.

“Please do not make fun of her or pry for personal information like that. It is not a laughing matter,” he quietly says, but somehow that speaks volumes to the other two about how much this means to him.

Hiro nods at him. He understands now. “You don’t have to divulge, Pandora-san. It’s not our business to know that.”

“I… thank you… I actually did doubt you kids at first, because I expected you to be videoing everything, but you do seem like very nice people,” she says with a smile.

Ruli bites her tongue to avoid interjecting. She had been tempted to start a video recording when she realised, and it begins to eat away at her.

Maybe this is why SHE left…

She shakes her head. No! That can’t be true! She just needs to keep trying! That’s all! She’s sure she’ll understand!

Pandora sighs, bringing her back to the present as she says, “I admit I sleep heavily at night, so I don’t know if anything happened that night, but the day after, she’s suddenly so chipper my parents got the shock of their lives. Then she’s having friends, talking to them on her phone, and she’s so… happy.”

“But her tone… It’s too loud. The insecurity in her tone is hard to miss, something tells me she’s gotten this for a price. And then I heard her call to the ‘Queen’ one night.” Her grip on the teacup tightens.

“I grew desperate. I knew something was so, so wrong here. I scoured the internet, trying to find ANYTHING that could help, but… but there wasn’t much. I was ready to give up when I… I stumbled across some news about Quanzunia, and then about Lirurun.”

“When I heard the stories from others, I knew, deep down, that Ella had done the same. I don’t know where it started, but somehow, the other girls at her school were doing it, and it made Ella want to do it too. Call it a hunch, an understanding of how my sister is. She’s never needed extravagant things, the tone of her voice is always the most melodious when she’s reading the Sun Novelist books or just doing what she loves… I-I’m scared of losing that Ella to whatever this nonsense about being popular is…” her tone breaks.

The silence is deafening as tears leak out of her eyes. She hunches over, sobbing into her hands, and the teacup is long forgotten, sitting sadly on the couch beside her…

Until clumsy claws pick it up and set it down, albeit a bit messily, on the table in front of her as Solisamon hugs her softly. The memory of warmth from last night, of what Hiro had done to help her calm down is in her mind’s eye, so maybe… maybe this can help her.

Pandora can only give a choked sob, picking Solisamon up and hugging her back. “T-Thank you so much… w-whoever you are…”

To someone who’s never seen the light, this is the light at the end of her dilemma’s tunnel, and Solisamon will not let Pandora suffer.

She looks back, and Hiro is taken aback by the fire in her eyes, but soon he nods. He gets it. They will get to the bottom of this, for sure. For the sisters’ sakes and many more.

(The meter starts filling up.)

“So where do we start?”

“Well, we do have some idea on what to do.” Hiro taps a finger on the table as they sit in a cafe near Pandora and Dantella’s home. “They meet in some secret location, apparently. We need to figure that out first.”

“How do you propose we do THAT?” Jellymon raises an eyebrow. “Because last I checked, it’s called a secret.”

“Well… we could try infiltrating them,” Hiro offers.

“Like those spy movies Mika likes watching? Ooh that sounds fun!” Ruli perks up. “I can do that! Those Kamakura students are still around right?”

“Yeah. Just blend in and don’t stand out. We need to be careful here considering they’re acting like some sort of cult.”

“I’ll try not to!” She doesn’t really do blend in, but she can try!

Kiyo gulps. “A-Are we sure this will work? I mean, Tsukiyono-san is… well…”

“Oi! What’s that supposed to mean?!” She throws her hands up. She’s not that bad! "I CAN try, you know!"

“Just be careful,” Hiro cuts in. “We’ll trail you from behind." If things go wrong, they may need to bring back the AR fields to battle against this Digimon.

"Ruli-nee, careful please…" Solisamon pleads. Her worry is spiking, and the voices are back, whispering into her ears. Protect, protect, YOU ARE A HERO!

Ruli can’t help but smile softly at her words. (It reminds her of a hopeful smile, shiny olive eyes and a promise.)

Squatting down, she pats the young oni’s dark blue hair, and even kisses her diamond fur patch for good measure. "Ruli-nee will be careful, Solisamon. I promise.”

"O-Okie!" Solisamon nods. She's made a promise, which Hokuto once told her was something sacred, so it should be fine! Plus, the kiss makes her feel fluffy inside. She likes it. 

The two boys and Angoramon share a glance. None of them mention how it’s always an uncertainty, since Digimon cases are unknown variables all the time. The fact that Ruli is making that promise… it’s hoping for too much.

Still, they can't do much about it. It has to be done.

It takes a while to find them, but soon enough, they're watching Ruli approach the Kamakura students with a sun, moon, or star marking on their hands.

At first the group ignores her, unaware of her presence as they discuss recruiting new members.

But then, Ruli taps one of their shoulders, and the startled group finally turns to face the magenta-eyed girl.

"C-Can we help you?" Dantella asks while crossing her arms. (Her index finger twitches.)

"Hi! Can I join you guys? You guys seem so cool!” She puts on her best eager look, trying to seem desperate enough.

The murmurs begin, but their smiles seem to indicate her chances are high.

"Oh? You desire popularity?" Dantella’s expression grows more pleasant, even though it looks more like a grimace compared to the other girls.

The other group members smile as Ruli nods along, still maintaining her façade. Their Queen shall be pleased with their work!

"Very well. Follow us. We would like you to meet our Queen," A girl with lavender hair done in braided pigtails replies as she turns around and begins walking. The rest follow her, so Ruli hurries along. Behind them, the rest tail them quietly, with Hiro and Kiyo making sure to seem as natural as possible while the Digimon have shifted into their Hologram Ghost forms.

Things are going good so far, but Ruli needs to know more about this situation. Is the Queen the Digimon behind this case?

Approaching the girl from earlier, she asks, “So… who is this Queen we’re meeting? Is she like the leader of your friend group? I-I’m not so good at friendships, so is this, a normal thing?”

The girl raises a surprised eyebrow. “You’re like the gaijin over there, huh?”

She sees Dantella flinch, her hands shaking more.

The girl continues talking, as if she’s not there. “But no, she is our Queen, who we serve and help in spreading her popularity to the world. Our marks showcase our loyalty to her, but there are some who are promoted beyond.”

Pale hands move up to touch the star hair clips on her bangs. “I was one of her first followers, and for my devotion, I was rewarded. She is a genuinely kind Queen.”

Doesn’t seem that way if she’s doing all this… Ruli thinks to herself, but she chooses to nod along. “I can’t wait to meet her!”

The girl smiles. “You would love her, I guarantee it.”

Eventually, the group reaches an abandoned store house not far from where Pandora and Dantella live. Not really a suitable place for a supposed queen, but to each their own, she supposes. At the center of the space they enter, an old desktop computer sits on a worn out wooden desk, almost brittle but surprisingly hanging on, while in front of the outdated electronic model is a luxurious red velvet chair fit for a royal.

Something that catches Ruli off guard is how many people there are. She’s sure she’s seen some of them in her classes before, too!

How has this Queen amassed such an audience? She’s almost envious!

…

Ruli shakes her head a bit. No, not the time! She needs to focus!

“S-So, where is your Queen?" Ruli asks.

The girl with the hair clips smiles.

Oh, that’s not a good smile.

“Just about now.” She raises her voice. “COME! LET US CALL OUT TO OUR QUEEN!”

The eerie chant begins, and honestly just reading the chant is much better than hearing it in person. Ruli’s literally shivering all over the place. This is downright terrifying!

Glitched zeros and ones begin to dance around the old computer as someone hooks up the plug to its socket. The telltale cogs of Hologram Ghosts, this time purple, spin and gnash behind the monitor, before three pairs of eyes open up on the screen. Pink, green, baby blue.

Two figures first step into the room before one of the figures helps a third figure out of the dusty monitor, walking them down the chair.

The followers bow as the figure sits on the luxurious chair, crossing her legs while her head is tilted upwards. Ruli guesses that she’s at least Child level, but really, there IS a regal air about her.

Pink eyes scan the crowd as the rabbit Digimon calls out, "My dear followers, we must continue to seek out more people to add to our cause. Please, may my beloved generals report?"

"My Queen, we have found one near the gaijins' home!" The leader of her group calls out.

Without warning, Ruli is pushed out to the front, and she can feel dull eyes boring into the back of her head as heads turn to view the new recruit. The push force makes her stumble and fall to her knees, which makes the 'Queen' chuckle. "I am quite pleased with you. Thank you for your hard work. Coronamon, please bring her closer."

"Of course, my... Queen." Ruli can't help but sense the distaste in his tone as the orange-furred Digimon approaches her. Green eyes look her over, and she swears they widen when he sees the Digivice, but he schools his expression and yanks her closer.

"Oi! That's not very nice!" Ruli grumbles, rubbing her wrist while glaring at Coronamon.

His only reply is to look away, and she swears there’s an apology at the tip of his tongue, but why?

That's when she feels it. The overpowering presence of this Queen, wearing magenta robes reminiscent of past Japanese emperors as she floats closer to her. She slows to a stop, and for a minute it’s like she’s a predator scoping out her prey.

Then Ruli is treated to a grotesque look; a THIRD eye opens on the Digimon's forehead, and a pink iris stares her down blankly.

She backs away, shivering as she hugs herself. "EH?! That's just creepy! Disgusting! Kimochi warui! Are wa nanda-”

It hits her. Those Dobermon from yesterday were NOT normal. It was like something they had, a trait of theirs had been amplified to their absolute max. At least, according to Angoramon.

Is this mon... Has this Digimon gone through the same?

"How dare you say that?! I ought to... " She trails off, and her eyes widen. Her tone takes on a sugary sweet tone as she says, " My, my, this is quite the big catch! You are Tsukiyono Ruli, are you not?"

The whispers immediately begin. Water is dripping from her forehead right now… Oh, it's my sweat. I'm sweating. I’m nervous? I’m…

It settles in. Oh, I’m nervous. I’m SCARED.

The Queen claps her hands. "Everyone, we must thank her before proceeding!"

Wait what? What does she mean?

"Did most of you not tell me that you found out about our group through the site of Lirurun? Truly, it is an honor to have her come to join us!"

Choruses begin in the background, but it's fading off for Ruli. Magenta eyes look up to meet the Queen’s in shock. "What? What do you mean!?"

"It was through your social media account that people have been joining our ranks. I must thank you for providing such a fertile ground for our group to expand! All to become popular as you are, Tsukiyono Ruli! " She holds out a hand. "Come! Why not join us? We can be popular together! You could gain much more followers through working with me!"

"M-My Queen, I-I don't think that is wise..." the final member of the trio finally speaks up, and everyone's eyes turn over to them, making them squeak as they hide behind Coronamon.

"You dare disobey my order, Cabirimon? Recall the last time you tried?" The fierce look that Lunamon gives the white wolf pup Digimon is harsh, but the way he shivers, his three tails curling up while his claws touch the strange onyx collar he has around his neck, is enough to show how unkind the Queen has been to him for that one transgression.

"N-no! F-Forgive me, my Queen…" Baby blue eyes focus solely on the ground below, not daring to face those burning orbs.

Ruli wants to help, but she’s frozen. The fear is finally kicking in, she’s realising what kind of mess she’s gotten herself into.

"Better. Now, please initiate our newest member. Perhaps, she should receive the moon mark for all her assistance." She grins widely, eyes glinting with malice as she relishes in her fear.

Cabirimon shuffles over, grabbing her hand with a grip rivaling that of gorillas’. "I’m so sorry..." It’s the only comfort he’s allowed to give as his paw glows, beginning to sear the mark onto her.

"N-No. NO! PLEASE STOP!!" Tears leak down her cheeks. The pain, the pain, THE PAIN! PLEASE, STOP IT!

Thankfully, her cries are answered as Angoramon swoops in from an opening in the roof, knocking Cabirimon away and grabbing her. She wastes no time getting onto his back while the others run in, cornering the Queen from every escape route possible.

“W-Who’s that Digimon, Angoramon?” She asks her partner once they settle down on the ground.

“That’s Lunamon! She’s known for a few nasty attacks, so best to stay on guard!” He answers.

"Such insolence! You dare disturb our sacred ritual?!" Lunamon snarls at this show of disrespect.

The only way to punish them is with DEATH! "Coronamon! Deal with these pests!"

Coronamon simply nods. He has SOME knowledge of the three with Digivices, though only the bare minimum of how the device allows them to evolve. He must not give them that chance!

"Senpai, please get everyone to safety! Angoramon, get Ruli out too! She needs time to rest from the pain! We can handle them from here!" Hiro yells out to them while Gammamon slides his body into a more battle-ready stance.

“Wait, but I can he-“

“Ruli, this is not the time!” Angoramon begins to usher her out, and she’s biting her lip but her arm is still stinging from the pain. Damn it, she HATES it when Hiro is the rational one!

Meanwhile, Kiyoshiro nods before he faces the huge crowd. “Alright, everyone, please follow me in an orderly fashion out of the buildin-“

Hiro can’t help but wince as he hears shouts and yells, demanding they step down so they can assist their Queen. How can they still defend her when she’s threatened someone’s safety? That’s just plain-

A tug snaps him back to attention. He looks down, and is surprised to see burning teal orbs as Solisamon’s sword appears into her hand.

"Promised Dora to save Ela! I want them to be together again!" The image of Pandora’s tears flashes in her mind. It makes her heart ache, so so much.

If these three are bringing such pain to others for selfish reasons, then she will fight to stop them!

(From Gammamon’s eyes, inside his mind, GulusGammamon quietly thinks, ‘That’s… so much like Yin. She really is… like Yin.’)

Hiro’s grin spreads across his face. Man, this is really bringing him back to when he met Gammamon all that time ago! “Alright, you ready for this, Solisamon?”

"Iku!" Her right foot slides back a good amount more than before, but her grip on her sword is the same.

"Hmph! Let’s see how much you can take the heat! Corona-knuckle!" The orange furred Digimon balls up his fists as he throws a few fiery punches at the other Digimon.

Solisamon barely dodges the first few attacks thanks to her reflexes, but it’s clear that her opponent is fast.

Still… "Use your sword to defend!" Hiro calls out. “Let your movements come naturally!”

She nods, and as she relaxes her muscles a bit, Solisamon’s arm moves, as if possessing a mind of its own, to deflect and block the punches flawlessly. Heck, she even manages to redirect Coronamon’s attack to miss her by a few inches!

"Grrr!!" Coronamon growls. The battle against the other Child-level feels like a mockery of a good battle with how she’s just relying on reflexes. How dare she not pay it the respect due?!

He jumps back to avoid her sword, deciding to take a different approach. "You may have been able to counter my fists, but how about my flames?!" Flames coat his body, ready to ram Solisamon with the full force of his body.

Hiro feels the sensation burning in his chest, the move clear in his mind’s eyes, and he grins. “Well, looks like we get to see what this move is about. Battering Vortex!”

Solisamon's sword charges up with blinding light that makes everyone scream and look away, it’s too much, it’s too PURE!

But as the spots dancing in their eyes fade off, everyone becomes very, VERY aware of the vortexes that have manifested into existence.

"What the-?!"

Coronamon didn’t stand a CHANCE. Those vortexes slam into him one by one, getting stronger with each ram, and he’s sent flying to the nearest wall. The force is so strong the wall now looks like a snow angel in concrete, and Coronamon can only groan in pain. His entire body aches like no tomorrow.

Gammamon’s yellow eyes sparkle like ambers. “Kakoiiiiiii!”

“That’s really good fighting, Solisamon!” Hiro congratulates her, and she blushes, but her smile is hard to miss.

Now all they have to do is-

"That’s about enough you’ve done, you trespassers!"

Everyone's attention snaps back to Lunamon, who’s floating over from her chair.

Pink eyes filled with rage zero in on Hiro and Solisamon. "First, you interrupt the ritual for my dear followers to join the Moon of Diana. Then, you made a fool out of my dear attendant and Coronamon.”

The third eye rolls completely as she sets herself down on the ground. “Finally... you made me MAD. Prepare to face your WORST NIGHTMARE!”

Solisamon gets into a new stance, one more balanced than the previous two, while her pupils dilate even more than usual.

It makes Lunamon hum as she places her hand on her chin. She can sense it… the sheer power, the sheer brightness wafting off her. " Ara, ara, you give off a uniqueness of your own. It is truly a shame that you do not seek popularity. You would have been a fine addition. ”

"I no want popu if it hurts! Why do this?! Why?!” She demands, a fierce glare threatening to cut into Lunamon as if she were but prey to the oni Digimon.

That gaze makes her bristle. How DARE she! "I will not waste my breath on that question. If you will not join us... then you must be deleted! Tear Shoot!"

Lunamon’s forehead glows, and from it comes an orb of water that’s headed straight for Solisamon. When she tries to block, she’s shocked to find that the attack’s landed before her reflexes can counter, sending her back to a wall as she had done to Coronamon just some time ago.

“Owie…” she rubs her forehead. “Hard, very hard… But it water, how so hard?”

What is this spike in power? It’s almost as if she’s levels above Coronamon!

Lunamon’s grin widens, but as she takes a step forward to attack, someone else steps in.

"Bibi Thunder!" Lightning from the entrance makes her jump back to avoid the attack as Jellymon lands beside Solisamon.

"You okay?" She asks while helping her up. She doesn’t see any major injuries, just small bruises here and there. That’s… good.

(When has she gotten so attached to Solisamon? How is this possible? Jellymon herself doesn’t know, but…)

Solisamon nods. "Thank you- ABUNAI!”

Too late. As Jellymon turns around, the cry of an attack rings out, and Lunamon’s claws, coated in darkness, slash her chest HARD.

Hiro’s eyes widen. Gammamon gasps. (Bokomon, Bokomon, BOKOMON!

His pupils dilate, but GulusGammamon… doesn’t come out.)

"Jellymon-sama!!" Kiyoshiro barely manages to catch her before she falls to the ground, but she’s already unconscious, data leaking out of her wounds.

Not good! Not good!

Solisamon’s… shaking. The guilt of not warning her fast enough, the fear that SHE’S the reason Jellymon’s hurt….

It morphs into an anger. Her pupils grow smaller as she turns to Lunamon, gripping her sword even tighter.

"You hurt friend... " Her body shakes. "You hurt Jellymon!"

The other only scoffs while looking at her hands. "Tch. If a simple Luna Claw managed to take her down, then that mollusk girl is nothing but a weakling."

The dark aura then engulfs her claws once more. " I doubt you will be any different. "

Solisamon ROARS, and she rushes into battle.

Claws and sword clash within a moment’s notice. Every time one tries to strike, the other blocks; a cycle that never seems to end, especially with neither side willing to back down or drop their guard for a single moment.

"Impressive! You are truly as powerful as the rumors claim!" To think those whispers of a special mon’s recent arrival into the human world were true, and not heresy! And the fact she’s getting to battle her, it truly does show how popular she is!

However, Solisamon could care less about the words she spoke. In her mind, all she wants is to make Lunamon pay!

That moment of pause is all she needs. Her sword comes in, attacking Lunamon’s arm and causing a small cut onto her precious robes. Bullseye!

That’s, unfortunately, the WORST thing to do.

"Y-You.... Y-YOU... YOU DARE STRIKE ME?!" Nothing about those facial features scream cute, now they just look like something straight out of a horror movie. The so-called royal begins to float once more, her three eyes glowing as they all narrow down to Solisamon.

"I’VE HAD IT WITH YOU! Come and suffer under my LOP-EAR RIPPLE! " Her ears begin to twirl around, and a vortex of bubbles, dark and fizzling and screaming POWER, GET OUT OF THE WAY, is hurled straight at Solisamon.

"Dodge!" Hiro yells.

Solisamon makes no attempt to block. She knows, somehow, the vortex will only push her back into a wall.

She ducks as quickly as she can.

… But…

Coronamon’s eyes widen. “NO!”

It… strays away.

By dodging it, Solisamon leaves… someone else to be its target. Someone who’s been straying away from the group, who’s still under the mark, but is naturally inclined AWAY from others.

Dantella is frozen, purple eyes wide with fear. Her own Queen, she’s aiming for HER? She’s not even trying to save her…!

(So… it really was a lie in the end. The promises the post made.)

Time stops, her body can’t move.

Is this the end…?

.

.

.

.

Time moves again when she feels someone tackle her out of the way.

Hiro’s eyes widen. That’s… “Pandora-san!” Had she followed them?!

“N-Neesan?!” Dantella stammers.

Shaking pupils meet none, but Pandora smiles, even as she winces from the pain. “A-Are you hurt, Ella?” She… does feel bad for using the kids to find out where her sister was, but she’ll apologize later. Right now, she’s glad she had done it.

”N-Neesan, why?!” Her mark is pulsating, it hurts, hurts, hurts, STOP CARING, PROTECT THE QUEEN!

But Dantella, she’s… she can’t ever stand seeing someone she cares for get hurt. It’s enough to make the mark dissipate into nothingness as tears pool at her eyes. “Neesan… I… I’m so sorr-“

”I’m sorry to you first, Ella,” Pandora cuts in, her teary smile hard to miss even with the dim lighting. “I am the one who’s been inconveniencing you, all this time, because I… I can’t-“

“Stop! Neesan, it’s my fault! I-I’m the one who gave in to the pressure, w-who sought out Lirurun in hopes of becoming like them… I-I was so blind… I-in the end, no one else protected me, they all just stood there…”

It becomes clear to her, what she has to do.

“I-I’ll make it up to you… I-I promise.” She gets up.

Pandora pauses. “Ella?”

Lunamon sizzles in anger as she sees the defiant eyes of the newly broken-free girl. “ How dare you give up the position? Is it not enough, you ungrateful- “

“YOU WERE THE ONE WHO ATTACKED ME! E-EVEN IF IT WAS AN ACCIDENT, DID YOU EVER CARE FOR ANYONE ASIDE FROM YOURSELF? Y- YOU’RE HURTING PEOPLE JUST TO SATIATE YOUR OWN EGO!” There’s, there’s something about her tone…

It hits Ruli. Her voice sounds so clear. Even when she was talking before, she’s sensed a wavering in her tone.

But now, it’s clear, it’s firm, it’s… Dantella’s standing up for herself, for her sister, against the people who had done her wrong. “IF YOU WOULD ATTACK YOUR OWN PEOPLE JUST TO BE IN THE RIGHT, YOU MAY AS WELL HAVE YOUR REASON FOR BEING ALONE!”

It’s… it’s doing something to Lunamon, whose eyes have widened. Her hands move to grab her head, she’s stumbling back. “No, no no, I was … A-All I ever wanted was… All I ever wanted was…"

Her mind is swirling around, thoughts whispering into her big ears...

It leaves her open to an attack.

Hiro knows that this is their sole opportunity to end this. They HAVE to take it! It’s the only way to save all those lost to the darkness of Lunamon’s madness, and save HER from her own pit!

"Scatter Zaps!" He commands.

Solisamon’s horns crackle with sparks of electricity once more, building up charge to produce a much more powerful output. This is much more intense than the attack she used against Clockmon.

This time, Solisamon takes her aim, taking a deep breath.

Once she’s all but certain, she unleashes it; two electrical light shots from her horns smacking Lunamon dead on the mark. It’s enough to banish the third eye abnormality, knocking… something away too, but when the light clears, it’s like it was never there.

(Qwermon flies away. The data it’s gathered will surely come in handy.)

The followers all slump, and for a minute, the team holds their breath.

Then the general of Ruli’s group snaps back into attention. “Eh? This is...”

All around them, people are coming back to their senses as the mark vanishes on all of them, as if it never were.

“Huh? Where am I?”

“What the heck is going on!?”

“Ahhh, I need to run back home! Mom is going to kill me!”

Hiro can only sense relief, and he smiles at Solisamon while giving her a thumbs up, making her light up like a kid who just got complimented for a good job. And she HAS done a great job, no doubt about it. For her first case, no less!

On the other hand, Lunamon is on her knees now, tears percolating on the ground. Her mind is spinning, sorrow’s voice laughing in her ears. “Look at what you’ve done! You really are destined to be alone!”

“No…! No! I’m sorry! I’m sorry!” She pleads to the voices. She’s… shaking… “I… All I wanted was-“

She can’t stand it. “A-All you wanted was a friend… r-right?”

Her head shoots up to see someone approaching her, with her sister’s hand on her shoulder for support.

Even when people around her begin to whisper, she ignores them, and focuses on the mon in front of her.

“You shouldn’t-“ Kiyo is pushed aside as Dantella surges forward.

It feels… she feels so free now. Now that she’s no longer under the strangling grasp of the concept known as popularity, she never wants to go back there again.

But at the same time, now she knows… why she sought it out in the first place.

It takes a specific kind of situation to understand loneliness. Dantella's known it for a long time, and she, she feels like Lunamon does too.

She sits down on the ground, her eyes steady for the first time in her entire life. She keeps it focused on her as she says, "I-I know what it's like... T-To be lonely..."

Her head swivels up. "W-What?"

Purple meets pink as Dantella smiles shyly, twirling her red hair. It feels so… so right to be doing her tic, without feeling like everyone is judging her. "B-But it doesn't mean that we have to stay that way forever. W-We can sometimes find friends i-in the most unexpected places."

A hand is held out. Lunamon looks up at her.

Somehow, she knows. Those eyes… She senses Dantella has felt lonely before. She has struggled against the darkness too.

Perhaps... the two can find solace in each other.

She… she wipes her tears, getting up.

She chooses… to take the hand. “I-I’m Lunamon! N-Nice to meet you!”

“I-I’m Dantella Parkinson! B-But you can call me Misen Karyou o-or Ella!”

Pandora can’t help but smile at the words spoken, and Coronamon walks over and bows at her. “You were amazing back there. You managed to protect your sister despite not being able to see. It’s a miraculous feat in and of itself.”

“What can I say? I love my sister dearly and will do anything for her.” Pandora chuckles, adjusting her head angle so that she is at least facing him. “You were with… Lunamon, no?”

He nods. “Yes, I am Coronamon. Since it seems that Lunamon will be staying with your sister, I suppose Cabirimon and I will have to follow along.”

He pauses. “I… do apologize for what Lunamon, Cabirimon and I did to your sister.”

She hums. “I find that holding grudges tends to end badly, so you are forgiven. I am Pandora Epimetheus, but my Japanese name is Karyou Takara.”

Coronamon chuckles. This is quite the unexpected acquaintance he’s gained, but… “It’s a pleasure to meet your acquaintance.”

“Likewise.”

“I’m glad that we could end this case without a lot of controversies,” Kiyoshiro says as they regroup to watch the new friends connect. He’s still carrying Jellymon on his back, and reminds himself to reward her for that move later on with one of his credit cards.

JUST ONE! She’s used up too much!

“Sometimes, it takes a small bridge to cross the void,” Angoramon offers, making Solisamon giggle.

Hiro hums a bit. All the while, emerald eyes watch Dantella and Pandora as the two interact with the Digimon. They… almost seem like a family.

(Where is his family? A broken picture frame? A burnt one?

No, he doesn’t, he shouldn’t think about it.)

He thinks about what Ruli and Kiyo have brought up. Thinks about the apartment Dantella and Pandora stay in.

He doesn’t know when it’s started, but a part of him… yearns for his house. If only for the sense of protection he struggles to have in Hazakura ever since finding out about Digimon.

It… feels weird to move back, now that he thinks about it. He’s only gone back once, and it’s like it’s not his house, just a rental one.

But he supposes that it’s up to him to make it feel like a home. Like how Dantella and Pandora have managed to make do in a small apartment, he wants to bring that joy to Gammamon, Bakumon, Espimon and Solisamon.

It’s all settled, then. He’s going to tell them later.

On the other side, though, Ruli can’t help the sting in her chest. Her post… it was Lirurun that made this case more accessible to others?

No! No way! She refuses to believe that!

But the evidence is lining up. No other website has a forum like hers, and she’s always asking for new information on cases.

What if she’s… she’s endangering others through being popular? What if others feel pressured to do whatever she wants just to stay relevant?

She’s…

She can’t imagine anyone doing that. They would have to be crazy, and yet…

The what if is paralyzing her with fear. She’s starting to realize… how powerful being a social media influencer is….

Watching them walk away from the warehouse, a figure adjusts his glasses. “Interesting. Very interesting… so this is what you hid from me that day, Amanokawa Hiro.”

 

He turns around, and gets out his phone to make a video call to his kid as he walks away from them. “Haneul, you said we need to move out soon cause of your new friend, right?"

 

“Yeah, Dad. Have you seen the amount of candy he consumes? Not to mention this weird egg here.” The other person groans quietly. “Don’t get me wrong, I love him but he’s a candy addict and I don’t want others getting infected by this. Do we even want to talk about the witch friend he brought back last Halloween?”

 

He chuckles. “Don’t worry, Haneul. Can you check up Mikai-gou? There should be an empty house there.”

 

Orange eyes squint at him. “Dad, is this a new case?”

 

“More of reopening an old one. I think the sole witness for this case is about to help us make a breakthrough on the disappearance of Amanokawa Hokuto,” he answers.

 

Haneul rubs their temple, running their tanned fingers through their brown hair. “You really never give up on a lead huh?”

 

“Let’s just say this time, I have ample reason. Plus, it appears the witness has been quite active in some endeavors…”

 

“Alright, I’ll start packing up. When do we move?”

 

“Next week perhaps?"

 

“Sounds like a plan. See ya, Dad.”

 

The older male closes the phone and smiles.

 

“Well, this is going to be quite the psychological war. Hope you’re ready, Amanokawa Hiro.”

 

A sinister smile forms on his face. “You really shouldn’t have lied that day. It’s time… to count up your sins~”

 

 

 

Two figures watch from above. One pulls their fishing pole back up, the other sheaths a sword before both disappear, as if they were never there…

 

The bait has been swung out, and they have bitten into it.

 

Now, they play the waiting game.

Omoi (whoa whoaaa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whooooaaaaoooo)

Passing by the pictures of

A life once lived.

Happiness, peace, love all abound. 

Yet I could only watch as it burst into flames… Woahhhh…

The souls of the lost sing out their sorrows,

Yet even in darkness,

A light shall shine through.

The small glimpses of past,

Those little smiles, ohh…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last.

From all the things we’ve been through,

Thank you… dear friend…

Your kindness abound,

Even through the darkest times.

The sorrowful smiles

Still give me some hope,

For I know, that you have my back.

Lifting me up when I’m falling down… to zero…

The abyss may seem like a welcoming home.

The tears may never stop,

But then I see you,

And I remember,

And I hold onto those memories… Those bonds…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last. 

From all the things we’ve been through,

The dark… the light…

Ohhh, the memories, the bonds will never go,

As long as we both hold onto these small balls,

Exuding out its wonderful light,

Ohhh…

Thank you, dear friend… 

Chapter Text

Setting down his boxes, Hiro wipes the sweat from his brow as Solisamon and Bakumon look around their new home in fascination. He's lucky he doesn't have a lot of stuff, otherwise things would have been quite annoying. 

As Gammamon begins to give the two a tour, he heads out to throw the trash while the awed cheers fill the once empty house, only for a familiar voice to call out, "It's been quite a while, kid!"

He freezes, and slowly turns to see a taller male walk over, clad in a three piece suit. He adjusts his square glasses, a sly smile on his face as he says, "I'm surprised you're back here! Hazakura is quite some time away from here!"

He simply chooses to bow. "Akashiro-san, it's a pleasure to see you again."

Akashiro Ismaya laughs at the formality. "No need to get all formal with me, Hiro-kun. We're technically neighbours now!"

Hiro pauses, and looks to the house beside his. He's always known it was empty, but now... it's definitely cheery. A car is parked in, and he can swear he hears a child's voice giggling in the background. 

Still... "I-I see..." He smiles, eyes flittering away. 

Ismaya gives a nonchalant shrug. "At any rate, I'll have to introduce you to the kids in the house, so since you just moved back in, why not a little housewarming party at my place? I'm sure your digital friends would love it."

"S-Sure!" Hiro nods, but as Ismaya turns into his gate and waves, disappearing inside, his stomach does ten loops. 

He isn't dumb. Ismaya must have known, or at least realised later on, that he had lied to him... 

And not to mention... 

He said DIGITAL FRIENDS. 

How...?

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove, 

A quiet breeze shaking up. 

You can’t find backup, 

The darkness beckons, 

Here it is, the Doom of all (the doom of all), 

As we fall, fall, fall… 

Trouble is only a mile away, 

Even when we run! 

Your soulful melody echoes, 

Laughing from beyond the grave. 

Fingers fly, the screens come alive! 

The database is wide open, 

Counting up the souls found, 

Nurturing the tools needed, 

Gathering the team up! 

You can’t find anyone in this forsaken world, 

You just gotta keep on 

running and running

even if it’s trouble from a mile away! 

Tick tock tick tock,

Omagatoki ga kita! 

The sun goes down,

the game has begun. 

The game of ghosts, 

the countdown is here! 

Don’t turn back, 

or you’ll miss your chance! 

Light and darkness clash eternally! 

(the grey stains in, it's witching hour time!)

No, no, no, revv yourselves up! (Revv yourselves up!) 

It's about... to get ugly! (To get ugly!) 

Steel your resolve, young of heart! 

The dance goes on 

The darkness approaches 

Take a deep breath (take a deep breath) 

Are you ready (are you ready) 

To dive into this Ghost game?! 

The body count flies up 

the stakes grow higher, 

But do you run ahead, 

When the chains pull you back?

Don’t look back, 

Or the darkness will catch up! 

Your past, your present, your future, 

All of it comes to play! 

This game will never end, 

Let not the evil take you down! 

You’re not as weak or strong as you think, 

Oh, young child, the right path's ahead! 

Fight your way to the end, 

Put trust in your friends!

Let the fire, burn bright! (yeahh!)

Ready for the witching hour? 

Trouble is just a mile away

Her hands are shaking. The project lies in front of her, blank, empty, UNFILLED. 

Violet’s brain is out of inspiration. For once, she can’t bring herself to create a single panel on her manga page. The deadline is looming over her, whispering that she has to get it done OR ELSE there’s no more peace, but no matter what, she can’t seem to overcome the mental barricade in her mind. 

The terror in her mind is hard to shake off. Her family’s words now tumble out, echoing hollowly in her mind. They’re supportive, sure. She’s very grateful she has them. 

It’s why she can’t let them down. It’s why she finds herself so desperate. She HAS to find a way to overcome this. She’s a big girl now!

Getting up from her workbench, she heads to her bed and flops onto it. She can smell a slight whiff of lavender, the scent of their detergent, trying to soothe her, but even that fades off into the background as she grabs her phone. Maybe she can ask for help? She’s heard of this really useful website that helps artists get their groove back just from chatting! Surely it’ll help her out of this conundrum!

She types in the website into her search engine, and she sees silver goggles shining in the logo of ‘Troop Assist’ as words begin to show on the screen. 

Hello, what do you desire?

She sees a keyboard pop up. It’s not her usual customized one, but it’ll do. 

“I need help with an art project of mine. Can you help me there?” She types.

She pauses. She’s a bit… wary, but at this point, she has no choice. She’s backed into a corner. 

Her thumb presses down on Enter. 

It’s like a light bulb goes off in her mind. Black glitching cogs spin all around her as she gets up from her bed, rushing to her table. She’s got it! She’s going to finish this project!

… if only she knew…

Some time later, a knock is heard before her mom steps in, “V, dinner’s ready!”

“No no no! Let me finish this first, Kaasan!” Eraser shavings are raining down on the floor around her table. Her lead has gone dry but she doesn’t seem to notice as she continues scribbling at the paper. Every piece must be perfect! Every page has to be done to perfection! She will not settle for less! SHE MUST MAKE IT PERFECT! PHYSICAL BOUNDARIES DO NOT EXIST!

Green eyes widen. This is nothing like she’s ever seen from her before! “V, I know you’re really pressed for work but you need to eat!” Ryubo’s seen a lot of worry from Violet, but this is a first!

It honestly reminds her of her sister… Sometimes she doesn’t even know how she’s related to that workaholic… 

She shakes her head, moving closer to Violet’s workbench. “Please, let’s have some dinner! It’s your favorite!”

“NO! LET ME FINISH THIS! I-I CAN MAKE THE DEADLINE! I CAN DO THIS!” 

Ryubo, she takes an instinctive step back. Emerald green eyes widen as she watches her daughter slave on, without any sign of stopping.

Something is wrong, TERRIBLY wrong. Violet’s never been THIS obsessed with her work. It’s like she… she’s forcing herself to work hard just to meet that deadline, and to make it perfect. Her daughter’s always cared about putting out quality work AFTER some rest. 

This is not her daughter. She…

She needs to consult her nephew. 

Said nephew is currently standing in front of his neighbour’s house, and he is definitely not any better than Violet. His gut is twisting and turning. He’s known that lying to the police would come back to bite him some day. He’s known it all too well. 

He just… didn’t expect it to be in THIS manner. 

“Niicha, daijoubu?” Solisamon’s voice snaps him out of his thoughts. He looks down to see Gammamon and her looking up at him with frowns. 

(That’s… not a good sign.)

He shakes his head, a smile forming as he squats. “Niichan’s okay, don’t worry. I’m just, thinking.”

“The way you’re acting, you would think you did something to the cops, Hiro,” Espimon drily states while floating around. He’s been told to come, even when he’s only showing up here and there, because it’s proper etiquette. 

Bakumon frowns. “I doubt it, honestly. Why would he hide anything from them? Aside from Digimon cases, of course!”

But Hiro gulps at what Espimon said. What kind of big brother would he be if he tells them the truth; that he’s lied to a detective who wanted to help him find his dad by keeping evidence from him? How would they, or Senpai and Ruli and Angoramon and Jellymon, react if he tells them that the Digivices were meant to be evidence for that case, but he kept it hidden? 

… Why DID he hide the Digivices in the first place?

The gate swings open at that moment, and an all-too-familiar voice chirps, “I knew it was my tomodachi’s voice! Hi, friend!”

Gammamon and Hiro both look up in surprise, and sure enough, a pumpkin Digimon with an axe embedded into the middle of his head pokes his head out of the gate, his faded white body clinging somehow to a new face. 

The first thing that strikes Hiro? This person is surprisingly similar to him. Sure, his hair was much messier than his, but from behind, he can feel that anyone who knows him would mistake this stranger for him. 

The one thing that immediately sets him apart? Those orange eyes, glowing a bit like a hearth as tanned hands hug Pumpmon’s body as if he were a toddler.

He adjusts his white hoodie jacket before raising an eyebrow. “I’m assuming you’re Amanokawa Hiro?” 

Hiro snaps back to attention, and he nods. “Hai! Nice to meet you…”

“Haneul. Haneul Scirocco.” Is he older than Hiro? “I’ve heard a good amount about you from Pump here, but it was only recently that I realised he was talking about you, as in the kid currently talking about sharing a world with Digimon. Which does have some comments too, but I’d rather not say much about it.”

“Ah, I see! It’s nice to meet you, Haneul-san!” He bows, and he can’t help the relief when he sees the rest follow him. 

Pump even bows a bit. “Welcome to our home! We just moved in two days ago!”

“Ssshhh, Pump, you’re not supposed to say that!” Haneul covers his mouth. 

“But he’s my friend!”

“Yeah, but-“ he catches himself, and sighs. “Never mind, do come in. Witchmon isn’t in cause she’s out on some errands for housewarming, but she’ll be around soon enough.”

“A-ah…” he’s not too keen on meeting the witch Digimon, but he supposes it’s unavoidable. 

He needs to break the ice, though. Maybe… maybe bring up conversation! “A-are you Akashiro-san’s son, by any chance?”

That seems to trigger something, though. Haneul’s frown deepens. He even bites his lip, but he shakes his head. “Just use child. He adopted me.”

“Huh? Okay…?” Had he offended him somehow?

Pump pokes Haneul’s cheek a bit, a small frown on his face. “Friend, can I tell other friend about…?”

“Later, Pump.” He just opens the gate wider. “Come in. Dad’s waiting in the living room.”

And immediately his dread returns twice fold. 

Ohhhhh no, he’s in for it now, isn’t he?

He’s surprised he’s been called out by her of all people, but Kiyoshiro supposes it has to do with the new threat. Or Solisamon, and these new harder-to-fight Digimon.

Either way, he makes sure to enter the voice call as he walks towards Hiro’s home, with some housewarming gifts from the others at the dorm AND himself. He’s early. Of course, he’s early. He’s setting an example for others, so it would be wrong for him to be late! An utter disgrace! 

Soon enough, the person enters the call. “Higacchi, you’re here early again!”

“I always am, Tsukiyono-san!” He adjusts his grip on the backpack. “But I’m surprised you’re calling me specifically when we can easily talk at Amanokawa-kun’s home.”

“I… kinda wanted to talk about you. It’s a private thing, actually.” 

His eyebrows raise. “What sparked the sudden interest? Although I do understand-“

“It’s about… your response when we were at Pandora-san’s place. You… sounded so angry when I was about to ask. I… wanted to know why. Cause you-“

“I-I do not have to tell you that, Tsukiyono-san.” He’s the most surprised by how firm he sounds.

Ruli sounds taken aback. “Huh? But Higacchi, I really want to know-“

(He can’t tell them about his time in America. Never can he, it’s… too much.)

“H-Has it ever hit you that the world doesn’t revolve around you? T-That no one HAS to tell you the answer to e-every question you have?” He vaguely feels his tone waver much more than before. That’s not good. Why is he saying this?

“W-What? What are you talking about?! I’m not-“

“D-Did Amanokawa-kun ever tell you? T-That Nomura-kun-“ 

“Eh? What’s up with Koutarou? What does he have to do with this?” She doesn’t know? 

She doesn’t know?

“T-the reason Amanokawa-kun knew to reach out to you, it was because Nomura-kun was a fan of yours. T-That’s why he got involved with Clockmon; because Nomura-kun-“

“Wait, I was involved in the Clockmon case?”

It’s a miracle he hasn’t burst with how she’s acting, but he grits his teeth. “P-Please stop interrupting!”

“A-ah, sorry, Higacchi, I was just-“ Excuses. 

“Boo!”

“AAHHH!”

“Awww come on, Higacchi, it’s just a small thing!”

She’s always seen things as fun and games…

His phone is so close to falling out of his hand. He’s suddenly grateful she’s not here, because for the first time, he’s actually ready to slap a girl. “STOP TALKING FOR ONE SINGLE MINUTE! PLEASE!”

Silence. 

He takes in a deep breath, and then his tone grows steely. He’s going to regret bursting later, but right now, he feels… He just wants to tell her the truth. “You want to know how you were involved with Clockmon? It was your post that led Nomura-kun to investigate and consequently get attacked! If… If Gammamon had not been sent to Amanokawa-kun that day, he would have had his time taken as well. Two of my kouhais would have gotten hurt- no. Some of my kouhai HAVE been hurt by your actions, Tsukiyono-san. It is time you realize how much you are pushing your agenda onto others, and doing whatever you please can lead to others getting hurt.”

“I… I what?” Her tone wavers. “No, that can’t be… I always- I… I… I didn’t do it on purpose! I didn’t mean to! I just wanted-“

A small exhale. He’s had enough of her for today. Exhaustion creeps into his tone. “… Make of that outburst as you will, but with how things are going, you are only going towards ruin, and your actions may lead to others getting hurt too. Please, take others into consideration and not your own pride as Lirurun.”

He ends the call right there. 

Then he looks up and SCREAMS, “AHHHH, WHAT DO I DO NOW?!”

“This isn’t bad,” Espimon remarks as he looks around the small home. Pictures of Haneul and Ismaya are hung up in the living room, brown frames contrasting the cream wallpaper nicely while some newer ones (which is obvious, given Pumpmon is in them) find their home near the TV set backed against a wall. “You really have a good eye for organisation!”

“I’m glad you think that!” Ismaya says with a chuckle, even when his eyes remain on Hiro. It’s like a hawk is watching its prey. Calculating, waiting for the right time to strike. “Han and I really did our best here!”

Hiro wills himself not to fidget. Instead, he turns to Pumpmon. “Why don’t we play together in your room, Pumpmon?”

Solisamon’s eyes glisten at that. “Asobu?”

“Aso!” Gammamon cheers. 

“Play!” Pumpmon agrees. “Friend will cook right?” 

Haneul nods. “Dad can’t be trusted in the kitchen to save his life.”

“Hey, I can take down ten criminals instead. I like to think it works,” Ismaya teases back, leaning on the couch he’s sitting on with a lackadaisical smile. 

Even so, intelligent black eyes look at Hiro. 

He knows that there’s a meaning behind it, and it makes him sick. Sick that he’s only here because he’s lied to the man. Sick that he can’t tell the others because he’s pretty much a criminal for it. 

(Why hide for a man who doesn’t even appreciate him?)

Haneul rolls his eyes. “Whatever works, I guess. Pump, you can take the rest to your room.”

“Yatta!” The Digimon cheer, but as Hiro moves to join, Ismaya calls out, “Hey, why not let the Digimon play around? I’m sure they’ll be fine!”

His footsteps stop. “I mean, you can never know….”

“Don’t worry, Han has a baby cam in Pump’s room to keep an eye on him when cooking! You don’t have to keep an eye on them!” Ismaya says. “Why not have some ocha with me? Got some teabags recently and I want to have a talk with you!”

“I-It would be-“

“It’s no bother at all!” He’s way too cheerful. He must have seen this coming…

He can sense everyone looking at him, expectant of his reply. His fists curl up slightly. 

No. He breathes in, letting go of the curling. Calm down, Hiro. You’ve faced down GulusGammamon. You’ve tricked GulusGammamon. You can cover for Hokuto again. You can cover your tracks again. You just need to be smart about this. 

He opts for a small nod. “Alright then.”

“Great!” Ismaya grins as he leans forward to open up the tea set. “Do take a seat, Hiro-kun!”

The moment he sits down, he knows that it’s begun. Tea is passed around, but the silence is deafening, save for the cheerful shouts of children and metal hitting metal as Haneul cooks.

Ismaya sips on his tea. Hiro’s gripping his cup like his life depends on it, but somehow, he loosens it so that he can act natural. 

He needs to make the first move. He’s heard that making the first move is advantageous, and luckily, Pumpmon’s given him what he needs to start. “S-So, you’ve moved here only a few days ago?”

A stutter is NOT what he wanted. He’s cursing, but Ismaya takes it into stride. “It happened to be on sale, and Pumpmon needed a HUGE space to run around in when he’s on a sugar high. You cannot believe how insane the first rush was.”

He shakes his head. He doesn’t seem fond of the memory, and Hiro feels sympathy for a bit. Just a bit. “Then Witchmon came back with him, and well, she does help, but she’s more or less a begrudging household member. Our small apartment wasn’t gonna cut it, so we needed a place to stay.”

“I see… It must have been quite messy.”

“Ah, it’s fine!” Ismaya waves it off. “Witchmon does her part, and she does seem to share a friendship with Han somehow. I don’t know why it’s supposedly cause I’m the Pump to Han’s Witchmon. I almost feel offended!”

He shrugs, setting down the teacup as he fills it in again. “But regardless, I happened to remember your neighborhood, and decided to come here to stay. I’m assuming you did the same thing, Hiro-kun.”

He hums. “I… suppose you can say that. It was getting cramped in the dorm, with everyone showing up, so I eventually made the decision to come down here.”

Perhaps he can make his move now? “Although, I find it interesting how you seemed to need it at the same time I came back. I thought Tousan’s case was closed some time ago.”

The detective’s eyebrows arched. So, he’s bringing it up to make him fess up? Smart kid, he’ll give him that. 

Too bad it’s exactly where Ismaya wants him. “Are you claiming I came down here to find out where your father is?”

“You are known in the news as someone who never gives up on a case. I’m assuming Tousan’s case is one of them.”

“You came in here, knowing exactly that I was here for more information.” Interesting, very interesting. “Then you know that I am aware.”

“Aware of what? I did my best to assist you that day when you came over.”

A smirk. Bingo. “I did not mention anything about that day. Are you, perhaps insinuating that you did something that day that would help the case?”

Hiro’s breathing quickens, only for a few seconds. Calm down, calm down Hiro. You are fine, you are FINE, you are FINE. 

He schools his expression, even as his hands shake. “Then you admit that you came here to get that information out of me?”

“I said no such thing.” He shrugs. “But you’re smart. I’ll give you that. It’s a shame you use it for stuff like this.”

He bites his lip. “I did not know the police could be so manipulative.”

“I like to think that it’s called being persuasive. Plus…” Something seems to… shift in his eyes. “I’m not… a fan of your father, and I don’t think a man like him should be allowed to be missing for so long.”

THAT makes his head shoot up. (What was that pause?) “Eh?…”

Black meets green. Ismaya seems to open his mouth, pause, and then settle for a thin line. “… I was surprised to see you in the news, preaching about a new country for Digimon and humans.”

He’s changing the topic? Hiro supposes he’ll play along for a while. “Is that so?”

He nods, his posture relaxing. He’s ready to get back into the fight. 

Hiro’s not about to let him. “It’s a lot of hard work, but we’ve been doing a lot to ensure it works.”

“I see. Though I am curious about these… Digivices, Pumpmon brought up when talking about you. Apparently they are able to create digital spaces and also sync a human and Digimon together?” Ismaya’s struggling to formulate a counter, but he hits home with the Digivices. Not that he knows that, probably. 

“Hai, it does have its special functions, but it helps us bridge the gap further.”

“Then why is it that there are only three so far? Wouldn’t the creator of those things have made more if they were for your notion?” He… has a point. Hiro did wonder why he only created a few if he’s been working with Quantumon. With the Endbringer threat just around the corner, too… 

Still, he does have an explanation somewhat.

“They were created before we knew of the Endbringer, who is the main catalyst for the country we are building.” This he’s more familiar with. He’s been giving presentations about Quanzunia, and it feels right to be in his element here. 

Of course, that’s when Ismaya chooses to strike. “Who created them, then? It would have to be someone close to you since according to the resources on Lirurun, you were the first to own the Digivice.”

Damn it, Ruli! He regrets doing that interview now! “I was the first to own one, yes, but I did not create the Digivices.”

“Then how did they find their way into your hands? And apparently it happened right after you were caught sneaking into an auditorium with one of your friends shriveled up.” 

Oh. 

Oh crap, he’s bringing up the report. Hiro really wishes Koutarou had kept his mouth shut after regaining his youth! “I-I just happened to wander into the auditorium…”

“With clear signs not to go in? What even led Nomura Koutarou to head in there? You two would have known about the rumours wandering around. At least, that’s what Michiro mentioned to me.” Ismaya raises an eyebrow. 

Covering for his dad AND Koutarou is NOT easy. “We were really, really lost.” 

“Lost? You’ve been there for a while, don’t lie to my face, Hiro-kun.”

He’s intimately aware of the sweat falling down his head. He doesn’t like how Ismaya sounds so serious now. 

Still, he can’t, a lot of things hinge on this lie working off without a cinch. “F-Fine… truth is… Koutarou was curious about the rumours. And I didn’t believe him.”

No one, especially not Ruli, needed to know that he had done it for Ruli. (Who ended up benefiting off that? He had.)

Ismaya hums. “I see. That does make sense.” 

Does he really buy that? Hiro has to be sure. “I tried to warn him off, but he insisted…”

“So you ended up going in there? I thought the door was locked.” 

Okay, that’s teetering back into dangerous territory. He can’t let it get worse. 

Hiro sips on his tea. How are his hands remaining so steady? He’s never been so, so calm and yet so scared at the same time. “The police officers must have left the door open.” 

Ismaya… frowns, eyes scanning Hiro. 

He looks him in the eye. Somehow, somehow he’s maintaining his posture. 

“… I will leave it here for now.” He gets up from the sofa. 

He passes him. “But your sins WILL come to light, Hiro-kun.”

“Consider this advice from personal experience.” 

Hiro’s left in the room. There’s a sense of victory, but… the toolkit in his jacket, his HEART has never felt this heavy before. 

The first thing Angoramon notices is how dark the room is. Normally, she leaves it on at night, either doing homework or chatting with Mika or Aoi. 

No, this time, his ears pick up the sound of hushed stammers coming from under the blanket mound prominently on Ruli’s bed. 

“Ruli?” He calls out softly, inching closer to her. 

“No, no no, I, I can’t have done all that! It was their fault! Yeah, they chose to listen to me! I had no part in it! I’m just curious! Yeah! That’s fine! Being curious is an okay thing!”

What is she talking about?…

“Ruli?” He raises his voice a little bit. 

He’s near the bed, so he’s taken aback when suddenly the blanket flies off and she tackles him. “I-I’m not a bad person! I swear! I-I was just, I just wanted to know more about the case! I didn’t mean for Koutarou or Hiro to get in trouble because of me! I’m not a bad person! I’m not a bad friend! I’m not toxic! I just do what I have to do so I can survive, r-right Angoramon?”

Pink eyes look up at him, and he’s struck by how… how emotional they are. It’s even more than usual. There’s… fear in those orbs, horror that is normally reserved for their cases when they see the horrible things Digimon have done in either a misunderstanding or for their own gain, now aimed at… herself? 

“Ruli, what’s going o-“

“I’M NOT A BAD PERSON! I AM JUST AN INFLUENCER! I… I JUST WANTED TO LOOK INTO THE SUPERNATURAL… I… I didn’t mean to hurt Hiro. I hadn’t meant to lead others into danger…” her grip on his fur tightens. 

“Ruli, please, talk to m-“

“Is this why Meichi left me? Cause she knew I was a bad person? I knew I was always trying to get her to follow what I wanted, b-but she never complained… I just wanted to help… I-I just wanted to help solve cases… I-i didn’t think it would get this bad. I-I didn’t think of the consequences of my actions, a-and Higacchi got so mad at me…”

Who’s Meichi…? But more importantly... “Ruli, calm down,” he speaks firmly. He can’t afford to let her continue spiraling. 

He rubs his big fingers around her back as he tries to soothe her, feeling her breathing slow eventually. That’s a good sign. 

After a while, he asks, “Can you tell me what happened?” 

“I… I was calling Higa- no, Kiyoshiro, about his response during our visit to Pandora-san’s house.” Ah… it makes sense now. He’s noticed the guarded expression Kiyoshiro had that day. He supposes she pried too hard.

“You wanted to know more?”

Slight nods. “B-But he refused to say, so I begged, and then he suddenly burst at me, and I kept on getting confused, a-and he didn’t like that, s-so he told me that apparently Koutarou and Hiro were involved with Clockmon’s case because of me.”

“How can he know for sure?”

“I-I mean, H-Hiro or Koutarou probably told him… a-and he said that I had to start thinking about others more than myself…” her hug tightens. “A-Angoramon, a-am I a selfish person?”

That… he can’t really answer. He was attracted to her because of her piano playing, sure, but he’s not blind. He knows Ruli has everyone’s best interests at heart, and she does her best. 

It’s just that, well… 

“… You…. Agree with them?” 

“Ruli, you ARE quite reckless. And sometimes, insensitive? You sometimes don’t think about other people, and can push yourself onto others.”

Her eyes widen. “What are you-“

“But all the same, you have good intentions. You go into things with a spirit that complements my analytical side well, and I know that Lirurun’s helped the team a few times.” 

“… But did they even want to be on the team in the first place?” Something about her tone… it’s like she’s clinging onto the belief that she’s not bad while also being entrenched in the new information. The two sides are duking it out in her mind, and her shaking pupils tell him all he needs to know. 

Angoramon looks at her, and says, “Maybe it’s time you ask, then.”

“B-But they’re already part of the team! Why would I ask them now?!” She protests. 

“It’s a way of making it up to them. Sometimes, we have to give up our pride, we have to be brave enough to admit when we’ve done something wrong.”

“… Have I really been a bad friend to all of you? Cause Higacchi seems like he’s been holding that in for a while now.”

“I mean, you do like scaring him a lot.”

“Angoramon!” She frowns.

“I can’t lie, Ruli. There… are a lot of areas you need to improve in.”

“…” she goes silent. “Like Lirurun?”

He blinks. “Like Lirurun?”

“Before you and the others showed up, b-back with Lunamon…” Oh, she’s talking about… “Lunamon said… that Lirurun was how people found out about her ritual, and so a lot of people joined her cult. A-and even Dantella admitted that she had found out about it through my account…”

“Ruli, it’s been a week or so since that incident… are you telling me you’ve been thinking about this for that long?” 

She looks away. “I… I couldn’t accept it. I… I still can’t accept it now, that I had a hand in making that case as big as it is. They all wanted to be popular, to be like ME, and…”

“And it hit me. Being Lirurun comes with… responsibilities. I hadn’t realised how much I could influence others until then. All I cared about was finding out about Hologram Ghosts and solving cases for my followers.”

“Then… then when Higacchi told me about how Hiro and Koutarou…” she shudders. “I couldn’t accept it. I refused to think about how Hiro had nearly died because of me. I couldn’t stand the thought of those lives being in my hands. It was easier when I didn’t know about any of this. I still want to forget, honestly.”

“You can’t erase knowledge like how you erase a picture from your gallery. It’s hard to do that, and honestly? Maybe it shouldn’t be erased,” he offers. 

“H-huh? B-but it makes me feel all weird and I don’t like that… it reminds me of…” she looks away. “Never mind… But why wouldn’t I want to erase it?”

“Because it allows you to grow. It’s the same situation I went through with… with Digitamamon…”

Her head looks up. Her eyes are wide. He hasn’t… brought up Digitamamon in a long time. The fact that he is… “Angoramon…”

He shakes his head. “I still blame myself for not realising sooner how far he had fallen. But it served as a lesson. One I took to heart and made sure never to forget.”

“W-What did you learn?”

He looks at her, and smiles. “That it’s okay to care. I grieve for the Digitamamon I knew before we came here, but as much as I don’t want to accept that the one we fought was him, I also understand that everyone changes. Things happen and… well, you change with them.”

She pauses. “Angoramon…”

“So don’t let this keep you from doing the right thing. You know what you know now. Don’t sit on the knowledge. If anything, it’ll make the pain others have gone through seem insignificant in your eyes. I know you don’t like that thought, Ruli. You’re a good person who’s made mistakes, and that’s fine. What matters, is how you move forward from it.”

He’s right. She knows it.

Tears leak at her eyes, and she hugs him tight. “I-I… I’m so sorry Angoramon… I-I…” 

He pats her head, and as she continues sobbing her heart out, he promises himself, ‘I’ll stay by Ruli’s side as much as I can, to support her to be a better person.’

“KIRAKIRA!” Gammamon looks ecstatic at the meal in front of him. 

“Thank you very much for the food, Ismaya-Sensei,” Kiyo says as he bows at the older male. 

He can only laugh while ruffling his hair. “No need to be so formal! I’m just a normal detective!”

“Yeah right.” Haneul rolls his eyes while setting down the pot onto the table mat. “Two decades in the field is not normal.”

“Hey, maybe that’s what makes me stand out,” he teases back, and Haneul’s smile is hard to miss, making Solisamon giggle. She likes these people!

Espimon looks at Pumpmon. “So you only met Haneul due to thinking he was Hiro?”

Pumpmon… has a weird look on his face, but nods. “Ye! I was surprised to see friend on opposite end of town, so I called out!” 

“It was a very cute situation. Although I still remember Dad’s face when he saw me carry Pump back.” Haneul chuckles. “He made a sound similar to a dying dolphin.”

“Well, regardless, we are thankful for the dinner!” Bakumon insists. Bokomon-Sensei had always taught him that manners matter, so he’s not about to let him down. 

Hiro is… silent. Even his ittadakimasu is a breeze compared to the typhoon of the others as he begins eating. He can still sense Ismaya’s gaze on him. 

He’s not surprised. He knew that Ismaya wouldn’t fall for such a trick. 

Maybe he can get him to fess up instead? The more ground he has, the better. 

Luckily, he’s got just the person to ask. 

“Hey, Pumpmon, would you like to come over to our place tomorrow?” He turns to his friend, ignoring the twist of his stomach at the knowledge that he’s taking advantage of the childlike Digimon. 

Both Ismaya and Haneul pause, eyes widening, while Pumpmon nods with a big smile. “Okie! Can’t wait to have fun with old and new friends!”

Hiro smiles, petting his head before returning to his meal. Despite the huge hole in his stomach, he knows that he’s made it clear; try to pry and Pumpmon can and will be exploited. 

Haneul’s fists clench under the table. How can he do that without any guilt? Sure, innocent until proven guilty, but he’s definitely guilty and he knows it. Why else would he do that? To prove to them that he’s willing to hurt Pump to keep his hide safe! 

Black meets orange. Ismaya shakes his head slightly. Let him handle it. After all, he’s got an advantage here, and Hiro definitely knows it. 

It’s time to go deeper. 

He’s about to play the only visible card in his hands. 

“Kiyoshiro-kun, I thank you for your dedication to come and see Hiro-kun here at Mikai-gou. It must have been quite the journey,” he says to the younger male. 

Kiyoshiro blinks in surprise, snapping out of … something as he says, “It is my duty as a dorm leader to ensure that Amanokawa-kun is safety settled in. Not to mention, they are part of our team.”

“Team? What team?” 

Hiro’s eyes widen, but he can only watch with growing horror as Kiyo puffs his chest up. “Well, it is technically nameless. However, we do use social media to find cases to look into.”

“So it’s just you two, and… the girl who runs Lirurun?” Haneul speaks up. That’s the confusing part. Last they checked, it was run by three girls.

“Ah, hai, Tsukiyono-san…” he pauses. Blue eyes shift away, guilt filling them as he remembers the… situation in the afternoon. “She runs the account, but she is normally helped by her friends, Udagawa-san and Kashiwagi-san.”

Damn it, Senpai, shut up! “W-We don’t do it that often, though!” Hiro cuts in, his pupils shaking hard. 

The Digimon blink in surprise, but Ismaya takes the chance to attack. “I’m assuming it provides you with ample information to go after the Digimon?”

“Usually, we need to figure it out ourselves. However, more often than not, we do solve the cases we set ourselves to solve.” 

“I see. Have you considered a… different case?”

Kiyoshiro’s eyebrows raise. “What kind of case?”

“Perhaps the case of… where you gained your Digivices?” 

“Ah, but that’s from Amanokawa-kun’s- ITAIIII!” Kiyoshiro hisses as his foot reflexively goes up. 

Hiro retracts his foot quietly and gives him such a baleful glare it shuts him up immediately. They do NOT need to know about the origin of these Digivices!

“So it is from Hiro-kun? Tis a shame you only have three, then. Pump and Haneul have been talking about having one for themselves,” Ismaya says while leaning back, but the side eye he gives Hiro… 

He’s back on thin ice. Back on square one. 

Suddenly, he wishes with all his might that he hadn’t moved back from the dorms. He wishes he had found a different alternative compared to THIS mess… 

But… how HAD Ismaya known about him moving back here…?

The question haunts him all night, to the point he can only toss and turn with no rest in sight. 

It feels… weird to be in the dorm without Hiro-sama. Koutarou finds himself… aimless, really. He knows he should visit him. That’s what a good friend does, after all!

So… why doesn’t he? 

“Ahh… Hiro-sama , you really had to move so far away, huh…?” He mutters while his thumb scrolls through the various social media posts. “Did you get tired of me? I mean, sure it’s mostly about giving the Digimon a space, but…”

He leaves it unfinished. He doesn’t want to know the answer to that. 

Whatever! He should start looking up pretty girls to pass the time! Who needs moping? Koutarou has much better things to do than to mope! 

It’s what leads him to press down on a new icon he’s heard about. Apparently it allows you to scroll faster! Something called Troop Assist? 

Would you like to activate Troop Assist?

Of course! His thumb presses down on the button to activate it. 

The cogs run, but he doesn’t know that as images and posts fly past him. He’s hooked, barely moving, barely BLINKING. 

He wants to find that perfect girl, and NOTHING will stop him. NOTHING. 

(It’s better than being thrown away by the guy you exploit.)

“You okay, Haneul?”

“Can’t help but be angry, Dad,” Haneul says with a scowl, even as they rub their eyes. “How can he be so calm, so… so remorseless…?”

“Who knows…” Ismaya looks out the window. “But we’ll keep an eye on him. Like we always do.”

They raise an eyebrow, but laugh a bit. “I’m not even surprised. That’s just how you are, huh?”

Ismaya hums. “… You’ve really come a long way from that scared kid I met that day.”

They pause. An amused smile forms. “Is your age finally catching up, Oyaji?”

“Hey, stick with Dad, brat!” He scoffs. “Let me have my moment! I’m being honest for once!”

“Ah, so the rare 1 in 5 moment.”

“Shush, you!”

Still, laughs are heard, and for a minute, one can see a young teenager, taking matters into his own hands, and a detective, whose shady methods shroud a genuine sense of justice. 

They’ve really come a long way from that point in time, haven’t they?

RING! RING!

“Ahh … it’s not even a Monday…” Hiro grunts as he taps his phone screen, expecting the sound to dissipate into silence once more. He knows he set a new, earlier alarm due to how far his house is from Hazakura, but he only set it for the weekdays…

Wait, it’s not stopping. Is this not his alarm? 

He grabs his phone, squinting due to the bare lighting inside his room, and he can make out Senpai’s face on the screen. It’s a call, oh, it’s a call. 

He pulls himself up a bit before answering, “Moshi moshi, Senpai?”

“Amanokawa-kun! I-It’s really bad!” He’s sounding incredibly frantic now. “I-I need your help!”

That makes him pause, and his eyes widen slightly. He’s still not completely awake, but… “What’s wrong Senpai? Please calm dow-“

“I-It’s Nomura-kun!” 

Hiro raises an eyebrow. “Did he get himself hospitalized again?”

It’s a joke. He doesn’t know if he can handle seeing Koutarou in the hospital again after the first few times. 

“H-How did you know?!”

His heart stops. 

“E-Eh?”

“H-He was found on the feet of the stairs, staring at his phone a-and scrolling through it e-even though he had broken some bones. I-I think he’s been on the floor since four a.m.…”

He, he what?

“I-It was like he had no life in him anymore… E-Even as he was being carried off, a-all he kept doing was scrolling…”

The chill settles in. 

Kami-sama, is this karma? Karma for what he’s done to Ismaya? 

He can’t, he can’t lose his best friend! “Senpai, tell me where the hospital is! I’ll see you there in at least an hour!”

“H-Hai!”

The phone call ends, Hiro’s rushing to his closet.

He knew Koutarou was a lost cause, but…

But something tells him this is just plain on Digimon. Call it a hunch from all the times he’s had to deal with them. 

The racket is loud enough that Witchmon yells something about keeping it down, Pumpmon is sleeping, so he opens a window and yells back, “GOMEN! I NEED TO DEAL WITH SOMETHING!” 

He doesn’t wait for her answer. Instead, he runs to where Hokuto used to stay, which is now Gammamon and Solisamon’s room. 

The door opens, Gammamon stirs. “Hiro…?”

Solisamon is in the same state of fugue. “Niicha, what wrong?”

He’s breathing pretty hard, but he manages, “Koutarou… is in the hospital again…” 

Gammamon perks up, frowning. “Kouta in hospital?!”

“We’re going over to him. I think a Digimon may be to blame here!” he says while readjusting his jacket as a final check. He’s trying to control his breathing, but really, it’s harder to do cause between the war he had with Ismaya, everything new, he’s starting to feel a deep sense of exhaustion…

Gammamon nods. He feels Hiro needs time to process. “Want to use KausGammamon?”

“Yeah, that would do!” He agrees. “Let’s get ready first, though.”

He grins, while Solisamon looks at him curiously. Who’s KausGammamon? Why does he… sound familiar?

Maybe she’ll get to remember why later. Right now, they have a hospital to get to. 

The noise stirs up their neighbors, of course, so as Hiro is stepping out of the gate with his two partners, a voice calls out, “Where are you guys going? It’s really late.”

“A-Ah, sorry Haneul-San. There’s an emergency right now!” He turns and bows to the detective. Dang it! He can’t evolve Gammamon here! “I need to go to the subway!”

Haneul blinks in surprise. So the kid does care for someone? That’s… maybe they were too quick to judge. 

“No KausGammamon?” Solisamon then asks, and Hiro feels his spine freeze over, as if he’s in a fridge. He’s been caught in the lie…

Pumpmon looks excited. “One of friend’s new evolutions, right? I want to see!”

“Shinkansen?” Solisamon blinks, turning to him. 

“Not Shinkansen, shinka. I knew that Digimon could evolve, but Pump told me it’s a rare situation that Digimon can have multiple in one level,” Haneul aims that statement at Hiro. 

He can only nod, focusing on the main matter instead of the pit forming in his stomach. “Hai, but right now, we are in a bit of a rush, so-“

“Why not evolve here? I won’t tell Dad, if that’s what you’re worried about. Something tells me you’ll need the extra manpower.” Haneul slips their hands into their jacket. 

He… he bites his lip, but he’s pressed for time. He’ll have to take the chance. Right now, Koutarou is much more important than his stupidity from before he met the guy! “Alright. Gammamon, ikuzo!”

“Oh!”

The Digivice lights up, and Gammamon stands besides a blue DNA helix strand. It glows at a rhythmic beat, and as the beat begins to quicken, he reaches for it. His body dissolves upon contact, the helix taking in the core.

"Gammamon Evolve!”

The blue helix shines as a blue digitama appears, bearing the same marking as Hiro’s digivice, before it breaks open to reveal a new Digimon. A taller Gammamon, blue instead of white, and sporting gliders not unlike those of bats. 

"Kausgammamon!!"

Solisamon’s eyes widen, awe clearly in her gaze as she looks at how big he’s gotten. Does he remember her in that form even? "Gamma Niichan got big…”

He turns to her and gives her a smile, as if reassuring her that he does remember her. It makes her smile back before he turns to the two humans. “Come on, let’s go!”

“Alright!” Hiro gets on, wrapping his arms around his neck tightly. Haneul is quick to do the same while Solisamon sits in between the two, and Pumpmon remains on Haneul’s shoulders. It’s definitely a substantially heavier load than he’s used to, but it shouldn’t bother him that much!

And it’s proven so when he bursts into the air, soaring through the early morning sky. Hiro checks his phone, noting that it’s a branch hospital of Toei University Hospital. It’s not the main one. 

Huh, he wonders how Mummymon is doing. And… maybe his aunt. 

He shakes his head. Not the time, Hiro. Think about Koutarou first. He’s in danger.

It doesn’t take them long to arrive, and Hiro doesn’t even wait for KausGammamon to land before he’s jumping off and rushing into the building, ignoring Haneul’s yell because he can’t stop worrying about Koutarou, his mind is spinning and screaming. 

“E-Excuse me! Where is Nomura Koutarou’s room?” he gasps out to the first nurse he sees at the desk. 

A few clacks, and she looks up. “He’s in room H2-”

“Arigatou!” he bows hastily before he’s off like a bullet again. He can’t remember the last time he’s run this hard. How should he feel about that? 

He… He doesn’t really know. 

Emerald eyes frantically bounce off the walls, scouring for the room number he’s been told. Come on, Koutarou, please be okay…!

He nearly bumps into someone, and the grunt of “Watch it!” falls on deaf ears as he passes them back. 

Black eyes watch him, and they can’t help but huff. Kids these days… Dang, they’re almost reminded of Luno… 

They shake their head, but as they turn the corner, they unknowingly pass the subject of their thoughts, rushing in with a bunch of Hologram Ghosts. Neither notice the other, which… which is good, really. 

Haneul grunts, ducking and sliding through the crowds in the hallway, with Gammamon not far behind. Pumpmon is clinging hard onto them, yelping, “Friend, calm down! A bit scary!”

“I know, but we don’t have that luxury!” they yell back.

Solisamon grips their shirt tight. This is both scary but also exciting. She’s not… scared of being held by Haneul, even though he had done it right before entering into the throngs of people without any warning. 

No, she feels comfortable. It’s really nice. 

She smiles. She hears a nice thing from Haneul’s heart, so that means he’s a good person!

The group eventually catches up to Hiro, who’s just… standing at the doorway. 

A small hand grips his, and he looks down to see Solisamon, concern dancing in her teal eyes. 

He… he wills himself to look up, to focus on the scene before him; 

That of Nomura Koutarou, curled up on the bed, still gripping his phone as if it were his lifeline as he scrolls with wide, bloodshot eyes, brown cogs spinning all around him. 

“HIRO- And someone new?”

He can only wave to Ruli while Haneul raises an eyebrow. “You’re Lirurun, right? Real name Tsukiyono Ruli?”

“Y-yeah, that’s me…” She frowns a bit. If she bites her lip a bit, it goes unnoticed.

“Nice to meet you. I’m Haneul Scirocco,” the detective says, holding a hand out. 

“Hi friend!” Here, Pumpmon hops onto Haneul’s shoulder too, waving happily. 

Her eyes light up. “Oh, Pumpmon! Shashiburi! Is this.. A friend of yours?”

“Friend is very kind!” Pumpmon agrees with a smile. “Friend took care of me even though I thought they were Hiro!”

“Oh come on, Pump, you can’t be serious,” Haneul says while patting his head, a gentle smile on their face. “You’re part of the family now! You even wormed your way into Dad’s heart, and I consider that no easy feat.”

After all, Ismaya had decided to adopt them because, well… things happened. 

Hiro takes note of that, although his gut twists at how he’s being so, so wrong. It’s almost like… it’s almost as if he’s becoming LIKE GulusGammamon… 

A shiver goes down his spine. Never. He never wants to be as selfish, as self-absorbed as him. 

But… one thing stands out to him; why had Pump used SOCHIRA instead of kare? That’s what males normally use. Not to mention, they’ve been acting weird about Haneul being called him. 

He decides to push that aside for now as Ruli smiles, although her eyes do not stay on Kiyoshiro at all. She’s… avoiding eye contact with him. “Nice to see you’ve found new friends! Told ya they didn’t have to look like you to be friends!”

Jellymon raises an eyebrow. “You guys have history?” She’s floating in the air, checking her own phone without a care. “That’s interesting.”

“Nearly tried to cut my eyes out,” Hiro says with a sigh. “That’s water under the bridge, though. We need to focus on the case.”

He takes out his phone. “Should check Lirurun for informati-”

“NO!”

Everyone jumps. Haneul blinks rapidly. “What do you mean, no? Isn’t that what you normally do?”

“W-Well yes, b-but…” She’s still avoiding Kiyo’s gaze, whose sense of guilt triples from the scale breaking level it was at before. “W-We don’t HAVE to do this.”

“...” Hiro sighs. “Alright, time to check the online forums.” What is up with Ruli? Normally, she’s much more okay with stuff like this. 

It’s not adding up to him, and it rubs at him as he goes to his browser. Gammamon hovers above the ground while Solisamon climbs up onto his shoulder to peek over. 

Haneul can’t help the small smile upon seeing that. (They ignore the screams. “Why not me?” It does not solve anything.) It”s really cute! But…

A frown takes over as they observe Ruli and Kiyoshiro not talking to each other. That’s going to be a problem soon, isn’t it?

Well, they’ll have to do something about it.

“Hey, need some fresh air?” 

He jumps, and GulusGammamon barks out a laugh. “Oh come on, Kiyoshiro, I’m not gonna eat you! Even if I wanted to, Aniki and Gammamon would stop me.”

“I-I know that!” the guarded look on his face is almost laughable. (It feels like a prophecy, as if he’s looking at his Yin right after…) “I just…”

“You’re overthinking again, aren’t you?” He asks, sitting down on the bench beside him in the park. “It’s a habit of yours, you know.”

“W-Why do YOU care?” The venom in his tone is surprising, but not unexpected. He’s barely talked to him or Ruli at all in the three months before Solisamon’s arrival. “H-Hoping to use me for a scheme or something?”

“Damn, you have trust issues!” GulusGammamon snorts. “Not that I don’t see why.”

Black eyes grow… solemn. “I couldn’t help but notice you and Ruli were not looking at each other. I know Aniki is too focused on his own issues with the older detective, so Gammamon asked me to check on you.” He scoffs slightly, no bite in his tone. “Says that since I noticed it, I should be the one to deal with it. Talk about some nerve!”

Kiyoshiro raises an eyebrow. “You are… surprisingly….”

“Oi, don’t get any ideas. I know when I’m beat and Gammamon beat me fair and square that time,” he says with a sigh. “He won’t ask for anything bad, though. Darn it.”

Well, that sounds more like GulusGammamon. “I-I fail to see the point of you coming over. A-And what do you mean Amanokawa-kun has issues with Ismaya-sensei?”

“Right, whatever. It’s a longgggg story, if his face whenever he talks to the guy tells me anything. Consider it… something I picked up from recent experience.” He doesn’t really elaborate, but Kiyoshiro kind of gets it.

“Is it regarding Lumosmon? What…” He hesitates. Should he-

“We… had different opinions about what to do about Endbringer.” THAT surprises him, but he’s truly stunned by the… shine in his watering eyes. “I… said things. She… said things. We… We were a perfect pair, and now…” 

He shakes his head. “Damn, I need to stop living in the past. I still need to devour the Endbringer for what he did… But anyway, that’s not the point.”

And his gaze is back on him. “What happened between you two?”

Kiyoshiro can’t believe it. Of all people, GULUSGAMMAMON has approached him about this. The guy with the biggest ego on the team (outside of some people, of course) who’s got the brains to back it up, he realises, has noticed their tension…

He… shudders. “I-It’s a wonder you’re not working with the Endbringer.”

“DON’T EVEN-” He growls, but his grip tightens, then releases. “... That’s not the POINT.”

“I…” Of all the people, GULUSGAMMAMON? What world has he stepped into?...

… Still… 

He closes his eyes, feeling the gentle breeze. “... Do not confront Tsukiyono-san about this.”

A raised eyebrow. “... Sure. But you will need to talk to her about it. You look like the guilt is about to eat you wide like some wanwan thing. Is that what you guys call it?”

W-Wanwan? 

He pauses, “... Do you mean wani (alligator)? Wanwan is the sound of an inu (dog).”

Silence. 

His face IMMEDIATELY flares up. “S-SHUT UP!” 

Kiyoshiro laughs. Never in his life would he expect THIS to happen; GulusGammamon being EMBARRASSED. 

Then again, he supposes he’s got a lot more firsts to experience in this life. Maybe this will be one of them too. “A-About Tsukiyono-san…”

“He’s really something, huh?” Haneul remarks. 

Ruli jumps, spinning around with a caged animal look. “O-Oh, w-who?”

They blink at her. Wow, she acts more like a caught criminal than ACTUAL criminals do… “I was talking about Hiro-kun.”

Their eyes narrow. “That being said, you seem really out of it. Did something happen between you and Kiyoshiro-kun?”

H-How did he? “How did you know?!”

“It’s hard not to see when he faltered talking about you at dinner, then you guys were avoiding eye contact. I heard from Witchmon you guys work well together so this was a bit of a culture shock,” they answer.

“Higacchi did…? Oh man, I really made him mad, huh…?” she groans. 

“What do you mean by that?” Haneul raises an eyebrow, a frown on their face. 

She pauses, and sighs. “Our previous case, well, it involved some gaijins and all.” 

“Huh.” Haneul hums. It… reminds them of a friend whose grandpa was a gaijin. 

It… It almost takes them back.

They shake their head. Never mind. “What about it?”

“I-I was going to ask a question, a pretty bad one, I think, b-but he stopped me and told me to stop… I-I never did get that, so I ended up calling him yesterday to ask about it.” She’s rubbing her arms now, as if the mere memory of that call pains her. “He… he got mad at me out of nowhere. Said that I had been the reason Koutarou and Hiro had nearly gotten hurt by Clockmon, right before Hiro met Gammamon, b-because they had been trying to find new information about his case for me…” 

It clicks. “You feel guilty.” 

She nods. “I… I didn’t think much about my influence on social media. I just wanted to solve mysteries, meet the supernatural and all…”

Her fist tightens. “But now, it’s become really clear. I… I have responsibilities. And I had… misused those responsibilities to fuel my ego.”

Now it makes sense. Why both of them had been… well, hesitant to face each other. 

“What do you plan on doing with this information, then?” they choose to ask. 

Ruli’s eyebrows furrow. “Eh? What do you mean?” 

They shrug. “The damage’s been done. You can’t take back those injuries. But what does moping do? Thinking you’ve messed up over and over again in a cycle is not going to help at all. It just makes things worse. At least, from my experience.”

“I… I just don’t want to hurt any more people. It feels like…” she looks down at her hands, smooth from the piano playing that had attracted Angoramon to her. It feels… “My hands, they’re so… clean. And yet they’re so cruel. With these fingers, I can type out something and thousands of people will try to fulfill it. I can turn people against their own family…”

“I… feel like a monster.” 

“Why not take that and remind yourself that you can be better, then?” 

She blinks, looks up to see them as they chuckle. “You don’t seem that bad, Ruli-chan.” At least, not as bad as Hiro-kun, based on what I’ve seen so far. 

Not that they can tell her that. “We all make mistakes. I know that our society tells us to feel bad if we hurt others, but if it goes to the extreme, it doesn’t really benefit you anyway.”

They smile. “You’re no monster, Ruli-chan. In fact, congrats. That’s a sign you’re human. What matters is how you move forward from it.” 

Her eyes widen. It’s… what Angoramon told her too. 

It clicks. She can’t keep moping, she is Tsukiyono Ruli! She will NOT let this beat her down!

She wipes away her tears and gets up. “Thanks, Haneul-senpai! I… I think I know what to do now!” 

They jump in surprise at the loud shout, but a grin forms on their face. “Go get it, Ruli-chan!”

She nods, and sprints off to find someone, probably Kiyoshiro. 

They just lean back. Maybe… maybe they should reach back out to Gami and Jijii someday. Apologise for what they had done. 

They’ve seen the pain they could cause, they want to owe up to it too. 

So they get up, opening their phone and calling someone. When it gets through, they … inhale.  “Hey, Gami. It’s… been a while.”

Ring! Ring! 

Hiro pauses, looking down to his phone. Ah. This again? 

He sighs, pressing down on the red button. Not now. Not when he’s in the middle of a case. He’s already in thin ice as he is; the last thing he needs is more family drama… 

“Niicha okay?” 

He looks down and smiles at Solisamon, patting her head. “Niichan’s okay. Just… thinking.”

“About Han-nii? Solisamon likes them!” She smiles. “They sound really kind inside!”

Hiro pauses, and as he looks away, a bitter smile forms on his face. Wonder what he is to her then…?

Another phone call, but this time it’s Ruli calling him and Senpai. 

Huh, okay. He picks up. “Ruli?”

“Hiro, I think I’ve found out something!” 

He blinks. “Eh? What did you find out?”

“Long story about that, can you meet us at Koutarou-kun’s room?” Haneul joins in. 

An eyebrow raises, but he doesn’t ask. “Okay. I’ll see you guys there?”

“S-Sounds like a plan!” Senpai agrees. 

“See you there, Aniki, Ruli!” Wait, why is GulusGammamon-

The call ends, and Hiro lets out a sigh. Whatever. At least this will be over soon. “Come on, Solisamon. Looks like we’re going to have a fight soon enough.”

She nods, teal eyes narrowing with a focus. “Iku!”

The two walk away, and if Hiro slips his hand into his pocket and shuts down his phone?

Well, no one knows. 

“This is an… unexpected ragtag group.” Angoramon can only blink at how Gammamon is sitting on Kiyo’s lap while Ruli and Haneul are sitting together. Pumpmon is still reading a book nearby, awwing at the cute pictures as he sits on Hiro’s lap. His other lap has Solisamon enraptured by his storytelling skills, perfect for a kid. 

Hiro himself… well, Angoramon feels the best way to describe the look he has on right now is, well, distracted. It’s a rare look to see on him, even if they’ve known each other for quite a while, so he’s unsure what brought it on. 

He’s about to ask when he speaks up, “So what did you find, Ruli, Haneul-san?”

“So we scoured the entirety of the internet and Lirurun for stuff about this. Interestingly, the cases vary, too,” Haneul starts. “It can be doomscrolling like how Koutarou-kun was, or it could be a case of someone going completely bananas over gaining ‘perfection’. One of the more recent posts mentioned something about a girl whose mom reported had been feeling creative block for a while, but she’s suddenly regained her inspiration… at the cost of her mental sanity.”

“That… does not sound nice,” Kiyo mumbles.

“According to the post, she hasn’t eaten or drunk anything for some days.”

“WHAT?!” Hiro gasps. That’s NOT healthy at all! 

“There’s one thing they all share in common, and it’s that all of them had used Troop Assist,” Ruli explains. “It’s a recent AI trend, advertised as the best of the best services offered.”

“So we asked Angoramon if he had any idea, and he said that the behaviour reminded him of Troopmon,” Haneul finishes. “According to him, though…”

“Troopmon is an Undead type Digimon, who is pretty much a fighting machine.” Angoramon is frowning. 

“Hey, I’ve heard of that mon! Apparently if they’re injured enough, they tend to move bodies or something. They also attack SUPERRRR aggressively. They don’t really care about getting hurt, they don’t even feel it,” Jellymon admits. 

Hiro pauses. “Hang on, they transfer bodies?”

His mind remembers the weird modification on Lunamon, and the additional things on the two Dobermon that had attacked looking for Solisamon. They had been knocked out with attacks, and the modifications had disappeared…

Normally an Undead Digimon who doesn’t know the concept of pain would be a BAD thing to go up against, but… “What level is Troopmon?”

“Normally Adult-level. Why?” Angoramon asks. 

Hiro smiles a bit. “This may be a bit of a stretch, but let’s try this strategy out…”

Hi, I think I need help dealing with something.

What is that?

Erm, something really important to me.

What is it?

It’s… hard to explain. Can we meet face to face? 

….? I do not compute. 

Can you meet me here?

…. I do not have a physical body.

Ah, it’s fine! I’ll set up a phone for you there! I really need your help here, but I need it to be away from prying eyes!

… Very well. 

It’s been a while since they’ve been here. The sand hasn’t fully dissipated, and Hiro looks around as he enters the abandoned living room. This should be the best place. 

He sets down the old computer on the dusty table, the phone still connected to it via a cable. The app is running smoothly right now, they’re fine. 

Only then does he choose to get comfortable, leaning on the wall while checking the app once more. Both are from Ruli; old devices she had no use for and was okay with using for the case. 

Outside, Kiyoshiro is typing rapidly on his laptop, with Jellymon doing the same. 

“You’re telling me a Digimon ATE AN ENTIRE FAMILY?” Haneul feels the shivers go down their spine at that tale. This address HAD sounded familiar… Just how dangerous can Digimon be?

“He was a close friend of Angoramon’s,” Ruli admits, using the binoculars to keep an eye on Hiro. “But he’s… well, gone now. We had no choice; he was going to eat us and had gotten hooked on the taste of humans.”

“So that’s why he’s not here…” They hum. It makes sense, they muse. It’s obviously a sore spot for Angoramon. “I’ll do my best to protect you, Ruli-chan.”

She smiles. “Arigatou, Haneul-san!”

A tug makes her look down to see Solisamon with determined teal eyes. “Solisamon… Solisamon will protect Ruli-nee too!”

Her smile blossoms, and she squats down. (She’s really reminded of Meichi now. It’s like olive’s replaced the teal.) “Arigatou, na, Solisamon.” 

Solisamon feels her chest grow warm. It feels so… so nice. 

She WILL protect Ruli-nee and Niicha! No matter what!

“Troopmon is an Adult-level, so prepare to evolve once he shows up, Jellymon-sama.”

The mollusk Digimon scoffs. “And YOU should prepare to just talk to Ruli after all this. You’ve been staring at the same spot for five whole minutes.”

“I-I was not!” He blushes. 

“Darling, please. I can sense it’s eating away at you.” That tone… It makes him look up to see a serious, but still sincere look. “We need to stand united. I don’t know what happened between you two, but wallowing about it on your own won’t solve the problem.”

It’s a rare look on her face. He’s about to comment on it when she adds, “I mean, I can always shock you both so you’ll talk it out! So the choice is yours!”

Yep! That sounds more like her!

All the same, even when the shivers go down his spine… 

Jellymon blinks. “Darling?”

He turns around. Blue meets black as he smiles. “Thank you for your concern, Jellymon-sama. I will definitely talk to her after this.”

“O-Of course you will!” She is NOT blushing! No way! That’s ridiculous!

“Friend’s face is red!”

“Shhhh, Pump, don’t expose them!”

“But still true?”

“I mean, yeah-” they facepalm. Oh man, they’ve really gotten themselves into a mess. 

The others laugh, and Ruli and Kiyo seem to make eye contact for a while, without feeling the need to look away. 

It’s… nice. 

And, of course, that’s when the monitor begins to beep rapidly. 

Hiro jumps, dropping the phone as the screen remains frozen. 

Would you like to materialise Troopmon?

YES

The laptop’s LCD is going haywire, red, green and blue flashing like fireworks and making him cover his eyes. “Ngh!”

But when he opens his eyes, he’s… he’s frozen. Something about this… 

It’s silver all over. A gas mask covers its face, cables all over its body. Red lenses stare back at him, and the hairs on his arm go up once he realises that, that behind those lenses are nothing. This thing has no eyes. 

Troopmon’s oxygen tank psts out some mist. The screen nearby begins.. Speaking. It’s a warbled language. 

A-Are you the one who c-c-called me?

He gulps. “H-Hai…” Is this how Senpai feels when he’s confronted with something scary? He’s starting to get it, really. This guy is TERRIFYING. 

Troopmon… tilts its head, and looks up. 

It steps aside just as a sword nearly impales it. Solisamon lands on the ground while a Spiral Kick knocks it back a bit, and then a Horn Attack pushes it back even further. 

W-W-Who are you?

Right, he can’t lose his nerve now! 

“You need to stop whatever you’re doing with those poor people! Koutarou and the rest can’t handle acting like machines!” Hiro yells, his meter already beginning to go up. 

Kiyo holds out his Digivice, feeling his own meter fill up. “T-This is not the way to help others!”

It… tilts its head again. 

W-W-What is the meaning of help? I-I-I was ordered to gather data for s-s-some reason.

It’s like cold washes over all of them. It’s not doing this to help, it’s…

“Y-You’re using machine learning…” Kiyoshiro whispers. “Troopmon is being trained using the dataset provided by those who use his services, a-and then he’ll form a model t-that he can use to predict things in the future..”

“That new organisation… it definitely has done something here, then,” Hiro says. “I have no idea what they’re using the data for, but it ends here! Gammamon!”

“Jellymon-sama!” 

“BreaThunder!” Both of them yell. 

“Okay~” Jellymon grins as she uses her lightning to push Troopmon out of the building, before Gamammon rushes at it with his claws, swinging it HARD. 

Only, Troopmon gets up and tanks it. It doesn’t even seem fazed. 

I-I-Is that all you’ve got?

“Not quite!” A voice suddenly yells, and Haneul swings a police baton at it, backing away as it grabs the thing and shatters it to pieces. “Pump, Tai Atari at the feet!”

“Okie, friend!” The Puppet Digimon knocks back the huge Digimon, sending it stumbling before it falls on its butt. 

“Woah! How did you….” Hiro turns to Haneul. 

Haneul smiles. “Make someone lose their balance, and they follow the rules of gravity regardless! Basic science, people!”

“Alright, we’ve found a weakspot to use! Solisamon, get yourself ready!  We are really going to need you to purify him when we get him injured enough!” Ruli says. 

She nods. “Okie!”

The other three humans share a glance before nodding. 

“Jellymon-sama, Spiral Kick on the legs!”

“Pump, Trick or Treat to where it’s going to stumble to!”

As Jellymon kicks it with enough force to send it stumbling, it’s also hit by a huge pumpkin. 

“Higa- no, Kiyo-senpai! TeslaJellymon and WezenGammamon should do the trick here!” Ruli yells. 

His eyes widen, but blue meets pink as she smiles. It’s a nice look on her face. “You ready to double tag this guy?!”

He can’t help the tears, nor the grin that forms while he says, “Of course, Tsukiyono-san! Amanokawa-kun, can you-”

“Wakatta, Senpai. I’ll take the support role, so you two better get this right!” Hiro’s Digivice lights up. So does Kiyo’s as both Digimon glow. 

A plasma green DNA helix stands beneath Gammamon as he falls down, allowing the helix to dissolve his body. 

"Gammamon Evolve!"

His core enters a large digitama that soon explodes, allowing a new digimon to gallop out of the destruction. A green Gammamon, quadrupedal with electric stakes bursting out of his skull, shoots his surroundings with attacks that dissipate before hitting anything.

"Wezengammamon!" He roars, ready to handle anything thrown at him.

Jellymon giggles as she flies into a soft pink DNA helix, allowing her body to dissolve and become a digitama surrounded in crackling electricity.

"Jellymon Evolve!"

The electricity swirls around the digitama, and it forms a soft pink electrical heart before a new digimon hatches from it. A much more combat ready and humanoid Jellymon, with tentacles akin to paper sprouting out of her bell-shaped head, begins bouncing here and there, energy coursing through her fast.

"Teslajellymon!" She grins, jumping up with a bit of power in her steps. 

Solisamon’s eyes widen with wonder again. “Gamma-nii can evolve again? And Jelly-nee can do it too!” 

“Gammamon has a few different evolutions, but-” Hiro pauses. Wait, he shouldn’t be telling this to her in front of Haneul. “I’ll tell you later, okay?” 

She blinks, but nods. “Okie!” 

Haneul raises an eyebrow. Huh, more secrets? This is interesting. 

But then again, they suppose they would have to be honest to them first, to gain their trust. 

Even if it means…

They shake their head. Not the time! “Pump, you good to fight?”

“Let’s go, friend!” Pumpmon agrees. 

“Sedna!” Ruli yells, her Digivice flashing as the sync up begins. They’ve got some time to do this, but it’s limited, so they have to make it count!

Troopmon… just spreads its arms wide. 

The computer types out Greek as it blasts back against the electric balls, sucking each of them up into voids. “Άκυρος Blast….”

“Looks like the big guns are out! Time to go up and beyond! Integer Overload! TeslaJellymon-sama, Vorsprite from behind!”

“Okay, Darling!” She grins, backflipping before charging up and landing an attack that makes it stumble. 

As it turns around, Ruli notices something, and she squints a little bit. Is she dreaming? No, that can’t be. 

Then what is THAT?

“Tsukiyono-san?! We need to focus!” Kiyoshiro reminds her. 

“I know, Kiyo-senpai! But there seems to be… something attached to it?”

“Huh?” Kiyo and Haneul follow her gaze, and squint. What are they seeing…? 

“THIS IS NOT THE TIME!” Hiro snaps at them, emerald eyes blazing for some reason. “WE CAN FIGURE IT OUT LATER!”

He’s not usually the impatient type, but this entire thing has been a rollercoaster for him. He does NOT want them to prolong this mess!

That definitely jolts the two back into action, although Haneul frowns. They do NOT like how he’s acting, but he has a point. “Pump, Tai Atari at the face!”

Catching their drift, Kiyo yells, “Use your ribbons to grab its feet and blast out Punishune!”

Both Digimon rush at Troopmon from both ends, and as Pumpmon tackles him with his head and TeslaJellymon YANKS its legs hard, it has no choice but to obey gravity. 

Kiyo and Ruli then share a glance, and Ruli yells, “WezenGammamon, aim an Albion point blank!”

“Oh!” the charge up begins as Troopmon forces itself back up, ripping the ribbons apart before staggering WezenGammamon’s way. 

“As if we’ll let you do that! Pump, Trick or Treat from above!”

“Okie!” Pumpmon summons his huge pumpkin as it slams into its face, making it flail around before Kiyo yells, “Physalist!” 

“Yoshaaaa!” She grins, charging up her fist and punching it from behind. 

“Keep Troopmon to the center! WezenGammamon’s almost done charging!” Ruli’s heart is beating FAST! “Ten… Nine…”

Troopmon still tries to get up, forcing itself back to its feet as the small… thing dangles from one of its cables. The computer garbles once more, and its goggles glow. 

“Oh no you don’t! Pump, Tai Atari from behind to knock it down!” Haneul commands. 

The attack definitely makes it stumble more, but the goggles continue to glow. 

“Eight… seven… six…”

“Solisamon, are you ready?!” Ruli looks over at her. 

She nods. “Iku!”

She smiles as she turns back. “Five… four…”

The goggles seem to begin charging up too. 

“Three… two…”

The beam finishes at the same time the goggles burst out with light. 

“ONE!” 

Red versus pure white light wage WAR against each other, beams that explode and scream and dance like fireworks, open for everyone to see. 

“Woah, look at those pretty fireworks, Kaasan!”

“They’re so beautiful, aren’t they?” 

Still… white is a mix of all the colours, and while the logical thing is that red would win… 

In Ryubo’s house, Violet slumps down onto her desk, groaning at her pounding head. That… sucked a lot…

“Violet!” She’s suddenly hugged, and Ryubo sheds some tears. “I’m so grateful you’re fine…” 

“Mom… I…” She looks out the window, and her eyes widen. “I’ve been at it for a while…”

“You scared me!” she chastises, her shaking body all that’s needed to see. “I-I was so scared! You were forcing yourself to make and make and be perfect and that’s not how you normally…”

She trails off, and she covers her mouth. “H-Have I been pressuring you lately? I-I know I’m rarely home but…”

“NO!” She vehemently argues. “It’s not your fault at all! I just…”

She looks down. “I.. I just wanted to make you proud of me…”

The light brown haired doctor’s eyes soften, and she laughs shakily. “Silly Violet, you don’t… have to think that way… I-I’m proud of you no matter what you do…”

“I-I…” Her throat closes up. It’s so, so simple. She KNOWS that, but…

Sometimes, all it takes is verbal confirmation for the dam to come crashing down, and as mother and daughter embrace, on the other side of the city, a loud cry of “SOL PURIFICATION!”, echoing in Hiro’s head like a lantern dispersing light, reverberates through Troopmon. 

“Ugh!” Qwermon hisses, its jet legs sputtering out small flames as it falls onto the ground. “Forgive me, I… have failed you…”

A cough, and it fades away… small particles of light dancing in the air.

(A server… is silent. No code runs through it briefly.

“Hm?” Eyes look back, and it’s running back. Had he imagined that?

Whatever, one dead Qwermon is fine.)

Troopmon… looks at Solisamon. 

‘Thank you.’

Her eyes widen, and then-

It… shrinks. A brown koala thing stares back at them, before it closes its eyes, and, well… falls asleep.

“A Phascomon?” Jellymon is flabbergasted as she devolves. “What in the world? We did clear things up with Sol Purification.”

“Maybe the attack cleared out too much data so it reverted back to how it was before?” Hiro offers. This was definitely not what he had expected, but hey, it works, he supposes. 

“Oh! Like Ryudamon!” Gammamon agrees while sitting atop Ruli’s head. 

Hiro is DEFINITELY going to have to talk to him about keeping his mouth shut around Haneul, but he’ll let it go for once. “Y-Yeah…”

Ruli smiles, and grins at Kiyo. “We did it, Kiyo-senpai.”

Kiyoshiro’s own smile is hard to miss. “We definitely did, Tsukiyono-san!”

Both of them give each other a highfive, and Ruli then turns to Haneul with her palm out. 

They grin as they give her their own highfive, and do the same to Kiyo. “You guys did great!”

“You helped a lot, Haneul-san! Thanks for your help!”

“Eh, I did my best. It’s the least I can do as a detective!” It’s.. a bit eyeopening, they suppose. That they can actually do something about these things…

They turn to Pumpmon, and the Digimon grins. “Want to help them solve more cases too!”

“It’s a hard job, though, Pump. You up for it?” They tease back. 

“Of course!” He climbs up back to his normal position and smiles. “Can we join friends’ group now?”

“If you’ll have us, we can definitely help the best we can!” Haneul adds. 

“I don’t-” 

“Amanokawa-kun, maybe we can consider it!” Kiyo offers. 

“I don’t see anything wrong with it!” Jellymon giggles. “And I doubt Angoramon will be against it.”

“New friends, yay!” Solisamon claps, and Gammamon cheers. 

Ruli shrugs. “I guess that settles it. Hiro, you good?”

“I-” He lets out a sigh. “Alright, yeah, we can do that…”

Haneul smiles as they pick up the Phascomon. “I guess we can head home now, huh? Make sure to follow up on the reports to see if they’re gone fully.” 

Ruli nods. “Will do! I’ll make an announcement about it and offer up chances to talk to people if they need to!” 

THAT makes Jellymon blink. “Huh, that’s a new thing.” 

Ruli shrugs, looking at Kiyo as she says, “I thought it was time to make some changes. I have all this influence, it’s time to use it right, you know?”

His smile widens. “I am glad for you, Tsukiyono-san.” 

As they walk away, Solisamon looks at Gammamon and Jellymon with awe. She really wants to evolve too! It looks so cool!

(Why does she feel like… she’s done it before? Touching that pretty spiral thing?)

Golden eyes watch them from afar, and someone whispers, “Found you.” 

“I am TIRED!” Haneul groans as they flop onto the couch, making Ismaya raise an eyebrow, especially with the Phascomon sleeping on the couch beside them now. “Well, there you are. I was wondering how come you disappeared in the middle of the night.”

“Had to deal with something. Didn’t you hear the loud noises from the Amanokawa household?” they look up. 

Ismaya just sips his tea. “I suppose not. How was it, though?” 

They shrug. “It’s a long story. But I think I’m part of their group now? It will make it easier to find out stuff about where Amanokawa Hokuto is.” 

“That’s really great, Haneul.” He… sets down the teacup, and looks up to his child as he says, “I… really am sorry for dragging you into this, though. This is probably not the best way to make friends.” 

THAT catches them off guard. "You’re being… sentimental today?” 

“I… don’t want you to be stuck without friends. I know you’ve been struggling with that cause you’re no longer in school.” 

“Dad, I… I don’t really care about that, and you know it.” They look at him. “And I mean… I… did reach out to Gami and Jiji after talking to one of Hiro-kun’s friends.” 

His eyes widen. “After all this time? That’s… really impressive.” 

Maybe they ARE good for Haneul, and he finds himself chuckling. “Looks like you’re spreading your wings, huh?” 

“I guess so… But it feels good,” they admit. 

“Well then, it does explain this thing that came in.” Ismaya pulls out a box. “I found it in front of your computer and near that egg you got. I don’t know what it is, but I have a feeling it is related to what is going on right now.”

Haneul blinks. “What is this?” 

He shrugs. “No clue. Wanna open it? I’ll get my gun out in case it’s something dangerous.” 

They nod, and as they receive the box, they set it down to the table. 

Pumpmon looks up in excitement. “Friend got a gift!” 

And he is right. 

Both humans gasp at what sits on a velvet pillow; a Digivice coloured a shimmering magenta, with some gold accents here and there. 

“Woah, what in the world…?” Ismaya whispers. “It looks like the thing they have.”

Haneul goes under the table and pulls out some plastic gloves before eventually taking it out alongside two DIM cards. “This is…” 

“Oh! Digivice like friends! And it’s so sparkly too!” Pumpmon leans in. 

Ismaya raises an eyebrow. ‘You mentioned they can evolve with these things right? How does it work, Pump?” 

He shrugs.”Dunno!” 

Both of them sigh before Ismaya says, “Well, best to look into it to figure out if Hokuto was the one who sent it first-” 

“There is no need to do that.” 

Their heads spin around fast. Who-?! 

A figure stands behind them, clad in blue armour with a star shape on the headpiece. A lion Digimon, too. Their golden yellow eyes cut through the darkness of the shadow they remain in. "My name is Spadamon."

"Who are you? A friend of those three or…. " Haneul slowly reaches for the police baton in their back pocket. "Another… enemy?"

"If I were an enemy, I could have easily taken you out already. Rest assured, that I am indeed a friend. Not to those three, however." They put their paws up in the air; a sign to show that they mean no harm.

Haneul relaxes a bit, sensing no hostile intentions from this strange Digimon. At least, not as bad as Hiro, they suppose.

However, that only raises more questions. Huh, that does seem to happen more with this group.

"Is it safe to assume that you are the one who delivered this Digivice? Did Hokuto ask you to send it?" it’s a question that they would like answered first. The Digivice could be a trap for all they know.

"Yes. Though I will say that this Hokuto person did not make this one. This one was made by someone else. I have my own reasons to give you this one, child." Spadamon takes one step forward, still remaining in the shadows, though his facial features can be seen much better.

A serious look. One that Haneul takes to heart as they ask, “What is that, if I may ask?”

"The child, Solisamon. Though she is in his care, I do not fully trust Amanokawa Hiro just yet. From what I have observed, he hides far too many secrets of his own. That and it would seem that the other two are willing to aid him in concealing the truth." The words he spoke have truth; Hiro’s actions alone are proof of that.

Still…

"Is that truly it? Doubt you would give me a Digivice for that alone.” Orange meets yellow. “Mind telling me the true reason?" 

Spadamon can’t help the smile that forms. He has to admit that this child is truly clever. Nothing gets past them.

Perhaps they are the right choice for what he is about to ask them. 

But he doesn’t have a lot of time to spare; he must speak now.

"I’d like you to find out what truly happened between Lumosmon and EndBringer. I have my suspicions that Gulusgammamon knows more than what he is leading on. Much, much more." The lion Digimon’s fist tightens in the darkness, eyes burning as he remembers the dark Digimon, and that Amanokawa Hiro may be… covering for that ruthless brute. 

Haneul blinks, sharing a glance with Ismaya. Lumosmon? End Bringer? Who’s GulusGammamon? Another evolution for Gammamon? More topics that Hiro’s failed to mention to them. 

Could they be related to what’s occurred today? What about that thing they saw hanging off Troopmon? 

What are these leads, and can they even find the truth? 

"Please…" Haneul’s snapped back to reality as they see the desperation in Spadamon's eyes, pleading with the desire to learn the truth. "I need to know what happened to her. My time is running out, but I MUST find out… Please, detective!"

Huh, another case, a solo one at that. Funny how with this one, they’ll get information that Hiro would not share so easily. 

They’re reminded of a plea gone unheard, some years ago, and their mind is set. If it can shed light on the boy's web of lies, then this case is their only lead to uncovering these mysteries, and finding out where the heck Amanokawa Hokuto is.

"Very well, I will take on your case." Haneul nods. Best to look for the truth this way. He is clearly more reliable than Hiro at this point.

Spadamon smiles, and he’s about to say something when he suddenly winces in pain, holding his armoured arm as if it were burning with pain, struggling mentally to keep the pain at bay. No! He must not falter! He must… stand strong! 

Is Hanuel imagining it, or did Spadamon’s eyes turn red for a split second?

His breathing is shaky, but he says, "I… must go now, but I promise to return once I find something of use for you." 

With that, Spadamon completely vanishes in the shadows, melting into the darkness like it’s second nature. Weird, considering he doesn’t look like a Nightmare Soldier Digimon, which Pump said was for dark Digimon. 

Ismaya and Haneul look at each other, and Ismaya sighs. 

Dang, he had hoped that he wouldn’t be bringing Haneul into a mess like how he had… how he had Omi. But regardless, he knows they’ve made their choice. “You good, Han?”

“I’m ready for this, Dad.” The pangender teen nods, slipping the Digivice on and inserting the pumpkin DIM card as its screen glows.

Neither notice how the screen… glitches purple for a bit.

Omoi (whoa whoaaa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whooooaaaaoooo)

Passing by the pictures of

A life once lived.

Happiness, peace, love all abound. 

Yet I could only watch as it burst into flames… Woahhhh…

The souls of the lost sing out their sorrows,

Yet even in darkness,

A light shall shine through.

The small glimpses of past,

Those little smiles, ohh…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last.

From all the things we’ve been through,

Thank you… dear friend…

Your kindness abound,

Even through the darkest times.

The sorrowful smiles

Still give me some hope,

For I know, that you have my back.

Lifting me up when I’m falling down… to zero…

The abyss may seem like a welcoming home.

The tears may never stop,

But then I see you,

And I remember,

And I hold onto those memories… Those bonds…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last. 

From all the things we’ve been through,

The dark… the light…

Ohhh, the memories, the bonds will never go,

As long as we both hold onto these small balls,

Exuding out its wonderful light,

Ohhh…

Thank you, dear friend… 

Chapter Text

"You shouldn't be so worried, Quantumon."

 

"Correct me if I'm wrong, but the organisation intent on bringing the Endbringer back is on Earth and your SON is in danger. Should you not have more worry for his safety?" She's floating back and forth, even as her fingers continue to type and seek a way to breach this new obstacle. 

 

It's rare that she finds herself frustrated, but this is definitely one of those times. 

 

Hokuto shrugs, leaning back on the chair. "Hiro can overcome it. He's not really a weakling, you know."

 

"I understand that. I've seen him fight and deceive GulusGammamon, a feat I did not think possible at all!" She throws her hands into the air. "But this is far beyond any of our capabilities. Solisamon is no ordinary Digimon. That Digicore she has..." 

 

She remembers what she's seen when poking around. Despite the mild pain Solisamon had to endure, she's found out something. Something that after some analysis, she's figured out what it is. 

 

"She has an Attribute like no other, Hokuto! If she were to fall into the wrong hands, it would be disastrous!"

 

"Then why not have faith in the bridges?"

 

She pauses. "Pardon?"

 

Hokuto has a serious face as he looks at her. "Trust in them. The fact that you're still trying to exert control is a sign you have no faith in anyone but yourself. If someone were to take your control away from you, you would not know how to cope."

 

She sputters. "What are you insinuating?!"

 

"I'm insinuating that you need to trust in the kids. Let them do what they think is best. They're still kids after all. Making mistakes is important in life."

 

"This is no time for a philosophy lesson! She is FAR TOO IMPORTANT-"

 

"You fail to take into consideration one thing."

 

She bristles. This man is getting on her nerves! "And what would that be?"

 

"That they would succeed in taking down the Endbringer. And to be frank, haven't they proven you wrong before?"

 

Hokuto looks to the side. He's... Something tells Quantumon there's much more in his tone than realised. "I know Hiro has done that before. There are... Many things I wish I can take back, specifically about the GRB..."

 

The GRB? Is he talking about... 

 

"If I had just looked back, maybe, just maybe I could have stopped this all before it began. Or maybe... I didn't stop it because I subconsciously wanted to see how it progressed?"

 

His fists clench. 

 

"That one thought is what jolted me awake, that I've been... A less than stellar person. Far from it."

 

He looks back at her. "But if there's one thing I do know? It's that the kids can do so much more than you think or believe."

 

Quantumon goes silent. ".... I can only hope your judgement is right, Hokuto."

 

"Same here, Quantumon. Same here."

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove, 

A quiet breeze shaking up. 

You can’t find backup, 

The darkness beckons, 

Here it is, the Doom of all (the doom of all), 

As we fall, fall, fall… 

Trouble is only a mile away, 

Even when we run! 

Your soulful melody echoes, 

Laughing from beyond the grave. 

Fingers fly, the screens come alive! 

The database is wide open, 

Counting up the souls found, 

Nurturing the tools needed, 

Gathering the team up! 

You can’t find anyone in this forsaken world, 

You just gotta keep on 

running and running

even if it’s trouble from a mile away! 

Tick tock tick tock,

Omagatoki ga kita! 

The sun goes down,

the game has begun. 

The game of ghosts, 

the countdown is here! 

Don’t turn back, 

or you’ll miss your chance! 

Light and darkness clash eternally! 

(the grey stains in, it's witching hour time!)

No, no, no, revv yourselves up! (Revv yourselves up!) 

It's about... to get ugly! (To get ugly!) 

Steel your resolve, young of heart! 

The dance goes on 

The darkness approaches 

Take a deep breath (take a deep breath) 

Are you ready (are you ready) 

To dive into this Ghost game?! 

The body count flies up 

the stakes grow higher, 

But do you run ahead, 

When the chains pull you back?

Don’t look back, 

Or the darkness will catch up! 

Your past, your present, your future, 

All of it comes to play! 

This game will never end, 

Let not the evil take you down! 

You’re not as weak or strong as you think, 

Oh, young child, the right path's ahead! 

Fight your way to the end, 

Put trust in your friends!

Let the fire, burn bright! (yeahh!)

Ready for the witching hour? 

Trouble is just a mile away

Solisamon hums along with the music from Hiro’s phone as its melodious sounds bring her heart bliss. Scratches are heard, crayon meeting paper to colour the sketch clumsily drawn onto the white surface. 

GulusGammamon can’t help but smile a bit. Aniki and the rest have been trying to figure out how to help Solisamon be more comfortable and act more like a Child-level, and somehow coloring had become the main candidate for a hobby. A good thing too, cause Solisamon had instantly grown interested when Hiro presented the tools to her and gave her some tutorials on his phone to start with. Honestly, he’s willing to bet she’s a natural at it! 

(He wonders if Lumosmon was like that. If he had missed this side of her, or if he had just… dismissed it.)

"What… what are you drawing now?" He decides to walk over, all the while he makes sure she can’t see his eyes. He doesn’t want to scare her; she’s trusted Gammamon enough, but every time he comes out, she immediately hides away. 

"Dream!" She answers, too focused on the page in front of her. He supposes he can consider himself lucky…

At least until he peeks over. 

His heart drops. 

No, no, how could this be....

She… she shouldn't remember anyone from there ....

That drawing, that symbol…  

Does she truly not remember? Why is this happening? Is it just coincidence, or…?

“GulusGammamon?”  

He snaps to attention, turning around to see Hiro. “Aniki?”

“You seem out of it,” he offers. “Which is funny. You’ve been looking forward to this event for a while.”

“Yeah, I am still pumped to crush the competition, but…” that was before Solisamon showed up. Before he found out his sweet Yin…

He shakes his head. “Never mind. You’re out of it too, Aniki.”

“That’s, don’t remind me….” His eyes shift to look at Haneul chatting away with Kiyo. Both had hit it off especially since Haneul is apparently a part-time university student, working towards a Forensic Science degree. 

It’s a reminder that his own sins are still out there, that he’s still in danger.

GulusGammamon barks out a short laugh. “Looks like we both have our issues.”

“You more than me, especially with Lumosmon.” Hiro is a bit surprised by how… scathing he sounds there. 

It’s enough to catch GulusGammamon off guard, and for a minute, he swears he sees… hurt, on his face, before black returns to golden, and Gammamon blinks. “Gulu okay?”

“I… don’t know,” he admits, but shakes his head. “Whatever, we need to get ready for the event.”

“What event for?” Pumpmon perks up from Haneul’s head, allowing orange eyes to look at him. 

He shifts a bit, but it’s not something he has to hide, so he explains, “It’s a train race using the Japanese subway system. Senpai has been talking to the city government about allowing Trailmons and Locomons as services. They got stranded at one point in the more secluded areas of the city, and they had caused some issues until we put an end to it. Then I suggested the idea, maybe they could find time to work while they’re here.”

Haneul hums. “That’s interesting. Trailmon and Locomon?” 

“Trailmons can evolve into Locomons, and there are multiple variants of Trailmons. Apparently they’ve done some race as a tradition before, and they’re excited to bring that back for this,” Angoramon explains. 

They pause. “You’re telling me that you’re allowing them to RACE on the subway system?”

Hiro shrugs. “The government was okay with it as long as we’re careful and no one gets hurt. They were already materialised anyway when we met them, so it worked out. Plus, it’s also a test for Quanzunia. We did think having a subway system would work there, and what better way than to do it here for now?”

“That’s not…” They stop themselves. “It’s still dangerous.”

“Which is why no humans are allowed to go roaming around. We’re even streaming it live,” Ruli reassures. “I’ve told my followers to stay in and to just enjoy. Everyone’s been excitedly waiting for this event.”

“That explains why we’re wearing semi formal, I guess.” they look down at their turtleneck sweater. “Interesting, though, Really interesting.”

Kiyo can't help the smile that adorns his face. He's really happy that Tsukiyono-san is being more responsible now!

It… makes him think about himself. 

What about you? What about your time in-

He shakes his head vigorously. Not the time! He is NOT about to look back to the past! No way! 

“Kiyo?” Gammamon’s voice makes him look over to the now-second-smallest of the group. “You okay?”

He blinks. “H-Hai, just thinking.”

“About?” His tone has the innocence of a child. How can he afford to shatter it…? 

He shakes his head. “It’s okay, Gammamon.”

Hiro notices it, but keeps silent. He can’t force Senpai to speak up. After all, he still can’t muster up the courage to tell them about his crimes. Huh, makes him wonder if he’s really a good guy, with what he’s done. Heck, just thinking about the first dinner back at Mikaigou makes him want to throw up. 

Maybe GulusGammamon knew that when he kept on trying to recruit him… Maybe Hokuto brought it up, or he figured it out from his mannerisms. 

Not that the mon would actually give him a straight answer of course. Because he’s SOOOOO focused on Lumosmon, he-

He shakes his head and sighs roughly. Dang it, he needs to stop thinking too much. It’ll be fine. It will be fine. 

It HAS to be fine. (Otherwise, his life won’t make sense.)

“Let’s head to the subway,” he calls out to the rest, making Solisamon perk up. “Ebi?”

“Eki, it’s a train station,” Ruli explains while picking her up. The new member giggles upon sitting atop her shoulders. That’s a funny word! Eki! 

Haneul can’t help but smile, although their mind wanders to what Spadamon had told them before. Who is Lumosmon…? Can they try to find out without raising Hiro’s suspicions?

Dang, this case is a lot harder than they thought! 

Still, they soon arrive at the nearest subway station, descending down to the underground space where the sounds of boisterous banter can be heard. The uncommon stench of smoke slaps them on the face, which makes them cover their noses by reflex. 

Ruli turns over to Haneul, yelling over the din that the four Trailmon selected are based on votes from Lirurun’s followers after she’s provided what can be basically considered their resume. 

“Each of us will be riding on a Trailmon based on a wheel of fate generator, which ensures that each participant won’t tru any foul play! There are five checkpoints our friends have set up, and whoever crosses them first will be declared the fastest!” she finishes. 

Haneul slowly nods. “That… makes sense.”

"You all are better off giving up now! I’m the best one among us!” Trailmon model Buffalo puffs his smoke even stronger, getting annoyed sighs from the others.

"Says the one who is full of hot steam. I can outpace you anyday!" Trailmon model Kettle retorts. At least SHE has her pride in check. He’s downright nasty!

"Don’t joke around like that! You two can never beat me! I can go around this city at the speed of data processing!" Trailmon model Franken snorts, making Buffalo and Kettle huff and puff angrily. 

Trailmon model C-89 remains silent, finding no reason to waste time on this childish banter. They know inside, that they are the true victor.

"H-Hey, I am racing too, y-you know…” Trailmon model Ball meekly points out. He’s a last minute choice for a fifth racer, but he still thinks he can win….

The main Trailmon go quiet, then they burst out in laughter at the thought. Even C-89 lets out a chuckle.

The slowest one of them winning? That’s like a Numemon being called a Prince Charming! Plus, Ball was the one who helped those kids cut their fun short. He should be glad they were allowing him to race in the FIRST PLACE, especially after that little stunt.

Pumpmon growls. “That’s really mean! Say sorry to friend!”

“Friend?” Buffalo snorts. “Oh puhleeze! Never in a million years would I befriend THAT sore loser!”

Hiro presses a finger into his temple. He can’t deal with this! Not after the whirlwind of the past few weeks! “Enough! We’re starting soon, so you guys settle down! Remember our agreement!”

“Ugh…” the four grumble, but no more complaints are heard as they head out. 

Solisamon notices how Ball’s eyes drop to the ground, puffing out steam sadly, and walks over. “You okie?”

"I hate it when they belittle me! I may not be as fast or as strong, though I do my job just like any of them!" Ball lets out a few puffs of anger.

Just because he is the smallest of all Trailmon, he is given no respect and treated like the youngest or an outcast! He deserves some too, so why are they-

He nearly jumps as a pair of small hands wrap around his small body.

He looks up to see Solisamon giving him a hug. At least, the best she can considering the situation. 

"I'm small too, but Nii-cha says that even if I get pushed down by words, I can bounce back by doing my best!" She encourages, knowing that giving into those meanies’ words is only giving them the victory.

"H-Heh, thanks…” The little one's words do help a bit. Man, it feels nice to know that someone was in his corner, cheering him. After all, little underdogs have to stick together.

"Solisamon, come on! It’s about to start!” Hiro calls out, one leg already preparing to climb up onto his Trailmon.

"Okay, Nii-cha!” she answers, and turns around to Ball. “Bye bye! Good luck, tomo!" She gives him a good luck peck on the cheek, something she learned from Ruli-nee!

And it… it makes him feel so WARM. He likes that feeling. 

As he watches her leave, a thought comes into mind; 

He… he wants MORE of it. 

“Welcome aboard the best Trailmon of all!” Buffalo grins at Ruli as she and Angoramon get on. 

Ruli just gives a bit of a laugh. Woah, that sounds like Jellymon. Kinda funny how she’s got the silent Trailmon. “Nice to meet you!”

Said Digimon is trying to get a rile out of C89, but… 

“Heyyyyy!”

“...”

“HEYYYY!”

“...”

She’s huffing while Kiyo sweatdrops. “M-Maybe just calm down, Jellymon-sama…”

Haneul raises an eyebrow as they get onto Franken, with Pumpmon striking up a conversation with the funny Digimon. “A diva, huh? What a strange group of characters…” It’s a funny bunch, they’ll give them credit for that.

Hiro… is the only one who’s not acting like usual. He’s looking out of Kettle, almost contemplative. His thoughts keep on straying towards Hokuto, that deadbeat dad of his… 

He shakes his head. Not the time. He has to work, not think about stupid idiots like him. 

“Oi, brat, are you awake?!” a loud horn nearly makes him jump, and Kettle roars in laughter. “Oh that’s HILARIOUS!”

“It’s NOT funny…” he grumbles quietly. His nerves are frayed... “Is Ginryumon here?”

“He’s on his way with Airdramon!” Gammamon says with a smile.

He sighs but smiles. “Okay.” It would be nice to see a friendly face after all this time! 

Solisamon sits close by the window, even if Kettle’s warning her not to fog up her freshly cleaned glass. Her eyes are sparkling, excited to see more of Tokyo from all the pretty sites and for the race. 

Still, her mind drifts back to Ball, and a frown forms on her face. Will tomo be okay?...

She’s snapped back to attention when she hears someone call out, "Gammamon! Hiro!" 

From the sky, two large snake-like creatures slither through the tunnel before moving to float above them, nearing the ceiling of the small area. 

"Oh, Ginryumon!" Gammamon waves happily. 

“Airdramon! It’s been a while!” Ruli agrees. 

"We apologise for the delay. We were caught up in a strange matter," Airdramon says.

Hiro blinks. “What’s wrong?”

Ginryumon shakes his head. “It’s nothing big! For now, we should focus on the race.”

He’ll definitely ask about it later, but… “Alright, you have a point.”

“Aw yeahhh! Let’s get this show on the road!” Jellymon hollers out. 

Hiro nods, settling into his Trailmon as they begin warming up. The subway begins to fill with smoke, causing the humans to cough again, but the Trailmon don’t seem to notice. Their eyes are narrowed, prepared to go ALL out! 

“MINNA! JUNBI GA II KA?!” Ginryumon yells. 

From all around the city, everyone’s cheering. 

In an apartment, two teens Haneul’s age are watching the broadcast. 

“Who would have expected Lu- I mean, Haneul, to get this far, huh?” one of them remarks. 

Reiji only scoffs, but a smile forms on their face. “I guess us. Though Haneul has always been the smart kind, you know.”

“Hey, we’re all plenty smart,” they remind, hugging the egg their friend had asked them to take care of. 

“Hai, hai…” Reiji rolls their eyes. “Gosh, you sound like them!”

Kagami can only laugh, but they can’t help but blink as they feel… the egg shift a bit. 

Weird… They know that Haneul’s been caring for this thing for a year but it’s much more active than they expected…

They shrug. Maybe it’s close to hatching? Hopefully it has fun with the race too!

Some rooms away, the sound of babies crying by the multitude can be heard, but soon enough, a soft whisper begins to sing songs to them. 

All the while, a red visor watches the screen, the red device scanning the best she can… 

“If that’s the case! SEN NO! SAN!”

The engines are on full throttle now! 

“NI!”

Everyone cheers again. 

“ICHI! SET OFF!”

They’re off, faster than shinkansen. Shouts ranging from excitement (Ruli and Jellymon, even Gammamon and Solisamon), to fear (Kiyoshiro) can be heard while the Trailmon CROW. 

“And they’re off! Buffalo takes the lead, and Ruli is grinning like a madman!” Airdramon yells. 

“This is sooooo fun!” she cheers. 

Angoramon is sitting inside, trying to maintain his composure even when he’s definitely feeling bile rising into his throat. This is a bit too much… 

“Ugh!!! Ruli is not winning!!” Jellymon’s eyes narrow. She hasn’t forgotten the race with Sistermon Ciel; Not only did she almost lose, but Ruli had thrown her under the bus that time! Time for some serious payback!

“Let’s get this show on the road!” C-89 picks up their speed, and now they’re neck to neck, neither eager to back down.

Behind Jellymon, Kiyoshiro looks as white as a ghost, his pleas to slow down long dead. 

He can only pray that it will all be over soon…

Trailmon Franken remains steadily behind the two. His pride as a Trailmon is on the line, and he refuses to lose to those two of all Digimon!

“COME ON! I KNOW YOU CAN DRIVE FASTER!” He roars at Haneul, even as the detective is running around the conductor’s area, doing their best to control the train.

"I'm TRYING!" is all Haneul can retort in between pants. They’ve solved many cases, though driving a train is not a skill they’re prepared to adapt to on the fly!

Sitting behind them, Pumpmon pokes his head out to see Kettle struggling to keep up. For all her talk, it’s almost as if she’s purposely not trying.

Strange. Hiro would not lose on purpose….

… Right?

Trailmon Kettle is really living up to her name now, puffs of black smoke filling the air, and her eyes are BURNING. 

“Oi, brat! Are you trying to make me lose?! Do you not know my reputation as the fastest and most elegant Trailmon is at stake?!” She SCREAMS. 

Her words hit deaf ears, though. Hiro’s wrapped in his own head of thoughts, not caring about the present events. Emerald eyes glaze over, staring blankly ahead, 

“Tch, there goes this victory,” GulusGammamon grunts as he rolls his eyes. “Aniki’s too busy right there to even win this!”

He flies over and pushes Hiro away. “Let ME take control!” 

It snaps him out of his gaze, though. “Oi, GulusGamma-”

“Let me show you how it’s DONE!” he cackles, and Kettle whoops as the train finally starts chugging forward, making Hiro stumble back due to the sudden shift. 

Solisamon is oblivious to this mess, though. She’s looking out the window, tail wagging at the fancy sights. Even when the speed picks up and they become just lines, it brightens her eyes and makes her smile. This is so fun!

However, Ball trails far behind, barely a competitor of the race now. No matter how hard he huffs and puffs, he’s just a simple third unrelated party, a WEAKLING.

“Come on… I need to catch up!!” Smoke puffs up. His wheels grind against the metal rails. He can’t let them beat him again! He refuses to take another word of insult, be belittled for being a small Trailmon.

He had thought no one would believe in him, but then he met Solisamon.

He will NOT disappoint that young oni! HE WILL NOT MAKE HER REGRET THAT FAITH IN HIM!

His wheels accelerate their speed. The grind grows louder and louder, so loud, in fact, that he fails to realise that his form has changed, unaware of the bright glow that overtakes him as his data shifts. No more is he small; he’s now the size of a locomotive train.

No, wait, he IS a locomotive train! 

Locomon storms ahead, passing by the rest as his eyes are aimed straight at the ground. FASTER! FASTER! FASTER! HE WILL BE THE FASTEST!

“It seems an unknown digimon has entered the track, the locomotive digimon Locomon! He has taken the lead!” Ginryumon announces. This is unexpected, but maybe he’s a last minute addition? He wouldn’t put it past Hiro….

Well it seems to be adding to the excitement at least, with how the cheers are growing louder. 

The other racers do not seem as happy, though.

“A LOCOMON?! HEY BUDDY, THIS IS A TRAILMON RACE ONLY!!” Buffalo roars, pushing himself to the max and making Angoramon stick his head out of the cart. He really doesn't feel too good...

“......” C-89 also increases their speed, although whether it’s out of competitive nature or rage, well, that’s still unclear.

“HEY! You oversized trolley! You have no business getting involved in this race! Why not take some passengers to a tourist spot? Is that not your job?!” Franken snaps. 

Kettle is positively FUMING now. “Oh great! Just GREAT! Not only am I in last, but a Locomon is in this race?! Did one of you brats invite him? Here I thought you all had some brains, looks like I was wrong!” 

“What the…” Angoramon whispers, even when his stomach is SCREAMING for repreive. How had Locomon gotten here? No signs of a gate opening have been sighted. No cases about another train digimon either.

GulusGammamon raises an eyebrow. Huh, this reminds him of…. 

He shakes his head. Whatever! “Aniki, you didn’t tell me you had invited someone else!”

“B-But I didn’t…?” Hiro looks just as confused, but there’s that shine of amazement too. 

There IS a chance, a slim chance that Locomon had somehow managed to get on the tracks through a small gate, but that doesn’t bode well for the race. After all, Trailmon are as competitive as regular sports fans; throwing in an object of their hatred could lead to utter mayhem.

Watching from her position on Kettle, Solisamon can’t shake the feeling that she knows that digimon. It’s weird, she’s only met a few digimon, though this Locomon seems so familiar. 

Maybe she can ask Ball after the race! But when she looks around, she can’t see him anywhere, which makes her frown. Did the bullying get to him…?

Oh! Maybe Densha-syan knows?

She gently opens the window and pokes her head out to the front, but the sheer wind force nearly sends her out of the Trailmon. 

GulusGammamon’s wings beat fast as he zooms and barely manages to pull her back in before she’s taken away, but his tone is anything but worried as he snarls, “OI! ARE YOU STUPID?! YOU COULD HAVE DIED!” 

He refuses to let his only lead on Lumosmon disappear on him! He would be repeating history if he let her go again!

“G-Gomen….” She stammers, trembling in fear.

Gulus ignores that. Gammamon can calm her down after the race, though… 

His heart still aches for some reason.

Yin, is this how you saw me that day? Scared of the… the monster I’ve become, as I left her in tears…?

He can’t think about this! Hiro should be the older brother too! His lack of focus could have gotten Solisamon deleted! 

“Oi, Aniki! Get your head out of the clouds! Solisamon could have died!” That definitely snaps Hiro out of another one of his daydreams.

“H-huh?” His eyes widen. “W-WHAT DO YOU MEAN BY THAT?!”

“Nii chan okay?” Solisamon is beginning to grow concerned. Why is Niicha so out of it? He’s been like this since they moved to the big house!

“Y-yeah….” He avoids their gazes. He hadn’t meant to worry them… His thoughts have been revolving around the detectives, trying to figure out how to keep them from learning the truth about Hokuto’s disappearance. 

He shakes his head. Whatever. “We need to figure out what to do here! Things are getting way too complicated.”

Way ahead of them, Locomon still holds the lead. No matter how hard the Trailmon try, they just can’t keep up, and it only adds to their frustration. 

Worse….

Ruli And Jellymon are ALSO enraged by this.

“This is SO NOT COOL!” Jellymon scowls. 

“Jellymon, I think it’s time we go for a truce to TAKE THIS GUY OUT!” Ruli yells out to her as the two Trailmon roll side by side. 

She grunts. She’s got a point. “Alr-”

“WHAT?! NO WAY! I AM NOT WORKING WITH HIM!” Buffalo argues. 

C-89 just scoffs and quickens his speed in response. He looks like he agrees with Buffalo on that. 

“Come on, we can compete later! For now we need to-”

“SHUT UP! I CAN OVERTAKE THAT OVERSIZED BAG OF BOLTS MYSELF!” Buffalo roars, rushing forward as well. 

He will NOT let this chance go by! His ancestor has already been defeated once by a WORM of all things! It’s time for the true champion to take his place! 

C-89’s own eyes steel with determination. Their ancestor had not fought in the race, but it has been a dream of theirs since evolving into a Trailmon to make that come true!

That cheater can eat their dust for all they care! 

Both of them suddenly begin to glow, and behind them, Hiro’s eyes widen in surprise. “Wait hang on…”

Haneul pokes their head out in surprise. “Eh?! What’s going on-”

“W-WOAHHHH!” Jellymon yelps as the two trains grow in size, their data twisting and turning into… 

The steam goes off both of them. Their eyes, identical to the one in front of them, narrow as they rush ahead much faster. 

“T-They evolved?!” Airdramon gasps. 

“Their competitive nature must have given them the push to evolve!” Ginryumon definitely knows the feeling. A strong desire… His desire to save Gammamon had allowed him to evolve.

But right now, he doesn't know if this is a good thing or a bad thing.

“NOW YOU TWO ARE TRAITORS!! HOW DARE YOU BECOME THE ENEMY?!” Kettle huffs. Does no one have any self respect anymore?! Where are their pride as Trailmon?!

“Great! Just GREAT! As if one wasn't bad enough, now we have three! As a Trailmon, I am disgusted at how they are willing to become one. I want to win, though I’d rather win as myself!” Franken can’t face them at all now. The disgust is so visceral he could throw up!

Hiro’s face is in his hands, feeling the impending headache grow. Oh, why can’t he catch a break from any problems? He tries to tackle one, only to have four more thrown his way! Why is his life like this?! With all the psychological wars and pain, he’s already really tired! 

The three Locomon are neck to neck as they slide downwards, the railway screeching with their descent. Franken is barely keeping up with them, but Kettle is still falling short, and it’s making her growl even louder than a Dobermon. She CAN’T afford to lose! She won’t fail here! 

The first checkpoint is coming into view. Kettle’s engine ROARS as she pushes with all her might suddenly, sending Hiro and his siblings back a bit as her form changes into yet another locomotive train.

“Another evolution is happening before our very eyes! Only Franken remains himself!!!” Airdramon announces. 

“Kakoiiii!!” Solisamon’s eyes sparkle at how fancy the train’s gotten. This is sooo cool!

“Trailmon pride, huh? She did not hesitate to evolve for the win though.” GulusGammamon had heard that Trailmon were prideful, but he never expected them to be hypocrites.

He shrugs. Eh, well at least the race is much more interesting now. 

Hiro’s Locomon speeds past Franken, and Haneul rubs their eyes as they poke their head out. “OI! WHAT THE- WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!” 

“I CAN’T STOP HER!” Hiro yells back. 

“WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU CAN’T STOP HER!?” 

Franken's anger is now ebbing into shock, and he can only mutter, “What is going on here…!?” 

Pumpmon jumps up and down. “WAHOOOO!!!!”

“Not wahoo, Pump! I’m scared that at this point, the railtracks won’t last! Franken, can you please fall ba-” 

“I can’t! If I do, my pride as a Trailmon will be at st-” 

This again about some pride!? Oh, KAMI! 

They poke their head out of the train to yell, “WHAT THE (BEEP) DO YOU MEAN BY PRIDE!? OI, THIS THING WILL COLLAPSE WITH ALL OF US ON IT AND WE COULD CAUSE SO MUCH DAMAGE! WE NEED TO STOP THOSE LOCOMON ONCE AND FOR ALL!”

Franken freezes. “N-NANDATE?!” What do they mean!?

Meanwhile, Solisamon’s eyes sparkle at the scenery before her. Despite the fast pace of the train, it still feels so magical to view the sights of Tokyo! So this is the wonderful place she gets to call home!

“Niicha, look! Look!” She waves at her brother, who’s moved onto trying to stop this goshdarned train, yanking at every button possible. 

She blinks. “Niicha, what are you doing?”

“I’m-” he grunts, pulling with all his might. “-trying to stop the Locomon! At this point, this will really derail what we’ve been working to do!” 

They can’t afford to let the relations go down the drain! They’re trying to KEEP the peace, not SHATTER IT!

BZZZT BZZZT BZZZT!

Solisamon’s attention then shifts to a strange buzz. There on the seat beside her is the strange light rectangle that Hiro owes. Gamma Niichan told her it was something called a denwan or something like that….

Oh! There’s Kiyoshiro’s name on the screen! Noticing the icon that’s dancing up and down, she decides to follow the instructions and uses her claw to move it upwards, answering the call. 

“A-Amanokawa-kun! W-WHAT IS HAPPENING NOW?!" His tone is filled with terror, and it’s like another voice is screaming in fear. 

It’s to the point Solisamon herself is starting to feel the chills herself. Is this why Hiro is panicking?…

"K-Kiyo?" Solisamon answers a bit nervously, scared that he may be upset about her answering.

From the other end, Kiyoshiro pauses, Jellymon yelling at what used to be C-89 to CALM DOWN in the background.

Then, his panic doubles within seconds. 

Why is Solisamon answering Amanokawa-kun’s phone? WHERE ARE AMANOKAWA-KUN AND GAMMAMON?!

Behind them, as Franken passes through the rail tracks, bolts begin to go undone.

The structure…  begins to creak. 

“Kettle! Please stop this!” Hiro yells at the Locomon while she’s slowly catching up with the other Locomon. He’s still trying to yank at the lever.

“AS IF! I AM NOT ABOUT TO LOSE HERE!” she snaps back. She doesn’t even know she’s become a Locomon! 

Hiro feels his fury rise up, but he actively clenches his fist and forces himself to breathe deeply. Calm down, Hiro. You are being watched. You will be fine. 

“Niicha, denwan!” Solisamon holds out his phone to her, which makes him pause, but he sees the call icon. “Senpai?”

“Amanokawa-kun!” There is a lot more relief, much more than expected. “Are you okay?!”

“Yeah, I’m fine, Senpai! But Kettle has evolved too!” He yells. He’ll think about the tone later. 

“Her too?! This is not good! The system could only take five Trailmon, but now that four Locomon are racing, the tracks are cracking under the weight. At this rate…” It does not take any time to connect the dots. The race has gone off its original tracks. 

“It looks like we have to stop them! Word’s not gonna be enough, with how stubborn they are!” Hiro decides. 

The only way to stop them… He thinks getting the first Locomon to stop will do the trick. Without the first one around, they’ll come to their senses and hopefully things will go on better. If they fail to do that, though… 

Well, the relations will sour to no return if an… incident were to happen.

Gammamon’s eyes return to yellow, and he blinks, “Hiro? What happened to the Trailmon? Gulu didn’t explain anything…”

“I'll explain later, Gammamon. First we need Kausgammamon!” He grabs Solisamon, but the little one seems a bit sad that she could no longer sight see.

“Densha Ni Noru over?” Her disappointment is clear in her tone, doubled by the fact she hadn’t seen Ball at all. It’s been so much fun! And now it has to end?

“Gomen Imōto, I promise I’ll make it up to you,” He promises. He hates to disrupt her fun, but casualties are bound to happen. They need to prevent that at ALL COSTS.

“Iku!” She says, her face growing serious. She may not understand the situation, but she can sense how serious this matter has become from his face.

Still… 

Tomo, please be okay. She thinks to herself. Solisamon will cheer you on even if you lose! 

“Alright, you ready?” Hiro asks her. 

“Amanokawa-kun, what do you plan on doing?...” Kiyoshiro is starting to get a bad feeling. A REALLY bad feeling. 

“Gomen, senpai. I’ll see you soon.” He ends the call and moves towards the door, Gammamon and Solisamon behind him. “Alright, Gammamon, let’s go!” 

“Oh!” He nods, and the meter fills up again. 

The blue helix appears next to Gammamon, and as he puts his hand through, his body dissolves, leaving only his core. The core then takes the form of a large digitama, cracking open to reveal KausGammamon once more as the wind blows powerfully behind him.

“Kausgammamon!” He declares, ready to take to the skies. 

“Kaus Nii chan!” Solisamon cheers. She never gets tired of seeing her brother evolve! She really hopes she can do the same one day! 

Hiro hops onto his back, before helping Solisamon get comfy in front of him as she has a tight grip on Kaus’s horns.

“Let's go!” With that Kausgammamon opens the window, taking flight. 

His large size does cause some damage to Kettle though, the glass coming loose and dissolving into data as she roars in anger. “WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!”

Her punishment for being such a rude brat this whole time! Hiro is not going to say that to her face, of course, but he WAS getting tired of her whining. 

“So what’s the plan, Hiro?” KausGammamon asks as they speed to the front from below the tracks, allowing them to remain somewhat undetected. 

“We are going to try to stop the lead Locomon! It may snap the others out, so we can convince them to stop!” he yells over the wind slapping his face. 

“Wakatta!” Solisamon nods, getting the gist of it.

“Oh!”  Kausgammamon agrees.

Then he pauses. “But… how do I land on a fast, moving train, Hiro?”

Okay, he may need to knock his head on KausGammamon, because that is A POINT. 

Ugh, no choice but to make a rough landing then!

KausGammamon soon nears the neck to neck Locomon, and he swiftly dives in from above, allowing Hiro to grab Solisamon tight as he jumps a bit to land on the middle Locomon, using his body to shield her from the fall, then catching Gammamon as he devolves and lands on top of Hiro. 

Luck’s on their side. No one’s stopped them, with how busy they are with THEIR Locomons, which is, well, good. He doesn’t want to think about what if they HAD noticed. 

Hiro looks back and he can definitely see what used to be Kettle steaming ahead, with Franken behind her. 

… Wait, there are only five tracks. Hiro knows that, he’s surveyed the place himself. And remembering the order of how they had arranged the competitors… 

He pauses. No. NO WAY. 

The Locomon they’re on seems to sense their arrival, because he ROARS. “GET OFF!” 

“H-Huh?! W-What is he-” Ruli pokes her head out, and gapes. “HIRO?!”

“A-AMANOKAWA-KUN?! I-integer overflow…” Kiyo stumbles back out of surprise. 

“Tomo?” Solisamon’s eyes sparkle. She knows that voice! Even if his appearance’s changed, his voice is still the same!

Suddenly it makes sense, the puzzle pieces click into place. Bokomon-sensei had told them that emotions allowed evolution, and, well, anger is DEFINITELY one. 

“Tomo got big!” She praises with a bright smile, causing the locomotive to heat up a bit due to the flattery.

Not only does she believe in him, but she praises him too! This is much nicer than the insults by the others!

The other two Locomon just GAPE. 

“Hang on, you’re that RUNT?” the former Buffalo gasps. 

C-89 is silent, but his eyes widening conveys how he feels about it. 

“What about it, huh?” He snaps. 

“Ano, Ball, can you please stop? If this race goes on-” Hiro doesn’t even finish his sentence as the train suddenly lurches forward, sending him and his partners further back from the front. 

What does he mean, stop? If he does, there is no meaning to ANYTHING! 

(He's been burnt too many times, it's time for those flames to spread.)

“Stop? STOP?! I WILL NOT! STOPPING MEANS MORE BULLYING TO THE END OF TIME! WELL NO MORE! I AM THE FASTEST, AND NO ONE WILL TAKE THAT AWAY!!” Locomon chugs ahead full throttle, going faster than any Locomon has ever gone before. The three on his back are flat against the ground but they’re definitely straining. 

They’re not the only ones. The other former Trailmon are starting to teeter off the rails as the vibrations manage to knock a few pegs loose on the railway structure, making them struggle to gain their balance. 

“Kuso! Kiyo-senpai! We need to evolve Angoramon and Jellymon to their Perfect levels!” Ruli calls out to him. 

He nods. He sees the rationale. “W-We need to get off first though! H-How do we do that?!”

His phone then rings, as Haneul connects their phone to their earpiece before shimmying up to the top of their Trailmon. “Kiyo-kun! Are you and Ruli-chan alright?!” 

“H-Hai! B-But the rail tracks are coming loose! T-The Locomon may not last long! W-we need to get out b-but how?!”

“I’ve got an idea for that! Pump!” They yell, and their friend looks over while sitting on the roof. “Yeee?”

“Can you use a Jack o Lantern to catch the attention of the two serpent Digimon?!”

“Oh!” he nods. “I can try!”

“Great! Kiyo-kun, Ruli-chan, get ready to jump! Franken’s pulling back but we need to account for Kettle, so I’m going to call Witch-chan over so we can stabilise the rail tracks!” 

He gulps, but nods. “O-Okay!”

As the phone call ends, Pumpmon sends a small stream of fire at the two Digimon, making their heads snap over in surprise, too engrossed with the thoughts about evolution, and what they had just dealt with. What is th-

And that’s when they hear the loud metallic creak. 

Both of them gasp as they rush over to the tracks, Ginryumon screaming, “ABORT! ABORT! THE RACE IS OVER!” 

The four main competitors are definitely backing off. They heard the creak loud and clear. They KNOW the railtracks here aren’t like in the Digital World, but it’s hitting them that they’ve pushed the ones in the human world to its limits. 

The Locomon in the lead doesn’t seem to care, though, blasting right past the lot of them. Ha! What hypocrites! When victory is in sight they BACK OFF because of some measly creaks! 

Well, he’ll show them! 

No more insults!

NO MORE JOKES!

NO MORE DISRESPECT!

It will all end when he crosses the finish line! Those four will eat their words!

He’s going to prove that he is faster and better than all of them combined!!

“Why is that one not stopping?! We made it clear that if the race was aborted then they had to stop, no matter what!” Kiyoshiro just can’t understand it! The others backed off so why-

"I think he's too far gone now!” Ruli yells back, already climbing out of the Locomon she’s on. 

“Ruli’s probably right! They’ve been treating him badly, so it’s no surprise that this happened!” Angoramon helps her up onto the rooftop while Kiyoshiro barely manages to shimmy onto the rooftop on his Locomon. “We need to follow him and find a way to stop him!”

“That means we need to evolve! Darling, Ruli, let’s go!” Jellymon urges. 

The two nod, though Kiyo knows the sooner the better, especially with how sick he feels. 

The meter fills up twice. 

Ruli places her hand on her heart as she resonates with her memories of Angoramon, from their meeting all the way to now… 

It brings out a new energy. 

The energy forms a shell around him, fueled by a strong will to protect Ruli, as images of Angoramon and Symbareangoramon create a DNA spiral that enters the Digitama’s shell. 

“Angoramon, Kyukoku Shinka!”

The egg glows yellow before bursting open, revealing a feral beast that lets out a monstrous roar, ready to go all out.

“Lamortmon!” The Perfect level digimon growls, now standing beside Ruli as she gets on before the two jump off the Locomon.

Meanwhile, Kiyoshiro places his hand on his heart, his mind overflowing with his time spent with Jellymon. His heart beats faster with how she’s impacted his life; both the good and the bad. 

Even if he might never muster up the courage to tell her about…what happened in America.

(The meter… rolls up slower.)

“Jellymon, Kyukoku Shinka!” She giggles, a shell gathering around her.

The dear moments that she’s shared with her Darling, from his scaredy-cat moments, to the times he caused her core to flutter. Those emotions grant her the strength to go beyond mere Adult level! Her very own Limit Break!

Images of Jellymon and Teslajellymon forge a DNA spiral before entering the digitama shell. 

Then, with an electric glow, the egg hatches.

A goddess-like figure steps out, as if she’s stepping into a ballroom. She flicks her strands back, showcasing a beauty similar to that of a flower’s; the one who packs a deadliest punch. It has been forever since she last took this form.

“Thetismon!” She takes her place beside Kiyoshiro, using her tentacles to keep him from slipping off the roof of the train before lifting him up, taking to the skies too. 

Pressing her face against the glass of the Locomon, Solisamon can only stare in amazement. There are more forms of evolution?! Even more powerful than the ones she had seen before, too…

It only strengthens her desire to digivolve herself. She wants to know how it feels like, she wants to experience it herself! 

Kiyo sighs in relief. “A-Arigatou, Thetismon-sama…”

“I’m glad you are, Darling. Now, shall we stop this Locomon?” She asks.

He nods. “L-Let’s go!”

They hate to do it, to hurt another digimon who had been influenced to evolve due to negative emotions. 

This is different, however. Lives are at risk, and those railtracks may as well represent the teetering bridges they’ve been trying to build!

Lamortmon’s fists clench. A victim of constant bullying pushed to the point that they do not fathom the consequences for themselves…. It’s honestly sad, how, for many going down the dark path, often one becomes a monster they can never recognise is them. 

They'll deal with that later on, though. Time to catch that train! 

“Adieu World!” Thetismon warps to the top of the train. First, they must make sure that the others are okay. 

For a minute, Solisamon’s… scared. She’s afraid that these new evolutions will not recognize her… (Why had her Yang become… unrecognisable?) 

Those worries are dismissed as Thetismon pats her head. “Let’s get you out of here, Hiro, Gammamon, Solisamon.”

“GET OFF!! YOU DARE INTERFERE?!” Locomon roars, his body shaking all over. How could they try to crush his dreams?! Are these people no better than those bullies?!

“I WILL WIN! AND NO ONE WILL EVER! EVER LOOK DOWN ON ME EVER AGAIN!” It’s a dark declaration.

One that Hiro can’t help but… sympathise with. 

(“How dare he leave? I lied for him, and yet…”

“... When has he ever cared about me?”)

He shakes his head, grabbing Solisamon and Gammamon. “Let’s go!” 

“Wait! We talk to tomo!” Solisamon begs. “He can stop!” 

“I don’t think he’s able to reason, Imouto. We can’t hinge anyone’s safety on that!” Hiro argues back. 

“But he’s still my tomo!”

Reason? What for? “What are you TALKING ABOUT?! THE PEOPLE WHO NEED THIS SO-CALLED REASONING ARE THOSE (BEEP)HOLES YOU LET ONTO THESE TRACKS IN THE FIRST PLACE!” Locomon screams. 

“YOU’RE THE ONE RUINING THE TRACKS!” Hiro snarls back, pupils shrinking as he glares at the train. 

“ SHUT UP! ” The train begins to shake even more.

“GET OUT!” Lamortmon howls as the coal pit begins to steam even further, causing smoke to burst out of his cabin. 

Hiro grunts, but he scoops up a protesting Solisamon before Thetismon hangs onto the three. 

“Adieu World!” 

They make it out just in time as the glass windows SHATTER, releasing dark grey smoke into the air. 

“Abunakatta…” Hiro murmurs. “We need to revert him back to normal, but how..?”

Lamortmon lands on the track, trying to keep him there as the locomotive keeps pushing with all his might to run him over. But they all know that he can’t keep that up forever.

Hiro’s mind is going into overdrive. They CAN try to turn him back to a Trailmon, but they don’t know how! It’s still a mystery how it worked on Ryudamon, after all. All they know is that Gammamon managed to reach Ryudamon and bring him back.

Come on, Amanokawa THINK! Isn’t there someone who can turn him back to normal?

Someone like… 

Then a whistle rings out clear, and Hiro can’t help but gasp while Solisamon waves. “HIIIII!”

Clockmon lands behind Lamortmon gently, making sure not to mess with these tracks as he looks around. “Mattaku! Trouble seems to follow you guys like a shadow!” 

It’s really a shame. Humans and Digimon alike had been looking forward to this race… 

Though it IS strange; that message he had gotten, telling him that the race had taken a dangerous turn just as it veered into risky territory. Who had…

He grunts. Whatever! He can think about it later! Right now, they have a loose cannon to reel back in!

It’s really great timing, so Hiro capitalises on it. “CLOCKMON! CAN YOU USE CHRONO BREAKER ON THE LOCOMON!?”

“HAH?!” His head swivels over to him. “Hiro, are you CRAZY?!”

“It’s a long shot!” But if they keep it up long enough… Maybe, just MAYBE….

Clockmon grunts. Gosh, the things he does for the kid! He’s lucky he saved his life, otherwise…  (he does not want to remember how messed up he was before he was saved…) “Alright! You guys will need to keep him in place!”

“Then it’s our turn to get on board! Gammamon! Do you still have the strength to go Perfect?!” Hiro asks. 

“Ah!!” If it means that they could stop Locomon, then he can muster up enough strength to digivolve to perfect! 

The meter fills up twice as Hiro places his hand over his heart, overflowing with all the moments he’s shared alongside Gammamon. Be it good or bad memories, he treasures each moment with his brother.

“Gammamon Kyukoku Shinka!” He lets out a mighty roar, his body encased in a shell that shines brighter than the stars themselves.

There, a strong will to protect Hiro fills him with power. He wants to share more moments with his brother.

However, a new desire further strengthens his will. Solisamon is his little sister to protect, and he wants to have more adventures with her!

Silhouettes of Betelgammamon, Kausgammamon, and Wezengammamon, a unique DNA helix with each of their energies enters the shell, pooling the power needed to give birth to the Perfect power!

The shell bursts open, revealing a dragon digimon with the power of the stars themselves. He lets out a loud roar before taking flight, declaring, “Canoweissmon!” 

Wasting no time, Hiro hops on his back with Solisamon. Both digimon already know what needs to be done, even if Solisamon frowns at the thought of hurting Locomon. She hopes her tomo won’t hate her for this. 

(Like how GulusGammamon hated her for not doing anything, but she doesn’t even know that memory… right?)

Meanwhile, Witchmon grunts as she floats over. “Oi, what’s this about?!”

“We need to find a way to keep the tracks together! It’s falling apart!” Haneul yells, getting onto the broomstick while Pumpmon hops onto their shoulders. 

“The only attacks I have are Baluluna Gate and Aquary Pressure! At least the ones outside the one poison attack!”

“Damn it! I was hoping for something that could help! Ice or something….” They grunt. “KUSO!” 

“Perhaps we can be of assistance?” Airdramon calls out as he and Ginryumon fly over. 

“Depends! Do you have an idea how to keep those things upright? At least temporarily!” 

“If the nails keep the tracks from coming off, perhaps all we need to do is nail them back with something stronger… What about Airdramon’s Spinning Needle?” Ginryumon suggests. “It uses needles like vacuum blades!”

That may be the only option right now, even if only for a few minutes. Haneul can see that Lamortmon is already straining to hold the locomotive back. “Alright! We’ll give it a shot!”

It is now or never. Otherwise, Tokyo is about to become a massive sinkhole!

Ginryumon flies over to help Lamortmon, and grunts as he helps push the Locomon back. The force they’re trying to hold back is indeed powerful. “Hayaku!”

“Airdramon, now!” Haneul yells, pointing to the areas they know are the most vulnerable, the ones teetering dangerously close to falling.

“Spinning Needle!” A swarm of needles rains down upon the tracks, stabbing the needles further in. 

“Witchmon, Baluluna Gate to keep them in place!” 

“Alright, alright, mou!” She sends out her tornadoes to keep the nails in before Haneul grins as they turn to Pumpmon. “And the final touches! Pump, let’s go with Jack o Lantern!”

“Okie, friend!” he cheers, sending the will o wisp flames into the eyes of each tornado, causing a thermal runaway effect. 

Haneul grins. Normally that’s seen in artist’s resin, whereby there’s a constant reaction of heating up and being heated up, but right now, they’re replicating the effect using the tornadoes!

“Huh, not bad, brat!” Witchmon grins. 

“Hey, I like science, don’t mock me for not using it!” They joke back, and Witchmon can’t help but laugh. 

The heat embeds the needles in place, allowing the train tracks to stabilise.

This evidently confuses the Locomon briefly. “What…?” Why is it not wobbling anymore?

It’s just what Clockmon needs as he swings his mallet and yells, “CHRONO BREAKER!” 

So, technically they have saved the tracks, and a burst of light soon reveals Ball.

But now Ball is falling, and he’s scrambling to figure out a way out of this. NO NO NO! HE DOESN’T WANT TO D-

“Gotcha!” 

CanoWeissmon’s claw is his new ground, surprising him as he looks up to see the Perfect level with a grin. 

Solisamon looks down with a smile. “Tomo okay?”

“I… I think so-” And then he finally gets a good look at the tracks, and his eyes widen. “Nan… datte…”

The beams are so, so close to falling apart, but right now it hasn’t as the sounds of sirens fill the air. The railway construction crew is already starting to evacuate people living near the tracks so that they don’t get hurt, while the other Digimon are helping with that endeavor. 

It’s starting to hit him. All of that speeding, all of that vibration… 

It had nearly torn this thing asunder…

“I… I nearly ruined this railtrack…” he whispers, eyes tearing up as he looks down. “I nearly… killed my friend…”

She doesn’t hesitate. Solisamon jumps down to him, giving him the biggest hug she can muster. 

It… somehow helps with his sorrow, a warm light healing his pain. After all this time… after all this time… he finally… has someone he can call a friend . 

It feels so, so nice… That she doesn’t hate him…

“Hurt feelings made you act this way…” All the harassment and insults had pushed this poor Trailmon off the rails, and boy has it nearly caused a catastrophe…

“I-I just wanted it all to stop….” He quietly sobs as they return to the starting point.

It makes HIro smile a bit. Finally, he’s releasing all the pent up sorrow, bottled up for who knows how long. 

The others can only glare at the other Locomon and Trailmon Franken as CanoWeissmon sets Ball and Solisamon back onto the tracks. This whole ordeal is the result of their actions, pushing negativity onto the one who did nothing to deserve it! And for what? All because he wanted to do the right thing? Shame on them!

“See what bullying leads to?” Kiyo asks the four coldly, trying not to lose his cool. It’s so undignified for them to have done this! 

“Look, kozo-” 

“No! No namecalling please! You have done enough damage! Can you not see the MESS we have to clean up!?” He’s the one who has to deal with that, so it’s not like they know about how hard it is to get people to AGREE to this! “You have no right after what you did indirectly! You should be ashamed of yourselves, and your ancestors would be rolling in their graves!”

Ruli and Jellymon look over in surprise. It’s rare to see Kiyoshiro so angry, but this seems to be one of his breaking points… Is there something behind that? 

The four all look down, and Clockmon crosses his arms. “I think we should just have them go back to the Digital World, but we can’t. Not with the worlds severed right now.”

“It would not teach them the lesson anyway, but the entire transport system is down…” Haneul frowns. 

“... Not the countryside ones,” Hiro suddenly speaks up. “We can have them help out there under close monitoring.”

He takes a look at how the shame makes their pupils avoid eye contact at all costs, and he sighs. “I doubt it’s going to be a problem, but it’s still a good countermeasure.”

“A-Ano, H-Hiro-san..” Ball’s voice is so small, but there is a slight firmness to his words. (He almost envies it.) “W-What can I help with?”

“You don’t have to-”

“I-I want to help! I-I still let their words get to me! T-This time I want to evolve on my own terms, t-to do it for the people I care about! M-My…” he looks down at Solisamon, and smiles. “M-My friends… S-So if there’s anything I can help with, I-I’ll do it!” 

Clockmon, he can’t help but grin as he walks over. He’s definitely reminded of himself so he says, “I like your mojo, kid! Say, why don’t you help me teach the In-Training Digimon some things? They’re really hard to handle at times, though, so that’s your only warning.”

Ball’s eyes widen, and Solisamon’s smiling too as he says, “I-If you would have me! I-I would love to help!” 

“Then welcome aboard, kid!” He jokes, and Solisamon hugs him too. She’s really happy that Ball is back to himself!

Ruli grins too, but the other three humans are distracted. 

Kiyo keeps his gaze on the other Digimon, almost glaring despite the English echoing in his mind. Only bullies don’t know the pain of the bullied. It makes him SICK. (When will he confront it? The other reason he returned to Japan?)

Hiro’s feeling… disgusted with himself. He’s noticed how the four had treated Ball, and yet he hadn’t checked, hadn’t even BOTHERED with checking on Ball…

Is he… turning into Hokuto? 

He shakes his head vehemently. No no no! HE DOESN’T WANT TO BE LIKE HOKUTO! HE WON’T TURN OUT LIKE HOKUTO!

… Right?

(What would Petermon say? Watching the one who made that promise turn back on it?)

Haneul can’t help but wonder. What had led Clockmon to come? They know of his connection with Hiro through Pump, but Clockmon’s stationed quite far off from the race, unless…

Unless someone had tipped him off.

But who? Who could have? None of them had contacted him. 

Who had helped them out?

“ The Trailmon race, as dubbed by the organisers, has finally been put to a stop after an unprecedented chain of events, which they share is due to the bullying the former Locomon has endured….. ” It’s not the craziest news so far, but thankfully no one got hurt.

The TV continues running as some In-Training Digimon jump up and down in excitement, chattering away about the cool people who had stopped the Locomon. 

It’s the only thing illuminating the room, as behind them, two figures chat.

“Looks like they managed to handle their little train mess. Shame it was cancelled though, but the babies enjoyed it,” a figure speaks. The darkness barely catches their features, but perhaps there are some grey and black spots seen, if one’s lucky enough.

“That kid with the crazy bed head nearly got himself killed…. He seems to be a magnet for trouble. Thankfully Clockmon got our warning in time.” A human girl sighs with a mix of relief and exhaustion. She’s got the feeling it would be one of many, for some reason, but she waves it off.

For now... “Our vacation’s over, though.”

“Yeah. We have a case coming up. It seems pretty urgent too,” The figure answers, the details already worrying them. There’s just a bad vibe about this case.

“Alright, let's investigate then. Hopefully this one can give us more answers about them. ” The girl gets up from her spot, eyes filled with unwavering determination. 

“Hopefully, we can find out more about the organisation known as Oma. ”

Omoi (whoa whoaaa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whooooaaaaoooo)

Passing by the pictures of

A life once lived.

Happiness, peace, love all abound. 

Yet I could only watch as it burst into flames… Woahhhh…

The souls of the lost sing out their sorrows,

Yet even in darkness,

A light shall shine through.

The small glimpses of past,

Those little smiles, ohh…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last.

From all the things we’ve been through,

Thank you… dear friend…

Your kindness abound,

Even through the darkest times.

The sorrowful smiles

Still give me some hope,

For I know, that you have my back.

Lifting me up when I’m falling down… to zero…

The abyss may seem like a welcoming home.

The tears may never stop,

But then I see you,

And I remember,

And I hold onto those memories… Those bonds…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last. 

From all the things we’ve been through,

The dark… the light…

Ohhh, the memories, the bonds will never go,

As long as we both hold onto these small balls,

Exuding out its wonderful light,

Ohhh…

Thank you, dear friend… 

Chapter Text

The ambience at night is hard to like. The constant hum of the various machines that keep patients alive fill the air, and they can only grunt as they walk to the resting room. All the same, they’re glad to be done with their shift, as temporary as it is. How is it that this place is so understaffed? 

 

Click!

 

They pause, turning around. What… what was that?

 

“Is there anyone out there?” they call out. They ignore how their breathing quickens, remembering… that day. No, no, they need to calm down, they are FINE! 

 

That’s, of course, when it chooses to strike.

 

They’re grabbed, and screams disappear into the hums as they’re… just gone. As if they never existed…

 

Until… 

 

Out comes Reiji, and they begin walking down the path they had been on. It’s time, to put their plan into action. 

 

Phase One is about to commence, and nothing, nobody will stop them. 

 

 

 

“I see… This is troubling…” She bites her lip. 

 

“What should we do now, Mei?” 

 

“I think…” She gets up from her seat. Olive green eyes narrow while she looks at their target for this mission.

 

They have what they need. The time to act is now. “It’s time we get to work, Shiramon.”

 

A red glow is all that is seen, before it disappears, and the brown-haired girl turns around to leave too. 

 

On her desk, a picture shows a younger her, smiling happily and innocently, standing beside a familiar girl…

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove, 

A quiet breeze shaking up. 

You can’t find backup, 

The darkness beckons, 

Here it is, the Doom of all (the doom of all), 

As we fall, fall, fall… 

Trouble is only a mile away, 

Even when we run! 

Your soulful melody echoes, 

Laughing from beyond the grave. 

Fingers fly, the screens come alive! 

The database is wide open, 

Counting up the souls found, 

Nurturing the tools needed, 

Gathering the team up! 

You can’t find anyone in this forsaken world, 

You just gotta keep on 

running and running

even if it’s trouble from a mile away! 

Tick tock tick tock,

Omagatoki ga kita! 

The sun goes down,

the game has begun. 

The game of ghosts, 

the countdown is here! 

Don’t turn back, 

or you’ll miss your chance! 

Light and darkness clash eternally! 

(the grey stains in, it's witching hour time!)

No, no, no, revv yourselves up! (Revv yourselves up!) 

It's about... to get ugly! (To get ugly!) 

Steel your resolve, young of heart! 

The dance goes on 

The darkness approaches 

Take a deep breath (take a deep breath) 

Are you ready (are you ready) 

To dive into this Ghost game?! 

The body count flies up 

the stakes grow higher, 

But do you run ahead, 

When the chains pull you back?

Don’t look back, 

Or the darkness will catch up! 

Your past, your present, your future, 

All of it comes to play! 

This game will never end, 

Let not the evil take you down! 

You’re not as weak or strong as you think, 

Oh, young child, the right path's ahead! 

Fight your way to the end, 

Put trust in your friends!

Let the fire, burn bright! (yeahh!)

Ready for the witching hour? 

Trouble is just a mile away

“We really don’t know anything about her, do we?” Jellymon lets out a rough sigh, floating above the couch where the humans are sitting as they gather around in Hiro’s living room. 

“What can we say?” Ruli sighs in agreement. “It’s really something, huh?”

Solisamon’s amnesia only leads to more questions, especially with connections to the Digital World still severed. As of right now, nothing about her is known aside from the fact that a new foe desires her for some reason, and her strange ability to hear the voices in the hearts of humans and Digimon. 

"Your father really did not leave any information in the note? Only the address to the alley?" Hanuel asks while looking over to watch Solisamon as she naps soundly in Angoramon’s fur. They’ve only been caught up to whatever Hiro’s allowed the others to tell them, something that confuses Ruli and Kiyo, but he had PLEADED to them, so it’s not like they can do anything…

"No. Tousan is rarely the type to give any information," Hiro answers, biting his lip as his eyes narrow. Don’t worry, he wishes that he had given him at least some information too, though what should he expect from that deadbeat? Only knowing how to make his life worse…

"W-We know a few things, at least,” Kiyoshiro offers. He’s made a few mental notes regarding their newest member, and he lists them out. "We know that she can somehow hear the voices of Dantella and Pandora, and this led us to the case of Lunamon."

Angoramon can only hum. The interesting part about this is that he didn’t hear any sort of sounds that day, outside rapid heartbeats. 

Perhaps… Perhaps she doesn’t hear their physical selves. Perhaps- “Perhaps she can hear their inner voices?”

It’s a possibility, but they have to confirm. 

"Did she say anything new to you?" Ruli asks Hiro, but he doesn’t seem to be meeting her eyes. 

This can only mean one thing. "You didn’t ask her?"

"I wanted to wait till she adjusted here a bit more. She’s been having nightmares lately. Ones that may be linked to what happened with the End Bringer." He remembers last night when Gammamon woke him up and led him to the room to a nightmare-ridden Oni child thrashing about, sobbing about the scary voices. It took some hours to help her fall asleep, so…

"Well maybe we can find out more if we examine her. A physical examination never hurts," Haneul suggests. It may be the only way to find new answers, and they do want to know what’s going on in her. If there is a hint as to what happened… They need to find it.

Before anyone can speak up about the matter, a soft whimper catches the group's attention; the sleeping child is once again being tormented by the plagues of voices.

"Yadda…. Yadda… YADDA!!!!!" Tears stream down her cheeks. Crackling sounds can be heard, sparks of electricity dancing around the air in the room as everyone’s skin hairs stand on edge.

Hiro stands up, ready to comfort her, but Gammamon beats him to it and holds Solisamon's hand. The white digimon whispers soothing words into her ears, never letting go of her hand even as she tries to break free. 

Solisamon calms down soon after, her chest rising and falling in a rhythmic manner. 

"Wow…" is the only word Jellymon can say after seeing that.

"Gammamon really is becoming a big brother to her, huh?" Ruli can’t help but smile at the two digimon. They are so cute together, just like real siblings! (She’s seen that relationship herself once. She’s also seen it…)

Pumpmon hops onto Haneul’s shoulder to chip in his own two hundred yen, bringing the group back to the discussion "Friend is right. Physical could help learn more about Candy Buddy! May learn why she has no memories!” 

"Candy Buddy? Since when did you give her a nickname?" Gulus takes over as Gammamon returns to the group. He does not recall allowing her any nicknames, at least none that came from others. 

Not that he cares or something. It is just a stupid name. He does NOT care!

"Friend loves candy like me. She always is the first to try any new candy!" Pumpmon explains. He is happy to have a friend to share his addiction to sugary treats, aside from Gammamon at least. “So Candy Buddy!”

"Ooooh~ Some digimon is jealous," Jellymon teases, and her snickers grow louder when Gulus' face goes red.

"I AM NOT JEALOUS! I DO NOT CARE ABOUT HER ONE BIT, SO SHUT UP, YOU OVERGROWN FISH!" He growls, snarling at how annoying the mollusk is.

Of course, he should have been more careful.

"Gamma Nii cha…. No like Solisamon no more?" 

He freezes, slowly turning around to see Solisamon, whose tears are running down her face as teal eyes look back at him briefly before looking away. 

Angoramon gives her a hug, allowing his warmth to help soothe the pain, even if just a bit, while the others glare heatedly at him. Seriously? Sure, he has a long way to go, but making a kid cry, he is in the red zone now.

"Are you proud of yourself?" Hiro asks while scooping up Solisamon, allowing him to comfort the small oni in his arms despite the cold glare he’s emitting from afar.

Black eyes look away, and golden yellow eyes soon replace them, leaving a poor Gammamon lost to the most recent events.

"Why is Solisamon crying?" He asks with a frown. She should be napping!

The others share a glance. No, they should do the health check ASAP, so they’ll tell him later.

“I’ll call Mummymon in advance to see if he’s up for it,” Ruli says while getting her phone out. 

“That sounds good. Make sure that you tell him what it’s for exactly.” 

“Wakatta, Hiro, mou! I’ve done this a few times already!”

“It always pays to double check.” 

Ruli blinks. It’s… Surprising how serious he sounds, but she supposes this entire thing with Solisamon has him acting off anyway, so it’s fine. 

Outside the window, a red flash is seen from the bushes as a visor glows red. 

"Yabai… Mei is not gonna like this…." In a flash, the mysterious figure vanishes. 

It’s time to report back and find a way to combat this new variable. 

"Isha?" Solisamon asks while looking up at Hiro who has managed to calm her down. The others had left, having other matters to take care of, be it cases or school so Gammamon is now taking a nap on the couch. He’s decided to stay a bit away from Solisamon to help her calm down. 

"Yes. He is a good friend of Nii cha. I asked if he could examine you. It is like a check up to see that you are healthy," He explains, hiding the true purpose of the physical.

Solisamon’s eyes light up. She does like meeting more of Niicha’s friends! Clockmon may seem a bit scary, but he is really nice, so maybe this Isha will be too.

"Iku!" Her tail wags with excitement, looking forward to the hyouin! She’s so curious! 

Hiro smiles and pats her head, even when he knows she’s avoiding looking at Gammamon. Darn GulusGammamon and his need to be right…!

The group gathers at the hospital the next day, and it is a good thing they’re doing this, actually. They have been wondering how their local doctor is doing nowadays. Quanzunia matters have really made it hard to check up on him…

Kuso, they have to take more time out of their schedule to talk to their friends. 

Solisamon looks around the examination room, teal eyes marveling at all the fun exciting tools and computers. This is not like the room at all!

Meanwhile, Haneul is getting the rundown of who Mummymon is, just in case things get complicated. Hiro wants THAT to be transparent at least.

"So this digimon came to our world to be a doctor, but he had caused dozens to nearly suffocate because of a misunderstanding regarding our healing methods?...” Hanuel slowly blinks. How the heck has Hiro stayed alive this long?!

"Hai, but he has come a long way since then, helping us on cases, and treating those infected by digimon!" Ruli chips in. "He is a really good friend of ours!”

"He helped Darling to become human again from a plant,” Jellymon snickers. Oh, does she remember how Kiyoshiro had struggled against the needle. It was sort of childish now that she thinks about it.

"Wait what-" Hanuel is ready to ask more on that topic, but then two figures enter the room, too lost in their own discussions to take notice of them.

Hiro's heart drops down to his feet when he sees the new face. Masaka…. No… It can’t be!

"You are improving in examinations, though you still have a very long way to go. It will take another five years till you can think about performing a surgery," The human figure is saying, looking over a few notes. 

Ruli blinks. Is… is he GRADING Mummymon? 

"I understand, Tamada-sensei. Yet we still do not know the cause of what has plagued the recent patients. Surgery may be their only hope,” Mummymon says, a deep frown on his face.

"Without knowing the cause, surgery may put their lives in jeopardy. Doctors save lives by knowing the best way to help their patients, not by assuming how,” The doctor reminds him as he looks up to the towering mon. 

Mummymon nods. He knows that his mentor is right. After all, he's made that mistake once. He will not repeat it. 

"B-B-Blues-nii?!" Hiro finally regains his words as he looks at him. 

A raised eyebrow, but he looks over. 

"Well, well, if it isn't my dear itoko." 

The other is struck by an immediate difference to him. Since when did his cousin… since when did he gain a cybernetic eye? 

A dull red pupil stares at him alongside an actual eye coloured with a blue iris as the seventeen year old readjusts his white doctor’s coat, revealing a black shirt, blue denim jeans and blue and black sneakers. “I'm surprised you're here, after all this time.” 

"Itoko?" Solisamon blinks. Niicha did not mention that Isha is a part of his family. 

She's not the only one confused, it seems, as the others turn to him in surprise. 

"Amanokawa-kun! You did not mention that the famous Tamada-sensei is your cousin!" Kiyoshiro has read articles of a student genius like himself becoming a doctor, at the very young age of seventeen no less.

Ruli gasps, while Haneul raises an eyebrow. Interesting.

"I was adopted at a young age, so we are not exactly related," Blues remarks before turning to Mummymon. 

He crosses his arms. "You knew my cousin and did not tell me?" 

"Forgive me, Tamada-sensei. I did not know." Mummymon frowns.

Blues can only let out a long sigh, running his hand across his faux cut black hair. First, Hiro ignores his calls, then shows up without a word. 

Oh, what a cousin he has. Well, it's a good thing, he supposes. He has….words for him. “Maah, daijoubu. Let's get to business then we can talk about this.”

Mummymon nods. Right, time to get serious. 

"Which one of you is our patient?" He picks up the clipboard, only to feel a tug as he looks down to see Solisamon. 

So this is the new addition to the team?

"Are you Isha?" Solisamon asks. She never expected to see a digimon as tall as Angoramon, and he's so… scary. 

(Why does he remind her of someone?...)

He nods. This digimon is unlike any other he has seen before… Something about her piques his interest. "Yes. My name is Mummymon. May I ask for yours?" He offers his hand to her. 

His eyes light up when she accepts his hand. "Solisamon desu!" 

There are no malicious or cruel intentions resonating from Mummymon! So he is probably a friendly digimon.

She can’t help but pause a bit, though. 

It's…strange. Why… can she hear two voices coming from him?

The answer to that question comes right after she thinks that.

"Aliana, please get me the clipboard." Mummymon reaches into his coat pocket, pulling out a black puff ball that unfurls to reveal a kitten who crawls up his shoulder to fulfil his request while skillfully avoiding the spikes. 

"Thank you, Kangofu-chan." He softly smiles, giving the little one a scratch between the ears, making her purr in happiness. 

The other three blink in surprise. Huh, another new face? This one is a Digimon that none of them have seen before, too!

A ruby fur tuff colours their neck, tips of their ears, and paws. Two long red fluffy tails dance in the air as rose-colored irises look at them in surprise. A collar is locked around their neck, so all that can be seen is a murky coloured gemstone. They think they can see a gemstone on their forehead too? But a soft pink nurse hat covers it well, matching the outfit covering their body.

"KAWAII!!" Ruli smiles widely. What an adorable kitten!

"This is Aliana, a young digimon that I have taken in. I do not know what digimon she is, however. She appears to have a case of amnesia, thus she is doubling as my patient and new nurse.” Mummymon carefully lifts the newly named Aliana off his shoulder before setting her down beside Solisamon, who immediately begins patting her. That explains a lot! 

Hiro blinks. Amnesia, huh? Is it possible that it’s related to Solisamon’s case? 

"C-Chotto matte. I thought Betsumon was your nurse. What happened to him?" Kiyoshiro asks.

It makes Mummymon’s face go dark. Ah, yes, Betsumon. "He has been demoted to janitor for trying to use hospital funds. Right now, Clockmon is keeping an eye on him with strict limitations.”

Ahh, now Haneul understands why Mummymon was feared. 

"Why don't we all have a nice chat? I am sure Mummymon can handle Solisamon’s examination alone!" Blues suggests, but the way he’s practically dragging Hiro out of the room tells them they don’t have a choice here. 

Gammamon still looks back for a while to see Solisamon getting her eyes checked. 

He smiles. He knows Mummymon, so he trusts that she will be okay.

In Blues’ private office, the four sit on the long sofa provided there, with Blues sitting on the lone chair in front of them. It only makes him feel intimidating to Hiro. 

His words do not make things better. "One, no, TWO years. Two years without calls, texts, not even a single visit. My mother even called you non stop four weeks ago and you didn’t even pick up ONCE! Do you not have any ringtone?" 

"Ryubo-obasan called? My phone must have been off at the time." It’s all he can say without puking. It’s already painful to just keep his face straight. 

But both of them know that Blues can see through it, and it’s proven when he rolls his eyes, letting out a deep sigh. "You must be very busy developing that country of yours."

"You… know about that project?” It should be relieving, but it only makes the pit grow stronger in his stomach. 

"Ah. I watched your interview sometime before I met my student.” Blues takes a long sip from his teacup.

"How did you two meet?" Hanuel asks, rather curious how Hiro's cousin met a Perfect-level digimon. They know it’s not a common occurance so… 

Blues smiles faintly at the memory. 

“Maah, I suppose it all began with the rumour about the Daigaku Byouin no Onryo.”

The dark and empty hallways just make voices echo, Blues thinks to himself. Maybe some grumbles escape his lips, but it’s just part of being a doctor, he supposes.

Still, with the gentle beeping of monitors, and the rhythmic breathing, soft as they are, coming from the rooms he walks past, it’s… honestly a sad situation. It’s the sixth night shift this month, and he can’t help but feel like the other doctors are looking down on him. 

He’s not going to give in, no of course not! He can handle the paperwork and the checkups! It’s just… 

He sighs. It’s a lonely situation, honestly. He’s joined the hospital some time after the weird cases of those monsters showing up, so he doesn’t know anyone and no one wants to get to know him.

Is it wrong to want to talk to someone? He’s actually willing to talk to himself at this point! Anything to soothe that void slowly forming in his heart. 

He shakes his head. No, it’s best not to think about that. Focus on getting to the kitchen. Coffee is a MUST if he’s going to finish up. 

That’s when his eyes catch a slightly ajar door, with light streaming out of it. Huh, isn’t that the room where the so-called Onryo lives? He’s heard about it, and he hears the clinking of beakers as according to the rumour, but as he walks closer, he hears… murmuring.

It makes him curious, and as he draws closer, he gives a start. 

“Perhaps some of this may help balance out one’s arhythmia…  Based on the textbook I found, legumes can assist with a healthy heart due to various factors such as the isoflavone which works as an antioxidant, although a recent study by….. Hm, who was it again? Ah yes, Becerra-Tomás and their colleagues. They do advise caution since there are so few studies done on this. However, what if Ishida is allergic to peanuts? Hmmm, I cannot risk it… Perhaps I could try omega-3 fatty acids?”

Blues finds himself… speechless. This Onryo… somehow knows advanced medical terms. They call this rumoured ghost a monster even though it seems to understand terminology AND knows to be careful and tailor treatment to the needs of the patients…

They call THIS a monster? 

It’s what leads him to nudge the door open, and it finally hits him why they call it an Onryo. 

He slaps his forehead. Mattaku, for a bunch of doctors who are science-based, they sure are superstitious. This is a HOLOGRAM, for Kami’s sake!

The slap does make the Hologram turn around in surprise, and Blues can’t help but note it looks like an Egyptian mummy. With spikes. And a gun sitting to the side. And a single yellow eye with a slitted pupil. 

His eyes instinctively look at what he’s doing instead, and it makes him hum. Scribbled notes on a notebook sit on the table, it’s quite the neat handwriting in a language he doesn’t know, but the herbs he’s been mixing… 

"You get a C.” 

"... Eh?" Mummymon blinks. Did this human… just give him a grade?

“Focus on using herbs that target the ionic channels. Beik and their colleagues have an excellent paper about it that they published in 2020. For Ishida-kun, I believe that inserting legumes is a great idea, and using Omega-3 fatty acids is an excellent suggestion, yet it will be subject to change and we must ensure it does not end up interacting negatively with our treatment.”

"Are… are you not frightened?" The digimon inquires as he stands up, easily towering over the teenager. How is he not…?

"What is there to be scared of? You may be a hologram, but you are a doctor nonetheless."

“I am not a hologram! I am Mummymon, a digimon whose dream is to be a doctor!”

He… frowns. “Although, it has not been the easiest journey…." 

Blues feels his heart soften at that. He doesn’t know what a Digimon is, but he can see it, that burning desire to help others. Why can't the others give him a chance? 

He just needs a hand, someone to help refine his art. 

It still surprises him when he hears himself say, "Would you like me to teach you?" 

The other pauses.

"Would you… truly trouble yourself with teaching a Digimon such as myself what you know?" Excitement can be seen aglow in Mummymon’s eyes as he leans in. 

Blues’ smile is genuine. 

Something tells him that his days of loneliness here are now coming to an end. "Mochiron. Though, I do have one condition.”

“What may that be?” 

“If I teach you, then it is only fair that you teach me.”

“... Pardon me?” 

“Onegai, teach me how to treat digimon. If digimon seek aid here, then I want to know how to treat them.” There is a fire, one that he hasn’t felt in a long time. Now that he knows about this, he can’t turn a blind eye!

Mummymon’s eyes widen, but the grin on his face is truly heartwarming as he takes Blues’ hand. "Otsukaresama, Sensei.”

He laughs, but the pang in his heart is much softer now. He… he’s finally found a friend. "Tamada Blues desu. Yoroshiku, na, Mummymon.”

"Ever since then, we have been working together as partners. After Mummymon found Aliana in the canteen, she joined our little group too, so it’s just us three.”

"Blues is a nice person!" Gammamon claps.

"Then it should be alright to talk about why we are here. We are trying to find out more about Solisamon, and we believe a physical examination would help learn more about her," Kiyoshiro explains.

"Omoshiroi…. How did you find her in the first place?" 

"Tousan sent her to me to look after with a note about it," Hiro answers swiftly. Not even Haneul knows the exact circumstances in which they found her, so he would like to keep it that way. 

Unfortunately, his foresight will be his downfall. Blues can see through the lie straight away.

Hmm, perhaps it’s best to play along and bait the answer out. He DOES feel vengeful. Give Hiro a taste of his own medicine for making his mother suffer.

He leans back, sipping much more slowly on his teacup before he says, "Too bad. If he had sent anything with her, it is possible it contains information about her that he’s hidden."

Haneul raises an eyebrow at the wording, but it’s done its job. 

"Hiro…” Ruli grabs his shoulders, shaking him as if he’s a ragged doll. "Please tell me you saved the DIM card!"

Blues’ smirk is hidden behind a mask of blank expression. Bingo.

"No, it disappeared the moment  I…. inserted it into the digivice…." Hiro's face drains of all colour. Not again, he’s let that piece of information slip out…

That is impressive detecting, Haneul has to admit. A play almost similar to something Oyaji would do. 

That does explain why Hiro seemed able to command two Digimon… if those DIM cards help them sync up, then multiple connections should be possible. 

The doctor hums. "DIM card? Fascinating, one of my patients had mentioned that during one of my rounds today.” 

Haneul blinks. “A DIM Card? Like the one the other three have?” 

Blues raises an eyebrow. The… way they had phrased that intrigues him. “I suppose so. We’ve had a bit of an issue here lately, but I did find that suspicious.” 

“Huh, that’s interesting. Perhaps they can give us more information?” Angoramon offers. 

“I’m all for investigating while Solisamon is being examined!” Jellymon chirps. Shame she won’t be around, but they still have a duty to deal with cases!

“Sounds like a plan.” Haneul turns to Blues. “Is it possible to get the room number of that patient? I understand most hospitals are against the notion of leaking personal information of the clients, but we may need to investigate.”

He raises an eyebrow. That is… a very nice statement. “Are you a detective by any chance?” 

Haneul rubs the back of their head with a sheepish smile. “Is that obvious?” 

Blues chuckles. “Not quite, but I admire your politeness in it. Tamada Blues, at your service.” 

“Haneul Scirocco, though in Japanese it would be Scirocco Haneul. I prefer the English way of saying it,” they admit. 

“W-Well, I suppose we can get going now! C-Could we get the information, please?” Hiro is definitely trying not to shake. It makes him look like Senpai and he does not want that.

The other two humans share a surprised glance. Hiro was okay with Hokuto, so why is he scared of THIS guy?

"The patient is in room C-12. She appears to have intense gastrointestinal problems, resulting in violent vomiting. However I would advise caution, since we are still unsure if it is contagious." Blues hands Haneul the patient file, allowing them to flip through it briefly before handing it to the rest. “You guys can go. I would like to have a chat with Blues-kun over here.”

“A-ah, wakatta! Jyane!” Hiro has them out the door super fast, leaving the two in there as they return to their sitting positions.

“Jya, what do you want to ask me?” Blues asks Haneul while crossing his legs. 

Haneul gets settled in before they ask their question, “Can I know about what's been happening here?” 

He sighs. “We do not know as well. It's quite the enigma… red marks appearing as binary ones and zeroes, then they go into a coma-like state.”

“I see…” they quietly hum, pencil tapping on their thigh as they open their notebook. They suppose they'll have to expect results on that front from the others. 

If that's the case… “May I ask you about your cousin then?”

That makes his eyebrow arch. “What about?”

“About his father, I suppose. Amanokawa Hokuto. I've heard that he's the one who made the Digivices, but you have an artificial eye. You're also lauded as a genius doctor with a specialty for the mechanical aspect of medical science, a doctoral in mechanics, so I must ask… Did Amanokawa Hokuto truly make the Digivices? You brought up the DIM cards, and you clearly knew what you were talking about when you baited Hiro-kun out.”

He's heard of a junior detective, but to think he would sniff THIS out… 

Blues hums. Interesting. “You intrigue me.”

“Answer the question.”

“My real question is, are you doing this for yourself, or are you doing this for someone else?”

“It's for Oyaji and… and someone else.” 

Blues leans back. “I ask because that Digivice is not from Hokuto. The one you're hiding in your jacket, at least.”

They freeze. The artificial eye seems to stare them down as Blues asks, “Who gave it to you?”

Blues has turned the tables on them. The one question they have been hoping to save as their trump card has been used to trap them.

"I will admit that I did make a similar device. It was a prototype to help monitor heart conditions, though it seemed capable of much, much more.” His artificial eye flashes a bit from recalling the memory. He… is not fond of that day.

"Do more, how?" Haneul’s eyes narrow. They are taking a step into the right direction, they can feel it.

"Never got to find out. Two years ago, the prototype got stolen from my lab, and whoever took it tried to cover it up as a lab accident.”

Haneul shudders as they connect the dots. It explains the artificial eye now, at least.

But going back to business… "That means you are not the one who gave me the digivice." Had a third party made the digivice they possess now?

"Afraid not.” He gets up. “Gomen, as much as I would like to continue this chat, I need to check on Solisamon. Mummymon promised to tell me his findings." 

“Ah, wakatta. Thank you for your cooperation.” They get up and bow back, noting how he shifts as if he wants to be gone right this second. 

Haneul can not blame Blues. They know how uncomfortable certain topics can be. They tend to avoid them like the plague. “I do apologise for holding you up.”

“Don’t worry about it.” As he walks away, he pauses and turns over. “I won’t tell my itoko and the others about the Digivice.”

“... Arigatou.”

Blues’ only response is walking off, the sounds of his sneakers making contact with the floor soon fading away. 

Haneul sighs. They should regroup with the others now. Hopefully, this mysterious girl can provide more answers.

As they begin heading to C-12 too, a figure watches them. 

"They could be trouble. Mei, I hope you can do your part,” is all they say before they slink into the shadows, as if they were never there…

The trio arrive at the room specified soon enough. Surprisingly there’s no one on the other beds, so Hiro checks the name listed beside the door first just in case. Yep, it’s definitely this room. 

Well, no time like the present, he supposes. 

He slides the door open, bringing light into the incredibly dark room as the group steps in, seeing a blanket pile on the closest bed to the left.

The pile shifts at the noise. Is that… “S-Sensei, i-is it time for my medicine yet?”

“Ah, gomen, we aren’t hospital staff…” Hiro apologises as he steps closer to the bed. Kiyo takes the chance to flick the lights on gently, allowing the room to be lit up with the sterile white hospitals remain well known for. 

The pile shifts even more. “E-Eh, jya… dare ka?”

Wait, that voice…

“We have some questions for you, ah, eto…” he looks at the file. “Hoshi-san?”

No, no way, it can’t be..!

Ruli’s head swivels over in surprise. “Chotto, Hiro, what did you just say?” 

He blinks and looks at her, but the patient beats him to it as the quiet voice calls out from the pile, “Ruru?...” 

Without thinking, she snatches the file from Hiro’s hands, and the name of the patient finally registers to her. 

Shaking pink eyes look up to see the patient emerging from her warm cocoon. Wide olive green eyes look back at her, her long brown hair cascading down her tanned neck to touch the baby blue hospital gown covering her loosely.

The two just stare at each other. No words are spoken…

Until they are. 

“M-Meichi?...” 

“R-Ruru?...” Damn it! Damn it! This is the WORST TIMING of it all!

No, calm down. This is fine. This is not the worst thing she’s faced. She’s faced much, MUCH worse. 

(Fire. Smoke.)

“Eh?! You know her, Tsukiyono-san?!” Kiyo gasps, but Angoramon is slowly nodding. The face definitely resembles that picture she has in her room, so this is…

His eyes wander to the name of the patient, written above her bed. 星 命. The one Ruli thought had left her because of her selfishness… 

"Ah! We grew up together as kids and we were close friends, though we lost touch two years ago!” Ruli turns around to answer. 

Hiro raises an eyebrow. Two years ago? That’s close to the time when they met their digimon partners. 

Is it a coincidence? She’s now here with this case happening… 

"My name is Hoshi Mei…." The girl barely manages to get that out before she’s covering her mouth. “G-Gomen, c-can you get the bucket beside my bed?”

Ruli is there in a flash, handing it over to her and earning a weak smile from her childhood friend. 

Then the hurling begins, and Kiyo faints so Jellymon and Angoramon help lug him to the other bed while they wait, enduring those moments the best they could. 

Hiro’s patience is running thin, but he needs his answers to this. He needs to know about the DIM cards and how she’s connected to them. 

It’s why the moment Mei stops hurling, he asks his question, "Hoshi-san, Bl- ah, I mean, Tamada-sensei told us that you mentioned the DIM cards. How did you come to know of their existence?" 

That’s why they’re here?... "A-Ah, the doctors have been putting me on different medications, trying to calm whatever is affecting my stomach… I may have been talking nonsense.”

His eyes narrow. In a normal situation, that would have been an acceptable answer, but this? This is not a coincidence, and not chasing it down may result in the same issue GulusGammamon brought. “Sou desuka?”

"Ah, matte, Hiro! If Meichi knows about the DIM cards, then she should have a digivice!” Ruli reminds him. 

His eyes light up. That’s a good p-

"Ah? Digivice? What’s that?”

His heart sinks. Damn it. 

Phew, that was a close one….

"It does not appear that she is lying." Angoramon doesn’t detect any irregularities with Mei’s heartbeat. Therefore, there’s no evidence to prove she’s lying…

…

…

His ears twitch slightly. It’s faint, it’s SO faint he would have missed it, but there it is. Some sort of… noise. 

Where is it coming from?

But speaking up makes Mei look over, and her eyes widen slightly. “Ruli…is that one of those digimon that I have been hearing about? It isn’t just my medicines messing with me right?”

"Yup! This is Angoramon!” Ruli grins.

"It is a pleasure to meet you, Mei." He smiles, offering his hand to her.

"L-likewise… Glad to see that Ruru has someone looking out for her. H-Hope she hasn't been in too much trouble,” She jokes, even giggling a bit when they shake hands. He’s really fluffy!

"That’s not all! I’ve made a few more!” Ruli gestures towards the rest, thankfully Kiyo’s just woken up (read: gotten zapped by Jellymon), so he can join them. 

"Ohayou, I’m Amanokawa Hiro.” He waves. 

"K-Konnichiwa, my name is Higashimitara Kiyoshiro. It is an honour to meet you, Hoshi-san.” He bows. After all, it remains an honour to meet an old friend, despite only meeting her today. 

"Domo! I'm Hiro's little brother, Gammamon!" He cheers happily, flying up to the boy's shoulder to perch on it like a gargoyle.

"Haiii~ Jellymon, desu!” 

"There is someone else, though he’s busy with other matters right now… I hope he can meet you later.” Well, him and Pumpmon, but knowing Pumpmon, he’s probably joined up with Haneul. Or he’s gone to the cafeteria to get LOTS and LOTS of candy. 

“O-Oh…” Mei slowly nods. “Sokka… W-why are you here, though?”

The trio share a glance. 

“Well…”

Well, this is quite fascinating…. 

"You truly are a wonder…” Mummymon remarks as he pats Solisamon’s head, making her tail wag happily in response, enjoying the warmth the pat gives her. Aliana has returned to sleep in his pocket, tuckered out from their previous patients. 

(She tries not to think about the shouting and the words, of the shouting as she wakes up from yet another nightmare.)

"How is our patient going?" Blues asks as he walks into the laboratory once more. 

"All tests have provided no results.” He gestures to the screen in front of him, now filled only with random zeroes and ones that, to any computer nerds, would mean nothing. And to add onto that, it’s gone completely light yellow! “The only other thing we can do is acquire a data sample.” 

“I see. How do you propose we do it?”

“Well…” 

Solisamon blinks as she watches the two pore over the notes Mummymon has made. Are they talking about the physical? Pumpmon had mentioned that Isha gives candies to their patients.

Her eyes light up. She’s been trying her utmost best with this physical, so surely it’s time for the treat! Oh, she can just taste the sweet, sweet ame now.

The two are still whispering at each other, but soon, they turn to her with… with oddly wide smiles.

(Why does it remind her of…)

"Solisamon, we have one more test. I promise it will not hurt at all. Afterwards we will take you back to Hiro." Blues pats her head. Best to keep her calm for this part.

"Hiro give Ame after?" She asks innocently. She really reminds him of his sister.

Blues chuckles softly. That would be a fine reward for all the tests she’s endured, plus it’s a good punishment for Hiro. "Tons of Ame till your stomach bursts.” Oh, he can just hear the bank account going dry~

"Yay!" She beams. One more test, just one more! Then she can get her sweet karameru!

Mummymon gets up and grabs something from a shelf. 

Clink! Clink!

Huh? Why does she hear glass? And why is he turning around slowly-

Her stomach drops. 

No.

No. 

NO!

Her breathing hitches. Her pupils dilate into thin slits. One step, two steps, she’s getting closer to the wall. Just like that day. 

It glints, reflecting the lights above. 

"Is this… common with young children?"

"Children are usually scared of needles, but never to this degree…” 

"Perhaps we should try-” 

Words spoken die away, muted. 

She… She hears her voice now.

"Come now. Stop your struggles. I just need a sample of your data to know more."

Yamete….

"Zannen… It appears that not enough information can be found in the sample from earlier. It appears I need more from you.”

“*grunts* Hold still, child.”

Yamete….!!!

"Tsk, we still lack a bit more information. It appears I will need a sample from your core."

Closer, closer, closer, she pleads but she doesn’t hear. It goes in-

No, anything but that sharp, pointy, pokey thing. Chashaki or something… Not the chasha-ki! Not the pointy needle thing! ANYTHING BUT THAT!

Her body moves on its own, she DUCKS under both of them and SMASHING the door open. The splinters don’t seem to bother her as she runs. 

This small pain is nothing compared to the deep fear in her heart. 

“CHOTTO-”

“SOLISAMON!” 

Aliana continues sleeping, but her mind is filled with images, of a lost person, of a red blink, of… of someone she doesn’t recognise. 

They’re surprised the door isn’t closed, but they suppose it’s related to the stench in the room.

“Yo, sorry for being late. Blues-san and I got into a discussion about a related topic,” Haneul say as they step in. They have texted Dad already so he’s been made aware to look into the lab incident Blues had been involved in. 

Then they notice how everyone turns to look at them. “... Did I miss something?” 

Mei blinks. “A-A junior detective? W-What is one doing here?”

“Oh, I’m helping out with these guys for now,” they answer. “Scirocco Haneul, at your service.”

“H-Hoshi Mei…” she covers her mouth, still trying to hold back her empty stomach from letting loose more pain. 

“Wait, where’s Pumpmon? Isn’t he with you?” Hiro asks. 

“Oh, he went off to find someone. Apparently a friend of his when he was terrorising this place? I don’t know,” they say with a shrug. 

They grab a chair, pulling it over before they sit down next to Mei’s bed. “Anyway, how’s the questioning going?”

The head shake is all they need to know. Wow, even from the guy shameless enough to threaten Pumpmon in their own home? That’s a new record. Is he trying to show a blank canvas? 

They sigh, and turn to Mei. “Okay, then can I ask about how you knew I was a junior detective? It’s not exactly public knowledge.”

They caught THAT slip up? This guy is a lot more dangerous than she thinks!

Mei chooses that moment to lurch forward, sticking her head into the bucket again.

Kiyo yelps, “AHHH! HOSHI-SAN!”

“Are you okay?!” Angoramon frowns. 

“I-I’m fi-” another lurch. 

Ruli’s rubbing her back. “It’s okay, Meichi…”

But Hiro and Haneul’s eyes narrow. 

The stench… it still remains the same as before. 

Is she… faking this? 

Hiro can’t see that. Blues would have caught on by now, so she must be sick to some extent, but mostly faking the vomiting bit. 

Why? Is it related to what Blues brought up? 

“Hey, where do you live by any chance?” Haneul asks.

Mei’s leaning back against the wall, but she blinks slowly. What kind of question…? “I-I live nearby…”

Ruli looks over. “Really?! You should have told me, Meichi!” 

“Sorry, I didn’t know you had moved around there too…” she mumbles while looking away. 

She can’t believe it. How could she have let that slip? Normally, she’s much better than this- 

Olive eyes look at Ruli, and she mentally corrects, This is not a normal situation, by all means. To have slipped up like this, it’s ridiculous. 

She looks up. Orange meets green. It’s like that fire is taunting her.

(Explosions, blood.)

She grits her teeth. Oh, so he wants a fight? 

Then it’s a fight he’ll get.

Almost immediately, her posture shifts. Hunched over becomes straight, something about her is much more confident.

She looks up at Haneul. “Fine.”

Ruli jumps, eyes wide at the sudden change. “Mei… Chi?...”

What is this? How could she have changed so drastically? It’s as if she’s… she’s so different… 

As if that accursed day… haunts her still…

“I admit it. I’ve been faking my sickness.”

Kiyoshiro’s eyes widen. 

Hiro asks, “How?”

She rubs her neck. That, well… “The stomach bug was made worse with some… tweaks here and there.”

She’s avoiding eye contact with Ruli while saying this. “But it’s not as bad as it was when I first came in. I just triggered a magnetic device in the bucket to release a stench.”

Haneul raises an eyebrow. “Why?”

A smirk then forms on her face, as she looks at them and says, “Why not figure it out… Daiki Luno?”

This time, it’s their posture that changes. Their eyes narrow, their fist is shaking.

“Daiki Luno? Who’s… that?” Ruli asks. 

“You… have no right to bring that name up.” They sound very pissed off, but Hiro thinks there… is a sense of fear in his tone. Is it… something personal? A friend of their-

“Eeeh~ Why are you so scared? After all…”

Mei’s grin widens. It’s like the Cheshire cat is staring them down from a hospital bed. 

“Didn’t you tell Lucky Star all about yourself, Daiki Luno?”

Hiro gets the … pleasure of seeing Haneul’s face drain of all colour. 

Their mind is spiralling. How does she know Lucky Star? It’s not possible, that she would know-

Their head shoots up. They see the kanji on the plate. 

Hoshi, star… Lucky Star…. 

The pit in their stomach grows. 

They remember, the email reaching out to them some time after they met Pump, talking about some Hologram Ghost cases around the city, how they were connected. 

The one who had sent that, was Rakki Sutaa. 

They’ve gotten into chatting. Sometimes they share information, Haneul tries to be careful what gets out but they do have their own job and they respected that, and oftentimes those cases peeter out so it’s never really hit them to ask, who was behind that cute profile picture. They’ve just trusted them.

Did I trust a scammer? Have I been scammed by… by Hoshi?

The only thing running through their mind now is [BEEP]. 

She knows. She KNOWS, she’s using what she’s found, to… 

“You are a MAN. You will REMAIN A MAN. WILL YOU DISHONOR YOUR ADOPTED FAMILY LIKE THIS?!”

Their breathing hitches. Mei can’t help but smirk at how their fists are shaking, although she’s acutely aware of Ruli, staring at her in utter disbelief. Meichi… She…. What, she… 

(A grin, GulusGammamon smiling.

She’s weak. She’s weak. 

That smile… only a monster would use it.)

It’s… hard to focus through the tears, but they… they know this is what she wants to see. This is what criminals like to see; their victims being hit back with their own questions, watching them in pain. No, Haneul. She can wait. 

She is… redirecting. 

They take a deep breath. Shaky. Resolute. “You’re… here to investigate a case. Something you suspect to be Digimon-related,” they deduce, looking her in the eye. 

Mei taps her fingers twice, her eyes not leaving Haneul. Huh, not bad. She almost admires his dedication. 

Too bad his record is not sparkly clean, with that… death on his conscience. 

Hiro raises an eyebrow. Huh, that’s… interesting. A tic?

“Ah. I was given this case by a close associate because a relative of theirs was patient zero.”

“Care to elaborate?”

“Client confidentiality rights, Daiki~” She’s obviously trying to rile them up, but all the same, it works as Haneul gets up and walks out, avoiding eye contact with everyone as they look at him, concerned by the sudden shift. (Or is Hiro… relieved?)

As Mei leans back against the wall, she senses the faint red glow out of the corner of her eye. She understood the message, vanishing from her position to do the task. 

Perfect. All she needs to do is wait for the signal, then it’s go time. 

Right now, there is too much at stake. Failure is not an option, and she will NOT let these new variables get in the way.

“C-CHOTTO MATTE, SOLISAMON!” 

Blues is huffing, but he’s still keeping up from behind as the two chase the small Child-level. Gosh, this is a WORKOUT! He’s always being told to stay healthy, but this is RIDICULOUS!

Solisamon’s tuned out the world around her. Her pupils remain as thin as a line. Her breathing just doesn’t sound right, her entire world is teetering to the left. The words echo over and over again, the pain so visceral where she’s been poked it’s almost impossible to see through it. 

It’s as if she’s in the room, as Hokuto’s cries for Quantumon to stop fall on deaf ears. 

“I need more, Hokuto!”

“You can’t do this! She’s a CHILD!”

“She is SPECIAL, AND IF YOU RUIN THIS CHANCE, I WILL NOT HESITATE TO WRECK YOU, AMANOKAWA!”

Why is her chest struggling to breathe? Why is her head so heavy? Why can’t she do anything but spiral in her mind…?

The hallway grows smaller and smaller, they’re nearing the end of it now. 

But once she (vaguely) registers that there’s no way out (stab, stab, STAB, PAIN), she’s shaking, head moving left and right before she turns back to see the two looming over her. 

No! NO! NO! P-please, n-no more…

She’s whimpering. Her chest is so small now. It takes every piece of effort she has to even breathe…

“Solisamon-chan… ” Blues takes a small step closer, keeping his voice as calm and gentle as possible. “Daijoubu. You are safe now…”

Liar. Liar. 

That’s what (GulusGammamon) said. That’s what (the lady) said. 

That’s what they… all say…

CRACK!

Solisamon’s horns burst with electricity, aimed straight at Blues as she hisses, “Y-Yamete!”

“Tamada-sensei! Abuna-”

Blues suddenly closes the distance, wrapping her up in his arms as he begins to… 

Mummymon pauses. Is that… a song? 

“When you are scared of unknown harm, 

know that you shall be safe within my arms, 

may all the pain go away. 

Allow my love to protect you today~”

It… does seem to work on her, as her breathing softens, the muscles relaxing. She… knows this song. And from the looks of it, she likes it because it brings a smile to her face. “You know… Hokuto’s song!”

He can’t help but smile. So that deadbeat did do something right, huh? “Maa, ne.”

“We apologise for the scare,” Mummymon adds, giving her a reassuring pat on the head. “We did not know it would scare you this much…”

“Daijoubu, just that… pokey pokey hurts, stab here….” She places her hand on her chest. 

They give each other a horrified look. Mummymon has only told Blues the basics of digimon physiology; that instead of hearts, digimon have orbs of codes called digicores inside their chest. 

No, that can’t be… Had someone… had someone injected into her digicore? While she was conscious? Anaesthesia EXISTS for a reason! That kind of pain… No wonder she’s terrified of them…

Blues bites his lip. How could he have done this to her? He hadn’t known, sure, but this is unacceptable as a doctor. You need to know their medical history, any traumatic experiences and all…

But then, how are they able to get data now? They can’t do anything without-

“Yosh, there we go.” Mummymon smiles as he pats her head. He’s hiding the needle now, but Blues can see a tinge of white light emitting from the inside. Plus, judging by how he had taken it out… Had he chosen the tip of her tail for this? While he was distracting her? 

The human can’t help the smile that grows on his face. “A-plus for that, Mummymon.” 

Mummymon simply bows while Blues lets Solisamon get up. “I am pleased with that result.”

Blues dusts himself off too before he joins him as the Child level heads back to the examination room. “Does data do that?” 

“Iie. Digimon will leak blue residue of data upon injuries, though it never glows like this.”  He understands why Hiro asked for this examination now. This is a new, this is downright revolutionary.

Blues will have to keep Hiro posted then. He needs a reason to stay in touch anyway. Plus, this new bit of information may mean something to them. 

As the two step into the examination room, Aliana climbs back onto Mummymon while Blues feels a tug and looks at Solisamon. “Hm?”

“Ame?” She asks. 

Blues chuckles a bit. He figures she deserves it after all that. Plus, their vending machines have some.

“I'll get you some,” He promises while setting her on the hospital bed.

Solisamon reminds him of his own little sister, really. It makes him chuckle. Maybe they should meet each other someday!

“Can you watch her for a bit?” He asks Mummymon. “And run the analysis while that’s going on.”

“Of course.” He nods. In the meantime, he supposes he can strike up conversation with her. 

The human doctor smiles before he leaves to get the brave patient her reward. It’s normally located some turns away, so that’s a bit more walking, but it’s okay, really. 

As his finger hovers over the button to order the sweet, his spine suddenly stiffens. 

Someone is behind him. He needs to-

A chop, and he slumps, but she catches him as she begins dragging him to the nearest janitor closet. “Gomen, sensei, but this is to stop Oma!” 

The illness is getting worse. They have to stop the one responsible for this, the Digimon lurking in the hospital, a recent arrival to Earth, and to do that, they need to get those around the arrival out of the way. 

It does not make her heart feel any better. 

“Dang it…” Haneul nearly punches the wall, but holds themselves back at the last moment. No. Calm down. The emotions are not to control you. That name is DEAD to them. 

Their fist slumps to their side as they turn to lean against the wall. Okay, okay, much better. 

Now, time to think. 

“What kind of case… is it the one Blues-kun mentioned…?” they murmur as they get their phone out, but while scrolling through Lirurun’s site, they notice someone walking past them. 

Their eyes widen. Huh? “Jiji?”

One of their childhood friends, who they had broken off contact with following some… some happenings between them. They knew that Jiji had become a nurse based on their chats with Gami but last they checked, they had been stationed in a hospital branch near Hazakura… So why are they here? 

Putting their phone away, they get off the wall and jog over, calling, “Oiiii! Jiji!” 

The other pauses, and turns around. “O-Oh, yo!”

“Whatcha doing here?” they ask Reiji, joining them as they start walking. “I thought you normally work in the other branch.”

“O-Oh, well, you know me, busy as a nurse!” they offer with a smile. 

Haneul laughs. “That busy? You can’t be serious!”

“T-The hospital is quite busy, you know!” 

“Hey, you can’t be THAT busy!” the detective protests, punching their shoulder. “Gami mentioned you have time to visit them at their workplace!”

Reiji barely even flinches. “I-It’s really a hard job!”

“Coming from the guy who once swallowed entire books about anatomy? You can’t be serious!”

“Ah, eto-”

“Though you wouldn’t know that, would you?”

Reiji blinks. “E-Eh…?”

Their footsteps have stopped. (The lights… flicker.)

Haneul turns to them. “You’re not my childhood friend. Reiji would never stammer the way you did. I can recognise when someone is pretending, and your body language is a poor mockery of theirs. Plus, they are incredibly scrawny, and would flinch if someone punched them as I had.”

Their eyes narrow. “Who are you? Are you the cause of the cases in the hospital?”

Silence. 

The hallway they’re in… the lights go out. Out of the corner of their eye, Haneul spots the things they had seen during the fight against Troopmon swarm from the CCTVs flying over. Despite their small size, the sheer amount of them is enough to make them stumble back, slamming into some of them and feeling a current of electricity in the process. 

They give a start and back off. “What the… what ARE you?!”

“That does not matter, brat. I could make you a victim right now but then that girl will know… Tch…” Girl? They must be talking about Hoshi…

Their mind is racing, they press their earpiece to connect to the recording app on their phone. “So you're the true culprit of the epidemic. Why do this? What could this hospital or the staff have done to deserve this?!” They know Toei University Hospital has had its messy past, but-

“My boss asked me to.”

The lights flicker back on, just a smidge.

That smirk looks so, so wrong on their face, and it’s made worse by the fact that the small digimon are floating around the hospital, but one nearby door is ajar, and they can see it. 

They’re attaching themselves to the patients’ arms, red binary codes emanating off those strange markings… The glow is so… so… so much like blood.

Haneul’s eyes widen. Their stomach does flips. 

The data is coming from the patients. Somehow, even though humans are… 

“What… how?” is all they can manage. 

“Surprised, detective? My virus can enter any target through contact with any electronic device. With a single touch, flesh is converted into data.” 

Flesh, into data?

They feel as green as Hoshi had pretended to be. Nothing about this is moral or ethical, they CAN’T let this go on! 

Their hand goes to their pock-

The impostor’s suddenly so, so close. They try to lunge with their taser, but the Digimon grabs it-

Haneul falls to the ground, and the CCTV… glitches. 

The Digimon smiles, and the small things open the door for it to lug this brat into their makeshift prison. It’ll have to do for now. 

Soon enough, they’re stepping out of the room, with one less problem and a new look. 

Tamada-sensei dusts off his lab coat, and walks away with a smirk as the camera is soon treated to a face to face with a pair of white slitted eyes. 

Any small noises… are not heard.

[Footage deleted]

“Haneul-san is taking a while…” Kiyo notes with a frown. 

“With how he looked after his chat with Lucky Star-chan over here, I wouldn't be surprised if he needs more time.” Jellymon crosses her arms at Mei. It’s hard to get her really angry, but for once she’s surprised to note that her Digicore feels… hot. 

(The ocean is so, so vast, and yet she feels so, so small, trapped in a net, with nowhere to go. 

How can she escape the naval mines and balloon bombs, floating around her, when she’s not the one who put them there in the first place?)

Hiro sighs, leaning against the wall. (At least he’s gone now. He can breathe easier.)

“Meichi… Doshite… Doshite…” Ruli’s words echo in Mei’s ears, and the bedbound girl has to physically angle her head to avoid her eyes. 

“Does that mean that you do know about the digivice? Can you tell us how you got yours?” Hiro cuts in. He needs that question answered. 

It’s the perfect way to avoid addressing how her heart clenches at her whispered words. “Maa, no point in hiding it, I suppose. Some guy named Hokuto approached me with the black digivice and a DIM card.” 

Green eyes widen. 

She got her digivice from Tousan?! 

He gave it to her personally?!

Ah, so that deadbeat can do that but not show up to explain things to the police HIMSELF?

“Amanokawa-san gave them to you?! I thought he had only returned here for the GRB incident!?” Kiyoshiro gapes at her. Just what kind of skillset does she have to the point she’s approached by him PERSONALLY?! 

“I was surprised too. Almost made me feel bad that I punched him.” It was not one of her best moments, but when she gets grabbed from behind… (Never again, she won’t be taken off guard again.)

She’s punched him? (He has some NERVE, that (BEEP)ing (BEEP).

He’s dead to him. Dead. He means NOTHING TO HIM.)

“Heh, I like this one.” Gulus takes that moment to come out, a grin spreading across his face. 

Mei raises an eyebrow at him. So this is the infamous Black Champion, huh…?

That being said… is it just her, or is Hiro glaring at her? He DOES look like Hokuto, not gonna lie, but she has a feeling that the source of his anger isn’t her, moreso…

… 

No. 

She’s getting distracted. 

She knows that she needs to go. The mission takes top priority. She can’t stop now. She’s going to start Phase One, she KNOWS it. 

(Maybe, she can spare Ruru the heartache of who she’s had to become.)

Just need to wait. Any moment now….

A scream. “T-TASUKETE!” 

Right on time. 

Hiro’s snapped out of his trance. 

No. 

Nononononononononononnono! 

NOT SOLISAMON!

“Solisamon!” He’s out the door, and the rest follow, even if Angoramon stops to look back at her with a frown…

Still, he has to go, and Mei takes that as her cue to get up. The hairtie on her bedside table is grabbed, up goes that brown hair into a ponytail. Alright, back to business.

After some time, she steps out, turning the opposite way while ensuring the necklace around her neck is secure where it should be; lodged in between the leather jacket and her orange shirt, the latter of which goes over her white pants. She prefers the necklace locked in this way, so that it won’t be lost. 

(Happy smiles, grins, laughter. 

She’s no longer privy to those days.)

Black and white sneakers quietly touch the floor, its orange laces firmly held where it should be, as she walks.

Her mind… wanders, though. 

“Solisamon huh? If Hokuto named her, then it is fitting. She is a Hero of Light, after all.” Does she yearn to know the truth of her past? She can’t help but wonder. Does she want to know the pain her past self’s gone through? 

Perhaps, it’s best if she doesn’t seek out that memory. That memory… may bring pain to her, if she does seek it out. 

(Blood, metal, screams, her own throat growing hoarse and dry, a bloodied hand stretches and stretches and stretches, she hears some bones crack. 

Amnesia is an escape from the pain one cannot face, after all.)

She keeps walking, but then she’s reminded of the way Ruli looked at her.

Once so happy, now so… so shocked and scared. 

“I really wish you had not gotten involved, Ruru…. This is my burden alone, this is my responsibility.”

“I… I’ll make it up to you. Somehow.”

Right now, she needs to focus on the mission. Focus on the case. Oma will not win as they had that time. 

No, that… that messed up psychopath won’t get their way. She’s going to take them down one day. 

But right now?

Aliana must be stopped at all costs. 

“Solisamon!?” Hiro calls out as the group runs in the hallway. “Doko ni irunda!?”

“N-Niicha!” There she is! In Mummymon’s lab! 

The group immediately turns into the room, and the scene is… not pretty. 

His heart drops to his stomach. (More karma? No, this can’t be real.)

“Mummymon!” Hiro rushes over to one of his oldest Digimon friends, whose bandages have been ripped apart quite brutally as he lies down on the ground, wincing from the attack he has taken. That mon was not fooling around, fast and nimble too…!

Still, his mind is elsewhere. The scream, her scream, as that mon had.... “Aliana… they took her…” 

“Aliana?... Doshite?....” Who would want her and leave Solisamon? He knows the new organisation wants her, but did they have other objectives, or…

… Wait. 

Those taps, he’s noticed them. He’s thought it was some sort of weird tic, but he didn’t know, didn’t put the dots together after meeting Blues and hearing about how that (BEEP)ing deadbeat had- 

The door suddenly slams shut behind them, and the group’s heads swivel over as Kiyo rushes over and tries to push it open. 

It… doesn’t budge. 

Hiro actually throws a book at the wall, eyes burning in anger. Of all things… “KUSO! We didn’t see it!” What an idiot he’s been! 

Of course, having a Digivice, having a DIM card would mean she’s paired with someone. A partner, hiding in the shadows… One she’s been talking to while keeping them distracted, using those so-called tics. 

(BEEP)! For someone who’s the son of an inventor, he is a baka! 

“It is best if you all stay there. The doctor was not meant to get involved, but he just got too attached to her,” Mei’s voice calls out from her end of the door while she adjusts a cleaning cart to camouflage it from plain sight. There, no one should bother her now. “Oma is not going to play nice so stay out of this.”

“Meichi…” The discord and sorrow is practically covering Ruli's heart as she stammers this, and it’s enough to bring tears to Solisamon’s eyes. She can sense the pain from her… It’s too much. It’s too much!

(Why… can she hear a much deeper sob from beyond that door?)

From the other side, Mei can only turn her back on the door, whispering, “I… I can't lose you too…” 

Beside her, a black humanoid wolf with a high tech visor and a small ponytail to keep her hair up comes into view, standing at a height similar to Mei herself as she sports a grey two piece ninja outfit with bandages covering her biceps and hind legs. 

Shiramon looks at her. 

“You okay?” She asks.

She… She can only nod. This is not the time for pleasantries. “Heeki, desu. Right now, it’s time to get to business. Do you have…?”

Shiramon nods as she holds up a knocked out Aliana. “I hope this helps.”

Her mind is a storm, though. Every part is screaming no, no, no! Don’t do this, she’s had it rough too! Don’t make it worse! 

But all the same, Mei makes herself clear as she takes the kitten Digimon into her own arms. She’s not a HUGE fan of doing this, either, but there’s no more time! Soon Phase One will begin, and they can’t let it get worse!

It’s time to strike, to find out more about the issue, about Oma. 

As they walk away, though, it watches with a smile. 

Good, good, now it’s time to turn the tables. 

She’s trying to prevent it, but the dominos have been set out. 

Phase One WILL be a success. 

And the Omagatoki Program WILL be launched. 

“Why?! Won’t?! You?! Budge?!” Hiro all but growls at the door as he rams his shoulder onto it once more, only to wince at the pain that erupts as a response. Kuso, this is not the way to do it…!

“ANO YARO! LIAR! FALSE HOPE GIVER! I HOPE YOU BURY YOURSELF IN THE DITCHES!” Jellymon snarls, her tentacles already bursting with energy. She better hope that she doesn’t get her squishy fingers on her! 

Ruli’s been rocking herself back and forth, shaking as her tears percolate like rainfall. Of all the things… her own childhood friend, the one she had looked forward to seeing, had done all this? To get Aliana? Even with Angoramon’s gentle hugs and soothing words, it still hurts.

“Meichi… d-doshite… Why would you do this?! I could have helped you… You never had to change like this…” She should have known she would get people hurt…

“If only… if only that day, I had been with you…”

Hiro’s ears perk up slightly at that, but he doesn’t say anything. (Does he even have the right to do that?) “Solisamon! Can you use Battering Vortexes to make a portal for us?!”

Solisamon nods as she summons her sword, using the attack to try and create a vortex out. 

For a minute, his hopes soar when the vortex grows….

But it shatters for the n-th time when it shatters, unable to take the strain. 

“Gomen, niicha…” Solisamon mumbles. (Train. Then you’ll be useful to them. Only then will you finally mean something to them other than the carrier of Lumosmon.)

Hiro knows. He shouldn’t be upset, she’s trying her best, they’re all trying their best, though given the situation, he’s starting to think that this entire thing’s stressed him out much more than Hokuto’s disappearance had!

His feet begin to pace, his mind no longer there. If he steps on something or someone, he doesn’t notice. They’re trapped in this room. Who knows what Mei is planning to do to Aliana… Their only hope right now is Haneul.

Wait, what? 

“Nii chan?”

No, he can’t rely on Haneul. He’s already on thin ice, and for all they know he’s decided to go after Mei instead of helping them. He can’t trust Haneul, he can’t trust Ismaya, he can’t trust Mei, damn it, damn it, damn it! 

“Niichan?”

“Not now, Solisamon…” He has to get them out of here! He can’t-

“NIICHAN!!”

He jumps, and turns to her in surprise. She’s never raised her voice like that… 

“N-Nanda?” Why did he stammer? 

She points. 

His eyes follow to look at the window. 

His eyes widen. Of course! They had forgotten about the window! With that, they can go to the next room to escape! 

He can’t help but smile as he pats her head, making her giggle. “Good thinking!” He then grabs a nearby chair, ready to break the window open.

A bandaged hand stops him, and Mummymon moves forward, still gripping his abdomen in pain, as he undoes the latch, pulling it open so they can get out. 

Hiro can only smile sheepishly, carefully putting the chair down. “Ah, gomen…”

“It is nothing, though we must hurry.”

“We? Wari, Mummymon, but you’ll have to stay here. We’ll open the door for you on the other end and call for Clockmon.”

“Shikashi-”

“Leave it to us, Mummymon. We’ll get Aliana back, I promise.”

(Promises, promises, they echo in his mind with blood dripping down them.)

He pauses, but slowly nods. “... Kyoutsukete.”

“Ah, don’t worry.”

“You’re incredibly trigger happy today, Hiro,” Angoramon can’t help but remark as the group begins to climb out. 

“Am I?”

“You’re… not really yourself,” Kiyoshiro admits. “It is quite concerning.”

He goes quiet. “... Let’s focus on stopping Mei.”

The two share a confused glance, at how he’s acting, how he’s been acting for a while now. 

Is he… okay?

They don’t have time to think about it, though, as they finally reach the other room, rushing out so Angoramon can push the cart aside and unlock the door to the room they had been in. 

As they help Mummymon out, Hiro is actually starting to curse out the detective in his head. Where the (BEEP) is that guy when you need him?! 

Pumpmon hums as he steps out of the room his old friend’s in, a contented smile on his face. He’s truly happy that they’ve found their element here, even when they’re a patient here. 

Ooh, maybe he should introduce his friends to them one day! They’ve expressed that they want to meet his partner cause they helped him get help for them, so-

BANG! BANG! BANG! 

Pumpmon pauses. Where is that sound…

From… It’s from the storage room? Ahre? Did Betsumon lock himself up again?

He walks over and notices the latch’s locked, so he undoes it and opens the door. 

“MMPHM!” 

Candle lit eyes widen. “Friend!?”

Their wrists feel like (BEEP), and the gag around their mouth is making it hard to breathe, but it’s a good thing they had been able to shuffle to the door so they could kick at it. “Mphm… Mphhmm!”

“Ah, my head hurts…” another voice grumbles, the light and noise triggering him to get up as Blues’ vision starts coming in. What in the world? He had been grabbing-

Wait, where is he?

He sits up. His eyes look at Pumpmon, who’s still very much confused. “Why you here with friend?”

“Friend?” 

“Mphm!”

Suddenly, he’s much more awake. He sees it now.

He’s in the janitor room, and he’s not alone. There’s Haneul, tied and gagged up with rope burns around his wrists. And…

His stomach drops. His eyes widen even more. 

Haneul… slowly follows his eyes. 

The dim lighting, it reminds them of that time.

No. 

No. 

“MPHM!!!!”

Blues doesn’t waste time. He’s pulling at the rope, forcing them to come loose while Pumpmon’s doing the same for Haneul, allowing them to scramble over despite how tired, how weak they feel right now. “Jiji, no…! We need… to get them help… That (BEEP)ing (BEEP)...”

“I can take care of this. You go and deal with whoever did this to them. Something tells me that my cousin and the others are in danger.”

“I know, but-”

“Ugh… W-What’s the noise about…?”

Both their heads swivel over as Reiji coughs, but squints. “H-Haneul…?” 

They’re right beside them. Even when their neck muscles feel like crap, they can’t help but choke up. ”Jiji, we need to get you some medical attention! This is-”

“T-This isn’t as bad as the first time I got kidnapped…” They cough. “B-But that, that thing… I-It’s been keeping me here for days so they could use my appearance… I-Injected anaesthesia… and all that… They… want to take the energy of all the patients, for some… program of theirs…? They called it Omagatoki…”

Days?! It’s only been a week since the Trailmon race! 

“They’ve literally sedated you for that long?! You’re going to need rehab, Jiji…” Haneul knows how this works; their friend’s rants have drilled it into their head.

They can’t leave! Not again! “We need to do something about this!”

“I-It’s fine… Y-You need to save the patients… P-Please… I-If you’re here, i-it means that you… know, right?”

Blues’ head looks at Haneul. “You know who did this?”

“I… have a vague idea of what they are doing and how they’re infecting the patients… But it does mean that Hoshi’s in danger. That mon knows that she’s after them….”

“B-Baka, don’t be stupid, g-go stop them…” Reiji croaks.

They…

They can only shake their head, a small smile on their lips. Well, what did they expect, huh? “Always thinking for the patients, huh, Jiji?”

“T-This isn’t my first rodeo, a-and I… know that we’ve had our differences. D-Demo, you are a detective, s-so go do that, a-and we’ll do what we can here.”

K-Kuso, they hate it when Jiji’s right. 

They force themselves up, even when their body is screaming in pain. How long have they been in here?

Even when they have to hold onto a pillar, they look back as they grip the side of the door. “You… better make it, Jiji…”

“I-I… I will, Makua.”

(Their Digivice charges up a bit.)

Shiramon's ears perk up. She can hear a commotion nearby… Nurses screaming, beds being moved? Have the others broken out?

Yabai, this is not good! They have to get the intel NOW! 

“Mei, you may need to hurry up. I think they’ve escaped,” she warns her. “I’ll… I’ll try to buy you time.”

If Mei notices the pause, she does not mention it. “Alright, be careful, Shiramon.”

She nods, and slinks back into the shadows. 

(It hides the tears falling down her cheeks. I’m sorry… I’m so so sorry…)

“I know when someone is faking to be knocked out.” 

The ball shifts, and olive meets rose as Mei drops her onto the bed. 

CLACK!

The Child level knows that sound. She’s been working in the hospital for a while now. 

She’s locked in. She’s with this person, who she doesn’t even know, glaring at her as if she’s done something wrong to her. 

“Tell me. What does Oma want?” 

Oma? What is she… “I-I don’t know what you’re-”

“Usotsuke. You know EXACTLY what I’m talking about. All of you from Oma disgust me and it makes me want to throw up that you would lie to a doctor!”

“I-I don’t understand what you’re talking about!” she pleads. Does this human think that she’s, she’s DOING THIS to the patients?! “P-Please, can we talk this out? Mummymon-sensei needs to know-”

“Don’t try to act all sugary sweet!” She snaps. “I know Oma LOVES to mess with people’s minds! Just tell me what Phase One is about! NOW!” How can she act as if she’s innocent?! All the information tells her that she HAS to be the one! 

“I-I really don’t know what you’re talking about! I-I really want to stop this too…” She pleads. “O-Onegai… W-We can work this out together!”

“URUSAI! JUST TELL ME HOW TO STOP THIS, OR ELSE THERE WILL BE CONSEQUENCES!” She won’t let more victims fall, so even if she has to crack this Digimon’s skull open, she WILL!

(She’s had to suffer enough because of Oma. No way is she making others suffer the same pain.)

They’re running, slamming every door open. Where in the world are Mei and Aliana!? Heck, even Haneul showing up would be a blessing at this point! 

Watching from the shadows, she aims. Yoshi, yoshi… almost, there… 

Soko da! 

Angoramon's ears twitch slightly. Something’s coming! 

“Abunai!” He grabs Solisamon just in time. A bit of yellow fur falls to the ground while a kunai embeds itself into the wall behind her. That was a close one… 

Hiro tenses. He knew they would have to fight off Mei’s partner soon enough, but that was too close for comfort. 

“Ara, ara, that’s the first time someone’s actually dodged my attack.” To say she’s impressed is an understatement. And all this coming from a fluffy bunny… (Mei does NOT need to know THAT certain tidbit, though.) This day is just full of surprises, isn’t it?

“Grr…. Who are you, huh?!” Jellymon demands as the others slide into their battle stances. 

Behind her visor, gray eyes widen in shock as Solisamon summons her sword and joins the others. She’s definitely something special… Her visor is picking up some major readings!

She shakes her head. Not now. She has a job to do! “None of your concern. All you need to know is that you are staying here. Mei will… she’ll let Aliana go after we get the information we need.”

Angoramon’s ears perk up. Something about the way the Digimon says that… It’s intriguing. 

Still, it also helps him narrow down something important. “Solisamon, behind you!”

“Hai!” Solisamon swings her sword at the dark hallway to her right, only to cut through thin air. “Eh?!”

Way too close for comfort! He’s much more perceptive than she thought! 

That’s not the point, though, she reminds herself. She just needs to keep them here, until Mei’s gotten what she needs. 

She returns to the shadows, summoning several kunais before throwing them in various directions. Time to see how good they really are!

The group barely manages to dodge the kunais. The blades bounce from the wall in different directions, creating an endless rain of attacks as the humans duck into the closest room. Kiyo has to yank Ruli with them too. 

“Kuso! It’s toying with us!” Jellymon yells while moving out of the way of a kunai, using a tentacle to catch one that was aimed for the kids. “We need to figure out how to stop it!”

“The Digimon has full advantage in the shadows… If that’s the case, we need to bring it out into the open!” Hiro suggests. “Solisamon! Scatter Zaps at the empty hallway!” 

She nods, eyes still avoiding contact with Gammamon as she charges up her electricity into her horns and unleashes it as Hiro had told her to, lighting up the hallway for a brief time.

It catches Shiramon off guard, revealing where she is. 

“Gammamon! Horn Attack!” He follows up, and Gammamon rushes forward, ramming straight into the newly seen Digimon. 

Shiramon stumbles back before she vanishes into blue bits that trickle onto the ground. 

Hiro’s eyes widen. (A smile, bits flying in the wind.) 

He rushes out of the room. His hands are shaking, another one lost. (How can he make someone suffer through death as he had with Bokomon-sensei?)

As the others gather around the hallway, a shadow solidifies behind them. 

“Abunakatta…”  That was close. If she hadn’t made a clone, she would have been deleted…

It doesn’t matter anymore. She’s got the advantage now, and she’s not about to lose it!

Her hand moves to throw another kunai, only for an axe to come slamming down as yellow eyes look at her. 

Everyone’s head swivel over in surprise. What in the- She’s ALIVE?!

“What the heck did you guys get into?!” Haneul snarks as they rush over, even when their head still pounds like they’ve been hit by ten punches. “And who’s this?! They’re not the Digimon I saw!”

“That’s Hoshi’s Digimon partner! That brat’s got a Digivice, and she’s kidnapped Aliana!” Jellymon growls. 

But Hiro catches on to what exactly they had said. “What do you mean, it’s not the Digimon you saw?”

Haneul is about to answer him, but Pumpmon is straining under the attack, so they command, “Tai Atari onto their stomach, Pump!” 

“Ryokai!” He jumps back slightly and punches her with his right fist. For a Puppet Digimon he DOES pack a punch, sending the startled Shiramon back. 

“Heh, I’m not about to lose my touch because of a ragdoll!” she rushes into battle again, kunai meeting axe. 

Pump jumps back once more, and turns over, yelling, “Friend, go find Aliana! Hurry!”

Hiro notices Haneul’s eyes… flicker a bit, but soon they harden. “Wakatta.” 

They turn to the others. “Someone else is the one behind the cases here. You said Hoshi took Aliana?”

“And trapped us after hurting Mummymon,” Angoramon agrees, but everyone is suddenly very aware of… 

They shake their head, pulling their jacket sleeves down to cover them. “The one who kidnapped me is helped by those small Digimon I had seen with Troopmon. They plan on siphoning all of that energy off the patients, but since Hoshi’s been messing with them, they may want to get rid of her first!” 

That’s all Ruli needs to snap out of her fugue. She had seen those things too! “NANDATE?! We have to find Meichi then!!”

Kiyo nods. “I-If those things are really here, a-and this Digimon was protecting this area, it must mean that Hoshi-san is here!”

“Alright, no time to waste!” Haneul slides under a stray kunai before the group passes through.

Please… Please, let them not be too late!

“Tell me. Or else, I will really not hold back.” Mei’s tone is getting colder. Aliana still refuses to tell her anything about Oma! She must be quite the devoted spy… 

“P-please, I honestly don't know what you are talking about!” The cat digimon pleads, her paws covering her ears as her body trembles. Why does she keep on insisting she’s some sort of spy?!

Mei grits her teeth. Of all the… Why is she still playing dumb? The act of amnesia is way too obvious, her appearance is tied to the patient zero… It has to be her! Who else matches the data?! She’s scoured the entire database! Only Aliana fits the description! 

The door then suddenly unlocks, and the two turn over to see… Blues walking in. 

“Ah, Hoshi-san! It is good to see you out of bed. I assume your symptoms have cleared?” He asks. 

She nods. “Hai, I think that I’m ready to be discharged now. In fact, I was discussing it with Aliana over here.”

He raises an eyebrow, and looks over at her. 

Aliana freezes up. Mei’s grip on her is tight enough that she can tell. There’s… fear in how she reacts; what she’s been doing so far, acting as if she’s some sort of innocent creature. 

But her words are what confuse her, deeply. 

“Y-You’re… not Blues-sensei… Y-You’re…” Bad vibes, bad vibes, BAD VIBES! (PAIN PAIN PAIN, HE REFUSES TO LISTEN!) 

She’s squirming, and she actually turns to Mei. 

The fear in those eyes, it’s…

(She looks at the mirror every day, ever since that fateful moment that changed her life.

The first few days… the guilt, the fear, the sheer confusion of not getting what happened but being scared of it…)

It’s real. It’s real. 

“H-He’s not Blues-sensei! He’s…”

“The one behind all this? Who set up the trap that you fell for, Hoshi Mei?” 

Her eyes widen.

That is NOT his voice. 

Her head swivels over, and the metal reflects. 

He lunges-

Only for a hand to grab his arm and yank it back, forcing him to drop the scalpel as Haneul punches him in the stomach. “THAT’S FOR WHAT YOU DID TO JIJI!”

The ‘doctor’ stumbles back. Hiro’s voice rings out, “BreaClaw!”

Gammamon complies, his claws glowing as he swipes at the doctor, making him scream.

The thing… the thing’s façade fades before their very eyes, Mei’s orbs widening by the second. What…?

Aliana’s shaking is growing too, and Mei drops her by reflex, allowing Kiyo to catch her in his palms. “D-Daijoubu, Aliana-chan?”

She looks up, and she can’t help it. Tears begin falling as she tackles Kiyo’s shoulder, sniffling, “I-I really didn’t do anything! I-I would never hurt the patients! I-I don’t even know what Oma is!”

He doesn’t know who Oma is, but it’s hard not to understand what happened to make her feel this way. 

But…. 

He just pats her head, rubbing her back. “Arigatou na, Aliana-chan. You’ve fought really hard.”

(English echoes in his head. To be accused of things he didn’t do just for being Japanese… 

It’s really surprising how closeminded people are, in the land of ‘freedom’.)

“Meichi! Are you okay?!” Ruli’s frantically checking her over, but Mei pushes her aside. “WHAT IS GOING ON HERE?!”

“That’s Metamormon! A Ultimate Level Digimon that can copy the attacks of their opponents and make it stronger when used back at them!” Angoramon calls out.

“And by the looks of it, it’s been altered too…” Hiro agrees. “Like those Dobermon, Lunamon and Troopmon.”

“Did you really believe this kitten could be working for my master?” A crazed laugh echoes as the thing leers at them, its long neck pulling back closer to its body. “It’s honestly pathetic! Although it was exactly what I wanted you to believe!” 

“Wait, then what did you do to Blues!? Why were you pretending to be him?!” Hiro snarls, and the sheer force of it makes Gammamon look up in surprise. 

Beady eyes turn to them, and its head moves upwards to look at Mei. “It wasn’t me who knocked him out. I was just as surprised when I saw the extra body in the storage room.” 

“Now that I think about it, when I came to, he was already there, but he wasn’t tied up…” it hits Haneul as they turn to Mei. “Your Digimon partner…”

Mei’s mind is spiraling right now. She was…

She was wrong? Her entire plan, it had been…

She had fallen into a trap?

“I’m surprised you didn’t put two and two together.” It laughs. “But oh well, things have gone our way anyway!” 

And all around the hospital, screams are heard as small… things fly out of each room, coalescing into Metamormon, who slams a fist into the nearby window and flies out. 

She snaps out of it. NO! SHE WON’T LET IT GET AWAY! 

“MATTE!” Mei roars, her feet moving faster than she can think as she rushes to follow the Digimon, only for Hiro to stop her. “What are you doing?! Metamormon is getting away!”

“I know that! Which is why we need a plan!” he yells back. “If he can copy the abilities of his opponents, we need to know how to fight back!”

“We should go after the mon first, then! We can figure out a plan as we go!” Angoramon suggests. 

“Exactly! So hurry up or I’ll leave you behind!” She pushes Hiro aside as she rushes for the stairs. 

Haneul is about to chase after her, but they grunt as they nearly fall over. The adrenaline rush’s gone stale. They can’t… “I need to get some rest, those small things really did a number on me…”

“It’s okay! Thanks for showing up, Haneul!” Jellymon reassures. “Leave it to us to take this stupid thing down!”

Haneul takes a sharp breath. They… know that they shouldn’t. 

And yet, they find themselves, nodding along. (Is it weird… that they feel like they can trust them?)  “Keep an eye on Hoshi.”

“Will do,” Hiro promises, but something about the look in his eyes… makes Haneul frown as the others run off. They can’t help but wonder… just what kind of relationship Hiro has with his family…

(Is it as bad as theirs with the Daikis?)

Pumpmon swings his axe at her once more and sends her back a few, even as the hallway begins to get more damaged. 

Shiramon grunts. This is ridiculous! She needs to go back and help Mei! “Stand down! I’m not here to hurt you!”

“You hurt my friends! And you’re looking for the wrong mon!” He argues back. 

“What do you MEAN by that?!” (For a minute, she dares to hope. That there is evidence of it being someone else that’s not her.)

“Friend got tied up in closet with nurse friend because of fake human!” 

(It’s…. So much worse than she expected.)

Her stomach drops. 

Wait, fake human?

Now that she thinks about it… When she found the closet, it had… she had sworn she had sensed another body in there, but she hadn’t thought much about it.

And nurse friend? She vaguely recalls there was a nurse who would do their rounds after Mummymon… Some intersex guy named Arima Reiji… They had been seen around here even though officially they were from another branch, but back then, they had focused on new arrivals. 

… No. 

No, it can’t be. They had…

Her grip on her kunai slackens. No, she had… hurt… all because of… she had….

“We need to stop fake human! It’s not too late!” Pumpmon pleads.

Shiramon bites her lip. No, get it together, Shiramon! This is just a ruse! 

Right?

“Shiramon!” 

Her head swivels around to see Mei running towards the staircase.

“We’ve been fooled! We need to go to the rooftop!”

(Her mind shatters.)

It’s a heavy pill to swallow, but…

It wasn’t a ruse.

They really had gone for the wrong mon. They had dismissed it, thought that there was no way Oma would try to pretend to be a human. 

She…

She needs to make up for it. 

With one kick, Pumpmon’s sent to the wall, and she uses her kunais to keep him there. “Matte, Mei!”

Pumpmon’s struck, though. That look in her eyes…. 

Why is she… sad? 

“More! More! Soon, we’ll have enough to start Phase One!” Once more, they have taken the looks of Arima Reiji as they look over the city, with all the crimson data gathering around it. It’s honestly a bit scary how deluded they look, but a door slamming open makes them turn around to see Mei panting. 

Still, her eyes hold fire in them. “Shiramon, let’s end this fool!”

“With pleasure!” The wolf digimon growls at Metamormon. The sorrow, it’s become fuel for her to take this mon down, to make him PAY! TO MAKE HIM SUFFER! 

(Something… glows on her bicep.)

Mei’s own anger has only just started burning. She can’t believe she was so blinded, too focused on Aliana that she dismissed the possibility of there being a second suspect! The clues were all there, and yet she had fallen for their trap! The trap of those who had taken away something that she can never get back! 

(A house, once full of life, now an apartment with only a few whispers.)

The two share a glance and nod. 

Our pain is what connects us. 

To strike down the darkness known as Oma, bringing justice and hope to those who need it, we will walk in the shadows. 

We will protect the happiness Oma threatens to steal! NO MATTER WHAT!

Metamormon can only smile, and those black eyes glow white as it suddenly rushes at Shiramon, summoning kunais and swinging them back at her. 

She barely dodges. “How is it-”

Her visor comes to life, and she can’t help but grit her teeth. Oh that’s bad, that’s REALLY bad… “Mei, Metamormon’s copied my moveset!”

That is NOT good! Mei bites her lip as Shiramon tries to counter, only for a bunch of Metamormon clones to strike her, making her crash into a pillar. Kuso! 

“Do you see it now? It is futile to struggle!” a voice laughs, and a swarm of little… keycaps fly over to stand on Metamormon’s side. 

“Those are… I don’t know those Digimon!” Angoramon’s voice makes the two turn to see the trio and their partners rushing to join her. 

But Ruli and Kiyo are squinting. What Haneul had told them comes into mind, and Kiyo gasps. “T-Those are the things we saw on Troopmon!”

“Ahre? So you saw us back then, huh? Well, too bad it will be the last thing you SEE!”

Metamormon launches more kunais at them, but Solisamon’s reflexes kick in as she steps forward and swats them away with one swing. Teal eyes are narrowed while she slides back into her battle stance. How dare they hurt Solisamon’s friends!

“Who are you?!” Hiro demands. 

“We’re Qwermon! Footsoldiers of Oma!” It’s said with such a creepy unison that all of them can’t help but feel the shivers go down their spine. 

“We have finally, FINALLY, put everything together! Soon, we will break the first lock on Endbringer-sama!” Metamormon joins in with a crazed grin.

Hiro feels dread pooling. So… the organisation that wants to bring the Endbringer back, is called Oma… And… they’re the reason this is happening, and… 

And Mei had known, it hits him. 

But how?

“As if we’ll let you do that! Spiral Lariat!” Ruli yells out.

Angoramon unleashes his Double Lariat on Metamormon, but they dodge, only for Jellymon to kick it in the face. “Take THAT!”

That is a clever strategy, Mei will give them credit for that. Metamormon may be able to copy their moves, but combos are a different case since they involve two mons.

If that’s the case! “Sync Clones!” Mei orders. In the blink of an eye, there are four Shiramon besides her. Time to see, how will he fare against four attacks at once?!

“Four Shiramon?!” Solisamon rubs her eyes a few times. Is she seeing things?!

It makes GulusGammamon chuckle a bit. She must have forgotten that the wolf had used the same strategy with that little ‘death’ trick. 

It’s so dumb, and yet… (He remembers, she used to be like this. 

Had he turned her into something else, after that fateful day?)

“Kunai Storm!”

Each Shiramon compiles, unleashing a storm of kunai down upon Metamormon.

A few of the Qwermon immediately take off. Their master would be upset about not completing it as they should, but the data they’ve gathered is too precious to lose.

It shows its side effects when a Kunai Strike barely hits, and Mei yells, “We need to get those Qwermon off them! They’re powering them as is, so getting rid of them-”

“-will weaken him!” Hiro understands. Of course! Cut off the energy source so that the machine will lose power! 

“We need wind! So Double Lariat!” Ruli commands, and Angoramon nods as he spins and blasts wind right at the Metamormon to make them scatter, but then the rest of the Qwermons…

They, they EMBED themselves into the body, and it lurches and twists and SCREAMS as it reverts back to its original form, growing small screens and wires all over its body before its beady eyes glow red. 

“Kunai Lariat!” 

It’s too fast for them to process. The kunais fly and rush at them, spinning at rapid speed, Shiramon and Angoramon rushing. 

They have to protect the girls!

Mei sees it in her eyes. The blood, the screams, the laughs… 

Is this… Is this the end?

… No. 

(She’s made a promise that day. She won’t turn her back on it.)

This isn’t the end. 

She won’t lose here! 

SHE WILL AVENGE THE PAIN AND MAKE HER PEACE! 

(But will that path… lead only to destruction and pain?)

Her Digivice charges up, the meter seeming to spin as the heart beats once, twice, thrice…

It’s not completely full yet, but it’s enough. It’s what they need. 

“KUNAI STORM!” she commands back, and the force Shiramon exerts as she throws her own kunais at the copycat, she knows it’s something new. 

Is this… the true power of these Digivices?

The kunais seem to battle in the air, but it’s clear; the real deal slices through the fakes like butter, soaring straight for Metamormon, or… whatever it is… 

“M-Masaka! This is… impossible!” How had they… How had they gotten so much stronger?!

“You tricked me and nearly made me harm an innocent… you harmed people all for the benefit of that trash of an organisation. But worse of all, you made me doubt myself and clouded my judgement!” Mei is going to make this digimon pay ten fold for what they’ve done!

“Impossible is a word I don't recognize!” Shiramon growls. This guy is going to regret ever associating with Oma! 

“Kunai Strike!” 

Shiramon’s kunai glows, and so do the other three’s Digivices.

The Qwermon disperse, leaving Metamormon to take all the damage as he stumbles back, the kunai deep, deep in….

But.

It’s exactly what they wanted. 

The body bursts into blood red bits, and these particles begin to fly up, slowly swirling to form a tornado that pierces the clouds above. 

Everyone can only watch in morbid horror as the Qwermons grin at them. 

“Thank you for making our job easier~” One of them mocks, but even if the group wants to chase after them? 

They can’t. 

From inside, Haneul and Blues are helping a patched up Mummymon lie beside Reiji when they notice how the… the air seems to have changed. No more screams, yes, but…

All around town, nay, the world, it can be felt; a shift in data, a shift in how the world works. The laws governing the human realm…

They’re about to change, drastically. 

Though, how, exactly?

Well, it’s a horrifying thought to consider.

“... These are a lot of papers.”

“You seem to believe that you can walk off scot free for faking your illness,” Haneul says with a dark smile. Honestly, it’s a very darkly humorous situation, Mei supposes. “And for causing a mess in the hospital.”

“You have saved the patients, so you have our gratitude, as always, Hiro,” Mummymon says, to which he answers, “Ah, it’s fine, Mummymon. We’re just glad we can help!”

Blues keeps his eyes on his cousin (it may be a bit of a stink eye), but he can’t help the small smile on his face. Despite their callous methods, the doctor has to admit that it had worked out. 

He just…

He turns to look at the weak but still conscious nurse now on the bed, watching all this with their bed somewhat upright. 

It’s, something about the way this entire thing has unfurled makes him queasy. 

He knows, that people rarely acknowledge those like Reiji, whose gender slaps into the face of society that it’s not just black and white, male and female, but to think it had evolved into malicious intent, of someone USING the fact that they’re intersex and rarely acknowledged in the system to do all this…

He’s always counted his blessings. He knows suffering. 

But often times, for people like Reiji? They’re seen as defects, and it sickens him that they have gotten so hurt in all this. 

“Arima Reiji, na?” He speaks to them, and the nurse looks over. “Hai, Blues-sensei?”

The others have paused, and are soon privy to the scene of Blues bowing deeply to them. “I am truly sorry you had to spend so long without no one noticing you. I cannot describe the shame I feel upon not realising anything sooner.”

Reiji pauses, but shakes their head. “I like to think that… well, it’s futile to think about the past.”

Here they meet eyes with Haneul, and they… have a small smile. 

Haneul smiles back. 

“So don’t worry. I became a nurse to help people, not to hold grudges,” they say to Blues.

Then they… pause, and purse their lips. “All the same, there is something… worrying I do need to admit.”

“Nanda?” 

“That…. You called it a Metamormon right?”

A slow nod. “Hai, what of it?”

“Well…”

“I must say, that was quite the heist you pulled!” 

 

“Thank you, Master! We are very pleased to be able to bring Phase One to fruition!” The rest of the Qwermon bow to the figure. 

 

They only chuckle, turning their swivel chair around to look at the monitor in front of them. A bar is being filled…

 

“I suppose… that it is time to feed you, huh?”

 

After all… 

 

Phase One, it is finally in the air.

 

Surely you didn’t think they sought to turn flesh into data, right?

 

No. 

 

They sought out INFORMATION, and they’ve gotten the information they needed, from the patients’ arms. 

“... I think they were planning on using his body as some sort of database, a… motherboard?” 

That strikes a nerve with Mei. No, it can’t be… Phase One, what they were doing to the humans… 

It clicks. The blood red data… The PAIN they were inflicting… 

It had gone to the sky. That can only mean one thing.

Mei’s head swivels over. “Check. NOW!”

Kiyo goes on his laptop, combing through the best he can. The keyboard is subjected to much more vigorous typing…

Until they find it. 

A nearby satellite allowing for public usage has found a new object, and it’s one that makes Mei turn to Hiro, her face growing serious. “I know we do not know each other well, but… this is far more dangerous than any of us anticipated.”

GulusGammamon’s back, and his eyes widen. His claws grip his other shoulder. 

No. No no no… (Why now?)

Hiro frowns. “What is it?”

“That thing,” she gestures to what seems to be an orange moon. “... is Oma’s magnum opus. I’ve heard rumours of it, but…”

“... What is it?”

“... From my data collecting? It’s called the Omagatoki Program.”

Everyone shares a glance. 

“The… Omagatoki program…” Hiro repeats. 

“I can help you with this threat. Please.”

He looks at her. 

He looks at the others. Kiyo is frowning. Haneul is not meeting his eyes. 

But Ruli’s… It’s set. It’s been set for a while now. 

He turns to Mei fully. “One promise. That is all I ask of you.”

She raises an eyebrow. 

“Please don’t hurt Ruli. Or I might not hold back.”

That line, somehow it’s enough to make Mei blink at him. Huh. He could deliver such a line with lack of expression? That was impressive, she’ll give him that. 

Though, it is completely unnecessary. “I promise.” She never wants to see Ruru get hurt again because of her. 

Hiro looks at the others. They’re staring at him as if he’s grown a dragon head. 

But she is a powerful ally. He can’t deny that, so maybe… they can compromise. “Ruli, Senpai, Haneul-san?”

The three share a glance, but Haneul and Kiyoshirou already know that they had lost it. Her eyes say it all. 

So Haneul grunts. “You will not be allowed to do as you please. And you will have to pay for what you’ve done to Jiji.”

The other two have no interjections, and Pumpmon seems to be curious about Shiramon, so he counts the caveat given as a decent deal. 

Hiro holds his hand out. “Welcome aboard.”

(Is he signing a deal with Pandora’s box? Why is he signing a deal with the one Touchan chose?

Does he even matter to Hokuto? Does he even LOVE him?)

Mei nods, but her mind is elsewhere, of blood and laughs and rubble. 

(When will they stop their echo?)

Omoi (whoa whoaaa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whooooaaaaoooo)

Passing by the pictures of

A life once lived.

Happiness, peace, love all abound. 

Yet I could only watch as it burst into flames… Woahhhh…

The souls of the lost sing out their sorrows,

Yet even in darkness,

A light shall shine through.

The small glimpses of past,

Those little smiles, ohh…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last.

From all the things we’ve been through,

Thank you… dear friend…

Your kindness abound,

Even through the darkest times.

The sorrowful smiles

Still give me some hope,

For I know, that you have my back.

Lifting me up when I’m falling down… to zero…

The abyss may seem like a welcoming home.

The tears may never stop,

But then I see you,

And I remember,

And I hold onto those memories… Those bonds…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last. 

From all the things we’ve been through,

The dark… the light…

Ohhh, the memories, the bonds will never go,

As long as we both hold onto these small balls,

Exuding out its wonderful light,

Ohhh…

Thank you, dear friend… 

Chapter Text

Reppamon hops from roof to roof, scouting out the layout. Angoramon’s been making sure everyone is on guard because of the new threat. Apparently they’re small little mons that look like those keys on a computer? He doesn’t know much, but he’s going to keep an eye out. 

 

He sighs. That aside, he hopes Ruli and the others are fine. They have been way too busy lately, and with this new threat in town, he’s worried they’ll overwork themselves. 

 

Well, regardless, all they can do is support them the best they can. 

 

“NOOO!”

 

His ears perk up. Ken begins vibrating. “Oi, you heard that right?”

 

“Ah!” He turns on his heel and bounds forward as fast as he can. 

 

The cries come from a park, and he barely avoids the large shadow that jumps into the sky, but Ken takes the chance to slice onto its left hind leg. 

 

A loud roar is heard, and a small voice curses, “GET OUT OF HERE, KYUKIMON!”

 

“N-No, l-leave me alone!!” That voice! No way!

 

“Ken! Don’t attack again! That’s Frimon!” he yells at his tail, who snaps, “WHAT DO YOU MEAN?! That kid is TINY, and this one is…” He even vaguely waves to the gigantic figure in front of them. 

 

“Tch, MOVE BEFORE WE GET CAUGHT!” the small voice screams, and bright red lightning dances around the Kyukimon, making the poor thing wail as it jumps away. 

 

“F-FRIMON!” another small voice calls out, and he rushes over to the edge to see a distraught Baby Digimon sobbing, tears falling down her small face onto the grassy ground. 

 

That’s a Kyaromon…! He remembers Quartzmon mentioning they recently found a new Baby Digimon, and it’s easy to tell. 

 

After all, not a lot of Kyaromon have a scarf coloured like the galaxy… 

 

He hops down, slowly approaching her.

 

She cowers. “D-Don’t come near…”

 

“It’s okay, it’s okay. I’m not going to hurt you,” he reassures her.

 

She pauses, but she slowly inches closer. 

 

“Is it okay if I take you to a hospital? You seem quite injured,” he asks, noticing the few scuffs and cuts she’s gotten. 

 

She pauses, and looks at him slowly. 

 

“I’m a friend of Quartzmon’s, don’t worry,” he says. “Please, you don’t look the best.”

 

Hesitation flickers in her eyes, but…

 

She looks up, and nods. 

 

He smiles a bit, “Alright, I am going to pick you up for a bit. It may sting, but soon enough we’ll be at the hospital.”

 

Another nod, so he gently picks her up, making sure to avoid using teeth the best he can, before he sets her down on his back. Alright, time to go. 

 

As he hops back up, the moon reflects off the scarf, and a shimmer echoes slightly. 

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove, 

A quiet breeze shaking up. 

You can’t find backup, 

The darkness beckons, 

Here it is, the Doom of all (the doom of all), 

As we fall, fall, fall… 

Trouble is only a mile away, 

Even when we run! 

Your soulful melody echoes, 

Laughing from beyond the grave. 

Fingers fly, the screens come alive! 

The database is wide open, 

Counting up the souls found, 

Nurturing the tools needed, 

Gathering the team up! 

You can’t find anyone in this forsaken world, 

You just gotta keep on 

running and running

even if it’s trouble from a mile away! 

Tick tock tick tock,

Omagatoki ga kita! 

The sun goes down,

the game has begun. 

The game of ghosts, 

the countdown is here! 

Don’t turn back, 

or you’ll miss your chance! 

Light and darkness clash eternally! 

(the grey stains in, it's witching hour time!)

No, no, no, revv yourselves up! (Revv yourselves up!) 

It's about... to get ugly! (To get ugly!) 

Steel your resolve, young of heart! 

The dance goes on 

The darkness approaches 

Take a deep breath (take a deep breath) 

Are you ready (are you ready) 

To dive into this Ghost game?! 

The body count flies up 

the stakes grow higher, 

But do you run ahead, 

When the chains pull you back?

Don’t look back, 

Or the darkness will catch up! 

Your past, your present, your future, 

All of it comes to play! 

This game will never end, 

Let not the evil take you down! 

You’re not as weak or strong as you think, 

Oh, young child, the right path's ahead! 

Fight your way to the end, 

Put trust in your friends!

Let the fire, burn bright! (yeahh!)

Ready for the witching hour? 

Trouble is just a mile away

“Handcuffs huh? If it is about Shiramon beating your partner up, then accept my apologies already!” Mei grunts while yanking at the handcuffs on her wrists, olive green eyes cutting through the orange orbs of the detective. It’s barely nine in the morning and she’s had to apologise fifteen times! Come on, give her a break!  

She's not the only one. Her partner can sense the eyes of the other digimon, none wanting a repeat of their previous fight, even though Pumpmon seems a bit more… curious about her. 

“You honestly think that we can trust you? You could have gotten us, if not yourself, killed back there!” Haneul snaps. This girl is lucky that Haneul is not locking her up. They’re definitely the more lenient of the two detectives, especially with how she’s made contact with Hokuto.

They NEED that information. But it doesn't mean she can do as she pleases. 

“That is why I wanted to tackle the issue on our own. That way, if things did turn bad, we would be the only ones hurt,” she answers. 

Haneul sputters. “DO YOU NOT HAVE A REGARD FOR YOUR OWN LIFE!? ANGORAMON SAID THAT RULI CRIED HERSELF TO SLEEP LAST NIGHT!”

Angoramon just nods. The stinging betrayal is pretty much the same amount of pain inflicted by a bee sting; a feeling he understands all too well. “I do think you owe her an apology, or, if you are too stubborn about it, an explanation at least.”

“I owe you NOTHING,” is what he gets in return, and Haneul really needs to keep their temper in check. This is WAY too much for them. 

As tensions escalate on one side of the room, Shiramon blinks upon feeling someone poke her slightly. 

She turns, and Pumpmon holds out a small wrapped candy. “Sorry for hurting you yesterday… Can we be friends?”

Her eyes widen, but she laughs a bit, and takes it. Maybe she’ll give some to the babies.

That aside…. “You reacted in self defense. Don’t apologise for that, Pumpmon.”

His yellow pupils widen, a smile forming on his face. “So…. nakama?”

She smiles back, and from across the room, Angoramon notices, it’s almost shy. “Yup, we’re nakama.”

(That’s… cute.)

At least those two are burying the hatchet, which is odd since their humans are doing the exact opposite.  Haneul and Mei are acting as if they’re related, but estranged siblings. 

“Shiramon is fluffy!” 

Then all of their attention is aimed towards Solisamon, who’s snuggling against Shiramon's tail, using it like a pillow.

“Please refrain from doing this…” Shiramon shifts. She’s not at all comfortable with newcomers touching her tail. She may be a mother, but she has boundaries for a reason. How has no one taught this child personal space?

“You roughed her up pretty bad. I think the least you could do is let her rest on your tail.” Hiro’s words compounded with his glare does make Shiramon feel a bit guilty, just enough to indulge the oni child.

It still sucks. She had just washed her fur too… Looks like she’ll need another one, with how easily things get stuck onto it.

That slime from a month ago took ages to rinse out, and she still shivers at how disgusting it felt, not to mention the smell, to this day. 

“Whatever,” Jellymon says with a rough sigh. “But still, that was NOT cool! If we’re going to be working together, we need more of a guarantee that you won’t betray us like what you did to Ruli.”

“She’s a close friend of ours, and it was not fun to see her cry like she had,” Hiro agrees with a frown. 

“Is it really because of that? Or do you have your own a-” She’s cut off by a look that, well, actually surprises her from the one who had caused a train mess in Tokyo. 

It’s like she’s staring down a pit of fire. One that seems to warn, Step here and you’re TOAST.

It’s enough to catch her off guard, so she doesn’t finish her sentence. 

She doesn’t have to, either.

RING RING! 

He looks at his phone, pauses, looks at Mei and Haneul with a pensive glance, but soon enough, he steps out. 

It seems like Ruli has two older brothers looking after her now. It almost brings a smile to Mei's face. Good to know that she has good people backing her up.

… She’s stalling, isn’t she? 

Her head turns to her childhood friend, who... hasn't talked to anyone since she got there. 

Well, she... supposes there is no time like the present. 

“Look, Ruli…” Mei turns over to her. She knew that this apology has to happen, though how is it this hard?!

The words take a while to form, but soon enough... “I… I am really sorry, the last thing I wanted was to hurt you, though I somehow still did.”

She should have kept in contact. Maybe that way, she could have prevented all this. The last thing she ever wanted was her childhood friend to get involved in this Oma mess.

“Is this related to…” Ruli trails off as Mei only nods, confirming her suspicions. She does not want her reasons to be known. Not with this detective around. It’s a chip she would rather not be used against her. 

Haneul raises an eyebrow, but they… they sense something. Something off about how she acts, something about how she does things, that reminds them of… of Jiji after they were… 

They shake their head. Whatever. “Regardless, you’re lucky. Really lucky no one died because of your recklessness.”

“Alright then…” Meanwhile, Ruli understands Mei's reasoning. After all, even she remembers that day in cold sweat.

She does worry that Meichi may get in more trouble, though, (Or would SHE be the one getting others in trouble?)

“Does that mean no more handcuffs?” Mei rubs her poor wrists as she gets up. It takes a while to pick the handcuffs with a paperclip, and boy does it hurt! The only saving grace was the fact that no one was paying attention to her hands. 

Haneul’s mind is trying not to break down right now. They thought that the only trouble maker was Hiro, but now it’s clear. The biggest threat is Hoshi Mei, and they will need to keep a close eye on her most of all. Not to mention Shiramon, who’s starting to interact with Pumpmon. They will NOT let her break his heart with false promises and fake smiles.

(The Daikis had done that enough.)

Hiro chooses that moment to return, a frown on his face. 

"What's wrong, Hiro?" Ruli asks. 

“It was from Blues…” he admits softly. 

“Was it about Metamormon? Or was it about Solisamon’s results?” Haneul asks. 

“I hope it’s not about Aliana… She was really scared…” Angoramon mumbles. Mummymon had looked ready to destroy the two, so they were lucky that he did not have his gun.

Mei and Shiramon look ashamed at that. It wasn’t one of their best moments… 

Haneul can’t help but notice something about Shiramon’s body language, though, as if the shame is much stronger when Aliana is brought up. 

They raise an eyebrow, but stay silent when they see Mei focused elsewhere. Looks like both of them are keeping secrets from each other.

.... Curious. 

The trip to the hospital has no chatter in between. All of them are too wrapped up in their worries to make a sound. In their minds, they’re hoping that it is only about the results; the last ordeal is still taking time to process, so they don’t know if they can handle more Oma nonsense.

Shiramon does not seem too keen on returning either. She honestly still feels shivers from Mummymon's cold glare; he’s made it clear that she is no longer welcome.

Not that she can blame him. Who wouldn't be mad? She had harmed his dear patient. In his place, she would do the same.

She can only hope that she can make up for this. If not, may Aliana forgive her…

“Is it a really good idea for us to bring them here?” Jellymon asks. “What if they do it again?”

“You mean tunnel vision their way through a case? Yeah, maybe, but this time we’re with them to ensure they don’t.”

“Says the one who caused a train mess,” Mei instinctively snarks back at Hiro, who looks a bit surprised by her words. “What? You thought we didn’t know you were the one to suggest it?”

“If you’re pretty much a stalker, then please tone it down. It’s already traumatised someone,” Hiro snaps back. He does not have time to be slapped with his own mistakes, thank you very much. “For your information, Mummymon is a dear friend of mine and you had not been the kindest to him.”

“W-What even led you to think Aliana was the mole, Hoshi-san…?” Kiyoshiro asks. It's been on his mind for a while and all that. 

“The case details told us that the mole is a digimon that had recently become a patient at Toei University Hospital. The amnesia story seemed too suspicious, especially since cases began right after her arrival.” That is what led her to see Aliana as the prime suspect.

Now she wishes she had done a bit more investigating. They nearly arrested an innocent digimon, falling for the enemy’s tricks and allowing someone to become dehydrated for DAYS. If the others had not stopped Metamormon from attacking her…..

No, the others had instead protected her. Together they had managed to stop that monster, foiling whatever Oma had planned, leading them to join this group even though they had not stopped the launch of whatever Phase One is. 

(But why HAD they joined?)

It could have been so much worse, all due to her lack of focus and believing there could be only one suspect.

That undead doctor has every right to be upset with her. 

(She wonders if they’re upset with her too. She can’t blame them.)

They soon arrive at the lab. While at first Mummymon is calm, the moment the doctor sees the newest additions, he gives them the coldest glare while a hand covers Aliana as a means to protect her.

Blues holds the doctor back, understanding his rage since he himself has a bit of rage for them. Their actions could have made things much, much worse.  The patients’ conditions could have become fatal, and that nurse from a different branch could have died; there is a reason anesthesia is not recommended on some counts. 

All could have been prevented if they had just been informed . 

“I-It’s okay…” Aliana reassures, trying to be as brave as possible but failing miserably with the stuttering.

Mummymon lets out a growl. Before the incident, she could at least talk to Mummymon without issues. Now she can’t go one sentence without stuttering or acting timid.

It’s another reason Mummymon is still distrusting; it had taken a long time to get this mysterious kitten digimon to open up, yet now her mental health has been damaged all because one person decided to take action without thinking about the long-term consequences! 

Shiramon can only look down. She wishes she hadn’t been so fast to trust Mei’s judgement, because now… now it hurts to look at her. (But is she even the same now? She doesn’t know, but it HURTS to see her so happy, and be part of the reason she lost it.)

“Gomen, Mummymon. You guys called us, right?” Hiro snaps them all back to attention, and the two doctors get themselves more organised as Mummymon nods. “Come, follow me.”

Mei is about to make a move to join, but Shiramon’s arm reaches out to stop her. She looks back in surprise, until she follows her eye line and sees Blues glaring at them very openly. 

She’ll have to rely on what Shiramon can get then. Normally she could ask her to sneak in and eavesdrop but something about the way she’s looking at her makes her pause. 

… she supposes they’ll get more information another way. 

She just walks away, unaware of how Ruli looks back slightly, a frown on her face. 

Even if she’s still hurt about what she had done, it’s clear that Mei’s mess up is making things hard for her… It will definitely take a while before she can become a true member of this group.

“I know she crossed a line, but aren't we being a bit harsh on her?” Ruli asks the rest. “Meichi did do something awful, though she had good reason to…”

“She may be your childhood friend, Ruli, but you gotta understand that her actions nearly got us all killed!” Jellymon reminds her. She still owes that girl her most powerful shock!

(This is why she never trusts anyone fully. They're all liars and frauds, and nothing is ever enough.)

“I know, but she is the reason we even knew Oma was here in the first place,” Ruli points out. "Without Meichi, who knows what Oma could have done to the patients?"

The group goes silent at that fact, but Haneul then asks, “She had predicted Oma would be here, sure, but how did she find out, Ruli?” 

She blinks. “E-Eh?”

“The files here are confidential. Someone must have told her, but I can't figure out who or what.” Why? Why does Mei know all this? 

How long has Mei gone after Oma? What cases has she done before? Were any of those related to the hospital case? There are several questions revolving around that girl alone…

Who IS Hoshi Mei…? Haneul needs to find that out. 

Their conversation dies off as they enter a room, where a Baby Digimon is completely covered in bandages, wincing every so often. 

The other mon is a face the group recognizes. 

“Reppamon?” Ruli's eyes widen. “Did you or Ken get injured during combat practice?”

“Ah Ruli,” He greets her, but something about him tells her about his worry for the small digimon on the bed. “It’s… a long story, really.”

The small Kyaromon is snuggled up against a pillow on the bed, yet even the slightest movement seems to cause immeasurable pain to her. 

“A Kyaromon?” Angoramon recalls Quartzmon finding one before Solisamon came, though this one does not seem like a normal one. Call it… a feeling of sorts.

Gammamon takes notice of the scarf placed near the bed, and something about it makes Gulus come out. No way…. Did the Endbringer defeat her too?

Hiro notices the black eyes, but he turns to Reppamon and asks, “You were the one who called us here?”

A nod. “I think Oma has made their first move, since…”

His head shifts, and Hiro knows what he’s looking at; the sky where the program was released during the fight against Metamormon. They’ve warned everyone about it, but it’s still terrifying to think that the peace they had found here is being threatened again by whatever that moon is. 

He frowns. “Can you explain?”

“I did not witness it myself, though a Frimon seems to have been forced to digivolve to Kyukimon…” 

The digimon gasp. What?!

Evolution is a digimon’s main way to grow; to alter it can be damaging to their health.

Forcing one could cause a massive strain onto their bodies. One that could be fatal. 

“I managed to rescue this little one, though.” He gestures to Kyaromon, but Gulus is staring at her. 

Hiro looks at him with a curious look. “Do you… know her?” 

Then he pauses. Is he crazy? He must be joking if he believes GulusGammamon would honestly tell him the truth.

But, surprisingly, he answers, “I used to, once in my past life.”

Then, black transforms to yellow, yet, for that one moment, Hiro swears GulusGammamon’s eyes hold sorrow in them. A deep type of sorrow.

It’s a raw answer, he knows, and it makes him wonder, what does this Kyaromon mean to him? Is she similar to Gammamon and Solisamon? Why? How? 

He lets out a rough sigh. He has other things to do now, but he’ll make a note to ask GulusGammamon about it. 

Ruli approaches the Kyaromon with a soft frown. She feels really bad for the poor mon. She’s only heard about what happened with Ginryumon from Hiro and the others, but she can't imagine having to go through that as a young child. 

Just… just like Meichi. 

She just wishes that she had been brave enough to follow them. Maybe she would have known what to do… 

She shakes her head. No use thinking about it now. She needs to figure out how she’s going to help this Kyaromon. 

That’s why she reaches out. “Hi there… I’m Ruli.”

“Kyaro… mon, desu..” She winces, but she avoids Ruli's gaze too. She's not too sure how to feel right now about this one. 

“Oi, daijoubu! This one is a trusted friend to us, you can trust her, kid!” Ken reassures the kid. After all, Ruli has proven time and time again that she is an ally to digimon.

Her head looks up in surprise. Can she really…

Well, Reppamon has saved her, taken her to a place of healing to be treated even though he knew nothing about her.

The least that she can do is trust in his friends. Plus she can not sense any evil within them. 

(One heart holds sorrow though. Why they are feeling this way, she has no idea.)

“My friend Frimon… We were playing when some strange flies surrounded us and injected some data into his body. Before I could do anything, he became Kyukimon…” Tears well up in her eyes. She feels guilty for not saving Frimon. What a useless mon she is!

If she still had her old form, this could have been prevented.

The group shares a glance before Hiro asks, “Do they happen to look like this?”

Kiyo shows a picture of Qwermon that Ruli had caught right before they had left, and her eyes widen. “Ah! They look exactly the same!”

“Well, confirmed it’s Oma then,” Hiro says. “Let’s get out of here and start investigating.”

The rest are about to leave, yet a small call makes them turn.

“Can you all…” Kyaromon starts, but she stops. It may be selfish to ask such a favour of them now. 

Still…

I know this may be impossible, but can you all save Frimon? He may be a Kyukimon now, but he is still a dear friend. Please bring him back to me.

The voice of Kyaromon's heart reaches Solisamon. She can hear it; the genuine plea to rescue her friend. 

That is one that the Oni digimon will answer!

“Daijoubu! Yakusoku to save your friend!” Determination fills her teal eyes, refusing to turn her back on this call for help.

Kyaromon’s eyes widen, and Hiro can’t help but smile. Solisamon no longer seems to be as shy as she was before. Courage is building up within her digicore.

Well then! No time to waste!

“Hmmm…” Shiramon's visor flashes. 

“Is it…?” Mei turns over, and Shiramon gives a quick nod for confirmation. It’s a matter they would discuss later, once the two have a moment alone away from this team. 

“What’s up?” Haneul’s come out after seeing the situation. They know they need time to get the files needed, but a part of them has a feeling that they’ll have more luck getting information from Mei. 

(She’s lied. Broken trust, what does she really think? They don’t know, and they know now. Everything about that Lucky Star… is fake. A lie. 

It breaks their heart, makes them feel like they’ve wasted so much time only to be used… like… some sort of neverending fountain…)

“None of your business.” Why are they so nosy?! It’s getting on her nerves!

Do they honestly think that she will share everything with them? She need to be sure that she can trust this detective first. After all, you can never know who's a spy in disguise.

Metamormon has made it clear that she needs to be much more careful. Oma knows how to hide their tracks, and it is clear they are up to something big. She must be ready.

“A Frimon was forced to evolve into a Kyukimon,” Hiro explains, although his eyes shift, still feeling disgusted by Oma’s activities.

It makes him worry about what they would do if they get their hands on Solisamon. Just trying to imagine it makes his stomach twist in knots.

(But how much could he push her, if he’s not careful? How much can he go before he finally loses it?

… A brief filament, passes by the room.)

“They involved a Baby digimon?!” That outrages Shiramon. Her eyes are blazing behind her visor. How dare they involve the cute small ones?!

Baby digimon are off limits! They really are stirring the wrath inside of her, tempting the monster to come out…. 

And she finds… she’s willing to let it out.

“It is truly deplorable.” Angoramon nods, his own rage hidden behind his bangs. How can they do this? What kind of immoral explanation aside from an almost irrational loyalty to someone who can destroy the entire world can they give for this?!

Mei frowns. “Then we should find out where the Kyukimon may appear next.”

“Reppamon mentioned he found her near a park…” Hiro says. “So we can start there. And find any reports of mysterious attacks.”

Right now, he can’t let his own stupid past choices hold him back. He feels responsible to help Solisamon find Kyukimon, so he will not stay silent this time.

Haneul raises an eyebrow, and is about to speak when Mei cuts in, “Kyukimons can be fast. We should be looking into real time news.”

Shiramon nods, her visor already working overtime as usual. 

Pumpmon can’t help but crawl up Haneul, curious about the visor. Is it a fancy thing…?

His hand reaches out to touch it-

“DO NOT!” Shiramon lets out a low growl. Her visor is off limits. No one else has permission to touch it, not even Mei, though she knows that Mei trusts her so she would respect that boundary. 

Pumpmon withdraws his hand, a bit shaken by how Shiramon just snapped at him. 

“Gomen…” He apologises, head looking down. 

“Don't you think that is being too harsh? A small look would not break it.” Hiro raises an eyebrow. 

“Who touches someone's stuff without permission?” Mei argues. 

Hiro looks ready to retort, but Pump shakes his head. “It’s okie! Friend taught me if someone is annoyed, to always apologise!” 

Haneul snorts. “Read, the neighbours in our old apartment. He has way too much candy because of them and how they SPOIL him.” 

“Wait, so your old apartment accepts Digimon?” Ruli blinks. “Then why move to Mikai-gou?”

They blink, before they answer, “At the rate we were going, Pump was going to destroy the apartment with his sugar highs.”

….

Hiro and Mei let down their guards there. It makes sense, somehow. 

But there IS a lingering question. “Was Pumpmon always a candy addict?”

Haneul shakes their head. “He wanted to find out about some champion at first, which surprised me. Then he saw the chocolate in the candy store on the ground floor and wanted to try all of it.”

“Bachan was very nice!” Pumpmon smiles while holding out some candies to Gammamon and Solisamon, who are chomping on them happily. 

“A bit too nice, but yeah.” Haneul shrugs. They’re still a bit relieved about how they dodged a bullet there. Kuso, they need to be on guard… 

It’s a good thing Mei cuts in when she does. “There seems to be a few parks that have Kyukimon sightings,” she reports as she looks at the articles on her phone, and the others notice right off the bat that some of those articles are from sites they have not heard of.

“How-” Kiyoshiro starts, though Mei simply smiles.

“I am the Information Queen. There is no case I can not get intel on.”

It’s true; she has earned that title from all her hard work doing solo cases.

(But there is one case that still has her stumped, and it still frustrates her to this day. How little she has gathered on who is the culprit behind the incident, as if they never existed…)

“The main park seems to be the one that Reppamon mentioned,” Shiramon adds, acting like she is reading from Mei's phone by leaning in. 

“Ah, wakatta. Then can we head over there?” Hiro asks. 

“Sounds like a plan,” Kiyo agrees. 

“Let’s get this show on the road then!” Jellymon cheers, and the group leave the hospital, although Mei lags behind, noticing out of the corner of her eye the nurse who had been attacked looking at her from afar. He looks annoyed.

… Wait, he? Kare? No, they’re intersex. A haninyo. 

She shakes her head. She’s been in the field for so long, yet it still astounds her how there are so few LGBTQ cases. 

Whatever, it’s not her issue to deal with them. 

She walks away, making Reiji frown before a voice calls out, “Arima Reiji… desu yone?”

They jump, turning around to see Blues hold out a cup of water to them. “You’re…”

“Hai,” he confirms. “I really do apologise we did not realise until it was far too late…”

His eyes land on their legs; it’s been diagnosed with muscle weakness due to the amount of times Metamormon had injected the anasthesia to keep them out of the way…

“It’s not your fault.” They pause. “She was apparently a huge obstacle to them, but they knew she was coming. One of their members had mentioned keeping an eye on her, so they had prepared accordingly. Claimed they would fess up once they’ve brought … the Endbringer back?” 

Blues raises an eyebrow. Endbringer, huh? 

Either way, he’s noticed something. “You’re… friends with that detective?”

“Han? Yeah, but we hadn’t talked to each other for some time due to…” they go silent and shake their head. “At any rate, I will probably need a new job, huh…?”

“A new job?” 

“Ah, gomen, I forgot the doctors rarely, if ever, interact with the nurses unless necessary,” the teen laughs. It’s… slightly bitter. “I got fired for maltreatment. They blamed me for what Metamormon did, because it’s hard to believe someone practically stole your identity and left you to rot in the storage closet of the main branch. Makes them look bad and all.” 

They look out the window. “Oh well, I guess that I can always go work with Gami or find some online work or something. Won’t be easy with how I lost my legs and all but it’s not as bad as last time.” 

Last time? What do they mean? 

“You don't have to leave,” Blues insists. It's not their fault this happened; Oma is to blame, and if the system refuses to acknowledge that, he'll give them the hand they need. (Just like how his mom had.)

After all, Mummymon needed help with making new medicines. He’s still using limited chemicals and herbs, and while his knowledge about human medicine is growing, it will help to have one more person helping out. He’s heard about their record too; they know a LOT about medicine, according to Haneul who’s dropped by a few times. Got amazing grades for their double degree in Pharmacology and Emergency Medicine. 

They needed all the help they could get, and it doesn't matter what's happened before. Blues has never blamed Reiji for what Metamormon did. If anything, he feels more responsible for allowing that digimon to have hurt them for so long.

If Reiji accepts this offer, then Blues will damn well make sure that nothing like this will happen to them again.

“Would you like to join medicine development? The hours and pay are not as great, but human and Digimon need to be treated and we could really use a hand,” Blues offers.

Black eyes look up at him in surprise. Did they mishear that? “I… But…”

“Haneul, he mentioned you had extensive knowledge of being a nurse and anatomy, and it would help both Mummymon and Aliana understand. He mentioned you were pretty good at explaining science concepts.”

They can only snort. That they should have expected, but…. 

“You would have a disabled member on your team?”

Blues chuckles. “I have a cybernetic eye and many see me as a genius doctor. Disabilities do not mean we can not do our professions. If we can not do one thing, we do what we can to contribute.”

That is what his mother told him after his accident. If he can not help in his inventing, then he can help heal those in need.

It's one of the reasons that he joined as a doctor; to continue to help in what way he can.

“What do you say? Would you like to join our small medical team? One for Digimon and Humans?” Blues asks once again.

Their eyes look at Blues, and they… 

They smile. Wow, life has a way of throwing curveballs for better outcomes huh?

“Alright, you have me sold. What do you want me to do?” They hold out their hand. 

Blues grins, and takes their hand. “Making a medicine to help Digimon recover from being controlled by Qwermon. From there, we'll eventually work on a vaccine for immunity. Hope you're ready for this.”

"Ah, mochiron. Arigatou, na, Blues-sensei."

He chuckles. "Welcome aboard, Reiji-san."  

The park itself isn’t that fancy, but it is still quite packed. Families are having picnics, kids are running around, joggers are listening to music as they get more fit, the usual view, really. 

“This is not going to help.” Mei sighs. They should be investigating at night! After all, Oma is known to leave little, if no evidence at all, and this case stands out from the others. Why force a digivolution? To do that means this is tied into something they are trying to accomplish, but what could it be!? 

Haneul’s non stop glaring is not helping her either. The detective is extremely determined to make sure that she does not try anything.

Honestly, they are acting more like a babysitter.

“There could have been witnesses,” They remind her. It is possible someone other than Kyaromon had witnessed Kyukimon.

Shiramon is investigating a few slash marks on the trees, too deep, far too deep for it to be human in origin. 

“Kyukimon appears to have been in this area. The slash marks are repetitive in this one spot.” Shiramon places a hand on the mark. 

Strange that the damage has not broken the tree, though. Any Perfect digimon could do it without trying, especially Kyukimon. 

So why? 

Unless…

Unless Kyukimon has been holding back? 

She frowns. It means that they’re aware of what they were doing, and if they are holding back on purpose…. 

“Hang on Kyukimon, we will free you,” She silently vows while patting the tree. 

Shiramon knows from personal experience how it feels, to become something that you are forced to, stripped away from the privilege of making a choice…

Hopefully they could help Kyukimon. Then maybe he will choose his next evolution on his own.

For now, it’s best to report her findings to Mei. She knows deep down, Mei is worried about Kyukimon too.

‘The forced evolution means that Oma had to gather data from a Kyukimon first… I may have to ask around,’ Mei thinks to herself. Perhaps one of her sources can get her answers.

“Find anything?” Haneul asks suddenly, making her jump. They had been so silent that she forgot they were there.

“Can you NOT scare people?”

“Ah, gomen, did I steal your job?” they snap back. 

“Mei, calm down.” Shiramon tugs at Mei to pull her away. 

“Friend, don’t be mad like that,” Pumpmon agrees as he pats Haneul’s head. “Will be fine!”

“Will it?” They ask back with a scowl. “She had no reservations hurting close friends for it!”

“YOU STARTED IT!” She needs to control herself but this guy is really testing her patience! “So what?! Are you THAT ashamed of the name Daiki Lu-”

“DON’T. Use that name.” 

Suddenly, the taser is close to her throat. Orange eyes look at her olive orbs. 

They’re not messing around. 

“My childhood friend ended up losing their legs, Aliana was traumatised. You need to get off your (BEEP)ing high horse. Data ain’t gonna be the winner of the game,” they coldly say. “And if you use everything you have in your disposal to get things to what you want… Tell me, what makes you different from Oma?”

“... Don’t compare me to them.”

“Your actions make it hard for me not to. Tell me why I should even trust you with your actions so far. You used Lucky Star as a cover to trick me. You used me to get what you wanted. H-How…” Their hands are shaking.

It’s said softly, barely above a whisper. “How the (BEEP) can I trust you?”

Pumpmon looks at them in surprise. “Friend..?”

(Their trust was shattered many times. This was the last straw. 

Of course, not that Hoshi knew. Nor would she care.)

Mei’s eyes narrow. Oh, so this is the game they’re playing, huh? 

“Wow. Can you be trusted then? I may not have been honest while I was Lucky Star, but I never lied about the intel. You only used the name Daiki Luno as we chatted, never once did you mention a name change.” She looks ready to snap.

She may have hurt Ruli, but at least she tried to protect Ruli.

“Tell me, if you knew Reiji worked there then why hesitate so long to talk to them? You could have checked in long before we got involved, maybe their legs could have been saved then! You think you deserve to be my (BEEP)img judge and jury? I like to see why you think I am the only one with skeletons in my closet!” It is clear that she is suspecting things about them.

“Mei, that is enough!” Shiramon has to raise her voice, and thank Kami for that. It is enough to silence both of them. 

“We don’t have time for this, friend! Please, we need to work together!” Pumpmon pleads to Haneul. 

They grit their teeth, but their first unclench. “... What were you looking for when you approached me, that you couldn’t get as the Information Queen?” 

Mei notes it’s… softened. 

“None of your business.”

“.... Alright.” They just walk off, leaving the two there, as Shiramon pauses. 

She… doesn’t know what’s going on here. It’s honestly impressive how Mei’s buttons can be pressed by this guy of all things, but…

Their file... 

How can she tell Mei that… that Haneul hadn’t lied, at least legally speaking?

… It’s not her business to tell. Right now, they have a job to do. “Let’s go, Mei.”

“...” Her fists slowly unclench. “Let’s go.”

This is one of the main reasons that she prefers to work alone. There are no emotional distraction that can interfere with her work, no one who can mess her up with their mind games. 

The group soon meets back up, with very little findings to report on. It seems that Kyukimon, more specifically the Qwermon, do not want to be found.

“There are a ton of slash marks on trees, statues, and park property, though there are no witnesses…” Hiro frowns.

Could Kyukimon have acquired a new ability to stay out of sight, to prevent others from learning of his presence? If so, then why not do the same for Reppamon?

“It is clear that they don't want to hurt anyone,” Mei speaks up. “They are attacking objects to keep innocents out of harm’s way.”

“Would Oma even allow Kyukimon to do that though?” Haneul brings up a good point. They’ve proven their morals to be even blacker than the Jet Black Champion himself, and that’s a feat the others have to admit is impressive, having had to face that maniac. 

“They ARE worse than GulusGammamon…” Hiro mutters. And me, perhaps.

He shakes his head. No! It’s best not to think about it. 

But Haneul’s heard that, and they raise an eyebrow even if they don’t bring it up. Huh, the way he said that… Interesting.

“It is only a matter of time till he loses control…” Jellymon’s point has the trio going silent. They have seen too many situations like this, and often… the outcome is clear. The group has no choice but to delete them. Then they would take the digitama to Quartzmon to look after, that is if Black Tailmon does not get to it first.

Lately, that option has been used rarely, but now they know that Oma would not hesitate to push them more towards that option, putting strains on the trust they have tried to build….

“If only we could figure out how to protect against the Qwermon…” Angoramon murmurs.

Kiyo bites his lip. “I have been trying to work on a firewall, but with so little data on them, it’s hard to make any specific counters.”

“So until we know more, everyone is just going to keep themselves on their toes because of those tiny things?! Damn it!” Haneul punches a tree, their teeth gritted. 

But it does remind Solisamon of something. “Niicha, you didn’t see the Qwermon when we fought Troopmon?”

Hiro blinks. “E-Eh? No, not really.”

Mei raises an eyebrow. That was a very interesting point. “It does seem odd that you were the only one of the four to not notice it.”

“I… I was distracted.” He keeps his eyes away from the others. 

“Looking at past not going to solve! We need to know how to help Kyukimon!” Pumpmon urges. 

“Then we should wait for nighttime. If this is a frequent spot of theirs, they are sure to show up here,” Mei suggests. “Although it is pretty much common sense.”

Haneul rolls their eyes, but, well, they can’t disagree. “Alright, so we meet up later?” 

“Sounds good to me!” Jellymon chirps. 

“So it’s like we’ve become an actual investigation team, huh?” Angoramon remarks with a chuckle. “It’s a good feeling.”

Solisamon nods along. “Hai, hai!”

But even as they separate, Hiro feels the world crashing over his head. 

How had he not noticed the Qwermon back there? He’s normally much better than this… 

… Is he… really becoming Hokuto?...

He… is starting to think that’s an option. 

And it TERRIFIES him. 

“Gomen, Niicha…” Solisamon can hear the discord in his heart, and it makes her wish she had kept her stupid mouth shut…

“Ah, daijoubu, I’m just… thinking.” 

“Wouldn’t have done anything, though,” GulusGammamon points out. (Solisamon still keeps him at arm’s length.) “We know nothing, and we need to know more. Best to just catch one, or lure it into a trap.”

Hiro sighs. He has a point, loathe he were to admit it. That would be the best way to learn more about them, but it would be difficult, especially considering their small size.

“Niicha, how do we do that?” Solisamon looks up at Hiro. How DOES one catch something that small?

“We can use a jar!” He can’t help it. Gammamon’s back and he’s excited at the mere mention. Hiro’s taken him bug catching a few times, and he loves it even if he does let it go at the end of the day, so it’s going to be a fun thing that helps them get info too!

His brother is nodding along. He can’t see a flaw in that. “That works for me.”

But then he notices Solisamon… looking at Gammamon, confusion in her eyes. 

And it hits him. Yabe, Gammamon had switched in front of Solisamon! 

“Niicha… why are his eyes a different colour?”

“A-Ah…” He doesn’t know how to respond to this.

Gammamon blinks, but soon enough it hits him. “Oh, I had to wait to arrive home so Gulu can come in….”

“Come in?” She looks increasingly confused. “Niicha, what is Gamma Niichan talking about? Who is Gulu?”

“I… I’ll explain later, okay? Let’s go home now.” He needs to think his response thoroughly this time. He can’t afford to make mistakes here…

Behind the three, a farmer’s hat is seen, with filaments dancing. 

Both watch him. 

So that’s him… 

(He seems more like an ally to GulusGammamon than an enemy…)

“You want me to egg sit?” Ismaya raises an eyebrow. 

“Pretty much. I’m out tonight with them, and since you’re staying in, I figured you would want to care for your grandkid.”

“Just because I’m nearing my sixties, you go and smack that in my face.” 

“Hey, you also agreed that the egg needed its own room. And you’re hugging it like it’s a kid.”

“I don’t call you out for spending 96% of your allowance for Pump’s candies, so don’t call me out for wanting to protect it from the vibes of the Amanokawa house,” he coolly replies.

Witchmon is just shaking her head while Phascomon remains asleep on the couch. Has been asleep since the Troopmon thing, actually. It does confuse the two, so… 

Haneul sighs. “Well, have fun housesitting for three.” 

“Three- OI, KOZO, I DON’T NEED SUPERVISION!” 

Haneul laughs, as Pumpmon gets onto their back. “Yeah, yeah, whatever. Ittekimasu, Oyaji.”

“Iterasai,” is the response they get before they step out, leaving the egg in the house with Ismaya.

At their neighbour’s, a shard glows in Hiro’s room as the three sit down on the couch, even if Solisamon is still sitting a bit further away from Gammamon. 

It’s finally time to reveal the secret of GulusGammamon and Gammamon. Gammamon can’t keep taking the brunt for what GulusGammamon does to Solisamon with his face, and honestly, it’s too much for Hiro to handle. 

“Solisamon, Gammamon and I would like to introduce someone to you.” Hiro nods at Gammamon. 

Gammamon nods back and closes his eyes. When he opens them, golden yellow orbs have turned black, but he refuses to look anywhere but Hiro.  

Solisamon’s eyes widen. “Eh!? Why does he sound different!?”

She hears it. Sorrow, grief, pain, anger, evil … nothing like Gamma-niichan, now that she thinks about it. 

“When his eyes are black, a digimon named GulusGammamon takes over. Otherwise, he is Gammamon. Think of it as two digimon in one,” He says to her. It’s the best he can do to explain this complexity to her. 

It’s starting to make sense. How he looks so confused whenever things happen. She’s always reminded of the scary lady from the room, who acts as if she’s never done anything wrong, even when the pain was too much… 

To think all this time, it was someone else… 

She looks over to Ga- no, GulusGammamon. 

Black is overwritten by gold once more, and Gammamon blinks slowly. “So… lisamon…?” 

Her eyes feel hot. She rushes over and tackles Gammamon to the ground, hugging him. “G-Gomen Gamma-niichan! Gomen!” 

It’s hard to see through the tears. How had she not noticed the differences? 

( How had she not come to realise that her Yang had fallen into the darkness he thrived in? )

Hiro can’t help but smile as Gammamon hugs her back. Reassuring words balm the pain she’s feeling in her heart, the guilt of not being good enough, of not being the best she can be, and her tears are proof of that. 

TING!

Still, his eyes stray to look at his phone. He picks it up, and finds an email from an unknown person. 

Well, the email implies so, but the way it’s written, he knows it’s Mei. 

The information she’s found is really useful to know: the patterns apparently speak volumes. Who they choose to attack, why, when; all those things, when interpreted loosely, are enough to make them look like independent cases. 

But the claw marks are no joke. They know it’s related to Oma. They know it’s Kyukimon. 

“ Tonight, 11pm, current leader of Nippon Foundation, their main headquarters. ” 

Why?

“To use those funds for their own agenda.” 

“Of ALL the organisations, they chose NIPPON FOUNDATION!?” Yep, Haneul is pissed. 

“Ah, they truly are the scumbags of the Dark Web. The Digital World’s, at least.” Mei looks equally upset, but maybe it’s a bit more due to the handcuff attached to her wrist, connecting her to the one that’s been driving her up the fence. 

“Are you absolutely sure that your intel is solid? To attack a foundation like this is a federal crime.” Haneul makes sure to stare at her as they do this; a look that would spook many, perfect for getting answers through interrogation.

Too bad Mei doesn’t crack under pressure that easily. “Ah, I believe Oma will try to attack the leader. It will be their first attempt to break bonds, unstable bonds that are still on thin ice.” 

The trio pale at this. Tokyo is still adapting to Digimon being here, and their latest cases since Solisamon’s arrival have been really hacking away at that bond. 

An incident like this could completely destroy all the hard work put in over the past few months…

Hiro is pacing once more, and this time, his eyes are anywhere but his friends. He can’t let that happen! He needs to protect the peace! 

“Hiro?” Gammamon calls out. 

He turns around, biting his lip even harder than before. 

He does not like this, but… “Any ideas?” 

Mei nods. “As a matter of fact, I do.” 

Haneul raises an eyebrow. “Does it involve endangering the target?” 

“No. Not at all.” She moves closer to the trio, and has to stifle laughter at the frustrated grunt from the detective. As much as it’s funny to watch their reaction every time she slips out of the cuffs, she knows this is serious. 

So she turns to them. “But we’ll need to work together here.” 

Haneul growls, Pumpmon climbing up them so that they will hopefully calm down. “It’s okay Friend!” 

Hiro chooses to focus on Mei. “What do you have in mind?” 

She smiles. 

“An ambush.”

“It is quite the unexpected visit today, isn’t it, Amanokawa-kun?” 

He nods slowly. “Hai… Thank you for seeing me today.” 

The leader of Nippon Foundation smiles a bit, as Akira remarks, “I was surprised when Haneul reached out asking about a meeting. You’ve really been pushing them in a good way.” 

Them? That’s another weird way to refer to Haneul again…

That’s not the point right now, though.

“Yes, I wanted to warn you about a planned attack on this foundation. We have evidence that it will take place at 11pm.” Hiro thinks it is best to be straightforward in this case. After all, the last thing that their new country needs is for a human to be hurt by a digimon. It could cause a possible war between the two. 

Still, he has to force himself not to bite his lip right now. Not only is Oma trying to bring back the End Bringer, but it seems like they want to destroy the relationships between Digimon and humans as well, because Nippon Foundation is actually one of the first organisations to have digimon working with them. 

In fact, Akira has a digimon in his arms, a soft pillowy one with child angel wings. Is it a Puttimon, or a Mokumon? He can’t remember, but he’s also seen a bunch of Agumons acting as security for the NGO. YukiAgumon, ToyAgumon and ClearAgumon… He did not know that a Digimon could have so many variants until now. 

He leans back on his chair, patting the Puttimon before he admits, “I’m usually off work by 11, but today is an exception due to a… personal thing I have to attend to.” 

Solisamon and Gammamon are entertaining themselves off to the side by copying Agumon. It’s a new game the two have been playing lately; now that the secret is out, their bonds have been deepened and Solisamon is no longer scared of him. 

(Is it really that freeing, to be your true self?)

“Can we ask permission to be on the foundation’s grounds? I know that we would get arrested without your blessings.” It’s the last thing he wants on his record; it may give Haneul more reason to deepen the investigation on him, and he doesn’t want that. 

(How can he explain it to his friends? About… everything?) 

Akira laughs. “Any friend of Haneul’s welcome, and Reiji’s brought up good things about your group too. I’m counting on you guys to protect this place.” 

Hiro smiles a bit, but… since it’s over much faster than he expected, maybe… “Ano, may I ask about.. Haneul-senpai?”

Akira blinks. “Huh, sure. What do you want to know?” 

“Well….”

“You took a while to get back,” Mei notes as he regroups with the others. 

“A-Ah, I just wanted to get more information about the area,” he answers, taking the map out and showing it to the rest. 

She raises an eyebrow but doesn’t say anything about it. What did he want to know? 

Not important right now, she reminds herself. They need to stake out the area first and stop Kyukimon. 

She checks the time on her phone. Only twenty minutes till 11pm. The attack is coming, so it’s time to set up shop. 

Looking out through the trees, Shiramon's visor scans for any unknown DNA signatures, even though a part of her… can’t help but feel sorry for Frimon. Imagine hatching from a digitama, ready to face the world, only to be robbed of that and altered against one's will. Changed into something one should never become.

( No one can help her now, though Kyukimon might have a chance to return to Frimon. Fate, may you please shine the light to help this poor soul, offer them the second chance she never got.)

Omagatoki’s stolen information to create Qwermon, information that should have been permanently destroyed. She had failed to prevent it from affecting others. Now she must fix this for atonement.

Angoramon notices the way her body shifts, and frowns at that, but Pumpmon hops over. “Hi friend! How are you?”

“I’m… not that good. I rather not talk about it,” she insists. Just the thought of it makes her feel uneasy.

Pumpmon frowns, and he’s about to say something when her hand suddenly moves. The visor’s picked up something. 

She grabs Pumpmon and gets both of them out of the way, which leaves them open to attack others. 

Others, such as Haneul. Right in front of them, even. 

“FRIEND!”

“GET OUT OF THE WAY, BAKA!” Mei yanks them out of the way, though the attack does slice through her ear lightly. 

She flinches. Damn it! That’s not a fun attack. 

“A-Arigatou,” Haneul stammers. 

Of all the people… She had saved them?

“I’m not about to let Oma do as they please,” she snaps back. “So get up and let’s deal with this problem!”

They can only nod in surprise, scrambling back up as Hiro, Ruli and Kiyo get their Digivices ready.

“Minna, ikuzo!” Hiro yells, and his friends nod along. “AH!”

Kyukimon’s attention goes to them, but the Tai Atari stuns them long enough for Sync Clones to kick in, surrounding the Kyukimon so that the three can do their evolutions.

All three place their hands over their hearts, feeling their heart beat once, twice, thrice. Like an old reel of film, their mind replays the parts of their lives made much better thanks to the presence of their partners. The good. The mischievous. The bad. The unexpected. 

They never asked for it, but it’s been a blessing to them, and they tap into that feeling. 

Like a bridge of melodious notes, the feeling spreads to their partners, who receive it as a ribbon of code wrapping itself around their Digicores while the meter on their Digivices fills up twice. 

“ Gammamon / Angoramon / Jellymon KYUKOKU SHINKA! ” 

Their wills burst forth, silhouettes of their previous evolutions dancing around their Digitamas. Like a ritual that must be done properly, they all share a glance and nod, grasping the others’ hands before they turn into beautiful DNA helixes diving into the eggs. 

The shells burst open, revealing the three side by side. 

“CanoWeissmon!”

“Lamortmon!” 

“Thetismon!” 

Shiramon and Pumpmon both get ready to fight too while the sounds of a crackling taser fill the air as Haneul slides into their own fighting stance. It’s time to go all out!

Kyukimon roars, and Solisamon winces. It hurts so so much… She can hear the wails within, begging for release. 

But she knows that she needs to be careful. Niicha has told her that she’s essential to this plan. 

“We need your Sol Purification to come in after we’ve hit them enough, so until then, can you help provide support?”  

It… doesn’t mean she likes it. 

Kyukimon lets out a massive roar, rushing towards them with no clear target in mind, but as they dodge away, they notice how... determined Kyukimon is. 

“I-I think it's safe to assume that Kyukimon is no longer in control of his actions….” Kiyoshiro gulps, even when frustration bubbles within. If only they had a prevention for this!

“You think?” Mei snarks. “I thnk everyone can see that Kyukimon is not in the right mindset.” 

Hiro snaps. “Get your heads in the game! We have a battle to win!” 

He's not wrong there, so…  “Massing Fog!” 

Shiramon claps her hands, and within seconds, the area is soon coated in a thick fog. Perfect for them to attack the confused mon. 

Yet Kyukimon does not falter. He uses his sickles to create a vacuum-like twister to clear up the fog, also pulling the other digimon to a closer attack range.

As expected of Kyukimon's “Blade Twister” attack. It really is a menace on its own. 

“Adieu World!” Kiyo counters, and Thetismon grabs the other Digimon to teleport just before it gets to land its attack. 

“Let’s get him to feel the same thing! Fuuga Rekkanjin!” Ruli commands, and Lamortmon slashes his longswords forward to send the vacuum blades at Kyukimon. 

“Trick or Treat to distract, Pump!” Haneul adds, and Pumpmon’s huge pumpkin hits Kyukimon from above him, stunning him long enough for the attack to connect. 

It also cuts off a Qwermon connected to him, and for a brief moment, clarity seems to flash in his eyes. 

Solisamon can hear it. A wail, a plea. 

“ END ME! END ME, PLEASE! ”

To die… is apparently a blessing compared to being under those monsters…

But Solisamon feels the shivers. No, she can’t, she can’t kill someone. 

(What hero kills the people they’re meant to protect?)

“Niicha, I’m ready!” she yells out to Hiro, whose head spins around in surprise. Solisamon!? 

Those eyes… Those teal eyes, for a minute, he’s reminded of- 

“Get Sol Purification ready!” 

She nods, and as she begins charging up, Kyukimon’s attention is directed there. The Qwermon are screaming, “STOP HER!” 

He rushes at her, the diamond-shaped seals glowing. “SANRENSEI!” 

Hiro is ready though. “METEOR LUX! COVER FOR HER, CANOWEISSMON!” 

“Oh!” he nods, sending the meteors right at the approaching Kyukimon. 

“Jack o Lantern to assist!”

“Same for you, Shiramon! Kunai Strike!” 

The two nod, fire and weapon rushing to further confuse and trap him where he should be, but as the small things cut off more Qwermons, data dissolves into void, as if it never were…

It’s ready, Hiro can feel it. 

He closes his eyes. 

“Let’s go, Solisamon!” 

“IKU!” 

(The meter fills up, it… sparks for a bit.)

“SOL PURIFICATION!” 

The blast hits him point blank. 

Please…please come back to your senses, Kyukimon.

“Kyaromon is waiting for you to come back! Please come back to her!” Solisamon’s words flicker a memory in him, one that starts to counter the Qwermon’s hold.

FORGET HER! YOUR MISSION IS TO ELIMINATE THEM AND BRING THE PURE ONE!

He remembers… that smile. Shy, but also warm. 

“H-Hi, I’m Kyaromon! D-Do you want to be friends?”

His first friend… K-Kyaromon… 

IGNORE THAT! THE MISSION IS YOUR ONLY PRIORITY!

But it’s unstoppable. The flood of memories brings another memory. 

“W-Why can’t I evolve like the others?! I-I want to evolve and grow stronger!” 

“It’s okay, Kyaro-chan! We just need to wait for our time!” 

“W-Will I ever evolve?...” 

“You bet! We can do it for sure!” 

“ We’ll evolve together! ”

“K…yaro… Kyaro… KYARO-CHAN!!!!!!!” He lets out a howl amidst the burning light around him. 

“ AHHHHH!!!!!” This time, the slave drivers are the ones screaming. TOO BRIGHT TOO BRIGHT! 

Wires burn, data bits fade off and fly away in the breeze. The screams stop. 

It… feels like it’s been eons, but… 

He tests all his limbs. He even rears his neck up, to look at the pretty moon… 

He… 

Tears fall down his cheeks. “I’m… finally free.” 

Solisamon can’t help but smile at the relief. She can hear it; the sheer happiness of finally, FINALLY being free. 

“You did great, Imouto, Gammamon.” Hiro pats both their heads, with Gammamon being carried piggyback style due to how exhausted he is from the battle. 

Gammamon just looks at Solisamon and gives her a thumbs up, and she smiles and gives one back. It’s finally over…

Now… it’s time to bring him home. 

“Not going back?! Kyaromon is waiting for you though!” Solisamon can not believe what Kyukimon’s saying. 

“Of course I want to see her! But… I can never go back to normal. Kyukimon is now who I am, so it is better that I find a place for myself. She... is better off without me.” 

The others share a glance, but what can they do… It’s his choice. 

“Alright, good luck, Kyukimon,” Hiro says. 

He smiles, but he turns around to leave, a small voice yells, “FRIMON!” 

The chuckle that escapes his lips is genuine. Figures that she would come to check up on him. 

But… it is best to say fare well here.

As he turns around, he sees Reppamon carrying the young  Digimon on his back. She winces a few times, yet she still hops down and hobbles over to him. 

“Kyaromon. My name is Kyukimon now, sadly. I can never go back to being Frimon.” 

Her body is shaking like a leaf, her head hanging low as crystal tears fall down her cheeks. “D-does that mean we can no longer be friends?” 

No longer friends?...

She’s surprised by how he scoops her up gently with his sickle hands, and the eyes that look back at her, it’s definitely Frimon inside there. “Of course not. I… will come visit for sure.” 

“Actually, I may have a proposal,” a voice speaks. Akira walks over, much to the others’ surprise. 

“Akira-san?” Ruli blinks. 

“Nippon Foundation does need a new member for its security team,” he offers. “We could accommodate you there, and it’s close to the city so you can visit your friend anytime.”

“E-Even though I-” 

“You are not the one who did this willingly. It was those marionette keycap things that did it,” Akira says firmly. “I… know it may seem hard to believe that, though. So… why not take the chance to help out the people you never wanted to hurt?” 

His eyes water. Of all the things… he can… he can…

Kyaromon is tearing up too, and the two hug each other while the others watch with smiles. 

But one thing stands out to Mei as she turns to him. “You saw the Qwermon?” 

He nods. “And from the looks of it, they do not seem like normal Digimon. They didn’t even form Digitamas, and they faded away after being cut off.” 

That catches Kyukimon's attention. He had noticed that? “A-Ah, you’re right! I only managed to gain back control thanks to some of those wires coming loose!” 

The dots are connecting now. 

“So our current enemy corrupts the mind using wires… So cutting it off is a good first step towards making a vaccine! I shall get to work on it immediately!” Kiyoshiro is typing it down rapidly. 

Ruli smiles. “At least that’s one step closer, isn’t it?” 

Angoramon chuckles. “The path to will always begins with a single step, even if it is the most terrifying part of the process.” 

Haneul hums, leaning against the wall. There IS truth there, but...

In their mind, Mei and Shiramon saving them and Pump replays. That is… new. 

Working alone as a detective does that, they suppose. Still… it makes them wonder.

What are these two hiding…?

“You are losing left and right. It is truly despicable.” 

 

“W-We are so sorry Master…” 

 

“Awww, why don’t you let these poor guys be~ After all, it’s all THEIR fault, anyway.” 

 

“... Then what do you suggest?”

 

A smirk. 

“ Why get our hands dirty when we can just HIRE hands to do it for us? ”

Omoi (whoa whoaaa whoa whoa whoa whoa… whooooaaaaoooo)

Passing by the pictures of

A life once lived.

Happiness, peace, love all abound. 

Yet I could only watch as it burst into flames… Woahhhh…

The souls of the lost sing out their sorrows,

Yet even in darkness,

A light shall shine through.

The small glimpses of past,

Those little smiles, ohh…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last.

From all the things we’ve been through,

Thank you… dear friend…

Your kindness abound,

Even through the darkest times.

The sorrowful smiles

Still give me some hope,

For I know, that you have my back.

Lifting me up when I’m falling down… to zero…

The abyss may seem like a welcoming home.

The tears may never stop,

But then I see you,

And I remember,

And I hold onto those memories… Those bonds…

Kizuna, our bonds will never fray.

Omoide, our memories will last. 

From all the things we’ve been through,

The dark… the light…

Ohhh, the memories, the bonds will never go,

As long as we both hold onto these small balls,

Exuding out its wonderful light,

Ohhh…

Thank you, dear friend… 

Chapter Text

“Damn it! We need to settle this once and for all!” Bombermon pouts, swaying back and forth while balancing some of his BBs. 

 

Ghilliedhumon just adjusts his sniper, staying silent, while Fumamon raises an eyebrow. “Is there a way to do that? Assassination is a paid business, after all.”

 

“And no one here would pay to allow us to kill. This world is MUCH more restrictive about deaths like this, and it SUCKS! MOU!” Bombermon groans, flopping onto the ground of their alley. “Really wish a job could just land on our feet now!” 

 

“It does not work that way,” Ghilliedhumon speaks up. 

 

“Then what do we DOOOOOOOOOOOOO? The title of the Best Assassin has to go to SOMEONE!” 

 

“Hihihi~ Perhaps I can assist you boys?” a new voice giggles.

 

The figure who had spoken gets a sniper aimed at their head, while BBs dance around them. Katanas are out, and it’s obvious Fumamon is ready to cut them open. “Who are you?”

 

“Oh, you can call me Subara Shichan,” she says with a smile. “I am here to offer you boys a job. After all, you Digimon seem much more competent than those pathetic human ones."

 

Something about her feels… off. But their entire job is about covert death, so they’re not about to judge. 

 

“Why?” Ghilliedhumon asks. 

 

“Well, you seem to want to prove you’re the best, so how else but go after a well-known group?” she offers. 

 

The three share a glance. That is… interesting. 

 

“Who’s the target?”

 

A smirk curls on her face. Green eyes shadowed by black hair shine under the bangs as she takes out a picture. “Perhaps you’ve heard of them! They’re quite the rage in the Digimon community nowadays!”

 

The three lean in, and they’re faced with a picture of Hiro, Ruli, and Kiyo, alongside their Digimon partners. 

 

Their eyes narrow in on Gammamon, though. 

 

“... What do you say, guys?” Bombermon’s tone has grown serious.

 

Ghilliedhumon nods, loading his sniper. 

 

Fumamon turns to Subara and nods. “We will accomplish it.”

 

She smirks, and heels clack on the ground as she walks away. “Get them out of the way by tomorrow evening, and you’ll be given more jobs~”

 

Turning to the right, bats disperse into the night sky as she just… disappears, leaving an echo of a giggle on the street. 

Inside the darkness, something stirs. 

The shadows sway to the groove,