Summary: Sequel to 'Digital Destinies', set in parallel to it and its prequel 'Digital Adventures'. What awaits Ryo and Ken in the Digital World? (Very LOOSELY similar to Tag Tamers, but I've never played it so... Also, rating may change to M in future.) Enjoy!

DIGITAL TAGTEAMS

This fic is divided into four parts. This is the first quarter.

Ep.1. All aboard

"Mama! Mama!" a child with a short mop of navy blue hair and blue eyes shouted, excitedly running into the apartment's living room. He wore a lavender T-shirt and green-grey shorts. The boy was holding a sheet of paper, which he promptly shoved into his mother's hands, and carried a backpack.

A taller child, who had spiky blue-gray hair and wore a light grey jacket over a white blouse and matching light grey trousers, entered the room looking very annoyed. "Ken!" he nearly-shouted, his glasses sliding a tiny bit down his nose before he pushed them up with a finger. "What part of 'Don't run on streets' is so hard to understand?"

"Osamu, calm down," the boys' father said, moving his hand in a calming gesture.

"Ken? What is going on?" his wife asked their youngest.

Moving away from his mother, Ken Ichijouji looked at his socks in shame. "I uh… ran when there was a red light." He then looked up at his parents earnestly, adding: "But only because I wanted to show you how well I did on my maths test. I didn't mean to be naughty, honest!"

Both Ichijouji parents sighed. "Ken dear, it's dangerous to run on streets. You could get seriously hurt, and you don't want that to happen, do you?" Mrs Ichijouji said, taking her youngest son's hand and squeezing it comfortingly.

"I'm sorry," the little boy said, ashamed. Why did Sam have to tell on me? Nothing happened!

Some hours later, the family was sitting in the kitchen at the dining table. The boys' parents were asking Osamu, or Sam as he preferred, about his day. No-one paid any attention to Ken at all.

The little boy still felt bad about earlier. He pushed away his untouched plate, got up and went into his room. This isn't fair! he thought, Mama and Daddy only pay attention to Sam. They don't even know I'm there.

The door opened as Sam came in. "Hey, you all right, little brother?" he asked, sitting on the bed where Ken was laying on his stomach with his face buried in a pillow.

"Yes," came the automatic answer (now muffled by the pillow).

The 12-year-old shook his head. "Ken… Why don't you tell me how you feel? We never used to have secrets from each other."

"I don' care."

"What about Mum and Dad? Could you at least tell them what's wrong?"

"NO! Go 'way!"

Sam sighed, getting up. "Fine. But if you want to talk, I'll listen. I'm going to do my homework now."

The young genius went into his bedroom, closed the door and leaned against it. Four years… So much has changed in just four years. My normal childhood flying out the window, the move from Hikarigaoka to Tamachi after those apparent terrorist attacks, us having separate bedrooms, the past year's interviews and competitions… Nothing will ever be the same.

Sam sighed, running his hand through his spiky mess of hair. He sat down on his chair, getting started on that homework and pushing all thoughts of the past and the money he got from sports and intellect events out of his mind.

The next morning, Sam came into Ken's bedroom again with his right hand behind his back. "Ready for school, kiddo?"

"U-huh," Ken replied unenthusiastically.

Sam frowned. Those stupid kids still haven't become friends with him? What's with them? Back in Hikarigaoka Ken could become friends with literally anyone. … I guess it shouldn't be such a surprise the ones at Mita Primary School haven't befriended him by now, when it's been a year and over. I wish there was something I could do…

The glasses-wearing preteen shook his head as if to clear it of those thoughts, and smiled. "Kenny-boy, we're going to… blow some bubbles!" He showed the younger Ichijouji boy a soap container meant for bubble-blowing.

Ken grinned widely, his eyes sparkling with joy. "Just like old times!"

The two sat on the bedroom's balcony, their legs dangling through thin metal bars. Ken was using a straw, while Sam used a regular bubble-blowing stick. Both of them smiled whenever they blew a big one.

"Boys! You're going to be late from school!" Mr Ichijouji called.

Later that day, Ken arrived home with Sam again. "Can we blow bubbles again? At the park?" the 8-year-old asked with enthusiasm.

Sam winced. "Sorry, no can do, Kenny-boy. I have to dash off."

He ran into his room, changed out of the Tamachi Private Academy's uniform to his regular clothes – a greenish-brown short-sleeved hoodie over a dark blue T-shirt, and blue jeans – and ran out the door with a bag and the backpack he used at school.

"Oh…" Ken's smile faded as the door slammed shut. I never get to play with Sam! Why does he have to be a genius?

Feeling lonely, the 2nd grader decided to go see if Sam had any new toys in his room.

Ken looked around but found no toys. He then looked at Sam's desk and spotted his brother's cell phone on the floor near it. "I guess Sam forgot his phone…"

The little boy heard it beep as it got a new message. He picked it up and read the message aloud: "'Do you want to start? Yes, No'. What kind of message is that?" Ken just stared at the message for a few minutes, then selected the 'Yes' option.

"Ken Ichijouji …" a feminine voice said, trailing off.

"Huh?" Ken's eyes widened in surprise and confusion.

"It's time to decide your future, Ken," the voice told him as he looked up from the cell phone at Sam's computer. But the PC was off, so it couldn't have been the source of the voice. A new message popped up on the screen. "Your destiny is calling," the woman told him, "Head to Tamachi Train Station and take the eastward train to Shibuya Train Station."

"But… I'm not allowed to go out without a grown-up or Sam," Ken said uncertainly. "Although… Sam has been in a train all by himself lots of times. I can too!"

With that thought in mind, Ken ran out of his brother's bedroom still clutching the cell phone, put on his shoes, and left the apartment.

Ken hurried in the direction of the train station. Good thing that Mama and me have walked Sam to the train station sometimes, the little boy thought when he arrived there. He didn't have any money to buy a ticket with, but he picked up one dropped by a random teenager.

Only problem now was finding the correct train.

Ken wandered around the train station. He spotted a woman who had a pram chatting to a younger woman, probably a relative. When he heard the word "Shibuya", the 8-year-old decided to follow the lady with the baby and pram.

They entered a train, and soon enough it started moving. Ken watched as the woman wiped the baby's chocolate-smeared face with a napkin, trying to gather the courage to go speak to her. Mama says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers. But how else will I know if this is the right train?

Eventually, he did go to the woman. Looking up at her shyly, Ken asked quietly: "Miss? Is this train going to Shibuya Train Station?"

"No, sorry. It's going to Jiyūgaoka Train Station, which is in Shibuya, after two stops," the woman replied. She then glanced around. "Where are your parents? Surely you're not going there all by yourself?"

"Uhm... Over… there?" Ken replied uncertainly, pointing at a random man wearing a suit and a woman sitting next to him. The little boy then quickly went to sit near them, thinking miserably: Great. I'm going to be lost and Sam won't like it if he finds out I lied.

Later at Jiyūgaoka Train Station, Ken saw a boy around Sam's age who wore a blue cap, a teal short-sleeved unzipped jacket over a red shirt, and white jeans. The dark-blue-eyed raven-haired boy for some reason reminded him of his brother, so he decided to follow him into a train with the hope that it would take him to Shibuya Train Station.

Meanwhile at Shibuya Train Station, a 10-year-old boy got off a train. He had cocoa brown hair that stuck up in flame-like spikes, and sky blue eyes. He was wearing a white tank-top, a violet open-neck shirt that had the sleeves rolled up and two front pockets, baggy olive green trousers with a light brown belt that had a metallic buckle, and white gloves. He was carrying a black backpack that had a single wide-ish diagonal strap.

"Take the elevator to the bottom floor," the feminine voice said from the boy's cell phone, which he was holding in his gloved hand.

The boy shrugged. "I'm here, so might as well. But the lady's better not be some kidnapper or something. And if I've come all this way for nothing, I'm gonna scream," he murmured. The youngster's home was in Fukuoka, Kyushu, which was located in a whole other part of Japan.

The boy went into an elevator and, just as the doors were about to close, another child rushed in. The newcomer seemed to be at least two years younger than him.

What's the matter with him? the 4th grader wondered as the other boy slumped on the elevator's floor. He wore a big pale orange pumpkin cap, a white V-neck T-shirt that had a bit of green on it over a dark yellow T-shirt, and yellow cargo pants with brown leather strips at the back.

"Got… away… from them…" the smaller child panted. His short-cropped hair was mousy brown and his eyes were forest green.

"Who?" the spiky-haired boy asked curiously.

"Bullies. Their names are Katsuharu and Teppei," came the reply. The kid then smiled. "Hi, I'm Tommy Himi. Well, my real name is Tomoki, but no-one calls me that usually. What's yours?"

"Ryo," the older boy replied simply, then added: "Ryo Akiyama."

The elevator suddenly accelerated, and through the glass of the back "wall", they could see that they were travelling lower and lower. The elevator went so fast that the boys found themselves flung around a bit until it reached its stop. "Oww…" they chorused, rubbing their heads.

They looked up and saw some kind of an underground terminal. There were five trains there, and dozens of children and teenagers of all ages wandering around, 19 years old at the oldest.

"It's up to you now. Which one will you choose?" the feminine voice came from the two boys' cell phones (well, Tommy's actually belonged to his big brother).

Tommy got up, putting his cap on, and walked towards a light pink mole-like train that had red carriages. But when he saw the two bigger boys (around Ryo's age) exit another elevator next to the one he and Ryo had used, the 2nd grader rushed off with a yelp.

Maybe those two are Katsuharu and Teppei? Whatever; it's not my problem if he gets picked on, Ryo thought, a little selfishly. He wandered around, not really wanting to pick any train. Looking over his shoulder at a punk-looking teen, he accidentally bumped into someone.

"Watch where you're going, kid," he snapped at the smaller child, around Tommy's age. The boy had natural maroon hair that resembled a hedgehog curled into a spiky ball, caramel skin and mahogany eyes, and was wearing a red short-sleeved hoodie with a small soccer ball pin on it and dark blue shorts.

"Sorry. I didn' wanna be here; my dumb sister made me come," he mumbled, looking down.

Ryo's eyes softened and he put a hand on the younger child's shoulder. "It's all right. Just be more careful, OK?"

"U-huh," the 8-year-old replied, looking up and smiling timidly. He then walked off.

Ryo smiled a little. He seems like a good kid, if a little shy. I kinda wish he was my little brother; we could play videogames and go to soccer all day long. It'd be so much better than sitting at home alone.

The young boy glanced around, and walked into a bluish turquoise train. He saw another 2nd grader sitting in it. The dark-haired kid looked at him with curiosity, but seemed to realize that he was staring and blushed. He started twiddling his thumbs.

A few minutes later, another youngster entered the train. At first glance Ryo thought the 11-year-old was a boy, but soon enough realized he was actually a she. The 5th grader had raven (most would call it dark blue) hair pulled back into a ponytail under a grey-striped dark blue bandanna, and was dressed in a blue jacket that had a yellow stripe going down each sleeve, a yellow T-shirt and grey trousers.

Without even glancing at the younger children, bandanna-girl marched out to the small platform of the train's last carriage's caboose. The doors of the train slammed shut a minute later at exactly six o'clock, and it started moving.

The dark-haired boy looked at Ryo again. "What?" he asked, slightly unnerved by the observing blue eyes.

"I was wondering… what your name is," the smaller boy replied quietly, looking down.

"Ryo," Ryo said simply. "You?"

"I'm Ken Ichijouji," the younger child replied with a shy smile.

The girl returned into the carriage, but ignored the boys even when Ryo pointedly introduced himself and Ken.

"I wonder where we're going?" Ryo and Ken said at the same time. They blinked, glanced at each other, then turned to stare out from the window. All they could see was the wall of a tunnel.

Suddenly, the kids were jerked onto the floor by a sudden movement from the train. The girl and Ryo managed to hold onto something, stopping them from being thrown about too much. It felt like the train was a rollercoaster ride!

But Ken didn't grab hold in time, and ended up tossed to the side. He hit one of the seats, hurting his shoulder and crying out. Bandanna-girl grabbed him and held on, keeping the 8-year-old from getting injured.

The lights flashed off and on repeatedly. Unnoticed by the boys, a different silhouette appeared over Ken and the girl. The girl's and Sam's cell phones glowed with a dim white light, and it was as if a light purple shine was coming from the latter and a similar but black one from Ryo's cell phone.

"What on Earth…?" the girl murmured, staring at her "phone" in amazement. It was changing shape and turning into some kind of bulky device with a spike-cornered hexagon around its screen and a couple buttons. A red square that was the device's scanner was on its flat top's corner. It was white with a dark blue grip. Ken's was identical to it, except silvery-violet with a purple grip; the light purple light still glimmered from the screen.

Glancing behind her, she noticed the black light from Ryo's unchanged cell phone extend to a full on dark aura that surrounded him.

She looked back at her "phone", hearing the feminine voice come from it with a strange symbol that looked kinda like a four-pointed star showing on the screen. "Welcome to the Digital World. This is your D-tector." The screen then became dark and unresponsive.

The turbulence stopped with the lights turning back on, and the three kids got up and looked around. From the window, Ryo stared wide-eyed at little pale yellow ball-like creatures [Upamon] playing on a field with a few bigger armadillo-resembling creatures [Armadillomon] lazing in the sun near to them.

"Guys? I don't think we're in Japan anymore," the Akiyama boy deadpanned.

To be continued...

Sorry for the shortness but I wanted to end it at that "not in Kansas"-like comment.

Quick note: I know PERFECTLY well that Koji's a boy, but (like I mentioned in the other two Digital Trilogy fics) I prefer Koji to be a girl. Maybe it's because Rika is one of my favourite characters?

FYI, I'm trying to make sure Ryo is a realistic character rather than a Gary Stu. And I haven't watched Tamers in years, so I have no clue what he's like in it. I'm just gonna guess.

Also, Tamers DIDN'T OCCUR AT ALL. None. Nada.

I'm presuming you all figured out that Ophanimon was that feminine voice. I just wanna point out that she said Ken's name because he was the one holding the phone, but the message came into SAM'S phone coz of reasons explained later on in the story. Plus, this is how I figure Tommy ended up at the underground Trailmon Terminal. He took Yutaka's phone and happened to see the message, like Ken did with Sam's. Same goes for Yolei, who then dragged Cody along for the ride.

Well, I hope my version of Ryo's and Ken's stories are as good as other fics'. T.T.F.N! Ta-ta for now!