Digimon does not belong to me.

A story of the Camping Trip episodes in 02 from the perspective of the girls: Sora Takenouchi, Jun Motomiya, Momoe Inoue, Miyako Inoue, and Hikari Yagami. I make some changes to accommodate for them.

For fans of extra-canon details in Digimon Adventure, my most direct change is that Jun and Momoe are 8th graders instead of high schoolers. Growing up, I had always assumed that Jun was the same age as Taichi, Sora, and Yamato. I think she is more relatable and compelling that way. Within my story, you may assume that Chizuru Inoue is the high school aged Inoue sister instead of Momoe, because I wanted to keep Momoe as Jun's friend.

This story is dedicated to the lovely girls of the Sorato Topic in Proyecto 1-8 for their anniversary!

Enjoy!


"She's coming with us"

Chapter 1: The Fight

"You left without even telling me. You could have been killed!" Momoe Inoue spoke briskly and narrowed her eyes. She was standing by the closet in Jun Motomiya's room. Momoe crossed her arms and tapped her foot as she waited for her best friend to respond.

"Oh, but darling, I didn't want to worry you," Jun recited. She turned the page of the script book for The Worm's Last Battle, the original play that the Theatre Club would be performing in September when they returned to school. Momoe had memorized almost all her lines, but she still wanted Jun's help to practice. Momoe had landed the role of the leading lady, and Jun was reading the part of the heroine's dashing heroic boyfriend.

Normally, Jun was excited to help Momoe rehearse for plays. She would speak in a funny accent and make wild hand gestures, often making Momoe break out of character and laugh. But today, Jun was lying on her stomach on the bed, and she slowly read the lines in an almost monotone voice.

Momoe clicked her tongue. "Worry me? You didn't want to worry me?"

Jun blinked. "Oh right. My line. Ahem. I am so sorry, my dear—"

"You can't just waltz off with the boys to a knife fight without even telling me!"

"Please, darling, listen to me. I was never in any real danger. I watched the fight from the sidelines. I was only there to support my friends." Jun didn't sound apologetic in her delivery at all. She only sounded bored.

"You have to tell me these things! We're partners. Don't you respect me?" Momoe's voice cracked as if she would cry.

"Of course I respect you. I won't run away like that again. I promise. Do you still want to be with me?"

Momoe paused, and finally forced a smile. "Don't worry. My love for you was never in doubt."

Jun turned the page again. "And that's the end of the scene. Are we done yet?"

"But that was only the first scene," Momoe objected.

"You already know all your lines." Jun yawned. "Anyway, I'm tired!"

"Okay," Momoe relented and put the script book back in her bag.

"Hey. Hey." Jun perked up. "Do you think Yamato would like it if I got a haircut?"

Momoe grimaced. Not Yamato again. "No, I don't think he would."

"But he might!" Jun ran her fingers through her large, thick hair. "It always looks so messy. Everyone says so."

"I like your hair."

"But this isn't about you. It's about Yamato."

Momoe snapped, "Why do you even like Yamato? He's the same stupid boy from Elementary School who gets into fist fights and grunts instead of talking."

"What?" Jun laughed. "Are you blind? Yamato is the hottest, most popular boy in school! And he doesn't grunt. He uses that deep, sexy baritone voice to sing. He's a talented musician. Everyone knows that."

"I don't care about being popular, and you shouldn't either."

Jun snorted. "Well yeah, obviously you don't care about being popular. You're in a play about worms!"

"The worm is a literary symbol…" Momoe was stung. "I can sing too. I was in the spring musical and you never came. Because you were obsessed with that basketball player."

Jun cringed. She regretted her harsh words, but she also resented her friend's haughty tone. "His name was Shigeo and I'm over him. I like Yamato now. Are you still upset about that?"

"Yeah! A little!"

"I thought we were over this. You were only playing 'Maid Number 2.' Shigeo had an important game. You said it was okay."

"I'm your actual best friend since kindergarten, and none of these boys even care about you. Everyone else thinks you're loud and annoying."

Jun's eyes widened. "Why are you being so mean all of a sudden?"

"I'm the normal one. You're the one who suddenly likes stupid boys and wants to be popular. You've been getting meaner since we started Middle School and I'm tired of it!"

Jun sat up and glared at the girl. "Well, I'm tired of your self-righteous attitude. Everyone else thinks you're super pretentious. So there!"

"I don't need your help rehearsing anyway." Momoe slung her bag over her shoulder. "Yamato Ishida is still a brainless caveman. Good luck getting him to like you."

"You're wrong about Yamato! He's way cooler than you! And good luck with your dumb worm play!"

Momoe slammed the door on her way out. Jun grabbed her pillow and threw it at the closet. She took several deep breaths, and then picked up her scrapbook that she hid under the bed. The most recent three pages were filled with pictures of the Teenage Wolves and their song lyrics. Jun traced her finger around Yamato's blond head, from a photograph of him performing in a coffee shop.

Momoe was so immature. Jun liked boys because she was growing up. And so what if she wanted to be popular? Everyone wants to be popular. Some people are just too pretentious to admit it.

Momoe is wrong about Yamato, Jun thought. Yamato has such pretty blue eyes… He HAS to be nice! The nicest, sweetest, handsomest, most popular boy. I can get him to notice me.

I don't need Momoe.

Far, far away in another dimension, Miyako Inoue was flying on a giant horned bird over a bright blue ocean. It would have been a gorgeous beach except for the ugly line of tall, black obelisks cutting through it. And the summer sunlight glared against the girl's glasses, making it impossible to appreciate the view anyway. Miyako held her hand over her eyes, trying to shield her vision…

"Miyako! Watch out!" She heard Takeru's voice behind her—too late—as a dolphin digimon leaped out of the water and rammed into the girl's partner. Halsemon flipped sideways and Miyako lost her grip.

"AAAAHHHH!" The girl fell into the waves. She couldn't close her mouth fast enough and swallowed sea water. Miyako stubbornly swam upward and spat it out in the air. "HALSEMOOO—!" Her head bobbed underwater again.

"Miyako! Hang in there!" Halsemon shouted, and he dived at the Dolphinmon before she could hurt his partner. The enemy monster had a black ring around her body.

"YEAH! GET THE RIN—!" The waves crashed over Miyako's head again. She swam back up. "WITH YOUR BEAK—!" And again. "YOU CAN DO IT—" Again. "DON'T MIND ME! I'M ONLY DROWNING OVER HERE!" She tasted sea water again and the waves pushed her farther down. Her helmet kept her glasses firmly pressed on her face, but that didn't help her vision underwater with so many fast-moving bubbles, and it certainly didn't help her breathe… Miyako felt something long and thin wrap around her waist tightly, and she couldn't scream for help. But it yanked her back up to the sunlight. She tasted air and gasped for breath. "Aaahh! Oh—it's only you, Yamato." She coughed the last part of her sentence so that it was unintelligible.

Yamato growled like a grizzly bear and kept his right arm tight around her waist, while swimming to the shore with his left arm. Over Yamato's shoulder, Miyako saw that Halsemon managed to free the Dolphinmon from the black ring. Then Yamato pulled her onto the shore and finally let her go. He panted on all fours.

"Are you…all…right?" He wheezed.

Miyako spluttered out some water and opted to nod instead of talk. Her savior sighed in relief. His eyes were wide and he was shaking. Miyako had never seen Yamato look so terrified before.

"Gabumon…can make you warm…" Yamato gestured to his furry partner who was unable to evolve.

Gabumon patted the boy's shoulder and spoke in a soothing voice. "Shh. Calm down. You're both safe." Yamato sighed again and leaned his forehead on top of the digimon's snout.

Miyako found her voice again. "TAKERU WATCH OUT!"

"AAAHHH!" Takeru fell off of Pegasusmon into the ocean. "Help meee!"

Yamato grunted and immediately ran back into the ocean. Gabumon waved his arms and shouted, "Yamato! Let the digimon save them! Honestly!"

Miyako almost laughed at the exasperated tone in Gabumon's voice. But she knew that laughing would be mean. From a distance, Yamato looked the part of a dashing hero, swimming in the sea with his blond hair glistening in the sun. It was strange to see him like this, after hearing Momoe complain about Yamato so much.

Maybe he was a little like a caveman—Momoe's preferred description of the grunting boy—but there was more to Yamato than that. And he was clearly more than a pretty face… Miyako listened to her thoughts and hung her head in shame.

I can't judge Momoe. I'm the one who likes people based on how pretty they are.