Chapter One: The Digidestined of Prudence

Jason dashed through the undergrowth, allowing snaking branches and vines to whip and strike at his arms and face as he ploughed on, through the trees. His heart pounded a thunderous drumbeat that roared in his temples, urging his legs to move faster and his mind to stop wandering away from the moment. This was life or death – he realised that now – and at that particular moment in time, death was not an option.

But you left him behind. A voice taunted at the side of his mind, its mocking coolness forming fresh beads of sweat on his face, burning his skin. You just ran and left him there. Left him there to die.

Jason cut the voice out and threw himself across the tiny clearing between bushes and forced himself into the next. Blood was running freely down his wrist from where a suitably lithe branch had torn at his flailing arms and its scarlet form was becoming spattered on his crisp white shirt.

Tell me. The voice urged. Was it right or wrong to leave him behind like that?

Something tipped in Jason's mind in that instant, like someone flicking a switch. It had been wrong. He knew that. Anyone who knew the situation would know that. Anyone who knew what terrible mess he was in would know that.

Jason's foot caught on an exposed root, taking the ground away from him and sending him soaring through the air. He hit the ground hard and awkwardly. His deep-seated fear was still with him but now something else was there. Before he knew it, the events of the past two days began flashing through his mind. Was he dying? Jason had heard something about someone's life flashing before there eyes before they died, but this was only 48 hours worth of images that showed over and over again the face of the one he had left behind. This was what he saw:

Jason stirred, rolling over and reaching out to his bedside dresser, intent on taking a drink of water to soothe his aching throat. No doubt he had been sleeping with his mouth open and he would now have to put up with a terribly sore throat as a result. His hand grasped air and he frowned, his eyes still closed. He reached out further, stretching his fingers tips but they still found nothing but air.

He groaned, opening his eyes and staring at the forest around him. Forest?

Jason immediately sat upright, his bed covers dropping off his shoulders. He looked down and gasped, finding himself fully dressed, in his bed, in the middle of a deciduous woodland glade.

"What the hell?" He murmured in shock, his eyes flickering around in confusion. "If this is some kind of joke, it isn't funny!" He shouted to the leaves around him, getting dead silence as a reply. Well, almost dead silence. The sound of a high-pitched beeping was coming from nearby.

Casting his eyes down to the grassy ground, Jason saw some kind of large coloured ostrich egg with a string tied around it. Attached to the other end of the string was a plastic-seeming device that looked almost like a mobile phone. Alongside both of these was a piece of paper with the word 'Jason' emblazoned upon it.

Angrily getting out of his bed, and finding to his surprise and pleasure for the current circumstances that he was wearing his shoes, Jason snatched at the letter and unfolded it with haste. The handwriting there was sprawled and haphazard, like it had been written by a small child.

"Still not funny!" He shouted to no-one.

Gritting his teeth, Jason examined the paper and read the spider-scrawl words.

'Dear Jason,

Welcome to the Digital World – a place of mysteries and wonder, happiness and grief, friendship and enemies.-'

Enemies? As far as Jason knew, he didn't have one enemy to speak of. He was one of the most popular kids at school since he was captain of both the basketball and soccer teams. This was very strange, indeed.

'Please find with this letter your Digiegg and Digivice. They are the keys to your role as Digidestined in this Digital World and you should not attempt to leave the clearing without them. Many perils await you throughout this world and without your Digimon partner, you cannot hope to fair well in the wilderness.

Upon your arrival, the Digiegg should begin to hatch – do not be alarmed. Just be yourself and you will find that the Digital World can be a wonderful place. Pretend to be someone you are not, or forget who you are, and that could easily be turned around.

Farewell and good luck, Prudent One.'

The end of the letter was marked with a scribble that looked somewhat like a flower but Jason did not recognise it as any form of signature. Sighing, he stuffed the note into his pocket and crouched down.

He took the string connecting egg to mobile phone and picked up the plastic device, examining it. This was the Digivice? It fit snugly into his right hand, allowing free access to the buttons along its edge with his thumb. A small aerial stuck out of the top, so he instinctively held it up to his ear.

"Hello?" He asked into the device. "Is anyone there?" There was no reply.

Curling his lip, Jason turned his attention to the Digiegg. It was a creamy colour with icy blue markings on its upper half, reaching downwards like sinuous stalactites. A strange curled symbol in a darker blue was dotted four times around the base pale section. He reached out to touch its incredibly smooth surface and jumped as the shell cracked violently.

Jason fell back on his butt, watching in astonishment as the egg completely split in two, falling apart to reveal a white blob of fatty-looking material. Fatty-looking material with eyes on!

"Poyo!" The blob said, smiling happily and squirming its way towards Jason. With fascinated interest, Jason reached out and picked up the blob, holding it steadily in both hands.

"Poyo!" It repeated.

"Hey… little guy," Jason said shakily. What was going on?! "I'm Jason, OK?"

"Poyomon!" It seemed to agree.

That had been yesterday. Jason's first day in the Digital World. But not the entirety of his first day had been shown to him. That was creeping into his mind as he got back to his feet and turned back the way he had come. Images began to rocket into his mind even as his legs pumped him in the direction of the one he had left behind.

He would do the right thing! That was who he was! With strength born of necessity, Jason crashed back through the forest in the direction of danger and almost certain death.