As much as he didn't want to face the possibility, Genki knew something could go wrong. He'd played Monster Rancher 1 and 2 enough times to learn the hard way that, when it came to combining, percentages, however unlikely, meant that almost anything could happen. A Hare/Monol mixed with a Tiger/Worm could have a variety of results beyond the desired Hare/Tiger, including a Monol/Worm, a Tiger/Hare, or even a purebred form of any species involved.
But this world wasn't exactly like the games he knew. Maybe here combining was different, more precise. And if it was like the games, how unlikely was it that Big Blue's Tiger DNA would win out, even with an element of randomness to the process? Pixie might become a Mint or—his heart ached at the thought—Big Blue might become a Pink Golem. But the most likely possibility was Granity, a Pixie/Golem.
When Jill readied the combination matrix and he and Holly pressed the fateful switch together, he hoped and prayed that, just once, things would go right—as right as they could, with one friend sacrificing himself for another's survival.
Instead, the Monster that resulted stunned everyone present.
It was a Daton—a Tiger/Pixie. Not a trace of Pixie's personality or Big Blue's remained, which was evident when the Monster looked up, yawned sleepily, and politely asked who they were. There was a feminine lilt to the wolf's voice, and Genki thought it best, at least for now, to refer to her as female.
"I-I'm Genki," the young boy said, putting on a cheerful face. He couldn't break down now. Daton was a new potential friend, and she hadn't done anything wrong; she just existed when the odds were very low that she wouldn't.
"Hi Genki! Do you know where I am and who all these folks are," Daton said, running over and nuzzling against his leg—as a newborn, she was quite small compared to older members of her species. (To lighten the mood, Suezo asked Tiger if he looked this adorable as a pup, and was met with a mild jolt of lightning.)
Genki started to respond, but Holly found her voice and answered for him. The young girl's eyes brimmed with unshed tears, which quickly overflowed.
"You're in a mountain shrine, Daton. I'm Holly, and these are my friends Suezo, Mocchi, Tiger, Golem, and Hare. Those monsters over there—" she indicated the Jills—"are Jills. They live here, and take care of the place."
Daton nodded at that, smiling and wagging her tail at first, but she frowned as she saw the look on everyone's faces.
"Why does everyone look so sad? Did I do something wrong?"
"No! Not at all," Suezo cut in, trying desperately to look happy. "Everything's fine! We're just peachy! Really!"
"To tell you the truth," Hare said, "we're sad because…well, two of our friends went away."
"Oh. Will they ever come back?"
The question stung everyone present, and Golem sadly shook his rocky head. Daton nodded gravely before nuzzling into Genki some more. "I'm sorry. I hope one day, you can—"
A great roar suddenly shook the entire place, and the Searchers reacted as one, preparing to fight. Tiger quickly ran over to Daton, readying his Lighting to protect her from harm; the young wolf had quickly become frightened.
"W-what's that," Daton whimpered. "It's scary!"
"That," Tiger growled, "is Moo. He wants to destroy everything, and only the Phoenix can stop him for good."
A new light had come to Daton's eyes—one of recognition. "Moo," she repeated, growling and baring her teeth. Lightning formed at the tip of her horns, the first special attack she'd shown thus far. "Somehow—I know that monster. I—I feel like I hate him."
"That's a problem," Suezo said, "'cause hating Moo just makes 'im stronger. We found that out the hard way."
Daton nodded. "Well, wherever he is, I'm going to fight him!"
Holly started to protest, but the wolf cub cut her off.
"I know I was just born, but I feel—I know—this is something I have to do. Please, let me help you."
Golem gingerly leaned down to look Daton in the eyes, as if searching for something, then turned to his friends. "While Pixie and Big Blue are gone, they are… not forgotten. Daton wishes to fight Moo, just as they had. We should…grant her wish."
Genki took heart, launching into a plan. "Then that's what we'll do! Daton, meet us outside, okay? You can help the Dragons fight Moo, while we try and find the Phoenix's soul. Falcon is one of the best flyers, so you can ride on his back. He should be able to keep you safe."
Daton nodded and ran off, and Genki silently vowed that no matter what happened to them, this was going to be it. No more pain, no more death. The war would end with Moo.
He owed his friends, the Monsters, and the world that much.
He owed Daton a peaceful world to be born into.