Brian sat on a branch in a shady tree, the only one for miles in the Digital Wastes. It had been a long, hot day and he decided that a good rest was in order. He even played with the idea of taking a nap, but resigned to it being a bad idea. Even with his partner, Agumon above him keeping watch, and attack may be imminent. Digimon are crafty, unpredictable creatures. the tree they are in could even be a sleeping Cherrymon for all he knew.

And the Digital World is a barren, unforgiving wasteland where the impossible could happen two or three times before breakfast. If you manage to find breakfast, that is.

The Digital World wasn't always the wasteland it is now. It used to be a beautiful and diverse landscape populated by equally beautiful and diverse digimon. The world seems to change based on who is is in control, however. And at the moment, that kid is in control. The kid who travels with a DemiDevimon.

Brian never learned his name, but he has fought and lost to him three times. Three times he has had to flee and watch innocent digimon be destroyed. A warrior must know when to run. If Brian hadn't learned that, the Digital World would have nobody to stand up and fight for it against all odds.

"I wonder what He is doing right know," Brian said.

Agumon looked down and replied "Why'd you have to bring Him up? I don' teven have food to throw up this time!"

Brian laughed. "Do you ever worry about anything other than your stomach?"

"Sometimes I do!" Agumon retorted defensively. "But its been- somebody's out there!" he said surprised.

"What?"

"There's sombody out in the Wastes! A girl I think. A human girl!"

Brian reahed into his bag and grabbed a pair of binoculars before climbing up to Agumon. He looked out in the direction that Agumon was pointing, and sure enough there she was, walking in the Wastes with the sun pounding down on her.

"Does tshe have a partner?" Agumon asked.

"Not that i can see," but he could see her collapse. "Digivolve. Now!"

Agumon leapt into the air flipping. "Agumon, didivolve to-!"

There was a flash of light and Agumon disapeared. In his place was a huge orange dinosaur with a skull helmet and blue stripes. "Greymon!" the beast yelled in a much deeper voice.

Brian climbed onto Greymon's head and held on to one of his horns as the behemoth dashed towards the girl. It only took a few minutes to reach her. Brian jumped down and checked if she was alive. She was, but only barely. He picked her up and climbed back onto Greymon's head.

When they got back to the tree, Brian set her down so she wouldn't fall out. Agumon returned to his rookie level and began his watch again. Meanwhile, Brian started going through her pack.

She was certainly better packed than he was. She had candy bars, a first aid kit, toilet paper, and some other useful odds and ends. He saw a smaller pack and picked it up, but suddenly a hand tightly grabbed his wrist.

The girl was now awake again. "What are you doing?" she asked angrily.

"Checking your supplies. What's your name?" he asked handing her the last of his own water reserves.

She took it hesitantly, but then began to drink it greedily and replied, "My name is Hope." Now he began to to get a good look at her. She was very pretty. Short, blonde hair, blue eyes, and a round face. She was a bit sun burnt though. She also had a good body, which was bad because because Brian hadn't realized that he was staring.

"I'm up here, dip-wit!" she yelled.

His eyes darted back to her fce and he blushed. "My name's Brian," he said quickly. He then changed the subject. "Do you have a digivice?"

"A digi-what now?"

"Digivice. This thing." He pulled out a small white device with a blinking screen.

"No, i don't." her tone implied she didn't like him much "Why is it blinking?"

"It picked up a signal a few days ago. I'm tracking it but it keeps moving."

"Any idea what it is?" Hope asked, getting curious.

"No clue. I hope its something to help Agumon digivolve to ultimate, but i don't know what it really is."

"Digivolve?" Hope obviously had not been here long. She had no idea what it is Brian was talking about.

"It's how digimon, like my pal Agumon, become stronger. Do you even know where you are?"

"No, I don't. I recieved an E-mail yesterday and when I opened it, there was a bright light. Next thing I know, I'm laying in the dirt with some wierd cat-looking monster eating my pant leg. I found my pack and supplies in an abandoned building."

"Well in that case, we will be your welcome wagon!" Brian said.

"Welcome to..." Agumon sang, "The Digital World! Please keep all contraban to a minimum and remember, you're a guest here, so don't litter!"

Hope laughed a little at that. Brian smiled at her and she glared back.

"How do I leave?" she asked.

"Even if I knew how, you aren't going anywhere without rest." Bria told her. "The sun almost killed you today."

She didnt't like that at all and after about a half hour of argueing, Hope gave in and fell asleep on her branch.

"C'mon, Agumon. We'd better get some shut eye too." Brian told the digimon.

"Brian?" Agumon said, leanin back against the runk. "Is she coming with us?"

He hadn't thought of that. "I doubt it. You can invite her if you want, but she doesn't like me much." And he rolled over and went to sleep.

When he woke up, Brian got his stuff together, woke up Agumon, and climbed out of the tree.

"What about Hope?" Agumon asked. "We can't just leave her."

"I said you could ask her to come, but I dont think she will."

Ecstatic, Agumon climbed back up the tree to wake her. "What's going on?" she asked.

"Brian and I are leaving. I wanted to know if you wanted to travel with us."

"I don't know. Is it this world dangerous? Would it be any safer with you two?"

"The world can be dangerous and I can't guarantee it'll be any safer with us."

"How have you survived this whole time?"

"We've fought. And we win. Most of the time anyway."

She was silent for a while. "Where are you guys going?"

"Wherever the signal takes us I guess. After that we go wherever looks good..."

"I'll go wtih you guys." She said with a smile. "But the moment a way home arrives, I'm gone."

"I'm happy you're coming!" Agumon replied. "Brian will be too, I'm sure. Although he won't admit it."

"Yeah, alright." Hope said. "I will suffer his poor attitude for now. C'mon, lets get out of this tree."

"Hope gathered her things together and the pair jumped down.

" 'bout time." Brian said annoyed. "C'mon Agumon. Lets go. Adios, Hope. Pleasure meeting you!" He turned and began walking.

"I'm coming with you."

"What?" Brian cried turning back to face her.

"I'm coming too and you can't stop me."

The two glared at each ogher. Agumon looked back and forth between them before just staring at the ground.

"Alright then. But i don't babysit. I'm not responsible for you and the Digital World isn't a very safe place." Brian warned her and walked away.

"I won't be in the way." she said trailing after him.

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Fine."

"Oh, brother." Agumon said to himself, getting behind the two. "What have I gotten into?"

Brian and Hope continued like that for another half hour before they finally stopped. A couple hours after that, his digivice began to flash and beep rapidly.

"What is it?" Hope asked him.

"The signal just got really strong," Brian reported, unclipping the digivice from his belt. "See those trees in the distance?" He pointed east towards a dark green area that looked pixelated. In the digital world, everything off in the distance is pixelated. "Its there. And its close. C'mon!"

An hour later, they reached the edge of the forest.