Chapter 1

"Now don't give your mom or Zoya any trouble, you hear?" Shinya Hisakawa reminded his daughter as he pulled on his shoes.

"I never do," Mirai Hisakawa assured him.

"Almost never," Kenji Hisakawa teased, ruffling his daughter's hair. She pouted at him, feeling her head to make sure that her buns were still mostly in place. He turned to a woman with messy brown hair. "Sorry again for imposing on you guys for a whole two months."

"Imposing-shmosing. She's my daughter, too, you know," the woman replied.

"Are you sure you're going to be okay?" Shinya asked Mirai for what must have been the tenth time that day.

"I'm sure, Papa," Mirai said, crossing her arms. "It's not like this is the first time you've gone away for a work trip."

"It is the longest we'll have been gone. Two months is a long time."

"And we're going to miss your first day of middle school. I wish we could leave a few days later, but there wasn't anything we could do about it," Kenji added. He was extremely disappointed that he was going to miss such a big step in his little angel's life. Luckily for him, her mother was more than happy to help on that front.

"Don't worry, I'll make sure to take tons of photos and send them to you tomorrow," she promised.

"Mama!" Mirai shouted in protest. "That's embarrassing!"

"Why don't you run upstairs and finish unpacking, Mirai? I'm sure Chassy will be happy to help," her mother said, turning her towards the stairs.

"Oh! Right! Bye Dad, bye Papa!" Mirai said, hugging them one last time before running upstairs to her new bedroom. She immediately jumped on to her bed, excited for the next two months. This had always been her room whenever she came to visit this side of her family, but this was the first time that she was really going to be staying there for a significant length of time. Even better, she would finally be able to go to school with her sister!

She had to remind herself that Chassy was two years older and would thus be in a different class, but it was still exciting. Even better, she knew that a few family friends went there, too. One of them was her age, and she hoped that he would be able to help her make friends. Who knew what kind of fun adventures she would get to have now that she was in middle school? The possibilities were endless!

It seemed that her mother was equally excited, as she spent the entire next morning taking pictures of Mirai and Chassy in their school uniforms. Pair shots, single shots, this pose, that pose, it ended up going for so long that not only did she forget to do morning martial arts practice with them, they had to run to make it to school with enough time to find out their new class assignments.

Once they found their names on the class lists, Chassy directed Mirai to class 1-B and left for her own class. Suddenly, without her sister's guidance, Mirai felt very small and very alone. Taking a deep breath, she walked into her classroom, scraping up every last little bit of confidence she could in order to not look nervous on her first day. It was bad enough that she was probably a little stinky from her run. She was not about to appear a coward.

She scanned the room for an open seat, when she noticed a boy eagerly waving to her over by the windows. Recognizing him, she moved into the open seat next to him.

"Taki! I'm so glad you're in my class. I was a little worried I wouldn't know anyone."

"Not to worry!" He said, flashing a cheeky grin. "I'll make sure to introduce you to my friends. There're a lot of people here from my elementary school, so you'll have plenty of friends in no time. I can show you around the neighborhood, too."

"Oh, Chassy already has that covered. She's going to take me on a little tour after school today. But I'm sure you could come if you wanted," Mirai smiled at him. Although they had talked online, it had been over a year since she had actually seen Taki. It would be nice to hang out with him a little outside of school.

When lunch rolled around, Taki wanted to go meet up with some of his friends, so Mirai decided to hang back and try to make friends with her new classmates. Just as he disappeared down the hallway, she heard a very small, shy voice from behind her. Turning around, she was greeted by a small girl with bobbed brown hair fiddling with her lunchbox.

"Um… would you like to eat lunch together?" the girl asked, holding up her lunchbox almost like a shield between herself and Mirai.

"Of course! You're… Chika Koeno, right?"

The girl nodded and gestured for them to sit at her desk. They made some introductory small-talk, mostly talking about their previous schools.

"I noticed that you seemed really friendly with Taki," Chika said at last, once she was a little more comfortable talking to Mirai. "How do you know him?"

"Huh? Oh, our parents are good friends, so we've sort of grown up together. Like a cousin, or something. What about you? Are you friends with him, too?"

"Oh, no, not really. We've been in the same class for a few years, but I've never really gotten up the courage to talk to him. He's really cool and always surrounded by lots of people, you know?"

"Hmm… if you say so," Mirai said, taking a bite of her lunch. Sure, Taki was charismatic, but she would never describe him as "really cool," at least not after she saw him fall in the toilet when they were five. She then noticed the light dusting of pink on Chika's cheeks, and it clicked. She grinned. "Would you like me to help you talk to him?"

"Would you?" Chika asked, looking hopeful and a good deal redder. "It's not really a big deal…"

"It is, too!" Mirai protested. "He's just a normal guy, I swear. I'm new to town, so he and my sister are going to show me around after school. I'm sure you're more than welcome to come, if you want. I figure you'll be more comfortable in a group."

"Are you sure I won't just be intruding?"

"It's fine! After all, we're friends now, right?"

Chika gave her a small smile that Mirai took as a yes. She was very excited that she not only had a new friend, but that said new friend had a crush. She would do whatever it took to make sure that "Operation: Win Taki's Heart" (as she had decided to call it) would be a success.

Her sister was waiting for her by the gate after school, and Operation: Win Taki's Heart met its first obstacle when Mirai called out to her. Chika, who Mirai had in tow, came to a screeching halt.

"That… Chastity Takara is your sister?" Chika asked in shock.

"You didn't know? Oh, I guess the different last names don't help…" Mirai trailed off, not really wanting to get into her unusual family structure. "Is that a problem?"

"'Is that a problem?'" Chika echoed with panic. "She's easily the most popular and beautiful girl in school! You should have said something!"

"Oh, I guess I didn't realize she was that popular," Mirai said. Looking around, she noticed the way all the boys in the school yard seemed to be paying attention to Chassy, who was poised as always and seemingly oblivious to the attention on her. Her light brown hair managed to reach her knees despite being pulled back with a ribbon, and her skin was enviously clear for a middle-school student. Mirai recoiled a bit when she realized her sister looked like she stepped out of a high school dating sim. "She's really not as perfect as she seems, I swear."

"There you are!" Taki interrupted, slapping Mirai on the back as she jumped in surprise. Trailing behind him was one of their other friends, a boy named Jonah. If Mirai remembered correctly, he should be in Chassy's year. She had only met him once, but his piercing red eyes were unmistakable. "We've been looking for you. Oh, is Koeno joining us, too?"

"Nope! I'm afraid I just remembered something I have to do. Um, er, see you tomorrow, Mirai!" Chika very nearly shouted as she ran in the opposite direction.

"What was that about?" Taki asked no one in particular. "Well, Koeno has always been kinda weird…" he started to say, but jerked back when he caught sight of Mirai's annoyed pout.

"Did you have to go and scare off my new friend?" she asked, exasperated.

"I didn't do anything!"

"Are you dense? You do not startle the shy girl! Honestly."

Jonah watched Chika go, his eyes narrowing at her retreating form. They flicked to Mirai and Taki only at the mention of Chika's shyness. From there he caught sight of Chassy heading their way and scooping up another boy while she was at it. As neither of his companions had taken notice of Chassy's calls over their bickering, he grabbed their heads and turned them towards her.

Mirai, now that she was facing her sister, watched the newest boy with curiosity. He seemed a little uncomfortable next to Chassy, constantly glancing around at the other boys who regarded him with envy. He was especially nervous once he was closer and his eyes landed on Jonah. Jonah, however, ignored him, so he relaxed and ran up to Taki's side.

"Joining us after all, Haruki?" Taki asked, tossing an arm over the new boy's shoulder. Haruki playfully shoved him.

"I can't exactly say 'no' to Chastity in front of the entire school," Haruki joked. "I'd be eaten alive. Besides, studying can wait if it means I get to finally meet this girl you won't shut up about."

Taki blushed and avoided Mirai's questioning look as he pushed Haruki away a little more forcefully than he meant to. Haruki laughed it off and turned to Mirai.

"You must be Mirai," Haruki said, offering his hand. "I'm Haruki, Taki's best friend from elementary school. I hope you don't mind me tagging along this afternoon."

"Not at all! I hope we can be friends," Mirai said, taking his hand and giving it a firm shake.

"Me, too," Haruki said with a smile, then leaned in to whisper, "I promise he hasn't said anything bad. He's just been really excited to get to see his 'super-kick-ass cousin' on a regular basis."

"Are we going, or what?" Jonah asked, and Mirai had to suppress a jolt at how deep his voice was. It seemed puberty had hit him hard since they first met. "Since it looks like everyone's here."

"Right, let's get this show on the road!" Taki cheered. "Lead the way, Chastity!"

The town was bigger than Mirai had ever realized from her previous visits, where she had mostly been restricted to her immediate neighborhood. Chassy guided them around the neighborhood, pointing out places she and Jonah liked to eat after school. Mirai wanted to stop for some ice cream, but Chassy refused, saying that their mother would probably put them through the ringer once they were home to make up for skipping practice that morning.

"Practice?" Haruki asked.

"Mama teaches us martial arts," Mirai explained. "She's a strong believer in practicing every day, barring physical incapacitation."

"Think you'll join one of the martial arts clubs?" Taki asked, folding his hands behind his head and walking backwards.

"Dunno. What about you?"

"I was thinking of trying out for the soccer club, but I haven't really decided yet." Taki's eyes slid over to Haruki, who understood that the question had been passed to him.

"Cooking club is my first pick," Haruki said. This took the others by surprise, but Mirai's only thought was that this meant she would get to try a bunch of delicious food. Haruki shifted a bit under everyone's stares. "I'm interested in nutrition, so…"

Taki stared at him harder, his brow beginning to furrow, and Mirai got the feeling that he would be talking privately to his friend later, although about what she could only guess. She hoped he didn't think it was too "girly" or anything, because if that was the case then he would be having a private conversation with her fist.

"As good a reason as any," Jonah said. "And since we're all sharing, I'm not in any clubs. Group activities aren't my thing."

An uncomfortable silence followed his statement, as everyone became acutely aware that this little jaunt of theirs was just that. Taking note of the atmosphere, Chassy resumed her role as tour guide. She directed them into a park, explaining how just a few days prior it had been filled with families squeezing in their annual cherry blossom viewing before the start of the new school year. Even now, the trees were filled with the tiny flowers.

"So you do martial arts, too?" Haruki asked Chassy as they meandered through the park. "Why aren't you in a martial arts club?"

"I'm not really that passionate about it," Chassy laughed. "It's just something our mother wants us to know. I much prefer being in the dance club."

"Yeah, Mama is always saying that we need to be prepared for anything. I don't know what she thinks is going to happen, though."

As if on cue, lights burst from the pockets of the five teens. Mirai reached into her pocket, and, wrapping her hand around the only thing she found, pulled out her cell phone. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see her friends doing the same. The light from their phones intensified until it completely engulfed them. She kept a death-grip on her phone even as it seemed to warp against her hand. A sudden pull was the last thing she felt before everything went numb.

"Hey, hey. Are you okay?"

Mirai groaned as she came to, sore and disoriented as she was. The ground underneath her was soft, and she almost thought she had fallen on the park grass, had her nose not told her otherwise. The air was too warm and humid for early spring, and it was heavy with a floral aroma that was definitely not cherry blossoms. Alarmed, and vaguely remembering the voice that woke her up, she forced her eyes open, and was met with a pair of worried, red, reptilian eyes.

Mirai blinked, slowly processing the situation. A small dragon of some sort was bent over her and growing increasingly concerned the longer she failed to answer. The dragon was blue with a white underbelly and red wings and horns. Mirai had never met a dragon, but she had always assumed they would be larger. Maybe this was a very young dragon. Oh, but it had asked her a question, hadn't it?

"I think so. Everything is attached, at least." This seemed to relieve the dragon, so Mirai turned her attention to her surroundings. It almost looked like a jungle. Something nagged at the back of her mind, telling her that this was all very familiar. She cautiously sat up. "Where am I?"

"Genesee Jungle."

"Um, where is that? I've never heard of it."

The dragon looked thoughtful, then replied, "It's a jungle on the edge of Lunaria."

"Yeah, not familiar with that either."

"What? But Lunaria is one of the biggest lands in the Digital World."

"That's what I needed! I'm not sure what the Digital World is, but I can at least guess that I'm not on Earth."

"Then… are you a human? I've never met a human before; I've only heard stories."

"Oh, um, I suppose I am. I guess this means you haven't seen my friends."

The dragon shook its head sadly.

"No, you're the only human I've seen." It suddenly brightened up. "I can help you look for them, if you want! Since you don't know your way around the Digital World."

"That would be great! Oh, my name is Mirai, by the way." Mirai stuck out her hand, which the dragon happily shook.

"I'm Dracomon! I'm a Digimon."

"A Digimon, huh?" Mirai muttered. Now that was definitely familiar, but she still found herself unable to figure out why. She knew she had heard that word before, but the question was where. She shook her head, deciding to worry about it later. What mattered right now was finding her friends and trying to find a way home. She stood up and brushed herself off, glad that her uniform had not gotten terribly dirty, and smiled down at her new friend. "Right then, lead the way, Dracomon!"

"Right!" The little dragon cheered. He turned to lead the way, but only went a few steps before his face fell a little. "Um, do you know how you got here? The jungle is actually pretty big. I don't really know where to start."

"Oh, good question," Mirai said, thinking back. The last thing she remembered was getting engulfed in light, her phone in her hand... "My phone!"

"Your phone?" Dracomon asked, cocking his head to the side.

"Yeah, our phones started glowing all of a sudden. It was in my hand before I blacked out." She checked her pockets first but was unsurprised when it turned up missing. Looking around, she finally noticed a strange blue device lying next to where she had fallen and went to pick it up. It was a little bigger than her phone and felt in some ways to be more rugged, as though it had a particularly thick case. However, the screen was shorter, apparently to make room for the large button on the bottom.

Cautiously, she pressed what, on her phone, would have been the power button on the side. The device came to life, the lock screen picture of her with her parents smiling up at her. Poking through it, it was clear that one way or another, this was, or had been, her phone. Her contacts, photos, and downloads were all there, but none of her apps seemed to be working; in fact, most of them were greyed out. She almost attempted to call her sister but noticed that she had no signal.

Dracomon came over and sniffed the device curiously. "Is it your phone?"

"It was, at least," Mirai said, confused. "Well, I can worry about it later. Finding the others comes first."

"You never finished telling me what happened," Dracomon reminded her.

"Well, there was the light, and then I felt weird and blacked out. Next thing I know I'm here with you."

"Hmm... Well, then hopefully your friends are nearby! But if we can't find them then I'll show you the village."

Off the two of them went, looking through the jungle for other humans. As large as the jungle was, it was clearly well-traversed, with paths and clearings cutting through the underbrush in all directions. Mirai was glad that Dracomon had been the one to find her, as he was very friendly and eager to share all he could think to tell her about the Digital World. Periodically she would stop him to call out for her friends, and Dracomon would mimic her. It took a few tries before they had any luck.

"Oi! Mirai!" Mirai heard. Turning to the right, she saw Taki making his way through the undergrowth. A smile broke across her face as she waved to him.

"Taki! Hey!"

"Now you see, I told you we'd find someone," said a voice from the brush. A white weasel-like creature with purple markings popped out in front of her. It turned its head back towards Taki, eagerly waiting for him to catch up. Taki scowled, which Mirai thought incredibly rude, until she realized he must have stepped somewhere he shouldn't. He kicked his leg around, freeing it from some sort of vine.

"What's a Kudamon doing here?" Dracomon asked, sniffing at the newcomer suspiciously. This time, the creature was definitely offended, as it reared up a little. Dracomon backpedaled but remained on guard. "Kudamon aren't exactly common, and I know for a fact that you don't live in the village."

"I live up the mountain, thank you very much," said the little Digimon, indignant. "And I could say the same about you. I thought Dracomon were all but extinct."

"I'm not extinct!" Dracomon protested.

"Now, now, be nice, you two," Mirai said, feeling incredibly awkward. "Kudamon helped Taki out, so we should at least be polite."

"Fine," Dracomon pouted. "But if you live up the mountain, what were you doing down here? It's not exactly easy to get to from where you were."

Kudamon looked thoughtful then, as though he was choosing his words carefully.

"There was a... pull. Like something was calling to me," Kudamon said slowly. "I cautiously followed it down here, into the jungle. I found Taki not long after."

"You too?" Dracomon asked, which caused Mirai to give him a strange look. "That's kinda how I found Mirai."

"Oh, I don't believe we've been properly introduced. My name is Kudamon. I am a Holy Beast Digimon. It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance."

"I'm Mirai. Nice to meet you, Kudamon." Mirai gave Kudamon a smile. Taki, who had finally made it onto the path with the rest of them, shifted uncomfortably. Mirai gave him a sympathetic look. He turned away abruptly when he noticed, somewhat loudly introducing himself to Dracomon as he plastered a smile on his face. If Mirai hadn't known him for so long, it might have been convincing.

A loud buzzing drew their attention overhead. Both Dracomon and Kudamon tensed, scanning the sky for the source. A shadow fell on the path, and Mirai tracked it upwards to a trio of monstrously large bees. She was not normally afraid of bees, or even wasps, preferring to ignore them as she knew they would leave her alone if she did the same, but the stingers on these things were larger than her head and a bright, angry red that sent her instincts screaming of danger. It was a miracle that she could hold still, hoping that they would pass by without incident.

One of the bees looked down and quickly redirected its comrades' attentions to them. Kudamon gave the order to run, taking the lead as the most agile of the four. Dracomon, more familiar with the jungle, shouted directions, doing his best to keep in mind the human's larger size. The buzzing was relentless behind them. They came upon a ravine, driving Kudamon to a screeching halt.

"Jump, just trust me!" Dracomon shouted. Kudamon gave him a look that asked if he was stupid but didn't have time to actually argue as the humans plowed ahead. Mirai, a few steps ahead of Taki, could judge that the ravine itself was not too deep and that jumping would not leave either of them with more than a few cuts or bruises. She jumped.

Taki followed after her, and the two immediately saw why Dracomon had led them there. Cut out of the ravine's edge was a small cave, just big enough to hide in. They ducked inside, relieved when Kudamon and Dracomon joined them moments later. They huddled together, pressed as far back as they could manage, and listened as the buzzing came closer. Mirai held her breath as she watched the shadows pass through the ravine. They buzzed around the area long enough that Mirai worried that they would be found. Taki was enviously and unnervingly still next to her, almost like he wasn't there at all.

The shadows finally disappeared, and the buzzing with it. They stayed hidden for a few more minutes, just to be safe, but once it became clear that their pursuers had moved on, Mirai released a huge sigh of relief.

"What were those?" Mirai asked, her eyes sharp, searching the sky as she eased herself out of the cave.

"Flymon," Dracomon answered. "They're nasty. Their poison stingers can be deadly."

Mirai swallowed a lump in her throat, not sure how she felt about how deadly that encounter could have been. Suddenly she found herself grateful for her mother's (and father's) seemingly unreasonable need to prepare her for anything.

"I'm worried about Haruki," Taki said. Mirai was struck by how much his nerves seemed to permeate the air, especially after how still and seemingly calm he had been. "Jonah and Chassy can take care of themselves, but Haruki..."

Is an ordinary kid, Mirai suspected was the rest of that sentence, if it wasn't doesn't have paranoid parents.

"Then let's start looking again," Mirai declared. She clambered out of the ravine, reaching down to help pull Taki up with her. Dracomon fluttered his little wings, racing Kudamon to the top. Mirai watched them in amusement, a part of her itching to find something to compete with Taki over. One look at him, however, and the concern all over his face, and she changed her mind. "Think the others have met up with Digimon, too?"

Taki relaxed then, shifting his attention to the Digimon who were now bickering over who had won, neither agreeing on what counted as the finish line. He regarded them thoughtfully.

"Probably. I somehow doubt that us meeting these guys immediately after we were thrown into this world was an accident."

Mirai hummed, thinking that the sense of familiarity was growing and growing but she just could not place it. It sort of felt like something out of a video game.

"Regardless, I'm sure Haruki is fine. He keeps up with the walking disaster that is you, after all," Mirai teased. Taki made a grumpy little grumble of protest, but his eyes were smiling. It made her heart soar. She didn't know what she would do with a worrywart Taki.

"I am not a walking disaster," he argued. "But you're right, Haruki does keep up with me. Anything I can take he can probably take, too."

Mirai wanted to argue, point out a giant flaw in the logic, but Taki's mood had improved and cautious optimism seemed like the best option in the face of the unknown.

"If your friends have probably also met up with Digimon, then we should head to the village," Dracomon said. "I bet that's where they'd go. To talk to the village elder."

"Sounds like a plan!" Mirai said, gesturing for Dracomon to lead the way. Once they started walking, Mirai turned to Taki, and asked, "What kind of Digimon do you think Haruki met up with?"

Dracomon and Kudamon glanced back at them, apparently curious to see what Taki's answer would be. He looked to the sky, turning the question over in his head. He glanced down at the Digimon in front of him before he answered.

"I'm not too sure. Someone friendly, I guess. Haruki can be friends with anyone, so hopefully someone like that."

"Not knocking Haruki here, but are you sure that isn't you?" Mirai asked. "From what I saw at school today, you attract people everywhere you go."

Taki looked about to boast, cocky grin spreading across his face, when a shout caught their attention.

"Leave him alone, you big jerk!"

"That was Haruki's voice!" Taki said urgently, taking off like a shot in the direction he thought it came from. Mirai didn't need to be told twice and charged after Taki, the Digimon close on their heels. She easily caught up with him, and the two soon found themselves approaching a sizeable clearing, the rooftops of the village visible in the distance.

Haruki she saw first, his body awkwardly shielding a small pink Digimon. It looked like he couldn't quite decide whether to face his opponent head-on or to grab the little Digimon and run. Following his glare, she then saw a vaguely humanoid creature made up of rocks. It grinned maliciously at the two before it.

"Lookit little Crybaby Cutemon, unable to fight on his own," the rock-creature taunted. "But I'll make sure no one helps you again! Rock Fist!"

A barrage of rocks came flying from the creature, and Taki just barely managed to push Haruki and Cutemon out of the way in time.

"Gotsumon, what's gotten into you? I thought we were friends!" Cutemon cried from Haruki's arms as Taki checked the two over for any serious injury.

"Why would I ever want to be friends with a wimpy crybaby like you?" Cutemon began to cry harder, and Gotsumon smirked. "Rock Fist!"

"Dangan Senpu!" Kudamon shouted as he spun and smacked the rocks away with the cartridge attached to the end of his tail. He positioned himself between his friends and Gotsumon. Gotsumon stepped back, his annoyance plain on his face.

"Baby Breath!"

Gotsumon flinched at the attack, but it otherwise seemed ineffective. He turned his attention to Dracomon, his annoyance morphing into anger.

"Mind your own business, Dracomon! Crazy Crusher!" Gotsumon charged at Dracomon, his arms flailing wildly. Dracomon, not expecting to be rebuffed so quickly, was caught off-guard, and would have been hit if Mirai had not intercepted and caught Gotsumon's hands with her own. She grunted with the effort, and was a little surprised to discover that her opponent was made of actual rocks. Even then, she was surprised that something so small could have so much strength.

To her shock, Gotsumon became covered in a shadowy aura and began to grow, growling as he did so. Mirai quickly broke away. She and Dracomon scrambled to join the others.

"What did you do!?" Taki asked her as she pulled up next to him.

"I have no idea!" She watched in fright as the shadowy aura disappeared, leaving an unfamiliar Digimon in its wake. This one also seemed to be made of rocks, but was far larger than Gotsumon and more of a yellow-brown. "I didn't mean to, I swear!"

"He digivolved into Golemon," Cutemon explained, his voice quivering. "But that wasn't normal!"

Golemon fixed them all with a hard stare and started to stalk forward. Dracomon and Kudamon valiantly stepped forward, ready to meet the much larger Digimon head-on. Mirai did a quick scan of the area, realizing to her dismay that they were backed up against foliage dense enough to prevent escape. Mirai shared a look with Taki, the two confirming that they would back the little guys up if it came to it. After all, they didn't have much of a choice.

"Sulfur-"

"Mirai!"

Mirai whipped her attention to where she heard her sister's voice, only for Chassy to rush in and slide underneath Golemon. As she passed under Golemon, she held up something that looked like a large flower.

"Rain of Pollen!"

A pollen cloud erupted in Golemon's face, and he reared back, coughing and spluttering from the spores. Out of the corner of her eye, Mirai saw her sister skid to a stop and place what she now saw was a flower Digimon on the ground, where it took a protective stance. Mirai's group took the opportunity to move away from the clearing edge and surround Golemon.

"Is he... slowing down?" Haruki asked. Mirai looked, and sure enough, Golemon was shaking his head and blinking, as though in confusion.

"That's the idea!" the flower Digimon said. "Pandamon! You're on!"

A stuffed panda, about the size of the other Digimon, burst from the trees and struck the gazed Golemon with his palm. Already a little off-balance, Golemon toppled over from the strike to his torso, crashing onto his back. Jonah stepped into the clearing, his stern expression mirroring Pandamon's.

"Looks like it's not over yet," he said, indicating the shadowy aura starting to flicker around Golemon.

"I won't let you!" Dracomon cried. "Tail Smash!"

Mirai winced as Dracomon's tail impacted with Golemon's face, knocking the other Digimon unconscious. The aura started to weaken, but did not disappear.

"What are we going to-" Haruki started to ask, only to be cut off by a high-pitched screeching. Mirai looked down to the source of the sound, and saw a light coming from her pocket. Cautiously, she pulled the glowing device out of her pocket. A symbol she didn't recognize was displayed on the screen, but she barely noticed it as instinct drove her to press the unknown button at the bottom and then turn the screen towards Golemon.

Light flooded out of the screen, and the shadowy aura dissolved against the relentless light. Golemon shrank back into Gotsumon, and the light slowly died away. Mirai looked between the unconscious Gotsumon and her device, now thoroughly convinced that even if it was her phone once, it wasn't anymore.

"We did it!" Dracomon cheered. "That was so cool, Mirai! How'd you do it?"

"I'm not sure," Mirai muttered, examining the device all over. "I acted on instinct."

The other humans and Digimon gathered around her, equal parts celebratory and confused. Mirai only half-paid attention, as she was more interested in the mysterious device in her hands.

"I'm glad everyone is safe," Chassy said. "I was really worried."

"Looks like everyone met a Digimon, too," Taki observed. Leaning down to be level with the Digimon in Haruki's arms, he asked, "So you're Cutemon, huh?"

"Y-yes. Thank you all for saving me," Cutemon said, bashful.

"Don't mention it," Haruki said, giving Cutemon a small smile as he carefully pet the back of his head. "I couldn't just sit by and watch you get bullied."

"I'm a little worried about Gotsumon," Cutemon said. He hopped out of Haruki's arms and walked over to inspect the fallen Digimon. "He's not normally that mean. Oh, I should probably heal that bump on his head."

Cutemon began to emit a small light from his hands, the impact marks (Mirai didn't see a "bump," per se) slowly disappearing from Gotsumon. Dracomon joined them, watching the process with interest.

"Where did you even get that thing?" Taki asked Mirai, looking at the device curiously.

"I think it was my phone," Mirai said. "It has all my contacts and stuff. What about you guys?"

"Oh, come to think of it, my phone had the same thing happen to it," Haruki said, fishing out a similar pinkish-red device from his back pocket. The other kids all followed suit, discovering their own devices. They all looked identical, save the colors: Taki's was violet, Chassy's green, and Jonah's black.

"Think we can all do that thing Mirai did?" Taki wondered out loud, beginning to inspect his own device. "Was it an app?"

Across the clearing, Gotsumon began to stir, prompting the other Digimon to surround him, just in case he became violent again. He sat up slowly, massaging his head where Dracomon had hit him.

"Most of my apps are greyed out. Oh, but I don't recognize this app..." Mirai said, pressing something on the device.

There was a flash of light, and the next thing the Digimon knew, the five humans had disappeared.

Mirai was not sure whether or not she was glad that she remained mostly conscious this time. The pull had not been quite as strong this time, but it was still incredibly disorienting. Her sense of up and down twisted, she had no time to process that the light deposited her back in the park a couple feet off the ground. She hoped there was no one around to see her appear out of thin air and then promptly fall over on the ground. Even worse, she soon felt the weight of four other middle schoolers pile up on her back.

There were many dazed and confused grunts, as everyone processed what just happened. To Mirai's dismay, no one seemed to be making the obvious move to separate.

"EVERYONE GET OFF!"

Chassy, who hand landed closest to the top, carefully extracted herself from the pile, helping Jonah as she went. Haruki got up easily enough, but then had to catch Taki as Mirai threw him off of her when he failed to move fast enough. Once everyone was re-settled, they looked to each other with only one question.

"What just happened?"