New fic, new universe to check into.

Hello, guys! Seems pretty nice to get out of my comfort zone once in while...but, hey! Games are ALWAYS in my comfort zone. (so, wait, wrong archive, then?)

What I'm trying to say is this one's based on Digimon World 03—a game Bandai will forever own and I'll never get to fund for in the future [sobs]. I've been playing it to try fending off nostalgia, yet I got this idea instead.

Enough rambling, then. Enjoy!

-1-

Welcome to Digimon Online. Please type in your username._

"OK. Here goes."

Enter: B U R S T _

.

..

...

Username valid. Accessing Asuka Server..._

"Oh, welcome back! They're excited to see you."

Airi grinned as she walked towards the smiling Digimon Navi at the Asuka Center Main Hall. "Sorry for being out for a while. Tests were keeping me busy last week, but I'm all geared up now!"

"Wait just a moment, and I'll redownload your pack to your satellite," the Navi typed in a few codes as she spoke.

Airi heard the familiar chime from her satellite and watched as her Digimon slowly pixelated to life.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAIRIIIIIIIIIIIII!"

The first to appear, a Patamon, desperately flapped towards her and tackled her down. "Airi, you left for so long, I thought you'll never come back!"

The tamer laughed and patted the Patamon's head. "Tenshi, leaving Digimon Online for life is absurd! We're not done with work yet, you know."

"Yeah! I'm itchin' to fight!" a Guilmon appeared next and pumped the air to enunciate his point. "Who's the next tamer? Who's the next one, huh?"

"Er, Shugo...maybe not yet—"

The Navi looked up from her desk. "Are you still searching, then?"

Airi nodded. "Yep. Maybe I'll take another route from last."

"Shall we leave, then?" a Kumamon, the last of the pack, asked her calmly.

"Yeah, let's, Kuma."

Before turning away to the exit, Airi heard the Navi say, "Goodluck, Burst."

Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

Airi's satellite chime made them stop from their tracks when they made it past the gate. "Oh, it's Sir—"

"BURST, YOU WORM! WHY DIDN'T YOU CONTACT ME THAT YOU'RE LOGGED IN ALREADY?!"

With a nervous chuckle, she opened her communications, one of the new features of the game, to deal with her fuming caller. "Come on, Sir. No time for insults. MAGAMI's rulebook didn't discuss cussing."

She heard an exasperated sigh. "Still, at least you could've given us a call."

"Relax. At least lemme play D.O. as an ordinary tamer." She cut him off before he could comment. "But, really, I'll keep my head on the tasks. Promise."

"Fine. Could you make your way to the South Sector, then? Recon Central and East Sector's routes if necessary. Check every nook and cranny—"

"—and talk to every player you see." Somehow, she already memorized this line of his, and she would never forget to recite it mostly just to annoy him. "Or, more of battling them."

With that, Shugo grinned. "That's my style, Airi!"

"No fooling around. We have to find him, whatever it takes."

Well, there weren't time for jokes when she would be reminded of the reason for all of this. "Of course."

A beep signaled the end of the conversation. Airi turned to her Digimon. "So, ready to ride the gondola?"

Tenshi, who was perched on Airi's beret, frowned. "That's a long walk there, Airi."

Kuma adjusted his blue baseball cap. "Since Airi's logged in from home, we have more time in our hands today, Tenshi."

Beep-beep. Beep-beep.

Airi grinned. "Well, we could always make the trip more interesting, guys." She reviewed the new caller's name just to make sure.

DRI Agent Mike calling...

A different take from the game, huh? Well, not technically the same timeline, as mentioned in the summary, but you get the drift.

Rate and review, please!