Disclaimer: I in absolutely no way own or in anyway possess Digimon, Zoids, or Neopets. They all belong to their rightful owners as do any terms associated with them. The only thing I do own are Alicia and Izaya who are my original characters. Any personification of the digimon or neopet seen is originally my idea but I do not, under any circumstances, own the actual species or characters.

Chapter One:

An Encounter which Shouldn't Be

"…"

"Who are you?"

"…"

I can't hear them or even see them.

What is that, some sort of melody? "Where did that melody come from?"

"? …"

"Hey, where are you going? Hey! …"

Alicia gave a sudden twitch before jolting up as sunlight hit her eyes painfully causing the girl to instantly shield them with her right hand. "Fuck, I thought I kept that window shut!" she groaned before realizing something was off, in other words she wasn't even in her room let alone her bed. "What the hell?" Eyes snapped wide as she looked around wildly to notice she was in some sort of wasteland. "What is this? Where in the seven hells am I?" Panic took its hold inside her chest making breathing incredibly hard as questions such as 'What happen to my family?' and 'Was I kidnapped? Did they do anything to me?' ran through the poor human's head as she began pacing as all sense took a temporarily leave. "Okay, come on Alicia this is pathetic. *Sigh* freaking out will not help you. Just try to see if you can see a landmark and head towards it," taking in a few more breathes she shut then open her eyes as it became easier for her to have oxygen move in and out her lungs and she calmed herself as much she possibly could at the moment to look around. "Kay looks like there is something … that way!" and thus Alicia moved to the particular horizon as she forced herself not to look back and keep on forward as the paranoia of perhaps heading into danger or away from nearby towns crept. It turned out that this was a wise choice as the protagonist noticed that the particular shapes where indeed buildings which eased any of the past fears … only for new ones to kick. "They may or may not speak English and may not be safe to be around, oh shut up Alicia! Rather die in a damn wasteland?" She kicked the voice in her head after it smartly replied back how there was worse than dying.

~~…~…~~

She blinked in surprised as a musical sound ringed in her ears. "What? A sort of broken melody?" Alicia thought back to her dream for a moment before confirming this melody was different. "Might as well see what's causing it – ow!" She swore as she stepped on a sharp rock before continuing on. "This better not get an infection! Fucking sand, fucking rocks,"

After a few minutes the girl found herself trying to find the melody in an alley as she avoided the stares she got since she came walking out of a wasteland…in her pajamas. "Can't be that much farther…" she mumbled as she turned left into a smaller one to find the source of the broken sound and it was the last thing the girl would ever imagine. The source was a small red dinosaur like creature with a 'V' shape head and was all too familiar to her. "Sh-Shoutmon?" Alicia now believed herself to be insane; digimon was suppose to be the creatures of fiction, was she to expect one existed? "Wh-who are you?" the supposivly rookie level digimon turned his head to get a better look. "Um Alicia, currently lost and possibly insane girl who woke up in the middle of a damn wasteland," she sat down next to him for some relief on her injured foot. "Shoutmon, currently fading away rookie level digimon," he replied in a deadpan sort of manner. "Fading?" "I lost my mic, a Shoutmon without their microphone isn't really a Shoutmon and will die without it," she cringed before hoisting the tiny digital monster up. "Will you heal instantly if it's found?" The small digimon looked back at her eye to eye. "Huh? You just meet me and will help just like that?" His voice did seem a bit worn now she paid better attention. "Well I mean death is kinda serious, even if you would be reborn and besides this isn't the Digital World is it?" He shook his head 'no'. "Yeah so let's not risk it," With that she set out back on the main street with Shoutmon now resting on her head and they began searching for the dinosaur's mic.

*Meanwhile in the Arcadia Kingdom*

Steps echoed all around him as he headed down the long hallway; he wasn't expecting to be summoned instantly like this as he had just brought his men back from patrolling the nearby town for any signs of the young prince and son of the late king. Yet as Opis had said, the Emperor called him and so he will go see what the man wanted. "Did you call me, sir?" he bowed (though hated how he has to at the moment) after entering the throne room where the Emperor made himself right at home. "Yes as a matter of fact I did Blood, the time-space transmission unit seemed to have … reacted to something," this was unexpecting. "What do you mean by 'reacting'? Was it perhaps because of Athle?" the Lord Captain of the Phantom Knights looked up at the other. "It gave off a reading different from the one it gives whenever they use the second one which means it could have been due to the prince or something else entirely. Which brings to why I summoned you," the mysterious man garbed in purple with his iconic mask paused for a moment. "It appear to have specifically came from town," "From town? When was this? I haven't seen or heard of anything unusual," the pilot replied. "Just recently as a matter of fact; less than an hour ago. I hope it will not be too much to ask for you to double check?" AKA Blood didn't have a choice but return to the same small settlement just because of readings from a device they probably haven't learned all the secrets to yet. "Of course not your Highness," "Then off with you,"

*On Another Side of Town *

"Hey are you sure you know where you're going?" Izaya sighed in annoyance as the tiny digimon darted backwards and forwards infront of him. "Of course Izzy! I'm going uh … this way, kyu!" the small pink like digimon known as Cutemon replied as he pointed in a random direction. He was only glad no one he knew was around; he was notorious for getting into fights and now is following a small pink rabbit … thing in nothing but his night pants. "Izzy! Do you think we would even find your partner digimon?" Cutemon came running back and climbed on the human's shoulder. "How the hell would I know? And would you stop before you draw in a fucking crowd?" He snarled as he pushed his bangs out of his face. "Waaaah! You're so mean!" Izaya only groaned as Cutemon whined about his attitude again. "What did I do to deserve this?" he growled as he punched a nearby wall much to the dislike of a random civilian. "Watch it punk!" "Fucking make me asshole!" Before Cutemon knew it he's on the ground whimpering as Izaya once again gotten into a fight; how was he to ever find his friends Terriermon and Lopmon now?

*With Alicia and Shoutmon*

"HUH? Someone is causing trouble?" "Jeez, first those soldiers and now this!" the two blinked in surprise at the different conversations they had picked up on. "We came in a pretty vicious place…" Shoutmon muttered softly as his human buddy only nodded. "Any rate this could make it easier to find your mic," she paused before turning around to notice a strange man in a long brown jacket following them from a distance. "Shoutmon, trouble!" she whispered as she slinked to the largest crowd she saw in an attempt to escape the stranger's gaze and keep her now accelerating heart under control. "What's wrong? You seem really scared and your heart's beating fast," "There's a guy in a long coat following us," he frowned; in this weather everyone wore short so it could mean the man had something on him. "Try to remain where there are a lot of people," he whispered as he gave her shoulder a firm grip (well, as firm as he could in his state) with one of his hands. Alicia nodded and made sure there was someone around as she continues to search for the mic before face palming as an idea hit. "Hey excuse me," she went to ask a woman and her husband as Shoutmon glanced around to see the guy still following from a distance. "Is… there something the matter?" Obviously she needed to get out of her pajamas but first. "I know I look odd in my pajamas but is there a music store nearby? I'm looking for a specific microphone which as a memento of my friend who passed away from cancer and think someone might have took it," The small digimon nearly gave them away with his stunned expression at how casually this nervous girl had lied. "What? Oh you poor thing! Here it's right this way," the woman said as her significant other growled about how low some people would go as to steal something of such value.

"Here we are dear," the two backed off as the girl headed up to the store before turning around. "Thanks so much for helping me!" "Just be sure to find the mic alright," the man nodded while giving a sympathetic smile before continuing his walk with his loved one. "Hopefully we can now get your mic," she patted her companion's head. "Ye-yeah but are … you sure about lying like that?" he panted. "I don't like it; especially with how nice they where but your life IS on the line," she whispered back before looking around; this time she did not see their mysterious follower. "Kay," she muttered before heading inside the store.

*With Blood*

'Now something happens!' he thought bitterly to himself as he headed to where the commotion was. First there was that saying of an odd man in a coat than a girl in her pajamas with a plush like thing on her shoulder and now of some punk starting fights with a small pink rabbit thing, obviously the pilot decided to go after the one starting the fights and save the girl for last. With a quick motion of his hand he led his men to where the trouble-maker was at which was thankfully for him not too far from the entrance they came from. "You there!" He called out in a commanding tone which caught the dark haired guy's attention. "Huh? Who the hell are you?" a small pink creature peered from behind his legs. "Izaya! I don't think you want to mess with him, kyu! He looks like he's pretty nasty, kyuu!" 'That creature…it can't be what possibly set off the time-space transmission unit could it?' Blood studied it carefully.

*Alicia and Shoutmon*

"That's it! Thank you so much!" Alicia sighed in relief as the man gave her Shoutmon's mic for free as he admitted he had never seen it before. "Think nothing of it! I mean it's obviously important to you," the kind man said as she waved one last time before leaving to sneak in an alley a little bit behind the shop. "Shoutmon! We got it!" She gave the red digimon the mic back before sighing in relief at how even being near it had revived him; now the rookie level jumped off her shoulder with a twirl. "Yeah! All thanks to you!" he scratched his nose as he held the prized item in his other hand before freezing. "Alicia! That guy's right there!" 'Oh shit!' she thought as she instantly whipped around to see the long coat catch on fire to reveal something nonhuman. "Meramon!"

*Back to Blood Opposing Izaya and Cutemon*

"Gah!" Izaya grunted in pain as he landed on his back hard from the fight he had with the strange guy in blue. "Izaya! Kyu!" Cutemon ran over before jumping back as gun fire kept the tiny digimon from getting near. "Enough!" The opposing teenager raised his arm and, much to Izaya's surprise, the adult heeded him. "Yes, Lord Captain sir," "Lord Captain? You're not that much older than me, just who the hell are you?" The so called 'captain' turned his attention back to his fallen opponent. "I am Lord Captain Blood Keel of the Emperor's Phantom Knights who rules over this town and the entire kingdom," 'Blood? Yeesh this guy must have gotten into some serious scraps due to his name!' Izaya really couldn't help but think. "You liar! The real leader is the young prince, Athle Arcadia!" a man yelled out. "Shut up!" The woman next to him growled as she kept glancing nervously back at the armed men.

*Alicia and Shoutmon*

"ROCK DAMASHI!" Shoutmon called out his attack which hit Meramon square in the head but since it was a fire ball in the shape of a musical note against a flaming man of a mon all it did was get a chuckle out of the champion level. "Shoutmon! Didn't you just get your mic back?" Alicia called out. "Huh? Oh right! ROWDY ROCKER!" this time Shoutmon managed to cause Meramon damaged. "Keep hitting! Don't let up!" "Right! ROWDY ROCKER!" Shoutmon called his attack with all of his might before hitting harder and faster ending with a strike on Meramon's shins to make the other drop his guard before the tiny red digimon used his mic as a baseball bat and hurl the opposing mon out of the alleyway. "I got him, Alicia!" Shoutmon jumped up and down as she walked over to him. Unfortunately for them, Meramon had one final trick up his sleeve as the downed form began glowing in a harsh light for all to see.

*With Blood, Izaya, and Cutemon*

"What the?" The leading man whipped his head back to see a large beam of light on the other side of town. "The light of digivolution, kyu!" The small pink thing gasped in realization. "Light of digivolution?" Blood muttered to himself before turning to his men. "We're taking them with us to the other side but if there's any signs of there being an issue take him away immediately," Izaya instantly perked up at this. "The hell? Take just me away? For all you know pal I know as much about that light as that damn rabbit does! So you might want me around!" the two glared at each other over Cutemon's cries of distress. "We'll see how useful you are," Blood made a hint to the sword he keeps on at all time before turning back around much to Izaya's distaste (though he can't due anything due to Blood having his men hold him.) "We're moving right now!" "Sir! What of him?" one asked as he pointed to the other man who spoke of an 'Athle Arcadia' and had been restrained as well when he charged Blood. "He's under arrest! What do you think, fool!" The soldier shivered before he led the other two who were holding the poor civilian to carry him off.

*Alicia and Shoutmon*

"Meramon digivolve to … SKULLMERAMON!"

"Mother of God…" Alicia shivered in pure fear; Shoutmon said he followed the evolutionary levels; fighting a champion he might be able to win, but an ultimate? No way! "Alicia!" Shoutmon called her back to reality. "We need to run!" She called and the two headed towards SkullMeramon before making a sharp turn left, moving as fast as their legs could carry with the newly evolved mon pursuing them. "HEAVY METAL FIRE!" The ultimate unleashed a large volume of flame as people scattered and the two protagonists had to dart and out of alleyways to dodged both the fire and the relentlessly chasing digimon. "Alicia! We need a plan!" Shoutmon spoke up. "WHAT PLAN? You're on such a low level and what am I suppose to do anyways?" "Help me!" He knew she was scared but this was getting ridiculous! "How? I'm not your partner Shoutmon!" Alright she may have not realized it but that honestly hurt. He thought they could be partners… "We could … I mean," before the tiny digimon continue on with what he was about to say they had to move away from each other to dodge another volley from SkullMeramon before regrouping. "Then where is that damn digivice? I don't mean any offense to you Shoutmon, but I don't have a partner!" 'You didn't even try… but you're right. The digivice would have come by now. I need a partner who won't run away!"

*With Blood*

The head of the force paused for a moment as a melody suddenly rang out in the air, coming from where people where fleeing from and random blue flames where seen. 'Something tells me I don't need any extra weight…' He turned to his men who all stopped in confusion at the sudden behavior. "All of you evacuate the civilians, I will go on alone, and someone take those two to the Emperor. Do not question me!" he ordered before continuing off as they began to carry out his orders. "Hey what the hell gives you son of a bitch?" The guy called Izaya screamed at him before one of his men silenced him. 'This had better be worth the headache…'

*Alicia and Shoutmon*

Alicia whimpered a bit to herself as her cut foot was making itself noticeable as she scraped it along the pavement as she ran and the debris from SkullMeramon's assaults certainly didn't help. 'C'mon you idiot! Run! Just run! That's all you got to do is get away! So what are you waiting for? RUN!' she pushed herself harder as a figure was coming up from the distance. 'Oh NOW what? What the hell could possibly happen that didn't happen already!' Shoutmon seemed to have noticed too as he picked up his pace to try and get to the figure. "LOOK OUT YOU IDIOT!"

*With Blood*

"LOOK OUT YOU IDIOT!"

Before he knew it a girl darted straight past him as a small red dinosaur creature pushed him as blue fire hit right where he was heading towards. "What the?" He glanced down to get a better look at the creature and noticed it had a mic with it. "What where you thinking? SkullMeramon could kill a guy like you easily!" The Zoid pilot looked up to see this 'SkullMeramon' bearing down on them. "Shoutmon! What are you doing? Get out of there!" The girl called from behind them. "Alicia, are you only going to run?" Shoutmon turned his attention to her. "Unless you got a better idea!" "What? This guy is too much for you to handle?" he pushed the tiny red creature off so he can get up. "What's that?" Shoutmon growled. "You must be nothing more but a loud mouth like the last guy," "To hell with that! I just need to make sure Alicia was alright!" With that he stood next to Blood as they both had their mic/sword held out before charging.

SkullMeramon raised his arm before swinging it down with full force using his Heat Chain attack to try and hit the two who darted on the opposite sides and managed to avoid any harm. Blood was the first to move as he made a sharp turn and leap towards the ultimate with a powerful swing of his sword, successfully taking the digimon by surprise as Shoutmon then hit their foe with a low swing of the mic before SkullMeramon could attempt to strike back at the zoidian who then jabbed his blade at the humanoid mon's neck and managed to lay a gash as SkullMeramon tried to avoid being pierced and began swatting at the blue dressed man, forcing him to move back. "ROCK DAMASHI!" Shoutmon called his attack and hit at the same spot which, unlike before, hurt the other digimon. "Hey don't you have any stronger attacks?" Blood called out as the dinosaur landed next to him. Before Shoutmon could reply a red glow erupted from between them which caught all of their attention.

*Where Alicia was watching*

"They're … partners?" She guessed it figured; that guy was strong and bold enough while she shamelessly fled. "Well damn, good job Shoutmon," she muttered more to herself than to the digimon as Blood picked up his new Xros Loader with Shoutmon telling him what to do as SkullMeramon stood up. "Super Digivolution!" She shrunk a bit as she shield her eyes from the light of digivolution before hearing the friendly digimon's voice ring out stronger than ever. "OMEGASHOUTMON!" He reached his final form which she assumed to be mega. 'Either way he can now easily beat SkullMeramon…'

*Blood and OmegaShoutmon*

"So this is the light of digivolution!" With this power and his newfound 'partner' Blood can just imagine how smoothly things will go for the sake of his ambition to overthrow both Athle and the Emperor. 'Finally, I will be in my rightful place, with this and my own power!' With this final thought he gave SkullMeramon one hell of a superior and dangerous smirk before ringing out his command to OmegaShoutmon. "NOW! Destroy him!" "Got it!" OmegaShoutmon felt his partner's powers and emotions pulsed from within his own soul as he charged SkullMeramon. "BEAT SLASH!" he brought a flaming bladed leg down on the other's torso before using his other leg to lift the flailing ultimate up in the air and kick him up higher. SkullMeramon whipped around in air to face the golden armored foe in an attempt to fight back. "HEAT CHAIN!" "HEAVY METAL VULCAN!" Only to find to his dismay that OmegaShoutmon's attack was able to destroy his chains. "Finish him!" Blood commanded as the dragon-humanoid mon flew up to meet his foe. "OMEGA THE FUSION!" In an instant he charged straight through SkullMeramon who became no more…

*Back to Alicia*

She decided to give the newly digivolved OmegaShoutmon a moment to know his newfound partner and sit back to think on her own pathetic display. 'But is it so bad to run? NO! If she had just simply run then she wouldn't have died! You get nothing out of that damn macho act!' Shaking bitter memories away she stood up as she noticed they turned to come to where she was. "So you was the one who found Shoutmon?" She nodded at the other. "I suppose we have much to talk about…but first," Oh she knew where this was going. "It's the pajamas isn't it?" "No, it's the gashes on you from flying debris and how you're keeping weigh off that foot," Whoops… Any rate he motion for her to follow them and so she did.

*Arcadia Kingdom, Late at Night*

"Nice story chick, kinda in the same boat," The guy she now knows as Izaya leaned back in his seat with his legs kicked up with Cutemon sitting on them. "So think he'll explain?" "Not to Izzy, kyu! He caused a lot of trouble fighting!" The tiny pink digimon answered her. "Fighting? That was you?" "So? I caused trouble for your boyfriend?" he scoffed. "When I was looking for Shoutmon's mic we overheard the trouble you've caused the townspeople," she snarled at the dark haired man. "Whatever… Well look who's here and that's Shoutmon right?" he pointed to behind her revealing that sure enough Blood and Shoutmon returned with others. "These are the people I told you of sir; Alicia who was with Shoutmon here and Izaya who had … Cutemon… with him and was the one starting the fights," Blood then directed his attention to them. "This is our lord the Emperor and they are the three of the Four Heavenly Kings; Flam, Gale, and Opis, I am the forth and final one as well as head of the Phantom Knights," the two humans nodded, assuring him they are keeping up and he may continue. "This is Planet Zi, and from what I heard you are not from here?" "Zi? No we're from Earth… er, Alicia right? You're also from Earth?" "Yeah," the two turned their attention back to Blood. "This may surprise you but hundreds of years ago a human spacecraft called the Global 3 landed here and their technology helped advanced life on Zi; particularly with the Zoids," "Zoids?" Cutemon perked his sensors up.

Flam was the one who spoke up this time. "Correct, Zoids are the main units we use in our forces and there are hundreds of different types such as my Redler or Blood's Geno Saurer. Now bringing this up to modern times if he doesn't mind," Blood shock his head no which allowed her to continue. "Quick question," "Yes, Izaya right," "Yep. Some guy smart mouthed Blood here and mentioned an 'Athle Arcadia' saying he's the prince and future king or something like that," Flam's mouth twitched slightly as Opis chuckled a bit behind her (Izaya, Alicia, Cutemon, and Shoutmon all decided they did not like him a bit) as the Emperor spoke up. "I am afraid you came during a time of war; Athle is the future king naturally but there are certain … circumstances," 'Oh shit!' the two instantly had it hit hard with the realization of what they are dealing with. Invaders. War. Potential dictator. It hit Izaya even worse as he remembered back talking Blood earlier who led this guy's army. 'I knew there was something up with him but an ARMY? Oh fuck me…' Alicia in the meanwhile prayed that they won't be prisoners of war; she heard all that she needed to know from stories of when her great-great grandfather was in war and saw what happened, plus some of her relatives loved, loved history so she knew it was never good and would be a miracle to be treated like a human being when you're one. "…Sooo, um, what now?" she dared to force the question out of her mouth… and something tells her the Emperor was smirking under his mask. "You two will be working under Blood until further notice,"

*Alicia's Room*

After a long time in the shower and getting new pajamas the girl flopped back first on what was possibly the softest bed she had ever been on which helped her acting foot ease up. "Hey! Alicia!" Izaya's voice boomed as he rapped on the door with his fist. "Come in!" She called as she gotten in a sitting position to see him and Cutemon both entering. "Hello, kyu!" Cutemon ran up and jumped on the pillow next to her as Izaya flopped down on her other side in a similar fashion to how she did earlier before brushing his bangs out of the way. "Damnit we're fucked, huh?" He turned towards her. "Yeah that's the understatement of the year!" "How come?" Cutemon asked them. "Hello! Cutemon that guy is a fucking tyrant who is trying to kill someone who might be younger than us! Plus there was that threat of his!" Izaya shot up before plopping back with a groan. "I can't even fight," "Really? What about that digimon?" she stared at him before he recalled. "Oh yeah, Shoutmon… well hey I could show you the ropes," he shrugged like it was completely normal. "He may act mean and all with the fights but he's really nice, kyu! He promised to help me find Terriermon and Lopmon!" Cutemon added in which made Izaya gaped. "Shit! Sorry Cutemon I forgotten about them!" "Wha? Waaaah!" The small digimon tear up as the two humans tried to calm him down. "C'mon Cutemon! I keep my words; I just need a reminder here and there! Besides I've gotten flunged into another world so I kinda lost my head!" "See Cutemon? He's sorry and besides for all you know they might be safe back in the Digital World!" The fairy digimon glared at them for a brief moment. "Fine! But only if Alicia is around to remind you, kyu!" He pointed at her. "What? Cutemon she's being dragged through enough already and had the shit scared out of her earlier! You just need to help me remember now stop being so damn selfish! Can't go around and bring random people into this!" Cutemon only cried harder and start hitting the pillows. "Look either way we're stuck here and can't leave so while we're here I'll remind Izaya to at least keep an eye out alright?" Alicia huffed though thankfully he stopped crying.

"Hey, what's going on?" the three turned their heads to see Shoutmon and Blood standing in the doorway. "Cutemon wanted to see Alicia but dragged me along," Izaya replied as he moved over some so Shoutmon could hop up with them as his newly found partner took a chair. "Any rate I expect you to be up early for training; but enough of that, Shoutmon wanted to see her too," Alicia blinked for a moment before turning to the small dinosaur. "Yeah I mean you was kinda breaking so," he broke off. "I'm perfectly fine now, besides you two where awesome back there," he chuckled a bit under her praise. "I'm curious to see what that's like anyways! Almost as much as knowing what that damn sound was," Alicia and Blood's eyes widen. "What sound?" they both turned to a surprised Izaya. "Izzy can hear the Digi Melodies, kyu!" "Like Alicia and Blood?" Shoutmon turned to his fellow digimon. "What's that?" the three asked.

Shoutmon had gotten himself comfortable as Cutemon went to sit on Alicia's lap before beginning. "Well it's basically a sound given off in a high frequency that most cannot hear that alerts to a digimon's presence. Cutemon's sensors, no they're not ears, are able to help him in hearing a digimon's melody from a long distance. The only real case as to why humans and, apparently, zoidians can hear is if they're to have a digimon partner," Alicia frowned a bit as the two guys pondered. "Hey Shoutmon I heard yours even though you're not my partner but not Meramon's so what of that?" Izaya raised an eyebrow. "I thought, oh that light. Right, never mind, digivolution," the others nodded before Cutemon picked up. "Maybe it's because you're not entirely use to it, kyu? So maybe you can only hear partner digimon melodies, kyu?" They decided that Cutemon's statement might be the reason; after all partner digimon where closer to humans and zoidians so it would be easier to hear theirs as opposed to a wild one.

Well that is Chapter One. I hope that I managed to keep them all in character, especially the characters from Zoids Saga as I sadly only have Battle Legends. Please let me know if there is anything I can work on.