It took me forever to figure out which prompt to use for this chapter. Anyway, it's time to introduce Dorumon's evolution! I hope you all enjoy this chapter and the prompt is 'changeable'. Don't forget to drop a review down below and enjoy!

-X-

May 10: Hayashi Residence – 8:13 PM

"A small child has been going around Shinjuku Park, vandalizing property and pulling pranks on people. If anyone knows…"

Kintarou flinched at the door slam. From his periphery, he watched his father enter the room, looking as tough as he always did in his police uniform. His father picked up the remote and turned off the TV.

"Have you finished your homework?" he asked gruffly.

Kintarou nodded, adjusting his glasses. "A while ago, so I thought that a little television wouldn't hurt."

His father shook his head, as he always did when something displeased him. Kintarou would be lying if he said that it didn't make him feel bad. "You should stay focused on your education. Television is just a way to rot your brain."

"Yes sir…," Kintarou said obediently.

This is always the routine in this household, especially after Kintarou's mother died. Ever since then, his father wouldn't even smile anymore. And he only wants Kintarou to do exactly as he says and not to, as he put it, 'become a useless leech'.

Kintarou wondered if he was going to be kicked out of the house when he was old enough and if he was only there as a reminder of mother. After all, it's not like they even have any other photos of the woman left in the house. They were all lost in the fire.

"Have you thought about which high school you want to go to?" his father asked as he sat down on the couch to unwind.

Kintarou almost blurted out Yagami High but he quickly snapped his mouth shut because this was not the answer that his father wanted to hear. "I don't have to think about entrance exams until next year. Besides, it's still the beginning of this school year," Kintarou replied, hoping it would suffice.

"Don't avoid the question."

The blond pursed his lips. "I guess, I thought about going on to the attachment high school, Mirai Academy."

"Good," his father nodded. "But be sure to know by next year. Thinking isn't good enough."

Kintarou nodded. "Yes sir…" He stood up and moved towards his room. "Excuse me, father."

The teenager quickly closed the door behind him as he heaved a sigh of relief. He waited a few seconds to make sure that his father wasn't going to check on him.

Once he was certain that he would be left alone for the rest of the evening, he moved over to the hand mirror that had belonged to his mother. He's not sure why he had kept it, he just knows that every time he looks into it, he can see his mother. Her cool gray eyes, her small nose, her pink mouth; it comforted him. He even ended up dying his hair from brown to blonde just to see more of her face, though it never did look natural enough.

Kintarou placed the mirror back onto the desk and sat down on his bed. Not for the first time in his life, he wished he had some control over his life.

May 11: Shinjuku Park – 4:39 PM

Kintarou didn't know why he came here, but he did. The last time he was here, his mother had brought him to play with Takeshi.

"That was a long time ago," he muttered to himself, shaking his head.

"Oi," a voice groaned from the foliage above. "You're talking to yourself in a park so you're either a weirdo or just super lonely… Or a super lonely weirdo."

Kintarou looked upward and a smiling, pale face greeted him at extreme close range, causing him to flinch back. The human wasn't scared though which was probably the intent of the child – correction – creature. This was probably the park prankster the news had been talking about recently.

"You're a… Digimon," Kintarou realized.

"You're not the first living thing to know this," said the Digimon. He jumped down from the branch and landed in front of the human, showing that he didn't even reach the blonde's knee in terms of height. "But, you are the first human not to run away from me."

"Well, everyone knows about Digimon now and I guess I'm just used to seeing them around," Kintarou shrugged. "It's probably because I go to school with a Chosen."

Even though the small Digimon's eyes were covered by a hood, Kintarou could still see them widening. "A Chosen? Now there's a big surprise! I've always wanted to meet one of them humans with a digital partner!"

Kintarou shrugged. "I don't think it's anything special. By the way… Who are you?"

"I'm a Digimon."

"Not what, who."

"Me?" the Digimon snickered. "I'm Dracmon! The Digital World's most infamous prankster and most talented graffiti artist!" He spun a spray can in his hand for emphasis. "And now I'm trying to branch out to two worlds."

"Why?" Kintarou frowned.

"Why?" Dracmon repeated with a laugh. "Because it's fun! Because it's enjoyable!" He jumped on top of a trash bin and sprayed an image of his own smiling visage onto it. "Because it's part, if not everything, that I am. What other reason does there have to be?"

"Everything… that you are?" said Kintarou.

"But enough about me. What about you? Who are you, kid?"

"I'm Hayashi Kintarou," he answered.

Dracmon nodded and waited patiently for the human to say more, it was only after ten seconds of silence did he realize that was it. Kintarou had nothing more to say about himself, about who he is. He was nothing more than he thought he was anyway.

"What, that's it?" Dracmon guffawed. "Come on kid! Tell me about yourself! Who is…," he paused for dramatic effect. "Kintarou?"

Kintarou didn't quite understand the question. "I'm just a student, nothing really special."

"Don't lie to me kid," the vampire scoffed. The pupils on his hood actually rolled as if the eyes on the fabric were the real things. "Everyone's got a shtick! Some people are exactly who they are from their name but I like to think of those people as lame-os. Real people, real living creatures, have something that keeps them going. It keeps the fire in their heart raging!" He sat down on the trash bin and looked Kintarou in the eye. "So let's try this again, who is Kintarou?"

"I'm…," Kintarou trailed off. "I guess I don't really know." He chuckled humorlessly and ran a hand through his dyed locks. "Maybe I'm one of those 'lame-os'."

Dracmon shook his head. "It's like I said, you can tell just from looking at them or hearing them say their name, those are the lame-os. But you… I can tell that Kintarou is someone bigger than you say. But then again, most people don't know who they are because they need someone else to point it out to them."

Kintarou nodded in understanding. It's like how people can't see their own good points but they notice all of their flaws. And despite being unable to see their positive sides, they notice it in others. The butterfly wing phenomenon, no one but others can see how pretty they are. So those others have to be a mirror for you.

"I get the highest grades in my class and I still can't figure it out," Kintarou sighed.

"Hey, no worries kid," Dracmon grinned. "I'll be your mirror!" Kintarou was surprised that this was the metaphor Dracmon decided to use. "Tell you what, come back here every day at this time and I'll see if I can figure you out."

"What if I don't like what's reflected?"

A small shrug was received from the Digimon. "Then change yourself for the better. Who you are isn't always set in stone and people always say to love yourself for who you are. But sometimes, that's being dishonest. You have to love yourself, yes, but sometimes, you know that it's impossible without change. Everything is changeable."

Kintarou pondered this, flashing back to conversations he had with his mother before she vanished from his life. She had always told him to embrace his own flaws and love himself for who he is and he believed her. Everyone believes in that or at least should. But now, here was someone telling him that's not how it should be, or at least, not for everybody in the universe. Everything is changeable in one way or another. But can a change be too much?

"Okay," he nodded. "I'll give it a try."

"Good… So, tell me about yourself."

May 11: Mirai Junior High – 3:15 PM

Kintarou huffed, annoyed at the thought of spending time in the student council room. Maybe he shouldn't have been so ambitious as to be the vice president of the student body even if it did please his father. He was just worried that he wouldn't be able to see Dracmon in time and he hadn't told the Digimon that he might miss their meeting.

Not for the first time since meeting the creature, he wondered if he should tell somebody about the guy. After all, it would be best to at least keep him from being a public disturbance, especially since his father is going to be patrolling the park.

Maybe he could talk to Noriko about this; she would know what to do. Yes, he should.

But of course, when he arrived at her classroom, she was rushing out of it. He looked inside and saw Takeshi with an egg, talking animatedly with Yuki about becoming a Chosen Child once the egg hatched. And for a brief moment, Kintarou pictured himself as one of the Chosen, partnered to none other than that Dracmon from the park.

His knuckles turned white around his bag strap at the thought of Takeshi becoming a Chosen himself. And he knew exactly why.

May 11: Shinjuku Park – 5:58 PM

"Dracmon!" Kintarou called once he had caught his breath.

Dracmon immediately popped up in front of him, causing him to flinch just like yesterday. "Geez, and here I thought you were gonna to be a no show kid," he snickered. At least the Digimon didn't seem irritated by the late entrance. "What kept you? A lover?"

Kintarou almost laughed. Even if he was interested in dating anyone, his father would probably get rid of them as soon as he found out. And he found out about everything.

"No," he shook his head. "I'm the vice president at school and we had a student council meeting today. Sorry about being late."

"Eh, don't sweat it." Dracmon dropped to the ground so that he didn't have to talk while hanging upside down from a tree branch. "So, what's on your mind tonight? I can tell from your expression that you've been in deep thought about something. And when boys think, it's never good."

"That's not completely true."

"Yeah, but it usually is. Why do you think wives are the ones with the power in sitcoms?"

"There's television in the Digital World?"

"Nope!" Dracmon laughed. "But I've been here long enough to know stuff. Not to mention, I was friends with a Gomamon who's supposedly partnered to a human and he told me all this stuff about the human world. So… I know plenty about your world at this point." He added as an afterthought. "Oh, and there are television sets in the Digital World, but those are just used to get from the Digital World to here."

"Television sets are your mode of transport?"

"Not usually, just for inter-dimensional travel."

Kintarou couldn't help laughing. "Anyway… Back to your original question, I was just thinking about what it would be like if we were partners as Chosen and partner." He laughed dully. "I'd probably make a horrible one since I don't even know who I am."

"I don't think so," Dracmon shook his head. "That Gomamon friend I told you about, he's told me some interesting stories about how none of the original Chosen really knew who they were until after their journey. If anyone asked, they would've probably had given the same lackluster answer as you had."

"Just their names?"

"Yup," Dracmon laughed. "And besides, I already have some idea of who you are after talking so much yesterday."

The boy was curious to say the least. "Really? Who am I then?"

"Kintarou Hayashi," Dracmon chuckled. "You were definitely tough to figure out. You are determined and dedicated but you're also very lost right now. You've become a follower because you let the people around you dictate the way you live and the way you think."

Was this true? Kintarou mulled it over for a bit.

He knew that his father dictated how he should live his life and he allows the man to do that, but he didn't think others did that too. No, it's actually true.

Kintarou never admitted it to anyone, but he was jealous of people like Takeshi and Yuki which was probably why he was always so bitter towards them. The two of them are never afraid to be themselves and they never let anyone take control of their lives like he does. And they always seem happy no matter what happens. They make living life seem almost easy when everyone else is struggling. It made Kintarou treat them as if they were below him just to make himself feel better.

"I guess so," he muttered. He wiped a hand over his face. "I can't believe I never realized it myself."

"You're not supposed to. And most people can't even accept truths like you just did. You're pretty strong for a human, you know," Dracmon grinned.

"I wouldn't agree with that," Kintarou chuckled. "Strong?"

Dracmon nodded. "Sure you are, but then again, it's hard to believe some things you hear from someone you just met."

"No, I believe that you think so," Kintarou clarified. "I just don't think so myself."

The pair continued to talk about Kintarou's life for the next half hour before the human realized that it was already getting late. His dad was going to have a fit and he hadn't even started on his homework. It seemed like it was going to be another all-nighter for him.

As Kintarou was picking up his bag, a sudden realization occurred to him that he was surprised never did until now. Maybe he was the type of person who was really slow at figuring things out. It wasn't a pleasant thought, but he knew that it was a part of who he was.

"Hey…," he said. "I realized, we don't talk about you much."

"That's because I know everything that I am" Dracmon replied.

"Yeah, but I don't. Telling me that you're a vandal and criminal under Japan law doesn't tell me much about who you are," Kintarou gave him a small smile. "So, before I go, just tell me one thing about yourself."

Dracmon looked up at the boy. "Okay, what do you want to know?"

"How about, the reason why you showed up here?" asked Kintarou. "I never got around to asking."

Dracmon chuckled, as if the memory was funny. "Let's just say I was chasing an old friend of mine." He picked himself up. "A dragon with a red cape and goggles. A bit of a weirdo with his sense of justice and serious nature, but not such a bad guy once you get to know him." Dracmon gave the human a pointed look. "Actually, you kind of remind me of him."

"A weirdo with a sense of justice and serious nature? Well, I can agree on that last part but..."

"No!" Dracmon brushed off swiftly. "I'm saying, unlikable at first glance, but really cool once you get to know him."

There was a short pause from Kintarou. "Was that a backhanded compliment?"

"Just thank me."

"I'm kidding… Thanks… Really."

"No problem, kiddo!"

May 15: Hayashi Residence – 6:24 PM

The last few days of meeting with Dracmon had been great. Kintarou had never felt less pressured to do anything or less stressed about the chaos in his life. He wondered if this was how it was for the other Chosen Children as well when they spent time with their partners.

But today, Dracmon wasn't at the park. There were no signs of vandalism or scared park goers either. Kintarou wondered if Dracmon had been caught by the police and was now being detained or shipped off to RED to be sent back.

Kintarou hoped not. He had grown fond of the vampire Digimon. He even tried to take Dracmon home with him where it might've been safer than being out in the open where he could get caught. But the little guy refused, saying how he preferred the fresh air of the park over being inside the stuffy confines of a house. The teenager understood this sentiment since he too, was much more comfortable outdoors than inside this stifling environment.

Kintarou's mind wandered to the awful events of today. First, his father decided to give Kintarou a not-so-subtle hint of wanting him to get a job. Then, Takeshi started gloating about his partner, Huckmon, which Kintarou had yet to see with his own eyes. After that, he realized that he had forgotten his English assignment at home. Finally, Dracmon goes missing.

He started pacing the room and nibbling on the inside of his thumb as he always did when he was feeling anxious. "Where is he?"

May 17: Downtown Shinjuku - 4:16 PM

"Yuki?" Takeshi gasped. He jerked his head around in a slight moment of hysteria. "Where did he go?!"

"I…," Noriko felt as worried as Takeshi looked. "I have no idea." She turned back to their partners. "But let's deal with those guys first."

"R-Right," Takeshi nodded.

Buraimon hovered just above the ground as the two shinobi Digimon he was fighting created doppelgangers of themselves so he was now face to face with a total of ten foes rather than two. He held his blades up to keep his sides covered as his eyes narrowed on the two clones in front of them, as if daring them to strike.

The second that the ten of them lunged forward, Noriko punched in the speed boost sequence. The next thing to happen was just a clangor as Buraimon's two swords were used to defend his body from every slash made at him and every ninja star thrown at him. It was clear that Ninjamon and Kogamon weren't prepared for such superior speed as their clones vanished one by one until it was just the real ones that were left.

"Swallow Duet Reverse!" Buraimon made a swift slashing movement, slicing both of his foes in half and converting them to masses of data.

"Excellent job!" Noriko praised as she turned the data back into egg form.

Buraimon nodded as he sheathed his swords. "I just hope Shuu knows how to extract the Shadow Serum."

BaoHuckmon wasn't nearly as quick on his feet as his companion but his scales were hard enough to prevent him from taking too much damage from the two that he was fighting. He was also able to keep them on their toes as he charged straight for them, giving them no time to defend and only evade to the best of their ability.

"Ninja Knife Throwing!"

Takeshi's trained eye for watching baseball pitches came useful for moments like this. He carefully observed the two shinobi Digimon as they drew out their projectiles and the direct millisecond they let go, he activated the defense boost code which made a force field appear around his partner. BaoHuckmon used the shield to his advantage as he charged forward, the weapons bouncing away and soon, it was too late for Ninjamon and Kogamon to get out of his way.

"Fif Cross!" BaoHuckmon's claws came crashing down, slicing his opponents into three even pieces and dispersing their data.

Takeshi used the D-Max to revert them to egg form before they got too far away. "That was one of our easier fights," he mused.

BaoHuckmon nodded in agreement. "Now I just hope Yuki's okay."

May 17: Shinjuku Park – 4:25 PM

Kintarou saw him, the Digimon that Takeshi claimed to be his partner. It was Huckmon, the dragon with the red cape and goggles, as Dracmon had described. But before Kintarou had the chance of turning around and questioning the dragon, Takeshi ran off along with his partner and Noriko. It was probably something Digimon-related no doubt.

"Dracmon!" he called, hoping to get a response.

"You called?" the vampire replied immediately, popping in as he always did.

Kintarou exhaled a breath he hadn't realized he had been holding. Yup, he's definitely one of those slow people. "I thought you got bored of me."

"You make me sound like your lover," Dracmon snickered. "And it's possible that I did but came back because I realized it was a mistake. It's like I said, everyone's minds are fickle, everything is changeable, and nothing is forever."

"No matter how much we'd like it to be?"

"Well… If our convictions are strong enough then maybe some things wouldn't be changeable."

Kintarou shook his head. "So, what happened over the last two days then? Why did you just vanish the way you did?"

For the first time since Kintarou met the dark-attributed Digimon, his smile dropped off his face as he became serious. Just like all of their meetings, Dracmon jumped down from the tree branch and landed on his feet, but unlike all those other times, he was starting things off on a non-joking note.

"Some madman human digi-napped me and he sent his goons after me," Dracmon told him. "I was able to escape his laboratory with some help from the other prisoners or 'experiments' as that human called them. That was this morning…"

The blonde was immensely concerned now. This was worse than if the police had caught him. At least with the alternative, Dracmon would've just been sent back to his home. "Are you okay?" inquired Kintarou. "The human didn't perform weird experiments on you, did he?"

"Nah, I got out before that. But that's not important…" Dracmon's eyes were drawn to the top of a building nearby. "Right now, those Chosen kids need help. And I think we're the only ones able to do that."

"What? What are you talking about?"

"Just trust me… Do you?"

Kintarou didn't even hesitate with his answer. "I trust you." He went down on one knee so that he was around the same height as Dracmon and took his outstretched hand in his. He wasn't in the least bit freaked out by the eye in the palm, and just shook it firmly.

Dracmon's grin returned just as an azure light descended in between them. "Good."

May 17: Building Rooftop - 4:21 PM

"Die!" Musyamon yelled as he drew the blade back at the same time Yuki punched in the sequence.

"D-Max Online! Charged Up Evolution!"

"Dorumon Digivolve to…" The beast Digimon's tiny wings grew much larger until they were as big as the rest of his body which was also expanding. His fur became darker as his eyes became animalistic, practically wild. Another significant change was the claws that grew out from the beast's paws and feet, they looked sharp enough to cut through solid rock. "Dorugamon!"

Digital Analyzer: Dorugamon is a ferocious Digimon that possesses the disposition of both a dragon and a beast. He is such a heavyweight fighter that most Digimon flee from the very sight of his shadow. Although they exude the ferocity exhibited in a wild beast, they display the intelligence of a dragon and are usually docile. It is believed that Dorugamon is a "prototype Digimon" created on the basis of the perfect mash-up between Greymon and Garurumon.

Musyamon's sword clashed with Dorugamon's claws.

"You digivolved?!" the samurai blanched.

Dorugamon smirked. "I'm as surprised as you are."

They separated and stared each other down from a few paces away.

"Now I really wish I paid attention when Koushiro was going over codes…," Yuki muttered. Dorugamon may be strong but he was still technically a newborn so there was no way he would be able to take down an experienced warrior without some sort of handicap.

"Don't worry Papa," said Dorugamon. "I can handle this."

"R… Right," Yuki nodded unconvincingly.

The dragon-beast hybrid opened his mouth and an iron sphere formed inside of it. "Power Metal!" The attack was cannoned out and unless you were capable of blocking them with your stomach, you'd be in big trouble.

Yuki expected Musyamon to dodge such a sluggish attack but he stood his ground instead.

"Ninja Blade!" Musyamon's katana became enveloped with white hot flames as he cut the iron ball in half. Yuki's and Dorugamon's eyes bugged out of their skulls when they witnessed it. The ball split in half and exploded on either side of the warrior. "Pathetic," he spat.

Dorugamon growled in frustration as he charged forward, trying to catch the samurai off guard with his sharp claws but he only succeeded in swiping at thin air as Musyamon jumped out of the way, over his head. As soon as the samurai landed on his feet, he started rushing towards Yuki, clearly intent on yanking the D-Max right off the boy's wrist, along with the arm if he had to.

"Papa!" Dorugamon shouted at the same time his partner screamed. "Cannonball!"

Musyamon came to a sudden halt as flames engulfed his blade again. "Ninja Sword!" He cut the second ball in half. In those few seconds it took for him to block the attack, Yuki had run past the armor-clad Digimon and stood next to Dorugamon.

"Okay, it's clearly too risky to leave you alone," Dorugamon muttered.

"No kidding," Yuki shuddered. "I'd hate to think what could've happened."

"Well don't, let's focus on beating this guy," said the dragon-beast.

"Yeah..."

Musyamon turned to glare at the pair, not that he wasn't doing so before, since the beginning. "The two of you are really testing my patience. I suppose I will just have to cut you up and feed you to the pavement below."

"Is that your nice way of saying you're going throw us off the building?" Yuki gaped.

Musyamon didn't answer with words; he let his flaming sword do it for him. "Shogun Sword!"

A ghost-like dragon was approaching the pair fast and Dorugamon jumped, trying to grab Yuki and pull the boy out of harm's way, but the blaze was too swift for him. Yuki honestly believed that it would be the end for them when a blur of fur swept past, nabbing them both in its sharp teeth and yanking them out of the flame's range. When the initial panic settled, Yuki opened his eyes to find that he was being held in the sharp fangs of some wolf Digimon.

"What the…?" Yuki blinked.

Kintarou's stern visage greeted him from the wolf's back. "Are you okay, Ueda?"

"Kintarou?" Yuki was dropped down and back into Dorugamon's awaiting arms. "Wait… Don't tell me that you're a Chosen too!"

Kintarou dismounted from the wolf and shrugged. "I would assume so, at least that's what I assume this device is supposed to mean." Kintarou raised his arm to show the azure D-Max that was attached to his wrist. He then gestured over to his partner. "This is Drac, no… I mean, this is Sangloupmon."

"Nice to meet you, kid," Sangloupmon greeted.

Yuki examined the wolf carefully. He had bat wing-like structures covering his eyes and on the back of his neck that covered like a collar. Sharp fangs protruded in both upwards and downwards directions and there were two rings pierced into his left ear. And while Dorugamon's claws are sharp, this Digimon's were literally knives and he wore razor cuffs on both his hind and front legs, clearly, you do not want to shake this dog's paw.

Digital Analyzer: Sangloupmon is a Demon Beast Digimon and a noble bloodsucking wolf. It is said that Sangloupmon is one of the oldest species of Digimon, dating back to the origin of the Digital World. They are capable of breaking down their data into packets so they can travel instantaneously to their desired destination in the Digital World.

"Not what I would've expected your partner to be," Yuki mused before glancing over to the older boy with a suspicious expression. "Unless you really are a vampire or a werewolf."

Kintarou resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "I'm not a Twilight character."

"Um…," Dorugamon uttered. "Shouldn't we be focused on the task at hand?"

"Right," both boys nodded.

A sudden thought struck Yuki. "Wait, Kintarou, how did you know how to evolve your partner?"

"Hm?" Kintarou blinked. "I was in the computer room, working on a project when I overheard Kawada and Izumi talking about the codes on the digivices. I don't really remember anything else though, so don't ask me about which codes do what."

Yuki deflated instantly. "Oh… Still, we have two Digimon with us. We should be able to win."

"It doesn't matter if there are a hundred of you!" Musyamon barked. "I shall not leave without a digivice for my master!"

"Not on my watch!" Sangloupmon leapt into the air and started spinning wildly, throwing thousands of knives right at the samurai. "Sticker Blade!"

Musyamon blocked every single projectile with his sword with ease and the ones he didn't deflect, his armor kept him from getting penetrated by the attack. While this was happening, Dorugamon was charging up for a more powerful Cannonball attack.

"Cannonball!"

"Ninja Blade!"

"That is one tough weapon" Kintarou remarked as he watched the iron sphere split into two and explode.

"We need to get rid of it," Yuki agreed. "But Dorugamon isn't fast enough to keep up with him."

Kintarou looked up to this partner. "Think you got this?"

Sangloupmon nodded as he landed back on the floor. "Black Mind!" His data broke down into packets and soon, he was just small bits of data, like dust in the air. The packets of data shot forward and passed through Musyamon's blade without any bodily harm since, he didn't have a body anymore, and he blended into Musyamon's shadow.

"Where did he go?" Musyamon growled. He gave up two seconds after searching and turned back to Dorugamon. "No matter, I shall just dispose of you first. Shogun –!"

Before the flames took on the form of a dragon, Sangloupmon pounced out of his shadow and used the knives on his front paws to knock the weapon out of the samurai's hands which fell to the ground with a clatter. In the next moment, Sangloumon jumped back to Kintarou's side at the same time Dorugamon finished up charging up for his strongest attack.

"Cannonball!"

This time, without a weapon to protect himself or time to evade, the samurai took the attack in the stomach which made an unappealing crunching sound when it made contact. The samurai flew off the building and struck the wall of the concrete complex in front of them. His data flickered in and out of destruction as he twitched uncontrollably.

Yuki shivered at the sight when Musyamon burst into bits of data and the cannonball fell down to the pavement. "It's over…?"

"I think so…," Kintarou nodded.

The two of them saw Buraimon flying towards the packets of data, holding Noriko in his arms and she pointed at the data with her D-Max and made it return to egg form which she caught safely in her arms. At the same time, a blur of red swept past them as Takeshi and BaoHuckmon suddenly joined them on the building rooftop.

Takeshi had intended on running straight to his kohai to make sure that the pink-haired boy was okay but as soon as his eyes landed on Kintarou, he completely forgot about it. "You! Wait! What are you…? You're a Chosen Child too?!"

"Nice to see you too," Kintarou droned.

Noriko landed nearby and ran over to them, stopping short when she saw the two Adult Digimon. "Wow! So you two are part of the new generation of Chosen?" she smiled before walking over to Sangloupmon. "It's great to meet you, I'm Noriko."

Sangloupmon grinned and degenerated, causing all the newcomers' jaws drop. "Nice to see you again, sweet cheeks! I hope we work well together!"

"No," BaoHuckmon shook his head. "No, I don't care about being a Royal Knight anymore; I do not want to work with Dracmon."

Dracmon pouted. "Aw, am I not good enough?"

Kintarou huffed in exasperation, putting two fingers to his temple for the oncoming migraine. "What is even happening right now?"

May 17: Digi-Base - 6:03 PM

Kintarou and Yuki were both taken to be debriefed and told all about their mission to rescue the other Chosen trapped in the Dark Ocean. They both had to come back with permission from their parents though. According to Koushiro, he can't have the two of them doing this dangerous quest if their guardians did not approve.

It makes sense but Kintarou was not looking forward to asking his father about running around Tokyo, fighting rogue digital monsters with a bloodthirsty canine by his side. Not to mention, his father was one of those people who believed it would be better to destroy all Digimon rather than learning to coexist with them. If anything, his father was just as bad, or worse, than this Viktor Zeiger guy who wants the same thing.

"I think your father can change too," Dracmon commented. He was doing some sort of balancing act on the computers while Kintarou sat in the swivel chair, trying to think about how best to broach this subject with his father.

Kintarou nodded without much conviction. "I'm sure everyone is capable of change. But it's not easy."

"Oh yeah, that's for sure," Dracmon chuckled. "But it's possible."

"True… Nowadays, it feels like nothing is impossible," Kintarou sighed.

Dracmon stopped his tightrope act and sat down on the keyboard, making sure that his butt wasn't actually on any of the keys so he was still doing a balancing act on the edge. "Almost nothing is set in stone. As a matter of fact, just today, I realized that I don't have myself completely figured out as I originally thought."

"What do you mean?"

"Well… I always put myself on a pedestal and personally believed that I wouldn't care about how others felt about me or what would happen to me in life."

"And?"

"When I was caught by Dr. Zeiger…" Dracmon wasn't sure how to finish his statement though he didn't have to.

"You wanted to live," Kintarou finished for him.

"Yeah," he nodded. "And also, until I became a partnered Digimon, I liked being a nuisance to everyone because it shows that I'm on their mind. And I knew that if I was gone, they'd miss my infamous antics. But I realized that no one is going to think of me and cry, they'd just smile fondly at a memory. And with you… I want you to think good thoughts about me."

"You want me to cry?"

"You know what I mean!"

Kintarou laughed a real, full laugh. "Yeah, I know what you mean. To tell the truth, I feel the exact same way about you."

Dracmon's trademark grin returned to his face as his pale skin turned red with embarrassment. "Gah! You're getting me all flustered with all of this mushy talk! Come on! I'm a cold-blooded vampire! I shouldn't be getting like this."

"We're always figuring ourselves out, no matter how old we get," Kintarou chuckled.

From across the room, Yuki had finally put Dorumon to sleep so he stood up and walked over to Kintarou. The older boy turned his attention away from his partner to look over at his underclassman, waiting patiently for the conversation to come.

"Um… Kintarou… I," Yuki stuttered before bowing. "I wanted to thank you for saving me today. If it weren't for you…"

"It's fine," said Kintarou. "But… I do have a question for you."

"Eh? What is it?"

"How is it so easy for you to be you? Aren't you afraid of disapproval or people looking down on you for who you are?"

Yuki didn't even hesitate with his reply. "Well, it's not easy, first of all. And second, it's my own personal belief that people can change for the better because we are all inherently good. Things like discrimination will always exist but it will one day shrink to such a miniscule scale that it'll be passed off for nothing at all. Maybe people won't change right away, but we will. And I'm willing to wait a thousand years that. But until then, I'd prefer to be me than someone I'm not."

"You really think people can change?"

"Sure," Yuki shrugged. "I mean, just a second ago, you said 'who you are'. But a month ago, you would've said 'your decision'."

Kintarou's jaw remained suspended in air for a few seconds and when he closed it, he almost burst out laughing because it was true. Was it possible that he was starting to open up about himself that caused this change? He couldn't know for sure but he was glad for it. And he was especially glad to have met Dracmon when he did.

"Yeah… I guess you're right."

Change is a scary thing. But everything is bound to change. Hopefully, it'll be for the better.