Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon. I just like to play with the characters.


Takato Matsuki sat on the ground running his hands through his hair. He was trying to teach Guilmon how to play the card game War. However, he was failing quite miserably, as Guilmon seemed more interested in the pictures of fish on the back of the cards than actually playing the game. "Takatomon, is this a Seadramon that lost it's helmet?" Guilmon asked pointing at to a picture of an eel.

"Not quite Guilmon. That's an eel. I think we would be better off visiting an aquarium at this rate. Although, I don't know if I'd be able to handle you asking me questions like this. If we went, you'd probably think that the seals were gray Gomomon."

"Takato, are you angry with me?"

"No Guilmon, I'm just frustrated. That's all. Sometimes it's easy for me to forget that you haven't been around for a very long time, so you don't necessarily know everything."

"Sorry Takato," Guilmon said sadly.

"No, don't be sorry, it's my fault."

"What's your fault this time?" A voice asked sarcastically from behind Takato.

Takato turned around to see Henry and the owner of the sarcastic voice, Terriermon. They met here at Guilmon's hideout everyday after school, just as they had done before they went to the Digital World. "Hey guys! What are you doing?" Henry asked.

"Well I was trying to teach Guilmon how to play War, but he keeps asking if the whales on the back are Whamon."

Terriermon and Henry began to laugh. "Oh Guilmon, you always make me laugh!"

Suddenly a voice called from behind Henry and Terriermon. "Henwy! Tewiermon! Wait for me!"

Henry laughed sheepishly, "Sorry, I hope you don't mind that I brought a guest. Dad needed me to babysit Suzie today. I thought she and Lopmon might like to come along."

"That's ok!" Takato replied.

Lopmon stepped cautiously over to where Terriermon and Guilmon were starting a handstand competition. "Lopmon! Want to join?" Guilmon asked playfully.

"I don't know… It seems a little childish."

"Seriously?!" exclaimed Terriermon, "You play Princess Pretty Pants with Suzie everyday, and a handstand competition seems childish to you? Now that's just plain stupid."

"Terriermon!" Henry shouted.

"What? It's the truth!" Terriermon retorted.

"It's alright. Terriermon is just jealous that I look better in a dress than he does," Lopmon replied.

Takato laughed. "Hey! Do you know if everyone is still coming?" He asked.

Henry replied, "Well I heard from Rika that she'll be here, she has to finish shopping with her mom first. I sent an email to Ryo, and I think he should be here, unless he's run off to the Digiworld without telling us. What about Kazu, Kenta, and Jeri?"

"They're all coming. They should just be a few more minutes."


Kazu, Kenta, and Jeri along with their partners and Calumon were almost there. They had just entered the park and were walking to Guilmon's hiding place. As they walked, they passed an area of dense vegetation. A crunching noise came from the thicket. "What was that?" Kenta asked, "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah! I did," Kazu replied, "I wonder what it was. Do you think it's an evil digimon trying to attack us?"

"Really? You guys are being such boys. I imagine it's just a couple that wants some privacy."

"But what if it isn't? We need to be prepared to attack. Maybe one of us should scout it out!" Kenta said.

"Well, it's not going to be me," Kazu exclaimed. "I did it the last time, and I got slammed all over the place by that old woman. I swear she had bricks in her purse. You should have seen what she tried to do to Guardromon!" The robotic digimon shuddered with his partner to add dramatic emphasis.

"Well I'm not doing it. My mom flipped when I came home with a bloody noise when we mistaked that Doberman with a Dobermon." Kenta replied.

"Gosh you boys are so silly. If it worries you so much, I'll go check."

"But Jeri, you don't have a partner." Kenta gasped.

"Kenta, I survived inside the D-Reaper. I think I can handle this. Even if Leomon is…" Tears started to well up in her eyes, but she shook her head. It was time to move on and be brave. She had done enough crying over the past few months. She stepped into the brush, and as stealthily as possible, moved toward the rustling sounds.

As she went deeper, she heard familiar voices. "Seriously Ryo, what is your problem? You've barely said a word all day. My grandma thought she burned her cooking because you wouldn't touch it. And every time I ask what's wrong, Cyberdramon keeps baring his teeth at me, like I'm his ultimate enemy. We're trying this whole friends thing, and honestly, I've been plenty honest with you, especially about my dad. Tell me. Or are you just sick of me like every other guy I've ever known, including my dad?"

"Rika, no, its not that. It's just I've been having some nightmares, that's all."

"Well then tell me about them."

Jeri decided to turn back. For some reason Rika and Ryo had gotten close since the D-reaper incident. They seemed to understand each other better than any of the others understood them. Almost like Takato understood her. She actually secretly thought the two would make a cute couple, so she decided to give them some time alone. When she got back to Kazu and Kenta she lied, "Geez guys, it was just a bunny. Come on, let's get to the others."

"A bunny?! Gosh dang it! Nothing exciting happens now that the D-Reaper is gone." Kazu steamed as he followed the others.


Back in the brush, Rika and Ryo were still having their discussion. "Rika, its fine. They're just dreams. You wouldn't want to hear about them. Anyways, shouldn't we get to the others?"

"Stop trying to change the subject Ryo. It's obvious that they are bothering you, so they must be significant. I mean Cyberdramon is one tough mon, and he's even being all sentimental about your bad dreams. It'd have to be pretty bad to make him sympathize with you."

"Rika I… I don't know what you're talking about"

"Can it Ryo. I don't put up with this mystery crap. I don't really want your friend if you're going to keep it going. I've had enough. I've been more than transparent with you, and you don't reciprocate!"

"Rika… stop, please"

"No Ryo I will not stop."

The two began an intense staring contest. Neither side refused to back down until...

"Fine Rika, but you've got to understand, my past is complicated. More complicated than you can understand, more complicated than I can understand. In fact, the vast majority of it I can't remember. But, I think that these nightmares I'm having are memories that have been repressed for some reason."

"What do you mean Ryo?"

"Well, one day about 3 years ago, I woke up in a hospital bed and didn't know where I was. No one knew where I came from, just that I turned up unconscious in a park with some kind of yellow and purple egg. Apparently someone stole the egg though, because it mysteriously disappeared from my room while I was still unconscious. My father isn't my real father. He's my foster parent, and he doesn't really like me all that much right now. He'll probably never forgive me now for disappearing for a year, coming back, and doing it again. To him I'm just some troubled foster kid."

"Wow Ryo, I never knew."

"Yeah, after I got out of the hospital and moved in with my foster dad, I started a routine. For some reason I was a natural at that card game. I always seemed to know exactly what I needed to do to beat a card. Like I had done it before. I spent all my time doing that game. It was like an obsession. The only time I would interact with people instead of cards or a computer was when I was playing them or having dinner with Dad."

"Then after I defeated you, when I was walking home, I got caught in a digital field. Cyberdramon appeared and said that he wanted me as his tamer so that he could digivolve to get stronger. And I did it. I left for the Digital World and left my half-life here behind because I couldn't stand it any longer. I felt empty and alone. At least in the Digiworld I had Cyberdramon. In fact, being with him I felt better than I could ever remember."

"What about the nightmares? Tell me about them."

"Ok well when in some of them I'm a lot younger, around 10 years old…"

Just as he was about to start there was a gigantic crash from above them.

"Treasure Axes!" A gigantic bunny landed in front of them.

"Antylamon! What are you doing?" Rika shouted as she and Ryo jumped out of the way of the attack. Renamon and Cyberdramon jumped into action to protect their partners. "Wait! We don't want to attack one of our friends!" Rika shouted.

"That's not one of our friends. It may look like our friend Antylamon, but that is a virus form of her species." Ryo said, looking at his D-arc's screen.

"I have a message from the most high sovereign, Zhuqiaomon. He is tired of sitting around and watching you treat your digimon like pets. They are great creatures, not your servants. I have come to liberate them from you, even if I must force them by loading their data."

"I thought Zhuqiaomon was done fighting us. We helped him beat the D-Reaper!" Rika said.

"Well, I guess he changed his mind. Cyberdramon! Attack!"

"Desolation Claw!"

As if dancing, the rabbit dodged the attack. She was fast.

"Renamon, it's time to Digivolve. Digimodify! Matrix Digievolution activate!"

A light appeared and Taomon stood in the place of Renamon. The rabbit just snorted and did a fancy flip before puching Taomon straight in the face. The shaman digimon flew backward into Cyberdramon and sent the two crashing to the ground.

Rika and Ryo gaped. They had never seen their digimon taken down so easily. That rabbit was too fast and nimble, though she didn't look it. And she was powerful, very powerful. Their partners got up and started fighting again, but Antylamon was just running them through their paces. The two tried card after card, but none of them worked. Nothing short of years of training could help them defeat this digimon.

Hearing the commotion, the others ran and found the fight. "Yeah Jeri, it was just a harmless bunny!" Kazu shouted when he saw the battle.

Takato, Henry, and Kenta, more focused on the battle at hand, pulled out their cards. Takato and Henry started the Digievolution process and MarineAngemon went over to Cyberdramon and Taomon to shoot his heart shaped waves to help heal his friends. As the digievolution light faded from both Guilmon and Terriermon, their forms were replaced by WarGrowlmon and Rapidmon. The pair ran in and started to help their friends fight.

"What pleasure my master will have when you are all under his wing. He needs more powerful digimon like you. Unfortunately for your humans, you are not powerful enough. You are too young to be. Prepare to say goodbye to your partners."

Growling, WarGrowlmon went in to attack. The rabbit laughed again and with a quick and powerful jump she seemingly turned invisible until she appeared a second later on WarGrowlmon's head "Treasure Axes," she yelled and proceeded to hack away at the dinosaur.

"What is going on?" Lopmon asked, surprised to see the virus type of her ultimate form.

"It's your buddy Zhuqiaomon. He's sent this to come attack us. Know anything about it?"

"There was a Lopmon that Zhuqiaomon was jailing for crimes she committed. Maybe he had her digivolve and sent her to do this job in return?"

"Any idea why she is so strong?"

"I'm not really sure." Suddenly she noticed something odd, a black spiral that was wrapped around the enemy's arm. Antylamon did not normally have that band, even the viruses. "Hmm… I'm not sure why she is so strong, but I can tell you that the band that she is wearing is something Zhuqiaomon was trying to develop. He said it would be a way for digimon to fight in the Real World better. I'll bet that if we destroy that spiral, it will make her easier to defeat."

The group redoubled its attack, this time aiming for the rabbit's left arm.

"What are you fools doing now. There is no way to defeat me. You may as well just surrender n…"

As Antylamon was gloating, Rapidmon hit her arm with a rapid missile. The spiral disintegrated.

Just as the group was getting ready to release their final attack to delete Antylamon's data, a light shone around her. She quickly began to shrink until the light faded and a bruised Lopmon was all that was left. She began to scream. "Make it stop! Make it stop! I want to go home! Get out of my brain." Then the tortured digimon passed out on the ground.

"Well what should we do now?" Asked Rapidmon.

"We leave her be," Rika replied, "it's obvious that she was being controlled using that black spiral thing. Something is wrong with her and she needs our help."

"Rika, do you really think that's a good idea?" Ryo asked.

"I've never been more sure in my life," she replied.

"I'll take her home. Dad might be able to do something to help her," Henry said.

"Put this on her," Takato said taking off one of his sweatbands, "you guys already get Terriermon and Lopmon confused. I can't think what it would be like having another Lopmon around."

"Sure, the whole unconscious thing doesn't give it away or anything," Kenta snorted.

The group rolled their eyes at his comment and started walking down the path. A light encompassed WarGrowlmon, Taomon, and Rapidmon and they were replaced by their rookie forms who ran to catch up with the group. "Takato, all this fighting has made me hungry. Can we have that picnic now?" Guilmon moaned.

"Sure buddy," Takato replied with a smile.


The Antylamon business had happened on Wednesday, and it was quickly becoming apparent to Henry that Lopmon would delete if they didn't do something quickly. It was now Sunday and she hadn't woken from her coma. In face, she had been mostly silent save a whimper she let out here and there. He felt bad for the digimon whether she was a criminal or not. Zhuqiaomon had obviously done something awful to her. His dad was going to get the results from testing her yesterday in just a few minutes, and Henry waited for what he assumed was going to be bad news. His dad came into the room holding some papers. "I've got some bad news, some good news, and some bad news son."

"Well?"

"Well, this digimon is losing energy at massive levels. That thing that you guys destroyed must have been supplying her with energy. However, I think that if she returns to the Digital World her energy levels will stabilize, but as you know that is no easy feat. I don't want to loose my kids there again."

"So what, we just let her die? No, we'll find some way."

"Henry no, it's not worth it. Didn't she attack you anyways?"

"She was obviously forced to do that. Dad, look at her. She is in so much pain. There is something wrong with her. You didn't hear her scream as she passed out. You don't understand." Henry stormed out carrying Lopmon and grabbed Suzie by the arm. The two went out the door and were followed by their partners

Outside, Henry used his cell phone where he called all the other Tamers with the news, telling them to meet at the park to figure out a plan.