The next day, the three human-digimon pairs met up at the park.
Ken and Patamon were the first to arrive at the meeting place. While he had been late in getting home last night, he had managed to convince his parents that he honestly just needed a break, so stopped at an arcade. He presented Patamon as 'evidence', claiming that he was a plushie he had won. He apologized profusely for worrying his parents, and they backed off.
Sora and Labramon arrived next. She had told her parents that she had had lost track of the time while practicing with Tai, then got distracted by saving a stray dog who had a bad limp on the way home. Her parents were naturally very worried about the stray 'dog' who accompanied her as proof, but Labramon's quiet temperament, and mastery of the puppy-eye look managed to melt their hearts. They agreed that Sora could take care of Labramon, at least until they could find his real owner.
Tai and his partner were last to arrive. Tai's mother was extremely upset that he had been out so late, but his father had intervened on his behalf. With a sly wink, Tai's father told his mother that Tai just had nerves about the upcoming game, and this was Tai's way of dealing with it. Tai's mother still scolded him though, but she didn't ground him. Tai didn't show Candlemon to his parents, instead, Candlemon had been magically sucked into his digivice when they were arguing about how to get Candlemon inside the apartment without being noticed. According to Candlemon, the digivice was surprisingly comfortable, not to mention it meant he could accompany Tai anywhere. That he wanted to do so in order to keep Tai out of trouble was left unsaid.
Tai started the meeting right away with a blunt statement. "Ok, now that we're all rested, and not just out of a life or death situation, I think all of us could use a few more answers."
"What sort of answers do you mean, Tai?" Candlemon questioned.
"I don't know about Tai, but I want to know why you guys came here," Sora asked before Tai could reply.
The three digimon looked at each other, or rather Candlemon and Patamon looked at each other, and Labramon looked away from everyone.
Labramon spoke first, "Well I don't know about the others, but I didn't mean to come here at all," the dog admitted, with a serious look on his face, "I just needed to get away from it all, and the next thing I knew I was here, fighting Liollmon."
Patamon was next to answer, "There was a biiig fight over near my old home. Two rampaging Triceramon destroyed everything in sight. After they had left, I just wandered. There are all sorts of neat things to see, and now I have a whole new world to explore!"
Candlemon was last, "Well unlike the others, Tapirmon and I were actually trying to find a way to Earth. I wanted to learn more about humans, and maybe see if I could learn something which might help digimon back in the Digital World. I think maybe finding the digidestined might qualify."
"I think it's more important that we ask if any other digimon are going to be crossing over," Ken added quietly.
"I dunno." Patamon chirped.
"I daresay I have no idea," Candlemon added.
"Yes," Labramon finished solemnly.
"Yes what?" Tai asked confused, "Yes, you don't know, or yes there'll be more park-destroying monsters coming? 'Cause I don't think the park authorities are going to like their repair bills if this keeps up."
"Tai," Sora spoke warningly.
"Yes," Labramon spoke as if uttering a death sentence, "to the second."
A pin dropping could be heard as the three humans and two digimon stared at the third digimon in their midst.
"I knew it!" Candlemon broke the silence, pointing accusingly at Labramon "You haven't reformed! Your army is trying to invade the human world!"
"NO!" Labramon snapped, "I have nothing to do with it! It's just something which I heard rumors about. I would never condone an attack on a defenseless place like Earth."
"Wait a minute," Tai interrupted, insulted, "Defenseless! We humans can take care of ourselves you know!"
"Not against digimon," Labramon retorted, "Human weapons are meant to kill humans, you don't have anything which could handle a digimon above Champion level."
"I don't care," Tai almost shouted, "This is my home, and I won't let anyone destroy it!" A faint orange flicker could barely be seen around Tai's clenched fist, but none present noticed it.
"Woah," Sora interrupted, "Nobody's said that the digimon coming are going to be hostile. Maybe we should give them a chance first."
"I think Sora's right," Ken added softly, "I don't like the idea of fighting, and if there's any possibility of peaceful contact, I think we should take it."
"Yeah, you said it Sensei!" Patamon cheered.
"But what if these new digimon aren't friendly?" Tai questioned, "What if they start blowing up everything in sight?"
Candlemon backed his partner, "I'm afraid that Tai's scenario is far more likely to come true." Candlemon looked pensive for a moment, before adding, "Although, I would like to point something out. You are the digidestined, heirs to great power. I think that maybe you, together with your partners, have the potential to defend this world."
"I don't wanna fight!" Patamon protested, almost panicked at the idea of battle.
"Don't worry Patamon," Ken spoke, attempting to sooth his partner, "I'm sure that-"
Ken is interrupted by a loud beeping noise from his digivice. He pulls the device out, and the compass formed above the surface.
Ken stared at the rotating compass. "Huh, what's going on? It did this last night as well." The compass stopped rotating, and pointed in one direction constantly.
"It's pointing to something," Candlemon helpfully pointed out.
"No duh, Captain Obvious," Tai muttered under his breath.
Labramon sniffed the air. "I think I smell something, it sort of reminds me of that fog last night."
"Maybe it's another digimon emerging?" Sora wondered.
"Then let's go and find out what it wants!" Tai ordered, "We need to go now, before someone else stumbles on to it."
"I don't want to go," Patamon protested, "This could be dangerous!"
"I think we have to go," Ken told Patamon seriously.
"Why?" his partner questioned piteously.
"Because mine is the only digivice reacting," Ken pointed out, "So I'm the only one who can direct them there."
"Alright," Patamon sighed, "But only if we don't have to fight."
"I promise," Ken stated with certainty.
Patamon perked up.
Ken's digivice led the group through the trees. The six weren't really surprised to find a strange fog cloud in the middle of a forest clearing. Inside the fog, they could just make out some random flashes of light.
Tai paused at the edge of the fog. Turning to the others, he spoke, "You guys ready? We have no idea what we could encounter from here on out. If you want to back out, back out now!-"
Labramon covered his eyes with a paw in embarrassment. "Just get on with it," he groaned.
Sora turned to Ken and smiled at him, while ignoring Tai's speech. "You don't have to come with us you know," she gently told him, "I'm sure Tai and I could handle it, if you don't want to fight."
Ken shook his head. "I'll go, I'll just keep out of any fighting," he smiled back at her, "besides, I'm the one with the tracking abilities, in case one of them gets out of sight or something."
"Ok, if you're sure." Sora turned and walked into the fog bank. Ken, Labramon and Patamon followed her.
"-So we go into this with eyes wide open," Tai was still speaking. Candlemon gave Tai a quick poke. "What! Candlemon, can't you see I'm speaking here!"
"I believe the others have already gone in, Tai," Candlemon told Tai, "And besides, you are a lousy orator."
"I am not!" Tai protested indignantly, but Candlemon had already entered the fog as well. "Oh com'on!" Tai charged in.
Once inside the fog, the six found their eyes adjusting, and soon found that they could make out two figures inside the fog with them. One was just over a foot tall, and resembled a blue ball with arms and sneakers, and a lightning decal on its forehead. The other one was a giant blue rabbit with nasty looking teeth and claws. The rabbit was engaged in a furious battle with the blue ball digimon.
Ken's digivice beeped again, and began displaying an image of the blue ball, with statistics next to it.
Name: Thundermon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Data
Type: Mutant
After a moment, the image changed, and instead one of the rabbit like creatures appeared.
Name: Gazimon
Level: Rookie
Attribute: Virus
Type: Mammal
Ken read both sets of statistics out loud, before adding, "That's useful. I wonder what else this does."
Just then, Thundermon released a massive ball of electricity towards the Gazimon. They dodged, and the attacked hit dirt and promptly exploded.
"We've got to do something," Sora yelled over the ringing sound in her ears, "If we don't, they'll blow up the entire park!"
"Well there's only one way we're going to be able to do that!" Tai moved, before yelling at Thundermon, "Hey you! Why don't you stop a minute and stop blowing up the park! Let's talk this out!"
Thundermon turned around, saw Tai, and promptly shouted, "THUNDER BALL!" and threw a ball of lightning right at Tai.
"RETRIVER-BARK!" What Tai could only describe as solidified sound waves interposed themselves between him and the ball lightning. The lightning detonated, and Tai was thrown back.
Both Candlemon and Labramon leapt forward, charging Thundermon, interposing themselves between the humans and the hostile digimon.
"He was just trying to talk," Candlemon spoke, anger in his voice, "There was no call to attack!"
"THUNDER BALL!" Thundermon just attacked again. Both Candlemon and Labramon were able to dodge.
"RETRIVER-BARK!" "LAVA LOOGIE!" Labramon's sound attack and Candlemon's thrown 'lava' orb hit Thundermon dead on. Smoke obscured Thundermon for a moment, before drifting away, revealing Thundermon completely undamaged.
Sora ran over to Tai, and helped him back to his feet. "Are you alright! I was really worried there!"
"It'll take more than that to keep me down," Tai assured her, "I'm not going to let some crazed monster beat me!"
At that exact moment, Sora gave a sharp breath and tumbled out of the way, as she noticed one of the Gazimon attempting to sneak up on their position, sharp claws first.
Tai quickly looked over at where Sora had just moved, and gave out a groan. "Oh come on! Doesn't anyone want to just talk anymore!"
The Gazimon quickly turned around, "ELECTRIC STUN BLAST!" It let out a cloud of black gas. Tai managed to dodge completely, but Sora's left leg brushed against the gas.
Sora immediately fell over as she lost all feeling in her leg. Gazimon was quick to capitalize on the opening and moved to attack her with its claws.
"I have had enough of this!" Tai shouted, charging Gazimon, "I'm not going to let you hurt her!" He punched the digimon as hard as he could.
Gazimon was pushed off course by Tai's punch, but still recovered quickly. Labramon and Candlemon were still fighting Thundermon, but unfortunately, they didn't seem able to penetrate the Champion-level digimon's armor.
Tai however, just stared at his hand, where an orange rind had formed, hovering an inch above his fingers. Instinctively, Tai grabbed his digivice with his other hand. Staring at it for a moment, he had a sudden epiphany as to what he had to do.
He slammed his glowing hand down on the top of his digivice, at the same time calling out, "DNA CHARGE!"
His digivice glowed brightly, and light shot out of it and hit Candlemon.
"CANDLEMON DIGIVOLVE TO-" The light intensified, and in the living candlesticks place was what looked like a kid in a ripped up tan jumpsuit, with a tattered blue cape, with a collar which coverd his mouth, and a blue wizard's hat, and in his hands he held a staff topped with a stylized sun. "WIZARDMON!"
Ken pulled out his digivice to check out the new digimon.
Name: Wizardmon
Level: Champion
Attribute: Data
Type: Wizard
"ELECTRO SQUALL!" Wizardmon let loose with his own burst of electricity from his staff. The burst hit Thundermon head on, and the digimon screamed as its armor ruptured.
"And now to finish this!" Wizardmon intoned, holding out the hand which didn't have the staff, "MAGICAL GAME!" A burst of energy launched from his hand, and hit Thundermon, who immediately disintegrated at the assault.
Wizardmon and Labramon, now freed up to attack Gazimon, turned around and bounded back to their respective partners.
Labramon reached Sora first, seeing her on the ground, clutching her numb leg, he carefully approached before bringing his muzzle up to her leg. "CURE LIQUOR!" and green glow came from Labramon's mouth, and encompassed Sora's leg. Immediately, feeling returned to the affected areas.
In the meanwhile, Wizardmon had made quick work of Gazimon, a single Electro Squall being enough to beat the weaker rookie.
Tai took in the aftermath of their battle. "So much for negotiation," he sighed, "Are they all going to be like this?" he questioned tiredly.
Labramon looked up from helping Sora. "Most likely," he replied in a sad tone.