A/N: A very big thank you to everyone who's reading, and especially those of you who decided to fave or follow! I hope you won't be disappointed. And thank you to my reviewers, too! I always appreciate hearing what you have to say.
Digital World, Junk Wasteland, Windy Village
Rika lay awake in a large bed, doing her best to tune out Kazu and Kenta's voices singing in the distance. Renamon leaned on a wall nearby, ever vigilant, but even she seemed to have relaxed a bit. Rika took that as a sign that maybe she should relax too, especially since she had the good fortune to be on an actual, honest to goodness bed rather than the hard digital ground, but she just couldn't bring herself to let her guard down.
It all just seemed too convenient.
They'd found themselves in this strange place after she had run after Kazu and Kenta before they could be taken by a rogue data stream. Unlike the rest of the group, the two idiots had tried to outrun the beam, rather than getting out of its way, and she had been enough of an idiot to jump in with them to make sure they didn't get themselves hurt or killed all alone in the Digital World. The data stream sucked them up and dropped them into the sky of another part of the Wasteland, one seemingly on a lower level than where they were before. They might have plummeted to their deaths, but Dorugamon caught them before it was too late. She hadn't seen Kou get sucked up too, but he'd confessed upon landing that he saw her running after the two stooges, and didn't want to leave them alone.
It was probably a good decision, all things considered. If she'd had to deal with dumb and dumber alone, she probably would have killed them by now.
Soon after, the wind had picked up, and violently at that, but the group managed to take shelter in a strange village full of small houses with yellow tarps on their roofs. At least, they had seemed small, until they got inside. The home they had chosen to hide in not only expanded to an impressive degree underground, it also happened to be home to no less than two Mega level Digimon. Rika was sure they were just about the dumbest Mega levels she'd ever seen.
But they were also the kindest, and Jijimon and Babamon, though eccentric, had welcomed them with open arms. They had made the four children, and the two Digimon with them, a hearty dinner that had reminded Rika of her real grandmother's cooking. They gave them a place to stay for the night, and even let them use their own personal hot tub. Which is where Kazu and Kenta were now, singing the night away, so loud Rika could hear them even from here.
"If I'd known hat-boy was going to jump off the deep end with those two, I'd have stayed with everyone else," she mused aloud. Renamon let out a short laugh.
"I don't think he noticed until you ran," said the fox. "But I'm grateful he did. It means I can leave Kazu and Kenta to Dorumon, and get as much distance from the concert as possible."
"With your ears, it must be even worse," said Rika, smiling. Her partner's ears twitched.
"Oh, Rika, you have no idea," she said, the irritation in her voice clear. "Jijimon has begun to sing along."
Rika actually laughed aloud at that, and Renamon smiled, an amused twinkle in her eyes. The fiery haired Tamer's expression changed at once, settling into a frown. "What's so funny?"
"Nothing, Rika," said Renamon. "It just… gladdens me to hear you laugh so freely, that is all."
"O-Oh," Rika replied, blushing slightly as she sat up straight in her bed. Avoiding her partner's eyes, she attempted to change the subject. "Say, isn't this all a little too convenient, though?"
"Perhaps," said Renamon. "But just as bad things can happen for seemingly no reason, so can good things. Please try to relax, Rika. I do not think Jijimon and Babamon are the type to try anything underhanded." She crossed her arms and swished her tail. "Honestly, they're more likely to fight each other."
"That's true," Rika admitted. To ease her boredom, she pulled out her deck of cards and began going through them. "Hey, Renamon?" The fox's ears twitched. "Is Kou in the bath too? Can you hear?"
"If so, he has the good sense to keep his mouth shut," replied Renamon. "But I hear Dorumon just outside this room with Babamon. He's probably with them."
"Good," said Rika, hopping off the bed. "I want to settle something."
###
Digital World, Junk Wasteland, Village of Discarded Data
Takato walked along at the back of the group, lost in thought. Guilmon was close by, and would periodically whine or say his name to get his attention, but he found himself giving only token responses. He knew he shouldn't be this worried, but he couldn't help it. It was the first time since he'd become a tamer that he had to get by without his brother.
Who he was also worried sick about, of course. Him, and Rika, and Kazu and Kenta.
"Don't worry Takato," said Jeri, her voice calling him out of his reverie. "The others will be okay. Rika's with them!" She smiled at him, and despite himself, Takato couldn't help but smile back.
"Wow Jeri, I couldn't get through to him at all," said Guilmon. "I thought there might be bread stuck in his ears."
"Whenever you can't figure something out, is the answer always bread?" asked Terriermon.
"Hmm, probably," replied Guilmon.
"Hey, what's that place up ahead?" asked Henry, stopping in his tracks and pointing forward. Just ahead of the group was a small village of little mud domes that appeared to have random pieces of junk embedded into them. If anyone lived there, it was hard to tell, as there was no one outside and not a sound was being made.
"Maybe it's Breadville," deadpanned Leomon. Jeri giggled.
"Oh, I hope so!" said Guilmon, his ears perking up and his eyes brightening. "Takato, let's go to Breadville!" Takato reached forward to stop him, but Guilmon scampered on ahead, laughing the whole way.
"G-Guilmon!" he called. "Come back!"
The goggleheaded tamer took off after his partner, and the rest of the group followed along.
"Leomon, I'm disappointed, I expected that from Terriermon," said Henry as he ran. Leomon smirked.
"Momentai, Henry."
"WOW!" said Terriermon, laughing loudly. "You really are the king of beasts, because that was savage!"
"Nnnngh."
Guilmon finally stopped his mad charge in the middle of the village and began to sniff the air, searching for any sign of his beloved bread. His ears drooped, making it clear that his search had been in vain.
"Awwwww."
"There there, boy," said Takato, even as he was gasping for breath after his sprint. "I swear, Guilmon, trying to keep up with you is more exhausting than gym class sometimes." He stopped to observe his surroundings as everyone else caught up. "Hmm… wonder if anyone's home…"
"Shh, do you hear that?" asked Henry.
"Hear wha-" began Takato, but Terriermon cut him off.
"He said shush, geez."
"S-Sorry."
For a moment, Takato heard nothing. He stayed silent, glancing around from time to time, but mostly watching Henry stand there with his eyes closed and a hand to his ear.
"I think…" said the blue-haired tamer, trying to focus on whatever it was he heard. He stayed silent a moment longer, then his eyes shot open. He spun to his left, and pointed, "There!"
On cue, a large, black and gray motorcycle came racing in from the wasteland, kicking up a massive cloud of dirt behind it. Now that Takato saw it, he had no idea how he'd missed the sound of its engine before, it was ridiculously loud.
"It's coming right at us!" he cried. "Move!"
The group scattered, each tamer and their partner going a different way, and just in time. The bike raced by, close enough that they could feel the wind try to pull them along. It zoomed out of the village, then came around again - zeroing right in on Takato and Guilmon.
Just my luck!
Takato and Guilmon ran with all their strength, but when the gogglehead glanced over his shoulder, the bike was gaining on them, and fast. He looked ahead, where one of the quiet mud domes was blocking their path. He called out to his partner. "Guilmon! Wait until it's close, then go right! I'll go left!"
"Okay!"
Takato pushed the last bit of strength he had into his legs and was suddenly grateful for all the time he spent chasing Guilmon. Pre-tamer Takato certainly hadn't been able to run like this.
Then the small door on the dome ahead opened, and a tiny little Digimon made of mud poked its head out. Its eyes widened in fear at the approaching bike, and so did Takato's at the danger he'd unwittingly put the little Digimon in.
"Get out of the way!" he called pleadingly as he and Guilmon dove separate directions, and luckily, the little Digimon heeded his warning and leapt out of the doorframe, nearly landing on Takato himself. When the bike slammed into the dome, the Digimon behind it wasn't so lucky. As the metal monster tore its way out of the back of the dome, the data of a larger mud-Digimon burst out with it before being scattered on the wind. That time, the bike zoomed off into the distance, and didn't return.
"No…" said Jeri, falling to her knees. "How awful."
Takato struggled to his feet, but before he could verbalize his agreement, the little Digimon next to him tugged on his sleeve. It looked up at him with watery eyes.
"Thank you for saving me."
Takato's mouth dropped open in shock, he didn't feel like he'd saved anyone.
"Yes, thank you for saving this young one," came another, more wizened voice. Takato turned to find another Digimon like the other two, but this one had a cane, and looked… older, somehow. Like some kind of village elder, despite the fact that Digimon weren't even supposed to age.
"Chuchidarumon," said Henry, reading off his D-Arc. "Champion level."
"My my, that's a useful device," said the Chuchidarumon Elder. As more and more of the Chuchidarumon emerged from their homes, he gestured back to his own. "Please, come inside."
###
Digital World, Junk Wasteland, Windy Village
"Aaaand… game," said Rika, smirking.
"Wha?" said Kou, stupefied. "How on earth… that was luck. I mean, I know you're better than me, but having the perfect card at the perfect time…"
"Is a sign of a good player," interrupted Rika, still smirking. She sat on the couch beside the coffee table, where both tamers' cards were spread out. Kou sat across from her in a wooden chair, with Dorumon at his side.
"Alright, fine…" said Kou. "Take it, then."
"Take what?"
"My MagnaAngemon card," said Kou, holding up the prize with a dejected look on his face. "You won, fair and square."
"I don't want your card, hat-boy," replied Rika. "But Renamon never got to finish pounding Dorumon's face in. I figured I'd just wipe the floor with yours instead."
"Truly, Lady Rika, you are a paragon of kindness and mercy," said Dorumon.
"You don't wear sarcasm well, Dorumon," said Renamon, who was standing behind the couch. "It makes you sound like a certain little rabbit."
Dorumon blinked. "No, I… oh. I apologize. I meant what I said. Sir Kazu always takes a card after victory. Your mercy is admirable."
"I still haven't won my Seraphimon back," grumbled Kou.
"Really?" asked Rika. "I find that kind of surprising. You're better than he is."
This time, it was Kou's turn to blink.
"Don't look at me like that, it's true," said Rika. "Kazu just does the same thing every time, and he has good cards. You know how to actually think on your feet, or you seemed to anyway. If you weren't so insistent on basing your whole deck around Patamon, and put in some variety, you might have stood a chance."
"Might have?"
Rika nodded. "Might have." She crossed her arms. "Still, it kinda ticks me off that he's holding onto one of your best cards. That could help Dorumon a lot in our very real fights, and he's keeping it from you over a card game?" She narrowed her eyes. "And you're letting him?"
"I kinda figured it wouldn't matter much in real battle anyway," said Kou, gathering up his deck. "The cards only work when we believe in them, so they're kind of all the same, anyway. Besides, I…"
He paused, biting his lip a little. Rika had to prompt him to continue. "You… what?"
"I don't want him to feel like he has to give me things because I'm a Tamer, and he's not," Kou finally said. "I've been there. It sucks when everyone you're close to is living your dream and to you, it just seems completely out of reach."
There was an uncomfortable silence in the air after that, neither one of them really knowing what to say next. Out of the corner of his eye, Kou noticed Dorumon's little vestigal wings flutter like he wanted to speak, but Rika broke the silence before he could.
"Why did you want to be a Tamer so badly?" she asked, her voice quieter than it had been before. Dorumon held his tongue, instead tilting his head to watch his partner. Finding the rookie's gaze far less overbearing than that of his crush, Kou looked his partner in the eyes.
"Aside from Digimon being the coolest thing since sliced bread... loneliness, I suppose," he answered, gently patting the fur on Dorumon's head. "Sure, Takato and I tend to be stuck at the hip, but what if we weren't? Just about everyone I know or I'm close to, I know because of him. I guess I just wanted a relationship that was, well… mine." More uncomfortable silence followed.
"Well, that was heavy," said Rika a few moments later.
"Sorry," said Kou, scratching the back of his head nervously.
Way to go, idiot, now you've made this whole conversation pointlessly depressing.
He cleared his throat loudly. "W-What about you? Why did you want to be a Tamer?"
"What makes you assume I wanted to be?" asked Rika, perking an eyebrow up. "And if you tell me you had a dream like your brother did, I'm going to punch you."
"W-Well, the rest of us all wanted to be," said Kou, holding his hands up placatingly. "So… I guess I assumed wanting to be one had something to do with it."
"I… guess you assumed right, then," she said, finally taking her eyes off his face. "I felt like I was at the limit of where I could go with just the card game, and I wanted more. There was only one player I knew of that I couldn't beat, and he'd been missing for months. But more than that… it was the only thing that interested me, really. It was more than just a game to me, and I hated that in reality, that was all it was. I wanted to keep getting stronger, for real."
"You certainly succeeded at that," said Kou.
"Maybe," responded Rika. "But I don't think I really got stronger until I admitted how important Renamon was to me. She's my best friend, you know?" She shifted a bit in her seat. "That said, don't think I've gotten so warm and fuzzy I'd be friends with someone just because of their brother."
Kou tilted his head to the side a bit in confusion. "What do you mean by that?"
"You figure it out," said Rika, collecting her cards and slipping them back into their holder on her belt. She stood and walked to the door of the bedroom she was staying in, then turned around. "Better get some sleep. We need to figure out a way to find the others again first thing in the morning."
"Right," replied Kou, nodding. "Night, Rika."
Rika waved and went back into her room, quietly closing the door behind her. Kou found himself blankly staring at it for several seconds before something hard jammed itself into his head.
"Ow!"
"Not polite to stare, kiddo," said Babamon. She eyed Kou's trading cards spread out across the table. "Now what's all this mess? ...ooh, is that an Angemon? Now that's one fine piece of data, if you know what I'm sayin'!" Both Kou and Dorumon looked at the old mega, their mouths hanging open in shock. She smirked at them and whispered under her breath. "From the way you were lookin' at that door, I think you do know what I'm sayin'!"
"H-Hey!" the boy protested, backing away from Babamon's cane, blushing furiously. "T-That's just gross!"
"Quite right," added Dorumon. "I merely respect Lady Renamon for her grace and skill, not the "fineness" of her data."
Old mega and young boy both turned to face the rookie. He stared back, blinked a few times, then crossed his arms.
"What?" he said, little wings fluttering. "I do not understand why you are staring at me."
"I was teasin' pipsqueak here, not your royal highness," said Babamon. Then she grinned. "Maybe I picked the wrong target." Dorumon's tail swished in embarrassment, but before the antics could continue, Rika's door opened again. She stood in the doorway, making no move to re-enter the room.
"By the way, hat-boy," she said. "I noticed your cards were looking kind of bent. I figured if you're going to wear a fisherman's hat, you might need a tacklebox." She tossed something at Kou, and he ended up playing hacky-sack trying to catch it, but he managed. Whatever it was, it was about the size of his D-Arc, and it felt leathery. He turned it over in his hand and gasped.
"Wow, Rika! But don't you need this?"
"That's my spare," said Rika, tapping the card holder still present on her belt. "And you can't mix it up with Gogglebrain's, since he doesn't have one."
Kou gathered his cards quickly, and slid his deck into the box. "Perfect fit," he said, beaming. "Thanks, Rika!"
"Of course it's a perfect fit, your deck is the standard size," she said. But then she smiled back. "But you're welcome. And good night." She closed the door again. Kou looked at the box, then to Dorumon.
"Shall we go check on Kazu and Kenta?" he asked.
"And Jijimon?" added Dorumon, in an attempt to divert Babamon's attention. It worked.
"Old coot was singing along to those boys' wonderful song, last I heard!" she said excitedly. "C'mon, I'll show you to the bath!" She hustled out of the room with surprising speed.
"She really is a mega, huh," said Kou.
"Indeed she is," said Dorumon. He frowned and glanced up at his partner.
"You look like you want to say something," said Kou.
"...another time," replied the rookie, shaking his head. He put on a smile that looked really forced to Kou, but before the boy could question his partner about it further, Babamon called out to them from the next room.
"Come on, slowpokes!" boomed the old mega's voice. "My legs are like half a foot long and I'm still moving faster than you!"
Dorumon padded off after her without a word, leaving Kou to follow with no hints as to what was on his mind.
This isn't like him… but, I guess he'll tell me soon enough.
###
Digital World, Junk Wasteland, Village of Discarded Data
Henry exited the Elder Chuchidarumon's dome feeling angry.
After the crazy motorbike had nearly flattened them all, they had been invited into the Elder's home. Considering that their actions had gotten one of the villagers killed, he thought the Elder had been unbelievably welcoming. He had provided them with food and a place to stay, if they so wanted, and he explained the situation the village found itself in.
The simple version was that the bike kept coming back and rampaging through the village for reasons unknown. Takato, of course, had immediately volunteered to help. Henry could sympathize, but unlike his goggled friend, knew they had their own task to complete, so he asked the other boy outside to talk for a moment. Terriermon, of course, joined on his shoulder.
"So… what's the big deal, Henry?" asked Takato. "Should I wake Jeri?"
"No, let her sleep," said Henry. "I just… look. I know you want to help this village, but I think we need to just move on."
Takato gasped. "W-What? How can you say that?"
"I feel bad for them Takato, really. But it's their choice not to move their village, and I don't think it's our place to interfere." Takato glared at him, but Henry continued anyway. "I know it sounds heartless, but Takato, we have our own mission already. We came here to find Calumon, remember? And now we need to find the others, too." Takato kept glaring. "Come on, Takato, listen to reason. If we were in a position to help, I'd be all for it, you know that. But think about Kazu and Kenta. About Rika, about Kou! What if they need our help? I don't want to let our friends down because we let our emotions get the better of us."
Takato's eyes widened briefly in alarm before he turned away from Henry, his hands clenching into fists. Henry frowned and put a hand on his shoulder. He opened his mouth to speak, but Takato beat him to the punch.
"Maybe they do need our help," said the gogglehead. "But maybe they don't. Kou has Dorumon. Rika has Renamon."
"And Kazu has Kenta," chimed in Terriermon. "Or maybe the other way around, I don't know."
"We can't know for certain," continued Takato, ignoring Terriermon's interruption. "But we do know that these Digimon here need help. And I think… I think that if we ignore them on the mere chance of the others needing us, then we'll really be letting them down." He turned and looked Henry hard in the eye. "I want to find the others too, Henry. But if we walk away from this to find them, it's like saying that we don't trust them to keep themselves safe." Henry's hand fell from Takato's shoulder as the gogglehead turned back around. "I'm staying to help. I think it's what the others would do, too."
"Takato…" began Henry, but he didn't know where to continue from there, so he instead found himself just staring at the other boy. Terriermon leapt off his shoulder.
"I'm actually with Takato on this one, Henry," said the rabbit. "It doesn't feel right to just leave, and unless the others stumbled into some old mega's house, Renamon and Dorumon probably have things taken care of."
"I… nnngh, alright, you guys win," said Henry, sighing.
"Sorry, Henry," said Takato, his determined glare quickly melting away into an apologetic look. "I just-"
"Don't worry about it, Takato," interrupted Henry, giving the other boy a smile. "You made your point. I'm on board."
Takato smiled back. "Thanks, Henry."
"Man, I need to file away heroic speeches to sway you with whenever you scold me, Henry," said Terriermon.
"Terrier-"
Before Henry could finish his latest scolding, the sound of a revving engine echoed through the air. The bike was on its way back.
Jeri and Leomon rushed out of the Elder's dome. The girl's hair was frazzled where she had been sleeping on it, but otherwise, she looked fully awake. Guilmon came running over from the center of the village, where he had been playing with some Chuchidarumon children.
"What are we gonna do, Takato?" asked the dinosaur. The bike swerved towards them as it entered the village, beelining straight for the group.
"Well, uh…" stammered the gogglehead. "Any ideas, guys?"
Henry sighed and drew a card from his pocket. "Let's start with the simple approach. Digi-Modify! Digivolution, Activate!"
D-I-G-I-V-O-L-U-T-I-O-N
Terriermon, Digivolve to… Gargomon!
The mighty rabbit champion leapt in front of the group and pointed both his hands at the oncoming bike.
"Now this is what I'm talkin' about!" he called.
"Gargo Lasers!"
Gargomon went wild on the metal beast, but despite how many shots he emptied into it, it didn't slow down a bit. As it charged straight through the group, they were forced to scatter to avoid getting pancaked. Thankfully, the bike missed any of the Chuchidarumon domes, but it wheeled around to come at them once again.
"Guilmon!" called Takato. "See if you can do something!"
Great plan, Takato.
Henry shook his head in disapproval at his own thought. Terriermon was a bad influence.
"Okay, Takato!" called Guilmon in reply. Henry watched for a Pyro Sphere, but Guilmon's reaction was unexpected. He leapt in the bike's path, and as it approached, he jumped on top of it and took the handlebars, causing it to swerve to the side and out of the village. As Guilmon sped off on the bike, something else fell off. Takato approached the tiny object and picked it up.
"Looks like a Koromon," he said. "But like, metal or something."
"That's because it is," said Jeri, looking at her D-Arc. "MetalKoromon, rookie level."
"That's me, and thank you for saving me!" said the MetalKoromon, its tail flashing and keeping happily. "That bike is awful. Once you get on it, it takes over your mind until it finds another rider it likes better!"
"That's awful!" said Jeri.
"Wait, but that means…" said Takato, horrible realization dawning on him.
"Uh, guys?" said Gargomon, stepping protectively in front of the group. "Guilmon looks kinda mad!"
Henry whirled around to find Takato's partner speeding back towards them, his eyes glowing red with fury and his claws clenched around the handlebars. He was the bike's, now.
This isn't good, We've gotta get him off of there somehow, Gargomon can't shoot with Guilmon there! Not that shooting did any good before. What should we do?
While Henry was scrambling to come up with a plan, Takato took action. He ran ahead of the group, standing right in the bike's path and spreading his arms wide.
"You've gotta snap out of it, Guilmon!" yelled the gogglehead. "Fight it! Come back to me, boy!" Guilmon growled in response, and reared back his head. Henry gasped, realizing what was coming next.
"Takato, look out!" he called. "Digi-Modify! WarGreymon's Brave Shield Activate!"
"Pyro Sphere!"
Gargomon blocked the attack just in time, shielding Takato from his own partner's fireball with a copy of WarGreymon's shield. Guilmon swerved away from the explosion, instead trying to slam into Jeri and Leomon, but Leomon took Jeri in his hands and jumped over the bike. It sped out of the village and turned around once again, trying to hit Leomon before he could recover his footing.
"That's enough!" roared the lion warrior. Setting Jeri down, he drew his sword and charged Guilmon and the bike head on. He raised his blade and leapt into the air with a battle cry.
"Leomon, no!" called Takato in a panic, but the champion Digimon paid him no heed. Leomon brought his full weight down onto Guilmon from above, striking a hard blow to the side of the rookie's head with the blunt side of his blade. Both Digimon fell to the ground rolling, leaving the bike to speed off into the distance without a rider.
The Tamers and Gargomon ran to their side. Leomon got himself upright quickly, but remained in a kneeling position as he clutched the shoulder he landed on. Takato fell to his knees as he approached Guilmon, practically skidding through the sand. Henry thought it was lucky he didn't skin his knees.
"Hey boy, are you okay?" said Takato, his voice wavering as he cradled the large rookie in his arms.
"Don't worry Takato, he has a very hard head," assured Leomon, sheathing his blade. Sure enough, Guilmon began to groan not a moment later.
"I'm seeing bread stars," whined the dinosaur. "That wasn't very fun."
Takato smiled at him. "You're not quite old enough to drive yet, boy."
A loud crashing sound suddenly echoed in the group's ears, and they turned around to find that the bike had disappeared into a massive pit in the ground - a pit that hadn't been there just seconds before. Running to the edge to investigate, they found the bike slowly sinking into a pool of lava deep within.
"Uhhh… well, I guess that takes care of that?" said Takato. "Which one of you secretly had the "summon giant pit of lava" special attack?"
Leomon and Gargomon shared a glance, then shrugged.
"This is weird…" said Henry. "But… all's well that ends well, I guess?" He glanced over at the other boy in the group. "By the way, Takato?"
"Yeah?" responded the gogglehead.
"That was really reckless, jumping in front of the bike, but…" Henry paused, and sighed. "I'm sorry for giving you such a hard time earlier." He glanced back down into the pit, where the bike disappeared from view. "Stopping this was absolutely the right thing. I shouldn't have tried to stop you… you never listen to me anyway." He grinned. "That's probably why I like you so much. Sometimes I try so hard to be the voice of reason, I forget to listen to the heart."
"Aw… thanks, Henry," said Takato, blushing a little. "And I'm sorry for getting kinda mad. I know you were just trying to look out for the others."
"Hehe, you boys are a good team," said Jeri, giggling.
Takato started to blush harder at the compliment, but the lava pit below suddenly erupted, violently. The ground below them shook, and Henry had to be careful not to fall to a molten death.
"W-What's happening?" stammered the blue-haired tamer. As if in answer, the pit erupted again, spitting the bike right back out. It flew through the air, engine revving loudly, and slammed down on the side of the pit opposite the group. But there was something different about it.
It had a rider.
"He's… he's in control," said Leomon. "Whoever that is, he's mastered the machine and tamed the beast within."
Henry tried to study the Digimon on the bike more closely, but the heat coming from the pit warped the air in front of him and made it hard to see. He was tall, blond-haired, and clad in black, but that was all he could make out before the Digimon sped off into the wasteland.