Kitsumon took down her cellphone. Her eyes were staring blankly.

"R-rika?" Kei asked uncertainly. "What's wrong? Who was that?"

"That was my... my sister..." she murmured. "My... human sister..."

It took Kei a while to realize what this meant. Then she groaned. "Oh no, the RPG Maker strikes again... Oh well, it could have been worse, you know? At least Renamon and your minds aren't affected by the changes made to the world..."

"Wrong..." Rika said in a quiet voice. "The way she talked to me... she acted is if she had always been a human... and I a Digimon!"

Then the young vixen dropped down to her knees and started sobbing. "Why? Why does this happen to me? With Renamon gone... I have no one left!"

Kei was shocked. "But... but how?" she muttered. "I always believed there was nothing that could ever happen to you and Renamon yourselves... and now... no... no, this is all my fault!"

"Now, now, you two!" MarineAngemon said in a calm voice. "Get a hold of yourselves!"

Eiko was very confused by the whole situation. "Kei, why... why are you crying? Did I... did I do anything wrong? Please, tell me... it isn't about BioCalumon, is it?"

"Eiko..." Kei murmured. "BioCalumon is one of the most dangerous creatures I know. You should stay away from him. It's his fault that I... that Rika and I are stuck in this situation." She stared down at her branch-like fingers.

"But why?" Eiko asked, more confused than ever. She never wanted to see her friend so sad. It made her wanna cry as well, and sure enough, tears appeared in the corners of her eyes. "Kei, I... I'm sorry... I didn't know... I just wanted to have a friend... and then..."

Her mind opened up like a floodgate, and everything that had happened to Kai invaded her head at once. She realized what she had done, and she dropped to the floor as well. "K-k-kei... I... I'm sorry... I never wanted to... I just wanted to have a friend..." She sniffled and now really started to cry. "I never wanted to change you like this!"

"Oh, dear!" MarineAngemon sighed as he saw the third girl that was sitting on the floor with teary eyes.

But Kei was staring at the ChibiBakemon in surprise. "You... you remember? You really remember everything?" Even Rika got yanked out of her misery.

Eiko nodded while the tears continued to stream down her face. "I f-f-felt so alone... n-nobody wanted to be my f-f-friend... (sniffle) And when Daddy died... I had nobody... and I was s-s-so happy when I met you... and then you had to l-leave already... I wanted so much to keep you from going! (sob) But I never knew... I never wanted t-to f-f-force you into anything... (sniffle) BWAAAAAAAAHH!"

Kei put her arms around the distraught Rookie. "There, there, it's okay... you couldn't know, and we will find a way to fix everything."

Mako just stood next to them and looked at Eiko, who was bawling her eyes out. Seeing her like this made his own little heart hurt. He knew her as a spunky, cheerful girl, and he always liked her like that. But now he wanted to do anything to make her feel better.

Even if that meant giving up his chocolate chip cookies.

Eiko stopped crying when suddenly, a plate of cookies was put down in front of her.

"You can have them all, I'm not hungry anymore," Mako said. He took one and offered it to the Digimon girl. "Here, it's chocolate chip... the best cookie in the world! Please, stop crying, okay?"

Eiko sniffed once again, then she took the cookie, looked at it uncertainly and then put it in her mouth. She chewed, swallowed and then looked at the TinyDevimon standing next to her.

Mako smiled. "There, all better now, right?"

Eiko couldn't help it. She just had to give Mako a massive hug. The Hybrid boy gasped in surprise when all of a sudden, the pink little ghost was clinging to his body. His first impulse was to shout 'Ewww! Cooties!' and run away, but somewhere within him, he felt a pleasurable warmth spreading through his heart.

Kei smiled at the scene, then she looked at Rika, more sternly. "Rika... I'm going to find a way to get Renamon remember you as well, just like Eiko remembered what happened. And if it's the last thing I'll do!"

Kitsumon looked at her in surprise, then she wiped away her own tears and nodded. "Thank you..." she said and accepted the plant-girl's hand as she helped her up from the ground.

Kei smiled. "Let's not keep your sister waiting, huh?"

----

"Renamon..."

The blonde teenager winced. "Please, can't you call me Rena?"

Mie sighed. "Alright... Rena! Do you remember what happened before you came in here? Were you fighting that Digimon?"

Rena shook her head, so that her blonde ponytail whipped around. "Of course not! It would be pretty careless of a human to just attack a Digimon like that. I only wanted to follow him, because I thought he acted strangely. Know I wish I was the one who had gone to talk to Kei in my sister's place..." She shook her head. "But anyways, I followed him through the window and stopped him in time from touching that computer."

Compsomon looked at the smouldering remains of Takato's PC and raised an eyebrow.

Rena sighed. "Okay, so he managed to touch it. But I don't really know what caused that explosion and what his connection to that game is. But let's just hope there is some way we can save the game..."

"But if you knew you had no chance against him, why did you still confront him?" Mie asked.

"I... I dunno... it was a stupid idea, I suppose..." Rena winced and grabbed her head as sharp pain was shooting through her mind. "Ouch... man, what happened to me back there? Whatever the little guy wanted, it really caused one hell of a headache..."

Mie sighed. She wondered if she should just tell Rena that she had been a Digimon just minutes ago, but as she really was no expert with those changes, she decided to let her son's friends take care of that, when they arrived.

At least now every doubt she had about the reality-changing game being real left her mind.

They waited for a while, until finally, Kitsumon and Kei entered the room.

"Auntie... I mean, Mrs. Matsuki!" Kei gasped and looked at the destroyed computer. "What happened here?"

"Some grey Digimon who looked strangely similar to Calumon came in here and tried using Takato's computer," Compsomon explained. "Although, when Renamon tried to stop him, it somehow exploded."

Rena winced. "I told you, my name is RENA!"

Kitsumon stared at the human girl in front of her. She looked so much like a younger, blonde version of her mother...

She then frowned and walked up to her sister. She grabbed Rena's shoulders firmly and turned her around, so that they were looking into each other's eyes.

"Kit!" Rena shouted in surprise. "What... what are you doing?"

"I'm not Kit!" Rika said sternly. "I am Rika, your human Tamer! You are Renamon, my Digimon partner! And recently... that game turned us into sisters!"

Rena tried to laugh, but found herself being unable to do so. She stumbled back and grabbed her head again. Somehow, what her sister just told her sounded right... but then why did her memories tell her otherwise?

She winced. "What's going on here? What's real and what isn't?" She shook her head. "I can't tell the difference anymore. Kit... I mean... R-r-rika... help me!"

Rika gasped. She quickly ran over to Rena and hugged her. Rena shivered when she felt the soft fur against her smooth skin.

"It's all right..." Rika whispered. "I'm here... and together, we will find a way to solve this mess. I swear it!"

"I'll help you," Kei promised.

"I'm sure Takato and Guilmon will do their best as well, as soon as they find out what happened. And with my two boys and my niece helping you, we just have to find a way to help you."

It took Kei some time to realize just what Takato's mother had said.

"What?" she murmured. "What did you call me?"

----

Ryo groaned when he entered his room. "Hi, Monodramon..." he murmured.

"Hi, Ryo!" his dragon partner said cheerfully. "Rough day at school?"

"I wish it was that easy..." Ryo sighed. "A couple of human and Digimon kids ganged up on me. They claimed I had 'beaten up' their old gang leader. I wonder why they believe I would do anything like that..."

Monodramon shrugged before returning his attention back to the computer screen he was sitting in front of. "Eh, you know, some kids just need to have a reason to cause trouble, you know?"

"I guess so," Ryo shrugged. He then looked over his partner's shoulder. "What are you playing?"

"The copy of that game Kenta and Kazu bought from the store," Monodramon explained. "You know, the same one that Takato has on his PC, only that it doesn't have it's strange reality changing properties."

"Oh... you mean 'RPG Reality'?"

Monodramon nodded. "It's a pretty cool game by itself, you know?" He opened a menu, then he frowned. "Now that's strange... where did all of these new characters come from? I certainly didn't create any new ones..."

He looked at the profile of a young, canine Digimon girl that looked somehow familiar. He blinked when he saw a tiny box next to the girl's image. Next to the box, he could read the words 'Aware of changes'.

He shrugged and moved the cursor over the box.

"Wait a minute..." Ryo murmured. "Something bugs me about this game... we should probably talk to Takato first before we..."

But it was too late. Monodramon's claw was pressing down on the mouse, and a tiny cross appeared in the box.

----

In her own home at the Wong residence, Harmony had just come back home from school. While part of her mind wondered why Rika and Renamon hadn't been at school today, she was more concerned about the MCT that was still lying hidden within her parents' bedroom. She wondered what her father would do with it...

Then she dropped her backpack, when suddenly, a flash of insight zapped through her mind, making her gasp.

She panted heavily and leaned back against her closet. "What... what happened?" She then reached up to touch her throat. "What? What's wrong with my voice?"

She then looked down at herself and gasped again. "What the... what is going on here? Why am I all furry?" She then put her paws down on her pre-teen breasts and yelped. "Why am I a GIRL??"

Suzie came running into her big sister's room. "Harmony? What's wrong? I heard you shout."

"Harmony?" the Hybrid girl muttered. "Why are you calling me Harmony? My name's Henry!"

"H-Harmony?" Suzie muttered uncertainly. "What are you saying?"

"Oh no!" Lopmon gasped as she came into the room after her Tamer. "Don't tell me that magical game Azulongmon mentioned has affected you..."

"G-game?" Harmony murmured, shaking her head. "What game? I... wait a minute... what's going on here?"

She looked around her room. Saw the poster of a popular male singer, while Henry knew that he had bought the poster of a female singer. She also saw the half-open drawer with girl's underwear, and the pink alarm clock standing next to his bed.

"I'm a girl..." she muttered. "I'm really a girl..."

'Of course I'm a girl!'

"And I'm... a Digimon?"

'A Hybrid! But I only learned about my digivolving powers ever since a few days ago.'

"But... why don't I remember anything of this?"

'I do remember!'

"What?"

Suzie looked at her sister with worry. "Um... Harmony? Are you all right?"

"Why are you talking to yourself?" Lopmon asked.

Harmony grasped her head and sat down on her bed. "Who... who is this? Who's speaking in my head?"

'This is MY head! I am Harmony and I am a girl!'

"No, no, no! I'm Henry and I'm a boy!"

'Yes, you are, but I am not!'

"But... but why? If you are a girl... then why am I...?"

'Suzie!'

"What?"

'Take a look at Suzie!'

The young Hybrid looked down at her younger sister and saw how nervous and confused she was. Lopmon was also very concerned about the well-being of her Tamer's sister.

"Are you feeling fine?" Lopmon asked. "Shall we consult your parents?"

"Yeah, or maybe a doctor?" Suzie suggested.

Harmony winced. "No... no, I'm fine, Suzie. Listen, I... I'm just a bit confused, that's all. And I'm very tired... so can we please talk later? Um, I... I'm sorry we can't go to the ice cream parlor today, but I'm just not feeling fine."

"But... we never planned to go there today," Suzie wondered. "We were there just a few days ago, remember?"

"Oh? Okay then... I think I just need to lie down and sleep... okay?"

"O-okay..." Suzie muttered. "I, um, hope you're feeling better soon."

Suzie and Lopmon left Harmony's room. Lopmon gave the canine Hybrid girl a last, worried look and wondered if she should inform her parents or not.

After the other two girls were gone, Harmony closed the door and sat down on her bed with a groan.

"All right," she then said. "Who are you, what are you doing in my head and why does everybody believe I am a girl?"

'They just believe you are me,' the voice inside her head explained. 'You... you must be Henry, right?'

"Yeah, I am!" she nodded. "And you are... Harmony?"

'Yes. I am Harmony, Suzie's big sister and Terriermon's Tamer.'

"W-wait a minute! Terriermon's MY partner. And the only older sister Suzie has is Jaarin."

'Well, back before Takato found the RPG Maker, maybe. I had a hard time grasping it myself... but when he wanted you - or rather, me - to be a new member for the hero party, you turned into me.'

"Whoa, whoa, what are you saying? What did Takato do? What hero party? What are you talking about?"

Harmony sighed mentally in her double's mind. 'I guess I have much to explain...'

----

"Dang! Dang, dang, dangit, double dang!" BioCalumon cussed.

"Bio?" a high, female voice spoke up. "Don't swear! Mommy always says that she will clean my beak with soap when I do that. Swearing is not nice!"

Bio looked down at the cute little Biyomon that was standing below him, next to his other 'charges'. Gomamon, Biyomon, Agumon, Gabumon and Tentomon, every single one of them a young Digimon child he had digivolved to their Rookie level, promising them loads of fun, playmates and toys to play with. Of course, they were all Hybrids, which was visible in their slightly bigger appearance in comparison with other members of their species. Their bodies were also more human-like than that of other Digimons. Unlike other Gomamons, this one was able to walk on two legs. Tentomon's eyes were looking like human's eyes (even though he wore thick glasses).

"Can we go now?" Agumon whined. "You said we would meet a cool guy who knows many games."

"Yeah, you said he has many sweets," Gomamon nodded.

"And an Xbox 360," Tentomon added.

Gabumon stuck out his tongue. "Nerd! Everyone knows Xbox is a piece of junk! The Wii is the best console in the world!"

"Is not," Tentomon pouted.

"Is too."

"Everyone, calm down!" BioCalumon groaned. "All right, all right, yes, I promised we could meet that guy, but please be a bit more patient. You're going to see him soon enough."

"Well, where is he?" Biyomon asked impatiently while stroking the head of the doll she was clutching. "Lili and I are getting bored."

BioCalumon grinned and looked over at the huge building that was across the street. "He is... in there!"

The big sign above the entrance read: 'Monzaemon's Digimon Asylum for Difficult Children'.

----

"Sir!" the human nurse said as the stranger in the wide cloak and the huge hat came walking past her. "Sir, you can't just go in there! Do you have an appointment?"

"What? Oh, I'm sorry! I didn't know that was necessary. I'm just here to see my nephew. I learned he has been admitted to this facility and I just came to town on business, so I wanted to see him."

"Well..." the nurse seemed uncertain. "I'll have to ask the doctor..."

"Please," the stranger smiled. "I wanted to make it a surprise. He rarely has the opportunity to see me, and the two of us have always been... very close!"

The nurse sighed. "Well, I suppose I can make an exception this one time. What is your nephew's name?"

The stranger lifted his hat a bit and grinned at her with a long fox's muzzle. "Thank you so much, miss! And his name is 'Betamon'."

Just a few minutes later, Betamon was being brought into a meeting room with a big table and a few chairs. He was being led by a Kiwimon, who was working at the asylum as a male nurse.

"There you are, brat!" he grumbled and nudged the delinquent kid with his beak. "Now be a good boy and say hello to your uncle."

"What's the meaning of this?" Betamon spat angrily. "I don't have an..."

Then his gaze fell upon the Digimon that was sitting in one of the chairs, his hat lying on the table. It was Doumon.

Doumon smiled. "Hello again, nephew." He turned to the Kiwimon. "Could I please talk to him in private for a few minutes? It has been a long time."

"Very well... but only ten minutes, okay?" the Kiwimon muttered. "I'll wait outside."

When Kiwimon had closed the door, Betamon jumped up on the table and smirked. "Well, it took you long enough to get your ass here! Now, get me out of here!"

Doumon smiled down at the amphibian Rookie. "No."

"What? What do you mean, no? We're partners, right? Buddies, brothers, fellow Demon Lords!"

"Not any longer," Doumon said, his smile turning into a deep frown. "Betamon, you are a selfish, immature, disobedient brat, and I've had it with your insolence! I always believed you to be a soul mate, but it seems like I was wrong. I should have never accepted you as the Lord of Gluttony!"

"Wh-what are you saying?" Betamon asked, angry and confused. "I thought you told me the power of Gluttony CHOSE me to be its new host. You said I was DESTINED to be Leviamon!"

Doumon held up a golden ring that was connecting seven dark crystals. "You know what this is, Betamon? No, I didn't think you would. This is the Virus Circlet, the origin of the Seven Demon Lords! Ever since the seven sins became part of the Digital World, they turned into dark souls that could possess any Digimon that would fit the criteria. But then, another dark Digimon appeared. It was so dark and so powerful that even the Demon Lords paled in comparison. The Four Sovereigns could have never stopped this mighty creature from destroying the world. But the Digital World was young anyways, and the four Digimon that would some time later become the Four Sovereigns were still young Rookies. The only one who was able to stand up against the evil monster's power was the golden God Beast Digimon himself, the creator of the Sovereigns and the protector of the center of the Digital World itself: Fanglongmon! Still, he wasn't able to find and destroy that evil creature's legacy... this circlet! These dark crystals stand for each of the seven sins, and they can easily absorb the dark data the sin virus is composed of. I found it, a long, long time ago, when I was still a young and naive explorer of the Digital World. Only after I touched the crystal of Greed did I know what my destiny was, and so I turned into Barbamon. But I still needed six additional followers... and the first one I met was you, Betamon! Your ruthless ways of dealing with trouble makers intrigued me, and your gluttony made you worthy of becoming the host of Gluttony, the new Leviamon... at least that's what I thought."

Doumon's dark eyes stared down at the little Rookie who had been used all the time. "Now I know I was wrong. You were just a tool, Betamon, a shell for what is rightfully mine, as long as I carry this circlet... and now I have come to reclaim what is rightfully mine!"

Before Betamon could react, Doumon held out the circlet and touched the amphibian with the crystal of Gluttony. Betamon yelped in pain when suddenly, a dark stream of viral energy came out of his mouth, flying right back into the crystal. Now it was glowing in an eerie, blue light.

Doumon put the circlet back into his cloak and pushed the Rookie onto his back. "I already visited DemiDevimon's mother, you know? She actually managed to win that trial at court, and now little Tako's living with her again. I told her I was one of his teachers, and it was as easy to take his own Sin Virus from him as it was with you. I don't need you brats! All I need is this!" And he clutched the inside of his pocket.

Betamon groaned in agony. He was feeling very weak, and a throbbing pain was wandering through his body. He felt empty and helpless. "No..." he groaned. "My power... my destiny... come back here, you... you... you big meanie!"

Doumon laughed. "Farewell, Betamon! Be thankful that I let you live. Just imagine: One day, when you're a grownup, you can tell everyone how you once had the - undeserved - honor of being the Lord of Gluttony! But for now, I need to find a new partner!"

He left the room, and ever since that day, Betamon could hear Doumon's evil laughter in his nightmares.