Is it Friday again already? Man, sometimes the week just seems to fly by. Anyway, enjoy!

(==========)

(==========)

Chapter 35: Resolutions

"Now that was what I call a party," Salmandmon purred as he laid on the deck of the ferry, taking in the bright morning sun. "It's never a good one unless there's too many people there and someone loses their head."

"I hope that Lynxmon was all right," Reyn said absently, staring out at the water. "That fall looked like it hurt."

"Ah, he'll be fine. Digimon are tough buggers, we can take some blows. Hey, you hung over at all?"

"Don't tell me you are."

"Mm, just a bit. Nothing serious, it should be gone before we reach the coast. Probably shouldn'ta had that third Lava Plume, not in this form. But you didn't answer my question."

"No, I'm fine. I only had one, didn't really give myself the chance to have really bad effects. Man, that stuff was good, I may have to go back there just for that."

"They can probably make them other places."

"Really? Huh. Uh, but don't tell my parents, okay? They'd have a fit if they heard about me sucking down alcohol before I was 21."

"...Why?"

"That's the legal age where we come from. You get caught with booze when you're not of age, and it's big trouble for you."

"That is so stupid," Salmandmon snickered. "If I went around here saying I couldn't have alcohol because of some arbitrary age limit they'd lock me up again. You're telling me that was your first ever?"

"Er, well, not really. I snuck one from my brother last year, just kinda out of curiosity. I don't know if he ever found out, but since neither Mom nor Dad said anything about it, I'm guessing he didn't."

"That's so silly. Having to sneak around like that for something so trivial."

Reyn laughed quietly. "Well, when you put it that way...jeez, do you digimon have any rules at all?"

"Mm, not many. At least, not on the large scale. You try enforcing them on, say, Marsmon."

"Point. But what about the not-so-large scale?"

"Places where a lot of people live, there's more of that kinda stuff, but more along the lines of 'don't cause any trouble for people.' When you live in like a city or something, you usually have to sign a contract that promises you won't cause undue damage. If you do, you get kicked out and they don't let you come back for a long time if ever. I had to keep a few of these people from coming back to some of the places I played guard for. They didn't always leave quietly, either."

"I'm definitely gonna want to stick around cities and stuff if I'm ever here just visiting. It sounds like anywhere else is way unsafe."

"Ah, you gotta live a little. Besides, it's not that bad. Most digimon who would just start a random fight aren't looking for a death match. People who are part of some organization that's causing trouble, like Emperius or that Frozen Souls cult, they're a different story...it's kind of a shame we've mostly had fights to the death so far."

"Yeah...though I guess I'm more used to the thought than I used to be. Guess it's just me becoming a little more jaded. How common are fights?"

"Depends. Varies from place to place. I'll bet your early impressions of us are just kind of wild and crazy monsters that attack each other for the hell of it, but I swear it's not really like that. We can be plenty peaceful, too. It's just that, well, we're built for that kind of stuff, so it's less of a big deal for us. I'm guessing it's not for humans."

"Maybe less true than even we admit. We're not exactly made for it like digimon, but we seem to spend a lot of time working on ways to brutally slaughter each other. If we were less easily injured like you guys, we might be even worse."

"You'd probably like the combat tournaments. No one can be permanently injured in those. That'd be a great way to see if a human could square off against a digimon."

"Great for the digimon. I don't know if it'd be so great for the human."

"Ah, like I said, no permanent injuries. And hey, a good way to get some exposure, the arena combat circuit is massively popular all over the digital world."

"I should introduce you guys to some of our sports. I think you'd get a kick out of football or hockey. They're pretty full contact."

"I think you'll have plenty of attention just with that last part."

Reyn laughed. "So much for plenty peaceful."

(==========)

I feel almost like a courier, Bolteaglemon thought as she flew the skies, sailing over some rocky land that was an introduction to the forthcoming mountains. Over her back was slung a bag holding the Thunder Catalyst; her current mission was to return it to where it belonged, the Thunder Shrine high up in the mountains north of Hagrande.

It had been a long time since she'd visited the Thunder Shrine, yet she could remember it quite well. She had been training for years to fight for the defense of others, and the trek to the Catalyst was to be the true realization of that dream. It had felt like such an honor to reach the shrine and make use of the object that would help her defend others from what she herself had once suffered under...

Now, I've been able to do so in so many ways...it's been a long journey, and I'm so glad I took it. Guess it's not over yet, though...

The Thunder Shrine would be in view in just over an hour from where she was. She pushed forth, knowing that the longer she waited, the more unlucky digimon would arrive hoping to have her same experience, only to be disappointed.

(==========)

It had been mutually decided by Reyn and Salmandmon that they would check up on Skylar before trying to find anyone else, as, of course, it was easiest to find somewhere when you already knew where they were. Thus they found themselves ascending the steps to the castle of Oroetem once again, though at a markedly reduced pace from their last visit.

"Think they'll let us in without threatening to skewer us this time?"

"Hmm...well, let's put it this way: if you were Data, I wouldn't be putting money down."

"Maybe Skylar got on their cases about being overbearing. Then again, he can be overbearing at times, too, so maybe not."

"And even if he did, they don't exactly seem to be in the running for brains of the year, so maybe it didn't even stick."

"Now that's just mean."

"Hey, sometimes ya gotta be a little mean."

As they reached the top, the guards stiffened up as if preparing to attack, then relaxed as they saw who it was. "You! You're back!"

"Uh, yeah, that would be accurate," Reyn replied, resisting the urge for sarcasm.

"The holy one is inside!" the Harpymon informed them. "You can go in to see him!"

"Yeah, thanks..." Reyn rolled his eyes after they had passed through the doors. "Sheesh. Paranoid, borderline obsessive, and a whole bunch of other things my parents talk about on occasion. You'd think they'd ease up after a while."

"Hey, at least we got in right away. Guess your face is easy to remember."

"Why do you assume it's my face?"

"How many humans have you seen here so far?"

"Touché."

After several minutes of wandering, they encountered Skylar and Breezedramon in what could only be the castle's library. The table the two were at was a complete mess of rather large and laborious books strewn haphazardly over the surface. Skylar was hunched over a particularly large one, looking rather tired and frustrated. Breezedramon was lying on the table looking at a smaller one, though his distracted expression suggested he wasn't being very attentive.

"So, what are the nerd and the goofball up to now?" Reyn cracked as they neared the table. "Jeez Skylar, you're in a brand new world and all you can think about is reading?"

"Can the comedy routine," Skylar snapped back, as annoyed audibly as he was visibly. "We're having a hell of a time trying to slog our way through these books. I swear, what I wouldn't give for an ordering system..."

"Why not force some of your 'subjects' help you?" Salmandmon suggested.

"Please, I'm not a cruel leader. I've had some volunteers, but they can't stay cooped up the whole time, so they've been in and out. At least we've gotten one order of business done; that Catalyst has been put to good use."

"Excellent news. We managed the same. Got to a Catalyst yesterday, and a battle right after that. And it worked exactly how we wanted it to!"

"Great to hear. Breezedramon and I hadn't exactly tried that part out, though we're more than ready to when the time should come."

"You got that all yesterday?" Breezedramon piped up. "Then what took you so long to get back here?"

Salmandmon glared at Breezedramon. "Oh, clam. It's not like we were on a schedule. For your information, we were celebrating a successful defense of the place where the Catalyst was. Probably more fun than hanging out here with you."

"You? Celebrating?"

"Hey, I like a good party."

"No you don't. It interferes with your ubiquitous training schedule."

"Oh, it does not. It's not like that's all I ever did, I hung out with the other guys plenty and...wait a sec, did you just say that right?"

"Huh? Whaddaya mean?"

"...Uh, nothing, forget it. Just go back to your books. Friggin' feels weird to be saying that to you..."

"Hey, I'm not illiberatint or anything! Besides, I'm leaving the heavy reading to Sky, he seems to be able to get all of it pretty quickly."

"What are you looking for, anyway?" Reyn asked, picking up a book and reading the cover. "And who on earth needs to know about 'Cloud Formations, Air Streams, and Other Flight-Hindering Phenomena?' Sheesh, I hope that publicist got fired."

"We're looking for information on the weather control system of this castle! Since it's something supposedly made by Stormdramon, we figure they've gotta have something about it here! Except sometimes it seems like they don't."

"Unfortunately, that seems to be an accurate assessment," Skylar complained wearily, "They've got dozens of books about Stormdramon, and yet virtually nothing about the weather control system. I'm flabbergasted, really. They revered the guy, yet his greatest invention gets scant mention, and when they do, they pretty much leave it at 'he made this and it's great.' We've all but abandoned the books actually about Stormdramon at this point...right now, we're banking on someone from outside having looked into it, and can explain how it works."

"I'd assume it works by some guy barging into the place where it's housed and toying with it."

"Would that it was always that easy. What I've been able to gather, from talking with the villagers, is that the people who can control it freely are those who have some control over wind or electricity. Unfortunately, there is someone how one single person in the whole village who fits the bill. I had a couple people search for reperhasincetives in the nearby region, but no dice." Skylar frowned and shook his head. "That didn't sound right. Anyway, if that doesn't pan out, we want to figure out if there's any other way to control it, so that the guys here can take care of it and let us head out on our own."

"If all else fails, maybe we could go out and look for someone," Salmandmon suggested. "But what about Shinduramon? Are you guys giving up on him?"

"Nope!" Breezedramon shouted. "We've heard word that he's coming! Not sure how far away he is, but we're prepared to face him head on at any time!"

"Well, that's half the battle. Maybe we can-" Reyn paused as they heard a loud commotion nearby. A guard rushed into the library in excitement; Reyn recognized the type as Gargoylemon. "Holy one! We've captured a criminal!"

"A criminal? I'll be the judge of that." With a long-suffering sigh, Skylar got up from the table and followed Gargoylemon out of the library, the three others following suit at a distance. As they reached the entrance hall of the castle, they could see a mob of guards all gathered in a very tight circle, surrounding and obscuring the presumed criminal.

"All right, break it up!" Skylar shouted, getting everyone's attention. "What's all this about, then?"

"My liege!" Harpymon cried out, bowing in front of Skylar. "We captured a criminal trying to impersonate the young master!"

"Trying to impersonate..." The four looked over as the guards parted, one keeping his hand down on the captive to keep him from moving. Skylar gasped. "Another Breezedramon?"

"Ow...hey, leggo..." It looked and sounded a lot like Breezedramon, with the exception of being several shades darker in color and a slightly deeper voice. "I didn't do anything..."

"Hold your tongue, brigand!" shouted Harpymon. "You dare try to impersonate the young master Breezedramon, acolyte to the holy one?"

"They're the same species..." Salmandmon mumbled, holding his head. "It's not impersonation, it's his identity! Gah, it's like everyone's auditioning for the role of village idiot here!"

"Excuse me?"

"There'll be no fighting between anyone in here!" Skylar ordered before Salmandmon could further antagonize the guards. "All of you, get off of him, he's not a criminal, right now he's a victim. And for crying out loud, get out there and watch for Shinduramon. And be ready for a battle, if things start going badly I'm gonna want back-up."

"Yes, sir!" The guards parted immediately, getting to their look-out posts and basically forgetting about the extraneous Breezedramon. Skylar just sighed heavily and led the rest back to the library.

"Thanks a bunch, buddy," the other Breezedramon said gratefully once they were alone. "I thought I was a goner there. Those guys are way too uptight!"

"Tell me about it!" Breezedramon exclaimed. "They nearly took my head off, too! Skylar can't get them to stop worrying abut stuff!"

"Shame." The other Breezedramon looked Reyn and Skylar up and down with curiosity. "So...humans, huh? Guess it was only a matter of time before they started showing up. You came at a lousy time, though."

"Well, the circatumadancers warranted a visit."

"The who-whatta?"

"Er...forget it," Skylar mumbled, turning a bit red. "Anyway, what about you? I gathered that this wasn't a very common vacation spot."

"Eh, I was just passing through, and wanted to rest my wings for a while. Then your uppity guards thought I was trying to sneak in and switch places with this other dude here. I didn't even get a chance to figure out what was going on before they snapped me up and tried to suffocate me."

He doesn't talk like Breezedramon, that's for sure, Reyn pathed to Salmandmon. The lizard suppressed a snort but not a smirk.

"Well, at least you're getting your rest now," said Breezedramon. "Where're you from, anyway? I haven't seen another one of me in...well, I can't even remember!"

"Eh, I come from a small town in Southern Tetraquaz, but I'm not going back. I hate the place. Too many people fighting...that war down there is never going to end, let me tell you. I don't know how those guys keep pumping in reinforcements, but damned if even the Kaiser can keep up with it. I'm mostly just flying around, trying to find the best place to live right now."

"Why not settle down here?" suggested Salmandmon. Everyone looked at him.

"Er...well, I'd be kinda nervous about this place, what with the guards thinking I'd try to impersonate this lot and all," the other Breezedramon said nervously, nodding his head towards Breezedramon.

"Ah, they'll get used to you. Besides, 'this lot' isn't sticking around for much longer...we've got important stuff we have to do. And I'm sure you'll be able to get into these people's favor pretty quickly."

Something seemed to click in the rest of the symbiotes; suddenly, they all understood why Salmandmon was making his sudden suggestion. "Y-yeah, that's a great idea," Skylar agreed. "I mean, this place is as good as any. Good weather...well, it can actually be made into good weather or bad weather, depends on how you feel."

The other Breezedramon stared at Skylar, uncomprehending. "I don't get it."

Skylar began to explain, but was cut off from a shout outside the library. "SIR! SIR! Shinduramon's appeared on the horizon! He's coming!"

"About time!" Skylar stood, almost instantly shaking off his previous doldrums. "Breezedramon, you ready?"

"Yeahyeah! Let's go!"

"All right! Reyn, Salmandmon, can you take that Breezedramon and head outside?"

"Wait, what? Aren't you-"

"We're just gonna take a moment to set the stage. Don't worry, this is our battle and you won't have to do anything. I just want to make sure you don't get caught up in any craziness inside here."

"Bit too late for that."

"Yeah, yeah. You gonna go or do I have to get the guards to 'escort' you?"

"Sheeze...not a cruel leader my bum..." Reyn muttered as he and Salmandmon took the other Breezedramon, who was still utterly bewildered by everything that was going on, out of the library and through the castle to the exit.

(==========)

A crowd had gathered outside, and the three of them decided to set themselves up near the front of it to get the best view of the action. "Hey, it's just like a little party out here," Salmandmon said dryly as he scanned the crowd. "Maybe together they can reach an average IQ."

"Okay, seriously, that's enough, Salmandmon."

"Bah. The truth shall not be suppressed!"

"The truth shall find itself in trouble if he gets on the wrong person's bad side."

"You snarked your brother constantly, and he could probably have pounded you before you started merging with me."

"Not unless he wanted to get in it deep with my parents. Besides, I was already on his bad side, hard to get more over there."

"Huh? He didn't seem to have that much of a problem with you."

"It's a long story. Hey, something's happening..."

The weather had turned; dark storm clouds had gathered around, the wind had kicked up ferociously, and lightning crackled in the sky. Curiously absent was any sign of rain, but it all pointed to a violent storm nonetheless.

Reyn snorted. "Way to go, Skylar...you chose quite possibly the most clichéd weather possible for a climactic battle."

"Now who's being the snark?"

"I'm not doing it within earshot of my target."

"But that's the best part!"

"You two are weird," the Breezedramon said, shaking his head.

Finally, the main attraction began when Shinduramon flew over the castle, shrieking angrily. "What the hell is this? Who dares interfere with my judgment? That castle is MINE! This weather is MINE to control!"

As if in response, a blur shot up from the castle, nearly decking Shinduramon in mid-air. The surprised chicken squawked and recoiled at the near miss! "Wha-wha-what the hell was that? Who the hell are you?"

"Bad news for you, Shinduramon!" cackled the blur, whipping in a circle around Shinduramon. Without warning it stopped dead behind him and then shot forward, walloping him in the back of the head. "You can call me...Stormdramon!"

"St-Stormdramon?" Shinduramon shook off the blow and turned to face down the almost insanely grinning dragon. "That's...that's just a stupid legend! There's no such thing as Stormdramon!"

"Well, then, you're about to get your ass whupped by a myth, then!" Stormdramon lunged forward again and decked Shinduramon with a dashing punch to the head. He flipped end over end several times in the air, completely disoriented. "Heh, man, you're making this way too easy!"

"Shut up! Positron Pulse!" A burst of lightning shot forth from the pointed protrusions on its back, zipping towards Stormdramon through the clouds, gathering charge from them to amplify themselves as they did. Stormdramon just grinned wider and shot down below the burst, allowing it to pass harmlessly overhead.

"Nice try, but no banana! Storm Ray!" Stormdramon extended a clawed hand forward and let loose a large beam of energy. Shinduramon squawked in alarm and ducked inside his protective shell, which was knocked high up in the clouds. It had fallen back through by the time Shinduramon had regained control, and slowly tried to make its way back up to Stormdramon, who just swooped around energetically. "Jeez, for a guy who's lightning element, you sure as a slowpoke!"

"Damn you, dragon! Take this!" He unleashed another Positron Pulse, which Stormdramon evaded with almost comical ease. "What the hell? This is my element, there's no way you should be outclassing me!"

"A-ha, but you're not the only one who's getting powered up! I'm getting a boost too! I intentionally implemented high !"

"...WHAT?"

From the ground, Salmandmon looked at Reyn in utter bewilderment. "Did you catch any of that?"

"Hell no! He said it at like twenty miles a minute!"

Stormdramon just cackled wildly as he let loose with a powerful whirlwind in Shinduramon's direction. "You can't hold a candle to me up here! Maybe you should scram while you've got the chance!"

"I'm never gonna let youaaaagh!" Shinduramon's response was cut off as he was buffeted by the whirlwind, tossed and turned like a ping-pong ball in a dryer. "Leeeet meeee outtaaaaaa hereeee!"

"Not until you promise to leave and never come back!"

"Waaaauuuuugggghhh! Okayokayokay! I promise!"

"Glad to hear it!" Stormdramon killed the cyclone, leaving the dazed bird barely hanging in the air. "Finally learned your lesson, huh? You don't go messing with people, otherwise a living legend may just come around to kick your ass!"

Shinduramon shook his head several times to clear out the cobwebs. He then scoped out Stormdramon, narrowed his eyes at the smug dragon, and let out a deafening screech. "I'M GONNA TURN YOU INTO SAWDUST YOU LITTLE WORM!"

Stormdramon rolled his eyes as Shinduramon charged, pronged weapon ready to fire off more electrical charges. "Don't say I never gave you the chance, bud!"

He whipped around, dodging several blasts of electricity by flying in a quickly-looping, unpredictable pattern. Even when Shinduramon got off one lucky shot, it only fazed him momentarily, after which he continued like he'd never been hit at all. After a couple minutes of this, Shinduramon's energy had been drained, and Stormdramon was still raring to go. He pulled the weapon off his back and expanded it, revealing a halberd of considerable length. "Hey, Shinduramon! What sound does a headless chicken make?"

Shinduramon's eyes widened as he saw the weapon, soon moving at him at high speed. "Oh shi-"

A loud SHOONK accompanied the full-rotation swing by Stormdramon, lopping off Shinduramon's head in one quick motion. The electric bird died instantly, head and body dissolving into data without any fanfare, carried away by the whipping winds in the sky. Stormdramon collapsed his halberd, re-holstered it, and descended down to meet the jubilant crowd beneath him.

Now that he was close enough to make out clearly, Reyn could finally get a good look at Stormdramon. Over eight and a half feet tall, with a wingspan at least as wide as that. His armor was bright green, and possibly even more streamlined than his previous form. He had sharp bladed extensions on his bracers which appeared to be able to fold back into the armor. The two jets on each wing had doubled to four, increased in size, and almost certainly increased in power as well. The glowing barrier over his eyes seemed to disappear into the helmet as he landed.

"Not bad, I guess," Salmandmon said, sounding impressed.

"Hey, he beat Shinduramon, so that's something."

The crowd stormed Stormdramon, shouting excitedly. at their hero. He let them go on for a couple minutes before making some gestures to calm them down. "Hey, thanks a bunch to all of you! I couldn't have done it without your support!"

"Liar," Salmandmon mumbled under his breath.

"Stormdramon, please lead us once again! Take your place as the king of the skies, and lead us back to prosperity!"

Stormdramon shook his head. "Sorry, I hate to gun and run, but I can't stick around."

"What? But...we need you, Stormdramon! Please don't go!"

"Hey, I've love to be able to stay and all that, but there's trouble all over the place, and I've got people countin' on me to lead 'em to victory! If I abandoned them now, they'd be pretty pissed off, to say the least! Don't worry, just think of it as me protecting you from afar!"

"But who will take your place here? Who'll be our weather master?"

"Oh, I got that covered. Yo, little Breezedramon guy!" The Breezedramon jumped, having not been paying much attention until his name was called. "I'm appointing you to be the guardian of the weather here!"

"Wh-whoa, wait a sec! Me? But, but I'm just a Rookie, and I don't know anything about all this stuff!"

"Don't worry about that, I'll give you the rundown before I head out! Besides, you did say you wanted to get away from all that junk in the south, right? Where better than to do it here?"

"Er...well...maybe it's worth a shot..."

"Fantastical! Then it's settled! You're the new king of Oroetem! Isn't he great, folks, give him a big hand!"

There was a lot of cheering and crowding around the Breezedramon as they hoisted him into the air. He chuckled a bit abashedly at all the attention. "Heh...what the hey, I guess a guy could get used to this kinda treatment..."

(==========)

It was pretty hard to miss the Thunder Shrine from up above; a bright yellow building stuck out pretty well against its drab surroundings. It seemed a thing of majesty from above, but as Bolteaglemon neared the surface, the details came into view that indicated that the shrine had seen better days. The walls showed the scars of blows as well as the wear of time, no amount of paint able to cover them completely. There were numerous cracks all over, from the walls to the pillars in front and off to the sides; one of them had crumbled completely, the rubble still strewn about the base.

It's a relic of an earlier time, and a symbol of what we've come through in our existence...but man, it either needs to be refurbished or knocked down. It really isn't going to last much longer at this rate.

She walked inside. The interior certainly appeared as worn as the exterior, but at a glance at least seemed to be in better shape overall. She glanced around; there was no one around to greet her in the main chamber. She hoped that wasn't a bad sign. "Um...hello? Is anyone here?"

She felt some relief as she heard the traipsing of footsteps crescendo from the rear of the shrine. A figure stepped out from a hallway in the back corner, a shortish humanoid creature dressed like some kind of fantasy magician. "I'm sorry, we currently don't-! Ah! Is...is that...?"

Bolteaglemon nodded. "Yeah, this is the Catalyst that was stolen from here. Sorry it took so long to get back to you...it was kind of a rough trial just to get my hands on it in the first place!"

"My goodness! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart! It pained me so to have lost this...that someone would steal it, it's a crime against all of us who may wish or need to make use of it!"

"Yeah, well, it was my pleasure to get a few blows in on the jerk who snatched it in the first place." Bolteaglemon handed the Catalyst to Wizardmon, who wasted no time in returning it to the altar in the rear of the main chamber. "I hope you haven't had to turn too many away."

"More than I would have cared to," Wizardmon sighed. "Of course, one is too many, but it was...considerably more than that. The sadness in their eyes when they learned they had come all this way, braved all those trials for nothing...each one was a stab into my heart. I've spent years overseeing this temple solely to ensure nothing happened to the Catalyst, and I failed in that duty..."

"Don't beat up on yourself. No way Valkyrimon would have let you stand up to him even if you had caught him in the act."

"Val...Valkyrimon? The leader of Hagrande? He's the one who took it?"

Bolteaglemon nodded. "Yeah. He offered it as a prize for winning an arena tournament. As if most of them could even have used it in the first place. It was hard enough to win the tournament in the first place, and then he decided to show up himself and kill me for getting it. On the bright side, I made sure that's the last time he'll ever bother you."

"You went through all that...gracious. We must thank you somehow."

"Oh, well, I didn't go through all this for a reward-"

"No, I insist. At the very least, let us show you some hospitality. You must have come a long ways, stay with us and rest for a while."

"Well, all right. It has been a long trip."

"Wonderful! Please, follow me, I have to relay this wonderful news to the other protectors of the Thunder Shrine."

Bolteaglemon followed behind as Wizardmon eagerly pranced down the back hall towards a rather large set of doors. Pushing them open, they could see a comfortable chamber that was fairly sparsely populated. Three digimon snapped to attention as they saw the entrants.

"Wizardmon? What's going on?" asked a quadrupedal reptilian digimon garbed in black armor.

"It's wonderful news, Raidramon! The Thunder Catalyst has been returned!"

"What? Are you serious?"

"Completely! Bolteaglemon here was the one who brought it back to us!"

"Gods be praised," a blue-and-yellow armored bird digimon, Thunderbirmon, exclaimed, bowing down low to Bolteaglemon. "You have our eternal gratitude. We were worried sick about losing this precious artifact."

"Oh, it was my pleasure to bring it back here," Bolteaglemon replied. "The jerk who stole it certainly didn't deserve to have his grubby hands all over it."

"So now we don't have to turn everyone away again!" exclaimed a canid shelled in bright-yellow, jagged armor. "Finally! I hated making everyone so disappointed after all the traveling they'd done! You're the best!"

"Thanks, Raidenlupimon. I'm just glad to be able to help."

"I think this calls for a celebration," Raidramon said, grinning widely.

"That's just what I was thinking," agreed Wizardmon. "Let's let the staff know. It's going to be a grand feast for all of us!"

(==========)

"Not saying it wasn't fun, but I'm glad it's over," Skylar said as he and Breezedramon followed Reyn and Salmandmon to the transfer point, the setting sun setting a nice backdrop for their parting from Oroetem. "I was starting to get worried that Emperius would make a major move before I could get out of there."

"Those guys were way nice, though! If a little bit partinatinoidal."

"And I'm glad you finally changed out of that Stormdramon form," Salmandmon groaned. "Swear, frickin' impossible to follow you..."

"Oh, come on, you're exaggerating."

"No, he's not," Reyn said. "When I get the chance, I'm gonna record his mach-speed yakety-yak and play it back for you when you're split up, then you'll see what we're talking about. You had that poor Breezedramon completely lost."

"Hey, he got it after the fourth time!"

"He got it after you split the hell up!"

"Same difference. So where exactly are we going?"

"We're gonna spend the night in Rinikua, then use that as a launching point to search for the others. I figure we're gonna need to scramble around a bit, ask some people if they've seen any of the others around. I doubt they'd forget if they did."

"We should check where the Catalysts are first!" Breezedramon offered. "They're likely to have been around those places!"

"Yeah, but us getting to those Catalysts is tough. I know there's at least two Metal Catalysts, the one Data used at the Tech Shrine and one in Mechalopolis. The former is tough to get to because it's so out of the way - it's one of the few places where you can't get very close with a Transfer Point, because it's stuck smack dab in the middle of the mountains. The latter...well, you remember how they were last time we fought a battle nearby, they don't want anything to do with us. B.C. and Derek probably went to the Twilight Peninsula, since that's where virtually every dark-oriented digimon goes if they're in North Tetraquaz, it's easy to get to and there's some weird stuff down there that people like to see. Iris and Shockavimon...well, actually, I have no idea where those Catalysts are..."

"How do you even know about the ones you do know about?" Reyn asked.

"They told me. Duh. We are kinda, you know, long-time friends and comrades?"

"Oh, yeah. I probably should've expected that."

"Well, we can talk about it in the morning," Skylar said, barely managing to stifle a yawn long enough to say it. "Man, I'm beat. Hitting that next level takes a lot out of you."

"Tell me about it. I hope the others know from experience by now, that'll make things a lot easier in the long run."

(==========)

"I feel like a stuffed turkey," Bolteaglemon sighed as Wizardmon walked with her down the hall back towards the main chamber.

"A stuffed what?"

"Ah...never mind. Do you always eat like that here?"

"Oh, no, very rarely. Only the annual commemoration feast is on that scale. Normally we eat very modestly, and provide for the travelers who come around. But tonight was a special occasion."

"I'm glad I could make it so. There aren't as many people here as I thought there would be. Last time I was here, I didn't really get to see much of the behind-the-scenes stuff, I always imagined it was a really heavily-staffed operation."

"Yes, we make do fairly well without too many people. It's not exactly a popular choice of place to work...there aren't too many people coming around, and it does feel awfully secluded. But for those of us who have dedicated ourselves to the temple, there is no work more rewarding."

"Guess not. I hope I'm not imposing by staying the night."

"Certainly not. It's the least we can do. Besides, we have accommodations in place for many. After all, the trek is not an easy one."

They were back in the main chamber, and stopped for a moment in front of the Catalyst, taking in its soft yellow glow. "I almost began to take this sight for granted..." Wizardmon murmured, almost reverentially. "It's so good to see it here again..."

"I can hardly imagine what it must have been like," Bolteaglemon said softly. "It can't have been pleasant, knowing it was out there somewhere and you couldn't do anything about it."

"Certainly, certainly. And on top of that, the fear that even if it did get recovered, it might never see the inside of these walls again..."

"Hm? Why not?"

"Maybe they would decide not to bring it back to a place that wasn't secure. We were unable to defend it in the moment of truth...others may be enticed to try their luck."

"That's awful. What happened to acting with honor and decency?"

"I'm not sure. At least there are some who still do."

"Well, I try. I mean, the only ones I'm here to make enemies of are Emperius. Now you want to talk about a lack of honor...they're practically the textbook case."

"Ah...I have heard about their activities. Thankfully they have kept their dreadful presence away from us. It's such a shame...so many people in this world behaving like such fools, treating others so terribly, all in the name of seeking power. I suppose after that tournament they'll be clamoring for you."

"Not by a long shot. I'm kind of enemy number one on their list. They wouldn't be caught dead trying to butter me up."

A voice from behind them cut in without warning. "Someone hating a cutie bird like you? Now that's a crime!"

Bolteaglemon's eyes shot wide open as she heard that all-too-familiar voice. In a single move she twisted around and backhanded the Coredramon so hard he staggered through two full spins. Amazingly, that goofy grin was still stuck on his face even after that. "Yowza...now that's what I call a wake-up call!"

Sparks were flying off of Bolteaglemon as she clenched her fists. "You...you...I can't believe you followed me here! You realize that I could kill you when we're not in the ring?"

A snicker from the dragon. "Hey, what would life be without an element of danger?"

"Oh, dear...please, don't fight in the shrine!" Wizardmon cried desperately. "If you must, please go outside! We don't want to risk any damage...one shrine's already been closed because of that!"

"No worries, I'm not here for a battle. I just wanted to talk to the cutie bird for a minute. Heh, she's a spirited one, isn't she? No wonder you won that tournament, I've seen vets who didn't have half the spunk."

"I swear, if you've been spreading rumors about me-"

"No need, cutie, you're already the talk of Hagrande. Nothing involving me, unhappily, though I certainly wouldn't mind if you and I could start one of our own..."

Bolteaglemon snarled and launched a Spark Wave at the dragon. He stood there and took it, letting out only a small satisfied growl afterwards. "Rrr...do that again."

"Gah! Shut up!"

"Nah, that's no fun. But I wasn't lying, I did have a couple things to tell you, if you'd like to have a little private chat."

"Rngh...fine...quickly, and no funny business!"

Coredramon winked at her, only inflaming her ire. "Not unless you say so, cutie bird. Hey, magic dude, is there someplace quiet we can talk for a moment?"

Wizardmon still seemed somewhat frazzled, but nodded and pointed to a door at the side of the main chamber. "There's a small meeting room we use over there. Whatever you do, please don't cause any damage."

"Hey, no worries, I'm only reckless in the ring." Coreramon snickered and walked to the meeting room, Bolteaglemon following grudgingly behind. Once they were inside, the dragon turned and beamed at the avian, who just glowered in response. "So, how's life in the spotlight treatin' ya?"

"I'm not here for small talk, bozo."

"Oh, no problem. Nothing about what I do is small." Before Bolteaglemon could give an incensed response to that remark, he reached over his shoulder and produced a neatly wrapped scroll of paper apparently out of thin air. "Letter from Reps and his gal pal. Just a little thank you for helping them out."

Bolteaglemon blinked as she was handed the paper. "...Where did you get that from?"

Coredramon snickered. "Oh, just my little bag of tricks."

"I swear, if that refers to anything other than a carrying case..."

"Ooh, that's a good one. Might have to work that into my repertoire. But not this time." Coredramon appeared to shrug something over his shoulder, despite there being nothing apparently there. But as soon as it was off of him, it appeared as if out of nowhere, a decent-sized bag with numerous pockets.

Bolteaglemon couldn't help but be impressed. "A stealth satchel. Those aren't cheap."

"Hey, I ain't just in the arena combat circuit solely for the sexy gals and guys, not that that's not a great perk. There's pretty good money to be made, too. Especially for a guy who likes the attention."

Great, he's probably an ad whore, too. Some things aren't so different between the worlds. "Good for you, I guess. I feel sorry for the people who have to put up with you, though."

Coredramon snickered once again. "Hey, is it really true? You're a human and a digimon combined together?"

Bolteaglemon wanted nothing more than to not tell him a single thing, but she supposed he got the story from Blackreptimon already. "Yes, it's true. What of it?"

"Heh, I thought there was somethin' about you. Gotta say, that's a good mix. There a lot of you around the other world?"

"No, and don't even think about it."

"Heh, so I guess that means you're not gonna show me what you look like as a human. Maybe I'll just have to make a trip over there myself someday and find out."

"I'll make sure they welcome you with guns blazing."

"Ooh, a challenge. You already know how to get me turned on. But just a little note for ya, you may want to keep that on the down low, if you know what I mean."

"What? Why?"

"Well..." Coredramon hung onto a pause for just long enough to irritate Bolteaglemon and just short enough to keep her from smacking him. "For what it's worth, all I have is rumor. But...this area of Northern Tetraquaz, they ain't so keen on the ideas of humans marching around. Never met one, never want to meet one. Some of them may just attack on sight. So, yeah, really not keen."

"Hrm..." Bolteaglemon felt something trigger in that part of her memory from the one who would know. I'd heard about that...didn't even remember. That's right, they really weren't happy with the thought of humans. I think Hagrande was really the only inhabited spot in the area that didn't care one way or another, and I doubt they'd want to get their hands dirty protecting us, either.

"So, long story short, you may be better off just presenting yourself as the cutie bird you are now...though I can't say that's exactly a minus."

Bolteaglemon sighed tensely. "I suppose that's worthwhile information...I don't think I'll stick around here much longer anyway, I've got people I'm looking for."

"Why look for them when they could come find you? Word of the tournament's already spreading...who knows, maybe whoever's looking for you might learn about them and come look for you. Might wanna consider it."

That was a good point, Bolteaglemon realized; if they were searching for her, they'd probably go to Hagrande right away, or at least nearby. That would make it easier for her to find them, if not the other way around. "Hmph, I guess you're good for something after all."

"Glad to hear it. Now do I get a thank you kiss?"

And then he was back in her not-so-good graces. "How about a thank you thunder punch to the gut?"

He smirked. "Hey, I take what I can get from you, cutie bird."

That was enough to make her actually follow through, and she delivered a strong gut-punch with her strongest charge. Again, the dragon only made a pleased growling sound. "Ooh, yeah, that feels nice..."

"What are you, some kind of masochist?"

"Hey, you don't get far in the arena combat circuit without learning to love a little pain." He gave a quick little wave as he turned around. "Later, cutie bird. Any time ya feel the itch, feel free to come find me. I like to spread the joy, if you know what I mean."

The dragon sauntered out, leaving Bolteaglemon to collect herself. If you like spreading joy so much, then why is it you're only constantly causing agony? Ay... She shook her head. He was gone, and she didn't want to dwell on him any more than necessary. She exited the room a minute later, returning to the main hall, where Wizardmon was staring out the door, presumably where Coredramon had just exited.

"Sorry about that, Wizardmon. He...kinda knows how to push my buttons."

"It's fine. You just had me a little worried, is all. It's not the first time we've had tensions flare in this place, but it always makes me nervous."

"I can see why. You said another one of these temples had been destroyed?"

"Destroyed is a strong word, but not too long ago a Fire Catalyst temple was damaged to the point of being shut down. These temples, they're relics of an earlier age, but many of them haven't been kept up very well. They're seen as obsolete, insufficient...incidents like the theft of our Catalyst are only going to convince people that new places to house the Catalysts are needed. They'll likely be more secure and more accessible, but I doubt they'll have the mystique and grandeur of these ancient walls."

"There is something to be said for appealing architecture. Maybe they can build it in kind of the style of the period, or something like that."

"Perhaps. At any rate, until that time comes, I'll continue to do my duty here. And maybe the new building will still need stewards, when that time comes...I just wonder if I'll still have the same passion then."

"I hope so. Someone still needs to greet those travelers when they come in for the first time." Bolteaglemon stifled a yawn with a concerted effort. "I'm kinda beat...I think I'm ready to turn in."

"Oh, yes, that's right. Let me show you our rooms. I'm sorry we got so sidetracked."

"Ah, it's fine. I think I got something out of it anyway." Her eyes lingered a moment on the Catalyst before following Wizardmon down the opposite hallway. Appreciation for what we have...maybe I ought to think about that a little more myself.

(==========)

(==========)

Yes, I mentioned underage drinking. No, I don't condone it. No, I am not going to pretend it doesn't exist. If you tell me you didn't know one person who would have done it if they thought they could get away with it, I'm going to call you a dirty liar. I concede to reality on this one.

All right, on to non-trivial matters. That's all five with the new forms. Not I can get on to the next stage of this work! What's in store for the next few chapters? You'll just have to read them to find out.

I did break down and shift between focal points in this chapter, unlike the other next-level chapters. I hadn't originally intended to, since my idea was to have kind of a fixation on the advancing pair, but I just could not think of a way to expand the Reyn/Skylar line to my liking, and it actually worked out well for timeline consistency to shift to Bolteaglemon at this point. Ah, well, such is life.