Chapter 24—Digimon for a day—

As my Digimon dozed off, I turned to Sakuyamon and Gryphonmon and said: "And I know you've both had enough rest and relaxation for now… why don't we go into the house and talk?" and Gryphonmon grinned and said: "Great idea! That'll beat trying to sleep when I'm energetic by a mile!" "Yes, that sounds good to me too!" Sakuyamon said.

We then went into the house and I stood by a window (so I could monitor if the others had woken up yet) while Sakuyamon and Gryphonmon got across from me. We had a nice little chat—one perk about having Digimon stay behind and not get tired out was that I'd always have someone to talk to whenever I was waiting for the others to wake up now. This went on until I happened to check out the window and saw my Digimon stirring! I then said: "Whoops, looks like the others have woken up! Let's go see how they're doing. I enjoyed talking to you both though, Sakuyamon, Gryphonmon." "Hey, same here, Mark! I hope we get to do this again!" Gryphonmon said. "I feel the same. I had fun getting to chat with you, Mark." Sakuyamon said.

We all smiled before we headed out. By now, everyone was out of their hammocks and I said: "Good morning, everyone! I hope you had a good rest." RiseGreymon stretched out before he said: "You know it!" and we all laughed before Crescemon said: "So who's going to be going out today, Mark?" "Well let's not get ahead of ourselves, hmm? I know you all were so interested in the local cuisine around the harbor and I also remember promising you a taste of the food there…" I said and then they looked confused before I chuckled and said: "Don't worry—you'll see what I mean!" and I went into the house and created a big table outside and then created plates of the same fruits and seafood that had been sold in the harbor, from fresh pineapple and mangoes to clam chowder and barbecued swordfish. I stepped out of the house before I said: "And there it is! Dig in everyone!" and Hudiemon giggled before she said: "Just like you did for us in Mango Gardens! You really are the best, Mark!"

And my Digimon enjoyed having a little feast before they were done and I deleted the food and table as a simple form of cleanup. RiseGreymon laughed before he said: "Mmm-mm! That barbecued swordfish was just as good as I thought it'd be!" "Yeah and those fish sticks were really tasty too!" Gryphonmon said. "So were those delicious pineapple slices… mmm. And I don't think we even had those when we went to the Digihome after we arrived in Mango Gardens, did we?" Sakuyamon asked. "I think that's right…" Hudiemon said. Mastemon chuckled before she said: "I knew you were the type to do nice things like this for your Digimon, Mark… you really are something special." I smiled back and said: "Aw thanks, Mastemon!" and we all laughed before I went on: "Well now that everyone's had a taste of the harbor, we'd best get back out there to restock our supplies."

"Great! So who's staying behind this time?" BanchoLeomon asked. "Mastemon and RiseGreymon—would you mind?" I asked. "Not at all! I'm looking forward to a nice break!" RiseGreymon said. "I'll be happy to, if that's what you want. See you soon, Mark." Mastemon said. I smiled back and said: "Thank you, both of you. I appreciate you being such good sports!" and then I turned to my remaining Digimon before I said: "Alright everyone, let's go!" and they all cheered as we left the Digihome. When we were back out in the harbor, I went to the local shops and restocked my healing items. When I was all done, I stepped out into the streets again and then I noticed something surprising: Irene was here!

I then approached her and said: "Irene!" and she turned to me and when she saw me, she grinned and said: "Ah, Mark." and we approached each other before I said: "It's good to see you. Have you been holding up okay?" "Yes, I've still been making progress in Digimon View, as you can see." Irene replied. Then she went on: "How about you?" "I'm doing great! I've only got one badge to go and I even have 2 new Digimon!" I said. Irene looked a little surprised before she said: "You… you have 2 new Digimon? That's certainly interesting. I never thought you would grow your team." and I laughed before I said: "In retrospect, I don't blame you. But things change over time, and I'm one of them. And I'm really happy I added them to the team too."

Irene then smiled and said: "How nice… you really are doing well here…" and then she paused before she looked lost in thought and said: "Hmm…" and I said: "Irene? Are you alright?" before she said: "Ah, sorry. I've just had something on my mind lately." "What is it? Is it something I can help with?" I asked. Irene paused before she said: "…Sure. I think you're just the right person for the job."

I suddenly felt confused as Irene went on: "Even so though, I'd rather talk to you about it in your Digihome… would you mind taking me there?" "No, not at all." I said back. "Excellent. Then go on, Mark!" Irene said. I then huddled next to Irene (as did my Digimon) before we were teleported off!

When we arrived, Irene looked around before she said: "So this is your Digihome… it's nice. You gave it a real island resort feel." I chuckled and said: "Yup! That's the way we do things here!" Irene continued to look around and then she spotted Mastemon and RiseGreymon before she said: "What are those Digimon doing on this island? Shouldn't they be on another one?" and then Mastemon and RiseGreymon turned to us before Mastemon chuckled and said: "Well that was certainly fast… and what's this? You've brought a friend?" and RiseGreymon said: "Hey Mark! And Irene too!" Mastemon then turned to RiseGreymon and said: "You know her?" RiseGreymon turned to Mastemon before he said: "Yup! Mark's explored with her before! She's kind of reserved, but she's alright."

They then approached us before I said: "Hello again, RiseGreymon and Mastemon! Yup, we've got a guest today!" and then Irene turned to me and said: "So you keep all of your Digimon on this island instead of sending them to separate islands?" I then laughed and said: "Irene—just look at how many I've got!" and then my Digimon laughed before she said: "…Touché." and then I went on: "Well, it sounds like this is something important, so how about we all go talk about it in the house? I'll show you to it." and then I led Irene to the house (and my Digimon followed) before we were all in there and I said: "So what is it?"

"…I've seen so much in Digimon View that seems strange lately… it's enough to make me think that something's a little off. I mean, think about it—the disappearing Digimon that we encountered in the summer area, the rumors of transforming landscapes we encountered in the jungle area and the invisible piece of equipment we found in the same area—there's so much paranormal phenomena here… don't you think so?" Irene asked. "I don't think there's that much… but it's true that some strange activity has gone on here lately…" I said. Irene nodded and said: "So you know how I feel then! After having seen so many strange things here, I can't help but feel that there is a connection… and that was why I had something I wanted to ask you." "Something you want to ask me? Like what?" I asked.

"Would you be willing to help me gather some information about these incidents?" Irene asked. "Okay sure. I'd like to get to know what's going on too!" I said. Irene then smiled before she said: "I'm glad you're so dependable, Mark. But what I'm asking you to do is not without risks…" and then I was suddenly uncomfortable as she went on: "I want to get that information… by accessing confidential data in the servers that belong to the site."

I was shocked when I heard this… "WHAT? So what are you talking about? Hacking?" I asked. "No. That wouldn't be necessary. I have a different way to access it… but I can't do it safely on my own." Irene replied. "Irene…" I said before I went on: "Just tell me these 3 things: who are you, why do you want the data and what do you intend to do with it once you've taken it?"

Irene appeared to be hesitating for a moment before she said: "Well you're a good kid and you've been loyal, so I guess I can tell you… I'm an international police agent. I'm investigating Digimon View because my superiors know that the site developers are a team of hackers and suspect they're using Digimon View to accomplish something unscrupulous… and once I've taken it, I want to turn it over to my superiors for review."

Now I was even more shocked… I closed my eyes and sighed before I felt drained… I never expected that letting Irene into my Digihome was going to result in all this… then I heard Irene say: "You look overwhelmed…" before I opened my eyes and angrily said: "Of course I'm overwhelmed! You're asking me to do something that could get my account and Digimon deleted and I have no idea whether or not I can trust what you're saying! I mean, you could just as easily be some competitor of theirs who could be using me to commit espionage! And for you to completely spring this on me out of the blue…!" Irene then looked disheartened as she said: "I'm sorry. I can understand why you're so upset… but I haven't met many users on this site that I can trust."

And then I sighed before I said: "…But it is true that all of these strange phenomena are occurring… and really, the Digimon are advanced programs unto themselves. It seems unlikely that they could be built by ordinary programmers so…" and then I finally said: "Okay, I'll believe you. But what do you want me to do?" and Irene smiled before she said: "Thank you, Mark. I knew I made the right choice in trusting you." and then she went on: "I'm going to be using a disguise to sneak in… all I want you to do today is to help me test it." "Test it? How?" I asked. "Perhaps the easiest way for me to explain is just to show it to you… I'll go around outside, by the side and be right back." Irene said.

She then stepped out and my Digimon and I exchanged glances. I looked down before I looked back up again and then BanchoLeomon said: "Well I guess that's it… now we're assistants to the international police too… I hope." and I said: "I know how you feel… but I think we can trust her." and then Parasimon said: "So she's using a disguise? What do you think it'll be?" "It would make sense if it was a higher up staff member of the developers… but I guess we'll see soon enough." I said back.

And it was only a second later that we saw… a Renamon coming to the door! "WHAT?!" We all said and then Hudiemon said: "Irene… looks like a Digimon?! What is this?!" and then the Renamon said: "That's right. I said I'd be using a disguise, and this is it." and then Irene went on: "And since it's a disguise, I may look like a Digimon, but I don't have the powers of a Digimon… so I couldn't use a diamond storm to attack, for example." and she continued: "That being said, I am basically defenseless, so I can't just go out into the wild where Digimon live on my own. Plus, I don't know what would happen if a user's digivice would scan me…" and Sakuyamon said: "So humans have developed technology to let them impersonate a Digimon? I didn't know they could do something so advanced…" and then Irene said: "Well it's not technology that just anybody has, but it has been discovered by humans, nonetheless."

"But still, there's something I want to know…" Mastemon said and Irene said: "Yes?" and Mastemon went on: "You said your disguise would help you access confidential data… so how does this help you?" "The site developers have a program going right now where they will allow Digimon that don't have a tamer into a restricted area. That's how I'm going to get in." Irene said.

"But if the Digimon can't have a tamer, what good am I in all this?" I asked. "I'm not going to access the data today; all I want to do is test it to see if it can hold up for a prolonged period of time. So I want you to take me with you somewhere while you explore. That's all I'm asking." Irene replied. I nodded and said: "Okay, that sounds doable." Irene nodded before she said: "Good! I knew I could count on you. Now don't forget, you need to act like my tamer when we're out there. And don't use my real name, either. Call me 'Renamon'." "Geez, you're taking this seriously… you think anyone's going to know?" Gryphonmon asked. Irene then shook her head as she said: "We don't know who's going to be watching us. It's for the best that I should take every precaution I can. It's better to be careful now than to lose my opportunity later." "I… guess that's a point." Hudiemon said.

"Well it looks like that'll do it… so are you all ready to go… Renamon?" I asked. "You bet. Let's be off, Mark!" Irene said. I nodded and said: "That's the spirit!" and then I went on: "Although now it looks like we're going to need 3 Digimon to stay behind if Renamon is going to accompany us." "Oh right…" Crescemon said before Hudiemon turned to me and said: "So who's it going to be, Mark?" I thought it over for a minute before I said: "BanchoLeomon… would you be willing to stay behind?" "Absolutely. Good luck out there, Mark!" BanchoLeomon said. I grinned and said: "Great. Thank you." and then I turned to my Digimon (and Irene) and said: "Alright everyone—let's get going!" and my Digimon cheered (while Irene looked around, confused at their reaction) and then we left the Digihome.

When we were back out in Briny Bay, I started to go forward a bit before I stopped and thought for a moment—even though I only needed to go somewhere, I didn't know where that somewhere should be… I then took out my digivice before I looked at it… because there were so many islands in this area (and they were all accessible by ship) I could technically sail off to the arena leader's island right now if I wanted to… but now obviously wasn't the time for that. I looked at some nearby islands that would be ideal for training and eventually stumbled across one; it was called 'Coral Isle' and it was an island known for exporting coral, pearls and things to make jewelry. It said it had a large beach containing Digimon, so it would be a good training ground!

I then put my digivice away as Irene asked: "So where are we going, Mark?" "There's an island called 'Coral Isle' that has a beach that would be good for exploring—we'll need to set sail on a ship to access it, though. So let's check it out!" I replied. My Digimon nodded before we headed back to the harbor and took the ship to Coral Isle. Irene acted like she was really excited to be sailing on a ship as we went before we eventually arrived in Coral Isle and stepped out on the dock. It didn't take long before we were out in a marketplace where I could access my Digihome. I then looked at my digivice again before I pulled up the map function and we all went together to the beach…

When we arrived, we saw palm trees and sand scattered throughout with many pools of water. It looked like it stretched far ahead with many branching paths… I then heard Crescemon say: "My goodness, this place is a labyrinth! What a complicated layout…" and then I said: "Yeah… it's a good thing we have my digivice's map function to keep us from getting lost." while Irene ran forward and said: "Wow, it's so pretty! What a beautiful beach! It'll be so fun to explore!" and then I smiled before I said: "I like your attitude, Renamon! That's exactly right!" and then I turned to my Digimon and said: "Alright, now let's get going!" and they nodded before we started down a path.

We went on the meandering path through the beach for a while. I was keeping my eyes peeled for wild Digimon (and so was Irene, it seemed…), but there weren't any around, so we started to relax a bit. Soon Hudiemon stretched out and said: "Mmm… another beautiful day on the beach! I've got to say, going to and from it is something I'm starting to like!" and then Irene said: "Yeah, I can see why! It's so warm and comfortable here!" and Hudiemon giggled—but Irene didn't join in—and instead Irene turned to me and said: "There are so many beautiful beaches here! Is all of Ikaruga Server like this, Mark?" I laughed as I said: "No, not all of it, Renamon—we went through areas that were different from this one. We went through one that was like an autumn forest, a summery mountain range and even a jungle before we got here." Irene smiled and said: "Wow! Everything sounds so beautiful! I hope I can see it someday…" and I smiled and said: "Of course! Once we get the last badge, I'll go back and show you!" and Irene smiled…

But then some Digimon jumped out at us! One was a Digimon like a werewolf that walked on 2 legs… it was wearing blue jeans that had a skull-and-crossbones image over its right thigh, brown kneepads and a brown belt. It had a brown shoulder pad on its right shoulder with a brown belt slung diagonally across its torso, connecting it to the belt on its jeans. It had a blue sleeve on its right arm with brown wraps around its hand and gold-colored brass knuckles while its left arm had metal rings on the bottom of its bicep and the bottom of its forearm (it also had brown wraps around its left hand). It had bandages on its feet and a long, bushy white tail. It looked 5'11 tall.

The next was a Digimon like a gray, furry, walrus-like giant that walked on 2 legs that wore a tan cape that was bound around its shoulders and connected around its chest. It had a black belt with a red cloth draping over its waist, black gloves and what appeared to be belt buckles around its arms. It also wore a Viking-style hat with 2 horns and had shield shoulder pauldrons—it also had a gold ring over its chest that was held in place by 4 black bands that were connected around its torso in an x-shape. It was armed with a giant flail that had mace balls at the ends and looked 9'4 tall.

And the last Digimon was humanoid and walked on 2 legs. It had orange skin and yellow armor over its massive arms (that ended with 3 long, sharp claws) which also had 2 outspread shield-halves on its back, a yellow-and-gray tasset, gray shin guards with stripes up the center and gray armor over its torso and face (the face armor also had a tusk over the nose and 2 horns on the side of its head and the torso armor had 3 red, x-shaped wires on them). It had red hair on the back of its head too and huge feet with long toenails. It looked 7 feet tall.

I then felt my digivice vibrate and I checked it. It said: "Left to right: WereGarurumon scan data: 10%. Vikemon scan data: 5%. WarGreymon scan data: 5%". It did say that WereGarurumon was a darkness elemental Digimon, Vikemon was a water elemental Digimon and that WarGreymon was a fire Digimon too. It also said that WereGarurumon was an ultimate Digimon and that Vikemon and WarGreymon were mega Digimon, so this group had some strong Digimon…

I then turned to Crescemon and said: "Crescemon, you're up! Go get 'em!" and Crescemon said: "Yes, of course!" and she ran in. WereGarurumon then said: "Turncoat shadow!" and then I saw Crescemon's shadow on the ground start to rise up behind her! It then hit Crescemon with the shadow of her dual-edged scythe before she recoiled before it fell back on the ground behind her. "Crescemon, get WarGreymon! Use whirlpool!" I said and Crescemon said: "Whirlpool!" and she created a swirling whirlpool underneath WarGreymon! It sucked him in and soon spat him back out as he rose and said: "Napalm dunk!" and WarGreymon ran at Crescemon before he swiped at her in an upward motion with one of his claws (like an uppercut), knocking her into the air! Then a red substance appeared in his other claw as he leapt up into the air after Crescemon… and he swung his claw around, causing the substance to multiply around him rapidly! He then grabbed Crescemon and slammed her onto the ground before he ran off and it rained napalm on poor Crescemon… Vikemon followed up and swung his mace at Crescemon.

Crescemon got up as I said: "Crescemon, keep going! Use whirlpool on WarGreymon!" and Crescemon said: "Whirlpool!" and she caused another whirlpool to appear at his feet before it sucked WarGreymon in and spat him out again. Vikemon then hit Crescemon with his mace before WarGreymon said: "Napalm dunk!" and once again knocked Crescemon into the air before he leapt after her, dunked her down and let napalm rain on her. WereGarurumon followed up and said: "Wolf claw!" and he leapt at Crescemon before he scratched her with the claws on his knuckles.

Crescemon rose, but she was already looking hurt as I said: "Alright Crescemon, get WarGreymon! Use whirlpool!" and she did so… but he still got up! Although he looked ready to drop now… WarGreymon then said: "Terra force!" and he leapt into the air and conjured a red-orange colored sphere between his hands which grew to enormous proportions and then he threw it at Crescemon… and she took it really hard and collapsed! But WarGreymon looked exhausted after the attack…

"C-Crescemon?!" I said before she said: "Ahhh… I am sorry, Mark. I know that you and everyone else can do it, though." I then grinned and said: "You did great. Now leave the rest to us!" and then I called Crescemon back as I said: "Sakuyamon, it's your turn!" and then she said: "Leave it to me!" as she ran in. I then said: "Sakuyamon, use almighty sun!" and Sakuyamon said: "Almighty sun!" as she sent a yellow line up into the air… before it suddenly turned into a giant, yellow-orange sun! It then came down as WereGarurumon, Vikemon and WarGreymon looked overwhelmed by heat and shielded their eyes as the sun stayed there for a few seconds, then caused a giant flash before it was gone… and WarGreymon was down from the attack! WereGarurumon took it really hard too! WereGarurumon then said: "Spine breaker!" and he ran around Sakuyamon and tried to grab her… but she simply leapt out of the way. Vikemon followed up and said: "Icebreaker!" and then he blasted Sakuyamon with a torrent of water before he caused a chilly, icy wind to blow at her, freezing her solid! Then he ran at Sakuyamon and body slammed the ice, shattering it and knocking her down!

When Sakuyamon rose, I said: "Keep going, Sakuyamon! Use almighty sun!" and she said: "Almighty sun!" and once again sent a yellow line into the air that turned into another sun, which came down and shined down hard on WereGarurumon and Vikemon before it flashed and disappeared. Vikemon then said: "Arctic blizzard!" and he breathed icy cold breath at Sakuyamon, but she leapt out of the way just in time! WereGarurumon followed up and said: "Spine breaker!" and he ran around Sakuyamon and tried to grab her, but this time he was successful… he then threw her down and hit her really hard in the back before he ran off… Sakuyamon rose slowly, using her staff to steady herself, but she looked like she was in pain… she must be suffering from paralysis. Luckily, we had a trick for this…

Vikemon then said: "Icebreaker!" and he once again hit Sakuyamon with a torrent of water before he froze her and body slammed the ice. I then said: "Sakuyamon, get them! Use amethyst mandala!" and Sakuyamon then said: "…Amethyst mandala!" and she swung her staff around before a magic circle formed on the ground beneath her and flower petals went flying into the air as a dome of energy formed around her and shot outward! Not only did Vikemon get hit and WereGarurumon fell and couldn't get up, but Sakuyamon stood up straight again, completely cured of paralysis!

I then went on: "Great job, Sakuyamon! Now come on back!" and she ran back as I said: "Hudiemon, it's time to finish this!" and she flew in as she said: "I'm on it!" Vikemon then said: "Arctic blizzard!" and he breathed icy breath at Hudiemon, which froze her inside a miniature iceberg of ice! Vikemon then took his flail and swung it at the ice, shattering it and knocking Hudiemon down!

I then said: "Hudiemon, get him back! Use force of nature!" and she said: "Force of nature!" and a giant pillar of green light suddenly emerged where Vikemon was and it flashed as it expanded outward and exploded! Vikemon then used another icebreaker (and it worked pretty well) before I said: "Finish him off, Hudiemon! Force of nature!" and she said: "Force of nature!" as she attacked Vikemon with another giant green pillar of light that exploded… and that was all he could take! Vikemon was down! Then he, WereGarurumon and WarGreymon all got up and ran away!

I then called Crescemon back out before I said: "Great job, ladies! Now let me get you back in top condition!" and I used an HP total recharge on Crescemon and Hudiemon and an HP super recharge on Sakuyamon. They all smiled back before Irene said: "Wow… that was awesome, Crescemon, Sakuyamon, Hudiemon! I hope I can get strong like you someday!" Hudiemon giggled before she said: "You will. You'll just have to wait until you grow up all the way first!" and Parasimon joined in and said: "That's right! I know you'll be an amazing Digimon someday, Renamon!" Irene looked like she was trying to hide veiled annoyance now (while Gryphonmon looked like he was having a hard time not laughing) and I said: "Well now that everybody's in good shape again, shall we continue? There's still more of the beach to be seen!" and everyone cheered before we pressed on.

We then continued exploring more of the beach. Everyone seemed quiet for a while, so I turned around and saw that Irene was talking to everyone as we went along. I turned around and chuckled when I saw it… she must be trying to blend in with the crowd. And yet it didn't feel like too much longer before 2 more Digimon leapt out at us!

One was a very impressive yellow lion! It walked on 4 legs and had a yellow body with red stripes all over and black paws (it also had a very long tail that had red fur at the end and red stripes on it too). It had a cool-looking yellow mane with red ends and 2 massive, dark gray tusks protruding out of its mouth. It had 2 orange strands with red ends and stripes on them coming diagonally out of each side of its mane and looked 6 feet tall.

And the other was humanoid, but odd-looking… it wore a tan full-body shirt that went from its shoulders to the bottom of its legs and had red armlets around its wrists. It walked on 2 legs, had 2 arms and held a white staff with a yellow paw on the top. It also had an amazingly long white beard that went down to its feet. The rest of its face was covered by white hair, so I couldn't even see its eyes… it looked 3 feet tall.

I then felt my digivice vibrate and I checked it. It said: "Left to right: SaberLeomon scan data: 5%, Jijimon scan data: 5%". It also said that SaberLeomon was an earth Digimon, while Jijimon was a holy Digimon, so SaberLeomon could protect Jijimon from machine Digimon… SaberLeomon and Jijimon were both mega Digimon as well, so they were going to be formidable opponents.

I then turned to my Digimon before I said: "Gryphonmon, you're up! Go get 'em!" and Gryphonmon ran in as he said: "Now that's what I want to hear! I'm glad to be back on the battlefield again!" and then Jijimon said: "Hung on death!" and he ran up to Gryphonmon before he took his staff and clubbed him with it 3 times. Jijimon then ran back before I said: "Gryphonmon, get SaberLeomon! Use supersonic voice!" and Gryphonmon said: "Supersonic voice!" and he started to screech as a powerful soundwave came out of his mouth and blasted SaberLeomon, hard! SaberLeomon took it hard as he rose and said: "Howling crusher!" and he leapt at Gryphonmon and swiped at him with each of his front paws.

SaberLeomon ran back before I said: "Gryphonmon, blast SaberLeomon! Use lightning strikes twice!" and Gryphonmon said: "Lightning strikes twice!" and the sky turned purple and filled with dark, stormy clouds before SaberLeomon got zapped by a lightning bolt! Then a second one zapped him again! The area returned to normal as SaberLeomon recovered (he looked badly hurt, though) and SaberLeomon growled before he said: "Mudslide!" and a massive torrent of mud, bark, dirt, rocks and debris appeared and came flying at Gryphonmon! It slammed right into him and he got up before Jijimon said: "Falling star!" and then he sent a black line into the air… and then the entire area above us turned into a starry sky! Jijimon then leapt up and eventually went so high, he was no longer visible… and soon we saw a white streak through the sky coming down! It descended very fast until soon it was getting close and we saw it—it was a smaller falling meteor, and Jijimon was riding it! He steered it towards Gryphonmon and then dismounted it before it crashed into him!

The area then returned to normal, although now Gryphonmon was looking hurt and I knew I was going to need to get rid of SaberLeomon this turn if I wanted Gryphonmon to still be standing… but before I could say anything, SaberLeomon said: "Attack boost!" and then he boosted Jijimon's damage output with physical attacks… I guess he knew where I was going with this and wanted to strengthen Jijimon before he went down. Then I quickly followed up and said: "Gryphonmon, finish off SaberLeomon! Use lightning strikes twice!" and Gryphonmon said: "Lightning strikes twice!" and the sky once again turned stormy before SaberLeomon was zapped and zapped again by lightning bolts! And then he collapsed! Jijimon frowned before he said: "Hung on death!" and he once again clubbed Gryphonmon with his staff 3 times… but Gryphonmon was still okay!

"Alright Gryphonmon, great job! Now come back!" I said and he came running back as I said: "Parasimon, go for it!" and she came running in as Jijimon said: "Intelligence drop!" and he cast a spell on Parasimon that lowered her damage output with magical attacks… I guess her pulse beam won't be doing much…

I then said: "Attribute reduction, eh? 2 can play at that game. Parasimon, use attack drop!" and she said: "Attack drop!" and she cast a spell on Jijimon to lower his damage output with physical attacks! Jijimon then said: "Hung on death!" and attacked with it again.

"Parasimon, get him! Use piston punches!" I said and she said: "Piston punches!" and she leapt at Jijimon before she clapped her feet around him. Then she landed and did it again before she ran back—and it looked like it worked well, too! Jijimon then said: "Falling star!" and he once again sent a black line into the air—turning the area above us into a starry sky—as he leapt up and rode a meteor down into Parasimon and the area returned to normal. From there, Parasimon and Jijimon traded blows with Parasimon's piston punches and Jijimon's physical attacks and it didn't take long before Parasimon took him down! Then Jijimon and SaberLeomon got up and ran away!

I then turned to Gryphonmon and Parasimon and said: "Great job! Now take these—you've earned them!" and I used an HP total recharge on Gryphonmon and an HP ultra recharge on Parasimon. Gryphonmon grinned before he said: "Thanks, Mark! I'm feeling good to go now!" and Parasimon said: "Thank you, Mark! Now I'm all ready for the rest of the way!" I smiled before I said: "I'm glad to hear it, but I think we should head back now—we've made it a long way in and now I've used up some of my best healing items…" and Irene said: "Good idea, Mark! We shouldn't push our luck too far, especially when I can't fight the Digimon here yet." and Crescemon said: "I agree. A little caution never hurt anyone, particularly when we're so far from the town…" and Hudiemon nodded and said: "Well alright then! Back to civilization we go!" and I chuckled before we headed back.

When we were back in Coral Isle's port, I took us back to my Digihome. Once we arrived, I saw BanchoLeomon, RiseGreymon and Mastemon in the distance and said: "Hey everyone!" and they all looked up and came over before Mastemon said: "Welcome back, Mark." and BanchoLeomon said: "It's good to see you made it back safe, particularly with only 5 Digimon on you that could fight this time!" and RiseGreymon chuckled and said: "Yeah, but that's Mark for you! I knew he'd make it." and I smiled as RiseGreymon turned to Irene and went on: "So how about it, Irene? Did you enjoy being a Digimon?" and Irene shook her head before she said: "Ugh, not you too… Hudiemon and Parasimon already teased me when we were out there too…" and we all laughed as she went on: "Speaking of which, I'm still overdue to get out of this disguise, so I'll be headed behind the house to get out of it. I'll be back…" and then she walked off… and it wasn't too much longer before Irene came back around the corner, back to being human!

I grinned before I said: "Well it looks like that test run's over. Welcome back to your human self, Irene." and then Irene said: "Yeah, and the timing worked out perfect… it felt weird being covered in fur and having a tail, I don't know how your Digimon stand it…" and then she went on: "But at least it was a successful test run and I know my disguise can hold up for a long period of time… it looks like it's ready for the big day now…" and then I said: "So when's it going to be? When will I need to be ready by?" and Irene said: "I'll let you know when the time is right. In the meantime, we'll have to exchange contact information to make that possible." and then Irene and I exchanged our contact information in Digimon View.

When we were done, Irene said: "Alright, it looks like we're all set. I'll let you know when I'm ready to make my move. Thank you, Mark—thank you so much for being willing to help me in this important investigation." and I smiled back and said: "Glad I could help. Besides, it's pretty cool getting to help an international police officer!" and Irene went on: "Just make sure you don't tell anybody else about that." and then she said: "Alright, I'm going to log out now. Bye, Mark—I'll see you soon." and I nodded before she teleported out. I then turned to my Digimon before I said: "Alright everyone, great job! You all can go ahead and get relaxed for now—I'm going to be logging out soon myself, so I'll see you soon!" and then BanchoLeomon said: "Alright then! We'll see you next time, Mark!"

And I nodded before I walked away a few paces, stepping around the corner of the house. It had been quite a day today… even though I had believed Irene, I hope I made the right decision… I still couldn't shake the feeling of doubt from the back of my mind.

I sighed and looked down before I soon heard a: "Mark! I'm glad I found you. Are you alright?" and I looked up to see Parasimon. I then said: "Oh, Parasimon… hi. I was just thinking." and then Parasimon said: "Yes, I can understand why… today was pretty crazy." and we chuckled together before I said: "So what about you, Parasimon? What's on your mind?"

"Heh-heh… yup, you knew I was here for a reason, huh? Well yes, there was something I was hoping to talk to you about…" Parasimon said. I suddenly felt perplexed as I said: "And what was that?" "Well I… I'm happy to be a mega level Digimon, but… I've felt hideous ever since I digivolved into this form… besides looking down at myself, I saw my reflection in the panes of glass on the windows—the way everyone else sees me—and I've felt so stigmatized seeing it… I used to feel proud of my appearance as Arukenimon, but now I wouldn't blame anyone who would avert their eyes from me—I know I don't want to see my own reflection…" Parasimon said.

When I heard this, I felt overcome by guilt… I was worried from the moment I saw her after she digivolved that something like this might be so, but I never imagined it would be this bad… I had put my own Digimon through so much sadness and insecurity and it had been my fault… I guess I shouldn't have digivolved her at all…

"…I'm sorry, Parasimon. I didn't mean to make you feel depressed and stigmatized like this; back when you were Arukenimon, Parasimon was the only Digimon you could have digivolved into, which was why I did it. I wasn't trying to put you through—" I began and then Parasimon said: "It's okay Mark, you shouldn't blame yourself; there's no way you could have seen this coming and I know you'd never try to hurt my feelings." and then she went on: "So if it's not too much trouble, I was actually hoping you could de-digivolve me and then digivolve differently the next time, into something else. Would you be willing to? Please?"

And then I smiled and said: "Of course I will! If that's what you want Parasimon, I'll be happy to help you. Now let's get in the house—chop chop!" and then Parasimon looked surprised before she said: "Huh? Are you serious? I thought you had to log out?" and I turned to her and said: "You're more important." "Mark…" Parasimon said before I said: "Now come on! Let's get a plan ready for how you're going to digivolve." and Parasimon nodded as we went into the house together.

When we were inside, I booted up the computer and said: "Okay… it's getting booted up here… so what kind of Digimon did you want to be, Parasimon?" "I want to be something beautiful… I don't really have any criteria beyond that. Any element is fine." She replied. "Okay." I said as it finished booting and then I said: "I'm going to check right now to see what you can digivolve into down other digivolution lines… this might take a minute, so please be patient." "Of course! I'm willing to wait." Parasimon said.

I then looked over all of the different ways Parasimon could digivolve into a mega, and what those megas were. Eventually I turned to Parasimon and said: "Okay, I've seen it all." "And?" Parasimon asked. "You'll be happy to know you have some options. The ones I saw that I thought you'd like the most are Lotosmon and Rosemon." I said back. But then Parasimon's eyeball widened before she said: "Rosemon? That's such a beautiful Digimon! I can digivolve into that?!" I smiled before I said: "Yes you can. Be warned though: if you do choose to digivolve into Rosemon, you'd have to de-digivolve all the way down to an in-training Digimon again in order to access the right rookie to digivolve into her eventually. In other words, you'd be starting from square one again. Is that what you want to do?" and Parasimon said: "Absolutely! If I could become as beautiful as Rosemon, I'd be completely willing to wait!" and then I said: "Then that's just what we'll do! The first step to making your dream come true is about to start now, Parasimon!" And then I de-digivolved her into a Budmon!

When the process ended, I said: "Well, that's it—how do you feel?" "It's an odd feeling—I've been digivolved at a high level for so long that it feels awkward being only a few inches off the ground now… it's been a long time since I was like this." Budmon said. I laughed before I said: "Well it's only temporary. Don't worry—you'll be digivolved past this in no time!" and Budmon smiled before she said: "Thank you Mark… really. I know this is going to work out even better than before. I'm glad I have such an outstanding tamer now." and I smiled before I said: "That's music to my ears! Now let's get going!" and Budmon nodded before we stepped outside…

And then I heard a: "MARK? What's going on?" it was Sakuyamon. I then turned to see everyone else. I then smiled and said: "Oh hey, everybody!" "What's going on? I thought you were going to log out…" Gryphonmon said. "I was, but something else came up. I was helping Parasimon with something—" I said before Hudiemon said: "Speaking of which… where is she?" I pointed by my foot and said: "Right down there."

And they all immediately looked down and when they saw Budmon, they immediately came running over and Hudiemon said: "No way… you de-digivolved?!" and Budmon said: "That's right! I wanted to try digivolving again, down a different line." Hudiemon then giggled and said: "Well isn't this a surprise! When you first joined the team, you were at a higher level… but now you're junior to me! I guess I'm like the big sis now!" and then they laughed together before I smiled and said: "Well now that that's been addressed, I'm actually logging out this time." and then I went on: "You all look out for Budmon while I'm away. Okay, see you!" and they all smiled as I logged out.