Chapter 9: Storm Mountain Syndrome

The weekend passed like a blur. Mamoru barely remembered being awake. He did not remember ultimate Digivolution before the D-4s being this exhausting. Though he also had not fought so many Digimon at once until that November day. Despite missing out on a whole weekend and falling further behind in his work; the one good thing that came out of this is that he had a convenient reason not to meet the rest on Saturday.

As pleasant as Hikari and Takeru were, he did not see the practical use of meeting them in his current state. It was possible that Kodai simply had that much more stamina since he played baseball in high school. Though the more likely reason he pushed himself despite his fatigue was for information. Kodai probably hoped that he could discover how to Digivolve further from them. Mamoru felt better when Reina informed him Takeru and Hikari would be returning to Kyoto in the future. They also wanted to thank him for suggesting a visit to Daikichiyama. Mamoru had never thought of Mount Daikichi as romantic, but he understood why they said that.

The only important piece of information they had gained was that this was probably the first of many convergence events. Apparently, this was somehow considered mild by the Tokyo DigiDestined. What interested Mamoru was that Takeru and Hikari were not exhausted at all from Digivolving, even to their mega levels. Yuki upon hearing this information speculated that it may have to do with the fact they possessed the original crest. This was the most straightforward answer given what Koshiro had told them. Mamoru was still sure that it was more to do with the gulf in experience between them.

Fall gave way to the beginnings of winter as they neared December. The respite given by a drop in Digimon appearances was welcomed, though it made Mamoru exceedingly suspicious. It was a directionless feeling and without a specific object of mistrust. Amorphous, gripping him from time to time. In the end, it was for the best. Mamoru spent the last weeks of fall perpetually tired. Drifting off during class and cutting it close for his assignments. The only Digimon appearance he had responded to had ended well, but it exposed a more concerning issue. Just Digivoling to Clockmon had sapped Mamoru. He needed to believe that it was temporary, that this limitation was just their lack of experience instead of inherent to the D-4s.

Kyoto seemed to hold its breath, waiting for first snow. Reina took the initiative to organize a social outing for their little group. This was the first time since they formed three months ago that they would be doing something purely for fun. The objective of this was difficult to discern. Kodai's vocal support made him think this was another measure to increase their ability to coordinate in battle, somehow. Mamoru could hardly believe that Reina would be so cynical to have the same intent.

They had agreed to finally meet closer to Nagato and Kodai instead of dragging them constantly to East Kyoto. Arashiyama held a lantern festival in mid-December that lit up the bamboo forest at night. It was another famous Kyoto attraction that Mamoru had never bothered with. He had a reasonable justification; it was one of the furthest possible places to reach in Kyoto from Uji. Mamoru was constantly tempted to give this outing a pass. His delayed assignments were starting to snowball. It was as if Reina could sense this and made it clear that he had no excuse. He was living in Kyoto, and even the two third-year high schoolers of their group were still committed.

Inevitably, people began to drop out as the day neared. The first person was surprising since it was the youngest of the group, but at the same time completely innocuous. Yuki was easily the least sociable of them. Kacho High's computer club was in some sort of software competition. Unexpectedly, Natsuki declared her intention to view the lanterns anyway. The situation continued to deteriorate with both Kodai and Reina being unable to attend despite them being the masterminds. Mamoru wanted to take that as his cue to jump ship but continued to be strong-armed by Reina. If it were Noriko's pestering, he probably would not have given it a second thought. But it was hard to refuse Reina, especially after she had let him awkwardly rest at her house overnight. The final group count withered down to a paltry four people with Yasushi deciding he needed to study.

It was only five in the evening, but the sky was already completely dark. The Saga-Arashiyama station exuded a rustic atmosphere with the old steam train it had on display. The temperature had dipped enough for Mamoru to bring out his brown parka. He stood around, unsure of how long he would have to wait, attempting to keep his hands warm by stuffing into his pockets. The scenario he dreaded the most began occurring as Natsuki announced she would be the next to arrive. Mamoru had literally not said a word to her before. He had hardly heard her talk either. Natsuki descended from the escalator clad in a tan-coloured trench coat that closely matched her hair. The two of them saw each other but hesitated, unsure if they should approach. Mamoru knew that if he did not do something, they would probably end up standing in separate corners until Noriko arrived.

"Hey," he mumbled.

Natsuki shifted her eyes in confusion before she politely bowed. Mamoru on reflex returned the bow, not knowing what else to do. She fumbled through her pockets, seeming to look for her Digivice.

Mamoru cut her off before she could pretend to be busy on her phone. "I know you're really close to Yuki. How come you decide to come without her?"

"I wanted to see the lights," Natsuki replied.

"Anything in particular?" At this time of year, any temple had nicely lit plants.

"The Ikebana arrangements." She said hesitantly. The Arashiyama lantern festival was also accompanied by various flower arrangement displays.

"Oh? That's your hobby?" The impression that Natsuki was the wealthy, Nadeshiko type became solidified in Mamoru's mind. Though there was nothing necessarily wrong about it.

"Some masters are displaying their arrangement here tonight. I wanted to get some inspiration for my club project." Natsuki took out her D-4 and showed him some of the expected highlights.

"Is there any particular school you follow?" Mamoru was only vaguely aware of the various Ikebana styles. Mostly from osmosis being near the Ikebana club room in high school.

"Not really, I mostly just make things in the Seika form. I wanted to take it more seriously, but its hard to find the time. I guess I like the Sogetsu school's style the most."

Not even an inkling of an image that came to his mind when she mentioned that school of Ikebana. The amount Natsuki knew as too much for this just to be a rich girl's time-wasting activity. Or at least that is what Mamoru could gather. The only thing he could understand was not having enough time to pursue their own interest. It was good enough.

"You know, I thought you would be in the concert band or something. Since that's what Tachibana is known for."

"Oh, no," Natsuki said, waving her hand. "I wanted to, but it's too time-consuming. They practice marching more than some sports clubs. I also don't like getting sweaty."

At least she was honest about her prissiness. Though Mamoru could not really judge her since he avoided sports like the plague. "Do you like doing all the Digimon stuff then? With all the running around."

"Not really," She said, shying away. "Floramon doesn't really like fighting either. But I guess we go where we are needed."

She was another passive member of the group. How many of them were just doing this without questioning it?

Noriko arrived shortly after, bundled in a maroon down jacket. Surprisingly, she had someone else in tow wearing the same thing but in light blue.

"Sorry, my parents insisted that I bring him along," Noriko said.

"Hey, it's the clock guy." Susumu pointed straight at him as he appeared from behind his sister.

Mamoru sighed. "Can you not call me that."

The boy shrugged, turning to his sister for instructions. "Just call him Sanada-san." At least she was not prompting him to also call him senpai.

"How long is Nagato gonna take?" Natsuki asked.

"He messaged me to go ahead first. He's finishing remedial in school." Noriko made it sound as if this was a regular occurrence. There was a loud huff from Natsuki that seemed to confirm this.

They walked parallel to the tracks of the Sagano Line, passing through a neighbourhood. It was hard to believe that they were near an expansive bamboo forest at all. They could see Mount Atago in the distance, but there was nothing to indicate that the urban sprawl would end any time soon. The concrete jungle was dispelled as they turned into a small alleyway. At the end of the short street was a massive thicket of bamboo that engulfed the road. The power lines running above them seemed to disappear into the foliage.

Walking down the street was like crossing the threshold into another realm. The concrete walls of the buildings gave way to moss-covered stones. Chain link fences on the roadside transformed into a rustic bamboo and wicker mesh. Even the ground below them was lined with cobblestone instead of asphalt. Could tourist fully appreciate this? It was like he had been transported back to the Japan of old that even Kyoto seemed to have lost.

The lanterns on the sides of their path lit the way on this moonless night. Mamoru could imagine Arashiyama forest would otherwise be pitch black. Inside the wild growth were spotlights aimed up into the air. The bamboo towered above them, almost double the height of telephone poles. They were four or five stories tall, utterly bare except for its branches at the very top. Their canopy was bathed in multi-coloured hue coming from each of the lights. It diffused throughout the forest, making it look otherworldly. The bamboo surrounding the white-blue lights looked as if they were an ethereal crystal, while those around the warmer yellow and green lights were vibrantly glowing. It felt like magic. As if they were entering the realm of the forest kami who had mixed day and night together. The bamboo grove at Arashiyama had become nature's gilded path guiding them deeper into its heart.

"This is boring," Susumu cried. "Noriko, why do you like this kind of things…"

Despite the boy's claims a few months ago at Mount Daikichi, he did not look like he was about to begin junior high. His whiny tone and the fact he still wore his Randoseru around made him appear closer to an overgrown elementary schooler.

"You act like you can see bamboo like this everywhere." Noriko chided.

"We can," he continued to protest. "there is a bunch that grows on the roadside. I even look like this when the streetlights turn on." Mamoru resisted the urge to laugh. What Susumu said might not be objectively true at all, but Mamoru could believe it would look that way to a twelve-year-old.

It was a weekday night, and the DigiDestined only passed other groups every now and then. Following the path, they came to a fork in the road. On their right was the Torii entrance to the Nonomiya shrine. The other path continued to Kameyama park, which contained most of the bamboo forest.

"Let's go visit the shrine," Noriko said, dragging Susumu before he could protest.

"Why?" Mamoru asked as he started down the other pathway.

"The Ikebana exhibition is at Tenryu-ji temple," Natsuki added.

Noriko paused, looking as though she was concocting a rationale on the spot. Saying she wanted to go would have been sufficient. This made Mamoru even more suspicious. "They have a garden carpeted with moss?"

That would be an interesting sight. As Mamoru turned around, he realized that this was an attraction to see in the day. It was unlikely to be lit for night viewing. "Wait, just what exactly do you want from this."

Natsuki had already taken out her D-4 and searched up the shrine on the internet. "It says it's a shrine mainly for marriage blessings."

"Noriko, why would we go there?" Susumu whined.

"Aren't you a bit young and unattached to be asking for this kind of blessing," Mamoru said drily.

"Fine, whatever," Noriko replied, throwing her hands into the air. "Let's go to Tenryu-ji."

Upon entering the northern temple gardens, Natsuki was immediately drawn to the Ikebana displays. Mamoru had no idea that it was possible to arrange flowers outdoors in such low temperatures. Most of the pieces appeared sparse, having mostly bare branches. Many were made with evergreens or covered with hardy mosses and lichen to give it more colour. What the displays had in common was their use of bamboo elements. Either as the vase which held the floors or as a plant in the arrangement itself.

"How can flowers still survive at this time of year?" Mamoru asked.

Natsuki registered his question with a nod, though she did not take her eyes off the exhibits. "They mostly use winterberries or plum blossoms that actually bloom during winter."

Mamoru was beginning to understand how Yuki and Natsuki could be friends despite their radically different social appearance. They both seemed to have a very engrossed personality. All attempts to ask Natsuki to explain the principles of Ikebana to him were abject failures. Aside from some talk about forming triangles with the plants and the importance of the vessel they were held in; Mamoru could not grasp much. It was partly his own lack of genuine interest but also how ephemeral Natsuki made Ikebana sound. More to do with feeling where the plants went than any concrete principles. All he could do was nod along to keep the conversation going.

Susumu was still protesting some distance away about the lack of snow to Noriko. Apparently, he had been promised a snowball fight for coming all the way from Uji. Mamoru knew he would be disappointed, the forecast said it was unlikely to consistently snow until next year. After Natsuki had thoroughly examined all the displays, they continued toward the main forest. Nagato messaged them, saying that he was on the train and would meet them directly at the Arashiyama observation deck. The bamboo seemed to swallow the world as they moved further inside. Even Tenryu-ji's massive structure disappeared in the sea of green stalks. Few people were walking around this deep, giving the unnaturally lit forest an isolated atmosphere.

"Kind of reminds you of Amagase, doesn't it?" Mamoru said with a smirk. In front of him, he could see Noriko lock up mid-step.

"That's the place where you fought the ghost Digimon, right?" Natsuki asked, unaffected.

It was impossible for him to forget that encounter, but he could not blame Natsuki for failing to keep track of everything. Between all of them, they had dealt with something close to fifty Digimon appearances. Many of the minor ones were starting to blur together.

"Yes…" Noriko began, "and its nothing like this place." Her protest was fierce. "We can actually see here." Mamoru could have pushed his teasing further, but he decided to just take his small victory and leave it at that.

"It's snowing!" Susumu shouted.

Mamoru squinted, attempting to find a trace of snow pellets. The temperature could dip enough for short bouts of snow. Hardly enough for a snowball fight but still probably enough to gratify him. Natsuki and Noriko were also searching in vain for any trace of snow.

"Are you sure you weren't imagining it?" Noriko said, apparently already fed up with her younger brother.

"I swear, I felt it twice on my face." Susumu was adamant despite his flimsy evidence. Noriko still looked thoroughly unconvinced and continued to give the boy a deadpan look. "It's true, you just didn't feel it. Koromon will back me up."

Susumu placed his turtle shell-like backpack on the ground and undid the latches at the bottom. As he opened the flap, the pink ball that was his partner Digimon burst out onto the path.

"Why didn't you just keep Koromon in your Digivice?" Mamoru said as the little Digimon bounced around, complaining about almost being suffocated in the schoolbag.

"It can do that?" Susumu stared at his blue Digivice.

"Never mind," Mamoru had forgotten only they were given Koshiro's invention and that Susumu was still using a D-3.

"Noriko, is that why I don't see Lopmon much anymore?" He said, pointing to Noriko's smartphone. She really had taken Koshiro's advice seriously and kept him in entirely in the dark.

"Erm…" She hesitated, making the same face earlier when she was manufacturing a reason to go to that shrine. "Yeah, Lopmon likes it better on my phone."

"It's because he can follow you outside isn't it." His arms were crossed. "Why don't I get one?"

"Our friend gave this to us. He only made a few so he couldn't give it to everyone." From the looks of it, this explanation was failing to placate him. "You'll get one eventually," Noriko added.

"When?" The boy was shrewd.

"I'm not sure," Noriko said with a nervous smile, averting her gaze from him.

"You just made this up." It was precisely what Mamoru would have thought if he did not know the truth.

Natsuki sensing this impasse decided to step in. "Your sister isn't lying. It's really expensive to make these." She said, holding up her own D-4. "Koshiro-san is making more, but he can't tell us exactly when he'll give them out."

"So, you just got these because you're stronger than me." Susumu huffed.

Even if that was literally the case, Mamoru knew it was not going to end well just flatly confirming it. "We are older than you."

Susumu opened his mouth to reply but said nothing. After a brief paused, he sighed and picked up Koromon. The boy would probably not have believed his sister, so it was for the best that someone else spelt it out to him.

"So, Susumu," Noriko said, "There is still no snow anywhere."

"There was." He protested. "I bet Koromon can make some snow."

The Digimon started to blow bubbles into the air in what seemed to be an attempt to get them to freeze. It was cold, but still definitely above freezing. They harmlessly floated through the air, failing to crystalize. It was a pleasant sight, the bubbles floating through the forest, glinting in kaleidoscopic hues as they passed by the lanterns.

"Susumu! What if someone was around?" Noriko nagged.

"There's no one." He protested. "Why would anyone care anyway?"

"People haven't been happy with Digimon recently," Natsuki said. "The damage being done is costing everyone a lot of money."

"But Koromon has nothing to do with it."

"But they don't know that." Natsuki sighed.

"Well, they should." He continued to protest.

Mamoru decided to step in. Hopefully, as the oldest, he could use that perception to his advantage. "They should, but it's hard for them. Digimon all look the same to them."

Susumu looked at him intently, processing what he said. To the boy's credit, he did not try to continue with his tirade like a less mature teenager would. He was understandably angry, but he seemed to be able to accept the implicit point that some people were like that. There was nothing he could do at this point, even if they were wrong.

"Thanks, Senpai." Noriko probably knew that if she argued with her brother, it would be fruitless. They were clearly the type of siblings that liked to bicker.

"Sanada-san," It was Natsuki, "Are you getting the same alert as well?"

Mamoru unlocked the screen, seeing a notification flash to life immediately. There was a Digimon appearance right where they were. The others brought out their Digimon partners and began to scan their surroundings. The shoulder height bamboo fence made it difficult to see into the brush. Natsuki's partner Floramon was one of the larger rookie level Digimon Mamoru had seen. The humanoid plant Digimon was roughly the size of Susumu.

"Hagurumon, do you sense any other Digimon?" Mamoru asked as he continued to scan with his Digivice.

The machine Digimon rotated from side to side as if he were shaking his floating head. It could be a false alarm, but given how polished the system had become, it seemed unlikely. Their Digivices continued to register an appearance right where they were.

"Koromon and I can help too." Susumu declared. His D-3 lit up, causing Koromon to Digivolve.

Mamoru was surprised by the outcome. He had been expecting the black reptilian Digimon he saw months ago. Instead, this Agumon was bright orange. "Did your Digimon change?"

"No?" Susumu said, confused.

Noriko answered on his behalf. "Susumu's just weird. Sometimes his partner Digivolves to a regular Agumon and sometimes to a black one."

"How long has this been going on for?" Mamoru had never heard of this before. Everyone's Digimon partner had one evolutionary line.

"It's always been like that?" Susumu replied.

"Kadotani-san, did you know about this?"

"No, Noriko-chan never told me." Natsuki was not looking at him, still scanning for the supposed Digimon appearance.

"Where's that Digimon, my phone won't stop ringing." Noriko hissed. The implications of Susumu's variable Digivolution had would have to wait. They had more pressing issues.

They formed a small circle and continued to check their D-4s. The reading kept saying that the Digimon was within twenty meters of them. Mamoru was unsure how accurate Koshiro's satellite system was compared to standard GPS. Given its previous precision, he had little reason to doubt it had a large error range. Even if they were covered by a canopy of bamboo leaves. The tension had heightened their senses, and Mamoru started to register small flakes of snow landing on his face before quickly melting. He had mistaken it for a slight drizzle earlier.

"See, I wasn't lying," Susumu said. "I belt you can all feel the snow now."

The snowfall was light and inconsistent. Only someone who had been looking for it would have detected it earlier. Mamoru was certain that it was still above freezing. If Koromon blew bubbles again, it would still not turn into snowflakes. Mamoru flinched as he made a realization. He began to rapidly scroll through his LINE messages, looking for the summary Yuki gave on the detection system. Everyone turned to him as the message started playing back Yuki's voice.

"What are you thinking?" Noriko asked.

"Not now, I'm trying to listen." From the corner of his vision, he could see Noriko briefly pout before returning to her serious expression.

After hearing the adjustments Yuki made to the system, Mamoru let out a sigh of relief. "I think the system is detecting Agumon." Susumu gave him the most confused look of all, prompting him to explain further. "Yuki adjusted the parameters of what the system would classify as a Digimon appearance. It probably registered Koromon using his bubble attack as a digital distortion not linked to any of our partners."

The explanation seemed too overwhelming for Susumu, who nodded along. Natsuki seemed to be satisfied, as well. It was only Noriko who maintained her sceptical look.

"So that means it was all a false alarm?" Susumu said.

"Pretty much," Mamoru said with a shrug. He could hear Hagurumon's gears begin to slow down as the tension dissipated. "Kadotani-san, did Yuki tell you about how to alter the detection parameters again?"

Natsuki shook her head apologetically. "Yuki mentioned it, but I didn't understand much. I'm not good at that kind of things."

Mamoru sighed, there was nothing they could do from here. They would just have to tolerate the endless buzzing of their phones as it continued to give a false alarm. He had better message the others, especially Nagato, to tell them this was nothing to be concern about. Hopefully, Yuki would be free to do something about this.

As he opened LINE and began to type out his message, Noriko stopped him. "Senpai, this doesn't quite add up."

Mamoru was slightly irritated at this. They had just wasted almost ten minutes standing around, looking for a Digimon that was not there. After this, there was still dinner before he could get back to his long night of work. "What do you mean."

"The system classifies a Digimon appearance as both the presence of a distortion and digital signature." Her expression was dead serious, prompting Mamoru to reconsider his conclusion. "that still means there is a distortion occurring here."

"Distortions are occurring all around Kyoto." Mamoru countered.

"There are were quite a few around the temple just now. It's something that we can't discount."

Natsuki and Susumu both looked undecided. Even if Noriko's suspicions were correct, there was no telling where the Digimon could be. They could spend hours searching through the bamboo and turn up nothing. Though if they just left Arashiyama, they might have to turn around if a Digimon did reveal itself.

"Senpai, I don't think Koshiro-san's system is so easily fooled. I am sure it knows how to recognize Digivices. Even if it wasn't tracking my brother's Digimon before, it should have been able to categorize it as being partnered after it interacted with his D-3."

Mamoru threw his head up in frustration. As he gazed at the illuminated canopy, there was a now a significant amount of snow. He watched the flakes flutter toward the earth. Looking back at everyone, there were now bits of snow gently resting on their hair and shoulders. Where was all this snow coming from?

"Nagato says he is almost here. He's asking for an update on the Digimon appearance." Natsuki said, interrupting his flow of thought.

"Ask him if it is snowing near him," Noriko ordered. Before Mamoru could protest, she sent her reply.

He was getting fed up with all their speculating, wearing a scowl on his face. This was a colossal waste of time, running what was supposed to be a brief outing. Nagato's reply came back confused, asking why it would be snowing anywhere in Kyoto. The temperature was still five degrees above freezing so early in the evening.

"A Digimon is doing this," Noriko declared. "We're only a few hundred meters from the temple."

He started formulating a retort but was cut short as everyone returned to an alert posture. Mamoru fought to control his irritation. Noriko's point was more or less proven by this strange, localized snow. A blast of ice shot out from the tree line, smashing through the bamboo fence. It sent everyone scrambling for cover as their Digimon attempted to locate their foe.

Judging from the pings they had been getting on their D-4s. It was probably only one Digimon and unlikely to be very strong, given its limited area of influence. Even then, it was better to be safe than sorry. Mamoru held out his phone and prepared to Digivolve.

A wave of nausea washed over him as he taped the Digivolution icon. It subsided quickly, but there was no change in Hagurumon. Mamoru gritted his teeth and attempted to Digivolve again only to be met with the same result.

"I can't Digivolve!" Noriko cried.

Turning to Natsuki, she was livid. Pressing aggressively on her Digivice's screen attempting to get it to work. Floramon gave her a concerned look as she continued in vain to attempt Digivolution.

Another blast of ice shot over their head. Mamoru was sure that there was only one Digimon since it kept attacking from the same angle. Even if it was champion level, they should be able to take it on with four rookie level Digimon.

A white blur leapt overhead onto the path, turning around to face them; it looked to be an Agumon, except it was completely pale. The albino Digimon fired off more blast of ice, forcing them to retreat into the bamboo. A stray ice bolt struck one of the bamboo stems causing ice to rapidly form along its length. The weather began to thicken from an intermittent snow drizzle to light hail. The little bits of ice stung his exposed skin as its intensity slowly increased.

They were disorganized, running haphazardly in the same direction. The shock of not being able to Digivolved seemed to have got to all of them. SnowAgumon continued to chase them through the underbrush, firing its attack indiscriminately. Inevitably, one of the iceballs found its mark and was barreling straight for Noriko. Lopmon attempted to intercept the attack, spinning its ears rapidly to create a small vortex. The blast struck Noriko's partner Digimon instead, sending the little bunny flying back into her arms. One of her ears was encased in ice. It was a potent attack for a rookie Digimon.

Unable to retreat any further with one of their party incapacitated, they were forced to stand and fight. Floramon was the closet to their assailant and lashed out with her hands. The flower stigmas protruding from the ends of her arms extended to become thorny vines. Natsuki's partner brought them around, attempting to whip the SnowAgumon.

Their attacker countered with its claws, using it to deflect the blows. Worse, it seemed to have the same effect as its ice breath, causing Floramon's arms to freeze up. Hagurumon was next, firing off his cog crusher attack. It was again intercepted mid-air by an ice blast from the albino Digimon's mouth. It stopped the electrified gear in its tracks, leaving it to fall to the ground frozen.

The only one with any success seemed to be Susumu's Agumon. His pepper breath was again met with an almost identical icy blast from the SnowAgumon. Instead of overwhelming the attack like it had done to the others, they seemed to neutralize each other. The fire and ice collided with each other creating a large cloud of ice vapour.

"Kid, keep attacking," Mamoru ordered. "Fire is extra effective."

The boy nodded with determination and shouted a command to his partner. The orange reptile responded with gusto and launched a barrage of fireballs at its ice counterpart. This was met with a return volley that collided together, creating a shower of small ice crystal shards. The air glimmer as the little crystals caught the light of lamps around them.

Agumon appeared exhausted, exerting himself to fire that many attacks at once. It was evident that Susumu's partner was less experienced than the others, being so easily worn out in battle. The wild Digimon had no such shortcomings and fired its attacks at the now defenceless Agumon. There was little choice left for Mamoru. Hagurumon was even less effective than Agumon at combating this particular Digimon. Though he wagered that Hagurumon's metal body was far sturdier than even the scaly reptile.

"Hagurumon, shield him!" Mamoru cried. The machine Digimon bolted into the path of the attack, prepared to take the full blow. Hopefully, Agumon or someone else could recover enough for them to turn the tide.

There was the rustling of leaves as the ice blast left SnowAgumon's mouth. As it was about to connect, a cascade of wood descended and took the brunt of the attack. It was as if the forest had collapsed in front of them. Mamoru turned towards the stumps of the bamboo to see a small figure wielding a wooden shinai.

"Do you know how long it takes to grow that!" Natsuki cried. Mamoru was at least glad to see her priorities were consistent.

"I rush to get here in time, and this is what I get," Nagato grumbled.

Kotemon jumped forward between the SnowAgumon and the rest of the group. He took a jodan kenjutsu stance, shinai held high above his head. The bamboo lying on the ground was as thick as one of his legs, yet the Digimon had cut it clean through. How he had managed that with a training sword was beyond Mamoru. The SnowAgumon looked staggered by the change of events but still chose to press the attack.

"Watch out, it's ice blast will freeze anything short of a fire attack," Mamoru said.

Nagato nodded in acknowledge as Kotemon continued his advance. Susumu's Agumon continued to keep up a steady stream of fireballs to support Kotemon. Hagurumon chipped in with more cog crushers, but he seemed unusually sluggish in the rate of his attacks. The SnowAgumon was kept on the defensive as it used all its ice blast to intercept the incoming attacks.

Their foe spotted a break in their attack pattern and managed to launch an iceball at Kotemon. Even if it was intercepted by his shinai, Mamoru was almost sure that it would spread ice to at least Kotemon's hands. As the blast neared, Nagato yelled out a kendo Kiai of a vertical strike. His partner Digimon's sword lit up with flames before making contact, completely dissipating the SnowAgumon's attack. Kotemon continued to neutralize more attacks with his shinai as the supporting barrage from Agumon and Hagurumon slowed down. Moving right up to their foe, the SnowAgumon attempted a last-ditch attack with its claws.

"Thunder Kote!" Nagato roared.

His partner easily parried the SnowAgumon's claws with his shinai, sending it reeling. In that opening, Kotemon's left hand shot out, charged with electricity. Crackling and static rang out through the forest as it connected, knocking the albino Digimon out.

The snow had already melted as they sent the wild Digimon back to the digital world. More proof of the unnatural nature of the weather. Natsuki was still fuming about Nagato's indiscriminate destruction of nature. Though he made an excellent point, it would eventually grow back. If that attack had connected with one of the DigiDestined, it would have instantly given them severe frostbite.

"Nagato couldn't Digivolve either," Noriko mumbled.

It was disturbing that none of them were able to Digivolve. If it were just Mamoru, it would be fairly easy to explain given his fatigue. But all of them? Perhaps it was something to do with Arashiyama itself. Mamoru did not know much about the history of place names in Kyoto, but he assumed this area was called Storm Mountain for a reason. He also noticed that the bulk of the distortions and appearances they encountered were either near nature or in some historic area. All this pointed towards some kind of supernatural connection.

Mamoru turned to Noriko to verbalize his hypothesis but stopped himself. If he brought up an urban legend-supernatural theory about Digimon to Noriko, it would probably freak her out. As entertaining as the results could be, he knew it was too compelling for her to later just brush aside as a joke. If Noriko dwelled on it, it could end up affecting her ability to deal with Digimon.

Noriko noticed his gaze. "Hey Senpai, you were pretty off back there. Jumping to conclusions without thinking everything through. You're normally not like that."

"Sorry…" mumbled Mamoru. He had let his irritation get the better of him. Noriko had not been doing anything out of the ordinary to deserve it.

"Ah, it's fine." She said, tossing her short chestnut hair back. "you'll just owe me one."

Mamoru was about to groan, but he stopped himself and nodded. He did owe her for thinking everything through and concluding that there was a Digimon around. They could have been injured if they were less prepared when the SnowAgumon attacked.

"Why do you think that Digimon was so strong." It was Nagato who interrupted their conversation, having finished being scolded by Natsuki.

"I'm not sure. It could be just a very experienced rookie." Mamoru replied.

"Do you think it has something to do with the weather?" Noriko added.

"Unclear…" Nagato replied.

"I wouldn't discount it," Mamoru said, rubbing his chin in thought. "but it also seemed like it was affecting the weather. It could be feedback loop as well, but we've got too little to make any conclusions."

There was an audible growl from Nagato's stomach. Noriko and Natsuki giggled at the sound, shattering the serious atmosphere of their conversation. Mamoru checked his D-4 and saw it was well past seven.

"Which convenience store to you want to eat at." Natsuki teased. Mamoru drew in a deep breath and prayed they would not actually be doing that. He had already been eating instant and processed food in his room for the past few days. The whole point of him taking a break was to get some actual food before he holed himself up again for work.

"You serious?" Nagato said. There was a glint in his eye. As if he had been given the go-ahead to give his unpopular dinner suggestion.

"How about Udon?" Mamoru interjected.

"I really wanted that," Nagato responded. He was incredibly predictable.

Despite the enjoyment Mamoru had interacting with the other DigiDestined again, it was always undercut by the dread he felt about his spiralling academics. Even their only outing purely for fun had been interrupted by Digimon. It seemed more and more like a job instead of just something they happened to be doing. At least dinner that night at an udon shop was jovial. Their problems with Digivolving could wait for another day to be discussed with everyone.