Greetings everyone and welcome to another chapter of Reaching for the Stars.
Now, let's continue where the story left off.
I do not own Digimon.
"How are they?" A deep masculine voice said.
In a dimly-lit room, there were two humanoid beings standing behind a wide, electronic panel, both their faces and forms seemingly hidden in the shadows.
"Vitals are stable. There doesn't seem to be any abnormalities detected," a robotic voice from the taller figure said.
Before them were eight children floating unconsciously in separate glass chambers filled with green liquid.
"Good", the masculine voice said, who nodded.
"Shall we proceed with the next phase?" The robotic voice said.
"Yes. Please stand by if anything happens," the masculine said.
"Understood," the robotic voice said as it leaves the room.
As one of them left the room, the other one turn its attention back to the children.
"Now, let's see what happens next," the masculine voice said.
"Hmmm…"
Something stirs Taichi and when he tries to open his eyes, he was met a strong light.
"Wa?!" Taichi said before blinking a few times to adjust to the light.
From what he could see, he was in an unknown grassfield with trees spread out.
"Where am I?" Taichi said he gets up and starts walking. Something about the place felt off to him for some reason.
As he reaches a barren area littered with rocks of different sizes, something catches his eye.
"What the?!"
From the distance, he could see what looked like large dinosaur-like creatures. There were tyrannosauruses with red and green scales roaming around. And then there was a group of triceratops with black and white scales running in herds.
"A-Are those dinosaurs? Hold on! Aren't they…" Taichi said.
"Taichi!"
When Taichi turn to the familiar voice, he saw Agumon running to him.
"So this is where you were!" Agumon said as the digimon slows its walking as it got closer.
"Agumon! What is this place?" Taichi asked.
"This place is called Dino Valley.. But that's not important! How did you get here?" Agumon said.
"I don't know. The last thing that I remember was getting sucked into a weird thing in the sky and then I found myself here," Taichi said before realizing something. "Wait. Where is my sister?! Where are the others?!"
"I thought they were with you," Agumon said. "I wonder if they were sent to different places."
"This is so weird. What's going on?" Taichi said with frustration.
"I don't know," Agumon said before narrowing its eyes. "But I think we should see the commander. The commander told me you would be here."
"Commander?" Taichi said.
"The commander is the leader here," Agumon said. "Maybe the commander knows what is happening."
"Then, let's find the others and then go see this commander," Taichi said with a serious expression. "I have some questions for him."
"I got it! I will help, too!" Agumon said.
Deciding their next move, Agumon and Taichi make their way out of the area.
"Waa. That was hard work."
An orange and white digimon with winged ears and blue eyes had just finished his assignment and heading to the resting area, walking on his back legs at a leisurely pace. It was carrying a tan bag on its back.
"Hm? Who's that?" the digimon said, noticing someone sitting on a flat rock away from it.
The small figure was wearing strange clothes, with blonde hair poking out of the sides of a green hat, and sitting with its face down.
"Hey! Is something wrong?" the digimon said as it walks closer.
When the person raises his head and looks at him, its eyes widened.
"Who are you?!" The figure said in a shrill voice.
"Who are I? I'm Patamon," the digimon said. "Who are you?"
"….Takishi Takeru," the boy said. "Do you know what place is?"
"This area is the 'village of beginnings', where digimon are born and raised," Patamon said. "What are you doing here?"
"…I got separated from Oni-chan," Takeru said with a sad look.
"Is that so?" Patamon said, who was not sure what to do in this situation. "I wonder if I should call for help."
Just then, a sound from his bag.
"Someone is calling me?" Patamon said as it reaches into a bag, bringing out a handheld device that looks like a walkie talkie.
"What's that?" Takeru said.
"This? This is a communicator for talking to my friends, Give me a minute," Patamon said as a voice come from the device.
"Patamon… This is Gabamon… Can you hear me, over?"
[Earlier]
"Takeru! Takeru!" Yamato yelled.
The boy with blonde hair and blue eyes was running aimlessly and frantically.
When he woke up, Yamato found himself alone in an unknown enclosure surrounded by trees. To make matters worse, his little brother was nowhere to be found.
As he come across the white-colored wall of the enclosure, Yamato notices something strange on the side of the wall
"A door?" Yamato said, as he cautiously approaches it.
It was a large purple door with a square panel next to it embedded into the wall.
As Yamato uses his hand to touch the door, wondering if it was a way out….
"What are you doing?" a voice called out.
When Yamato looks at the side, he sees a bipedal creature with yellow skin, a yellow horn, and a reptilian tail. It was wearing a blue and white fur pelt over its body.
"Who are you?!" Yamato said with tense eyes and harsh tone.
"That's what I should be asking," the creature said, narrowing its maroon eyes. "This is a restricted area. How did you get in here?"
"How should I know?" Yamato said as he tries to pry open the door with both hands. "I don't have time for this. I have to get out of here."
"That won't work," the creature said as it walked closer. "In the first place, why are you trying to leave so badly?"
"My brother… I need to find my brother!" Yamato said.
"... It sounds like you care a lot about this brother of yours," the creature said, its expression softens.
"I'm sure he's all alone and scared," Yamato said, his strength of his voice and grip on the door wavers. "What if he's hurt and I can't be there for him?"
"At times like this, you would ask for help," the creature said as if that was common sense.
Yamato turn around and looks at the creature with resolved eyes before deeply bowing his head.
"Then, please help me find my little brother," the boy said.
"… You know if you get caught, you are going to be in big trouble," the creature said, who was now hesitating.
"I don't care. As long as I know that he is safe," Yamato said.
There was a moment of silence, with the creature looking at the human whose head was lowered.
"…Haa. Ok, ok. I get it." the creature said with a sigh.
"Eh?" Yamato said, lifting his head. "Really?"
"Somehow, staying here and worrying won't be much use for either of us, so I will help you find your brother," the creature said. "But we have to be careful and you have to listen to me."
"Thank you!" Yamato said with a genuine smile, which took the creature by surprise, who step back before relaxing.
"W-Well, as long as you understand," the creature said as it approaches the panel. "This door can only be open by those who are child digimon or higher, which includes me. My name is Gabamon. What's your name?"
"Ishida Yamato. You can call me Yamato," Yamato said.
When Gabamon places its hand on the panel, a beep sound came from it, seemingly scanning the hand.
Seconds later, the door open swiftly.
"It really opened," Yamato said with an astonished expression.
"Follow me," Gabamon said, walking ahead.
When they enter the door, they found themselves in a large hallway with clean white walls. The corridor was narrow in contrast to the previous vast area.
"Where is this?" Yamato said who was looking around.
"This is the main area that connects to all the rooms of this floor," Gabamon said.
"So what do we do now?" Yamato asked as he follows behind Gabamon.
"You'll see," Gabamon said as they go in a certain direction until the digimon comes upon a certain room.
Using the adjacent panel similar to the previous one to open the door, they enter the room.
"Whoa." Yamato said with an amazed expression.
Inside the room, there were nearly a hundred screens lined side to side, each showing images of different footage.
"This is the Surveillance Room. What you are seeing on the screens is happening right now at all the floors," Gabamon said. "If we look through the screens, we may be able to find your brother. Although considering how many there are, it will take some time."
Seeing a possible lead, Yamato went and scrim through the many screens, which seems to change in position every minute.
"So what does your brother look like? Maybe I can help," Gabamon said, who was also looking though the screens.
"He is a human like me except smaller, he has the same eyes and hair as me," Yamato said. "Somehow, we got caught in this weird vortex thing and were separated."
"Is that so? Hm? Wait, did you say hum-.." Gabamon said before getting interrupted.
"Ah! Gabamon, over there!" Yamato said as he pointed at a certain screen where it shows a small boy that fits the description. Along with him was an unknown smaller creature.
"That's the village of beginnings, but that's.." Gabamon said before noticing something.
"The village of beginnings?" Yamato said.
"We need to leave now," Gabamon said, pushing Yamato out of the room.
"Ah. Wait!" Yamato said in surprise. For something that was smaller than him, the digimon was stronger than he looked.
As the two return to the hallway, Gabamon went further from the Surveillance Room and hide Yamato in the corner.
As Yamato was going to ask, metal footsteps were approaching them, revealing a metallic humanoid creature coming their way.
"Good afternoon," Gabamon said with a wry smile. "I haven't seen you today. What were you doing here?"
"I was asked to deal with an issue on Section Q," the creature said with a monotone voice. "Now that I am done, I am returning to the Surveillance Room."
"Is that so?" Gabamon said while nodding. "Then I should get going also."
As Gabamon begin to walk away, the creature accessed the panel and went into the Surveillance Room.
"Hu. That was close," Gabamon said after the door closes.
"Who is that?" Yamato said, who came out of his hiding place.
"That was Andromon, a good digimon," Gabamon said with a smile. "Andromon monitors the floors and helps with maintenance here, though we'll have to be on our toes since Andromon is back in the Surveillance Room. Anyways, we should get going."
As the two walk in the opposite direction of the Surveillance Room…
"But this is definitely a lucky break for us," Gabamon said.
"What do you mean?" Yamato said, who was walking alongside Gabamon.
"That digimon that you saw next to your brother was Patamon, a close friend of mine," Gabamon said as it stops walking and reaches into its furpelt and brings out a handheld device.
Not knowing what was happening, Yamato could only watch in silence.
As Gabamon pushes a button, and move the device close to its face.
"Patamon… This is Gabamon… Can you hear me, over?" Gabamon said.
A second of silence…
"This is Patamon… Is there something wrong, over?.." a child-like voice came from the receiver.
"Patamon… I know this may sound weird, but is there someone standing next to you?" Gabamon said while looking at Yamato.
"… Ah, there is. Wait. How did you know?!" Patamon said.
"Ah." Yamato said as he realized what Gabamon was trying to do.
"If it's alright, can you give your device to him?" Gabamon said.
"Eh? I guess that's fine," Patamon answered.
"Here," Gabamon said as the digimon hands the device to Yamato. "Push the button to talk into it."
Yamato nodded as he takes the device from Gabamon just as sound was coming from the device.
"Um, Hello?" A voice that was familiar to Yamato.
"Takeru!" Yamato said in a loud voice.
"Tsshh. Keep your voice down," Gabamon said, putting his finger to his mouth.
"Oni-chan?!" Takeru said through the walkie talkie.
"Yes. It's me. Are you ok?" Yamato said with a softer voice and relieved expression.
"I am fine although I don't where I am," Takeru said. "What about you?"
"I'm fine. We'll come to pick you up, so just stay where you are," Yamato said.
"Hm. I got it," Takeru said before hanging up.
"Thanks, Gabamon," Yamato said before giving the device back to the digimon.
"No problem," Gabamon said as it put the device away.
They continue their walk until they reached an elevator.
"This elevator should take us to the first floor where the village of beginnings is," Gabamon said as it pushes the down button.
They saw that the elevator stopped on their floor.
When the elevator door opened,
"Ah?!"
They find Taichi and another digimon with him in the elevator.
"Agumon! So, you are an accomplice, too?" Gabamon said.
"Accomplice? What is that?" Agumon said with a confused expression.
"You are…" Taichi said.
"Could it be.. Taichi?" Yamato said.
"Ha? How do you know my name?" Taichi said.
"We go to the same elementary school," Yamato said. "I sometimes see you in the hallway."
"Eh? Now that I think about it…." Taichi said.
While both boys go to the same school, they were in different classes and didn't interact as much.
Also, at the time of the previous enemy's attack, Taichi and his group didn't get a clear look at the other children before they were abducted.
Nevertheless, there weren't many children with blonde hair and blue eyes in the school, so it didn't take long Taichi to recall the other boy's name.
"Ah! Yamato! So you are here too," Taichi said. "Have you seen anyone else?"
"I don't know about the others, but we are going to where Takeru is," Yamato said.
"Takeru?" Taichi said.
"He's my little brother," Yamato said.
"He's at the village of beginnings," Gabamon said.
"In that case, we should go together," Agumon said. "That place is close to where the commander is right now."
"The commander?" Yamato said.
"The commander is our leader," Gabamon said. "But why are you going there?"
"We think he may have something with us coming here," Taichi said.
"Is that so?" Yamato said with a serious expression. "Then, we should go there after getting to Takeru."
Yamato and Gabamon enter the elevator, with Agumon pushing a button for the bottom, which closes the elevator door.
"S-Somebody!" Sora yelled with a frantic voice.
The girl was hanging off the edge of a cliff.
Her grip on the rock was starting to slip, made worse as she was wearing her gloves.
Suddenly, she felt something grabbing her hand, causing her to look up.
"Hold on tight!"
Sora saw a bird with light pink feathers with blue eyes while its talons and beak were red.
"A bird is talking," Sora said before almost losing her grip.
"Don't let up, you are still in danger!" the bird said as it tries to pull the girl up.
Through the efforts of Sora kicking her feet against the cliff and the bird pulling, they were able to get Sora on solid ground, the two of them lying on their backs from their exertion.
"Ha.. ha.. ha.. I'm saved," Sora said, looking at the bird. "Thank you so much."
"No biggie. More importantly, what were you doing hanging on the edge of the cliff?" the bird said, who was now sitting on its legs.
"I don't know. When I came to, I found myself in this place. I was trying to find my friends and I thought I could get a better look from somewhere higher" Sora said, who was sitting up.
"Well, that makes sense," the bird said.
"But then a strong gust of wind blew me near the cliff and I lost my footing," Sora said, cringing as the thought of falling from such a high place.
"Then, it's a good thing that I was walking along. This is a secluded area, so not many digimon come here," the bird said with a smile. "My name is Piyomon. What's your name?"
"Takenouchi Sora," the girl said with a smile as she gets up. "Hm? Are you a digimon?"
"Yes, I am. Anyway, as much I want to talk some more, I think we should get to lower ground, it's dangerous up here at this time," Piyomon said as it stands up.
As Piyomon finishes its sentence, another forceful breeze blow through them.
"You're right," Sora said, holding her beanie with both hands.
As Piyomon takes Sora through a twisted path to make their way off of the canyon, Sora notices that Piyomon was holding her hand.
"Piyomon?" Sora said.
"We don't want you to slip again," Piyomon said with a smile.
"Thank you," Sora said, who smile back in turn and squeeze her wing.
Eventually, they reached a door that lead them to the hallway.
"Where am I?" Koushirou said.
When he woke up, he was surrounded by what looked by metallic tree-like pillars that reach the ceiling. There seems to be some form of electric current flowing through the pillars. After making sure of his clothes and belongings, he walked around the area while gathering his thoughts.
"So that thing was some sort of portal," Koushirou said. He remember the last thing of getting sucked into a mysterious vortex. "The question is who was responsible and why?"
As he thought of several theories, his mind couldn't help but go to a specific place.
"Don't tell me… it was aliens?" Koushirou said, putting his hand on his chin in a thinking position.
"Aliens? What is that?" An unknown voice with a somewhat familiar accent came from behind.
"Ah! Please don't eat me!" Koushirou said as he nearly jumps and kneels over, putting his hands over his head in a defensive pose.
"Eh? Why would I do that?" the voice answered.
Koushirou slowly and cautiously looks up and around to see a red insect-like creature with two pairs of arms, stumpy legs, and yellow eyes.
"A sentential…. insectoid lifeform," Koushirou said, whose body starts to tremble, both from fear and excitement.
"Whacha you saying?" the insect said, tilting its head.
"I-It's nothing. Who or what are you?" Koushirou said, trying to calm down while standing up.
"I'm Tentomon, a digimon," Tentomon said. "Who are you?"
"K-Koushirou. Izumi Koushirou. I'm a human," Koushirou said, placing a hand on his chest. "Hm? A digimon?"
"Oh. A human. So what brings you here in Bug Terminal, Koushirou-han?" Tentomon said.
"Han?" Koushirou said, confused by the unexpected name, but shook his head. "It seems that I am lost of a sorts and I was wondering if there is a way I can get home."
"Hmmm, I am not really sure. Maybe the commander would know," Tentomon said crossing its upper arms.
"The commander? So is he the one in charge here?" Koushirou said.
"Yep," Tentomon said. "If you like, I can take you to meet the commander."
"If that's the case," Koushirou said with nervous smile. "Take me to your leader."
"Cough! Cough!"
Jyou was crouched over on all fours, coughing out water from his mouth, his body and his clothes soaking wet.
Sometime after Jyou woke up, he found himself wandering around a lake while trying to find other humans when an unknown creature with orange/yellow fur and black spikes on its back came out of nothing and bump into him, which causes him to slip and fell into the body of water. As he couldn't swim, Joe was flailing underwater until he felt something pushing his back and leading his body towards the water surface.
"Are you ok?" A voice said as Joe felt someone patting him on his back.
"I think so. You saved me," Jyou said.
When he looked up to see his savior, Joe saw a strange seal creature with white and purple fur. It had yellow eyes and orange hair.
"What's wrong?" The creature asked.
"Wah! The seal is talking to me!" Jyou said, who was shocked, fell on his butt.
"I am not a seal, I am Gomamon," the digimon said. "Who are you?"
"K-Kido Jyou," the older boy said. "Ano, are there any adults in this place?"
"Of course there are, if you look hard enough," Gomamon said as it pointed at the middle of the lake, where by chance a sea serpent creature sprouts from the water, exposing its yellow head with green scales and white underbelly.
"Hiiiieee!" Jyou said, seeing the serpent causes him to back away from the lake.
"Ne, why are you looking an adult?" Gomamon said as the serpent dive back into the lake.
"Isn't it obvious? Normally, it's the adults who are in charge," Jyou said. "Anyway, who is in charge of this whole place?"
"If it's that, it would be the commander," Gomamon said as if something came to its mind. "I can take you to that digimon if you like."
"Eh? You would do that for me?" Jyou said.
"Well, I got nothing else to do. Besides, this may get interesting," Gomamon said with a knowing smile.
While confused, Jyou decided to have the digimon lead him to where he needs to be.
"It's so dark in here."
Hikari was walking for what felt like hours in an unknown corridor after waking up.
There was little light, amidst dim lights hanging on the walls.
"Oni-chan. Where are you?" Hikari said, her hand on the wall.
Being separated from her brother and the others, Hikari couldn't help but feel scared.
As she reaches an intersection, she saw a shadow coming towards her quickly from one of the direction.
"Ah!" Hikari said.
All of a sudden, a petit dog-like creature walking on all fours ran out, who stopped abrupt from seeing the girl. The dog had blue eyes and fine skin, with a golden ring around its neck. It was carrying what looked like a paper bag in its mouth.
"A digimon?" Hikari deducted as she takes a step forward.
The dog took a few steps back, its body and hairs standing up.
"It's ok, I won't hurt you," Hikari said gently, crouching down, trying to make herself look small.
After seeing that Hikari was not a threat, the digimon relaxes and places the bag on the floor.
"Who are you?" The dog digimon said in a childish voice.
"My name is Yagami Hikari," the girl said with a smile. "What's yours?"
"I am Plotmon," the digimon said, before looking around. "What are you doing here all by yourself?"
"I don't know. When I woke up, I was here," Hikari said, her face fell after being reminded of her situation.
"So you are lost, ha?" Plotmon said, knitting its eyebrow. "If you like, I can help you."
"You would do that for me?" Hikari said, looking mildly surprised.
"Well, I can't just leave you here to wonder this place alone," Plotmon said. "Follow me."
After picking up the bag with its mouth, Plotmon gestures to the girl to walk with it.
"What is this crazy place?!"
Mimi was sitting on a fallen wooden log in a clearing of an unfamiliar forest.
Earlier, she woke up to find herself in in the middle of this place.
As she was walking, Mimi came across literal living tree stumps, who stare at her with the same bewilderment as her, prompting her to scream at them and run away.
"This feels like a dream," Mimi said, looking down. "Or a nightmare."
"Are you ok?" A voice said.
When she lifts her head, Mimi saw a strange plant-like creature with green skin and a flower on its head.
"A plant is talking to me," Mimi said softly with wide eyes in disbelief. "Now I know this is a dream."
"I am not just a plant," I'm Palmon, Palmon said, its vine hands on its hip. "Who are you?"
"Mimi. Tachikawa Mimi," the girl said with tears ready to fall from her eyes. "Mou, I can't take this anymore."
"Ah! Don't cry," Palmon said with a panicked expression, before placing its hands on the girl's knees. "Don't worry. It will be alright."
"Thank you, Palmon" Mimi said, seeing that the creature was worried about her.
"Is there any way I can help?" Palmon said.
"Well, I want to go home," Mimi said.
"Home?" Palmon said, who looked unsure. "Where is that?"
"Where? In Tokyo, of course," Mimi said, stating the obvious.
"I don't know where that is. Hmmmmm. Maybe if we went to the portal room, we can find where this Tokyo is," Palmon said.
"Then, what are we waiting for? Let's go!" Mimi said with an excited look.
After standing up and adjusting her dress, Mimi walked with Palmon out of the area.
"Taichi!" Sora said.
When the elevator door opened again, they saw a girl standing in front of them.
"Sora! I'm glad you are safe," Taichi said before seeing someone beside her. "That digimon is.."
"This is Piyomon. She saved me just awhile ago," Sora said with a smile.
"Please to meet you," Piyomon said before the two enter the elevator.
As Taichi and Sora talked about their situations, they reach the floor of their destination.
"Everyone!"
After they exit the elevator, they saw Koushirou running to them along with an unfamiliar girl and two other digimon.
"Koushirou!" Taichi said. "Did you just get here?"
"Hai! It seems that we got the same idea," Koushirou said.
"Who is this, Koushirou-kun?" Sora said.
"This is Mimi-san. She is in the same grade as me and got caught in the vortex like us," Koushirou said.
"Ne, does anyone knows what's going on?" Mimi said.
"Oiii!"
The children turn to see a tall boy wearing glasses making his way to them.
"Who is that?" Taichi said. The other children didn't seem to know either.
"I'm glad I'm not the only one here!" Jyou said with a relieved expression before noticing the other digimon. "Wa! There are more of you!"
"Hey now! They are my friends, Jyou," a seal digimon next to him said.
"AH!"
The children heard someone yelling, prompting them to run in the direction of the scream.
They found Takeru sitting on the ground, who was staring at a window with a stunned expression. Next to him was a small digimon using its ears to hovering over him, looking concerned.
"Takeru!" Yamato yelled as he went to hug his little brother.
"Oni-chan!" Takeru said, after shaking off his shock. The presence of his older brother brought comfort as he hugged back.
"I'm glad I found you," Yamato said with a relieved smile. "Why did you yell out like that?"
"Ah! That…" Takeru said as he pointed at the window.
When the other children look through the window, they saw something that they never thought of seeing. It was Earth, which meant only one thing.
"We are in SPACCEEEE?!" The children screamed while the digimon look confused.
"I don't believe this," Taichi said as he went closer to the window to get a better look.
"It really is. How is this possible?" Yamato said.
"Why?" Agumon said.
"In the first place, we normally can't survive in space, not with extensive preparations," Koushirou said nervously.
"Now that you mention it, that's true," Sora said, who hugs her body.
"T-This is bad!" Jyou said, who looks panicked.
"But aren't we in space right now?" Mimi said.
"We have been living here since we were born, so we never really noticed," Patamon said.
"I think you guys should be fine," Gomamon said.
"Do you feel anything different?" Gabamon said.
"I don't think so," Takeru said, touching areas of his body.
"I had no idea that this is where you live, Agumon," Taichi said, looking at the digimon.
"So that's why we were never able to find the location of the digimon," Koushirou said. "In any case, we should share what we know so far."
The children and child digimon briefly introduce each other as well as talk about their experience after waking up as well as the reason for coming to this floor.
"You don't have to do this," Plotmon said.
Minutes after meeting each other and walking in the corridor under Plotmon's instructions, Hikari offered to hold the bag for the digimon, who hesitantly accepted.
"It's no problem at all," Hikari said. "Besides, I want to talk to you more. What are you doing in such a dark place?"
"Just errands," Plotmon said. "It's faster using these corridors."
A loud sound of metal being crushed followed by a slight shaking echoed in the corridor coming from behind them, causing the two to jump slightly.
"What was that?" Hikari said as they both look over their shoulders.
They saw a large shadow from across the other side of the corridor moving in their direction, accompanied by slushing noises.
"This is bad" Plotmon said, its body trembling intensely before yelling in a louder voice. "Hikari, Run!"
The group of children and child digimon stood outside a certain room with a large double doors.
"Are you sure he's in there?" Taichi said.
"Yeah. I can definitely sense the commander's presence inside," Agumon said.
The dinosaur digimon puts its hand on the panel, in which doors to open in seconds.
When they went inside the room, they would see a wide empty room.
"What is this place?" Sora said, who looks around.
"This is one of the training room on the ship," Piyomon said.
"Training? For what?" Taichi said.
"So you really came?" A deep voice said.
Out of thin air, a digimon appeared in the center of the room.
All the children gasped, but not just because of the stranger's mystic entrance.
The digimon had the appearance of a lion with wild orange hair and its upper fangs protruding out, standing on its two feet. Its upper chest, arms, and legs were equipped with metal armor.
"Who are you?!" Taichi said.
"Taichi, that is the commander!" Agumon said, pointing at the digimon.
"What?!" Taichi said.
"That is right. My name is GrapLeomon, I am the commander of this ship, [Archive]." the digimon said as it started walking towards them.
As it got closer, the children were surprised to see that the commander was nearly three times as bigger as them.
"So you are the one who brought us here?" Koushirou deducted.
"That's right," the commander said punctually as it stopped within a few feet from the children.
"Eh?!" All the child digimon said out of shock.
"But why would you do that?" Gabamon said.
"Because it's the only way," GrapLeomon said. "And for that, I take full responsibility for my actions."
What happened next was not anyone would have expected.
In one swift motion, the commander kneels down, put its hands on the ground, and lower its head so low and fast that its forehead hit the ground, making the room shake while making a hole from the impact, surprising everyone.
"W-What are you doing, commander?" Gabamon said.
"I think he is doing a dozeru," Koushirou said.
"What is that, Koushirou-han?" Tentomon said.
"A dozeru is a formal way of apologizing although that was a little bit extreme," Jyou said.
"I'm truly sorry for bringing you all here, but I have to see it for myself," the commander said, its head still on the ground.
"Ok. Ok. We get it. Just calm down," Gomamon said, putting its hands up with palms out.
"See what exactly?" Taichi said, taking a step forward.
"On whether humans have the ability to influence digivolution," the commander said, lifting its head up looking at Taichi. "You were the one from before."
"M-Me?" Taichi said.
"I saw Agumon's solo fight from our monitors," the commander said, who was already back on its feet. "Moments before Agumon digivolved, your body glowed the same color as Agumon. I feel that it was more than a coincidence."
"Really?" Taichi said who was surprised.
"Things were happening so fast, so you wouldn't had noticed," the commander said.
"But why? And how did I do that?" Taichi said.
"I don't know myself, but this is a discovery that may turn the tide in our fight against our enemy," Grapleomon said.
"The enemy? You mean those things that have been attacking our world?" Taichi said. "Just what are they?"
BLEE! BLEE! BLEE!
Suddenly, red lights started flashing in the room along with a loud blaring sound, putting everyone on alert.
"What now?!" Mimi said.
"Warning! Warning! All units in Section G. There is a breach. I repeat. All units in Section G. There is a breach." A mechanical voice said over the intercom.
"Can we get a visual on the situation, Andromon?!" Grapleomon said as the digimon turn its head upward while standing up.
A rectangular clear screen pop out of nowhere and floating in the air, to the surprise of the children.
"What is that?" Jyou said.
From the visual, everyone in the room could see the image of what looked like an amorphous black blob moving in the area that it invaded.
"That's the enemy!" Gabamon said.
"Not again!" Tentomon said.
"Again?" Koushirou said.
"Lately, they've been attacking the ship the last few days," Gomamon said.
"Ah! Look there!" Sora said, pointing at certain point of the visual.
Ahead In the pathway of the blob, there was a girl carrying a small digimon, running away from it.
"Hikari!" Taichi said with a horrified expression.
"That's Plotmon!" Piyomon said.
"Plotmon?" Takeru said.
"Plotmon is also one of our friends," Palmon said.
"Oh no, They're in big trouble!" Patamon said.
"Such a thing… happening on my watch," Grapleomon said, gritting its teeth before running towards the door, holding its forearm close to its face. "Seal the corridors of the breach! Don't let it get in further! All personnel close to Section G are to intercept the enemy!"
When the commander left from the room, it took seconds for the children and child digimon to react.
"Taichi! We have to save Hikari and Plotmon!" Agumon said.
"Yeah. Let's hurry!" Taichi said as the two start running after the commander.
"W-Wait, Taichi!" Sora said.
"Taichi!" Yamato said.
Whether it was not wanting to stay behind and left alone while things are happening or out of concern for their friend, the rest of the children run after Taichi, along with the digimon that accompanied their respective children.
While they were trailing behind commander, they were able to watch the visual that was moving with them of the incident at the other side.
"Make a left turn!" Plotmon said.
Hikari was running and breathing heavily, carrying Plotmon in her arms.
The enemy could be seen from the distance. However, it was starting to close in on them. On top of that, they noticed that the walls of the disintegrated as it came into contact with the surface of the enemy, showing how dangerous it was.
As they are able to see the nearest door from a horizon,
"Hikari! Go pass the door! Help should be coming soon, Plotmon said who escape from the girl's embrace and jump to stand between Hikari and the enemy, who was menacingly approaching the two.
"But what about you?" Hikari said with a worried look, who stopped running and looked back.
"I will try to hold it off," Plotmon said, who was facing the enemy, bearing its teeth and growling.
"You can't," Hikari said, her voice shaky. "It's too big."
"They are the enemy of us Digimon. They must not get further into the ship," Plotmon said with resolve in its eyes.
As they were talking, the enemy catches up to them, towering over the petit digimon.
"Don't worry about me, Hikari." Plotmon said, looking behind her before running straight to the center of the enemy. "Now, hurry!"
"Plotmon… Don't…," Hikari said, tears flowing from her eyes as she couldn't bear it anymore. "NOOOOOOOO!"
As if reacting to her desperate pleas, a white light begins to emit from the girl's body, with pink light appearing on the markings on the black ring around her neck.
Plotmon, who stopped running due to light, was also engulfed in in.
"What is happening?!" Plotmon said.
The intense light swells and forces the enemy to stop.
From the light, something launches itself into the enemy, which was suddenly assaulted in consecutive strikes in the midpoint and pushed away from the girl, who was still stunned from the light.
This went on until the appearance of the commander and the light fades away.
"Get Back!" Grapleomon said, as it pull back one of its arms while running.
The turbines on the forearm start spinning at a rapid speed.
"Lion Beast Wave Slash!"
When the commander's punch landed directly on the enemy's center, the force of the punch rippled throughout the body of the enemy, destroying it from the inside. Unable to maintain its form, the enemy starts to dissolve into light fragments until there was nothing left.
The children, who arrived seconds later, were amazed at the strength of the commander, defeating such a large enemy with just one punch.
"What is the situation of the breach?" The commander said, who looks up.
"There are no problems. The breach has been sealed off," the metallic voice said.
While GrapLeomon was communicating with someone over the intercom, Taichi went straight to her sister.
"Hikari! Are you ok?" Taichi said, who hugs his sister tightly before looking for any signs of injury.
"I'm ok, but Plotmon…" Hikari said as she break away from her brother's grasp and looks for the digimon.
"I'm alright, Hikari," an unfamiliar mature voice said.
When the siblings look at who was talking, they saw a white cat with yellow gloves and light blue eyes, walking on its legs to them. On its tail was a golden ring.
"Plotmon?" Hikari said, surprised by the new form that was different from the previous dog appearance.
"Right now, I am not Plotmon. I am Tailmon," the cat digimon said with confidence.
"Tailmon?" Hikari said.
"That's right," Tailmon said, looking at its hands. "It seems that I have digivolved."
"You really did!" Agumon said as the rest of the child digimon surrounding the adult digimon.
"Agumon" Tailmon said. "And everyone."
"I can't believe it!" Piyomon said.
"How did you do it?" Patamon said.
"I don't really know it myself, but…" Tailmon said, looking specific at Hikari.
"It seems that I was right about my hunch," GrapLeomon said.
"What do you mean, commander?" Tailmon said, who looked confused.
After making sure there were no more breaches, they left the area.
"I wanted to say again that I apologize for putting you in danger," GrapLeomon said. "That was not my intention."
Back at the room where they entered, the children and digimon were sitting in a circle with the commander in the middle. Hikari and Tailmon were brought up to speed of what they talked about prior to the attack.
"That was not your fault," Tailmon said.
"It's not just that. Confirming my theory about the connection between humans and digivolution was not the only reason I brought you all here," the commander said.
"Then, what?" Yamato said.
"I wanted to tell you about another digimon on this ship by the name of Baalmon... the one responsible for putting the rings on your kind," Grapleomon said as it uses its hand to touch its neck area.
This bold revelation was met with silence and then….
"EH?!" The children said with shocked expressions. At the same time,
"BAALMON?!" The child digimon and Tailmon said with louder voices, startling the children.
"Agumon, you know that digimon?" Taichi said.
"There isn't any mon on this ship who doesn't know about Baalmon," Gabamon said with a worried look.
"A very strong and scary digimon," Palmon said.
"We never saw the digimon in person before, but the things we have heard about it were not good," Tailmon said with a solemn look.
"'If you want to free the humans of the rings, then you will have to defeat me.' That is what Baalmon told me," the commander said with a serious expression.
"Y-You're kidding," Jyou said. "We have to fight such a terrifying digimon? It's impossible."
"Why is someone like that here in the first place?!" Mimi said with anger.
"It may be hard to believe, but Baalmon has contributed much in our efforts against the enemy," The commander said in a low, calm voice. "If anything, Baalmon hates the enemy to such a great degree, enough to do whatever it takes to defeat them. Although it seems that I underestimated how far the mon is willing to go."
"You mean you didn't know what he would do?" Taichi said.
"It wasn't until it was too late that we learned of Baalmon's actions," the commander said, closing its eyes. "And Baalmon is the only one who can deactivate the rings."
"We didn't know about it either, Taichi," Agumon said, referring to the other digimon.
"But aren't you working together?" Koushirou said, looking at Grapleomon.
"We are, but it is what Baalmon wants, so there won't be any complaints from anyone on the ship if you choose to fight," the commander said with a smirk.
"But to defeat Baalmon? Are you serious?" Gomamon said.
"That's right. We're just child digimon. What can we do?" Patamon said.
"We can," Agumon said, who stood up.
"Agumon?" Gabamon said.
"And what makes you think we can do something?" Tentomon said.
"You all saw what happened with Tailmon," Agumon said. "And it happened to me not long ago. If humans can help us digivolve, then we can become strong enough to defeat Baalmon and the enemy."
"I want to help too," Taichi said.
"Taichi? What are you saying?" Sora said, who was enraged and worried at the same time.
"If there is a way to get these things off us, then we should do it," Taichi said.
"I get what you two are saying," Gabamon said. "However, even if humans can help digimon digivolve, how do we know if it works for us? I mean, we don't even know how it works or whether if the rest of us can do it."
"I don't know, but somehow I feel it," Agumon said, putting its claw to its chest. "Ever since I first met Taichi and Hikari, the feeling I have then is still here. I just know it."
"That could just be a big coincidence," Gomamon said.
"But, is it really?" Agumon said.
"What do you mean?" Patamon said.
"You all met humans for the first time," Agumon said, looking at its friends. "Not only you help them out, but also stay by their side instead of leaving them to some other digimon. Why would you do so much for someone you don't know?"
Agumon's question made the other digimon quiet.
"Is helping strangers not a normal occurrence for digimon?" Koushirou whispered to Tentomon.
"We usually keep to ourselves and do what we are told on the ship," Tentomon said. "But you did look like you needed help at the time, Koushirou-han."
"For me, I saw Sora in trouble and helped her. It happened so fast, so I didn't think much of it," Piyomon said, pointing at Sora.
"It was the same with me and Jyou, but it could just be that we are just very nice digimon who like to help others," Gomamon said. "Also, this wouldn't be the first time we just went along with the ride."
"But we won't know unless we try," Agumon said.
"I agree with Agumon," Tailmon said, who went and held Hikari's hands with her own.
"Tailmon?" Hikari said.
"At the moment when I digivolve, I felt a light flowing to me and I somehow knew right away that it came from you. I believe I was able to digivolve because of you and for that, I am really grateful, Hikari," Tailmon said with a gentle smile before making a more firm expression. "However, our fight will not be easy and you will be in put in great danger as long as you are with us. That's why, whatever Hikari decides to do, I will respect your wishes."
"Tailmon," Hikari said.
"Ahem," GrapLeomon said, who cleared its throat and stood up to get their attention. "I'm sure that this is a lot to take in all at once. For now, we should return you children to your homes and let you think about what we talked about."
The children then realized. They didn't know how long they have been on this ship. It would be a huge problem if they disappear without letting their parents know.
"And you are just letting us go so easily?" Koushirou said with a skeptical expression. "I mean, I feel like we just learn something that we shouldn't have."
"I'm sure," GrapLeomon said. "Something tells me that this won't be the last time we'll be meeting each other."
The children and digimon then follow the commander to a different room on the same floor.
"This place is.." Taichi said as the children look around.
"This is where the portals are located. They allows us to transport our forces to anywhere on Earth and back," the commander said.
"That would explain how you appear and disappear so quickly," Koushirou said, looking the room with fascination.
"The portal is ready," a nasally voice said.
In the center of the room was a large control panel with blinking lights, knobs, and buttons, where something was moving, a short robotic digimon with two long wire-like arms and four legs.
"Who is that?" Hikari said.
"This is Nanomon, who monitor the activity of the portals as well as other technology on this ship," Grapleomon said.
"Honestly. I don't understand what good bringing children here will do," Nanomon said with a huff. "Even if you are the commander, there should be a limit to your recklessness."
"Such a rude guy," Mimi said with furrowed eyebrows.
"Don't worry about it. Nanomon is like that with everyone in the ship as well," Palmon said.
The commander then told the children to step onto a circular platform facing a large portal.
"Begin Scanning," Nanomon said.
Red circular light beams appear from the ceiling and move through the bodies of the children.
"What is happening?!" Jyou said.
"Awhile ago, we were fighting the enemy and somehow Agumon accidentally entered an active portal and got sent to the location of the last mission, which was Tokyo. We were so focused on damage control of the ship that we didn't notice that Agumon was not on the ship right away and it took some time to find Agumon's location. Because of what happened, we set up a safety measure so that no digimon go into the portal by accident," Grapleomon explained.
After the scanning was done, a familiar swirling green vortex begin to form and expand at the center of the portal.
"Woah!" The children was in awe.
"So cool!" Takeru said.
"Portal stabilized," Nanomon said. "All systems green."
"In any case, we will send a messenger at a later time to bring you to the ship," the commander said. "Until then, we await your decision, children.
"Wait! If we go through the portal, then wouldn't be falling from the sky?" Mimi said, remembering how they came to the ship.
"Don't worry about that, we put the coordination to a location close to where you came from," the commander said with an assuring voice.
"So we just walk into the portal?" Taichi said as he walks closer to the portal.
"That's right, although sometimes we can adjust the gravitational force to suck up our forces if needed to," the commander said.
"Like how we got here," Sora said.
After saying goodbye to the digimon, the children cautiously enter the portal one by one until they were gone, the vortex disappearing behind them.
"Whoa!"
The inside of the portal looked like they were traveling through an electric current of a power line with layers of colored lights surrounding them.
As quickly they enter the portal, within less than a minute, they find themselves in a remote area not that far from where they were abducted. Moreover, it was late afternoon judging from the sun's position.
"We are really back!" Jyou said.
Seeing how the events within the last few hours left them exhausted, the children decided to return to their homes.
[Later that evening]
"No, Hikari," Taichi said with a stern look.
Taichi was sitting on his bed with Hikari facing him.
"But Oni-chan.." Hikari said with a pleading, but determined look.
"Don't argue with me. You heard them. It will be dangerous and I can't risk you putting yourself in danger like what happened today," Taichi said with a similar expression as his sister.
"But what about you, Oni-chan? I know you won't stand by while Agumon and the others are fighting," Hikari said with a serious expression.
"Well, that's…" Taichi said, trying to come with a response.
"That is also my answer. If Oni-chan is going, then I am, too," Hikari said, who was not backing down on this.
"But, Hikari…" Taichi said, who looked hesitant.
"Besides, I will have Tailmon with me. I want…. to be of help to everyone too," Hikari said, putting her hands together. "Please, Oni-chan. I promise I won't get in the way and I will be very careful."
"… I guess it can't be helped. Since when did you get so rebellious?" Taichi said. "I have never seen you this stubborn."
"Well, I did learn from the best," Hikari said in a nonchalant voice and with a smile.
"Somehow, I can't tell if I should be proud or offended," Taichi said with a smirk.
"What a day," Jyou said, who was lying on his stomach as he contemplate about today's events.
He was supposed to study for exams, but somehow got dragged into something that was beyond anything he could imagine.
"Should I tell someone? No. Even if I tell them, they would just call me crazy or worse," Jyou said. "In the first place, what can I do? Even if the whole world is at stake, will I be able to anything about it?"
Jyou's mind was filled with doubts and thoughts as he took off his glasses and closes his eyes.
"I'm tired," Mimi said.
The girl just finished taking a bath and drying her hair.
She was thinking about her adventure in space and what she learned.
It definitely scared her at the thought of fighting and getting hurt.
Then she remembered Palmon, who she befriended today.
"That little digimon is going to fight all those terrible monsters," Mimi said. "But what about me?"
"Did you get home safely, Oni-chan?" Takeru said, who was calling his brother over the phone.
"Yeah, I did," Yamato said.
After walking his brother home, Yamato returned to his apartment. As expected, his father was working late and not at home when he came back.
"Ne, Oni-chan?" Takeru said.
"What is it?" Yamato said.
"Have you decided what to do?" Takeru said with hesitation.
"... I am not sure. This is bigger than anyone of us," Yamato said. "What about you?"
"Well, the thing is…." Takeru said.
"Seriously, what is her problem!" Sora said with an irritated expression as she lay on her back on her futon, wearing her yellow pajamas.
When she returned home, Sora was greeted by the mother, who was questioning her whereabouts after returning home late. If only her mother knew what she went through today, not that she could tell her.
After their usual banter, Sora went into her room in frustration, only coming out to eat dinner and take a bath.
Looking at her hand, the girl remember her meeting with Piyomon.
"Her hand was warm," Sora said as she interlace her fingers together.
While worried about the whole thing, there was another feeling deep inside in Sora that she couldn't explain.
"What an unexpected turn of events," Koushiro said.
The red-haired boy was inside his room after dinner with his parents, rapidly typing something on his laptop.
Koushirou never imagined meeting the source of the events and learning about the severity of the situation as well as the truth of the black rings. He will have to discuss with Taichi and the others tomorrow about what to do with this new information.
"I wonder what other secrets I will be able to find out," Koushirou said, filled with eagerness he hasn't felt in a long time.
Deep within the ship, there was a room enveloped in darkness, with only the green light from the clear liquid circulating inside several glass containers.
Floating at the center of the middle tank was a human-like body wearing a white and gray cloak and pants, whose face was obscured by a blue headscarf, showing part of its face and a mesh of dull yellow hair.
On a single round table in the room was an orb with the color of space, emitting a small glow.
Slowly, its eyes open, revealing an ominous red glow.
Now faced with astonishing revelations and more to come, what will the children do?
The next chapter will be much longer, so it's hard to tell when it will be posted.
With that said, stay tuned for the next update.
Reviews, comments, and suggestions are welcomed. Thank you for reading.