With introductions out of the way, the next objective for the different groups of Chosen Children was to try and meet up. That was easier said than done due to the distance between them (a product of their misfortune when the gate started to drag them through in the first place), but they were able to make at least some progress despite this roadblock appearing in their path from the very beginning. The Harmonious Ones were able to traverse the Digital World much faster than the groups would have been able to move by walking. The Digimon were, for the most part, still struggling to find the energy to evolve, so the outside assistance was most certainly appreciated in ways that the Chosen Children could only barely hope to explain to others.
Koushiro, Miyako, Ken, and Meiko were sitting on the back of Huanglongmon alongside their partners and Maki as they continued their journey through the Digital World. Huanglongmon's walking speed was admittedly impressive when he was trying to move quickly, though because there were so many people on his back, he was unable to run the way that he would have done otherwise. Koushiro was fine with this since he knew that the running would undoubtedly be disorienting to him and likely other members of his team. He was used to flying as his partner's primary method of transportation, and he didn't think that was going to change anytime soon. He couldn't see AtlurKabuterimon suddenly becoming strong in the department of running out of the blue.
After Huanglongmon had been moving for a solid fifteen minutes or so, he began to come to a halt after slowing down significantly. Maki slid off his back and gestured for the rest of the group to do the same. "There's food around here," Maki said simply. Even if she hadn't been in the Digital World for over fifteen years, she was still able to pick up on the necessary signs from her partner's actions to be sure that this was the reason for Huanglongmon to stop in his journey through the realm.
The rest of the Chosen Children followed her lead, and Huanglongmon lowered himself to the ground so that they didn't have to jump quite as far to reach the ground. He remained down even after the fact, taking this as a chance to rest before they were forced to keep moving once again. Maki had explained briefly that Huanglongmon was primarily stationary, looking over the Wall of Fire when he felt that there was a disturbance. Huanglongmon was the one who had spent years ensuring that Apocalymon didn't break free, and when the Dark Masters sealed him away, that was when the evil Digimon was finally given the chance to roam through the Digital World without anyone to stop him. As such, Huanglongmon mostly stayed in that single location since there wasn't much of a reason for him to leave and see what the rest of the world had to offer to him.
Maki was quick to walk the group over to a set of trees that dotted the area. They had moved out of the dusty and abandoned desert area where they had been previously when the fight against Assaultmon took place, and while the ground was still mostly barren and covered with empty dirt, there were a few natural features that dotted the space if one looked close enough to find them. Maki reached up to a tree and pulled down a fruit that was hanging from the branches, and she examined it with a passive yet curious gaze. "It seems to me as if things are still at least somewhat similar to how they were fifteen years ago," she muttered. "This isn't exactly what I'm used to, but at least it's something." She took a bite into the fruit without much care for the potential ramifications of such an action, and she nodded to herself. "It tastes good enough. Come on over here, everyone. You might as well give this a try if you think that you need food. Actually, I'll go on and answer that question for you; all of you definitely need to get this into your systems."
Koushiro didn't hesitate as he walked over to the tree, and he reached up and pulled a fruit off a branch that was hanging low enough for him to reach it. He took a bite a moment later and was met with a lovely sweet taste in response. It was certainly nice, and he appreciated it after the issues that they had struggled with previously due to a lack of sustenance to evolve. Tentomon flew to the upper segment of the tree and started pulling off the ripest of fruits before carrying them down en masse towards the ground. From there, he distributed them freely among the remaining members of the group.
"Cool," Miyako whispered as she smiled and took a bite of the fruit in her hand. "Oh, this is good. I'm glad that we stopped for this when we did. I was really starting to get hungry. All of that moving around in Odaiba completely burned off what we had from the store back home."
"And then after we finished off the last of the snacks that we brought here from the store, then we were still tired from moving around both back in Odaiba and then having to run around like crazy here," Meiko concluded with a light smile. It was nice to see her at least a bit less tense than she had been previously, though it was clear that her grin was still somewhat stunted and struggling to thrive the way that it deserved to. "At least we're here now. Let's try to eat as much as we can before we keep going."
"We're getting closer now anyways, so if all goes according to plan, we shouldn't have any other issues from here to our destination. We're going to put in as much effort as we can to keep moving for the time being. After all, the last thing that we want is to keep everyone else waiting. There's a lot to search for and find out right about now, so we should go on and do what we can," Maki declared. It was almost surprising how easily she was able to slip back into the persona of a Chosen Child ready to take on the world and then some. Her commandeering and dominating nature had undoubtedly come about as a byproduct of the adventures that she and the rest of her team had once shared in the Digital World.
The group began to sit down in a circle after that, and Maki leaned backwards against the tree as her eyes slipped shut. Huanglongmon kept an attentive eye on all of them from afar, not getting too close because he was not needed in that moment but still ensuring that they were safe. It seemed to Koushiro that Huanglongmon's many years working as a guardian for one of the most dangerous creatures in the Digital World had left him on edge and concerned for the safety of others, though he believed that was natural enough. If he was in that position, he likely would have succumbed to the same urges, after all.
"Is there anything else that you want to tell us about your previous adventures in the Digital World?" Ken asked as he took another bite of the fruit in his hands. His question was posed simply and kindly as he smiled in Maki's direction, clearly a way to try and fill the silence with conversation until they were able to fill the gap between the present moment and the start of their continued journey to meet up with the rest of the Chosen Children at their future destination.
Maki paused at his words, clearly trying to think them over. She shrugged for a moment before leaning forwards. "What do you want to know?" she questioned eventually. "I remember a lot about our time here, though I guess that's to be expected. When you go through something like this, you know from the beginning that it isn't something that you're going to forget at any point in your lifespan."
"What was it like meeting your partner?" Miyako inquired, leaning forward with a small smile on her face as her curiosity came out to play in full. "I know that everybody meets their partner in a different way, and I want to hear about it."
Maki smiled gently, and she glanced over to Huanglongmon with nothing short of pure affection in her eyes. "We met by pure chance. After the six of us arrived in the Digital World, we were all pretty confused and didn't understand what was happening. Given that we had been transported to an entirely different world, that made sense. We were wandering around in confusion when we were attacked by an enemy Digimon. A few of the others found their partners then since they were trying to save us from the enemy, but... Bakumon was always a bit different fro them," she replied.
When Maki laughed, her giggles were filled with gentle love. "He was hiding from the Digimon because he didn't want to get hurt. He wound up attaching himself to me because he thought that I was 'strong with a nice heart'. He never really liked fighting much but understood that it was necessary. In a way, I guess it makes sense that he was the one who wound up getting the guardian job to look after Apocalymon and make sure that he didn't break free. After all, that meant that he was saving people in his own special way, and he's always been the defensive sort," she continued to explain.
"Your Digivices were formed in a different way from ours as well, yes?" Koushiro asked. She had mentioned that briefly in her explanation of the past, though she hadn't ever gone into detail since Maki had been so focused on getting the group closer to their destination.
Maki nodded. "Yeah. They weren't created by Homeostasis or anything. When the two of us wound up becoming closer after a while, the Digivices just kind of showed up out of the blue. It was a physical manifestation of our bond granted to us by the Digital World or something like that. I'm pretty sure that's how Hiraku described it at the time. He's always been more analytical than the rest of us, so it makes sense that he would figure something like that out right off the bat," she answered with a loose shrug. "It took a while for the Digivices to show up though. It wasn't until after we had been with our partners for about a week that anything happened since we had to bond."
"The Digital World often responds to the wishes of children in order to change itself. That happened when we first began coming to the Digital World," Ken commented, gesturing between himself and Miyako as he spoke. "I suppose that was true even back when you were first in the Digital World as well."
"I bet so. The Digital World is still the same at heart even though it's been reshaped a thousand times over now... That's my assumption, anyways. I don't actually have a number for that, but I don't think that I really need one. The point is that this place is always changing in ways large and small, and that's part of what makes it so beautiful. It reformed after our final battle to seal away Apocalymon. At the time, we didn't realize the true power that we held, and that was why we could only seal him away. Once Apocalymon was gone, Homeostasis was born, and the Digital World started to change. It expelled us from there, and that was how we wound up back on Earth. Only a few hours had passed since we left even though we were gone for months in the Digital World," Maki said with a light sigh. "Things are different now, but... That's how it used to be."
"At least everything is fine now, right?" Meiko questioned, her voice holding a note of a waver that she did her best to cover up. "You're here with your partners again, and everything is back to the way that it should be... I bet that the others will be able to explain everything else when we get back together. You said that they were here too, right?"
"I can feel them," Maki answered bluntly. "I've been able to do that ever since coming here. I think that Chisane can do it too. She doesn't really talk about that stuff much anymore. She doesn't talk about a lot of things related to the Digital World, as a matter of fact. I guess that it's something for me to grill her on when we see the rest of the team again though. This might be a perfect time for us to get moving once again. It looks like the rest of you are done with eating for the time being, after all."
Sure enough, the Chosen Children and their partners had rounded off the last of their fruit, giving them no better choice but to jump back into action and see what it was that was set to be next for them. Maki started to push herself to her feet, but before she could fully reach Huanglongmon, she stopped walking, and her eyes narrowed with something agitated and almost sinister. "Hold on," she declared, and the rest of the Chosen Children, working to follow her lead, stopped in their tracks without a beat of hesitation. "We aren't alone. There are other Digimon around here, and if I had to take a guess, they aren't going to be our friends."
Koushiro was about to open his mouth and ask how it was that Maki was able to sense both the other members of her team and the potential of a nearby Digimon, but he was cut off by the ground suddenly shaking. An attack had landed dangerously close to them, and while none of the Chosen Children or their partners were harmed in the aftermath, it was clear that they had been the targets. Koushiro was on his feet immediately, and the rest of the group followed suit. Miyako's expression was contorted with twisted anger, and Meiko looked simply terrified of the possibility of another attack. Meiamon snarled with a need for revenge.
There were three of them that had been responsible for the sudden attack, and Koushiro noticed them a few moments later. He couldn't quite make out who the Digimon were, but he was confident that they were going to be unveiled soon enough. For the time being, there were much more important things to focus on. He reached for his Digivice, immediately feeling the pending energy surge that came with an oncoming evolution. If their foes wanted a fight, then they were going to get one.
Huanglongmon's eyes narrowed as he regarded the new arrivals. He had risen to his feet and shifted his body in the direction of the trio of Digimon that were moving closer as the other Digimon in the area evolved for the fight to come. Maki came to stand by his side, one hand pressed gently against his leg as if he was the one thing keeping her from buckling under the pressure of newfound stress. It had been a long time since she had to fight against a Digimon, and this was bound to be a new experience after so much time had passed.
"Tentomon, evolve to... Kabuterimon!"
"Hawkmon, evolve to... Aquilamon!"
"Wormmon, evolve to... Stingmon!"
"Meiamon, evolve to... Meicoomon!"
The four Chosen Children glanced over to one another and nodded firmly, understanding the silent sentiment that came with evolution. If their foes were as strong as their past enemies had been, then they were going to have to kick it up a notch. The Perfect level would only make the coming battle easier, and it wouldn't hurt to have that extra force on their side as they went into what was bound to be another difficult battle.
"Kabuterimon, super evolve to... AtlurKabuterimon!"
"Aquilamon, super evolve to... Silphymon!"
"Stingmon, super evolve to... JewelBeemon!"
"Meicoomon, super evolve to... Meicrackmon!"
With the evolutions finished, Huanglongmon glanced back to the other Digimon in the area. He saw that they were ready for the battle to come and let out a careful breath. "We're up against three Digimon here," he explained. "Their names are Marsmon, Samudramon, and Fujinmon. They're all high-leveled Digimon and extremely powerful, so now is hardly the time to hold back. Give it everything that you have."
Maki nodded at her partner's words. "I'll be here throughout the entire battle. It's been a long time since we fought together this way, but I'm not going to give them the chance to do anything that could harm others," Maki told Huanglongmon simply. Her partner glanced down to her, and their eyes met for a few critical moments in which the rest of the world seemed to disappear in favor of their perfect understanding of one another. Huanglongmon turned his attention back to the fight at hand a few moments later, and Maki did the same as soon as she recognized that there wasn't much time left for them to be reminiscent and nostalgic about the past that they had shared once upon a time.
The other four Digimon in the area, now in their Perfect forms, rushed forward as soon as they thought that the time was right. Marsmon, Samudramon, and Fujinmon were continuing to grow closer, but they were going to do what they could to seek victory. After all, they had come this far, and given what they had fought through in order to reach that point, they had to find a way to come out on the other side proud with victory etched upon their hearts.
Agumon, Gabumon, and Piyomon were all gathered with their partners on Baihumon's back as the group continued to scale the Digital World thanks to Baihumon's fast running pace. They had been able to get some food along the way through a set of fruit trees within the magnificent forest that they wandered into, and that gave the Digimon the ability to reclaim their previous forms at the Child level. They were ready for the next inevitable battle, in other words, and nothing was going to be able to take them by surprise as long as they kept an eye out. It was a weight off everyone's shoulders, and it was clear as could be by the way that the members of the group held themselves that they were grateful for the reprieve from their previous and constant paranoia.
The travels had fallen silent ever since the group clambered back onto Baihumon to continue wandering through the Digital World. Perhaps none of them could think of the right words to breach the silence. The reason for the quiet was ultimately unimportant as far as Taichi was concerned. He was almost glad to have a few moments of peace in which nothing of note was reaching his ears. It gave him the chance to take a step back into his own head and allow himself the chance to take a break. After the nightmare that the day had been up to that point, it only felt right that this opportunity was presented to him. Yamato and Sora had allowed their expressions to grow vacant and faraway as well, a sign that they were following his lead.
In the end, it was Sora who wound up breaking through the veil of quiet that fell over them. She cleared her throat to get the attention of the others in the group, and they started to perk up to pay attention to her as soon as they noticed her urge to speak up. Daigo eyed her with curiosity. "I have a question, if you don't mind," Sora told him with a gentle yet awkward smile. It was perfect in the way that it clashed so completely with the events of the day leading up to that point, and Taichi could appreciate her sincerity in that regard.
"What is it?" Daigo asked, tilting his head to the side. He was facing the rest of the group despite the dangers that it posed to ride on his partner's back while not facing the front. The way that he slipped into the habit with practiced ease made it clear that he had done this more than a few times leading up to his departure from the Digital World years prior.
"I remember hearing at one point that there were set to be new Chosen Children appearing each year," Sora began. "The estimate as of now is that the number of us doubles with each passing year. I was wondering if there was anything that you or the rest of your team knew about that."
Daigo nodded. "As a matter of fact, there is something that I know. The estimation of the number of Chosen Children doubling is accurate. We've noticed as much in our previous investigations into the subject. The number has been doubling every year since 1995. That was why when you first went off to the Digital World, there were eight of you," he explained.
"That would have been helpful to know before the whole fight against Vamdemon," Taichi joked offhandedly, though even he was aware that this was not the best joke to make at any given point. Yamato offered a small yet good-natured smile, though there remained something weary to his eyes. The war against Vamdemon within Odaiba had remained in all of their memories even years later, and Taichi doubted that such a fact was ever going to change.
"Speaking of that, it's almost funny how you wound up searching for Hikari as if she was the eighth child. The truth was, she was the first," Daigo explained. "The Crest of the Light was always the centerpiece of all of the others, though I'm sure that you've figured that much out by now. The Crest of Hope was made to complement it after a while, and the same was true for our generation as well. The Chosen Child of Light was the first one to be decided on, and from there, Hope was selected. Everything spiraled outwards from there, resulting in the rest of you being chosen and then traveling to the Digital World when there were only eight Chosen Children throughout the world."
"And then the number kept rising until we wound up with the rest of our team," Sora concluded, and she was met by a nod from Daigo in response. "I think that all makes sense... Thank you for the explanation. I appreciate it... I didn't realize that Hikari was the first of us to be Chosen though. The mention that the selection process first happened in 1995 makes an awful lot of sense, I have to say..."
"That was the same year as the events in Hikarigaoka," Taichi pointed out, though he supposed that was the point. Even back then, Hikari had been the one to bond primarily with the small black Digimon that appeared at their home, and it made a striking amount of sense that she was the first one to be selected. From there, Takeru was chosen to become part of the team as the natural complementary force to Hikari's light, and everything spiraled outwards until the full team had been selected and was prepared for their quest to the Digital World over the summer of 1999.
"I guess that you've really done your research about all of this... You know so much more than I was expecting you to, especially given that you aren't part of our team," Yamato commented as he raised an eyebrow in Daigo's direction, a clear prompt for a further explanation to be provided.
Daigo snorted and shook his head. "If you want more answers on how all of this was figured out, I would suggest asking Maki about it. She was the one who did all of this research. When she was working as a private investigator, she looked into anything that she thought was related to Digimon. She was desperate for it to eventually lead us back to the Digital World. She was... She became very attached to her Digimon partner for better or worse, and she wanted to see him again no matter what. It seems that it wound up happening even though it wasn't her research that led us back here in the end," he remarked.
Taichi could see the way that Daigo's eyes shifted at the mention of Maki, and he found himself almost confident that there was more to the situation behind Daigo's coworker than met the eye. There just had to be more to her story and her strange yet masked desperation to return to the Digital World once again. Even after fifteen years, she hadn't given up her search to try and find a way to see her partner once more, and Taichi was impressed with her resolve, he had to confess. It was amazing in a way that he struggled to articulate. After all that time, many people would have lost hope, but she managed to power through to the other side.
There must have been a darker dimension to it that he hadn't yet witnessed in full. There was just something about the way that Daigo seemed to handle discussions regarding the team of original Chosen Children that convinced Taichi there was more to this than met the eye. If it was important, then it would come out soon enough, but he wasn't about to pry when he wasn't exactly in a position to ask such deep questions in the first place. There were things from his quest in the Digital World that he wanted to keep quiet, and he had no doubts that Daigo felt much the same way in his own unique fashion. That only made sense given the circumstances as far as Taichi was concerned.
Daigo shrugged it off, noticing the lapse in conversation that came after his explanation. He smiled once again, and the exhaustion behind his gaze suddenly became clear in a way that was almost terrifying. "That's enough of that though. The point is that the number has been doubling for a long time, and it's going to keep doubling for a while too. After all, by the time that the year 2028 arrives, everyone will have a Digimon partner on Earth. That's the way that Apex is going to work, and when that time comes... Well, let's just say that both me and the rest of my team are going to have a lot of work on our plates. You've got a lot ahead of yourselves too since you've always been the leaders to this whole process as the first known group across the world," he pointed out.
"We're going to do what we can for the sake of the other people who wind up with partners in the next few years and beyond!" Piyomon proudly declared. She was much perkier thanks to the food that she and the rest of the Digimon had been given prior to their boarding Baihumon once more, and her eyes shone with light that Taichi had missed while she was exhausted as Pyocomon in the aftermath of the Odaiba fights.
"I have no doubt that you will," Daigo replied. His eyes were suddenly overcome by that time-worn exhaustion once again, and Taichi found himself suppressing a shudder to the best of his ability. He wound up failing to keep it down completely, but he still hoped that nobody else in the group picked up on it. There was something more to Daigo than he was telling the group, and Taichi could just sense it even if Daigo was choosing to be quiet about it for the time being. Once again, it wasn't as if Taichi was in the position to pry, but he found himself wondering if perhaps the original adventure of the first Chosen Children was exactly as positive an experience as Daigo was implying in the silence.
After all, coming to the Digital World changed anyone's life, and Taichi was sure that the same applied to the first group. The mentions of Maki's life goal and constant dedication made that much clear as could be as far as he was concerned. Still, he felt as if there was more to it that he wasn't seeing quite yet. Perhaps the adventure in the Digital World had taken a cruel twist somewhere along the way. Taichi had noticed from the day that he met Daigo that there was something about the man's eyes that felt almost old and weary despite his young age. It could stand to reason that he was approximately twenty-six years of age (or at least that was Taichi's estimation), but something about him felt so much older in a way that was unsettling beyond description. The Digital World was the only culprit that Taichi could think of for such a sudden change that had been present for so long.
For the time being though, it wasn't something that he was going to probe. Getting to the rest of the team was most important, and if what Daigo was hiding was important enough, the truth would come out soon enough. That was how life worked as far as Taichi was concerned, and he was going to hold to such concepts unless he was given a reason to disbelieve in them. He let out a silent sigh and began to focus on the passing horizon. He could feel Agumon's eyes on him, and Taichi made a silent note to explain his thoughts to Agumon as soon as he was given the chance and the privacy to do so.
Huanglongmon's first motion after the battle began was to charge towards Samudramon. The two were engaged in a fierce clash a moment later, and it was impossible to see the details of their battle because of how consistently quickly attacks were being fired off. Despite seeming large and somewhat bulky at a first glance, Huanglongmon was no slouch in the combat department, and in a way, it was strange to see such a large, hulking creature defeating someone so much smaller than him without even needing to blink or respond otherwise.
That left Marsmon and Fujinmon for the rest of the group to handle. Koushiro glanced in the direction of the other members of the group to see their reactions to the coming battle, and a silent conclusion was reached about who was going to take care of which foe. A moment later, Miyako and Ken branched off to go in the direction of Marsmon while Meiko trailed after Koushiro to handle Fujinmon.
AtlurKabuterimon bowed his head, and a blast of energy was released from his horn soon afterwards that rocketed without hesitation in the direction of Fujinmon. The enemy Digimon swerved out of the way quickly, and Koushiro was met with a perfect view of something that he had anticipated from the start. It was clear as could be given the circumstances that the trio of opposing Digimon would have dark data patches, but somehow, seeing them in clarity changed the situation just a little bit, and Koushiro felt a twisted stab of dissatisfaction form in his stomach. That meant that all they would have to do was take care of the data patch to end the fight, but that was much easier said than done.
Beyond that, there was another unsettling part to the fact of the data patches. If there were truly so many Digimon that had them, then how were their enemies able to get access to so many high-leveled Digimon? Koushiro had come to understand that Perfect and Ultimate Digimon were relatively rare, and seeing so many of them within the span of less than twelve hours made him feel sick to his stomach. There was definitely something more to this situation than he was seeing, and he hated that their enemies seemingly had such a grasp over something so twisted.
Koushiro was on the verge of mentally diving into a theory about what all of this could mean, but he was ultimately cut off when Meiko let out a gasp. Meicrackmon rushed towards Fujinmon with surprising speed, and she clawed in the direction of Fujinmon's dark data patch. Fujinmon slashed his arm outwards to keep Meicrackmon from being able to take care of the data immediately, and Meicrackmon was sent flying backwards. She wound up flipping as a way to keep herself from sustaining severe damage, and she landed in a crouch on the ground a moment later, something terrifying and ferocious burning in her eyes.
AtlurKabuterimon lashed out once again a moment later, sending a second blast of energy from his horn in the direction of Fujinmon. Thanks to his overwhelming speed, Fujinmon was able to duck out of the way and then rush towards AtlurKabuterimon in preparation for another attack. It was only thanks to his sheer size and defensive capabilities that AtlurKabuterimon was able to mitigate the damage, though it was clear by the way that he groaned after the fact that the attack had done more damage than he was willing to admit.
"AtlurKabuterimon!" Koushiro cried out, trying to keep his voice as even as possible. He had to trust that his partner was going to be alright. AtlurKabuterimon knew how to handle himself in a fight, and he would pull through this the same way that he had in previous fights. Koushiro was going to put forth as much faith in his partner as possible just to make it that little bit easier on AtlurKabuterimon, and so, remaining strong was his best option.
Fujinmon prepared to unleash another attack, but he was ultimately cut off when Meicrackmon tackled him to the ground with surprising ferocity. Fujinmon's green body slammed into the grass, and he began to struggle to get Meicrackmon off him as soon as possible. That was much easier said than done though, as there was something almost feral burning in Meicrackmon's eyes to make it clear that she wouldn't be giving in until after she had shown Fujinmon what she was made of.
Unfortunately, with Meicrackmon pinning Fujinmon to the ground, AtlurKabuterimon was unable to do much of anything aside from stand there and watch. For a brief flicker of a moment, Koushiro glanced up in the direction of his comrades, and he could see that Silphymon and JewelBeemon were putting up a ferocious fight against Marsmon. They were little more than blurs from a distance, and Koushiro was surprised that they were even capable of moving with such intense speed. Huanglongmon, on the other hand, was already asserting his dominance over Samudramon. As far as Koushiro could tell, it was just a matter of time before Huanglongmon had finished his battle and was moving on to help the others in any small way that he could.
Koushiro was pulled back to the fight at hand as soon as he noticed that Fujinmon had managed to free himself of Meicrackmon's grasp. Just like before, Meicrackmon flipped backwards to keep from being harmed in the aftermath of Fujinmon's escape, remaining just as firm and regal as possible. For a moment, Koushiro wondered if he had imagined Meicrackmon's crazed series of seconds as she tried to grasp for Fujinmon in a way that barely even felt natural. Still, he supposed that it was a question that he could save for later. He spared only one last thought in this concept's direction when he glanced over to Meiko, and he saw that there was something unreadable in her eyes as well.
"Horn Buster!" AtlurKabuterimon suddenly cried out, yanking Koushiro away from his curiosity through sheer force. He released the attack a moment later, but this time, he actually managed to hit his target. Fujinmon had been distracted by Meicrackmon's attack and was unable to recover in time to keep from being hit, and AtlurKabuterimon took full advantage of that in every way that he knew how.
Before Koushiro could register what was happening, he saw AtlurKabuterimon closing in on Fujinmon once again. The redheaded boy let out a gasp and cupped his hands around his mouth, an idea suddenly springing to mind. "Throw him into the trees!" he shouted.
AtlurKabuterimon didn't hesitate to follow his partner's commands, and a moment later, Fujinmon was sent rocketing in the direction of the nearby trees. Trunks were left to bend, and in some cases, break under the pressure of Fujinmon's body sliding backwards before hitting the ground. Koushiro smiled to himself. He knew that this was going to work. Fujinmon, while much smaller than AtlurKabuterimon, wasn't quite fast enough or lacking in size to the point that he would be able to move through the forested area effortlessly. The trees near the clearing where the battle was taking place were exactly what they needed to turn the tides of this battle.
Fujinmon was an Ultimate level Digimon, and that left the group at a disadvantage from the very start. However, there was a way that they could turn this fight around and make the most of it even so. If they put enough effort towards fighting Fujinmon in a way that would directly inconvenience him, then the group would be able to come out on top. There was no guarantee that Huanglongmon would be able to defeat Samudramon and help the others fight Marsmon-since Marsmon was closer with Fujinmon's newfound blast into the trees-in time to stop Fujinmon from doing serious damage, so Koushiro was going to have to take matters into his own hands.
Meicrackmon seemed to understand what was necessary in the blink of an eye, and she surged towards Fujinmon not long afterwards with vitriol burning in her gaze. She was smaller than Fujinmon and possessed the speed necessary to move swift and unhindered through the trees, and that was just the advantage that the group needed to show Fujinmon what they were made of. She was on him a moment later, and she released an attack that came close to obliterating his data patch in one single motion.
Unfortunately, Fujinmon rolled out of the way soon afterwards. He hit a tree, and because he was moving with so much force and desperation, the trunk immediately began to sway. Koushiro smiled to himself, glad that things were going according to plan. "Meicrackmon! Hit the tree when you get the chance!" he cried out.
Meicrackmon gave him a ghost of a nod and a brief glance out of her peripheral vision before she ran towards the tree and slammed into it with all the force that she had in her body. The trunk completely collapsed afterwards, pinning Fujinmon beneath it. Meicrackmon was starting to catch onto what Koushiro was wanting of her, so she went around to the other side of Fujinmon's body and hit the tree on his other side as well, sending yet another trunk crashing into the ground with Fujinmon still trapped below.
"AtlurKabuterimon, it's your turn!" Koushiro declared as he glanced up to his partner. AtlurKabuterimon responded with a nod in his direction, and he took a step forward to prepare for what was to come. Koushiro was proud of all that they had managed to do that day, and he couldn't help but reflect on it all silently as his partner got ready to unleash the full force of his strength against Fujinmon in the moments to follow.
The situation of the day had been, to put it simply, far from ideal. Despite this, they were managing to make the most of it, and soon enough, they would be finished with the fight with yet another dark data Digimon defeated. Throughout these uncertain times of consistent violence, Koushiro had kept his confidence and faith in his partner alive, and in the end, that was much more important than he could have ever stated. That was how they had always been though; even in the darkest of situations, they found a way to triumph through wit, curiosity, and their belief in one another.
Koushiro was so caught up in the weight of the moment that he almost missed the way that his Digivice began to blossom with warmth in his hand. He hadn't even noticed that it was still clutched between his fingers in such a way, desperately attached to his palm ever since the evolution process a few minutes prior. Koushiro carefully moved his hand so that he was looking down at his Digivice, and he felt a newfound sense of vibration between his fingers. Somehow, he knew what was taking place before he even had the chance to gasp in surprise.
Purple light exploded outwards a moment later, and while it easily had the ability to steal the vision of anyone who wasn't anticipating it, Koushiro didn't mind it in the slightest. He knew what this meant, and he didn't think that he had ever been prouder to see such a sudden glow. He was distantly aware of Meiko's eyes locked on him, but he didn't mind in the slightest. After all, this moment belonged to him and AtlurKabuterimon, and everything else was merely an afterthought by comparison.
The purple light spread to his partner soon afterwards, and Koushiro could tell that this was everything that he had expected: evolution. He wasn't entirely certain of how his partner was evolving to the Ultimate level in the first place, though he suspected that it didn't matter too much when push came to shove. After all, it was happening, and he was going to do everything that he could to embrace and enjoy it while it lasted.
"AtlurKabuterimon, evolve to... HeraklesKabuterimon!"
The large bug Digimon that replaced AtlurKabuterimon was, to put it simply, nothing short of stunning. He was entirely golden in color, and he shone brightly in the light of the overhead sun. Koushiro found himself smiling before he even realized, and once he had started, he couldn't bring himself to stop. His cheeks began to sting after just a few seconds because of how enthralled and excited he was, but that didn't matter much when push came to shove. He just wanted to enjoy this moment and everything that it stood for.
After HeraklesKabuterimon appeared, everything seemed to fall into place. Fujinmon had remained trapped in place beneath the tree trunks, and Koushiro realized that time had only seemed to slow down for him. The rest of the world was seeing its normal pace, but his perception had been distorted because of how glad he was to see the new evolution. Fujinmon was stuck in such an awkward position that he was unable to escape, and Koushiro knew that he wasn't going to be able to get away in time before HeraklesKabuterimon unleashed his true power for all the world to see.
Koushiro was aware of little else besides the pounding of his heart in his ears and the rattling of his Digivice between his fingers as HeraklesKabuterimon cried out his attack name and unleashed a powerful blast of energy in Fujinmon's direction. His trance was only broken when he heard Fujinmon scream in pain as the spell of possession was broken and the dark patch of data was disintegrated, leaving behind nothing more than the memory of the battle and countless incinerated trees.
HeraklesKabuterimon turned to face Koushiro a few moments later as Fujinmon began to change colors back to the way that he should have looked in the first place. Koushiro smiled as he stared up at his partner, infatuation written across his face. The last time that he had been this captivated by an evolution had been when AtlurKabuterimon first appeared, but that had been six years prior, and somehow, even that moment seemed to pale in comparison to what Koushiro was currently experiencing. He knew that he was still smiling because of the burn in his cheeks, but he couldn't bring himself to change or correct the fact in the slightest.
Nearby, the rest of the battle was starting to wrap up as well. Huanglongmon had, as expected, managed to take care of Samudramon without any issues. From there, he moved in the direction of the other Digimon and fought off Marsmon. With all three of the Digimon free of their data patches, the group was free of their unfortunate circumstances once again. For what felt like the tenth time that day, they had managed to find victory, and this was yet another point that they could mark down in their own favor despite the initially overwhelming situation they had been faced with.
With the three enemy Digimon defeated, Meicrackmon, Silphymon, and JewelBeemon all began to glow before their bodies shrunk back to their Baby size. Even Meicrackmon, who normally remained at the Adult level, was in Baby form, curled over herself. She looked similar to Nyaromon, though her coloring was once again more orange than Hikari's partner's color scheme. When Meiko tilted her head to the side in confusion at the sight of her partner's new form, the Baby Digimon offered her name. "Cooamon," she murmured, the syllables slurring together because of her exhaustion. Meiko simply smiled and pulled her partner into her arms.
The only Digimon out of the group that remained in Ultimate form was HeraklesKabuterimon, who stood proud and shining above the rest of the group. Koushiro let one hand press against his partner's golden shell, embracing the feeling of the smooth surface beneath his fingertips. HeraklesKabuterimon was just as impressive as Koushiro had thought he was in when he first appeared, and Koushiro still couldn't keep himself from smiling out of pure joy.
"Wow," Maki remarked simply as she walked towards HeraklesKabuterimon with a light smile on her face. "You Chosen Children really do have a lot of tricks up your sleeve, don't you? I haven't seen an evolution like that in a long time."
"I didn't even know that he could reach the Ultimate level," Meiko confessed as she glanced up to HeraklesKabuterimon with glowing eyes. "I guess that you didn't know about that either though, huh?"
"I remember hearing that it takes a long time for a Digimon to evolve to the Ultimate level from Perfect," Koushiro began. "Us being present speeds along the process of evolution, and I suppose that... I suppose that it's been long enough where we've been with our partners to merit him finding the ability to evolve to Ultimate." It was the only theory that he could think of that made sense, not that Koushiro was complaining. It was something that he could count on, and he was more than willing to accept that.
"There's no reason for us to complain about this though," Miyako pointed out. "If you ask me, this is amazing! It's only going to make it easier for us to find out the truth behind what our enemies are up to, and I'm happy with that. Now, how about we go on and keep moving? I don't think that it would be a good idea for us to stay here for much longer even if the three Digimon aren't going to be attacking us anymore. Can you fly us to the next group, HeraklesKabuterimon?"
As if on cue, HeraklesKabuterimon began to glow and shrink. Motimon was left behind in his place a few moments later, and the small pink Digimon practically fell on his face. Koushiro laughed and reached down to pick up his partner, brushing one finger across a smear of dirt that had appeared on his partner. Motimon settled down into Koushiro's arms with a content smile, and he let out a sigh before shutting his eyes.
"I'm going to take that as a no," Poromon interjected, and Miyako responded with a small laugh as both she and Ken reached down to pick up their partners. Poromon let out a small huff of air before finding a home in Miyako's grasp.
"That's fine. Huanglongmon can take us," Maki told the group. "When our partners evolved to the Ultimate level and became the Harmonious Ones as Homeostasis was born, they essentially gained the ability to stay in Ultimate form constantly. We might as well take advantage of that since it'll certainly be faster than walking."
Huanglongmon nodded and lowered himself to the ground once more to give the Chosen Children the chance to climb onto his back. Koushiro wound up being the last to board Huanglongmon, though he was more than fine with taking his time because of the circumstances. His partner had evolved to the Ultimate level, and he was still processing that information. All of the Ultimate evolutions that he had seen previously were the byproduct of some outside interference from a divine power, sometimes directly involved with the Harmonious Ones themselves. This time, the evolution was purely because of grit and the secondary activation of a Crest, and Koushiro couldn't help but smile to himself at how much he had managed to accomplish alongside his partner. He couldn't wait for the next time when he saw HeraklesKabuterimon, knowing that it was bound to be incredible.
Koushiro wasn't the only one notably impressed with the situation though. Maki was at the front of the group when they were on Huanglongmon's back, and she spared a few glances to the Chosen Children over her shoulder before forcing herself to look forward once again. They were all incredible as far as she was concerned, and she doubted that she was ever going to change her mind. It was amazing how they were able to accomplish so much because of their dedication and time spent bonding with their partners. Her adventures in the Digital World had been of a different nature, but even so, both types of quests had led to strong bonds being formed, and Maki loved the idea more than she could ever describe.
Maki closed her eyes and allowed her fingers to come down on Huanglongmon's neck. She stroked at his scales gently, just enjoying the fact that they were together again. It had been too long since she was last given the chance to enjoy a few moments of peace with her partner, and she wanted to embrace it with everything that she had. Huanglongmon was one of the most important living creatures as far as Maki was concerned, and she wasn't going to allow their time to be cut short by wishes of what could have been. She had spent far too long thinking about that in the past anyways, so she was going to look forward and only embrace the beauty of the present from that point forwards.
Something inside of her whispered that she had to do everything in her power to ease the pain of the Chosen Children fighting in this new age. She knew that they had undoubtedly been through much more than she could ever hope to understand. After all, she had endured more than enough when she was in the Digital World on a regular basis, and she wanted to do what she could to ensure that others didn't feel the same pain that she had. In darker times, she would have remembered what it was like to truly understand grief under the influence of the Digital World, but she wasn't going to ask that others suffer the same way that she had. She was going to change things for the better by doing what she could to make a difference. That was what she needed, and the same applied to those who were part of the generation below her.
"You've got this, Chosen Children," Maki found herself muttering before she could even try to stop the words from falling free of her lips. If the day had shown her any one thing, it was that they were capable of great things, and Maki was going to do everything that she could to stay by their side until the bitter end. After all, it was the duty of a predecessor to look after their heirs, and that was just what she intended to do.
The whispers were getting louder.
Hikari was trying to focus on the immediate steps that she and the others had to take as she, Takeru, and Iori traveled with their partners atop the impressive back of Varodurumon. The wind was whipping in Hikari's hair, and Chisane was sitting nearby with a gentle smile on her face. Hikari knew that it was so easy to slip into thoughts of a solemn sort, and the situation surrounding her connection with Homeostasis was only making things harder for her. Staying focused as a nearly impossible task all of a sudden, but she didn't understand why for the life of her.
Ever since Chisane and Kaya had arrived, bringing with them an explanation of the first generation of Chosen Children, Hikari had felt something a little bit more pressing itself into the back of her mind. She knew that it was undoubtedly the influence of Homeostasis, but there was something strange that made her feel odd about the whole situation. Perhaps it had something to do with the presence of Chisane and Kaya, though Hikari couldn't think of a way for that to make sense. How could they be responsible at all for the strange way that Homeostasis was louder than ever before all of a sudden?
"Are you okay?"
Hikari practically jumped when she heard the voice of Tailmon beside her. The cat Digimon was staring up at her with wide, transparent blue eyes that threatened to pierce Hikari's soul down to its very core. She knew that this was Tailmon's way of looking out for her. Tailmon had always been protective of her, and this situation was no different. If anyone was going to notice that there was more on Hikari's mind, it would be Tailmon.
Hikari found that responding was harder than she would have liked. She shrugged, uncertain as to if words were going to be coming to her lips when she called them. Her eyes settled on Chisane a moment later, and her mind seemed to fill with a vague sense of static that blocked out the wind that pressed itself against her cheeks. What was it about Chisane that was so odd to her? Why couldn't she describe the sensation no matter how hard she tried?
When she thought back on it, Hikari was sure that Chisane had been avoiding making eye contact with the other members of her team back on Earth. The only one who had been able to capture Chisane's full attention in Odaiba had been Jou, and she was oddly avoidant of the idea of looking at anyone else. It was strange to Hikari, but she didn't know what the reason for this would be in the slightest. Why would that do anything to increase the voice of Homeostasis in the back of her mind? There just wasn't an explanation that let all of the pieces fall into place.
"Something's off about her," Tailmon murmured next, and Hikari noticed that her partner was watching Chisane as well. Even though Tailmon didn't say anything else, Hikari knew that the cat Digimon had a point. Her partner didn't need to define anything further as far as Hikari was concerned. She already understood that there was much more to Chisane than met the eye, and it was only a matter of time before the truth was revealed in all of its glory for better or worse.
Hikari looked over to Takeru next, and she could see that the blonde boy was watching Chisane as well. One of his hands was pressed against his hat to ensure that it didn't fly off his head, but his eyes were undoubtedly directed at Chisane beneath the brim. Hikari could sense his curiosity from a mile away, and she wondered if perhaps he had picked up on the same facts that had come to bother her to such a degree. It would make sense given how perceptive he was. Despite what many would assume, Takeru was very good at keeping up with the secrets of others, and it was only natural that he had picked up on the fact that the pieces of Chisane's puzzle didn't come together with the natural perfection that they should have.
Hikari was interrupted in her curious musings by a nudge from Tailmon, and her partner indicated her Digivice with a small yet pointed nod. Hikari frowned and reached down before pulling her Digivice away from its home at her hip, and she looked at the screen with a muted frown. She was more than happy to take any distraction that she could get if it would get rid of the aggravating static that seemed to echo in the back of her mind with merciless antagonism.
Hikari let out a gasp as soon as she noticed what Tailmon was trying to communicate, and she could see that there were four signals moving closer to them. Koushiro, Miyako, Ken, and Meiko were all clustered together and advancing at a steady pace, and it was only a matter of time before their paths would cross at the designated meeting point. She smiled thankfully to Tailmon for pointing out such a fact before looking over to the other members of her small team.
She was looking forward to having everyone back together again. Hikari knew that it would be relieving to see them again after the mess of the day that they had all shared. It almost felt impossible to Hikari that it had only been a few days since she last saw the team all together when it felt as if a few years had passed at most. The events of the past twelve hours had distorted her perception of time mercilessly, leaving everything as little more than a haze without any substance or basis in the back of her head. At least seeing them again would offer some security that she desperately desired. She was going to take advantage of that for sure.
Then there was the fact that she would finally be able to let Homeostasis take control. It had been a long time since Homeostasis attempted to make contact with her, and Hikari could tell by the intensity of the distant murmurs that this was going to be one of their most important encounters ever. Homeostasis had a lot to say, and it was undoubtedly of great import given the events of the past few weeks. Everyone was going to need to hear about what was bound to come next, and Hikari would be able to hear the message by way of proxy after everything had been passed on.
For the time being though, Hikari allowed herself to stare at the quartet of dots along the surface of her Digivice's radar. She was going to try and keep herself as concentrated on the Digivice rather than the rest of the world, knowing that she needed the escape more than she could ever hope to articulate. Everything was going to be fine soon enough. Even if the day had been a chaotic mess, she was making the most of it, and the rest of the group was going to follow suit.
The more that Hikari told herself they were going to be fine, the more that she started to believe it. She closed her eyes as soon as she felt safe doing so, placing one hand around Tailmon's body for that added bit of comfort. Against all odds, they had survived, and they were going to find a way to figure out what was happening regardless of what got in their way.
Update time! Yay!
This chapter only has two major notes to go over, so I'm just going to jump right into things. First of all, there's the scene where HeraklesKabuterimon appeared for the first time, and as with the past evolutions to Ultimate, I intentionally tried to draw parallels between this set of evolutions and the previous encounters where the Perfect levels appeared. I think that it makes things more fun if I make them as symbolic and interconnected as possible, so I went on and took full advantage of that yet again. I really do love doing that, huh?
The other little detail is yet another callback to the Digimon Adventure novels. I mentioned that Hikari was the first Chosen Child and that the rest of the original eight were part of the doubling figure that was mentioned in canon. Hikari is said to be the first Chosen Child during the third Adventure novel (I believe in the final chapter, though I could be mistaken there). For anybody curious, I had Takeru appear next because of the inherent connection of the Crests of Light and Hope within canon. My personal head canon is that Hikari was first with Takeru becoming the second Chosen Child followed by Taichi and Yamato the following year. The other four Chosen Children appeared last, and from there, the other Chosen Children appeared both within the group of twelve and internationally.
Anyways, that's it from me this week. I'm going to call things here so that I can go and sleep since I love sleeping. Next week, we'll get closer to the conclusion of act two with reunions across the board. Until then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Feedback is always appreciated. Have a nice day, everyone!
-Digital