Hudie was rescued from the new K thanks to Alphamon. But the sadness that came with regaining their lost memories drove them to despair. Will the hacker team recover from the shock of this discovery?

Ben and his team one by one teleported just outside Rand's house. "Looks like it worked." Ben said.

"Hey, guys!" Nema waved from the doorway. "Is everyone alright?"

"Yeah." Takumi nodded. "Hey, have you seen Ryuji or Yu?"

"Sure have." Calumon nodded. "They popped up and then left without saying anything. Is something wrong? They looked so sad."

Keisuke looked down. He then walked away. "Keisuke…" Takumi turned around and reached his hand out, but Yuuko stopped him and shook her head.

"We should leave him alone."

"She's right." Kyoko said. "They need time to sort things out. In the meantime, we should get Alphamon here up to speed."

"I'd appreciate that." The knight replied. "But once things claim down, there is a lot I need to explain myself."

"Why do you think K restored their memories?" Ami asked.

"I have no idea. But I doubt it'll be pretty."

K cackled to himself as he looked at his Controlvice. "The twisted looks of pain and sorrow on their faces. Wait until she sees this."

Chitose sighed to himself as he sat on a rock. "I can't say I'm any happier about it then Ryuji is…but Keisuke was just trying to protect us. Can't he see that? Still…I can't believe I could just forget about Erika like that."

"Um…Chitose?"

"Hm?" the hacker saw Armadillomon walk up to him. Patamon close behind. "Oh, hey guys. You need something?"

"No, I just wanted to check on you. I mean…well…"

Chitose chuckled as he rubbed Armadillomon's head. "Worried about me? Thanks buddy."

"You're welcome."

"Hey! No grammar errors for a while! You're getting the hang of it! You know…this reminds me of when I found out Ryuji was doing Kamishiro's dirty work and sulked in Kawloon. You tried to comfort me back there. That's when we met Nokia and joined the Rebels."

"Back then you thought we Digimon were just programs."

"But I know now. You're living beings. You feel, think and bond. You know…even with all the sad things that came with it all…I'm glad I remember everything now."

"Me too!" Patamon nodded as he landed on Chitose's head. "Say, I've been wanting to ask, how's Yuri doing?"

"She's as lovely as ever!" Chitose grinned. "Always puts a smile on my face when I come in for work!"

"That's good. Just don't go breaking her heart, or I'll smack ya!"

Chitose laughed.

"Oh, there you are." Nokia said as she and Takumi approached. "At least one of you is cheering up."

"Have you found Ryuji, Keisuke or Yu?" Chitose asked.

Takumi shook his head. "No. We thought we should leave them alone for a bit since they're probably taking this the hardest."

"I see." Chitose sighed. "Poor Keisuke probably blames himself for this."

"Probably." Takumi looked down. "I can relate. When I learned the truth that we forgotten eight years ago it was crushing."

"Eight years ago?"

"Oh, right. You guys don't know yet. The truth is…Eight years ago during a EDEN Demo event, Ami, Nokia, Arata, Yuuko, Yuugo and I stumbled upon a hole that lead to the Digital World."

"Digital World?" Chitose stood up. "That's where the Digimon come from, right?"

"It is. But…Something horrible happened there. And Suedo erased our memories of it. He must have been hopping to help us forget that sadness. But honestly…If I was going to remember again anyway, it would have been better if he never did that."

Chitose sighed. "…Yeah. I feel the same. I know Keisuke was looking out for us. And he didn't have a choice seeing how it was unlikely that I would believe him…But I'm still better off remembering everything. The good and the bad."

"Yeah." Nokia nodded. "Truth be told, the six of us and Keisuke held a vote on whether or not to tell you. Takumi, Yuuko and I wanted to. But in the end the others outvoted us."

"A vote huh?" Chitose smiled. "Sounds like Keisuke's fitting into your little club nicely."

"He might not be one of the six of us who started everything." Takumi admitted. "But he's in the same position we're in. And…now you are too. Keisuke was really happy when he learned that we remembered everything just like him. I guess he really needed someone to talk to about it. I bet you feel the same, right?"

Nokia grinned and extended her hand. "Welcome to our little club Chitose!" The man laughed as he shook her hand.

Ryuji stood on the bridge on Latolato Trail overlooking the ocean. He had been quiet for the last few minutes.

"You might as well come out Monodramon, I know you're back there."

Monodramon was surprised to have been detected. But reluctantly he approached. "Ryuji…"

"You don't have to say anything. I know you remember everything as well."

"I'm sorry…"

"Tell me something."

"About Erika?"

"Yeah. Or Hudiemon I guess. How is she enjoying the Digital World?"

Monodramon stood next to Ryuji and looked into the sea. "Well…After we parted ways, we formed our own Hudie. We help out Digimon in the Digital World just as we helped people out in your world. She always was happy to be on a new case and would always look forward to new adventures."

A small smile came to Ryuji's face. "So, she's happy then? That's good."

"She's happy for you too. We found out your parents are alive."

"Yeah. Remembering my life without them made me realize more then ever how much I appreciate them."

"She misses you, you know that? She misses all of you. We tried to be our own family for her but…None of us can replace you Chitose or Keisuke."

"I'm sure you tried your best for her. Just as you did your best to watch my neck. Like that time when we were trapped inside Arcadiamon. Thanks for that by the way. I really put you through a lot back then."

Monodramon smiled. "You sure did. But friends can make mistakes now and then, right?"

Ryuji looked at the sky. "I guess so."

Yu sat on the small bridge Nick built over the nearby river with his knees tucked into his chest. He just sat there still. Quietly. Otamamon sat nearby. He didn't make a sound. He just watched his partner sulk.

"Yu?! Yu!" A familiar voice filled his ears. But he didn't move or respond. He remained still as Keisuke ran over to him. Tentomon close behind. "There you are! I've been looking everywhere!" Keisuke said out of breath. Yu didn't reply. "Yu…I know you still feel guilty about what you did as K. But that Digimon manipulated you. Besides, didn't we sort this out when you helped us in that underground lab?"

"I still don't understand how you can't hate me. I ruined your life."

"You're wrong! Think about it! If you haven't done what you did, neither of us would be in Hudie! I was just an average nobody before you brought hacking and Digimon into my life!"

"But I-

Keisuke took a seat next to him. "You're my friend Yu. And I know you've suffered enough. Partly because of me. I have no reason to blame or hate you for the course of events."

A small smile came on Yu's face. "Thanks Keisuke…And Otamamon?"

Yu's Digimon perked up. "Yeah?"

"You had to put up with a lot because of me too. I'm sorry."

"Eh, it's water under the bridge!" Otamamon happily replied as he waddled over to them.

"You two made up yet?" Chitose smirked as he walked over to them.

"Chitose! Are you alright?" Keisuke asked.

"Pfft! Give me some credit, I'm perfectly fine. Honestly, thinking about it, I'm affected the least out of the four of us. I'm more worried about you."

"Heh. You always were like that. Thanks, Chitose."

"Indeed he was. Before and after "that" happened." When his voice was heard everyone noticed Ryuji standing behind him.

"R-Ryuji!" Keisuke stood up. "I wasn't expecting you to come back so soon…"

Chitose folded his arms. "You cooled off?"

"Sort of." Ryuji replied.

Kesiuke looked down. "Ryuji…I'm sorry, I-

"Don't want to hear it."

Keisuke bit his lip and looked down. "Ryuji!" Chitose scolded.

Ryuji held up his hand. "Not when I'm the one who should be apologising."

Keisuke looked back up. "What?"

"Chitose was right. Even if you did say something about Erika sooner, I would have thought you were nuts. You had no choice but to keep it from us. Besides…why should I be complaining to you when you're the one who had to suffer in silence all this time?"

"What do you mean?" Yu asked.

"Keisuke was the only one who knew the truth. And he couldn't share it with any of us. He had no choice but to keep it to himself. All the sadness. All the pain. He had no one to share it with."

Chitose looked at Keisuke. "That's right. Takumi mentioned that you seemed happy when you found out he and his friends remembered everything. Like you really wanted to talk about it."

Keisuke sighed as he looked back into the lake. "…Ever since that incident I felt like I was…different from everyone. I saw a side of this world nobody else knew of. It made me feel like I was…disconnected from everyone. Even my family. Even my friends. It was like being stranded on a small island divided by a massive dark chasm, separating me from the rest of the world. Watching everyone else live out their normal lives on the other end. I thought that was something I would have to accept for the rest of my life. Part of me wondered if I was just crazy. And then…when we came here…and Takumi found out that I remembered…and he told me that he and the others also remembered…it was like they crossed that chasm to my little world. No. It's more like they were there with me all along and I finally found them on that little island. I felt so happy knowing for certain that what happened with Erika really did happen. That I wasn't crazy. That I wasn't alone."

Tentomon stood nearby. "Keisuke…"

"Well..." Yu stood up. "Now we're on that island with you."

Keisuke smiled. "Yeah…"

"I'm sorry for how I acted earlier." Ryuji said. "I'll make it up to you however you want me to."

Keisuke was lost in thought for a bit. "Well…"

"Got something in mind?"

"Yes…You…remember everything that happened between you and Arata right? About Jude?"

Ryuji's face went blank. "Yeah. Though I'd probably be better off if I didn't."

"Maybe but…can you just…try talking to him? I know things have been hard, and I'm not asking you to be friends again if you really can't but…It's not going to help you if you just stay bitter to him for the rest of your life."

"I don't know what this is about." Yu said. "But I doubt whatever Arata did to you could be as bad as what I did to Keisuke. He can find it in him to forgive me, so it can't be that hard to forgive Arata."

"I'm not Keisuke." Ryuji replied.

"Well…"

"But Arata helped us out a lot." Keisuke said. "And actually…the truth is…"

Ryuji looked back at Keisuke. "What is it?"

"Erika and I are the reason why he became a fugitive at one point."

"What do you mean?"

"It was after Chitose got EDEN Syndrome in Under Zero. Arata asked us to help him with his plan to stop Rei. But while we were at it, Erika wanted to find Suedou to get his notes on Eaters, thinking it could find a way to cure Chitose. What we didn't know was we were running the risk of being detected by the Admins doing so. Erika found out later that Arata replaced our account data with his in the entry log."

"He did what?!"

"He threw himself under the bus for our sake. How much more do we have to put him through for him to atone?"

"He's right." Chitose said. "Didn't you say yourself you'd check on him after we found Erika?"

"I guess I did." Ryuji said.

"You should." Everyone was startled to hear Ami's voice. They saw the girl standing right behind them.

"Ami! How much did you hear?" Keisuke asked.

"All I needed to. The truth is…Arata went out while we were talking at Rand's place. He looked really uneasy. That's when Yuuko told us how Ryuji and Chitose formed Jude with him. And how Ryuji never forgave him for leaving the team."

Ryuji turned to her. "The last time I saw Sanada before the world changed, neither of us seemed in our right mind. He told me something he said he previously forgotten. He said he failed to save his friend as a kid."

"That would be Yuugo." Ami said looking down. "The first victim of EDEN Syndrome."

"What?!"

"We were all shocked when we remembered the truth. But Arata…he took it the hardest. We nearly lost him because he became obsessed with how weak he though he was back then."

Ryuji clutched his fists. "He told me that when we lost our friends that the feeling came back. Not the memory. But that pain…Before this I thought Jude…that we meant nothing to him."

"That's not true!" Ami said giving him a stern look. "Arata said himself that it hurt to see Jude go. But after what the Knightmon did in Under Zero, he felt that Jude's reputation made all of you arrogant."

"Heh. Guess that's true, isn't it?" Chitose asked.

"But Arata wanted to avenge Jude. Avenge your friends. That's why before we went to the Digital World for our final battle, he asked me and Takumi to take him back to Under Zero."

"Sanada went back?! Even after what happened there with the Eaters?!" Ryuji asked in surprise.

"We did. We defeated the Knigthmon. We avenged Jude. He proved he wasn't the naive kid from back then. I could tell it took a lot for him to face that guy again."

"Sanada…"

"I don't know what it was like to lose Jude." Ami admitted. "But I will say this. Don't you dare think Arata is a coward or that he deserves to suffer. Because he's already suffered for eight years without realizing it. And I haven't met a braver person yet." With that said, Ami left.

"My, my. That almost sounded protective of her." Chitose grinned.

"I'll say." Keisuke laughed. "Arata's friends sure look out for him."

Ryuji slightly smiled. "Yeah…"

"Friends?" Chitose snickered. "Looks to me that cute girl has a total crush on him!"

"You wouldn't be the only one here to think that from what I heard." Yu smirked.

Inside Rand's house, Takumi, Nokia, Yuuko, Yuugo, Fei, Date, Matayoshi, Kyoko and all the Rangers and their support had gathered. Blue screens displayed the Royal Knights. Including Alphamon. "I see." The leader of the knights nodded. "A lot has transpired here."

"After the battle with the Societea UlforceVeedramon and I conducted a search for any Digimon elsewhere in this world." Gallantmon explained. "We have found none so far, but regardless, once this incident is wrapped up, I would like to continue the search."

"If K was indeed the one who pulled Digimon into this world it is unlikely that there are any at this point who aren't in his possession. But I suppose it's best to be certain. We can't leave any of them behind in this world."

"So now that we got you updated, can you tell us what you're doing here?" Nokia asked.

"Most likely to help the Digimon stranded here if I had to guess." Rythmi said.

"That is part of it, yes." Alphamon nodded. "But I am on a more…specific mission here."

"Which is…?" Kate tilted her head.

"I'd rather wait for the others to return before explaining. There are some who need to hear it and I would prefer not having to repeat myself."

"Ryuji and his friends seem to be getting over it." Ami said as she walked in. "Though Ryuji's struggling with how to feel about Arata."

"I see…" Takumi replied. "I just hope he doesn't begrudge Arata. The poor guy's suffered enough."

Chitose, Keisuke and Yu returned. "You're back!" Leanne smiled. "Oh? Where'd Ryuji go?"

"He went to look for Arata." Chitose said.

"I hope they can work things out." Ben sighed. "Cooperation is going to be key in stopping K."

"I'm sure they'll make things work." Keisuke said. "They're more alike than you think."

"I guess." Nokia nodded. "But speaking of K, if Yu was the ex-K and is with us right here, who's the new guy behind the mask?"

"Whoever it is knows of the Digital World." Alphamon said. "So, it wouldn't be too surprising if it was someone from your human world."

"Assuming it is, and they somehow remember the past we changed it could be someone who took inspiration from K." Yuuko said. "With that in mind, from Keisuke's story, the likely suspects are Jimmey Ken, Youji Shiga, Tooru Kayaba, and Akira Hosaka."

"Pfft!" Terriermon rolled his eyes. "You really think a dope like Jimmey Ken could pull off something of this magnitude?"

"Whether or not they're qualified doesn't mean anything." Yu said. "I myself knew nothing of hacking until I found that mask. Soon after I started wearing it, I got smarter."

"So, anyone wearing the K mask automatically becomes a skilled hacker?" Rand asked.

Yu nodded. "That's why there's not point in making guesses. This new K can be anyone. Anyone unfortunate enough to stumble upon that mask and anyone weak enough to let that Digimon get into their heart."

"Maybe not just anyone." Kyoko said. "I recall K saying something before leaving. He mentioned my assistants and many others by name."

"That's right." Summer said. "Me, Ben, Takumi, Ami, Arata, Nokia, Yuuko, Yuugo, Fei…He said he would have us punished for some sin against him."

"A vendetta?" Proof. Hastings asked.

"That's not saying much." Ami sighed. "That could be any of the Pokemon Pinchers, really."

"Can you think of anyone outside the Pokemon Pinchers who would begrudge you guys specifically?" Kellyn asked.

"No." Takumi replied before hesitating. "Except…"

"Except?" Lunick asked.

Takumi shook his head. "Nothing. That's an impossibility."

Arata was sitting on a rock outside. "Are you okay?" Keramon asked.

"Not really." The boy sighed. "Maybe Takumi, Nokia and Yuuko were right. If this was inevitable, we should have told Ryuji and the others the truth sooner."

"But even if you did, would they have believed it?"

"Probably not. And even if they did, maybe it would have turned out like this anyway. But is it any worse than just leaving them in the dark?"

"What happened, happened. No point in complaining about what you can't change now." Arata jolted as he heard a familiar voice. He then noticed Ryuji was standing there right behind them.

"R-Ryuji!"

Monodramon hurried over and grabbed Keramon. "Let's leave them be."

"But-

"Don't worry." Ryuji's Digimon whispered as he dragged him away. "He just wants to talk."

Ryuji displayed nothing on his face as he walked over and sat on the other side of the rock back to back. "Yuugo was the friend you mentioned that day, wasn't he? The one you said you failed to save."

"Yeah. The one who I ran from like a coward."

"But it looks like you saved him. That at least makes you better then me. I couldn't save my own sister."

"That's not what I heard." Arata said. "You got Erika out of that Eater, didn't you? And now she's exploring the Digital World. Just like me and my friends did."

Ryuji looked at him in surprise. "You've been to the Digital World?"

"That's right. Me, Takumi, Ami, Nokia, Yuuko and Yuugo. Eight years ago, when we were twerps."

Ryuji looked back ahead, staring into space. "What kind of place is it?"

"It was a beautiful place." Arata closed his eyes and thought back. "Peaceful. Full of nature."

"Nature? The name "Digital World" would apply the opposite."

"I guess so. But in the end, we only saw a small part of that world. I bet the whole thing has a lot more to show. I'm sure Erika's enjoying a huge adventure."

"I hope so…" Ryuji said. "By the way…thanks."

Arata glanced at him. "For what?"

"I heard you took that monster down. The one who destroyed Jude. I also heard about how you wound up on the most wanted list because Keisuke and my sister got sloppy."

"Oh, that. I couldn't have done it alone. I had Keramon, Takumi and Ami with me. And as for Keisuke and Erika…I'm the one who sent them on that mission. It's only fair that I'm the one who takes responsibility."

"There's no shame in relying on others." Ryuji said. "I tend to forget that sometimes. And you saw what happened to me."

"And you saw what happened to me when I pushed my friends away. I guess neither of us would be here if it weren't for them."

"Yeah." Ryuji said as he stood up. "We owe them. So now…All I'm going to focus on is protecting them. All of my friends…including you."

Arata looked at him in surprise. "Ryuji!" After he saw Ryuji glance at him with a small smile he gave him one of his own. "You're right. We'll protect them all together."

"Hey, guys!" Chitose strolled over to them with a carefree smile. When Ryuji looked at him, Chitose threw something to him. "Check it out. Rand gave me that saying Nema would play outside with him before she got into computers and stuff."

Ryuji looked at the object in his hand. It was a softball. It was half red, half white. "What's with the weird colors scheme?"

"He said it was to resemble some kind of Pokemon containing capsule commonly used in this world."

"A ball to carry Pokemon around in? Never heard of it." Arata said. "You'd think with their occupation Ben and the others would have something like that."

"Apparently it's banned in some regions like Oblivia and Almia. And they require weakening the target a lot unlike the Styler so to the Ranger's it's kinda obsolete."

Ryuji looked at the ball and smiled. "Hey, Sanada?"

"Yeah?"

"Go long." Ryuji threw the ball hard. It went zooming past Arata's head and down the path leading towards the beach.

"Hey! What kind of warning was that!?"

Ryuji grinned at him. "Less complaining more fetching."

Chitose laughed. "You heard him boy, go get it!" He whistled at Arata like he was a dog.

"You're still not funny Chitose!" Arata groaned before running after the ball that was far out of sight at this point.

"Heh…Almost forgot how much I enjoyed this." Ryuji smiled. "It takes me back."

"Glad you finally managed to bury that hatchet." Chitose replied. "It was long overdue."

"Yeah. It's funny how I found it hard to do something that turned out to be so simple. But I'm glad I did. I feel at ease. Maybe things between me and him will never be the same as they were…but that doesn't mean they can't be good again."

Chitose smiled. "Now you're talking! Heck, maybe they can even be better then before!"

"Maybe." Ryuji nodded. "Maybe." He then turned back around just in time to catch the ball. He saw Arata out of breath. "Huh. That was fast. You're not as frail as you used to be."

"*huff* *pant* Well…After…After all we did in Oblivia…You get used to running around a lot."

Ryuji grinned. "Interesting. Maybe now I can start throwing hard."

Arata looked up. "That wasn't hard to you?!"

"No. This is." Ryuji winded up. And then with a mighty roar as he threw and sent the ball high up into the air and out of sight.

"Are you kidding me!?" Arata groaned. "That's gonna land somewhere in Lapras Beach!"

"Better start running then."

"And potentially swimming!" Chitose joked.

"Screw you Chitose!" Arata yelled as he ran after it.

From the porch at Rand's place Takumi, Ami, Nokia, Yuuko, Yuugo and the rest of Hudie laughed as they watched. "So, they finally put the past behind them." Takumi smiled.

"Maybe this means they can finally move on from Jude." Keisuke added.

"Let's hope so." Ami nodded. "They both deserve it."

A few minutes later everyone was back inside. Arata was breathing heavily slumped into a couch with Ami fanning him off with a rag.

"Well then, now that everyone's here, we should start explaining everything." Alphamon said through the monitor.

"We?" Ami asked.

"Yes. The Hudie of the Digital World understands the situation. Now is the time for the rest of you to know as well."

"As you wish." Monodramon nodded. "If you recall I mentioned that we were sent here to investigate the disappearances of Digimon in our world. And that we were hired by someone with high authority in the Digital World."

"And that was you Alphamon?" Terriermon asked.

The knight nodded. "Correct. Though while he says "hired" it's more accurate to call it a collaboration. As a Royal Knight, investigating the disappearances and ensuring the safety of the other Digimon is my duty after all."

"And I bet you guys felt compelled to investigate as well, right?" Chitose grinned to his Digimon. "Hudie's always on the side of justice after all."

"Well…" Tentomon sighed. "That is part of it."

"Only part?" Solana asked.

"To Hudie this was a more personal matter." Alphamon explained.

"Personal? Why's that?" Keith asked.

"Because of the first of the Digimon to go missing from our world."

"The first missing Digimon?" Takumi asked.

"Yes…" Alphamon seemed uncomfortable with continuing. "Huidemon."

Dun, dun, DUUUUUUUUUUUUUN! People were wondering when Hudiemon was going to show up in this story. Find out what she has to do with events next week on Cyber Ranger Guardian Story: The Next Heroes!