A/N: Here is another chapter. Also, Panther J is going to Puerto Rico to attend his aunt and uncle's wedding, so congratulations to Panther J's aunt and uncle. Here is Chapter 3!
Chapter 3: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 1 of 7: Houki and Elecmon
The next day after becoming Cyber Sleuths by Kyoko, Ichika wakes up back in his bed in his house. Ever since meeting with Agumon and gaining a half-cyber body, he now knows he need to find out what's really going on behind the scenes of Kamishino Enterprise and return back to his original body.
As Ichika wakes up, he feels a pain in his stomach as he still remembers Kyoko's coffee. "Ugh… So that's what Detective Matayoshi, Satoru and Twoearle meant when they warned us about Kyoko's coffee…" He clutched his stomach with a wince. "From now on, I'm keeping my distance from her coffee as much as possible!" He then looks at his clock and sees it's 9:43. "Oh crap, I'm gonna be late for school! I need to get ready and head for the academy!" He jumps out of bed and rushes down the hall.
Ichika then enters the bathroom as he turns on the water in the shower and strips from his PJs and enters before closing the curtains. A few minutes later, he grabs his towel from the hanger and wraps it around his waist before stepping out and starts brushing his teeth. Once he was done, he returns to his room and opens his closet to grab his uniform and gets dressed. After he was fully dressed, Ichika makes his way downstairs to the kitchen for breakfast. Seeing as how he doesn't have much time left, he settled for some cereal for now until lunch. Once he's finished with his cereal, he exits the front door and makes a mad dash for the monorail where Houki and the others were waiting for him.
"Where is Ichika?" Cecilia asked with a frown as she tapped her foot impatiently. "He should've been here twenty minutes ago. The monorail's about to leave and we'll be late for class! And if we're late, it'll set a bad example for all the recent students!"
"Oh, keep your skirt on. I'm sure he'll be here any minute." Ling moaned. "He was probably still feeling the pain from Kyoko's coffee yesterday like all of us were. I guess that's what we get for not listening to Satoru and Twoearle's warnings." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they still remembered how Kyoko's coffee knocked them out.
"Oy vey, don't remind me. I still have nightmares of that." Houki groaned as she clutched her stomach. "I can't believe she actually mixed in seaweed and red bean paste in that coffee she gave us. She must have some weird tastebuds if she likes to mix in strange ingredients into her coffee." Her friends all nodded in agreement again until they see Ichika running towards them.
"Oh, here he comes now." Char smiled and waved as Ichika stops before them
"Hey, sorry I'm late. Had to take a detour because the roadway was blocked off for construction." Ichika apologized as he looked at his friends and could tell they are still feeling the effects of the coffee from yesterday. "So how are all of you feeling? Still have the taste of Kyoko's coffee?"
"Yeah, and it's still there." Tatenashi answered him as she stick out her tongue in disgust. "I tried using mouthwash to get the taste out, but I can still taste it. We definitely should've listened to them when they warned us."
"Tell me about it, Detective Matayoshi warned me too, but I didn't really understand what he meant before." Ichika agrees with a sigh. "He even said he fears the day that he'll be forced to drink her coffee. I guessed he must've tasted it as well and is now afraid of the day he'll have to drink it."
"Yikes, I feel bad for the guy…" Ling gulped. "After what we've tasted, I'd hate to see him being forced to drink her coffee." Everyone nodded in agreement until they all looked at the clock. "Uh-oh, we'd better get on the monorail and fast! It's the last ride to the academy and if we miss this, we'll really be late for class!" Everyone nodded in agreement as they raced up the stairs to the monorail and managed to get aboard just before it departed from the station to the IS Academy.
Upon arriving at the academy grounds, Ichika and the IS girls all raced through the halls to their classroom and managed to make it just before the bell rings and sat down at their desks. At this moment, Maya enters the classroom and makes her way to the desk at the front of the room.
"Okay, everyone, settle down. I've got some announcements to make before we start class." Maya smiled as she cleared her throat. "First off, as most of you already know, Chifuyu-sensei left for a business trip for two months and won't be back until the end of May." All the girls and Ichika nodded. "However, just before she left, she talked to me about a program we've wanted to do for some time now, but never got the chance to." Everyone all looked at each other in confusion.
"Program? What kind of program is that, Maya-sensei?" One girl asked with curiosity.
"Well, it's something like this." Maya answered her. "As all of you are aware, our school is for only girls and training them on how to use the IS." Everyone nodded in agreement "And as you also know, there's only one exception to that rule." All the girls looked at Ichika who nervously chuckled. "Well, that's where this program comes in. She wanted to see if our school can become co-ed and have boys come as well." That made all the girls jump in excitement.
"Wait, boys? You mean boys are really going to be coming here to our school?!" Another girl squealed.
"That's right, we're going to have boys be coming here and study alongside you girls." Maya answered with a smile. "This was what we've been discussing about just before Chifuyu-sensei left. We discussed it to the other teachers and they all agreed."
"But if more boys are coming here, do they all pilot an IS like Ichika can?" A third girl asked in confusion.
"Unfortunately, unlike Ichika, none of the boys will be piloting an IS like the rest of us." Maya answered her before smiling again. "But seeing this problem, Chifuyu came up with a solution for that. While we'll still be teaching the boys about the IS and how to operate them, they'll be trained in how to use a special suit that can control it alongside us wearing the IS. Think of it like as having a co-pilot on a plane. They'll be wearing special suits that remotely controls the IS like a puppet, so be sure you both work together. They can even use the suits to pilot the IS if the pilot is hurt or unconsciousness, almost like having a wingman right by you all the time."
"Wow, that's amazing!" A fourth girl gasped in awe. "It's like we're having our own guardian angels with us. So are all the boys going to use these suits that you've mentioned?"
"Not all of them, most of the boys will be more like mechanics in keeping the IS in peek condition." Maya answered her as she began explaining. "They'll be taught the ins and outs of the endoskeleton and how to make adjustments if need to." Everyone nodded in response. "On that note, let's meet our two new students. They'll be part of the program I mentioned earlier, so treat them with respect." Everyone nodded as she gestured them to come in. The door opens as Satoru and Twoearle walked in and made Ichika and the IS girls all gasped in shock.
"No way!" Ichika gawked.
"They can't be serious!" Houki gawked.
"What are they doing here?!" Cecilia asked in shock.
"You've got to be kidding me!" Ling gawked as a piano fell behind her.
"Everyone, I want all of you to meet Satoru Kuremi and Twoearle." Maya introduced them. "They'll be with us as part of the program until the end of the year, so treat them well." She turns to them and smiled. "Okay, you two. Go ahead and introduce yourselves." Satoru and Twoearle nodded as they stepped forward and bowed.
"Hello, everyone. It's nice to meet all of you." Satoru greeted with a smile. "My name is Satoru Kuremi and I'm pleased to meet you. I hope we can get to know each other better."
Later at lunch
Not long after the introduction of Satoru and Twoearle, our heroes later meet up in the cafeteria to ask them about how they were admitted into the school and were they aware of the program Maya mentioned before.
"So let's see if we got this right..." Houki began as she remembered what Satoru and Twoearle told her and her friends. "From what you're telling us, Kyoko had you two enrolled into our school because not only she wanted you to be closer to us, but also to make sure we don't get lost on our way to the agency after school, right?"
"Yeah, that was her plan." Satoru answered her with a nod. "Since she knows you guys are pretty far off from Nakano Broadway, we're here to guide you back to the office. She also wants to tell you guys something important now that you're all working at the agency as Cyber Sleuths and it's about that time to show you the cases you'll all be taking. We can't reveal much, but we're sure it's mostly about dealing with hackers stealing someone's account and using it for their enjoyment among other things like that nature." Twoearle nodded in agreement while still glaring at all the other girls staring at him.
"Makes sense, since we're working for Kyoko now." Ichika agrees in understanding. "She'll be the one giving us cases to do and we have to complete each of them for people." Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all nodded in agreement. "But there's something else I'm wondering back when we first met. Kyoko called you her apprentice, right?" Satoru nodded "And since we're now her assistants and working under her, does that mean…?"
"Yep, we'll be working together on every case we receive." Satoru answered him with a nod. "Kyoko-nee's been teaching me how to be a detective like her and our parents, but there are still some things I need to learn myself. Which is also the reason why she had us enrolled here at the IS Academy and learn from you guys."
"Wow, Kyoko sure knows how to think ahead." Cecilia gasped in awe. "But for a detective like her, that's to be expected in her line of work. I wonder what kind of cases we'll be receiving once we arrive back at the agency?"
"We'll have to wait and see once we meet up with Kyoko again." Char answered her. "As soon as we head for the agency, I'm sure she'll tell us then." Everyone nodded in agreement as she turned to Satoru. "Still, it must've been surprising for you to have the girls start crowding over you, wasn't it?" Satoru nodded as he still remembers how the girls all jumped on him.
Flashback, two hours ago
"Hello, it's nice to meet all of you." Satoru greeted with a smile "My name Satoru Kuremi and I'll be attending this school as part of the program. I hope we can get to know each other."
"Hey there, I'm Twoearle. Nice to meet you." Twoearle greeted, smiling as well. "Much like Satoru-kun, I'll be attending here as part of the program as well. I may not fly this IS you used, but I can make adjustments to it, if you need me to. Hope we can get along."
Everyone in the classroom went dead silent as they all stared at the two new arrivals with shock and awe. Then suddenly, all the girls, except for Houki and her friends, all jumped from their seats and started crowding around Satoru while sending Twoearle flying across the room and crashes on the wall.
"Ow, that's gonna leave a mark…" Ling winced. as her friends all nodded in agreement before turning back at their other friend being crowed around.
"Wow, he's so cute!" One girl squealed.
"He sure is! I could just eat him up!" Another girl agrees with a giggle.
"And those glasses of his just makes him even cuter! I didn't think it was even possible!" A third girl also agrees with hearts in her eyes.
"Wow, he seems to having it just as bad as you, Ichika…" Tatenashi muttered. "All the girls are just going crazy for him and this is just one classroom. Imagine him being chased around the campus by the rest of the girls." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"I don't know, he seems to be having it far worse than me..." Ichika sighed. "I know the girls have done the same thing to me, but from what we're seeing, they seem to be cuddling him like he's a stuffed animal. He's probably going to have a harder time getting around the campus with having to run from a stampede of girls." The IS girls all nodded in agreement as Twoearle recovers and rushed back to the crowd.
"Hey! All of you, get away from him!" Twoearle yelled in fury. "You're all going to suffocate him if you crowd around like that!" She reaches into the crowd of girls until she feels Satoru's arm and pulls him out from the crowd and right into her breasts. "Plus, he's all mine! There's no way in hell I'm giving him to any of you!" That made all the girls feel determined to have Satoru for themselves while Ichika and the IS girls all sighed in annoyance.
End flashback
"Yeah, that did take me by surprise." Satoru agrees with a nervous smile and sweat drop. "I didn't think all the girls would've surrounded me in like a split second and started hugging me like I was a teddy bear." He turns to Ichika. "I guess you weren't kidding when all the girls went crazy for you the first time you enrolled here."
"Tell me about it, I had to use my wits to even survive a day here." Ichika agrees with a sigh. "I guess I should've given you a heads up about their…ahem….eagerness to meeting with boys. Still, it's never a dull moment here and I don't regret enrolling here one bit. But just to make sure, watch your step around here."
"Will do, Ichika." Satoru nodded as they continued talking until lunch was over and they all headed back to class.
After class has ended, Ichika, Satoru, Twoearle and the IS girls all took the monorail back to the mainland as they were now heading for the agency back at Nakano. Upon arriving at the station, they decided to take a bus to Shinjuku and change buses from there.
"So, what did you think of Kyoko-nee's coffee?" Satoru asked his friends. "Was it as delicious as you all thought or as painful as it tastes when you guys fell on the floor?"
"Painful, definitely painful..." Ling answered with a groan as she clutched her stomach. "You guys were right about her coffee not being made from this world. I didn't think someone would be crazy enough to add in seaweed and red bean paste into coffee. I still can taste it in my mouth no matter how many times I brushed my teeth." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, sorry about that." Satoru apologized as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Kyoko-nee likes to add in other ingredients into her coffees. She said it's to bring out the flavor or something like that. I guess we're just not up to those kinds of flavors she mentioned."
"Still, you tried to warn us about the coffee and we didn't listen." Laura said in gratitude. "If anything, we're the ones who should be apologizing for not taking your warnings seriously and we paid the price for it. I hope you can forgive us for not listening." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they bowed their heads to Satoru and Twoearle.
"Hey, that's all water under the bridge." Satoru smiled in reassurance. "Just think of it as an experience that you won't forget, no matter how hard you try to. I guess from now on, let's all make an effort to never drink her coffee." Everyone nodded in agreement as Ling decides to change the subject.
"By the way, there's something we've been wondering, Satoru." Ling began. "Who's your Digimon partner? Ichika already showed us Agumon yesterday, so we're wondering what kind of Digimon you have for a partner."
"Huh, I never did introduced you guys to him yet." Satoru realized as he knew Ling was right. "I guess it wasn't that important because we were pressed for time yesterday." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Well, since you asked, allow me to introduce you guys to my partner." He takes out his phone from his pocket and shows it to them as Dorumon appears onscreen. "Everyone, meet my partner, Dorumon."
"Hello, everyone. It's nice to finally meet all of you." Dorumon greeted with a smile. "As my partner mentioned, my name is Dorumon. I hope we can get to know each other better."
"It's nice to meet you as well, Dorumon." Char greeted back with a smile. "You and Agumon sure are lucky to have Satoru and Ichika as partners by your side. I really do hope we can get along as well." Dorumon smiled and nodded in agreement. "By the way, why are you inside Satoru's phone? When Ichika introduced us to Agumon, we could see him standing right in front of us."
"Yeah, we did see Agumon in front of us when we met him." Tatenashi agrees with her. "So how come we can't see you in person, Dorumon? Is there some kind of reason why we can only see you from inside Satoru's phone?"
"Unfortunately, there is a problem to that." Dorumon answered her as he began explaining. "The reason why you ladies met Agumon yesterday was because all of you were inside cyberspace. Our bodies are comprised of data, so we can't exist in the real world with you. But it's also because of that every reason humans thinks of us as programs and use us for all kinds of evil deeds. I was lucky that Satoru became my partner is because he didn't see me as a program, but as a living creature."
"I'm sorry to hear that, Dorumon..." Kanzashi said while lowering her head despondently. "I didn't know there were some humans who thinks you're nothing but a program. I hope we get to see you in person one day."
"Yeah, me too." Dorumon agrees as the driver made his announcement.
"Attention, passengers. May I have your attention please." The bus driver announced. "We are about 15 minutes away from Shinjuku District. If you are departing here, please gather up your belongings and watch your step as you exit the bus. The next bus to Nakano Broadway is located on the opposite end of this station and will be leaving in 30 minutes. Thank you for riding with us."
"Well, there's our stop. Shinjuku District." Houki smiled as she and her friends got ready to get up. "Once we get off this bus at the bus stop, we'll be heading for Nakano on the next bus." Everyone nodded in agreement as the bus arrived in Shinjuku and dropped off our heroes and headed for the next bus to continue on towards Nakano.
After riding the bus for half an hour, Ichika and his friends finally arrived at the entrance to Nakano Broadway. As our heroes entered the shopping center, they made their way to the Kuremi Detective Agency until they've reached it and entered the office where Kyoko was sitting at her desk while reading a book.
"Welcome back, everyone." Kyoko greeted with a smile as she puts the book down. "I trust your trip here was a relaxing one?" Everyone nodded. "Glad to here. And I can also see you're all getting along nicely."
"Yeah, we've been talking with each other on the way here." Ichika nodded with a smile. "We talked about a lot things and Satoru even introduced them to Dorumon along the way." Everyone nodded in agreement. "They also told us that you were the one who enrolled them at the IS Academy as part of the program going on."
"Well, you heard right, my assistant." Kyoko smirked. "I did enroll my two apprentices as students at your school. I figured since that you'll all be working together, this could be the best way to have you guys get to know each other better. And seeing all of you getting along on your way here, I'd say it worked out better than I expected."
"Yeah, it certainly did, Kyoko-san." Houki agrees with a smile as she placed her hand on her hip. "While we were surprised to see them as new students, we're also glad to have them as our classmates at our school." Everyone nodded in agreement before Houki asked Kyoko something else."But if you don't mind me asking, how did you know about the program Maya-sensei told us about? Did someone you know tell you about that?"
"Yes, my old friend and Ichika's sister Chifuyu Orimura told me." Kyoko answered her as the IS girls all gasped in shock while Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle already knew.
"Wait, you know Chifuyu-sensei?" Cecilia asked in shock. "And both you and her are old friends?" Kyoko nodded.
"Yes, you can say we were childhood friends." Kyoko answered her. "We've been friends all the way to high school until we graduated and went our separate ways. I don't need to tell you what Chifuyu did later down the line." Ichika and the IS girls all knew what she was talking about. "As for me, I took over my father's agency after his and my aunt's death while also taking care of Satoru as no one else wanted to watch over him." Everyone all looked at Satoru who had his head down.
"Is that true, Satoru?" Kanzashi asked in shock. "No one really wanted to take you in after the death of your mother and uncle?"
"Yeah, it is…" Satoru answered her sadly. "They all thought of me as nothing but a burden or just don't bother with me. Kyoko-nee, my uncle and Mom were the only ones who even cared about me and kept everyone else away. But now that both my mom and uncle are gone, Kyoko-nee's the only one I have left." Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for him as Tworeale embraced him.
"That's also another reason why I had them enroll at your school." Kyoko added. "I wanted him to be around other people and after being around all of you since yesterday, he's been the happiest I've seen him in a long time. I hope all of you can watch over him for me." Everyone nodded as they all gathered around Satoru.
"Leave this to us, Kyoko." Ichika smiled softly. "We'll be the best friends he ever has. We're not going to let anyone make our friend sad." Everyone all nodded in agreement as Satoru had a tear in his eye.
"You guys…" Satoru whispered with a soft smile.
"Glad to hear that, I know you'll all be great friends." Kyoko smiled back before clearing her throat. "But now, let's get down to it. I have something for all of you. Your first duty to kick off your new career as cyber sleuths. If Nakano is going to be your base of operations, all of you should make the rounds and introduce yourselves to the various establishments here. You'll all be depending on these places a lot, so it's important to let them know who you are." Ichika and the IS girls all nodded as she turned to Satoru and Twoearle. "Since everyone here in Nakano are familiar with you two, how about you give them the grand tour before we start on the case?"
"Leave it to us, Kyoko-nee." Satoru said as he nodded. "We'll have Ichika and everyone be familiar with everything Nakano has to offer." Twoearle nodded in agreement.
"Great, I'll be counting on you two." Kyoko smiled as she began explaining. "Now then, what to talk about next? Hmm… Oh yeah. Let me explain about the white board." She gestured to a whiteboard on the wall behind her. "Hanging on the wall to the right of my desk is a whiteboard. You see it?" Ichika and the IS girls looked towards the white board and nodded. "You can accept cases from there. Field practice is better than book learning. I'll put some simple cases up on the whiteboard. Check it out, and start working on some cases." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Okay, now that that's done, let's get this tour started." Satoru smiled. "We'll show you all four floors of Nakano and everything it has to offer for everyone." Everyone nodded in agreement as they exited the office and started on the tour of Nakano Broadway.
But before our heroes left the office, Kyoko stopped them. "Oh yeah, there's one more thing I want all of you to do for me before starting on your tour." She gestured back to the whiteboard. "I've already placed a case for you to perform." Ichika nodded as he walks over to the whiteboard and finds only one paper tacked onto the board.
"The K-Cafe?" Ichika asked in confusion as he looked at Kyoko. "You want us to go and purchase coffee beans for you from the cafe?"
"Yes, that's my request to all of you." Kyoko answered him with a nod. "It's a simple task, so I'm sure you'll all get the hang of it soon enough. Make sure you pick up those coffee beans before coming back from your tour of Nakano." Ichika nodded as he returns to his friends. "Satoru, I trust you and Twoearle know which floor the K-Cafe is, right?"
"Yeah, we know where the cafe is." Satoru nodded in response. "Since it's on the 4th floor, we'll make it our final stop on the tour."
"Excellent, make you all say hello to everyone." "Kyoko smiled in approval. "Also, be sure to check the whiteboard from time to time. I'll be putting up more and more cases as you all progress, so make sure to see if there are any more. I'm counting on you with my case." Everyone nodded as they all exited the office to start the tour.
After exiting the office and entered the hallway, Satoru walks in front of the group and turns to face them. "Okay, guys. Here's how we're gonna start on the tour." Points to the directory on the wall. "Nakano has four floors and we'll be going through each one to show everything it has to offer. Since we're on the 1st floor, we'll start the tour here and work our way to the other three floors later on. So, any questions?" No one answered. "Perfect, then let's get started." As he was about to lead his friends around Nakano, they were stopped by a familiar face just outside of the office.
"Good day, Cyber Sleuths." Mirei greeted with a smile.
"Mirei!" Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle yelled in surprise.
"Mirei?" The IS girls asked in confusion.
"What are you doing outside of the DigiLab, Mirei?" Ichika asked as he rubbed his eyes in shock at the sight of Mirei out here in the real world.
"I thought it was about time you and your friends came by." Mirei answered him as she looked at Ichika. "Won't you come inside my little shop? There's something I have to do for you." That made the IS girls jealous as they all glared at him.
"Huh? You want me to enter your shop?" Ichika asked in confusion. "What's this something you want to do for me?"
"We are bound by fate to do this. Hurry, please." Mirei said seriously as she grabs his arm and starts dragging him into her shop.
"Hey, wait! What do you mean that we're bound by fate?" Ichika gawked as he was pulled into Mirei's shop while the IS girls intensified their glares at him.
"Okay… that came out of nowhere…" Satoru muttered in confusion. "I didn't think we'd see Mirei here in the real world. I wonder what she needs Ichika for?" Twoearle shrugged her shoulders while the IS girls turned towards them.
"Hold on, how do you guys know her?" Ling asked with a angry frown. "Who is that woman and what reason does she need Ichika for? She said they were bound by fate or something, but what does she mean by that?" Her friends all nodded in agreement while still glaring at them.
"Whoa, just calm down for a moment, ladies. There's a really good explanation for this." Satoru reasoned with a sheepish grin. "We met her after Ichika used his Connect Jump for the first time yesterday. When we arrived in EDEN, Ichika walked into this bright light and we followed him until ended up in this place called the DigiLab where we also met Mirei. She said that Ichika was the one who called her and that's what led us to the DigiLab."
"Wait, he's the one who called her?!" Cecilia asked while growling in fury. "Why is that she's the one he called for and not us?! I can't believe that two timing jerk!"
"Wait, let's not jump into conclusions just yet." Satoru reasoned with her. "I'm sure it's not what you're all thinking, but let's just wait and see what happens." The IS girls reluctantly nodded as they all heard Ichika and Mirie's voices from inside the shop.
"Okay, then, stick your hand out." Mirei instructed. "It'll be over soon. Hold still."
"Okay, if you say so." Ichika sighed.
"Next is… the other thing." Mirei added as she begins something "Turn around, don't move… Leave it all to me."
"Hey, what are you doing?" Ichika asked in shock.
"All done!" Mirei smiled as she walks out with him "Sorry for the wait, but we're finally done!" She gestures to Ichika who was now wearing a black glove on his right hand with an X on his backhand and a double circle on his palm.
"Mirei-san, why am I wearing a glove?" Ichika asked as he looked at the glove in confusion. "And how come does it look like I was given some kind of new feature?"
"That's because you were given a new feature." Mirei answered him. "I installed a special program into your cyber form, adding some new features. You can now scan physical things with your right glove and capture data of the target."
"So what does that mean?" Ichika asked in confusion, blinking.
"In other words, once things from the real world are in your hand, they can become cyber data and be brought into cyberspace with you." Mirei answered him with another of her calm smiles.
"Wow…" Ichika gasped in awe while staring at his glove.
"Acquired data will be kept in your storage." Mirei explained. "Such a convenient world we live in today, don't you think? Modern technology and whatnot."
"Hey, this isn't just any technology, you know!" Ling fumed. "All those things have helped us improve our lives and helps us with stuff we couldn't do normally!"
"Maybe, but you shouldn't be surprised by such things." Mirei told her sternly. "If one of you aren't prepared, his body will continue to…" She stops herself as everyone looked at her. "No, it's better if you don't know what the future holds. All should be as fate directs."
"As fate directs?" Laura repeated while glaring at Mirei. "What do you mean by that?"
"That is something you'll all be finding out as your journey progresses." Mirei answered her. "But if you lose your way, come and see me. I shall be happy to point you in the right direction, to the best of my ability." Everyone nodded as Mirei began explaining. "Use a Connection Jump to come directly to the DigiLab from wherever you might be." She then turned serious and adjusted her glasses. "The border between this world and the digital one is growing thinner and thinner. The proof of that lies in the fact I was able to meet you and your friends in the real world. But that might not be a good thing as far as the world is concern. This is likely the harbinger of far worse things to come. And if that's the case, then several other worlds will be affected by this as well."
"A harbinger? What kind of harbinger are you talking about?" Houki asked in confusion. "And you said other worlds, right?" Mirei nodded in response to Houki's question. "What do you mean by them being affected?"
"It means that because of the border between this world and the digital one weakening, the borders from other worlds are starting to weaken as well." Mirei answered her as she began explaining seriously. "That's what keeps them separated, unaware of each other's existence. But if the borders between them are weaken, then it's only a matter of time before all worlds are aware of the others' existence." Everyone gasped in shock as she faced Ichika. "However, meeting with you assures me of a light of hope that will shine for this world and countless others. " She cheered up a bit. "Heh. I wonder if I will enjoy this new world? Until we meet again in the Digilab!" Our heroes were still in awe as she vanished back into the Digilab.
"What was that all about?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "What could she mean about other worlds? There's no such thing as that, right?"
"I don't know about that, Cecilia…" Houki answered her as she pondered about what Mirei said. "From what she's been telling us, I don't think she was lying." Everyone turned to her.
"What do you mean by that, Houki?" Char asked in concern.
"Think about it, don't our ISes look like something from a sci-fi movie?" Houki asked back as she began explaining on her theory. "And when we encountered Ichika again back at the hospital yesterday, didn't he bring us into cyberspace and introduced us to Agumon who, according to Dorumon, can't exist here in the real world?" Her friends all realized she was right while Ichika, Satoru and Twoearle all nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, you're right. Our ISes are something ripped out of the pages of science fiction." Tatenashi agrees as she scratched her chin in thought. "And when Ichika brought us into the computer and introduced Agumon to us, that only proves her statement about other worlds. But what could she mean about Ichika's body before she stopped herself?" Everyone thought for a moment before Satoru changed the subject.
"Hey, let's not think about that right now." Satoru stated. "We can worry about it later until we meet with her next time. Right now, let's get on with the tour!" Everyone cheered up and nodded in agreement as they started on the tour of Nakano Broadway.
The tour starts on the first floor of Nakano where there was the Kurumi Detective Agency, Mirei's Consultant Room, two restaurants, vending machines, the main entrance and a fragrance store on the back section of the first floor. Satoru introduced all the people to his new friends and the people welcomed Ichika and his friends with open arms.
After touring the first floor, our heroes got on the elevator for the second floor to continue with the tour. The second floor had a CD store, another restaurant, a card shop and a figurine store. Like on the first floor, Satoru introduced the people to his new friends and all welcomed them with open arms.
Once the second was finished, they got back on the elevator and headed for the third floor. Upon reaching the third floor, it had a lot more to offer as there was a book store, two food vendors, a cage and some clothes store, They even met an employee at the book store who was also new to her job much like Ichika and the IS girls. Like with the last two floors, Satoru introduced everyone to his new friends and they all welcomed them with open arms.
Once arriving on the fourth floor, that's where they found the arcade and the K-Cafe where they needed to buy coffee beans for Kyoko. After seeing the arcade, our heroes made their way to K-Cafe to buy the coffee beans for Kyoko.
"This is it, K-Cafe. Our final stop." Satoru smiled. "This is where Kyoko-nee wanted us to go as part of your field test as Cyber Sleuths. Let's head inside and get the beans for her." Everyone nodded in agreement as they entered the cafe and find a young man and woman by the counter.
The man at the counter waved at them. "Welcome!"
"Welcome, please come in! Take any open seat!" The woman greeted before noticing Satoru and Twoearle. *Oh, it's you two again. Satoru-kun and Twoearle-chan! Welcome back!"
"Hey, Mr. Miyuki! Sachi-chan!" Satoru greeted back.
"Well, aren't you two a sight for sore-eyes." Mr. Miyuki smiled as he placed his hand on chin. "We haven't seen you two since last week. Of course, that was your birthday during that time. So what's been going on with you two?" He and Sachi noticed Ichika and the others behind them. "Who are they? New friends of yours?"
"Yeah, we just met them yesterday." Twoearle answered him with a smile and nod. "Although, how we met them could've been on better terms, but what can you do?" Everyone chuckled a little. "Anyway, they're new assistants Kyoko hired just yesterday as well." Ichika and the IS girls all nodded in agreement.
"All of you are Ms. Kuremi's assistants? She hired some assistants?" Mr. Miyuki asked in awe "Wow. So you guys get to bask in her radiant beauty to your heart's content whenever you want, huh?"
"Wait, what?" The eight IS pilots all asked with white dotted eyes while a record scratch occurred.
"I'm so jealous! It's outrageous! Truly outrageous!" Mr. Miyuki fumed. "I can't believe she has all of you bathing in her beauty for days on end while I see her whenever she feels like it!" Everyone sweat dropped as his sudden outburst.
"Okay… what's his deal?" Ling asked as she took a step back in disgust. "Does he like have a crush on your cousin or something, Satoru?"
"Unfortunately, he does…" Satoru answered with a sigh as he rubbed his temples. "He's been eyeing her ever since she came here the first time. He even said the same thing he just said to you guys when I first came here on an errand for Kyoko-nee. He even asked me if I was her boyfriend or something like that." That made everyone jump in surprise.
"You're kidding, right?" Tatenashi asked while showing the white dotted eyes. "He wanted to know if you were Kyoko's boyfriend when you are clearly related to her?" Satoru nodded "Jeez, talk about being a hopeless loser and taking it to the next level." Everyone nodded in agreement as Sachi turned to her employer.
"Boss?" Sachi asked with a sad glare.
"Yes? What is it?" Mr. Miyuki asked back.
"You don't look at me like that, do you?" Sachi asked while lowering her head.
"What?" Mr. Miyuki asked in confusion.
"Oh, you creep! You total perv! I quit! Right here and now!" Sachi yelled in anger as an anger vein appeared on her forehead.
"Whoa, that came out of nowhere!" Ling gawked. "She just came out yelling at his face in a split second!"
"Kinda reminds me of how you girls all did the same thing when we met Mirei not too long ago." Twoealre said with a dull tone and that made the IS girls flinched.
"Huh? What happened?" Ichika asked in confusion. "Did something happen while I was inside Mirei's shop?"
"Oh yeah, you wouldn't believed what happened before, Ichika." Satoru answered with a sigh while rubbing his temples again. "When Mire dragged you into her shop to get outfitted in your glove, Houki and the others all thought you were cheating on them or something like that. They even wanted to beat you up the moment you stepped back outside her shop." Ichika looked at his friends as they all sweated bullets.
"Is this true" Ichika asked in concern. "All of you thought I was cheating on you?"
"Well… It's just that… We thought…" Houki stuttered as she bowed her head in apology. "We're sorry, Ichika. When we heard Mire said you two were bound by fate, I guess we kinda lost it again. But when Satoru told us not to jump to conclusion, he made the right choice as we later found out Mirei was giving you that glove." She pointed to Ichika's right hand. "We're sorry for thinking you were cheating on us." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Hey, don't feel bad, ladies. I forgive you." Ichika smiled as it made the IS girls blush. "I would never cheat on all of you, you're all too important to me. Just know that won't ever happen for as long as I live." The IS girls all nodded in agreement as Satoru and Twoealre smiled before turning their attention back to Mr. Miyuki and Sachi.
"What? What?!" Mr. Miyuki gasped in surprise.
"And I'm taking full payment of this month's salary." Sachi warned. "Plus I'll be billing you for 20 months of leering. You're paying me psychological damages!"
"Ouch, 20 months of leering…" Laura winced. "That's going to hurt his wallet." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Uhh, excuse me." Ichika called out to them. "I don't mean to interrupt, but we came here for some coffee beans."
"Oh, our customers!" Sachi gasped as she sweat dropped. "You all wanted coffee beans, right?" Everyone nodded as she takes some out of her basket. "These are the coffee beans Ms. Kyoko's always buys. Here you go!" She hands the coffee beans to Ichika.
"Thank you, we'll be sure to give her your regards." Ichika smiled before turning to his friends. "All right, guys! We got the coffee beans for her! Now let's head back and give these to her!" Everyone nodded in agreement as Mr. Miyuki starts pleading.
"Hang on, Sacchan! Quitting out of the blue like that kinda puts me in a bind!" Mr. Miyuki wailed as he got into a begging position.
"Does it now? Well, then, shall we negotiate, boss?" Sachi asked with an evil grin.
"Oh my, she's brutal…" Char stuttered. as her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Negotiate? F-For what?" Mr. Miyuki asked, getting a bad feeling about this.
"For what? Why, for my hourly rate, of course!" Sachi answered him with an angry yell. "If you're going to play stupid, I'll sue! We're talking about harassment lawsuit here!"
"Yikes!" Mr. Miyuki gasped.
"Wow, they sure are quite the pair." Kanzashi said in astonishment. "If they were married, she'd be the real master of the house." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"Well, be that as it may… We got the beans Kyoko asked for." Ichika said with a nervous smile. "Let's head back to the office and give these to her." Everyone nodded in agreement as they walked out the door.
"Thank you very much! Come back any time!" Sachi called out to them.
"We will!" Everyone call back as they exited the cafe.
After leaving the K-Cafe and getting the coffee beans, our heroes made their way back to the agency to give Kyoko the coffee beans. While on their way back, Ichika runs into a familiar face standing in the halls all by herself.
"Huh?" Nokia looked towards Ichika.
"Nokia, is that you?" Ichika asked in surprise.
"Oh, hey! You're safe! Phew!" Nokia breathe a sigh of relief "Well, I assumed so. After what happened in the digital world, you should be fine in the real world."
"Yeah, it was mostly thanks to Arata's quick thinking back there." Ichika agrees with a smile. "If he haven't hacked into the old terminal back there, I don't know what could've happened to us." In reality, he was lying to make sure she doesn't know what really happened to him.
"Then I'm glad to hear that, Ichika." Nokia smiled in relief before showing her worry face. "But are those little critters okay, I wonder?"
"Uhh…who are you talking about, Nokia?" Ichika asked confusedly.
"No way! You don't remember?! You insensitive clod! The Digimon that protected me!" Nokia yelled as she whacked Ichika on the head. "I'm a little worried… Had they not been around, it would have been…" She calms down for a bit. "Well… I've got this problem, and I've had it since I was a kid." Everyone started to listen to her. "When things get serious, I always get frighten. It's like my mind goes black, and I freeze up. That must have sucked for you. I'm really sorry." She then feels Ichika placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Hey, you don't have to apologize, Nokia." Ichika smiled as he reassured her. "That whole incident caught all of us by surprise and there was nothing we could do about it. But just knowing you're still safe and back in the real world, that puts me at ease. They wanted to make sure you escaped and I'm sure you'll see them again.
"Ichika…" Nokia whispered before smiling. "Yeah, you're right. I shouldn't be feeling down. They helped me escape and I should be thanking them if I see them again. That's for cheering me up, Ichika. You're the best." Ichika smiled that caused her to blush. "Well, do you want to go shopping now? I found a lot of cute stores here and I really want to check them out."
"Sorry, can't right now, Nokia." Ichika said while closing his eyes and smiling. "I'm a cyber sleuth now and my friends and myself are doing an errand for someone right now." His friends all nodded in agreement.
"Wow, you're a cyber sleuth now? That's great!" Nokia beamed before she has an question mark above her head about the cyber sleuth part. "A cyber sleuth? Really? A cyber sleuth… What is that, exactly? What's a cyber sleuth?" That caused everyone to anime faint on the floor. "No skin off my nose! I don't know if it's good or bad. I totally gave up figuring it out." Everyone stands back up. "It's probably better than being a hacker!" She then realized something else. "That said, I'm a hacker! Arata! He was a hacker! He helped me out, but he was a total hacker!" She lowered her head. "That's a little depressing, knowing I've been lied to this whole time. I haven't seen him since. Ugh! This is the pits. Times like these I want to throw on the new Jimiken single. Get my freak on." She quietly left while the IS girls sweat dropped.
"Wow, she sure is…eccentric." Houki muttered. "She sure knows how to flip between different ways of emotions and expresses them in her own unique way." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Anyway, let's head back to the office and give these coffee beans to Kyoko. We don't want to keep her waiting." Everyone nodded in agreement as hey got on the elevator and rode it down back to the first floor.
Upon arriving back on the first floor, Ichika and the gang made their way back to the office and entered the door to see Kyoko sitting at her desk and reading a book to pass the time. She looks up to see her assistants returning and smiled.
"Hey, Kyoko! We're back!" Twoealre greeted.
"It seems you've all made your rounds." Kyoko smiled as she puts the book down on her desk. "I take it you're all familiar with the people here Nakano, yet?"
"Yeah, we've managed to meet with everyone around Nakano." Ichika answered her with a smile. "A lot of them were kinda off the wall, but they all seem like nice people. Everyone here sure is lively."
"Indeed. They're quite a bunch of characters, but that's what it takes to live in Nakano." Kyoko agrees with a grin. "Everyone here has their own flare to their personality, but that's what makes Nakano so lively. So I take it you've got the coffee beans for me?"
"Yep, got them right here, Kyoko." Ling answered her as she gave the coffee beans to Kyoko. "We had to watch one of your fans have a lovers quarrel with his own employee before we got back." Everyone chuckled at her joke.
"Oh, you mean Kazuma Miyuki." Kyoko smiled playfully. "He's always been an odd one, but he's relatively harmless." She turns to Ichika. "Anyway, thank you for bringing the coffee beans. Ichika, why don't you close this case and we'll move on from there?" She hands him a stamp. "Use this on requests you've completed on the whiteboard and that should be it." Ichika nodded as he walks over to the whiteboard and stamps the request.
"Case close." Ichika smiled as everyone smiled as well until Houki hears something.
"Help me…" A voice calls out.
"Huh?" Houki looks around around her and her friends took notice. "Who said that?"
"Who said what Houki?" Kanzashi asked her confusedly "Are you feeling alright?"
"Did you guys here something? Like a voice calling out for help?" Houki asked everyone.
"What voice? I don't hear anything." Laura said as she looked at Houki oddly.
"Ditto with me." Ling agrees "Are you sure you're not just hearing things Houki?"
"Guys, I know I heard a voice calling out to me." Houki reasoned. "It sounded like someone was in trouble and I've got to go help him. You guys believe me, right?" Before anyone could answer, Ichika and Satoru's Digivices starts ringing and they answered.
"Agumon, what's wrong? Is there some kind of trouble?" Ichika asked in concern.
"Yeah, there's big trouble, Boss." Agumon answered him. "Me and Dorumon just sensed another Digimon nearby in Kowloon. He seems to be in trouble by some aggressive Digimon roaming around!"
"Is that true, Dorumon?" Satoru asked, frowning seriously.
"Yes, it is true, Satoru." Dorumon answered him. "We've just picked up his scent the moment we've returned to the office. I have a feeling this Digimon might be in danger of being deleted if we don't save him."
"Looks like you were right after all, Houki." Satoru turned to Houki. "There was someone calling out to you. Sorry for not believing you before."
"It's alright, I wouldn't believe it myself if I didn't hear it." Houki smiled before frowning seriously "But hearing that Digimon calling out to me for help, now I know that I have to go. I have to save that Digimon before anything bad happens to him!"
"Then we know what we need to do." Kyoko frowned as she got ready to give Ichika and his friends the next case. "Ichika, you and Houki head for Kowloon and find that Digimon. Make sure that Digimon is out of harm's way before something bad happens or even worse. I trust you've gotten the hang of your Connect Jump ability?"
"Yeah, I've gotten the hang of it now." Ichika answered her with a nod. "I can use the TV like last time and enter Kowloon from there. We'll save that Digimon before anyone or anything can get their hands on him!"
"Excellent, then I'm counting on you, Ichika." Kyoko smiled. "You'll be handling anything dangerous down there, so keep your guard up. There's no telling what kind of Digimon you'll run into." Ichika and Houki nodded as he turns to her cousin. "Satoru, I trust you computer's up and running?"
"Ready and waiting, Kyoko-nee." Satoru answered her with a nod. "It's all charged up and ready to go."
"Perfect, then you'll be monitoring everything from here while Ichika and Houki are in Kowloon." Kyoko nodded in response. "I'm counting on you to be their eyes in the sky." Satoru gave a thumps up as she turns to Twoearle. "Twoearle, how are the communicators coming along for Houki and her friends?"
"I'm afraid they're not finished yet, Kyoko." Twoearle answered her while shaking her head no. "I still need to work on them and make sure there aren't any bugs in them. So it may take me some time until they get back from Kowloon."
"Then we'll just have to work with what we have for now." Kyoko nods in understanding. "Until Twoearle can finish with the communicators, we'll have to rely on Ichika's for now." Everyone nodded in agreement. "Ok, now that everyone knows what to do. It's time we get this mission started. Cyber Sleuths, assemble!"
"Yes Ma'am!" Everyone shouted in unison as Ichika and Houki stood in front of the TV while everyone else surrounded Satoru.
"Okay, here we go, Houki." Ichika told her. "Time for us to save a Digimon and who knows, he might become your partner. So you ready?" Houki nodded "Okay, then take my hand. We'll be heading for Kowloon now." Houki nodded as she took his hand into her while he activates his Connect Jump and enters the TV as Satoru turns on his laptop and activates his communicator.
Ichika and Houki appeared in the cyberspace tunnel. Houki looked around her surroundings and smiled a little. "No matter how you look at it, cyberspace is amazing when you get inside it."
"Yeah, I agree." Ichika nodded as he took Houki's hand. "But let's not waste any time. We need to save that Digimon." Houki nodded in agreement as they fly through the cyber tunnel.
While flying through the cyber tunnel, Houki decided to ask Ichika about Nokia. "Say Ichika?" Ichika turned to her while flying through the cyber tunnel. "Who was that girl we met while getting Kyoko's coffee beans? She knows you for some reason." Houki then glared at him. "Was she another girl who's in love with you?"
"W-What?! No! She's one of my pals from the chatroom I told you about before I got into this state." Ichika reasoned with her.
"It's true. Me and Boss met her while we tried to fight that… thing that got Boss into this mess." Agumon agreed with his master.
"Besides, remember what happened with Mirei-san?" Ichika added while Houki blushed in embarrassment and shame. "If it weren't for Satoru and Twoearle, you and the others would have beaten me up when she and I were finished with outfitting me with my new glove."
"Y-Yeah… I agree. Again, I apologized for jumping to conclusions again…" Houki stuttered.
"Its okay, Houki." Ichika smiled warmly at her. "I know you and the others were watching out for me." When he said that, it made Houki smiled that Ichika said those words of wisdom. Then Ichika said something else "But there's something about Nokia that seemed familiar to me…"
"Huh? What do you mean, Ichika?" Houki asked him while blinking.
"I don't know, but I feel like I known Nokia like when we were children… I feel like I known Nokia for some time now. And don't worry, it isn't a relationship type of thing. …It was like we known each other since childhood. Ugh!" Ichika stopped and held his head in pain.
"Ichika!" Houki gasped in shock.
"Boss!" Agumon also gasped as he and Houki checked on him.
"You alright?" Houki asked Ichika in concern.
"Y-Yeah… It was nothing but a headache. But I hope it goes away soon. I am not sure why it happened." Ichika rubbed his head to ease the pain.
"Phew. Don't scare us like that." Houki sighed in relief. "But it looks like we're getting close to the end of the tunnel," She was right as the three friends noticed the light at the end of the tunnel.
"Okay, sounds good." Ichika nodded in response as he and his two friends exited the cyber tunnel.
As soon as they exited the tunnel, Ichika, Agumon and Houki found themselves in Kwoloon. Houki looked around, she is feeling uneasy about this place. "So this is where you met your online friends and Agumon, right Ichika?" Ichika nodded in response to her question. Houki frowned seriously as she looked at the place for hackers. "The news weren't kidding when they say it is a haven for hackers, even in EDEN."
"Yeah. And that's where I ended up with my half-digital body and it got my real body inflicted with EDEN Syndrome." Ichika nodded as he frowned seriously as well. "I'm positive that thing did this to me and I need to know more about EDEN Syndrome and how to find a cure for it to save not only my real body, but also the victims of EDEN Syndrome. I also want to know why Kamishiro Enterprises is keeping a secret about this."
"Well, don't worry about it too much, Ichika." Houki placed her hand on Ichika's shoulder with a reassured smile. "We'll make Kamishiro Enterprises pay for this and for keeping it a secret from the public, that I can promise you."
"She's right, Boss. We'll beat the data out of those Kamishiro jerks soon enough!" Agumon agreed before he brought up another subject. "Say, Houki." Ichika and Houki paid attention to the Digimon. "How long have you known Boss?" Houki blushed madly.
"W-Well… Ichika and I were childhood friends for a long time until my stupid sister made those freaking ISes…" Houki tighten her fists in anger, making Ichika and Agumon sweat dropped.
"Wait, your sister made those ISes things? But what the heck does IS stand for?" Agumon scratched his head in confusion.
"IS stands for Infinite Stratos, so we called them ISes for short. Six years ago, Houki's big sister, Tabane made the IS and they made women in charge of the world until EDEN came along and restore men's seat of power, but don't worry, thanks to EDEN, women were given the opportunity to govern alongside men, restoring the way the world was govern back in the 20th century." Ichika then sighed. "But thanks to EDEN, the IS is slowly losing popularity since people are more attached to EDEN due to its ability to physically enter the internet."
"And I'm glad the ISes are losing their popularity. Maybe EDEN will give Tabane a taste of her own medicine when her inventions lose fame. And maybe this will teach her a lesson about destroying my chances at wining that damn kendo tournament. If it weren't for her stupid inventions, I would have won the kendo tournament…" Houki tighten her fists in anger some more.
"Houki…" Agumon began as he began to sooth Houki's anger. "Don't you think you're being a bit too hard on your big sister?" Houki was silent as she loosen her fists and looked at Ichika's Digimon partner with concerning eyes. "Maybe your sister was trying to make the world a better place, I'm sure she didn't mean to ruin your chance at winning that kendo tournament or whatever it's called." Houki remained silent as she closed her eyes and a tear fell out of her eye.
"Agumon's right, Houki. You can't stay mad at your sister forever. But let's leave that subject for another time. Right now, we need to find that Digimon who needs our help!" Houki and Agumon nodded in agreement as they begin their trek through Kwoloon.
Not long after entering Kowloon from the cyberspace tunnel, Ichika, Agumon and Houki continued looking around to find the Digimon that was calling for her. After walking for a few minutes, there was still no sign of the Digimon.
"We've been walking for almost an hour and there's still nothing in sight." Houki sighed. "I don't know if we're going to find the Digimon around here. Maybe it was just my imagination." She felt Ichika placing his hand on her shoulder.
"Don't give up hope just yet, we'll find him." Ichika smiled as he reassured her. "We just have to keep our eyes open until we find him. We'll save him, I know we can."
"Boss' right, Houki. I'm sure we'll find him." Agumon agrees with a nod. "We just need to keep looking for him and we'll run into him sooner or later. I'm not letting any Digimon being pushed around by anyone."
"Ichika... Agumon..."Houki smiled softly. "Yeah, you're both right. We can't let him being pushed around by some hacker, he needs someone who can be his friend. We have to find him before some idiot does anything bad to him." Ichika and Agumon both nodded in agreement as he touched his communicator.
"Satoru, how are things on your end?" Ichika asked him. "We still haven't located the Digimon yet, so I was wondering if you found him yet."
"Hang on, let me do an area search." Satoru said as he typed away until his computer displayed a map. "Okay, I'm picking up three signatures not too far from your location. But it seems that two of them are chasing the third one. If that's the case, then that must be the Digimon who's calling out to Houki."
"We'll be heading over there now." Ichika nods in agreement. "If there's anyone chasing him, we'll be right there to save him. We'll let you know when the dust settles." He ends the call and turns to his partner and childhood friend. "He's not too far from us, but he's being chased by two others. We'll have to pick up the pace if we're going to save him from those bullies." Agumon and Houki nodded in agreement as they raced over to find the Digimon.
Upon entering the next area of Kowloon, there was a small mammal Digimon running right towards them before jumping right into Houki's arms and knocking her off her feet.
"Houki!" Ichika and Agumon shouted as rushed over to see if she was alright.
"Houki, are you okay?" Ichika asked as he bends down towards Houki. "What knocked you down?"
Houki sits up and shakes her head. "Ugh...yeah, I'm okay. I felt like something really fast just knocked me down." She looks down in her arms to see a small Digimon quivering in fear. "Hey, are you okay? Who was chasing you?" She got her answer as two massive Digimon resembling insects came flying in and landed near them.
"There you are, Elecmon. We've been looking all over for you." The praying mantis Digimon sneered cruelly. "You've got a lot of nerve trying to stop us from causing trouble here, but now there's nowhere to run." He then noticed our heroes with Elecmon. "Huh, who are you three? Intruders trying to stop us?"
"We could say the same for you two!" Ichika shouted as he got into a fighter's stance. "What gives you bullies the right to attack him like that? Why don't you two pick on someone your own size?!" He turned to his partner. "You ready, Agumon?"
"Ready when you are, Boss! It's fighting time!" Agumon agrees as he stands before the two insect Digimon and goes into battle stance. Then he glowed and he shouted out "Agumon… Digivolve to! GeoGreymon!" With that said, Agumon digivolved into GeoGreymon again.
"How cute, a Vaccine type Champion Digimon is gonna challenge us? You have no idea what you've gotten yourself into, runt! I'm Snimon and this is Kuwagamon! Twin Sickles!" Snimon yelled as he launched energy sickles at GeoGreymon, he blocked them, but was damaged slightly.
"Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he breath out fire onto the two insect Digimon, giving them medium damage. Kuwagamon roared as he charged into GeoGreymon and rammed into him, giving him medium damage.
"Heh! You're acting so tough because you're a Champion? Twin Sickle!" Snimon sneered as he launched his energy sickles at GeoGreymon, hitting him for medium damage.
"I won't lose to jerks like you!" GeoGreymon yelled as he rammed into Kuwagamon, giving him medium damage, but he's having some trouble taking on two Digimon by himself.
"Heh, you're outnumbered, kid! Twin Sickles!" Snimon yelled as he launched his energy sickles at GeoGreymon, he was hit by them, but he stood strong as he lashed his tail at Snimon. Kuwagamon hit GeoGreymon for big damage, but GeoGreymon hit him with his tail to return the damage.
"Man, this looks bad…" Ichika gulped as the two insect Digimon double teamed on GeoGreymon, giving him medium damage again.
"W-Why are you helping me from those two insect Digimon?" Elecmon gasped in awe. Houki looked at Elecmon with a soft smile.
"Isn't it obvious? Because it's the right thing to do. We can't let these jerks do bad things to you. GeoGreymon is doing everything her can to help us out. And he's doing the right thing by helping others."
"Helping… others…" Elecmon whispered. Suddenly, Houki's Digivice which was a phone beeped. Confused, Houki checked her phone and it stated that Digimon Capture has been installed.
"W-What the hell?" Houki gawked. "I don't remember installing this into my Digivice…? Wait, is this the same app that Ichika got?" Elecmon then leaped out of Houki's arms and got into a battle stance. "E-Elecmon?! What are you doing?!"
"Let me fight! You said your friend is fighting for what's right and you guys are helping me! I want to return the favor! So please, let me be your partner!" Elecmon yelled bravely.
"Elecmon…" Houki whispered before she smiled and held out her Digivice and had Elecmon registered as her partner. Suddenly, Elecmon started to glow red.
"Elecmon… Digivolve to!" Elecmon started to grow until the growing stopped and revealed him into a new form. Elecmon is now a muscular lion-man with orange fur, yellow mane, yellow fur on its legs and the tip of its tail, blue eyes, black nose and mouth, five fingers on its hands and feet, black claws, black ear tips, and scars on its arms, left foot, and the left side of its face. Its ears are on top of its head. It wears a golden earring on its left ear, a collar with with a blue gem in the middle and multiple red teeth around it, black pants with yellow cords forming multiple "X" on its side, a black belt with a square metallic buckle on its waist, three others on its left arm, another in its left hand, and another in the pantleg. It carries its sword in the back on its belt. "Leomon!" Leomon roared as he got ready.
(Run Around from Digimon plays)
"W-What the?! Elecmon digivolved?!" Snimon gawked before he regain his composure and yelled out "Twin Sickle!" He lashed his energy sickles at Leomon, but he leaped out of the way. Leomon unsheathed his sword and charged towards Kuwagamon who tried to grab him with his pincers, but Leomon swiftly evaded them with ease. Leomon slashed Kuwagamon three times with his sword.
"Thanks, Leomon!" GeoGreymon said in gratitude as he yelled out "Mega Burst!" He launched his flaming attack at Kuwagamon who roared in agony as he was deleted after the attack hit him.
"W-Why you!" Snimon growled in anger as he lashed his sickles at Leomon, but like with Kuwagamon, he swiftly evaded them.
"Now it's time, we finished this, Snimon! Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon throws his fist as he shoots out an orange lion's head which hit Snimon for bigger damage. Leomon turned to GeoGreymon. "Now!"
"Right away! Mega Flame!" GeoGreymon yelled as he launched his flaming attack on Snimon, ending the fight. Snimon screamed in agony as he was deleted. GeoGreymon and Leomon returned back to their Rookie forms.
After both Snimon and Kuwagamon were deleted, both Agumon and Elecmon returned to their Rookie forms while their human partners ran over to them. Ichika hugs Agumon while Elecom jumped back into Houki's arms.
"Agumon, you're okay!" Ichika smiled in relief. "I was worried that Snimon and Kuwagamon might've won that time when they double teamed you."
"Yeah, I thought I was a goner too." Agumon agreed "But it was thanks to Elecmon and his determination to help us is what helped him to digivolve. If it wasn't for him and Houki, we might've lost." Ichika nodded in agreement as they watched Houki and Elecmon celebrating.
"Elecmon, you were amazing out there!" Houki smiled as she snuggled Elecmon. "I didn't think you could digivolve like that! I'm so glad you weren't hurt!"
"Well, I couldn't have done it without your help, Houki." Elecmon smiled "It's because you and your friends protected me from Snimon and Kuwagamon. You helped me despite not knowing me and I wanted to return the favor to you guys."
"And we're glad to have helped you, Elecmon." Ichika smiled as he placed his hand on his hip. "I hope you'll be able to help us again when we need you." Elecmon nodded in agreement "Now that we're done here, let's head back to the others. I'm sure they'll want to meet him as well." He turns to Houki. "Houki, put Elecmon into your Digivice. He'll be safe in there until we find a way for him, Agumon and Dorumon to exist in the real world." Houki nodded as she takes out her Digivice and digitized Elecmon and headed back to the real world.
Upon returning to the real world, Ichika and Houki reappeared in front of Kyoko's desk where everyone was waiting for their safe return from Kowloon.
"Welcome back, you two." Kyoko greeted them. "We're glad to see you're both back safe and sound. I trust you were able to save the Digimon in time?"
"Yeah, we were able to save him from Snimon and Kuwagamon." Ichika answered with a smile. "Agumon tried to fight them himself, but they were too strong together. It was thanks to Elecmon wanting to be Houki's partner and even the odds for us." Houki nodded in agreement.
"Glad to know you were able to save him." Kyoko smiled in approval. "I suppose that means we now have three Digimon in our group now, does it?" Everyone nodded in agreement "Now that just leaves the rest of you to find your Digimon partners."
"But how are we going to find them?" Cecilia asked in concern. "We don't even know where to start looking for them."
"I'm sure they'll find you like how Elecmon found Houki." Kyoko reassured her. "All you have to do is wait until one of them call out to you. But for now, why don't all of you take a break? We'll let you know when something comes up." Everyone nodded as they exited the office to have some fun.
To be continued…
Next chapter: IS Girls and Digimon Partners: Part 2 of 7: Cecilia and Renamon.
A/n: Sorry for the long wait, everyone. Panther J is currently at Puerto Rico where he will celebrate the wedding of his aunt and uncle, so congratulations to Panther J's aunt and uncle for their wedding. Next up is Cecilia's time to shine when she gains Renamon as her partner. Also, after this seven part mini-arc, the anime filler chapters which takes place after this arc and will take about 3 chapters before a main case will appear and Hyperdimension Neptunia will be the first anime to appear. So expect the fourth chapter to be up soon. Until then!