A/N: Okay, we're almost done with the first segment of the filler chapter segments. After this chapter, we'll go into the first main case chapter and into a another segment and so forth. So here is Chapter 12.
Chapter 12: Dorumon Finally Digivolves! The SAO Players Enter the Fray!
After everything settled down, including Blanc venting out her anger on Fukuyama, our heroes decided to introduce themselves to the newcomers as the CPUs all returned to their normal forms once White Heart has calmed down while leaving Fukuyama lying on the floor and twitching in pain.
"Now that Blanc's finally calmed down, I believe it's time to introduce ourselves." Ichika said with a smile. "My name is Ichika Orimura, it's nice to meet all of you." He then turns to Agumon. "And here's Agumon, my partner." Agumon waved at them.
"My name is Houki Shinonono, a childhood friend to Ichika." Houki said, smiling as well. "And here's my partner, Elecmon." Elecmon waved while in her arms as she glared at Kirie. "But don't think I've forgotten about a certain idiot who nearly hurts her own friend." Kirie sweat drops as she knew who she was talking about.
"Hey guys, I'm Huang Lingyin. But you guys can call me Ling." Ling greeted with a cheery smile. "I'm another childhood friend to Ichika here's my partner, Gatomon." Gatomon waved at them while she in her arms.
"My name Cecilia Alcott, a pleasure to meet all of you." Cecilia greeted as she bowed lightly. "I'm glad to see none of you are hurt too badly." She then turns to Fukuyama still lying on the ground. "With one exception, of course... Anyway, here's my partner, Renamon." Renamon just nodded while crossing her arms.
"Hello, my name is Charlotte Dunios. But you can call me Char, if you want." Char greeted with a smile. "And here's my partner, Biyomon." Biyomon waved at them while standing next to her.
"Pleased to meet you, my name is Laura Bodewig." Laura greeted as she bowed lightly. "And here's my partner, Candlemon." Candlemon smiled and nodded as he floated beside her.
"Hey there, my name is Tatenashi Sarashiki and this is my sister, Kanzashi." Tatenashi greeted with a smile. "And these two are our partners, Monodramon and Palmon." Kanzashi nodded in agreement as their Digimon partners waved at the newcomers.
"Nice to meet you, my name is Satoru Kuremi." Satoru greeted with a smile. "I'm a detective in training, but I know my way with a case or two. And here's my partner, Dorumon." Dorumon smiled and nodded.
"Hey, I'm Twoearle. I'm also a detective in training and a scientist." Twoearle greeted as she waved. "I don't have a partner like everyone else, but I can handle anything that involves computers or getting out of situations."
"Howdy do, everyone. My name is Neptune." Neptune greeted with a casual wave. "I'm the CPU of Plantetune and also the other personality you saw, Purple Heart." She then turns to her sister. "And here is my sister, Nepgear or as I like to call her, Nep Jr. She a CPU in training." Nepgear nodded in agreement.
"Hello, my name is Noire." Noire greeted with a smile. "Much like Neptune, I'm also a CPU but of Lastation. I'm also known as Black Heart while in the other form you saw." She then turns to her sister. "And here is Uni, my younger sister. Much like Nepgear, she's also a CPU in training." Uni nodded in agreement with her older sister.
"My name in Blanc, nice to meet all of you." Blanc greeted with a small smile. "Much like both Neptune and Noire, I'm also a CPU but of Lowee." She then turns to her twin sisters. "These two are my younger sisters, Rom and Ram. And much like Uni and Nepgear, they're also CPUs in training. Just don't piss me off like your perverted friend there and we won't have any problems." Everyone turned to Fukuyama who was still twitching and groaning in pain.
"Don't you worry, we'll remember that." Kirie said with a nervous smile as her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Well, on that note, that just leaves only me." Vert said with a smile. "My name is Vert and I am pleased to make your acquaintance. Much like with my fellow CPUs, I am also a CPU but for Leanbox. Unlike the others, I don't have a younger sister, but I do hope we can get along."
"Nice to meet all of you, my name is Yukinari Sasaki." Yukinari greeted with a smile. "Thank you again for saving me before, I really appreciate it." Both Ichika and Satoru smiled and gave him a thumbs up and he returned the gesture. "And here are my friends, Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nanaka and Tomoka Lana Jude."
"Hold on, you said her name was Fukuyama, right?" Uni asked with raised eyebrows. and he nodded in response. "And one of your friends all him Fukuyama, right?" She points to Fukuyama still on the floor as Yukinari nodded again. "Then does that mean she's related to that pervert?!"
"Unfortunately, yes. He's my older brother…" Lisa answered with a sigh. "I'm sorry for his actions to you, Blanc. That's just how he is and I had to learn to live with it."
"I'll forgive just you, but not him..." Blanc said as she felt sorry for Lisa as Blanc glares at Fukuyama. "So if he ever tries to do what he did before, I'll personally send him to hell and make sure he stays there!" Everyone took a step back as a red aura emits from her as her left eye glows red.
"And on that note, let's agree to never anger Blanc again." Ichika said with a nervous smile and everyone nodded in agreement. "Anyway, let's head back to the office. There's one more person you haven't met yet and you can tell us everything there. It's a lot more comfortable than here." Everyone nodded in agreement as they led the newcomers back to the agency as Fukuyama finally recovers.
"Ow…why must I be the victim of every misfortune?" Fukuyama moaned. "What have I done wrong to deserve this kind of treatment?" But no one bothered to listen to him as they continued on.
Not long after meeting with Yukinari's group and deleting Cyclonemon, our heroes returned to the office back in the real world and wait for Kyoko to return as well. As Kyoko enters the office, the TV screen started glowing as Ichika and the gang emerged from the screen and appeared in the center of the office with the newcomers.
"Whoa, that sure was weird..." Kirie muttered as she held her head to try to ease the dizziness. "Now I know how it feels to be downloaded from a computer." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they regained their composure.
"Sorry about that, it tends to happen for first timers." Ichika said with a smile. "You'll be feeling a little dizzy the first time, but you'll get used to it sooner or later." His friends all nodded in agreement.
"I sure hope it's the former and not the latter." Lisa sighed. "I don't think I can handle going through that again for the rest of the day."
"I think it was really fun!" Miharu said with a smile. "It was like those rides you told me about, Yukinari! I hope we get to ride it again!" Everyone all looked at her and sweat dropped as Kyoko clears her throat at them.
"Ahem. Well, I can see you all had an eventful day off again." Kyoko said with a smile. "I take my eyes off of you for two hours and your group has gotten bigger. Some times I might be needing a bigger office just to fit all of you."
"Sorry about that, Kyoko, but we had to help them." Houki apologized as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "They were in trouble from another Digimon and we had to save them. And once everything settled down, we brought them here so they would know what's going on." Her friends and the CPUs all nodded in agreement.
"Well, as long as you're all helping those in need, that's fine with me." Kyoko smiled with arms crossed "It's a detective's job to make sure the client or innocent bystander is safe from harm. It's good to know you all are doing that very action, my assistants." Ichika and the gang all nodded in agreement as Yukinari's group turned around to see her standing by the door.
"Hey, who's the old lady over there?" Tomoka asked as she looked at Kyokoe oddly. "And why is she dressed all weird? Is she some kind of stripper or something?" Everyone gasped in shock as a slashing sound was heard. Kyoko's left eye twitched in anger.
"Tomoka! Don't be rude!" Koyomi scolded her with a disapproval frown. "You shouldn't be referring people like that! It's not very adult-like!"
"But why, Koyomi? Isn't that how she's dressed?" Tomoka asked in confusion.
"Uh-oh…" Satoru gulped as he sweat drops in fear.
"Old lady, you say… A stripper, you say…" Kyoko said as a dark aura appeared around her. "I'll have you know that I'm only 24, you little brat…" She then glared intensely at Tomoka who hid behind Koyomi. "But saying that I'm a stripper is crossing the line!"
A few minutes later...
"Whew, glad you finally calmed down, Kyoko." Cecilia sighed in relief. "I thought for a minute there we had to do something drastic, but I'm glad we didn't." she then placed her hand on her hip. "Still, I didn't think you would just burst out like that. Remind me to never get on your bad side as well." Everyone nodded in agreement while Blanc was happy to know someone else had the same sailor mouth like her.
"Yes, I'm sorry you had to see that." Kyoko apologized as she rubbed the back of her head nervously. "That sure was embarrassing for you all to see that side of me, it's not really something I'd like to reveal to anyone." She then turns to see Yukinari's group. "And on that note, who are they? I take it you've found them like with Neptune and the others?"
"Yeah, we did. We've met them while in Kowloon." Ichika answered her with a nod. "This is Yukinari and his friends, we've saved them from Cyclonemon. And then after that, we brought them here to meet you." He turns to Tomoka who was still hiding behind Koyomi and is scared of Kyoko. "Although, I just wish that really didn't happen..."
"Yes, I suppose that's true." Kyoko agrees with a nod. "But what has happened, happened and we can't change it. Still, it's best we move on before anything else happens." She turns to Yukinari's group and clears her throat. "Sorry you all had to see that outburst, it wasn't really very professional of me."
"It's alright, it wasn't your fault, anyway." Yukinari assured her. "But I'm sorry our friend was rude to you, she's not like that once you get to know her." His friends all nodded in agreement.
"I hope you're right about that because I don't plan on ignoring that comment." Kyoko said as she glared at Tomoka who sweat drops in fear. "Anyway, I am Kyoko Kuremi. I'm the person who runs the Kuremi Detective Agency and the boss of Ichika and his friends." Ichika and his friends all nodded in agreement.
"Hold on, you said your name was Kuremi, right?" Kirie asked and Kyoko nodded. "And when we first met Satoru, he said his name was also Kuremi, right?" Kyoko nodded again. "Then does that mean you two are…?"
"Yes, we are indeed related. We're cousins." Kyoko answered her with a nod. "His mother is the younger sister of my father, but we'll save the rest for later." She leans back in her chair. "And now with that settled, where are they going to stay in? A hotel's too expensive for us to pay and I don't think there are apartments in this area." Everyone thought for a moment until Cecilia spoke up.
"Hey, why don't we have Yukinari and his friends enroll at the IS Academy?" Cecilia suggested with a smile. "They can live on the academy grounds and attend classes with us." She then turns to Fukuyama as she remembered what he did earlier with a disapproval frown. "Well, maybe like three exceptions to that rule." Both the man and woman nodded as they knew what she meant while Fukuyama wasn't too happy.
"Wait, why can't I attend this academy of your?!" Fukuyama protested in anger as an anger vein appeared on his forehead. "I have the money to attend there, so I can enroll myself whether you like it or not!"
"True you have the money, but that's not the real reason…" Ichika said with a frown as he crossed his arms and glared at Fukuyama. "From what we saw you doing to Blanc before, that only proves to us that you're a pervert! And our school doesn't allow perverts like you roaming around! So even if you did managed to sneak in, you'd be thrown out the moment you step foot!" His friends all nodded in agreement as they remembered him groping Blanc earlier.
"Okay, now that tears it! I can't stand you anymore!" Fukuyama snarled in fury. "You want to keep me away from this school? Well, fine by me! From this day forth, you are my new rival! I'll find a way to get into that school one way or another!" Ichika said nothing and just continues to glare at him.
"Okay then, now that's everything's settled, how about some coffee?" Kyoko suggested, doing her best to ease the tension. "I'm certain you're all thirsty after all that excitement. I can make some for everyone." That caused everyone except for Yukinari's group to flinch.
"AHHHHHHH!" Ichika and his friends all screamed.
"Sure, I can go for some coffee, Miss Kyoko." Yukinari said with a smile. "I'll be happy to try whatever kind you can come up with." His friends all nodded in agreement while Fukuyama was grumbling to himself as Kyoko nodded and left her desk to make coffee.
"Here it comes again, another one of her special coffee!" Uni panicked while showing the white dotted eyes. "I can't believe they're going to try it themselves! We've barely even survived it the other day, I don't think they can!"
"Huh? What are you guys talking about?" Lisa asked in confusion. "Don't tell me you guys are afraid of her coffee, aren't you? I'm sure there's nothing wrong with it."
"You don't understand, her coffee's not like any coffee you've seen before!" Noire frantically waved her arms up and down while showing the white dotted eyes look. "It's the most rancid and putrid thing on the face of the planet! If you guys are smart, you'd all get out of here while you still can!"
"Come on, I'm sure there's nothing to be afraid of." Kirie dismissed her. "You're all just being paranoid, there's no possible way her coffee's as bad as you say." Before anyone could say anything else, Kyoko returned with a tray full of cups.
"Here you go, everyone. Freshly brewed wasabi and red paste coffee." Kyoko said while closing her eyes and smiling. "It's a little something I'm working on, so it's still in the testing phase. I hope you all like it." She hands them each a cup as the coffee was boiling from inside the cup save for Lisa bodyguards who declined her offer.
"Well, here it goes…" Yukinari said as he got a bad feeling about this. "Bottoms up." He and his friends all took a sip of the coffee before placing the cups back on the plates.
"Well, how is it?" Kyoko asked hopefully with a hopeful smile. "Was it delicious?" Before any of them could answer, they felt a sharp pain before fainting on the floor with a soft crash. "Huh, I guess it's still a work in progress... I'll have to come up with something else for my next coffee." Everyone sweat dropped as their new friends all laid on the floor.
Not long after leaving Nakano, our heroes were riding a bus back home after bring their friends away from Kyoko's coffee. During the bus ride, Yukinari and his friends have recovered from the coffee and were getting feelings back in their stomachs.
"Man, how did we even survive that?" Kirie moaned as she clutched her stomach. "I can't believe she was crazy to add in wasabi to the coffee!" She then turns to Ichika and his friends. "Hey, sorry we didn't listen to you guys. You warned us about her coffee and we paid the price for it." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"Don't worry, you're not the only ones here." Noire added with a sigh. "We were the second to ignore their warnings about Kyoko's coffee. Believe me, we can still feel the pain from her coffee inside us." Her sister and fellow CPUs all nodded in agreement.
"By the way, there's something I've meaning to ask you, Ichika." Nepgear asked him out of curiosity. "How did you get your Connect Jump ability? Did someone give you that ability or did you obtain it some other way?" Everyone all looked at Ichika as he hesitated for a bit.
"Well… It's just that… You see…" Ichika hesitated before sighing. "Well, I suppose I'll have to tell you all sooner or later." Everyone except his friends all raised an eyebrow as he takes a deep breath. "Okay, here's the real reason why I have my Connect Jump. It happened more than a week ago when I first met some friends of mine I met online in person and later Agumon. When we were attacked by this creature that we have never seen before, it touched my leg with its tentacles and everything went black. For what seems like hours, I found myself in the middle of the street in Shinjuku where Kyoko found me and brought me to Nakano where I also met Satoru and Twoearle." The two in question nodded in agreement as he continued. "After telling them about what had happened, it was then I used my Connect Jump for the first time and entered the TV in the office. It wasn't long after when we arrived at the hospital where I found my body in a coma because of the EDEN Syndrome." Everyone except his friends all gasped in shock.
"B-b-but how's that even possible?!" Koyomi stuttered "If your body's hospitalized, then how can we see you all fine and normal? It doesn't make any sense!"
"That's what we're trying to figure out." Satoru stepped in for Ichika "We're still investigating on what had happened to not just Ichika, but several other people with EDEN Syndrome while also investigating Kamishino Enterprises' shady business. Until something conclusive comes up, we can't do anything about them just yet."
"Hey, what is this Kamishino Enterprises you guys are talking about?" Miharu asked confusedly "Do you think they make some great food?" Everyone looked at her and sweat dropped for thinking about food again.
"Uh…no, they don't make food." Houki answered her with a dull expression before regaining her composure. "They're a huge corporation centered in the middle of Tokyo and is one of the biggest companies next to the New Metropolitan Building. They're the ones who created Cyberspace EDEN, a massive internet server where people from around the world can interact with one another without having to travel to other countries."
"Wow, that's just amazing!" Ram beamed. "I can't believe they've made a server that allows people to interact with each other! They must be really smart for them to make that!"
"Maybe, but that doesn't excuse the fact they're up to something..." Cecilia frowned seriously "They're keeping what is happening to the EDEN Syndrome patients a secret while protecting their good image."
"But what's the EDEN Syndrome? Is it a disease or illness?" Nepgear asked in concern.
"From what we know, it's a mysterious illness that puts people who used EDEN in comas due to various and mysterious ways. Kamishino Enterprises is looking for a cure, but I doubt that's the case..." Kanzashi frowned seriously.
"Well, I think I've got the whole picture of the situation..." Neptune frowned seriously as she pounded her fists together. "So I say we storm Kamishino Enterprises and expose them for the evil criminals they are!"
"I'm afraid we can't do that, Neptune." Twoearle disagrees with her as she added "If we try to storm in, we'll be labeled as criminals for trespassing and trying to take down a massive company. So we need evidence if we're going to take them down, but that's gonna be a problem."
"So what do you plan to do?" Noire asked her as she crossed her arms. "If we can't take down Kamishino now, what is there to do now?"
"Until we find some real decisive evidences, we do nothing." Satoru answered her. "We'll just have to wait and see until Kamishino slips up and when that times comes, that's when we'll strike." Everyone all nodded in agreement as the bus drops off him and Twoearle at their destination for continuing on to drop off the others.
Meanwhile in another dimension...
In the world of Aincrad, over 10,000 players are trapped in this virtual prison with their only means of escape were to get to the 100th floor and beat the final boss to win. However on the 79th floor, a group of friends were celebrating their victory of clearing the floor and saving one of their friends from the Hollow Area. Kirito and his friends were all relaxing at Agil's shop for saving their friend Phillia from her fate and clearing the 79th floor of Aincrad.
"Whew, that was a close one." Klein smiled as he drank his orange juice. "I can't believe we were able to survive the boss on the last floor. I didn't think we were going to survive that time."
"You can say that again, Klein." Liz agrees with a smile "I was worried we weren't going to make it out in one piece, but I'm glad we did. We were really cutting it close when we were trying to save Phillia." Her friends all nodded in agreement.
"But we still did managed to save her and clear the floor in the process." Silica said with a smile. "We were able to beat the boss and save Phillia while also making to back. I'd say we really pulled it off great and came back with everyone still here." Everyone all smiled and nodded in agreement while Phillia was confused.
"But why did you all save me from the Hollow Area?" Phillia asked in confusion. "I just don't get it, how can you all be celebrating after nearly dying from the boss? You all could've died in there while fighting the boss and freeing me."
"Maybe, but we couldn't just let you handle it on your own." Leafa smiled "If we did, we'd never forgive ourselves for letting one of our friend deal with something that could have easily killed you. Plus, you were now part of our group and we'd be sad if you died."
"She's right, Phillia. We wouldn't just abandon you." Kirito agrees "We're not like everyone else who'd turn their backs on you for something you had no control over, but not us. We'll always be here for you and you won't be alone anymore." His sister, wife, daughter and friends all nodded in agreement as Phillia started tearing up.
"Everyone, thank you…" Phillia smiled softly with a tear falling down her cheek as everyone all approached her and hugged her.
Unknown to them, a hooded figure was watching them from the window but is more focused on Asuna as he watches them. Suddenly, there was a loud rumbling as the ground started shaking violently. Even Kirito and his friends were all feeling the earthquake as they tried to keep their balance.
"Hey, what the hell's going on?!" Klein shouted in confusion. "Why is everything shaking all of the sudden?" Before anyone could answer him, the earthquake became more violent until in an instant, they all vanished without a trace. Even the hooded figure watching from outside was gone as the other players started to panic.
"What the..? What the hell just happened!?" MP #1 asked in shock. "Did Kirito and those other guys just vanished?!"
"I don't even know what happened to them!" FP #1 answered with a stutter. "But was that an earthquake we felt just now? How is that even possible to have an earthquake in a VRMMORPG? It just don't make any sense!" The other players all nodded in agreement until one player stepped forward.
"Everyone, we need to calm down." MP #2 said being the voice of the reason. "I'm sure whatever happened to Kirito and his friends was probably just a glitch in the system, so there's no need to panic. Let's all head for the 76th floor and wait for their return." The other players all calmed down and nodded in agreement as they headed for the 76th floor of Aincrad.
Around the same time
In another part of Aincrad, lies a forest mostly known for searching for rare items or hunting rare monsters. One player in particular was doing just that as he was slashing through monsters with little effort while finding rare items and placing them in his inventory. The player was a young man with an appearance similar to Meta Knight and was even called that because of him having some of the most OP items and weapons in the game.
"Okay, that's the last one for this quest." Meta Knight said with a smile. "I'll admit, this was quite the change of pace for quests nowadays. Still, I was able to find the times and kill all the monsters in this area, so it's time for me to head back." But before he could be on his way, he felt a rumbling as he tries to keep his balance. "What the hell?! What's going on? This isn't part of the game!" In an instant, he vanished without a trace and no one was around to see him disappear.
Back in Ichika's World
"Ahh!" Ichika gasped as he stood up from his bed, panting heavily. He looked around and was still in his room in his house. He let out a sigh of relief.
"Boss, what's wrong?" Agumon asked as he looked up from the bottom of the bed. "It sounded like you were having a nightmare."
"It wasn't a nightmare, Agumon…" Ichika said softly as he looked at the window. "It was like… a vision of some arrivals from some other place. I'm not sure how to explain it, but something tells me we're expecting more visitors from some other place…."
"I wonder what that means." Agumon asked in concern.
"Well, no use worrying about it now. Let's get back to sleep and prepare for the next day since Yukinari and his friends except for Fukuyama are attending the IS Academy tomorrow." Ichika sighed as he and Agumon slept for the next day.
The next morning, Ichika and Agumon woke up and headed downstairs for breakfast with the CPUs again. After having breakfast and getting ready, he heads out to school but not before recalling Agumon back into his Digivice so no one would see him. Upon arriving and attending class, he still couldn't get his vision from last night off his mind as Houki and the others all noticed him spacing out.
"Ichika, is there something wrong?" Houki asked in concern as she looked at Ichika with worry in her features. "You look like you didn't get enough sleep last night. Is there something you'd want to tell us?" Her friends all turned to him and waited for his answer until he snapped out of his thoughts.
"Huh? Did you say something, Houki?" Ichika asked back in confusion.
"Okay, what the hell's going on, Ichika?" Ling asked, also in concern. "Seriously, you've been spacing out for the last couple of minutes. Is there something on your mind?"
"Oh, that. Sorry guys, I guess I wasn't paying attention." Ichika apologized as he began telling his friends about the dream he had. "I had this strange dream last night about these people being caught in an earthquake and vanishing without a trace. But it didn't felt like a dream… it was more like a vision…"
"A vision? What was this vision about and who did you see?" Char asked, feeling concern for her friend and future lover.
"I'm not sure, but they look like to be the same age as us with only three expectations." Ichika answered her. "But from what I can tell, it looked like a video game they were in with several other players well. But then, there was this earthquake and it was so violent that they all vanished without a trace."
"Hold on, there's no way that can be possible." Satoru interjected as he looked at Ichika with wide eyes. "How can there be an earthquake inside of a video game? And how did the ones you saw just vanished like that?"
"I'm not sure about it myself, but it sure felt real." Ichika answered him with serious eyes. "I get the feeling we'll be having some new arrivals coming just down the line." Before they could continue, Maya enters the classroom with Yukinari and his friends following behind her before stopping in front of everyone.
"Okay everyone, may I have your attention please." Maya said with a smile. "Now I know it's been a week since we had Satoru and Twoearle joining us, but now we've got five more to introduce." She turns her attention to Yukinari's group and introduced them to everyone. "Everyone, I'd like you to meet Yukinari Sasaki, Miharu Sena Kanaka, Kirie Kojima, Lisa Fukuyama, Koyomi Hare Nanaka and Tomoka Lana Jude. I hope you guys will treat them well and make them feel welcome." She gestures to her new students to introduce themselves to everyone until all the girls started surrounding Yukinari.
"Oh my gosh! He's just so adorable!" The first girl squealed. "I can't believe there's a boy like him that's this adorable! I just want to put him in my purse and carry him around!"
"Hey, don't hog him all to yourself!" The second girl yelled in annoyance. "I want to take him into my room and use him as a teddy bear!" The girls kept crowding him as his friends all watched while Ichika and his friends felt sorry for him.
"Okay, now I think he has it worse than both of us…" Satoru sighed. "There's now three guys here and these girls are still going nuts for boys arriving here. We might have to protect him from practically everyone here."
"Yeah, no kidding. And it sure won't be easy…" Ichika agrees, sighing as well. "We'd better keep an extra eye on him so that the girls won't get the jump on him." His friends all nodded in agreement until Cecilia noticed something.
"Hey, what's wrong with Yukinari?" Cecilia asked in confusion. "His skin looks like it's acting up. Do you think there's something wrong with him?" Before anyone could answer her, Kirie and the others heard her and realized what was happening.
"Hey, back away from him!" Kirie yelled. "Back up, you're all scaring him!" The girls all heard her and backed away from Yukinari as he was shivering in fear as his skin was acting up as Ichika and the others all rushed over.
"Kirie, what's wrong with Yukinari?" Kanzashi asked in concern and confusion as she looked at Yukinari. "Why is he shaking like that and what's wrong with his skin?"
"Right, we never told you guys about his condition." Kirie said with a sad sigh. "You see, Yukinari has an allergic reaction to girls when he comes into contact with one and breaks into hives. He also has a fear of girls because he was bullied by them back when we were kids, so I often had to protect him from them."
"I see, so he has gynophobia." Satoru nods in understanding. "And in the worst case possible if he breaks into hives just by being close to one. I'll take him to the nurse's office and see if there's a way to lessen his condition." Everyone nodded as he takes Yukinari's hand and leads him to the infirmary while everyone else headed for their desks and continued classes as they normally would.
Later in the day, class has ended and it was time for everyone to head for home. After leaving the school grounds, Ichika and his friends, along with Yukinari's group, picked up the CPUS from Ichika's house and hopped on a bus and rode it all the way to Nakano while still thinking back on Ichika's vision from last night.
"So Ichika, about this vision you had last night." Twoearle said to him. "You mentioned something about some new arrivals coming in the near future. Do you know who they are or anything of that matter?"
"I'm not sure who they are, but it looked they were in some kind of video game." Ichika answered her as he recounted about what he saw in his dream last night. "But it looked a lot more advanced than the games we've seen. It almost looks like another world all together and these people all looked like they lived in it."
"Wow that sounds like something you'd seen in a sci-fi movie." Kirie whistled. "You'd only expect those kinds of movies to create a kind of world Ichika told us about." Everyone all nodded in agreement.
"And what about the ones you also saw in your vision or the game?" Laura asked him. "Was it like some kind of fantasy world and were the ones you saw were NPCs or the actual players?"
"They weren't NPCs, they were definitely players." Ichika answered her as he looked at the window of the bus. "They interacted with each other, which I'm certain only players would do and not NPCs. As for the game itself, I've only seen one or two areas so I'm not sure what it's supposed to be. But it's definitely a fantasy game with all the monsters and how everyone's dressed as warriors from a fairytale."
"Hmm… That sounds a bit like 4GO." Vert scratched her chin in thought.
"Um… If you don't mind me asking, Miss Vert. What is 4GO?" Kanzashi asked her.
"4GO stands for Four Goddesses Online. It's a popular MMORPG in Gamindusrti like your MMORPGs in this world. I happen to be MVP (Most Valuable Player) in 4GO." Vert smiled.
"She's not kidding, guys." Neptune said cheerfully. "She's the strongest player in 4GO and I even went up against her with my most leveled character and lost."
"I-I see…" Kanzashi sweat dropped.
"Huh, that does sound interesting." Satoru nods in understanding as well as listening to Vert's description of 4GO and how the world Ichika said sounds a bit like the game Vert played in her world. "And after you saw them, that's the reason why you were distracted before, right?"
"Yeah, that's the real reason." Ichika answered him with a nod. "But I'm not even sure when they'll arrive. It could be either when we arrive at Nakano or at some other point, but I can definitely say they'll be needing our help if we ever encounter them."
"Then we'd better be ready in case we do encounter them." Satoru frowned seriously as he adjusted his glasses. "If they encounter any Digimon, I don't think they'll be able to handle them because of how strong some of them are. Once we arrive at Nakano, we'd better head for Kowloon and see if we can find them before any of the more aggressive Digimon do." Everyone nodded in agreement until they've noticed Fukuyama looking depressed.
"Fukuyama, what's wrong?" Kirie asked with a frown and glare. "Why are you all depressed?"
"Oh, why must I be the victim of such torture?" Fukuyama moaned. "I nearly tried to enter the school with an interest of learning, but then I've seen an angel. I tried to talk with her, but I was suddenly attacked by these horrible guards and thrown out of the grounds. And I did nothing to deserve that kind of treatment..."
"Seriously, that's what you're moping about?" Ling asked with an annoyed expression. "I bet the reason you were thrown out was because you were being a pervert again like you did with Blanc before!"
"Don't worry about him, Ling, just ignore my brother." Lisa assured her. "He's done stupid things plenty of times before and it always involves Kirie pile-driving him into the ground. So if he ever does anything stupid again, just let us know and we'll take care of him." Kirie nodded in agreement as she cracks her knuckles and everyone else also nodded and continued on towards Nakano.
Meanwhile...
In another part of Kowloon, Kirito and his friends were lying on the floor unconscious after being hit by the earthquake. Just then, Kirito starts to stir as he regains consciousness and opens his eyes to find himself in an unknown area.
"…What happened to us…? Kirito muttered in confusion. "How did we survive that…?" As he picks himself up, he looks around his surroundings until he sees his wife and daughter laying together. "Asuna, Yui!" He runs over to them. "Are you two okay?"
Asuna started to regain consciousness as she opens her eyes to see her husband. "Kirito…? Is that really you…?" She sits up while shaking her head. "What the hell happened to us? And how did we survive that earthquake?" Before Kirito could answer, they looked down to see Yui also regaining consciousness. "Yui! Are you alright? You're not hurt or anything, are you?"
Yui hears her mother as she opens her eyes and looks up to see her parents. "Mommy…? Daddy…? What happened…? I thought we were still in Agil's shop."
"I'm afraid not anymore, Yui." Kirito frowned seriously as he looked around, Kowloon was giving him a tensed feeling. "I don't know what happened, but that earthquake somehow brought us to this place. Do you think you can find out where we are?"
"Yes, I'll see what I can find." Yui answered him with a nod as she started to concentrate to find out about their new location as everyone else also started waking up.
"Ow… what the hell was that…?" Klein groaned in confusion as he rubbed the back of his head to ease the pain. "What was the deal with that earthquake? I didn't think a VRMMORPG could have earthquakes like in the real world."
"Maybe it was some kind of glitch in the system?" Silica guessed as she feels a bit afraid about Kowloon. "Or it could've been some kind of bug that caused the earthquake?"
"I don't think so, but it did send us here somehow." Liz corrected her as she looked around. "Whatever that was, it definitely was not something that normally happens in Aincrad. So does anyone have any idea where the hell we are?"
"Yui's looking into our location right now." Kirito answered her. "We have no idea what had happened to us or how we got here, but that was no ordinary earthquake. Until she finds out where we are, we'll have to wait until then." His sister, wife and friends all nodded in agreement just as Yui ended her concentration.
"What? This can't be right!" Yui gasped in shock. "How is this even possible?"
"Yui, what's wrong? Were you able to find anything?" Asuna asked her in concern.
"That's just it, I couldn't find anything about this area." Yui answered her with a serious frown. "This area isn't part of SAO so I couldn't gather any data. It's like this place was made by someone else."
"Someone else? What do you mean by that, Yui?" Sinon asked her as she tensed. "Who's the one that created this pace we're in?"
"I'm not entirely sure, but I can tell this was created by someone with technology just as advanced as SAO." Yui answered her as she began explaining what she knows. "However, I don't even know who that creator is and I can't seem to enter the mainframe from here. Whoever this creator is, he made it so that no outside force could access it so easily."
"Whoa, that just sounds really hardcore." Liz gulped. "I didn't think there'd be someone who could make a system that people'll have a hard time getting in. This guy must be some kind of genius."
"Maybe, but we can't stay here for long." Kirito tensed. "We need to find out if there are other people in this place and see if they can help us get out of here. This won't be easy, but it's the only choice we have so far. Let's get moving and see if we can find anyone here." Everyone nodded in agreement as they began their search for others in Kowloon. Unknown to them, they were being watch by two Digimon. One was a large crab while the other was a giant pink sea creature with the shell of a hermit crab.
"Well well, look at what the cat dragged in." The crab Digimon sneered. "Looks like we've got some trespassers wandering around in a place where they don't belong. I believe it's time we show these interlopers some manners on how not to strut around like they own the place." The hermit crab Digimon nodded in agreement as they both started following Kirito and his friends.
Back in the real world, Ichika and his friends all arrived at Nakano and headed for the agency. Upon arriving at the office, they see Kyoko sitting at her desk as she was reading a newspaper until she heard them coming and lowers the newspaper to see them.
"Ah, welcome back, my assistants." Kyoko greeted with a smile. "I see you all had a good time at school. So how's the first day at the academy for Yukinari and his friends?"
"It… really didn't end well for them, Kyoko." Ling answered her with a sigh. "We've discovered that Yukinari has an allergic reaction to girls where he breaks into hives when he comes into contact with one. And because of that, Satoru had to take him to the infirmary and was probably there for most of the day until it was time to head for home. Of course, we had to pick up Neptune and her friends at Ichika's house before coming here." Everyone nodded in agreement.
"I see, that is a serious condition if he breaks into hives." Kyoko frowned, feeling sorry for Yukinari. "And that's going to be a real problem as the academy only accepts girls with one exception to that rule." Ichika and his friends all nodded as they knew what she was talking about while everyone else were confused as she turns to Yukinari. "But why didn't you tell us about your condition, Yukinari? Was there any reason why you never told us?"
"I'm sorry, but it's something I really don't like talking about..." Yukinari answered her as he slumps in sorrow. "I had a lot of girls bully me when I was a kid because of my small height. I couldn't really do anything because they were much stronger than me, so Kirie always had to save me. And because of that, I developed an allergic reaction to girls for years." Everyone couldn't help but feel sorry for him while Fukuyama didn't care.
"I see, that must've been a horrible thing to you, Yukinari." Vert gave her sympathies while frowning at the girls who bullied Yukinari as a child. "I can't believe that some girls would pick on a boy and cause him to develop an allergic reaction to girls! Just what gives them the right to pick on someone smaller than they are?"
"So that they can be superior, that's what." Kirie answered her, frowning as well while feeling sorry for Yukinari. "They picked on Yukinari because he was smaller than them and made sure they humiliate him as much as possible while also causing him to develop his allergic reaction to us."
"Well, if I find those idiots who caused Yukinari pain, I'll be more than happy to return the favor!" Ling growled in anger as she cracked her knuckles. "I can't stand people who likes to bring others down and make themselves feel superior to them! I can't wait to knock them off their high horse!"
"Save some of that for me, Ling." Noire agrees, frowning angrily as well. "I can't stand bullies myself, so I can't wait to knock their egos down a couple of pegs."
"Ling... Noire... thank you." Yukinari said with a soft smile. "That means a lot to me to have someone like you two, I really appreciate it."
"Hey, I'm glad we could help you, Yukinari." Ling smiled back. "Believe me, I know what it's like to be bullied as a kid. But it's not all bad as Ichika helped me and I guess I fell in love for him. But I'm sure he has feelings for Char, so I'm gonna support them all the way." Her friends all nodded in agreement as both Ichika and Char blushed until their Digivices rang and they answered.
"Agumon, what's the situation?" Ichika asked him while frowning seriously. "Is there another Digimon in trouble?"
"Not this time, Boss. It's a group of humans in trouble!" Agumon answered him. "We've sensed them wandering around Kowloon and are being attacked by two Digimon. I think they're the same people you saw in your vision."
"If that's the case, then we'll head there now." Ichika nods in understanding. "They don't have experience in fighting Digimon, they'll be reduced to data! We have to make sure they're safe!" He ends the call and turns to his friends. "Looks like my vision came true, they really did come here. We'd better head for Kowloon and help them from those two Digimon." Everyone nodded in agreement as he used his Connect Jump to enter the TV.
As Ichika and the gang arrived in Kowloon, Yukinari's group recovered from their trip through cyber-space. "Whoa… This Connect Jump thing is a lot to handle if Ichika can use it." Kirie murmured as she regain her composure.
"But that was fun. I hope we do it again every time." Miharu smiled cheerfully.
"Um, Ichika. About you and your friends' partners. What are they?" Koyomi asked Ichika.
"Oh right. I guess we haven't told you on what our partners are. Well, they're Digimon, short for Digital Monsters." Ichika smiled.
"Digital… Monsters?" Lisa blinked before gasping in realization. "As in programs?! Wow…"
"Yup. We were surprised too when we first met Agumon back at the hospital's cyber network." Tatenashi grinned as she rubbed Monodramon's head and he likes it. "But we know these lovable critters are more than just programs, they are like us, living and breathing."
"Oh please. Why would anyone be interested in these Digimon things?" Fukuyama scoffed. Renamon heard that and walked up to him, Fukuyama was confused before Renamon socked him in the face, knocking him out, his nose showed blood.
"For your information, you vile pervert, we Digimon have feelings and I will not allow you to insult us..." Renamon said warningly.
"That's enough, Renamon." Cecilia calmed her down. "Anyway, those people from Ichika's vision need our help. So it's time for our Digimon to Digivolve." Satoru was silent for a moment and she noticed this. "Satoru, what's wrong?"
"It's just… All of your partners have digivolved into Champion ranks while Dorumon haven't reached it yet. I'm wondering if I'm cut out to helping you." Dorumon looked at his master in concern.
Suddenly, Twoearle grabbed Satoru and hugged him. "Don't say things like that. You have us and we'll be there always to have your back. So don't you dare say you wonder if you're cut out for this sort of thing. All you have to do is believe and Dorumon can digivolve." Twoearle encouraged him.
"Twoearle…" Satoru whispered softly.
"She's right, Satoru." Ichika smiled. "You have been a big help to us ever since we first met. So we can overcome any bad guy or Digimon that comes our way together." Suddenly, Dorumon started to glow.
(Brave Heart Tri plays)
"You're… You're right! I can't be down! We need to help those people out!" Satoru yelled heroically before turning to Dorumon. "Ready, Dorumon?"
"Dorumon, digivolve to…!" Dorumon started to grow bigger until the growing stopped and the light disappeared. Dorumon now looks like a purple giant beast dragon with purple and white wings and the gem on his head remained unchanged. "Dorugamon!" Dorugamon roared.
"Yeah! Now that's what we're talking about!" Ling cheered. "Now let's go help the people from Ichika's vision!" Soon, the gang's Digimon save for Gatomon digivolved into their Champion forms and went to help the people in Ichika's vision.
With the SAO Players...
"Take this!" Asuna yelled as she lashed her rapier at the hermit crab Digimon, but it did no effect on him. "W-What the hell?!"
"Hydro Blaster!" The hermit crab Digimon fired a blast of water that hit Asuna and knocked her back.
"M-Mommy!" Yui gasped in shock.
"Damn it, this is bad…" Liz frowned seriously as she and Klein charged towards the crab like Digimon and tried to bash and slash him, but he easily blocked them and swipe them away.
"You humans ain't half bad, but you're no match for us!" The crab Digimon sneered as he readies an attack. "Crab Meat Bomber!" He flung his attack at the two which hit them for medium damage.
Sinon frowned as she readies her bow and arrow and fired an arrow at the hermit crab Digimon but it did no effect as he turned his attention towards her and Silica and her dragon Pina.
"W-What do we do?!" Silica panicked as Kirito charged towards the hermit crab like Digimon and tried to slash him with his dual swords, but the hermit crab Digimon swipe him away and knocked him to the ground.
"D-Damn it…" Kirito gritted his teeth as the hermit crab like Digimon raised his paw up. 'Is… Is this it…? Am I going to die?'
"Onii-chan!" "Kirito!" Leafa and Phillia gasped in horror. Just as the hermit crab like Digimon was about to deliver the finishing blow to Kirito…
"Horn Impulse!" GeoGreymon's voice yelled as GeoGreymon charged towards the hermit crab Digimon and knocked him away from Kirito.
"What the hell…?" Was all Kirito got to say as Ichika came up and kneed down towards him before looking at GeoGreymon with a smile.
"Nice work, GeoGreymon! I thought we weren't gonna make it." Ichika gave his Digimon partner a thumbs up as GeoGreymon smiles back at his partner.
"W-Who are you?" Kirito asked in confusion before looking at GeoGreymon. "And does this monster belong to you?"
"He's more than just a monster." Ichika gave a smile again. "He's a Digimon!" His smile faded before he looked at the hermit crab Digimon and crab Digimon while Kirito was confused on what he called GeoGreymon an Digimon. "But first thing's first…" He placed his Digivice over his eyes and began scanning the two Digimon. "Shellmon, the Sea Animal Digimon, and Crabmon, the Crustation Digimon. Shellmon is a Champion Digimon while Crabmon is a Rookie Digimon." He turns to GeoGreymon with a smile after placing his Digivice back on his head. "Alright, let's work together with our friends to defeat these guys!"
"Got it, Boss!" GeoGreymon nodded as Ichika's friends and their Digimon including Dorugamon appeared on the scene.
"W-What?! Humans and Digimon working together?!" Crabmon gawked before snarling in fury. "Okay, now let's destroy them, Shellmon! Crab Meat Bomber!" He launched his attack at Gatomon who leaped out of the way. Crabmon sweat dropped/ "Aw nuts!"
"Lightning Paw!" Gatomon launched her attack at Crabmon, shocking him. Crabmon screamed in agony as he was deleted.
Shellmon growled in fury as he yelled out "Drill Shell!" Shellmon launched energy shots at the Digimon, but they evaded them.
"Alright, let's try out some new moves! Cannonball!" Dorugamon yelled as he charged up his mouth and fired an large iron sphere at Shellmon, giving him large damage.
"Fox Tailed Inferno!" Kyubiimon yelled as she launched her attack at Shellmon, giving him medium damage. The SAO players were watching the battle going on.
"Whoa…" Was all Klein could say.
"Holy crap, they are commanding those monsters and beating that other monster!" Liz gasped in shock.
"Cross Combination!" Purple Heart charged towards Shellmon and slashed him five times.
"Sylhet Spear!" Green Heart thrusts her spear at Shellmon, giving him medium damage.
"Fist of the Beast King!" Leomon thrusts his energy attack at Shellmon, giving him bigger damage.
"Hydro Blaster!" Shellmon fired his attack at Leomon, who blocked it with his fists.
"Meteor Wing!" Birdramon launched her attack on Shellmon, giving him medium damage.
"Needle Spray!" Togemon launched her attack at Shellmon, adding in the hurt.
"Strike Fang!" Strikedramon launched his attack at Shellmon, also adding in more damage as well.
"Electro Squall!" Wizardmon yelled as he launched his attack at Shellmon, giving him bigger damage. Shellmon was getting desperate now.
"Spin Shatter!" Shellmon retreated into his shell and spins around, hitting GeoGreymon and Dorugamon for small damage.
"Alright! Let's finish this! Mega Burst!"
"Power Metal!" Dorugamon stands still and charges up, he then fires a more powerful iron sphere from his mouth which combined with GeoGreymon's Mega Burst which hit Shellmon for bigger damage, ending the fight. Shellmon screamed in agony as he was deleted.
After both Crabmon and Shellmon were deleted, our heroes all regrouped with each other as their Digimon partners all returned to their Rookie forms save for Gatomon while the CPUs did the same and celebrated their victory over Shellmon and Crabmon while Kirito's group were all amazed at what they saw.
"Whoa…" Kirito and his friends all gasped in awe.
"How did they do that?" Leafa asked in amazement. "We couldn't even scratch them before, but they could beat them no problem. Do they have more experience in fighting them than us?"
"It's possible, but I can't really say for sure." Sinon answered as she looked at Ichika and his friends carefully. "If we couldn't even harm those monsters and they could, then I don't think we're in Aincrad anymore." Her friends all nodded in agreement as Ichika and his friends walked over to them.
"Hey, are you guys alright?" Ichika asked in concern. "Sorry about that whole ordeal, but we're glad you're all still in one piece." He then holds his hand out to Kirito. "Here, let me help you up. Think you can still stand?" Kirito smiled and nodded as he takes Ichika's hand into his and pulls himself back on his feet. Ichika's friends all did the same for his friends as well.
"Yeah, thanks for your help back there." Kirito smiled in gratitude. "For a minute there, I thought I was done for before you and your friends showed up, we really appreciate it."
"Hey, we couldn't just let you guys being bullied around by those two." Satoru smiled as he crossed his arms. "And thanks to Ichika's vision from last night, we were able to find you all and help you just in time." Everyone all nodded in agreement as Kirito and his friends were all confused.
"Wait, vision? You saw us in a vision?" Asuna asked in confusion. "How were you able to see us and knew we were in trouble?"
"It's a long story, but we can't stay here for long." Ichika answered her as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Who knows when other bad Digimon like those two would show up next. Let's head back to the office, we'll explain on the way." Everyone nodded in agreement as they led Kirito and his friends back to the real world.
Meanwhile...
In another part of Kowloon, the same hooded figure from before was laying unconscious on the floor. Just then, two small Digimon came up to him and were looking at him. One was a small blue imp while the other was a green worm as the imp pulls down his hood to reveal his face to them.
"Hey, it's another one of those humans." The imp Digimon muttered in awe. "I wonder what's this one doing here all alone?"
"Do you think he was separated from his friends?" The worm Digimon asked worriedly. "Or maybe they abandoned him and now he's lying here?" Before his friend could answer, the boy started to stir and started them.
"Ugh… what happened to me…?" The boy asked with a groan. "And how did I get here? The last thing I remembered was spying on Kirito and his friends before that earthquake happened." As he looks around his new surroundings, he sees the two Digimon looking at him as all three of them scream. "AHHHH! What the hell are you two? And what do you plan on doing to me?"
"Hey pal, what's with all the screaming?" The imp Digimon countered. "We just found you lying there and this is the thanks we get? You screaming at us and thinking we're gonna do something to you?"
"Huh? You mean you both found me lying here?" The boy asked while blinking.
"Yes, we found you here and thought something might happened to you." The worm Digimon answered with a nod. "We thought you could have been separated by your friends or they just abandoned you."
"I… don't really have any friends…" The boy lowered his head despondently. "No one would want to hang out with me or even talk to me. They'd just ignore me or call me like I'm some kind of freak for no reason. So I never really made any friends before and was always alone."
"Then maybe we can be your first friends." The worm Digimon suggested with a smile. "You see, we're also lost ourselves and have no idea on how we got here. All we could remember is that we had some kind of mission, but that's all we know." The imp Digimon nodded in agreement.
"Then I can help you two find out what your mission was." The boy said with a soft smile. "You two want to be my first friends, so let me help you two regain your memories. That way, we can watch each other's backs and not worry about anything." The two Digimon looked at each other before turning back to him and nodded. "Great, then it's a deal. My name is Kisuragi. So what are your names?"
"I'm Veemon and this is my friend Wormmon." Veemon answered with a smile and thumbs up. "It's nice to meet you, Kisuragi. Let's all become great friends." Wormmon nodded in agreement as Kisuragi smiled now that he's finally found some friends of his own.
To be continued…
Next Chapter: The Case of the Missing Person! Arise ExVeemon and Stingmon!
A/n: Sorry it took so long to finish this chapter. Anyway, next up is the first main case from Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth and Ichika and his friends meet and befriended my co-author's SAO OC, Kisuragi. So stay tuned for more updates! Cya!