Part 1: Attack on Kyoto

Golachab

"And the living creatures ran back and forth, in appearance like a flash of lightning."

Yanagasakikohan Park

Otsu, Kyoto, Japan

Tuesday, April 3rd, 2018

12:00 A.M

Tommy Himi sat nervously at the edge of a large group of people who were all gathered in the park. A number of strange monsters were circling them: some took the shape of small dinosaurs, while others were more plant-like in nature. A group of four was constantly patrolling the perimeter around them, and had been doing so all night. From his position he could see a number of other clumps of humans surrounded by the weird monsters as well. However, grouped together on top of a nearby temple were four monsters, even larger than the guards. Tommy could tell they were the leaders as they would occasionally deliver orders to the other, smaller monsters.

Tommy had a lot of time to study them, taking in as much information as possible. There wasn't much he could do with the information at the moment, but if by some chance he were to escape, then someone might be able to put it to good use. Two of the commanding monsters looked almost identical: they were large, white roosters with streaks of colored hair on their heads, one blue and one orange. The third monster looked a lot more menacing than the first two; it hovered in the air on large battered wings, its large serpentine body dangling in the air.

The fourth was much smaller than the other three, almost the size of an adult human. Its body was blue with a white patch on its abdomen, and a long tail extended from its lower back. The monster was adorned in yellow-and-red armor, painted on as if it were on fire, including three-clawed boots, knee pads, a chest piece, and three-clawed gauntlets. Covering its head was a helmet of the same color, with a large metal blade sticking out of the end. Unlike all the other monsters, this one was actually carrying something: a small brown sack strapped to his back.

Tommy sighed as he pondered his surroundings, wondering how everything had gone so wrong. He recalled when he was first separated from his foster parents yesterday; a few hours after Koji had disappeared. Tommy had disobeyed his foster parents' instructions to not go outside, deciding on his own to look for Koji, and had quickly been swept up in a crowd of people that was running away from something. Tommy had struggled to not be trampled by the crowd, and unfortunately was one of the first to be captured by the strange monsters that were chasing them. Tommy had then been marched to this location, placed in a small group to be watched over, and left to sit overnight, a prisoner.

"These rebellions represent a clear and present danger." Away from the human prisoners, the four Digimon captains were deep in discussion. Airdramon currently spoke, retelling his experiences from the previous day. "Three of our underlings have suddenly gained the power to digivolve and partnered with the humans in order to fight back against the rebellion.

"Those two Dracomon betrayed us!" Akatorimon squaked. "It was blatant treason! We need to crush them as soon as possible!"

"I agree," Airdramon nodded, "I also experienced the betrayal of a number of my soldiers. An entire squadron consisting of a Palmon, Floramon, and three Aururuamon threw their loyalties away to protect these human scum. However, we need to be more cautious, and not just rush into an attack. Their forces are gathering, and if we're not careful they could easily defeat us."

"I'm sick of waiting!" Kokatorimon exclaimed. "The time for action is now!"

"Did you ever consider that there may be a reason they betrayed you?" The fourth captain asked calmly.

"And what is that supposed to mean, Flamedramon?" Akatorimon growled. "Are you saying we deserved what happened to us, or that our presence here is unjustified? Perhaps you've forgotten what it's like in the digital world: what the humans did to us!"

"Pay attention to what I'm saying," Flamedramon groaned, "You haven't taken all the factors into account. The Digimon who betrayed you gained the sudden ability to digivolve after interacting with humans. That has happened twice in the history of the digital world. I'm sure you recall that to which I'm referring?"

"You aren't so bold as to suggest that these humans the traitors have allied with are actually Digidestined, are you?" Kokatorimon barked.

"That's exactly what he's suggesting," Airdramon answered for the dramon, "And his speculation is not without merit. After fighting with the Palmon who betrayed me, she claimed that she was in fact a Digidestined along with the girl she seems to have taken as her partner."

"You can't possibly believe that's true!" Kokatorimon cried.

"Of course not," Airdramon shook his head, "Our authority comes from the highest powers of the digital world, and our cause is just. We need to find the humans who unleashed the virus into our world and force them to reverse what they've done. However, it is possible that certain actions may have convinced these traitors that we as captains of the digital army have gone too far in our moves against the humans."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Akatorimon inquired.

"He means you attacked human children," Flamedramon growled, "Children who couldn't possibly have anything to do with the vicious assault on the digital world. I may not condone their actions, but I'd be hard pressed to fault them from trying to defend the innocent."

"Err… no human is innocent!" Kokatorimon squawked with explosive rage, running for the flame Digimon. Airdramon moved his tail in between the two Digimon preventing Kokatorimon's rage from escalating any further.

"Calm yourself Kokatorimon," Airdramon warned, "We are not here to fight each other; and Flamedramon does have a valid point. We have no quarrel with children, as they could not possibly have anything to do with what happened to our world. I lost sight of that as well, which is what caused Floramon's squadron to rebel against me. In my anger over what has happened to our world I attacked a defenseless opponent. Believe me, I have no love for any human either, but we must discriminate between our true enemies and what could be construed as mere bystanders."

"But why do we even need to-!"

"To prevent more attempts at rebellion from the rookies," Airdramon growled, "We cannot be fighting against our own kind while searching for the ones responsible for the virus."

"Or perhaps you could have some common decency and not violently attack the innocent young who have done nothing wrong." Flamedramon snapped. Airdramon slowly reeled away.

"Your words are dangerous Flamedramon." Akatorimon growled. "One might think you not only sympathize with the defectors, but you agree with them as well."

"Are you questioning my loyalty Akatorimon?" Flamedramon barked.

"We have to stop fighting amongst ourselves!" Airdramon bellowed, commanding the attention of the other three captains. "Flamedramon, understand your words do have an air of duplicity to them."

"Uh, what's that?" Kokatorimon's attention was diverted away from the argument, and he now focused on the road leading towards the park. The other three captains turned to see what he was observing, and found a curious sight awaiting them. An odd Digimon snaked his way down the road, heading for the park. His body was strange, coated in a black-and-gray metallic substance. The serpentine Digimon had one arm capped in a metal hook, while the other had a large cannon surrounded by spiky protrusions. Yellow wings protruded from his back, and the monster's face was covered in a metal faceplate with a long horn jutting out from the snout.

"What in the name of Yggdrasil is that?' Airdramon muttered. "Have any of you ever seen a Digimon such as that before?"

"Never," Flamedramon shook his head, "And it is certainly not a member of the digital army." He cautiously made his way to the street to confront the newcomer, the three avian Digimon trailing behind him.

"Digimon," Airdramon bellowed as the foursome made their way onto the street, "Who are you and what is your business here?" The Digimon stopped as it was addressed, glaring intensely at the four Digimon. A low rumble came from its throat, the monster growling deeply.

"Answer him!" Kokatorimon bellowed. Flamedramon raised his arm in front of the bird as it began to step forward, warning him not to approach.

"I…" A rough growl came from the monster's throat, "Am…Grimmon!" The monster burst into motion as it announced itself, throwing its right arm forward, where the group could see energy building within.

"Get out of the way!" Flamedramon leaped into the air as Grimmon let out a burst of energy that washed over the street where he was standing. The other three Digimon flew away as well, safely rising into the sky, while Flamedramon flipped back down onto the earth. "Why are you attacking us?" Flamedramon addressed the Digimon again, noting that many of the rookies were making their way out onto the street, having heard the commotion.

"RAGH!" Grimmon roared, not responding to the dramon's questions. Instead it rushed forward and slashed its hook-tipped arm at the flame Digimon, who promptly knocked the blow away with his armored fist.

"Flame Fist!" Flamedramon threw his fist forward, letting out a burst of fire that crashed into the monster's chest. The strange Digimon snaked backwards, shaking off the attack.

"You are a fool for trying to take us all on by yourself." Airdramon growled as he and the two bird Digimon began to circle around the mechanical serpent. His words sparked a thought in Flamedramon, who quickly began to look around him.

"Rookies: on alert!" Flamedramon cried, snapping the various rookie Digimon into battle stances. "Oh no, behind you!" He alerted a squadron of Tsukaimon just in time for them to turn to see a series of strange floating metal Digimon appear from various buildings, quickly swarming over the area.

"Annihilate! Annihilate!" The Digimon screamed as they rushed at the rookies. The Tsukaimon quickly expanded their chests and let out a burst of air, knocking the invaders away.

"What are these things?" Airdramon looked around in a panic as each of the rookies became engaged in battle with the odd mechanical monsters.

"RAGH!" Grimmon took advantage of the confusion and let out another blast of energy at Flamedramon, who saw it just in time to jump away, landing on the rooftop he had previously been standing on. Airdramon, Kokatorimon, and Akatorimon quickly pounced on Grimmon and attempted to overpower him. Flamedramon took advantage of his new position and surveyed the battlefield, absorbing as much information as possible. He noted that there were just enough of these strange new creatures to engage each of the rookie warriors, including the ones that were guarding the humans. He watched as the guards became enveloped in their own battles, unable to keep an eye on the humans any longer. They took advantage of this and began running away in all the commotion. Streams of people were pouring out of the park and into the various streets around them.

"At least something good can come out of this," He murmured to himself, and then spotted one of the groups of people still trapped within the park. Their guards had been jumped and destroyed by the odd machines, which were now surrounding the humans, who were huddling together in a protective formation against a wall as the four creatures closed in on them. "Oh no, they'll never make it." He nervously looked back and forth between his fellow captains and the group of humans. "Dammit, so much for deep cover." Flamedramon growled, and then shot into the air above the approaching attackers. "Fire Rocket!" He enveloped himself in flames and then crashed down into the four machines, obliterating them in one strike.

"Oh no!" One of the men in the group cried as Flamedramon dusted himself off. A little boy accidentally stumbled in front of him, wearing an oversized newsboy hat, and began to quiver at the sight of the Digimon.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to harm you." Flamedramon tried his best to assure the group, focusing on the boy in particular. "I'm your friend I promise. I'm not like the rest of these Digimon; in fact, I came here to help you."

"Flamedramon: I knew it!" A rough voice squawked behind him, making the dramon cringe. He slowly turned around as Akatorimon made his way over to him. "Our soldiers are dying and you're here consoling the humans! I knew you were actually our enemy!"

"This isn't what it looks like Akatorimon!" Flamedramon desperately tried to calm his former ally down.

"Do not take me for a fool! I saw everything! Bacaw!" Akatorimon cried as a new figure swooped in and kicked him in the face, sending him tumbling across the grass. "Who in the hell?" He roared as he looked up at the newcomer, instantly recognizing the blue dragon. "You!"

"Surprised to see me Akatorimon?" Coredramon taunted. "I couldn't wait to pick up where we left off!" He streamed forward, smashing his fist into the stunned rooster, who took the full brunt of the attack and smashed into a tree.

"Bacaw!" A similar sound came from the street, where a green dragon was now engaged in battle with Kokatorimon. "Is this attack your doing?" He squawked as they exchanged blows in the air.

"We've no idea who or what these Digimon are," Majester shook his head as his fists flew towards the bird Digimon, "But we thought we'd take advantage of the chaos and take out what's left of the digital army in Otsu!"

"Why don't you try a little Needle Spray!" A cry came from the street, and suddenly Airdramon was tossed into the sky, shielding its face from a stream of spines with its tail.

"The Digidestined are here." Flamedramon sighed with relief. He then turned back to the humans, who were slowly slinking away. "Please, get as far away from here as possible." He urged. "It's not safe here." His words motivated the frightened group, who all began to flock down an alley and away from the raging battle. The little boy who had fallen in front of him previously remained, however.

"Hey mister, are you really here to help us?" He inquired.

"Yes boy, I came here not to hurt you humans but to stop my fellow Digimon from causing you any more harm." Flamedramon nodded.

"What about these new guys?" He pointed to the two dragons as they fought their new opponents in the sky. "Are they with you?"

"They are allies yes, though I do not know them personally." He bent down to one knee, getting as close to eye level with the child as possible. "What is your name, boy?"

"My name is Tommy." He said with a smile.

"Well, Tommy," Flamedramon began, but was interrupted by an explosive shatter behind him. He turned his head, spotting the strange entity known as Grimmon hovering above the shrine, glaring as he watched the battle unfolding around him. "Listen, I don't know if that thing is friend or foe, and I need to make sure I'm at full fighting power when I confront him." He pulled off the satchel that was hanging on his back. "Would you do me a favor and protect this for me? It is my most precious possession."

"Um…" Tommy looked at the bag with wide eyes, then slowly reached out and grabbed the strap. "Of course I'll help." He nodded with a determined grin on his face.

"Thank you Tommy, now please find somewhere to hide until the battle is over." Flamedramon ordered, and then turned to face Grimmon, who was still on top of the shrine. What am I thinking, he thought to himself as he charged forward, leaping into the air. I just met this child and for some reason I entrusted him with both of my digimentals…why? And yet, I get a strange feeling from him, as if I was supposed to meet him. Flamedramon shook away his thoughts as he landed atop the shrine, attracting Grimmon's attention.

"You…" Grimmon growled, positioning himself to attack.

"Wait, please," Flamedramon held up his arms, "I am not truly a member of the digital army, I was merely placed within their ranks to keep watch over them and ensure they caused no harm to the innocent humans of this world. If our goals are similar, please let me know. We can fight off the digital army together!"

"All of you…" Grimmon groaned, "Must be… annihilated!" He roared as he lifted his arm and fired another blast of energy at the dramon, who strafed to the side, narrowly dodging the attack.

"So much for that." Flamedramon sighed. "Very well, Fire Rocket!" He lunged forward, coating himself in flames, and charged at the raging Digimon. Grimmon struck as well, swinging his hook at the charging dramon. His blade clashed against Flamedramon's helmet, struggling to block the monster's advance as the flames licked his arm. Grimmon then shoved his spiked arm into Flamedramon's gut, letting the fire wash over it, and sent another blast of energy right into his opponent's body. The Digimon cried as he was thrown into the air, unable to catch himself, and fell onto the earth below with a sickening thud.

"Oh no, are you okay?" Tommy cried as he ran up to the Digimon, trying to comfort him in any way he could. "That guy looks too strong for you."

"It's nothing, I promise." Flamedramon swore, picking himself up off the grass. Tommy quickly backed away as Grimmon dropped onto the ground after him, lifting his cannon-arm for another attack.

"Chrono Destruction!" A wave of red energy shot from the Digimon's weapon, surging through the air towards Flamedramon. The fire Digimon narrowly avoided the blast, the surge clipping his arm in his weakened state and knocking him off his feet. A light overcame the dramon as he fell to the ground, landing as a smaller version of his former self, armorless.

"Hey, Flamedramon!" Tommy came up to the now small Digimon and picked him up, letting him lay in his lap. "I tried to tell you." Tommy sighed.

"Actually, it's Veemon now," The small Digimon groaned, "And I guess you were right. But we can't give up now. Do me a favor and reach into my bag. There's something in there that I need." Tommy complied, swinging the bag over his shoulder and opening the small clip that sealed it, watching carefully as Grimmon slowly approached. Now that his opponent was down, the attacking Digimon was taking his time and conserving energy.

"Sorry, it's a little hard to open." Tommy grunted as he unclipped the sack and opened the flap, exposing its contents. Inside were what Tommy would describe as two eggs, one a bright red with a large spike sticking out of the top, and the other black with yellow markings, more in the shape of a boot than an egg, with a smaller, jagged-and-yellow spike sticking out of it. "Hey, these are cool." Before Veemon could instruct him on the next step, the two eggs began to glow. Their lights merged together, and as it faded away a new object fell into Tommy's hands.

"My digimentals, they changed." Veemon observed, staring at the small device in Tommy's hands, which he likened to a digital clock. "They transformed into a digivice…"

"A digivice, what is that?" Tommy inquired.

"Listen, I used those digimentals to armor digivolve so I can become stronger, but now it seems I'll have to rely on you for that. Do you think you can help me Tommy?" Veemon asked weakly.

"Me, help you become stronger: do you think I really can?" Tommy gasped.

"I know you can Tommy." Veemon nodded. "That thing in your hands is a digivice, which means that the two of us are Digidestined partners. If you use that device on me, it will share energy between us and I'll be able to digivolve again."

"Okay, if you're sure it will work." Tommy nodded.

"I know it will." Veemon said assuredly.

"All of you…" Grimmon growled as he reached the two new partners, "Will now be annihilated!" He threw his hook-capped arm into the air.

"Veemon!" Tommy cried.

"Use the digivice Tommy!" Veemon commanded. At that a bright light burst from the device, which streamed around Veemon and enveloped him, taking the shape of the mysterious black digimental.

"Veemon, armor digivolve to… Raidramon!" From the light appeared a new form of Veemon, this one standing on all fours and covered in black armor. Only his tail was completely exposed, while his head was covered in a black mask that had a large, crooked yellow spike protruding from the end of it. Three large black points jutted out from his back, which Tommy now sat upon, holding on dearly to one of the protuberances.

"Veemon, what just happened?" Tommy cried as the new Digimon leaped into the air, landing on a small house adjacent to the park where Tommy was able to slide off, safe from Grimmon.

"I digivolved, Tommy, and it's all thanks to your power. I'm Raidramon now, and I promise I'll tear this guy apart!" Raidramon lunged forward, racing towards the chaotic Digimon. "Thunder Blast!" He let out a surge of electricity from the blade on his helmet, which struck the surprised Grimmon, causing him to convulse as energy surged through him.

"RAGH!" Grimmon lifted his arm slowly, struggling against the intense energy that was tearing through him, and aimed his arm-cannon at Raidramon. "Chrono Destruction!" He fired a red wave of energy into the air, aiming for the quadrupedal Digimon.

"Raidramon slide evolution…Flamedramon!" Raidramon became enveloped in light, and then moments later emerged as the fiery warrior, flipping through the air around the red beam of energy. "Flame Fist!" He shot out bursts of flames from his gauntlets, which pummeled the machine Digimon below.

"Power Cutter!" Grimmon quickly slashed his hook into the air, which let off a blade of energy-infused air that tore through the sky towards Flamedramon. The Digimon narrowly dodged it and landed safely on the ground behind Grimmon.

"Fire Rocket!" Flamedramon burst forward, coating himself in flames, and slammed into Grimmon's back, knocking him forward.

"Flamedramon slide evolution… Raidramon!" He enveloped in energy once again, transforming back into the quadrupedal thunder Digimon. "Blue Thunder!" Energy swelled between the three protuberances on his back, coming together and sending a bolt of electricity at the downed Digimon. Grimmon tried to struggle to his feet, but was instead knocked back down as the electric blast pounded into him.

"You…will…be…annihilated…" Grimmon groaned as he struggled to stand, barely able to focus on the armor Digimon before him.

"Give up while you can." Raidramon taunted. "Thanks to my new partner, I can now switch between the two digimentals I brought with me from the digital world, giving me the ability to slide evolve between both my forms. You'll never be able to keep up with my attacks this way."

"Perhaps… retreat…" Grimmon breathed in a monotone voice. "Escape, now!" He suddenly boomed into the air, slinking away towards the alley. Raidramon was about to pursue him, but then noticed the hordes of floating Digimon that were battling the rookies had obeyed his command and were now flying off into the air. The rookies all dropped down with a sigh of relief, their overwhelming battle finally over.

Higher in the sky, the four-way battle still raged between the two Coredramon, Akatorimon, and Kokatorimon. Dinoster shot a stream of hot flames at Akatorimon, who eagerly flapped his wings, blowing the flame downwards and escaping higher into the air.

"Green Flare Breath!" Majester had the same results against Kokatorimon, the two rooster Digimon easily dodging their blows.

"Not so powerful now, are you?" Kokatorimon taunted.

"Now that your initial digivolution energy has worn off," Akatorimon continued, "You're helpless to defeat experienced fighters such as ourselves!"

"We may be new to this!" Dinoster swooped upwards, grabbing Akatorimon's leg. The Digimon awkwardly flapped its wings and squawked angrily at the surprise grab, lacking control as the dragon swung him downwards.

"But our skills combined are more than enough to defeat you two bird-brains!" Majester slammed his foot into Kokatorimon's gut, stunning the monster, and then smashed his fist into the Digimon's skull, knocking him down against Akatorimon.

"Strike Bomber!" Together, Majester and Dinoster smashed their tails into the two rooster Digimon, who took the full force of the attack, crashing into each other and knocking their heads against one another. The two Digimon spiraled downwards, unable to control their descent.

"Green Flare Breath!" The two dragons then combined their bursts of flame, letting their blasts wash over both bird Digimon. The two monsters flapped their wings and squawked in a panic, helpless as the fire consumed the both of them. They crashed into the earth below moments later, their data fluttering away as the wind picked up. "We did it!" The two Digimon cheered in unison, taking the opportunity to bump their fists together in celebration. "Now there's only one more captain left!" They turned down to where Togemon was battling Airdramon, and noticed she was having some difficulties in fending off the creature. They remembered Kokatorimon's and Akatorimon's comments about digivolution energy, remembering that Togemon had even less battle experience than they did. They quickly swooped down to assist her.

"I told you I'll never give up, not while I can still use my needle spray!" Togemon shot a flurry of spines at Airdramon, who narrowly slinked through the air, dodging them.

"You are a fool if you think a newly digivolved champion-level such as yourself can stand against an experienced fighter like me!" Airdramon bellowed as he flew in circles around Togemon, glaring at his former subordinate. "You will pay for your betrayal Togemon, I can promise you that."

"Not while we're here!" The two Coredramon descended from the sky, simultaneously driving their heels into Airdramon's back. The serpent Digimon roared in pain, quickly shooting his tail up into the air and knocking them away. He then took the opportunity to slither higher into the air, putting distance between himself and the trio of Digimon.

"Blast it, out-numbered again," Airdramon moved away from the group, towards the city. "Everybody, retreat! We're outnumbered! Flamedramon, retreat and regroup!" He slithered off into the sky, heading back into town.

"We have to stop him!" Togemon started forward. The Coredramons began to move with her.

"Tommy?" The voice of one of the tamers stopped their movements, turning to see their three tamers being approached by the large, blue, armored Digimon that had assisted in their battle walking towards them, a young boy on his back.

"You were amazing Raidramon." Tommy said with a smile. "Way to go!"

"Thank you Tommy, but it was your assistance that helped me to digivolve even when I was so low on energy." He watched as rookie Digimon fled in droves down the street, away from the four champion-powered Digimon. "Alas, Airdramon is in for quite a surprise when he learns of my betrayal."

"Tommy!" Koji ran towards the wolf-like Digimon, gaining the boy's attention.

"Koji!" Tommy leaped off the monster's back, running towards his foster brother. "You're okay!"

"What are you doing here Tommy?" Koji asked worriedly. "I thought you would be with Mr. and Mrs. Ojiyama."

"We got separated." Tommy groaned. "I went out to look for you and then got captured by these mean Digimon things. But then Raidramon here saved me."

"The boy downplays his role." Raidramon shook his head. "It was his use of the digivice that allowed me to armor Digivolve into this form, given that I was so weak at the time."

"A digivice?" Koji looked down, noting the small device in Tommy's hand. "You're a Digidestined too?"

"I guess so, whatever that means." Tommy smiled.

"Hey, Koji, it looks like the kid can handle himself pretty well," Takuya shrugged, "And it looks like we've got one more member to add to the team." He turned to Raidramon.

"I overheard pieces of your conversation before my battle with Akatorimon." Dinoster addressed the dramon. "You came here to help?"

"Yes," Raidramon nodded, "You see there is a small number of Digimon in the digital world who vehemently opposed the invasion of the human world by the digital army. They sent me to infiltrate it and prevent anything bad from happening to the humans here. I was entrusted with the digimentals of courage and friendship to aid me on my quest, allowing me to armor digivolve rather than digivolve to champion like normal, but they seem to have transformed into Tommy's digivice, making me a Digidestined partner as well, which is what I assume you all are."

"You're damn straight." Takuya replied. "We're a lean, mean, Digimon-defeating machine!" He cheered.

"Tommy, you're too young to be out here." Koji continued. "We need to get you back to the Ojiyama's as soon as possible."

"But Koji, we need him." Mimi protested. "He's a digidestined too, you know."

"He's just a little kid." Koji protested.

"So are we." Mimi stated blatantly. "Just because he's a little bit younger than us it doesn't make him any less suited to be a Digidestined, clearly."

"I can speak for myself you know." Tommy said angrily. "Raidramon needs me to help stop these things. Where he goes, I go." He said with determination.

"Ugh…" Koji groaned in defeat. "Fine Tommy, but you'd better not get in the way."

"Yeah, woohoo!" Tommy cheered.

"Hey, it looks like there are still some loose ends over there." Takuya nodded over to a small group of rookie Digimon, who were huddled together. The group was composed of a bright pink bird Digimon with an oversized head, a small green monkey Digimon wearing a loin cloth, a purple-feathered penguin, and what looked like a small humanoid Digimon with purple fur, red gloves and scarf, a tail, and pointy ears.

"Why do you four linger?" Majester made his way over to the group of rookies, although he already suspected the answer.

"You all are Digidestined, aren't you?" The bird Digimon inquired.

"Yes Biyomon," Raidramon followed the Coredramon, "These four humans are Digidestined, and we are their partners. The digital army has filled your minds with nonsense about how the entire human world is to blame for the travesty in our world. We must work with the humans in order to save our world, not attack them."

"Do you… do you think we could help you guys?" The monkey Digimon replied.

"Yeah, we… we don't want to be part of the digital army anymore." The penguin shook his head.

"Monmon and Penguinmon," Raidramon addressed them, "I would be honored if you would fight by my side."

"Is it wise to trust them so blindly?" Koji whispered to Raidramon. "What if Airdramon ordered them to join us? They could be spies."

"I don't think that's the case," Raidramon answered, "But that's a legitimate concern. I shall personally ensure they are monitored." He turned back to the rookies. "However, you are welcome to return with us."

"Me too?" Biyomon inquired. Raidramon nodded.

"Hey, speak for yourselves, alright." The last Digimon grumbled, stepping away from the rest of the group.

"Is it your intention to return to the digital army, Impmon?" Raidramon cocked his head. "Why then, did you linger?"

"Hey, I didn't want to be around those guys anyway," The Impmon said with sass in his voice, "They recruited me out of the blue. But I ain't interested in running around with you bozos either." He shook his head and began walking away, towards the alley. "I just wanna be left alone." He disappeared down the alley, leaving the rest of the rookie Digimon behind.

"Should we stop him?" Dinoster inquired.

"No, he seems uninterested in both sides of the battle," Raidramon commented, "We should just let him be." He looked back to the Digidestined as they congregated around the group. "Well then, what should we do with these three?"

"There's a number of Digimon who joined us back at the hotel," Mimi explained, "They're watching the area for us and making sure no-one attacks."

"Then perhaps we should join them." Biyomon proposed.

"

"We'll still need to address Airdramon," Majester argued, "He and the rest of the digital army in Otsu will pose a constant threat as long as they're around. For now though, seeing as we've taken out two of the captains, and somehow convinced a third to join our side, it seems like we can call this a win for today."

"I appreciate that," Raidramon replied, "However while rest does seem very beneficial and we should capitalize on this moment of peace, let us not forget that there is a new enemy here."

"The Gizumon," Takuya stated.

"Yes, and their commander named Grimmon." Raidramon continued. "These mysterious Digimon have appeared out of nowhere, and neither I nor any of the captains I was with have ever heard of these Digimon before. We have no idea what their intentions are here, but their actions indicate they are not discriminating between Digimon or human, digital army or Digidestined."

"They're a third side," Koji realized, "A third army in this war."

"Yes, and if we are not careful," Raidramon said ominously, "They could easily destroy us all."