Apologies for the late upload, my beta-reader is very busy and I'm quite thankful he was able to get it to me when he did.

Part Three: The Digital World

Cliffside

The Continent of Folder

Thursday, May 31st, 2018

6:00 P.M.

"Gankoomon, how close are we?" Dinoster groaned, his feet dragging along the dirt path next to Takuya, who looked equally as tired. "We've been walking all day, for so long…"

"Do not worry, my friend," The warrior replied, "Though the terrain would not suggest it, we are very close to the sea. The village is one, maybe two hours ahead, at the most."

"Yeah, it doesn't look much like we're near the ocean." Palmon observed. "The dirt's all dry and rocky." She looked around the path, where the rolling grassy fields had given way to rocky terrain with large patches of grass, with the occasional tree.

"We are in the highlands, currently." Gankoomon answered. "You wouldn't have been able to tell from our journey, but we've been steadily climbing a plateau, which ends just short of the ocean. The fishing villages exist along the beaches below the cliffs. When we get there, you shall see, I promise." Gankoomon kept on, the Digidestined trooping behind him.

The last ten days had been a relatively smooth journey. A constant, calm breeze had kept them cool despite the hot sun, while the fruit that Gankoomon had backed was plentiful, and had kept them moving quite well. Halfway through the journey they had run out of food, but fortunately Gankoomon had coordinated quite well, as they had arrived at a trading town mid-way through the plains. Gankoomon had opted to go in alone, returning with more fruit and bread, along with some fish which they gladly feasted on later in the night.

The Digidestined had initially protested the long journey, wanting to fly or run via the ultimate forms of the Digimon partners, but Gankoomon had warned against it. Most Digimon in the area were allies of the Royal Knights, and would have been quick to report to them should any humans be spotted in the area. Without Gankoomon to convince them otherwise, they would be in danger of being intercepted by the Knights, who Gankoomon and Lopmon assured them would not be a winnable altercation for the tamers.

Still, they had enjoyed the company of the cloaked warrior, who seemed equally pleased during the journey. He had been fascinated with details of the human world, having never been there, and was eager to hear more of the Digidestined's stories, from the exciting action following the invasion of Kyoto, to the mundane day-to-day lives of the Digidestined beforehand. The digidestined had come closer as well, with Alice, Takuya, and Mimi learning more about each other with each passing day. Only Impmon seemed resistant to the comradery. He joined in on the eating, and occasionally added onto the stories from the human world, but mostly preferred to keep to himself.

"Gankoomon, might I ask you a question?" Lopmon inquired as they walked.

"Of course, Lopmon, please don't hesitate." He answered from the head of the group.

"Well, we've told you so much about ourselves," She continued, "However you've told us almost nothing about you, other than your role as protector of the forest Digimon."

"Yes, that is true. I do not often share information about my past. Though I take it you wish to know more about me?" He asked.

"You've done us a great favor by taking us this far, and we've really enjoyed the time we've spent with you. I'd like to consider you our friend. I just want to who you are, if that's okay." She explained.

"I'd like to know more about you as well." Takuya nodded.

"Yeah, us too." Palmon agreed. "Mimi and I were talking about it last night. You're so quiet, and mysterious."

"It's nothing malicious, I assure you. I keep quiet because not many care to ask me, but I'd be happy to share my past with my newfound friends. Perhaps I should start with some background information for the humans. As you've no doubt pieced together by now, the digital world doesn't exist as one physical world." Takuya, Mimi, and Alice nodded. "As it turns out, there are six planes, separated by dimensional walls and connected by the data streams, which exist to support the life of Digimon. The third plane is where we are now, the digital world proper. Your destination is the fourth plane, where the Devas monitor the exchange of information to and from the digital world. In the fifth plane, the Royal Knights live and look over the digital world, protecting it from chaos."

"I take it you come from some plane other than this one, then?" Dinoster inquired.

"That I do." Gankoomon answered. "I come from the sixth plane."

"I've never heard of a Digimon from the sixth plane before." Palmon observed.

"How is that possible?" Lopmon gasped. "The sixth plane is closed off from the rest of the digital world. It's a barren wasteland!"

"And if it were closed off from the digital world, how would you know that it's a wasteland, I wonder?" Gankoomon smiled at the rookie, who was taken aback, but had no reply. "Digimon do indeed live on the sixth plane. Long ago, a battle was waged on that plane, between two great entities, Yggdrasil and the Reaper. They destroyed each other, and the data that cascaded from them created the digital world, as well as the barriers between the six planes. The battleground of Yggdrasil and the Reaper was cut off from the rest, deemed too inhabitable by the digital core, but data still existed there, remnants of the battle between the gods."

"Incredible," Lopmon gasped, "You're saying that Digimon have existed within the sixth plane all this time?"

"Of course," Gankoomon nodded, "And I was one of the oldest. The sixth plane is a harsh and unforgiving place. Like most Digimon born there, we survived by fighting each other. Life was brutal, and only the strongest Digimon survived. I was one of them. I did many things back then, that looking back I take no pride in. However, I did what I had to do to survive. As time passed, fewer and fewer Digimon became a challenge to me, and thus I sought more powerful opponents. Eventually, none could defeat me. I became desperate for a challenge, scouring the plane for a suitable opponent, until finally I found a group of warriors who were exactly what I was looking for: by far the most powerful Digimon I had ever encountered."

"Did you defeat them?" Takuya inquired.

"It's more complicated than that," Gankoomon said, "You see, like myself, they had defeated all who dared oppose them as well, and had come together seeking more powerful opponents. Some time after I found them, we decided to have a battle between all of us, to decide once and for all who was the strongest. It was fierce, and many Digimon were slain. I defeated many of them, destroying them and absorbing their data cores, becoming even stronger in the process."

"But in the end, I too, was defeated. It was only by a small act of mercy that I was spared. The winner of our contest was a Digimon named Lucemon, who spared the remaining combatants, as long as they swore fealty to him. My life meant nothing to me, but an opponent who was stronger than me was unacceptable, so I swore to him, in the hopes that one day I would be able to challenge him again. He called us the Great Demon Lords."

"From your tone, I take it you never fought him." Alice observed.

"You would be correct." Gankoomon nodded. "Before I found myself strong enough to fight him, I stumbled upon an undiscovered area of the sixth plane. A field of grass with flowing rivers and bountiful trees. It was the most beautiful thing I had ever seen. I happily drank the water, and found myself falling into the stream. As I later learned, I had discovered the one place in all of the sixth plane that's connected to the data streams, though just barely. By falling into the water I was swept up by the data streams, which took me all the way here." He patted his foot onto the ground.

"I was deposited into the third plane, washed up onto the beach, where a fishing village on the north coast of Server brought me in, and Digimon that I had never seen before helped me heal. Their kindness stunned me. Never before had I met a Digimon who would do such a selfless act for another. My battle-hardened body softened to them as they cared for me, and when I was fully healed, they gave me supplies and sent me on my way, asking for nothing in return. That was the first kindness I had ever been granted in my life, and since then I've been traveling the digital world, returning that kindness to any who need it."

"That's… incredible." Alice stared up at the man.

"What was incredible was what those Digimon did for me." Gankoomon replied. "They're the truest heroes I've ever known."

"These Demon Lords," Lopmon hopped up onto Alice's shoulder to get closer to Gankoomon's eye level, "They must be impeccably strong if you were defeated. Do you think they could ever come here: the same way you did?"

"It's possible, I won't lie." Gankoomon nodded. "But the area I found was isolated: it had obviously never been tampered with by Digimon. But the Demon Lords only call themselves that to induce fear into their opponents. They only care about finding the strongest opponents and proving how strong they are. If they were to find our world, they wouldn't bother with the weaker Digimon: they'd go straight for the Royal Knights."

"I've never heard of a Digimon called Lucemon before either." She added.

"I've never met a Digimon on this plane that I knew of from my home, and vice versa. The Digimon there are unique to the Digimon here."

"Did you ever run into any of the Digimon we described from our time in Kyoto: Gizumon, Grimmon, Mephistomon, or Phelesmon?"

"No, those names are new to me as well." Gankoomon answered. "The sixth plane is vast, and I'm sure I didn't meet every Digimon that existed there, but from your description, I'm sure I would have seen Gizumon at the least, considering how numerous they are. Wherever those Digimon came from, it was nowhere that I have been."

"Damn, I was hoping to find some connection, some understanding of where those Digimon came from." Lopmon lamented.

"That's a mystery for another day, it seems. But for now, we've arrived." The path curved as they approached a ridge. The sound of waves crashing against the beach could be heard below, and a cool sea breeze was flowing over the side. The group made their way to the edge, overlooking the beach below. The sun had begun to set over the ocean, casting fiery shades of orange and yellow across the sea. A sizable village was built on the beach below, scaling up the side of the cliff and stretching along the beach, beyond where they could see. Wooden docks lined the beach, and wooden ships of varying size lined the coast.

"This is a major hub along the west coast for trading routes. Ships come in from all over the digital world, carrying goods that get sent inland along this path." Gankoomon pointed back down the road they had been walking. "Come, the path down is this way." He beckoned them onward, following the curve in the path as it dipped down, following the face of the cliff, and switching back and forth as it moved down to the beach. Scaling the wall took them another half an hour, but when they were finally on the bottom, the short path led straight into town, which was bustling with people.

"This is where things can get complicated." Gankoomon warned. "Stay close to me. My presence will bring a lot of trust as we move through the village, but it will only carry us so far. Do not say anything to anyone; let me do the talking." The Digidestined gave silent nods in agreement, and pooled together behind him. Gankoomon led them down the street swiftly, aiming towards the harbor master near the middle of the village.

They weren't in town for long before they attracted the attention of the residents. Various Digimon stopped, turning their heads as they went about their daily tasks, as Gankoomon led the group of human children and their Digimon partners through the busy street. What are they doing here? Murmurs floated throughout the crowd as more Digimon gathered around them.

"Gankoomon," A Digimon appeared from a house at the docks, a burly ogre Digimon with brown skin, "What's going on here?"

"I'm looking for Captain Hookmon, Fugamon. I need to know when he's back at port." Gankoomon explained.

"Hookmon's schedule gets him back here at first light tomorrow." Fugamon answered. "Now don't avoid the question. You know what I'm asking about."

"The children are friendly to the digital world." Gankoomon answered. "They're on a mission to save their friend. I need Hookmon to take them where they need to go."

"Friend?" Fugamon glared with distrust. "That's a tall claim, considering all that's happened."

"They are the Digidestined." Gankoomon said loudly, so that everyone could hear. "They were called to save both their world and ours. They mean no harm to us, and will leave once I get them passage onto Hookmon's vessel."

"I don't know how these humans got to the digital world, but this can bring nothing but trouble. I beg you, please leave."

"We have no problem making our encampment outside of town," Gankoomon replied, "But I must get these children aboard Hookmon's ship. Perhaps you didn't hear me the first time: they are Digidestined, and the fate of the digital world may rest in their hands." Gankoomon turned to the side, "We shall leave, but tomorrow I will be escorting them to the docks once more. If you let us about our business, we will be out of your hair with no incident. Please, convey my message to Hookmon when he arrives."

"I will deliver your message for you," Fugamon agreed, "But I cannot guarantee how the townsfolk will react."

"I thank you." Gankoomon turned around, leading his group back down the road and out of the village. He led them down the beach until the cliff face turned inward, and they were out of sight of the village.

"We should camp here tonight." Gankoomon proposed. "Tomorrow, when the sun rises, I will go to town and speak with Captain Hookmon, as long as he arrives on schedule. I will ensure that you depart safely; you have my word."

"Those Digimon looked so angry." Mimi muttered. "It felt like running into the digital army for the first time all over again."

"I did warn you: there's little love for humans in this world." Said Lopmon. "Their reaction was not surprising."

"I'll gather some wood for a fire. Remain here for now." Gankoomon jumped into the air, soaring over the top of the cliff. An hour later, the fire had been built downwind of them, and the group quickly fell asleep, the exhaustion setting in. Gankoomon stayed alert, drifting in and out of consciousness as he monitored the beach.

Dawn came quickly. A light shimmered off the surface of the ocean, which sparked Gankoomon's eyes open. The Digimon stood up and walked over to Alice and Lopmon, who were huddled together. He shook the Digimon with his boot, and she awoke with a groan.

"Lopmon, I'm heading down to the village. If you wouldn't mind keeping an eye out until I return." He requested.

"Of course, go on ahead. Should I wake the others?" She inquired.

"No, let them sleep until I get back. If Hookmon hasn't arrived, there's no need to wake them this early." Gankoomon bid her goodbye, and then moved down the beach, reaching the village in minutes. The town was mostly quiet at this hour. The fisherman had awoken, and were on their way to the docks, but the salesman and traders would not be awake for another few hours or so. He quickly made his way back to the harbor master, where he found Fugamon waiting with another Digimon.

"Captain Hookmon, I'm glad you are here as scheduled." Gankoomon greeted the humanoid Digimon. The silver bearded man wore black pants and a black naval jacket, with a large faced commodore hat adorned with a skull and crossbones. His right leg was metallic, and on his left arm he wore a gold-and-silver gauntlet that sported a large, silver grappling hook. In his right arm he supported himself with a silver cane, with a hilt shaped like a pistol.

"Yes, Gankoomon, it's always a pleasure. Fugamon's been telling me some interesting things, concerning you and some human children." He spoke in a grisly voice.

"Hookmon, I need to request a favor from you." Gankoomon said.

"Captain Hookmon, if ya don't mind." He was corrected.

"Of course, my apologies." Gankoomon nodded. "But please, my need is rather urgent. The children I have with me are Digidestined."

"Digidestined? Extraordinary: I haven't heard of Digidestined in quite some time." Hookmon replied.

"Yes, well these Digidestined are on a mission, and that mission requires them meeting with the Devas, on the fourth plane." Gankoomon explained.

"And you want me to be booking you passage, is that it?" He smiled. "That's a tall order from ya. Now what exactly makes you believe that these children be Digidestined?"

"I've seen their digivices," Gankoomon answered, "And they've told me stories of their time in the human world, information which could only have come from a Digidestined. In addition, one of them is partnered with a Lopmon, the rookie form of Antylamon, who I know to be a Deva. Her word's ring true, even if the children are under suspicion."

"I see, I see…" Hookmon turned back to his ship, a modest vessel with five other crew members: An Octomon, a Divemon, and three Goblimon. "How many passengers are ye looking for me to transport?"

"There would be seven: all small. Three human children no taller than my chest, and four Digimon: a Dracomon, Palmon, Lopmon, and Impmon." Gankoomon described the party.

"Hm… should be easy enough to fit." Hookmon thought. "Might be a little cramped inside, but if they don't mind being crammed together, they'll have no issue. The real question, is what incentive do I have to be taking this job on for ya?"

"I have nothing to offer you." Gankoomon shook his head. "All I can say is that I trust this group, and I believe if we help them, we may be able to put a stop to the virus that's plagued us all this time."

"Hm, so ye want me doing charity work then." Hookmon grinned. "Well, I suppose I could help ya out, just this one time."

"Thank you Hookmon." Gankoomon bowed.

"Captain Hookmon." He corrected him again.

"Of course, Captain Hookmon. Now I told Fugamon we'd be out of here as soon as possible. Do you think you could have your ship ready to leave within the hour?" Gankoomon inquired.

"We're just offloading the cargo." Hookmon answered. "Our delivery wasn't very large this month. We should be done before the fisherman set out. Grab yer crew and we might be ready by the time ya get back."

"Thank you, Captain Hookmon. And thank you for your patience, Fugamon." He turned to the ogre. "I'll grab the children and we'll be out of your way."

"Sooner, rather than later, please." Fugamon urged. "Many of the villagers were quite antsy last night. There's no telling what they might do." Gankoomon didn't waste any time. He hurried back through the village, swiftly crossing the beach to where the Digidestined were sleeping. When he arrived, however, he found most of them awake."

"Was Hookmon there?" Asked Dinoster. "Are we ready to go?"

"Yes, he was." Gankoomon answered. "He says you should be able to leave soon. He'll take you to the fourth plane."

"How exactly is he going to take us there?" Lopmon inquired. "Passage is not easy between planes."

"Hookmon has a way to access the data streams, which few Digimon have the know-how to do. It's what makes him such a skilled captain: he can travel between ports faster than any other ship in the digital world."

"That doesn't sound terribly safe." Lopmon protested. "Abuse of the data streams has not been kind on the digital world in the past."

"I don't know much about his process, but I do believe he uses pre-established gateways to the data streams, so he's very low-impact." Gankoomon answered. "Come now, we need to see you off, before the Digimon in the village become too restless." The Digidestined collected their belongings, and made their way down the beach with Gankoomon, arriving just short of the village before their leader suddenly stopped, throwing his arm up in front of them.

"Gankoomon, what is it?" Takuya inquired.

"Stay back." He waved them away as he stared down the street. "We have company."

"Who?" Takuyamon asked, but didn't need the answer, once he saw what stood beyond them. At the entrance to the village, a Digimon stood, blocking their way. He was as tall as Gankoomon, wearing golden armor: tipped boots, with golden rings around his thighs, a sphere over his pelvis, and a red-striped chassis over his chest and shoulders, with gauntlets that covered his hands, and armor covering massive, rabbit-like ears. A large horn was on the tip of his helmet, and a black Gatling barrel was strapped to his back.

"It seems the villagers were not content with letting us leave by ourselves. They warned the Royal Knights." Gankoomon explained. "That one is GoldenRapidmon."

"You're not supposed to be here." The Knight said calmly. "I need all of you to come with me, right now."