One thing that used to bug me when I was little was my mom's practicality when it came to our way of living. By that, I mean that she enforced the differences between "living rich" and "looking rich." Those who "looked rich" were the ones who bought the expensive clothing, ate at the most lavish five-star restaurants, had servants at their beckoning call...and the ones who lived rich clipped coupons, ate at diners, and took the subway back and forth.

And you know what? Hindsight is 20/20. As I grew up, I saw the method behind her madness and appreciated her for it. It made me appreciate having her now, despite not knowing anything about this weird reality. That said, my other rich friends didn't have the luxury of having such a down-to-earth parent. If they did...

We'd be on the express train to Cisco City instead of being stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic on the Fresco Bridge!

Despite winning his match, Wallace was talked into driving into Cisco City by Isabella, who was too disgusted to take the train. It wasn't that she was super pompous, but she was never a fan of public transportation. I guess I could understand in a way; being that she's the heiress of Rosenthal Pharmaceuticals made her a celebrity. And being a celebrity in a crowded public drew unwanted attention. Enough said.

Though, Wallace was on my side with this. His words said what Isabella wanted to hear; however, his subtle expressions—ones I've been familiar with since we were kids—were signs that he was loathing this traffic as much as I was. Shame that in this world, I can't transform, and they can't summon their Digimon; we'd be able to kiss this jam goodbye.

"I'm so bored...!" Isabella whined while she plopped on Wallace's shoulder. "Next time I have an idea, don't listen to me."

"But then you'll get mad if I ignore you," Wallace pointed out.

"I promise I won't..." she reassured with a drowsy hint. She looked at me, "that's only for Wallace."

"Sorry, did you say something?" I perked up, ignoring her whining for a minute.

She gave a firm jab at my shin, making me jump. Wallace smirked at my expense. I crossed my legs and rubbed my barely aching leg.

Mental note: find a way to get her back later.

I looked out, staring at the large body of water below us and taking note of the sun's reflection which made it shimmer. "Wonder what this 'Omnia' thing is going to be like. Your grandfather said it was described as a kind of digital world."

Was it going to be something like Arcadia's six districts, just on a more monumental scale? One could wonder...

"I'm curious myself," Wallace added. "We know what Babylon is like. Chances are Omnia was always in the works, and Babylon was just a 'beta' concept for it."

"Babylon walked... so Omnia could run...huh?" Isabella absentmindedly uttered before shutting her eyes. She dozed off right where she landed, with Wallace surrendering his left shoulder for the remainder of the ride.

After a few minutes, traffic steadily moved out of its gridlock. By the time we finally made it off the bridge, the livery car was finally able to stretch its muscles and drive onward to the office of SAIBA Enterprise.

SAIBA Enterprise in this universe shared many similarities to the old reality's version. Former AI-based-cybernetics-company-turned-gaming-corporation founder Akiyoshi Saiba with colleagues aimed to appeal to a younger demographic with AI, creating what would eventually become Digimon. They became so popular that a franchise was soon born from it. While SAIBA Enterprise mains the Trading Card Game, other companies are contracted to make toys, video games, anime series to tie in with the game, and so on. Then when Babylon debuted, it took the franchise well beyond the stratosphere. And, of course, don't even get me started on content creators and streamers and their contributions to the franchise's influence.

All of this was part of the research I've done. When I say this world so far is "ideal"—in the sense that this is a world where the game was just a game, and there was no worry of cyberterrorists, rogue AI, and interdimensional warfare—it's ideal.

It is ideal for the ones who know nothing else. But for Melanie Whitaker and I, apparently, SAIBA Enterprise has the answers to explain how we fit in this world, and I won't be satisfied until I get them.

Now that I think about it...she was looking for answers too...I wonder what she's doing now that she may have gotten them. Did she accept her role in this new world?

Or could it be that she's still searching for them?

It was about another 10 minutes until the chauffeur finally acknowledged us. "Young Master Lancaster, we have arrived." the chauffeur spoke up, drawing our attention to the window. The livery car pulled over and put its hazard lights on.

Wallace lightly shrugged his shoulder to wake the heavy-eyed beauty that was nestled on him. Isabella wiped her eye and stretched in her seat.

"That was fast..." she yawned.

"Enjoy your catnap?" Wallace asked her, to which she nodded.

The chauffeur came around and opened the door for us. Isabella scooted out first with Wallace, then me following behind them. The three of us stepped onto the busy street and stared at the intimidating building before us. I don't know why I suddenly began to feel nervous; maybe it was because I was anticipating something different than what I remember SAIBA Enterprise being. Granted, aside from that weird feeling from earlier, everything else seems normal.

Maybe it's the normalcy that's getting to me.

"I take it that you three are from Riverbed Academy?" A voice suddenly drew our attention. Approaching us was a familiar face. Long black hair, and slight Asian features, she wore a purple top and an open black sweater, along with matching pants and low-heeled shoes. She wore a gold chain around her neck and matching earrings adorned with amethyst.

Layla Saiba looked much different when she wasn't sporting an AEGIS uniform. I guess she naturally went into the progression of working for the family company, being that she's the heiress and all.

"Indeed, we are," Wallace spoke for us, shaking her hand once she was in front of us. "Thank you for inviting us."

"It's my pleasure. It has been an eventful day for all of us," she said, turning to me, "and speaking of you must be the infamous Tamer who bested Melanie?"

Her rose-scented perfume took me aback for a moment, but I recovered quickly. "My name is Zack Sullivan. You don't know me, but my father does—I mean, my father has worked with SAIBA Enterprise in the past! And has attended a party or two…"

I could hear Isabella giggling under her breath as I fumbled. Layla also smiled a bit, not helping the situation. "I know who you are, Zack; you can relax."

I blinked. "You do?"

"Why wouldn't I? Your father contributed quite a bit to our research team's development of Babylon regarding its neuroscience aspects. Plus, you and your family have come up in conversation several times before."

That's what she meant…for a second, I thought I had a breakthrough, "Yeah…that sounds like him."

"Well, with that out of the way, if you three would follow me inside, I can show you first-hand what we're working on."

"If you would." Wallace agreed, prompting Layla to lead us inside.

Isabella walked passed, her snickering lingering into my ear. I shifted my foot slightly, causing her to trip forward. I grabbed her arm and apologized to make sure it looked like an accident.


Leading us through the lobby and upstairs, Layla Saiba brought us to the floor where the Omnia Team was stationed. Almost immediately, yelling could be heard lining the hallways, accompanied by sounds of crashing and cackling. Startling us as we exited the elevator, we could see the awkward expression on Layla's face while she scrambled internally to come up with an excuse.

"…I take it that the Omnia team can get lively at times…?" Wallace asked.

"It is the nature of working with a bunch of creative minds, I'm afraid," Layla reluctantly crossed her arms, "too many cooks in the kitchen, as they say."

"IVAN!" A voice screeched from a now-opened door. A young man slightly older than us stumbled out the door, cackling hard, barely able to keep himself on his feet. The voice owner soon followed, Melanie Whitaker hooking onto the man and hoisting him from the floor, despite their height difference. Layla suddenly sprang into action to de-escalate, and reactively we followed behind.

"Both of you cut it out!" Layla exclaimed, getting her hands between them. She wasn't strong enough to pull them apart, but the gesture was enough for Melanie to let go.

"Just in time," Ivan said, wiping a tear from his eye. "For a second, I thought I was a goner."

Melanie snarled, "I can still make that happen, you sneaky little—!"

"Enough!" Layla barked with authority. "Ms. Whitaker, you should be in the Testing Room."

"She forgot something in her office and came to retrieve it," Eve appeared on her shoulder in a small burst of green binary. "That was when Mr. Morris encountered her and, as usual, provoked her into her outburst."

"Stop making up stories!" A new voice made out. On Ivan's shoulder was a burst of red and black binary and from it appeared a bipedal white lion cub covered in cyan-blue armor and a tiny blade of matching color. He pointed an accusatory claw at the Morphomon, who covered her mouth with the tips of her long, baggy sleeves. "She attacked first this time!"

"This time?" Given the brief context, I'm sure it was warranted.

Layla pinched the bridge of her nose. "Before I forget, you three, this is Dr. Melanie Whitaker, one of our Biocybernetics Specialists in the R&D department, and Ivan Morris, one of several Creative Leads in the art department.

"Don't forget about me, Ms. Saiba!" the Digimon on Ivan's arm reminded, to which Ivan took the opportunity to speak.

"And this is my AI Partner, Spadamon."

"Name's Ace!" Spadamon answered enthusiastically.

"I've never seen that Digimon before," Wallace noted. "Is it new?"

"Way down the pipeline," Ivan admitted. "I had only just done the artwork for it a few weeks ago. Truthfully, I kinda got jealous of Mel's AI assistant, so I decided to make my own. Neat, huh?"

"Creepy is more like it," Melanie crossed her arms.

"Agreed," Eve added.

"I know you find it flattering," Ivan joked.

"As if!" Melanie snapped.

Layla interjected once more before things spiked again. I took the chance to speak up finally.

"Um…Dr. Whitaker?"

Melanie turned to me, "Melanie is fine,"

"Melanie," I corrected myself, "remember that conversation this morning?"

"I didn't forget," She answered plainly, "if you all are ready, we can head to the testing facility to get started."

"Lead the way," Ivan said, clapping his hands together.

"Don't you have a department to get back to?" Melanie turned with a sharp gaze.

"Arisa is covering me," Ivan replied.

"Wha—why?"

"So, he could play in Omnia," Ace answered.

Ivan didn't deny it, indicated by the broad grin. Melanie rolled her eyes and surrendered.

"I'll leave it to you then. I have a meeting with my father about a separate matter and will check in after I finish. I leave them in your care, you two."

"Aye, captain!" Ivan saluted. "Let's get to it, you three."

With that, Melanie and Ivan began to lead us to the testing area. As we walked, I couldn't help but be prompted to inquire about a few things. "I was wondering, that deck you used against me…"

"Eosmon? What about it?" Melanie asked.

Since we weren't alone, I had to be tactful with my questions. "It's just a unique Digimon. When you think about white-colored cards, they're usually Level 7."

"Eosmon is a one-of-a-kind Digimon Archetype," Ivan chimed. "Eve was originally designed to be the AI who managed Omnia; she still is, technically. Melanie commissioned the team to create a line of Digimon for Eve, and we fit them together into a deck. It's funny; while developing it, some of the old timers reminisced about the Beta Testing from years ago when the game was still in its initial stages, and that earned her the nickname, the 'White Beta Tester,' after the dozens of recruitments we had for the specific colors, myself and Layla included."

"As if I don't have enough names…" Melanie muttered.

"Speaking of, when we were battling, the deck you guys had me use had Digimon labeled with 'X-Antibody;' what is that, exactly?"

"A bunch of broken Digimon," Melanie answered reactively, causing Ivan to snicker.

"The X-Antibody Archetype is a backburner idea. In my downtime, I imagined a what-if scenario, where if something happened that made the Digimon mutate into 'edgier' versions of themselves."

"Like an all-deleting virus?" I asked, reminded of the original intent of the X-Antibody in the old world. Then, it was designed to prevent threats like MOD from rising, and it was used to defeat him for good. If it's nothing but a deck archetype, it doesn't hold any significant weight in this world. Still, my conscience was gonna bug me until I inquired about it.

"Oooh, I like that idea. So far, Dorumon's line is the only one fully designed with the concept, sorta like a 'patient zero,' if you will. But taking that virus idea in mind…" Ivan pondered the thought for a second and then snapped his fingers. "Okay, check this: what if we do a scenario where a massive virus overtakes Omnia, and the survivors develop the X-Antibody not only to repel it but have the strength to delete the all-powerful source of it? Dorumon can lead the charge of the rebel army and stop the evil Digimon from conquering the world!"

"Please don't feed into him," Melanie turned. "Hard enough to get this stupid project off the ground; I don't need extra work on my plate."

"Oh, relax, my liege!" Ivan playfully tapped her, "it'll be a while before your kingdom comes under any kind of attack."

Melanie rolled her eyes as we finally approached a double door. Scanning her D-Streamer, the doors slid open, unveiling the laboratory on the other side. The three of us were taken aback by the commotion of the workers, studying and making sure everything was in place for us, it seemed.

"Once they give us the okay, we'll head downstairs. In the meantime, I want you all to meet someone," Melanie said, leading us into the room. "Hey, Dad!"

When the man approached, I felt my blood freeze. I watched Melanie hug the older man with the all-too-familiar face, and the fact that he was standing there was far too surreal for words.

"Talbot…" I uttered under my breath.

"You, okay?" I heard Isabella ask, startling me some.

"Uh…yeah; it's just that I didn't expect to see him here…"

Isabella quirked her eyebrow, "is he someone your family, knows?"

"…something like that." I slowly began walking up, after which Melanie noticed me. "You three, this is the head of our Neuroscience division, Blake Whitaker. Also known as my Dad."

Talbot grinned and went down the line, shaking everyone's hand. He got to me, and I took it out of respect. In the old world, he was the leader of MOD, the subgroup that broke from the vigilante group Trojan. They were responsible for setting off the chain of events that created all of this, including MOD's creation. And the crazy thing is that during the one attack where that world's Trevor McKnight began impersonating me, I learned at some point that just before it, Talbot was found dead. Naturally, the virus, also known as MOD, carried on his will (and even took on a human form similar to him). With that in mind, I'm now left with more mysteries about this world.

Did this new world intend on reviving him of all people? And what benefit is there to it? With Melanie alive in this world…is he still the same terrorist that kickstarted everything, or is he what he could've been otherwise…?

"Are you gonna let go of his hand at some point…?" Isabella whispered.

Realizing I was lost in thought, I quickly latched off and apologized. Talbot chuckled. "I've heard a great deal about you three from Headmaster Lancaster. I hope you three can be good judges as to what we here at SAIBA Enterprise have to offer in terms of our goals for the future.

"We'll do our best, sir," Wallace spoke. "After the assembly this morning, the student body felt eager to see for themselves what Omnia will be like once it's released to the public. I take it you spoke to my grandfather about the Beta Testing coming up the day after tomorrow?"

"That would be my pops," Ivan chimed. "Anthony Morris is the lead developer for that."

"Oh, well, my mistake then." Wallace clarified.

"Oh no, you're quite all right. My job here at SAIBA Enterprise is to ensure that transferring one's consciousness doesn't have lasting side effects within a digital landscape. If that clarifies anything, my role is more of a 'cyber-neurologist' than an engineer."

"That does, actually; thank you." Wallace nodded. "Speaking of which, is Mr. Morris currently present?"

"He's in a meeting right now, but he should be returning shortly," Ivan confirmed. "In the meantime, let's not waste daylight! Everyone's ready for you guys to see what we've been cooking up here."

"Again, don't you have a department to lead?" Melanie reminded sterner this time around.

"Again, Arisa is covering me," Ivan responded, his emphasis on par with her question.

"I honestly don't believe she'd let you play hooky like this."

"Well, believe it!" Ivan grinned widely. "Now, let's go—!" Ivan stiffened as he turned towards the doorway where we came through. We turned back and were surprised to see Layla walking in, only this time, she had changed clothes. She wore a grey suit, a yellow blouse beneath the blazer, and a pair of black heels. Her hair was tied back in a bun, and her once relaxed demeanor was stoic, her gaze fixated on Ivan, who was now sweating bullets.

We looked at them, then back at Layla, and then again.

"You're looking for him, aren't you?" Melanie pointed, causing Ivan to react in shock.

"I've been wondering where he's been for the last two hours." She replied, coming into the room. As she walked past, a thought crossed my mind, yet I was hesitant to say anything quite yet.

I also had to contain the spark of heat building in my stomach suddenly.

"Arisa, I can explain!" Ivan scrambled. "Melanie needed help looking for something and—well...!" His voice came to a crawl while Arisa drilled holes with her gaze.

My gaze narrowed toward her. The feeling that was developing inside made me more confident in my theory. The question is: why and how is she here?

"Head back to your office—now," Arisa ordered, to which Ivan reluctantly slinked away in despair. Whatever power this Layla look-alike had on him must have been significant.

The door opened with Layla arriving. At first, she was taken aback by Ivan dragging his feet through the door, but after he finally left, she turned her attention to the rest of us. Isabella broke the ice immediately.

"We didn't know you had a sister!"

"Oh? That's because Arisa works overseas at the Asia Branch in Tokyo." Layla explained, joining her twin. She's here to help oversee the launch of Omnia."

"It's a pleasure to meet you all." Arisa bowed respectfully.

We nodded, likewise. All these faces popping up since we walked in; it gave me whiplash. So much information to comb through and each of them keeps branching off.

"I have an idea..." Melanie spoke up, rubbing her chin. "Arisa, how would you like to join us on our tour of Omnia?"

I perked up, looking towards Melanie, who had a slight smirk.

"I must decline. I only came here to-!"

"Nonsense! Besides, you can consider this punishment for Ivan. He tried to get out of work; now you can enjoy Omnia while he picks up his slack. Sounds like a good idea to me."

Arisa didn't look like she was in favor of the idea. Compared to Layla, Arisa was clearly the more serious one. Honestly, she wasn't doing herself favors if she was trying to hide.

"Go on," Layla pushed, "I'll make sure Ivan gets to work. You three will take care of my sister, right?" Layla turned to us. "It'll be her first time in Omnia as well."

"But of course," Wallace answered. "Dr. Whitaker, will you be joining us as well?"

"To make sure you three don't get lost, if anything," Melanie replied. Omnia is a big place, after all."

"In that case, I should be returning to my work as well," Talbot said. "I'll be home late."

"All right, so I'll see you when you get home," Melanie said, pecking her father on the cheek.

He said his goodbyes to the rest of us and took his leave, the awkward feelings of these unexpected faces nesting in my chest. And to think the day isn't even over yet. That said, I'm willing to bet that my starting point to get to the bottom of this would rest in the woman in yellow...


Minutes later, we found ourselves in the spacious room below the lab, where the developers watched from above. It reminded me a lot of the training rooms in AEGIS—barren and white.

Before coming down, they handed each of us specialized D-Coms, which we connected to our D-Streamers. They explained that these were upgraded ones that would enable compatibility within Omnia. Hooking them onto our ears, we activated our devices and awaited instructions.

"So, here's how this will work. We'll be transported into a private sector in the Wasteland area of Babylon. From there, we'll transfer into Omnia."

"Why do we have to go through Babylon first?" Isabella asked.

"Because we're in the process of migrating Babylon into Omnia, it provides a safer transition into Omnia. Otherwise, it could result in a nasty migraine in a best-case scenario." One of the developers up above answered promptly.

"And we don't want to be held liable if you guys get brain damage," Melanie added.

"Aren't you supposed to test it beforehand?!" Isabella almost shrieked.

"What do you think we're doing now?"

After a moment, Isabella took off her headset. "That's okay, I'm good."

"I'm sure she was joking," Wallace reassured.

"No, I wasn't." Melanie continued. "If you're uncomfortable with that, I'm not stopping you from leaving."

The three of us turned towards her; her expression was unapologetic. Isabella huffed and stomped away, with Wallace suddenly finding herself torn between going and staying.

"Go on, I'll be okay," I assured him.

Wallace seemed reluctant to go, apologizing before running after her. Once they were both gone, I turned to Melanie. We made eye contact; from there, it was almost like reading her mind.

"For the record, I didn't plan on them tagging along. The opportunity sorta presented itself, and I jumped on it."

"I didn't expect Ivan to be so hard to get rid of myself," Melanie admitted.

"So... does this mean you'll answer my questions now? Because believe it or not, I have even more to go over."

"First, let's get into Omnia. Then, we'll tackle the questions." Melanie replied. She turned to the upper room and pressed on her headset. "Launch the Cyber Drive."

"Cyber Drive launching in 3...2...1...!"

The room suddenly began to whirl about as binary began to form out of thin air like floating dandelion seeds. Soon, the room was illuminated, and the three of us were transported through cyberspace and into the broad, deserted landscape known as Babylon's Wasteland area. An orange sky and green, blocky constructs surrounded us, stretching out in all directions. We were what equaled several miles in terms of Babylon's laws regarding distance and therefore considered "out of bounds" in terms of the city itself. No typical user could access this area unless they hacked into SAIBA's systems or the like, from what I knew of it.

"All right." Melanie tapped on her D-Streamer. If everyone is here and accounted for, I can open the gate to Omnia from here."

"Before that…" I threw my hand up and turned to Arisa. "Maybe we can begin by answering some questions."

"Once we get into Omnia…" she reminded me, not turning her focus away.

"Arisa…" I approached her, "or should I say…Arylide?"

Arisa blinked, and her stoic expression shifted slightly. It looks like my hunch was on point.

Arisa's expression relaxed into a sigh, to which she pressed on her D-Com. "Arylide looks like your suspicions were correct after all."

I hesitated, finding myself confused. I heard Melanie sigh, drawing my attention. She looked a bit impatient herself, and then after a few seconds, Layla suddenly materialized before us. This time, gone was her relaxed and open persona, now replaced with a similarly stoic expression that Arisa carried before.

"Was I too stiff?" Arisa asked Layla as she approached.

"No, you were fine," Layla reassured. "As I explained, sooner or later, he would've discovered things. He's has been suspicious since he first awoke."

Arisa nodded, though it was clear that she was confused by Layla's words, as was I, for that matter.

"Whoa, wait a minute!" I threw my hands up. "I'm lost!"

"This is why I said wait until we got into Omnia…" Melanie muttered.

"I will answer any questions you may have," Layla said, giving her double the OK to log out safely. "However, to confirm a theory of my own…battle me."

Her D-Streamer activated, shining with yellow light. In hindsight, the rose perfume should've been a giveaway; Arylide always had a soft spot for them.

As she waited, the look she was giving me was causing the feeling I had earlier to resurface. "You've been watching me, haven't you?"

"Observing."

"Same difference," I activated my D-Streamer. "That leads me to wonder if was all of this your doing? And if so, why?"

"Digi-Gate: Open!" She declared.

I snickered, "Digi-Gate: Open!"

As the gates expanded overhead, Melanie came to the construct between us and leaned on it. Guess she was gonna wait until we were done. While she's sitting there, she can answer some of my questions, as well.

"I'll start by hatching Nyaromon, and then I'll digivolve it into Salamon." Arylide began her turn, hatching a small yellow ball Digimon that resembled a kitten, its purple-striped tail wagging upon entry. It was then followed up by its evolution into Salamon.

Nyaromon (BT2-003)

Color: Yellow

Level: 2

Salamon (EX1-025)

Color: Yellow

Level: 3

DP: 2000

"Then, I play Tinkermon from my hand to end my turn."

Following Salamon's appearance came a fairy-esque Digimon. She had the appearance of a young teenage girl, minus the elf ears and the wings, of course. She wore a green crop top, matching shorts, hair ribbon, and spiked brown boots. Her arms were covered in gold gauntlets with sharp talons on the end, and she was armed with a pointed bo staff as well, which she twirled about upon her entrance.

Tinkermon (BT6-031)

Color: Yellow

Level: 3

DP: 2000

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Zack)

When the counter shifted to me, I drew. Dorumon, Commandramon, Kota Domoto, Metal Cannon, and Brave Metal were the cards in my starting hand. While I only played with this deck once, I did take time this morning to look into it in more detail, and if I'm right, this hand is very workable.

"I hatch Dorimon, who'll digivolve into Dorumon." I began with Dorimon appearing, followed by its transformation into its older-looking form.

Dorimon (BT7-005)

Color: Black

Level: 2

Dorumon (BT7-056)

Color: Black

Level: 3

DP: 1000

I drew for digivolving, and Tankmon appeared in my hand. "I play Commandramon, who'll then digivolve into Tankmon."

My Commandramon appeared in the Battle Area, followed by its evolution into the dragon-tank hybrid Digimon.

Commandramon (BT3-059)

Color: Black

Level: 3

DP: 3000

Tankmon (BT3-067)

Color: Black

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

3-1

1-0

"I end my turn by playing Black Memory Boost! I reveal the top 4 cards of my deck, and then I'll add a black card from among them while the rest go to the bottom in any order."

The four cards that revealed themselves from the effect were: Chikurimon, Sunarizamon, Dorugoramon, and Dorugamon. Dorugamon, being the sole Level 4 amongst them, was my pick.

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Arylide)

Arylide took over and drew. "Salamon moves to the Battle Area, then digivolves into Kyubimon."

The small pup Digimon howled briefly, transforming into a yellow nine-tailed fox Digimon with the aid of the binary code. It had a white mane and blue flames on the tips of each of its tails, along with the yin-yang symbols stamped on its forehead and hindlegs.

Kyubimon (BT5-038)

Color: Yellow

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

3-1

"Tinkermon, Security Attack!" Arylide declared, making the first move.

Per the instruction, Tinkermon readied herself and launched forward, pulling her arm back and swinging swiftly at my security, shattering it like glass.

Zack

Security: 5-4

"Security Check!" I declared, revealing the card. From it, I could see Tinkermon immediately shrink back, a grinning hulking figure emerging from the contents, microphone in hand.

Tinkermon: 2000 DP

Volcanomon: 7000 DP

With a deep breath, Volcanomon released an intense scream into his mic that jolted all of us except Arylide and Kyubimon. Tinkermon covered her sensitive ears and went into a frenzy before just exploding into binary code. Volcanomon took his leave as well, but Tinkermon's binary remained afloat.

"Tinkermon's effect: when deleted, one of your Digimon gets Security Attack -1 until the end of your next turn."

Recovering myself, I got the tail end of her explanation, being able to piece the rest of it as Tinkermon's binary caused Tankmon to freeze up and malfunction. Meanwhile, Arylide continued.

"I end by digivolving Kyubimon into Taomon."

Kyubimon, thanks to the new binary stream, straightened on its hindlegs and became bipedal, now appearing as a Taoist priest armed with a massive calligraphy brush.

Taomon (BT5-041)

Color: Yellow

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Zack)

She was one step closer to reaching a Level 6. As I drew, I tried contemplating what to expect and how soon. I had Brave Metal, and I could pop the Memory Boost to give me the extra memory, but at the same time, I would much rather save it for something more of a threat. Especially since Tankmon can't take out any security, I need to focus on building myself up. "Dorumon moves to the Battle Area, then I activate the delay effect of my Memory Boost and gain two memory."

MEMORY

2-4

As Dorumon dashed forward, I readied myself for my next play. "I play the Tamer Kota Domoto. When played, he reveals the top four cards of my deck, and from them, I can add one Digimon with X-Antibody in its traits." I snapped my fingers, signaling to the materializing Tamer to activate his effect.

Four cards appeared before us: Two DoruGreymon, another Brave Metal, and a Sealsdramon. I snagged one of the DoruGreymon and sent the rest to the bottom.

MEMORY

4-0

"I then end by digivolving Dorumon into Dorugamon."

Dorumon evolved further into Dorugamon and snarled upon completion. It wasn't much, but the DoruGreymon would surely come in handy.

Dorugamon (BT7-062)

Color: Black

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

0-2 (Turn Change: Arylide)

"By the way, since I digivolved on Dorumon, Dorugamon gains blocker during your turn." I threw it out there, hoping to add pressure.

"You have no intention to block," She replied, unfazed by my attempt. She drew and hatched a second Nyaromon. "Nyaromon digivolves into Elecmon, then into Piddomon."

Nyaromon briefly transformed into the red mammal Digimon, followed by the angelic Piddomon.

Elecmon (EX1-023)

Color: Yellow

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Piddomon (BT4-042)

Color: Yellow

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

2-1

"Taomon, Security Attack!" Arylide declared, causing Taomon to pick up its brush. "So long as I have three or more Security, Salamon's IE effect allows me to draw a card. Meanwhile, Kyubimon's IE decreases 1000 DP from your Security Digimon during my turn."

Writing out a Sanskrit letter, it swung its brush, causing the script to solidify and zoom toward me. The Security that intercepted it exploded on impact, the winds shooting past me and nearly knocking me back.

Zack

Security: 4-3

As the smoke cleared, the clinging sounds began reverberating in the air. This was followed by a yelp from Taomon, who collapsed on the floor, covered and surrounded by mini spike balls with goggles, all chirping "chikuri" over and over.

Taomon: 7000 DP

Chikurimon: 1000 DP-0 DP

Even with no DP, it looked like Chikurimon was able to put work in. Taomon, still writhing in pain, reverted to Kyubimon upon Chikurimon's dismissal. It looked like a card I may have overlooked earlier, being so focused on the X-Antibody ones. Looking up the info on it, it was a Digimon who de-digivolved one upon appearing in Security; handy.

"Kyubimon digivolves into Angewomon, who'll bestow Security Attack -2 onto Dorugamon."

My attention immediately shifted to Kyubimon, who transfigured into the feminine angel Digimon. Dorugamon and I felt the chills hit us as she created a light arrow out of thin air.

Angewomon (BT3-039)

Color: Yellow

Level: 5

DP: 6000

Dorugamon was pierced without resistance and crumbled, the effects taking immediate hold of it. With that extra minus, I would need to stack Security Attacks onto it to overcome the debuff.

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Zack)

"You know, if your strategy is just you stalling and playing defense the whole time, then I'm going to assume you have time to answer questions, right?" I asked as I drew. The counter ticked to 3, thanks to Kota.

MEMORY

2-3

"Among other things," she answered. "What is it you wanted to know?"

"Let's start with this reality itself. What's happening, and why am I the only one who remembers what happened before?"

Arylide didn't hesitate to respond, "It's a reward."

I got quiet, the three words giving me a sense of whiplash. "A what?"

"A reward from Eve herself. An Idealistic Future that will allow you to lead a normal life."

"I…how the…what?!" I was at a total loss for words. I turned to Melanie, who remained silent, unwilling to expand on Arylide's words. "I get that this reality brought back my family and all but…Wallace, Isabella, and the others; don't remember anything from the past battles we fought! Mikayla didn't even recognize me! What good is this reward if I'm alone with my thoughts like this?! You call it a reward, but this sounds more like a punishment!"

Arylide remained silent. A spark of anger bubbled, as a result, pushing me to snatch DoruGreymon from my hand and swipe it across my D-Streamer with plenty of force to back it.

Dorugamon matched my fury, transforming into the scarlet-colored beast dragon.

DoruGreymon (BT7-064)

Color: Black

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

3-0

Taking a second DoruGreymon from my hand, I added it to the bottom, triggering its immunity effects and giving it Security Attack +1. "Dorugamon's IE gives DoruGreymon +1000 DP for having the X-Antibody Trait, while Dorumon's IE effect gains a memory when a card is placed beneath the stack. Dorimon also draws me a card."

DoruGreymon: 7000-8000 DP

MEMORY

0-1

"DoruGreymon, take out Angewomon!"

DoruGreymon: 8000 DP

Angewomon: 6000 DP

Anger was intertwined with my declaration as the Digimon took to the sky. We watched as Angewomon attempted to defend herself, dodging flaming balls of metal and firing arrows that DoruGreymon chomped away at. The Dorugamon that she subdued the previous turn was out for blood. Dorugamon swiftly came in close and clipped Angewomon out of the sky with its massive claw with a forceful swing.

She dispersed into a binary cloud before hitting the ground.

"Tankmon, Security Attack!" I was far from done, turning my attention to the idle tank. With his debuff already resolved, it was eager to move out, charging its cannon and firing off a shot that broke through Arylide's first security.

Arylide

Security: 5-4

"Security Check: Security Trigger, Reinforcing Memory Boost to the Battle Area." She declared as the card revealed itself. Somewhat annoyed, I played one of the Option cards I opened up with. "I end by playing Metal Cannon. This Option Card allows me to draw cards up to the number of sources one of my X-Antibody Digimon possesses. DoruGreymon has Dorugamon, Dorumon, Dorimon, and another DoruGreymon, equaling four cards."

MEMORY

0-1 (Turn Change: Arylide)

With my hand size growing to ten, the turn passed back to Arylide. She was as focused as ever, which was all the more provoking on my part. "You can go back in time, right?"

Arylide looked up after she drew. "All Delete severed the ties between this world and the others."

My eyes went wide. "What do you mean 'severed?'"

"From what I can gather, the worlds we come from don't exist anymore…sort of like hitting a reset button." Melanie finally chimed in.

I gave her my attention, "how are you not bothered by any of this?!"

She crossed her arms and thought about it, "hmm…maybe because I was dead in the old world? Or maybe it was because my father was a terrorist…? I mean, I got to live to be a teenager in this one, so what's there to hate?"

I went silent. I should've guessed that our outlooks were different in this regard. The longer I thought about it, the harder it was to accept. "So then…Mikayla; she…?"

"Per Eve's will,"' Arylide explained, "Mikayla Brandt used the All Delete ability of an X-Antibody-infused Omnimon to sever and reset reality. Doing so prevented other instances of MOD from rising and spreading its corruption to all others. This allowed this new world to take shape in its place; a world where there was no Millennium Day, Ragnarök, or Day of Liberation, among other history-defining conflicts pertaining to us Digimon and AI. A world where humans and AI grow together and co-exist in harmony."

Even with the clarifications, it still sat like a rock in my stomach. Arylide proceeded with her turn. "I activate the Delay of Reinforcing Memory Boost to bump the counter by 3."

MEMORY

1-4

"Piddomon moves forward and digivolves into another Angewomon, who will bestow another Security Attack minus two onto DoruGreymon."

Angewomon reappeared and shot another arrow, one of which DoruGreymon couldn't resist.

MEMORY

4-1

"So, deletion and DP-reduction are off the table, but Security reduction is viable…" Melanie acknowledged.

I ignored Melanie's analysis and gritted my teeth in dismay. Arylide took one final card and played it, causing the binary to erupt around Angewomon. Arylide also began to glow, approaching Angewomon from behind.

"The Lord of the Royal Guard sets her sights on the battlefield, resolute in her duty to defend her queen's ideals." Arylide recited. "Angewomon digivolves into LordKnightmon!"

The binary code began to spiral forth, bits resembling rose petals as they surrounded the pair. I stood resilient while Melanie, on the other hand, looked surprisingly surprised at what was happening.

I am going to make a mental note of that.

After a few moments, both Arylide and Angewomon were replaced by the pink-armored Royal Knight; a rose clenched between her fingertips as petals continued to float out of existence.

LordKnightmon (BT5-045)

Color: Yellow

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Zack)

"Did she just…" Melanie was at a loss for words.

"You didn't know?" I asked curiously.

"Obviously not!"

"Well then…makes me wonder what else you're in the dark about. So much for you having answers."

"Listen, I said you could find answers as SAIBA as I did; I never said I had them. And if you thought that, that's on you."

We stared one another down for a moment. She was serious in her stance. The look in her eyes also hinted at underlying confusion on her part as well.

It looks like I'm in a position to answer her questions now…

I turned back to LordKnightmon. "After Kota sets my memory to 3, I'll hatch Dorimon and digivolve it into Sunarizamon."

MEMORY

2-3

Sunarizamon appeared beside me, shaking the excess dirt off its body. DoruGreymon acknowledged the birth of its new ally as well.

Sunarizamon (P-033)

Color: black

Level: 3

DP: 2000

"Legendary Beast of the X-Antibody, unleash your mighty powers against those who stand against you! DoruGreymon digivolves into Dorugoramon!"

Like my match with Melanie, Dorugoramon took center stage, replacing DoruGreymon, but taking in the force of all of the inheritables beneath it. Power radiated off the silver dragon as it got into its stance of staring down Arylide.

Dorugoramon (BT7-065)

Color: Black

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-0

"Dorugoramon gains +1000 DP for each Digimon with X-Antibody in its sources. Currently, he has two DoruGreymon, Dorugamon, Dorumon, and Dorimon, making that +5000 DP. In addition to Dorugamon's IE, he gets another +1000, boosting him up to 17,000 DP.

Dorugoramon: 11,000-17,000 DP

"In addition, considering the Security Attack -2 still applied, the two DoruGreymon in his sources balance it out, giving him one Security Attack! Dorugoramon, Security Attack!"

Dorugoramon roared, unfurled its metallic wings, and took off for Arylide's security. And yet I had one more surprise in store.

"Dorugoramon's effect allows me to add one card with X-Antibody in its traits to boost it further, as well as delete up to two of your Digimon with a play cost equal to or less than its sources. You may not have targets, but I have a third DoruGreymon to add, pushing Dorugoramon to Security Attack +1 in addition to the other effects giving me a Memory and card draw!"

MEMORY

0-1

Dorugoramon picked up speed and smashed through the set of Security that appeared, reducing Arylide considerably.

Arylide

Security: 4-3

The first Security revealed itself as Wyvern's breath. And while I thought it was going to retaliate against Dorugoramon, it went right after Tankmon and wiped it clean, to the shock of Melanie and me. The second revealed itself as a Knightmon, who would've had more than enough power to take out Dorugoramon had she used it on him.

Arylide

Security: 3-2

"You're going to regret not taking out Dorugoramon," I said. "I activate the Option Card Brave Metal! It's an option card that would normally delete a Digimon with a cost of 6 or less. However, because I have Dorugoramon in play, and he has six cards in his sources, I can delete one of your Digimon without the X-Antibody. In other words, LordKnightmon is deleted!"

Arylide remained silent as Dorugoramon turned his attention to her. He charged once more and tackled her from behind with so much force that LordKnightmon came apart instantaneously, with Arylide flying through the cloud of binary.

"Arisa!" Melanie screamed.

Seeing Arylide flying across the air snapped me back to my senses. "Crap!"

Neither of us saw what was coming up next. Heat suddenly erupted in our surrounding area, and a spiral of flames came soaring through the air above us, snatching Arylide from the air to a nearby pillar. Melanie and I raced over to where they landed, and with Dorugoramon's help, we reached the top of it. We paused as the flames died, with Ivan present, carrying Arylide bridal style. Behind him was a giant, navy-colored knight Digimon, with a massive golden blade on one side and a massive dragon-like shield on the other. He was all smiles, like the hero that swoops in the final hour.

"You guys agree that she's gonna owe me for this, right?" He asked, riding the brief high still.

We barely had time to process the events that happened. And, of course, there were still many questions.

"…give us a sec, will you?" Melanie asked. She reached for her D-COM. "Change of plans…the tour isn't happening. Pull us out."

I felt guilty as she lowered her arm and turned to me. "I'm sorry for ruining the tour…"

She shook her head. "It's not your fault. It's just…damn, it's a lot going on in my head. Think I'm going to be sick."

Honestly, same.

"I'm willing to talk if you are," I told her, willing to help her process some things.

"Thanks, but I'll have to take a—" she paused, noticing the notification coming through. "One sec."

I nodded, turning to Ivan, who was helping Arylide to stand. I quickly made my way to them, Ivan smiling like an idiot.

"Okay, it's one thing to see the Doru line go wild through a screen, another to see it in action. You're a natural with them!"

"…were you here the whole time?" I blinked.

"Duh! As if I was gonna miss this. And look, it worked out in the end, didn't it?"

"Okay, Ivan, I'm all right now…"

"Yes, ma'am." He acknowledged backing off.

"Arylide, I'm so sorry! I didn't think it would be that powerful to hurt you like that!"

"You should have; surely you've realized that Dorugoramon is the personification of your powers as Alphamon."

I paused once more as revelations continued to smack me sideways. If that's the case…then that would explain why I could never transform into Alphamon, as well as the familiarity. I never lost my powers; they are different in this world.

"Did you instruct Ivan and Melanie to give me Dorumon and the others? Is that why she knew I used to be Alphamon?"

"More or less,"

"Why? If we're in a world without conflict, why not keep the powers separate then?"

Before she could answer that, Melanie came back up to us. "So, I guess I'm putting a raincheck on the raincheck."

"So, you are free then?"

"Sort of…" She said. "My father ran into an old colleague, and we've been invited to their house for dinner…"

"Okay…?"

"In Riverbed…"

I nodded.

At this point, she stared and made subtle gestures toward me long enough for the connection to finally click.

"…oh crap."

My house. The old colleague is my dad.

The Whitakers are coming for dinner…