Sorry to keep you all waiting, had kind of a busy work week! But here we go, Season 3 Officially begins NOW :D

. . .

Thomas

. . .

The wind was howling in his ears, smoke blocking his vision, but the boy knew the ground was approaching fast. Beneath him was the broken and battered form of Gigadramon. Wings no longer strong enough to keep them afloat, and the life seemed to have complete left the massive digimon's eyes. The great cyborg dragon acting now only as a buffer between Thomas and the ground, the earth shook as they made impact.

The boy fell from atop his partner, striking the unforgiving ground, unable to move as a shadow loomed overhead. Wincing in pain, filled with dread, the boy looked up to see their foe.

The burning eyes of Mephistomon stared down at him, as he held another orb of wanton destruction in his palm.

"Is this truly all you have offer?" He questioned, before aiming the attack at them both. "Pathetic."

As the attack was released, Thomas could only watch helplessly as it fell upon them. And in that instant, everything went white.

The boy bolted upright in his bed, panting heavily and covered in sweat. Reality reasserting itself as he awoke from that nightmare, he groaned as he flopped back over in his bed. "Again?" He mentally cursed, looking over to the clock and seeing it was almost two full hours before his alarm, causing him to release a heavy sigh. "Guess I'm up..."

Thomas forced himself out of bed, swinging his legs over the bedside and pulling himself into the nearby wheelchair. Before he rolled himself over to his desk, popping open the laptop waiting there. As he did so, a small yawn came from the other side of the room, Kokuwamon blinking himself awake. "Hmm... Thomas? What are you doing?"

"Just couldn't sleep." He answered, tapping away at the keys, bringing up his most recent project.

Kokuwamon frowning worriedly, "But... Didn't your mom say you needed a good nights rest before school?"

"It's fine," He assured, eyes never leaving the screen. "Grade School is basically just a formality at this point for me... Besides, I've got more important things to work on."

A line of code started to fill out across the program window, the name in the corner simply titled this mysterious project with the interlocking rings of an Infinity Symbol.

. . .

What remained of summer came and went, the teens slowly returned to their lives before becoming chosen. With some minor adjustments here and there, but over all it was a relatively seamless transition. Though while the others looked towards their futures, being fresh out of high school, Thomas would still need to endure a basic education plan for the time being. Not out of necessity, but out of his parents desire to see him enjoy a normal childhood and make friends, learn social skills.

"And you're sure this is a good idea?" His father questioned, as they pulled up to the high school. "I mean, I know we already informed the staff but... I think your digimon will stick out too much."

"Ah ah ah," Thomas wagged a finger, "Not Digimon, he's my mobility assistance bot." He corrected, before grinning smugly. "Besides its not like it's illegal to bring a digimon to school." Sliding open the door, a small ramp extended from the edge of the car letting Thomas roll down and onto the sidewalk, Kokuwamon behind him.

Causing his father to roll his eyes, "Yeah because the general public has no idea what digimon are..."

"Right..." Something else that had been troubling Thomas, "Either way, I'll see you later!" Waving him off.

"You two have fun." His father replied with a smile, still a bit nervous about letting this happen but deciding to let it rest for now. And once the door closed, he began driving away leaving Thomas not far from the crowds of other teens heading into the building.

"So what's the plan?" Kokuwamon whispered.

"Stay calm and quiet," Thomas answered, "And make it look like you're pushing my chair around, let me do all the talking."

"Sir yes sir!"

The attack by Dragomon over the summer had spread a lot of panic and shock as well as a number of conspiracies. The government had done their best to cover it up as some kind of special effects display by a group of terrorists to hide their attack during a freak storm event. As far as Thomas could tell, a lot of hush money was thrown around to news stations, and reuploaded videos of the fighting were taken down fast, likely people inside the Cyber Core network working in association with the CS:GO.

But that was another thing Thomas didn't quite understand. Aside from a check in a few days after returning from the Digital World, Grayson hadn't made any attempt to contact or debrief any of them. Thomas assumed he'd be hounding them all for meetings and intelligence reports, but so far things were all quiet. Maybe it had something to do with Samantha's parents? They had intended to provide their own reports after all.

"Oh well, I'm sure he'll call us when he needs something." Thomas reasoned, watching as the crowds started making space for him and Kokuwamon. Everyone was eyeballing them with confusion, causing him to grin. "Don't mind me," He waved them off, as his partner pushed him along. "Just testing out another project."

"Y-Yep!" Kokuwamon chimed in, "Beep boop, just a test!" Causing them to look even more confused!

Thomas would have turned around to bop him, if he wasn't sure it'd blow their cover further. Instead he just laughed nervously as they continued inside. "Alright, I never really use my locker so we can head right to my first class." He stated, "Should be in the junior wing, World Culture's Study, just keep going to the end of this hall and make a left."

"Hey Thomas!" He turned towards the familiar voice, spotting the buzz cut head of his friend moving through the crowd, finally reaching him before he stopped. "Woah," Eyes landing on Kokuwamon. "Guess I know why I didn't see you all summer."

"R-Right, sorry Eric," Thomas nervously rubbed the back of his head. "Yeah I got a little tied up with a new project, don't worry its already been approved by the Principal." He assured.

"Cool cool," The mechanic friend tilted his head, circling around Kokuwamon. "So uh... What is it? Just a robot?"

"Mobility Assistant Bot," Thomas corrected, "Or MAB for short, I thought of calling it a Mobility Assistance Mech but calling it MAM might get weird fast."

Earning a chuckle from Eric, "Yeah I'll say, so how's it work?"

"Pretty simple," Thomas replied, "He's programmed to help push my chair around, as well as help me up if I fall." He explained, "I uh... Even got a learning Virtual Intelligence program, so it has a bit of a personality."

Eric quirked an eyebrow, placing a hand on his chin. "Cool cool... But why make it look like a bug?"

"Eh-" Thomas hadn't even thought about that question, "B-Because uh... Bugs are cool?"

"Bugs are cool huh?" Eric seemed a little suspicious of his answer, but still shrugged it off. "Well so long as it doesn't go all terminator on us."

"Beep Boop, what is terminator?" Kokuwamon questioned, leaning forward a bit.

Causing Thomas to elbow him in the gut, "Boy you sure are talkative today MAB," Shooting him a look, before clearing his throat as he tried to change to subject. "So how was your summer?"

Eric shrugged in response, "Boring, hard, pretty much just worked in the shop every day." He explained, "You should come by some time, my dad's got this cool idea for spinning rims on your chair." He added with a grin.

Causing Thomas to laugh as they reached the doorway to their classroom, "I'm not sure that'd really fit my... Style."

Eric releasing a joking scoff in response, "Style huh? Did you invent that too over the summer too and just forget to bring it with you today?"

"Rude."

. . .

Cody

. . .

While Thomas tried to fit back into a school setting, Cody was stretching as he made his way to the kitchen. Following the scent of bacon in the air, he turned the corner to see his brother already seated at the table and munching on his breakfast. While both his grandmother and Shamanmon moved around the kitchen, "Morning." He greeted with a smile.

"Morning Cody," Shamanmon waved, handing a few more eggs to Grandma, "Your plate is almost done, just waiting on the toast."

"Have a seat," Granny urged, "Will you be staying long today?"

"Eh, not sure," Cody shrugged as he slipped into one of the chairs, reaching over for a glass as well as the carton of orange juice sitting on the table. "I wanna follow up on a few of those jobs I applied to."

Dustin adding, "I actually heard there's a new shop opening on Third Street, someone who just moved into the neighborhood."

Cody blinked in surprise, "Oh yeah? Maybe I'll check that out."

"Yeah, apply and get hired before they have the chance to hear about your reputation."

"And what the HELL is that supposed to mean?!" He barked back.

"Hey, no language or shouting at the table." Grandma chimed in sharply, wagging a spoon at him.

Causing Cody to shrink a little in his chair, "Yes Granny."

Since returning home, things had been good for Cody and Shamanmon. The green goblin seemed to get along great with Cody's grandmother, and had no trouble keeping her company and helping her around the house while Cody hunted for a job. Of course, around here that was easier said than done because he did indeed have a reputation. Having always been known in these parts as a punk, loud and abrasive towards others. No business owner in their right mind would hire someone like that to handle their customers.

"I'm starting physical therapy again today." Dustin said, breaking the silence that had settled in.

Cody's eyes widening, "That's great!" As Shamanmon placed a plate of food in front of him, "What made you change your mind?"

Dustin sighed lightly, staring at his own food. "I guess I was just being stubborn," He admitted, "And thinking your brother might be dead for a month certainly puts things in perspective." He added with a chuckle, "So, I'm gonna try, at least."

"Well if you need any help I'll be there for you." The younger brother assured, creating a sandwich by placing his eggs and bacon between the provided slices of toast. "Just say the word."

"I'm sure I'll be fine," Dustin replied, "You focus on saving the world or whatever it is you and the little green guy do."

Cody grinning in response, mouth full of food as he answered. "Deal."

"Cody!" Grandma barked as she saw him, "Table manners please!"

"Yes Granny..."

. . .

Sakura

. . .

"And what about in the spring? A wedding under the cherry blossoms would be quite memorable."

"I don't know, doesn't that seem a little cliché?" The young heiress questioned with a nervous chuckle. Walking along the halls with her father, Gendo Tanaka, making way towards his office in their massive estate.

"Heheh, perhaps you're right," He replied with a faint smile. "And winter is not good a time to wed, early summer then, how does that sound?"

She shifted nervously as they reached the doors to his office. "I'll... See what Kai wants to do, but that sounds nice." Forcing a smile as she reached for the doors to his office so she could let him inside.

But before her hand could touch them, another hand landed on her shoulder. "Please, allow me." Came the sly voice of her father's personal bodyguard, a tall and intimidating young man. Slicked back hair and red trimmed sunglasses, always wearing that black suit.

"O-Oh, hello Mr. Karasu." She bowed her head respectfully as she backed up from the door. "I didn't even notice you'd arrive."

To which he simply nodded, "Then I'm doing my job right." Before sliding the door open and allowing Gendo inside.

"I'll be late to dinner tonight, don't wait up for me." He grunted as he stepped inside.

Sakura frowned as she watched the door close behind him. "Alright... Goodbye father." Turning and beginning to walk away, shooting a glance back over her shoulder at the man standing guard outside his office. "Something... Is different about Father recently..."

. . .

Kai

. . .

The young prodigy sat quietly on the steps leading out into the yard, watching as his grandfather and Kotemon stood across from one another. Each wielding a faux blade in the form of a kendo stick. Kai swallowing nervously as they squared up, preparing for what he was sure would end up being a dangerous sparring session.

"And you're sure you've got a regular kendo stick right?" Kai questioned, looking to his partner. "Not the one you fight other Digimon with, right?"

"No not really." Kotemon responded, eyes never leaving the old man.

Kai blinked, "What do you mean not really?!"

"I put mine with the others last night and forgot which one it was!" He replied, as if the answer was obvious. "It'll be fine don't worry so much!"

Kai sighed shaking his head, "Just don't use any super attacks, alright?"

"Relax Kai," The old man chuckled, leveling his blade. "It is not the quality of the blade that determines a fight, but of the one who wields it." Narrowing those intelligent old eyes, "So go on then, as the challenger the first move is yours," He added, before flashing a sly smirk. "Show us your quality."

"Trying to taunt me huh?" Kotemon saw right through his ploy, "Nice try, but that won't work on a noble swordsmen like myself!" He declared, holding his blade up proudly, "Now then, EN GUARDE!" The armored rookie leapt forward with an overhead strike, bringing down his kendo stick with speed and precision. "I can put him on the defensive fast, and throw him off balance!" Thinking about his fight with Mephistomon, "Even though he was stronger than me, I made up for the gap with skill and tenacity!"

But rather than stepping back or trying to evade, the old man stepped forward! Taking Kotemon by surprise, as he turned his Kendo stick around, using the digimons weight against him as he jabbed him in the chest with the hilt. The strike enough to throw his descent off balance, making Kotemon flop to the ground in an instant, "Mmm, not a bad lunge but it left you painfully wide open." Grandfather stated.

Kotemon sat up slowly, blinking in surprise. "You stepped into my attack instead of backing away, why?"

To which he answered simply, "I measured the distance between us, and reach of your arm at a glance," He explained, "The moment you jumped, I knew exactly how much space and time you'd require to bring the proverbial blade down on me, your attack relied on me staying at a specific point in your range, if I'd retreated you could have pursued and started gaining ground in our duel."

Kotemon realized what he was getting at, his eyes widening in awe. "So you used my own momentum and stepped towards me knowing I couldn't possibly get weapon down in time to protect myself or actually hit you!" Looking to his partner as he jumped up, "Kai! Your master is a genius!"

Earning a chuckle from the young man, "So they tell me..." Before a small buzz sounded on his new phone, "Oh, excuse me." Before stepping away from the training area.

As he walked off, the old man crossed his arms while looking to Kotemon. "Do not get discouraged, you're a young and passionate fighter, I'm sure you'll go far."

Kotemon blushed bashfully, "Gee thanks, I'll do my best!"

"Though I must ask," He continued, stroking his beard. "Have you found your credo?"

Kotemon blinked in response, "My... What?"

Earning a chuckle from Kai's grandfather, "Your reason for fighting, the reason you wield your sword?"

"Uh..." He looked down at his weapon, thinking about it. "I guess... I wield it for Kai... And to protect people?"

"A noble goal in the short term," He nodded, "But if you are truly to pass into legend, mighty swords-mon, what do you want that blade to stand for?"

Asking big questions the little digimon wasn't quite sure he was equipped to answer, still he tried his best. "Hmm..." Going deep into thought, remembering what Knightmon taught him about a knight's duties. But he also remembered how that sense of duty could be corrupted, fueled by things like rage and fear. Then he thought about cruel tyrants like Mephistomon, or hapless servants like Musyamon who would die for their masters. He understood the dangers of following a code so strictly or being blindly loyal. "I don't ever want to wield my sword in hate, I want it to be a tool for justice and one that is brandished as a last resort." He finally answered. "My blade, will stand for Peace."

To which the old master nodded, "A fine answer, I'm sure you'll live up to that ideal."

Causing Kotemon to bashfully blush once more, "Y-You really think so?"

While Kai narrowed his eyes at the message on his phone, one that came from his future fiancé. "They're still trying to move up the date." It said, a message that would normally seem simple but immediately gave Kai a sense of anxiety.

He narrowed considering his words carefully before answering. "Have you explained that neither of us are ready for this yet?"

A brief silence following, no dots indicating she was typing, only that the message had been received. Before finally, "Will we ever be?"

The young man stared at the message for a moment, before sighing heavily and tucking his phone away. Only to look up and see that both Kotemon and his grandfather were now standing before him. "Finished already?" He questioned, trying to shift focus from himself.

"Sort of." Kotemon answered first, "But I noticed you got that look on your face again." He pointed out bluntly, "The 'I'm overthinking things' look."

Grandfather chiming in, "Oh you've noticed that too?"

Kai's eye twitched, "I'm not overthinking anything," He scoffed, rising to his feet. "It's just... Sakura says her father is still trying to push up the wedding."

"Ah, I see..." Grandfather nodded, slowly stroking his beard. "Have they given any indication as to why?"

To which Kai shook his head, "No, and Sakura won't give me much in the way of details." He explained, crossing his arms. "I'm not sure what to do other than continue delaying as best we can."

Kotemon blinked, before slowly raising his hand. "Well what if you asked Sakura's father yourself?"

Kai scoffed lightly, "It's not that simple, their family is very traditional, more so than we are." He stated, "If they've got some ulterior motive to moving the engagement up, they'll never admit it."

"Hmm, that is true," Grandfather nodded, stroking his beard. "But Kotemon does bring up an interesting idea," Looking between both them. "You should go visit them overseas."

Causing Kai's entire body to stiffen, "You can't be serious, they won't tell me the truth just because I'm there."

"Perhaps not, but it is easier to catch flies with honey than with vinegar." He countered, "If you want to know what's going on, play nice, and they may very well open up." Before he began to make his way over to the rack to put away his kendo stick, "Besides you haven't visited since you were little, it would do you some good to travel a bit."

"I just spent half my summer traveling and it almost killed me, several times!" Kai thought, rolling his eyes before sighing. "Maybe you're right... I'll leave the house to you, and see about setting up a trip."

Grandfather nodded, "Of course, I'll handle everything on this end."

Kai bowed his head, "Thank you," Before his thoughts turned to the others, his friends. "Maybe I should see what they think about this..." It wasn't a solution he'd had to family issues before, considering it wasn't until recently he had what he'd call a reliable group of friends. "But... Who should I talk to?"

His mind immediately went to the other boy in the group close to his age, but then his common sense reminded him just how blunt Cody could be about things. And was sure that his advice would probably involve some yelling, maybe calling people out on their actions. No no, that wouldn't do, this required a deft touch.

Perhaps Thomas? The boy was a genius, capable of unraveling problems far beyond Kai's own understanding. But... Well, he was still just a kid in highschool. He was incredibly smart, but his maturity might still be in question.

Sam would certainly have an interesting take, but her lack of experience with human family archetypes might make her answers less than helpful.

And that only left...

. . .

Madison

. . .

"Hey, I guess I should start by apologizing for being away for so long..."

"It's just... No, no excuses... I was being childish, I thought I was dealing with this by not dealing with it."

"So, here I am, and boy do I have some stories to tell you," Madison finished, smiling softly as she stared at the stone slab before her. "Mom." Before stepping forward, and laying a bouquet of colorful flowers. "I also brought these, the least I could do I think..." Across the headstone it simply read-

"Heather Morales"

"Beloved Wife, Loyal Friend, and above all else a Devoted Mother"

Behind Madison stood her brother, while Tsukaimon hovered in the air watching her partner. To a Digimon, this was all rather confusing. She understood loss, knowing that Digimon did die. But in the Digital World nothing was gone forever, if the core isn't destroyed that is. To most Digimon, death was not the end but a new beginning for new life. But for humans, it seemed like there were no second lives, no rebirth. And maybe that was the reason behind this strange place, this "cemetery", where many remains of humans were buried and stones were used to mark them.

It was strange, but Tsukaimon knew it was important to Madison, and that meant it was important to her as well. So she'd wait patiently, as Madison recounted her adventures. Leaving out the nitty gritty details, and weaving a grand adventure for the spirits of the dead to enjoy. As she neared the end however, the young girl began to go quiet, as if she was struggling with what to say next.

"I guess... I didn't just come here to catch up," She admitted, "I've been thinking about that night... About how everything changed, how we all lost you... And how you saved me." Though she'd done an excellent job of maintaining her composure so far, there were cracks beginning to form. And it started in the shakiness of her voice, "I always knew I only survived because of you, a-and now I've had these amazing adventures and met incredible people, made great friends..." Her breathing hitched lightly, as the heat behind her eyes began to build, "I realized that I-" Forcing back down the urge to start crying openly. "I never thanked you for... What you did that night," Despite fighting the sobs, a few tears did spill and roll down her cheeks. "S-So thank you, Mom..." Pausing to clear her throat, reaching up to wipe her eyes. "But... I know you wouldn't want me sobbing over you still, after all this time.. S-So I'm not going to cry anymore, I'm going to live without any regrets so what you did for me can always be worth it." Smiling sadly, as she slowly stepped away from the grave, and looked back to her brother. "A-Alright, I'm done."

He nodded, pulling her into a brief hug, rubbing her back. "I'm sure she's proud of you."

She nodded, taking a moment to enjoy the embrace and breathe out the last of her nearly overwhelming emotions. "Thank you... Alright, I think I'm ready to go." Looking to her partner, smiling lightly. "Come on, it's a long drive back to the city."

"Are you gonna be okay?" Tsukaimon asked, pouting as she fluttered over and landed on Maddie's head.

The young girl laughed lightly, "Yeah, I'm fine, just getting some closure." As they started making their way back to the car. They had nearly reached it when Madison felt her phone buzzing in her pocket, "Huh? It's Kai..." She muttered, pressing the button to answer. "Hello?"

"Madison? Hi, sorry to bother you, but I could use some advice." He explained, "Do you think you've got time to meet somewhere and talk privately?"

She blinked in surprise, taken off guard by the straightforward request. "Uh, sure... I'm out of town at the moment but how about tomorrow?"

"That's fine, let's meet at the old warehouse."

"Sounds good!"

Each trying to settle back into their own lives in their own ways. But the world was different for all of them, and it was far from finished changing...