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"Least Favorite Season"

Trying to dive for cover, Jou found himself face-planting for what was, sadly, not the first time that day. While he had never made any claims of being a graceful person, Jou couldn't help but feel that moments like this one had increased exponentially since coming to Digital World. It was almost like some cosmic joke that he still hadn't been clued in on.

Lifting his head to reorient himself, Jou reacquainted himself with the Digimon that had ruined what had started off as a peaceful day at the beach. MetalSeadramon gathered energy at the large cannon he used for a nose, and then proceeded to unleash the attack.

Luckily, the attack was intercepted at the last minute by WarGreymon, using his back-shield to absorb the blast. Without hesitating, WarGreymon sheathed his shield and flew forward, crashing into MetalSeadramon sending them both crashing to the ground. Of course, the impact turned the whole shoreline into a splash zone.

Now soaking wet on top of everything else, Jou couldn't help but curse the luck he and his friends had been having. With the defeat of Millenniummon almost immediately came the quest to unlock the power of the Crests. They had been making decent progress, though a moment of rest could have done them all some good. MetalSeadramon seemed to have other ideas in that regard.

WarGreymon continued to thrash with the serpent, though seemed to be at a disadvantage given their current battleground. After WarGreymon missed his counterattack, MetalSeadramon maneuvered into his blindspot and fired his cannon again.

At the last second, however, a giant hammer flew forward, connecting with the side of MetalSeadramon's head and causing the attack to fire off into the sky. The hammer then boomeranged back to Zudomon, who assumed a fighting position in preparation for whatever came next.

As MetalSeadramon threw himself at his partner, Jou finally stood up. Maybe some higher being in this world was using him as a punchline, but that wasn't going to keep him from fighting back. Searching deep within himself, he dug up the feelings that he believed had been responsible for unlocking his Crest.

Zudomon began to glow, his shape changing until Vikemon stood in his place. Vikemon grabbed MetalSeadramon out of midair, stunning him and knocking down. MetalSeadramon tried to collect himself, but a large gust of snow and ice gathered around him courtesy of Vikemon, literally freezing him in place.

Again not hesitating, WarGreymon clasped his claws together, beginning to spin and fly towards the frozen MetalSeadramon, allowing the attack to hit dead-on and reduce him to shards of data.

Celebrations began almost immediately, with the most of the group gathering around Taichi with excited cheers. Even Yamato, who did not cheer himself, stood nearby with an aloof grin on his face.

Jou was the only one to hang back, needing a moment to himself. The truth was the whole encounter with MetalSeadramon had stressed him out. What had been intended as a chance for them relax and recharge had almost instantly turned into a life threatening situation.

As he had many times previous, Jou considered walking away right then and there. He had exams to study for, after all, and his studies had never put him in danger the way traveling the Digital World did. In that moment, he couldn't make sense of what kept convincing him to put his life in danger time and time again.

His answer came twofold. First was Gomamon jumping on to his back, cheering him on and encouraging him to join the others. Jou had never met anyone as loyal as Gomamon, and Jou could do nothing less than return the favor. As long as his partner was willing to fight to save the Digital World, Jou would do the same.

Second was Taichi breaking away from the others and approaching him, putting a reassuring hand on his shoulder and thanking him for the assist in the fight. His friends still needed him, and Jou knew that he that it was his duty to look after them and see this adventure through.

So Jou resolved he would continue on their quest. While he knew this would likely mean falling on his face several more times in the days or even weeks to come, he accepted that as a price to pay for keeping the others safe. That said, he wondered if taking a moment to enjoy the beach was still an option.

Author's Note:

Trivia Time: This marks the first (and maybe last for all I know) time where I have defaulted to the Adventure characters' original Japanese names. Technically, this season still hasn't been dubbed, and I figured I would do something a little extra to separate it from all the 01 entries in this collection.