Hello once again reader(s)! Time for a recap from last chapter. If you haven't read it yet, go do so now before reading this one!

Last chapter, the CPUs had gathered together in Planetune's Basilicom and received a message from the mysterious voice that contacted Histoire.

Meanwhile, Nepgear and Uzume have been kidnapped by two nasty Digimon amd and were taken to parts unknown, but someone is hot on their tail, determined to track down and rescue the CPU pair.

Then, when the group reached the rendezvous point for their contact, they were pulled inside a vortex and now they're somewhere they never seen before as they meet the person who may have the answers for the Digimon appearing in Gameindustri and why they have Digimon partners themselves.

Now, with that done, let's see what insight Mirei will have to offer to our heros. Enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or Hyperdimension Neptunia. Both franchises belong to their respective companies.


Chapter 10: Learning Of The Digital World

Histoire, the CPUs and the Digimon all stared at the sight of the purple haired woman, unsure of what to say to her. After a few seconds, the she spoke again.

"Greetings", the woman said. "I am the voice who had contacted you from before. You may call me Mirei Mikagura."

Neptune was shocked to see this person. She could not believe her eyes. It was the same woman she met back at Leanbox!

"Hold everything! I seen you before! You were the lady in Leanbox!", Neptune exclaimed, pointing a finger at Mirei.

"Indeed. A pleasure to see you again, Neptune", Mirei replied with a smile.

"So you mean to tell me that YOU were the one who sent those Digivices? Why didn't you say anything before?", the lilac haired CPU inquired.

"There's a good reason for it, but for now, I do believe that an explanation is in order", Mirei said as she opened her laptop and started to type something with the keyboard.

Suddenly, some seats came up from under the floor. Everyone looked on with amazement.

"Please, have a seat everyone. This could take a while", the purple haired woman said.

Everyone did so as they took the seats that were closest to them. A seat appeared behind Mirei as well and she too sat down. She adjusted her glasses before speaking.

"So, before we get started, I would like you all to introduce yourselves", said Mirei.

"Pardon me. If you know about my name already, surely you know about the CPUs. So why go on with the introductions?", Histoire inquired.

"While it may be true that I know of you, I believe that it is more polite this way to introduce ourselves formally", Mirei replied.

Everyone looked at each other and nodded. Neptune and Dorumon were the first to step up.

"As the main character of main characters, I feel it is my sole duty to go first. My name is Neptune! And I'm the CPU of Planetune!", the lilac haired Goddess said, smiling in a goofy manner.

"And I'm her Digimon partner, Dorumon! It's nice to meet you!", said the purple Digimon.

After Neptune and Dorumon introduced themselves, they sat back down. Next up were Noire and Dracomon.

"I am Noire, the CPU of Lastation. You should feel honored to meet someone like me", the raven haired CPU said proudly.

"But most of us just call her 'Lonely Heart'", Neptune said in a teasing tone.

"Only you call me that, Neptune! And you just messed up my introduction!", 'Lonely Heart' snapped.

"I don't know. I think even the writer of this story knows what your name really is", Neptune said, breaking the fourth wall.

Mirei raised an eyebrow at the scene that played out in front of her. To her, it was both strange and interesting. She cleared her throat, getting the attention of the group back to her.

"I see... And you?", she inquired, referring to the dragon Digimon.

"I'm Dracomon. I'm Noire's Digimon partner. Nice to meet ya!", he said.

Mirei nodded in response. Noire and Dracomon sat back down, the former still fuming over Neptune's comment. Blanc and Blucomon were next.

"My name is Blanc. I am the CPU of Lowee. Nice to meet you", the brown haired girl said calmly as she bowed.

"And I'm her parter, Blucomon. Glad to meet you", the ice Digimon said as he waved.

They went back to their seats as Vert and Lalamon came up next.

"A pleasure to meet your acquaintance. My name is Vert, the CPU of Leanbox", the blonde haired Goddess said, raising her dress slightly and bowing.

"And I'm Lalamon, Vert's Digimon partner", the plant Digimon said as she bowed a well.

After introducing themselves, the pair went back to their seats. As Vert and Lalamon sat back down, however, Vert's chest had bounced a little from her sudden movement. Blanc saw this and gritted her teeth. Blucomon look at his partner and began to worry.

"Um, Blanc? You okay there?", he asked.

"I swear she always does this on purpose...", Blanc mumbled under her breath.

It was clear to Blucomon that Blanc was immensely angry, but she didn't show it much. He gulped and decided not to say anything else.

Mirei saw the sight as well, now fearing for the safety of her domain and Blucomon.

"Oh dear", she thought as she adjusted her glasses.

Finally, it was Histoire's turn to speak.

"I am Histoire. I am the Oracle of Planetune. It is a pleasure to finally meet you", she said politely as she bowed.

Mirei nodded in kind and Histoire went back to her seat. Seeing that everyone had finished their introductions, she smiled again.

"Now then, where shall we begin?", Mirei asked the group.

"Why don't we start with who you are and what this place is?", Noire asked.

"As I said, I am Mirei Mikagura", the woman repeated her name.

"I get that, but I'm asking who are you really?", the raven haired CPU inquired.

"Let's just say that I'm an observer of sorts", Mirei said as she smiled cryptically

"You'll have to forgive, Noire. She's stubborn when it comes to getting a straight answer", Neptune said.

"Who's stubborn?!", Noire exclaimed.

"Now Noire, please calm down...", said Dracomon nervously.

"Tch...", Noire muttered as she calmed down, not wanting to deal with Neptune's foolishness.

"I know that's it's not much, but thtere are some things that I'd rather not reveal about myself", Mirei stated.

"That still doesn't really sound trusting to me", Noire replied.

"You may as well take it with a grain of salt", Blanc said.

"And besides, I like someone who has an air of mystery around them", added Vert.

"Yeah, if it sounds good enough to them, it's fine by me too", Neptune chirped.

"Well, alright...", Noire said finally.

"And as for your other question", Mirei spoke up, "this is the Digi-Lab. My own personal living space."

"The Digi-Lab? I have no record of this place in my tome", said Histoire.

"Exactly. More precisely, this place does not exist in your dimension", the purple haired woman stated.

"Wait, so we're not in our own dimension now? So what dimension is this?", Neptune inquired.

"That's just it. The Digi-Lab doesn't exist in any dimension at all. Rather, it exists in it's own pocket dimension", Mirei explained.

Neptune and the others looked on with a face of confusion, except for Histoire, who seemed to understand what Mirei had said.

"I see. Now it makes sense. No wonder I couldn't make contact with you", said the Oracle. Mirei nodded at this and continued.

"Yes. It's hidden this way so nothing can find it. Sorry if I was unreachable, but as I said, there are some things that I rather not reveal."

"But why all the secrecy? Wait, are you a secret agent of sorts? Like one of those spy movies?!", Neptune rambled.

"Umm, no, I'm afraid not...", Mirei said, dumbfounded by the lilac haired CPU's question. Neptune pouted at this.

"Very sorry. She's... unique, to say the least", Histoire apologized.

"I see... Very interesting", Mirei said, smiling once again.

"But like the fruitcake said, why the secrecy?", Blanc asked.

"There are some out there that might abuse the knowledge of this place and what it has, so that is why I had to hide the Digi-Lab in its own pocket dimension", the purple haired woman explained.

"That would make sense", Histoire said.

"But, out of the entire population in your world, you all seem to be the most trustworthy bunch. I know you would never abuse the various things here", Mirei continued.

"Of course! We're protect Gameindustri. We're not conquers", Neptune said.

Everyone suddenly felt a sudden chill over their shoulders. Neptune turned around to see what was the matter.

"Ummm, why'd the room get quiet all of a sudden?",

"Neptune, that last word you just said...", said Histoire.

"I don't know why, but I felt a very cold chill from that", said Vert.

"Me too, and I live in the coldest land in Gameindustri", added Blanc.

"But why? I don't get it", said Neptune.

"I think it's best not to think about. Better still, not mention it again. I get a bad feeling every time I hear that 'C' word", Noire stated.

Neptune was very confused by what everyone had said, but she decided not to say anything more on the subject and just shrugged.

Even the Digimon were baffled by the event.

"Do you have any idea what they're talking about?", Dorumon asked?

"I have no clue either", Dracomon said as he shook his head.

Mirei was once again dumbfounded by the scene that played out in front of her. She cleared her throat again and adjusted her glasses.

"Right... Anyway, back to the matter at hand", she said finally.

"Yes. So, why have you brought us here?", Histoire.

Mirei opened her laptop again. She started to type at her keyboard and the lights in the Digi-Lab started to dim. Everyone was surprised at this.

"I believe a little history lesson is in order", Mirei said.

She pressed more keys on her laptop and then a circular dish rose up from the middle of the floor. It started to glow and suddenly, a holographic display appeared before everyone. They all looked on in awe.

The holographic screen showed what appeared to be a planet that was covered in giant landmasses and oceans. It looked almost like Gameindustri to the CPUs, but at that same time it didn't feel like they were looking at their home.

"What is it?", Noire asked.

"Is that supposed to look like Gameindustri?", Blanc answered.

"It can't be. It looks different. I don't recognize anything in the picture", Vert stated.

Their Digimon looked at the holographic screen. It looked like they recognized it. The CPUs saw this and looked at their partners.

"Dorumon, you see something on there?", Neptune asked the purple Digimon.

"I know that place! It's the Digital World!", he exclaimed.

"The Digital World! I can see it!", Dracomon cried.

"Me too! I can even see the cold mountains and the freezing tundras!", Blucomon said excitedly.

"Oh, it's just like how I left it! I miss my home already!", Lalamon said.

The CPUs were stunned. They could not believe that the Digital World looked similar to their world of Gameindustri.

"Dorumon did say something about the Digital World before, but I had no idea what it looked like until now", Neptune said.

"It's like I told you. It's got lakes, mountains, oceans, and much more!", Dorumon said.

"Indeed", said Mirei. "What you see on the screen is the home of the Digital World, where Digital Monsters, or Digimon, reside in. A dimension separate from your own."

"I have to admit, it's looks pretty cool", said Noire.

"It's no surprise really. If there's another dimension, there's bound to be different forms of life in it too", said Vert.

"A Digital World with Digital Monsters... The more I think about it, the more that it sounds like something that was made on a computer", Histoire thought aloud.

"You would like to think so, but that's only one theory", said Mirei.

"What do you mean?", Blanc asked.

"Truth be told, no one really knows how or when the Digital World was created", the purple haired woman explained. "Some say that it was created on a computer by people. Others say it existed just as long as the beginning of the universe."

She got up from her seat and started to pace around the holographic screen.

"But one thing is certain", Mirei continued. "It's existence had brought new forms of life in the Digital World. Living data, created from zeros and ones, otherwise known as the Digimon. Some Digimon are peaceful, working together to create harmony in their world. However, whenever there are good Digimon, there are also the bad ones."

"Bad ones like the Digimon we encountered", Neptune stated.

"Correct", said Mirei. "In the Digital World, there have been many conflicts, similar to ones that you have faced in the past. Both good and evil fought many times in a struggle for power. And now it would seem that a new conflict is arising."

"A new conflict?", Dorumon inquired.

"I'm afraid so", said Mirei. "While you and the other Digimon were gone, time in the Digital World was accelerating. Time moves differently in the Digital World, unlike Gameindustri."

"You mean to say that our world is in trouble?", Blucomon asked.

Mirei looked back at the holographic screen.

"Right now, I'm not sure", she said. "I have been keeping a close eye on other things as of late."

"Such as what?", Noire inquired.

Mirei typed in her laptop again. The view of the Digital World changed to another screen. It showed what appeared to be two boundary lines. She started to explain again.

"Look at the two lines in the hologram. The one on the left is your world of Gameindustri, and the one on the right is the Digital World. Normally, these two dimensions are supposed to be separated from one another. However, an unknown anomaly is slowly breaking down the walls between both worlds."

The screen then showed the two boundary lines start to slowly fade and reappear continuously. Another line appeared between them, creating a connection between the two boundaries.

"The rate at which the breakdown is occurring is unknown at this time, but because of this, small gaps in the fabric of reality have started to split open, little by little. Right now they may be small, but they are still large enough for someone or something to slip on through. These are apparently connected to both your dimension and the Digital World."

The screen then showed a pixelated figure on the gap line, sliding from one end to the other.

"These gaps act like data lines, transferring any form of matter or data from one world to the next. Depending on the size of the object or person, a large amount of data is needed to open a pathway to both worlds."

Histoire was astonished at this.

"So that's how these Digimon are suddenly appearing in our world", she said.

"But if that's true, then how did that Machine-what's-his-name guy get to Gameindustri? He's way bigger than Dorumon was", Neptune said, recalling her first encounter with Dorumon when she fought against Machinedramon.

"You mean Machinedramon, right?", Dorumon asked.

Mirei was surprised to hear this. She walked over to the purple pair.

"You encountered a Machinedramon?", she asked.

"Yeah. Big, tall, scary, metallic, had giant cannons and claws, all that kind of stuff", said Neptune.

Mirei stared at her, then she looked at Dorumon.

"Dorumon, do you know how you got here?", she asked the purple Digimon.

Everyone was surprised to hear this.

"You know, now that I think about it, I don't think I heard how Dorumon got here", said Noire.

"Me neither. We know how our Digimon got here", Vert said.

"But none of us know about Dorumon", Blanc stated.

Dorumon looked at all of them and then turned to Neptune.

"I... I can't remember much...", said Dorumon.

"Didn't you say you were with friends and that metal dragon attacked and you chased him down?", Neptune inquired.

"Yeah, but... for some reason, I can't remember who they were... or why I went after Machinedramon in the first place...", the purple Digimon said sadly.

Everyone felt sorry for the little Digimon. Mirei placed a hand on her chin and pondered.

"Hmm... Could it be that he...?", she thought silently.

Histoire saw her the expression on Mirei's face and wondered what she was thinking about.

"What are you thinking about, if I may ask?", Histoire inquired.

"This is just a hunch, but I think whatever happened, Machinedramon needed a large amount of data for a Digimon of his power and size", stated Mirei.

"Well it's not like he could just force one to open or something like that, right?", said Neptune.

"Not unless he gathered a lot of data... Hmm...", the purple haired woman started to ponder some more.

She went back to her seat and typed in her laptop again. The holographic screen turned off and the circular dish went back down, a door concealing it soon after. The lights brightened back up again.

"Well, this has been both enlightening and interesting", said Mirei.

"So, now we know how these Digimon are appearing in our world", said Histoire.

"Yes. But you also know how to send them back", Mirei replied.

The CPUs all looked at their Digivices and their own Digimon, then back at Mirei.

"You have all been chosen for a reason. You have your Digivices and Digimon partners to fight alongside you. You may be the only ones who can protect your world from the bad Digimon. Will you protect the peace?", she asked the group.

Everyone looked at each other, then at the Digimon, and finally back at Mirei, their faces filled with confidence.

"We've been protecting Gameindustri for a long time. This isn't any different", Blanc said.

"We'll keep our people safe from harm, wether it be monsters or Digimon", Vert said.

"Well, it's not like I wanted to do this... But I'll be more than happy to help, if that's what it takes", said Noire.

"We'll beat up the baddies and save the day! And our Digimon will march forward to victory!", exclaimed Neptune.

"Yeah!", all four Digimon cheered.

Mirei and Histoire smiled at the sight, now knowing they can count on the CPUs and their Digimon will keep the peace of Gameindustri.

"In the meantime, while you fend off any bad Digimon from your world, I'll try to narrow down where the anomalies originated from the Digital World. Maybe even try to bring some light on how that Machinedramon got into your world", Mirei stated.

"Mirei, you're welcome to stop by in our world if you like", Histoire offered.

"As much as I'd like to, I may not have much time for that sadly", Mirei said kindly. "But I will give you a call should I find something of interest."

She then typed into her keyboard once more. Suddenly, a portal opened up behind everyone, surprising them all.

"This portal will take you straight back to your Basilicom", said Mirei.

"Thank you very much, Mirei. I hope you find what is causing the digital gaps to appear", said Histoire.

"Yeah! Let's do this again sometime! Catch ya later!", said Neptune.

"I will speak with you all again soon. Farewell for now!", said Mirei as she waved the group goodbye.

Everyone waved back as Histoire, the CPUs and their Digimon entered through the portal that would take them back to Planetune's Basilicom. As soon as they were all gone, the portal closed up.

Mirei sat back down, thinking about the strange sights that she witnessed when she spoke to the group.

"What a strange group of individuals... This will be interesting indeed. Hehehehe", she laughed silently, contemplating on how things will work out.


Back at Planetune's Basilicom, everyone had just got back from the Digi-Lab. They had ended up in the living room. Histoire was the first to speak up.

"Well everyone, it seems we now have a new goal: If any bad Digimon appear in Gameindustri, it is our job to stop them and set things right", she said.

"Well Dorumon, you think you're up for some Digimon busting?", Neptune asked her partner.

"You know it! I'll help my friends no matter what!", the purple Digimon cheered.

"Yeah, same here! Noire and I will them what for!", said Dracomon.

"Well, I guess we can work together. But you better not hold me back. Got it?", said Noire.

"If any bad Digimon comes near Ram or Rom, I'll beat 'em dead", said Blanc, clenching her fist.

"Easy there, Blanc. I would prefer to give them a good thrashing", Blucomon said.

"With me and Lalamon together, we're guaranteed to succeed", Vert stated.

"There's no way I'll lose!", added Lalamon.

Histoire smiled at the sight. She could see the beginning of a great friendship between the CPUs and their Digimon.

Then, everyone heard a loud knocking sound on the door. Curious, Histoire went to check and see who it was. She opened the door to find Uni, Ram, and Rom standing in front of her.

"Histoire! Have you seen Nepgear anywhere?", the raven haired Candidate asked.

"Uni, what's wrong?", Noire asked her sister.

"We can't find her anywhere! We thought she'd be here!", exclaimed Ram.

"We can't find her", Rom said quietly.

"What do you mean?", Neptune asked.

The three Candidates all looked at each other and all had a grim look on their faces.

"We think Nepgear has gone missing!", cried Uni.

The whole room fell silent as a cold chill blew over everyone's shoulder...


Welp, that's the end of this one. Not really much action this time, but then again you don't want to have too much action, now do you?

I really hope I didn't rush this one too much. I've been on a writing craze as of late, and I really want to make up for the lack of chapters within the last few months.

If you enjoyed this chapter, don't forget to leave a review. That's all for now. Till next time!