Welcome back to another chapter.

Yes, you read that right. This set of events will be split into two parts due to how long it'll be. So expect to see another chapter after this one. Not sure when that will be though. Hopefully soon, as I now have a few new ideas on what to do.

Also, someone asked me something about the Gold Third. Not sure if I'll have them in this story. Probably a few mentions or cameos, but that could be just about it. Again, not entirely sure. I think it'll depend on where this story will go in the future.

And to another person, as much as I like the idea, I'm afraid that I have no plans to bring Plutia into the story. Besides, I fear that she would probably be too over-powered for this kind of story lol.

Now then, on with the chapter!

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


Chapter 20: Three-Pronged Attack, Part 1

Morning had arrived once again in Gameindustri. Things were looking pretty quiet during the day, as there weren't any major events going on. It was even a slow day for the Guild, as no serious jobs were turning up. Overall, it was looking to be a pretty slow day. A perfect chance for people to unwind a little.

In Lowee, Blanc and Blucomon were both at the Basilicom doing some reading. The brown haired CPU had promised her Digimon partner that she would show him a written history about the world of Gameindustri, ranging from events from the past like the Great Crash to more recent events such as when Kurome tried to merge Heart Dimension with Hyperdimension. Suffice to say, Blucomon was impressed.

"This is all very interesting", he remarked.

"Indeed. The world is ever changing in many ways", said Blanc.

"I like the part where you all had to fight some giant dark versions of you", the ice dragon Digimon said.

"Well they weren't so much like us as they were huge", Blanc replied.

"They really sound more like giant-sized Digimon to me", Blucomon said.

"I've been curious about that, actually. How big do Digimon get?", the brown haired girl asked, her curiosity now peaked.

"Well, it kind of depends on the amount of data we have, I think. Or was it because of how much we eat?", Blucomon said.

As if on cue, the ice dragon Digimon's stomach started growling. Blanc giggled a little at this as she stared at her partner.

"How's about we go out for some lunch? I know a park where we can relax at", the brown haired CPU suggested.

"Alright!", Blucomon exclaimed excitedly.

Blanc smiled as she and her Digimon partner ventured their way out of the Basilicom to find the park that Blanc had mentioned. As they traveled through the cold streets, some of the people would give some strange looks at their CPU, wondering what the little ice dragon Digimon was. Blanc wasn't too worried, though, for if anyone asked about her Digimon partner, she would just tell them that it was a moving stuffed animal that she recently got. Of course this wasn't true, but nobody wanted to question her about it.

"Hey! Was that a pun on my CPU name?", said Blanc all of a sudden to no one in particular.

Blucomon raised an eyebrow at this, but decided not to pry into it. Later, when the pair reached the park, they came across a vendor that had some warm snacks inside. They decided to get something from it. After inserting a few credits, the brown haired CPU got some "Blanc Manju", a specialty named after Lowee's Goddess. They found a nearby bench to sit at so that they can enjoy their warm lunch.

"This is one of Lowee's special brands. Here, have some", said Blanc, offering some of the manju she got.

Blucomon happily accepted it. Before he bit down on it, the ice dragon Digimon blew on his manju with a breath of cold air, making it colder for consumption. Blanc sweat-dropped a bit, forgetting that Blucomon wasn't fond of heat. After her partner stopped blowing cold air, he ate his manju in one bite, a pleased look appearing on his face.

"That was tasty!", said Blucomon happily.

Blanc smiled, knowing that her Digimon liked it. As they were starting to enjoy their meal, however, they heard a scream sound off from far away. This alarmed the pair as they stopped eating their manju, then they looked at each other.

"Sounds like trouble, Blanc", said Blucomon.

"Yeah. Let's check it out", said Blanc.

They pack up their manju in a bag and start running towards the direction of the scream. As they got closer, the pair could hear more screams coming from ahead of them They could see people running away from what seemed like a monster. It was a large wolf that had periwinkle colored fur with dark blue tiger stripes, black claws on all four of it's paws, and a curly tail.

"Never seen a wolf like that before", said Blanc.

The wolf monster was chasing a few citizens, then it looked over to where the brown haired girl and her Digimon were at and growled.

"Where's the CPU of this land?! Tell me now or your history!", it said, surprising the pair.

"If you want the CPU of this land, you're looking at her", said Blanc.

The talking wolf monster looked at her and laughed.

"So you're the CPU here? Cause from here you look more like a little boy to me", the wolf mocked.

A vein appeared on Blanc's head as soon as she heard that comment.

"You wanna repeat that, ya ass?", she growled angrily.

"Blanc, this guy's a Digimon!", said Blucomon.

The brown haired girl calmed down a bit and brought out her Digivice. She points it towards the wolf creature and it starts scanning it. After a few seconds, a holographic screen appeared above her device.

"Gururumon. Champion level. It's a wicked wolf that hunts in cold environments. Special attacks are Gururu Thrust and Chaos Fire", said the brown haired girl, describing the new monster.

"F-F-Fire?!", Blucomon sputtered, reminding her of his fear of heat.

"Oh, what have we here? Afraid of a little fire, are we? Well if you can't stand the heat, get out of the kitchen, that's what I always say", said Gururumon.

He rears up his head and then starts to open his mouth, a glowing flame starting to flicker.

"Chaos Fire!", the wolf Digimon said, blasting a blaze of dark fire at the pair.

Blanc and Blucomon react quickly and move away from the dark flames before they can burn the pair alive.

"Now that's hot!", exclaimed Blanc.

"And there's more where that came from, unless you hand over your Sharicite at once!", Gururumon demanded.

"My Sharicite? What the hell would you want with it?", the brown haired girl inquired.

"That's none of your business. Now give it to me!", the wolf Digimon growled.

Blanc frowned as she materialized her battle hammer. Both Blucomon and Gururumon were surprised by how she could wield such a heavy weapon with little effort.

"Over my dead body! Blucomon, let's go!", Blanc called out.

"You got it!", the ice dragon Digimon replied.

The Lowee CPU charged at Gururumon and started to swing he hammer at him, but the wolf Digimon backed away from her in time. Blucomon tried to rush at Gururumon, but he swiped his paw at him, knocking him away and into a lamp post. Blanc looked back in shock.

"Blucomon! Are you okay?", she asked.

"You should be worried about yourself! Gururu Thrust!", Gururumon said as he swiped his claws at the CPU, knocking her down into the snow-covered ground. She groaned as she strained to get up.

"If you won't give me that Sharicite willingly, then I'll take it by force!", said the wolf Digimon.

He then started to run off in a different direction. Blanc recognized where he was going; he was heading towards the direction of the Basilicom. She quickly got up and hurried over to Blucomon.

"Hey, are you okay?", she asked her Digimon partner.

"I'm fine, but... did he say something about Sharicite?", Blucomon asked.

"Yeah. I don't know how that he knows about it, but we can't let him reach it. If that Digimon manages to steal my Sharicite, then I won't be able to transform!", said Blanc.

"We can't let that happen then! Let's go after him!", said the ice dragon Digimon.

Blanc nodded as she raced towards the direction of the Basilicom, her Digimon partner following behind. As they raced after Gururumon, the brown haired girl began to formulate a plan in her head...


Outside of Leanbox, Vert and Lalamon were out in the fields doing a quick item fetch quest. They had been looking for some things like healing herbs, monster drops, etc. Lalamon insisted that she and Vert do something other than play games like 4GO (4 Goddesses Online), to which the blonde haired CPU reluctantly agreed to. After fighting off a few monsters and obtaining some if the requested items, the pair start to make their way back to Leanbox.

"I can't wait to get back to my games after this", said Vert.

"Is playing games all you think about, Vert?", Lalamon asked.

"Not at all. There are also other hobbies of mine that keep me busy", said the Leanbox CPU.

"Really? Name one", said the plant Digimon.

Vert raised a finger to say something, but then lowered it, thinking about her answer for a bit, then raised her finger again, but lowered once again. This went one for a few more times before Lalamon rolled her eyes in disappointment.

"If you ask me, there's more to life than gaming all day and night", said Lalamon.

Vert gasped at that comment. She could believe what her ears had just heard.

"Don't you joke about that!", said Vert.

"Who's joking?", asked the plant Digimon.

The blonde CPU then sighed, knowing that her partner was right. Lalamon looked at her apologetically.

"Hey, cheer up, Vert. There are plenty of other thigs you can do", she said.

"Like what?", asked the Leanbox CPU.

"Well, for example. I've heard that humans sometimes do an activity called 'bird watching'", said Lalamon.

"Unfortunately, there don't appear to be any birds around here", Vert stated, looking around for any flying creatures.

"I think I can see one in the sky", said Lalamon.

"Is that so?" Well, where is it?", Vert inquired.

She looked to where the plant Digimon was pointing towards. In the sky, they could see a black object that looked like it was flapping its wings. Strangely, though, it seemed to theme that there was something odd about the black "bird" in the sky. It seemed to be getting closer, and as it got closer, it's body looked to be getting bigger.

"Are you sure that's a bird?", asked Vert nervously.

"Now I have a bad feeling about this...", said Lalamon.

After a few more seconds had passed, the pair could now get a better look at the "bird" that they were seeing. It looked like a large bird-like creature whose body and large wings were almost entirely covered in black flames. It also seemed to have golden colored eyes, a large mouth with protruding teeth, and two feet armed with five black talons. It let out a rather unpleasant screeching sound as it raced towards the pair, readying its talons for an attack. Vert and Lalamon were horrified. The black flaming bird was planning to attack them!

"Look out, Lalamon!", Vert exclaimed.

She quickly grabbed the plant Digimon and dived to the ground, avoiding the swooping talons just in time. The black flaming bird monster screeched again, turning around and started to hover above the pair. Then it started to laugh, surprising the pair.

"Hahaha! My prey will never escape me for long!", it cackled.

Vert had a bad feeling about this creature. She pulled out her Digivice and aimed it at the flying monster. After it had scanned it completely, a holographic image appeared from the device's screen.

"Just as I thought", said Vert. "It's a Digimon called Saberdramon! His Black Talon, Mach Shadow, and Night Roar are going to be a problem, especially when it comes to his rough temperament."

"He certainly doesn't look friendly", Lalamon said nervously.

"CPU! You will hand over your Sharicite over to me, or you and this land will burn!", Saberdramon said.

Vert was shocked by what this winged Digimon had said. How did he know about her Sharicite? Her thoughts ran to one being, and that was SkullSatamon. She did not like this threat at all.

"You should know that I don't respond well to those who would want to bring harm to me or my people", said Vert.

"And you should know that I can be more than capable of backing up said threats", the black flaming Digimon said.

He then started flapping his wings at a much faster pace. His black flaming feathers began to glow in a darker shade of black, growing hotter with each passing second. Vert and Lalamon looked on, knowing that an attack was coming.

"Night Roar!", said Saberdramon as it launched its black flaming feathers at the pair.

"Move, quickly!", Vert exclaimed.

They moved away from the impact area just before the flames hit the grass where they had stood, scorching the landscape in dark fire. Lalamon floated up and puffed up to retaliate.

"Nuts Shoot!", she said as she spit multiple seeds in a rapid burst.

They hit Saberdramon, but they hardly did any damage to him. He laughed at the plant Digimon's failed attack.

"Hahaha! You call that an attack? Here, try this!", he said.

The black flaming Digimon then swooped down towards Lalamon at great speed. She had no time to get away as Saberdramon grabbed the plant Digimon with his talons.

"Eeek! Let me go, you big bully!", Lalamon shrieked.

She tried to break free, but her stubby limbs were not strong enough to pry herself free from Saberdramon's grip.

"Lalamon!", Vert exclaimed.

"Now if you want your friend back in one piece, you'll give me that Sharicite! Catch me if you can!", Saberdramon laughed as he flew away with Lalamon towards the city of Leanbox.

Vert looked on at the black flaming Digimon as he carried her partner away. Now she was annoyed. The blonde haired woman shut her eyes for a few seconds before opening them again.

"HDD Access!", Vert yelled suddenly as a flash of light surrounded her body.

Her hair turned from blonde to a green ponytail. Her dress disappeared and changed into that of a one-piece suit, accompanied by leggings and gear around her arms with white and green colors. White armor pieces with lime green "X" marks surrounded her and six pink wings appeared behind her. Finally, a long, futuristic white and green spear appeared in her hands as she twirled it around her.

"Hold on, Lalamon!", yelled Green Heart.

She then took to the air and went towards the direction of Leanbox to chase after Saberdramon. She could only hope that she reaches her partner Digimon in time.


Crossing the border between Planetune and Lastation, Neptune, Uzume, and Dorumon had set off to the Land of Black Regality to help FanBeemon find his friend. The group wanted to reunite the insect Digimon with the friend that he got separated from. They all planned to meet with Noire to see if she knew anything about a missing person. Neptune and Dorumon were ahead of the group, acting a little more energetic than usual.

"Hippity hoppity, Kanga-Nep is on her way to Noire's property!", said Neptune, jumping up and down like crazy.

"I bet I can jump higher than you can!", said Dorumon, trying to jump higher than the lilac haired girl.

Uzume couldn't help but smile at the purple pair's antics, while FanBeemon was a little confused at the sight. When asked, Uzume just told the insect Digimon to just roll with it.

"Nepsy tends to do stuff like this sometimes, but that's what I like about her", she said.

After a couple of minutes, Neptune stopping hopping around and turned to FanBeemon.

"So, what's your friend like, if I may so ask thee?", she asked.

"Let's see... My friend is kind, friendly, and a little braver than me at times", said FanBeemon.

"Well, that sounds nice", Uzume commented.

"Oh, and she also looks a little lot like me", the insect Digimon added.

"Oh? So did she get into an accident where she has the body of a human, but with the head of a bee? Or is she a human who can transform into a giant bee and eat you up when you least expect it?!", Neptune rambled on, confusing FanBeemon even more.

"Uhhh, no... But the way she's dressed reminds me of myself", he said.

"Ohhh, so we're looking for someone who almost looks like a bee. Well, that shouldn't be too hard to miss", said Neptune.

Suddenly, Dorumon stopped in his tracks and sniffed the air. Then he started to growl, his purple fur standing up in alert. The others saw this and tensed up. They knew that whenever the purple Digimon did this, it meant one thing.

"A Digimon must be nearby!", said Uzume.

"Oh boy. I knew there would be an event flag here at some point", added Neptune.

Then the group heard the sounds of branches being snapped and the ground vibrating from something big moving through the trees. Moments later, they saw an bulking mass rushing towards them. Everyone moved out of the way as the creature rushed past them, stopping in its tracks just seconds later. A better look revealed that the creature had a yellow muscular build that made it look somewhat disfigured. Its left arm and both of its feet had four black claws, while its right arm was larger and had three red claws. The creature's head had a long mouth with a brown skull-like helmet with a single horn protruding from the top. It had only a single blue eye on his left side, a spiked metal pad on his right shoulder, black spikes on his spinal region, and a long tail that was half organic and half metallic. It looked at the group and growled.

"Bah! You're not the ones I'm looking for! Where is... uhhh... what was the name?", it said.

Neptune pulled out her purple Digivice and started scanning the one-eyed Digimon. After a few seconds, a holographic image appeared out of the screen.

"Cyclomon. Not big on brains, but definitely big on brawns. If his forearms don't get ya, his Hyper Heat sure will", said Neptune.

FanBeemon hid behind Uzume in fear, shaking a little at the sight of the one-eyed Digimon. The red haired girl looked at him reassuringly.

"Don't worry. I'm here for ya", she said.

"Excuse me, but do you girls know where I am? I'm supposed to be on my way to smash something, but I can't remember where I was going", Cyclomon asked.

"Well, yadda yadda yadda...", said Neptune said.

"Uh huh... Oh, I get it! So Lastation is where I'm supposed to smash stuff at", said the one-eyed Digimon.

"He understood all of that?!", Uzume, Dorumon, and FanBeemon exclaimed all at once.

"Well, how else was I'm going to explain it? Our readers sometimes don't like huge walls of text in one paragraph, you know?", said Neptune, the fourth wall shattering for the umpteenth time.

"Wait a minute. What does he mean by 'smashing stuff?'", asked Dorumon.

"Yeah. Why would you want to do something like that?", asked Neptune.

"My boss gave me orders to do so. He also said to squash anyone that gets in my way", said Cyclomon.

"Your boss? That wouldn't happen to be Skullsatamon, would it?", Dorumon inquired.

Cyclomon looked at them for a moment, surprised that they know about his master, but smirked as he stared them down.

"Yeah, that's my boss. He said to not let anything stop me. Not even some puny girls and their purple dog", he mocked.

Dorumon growled at that last comment, but maintained his composure.

"If you plan to bring harm to Lastation, then I don't think we can stand by and watch", said Uzume.

"Yeah! We'll huff and puff and blow you down to the ground and stuff!", exclaimed Neptune.

"Well bring it on then! I've been itching for a brawl!", Cyclomon replied.

Uzume was nervous. Planetune's Sharicite was still no where to be found due to the theft of SkullSatamon, and without it, neither she or Neptune could transform into their Goddess forms. And Uzume did not have any Share crystals for them to use either. Of course, even if she had any, the red haired girl wasn't sure if they could use them without their Sharicite. All they could do now was rely on some of their skills and count on Dorumon to help them out. Neptune looked at the purple Digimon as she readied her Digivice.

"Ready, little buddy? Time to Digi-", said Neptune before being interrupted.

"Hyper Heat!", Cyclomon exclaimed as he suddenly open his mouth and a ray of heat at the group.

Everyone looked on as they quickly moved out of the way, the ray going through a couple of trees in the process. FanBeemon, not wanting to get injured in the battle, decided to find a place to hide. Neptune was annoyed by what just happened.

"Hey! No fair! You can't just interrupt someone when they're Digivolving!", she said.

"Yeah, that's not cool!", added Uzume.

But the one-eyed Digimon didn't care, as he started to charge at the group. Neptune and Uzume readied their weapons, while Dorumon prepared his own attack.

"Metal Cannon!", he exclaimed as a series of iron balls blasted out of his mouth.

Although they hit Cyclomon head-on, the one-eyed Digimon barely felt it as he continued to make his way towards the group. He swings his arms at them, batting Uzume away, while Neptune rolled out of the way. Dorumon, was not so lucky, however, as he was caught in Cyclomon's grasp.

"Ha! Got you now, ya runt!", he chuckled.

The purple Digimon tried to bit his way out, but to no avail. Cyclomon laughs as he begins crushing Dorumon in his huge claws. The Rookie yells in pain as the one-eyed Digimon slowly squeezed the life out of him. Uzume looked on in horror as she saw what was happening. Thinking quickly, she rushed at Cyclomon and readied her megaphone weapon, aiming it at Cyclomon.

"LET GO OF MY FRIIIEEENNNDDD!", she exclaimed as powerful soundwaves blasted out of her megaphone.

Cyclomon roared in agony as he clutched his hand with his free arm, but when the pain became unbearable, he let go of Dorumon. The purple Digimon gasped as he got away from the bigger Digimon.

"Aggghhh! I'll squash your heads for that!", Cyclomon yelled as he tried to regain his senses.

As Dorumon ran for safety, Neptune rushed over to him, making sure if he was alright.

"Are you okay, Dorumon?", she asked.

"Yeah, I'm fine...That guy's going down", Dorumon replied.

Neptune then looked at Cyclomon, who who was staggering around aimlessly as his hearing was starting to come back to him.

"In the name of Planetune, we shall punish you!", said Neptune as she raised her Digivice. "Digivolve!"

A purple flash of light then shot out at Dorumon, surrounding his body as his Digivolution sequence began.

"Dorumon, Digivolve to...!", he said.

The purple light glowed brighter as Dorumon's body became bigger, his wings grew larger, his tail got longer, his claws turned into a reddish color, and his overall color turned into a darker shade of blackish purple.

"Dorugamon!", he said as his Digivolution sequence was complete.

Cyclomon soon regained his senses and looked at Dorugamon in surprise.

"Hey, what to the little guy?!", he inquired.

"The 'little guy' just became the guy who's gonna kick your tail!", Dorugamon replied as he he charged straight at Cyclomon.

The one-eyed Digimon raised his arms up and braced for impact. Dorugamon soon made contact, causing a shoving match to ensue. Both Digimon seemed to be equal in raw strength, but Cyclomon quickly got the upper hand and pushed the winged-beast Digimon backwards. Dorugamon growled as he began another attack.

"Power Metal!", he exclaimed, launching a large metallic sphere out of his mouth.

It went straight towards Cyclomon, who was unable to dodge it in time. The explosive force from the attack pushed him back, and the one-eyed Digimon growled in annoyance.

"Way to go!", Neptune cheered.

"Yeah, show him who's boss!", added Uzume.

Cyclomon growled after recovering from the attack. He was in no mood to waste anymore time fighting with the group.

"I can't hang around here forever! I got places to be!", he said.

He then opened his mouth wide, preparing to attack again with his Hyper Heat. The group saw this and readied themselves for the attack. Dorugamon was also reading his own attack, not wanting to give Cyclomon a chance to hurt anyone. After a few seconds of charging, they unleashed their firepower.

"Hyper Heat!"

"Power Metal!"

They both released their attacks at the same time. The blasts hit each other, creating a huge explosion that blinded the group. They couldn't see anything due to the ensuing smoke cloud. After the smoke had cleared, they could see that Cyclomon was nowhere to be seen.

"He's gone!", exclaimed Uzume.

"Do you think we blew him up with that one?", asked Neptune.

"No way. I think he fled", said Dorugamon.

FanBeemon then popped out from his hiding place inside a nearby bush, looking around to see if the battle was still going or not.

"I-Is it over?", he asked nervously.

"For now, I think...", said Uzume.

"Yeah, but if he took off running, then he might be high-tailing it to Lastation", said Neptune.

"We've got to catch him and stop him before he hurts someone. If he reaches Lastation, there's a good chance that he might even try to steal the Sharicite there, too!", stated Uzume.

"Yikes! In that case, we need to make like a blue hedgehog and go go go!", exclaimed Neptune.

"But how can we catch up?", asked FanBeemon.

"Yeah. In case you forgot, Nepsy, we can't transform", stated Uzume.

"Oh...", the lilac haired girl replied.

"Don't worry guys. Hop on my back. I'll see if I can catch him", said Dorugamon.

He then lowered himself down so that everyone can climb on board his back. Everyone looked at each other and nodded with a smile. They got on and readied themselves.

"Now we're talking! Ride like the wind, Dorugamon!", cheered Neptune.

"Here we go!", said the winged-beast Digimon as he rushed off in the direction of where Cyclomon was headed.

As the group went on their way towards the direction of Lastation, a figure appeared from the bushes, revealing to be a creature that looked like it was clad in samurai-style armor. Ryudamon had been observing the battle from a distance. When he saw that the group were now going after Cyclomon, he thought about following them, but hesitated a bit.

"Hmm..."

His thoughts dwelled back on his previous battle with Dorumon. Ever since that day, he could not get the images of that vision out of his head. The two figures in his head felt familiar to him somehow, but he did not know why. Then his thoughts turned to that day of how he somehow Digivolved into Ginryumon via Neptune's Digivice. He had never experienced something like that in his life. To him it felt a bit unnatural, yet at the same time it left him curious. Was there really greater power to be found through Digivolution?

In the end, he decided to go after the group, against his better judgement. There was something about Dorumon that he wanted to know about. What was that vision they had when they fought? Were the two Digimon connected with one another somehow? Could he grow stronger again via Digivolution? To him, it seemed that the only way to answer all of these questions was to meet with the purple Digimon again. He rushed out of his observation spot, trying to catch up to the group while keeping his distance at the same time.

"Dorumon...", he thought as he gave chase to his rival.


At Lastation's Basilicom, Noire and Uni had gathered the other Candidates, Peashy, and the two Digimon in the main office area. They said it was important. When everyone got there, however, they saw that Linda and Numemon were there too. They frowned a bit at first, but Noire told them to deal with it for a moment. There was a bit of silence before Linda spoke up.

"So... as much as it pains me to say this... I need your help", she said.

This surprised everyone who heard. They could not believe what the pale skinned girl had just said.

"Yeah, that's right. The person who gave you bi- ...uh, girls, so much trouble in the past, is asking you for help. Even I can't believe it", she continued, almost referring to them in profanity, but quickly corrected herself.

"And what makes you think we'll help you at all?", said said Ram.

"We can't trust you", added Rom.

"Hold on, you two", said Nepgear. "We haven't even heard her give us a reason yet. Maybe we should hear her out first."

"Nepgear's right, guys. There's a reason why she's asking", said Noire.

The twins looked at each other before shrugging. The raven haired CPU cleared her throat before continuing.

"Now, as we all know, Linda here was working with SkullSatamon before in an attempt to kidnap two CPUs. Now she's here doing his dirty work again. Bu, the thing is, she's more afraid of going back emptyhanded. No doubt he sent her to steal our Sharicite like that creep did in Planetune."

Noire then looked at Linda, who sheepishly looked away from her gaze.

"Is this true?", she asked her.

Linda opened her mouth to say something, but hesitated. Finally, she spoke up.

"It's true", she said.

Everyone looked at each other and whispered to one another, but Uni brought their attention back to the conversation.

"It wasn't like she was going to do it willingly. Apparently she claims that she was forced into doing it", said the Candidate.

"But why? Aren't they supposed to be on the same side?", asked Ram.

"Something don't smell right, if you ask me", Dracomon commented.

"I must concur with Dracomon. I find it highly illogical that someone like Linda was forced to work with a Digimon as evil as SkullSatamon", stated Hagurumon.

"It's true! If I didn't do what he said, he would kill me! That guy pretty much has me on a leash!", Linda exclaimed.

The group looked at each other again, surprised a little by the pale girl's outburst. Linda took a deep breath before explaining herself.

"After you destroyed the Deity of Sin, ASIC was pretty much in shambles. I tried to keep them together as much as I could, but with the Deity of Sin gone, they said there was no point in sticking around, so we all eventually disbanded. Most of us went into hiding since we were pretty much criminals without a leader. I tried to find work myself, but let's be honest, who'd want a former member of ASIC working for them, am I right?"

Everyone just stared at her judgingly. Linda cleared her throat before continuing.

"Anyway, a few months ago, I got a shady tip about a job that someone wanted me to work with them. When I met them, they said that they were going to do what ASIC couldn't: to bring Gameindustri to its knees. But... I don't know, something felt wrong about these guys, that SkullSatamon included. I mean, they even made the Four Felons look merciful. Each time I screwed something up... well, let's just say that the consequences got worse over time. It got to the point where they might kill me now. And at this point, I think they will..."

Linda then started to tear up, making everyone look with concern and pity. They had never seen the pale skinned girl break down in tears like this before, as she was not known to do such a thing. She fell down to the floor on her rear, her cries now becoming audible.

"Please...you gotta help me... I-I'm scared for my life!", Linda cried.

Numemon looked at the girl and tried to comfort her by patting her on the shoulder.

"There there, pretty lady", he said caringly.

Everyone else looked at each other and soon huddled together in a circle to discuss what they should do.

"What do you think? Can we really trust her after what she's done?", asked Noire.

"She seems sincere, but I'm not sure if we can trust her if she's as bad as you guys told me about her", said Peashy.

"I do not believe my sensors detected any lies coming from her. Her behavior seems to be genuine", stated Hagurumon.

"Well, if she is really telling the truth...", said Dracomon.

"I'd say we give her a chance. Even criminals deserve a chance for redemption", said Nepgear.

"I'm with Nepgear on this. Besides, she might even know something about what SkullSatamon is up to", added Uni.

"Oh, alright. I'll go along with it if you guys are willing", said Ram reluctantly.

"I'll give her a chance...", added Rom.

"Then I guess it's decided then. But it's not like I'll take her word for it", said Noire.

The group broke their circle and turned their attention back to Linda, who seemed to have calmed down while they were discussing. She looked at them with a sorrowful frown as they looked back at her with pitying eyes.

"Linda, if you're really telling the truth, then do you know what SkullSatamon is up to?", asked Uni.

"I... I can't... They'll kill me if I talk...", said Linda.

"From what you described of those guys that you're working with, it sounds to me that they don't care about you at all, no matter what you do", said Peashy. "Do you really think that they won't do it anyway even if you don't spill the beans?"

Linda opened her mouth to speak, but then thought about it for a moment before shutting her mouth.

"Look, Linda. As much as it pains me to say it, we really want to help you. But you have to tell us what you know", said Noire.

Linda looked at the group in disbelief. She was speechless for what seemed like an eternity. After everything that she had did to the CPUs in the past, ranging from fighting them to helping ASIC revive the Deity of Sin, they were willing to help her, despite knowing the risks of even trust someone like her. She was never offered an act of kindness like this in her life before. It was foreign to the pale skinned girl. She did not know how to respond for a moment before finding the words in her mouth.

"...If I tell you... will you promise to protect me from them?", she asked.

"Of course. But you also got to apologize for all the bad things you did", said Ram.

"Say you're sorry", added Rom.

"It may be a small start, but we're giving you a chance to do some good for a change. A chance to start over. So what do you say?", said Nepgear.

Linda just stared at the group, then at Dracomon and Hagrurumon, and finally at Numemon, who just smiled at her. She sighed before looking back at the group.

"Alright... I'll talk", said Linda at last, ready to divulge what she knew.

Everyone smiled a bit, seeing that Linda may indeed be having a change of heart. They listened closely as the pale skinned girl was about to speak again.

"That SkullSatamon guy wants those Sharicite crystals for something big. He and his boss are-"

Suddenly, an explosion ripped through the walls of the building. Everyone was knocked back by the blast as debris flew everywhere. No one was seriously injured, but they were all in shock by what just happened. They wondered what could've caused such a thing to happen, until they heard a familiar cackling.

"Linda, my dear. I think you've said quite enough for one day", said a voice that sent chills down everyone's spine.

They looked at the massive hole that the explosion created. When the smoke had cleared, they could see a tall, skeletal figure staring back at them. It was a sight that everyone dreaded seeing.

"My master has ordered me to clean up the trash data that's been left behind. And you can guess what that means", said SkullSatamon, an evil smirk forming on his face.

He raised his staff and pointed it at the group, mostly at Linda in particular. The yellow orb at the end glowed brightly as he prepared to make his attack.

"Say goodbye you pathetic brat!"


Uh oh! Looks like everyone is in a heap of trouble today. And it doesn't look too good for our heroines in Lastation in particular. How will they get out of this mess? Let's hope they got a lot of plot armor ready, cause they're gonna need all the luck they can get if they want to escape SkullSatamon's wrath.

Well, I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, my fellow readers. Now before I get to making the next chapter, I think I'm going to go back and do some edits in the previous chapters, ranging from grammar corrections to possibly even making a few edits or extra scenes so that the story can make more sense. For example, I just realized that I've been referring Blucomon's name incorrectly. Reason why I say this is because I took another look at the wiki, and I am not sure whether I should change the name or not. So I want to ask you all, is he really called "Blucomon" or "Bulucomon"?

Please leave a review if you liked this chapter, and be sure to follow for more if you haven't already. See you next time.