Takes place in between chapters 42 and 43 of Next Heroes. So it's Hudie's time to shine at last!

All was well now. Sabios was defeated. Erika was rescued. The Sky Fortress along with the Golden Armor was destroyed. Oblivia was once again at peace. Everyone from Keisuke's world was together, but there was still time before they would return home. In the meantime, Professor Hastings suggested they go on Quests or fill in the Browser.

Ben was showing the boys of Hudie how patrols work. They were walking by the beach on Renbow Village. "So, wait, you basically just wounder around until you find some who needs help?" Yu asked.

"Wouldn't it be easier to just set up a message board like we do at home?" Patamon suggested.

"Patrolling isn't just about finding people who need help." Ben explained. "We also need to make sure all the Pokemon in the area are safe."

"And don't forget, Team One World moved a lot of Pokemon here that aren't supposed to be in this region." Monodramon added. "Plus, there are all those lost Digimon."

"Monodramon's right." Ryuji nodded. "We should keep a look out."

Just then a boy ran over to them. "Hello! Ranger, I have a request…"

"Let's hear it." Ben replied.

"A friend of mine and I are trying to make a quiz, and we'd like to study real Pokemon. Could you bring me the Pokemon I have in mind?"

"Sure. Which Pokemon do you need?"

"It's called Drif…"

"Wait a sec!" Someone then came down. It was a Mamemon on a flying vehicle with arms that looked like a crane game.

"Whoa! Where'd you come from?!" Chitose asked.

"Sorry, sorry. My name's CatchMamemon. I asked this kid here to help me with making quizzes with these Pokemon. I know a fair amount about Digimon, but when it comes to these guys I don't know much."

"That's why we want to see real Pokemon for reference." The boy added.

The Digimon nodded. "Right! Anyway, Ranger, I just had an idea if you don't mind. It'll help me test my knowledge on this Pokemon from what I learned so far. Rather then just telling you what it is, why don't we quiz you and see if you bring us the right Pokemon? Each of us will give you some info."

"That sounds like fun." Ben smiled. "Okay, bring it on." He then posed. "Quest On!"

"Do you have to say that every time?" Chitose asked.

"Okay, ready?" CatchMamemon asked. "Here we go! The Pokemon in question can be found high in the sky. But don't be fooled by its cutsie appearance! One wrong move and it might explode on you!"

The boy spoke next. "It's always floating around, and it has an "X" on its purple body. Bring us the Pokemon if you know what it is."

Ben thought for a moment. "Hmmm. I think I know what it is…problem is…I don't know of the top of my head where to find it…"

"I'm 100 precent positive it's in Oblivia somewhere." CatchMamemon replied. "If you find it, please bring it to me." Ben nodded and walked back to the others.

"CatchMamemon…" Keisuke murmured as they walked off.

"You know that guy?" Yu asked.

"Yeah. Before our word was altered, I took up a job from him. He wanted me to test out his quiz for a Digital amusement park he wanted to set up. I guess he wants to make quizzes involving Pokemon now."

"So, Ben, what is this Pokemon?" Armadillomon asked.

"No doubt in my mind. It has to be Drifloon. But again, I have no idea where it is…Wait. I think I fought one while battling the Pokemon Pinchers. Up in the sky." He opened his Browser and pulled up the page on Drifloon. Location was labelled "sky". "Oh, that's real helpful." Ben scoffed.

"Hey now…" Chitose smiled. "When in doubt we know who to turn to." Ryuji and Keisuke nodded.

Back in Rand's house, in the quiet room she privately used Erika was typing on a white keyboard shaped like an animal. Keisuke knew very well to knock on the door first. "It's open." Erika didn't distract herself from her work as the boys entered.

Keisuke noticed what Erika had with her. "Hey, isn't that…?"

Erika smiled at him. "Looks great, doesn't it? Nema helped me make it with a bunch of leftover computer parts she had."

Ryuji smiled. "Memetan, huh? That takes me back. Does it work as well as your old one?"

"More or less."

"Well, more importantly…" Keisuke said. "Does getting wacked with it hurt as much as it did with your old one?"

Erika smiled at him. "Good question. Do something stupid again and we can find out." Keisuke chuckled nervously as Ryuji and Chitose smiled.

Wormmon was nearby. "So, what brings ya here?"

"We need help with a Quest Ben accepted." Keisuke replied. "We're trying to find a Pokemon called Drifloon. We know it's somewhere in Oblivia's skies, we just don't know where exactly. Any ideas?"

"Drifloon?" Erika typed on Memetan and searched the name. "Let's see…They apparently seek friendship with children, but will run away if they play too roughly with it…Oh. Here's something. Drifloon gather during humid seasons. So, you might have better luck finding it in warmer areas."

"Warmer areas…" Ryuji thought for a moment then smiled. "Like say, over a volcano?"

"Maybe."

"I see! Flandra Volcano!" Ben smiled. "That's where we might find some!"

"Thanks Erika." Keisuke smiled.

"Just bring me something sweet later and we'll call it even."

"Heh. You never change."

High above Flandra Volcano Latios, and Kabuterimon flew around. "See any yet?" Keisuke asked.

"Not yet…Wait! Over there!" Ben pointed at three Drifloon gathered. "Perfect! Capture On!" He shot his Styler and looped it around one of them. It then flew away. "Okay, now I just need to ask Supurna to call it over to her and we'll take it to CatchMamemon!"

Ryuji and Chitose were waiting at the entrance to Cocona Village with the boy and CatchMamemon. "Hey!" Ben waved as he and Keisuke landed.

"You're back!" CatchMamemon smiled. "Did you get it?"

Ben brought out the Drifloon. "Here it is! Drifloon!"

The boy dropped his smiled. "Oh, that Pokemon is…Buzz! Sorry!"

"Huh? What do you mean? It's body is purple with a x, it floats and it causes an explosion if it takes too much damage."

"The correct answer is Driflbim! It's not Drifloon."

"Wait a minute…" CatchMamemon said. "The Ranger's also right! That Pokemon's always floating, it has a purple body, it also has the Aftermath Ability, and it has a x on its face."

"Oh yeah…Hahaha. I see! Drifblim and Drifloon are both correct answers! I was being careless."

"A quiz with multiple answers that are technically correct is just unfair to the contestant!" CatchMamemon replied. "I'm truly sorry for the mix up. I better examine this Pokemon so I can make clues that point out the differences between it and Drifblim!"

"Floon." The Pokemon simply floated there as CatchMamemon got a closer look at it.

"We almost made a lazy quiz. Thank you for helping us, Ranger! Let me go back and say…You are right Ranger! Let us clap for you!" the boy said as he and CatchMamemon applauded.

Ben smiled and posed. "Quest Clear!"

"Anyway, what are you making these quizzes for?" Keisuke asked.

"Oh, I heard that there are a lot of Rangers here in this region now." CatchMamemon said. "So, I was thinking of something fun to do some kind of competition with all of you Rangers! But I'm starting to think a quiz might not be enough. Hmm…what to do…Actually before that, we should think of someone to host them. It would seem strange if a Digimon hosted a Pokemon Ranger event."

"Yeah. And I doubt they'll take a kid like me seriously." The boy added.

"I have a suggestion." Ben said. "Why not ask Murph or Ranger PR?"

"PR? What's that?"

"Public Relations." Yu replied. "It means he's in charge of spreading info among Rangers."

"Really? That sounds like he's really smart!"

Ben rolled his eyes. "Well, I don't know about that…"

"Come to think of it…" Chitose said. "He seems to know a lot about Rangers. He's familiar with all of the ones in the region right know at least. I think having him involved in a Ranger event is a great idea."

"That sounds like a plan!" CatchMamemon smiled. "Do you know where I can find this guy?"

"When he's not out at sea on The Union you should be able to find him in Tilt Village." Ben replied.

"Gotchya! We'll go see if he's there! Thanks again!" With that he picked up the boy with the arms of his flying machine and they flew off.

"Hah, ha. That kinda felt good." Chitose smiled. "Can't help but wonder what they'll cook up."

"Me too." Ben nodded.

Just then Booker and Nick came out of the house. "…Huh? You're here already?"

Ben turned around. "Booker?"

"Oh, it's you, Ben…Sorry, I heard some noise out here and though it was someone else."

"Is something wrong?" Tentomon asked.

Nick shrugged. "The boss has been acting up like this since yesterday. He's been nervous for not particular reason."

"I think it make sense for everyone to be a bit jittery, given recent events." Keisuke replied.

"Perhaps the boss has a date for the first time in decades, but his date has forgotten about it, so he's waiting for her in vain…"

"Ouch, I feel for you sir." Chitose sighed. "Every man's worse nightmare."

Booker scowled at his apprentice. "Stop it right now, Nick! I've been nervous because somethin's been botherin' me."

"What's the matter?" Ben asked.

Booker sighed and looked back at the group. "Ben, I'll be honest with ya…I'm expectin' a visitor soon. He's gonna come to this house. I have somethin' I really would like to have here before the time comes. But Nick and I prob'ly can't get it ourselves."

Nick turned to him. "Boss? Why don't you ask Ben for help?"

"…Hmm. Now there's an idea. This shouldn't be too tough for you, Ben. You know how sometimes you can find Pokemon livin' in trees all over Oblivia? One of those trees grows red berries that aren't like anythin' else. I'd like you to bring me this red berry, Ben. The problem is…I don't remember where the tree is…"

"Oh." Ben replied.

Nick turned back to the Ranger. "Ben, that's why he's been acting up. Find the red berry for my boss, please!"

Ben posed. "Quest On!"

"Will you do it for me? Sorry to bug ya. The berry I'd like to have…You can shake the tree to get some. I'd say, "Hurry, hurry, hurry!" if it weren't just me bein' selfish. But hurryn' just a little would do just fine."

Ben's eyes widened. "Ben, what's up?" Patamon asked.

"Uh, nothing. We'll do what we can Booker."

"Thanks."

They hurried out of the house. "Hurry, hurry, hurry…" Ben muttered. "It couldn't be…the Professor?"

"Huh? What about Professor Hastings?" Keisuke asked. "Oh yeah! He's saying that all the time! Wait…is he the one Booker's expecting? But why would he come here?"

"I don't know, but that's none of our business and we don't have time to ponder." Ryuji replied. "How are we going to get this berry if we have no idea where it is?"

Keisuke snapped his fingers. "Wait, of course! I know who we can ask!"

"Who?" Chitose asked. "Rand?"

"No, Yuuko!"

"Why Yuuko?" Ryuji asked giving him a strange look. "She's not even from this world."

"Trust me, nobody in any world is more passionate about food then she is. I'll give her a call."

"Well, you do that. In the meantime, I need to call Erika."

"Why Erika?" Ben asked.

"I'll see if she can stall the Professor, that'll at least buy us some time."

As Ryuji stepped away and dialed on his Digivice, Keisuke put his on and called Yuuko. An image of her appeared in a box. "Hello?"

"Hey, Yuuko, I need some help with something. Do you know anything about the berries in this region?"

The very topic brought a smile to her face. "Of course! Guilmon and I go berry picking all the time! Do you want me to recommend something to you?"

"Not exactly. See, Booker is looking for a specific berry. He says it's red and grows on a tree."

"Oh, I know that one. It's very sweet and tangy."

"Great! Do you know where we can find it?"

"It grows on a tree near Daybreak Ruins. Actually, you called at a good time. We were about to go make a berry run. If you want to join us, we'll meet you there."

"Awesome! Thanks, Yuuko, we'll be there soon!" Keisuke pulled his visor down. "Yuuko's going to met us at Daybreak Ruins, she knows where to find it."

Ryuji nodded. "Good, let's hurry. Erika said Summer was going to escort the Professor and she'll join to help her slow him down if they can." The others nodded.

Professor Hastings sighed as he looked at his watch. "Summer, we're going to be late."

"S-sorry Professor, Erika said she needs a bit more time to get ready!"

"Why did she suddenly want to go with us anyway? I've rarely even seen her leave that room at all."

"Uh…I…I'm not sure." Summer turned to the closed door to the room Erika was in. "Hey Erika, why did you want to come along again?"

"Ugh, just throw all the pressure on me why don't you?" Erika said in her head. She was just standing in the middle of her room. "Well…my brother keeps bothering me saying I should get outside more, so I'm hoping this'll get him off my back for a while."

Professor Hastings sighed. "Butting heads are we? I guess these things really are inevitable between siblings…"

"Hmm? Did you say something sir?" Summer asked.

"Oh, nothing. Erika, what exactly are you doing?"

Erika paused. "I'm just…looking up the fastest route."

"No need, I know the trail by heart."

"Oh…well just give me a minute to save what I was working on…"

Hastings sighed. "Look Erika, you can join us when you're done, but I really must be off now. Come along Summer." The Professor made his way towards the front door.

"Y-yes sir!"

"Wait, I'm ready!" Erika opened the door. She looked Summer and whispered. "That didn't buy us much time."

"Yeah, I guess we'll have to turn to plan B." Summer and Erika looked at Wormmon.

The Digimon gulped. "Something tells me, I'm not going to like this…"

Yuuko, along with RizeGreymon led Ben, Keisuke, Yu, Ryuji, and Chitose to a lone tree. The Digimon was holding a large basket that was already filled with assorted berries. "Here it is." Yuuko said. "Just be carful not to break it when you whack it."

Ben smiled. "Huh. Fancy that. One my last quest I caught just the thing. Drifloon!" Drifloon rammed into the tree repeatedly. One by one red berries came down. "Thanks!" Ben waved the Pokemon as it floated away. "This must be it." Ben said picking one up.

"Say, you said these are sweet right?" Keisuke asked.

"That's right. Probably the sweetest berry you'll find in Oblivia." Yuuko replied.

"Maybe I'll take one to Erika. I did promise her I'd bring something sweet."

"Oh? I didn't know Erika was into sweet foods."

"She has a really sweet tooth."

Yuuko smiled. "Interesting. Maybe next time I go pick berries I'll bring her along."

Ryuji smiled. "That's not a bad idea. Erika needs to get outside more."

"Yeah, plus you two could both use more friends." Chitose added.

"Really? I'm…not the best at talking to people. I don't know if…"

"Perfect, neither is she! You'll hit it off in no time!"

"Well in any case, if Erika likes sweet fruits, we could always set some fruit aside for her." RizeGreymon said.

"Good idea. You said she was out with Summer, yes?" Yuuko asked. "We'll leave some in her room for her."

"Thanks, Yuuko." Ben smiled. "Anyway, we should hurry. Knowing the Professor, he won't let much slow him down for long."

Professor Hastings took a deep breath as he walked down the trial with Summer, Erika, Staraptor and Wormmon following behind him. "Ah, it's been years since I was last on this island. To think it's still how I remember it. Honestly, it's rather relieving."

Summer looked into the pond on her left. She looked at Erika and they nodded to each other. She went slightly to the left closer to Wrommon. "Opps!" Summer got too close and "accidently" kicked the Digimon into the water.

"EEEEEEEEEEK!" Wormmmon hit the water with a splash and struggled to stay afloat. "Summer, whyyyyyyyyyyyyy?!"

"Oh, no!" Erika said in what was clearly a fake tone of horror. "Worrmon fell in!"

"What?" Professor Hastings stopped in his tracks.

"Help meeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!" Wormmon cried.

"Oh, poor Wormmon!" Summer said in a fake tone of panic. "Whatever shall we do?"

"I don't know!" Erika replied. "The water looks far to shallow for us to dive in and the cliff looks pretty steep!"

"You're right! If we go after him, we might hurt ourselves!"

Professor Hastings sighed in exasperation. "Oh, for goodness, sake. Just get your Staraptor to pull him out!"

"Oh, right." Summer muttered. "Okay, Staraptor, go get Wormmon, but be veeeery carful doing so!"

"That's right, we don't want to crush him!" Erika said.

Staraptor slowly floated over to Wormmon. He picked up the Digimon in his talons and slowly ascended. And then dropped Worrmon back in. "Hey!"

"Oh, Staraptor, you dropped him!" Summer said.

"Try that again, but this time be carful and take it slower!" Erika added.

"I knew I should have asked Rand to take me there." Professor Hastings murmured looking at his watch while tapping his foot. "Good thing I got "that" beforehand or we wouldn't be there until tomorrow afternoon."

"No offense, but your acting leaves a lot to be desired." Summer whispered.

"Oh, like yours could win an Oscar." Erika muttered back.

"A what?"

Ben and the members of Hudie he brought with him hurried into Booker's place. Ben had one of the red fruits in his hand. "We're back Booker."

Booker flashed a smile. "Oh, that's the one! The very berry! Ben, thank you so much!" He said as he accepted it.

"So, what are you going to do with that red berry?" Nick asked. "Could it be…?"

"Here it comes." Ben murmured.

Booker squinted at his apprentice. "Nick, whatever you're fixn't to say, I'm pretty sure it's way off."

"A long time ago, children in Oblivia used to call this berry the "friend-mend berry." Giving one of those berries to someone else was a sign that you wanted to become friends again."

Ben gasped as he looked behind them. Professor Hastings was right there with Erika, Summer and their partners. "P-Proffesor! When did you-

"Just now."

"What?" Nick blinked. "Could he be the famous Prof. Hastings?!"

Booker stared at the guest. "…I was getting' worried. Brother."

Everyone aside from the two elders went into shock and did a take. "Brother?!"

"Sorry, brother. I'd have been here a while ago if it weren't for a couple of girls slowing me down." The Professor smirked behind him. "Though I have a feeling it was intentional."

"Heh, heh…you got us sir." Summer sheepishly replied.

"Well, let's just say what I witnessed today was far from "Diantha" levels of acting."

"Told you." Summer and Erika said squinting at each other.

"From what levels?" Keisuke asked with a cocked eyebrow.

"I got a better question. If you were onto them couldn't you have said something before I was kicked into the lake?!" Wormmon yelled.

"Of course, another reason why I took so long…is because it took me a while to get this." Prof. Hastings walked over to Booker and handed something to him.

Nick gasped. "Th-that red thing…The friend-mend berry!"

"When did you get that?!" Summer asked.

"Sometime earlier today. Before I asked you to take me here."

Everyone took some time to sit down. Nick made tea and the "friend-mend berries" were sliced and divided for everyone to share.

"I never saw this coming!" Nick said. "Prof. Hastings from the Ranger Union is the boss's brother?!"

"I'm as shocked as you are, Nick." Ben replied.

"Then again, they do kinda look similar." Summer said.

"So why did you need the friend-mend fruit?" Otamamon asked. "Did something happen between you two?"

Booker took a long sip of tea. "It was mor'n twenty years ago… I worked with a bunch of young apprentices here in Oblivia to finish this ship called The Union."

Ben's eyes widened. "As in-

"The same. My brother was delighted and said I should join the Ranger Union as captain of the Union. I didn't much care for the idea of leavin' Oblivia, unlike my brother, so I naturally turned him down. And he yelled at me, "I only suggested it for your sake, my selfish brother!"

"Whoa…" Keisuke murmured.

Hastings sighed. And my brother then replied, "You are so ungrateful leaving the island!" This was the beginning of our two-decade family quarrel."

"We were just two stupid and stubborn brothers." Booker sighed. "It was only recently…that he decided to send The Union back to the island when she retired from operation. His consideration was so movin'…It almost made me cry."

"Yeah. I remember how you reacted when we first told you it was here in Oblivia." Ben said.

Hastings put his cup down. "I knew you'd been secretly making donations to the Ranger Union. Thank you, Booker." Everyone watched the two fall into awkward silence. "…Eh, enough of that. Our friends look somber now. Ben, Keisuke, Ryuji, Chitose, Yu, thank you for getting the red berry for my brother. This means, by the way…Quest Clear!"

Ben and Summer stood up to pose.

"The boss and Prof. Hastings both seem hasty and competitive. I'd imagine you two must have had lots of fights, right?" Nick asked.

Booker nodded. "Yep, you got it right, Nick. We were always figthin' over the most ridiculous things. One day, he broke a model ship that took me a whole month to make…"

"Booker, I'm afraid you're remembering it incorrectly. It was you who fell off the bed half awake." Hastings replied. "The ship fell because of that vibration."

"You're callin' me half awake!" Booker snorted.

"Uh, oh." Chitose muttered.

"Who's half asleep here? Stop talkin' rubbish!"

Hastings glared back. "Rubbish? I merely felt compelled to point out the truth."

"You still can't stand losin' after all these years!"

"I'm not the one being so stubborn here."

Nick shuddered as he looked at the Rangers. "Ben! It's all my fault! The boss and Prof. Hastings are fighting again. What am I supposed to do…?"

Booker smiled. "That's what we'd do in the old days. Every day was like that, remember? Hahaha!"

Hastings smiled back. "Yes, it was exactly like that when we were young. Hahaha!"

Nick sighed in relief. "You made me scared…I just don't know how to stop elderly fights, you know. I felt for a moment on pins and needles."

"Pichu, Pichu…" Ben's Pokemon sighed.

Erika closed her eyes. "Youth comes with ignorance and pride. Pride comes at a price."

"Are you speaking from experience?" Nick asked.

"I am. My brother and I don't always agree on things. And we sometimes think of each other as selfish."

"So, it's more then just us, huh?" Booker asked.

"I suppose siblings just don't like being wrong to the other. It's wired into our DNA." Hastings added.

"No." Erkia shook her head. "Blood relations don't decide who your family is." She looked at her fellow Hudie members. "Trust me, I know. I have more then just Ryuji."

Keisuke smiled. "Erika…"

"And it's not just him I but heads with. He can be a self-righteous jerk, Chitose can be annoying, Keisuke can be an idiot, and Yu can be a brat."

"Uh, Erika? Where are you going with this?" Chitose asked.

"But every time I feel like they're driving me up a wall, I remind myself that they only do what they truly believe is the right thing. And if they have faults, then I just need to help cover for them. Just like they do mine."

Ryuji smiled. "That's true. As long as family looks out for each other it doesn't mater if we're flawed."

"So, what made you finally decide it was time to make amends after all this time, Professor?" Tentomon asked.

Prof. Hastings closed his eyes. "I've been considering it ever since I decided to come here to Oblivia…But it's been so long that reaching out to him felt…so difficult. But then I unexpectedly ran into an old friend here. And he reached out to me dispute the deep grudge he held against me for so long. And then I realized something. Reaching out and making amends…in actuality is not as hard as you think."

"I guess you'd know about that, huh?" Chitose asked, turning to his friend.

Ryuji smiled and looked at the now empty plate. "Yeah. Friend-mend fruit, huh? Maybe I'll bring one to Sanada some time."

Summer heard her Styler beep and pressed a button. "Hello?"

"It's me, Rythmi! Is Prof. Hastings still with you?"

"Yeah."

"Can you let him know that I received a message from the Ranger Union? He needs to come back as soon as possible."

The professor stood up and grabbed his cane. "I heard you. Oh, the ceaseless…"

"Just another day in our line of work, right sir?" Ben grinned.

Prof. Hastings laughed. "I'd love to stay longer, for we have a lot to catch up on, but I guess I have to go back to work." He shook his brother's hand.

"Come back to visit anytime brother."

"Well then…I guess we should head back as well." Ben said.

As they said their goodbyes, they all left. A warm feeling in each of their hearts.

I figured an emotional Quest like this one was a good place for Hudie to start in this arc.