"Whatever you do, don't let them get Omnimon…!"

Despite being in a virtual world, Adam's lungs were flaring as he took deep gasps of breath. He lost track of Layla and Emily when they first struck, and there's no telling if they were able to lose them. He knew that SAIBA was far from happy with them holding onto Omnimon but this…

…This had to be their Trojan persona if anything.

"Give it up!" A voice echoed across the orange sky above, skating in between the green constructs where he took cover. Adam stayed silent, trying his best to block the voice he refused to recognize. Of all possible people to be chasing after them, why did it have to be her?

The shadow of a mysterious Digimon glided over him and made him flinch. His heartbeat sped up and he knew he had seconds to pick a direction and not look back. With a hard gulp, he spun around the side of the construct and bee-lined it back in the direction he came…

Only to stop short at the sight of the Digimon in question, as well as its Tamer…


[Several Weeks Earlier…]


"Melissa Reinhardt; a graduate of Cisco University you joined SAIBA Enterprise five years ago as an intern in your freshman year and worked your way up to Community Manager not long after graduation, in which case you served your role for three years to enforce the passion you claim to carry for the game and company as a whole."

"That's correct."

"In addition, you are admired for your dedication and willingness to shoulder responsibility, especially regarding recent events that befell the company."

"Also correct."

"Therefore, forgive me if I say it's hard to believe that you had intentions of unleashing a virus that would steal confidential information to sell to rival companies in an attempt to put SAIBA Enterprise out of business."

Melissa shrugged. "Guess I'm more than a pretty face, huh?"

The detective closed the folder and stared down at the young woman who peacefully sat as the handcuffs threatened to cut her circulation off in her wrists. Despite the anxiety eating away at her, she kept her composure, reminding herself that she's been through worse circumstances.

Though some would argue that being accused of staging a cyber-terror attack is about as worse as one could get in a technology-dependent society like Cisco City.

The detective stared for a few more moments, attempting to get a read on the cooperative woman. "To think a beautiful young woman like yourself would be capable of something like this. It's…"

"Unbelievable?" Melissa asked continuing with her front.

"Exactly." The detective nodded. "Which leads me to my question: "why would someone with your record throw it all away to cover the tracks of someone else?"

Melissa didn't react, nor answer him, instead reaffirming her stoic stature.

The detective took a deep breath. "You realize you're going to prison for a crime I don't think you committed right?"

"Yes."

"And I'm sure that whoever you're covering doesn't realize just how admirable and stupid you are."

Melissa found herself cracking a smile. "To be honest, the same can be said about them."

The detective found himself chuckling. "Ms. Reinhardt, I'll give you one last chance to come clean. All I need is a name, and you're free to go afterward. Don't ruin your career taking the fall for someone else."

Before Melissa could reply to that, the detective's phone buzzed in his pocket. He excused himself, standing up to look at the ID. "Think it over while I take this." He answered the phone as he walked out of the room, leaving Melissa to her thoughts.

It's been days since the attack and yet the events remained fresh in her mind. What started as a calm Tuesday, with Michael proposing a potential counterforce to future Trojan attacks, lead to a heartfelt one-on-one with Adam, where she had to literally scoop him from the front of the building and bring him home. And then, assuming everything was resolved, she found herself blindsided by the security breach by Trojan the next day, which when it was resolved, lead to her arrest as the virus' entry into the network was traced back to her office computer.

Needless to say, she was shocked, as there was no motive, she could think of that would push her to do something like that. Even the rumors that began to pop up, those who heard it dismissed it. Melissa to most at SAIBA Enterprise was a girl scout, albeit a clumsy one at times.

It was only then, did she learn that Adam and the others were the ones responsible for deleting it, did the idea that Adam was tied to it came to fruition in her mind. From that point, to avoid getting them anymore involved in the situation, she lied and came up with a story that led her in this interrogation room, in handcuffs. Once again, she found herself sticking her neck out for the sake of those two boys.

The detective came back into the room, closing the door behind him. "Good news, Ms. Reinhardt; you're free to go."

Melissa didn't expect that outcome so suddenly. A fellow officer came into the room to unlock the handcuffs, setting her free. "But…"

"Your boss would much rather have you under his direct supervision than be rotting in a jail cell. If I were you, I'd be quiet and go along with it."

Melissa didn't know what to say, only grabbing her pocketbook and taking her leave. As she exited the building she was greeted by a limousine, the chauffer exiting the car to open the door for her.

"Um…thanks but I can just call—"

"Don't trouble yourself, Ms. Reinhardt." Akiyoshi Saiba's head peered from the doorway.

Melissa straightened up at the sight of her boss and felt the urge to agree to his offer. Before she knew it, she was inside the limousine, the car taking off towards its destination…


From one tense moment to another, Melissa this time found herself seated across her boss, Akiyoshi Saiba; only this time, instead of handcuffs, a cup of imported green tea sat before her. She never found herself one for Green Tea, but she also figured it'd be rude to not indulge him.

Before saying anything, Akiyoshi gave a small smile, that Melissa picked up on. It wasn't enough to unsettle her, but it was enough incentive to take a sip of tea. The slightly bitter tea passed her lips, leaving a soothing feeling to pass through her, but not much else.

It wasn't terrible, but she'd much rather prefer anything else.

"I don't think I've had a chance to commend you for what you've done for those children. Despite saving the company, the fact remained that they were the cause of significant damage to Babylon. The reason that you were willing to risk your career takes courage I haven't seen in years."

"Thank you, sir…" Melissa replied, unsure of how to answer him. She thought it was a compliment, so she went with it.

Akiyoshi continued, "Unfortunately, you do understand that because you chose this route, you will have to step down from your role as Community Manager."

Melissa nodded, "I understand the nuances of PR. I wouldn't have done so if I weren't risking everything."

The room door opened, grabbing her attention. Michael made his way into the room, with what looked to be her confiscated D-Case. "You could've picked a simpler way to quit then, or at least request a transfer."

"What are you doing here?" She asked, surprised to find him, and more so with her D-Case.

"First off, I want to thank you for sticking your neck out for my son. Secondly, remember that proposition from the other day?"

Melissa was quiet. She looked at Akiyoshi who motioned back to Michael. "I wouldn't suppose…the job is still available?"

Michael chuckled, "As if I were going to give it to anyone else. Adam used the deck you handcrafted personally to take out Diaboromon. By extension, you're as much of a hero as they are, and surely more qualified than all the other applicants we've tested just by that alone."

Melissa would've blushed had she not found herself in such an awkward spot. Michael handed her the D-Case, and once taken ahold of, she felt the sense of reunion with her cards, as if they've been separated for so long.

"Gallantmon, if you don't mind, introduce yourself," Michael spoke up.

Melissa blinked at the sound of the name. It was then the small screen of her D-Case flashed and produced the image of the unfamiliar Digimon, a white and red dragon-themed knight with a flowing red cape and large spear. Once fully materialized, it looked up at Melissa and took a knee.

"Wha—wait hold on, where's Biyomon?"

"Don't worry, I'm still here Melissa." Another voice said before the pink bird materialized beside him.

"Biyomon!" Melissa exclaimed, excited to see her partner wasn't replaced.

"Should've mentioned that your D-Case, as well as your team's, has been modified to house more than one partner. Fact is, watching the kids in their struggle against Trojan over the last week helped us realize an interesting factor when it comes to the Digimon Programs.

Melissa looked up at him, not exactly understanding what he meant.

"The Digimon AI can learn and adapt. Which means they grow stronger and smarter the tighter the bond is with their Tamer."

"So basically, if SAIBA is to survive another attack by Trojan, you would need us to be as strong as possible, even if it meant having more than one—hold on a second…Team?"

"You and three others have been chosen to be SAIBA's Royal Knights. A special team of Tamer and Digimon tasked with the defense of Babylon and SAIBA Enterprise as a whole." Michael explained. The other three members have already been chosen and introduced to their Digimon. And once we had you on board, our team was complete."

"Okay…so now what?"

"Over the next several weeks you will undergo training, including learning the layouts of Babylon and the outer Netspace, Battle Simulations so you can adapt your playstyles to your new partners, so on and so forth. This will give the company enough time to hire a CM as well as assure Babylon is fixed and ready for its debut."

"Are you sure that's safe? I understand that Trojan took a major hit, but with everything they did in the last week, imagine how much they can do in a month!"

"Ms. Reinhardt, I understand your concern, but trust me. Trojan caught us off guard with its series of attacks but thanks to those kids, their ace in the hole is nothing more than an afterthought."

Melissa felt uneasy nonetheless and took a harder gulp of the tea to ease herself. She turned back to the D-Case where the two Digimon sat patiently for her attention. "Gallantmon, right?"

"Yes, Ma'am." Gallantmon was still on one knee. Melissa was a little taken aback by his politeness. "You can call me Melissa."

"Forgive me, Ma'am," Gallantmon repeated.

Melissa turned to Biyomon, the latter of whom shrugged.

"He'll loosen up. Give him time." Biyomon reassured.

"Yeah, for his sake I hope…"


Chapter 13: Survivor's Guilt


Welcome…to Cyber City Babylon…

A captivating Cyberspace set to bring in a new age of Cyber Technology, Babylon welcomes all to embrace the world of the future. With full immersive capabilities, users can interact with the landscape, and explore various facets and activities, alongside the Babylonian native creatures known as Digimon. Digimon come in all shapes and sizes, and are all eager to befriend users of Babylon, be it in Byte-Byte Playground, which features a Digimon nursey, in Central Park, where events hosted by SAIBA Enterprise and guests take place, or, if you're in the competitive spirit, Omni Coliseum, where Tamers and their partner Digimon duke it out in explosive life-like battles via the Digimon Trading Card Game! There's something for everyone in the world's first Cyber City, so what are you waiting for…?


[Northern District, Babylon, Present Day…]


"Hard to believe that despite everything that's happened, this place could looking this after a whole week of being released to the public…" The brown-haired boy said as he let his legs hang off the side of the illuminated skyscraper. It was late-night, causing Babylon's server clock to reflect the time of the real world. The sky above held a deep purplish-black tone, as the lights from the various structures lit the world below in a sea of rainbows and neon. "Guess people aren't afraid of literal terrorists lurking amongst them."

The orange dinosaur next to him yawned, carrying with it an expression that denoted drowsiness. The boy noticed his companion's expression and leaned over.

"What's up Agumon?"

"It's getting late…you have school in the morning." Agumon, the dinosaur yawned again, this time rubbing its eye with one of its oversized claws.

"I know. I'm not gonna be on much longer. Just thinking if Megan knows what's been going on. Or if she's alright?"

"SAIBA's likely after her as well," Agumon suggested. "Maybe she was told to stay low as well like we were."

"That's assuming Axel wasn't messing with us. I can't wrap my head around her joining Morris after what he's done—or what he intends on doing. Besides, there's still a ton we don't know. Morris likely has Millenniummon, SAIBA is probably Trojan in disguise, we haven't heard from Megan…and then there's the fact that Trevor stole Omnimon. Can't catch a break to save our lives, literally."

Agumon turned to him, "That reminds me, didn't Trevor tell us not to set foot in Babylon until we knew what was going on?"

"You know I can't sit around and do nothing. Not after everything that happened."

"I understand but…"

"Agumon, look, you may not understand this because you're a computer program and all, but we humans have something called 'guilt'."

"I know what guilt is, Adam. And what you may feel guilty about may not be your fault. Melissa chose to step down from her position for your sake."

"Yeah, but if I wasn't so reckless, she'd still have her job, right?"

Agumon didn't answer that. "We shouldn't be here."

"I know we shouldn't, but I can't help but feel like we're wasting time."

"Us sitting on a rooftop in the middle of the night can be considered wasting time," Agumon responded.

Adam groaned. "I liked it better when you were silent."

Agumon chuckled. "OMNI's influence on my data seems to give me more freedom with my interactions."

Adam looked over. "Really? Hmph, explains why you've been so talkative lately."

Agumon pondered the concept for a moment. "Ever since Omnimon was used during your battle with Axel, the way I process data seems a bit more…fluid?"

"Interesting choice of words. So does that make you more than just an AI?"

Agumon shrugged. "I do feel a bit less restricted. Do you think Trevor and Gabumon may know something?"

"Probably? Trevor's Gabumon I heard was designed to be a bit more advanced than standard D-Case AI after all. Gabumon acts like a personal assistant when he would be doing stuff related to SAIBA. Wouldn't hurt to ask."

Agumon nodded, turning his attention outward.

"…Does this mean that aside from Omnimon, there's a chance they'll come after you too?" Adam suddenly said after a few moments.

Agumon sat silent. "I want to think…that as long as we follow Trevor's instructions, then I don't think that's a possibility."

Adam nodded. Despite knowing this was Agumon's way of reminding him to call it a night, his words did help him find some level of reassurance. "Good enough for me." he stood up, prompting Agumon to join him. Taking one last look at the illuminated cityscape, the pair dispersed in streams of data, ejecting themselves from the Babylon interface.


"As a reminder, SATs are fast approaching…" The voice of Mrs. Snyder explained to her English students. "The dates are posted on the school's website, and tutoring is being offered during after-school hours. PSATs are this Saturday so if you are planning on taking it you need to sign up no later than Wednesday. Remember, when it comes to the SATs, you don't lose points for wrong answers, but the higher score you get the more options you open yourself to for potential colleges. So be sure to mark every answer down, even if you have to guess. You have nothing to lose when it comes to taking a chance…"

Adam stared blankly at his teacher as she continued to erase the board. SATs weren't something that crossed his mind now that he thought about it. Granted, before picking up the game again, he didn't have much going for him. Constantly being haunted by nightmares and having his two best friends indulged in the game at times pushed him to isolate a bit. He wasn't an introvert or anything; at least he didn't think he was. But a more accurate term would probably be…unmotivated.

If he was being honest with himself, he didn't have any particular goals after High School. Trevor was always on the fast track to Pro Gamer or at least a SAIBA Employee as a fallback. Megan was smart so she'd likely end up in a top school somewhere out within the country or abroad if she wanted. Counting Layla and Emily, Layla would likely inherit SAIBA Enterprise and Emily…


"What are my plans after High School?" Emily repeated the question Adam asked her as they approached the lunch table. "Why ask?"

Adam shrugged. "Out of curiosity. PSATs are this weekend."

"Are you planning on taking it early?"

"Not really. To be honest I haven't given College much thought. Don't know if it's lack of motivation or just the last month being so chaotic, I barely had time to focus on much else."

"Ever consider taking up a trade? Software maintenance or something might be a good idea. If you do decide on College, Cisco University I heard has a great Computer Science Program."

"What about outside Cisco City?" Adam mentioned. "Like NYU or Howard University?"

"I'm pretty sure you just named those off the top of your head." Emily pointed out.

"Ahem," Adam cleared his throat to divert the topic, "What are your plans again? I didn't quite catch it before."

"Likely Cisco University as a Creative Writing Major."

"Creative Writing?" Adam blinked. "You?"

"When you spend five years of your life a bitter person, it gets to be too toxic to hold it in," Emily explained. "I didn't mention it before, but my parents forced me into a therapy session or two when I was younger. My therapist gave me a journal to write my thoughts down. Didn't help the way they intended, but one prose here and rondeau here and I developed a bit of skill with a pen."

Adam humored by the thought of "Emily the Writer" chipped in with a novel concept. "Here's an idea; you should totally write a story about our adventure in Babylon and sell it to SAIBA."

Emily smiled at the idea, agreeing that what they've been through was a fantastical experience, to say the least. "It wouldn't be a bad idea had it not be for the fact SAIBA poses a threat to everything…"

Adam grew silent. "It still bugs me that Megan is still missing after everything. Have you heard from her at all?"

Emily shook her head. "You and Trevor said that Axel implied she was okay. And Layla explained in our conversations that Trojan's actions are calculated. They rarely dispose of anyone unless there's a benefit tied to it."

Adam contemplated the thought. "Do you think…hypothetically of course…that she could've joined Trojan?"

"But why though?"

"I don't know, just a thought I had. Axel sent me the video of when she was kidnapped. I was so shocked by it that I feel like I missed something that may have been staring me in the face."

Emily crossed her arms, their food likely getting cold at this point. "Tyrone was caught up in that mess, wasn't he? Ever thought about asking him?"

"Not really…when it comes to Tyrone, you only approach him if you have a death wish. Or you're a Teacher. Plus, I don't know if you've been paying attention, but he hasn't been in the greatest of moods as of late."

"Meaning?"

"Think it was like literally two days before you started coming to this school, we all got detention for getting into a fight with him here in the cafeteria. Then he nearly got into a fight with Megan that Mr. Morris broke up before, only to end up in a fight anyway half a block from the school. Tyrone's gotten into so many altercations he's been suspended for the rest of the season."

"Yikes. Feel sorry for him."

"I wasn't suspended. I asked for time off."

Adam tensed hearing Tyrone's voice speak up from behind him. He turned, seeing the dark-skinned giant hover over him. However, Tyrone's focus was directed towards Emily, who didn't find the brute intimidating by any stretch.

"Do you mind if I borrow him?" Tyrone pointed downward.

"I don't mind. Just bring him back in one piece or else Trevor will get me for it." Emily shooed them away.

"Traitor…!" Adam hissed under his breath.

"Come on, I need to talk to you." Tyrone's heavy hand came down on his shoulder.

"What about?" Adam inquired.

"It's about Megan. And what happened to us the day she disappeared."

Adam's heart clenched in his chest and he got serious. With that, he rose from his seat and followed Tyrone to wherever he was going to take him.


Tyrone took Adam out to the bleachers out on the school's football field, where the school's football coach, Coach Collins was manning the current period's Gym Class. Tyrone and Adam went to the top of the bleachers to keep hidden from any faculty, and students for that matter.

"So, what's up? What happened that day with you and—"

"Is it true that Trevor quit being a pro?" Tyrone sprung up.

Adam got quiet, not knowing how to answer that. Tyrone scoffed, "figured he'd punk out."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Megan's gone so he ain't got no one else to impress. Less, of course, you're gonna fill that spot as his number one cheerleader."

"Yeah, speaking of, what about Megan did you want to talk about again?"

"You know she'd be upset if she found out he did."

"What's your point?"

"My point is that you three have been acting weird since she disappeared."

"And that's weird? Our best friend was kidnapped by someone we trusted. For all we know she could be hurt, or worse! But what about you? For someone who got his butt kicked by a middle-aged man you seem to be in good spirits."

"Because I have info that might interest you."

"Like what?"

With a smirk, Tyrone fished his phone from his pocket and flashed it towards Adam. Adam's heart proceeded to drop at the sight of Megan mixing herself through a crowd of Babylon Avatars. It was just a photo, but the impact was powerful, nonetheless.

"Where did you get this?!"

Tyrone pulled the phone back and began to scroll. "Unknown number. Probably Morris. Along with it came instructions to show you and only you."

"But why?"

"Beats me. Now that you know she's alive, what are you going to do?"

"Isn't it obvious? I'm gonna go find her."

"Figured you'd say that." He turned the phone back to Adam and his heart somehow found a way to go deeper into his being. Instead of a picture this time, only a message stood:

We're waiting for you…

"I'm guessing you know what that means…right?" Tyrone continued to pry.

"I…"

"Whatever Morris was tied up with, I'm guessing Megan got herself tangled too. I'm not crazy at the thought of being his errand boy but my advice is to just forget about her. Save yourself the hassle."

"That's easy for you to say! You got yourself rejected by her so why should you give a crap about—"

Adam felt Tyrone's fist connect with him, throwing him back on the metal bleachers. The left side of his face went numb as drops of red began to line in front of him.

"You're a real idiot you know that?" Tyrone snarled. "I'm trying to do you a favor."

"Maybe you should try harder!" Adam retorted, wiping his nose. "For starters, you can mind your business!"

"I'm making this my business!" Tyrone stated with enough force to shut Adam up. "If I weren't such an idiot before she'd still be here! If I was stronger, I could've protected her! Compared to me what have you two done to find her?! Besides, give up before you started?!"

Adam gritted his teeth. "Back off."

"Make me," Tyrone replied.

Adam's blood was boiling. If only Tyrone knew what they had to deal with, with Diaboromon and saving Babylon. If only he knew about Axel and the nightmares he's had to deal with. If only he knew about how Trojan and SAIBA Enterprise have been manipulating their lives and are now hunting them down…

"Fine…" Adam reached for his deck. "Me. You. Babylon. Right now."

Tyrone noticed where Adam's hand was, clenching the D-Case with so much force. A smirk crossed his face and he reached for his own. "Fine by me. If that's what it'll take to knock some sense into you then, by all means, let's rampage!"

D-Com powered on. Stand By for Cyber Drive.

"Babylon Server, Northern District, Party: two, Set to Private, No Password," Adam commanded.

"Babylon Server, Northern District, Join Private Session," Tyrone commanded.

Settings complete.

Room Open.

Initializing Cyber Drive

Both Adam and Tyrone closed their eyes, allowing their consciousness to be digitized and sent into the inner workings of the Babylon Server. In moments they materialized across from one another on Babylon's interface, on the same rooftop Adam sat on the night before. The digital sunlight lit up the white battlefield for the pair, showing a pristine shine that was imminent of being damaged by the impending Digimon.

"Too scared to go into a Coliseum?"

"Don't need anyone sticking their nose in our business."

"You just don't want anyone to see you get your butt handed to you."

"You ready?" Adam called out, ignoring his last remark.

"Let's tear up the place."

"DIGI-GATE: OPEN!"


"I'll start by hatching!" Adam called, out, Yokomon appearing in his Raising Area.

Yokomon (BT1-001)

Color: Red

Level: 2

"Yokomon digivolves into Agumon, then I play Biyomon from my hand for 2 memory."

Agumon overlayed over Yokomon, while Biyomon materialized into the Battle Area.

Agumon (ST1-03)

Color: Red

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Biyomon (ST1-02)

Color: Red

Level: 3

DP: 3000

MEMORY

0-2 (Turn Change: Tyrone)

Tyrone drew. "I hatch Minomon!"

A small green bagworm-like Digimon with a small purple mouth and tiny arms materialized on Tyrone's side.

Minomon (BT3-004)

Color: Green

Level: 2

"Guess Red didn't work out for you the first time, huh?"

Tyrone smirked. "Minomon digivolves into Agumon!"

Agumon appeared over Minomon in the Raising Area, being a mirror copy of Adam's aside from the card color.

Agumon (BT2-043)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 1000

"And then I'll play Agumon from my hand for 3 Memory!" Tyrone revealed the red card in his hand, taking Adam by surprise. "When Agumon is played, I reveal the top five cards of my deck and add a Tamer from amongst them."

Agumon (BT1-010)

Color: Red

Level: 3

DP: 2000

The 3rd Agumon appeared before them, this one turning its head upward and firing a fireball into the air. Fireball returned downward and Agumon slashed it apart into five separate cards, revealing them to be: Tentomon, Garudamon, Tyrannomon, the Green Tamer card Taiga, and another red Agumon card.

"I add Taiga to my hand and send the other cards to the bottom of the deck," Tyrone said as the remaining fireballs became balls of data and returned to his D-Case.

MEMORY

2-1 (Turn Change: Adam)

"Two colors?" Adam asked. "Then someone like you can handle that?"

"I'll let you be the judge of that," Tyrone smirked.

Adam drew, willing to bite. Though with one memory there was little he could do. "I move Agumon to the Battle Area, then I digivolve it into Greymon."

Agumon roared and leaped as the streams of binary entered his being and reformed it into the larger Dinosaur Digimon, at which point in landed and roared once more to assert dominance on the field.

Greymon (ST1-07)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

1-1 (Turn Change: Tyrone)

"Think Memory Choking me is gonna give you an advantage huh?" Tyrone said as he drew. "Agumon moves to the Battle Area!"

The Green Agumon was pushed forward alongside its red counterpart.

"For 1 Memory, I digivolve Agumon into Stingmon!"

Adam clicked his tongue at the sight of Agumon reforming into a tall, humanoid insect Digimon. It was a dark, emerald color armed with grayish-black gauntlets and sharp silver claws. A tuff of orange hair protruded from the back of its helmet-shaped head, and the antennas that were present on Minomon prior are now larger and sport the dark green/orange color scheme.

Stingmon (BT3-050)

Color: Green

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

1-0

"Then for 3 Memory, I'll play Taiga from my hand."

Tyrone played the tamer from before, and from it, materialized a black-haired boy with a black and orange shirt, blue shirts, and matching sneakers, as well as a pair of black and orange bike goggles.

Taiga (BT2-088)

Color: Green

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Adam)

"A Tamer that I've never seen before… Can't wait to see what he can do."

"You'll find out soon enough. Just make your move." Tyrone said.

"You asked for it." Adam drew. He saw MetalGreymon and didn't think twice. "Greymon digivolve into MetalGreymon!"

Greymon roared once again, as Binary code encircled it and armed it with metallic plates and armor, turning it into a slightly larger cyborg version of itself.

MetalGreymon (BT1-021)

Color: Red

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

3-0

"With Greymon and Agumon's IE Effects, Double Security Attack with 8000 DP! Per MetalGreymon's effect, I gain an extra 3 Memory!"

MEMORY

0-3

MetalGreymon: 7000 DP-8000 DP

MetalGreymon puffed its metal chest out, the breastplates opening up to reveal two missiles that launched forward towards Tyrone. Two Security Cards appeared to shield him as a result.

The first missile made contact, pushing Tyrone back some from the small explosion."Security Check!" The first card revealed was the red Tyrannomon card.

MetalGreymon: 8000 DP

Tyrannomon: 4000 DP

"Second check!" Tyrone called out, moving on. "Security Trigger! Flower Cannon to suspend Biyomon!"

Adam did little to react as the yellow beam fired upon Biyomon and stunned it.

Tyrone

Security: 5-3

"I'll end by playing Tai from my hand for 4 Memory," Adam revealed, setting the card into play. "At the end of my turn, you gain the 3 Memory I borrowed thanks to Greymon."

Tai materialized on Adam's side, ready to support him and his Digimon all the same.

Tai Kamiya (BT1-085)

Color: Red

MEMORY

3-4 (Turn Change: Tyrone)

Tyrone scoffed once more, "You're making this too easy for me!"

"Says the one down two Security."

"Like I said. Too easy…" Tyrone drew, looked at the card drawn, and a wide grin traced across his face. "Have you heard of the Wastelands? That out-of-bounds area rumored to have powerful Digimon roaming about?"

"You mean the area locked out from the public because it's still in Beta? I've seen the posts on Reddit. People have been trying to glitch into it all week. Every time Babylon Moderators would be on their cases ejecting them without a second thought."

Tyrone didn't lose his grin. "Guess you can consider me one of the lucky ones."

Adam took a moment to study him to call his bluff. Tyrone however remained eager.

"I hatch Bebydomon!"

The small green dragon Digimon materialized in the Raising Area, its small wings flapping vigorously to keep it afloat.

Bebydomon (BT1-002)

Color: Red

Level: 2

"Then, Agumon will digivolve int DarkTyrannomon!"

Tyrone's red Agumon now took its turn to digivolve, becoming the red-striped black Dinosaur, a more muscular version of its counterpart.

DarkTyrannomon (BT1-019)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

4-3

"I suspend my Tamer Taiga to decrease the digivolution cost of DarkTyrannomon by 1!"

Adam's eyes widened. "That means you—"

"Got a free Level 4 out, yup!"

MEMORY

3-4

"But wait! There's more…!" Tyrone revealed the following card. "Stingmon digivolves into MetalTyrannomon!"

Adam began to feel the pressure as Stingmon forwent its bug aesthetic in favor of the larger, white-armored cyborg T-Rex. Clad in red and blue wires and metal tubes exploding from its chest and encasing its body, MetalTyrannomon roared, standing on par with MetalGreymon in terms of might.

MetalTyrannomon (BT2-046)

Color: Green

Level: 5

DP: 6000

MEMORY

4-2

"Just like your Agumon, during my turn, my Digimon gets +1000 DP. And when I attack a Digimon, Minomon boosts the Digimon by +1000 too. So, with 8000 total DP, MetalTyrannomon attacks MetalGreymon!"

MetalTyrannomon: 6000 DP-8000 DP

MetalGreymon: 7000 DP

MetalTyrannomon took charge of its rival and locked claws with it. MetalGreymon struggled to push it back, but the added boost from the Inherited effects allowed MetalTyrannomon to twist and flip MetalGreymon on its back, shaking the building on impact. Adam stared in horror and regret as he was forced to watch MetalTyrannomon mercilessly charge its hand cannon and obliterate MetalGreymon. The blast was so strong that to Adam's surprise a Security appeared to shield him, breaking as a result.

Adam

Security: 5-4

"Taiga's other effect," Tyrone spoke up. "All of my Digimon with 'Tyrannomon' in their names get Piercing!"

"You're joking!" Adam exclaimed. "Security Check!" he said begrudgingly. SkullGreymon was revealed as a result.

MetalTyrannomon: 8000 DP

SkullGreymon: 7000 DP

Not enough to delete it, Adam looked over to DarkTyrannomon, then towards Biyomon, already foreseeing what was about to happen.

"Stingmon's IE effect regains a Memory each time I delete a Digimon without being deleted myself. That aside, DarkTyrannomon, it's your turn! Attacks Biyomon!"

MEMORY

2-3

DarkTyrannomon: 6000 DP

Biyomon: 3000 DP

Biyomon, who was still under the effects of Flower Cannon, was helpless as DarkTyrannomon grabbed the small bird and ate it like the prey it was. DarkTyrannomon subsequently used the absorbed data and turned it into a blast of fire that Adam was forced to endure. A second Security naturally blocked it.

Adam

Security: 4-3

"Security check!"

WarGreymon emerged from the card and didn't hesitate to cut DarkTyrannomon down in a quick fashion.

DarkTyrannomon: 6000 DP

WarGreymon: 11,000 DP

"That was for Biyomon," Adam told him.

Tyrone shrugged. "The fact you care more about a pink bird than your friend says a lot."

Adam gritted his teeth once more.

"Rise beast of ancient times! Assert your dominance over the land that was once your kingdom!" Tyrone recited as he held up his drawn card from prior.

Binary began to surround MetalTyrannomon, causing its armor to fully encase it all around. The Armor turned from its steel color to a rusted brownish-red, and extra armor formed on its back to form a large cannon. Before Adam realized it, the scaley skin of MetalTyrannomon was replaced with metal and screws, while the rest of the body was covered in the hard, rusted armor.

"MetalTyrannomon, digivolves into…RustTyrannomon!" Tyrone declared as the large machine echoed his announcement.

RustTyrannomon (BT2-051)

Color: Green

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-1 (Turn Change: Adam)

"Your move." Tyrone passed the turn in an arrogant tone, though who could argue against it given the circumstances? Adam steeled himself and proceeded to go about it.

"Tai sets my memory to 3!"

MEMORY

1-3

Adam drew. He wouldn't be able to do much, but his trusty Coredramon would buy him some time hopefully. It was going to be tough with that piercing though but what other options did he have?

I hatch Koromon!

The pink ball materialized in the Raising Area, awaiting another play by Adam.

Koromon (ST1-01)

Color: Red

Level: 2

"Koromon digivolves into Monodramon, then for 5 Memory I'll play Coredramon from my hand!"

Koromon subsequently transformed into a small purple dragon-like Digimon, similar in stature to Agumon prior, having two fins on the side of its arms. Meanwhile, a larger green dragon Digimon materialized in the Battle Area, ready to provide defense for Adam as well.

Monodramon (BT1-009)

Color: Red

Level: 3

DP: 3000

Coredramon (ST1-06)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

3-2 (Turn Change: Tyrone)

"That's it?"

"What'd you expect?"

"Too much apparently. What happened to you?"

"Are you for real right now?"

Tyrone drew. "Bebydomon digivolves into Agumon, then into DarkTyrannomon! Taiga suspends to save me the memory spent, and RustTyrannomon attacks Coredramon!"

"Look again, idiot! Coredramon's unsuspended so it can't be—"

"As long as I have a green Tamer in play that doesn't mean jack to RustTyrannomon!" Tyrone countered. "Minomon and Agumon boost him by +2000, and Stingmon's IE will grant me +1 Memory for wrecking it to pieces! Go Terrors Cluster!"

RustTyrannomon: 11,000-13,000 DP

Coredramon: 6000 DP

RustTyrannomon got on all fours and began to charge the giant cannon on its back. In moments, a massive gold laser exploded from the barrel hitting Coredramon head-on and wiping it out of existence to the shock of Adam. Realizing that the blast was still raging, he shielded himself, a Security card mimicking him and blocking the blast.

Adam

Security: 3-2

Growing hot with anger, Adam roared in retaliation, his outburst being mimicked by the emerging WarGreymon who attempted to push back against it.

RustTyrannomon: 13,000 DP

WarGreymon: 11,000 DP

MEMORY

2-3

"I end my turn by playing the Tamer Ken Ichijoji."

A young boy dressed in a grey school uniform with a dark-haired bob cut materialized aside Taiga.

Ken Ichijoji

Color: Green

MEMORY

3-1 (Turn Change: Adam)

"Was that supposed to scare me or something?" Tyrone continued to mock him.

Seething, Adam ripped the card from the top of his deck and didn't bother to look at it, playing it without hesitation. A sudden sun-like ball of energy emerged from thin air, hovering over them like a contained explosion. The energy descended upon RustTyrannomon and ignited the giant machine in a giant explosion to the shock of Tyrone.

MEMORY

3-5 (Turn Change: Tyrone)

"You…have no idea what we went through…" Adam hissed as he locked eyes on the somewhat shaken Tyrone. "You thought we ran away scared when Megan was kidnapped?!"

Tyrone tried to speak but Adam sharply cut him off. "WE were caught in the middle of the mess with Trojan attacking SAIBA! Megan was kidnapped by them, they forced me to plant the virus that nearly destroyed this place! And Trevor and I busted our butts trying to desperately fix it! We nearly died because of it; don't you get that?! And despite everything It wasn't enough because she's still not here! Oh, but that's not the best part! Because you see, SAIBA? There's a major chance they faked everything because they are Trojan! We don't know why, but because we know this, there's a good chance they may come looking for us! Trevor quit being a pro because of this! And he told us to leave Babylon and the game is until we knew it was safe! So, for your blockheaded self to stand there and accuse us of running away is—!"

"I get it already!" Tyrone exclaimed.

Adam's eye twitched. "You…"

"Everything you said sounds like bullcrap. But given what I experienced, I'm willing to entertain it." Tyrone said.

Adam shook his head. "It's better if you don't get yourself involved."

"I'm already involved, or did you forget that quick?" Tyrone crossed his arms.

Adam got quiet and took a deep breath. "Right…look, I know what I just said sounds insane but you gotta believe me. At this point, I have no idea why Megan was kidnapped, or how it plays a factor in whatever may happen but—"

"I think I know, come to think of it," Tyrone interjected.

Adam paused. "Wait you do?! Why didn't you say so—"

"I'm not telling you for free. You're gonna have to earn it."

Adam got the implication and nodded. "Fine; it's your turn by the way."

Tyrone drew. "DarkTyrannomon moves to the Battle Area. "DarkTyrannomon digivolves into MetalTyrannomon, and I suspend Taiga to regain a memory from it, cutting the digivolution cost to 2."

DarkTyrannomon roared and turned into the familiar cyborg T-Rex from earlier, this time, of course, being red instead of green.

MetalTyrannomon (BT1-024)

Color: Red

Level: 5

DP: 10,000

MEMORY

5-3

"And one final time, into Breakdramon!" Tyrone declared, the cyborg dinosaur taking on the new power and reforming itself into the giant mechanical beast from their first match.

Breakdramon (BT1-026)

Color: Red

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-0

"From one ugly dinosaur to the other," Adam commented.

"Security Attack w/ Breakdramon! Since it naturally has Piercing, Bebydomon boosts it by +2000 DP!"

Breakdramon: 11,000-13,000 DP

Breakdramon raised one of its shovel claws and brought it down towards Adam, the latter being protected by another Security as a result.

Adam

Security: 2-1

"Security Check!" he called out as the smoke from the impact cleared. Sora was revealed from the veil and stood alongside Tai.

"Security Trigger: Sora Takenouchi!"

Sora Takenouchi (BT2-084)

Color: Red

Tyrone disregarded it. "I'll end by playing Tyrannomon."

The normal Tyrannomon appeared, the red variant of the Digimon joining alongside Breakdramon.

Tyrannomon (BT1-016)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

0-4 (Turn Change: Adam)

Adam drew. Breakdramon was bad in itself, but now he had a Jammer out to make it worse. The next turn was as good as his if he didn't do something about Tyrannomon. "Monodramon moves to the Battle Area then perform a Security Attack!"

Monodramon heeded the command and dashed forward, readying its fin to slash the Security that appeared.

Tyrone

Security: 3-2

"Security Check: Tentomon," Tyrone revealed.

The small ladybug Digimon materialized from the broken Security to pose a threat to Monodramon.

Monodramon: 3000 DP

Tentomon: 2000 DP

To no avail, Tentomon faded away while Monodramon returned to its side of the area.

"To end, I'll play Volcanicdramon from my hand!"

Volcanicdramon, the giant rock dragon materialized, towering over Monodramon, and proving itself to be formidable against Breakdramon.

Volcanicdramon (BT2-018)

Color: Red

Level: 6

DP: 10,000

MEMORY

4-7 (Turn Change: Tyrone)

"Volcanicdramon's effect: When it comes into play, all of your Digimon with 4000 DP or less are wiped out. Since Tyrannomon is the only one that fits that criteria, it's burnt to a crisp."

Tyrone snickered as Volcanicdramon raised its blade and brought it down on Tyrannomon, deleting it instantly.

Tyrone shielded himself from the blast bringing his arm down. "Now that you got that off your chest you think you can pull a comeback huh?"

"I don't think, I know I can," Adam said with renewed confidence.

Tyrone drew. "Let's fix that then. I hatch Minomon, then digivolve it into Wormmon!"

Minomon reappeared in the Raising Area and turned into a slightly bigger worm version of itself, developing stubby legs with fuchsia claws and ocean-blue eyes."

Wormmon (BT3-047)

Color: Green

Level: 3

DP: 1000

"Breakdramon, steamroll Monodramon!"

Breakdramon: 13,000 DP

Monodramon: 3000 DP

Adam braced himself for the titanic machine beast as it did just so, taking out Monodramon with no effort and sending the shockwave through his last Security.

Adam

Security: 1-0

"Security Check…Garudamon." Adam said defeatedly as the Level 5 Digimon emerged in a blaze of glory.

Breakdramon: 13,000 DP

Garudamon: 7000 DP

"Wormmon digivolves into Stingmon, then into MetalTyrannomon. Taiga suspends to cut the cost down to 2, and then MetalTyrannomon will digivolve back into RustTyrannomon."

MEMORY

7-1

"And I'll end my turn." Tyrone finished.

Adam looked at both colossal beasts and sighed in defeat. There was no chance at a comeback that he could see. He drew his final card and took a moment to stare at it, wanting to laugh.

"Wanna see something cool?" He asked Tyrone.

The latter furrowed his brow but was then quickly taken aback by the glowing Volcanicdramon.

"Passionate Flames and Calculated Ice merge to become the being of Supreme Transcendence!"

The rooftop began to shake and illuminate in bright orange and cyan colors as they swirled around Volcanicdramon. Tyrone couldn't believe what he was seeing, awestruck by the reconfiguration of the lava beast into the knight-like Digimon with gauntlets shaped in the forms of both WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon.

"Volcanicdramon digivolves into the Level 7 Omnimon!" Adam declared as Omnimon whipped its cape outward.

Omnimon (BT1-084)

Color: White

Level: 7

DP: 15,000

"Omnimon's effect, One of your Digimon is instantly deleted! Go, slay Breakdramon with your Transcendent Sword!"

Omnimon obeyed the command extending a blade from the Greymon gauntlet and charging forward to perform a downward slash that cut the machine in half. An explosion ignited, throwing Tyrone back off his feet. Fortunately, RustTyrannomon caught him before he got further and hoisted the teen on its shoulder. From up high, Tyrone was able to get a better grasp of the immaculate knight before him.

"What the…" He had to blink a few times.

"This is Omnimon: the combination of Trevor and My desire to save Megan, and everyone else who's been victimized by Trojan and SAIBA; That includes you."

Tyrone didn't know how to respond to that. "I…wow."

Adam couldn't help to take the moment in. "Yup…cool, isn't it?"

Tyrone shook his head to psych himself back. "It's my turn." RustTyrannomon moves to the Battle Area and attacks you directly!"

Adam acknowledged the move as RustTyrannomon charged its cannon once again. Unleashing it, Adam allowed the attack to hit, causing him to fly backwards. As he expected, Omnimon swooped in and caught him before he flew off the rooftop.


Ejecting themselves from Babylon, they both unhooked the D-Coms from their persons and got up. After taking a moment of silence, Tyrone held his hand out. "I'll keep my eyes and ears opened if I hear something about Megan."

"I appreciate that." Adam shook his hand.

"Also…sorry for punching you before. I didn't know that—"

"You're good. Truth is, there's a lot we don't know so we're trying to keep this as private as possible. I was planning on asking you what exactly happened that day, but you got to me first."

"Yeah…yeah. To be honest, all I remember is chasing after her to apologize for what happened and before I knew it Morris had me on the ground. I woke up in a hospital bed, had to deal with detectives questioning me like a thug. It sucked. It was hard to focus on anything else so I stepped down for the rest of the season until I could get my head straight."

Adam was quiet. "You…really like her, huh?"

"Not like it matters. She's always had her eyes on Trevor. If anything, all I want to do is have the opportunity to apologize properly. And if that means, that I have to fight terrorists…" he turned to Adam with a smirk, "How bad can it be?"

Adam laughed. "Crazier than you think. But I'll talk to Trevor and get him updated. It's been a while since things went down and with rumors of SAIBA shuffling around there's no telling what may come out of it."

"What do you have to worry about if you have that Omni-whatever-mon with you?"

"A whole terrorist organization likely willing to kill a group of minors to get what's basically the Digimon version of a nuke."

That got Tyrone to rethink his words. "Screw that, I'll be around to help."

"You really mean that?"

"Anything to get that apology to her."

"I'll hold you to it." Adam nodded.

From there, both of the boys broke and went their separate ways, as there was still the remainder of the school day to attend.


[Central Square, Babylon]


"A Q&A is a great idea! It'll help the community get to know you better, what your background is when it comes to games and the like…yeah, run it by Thomas and he should be able to get you set up with a date and everything to do it. Maybe bring someone from R&D like Mr. Swanson; he's been at SAIBA so long I'm sure they were still using typewriters…that's a joke. Yeah, I know it was bad but—look, you're gonna do fine. Mr. Saiba wouldn't trust the image of his company with just anyone. I realize what I said just adds pressure, but you'll do fine! Promise, once you get the hang of it it'll be a piece of cake. Okay, got to go. If you need any more advice, feel free to text me. Okay then, see you later."

Melissa pressed the button on her D-Com and took a sigh of relief, relieved that the 30 min walkthrough was over.

"I don't think it's a good idea to baby him, you know." The girl walking alongside Melissa pointed out. She had bright golden-blonde hair tied in a ponytail with streaks of sky blue throughout.

She and Melissa both were dressed in altered Babylon Moderator uniforms; where the normal ones were mostly black and to some degree militaristic in aesthetic, theirs came off as regal and more pristine, especially with the contrasting white. Where Melissa had accents of red on hers, the girl beside her had a blue color that matched her hair. At the moment, they were patrolling the Central Square area, which has turned itself into a bustling hub of activity amongst the users.

"I'm not babying him. He's only been on the job a week, and I know how much pressure being in that position can bring. Plus being in that role for so long…"

"I know, I'm just messing with you." The girl nudged her. "I get it, you just want him to do as good a job as you did."

"Exactly. I know he can't do everything I did but I want him to have the confidence to push himself. To be honest I didn't realize how shy he was gonna end up being when they first brought him on."

"People like to make a good first impression after all." A male voice spoke out amidst their conversation. From thin air, a 3rd individual materialized alongside them. He was taller than the two with slightly tan skin, straight black hair, and bits of facial hair that looked newly grown around his upper lip.

"You need to stop eavesdropping on our conversations Carlos!" The blue-haired girl snapped.

Carlos, who was dressed in a yellow-accented uniform like they were, shrugged his shoulders. "Nah Syd, this is too much fun."

"Where's Quincy?" Melissa asked him.

"Doing Quincy stuff."

"Which would be?"

Carlos shrugged. "One minute we were patrolling the south end, next minute he up and disappeared."

"And you didn't bother to look for him…?"

"Have you seen him? He's like 250 pounds of rock and muscle!"

"That's not the point dummy! We're supposed to stick together in case something major goes down, what if—"

Sydney was cut off by an unexpected explosion, diverting the trio's attention out north. They watched as a spiral of orange and blue light exerted itself upward into the sky, causing others nearby to stop and take it in.

"Gallantmon…?" Melissa uttered.

"It's signal is undeniable."

Melissa bit her tongue, already feeling regret for her next words.

"After it."

Carlos and Sydney didn't hesitate, following Melissa's lead as they took off in the direction of the light…

The light only lasted a few moments as well as the signal. By the time they got to the rooftop, a fourth individual was present, surrounded by the lingering smoke and minor damage all across. A dark-skinned, muscular man dressed in the same uniform, sporting black accents, stood up once he heard the individuals approach. He looked back around and spoke up.

"Just missed them."

"Bro you could've said something, why'd you bail?" Carlos threw his arms up.

"The same reason why you didn't bother to look for him," Sydney answered.

Melissa got in between the two and focused on Quincy. "Was anything left behind?"

Quincy shook his head. "The signal left as fast as it came. It's almost as if Omnimon knows we're after it."

"Weird, isn't it? Omnimon is a Royal Knight Digimon like ours, right? So why are we chasing it?" Sydney asked.

"Because it's stolen maybe?" Carlos stated the obvious.

"No duh, I know that part too! But does Omnimon know that it's been stolen, is what I'm getting at?"

"I spent more time with that particular AI than I'd like to admit. Assuming it's personality is the same, there's a method to this madness they're keeping close to itself. But the fact is, if we want to get rid of Trojan once and for all, we need to get it back. Period."

"Spoken like a true leader," Michael spoke into their D-Coms. "She's right. The longer Omnimon's out of our grasp the bigger disadvantage we're put in regarding Trojan's next strike. While those kids may have prevented a catastrophe, SAIBA inadvertently showed the cybernetic industry, companies, and terrorists that we're not as powerful as we've made ourselves out to be. This is why we need Omnimon back to show that SAIBA isn't willing to be pushed around by anyone. Especially terrorists. For now, regroup. We'll double-check surveillance and plan our next move from there."

"Understood." Melissa recognized the instructions. She turned to her team and nodded. One by one Carlos, Sydney, and Quincy logged out of Babylon, leaving Melissa to take one last look at the charred roof.

When she accepted this role, she didn't expect to be in the position she found herself in a month later. Even if it was a lie, she fed herself, she kept repeating that this was for their good. She's in this position to relieve them of the burden. Even if they hate her by the end of it, she was doing this for them. This is what she swore to…

This was her mission, as a Royal Knight…


Arc 2: Rise of the Knights Arc: Several weeks have passed since the confrontation with Axel, and Adam and the teens, realizing SAIBA's ties with Trojan, do everything in their power to keep them from getting Omnimon, an incredibly powerful Digimon that was essential to saving the cyber city Babylon. As such, SAIBA recruits powerful Tamers to retrieve Omnimon by any means necessary…


A/N: Hey everyone! It's been a few weeks since the finale to Arc 1. TBH I only intended to take a week off before jumping into the new arc, but with abitnerd shutting down and being forced to learn tabletop simulator, work deciding to give me more hours all of the sudden, and some personal matters that needed addressing, I had almost no time to edit, script out duels or expand on the rough ideas I had. Despite that I don't want the momentum to die so here I am. Thanks all for being patient and I hope you enjoyed the beginning of the Rise of the Knights Story Arc. Until next time.