"WarGreymon, sorry to keep you waiting bud, but you're up!"

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

"…DIGIVOLVE INTO OMNIMON!"

Carlos, Sydney, Qunicy, and Melissa all watched as Omnimon emerged before Adam and his opponent during the attack on Babylon. Before this, aside from seeing a model of Omnimon, their only real experience was that massive surge of power that they barely missed before. In this clip of recovered footage from SAIBA's records, this was the first time they were to witness the magnificence of their target.

Melissa especially was silent as Omnimon laid waste to Diaboromon's clones. She watched as his power climbed due to the inherited effects of its predecessors. And she watched as Agumon, from a distance delivered the final blow after the unsuspended Digimon was de-digivolved to its rookie state, before the clip looped and repeated his initial summoning.

Every moment she forced herself to focus on it. To find any sort of opening that would've presented itself. To her, to make this as painless as possible, she had one shot.

Carlos was the first to raise his hand after the clip paused, "So this just kinda dawned on me just now, but…given this kid saved Babylon and Omnimon seemingly likes him, why not have him join us?"

"Because despite them saving Babylon and SAIBA Enterprise, at the same time, they are the ones responsible for setting the virus loose in the first place," Melissa answered before Michael could. "If anything, Trojan has the capability to manipulate them again if need be."

"Yeah, but given they went through all of this to save Babylon, it's weird to think of them as on the same threat level, know what I mean?"

"Then don't think of it like that," Michael said. "Think of it as taking the knife away from a child. Omnimon is a very complex, very dangerous, and very expensive anti-virus program at its core. The last thing we need is to have it in the hands of reckless teens, even if they are Beta Testers."

It was Sydney's turn to comment, "That kid was a Beta Tester?"

"One of several from the incident five years ago."

Carlos whistled. "No wonder Omnimon likes the kid."

To the general public, knowledge of the Beta Testers was as one would expect—lucky kids who were able to gain first access to upcoming products. However, to those within the inner workings of SAIBA and certain avenues of the current landscape, the Beta Testers were infamous for the incidents that took place as well as their ties to what made the game the way it was, including the current state of the Digimon as a whole.

"There are two others like him, including my son, currently on our radar." Michael continued, switching the holographic screen to show profile pictures of Adam, Trevor, and Emily.

"Weren't there six testers altogether? What's to say that they're all not banded together?" Sydney asked.

"Layla Saiba was rumored to be one of the missing Beta Testers, but nothing concrete behind that," Quincy replied. "As for the other two, one of them died in that accident five years ago, and the other one's records were lost during the Diaboromon attack."

"Talk about crappy luck," Carlos said. "Maybe Trojan is interested in the Beta Testers after all."

"There's no sense in running on gossip and hearsay." Melissa stood up. "At the moment, the information we have is good enough."

"Also, another thought; if your son is one of the Beta Testers, then why haven't you gone through him and took Omnimon?" Carlos leaned back towards Michael who stood silent.

"You realize that if that worked, you wouldn't have a job to begin with? Quincy said, silencing the smart aleck. Sydney likewise giggled under her breath.

"Aside from that, during the time between me giving them Omnimon and now, unexpected factors came into play. Without going into detail, know that getting Omnimon back completely will take more than talking it out; especially with them, all things considered."

Sydney and the other two sat quietly to try and pick apart what he meant by that. Melissa on the other hand grabbed her jacket from her chair and threw it on, making her way towards the door.

"Hey, Melissa wait up!" Sydney noticed and jumped up.

"I'm just going to the bathroom, relax," Melissa replied, turning back slightly.

Sydney looked back towards Michael as if she was verifying it. Michael gave a nod and allowed Melissa to exit the room. Once she did so, she reached for her D-Case on her waist.

"Biyomon, Gallantmon?"

Both Digimon materialized before her, adhering to their call.

"We're gonna be up for a while tonight. Make sure I don't pass out until we're done figuring this out okay?" she told them as she began to walk.

"Understood." Gallantmon agreed without issue.

Biyomon on the other hand hesitated slightly before nodding her head.

Melissa gave a reassuring smirk, "Don't worry. I promise I already have something in mind. I just need a second and third opinion."

That didn't make Biyomon feel any less uneasy but regardless she nodded more firmly this time.

Melissa excused the pair, hooking her D-Case back on her waist and picking her pace up. The image of that small eager boy with the silhouette of the titanic Digimon was slowly etching itself in her mind.

"Children with knives…" she muttered. "That's all they are…"


Chapter 14: The Crimson Guardian


When Adam opened his eyes, he found himself seated in an empty, but spacious room. Lingering bits of zeros and ones floated into nothing now and then, He looked over to his lower right, watching as Agumon slowly materialized beside him.

Agumon himself looked around, taking in the new surroundings. "No one's here yet."

"Yeah, right? Weird."

A small notification icon suddenly popped up before him in the shape of a text bubble. Tapping on it, a message from Layla expanded before him.

Will be there shortly. Trevor and Emily are logging in as we speak.

"Guess she heard that…" Adam commented. Another notification popped up.

Yes :P

Adam closed the bubble and leaned back in the chair, taking the moment to reflect on his match with Tyrone and what they spoke about. If he could, he would avoid bringing it up just a bit longer; if Trevor knew that he set foot in Babylon he'd be livid.

Then again, he was pretty sure this private chatroom Layla's inviting them to is in some part of Babylon, or at the very least in SAIBA's Netspace.

As Layla's message stated, Trevor and Emily, along with their partner Digimon materialized, are also seated not far from Adam. Trevor took note of the two and waved. "What's up?"

"Aside from homework, not much," Emily replied nonchalantly. Tinkermon was leaning over the back of the chair, providing a bit of positive emotion to the otherwise neutral girl. "Layla did mention to me earlier she wanted us to have a meeting, so I could use the break."

"Same. It's been a long day." Adam added.

"Speaking of which, how did that conversation with Tyrone go?"

Adam paused and looked towards her, getting that her question was intentional. She wasn't gonna let him hide any info from Trevor it looked like.

"Nothing important."

"You sure? It seemed pretty serious that he had to pull you away then."

Adam nodded. "He just wanted my opinion on a deck idea he's working on. Wanted to try mixing two colors to see how it would work out." He turned to Trevor before Emily had another chance to pick on him. "How's your day been? Feel like you've been avoiding us all day long come to think of it."

Trevor exhaled and leaned in his seat, prompting Gabumon to speak up for him. "We stayed home from school today to go over some things with Layla. It seems that SAIBA has been quite busy over the last week regarding Babylon and things as a whole."

"Meaning what exactly?"

"Meaning that if there was ever a time for my father to act, it'd be now…"

Layla finally materialized in the chatroom. However, unlike her friends, she came into the room in a walking motion as she came to the center with a holographic tablet in hand. Tapirmon materialized next to what would've been her chair, ever cautious of the faces that took note.

"SAIBA appointed a select group of Babylon Moderators to spearhead a group known as the 'Royal Knights.'" Layla began to explain. She tapped her tablet and the images of the four Digimon appeared before them.

"Royal Knights?" Emily repeated as she watched the four profile pictures rotate around them.

The first of the four was a crimson-colored six-legged centaur Digimon with a purple mane, blue markings on its legs, and golden metal wings on its back, along with a large crossbow gauntlet for a weapon on its arm.

The second one was a large navy-blue-armored Digimon with purple underlining and a skull-shaped helmet, as well as additional skulls lining its shoulder pads and cloths. It wielded a large twin-bladed spear that it had resting on the side of its shoulder.

The third one was a muscular, blue-armored dragon Digimon with a large gold "V-shaped" chest plate and two silver gauntlets, one of which extends a cyan-colored energy blade.

Gallantmon was the last one of the four, the mostly white and red-colored Digimon taking the lead of the four.

"Kentaurosmon, Craniamon, UlforceVeedramon and Gallantmon. Four Level 6 Digimon serving as the guardians of Babylon." Trevor spoke up. And wouldn't you guess, their leader is none other than Omnimon, a Royal Knight itself."

Adam shot up from his chair. "Are you kidding me?! Why would you steal something like that from SAIBA?!"

Trevor looked over to him, not willing to exert too much effort. "Same reason you decide to roam around Babylon when I said not to.

Adam couldn't say anything to that. Trevor meanwhile rolled his eyes and turned his focus back on Layla.

"SAIBA picked up on Omnimon's signature in Babylon earlier. Fortunately, you and Tyrone logged out before the Knights could reach you." Layla explained.

Adam, feeling the impulse to explain his reasoning, scrambled to find the words to prove some sort of innocence. "Okay, look! Tyrone came up to me at school earlier and claimed to know something about what happened to Megan."

"And?"

Adam grew quiet. "It was a dead end. Turns out that the day she was kidnapped, he got himself knocked out and the next thing he knew he was in the hospital. Didn't remember what was said or how it went down in between."

"So how did you two end up in Babylon then?"

"I thought he was bluffing and battled him for the info. Not only did he beat me, but he insisted that he didn't know anything."

Trevor scoffed, "serves you right."

"At least I'm doing more than just sitting around."

"Sitting around and planning our next move are two different things, you doofus!"

"We had a whole month of planning our next move!" Adam countered. "It literally took you a whole month to decide to steal Omnimon, let alone figure out how to look for Megan! Just admit that you don't care already!"

"What did you say?!"

"You heard me!"

"Both of you shut up already!" Emily's voice ripped in between them, silencing both of the boys.

Layla cleared her throat. "Thanks for that."

Emily exhaled and rubbed her temple. "We get it, you both are idiots, let's move on."

Adam and Trevor looked away from one another, continuing their silence and allowing Layla to continue what she was saying.

"As Trevor mentioned, the four Royal Knights are incredibly powerful in their own rights. And there's too little information about them to make a specific judgment call on their intentions aside from retrieving Omnimon."

"Omnimon's stupidly powerful for a Digimon," Adam replied. "It only makes sense for SAIBA to go full force on us, considering it's a Level 7 Digimon and all."

"Honestly, I wish SAIBA and Trojan were against one another like we initially thought. Emily added. "We can't be certain if the Knight's only goal is to get it back, or for them to use it for Trojan's endgame, whatever that would entail. It just complicates things when you don't know."

"What do you think? Being that you were a part of Trojan?" Adam asked.

"That's the thing, unfortunately," Layla explained, "the Trojan I was a part of was an illusion when you think about it. While I was being manipulated by Morris, Morris was manipulated by my father."

"Which would mean that the knights are likely being manipulated by him as well to some degree." Trevor leaned forward to ponder the concept.

"So, like…can we try to convince them of the truth?" Tinkermon, who was silently listening to the teens converse spoke up. The teenage twinge of her voice cut through the serious nature of the teens, indicating a sense of straightforwardness about her.

Emily turned around towards her partner. "It's not gonna be that simple."

Tinkermon furrowed her brow, not understanding. "The way you guys said it is not that hard to get so…?"

"Saying it and getting them to listen are two different things…"

"Well, if they won't listen then they're just stupid." She shrugged and folded her arms on the back of the chair. "Just saying."

"Guess it'll just depend on who we're dealing with," Adam said. "Worse comes to worst we'll just have to beat it into them."

"See? He has the right idea." Tinkermon supported.

"Quiet you!" Emily snapped. "Look, if it were that easy then we could just go to the authorities and tell them everything. But as one smart girl said, it's us up against a whole Corporation—and not just any corporation, but one of the most influential gaming corporations along the East Coast. The fact of the matter is we play this slow and carefully. Being that Omnimon's been sighted, the Knights are gonna be on even more high alert now."

"What a subtle way of saying this is my fault." Adam crossed his arms.

"Your words, not mine." Emily countered.

As Adam continued to sulk, Agumon raised a claw. "I have a question…"

Layla acknowledged the orange dinosaur. Adam looked over and noticed Agumon seemed sort of off.

"Gabumon's core AI was modified for a specific use right?" Agumon asked, turning to Trevor and Gabumon.

"Correct. All SAIBA-Affiliated Digimon had access to verbal communication before the latest update last week. I also served as Trevor's assistant to ensure that his responsibilities concerning SAIBA were always up to date and efficient."

Agumon nodded slowly. "So then…are we a part of Omnimon's Core AI then?"

Everyone in the room paused. Gabumon seemed confused by the question stated.

"Are…we in danger of being captured by the Royal Knights too…?" Agumon's voice was growing shaky.

"Agumon…"

"Dude! What have you been telling Agumon?!" Trevor exclaimed, shooting from his seat.

"Nothing! I swear he's been like this since the fight with Axel. Ever since I've used Omnimon, Agumon's been feeling like his data's been altered or something."

"It wasn't altered but…I don't know how to explain it…"

Adam watched as Trevor began to pace back and forth near Layla, "I mean why else would Omnimon be a literal fusion between WarGreymon and MetalGarurumon? Heck, the card itself can digivolve from both red and blue Digimon anyway so is it really that farfetched?"

"Okay, just stop talking for a second!" Trevor halted him. "No need to make this any more complicated."

Adam stood up this time, "Why not? If this is the case, then we risk losing more than Omnimon! Bro, Agumon, and Gabumon have been in our lives for years! Even before they were able to talk the way they do, they've been a part of us ever since the day we met!"

"So, if that mattered to you so much why did you screw us over and go into Babylon when I told you not to?!" Trevor spun around and caught the silent expression drape over Adam's face. Once again Adam was caught with the tables turned against him.

"Seriously, for as critical as you are when it comes to other people's decisions, you don't give yourself a second to think yours through! Have you realized that?"

Adam's eye twitched because he couldn't argue.

Trevor took a deep breath and turned around. "Bottom line: don't set foot in Babylon—period. Not to hunt the Knights, not to look for Megan. Our priority is to keep Omnimon from everyone. No matter how much it hurts to do so, this is the safest option available."

Layla nodded, followed by Emily. Trevor turned to Adam who snickered and logged off along with Agumon. Trevor rolled his eyes and turned his attention to Layla who was walking over to Tapirmon who was hiding due to the constant back and forth between the two.

"Never bring this up—ever," Trevor commanded Gabumon, who perked up.

Almost reluctant, Gabumon nodded. "Understood…"


After the explosive words exchanged between him and Trevor, Guilt visited Adam and kept his mind racing throughout the night, causing him to barely sleep. For the second time, he let his desperation to save Megan be his downfall. It was frustrating not knowing what happened to her. It was also frustrating that he constantly felt he was the only one eager to do something about the situation, and yet each time he did, he screwed things up. First was the virus, now it was this. His impulsive behavior has only put them worse off.

As much as he hated to think about it, playing it slow was their only option. He especially hated this because this is what he told Trevor the last time when Layla was in trouble. So, on top of being impulsive, he couldn't take his own advice.

To think it's only Tuesday and already drama is afoot…another reminder of how calm life was before he got back into the game.

"I'm leaving!" Adam said as he came down the staircase and towards the front door.

A thumb uprose from the other side of the couch, which belonging to his uncle, Lucas. Adam stopped, watching as the arm fell back down. "Another all-nighter?"

"Mhmm…do yourself a favor and get a trade. Avoid grad school if you can help it…" His uncle noted in an exhausted groan.

"And miss a lucrative career as a…what…are you studying again?"

"Astronomy?"

"Yeah, that."

"It'll save you time, money, and energy, trust me." Lucas sat up and rolled his neck, his brown hair a mess and his glasses nearly hanging from the side of his face. "What time is it anyway?"

"Like 8:15."

Lucas adjusted his glasses and looked at the time. He exhaled. "Enough time to shower at least…"

"Gotta go into the lab today?"

"You know it. If it's not a class day…" Lucas stood and stretched painfully, "it's a lab day." He shook his arms out and began to walk around the couch. "Right, wish me luck."

Adam leaned back. "Right, you and the shower both."

Lucas shoved Adam to the door and ran upstairs to shower. "Later dude."

"Later." Adam turned to open the door. As he looked up, a red convertible pulled up along the sidewalk and parked itself perpendicular to his front steps. Recognizing the car, Adam skipped down the staircase and quickly ran up to the car as the driver pulled the window down.

Melissa's head peered through, sunglasses blocking her eyes. "Hiya!" she smiled.

"Mel! What are you doing here?" Adam exclaimed, excited to see her.

"Nothing much, just figured I'd come to give my little bro a ride to school. You know, just because."

"Are you sure? What about…?"

"I'm working from home for the time being, so I'm a bit more flexible with my schedule," Melissa explained. "Shame because I kinda miss my old office."

Adam grew quiet, the guilt reminding him of its presence.

"Anywho…just gonna stand there or are you gonna hop in?"

"Can we…talk for a bit?" Adam asked.

Melissa paused, noticing something was wrong. "Everything okay?"

Adam hesitated to answer. Melissa acknowledged his silence and unlocked the door, prompting him to enter.


Rather than head to the school, Melissa brought Adam to Jerry's Tavern, a local diner, and bar for a quick breakfast stop. It was a quaint little restaurant that's managed to outlive other aspects of Cisco City's ever-growing metropolis aesthetic. Aside from its standing out for its contrasting design, it was known for its food, making it a favorite spot for local workers in the neighborhood.

"My parents used to take me here every weekend as a kid," Melissa said as she gazed up and down the menu. "Thanks to them I can't go a week without Belgian Waffles."

"So…" Adam began.

Melissa perked up, remembering the reason they came in the first place. She quickly put the menu down and turned all of her focus on Adam. "Right sorry. Thinking with my stomach first and my brain second."

"You're good…How's work?" Adam asked.

"Well, the good news is I'm still working at SAIBA. Got transferred to a lower desk job, but the plus side is I can work from home and have a bit more flexibility. Of course, the new CM has my phone ringing nonstop, asking constant questions on how to do the job, so, you know, there's that. How's school?"

"School's school." Adam shrugged. "PSATs coming up so I was thinking of applying. Deadline's tomorrow."

"You should go for it, why not?"

"That's the thing though. College was never really on my radar up until yesterday."

"Mhmm…" Melissa nodded. She took note of the waitress who sat coffee mugs before them as well as the pot. "Well, if anything, my advice is to not go into it if you're unsure. You save money like that. College isn't for everyone after all."

"Lucas suggested I get a trade."

"There's a thought. Get a job working at SAIBA as an IT or something." She poured her mug and followed it up with creamer and sugar.

Adam scoffed at the thought. "Maybe, I don't know yet."

Melissa stirred her coffee until the cup of sandy-brown liquid stared back. "It's no rush. My grandfather used to say, "each day has its own issues, so take it one day at a time."

"Wise words."

"He read his bible a lot."

Adam chuckled, making Melissa smile. "You guys have been through a lot…haven't you?"

Adam grew quiet again. "Every day it's something new."

"No news about Megan?"

"Nothing."

"Trevor? I heard he quit the Pro Circuit after what happened."

"Yeah, he's done for now."

Melissa acknowledged that as well, holding the cup away from her lips.

"Do you think…things would've worked out differently if I wasn't so impulsive?"

Melissa's hand tensed around the cup. "Impulsive?"

Adam nodded, sorrow beginning to fill in his face. "If instead of acting out on my own I just asked for help…do you think Megan would be here? Or your job, do you think you'd still have it?"

Melissa didn't answer that. She could feel the center of her chest tighten.

"I'm sorry…"

"No, don't be." She reassured. "That's what I'm here for."

"So you can clean up every mistake I make…?"

"Yes." She realized quickly that her answer wasn't the best. "What I mean is—"

"But no one asked you…!"

"…I know but..."

"So why? Why do you have to suffer because of my poor choices?"

"Because it's my responsibility to look after you!" she answered, sounding offended.

"No, it really isn't!" Adam snapped. "That's something you decided on your own!"

"Maybe but it's my right to decide, isn't it? The both of you, you especially…have suffered too much over the years. It's clear to me that you're still suffering…"

"So what? It's my problem to fix, isn't it?"

"You can't fix everything on impulse, Adam!"

Adam caught himself, realizing he was getting ready to do it again. His emotions were flaring up. Biting the side of his cheek, he grabbed his bag and shot up. "Sorry but I gotta go."

Melissa, taken aback watched as Adam turned out of the booth and began to walk off. As he did so, she allowed the moment to process before she took a deep breath. "Okay then…plan B it is."


The moment Adam opened the diner's front door, his vision went hazy for a brief moment, catching him off guard. He lost his balance and collapsed on the floor, hitting the glassy floor beneath his feet. After a moment, he pushed up to get his bearings, only then realizing the shimmering effect the ground had.

"What in the…?" he looked up, his breath taken away by the sight of various green constructs extending all across, blanketed by the orange sky above him. He stood up, looking around, trying to understand what happened. Did he hit his head on the concrete or something?

A trail of zeroes and ones crossed his vision, giving a strong hint as to where he was.

"I'm in Babylon…" he touched the side of his face, realizing his D-Com was present. He didn't initiate a Cyber Drive, let alone put it on so…how was that possible?

"This is the Wasteland area, just outside of the city." Melissa's voice echoed, causing Adam to spin around towards a construct, where Melissa sat in her uniform.

"Mel…what happened? Why are you…?"

"Omnimon." She said flatly, her tone losing its sisterly rhythm and becoming hard and demanding. "Give it up and we can make this very easy."

Adam took a moment to process that. He almost wanted to laugh. This wasn't real. This couldn't be real.

"I'll give you a thirty-second head start if you want to try and run. Or you can battle me. Either way, once that's up I'm taking it by force."

"Mel, seriously…" Adam pressed. "What's going on?"

"Adam, don't make this—"

"Are you serious right now?!" He cried. "Like are you freaking kidding me?!"

Melissa didn't respond, coldly watching as Adam broke down before her a second time. "Adam…please…think this—"

He screamed in response, his wailing growing louder. Melissa, who otherwise would've been sympathetic, was growing irritated with each passing moment.

Gallantmon materialized in full behind her, giving Melissa a chance to be hoisted up to his shoulder, "Milady, we shouldn't continue to waste time like this. A moment like this will not come again."

"I realize that." She spoke sternly, her irritation clear.

"So then why hesitate?"

Melissa threw a glare towards Gallantmon, the latter of which shifted his gaze back down at Adam. "My apologies."

"Two and Six." Melissa told Gallantmon.

Gallantmon drew its lance, swinging it from his two o'clock to his six o'clock. The pair of Metal Garurumon slid back on respected constructs in their failed attempt to ambush. Melissa took note, not expecting to be tracked down as fast as she was.

They were waiting for her to make a move it seemed.

"Worth a shot." Trevor appeared over the shoulder of one of them.

Layla who appeared on the other, moved her hair from her face, giggling. "I forgot how much fun that can be. Almost wanna do it again."

Melissa took note of the two teens and their respected Digimon. "Trevor, I understand, but I figured you would keep a low profile given your father and all, Layla."

"Omnimon saved my life, if anything it's like repaying a debt." She explained.

"What about you? Looks like you're adjusting nicely to your new position." Trevor followed up.

"Courtesy of Michael. At first, I wasn't keen on the idea of being a soldier, but when you're jobless you take what you can get. At least I don't have to stop seeing you two."

Trevor didn't like the sound of that. "Did he bother telling you moderators what he plans on using with Omnimon once he gets it?"

"No, but if it's that important I'll cross that bridge when I get to it. Until then, my focus is getting it in the first place."

"Like that's gonna happen," Trevor stated. He turned to Layla and nodded, the latter and her MetalGarurumon swooping downward.

Melissa realized what they were doing and moved in. "Gallantmon!"

"Oh no, you don't!" Trevor exclaimed as MetalGarurumon's wing blade clashed with Gallantmon's lance. The small window allowed Layla to grab Adam and dash off at blinding speed. Melissa saw the faint streak of light as it faded off, turning her attention to Trevor, whose MetalGarurumon stood defensively before them.

"You guys are making a big mistake…"

"Could say the same," Trevor said, hooking his D-Case onto the brace. "He's not getting Omnimon. Period."

"None of you guys have a say in it." Melissa countered, doing the same.

As their partner Digimon formatted into data and returned to their decks, they raised their arms and made the statement to commence their fight.

"DIGI-GATE: OPEN!"


Michael watched on his screen as Melissa and Trevor began their match as well as Layla and Adam running across the spacious area away from them on another screen. He reached for his D-Com and activated it.

"Omnimon detected in Area W-6. Gallantmon in pursuit, proceed to W-8 to intercept."

A trio of "rogers" a moment later and Michael leaned back in his chair, eager to watch the events unfold.

"Lovely, yet another spectacle of humans giving in to their emotions." The AI spoke up once again.

"A tactician such as yourself shouldn't discount the enemy over some trivial flaws."

"I never said I was, I'm simply acknowledging how trivial it presents itself as. Their worth as formidable adversaries will be determined by whether they can conquer such trivial flaws."

Michael smirked, "Sounds like someone's interested."

"Naturally. If beings such as these claim to be superior to us, then I for one should be here to witness such a statement come to fruition."

"Fair enough," Michael said.


"What's going on? How did you know I was here?" Adam asked as MetalGarurumon dashed from construct to construct.

"That's the thing. You never left Babylon." Layla said, catching Adam off guard.

"What do you mean 'never left?'"

"Apparently, as you were logging out, your signal was intercepted and jammed by SAIBA. I told myself I was taking a chance to secure a private chatroom, but it looks like my father has more eyes on me than I can tell. I'm guessing they got Melissa to be the one to take Omnimon from you, likely because she'd be the last person you'd expect."

"So, what, since I left the chatroom last night I instead was transferred here?"

"That I don't know. I only was able to intercept your signal not long ago. I got in contact with Trevor and raced out here as fast as we could." Layla turned around, noticing the solemn expression on Adam's face. She didn't know Adam well enough to give words of comfort, so she left it be, continuing in the direction of the city.


"Gomamon moves to the Battle Area!" Trevor commanded as the sea lion-like Digimon moved beside Gabumon who was already present.

As things were, he started things off with his usual combination of digivolving his egg and playing Gabumon for the draw advantage, whereas Melissa did similar, digivolving her egg into a Digimon known as Guilmon before playing Biyomon and the tamer Sora.

"Digivolve into Leomon!"

The Lion-man Digimon roared as it emerged from the cocoon of binary that took over Gomamon.

Leomon (BT1-035)

Color: Blue

Level: 4

DP: 5000

MEMORY

3-1

"Security Attack! Go Leomon!"

Leomon roared and pulled its fist back, launching forward with a flaming lion head.

"Thanks to Upamon's IE Effect, I get to draw a card due to Biyomon's lack of digivolution cards."

Biyomon coincidentally avoided the blast which careened into Melissa's appearing Security Card.

Melissa

Security: 5-4

As the Security broke, the card revealed what was hidden. "Security Trigger: Volcanic Flare! One of your Digimon with 4000 DP or less is destroyed!"

A spiral of flames belched from the card, overtaking the only target available, Gabumon. Trevor acknowledged his Digimon's destruction and held his arm out to allow the stream of data to return to the D-Case.

"Far from done. I'll play Hammer Spark to add +1 Memory."

MEMORY

1-2

"And then I'll play Monmon from my hand to end my turn."

The green monkey Digimon made its appearance besides Leomon, eager to defend Trevor from Biyomon and whatever else came its way.

Monmon (BT1-031)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 1000

MEMORY

2-2 (Turn Change: Melissa)

Melissa drew. "Guilmon moves to the Battle Area."

A slim, red raptor-looking dinosaur Digimon with a unique hazard-looking sign on its body walked forward, eager to jump into the fray.

"Biyomon digivolves into Birdramon!"

Biyomon flapped its small wings, as incoming binary code entered into it, lighting it up in digital flames. What emerged was the flaming bird Digimon, ready to make its counterattack towards Leomon.

Birdramon (BT2-012)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 3000

MEMORY

2-0

"And finally, I play the Option Card, Shield of the Just. One of your Digimon with 5000 DP is deleted. I choose Leomon!"

A digitized version of Gallantmon's shield materialized before them, blasting Leomon with a beam of harsh light, deleting it as a result.

MEMORY

0-6 (Turn Change: Trevor)

"Don't know if you realized, but thanks to both Leomon's and Gabumon's IE effect, his deletion snags me an additional +3 Memory boosting me to 9 in total."

MEMORY

6-9

"You better not waste it then," Melissa said.

Trevor drew. "Don't worry, I don't plan on it." He looked down at his hand. Getting this much memory wasn't expected, and of all times to get this much he didn't really have any options to make a big play. Until he understands what her strategy is, he figured it'd be better off to play it safe. After all, back-to-back removal option cards likely meant that if he plays anything too massive, then he can expect a Gaia Force to get rid of it instantly.

"I hatch Tsunomon! Tsunomon digivolves into Bearmon afterward. Then I'll play Gabumon, who'll allow me to draw a card, and then it'll digivolve into Grizzlymon."

As Trevor stated, the horned, orange furball materialized for a brief moment before reformatting into the cub Digimon. Meanwhile, Gabumon materialized and after granting the draw, digivolved into the larger Grizzlymon.

Tsunomon (ST2-01)

Color: Blue

Level: 2

Bearmon (ST2-04

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 4000

Gabumon (BT1-029)

Color: Blue

Level: 3

DP: 1000

MEMORY

9-6

Grizzlymon (ST2-07)

Color: Blue

Level: 4

DP: 6000

MEMORY

6-4

"I'll end my turn and pass it back."

Melissa didn't expect that. "You sure?"

Trevor smirked, "Sorry, but I don't need you to hold my hand through this. I can gather up my own Memory."

Melissa straightened up. "Have it your way then."

MEMORY

4-3 (Turn Change: Melissa)

Melissa drew. "I hatch Gigimon!"

A small red ball materialized, appearing to be a smaller baby Guilmon. Its limbs were small nubs and along the top of its head were small wing-like ears as well as a thick tail that extended from its backside.

Gigimon (BT2-001)

Color: Red

Level: 2

"Gigimon will digivolve into Monodramon to follow up."

As she said, Gigimon let out a tiny roar before reformatting into Monodramon.

Monodramon (BT1-009)

Color: Red

Level: 3

DP: 3000

"Guilmon in my Battle Area will digivolve into Growlmon!"

Guilmon roared as binary infused into it. It grew larger, retaining its initial form and gaining two horns on its head and blades on its arms. Snow-white hair as well now draped itself along the upper part of its neck. The hazard sign that was previously on its stomach now moved onto its shoulders in addition to black rings on its limbs.

Growlmon (BT2-013)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

3-1

"Thanks to both Gigimon and Guilmon's IE abilities, Growlmon gains +2000 DP for you having five or more cards in your trash."

Growlmon: 4000-6000 DP

Trevor snickered. "That's why you deleted Leomon so recklessly."

"Exactly. More cards I trash the better." Melissa confirmed as she drew. "Growlmon, digivolve into WarGrowlmon!"

Trevor could feel his building disadvantage manifest in the transforming dinosaur. Binary surrounded Growlmon and fitted it with metallic pieces of armor, notably a missile-equipped breastplate with two cannons on the front and a pair of vernier thrusters on its back, as well as a metallic mouthguard and bladed gauntlets on its arms.

WarGrowlmon (BT2-017)

Color: Red

Level: 5

DP: 8000

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Trevor)

"WarGrowlmon's Effect: While I have a Red Tamer in play, I'm allowed to destroy one of your Digimon with a DP of 3000 or less. Since I have Sora on my side, I delete Monmon! Go Atomic Blaster!"

WarGrowlmon roared as the cannons on its chest charged up. Moments later the cannons fired a red beam that overwhelmed the monkey Digimon in a cloud of smoke, leaving it as drifting binary. Rising towards the sky.

"That's getting annoying," Trevor said pulling his arms down from his face. He stared at the large dinosaur and the smaller firebird, taking a second to weigh his options going forward.

"Not as much as you all resisting," Melissa admitted. "By the way, WarGrowlmon gains the IE effects of Gigimon and Guilmon, boosting it up by +2000 DP.

WarGrowlmon: 8000 DP-10,000 DP

"Well if you're not gonna bother to open your eyes then I'm not wasting my time explaining myself." Trevor drew. "Bearmon moves to the Battle Area, followed by Hammer Spark, to gain a Memory!

MEMORY

2-3

"Digivolve into Garurumon!"

Bearmon nodded, getting on all fours, awaiting the binary to reconfigure it into the silver wolf Digimon. Garurumon emerged and roared, ready to go on the offensive at Trevor's command.

Garurumon(ST2-06)

Color: Blue

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MEMORY

3-1

"Garurumon digivolves further into WereGarurumon to end my turn!"

Garurumon howled as it leaped upon its hindlegs and straightened itself out, the binary transforming it into its werewolf counterpart.

WereGarurumon (ST2-08)

Color: Blue

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

1-2 (Turn Change: Melissa)

Melissa drew. "Monodramon digivolves into Greymon, and Birdramon into MetalGreymon."

Monodramon in the Breeding Area transformed into the larger orange Dinosaur, while Birdramon became its metallic variant as a result.

Greymon (ST1-07)

Color: Red

Level: 4

DP: 4000

MetalGreymon (ST1-09)

Color: Red

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

2-0

MEMORY

0-3 (Turn Change: Trevor)

Trevor didn't expect such a passive play on her part. "Not gonna go all the way? Or attack for that matter?"

Melissa took a deep breath, her body finally being able to relax to some extent with time. "I don't want to do this."

"Neither do I but here we are," Trevor told her. He drew and swiped the card over. "Howl, Champion of the Net Space: WereGarurumon digivolves into MetalGarurumon!"

WereGarurumon howled and launched itself skyward as binary code exploded from beneath it and chased after it. It caught up, turning it into the metallic wolf Digimon, gliding back down behind Trevor in a triumphant display.

MetalGarurumon (BT1-044)

Color: Blue

Level 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-0

Trevor threw his hand out. "Security Attack! Garurumon's IE effect removes Gigimon from WarGrowlmon, and MetalGarurumon's effect moves Bearmon back onto the Battle Area!"

MetalGarurumon's limbs all popped open, revealing compartments with missiles stored within them. Following the command, they fired, about soaring around until they locked onto Melissa and rained down. A Security Card expanded and took the brunt of the attack, the latter still shaken by the impact.

Melissa

Security: 4-3

A stray missile hit WarGrowlmon, knocking Gigimon from its being. Despite that, Melissa revealed the Security card, revealing Kokatorimon.

MetalGarurumon: 11,000 DP

Kokatorimon: 4000 DP

"I end my turn by digivolving Bearmon into Grizzlymon." He stated, allowing the cub Digimon to reform into the 2nd blocker.

MEMORY

0-2 (Turn Change: Melissa)

Melissa drew. "Greymon moves to the Battle Area and Digivolves into Garudamon."

Greymon took steps into the Battle Area, following it by the acceptance of the binary code. It sprouted large wings from its back and reformed into the muscular bird-like Digimon in a quick flash.

Garudamon (BT1-022)

Color: Red

Level: 5

DP: 7000

MEMORY

2-1 (Turn Change: Trevor)

Trevor found himself getting annoyed at this point. "Look if all you're gonna do is play cards and not attack then why don't we just stop this?"

"Because I have a job to do."

"A job you clearly don't wanna go through with."

"Maybe not but I don't have a choice!"

"Yes, you do! Mel, of all the times you've put your trust in me, why is it you can't trust me right this second? Or Adam? Why are you so insistent on thinking we're being reckless?"

"Because you are! Omnimon is dangerous, and it's even more so dangerous in the hands of you kids! Why don't you see I'm trying to protect you both?!"

"By causing us to go into hiding? By trapping Adam in cyberspace? We saved Babylon and this is how we're being repaid! How do you expect us to believe this is in our best interest?!"

Melissa was growing agitated once again. She took a deep breath and tried to relax. "It's your move."

"Fine, avoid the question altogether." Trevor drew. "MetalGarurumon!"

MetalGarurumon howled, opening its jaws to reveal the cannon on the inside. A Cocytus Breath blast wiped out Melissa's third Security card. The impact also shook WarGrowlmon off, resulting in it losing Guilmon, as well as its power boost.

Melissa

Security: 3-2

"Security Trigger." She said, revealing the card. "Gaia Force on MetalGarurumon!"

Trevor snickered as the orange orb he loathed came down on MetalGarurumon. The day he faced a red deck without that annoying option card, would be too soon.

"I end my turn by playing Matt Ishida."

Matt materialized to assure that Trevor had a steady 3 Memory going forward.

Matt Ishida (BT1-086)

Color: Blue

MEMORY

1-3 (Turn Change: Melissa)

Melissa drew. "Gabumon, two Hammer Sparks, Leomon, Gomamon, Upamon, Monmon, Tsunomon, WereGarurumon and MetalGarurumon…that makes ten."

Trevor raised an eyebrow. His eyes widened upon realization. "You were stalling…"

"At this point, I don't care if you two resent me. Everything I've done since that day for you two is to atone for what happened. For putting you in danger and being unable to save you both from your suffering…"

Trevor was quiet, beginning to get an idea of where her head was. As twisted as things were, her willingness to go through with obtaining Omnimon was her way of protecting them. Whether or not she realized she was being strung along like a puppet.

Granted, she'd be willing to if it meant protecting them.

"I hatch Yokomon!" She exclaimed, Yokomon appearing beside her.

Yokomon (BT1-001)

Color: Red

Level: 2

"Yokomon digivolves into Biyomon!"

Biyomon re-appeared over Yokomon, taking its spot.

Biyomon (BT1-012)

Color: Red

Level: 3

DP: 2000

Melissa drew and looked at the card. "Excellent." She looked up at Trevor, "Radiant being of shimmering flames, ignite my path to victory! MetalGreymon digivolve into Phoenixmon!"

MetalGreymon likewise took to the sky, as binary spiraled and ignited skyward, transforming it into a majestic, golden bird Digimon, its head clad in a bronze faceplate. It also had four wings as well as a vibrant mane treading down its backside where it split in braided tails.

Phoenixmon (BT2-019)

Color: Red

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

3-0

"This whole time you wanted me to attack so bad. Well, here I come! Phoenixmon, Security Attack!"

Phoenixmon heeded Melissa's command speeding up its wings so that they glowed. With a forceful flap, they unleashed a meteor shower that came down towards Trevor.

"Nice try! Grizzlymon block it!"

Melissa smirked. "Was hoping for that."

Trevor raised an eyebrow and realized his folly. Grizzlymon meanwhile roared, throwing up a barrier that shielded Trevor at the expense of its own safety.

Phoenixmon: 11,000 DP

Grizzlymon: 6000 DP

"When Phoenixmon attacks a player, it regains a memory for me. And in addition to that, MetalGreymon's IE effect: When my Digimon is blocked, I gain +3 Memory!"

MEMORY

0-4

Despite Gabumon and Grizzlymon adding onto his trash, Trevor was still confident that he had some slither of an advantage. However, it was beginning to bug him how he hasn't seen Gallantmon yet.

"Descend, Crimson Guardian! Garudamon digivolves into Gallantmon!"

There it was.

Garudamon flexed its muscular build, allowing the fire to engulf it until it rose in the shape of Gallantmon. From there, the knight Digimon emerged, casting its cape outward to extinguish the flames that summoned it forth.

Gallantmon (BT2-020)

Color: Red

Level: 6

DP: 11,000

MEMORY

4-0

"When I digivolve into it, Gallantmon can delete one of your Digimon with 6000 DP or less, given I have a red Tamer on the field. With Sora's support, Gallantmon deletes your remaining Grizzlymon!"

Trevor gritted his teeth as his disadvantage widened before him. Now nothing was stopping Gallantmon from ramming him through.

"Gallantmon gains +1000 DP thanks to Gigimon and Security Attack +1 from Greymon," Melissa explained, clenching her fist. She threw it outward, readying her command. "Unleash the power of a Royal Knight upon our enemy! Double Security Attack!"

Trevor braced himself as Gallantmon charged forward, its lance pulled back. With a strong thrust forward, lightning danced on the floor and erupted before Trevor. The first Security card, revealed itself, much to Trevor's pleasure.

"Security Trigger! Cocytus Brea—"

"When there are 10 or more cards in your trash…" Melissa interjected. "Gallantmon trashes the top card of your Security whenever it attacks."

Trevor went cold, understanding that the reveal of the security wasn't it activating, but rather it being destroyed. The card disintegrated with the lightning, as the two actual targets were pierced by the lance.

Trevor

Security 5-2

SaberLeomon and Ikkakumon revealed themselves before Gallantmon's might.

Gallantmon: 12,000 DP

SaberLeomon: 10,000 DP

Ikkakumon: 5000 DP

Neither of the two could do anything to stop it. Trevor couldn't help but be astounded by the might of the Digimon.

"WarGrowlmon, Security Attack! By suspending Sora, I boost WarGrowlmon by 2000 DP!"

WarGrowlmon: 8000-10,000 DP

WarGrowlmon readied its atomic blaster once again and fired, shattering another Security.

Trevor

Security: 2-1

Zudomon revealed itself on the other side.

WarGrowlmon: 10,000 DP

Zudomon: 6000 DP

"I end my turn with a second Sora." Melissa played the 2nd tamer down.

Sora Takenouchi (BT2-084)

Color: Red

MEMORY

0-3

With no way of making a comeback, Trevor drew his final card and looked at Melissa. A sense of disappointment filled him, and Melissa could feel it, though she couldn't be bothered to try and understand it. If it were up to her, she would've avoided all of this. A simple scenario to get Adam to drop his guard. To reason with him to forego Omnimon. To see her side of things. Instead, she had to resort to this—fighting. Looking at her little brothers as enemies, no different than Trojan. Whatever Michael planned to use Omnimon for didn't matter to her. As long as Adam, Trevor, and anyone else associated with them was out of this mess.

She would do whatever it took to ensure their safety.

"Gallantmon, direct attack…" She held back the building tears to go through with the final attack.

Trevor watched as his final Security burned to a crisp and the knight propel itself towards him. Resentfully, he took a deep breath and awaited the attack to connect…