BOOK ONE

Arc One: Legend of the Keepers - Part One

Chapter Two

When Harry came to the first thing that he noticed was that nothing hurt.

After hurtling through a vortex of light and sound that defied both explanation and physics this came as a pleasant surprise. Harry had been pretty sure he'd slammed into something in all the confusion, but he hadn't even skinned a knee.

Cautiously he opened his eyes and sat up. Settling his glasses more firmly on his nose.

One glance was enough to tell him that wherever he was now, it certainly wasn't where he'd been before.

For one thing, it was warm and humid and sweat was already beading on his brow. There wasn't a single fleck of snow anywhere. For another thing, no matter where he looked all he saw was trees, trees, and more trees.

There was no sign of the lake or the camp or any kind of civilization for that matter. It was all just forest.

Harry was lying at the base of one such tree, and he sat up cautiously, still prepared for pain or queasiness, but there was none. He was perfectly fine just a little groggy, like he'd woken up from an afternoon nap.

Harry got to his feet and peeled his flannel shirt off his sweaty back, tying it around his waist.

He had the feeling that there was something that he was meant to be doing…

Turning on his heel he caught sight of Taichi, who was lying spread-eagled on the ground not far from him, and who had a round pink…something perched on his chest.

Harry was just about to call out when something brushed against his legs.

He jerked backwards, startled and looked down.

A cute little creature was perched before him with it's two little paws set on the toe of his trainer. It was round and covered in soft-looking blue fur, from the top of its long, pointed ears to the tip of its fluffy tail.

"Hello!" chirped the creature.

"Er…hi…" said Harry, still busy goggling.

If a blue fox kit swallowed a balloon it might have looked something like this creature.

"Hello!" the creature chirped again, looking quite pleased with itself. "You are Harry!"

"Er…yeah," Harry agreed.

"I am Niximon!" the creature told him, grinning widely enough that Harry could see the points of two pearly baby fangs.

"Good to meet you?" Harry said, a bit unsure if this was true or not.

"Yes!" agreed Niximon, making another pleased noise. "I have been waiting!"

"Waiting?"

"Yes!"

Before Harry could try and get Niximon to elaborate on what it had been waiting for exactly, since it certainly couldn't have been Harry, Taichi started awake with a shout.

The pink, ball-like something that had been sitting on Taichi's chest was now bouncing in front of him, equally as delighted looking as Niximon.

"Wh-what the heck are you!"

"Taichi!" crooned the pink ball. "You're finally awake! That's great! That's great!"

"It's…talking," Taichi said, scrubbing a hand through his hair. "It knows my name?"

"Taichi!" agreed the little pink ball. "Taichi is great!"

Taichi caught the creature reflexively as it flung itself into his arms, holding it gently despite his unease.

"Taichi…er, Taichi-san," Harry called out, waving. "Over here."

Taichi whipped his head around, breathing a sigh of relief as he caught sight of Harry.

"Oh, good, I'm not the only one," he said. "Are you okay? Do you know where we are or what's going on?"

"I'm okay," Harry said in careful Japanese, but that was pretty much the best he could do to answer his questions.

"Okay!" cheered Niximon.

"Another one!" Taichi said. "Just what are you little guys?"

"I'm Koromon!" the pink creature said. "I've been waiting for you, Taichi!"

"You were waiting for me?"

Koromon made an agreeing noise, scrunching his big eyes up in visible delight when Taichi brough him closer.

"Waiting!" Niximon agreed, winding around Harry's ankles like a cat.

"What do you mean you were waiting for me? How did you know I would be here? Just where is here, exactly? How do you know my name?" Taichi asked.

Harry would have liked to know the answer to all of those questions and then some.

"We're partners!" Koromon declared.

"Partners!" Niximon echoed, swishing her tail.

Taichi glanced over at Harry, checking to see if Harry had figured out what the heck these adorable puff-balls were talking about. He didn't have any better idea about what that meant than Taichi.

Partners? Partners for what?

Before either Taichi or Harry could ask the question though another familiar voice filtered through the background noise of the forest.

"Taichi-san," said Koushiro, emerging from a nearby patch of undergrowth. "I thought that was your voice. And Harry too, thank goodness. I thought I was alone here for a moment."

"What are you saying, Koushiro!" declared an unfamiliar voice. "Of course, you are not alone! I am here with you!"

Out from behind Koushiro a smaller figure emerged. Another creature, like Niximon and Koromon but in the shape of a pale pink ghost, with little arms. It moved easily on little jelly-like pseudopods and stuck as close to Koushiro's side as Niximon did to Harry's.

Startled again, Taichi accidentally dropped Koromon who bounced away.

"Koushiro! What is that?"

Harry thought that this was a bit unfair. It was pretty clear that whatever the tiny ghost, amoeba thing was it was the same kind of thing as Niximon and Koromon. And at least Koushiro's little creature didn't have a mouthful of sharp teeth.

"I am Motimon, of course!" he said. "A pleasure to meet you!"

"Motimon!" chirruped Niximon. "Hello!"

"Ah, Niximon, Koromon," greeted Motimon. "I am pleased to see you have already united with your chosen! Congratulations!"

"Chosen!" crooned Niximon, looking up at Harry with her big adoring blue eyes.

Well, Harry wasn't made of stone.

He bent down and scooped Niximon up into his arms and held her close, receiving a delighted little mrp for his efforts as she burrowed into the crook of his arm.

She was just as soft as she looked, and lighter than Harry had expected.

"Yes, well," said Koushiro, clearing his throat. "He's been following me since I woke up here. I have no idea what's going on, but I am glad to see you both. You're alright? No injuries?"

"Not one," agreed Taichi. "I feel great, except for the fact that I have no idea where we are or what happened."

"This is File Island," Motimon informed them.

"That's right!" Koromon agreed. "File Island!"

"That's what he says, anyway," said Koushiro. "I, for one, have never heard of such a place, but the subtropical flora would suggest that we're not anywhere in Japan, which doesn't seem possible. Even if we were kidnapped it's still early in the afternoon, that's hardly enough time to smuggle us out of the country."

"We weren't kidnapped," Taichi retorted. "We just, kind of…fell…"

"Yes, well, pardon me for trying to come up with a rational explanation for the total collapse of the laws of physics."

Taichi shook his head as though to clear it of an unpleasant thought and said, "I'm going to take a look around."

He grabbed onto a low-hanging branch of the nearest tree and began to climb. Koromon followed after him eagerly with an energetic combination of bouncing and swinging from his long ears.

Koushiro bent down to poke at the loose soil and grasses at the base of the nearest tree his brow furrowed in concentration as he began to mutter to himself.

"The vegetation is lush and the relative humidity is high but the soil seems curiously devoid of moisture…"

Harry turned his attention back to Niximon, who seemed perfectly content to rest in his arms and was making a subvocal trilling noise just a little too musical to be called a purr.

"Er, Niximon," he asked. "Where is File Island?"

"File Island is in Digi World," Niximon answered promptly.

"Digi World?" Harry parroted. "Where's that?"

Niximon blinked and cocked her little head at him.

"Digi World is here," she said, as though this should have been obvious.

"No, er, what I mean is, where is it on Earth?" he tried to clarify.

"What is Earth?" asked Niximon, the tip of her tail swishing.

"Er," Harry said. "It's not important."

And it wasn't really because either Niximon just didn't understand what he meant, or they weren't on Earth anymore. And that was really far too terrifying to think about.

"Harry, have you ever seen anything like this?" Koushiro interrupted, holding out a broad spade-shaped leaf for his inspection.

Harry shook his head no, and then shrugged to indicate that he wasn't an expert on tropical plants either way.

Niximon examined Koushiro's offering critically before proclaiming: "Leaf!" with certainty.

Koushiro and Harry shared a look, but Niximon looked so pleased with herself that Harry really didn't have the heart to tell her that hadn't been what Koushiro was asking.

Just then Taichi cried out in alarm, and Harry and Koushiro looked up in time to see a red and black beetle the size of a transport truck crash through the canopy, flying right for Taichi and Koromon, sending branches and leaves flying as it cut through the tops of the nearby trees.

It narrowly missed Taichi and Koromon and as it passed overhead it let out a bone-rattling roar of frustration.

It was a horrible, grating sound, nothing that Harry would have ever expected a beetle to make. Then again, he also didn't expect beetles to be much bigger than walnuts so what did he really know?

"Oh no!" wailed Motimon. "It's Kuwagamon!"

"What's a Kuwagamon?" demanded Koushiro.

"Kuwagamon is a truly atrocious Digimon! His teeth are like knives and his scissor hands can cut through anything!" Motimon explained.

"He's coming back!" Harry warned, watching as Kuwagamon wheeled in the air.

"Taichi!" squealed Koromon, high above them.

Harry watched, his heart in his throat as Koromon threw himself out of the tree and into the path of the monster-beetle.

The little guy spat pink bubbles into Kuwagamon's face, throwing off the big bugs trajectory just enough that Taichi was able to avoid its pincers and went tumbling out of the tree.

"Taichi-san!" shouted Koushiro.

"I'm fine!"

Taichi staggered out of the bushes, looking a bit rattled but none the worse for wear.

"Koromon!"

Koromon had landed a little further away and had clearly gotten the worst of Kuwagamon's attack.

Taichi was quick to scoop him up and hold him close.

"Reckless idiot," he scolded. "What was that? That bug is a hundred times your size!"

"Sorry, Taichi."

"You're pretty brave for being such a little guy," Taichi said. "I would have been a goner if it wasn't for you, so…thanks."

"Taichi!"

"It's coming back this way," Koushiro warned. "What do we do?"

"Oh dear, oh dear!" squeaked Motimon. "Run! This way, everybody, follow me!"

The three of them turned and ran after Motimon, who was more than able to keep ahead of them despite not having proper legs or feet.

Behind them, Kuwagamon roared again and Harry could hear the crunch and crack of falling trees growing louder.

"Hurry!" urged Motimon. "In here!"

Motimon waved them forward towards a large tree.

He ran right towards it. For a moment the trunk rippled like water and then Motimon was gone.

Harry blinked, not sure exactly what it was he'd just seen.

"What is—" Koushiro started to say, echoing his confusion.

"No time! Come on!" Taichi said, yanking him forward by the wrist.

Once again, the tree flowed around them and then Koushiro and Taichi disappeared.

"Harry!" said Niximon, wriggling in his arms urgently. "Hurry! You have to go inside the tree!"

Kuwagamon roared again, louder than before.

Harry closed his eyes and ran at the tree, surprised when he didn't immediately hit something solid despite himself.

He blinked and Taichi yanked him down to where the others were huddled together on the floor.

Inside the tree was a cylindrical room, like a tube, lined with metal panelling. Above them there's a gap in the canopy that hadn't been there before and Harry can see right up into the sky.

"This place…" whispered Koushiro. "It's projecting a hologram of a tree."

"It's a hiding tree," Motimon explained.

"Quiet!" hissed Niximon. "He's coming!"

They all huddled close together with their hands over their ears and their eyes squeezed firmly shut, listening as Kuwagamon wreaked destruction on the surrounding trees and roaring in frustration when he couldn't find them.

Harry cracked one eye open and watched, as in the tiny sliver of visible sky, Kuwagamon climbed higher into the air and flew off.

They remained still and quiet for another long moment straining their ears.

"It's all clear!"

The boys all jumped, not expecting to hear another voice.

"He's gone," she said. "No need to hide anymore."

"Sora!"

Taichi slid out of the confines of the hologram, sharing a glance Koushiro and Harry followed after him more tentatively.

Outside the tree stood the girl from camp, the one in the blue hat and yellow top. Next to her was a small pink creature with a delicate looking flower growing out of the top of its head.

"Scary place, right?" said the girl, Sora.

"Nah," said Taichi, grinning. "We had it handled. We were just planning the trap we were gonna set for that big bug."

They all stepped fully out of the tree and Sora's little creature gave a twirl.

"Sora, it sounds like Kuwagamon is not returning this time."

Her voice was lighter and softer than even Niximon's.

"Guys, meet Pyocomon, my own personal something or another," Sora said, smiling.

"I am enchanted to meet you friends of Sora!" she cooed.

"She looks kind of like a radish," Taichi said, crouching down to examine Sora's partner.

"She does like some sort of plant but she can speak so, she's another one…like Motimon and Koromon?"

"Looks like," agreed Taichi.

"Look, more!" Harry said, watching as a little white puppy-like creature with floppy ears skidded to a halt in the middle of their clearing.

"There popping up everywhere!"

"Over here!" called the puppy, who sported a set of teeth that would have made a baby shark proud. "Takeru! I've found them!"

"Wait up, Tokomon!"

Takeru came running out of the forest with Yamato trailing a little behind him carrying a fluffy mustard coloured ball-like creature under one arm. This creature didn't have fangs but it did have one long black horn protruding from its forehead.

"Yamato, you too?" said Taichi.

"Yeah, I'm here too," Yamato said. "Is this where everyone else ended up?"

"No, I mean, yeah, obviously, but you have a whatsit!"

"Oh," said Yamato, flushing a bit. "Ah, right, this is, well…"

He trailed off with a helpless shrug.

"Hello," greeted his partner. "You all appear pleasant. Tsunomon is my name and I am quite pleased to meet you."

They were obviously as much a pair as Takeru and Tokomon, who were snuggling each other happily, or as Harry and Niximon.

It was all kind of starting to make sense. Not in the sense that Harry had any idea what was going on. But it seemed clear that they had all ended up here on File Island where these odd-looking but loveable creatures had been waiting for each of them.

And each creature was waiting for their specific human, somehow.

That same sense of rightness that Harry felt with Niximon in his arms was echoed in the way that Yamato seemed embarrassed by his unwillingness to let go of Tsunomon and Sora's pride in presenting the beautiful Pyocomon.

The question that needed to be answered was, among others, how did these little guys know who they were and where to wait for them?

Before he could think to ask the question out-loud, there was yet another alarmed shout, and yet another camper ran crashing through the undergrowth into their midst.

It was the older boy with glasses, Jou.

He was sweaty and dishevelled, as though he'd been running for a while, and herding him was a little grey creature with what were either fins or wings for arms and a tuft of flaming orange fur sprouting out of the top of his head. The creature was looking quite pleased with itself, but Jou looked to be on the verge of a nervous breakdown.

"Guys, you have to help me!" he moaned, breathing heavily. "This weird little thing is chasing me everywhere!"

"I'm not weird!" his partner said, hanging off of Jou, even as the boy attempted to cringe away from him. "My name is Pukamon!"

"And it talks!" Jou said, as though this was the worst thing that could have possibly happened.

Taichi and Sora snorted and were clearly trying to hold themselves back from laughing outright.

"What?" Jou demanded. "What's funny? This isn't funny guys! Look around they're everywhere! What are they?"

"We're digimon!" answered Motimon.

"Digimon?"

"Digital monsters! Digimon!"

"Digital monsters, huh," said Taichi. "But what is a digital monster exactly, I mean it's not like you guys are Godzilla."

"No, we're digimon!" they chorused, cheerfully missing the point.

Kuwagamon aside, these digital monsters weren't precisely monstrous. Even with their lack of feet and mouths full of tiny baby fangs they were softer, fluffier and more adorable than any monster Harry had ever heard about.

"But what does that mean?" said Koushiro with a huff.

The digimon didn't seem to know how to answer that.

"Alright, maybe let's not ask all the hard questions at once," Taichi suggested. "Is this everyone? Sora, Koushiro, Yamato, Smaller Yamato—"

"My name is Takeru!"

"—Jou, and Foreign Kid."

"His name is Harry," Koushiro corrected.

"Right. I feel like we're missing someone?"

"There was another girl with us at the lake," said Sora. "She was wearing a pink hat."

"Mimi," Harry said.

"Yeah, that sounds like Mimi," agreed Taichi. "Has anyone seen her?"

They all shook their heads, no.

"Alright, she's probably lost, so we should go looking—"

Taichi was cut off as a girl's scream cut through the quiet of the forest.

"—it sounds like she's in trouble! Come on!"

"This way!" Koromon said.

The group went running after Taichi and Koromon and they all quickly came upon Mimi and her digimon partner, a little green sprout with four legs, running in the opposite direction.

"Mimi, it's okay! It's not going to hurt you!" Sora called.

But it quickly became apparent that Mimi wasn't running from her little digimon when Kuwagamon forced his way through the foliage above their heads, roaring.

"Look out!" cried Koushiro.

The group ducked as one, and Kuwagamon went rocketing over their heads. Passing close enough that they could have reached out and touched him.

Mimi collapsed to her knees in naked relief as she caught sight of the group.

"Mimi, it's okay," her partner said, one little foot resting on Mimi's knee. "Tanemon's here to protect you."

"That's right," said Sora, kneeling down next to her. "We're all here now."

"Sora-san!" sniffled Mimi. "I was so scared."

"It's not over yet," said Taichi. "Everybody, get up and run! He's coming back!"

Harry darted a glance over his shoulder.

Kuwagamon had made a wide turn over the tops of the trees and, as Taichi said, was heading straight for them, picking up speed as he went.

"Get down!" called Yamato, throwing himself bodily over Takeru.

Harry dropped to the ground with much less graceful thud.

Just in time too. Kuwagamon swept past again, close enough to ruffle his hair.

"Wh-what was that?" Jou said, as they sat up. "What kind of place is this?"

"He's coming back!" Pyocomon reported.

Everyone scrambled to their feet and started running again.

"We can't keep this up forever," Taichi shouted. "We have to come up with a plan! Some way to fight him!"

"With what?" panted Sora.

"She's right," said Yamato, gasping. "We're no match for that thing. Save your breath for running."

Taichi made a noise and swatted at a low hanging branch, but there was no more talk of fighting.

"Here!" Koushiro said. "Into the trees!"

They all ducked into the thicker part of the forest where Kuwagamon would have a harder time following and Harry quickly pulled ahead of the rest of the group who weren't used to running at a flat sprint for minutes at a stretch.

He skidded to a stop as the forest gave way to a small clearing and a jut of land that marked the edge of a plateau.

Behind him the others stopped as well, coughing and clutching at their sides.

"Great, a dead end," said Yamato. "Anybody bring parachutes? Or a helicopter?"

Taichi inched forward, testing the ground every few feet until he reached the edge of the cliff and peeked over it.

"Yeah, there's no way down that," he called back to them. "We'll have to go another way."

"What other way?" Sora demanded, shrilly.

As if to punctuate that statement, Kuwagamon finally managed to force his way through the thicker copse of trees and everyone and their digimon had to flatten themselves to the ground to avoid being trampled.

Taichi rolled to his feet and began to run back towards them.

"Now's our chance!" said Sora. "Let's run, back the way we came!"

"Taichi!" cried Koromon.

Kuwagamon's sharp turn had put him too close to Taichi, there was no way he'd make it back to the group in time.

Harry and the others froze with indecision. They couldn't just leave without him!

"Taichi!"

Koromon flung himself bodily at Kuwagamon's head, spitting those pink bubbles at the larger digimon's eyes in a steady stream and forcing him to veer a little off course.

Koromon hit the beetle digimon's flat carapace and bounced off, rolling along his back until he was knocked down again by the downstroke of one massive wing.

Kuwagamon roared his annoyance and turned to dive at the rest of the group where they all stood, frozen, having lost their chance to get away.

Harry clenched his eyes shut and prepared for impact, only for them to pop open again when Niximon launched herself past his ear with a fierce, piping war cry.

"Digimon attack!" called Tanemon.

As one, the smaller digimon hurled themselves between Kuwagamon and their human partners, shrieking angrily and spitting bubbles of all colors at the massive insectoid.

Somehow, it was enough.

Kuwagamon tried to bank away from them and instead crashed headlong into the tangled vines and close growing trees of the forest behind them and didn't get up again.

They were safe for another moment.

But Niximon was lying on the ground, not moving, a bright shock of blue fur with her tail dragging in the dust.

Harry felt his heart clench in his chest as he ran to his digimon.

If she was hurt or worse because of him—

Harry dropped to his knees beside her laying a hesitant hand on her flank.

"Niximon…"

She blinked one big blue eye open blearily and her tail twitched.

"Harry?"

"I'm here," he said, around the sudden lump in his throat. "Are you badly hurt? Can you move?"

"Move? Do I have to?"

Taking that as his answer Harry blinked his stinging eyes and with aching gentleness lifted Niximon into his arms.

She was just as soft as before, her fur silky against his skin but somehow all he could think was just how light and insubstantial she was, how delicate.

"Idiot," Harry heard Taichi say, his voice shaking. "How could you do something so rash?"

"I had to protect you, Taichi," said Koromon. "I'll always protect you."

Harry looked down at Niximon to find that she was watching him with eyes that were a deep and fathomless blue and somehow he knew that if he were to ask her why she had just risked her life for a kid she'd known for maybe an hour in total she'd say the exact same thing.

No one had ever felt that way about him before.

Like he was worth protecting.

Kuwagamon chose that moment to burst back out from the cover of the trees, walking on two of his spindly legs and shedding leaves and bits of vines as he went.

Harry felt something hot and fierce well up inside him even as he scrambled backwards, bringing himself and Niximon closer to the safety of the group.

If he'd had any idea how to manage it, and have even the smallest chance of not getting himself killed in the attempt, he would have thrown himself at Kuwagamon and scratched his beady, multifaceted eyes out.

Niximon sat up straighter in his arms.

"How is this thing still coming?" Taichi asked. "What did we ever do to it?"

"Kuwagamon likely hopes to consume our data and become even stronger," Motimon said.

"You mean eat you?" said Takeru.

"Nothing so impersonal," growled Tsunomon.

"Put me down, Taichi," said Koromon. "I need to fight."

"What are you talking about? You can't fight that thing!"

"No, Koromon is right, it's time. We haven't waited this long just to have it all end here!" Motimon agreed, hopping forward.

"I'm going too," peeped Pyocomon, wriggling away from Sora.

"Don't be foolish! Even if you work together, he's too strong! You won't be able to beat him!" she said sharply.

"But that's precisely why we need to fight," said Tsunomon.

"Yes, me too!" agreed Tokomon. "I'll fight too!"

"And me!" said Niximon.

"Count me in!" growled Pukamon.

"Tanemon…you too?" asked Mimi.

Tanemon nodded, quiet, but no less fierce than the others and Mimi reluctantly let her go.

She was the only one who could bear to do it though.

The other digimon were forced to wrest themselves free of their partnered humans, Niximon included.

"Here we go!"

Helpless to do anything else, Harry and the others watched as their digimon raced forward on their small legs, wishing desperately for a miracle or a weapon.

Something, anything, that would help them stand between their partners and Kuwagamon.

Kuwagamon let out a grating roar, snapping his pincers and the small herd of charging digimon.

"I can't just sit here!" Taichi burst out, running forward. "KOROMON!"

Harry's ears were ringing.

It felt like all the hair on his body stood on end as that hot, helpless feeling burned itself into his chest.

In front of him the digimon were engulfed in a warm, white light, too bright to look at straight on.

"DIGIVOLVE!" someone shouted.

Harry felt something, some strain he'd barely been aware of, snap inside of him.

Echoing all around him, through him, and inside his own head, he could hear Niximon's voice…

"Niximon digivolve to—Vaporemon!"

The light faded away in a rush, and there in front of them stood the digimon…but they were different.

"What happened?" he heard Sora ask.

"They…got bigger," said Taichi, gawping.

Their digimon weren't just bigger, though, they were completely unrecognizable from the creatures they'd been previously. Their voices were different too, less childlike, and more ferocious as they launched themselves at Kuwagamon

They were swatted away with one long arm, as Kuwagamon was still many times their size, but they shook off the blow much more easily.

Rolling to his feet the orange dinosaur-looking digimon shouted: "Pepper Breath!" and when he opened his jaws a whirling globe of fire the size of a basketball erupted from his mouth striking Kuwagamon in the face.

Kuwagamon roared in a combination of anger and pain and attempted to launch himself back into the air, where he would have the advantage.

"No, you don't!" cried the plant-type digimon. "Poison Ivy!"

Her fingers elongated with a snap into vines that twined around Kuwagamon's nearest leg.

"Boom Bubble!" called one of the flying digimon, a globe of swirling air bursting out of him in a rush.

Kuwagamon swayed, dazed, and was forced to land.

A smaller beetle-type digimon cried: "Super Shocker!" and a bolt of electricity hit Kuwagamon causing him to stumble. The white and purple furred digimon then rolled underneath his foot, tripping him and bringing him down to one knee.

"Bubble Blast!"

Harry startled as he found he recognized that voice.

Kuwagamon roared again as the stream of watery bullets struck him.

"Stand back," the dinosaur warned.

The other digimon leapt away and once again he breathed a globe of fire onto a screaming Kuwagamon.

"Blue Blaster!" called another digimon, spitting a jet of sky-blue fire.

"Spiral Twister!" screed the pink bird-type digimon, green fire spilling out from her wings in a deadly vortex.

Kuwagamon cried out and stumbled back even further.

"All together now!"

The digimon with long-range attacks used them now, all at once, hitting Kuwagamon as hard as they could manage.

Kuwagamon reeled back, his carapace scorched by tongues of multi-colored fire, and staggered. Trying and failing to find his balance.

Then, finally, with a long ponderous groan like a felled tree, he toppled backward into the forest with an almighty crash.

"They made vaporware out of him," Koushiro said, awed.

For a long moment there was silence.

Then the orange dinosaur wheeled around, a big, bright grin on his face, and started running back towards them.

"Taichi!" he called, delighted.

Taichi was already running for him, and they crashed into each other, embracing for a moment before Taichi started to bounce, struggling to lift him into his arms.

"You did it! Koromon or Agumon or whoever you are! You won!" he shouted, laughing and whooping.

That seemed to be all the cue the others needed to run to their digimon.

All around him the other kids and their partners were laughing and embracing, the relief of not being eaten by Kuwagamon making them more than a little giddy. Some of the kids, like Jou and Yamato, seemed a little leery of their partners in these new forms, while others accepted them without any reservations.

"How about that super shocker? Pretty wizard, yeah?" the smaller beetle type digimon said, hovering near Koushiro, who had a proud smile and a big thumbs-up for his digimon.

"Harry!" called that familiar voice, as Niximon ran into his outstretched arms.

She was still blue and sort of fox-shaped, if foxes had had fins for ears and long flukes at the end of their tails.

She was just as light as before despite being three or four times her original size, and rather than being covered in fluffy fur her skin was smooth and satin-soft, like good suede.

"Did you see me? Wasn't that amazing?" she said wriggling happily.

Harry just hugged her more tightly in answer.

It had been amazing, but he was also pretty sure that he'd never been more afraid for someone else in his entire life and all he wanted to do was squeeze her until the ball of ice and razor-wire worry that had settled in his chest melted away.

Then Sora cried, "Taichi! Look out!"

Harry spun around in time to watch Taichi and Agumon as they were forced to dive out of the way of Kuwagamon yet again.

Kuwagamon let out an enraged bellow as he missed his target and his pincers slid into the rocky ground like a hot knife through butter right where the pair had been standing only a moment before.

"Bloody hell!" Harry swore.

"Guess we celebrated too soon," said Taichi. "Can you guys drive him back again?"

"No problem!" said Agumon, little tongues of flame already dribbling from between his teeth.

Harry set Niximon down and she yowled at Kuwagamon, her finned tail lashing like an angry cat's.

As Kuwagamon struggled to pull his pincers out of the stone of the cliff, the ground beneath their feet began to shake.

The kids and their digimon cried out as they were knocked off their feet by the shaking.

As the larger digimon freed himself from the rock there was an ominous crack, like a gunshot.

Cracks began spider-webbing out from that first fissure, and, without warning, the once solid ground began to shift and crumble underneath their feet.

"Grab hold of something!" someone shouted.

Another person screamed.

"Harry!" cried Niximon, leaping back toward him.

As Harry lost his footing and toppled into thin air, the last thing he saw was Kuwagamon easily righting himself in the air with his massive wings, and as he began to fall in earnest that struck him as being entirely unfair.

EDITED 05.13.2020

AN:

Okay, for those of you who read ver. 1.0 (or who continue reading from this chapter while I'm still editing, haha) you will notice that Sotomon / Senamon is now a ladylike digimon called Niximon / Vaporemon. This is due to my actually thinking about how digimon are named and deciding on their champion and ultimate forms.

She's a foxlike, watery digimon our girl, and we're going to remain on-brand throughout since she's a made up digimon.

SO

How I came up with the names for Niximon / Vaporemon and visuals that go with this chapter!

(In-training) Niximon = Nixie + mon

A nixie is a type of water sprite. If you google "blue viximon" that's what she looks like…I was originally very tempted to pair Harry with a Renamon…but then I came across some not-so PG images and thought to myself, yeah, better not do that.

(Rookie) Vaporemon = Vapor + mon

If you're thinking that hmm, Vaporemon is only one letter off from Vaporeon the popular water-type eeveelution, that's on purpose. Vaporemon looks like a Vaporeon…get on the google or the pinterest and pick your favourite version of Vaporeon and, tada, that's our girl.

Not very original of me, I know, the reason for this is simply for ease of visuals and associations. I know a lot of people found visualizing Senamon to be very difficult in the first go around, and I think it made the experience frustrating for readers. I wanted to avoid that while also being able to create a digimon character that was essentially a blank slate personality-wise.

Aside from Renamon Harry also almost received a Kudamon, Dorumon, Herissmon and Veemon…that and the crest decision were honestly two of the bigger hurdles I had to jump before I could sit down with this rewrite.

Like or don't like?

Let me know!

(Author's notes will become shorter very shortly, promise)