This chapter isn't the best, but it has a role that must be fulfilled. Apart from that, enjoy.

Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do hereby state that I do not own the rights to Digimon.
…

I stretched as I got off of the mat. The first thing on our list for the day was to meditate under the waterfall, and then we would eat a light breakfast and help clean the temple. I didn't mind helping out. After all, they were letting us learn for a minimal fee, so at the least, we could do some chores around the temple. As I walked out of the room, a man walked over and held a note out. I slowly took it and looked up.

"I hope you don't mind." He said. I looked at the note and read it.

'Student Mao…' I read. 'The grandmaster requests that you come to his chamber before morning training.' I looked up. "Thank you. Where do I go?" He turned and gestured for me to follow, so I put the note in my belt and followed him. As we walked, a few other recruits were waking up and stretching, while others were doing exercises in the yard already. They were definitely advanced students. When we got to the main area, he led me to a room behind the statue. As he opened it and I walked in, he walked away. I saw a Taomon resting beside the grandmaster. As I stopped at a distance, I bowed.

"Thank you for being so kind as to come." He said. I sat down on my knees as he cleared his throat. "Some of the other students are somewhat, nervous. The other Virus Digimon have already left due to being, bullied. Or so I expect. You have ignored the other students quite well."

"I'm used to it." I said. "Most of the time I would be picked on by Tamers that believed all Viruses to be evil… In particular, a boy and his Gabumon, who said all Viruses are invariably evil, despite that Gabumon would eventually become a Garurumon, a Virus." He laughed quietly, as did Taomon. "If I got mad at everyone that taunted me, I'd likely have been sent back to the Digital World about a week in." He smiled slightly, but soon stopped. "If they continue to bother me, I will let them. If all they have are words, I have nothing to fear. If they attack… Then I'll just escape. I'm fast, for a Rookie."

"So I have seen." Taomon said. "I have seen you easily keeping pace with some of the advanced students." He moved his arm slightly, and an image appeared of me and several students moving quite quickly. I was honestly surprised. "Were you to ask for private training, I believe you could easily move to the advanced classes by the end of the week."

"I, think I'd rather stay with my friends." I said. "We're here to try to bond, and become a better team. The more we know one another, the better we can protect each other, and our Tamers." The grandmaster laughed quietly. I felt strange. There was an air about him that made me imagine him as my grandfather. It was, funny, and kind of nice. "But I think we'll come back… Definitely me and Arthur. It's nice here." They both laughed quietly.

"If other students continue to bother you, and they attack you, you should defend yourself." He said. "I think, even the best students would have trouble. I have already spoken to Arthur, and he has told me of that device. I hope you will put it to great use. And if a student allows, Arthur may scan them, to add to your techniques." I smiled a little. "Thank you, for being so calm, when others might have responded with violence."

"If I fight, it won't be because someone called me names." I said. "I only fight when I'm attacked, or if there is danger to my friends or others who can't fight." They both smiled.

"Thank you." The grandmaster said. "You may go now, honorable imp." I smiled a little and stood, and bowed. As I walked out, I smiled a little more.

'That was cool.' I thought. 'It's nice to find someone that isn't bothered by me being, me.' I heard laughter, so I looked to see a few new students pointing at me, laughing. I shrugged and kept walking, mostly because I didn't care, but partly because I figured I was wearing a gun belt and a gi. When I got to the waterfall, Daisy was standing in the spray as a Palmon, in the sun. She looked cozy, so I put the note and my belt down and walked over, sitting down. "Good morning."

"Morning…" She said contentedly. "This is nice. Warm sun, cool water… This must be plant heaven." I closed my eyes and just let the spray land on my back.

"It is pretty nice." I said. She giggled softly. "So, are the others up yet?"

"Yeah, they're getting ready." She said. "They're hoping to find a better spot."

"Well, I think I had a good spot." I said. "Between you and Scott, I had water hitting me from above, and both sides." She laughed as I opened my eyes. "I had water from three angles, so I was getting the most out of the training."

"Then I suppose I will take the same spot." Scott said.

"Well, you get a helmet, so you've got it easy." I said. He laughed as he walked over and sat by us.

"I heard you were talking to the grandmaster." He said. "I hope you weren't in trouble."

"He wanted to let me know he was happy that I wasn't losing my temper from being insulted." I said. "No point in it, you know? Just words."

"I see." He said. "Good. I think Percival wouldn't be happy to have to cut our training short for a minor issue with just one of us."

"Don't worry, I won't give anyone cause to eject us." I said. The others started walking over, some stretching, while Percival carried a sleeping Riley in the crook of his arm.

"I think the water should be just what she needs to wake up." He said. "Is everyone ready? Our teacher is already here." I looked over my shoulder and up while Daisy looked back. He was up on a rock above us. "Good eye, Mao."

"That's where the spray down here is coming from." I said. "Hard not to notice."
…

I rotated my arm as I walked onto the platform. As luck would have it, I was chosen to show my current skills against another beginner. And as fate would have it, it was Lena, without her gloves.

"Are you sure about this?" Lena asked. "I do have a bit of an advantage. I've been here for a few days longer than you have."

"It's just for fun, right?" I asked. "See where we are." She nodded.

"Whenever you are ready." The proctor said. Immediately Lena had begun closing the distance, and I remembered the movies I'd seen with martial artists. I stepped back and pushed her hand aside, dodging her kick, and spun around, surprising her with my tail as I stepped a little further back.

"You're a beginner?" She asked.

"Movies." I said. She laughed quietly and moved in, trying to hit me, but I was able to push her hands aside. "And the fact that they didn't say 'no optimizing', so, expect a boost near your level." She laughed and I spun around, hitting her feet with my tail, and I moved in.

"Enough." The proctor said. I stepped back, holding my hand out to her. She took it and stood up. "Impressive. Both of you." There was a lot of chatter among the crowd. "Next…" He announced the next two as we walked down toward our Tamers.

"Movies?" She asked.

"More than a few." I said. "I pay attention." Arthur put his hand on my head and laughed.

"It's true." He said. "You're a natural."

"No kiddin'." Sarah said. I looked up at her. I'd never been near her when she was speaking, so I wasn't aware she had an Australian accent. It was an honest surprise to me. "You beat my girl, and that's not easy, 'specially not for a Rook." She gave me a fairly hard pat on the back, making me laugh. "If I did manage to join the DGA, I think I'd want to be with you lot."

"W-well, that'd be okay by me…" Arthur said.

"I don't have a problem with a new team member." Percy said. "And we're already starting to bond, oui?" Sarah laughed.

"It'd be nice to have a girl around my age to talk to." Annabelle said.

"I don't mind." Riley said.

"Oh boy…" Lena said. I looked at her.

"Hey, four Champions and Mao." Arthur said. "So, five Champions, about." Sarah laughed and punched his shoulder.

"Just wait 'til he finally gets there." She said.

"I keep hearing that." I said. "Hopefully it'll be soon, or it's all I'm ever going to hear." They all laughed as Scott was called up, as well as another Angemon. We all looked over. "Battle for the ages?"

"No, I hate to say it Percy, but I think Scott's goin' down." Sarah said. "I've seen that flyboy, and he's tough. Took on Greymon in a one on one, and put him in the ground hard. Scott may be an Angemon, but that boy, Michael, is on another level." Percy looked curiously at her before looking up.

"Begin." The proctor said. Scott went in fairly fast, but like Lena against me, he couldn't land a hit. It was like watching a movie where the either the hero was woefully outmatched near the start, for Scott, or for Michael, a hero that had trained for long enough to master techniques the bad guy wasn't ever able to attempt.

"This isn't a bad thing, he may recover." Percy said. He sounded unsure.

"No…" I said. "This fight was over the moment Scott's name was called." I felt him looking at me. "Look at Michael. He's not trying. Scott is. He's giving his all…"

"How bad is…" Riley started. Before she could finish, Michael hit Scott three times in the chest, fairly fast, and Scott fell back, hard.

"Word has it he trained on his own." Sarah said. "To where he could handle enemies of similar form, but higher levels. I've heard rumors he's Ultimate capable."

"Not the first time Scott's faced those odds." Arthur said. "He wore down a Devimon that went Myotismon… H-he can…" I shook my head.

"He can do it." Riley said. Scott got up and kept fighting, visibly trying his hardest to land a hit, but each time he got close, Michael would push his hands or feet aside like it was nothing, and it was obvious Scott was running out of steam, fast. "He… Oh, who am I kidding? He's done for." Michael landed a hard strike to Scott's shoulder, throwing him to the ground on his chest.

"Enough." The proctor said. Scott slowly got up as Michael walked down the steps toward his Tamer. Scott walked down as well, somewhat shakily. When he got over, he had his hand on his shoulder, and definitely looked like he'd seen better days.

"That was, brutal." Arthur said. "Are you okay?"

"He wasn't holding back." Scott said quietly. "He didn't pull his punches, from the start. He was acting like it was a real fight…"

"But, the proctor said it was just practice." Lena said. "Why would he try to hurt you?"

"I don't know." Scott said quietly. "It's… Difficult to say." He looked over his shoulder. "But something, felt off about him. It was like, he was angry at me. Like he wanted to actually harm me." He sat down and I walked up, looking at his shoulder, and there was already a bruise forming.

"Just say the word, and I'll set up a prank that can't be traced to any of us." I said.

"No…" He said. "We are here to train, and bond, not to… Put soap on his staff, or paint the front of his helmet black…" I thought for a moment and scoffed. "What?"

"Paint on the helmet?" I asked quietly. "Seriously? You really are an angel. Seriously, that's amateur level stuff. Where's the chain reaction? Where's the cause and effect? Soap the staff, that could work great, his staff goes flying and breaks something easily replaceable, he gets scolded and has to pay for it, and his Tamer scolds him. That's a half decent one, granted, but paint? Too easy, leaves a mess, and soap washes off of your hands and if you're caught, you forgot to wash on the way out of the bathroom." The others laughed. "Give me ten minutes and I'll give you a prank that'll leave him checking shadows all around him for a week and a half." He sighed and slowly got up.

"Well, I'll think about your proposal." He said, making the others laugh. "There's no reason to be angry at him… Maybe he just didn't hear it… Late, perhaps."
…

I adjusted the sleeves of the uniform for a moment before Arthur ran in. I looked up and he panted.

"Mao, there's a fight in the courtyard, wild Digimon came through, lots." He said. I grabbed Baffle from his backpack and ran toward him. "It's a, uh… What was it…" We got close to the corner. "Uh…" A fireball flew past us while Taomon battled something, very familiar. An Etemon.

"Oh joy." I said.

"That, wasn't there." He said. I looked down and saw dozens of Digimon running around, attacking the students' Digmon. "What is that thing?"

"Etemon." I said. "Guy in a monkey costume, strong, thinks he's a god in Digimon form. Champion over there, is a Black Tyrannomon, and there are a lot of Digimon of varying types around… Why are there so many?"

"Now's not the time." He said. Daisy rushed through a crowd of small Digimon, throwing them into an open portal while Scott hit the dinosaur with his Hand of Fate. Michael was nowhere to be seen, but the others were defending the students. "We're on orders to drop the dino, and provide support."

"Orders?" I asked.

"Grandmaster's." He said. I ran toward him and the others while he watched Taomon. I immediately took aim.

"Calm yourself." The grandmaster said. I looked back at him. "Just stay focused, don't let your excitement lead you astray." I slowly looked back and took a breath. I watched for a moment as I aimed. It was far too early for me to be able to utilize any lessons, but I could at least listen to him. "Let the moment tell you when to strike." Scott dodged claw swipes and flames, and I saw a pattern emerging. I slowly took aim, closing my eye.

"Optimizing accuracy." Arthur said. "Arms, eyes." I felt the changes and my vision became sharp enough that I could actually make out the details on Scott's staff and the Black Tyrannomon's scales. After a moment of aiming, I focused my power.

"Dark Round." I said calmly. I pulled the trigger and the bullet shot forward and hit it through the right eye as it looked at me, and left a decent hole. As it disappeared, I looked at the Etemon as Taomon dodged a few hard punches.

"You are as the others had said." The grandmaster mused. "Is it also true you can harm Ultimate level foes?"

"If I can hit them." I said. I moved down onto my knee. "Can you get him where I can get a clear shot? And hold him there?" He produced a flute and began playing it, and Taomon moved back, jumping, and Etemon followed until they were both on top of the wall, and Etemon was off balance. I aimed at his head. I let out a breath as I tuned out most of the sound, and I focused the shot again. "Dark Round." I pulled the trigger, and as before, the bullet raced toward the target, but he jumped up slightly, moving just forward enough for the bullet to catch him in the shoulder instead of the neck, and he hit the wall, holding on. "Not, where I wanted it…" Taomon waited for Etemon to stand up, but he suddenly jumped toward us. I saw it, rage. Taomon chased him but I took aim.

"You little traitor!" He yelled. "You could have joined Traynor!" I lowered the barrel.

"Traynor…" I repeated quietly.

"You're dead!" He screamed.

"Mao!" Arthur said quickly. "Take the shot!" I raised the barrel again.

"Dark Rounds!" I called. I fired repeatedly, hitting him, in order, in the stomach, in the leg, and in the forehead. He skidded for only a moment before disappearing into nothing. The battle was already winding down as Taomon landed near me, and I lowered Baffle.

"You hesitated." He said.

"That name." Arthur said. "Traynor. That's the second time we've heard it. Both times, from an Ultimate… A Virus…" Data flew to me and Arthur while none went to the Digital World. "It can't be a coincidence. Can it?"

"It is very unlikely." Taomon said. "Whoever this Traynor is, Etemon was chasing you, and a few I had fought before him, mentioned an Impmon, with a pistol, a revolver." I looked at Baffle. "Someone is seeking you."

"We have to head to HQ." Arthur said. I heard fairly heavy footsteps.

"I've already called." Percy said. "I told them about the attack. They're going to send agents to defend the temple in case it happens again. There was another attack." I looked at him. "Half a mile away from the police station that was attacked. Someone mentioned that a few mentioned an Impmon. The chief says we're to come in." I heard a pair of running footsteps.

"I'm comin' along." Sarah said. We looked at her.

"This might be a bad time." Percy said. "They're after something. This might not be…"

"Hey, we held our own out there, big guy." She said. "We can handle whatever's comin' from the Digi-world." He was silent.

"It may be difficult to tell the chief." He said. "You'll be a civilian for a while."

"I don't care." She said. "You're goin', we're goin'… Uh, sorry, grandmaster, but I guess that means…"

"That you will return when you are able." He said. "I understand. Thank you all, for defending our temple from those cowards."
….

"So, according to the reports, they're after a specific Impmon." The chief said. "From what we've found out, this has happened all over the country. Always gets put down due to courageous Tamers and their Digimon, but this is the first time something like this has happened. We're supposed to find this 'Traynor' and put him out of commission. We've started checks, but the information is in." He leaned forward as the others looked at me. "Nationwide, Ultimate level Virus Digimon were asking for an Impmon, wearing a red neckerchief, a brown gun belt, carrying a revolver. Any chance there are more than just you?" I shrugged.

"If it's nationwide…" I said.

"There was only one that asked kindly, without attacking." He said. He sat back. "Asked for an Impmon carrying a revolver called 'Baffle'. Word around the lab is that you named a weapon 'Bamboozle'. Am I right to assume, you name all of your weapons, Mao?" I put my hand on Baffle.

"It was looking for me." I said. An image flashed. "She's here."

"She?" Arthur asked.

"She is." The chief said. "She's not here on behalf of Traynor. She's here on her own. Says she's got an idea. You're going to talk to her, and our newest agent's joining your squad."

"Who?" Sarah asked.

"You should know." He said. He tossed a badge to her and she caught it, awkwardly. "Agent Valentine. The paperwork needs to be done, but we'll handle it later." He tossed a second badge to Lena. "The Digimon you're to talk to is in the break room. There will be three Ultimate Digimon guarding it, and only two of you are to go in. Make your choice before you get there. Two Digimon, nothing to let us listen in. Not like she wouldn't jam anything anyway. Her name is…"

"Lady Devimon." I said.