When we last left our intrepid heroes, we learned of Sarah's past, and a little of the others. In this exciting chapter, well, tune in and find out… And with that out of the way, the OCs Krieger and Botan were created by deathsonic, and I get the feeling we'll see them down the road somewhere. Enjoy.

Disclaimer: I, Lord Genesis Shadow, do hereby state that I do not own the rights to Digimon. Thank you, and have a nice day.
…

"Hey, Mao." Riley said. I looked at her. "How do you feel right now?" I shrugged after a second.

"Alright." I said. "Nothing, too good, nothing bad… Maybe a little hungry." She laughed.

"I mean, about the whole, two days living it up like this." She said. "Come on, we spend the afternoon and morning at a mansion, eating… Uh, food like this." I laughed quietly. "And getting these clothes? This is the best outfit I've ever had, and it's in my favorite colors!" I smiled as we looked out at the van as it was brought around while the others said their goodbyes to Sarah's parents. "Don't tell me you don't think all of this is cool."

"It's nothing short of awesome." I said. "But, you know, I'm used to a simpler life, and I'm just getting used to that. I lived in the Dark Area. It's, dark all day, cold all year round unless you live near a volcano, and there's danger behind every leaf on every tree. You have to be careful just walking up to a meat tree." She looked at me.

"Meat tree?" She asked. "So, Harry wasn't joking about that." I laughed.

"Hey, I'm still confused why it's not like that here." I said. "But, whatever. Fruit's just as good… You know, if that's your main diet." She laughed. "But, you know, I'm here now. Warm days, varied weather that isn't always sleet and hail or, the odd tornado. Seriously, three days after I got here, hot rain." She giggled. "When you go from holding a plank made out of bark you just ripped off of a tree to block tiny balls of ice or ice cold rain to wondering if it's some kind of human technology that turned outside into one big shower, that's the most amazing thing you've seen up to that point."

"I love hot rain." She said. "It's like, Ma Nature's saying 'get ready to make tea'." We both laughed as the van stopped and the others walked over. "So, where do we go today?"

"I was thinking about that." Ann said. "My house is, closest. We could spend a day there, or, at least morning, and then come back in the afternoon for dinner after doing stuff in town."

"I had an idea about that." Percy said. "I think if we spend most of our time together doing anything, that's good, but we could find a place where we can, how you say, spar. We would all get stronger, but we would also be able to practice what we have learned from the temple. Speaking of, we should go back if we have the time." We all nodded as we walked up to the van. "I've also looked into a bigger vehicle, or possibly a second one. Ten seated in one van wouldn't be comfortable at best, let alone that one of our friends is a fourteen foot tall cactus, and one has six wings."

"Yeah, it was made for, at best, a family of six." Arthur said. "It's just good luck that some of us are small enough that we just fit, with Percy sitting in the back." Percy laughed as he opened the door.
…

I adjusted the jacket slightly as we walked into the dining room, where Annabelle's parents were having brunch. As Daisy managed to sidle through the door, the parents looked up.

"Thank you for meeting us here." Her mother said. "I'm grateful for the chance to see our daughter's, friends." We stopped as the father stood up and gestured to the seats, though he looked at Daisy. "Oh dear, Daisy, what has happened to you? I hadn't heard of any battles recently."

"It was a natural Digivolution, mother." Annabelle said carefully. "She's like this, well, for life now, or, until she reaches her next stage, naturally. But, hopefully she'll be able to reach her, next form… Which is actually around the size of a normal human, l-like Scott…" They looked at all of us for a moment. "Er, the, six winged, angel."

"I see." Her father said. "Well, I believe introductions are in order. I am Victor Summers, and this is my lovely wife Cassandra." Annabelle stepped forward slightly. She wanted to introduce us to make sure we didn't do something that would make her parents not like us, at least not until after we were asked to speak.

"This is…" She started.

"Now, I believe they have mouths for a reason, dear Annabelle." Cassandra said. "I know you mean well, but I believe it proper for them to introduce themselves." Annabelle seemed worried, but I stepped forward, bowing politely.

"I am Mao." I said. "It is nice to make your acquaintances." As I stood, Victor seemed somewhat pleased. "I may be a subtype of Impmon, but I limit my practical jokes and general hijinks to places where they are more appropriate."

"For which we will be quite grateful." Cassandra said. "It is quite nice to meet you." Arthur slowly stepped forward, also bowing.

"I'm Arthur Rowe." He said. "I'm Mao's Tamer, so, if he does cause any trouble, I'll be sure to, reprimand him appropriately." The others introduced themselves as best they could, save for Harrigan, who was introduced by Riley, and she made sure to explain his silence.

"As I understand, you have all been on very good behavior thus far." Victor said. "While we are grateful for this, we would like you to try to make sure she adheres to her training."

"Her, training?" Arthur asked.

"Yes." Cassandra said. "She is training to be a lady, and while she works at a flower shop, or worked at one before taking a job at your agency, she was to remember her lessons and practice them regularly. One must maintain high standards to be properly respected in today's world, especially women."

"Mom…" Annabelle said under her breath.

"She has been quite careful to maintain an air of elegance at all times." I said. I knew the others were likely confused, since she had acted pretty much like any person that lived in our neighborhood, but I knew Annabelle didn't want to disappoint her parents. "She tries not to put on airs, and manages to act dignified, but not stuck up. It's, nothing short of inspiring, to be perfectly honest."

"I am quite pleased to hear that." Victor said. "I am sorry our visit could not last longer, since you are to continue your training. It may be a, less than safe vocation, and the odds that it may lead to many an awkward dinner with our friends, it is Annabelle's choice, and we will support her." Annabelle smiled a little. "Rest assured that when you are our guests, you are welcome with open arms. It is not our way to be unkind to friends of the family."

"You must excuse us." Cassandra said. "We have several meetings." They bowed and walked out while we went back to the foyer. As we looked at each other, Annabelle knelt and hugged me, which surprised me greatly.

"Thank you for saying that." She said. "It was very sweet of you." I slowly patted her back before she stood up.

"It's not my way to not help a friend." I said. She laughed quietly into her hand.

"They actually wanted me to be, well, stuffy, and put on airs…" She said. "That's how the teachers want me to act, anyway. I just completely blow off those lessons when I leave the house, but I really do pay attention to them." She cleared her throat. "I was, just a little worried."

"Well, now that, we know about that, we'll make sure to follow Mao's example." Percy said. "Right, everyone?"

"Yeah." Riley said. Harrigan nodded.

"You can count on me." Sarah said.

"Me too." Lena said.

"I've got your back." Arthur said.

"I don't like lying, but, you pay attention, so you're not really lying." Scott said calmly.

"Thanks, everyone." Annabelle said, smiling. She gestured to the door. "So uh, there's a good place to spar, in the back yard. Dad, let Daisy train back there with a few, paid Tamers." We all nodded and agreed, so she walked toward the door and led us out, and as we got further out, I had to voice a thought.

"There are quite a few, really nice, um, hedges…" I said. She laughed.

"W-well, mom, has a hobby." She said. "She, has the gardeners do that, from time to time." We kept walking when she sighed, gesturing. "That's, my favorite." We looked over and I heard Sarah laugh.

"Is that a Lilymon?" She asked.

"One of the gardeners' daughters had a Palmon that, reached Ultimate." Annabelle said. "Mom, saw a picture one day while he was, showing the picture to his friends, so… She asked him to make the hedge over here look like the Lilymon. He's a permanent gardener now because, mom figures, when Daisy reaches Ultimate, she'll have a fellow Lilymon to talk to." When we got to the back, I heard a laugh. We looked over as a man walked off of a stone walkway. "Oh, h-hello. Are you…"

"Your new trainer for battling…" He said. He looked at the rest of us. "I guess I'm not the only one?" She shook her head quickly.

"No, no, these, are my friends." She said. She gestured and he pointed.

"That's Arthur Rowe." He said.

"H-how do you know my name?" Arthur asked. The man laughed.

"Saw you on the news a few weeks back." He said. "I asked the police for your name and they gave it. Found out you work for the DGA, though I didn't check recently. Sorry for not recognizing you and Mr. Canterbury sooner."

"It is not a problem." Percy said. "After all, freedom to access information is nothing to cause need for an apology. Though I am curious as to why you would look for his name."

"Because of Mao, actually." He said. "A Rookie that can kill a Champion is a rare thing if you don't know what you're doing."

"Well, it's just a matter of…" I started.

"Overcharging your special attacks and doing so from the maximum effective range." A female said. I looked over at a fountain with the others to see a Renamon with black fur. I just shrugged.

"Or having a powerful revolver and aiming for soft spots in the skull of a target." I said. "Easy enough, if you get that one little moment you need." The man laughed as she walked over.

"My name is Krieger." He said. "Irony, when you think that she does the fighting." I laughed, as did Harrigan, Daisy, Scott, and Lena.

"Uh, well, if you speak the, language your name is in." Riley said.

"His name means 'warrior' in German." Lena said.

"Yes, and this is Botan." He said. "Now, I'm sure some of you are concerned, seeing as she's a rare 'Black' Digimon, but I promise, the worst she gets is a little moody after a rough night." She just crossed her arms as she stood next to him. "I was just here to lend a hand, but, I get the feeling you're all about to do some sparring with each other."

"W-well, if my parents want you to help, I, I think we could use the numbers." Annabelle said. "I mean, five teams, we could use, two matches to rest, so, it'd be a little lopsided."

"Well then, who's first?" Botan asked. "I've been a little eager for a good match, regardless of my form."

"Uh, how about us?" Arthur suggested. "You want a good fight, and Mao doesn't need his revolver to be a powerhouse." The others agreed as we started walking toward an open area, and Botan stopped as I looked at my outfit, but shrugged before taking a stance, to which Botan laughed.

"As strong as you are, I doubt I'll break a sweat." She said.

"If you need to go Kyuubimon, I'll give you a few seconds to catch your breath." I said smugly. "Arthur, hit the button."

"The, button." Krieger said. "You can Digivolve?"

"Nope." I said. Arthur scanned Botan as she started running, and when she went to strike me with her claws, I jumped up and kicked her chest with both feet, pushing her back a fair distance. She seemed surprised as I ran at her, jumping and avoiding her kick, and I jumped off of her back, pushing her away again. Spinning, I turned and took a basic fisticuff stance. "Sweating yet?"

"It takes more than that to make me pant." She said quietly.

"I'll vouch for that!" Krieger called. She ran at me and faked a punch, but I jumped over her kick just in time for her go grab my throat. "Hey, are we allowed to use attacks on low power, or is this just one on one the old fashioned way? I think Mao might need a fireball or two to get free."

"Mao?" Arthur called.

"I'm good!" I called. I kicked her arm and she dropped me, so I rushed her, jumping and hitting her in the stomach with my head. She fell back, and I heard the others wince from the distance she staggered as I readied myself again.

"Not, not bad…" She said, coughing. "I half thought that revolver was the only thing you could fight with."

"I watch a lot of action movies." I said. "We took a few days to train at a Kung Fu temple, might head back later to try to learn how to fight better. If you want, go ahead and use your moves. I'll just follow your lead."

"Fine." She said quietly. She suddenly vanished in dark smoke, so I grinned, dodging the kick by using her own technique against her. I landed a few feet away, dusting my shoulders off. "W-what kind of… That was my technique!"

"How the heck did he do that?" Krieger called. "I've never seen any Impmon teleport before."

"The button activated a scanner, and the Optimizer, this…" Arthur called. "Augments his base code to give him a wider range of moves. It's not just bullets, fireballs, ropes, and fences. He can copy most moves if his body can somehow do it! In this case, it's energy, so it's easy! Right, Mao?"

"Eh, a little tough to use this one, but I'll make it work." I said. "I meant to land about three feet to the right. Give me three more teleports and I should have it down to a science." She suddenly held her hands in front of her.

"Well, if you're so confident." She said. A bunch of black crystals formed and began flying. "Jet Squall!" I teleported behind her, where she kicked, but I teleported again, holding my hands up in time with her. "Jet Squall!"

"Amethyst Buckshot!" I called. I formed a bunch of purple crystals to match hers, and they flew at the same time, hitting and forming blackish purple smoke between us, though I formed a portal in the ground. She teleported and ran at me, and fell partly in, grabbing the ground. "Infernal Funnel. Most say it just pulls out rocks, or fireballs, or ice, but I like using the pocket dimension within it as a trap in and of itself." I pointed my finger at her as she went to reach at me, and a fireball formed at the tip.

"Alright, that's enough." Krieger said, laughing. "We haven't been beaten in a long time. You're better than I thought you'd be, Mao." I let the ball go and held my hand out, and she reluctantly took it, letting me help her out of the portal. As it closed, she looked at me, but smiled somewhat.

"Not bad." She said.

"I blame Arthur's collection of movies." I said. She laughed softly as we walked over to the others, and Arthur put his hand on my head. "He has a lot of Jet Lee, Jackie Chan, and Chuck Norris films."
…

"Hey." Daisy said. I looked over as she walked up to where I was sitting. She sat down, so I climbed up on her offered glove, laughing quietly. "Good fight. She was tough."

"Yeah, she was." I said. "But, I haven't fought Renamon before. I've always wanted to. I'm glad I watch so many movies now." She laughed. "I'm glad you held back against Lena."

"Small." She said. "Like you." I flexed my arms.

"I may be small, but my muscles pack more punch than you'd think." I said. She laughed a little louder before sighing.

"Why are you out here?" She asked. "It's night." I looked up at the full moon.

"I don't tell Arthur this, but I like being outside on these nights." I said. "The full moon just, puts me at ease. Kind of, anyway. I get restless, so I spend part of the night staring up at it, just, thinking about nothing."

"Me too." She said. "Bright." I laughed. "Thinking about Digivolving?" I nodded.

"Yeah." I said. "She said it would happen fairly soon. Hard to say just what that means though. I mean, you and the others Digivolved a lot faster than me, and if there's one thing I've noticed, it's that you never know when it's going to happen."

"The light shines when the time is right." She said. I looked at her. "Something my mom used to say, when I was little."

"As a Tanemon?" I asked. She nodded as we looked up again. "What's it like, having parents?" She was silent. "I always wondered. Sometimes I saw a family of Digimon. A mother and father, a Fresh or In Training with them… It looked nice. Like they didn't need anything to be happy but each other."

"Sometimes…" She said. "Mom wanted me to be, different. Dad wanted me to be, girly… I wanted a friend, but they always said no."

"Just, being protective?" I asked.

"Found a portal, left before anyone could stop me." She said. "Must have closed after me… Something felt strange, before."

"Well, portals feel strange when they open." I said quietly. She nodded as I stared up at the moon before pointing. "Orion's Belt is brighter than usual, isn't it?" She turned slightly, but nodded again. "And look, Ursa Major's not taking that lying down." She laughed quietly. "I bet that's a cosmic fight waiting to happen. Epic won't even start to describe that throwdown." She laughed a little more as I smiled.

"So, we weren't the only ones restless, it seems." Scott said. I looked as he and Lena walked over, with Harrigan in tow. They walked over and sat down, on Daisy's gloves. "And here I thought it was just something I did."

"I think it's something most Digimon probably do." I said. "The full moon comes out, and something just feels, different. Like we have to see it for a while."

"Yeah, that's how I always felt." Lena said. "I thought it was part of being a dog, or a cat. Angels, imps, cacti, and fencers do it too." We all laughed as Harrigan pointed his shinai at the moon. "What is it?" I leaned over and looked down the weapon for a moment.

"The man in the moon." I said, leaning back.

"Huh?" Lena asked. I pointed.

"There's, shadows or craters that kind of make a face." I said. "Mara was up late one night and saw me looking through the kitchen window at the moon and she pointed it out. Up until that night, I'd just stared at it, but I kind of like looking at stuff like that now. Stars, shapes… Hard to say whether or not it's just data in a natural way." They all nodded. "Maybe not digital, but, I think there's more to it than we know." We were all silent for a while, just watching the few clouds that were still out.

"You know, this is a good way to bond." Scott said quietly. "Something we can all do, even if it is just once a month, give or take."