If, by any chance that you may think that this is the same Jaune from canon, or that other characters will be exactly the same as they were in canon, may I suggest that you don't skip the A/N I left at the bottom of Chapter 1.

Bokomon was a digimon that; nearly his entire lives, wondered about the great mysteries surrounding the Digital World. How it came to be and why. Why digimon kept being reborn. Why there were digimon of all manner, shape, and size. Information of such magnitude always intrigued him, hence, why he always kept Monoshiri Book close at all times.

That was another thing that puzzled him. As far back as he could remember, the book had always been with him ever since evolving from being a Baby II stage. When digimon evolved, certain articles of clothing and items that they logically did not possess to begin with would already be on their person. Then again, who's to say exactly what the right kind of logic that made up their crazy and wondrous world. Full of marvels and fantastical sights that always seemed to surprise him, no matter how many cycles he'd been deleted and reconfigured.

And what he was seeing now before him, while above the puerile droll of watching a Numemon taking a dump, sparked a sense of...nostalgia. Feelings that he knew were foreign, but at the same time, strangely familiar.

Back to the situation at hand, he knew what it was based on the info that he had flipped through in his book numerous times. It was a human. An actual, bonafide human. It definitely wasn't a human digimon, being able to identify one another from the pre-loaded data that nearly the entirety of their species were bestowed upon by Yggdrasil since knowledge immaterial. Prior emotions aside, he could hardly believe his luck that; in this life, he had managed to meet with a real flesh and blood human.

A flesh and blood human that was now in the midst of some kind of bizarre ritual involving self-harm.

"Wake up!" Jaune slapped his own cheek, his heavy breathing expressing the panic that was shaking his frame. "Wake! Up!" slapping twice more on each punctuation. His blue eyes flared open around him once more, as if checking to see if he had awoken from what he must have thought was a dream.

Huh. Who knew humans could be such an excitable species? Best to file this away for more practical research.

The blonde was now running and pacing back and forth, as if searchingly. What it was that he was hard at work to find, Bokomon couldn't be certain. Perhaps communicating with the human could enlighten him on the situation.

"Um, are you okay?" Well, nobody ever called him a savvy conversationalist, but he'll take what he can get. When the boy had fallen on his rear, curling into a fetal position as he seemed to now be massaging his head with both hands while whimpering; weird, Bokomon slowly approached the lad and reached out, but kept a small slip of distance between them. "Uh...human? A-Are you alright?"

He pulled back a step when the boy's head suddenly jerked up, catching his gaze with his own, before puzzling him even further when the youth screamed and crawled on his hinds, still facing him. Oh, and it struck him; it was fear. Oh...the human was afraid of him. It was at times like these that pride would overcome him in managing to actually intimidate someone.

Other larger digimon usually looked down on Rookies like him as half-pints, runts, and easy pickings for a quick load of data. That being said, the guy looked genuinely scared and likely confused about where he was, indicating that he was not here of his own volition. Now, the imp just felt terrible.

"Calm down," Bokomon started gently, both hands held up in front placatingly. "Calm down, buddy. I'm not gonna hurt you." The human didn't seem to hear; much less acknowledge, his words, as he was still screaming. He deflated with a sigh, "Look, maybe we didn't start off that good. If you could just stop screaming for about a few minutes, maybe we can talk this out and I would be able to help you."

He carefully emphasized the right words that he hoped would help in transmitting his benevolent intentions. The young man's breathing was starting to simmer down after what he had to guess was his throat aching, apparent from the mitigating heaves of his chest. He still looked like a mess, though.

Bokomon released the breath that he had been holding in and started to tread near, but just as he had come within striking range, he cleanly received a foot to the face. The boy had kicked him, knocking him down on his back. The blow wasn't that remarkably strong, but still left a numbing soreness that caused him to rub at his poor snout.

Disoriented, he barely noticed something hard poking him at his torso, and a voice that could have only belonged to his attacker reaching his ears. "I-I'm warning you…" the boy bleated warningly. "I-I-I'm not afraid t-t-to use this."

Bokomon groaned, both in pain and annoyance, then irritation when he peered through the haze and saw the blunt end of the pickaxe from earlier hovering over him. "Ugh, I guess this means I won't have to invite you over for tea, then?"

A scrap of emotion seemed to flicker in the human's eyes as Bokomon regained his senses, looking a bit unsure before backing away slowly, gaze still trained on him and with pickaxe at the ready. It was only when he made a sudden turn and ran in the other direction did Bokomon remember something. Something dire.

"No, wait!" he called out as loud as he could, the distance widening for each second as the human only seemed to be picking up speed. "STOP! YOU'RE HEADING FOR A MINEFI-"

The flash of an explosion rent the air, as it did his words as he could do nothing but brace for the force of the blast. He only caught about a fraction of the human's scream before his ears were nearly perforated from just being near enough. Well, he couldn't say that he didn't warn the guy. But that was the last thing that was running through his thoughts as he shielded his eyes from the cloud of dust that was being carried by the wind.

" Please be okay! Please be okay! Please be okay! " he chanted repeatedly in his thoughts, but logic dictated that the human was as good as hamburger meat. Oh, sweet Yggdrasil. Now he was beginning to have second thoughts about ordering takeout from BurgerMoon for his dinner. When most of the debris finally dispersed, Bokomon ran as fast as his stubby legs could carry him to where he could pinpoint the boy's body had fallen.

"Nigeashimou Dash!"

Skidding to a halt, he panted to catch his breath as his eyes scanned, and scanned, until he spotted an odd flash to his right after catching the head of the pickaxe scattered on the ground. He moved at an urgent sprint, some semblance of hope pushing him on, but still taking care of where he knew some mines should still be. Said hope was answered when he came upon a small crater. There, lay the prone, but remarkably still in one piece form of the boy, with the only telltale sign of his ordeal being his destroyed clothing.

Bokomon thought that he might have been seeing things, reeling in disbelief as a single mine was designed to be powerful enough to stop even a Monochromon in its tracks. He took a moment to comprehend if the explosion did indeed occur, and could no longer deny what was right in front of him as he skipped into the crater and cautiously placed his hands on the boy's back, lying face down, splotched with dirt and soot.

" I would have expected nothing less than being torn apart, but he isn't even a mushy sack of flesh and bones. " He was surprised even further when his hands began to feel a faint degree of warmth emanating from the body, encroaching in his claws and up his arms, which shortly grew in intensity and forced him to let go. " What the-? "

The source of the flash from earlier; now to his growing understanding, had been the boy. The body was hot; very hot. Almost like a flame, and growing hotter still until the light died down after a few minutes. Swallowing his misgivings, he gathered his courage and turned the human over with all the strength that he could muster.

Now, if he could recall the information from his book on human anatomy, he needed to search for a heartbeat or a pulse to know if one was alive. The organ should be by the chest area. He leaned his ear down, searching fervently for a beat. He soon did, but it was very faint, and likely to stop soon if immediate medical attention wasn't to be administered forthwith. He'll worry about that weird glow at another time, because right now, he needed help.

" I just hope those guys know how to handle some fragile cargo, " Bokomon thought miserably, knowing that who he needed to ask were so dim that they collectively made a single Orgemon look like the smartest Nanomon in existence.

" I-It hurts... "

" It's gonna be okay, ' '. We're going to get through this. You just have to wait until ' ' and ' ' come back with the supplies. "

" Tch, yeah right. "

" What was that? "

" Hate to break it to 'ya, Jauney-boy, but we got the buttwhooping of our lives back there in case you've been clonked on the noggin too much for you to remember. Now, ' ' arm is broken, and all you can say is that it's gonna be okay? "

"... We can't just give up now, guys. The Digital World is counting on us "

" Yeah? Well, I'm starting to think that a we aren't really cut out for this saving an entire world business. Did you lose all feeling from those hits you took? They creamed us out there! "

" Oh, like you were ever the voice of reason, ' '! You were having just as much of a blast as the rest of us. The only reason you even care now is because of- "

" Jaune! "

" I...I'm sorry...I-I didn't mean... "

" Jaune...I understand what you're saying about wanting to help them, and I do too, but ' ''s been hurt; bad... "

" We just need to find a doctor. There's gotta be some digimon still out there that can heal, right? "

" What'd I tell you guys? He isn't still in on this for us or the Digital World. He just wants to keep playing at being a hero. "

" That's not true! "

" So why keep fighting? "

" Because I imagine letting an entire world get destroyed won't be doing any wonders for my conscience. Will it for you!? "

" T-This isn't our fight! "

" So why are we even here !? Why did they choose us ? "

"I don't know! Maybe they just did it by random? They made a mistake? Maybe they were expecting someone else? I mean, if you actually stop to think about it, they picked a bunch of kids. Doesn't that just ring you as a little bit suspicious? My dad and a team of adults could have done a way better job than us!"

" Well your dad isn't here, and mine isn't either. We're all we've got...we... "

" Just admit it! You never wanted to go home."

" Say what !? "

"You don't think we haven't noticed that you've been getting way into this little "adventure" of ours ever since we got here? Well? How does it feel? Does this seem like a dream come true to you, Jaune? Everything you've ever wanted? "

" That's not fair! It...It isn't about that…Guys, I want to go home as much as all of you, really, but...do we even know where to find a way back? Why do you think I want to finish this? They...she...promised... "

" ...What if she lied? "

"... I don't know... "

"Jaune, can you listen to me for a spill? Okay? Okay. You guys know now that I've...never really had a home. All I had was the orphanage, and after that, the streets. Heck, I wouldn't even be here if I hadn't stolen some guy's scroll. Just another day in the life of a thief in Vacuo. So, when Ophanimon said that we were chosen, I actually thought that I didn't deserve to be here. I thought that being chosen meant that I had to be worthy, that she did make a mistake.

"But then, you guys had me look back on all of the good we did, the digimon that we saved, and then, I wasn't so sure; do I or do I not deserve to be here? After awhile, I decided that it didn't really matter. Here I was now, saving people and fighting bad guys with the possibility that I might die. I always knew that, probably before any of you got a solid grip of what the stakes were. Living on the edge can do that to you. "

" What are you trying to say?"

"Only that ' ' does have a point that we need to go home, but we don't have any other way that we know of to do it. So, you have a point too in that we need to beat the Royal Knights."

"...And?"

"Meh, I lost it."

"..."

"Kidding! I do that! Look, this all boils down to us not having any other choice but to fight. We still have the power. We still have our Spirits. Unless some other solution comes along, we don't have much of a choice but to get stronger if we want to get anything done."

"What makes you so sure that we won't all be dead by then?"

"...I've never believed in anything. Not myself and not other people. All I did for as long as I could remember was survive in a world that didn't care about me. But then, I ended up here with you guys, and suddenly, people started to look up to me, depend on me. I started to feel like I was...worth something. I finally had other kids that I could call friends who wouldn't leave me behind if it could save their own skins. You made me believe in that, Jaune. You gave me that. And, contrary to what you guys might have thought in regards to the lifestyle, there really is no honor among thieves. The reality is a lot uglier."

"..."

"And I don't want to be like that. Not anymore. I don't want to turn my back on people who need help. If I can do something about it, then..."

"This is crazy! What makes you guys think that what we do will make any difference?"

"Because, we haven't given up."

"Says you!."

"You're just scared."

"Duh!"

"All of us have been scared at a lot of points for this entire journey, that much should be obvious. Scared that we might never go home, scared that we'd get killed in the months that we've been here. This has never been a playground. I won't deny that I've been living the dream, because it still is my dream, and I'm seeing it through to the end. If it'll get us home, if it'll save everyone that the Royal Knights have killed, I'm going to keep fighting. So, does that make it okay for you to be a coward? What happened to that tough guy that we've been traveling with this whole time?"

"He took the last train ride to Splitsville. What's your point?"

"Only that I think you don't want to give up, either."

"...Seriously?"

"..."

"...Stop looking at me like that!"

"..."

"Okay, would you all stop staring at me like that? You're starting to make me feel like the bad guy here."

"Come on, ' '. Are you really gonna let it all end here? You haven't let us down yet, and we're not gonna let you down, either. That's a promise."

"...Alright, alright! Fine! I'll stay. But don't you losers ever say that I never told you so!"

"But what about, ' '?"

"Did somebody call me? 'Cuz we're back."

"~We're back.~"

"I thought you guys were going to be out 'till dark."

"We managed to gather some supplies from a nearby village...or...what was left of it. We also found some gauze and herbs for ' '."

"Thank you, ' '"

"You're welcome, ' '. Now let's start on treating her wounds, and after that, we can eat."

Jaune eyelids crinkled, mind foggy with sleep. He smacked his lips, a hand hovering up to ruffle his tresses, and then at his chest, which was soon joined by his other hand when he started to feel more of an itch at his stomach. Another moment in, and he snapped up to his feet with a cry, scratching at himself like a madman.

"What the-?" he looked down, and found to his surprise that his clothes had been changed. No longer was he wearing his prized Pumpkin Pete's hoodie that he had won after religiously collecting box tops for weeks, but what he was sure was stitched together from different fabrics, unwashed, and surely from places that he dared not to know.

"Wh-What the...?" He was breathing heavily again, the tension returning, his gaze flickering around frantically; he was back inside one of the weird houses again. "What the heck am I wearing?" he grumbled irritably, doubling in his efforts to scratch, but immediately regretted of making such noise, nearly leaping out of his own skin when he heard a voice call from outside.

"Oh, you're finally awake? Hang on, I'll be right there."

The tension that had gripped his form tightened, feet bolted to the ground. That was before he promptly moved, peeking down at the cot and under it. Too obvious. He moved to the edge of the door, betting that he could slip and make a run for it again, and if that didn't work, jump whoever it was from behind. Jaune swallowed, slowly, quietly, not daring to move until the moment was right.

That was if he could endure the building intensity of the itch that was already tempting his body to rebel, teeth clenched behind lips, the sweat from the humidity only adding to his discomfort. His fingers were pleading with his brain to scratch, but feared that he would lose all focus and botch his chance. When the flap moved, he did as well, not even bothering to see who entered, more focused on getting out, turning for the entrance.

He was thrown off when he came into contact with something hard, and heavy, intoned by the distinct clang of metal, the impact forcing him back, but more from the surprise and pain. Falling squarely on his hindquarters, hands nursing at his sore nose, he let out a groan.

"Oh, you're awake." He heard a voice, snapping him back to the present, recognizing it as different from the last one. Deeper and with somewhat of an echo, maybe from the daze that was rattling his head. "What a relief. We thought you were a goner, what with the landmines and everything."

Landmines? "Wha-What…?" he opened his eyes, and was met with what he had to guess was some kind of metal hatch. Blinking to readjust his vision, it was exactly as he had glimpsed it. Was it a dead end? A door that had been installed to prevent his escape? He was bewildered when it the wall move back a bit.

"Oh, sorry, I guess I got in your way. Do you want to get some fresh air?" He heard the voice again, and weirdly enough, it almost sounded like; to his returning senses, coming from above. Dreading the worse, his eyes slowly ascended, head lifted higher when he only found more metal. When he finally reached the top, he was further lost when his gaze reached past to the clear blue sky.

That was until the large body of metal moved again, almost like it was...bending down towards him.

Eyes. Wide, blue eyes that were framed in shadow locked with his own. His brain momentarily froze, as did his body, the itch dying down like it was never there.

"Hello," the metallic creature before him greeted in a deep and reverberant voice, the tone giving off a rather simple minded demeanor beneath all the bulk. It was about as wide as the front of a pickup truck, hull casted in reddish brown bronze. It had no visible mouth, yet, was speaking to him like there was someone inside, and there probably was. "My name is Guardromon. What's yours?"

Jaune...paused. Or rather, his mind had now completely shut down, before his eyes rolled back all the way, and he fell completely on his back.

"Uh..." Guardromon balked, more concerned than baffled by the young man's reaction. "You okay?" When the lad before him didn't respond, the gears inside his mind...creaked. With his large hand, he grabbed the prone youth by the right leg, ungracefully lifting the latter up to inspect, while his other was scratching at his own noggin. Deliberating of what action to take next, his crawling train of thought was soon interrupted by Bokomon, exiting the hut, looking like he had been searching for their guest inside in worry.

"There you are," the imp gasped out. "Wh-Gaurdromon? What in Quinglongmon's name happened to him?"

Guardromon looked down at Bokomon, who was staring back at him inquisitively, then at the body that he was dangling carelessly from his grip like a ragdoll. "Uh...keeping him safe?"

"Safe?" Bokomon parroted. "From wh-nevermind. Let's get him back inside. Place him on the bed. No, not like that! Gently! You didn't have to drop him on his head. Ugh. "

Much later…

Jaune awoke from what he felt was the umpteenth time, more than a little sick of it and willing to just face the music. Gathering back his bearings, he found the imp sitting right next to him, staring back with that same smile that he sported upon their first meeting. The two of them were quiet for a few minutes, before the creature broke the thick ice.

"Uh, hi," he greeted weakly, but with how first impressions had been going, he'll take what he could get. "Now, I know what you might be thinking right now, and I understand. But, you're gonna have to calm down, okay? I'm not gonna hurt you. Yes, I know that's a little hard for you to believe considering all of the things that you've seen and heard. No, you are not dreaming, so hurting yourself isn't gonna accomplish anything other than a concussion and maybe have people think that you're in desperate need of a therapist. Yes, you are safe and are free to leave, but -" he emphasized when the lad looked like he was going to spring off of the cot again, "-I strongly advise you to wait for the proper time until we can safely escort you out of the village due to the ring of landmines that have been perimetered around it. If you're wondering about that, they're there to help keep the inhabitants in, along with some sentries to discourage and deter flight. I mean, it's a damn miracle that you're even alive and sitting right in front of me, so, that's a plus."

Jaune blinked, "What?"

Bokomon's brows rose, "Hm? Oh, uh, you, um...kinda...stepped on a landmine...and almost die-now I'm not entirely sure if you were really going to die, maybe just knocked unconscious. I mean, you were in a coma for like, three days when anybody else might have been out of it for weeks; months even. So, wow, I'm not really doing that much of a good job of calming you down, am I?"

At the silent shake of his head, Bokomon deflated with a sigh. "Look, guy, I know that we don't actually have that much of a rapport to work on, and I get that, completely, but I'm definitely on the level here when I tell you that you're perfectly safe. In all the time that you were unconscious, we could have done anything to you, but we didn't. And I really did mean it that we'd be more than happy to send you on your way if you want to leave that much, but you're gonna have to give it more time because of the circumstances. Whether you trust me or not falls entirely on you, because that's where I can't do anything else but make sure that you're taken care of. Okay?"

Jaune had taken to absorbing all of that, and a part of him was still on edge at the slightest sign of treachery, but seeing as how that the imp seemed honest enough, he was forced to incline. Didn't mean that he was going to let his guard down, and wordlessly, the creature plainly understood. The itch then returned, inviting him to claw at the skin under the dirty fabric. Bokomon's expression became apologetic.

"Yeah, we really dropped the ball on what to give you in place of what used to be your old clothes. They were ruined by the explosion."

The blonde scoffed, more from the aggravating itchiness than skepticism, "If I was caught in a landmine, shouldn't...shouldn't I be...if not dead...I don't...feel all that hurt. Just... itchy! " he moved off of the bed in a rush as he trailed off, sweaty and more than uncomfortable from the warm air and the confines of his burlap shirt and pants.

"Trust me, I couldn't believe my own eyes, either. All you have for that is my word, but the most important thing that we can be glad about is that you're okay, so..." Bokomon onced the kid over, remembering that they weren't able to wipe away all of the soot and grime that clung to him when they were treating him for any wounds.

That was another thing that astonished him; there were none that he could find. His leg hadn't even been perforated. Either humans were somehow more durable than the average digimon, or, there were glaring inconsistencies in the section of his book on them. An idea then occurred to the imp the longer he observed the lad. "Hey, maybe all you need is a bath. There's a hose outside. We can use that."

Jaune continued to squirm, "Don't you...have a bathroom?"

Bokomon chuckled weakly, "Uh, the people here don't exactly...need bathrooms."

"What?" Jaune glanced at him curiously. "Why?"

A loud series of footsteps then entered his range of hearing, causing him to steal a glance from behind, then rounding entirely in shock and fear, unceremoniously tumbling back on the cot with a yelp. "What the heck is that!?"

Bokomon wasted no time to mediate upon seeing who it was that entered, "Waitwaitwaitwaitwait! It's not what you think!"

"Hello," Guardromon greeted in that same optimistically obtuse but cheerful demeanor, unheeding of; or simply not reading, the situation before him. "Glad you're awake. Me and the others were really worried."

Jaune didn't; couldn't, respond, gawking and shuffling further back against the wall, breath coming out in short gasps. Bokomon sighed perplexingly, "Guardromon, can you please wait outside? The kid isn't really up for too much company right now."

The mechanical monstrosity seemed to pause, as if processing the request, before his eyes went doleful and intoned, "Oh, sorry. I'll come back when he feels better." He then perked up, gesturing a small farewell, "I hope you get lots of rest and say hello to all of the villagers when you feel loads better. Take your time."

"Yeah," Bokomon drawled, "he'll do that."

Upon Guardromon's departure, Jaune was still clinging to the wall, but his nerves were slowly steadying, eyes still glued to the entrance which; now that he actually noticed a little, was a lot wider than he initially perceived. "Wh-Wh-What-What the heck-?" Jaune exclaimed, heart palpitating in record time.

Bokomon jumped on the bed, trotting up to the blonde, who was still trembling helplessly in dread at what the imp might do to him.

A sharp pain to the cheek came next, realizing a bit late that he had been slapped. The teen blinked a few times, but was met with another to the opposite cheek.

"Better?" Bokomon deadpanned, lips pursed and looking more than a little impatient.

Jaune's eyelids batted some more, his brain regaining back some sense of calm, nodding absently as the tension was gradually leaving his muscles, allowing him to slump limply down on the bed, with only his head to lean at the wall still.

"Still up for that bath?"

The boy nodded again, less out of any conscious form of agreement, and more from the lingering encounter, recollecting that it was the same sight that had caused him to faint. "Ho-How long exactly was I out again?"

"Not important anymore," Bokomon replied coolly, bounding back down on the floor and motioning with a hand for the blonde to follow. Hesitant at first, the itch eventually won out and Jaune trailed after the former at a careful pace. The outside was like he last surveyed, the only difference being that a few people were now milling about. "People" being a loose term.

Very, very , very loose. Large floating gears with faces, alongside multiples of the same robotic figure that he had the displeasure of meeting earlier. Seeing more than just the front, the creatures were indeed as large as he initially presumed, if not larger, with wider bodies that accommodated what he had to guess was some kind of engine on its back, with proportionately large forearms and forelegs. Whether it was a suit or vehicle left much to the imagination, being held together with rivets.

Jaune's eye twitched, before deciding to just roll with it and proceed to where Bokomon was waiting. Thank goodness that his boxers were still with him. Otherwise, well, he doubted showing his junk to what he could only hope to the Gods wasn't a minor would be the apex of this entire debacle.

He found Bokomon around the corner of the house readying the hose; or more specifically, a fire hose. "Uh, do you even know how to work that?" Jaune asked worriedly, putting away his sorry excuses of replacement clothing to the side.

"Sure," the imp sounded reassuring. "The Hagurumons and Gaurdromons have me wash them all the time."

"Huh?"

"Oh, those were the digimon that you saw back there."

"...Digimon?"

Jaune carefully tasted the word in his mouth, pausing in confusion, not only from the odd term, but from the inexplicable sensation that he had...heard it before.

"My name's Bokomon by the way," the imp introduced himself, now facing him, hose at the ready. "Case you're wondering."

"Boko..." the sensation grew slightly in volume, like a long unused muscle, ambivalently introducing himself in turn. "I...I'm...Jaune."

"Jaune…?" the name also gave Bokomon pause, but for a briefer moment, head tilting in contemplation. "Weird name." None too soon, tough, he perked up. "But, I like it. Kinda rolls off the tongue, don't 'ya think?"

Jaune only continued to stare at the smaller figure blankly, at a loss from the emotions that were whirring within him, nodding along to the compliment before he knew it, after which he was thrown back by an unexpectedyl powerful stream of water.

"Huh, I guess humans are a lot lighter than they look," Bokomon concluded shrewdly, before the reality of what he did kicked in. "Uh...are you dead now?"

From the wall that he collided against, a moan of pain was the only confirmation that spoke of his status, with an apologetic Bokomon quickly attending to him.

After the bath, Jaune insisted on washing the burlap clothes that he had been given, with Bokomon suggesting that they could be dried against the exhaust pipes that were hot from the refinery, seeing as his old ones had been shredded by the blast.

Better than nothing, and once that was done, they weren't filthy as to be unbearable, but were still coarse enough to be itchy around corners. It bothered him that he had been within a hair's width of death's threshold, but any ensuing trauma was suppressed by the presence of these alien lifeforms, his curiosity leading him on.

Shaken nonetheless, the boy realized that he could do nothing else but talk when Bokomon offered to help pass the time.

He asked the digimon a few basic questions, which the latter was all too happy to answer, standing a little taller like a teacher would consult a student. They talked for about an hour, and before long, the blonde felt like he got the basics down.

"So, I'm not really in Remnant anymore?" Jaune asked, wanting to be sure.

"Again, no. This is the Digital World, and where you are now is a mining town called the Terminal of Flame," Bokomon confirmed, not noticing the kid's face falling. "Why do you keep asking?"

The imp then took a closer read of the downtrodden expression that was plastered there. "You know, I tend to hear rumors of humans slipping into the Digital World randomly, but I was never really one for gossip like that. Looks like I stand corrected. There might be a possibility that there are others like you here, but, with how vast the world can be, that's gonna be a tough nut to crack."

That made the boy perk up slightly from his slump. "Did you also happen to hear of them going back home?" Jaune asked, hopeful, but wary of the obvious answer all the same.

Bokomon shook his head, extinguishing that hope. "Sorry, but information in the Digital World tends to get wonky. Even more so now because of the war."

"War?" Jaune repeated in question. His school held lessons on the Great War before, and the Faunus Wars that came after. Both were hailed as terrible and unfortunate events that served as cautionary warnings to not repeat the mistakes of the past. To that end, for him to have landed in a place that was in the midst of a war would have been quite the learning experience. Inspiring.

"Listen," Jaune licked his lips anxiously, "I just want to go home. If there's a war, then that's more of a reason for me to not be here."

Bokomon noddingly agreed, "Believe me, we're not crazy about it, either. But, that's just how it's been for the past 200 years or so."

Jaune blinked, "Did...I just hear that right?"

"Hear what?" Bokomon prodded, before getting what he meant. "Oh. Yeah, the war's been going on for over 200 years, give or take."

"H-How does that even..." Jaune sputtered, flummoxed that a war had managed to last that long.

"We have ceasefires every now and then," Bokomon explained, "mostly so that all sides can replenish their forces with more soldiers, resources. It's become sort of routine. There are neutral areas, though, and you gotta be pretty insane to shoot first in any one of those." This gave the imp pause, "Come to think of it, there was that one incident that a group of Nanimon got all rowdy after drinking their fill of sake, but, eh, they were all deleted before it could escalate."

"Deleted?"

"You know; killed," Bokomon answered casually.

"Oh."

"It was the owner of the bar, whom you definitely do not want to mess case you ever run into him. When they came back, though, I heard that Titamon threw such a fi-"

"W-W-Wait, wait! Came back?" Jaune repeated the words confusedly, checking if he had heard it right. At Bokomon's nod, he continued. "How?"

"Well, they were reborn at Primary Village, of c-" the words became caught in Bokomon's throat, having to again realize who he was talking to. He then explained more of what the boy needed to know about the Digital World, some that he had to do semantics on for him to follow, and others that were more like commentary of what he needed to avoid. When he was done, it was like the human was even more confused than before.

"Is this place...some kind of game?" Had he gone through a portal that led inside the computer? Was he now part of some kind of roleplaying fantasy that required him to go on an adventure in order to go home? Oh, hell no! "Look, I just want to get out of here. Is there any way to go back, at all?"

"I told you already," Bokomon tried to explain once more, "all I know is that there could be a myriad of ways for you to go ho-no, wait! I didn't say that right. Hang on!"

Jaune felt like he had heard enough, back on his feet before Bokomon could finish, the imp trailing along in an attempt to talk him down and make sure that he wouldn't land into any additional trouble. They managed to reach a street, failing to notice the large crowd of Guardromon gathering in the square before it was too late for him to stop, running headlong into the human's left calf.

"Will you please just listen to me? I want to help you as much as anyo-eh?" He noted that the human had stopped, but not for the initial reason of what he thought was him calming down, but to where his own gaze followed as he took in the sight of the crowd. "Oh, no..."

Jaune must have heard him, whispering, "What's going on?"

"You need to hide," Bokomon hissed, stealing a glance from behind and singling out one of the houses that the Guardromon rarely; if ever, used. Why do they even have furniture? "Quick, in here!"

Jaune barely trusted the imp, but the air was rife with an unease that he could feel was being broadcasted by the inhabitants. The Hagurumons were suspended still in the air in an orderly manner, same with the Guardromons on the ground, assembled together akin to that of soldiers. None were making sounds nor movement, almost statuesque.

The duo entered the house, wasting no time to terminate the gap between them and what they could gleam was a closet at the far end of the abode. At closer inspection, it was a storage locker for mining equipment and tools. There was some space left after rifling through what little tools there were; a shovel alongside two pickaxes, rusted and collecting dust, the corners strung up with thick cobwebs, since the Guardromon often forgot that they even had one of these to keep their stuff in. Bokomon motioned for the young man to go first, but refrained to accompany him.

"You can't just leave me here," Jaune pleaded in a hushed tone, unable to put down a sliver of suspicion at this admittedly sudden turn of events. "What the heck's even happening?"

"The Terminal of Flame is part of Titamon's territory. He's one of the major powers that are fighting in the war," Bokomon elaborated urgently. "The people here provide him with the ore that he needs to make weapons in exchange for his protection."

Jaune could understand that, but his expression still held question. "But every now and then, Titamon's representatives would come here and take a few of the inhabitants and have them fight as soldiers."

"Forced conscription?" Jaune surmised, earning a nod from the digimon.

"Them finding you here could mean a lot of things, none of them good. So, you need to hide!" Bokomon pushed him inside as he trailed off when he felt a presence nearing from behind, closing the door without making a sound. Rounding to face who it was, he breathed a sigh of relief when he found that it was just Guardromon.

The same Guardromon that had received the blonde upon awakening from his coma. "You scared, too, Bokomon?"

Bokomon nodded, too nervous to hold back the reflex. "Are you gonna hide it out here?"

Guardromon inclined his head in kind, or about as much as he could given his anatomy. "So, is he hiding?"

Bokomon swallowed despite the biting dread that was festering all over him. "Yeah."

"Good, I don't want to have to see another friend leave," Guardromon said morosely. Jaune listened in as best he could from the door of his shelter, the communion drawing him. "They're...they're going to take away more of my friends again."

"I know, Guardromon," Bokomon lamented, feeling the same in that some of the inhabitants that he knew personally were picked off and sent to evolve and fight. "But, they'll come back. Some of them have. Who says more can't?"

"But, it's not the same," Guardromon griped sadly. "They don't...remember. Not me, you, anyone." Jaune felt a pit in his stomach opening. "Last week, I talked to a Guardromon that I knew ever since we were Hagurumon, and he...he didn't even stop to talk or...say hello. I kept bothering him until he noticed me, but it was like I was a...stranger. He said that we could be friends, but it wasn't the same... I know that when you're reborn, that's how it is, but..." he looked down at his empty palm, a bead of moisture landing at the center, "those memories...have to mean something...right?"

Jaune listened through the metal door of the locker, with the pit seeming to widen at the mention of memories. When a Digimon is deleted, their data is simply recycled and reconfigured at Primary Village. Trouble is, if you don't have a strong enough will, everything that was you; memories, personality, quirks, all of it would be gone. So, in a way, you are dead. And the one that comes back to start life all over again would be an entirely new person.

He could empathize. It wasn't that hard to imagine a scenario where his family would no longer remember him, or at least recognize him. Although, why did it feel like there was more to it that he wasn't fathoming? From his tenth year of life and onward, he would, at certain points, experience a void. Things that he felt should have been there. Like there was something terribly missing from his life.

"I wish it was different," Bokomon jibed glumly. "That way, I wouldn't be able to forget all the information I learned; past and present. I must have gone over a hundred cycles by now. What I'd give to remember even a fraction of what I used to know."

Guardromon sniffled, even though Jaune was sure that the thing didn't have a visible nose to speak of, contributing to his theory that there had to be someone inside of it, despite Bokomon contradicting him of that notion. Guardromons; like all Machine and Mutant Digimon as he was told, were as alive as the both of them. "So, uh, where is he?"

Bokomon would have naturally answered, but his gut feeling; which was rarely wrong, snappily intervened. "Why?"

"I..." Gaurdromon's voice started to shake at the query. "...I just want to make sure that he's safe."

"So long as he's hidden, he should be, and so will you," the feeling grew. "Now, be quiet."

"Can't you, uh, at least tell me?" Guardromon averted from looking at the imp straight, only serving to confirm the rising suspicion. Bokomon figured that he needed to pull out his only card in order to reign the digimon in and have him spill.

The stare.

Stealing a few glances, Guardromon's body shivered. Lightly at first, before the vibrations of his metal hull began to fill the room, leaving little doubt that it could be heard from outside. Bokomon bore into him like a high-powered drill, the Machine Digimon now flailing so much that Jaune had to spread both arms out at each end to keep from wobbling, leaving his nostrils vulnerable to the stray particles displaced by the disturbance, prompting him to control his breathing.

Eventually, the big lug caved. "Okay, okay! I give!" the metal simpleton fell on his knees, the weight of his descent displacing the furniture a bit, and forcing Jaune to valiantly keep his body from landing on the precariously strewn equipment.

Guardromon's face went pleading, tears shining from his optics. "He-He promised...he promised me..."

"What are you talking about, Guardromon?" Bokomon asked intensely, a cold sensation that ran up his spine inferring that he knew what the digimon must have meant.

"Haouken!"

Both reacted to the attack, with Bokomon leaping out of the way, while Guardromon was slower, using his right arm to block much of the attack's brunt, but was still knocked off his station, skidding along the floor with sparks flying. To the boy inside the locker, it was like a bomb had gone off, only this time, he was fortunate enough to not be within its radius. That did nothing to allay him from enduring the shock wave left in the wake, however, the doors nearly being torn off their hinges as he braced for dear life.

"I gave you one job, and you blew it." A new, much deeper voice piped in, barely able to make it out from the ringing of his eardrums. "My mistake for thinking that a chode like you could pull it off."

Bokomon peered through the cloud wrought by the blast, coughing up a storm. A large shadow could be made out from the gaping maw of the once intact house, with only a few bars of light allowed to spill through, pointing to just how much this stranger must have towered over the rest.

Jaune's teeth were gritting, both to still keep his breathing in check and to help endure the twists his body had to make to keep from giving away his position, but he had a sinking feeling that their efforts were slowly becoming in vain, sweating bullets at the budding desperation of their plight.

"You still alive, rust for brains?" the voice went on, no more pleased that he had dealt out a hefty penalty for Guardromon's tardiness in delivering.

One more cough escaped from the imp, leaning on one knee as he recognized all too well who it was that had brazenly barged in on them. "Orgemon..."

"Gold star for you, runt," the one called Orgemon remarked without looking in his direction. "Alright, I'm gonna give the both of you five seconds. Got that? Five. Seconds. Where is he?"

"Where's who?" Bokomon dared to respond, wincing a little.

"You want to play that game, huh? Fine by me," Orgemon resolved, all too happy to oblige as he drew an arm back, curling his thick fingers into a fist. "Last chance, chodes. I'd rather..." his dialogue and prepping of the attack halted when his sights wandered to pick whose data he had to load first, firmly landing on the storage locker, witnessing that the doors had been dented a bit from the aftershock of his first charge.

"Really?" Orgemon was almost insulted.

Shortly…

"Let me go!" Jaune begged helplessly, squirming within Orgemon's grip, the monster's hand almost enclosing his entire upper body, leaving only his forelegs free. The monster was unlike anything he had ever seen, apart from a Grimm, and that was only through online videos and documentaries at school.

It was green with long, unkempt white hair, pointed ears adored by earrings, two unevenly sized horns, and spikes jutting from its shoulders. Its mouth was wide open, exposing a horrendous set of canines and sharp teeth that left little speculation that it could chew through solid stone, or reduce an average sized man into pasty mush. That last thought made him swallow the lump that leapt up to his throat the moment he was discovered, his hiding place literally torn in half like paper.

Around its neck flowed a black cloak that was torn at the edges. It wore black shorts with a belt, a bracer on its right arm, red bandages on both its left arm and right leg and multiple black belts on its left leg. It carried around in its free hand a large, spiked club that resembled a femur bone, and it likely was.

On its left arm, below the spikes on its shoulders, he could make out a marking or tattoo in the shape of a skull and crossbones, with metal studs jutting out of the knuckles. The knuckles on his right had none, but what was there instead was a scar at the back.

"Quiet!" Orgemon; whose name he had the displeasure of finding out, snapped at him, making sure to draw their faces within an inch of each other for emphasis. Jaune nearly threw up from the exceedingly foul breath, but stifled the urge with everything he had, lest he incurred the digimon's wrath further. "All you need to do is look pretty and I won't have to do anything that you'll regret, capice!?"

Jaune's lips trembled, face set in horror as he gave a frightened nod. "Good."

The ogre fell back into a march, heading for the square where the populace was still present. At the other end were newcomers that Jaune had to guess was Orgemon's entourage. What he first mistook for dogs were strange canine-like critters with grey fur, long ears like a rabbit and a long, cat-like tail with three belts worn at the end of it. They had large, black claws on their forelegs. One was sitting on the ground on all fours, the others standing tall and smug, grinning and leering up at their master's caught prey, shoulders oscillating in snickers. Jaune counted four, but there could have been more hiding behind corners.

Stopping by the middle, Orgemon stood a little taller, hefting the youth up like a trophy, and only adding to the latter's fears that that might be what was being reserved for him. That train of thought was derailed when he was given what could be amounted to as a light shake, then another, and another. After a brief pause, he was vigorously jiggled like one would a toy rattle, still suspended in midair. It only made him queasier, fighting back another impulse to spill his guts.

Orgemon's eyes narrowed even further from the perpetual frown that it always sported. "Why isn't it working?" he growled in irritation, miffed from failing at whatever it was that he was trying to invoke. Bokomon and Guardromon had followed closely behind and could only watch helplessly at the proceedings, but the latter was soon fingered by the green demon to come forward. "Were you pulling my leg when you told me that this was a human?"

Guardromon, shaking in a mixture of anxiety, fear, guilt and worry for the youth, explained as best he could. "W-Well, that was what Bo- I got from a book that I checked to-to make sure."

Orgemon, his companions, Bokomon, and even the rest of the village, arched their collective brows in unison at him. "You read?"

Guardromon was actually a little offended at this, "H-Hey! I'm not that dumb. Of course I can read!"

"Uh-hu," Orgemon mumbled skeptically. "Okay, genius, answer the million yottabyte question; why isn't it responding?"

It? Bokomon wondered, his brain turning to figure out what it was that could have spurred Orgemon to come here off schedule besides to capture just one human.

"I-I don't know," Guardromon struggled to come up with an answer, and he was crestfallen at the obvious that he had none, grasping at nothing else but straws. "M-Maybe you're...just doing it wrong?"

"What else is there!?" Orgemon carped, lowering the arm that held the teen. "Did not the legends say that the Spirit will appear in the presence of a human child?"

Spirit? "Oh no," Bokomon muttered under his breath, gaining a rough idea of what Orgemon was talking about now, and who this was all really for.

"Y-Yes, i-it does indeed," Guardromon stuttered, something that was already grating on the green digimon's anorexic level of patience. "B-But maybe the human just isn't...young enough?"

"Young enough?" Orgemon repeated in consideration, lifting up the human so that they were facing each other again. "How old are you?"

At the blonde's initial silence, he only needed to lift his club. "S-Seventeen!" Jaune squawked.

"Seventeen!?" Orgemon echoed more loudly, then seemed to go into thought, counting off with the fingers that he could spare from gripping his club. "Let's see, one year is equal to...te-tw-twelve! Twelve months! That makes another twelve one more, and that equals two. No, wait! Two and a half..."

20 minutes later…

"...And that makes ten months more, carried to the, err...What was your birthday again?" Most; if not all, of those present were beginning to think that things had stretched on for too long already, with one of the canines that were still standing with its arms crossed letting out a yawn, the other having fallen asleep, and a pair on the side comparing the lengths of one another's claws.

Even Jaune's earlier distress was all but gone as he was still being held against his will, looking more resigned than afraid. He answered with a tired sigh, "July 15."

"Right, right, and July is...how many months from January?" Groans and sighs were thrown all around. Bokomon was only too happy to take back the analogy that he had made earlier regarding the Guardromons with a wordless apology. A Rasielmon would probably contract brain damage if she ever tried to tutor this Orgemon. Hell, if he hadn't deduced Jaune's hiding place before he started counting down, the imp feared that they'd have been stuck for an entire week, if not a month.

Confounded, and having had enough, Orgemon threw the arm that held Jaune up, the sudden altitude causing the latter's stomach to turn. "Close enough! Seventeen doesn't even sound that old."

"Really?" Bokomon couldn't help but jab.

Orgemon growled, his rage coming to a boil. "Laugh it up, you miserable peons - laugh ! But, let it be known that I, Orgemon, shall have the last. Now that we have captured a human, Lord Titamon shall finally obtain an edge to win this war and ascend to his rightful place of reigning supreme! With the Spirit of Legend, we will acquire the power to slaughter our enemies and establish our dominance of being the strongest kingdom. You all here should count your lucky stars to even be alive for this historic day! Is Titamon not your beloved lord and master? Did you all not swear your undying allegiance to him?"

The villagers didn't answer, nor did Orgemon expect them to, as their eyes gave away too much of their reluctance. "Need I remind you of the fate that will befall on this village if there is to be even a shred of dissidence among you?"

That did the trick, to his vindictive pleasure, all of them shouting praises hailing his lord; their lord. At the mere flip of a switch, trash like these could be swayed to turn on one another if it could benefit them, his little spy being a shining example, even if said Gaurdromon was apparently wallowing in shame at where he stood, the only one not joining in on the hurrahs.

Bokomon bravely plopped forward, having seen and heard enough, "This is crazy! That human isn't worth anything, and what's more, there's never been any solid evidence of the Legendary Spirit existing for ages. All that it amounts to are rumors, gossip and stories to tell child digimon to help inspire them. How do I know that? Because my book holds nearly all the information that you could get about the Digital World. The Harmonious Ones are less incredible compared to your precious Spirit."

Some of the villagers present exchanged looks and glances at the rebuke, and to Orgemon's returning umbrage, a few were wordlessly applauding the imp on.

"Fool!" the green monster spat acidly. "Lord Titamon himself had tasted the power of a Spirit centuries ago."

"Yeah, right," Bokomon rolled his eyes. "Then enlighten us if you're so certain."

"And I shall!" Orgemon declared confidently, clearing his throat. "It was over a thousand years ago, five children had been summoned by two of the Three Great Angels to battle their corrupted brother, Cherubimon, and his army of followers." He paused for effect, satisfied by the burgeoning shock on Bokomon's face.

Uncaring of his quarry, Jaune was also listening, drawn in by the tale, to his own growing astonishment. "My Lord was but a mere Shamamon at the time, tasked with guarding one of the Legendary Spirits. For one reason or another, Shamamon was exposed to its power, leading the chosen children to come to his aid to relinquish him of it. He had never forgotten that day, and was one of the rare few to survive the onslaught of the Royal Knights, paving the way for the revival of the Demon Lord of Pride, Lucemon!"

All of the digimon, including the ones that accompanied him, shuddered at the mention of the name. No one, not even those who could claim to be the foremost authority on the Digital World's long and colorful history, could deny the existence of The Great Deceiver. The Traitor. The Fallen Angel that was vanquished by the Original Warrior Ten to the depths of The Dark Area eons ago.

Lucemon…? Hearing it sent a chill curdling up Jaune's spine. It was a sensation that he thought he wouldn't...hadn't felt since...since…

Orgemon, by his end, was thankful that his lord had confided in him this most well kept secret, pointing to a level of trust beyond that of his inner circle. Even he had been taken aback that his master was one of the few surviving digimon that had witnessed the reformatting of their world after what could be infamously deemed as the Second Great War for those who were privy to the knowledge of the past.

"As such, it is only fitting that Lord Titamon lay claim to what should be his by proxy," the green warrior raised his club triumphantly. "And I, his most devoted follower, am here to fulfill that order to bring glory to his name and our kingdom!"

When the wind had done its work in carrying his words to his captivated audience, all was silent, with only the noises from the refinery proceeding incessantly.

"Now that I've given you all a clearer perspective," Orgemon pursued, gladly shifting subjects. "It is my hope, and for all your sakes , that you show me where the Spirit is! The Terminal of Flame, if you require for me to add, was said to hold the Spirit of Fire before the reformatting. Redundant, I know, but hey, I don't make these rules. Do you? So, with that out of the way - WHERE! IS! IT!?"

Those at the front; Bokomon included, flinched at the giant ogre's booming voice, as did Jaune, who thought that he was going to go deaf the longer he'd be around the cacophonous fiend. Swallowing, and with no other option but to comply for this travesty to end, Bokomon slowly strode forward again so that he was directly in front of the slaughter waiting to happen.

"I...I may have an idea of...where it is," the imp relented regrettably, knowing that if he was to do this, he would condemn countless more digimon to their early graves. Sure, they had Primary Village, but was it really worth the detriment of losing one's self to be reborn again? He had died and lived it more times than he could count, much more if he was to go by guesswork. He stole a glance from Jaune, who was reasonably ambivalent, but nonetheless terrified of the implications that anyone could have pieced together.

He had nothing to do with this. He didn't belong here. So, why?

Why did he feel like he wanted his help?

Soon, Bokomon led the group comprised of him, Orgemon, his current favorite thing in the world; that being Jaune, his guards, and Gardromon, who felt like he needed to come along as well, if only to ask if the promise was still valid, down the underground section of the village. He kept his end of the bargain, sacrificing his dignity, integrity, and more importantly, one that he could happily regard as a friend, all for Titamon to no longer conscript his people.

With the Spirit, Orgemon convinced him that they wouldn't even need that many soldiers anymore, so that excluded them from the lot. He still felt like a fool.

Bokomon signaled for them to stop when they arrived upon a dark cavern. Orgemon nodded down to his guards; whom were called Gazimon, to bring out the flashlights that they had on hand. He didn't let up in his hold on Jaune, who decided to just tag along until all of this was over. Or, if he was dead. He didn't want to wager which would come first if he had anything to say about it.

Beams of light filtered through the passageway, illuminating a large chamber that appeared to be long abandoned if the rust weren't obvious signs. Portions of the walls gave way to rock and soil, pointing to pressure slowly overcoming and burying the place, it being the deepest the town was years ago before the Guardromon expanded to mine for more ore. "This it?"

Bokomon lagged in his response, "Yeah." His eyes scanned forward, trying to pinpoint where it should be based on old lores. "There!" At the center, or what he could only deduce was the center, ruffled that a large chunk of the floor was now entombed in earth. It hadn't been like that the last time he was here. Then again, the Guardromons could really get the lead out if they were on to some primo cache of ore.

He was startled when Orgemon suddenly punted him forward, but only enough to throw him off balance and stumble on ahead. He whirled his head back, wanting to chide the ruffian for that gyp, but it died down his throat the moment he caught the way one of the flashlights seemed to make the menacing digimon's visage even more terrifying, the promise of a pointless death awaiting him behind those cold, cruel eyes.

Gulping the admonishment down audibly, he carefully stalked forward to the spot, the others not far behind. He directed them to an old platform, used long ago to hold cauldrons of the smelted ore.

"Right here?" Orgemon catechized to make sure. At Bokomon's nod, he held out his quarry so that he was positioned face down above the platform, drawing small whimpers from the boy that was now gripped with apprehension at what would happen.

They waited. And waited, until Orgemon's remaining patience fizzled out, and he chucked the boy over at the mountain of soil, his impact none too gentle.

"You lying rat."

Before Bokomon grasped at a chance to explain, he was hit squarely on the head by the bone club, slinging him near to where the blonde had landed.

"Bokomon! Jaune!" Guardromon moved, running as fast as his legs could carry him, barely dodging Orgemon's swing by pulling his upper body back and riding on the heavy momentum to slide forward on his knees, the skidding metal on metal producing sparks. The Gazimon tried to flank him, but he activated the booster on his back to shoot up off the ground, evading their assault.

Burning fuel, he rushed to where the two were struggling to recover.

The Gazimon looked to their leader. "What now, boss?"

Orgemon didn't even stop to think, "We bury them, along with the entire village. Lord Titamon no longer needs this place as much as they may still think he does, so why prolong the inevitable?"

The Gazimon shared grins, sadistically warming to the idea of loading more data to grow even stronger than they already were. They went on ahead to the surface, leaving their leader to take out the trash. He drew a fist back, easily aiming for the ceiling.

"Haouken!"

"What's wrong?"

"Did you...really mean everything that you said back there?"

"Uh...well, I can't say that it wasn't exactly embarrassing, me opening up like that, but it was for real. I wouldn't be sticking around if you guys haven't been the best of friends that I've ever had. And hey, stop feeling sorry for yourself. Like you said, we're gonna get through this."

"...Thanks, Sun."

"No problem, pal. And hey, after we win, we'll rub it in Cardin's face the whole trip home."

"I heard that, you doofuses!"

"Nora still got hurt, though. And Ren is probably having second thoughts, too."

"We all care about Nora. Why do you think Cardin even argued with you in the first place?"

"Still heard that, morons."

"Ren's just worried for his sister. How many did you say that you have again?"

"About seven."

"And you'd feel the same if one of them got hurt, right?"

"Yeah..."

"...Would you stop that? You're gonna spoil the mood again. I swear, you're like a horse faunus."

"A horse faunus?"

"For the looooong face that you're making right now."

"Hahaha, that's dumb."

"Not as dumb as you're being right now. Come on, let's go through the food Bokomon and Neamon brought back with 'em. You'll feel better with a fuller stomach."

Author's Notes: Ever wonder what would happen if a group of kids came to another world, fought in what was essentially a war to save an entire planet from being obliterated, battled foes that haven't a shred of care that they're kids with the full intent to harm and/or kill them without a single drop of remorse, experience actual dilemmas that made them doubt and have second thoughts, and driving them to question the ones that "chose" and put them up for the task?

That would be Digimon Adventure, if the target demographic wasn't originally meant for children and the writing was slightly more nuanced.