"Are you sure we're going the right way? We haven't seen much of anything for a while."

"Yes, Gargomon, I'm sure. Unlike you, I have no trouble reading a map."

"Hey! All I did was ask you a question. You don't have to insult me!"

"Turuiemon has a point. You can't read maps very well."

"Don't side with her, Growlmon!"

Over a day had passed since the trio had arrived in the Rock Zone. They had traveled from Windmill Beach on a boat to Data Island, and took another boat from there to the nearest Rock Zone village. One of the villagers had been kind enough to give them a map and point them in the direction of their intended destination. It was slow going because of their reliance on the map, which Gargomon was quiet annoyed by, though neither Turuiemon or Growlmon cared. They were used to the near constant complaining of their friend.

"Hey, look! There's a bunch of rocks, just like on the map," Growlmon announced.

Looking up, Turuiemon nodded. "It would seem so."

Gargomon huffed. "What's the closest town from there?"

"Not including the village we came from, the closest appears to be Gravel Town. I would say it's twice the distance that we've currently traveled."

"You mean it'll take two whole days just to get there from those rock pillars?" Gargomon sighed, disappointed. "Man, I was hoping we could avoid camping outside again."

"Sorry to burst your bubble."

"No you're not."

Growlmon must have found it amusing since he began to laugh. Even Turuiemon joined in, her body shaking with each giggle. Folding his arms, Gargomon puffed up his cheeks and looked away from them. He scanned the rock pillars and noticed two spots on the ground, the red and white color of each standing out against the stone.

"Hey, is there something on the ground over there?"

Turuiemon squinted. "Yes, I think there is. Let's investigate."

The trio approached the objects, curious yet cautious. However, upon noticing that the objects were in fact Digimon, they hurried forward. Growlmon stood back, head cocked to the side, while Gargomon and Turuiemon checked the unconscious Digimon. Though they were unresponsive, they appeared to be alive despite their wounds.

"What're we supposed to do with these guys? They're banged up pretty badly."

"We can't just leave them here," Turuiemon said. "We need to take them back to the village."

Looking up at her, Gargomon stared. "It'll take us another day to get back!"

"You know it's the right thing to do."

"How do you expect me to pick them up? I have guns for hands!"

"You'll manage."

Sighing, the gunner lowered his head. "Alright."

"Growlmon, do you think you could carry these two on your back?"

With a nod, Growlmon lowered himself to the ground. With assistance from Gargomon, Turuiemon was able to put the two unconscious Digimon onto Growlmon's back. Careful to keep the two on his back, Growlmon stood and looked at his friends. Turuiemon took off running, and her two friends hurried after her.

Just as Gargomon had predicted, it took them nearly a day to get back to the village. Though tired, they pressed on until they entered the boundaries of the settlement. Seeing how tired Growlmon was, Turuiemon instructed him to rest and for Gargomon to keep an eye on the two Digimon they had brought with them. The dinosaur was quite happy to take a rest, laying down on his stomach to catch his breath while making sure he didn't knock off duo on his back. Gargomon leaned against Growlmon and closed his eyes.

Satisfied, Turuiemon made her way to the inn and barged in, gaining the attention of those inside. The innkeeper, Gotsumon, looked confused, having just seen them yesterday.

"I apologize for the intrusion, but my friends and I found two injured Digimon in need of help," Turuiemon explained.

Eyes widening, Gotsumon was quick to jump over the counter, dashing towards her. "I know someone who can help. Follow me."

She moved to the side to let him out and motioned for him to wait a moment. She took off running and slid to a stop beside Growlmon and Gargomon. The two looked up at her to see her pointing to the humanoid rock. Gargomon hopped up. Still tired, Growlmon was slow to get to his feet. Once he was standing, they followed Gotsumon. He led them to a large cottage built underneath three massive rocks leaning inwards. Stopping at the door, he knocked. The door swung open to reveal a small Digimon with pale gold skin and blue eyes wearing a white cloak.

"Purimon, these three found a couple of Digimon that need help."

Peering at the group, Purimon debated for only a second before nodding. "Bring them inside."

With Purimon willing to help, Gotsumon excused himself to return to the inn. Growlmon looked unsure as to whether or not he would fit in the cottage, but was goaded inside by Purimon. Once in, he settled onto the floor so Turuiemon and Gargomon could drag the two unconscious Digimon off his back. Purimon directed them to a set of beds against the wall.

"How long have they been like this?"

"We found them a day ago," Turuiemon stated.

"They gonna be okay?" Gargomon asked.

Giving the two a quick once over, Purimon hummed. "I think so. Give me some time to treat their wounds. In the meantime, you should get some rest. You look exhausted. Feel free to use those beds over there."

Noticing that Growlmon had already fallen asleep in the middle of the room, Gargomon nodded and dragged himself over to one of the open beds. Once he was beside one, he let himself fall onto it.

Turuiemon yawned. "Will you wake us once they've regained consciousness?"

"If you want. Now get to sleep. They are in good hands."

~0~

The blade hovered above Lobomon's chest, positioned above the spot where his core was. Standing over him, Duskmon was looking down at the motionless Digimon with a condescending sneer. Agunimon could only watch, unable to move, as Duskmon raised up the sword to prepare for the strike. A silent scream left Agunimon as the sword plunged into his friend's chest.

Agunimon's eyes snapped open, the nightmare having ended, and sat up, letting out heavy breaths. The dream fresh in his mind, he looked around until his gaze landed on Lobomon, who laid on a nearby bed. Relieved, Agunimon let himself fall back. It was then he realized that he was in an unfamiliar place with others that he had never seen before. Sitting up once again, he looked at the three strangers in confusion.

Footsteps made him turn his head to see a smaller Digimon approaching him.

"Good morning," she said with a smile. "How are you feeling?"

"Tired," he answered. "Where am I? Who are you? Who are they?"

She raised her eyebrow. "Any other questions?" When he shook his head, she turned. "My name is Purimon. As for those three, they are the ones who saved you and your friend's lives."

"They did?" Agunimon mumbled. "Will Lobomon be alright?"

"Your friend will be fine. No doubt he will soon awaken since you have already done so." Purimon glanced at him and then looked towards the trio. "Pardon me."

He watched her walk over to one of the sleeping Digimon before swinging his legs over the side of the bed. He leaned against the wall, rubbing his eyes. He couldn't get the image from the nightmare out of his mind. The fact that it had almost happened in reality made things even worse. They had been unprepared for the battle, being too weak to do any real damage to Duskmon. It was possible that they might never be strong enough. He let his hand drop to his side and stared at the ceiling.

"Ahem."

Lowering his gaze, he found a bipedal purple rabbit standing by his bed.

"My name is Turuiemon," she stated. "I'm glad to see you're alright."

"Agunimon. Thank you for saving us."

"Think nothing of it. We simply brought you here. It was Purimon who healed you."

"So, what were you three doing when you found us?" Agunimon asked, curious.

"We were making our way north in hopes of joining the Resistance."

"How do you know where the Resistance is located?"

"During our time in File City, we trained with a few Digimon who told us about the Resistance after learning that we were acquainted with the DigiDestined."

Agunimon was about to reply, surprised by the statement, when a groan cut him off. Looking to the side, he could see Lobomon moving. Jumping to his feet, Agunimon hurried over and leaned over his friend, feeling a mixture of relief and worry.

Lobomon blinked his eyes open and was quick to glower. "Agunimon, what are you doing?"

Instead of responding, Agunimon pulled Lobomon up and wrapped his arms around the confused Digimon. "I'm so glad you're okay!"

Grunting, Lobomon attempted to push Agunimon away, which proved to be unsuccessful. Sighing in defeat, he let Agunimon hold on to him. When he was let go, he sat up straight and looked around with a scrutinizing gaze. Gargomon and Growlmon were starting to rouse from their sleep at that moment, and Turuiemon had moved to stand at the end of Lobomon's bed. The sight of the strangers made him alert. Agunimon was quick to notice the questioning nature of the gaze.

"Turuiemon and her friends rescued us," he explained, pointing to the rabbit. "They brought us here. Purimon was the one to heal us though."

Lobomon opened his mouth to speak when Purimon popped up beside Agunimon with a smile on her face.

"It was my pleasure. Now, if you would please explain why you were both injured, that would be wonderful."

Gargomon and Growlmon were fully awake by then, with the gunner stretching his arms and Growlmon yawning. They joined the group, standing near Turuiemon. Though it took some goading by Purimon, the two companions began recounting the events leading up to the past week and the battle. While Growlmon was content to sit and listen, Gargomon found it necessary to comment.

"Both of you couldn't take down one Digimon? You two must be pretty weak," he said with a laugh.

Before Agunimon and Lobomon could say anything to him, Turuiemon punched him in the shoulder. Yelping, he moved away and frowned.

"Gargomon, please be respectful. These two have been through quite a bit," Turuiemon told him. She turned to Agunimon. "Do you plan on battling him again?"

"I…don't know. I want to get our friend back, but I know we're not strong enough to take him on."

"We could help," Growlmon offered.

This made Gargomon turn to him. "No way, dude! We already helped them once."

"That doesn't mean we shouldn't help them again," Turuiemon said.

This made Gargomon turn to her, ranting within moments of looking at her. The two rabbits began to argue while Growlmon tried to calm them. Agunimon found it amusing and strange at the same time. Lobomon, on the other hand, found it annoying. It took a couple of minutes, but Growlmon was able to separate the two.

"Even if you did help us, we don't even know how to fix him," Agunimon said.

"I believe I can help with that."

Agunimon looked at Purimon, confused. "You…can?"

Smiling, Purimon nodded. "Yes. Of course, Duskmon would have be unconscious, but I am sure you could manage it with the help of these three."

Agunimon and Lobomon looked at each other, contemplating the offer. If Purimon was telling the truth, then they had a chance. Neither of them wanted to involve anyone else, though, especially the three that had saved their lives. It was their battle, not anyone else's, but it was a battle they couldn't win on their own.

"We'll help you," Turuiemon said. "It is the right thing to do, after all."

"That's your reason for everything," Gargomon grumbled. "But yeah, sure, we'll help you."

Agunimon couldn't describe how happy he was to hear that. "Thank you."

"Now that that has been settled, let's come up with a plan," Lobomon said.