Now we're here for episode 4~ Hope you enjoy~

Yumi: "We met this girl teamed up with a Virus, so she can only be bad news. But she ran off before we could do anything, so all we can really do now is keep an eye on her. We went into another website where we met Meramon. Unfortunately, he got infected and kidnapped me. Labramon got the others and they saved me, but not before Labramon Digivolved to Seasarmon! Now, we have to figure out our next move. I just hope it won't involve me being taken for the third time."


Palmon looked up at her partner as the group walked back through the tunnel. Renamon and Labramon had both Digivolved to Champion, so now it was just the two of them left. After she became a Champion, they would all be one step closer to being able to defeat the Digimon causing all of this, whoever that was.

"Looks like it's going to be our turn soon," Kiira said, unknowingly voicing her partner's thoughts.

"I just hope it won't involve you getting kidnapped," the Rookie replied with a small laugh.

Kiira gave a teasing smile. "No, that's Yumi's job," she said, looking over at the lavender haired girl.

"Hey!" she exclaimed. Her eyes narrowed. Somehow, she just knew this was going to become some huge joke for the rest of their journey, however long it was.

"So," Kiira asked, looking at Hana, growing serious. "Where to, next?"

"Well," the blonde replied, "First we have to wait for another hole to open up to get us to another site."

"But for now, let's keep an eye out for Viruses here in the tunnel," Renamon advised.

"And that girl," Labramon added, referring to the brunette girl they had seen before that was partnered with DemiDevimon.

Hana nodded. "Whoever she is, she can only be bad news."

Yumi bit her lip. "Are we really sure about that?" she asked hesitantly. "I mean, yeah, she's hanging out with a Virus, but why would a human be with something evil?"

"She might have been brainwashed or something," Hana replied. It was becoming obvious that she really did not like this girl. "Either way, she's our enemy."

"Alright..." Yumi muttered, but she was seriously doubting that. A glance at Kiira told her that the other girl felt the same way.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Miyuki looked around the tunnel, keeping an eye out for any more holes that would lead her into a website like the one she'd just left. The more information she had, the better off she and DemiDevimon would be.

"Hey, DemiDevimon?" she began. Her partner looked at her curiously. "Those three girls... do you think there's any way we can convince them that we're on their side?"

"Not sure," the Rookie confessed. "I'm a Virus, and they're here for the same reason we are, so no matter what, they'll see us as an enemy."

"There's gotta be something we can do..." the brunette muttered, putting her hands in her pockets. Her right hand closed around her Digivice and she took it out, studying it. "Maybe with this, we can prove it to them. I mean, why would a Digi-Destined be evil, right?"

DemiDevimon nodded a little. "Yeah..." he began. "But that's only if we can get them to listen long enough for us to explain." He sighed. "And who knows how likely that is?"

"Let's try to think positive, alright?" his partner suggested. "But... if they attack us again and we don't have any other way out..."

"We need to fight back," DemiDevimon replied in a defeated tone. "I really hate this."

"Me too."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

They had found another hole, and when they went through, they found themselves in another forest, though this one seemed different. The trees weren't as tightly packed together, but they were all very thick and very tall.

"I wonder what kind of Digimon live around here," Kiira pondered. Almost as soon as the words left her mouth, small shadows flew over them.

"Looks like we're about to find out!" Palmon replied, trying to study the Digimon above. Three bird-like Digimon descended and perched on branches nearby. One was pink, one was red and white, and the other was red.

"Name: Hawkmon. Classification: Data. Threat: Minimal," Hana's Digivice reported about the red and white one.

"Name: Muchomon. Classification: Data. Threat: Minimal," came the voice of Yumi's Digivice about the red Digimon.

"Name: Biyomon. Classification: Vaccine. Threat: Minimal." Kiira looked up from her Digivice, back to the three Digimon.

Hawkmon cocked his head. "What are you doing here?" he asked. "I didn't know humans could be in the internet."

"Not normally," Renamon informed him. "But these humans have been sent here by their government in order to stop the Virus problem that has begun to plague their world."

Muchomon and Biyomon looked at each other. "We should let her know," the red bird told the pink.

"You're right," she replied. "Maybe she can help the humans." With that, she took off, making her way to the treetops.

"'She'?" Hana asked. "Who's 'she'?"

"Someone who can help you," Muchomon replied.

"Is she this area's protector?" Labramon asked.

Hawkmon nodded. "That's right. She keeps us safe from the Viruses that try to enter here."

"We're very grateful to her," Muchomon added. "I'm not sure where we'd be without her." They all looked up when a shadow covered them and a large flapping sound filled their ears.

"Who's that...?" Kiira asked and almost as if in response, her Digivice opened.

"Name: Birdramon. Classification: Data. Threat: Medium."

The large orange bird looked down at the humans curiously. Her feathers seemed to be replaced with flames. "So," she began. "You are the humans Biyomon tells me about."

"That's right," Hana said. "We know that the Digimon here were dragged into our internet from the Digital World, and that the Viruses are screwing things up in our world. We're trying to get rid of that problem."

"Who knows?" Yumi added. "Maybe, once that's taken care of, you guys can go home."

Birdramon closed her eyes for a moment. "I hope we can," she said before looking back down at them. "I miss our home. We will help you in any way we can," she assured the group.

"Do you know anything about the Virus in charge of all this?" Hana asked her.

The large firebird shook her head. "Unfortunately, I do not. I doubt anyone knows much about it. There are rumors, though none have made it to my ear."

"We'll have to see if we can pick up any chatter, then," Kiira suggested. "But right now, we can probably stay and try to figure out our next move, right?"

Birdramon nodded. Turning to Hawkmon, she said, "Please show our friends to a place they can stay while they are here." Hawkmon nodded in response before taking off, though he stayed low enough for the group to follow.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Miyuki smiled when she finally saw the ripple that she knew would turn into a hole once she touched it. Placing a hand to it, she watched as bits of data slowly fell away, creating the hole that was the door to another website. "You ready, DemiDevimon?" she asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "Let's go."

When they entered, they found themselves in a dense forest, but there were no Digimon in sight. "Weird..." she muttered as she walked. "Where is everyone?"

"I don't know," DemiDevimon said. "But I don't like this. It's quiet."

"If you say 'too quiet' I will smack you," the brunette joked. She abruptly stopped and silenced herself when she heard something from above. Looking up, she saw movement in the branches, but she couldn't see what it was. She didn't like this...

A moment later, a ninja-like Digimon dropped to the ground. "Name: Shurimon. Classification: Data. Threat: Medium."

Shurimon just seemed to study the girl and her partner, making no move to attack, and as long as he kept their encounter peaceful, so would Miyuki and DemiDevimon.

"You are a human, yet you are partnered with a Virus," he stated, slight confusion in his tone.

The teen nodded. "Yeah," she said. "But he's not a bad guy, and neither am I." She sighed. "I know it looks bad, but please, just hear me out."

Before she could continue, however, he said, "I believe you."

"You... huh?"

"Three humans and their Digimon partners have already been through here. They had Digivices much like yours." Shurimon motioned to the device she was holding. "I trust that you are not here to harm us."

"The others have been through here, then?" DemiDevimon asked.

Shurimon nodded. "They have. You know them, then?"

"We've met," Miyuki said bitterly.

"But not on good terms, I take it?" he asked.

"Not at all," she replied. "They thought we were the enemy and attacked us." She sighed. "And they didn't listen when we tried to explain, either." Deciding to change the subject, she said, "So, what happened while they were here?"

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

The girls and their partners sat in the shade of a large tree, trying to plan their next move.

"You know, with our luck," Labramon said, "this place is probably going to get infected by a virus while we're here."

His partner wanted to argue, but he had a point, considering how their last two 'visits' to websites had gone. "At least it will be while we're here, instead of somewhere else. Then we take care of it and there won't be too much trouble for this place later, right?"

Hana thought for a moment before her eyes widened. Could it be...?

Kiira caught the blonde's look. "You don't think..."

"What if the viruses are following us?" Hana asked. "Three websites in a row, and they've been fine until we got there. What if they're after us, and the Digimon in here are just collateral?"

"That's a kind of morbid thought," Renamon began, "but I understand what you mean. We'll just have to be more vigilant. Maybe we can catch it in the early stage, before anything gets out of hand."

"I hope you're right," he partner said. "I really, really hope you're right."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Biyomon watched the sky from her perch on a high branch. It was a nice day with hardly any clouds, and these were the kinds of days she liked. Hawkmon was out for a flight and Muchomon was gathering food, leaving her on her own. She looked to the highest tree where Birdramon had her nest. They were all grateful for the Champion's presence, for if she wasn't there, Virus Digimon probably would have swarmed this area by now. It wasn't their territory in the Digital World, but for now, it was home.

She shuddered as a chill ran down her back. Looking up to the sky, she saw dark clouds slowly gather and cover the sun. As she looked around, she froze when her eyes landed on Birdramon. She was slowly changing color, going from her normal bright orange to a dark grey.

"Oh, no," she whispered before leaving her branch and diving downward. She had to warn the humans.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Looks like it might rain soon," Kiira said, looking up to the darkened sky. Suddenly, a pink shape dove down at them.

"Biyomon?" Palmon asked. "What's the matter, what's going on?"

"It's a virus!" she warned. "It's infecting the area and it already got to Birdramon!"

The humans and their partners looked at each other. Hopefully this was just another odd coincidence. They really didn't want to be right.

"Well," Hana began, "first, we need to get to a more open area. We'll draw her out and get her attention. After that, we can free her, and this whole site, from the virus."

Kiira looked at the pink bird. "Why aren't you affect?" she asked curiously.

"Biyomon is a Vaccine Type, just like our partners, remember?" Yumi reminded her. "She's immune to it."

"So Hawkmon and Muchomon...?"

"Must be infected, too," Palmon said grimly. "We have to save them."

Hana nodded. "Let's go."

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Birdramon was circling a bit further away, almost as if she was waiting for them. Her circling slowed and she landed on a large branch as she caught sight of them.

"Alright, you know what to do, Renamon," Hana told her partner.

"You, too, Labramon," Yumi said to her own.

"Got it," both Rookies said.

"Night Roar!"

Before either Digimon could Digivolve, large feathers flew down at them, most aimed at the humans. Renamon and Labramon dove to protect their partners, taking the brunt of the attacks.

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon yelled, using her extended vines to bat the large feathers away. She glanced at her friends, but neither were in any condition to battle. It was all up to her now. She had to do something.

"Palmon Digivolve to... Togemon!"

Kiira stared for a moment at her partner, who had just become a giant cactus with boxing gloves. "Um..."

"Name: Togemon. Classification: Vaccine. Threat: None."

"Don't worry, Kiira, I can take her down," the Champion told her. She looked up to Birdramon, who had focused on her. Good. As long as her attention was away from the others. Togemon looked back down at the girls. "You're going to want to take cover," she warned. They nodded and helped the other two Digimon make it behind the trees. Biyomon was with them. "Needle Spray!" Needles shot from her body, aimed right up at her opponent. Birdramon was hit and immediately prepared for another attack.

"Black Saber!" she yelled, diving down at the other Champion. Togemon, thinking fast, ducked out of the way and grabbed one of her legs, throwing her to the ground.

Meanwhile, Renamon and Labramon had regained their strength. They were about to help Togemon out when they heard the sound of many flapping wings. Looking behind them, they saw many Hawkmon and Muchomon heading in their direction.

"Great..." Yumi muttered.

Hana looked to Biyomon. "Go hide," she told her. "I promise, we won't be too rough with them."

"O-Okay," the pink bird Digimon agreed before flying into the trees, away from the approaching horde.

Renamon stood, holding a hand down for Labramon to grab in order to help him up. "Let's get this taken care of so that Togemon doesn't have anything more to deal with."

Labramon nodded. "You got it." He turned to the Digimon flying at them. The red part of the Hawkmon had turned a dark purple, and the Muchomon had turned purple, as well.

"Feather Strike!" the Hawkmon yelled, attacking first. The humans ducked as Renamon and Labramon jumped to avoid them.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon yelled, firing her shards of light.

"RetrieverG!" Labramon yelled, letting out his own attack. The Rookies they hit were pushed back, deterred, but relatively unharmed.

The Muchomon looked back at their comrades before turning back toward their opponents. "Ice Prism!" they yelled. Shards of ice flew from their beaks. Many headed straight for Labramon, but he couldn't counter. He was busy with his own group of Muchomon.

Renamon acted immediately, ducking around all attacks that were sent her way, jumping in front of Labramon and lashing her tail out to knock the ice shards away. She landed gracefully on all fours before standing and taking a fighting stance. She put her back to Labramon's, looking at Hana and Yumi. "We're a bit outnumbered here," she stated. "We could use a little help."

"Right," the girls both said, pulling out their Digivices. The tops popped open and data poured from the orbs inside toward their partners.

"Renamon Digivolve to... Kyubimon!"

"Labramon Digivolve to... Seasarmon!"

Both Champions stood protectively in front of their partners. They wouldn't let their enemies near them.

Togemon grabbed Birdramon's leg again as she tried to return to the sky, throwing her back on the ground. "Sorry, Birdramon," she began. "But I can't let you back up there. Lightspeed Jabbing!" Her arms flew down at the infected Champion too fast to see. A pitiful pained noise escaped Birdramon before Kiira's Digivice opened. Just like before, it opened and black specks of data flew from Birdramon to the orb inside. The dark grey coloring slowly faded back to her normal bright orange, and the viruses left the Hawkmon and Muchomon as well. Data flowed from Togemon to Kiira's Digivice and she turned back into Palmon.

The humans and their partners looked to the sky to see the dark clouds slowly fade away, revealing the bright blue sky. Hearing rustling leaves, they turned to see Biyomon fly from her hiding spot in the trees.

"You did it!" she exclaimed happily before tackling her two friends in a tight hug. Hawkmon laughed and Muchomon tried to pry her off them.

Kiira smiled, looking back at Birdramon as she stood. "Togemon didn't hurt you too badly, did she?"

The Champion shook her head. "No," she replied. "All of the pain left with the virus. Thank you for saving us all. I am sorry for the trouble I must have caused."

"It's fine," Kiira told her. "I'm just glad you're not hurt. It looked kinda brutal."

"I'm sorry about that," Palmon said sheepishly. "I just... I didn't want you to hurt anyone, so... I guess I might have gone a little overboard."

Birdramon shook her head again. "You did exactly what you had to do, and for that, I am grateful." She spread her wings. "You're welcome to stay as long as you like to recover." With that, she took flight, returning to her original perch.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"I'm glad everything turned out okay," Renamon said as the group rested in the open plain they'd settled in. This earned unanimous nods.

"Unfortunately, it's probably just going to get harder from here," Yumi said with a sigh.

"What do you mean?" Kiira asked.

The hacker leaned back on her hands, closing her eyes. "Think about it. Yeah, we've gotten stronger, but if what those people who sent us here is anything to go by, so is the Virus behind all this. And what if that one's getting stronger faster than we are." She looked back at them. "Maybe we're in over our head."

"Even if we are, we still have to do our damnedest to see this through," Hana pointed out. "Everyone's counting on us. We'll just have to keep getting stronger. I think we've done pretty good so far, don't you? I mean, only a few days here, and all our partners are already up to Champion."

Kiira put a hand on Yumi's shoulder. "We have to try to stay optimistic," she said.

"I'm just trying to be realistic," Yumi replied.

Labramon frowned. He knew what his partner was trying to say, but he wished she wasn't. It was a legitimate concern, but it definitely dampened the mood. Deciding to steer the conversation a little, he said, "Now where to?"

The five heads swiveled in Hana's direction. It was an unspoken decision that the blonde was their leader, and so far, she'd been doing a good job. Hana thought for a moment. "We return to the tunnel in a little while, and then we see if we can find another site that might need our help."

"Sounds like a plan," Renamon said, the others nodding their head in agreement.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

Miyuki walked through the tunnel, hands in her pocket. As always, her partner had taken his perch on her shoulder. That encounter with Shurimon and the Ninjamon had left her a lot to think about. Those three girls and their partners had done a good job in saving that site. She wasn't sure how she would do on her own. It would be so much easier to join with them, not to mention practical. But if their last encounter was anything to go by, they wouldn't accept her. She knew it was because DemiDevimon was a Virus Type, but she didn't blame him. He couldn't help what attribute he was, and she honestly thought it was pretty awesome that one of the so called 'bad guys' was actually a good guy.

"Thinking about them, huh?" her partner asked, not needing to clarify who he was talking about.

"Yeah," the brunette replied, gaze focused on the ground in front of her. "It would be so much easier if we could join them. One, we wouldn't have to worry about fighting them, and two, I don't know if just the two of us can do what it took six to do back there." She nodded her head in the direction of the hole they'd come through awhile ago. She stopped abruptly when a familiar feeling came over her.

"What is it?" DemiDevimon asked.

"They're coming," Miyuki said simply, reaching for her Digivice in case it came to blows again.

"What do you want to do?" the Rookie asked.

"Try to reason with them," she replied. "And if that doesn't work... escape, if we can."

"And if we can't?"

"Hold our ground," Miyuki told him. "If we really have to go down, we're going down fighting."

DemiDevimon looked down the tunnel as the six figures emerged from one of the passage holes. "I hope we don't have to."

"Me, too," the brunette informed her partner with a nod.

It took mere minutes for the black clad brunette and her partner to be noticed by the others.

"You again!" the blonde yelled, reaching for her own Digivice. The two girls behind her looked at each other before doing the same, but they didn't seem as angry.

"I said we're not—Oh, never mind!" She knew that they wouldn't listen. There would be only one way to end this, then. "If that's how you want it..."

DemiDevimon studied his three opponents. Just like last time, he didn't really favor his odds, but if they didn't fight now, they'd probably be running for a long time. This could end one of two ways. They won and managed to convince the group that they were on their side, or they could retreat and always be looking over their shoulder.

"Demi Dart!" the Virus Type yelled, throwing the syringe that had appeared in his claw, but all three of his opponents dodged out of the way.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon yelled, jumping into the air as shards of light appeared in front of her. The attack hit DemiDevimon head on.

"RetrieverG!" Labramon attacked, throwing the already weakened Rookie back several feet.

"Poison Ivy!" Palmon yelled, vines wrapping around DemiDevimon before beginning to squeeze.

Miyuki's heart dropped as she watched what was happening to her partner. Without another thought, she made her way to his side, prying the vines off of him. She wouldn't let them kill her partner. As soon as he was free, she pulled him back, panicking when she saw his data phase in and out. She had to get away before they finished the job. Hugging him to her chest, she began backing away. The blonde girl took a step toward her, but the girl with lavender her and glasses put a hand on her shoulder, stopping her. Miyuki took the chance to turn and run.

"Don't worry, DemiDevimon," she whispered. "I'll help you get better, I promise."

But we'll never be able to work with them. If they're willing to kill us... there's no way they'll see reason.

~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x~x

"Why did you let her get away?" Hana asked, turning to face Yumi, who had let go.

"Hana, calm down," she said. "I don't think she's our enemy. The only reason she fought back is because you wouldn't leave her alone."

Kiira nodded. "I mean, sure, her partner's a Virus, but what if he's different? Every rule has to have an exception. Maybe that's what he is."

The Digimon looked at each other. They hadn't thought about that, but it was an interesting point. What if they weren't supposed to be enemies?

Hana looked at the other two humans before sighing. "Whatever. She got here a different way than we did, and we don't know anything about her. I still say she's bad news."

Renamon watched her partner. It was clear she saw this other girl as a threat, but the Rookie shared the same doubts as Yumi and Kiira. Hana, she thought. Give her a chance.

Next time:
Centarumon: You're the human partnered with a Virus.
Miyuki: You know about me?
Centarumon: Word travels fast. You can stay here while your friend rests.
Miyuki: Thank you.
DemiDevimon: We've got trouble! I don't know if we can do this on our own, Miyuki.
Miyuki: We have to.

And that, my friends, is the end of episode 4~ Now we get to focus in a little more on Miyuki for a change. The big question, though, is whether Hana will ever accept her to join them. Right now, it doesn't look good. Also: I know Birdramon kinda turned into Saberdramon, but I still called her Birdramon because she was the same Digimon as before, just changed. I did the same last time with Meramon, who had technically become BlueMeramon. Anyway, it will basically continue on like that for any Data Digimon that has a Virus form. As for those who don't, their appearance and maybe slightly altered attacks are up to me. Also, please drop a review on your way out. Well, that's it for this time, so...

See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~