Welp, here we are again, episode 14. I don't know if any of you have noticed, but my motivation for this story is kinda declining, but I'm trying to keep myself going. I know there are some people who like it, and I don't want to suddenly cut it off, and there are parts that I really am excited to write, but getting from point A to point B is kinda difficult right now. It's also the reason these have been posted super late in the day now. I don't start them until, like, three or four in the afternoon on Wednesday, and then I have to work from 6 to 9.

Side note: Just like in Digimon Academy, I am using the Digivolving system from Data Squad, in that Rookie to Champion is Digivolve, Rookie to Ultimate is Warp Digivolve, and Rookie to Mega is Double Warp Digivolve.

Anyway, enough of my bullshit, let's get this show on the road~

Miyuki: "The weirdest thing happened while Devidramon and I were back in the tunnel. I got pulled down into this weird place below it and met the Virus behind everything... sort of. It was using another Virus as a puppet, so I don't know its real identity, but I did find out why I'm here. This thing called the Spirit of the Internet pulled me in because of those feelings I get. He also sent me back to the Virus tunnel, where Devidramon was having some trouble, but he managed to Digivolve to Phantomon. We managed to get out, and now we just need to meet back up with the others. They need to know this."


Miyuki walked through the tunnel once again, trying to find the others. They were either somewhere in here, or they had found another site. She hoped it was the former, because she would have no way of knowing which website they would have traveled into.

"So, what are you going to say when we find them?" DemiDevimon asked, perched on her shoulder, as usual. "I mean, I don't think they're going to be too happy that we just went off on our own."

The brunette thought for a moment. "Well, we're the only ones who can make it through the wall, right? And that's exactly what we did." She shrugged. "I can just say that's what we went off to do."

"Isn't that lying?" the Rookie queried. "I mean, we just went off on our own first, and then decided to go." When his partner didn't answer, he added, "Or... you were thinking about it since we left."

"It crossed my mind," Miyuki admitted. "But we learned some pretty important stuff."

DemiDevimon looked at her. "But you didn't even learn the actual identity of the Virus in charge."

"No," she replied. "But at least now we know he can have some kind of control over the other Virus Digimon here. And he's been here a really long time, from what the Spirit said." She paused. "And we know he's probably too strong for us to take on right now."

"So we won't be stupid enough to take it on when we're ready to," her partner said, realizing where she was going with her statement.

Miyuki nodded. "Exactly."

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

"You know, we've been walking for a really long time, and we haven't seen anything since that desert website," Labramon commented.

"The question is," Renamon began, "is that a good thing or a bad thing?"

Hana said nothing as the others debated what the inactivity could mean. She was wondering that, herself, but she also had other things on her mind, such as why Otori had run off like she had. She didn't like the fact that she was never able to predict the brunette's actions. It made her uncomfortable, but she would never admit that.

The blonde paused when she saw a ripple in the binary above them. When it appeared on one of the walls, it usually meant a door was opening to a website, but when it came from above, it meant that something was coming. A mere moment later, a large, red and mechanical Digimon dropped, landing hard on its feet.

"Holy shit, that guy's creepy..." Kiira muttered.

"Name: Chaosdromon. Classification: Virus. Threat: Extreme."

"You guys know what to do," Hana told them.

"Renamon Warp Digivolve to... Taomon!"

"Palmon Warp Digivolve to... Lillymon!"

"Labramon Warp Digivolve to... Cerberumon!"

"Okay, guys, let's do this!" Kiira encouraged the Ultimates.

Yumi nodded. "Even though Chaosdromon is a Mega, three on one should be enough to beat him," she said.

"Let's hope so," her partner said. "Emerald Blaze!" he yelled, surrounding the Mega with a ring of green fire. To the group's dismay, however, their metallic opponent walked straight through the flames as though they weren't there.

"Hyper Attack!" Chaosdromon countered, firing two high powered energy beams from the cannons on his back. The Ultimates were just barely able to dodge, though one of Taomon's sleeves was singed.

Hana studied the Mega for a moment, searching for a weak point, but so far, she hadn't found one. The Virus was completely covered in armor, so there didn't seem to be any vulnerable areas. She had to find something fast, or they would really be in trouble.

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

Miyuki's head shot up when she heard the familiar sounds of battle ahead. She could just barely see the attacks being fired, such as the light of some kind of energy and the green flames. That had to be the others.

"Come on, let's go!" she told DemiDevimon, breaking into a run.

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

Hana was forced to look away from Chaosdromon when she heard footsteps behind them. Another enemy?

When she turned, she saw the black-clad brunette who had run off on them before. "Okay, where did you go this time?" she asked once Miyuki was within earshot.

"Remember that Virus tunnel I went in last time?" she asked, slightly out of breath.

"The deep web?" Yumi questioned.

Miyuki was about to reply when her partner spoke. "Maybe we should have this conversation later," he suggested.

"Good idea," the brunette agreed. "Let's get in on the action." She opened her Digivice, letting the data pour into the Rookie.

"DemiDevimon Warp Digivolve to... Phantomon!"

Kiira smiled. "Looks like you guys made it to Ultimate, too!"

"Looks like," Miyuki replied with a nod before turning to the enemy. "You..." she whispered, earning confused looks from the other girls. She shook herself out of it. "I'll tell you later. Let's just say I ran into this thing before."

"Shadow Scythe!" Phantomon yelled, swinging his weapon. Unfortunately, the scythe only bounced harmlessly off the armor.

"We could have told you that would have happened," Lillymon commented.

The Virus looked at her. "Then why didn't you?"

"We didn't exactly have time," the plant Ultimate replied, putting her hands together. "Flower Cannon!" she yelled, aiming for one of the cannons, though the attack missed.

"If my attack didn't work, what makes you think yours will?" Phantomon asked.

Cerberumon was the first to catch on. "He can't attack us all that easily if his cannons are jammed."

"That's great and everything," Phantomon told him. "But all I have is a scythe, and you're a big dog. How are we supposed to help?"

Hana thought for a moment. "Lillymon's really the only one who can do that. The three of you just focus on keeping him distracted. Push him back, and let Lillymon focus on his cannons."

"Got it!" the other three Ultimates replied.

Miyuki watched Chaosdromon closely. If he was still being controlled, then they would really be in trouble. With some extra power from the main Virus, he could crush them like bugs. But for the moment, from the looks of it, Chaosdromon was in control of himself. She didn't know how much easier the battle would necessarily be, but if he had that extra power, she knew without a doubt that they wouldn't stand a chance.

"Shadow Scythe!" Phantomon called out.

Taomon moved swiftly behind Chaosdromon, readying her brush. "Talisman of Light!"

The Mega was first pushed back before being forced to take a step forward from the strength of the Vaccine's attack.

Cerberumon, knowing none of his attacks would have any effect, charge forward, ramming him in the side. He backed up and shook his head, seeing stars from how hard he hit the metal. To his credit, the straightforward assault did catch the Virus by surprise.

Lillymon flew above the battle, bringing her arms together once again. "Flower Cannon!" she yelled, and this time, the attack hit its intended target. Chaosdromon's left cannon began spouting smoke, being left inoperable.

Phantomon circled their opponent before an idea came to him. "Shadow Scythe!" he yelled once he was behind the Mega. Before Chaosdromon had a chance to turn around, Phantomon brought his scythe down on the other cannon. The tip of the blade caught the hole, causing the metal to split as the weapon continued downward.

"Now, we only have its arm cannon to deal with," Hana said.

Cerberumon looked back at the humans before returning his gaze to their current foe. He was just getting his bearings back, but he knew he'd have that headache for at least another few hours. He charged again, this time jumping on the Mega.

Chaosdromon's right claws opened, as though he were about to attack, but as soon as his mouth opened, the Vaccine on top of him acted. "Emerald Blaze!" the Ultimate yelled, blasting the fire inside the Mega. Finishing his attack, he jumped off. "You may wanna take cover," he suggested to the others.

"Yeah, take cover in an empty tunnel," Miyuki commented. "Easier said than done."

Luckily, they all managed to make it a safe distance away when Chaosdromon exploded in a green flame.

"How did you know that would work?" Taomon asked as the data from their Virus opponent flowed to their partners' Digivices.

He shrugged. "I didn't."

Once their partners had returned to Rookie level, Hana turned to Miyuki expectantly. "You owe us that explanation now. Why'd you take off and what the hell were you doing in the deep web again?"

"I knew that was where a lot of the Viruses were coming from," the brunette replied. "I figured I might be able to get some information from one of them."

"And did you?" Yumi asked.

Miyuki nodded. "Oh, yeah. First off, this Virus we're after? It's been here a lot longer than we thought. And there's this thing, the Spirit of the Internet—"

"The what?" Hana asked with a raised brow.

The black-clad girl sighed. "That's what he called himself. He's the one that brought me here, and he did it because of the feelings that I get. He's been here for as long as the internet's been around."

"If he's been around that long, he has to be pretty powerful," Yumi commented. "Maybe he can help us."

Miyuki shook her head. "No. From what he told me, the Virus has been taking energy from him. He's not as powerful as he used to be. It took a lot of recovery time from when he brought me here to be able to appear again, and I'm not sure he'll be able to do it again. From what I understand, he's getting weaker and weaker by the minute."

"I don't like the looks of this..." Renamon said softly.

"Me neither," Hana agreed. "If what you're saying is true—"

"Which it is," Miyuki interjected with a glare.

"—then it might not make it to see the end of all this," the blonde continued as though the other girl hadn't interrupted.

"All the more reason to finish this quickly," Kiira said.

Yumi bit her lip. "Weren't you listening?" she asked. "If this thing keeps drawing power from the internet itself, then we could be in a lot of trouble. There's no way we'll be able to face it the way we are now. We need to find a way to get stronger. Quickly."

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

"We need to find somewhere to stop," Renamon commented. "It should be night about now, and I think everyone's a bit tired."

Hana nodded. "You're right."

Miyuki glanced at a hole in the wall. She was getting a feeling again. Looking at her partner, she said, "Hey, you think this is that place we first wound up in?"

DemiDevimon thought for a moment. "It might be," he agreed. "It does seem kinda... familiar, somehow."

That seemed to be good enough for the brunette. "I think maybe we can head in here for the night. I know someone in this area, and he can probably help us find somewhere to sleep."

Hana didn't answer, and Kiira gave her a look. "It's as good a place as any," she informed her. "And it's better to be somewhere familiar to at least one of us."

"Alright, fine, let's go," she finally agreed before Miyuki stepped through.

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

"Be careful when you come through," Miyuki called behind her as the rest of the group came through, one by one. They were all standing on a small ledge alongside a rock cliff.

Hana glared at her. "This is definitely a good place to rest," she said sarcastically.

"Hold on a minute," the brunette argued, seeing a familiar shape flying toward them. "Hey, Unimon!" she yelled.

"Hello, again," he said once he arrived. "What are you doing back here?"

"We need a place to hang for the night, and it's a lot safer in here than it is back out in the tunnel," she replied. "Do you know of anywhere we can stay?"

Unimon nodded. "I do. Follow me."

The group carefully made their way along the ledge while Unimon led the way. A few minutes later, they found a cave carved into the side of the cliff, more than big enough for the eight of them.

"Thank you, Unimon," Yumi said with a smile.

He nodded. "Anything for the Digi-Destined," he said before flying off.

Miyuki said against the wall, feeling the pain start to return to her back. It didn't surprise her in the slightest, as she hadn't really felt it in quite some time. The pain grew, causing her to clench her jaw to avoid drawing attention to it. She didn't want to seem like she was trying to use her injury to get attention.

Unfortunately, Yumi saw right through it.

"It's your back again, isn't it?" she asked, concerned.

The brunette nodded. "Yeah," she managed. "Give it a minute, and it'll go away."

The lavender haired girl sat beside her. "There's really nothing else you can do for it?"

Miyuki shook her head. "Not that I know of." She sighed. "I just hope that this doesn't carry over into the Real World when we go back. I don't want my dads worrying any more than they already are..."

"Dads?" Yumi asked.

Miyuki's eyes widened a fraction. She hadn't meant to say that. She should have just said 'parents'. She didn't like the looks she often got when she explained that she had two fathers, so she had just stopped describing them that way. "Yeah..." she finally said. "I have two dads..."

"From your reaction, I'm gonna guess that a lot of people aren't really fans of that, huh?" Yumi said. "It's alright, I don't think it's weird. Different, but not in a bad way. I figure, as long as people are happy with who they're with, who cares, right?"

The brunette let out a relieved breath. This talk was actually helping take her mind off the pain. "So, what's your home life like?"

The hacker adjusted her glasses. "Well, there's not really all that much to tell. I have a mom and a dad, and I honestly spend most of my time in my room writing programs, when I'm not in school."

"What about your friends?" Miyuki asked. "They probably miss you. I mean, this is a whole government secret, so your parents are probably the only ones who know where you are."

"Yeah, that'd be a problem... if I actually had friends," Yumi admitted. "I always kept to myself, and since no one ever reached out to me, either, I just kinda end up alone on my laptop during lunch and no one to hand out with after class. It never really bothered me that much before, but now... I guess it sort of sucked. I mean, now that I actually have friends, I know what I've been missing all this time." She wiped a smudge off her glasses before putting them back on. "Your dads are probably worried sick. They didn't get the visit like we did, so they have no idea where you are."

The brunette stared at the ground. "Yeah," she whispered. "They probably think I ran away or something. Hell, I really doubt they'd believe me if I told them what I've really been up to."

"This is a little unbelievable, isn't it?" Yumi asked. "We're probably the first people to ever set foot into the internet. Once we get rid of the Virus, I wonder what that will mean for the rest of the world. I mean, will a bunch of people be able to just pop in and out whenever they want? Will the technology become public use?"

"I'm more interested in what'll happen to the Digimon," Miyuki replied. "DemiDevimon commented that he missed his old home back in their world. Do you think they'll be able to find a way back, or will they be stuck here?"

The lavender haired girl thought for a moment. "Well," she said. "If they can't find a way on their own, once I'm out, I could probably program some kind of pathway or something."

"You could do that?" Miyuki asked. The pain was beginning to subside.

Yumi smiled. "Never underestimate my ability with a computer." She glanced over at Hana, who was talking with Renamon and Kiira. "You know, I think Hana was actually kind of worried about you when you ran off on your own."

"Really?"

She nodded. "Yeah." A thought occurred to her. "Did you know that Digimon we fought, Chaosdromon?"

"Kind of," Miyuki began, twirling one of her pigtails. "When I was in the deep web, I got pulled into an empty tunnel even further down. It was like the normal one, but the numbers were red instead of green. The Virus we're after wanted a look at me, but it didn't want to reveal itself, I guess, so it used Chaosdromon as a puppet, instead. I don't know if it was the same one, but..."

"It still kind of freaked you out?" A nod. "I can understand that."

"The Virus also tried infecting me with some kind of virus," she admitted. "It wanted to control me, but the Spirit stopped it." She paused. "Don't tell Harusawa that. She'll probably say that 'part of it is still in me' and 'I'll turn on you any second' or some other bullshit."

Yumi frowned. "I don't think she hates you as much as she acts like she does." That earned a curious look. "She just has a lot of pride. She doesn't want to admit she's wrong, so she still acts the same. But I think that she really knows you're okay. Maybe if you give her some time, she'll wind down a little."

"I hope so," Miyuki said. "I'm sick of feeling like I'm walking on eggshells with her." She yawned. "We should probably get some sleep. You never know what tomorrow will bring..."

Next time:
?: We finally meet, face to face.
Yumi: No...
Miyuki: Harusawa, move!
Hana: What?
Miyuki:
MOVE!

Oh, thank god. Next episode is the one I have planned out the most. I actually really do wanna write that one, and I've been waiting months to do so. I think next week is a good time to put it in though. I'll leave what the 'teaser' means to your imaginations for now.

Also, I was sitting here, trying to figure out what I was going to put in after the battle, since there was still so much space to fill before realizing that I haven't given them any real down time. They've always been either fighting or walking. I mean, obviously, they've had some rest, but that's never been shown. But I thought I'd throw that in there. Hope it's not too boring for you. (This was, honestly, just a filler because I can't have the content of next episode happening too soon)

See ya on the flipside~ Elisa out~