"STEPH!"
Biyomon swooped down, managing to grab the back of Steph's shirt with her feet before her wings flapped as powerfully as possible.
"T-TENTO!"
"I'M COMING, LIZZY!"
The blonde managed to grab hold of Tentomon's ankle, jerking to a halt as her arm protested.
"PAT!"
"TJ!"
Grabbing hold of the little Digimon's hands, the young girl whimpered as the fall slowed.
There was at least a few moments when the three thought they might be in the clear, but the Digimon's wings gave out with a cry.
Tumbling through the air once more, they joined the others in freefall.
Tonya hugged Agumon to her torso, closing her eyes and trying to imagine she was on a rollercoaster in order to calm her racing heart.
Meg made sure her back was facing the river they were heading towards, so at least Gabumon would be able to move and save them somehow.
"PAL!"
"Hold on, Mel! Poison Ivy!"
The vines caught onto the rough rock wall, and they jerked to a halt.
Tightening her arms around Palmon's torso, Mel hid her face in the Digimon's back, repeating that this couldn't be happening in her head.
"Mel, don't let go!"
"Trust me, I won't!"
The rock began to crack, and the brunette yelped as they dropped another foot or so.
"P-Pal…"
"I can't…"
A large boulder-sized chunk came free, and they spiraled a moment as she screamed.
Jenny closed her eyes a moment before she hit the water, and surfaced, sputtering and choking.
"GOMAMON!"
"Marching Fishes!"
A large raft of small, colorful fish sprang from the water, keeping above the surface and lifting Jenny from the current.
The others landed on them as if they were a solid surface, and everyone caught their breath slowly.
"WHOA…" Steph breathed.
"Let's do it again!"
Blinking at the six glares and seven strange looks, Jenny shrugged.
"What?"
"…Shut up, Jen." Meg advised, sitting up.
"Let's NEVER do that again…" Mel stated.
"Ditto…" TJ agreed.
"I-I agree…"
Tonya looked back, eyes rising at a familiar shriek…
"GUYS…"
"Y-Yeah?" Lizzy wondered, brushing her bangs out of her eyes.
"HOLD ON!"
Heads snapped up to see Kuwagamon falling as the entire cliff crumbled, Arachnia screeching in panic.
Panicking themselves, the group clutched the rainbow-colored fish, gripping each other and their Digimon for anchors before the Digimon hit the water.
The rocks caused the water to become harsh and rough, waves starting to grow bigger and bigger.
TJ yelped as a tsunami lifted their make-shift raft into the air, and Meg tightened her hold on her sister as the crest rose over the canyon lip.
It had to come down eventually, and Lizzy couldn't hold in a scream as it crashed down on the shore, the water retreating back to its mother source.
Left panting on the damp earth, Tonya eventually sat up, rubbing her head as the others managed to right themselves.
"Gabu, are you alright?"
"I'm fine. My fur's just a little damp."
"Pat?"
"I'm here, TJ…Are you okay?"
"Yeah…"
Lizzy managed to right herself, brushing off some leaves before turning to see Tentomon.
"A-Are you hurt?"
"No…Just a little dizzy…"
The bug Digimon fell onto her lap, and the blonde smiled.
"Silly Tento…"
"Mel? Mellie?"
"I'm alright…Why are there two of you?"
BAM!
"MEL!"
"Jeez…Now I feel bad about eating fish…Right, Agu?"
"A little…"
"Biyo?"
"Steph, is the world supposed to spin?"
"No…"
"Whoa…That was pretty cool, Goma-Goma."
Jenny grinned, standing so she could stretched her back and arms.
"What exactly did you do, anyway? You know, from being Bukamon to being Gomamon."
"Yeah…Pat, you used to be Tokomon." TJ remembered.
"It's all because we Digivolved." Agumon explained.
"Digivolved…Like evolving, but for Digimon, right?"
"D-Digivolving must be when they move to the next level and become bigger and more powerful than before…"
"Right. All of us Digivolved." Tentomon answered, making his wings buzz.
"I went from Motimon to Tentomon."
"I Digivolved from Yokomon to Biyomon."
"First, I was Tsunomon, then Gabumon."
"I changed from Tanemon to Palmon."
"And me, I was Koromon, and I Digivolved into Agumon."
"…What exactly are Spirit Evolutions?" Steph wondered.
"It's spirits that evolve into their animal forms." Gabumon explained.
"Animal forms…" Tonya murmured, looking down at her charm for the first time…
"Spirit animals…?"
"I needed your help though, Tonya."
Head snapping up, she zeroed in on the conversation.
"What for?"
"The only way a Digimon can Digivolve is if they're connected to another spirit."
"Connected?" Meg pondered, looking towards Lizzy.
"W-Well…Fr-From what I've seen, it seems Spirit Evolutions and Digimon team up in pairs to become stronger…"
"But we're NOT Spirit Evolutions." Mel reasoned.
"I mean, we CAN'T be…We don't look like that spider girl, at least…"
"Maybe it isn't just Spirit Evolutions." Jenny noted, shrugging.
"Maybe it's that weird thing about a soul that helps power them or something."
"…That's actually a good idea…" Steph replied, smiling slightly.
"Didn't think you had it in you, Jenny."
"HEY…"
"What are we going to do now, though?" TJ wondered.
"Yeah…We can't just stay here, can we?" Mel agreed.
"Not likely." Steph admitted.
"I mean, we were attacked before…"
"But we were up on there." Tonya pointed out.
"Which means we can't go back."
"…Th-The only way to go is forward." Lizzy rationalized.
"B-But we don't know where we are, which way is civilization, or which way is north."
"We'll figure it out." Jenny assured, smiling as Gomamon climbed onto her head.
"I say we follow the river." Steph piped up.
"It'll lead to the ocean, and maybe there'll be a boat."
"Maybe…" Meg agreed.
The group got to their feet, shaking the dampness from their clothes, before starting downriver.
Gomamon jumped into the river, smiling and swimming ahead by a bit, as Jenny looked at the liquid in an uncomfortable manner.
Shrugging off the look, she grinned, jogging after the others as conversation budded among them.
"Pat, are those your ears?"
The little blue-eyed Digimon spread his wings, smiling.
"Yup!"
"They must be like radars!"
TJ giggled, looking up at the Digimon parked atop her head.
"Do you hear things from a mile away?"
"Not really…"
"Can you fly really fast?"
"Sure!"
Meg sighed, smiling slightly at her sister's happy expression, as Gabumon nudged her hip.
"Meg?"
Grunting in way of answer, the black-haired teen turned her attention towards him.
"Is something wrong?"
"…I don't know…" She admitted, frustrated at her own jumpy nature.
"I feel like we're being watched…"
"We'll be alright."
"Yeah…"
"Steph?"
Looking down at the pink bird Digimon, Steph smiled at the sleepy cerulean eyes.
"Yeah, Biyo?"
"I'm SLEEPY…"
Smiling wider, she stopped, crouching down.
"Jump on."
The Digimon climbed onto her back, and the brunette grabbed her legs before standing, Biyomon's head on her shoulder.
"Just relax, Biyo. I've got you."
"I know…"
Lizzy scanned the forest on her right, studying the bushes and flowers and trees as she stored the information within her brain.
"T-Tento?"
"Yes, Lizzy?"
"Wh-Where exactly IS the Digital World? I-I mean, everything here seems somewhat subtropical…"
"The Digital World is whatever your spirit believes it to be."
Looking thoughtful, the blonde turned her gaze back to Tentomon's green eyes.
"…Wh-Why?"
"I'm not sure why, but it's something about seeing it through your own eyes."
"My own eyes…" She muttered to herself, eyes glazing over in thought.
"Why do you need to be connected to someone else in order to Digivolve?"
"We need to share your energy."
"How do you connect?"
"Even WE don't know everything…"
Silent at she absorbed the information and began to piece a vague understanding together, Lizzy put a hand on his head…
"…Thanks, Tento…"
"What for?"
"…For helping me."
"…You're welcome, Lizzy."
Mel stopped, plucking a pink flower from a bush, before jogging to catch up with Palmon once more.
"What's that for?"
"So we match!"
Smiling openly, the brunette tucked the stem behind her ear, the bright color matching with her hair.
Palmon caught sight of the green charm around the girl's chest, and tilted her head curiously.
"What's that?"
"Oh, this?"
Lifting the rabbit charm into her palm, Mel inspected the new color a moment.
"It's supposed to be of my Spirit Animal, I think."
"Really?"
Blinking at the wide emerald eyes, the green-eyed brunette took hold of Palmon's head so they could speed up.
"Yeah, what about it? Tonya's grandmother gave them to us before we got here."
"I don't know exactly why, but I think those are important…"
"Oh, you're just being too serious!" Mel replied, grinning.
"It's nothing, just a gift. Come on, we need to catch up to the others."
Palmon nodded, seeming to release her worry.
"Alright."
"Jenny?"
Silver eyes flashed to the water, and the teen grinned.
"Yeah, Goma-Goma?"
"Why don't you join me in the water? It's great!"
The grin fell a notch, and she avoided eye contact…
"Nah, I'm not exactly wearing a bathing suit or anything…"
"Shy?"
"…Not exactly…"
Flashes of dark water, muffled screaming, and a solid hand gripping her ankle went through her mind's eye, and she shrugged it off.
"Just don't feel like it, I guess. No worries."
Gomamon looked up at her, trying to find the usual mischievous spark in her eyes, and failing.
He may not have known her for very long, but Gomamon could tell that this wasn't right…
"Hey, Jenny! Watch this!"
With a whoop, he flipped into the air, landing in the water for a massive splash, and Jenny laughed as she shielded her face.
"Nice one!"
He grinned in return, happy to see that whatever had begun to plague her was gone…
"Tonya, how are you feeling?"
Taking a moment to study her scratches and cuts, the redhead shrugged.
"It's not as bad as it looks, Agu. I'll be fine."
"Are you sure? Arachnia didn't hurt you too much, right?"
"Agu, don't worry." She assured, smiling as she patted the green-eyed Digimon's head.
"It's nothing some time won't fix. I'm just lucky you guys got there in time."
"Why?"
Remembering the poisonous, dripping fangs and the manic glint in Arachnia's eyes, Tonya almost shuddered.
"Aw, nothing…Probably would've gotten a few more bruises, is all."
Agumon stared at her shin, feeling guilty at the sight of the shadows marking her slightly dark skin…
"I'm sorry I couldn't protect you better, Tonya…"
"Hey, Agu."
He paused, looking up at her determined gold eyes.
"It's not your job to be anything other than what you are. I don't blame you for anything."
Nodding, he watched as the redhead continued to walk, leading the group forward…
"…Thanks, Tonya…"
Meg paused, as if she'd caught a scent, and looked forward questioningly.
"I'm guessing that's seawater?"
"Right."
Gabumon smiled, sniffing the air.
"Nothing like the ocean."
"Then there's a beach! We can relax!" Mel stated, looking giddy.
"We can make a sandcastle! Right, Meggie?"
"Sure…"
"Maybe we can even find some shade." Jenny noted wistfully.
"We have to get there first." Steph reminded.
Tonya lifted her head, as if something had startled her, and looked around in confusion.
"What's up, Red?" Jenny wondered.
"Do you hear that?"
Everyone's excitement dimmed, and they kept their mouths shut as they tried to pinpoint this new sound.
Meg seemed to catch it first, TJ not far behind, but the others soon caught the noise and it started to come into focus…
Ring…
Ring.
Ring!
RING!
"A phone?" Mel suggested.
"P-Payphone…" Lizzy agreed.
"Why would a payphone be near the forest?" TJ wondered.
"Well, nothing here is exactly NORMAL." Mel pointed out.
"Still, there's no point for it." Steph reasoned under her breath.
"Maybe we can call someone!" Jenny realized, grinning.
"Let's go!" Tonya shouted, leading everyone in a run towards the sound.
Grass turned to dirt, then sand, as the group raced over the ground, following the ocean's edge in pursuit.
Something rose above the horizon, and the shapes solidified into phone booths.
There were eight in a straight line, their doors facing the cliff that had risen on their right the farther they'd gone.
Skidding on the sand, Tonya winced as some sand flew into the cuts on her legs, she grabbed hold of the door and opened it.
Everyone paused as the annoying ringing sound stopped, and they all shared a glance…
"WEIRD…" Jenny noted, whistling.
"There's one for each other us." Meg stated, studying each booth as if something might pop out to attack them.
"More than enough. Let's go!" Mel shouted enthusiastically, running for the fourth in line.
"I'll call daddy!" TJ offered, rushing to one herself.
"Yeah…I'll call mother…" Meg muttered, opening a door hesitantly.
"I'll call Uncle Robert." Jenny said, jumping into a free one, as Lizzy stared at the one before her.
"…I-I guess I'll call d-dad…"
Steph adjusted Biyomon on her back, smiling when she felt the Digimon's soft, even breathes.
'Sleeping like a baby…Better call mom…'
Tonya brushed off her cuts, grabbing the phone and putting in the number she could use to reach her grandmother. …
"At the tone, the time will be exactly 45 miles per hour and ninety seconds."
…
"Tomorrows weather calls for clear skies with the occasional ice cream."
…
"This number only exists in your imagination. Please hang up, and don't call back."
…
"No telephones are working in your service area. Hang up and have a nice day!"
Converging on the sand before the booths, the girls shared confused, somewhat frustrated looks.
"Yeah, NOW it's weird." Mel admitted.
"It was weird enough BEFORE, but now it's just STRANGE…" Jenny agreed.
"At least you guys agree with us now." Steph noted, smiling slightly.
"There's no point in saying 'I told you so'." Meg insisted.
"Meg's right. We need to figure out what we're gonna do."
TJ nodded, looking up at her sister.
"I'm hungry…"
"…I say we make a temporary camp here and go look for food."
"I-I might be able to get some sort of connection with my laptop…"
Meg nodded, turning to leave with Gabumon at her side.
"Meggie-."
"You stay here, Tammy."
Tonya looked between the two siblings a moment, seeing the concern in the bright gold eyes, and smiled reassuringly.
"Don't worry. Me and Agumon will keep an eye on her."
Jogging to catch up with her serious friend, they left the group to settle on the beach and wait for their return.
"You didn't have to come."
Looking at Meg's face, Tonya noticed that she was faced steadfastly forward…
"Well, I wanted to. We can't all just run off on our own, now can we?"
"Why not? Because you got hurt?"
The slightest bitterness flavored her tone, along with a bit of concern, and it made Tonya pause in confusion.
"…Well, do you want to get hurt?"
"It doesn't matter if I do."
"Bullshit."
The redhead cut in front of her friend, looking fierce.
"What would TJ say if she heard you talking like that?"
That got Meg right in the heart, and the indifferent ice wall she'd built up fell behind her eyes…
"…Let's just find some food, Tonya."
Understanding how she felt, Tonya backed off, following the black-haired girl into the forest once the cliff lowered to meet the ground once more.
Agumon looked up at his partner, questioning her with his eyes, but she just a put a hand on his head for comfort.
"Don't worry, Agu. She's just…defensive."
Gabumon stayed silent as Meg weaved under some branches and over roots, scanning the twigs for fruit.
He was a bit unnerved by her frigid demeanor, and was wondering what exactly made her freeze up in such a manner.
"Here's something." She said loud enough for the others to hear, pointing out a grouping of orange-like fruits.
Tonya nodded, and jumped up to grab a low branch, scrambling onto it with some ease.
Managing to pull herself up until she was directly below the fruit, she grabbed one and pulled until it detached from its fellows.
"Timber!"
Dropping it, she smiled as Agumon raced to catch it, almost falling over.
Once all six were thrown down, the gold-eyed redhead swung down, ignoring the slight scratches on her palms from the bark.
Landing on both feet, and not falling over, she smiled at the three burdened beings with her.
"…I'll just go look for more food…"
"You better…" Meg replied, mock-angry.
Tonya jogged ahead a bit, leaving them to stand next to the 'barrier' of bushes, and stopped when she spotted some strange orange watermelons.
Crouching down to see how she could dislodge them from the ground, she suddenly felt like she was being watched.
Pausing, Tonya looked around, eyes narrowing on the shadows caused by the leaves.
When nothing happened for a moment, she figured it was nobody, and heaved on the watermelon.
Once two of three were under her arms, the redhead trekked back to Meg and the two Digimon, feeling paranoid and foolish.
Stopping once she pulled free of some tricky thorns, she grinned at Meg's almost impatient look.
"Come on, let's head back."
Agumon grinned, arms full as he trotted to keep up with her.
"Can we eat all of this soon?"
"We're sharing, mister." She mock-scolded, grinning.
"Meg?"
"Yes, Gabumon?"
Looking up at her, and noticing how she tried to detach herself, Gabumon bumped lightly into her hip.
Concentration broken, Meg sighed.
"Are you sure you are alright?"
"Yeah…Nothing to worry over."
Hitting the sand, Tonya looked back in slight worry.
'Ah, she's fine…Just stressed…'
The walk back to the others was silent, but it seemed worth it to see everyone's faces light up at the sight of food.
Scrambling into a circle to allow them to surround the food, Lizzy's brow furrowed as she calculated the numbers.
"There isn't enough…"
"Lizzy?" Steph wondered.
"Th-There isn't enough for all fourteen of us to have enough. W-We'd need twice as much."
"Don't worry. We Digimon hunt and forage for ourselves." Gabumon assured.
"No need to include us in your calculations." Tentomon agreed.
"Really?" TJ wondered, looking at Patamon.
"You guys eat."
"Well, if you insist!"
"JENNY!" Mel scolded.
"If you're sure…" Meg trailed off.
The sounds of eating came up through the Digimon's assurances, causing everyone to turn a bit.
"…Agu…"
The green-eyed Digimon stared at them, mouth full of WHOLE WATERMELON, and then swallowed.
"What?"
"…Nothing…"
Tonya rolled her eyes, grabbing an orange and peeling it open to bite into the juicy innards.
"Tonya!"
"What?"
The girls stared at the matching pair of confused faces in something akin to disbelief…
Steph shook her head in amusement, and tensed when Biyomon sat up from leaning against her side.
"Biyo?"
"Something's wrong…"
Everyone seemed to have zeroed in on those words, tense and trying to find the problem…
Tonya felt the back of her neck prickle, and turned sharply before something pounced on her.
Crying out as the air was knocked from her lungs, she rolled on the ground kicking and scratching before the assailant leaped off.
Panting on the sand, she shook it from her hair as a column of water exploded upwards by the phone booths.
About to check what it was, her opponent threatened to kick sand into her face, trying to pin her down.
Growling as she retaliated, the booths flew into the air, crashing into twisted shells on the ground.
Screams came from the others, who were disoriented from the crashing payphones and the tussle not too far from them.
Tonya managed to kick off her fighter, sitting up with some difficulty and facing what seemed like a strange rat girl.
She had a long, whip-like tail, large pink eyes, and oversized ears atop her head.
Sharp-looking teeth were bared her way, and the redhead scrambled back as a large grey shell dug itself out of the sand.
"It's Shellmon and Scavenger!" Tentomon shouted.
"Wh-Who are they?"
"Partners that get mad for no reason!"
Jenny ran to help up her friend as the Digimon charged Shellmon, but Scavenger easily cut her off, tossing the teen into the cliff.
"JEN!"
"JENNY!"
The large shelled Digimon threatened to strike, but Agumon cut him off.
"Pepper Breath!"
Surprised at the small ball of fire that struck his cheek, the pink Digimon seemed to growl as the others assembled.
"Blue Blaster!"
Gabumon only choked up blue sparks, and seemed confused at the weak attempt…
"Spiral Twister!"
Green flames, only flickers of light, and Biyomon felt so drained she could hardly stay aloft…
"Super Shocker!"
Tentomon almost tumbled head-over-heels when his attack didn't even work, seeming shocked at the sudden drain…
Shellmon blasted them away with pressurized water from his head, and Tonya tried to stand.
"AGU!"
"No you don't!"
Scavenger grabbed her shin with her tail, pulling sharply so she landed on her stomach, using her free foot to try and strike the face.
Mel tried to help her friend once more, but was hit away harshly, falling head over heels as the other three Digimon tried to fight off Shellmon with no success.
None of their attacks were working, and Gomamon couldn't seem to do any damage…
"Boom Bubble!"
"Poison Ivy!"
"Pepper Breath!"
Scavenger seemed to be knocking away the others like they were flies, relentless in her fight with Tonya, who was getting scratched and bitten mercilessly.
When Shellmon easily blasted everyone against the cliff at full-force, the only ones left fighting were the redhead and her partner.
Agumon, noticing her predicament, tried to run towards her, but was head-butted off-course by Shellmon.
TJ whimpered, lying on the moist sand as Patamon lay motionlessly against her side.
"Why does everything hurt?"
"What's going on?" Meg demanded, wincing at the drained feeling that threatened to sap the strength from her arms.
"It's strange…The Digimon get weak, and now we are…" Steph muttered, sitting up weakly.
"Th-That's it…"
Lizzy sat up, Tentomon in her lap and amethyst eyes thoughtful.
"Th-They needed to connect to our spirits to Digivolve…W-We feel their strength…"
"And Red isn't weak because Agumon isn't…He…ate something…" Jenny winced, pulling Gomamon to her side.
"She's right…" Mel agreed, helping Palmon up.
"He's the only one still fighting…And he's the only one that ate anything…"
"W-Without food…Th-They don't have the strength to fight…"
Meg sighed, taking hold of Gabumon's horn for some type of assurance…
"It's all up to them now…"
Tonya managed to scurry away, grabbing a twisted piece of metal from a wrecked booth to swung at Scavenger.
Attacker dazed, gold eyes darted around in a panic before landing on Agumon.
"AGU!"
"TONYA-!"
Agumon was cut off as a large hand landed on his body, holding him down.
"Agumon…AGUMON!"
"Tonya, you have to evolve!"
"What?!"
Yelping as she tried blocking the strikes sent her way, the redhead was being forced backwards.
"You have to evolve, I'm sure of it!"
"Agu-!"
The whip-like rat's tail knocked the make-shift sword from Tonya's hand, and Scavenger pounced, pinning her to the sand.
"Foolish little pest…I'll just have to wring the life out of you…"
Her hands pressed against Tonya's windpipe, and she began to struggle, trying to bring air to her lungs.
"TONYA!"
Darkness was leeching in on her vision, but an orange glow dimly lit up the blackness…
'Wha…?'
Her struggling was weakening as the warmth of the light seeped into her blood, and she almost couldn't see Scavenger…
"Tiger…"
The charm over her heart burst with light, and the rat-girl screeched as she jumped back.
A warm cocoon surrounded Tonya's body, lifting her upright into the air, and she couldn't deny how familiar and SAFE it felt…
"Tonya, Spirit Evolve into…"
The warmth spread across her skin, and she felt the change before it solidified.
"TAWNY!"
The orange flew away like shattered glass, and she hit the ground on both feet as a Spirit Evolution.
With oxygen flowing freely to her brain now, she managed to realize all the changes that had actually occurred.
Black-striped tiger ears perked atop her head, and a tail swayed behind her.
She even felt the claws and fangs, sharp little things, but her clothes seemed to surprise her a bit, too.
An orange jacket, sleeveless black jacket, and black mini-skirt with orange ruffles covered her instead of her original outfit, new combat boots with orange laces hitting the ground.
A black biker cap sat between the cat's ears, and matching fingerless gloves made the claws more pronounced.
"WHOA…"
A bright light came from the device on her hip, and she looked down before its partner came from where Agumon was…
"Agumon, Digivolve to…GREYMON!!"
Pausing as a familiar memory tried to flash before her eyes, it was suppressed, and she smiled at the flood of strength through her limbs.
'They needed to connect to our spirits to Digivolve…We feel their strength…'
"I'm…a Spirit Evolution…"
The rest of the group watched in amazement, and Tawny straightened, turning fiery eyes on Scavenger.
"Time for some payback…"
Both sides charged as one, clashing like boulders against each other with such force, one side had to relent.
Greymon backed off when Shellmon tried to blast him, but it was Scavenger that was knocked off her feet by Tawny's increased strength.
She tried to whip the tiger girl back with her tail, but, as Greymon used fire to stop Shellmon's water, Tawny merely grabbed the appendage and swung.
Bringing her opponent's body into the air, she smashed her into the sand, and then spun around, releasing in time for Scavenger to break into a boulder.
With surprisingly inhuman speed, Tawny was atop her, pinning her to the rubble.
"You messed with the wrong girl…" She growled, looking enraged.
"You hurt my friends, and your big buddy stepped on Agumon…"
Scavenger, for the first time, seemed frightened…
"Let's see how you feel when Greymon hurts your friend."
As if on cue, the massive dinosaur Digimon used the horn on his head to lift Shellmon off the sand, flicking his head to make him fly.
Underbelly exposed, it was like a giant target…
"Nova Blast!"
Scavenger cried out as it struck, as if the attack had hit her as well, before falling limp.
Backing away, Tawny panted, feeling exhausted, and turned to Greymon before going to lean on his leg.
"Thanks…"
He glowed white, growing smaller, as an orange light surrounded her for a moment, leaving both of them where they'd started.
"Tonya!"
Mel scrambled to her feet with some difficulty, running to check on her friend as Lizzy began to split the food up between the Digimon.
"Are you okay?" TJ worried, having followed the brunette.
"I'm alright…"
Smiling weakly, the redhead managed to stand, helping Agumon to his feet, and the pair was helped to the others before they were allowed to rest.
"Wh-What happened, Tonya?"
"…I'm not sure…I just remember this light behind my eyes, and then it was just so warm…"
Smiling, she watched the Digimon eat hungrily…
"It was like my strength helped him, and his me…We were connected, felt each others power…"
"…What about Scavenger?"
Locking eyes with Steph, Tonya smirked.
"You noticed? She just…I think she felt Shellmon's pain."
"I guess Spirit Evolutions are able to feel what their partners do…" Meg noted.
Jenny sighed, pushing hair out of her eyes before falling dramatically onto her back.
"It's bad enough when we're NORMAL…Right, Goma-Goma?"
"Busy…Eating…"
"Thanks for backing me up…"
"We need to move." Steph stated, standing.
"Scavenger will wake up, and Shellmon will be back for Round 2."
"W-We need to go quickly."
"Hurry up, you guys." Tonya urged, already feeling her energy return.
Standing once the Digimon had left only peels and seeds, she turned towards the far end of the beach they had yet to fully explore.
"Let's get going!"
"Anywhere you go, I go, Tonya! You just pick the direction!" Agumon assured.
"Then let's get out of here!"
No one could argue with that sentiment, and set off across the sand with a much better understanding of the world they found themselves in…