Staring out at the ocean, Tonya yawned, rubbing her eye and smiling as Agumon dozed against her.
Angelfish was swimming beside them, and the water was glittering like diamonds.
The sunlight warmed her skin, and was making her drowsy despite the height of the golden orb in the sky.
Everyone else was asleep, hugging their partners, and Tonya smiled at the sight.
Meg seemed almost peaceful, the ice gone from her features, as she used Gabumon as a pillow.
TJ was curled into her side, Poyomon under one arm and her head under her sister's chin.
Steph was lying on her side, looking free of worry for once, with Biyomon held against her chest like a much-beloved stuffed animal.
Curled into a ball, Mel was almost snoring as Palmon lay over her, both looking unperturbed as usual.
Lizzy was snuggled into Tentomon, not looking shy or nervous as sleep smoothed her features.
Jenny WAS snoring, splayed out with Gomamon, smiling, as he was curled up on her chest, looking as oblivious as they did awake.
Just watching them reminded the redhead of the journey waiting for them all…
'I'll just have to work harder to protect them…'
Memories of hurt expressions, pain flashing through bright eyes, tears glittering on cheeks…
'Not again…'
Just thinking of the agony in TJ's eyes, it was all too easy to imagine the gold eyes were blue, the hair so much lighter…
'I won't let it happen again.'
"Tonya?"
Blinking, she smiled at her partner as he rubbed his eye.
"Are we there yet?"
"Not yet. It's been five days though, so I'm sure we're almost there."
Looking over the edge, Tonya cupped a hand around her mouth.
"Hey, Angelfish! Are we almost to Server?"
"It should be within sight in a few minutes!"
"Great!"
Agumon yawned, and Tonya shook his shoulder before standing, hesitant to wake her friends.
"Hey, guys! Time to wake up! We're gonna be there soon!"
"I'm up!"
After a moment, Jenny fell back down…
"But I wanna SLEEP…"
"GET UP!"
"I'm up-I'm up!"
"What's going on?" Mel slurred, sitting up and running a hand through her light brown tresses.
"Are we really there?" Steph questioned, shaking her hair out before covering a yawn.
"It's about time." Meg admitted, stretching soundly as TJ sat up, Poyomon in one arm.
"What does it look like?"
Tonya grinned, half-turning back towards the slowly-rising continent coming to greet them.
"See for yourself."
The group stood up to see more clearly as the shoreline became more defined, rising up like crags and protective spears.
It took only a few more minutes to reach it, and they found what looked like a rocky desert.
Whamon stopped flush against the side, and as the group jumped off, Angelfish climbed onto her partner's head.
Her fins acted like a skirt, and it rustled in an ocean breeze once everyone was on land.
"Don't forget, the Koromon Village is a half-day walk over there. Past the forest."
"Got it." Meg assured.
"Goodbye."
"And good luck."
Waving as the two disappeared into the ocean, Lizzy pulled out her laptop, bringing up a map.
"It should be a fairly easy journey…I mean…There are no mountains, no rugged terrain…"
"We might as well get started. I mean, it's just another DESERT…" Jenny replied, Gomamon plopping down on her head.
"Stop whining. We have to go anyway." Steph answered, grabbing the older girl's arm and dragging her along.
The sun was beginning to pass its peak, and even the large rocks that provided momentary shade were dwindling…
"Where's the forest?" Mel wondered.
"Shouldn't we have reached it by now?"
"We're probably close." Tonya assured.
"Remember, it takes half a day to get there."
"Still, we should get out of this desert as soon as possible." Meg informed.
"Heat and no water isn't a much-wanted combination."
"We'll be alright though, right?" TJ piped up, Poyomon held tightly.
"Everything will be fine."
Agumon paused, sniffing the air in confusion, and Tonya stopped.
"Agu?"
"I smell Koromon."
Excitement lit her eyes, and she jumped onto a tall, jutting rock to get a better view.
Swinging up to the top, she looked towards the horizon, shielding her eyes from the sun.
"I see the forest! The Koromon Village must be there!"
"Then let's go!" Steph replied, and the redhead jumped down to join the run.
Everyone slowed once the shade of trees cooled their skin, and they caught their breath.
After a few minutes, the trees cut off to show a slope covered in soft grass with two large jutting cliffs on either side of a low valley.
Not too far off was the actual village, and it seemed normal-sized, unlike the Yokomon village they had gone to before.
"Whoa…"
"Let's check it out!" Mel shouted, starting to run down.
She really wanted to rest and get some water…
"Wait, Mel!" Palmon yelled, chasing after her partner.
Shaking her head in amusement, Tonya paused when she felt Agumon's concern.
"Agu? What is it now?"
"Something's not right…I don't smell Koromon anymore…"
Everyone froze, eyes zeroing in on the retreating form of Mel…
Locking gazes, the entire group jumped back to life.
"MEL!!!"
Mel was too excited for food and rest that she didn't hear her friend's shouts, and didn't slow until she was among the huts.
Seeing some Digimon, she rushes towards them, pausing when she noticed they were not Koromon.
"Um…Hi?"
Palmon came up behind her partner, looking a bit confused.
"Those are Pagumon. What are they doing here?"
"I don't know…"
There's a nagging feeling deep in her soul, a little thing that she can probably ignore…
But there was something about their eyes…
Red eyes…
Suddenly, the group managed to pick her up, and she cried out as Palmon was shoved back.
The group was just arriving as Palmon got back up, eyes widening as they realized Mel was being carried off.
"DAMN IT!"
"MEL!"
Hearts pounding, they tried to follow the swerving Digimon, but the long run left them slightly winded.
Losing them around a turn, they skidded to a halt in an intersection, wondering which hut to check.
Gabumon turned, sniffing the air.
"In there!"
Tonya and Steph were the first through the doorway, looking around for their friend.
Up on the stairs was a sandal, and the brunette ran up to retrieve it, crimson bangs in her eyes as she identified it.
"It's Mel's."
Tonya marched past her, determined and quite definitely pissed off, barging into a room.
"If they did anything…!"
Steph paused once she entered, the others still coming up the stairs, and found a basket with Mel's green tube top and white shorts…
"TONYA…"
The curtain before her was ripped open, and Tonya stopped short.
Mist curled past her feet, giving the indoor hot spring an ethereal look as a waterfall crashed gently into the pool of water.
Mel was in the steaming liquid, submerged up to her shoulders, with her arms on the warm stone and a nimble leg flexing in the air.
Of course, at that moment, TJ ran in…
"Hey, Mel! Are you okay?"
Yelping in surprise, the brunette hid behind the stones, blushing a bright red.
"JEEZ! Do you guys MIND?!"
"Sorry." Tonya mumbled, pulling the curtain closed as Steph giggled.
"Shut-Up."
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The hut was tall and wide, filled with soft candlelight on every wall and pillows used for seats.
Tonya, being part Japanese, knew how to sit properly on them, and the others copied her.
Digimon at their sides, the Pagumon were actually being very hospitable, and most lowered their guards.
Agumon, however, did not.
"Tonya, I'm sure I smelled Koromon."
"I know, Agu…"
Gold eyes narrowed slightly as she picked up a fruit, testing the weight of it in her hand…
"Don't worry about it. I'm ready."
Knowing his partner was prepared for something to come their way, he tensed.
If Tonya was intent on protecting what could only be identified as her team, then Agumon was intent on protecting her.
Jenny was chewing thoughtfully on something, and poked Gomamon's head to catch his attention.
"Are Pagumon supposed to be good Digimon?"
"There are rumors about them being mischievous pranksters…"
"I'm sure they were true…" Tentomon muttered.
"Tento, sometimes rumors are just rumors…"
"Well…"
"I think they're nice!" Mel voiced, biting into a large 'pear'.
"I guess…" Palmon replied.
"We just met them. Let's not get too comfortable." Steph warned, patting Biyomon's head as she felt the tension coming from Tonya and Meg.
It had become unspoken knowledge that the two were very sensitive to threats, and it was wisest to follow their example.
Meg leaned on her knee, head tilted slightly as she tried to identify the nagging feeling in the back of her head...
TJ grinned, holding an 'apple' for Poyomon to eat.
"How's that taste, Popo? Is it good?"
The white Digimon suddenly went completely still, and gold eyes shimmered with worry…
"Popo?"
Bright light overflowing in her lap, and awe filled her expression…
"Poyomon, Digivolve to…TOKOMON!!"
"Oh gosh…"
A grin crossed her face, and TJ hugged the In-Training Digimon in joy.
"Tokomon, you're back!"
"Together, we can make me Patamon again!"
"Right!"
Meg smiled, face softening as the Digimon brought the light back to her sister's eyes.
The Pagumon noticed, thought they found a weakness, and smirked evilly…
Tonya noticed as the others applauded for Tokomon, and she almost frowned.
"Tonya?"
Looking towards Agumon before looking up towards the others, she sighed…
"I don't like this."
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Something was nagging at her, and TJ shuddered as an ache pulled at her heart.
Old scars began to send pain through her nerves, causing her very soul to call out for relief.
"T-Tokomon…"
'Make the pain go away. Make my heart stop hurting. Make it stop!'
But it grew instead, defying her wishes and causing sweat to break out across her skin.
"T-Tokomon…!"
A jerk, and her lungs filled with air at the surprise of an invisible blow.
Gasping as more struck her, unseen forces striking her without mercy, and the restriction of rope…
Cold metal, sudden fear…
TJ bolted upright, eyes wide with panic and realization.
"TOKOMON!!!"
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"What do you mean he's missing?! He's got legs as big as my toes!! Where the money-grubbing ladybugs did he go?!"
"We don't know."
Jenny immediately relinquished her hold on the grumpy anger she always got when awoken at the strained, fierce expression Meg wore.
TJ was still crying, an instinct to reunite with her partner bringing her pain when she couldn't find him.
If TJ was in pain, Meg was going to hunt down the perpetrator through heaven and hell before ripping them apart.
It seemed Tonya was just as prickly, pacing outside of the hut they'd been sleeping in, eyes darting around.
The others were outside, splitting up to search the large village, as Lizzy made a map of the surrounding area.
Once Meg and Jenny headed off with their own Digimon, the redhead turned to her partner.
Crouching down to his level, she took hold of his shoulders.
"Agu, I need you to do something important for me."
"Anything, Tonya."
Looking after the Pagumon as they hopped off, her eyes narrowed…
"I need you to follow the Pagumon."
"…Okay."
He looked hesitant, but Tonya smiled reassuringly, kissing his forehead.
"I know it'll hurt a bit, but I trust you. I'll be there whenever you need me, I promise."
Nodding, he nuzzled her neck before heading off after the In-Training Digimon, and Tonya breathed out as their bond stretched.
"Tonya?"
Looking up to catch Lizzy's curious gaze, she smiled.
"Oh, it's alright. I'll just climb up here and check from a higher angle, alright?"
The blonde nodded, catching on already as she turned back to Tentomon.
Climbing up, Tonya swung herself onto the roof and overlooked the village.
If she was right, those Pagumon had hurt two of her friends…
They were going to wish they'd never met the Digidestined…
"He's not on the east side of the village."
"He's not HERE." Meg amended, and Steph nodded in agreement.
"He has to be somewhere…I mean…He's so small…"
"TOKO! TOKO, WHERE ARE YOU? TOKOMON!!"
Jenny sighed, rubbing her eye as she looked up at the sky.
"Maybe he took a break or something. He'd probably hide somewhere cool."
"Well, that would narrow our search…" Mel agreed.
The Pagumon returned, and Tonya looked down, hoping to hear them better.
"He wasn't near the waterfall!"
'Wait…'
Gold eyes narrowed…
'Where's Agu?'
As Lizzy crossed off the waterfall on her map, the worry seemed to grow.
"He HAS to be around here somewhere…" Steph fretted.
Tonya sat back, closing her eyes in order to try and calm the ache in her chest, and could almost, ALMOST, feel like she was with Agumon…
Scents flitted through her mind, but some seemed more prominent than most.
'KOROMON. TOKOMON.'
"He's found him."
Standing up, she got ready to tell the others when an invisible force struck her in the face.
Surprised at the blow, she stumbled back and nearly fell on her backside.
More landed, and Tonya was breathless as her protective instincts flared thanks to her bond.
'AGU!'
Managing to stand, she tried to figure out where he was when a column of steam rose above the trees…
'Steam…Fire and water…THE WATERFALL.'
Jumping off the hut in her hurry, she immediately caught the group's attention as they saw her pained expression.
"Agu's near the waterfall! He's in trouble!"
"He ran into evil Digimon?" Meg wondered.
"He found Tokomon!"
TJ's eyes lit up with hope, and she smiled.
"Really? Let's go!"
"NO!"
All eyes turned to the Pagumon, and they seemed surprised at their own sudden shouts.
"Why?" Steph inquired suspiciously, crossing her arms as Biyomon glared.
"Are you not telling us something?" Jenny accused, Gomamon atop her shoulder as both glared.
"Wait…Didn't they check out the waterfall?" Mel wondered, Palmon stepping between her partner and the small Digimon.
"You took him, didn't you?" Meg snarled, looking like a vengeful goddess as Gabumon bristled beside her.
"Why would you do that?" TJ asked innocently, looking hurt.
"You really ARE bad Digimon…And you tricked us…" Lizzy realized.
"Well, I'm done with it! I gave you a chance, and you blew it! When I get my hands on you-!"
The Pagumon raced off at the sight of a pissed-off Tonya, and the redhead turned towards the forest.
"Let's go!"
She didn't even wait for the others as she bolted towards her partner, her bond starting to relax the closer she got.
Still, she felt his pain, and Tonya couldn't possibly run fast enough to return to him…
'Agu…Agu…'
Feet pounding, she reached the river, she caught sight of the massive waterfall, heart racing.
"AGU!"
Faintly, barely heard over the crashing water…
"TONYA!"
Her eyes nearly filled with tears, and she rushed towards the rocks standing proudly beside the thundering falls.
"AGU, I'M COMING! HOLD ON!"
Scrambling over the stone, she found the stout cliff that led to a cave hidden by the water.
Jumping in, she turned into the actual cave to find two Digimon, and their Spirit Evolutions, standing over Agumon.
There were even cages full of Koromon, and one that held a tied-up Tokomon.
The two weasel Spirit Evolutions turned to her with red and gold eyes, clearly not intimidated by her even though Tonya was clearly seething.
"Watch out, Tonya!" Tokomon warned.
"They're Gazimon and Motleys!"
"I don't care!" She growled.
"You're going to regret taking Tokomon and hurting Agu!"
"And what are you going to do about it?" One Motley sneered, looking full of himself.
Tonya bared her teeth as her charm shone…
"Tiger!"
The Gazimon seemed just as surprised by the sudden burst of light, but Agumon smiled…
"Tonya, Spirit Evolve into…TAWNY!"
"Agumon, Digivolve to…GREYMON!!"
The ceiling had to move to accommodate Greymon's great size, and some rock blocked off the water as the others finally arrived.
Smirking, Tawny flexed her claws to see the fear on her opponent's faces…
"You want to fight two against one? Bring it on."
Rushing forward, the tiger-girl pulled back her fist as Greymon breathed in…
"Nova Blast!"
They struck at the same moment, and the two pairs flew into the water, whisked away by the powerful current.
"HA! Take THAT!"
TJ raced by the team leader and her Digimon, skidding to a halt before the cage holding Tokomon.
Landing on her knees, she opened the door as quickly as possible, reaching inside to untie the In-Training Digimon.
"Toko! Toko, are you okay?"
"I'm alright, TJ." He assured, jumping into her arms.
Steph, Mel, and Lizzy rushed to free the Koromon as Meg and Jenny checked around for more enemies.
"The Pagumon are gone."
"You can all return to your village now."
"Thank you!"
"HELLO?"
The echoing voice caught everyone's attention, and Tawny's tail stiffened, bristling.
A hologram of a giant monkey appeared against the sky, with his baboon counterpart standing behind him, seemingly uninterested.
"You pesky Digidestined!"
"Oh no, it's Etemon and Babyface!" The Koromon fretted.
"You rotten little kids messed up all my big beautiful plans!"
"OUR plans…"
"Well, now I'm gonna have to punish you all by playing a little number I just wrote!"
"WE just wrote…"
"It's called 'Wrecking the Whole Place'!"
"What?" Mel voiced, confused.
"He can't possibly destroy a whole village. He'd have to be Godzilla!"
Jenny smiled sheepishly at Tawny's glare…
"Or Greymon…?"
Glare…
"…Sorry…"
"Dark Network Concert Crash!"
Black wires floated into the air everywhere, red electricity crackling in the air, and Lizzy took a step back…
"Th-This won't end well…"
Crimson lightning bolts came down from the wires, destroying huts with a single strike, and Meg clenched her fists.
"We've got to stop him."
Charm glowing, she stepped beside Tawny…
"Wolf!"
The shine was unmistakable, and Babyface smirked…
"Megan, Spirit Evolve into…FANG!"
"Gabumon, Digivolve to…GARURUMON!!"
"You say you want a Digivolution? The answer's NO! Love Serenade!"
A harsh note rebounded across the area, and both Spirit Evolutions cried out at the pain.
Like golden dust, their transformations fell away as Greymon and Garurumon glowed brightly, Dedigivolving.
"What happened?" Steph wondered as Tonya fell backwards, sitting as she caught her breath.
"I don't know…"
"It just sucked the strength right out of us."
"Doesn't rock and roll have that effect in your world?" Tentomon questioned.
"N-Not really…"
"We can't possibly fight him…" Mel realized.
"If only we had the crests, we'd be able to become stronger and beat on him…" Jenny noted.
"But we can't. We need to get out of here." Steph interrupted.
A bolt of red energy hit the river before them, shaking the entrance to the cave so that it began to shake.
"RUN!"
"FOLLOW US!" The Koromon shouted.
Rushing after the group of In-Training Digimon deeper into the cave as boulders cut off the cave from the outside world.
The walls shook less and less the further in they went, until they seemed safely out of danger.
Entering a dead-end room, they were faced with a strange wall, a symbol carved into it.
"Where are we?" TJ questioned, breathless.
"This is where we go whenever anything bad happens to our village." The Koromon admitted.
"But there's no door!" Jenny whined.
Tonya didn't even hear them, seeming to be hypnotized by the symbol before her…
"Tonya?"
"I think this is…"
Reaching forward, her fingers brushed it, and her tag began to glow a bright orange.
The whole room followed suit, and everyone backed away in surprise at the sudden change.
"What's going on?" Lizzy wondered.
The wall she'd touched began to shrink, to change, and Tonya's eyes widened…
"My crest…"
Once it was small enough, it floated towards her, clicking perfectly into the golden tag.
"Oh my gosh…My crest!"
Grinning, she almost hopped around excitedly as everyone smiled.
"We found a crest!"
"Hey, look at that!" Mel pointed out.
Looking outside, everyone was surprised at the sudden sight of bright green mountains.
"These mountains are very far from our village."
"At least we're away from Etemon and Babyface." Steph noted.
"It's time to go, guys."
Tonya smiled, hand covering her new crest.
'Nothing can stop us now…'