I'll bet you're all anxious to know what happened since last chapter, right? Well, be anxious no more.

Disclaimer: I don't own... why am I doing this? You know what I'm going to say.

LAST TIME:
DAICHI: I tried to Digivolve Dracomon to the next level, but it didn't work out so well. Instead we went looking for Isamu's crest. But Cerberumon showed up before we even came close, this time with Etemon as his right-hand monkey. During the fight, Cerebrumon told me we had no reason to be here, but that just got me really mad. My crest started glowing and Coredramon Digivolved to Groundramon. But after he defeated Etemon and scared off Cerberumon, he started going crazy. Stingmon managed to stop him, but... Dracomon...

Chapter 12
Friendship

Night had fallen. The boys started a campfire to ward off the chill. But nothing could ward off the chill of what had happened earlier. Behind Daichi, Groundramon lay unconscious, with no hint of getting up soon. For Daichi, that was both a relief and a worry: a relief because he did not want to go through that same incident again; a worry because it had been hours since he fell in the first place.

"Are we sure he's not…?" Daichi asked, unable to finish his sentence.

Wormmon spoke up. "If he were, he would have reverted into a Digi-Egg by now." He crawled up to Daichi. "I made sure that would not happen." There was a long silence.

"So, what now?" Isamu asked.

"We wait for him to wake up," Daichi said as stolidly as possible, "then we keep moving."

"But moving where, exactly?" Isamu pointed out. "We still have no idea where Taomon's card is."

"We'll find it," Wormmon assured him.

A while passed, less than an hour, and no one moved or dared to speak. The silence did not go unnoticed by anyone, but no one did anything about it; there was nothing anyone could say that had not already been said or would have been worthwhile.

Finally Isamu stood up. Both Daichi and Wormmon looked up at him. "I think I'll go around and take a look," he said. "Maybe I can find that card, see if Cerberumon's out there, or just keep a general look out."

"Alright," Daichi simply said. Isamu walked off, with Wormmon following close behind.

The two walked around the base of the mountain. Wormmon looked everywhere for anything that might have concerned them. He looked up at Isamu almost ten times before he realized he was hardly trying to look himself.

"Is something wrong, Isamu?" Wormmon asked. He crawled closer to his partner.

"Nothing," Isamu answered.

"Isamu, I may not have known you too long, but long enough to know when something bothering you. Of course, even if I didn't know you well, it wouldn't be that hard to see."

Isamu sighed. "I shouldn't have done it." Wormmon stared quizzically at him. "I shouldn't have let you do that to Groundramon."

"Isamu," Wormmon said sympathetically, "no one is to blame for what happened. Daichi caused the Digivolution, I struck him—"

"But I called the shot!" Isamu interrupted. "I was the one who told you to attack him."

"The alternative was worse," Wormmon pointed out.

"As opposed to what?" Isamu challenged. "He could have been killed!"

"And if we didn't," Wormmon argued, "he would have killed himself anyway, and us with him." Isamu just sighed in frustration and walked on.

Back at the campsite, Daichi sat alone in front of the fire. He must have been staring at it too long because when he blinked, his eyes stung. He turned to look at Groundramon; he was still unconscious. Daichi got up and walked over to his fallen partner. He stood near the head. He could hear the dragon breathing quietly. He raised his right hand to touch Groundramon but stopped himself. He looked at the glove covering it. With his left hand, he removed the glove and placed his now bare hand on Groundramon's neck, just below the head. "Everything will be all right, Groundramon. I promise." He shed a tear.

"Dai… chi…" he heard. He looked around for the source. "Not… fault… Dai… chi…" Daichi realized that it was Groundramon talking, but weakly.

"Save your strength, buddy," he said. "If you want to get better, you need to rest. I'll be right here." He sat down on the ground, not taking his hand off his partner.

Isamu and Wormmon kept walking, looking for anything, if only to get their minds off Groundramon. They found nothing, but just as they were getting ready to head back, they heard a faint beeping noise. They immediately jumped in surprise and started looking for the source.

Wormmon realized something. "Wait a minute. Isamu, that's your Digivice." Isamu laughed to himself and commented on his stupidity as he reached into his pocket. "You're not stupid," Wormmon noted, "you just have a lot on your mind."

"Thanks for the reminder," Isamu said sarcastically. He looked at his D-3; it showed a blue dot on the screen.

"What do you think it means?" Wormmon asked.

"I don't really know," Isamu admitted. "But let's find out." The two walked in the direction that the image seemed to indicate. They noticed that as they walked, the dot moved closer to the center of the screen. Soon they found an alcove and the screen indicated that whatever got the D-3's attention was inside. They walked in and found a large symbol carved into the wall; it looked like the symbol for yin and yang, but without the details inside. Instead, it had two "fins" jutting out in opposite directions on the sides that curved in the opposite vertical direction from each other.

Isamu recognized this image. "The Crest of Friendship."

"Does that mean your crest is here?" Wormmon asked.

"I don't think so," Isamu answered. "First off, there's no card here. Second, Daichi's was something we'd never seen before; why should mine not be in the same boat?" Wormmon nodded in agreement. "Although, the last time I saw the crest on a wall like this, it was in Adventure 02, where just on the bottom was…" He looked down to find a small black object in the shape of a shoeprint that had been third-dimensionalized and rounded. On the front was a spike shaped like a lightning bolt and the same crest design on the wall just in front of the spike. "…the Digi-Egg of Friendship."

"This reminds me of when I found the last Digi-Egg," Wormmon said. "I originally found it in a field of flowers that, now that I think about it, were arranged to look like that Crest of Courage."

"Yeah, well, unlike that Egg," Isamu said, "we can just leave this one here." Isamu turned and prepared to walk away.

"Wait, what?" Wormmon asked. "Are you saying you don't want this Egg?"

"Whether I do or not is not the problem," Isamu answered. "The problem is it's not mine."

"That's what you said about the Digi-Egg of Courage," Wormmon pointed out. "Look how far we've gotten with it."

"Courage is easy to have, Wormmon," Isamu said. "But this is another matter entirely. Would this Egg really go to someone who attacked a friend… check that, the friend of a best friend?" He started to walk.

"But you did that because it was the right thing to do," Wormmon said.

"No, I only did it because you two told me to," Isamu argued. "If it were up to me, I wouldn't have told you to attack at all."

Tears began to form in Wormmon's eyes. He then ran up to Isamu and tackled him. Isamu turned to confront Wormmon. Angrily, the insect Digimon said, "I'm tired of this new attitude of yours. The Isamu I know would never say that. Don't think of it as attacking a friend, but as saving him."

Isamu sighed. "Wormmon, I want to think that, really I do. But every bone in my body is telling me that it was wrong."

"Then tell those bones to shut up and start listening to me, your friend, a friend who would never steer you wrong." Isamu had never heard Wormmon act so emotional before.

Before he could say something, however, they both heard footsteps of some kind. They seemed to be coming down the wall of the alcove. They looked up and saw a six-legged Digimon crawl down toward them. It was fairly large and its body was oddly shaped, colored white with red. Its limbs and neck looked like strands of wire intertwined with each other. Its head looked like a mask with a red horn and an extra plate to act as its mouth.

"Well, well, well," it said in a malicious tone. "Looks like Infermon will get some good data for midnight snack tonight."

"Uh, Isamu, what does he mean?" Wormmon asked nervously.

"I'm thinking, okay," Isamu answered, clearly just as nervous. "Man, what I wouldn't give for a Digi-Analyzer now. Okay, uh, I think I recognize this guy. Yeah, from the movie. Infermon, um, a virus type Digimon with no identifiable origins. It lives by consuming data, and, if it has the right attitude, has the potential to destroy an entire network."

"And let me guess where he's going to get that data this time," Wormmon said.

"Well, Digimon are made from data naturally," Isamu said, "and I'm pretty sure my being here means I'm not flesh and blood either." Infermon yelled and jumped toward the duo. The two almost didn't move away in time. Before Infermon could regain itself, Isamu pulled out his Digivice.

Wormmon Digivolve to… Stingmon!

"Spiking Strike!" Stingmon wasted no time moving in for the attack. "Spider Shooter!" Infermon opened its mouth and shot out a series of energy blasts that stopped Stingmon from getting closer. Some of the blasts hit Stingmon and he De-Digivolved almost instantly. Isamu ran to Wormmon's side to see if he was okay.

Wormmon moaned as he got up. "What happened?"

Isamu thought and said, "Oh wait, I just remembered: Infermon's ultimate level." He chuckled in his embarrassment. Wormmon gave him a stern look. "Right, no time for levity. If we want to beat this guy, we'll have to go with the next best option."

"Right!" Wormmon affirmed.

Digi-Armor, energize! Wormmon Armor Digivolve to… Shadramon, the Inferno of Courage!

"Please," Infermon said in its slithery voice, "you think that stop me from getting my dinner? Spider Shooter!" He launched the energy blasts again.

This time, though, Shadramon was ready. "Flare Buster!" He fired a barrage of fireballs which contacted with most of the incoming blasts. But when the smoke cleared, Shadramon saw Infermon tucked into its carapace-like body and flying over him. He saw it too late and was knocked aside. Infermon appeared out of the shell and chuckled.

Shadramon turned to Isamu. "Anything else you want to mention?"

"Actually, I think that's it," Isamu said. "I don't see how we'll get past that rock hard defense."

"There's only one option, then," Shadramon said.

"What?" Isamu asked. Shadramon looked at him as though Isamu already knew the answer. "Did that knock give you amnesia? I told you, someone like me can never possess the Digi-Egg of Friendship."

"Isamu, listen to me, for once," Shadramon said firmly. "If I had believed that, I would have agreed from the very start. But I've seen what you're like, Isamu. You are a true friend, however much you deny yourself the fact. And only a true friend would know what to do next." Shadramon got up and flew into battle once more.

As fire and nameless energy collided, Isamu stared on. Is Wormmon right? he thought to himself. Am I just being stupid? After a while, Infermon collided again with Shadramon. The impact was too great for him to to handle and he De-Degivolved. Isamu's heart leapt, especially when Infermon began to walk toward him. Wormmon slowly opened his eyes and looked at Isamu.

Wormmon's right, Isamu thought. He trusts me to make the right decisions, so I have to trust that he's right. He ran to the Digi-Egg, placed a hand on it and pulled it off the ground; he barely noticed it took no effort. "Digi-Armor, energize!" The Egg flew out of his hand and toward Wormmon. The two touched and Isamu could see the Crest of Friendship where the two had been.

"Wormmon Armor Digivolve to…" Wormmon's body became covered in ice as he transformed. He began to grow four legs and his back became rounder. It was somewhat difficult to locate his head, but it was not unnoticeable. Most of the ice suddenly broke away, except for what remained on his back, giving him the appearance of a hedgehog. His forelegs contained guards that bore the crest. "Togemogumon, the Crystal of Friendship!"

"Hey Digimon, hey Digimon!" Isamu exclaimed. "It worked!"

"And now let's see what friendship can really do," Togemogumon said. Infermon opened its mouth. "Spider Shooter!" Togemogumon countered. "Hail Barrage!" Several of the spikes shot out of his back and blocked the energy blasts. New spikes had grown in their place. But when the shots had been cleared, Infermon, encased in its defensive body, hurdled toward him.

"Here it comes!" Isamu yelled. Togemogumon made no attempt to move, instead, the crystals on his back elongated and caught Infermon. The rogue Digimon bounced away, revealing a crack Togemogumon made in his armor. "All right! This is your chance!"

"Not so fast, data bytes," Infermon taunted. "Spider Shooter!"

"Crystal Shield!" Several of the spikes jumped up and formed a solid wall between Togemogumon and Infermon. The blasts hit the shield and bounced back to Infermon. Many of the shots hit the crack, making it bigger. "Now for the final blow. Hail Barrage!" The Crystal Shield dispersed into tiny fragments and launched themselves at Infermon. They pierced through the crack and poured into it, attacking Infermon from the inside. Infermon screamed in pain before disappearing into data.

Togemogumon reverted back into Wormmon and a blue streak of light shot out of him. The streak flew to Isamu's D-3, and when it was over, Isamu could see an image of the Digi-Egg of Friendship.

"Told you the egg would work," Wormmon said. Isamu noticed he was trying to not say it in a way that made him sound like a jerk.

"I'll never doubt you again, partner," Isamu replied. "Come on, let's get back to Daichi; he's gonna want to see this."

"Hey, wake up," a voice said. Daichi opened his eyes only a bit. "Hey, you want to wake up or do I have to help you?" Daichi finally sat up straight. He noticed that he had been lying down on solid rock, even though he remembered resting his head on Groundramon. He turned to find Groundramon missing. "I swear," the voice said, "Belphemon's got nothing on you when it comes to snoozing." Daichi turned in the direction of the voice and saw…

"Dracomon!" Daichi yelled. He walked over and kneeled down to hug his partner. "I'm sorry, Dracomon."

"Uh, Daichi?" Dracomon said weakly. "Could we talk about this after you stop choking me?" Daichi immediately let go, commenting that his Digimon was indeed back to normal. "Sorry about what, though?"

"Everything," Daichi replied. "The Digivolution, knocking you out…"

"Two things," Dracomon interrupted: "One, nobody knew what would happen when I Digivolved, least of all you; two, it was the only option. Even I couldn't think of a way to stop myself."

"You mean you were aware of…?" Daichi asked.

"Everything," Dracomon finished. "I was just so out of control, I couldn't do anything about it."

Daichi smiled. "Well, the good news is it's all over now." Just then, they heard another voice.

"Daichi!" it yelled. The voice was familiar.

"Hey, Isamu!" Daichi yelled back. "Glad you made it back."

"Hey, Dracomon's up again," Isamu remarked when he saw the dragon Digimon.

"Takes more than a little rampaging to keep me down," Dracomon boasted.

"Good to see you back," Wormmon said.

"Thanks for the assist," Dracomon replied.

Daichi turned to Isamu. "So, did you guys find anything?"

"Sort of," Isamu answered. "Quick question: can your D-Power look up Digimon on command?"

"You mean without having them in front of me?" Daichi asked. "Don't know; I've never tried before."

"Well, try now," Isamu insisted. "We saw this Digimon named… Togemogumon, was it? Anyway, it was something I hadn't seen before so…"

"On it," Daichi said, already holding his D-Power. He pressed a few buttons to activate the Analyzer and a few more to see if he could do what Isamu asked. Finally, an image of Togemogumon came up. "Oh, that was easy," Daichi commented. "Let's see, Togemogumon, a virus type animal Digimon. The spikes on its back are actually ice crystals that it can use for its Hail Barrage attack. It also says its armor level. The picture even shows the Crest of Friendship on its front legs." That's when he noticed Isamu hold out his D-3 with the Digi-Egg of Friendship on the screen. "Wormmon?" he asked as he looked at Isamu's partner.

"Who else would you think?" Wormmon responded.

"It may not have been the crest we were looking for, but…" Isamu started.

"You may not have to worry about that for long," Dracomon interrupted. "Check out the peak." He pointed to the mountain near the top, where they saw a bright, but small, light.

Daichi stared and said, "No wonder we couldn't find it. It must not have been dark enough to see it clearly."

"I thought the moon looked a little brighter tonight," Isamu commented.

Daichi yawned. "Come on, let's get some rest. Now that we know where the crest is, and since Dracomon's back to normal, I think we can sleep easy tonight."

Looks like things are finally going right. How long will that last? We can only find out on the next Digimon: Digital Monsters!

What, did you think I was just giving Isamu one egg? A Digivice whose specialty is Armor Digivolution, and I only give the guy one egg? Let's face it, folks. There's a reason I chose Wormmon to be a partner Digimon: he didn't get any Armor Digivolving in the anime, even though he clearly had the potential. Consider this giving him a second chance.

This is CF, signing out.