Author's Notes: Pretty short chapter today and it's all exposition. Seriously... there's no gameplay in this chapter.

"This way," a boy's voice cried out. "This way!"

Takumi slowly opened his eyes in the darkness and spotted a boy with black hair waving at him, motioning for the teen to come over. He absently started in that direction but paused when another boy ran towards the first child with two girls following him. "Let's hurry up and go!" the second boy stated.

One of the girls with short black hair nervously shrunk back. "Really? I'm scared! Let's go home!" she whined.

The other girl with long red hair giggled. "It's okay!" she reassured her friend. "Let's go!"

The three of them ran towards the first boy and Takumi watched as they faded away. The first boy continued waving at him, calling him over. "Hurry! Come this way! Faster… faster!" Takumi made to go towards him but soon sensed a looming darkness growing from within the boy. "Come this way… come this…"

Takumi's eyes widened as a purplish black hand extended towards him, dragging him further into the pitch black world. He flinched in surprise and remained tense for a while before realizing nothing had happened. He took a deep breath and opened his eyes to a new scene. He blinked as he was surrounded by strange tropical plants. "Where… am I?" he asked himself as he began wandering around the unfamiliar jungle. He spotted a ghostly boy ahead of him and quickened his pace. "Ah…! Are you…?"

The raven-haired ghost didn't turn to face him as he began to speak in a garbled, static-filled language. "Kimi wa dare? Boku wa dare? Dare wa dare? Kimi no tame? Boku no tame? Dare no tame? Dare dare dare…?"

"Huh…?" Takumi frowned at the strange questions the boy was muttering.

"Boku to… asobou…"

"Play… with you?" Takumi frowned as the boy slowly turned to face him. His eyes widened as the ghost suddenly became an Eater. The redhead let out a cry as he quickly stepped away from the monster. He closed his eyes and flinched as the Eater came at him, but again, nothing happened. When he opened his eyes, he noticed he was surrounded by multiple Eaters. "What…!?"

"This is how the world will end," a familiar voice told him.

Takumi frowned as he tried to remember whose voice it was. "Yuugo…?"

"As the number of Eaters increases, the real world…" Yuugo's voice slowed down as it became warped, "will be eroded away to no-thing-ness…"

Takumi winced as his body flared with pain as it flickered. The Eaters crowded around him and he flinched as darkness closed in around him again. He frowned as he sensed he was still okay somehow. Looking into the strange void, he spotted a raven-haired teenager standing with his back towards him. "Hm?" He frowned as his mind went through all the possibilities of who it could be. An Eater again? He shook his head. He's not like that ghost… Yuuko-san? No, he's someone very similar though. "Who are you?" the Cyber Sleuth finally asked aloud.

"I am Yuugo," the boy turned around and introduced himself, "Yuuko's brother."

"I thought so," Takumi kindly smiled at him. "But…" he frowned as he stared at the boy, "what are you doing here?"

"My body succumbed to EDEN Syndrome and still sleeps," he explained. "I'm like you." He paused for a moment and shook his head. "No, I'm different. My body is completely cyber."

"Completely…?" Takumi stared at him with wide eyes.

"Anyway," Yuugo gratefully smiled at the redhead, "thank you for saving my sister from erosion. I also tried to save her, but… had you not been there, she would have been devoured."

The Cyber Sleuth wore an embarrassed smile. "W-well… I only did what I could… I couldn't just leave Yuuko-san connected to the Eater, especially if she was suffering…"

Yuugo placed his hand on his hip as he studied the kind-hearted boy. "Your means of doing so had never occurred to me. Your Connect Jump was quite the surprise. And it was because you 'connected' with the Eater that we were able to meet like this."

"Really?" Takumi asked as he tilted his head to the side.

"That's right," he nodded. "I called out to you. You responded and came here, yes?"

"I… don't really know," Takumi frowned at him.

"You just woke up here? You don't remember what happened?" Yuugo blinked at him. "That is… tragic. That may in part be because I called you. 'To respond to someone's call'… You have that power, do you not?"

"I think so," Takumi nodded. "Kyoko-san says it's the power for me to connect my fate to others… I didn't understand before, but… I think I'm beginning to now…" The redhead looked around curiously. "I guess that's what led me here…"

"Aren't you curious where 'here' is?" Yuugo asked with a smile.

"A little bit…"

"This is a special area found on a certain network," Yuugo explained. "I hastily created it in order to meet with you. You subconsciously responded to my voice and accessed this network. Within you lies a fragment of me. It's a piece of my memories."

"Ah…" Takumi remembered his first trip to Cron. Back then the ghost boy had installed something into him that he couldn't read before. "I see…"

"That is how my voice reached you," Yuugo nodded. "I was so happy when I learned that you had it." His smile faltered though as he continued to study Takumi. "But it might have caused other problems… The strange things you've experienced here… They're all the effects of my memory fragment. You must have had similar experiences. They were the result of my memories drawing you in."

"You mean the images of those kids I see sometimes…" Takumi mused.

"I, too, have a few large fragments that make me reflect a lot on my physical body…" Yuugo frowned at his cyber body. "This might have been troublesome for you."

Takumi stared back at Yuugo carefully. "So you're really… the Ghost of the Pale Boy?"

"I don't know what form my fragments take, but…" he brought hand up to his mouth. "I see. A ghost. That must be very unsettling. I bet it frightened Yuuko and Nokia…"

"You know Nokia…?" Takumi asked with a tilt of his head.

Yuugo gave him a sad smile and wanted to explain but he sensed someone trying to enter the network appear behind him. He noticed Takumi lifting his head towards the light shining behind him so chuckled. "Someone's come for you. I'm surprised. How did they find us?" Yuugo closed his eyes as he felt the warm light on his back. "They must have a very deep, very strong connection with you."

The light disappeared from behind Yuugo and Takumi suddenly felt it appear behind him. Just as Yuugo said, Takumi smiled at how warm it was. He closed his eyes as the presence was extremely comforting and familiar, but he couldn't quite place who it belonged to. He turned around as a large shadow loomed over him and his blue eyes widened at the Digimon's great silhouette. Takumi turned back towards Yuugo to invite him along, but the raven-haired boy had disappeared. "Yuugo…?"

The boy's voice echoed in the darkness around them. "Thank you for answering me… I'm glad we met. Tell Yuuko, Nokia, and Arata that I'm… okay… So please—"

Yuugo's message was cut short as Takumi sensed the Digimon behind him quickly reaching for him. Takumi closed his eyes as he was pulled into the bright light and when he opened them again, he found himself in front of Shinjuku's theatre. At least, he thought it was Shinjuku. A portion of the street was sanctioned off and the redhead noticed some of the buildings glitching.

"H-huh!?" he looked around the chaotic city in confusion before his Digivice rang. He quickly answered. "Kyo—"

"Whew! I got through!" Nokia sighed before glaring at the boy. "Where the heck have you been!?" she asked him with her arms crossed.

"Nokia…?" Takumi frowned as he had expected the first person to call him would have been his boss. He smiled as someone else entered the call. "Kyo—?"

"Takumi-san!" Yuuko worriedly frowned at him. "Are you okay!? Was there a problem of some sort?"

A third person entered the call. "Hey, ask the questions one at a time!" Arata frowned at the two girls.

"Ah… Everyone…" Takumi smiled at his friends. "I'm sorry for you worrying you…"

Yuuko's frown deepened as she studied the redhead's face for signs of injury. "We haven't been able to make contact for over a week! And considering the way we parted, naturally we were worried!"

"A week…!?" Takumi asked in surprise. "I was gone for that long…?"

"Okay, okay, we get it, we get it…" Arata sighed. "Anyway, it's great to see Takumi's still in one piece. We can handle the details when we meet up in person. Is that okay?"

"Y-yeah…" Takumi nodded as he was still getting reoriented with the world around him.

"Okay then," Nokia smiled. "Let's meet up in Nakano! I bet Takumi wants to get back to the agency."

"Of course!" the Cyber Sleuth nodded. "I need to report to Kyoko-san right away!" The three teens shared a concerned frown amongst themselves and Takumi noticed. "H-huh…? Is something wrong?"

Arata shook his head. "We'll see you later, Takumi!" he quickly stated before the three hung up.

Takumi frowned at that but shook his head as they would probably explain it to him sooner or later. "It seems I had everyone worried about me. Let's get back to the agency."

"I'm home," Takumi said out of habit as he entered the agency. To his surprise, instead of Kyoko welcoming him back, it was Yuuko who came up to greet him.

"Ah! Takumi-san!" Yuuko brightened as she quickly tackled into him for a hug. "Welcome home. Thank goodness!"

"H-huh!? Y-yuuko-san…!" Takumi's face burned as he didn't really know how to react.

"I'm so glad you're okay," the girl sighed in relief as she carefully examined him. "You're not injured? You're all right? Where were you and what were you doing!?"

"W-well…" the redhead frowned as he tried to figure out where to begin.

"Like I said," Arata shook his head at her, "ask the questions one at a time!"

"It's no use, Arata…" Nokia smirked. "You should have seen Yuuko-chi when Takumi disappeared! She was so, so, so, so worried!"

"Really?" Takumi asked as he stared at the raven-haired girl.

"D-don't get the wrong idea!" Yuuko frowned at him as her face also turned red. "You vanished before I could say a proper thanks! And I've slept badly all week. That's all." She averted her gaze away from him when he continued to stare at her with those gentle blue eyes of his. "If you're going to disappear, let me say thank you first so we can end things properly."

"Isn't this 'hard to get' act a bit… beneath you?" Arata muttered.

"Anyway," Yuuko ignored the older boy's comment and sheepishly addressed Takumi, "thank you so much for what you did."

"It was nothing, Yuuko-san," Takumi told her with a nod as he finally recomposed himself. "I only did what I could as a Cyber Sleuth, so I'm really glad the rescue mission turned out well!" He sheepishly grinned at her and scratched his cheek. "I'm sorry for disappearing before the case could be properly closed though. That must have been very distressing for you as a client."

"Eh?" Yuuko looked up to him in confusion. "W-wait… I really was worried about you… I'm glad you made it back safely…" she finally managed to say.

"Thanks, Yuuko-san," Takumi simply nodded with a kind smile on his face. "I'm glad to see you're safe too."

"H-huh…?" The raven-haired girl didn't know why, but his response made her even more flustered. "W-well… of course… you were the one to save me after all…"

Arata crossed his arms and frowned at the red-haired girl at his side. "Jeez, this is getting really embarrassing…" he muttered.

Nokia only flashed him a grin. "That's only because you have no idea how to pick up girls, Geeta."

"Huh!?" the older boy glared at her. "I'm totally better at it than Takumi at least!"

"Hm?" the younger boy looked up at his two friends in confusion. "Arata, is something wrong?"

"Your flirting is what's wrong!" he yelled at the bright-eyed teen. "There's no flair at all!"

"Flirting…?" Takumi blinked. "But… I was just being honest…"

Nokia and Arata both paused as they stared at their friend in disbelief. "Eh!? But she's clearly—"

"Th-that's enough!" Yuuko quickly cut them off. "What's important is that Takumi-san is back, safe and sound!" She worriedly glanced at Takumi once more. "You are… okay, aren't you?"

"Of course," Takumi nodded as he raised his fist to his chest. "It looks like a lot has happened during my absence… But I'm back now," he seriously nodded before lifting his gaze towards the desk in the back of the office. "I'm glad all of you are here. 'To have friends come from afar is happiness', right, Kyoko—?" he paused when he finally noticed the detective wasn't there. "H-huh…?" The other three noticed as his smile was immediately replaced with a frown full of sadness, confusion, and worry. "Kyoko-san…? Where's Kyoko-san?" he urgently asked.

"We weren't the only ones that were worried," Arata frowned. "Kyoko-san kept looking for you the whole time. But she went off the radar a little while ago."

"Kyoko-san… is gone…?" Takumi knit his eyebrows together as he let it slowly sink in.

"Would you tell Kyoko-san that you're safe and back with us?" Nokia asked him. "You should be able to reach her with your Digivice."

Takumi nodded as he quickly dialed in her number but try as he might, the woman wouldn't answer. "Kyoko-san…"

"You're not having any luck with yours, either?" Arata sympathetically frowned.

"Kyoko-san, just where did you go off to?" Nokia worriedly asked.

Takumi closed his eyes and took a deep breath. Concerned that he wasn't taking the news well, Yuuko shook her head. "Takumi-san, we did everything we could to find her. We're—"

"No, it's fine," he opened his eyes. "I believe in Kyoko-san. I'm sure she knows I'm safe too…" He smiled as he remembered her resolute belief in his abilities as well as his absolute trust in her. "For now, I want to catch up on everything that's happened since my last Connect Jump. I need to know what's happening to Tokyo."

The three teens stared at him in surprise as the Cyber Sleuth calmly reached for the television remote on the coffee table. It was strange to see him so serious and in control, but it wasn't as if Takumi had a choice in the matter. He was only doing what he believed—or rather, knew—Kyoko would do if she were here. For starters, he would have to check what was on the news channel. Even if he learned the actual truth of the situation from them, it wouldn't help if he didn't understand public's perception of it. The detective agency was shady enough as it is and since Kyoko wasn't here, it was his job and his alone to keep it afloat. He was her assistant after all and a Cyber Sleuth on top of that.

"The government is rushing to respond to the mysterious phenomenon that is still blanketing the greater Tokyo area," the newscaster reported. "We asked specialists about this strange phenomenon, which makes it seem like victims have become lost in some kind of virtual world and—"

"Have you looked outside?" Arata asked the redhead. "The real world has been changing ever since. This is all they can talk about on the TV news. Know-nothing 'experts' have theory after theory."

"A major Digital Shift has been occurring since the Dimensional Door opened," Yuuko added, "and it's showing no signs of resolving itself anytime soon. And Digimon are wandering free around Tokyo."

"I'm not worried about the Digimon," Arata shook his head. "It's the Eaters who're attacking people indiscriminately." He scowled at himself. "Damn! If only I could've stopped them faster!"

"We already said we weren't going to go there, Arata!" Nokia scolded him.

"How can you be so casual about this?" Arata glared at her. "Eaters are attacking people as we speak!"

"That may be true, but…" Nokia frowned. "And then there's Kishibe… LordKnightmon, right? She's still totally on the loose!"

"That's right," Yuuko seriously nodded. "We still haven't picked up her trail. Hackers have abducted Kishibe Rie, the CEO of Kamishiro. Or at least that's what the idiots in the media are speculating."

"It doesn't matter what it is," Nokia sighed. "Hackers are responsible for all the bad things that are happening. Everyone's happy to paint them as the villains."

"It's no big surprise," Arata slipped his hands into his pockets. "Usually hackers ARE up to no good in their day-to-day activities. But this time the real harm came when the hackers failed."

Nokia's frown deepened. "That's why I said we weren't going go there!"

Arata shook his head at her before looking over towards Takumi who was still staring at the television. "But what about your disappearance? What happened? Tell us about it."

"Hm?" Takumi turned away from the news. "I don't really know how to describe it… It's like the Eaters pulled me into another world."

"You mean like when you tried to save me?" Yuuko asked.

The redhead shook his head. "No, not like that. I wasn't in a network, but a jungle being devoured by Eaters. I would have been eaten myself, but I met…" he paused before lifting his blue eyes towards Yuuko. "Well, Yuugo saved me." As he expected, the girl's eyes widened as she let out a short gasp. "That's all I can really say."

"You can't explain it?" Arata asked. "Surely it wasn't all just a dream or anything."

"No, it really did happen," Takumi seriously stated.

"Did… did you really meet my brother?" Yuuko asked.

"Yeah," Takumi nodded. "We spoke for a while. He thanked me for saving you and wanted to let you all know that he's fine. He wanted to say something else too, but…" he closed his eyes as he remembered the mysterious Digimon that saved him. "I came back after that," he finished as he opened his eyes.

Yuuko frowned to herself. "He lies in Central Hospital, unconscious and in a coma after succumbing to EDEN Syndrome. And to think you talked to him…"

"Was it like he was an avatar from EDEN?" Nokia asked.

Takumi shook his head. "He said his body is like mine except it's completely digital rather than half."

"He thanked you for helping me?" Yuuko knit her eyebrows together. "My brother said that?"

Takumi gave her a small smile and nodded. "Yeah…"

"Onii-chan…" Yuuko lowered her gaze as a strange expression appeared on her face. Takumi didn't know whether she wanted to cry out of relief or sadness but he said nothing as Yuuko suddenly looked up at him. "I want to rescue him!" she declared. "I will find a cure for EDEN Syndrome. It will save the countless people who suffer from EDEN Syndrome and save the EDEN my father built. To that end, I must find that person and finish things once and for all. Let's find Kishibe Rie… I mean LordKnightmon!"

Takumi blinked at her, surprised by the calm fury he was sensing from her voice. "Yuuko-san…?"

Yuuko ignored the concerned frown he was giving her. "She must be involved in my father's death and I'm betting she knows more about the Eaters, too."

"I can't forgive Kishibe either," Arata scowled. "She used the existence of hackers to her own personal gain."

"Arata, too?" Takumi's frown deepened in concern over his two friends' deep-seated desire for revenge.

"Royal Knights are high level Digimon, right? We gotta find a way to fend them off and the Eaters too," the older boy crossed his arms.

"I'm worried about the Digimon…" Nokia nodded before frowning. "They're probably panicking due to all the sudden changes. They don't know what's going on and might lash out in fear. Left as things are, an actual fight might break out between humans and Digimon. Omegamon says he wants to put a stop to that!" Nokia stated in determination. "And so Rebellions are gonna help Omegamon! In other words," she smirked, "it's time to execute the Love-Love Digimon Initiative to the Max!"

Takumi smiled as he didn't have to worry about his best friend succumbing to such dark thoughts. "Nokia…"

Arata smiled as they finished catching Takumi up. "It seems we've decided what we want… no," he shook his head, "what we have to do."

Takumi brought his hand up to his mouth and closed his eyes. "Yeah… I guess that leaves taking care of the agency to me. I'll stay here and do whatever I can. After all, I'm a Cyber Sleuth and Kyoko-san's—" his eyes snapped open as pain shot through his entire being. Looking down, his entire body seemed to be engulfed in flickering static. After a while, his form stabilized and he took a moment to catch his breath.

"What was that?" Nokia asked in panic. "Takumi?"

"Hey, Takumi…" Arata's eyes were wide in fear.

"Are you okay?" Yuuko brought her hands up to her mouth.

"I'm… fine…" Takumi nodded as he stared at his trembling right hand. "It's nothing. Don't worry about it."

"Hey, your half-cyber body…" Arata frowned. "There's a large-scale Digital Shift taking place. It might be affecting your body, too."

"It's fine," Takumi firmly stated before trying to laugh it off. "My half-cyber body is more stable in a half-cyber world anyways," he pointed out, despite it not being entirely true. "Besides," he turned towards the entrance as he sensed someone approaching, "we have a visitor." His three friends looked to the door in surprise as Matayoshi entered.

"Oh, Detective!" Nokia smiled at him.

"I should have figured you'd all be here," Matayoshi nodded to them.

"Kyoko-san isn't here," Yuuko told him. "Can we help you with something?"

"Well," the man frowned as he slipped his hands into his coat pockets, "I actually came to see—"

"Me, right?" Arata frowned.

"You figured that out quick," Matayoshi crossed his arms.

The raven-haired teen did the same thing. "I thought you'd come for me sooner or later. It's about that hacking case, right?"

"Yes. Before long, you—Sanada Arata—will be on the wanted list."

"Wanted list…!?" Takumi asked in surprise.

"What?" Nokia cried out. "Wh-wh-wh-why is that gonna happen!?"

"A warrant came during the blackout," Matayoshi explained, "and then there was the disappearance of Kamishiro's CEO…"

"Wait!" Yuuko cried out. "Sure, he was hacking, but he had a just cause! And as for Rie-san's disappearance…"

"I know," the detective nodded, "but my superiors want Sanada brought in for questioning, as a person of interest."

"They've selected a scapegoat in the hopes of easing public panic, right?" Arata asked. "That's how the big shots think."

"I'm sorry to say it, but you're right. I've heard the facts from Kyo-chan though. I might not know as much as you kids, but I'm starting to get a handle on what's been going on throughout Tokyo lately. I will have a word with my boss. So, Sanada, your job is to stay here under police protection, okay?"

Arata closed his eyes and took in a deep breath as he thought about it. "No," he finally answered.

"Arata…?" Takumi frowned as he guessed what his friend was about to do. It just wasn't in Arata's nature to simply follow the rules, especially if following them put his friends in a bad position.

"Hey! Run out on us and you'll be in it even deeper!" Matayoshi pointed out. "You're still a minor. Listen to me. I'm an adult."

"Hey, Arata?" Nokia tried reasoning with him. "Wouldn't it be better to do what the Detective says for a change?"

"Besides," Yuuko added, "the reason he was hacking in the first place was all part of a plan to rescue me. All of us are involved in these cases. We're all equally guilty. If you want to question Arata, then we should all share responsibility."

"Whoa, hey, Kamishiro Yuuko-san," Arata frowned at her. "This is getting a bit too messy."

"It's the truth," Yuuko frowned back. "You shouldn't have to bear this all alone. Stop trying to be so tough."

"But then again, you were 'Yuugo'. You'll know what I'm about to say," he told her with a smirk. "I'm not trying to take a stand, waiting for someone to cover for me. What happens when the cops finger all of us?" He looked over towards Takumi as he knew the deceptively sharp boy would understand. "There's some stuff I have to do, right?"

"Arata…" Takumi frowned but nodded anyways.

Yuuko looked between the boys but remained silent. She caught on to Arata's motives too but it still didn't bode well with her. Still, if she felt that way, it must be even worse for someone as soft as Takumi, yet even he wasn't going to stop Arata.

Satisfied the two level-headed teens weren't going to stand in his way, Arata turned back to face the old man. "Let's pretend that outburst just now never happened, Detective Matayoshi. You probably would have anyway. If Yuuko and the others are guilty, then so are you. You got 'information' from Kyoko-san, right?"

"Hmm?" Matayoshi crossed his arms and smirked. "What are you talking about? Sorry. I was thinking about whether Date was up to anything illicit again. I was distracted and wasn't listening."

"Thanks," Arata smirked as he slipped his hands into his pockets. "And I'm sorry, but I can't go along with your suggestions. Me, under the protection of a stodgy old adult like you? Yeah, that's not happening," he scoffed.

"You're not afraid to speak your mind, kid," Matayoshi remarked. "Still, you're not in any position to be tough, you know."

"That's not it… I don't think the police will understand my story. I guess I trust you though," the boy shrugged. He quickly turned towards the exit. "So I'm a wanted fugitive now. One more item off my bucket list. Excellent! But that means… I won't be able to stay with you all anymore," he told his friends before starting for the door.

"Arata?" Nokia frowned at him as she wanted to stop him.

"Hang on there, Sanada!" Matayoshi cried out. "Don't do anything foolish!"

Arata laughed. "Now who's the fool? When have you ever heard of a hacker backing down because someone told them to stop?" Matayoshi tried to come towards him but Arata quickly called Infermon out, to the man's surprise. The hacker chuckled at his Digimon. "It sure is handy being able to summon up Digimon at will! With this I can get away no problem!"

"Arata!" Takumi scolded him. "That's going too far, don't you think?"

Arata flashed him a wry smile. "Oh, yeah, that's right, Takumi. You really are too soft-hearted. I'd get that fixed if I were you."

Takumi lowered his gaze and frowned. "You say that… but you know I can't… I don't like seeing others in pain…"

The older boy sighed as there was no helping his friend's weakness. "All right, then," he turned his back to the redhead. "It was pretty cool hanging out with you all! See ya!" He quickly slipped out the door before Matayoshi could come after him.

"Wait, Sanada!" The old detective shook his head as he quickly took off after the teenager.

"Arata…" Nokia knit her eyebrows together in confusion and concern. "Why? What'll we do?"

"What do you mean?" Takumi asked. "We already said we'd do what we'd have to, didn't we?"

"Huh?" the girl looked towards him with a strange expression.

"If Arata-san looks guilty, then the rest of us are free to move about as before," Yuuko explained to her. "We need to hurry up and solve the case as soon as we can. Solve it and we can prove Arata-san's innocence. That's what he's trying to accomplish for us here."

"What? Really?" Nokia tried to smirk at that. "If that's it, then he should just say so! What a pain! And such a poser! Arata, you grandstanding buffoon!"

"He certainly is grandstanding," Yuuko agreed with an annoyed frown on her face. "It's like an affliction with him."

"Hmm…" Takumi crossed his arms, "I remember Kyoko-san saying the same thing about him once… Still, he's given us this chance."

"He's taken on a big risk," Yuuko nodded. "We won't let that be in vain."

"You're right," Nokia smiled. "We have to do our jobs, too!"

"I'll look for Rie-san," Yuuko seriously stated. "I'll be in touch if I find anything."

"I'll work on the Love-Love Digimon Initiative to the Max, collecting info, friendship and love from the Digimon!" Nokia declared.

With a nod, both girls left the agency, leaving the Cyber Sleuth to his own devices. Takumi looked around the lonely office and sighed to himself. It was strange for him to return here without Kyoko ready to greet him and thank him for a job well done. "I wonder where she went off to," he stated aloud as he sat at her desk. He closed his eyes to think but nothing came to mind. Instead, his thoughts wandered over to his friend who was now a fugitive. "Arata will probably remain on the wanted list, I bet," he sighed as he opened his eyes. "What should I do next?" he asked himself before resting his forehead on the wooden desk. He breathed in the warm scent of coffee beans and other unidentifiable ingredients that definitely did not go well with the drink's aroma before a smile returned to his face. He quickly stood to his feet and started towards the office kitchen. "I guess I'll be doing whatever I can!" he told himself with a nod before grabbing the empty coffee pot. "Now let's see… One part mayonnaise to two parts coffee," he nodded as he searched the cabinets for anything else he thought Kyoko would throw into the coffee.

Final Notes: And here is when the entire game decides to take a turn for the depressing... Kyoko's absence really does takes its toll on Takumi... But anyway, we properly meet Yuugo! He's a lot gentler than his Zaxon counterpart, in my opinion, but I'd say the real Yuugo can be equally as fearsome if he needs to be. He just isn't because he's not really in a position to do much. Also, the localization mistranslated his little warning to Takumi since the way Japanese works, you have the negation of the verb after the verb itself. Yuugo really does say "find him", but because the "don't" part is syntactically after that in Japanese, his message doesn't really get across. Oh, as for the string of questions from the Pale Boy. He's pretty much asking, "Who are you? Who am I? Who is who? For you? For me? For whom? Who, who, who?" Pretty creepy... but then again, the Eaters are the embodiment of creepy.