"So….?"

"So what?"

"Which one are you going to get with, huh?"

"What the hell are you talking about, Viral?"

The red-and-blue haired tamer nudged Will with his elbow. "You know, Platinum or Soul?"

"What are- I… shut the hell up!" The younger tamer stammered.

Will, Viral, and their partners were traveling down a grassy hillside below an old highway. Ranamon had informed them of a cluster of Digimon signals coming from the city's outskirts. Viral had told Will about the underground Digimon fights he had come across a few days earlier, so he thought that it could have been something similar. The two decided to inform Platinum and Spade to meet them at the signal point.

Blacky chuckled from Will's side. "I like Platinum more, but Soul's super nice too…"

Will fumed. "No one asked you!"

"Honestly, I find them both super annoying, but Plato's got a pretty nice ass." Viral pondered for a moment.

Commandramon nodded. "Very true, sir. You could bounce a quarter of it."

"Will you guys quit talking about Platinum's butt?" Will blurted loudly.

Viral suddenly began to grin mischievously. "Oh, I get it. You want to get with Soul cause she's a bit rounder than Platinum. Never would have labeled you as a chubbie chaser, Willy."

"What! I'm not- Soul isn't fat!" Will was getting flustered. It was true that Soul wasn't as fit as Platinum, but she was far from fat. Just a bit plump, which was something Will had come to like about her. He loved her round cheeks when she smiled, and her warm squishy body that he loved getting hugs from… But that was totally different.

"Although you gotta admit, her butt looks nice and squishy. What's the best part of a big girl, Will? Her butt? Her thighs? Or perhaps you're hoping when she grows up, her jugs get super huge!"

Will's face was burning red. "You- I just- I'm not saying I… S-Shut up!"

The older boy broke into a laughing fit. "I just jacking you chain, man. Lighten up, man." He pointed back to the highway. "Hey, look. It's Platinum and Spade and… wow, here comes your voluptuous princess too!"

Will was about to clock Viral in the nose until he realized that Viral was telling the truth; stumbling behind the Platinum and Spade was Soul. Most of her upper body wrapped in gauze, clearly visible due to the blue tank top she was wearing. Her hair was also different. The short straight hair she had when Will visited her last was now filled with bouncy curls. She waved to Will, who in turn awkwardly waved back.

"Looks like we're a family again!" Spade announced.

"Guess again, chucklehead, we're short one." Viral said dryly.

"Actually, we'll be here to fix that." Platinum patted Soul's shoulder. "Soul has decided to get a backup partner until Lopmon hatches."

"Really? That's… well, I don't really know what to think." Will's voice was laced with concern. "Are you sure you should be out like this?"

Soul looked at her feet and coughed slightly. "Well, I was thinking about what happened at the pier and I realized that I was far too weak to be any use to you guys…"

"Soul-" Will was aiming to comfort the young tamer, but Viral stopped him.

"I also thought I was going to be of no help while I was at the hospital so…" She looked back to Will, cerulean flames dancing in her eyes. "I want to get stronger, so I can be useful. And I'm starting by getting another Digimon to help while Lopmon's away."

"Gotta admit, that's pretty… um… amiable, was it?" Viral muttered. "I'm no good at English Class or the like. Anyways I think I'm gonna sit this one out today, since Soul's gonna be here."

"What?" Spade glared at the older tamer. "Can't we just have a little family outing like we did before? We've been splitting up all the time since SuperStarmon almost screwed us!"

Viral's eyes turned dark. "As much as I enjoy you company, and trust me; I don't, I don't recall ever saying I was a part of any 'family' of yours." He beckoned to Commandramon who nodded slowly and followed him off. "By the way," Viral called over his shoulder. "You guys better take care of her. I don't want Will's chubby girlfriend getting hurt again."

"Ch-chubby?" Soul looked hurt.

"Girlfriend?" Will blushed.

"What's his problem?" Spade huffed.

"Oh, don't mind him." Platinum smiled. "He probably cares a whole bunch about us. He's just not good at showing it yet."

"Anyways," Blacky barked. "Let's get moving- huh?"

"Chubby?" Soul sat down in fetal position. "I know I'm not the thinnest girl around, but I wouldn't call myself chubby. I mean, I've probably gained a few pounds from staying in the hospital, but is it really that noticeable? Oh, why didn't anyone tell me about this?"

"Oh, boy. Here we go." Platinum said as she face palmed.

…

"I can sense some Digimon over in this direction." Renamon pointed farther into the undergrowth. "There are many, so be on your guard."

"Sheesh, you don' have to tell me twice." DemiDevimon shivered on Spade's shoulder. "Man, what I'd give to be Myotismon right now. I'd feel much better if I was big."

"Don't worry." Spade said. "We'll figure out the crest's power soon enough.

Will and Blacky were walking at the rear of the group, a few feet behind Soul. He stared at the blonde with worried eyes. Soul wasn't supposed to be released this early. Was she okay to be traveling? Will studied her every movement. Most of her weight was being put on her right side, alleviating the left side where she was wounded before. He had noticed earlier that her voice was still a bit hoarse, a sign that her throat might not have healed completely from smoke inhalation. A horrid feeling gnawed at his stomach. Please let her be okay, he begged.

"Will?" Soul's voice permeated Will's thoughts. "I'll be fine, okay."

Will furrowed his eyebrows. "If you say so…"

Soul slowed down until she was at Will's side. "Hey, Will. What do you think will happen when Lopmon hatches?"

Will pondered for a moment. "Well, everyone says that she'll have no memory of her past life. But I remember your sister's Digimon saying there's a chance that she could still have her memories."

Soul lowered her eyes. "I'm not sure what to think." She mumbled softly. "On one hand, Lopmon won't remember a thing about me or all the time we spent. But on the other hand, if she remembers, she'll know what I did to her. I'm not sure if I can live with either."

"Whatever happens happens." Will lightly brushed her shoulder as they walked. "Things will work out. I know they will."

Soul seemed to brighten. "I hope so... By the way, do you like what Platinum did to my hair? You probably hate it, since you told me you like long hair, right?"

"Naw, I like it." Will toyed with her short curls. "You're cuter with short hair!"

Soul turned beet red. She opened her mouth to something else to say. "Will, I-"

"Digimon!" Blacky roared. He growled at the bushes behind them menacingly.

"Crap! They've surrounded us!" DemiDevimon cried after taking a whiff of air. "What the heck, Renamon! I thought you were tracking them!" He turned to where the fox was standing, only to be met with empty space. Renamon had disappeared.

"Where'd Renamon go?" Platinum's eyes darted around for her partner, but she was nowhere to be seen. "Everyone, get ready!"

"Pyro Grenade!" Blacky fired a blast of black fire into the brush. Several shadows leaped from their hiding place and began their attack. "Rock Crusher!" BlackGuilmon yelped as he swatted the attackers away.

DemiDevimon threw a barrage of syringes at the mystery Digimon. The shadowy assailants began to back away from the two Virus Types.

"Hey! Who are you guys?" Will demanded. He stepped forward to get a better look at the strange Digimon. He gasped when he realized what they were. I was a small group of In-Training Digimon. He looked them up on the D-Wrist: Koromon, Motimon, Yokomon, Kapurimon, Cupimon, and Hopmon. They were very frightened, but held determined gazes. "H-hey, we don't want to fight. We're just looking for a little Digimon village near here. Are you all from there?"

The Koromon squeaked, "No way! We're not letting you anywhere near the village! So go home!"

"We promise not to hurt anyone." Soul's words were drenched in honey. "We were employed by the Royal Knights to help Digimon who get lost here in the new world."

"Koromon," The Hopmon whispered. "I think they're telling the truth. My dad said something like that once."

Koromon groaned. "Oh come on! One human is enough at the village. Four more is ridiculous!"

"There's another human with you?" Platinum asked. Koromon nodded.

"Then please let us come. We won't stay long." Spade pleaded before Platinum could.

The In-Training Digimon muttered quietly to each other. After a bit, they faced the tamers. "Okay, fine. But only for a bit." Koromon mumbled.

After saying their thanks, the tamers followed the tiny Digimon deeper into the forest. Soon enough, they reached a small clearing. There were several makeshift houses surrounding a big fire pit in the center of the clearing. A few Digimon, levels ranging from In-Traning to Champion were walking around and greeting each other.

"This is our village." Koromon announced. "If you want some information, Babamon lives in the big hut."

Will and the others followed the Digimon's advice and entered the largest hut in the clearing. Inside were three Digimon; One with an appearance of an old woman, a weed Digimon, and a familiar anthropomorphic fox.

"Renamon!" Platinum ran up to her partner and hugged her tight. "What happened to you?"

"I got a bit tied up…" Renamon sighed. Her front paws were tried together by the weed Digimon's stretchy arm.

"Oh. This Digimon is your partner?" The old Digimon cackled. "Then you must be tamers! I'm Babamon. Glad you could make it."

"What is this place?" Will asked the Mega Level Digimon.

"A sanctuary for Digimon who fell through the veil." Babamon said. "Veggiemon, release the young lady." The weed nodded as he let go of Renamon's paws and exited the hut.

"Forgive us." Babamon lowered her head. "We're wary of other Digimon coming around here. Anyway, Digimon can come here to live when they are dropped in the human world. Soon enough, the Digital World will be saved, and these Digimon will return to their rightful place."

Platinum spoke up. "Um, a Koromon from earlier said that there was another human here."

"Ah, yes." Babamon croaked. "She's been coming since just recently. She should be by the river-"

"Hey, I'm back!" A young girl's voice rang from the entrance. A girl in a pink sweater stood there with a bucket of water in her arms. A white Digimon with large ears was clinging to the top of her head. "I brought you water, Babamon!"

"I helped too, Culu!" The little white Digimon cooed.

"Ah, good job, you too. Bring it over here." Babamon grinned. "By the way, Risa, these Tamers want to talk to you."

"Who are you guys?" The girl asked.

"We're tamers. We were just wondering why another human is here." Platinum explained.

"Oh, yeah. I saw you on TV once!" Risa giggled. "I'm Risa, and this is my partner, Calumon!"

"Hiya, Culu!" Calumon waved.

Will was a bit confused. The girl's wrists were bare, meaning that she probably didn't have a D-Wrist. So why did she have a Digimon? Calumon didn't have a collar on, so that ruled out the mind-control belts Viral had told him about earlier in the day.

"You know, Risa…" Will began. "Having a Digimon is a big responsibility. Other Digimon could attack you."

Risa shook her head. "Naw, Calumon's strong. He can protect me. And if we ever have problems, Lar will come and save us."

"Who's Lar?" Blacky asked.

"My big brother's D… dog…" Risa stammered. "He always comes to my rescue."

"I can assure you," Babamon spoke up. "Calumon is a wonderful Digimon. I'm sure he'll always be there to protect Risa. He has the potential to do great things."

"I guess there's nothing wrong with it." Platinum shrugged. "As long as you always stay by her side, Calumon."

"I will!" Calumon fluttered into the air. He punched and kicked about. "I'll beat up any Digimon that wants to gobble up my partner!"

"Okay then. I guess now's a good time to look around the village for a bit." Will announced. "Soul can go see if there's a Digimon she could partner up with."

Soul nodded. "Sounds good."

Babamon took a drink from the water bucket. "Take your time. I'm sure there's a Digimon around here that'll love to join in on the fight."

As the group began to file out of the hut, Will stopped when he heard Babamon call him. "You, boy with the BlackGuilmon. You lead them, don't you?"

"I guess I do." Will said nervously. "Is there something you want, Babamon?"

The old Digimon reached under her frock and pulled out a silver ring. I was adorned with a round gemstone that twinkled like a star. Inscribed along the outside of the ring was a line of Digi-Code. Will recognized the code, as it was one of the first he'd ever learned; Digital Monsters.

"This, my child, is known as a Zero Ring. It will strengthen the power of your Digimon." Babamon tossed the ring into Will's hands. "Install it when your D-Wrist evolves."

"Um, okay… Thanks." The dark haired tamer bowed. He wasn't sure how a bracelet would help Blacky to get stronger, but he didn't doubt the old Digimon. He expected that this 'Zero Ring' would be useful in the future.

Babamon coughed a bit. "Use it wisely. There are others like it, and there is a chance those of an unsavory nature could obtain one."

"Okay. Thank you." Will responded as he walked outside.

…

"Culu?" Calumon yapped curiously as he fluttered around Soul's head. "You said you were a Tamer. Don't you have a Digimon too?"

Soul twiddled her thumbs together. "Y-yeah, but she can't fight now, so I'm looking for another Digimon to partner with until she's ready again."

"Oh! There's a lot of Digimon around here." Risa pointed out. "Some of them can be a bit scrappy."

"Is that so?" Will called from behind the two tamers. "Let's check it out then, Soul."

"Uh, yeah." The blonde said nervously. Soon enough, Digimon began filing out of their dwellings. They seemed to not notice the three humans as they went along their way, getting one other and getting to work.

"I'll help you look for a Digimon that'll knock the socks off ya!" Risa exclaimed. "Come on, Calumon! I think I might know where to find one!"

With a large cry of "Culu!" the girl and her Digimon sprinted into the little village, leaving Will and Soul alone.

"Cute kid." Blacky laughed.

Soul sighed. "Walk with me for a moment."

The tamers walked together in silence. They passed a couple of little Digimon who were growing some type of crop. "Man, I wish we could grow some meat or something here." A rusty colored monster, Elecmon, sighed as he poured water onto the budding crops. "I'm tired of vegetables."

"Be thankful we can grow anything." Another Digimon, Patamon, scolded the other as he pulled a carrot from the earth. He hovered in the air using its large wings. "I just want to get home. Tsukaimon's waiting for me."

Elecmon snickered. "Speaking of, when are you going to… you know, pop the question?"

Patamon blushed. "W-when it's the right time! I can't just come back from being lost in another world and say, 'Tsukaimon, wanna be mates?'"

"Why not?" Elecmon guffawed. Patamon responded with a wing swipe to the rusty Digimon's face.

"I never noticed how similar Digimon are to humans." Will placed his hand on Blacky's head. "Did you?"

The black Digimon shrugged. "I only know how humans live. I wonder what living in the Digital World would be like, though. I wonder if they have TV there…"

The three walked along a while longer. They had noticed Spade and DemiDevimon were talking to some of the locals about renovating their hut and the like. Blacky had even caught a glimpse of Renamon discussing some sneaking tactics with the Veggiemon from earlier.

"Will," Soul said after a bit. "I'm sorry… about what happened at the hospital the other day…"

It took Will a moment to realize what she meant. "Oh, uh, it's okay. Really, I deserved it."

"You didn't deserve the things I said though," Soul nervously played with a strand of her hair. "I was just…"

Will pulled Soul close. "Hey, there's no need to explain anything. Sometimes friends fight. We are friends, aren't we?"

Soul lowered her gaze. "Y-yeah, friends…"

Will heard a twinge of disappointment in the girl's voice. What did that mean? He decided to shake the thought away. It's probably nothing. Girls are just weird like that, is all.

Blacky snickered from behind the two tamers. Will let go of Soul and sighed. "Anyways, we should get back to finding a Digimon for you."

"Hey, come on! We have to save them!" The tamers recognized Risa's voice in the distance. The group ran down to the river where the young girl was being confronted by a small white Digimon.

"Cupimon. In-Training Level Digimon." Soul's D-Wrist said as they neared it.

Risa stomped her feet. "How come we can't go past the river? Some Digimon live over there too!"

The little Digimon, despite its cute demeanor, had ferocity in its eyes. "They're probably already dead! We have to evacuate the village now! A monster is coming!"

"A monster?" Will repeated. "What is it?"

"A Mega Level Digimon!" Cupimon growled through gritted teeth. "A huge one that I saw rip its way through the veil to get here."

"There are Digimon strong enough that they can travel between worlds like that?" Blacky exclaimed. "What if Milleniummon got his hands on it?"

"Who cares?" Cupimon began to tear up. "The village is going to be destroyed soon!" He suddenly fell down, revealing a massive gash on his back, data gushing out like blood.

Soul scooped up the little Digimon and cradled it. "You're hurt. Please let us take care of this. We're tamers."

"Tamers…" Cupimon said before losing consciousness.

"Come on. We got to warn everyone." Will annouced. The two girls nodded, and the group headed back into the village.

…

"Drimogemon! Digmon! Burrow deeper into the cave. Elecmon and Patamon, grab all the food you can and go! Everyone help one another!" Babamon was barking orders frantically. The group of tamers, save for Soul, were helping all the Digimon store their posessions into small burrows dug by the Drimogemon. Their Digimon were also helping by leading the older Digimon to safety.

"How are we supposed to fight a Mega Level?" Spade panicked. "We had enough trouble with Ultimate!"

"Not to mention one of the only Digimon that can evolve to Ultimate isn't here…" DemiDevimon grumbled.

"Relax. We can handle it." Will tried to calm the two down. "We're Digimon tamers, remember? We'll tame that beast before it hurts anyone else."

"Will! Everyone!" Soul called out as she exited one of the burrows. "Cupimon's wound won't heal!"

She held the Digimon in her arms, using her hands to desperately keep anymore data from spilling from his back. His form was now beginning to blink like television static. "What do we do?"

"I just thought of something." Will had an idea. "Blacky, remember when we fought that Sukamon? It short-circuited my D-Wrist and made it release some sort of energy. Then it Digivolved."

"Yeah, so?" Blacky wore a confused look on his snout.

"Whenever you Digivolve, all of your strength is restored!" Will explained.

Platinum caught on to Will's idea. "Any because of that Sukamon, we know that Digivolving using our D-Wrists isn't limited to only our Digimon. Any Digimon can Digivolve!"

"Then we can use our Digivices to evolve Cupimon and restore him!" Spade finished.

"Or at least give him enough strength to survive the injury." Platinum added, remembering when she saw Commandramon sustaining an injury even after Digivolving back in the Digimon Fighting League.

"Okay, I'll do it." Soul said as she held out her wrist. "Digi-"

A sickening roar reverberated around the group. The roar seemed to rattle every 1 and 0 in every Digimon's core.

"It's… coming…" Cupimon muttered weakly. "D…De… DexDorugoramon!"

The sun disappeared. In its place was a massive, intimidating shadow that cast a frightening shade upon the clearing. Another horrible roar shook the earth. A draconic Digimon bigger than any monster the tamers had ever seen descended from the sky. It was covered in purple armor and black leather belts. Several long wings protruded from his back, some of them red and feathery, others were black and demonic. Spikes jutted out all over its body, as sharp and menacing as its razor-like claws and teeth.

"That's DexDorugoramon…" Will gaped. "It's enormous."

"Oh, god, we're dead!" DemiDevimon shouted out. Spade waved his hand to calm the Virus Type down.

Will pushed Soul towards the burrow. "Do it in there, where it's safe. Take Risa too. We'll try to take care of that thing."

"Be careful…" The blonde called as the other DigiDestined ran off.

Soul noticed that Risa was shaking. "It's really big… But maybe Calumon can beat it!"

"Don't go out there!" Soul pleaded. "Will and the others have been fighting Digimon for quite some time, so they'll handle it."

Both Risa and Calumon puffed out their cheeks. "Okay…" They both said.

Soul led the girl down into the large hole, passing by many scared and confused Digimon. After picking out a good spot to rest, she laid Cupimon on the ground and began to activate her D-Wrist.

"Okay, Cupimon. Let's get you back to normal." She held her hand over the little Digimon. "Digivolve!"

…

"DemiDevimon Digivolve to… Bakemon!"

"Renamon Digivolve to… Witchmon!"

"BlackGuilmon Bypass Digivolve to… BlackWarGrowlmon!"

The three evolved Digimon eyed the massive DexDorugoramon. The beast seemed to return the look, despite not having any visible eyes. It roared ferociously as fireballs formed in its hands. "Doru Djinn!"

The three Digimon dodged away from the attack. DexDorugoramon thrashed his tail at BlackWarGrowlmon, who grabbed it pretty easily, despite being half the Mega Level's size. "Atomic Blaster!" Blacky's cannons blasted the monster, scorching its violet armor. This just served to annoy the beast. It lifted its tail and slammed the Ultimate into the trees.

"Baluluna Gale!" Whips of winds licked DexDorugoramon's back. Bakemon joined in by zipping around and blowing blue fire. Once again, the attack seemed to do nothing. It slashed at the two Champions, bellowing incoherently.

"Our attacks aren't working…" Spade balled his fists. "Why?"

"If we could get some sort of power boost or something." Platinum's words sent a spark through Will's head.

"I think I got an idea…" Will pulled the Zero Ring from his pocket. He slipped it onto his finger, and it seemed to resonate with the DX-Wrist. Both the small gem and the gauntlet's screen glowed brightly. A strange symbol appeared on the gem; a triangle with a smaller one on each side. Will furrowed his eyebrows. Where did he see this symbol before?

"Will, what is that?" Platinum eyed the silver ring. "What does that do?"

Will shrugged. "No idea. Babamon gave it to me and said it would make Blacky stronger." He held his hand up. "Um… Zero Ring, activate!"

BlackWarGrowlmon began to glow with a mysterious light. "Will, I feel an intense energy!" He roared.

"Then let it out, buddy!" Will called out. "Give this guy a pounding!"

Blacky bellowed fiercely. Power surged though his stomach. A massive fireball seemed to form in his throat. He opened his mouth wide.

Blacky burped loudly. "Urp, um… excuse me…" The Ultimate apologized, a bright red blush on his face.

"Wh… what the hell?" Will's jaw, along with everyone else's, dropped to the floor. "Seriously?"

DexDorugoramon's reaction was to simply slam his fist into Blacky's snout. Perhaps he was offended by Blacky belching at him.

"It didn't work, I guess…" Will stared at the ring around his finger. "What now?"

Platinum pulled out her cell phone. "Okay, I'm gonna call Viral. Maybe two Ultimates can take it down." She put the phone on speaker and began to speak. "Viral, you there?"

"What the hell do you want?" Viral's voice sounded a bit anxious over the phone. "How'd you get my number?"

"From Will. Anyways, a Mega Level Digimon appeared. We need Tankdramon!" Platinum yelled.

The tamers could hear Viral struggling. "I wish I could help, but I'm kinda busy at the moment. I'm teaching Angewomon about the painful pleasures of candlewax. Not to mention Commandramon left the house a while ago. And according to my D-Wrist, he's… in New Jersey… Wait, the fu,-" A thud muffled the end of Viral's sentence. "Angewomon, off with the ropes. We gotta go get Commandramon. Probably fell asleep on a charter bus again." He voice was far off, as was the understanding grunt from his angel Digimon.

Platinum ended the call. "That boy worries me."

Screams from the three Digimon turned their attention back to DexDorugoramon. The Mega had blasted the tamer's partners with black energy. "Metal Impulse!" The energy exploded, sending the Digimon flying. They degenerated back into Gigimon, Viximon, and Pagumon, and fell to the ground before their tamers.

"I just can't believe this. Is there really nothing we can do?" Spade cried as he and the others scooped up their injured partners.

Will clutched Gigimon tightly. "We'll need a miracle if we're ever going to win…"

"Hah!" A whip of light wrapped around DexDorugoramon's neck. The three tamers looked up to see a blonde girl riding a metal dragon with golden angelic wings.

"Soul?" Platinum was the first to recognize the girl. "What are you doing? What are you riding?"

Soul and the dragon Digimon landed before the group. "I'm here to help out. Oh, and this is Maildramon, Cupimon's evolved form."

"You're Cupimon?" Blacky beamed. The metal dragon nodded. It looked incredibly regal in its gleaming silver and gold armor.

"Culu!" The tamers were surprised to find that Soul wasn't the only one riding Maildramon. Risa and Calumon seemed to also tag along.

"We can help out too!" Risa cried confidently. "Calumon and I will distract that big Digimon!"

Will shook his head. "No way. That's too dangerous, Risa."

Calumon puffed his cheeks. "Then I'll go, Culu. Risa, send me your feelings and then I'll do the rest, Culu!" The young girl nodded, although her face gave the impression that she had no idea what he was talking about. The little In-Training flew into the distance, his emerald eyes shining brightly.

"Soul, what are you planning on doing?" Spade asked nervously. "You aren't seriously…"

The tamer responded with a quick nod. "If we can't beat it. We'll just have to tame it! We are Tamers, after all!"

"The woman is crazy!" Pagumon gaped. "How are you going to tame that thing?"

Soul tugged on the glowing whip extending from her D-Wrist. "Viral told me about the whip feature he used to capture his Angewomon. I'm going to capture DexDorugoramon too!"

"Again, you're crazy!" The little Digimon groaned.

Will sighed. "I guess this might be our only chance. We can't delete it, and if we leave it alone, it'll destroy the city." He stared at Soul's small, bandaged body. "Please, if you really want to do this… Then just promise me you won't overexert yourself."

Soul nodded and jumped onto Maildramon. They took off towards DexDorugoramon, who seemed to not notice the whip around his neck.

"Hey, Mega Level!" Soul called out to the beast, who only reluctantly glanced at her. "I'm going to make you my Digimon!" Soul tugged hard on the whip. DexDorugoramon felt the tether tighten around its neck, causing slight discomfort. He let out a low growl and swiped at the flying Digimon.

But Maildramon was far faster than the Mega Level. It dodged the monsters attacks gracefully, flying farther and farther away, letting the tether tighten more. DexDorugoramon started to become agitated. Fireballs formed in his hands. "Doru Djinn!"

"Calumon Prayer!" A wall of light surrounded Soul and Maildramon protecting the two from the Mega's attack. Calumon fluttered next to them and gave a thumb's up.

"Attack, Maildramon!" Soul commanded.

"Lightning Spear!" A bolt of electricity struck DexDorugoramon in the face. It teetered backwards, but as usual, no visible signs of damage.

"Culu!" Calumon called from the sky. Risa opened her mouth to call back, but no words came out. Instead, Will, who was standing right next to Risa, began feeling an overwhelming strength being formed inside her. A round dome of energy formed around Calumon. The same symbol that was seen on the Zero Ring was visible on the surface of the orb.

The energy shattered like glass, revealing a strange shining light. Calumon disappeared, leaving only a blindingly white figure. Will tried to scan the new Digimon, if there was one, but the DX-Wrist only said, "Data unrecognizable. Please lower your lighting settings and try again."

The shining Digimon shot a ball of light into the sky. It exploded into thousands of electric bullets that rained onto DexDorugoramon. The beast roared in pain, surprised it was hit by a move that actually injured it.

"Now!" Soul tugged the whip with all of her might. With Maildramon's help, they toppled the Mega Level onto its stomach. A glowing blade extended from the mystery Digimon. It cut into the Mega's back, causing it to roar in agony. Soul took her chance, and she selected the Tame function on her Digivice. The whip glowed blue as it transformed DexDorugoramon into a ball of data and reeled it into the D-Wrist.

"C-capture complete!" Soul said shakily. She stumbled backwards on Maildramon's back and sighed. "That was… wow…"

When they landed, Soul waved to her friends. "H-hey, guys. Did I look cool?"

Will responded by leaping onto Maildramon's back and locking Soul in a big embrace. "God, Soul. Are you alright? That was… I mean, you… But then… Thank goodness you're safe. I was absolutely terrified!"

Soul felt tears form in her eyes. She hugged him back. "I'm glad…"

Platinum pouted playfully. "Aw, Will. You sure are giving Soul a lot of attention. I feel kinda left out..."

"What! No! I, um…" Will let go of Soul and began waving his hands, blushing all the while. "W-we're friends, so don't get it twisted, Plato!"

The redhead simple giggled. "Oh, of course, Will. I understand."

Spade and DemiDevimon looked at each other and shrugged.

"Culu!" Calumon cried as he floated down into Risa's arms. "Did you see me, Risa? That was the coolest, Culu!"

"It sure was, Calumon!" Risa laughed as she spun around and danced with the Digimon in her arms.

Will, after regaining his composure, looked over at Risa and her partner. They sure were helpful today, he thought. But what happedned to Calumon earlier? Was it Digivolution? If it was, how did he do it without a Digivice? Plus he's an In-Training Digimon! What Rookie would be strong enough to hurt DexDorugoramon like that? Will wracked his mind around this mystery evolution. Maybe it was Bypass Evolution? And what was with that orb with the same symbol as the Zero Ring? Calumon also had the symbol on his forehead.

Will honestly couldn't think of a logical answer to all of his questions. What he did know, however, was that Babamon was right. Calumon was a Digimon with a lot of potential.

…

"Thank you for protecting our village." Babamon bowed to the five tamers. "You truly are wonderful people. This world and the real world will be back to normal soon. I know it."

Some of the village Digimon were crowding around the humans, expressing their gratitude. Others were busing putting moving all the provisions from the bunkers.

"It was really all Soul and Risa." Will said modestly. "Speaking of, Risa, how did Calumon do that?"

The little tamer giggled. "No idea!"

"But you don't have a D-Wrist, do you? How can he Digivolve?" Platinum seemed to be the most curious about the little Digimon.

"I'll never tell, Culu!" Calumon teased. "It's my secret!"

"By the way, Babamon. This Zero Ring, I think it's busted." Will handed the silver trinket back to the old Digimon.

She pushed his hand away. "It will activate with time, my boy. Please hold on to it, and pick up any others you might find. I wish to you a safe journey."

Will nodded and turned to his friends. "Let's go home, you guys. Risa, would you like us to take you home too?"

Risa shook her head. "My big brother is coming to pick me up. Thank you, though!"

"Ah!" Soul cried. Her D-Wrist began to whine. "What the heck's going on?"

"Virus Threat Detected. Foreign data is now being purged." The Digivice seemed to be expelling something. After a moment, a black light popped out of the watch and fizzled away. "Death-X Antibody expelled. Subject DexDorugoramon now being reconfigured… Complete! New Digimon Dorumon now clean of all foreign data and is now functioning normally."

"The heck does that mean?" Will asked. Soul seemed just as confused.

"Reload." Soul said, attempting to release DexDorugoramon, much to everyone's surprise. But in the massive dragon's place, was a small purple Digimon with a bushy tail.

"Dorumon. Rookie Level." Spade read off the information on his Digivice. "So DexDorugoramon degenerated?"

"I think that Antibody thing was what made this Digimon evolve into this little guy." Platinum guessed. "I think now that it's gone, it turned back to normal."

The purple beast Digimon seemed a bit malnourished, its body a lot smaller than the D-Wrist had shown. Soul picked up the Digimon and held it in her arms. He was bigger and a bit heavier than Lopmon, but the feeling of holding a warm bundle of fur was something Soul couldn't help but miss. "Hi Dorumon. I'm Soul, and I'm going to be your Digimon Tamer."

Dorumon looked at the girl with large golden eyes. "O… okay…" He said shyly. Soul couldn't help smiling.

"Okay, let's really go home." Will scratched his head. "See you guys around!"

"We'll come again soon!" Platinum and Viximon waved. Spade and Pagumon grinned wildly.

"Come back anytime!" Babamon waved. "You're always welcome here!"

…

"So it came from here?" Kye asked as Silver stared at a black device.

"Yeah. It's somewhere around here." Silver mumbled, not really listening to Kye. "I guess some of that Mega Digimon's data was left alone."

"Oh God, where is she?" Kai ran in front of the two, Labramon on his heels. He stumbled into the village and called out. "Risa!"

"Big brother? What are you doing being so loud?" Risa walked out of Babamon's hut, the mentioned Digimon following behind. Kai was overjoyed and hugged the girl fiercely.

"Thank goodness you're safe!" Kai kissed his sister's forehead. "You aren't hurt, are you?"

Babamon walked next to Kai. "We made sure to keep a close eye on her, Mr. Mayor."

The black-haired tamer nodded. "Thank you very much, Babamon."

"Protecting the founder of this village's kin is only my way of showing my gratitude."

Silver and Kye caught up to their comrade. "You done with the feels, Kai? 'Cause we're not just here to pick up your little sis from Digimon Day Care."

Labramon placed his paw on Kai's shoulder. "He's right, you know. I'll stay with her while you help out the guys."

Kai nodded. "Sis, sit tight for a minute. I need to help my friends with something and then we can go home." After the girl nodded, Kai walked over to Silver and Kai, his face hardened. "So what's up?"

Silver held up his device. It appeared to be a type of Digimon analyzer. "The Digimon that made it through the veil was a DexDorugoramon, a massive Mega Digimon. Normally, only Digimon about the size of your average Champion could only pass through. But this is unprecedented."

"That Digimon literally forced its way into the Human World." Kye added. "It would have been useful if we could have gotten our hands on it."

Kai stretched a bit. "It would have been, but it looks like the DigiDestined defeated it somehow. If it was still out there, it probably would have leveled the city already."

"But there's something out here that's making my sensors go crazy. It seems to be a part of DexDorugoramon that was left here." Silver's machine began to whine. "I'm now collecting the data in the area."

As Silver scanned the area, Kye spoke up. "By the way, why was your sister here?"

Kai looked over at Risa, who was playing around with Labramon. "Well, I sort of helped these Digimon that were around here build a village. They sort of made me their mayor or something. Anyways, Risa was starting to get really interested in Digimon, so I started taking her here. Recently, I've been letting her stay here with Babamon when I have to take care of her."

"I guess that explains why you've been hanging out with us more often lately. You dump her here so you have more time to come help us."

"Don't word it like that. I'm not dumping her here. She really likes Digimon." Kai turned to the brown-haired tamer. "Do you think I should let her have a Digimon?"

"I don't know…" Kye waved his hand. "Might be good to round out our numbers."

"Wha- No! I mean like a pet or a little friend."

"Oh. Sure, I guess." Kye seemed a bit uninterested in the conversation. "Do whatever."

Kai narrowed his eyes. "Thanks for the advice."

"Found it!" Silver sang to his cohorts. The two tamers rushed up to see what Silver's device had found. The screen on the device showed black bits of data. "I found some sort of corrupted program."

"What's it do?" Kai asked.

Silver fiddled with the buttons of his device. "It seems to be a type of program used to protect the Digimon's DigiCore from deletion. But it was corrupted to protect the Digimon's data, not the core. So whatever Digimon was running around with this program… was essentially a zombie."

"Crazy…" Kye gasped.

"I think this is just what we're looking for." Silver smiled evilly. "DexDorugoramon was able to pass through because the veil didn't recognize its body as a full creature. It was essentially just a bunch of clustered data that passed through the smallest gap. If I could reconfigure this program, I think we might just have our ticket to the Digital World."

"Wait. How would this make the machine work?" Kai asked. "All that stuff you just said doesn't seem to make sense."

"That's because I'm not making a machine anymore…" Silver began laughing maniacally. Kai and Kye backed away from the young psychopath. "Oh come on guys, laugh with me! Everyone should join in on this glorious revelation!"

Kai went back to Risa and scooped her up. "Okay, time to go home. Did you have fun today?"

"Uh-huh!" The girl mumbled. "The big Digimon wasn't scary at all, because Calumon protected me. And the tamers."

The tamers, of course. Kai thought. I'll have to thank them the next time we meet. The tamer assumed Calumon was one of the Champion Digimon that hung around the back of the village. "Well, I'll have to thank Calumon for protecting my precious sister when we come next time."

Kai activated his Digivice, which morphed into its DX form. Labramon transformed into Cerberumon and paused to let his tamer and Risa onto his back.

"Wanna ride home instead of the portals?" Kai asked his sister, who immediately nodded her head. Cerberumon noted her response and began to run into the forest.

"Bye, Babamon! See you next time!" Risa waved to the old Digimon, who waved her broomstick back. Kai waved as well, not only to Babamon, but to Silver and Kye, who were rising in the air on their Ultimate Level Digimon. They too, gestured their goodbyes and flew off in opposite directions.

What Kai failed to notice was the small white Digimon following them through the sky, singing "Culu, Culu," as he glided along.

So, here's something I haven't tired before. I've never bothered to type anything special at the end of my chapters before, but, I guess it's better late than never. So sometimes I'm going to ask you readers a question or give a bit of trivia at the end of my chapters. Feel free to answer or pass them as you wish. Just drop your answers in a review and let me see your input.

Anyways, this chapter's questions to ponder are: Who's your favorite character? Who's your least favorite character? And finally: What do you think will happen next?

Hope to see your feedback.

-DiamondKeys