...so this isn't working at all.

My eyes, having long since glazed over, continue to nonetheless scrutinize the barren seabed below. I kind of thought that once I came within a certain range of the Beast Spirit of Water, I'd be able to... I don't know, feel it, or something? Even if I'm not the real Ranamon, I suppose I still assumed that embodying her would grant me some sort of link to the other spirit that shares her element; some manner of bond or inherent connection that would ultimately draw the two together.

Obviously this was a stupid idea based in nothing but vague hopes, because that's not what's happening at all. In fact, I'm starting to wonder if I somehow misremembered where the spirit in question was canonically found in the first place. I'm pretty sure I haven't, but you can only futilely search for something in the same general vicinity for so long before you start doubting yourself.

I cast my gaze around the area again. I've primarily been concentrating my search around the southern side of the island, where the seafloor is shallow and relatively easy to survey. The area isn't nearly as populated as its equivalent on the last island I visited, as it lacks its own coral reef — here, it's just a bunch of rocks and rotting wooden debris scattered along the sandy slopes leading up to the shore. There's a few bits and pieces that look like they could have once been part of something larger, but that's about it, and I'm not about to go digging down through ten million tons of sand in the vague hope of finding buried treasure when I'm fairly certain that shouldn't be necessary.

...unfortunately, the rest of the local undersea landscape is far, far harder to actually search. To the east, back the way I came, there's a steep drop off leading down into pitch dark depths. Given the kind of digital horrors that could undoubtedly be down there, paired with what I can only presume to be an utter lack of visibility even with my gems, I'd prefer to refrain from delving that abyss until I've at least run out all my other options first.

Meanwhile to the north, there's a vast kelp forest obscuring everything more than ten feet or so below the surface. Not only is is stupidly huge, but the kelp moves and flows so frenetically that I could barely tell up from down whilst inside it, making it nigh-on impossible to even move within, let alone systematically comb for hidden ancient artifacts.

And as for the west...

I wince. I've been doing my utmost to avoid that side of island since my very first probing pass, as I'm quite wary of the rather large school of exceedingly savage-looking fish Digimon I spotted there, which almost looked like nightmarish versions of the smaller, more tropical fish mons I saw earlier. Maybe I'm just unfairly judging a book by its cover, but literally every aspect of those things' appearance screams dangerous to me, and I don't particularly feel like risking that assessment being wrong.

So yeah, turns out, it's pretty hard to find an extremely specific, relatively small item hiding in the middle of the ocean. Who'd have thought?

A long, frustrated sigh escapes my mouth. I don't remember canon Ranamon having this much trouble finding the spirit once she actually got here — but then, I don't remember how she found it at all. Honestly, I'm probably going to have to just pick my poison at some point and-

I come to a sudden halt, sensing something strange in the water around me.

It's subtle, but... there's a gentle tug in the currents...

Hopeful, not to mention slightly desperate for any sort of sign at this point, I break from my previously somewhat aimless path in favor of following the elusive pull, which seems to be beckoning me further south. Not wanting to lose track of it, I deliberately leave Whipping Waves out of the equation, resigning myself to simply swimming at a normal speed again for the moment.

...a moment that stretches on for longer than expected, as it turns out. In fact, by the time I feel the current I'm following grow even marginally stronger, I can see the trees of the next island over coming into view, a muddled profusion of greenery atop looming cliffs peering down through the surface of the water. No, this can't be right, I'm way too far off-course...

Starting to reconsider if there was any point to this, I glance to my left where the current seems to be drawing me, and notice something odd. The water looks... agitated? Almost like someone stuck a giant straw into it and started swirling it around-

Oh.

Swimming upward, I poke my head above the surface of the water, where my suspicions are immediately confirmed — pressed up against the entrance to now-nearby island's bay are over two dozen large, violent whirlpools. Clustered against each other so tightly I'm surprised they haven't merged together, the underwater twisters rage and gyre against each other, battling for dominance like living creatures. One particularly massive vortex sits at the center of the rest, gaping wide as the maw of Charybdis.

I duck back underwater, grimacing. Well, guess I should be glad I didn't just gormlessly follow the pull directly into those. Man, I really can't catch a break today-

My train of thought stutters halfway out of the station. Hold on... some of the spirits had tangible effects on their surroundings, didn't they? I don't think all of them did, and I can't remember if the Beast Spirit of Water was one of them, but... if it did, wouldn't a cluster of massive whirlpools make an awful lot of sense?

Deciding I need to investigate further, I swim forward, carefully approaching the outer edge of one of the vortexes. Even from outside the whirlpool itself, I can feel it trying to draw me in, the swirling currents a threat to nearly any water-dwelling Digimon foolish enough to encroach on their territory.

Thankfully, I am a rather clear exception.

Taking hold of the water in front of me, I forcibly part the whirling curtain and slip inside its eddies. As I do, I swear I hear something behind me, sounding almost like a distant voice — but by the time I look back, the whirlpool has already reformed, the distortion of the rushing water obscuring everything beyond it.

Shrugging internally, I swivel back around and continue on, my burgeoning dominion over the water leaving my path to the center of each whirlpool clear and calm. It's not as easy as I'd like — while the water bends easily to my will, the speed and size of each vortex is such that I can't really stop any of them in their entirety, and what I do stop whips right back into its previous state as soon as I release it — but it's enough for me to keep moving forward, ensuring that I'm never truly at risk of being torn away.

After passing through more than half a dozen other whirlpools, I finally come to the central one, easily identified even from below for being more than twice the size of the rest. Deep within its core, I can see something giving off a bright, inviting glow, though any specific features it might have are impossible to see beyond the raging waters obscuring it.

I grin. At this point, I'm more than convinced. If this utterly unnatural phenomenon isn't being caused by a spirit, I'll eat my own swim cap.

Pushing my way into the vortex this time is a real struggle, the current of this one so fast and strong that it feels almost angry. It's almost like I'm battling against a living force — one's that's steadfastly determined to swallow up and spit out any who would intrude upon its underwater sanctuary, no matter who they might be.

With a gasp of effort, I manage to force the currents aside just long enough to squeeze inside, though they reform so fast that they catch against my trailing ankle and nearly drag me away anyways. I yank my foot in quickly, feeling like I just lost a couple layers of skin off the outside of it, and sigh in relief as I slowly look around.

Unlike the other whirlpools, the interior of this one is quite large, as well as unnaturally calm. The pull of the surrounding waters is almost completely absent, the only sign of it a gentle swirl at the very center, suffused with innumerable bright blue specks that almost look distant stars. The water itself is crystal clear here all the way down to the seafloor, where an enormous pink clam shell sits, shining rays of light leaking from within its closed lips.

My smile threatens to split the sides of my face. This is it!

Seemingly reacting to either my presence or my emotions, the clam suddenly trembles. Slowly, dramatically, it pries itself open, revealing a statue I'm surprised to realize is at least as tall as I am — no, a fair bit taller, actually — made in the image of a harpy. Its lower legs are pressed flush to the hexagonal pedestal beneath it, while its wings are swept back, as though caught in mid-flight.

My grin falters.

Is that... the Beast Spirit of Wind? Why would that be-

I groan aloud. Oh, damn it, that's right! Ranamon and Zoe's beast spirits were both hidden not only underwater, but in the same general area as each other. I'm pretty sure they were even discovered in successive episodes, if not the exact same one. I've no idea why a spirit of wind was concealed in such an antithetical location, but apparently it's the one causing these vortexes, not the one I'm actually looking for. Gah...

My eyelids droop in disappointment as I turn away from the now-apparent red herring. Just my luck... well, I suppose that's at least some assurance that I'm looking in the right general area, even if the only spirit I've found thus far has turned out to be the exact wrong one.

...er, speaking of which. Do I just, leave this here, or...?

I glance back at the spirit again, uncertain. My immediate thought is that I probably shouldn't mess with this thing, as it's definitely not meant for me. However, Zoe will eventually need her beast spirit, and if I think about it, I'm pretty sure the events that led to her finding it in the first place were ones that Ranamon herself was responsible for? I still don't recall the specifics, but I think she showed up and attacked the group while they were trying to get to the nearby island, which somehow resulted in Zoe getting dragged into this whirlpool. I certainly don't intend on doing that myself however, and even assuming the kids still end up coming this way, I doubt they'll ever find a spirit hidden this far underwater without outside intervention...

I waffle over it for another half a minute or so before ultimately deciding yes, I should probably take this thing, if only to act as its backup delivery system. For all that canon often wrote Zoe off, it's still important that everyone has their beast spirits going forward, so I can't really risk this one potentially being missed. If it was ever actually confirmed that the kids were explicitly drawn to their spirits or vice versa, I'd probably just leave this be, but it certainly doesn't seem to be working that way for me, so I can hardly trust that it does for them. With any luck, I'll be able to hand this thing off to its intended owner in fairly short order anyways.

That logic in mind, I start paddling down towards the center of the glimmering pool.

-and promptly get sucked right back, the surrounding whirlpool surging and tugging at its own interior just long enough to pull me away.

Huh?

I try again, but despite already being beyond the dangerous part of the whirlpool, it apparently hasn't given up the fight just yet, managing to yank me around with near impunity despite my theoretical control over the water composing it. It's almost as though the spirit itself is pushing me away... which, given that it seems to be the source of the vortex, is actually entirely possible now that I think of it.

"Come on..." I grumble, trying to move down towards the idol again. "It's not like I'm trying to take you for myself-"

The whirlpool surges once more, sending me tumbling backwards through the water, flipping end over end. I right myself as quickly as I can, fighting to regain my equilibrium.

"Could you just let me-"

Bubbles batter at my chest.

"I'm only trying to-"

Liquid bursts against my legs.

"This really isn't-"

Ethereal whips of impossible wind lash out to strike at the sides of my face.

"Alright, alright, I GET it!" I snap.

Swiping the insubstantial tendrils away, I fix the glowing spirit with a terse, irritated glare... then sigh, my annoyance washing away with the current.

"...I can take a hint." I mutter. "I was just worried you wouldn't be found at all if I didn't hand you over to who you're meant to be with, since you're kind of in an out of the way spot, especially for a spirit of wind. If you're really that confident though, then fine... I'll leave you alone."

If the ancient, apparently semi-sentient spirit code thing feels that it has things well enough in hand, who am I to protest? I've got to get back to looking for the spirit I actually came here for... hopefully it'll be at least slightly more welcoming than this one has been.

I do a quick about face, preparing to part the vortex again- only to lose focus as the whirlpool's current abruptly reverses, this time shoving me back towards the shell at its center rather than away. Oh for-

"Alright, make up your mind," I growl as I swivel back around, now legitimately irritated, "do you want me to leave or no-"

I cut off upon realizing that formerly motionless spirit is no longer sitting where it was, having floated out of the shell it was housed in and begun moving upwards in a straight diagonal line, heading directly towards me.

...heading towards me kind of fast, actually. Wait, is it trying to-?!

Balking at the sight of the seven-foot-tall idol now bearing down on me like an underwater car, I yelp and quickly attempt to pull myself out of the way. The vortex again works against me however, and the spirit just speeds up even more to compensate, leaving me nigh-on helpless to actually evade it. Why-?!

The Beast Spirit of Wind slams into me like a statue-sized bullet, with what feels like a roughly equivalent level of impact. I feel something surge through me like a live wire, and hear myself cry out in shock and pain before the world goes white-

.

.

.

[...I suppose you'll do. For now~]

.

.

.

-and I abruptly find myself erupting out of the water, droplets flying off extremities that didn't exist a moment ago as they automatically spread themselves wide.

It takes me a few seconds to get my bearings back, the sheer unexpectedness of what just happened preventing it from immediately sinking in. It's only once I realize that I didn't hit the water again that I glance down and notice I'm not only floating a solid thirty feet over its surface, but that my body looks... rather thoroughly different than it did a minute ago.

I try not to gape, not that my mouth is even visible right now. Ooooo... kay, I guess the Beast Spirit of Wind decided my argument had merit after all?

I shake my head, feeling a pair of foreign extremities flapping around on either side of it as I do. Well, that's a relief at least... I didn't expect the spirit to activate on contact, so I honestly thought it was just trying to crush me. Was the process supposed to be that painful though? The beast spirit evolution sequences always did look kind of agonizing — I distinctly remember the kids all screaming pretty loudly during them — but I don't think they ever mentioned it feeling like that if so.

Regardless... I'm Zephyrmon now, I guess?

I glance down at my clawed, three-fingered hands, examining the gleaming silver metal that now covers them. Truth be told, I'm kind of surprised I'm able to use this spirit at all, given it's not "mine". I suppose Shamanmon did briefly end up transformed by the Beast Spirit of Fire when it was first discovered, if not on purpose? I just wasn't really expecting that principle to apply to me as well, given that nothing of that nature ever happened again.

Twisting a little, I take a moment to take a more complete stock of my current self. Even ignoring my changed body and outfit — which, annoyingly, is even skimpier than Ranamon's swimsuit, though inexplicably no less flexible — there's a pretty noticeable difference. Just hovering here, I feel powerful, like a giant bird of prey, and likely at least as fast — something tells me that if I chose to, I could probably fly back to Toucan Paradise even quicker than I could swim there before. My reflexes feel like they've been significantly dialed up as well, probably in order to keep up with said speed.

...and oh yeah, I'm literally flying, and it's not even hard.

A sudden giddiness overtakes me, and I do a few gleeful loops and twists in the air, reveling in the sensation. I don't even need to flap my newly-gained wings to stay in a seemingly eternal hover, which is pretty damn awesome on its own.

I frown, coming to a dead halt. That said, I also feel kind of... off? Despite everything I just listed off, I can't help but feel that this somehow just doesn't quite fit. It's like I'm wearing a set of clothes made out of really nice, high-quality fabric, but which very clearly weren't tailored for me, and are thus sort of uncomfortable anyways.

...in retrospect, it's a little disconcerting that this same feeling has been completely absent from my Ranamon form. It's not like that body is any less foreign to me, after all.

I tense a little, before my muscles relax as if on their own. Still, I suppose I can't really complain... even if I haven't located my own beast spirit yet, this is a pretty big find. Don't I maybe deserve a break?

I drag a claw softly down the side of my cheek. Yeah, that sounds really nice, now that I think of it. What would I use it for though?

A devilish thought slithers into my mind. Those Toucanmon — didn't they have something of an instant "admiration" for Zephyrmon when she first appeared? If I show back up like this, while Ranamon is seemingly nowhere to be found, I bet I could get them real wound up. Spend a little while teasing them, make them worry about being disloyal to their "lady" and get them all torn up and anxious inside, then switch forms in front of them and watch them fall all over themselves in confusion and embarrassment. I can already imagine their expressions, it'd be great...!

Mirth begins to grow in my chest... then dies away as I shake myself, wings beating needlessly as I do so. No- no, I can't. Time is limited, and teasing the Toucanmon wouldn't pay off fast enough to be worth it anyways. At least, not if I wanted to do it right.

I sigh through the mask now covering my face, feeling more than a little reluctant to resume my incredibly boring and increasingly pointless-seeming task. Why couldn't this have just been easy? I don't want to go back to swimming around for hours on end. Honestly, I'd kind of like to fly off and chase the horizon for a while, or maybe just lie back on the beach and relax, like I didn't get to do earlier...

Something between a whine and a groan escapes my throat as I somehow find myself feeling put upon by my own priorities. Ugh, fine, let's get back to it... I'll need to change back first, I suppose. However unintuitive the wind spirit's location was, I'm still fairly certain the Beast Spirit of Water is underwater, so searching from the air is basically pointless. Stupid thing.

Eh, how do I...?

I concentrate on changing back, doing much the same as when I attempted to de-digivolve myself back at the lair, and this time a cocoon of code successfully forms and envelops me, cutting off my view of the outside world. I can't see myself but for the light, and there's no pain this time, but I can still feel as parts of my body rapidly compact, even as other areas stretch and swell. My wings recede and my talons vanish, replaced by uncovered flesh as fins and toes take their place. Metal flows backwards into nothing as my fingers shrink and thin, dividing themselves from three back into five. It at once lasts an age and takes no time at all, but when the cocoon finally vanishes what seems like an endless moment later, I'm Ranamon again.

...and am also now falling out of the air.

My second instinct is to scream. My first instinct thankfully overrides it however, as I immediately pull a pillar of water up from below to catch myself with. The construct reaches me before I can fall even half the distance, cradling me gently as I land within its clutches.

I glance down at my own hands, a little surprised at myself. Huh, I really am getting better at this... now I just need to get better at thinking things through ahead of time. I've had more than enough of plummeting from on high for one day, thanks.

I slowly lower myself back to sea level, made simpler by the fact that the whirlpools have now vanished, and the water has calmed. Once I'm only standing about two feet over it again rather than twenty, I release my mental grasp of my pillar, and allow myself to fall back beneath the gentle waves.

...where I immediately find myself smack dab in the center of an enormous pack of absolutely delighted Gomamon, many of them embracing each other with tears in their eyes that are somehow staying put underwater. What the-?

I swivel in place for a moment or two, exceedingly confused about where all these little not-quite-seals even came from, before a group of about half a dozen take notice of my presence in their midst and swim up to me.

"Are you the one who stopped the whirlpools?" one of them asks, eyes shining.

"...huh?" I intelligently reply.

"We saw you get sucked into the field, but were too late to warn you before you went in-" another one breathlessly elaborates. "We didn't even think you'd come back out, but then they- they stopped, all of them just, stopped, and you're still here, and-!"

"We've been separated from our friends and families by those vortexes for many years." a third, somewhat older-sounding Gomamon takes over when the second seemingly becomes too choked up to continue. "If you truly managed to get rid of them, then we cannot thank you enough, stranger."

...oh.

"Well... yes." I hesitantly admit. "I removed the item that was causing the whirlpools, so they shouldn't be coming back-"

I don't even make it all the way through my sentence before every Gomamon near enough to hear me cheers in tandem and begins thanking me profusely, swarming around me in an underwater hurricane of purple and white.

"Y- you're welcome?" I say, wishing I knew what to do with all this gratitude. I didn't even realize they were here, let alone that I was doing them such a huge favor, so this is really rather overwhelming.

...wait a second. I could leverage this, couldn't I? At this point, I'll take all the help looking for the Beast Spirit of Water I can get, and if the Gomamon are truly this grateful, surely at least a few of them would be willing to help me in that regard? Heck, they even live in the area, so if I'm lucky they might even already know where-

"Hey, wait a second! That's Ranamon!"

The celebration dies down a little as a particularly loud voice makes itself known over the din, many of the Gomamon turning to the source... which is another Gomamon, though this one looks quite mad.

"Who?" someone in the crowd asks.

"Don't you recognize her?!" the angry one yells. "She's one of Cherubimon's followers! The one responsible for deleting almost half the ocean!"

My eyes widen at the accusation — though less because I was recognized by someone evidently not in Ranamon's fan club, and more because of the figure that the Gomamon just listed off. I guess it makes sense that of the five evil legendary warriors, Ranamon specifically would be the one tasked with stealing the fractal code of the Digital World's seas, but that she's actually succeeded to that degree? Even if that's an exaggeration — and I don't think it is, thinking back to the map on Ranamon's computer — where was that competence in the show proper?

"Is that what she looks like...?"

"I think it is-!"

"What's she doing here?!"

The cries of celebration turn to cries of fear as about three quarters of the Gomamon quickly turn and flee in all directions. The remainder... seem to be metaphorically reaching for the nearest knife block, glaring at me with such white-hot hate that I'm surprised the water isn't boiling around them.

"What do you want?" one of them demands. "If you're here for our home, you won't get it without a fight!"

"Yeah! We may not be strong, but there's a lot more of us than there are of you!"

"Why don't you run back to Cherubimon and-"

"Stop!"

Another small group of Gomamon suddenly interposes itself between me and the aggressive ones.

"Cut it out!" one of them cries. "Even if she is Ranamon, she got rid of the whirlpools for us! She can't be all bad!"

"Of course she's all bad! You can't get worse than working for Cherubimon!"

"Then why hasn't she attacked us yet?"

"Because-!"

As the squabbling begins in full, I stop paying attention, turning my gaze outward again.

I... should probably just be going, I think.

Silently excusing myself from the argument I accidentally caused, I propel myself away from the area before anyone can actually object. Once the Gomamon are no longer in sight, I allow myself to simply drift for a minute, pouting.

Well, so much for getting help... should've known Ranamon's line of work couldn't possibly be unknown to everyone. Hell, even if it was, it's not like every Digimon was going to have the same sky-high opinion of me as the Toucanmon.

...speaking of which, maybe I should take up said Toucanmon on their offer of assistance after all? I really am getting a little desperate at this point, and while I still don't think that searching by air will be of much use, they might at least be able to point me towards potential areas of interest. I haven't seen anything else quite like those whirlpools yet, but they've been around here a lot longer than I have, so they might still know something.

Figuring it can't hurt, I swim upwards until my torso breaks the surface, grabbing some water to help propel myself back over to the adjoining island.

...whereupon I spot a group of five human children and two shorter, bipedal Digimon disembarking from the back of a Whamon in the distance. Stepping down onto the rocky section of the island's left shore, they turn and wave goodbye as the massive cetacean slips back below. Huh?!

Panicking a little, I hurriedly shove myself back underwater, hoping that no one spotted me.

What's going on? The kids aren't supposed to be here yet, it's too early! My memory of the show may be spotty, but I'm pretty certain they only ended up here after Mercurymon killed Seraphimon, which...

Poking my head back above water just enough for my eyes to peek out, I pan my gaze around the beach until I manage to re-locate Bokomon's diminutive form. While he's not much more than a tiny white-and-pink outline from this distance, I can still see what looks like a large, egg-shaped bulge stuffed down the band he wears around his stomach.

...apparently has already happened.

Ducking back below, I curse internally. Damn it. I'd thought, or maybe just hoped that I was earlier in the timeline than this, but if Seraphimon is already dead and data... now what do I do? Is there anything I can do? I've already apparently missed what was, in retrospect, probably my best chance to change things for the better...

Grimacing, I lightly slap my face, or rather prod myself with my fingertips. No, no, stay positive... encountering the heroes this early is technically still a good thing, so let's just make the best of this. Even if it now feels a little pointless for me to have picked up in the first place, Zoe still needs her beast spirit, and there's no one around right now to stop me from telling the group what they need to know in order to not fall victim to the same things they did in canon — not to mention perhaps more effectively take care of my unwanted "teammates" than they otherwise would. I don't know that I fully trust them to pull any of it off, since they weren't always the most capable or cohesive bunch, but it's a good first step.

Guess I'd better go introduce myself.