Digital Phantom

by ZAFT Convoy

DP Rebooted: Twins Danny and Andy have their lives torn upside down when Danny gets into an accident with the Fenton Ghost Portal. Takuya Kanbara just wanted to have a normal high school life until he found an odd figurine. The three boys have to navigate high school, ghosts, and Plasmius's plans while trying to master their unique powers.

33. A Player's Worth

DarkFoxKit: Yay, we managed to stay on the schedule of updating!

Andy: Good, now you can stop bugging me.

DarkFoxKit: I wasn't bugging you.

ZAFT: There could be some fun horrors in the future~ :3

Takuya: Why do I get chills down my spine at your look? ^^'

Andy: Because it means we're about to get involved in this horror.

DarkFoxKit: Relax, you'll love it! … Maybe!

Andy: Why are you my creator again?

DarkFoxKit: Hey, I can't help it that you were conceived in my mind!

---

(Two symbols, one red, and one blue, spin before colliding and flaring with light as they do so, showing the title)

Digital Phantom!

(Shows several forms in shadow before they are revealed to be Danny Fenton, Sam Manson, Tucker Foley, Takuya Kanbara, Andy Fenton and Lopmon, and Jazz Fenton)

Falling into destiny

(A swirling green portal is shown, followed by the sky and cities of the living world before a computer monitor is zoomed in on, revealing another world of lush greenery through that)

Reaching across new boundaries

(Andy Fenton appears with Jazz beside him. Takuya Kanbara appears behind him as well, the form of Agunimon appearing behind Takuya himself)

Let our stories come together

(Andy is shown with the form of Phantom beside him, his twin brother Danny Fenton behind the ghost boy)

Growing stronger

(Andy looks on at Phantom fighting before running to help the ghost boy by taking out his Fenton Rod)

Our pasts intertwine

(Six glowing orbs of light are shown, each of a different color (red, teal, lavender, dark purple, white, and yellow) before the red orb speeds towards Takuya)

Showing our future

(Takuya holds up his D-Tector before fractal code surrounds him, dissipating as fire erupts from it, revealing him as Agunimon, lunging out from the fire as Plasmius fires off ecto-rays at him, only for a glowing orange orb to appear around Agunimon and deflect the beams)

As we evolve

(The blasts speed past the screen as Tucker is shown with a Fenton Wrist ray being fired at a ghost, a shadowed form behind him)

Let's go… EVOLUTION

(Sam is shown with her Fenton Lipstick, firing it at a different ghost, a shadowed form behind her)

As our worlds collide

(Jazz is shown beside Andy, the form of Lopmon behind Andy while a shadowed form is behind Jazz)

We stand as one

(Jack and Maddie Fenton are shown, with the Fenton Works logo behind them as it glows green)

Growing strong

(A shadowed draconic form is shown with blue eyes and wings before fire flares from it, covering the form's visage in flames)

As we move along

(Danny is shown walking down the street with those closest to him appearing one by one; Andy and Lopmon, Tucker, Sam, Takuya, and Jazz.)

CHOU… SHINKA!

(Fractal code is shown before it dissipates to reveal Agunimon lunging out of the dissipating data, fire around his left fist)

Let's go… EVOLUTION!

(The group is shown facing down Plasmius, who looms above them with hands outstretched as a dark form appears behind Plasmius himself.)

Nothing will stand in our way!

(Andy, Lopmon, Danny, Tucker, Sam, Jazz, and Takuya all appear with ribbons of fractal code streaming out from behind them, a swirling green orb behind the ribbons of fractal code.)

Digital Phantom!

---

Chapter 33: A Player's Worth

Tucker was slurping down his soup from the bowl in his hands, enjoying the food while Sam and Takuya were explaining what had transpired to Danny, Andy and Valerie.

"So, after Birdramon defeated the infected Woodmon and Floramon, Agunimon was able to purify the infected Digimon. After that, Grumblemon left at Floramon's insistence, and then we set about helping to rebuild the village." Sam finished.

"I still can't believe all of that happened while we were looking for you guys," Danny said worriedly. "Are you sure you're okay?"

"We're fine, Danny," Sam reassured. "Things got pretty hairy there, but we managed to pull through."

"I can't thank you enough for helping us in our time of need." Their friend Floramon smiled.

"You even had time to rebuild the village. We must've taken a long time to find you," Valerie sighed. "But we had to stop and rest because we were pretty banged up from that Grumblemon too."

"Grumblemon was tough, but he was in his beast form of Gigasmon when he came at us." Takuya explained. "I was sure I would get beat badly, even though I was able to become Agunimon again. No wonder the Legendary Warriors are so respected. Their power is strong."

"If only Grumblemon wouldn't attack humans indiscriminately like that, it makes our job a lot harder," Andy sighed.

"Salamon, you said Cherubimon gave the order to the unclaimed Legendary Warriors' spirits to attack humans to keep the Digital World safe, right?" Lopmon said, looking at Salamon.

"Yes?" Salamon replied.

"Then would it be possible if we found Cherubimon, he could retract that order, or change it or something?" Lopmon questioned.

"I'm afraid it won't be that easy," Salamon answered. "There's… a good chance that Cherubimon doesn't remember his past right now, and if he were to get paired up with a human himself, the Legendary Warriors he brought up likely won't listen to him because they believe that Cherubimon has been brainwashed or controlled by the humans."

"Yeah, Grumblemon wouldn't listen to us when we told them to stand down," Patamon said, feeling a lot better himself.

"Great... Well… I guess we have to just convince Grumblemon and the other unclaimed Legendary Warriors through our actions instead." Takuya groaned out. "Like that wasn't hard enough already…"

"But it may be worth more in the end than just getting the order to attack humans retracted or changed." Danny said optimistically. "Because don't actions speak louder than words?"

"Sometimes," Andy said.

"What do you mean?" Danny asked.

"Isn't it obvious? Action can speak louder than words, but it can also backfire on you. The person in question has to interpret what your action means, and if they take it the wrong way, there's a good chance they'll believe you're doing something else entirely than what you intended," Andy explained. "Look at the prank we pulled on Dash's party. I made it clear that it was a dragon costume, but he still thinks I can be an actual dragon because I see the way he looks at me still, and how he hasn't really bullied us outside calling us names."

"Yeah… Good point…" Danny admitted, rubbing the back of his head. "We really have lots ahead of us, and most of it is very difficult…"

"Yeah, but we're not alone. We can tackle this as a team." Valerie said with a small smile. "After all, working together may be the best way to handle these challenges ahead of us."

"Maybe we should take some this soup to go?" Tucker suggested. "What's the soup made out of?"

Sam grinned as she pointed at some of the Floramon that were preparing more soup. Tucker saw the Floramon putting the fruit into their heads before they began dancing around, singing a song, then poured the soup from their nose into a bowl.

Tucker paled.

"So, you grossed out?" Sam asked.

"Yeah… I can't believe this is a fruit soup! Where's the meat?" Tucker whined.

"Seriously? That's what bothered you?" Sam frowned.

Andy, Danny, and Takuya snickered.

"Dude! I can't believe you didn't ask how the soup was made!" Danny chuckled.

"Well, there's a first, even for Tucker." Valerie grinned.

"Aw man! You guys are no fun!" Tucker whined.

"I believe it would be better for you to not only consume meat, Tucker," Kokuwamon pointed out. "Having variety in your diet will give you a long, healthy life."

"Yeah, Tucker, you need variety," Sam grinned.

"He said variety, not just veggies and fruits, so that includes you, Sam. Have some meat in your diet," Tucker pointed back.

The group laughed as they enjoyed themselves.

Once they finished eating their fill, Andy decided to bring the group back to reality.

"As much as I would like to relax and have a good time, we need to talk about finding Technus," Andy stated. "If he could do that much damage to one village by just flying by, then who knows what he would do if he actually landed somewhere. You said he's heading to the Rose Morning Star?"

"That's where Floramon said he was going, or at least in that direction," Biyomon answered.

"So we're not 100% sure that is where he's going…" Lopmon frowned.

"But it's the only lead we've got," Andy said. "How far away is the Rose Morning Star?"

"Far… very far on foot…" Patamon sighed.

"It would take us weeks to get there on foot, and that's if we don't stop to rest, eat, or get attacked by a Digimon or a player," Salamon added.

"And with the Trailmon out of commission, we don't have a way to get there quickly either." Takuya grumbled.

"Sounds like we're in quite the conundrum." Tucker mused.

"Hmm…" Andy began thinking.

"What're you thinking about, bro?" Danny asked.

"How far away is the Flame Terminal from here?" Andy asked.

"Not too far, it might be a bit of a walk, but we should be able to reach there in a day and a half," Patamon answered.

"Okay… then we'll go there first," Andy decided.

"Why?" Valerie asked. "Isn't that just going to waste a lot of our time?"

"The Rose Morning Star is too far to get there on foot. Who knows what kind of damage Technus would do if we had to walk all the way there," Andy stated. "The way I see it is that we could either split up the group and have those who can fly to go there to face Technus, which would mean only Valerie and Sam could go, and even then, Biyomon isn't used to holding her Champion form for long. And I doubt you two, no offense, would be enough to take on an Ultimate, unstable, Digimon-ghost hybrid abomination."

Andy purposefully left Danny out since Valerie and the Digimon aren't supposed to know about Danny's ability to fly. But even with Danny, taking on Megadramon with so little information on how that could affect Danny himself was too risky.

"Or we can stick together, head to the Flame Terminal, and fix the main train station there to get the Trailmon up and running again," Andy finished. "And we use a Trailmon to get to the Rose Morning Star."

The group looked down in thought, trying to figure out what to do. Takuya thought about the pros and cons of each option before he made up his mind.

"The way I see it, splitting up may be the worst thing we can do, because Megadramon is so strong and yet unstable. What if one group gets jumped and then soundly defeated? We're better off sticking as a group." Takuya explained. "So, that means we would stand more of a chance to get to the Rose Morning Star if we fixed up the main station at Flame Terminal, then use a Trailmon to get to the Rose Morning Star first."

"I get what you're saying, but how would we be able to fix the Flame Terminal's station?" Valerie asked. "From what I saw when I flew by, it's pretty bad."

"I'm sure there's a way we can fix it," Andy said. "And as Danny said, action speaks louder than words. I can only hope that if we fix the station, it'll show the other Digimon that not all humans are bad."

"I like that idea." Lopmon smiled. "It's the best we've got considering…"

"We might be able to get there faster if Biyomon, as Birdramon, can carry all of us for a few minutes," Patamon suggested.

Takuya looked at Sam, who was grinning.

"Well, I don't see why not. And it would be a good experience for Biyomon too." Sam said.

Biyomon smiled. "Aww…"

---

The group walked outside of Breezy Village. They waved goodbye to the Floramon and Mushroomon. Their friend Floramon frowned as she watched them go.

"I hope I'll see them again…" Floramon sighed.

Then a picture showed up in front of Floramon. Floramon saw her human smiling back at her.

"Hey there, Floramon. How are you? Sorry I had to get off earlier, I had to take care of something."

"Everything's a lot better now. I've made some new friends, and they even helped rebuild Breezy Village," Floramon smiled. "Although, I think the humans I met looked a lot like the brothers and cousin you described before."

"I wouldn't be surprised, those three are always getting into the thick of things." Floramon's human sighed. "I just hope they didn't get into too much trouble."

"Yeah, me neither… But if they're able to come here, I hope that means you'll be able to come here one day… Jazz," Floramon said as Jazz Fenton smiled back herself.

---

"Okay… so how do I activate the digivolution again?" Sam asked after they were quite a bit away from Breezy Village.

"You don't know?" Tucker blinked. "Shouldn't it be obvious to you?"

"How should I know?!" Sam shot back. "I just know Biyomon evolved! It's not like I have a manual on how to activate a digivolution!"

Danny sweatdropped at seeing Sam and Tucker beginning to argue again.

"Well, you were the one who activated it, so shouldn't you know how it works?" Tucker retorted.

"Um… guys… Can we please save the arguing for later?" Danny asked, trying to placate his two friends.

"What about Andy? He was able to have Lopmon digivolve twice," Valerie suggested.

Andy shrugged. "I'm not entirely sure how I did it either. The second time we were in danger, and the first time we were also in danger… But I guess it happened when I…"

Andy had an idea. "Sam, what were you and Biyomon thinking when Biyomon digivolved?"

"How… we were stronger together…" Sam admitted at last. "The next thing I know, Biyomon is evolving into Birdramon."

"I felt the energy from Sam's drive and will." Biyomon confirmed.

"Our human partners seem to affect how we grow," Lopmon stated. "I only seem to be able to digivolve depending on Andy's emotions and mindset."

"So maybe… if I think of that again, I can get Biyomon to digivolve again," Sam concluded.

"It's worth a shot." Danny smiled.

"But how will you be able to get into that mindset again when we're not in danger?" Tucker asked.

"Imagination?" Kokuwamon suggested.

"I'm pretty sure it's going to take more than that…" Tucker frowned.

"Sam would really have to believe she needs Biyomon to digivolve," Salamon guessed. "At least until she and Biyomon learns how to control the digivolution."

Valerie looked at Sam. "Do you think you would be able to try it?" She asked as Sam looked down in thought.

"I think so. I'm not sure I may pull it off on the first try, but it doesn't hurt to give it a shot." Sam admitted.

"We're not going to get anywhere but just standing around, yapping." Takuya grumbled.

"You hush! Unless you can turn into that dragon thing and carry us!" Sam snapped heatedly, not enjoying the pressure, nor Takuya's comment.

Takuya froze at the thought of his Beast Spirit, his face growing pale. "Forget I said anything!" He said quickly, trying to hide his tremors in his hands.

Sam sighed. "Sorry, I'm just under a lot of pressure."

"It's okay, Sam, maybe we can try walking there first, and if something comes up that triggers my digivolution, we can take advantage of that and fly from there?" Biyomon suggested.

"That's probably not a bad idea," Lopmon decided. "After all, trying to force a digivolution may result in less than favorable results."

Valerie sighed. "Well, it's better than nothing I suppose. Walking sure is a drag in the Digital World. I would prefer using my hoverboard, but… I don't want to get separated and lose track of you guys."

"Actually…" Andy thought about it. "Valerie, that may not be a bad idea."

"What do you mean?" Valerie asked.

"You can fly ahead of us," Andy answered. "It will take us a while to get to the Flame Terminal's station. But you can get started there before we arrive. You and Salamon can try to have the locals help you fix up the station, and show that not all humans are bad."

Valerie chuckled. "Leave it to you to think of a plan like that, Andy." She then nodded. "Alright. I'll see what I can do at the Flame Terminal. But I expect you guys to be right behind me after I leave."

"Don't worry, we will be." Andy promised. "And if you find any players there who are willing to help, then let them, or try to convince them to help out if you can. If the players want to battle you instead, then suggest a place away from the station."

"Are you sure about this?" Salamon asked as she looked at Valerie. "This will mean we'll be on our own for a while until they can make it to the Flame Terminal, and that could take days."

"It is a risk, yes, but we can't just sit back and do nothing." Valerie admitted. "I'd rather do something and take a chance on humans being seen as helpful than not do a thing and make the impression of humans here worse."

"Alright," Salamon replied before smiling herself. "Then I'll support you the best I can."

"Good luck, and be careful!" Lopmon waved.

"Just don't get yourselves killed," Patamon grumbled.

"We shall join you as soon as we are able to reach the destination," Kokuwamon stated.

Valerie called out her hoverboard from her boots and began to hover off the ground. Salamon jumped up onto the hoverboard once Valerie was hovering in place.

"Okay, we'll see you when you arrive at the Flame Terminal." Valerie said as she gave a wave before turning and flying off in the direction of the Flame Terminal.

"Do you think it was wise to send her off on her own like that, bro?" Danny asked.

"I think it was," Andy replied before he looked at Danny. "And while the Digimon aren't quite in the loop yet… it would also help in case we would need… more than just our Digimon."

Danny frowned a bit, but he knew Andy had a good point. More Digimon allies would be a good thing to have in this world. But he also knew Andy meant his ghost powers. Their Digimon partners still didn't know about it, and Danny had been less confident about telling them since he learned Digimon and ghosts didn't mix well together. He wasn't sure how they would react… he was less sure how Patamon would react since he said he was looking for a 'ghost boy', which his ghost form fit the description of.

"So now what do we do?" Tucker asked. "We just… walk?"

"Yup," Andy answered.

"Really!? We walk!? For days? That's like a cross country marathon! I won't make it that long!" Tucker whined.

"Oh? I thought you wanted to get into shape for the ladies." Sam grinned. "After all, I've heard that Paulina and Star really like a man who is athletic, that's why they're cheerleaders, to gawk at all the muscular jocks playing football."

Tucker perked up. "Who said I wouldn't make it? Let's get walking!" He exclaimed with a grin.

"Wow… You really know how to get Tucker motivated." Takuya chuckled at Sam.

"He's easy when you know how he works." Sam rolled her eyes.

"Don't worry, Tucker, we've already packed days worth of food, so we should be good," Danny chuckled.

"I shall help keep you motivated as well!" Kokuwamon promised gleefully.

"Come on then," Patamon said as he flew ahead of the group. "I know the way to the Flame Terminal."

"Don't tire yourself out too much," Lopmon said.

"I'm not tired, the rest of you get tired too easily," Patamon huffed.

The group began following Patamon.

---

Dash had been excited to finally get his hands on the beta copy of Ruler of the Digital World he had been hearing so much about. The game had been pretty expensive, but at least his parents allowed him to get it since he had helped win the last football game. It would also, hopefully, get his mind off of Andy and the other losers for a while. And perhaps Calvin would get off his back about not joining the 'in-crowd', that would already hit his reputation as the king of Casper High, so that was another reason why he needed to get the game.

Dash finished reading the instructions for how to use the virtual helmet. It was simple, all he had to do was plug it up to his computer, and wear it. The helmet would activate once he started up the game.

The football jock grinned as he sat down and plugged in the helmet into his PC once the game finished installing. Dash watched as the game screen loaded before it mentioned to put on the helmet.

Dash put the helmet on his head and then the helmet activated. Time to see what this game is about!

Dash was then pulled through some kind of colorful vortex. Dash's outfit changed to a black leather jacket that was open, a white t-shirt with a picture of a cute puppy on it underneath the jacket, and black leather pants with gray sneakers.

Once he was out of the vortex, Dash found himself waking up at what appeared to be a small village. Not only that, but there were these… things looking at him. Most of them were these gray ball looking creatures with floppy ears, and red, mischievous looking eyes.

"Is this another player?"

"I think so, it looks human."

"He just appeared out of nowhere!"

"Should we push him off the edge of a cliff?"

"No, let's eat him!"

"Shouldn't we report him or something?"

Dash suddenly felt a bit awkward that these… puffballs were talking about him in somewhat disturbing ways. Um… I think this is supposed to be part of the game… Right?

"Human…"

Dash blinked as he stood up, hearing a voice. The puffballs moved away, showing who spoke up.

It was a creature that was red all over the body with green eyes, and what looked like flames coming from the center of its forehead along with the tip of its tail. It had yellow claws on its hands and feet, along with a yellow tuft of fur on the upper part of its chest. Its fur on its head looked like a lion's mane in its appearance, and it had a yellow nose.

"Are you a player?" The creature asked.

"Uh… player?" Dash blinked, before wondering if this was indeed part of the game, and asking if he was a player was like asking if he was human, or something. "Sure, I'm a player."

"I knew it!" The puffballs giggled.

The creature held up its hand at the puffballs, silencing them, before it smiled at Dash. "I've always wanted to meet a player. I've been wanting to be partners with one to get stronger. My name is Coronamon, and I would be happy to be your partner."

Dash blinked before he grinned. "Really? This is so awesome!" He exclaimed. "I would be excited if you became my partner!"

Dash wasn't stupid, he made sure to ask Calvin, Kwan, and the other jocks more information about the game before he got it. They informed him about the Digimon, and how new players usually have to find a Digimon to become their partners. Once Dash found his partner, he would be able to train up his partner to digivolve into a stronger being. Dash was told he could also find a store somewhere to buy Enslavement Collars to catch more Digimon, but he didn't really like the idea of enslaving more monsters. He preferred just having one partner to be at his side. Besides, having to take care of multiple monsters just seemed like too much work. Dash also learned about the levels of Digimon, and from what he could tell with Coronamon, he may be a Rookie level with how small he looked, but he was bigger than these puffballs.

"What about them?" Dash asked, pointing at the puffballs.

"Don't mind them, they're Pagumon. They're just locals around here who like to cause trouble," Coronamon replied. "I take it you're new here, yes?"

"I am. I just arrived today, actually." Dash replied. "So I'm pretty excited to check out what this is about."

"You seemed to be well adjusted since you're new here. You already know about Digimon?" Coronamon asked.

"Some of my friends told me about this place and the game." Dash replied easily. "It pays to have the upper hand in something new."

"Oh I couldn't agree more~" Coronamon grinned. "Then let me be the first to welcome you to the Flame Terminal, partner~"

Dash looked around, and was surprised to see a large ruin that wasn't too far from the village. "What's that?"

"That used to be the train station," Coronamon answered. "It was the main train station for Trailmon to run. But that all shut down when… well, let's just say some unruly guests decided to attack the place."

"That sounds awful." Dash said somberly. "I'm just glad I won't have to encounter any unruly people here."

Despite his tough guy act at school, Dash was a bit of a coward, not that he was going to admit it to anyone. Whenever there was a ghost attack, or something weird happening, or a teacher was involved that wasn't going to excuse him for his jock status, Dash became quite timid and docile. It was why he couldn't just forget that dragon incident with Andy, even if Andy showed it was a prank during his party. That night, when Andy transformed in front of him, it felt far too real to have been a really elaborate prank. The fear still lingered in Dash's mind.

"I don't think you'll have to worry about that." Coronamon grinned. "Not with me around~ But while you're here, perhaps I can show you around the village?"

"That would be great actually! I would like to see what this place is like!" Dash exclaimed eagerly.

"Another one for the rebuilding~" One of the Pagumon vaguely snickered.

"This one looks like he's got more fractal code in him than the others~" Another Pagumon grinned.

"Hush now, Pagumon. You should head home," Coronamon stated.

Dash didn't hear the Pagumon, because if he had, he would've panicked. Coronamon was grinning inside.

The Pagumon just turned and hopped off as if heading home. But all the while, the little gray puffballs were grinning sinisterly.

Some other Digimon began watching from the trees. They looked like little white ghost jelly things, with black beady eyes, and smiling mouths. Although they weren't smiling right now, they were just watching in concern as Dash was following Coronamon around the village.

"This village is pretty quiet…" Dash noted, starting to get a bit of a creepy feeling.

"The Digimon that lived here are cautious around new humans," Coronamon explained. "They don't have the greatest experience with humans."

"I suppose those unruly guests you mentioned earlier were humans?" Dash asked, still getting a creepy feeling.

"Yes, we call them 'players'," Coronamon answered. "Oh, but don't worry about that. That's got nothing to do with you."

Coronamon smiled as he stood in front of a house. "This is my house. How about we pack up some food before we head on out? You can get hungry here after all."

"Thank you. You must be the greatest partner ever if you're so thoughtful." Dash said gratefully. "I'm lucky to run into you since all the other Digimon here seem cautious of me."

"Of course. I don't let fear win me over, especially not when I can get close to a player," Coronamon replied as he opened the door. "Come on in, partner~"

Dash entered into Coronamon's house, not aware of what awaited him.

It looked like a normal house, only smaller. There was a living room, with a couch, a table, and a bed. But not much else.

Coronamon walked into the house after closing the door, and locked it. Coronamon grinned as he walked over to Dash.

"So, let me ask… did anyone else come with you when you entered into the Digital World?" Coronamon questioned.

"Nope. It was just me." Dash replied. "Why do you ask?"

Coronamon's grin suddenly turned sinister. "Then this should be quick. All I have to do is reach into your chest and destroy the digi-core that's holding your digital body together."

Dash's eyes went wide as his face turned pale. "W-wait… What did you say?" He asked, his voice coming out in a squeak.

Coronamon began to approach Dash. "This will be quick if you don't move."

"What are you doing?! Aren't we partners?" Dash quickly asked, backing away from the sudden sinister looking Digimon.

"Partners? Who would ever be willing partners to you humans?" Coronamon spat, the flames on his body getting bigger, and heating up. "All you ever care about is yourselves! You even had the gall to destroy the main station and loot everything we had! Don't you dare call me your partner!"

"B-but you said we were!" Dash whined. "You called me your partner!"

"And you were gullible enough to fall for it~" Coronamon grinned. "Corona-Kunckle!"

Coronamon ran at Dash with his fists that were now on fire. Dash let out a scream as he ran to the side, trying to avoid Coronamon's fiery punches. Coronamon turned, chasing after Dash. Dash grabbed the door to try to open it, but it was locked tight.

"Do you think you can get away?" Coronamon grinned. "I brought you to this house with the anti-human lock to make sure you could never escape. This is your karma, now face it!"

Dash looked around, trying to find any way out. Surely if this was a house, there was more than one way in, right? Maybe I can get out using a window!

But Coronamon was already in front of him. Dash wouldn't make it to the window now if he tried. Dash tried to punch Coronamon himself. But when Dash's fist came into contact with Coronamon's chest, it was like hitting a brick wall with fur.

"How pathetic," Coronamon sneered. "You players truly are weak. You're only menacing when you harvest Digimon's powers, our powers! I'll make sure you'll never get to do the same!"

Coronamon pulled back his fist, cloaking it with flames. "Corona-"

There was a loud crash through the window, and Coronamon was tackled away from Dash. Dash gasped, seeing what looked like a white creature that was canine in appearance. It had white fur with maroon eyes, ears, and tail while it had red marks on its cheek fur. The claws were a cream color, and the being was in front of Dash, growling like the dog that it was based on.

"Labramon! What's the meaning of this!?" Coronamon shouted angrily.

"Don't you think you've killed enough players already!?" The dog that Coronamon called 'Labramon' snapped. "How many innocent humans that come into this world have you led in here with the false promise of being their partner on a grand adventure that you ended before it can really begin? How many more will you lead to their game over screens until you're satisfied!?"

Dash was more than surprised that this 'Labramon' was willing to defend him. However, he was also surprised that Coronamon had actually 'killed' many players already, and he had almost been the next victim. He didn't know whether to be grateful to Labramon or wary, but since… she?... had saved him, he decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.

"Like you're one to talk! What happened to that Cerberumon who ruthlessly attacked the Legendary Warriors when they were just normal human children when they first arrived here?" Coronamon pointed accusingly at Labramon. "You didn't care, you just wanted to devour the fractal code and grow stronger!"

"You're talking to me as if I'm the same Cerberumon back then. You know as well as I do that when a Digimon is reborn, they don't carry the memories or the consequences of their past incarnation!" Labramon snapped. "And right now, you're being just as bad as I was back then!"

Dash was surprised at what he was hearing. However, he kept his mouth shut. The time for asking questions would be after he escaped with his… um… digital life.

"Oh, sure. At least I'm trying to rebuild this village, unlike you!" Coronamon snapped back.

"Yeah, but with human fractal code!" Labramon growled out lowly. "And that makes you no better than a player!"

"You shut your mouth!" Coronamon angrily growled. "Don't you dare compare me to those lowly players! Unlike us, they don't die when their digital bodies are destroyed, they just can't come back to this world!"

"And how do you know that?" Labramon hissed. "For all you know, you could be killing them in real life too! And unlike us, humans can't be reborn once they die!"

Dash was shaking a bit now. He hadn't thought about what would happen if he got hurt or worse while in this game. Crap… Is this really a game? This… It… It has to be, right? Yeah… it must be… It must be…

"Get out of the way, Labramon! You should be grateful I'm doing this, it's less players to worry about!" Coronamon frowned. "And I rather not fight a fellow Digimon, but I will fight you if I must to get rid of this human before he finds a partner to enslave."

"Like I would let you! I'm done watching you kill off these humans just because you're worried they'll be like those other players!" Labramon snapped.

"Fine then, you asked for it," Coronamon growled. "Corona Flame!"

Coronamon's flames on his forehead began to get bigger and hotter.

"Look out!" Labramon warned Dash.

Dash yelped as Coronamon blasted out an intense stream of flame at Labramon and him. Labramon shielded Dash from most of the attack, however, this allowed Coronamon to rush in and punch Dash in the side. Dash went flying into a wall. Dash cried out in pain. He couldn't believe how real that pain felt.

Labramon ran at Dash, grabbed the back of his jacket. Despite Labramon's small size, she was far stronger than she appeared. She managed to drag Dash out through the window.

"You can run, Labramon! But you and that human can't hide!" Coronamon shouted. "The Pagumon will find you!"

Labramon didn't stop running, and dragging Dash with her, until they got into the woods. When they were in the woods, and Labramon felt they were a good distance away, Labramon slowed down to a stop.

"That was ugly…" Labramon frowned before she turned to Dash. "Are you okay?"

Dash was clutching to his side, still feeling pain.

Labramon frowned as she moved closer to Dash. "Hold on, this may help. Cure Liquor."

Labramon spat out some kind of white liquid at Dash's torn side.

Dash looked down, seeing the injury was healing. "Wow… that's… some cure there…" He said with a weak chuckle. "Thanks… for that back there. I was sure I would be a goner…"

"Yeah, well… you're just lucky that I felt like saving you," Labramon replied. "The other humans that came before you weren't as lucky."

"Why? What was Coronamon trying to do?" Dash frowned.

"Coronamon is, like most Digimon living in the Flame Terminal, a victim to players. Back when players first started appearing, many of them appeared in the Flame Terminal's village, or near the main station. When the players began teaming up with some Digimon, they began raiding the village, and tearing down the station. They wanted to loot the Trailmon for goods and items they could use for 'the game'. Coronamon was just a Sunmon back then. His parents were taken out, turned into Digi-Eggs, making him lose them. Ever since then, Coronamon had been dedicating himself to rebuild the village and the main station by using player's fractal codes."

"Fractal codes?" Dash blinked.

"That's what your digital body is made up of. It's what makes this entire world, and the Digimon," Labramon explained. "Coronamon would take in any new players that would appear in the Flame Terminal, acting all friendly, and pretending to be their partner. Then he leads them back to his house, making sure the player is isolated and locked in before he destroys their digital body to harvest the fractal code. He's destroyed enough to rebuild most of the village. The rest of us only watch from a distance in hiding when he starts bringing a human into his house."

"But… Why did you decide to help me?" Dash asked. "Not that I'm ungrateful or anything, but… I'm just confused as to why you wanted to help me, even after what other players did."

"Coronamon and I had an argument the other day," Labramon began. "I couldn't keep watching him killing off the new players that come into the world in the Flame Terminal. I told him that perhaps killing them isn't the way to go, and maybe we should find another way. The humans were alive, just like we are. But Coronamon didn't want to hear it. He was set on continuing with his plan to fix the station with the human's fractal codes. He says it's for a noble cause, but I get the feeling most of it is out of vengeance. It isn't right. And… well… I guess when I saw him taking you, I decided I needed to do something instead of just sitting by and letting him destroy another innocent player who hadn't done anything wrong yet."

"Well… thanks… I mean it." Dash said gratefully. "I feel kinda bad for Coronamon, but… I agree he shouldn't just take it out on all humans he meets."

Dash frowned as he said those words, remembering how he would often take things out on the nerds in school whenever he felt frustrated or angry about something. While he may not go as far as killing the losers he bullied, he was tormenting them on a daily basis… Didn't that make him just as bad as Coronamon?

"But even though I saved you, I don't think that's going to stop Coronamon. He's still set on killing any new players he could find before they could become a threat," Labramon warned. "He still wants you dead too."

Dash flinched a bit. "Yeah… that's not a good sign…" He then groaned. "But what can we do? I don't think Coronamon is going to stop coming after me anytime soon!"

Labramon groaned as she laid down on the ground. She was injured from Coronamon's attack earlier, having had to shield Dash from it. "Just… get out of here… find a place to hide… to run… maybe find… your Digimon partner… so they can protect you…"

"W-wha… W-why?" Dash asked. "You're the one who is in more danger than me! You're hurt, and I may get low grades at school, but even I can tell you wouldn't last long against Coronamon like this."

"I'll be fine… it's you he wants dead…" Labramon replied weakly.

"Can't you use that healing liquid thing on yourself?" Dash asked in concern.

"I can't… use it on… myself…" Labramon admitted.

Dash frowned. He had a pet dog at home, and looking at Labramon now… she looked like an injured dog to him. And right now, she needed his help. Not to mention she saved him, so it was only fair to return the favor.

"Hang on." Dash said as he knelt down and slipped his arms under Labramon's body. "I'm not going to just leave you here in your state with Coronamon running around."

"Don't be… foolish… I'll only… slow you down…" Labramon protested.

"No way. Besides, I can lift quite a bit, and you're light enough to carry." Dash insisted. "I won't leave you alone like this." With that said, Dash stood up, Labramon now in his arms.

Dash began to run with Labramon in his grasp. "See? This is nothing." He said with a joking grin.

Dash began moving deeper into the woods. Though truth be told, he had no idea where he was going. He didn't know anything about the Digital World itself, just that it was a big world to explore with Digimon.

"I just… need some food… that'll help…" Labramon informed Dash.

"Then let's see if we can find some food for you." Dash said as he finally began to slow down, seeing how far they were from the Flame Terminal.

However, as Dash began to slow down, he regretted it the moment after because he heard something that sounded like a lot of balls bouncing after him and Labramon. "We can't stop here though… We're still being chased." Dash growled as he picked up his pace again.

Dash found a small hill and slid down it. He waited quietly as he heard the bouncings starting to bounce past him.

Dash let out a small sigh of relief when he didn't hear anymore bouncings.

"You don't… have to… put yourself… in danger… for me…" Labramon whispered.

"I can say the same thing to you," Dash whispered back. "You're in this situation because you decided to help me."

Dash began to slowly move out, hoping to find a safer place to go to.

"When we find the human, let's eat him!"

"No, let's drown him in the river!"

"We're supposed to bring him back to Coronamon!"

"What about Labramon?"

"That traitor can be reborn and raised better!"

Dash paled when he heard the voices of the Pagumon. "Shit… looks like we can't leave yet…" He whispered to Labramon as he pulled back down the hill.

Dash could hear more bouncing, and more voices closing in.

"That human and traitor couldn't have gone too far."

"Why's it our job to look for them?"

"You heard Coronamon, we need that fractal code to rebuild our homes!"

"Besides, even if we don't do it, one of those artificial Legendary Warriors will do the job, and the fractal code would go to waste!"

Dash knew he could just remain down the hill with Labramon. There had to be a way to get past those Pagumon, or lose them somehow! But how? How can Labramon and I lose these Pagumon?! If I try to run with Labramon now, we'll be heard!

"Poyo…"

Dash blinked when he heard a small voice.

Looking down, Dash was surprised to see not a Pagumon, but one of those ghostly jelly things looking up at him.

"That's… a Poyomon…" Labramon noted. "I don't… think he's here… to turn us in…"

The Poyomon tilted its head to the north before it began to hop in that direction.

"I think… he wants… you to follow… him…" Labramon informed.

"Then that's the direction we'll head." Dash said as he picked up Labramon again and began to follow the Poyomon. The little white Digimon looked like a small white marshmallow as it hopped along the ground.

"Heh… That little guy looks like a marshmallow in a way." Dash chuckled.

"Don't let… him hear… you say that…" Labramon chuckled as well.

Poyomon led Dash to a tree, and hopped through it. Dash blinked, surprised that the Poyomon just hopped through the tree like it wasn't there.

"I think I smell that human nearby!" Dash heard a Pagumon nearby said.

Not having time to hesitate, Dash hurried into the tree. He blinked, surprised to see more Poyomon in here. And the tree itself looked like a small room.

The Poyomon jumped around cheerfully before some of them brought some apples to Dash on their heads.

"Uh… thank you." Dash said as he took one of the apples from a nearby Poyomon. He wasn't sure what was going on, but whatever it was, it was far better than being hunted down by those Pagumon. "Thanks… for leading us here." He added.

Dash gave the apple to Labramon, who quickly ate the whole apple. Labramon looked like she was doing a lot better now. Dash gave Labramon another apple to eat, which gave her enough strength to be able to jump down onto the floor.

"Ah… that's much better." Labramon smiled. "The food in the Digital World has healing properties, so it helps when Digimon gets injured in a fight."

"That's good to know." Dash admitted with a small grin. "Hey… Look… I'm… I'm glad you saved me, but I really wish you hadn't had to get hurt to save me. It was… quite jarring to see you hurt like that… Not to mention my side getting turned into a mess…"

"I'm surprised that you care that much about me. I mean players usually only see us as game programs, so they don't care what happens to us," Labramon stated.

"Well… after I got hurt… there was no way the pain I felt was fake…" Dash admitted. "I mean, if I can feel pain like that, then who's to say you can't feel pain as well?"

"Well… I'm glad to see that you don't see us as nothing but game programs then," Labramon replied.

"Poyo!"

The Poyomon smiled.

"Thanks for helping us. I know you guys felt the same way I do about Coronamon's twisted version of justice," Labramon remarked to the Poyomon.

Dash remembered something Coronamon said about Labramon before. "Hey, Labramon… when you were facing down with Coronamon earlier, he mentioned you were a Cerberumon before?"

Labramon frowned. "In a past life, I was a feared Digimon. I was powerful, and I was set on gaining more power, enough to even want to consume a Legendary Warrior's spirit. I only remember bits and pieces of my past, and I'm not proud of it… I was hurting the weak to get what I wanted. I don't remember why I wanted power so much, or why I felt good hurting others while doing it… all I know is that I don't want to be like that ever again. But despite me being reborn, sometimes I would catch Digimon looking at me wearily. Sometimes they would even bring up my past to me, despite me not being the same Digimon."

Dash frowned, realizing there were a lot of parallels with these Digimon and his own status at Casper High. He loved being powerful, and having everyone fear him. He even got to beat up the nerds! But now… looking at it from the other side, he was beginning to wonder if power was the way to win others over. Looking back, he saw the images of scared nerds in his mind, and it made him feel… weird… like it wasn't a good thing. Memories of Coronamon and his own desire to make Dash fear him came back, and Dash suddenly felt like he understood what the nerds he beat up went through. They couldn't stand up to him, just as he couldn't stand up to Coronamon's strength and powers.

"I… I don't think… it's…" Dash sighed. "It's sad they can't see you're a different Digimon now. But… if you keep showing them… that you're not that Digimon… they may change their minds about you."

"I doubt it. Especially after I chose to help you," Labramon sighed. "They probably think I still want power, so I'm saving a human in order to use him to help me get stronger. That's likely how they'll see it."

"Poyo!" The Poyomon spoke up.

"Except for you guys of course," Labramon chuckled.

Dash sighed. "I guess that makes sense…" He conceded. "But I still don't like it." Especially since I've been on the receiving end of a more powerful being's own anger and frustration… Is that how the nerds see me? As a powerful being to be scared of? I… normally I would revel in it, but… it doesn't seem worth it now…

Dash wanted to ask about the Legendary Warriors, since he had been hearing about that, but Labramon beat him to it.

"What do you plan to do now?" Labramon asked Dash. "I'm going to go back to the village and face Coronamon, something I should've done from the start when he decided to go through with his twisted plans."

Dash's questions about the Legendary Warrior went out the window when he heard what Labramon was planning. "You can't! He's too strong, he already hurt you before."

"I know… Coronamon didn't used to be this strong… he may have absorbed some of the fractal codes he took from the humans," Labramon warned. "In fact, he may have enough power to digivolve at any time. I can only guess he chose not to in order to appear cute and non-threatening to the new players that come into the Flame Terminal. But if a fight truly broke out, he may digivolve and wipe me out."

"Then that's all the more reason to not fight him!" Dash protested. "I'm not a Digimon, but even I know when to run from someone stronger than me. You shouldn't take that risk."

"But I have to," Labramon said. "It was dangerous for me to save you, but I did it anyway because it was the right thing to do. Someone has to stand up to Coronamon, or he won't stop doing what he's doing."

Dash blinked when he heard that. He realized Labramon was right, but at the same time, if Labramon got hurt again, then no one would stop Coronamon. Dash then had a jolt of realization hit him hard. Labramon was willing to stand up to Coronamon because it was the right thing to do, so no one else got hurt. It was just like when someone stood up to him, because they didn't want others to get hurt.

Dash sighed before he spoke up, surprising himself with his next words. "Then I'm coming with you."

"No, if you come with me, Coronamon will finish you off this time. I can't keep protecting you," Labramon argued.

Dash frowned. "Why? I can't just sit back and let you fight that guy alone! He hurt you once before, what's to say he wouldn't do it again? You might not be so lucky this time either!"

"Why do you care so much about what happens to me? This isn't any of your business, this is between me and him," Labramon replied.

"It's my business because he tried to kill me! And he'll keep doing it to the other players, won't he?" Dash pointed out.

"But what would these players have to do with you? Why do you care if they get killed or not? Like Coronamon said, it's not like he's killing the physical bodies, right?" Labramon pointed out. "You have a chance to escape and never return to the Flame Terminal, if you can get away from the Pagumon, and find your Digimon partner. Why not take that chance instead of going back into the Leomon's den?"

"Because…" Dash hesitated. He hated to admit it, but he was scared. Dash wasn't really sure why he wanted to go back. "I… I can't just sit back… I…" He trailed off again, not sure what to say.

"If you can't even tell me why you want to go back, then you should leave," Labramon stated.

"I can't just leave you to die!" Dash suddenly spoke up. "You… you saved me… and it just doesn't feel right to let you go alone."

The Poyomon were watching with interest.

Labramon was looking at Dash in surprise. "Really? You want to come back with me because you don't want me to die? Or is it because you feel you owe me one?"

"It's… actually both… I do feel I owe you one, but it's also because I don't want you to die out there." Dash admitted sheepishly. "Mostly the latter…" I have a dog at home… I couldn't forgive myself if something happened to him.

"I know I'm not the bravest, or the… best person ever," Dash admitted, knowing he had done a lot of bad things to people in school, or even out of school. "I know I'm not the kindest person… but still… hit me in the head with a football and call me a loser if I let someone I care about put themselves in danger, especially for me."

"You care about me?" Labramon blinked.

"Of course! Why else would I have stuck with you when you were hurt?" Dash asked.

"Heh… and here I thought you players think we Digimon mean nothing more than slaves to you," Labramon chuckled. "I figured there might be humans out there who would care for us, and I'm glad to see I was right. I don't regret saving you…"

Labramon frowned. "That reminds me, do you have a name?"

Dash smacked his own head with an open palm at the realization he forgot to introduce himself. "Of all the…" He then sighed. "My name is Dash, Dash Baxter." He said at last. "But please, just call me Dash."

"Dash~ Dash~ Dash~" The Poyomon repeated as they bounced around happily.

"Okay, well then, Dash, I guess if you're that determined to come with me, then it'll be good to face this together," Labramon replied. "But this will get dangerous. Coronamon will definitely do his best to try to kill you himself when he sees you again. I can't promise I'll be able to keep you safe from him."

"Then let's see him try." Dash said determinedly. "I won't let him hurt you again."

"You have a bag, right?" Labramon asked. "Pack up some food there. That'll help us in case I need something."

The Poyomon began bringing fruit on their heads to Dash, looking all too eager to help out as well.

"Unlike the Pagumon, the Poyomon here don't want to see anyone get hurt," Labramon chuckled. "They want Coronamon to stop as much as I do. So they'll try to support us the best they can."

Dash smiled as he took the fruits and began to pack them into the bag he had with him. "Thanks. This will help us out a lot."

---

Dash and Labramon left the hiding tree once Dash had packed up as much food as his bag could carry. He wondered if it would be possible to get an increase in bag holding later.

"That's strange…" Labramon frowned as she began sniffing the air.

"What is?" Dash asked worriedly.

"I don't smell any Pagumon nearby. Did they give up? Or are they changing their tactics?" Labramon questioned suspiciously.

"I don't know… but we were hiding inside a tree, so maybe that threw them off?" Dash offered up as a possible explanation.

"The Pagumon are persistent. They wouldn't give up so easily," Labramon warned. "Something must be going on. Stay on your guard, Dash."

Dash gulped, feeling quite nervous. He felt like anything could jump out at him in these woods now. He was glad he had Labramon with him, but he definitely felt that air of tension. Labramon began moving ahead, and Dash quickly followed after her.

"Um… so this Coronamon… you seem to know him pretty well," Dash spoke up, hoping to break some of the tension, and to try to figure out Coronamon more. "Was he always this intense?"

"I didn't know him that well before the players started coming into the Flame Terminal," Labramon replied. "But after the main station was destroyed, and the village was raided, Coronamon became jaded and vindictive. He has a twisted sense of justice, truly believing what he's doing is justice, a punishment for what the humans did. Even though these individuals had nothing to do with what the players did to the Flame Terminal. He did try to talk me into helping him with his cause, since he seems to think humans would find me cute and harmless enough as well. I didn't want to help him with his twisted version of justice, but I didn't stop him either, until I rescued you."

Dash frowned. "Wow… I didn't think what happened would affect Coronamon so hard, or so much." He admitted, feeling a bit bad for Coronamon now.

"The players who messed up the Flame Terminal were pretty much bullying the weak with their power, or at least the power that came from their partners," Labramon sighed. "And the victims want justice, they want revenge. The Celestial Digimon haven't responded, and one of them has fallen. So Coronamon feels it's best to take this into his own hands."

Dash felt concerned about his own well being now. After all, he had a long list of victims he had bullied on a daily basis, and those victims likely want revenge on him too. If they could all suddenly grow stronger one day… like when dragon boy had transformed into a dragon. Dash frowned, he hadn't been sure if it was truly just a prank or not, he had been having nightmares still about that night. It was a truly heinous prank.

"I apologize, I was talking like you already know about our world and our customs, but you probably don't know about Celestial Digimon or Legendary Warriors, do you?" Labramon questioned.

"I did hear you mention the Legendary Warriors once, as did those Pagumon. You also mentioned the Celestial Digimon recently." Dash admitted. "But other than that, I'm completely in the dark on those two subjects."

"They're-" Labramon stopped suddenly and started growling. "Something's nearby!"

"W-what?" Dash quickly looked around. "Where? I don't see anything!"

Despite not being able to see anything, Dash felt the hair on the back of his neck standing up. He may not be able to see the entity, but he knew something was there, watching him. He hated that feeling, it was a feeling he felt whenever something strange happened at school, or somewhere in the town.

Dash felt his phone vibrating in his pocket. Dash was surprised he had his cell phone still, even though this wasn't his real body.

"They're trying to hide themselves from you using a digital cloak," Labramon warned. "Do you have anything that might help you see them?"

Dash took out his phone and blinked before he held it up. "My phone has a camera, but I don't know how helpful that will be." He admitted.

"It's worth a shot," Labramon said.

Dash activated his camera, and he saw something glitching in front of him. The jock's eyes went wide in surprise before he looked up again at the glitching thing.

"I see something on my camera!" Dash exclaimed. Sure enough, a Digimon was showing up on his camera. The Digimon before him had a yellow underbody with black claws on its feet and a black webbing between the claws. The tail was covered in orange fur. The eyes were blue, and the Digimon had that same orange fur on its back, with four large black spikes sticking out along its spine. The teeth stuck out from its mouth as well.

Dash put his phone down. Because he was able to see it through the phone, his perception allowed him to see through the digital cloak without needing to use the camera anymore.

"That's… Gizamon." Labramon frowned. "One of the Pagumon must've digivolved!"

"Kill the human…" The Gizamon growled, glaring at Dash, its eyes almost glowing red.

"I won't let you do that!" Labramon growled back, crouching down, ready to fight.

Dash got ready to fight as well, but he was unsure of how he could help Labramon aside from giving her food to help her.

"Labramon, you're a traitor!" Gizamon growled. "I'll defeat you as well!"

"I'd like to see you try!" Labramon challenged.

Gizamon ran at Labramon before curling into a ball, letting his razor back spikes roll like a saw. "Spiral Saw!"

Labramon took the hit, having the side of her cut by the blades. "Ugh!"

"Labramon!" Dash called out in concern. "Are you okay?!"

Dash saw that the Gizamon was still trying to dig its back blades into Labramon. Dash knew he couldn't get near it without having his own hands sliced off.

"Come on, Labramon! I know you can fight back!" Dash encouraged, hoping Labramon will be able to pull through.

Labramon began to push back and opened her maw. "Retriever Bark!"

Labramon let out a loud bark that was enough to blow Gizamon back a few feet.

"Wow! Now that is a bark!" Dash exclaimed, grinning when he saw that. "Nice work!"

"It's not over yet!" Labramon warned.

Dash gulped upon hearing that, but he wasn't going to run. No, he was not , not when Labramon needed his help.

The Gizamon got back to its feet, those red eyes glowing sinisterly. "Humans… must be killed!" The Gizamon ran towards Labramon again before jumping up using its legs. "Frog Kick!"

Labramon tackled Dash away from the incoming kick.

Gizamon landed and turned to the two of them. "Water Shot!"

Gizamon shot out a stream of water from his mouth. Labramon took the hit and began trying to push it back.

"That's it, Labramon! Push it back! You're strong, so I know you can do it! Push!" Dash coached.

Dash knew that Ms. Tetslaff was a tough coach, but her coaching helped him and the other jocks to perform better out in the field, wanting to prove themselves, and to their coach, that they could always do better.

Labramon pushed back harder, beginning to approach the Gizamon, who was still trying to push her back with his Water Shot.

Dash felt his pulse racing, wondering if this was what it felt like in a fight in real life. It was so odd to him. It was both thrilling and yet terrifying at the same time. "Keep going! You can do it!" He encouraged Labramon. "This guy is not going to beat you so easily!"

Gizamon stopped trying to spray Labramon with Water Shot, and opted to curl up again. "Spiral Saw!"

"Run for it!" Dash called out.

Labramon did run, wanting to dodge the attack. Though now Gizamon was coming at Dash. "Dash!"

Dash dodged, jumping to the side and rolling before getting back to his feet with the same momentum. "Geez! This guy is crazy!"

Gizamon let out a yelp as his spikes hit into a tree, causing him to get stuck.

Labramon, seeing this, decided to take a chance. She ran at Gizamon and bit into his body.

Labramon bit down hard on Gizamon's side, causing Gizamon to cry out in pain.

"Don't let him get free!" Dash called to Labramon, hoping to encourage her still.

Labramon saw Gizamon was preparing to try to attack again, and jumped back, letting go of Gizamon's side. She missed getting kicked by Gizamon's back legs by a few inches.

Gizamon managed to get free from the tree after a few tugs and turned around to face Labramon again. "You will pay for that, traitor!"

Labramon growled as she sank down lower to the ground, preparing to attack if Gizamon made his own move. "This is wrong, and you know it!"

"The only thing wrong is you saving that human!" Gizamon shouted angrily. "You've truly gone with mad with power, haven't you?"

"The only one going mad with power is Coronamon!" Labramon snapped. "If you can't see that, then I can't help you!"

While the two Digimon were arguing, Dash picked up a rock that was about the size of a football. He slowly snuck around the Gizamon, and when he was behind the Digimon, he threw the football shaped rock at the back of Gizamon's head.

Gizamon let out a shout of pain before turning around. "YOU WILL PAY FOR THAT!"

"You left yourself wide open!" Labramon shouted as she jumped at Gizamon, biting right into the back of his neck, tearing through it.

Gizamon let out a scream of pain before his data scattered out of his body. Dash watched in awe as the data reformed into the sky, turning into the shape of an egg. The egg was glowing and it floated off somewhere.

Dash watched the egg fly off before he realized he had just helped Labramon fight off Gizamon. His body was shaking from the adrenaline rush and he felt like he wanted to collapse from the shock of what he had done. O-Oh geez… I just… I just fought off a monster… I helped Labramon win her fight… Oh geez… I feel like I'm on cloud nine, but also shaken up…

"Hey, Dash… I know you're in a bit of a shock… but could you give me some food please?" Labramon requested.

"O-oh, right! Sorry," Dash quickly took off his bag to open it and gave Labramon some food.

Labramon quickly began digging into her food while Dash was having his moment.

"I'm guessing this is your first time being in a Digimon battle?" Labramon chuckled, seeing Dash was shaking a bit.

"Y-yeah… you could say that…" Dash admitted. "I know battles are a part of the 'game', but… that was intense…"

"Don't see this world as a game. The more you think of it like that, the more you start to distance yourself from this world and its inhabitants," Labramon warned. "I've seen it happen with those players, and to Coronamon. Instead, try to see the Digital World as its own world, its own reality, where everything you see, and everyone you interact with are as real as you are. We're just made of data rather than flesh and blood is all."

Dash nodded his head. "O-okay… I'll… remember that…" He said, still shaking slightly. However, after a few more minutes, Dash began to calm down. He was slowly losing the shakiness his body had.

Finally, Dash had stopped shaking entirely. "Wow… That was such a rush…"

Dash used to get such rushes when he bullied a nerd for the first time. The first time he felt empowered, where he felt the dominant one, the one at the top. These days, the feeling has become dull and boring. He only kept bullying to keep up his act as the king of Casper High, the dominant one, if he showed any weakness, he would be torn apart by the other jocks.

But this was different. He and Labramon fought off a monster that was literally trying to kill them. It was out of self defense, and for a just cause. It felt better than bullying someone because he wanted to show his dominance, it felt… right. Something Dash never thought he would be.

"Are you alright? You look like you're contemplating something," Labramon questioned. "You need to have a clear head if we're to face off against Coronamon. That Gizamon was new to his form, so we got lucky. Coronamon won't be that easy to take down."

Dash looked up, snapping out of his thoughts. "Oh… Yeah, I'm fine. Just got lost in my head, that's all." He said as he stood up. "I'll be sure to try and keep a clear head for our next opponent."

Labramon frowned. "Still… something is bothering me. Where did all the Pagumon go? What happened to the one that became Gizamon? He looked like he was in a trance."

"What do you mean? Didn't he just want to kill me like Coronamon?" Dash questioned.

"Coronamon wasn't talking like he was in a trance when he wanted to kill you, nor did his eyes glowed red like that," Labramon informed. "Where did that Gizamon come from? I need to see what happened to him."

Labramon began sniffing the ground, following the scent Gizamon left behind. Dash frowned, but decided to follow the digital dog. He was curious about what was going on as well.

Labramon stopped when they came into a clearing. "What the?"

Dash stopped as well, looking at what had Labramon shocked.

They saw a dense green fog covering the area.

"Um… Labramon… is this normal in the Digital World?" Dash asked, looking a bit creeped out by the green fog in the area.

Labramon narrowed her eyes. "No, not at all. This green fog… it reeks of something else… something toxic, and putrid. I doubt it's from our world at all. Something's leaking here that shouldn't be… The Pagumon, did this fog swallow them up?"

Dash didn't like the look of the fog. "I… Oh man… I hope it didn't. Those little puffballs may have been trying to kill us, but I don't think the fog would be a good fate for them… whatever this is…"

"Let's just hope the Pagumon were smart enough to flee from this fog, and only one of them got caught up in it, the one that digivolved into Gizamon." Labramon frowned. "Don't go near it. I don't know what it is, but it's dangerous."

"Don't have to tell me twice." Dash nodded.

"We better get back to the village. Even if Coronamon won't listen to me, we should warn him, and the other villagers about the fog," Labramon stated. "Come on, we better hurry."

Dash nodded. He and Labramon began to run away from the fog that was slowly closing in.

It didn't take long for Labramon and Dash to get out of the woods. With no Pagumon hunting them down, which Dash really hoped had only evacuated rather than getting swallowed by that mysterious green fog, it was easy for them to make a beeline to the village.

Labramon stayed close to Dash's side. "Coronamon! Get out here! We need to talk!"

Labramon looked around for a moment before she suddenly tackled Dash, pushing him back. A large flame narrowly missed him, hitting the ground instead, leaving a nasty scorch mark.

Dash looked up, seeing where the flame had come from. There, up on the roof of a house, was Coronamon, with a sinister grin on his face. "I'll admit, I didn't think you'd return to the Flame Terminal so soon."

Coronamon hopped down from the roof, landing in front of Dash and Labramon. "Perhaps you came to your senses and realized that the human must give his fractal code to us to rebuild what his kind caused?"

"Stop talking like this one child is responsible for all the players that raided the village and destroyed the main station!" Labramon growled. "You need to stop this. I fear if you keep going, you'll soon cross a line that you can never come back from."

"Why should I? All humans are like those other players! None of them can be trusted! The only good thing they can help us with is by giving their fractal code to rebuild the destroyed villages!" Coronamon snapped.

Dash felt like running back to the Flame Terminal was a bad idea, but with that creepy green fog out there, it was safer to deal with Coronamon than take chances with some unknown fog.

"Are you even listening to yourself right now?" Labramon growled. "That would be like a human saying all Digimon are like Devimon! You can't judge an entire race because of what some individuals did!"

"And how do you know that these humans aren't all the same?" Coronamon accused. "How do you know that player next to you isn't trying to brainwash you right now into helping him take control of me?"

"Because I came back on my own accord," Dash spoke up. "I didn't make Labramon come with me, I chose to follow her."

Coronamon laughed. "You're a very cunning human, I'll give you that."

"What?" Dash frowned, confused on why Coronamon thought he was being cunning.

"Listen, Coronamon, we have bigger problems to worry about than the players. There's a-" Labramon began explaining when Coronamon interrupted her.

"I'm done listening to you preaching about how wrong it is to serve justice to these humans!" Coronamon snapped. "You didn't have your parents turned into digi-eggs before your eyes like I did! And have everything stolen away from you, and forced to watch your own home burn into nothing but fractal code that was consumed by the players' Digimon! All to just get stronger! In fact, you were just as bad as they were before you were reborn!"

"Coronamon, that's-"

"Shut up! I'm not letting you get away with this anymore, Labramon!" Coronamon growled. "You decided to team up with this human for power? Then I'll destroy both of you, and use your fractal code to rebuild our village!"

"I don't want to fight you, Coronamon!" Labramon quickly said.

"Too bad, you should've thought of that before you betrayed me!" Coronamon snapped.

"I did not betray you! But if you will not listen to words, then actions will be what speaks to you!" Labramon growled before she took a deep breath. "Retriever Bark!" She let out a loud bark that seemed to vibrate the air.

Coronamon endured the attack, grinning. "Is that the best you can do!?"

Coronamon jumped out of the loud barking's range, and pulled back his fist, letting it burn with fire. "Corona-Knuckle!"

Coronamon punched Labramon in the cheek, and sent her back several feet, hitting the wall of a house. "Ugh!"

"Labramon!" Dash called out. He didn't like how fast things seemed to be going down hill. Dash gritted his teeth, knowing he would have to help Labramon somehow. Let's see… if I can somehow get his attention, maybe that could help Labramon… Aw man! That's suicide if I try that! Dash shook his head. Stay focused, Baxter! Labramon needs you!

Labramon got back to her feet, shaking her head. "Ugh… That packed quite a wallop…" She muttered, a sinking feeling filling her gut. Maybe Coronamon did keep some of the fractal code from those other players for himself…

But Labramon knew she couldn't give up. She had to make sure Coronamon didn't attack any more innocent players that entered the Flame Terminal.

Dash knew his greatest strength was throwing something, so while he knew it would be risky, he needed to get Coronamon's attention off of Labramon. Dash threw a rock at Coronamon's head, not quite hurting the Digimon, but enough to get his attention.

"Hey! Stop hurting Labramon! It's me you want, right!?" Dash shouted.

Coronamon sneered at Dash. "Well, how brave of you to face me." He taunted. "I never thought a human would have the guts to do that without a Digimon partner."

Coronamon punched a fist to the palm of his hand. "Now let's see you back up your words."

Dash gulped, knowing Coronamon could easily kill him in at least several dozen ways.

Coronamon suddenly yelped as he felt something biting his tail, avoiding the flame part.

"Retriever-Bark!" At point blank range, Labramon shouted at Coronamon, blowing him right into a house.

"Ugh!" Coronamon fell to the ground with a loud grunt. "Dang… Labramon… Sneaky trick from her…" He muttered as he got back to his feet. "You will pay for that, Labramon!"

"Why do you fight so hard for this, Coronamon?" Labramon frowned. "Your parents wouldn't agree to this kind of 'justice'!"

"You don't know that!" Coronamon shouted back. "You were a Cerberumon at the time who was obsessed with power! You couldn't possibly know what my parents would want! You needed a Legendary Warrior to take you down!"

"That was back then! I don't even remember most of my life as Cerberumon! The only reason I even remember as much as I do is because you, and everyone else, keep reminding me of it!" Labramon snapped. "Can't you see I only want to do what's right?"

"Hah!" Coronamon laughed. "You can pretend all you like, but I see through you! If you truly wanted to do what's right, you would've helped me. But instead, you're the one who's fighting so hard for a human, a player! You're no better than the Digimon who helped destroy our home! And I'm going to make sure nobody dares to destroy our home again!"

Fractal code began to surround Coronamon, making Labramon go pale. "No…"

Dash saw this happening and backed up a bit. "W-what's happening, Labramon?!"

The fractal code dissipated, revealing a new Digimon in Coronamon's place. This Digimon had the same orange fur as Coronamon, but with large orange wings that emerged from its back. There were black rings around its ankles in front and in back, and a matching ring around its tail. It had armor on its back legs, and small flames came from its ankles in front and in back, as well as on top of its hind legs. It had a large yellow mane of fur with yellow eyes and it had black armor on its head.

Dash worried he was going to wet himself. He hadn't expected to fight with a giant, flaming, winged lion. This truly was a world of monsters. He looked down at Labramon, seeing how tiny she was compared to this behemoth. There was no way she was going to get out of this one alive.

"Coronamon, please…" Labramon begged.

"Shut it!" The big lion roared. "I'm no longer Coronamon. I'm now Firamon! I will be the flames that will purify the taint that is humanity from our world!"

Firamon turned his attention to Dash. "Starting with you! Fira Bomb!"

Dash gasped as a big fire ball was made on Firamon's forehead. Dash tried to make a run for it, but Firamon flew up into the sky with his wings, making sure to aim directly at Dash.

Labramon ran at Dash just as Firamon shot out the flaming bomb at Dash. Labramon jumped over Dash, taking the attack herself. The fire ball exploded, causing Dash to be tossed several feet away. Dash tucked his head in to make sure he didn't hit it. Thankfully his coach had drilled him for something like this, football was pretty dang brutal.

When Dash felt his body finally stopped, he groaned as he looked up. He saw a large crater in the ground, and his stomach dropped when he realized that Labramon likely made that crater after taking a direct hit from that Fira Bomb.

"No!" Dash cried as he got to his feet and ran before he reached the edge of the crater. Sure enough, he could see Labramon was in the crater. "No…"

Dash slid down into the crater before racing over to Labramon. "Labramon! Are you okay?!"

There was no response. Labramon was still there, thankfully, at least Dash knew she didn't turn into an egg. But she wasn't responding. She appeared to be completely unconscious. Dash saw her fur was singed, her back looked like it lost a lot of fur. He could see burnt skin on her.

"Foolish," Firamon growled from the sky. "But that's what happens when you brainwash a Digimon, human. They pay the price."

Dash shook his head. "I didn't brainwash her! She helped me of her own choice! I didn't do anything to her! If anything, you were brainwashing the Digimon here with your propaganda towards humans!" I knew learning that word from English class would come in handy someday!

"What gives you the right to lecture me?" Firamon coldly stated as he landed nearby, reminding Dash just how huge this lion was. "It was because of your kind intruding into our world that any of this is happening in the first place."

Dash remembered the food he had with him, how Labramon had explained it had feeling properties to Digimon. Aw man… I hope this works… He thought as he took out one of the fruits from his bag and broke it open so the juice could be used. He squeezed some grapes, getting his hands wet with the juice and began to rub on Labramon's injuries. Please… please work… Please heal her…

"Aww, are you trying to revive your slave?" Firamon laughed. "Even if that worked, what is your weak little slave going to do? It would be kinder to have her start her life over again, before you interfered with it."

A fire ball began to form on Firamon's forehead again.

Dash gasped. "Labramon, wake up!"

The juice was healing the burn on Labramon's back, and Labramon managed to regain consciousness, but she still seemed pretty weak. "Dash… run… he's… too… strong…"

"No way! I'm not leaving you!" Dash insisted. "We should get out of here! I'll carry you if I must, but we have to run!"

"He'll… catch… you…" Labramon warned.

Dash picked Labramon up while Firamon was powering up his attack. Dash hoped all his practice with running in football would help him get out of this alive with Labramon.

"Fira Bomb!" Firamon fired out the fire ball at Dash.

Dash ran, moving to the side, trying to dodge the flames. Dash saw that the houses were burning down from the fire. Crazy lion is destroying his own village!

Firamon flew up into the air. "You will never be able to outrun me! I am your hunter, human!"

"We'll see!" Dash shot back as he ran. He knew he had to find a place to hide, but it seemed a Digimon's senses were far better than a human's, so he wasn't sure how helpful hiding would be.

Firamon began to cloak himself in flames. Dash feared that this was the end for them. He knew he couldn't outrun a flying lion bent on destroying him.

"Flame Dive!" Firamon began to dive at Dash and Labramon while cloaked in flames. "BURN!"

Dash braced himself for the end.

"Only one burning here is you!" A familiar, female voice shouted before Dash heard what sounded like the fire of a laser gun firing off, and Firamon's screech.

Dash blinked, looking up to see what just happened.

There, in the sky above, was a person wearing a red suit on a silver hoverboard, and holding a very large laser gun in their hands. The form looked female, but when the figure moved the gun aside, it revealed their face.

"H-huh?! V-Valerie?!" Dash exclaimed in shock.

Valerie looked down, surprised to see Dash on the ground below her. "Wait… Dash?" She asked as she hovered down a bit.

"What are you doing here!?" Both Dash and Valerie asked each other at the same time.

"Is that a dog you're holding?" Valerie pointed at Labramon.

"So what of it?" Dash frowned before noticing a certain Digimon riding in front of Valerie. "Is that a dog you have riding with you?"

"Um… No, this isn't a dog. This is Salamon, my Digimon partner." Valerie replied with a small scoff.

"Nice to meet you." Salamon said with a small smile.

"A Digimon partner!? Don't tell me you were one of those players who messed this place up!" Dash pointed accusingly at Valerie.

"No… I was nowhere near this place when those first players came here." Valerie said with a deadpan look. "I met Salamon some time after those players left the Flame Terminal. Wait a minute, I shouldn't have to explain myself to you! You're not my friend anymore, you were never really my friend! You were one of the popular kids who were all too happy to kick me out of the group!"

"It was nothing personal! That's just how it works in high school!" Dash defended.

"And tell me, why are you here?" Valerie demanded.

"Why should I answer to you?" Dash frowned.

"I have a gun," Valerie held up her large laser gun. "And I have a Digimon partner. And if you beat up that poor Digimon in your arms, there will be hell to pay."

"H-hey! Labramon got like this because she saved me!" Dash retorted, feeling somewhat insulted now.

"It's true… I jumped in… to save him… from Firamon…" Labramon weakly explained.

"If you want to know why I'm here, I got the beta of a game called Ruler of the Digital World. Calvin and Kwan told me about it, and how it's the hottest game right now. I put on the virtual helmet that came with it and ended up here," Dash explained. "I was surrounded by Pagumon, and that Firamon who was a smaller Digimon before. He tried to kill me! He wanted to use my fractal code or whatever to rebuild this village and the station! Labramon just saved me from that fate. That's the honest truth!"

"I don't detect any malicious intent from his words, Valerie," Salamon confirmed.

Valerie frowned before sighing. "Okay, I guess I can accept that as the truth. But…" Valerie's words trailed off as her brain processed Dash's words fully. "Wait… what did you say?! That giant lion wants to use your fractal code to rebuild the village?! How is that possible?! And has this been going on for a while?!"

Dash actually felt relieved Valerie believed him. "Y-yeah… He does. I have no idea how that works, but apparently he has done this with other players as well." Dash explained.

Valerie looked absolutely disgusted. "That's so gross! It's like this village is made up of human flesh and bones!"

"This can't keep going on." Salamon frowned. "I know the first players that arrived here caused a lot of trouble for everyone, but this is going too far."

"Yeah… that's what… I thought… too…" Labramon weakly chuckled.

"Dash, I smell food on you. You better hurry and feed Labramon lots of food. I don't think Firamon is going to be gone for long," Salamon warned.

"I gave him a good blast, but that's nowhere near enough to take out a Champion level Digimon, he's going to come back soon, especially if he wants you dead," Valerie added.

"Y-yeah… Good idea." Dash said as he set Labramon down gently and took out some of the fruit from his bag. "H-here, Labramon… This should help you get some strength back."

"I have some salve and healing ointment I carry on me for emergencies," Valerie offered as she dug out the items from her pocket. "While food can heal a Digimon, they'll heal much faster, and be able to heal much more serious injuries, with medical stuff."

Dash smiled. "Thanks… any help with this I would appreciate."

As the two humans were taking care of Labramon, Salamon smiled at Labramon. "You've truly changed."

"In what way?" Labramon questioned.

"In a good way," Salamon answered. "I can see that you only wanted to stop Firamon because you felt what he was doing was wrong. That takes a lot of bravery."

"Heh… or stupidity…" Labramon chuckled.

"Save your strength. Firamon will be back at any moment," Salamon instructed.

"So how long have you been in the Digital World?" Dash asked Valerie as Labramon was healing over the burn she had, as well as the scars and singed fur.

"I'm surprised you care, considering I'm just part of the 'loser' group," Valerie grumbled.

Dash frowned. "Are you going to keep bringing that up?"

"Considering I'm not too happy finding you here, yes I am," Valerie replied. "But until we take care of that Firamon, I suppose I'll have to tolerate you. As strong as Salamon and I are as a team, I doubt we'll be able to take on a Champion level Digimon on our own."

"So, a 'Champion' level is stronger than whatever level Labramon and Salamon are at?" Dash asked.

"Much stronger," Salamon answered. "Me and Labramon are in the Rookie stage."

"To make this short," Valerie replied. "Digimon start out as eggs, then when they hatch, their level and life goes as follows: Baby, In-Training, Rookie, Champion, Ultimate, and Mega. With Mega being the big, granddaddy peak of the Digimon's level and form."

"Geez… I wouldn't want to meet a Mega-level then." Dash cringed. "They sound super powerful."

"Not all Mega levels are bad. In fact, most Mega Digimon are quite docile, or they don't like to fight unless they have to," Salamon assured.

Labramon sat up, feeling much better now. "Thanks, that's just what I needed."

"That's good… but where is Firamon? He should've been back now." Valerie frowned.

"Is it just me or does the sunlight seem really bright right now?" Salamon panted. "And hot…"

Valerie frowned as she looked up at the sky. "Yeah… the sun does seem a lot bigger… weird…"

Dash felt his phone vibrating in his pocket, and he paled when he remembered how sometimes they couldn't see Digimon due to the digital cloaking. He quickly pulled out his cell phone and had it look up in the direction of the sun.

"What're you doing? This hardly seems like the time to be taking pictures of the sun!" Valerie grumbled.

"J-just… let me see…" Dash said as he brought up the camera function. As soon as he did, he grew as pale as a ghost. "Shit… RUN!" He exclaimed.

There wasn't any time to explain, so Dash grabbed only Valerie and began running, while Labramon pushed Salamon away.

Not 2 seconds later, a big fire ball crashed into the area they were in, causing a bit of a tremble.

Valerie and Salamon were surprised to see that Firamon had nearly crashed into them with his Flame Dive attack, an attack that would have finished them all off with how much of an impact that attack did.

"O-Okay… I take back what I said earlier about the photo thing…" Valerie panted, feeling herself shaking. "That… was way too close for comfort…"

"How did he hide even from my senses?" Salamon frowned.

"Digital cloak…" Labramon answered. "It's difficult to see if you don't notice it. Hiding behind the sun was ingenious. It threw off the glitchiness of the cloak."

"Digital cloak…" Salamon frowned. "That's something Digimon haven't used since the ancient times…"

"It's a shame that I missed," Firamon said as he got out of the crater, and looked at the group. "But I won't miss again. Another player I see."

"Firamon! Surely you recognize me, don't you?" Salamon spoke up in a commanding voice. "You need to stop this! What you're doing is wrong!"

Firamon actually seemed to hesitate, because only one class of Digimon had such a commanding voice and presence. Then, his eyes turned hard. "I see… So you of all Digimon were brainwashed by a human. This is truly a sad day indeed."

"Typical hard headed young Digimon. You're always judging the entire human race over what a few individuals did, then claim the Digimon are brainwashed if they decide to stand by them." Salamon frowned. "You should know that I wouldn't be brainwashed so easily. This human I chose to go with, is someone I trust. She has been working hard to fix the damages these players have done. She even came here with the intent on fixing the Flame Terminal with some friends. But you're trying to stop her."

Firamon growled. "Friends!? That means more humans will be coming back here!?"

"Did you even listen to what I said or are you only hearing what you want to hear!?" Salamon snapped.

"Save your breath, Salamon," Labramon said, standing beside her. "Firamon's already too far gone in his delusion version of justice, and 'fixing' things."

Valerie frowned as she heard this. "Then that means reasoning with Firamon is out of the question, I take it?"

"Yes, it does." Labramon sighed. "As much as I hate to admit it, we can't convince him otherwise."

"But he's so strong now, would we be able to stop him?" Dash frowned.

"We have to at least try, or he'll put more people in danger, specifically my friends." Valerie frowned.

"You want to challenge me? Then bring it on! I'll take on any player and their brainwashed Digimon, whoever they may be!" Firamon roared.

---

Titanic X: ZAFT: Thanks! Then again, this is an AU. XD

DarkFoxKit: I mean the original Grumblemon didn't like humans either, we just changed his reason for not liking them here.

Pokemon fan 1991: ZAFT: Thanks for the compliment on Sam! And you will see what we have planned. XD Don't worry, Tucker will get some development for sure, and you will like how it goes. XD

DarkFoxKit: Unfortunately, because we have so many characters to work with, Tucker and Sam may not get to shine as much as we'd like. We do still try though, but you'll probably notice a decline in Tucker and Sam's appearances as we move on in the story. We're trying to find a balance between characters, which really hasn't been all that easy since we kinda split up the world between the Digital World and Danny Phantom's world. Trust me, it's harder than you think. We want to try to keep the plot consistent, but we also want to give the characters time to shine, and before you know it, we haven't used a character in a long time, so we try to give them time to shine, but then we kinda ignore the other characters we have to do that. So yeah, it's a bit of a mess, but hopefully we can find some kind of work around.

ZAFT: I have experience in juggling characters in large numbers, so that helps us out somewhat at least. XD As Grumblemon, yeah, we kinda changed why he and the other rogue Warriors don't like humans, but they still don't like them. XD Yeah, Takuya has a ways to go to get control of his Beast form, but he will get there. :3 And surprise~ We wanted Jazz to have a Digimon partner, but a different one, and Floramon seemed to be the best pick.

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, giving Sam a Floramon was considered, but it was too obvious. I wanted to give Sam an ironic Digimon, who's not only bright and pink, but she's also a bird of prey. But the Digimon shares Sam's personality, while she is bright and pink, she's not all sunshine and cheerful like Sam's parents are. In fact, she's a pretty tough little bird. And I just like the Biyomon line in general, so I wanted to use her.

Kittylover05: ZAFT: We have a meaty review from Kitty this time! XD

DarkFoxKit: Yup. Hey Kitty, if you have follow up questions after your review, feel free to post them on Discord. But getting into the review now… The whole not being subtle thing with Patamon and Salamon being the other two Celestials was intentional. If we wanted to keep that hidden, we would do a way better job at it. We have the viewers being able to just watch Digimon Frontier at any time in mind, so there wouldn't be a point in hiding it. So it's more of a nod to the viewers that the other two Celestials are indeed with the group, the group themselves just don't realize it. And yes, the drastic measures do get mentioned here and there, and while we don't go into full details about it, there will be enough information from the characters to paint you a gruesome picture on what the drastic measures were.

ZAFT: Onto Valerie! Yes, she is doing the right thing here. XD As for her Digimon partner, that was kinda fitting we thought. The irony of her having a dog-like Digimon as her partner! XD

DarkFoxKit: We actually only recently realized the irony of Valerie having a dog-like Digimon, since I was thinking more of Salamon's future evolution rather than her current state, so that was pretty funny in an unintentional way. In case you were wondering though, Salamon was originally Sam's partner Digimon in the previous story, and Valerie had a Gomamon, which is an aquatic seal-like Digimon.

Tucker and Sam getting more of a moment was to help them gain some character development, and help make their Digimon partners stronger. But, in case you didn't see what I said to the previous reviewer, we have too many characters in the story. So since we aren't focusing too much on Tucker and Sam, they tend to get shoved to the sidelines as the story goes on. We aren't trying to do that on purpose, it's just we're also trying to let other characters shine, but then the characters we have currently get ignored. And we have to keep the plot going, so we can't spend too much time letting every single character have a time to shine either. So try to keep that in mind for future chapters. ^^'

ZAFT: I will say this though, when we do have characters in the spotlight, we try to make it count at least.

DarkFoxKit: Luckily, we do have a bit of a guide when to let a certain character shine in the form of the Danny Phantom episodes, so like the King Tuck episode for example, we can show more of Tucker there, and his point of view on things. And don't worry, we have plans for deconstructing the King Tuck episode. :3

Yeah, Danny Phantom as a show was made by a man who likes dumb humor, and making a lot of male characters idiots, and female characters either too good to be true, or downright evil. We had some good writers who made Danny Phantom the show it became, and why many older teenagers enjoyed it as opposed to the Fairly Odd Parents. That is until season 3 when Butch, the main writer, retconned a lot of things about Danny Phantom that made us fall in love with it in the first place, and really turned up the dumb humor over the wholesome story telling. But we'll talk more about that later. I suppose my own analysis on Danny Phantom as a show is also what made me fall in love with it in the first place. I liked the characters like Jazz and Valerie too, two people you wouldn't think get a lot of attention in the show, and would be just gag side characters, turned out to have so much more to them and I loved it. It wasn't something I would see a lot of in non-anime shows.

ZAFT: As for Sam, yeah, I'm glad you think we're doing good with Sam. :3 I think her opening up to Biyomon was a big step for her as a character here too.

And as for Takuya, yes, he smol, but feisty! XD Flamemon might not be as strong, but he is still a Legendary Warrior.

DarkFoxKit: I'm glad you mentioned Sam eating the digi-meat, I had been unsure if we should've let Sam eat the meat even if it didn't technically come from an animal. I like to imagine Sam used to eat meat when she was a kid, but became a vegetarian when she saw a video of the cute animals getting slaughtered for meat. And this was a good way for her to be able to enjoy the taste of meat again without feeling guilty she was eating an animal. But I'm sure some hardcore vegan or vegetarian, or heck, a hardcore Sam fan, would complain how Sam shouldn't have eaten that meat even if it wasn't made from an animal. But personally I think she enjoys meat, so it'd be a shame if she just never ate any at all ever again.

As for Andy's plan, yeah, he's trying to be logical about it while also trying to find a way to bring back transportation to the Digital World. It would make things a lot easier for them, as well as the Digimon who are not able to travel far on their own. But that would be a funny sign for them to make. XD

ZAFT: As for Technus… you will have to keep reading. All I can say is that we were inspired to use the green mist idea from Digimon Survive. :3

DarkFoxKit: But the mist does have other purposes, it was only inspired by Digimon Survive. But we won't reveal what the mist is or what it does here, as we want that to be revealed in the story. But I will say ghosts have these kinds of effects on the Digital World, which is also why it's important for Danny to be careful with his ghost form while he's there. It's also a good excuse for us to not have Danny use his ghost form while he's here, because so many of the problems would be solved if he could use his ghost form so freely.

ZAFT: So, to keep with Danny not using his ghost form, Technus isn't going to be revealing Danny is a half ghost yet.

Ed: ZAFT: We will see about that. :3 We don't have that far planned in advance yet.

DarkFoxKit: That is even assuming anyone has a royal knight as their partner. Not even the royal knights know they are the royal knights, or were in a past life.