ZAFT: Update Monday is back it seems. :3
DarkFoxKit: For those of you who rather read about Danny Phantom and not the Digimon side of things, I do apologize if you feel the Digimon story has been taking longer than you would've liked. The Digital World arc went on for longer than we anticipated, we also wanted to give some characters a time in the spotlight too. We do hope you're still enjoying the story though.
ZAFT: The DP side will pick up soon, so you will get more ghostly goodness to come~ :3
DarkFoxKit: Indeed, and the reason why Danny (because it could be on people's minds even if they don't voice it to us) doesn't transform is because we can't have him using his ghost form here. Either because there are people here that shouldn't know about his ghost half, or because it would solve a lot of issues too easily that we don't want him solving right now. So Danny isn't likely to be in his Phantom form while he's in the Digital World.
ZAFT: Now, let's get to the chapter! I'm sure they want to read more. XD
(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 35: Help From Above
Agunimon was gathering up some food. He found some non-poisonous mushrooms, some fruit that he wasn't sure if they tasted like meat or not, and he used some of his fire power to boil a small part of the river that was nearby to get a lot of fish out, while boiling them at the same time. When he felt he had enough, he hurried back to the rest of the group.
Tucker, Kokuwamon, Sam, Biyomon, Danny, Patamon, Andy, and Lopmon were all sitting together. Their Digimon partners were wiped out, and injured. The humans had been tending to their Digimon's wounds while Agunimon went out to get some food.
"I still can't believe we managed to get away back there," Tucker remarked.
"Just be glad we had what we needed to create a smoke bomb," Andy said. "Agunimon's flames, Biyomon's twister, Kokuwamon's electricity, and Patamon's air bubble were able to make enough of a smokescreen to let us escape."
"And even though we weren't doing so well, Biyomon and Lopmon weren't able to digivolve back there." Sam frowned. "I'm sure if they had, we would've won, easily."
"It's pretty clear those players had trained their Digimon well. I never knew a Numemon could hit so hard…" Kokuwamon groaned.
Danny grumbled. "And we're just noobs compared to those players. If we had more experience, we would've stood a better chance."
"At least we escaped with our partners in one piece." Sam pointed out. "I wouldn't be able to sleep for weeks if anything happened to Biyomon."
"Sorry we weren't able to digivolve… I was trying, but I don't know why I couldn't…" Biyomon frowned.
"It was like something was blocking us from doing so," Lopmon sighed.
"Probably because we weren't in life threatening danger," Andy pointed out. "Fighting against other players is more of a competition than a life threatening situation."
"So you're saying our Digimon can only digivolve if we're in a life threatening situation?" Tucker frowned.
"I'm saying until we can train our partners to be able to digivolve without needing us to be in danger, yeah, it's likely they'll only be able to digivolve if we're in a life threatening situation," Andy sighed.
Agunimon sat down as he started handing out the food to each Digimon to eat. He gave the rest of the food to Danny, Andy, Sam, and Tucker, as well as some for himself.
"At least food is plentiful around here," Patamon said, wanting to see a silver lining in all of this.
"I just hope those players aren't nearby. We can't afford to be roped into another battle right now." Lopmon frowned as he began to chew on some of the boiled fish.
"Even I had issues with the player I fought against." Agunimon said as he began to chow down on a boiled fish as well. "I thought being a Legendary Warrior would've given me more of an edge, but I guess my opponent was strong enough to match me."
"At least you can fight on your own." Danny grumbled.
"So we'll have to start training our Digimon then?" Sam asked as she gave all her fish to Biyomon since she was still a vegan after all, she began munching on some of the fruits instead. "But how? I don't want to just have them fight against other Digimon like this was some kind of video game like the other players do."
"There are ways to get Digimon stronger without fighting needless battles," Patamon said as he munched on some of the mushrooms. "Fighting against other Digimon is usually the best way to get stronger, but we don't need to fight against any Digimon we come across in the wild, or in towns. You've been to a gym before, right? Gyms are great ways to help Digimon get stronger, learn how to use their techniques, and be able to increase their defense, attacks, and stamina. Gyms can also have Digimon trained for combat to spar with us to help us get stronger, so that way we can still fight against Digimon without really hurting anyone. Problem is, gyms usually cost money, and they can get expensive."
"And we don't have much money…" Tucker groaned.
Agunimon was looking down at the ground in thought, pondering what Patamon had said. "Yeah… But the benefits would benefit us so much." He admitted.
"Are there any ways to train without having to blow a lot of money? Or are there any ways to make money quickly?" Lopmon asked. "We're also kinda on a schedule. The longer we take to find Megadramon, the more damage he could be doing to our world."
"We'll have to take care of Megadramon before we focus on any long term training," Kokuwamon spoke up as Tucker gave him a few spare batteries to suck energy. "By my calculations, unless someone else stops him before we do, he'll likely have half of the Digital World glitching out or swallowed by the fog if we take longer than 5 days to get to him."
"So our choices are pretty limited right now," Danny chuckled slightly. "What else is new?"
Agunimon sighed. "If we're on a time frame, we can't waste time training, as much as I hate to admit it. Megadramon comes first."
"We can figure out the players and the training conundrum once we get the immediate threat out of the way," Andy agreed. "For now, let's eat up and get going. We don't want to keep Valerie waiting for us."
Danny and the others all nodded in agreement.
"The sooner we can get to the Flame Terminal, the better." Danny said.
The group continued to eat in silence for a few more moments, trying to finish up their meal before heading on to the Flame Terminal.
The group walked for some time, trying to stay in the more secluded places so they wouldn't run into any more players.
"How long do you think we have before we have to go back home?" Sam asked Tucker. "I rather not have my parents call the national guard just to look for me."
Tucker gave a look of sympathy to Sam. "Dude… Your parents sound like they are kinda paranoid about your safety."
"Don't remind me." Sam grumbled. "It's so annoying! I love my parents, I really do, but they like to smother me with their brand of affection a little too much."
"They definitely sound insufferable since your desire for freedom is what helped me digivolved in the first place," Biyomon noted.
"But to answer your question, Sam… I'd say we have about 4, maybe 5 more days before it starts to get late in our world and our parents will be wondering where we are," Tucker answered.
"Then we better make this quick… The problem is trying to stay hidden from players is making us take the long way…" Patamon frowned.
Lopmon was grumbling as he was getting tired of walking. His short legs weren't meant to walk for long periods of time. Andy, noticing Lopmon's fatigue, picked up the little bunny. "We live in a society where we rely on vehicles to get us to places. Having to walk such long distances isn't really doing us any favors. We have to take frequent breaks or we risk exhausting ourselves."
"But we can't stop. If we're to stop Megadramon, we have to keep moving." Agunimon pointed out.
"Says the one who is still in his Digimon form." Danny huffed. "You have greater endurance than the rest of us right now, so of course, you're not feeling so affected."
Agunimon folded his arms, pouting slightly. "You're really in a bad mood, aren't you?" He grumbled back.
They began hearing what sounded like screaming, and yelling, from above.
"Do you hear that?" Lopmon asked.
"I hear… something?" Biyomon frowned.
"Affirmative. There are voices yelling in the sky over our heads," Kokuwamon stated.
Agunimon looked up, trying to see who, or what, was yelling above them. His bright blue eyes narrowed as he tried to pick out the source of the yelling. "It's close by…" He muttered before he saw who was yelling.
Agunimon could see the Digimon that was yelling. It had a light blue body and a dark blue underbelly. The wings were red, and it had a red and yellow tail fin. It had hair that matched its tail color scheme, and the upper face was all white. It had red eyes and a light blue lower jaw. The wings were a dark orange color as well.
"I see it! That's a Digimon! That's the source of the yelling!" Agunimon exclaimed.
"What's it doing?" Tucker blinked. "What's it yelling at?"
The Digimon was flying around in an erratic pattern, yelling at something the group couldn't see.
"It's falling… right to us!" Danny gasped.
"Scatter!" Andy shouted.
Everyone ran in different directions as the big Digimon fell to the ground, leaving a bit of a crater.
"Ugh… Is everyone alright?" Agunimon asked once he had managed to get back to his feet after hitting the ground thanks to the impact throwing him from his feet beforehand.
"I think so…" Danny muttered, suddenly glad he had been forced to train with Andy while as a human. "Andy's training came in handy that time…"
"I'll live…" Tucker muttered from where he had been thrown to the ground.
"I'm fine." Sam said, getting back to her own feet. "But dang… that was quite the crash."
"We're all fine too," Biyomon said.
"But what crashed?" Lopmon questioned.
"That's what we're going to find out," Andy said. "Cautiously."
Everyone slowly walked over to the edges of the crater, looking over at the Digimon that crashed down.
"That's… an Airdramon," Biyomon noted right away when she looked at it. "We have a neighbor who's an Airdramon back home."
"Airdramon, huh?" Danny noted. "That's an interesting looking Digimon."
"But why did Airdramon crash like that?" Sam wondered.
"I'm going in." Agunimon said, preparing to slide down into the crater. "I want to see if there's a reason Airdramon crashed."
"Be careful, we don't know if this is a hostile Airdramon," Kokuwamon warned.
Agunimon approached the seemingly unconscious Airdramon, one of its red wings had its face covered up. The Airdramon didn't look like it had any wounds.
Slowly, Agunimon crept closer, his guard up. So far so good… I don't see any injuries… But if that's the case, then why did this Digimon fall down like that?
Carefully, Agunimon reached out with his hand, not sure if it was a trap or not. He hesitated for a few moments before making up his mind. He carefully put his hand on Airdramon's side.
The Airdramon didn't react, it stayed still.
Andy was looking at the wing that was covering the Airdramon's face. He narrowed his eyes, wondering why the Airdramon was yelling earlier, and why it crashed. Something had to have happened.
"Try moving the wing off of its face," Andy suggested. "You'll want to examine its full body to see what's wrong."
Agunimon nodded and made his way around to Airdramon's face. Once in front of Airdramon's face, Agunimon carefully reached out and touched the wing. As there was no movement, Agunimon slowly moved the wing aside to see if Airdramon was injured anywhere on its face.
What Agunimon found horrified him more than an injury. He saw a big, black collar around the Airdramon's neck. A collar that looked an awful lot like those slave collars Leomon had mentioned before.
"Shit!" Agunimon swore. "There's a slave collar on this Digimon!"
"A slave collar?" Biyomon frowned.
"Then… was he yelling at a player who was trying to enslave him?" Danny asked.
"... Where's that player now?" Lopmon questioned.
Airdramon's eyes began to open.
"Agunimon! Get out of there!" Patamon shouted.
Taking no time to hesitate, Agunimon was in motion not even a second after Patamon shouted at him to move. The Legendary Warrior of Flame rolled out of the way and used the momentum of his roll to get to his feet and push himself out of the crater not even a second after he got to his feet again. Agunimon knew he had seen the slight hint of a red glow from Airdramon's eyes.
"This is not good… We're about to face an enslaved Digimon…" Agunimon growled out.
Airdramon began to fly up from the small crater, looking around his surroundings.
"Should we run?" Tucker asked. "What level is an Airdramon?"
"They're Champion level Digimon," Kokuwamon answered.
"Why can't we ever just fight a Rookie level?" Danny grumbled.
"I don't know if running is going to be so easy, this thing can fly," Lopmon frowned.
"Then we have to find a way to ground Airdramon." Tucker noted. "But out of all of our Digimon, only Biyomon can fly and reach Champion level."
"The slave collar is the target though. Our Digimon may not have to digivolve, and they are faster as Rookies." Danny pointed out.
"Shh! It looks like it's doing something. It hasn't attacked us yet," Andy pointed out.
The Airdramon was indeed looking around, it didn't seem to have noticed them there. Airdramon let out a hiss before he tried to fly up again, only to suddenly fly in an erratic pattern, and fell back to the earth again, writhing around like a fish that was pulled out of the water.
"What's wrong with Airdramon?" Biyomon asked in concern.
"He seems to be in pain." Sam frowned.
"I think he's trying to resist the collar," Patamon answered. "The slave collars don't usually take over a Digimon's mind right away."
"Can we destroy it then?" Lopmon asked.
"Maybe, I'm not sure how dense the metal of the collar is." Patamon frowned. "But we'll likely have to use enough power that could seriously injure Airdramon if we miss the collar."
"Then getting in close to do it may be our best bet." Agunimon said, remembering his fights with dragon Andy and Danny. "If I can get onto Airdramon's back, I should be able to destroy that collar with my Pyro Punch."
"Hey! You're not destroying that collar I worked so hard to get on that monster!" A voice that sounded very nasally shouted from the sky.
Everyone looked up to see a fat looking kid who looked to be around the age of 10 or 11, was riding one some kind of hoverboard. The kid appeared to be wearing fancy looking clothes.
"And who are you?" Sam frowned, already getting the spoiled, bratty vibe from this kid.
"You may call me Theodore Minerals~ I'm sure you've heard of me," The boy grinned.
"No, I can't say I have," Tucker replied.
"Wait…" Sam spoke up. "I don't know this kid, but I know the name. Minerals, one of the richest families in America. They're well known for their diamond mines. My parents would sometimes socialize with them."
"Your parents would what?" Danny blinked.
"I knew my family name would be brought up~ I'm glad I had this avatar custom made to look exactly like the real me. It wanted to change my clothes when I entered, how rude," Theodore remarked. "My helmet and my computer were custom made to run extremely well, using cutting edge technology. So all of you could be lagging behind me right now. And… What are those plush toys? Your partners? I guess I'll give you the armor man at least."
"Hey! We're not plush toys!" Lopmon snapped.
Biyomon, Patamon, and Kokuwamon also felt insulted.
"How rude. I am not a plush toy. I am a mechanical insectoid Digimon. Not a part of me is made of plush." Kokuwamon stated.
"I think the kid was saying that as an insult… no need to take it seriously, Kokuwamon." Tucker said with a sweat-drop running down the side of his head.
Agunimon growled. "You don't know who I am then, do you?" He growled out. If this kid likes to brag about how great he is, he's in for a rude awakening when facing a Legendary Warrior…
"Do you even have a partner? I see one cute little Digimon for each human, except for you. Maybe they have a leash on you," Theodore chuckled.
Agunimon was starting to steam.
"Oh yeah!? Well where's your partner Digimon then?" Danny snapped, starting to lose his cool as well.
"Why, this big, strong, flying dinosaur of course!" Theodore replied, gesturing to the Airdramon in the crater. "Well it will be soon, once the slave collar fully kicks in."
"What? You don't even have a partner Digimon? You just threw a collar at the Airdramon?" Sam snapped. "You couldn't even try to battle it first?"
"Please, how else am I going to get my first Digimon?" Theodore rolled his eyes. "Find a cute, little weak Digimon, promise it many things to make it happy so it'll fight for me only to lose to the next 10 players? I don't think so. I'm picking my first Digimon, and I decided on this strong one when I first laid eyes on it! Good thing I was able to spend money on some microtransactions for this sweet hoverboard to fly after it."
"Microtransactions?" Tucker frowned. "I wasn't aware that Ruler of a Digital World had those."
"This kid is really getting on my nerves…" Biyomon grumbled.
"You're not the only one…" Agunimon muttered under his breath in agreement. At least it doesn't seem this kid has heard of the Legendary Warriors… If he found out, who knows what he would do to the other Warriors… or me…
Agunimon and Danny noticed how quiet Andy's been since Theodore's arrival. Andy seemed to be studying the kid, and Airdramon. Andy went over to Tucker and whispered something to him.
"It's not my fault that you're too ignorant to know the ins and outs of the game," Theodore continued. "Are you noobs? You must be or you'd have much cooler and stronger Digimon as your partners. I guess you had to go and catch this armored one just to stand a chance out there. Got beaten up by other players, huh?"
That comment stung more because of how true that was when they got beaten by their last encounter with players. Not to mention they struggled against a player who became Megadramon, and was still out there.
For Agunimon however, the comment about 'being caught' stung more than the last sentence did. He clenched his fists, trying to keep himself in check, but it was not so easy. "I was not caught by these guys. I chose to help them out of my own accord." He said through gritted teeth.
"Maybe we should have a battle with you if you think we're so weak!" Biyomon challenged.
"Oh, I'm so scared, look at the pretty pink birdie wanting to pick a fight," Theodore laughed. "Do you honestly believe you're a match for my big dragon?"
Theodore looked back at his prize. "Rise up now, my pet!"
Airdramon was slowly floating up into the air behind Theodore.
The others began to prepare for battle, including Agunimon, who was ready to shut this kid up. Andy suddenly held out his hand in front of Agunimon. "Hold it."
Agunimon blinked. "H-huh? W-why?" He asked, shocked at what Andy was saying to him. However, he was not as surprised as he should've been, because he had the feeling Andy had a plan, and if Andy had a plan, then he had to listen.
"Trust me," Andy replied before he walked a little closer to Theodore. "That's a pretty impressive Digimon you have there. I'll bet he's pretty strong, and that's why you chose to go with him, right?
Theodore grinned at seeing one of the noobs praising him. "Of course! I only want the best of the best, not some weakling Digimon."
"Say that again to my face!" Biyomon snapped.
"Oh yeah, I'm sure that's a good tactic. Being a new player to the game, you want to have as big advantage as you can get. Why start with a small Digimon and have to bond with them when you can just throw money at the game and obtain another way of getting an already strong Digimon to do your bidding, right?" Andy replied, crossing his arms. "Big, strong, impressive, intimidating, those are what you want in your partner, right? You don't need anything else?"
"No, I do not. I want the strongest Digimon I can find. What more do I need?" Theodore commented. "After all, only the best deserve the best."
"Well, you might want to rethink that," Andy replied. "Because a Digimon who's bonded to you would love to help you out as a friend of their own free will. But a Digimon bounded to you by a slave collar, well, let's just say you better hope that nothing happens to that collar, or the Digimon will be after your cute little head. And did I mention that small, and the so-called 'weak' Digimon have ways to get past the defenses of the ignorant?"
It was then the others noticed Lopmon was on Airdramon's back, putting something on his slave collar, while Airdramon just stayed still in the air, waiting for the boy's instructions.
Agunimon caught on to Andy's plan and a smirk crossed his lips. Now I see… Nice thinking, Andy! He felt pride at how well Andy was handling the situation growing in his chest. It really showed how smart Andy truly was, even if the boy didn't know it.
Danny also caught on to the plan and grinned as well. He knew his brother could be sneaky, but this? This tactic really took the cake. You really know how to plan, Andy. I'm glad you're on our side in this fight. Danny thought with pride; he also felt a funny vibration in his chest, but he brushed it off as adrenaline for the time being.
"What the? What did you have your little bunny do?" Theodore demanded as Lopmon jumped down from Airdramon's back, using his ears as parachutes to land on Andy's head.
"I just had Lopmon here put a little chip on Airdramon's collar," Andy replied. "It's only a tiny chip, nothing to worry about right? Oh, wait, did I forget to mention that the chip was made to disrupt the mechanics of something… like say… a slave collar?"
"That was my invention, figured it would come in handy in case we faced Skulker again, but this works too." Tucker grinned as he began to push a button on his PDA.
As soon as Tucker pressed the button on his PDA, the chip activated, sending out its signal to disrupt the slave collar.
Danny busted a gut laughing at Theodore's expression on his face; the younger boy looked like he had swallowed so many sour candies, his cheeks were so red and puffed out.
Sam looked at Andy. "You're scary, Andy… And I mean that in a good way."
"Me? Scary? Nah, that can't be me," Andy flushed.
The chip sent out a small bit of electricity through the collar, causing it to unlock and fall off of the Airdramon's neck. The Airdramon's eyes immediately turned to Theodore.
"No, you're cheating! You can't just pull a chip out your butt like that!" Theodore shouted. "Put that collar back on!"
Theodore looked at Airdramon. "I am your master! You will obey me!"
"Master? That's not how it works. Digimon should be your partner, not your slave or pet," Patamon stated. "You reap what you sow."
Agunimon couldn't help but grin like an idiot. "I may be a Legendary Warrior, but I'm not helping you out of this mess." He said cheekily.
Danny was too busy laughing to even comment on the situation. "Oh… Oh gosh… His face! He looked like he ate a bag of sour candies!" He howled, trying to get his laughter control, but failing.
Theodore frowned as he heard the words 'Legendary Warrior' from Agunimon just before Airdramon used his tail to whip Theodore's hoverboard away, sending the squirt into the sky.
"Stupid kid…" Airdramon grumbled. "Thinks he could control me…"
"But it was entertaining to see his reactions." Agunimon said with a grin.
"I know the kid was annoying, and was definitely showing his ignorance, but you shouldn't underestimate him," Andy warned. "Lopmon and I got lucky. The kid was distracted bragging and showing off Airdramon that he didn't notice what we were doing. But that may not happen again."
Danny sighed. "At least we won't have to worry about that kid again for a while, if at all."
Andy looked at Danny for a moment. "I don't know about that. I just have a feeling that kid isn't going to let this go so easily."
"I'm glad we were able to free you," Patamon said to Airdramon. "But since we were able to free you, perhaps you could give us a favor?"
"Of course. You saved me from that dumb player." Airdramon said. "If there's a favor you need, I will do my best to help you."
"Could you give us a ride to the Flame Terminal's Trailmon station?" Patamon requested. "We need to get there as quickly as possible."
"Is that all?" Airdramon laughed. "I can get you lot there easily!"
"Really? Can you carry all of us?" Tucker asked, surprised.
"Some of us can fly as well," Kokuwamon reminded. "We can fly nearby if we're all too heavy."
"Yeah, but I don't know if we'll be able to keep up." Biyomon frowned.
"No worries. I can carry you lot easily." Airdramon replied easily. "If some of you need to fly, it wouldn't be too hard to keep pace with me. I'll have you know I used to work as a delivery mon. I had to carry all sorts of heavy cargo and packages around the Digital World when the Trailmon just wouldn't be enough."
"Really? Then that definitely makes this easier for us." Sam smiled. "Talk about a lucky encounter, am I right?"
"Then let's not waste anymore time and get on," Patamon pointed out.
Airdramon laid on the ground to allow the humans and Digimon to climb on his back. "Try not to grab onto my wings, I need those for flying."
Agunimon nodded as he sat down in front. "We'll try." He said as he gripped Airdramon's hair. Andy slid behind Agunimon, gripping the Warrior of Flame's waist so he didn't fall off when they took off. Lopmon was on Andy's head the whole time, gripping Andy's hair. Tucker was behind Andy, and Sam behind Tucker. Danny was behind Sam, blushing as he held onto Sam's waist.
Oh… Oh man… I'm holding onto Sam… Danny thought, trying to keep his mind focused on staying on Airdramon.
"We're all set." Tucker said with a grin.
"Then prepare for take off!" Airdramon announced as he spread out his wings and began to fly up into the air.
Airdramon flew up, up, up into the sky. Soon, the ground grew small. The group could see the trees of where they were. Airdramon flew up into the clouds.
"My apologies, us bigger Digimon that can fly have a new rule to fly over the clouds so the players have a harder time finding us!" Airdramon explained, trying to talk over the wind. "I got unlucky when that snot nose brat found me!"
"How did he find you?!" Agunimon asked, curious as to how a Digimon flying out of sight could be found. "Did you not get above the clouds in time or something?!"
"I was coming in for a landing actually!" Airdramon answered back. "Of course we can't keep flying forever! Landing is dangerous because while the players can't see us, we can't see the players either until we get too close!"
Agunimon looked down in thought, realizing that made a ton of sense.
"This is so cool!" Tucker exclaimed. "We're up so high! It's like we're the kings of the world at this height!"
"Let's not get too carried away, Tuck!" Danny retorted back. Aw man… Why did I have to sit at the back?! Sure, I am half ghost, but that doesn't mean I can fly as a human!
"What? Are you afraid of heights? The irony…" Tucker snickered.
"No! I just don't want to push our luck!" Danny huffed.
"I have to admit, while I had want to fly myself before, I've never been so high up," Sam admitted sheepishly. "Well, this high up without being on a plane that is. It's a bit intimidating!"
"Don't worry, Sam, I'll make sure to catch you if you fall!" Biyomon promised.
"I'd like to fly too one day…" Lopmon pouted.
"Hey, Lopmon? Can you not pull so hard on my hair, please?" Andy requested.
"Sorry, Andy…" Lopmon apologized, loosening his grip slightly.
"You doing okay back there, guys?" Agunimon asked the others.
"I believe we are all fine at the moment!" Kokuwamon answered. "We are also keeping our partners safe if they should fall!"
"You best save your voices when we get to the Flame Terminal! At this speed, we should get there in about 10 to 15 minutes!" Patamon yelled over the winds.
The others all nodded, deciding to keep quiet for the rest of the trip so they didn't risk making their voices overstrained by talking over the wind speed.
While they were flying, Andy began thinking to himself. To be able to fly over the world like this… I wonder if this is what Danny sees whenever he flies over Amity Park. Has he ever flown above the clouds before? It's a bit unfortunate that my partner can't fly, even in his Champion form. Otherwise maybe I could join Danny in the sky.
Agunimon also seemed to be lost in his thoughts, which were also on flying. Flying's always been something I wanted to do since I found out I could Spirit Evolve… But… now that I have my Beast Spirit, which would allow me to fly… I'm finding I'm more comfortable on the ground… I… I don't… Is it even worth it? Agunimon thought to himself, his thoughts shifting to his Beast Spirit. I… I don't know… I… I don't want to use that Spirit unless there's no other option… Not if Andy or the others could be hurt because of it…
Tucker was more than happy to be flying through the air, even if it was on another Digimon. He was still somewhat jealous of Danny being able to fly like this on a daily basis, but then again, what teen wouldn't be jealous about that? Then again, no one else had a friend who was half ghost, so he wouldn't really know.
Tucker thought back on Kokuwamon and Andy's suggestion before. They had talked about it the night before when the others were asleep. Andy knew battling against Technus while he was fused with the body of a Digimon would be too dangerous for them, so he asked if Tucker and Kokuwamon could make something that may be able to disrupt a Digimon's digital data enough to paralyze Megadramon, or shut him down so they could find a way to separate Technus from Megadramon, and hopefully the human too. Tucker and Kokuwamon had been making a few prototypes, which was what Andy and Lopmon used to free Airdramon from the slave collar earlier. Though Tucker doubted that would be enough to stop Megadramon. He hoped that he and Kokuwamon could find better materials to use once they got to the Flame Terminal.
"We will be landing soon!" Airdramon announced. "Brace yourselves!"
Airdramon began to descend from the clouds, hoping there weren't any players nearby… well, any players that intend to try to capture him.
Agunimon looked down, seeing the ground beginning to come into view. They were still very high up in the air, which made him somewhat nervous, but it seemed like they were in the clear, since he didn't sense anyone in the area.
Danny, for his part, felt glad to see the ground was slowly getting closer and closer. He would be much happier on the ground when he was human, thank you very much! Not that he had any issues with flying, he just felt paranoid about not being able to save anyone if they fell.
Sam felt kind of sad the trip was almost over, because she loved seeing the beauty of the forest from the sky while below the clouds.
As they got closer to the village, they saw a lot of small entities moving around, like they were doing something.
"The Flame Terminal is home to many young Digimon. They live near the Trailmon station, though they had been trying to rebuild after the mess the first players made when they came into our world," Airdramon explained. "But…"
Airdramon frowned when he saw the state the village was in. "I don't remember the village looking like it was burned down when the players raided the place."
Airdramon landed, causing the Poyomon and Pagumon that were there to look up, curious.
Agunimon looked around, taking in the sight of the damage himself. "Maybe something happened while we were not here…" He mused, a frown on his face.
"Yeah, but what happened here is the question." Danny added, feeling like they had missed something big.
"Well, whatever happened, it sure made a mess of the place." Tucker noted.
"Valerie should be here," Andy noted as they got off of Airdramon.
"Was there a really big fire?" Lopmon frowned as he hopped down from Andy's head, landing in front of one of the Poyomon. "Hey, what happened here?"
A Bukamon floated over to Lopmon. "Are you… players? Are you here to hurt us?"
"No, no, we all come in peace," Tucker quickly spoke up.
"It's true, we're not here to hurt anyone," Danny agreed.
"Now please, someone tell us what happened here," Biyomon said.
"It's a long story…" Bukamon answered. "A lot of us are busy trying to rebuild our village."
"Were you attacked?" Andy questioned.
"We were…" Bukamon frowned before he saw Agunimon and quickly moved back nervously. "F-Firamon?"
The other small Digimon quickly moved away from them, looking rather scared.
Agunimon blinked. "W-what? Who's Firamon?" He asked as he slid off of Airdramon. He clearly looked confused as to what was going on. "I'm not this Firamon. My name is Agunimon."
"Agunimon?" A new Digimon asked, walking up to the group.
The group saw a dog Digimon walking up to them.
"Hello, I'm Labramon," The canine Digimon introduced. "You say you're Agunimon, right? As in the Legendary Warrior of Flame?"
"Y-yeah. That's me." Agunimon confirmed, somewhat relieved to hear one of the Digimon of this place didn't assume he was this Firamon. "Sorry… I'm just confused as to why I was assumed to be this Firamon."
"I apologize, we're recovering from a battle against a fire Digimon called Firamon," Labramon explained. "He looks very similar to you, only more beast-like. I only knew of you because your Spirit was once held deep within the Flame Terminal."
"Really?" Agunimon blinked, surprised. "I… I didn't know that. I mean… I found my Spirit in the human world."
"You said that you were attacked by a Digimon called Firamon?" Andy asked.
"Yes," Labramon confirmed.
"Tucker, do you think you could look up Firamon on your PDA or something?" Andy asked.
"I can give you the necessary data for your PDA," Kokuwamon informed.
"That would be great Kokuwamon." Tucker said with a grin. "I'm kinda curious about this Firamon myself."
Kokuwamon touched Tucker's PDA, and a holographic version of Firamon appeared, showing the group what Firamon looked like. The PDA gave them info on Firamon's attacks and level as well.
"So it was a fire lion, and a Champion level," Lopmon noted.
"Why would Firamon do that much damage to this village?" Biyomon questioned.
"He used to live here…" Labramon frowned. "He was a Coronamon before he became Firamon. He lost his family when the players raided our home. Ever since then, he had been trying to rebuild our village and the station by taking new players that arrived here, and taking their avatar's fractal code to rebuild. He had been doing it for a while. But… his mind had been warped by the need of vengeance, and perhaps absorbing some of the fractal code may have messed with his mind as well. He wanted to kill any human he saw, as well as any Digimon who stood in his way."
Danny frowned at hearing this. "That's… definitely messed up…" In a way, it's like that fruit loop Vlad, but not the exact same thing…
"I can see why you thought I was Firamon for a moment." Agunimon noted as he looked at the image. "He does look a bit like me."
"But why would he destroy this village if he was trying to rebuild it?" Sam questioned.
"It was because of me. I stopped him from trying to kill another human," Labramon answered. "Not only did I defy him and his goals, I stood up for the human. Coronamon became so angry that he digivolved into Firamon, and began to lose control. He began using his fire attacks on us, burning the village at the same time. Neither of us could've gotten out alive if it weren't for Salamon and her human partner coming to our aid."
"Valerie and Salamon helped you guys? Where are they now?" Andy asked in concern.
"Last I checked, they went into the woods to look for lost Pagumon, and to keep them away from the green fog," Labramon answered.
"That green fog is here?" Agunimon asked, feeling himself getting tense.
"Aw man… Why does that green fog seem to appear wherever we go?" Tucker groaned. "We can't seem to escape from it!"
"Calm down, Tucker. Just because the fog was seen close by doesn't mean it is going to come into this village." Sam reassured Tucker.
"But it's concerning that the fog was seen nearby." Patamon frowned before he looked at Labramon. "How did you manage to drive away Firamon? I don't see him now, so you must've done something to drive him away, didn't you?"
Labramon frowned.
"Did Valerie manage to drive him off? Did Salamon digivolve and fight with him?" Patamon questioned.
"No," Labramon replied. "We didn't drive Firamon off. I had to kill him, and return him to being a Digi-Egg."
Everyone there was silent for a few moments before the ice was finally broken by Sam. "Well… that got dark quite quickly." She said in an attempt to lighten the mood, much to her surprise.
"How were you… able to finish Firamon off?" Danny asked, blinking. "No offense, but… uh… you don't really look like you could fight off a Champion level Digimon… could you?"
"You'd be right, I can't," Labramon agreed. "I only managed to finish him off because I had help."
"And who was your help?" Danny asked, wondering who helped Labramon besides Valerie and Salamon.
"And are they close by?" Agunimon added, also curious.
"My partner," Labramon replied. "And he's helping with some construction work. But he doesn't feel comfortable talking to you."
"Why?" Danny asked. "I mean, I would love to meet your partner."
"You say your partner helped you fight Firamon and save the village, right?" Lopmon asked curiously.
"Yes. He didn't have to, but he stuck with me despite the risk of being burned to death, and that helped me digivolve," Labramon answered. "As for 'why', he just says he doesn't feel ready to face you. Especially you… or you."
Labramon looked between Danny and Andy.
The twins looked at Labramon at the same time, each raising an eyebrow at the same time.
Agunimon saw the twins' reaction and snickered a bit to himself.
"Um… okay…" Danny said, not wanting to push the subject any further, but he was still curious about who Labramon's partner was now.
"So it's definitely someone we know," Andy remarked. "Although I can't really think of anyone I know who would say they didn't feel ready to face us. It's not like we're popular at school or are hard to approach." Unless they somehow know Danny's secret and are both scared of him, and admire him. Labramon didn't seem sure which of us her partner meant.
"But… he says he knows you guys likely don't mean any harm," Labramon said. "So if he trusts you, then I can too. But what's your business here?"
"Allow me to explain," Patamon spoke up, landing in front of Labramon, though he was a lot shorter than she was. "We are here to try to help fix up the Trailmon station to get the Trailmon running again. We are in desperate need to use Trailmon again to get to the Rose Morning Star. There is a situation going on there that needs our attention."
Agunimon nodded. "And the sooner we can address this situation, the better. We're already running on borrowed time as it is."
"The Rose Morning Star?" Airdramon spoke up. "You want to go there? Are you sure? That used to be Cherubimon's castle, but it's now taken over by players."
"Yes. Well it's not the castle we're interested in, but a Digimon that we were told was heading in that direction. A very dangerous Digimon," Patamon answered.
Airdramon frowned. "If you're pressed for time, I can take you there myself. But I won't get too close to the castle. It would take too long to rebuild the entire station."
"Are you sure?" Lopmon asked.
"Yes, but…" Airdramon looked at the group. "While it wasn't too bad carrying all of you for a short distance, the Rose Morning Star is much further. I doubt I would have enough stamina to carry all of you there."
"So that means we'll have to choose a group to go directly to the Rose Morning Star, and face off against Megadramon," Andy concluded. "How many can you carry?"
"If I include your partner Digimon, about 3 players with their Digimon," Airdramon answered.
"So, who will be going then?" Danny asked, looking around at his friends and family.
The group looked down, each trying to come with a plan on who would go and why.
As Andy looked at the others, it was clear that everybody wanted to go face off against Megadramon. It was no secret that they all felt responsible for letting Technus into the Digital World, even if it wasn't their fault.
"How can we just decide that?" Sam frowned. "We all wanted to face off against Megadramon. And Andy, didn't you say that we all needed to be together to face off against Megadramon?"
"Megadramon is an amalgamate between a ghost, a human, and a Digimon," Andy reminded. "None of our Digimon were able to digivolve past their Rookie level at the time. But we had grown since then, we began figuring out possible weaknesses he could have."
"Since they're not stable, they're prone to glitches," Patamon said.
"And that gives us the chance to shut him down," Kokuwamon added. "Admittedly, the fewer of us there are, the less risk it would be to get one of our devices on him."
"But I don't know if these will be enough. The slave collar was one thing, but Megadramon is a powerful beast." Tucker frowned.
"Whatever you guys decide, just know this; I'm going. That's not open for debate," Agunimon stated firmly. "No offense to you guys, but Andy, you and Sam haven't quite been able to get your partners to digivolve by will yet. So I'm the strongest one among us. I'm your best bet of fighting him."
"Once Kokuwamon and I manage to tweak our sabotaging device… hmm… I think I'll call it the Foley Data Scrambler, or the FDS for short, we should go too," Tucker volunteered.
"Are you sure? Kokuwamon haven't been able to digivolve yet, you may not last long against Megadramon," Sam pointed out. "Also, nice name, though you're starting to sound like Mr. and Mrs. Fenton with how they name every invention they make with their names."
"I am? Oh gosh! I don't know if I should be alarmed or excited!" Tucker exclaimed, both in exasperation and with a grin on his face.
Agunimon chuckled at Tucker's comment. "It's not a bad thing for this time, but try to not make it a habit." He said with a grin.
Tucker cleared his throat, knowing this was probably not the best time to get off topic. "I'm aware of the dangers, but… we don't all need to go in with powerful Digimon. Like Kokuwamon said, it would be easier if there's less of us. Megadramon may not register us as a threat, so it'll be easier to get close to him to implant the FDS on him."
"Like Andy did with Airdramon and his slave collar." Danny realized. "Wow, Tuck… That's actually a good reason for you to go."
"Well, Kokuwamon and I are the ones who know how the FDS works better than anyone, so of course we should go with to stop Megadramon." Tucker said with pride.
"So we have two who are going." Agunimon noted, counting off who was going. "Tucker and Kokuwamon are in because of the FDS."
"So who should the last pair be?" Lopmon frowned.
Andy, Danny, and Sam all looked at each other.
"If I could digivolve by will, I could help fly the rest of us to the Rose Morning Star." Biyomon frowned.
"Even if you could, you'd have to fly for quite a bit. I'm not sure if you'd be able to hold your form for that long," Patamon pointed out. "At least without the proper training."
"Don't worry, Biyomon." Sam reassured her partner Digimon. "We'll learn how to digivolve you at will soon enough."
Biyomon smiled at Sam. "Thanks, Sam."
"But the question still remains, who will go with Agunimon and Tucker?" Andy asked.
Danny thought about it. He hadn't tried going ghost yet in the Digital World, but if Tucker's 'Foley Data Scrambler' doesn't work, he may need to go himself. He had the best chance to get Technus out of Megadramon. But at the same time… he didn't know what would happen to him if he went into Megadramon's body. If Technus fused with the Digimon just by going into its body, then there was a good chance Danny could make things worse. Not to mention, Patamon would finally know his secret, although Danny wasn't as concerned about that right now.
Before Danny could speak up, both he and Andy's cell phones beeped, indicating they got a text message.
"What was that?" Biyomon asked, surprised by the noise.
"A text message? We could get text messages in the Digital World?" Andy blinked.
"I didn't think that was possible." Danny added as he took out his phone. Sure enough, there was a text on the screen, and it was from Jazz. "Huh… Jazz is texting us."
Andy took out his cell phone to see what she said. "What?"
"What's wrong?" Sam asked in concern.
Andy and Danny both furrowed their eyebrows.
"Jazz told us that she almost got ran over by a roller coaster at the fair, but this biker guy called 'Johnny 13' saved her, and she's letting us know she's going to invite him to our house," Andy replied.
"Wait… What?!" Agunimon asked, surprised at the fact Jazz was almost run over by a roller coaster. "Is she okay?!"
"Calm down, you big lug. Jazz is fine if she can text us." Danny said. "Although… I'm now wondering if she is really okay, myself."
"And it's not like Jazz to invite someone she just met to our house, even if he did save her life," Andy added, finding the whole thing suspicious. "One of us needs to go back and check on her, and see who this Johnny 13 is."
"But who will go back?" Danny asked Andy. "You or me?"
Lopmon and Patamon looked at each other. Patamon, as ashamed as he was to admit it to himself, he was too weak to deal with Megadramon. If he went now, he would be slaughtered. He had a duty to the Digital World, and he couldn't carry it out if he had to start over as a baby. Lopmon had shown he was capable of handling himself, and keep Andy safe. He had done it before, he could do it again.
Lopmon could tell Patamon was contemplating something as he looked at him. "Do you want to go with Danny, Patamon?"
"Why ask me that?" Patamon questioned.
"You've stuck with him since you agreed to let him take care of you," Lopmon stated. "You could've left him at any time when we came back here, but you didn't. And… you know you can't take on Megadramon as you are, don't you?"
Patamon nodded, trying to hide the burning embarrassment that was appearing under his fur. "I am well aware of that." He agreed.
Danny felt something in his chest twisting at the odd circumstances of Jazz's text, like he needed to see what was going on and make sure Jazz was okay. "I… I think… I should go back. I don't know why… but I just feel like I am the one who needs to check up on Jazz, bro."
"That's probably for the best," Andy said as he looked at Danny. "I don't know the limitations Lopmon would have in the real world, but it's not like I can have him fight off just anyone in our world. And if this guy is a ghost, that would be even worse for Lopmon."
"Yeah…" Danny frowned, hoping this Johnny wasn't actually a ghost.
"Although, with the time differences between the two worlds, we'll likely have everything fixed up by the time you get back," Andy joked, hoping to lighten up the tension a little.
Danny chuckled. "I hope so. I'd hate to see the ruined Trailmon station still."
"So I guess that means Andy is going with us." Tucker said with a grin. "That's all of us going to face Megadramon."
"Well, at least I'll be busy helping with the repairs." Sam said. "As much as I want to go with to fight Megadramon with Biyomon at my side, it's not going to be much of a fight if Biyomon can't digivolve. It's best to leave this to those with more experience."
"I can't complain. I want to help rebuild the station," Biyomon said. "But you guys better come back alive."
"I will make sure to keep Tucker safe," Kokuwamon promised.
"Good luck out there then," Lopmon said to Patamon. "Don't give Danny too much trouble~"
"Oh please, if anyone's going to give someone trouble, it'd be you," Patamon grumbled. "This is simply a tactful retreat."
"If you're going, be careful of the green fog. It swallows up Digimon," Labramon warned. "We saw it happen to some Pagumon before."
The group's members nodded, both from those who were going to fight Megadramon, and from Danny and Patamon.
"We'll be careful." Agunimon promised.
"And Patamon and I will stay away from that fog as well if we see it." Danny added before he looked at the small group who were climbing onto Airdramon's back. "Andy… Takuya… and Tucker… all of you come back alive, okay?"
"We'll try our best," Tucker sheepishly replied.
"You be careful too, Danny," Andy replied. "There's no telling what that Johnny guy is up to."
Danny nodded before Agunimon gave a small smile to Danny. "And if he's up to no good, mess with him for us, will ya?"
Danny chuckled. "Of course, cuz." He said with a matching grin of his own.
"Here we go!" Airdramon said as he spread out his wings.
"Good luck!" Sam and Biyomon called out as Airdramon flew up into the clouds.
"You need a screen to get back to your world, right?" Bukamon asked Danny. "We have something like that in a tree we were hiding when Coronamon was doing his thing before."
Danny blinked before he grinned. "Then can you lead me there? That screen would be very helpful. And I kinda do need to get back to my world… My sister may be in trouble."
"I'm coming too," Patamon said to Danny. "It's more of a tactical withdrawal for now for me."
"I'm sure it is," Danny chuckled.
"Come on, it's not too far," Bukamon said, waving a fin.
Danny and Patamon followed after Bukamon.
Labramon looked up at Sam and Biyomon. "I guess that just leaves you two."
"Yeah, um…" Sam looked at Labramon. "Since we'll be helping out with rebuilding this place, would you mind leading us to your partner?" I'd like to meet with this player who actually helped everyone here instead of just leaving them when things got too hard. We could use someone like that on our side.
"Um…" Labramon hesitated for a moment. "Let me go ask him."
Labramon ran off for a moment. Sam and Biyomon waited for a bit while the Poyomon and Pagumon in the area continued working on their houses. Labramon soon came back.
"He said that since you two will be sticking around, he may as well talk to you," Labramon said.
Sam blinked before smiling. "That's great. This player must be a kind person to help you out so much."
Biyomon also smiled. "Any player who is helping others is a good player to me."
"Well I think he's kind, but he says he has a lot of issues he's working out," Labramon explained. "He has a lot of regrets from his past, and he's trying to change for the better. In a way, I'm a lot like him. I don't remember most of my past life, but I do remember bits and pieces of it. I wasn't exactly the nicest Digimon around, and some Digimon still treat me like I'm going to attack them sometimes."
"Oh? That's… a bit surprising." Sam noted. "Well, as long as he, and you, are trying to change, then I think that's a good thing. If someone is willing to change, then that shows they really want to do so."
"Yeah, your present, not your past, should be what defines you now," Biyomon agreed.
Labramon smiled as she led them to her partner. "There he is, my partner."
Sam stopped in her tacks, her eyes wide in shock when she saw a very familiar figure standing before her.
"Dash Baxter," Labramon finished introducing.
Dash looked at Sam. Though he didn't carry his usual cocky smirk, or showing that he saw her as less than him, he gave her a hard look. He couldn't show his weaknesses in front of her, not now.
"What do you want?" Dash asked, looking at Sam.
"You are Labramon's partner?!" Sam exclaimed, pointing a finger at Dash. "Is this some kind of joke?"
"No, it's not a joke." Dash replied, trying to hide his emotions with a slight glare.
"How!?" Sam couldn't help but question in disbelief. "You can't be! Everything I heard about from Labramon, about how her partner helped her digivolve and defeat Firamon who was burning down the village, that can't be you! … Unless you're taking credit for it and forcing Labramon to tell your side of the story! That's definitely something you'd do!"
Biyomon frowned, she didn't know Sam's history with this boy, but she could tell Sam was rather angry and shocked. She hadn't seen Sam act like this to anyone before.
Labramon frowned as well, though she felt defensive as she stood in front of Dash. "Don't talk to him like that! Everything I said is true, Dash isn't forcing me to say anything against my will!"
Sam bristled. "You obviously don't know Dash like I do then! He is a bully back in our world! He would never do something like what you told me!"
Dash didn't say anything, he only looked away.
Labramon looked back at Dash for a moment before she looked at Sam again. "I'm Dash's partner, I can tell that everything he did, everything he said, was straight from the heart. If it wasn't, if it was a lie, or if he was trying to fake it, I wouldn't have been able to digivolve, and I wouldn't be here right now."
"How can you tell that was from Dash and not your own mind playing tricks on you?" Sam challenged.
"You have a Digimon partner," Labramon replied. "Don't tell me you can't tell how she feels, or how she can feel how you feel. Or are you telling me everything between you two is only in her head and you don't actually care about her?"
Sam actually felt all rage dissipate at Labramon's counterargument. She felt her words die in her throat as well, so she stood there, gaping like a fish for a moment.
Since Sam didn't seem to have a counterargument, Labramon decided to say one more thing. "What you said before, about not knowing Dash… maybe you should look in the mirror and say that again. Because you obviously don't know him as well as you think you do."
Sam actually blushed at that counterargument. She hadn't realized how much of a hypocrite her own words made her look like. "I… Ah… I guess you have a point… Wow… That was straight to the point."
Dash put a hand on Labramon's head. "Thanks, Labramon, for sticking up for me. But Manson isn't completely wrong either. I hadn't really given her a reason to think I could be a good person. I did nothing but insult her, and bully her friends, physically shoving them into lockers, or beating them up on a daily basis. It wasn't until that came back and bit me in the butt, hard, did I decide to change… and I still haven't given them a reason to think I wanted to change. I didn't know how, or where to start."
Dash looked up at Sam. "But when I came here… heh, as corny and nerdy as this is going to make me sound, Coronamon helped me see how far I could go, and how I would justify it to myself. And Labramon helped me realize I can still change, but I have to work for it. So, Manson… that's why I told Labramon I wasn't ready to face with the others yet, especially Andy. He was the reason why I began to question my… purpose in life. I know I can't take back all the things I've said and done to you, and I don't expect you to forgive me for it. But I do really want to change, and that's why I didn't leave Labramon's side when Firamon was burning everything down, and why I want to help rebuild this place."
Sam looked at Dash, her face unreadable for a few moments before she finally sighed. "Well, at least you admit you were a jerk to us. I guess if you're willing to admit that, then I could give you the benefit of the doubt. Especially since Labramon has spoken so highly of you." She rubbed the back of her neck. "Wow… this day is full of surprises…"
Dash looked at Biyomon. "You're telling me. I never thought I'd see the day you'd have anything pink with you, let alone a pink Digimon partner."
Sam blushed. "That's… because of reasons…" She muttered.
"Watch it, pal, or this pink bird will show you why Sam is my partner," Biyomon grumbled.
"Besides, if we're pointing out strange partners, I didn't think you'd have a female partner, with magenta ears and curly tail," Sam pointed back.
"And I'm awesome!" Labramon smirked proudly.
"Yeah, we take pride in what we are!" Dash grinned as well. Something I should've learned long ago.
"Wow, this is a new side to you." Sam said, a grin forming on her face slowly. "I'm going to admit it, I'm pleasantly surprised. And I don't admit that lightly."
Biyomon rolled her eyes. "Well, now that we've got most of the tension out of the way, how about we start working on rebuilding this place?"
"Yeah, how are you with labor?" Dash asked.
Bukamon led Danny and Patamon into one of those hiding trees that Sam, Tucker, and Takuya had told him about. Bukamon pointed at a small TV screen with his flipper. "Do you think you could use that?"
"Um… Yeah… I could…" Danny said with a sweatdrop running down the side of his head. If Takuya was here… or Andy… I don't have one of those devices to open the portal…
"Here, you can borrow this for now," Patamon said, holding onto something that surprised Danny.
Patamon was holding onto what looked like a D-Arc, similar to Andy's, only the straps were orange instead of light brown, and the outer rim of the screen was orange too.
"Patamon? Where did you get that?" Danny asked, surprised.
"I've always had it," Patamon replied. "I've just been keeping it hidden until I needed it."
Danny blinked.
"Okay, I didn't always have it. It just appeared one night when I was sleeping with you in your bedroom. I decided to keep it hidden in my fractal code until I needed it. I wasn't sure what it meant when the D-Arc appeared, but…" Patamon frowned, having an idea on what it meant, but he didn't want to think about it. "You can use it to travel between this world and your world."
Danny took the D-Arc with some surprise on his face before he grinned. "You're the best, Patamon!" He exclaimed.
Patamon just looked away, not wanting to let Danny see his conflicted look on his face. "Just don't go losing it." He muttered to Danny.
Danny grinned even more. "I won't. Now let's get back home, Patamon!" He said as he held up the D-Arc to the monitor. Patamon flew over next to Danny, grabbing onto his pants so he didn't get left behind.
Danny held out the D-Arc to the screen. The screen glowed as the screen on the D-Arc began to glow as well.
"Remember, you have a better chance at going where you want to if you say your destination," Patamon spoke up.
"Take me to Fenton Works," Danny stated just before he and Patamon were pulled into the screen.
"Whoa… you don't see that every day…" Bukamon whistled.
Titanic X:ZAFT: Glad you liked the battle! XD
pokemon fan 1991: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, I always like to believe that maybe Dash could, and maybe would want to, become a better person as the series went on. I saw a little bit of that in Dash during the Micromanagement episode, and when he was revealed to have a pet dog that he really loves and shows his soft spot for in season 3. I wanted to expand on that idea, and it's also why Labramon was chosen to be his partner.
As for why we decided on Labramon digivolving into a Dobermon instead of Siesamon, it's because of Dash himself. The Digimon partners digivolve depending on their partners, their mindset and spirits are important for this. With Sam, we chose to go the Birdramon route because despite being a goth, I believe on the inside burns a bright fire of love. If Sam didn't have that, she couldn't be considered someone who loves animals and the environment, and Undergrowth would just see her as any other corrupted human to feed his children to or to make her into a work slave. And the burning bright part fits Sam's feisty personality. While her outer appearance is dark, inwardly she's very bright.
As for Dash, he's not quite used to the strange world of the Digital World. He saw Labramon as like a normal dog that can talk and use magical attacks. It's why he had a soft spot for her right away. Dobermon looks more like a normal dog than Siesamon does, and Siesamon looks like a yokai out of a Japanese legend, which Dash, being an average American boy, wouldn't know anything about. Dobermon is also a strong and a bit of a stoic Digimon, which I think represents Dash better, at least our version of Dash.
ZAFT: The goth guy was not Spike. ^^' But you will see when Tucker gets his evolution. :3 I will say it is close though. XD
DarkFoxKit: Andy thanks you for the apology letter, though he already burned down the teddy bear collection with Takuya's power. I'm starting to think Andy is more of a pyromaniac than the Warrior of Flame himself when it comes to certain things.
Thank you for your condolence, I appreciate it.