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.

29. Clearing a Misunderstanding

DarkFoxKit: Getting a lot of storms lately, guess it's just that time of year. And also pollen, lots and lots of pollen.

ZAFT: Tell me about it. And I've been getting lots of sleet/snow and rain here. ^^'

DarkFoxKit: I wish I got some snow.

Andy: Instead we're getting a snow of pollen here. And they are hard to get rid of!

ZAFT: Bleh… Pollen is not fun either. XP

Takuya: It makes everyone sneeze… *sniffs*

Andy: Can you burn all the pollen away?

Takuya: Sure, if you want to be set ablaze.

DarkFoxKit: Alright, let's get to the chapter.

---

(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 29: Clearing a Misunderstanding

About a week had passed since the Northwestern Nine Standard Testing incident. The class had to cram for the make-up tests. The results were leagues better than before, so now Mr. Lancer was no longer breathing down the students' necks.

Danny and Andy showed Patamon and Lopmon around Amity Park, showing them good spots like central park, the mall, the pharmacy where they usually got their ice cream, and more. Danny still didn't let Patamon go off on his own, however. And surprisingly there hadn't been any ghost attacks since Ember. Danny was grateful, however, since he had been too nervous to tell Patamon and Lopmon about his ghost half. Andy didn't approve of it, since he had wanted Danny to tell them sooner rather than later, but he didn't force Danny to tell them. Andy knew his brother had trouble telling anyone about his ghost half, but he hoped Danny would do it before another ghost decided to attack.

But due to the lack of ghosts, Patamon was starting to become a little discouraged, but at the same time, he also seemed to be a little more relaxed. This also gave the group time to focus on their school work. Lopmon and Patamon had gotten good with acting like stuffed animals around people.

Jazz enjoyed helping her brothers take care of Lopmon and Patamon, she found them both adorable. Takuya enjoyed the two Digimon's company as well, as it reminded him that he wasn't the only Digimon here anymore.

Andy had been a lot more lax with their training. He had been focusing more on studying to get as much extra credit he could get so he wouldn't have to worry about school for a while so they could focus on the Digital World. Of course, Andy did worry the lack of training may come back and bite them in the butt later. He wasn't sure if Lopmon and Patamon would get that much stronger if they trained like they normally would with ghost equipment. They may be better off training in the Digital World.

Danny buckled down to study too. He realized that having this break from ghost attacks wouldn't last forever, and it would be best to follow in his brother's footsteps and make sure to get all his school stuff done, as well as extra credit so he wouldn't need to worry about pulling his grades up later when the ghost inevitably start attacking again.

While the new game called Doomed had come out recently, Danny was more focused on the Digital World. Andy and Takuya had told him about the plans they made to go back there to try to stop players from messing up the Digital World and taking out the other 2 Celestial Digimon. They hadn't tried going back yet, but Andy suspected that as long as Danny, Tucker, Sam, and maybe even Jazz, were with them when they open the gate, they should come with them like Lopmon and Patamon did. Danny was pretty excited to see this Digital World himself.

Tucker had gone back to the website to take care of Kapurimon. He was hoping that Kapurimon would bring out a D-Arc of his own, but so far, Kapurimon wasn't able to pull anything like that.

Sam, who had been curious about these Digimon after meeting Lopmon and Patamon, decided to try the website herself. Apparently there was an update to the website, where the Digimon she could take care of could be in a school instead of just at a daycare, so that would open more options. Unfortunately for Sam, however, after she answered all the questions the website asked her to get the most accurate Digimon for her, the website gave her a pink looking flower creature.

"I can't believe this! I got a pink Digimon?! This has to be incorrect!" Sam groaned. "Of all possible Digimon, I got a pink one!"

According to the nameplate above the pink little radish, it was called a 'Yokomon'. Yokomon was blinking in confusion as she looked at Sam.

Who's this? A phantom human that I've been hearing about? It seems mad about something. Did I do something wrong? Yokomon wondered.

"Of all the things that could go wrong…" The human sighed. "Well, I can't change it, so I may as well see what I can raise it to be. Maybe it becomes a much cooler form when it gets stronger."

Yokomon huffed. "Buzz off, I don't want a phantom human who's just going to insult me because I'm pink. I don't care for pink either, you know, but it's not like I can do anything about it."

The human perked up at hearing Yokomon speaking. "H-huh?" She seemed surprised, or rather, like she didn't expect Yokomon to speak directly to her.

"What's the matter, you have hard hearing? I said to buzz off," Yokomon grumbled. "I don't need a Lilithmon wanna-be bothering me."

"H-hey! No need to be so rude! I was just not expecting you to actually speak back to me." The human exclaimed. "Wow, you are one rude Digimon."

"Who's being rude? You were rude to me first you know," Yokomon pointed out.

"I didn't think you would actually hear me!" The human exclaimed, trying to hide her blush on her face.

"So just because I couldn't hear you, it's okay for you to insult me?" Yokomon asked. "I have feelings, you know."

Sam took a moment to remember that Andy and Takuya made it clear that the Digimon and the Digital World was a real place. She couldn't just think this Yokomon wasn't real, and the Digital World she was in was just a game.

"Ah… sorry…" Sam said as she looked away. She then perked up. "Wait… did you say you also don't like the color pink? But you're pink on your body! How could you not like the color pink?"

"So? You're cream color, does that mean you like the color cream?" Yokomon responded. "I can't help it, I have pink on me. If anything, I'd prefer a red and orange color."

"Why those colors?" Sam asked.

"Because it's the color of fire," Yokomon replied.

Sam chuckled. "Fire is pretty cool. I hate to admit it, but I'm kinda jealous of Takuya, becoming a fiery Digimon and all. And he looks very fierce as a Digimon too."

"You know Takuya?" Yokomon asked in surprise.

"I- wait, you know Takuya?" Sam asked back, just as surprised.

"Yeah, he, Patamon, Lopmon, and Andy were my first friends at school, and they defended the school from a mean player," Yokomon answered.

"Wow, that sounds like it was a pretty scary moment for you." Sam noted with a whistle. She then grinned. "I've known Takuya for a while, but then he moved away for several years before coming back to Amity Park. So it's been pretty neat to have him around again."

"Oh? Tell me more!" Yokomon smiled.

Sam began to smile too. Maybe this pink Digimon wasn't so bad.

---

"Are you nervous, bro?" Danny asked Andy that morning during breakfast.

"A little. Today, after school, we'll be heading back to the Digital World," Andy said. "We've studied for the big English test Mr. Lancer set for us, once we can pass that, we won't have to worry about school for a while."

"Ugh… I know English is needed to get along in life, but Mr. Lancer just makes it so boring!" Danny groaned.

"I know!" Lopmon groaned who was sitting on the table. "I just hear his voice and I feel like I need a nap right away, even though I just took one. I wish he was like Togemon…"

"I wish all of those teachers were like Togemon…" Patamon grumbled. "I don't know how they expect kids to learn. Especially in such a hostile environment that allows bullies to hurt the less physically capable students."

Speaking of which, I'm surprised Calvin didn't hammer me and Takuya into next week yet. Maybe he's waiting to do it in the Digital World? Andy frowned.

"I gotta meet this Togemon then." Danny said with a chuckle. "That Digimon sounds kinda cool if you learned in a fun way."

"Togemon is the best!" Lopmon grinned. "She is very good at teaching, and makes the lessons engaging as well!"

"I don't think school is that bad," Jazz said. "Although I guess it can be a bit lonely if you soar above your peers…"

"At least we're not doing too bad in school, even if it does take some willpower to keep studying," Andy sighed. "But it'll be worth it when we get back into the Digital World."

Danny grinned. "Yeah, and it will be my first time going there! I can't wait to see what Digimon we can encounter there!"

"You boys better not get into trouble while you're there." Jazz said, giving Andy a pointed look to remind him about that.

"Aren't you coming too, Jazz?" Danny asked.

Jazz sighed. "Mom and Dad need to be kept off your backs, and I'm your older sister, so that's my job."

"Yeah, we're lucky they haven't seen Lopmon and Patamon move or talk yet," Andy said. "I'm not sure how they would take that."

"Do they think Digimon are evil too?" Lopmon asked.

"No, they don't know about Digimon," Andy answered. "But there's a good chance they might mistake you for ghosts."

Lopmon and Patamon both frowned, but for different reasons; Lopmon frowned because he didn't like the idea of being mistaken for a ghost, and Patamon because he didn't like he was being proven right about the Fenton parents.

Danny cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'll bet you're excited to be going back to the Digital World, right Patamon, Lopmon?"

"I'd rather stay here until I complete my mission." Patamon frowned. "But I do have a duty to protect the Digital World too. Just as long as I can come back here, then I guess it's fine."

"I can't wait to see more of the Digital World, and not have to act like a stuffed animal in public anymore!" Lopmon smiled.

"I guess one of you being excited is good enough." Danny said with an awkward chuckle. "But that will be after the test Andy and I have to take."

"Where's Takuya? Shouldn't he be up by now?" Andy asked.

At that moment, Takuya came running out of his room. "Sorry! My stupid alarm was broken so I woke up late!" He apologized, slipping on his shirt as he did so.

"Your shirt's on backwards," Danny pointed out.

"At least Mom and Dad are busy in their lab today," Andy chuckled.

Takuya grumbled as he flipped his shirt around. "Sleeping in is fun, but not on school days…" He grumbled.

"Well, you got up before everyone left at least, so you're good." Jazz grinned.

"Are you excited to get back to the Digital World?" Lopmon asked.

Takuya blinked before he remembered how Andy had mentioned going back to the Digital World again. "Oh, yeah, you bet I am!" He said with a grin.

"Great, then eat your toast or cereal and let's get going," Andy said. "We have school to conquer first."

Takuya nodded before he ran to grab a piece of toast from the toaster and began to chow down. "I hope school isn't such a bore again. Mr. Lancer is like the Sleepmon or something, what with his droning voice and all."

"That's an insult to Sleepmon," Lopmon remarked.

Danny blanched a bit at the toast Takuya was eating, and focused on his own Fruit Loops. Why am I eating this?

Danny shook his head. He had to eat something and if it was Fruit Loops, at least it was better than toast. Danny took a bite of his Fruit Loops, forcing himself to eat the cereal that reminded him of his nickname for Vlad.

Andy didn't seem to have a problem with eating Fruit Loops though, either that or it didn't cross Andy's mind that Fruit Loops reminded Danny of… the other halfa. Lopmon and Patamon were eating buttered toast, as well as some canned meat Jazz put for them. They needed to eat a little more than humans did.

"I wish you boys good luck on your test. I know you've been studying hard for it, especially since I helped you study for it. You'll do well, I know it." Jazz smiled.

"Thanks, Jazz. I hope we do well too. I'd like to just get through a test without something going wrong." Danny sighed. "At least with Ember, there was a valid excuse, but it still caused us to have to retake the Northwestern Nine Standardized test."

"The teachers didn't seem to understand Ember was mind controlling all the teens," Lopmon sighed. "They were being pretty unreasonable, saying how it was the students' fault for going crazy over a mind controlling popstar."

"That's just how some adults are," Andy sighed. "Not much we can do about it."

After everyone finished their breakfast, they headed out to get to school.

Takuya finished his toast and ran after. "Well, let's get through the school day." He sighed as he walked alongside his cousins. "I want to get to the Digital World right after school."

Jazz smiled. "You will, don't worry."

"We'll be sure to have Tucker and Sam come over, they really want to meet with their Digimon in person," Andy chuckled. "Maybe their Digimon will digivolve too, like how Lopmon did."

"Yeah! And they'll be their partners!" Lopmon smiled.

"I hope Sam got a decent Digimon partner assigned to her." Takuya said. "I mean, if her Digimon is pink, I would laugh my head off, given how much Sam hates that color."

Andy suddenly got the feeling Takuya was going to be in a lot of pain in the near future.

Danny flinched. "Yeah… I'm staying far away from Sam if that happens…"

Takuya looked at Danny in confusion. "What?"

"All I can say is don't laugh if Sam has a pink Digimon." Danny warned.

"Isn't there any way Sam could restart or something if she ends up with a Digimon she doesn't like?" Takuya asked.

"Not usually, not unless the Digimon in question dies," Andy answered. "Once the website gives you the Digimon, you're stuck with it otherwise. At first I thought that was a strange game design, but knowing that the Digital World and the Digimon are real, living creatures, it makes sense why people can't just reset until they get a Digimon they like."

Takuya grimaced. "Yeah… I'll just keep my mouth shut then." He said at last.

"Wise choice, cuz." Danny said as he nodded in agreement.

---

School was long and boring as usual, although Danny was happy that school was long and boring, because it meant another day they didn't have to worry about ghosts attacking people. He also hadn't been sure about how he would tell Patamon and Lopmon about his secret, especially since Digimon apparently didn't like ghosts very much themselves. Although they haven't been anywhere near as bad as his parents, he still hadn't been sure how to bring it up to them.

The test Mr. Lancer gave was a pretty big one, but it wasn't anything like the Northwestern Nine Standardized Tests, and they didn't need to cram useless information into their brains for it. Danny and Andy were fairly confident that they did pretty well on the test.

Once that was over, Danny and Andy sat down with Tucker and Sam in the cafeteria for lunch.

"So we're all going to the Digital World after school?" Sam asked as she was eating her tofu.

"Yeah," Andy answered. "We've waited long enough, and time moves much faster in the Digital World. So we need to get back there soon."

"I can't wait to get to the Digital World!" Tucker exclaimed eagerly. "Imagine, a world made of data and yet is as real as ours is! That is like a paradise to me~"

"Only you would be so eager, Tuck." Danny chuckled.

"A world that is untouched by humans should be fun to visit." Sam said with a grin of her own.

"I wouldn't say it's untouched by humans," Andy remarked. "If anything, it's possible humans made that world with all our technology and whatnot."

Andy gave half of his sandwich to Lopmon, who was hiding under the table. Lopmon began chewing on his snack.

Sam blushed a bit. "Well… I mean that the environment is untouched, you know… trees not being cut down, animals not being hunted, that kind of stuff."

Danny chuckled again. "Well, regardless, it will be cool to see this place for myself as well, considering I missed out on it the first time Andy went there."

"I can't wait to get back either!" Lopmon shouted happily.

"Shhh! It may be a bit noisy in the cafeteria, but people could still hear you!" Andy hissed.

Dash was walking by before he stopped and looked at their table. Andy looked up, noticing Dash was looking at them, and gave the jock a nervous wave. Dash furrowed his eyebrows before he continued walking. Those nerds are up to something.

Danny looked at Dash and frowned as he watched Dash walking away. "That was close. I think we may need to go over areas that are not acceptable to speak in after this with Lopmon."

"Sorry, I was just excited is all," Lopmon apologized.

"Learn some self control," Patamon grumbled from under the table as well.

"You've been eating a bunch of sweets, you're looking a little pudgy yourself. Maybe you need to exercise some self control too," Lopmon hissed, pointing at Patamon's side.

"What I eat is none of your concern!" Patamon hissed.

Danny sweatdropped at the two arguing Rookie-level Digimon. "Okay, no need to argue, you two. You can do that after school, okay?"

Lopmon pouted, but backed off from bothering Patamon, who just went on with eating his own food.

"They seem to be quite the handful," Sam chuckled.

"Just a little. Lopmon and Patamon seem to argue a lot," Andy sighed.

"Hey, do you think we could bring our own Digimon partners from the Digital World too?" Tucker asked, smiling.

"I don't know, maybe? You'll have to meet your partner first," Andy replied.

"Aww…" Tucker pouted.

"It would be cool if we could bring our partners to the real world." Sam said with a grin before Tucker perked up.

"Yeah! I could easily show Kapurimon all the best technology in our world!" Tucker said eagerly.

"Don't get too excited, you'll need to make sure they know when to stay hidden or to stay still and quiet," Andy quickly said.

"Yeah, and you'll have to feed and take care of him," Danny added. "I've had to clean up after Patamon quite a few times."

"You did not need to indulge them in that information," Patamon huffed.

Sam snickered a bit before she frowned. "Where's Takuya?"

"He had to stay after class for some volunteer work," Andy answered. "He'll meet us at home when we're ready to head into the Digital World."

Meanwhile, Dash was sitting with the other jocks. He couldn't help but wonder what the losers were talking about. They seemed to be excited about something. A part of him was paranoid that they were planning another big prank. He didn't need another 'dragon incident'.

"Hey, Dash!"

Dash jumped when Calvin was trying to get his attention. "What?!"

"Didn't you hear anything I've been saying?" Calvin asked.

"I was too busy visualizing the win for our next game," Dash replied. "What did you want?"

"I said, aren't you going to get the new game that came out recently?" Calvin asked.

"What new game? Doomed?" Dash blinked.

"No! That's nothing compared to The Ruler of the Digital World!" Calvin pointed out.

"What? What's that?" Dash asked.

"It's a new MMO where you can get a random monster, called a Digimon, assigned to you based on a personality quiz, and you have to raise the monster to get stronger." Calvin began. "The objective is to defeat the three most powerful monsters, known as the Celestial Digimon. If you can do that, then you are crowned ruler of the Digital World." Calvin then grinned. "I've already gotten my monster and raised it up to a new level."

Dash blinked. "Ruler of the Digital World, huh? Sounds interesting." He grinned. "I may give it a try myself."

"Oh, you won't regret it." Calvin chuckled. "People can form guilds in the game, and even capture new Digimon to raise. Although there are a few in the game that are quite strong, calling themselves 'Legendary Warriors', but they're just pretending to be the protectors of the world. I'm pretty sure they're just people hacking the system to gain the advantage. In fact, I have a couple of players I'm targeting with my Digimon once I've made him stronger."

Dash raised an eyebrow. "Really? And who are these two players?"

Calvin grinned as he pointed at Andy. "Him, and his doofus cousin."

Dash's eyes went wide. "Fentonio and that Kanbara kid? I didn't think they would be players in that game."

"Well, they are. And boy did they cheat the system," Calvin growled. "Their stupid bunny and hamster with bat wings were no match for my Monochromon, and yet they won only because Kanbara decided to hack the game to turn his own avatar into a Digimon. I was going to beat them up, but that wouldn't be very satisfying. I'm going to beat them at their own game."

Dash blinked. "Kanbara hacked the game? I don't think he's that smart. That's more of that Foley geek's thing." Then Dash frowned a bit. "How are you going to beat them at their own game?"

"I'm going to show them what happens when you mess with me and my superior Digimon. There are other ways to make a Digimon stronger than just training them," Calvin remarked before he looked at Dash. "But this isn't about me. Are you going to get the game? Maybe you and I could form our own guild and take down the Beast Slayer Guild. They were the first group to take down a Celestial Digimon."

Dash grinned. "Sure! Taking down a well-known guild should be fun!" He was feeling a bit excited now, and he normally avoided video games, being a jock and all, but this one sounded far more fun than a mere shooter game like Doomed. "I'll be sure to buy my copy after school!"

"Be sure to raise your baby Digimon to be a strong one, like I did, and we'll be the kings of the Digital World!" Calvin grinned.

Now Dash was as excited as ever to get the game himself, he would be sure to get it as soon as school ended for the day.

Meanwhile, Takuya was walking in the hallway, having finished his volunteer work. "That should give me enough extra credit to miss a day or two of school without affecting my grades."

However, as Takuya was walking, he saw Valerie walking past him. She looked to be in a hurry, and didn't even acknowledge him as she quickly walked past him.

"Huh?" Takuya looked back, wondering what was going on with Valerie. "I wonder what's got her in such a hurry." He mused before deciding to find out what was going on. "Well, I've got nothing better to do right now. Maybe I can see what's got Valerie in a hurry."

Takuya followed Valerie down the hall, trying to keep her in his sights.

Valerie was looking around, like she was looking for someone. Takuya stayed hidden a few good feet away from her. Valerie then walked into a door. Takuya hurried over to the door, seeing that it read 'the computer room'. Raising an eyebrow, Takuya slowly opened the door, but only by a crack to take a peek inside.

Takuya saw Valerie booting up one of the computers.

Huh? Why is Valerie using a computer? I mean, it's lunch for her grade, right? Shouldn't she be in the cafeteria? Takuya wondered as he watched Valerie log in to the computer.

"Okay, I should be able to enter from here." Valerie said to herself as the computer finished booting up for her.

Valerie took something out of her pocket. Takuya's eyes went wide in shock when he saw the device Valerie was holding. It looked just like Andy's D-Arc, only the straps were a gold color instead of light brown.

N-no way! Valerie has a D-Arc too?! Oh… Oh man! This is so gonna blow Andy's mind! Takuya realized. It means Valerie has a Digimon partner!

The computer screen glowed as Valerie held up her D-Arc to the monitor. In a few moments, she had been sucked into the screen, leaving behind an empty computer room.

Takuya turned away from the computer room and ran as fast as he could to the cafeteria. I have to tell Andy and the others about this!

Takuya had all but burst through the cafeteria doors. He ignored some of the weird looks he got from the other students, and made a beeline to Danny and Andy's table.

"Guys! You'll never guess what I just witnessed!" Takuya said breathlessly.

"Dude, I don't think I want to know how you helped Ms. Patrick with her chalkboard," Tucker blanched.

"Not that!" Takuya hissed, trying to keep his voice level. "I mean I saw something you should know about."

"Then can you please tell us, but not so loudly?" Danny asked. "I don't think we want the whole cafeteria to hear us."

Takuya, to his credit, understood what Danny was saying. "Right…" He said as he sat down to try and catch his breath.

"So, what did you see that is so important you had to bust in like a mad-man?" Sam asked in a sarcastic tone.

"I saw Valerie rushing past me as I was coming here, and I was wondering what was going on, so I followed her to a computer room not in use." Takuya explained as quietly as he could. "She booted up the computer, and took out a very familiar device before holding it up to the screen, and the next thing I saw, Valerie was sucked into the computer monitor through the glowing screen."

That got everyone's attention.

"What? Like she opened the gate to the Digital World?" Patamon asked.

"What device was she holding?" Andy asked.

"It was a D-Arc, but with golden straps." Takuya replied. "It looked so much like yours. And as far as I know, Valerie may have indeed opened a gate to the Digital World because that's the only reason she would have a D-Arc."

"So Valerie isn't just a player, but she's like… like…" Sam frowned. "What would you two consider yourselves?"

"Legendary Warrior?" Takuya replied.

"Well I'm not a Legendary Warrior," Andy pointed out. "But I get what Sam is trying to say. Valerie, for some reason, has a D-Arc like I do, and she can open the gate to the Digital World. That… might explain why nobody's really been able to talk to her much lately outside of school. But…"

Danny frowned as well. "The fact that Valerie sounded like she was in a hurry worries you?"

"That, and why she would go into the Digital World during school hours," Andy added. "Time may pass a lot faster in the Digital World, but it's still risky to go there while you're in school. Why couldn't she wait until after school?"

"I don't know, but we need to get to the Digital World after school right away." Danny said seriously.

"Don't need to tell me twice." Takuya added as he clenched his fists. "The sooner we get there, the better."

Something must be going on in the Digital World… Andy frowned. The fact that Valerie has a D-Arc shows she likely knows the Digital World isn't just a game world. How did she get it? When did she get it and why? Who's her Digimon partner? What has she been doing in the Digital World?

"Jeez Andy, I can see your brain smoking, don't hurt yourself," Danny remarked, though he was concerned seeing how deep in thought Andy was.

"Sorry… the fact that Valerie has a D-Arc and can open the gate to the Digital World really has my mind spinning," Andy explained.

"I get that, but we can ask those kinds of questions once we actually get to the Digital World." Danny said, trying to keep Andy's mind from going 'kaput' by thinking too hard. "I don't want your mind burning out on us before we get there."

"I get it," Lopmon said. "I'm having these questions in my mind too. You've been the only person any of us knew to have a D-Arc, so the fact someone else does as well brings up a lot of concerning questions."

"But Valerie isn't a bad person, I don't think, I doubt she's going to do anything bad with it," Tucker said, hoping to bring some kind of relief to the tense conversation.

"That's not really what I'm worried about," Andy sighed. "But I guess we'll have to wait until after school to find out." I have a feeling the school day just got a lot longer for me.

Sam nodded. "Then let's finish our lunches and get through the rest of the day. We only have a few hours of school left, so it will fly by faster than you think."

---

By the time school finally ended, Andy felt on edge. He couldn't stop thinking about Valerie, and her absence in the rest of the classes she was supposed to be in just made that worse.

"It will fly by faster than you think, you said," Andy grumbled.

"Hey, it's not my fault you were driving yourself insane over this," Sam huffed as they were walking together.

"I told you to not think so hard about this." Danny groaned. "And yet you were looking at where Valerie usually sits instead of focusing on class!"

"Look, you haven't been to the Digital World yet, bro. It's dangerous! Especially with players who want to challenge her, and maybe take her Digimon away, her only protection in the Digital World!" Andy argued.

"But… despite the players, the Digital World hadn't been that bad," Takuya pointed out.

"Andy's just worried about her because he likes her," Lopmon said.

Everyone looked at Lopmon.

"What? What did I say?" Lopmon asked.

"He means as a friend," Andy quickly corrected. "I mean after all, I was the only one who really talked to her after that ghost dog incident."

"True, but I also think you like like her~" Takuya grinned cheekily at Andy.

"A guy and a girl can't just talk to each other without being teased that they 'like like' each other? If that were the case, I could say the same thing about you and that Zoe girl you told me about," Andy huffed in annoyance.

Takuya squeaked as he blushed. "I… I was just teasing Andy! I didn't mean anything by it!" Although… Zoe was kinda cute… Takuya realized what he had just thought and blushed even harder. Oh crap… I hope Andy and the others don't see me blushing…

"So… who's Zoe?~" Danny grinned, noticing his cousin's blush.

"And is she hot?" Tucker smirked.

Sam rolled her eyes. "Oh brother."

"S-she's just a person I met in the Digital World, no one special." Takuya quickly replied. "And… she's kinda cute…" Takuya clapped his hands over his mouth at realizing what had slipped out. Crap! I hate my mouth sometimes!

"Congratulations, cuz, your teasing backfired back to you heavily, enjoy~" Andy grinned, patting Takuya's back.

Note to self, don't try to tease Andy. Takuya groaned.

"So do you like her? Do you see her often?" Tucker asked. "What's she like?"

"And do you two plan to go on a date in the Digital World or in the real world?" Danny added.

"S-shut up! I just met her once!" Takuya squeaked out. "I don't know anything about her!"

"And yet you think she's cute~" Danny teased.

"Me and my big mouth…" Takuya groaned.

"Guys, can we focus?" Sam asked. "Don't we have a Digital World to go to?"

"Yeah, you can tease Takuya as much as you want later," Andy agreed.

"I'll make a note of that," Tucker said as he wrote something down on his PDA.

---

Danny and Andy opened the door to their room.

"We just need to use one monitor to get in," Andy said. "Now, Takuya and I never brought anyone else, besides Patamon and Lopmon, with us through the gate before. So you guys might want to make sure you're hanging onto us."

Danny and Tucker grinned before grabbing onto Takuya's arm. "We will go with Mr. Love over here~" Tucker grinned.

"You two will regret teasing me one day." Takuya grumbled.

"Then that means I'm with you and the two Digimon, Andy." Sam said.

Andy blinked, he hadn't been expecting Sam to hang onto him.

"I'm ready to get back to the Digital World!" Lopmon smiled as he climbed onto Andy's head again.

Patamon flew over onto Andy's shoulder. "Let's get this out of the way."

"We should go one at a time. Takuya, you open the gate first and go through. We'll be right behind you," Andy instructed.

"Lucky me…" Takuya groaned, but he held out his D-Tector to the computer. The screen glowed and then the three boys were sucked into the Digital Gate.

Once they went through, Andy held up his D-Arc. Sam held onto his shoulders as the Digital Gate opened, and began sucking them in as well.

Danny gained a black T-shirt that had white ends for the sleeves, and his pants became black with white bottoms while his shoes turned white. Patamon was at his side. Tucker wound up gaining a new outfit, one that was a yellow jacket that had a red scarf, and his pants were now khaki with black boots. He had on his red beret still, and his glasses were still the same. Sam gained a purple shirt that had a black vest over it, and her skirt became pants that were black with a green line running down the sides, and her combat boots remained the same black color they were in the real world. Andy's clothes changed to a dark blue T-shirt that had white on the sleeves and his pants turned a matching dark blue color with white bottoms and white sneakers. Lopmon was at Andy's side. Takuya's clothes did not change, but he also went through the vortex.

In the Digital World, a TV screen glowed before the group was ejected into a big pile of limbs and bodies. Multiple groans came from the pile of humans and two Digimon.

"Ow…" Sam muttered.

"Who's foot is pushing into my face?" Danny grumbled.

"Why am I at the bottom of this pile?!" Takuya groaned.

"This is awkward…" Tucker muttered.

"Glad I'm at the top of the pile…" Andy said with a sweatdrop.

Patamon and Lopmon were on top of Andy.

"Actually, Patamon and I are at the top of the pile." Lopmon said.

"Then I'm glad I'm the only human at the top of the pile," Andy reiterated.

"Andy, did you know this was going to happen? Is that why you had me open the gate first?" Takuya groaned.

"What? Noooo, of course not," Andy said. "I better get off of you guys."

"Please do!" Takuya grumbled. "I'm being crushed by the weight of you guys…"

"I'm not that heavy!" Sam grumbled.

"I meant the collective weight of you guys!" Takuya exclaimed.

Patamon and Lopmon got off of Andy, moving to the ground so Andy could get off of the pile first.

When the pile finally got off of each other, Andy looked at the group.

"Wow, you all ended up with new outfits just like me," Andy pointed out. "Except for Takuya. I guess he doesn't need a fashion change."

Sam was looking herself over as she grinned. "Wow, I think I can get used to this get-up."

Tucker was looking himself over as well. "Not bad. I like the red scarf, it makes me look like a bad-ass!"

Danny looked unsure at his new outfit. "This feels very familiar in a way…" He said awkwardly.

Takuya noticed Danny's new outfit. "Wow… talk about deja vu." He said with a bit of a sheepish grin.

Sam and Tucker also noticed Danny's new outfit, and were hit with the irony of it.

"That's… gonna take some getting used to…" Sam said with a sweatdrop. Wow, that looks like Danny's hazmat suit from his ghost form…

"Yeah, but it suits you, Danny." Tucker grinned.

"I think you all look pretty neat in those new outfits." Lopmon smiled.

"But why does it happen?" Danny asked.

"The Digital World likely brings out the 'inner you' by changing your clothes to reflect your true selves," Patamon theorized. "Since you don't have any fake avatars in this world, your real selves are more obvious here, you wear them in a literal sense, so to speak."

"But that doesn't explain Takuya, why doesn't he get a change in outfit?" Sam asked.

"He… might be a special case, due to the Spirit he holds in his D-Tector," Patamon replied with a shrug. "I don't have all the answers, I'm just speculating."

Takuya looked at his D-Tector. "Yeah, that could be it. But speculating about clothes changes won't help us with the issues we currently have facing us. We need to focus on finding Valerie and seeing if we can do something about these 'players'."

"Yeah… so this is the Digital World?" Sam asked, looking around.

"A part of it, yeah," Lopmon answered. "The Digital World is pretty big, just like your world."

"We should try to find Tucker and Sam's partners before we go too far," Andy suggested. "We could get attacked by a player, and it wouldn't be good if Tucker and Sam couldn't fight back."

Takuya nodded. "Right." He said as he put his D-Tector back in his pocket. "The sooner we find their partners, the better."

"Then let's not just stand here. Let's get moving!" Danny said as he started to walk off.

"But where do we go, oh great leader?" Sam asked sarcastically, making Danny stop walking.

"Uh…" Danny hesitated.

"We could start at Primary Village," Andy suggested. "That was where I met Lopmon. And… I need to make sure there's no more misunderstanding between us."

Danny gave a sheepish grin. "That… may be best…"

Takuya walked up beside Andy. "I hope you know what you're doing, Andy. Leomon and Swanmon were not too happy with you 'taking' Lopmon back then."

"That's all the more reason why I should talk to them," Andy sighed. "The last thing I want is for them building me up as some kind of master kidnapper bent on taking over the Digital World with Lopmon."

"I don't know, I kinda like the idea we could seem like mysterious thieves that others may fear at the names of." Lopmon grinned.

"No way! You two are going back to Primary Village and clearing that misunderstanding up!" Danny exclaimed. "And I don't care what excuses are pulled out of your head, Lopmon! Andy does not need more Digimon coming after him because of something like that happening again!"

"Wow, you really sound like Jazz now," Lopmon grumbled.

Andy snickered. "I think Jazz is rubbing off of him."

"But he's right, you two need to take responsibility," Patamon agreed.

Takuya sighed. "Well, if we're going to Primary Village, we'll have to be ready in case Leomon or Swanmon make a big deal out of more of us coming, especially after what happened with Andy."

"Didn't JP say he was going to clear up the misunderstanding?" Andy asked.

"It's still better if you talk to them in person," Patamon stated. "Hearing someone say something isn't as good as seeing it for yourself after all. For all they know, JP was just telling them that so they wouldn't worry."

Danny nodded in agreement. "I have to agree with Patamon, Andy. You need to clear this up in person."

Takuya snickered. "Wow, you're taking the big brother role very seriously, Danny." He said cheekily.

"Yeah, maybe Jazz has been rubbing off on you lately," Tucker agreed.

Andy rolled his eyes. "Whatever, let's just head to Primary Village before Danny starts growing out his hair and dying it orange."

Danny blushed. "Hey! That's not funny!"

"I think it is." Tucker grinned.

While the group was moving along, Takuya realized something. "Uh… so which way to Primary Village again?"

"You don't know?" Sam frowned. "Haven't you been there before?"

"Patamon led me there." Takuya admitted sheepishly. "Um… when he was Tokomon of course, but still…" I really need to learn where things are here in the Digital World for future reference…

Patamon sighed. "Just follow me. Primary Village shouldn't be too far from here. But please, keep your hands to yourself, don't touch anything while you're there."

"But there's a lot of toys there to play with, why can't we touch anything?" Lopmon asked with a pout.

"I meant for the humans. We don't want Swanmon and Leomon thinking the humans are going to kidnap eggs or baby Digimon like they did with Andy," Patamon explained.

"Oh… yeah…" Lopmon awkwardly replied.

Andy sighed. I really hope they'll let me explain the situation.

---

While the group was following Patamon, Tucker was excitedly looking around the area they were in. "I still can't believe we're in a Digital World. Everything is made of data, but it looks and feels so real!"

"Well, that's how the Digital World works." Takuya said with a shrug. "It was made by data from human machines, so of course it would feel real and look that way."

Tucker rubbed the back of his head sheepishly. "Ehehe… right."

Sam rubbed a leaf on a bush. "It's just hard to wrap my head around the fact these leaves are made of data. I guess this idea will take some getting used to."

Danny grinned. "Same here. I think all of us need some time to process this."

"It's not that difficult to wrap your head around it," Lopmon chuckled. "Everything you see is made of data, yeah, but it's not really that much different from everything in your world."

I wonder if the world feels real because we perceive that way or if the data could truly replicate everything from the real world down to the smallest detail? Andy wondered. After all, from what I know about coding, data can be rewritten and changed for a different purpose. Like this road could be rewritten to be a river instead, or a mountain could be rewritten to be a flat piece of land. But what makes it… alive? The Digimon, like Lopmon, are definitely living, unique individuals like humans are. Is it because the Digimon were programmed like that, or is it something else that makes them alive?

Danny nudged Andy, noticing he seemed to be in thought. "You're thinking again, bro. Do you really want to burn out your brain?"

"Some of us actually enjoy using our brain, bro," Andy huffed.

"Yeah, but you know what happens if you overthink," Danny chuckled. "You start making assumptions about things. Like Takuya did before."

"Why does everyone keep bringing that up?" Takuya huffed.

Andy sighed. "Well, I see your point. I'm just thinking about-"

"Hey! Is that an Easter Egg?" Sam asked, pointing at a colorful looking egg that was on a bush.

"There's… a lot more of those eggs," Tucker pointed out. "Are they growing on the bushes?"

"Hey, hands to yourself!" Patamon spoke up. "We're in Primary Village. Those eggs are Digimon."

Takuya looked around before grinning. "Wow, never thought I'd see a Digi-Egg again."

"Digi-Egg?" Sam, Danny, and Tucker asked as one.

"Yeah, a Digi-Egg is how a Digimon is born and reborn." Takuya replied. "It's almost like the first stage of a Digimon's life."

"So it's like a bird hatching?" Sam asked curiously.

"Um… kind of." Takuya replied. "I guess that comparison fits, actually."

"It's not that hard to figure out. Digimon hatch from eggs. A Digimon comes out of an egg, boom, you got a baby Digimon," Andy said. "Come on, guys, you've played enough games to know how this works."

"True, it's just kind of weird to see so many eggs, and… growing out of bushes like berries or something," Tucker remarked.

"I didn't get a chance to get a good look around myself," Andy admitted. "I was too busy running away. But yeah, this place definitely looks really colorful."

"Hey! Maybe I'll get a chance to show you my old bedroom!" Lopmon smiled. "Come on! Let's go!"

"Wait, Lopmon, don't run ahead!" Andy quickly called as he hurried after the excited Lopmon.

Takuya groaned. "We'd better chase after those two. I don't want another misunderstanding to happen." He said before running after Andy and Lopmon. "Wait up!" He called after them.

"Oh boy… This is going to be a handful…" Danny said as he sweatdropped at seeing Lopmon running off with Andy and Takuya running after him.

"We should hurry after them, shouldn't we?" Tucker asked nervously.

Patamon sighed. "We shouldn't let the group split up too much."

Lopmon got close to the building when a red rabbit looking creature with 8 furry tails, and blue stripes came up to him.

"What's this?" The Digimon asked. "Kokomon?"

"Oh… hey, Elecmon, long time no see?" Lopmon awkwardly greeted.

"W-what happened to you? How did you digivolve?" Elecmon, the red rabbit like Digimon asked.

"Didn't JP tell you?" Lopmon asked. "He said he was going to tell you what happened."

"He didn't say you digivolved, just that your kidnapper wasn't a bad guy," Elecmon grumbled.

Andy finally caught up to Lopmon. "Lopmon, you really shouldn't run ahead like that."

"And I'm guessing you're the 'kidnapper', right?" Elecmon pointed at Andy.

"Oh… uh… hi," Andy awkwardly greeted. "Yes- I mean no… I mean… I did take Lopmon here when he was Kokomon, but I didn't mean to kidnap him…"

"So you're just saying you panicked and ran?" Elecmon said skeptically as Takuay reached Andy and Lopmon's location.

Elecmon then noticed Takuya. "Oh, it's you! I see you did as Swanmon and Leomon requested."

Takuya gave a sheepish grin. "I told you I would find the 'kidnapper'." He said cheekily before turning serious. "However, it seems this was all a misunderstanding."

Elecmon looked back at Andy. "So you didn't mean to kidnap Kokomon? Wow… I guess there was no malicious intent then."

Then Elecmon laughed a bit. "But if it was that easy, we wouldn't be trying to keep Primary Village safe from players."

"So you're saying I would have to prove my innocence?" Andy asked.

"Kid, regardless of your intentions, you did still technically kidnap one of our babies," Elecmon pointed out. "That's a pretty big crime. But, you can talk to Leomon and Swanmon about this and see what they think. They're the ones in charge of Primary Village. I'm only an assistant here."

"Yeah, I'll do that," Andy sighed, knowing he may still be in trouble with the Digi-law for accidentally kidnapping Lopmon.

Lopmon frowned. "But I chose to go with him, that can't be kidnapping if I decided to go with him. Come on, Andy, let's go clear your name!"

Takuya groaned. "Well, I guess my job isn't over yet…" He muttered.

Lopmon ran off, with Andy and Takuya following him.

Takuya then stopped. "Wait… Sam, Tucker, and Danny! Aw man! We just left them behind with Patamon!" He groaned.

"There are more humans here?" Elecmon frowned. "You three go talk to Leomon and Swanmon. I'll go greet the other humans."

Elecmon ran off before Takuya or Andy could say anything.

"He's not going to attack them, is he?" Takuya frowned.

"Nah, Elecmon may be strict, but he's a big softie," Lopmon replied. "He'll see that Danny, Tucker, and Sam don't mean any harm. I'm more concerned about clearing Andy's name right now."

Takuya sighed. "Well, let's go see if we can clear Andy's name. I'd hate for even more Digimon to attack him or make this mistake of him being a player again."

The threesome began walking into Primary Village further. Takuya had a hand on his D-Tector in case things went down the gutter and he needed to evolve to fight.

While this was going on, Elecmon found the other group quite easily. They were following a Patamon, and they were the only other humans in Primary Village, so they stuck out like sore thumbs.

"Well, greetings, humans," Elecmon spoke up.

"Hello, Elecmon," Patamon greeted back. "I see you found us."

"Whoa, is that another Digimon?" Tucker asked in curiosity.

"No, it's just a talking, weird looking animal," Sam replied in a sarcastic tone.

"Um… hi." Danny said as he waved nervously. "Um… well… we're just here looking around. We're not trying to steal any Digi-Eggs, honestly. We mean no harm."

Sam rolled her eyes at Danny's awkward introduction. "Way to go Danny, you just made yourself look very awkward."

"Hey! I don't want us to be accused of trying to steal Digi-Eggs or baby Digimon like Andy was." Danny protested.

"You definitely look very similar to the kidnapper," Elecmon admitted as he looked at Danny.

"He's not a kidnapper." Danny frowned.

"He still took a baby from Primary Villager, whether it was intentional or an accident, that still makes him a kidnapper," Elecmon pointed out.

"As much as I don't like to admit it, he's got a point," Patamon sighed. "Whatever intentions Andy had when he took Lopmon here, the fact remains that he did take him from this place. If this ends up in court, that's how the judges and the jury would see it."

Danny paled. "There's a court here? Oh crap… I didn't think Andy would break a law here!"

"Says the one who broke a law in the Ghost Zone." Sam remarked with a bit of a smug grin.

"That was completely by accident!" Danny retorted.

"Well, doesn't this count too?" Tucker asked cheekily. "You and your brother both broke the law in a different world."

Sam chuckled. "You two are bad boys~"

"N-no, we're not!" Danny protested, his cheeks going red from embarrassment.

"Only bad boys would break laws." Sam grinned.

"C-come on, Sam! You know those laws set by Walker were completely unfair and unreasonable, right?" Danny whined.

Tucker actually busted out laughing. "Dude! Your face is so red right now!" He howled as Danny felt the urge to just turn invisible, literally.

"Oh, I know, but you still broke one of his laws." Sam teased Danny. "Who knew you had such a rebellious streak?"

"S-stop it, Sam! I already feel bad about it because Andy got roped into it! I don't need to be reminded of what happened!" Danny groaned. "Besides, you're not helping my case here!"

Patamon sighed. "They're children, they can act really stupid, or do really reckless things."

Elecmon started laughing. "Don't I know it? I raise children all the time, I know how they can get."

Patamon smiled a bit at Elecmon's laughter.

Tucker, Sam, and Danny finally settled down from their small 'childish' routine, with Danny looking like he wanted to crawl into a hole, Tucker grinning like a loon, and Sam looking somewhat smug.

"Did you three have fun?" Patamon asked with a bit of a smile.

"No…" Danny whined.

"I'd say we did." Tucker grinned.

"For you!" Danny huffed.

"Well, if you kids aren't here to cause any harm, perhaps I can give you a bit of a tour while Andy explains himself to the caretakers of Primary Village," Elecmon stated.

Danny blinked, as did Sam and Tucker.

"Really?" Danny asked with a grin. "Because that would be great!"

"Yeah! I wanna see what Digimon are around here!" Tucker exclaimed happily.

"It would be interesting to see what you guys do here." Sam agreed. "And maybe you can explain how a Digi-Egg can grow on a tree or a bush, because I've never seen that before."

"Of course, come with me." Elecmon grinned.

---

Meanwhile, inside the building, Takuya, Andy, and Lopmon were looking around for the caretakers. They saw a few baby Digimon hopping around, but most of the babies were taking a nap.

"I guess it's nap time," Lopmon whispered. "That would explain why we haven't seen a lot of baby Digimon outside yet."

"Yeah, I guess." Takuya whispered back. "Or they could be hiding from Andy since he was made out to be this big scary kidnapper."

"Oh come on, that was probably months ago for these guys by now. I doubt they even remember what happened," Andy huffed.

"You never know." Takuya pointed out before he looked around. "So, where are Leomon and Swanmon? Are they out away from Primary Village or something?"

"No, usually during nap time, Swanmon would be in her room to relax," Lopmon answered. "Not sure about Leomon, he seems to disappear and reappear randomly. Maybe he goes out on a stroll for a bit."

"I hope he is out right now, because I worry what he would do to me if he takes what I say the wrong way…" Andy gulped.

"Leomon's really nice, I doubt he'd punch you unless you were attacking him or one of the babies," Lopmon chuckled.

"I did kidnap you, you know," Andy pointed out.

"Well I'm here now, so you technically gave me back, right?" Lopmon grumbled.

Takuya grinned cheekily. "Yeah, but it took a few fights to get back here." He joked.

"You're not helping!" Lopmon groaned.

Andy frowned as he looked at the doors they were standing in front of. The doors had a design of water on it. "Is this Swanmon's room?"

"Last time I was here, it was," Lopmon confirmed.

"I guess we better knock?" Andy frowned, feeling nervous since it was Swanmon who caught him in Kokomon's room that day.

"I'll do it." Takuya said, not wanting Andy to feel so nervous. "At least this way she won't outright attack you if I'm in front."

Takuya raised a fist and knocked on the door. "Swanmon? It's Takuya. Are you here?"

For a moment, there was no answer, but before Takuya could knock again, there was a voice. "Come on in!"

Takuya opened the door, seeing Swanmon reading a book while leaning against a small aquarium. "Hello, Takuya. It's been a while since I've heard from you."

"It's good to see you too, Swanmon." Takuya said with a grin before he rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly. "So… um… do you remember that whole 'Kokomon kidnapping' thing that went on?" He began awkwardly. "And how I promised to find the 'kidnapper'?" Well, here we go…

"Hmm? I heard from Leomon that JP told him that the kidnapper wasn't a bad guy, and that Kokomon was happy with him," Swanmon replied. "We were relieved to hear that, but it would've been nice to see this boy who took Kokomon in the first place."

Swanmon looked up. "Who's that with you?"

Andy sheepishly waved. "Uh… hi… you must be Swanmon. I'm Andy, and-"

"Hey, Swanmon!" Lopmon greeted. "Do you recognize me?"

Takuya groaned. "Way to go, Andy…" He muttered as he rubbed his face with his hand.

"What?" Andy frowned. "She saw me."

"Swanmon, meet the 'kidnapper', my cousin Andy." Takuya sighed. "This is your 'scary kidnapper' you first saw."

Lopmon pouted a little. "What about me?" He moped.

"Hey, don't look so down, Lopmon." Takuya assured Lopmon as he patted the Rookie-level Digimon's head. "I'm sure Swanmon recognizes you."

Swanmon frowned a little. "Of course I recognize you. You're Kokomon, or at least, you were. I see you digivolved."

"Yeah! I digivolved thanks to Andy!" Lopmon smiled. "He's my partner!"

"I didn't force him to be my partner or anything!" Andy quickly said, hoping Swanmon wouldn't get the wrong idea. "It just kinda happened when we were being attacked by a player."

"Oh! That must have been scary for you! Poor Kokomon!" Swanmon said with worry.

"It was kinda scary, but I wasn't going to let Andy get hurt." Lopmon replied before grinning. "And look! I digivolved because of it!"

"I can see that," Swanmon noted before she looked at Andy. "So… you're the big, bad kidnapper. I definitely remember you, but you seem a lot smaller than I remember."

"You probably thought I was a lot bigger and intimidating because I took Kokomon," Andy sheepishly said. "I'm sorry about doing that… I panicked when you were accusing me of being a 'player'. I didn't know what was going on, and I just grabbed Kokomon. I was going to bring him back, but I was scared that I was going to get attacked if I tried… and Kokomon seemed to want to stay with me."

"Yeah, I wanted to meet Andy, and I wanted to stay with him," Lopmon agreed.

"I see." Swanmon said with some slight amusement. "You never were one to stay in one spot for long, Lopmon, so I'm not surprised you decided to stay with Andy."

Takuya grinned a bit sheepishly. "I will admit, as funny as it sounds now, this whole thing was a big misunderstanding. I think everyone was just scared and made things worse in their own minds. I know I did, and I nearly took Andy's head off because of it."

"Literally…" Andy added.

Swanmon sighed. "Yeah, I am guilty of doing that too. But things have been stressful lately since players began to show up, stealing Digimon away from their homes, and enslaving them to do their bidding. We had to keep the village safe since we have so many precious baby Digimon here that would be very vulnerable to these players. To suddenly see a human in Kokomon's room of all places, it really freaked me out. How did you get in there anyways, Andy?"

"I got sucked into a Digi-gate when using this device," Andy explained, holding out the D-Arc for Swanmon to see. "Kokomon picked it up from his bed, but he said it appeared when I wanted to go into the Digital World myself. It opened a Digi-gate, and the next thing I knew, I was in Kokomon's room."

"Oh my! I haven't seen one of those devices ever!" Swanmon exclaimed in surprise. "That's so unusual. You said that device appeared? It looks similar to another device someone else has."

"Someone else?" Andy asked. Is it Valerie? Or is there another person with this device? "I've been calling it a D-Arc. Did this person call the device anything?"

"No, but it is something they often have with them," Swanmon answered. "It's a relief that you're not a player then. I'm glad little Lopmon has someone as pure hearted as you to be his partner."

Andy blushed. "You really think I'm pure hearted?"

"Of course. I doubt Lopmon would've gone with anyone who had ill intentions," Swanmon chuckled. "I'm surprised he ended up with a partner, but I'm glad it's someone who's kind, despite the misunderstanding."

"Is it really that surprising that I have a partner?" Lopmon asked.

"I think Swanmon just didn't expect you to get a partner." Takuya chuckled. "Not that it's a bad thing."

"So uh…" Andy awkwardly said. "Am I still in trouble for kidnapping Lopmon?"

Swanmon looked at Andy. "Under normal circumstances, you would be, but since this was a misunderstanding that everyone made worse, I think we'll let this one slide. It would not do to have you be in trouble for something that you had no idea about."

"Thank you, I'm grateful that you're not pressing charges on the incident," Andy said in relief. "What about Leomon? Don't I have to talk to him too?"

"Did you not see him outside before you came in?" Swanmon asked.

"No, there was no sign of him." Takuya replied. "We did see Elecmon, but no sign of Leomon. And I know Leomon would never leave this place unless he had a reason."

"Oh, I see," Swanmon giggled. "Well then, how about I give you boys a small tour around here while the babies are having their nap?"

"Really?" Andy smiled.

"Maybe we can eat a snack while we're here." Lopmon smiled. "Swanmon makes the best snacks!"

Takuya grinned. "Why not? I think a snack would be nice."

Swanmon giggled again. "Oh, you boys! Sure, I can make you a snack after the tour."

Takuya grinned as Lopmon was cheering happily. "Snacks, snacks, snacks~ Yummy, yummy snacks~"

Andy raised an eyebrow at the two. "But we just ate before coming here."

"Come on, Andy, don't be such a spoilsport," Lopmon chuckled.

---

"Ah, looks like you're in luck, one of the eggs is hatching," Elecmon noted.

Danny, Patamon, Tucker, and Sam stopped as they looked at one of the Digi-Eggs. It was white with golden horizontal stripes on it. The egg was moving around a bit, and was cracking.

Wow, this is so cool! Danny thought giddily.

Sam was smiling as well, she always wanted to see a creature being born into the world. Tucker was also fascinated by this.

The shell of the egg was soon shattered, and a little white jelly-like creature with beady black eyes, and a small mouth smiled up at them.

"Kids, this is a Poyomon, a very young, baby Digimon," Elecmon explained.

"Awww! It's so cute!" Sam squealed, which was totally unlike her. Sam realized this and blushed, coughing to cover up her squeal of adorableness. "Um… I mean it's kinda cool that it looks like a mini ghost."

Danny was snickering. "You don't have to hide the fact you thought it was cute."

Tucker was busting a gut laughing. "Sam, the big, bad goth just squealed in delight!"

Sam would punch Tucker, but she didn't want to set a bad example to the baby in front of them, but she made a note to do that later. "You are lucky we have a baby watching us now, otherwise you would be wheezing in pain rather than in laughter."

Patamon was looking at the Poyomon himself. It had been… a really long time since he really looked at a baby Digimon himself. It was strange looking at one up close again.

Elecmon gently picked up the Poyomon. "I need to take this little one into the nursery. I guess now's as good a time as any to show you kids around the nursery. Just don't make too much noise, most of the children are taking a nap right now."

"Don't worry. We'll be as quiet as mice." Tucker said with a grin.

Danny chuckled. "Let's go see the nursery then. I wonder what kind of baby Digimon we'll see there."

Patamon looked over at Danny's head. He was considering using that as a roosting spot for himself, but he shook his head. He wasn't like Lopmon, and he certainly wasn't going to let himself get too attached to this kid. He wasn't looking for a partner, and he would never want to be partners with a human. It wasn't that he hated humans, he just didn't want to be a part of the whole problems with the players.

Patamon just decided to fly after the group as they followed Elecmon to the nursery.

Danny looked around, a smile on his face. "This place is so awesome! There're so many Digi-Eggs and it looks so peaceful."

"It definitely fits a nursery, but with… a different world vibe to it. I totally dig it, especially since they make Sam squeal like a normal girl~" Tucker grinned.

"Keep at it, and you'll start losing some teeth in the future," Sam warned. But I do admit, despite all the colorful eggs and stuff, it is pretty nice here. It's not my style though.

When Elecmon led the ground into the nursery, they saw a lot of small Digimon sleeping on baskets and cradles all over the place. Elecmon placed Poyomon in another basket.

"Whoa… that's a lot of babies…" Sam whispered.

"Yeah… I've never seen so many baby Digimon." Danny agreed, also in a whisper.

"That's not difficult to do, me, Agunimon, and Lopmon had been the only Digimon you had seen before coming here," Patamon reminded.

"It seems there are just as many colorful baby Digimon to match this place." Tucker whispered, pointing at a red baby Digimon and then a light blue baby Digimon, each sleeping in a crib or cradle.

"So what do you do with all these babies? Do you raise them until they grow up or something?" Sam asked as Elecmon turned around to them. "I mean… don't they have their own parents to raise them?"

"Sort of," Elecmon replied as he walked out of the nursery, heading into the hallway, with the kids following him so they could talk a little louder. "See, all Digimon that are born or get reborn come here. The parents don't make the eggs, the eggs just kind of appear here. Some Digimon are chosen to be responsible and raise the young ones until they're ready to be taken to their new family. In some cases, the Digimon choose not to live with a family so they end up exploring the world on their own despite being in their In-Training level. That used to be fine, but since players started invading our world, that's become more dangerous."

"You said 'reborn' ones too," Danny noted. "What do you mean?"

"When a Digimon gets too weak and tired from a fight, their body data compresses and then their Digi-Core creates a Digi-Egg so that data can recover and get a chance to start again." Elecmon explained. "It also happens when a Digimon dies of old age."

Tucker got the implications easily. "It's like a computer getting a reboot with a new operating system." He explained to Danny.

Elecmon chuckled. "That's a pretty good comparison. It's a bit more complicated than that, but that's kinda what it would be like in your terms."

"So if a Digimon gets reborn, does that mean they don't have any memories of who they were before?" Sam asked.

"That's right. Normally, when a Digimon is reborn, they are a clean slate. Whatever they did in the past is long forgotten to them. And nobody would be able to tell they were the same Digimon either. They are as new as any newborn baby," Elecmon explained. "There are some extremely rare exceptions. Once in a blue moon, a reborn Digimon may remember their past life, at least the one they had last time before becoming a Digi-Egg. It's a strange phenomenon, however, and the chances of it happening are so low that it's practically a myth. The only Digimon that were documented to have memories of their past lives are the 3 Celestial Digimon."

Danny looked at Patamon before looking at another baby Digimon. "Wow, I don't know whether to feel sorry for the baby Digimon or be impressed."

"I think it's a good thing." Sam remarked. "It means a Digimon doesn't have to be defined by their past lives' actions and can become a totally new individual."

"Of course you would look at it in a positive light." Tucker joked to Sam.

"I mean who would want to be stuck with their past life when they're supposed to start life anew?" Sam asked.

Patamon frowned a little, but didn't comment.

Elecmon began sniffing the air. "Smells like Swanmon is making some snacks. It's not snack time yet, so it's likely for the other children who talked to her. Why don't we go join them?"

Danny smiled. "I don't see why not."

"Food? You bet!" Tucker grinned. "I wonder what digital food tastes like."

"As long as it's not made from animals, I could give it a try." Sam admitted.

"Made from animals?" Elecmon asked. "Like what?"

"Meat in our world is made from animals like pigs, cows, etc." Sam explained. "I don't eat meat."

"I'm not sure what those are," Elecmon replied. "But we won't give you meat if you don't want them. But we make sure to pick them fresh from the garden. Sometimes I would go pick some meat apples in a forest. A lot of the babies love them."

Sam blinked. "Wait… meat grows in a garden? How is that possible?" She asked. "And meat apples? I've never heard of that."

"That sounds gross, but also kinda… tasty?" Tucker blinked. "I'm not sure if I should be grossed or not."

"Why don't you kids come with me then? I'll show you what I mean since you don't seem to be familiar with our kind of meat," Elecmon chuckled.

---

Andy, Lopmon, and Takuya were sitting on a cafeteria table in the kitchen. Swanmon was cooking up some kind of white apples. She had some cabbages on the side. She also added in some other kinds of fruits.

She's cooking… apples… that's… a new way to eat apples, I guess? But… Why does it smell like a barbeque? Andy wondered. "Don't you think we should look for Valerie soon?"

"We should." Takuya agreed. "But after we eat and meet up with Sam, Tucker, Danny, and Patamon." He then looked down in thought. "I don't think Valerie would've left the Digital World so soon, so it's possible we may find her."

"But remember, time passes a lot quicker in the Digital World. Valerie went into the Digital World during lunch at school. We didn't enter until after school, so she could've been here for a day or two already," Andy pointed out.

"Relax, Andy," Lopmon spoke up. "I get the feeling Valerie's been to the Digital World before. She knew how to use that D-Arc of hers to open a gate, so I'm sure she can take care of herself. Besides, I wouldn't be able to fight effectively if I was hungry."

"You just want to eat here for nostalgia sake," Andy deadpanned.

"Well, yeah, but come on, it's like you're not getting to eat your mom's cooking for a really long time," Lopmon pointed out.

Takuya chuckled. "That's a good point, Lopmon." I know I miss my mom's cooking already…

Lopmon just grinned.

Andy sighed. "Sometimes I wonder if I spoil you too much…"

"Come on, Andy, we're partners, not parent and child," Lopmon chuckled.

"Here we are," Elecmon spoke up.

"Elecmon?" Takuya asked, surprised to see the small red Digimon.

"Takuya? Andy? Lopmon?"

Andy, Lopmon, and Takuya saw Danny, Patamon, Tucker, and Sam standing there as well.

"Oh good, we have more guests," Swanmon noted. "Good thing I was making a lot of extra snacks."

Tucker was drooling. "What smells like barbeque?"

Sam blinked, looking at the white apples that were being cooked on a stove. She saw other types of fruits, and some cabbages. It almost looked like Swanmon was making some kind of fruit salad… with… cooked apples. But it definitely smelled like a meaty barbeque.

Elecmon approached Swanmon. "Do you have any more rice dumplings? We have a guest who doesn't like to eat meat."

"Oh, I'm sure I can find some." Swanmon assured Elecmon. She put the plates down and went to find the rice dumplings from the back of the kitchen.

"Uh…" Sam began. "What about all that fruit and cabbages you have?"

"Don't worry, you'll like the rice dumplings~" Swanmon smiled. "Why don't you join your friends at the table?"

"I hope they serve whatever that smells good." Tucker drooled.

"I'm not sure why I need to eat rice dumplings when they have plenty of vegetarian options already," Sam remarked as they sat with Andy and Takuya.

"I'm good with whatever they give us," Danny chuckled.

"Are we sure we have time to indulge in 'snack time'?" Patamon asked. "Weren't we here on a mission?"

"Well, yeah, but we need as much energy as we can get if we are to resume the search for Valerie." Danny pointed out.

"And I'm not about to let food that smells like that go to waste~" Tucker added with a grin.

Patamon sighed. "You all get so easily distracted."

"I know, right?" Andy remarked.

"Come on, you two, you need to lighten up. It's not like the world, or Valerie, is in any immediate danger," Lopmon replied. "You need to take care of yourself first."

Patamon grumbled, but relented. He still felt it was kinda childish to be stuffing one's face when a mission was going on, but he was outvoted it seemed.

"Don't worry so much, Patamon, we'll get to the mission when we get to it," Danny promised.

"So I take it everything went okay with Swanmon then?" Sam asked Andy.

"Yeah, when I explained the situation to her, she was understanding," Andy replied. "It helped that Takuya and Lopmon both vouched for me."

"I'm glad it went well." Danny sighed, glad it seemed Andy was now cleared of being accused of being a 'kidnapper'. "I'd hate to have to try to explain your innocence if they weren't willing to listen."

"I wouldn't celebrate just yet," Patamon warned. "Even though Andy cleared his name with Primary Village, rumors already spread that he was someone who kidnapped Lopmon from this place. Since we've been gone, weeks, maybe months, have already passed here. It's very possible Andy may even be a wanted man by other places of the Digital World."

"Uuugh…" Andy slammed his head onto the table. "I really should've thought of that before we left the Digital World…"

Takuya groaned. "Great… It seems we have our work cut out for us." He muttered under his breath. "Add another thing we have to worry about to the list."

"It may not be all bad," Sam suggested.

"What do you mean?" Tucker asked.

"Well, we are here to try to set the players straight, right?" Sam pointed out. "What better way to do that than by intimidating them with the 'mastermind who took a baby from the unreachable Primary Village'?"

"It's more than just because he took a baby here," Patamon sighed. "But you may have a point. If players figure out who the Digimon was that Andy took, they'll likely see him as a really tough player."

"Why would anyone care what Digimon he took?" Lopmon asked.

Takuya frowned, knowing what kind of Digimon Lopmon really was. "Ah… Let's not worry about that right now, alright? We have our own mission to work on." He replied at last. Aw man… Patamon has a good point, but Lopmon doesn't know just who he used to be.

"Alright children, here are the snacks~" Swanmon smiled as she placed bowls of cabbages, cooked apples, and other kinds of fruits in front of them. Except for Sam, she gave Sam a bowl of rice dumplings. "Enjoy."

"... Are you kidding me? This looks like a fruit salad," Tucker pointed out.

Sam elbowed Tucker. "Don't be rude!"

Lopmon didn't hesitate to dig in, he picked up an apple and munched on it. "Mmm… I love the flavor of steak~"

"Steak? That's an apple you're eating… isn't it?" Andy asked, looking at the apple Lopmon bit into. "Hey… is that… meat?"

Andy noticed the bite on the apple had some kind of red meat on it instead of the white, crunchy spot the inside of an apple usually had.

Lopmon grinned. "Yep! It's called a meat apple! It's fruit, but with the flavor of meat."

Takuya picked up a meat apple and bit into it curiously. His eyes went wide when he tasted the flavor. "Wow! This is like eating a hot dog! Literally!" He grinned.

Tucker blinked before he picked up one of the white apples himself and bit into it as well. His mouth watered with the flavor he knew and loved so well. "Ooooh, baby~ It's like I've died and gone to meat lover's heaven! I'm eating roasted chicken~"

Danny tried his apple next. "Oh, this one tastes like bacon!"

Andy blinked before he decided to crunch into the apple himself. It was soft, and chewy. That one bite was packed with meaty flavors. "Roast beef… that's so good!"

Sam was dumbfounded when she heard that everyone who ate the apple tasted a different kind of meat. "Swanmon, did you make the meat into the shape of an apple?"

"What? No, silly, the meat apples grow like this on a tree," Swanmon chuckled. "The cabbages we grew from the garden. The fruits we have shipped from a store."

Out of curiosity, Tucker took a bite out of the cabbage. "Oh gosh! This tastes like beef jerky! I'm definitely in heaven, where fruits and vegetables taste like meat!"

Takuya picked up a cabbage himself and took a big bite out of it. "This one tastes like hamburger!" He exclaimed with a grin.

Danny chuckled. "Well, I think Tucker and Takuya found a reason why they like the Digital World~"

"It's so weird that these taste like meat. I wonder what the meat tastes like then," Andy chuckled.

Sam was still trying to wrap her mind around the fact these supposed fruits and vegetables were grown like any fruits and vegetables would, but they tasted like meat. She was questioning if she ate one, would she technically be breaking her vegetarian streak or not? They weren't made from animals, Elecmon didn't even know what animals were, but they were still meat, weren't they?

"I think Sam is having a bit of a mental breakdown," Andy whispered to Danny.

Danny looked over and saw Sam was indeed trying to wrap her mind around what she was hearing. Danny, gaining a mischievous glint in his eyes, picked up a meat apple and held it out to Sam. "You want one? It's still a fruit, but it tastes like meat."

Sam looked at the apple and felt her left eye twitch. "You just want me to eat it, don't you?"

"C'mon, Sam, it's not that bad." Danny reassured her. He then grinned mischievously. "Don't be stubborn make me stuff this into your mouth~"

"Stop that," Sam grumbled.

"Sam, think of it like this… you don't drink actual milk, but you drink soy milk, right?" Andy pointed out. "It tastes like milk-"

"For her, maybe," Tucker muttered.

"Ahem!" Andy cleared his throat, giving Tucker the 'not helping' look before continuing what he was saying. "The soy milk tastes like milk, even though it's not actually milk from an animal. So why not put that logic into these meat apples and meat cabbages? They taste like meat, but they're not made from animals. They were grown from the ground and trees."

Sam looked at the apple in Danny's hand again. "I guess… I can try it then…" She murmured as she reached out and took the meat apple. Cautiously, and nervously, Sam took a bite, only for her eyes to widen in surprise. "It's… like eating… I'm eating a steak…" She could indeed taste the flavor of steak, but it was filled with juices that were similar to an apple's as well, but those only added to the meaty flavor.

"I'm surprised you know what steak tastes like," Tucker remarked.

"For your information, I wasn't always a vegetarian," Sam huffed. "I used to eat meat until I saw a farm my parents took me to when I was 8. I saw how sad the animals were there, and how little the farmers cared for them. They only wanted to fatten them up to feed their flesh to people. That was when I decided to become a vegetarian. Although… I do admittedly miss the taste of meat."

"And here I thought you didn't like meat," Elecmon chuckled.

"Well, now whenever you want meat that isn't actually meat, you can come here and eat them." Danny smiled.

Sam smiled a bit. "Yeah, I guess I would like coming here, if not for just that, then because I want to see more of this world."

Tucker grinned. "Sam finally found her dream foods then~"

"Oh? I think I could say the same for you." Sam shot back. "Since you don't like eating veggies, these meat apples and meat cabbages seem to be perfect for you as well."

"I won't argue, this is a dream come true!" Tucker smiled.

Andy chuckled, he was glad to see his friends getting along and having fun trying the strange food that was this world.

"You see? Aren't you glad I suggested we eat snacks here?" Lopmon chuckled to Andy.

"Yes, oh wise Lopmon, I'm glad we ate snacks here," Andy chuckled.

Sam also tried the rice dumplings since Swanmon already went through the trouble of giving those to her. They were good too, they tasted just as they were rather than tasting like another type of meat.

---

When the group had eaten their fill, they were standing outside of the building, talking to Swanmon and Elecmon.

"Thanks for the food, but we should get going now," Danny said. "We're looking for a friend of our's."

"We're also hoping to try to change how the players see this place," Sam added. "We know it'll be hard, but we want to be able to keep this world safe from people's cruelty."

"We appreciate it, but you kids shouldn't take on too many responsibilities on your shoulders. You should remember to just be kids too," Elecmon pointed out before his ears twitched. "Oh, sounds like nap time's over, the babies are starting to wake up."

"We better tend to them soon," Swanmon remarked as they turned around, seeing some of the babies hopping over to them.

Tucker, Sam, Danny, Takuya, Patamon, Lopmon, and Andy looked down as they saw a bunch of baby Digimon hopping outside, wanting to play. Some of the babies stopped to look at them curiously.

"Huh? Is that…?"

Tucker turned to the voice, and was surprised when he saw a familiar little Digimon staring at him.

Tucker's eyes went wide. "Wait… Kapurimon?!" He breathed. "Is that really you?"

"It's my human!" Kapurimon exclaimed happily, bouncing over to Tucker and around him. "I never thought I'd meet my human!"

"That's the Kapurimon you were taking care of?" Takuya asked.

"Y-yeah, apparently," Tucker replied, he hadn't expected to actually meet with his Digimon partner here.

"So you were the phantom human Kaupurimon had been seeing?" Swanmon asked, surprised.

"Phantom human?" Tucker blinked.

"That's how the babies see you when you're on the website taking care of them," Andy explained. "But nobody else can see you, so the Digimon have been calling them 'phantom humans'."

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, it's kinda creepy, but it explains why no one else can see the human a baby Digimon is assigned."

Tucker looked down at Kapurimon. "Wow, I guess I should say it's nice to finally meet you properly, Kapurimon."

"Nice to meet you too, phantom human!" Kapurimon exclaimed happily.

"Ah… Tucker. My name is Tucker, not 'phantom human'." Tucker corrected Kapurimon with a nervous chuckle.

Kapurimon jumped up to Tucker, who caught the little furry ball. "Tucker! Nice to meet you, Tucker! Are we partners? Can I stay with you?"

"U-uh, I don't know, don't you have a family you need to go to?" Tucker nervously asked before looking at Swanmon and Elecmon.

"If he's chosen you to be his partner, then you should let him go with you," Elecmon said. "If you don't, I get the feeling he'll try to sneak out of here to follow you, and that would be more dangerous for him than if you took him."

Tucker looked down at Kapurimon. "Well, I didn't think you would be such a little troublemaker."

"I'm not a troublemaker! I want to be with you as you are my human!" Kapurimon pouted.

"I think we should take him with us." Danny said with a sweatdrop. "I don't like the idea of Kapurimon getting into trouble because he followed us on his own." Something in Danny's chest twisted at the idea of Kapurimon getting hurt because of following them without Elecmon knowing where he went, making Danny feel very uncomfortable.

Sam snickered, "A little rebel, huh? I think that would keep us all on our toes."

"Uh… but I don't have anything to take care of you with. I don't have extra food or… diapers…" Tucker hesitantly said.

"It may not be that bad, Tucker. He might digivolve before long, like Lopmon did," Andy suggested.

"Here, I have some extra meat apples for you to take on your trip," Swanmon said as she gave them a container of meat apples. "That should keep you going for a little while."

"Well, that takes care of the food issue." Danny chuckled. "All we need now are the diapers for Tucker's baby~"

"H-hey!" Tucker pouted. "Kapurimon's my partner, not my baby!"

"Oh? I think he is since you're the one raising him." Danny teased Tucker.

"Well I didn't need any diapers," Lopmon remarked.

"Come on, let's go," Sam chuckled. "You can get to know your little Digimon along the way."

Tucker pouted as he followed the group.

Swanmon and Elecmon watched them go.

"What do you make of them, Leomon?" Swanmon asked.

Fractal code surrounded Elecmon before he grew suddenly, and the fractal code dissipated, showing Leomon in Elecmon's place. "I think they're a good group of kids. They don't have any ill intent on them."

"That's good to hear. I was worried for a moment." Swanmon sighed in relief. "Knowing that Kapurimon is going with a good group of kids puts my mind at ease. Same with Lopmon going with them."

"It's good to know Lopmon is with a good kid," Leomon stated. "Although Lopmon's mindset is affected by this. Both of them are very unsure of their own abilities and self worth. Due to this, I'm not sure how long it will be until Lopmon's memories of his past life will return to him."

"Well, we can only have faith that Lopmon's memories will return in time." Swanmon replied. "If all goes well, he will regain his memories, it just may take longer than we would like."

"My other main concern is the brother, Danny, was it? And Patamon who's with him," Leomon remarked. "I'm sure you know Patamon, right, Swanmon?"

"Yeah, it's easy to tell who Patamon is," Swanmon remarked. "What about him and the other boy?"

"I sensed something forming between them, but it's still rough," Leomon noted. "And Danny himself feels off… I sensed something about him that isn't all… human. I don't think he intends any harm, but there is something about him that makes me feel uneasy."

"I sensed it too." Swanmon confirmed. "But what it is, I do not know. I felt something similar from Takuya, but what I sense from him feels familiar, like it puts me at ease. Danny, on the other hand, what I sense isn't comforting at all."

"Patamon likely senses it too," Leomon remarked. "Lopmon doesn't seem to notice the dangers though. I can only hope that our concerns are nothing more than concerns."

---

Titanic X: DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it's always cute when the Digimon are trying to pretend to be toys. XD

ZAFT: You will see lots of that down the road~ XD

pokemon fan1991: DarkFoxKit: I don't have much to say to this review. ^^' But uh… thank you.

ZAFT: We may use other series of Digimon, just not sure if we will or not… ^^'

Guest: ZAFT: Thanks for the review! I'm glad you liked how the chapter went down. :3 And you will like the partners we have for the rest of Team Phantom~! XD

DarkFoxKit: Thank you for enjoying the story so far.

Saberwolf335: DarkFoxKit: You're in for a long ride if you think the first chapter was too long. ^^'

ZAFT: Long chapters seem to be our specialty… ^^;

Son Sandy: ZAFT: Thanks for the review! :3 Don't expect to see a lot of Andy's future visions though. They will happen when they happen. XD ^^' And yeah, I thought the reactions of the three were great too! :3

DarkFoxKit: Team Phantom are planned to have Digimon partners. And yeah, it didn't feel right to not give Andy future visions at this point. And glad you're looking forward to more.