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.

41. A Ghostly Invasion

ZAFT: Why does it have to be of such poor air quality where I live right now? DX

DarkFoxKit: … Uh… unlucky location?

Takuya: Don't blame me for those wildfires in Canada! I've been here the whole time!

DarkFoxKit: We weren't even looking at you.

Andy: I think Takuya's gotten quite sensitive when it comes to fire lately. Jee, I wonder why?

ZAFT: I have no idea… ^^' Let's get onto the chapter, it's starting to get good for the story, and we don't want to keep the readers waiting!

Andy: I was being sarcastic!

---

(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 41: Ghost Invasion

Things were calmer at the Flame Terminal with Coronamon gone, and the rebuilding was going smoothly. Many homes were already in the process of being rebuilt, and even the Trailmon station was beginning to look like how it did before the players had destroyed it.

The Pagumon were surprisingly getting along with everyone as they were helping out, likely they were mostly grateful to be rescued from that weird fog that had disappeared not that long ago.

"The Trailmon station still needs a lot of work before it can run again," Tucker noted as they were looking at their handiwork.

"We also need the green light from the Celestial Digimon before the Trailmon can start running again, don't we?" Sam questioned. "What good would it do us if we fix the station only for it to not even be used?"

"I'm sure the Celestial Digimon will let the Trailmon run again once they see how hard we've all worked to fix the mess those players did," Biyomon reassured.

"I hope so." Sam sighed.

"Don't worry, things will work out." Tucker grinned. "We've done well so far, so I'm sure we'll get the green light from the Celestial Digimon in no time. They can't ignore the fact we've been doing so much already, right?"

"Maybe, but…" Dash rubbed the sweat from his forehead after he just finished helping with the construction. "Are they even watching us? Do they know what we're doing? Nobody's seen them since they went into hiding, right?"

"I'm sure the Celestial Digimon have their ways," Labramon reassured her partner. "I'd say we've all done a pretty good job. And we didn't need to steal another's fractal code to do it."

Tucker whispered to Sam. "I still can't believe Dash is helping us, could you? I'm almost convinced this is just someone else using Dash's avatar or something."

"Yeah, I know, but it really is him." Sam whispered back. "At least he seems to be on the up and up, so we should at least give him a chance."

"Regardless however, our progress is coming along nicely, but it may take a long time to get the station back to its original state," Kokuwamon sighed. "Especially since we still don't have access to outside supplies and help yet."

"Hey, where's Andy?" Tucker asked.

"I think he said he and Lopmon are going to check out the player we brought in earlier," Sam replied.

"I hope that guy isn't ungrateful. I mean, we risked our lives not just against that messed up Megadramon he was a part of, but also against Takuya in his Beast Spirit form." Tucker grumbled. "Some people don't know when to be thankful to others…"

"Let's hope that player isn't one of those ungrateful people," Sam sighed.

Andy and Lopmon were frowning as the player they brought in was awake, and still in Bokomon's house. The player, however, wasn't exactly… grateful.

"Why the hell am I here? And why am I putting up with this little weakling?" The man snapped, pointing at Bokomon.

"Excuse me? I was trying to make sure you and Kunemon didn't hurt yourselves, you just woke up from a traumatic experience, so your bodies haven't fully-" Bokomon explained, only to get cut off.

"Shut up! I wasn't talking to you!" The man snapped.

"Hey, he was only looking out for you!" Lopmon spoke up, not liking this man's attitude.

"I suggest you calm down before you start yelling again," Andy said.

"No way. I am out of here! I can't believe I am around these weaklings…" The man grumbled. "I swear I will not get beaten like that again!"

"Do you even know what happened to you?" Andy frowned. "You were taken over by a ghost, and you nearly destroyed the Digital World! We had to get that ghost out of you in order to save you. The least you could do was show a little gratitude."

"A likely story, kid, you just want me to have to owe you one," The man sneered. "There's no such thing as ghosts, and if there were, it was just a part of the game. I wasn't in any danger!"

Kunemon didn't say anything, his partner usually preferred him not to speak unless spoken to.

Andy sighed. "If you want to leave, nobody is stopping you from logging out."

The man snorted, but he did in fact prepare to log out. "I'm out of here. When I come back, I do not want to see anymore weaklings around me."

"Said the one who was weak enough to get taken over by a ghost," Lopmon grumbled.

The man logged out, vanishing as his partner Digimon wormed his way out of Bokomon's house.

Once Kunemon had left, Bokomon huffed. "How rude!"

"Unfortunately, there are people like that," Andy sighed. "I guess I was hoping maybe he'd change or be grateful enough to maybe want to help us, but I guess people don't change that easily."

"I can't believe we helped someone like that," Lopmon grumbled.

"At least he's back home now, hopefully he'll take a break from coming back to the Digital World," Andy sighed. "That'd be one less player to deal with later…"

"What do you mean by that?" Bokomon asked.

"We're trying to help the players co-exist with Digimon instead of just seeing them as game programs," Andy answered. "But… that process is going to be a lot harder, and probably take a lot longer, than I anticipated if Megadramon's defeat by those players was any indication…"

"That is a noble goal you have, but I doubt it will be that simple." Bokomon admitted. "You'd need to find a way to get large numbers of players to change their minds, but as long as this world is seen as a game, that may not be possible."

"Yeah, I know," Andy replied. "I'm… working on that. Who knows how many Digimon and players got hurt because of this mindset…"

"Don't give up hope, Andy, remember what happened when you started doubting yourself earlier?" Lopmon pointed out.

Andy nodded. "I'm fine, Lopmon. We'll have to focus on one thing at a time. For now, our goal is to fix up the Trailmon station. From there, we'll figure out the next thing."

Andy's cell phone beeped, indicating he got a message. Curious, Andy took his phone out from his pocket and checked the message.

'Andy, if you don't get your butt home soon, we're going to have cops surrounding our place because our parents went nuts in the Assault Vehicle! -Danny. P.S. I'm sending a message like this to Takuya too.'

Andy sweatdropped when he saw the message from his brother. "Oh… I guess it's time for us to go back home for now. Dang it, and here I was hoping to get more work done."

"It's alright. The Digimon of the Flame Terminal can continue the work while you head back home." Bokomon assured Andy. "You have already done enough for us as it is."

"I suppose, it's just the time differences between the two worlds can be… inconvenient. One day there could be a month here," Andy sighed.

"It'll be alright, we'll manage until you and the others can get back," Bokomon reassured.

"Are you sure you'll be alright?" Andy asked.

"They'll be fine, Andy. After all, look at how much work we've already gotten done in just a couple of days." Lopmon smiled.

Andy gave a small chuckle. "Alright. Then we better go, I hope to see you again later, Bokomon."

"Yeah, me too!" Lopmon grinned. "You're not so bad when you're not poking and prodding me."

"I do not know how to respond to that…" Bokomon muttered.

Lopmon just cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"I'd say just take it as a Lopmon compliment," Andy chuckled sheepishly.

After Andy and Lopmon walked out of Bokomon's house, they headed over to where the others were.

"Hey, Andy, how was that guy? Was he still unconscious?" Sam asked.

"No, he woke up… said some insults, and then logged out," Andy answered.

Tucker groaned. "Yep, he was one of those rude players…"

Sam huffed. "Some people won't ever be grateful."

"People don't always want to change," Dash said. "I should know…"

Andy looked at Dash for a moment before giving a nod, he didn't quite know how to feel about Dash right now. But at least he could say Dash really was trying to be a better person.

"Well, as much as I don't want to say it, we need to get back home now," Andy stated. "Our parents will be worried about us if we stay here any longer."

Sam blinked. "Wait, really? We've been gone… how long?"

Tucker frowned a bit. "I'd say at least… a week… using this world's time frame."

"According to Danny, it's getting late in the real world," Andy pointed at his cell phone. "And our parents are starting to wonder where we are."

"Man, that sucks, I was going to add in a generator for electricity, really gives more juice to Kokuwamon, and the Trailmon!" Tucker whined.

"You could make a generator?" Dash asked.

"Yeah, with the right mix and match of the inanimate fractal code, I could easily make it into a generator," Tucker replied.

"You scare me… then again, I guess this world is your element," Dash mumbled.

"Wait, so if you're leaving, does that mean you'll be going too, Dash?" Labramon asked, frowning.

"Yeah, I kinda have to." Dash admitted. "But I will be back as soon as I can." He added; he meant every word of it too.

Dash put a comforting hand on Labramon's head, and started to rub her head like he would with a real dog. Labramon gave a small smile.

"Okay, I'll continue to work on this and wait for you to get back," Labramon said.

"I promise I'll be back." Dash reassured Labramon. "And I can't wait to see how much better this place will look once I do get back."

"I promise to do my best to make sure it'll turn out much better by the time you get back to see it." Labramon smiled.

Dash nodded. "I'll hold you to it, Labramon."

Dash looked at the others. "Well, I guess I better log out. I'll see you three at school tomorrow."

"Yeah, guess we'll see you then," Andy said as Dash opened a menu in front of him to log out.

Dash disappeared since he was using an avatar, unlike the other 3.

"What about Takuya?" Tucker asked.

"Danny said he sent Takuya a message about coming home, so I'm sure he's already logged out, or is logging out," Andy replied.

"Well… um… since we physically have to go back, couldn't we take our Digimon with us like how you took Lopmon with you?" Sam asked.

"Actually… we decided we should stay here," Biyomon spoke up.

"We'd love to see your world and home, but we fear we'd cause panic and unease if we go now," Kokuwamon explained.

"And we'd like to stay here and help with rebuilding the station," Biyomon added.

Sam frowned, but she knew the rebuilding would need as much help as possible, so she nodded. "I guess so… I was hoping you'd come with me, Biyomon, but the work here is more important right now."

"Considering who your parents are, they'd scrutinize me when they see me, and think some boy gave me to you or something," Biyomon said. "It might be best to wait on me coming back with you regardless."

Sam frowned again, but nodded. "Okay…" She said at last before sighing. A small smile crossed her face. "But at least I have a reason to come back here if I want to see you again."

"You'll be alright here until I get back, won't you?" Tucker asked his partner.

"Of course. I will miss you while you're gone, but I know you will come back," Kokuwamon replied. "We're partners after all."

Andy and Lopmon watched as the group were saying goodbye to each other for the time being. Andy looked at Lopmon.

"Are you sure you don't want to stay here and help with the reconstruction?" Andy asked, hoping Lopmon didn't feel like he was obligated to go back with Andy if he'd rather stay in the Digital World.

"The rebuilding will go fine if I'm not here. I'm your partner, Andy. I would rather go back with you as my choice." Lopmon said calmly.

Andy smiled. "Alright then, I wanted to be sure that was what you wanted."

Lopmon smiled back. "I know, you can overthink things sometimes… actually most of the time."

"H-hey, no I don't," Andy sweatdropped.

"Oh, yes you do~" Lopmon teased back. "You most certainly do~"

Andy grumbled.

Tucker and Sam finished saying their goodbyes to Kokuwamon and Biyomon, and walked over to Andy.

"Alright, we better go," Sam said. "I'd rather my parents didn't call the police because they didn't see me for one night. Even though it felt like several blissful nights to me…"

"Honestly, while I liked my time here, I do miss home, and Mom's home cooking," Tucker admitted. "To her it's just dinner, but to me… well, it feels like home. You don't get that feeling until you've been away from home for a while."

Andy chuckled. "Yeah, I get that feeling too. Come on, let's go home."

The Digimon waved to the group as they approached the nearest monitor. Labramon pointed at it.

"This is one of the only working monitors at the station right now. Hopefully it'll get you guys back home," Labramon said. "And… well… please go easy on Dash. He's not quite used to not being who he was before he came here. I can tell he'll struggle when he gets back to his peers at school."

"We'll try." Sam said. "If he really is on the up and up, we'll do what we can to go easy on him."

"I think it'll be easier for both sides if we didn't interact with him much during school," Andy suggested. "That way he doesn't have to make the choice to not bully us until he feels he's ready to."

"But school is a pretty cramped place, that might be difficult," Tucker sheepishly said. "Even when we were avoiding him before, we always ended up running into him."

"Let's worry about that when we get to school," Sam said. "Take us home, Andy."

"Alright, everybody hang on to me," Andy instructed.

Lopmon didn't hesitate to climb onto Andy's head.

Sam grabbed Andy's hand and then grabbed Tucker's hand since Andy would need a free hand to use his D-Arc.

"I hope we don't end up in a pile…" Tucker muttered.

Andy held up his D-Arc at the monitor. "Okay, Digi-Port, open and take us to my room!"

The D-Arc's screen glowed, and the monitor glowed as well. After a few seconds, the kids, and Lopmon, were sucked into the screen.

"Whoa… so that's how they do it," Biyomon said in awe.

"Definitely a lot flashier than Dash's log-out sequence," Kokuwamon chuckled.

"Oh shut up," Labramon pouted.

Andy, Sam, Tucker, and Lopmon all went through the vortex. Andy gained his familiar black t-shirt with the blue triangle and dark red jeans, with Lopmon at his side. Tucker gained back his yellow shirt, red beret, and army green pants with brown boots. Sam returned to her normal clothes of a black sleeveless top that ended above her stomach, black skirt with purple and green lines on it, purple tights, and black combat boots.

"So how much longer do you think it'll be before they finally get back?" Jazz questioned as she and Danny were sitting in Danny and Andy's room.

"It shouldn't be much longer, I just sent the text," Danny said.

"And with the time differences, they should be back right about…" Patamon began before he snapped his fingers. "Now."

Right on cue, the computer screen glowed bright. Danny gasped as Andy, Lopmon, Sam, and Tucker all shot out at once, landing on him.

"You're… crushing… my spine…" Danny groaned.

Then a second later, the computer screen glowed again, and another person came out, landing on top of the pile.

"Ow…" The person groaned in a familiar voice.

"In retrospect, you probably shouldn't have waited for them in front of the computer screen," Patamon laughed.

"I hate my life…" Danny groaned, feeling squished.

The pile began to untangle itself and get off of poor Danny.

"Sorry about that…" Tucker apologized to Danny. "I didn't think we would really end up in a pile like that…"

"That was pretty… spectacular," Jazz sweatdropped. "Does this always happen when you enter and exit the Digital World?"

"No… we're just… special like that…" Andy groaned.

"Well, at least I landed on something soft…" Takuya muttered sheepishly.

"Yeah, all of us!" Sam grunted. "You're pretty heavy, you know?"

"H-hey! I'm not that heavy!" Takuya pouted.

Jazz noticed Lopmon as he managed to get out of the pile.

"Awww! That's a cute rabbit!" Jazz squealed as she rushed over to pick up Lopmon. "Where'd you get this cutie? Who has this as their partner?"

"Waah! C-come on, Andy's sister, it's not like you haven't seen me before!" Lopmon whined.

"Oh that's right! But I thought you were a stuffed animal then!" Jazz realized. "Oh, I'm Jazz by the way. Wait… Andy, this is your partner? I didn't think you and Danny would end up with such cute Digimon!"

"What's… that supposed to mean?" Andy huffed, blushing a little.

Takuya saw Andy's blush and grinned. "I think Jazz likes Lopmon~" He teased. "Who knew you would make your sister happy like that?~"

"S-shut up!" Andy grumbled.

"What's all the hubbub up here?" Jack's voice called before he and Maddie opened the door, and were surprised to see just about everyone was in the twins' room.

"Tucker, Sam? What are you two doing here? It's a school night and your parents will be worried." Maddie frowned.

"We were just… playing a video game and lost track of time." Tucker said, which in retrospect was true.

"Don't worry, we'll be leaving now," Sam quickly said.

"Don't lose track of time again, otherwise we'll have to call your parents next time," Maddie warned.

"Yes, Mrs. Fenton…" Both Tucker and Sam replied.

While Jack went with Tucker and Sam to see them out, Maddie looked at Takuya and Andy. Lopmon and Patamon stayed still to act like stuffed toys.

"Andy, Takuya, where've you two been? Jack and I were about to go look for you in the Assault Vehicle to make sure a ghost didn't take you or something," Maddie questioned.

Andy, in all sense and purpose, hadn't seen his mother in a week. He had to restrain himself from going over to her and hugging her.

Takuya sweatdropped. "We… were… um…" Crap… I need to learn to lie better…

"They were helping me run some errands," Jazz covered. "I didn't realize that it got so late though because of the whole Johnny thing."

"Who?" Andy asked.

"I'll explain later," Jazz whispered.

Danny sighed in relief, glad Jazz had come up with a believable cover story on the spot.

Takuya also was glad Jazz had covered for him.

Maddie sighed. "I see… well, speaking of Johnny, I hope you were able to straighten things out with him, because he's not allowed here again."

"Yeah… don't worry, Mom, I don't plan to see Johnny again either," Jazz promised.

Andy and Takuya looked at each other, wondering what the heck they missed.

"I'll let you off easy this time, but if this happens again… we'll have to ground you kids," Maddie warned.

"Thanks, Mom." Andy smiled. "Really, I appreciate it. You're awesome."

Maddie raised an eyebrow at Andy, but she gave a smile. "I'm glad you think so, sweetie. But you should get ready for bed."

"We will." Danny smiled.

Maddie left them alone, which let them all let out a sigh of relief.

"I know that feeling, bro, try to take it easy for a bit. Not being home for a week or so can do that to you," Danny said softly to Andy, knowing why he said what he said to Maddie.

"Y-yeah, it's…. Kind of weird. It's like I haven't been home for a long time, and yet… nothing really changed since I was gone," Andy noted.

Takuya sighed. "At least we got off with a warning… Going back to the Digital World would be difficult if we were grounded." He then looked at Jazz. "Speaking of… who is this Johnny you mentioned?"

Andy's attention was on Jazz as well. "And should we be concerned?"

Jazz sighed. "It's a bit of a long story."

"And… I need to show you two something, regarding my D-Arc and why I didn't go back…" Danny frowned.

Takuya frowned before he looked at Patamon and noticed something was off about him. "Patamon? When did you have green eyes?"

Patamon groaned.

"That's… part of what I need to talk to you about…" Danny chuckled sheepishly.

---

It was late by the time everyone got to bed. Andy was tired, but his mind had a lot to process. Jazz almost made out with a ghost, who was using another ghost's clothes and ring to take over Jazz's mind and body, but turned out to not be such a bad guy in the end. Jazz has a Digimon partner with that website who was a Floramon back at Breezy Village, probably the same one who helped Tucker, Sam, and Takuya when the village was glitching out. Takuya mentioned that he hadn't yet completed his training on controlling his Beast Spirit, but he wouldn't go into detail about his training. And Danny mentioned how his D-Arc had an 'error' message, and he wasn't sure if he could use it to open Digi-Portals anymore, and Patamon's eyes were green when this happened.

Andy wasn't sure what to think with that, but apparently the D-Arcs were vulnerable to ectoplasm, so he needed to keep his D-Arc away from ghosts if he didn't want it messing up and possibly changing Lopmon's eye colors. But he was also curious about Takuya's training. Takuya kept secrets before, but he didn't know why Takuya chose not to talk about his training this time. Takuya only told him that he was too tired to talk about it right now, so maybe he would tell them in the morning, at least Andy hoped he would.

"Are you alright, Andy?" Lopmon quietly asked. "I can feel you have a lot on your mind."

"Huh? Oh… yeah, I do…" Andy admitted. "But… I guess it wouldn't do me much good until I get some sleep, huh?"

Lopmon chuckled softly. "Sleep would make it easier to process what is on your mind."

Andy sighed. "Maybe you're right about me, about thinking too much sometimes."

"Most of the time," Lopmon corrected.

"Whatever," Andy grumbled.

"Hey, if it'll help you can hug me in your arms~" Lopmon offered. "I hear it usually helps human kids to sleep better if they have something soft to hug."

"C-come on, Lopmon, I'm not a child," Andy blushed.

Lopmon grinned. "Are you sure~?" He asked in a teasing voice. "You're younger than everyone else, right?"

"No, I'm not," Andy huffed as he thought about everyone's birthdays for a moment. "... Only by like an hour or two, but that doesn't mean anything!"

"Well, my offer still stands. Or would you rather cuddle with a teddy bear? Because if you won't sleep, or cuddle with me, I can go get a-"

"N-no, I'm good. I'll cuddle with you," Andy quickly said.

Lopmon smiled as he crawled into Andy's arms. "I knew you'd see it that way~"

Andy grumbled, but he had to admit, Lopmon was warm and soft to cuddle with. Maybe sleeping like this wouldn't be so bad… as long as Danny didn't wake up first and catch him cuddling with Lopmon. Danny would never let him live it down.

"Just don't go announcing it to everyone," Andy replied quietly.

"I won't~" Lopmon promised Andy.

Andy slowly began closing his eyes as his mind started to drift away into the blissfulness of sleep.

The blissfulness of sleep didn't last very long…

"Andy, wake up!"

Andy yelped when he felt someone yanking the blanket off of his body. "Wuh!?"

"Get up!" Danny's voice said as he poked Andy. "Now!"

"Da-Danny?" Andy's sleepy brain processed that Danny was waking him up, and Andy still had Lopmon in his arms. "T-this, uh, this isn't what it looks like!"

"Andy, that's not the issue!" Danny exclaimed before he paused. "Although… I'd like to hear the story behind this later."

Andy blinked as his mind finally registered Danny had sounded urgent when he was waking him up. Either they were about to be late for school, or it was something ghost related. After being in the Digital World for a week or so, school hadn't exactly been on Andy's mind, and he doubted it would be on Danny's.

"What's the ghost problem?" Andy grumbled as he pushed himself up from bed.

"And can't it wait until morning?" Lopmon yawned. "I just got comfy…"

"There are ghosts everywhere outside!" Danny exclaimed.

"What?" Andy blinked. "What do you mean there are ghosts everywhere?"

Danny grabbed onto Andy's arm and pulled him out of bed quickly. Andy yelped as Danny pushed him towards the window so Andy could see what was going on outside. "That's what I mean!"

Andy's eyes went wide as he went pale with horror. Outside, he could see hundreds of ghosts floating around, scaring people, filling the skies, yanking engines out of cars so people couldn't just drive away. All the ghosts, however, looked the same. They all wore metal gray helmets with dark gray covers over their upper bodies, and had green accents on the armor. They were also ectoplasmic green, and had red eyes. They all looked very familiar to Andy and Danny as well.

"It's them… Walker's goons…" Danny hissed to Andy.

"They're like… ghostly cops, right? Why are they causing chaos in Amity Park?" Andy questioned, already getting a headache from having to deal with this crap, especially in the middle of the night after working hard in the Digital World.

"I don't know, but I'm going to need a bigger Thermos to catch them all…" Danny grumbled.

"You serious? You can't take- I mean we can't take on this many ghosts at once!" Andy pointed out. "Besides… you have your little… issue with your D-Arc, remember?"

Danny grumbled to himself. "Stupid…"

"What should we do then?" Lopmon asked, frowning. "We can't just sit by and let the ghosts take over, can we?"

Patamon, having woken up as well, frowned as well as he looked out the window. "That… is a lot of ghosts. How did they get out here? I doubt they all just came through that portal downstairs, we would've sensed them."

"I don't know how they got here, but we have to figure out how to handle all of these ghosts." Danny groaned.

"I'm ready to go if you are," Lopmon said. "If we can handle Megadramon and BurningGreymon, surely we can handle a few hundred ghosts, right?"

Andy sweatdropped. "No… I mean, maybe, but unlikely. Takuya could help, and he most definitely will, but he says he hasn't learned to control his Beast Spirit yet, and if he uses that to chase off the ghosts, who knows what kind of damage he'll do to the town…"

Danny paled. "Crap… We have to keep him from using his Beast Spirit then…"

"I doubt Takuya would be that stupid," Patamon said.

"Biyomon and Kokuwamon should've come back with us, we'll need their help for this." Lopmon frowned.

"No… I think that's why they chose to stay in the Digital World. If they digivolve, then that's going to cause more panic among people," Andy pointed out.

There was a knock on the twins' bedroom door. "Andy, Danny? Are you awake?" It was Takuya.

"He likely sensed the ghosts too," Danny noted. "Andy, we… we can't just pretend we didn't see these ghosts."

Andy sighed, rubbing his head. "I know… I know… we'll do the best we can, alright? But don't overdo it, that's not going to help anyone."

Danny smiled. "Thanks, bro. I appreciate it."

"Takuya!" Andy called. "Go call Tucker and Sam! I'm going to get my hazmat suit on and gear up for battle. Come on, Lopmon!"

"Coming!" Lopmon hopped off of the bed and followed after Andy.

Takuya nodded. "Right!" He left the hallway, his footsteps fading down the hall.

Danny looked at Andy as he followed Andy to the lab. "Do you think he will become Agunimon?"

"Well I doubt he'll fight as a human," Andy replied. "Are Mom and Dada awake?"

"As far as I know, no. Dad snores like a warthog, and Mom has those earplugs to block out the snoring," Danny replied. "The ghost alarm must be turned off right now."

"Good. Jazz likely kept it off for your… our sake," Andy said, trying not to point to Danny being a ghost in front of their two Digimon partners. "But they're bound to wake up sooner or later."

When they were in the lab, Andy tossed Danny the new hazmat suit their parents made for him. "Gear up, bro."

"R-really?" Danny blinked.

"If you want to fight, and not end up exposing something you don't want to expose, then yes, really," Andy replied.

Danny grumbled, but decided to put on the hazmat suit. "Fine… But only for this time…"

"Do you think we have a chance against all of those ghosts?" Patamon asked as the boys began putting on their hazmat suits.

"We won't know until we try," Lopmon replied.

"But I can't digivolve yet," Patamon pointed out. "And I don't know if I'm at full power after that incident earlier today that caused my eyes to turn green."

"If things get bad, we'll come back here and turn on the Ghost Shield," Andy stated. "From what I saw, the ghosts don't seem to be harming humans. If they wanted to kill them, there would be countless bodies on the streets, but nobody appears to be dead, just scared. Whatever it is Walker is trying to pull, it's not to kill people, but to scare them."

"But why?" Danny asked. "What is his end game?"

"I don't know yet, but watch yourself," Andy warned.

"Who's Walker?" Lopmon asked.

Andy picked up a Fenton Rod, and a Fenton Gun. "He's a ghost warden that Danny and I had a nasty run in with before. He's obsessed with the rules of his book, and would imprison anyone who doesn't 'follow' them. He tried to imprison Danny and me a while back, but we caused a riot and broke out. I'm guessing his revenge plan is starting now."

"Wow, sounds like you pissed off the wrong ghost." Lopmon noted.

"Lopmon! Language! You're too young to use that!" Andy scolded.

Lopmon blinked. "What? It's the truth."

Patamon was trying not to laugh. "Erm… why would a ghost warden want to imprison you two anyways?"

"We sort of ended up in the Ghost Zone by accident, and… things kinda got out of control," Danny sheepishly answered.

Patamon frowned a bit. "Is this a long story to be told later then?"

"Yeah…" Danny frowned. Especially considering some of the details will be left out… a lot of details…

"Alright, come on, we can't waste time chatting," Andy said. "I got the Fenton Gloves for Takuya."

"Why? Can't he just use Agunimon to fight?" Danny asked.

"Who says Agunimon can't use these?" Andy asked. "After all, Guardromon was able to incorporate a Fenton technology."

"Yeah, but Gaurdromon is a machine Digimon. Agunimon isn't." Danny pointed out.

"Only way to find out is to try, and we'll need all the advantages we can get," Andy replied.

"Guys? Are you down here?" Takuya asked as he entered the lab. "I called Tucker and Sam, they'll be outside soon."

"Okay. Here, take these," Andy threw the gloves at Takuya.

Takuya caught the Ghost Gloves. "Thanks! These will be handy for sure!"

"Try to use them when you're Agunimon," Andy suggested. "They might come in handy. … Danny, you corrupted me."

Danny tried to avoid snickering. "Too late, bro…" He chuckled.

They could hear people screaming near their house.

"You better evolve now," Patamon suggested.

Takuya grinned. "I was hoping you'd say that." He said as he took out his D-Tector.

Takuya held out his D-Tector and the blue digital form of his first Spirit appeared visible on the screen of his D-Tector as he formed the familiar fractal coding on his left hand. He swiped the D-Tector over the coding, calling out the familiar phrase he knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" His clothes ripped away as his body became digital, and the process began. Coding surrounded him as the power of the Spirit flowed into his body. Red armor formed and latched onto his body as his hair changed to blonde and became long and wild. His height increased, as did his strength and agility. His eyes snapped open, now a brilliant blue instead of brown, and his canine teeth were sharper than a human's as well. He landed, crying out his name. "Agunimon!"

Now evolved, Agunimon suddenly went tense as he felt the chills and heat running down his spine. "Ah… Geez… That feeling was… intense…"

"You okay?" Danny asked in concern.

"Y-yeah… I just… got a really strong sense of ghostly energy…" Agunimon admitted.

"Better brace yourself when we get outside, that stench of ghostly energy will be far worse," Patamon grumbled.

"Should I digivolve?" Lopmon asked.

"No, not yet. We want to save your energy in case they send someone stronger, and… to avoid causing more panic if possible," Andy answered. "Unlike in the Digital World, the humans here aren't used to big monsters fighting against other monsters."

"And I look mostly human anyway." Agunimon added. "So I can pass off as a regular human."

"Okay… hopefully if I do have to digivolve, we can say I'm in a costume or something. I think Turuiemon looks human enough to pull that off," Lopmon said.

"Yeah," Andy agreed. "Alright, everyone, let's go!"

Agunimon put the gloves on. Much to his surprise, the gloves adjusted themselves to fit his hands perfectly. And Agunimon saw some of his fractal codes surrounding the gloves, turning them from silver and green to red and silver.

I knew it, the same thing happened with Guardromon. Andy noted when he saw that. It seems Fenton technology is compatible with Digimon.

"I don't know what's happening… but I like it." Agunimon said with a grin as he then slammed the gloves together.

Danny was impressed, but there wasn't time to compliment this. They headed out, hoping Jack and Maddie wouldn't join the battlefield anytime soon. They didn't want their parents/uncle and aunt to get hurt. They trusted Jazz would stay in the house too since she wasn't quite used to battling ghosts herself.

When the group were outside, Danny and Andy jumped at the nearest ghosts they saw and slammed their Fenton Rods at them. Patamon shot out Boom Bubbles while Lopmon was freezing them with his Blazing Ice.

Agunimon wasn't hesitating to attack either, using the Ghost Gloves to punch any ghost he saw. Red electricity crackled over the gloves, shocking each ghost each time he made contact.

Wow… these things are no joke. Agunimon noted.

The ghosts began to notice that they had some resistance. They began to go after the boys who were fighting back.

"Digimon! I spot Digimon!" A ghost guard shouted at the others, getting their attention.

Agunimon perked up, his enhanced hearing picking up the ghostly guard's words. "Get ready, Andy, Danny, Patamon, Lopmon! They've seen us!" He warned.

As the ghost guards began to swarm them, some of the group got shot out of the sky by an ecto laser.

"Hey! Hope we're not late to the party!" Sam called out, holding a Fenton Lipstick.

"Too bad our Digimon aren't here, they'd be a great help right now," Tucker chuckled as he joined up with them.

"Yeah, but we're on our own for now," Andy said.

"Don't worry, I'm sure we can do this," Lopmon said.

"You're just in time." Agunimon said without looking back at Sam and Tucker; he was not about to drop his guard to look at the two. "We're kinda getting attention drawn to us."

The ghost guards held out what looked like batons, Danny and Andy remembered those well, and fired some kind of energy at them.

The group jumped away.

"Don't let those touch you! They'll bind you up!" Danny warned.

The group began fighting back, using their dodge training to the maximum to avoid getting caught in those baton bindings.

Andy and Lopmon saw three more ghost guards flying towards Agunimon.

Andy blinked as he saw the three flying at Agunimon, tackling him to the ground before another ghost guard shot the baton energy binding on him.

Andy shook his head, seeing the three guards hadn't even reached Agunimon yet, but they were about to do what he just saw them do. What was- Nevermind that now.

"Lopmon, stop them!" Andy quickly said as he began running towards the three.

"Right!" Lopmon jumped off of Andy's head, using his ears to catch the wind to go up higher, reaching the three guards.

The three ghost guards blinked, not having expected this Digimon to suddenly fly up to their level.

"Hello~" Lopmon greeted. "I hope you like spinning~"

Lopmon then spun around, creating a small brown and pink tornado. "Tiny Twister!"

Lopmon's twister knocked the three guards away and out of formation.

"Way to go Lopmon!" Andy cheered.

Agunimon, since he wasn't being held down or distracted, saw that ghost guard with the baton coming at him.

Thinking fast and knowing he had no time to dodge, Agunimon drew back a fist and punched the ghost guard right in the face with the Ghost Gloves. "Nice try!"

The ghost guard's helmet came right off, revealing the ugly looking warty fish head. Agunimon stuck his tongue out in disgust.

Andy looked over at Danny. Just like before, Andy felt his head clouding a bit as he saw Danny getting pinned down by an incoming ghost guard, and another ghost guard grinned at Danny before they grabbed him from behind to take him to the sky. Once they did, they dropped Danny, which would force him to transform in front of all these people.

Andy shook his head, blinking, he rubbed his eyes for a moment wondering if he was dreaming. He then saw the scene he just saw moments ago playing out right in front of him. Danny getting pinned down, and then getting grabbed by another ghost guard.

"Danny!" Andy called out. He's going to get revealed! I have to do something!

Andy looked over at Patamon, who was trying to push back more ghost guards with his Boom Bubble. "Patamon! You need to help Danny! They're going to drop him from the sky!"

Patamon, upon hearing that, looked back and saw the ghost guards were indeed trying to take Danny away. He frowned, narrowing his green eyes before flying right towards Danny to help him.

"Time to reveal yourself, ghost boy," The ghost guard who had Danny said with a malicious grin. "Show them who you really are, or you can become a full ghost like the rest of us."

The ghost guard let go of Danny, letting gravity do the rest. Danny was panicking, he could either reveal himself and stop himself from falling, or he could try to keep it a secret and go splat on the ground. He doubts even with his ghostly endurance, his human half would not survive a fall this high up.

"Danny!" Patamon shouted, and Danny saw an orange blur coming up at him. "Grab hold!"

Danny didn't hesitate to grab onto Patamon, his hands lashing out and grasping onto his Digimon partner. Patamon held onto Danny's hands as tightly as he could. Unfortunately, Patamon was too small and too weak to fly up with Danny, especially with him falling at such velocity. Both of them began falling. Patamon was trying his best to slow their descent by flapping his wings vigorously.

"It's not enough! Lopmon, can you help?" Andy quickly asked.

"I'll try," Lopmon said. "But I don't know if I can get up there in time."

Andy quickly looked around for something, anything, to help Lopmon get up to Danny and Patamon before it was too late. Sam and Tucker were busy dealing with the other ghosts. Agunimon just knocked another ghost unconscious, and Andy got an idea.

Andy rushed to Agunimon since he wasn't currently fighting with another ghost. "Agunimon! Throw Lopmon up there, now!"

Andy pointed up at the falling Danny and Patamon.

Agunimon's eyes went wide in terror before he looked at Andy and actually nodded. "I'll try." He said before he looked at Lopmon. "You ready?"

Lopmon nodded as Agunimon grabbed him before the Warrior of Flame threw Lopmon as hard as he could, right in the direction of Danny and Patamon.

Danny wasn't sure if Patamon was going to be able to slow down their fall enough for it to be a safe landing. He may have to use his ghost form if he wanted to save them both. Just as Danny was contemplating this, he heard another shout.

"Danny! I've got you!" Lopmon shouted.

Danny looked down, surprised to see another blur shooting up towards him and Patamon. This time it was Lopmon. Lopmon inflated his ears to slow down his velocity so he wouldn't go past them, and grabbed onto Danny's hand with Patamon. With Patamon's wings flapping and Lopmon's inflated ears, the fall was soon slowed down enough to be a safe fall. Danny realized he was holding onto a couple of parachutes.

Danny looked up at the two Rookie-level Digimon before looking down at where Andy and Agunimon were. Danny actually smiled when he realized Andy had come through with a plan. Wow, I guess I owe Andy big time for this…

The ghosts that were witnessing this were shocked, why were a couple of Digimon helping the ghost boy? Digimon were supposed to hate ghosts.

The people who were in the area were looking up as well, not sure how the boy was using these two… plushies…? Robots? Customized parachutes? To keep him from falling at a fatal velocity.

"Okay," Andy said. "Let's clear the area! Everyone, get to your homes now!"

"We can't keep fighting these ghosts off forever! So get somewhere safe while you still can!" Agunimon called out to everyone else, hoping they would listen.

Everyone seemed to respond to Agunimon's instructions, which was a good thing. Agunimon was surprised they were listening to him, but he wasn't about to ignore the good it was doing.

"At least these people have common sense to listen," Sam chuckled, seeing what happened.

"So hopefully that means we can get out of here too, I doubt we'll be able to keep going all night," Tucker said. "There are too many ghosts here."

Patamon and Lopmon managed to get Danny to the ground safely.

"Are you alright?" Lopmon asked as he landed on the ground after Danny was safe.

"Y-yeah… Thanks. I was sure Patamon and I would go splat there…" Danny replied, feeling a bit shaky from the near death experience, not that he hadn't already had one of those.

"These ghosts are too dangerous." Patamon frowned. "We should get to safety soon, they could easily pull that stunt again, and they can do it with all of us if they wanted to."

Danny paled at that, realizing Sam, Tucker, and Andy would be in danger if that happened. Agunimon would probably be able to turn into his Beast Spirit to save himself, but that was a whole different danger to deal with, one that they could not handle at present time.

"Y-yeah… we probably should get to safety soon…" Danny agreed.

Danny saw that the people were getting into buildings, or trying to get to the safest place they could think of. Andy had been right, this was too many ghosts to deal with, especially without all their Digimon partners, and without Danny being able to use his ghost powers. I really should tell them. Not being able to use my Phantom form is really biting me in the butt.

Danny, Patamon, Andy, Lopmon, Agunimon, Tucker, and Sam spent another 10 minutes or so fighting off the ghosts while the people went to safety.

"Okay, the streets are empty, we need to get back to the house. I don't think the Digimon can last much longer," Andy spoke up.

"And we're running out of juice with our weapons!" Tucker called out.

"Then let's go." Agunimon said, feeling a bit exhausted himself. He may not have been using his attacks, but fighting ghosts was still tiring all the same. "I know I still have a bit more energy, but I don't want to risk reverting back if I run out."

"Okay, everyone to my house, now!" Danny called.

It was a miracle that Jack and Maddie didn't wake up during that entire night. Danny and the rest of the group ran into Fenton Works. Andy rushed down into the lab to turn on the Ghost Shield. Thankfully, the Ghost Shield was able to cover the entire house, keeping the ghosts out.

Once inside, Agunimon felt relieved, as he felt safer. But for some reason, his evolution was having a bit of trouble releasing at first. It felt like something wanted to hold his evolution in place, but eventually, he was able to revert back to Takuya again.

"Whew… guess we're staying here tonight," Tucker remarked.

"Although my parents are going to get a heart attack if they knew I was out during the ghost invasion," Sam sighed.

"Do you think everyone will be safe though? They don't have a Ghost Shield to keep their houses safe from ghosts." Danny frowned in worry.

"It's like I said earlier," Andy spoke up when he came back upstairs to join the group. "If the ghosts wanted to kill people, there would've been countless bodies in the streets. I think they just want to scare everyone."

"Well, they certainly were." Takuya groaned. "At least until we showed up."

"Don't be surprised if you hear about this all over the news tomorrow," Patamon said. "For now, we should try to get some sleep. We've got a long day ahead of us."

"When our parents wake up, we're definitely going to have a long day," Danny groaned. "I doubt we'd even have to explain why Tucker and Sam are here."

Takuya nodded, but he seemed to be distracted. Releasing my evolution was… difficult… for some reason… But why?

Takuya hoped that wouldn't become a problem later, he already had enough to deal with.

Likewise, Andy wondered what happened during the battle. Twice, he saw something was about to happen before it happened. He shouldn't complain, since it saved both Takuya and Danny, but… it still concerned him. He remembered what Shamamon had said to him before.

No, it had to have been a fluke. Andy thought to himself.

Lopmon looked up at Andy in concern, sensing his distress.

"If we can even sleep…" Tucker frowned.

"Come on, I'll get the mattresses," Danny sighed. "We'll sleep together in the living room like we used to during our slumber parties. It'll keep everyone close together."

"Sounds like a good idea, though I'll be sleeping a little further away," Sam said. "No offense, but we are teenagers now, so… you know, just want to be on the safe side."

Danny blushed when he realized what Sam meant. O-oh… crap… I think I get it…

Takuya also blushed a bit. "R-right…" He muttered. Geez… Hormones are so strange…

---

Things didn't get that much better in the morning. While the group were able to get some sleep, it was mostly restless, knowing that there were countless ghosts outside, flying out, doing who knew what. However, the ghosts seemed to have disappeared in the morning. Jack and Maddie were going a little buck wild when they heard about these ghost invasions.

Danny, Andy, Takuya, Tucker, Sam, and Jazz quickly got out of the house and headed to school, not wanting to deal with Jack and Maddie while they were in their 'ghost mode'. Despite the ghost attack last night, there hadn't been any cancellations at school yet.

Jazz was driving everyone to school in her car. With Danny riding beside her on the passenger seat, with Patamon on his lap. While the rest were crammed in the backseat, and Lopmon on Andy's lap.

"I can't believe they didn't cancel school after last night's ghost attack," Tucker grumbled. "Isn't this like the perfect time to close school due to an emergency?"

"It's school, Tucker. No one knows what the administration thinks." Takuya grumbled back, feeling squished between Andy and Sam.

"It's also possible our school wanted to use this time to… urf… you're squishing me Sam… Takuya…" Andy groaned.

"Sorry…" Both Sam and Takuya apologized as they tried to move off of Andy as much as they could.

"Use this time to what?" Jazz asked, wanting to hear what Andy was saying.

"To maybe tell us what to do in case of a ghost emergency," Andy finished.

"That may be a good thing then." Danny pointed out, glad he was riding up front with Jazz.

Of course the ghost boy doesn't have to ride in the back, the one who could go intangible and not worry about space… Andy grumbled to himself.

"I'm not sure if the staff at Casper High are qualified to teach kids how to handle a ghost invasion," Sam remarked.

"It's better than nothing," Patamon sighed. "Up until now, humans didn't even believe ghosts existed."

"True…" Takuya muttered. "Dang it… It's so cramped back here…"

"You're stepping on my toes…" Andy grumbled.

"Erm… maybe you should think about getting a bigger car, Jazz?" Lopmon suggested sheepishly.

"Maybe… If I had the money." Jazz sighed. "I'm only in my second year of driving, so I can't just ask Mom and Dad for money. I have to earn it."

"I know what you mean, we had to do the same thing when we wanted those sweat suits for Dash's party," Danny grumbled.

"If it's money you need, you could always get some in the Digital World," Patamon nonchalantly stated.

"I need actual money, not currency in a video game," Jazz replied.

"They are actual money. Digimon use real money as payment," Patamon explained. "We don't use something as ridiculous as 'digi-dollars', we use honest to goodness American dollar bills and coins."

"It's true, I've seen them use those types of money when we were eating at a restaurant," Andy vouched.

Jazz blinked. "Huh… I'll consider it then, I suppose. It's better than just doing odd jobs with little payment it sounds like."

"Wait, where does that money come from?" Sam asked.

"We've always had it, like how you humans had money," Patamon shrugged. "I suppose players would've been charged actual money to buy things."

"Oh, sort of like microtransactions," Tucker noted.

"Hey, didn't that Theodore kid we came across say he used microtransactions?" Takuya asked.

"That's right, he did!" Danny recalled. "We never knew there were microtransactions because we didn't think it was strange Digimon would charge money for their businesses."

"If these are microtransactions, how do I get paid?" Jazz questioned.

"It's not a video game like everyone thinks it is. So you can get paid for your work," Lopmon explained. "I guess players haven't figured out they can actually earn real cash from Digimon, or if they did get money, they don't think it's real money, so they don't bother to cash in their earnings."

"Anyway, back on topic… These ghosts are going to be a problem…" Takuya grumbled, remembering the main issue at hand. "I just hope school isn't doing anything that will draw attention to us… I mean… who are the only ghost experts around here?"

"I doubt the school would mention us," Andy said.

"What makes you say that?" Sam asked. "We didn't exactly hide our faces when we fought off the ghosts."

"Why would they bring attention to students in their school for fighting ghosts? It just sounds absurd. And with everyone panicking last night, they might not even realize that teenagers were saving their butts," Andy replied. "They'll likely be more focused on telling us what to do instead of giving us credit or attention that we did something to help."

"I didn't mean that…" Takuya groaned. "I mean, who are the only ghost experts in the town? Wouldn't the school call on them to help?"

The group went silent for a moment.

"... Maybe not? I mean our parents were always known as the town's crackpots, why would they change their tune about them now?" Jazz asked nervously.

Andy pulled his hoodie up to his head.

"Andy, I can see you pulling your hoodie up with the rear view mirror," Jazz grumbled.

"Oh, don't worry about me," Andy replied.

Takuya frowned. "Yeah… I guess you're right…" He admitted, but he hoped he didn't just jinx the group.

"I guess we'll find out soon," Tucker said as they were pulling up at Casper High.

"Guess Lopmon and I better take a nap in those backpacks…" Patamon yawned.

---

Andy hadn't seen Dash at school yet, though he was kind of relieved he hadn't. Their relationship was a complicated one, and until they can figure it out, they would probably remain frenemies for the time being. But things got complicated when all the students in Casper High were called to the auditorium for a full scale assembly.

Andy and Dash saw each other for a split second as they were looking for their seats, but they quickly turned away from each other, not saying anything, and just went to sit with their circle of friends.

Takuya sat down next to Tucker. "So, what's going on exactly? This assembly was announced kinda last minute."

"What do you think?" Tucker replied back. "I doubt they're going to announce who won the last football game."

Jazz sat behind Danny, Andy, Tucker, Sam, and Takuya. She wanted to be near them, though she also didn't want to seem like a clingy sister.

The principal came up to the podium on stage and began speaking into the microphone. "Attention everyone, may I please have your attention?"

Everyone quieted down.

"Today, we have a special announcement for you all. Last night, I'm sure all of you saw what was going on in our town with those… ghosts… that were appearing in the skies above Amity Park." Principal Ishiyama began. "Well, today, we are having a ghost safety assembly!"

The students didn't look impressed, but they didn't say anything.

"And to give you a presentation, we have Amity Park's mayor to give you the announcement," Principal Ishiyama announced.

That got everyone's attention. They didn't think the mayor would be interested in talking to them.

A man came walking on stage. The man had thinning hair at the top of his head, and wore a dark blue suit with a white shirt and a purple tie. He had a black mustache and blue eyes, and spoke with a bit of a Spanish accent. "Thank you for having me, Principal Ishiyama." The mayor said as he addressed the students. "Last night, we experienced our first ever encounter with ghosts. We have footage of the attack, to show you how dangerous these ghosts are."

The mayor had the school staff bring in a large TV to set down on the stage. The mayor used a remote control to turn on the TV and show the footage of the news that captured the ghost invasion in town. A woman's voice was talking over the invasion as the ghost guards were flying around in a formation. While it looked like they were just causing mindless chaos, it was all planned out with precision. There was footage of a ghost chasing after Star, one of the students, and some other unknown people. But they never actually caught them, only chased them.

"This was the scene in Amity Park last night, as ghosts- that's right, ghosts! Caused hundreds of thousands in damage!"

Whoever the reporter is, they sound way too happy about the ghosts invading Amity Park… They must be making a lot of money for reporting this. Andy grumpily thought.

"I'm Shelly Wakamoto, and this is Ghost Watch. Stay tuned-" The footage was cut off as the mayor came back into view.

"Now, I know you kids are scared, because ghosts are scary, scary things." The mayor said as he addressed the students, but none of them really looked like they cared.

He does know he's talking to a school of teenagers, and not elementaries, right? Andy wondered. Besides, it's not the first time this school has dealt with ghosts and strange phenomenons.

"But I came to your school, not because this was a great photo opportunity." The mayor said before pausing and smiling as his picture was taken before resuming his speech. "But because you kids are our future… voters!" He laughed at his own joke as more pictures were taken of him.

"I can't tell if he's joking or being serious but using a joking tone," Danny remarked.

"Probably the latter, politicians usually do," Sam grumbled.

"And now, I will turn this over to Principal Ishiyama, who has some exciting rules and restrictions to go over with you!" The Mayor continued.

"Okay, here it comes," Andy grumbled.

"Love how he doesn't sugar coat it and straight up says 'restrictions' like it's a good thing," Takuya mumbled.

Principal Ishyiama walked up to the microphone and podium, taking over from there. "Due to the continuing, and escalating, ghost threat, here's the way we're going to limit your freedom."

"They're not even trying to hide it, what's wrong with these people?" Tucker rolled his eyes.

"I feel like we dropped into a cartoon or something," Andy remarked.

"One, students are to have no contact with these spirits." Principal Ishiyama began.

Takuya blinked. "Huh… That… one actually sounds reasonable…"

"Two, all students will be escorted home directly after school." Principal Ishiyama continued. "And three, by order of the Mayor's new security advisors, all students will have a 9'o'clock curfew."

"Oh come on, an escort?" Sam growled, she had enough of an 'escort' when it came to her parents, she didn't need the school piling on that too.

"A curfew?" Tucker whined. That's going to make our trips to the Digital World even harder!

"Alright, who's the 'brilliant' security advisor who came up with those lame ideas?" Danny grumbled before the doors to the auditorium were thrown wide open, revealing…

CRAP! Andy pulled the hoodie of his jacket up to his face as soon as he saw who just came through the door and sank as far as he could down in his seat.

Takuya paled before he put his head in his hands. Why me?! I just jinxed us!

"FEAR NOT YOUNG ONES!" Jack announced through a megaphone. "WE'RE HERE TO MAKE SURE THIS SCHOOL IS PREPARED FOR ANY GHOST EMERGENCY!"

Maddie began walking down the aisle, using her own mega phone to talk to the students. "YOU MUST BE CAUTIOUS! AT ANY TIME ONE OF THESE ECTOPLASMIC MALEFACTORS-"

Maddie stopped when she spotted Danny and Takuya in the seat. "HI SWEETIES!" She then returned to her serious speech. "COULD APPEAR OUT OF NOWHERE!"

Takuya hid his red face in his hands. Of all the… this can't get any worse…

Danny covered his own red face with his hands. He wished he had a hoodie like Andy did right now. Although since Andy was sitting next to them, it didn't help him much when Maddie stopped to say 'hi' to them.

Tucker looked at the three boys with sympathy on his face. "Wow, that's embarrassing…"

"I don't know those people," Andy grumbled.

"Maybe we should sit in the back where nobody can notice us," Takuya quickly suggested.

"Why didn't we do that before?" Sam questioned.

I really hate that my parents are the only ghost experts in this town… Jazz groaned to herself.

Danny sighed. "Let's just go sit in the back where no one can see us." He muttered. Darn it… This really sucks…

The group quickly stood up and walked to the very back of the auditorium. Jazz just watched them go, she didn't blame them in the slightest. Their parents were very clueless when it came to tact.

When Danny, Andy, Tucker, Sam, and Takuya reached the back of the auditorium, where there wasn't anyone else sitting there, they felt more relaxed as they sat down.

"Yup, definitely should've done this from the start," Sam remarked. "It's quieter here."

"I'm keeping this hoodie on just in case," Andy grumbled.

"Wow, cuz, you actually did jinx us." Danny huffed to Takuya.

"H-hey! It's not my fault Uncle Jack and Aunt Maddie are ghost hunters!" Takuya pouted.

"We may have to go into hiding for a bit if our parents are going to be here…" Andy sighed.

Patamon and Lopmon suddenly popped up from Danny and Andy's backpacks.

"What are you two doing? You can't just come up from our backpacks in public!" Danny hissed.

"Something's wrong," Lopmon warned.

"There's that ghostly stench that's trying to rip into this world," Patamon hissed.

Suddenly, Takuya tensed up as he felt the combined feelings of heat and cold running down his spine. "Ah… I… I think they already did…" He muttered.

Then shortly after, the familiar ghost sense came out of Danny's mouth. "Oh no, you've got to be kidding me. Here? Now?"

Just then, a ghostly figure came down from above onto the stage. It was a ghostly werewolf, with black fur, green eyes, and green clothing that looked torn and tattered. There was a silver collar on the glowing werewolf ghost, and it had silver cuffs on its wrists as well. It growled, showing off a mouth full of sharp and pointy teeth as it faced down Principal Ishiyama and Mr. Lancer, who had joined her on stage. Both of them screamed as the werewolf ghost let out a loud howl. The other kids in the auditorium all got up and started screaming about the ghost attacking. The werewolf ghost leaped into the audience, who all scattered around in a panic.

"Let me at him!" Lopmon said as he jumped from Andy's backpack.

"No, wait!" Andy grabbed onto Lopmon before he could get far. "Not here!"

"What should we do?" Takuya frowned as the crowd of people was running all over the place.

Danny's ghost sense went off again, and again, and again.

Crap… There are so many ghosts here my ghost sense is going crazy! Danny thought as he looked around. "But where are the ghosts?"

"Maybe they're invisible?" Sam asked.

"These people are in danger! The ghosts could be overshadowing them like that Technus ghost did with Megadramon," Patamon warned.

Danny, Sam, Tucker, Andy, and Takuya all paled when they remembered that incident.

"Crap… then we need to find these ghosts, and fast!" Sam hissed. "But we can't see them, and we don't know who is overshadowed or not!"

"Get down!" Andy quickly told them.

Everyone got down on their hands and knees.

"Why are we crouching?" Tucker questioned.

"If the ghosts are trying to overshadow people, it's best to avoid standing as that makes you an easier target," Andy answered. "Unless the ghosts are smart enough to come up from the floor, but chances are they're flying instead. And I doubt any of us wants to be overshadowed."

"But does this help our situation any?" Lopmon questioned. "We can't do anything if we can't fight."

"Our parents are here, they'll likely do most of the fighting," Andy replied. "We can't give ourselves away yet."

"Yeah, but…" Takuya trailed off, feeling… odd… like he was vulnerable for some reason. "What can we do? Your parents may be ghost hunters, but I doubt they could handle all these ghosts themselves…"

Meanwhile, Dash was looking up. After his experience in the Digital World, he didn't feel as panicked as everyone else was. While it may have just been a game to most people, the experience had felt real to him. He remembered how Firamon often attacked him from the sky. Dash was on the lookout for any ghosts in the air. Sure enough, he spotted three ghosts flying above him and a group of the other popular kids. He saw two of those ghosts that attacked the town last night, but the one in front looked different. The one in front was white instead of green, and he wore clothes that reminded Dash of a warden from those old western shows. He may be the ring leader in this invasion.

Dash saw the warden-like ghost flying towards him. Thanks to his reflexes, and his experience with Firamon, Dash didn't freeze up like his fellow students did when they saw the ghosts coming at them. Instead, he jumped away, avoiding the ghost and whatever it was trying to do to him.

"This could be a problem." The ghost said as he looked at Dash. "Dodging me is against the rules."

Dash wished Labramon was here right now, but he was on his own. Dash looked at his circle of friends, and saw their eyes glowing red for a second before they gave sinister smirks. This is bad.

Dash ran away from them, going towards the crowd of people. I've got to warn the others!

The ghost frowned, seeing his initial target was running into the crowd. The ghost needed a new target. He flew at Mr. Lancer instead, taking over his body.

Takuya was feeling nervous, and it was growing worse. He could sense the ghosts around him, but whenever one of the ghosts he sensed vanished, his anxiety grew even more. He could tell they were overshadowing people, and it made him worried he would be next.

Danny moved up a little, trying to see over the crowd of people. "There's got to be-"

Patamon gasped as a black furred giant claw suddenly pushed Danny's face, and forced him to the ground.

"Let him go, you putrid ghost!" Patamon snapped before tackling the werewolf in the chest, knocking the werewolf back a few inches.

The werewolf ghost growled at Patamon before swiping another clawed hand at the Rookie-level Digimon.

Lopmon, seeing this, ran over and jumped at the werewolf ghost as well.

Andy gasped when he saw how dangerous the werewolf was. His claws were long, if those dug into either Patamon or Lopmon, they were finished. Danny, who was also worried, got up and ran over.

Both brothers extended their Fenton Rods and used those to push the werewolf away from their Digimon partners before he could dig his claws into them.

The werewolf ghost hissed as he was being pushed back, he looked at the two of them and became confused.

"Two of you?" The ghost werewolf asked, but in an unknown language.

The ghost werewolf clawed at the Fenton Rods, trying to get them off of him. He began to lean his face closer to the twins, trying to figure out which one was the one he was supposed to be looking for.

"Jeez, you've got bad wolf breath…" Danny joked.

"Get away from them!" Maddie's voice shouted just before the werewolf ghost was blasted away by a large ecto laser.

Jack was grinning. "Nice work, Mads!" He exclaimed proudly before deflating slightly. "But I wanted to do that…" He then looked at his wife. "And when did you get so good at shooting like that?"

"What, do you think I sit at home inventing new cookies all day?" Maddie retorted teasingly before she looked at the two boys. "Danny, Andy, when did you two get those two Fenton Rods?"

"Uh… we thought we'd take something with us? You know… just in case ghosts might attack us?" Danny sheepishly replied.

"Don't sound so nervous, that's exactly why we took them," Andy sighed.

"That was smart thinking then, boys." Jack praised. "We'll make ghost hunters out of you yet!"

The werewolf ghost looked back at them nervously before he turned himself intangible and jumped through the wall. The others didn't see two other guard ghosts, and one ghost that appeared to be different from the generic guard ghosts.

"He's making a break for it!" The presumed second in command ghost stated before he and the other guard ghosts flew through the wall after the werewolf ghost.

Takuya looked around, wondering where that werewolf ghost had gone. He was sensing it was leaving. Is… is this invasion over? He wondered to himself.

"But for now, you all stay here. There doesn't seem to be any more ectoplasmic malefactors here anymore," Maddie said as she looked down at the Fenton Finder. "Jack, let's go, we need to track down that wolf ghost!"

"Yes! Then we can catch it and study it!" Jack exclaimed. "Let's go!" He and Maddie ran for the door.

'Mr. Lancer' was watching Jack and Maddie going out the door. "I want to keep an eye on those two, they may be of use to us."

The 'popular kids' who were beside him all nodded.

"We should track down that werewolf ghost too," Danny said after their parents left.

The other people who were still in the auditorium all began chatting with each other about how they just survived another ghost attack.

Andy picked up Lopmon. "You guys need to be more careful, that wolf ghost could've torn through your bodies with those claws."

"Sorry, Andy…" Lopmon apologized. "But we didn't want you to get hurt…"

"I didn't think, I just acted…" Patamon grumbled. "Your brother's a bad influence on me."

"Awww… I love you too~" Danny teased Patamon.

"Shut it," Patamon huffed.

"Is everyone okay?" Jazz asked as she approached the group. "That wolf ghost didn't hurt you, did he?"

"We're fine, Jazz," Danny replied. "How about you? You didn't get hurt yourself, did you? Or… oversh- uh… nevermind on that last one." If a ghost was overshadowing her, I doubt they'd just tell me.

"No, Danny, I'm fine." Jazz replied, rubbing her face with her hand. "This is so going in my memoir later…"

"How long is that memoir of yours?" Andy asked.

"I need another one," Jazz grumbled.

"Guys, we can't just sit here. We need to do something!" Takuya spoke up, getting antsy.

"What're you going to do? That wolf ghost could be anywhere," Tucker pointed out. "And I doubt the school staff is going to let us leave, they're keeping a close eye on us right now."

Takuya growled as he looked down. He was so anxious now, since he couldn't tell who was overshadowed or not, and he felt vulnerable, like something could jump him at any moment.

"Hey!" They heard Dash's voice calling out to them. "Hey Fentons! All of you! I need to talk to you!"

"Is that… Dash?" Jazz blinked.

"Ugh… great…" Danny groaned. "Well, we may as well see what he wants. It shouldn't be too much trouble, right?"

"Are you sure? I got the impression he wasn't too fond of you," Jazz replied.

"I doubt he's calling to us to cause trouble," Andy said.

Dash managed to push his way through the crowd of people and hurried over to them. He was about to say something when he saw Lopmon and Patamon in Andy and Danny's arms.

"Wah? Aren't those two Digimon?" Dash asked. "How do you have them here? We're not… still in the Digital World, are we?"

"No, we're not." Danny confirmed. "It's just… these two came back with us because they wanted to."

"They… can do that?" Dash blinked.

"It's a long story, and we'll probably tell you later, but what is it that you wanted to tell us?" Andy asked.

"Oh, yeah. I don't know if you guys saw it, but there were more ghosts than just that big werewolf one," Dash replied. "There were two more of those ghosts wearing that armor, and then there was this white one that dressed up like a cowboy warden. The ghosts took over my friends, and that warden ghost tried to take me over. Thankfully I dodged him. I'm glad my time fighting alongside Labramon came in handy. But I think that warden ghost took over someone else."

Danny felt himself growing pale. Crap… That is definitely Walker… "You're sure you saw a ghost like that?" Danny asked, feeling a bit nervous now. "That doesn't sound good…"

"I wouldn't mistake what the ghost looked like," Dash replied. "And right now, my friends are being possessed by ghosts. But nobody seems to realize it, not even your ghost expert parents."

"Is that why you're telling us? You don't think anyone else would believe you?" Sam asked.

"Yeah! … Well that and I wasn't sure who else to turn to," Dash admitted. "Considering what we went through in the Digital World, you guys were sort of my best option…"

"Well, I can't say I blame him." Tucker remarked. "We do have experience with things that are not normal."

"But it looks like… at least you two have your Digimon partners with you, somehow, so maybe they can help fight off these ghosts and maybe release my friends?" Dash asked.

"We're not strong enough to take on all of these ghosts," Lopmon stated. "That wolf ghost almost took us out."

"I can't even digivolve yet," Patamon sighed.

"And even if he could, digivolving in a public place would cause more panic," Lopmon added. "We're not in the Digital World, we're in your world."

Dash frowned. He did have to admit, the Digimon fighting would cause more panic, and everyone was already wound up from the ghost attack just a few minutes ago.

"So… um… what should we do then?" Dash questioned.

"That's what we've been trying to figure out," Takuya sighed.

"Has Valerie come back yet from the Digital World?" Andy frowned.

"I haven't seen her," Tucker replied.

"Neither have I," Dash answered. "I don't think she even came to school today."

What a time for the Red Huntress to not be here. Andy groaned. "Okay, we'll have to work together on this, if you're willing to, Dash."

"If it's to save my friends, then yeah. I'm willing to." Dash replied with a nod.

"What do you suggest then, Andy?" Danny asked.

"We don't know what exactly Walker- that warden ghost you saw, Dash, is planning. From what I could gather…" Andy looked around for a moment, wanting to make sure nobody was listening in on them. "... If Walker is having his goons overshadow people, and disguise their ghostly aura so Mom and Dad's Fenton Finder can't find them, then he must not want others to know they're here. The werewolf ghost could've just been a distraction."

"But why would this ghost warden want to attack Amity Park? Is he planning to take it over?" Dash asked, frowning a bit.

"I doubt it. We've had a nasty run in with Walker before, he doesn't seem to be the type to want to take over our world," Andy replied. "He's more interested in locking up prisoners, and looking for excuses to lock them up by putting in new rules to his rule book. So why invade Amity Park now?"

"Didn't he try to lock you and Danny up before?" Sam asked.

"He what!?" Jazz frowned.

"Shhh! Don't draw attention to us, Jazz!" Danny hissed.

Jazz clamped a hand over her mouth when she realized Danny had a very good reason to not get attention drawn to them. "Oops…"

The group took a moment to look around to make sure nobody was looking at them, especially Dash's circle of friends, they couldn't afford having Walker and his goons to listen in on them.

When they made sure nobody was looking in their direction, they continued their conversation.

"Actually Sam, you may have a point," Patamon said. "I know what it's like to be in a position where you have to make a call on prisoners."

"You do?" Danny blinked.

"Yeah… it's… a tough job," Patamon sighed. "If prisoners under my care had escaped, I'd want to try to round them up again."

"Is that what this is? Walker's trying to imprison us again?" Danny questioned.

"But why doesn't he just do that instead of making a scare spectacle on the whole town?" Takuya asked. "I mean if he'd just wanted to take you and Andy back to prison, that would be easier for us since we can deal with him with as few people involved as possible."

"It doesn't seem very… logical," Jazz agreed. "What is his plan?"

Everyone looked at Andy, Andy looked at them.

"Why's everyone looking at me? I know about as much as you guys do on what Walker's trying to do," Andy grumbled.

Takuya groaned. "Great… Well, I guess the only thing we can do is see what Walker's plan is as it plays out, and react as best we can based on the circumstances. That's the best bet we have at this point."

"But what about the ones who got overshadowed?" Dash asked in concern.

"Keep an eye on them," Andy instructed. "They'll likely think you wouldn't consider they've been overshadowed. You're just a normal human to them after all, but they likely know you're a part of their group, so it would be weird if you stopped hanging out with them after this whole thing blows over. Let us know what they do, and if they say or do anything suspicious."

Dash nodded. "Okay. I can do that." He agreed. "But let me know if anything changes with you guys as well, okay?"

"Yeah, we'll see what we can do about the ghosts themselves on our end," Andy replied.

"We'll do our best to fight back when we can." Lopmon nodded.

"We'll also see if we can figure out what Walker's up to," Tucker added.

"Until then, everyone try to stay safe," Danny said. "That includes you too, Dash."

Dash nodded, as did the rest of the group.

"I'll be careful. I promise." Dash said. "I promised Labramon I'd come back after all."

Jazz was surprised by how much Dash was changing. Normally he would yell or snap at Danny for saying something like that to him. Apparently the Digital World had changed Dash for the better. The more Jazz heard about the Digital World, the more she wanted to see it for herself.

---

After a while, the school staff decided to cut the school day short and have the kids sent home. They were all to go to their houses immediately. Despite the second rule of students having an escort being sent home, the staff didn't have enough people to escort every single student. So the staff let the more strong students go home on their own, while they took care of the weaker, less athletic kids.

Jazz, Danny, Andy, and Takuya were in a big enough group to be able to head home on their own, which was a relief to them. Since they didn't know who was overshadowed, they didn't know how many people they could trust right now.

Danny, Patamon, Lopmon, and Takuya could sense more ghosts flying through the sky. The air was heavy with ghostly aura.

"I have a feeling our parents are going to be pretty busy all night with all these ghosts flying around," Jazz said. "This might be a good time for you guys to go out and fight back if you need to."

"That would be reckless, there's too many ghosts," Andy said. "We need to figure out how we can get to Walker, if we can get him, the rest of them will fall."

"Yeah, but we can't exactly get to Walker with this many ghosts around. We don't even know who Walker has overshadowed." Takuya grumbled.

"We're bound to find out eventually, especially if he wants to get our attention," Danny grumbled.

"Until then, it might be wise to lay low if these ghosts really are after you," Patamon suggested.

"I agree. Like Andy said earlier, these ghosts don't look like they're trying to really hurt anyone, just scare them," Lopmon said. "The only thing we have to worry about is them causing property damage and hurting someone indirectly."

"I hope so." Jazz sighed. "This is going to be a long night…"

Takuya was feeling like something was going to happen, but he didn't know what it was. It was coming though, and he didn't know why he was feeling so anxious about it.

"This might be a good time for us to head back into the Digital World. A lot of time likely passed there already," Andy suggested. "It'll keep us safe from the ghosts if they try to take us while we're in Fenton Works. And we might be able to get more help."

Jazz frowned. "I don't know if all of us should go back there. We need some of us here to keep an eye on Walker too."

"What's Walker going to do whether we're here or not?" Danny asked as he walked up to the front door of Fenton Works, opening it.

Danny and the others stopped in their tracks when they saw Maddie and Jack had Calvin, Paulina, Kwan, and even Mr. Lancer in the living room.

"You were saying?" Takuya grumbled as he looked at Danny.

Danny groaned. Of all the… Yep… this day just got worse… Well, it's not too much worse, right?

"The first official after school meeting of Amity Park's Ghost Kateers is now in session!" Jack announced when he saw his kids walking in. "Danny, Andy, Jazz, and Takuya! Why don't you come join us? We could always use new members for the Ghost Kateers!"

Mr. Lancer gave a sinister smirk as he looked over at Danny and the others.

"Uh, maybe later," Andy said. "We've got a lot of homework to do, so we're heading up to our room."

"Yeah… Lots of homework. We'll be so busy, we might not come down for a long while." Danny agreed. Well, that should buy us some time for now…

"Come on, kids, this is a good time to learn how to fight against ghosts with us!" Maddie said. "Why not make it fun too? You can join us in our Ghost Kateer battle song!"

"If you start singing, I'm going to put the Fenton Earplugs on," Jazz warned as she just went upstairs, ignoring everything.

Andy, Danny, and Takuya quickly followed after Jazz before their parents could start singing.

They quickly went into the twins' room, with Danny shutting the door behind him.

"You'd think our parents would know how weird it is for these popular kids, and Mr. Lancer, want to suddenly join in this 'ghost kateer' thing my parents just made," Danny grumbled.

"I think they're just happy that people are appreciating them for being ghost hunters," Jazz sighed.

"Yeah, but really? You think being ghost hunters would mean Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack would know if someone was overshadowed or not." Takuya grumbled.

"They surprisingly don't have a lot of experience with ghosts," Andy replied. "That's why they've been hoping to catch one to study."

"It's not easy to detect a ghost that's overshadowing a human anyways," Patamon said. "Their ghostly aura becomes suppressed and hidden, unless they're actively using their powers while in their host."

"Well, we have to figure out what we're going to do regardless. It's obvious Walker is planning something, so not all of us can go to the Digital World if that is what we are planning on doing." Danny sighed.

"It's not safe for the person we leave behind to be alone either," Andy said. "Mr. Lancer could be Walker right now for all we know."

"So who's going to the Digital World to check on things?" Lopmon asked.

Takuya thought about going back. He wanted to check in on Tommy, but he also couldn't just leave Amity Park, not when he had the best chance to fight back, especially with Danny not using his ghost powers at the moment.

"I… I think I should stay here. I mean, I have the best chance of fighting back, and Danny has… well… He has to lay low for a while so if I'm here, he won't have to worry about being left… 'defenseless'." Takuya said, hoping Danny got the message he was trying to say.

"Sooner or later though, we're going to need more than just you, Takuya," Andy sighed.

"I know, but at least I can handle it if things get bad," Takuya replied.

"I'll stay here then," Danny said. "Andy, you go. My D-Arc is still having that error message anyways. And Patamon and I can back Takuya up if anything happens."

"I shouldn't go back alone though," Andy said.

"I'll be with you, Andy," Lopmon spoke up.

"Thanks, Lopmon, but I meant we should have someone come with us too," Andy replied.

"Tucker, Sam, and Dash are going to be busy, and their parents are gonna be keeping a close eye on them," Danny pointed out. "Who else could go with you?"

Andy looked over at Jazz. "How about you, Jazz?"

Jazz blinked. "Wait, me?" She asked, pointing at herself. "I-I mean… I don't see why not but… are you sure about that, Andy?"

"Yeah. I mean you said you have a Digimon partner already, right? And I'm sure you'd like to meet her in person," Andy said. "And it might be good for you to experience the Digital World, especially since we're dealing with ghosts in this world right now."

Jazz smiled. "Yeah I think so too. It… would be a good break from the stress of all the ghosts around out there."

"Will you three be okay while we're in the Digital World?" Andy asked Danny, Patamon, and Takuya.

"Yeah, we'll be fine." Danny replied. "After all, what's the worst that could happen?"

"Don't jinx it, Danny." Takuya groaned. "I know I did it with Aunt Maddie and Uncle Jack…"

"Okay, then I'll see if I can get Jazz to meet up with her Digimon partner, and look for Valerie," Andy said.

"Oh, Andy, before you go… could you also do me a favor?" Takuya spoke up.

"Hmm? What is it?" Andy asked.

"Well… there's a kid there… who is like physically in the Digital World… he somehow got sent there… and… I want to make sure he's okay." Takuya explained. "His name is Tomoki Himi, but he's known as Tommy, and he's around 11 or 12. He's currently at Seraphimon's castle for safety, and well… I was wondering if you could check up on him… since I can't go back right now."

Andy blinked. "You still haven't really told us what you've been doing for training at Seraphimon's castle. But sure, I'll go see if this Tomiki Himiko is okay."

"It's just Tommy, Andy, try not to butcher his name…" Takuya sweatdropped.

"Ah, right, sorry," Andy sheepishly replied.

"Is there anything I need to bring with me?" Jazz asked.

"I would suggest bringing some food, but the kitchen's compromised right now," Andy said. "Well, if we end up in Breezy Village, food shouldn't be an issue. It's the walk to Seraphimon's Castle that might take a while though."

Jazz frowned before sighing. "Well, at least it will be good exercise for us…" She admitted. "But if we have to walk quite a ways… That may take us a while."

"Well, we've got time at least. By the time we get back, it might just be evening here," Andy said as he held up his D-Arc. "Come on, let's go. The sooner we go, the sooner we can get back."

"Right." Jazz smiled before she looked at Danny, Patamon, and Takuya. "You three stay safe."

Andy held his D-Arc in front of his computer screen. "Digi-Port open! Take us to Breezy Village!"

The D-Arc and the computer screen glowed before sucking Andy, Lopmon, and Jazz in.

Andy, Jazz, and Lopmon all went through the vortex. Andy gained his new outfit of a dark blue shirt and pants with white edges and matching neck collar, and white sneakers. Lopmon was at his side. Jazz gained a light blue jacket with a gray shirt under it, and dark gray pants while she also gained black shoes on her feet.

Andy, Lopmon, and Jazz managed to land on their feet this time.

"Hey, looks like we're getting better at the landing!" Andy smiled.

"I guess it's not so bad when there isn't too many people going through the portal at once," Lopmon said.

"Wow… so this is the Digital World?" Jazz asked in awe, looking round.

She could see some humble wooden buildings, and a large tree that appeared to be blooming. There was a nice breeze hitting her that just felt good.

"Yeah, and this is Breezy Village," Lopmon announced. "It was once home to the Humanoid Spirit of the Wind, so it has some of that Warrior's wind magic that goes through this place."

"Wait, really? You mean one of those others who can become Digimon like Takuya?" Jazz asked, remembering how Takuya had told them a bit about his training, and how one of the other Legendary Warriors had been training him.

"Yeah, the Spirits of the Legendary Warriors need a host to be able to take form," Lopmon explained. "But the Spirits have to choose who would be worthy of their power before they can fuse with the host. So not just anyone can use them, or so I've heard."

"I've met with another who can turn into a Legendary Warrior, though he was trying to kill me at the time," Andy sweatdropped. "But he turned out to be a good guy, he just thought I was an evil person. Takuya says he met with more of them, but I haven't yet."

Jazz sweatdropped as well. "Well then, we'd better be careful we don't piss these guys off…" She muttered, feeling a bit wary now.

"They're strong, that's for sure," Lopmon agreed. "Oh, but there was Grumblemon. He seems to be a Legendary Warrior too, but I don't think a human is using him. Salamon said that Cherubimon used his power to bring these Spirits to life in order to stop players, but that order was kinda… generalizing all players, not just the bad ones. So those Legendary Warriors are the ones we have to be careful of."

"Is there anything else I should know about?" Jazz frowned.

"Uh… well, let's find your Digimon partner first. Even without the Legendary Warriors to worry about, there are also players and bad Digimon we've gotta be careful of," Andy replied sheepishly.

"Wow… I definitely need to be careful when I'm here then." Jazz sighed. "Well, it can't be all that bad. I mean, if there are good Digimon here too, then this place must be interesting to explore."

"At least this world isn't full of ghosts. I almost wanted to choke on the air back at Amity Park," Lopmon replied. "I just hope Patamon will be okay, too much ectoplasm can't be good for Digimon."

"Hopefully he'll be fine," Andy replied.

"Welcome to our village!"

The trio turned when they heard cheerful voices. Jazz was surprised to see there was practically a sea of Floramon greeting them.

"W-whoa… Look at all the Floramon!" Jazz exclaimed. "It's… like a big flowerbed of them! How will I be able to find my Floramon partner?!"

"Hey, everyone, do you remember us?" Andy asked.

"Of course! You were one of the friends of the group who saved us!" One of the Floramon replied.

"And you're Lopmon's partner! We see you've brought a new friend along!" Another Floramon said.

"Yeah, this is Jazz Fenton! Is there anyone here who might be familiar with that name?" Andy asked.

The Floramon all looked at each other, each of them shaking their heads.

"Perhaps the Floramon who might know you is out picking ingredients right now," One of the Floramon suggested. "You're free to wait here until she gets back."

Jazz nodded. "Okay, I don't see why not. It's not like we have anything else to do." She then looked around at Breezy Village. "This place is beautiful." She added with a smile on her face.

"Oh, while we're waiting, how about I show you around?" Lopmon suggested. "This is a nice place after all, and you might find some souvenirs."

"Uh-huh… you just want to eat while we're here," Andy remarked.

"What? It's not my fault we didn't get lunch at school today," Lopmon pouted.

"Digimon must be walking stomachs if all Lopmon can think about is food." Jazz chuckled.

"T-That's not true! I think about other things too!" Lopmon pouted again. "Sometimes a bit too much like Andy does that it gives me a headache."

"I do not overthink things!" Andy groaned.

"You kinda do," Jazz laughed.

"Whatever, let's just look around," Andy huffed.

Jazz didn't think she would enjoy herself as much as she did when Andy and Lopmon warned her about the dangers of the rogue Legendary Warriors, players, and bad Digimon, but it looked like they lucked out this time and were actually in a good, peaceful place for their 'starting line'. The Floramon were really nice, and there was another type of Digimon here called Mushroomon. They didn't look as pretty as the Floramon, but they were nice too. In fact, they gave her something called a mushroom mousse, and it was probably the tastiest dish Jazz had ever eaten, and she normally didn't like mushrooms.

The Floramon and Mushroomon assured her the meal was on the house since it was the least they could do for the people who saved them from an awful fate. Andy and Lopmon haven't been there when it happened, but they told Jazz what they heard from Sam, Tucker, and Takuya when they saved the village from Megadramon's influence, and how the Floramon she befriended saved them.

"She really saved them?" Jazz asked in surprise.

"Yeah, she was really brave," Lopmon said. "I know a lot of Digimon wouldn't even stick around after seeing what happened to her hometown."

"Would you like to try a complimentary fruit?" A Floramon asked when she approached them, holding onto a white fruit that looked to be in the shape of a pear.

Jazz reached out and took the fruit. "Sure. This looks good."

Floramon smiled as she waited for Jazz to take a bite of the fruit.

"Oh, this is really good!" Jazz smiled. "It doesn't taste like any fruit I've had back home, but it's sweet, a little bit sour, and tangy. Somehow the combination makes it taste better."

"I'm glad you liked it. I was working on a new type of fruit to add into our soup." Floramon smiled.

"Oh? Then this may be a hit if I like it." Jazz smiled back.

Lopmon was giggling. "When are you going to tell her?"

"Hmm? Tell me what?" Jazz blinked.

Floramon was giggling to herself. "Come on, Jazz, you really can't recognize me out of all these other Floramon?"

Jazz blinked for a moment before she began to realize something, like she knew this Digimon despite this Floramon looking so much like the other Floramon, like something about this Floramon she knew. "Hold on… Floramon?"

"Yes, that is my name," Floramon chuckled.

"No, I mean… my Floramon, the Floramon I've spent time with and talked to," Jazz corrected herself.

Floramon gave Jazz a big smile. "You finally recognized me, Jazz!"

"Sorry about not recognizing you right away, Floramon…" Jazz apologized. "You look just like the other Floramon, so I had to actually take a moment to think about why you felt so familiar to me."

"I know humans have trouble telling us all apart. When I heard you were here, I wanted to see if you'd recognize me," Floramon replied. "So I decided to serve you the mushroom mousse and the new fruit I've been growing."

"I was waiting to see when you'd recognize her or she let the Gatomon out of the bag," Lopmon chuckled.

"You're enjoying this, aren't you?" Andy rolled his eyes.

"Don't tell me you weren't," Lopmon chuckled.

"It's finally nice to see you in person, Jazz!" Floramon beamed. "I've been waiting for an opportunity to finally meet you!"

"It's nice to finally meet you in person too!" Jazz replied with a smile. "You look so much prettier in person than on a computer screen!"

"I'm glad you think so. You look even better than on a floating screen too. Love your hair, is it natural or did someone get it done for you?" Floramon asked.

"Wait, you don't even have hair," Andy pointed out.

Jazz rolled her eyes. "Nor does Lopmon." She pointed out back.

"I have fur," Lopmon remarked.

"I mean I can still appreciate hair," Floramon pointed out.

Jazz rolled her eyes before returning her conversation to Floramon. "And this is actually my hair color. It's a very unique shade of red, or so my mom has said." Jazz explained with a bit of a blush on her face as she smiled. "I'm glad you like it."

"I'm glad to see you two are getting along," Andy chuckled. "Lopmon and I should probably start going to Seraphimon's castle though, we did promise Takuya we'd check on a friend of his."

"Oh yeah," Jazz remembered. "Floramon, would you like to come with us? I mean I'd rather not leave my little brother on his own, but it'd be too dangerous for me to go without a Digimon partner."

"Sure. This way I can get to know you more, Jazz. And I know the way to the castle, so I can guide you there if you want." Floramon offered.

"Great!" Jazz smiled.

"But first, we should pack up on food, the Forest Terminal is a bit of a walk from here without a Trailmon," Floramon said. "Not to worry, I'll be sure to bring a lot of non-perishable food that'll be nice and nutritious for all of us."

"I hope you bring more of that fruit too." Lopmon smiled.

"While we're on our way to the Forest Terminal, Jazz, I should tell you more about what I know of the history of the Digital World. It might help if you weren't kept in the dark about everything," Andy said.

Jazz nodded. "That may be a good idea. I know so little about this world, so any information would be helpful." She agreed. "It would also be interesting to hear how this world came to be."

"Well, buckle up, because it's going to be a long story. About angels, wars, tragedies, and heroes," Lopmon dramatically said. "Hey, Andy, maybe we should write this into a book or something."

"I'll think about it," Andy chuckled, seeing Lopmon's enthusiasm.

---

Titanic X: ZAFT: Tommy is too much fun to torment~ Expect more torment for him in the future~

Pokemon fan 1991: ZAFT: Yeah, Tommy got the short end of the stick here, but that will be getting better slowly. :3 And I am glad you liked the adaptation we did!

DarkFoxKit: Tommy… getting the short end of the stick… heh, I see what you did there. Anyways, while Kumamon is probably the oddest one of the human group, I think Zephyrmon is the oddest one in the beast group. She looks far too human-like to be considered a beast if you ask me. I wish they made her into more of a bird and less like a woman with feathers and wings.

Yeah, we're heading back to DP for a while, though expect more Digimon things in the future as well. Hope you're able to make that amalgamation story of Danny Phantom.