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.

61. A Forest of Bugs

DarkFoxKit: Hey, we made it just in time! … Just barely, but we made it!

ZAFT: Yeah, for once we updated on a Monday again!

DarkFoxKit: Oh, and uh, this chapter is kinda special since it's mostly from a Digimon's point of view. We normally don't do that, but it ended up happening, and I kinda like what we have.

ZAFT: Hey, different is good! And it shows how the Digimon feel about players and the slave collars and whatnot. XD

DarkFoxKit: We also wanted to try the series from a different point of view, though I guess we kinda did that already with Tommy. Don't worry, it's not like this Digimon is gonna be another main character. But we'll let you guys go ahead and read.

---

(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 and Patamon, 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, Kokuwamon shown behind him)

Let's go… EVOLUTION

(Sam is shown with her Fenton Lipstick, firing it at a different ghost, with Biyomon shown 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

(Ghosts are shown flying all around Amity Park as the shadowy form of Walker is shown atop a building and sneering down)

As we move along

(Danny is shown walking down the street with those closest to him appearing one by one; Andy and Lopmon, Patamon, 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 61: A Forest of Bugs

Maddie, Andy, Lopmon, and Danny made their way down the path away from the Beast Slayer Guild, with Danny feeling quite glad they had left when they did.

"I know that you boys didn't want to talk to anyone at that guild, but would it really hurt you to have been a little social?" Maddie asked as they were walking.

"Maybe not, but I wasn't really in a socializing mood," Andy admitted. "We did just escape from Vlad's house of terror after all."

"Besides… you looked like you were trying to… process the Digimon and this world, we figured it was best we just stayed in the room to rest," Danny added.

Maddie sighed. "I'll admit… this is all quite… shocking. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around the fact there's an entirely other world with its own inhabitants. Though from what I've seen, the Digimon naturally work with humans, so they're definitely nothing like ghosts."

"I'll take that as a compliment." Lopmon smiled.

Maddie smiled as well. "Of course you would. You are definitely a cutie of a Digimon."

Lopmon swore he was blushing bright red beneath his fur at that compliment.

Danny saw Lopmon's expression and had to clamp a hand over his mouth to hide his urge to laugh.

"Wait until you see Danny's partner, Mom, he's also a cutie," Andy said, half to salvage Lopmon's dignity, and half to tease Danny.

"Oh? Who's your partner, Danny?" Maddie asked.

"Erm… I'll keep that as a surprise…" Danny grumbled.

"Wait, didn't you have a… 'stuffed animal' that was orange and had wings?" Maddie asked, remembering seeing that 'toy' before.

"Yeah… I did…" Danny admitted. "Why?"

"Was that your Digimon?" Maddie asked. "Because I definitely don't remember seeing a stuffed animal like that before, just like how Lopmon was… unique."

"Yes… that was, and is, my Digimon partner…" Danny sighed. "But as I said… he and I needed some space after… a rough 'fight'..."

Maddie frowned. "I do hope the two of you make up. He was definitely cute as well, and I'd also like to get to know him."

To try to steer the topic away from Patamon, Andy spoke up. "Mom, would you like your own Digimon partner?"

"Me? Oh, I couldn't possibly… I mean I'm already so busy at home, and taking care of you kids…" Maddie chuckled sheepishly, though she was glancing back at Lopmon a few times.

Danny grinned. "I see the way you're looking at Lopmon, Mom. I think you do want a Digimon partner~"

Maddie flushed red in the face a bit. "Well… It would be nice, but… I have you kids to take care of and ghosts to study! Besides, I wouldn't know what kind of Digimon would want to be my partner."

---

In a forest, filled with bug and plant Digimon, a couple of Kunemon were bringing some leaves and berries up a tree. Though strangely, there were also differently colored Kunemon, though these were dark green instead of yellow, and its mouth, stinger, and feet were purple instead of blue, and the underbelly was yellow instead of red.

The different colored Kunemon looked to be more aggressive than the normal Kunemon, and they charged at the Kunemon, fighting them, while another green Kunemon grabbed some of the food with their sticky web and pulled the food away.

"Hey! Give that back, Dokunemon! We gathered those fair and square!" A Kunemon shouted.

"Why? This is our home too, so we get first dibs!" A Dokunemon shot back. "You should just wait your turn!"

"This isn't about taking turns! We gathered this for our families to eat, not yours!" Another Kunemon growled.

"What's the matter, the forest doesn't have enough food for you to get more?" Another Dokunemon argued.

"What's the matter, too lazy to get your own food?" The first Kunemon shot back.

"Why would being lazy matter? We just take what we need." Another Dokunemon retorted.

"You give that back, you thieves!" The second Kunemon growled.

"Make us." The first Dokunemon retorted.

The two group had another scuffle, and while this was going on, another Digimon was watching from the trees in worry. This Digimon was similar to the Dokunemon in color, but it was also different.

The Digimon had a green body like the Dokunemon, but it didn't have the yellow underbelly. It had blue eyes, and pink claws compared to the purple claws of Dokunemon. And it also had two small pink colored points at the end of its tail. It had a dark purple mouth as well. But this Digimon wasn't a Dokunemon.

Oh… why must there be another fight? Why can't we just get along and share the food? Wouldn't that be more practical than trying to fight each other for it? The Digimon frowned to himself.

After a while, the Kunemon and Dokunemon were too tired to keep fighting. However, it looked like the Dokunemon won this round, because their sneaky member stole the food away during the chaos.

"Thanks for the food, Kunemon, have fun gathering more food!" A Dokunemon teased before they ran away before another fight could break out.

The Kunemon were disappointed in the fact they lost the food, and the fight to keep said food. "Those sneaky Dokunemon…" The first Kunemon frowned.

"They keep taking our food, our young ones are going to starve at this rate," The other Kunemon grumbled.

"What can we do about it? They already took our food, trying to chase after them now will only waste precious energy," Another Kunemon grumbled. "Let's just gather what we can and head back as quickly as possible."

The strange Dokunemon who had been watching the scuffle earlier, was looking down curiously.

"Wait… I think there's someone up in that tree!" The second Kunemon shouted.

"Hey you! Dokunemon, how dare you show yourself here!?" The third Kunemon growled.

The strange Dokunemon yelped. "I-I don't want any trouble!"

"Get lost before we take our revenge on you!" The first Kunemon added with a growl of his own.

"I… I was just leaving…" The strange Dokunemon stammered before slowly ooching down from the tree and into the bush, out of sight of the Kunemon.

"Stupid Dokunemon…" The first Kunemon muttered.

"Was that a Dokunemon?" The second Kunemon asked. "When he got closer, I thought he looked different from a Dokunemon."

"He's green like them, so why wouldn't he be a Dokunemon?" The third Kunemon asked. "But I will admit, I've never seen a Dokunemon like him before."

"Come on, it doesn't matter what that Digimon was. We gotta get our food," The first Kunemon grumbled. "And we have to get it before sundown, that's when the nocturnal Digimon come out to hunt. Let's go."

The Kunemon made their way back into the forest to gather more food before the night came upon them. The whole time, that strange Dokunemon was watching from the bushes, feeling somewhat hurt by the tension between the two tribes.

The strange Dokunemon hurried home to the rest of the Dokunemon. Unlike Digimon that lived in villages, towns, and cities, Digimon that lived out in the wild like this had to keep themselves safe from other Digimon, as well as foraging their own food. Sometimes the strange Dokunemon wished his egg hatched at Primary Village like most Digimon, instead of being hatched in the forest. He didn't really like living here, but he didn't know where else to go.

"About time you came back," A Dokunemon spoke up when they saw the strange Dokunemon. "Did you get any actual food this time?"

"I-I'm sorry, but… all the food in the area was taken and gathered by the Kunemon tribe… before they were taken back by some of our own tribe," The strange Dokunemon answered timidly.

"Did you not help your fellow members take the food from those nosy Kunemon?" The Dokunemon asked in an annoyed tone.

"N-no…"

"You're hopeless! If the Kunemon took all the food in the area, you're supposed to help the hunting party take it back from them!" The Dokunemon reprimanded. "You should know that by now!"

"I-I know… I just… I didn't like the idea of fighting them over it… it just seemed… I don't know… pointless?" The strange Dokunemon replied, though that was the wrong answer to say.

"You fool! You know that all claws are needed to get the food from those Kunemon!" The lead Dokunemon shouted at the strange Dokunemon. "You should never leave it to the rest of the hunting party while they do all the work! You never pull your own weight!"

The strange Dokunemon lowered his head and had his front feet cover his head as he was being yelled at.

"B-but… couldn't we just… talk to the Kunemon?" The strange Dokunemon asked. "Maybe they'd be willing to share?"

The lead Dokunemon let out a sigh. "How many times must we go through this lesson before it sticks? Our tribe, and the Kunemon tribe, never get along. If we don't take from the Kunemon, then we will starve. The Kunemon always takes more food than they need, leaving us with barely enough to feed our families. As long as you live in this forest, under our tribe, it's take or starve. And if you don't start working to pull your weight, then you'll be banished. We don't need lazy Dokunemon in this tribe as deadweight, do you understand me?"

"Yes… I understand…" The strange Dokunemon replied in defeat.

"Tomorrow, you will go with the hunting party. And if you fail to bring back food, or join in the fight with the Kunemon to take their food, then you will be banished," The lead Dokunemon warned. "Do I make myself clear?"

"Y-yes…" The strange Dokunemon answered timidly.

The strange Dokunemon saw that the other Dokunemon were gathering at the biggest tree in the area. There were several slime-like Digimon. A small green slime called Pabumon, and a bigger pink slime with hands called Motimon, were the first Digimon to dig into the food. The Dokunemon would later join in once the two smaller Digimon had their fill.

The strange Dokunemon was about to make his way over to the 'dinner tree', when the lead Dokunemon moved in front of him. "You don't get dinner tonight. From now on, you eat what you're able to bring back. Perhaps this will motivate you to actually try to help the hunting party."

"But wouldn't starving me make me weaker?" The strange Dokunemon asked, not liking this.

"Then that should make you more motivated to help the hunting party." The lead Dokunemon retorted back.

The strange Dokunemon frowned, but backed off, just because he didn't want to get in even worse trouble with the lead Dokunemon.

The lead Dokunemon then went to the 'dinner tree', leaving the strange Dokunemon to watch his fellow tribe members eat while he didn't get any dinner.

This isn't right… The strange Dokunemon thought as he looked away from the 'dinner tree'. We shouldn't have to steal from the Kunemon… Maybe I can talk to them…? Nobody's ever tried that…

Having nothing better to do than just go to sleep while hungry, the strange Dokunemon left the tribe and headed back out into the forest.

---

The strange Dokunemon was looking around, trying to find the Kunemon. The sun was starting to set, so he knew he had to hurry. Big Digimon usually liked to hunt the smaller insect Digimon at night.

The strange Dokunemon wasn't sure if the Kunemon already went back to their tribe, but if he couldn't find them, he may as well head back before it got dark. However, as the strange Dokunemon was heading back, he stumbled on a rather big, tasty looking mushroom.

Oh? How did the Kunemon miss a mushroom this big? It doesn't look to be poisonous… The strange Dokunemon wondered.

The strange Dokunemon felt his stomach growling. Maybe it wouldn't hurt to take a small bite just to quiet down his stomach.

"Hey! Get off of my mushroom!"

The strange Dokunemon was suddenly jumped on by a Kunemon from the tree. The strange Dokunemon yelped as he rolled out of the Kunemon's grasp.

"Why'd you do that!?" The strange Dokunemon yelled.

"That's my mushroom! I found it first, you Dokunemon thief!" Kunemon retorted angrily. "I won't let you steal this one like your tribe did the rest of our food!"

"I didn't know you claimed the mushroom!" The strange Dokunemon retorted back. "You weren't anywhere in sight when I saw it. And I didn't come here to steal food from the Kunemon or cause trouble, I just wanted to talk."

That threw Kunemon for a loop. "You, a Dokunemon, want to talk, to us? I didn't think you were capable of such a thing, what with how aggressive you are as food thieves!"

"I understand your anger towards my tribe, but… I don't think this conflict will ever resolve if we continue to fight like we are," The strange Dokunemon stated. "When I see our two tribes fight over the food, I can't help but notice how much time and energy it wastes for both of our tribes. I mean we end up hurting each other, and we leave the other with barely enough time to gather enough food to feed our tribe. Don't you think maybe this ongoing war between our tribe is doing a lot more harm than good?"

"Oh, it has been causing problems. Problems that you of the Dokunemon tribe have been making worse with your food thefts." The Kunemon growled, but at least the Kunemon wasn't outright disagreeing with the observations of the strange Dokunemon.

"I'm sorry. If it helps, I never joined in on the stealing, because I felt it wasn't right," The strange Dokunemon informed softly. "I can't control what the rest of my tribe do, but… I'm hoping maybe there's a chance our two tribes could negotiate with each other? If we can share the food we gather, maybe both of our tribes could thrive?"

The Kunemon observed the strange Dokunemon for a minute or two, before realizing something. "I see, you're not…"

"I'm not what?" The strange Dokunemon questioned.

"I can tell you're… not like the other Dokunemon," The Kunemon finally said after going silent for a moment. "How did… someone like you end up with the Dokunemon?"

"I'm not sure what you mean by that… but I was hatched with the Dokunemon, like the rest of them," The strange Dokunemon answered. "I didn't get the luxury of hatching at Primary Village, where I could live with a family in a village."

The Kunemon felt sorry for the strange 'Dokunemon'. "I see… A Digimon like you doesn't deserve to be with the more aggressive Dokunemon, but I suppose you can't change where you were hatched."

The strange Dokunemon didn't know what Kunemon was talking about, but maybe he meant that he didn't belong with the other Dokunemon because he wasn't as aggressive as they were. The strange Dokunemon didn't know why he couldn't be like the others, but he wasn't a big fan of fighting unnecessary battles, or screwing the Kunemon over just because they were able to gather food faster than they could.

"Listen," Kunemon spoke up. "I get what you're saying, but the Dokunemon leader has to come to an agreement to negotiate with us. One low ranking Dokunemon won't be able to sway anyone. I… think it's better if you left the Dokunemon tribe. I just don't think you belong there."

"What? Why?" The strange Dokunemon asked in shock. "I've lived with them my whole life. Where would I go?"

"That's for you to decide." Kunemon said softly. "But anywhere other than here, with a fight between our two tribes raging, would be better for you. You don't like fighting unnecessarily, I can see that. A life away from here would be better for you in the long run."

"Wouldn't I just get killed out there on my own?" The strange Dokunemon asked. "After all, getting banished from the tribe is a death sentence for us."

"I'm sorry, there's not much else I can do for you," The Kunemon said. "I'm just telling you what I think is best for you. You don't belong with the Dokunemon tribe, that's all there is to it. Now, I gotta get this mushroom back before it gets dark. I suggest you find a place to hunker down for the night unless you plan to go back to the tribe."

The strange Dokunemon watched in silence as the Kunemon used his sticky web to drag the mushroom with him.

What was that conversation?

The strange Dokunemon was heading back to the tribe, he didn't know where else to go, nor did he understand why the Kunemon told him to leave his home. Maybe he was hoping to get rid of more competition? But he didn't seem malicious when he told me I should leave…

The strange Dokunemon didn't know what else to do other than hurry back. The sun was going down, and the strange Dokunemon quickly climbed up the tree. He was glad he did, because he saw large black bird Digimon called Saberdramon flying into the forest to begin their nightly hunt.

Wow… I was lucky to find this tree nearby… But a night out away from the tribe will not be pleasant… The strange Dokunemon thought with a shiver. Maybe I can figure out what Kunemon meant in the morning…?

The strange Dokunemon curled up in the leaves, hoping his green coloration kept him hidden from the birds. He munched a little on the leaves out of hunger, but he didn't want to eat too much of the leaves, or he would be spotted by the Saberdramon. Eventually, he fell asleep.

---

The next morning, the strange Dokunemon woke up to the sound of fighting nearby. He blinked open his blue eyes, and heard the familiar voices.

"What do you mean we should talk!? We don't talk!"

"No, you just fight like a bunch of meat heads. But someone from your tribe talked to me yesterday, and I thought it might be a good idea to at least try to negotiate with your tribe. But only if you're willing to work with us."

"Why would anyone from our tribe suggest such a thing? That's considered treachery!"

The strange Dokunemon felt an odd feeling of both pride and hurt at this exchange he was hearing. Oh… I see… So my attempts at helping didn't make things better…

"Because unlike you brainless lot, they're trying to make things better for both of our tribes."

"Who is this traitor you're referring to!?"

"The one who is different from all of you, and who dared to think outside of your limited box."

"... You mean that freak?"

The strange Dokunemon wasn't a stranger to being called names because of how… 'deformed' he apparently was compared to the other Dokunemon, but it still hurt to be called such names.

"At least he was trying to do something worthwhile that could work for both of us." The lead Kunemon retorted.

The Dokunemon were not so pleased with this though, as many were now enraged.

"That freak doesn't deserve to be with our tribe if this is what he attempted to do!"

"Yeah, when we see him next, we will either banish him or leave him for the Saberdramon!"

"Banish or be eaten! Perfect punishments for that freak!"

The strange Dokunemon silently whimpered to himself upon hearing that. Now he really couldn't go back even if he wanted to.

"This is how you treat someone who's different from you? How pitiful. I knew he didn't belong with you."

"He never will belong with us! Where is the freak now!?"

The strange Dokunemon began to silently climb to the otherside of the tree, not wanting his… ex brethren to find him and torment him. If he was going to be banished, he might as well leave now to skip the torture they plan to put him through before tossing him out for the Saberdramon.

The strange Dokunemon was able to slip down to the ground and hide amongst the bushes as he slowly crawled away from the two tribes of insect Digimon.

I guess trying to make a difference just gets you killed in this world… The strange Dokunemon heartbrokenly thought to himself.

---

Maddie, Andy, Danny, and Lopmon were looking at the entrance to the woods.

"So we have to cross this forest to get to the next town?" Maddie asked.

"Yeah, we need to find a screen of some kind to get back to our world," Andy said.

"Why couldn't we just use the one from the guild?" Maddie questioned.

"Come on, Mom, you know why," Danny said. "Our method of going through the Digital World and back to our world isn't exactly… normal."

"You mean those… devices you and Andy have." Maddie remarked, remembering that device Andy had used to transport them to this world in the first place. "I guess that makes some sense, but I still want to learn more about how that method of getting to and from our world works."

"We're not really that sure ourselves," Andy said. "We just know these devices we have seem to have the ability to open a Digi-Portal, which is kind of like the Ghost Portal at home, and take us into the Digital World."

Andy reached into his pocket to take out the D-Arc. "It's a curious device, that's for sure."

"I think it looks pretty cool though," Lopmon said. "It's what helped lead you to me after all."

Maddie blinked. "Really? That device led you to Lopmon? When we get home, you have to tell me that story."

Danny snickered. "Believe me, Mom, it's quite the story."

Lopmon blinked as he tilted his head to the side.

"For now, how about we try to get through this forest?" Andy suggested.

The group walked into the forest. They could see some Digimon running around. Andy recognized a few being Tanemon, and Palmon. There was another set of Palmon nearby, but their flower heads were lavender instead of pink. There were also some insect Digimon like Tentomon flying around.

Lopmon's ears lifted up. "I heard what sounds like fighting nearby."

"Fighting?" Danny asked.

"Yeah, like a scuffle of some kind," Lopmon answered. "In that direction."

"We should avoid getting involved," Maddie suggested. "It could be the locals having a fight, and they need to sort their own argument out."

Danny frowned, he didn't like the idea of just leaving things alone when there was a fight.

"Well… that's true, but… If we want to show the Digimon not all players are bad… wouldn't helping be a good thing?" Danny asked.

"Not if the locals are strong Digimon." Maddie pointed out. "You've told me how you fought against… what was it… Ultimate level? Digimon, at the strongest. But that was with a Legendary Warrior on your side. What if it's a Digimon that is stronger than that?"

"Mom, such strong Digimon are rare to come across! We just had rotten luck for a while. I mean, the odds of us coming across a Digimon stronger than Champion level are low." Danny pointed out.

"I don't think they're strong Digimon," Lopmon spoke up. "I can sense them, they're about as strong as the average Rookie level."

Andy frowned a little. "We should keep going."

"Really?" Danny asked, surprised that Andy didn't seem interested in seeing what the fighting was about.

"Mom is right about one thing, if this is a feud between the locals, we don't want to get involved with it," Andy explained. "I understand that you want to help everyone you come across, Danny, but it just isn't realistic or practical. We have our own problems to deal with, and we need to focus on that if we want to really help the Digimon in this world."

Danny sighed, but he knew Andy was right. His brother had a valid point. "Okay… I… We'll keep going…"

It made something inside Danny's chest ache, but Danny just chalked it up to feeling homesick.

"If it'll help you feel better, we could always get some kind of ambassador to go around the Digital World to help Digimon with smaller problems like this," Lopmon suggested. "After all, delegating is a good way to solve the smaller problems while we focus on the bigger picture."

"That is true, which is why we want to try to have more people join us in our future guild," Andy agreed. "For now, we should focus on getting back home, then we can worry about how we'll help the inhabitants of the Digital World."

"It sounds like you've been planning this for a while," Maddie noted, though she knew they had been in the Digital World before, it was so odd to hear her baby boys talking like they were going to change the world, which… they were planning on it.

Danny blushed a bit. "Well… what can I say? We don't want to have this world suffer because of some stupid meat-headed players… Erm… no offense to the players who do care about this world, of course…"

Lopmon was trying hard to not laugh at Danny's embarrassment.

Maddie wondered if they would mind if she joined them… that is when she could find the time to, and have her own Digimon partner… Maddie wasn't sure if she could find a partner any time soon, however, since she wasn't sure how many adults actually come to this world.

Suddenly Maddie tripped over something and made her fall over. "Oof!"

"Mom! Are you okay?" Danny asked in concern.

"Mom! Are you hurt?" Andy asked in concern as well.

"I'm fine," Maddie said. "I just tripped over something…"

Lopmon hopped down from Andy's head to investigate what she just tripped over. "Hey… you tripped over something alright."

The others looked back at what Maddie just tripped over. It looked like a giant caterpillar, but way cuter. Andy knew about Kunemon, but… this Digimon didn't look like a Kunemon.

"Ow…" The insect Digimon groaned, rubbing its back. "Hmm? What are you?"

"You don't recognize humans?" Andy asked, surprised.

"Humans…? You mean the players I've been hearing about? This is what you look like?" The insect Digimon blinked, looking more curious than scared. "I… imagined something a lot… bigger and scarier…"

"You… were expecting us to be scarier?" Danny blinked. "That's… a first from a Digimon. Normally the Digimon are the ones who are bigger and scarier. Well… when they evolve at least…"

"I just heard how players were able to do things like make Digimon work for them, and they took down a Celestial Digimon," The insect Digimon muttered. "But you don't seem like the type who would do something like that…"

"You're very observant," Andy noted. "Most Digimon would be cautious around us just because we're humans."

"I've been told…" The insect Digimon sighed.

"What are you doing out here alone?" Lopmon asked. "I think I heard that this forest usually has families and tribes of Digimon sticking together."

"I'm… leaving," The insect Digimon answered. "My own tribe doesn't want me, and… I don't like being with them anyways. I've been trying to find food on my own, but the two tribes keep fighting over food, and they end up taking more than they need…"

"That… That's horrible…" Maddie said with a frown. "And you left your own tribe? Why wouldn't they want you around?"

"Because… I'm not like them… I'm not like other Dokunemon, and they don't like me for it… And I don't like joining in their senseless fight over the food the Kunemon gathered," The Digimon answered.

"Dokunemon?" Danny blinked.

"They're like Kunemon, but they have different colors, and are generally more aggressive," Lopmon explained. "But… why were you living with the Dokunemon?"

"Why else? I was born in their tribe," The Digimon answered. "But I guess I was defective or something, because I always seem to be different from the rest of the tribe, no matter how much I tried to digivolve myself to be more like them."

"Well, you don't have to remain with them if you don't want to." Danny said reassuringly.

"I think you're much cuter than a Dokunemon, or even a Kunemon." Lopmon said happily. "Your pink claws match your blue eyes!"

"R-really?" The Digimon blushed.

"Wait… do you think you're a Dokunemon?" Andy asked.

"Yes," The Digimon confirmed. "What else could I be?"

Andy raised an eyebrow. He hadn't been sure if a Digimon would instinctively know what they were, especially since they usually shouted their species name when they digivolve, but this Digimon genuinely thought he was a Dokunemon.

"But… you can't be, you look too different to be a Dokunemon," Andy pointed out.

"That's why everyone called me a freak…" The 'Dokunemon' frowned.

"Hold on, Andy may have a point," Maddie spoke up. "I refuse to believe you're some kind of 'deformed Dokunemon' or whatever. Is there any way for us to tell what kind of Digimon he is?"

Lopmon was looking at the Digimon and Andy felt the D-Arc in his pocket vibrating. He reached into his D-Arc, and saw a hologram of the Digimon in front of them coming out of the screen. There was the name of the Digimon.

"Oh, I guess this D-Arc can give information on the Digimon," Andy noted. "Apparently this Digimon is called Wormmon. It's a very rare Digimon, though it starts out weak on its own, it has the ability to digivolve into stronger Digimon depending on how it trains itself. Though because of this, many believed Wormmon were going extinct."

Maddie blinked before smiling at the newly identified Wormmon. "Well, that proves it. You're not a deformed Dokunemon. And you're definitely cuter!"

The Digimon, Wormmon, blushed. "I… I didn't think I was a different species of Digimon… But… I guess that explains why I look so different…"

"But why were you hatched here of all places?" Lopmon asked.

"I don't know, I just know I was hatched here…" Wormmon answered.

"Since Wormmon is apparently so rare, maybe someone was trying to steal his egg, but lost him in the forest?" Andy theorized. "And he ended up being found by the Dokunemon."

"Well, regardless of how he got here, it's obvious Wormmon can't stay here." Danny said seriously. "We can't just leave him here on his own."

"I agree, it'd be cruel to just leave him here on his own." Lopmon nodded. "I can hear his poor tummy growling."

Maddie frowned upon hearing that. She bent down to Wormmon before taking out a familiar jerky from her pocket. "I don't know if you eat meat, but maybe this Fenton Jerky could hold you over for a little bit?"

Wormmon sniffed the Fenton Jerky before he took it from Maddie's hand in his small pink claws. He bit down on it, and his eyes lit up. "Oh, this is so good!"

Andy leaned over to Danny to whisper. "What's in that Fenton Jerky?"

"I… don't know… I didn't think it was good to eat…" Danny sweatdropped.

Maddie smiled. "I'm glad somebody appreciates good jerky~"

Wormmon smiled as well. "Thank you! I didn't get to eat last night, but now I feel much better!"

"Well, just stick with us for now, and you can have all the Fenton Jerky you want." Maddie chuckled.

Wormmon was more than eager to climb up Maddie's leg, then up her back, and onto her shoulder. "Where are you guys headed?"

Maddie didn't expect Wormmon to crawl up onto her shoulder like that. If this was a giant bug in their world, or worse, a ghost bug, she would be freaking out right now. But because Wormmon was so cute and friendly, and Andy always had Lopmon on his head, she decided that it couldn't hurt to keep this cutie on her shoulder. Wormmon was big, but he was surprisingly light.

"Wow, you just climbed up on Mom just like that?" Danny asked, surprised.

"Was I not supposed to? Usually when insect Digimon likes someone, they crawl on them, especially if they're bigger," Wormmon explained sheepishly.

"N-no… It's just… Mom is… well… she is quite the fighter when it comes to ghosts… and it's usually a bad idea to sneak up on her…" Danny admitted. "But… I guess she likes you if she didn't react like she would with a ghost."

Maddie blushed. "Well, how can I just leave this cutie alone?"

Lopmon giggled. "I think Maddie was hoping for her own Digimon partner~"

"Digimon partner?" Wormmon asked.

"We'll explain as we move," Andy chuckled. "We're heading to the nearest town that's across this forest to get home."

"I can guide you through the forest, if that will help you." Wormmon offered. "I can show you the fastest route to the town."

"That would be great!" Danny said with a big smile, relieved they wouldn't have to struggle through the forest on their own.

"But we better hurry, we don't want to stay here at night," Wormmon warned.

"Why? What happens at night?" Lopmon asked.

"Big predator Digimon called Saberdramon make this forest their hunting ground, though they usually hunt in the sky, as well as some wolf Digimon called Gururumon prowl on the ground," Wormmon answered. "It's not safe to be out in the open at night here."

Maddie frowned. "I take it those are stronger Digimon?"

"They are of the Champion level." Wormmon replied, confirming Maddie's thoughts.

"Well, at least they're not stronger." Danny sighed. "Fighting an Ultimate level would not be fun."

"It wouldn't be so bad if there was only one of them, but there are many. They hunt in flocks and packs. That makes them just as dangerous as an Ultimate level," Wormmon warned.

"That's true, we wouldn't want to deal with multiple Champion Digimon at once," Andy agreed. "Come on, let's get going, the sooner we get out of here, the sooner we can be safe and get home." Though I hope Mom and Wormmon form a bond. It might be good to have them work together, and maybe join us in our quest to make the Digital World better. And, best of all, it might help Mom open her mind a bit, and see that ghosts may be more like us and Digimon than she and Dad realized. At least… that's the ideal situation.

Danny sighed. "So, point us in the right direction, Wormmon. We have a long walk ahead of us."

Wormmon nodded. "Okay, just don't get separated. That's the last thing we want at night."

Wormmon hopped off of Maddie's shoulder, which Maddie mentally groaned as she wanted to have her own cute Digimon on her shoulder, but she remained neutral on the outside.

Lopmon jumped back onto Andy's head before they started following Wormmon through the forest.

"So the fighting I heard earlier, was that the Dokunemon tribe?" Lopmon asked curiously.

"Yes, they and the Kunemon tribe often fight on a daily basis," Wormmon answered. "They both believe they deserve the food more than the other. Though the Dokunemon often are the ones who steal the food from the Kunemon, claiming the Kunemon are taking more food than they need, leaving us with not enough."

Danny frowned. "It sounds like the Dokunemon are bullying the Kunemon." Wow… I can't believe how apt that sounds…

Wormmon looked back at Danny. "That would be an accurate description. I think it was pointless to keep fighting, and I never saw the need to join in on it. But that got me in trouble. But what really got me in trouble was trying to talk things out with the Kunemon tribe. The Dokunemon wouldn't have any of it."

"So they banished you?" Lopmon asked.

"Essentially… I just ran away before they could make it official. They would've hurt me first before they threw me out to the predators," Wormmon shivered.

Maddie frowned. "Then I think it's good you left. You don't deserve to be hurt by the ones who essentially raised you, even if you were different."

Danny would've done a spit take if he had been drinking something. While he knew Maddie didn't intend it, a part of him couldn't help but shout that she was a bit of a hypocrite, since she often tried to hurt him in his ghost form. But he really hoped that wouldn't be a problem for too long.

"I will lead us around the territory of the two tribes so we don't get caught up in the fighting." Wormmon said. "The two tribes won't be merciful to any outsiders."

"Yeah, that's a good idea," Andy agreed. "Good thing we didn't try to see what was going on."

"Though I do hope that they would put their differences aside one day… I think they could truly thrive if they work together instead of against each other," Wormmon sighed.

"Even after they treated you like Sukamon, you still want the best for them, huh? That's admirable," Lopmon commented.

Wormmon blushed a bit. "Well… how could I not? The Dokunemon raised me, and… I just can't wish for them to struggle… Struggling to survive is never fun… for anyone."

"That's a very good point." Maddie noted. "Even humans struggle to survive when things get rough."

"Maybe one day, when we can get ourselves situated, we can do something about issues like these feuds among other Digimon," Andy said.

"Really?" Wormmon asked in surprise.

"We plan to make a guild that's meant to help the inhabitants of the Digital World," Andy explained. "As well as fighting back against the guild who took over the Celestial Digimon's castle, and maybe hopefully give the castle back to its rightful owner."

"Assuming we can ever find him," Lopmon added.

"We will." Danny reassured Lopmon. "It won't be easy, but I think we can do it."

"Do you know who would be in this guild?" Wormmon asked, curious now.

"I know it'll have me and Danny in it," Andy said. "Our friends, Tucker and Sam, will be joining. Our cousin, and sister, Takuya, and Jazz, are also joining. We may have more allies who are willing to help out, though it's too early to say they'll be joining our guild officially."

"These allies must be strong if you want them to join your guild." Wormmon remarked.

"Well, you could say that…" Danny chuckled sheepishly.

"What about her?" Wormmon asked, looking at Maddie.

"Me? I'm their mother… they may find it weird for me to join, and I don't have a Digimon of my own," Maddie chuckled.

"I mean I don't see why you can't join if you're willing to help out, Mom. Besides, I think it'd be fun for the whole Fenton family to work together for a good cause." Andy smiled.

"You think your father will join this guild?" Maddie asked.

Danny laughed. "C'mon, Mom! Dad's a big softie at heart! He wouldn't say no to helping out little guys like Wormmon!"

Maddie laughed as well. "That's true. I wouldn't be able to see your father saying 'no' to helping out."

"Then would you consider joining the guild if it was formed?" Lopmon asked.

"If I could find a Digimon partner, then I would, yes." Maddie replied.

"What about Wormmon?" Andy suggested. "The two of you seem to hit it off already."

Wormmon and Maddie looked at each other before Maddie looked back at Andy. "You think this little cutie would be a good partner for me?"

"Mom! It's obvious you like Wormmon, and you keep calling him 'little cutie'! If that doesn't say you want him as a partner Digimon, I don't know what else could." Danny pointed out with a grin.

Wormmon blushed at being called 'little cutie'. "I'm not that cute…"

"But it's also up to Wormmon," Lopmon added. "Would you be willing to join the guild, and be Maddie's partner?"

"After the way you guys have treated me… how could I say 'no'?" Wormmon replied. "It… would be nice… to have someone who cares about me… as a partner."

Maddie blinked before she grinned and scooped up Wormmon in a hug. "Aww! Thank you! You're so cute!"

Andy, Lopmon, and Danny all smiled. It was good they managed to not only help their mother find her Digimon partner, but they helped a Digimon who was thrown out of their home too. Something in Danny's chest was practically singing with delight from that. Not to mention this thing was also vibrating like a small motor, similar to how a cat would purr.

Danny raised a hand to his chest and rubbed at where this vibrating was coming from. It felt… weird, but also good in a way.

"We can talk about our plans in the future while we walk." Andy smiled, looking quite pleased as well. "It'll be good to have Mom in the know of what our plans are since she'll be joining us."

"Yeah, it will." Danny agreed.

"But you do need to tell me how you met Lopmon." Maddie pointed out. "I'm curious how you became his partner."

Lopmon laughed. "That's a story I think needs to be told as well, especially since it involved not one, but two misunderstandings!"

Andy groaned. "I still have no idea how everyone thought I was some evil, powerful mastermind just because I took one little Digimon, by accident, from Primary Village."

"What?" Maddie blinked.

"Maybe you should start at the beginning, bro," Danny chuckled.

"Fine…" Andy sighed. "It happened after Ember was… canceled, and I was playing on the demo website of Ruler of the Digital World…"

---

Andy explained the story to Maddie about how he ended up in the Digital World, and how Agunimon thought he had kidnapped Lopmon, though Andy didn't help himself by not giving Lopmon back to Swanmon. Maddie was rather surprised how Andy ended up almost getting taken out by not one, but two Legendary Warriors before the situation was finally properly explained. Not only that, but there had been many close calls with both of her children after Andy managed to get back to their world, and recruited Danny, Tucker, Sam, and Takuya to explore the Digital World, and ran into even more trouble regarding this mysterious green mist that seemed to corrupt Digimon.

Danny also filled in what he could as well, which, while it made things clearer for Maddie, didn't really help her feel any better.

Finally, when the twins finished the explanation, Maddie sighed. "Look, I know you two are capable, and that you trust Agunimon, but he attacked Andy, and on top of that, he has been seen working with that vile ghost that attacked during that ghost invasion. I want to give him a chance, but until Agunimon can explain his actions himself, I am wary of trusting him."

Danny frowned. "So, you don't believe us when we say he's a good guy?"

"Oh, I believe you, but it's just that he has done some questionable things and I would like to hear his reasons why directly from him." Maddie explained. "I'm your mother, I can't just trust someone who attacked my baby boy, even if it was a misunderstanding."

Andy and Danny both sweatdropped at those words.

"Does that include you and dad…?" Danny muttered before Andy elbowed him in the ribs to shut him up.

"I don't know too much about ghosts, but if a Legendary Warrior was working with one, they must've had a good reason," Wormmon said.

"And… I think that you should give him a chance before you write him off," Andy added a little nervously. "After all… misunderstanding and making mistakes is just part of being human… or I guess… being alive in this case. It happens to everyone."

Maddie sighed. "I will, but only once Agunimon can explain himself. It's just… hard to give him a chance when I know he has attacked Andy, because I could've lost one of my sons as a result."

Danny raised an eyebrow, but decided not to say anything. He just knew that his parents would be inflicted with a lot of self guilt if they ever found out they attacked him as his ghost half.

"I'm sure Agunimon will be able to explain himself, Mom," Andy said.

"Besides, Agunimon isn't the only Digimon to almost kill Andy. Andy almost got killed loads of times by other Digimon and ghosts," Lopmon said. "So the experience with Agunimon really wasn't all that bad."

"Lopmon!" Andy spoke up. "She didn't need to know all the details!"

Maddie looked at Andy before she sighed and rubbed her forehead. "Please tell me that was just a joke…"

"Uh… yeah, a joke… hahaha, I have quite the twisted sense of humor, yup!" Lopmon sheepishly said.

"So… you weren't almost killed on a daily basis?" Wormmon asked. "And what about your look alike? He doesn't seem to have a Digimon partner to protect him."

"I'm his twin brother, we've been over this," Danny sighed. "And I'm fine."

"Danny does have a Digimon partner, but they had a fight and needed some space apart for a while." Maddie explained to Wormmon. "But I hope they can make up soon."

Maddie let out a sigh and decided it would be best to change the subject. "So you said before that time passes through this world a lot faster than in our world?"

"Not that much faster, but yeah," Danny answered. "An hour in our world could be a day here."

"So it's likely only been an hour and a half since we escaped Vlad's ghost filled cottage…" Maddie frowned. "What were those ghosts doing in Vlad's cottage anyways?"

"Who knows… I think it's important we don't focus on Vlad right now, we should focus on getting back home," Andy said.

"Andy's right." Danny agreed. "When we get back home, then we can wonder about the events at Vlad's cottage. For now, we need to find a monitor so we can leave in the first place."

"But where?" Maddie asked. "Do we have to find another guild or something?"

"Monitors can be found anywhere in the Digital World, not in a guild only." Danny pointed out. "But it may be a while before we find one."

"How big is this forest?" Lopmon asked.

"It's pretty big," Wormmon answered. "Truth be told, I never explored the forest much. I was always too afraid of getting lost and being found by predator Digimon."

"So there's a good chance we may not get out of here in one day?" Andy asked.

"We need to rest soon, or find some food…" Danny frowned. "It wouldn't be good to go hungry. We didn't get to eat breakfast at the guild."

"If I wasn't so worried about the guild seeing us use the monitor to travel between our two worlds, I would've just used a monitor there to get back home…" Andy grumbled.

"Well, we can't change what happened." Maddie sighed. "But Danny's right. We need to find shelter and food before we resume our trek out of here."

"Well… it might be good to find a tree that hasn't been claimed by another clan or Digimon yet, and use that as our shelter for the night," Wormmon explained. "It needs to be a tree with a lot of leaves to keep us hidden from the Saberdramon who hunt the skies. And it keeps us off the ground level from the Gururumon that prowl the land."

"We'll probably want to be able to find food in the area too," Andy said.

"Do you know of any trees we could use as shelter for the night, Wormmon?" Maddie asked as she looked at the worm-like Digimon beside her.

"I'll need to take a look at the trees. Claimed trees usually have a mark on them to let others know that it's their territory," Wormmon answered before he jumped off of Maddie's shoulder.

"Then I should explore the area to see if there's any food we can pick up," Lopmon suggested as he hopped down from Andy's head.

"Perhaps we should not venture too far from each other." Maddie warned. "I don't want to lose sight of either of you, boys."

"We'll be fine, Mom, it's not our first time spending the night in the Digital World," Danny reassured.

"Unbelievable, even after getting out of the woods in Colorado, we're still camping out in the woods," Andy grumbled.

"Hey, it's better than being bitten by blood-sucking bugs." Danny said, trying to reassure Andy. "At least here we can fight off the bugs if they bother us."

"Just be careful, some of the higher level bug Digimon often fight each other for territory," Wormmon warned.

Andy hoped he didn't have to see what a two giant bug battle would look like.

---

The sun started to go down. Andy and Lopmon managed to bring back some food like mushrooms and berries, but they weren't able to bring a lot.

Danny and Maddie had some firewood ready, which they would need to put out before the night reached them.

"That's all you were able to bring?" Danny frowned.

"It was hard to find food another Digimon didn't already have claim to," Lopmon grumbled. "They kept threatening us if we tried to take anything."

"Unfortunately a few mushrooms and some berries will have to be our dinner tonight," Andy sighed.

Danny frowned. "The Digimon around here don't like to share, huh?"

"It's lucky we even found an unclaimed tree, though it's pretty small, it should hold us just fine," Wormmon said. "The Digimon here follows the 'survival of the fittest' rule, so they often take rather than give."

"Wow… I wonder what it's like for the rest of the Digital World then." Maddie mused. "It seems different areas have different ways of life, or so I assume anyway."

"Well, at the Flame Terminal and the Forest Terminal, the Digimon there seem to not care so much about 'survival of the fittest', and just want to live their lives." Danny mused.

"It didn't used to be this way…" Wormmon frowned.

"What do you mean?" Lopmon asked.

"When I was still an In-Training Digimon, I remembered the Kunemon tribe and the Dokunemon tribe used to get along pretty well. The forest used to be one big place for all the bug Digimon to play and work together to create different kinds of housing and toys with their silk. But…" Wormmon looked down.

"What happened?" Andy asked curiously.

"I wasn't there to see what happened exactly, but I heard that players had been spotted in the forest. My tribe was terrified, there was a lot of shouting and screaming going on. I didn't understand what was happening, all I could do was cry," Wormmon answered. "It all happened in one night. All the silk houses the tribes made together had been burned down or ripped apart. A lot of Digimon went missing. And… ever since that incident, the tribes, and all the other bug Digimon, have become separate from each other, becoming more hardened each day."

"Maybe the players have something to do with the divisions amongst the tribes." Danny guessed. "I mean, this didn't happen until the players showed up, right? Could there be a connection?"

Andy frowned. "This forest isn't that far from the Beast Slayer Guild, it's possible those same players who raided the Flame Terminal's station came through here as well. Since they were the first players to go through this world, they sounded like they were a lot more aggressive than the players we've been seeing."

"They were probably… using the video game term for 'grinding' out their Digimon's levels to get strong, because they were planning to take on the Celestial Digimon when they got out of the forest," Lopmon guessed.

"That makes a disturbing amount of sense, actually." Maddie admitted. "From what you've told me, the Celestial Digimon are the strongest here, so to take on a Digimon of such strength, the players would've had to get experience and grow their Digimon partners…"

"That's right! I do remember one thing that happened that night!" Wormmon said suddenly. "There was a large amount of energy in the forest, and something came into the forest that shook it. I was told that the large Digimon that came into the forest may have been the Celestial Digimon, they probably came into the forest to fight off the humans who were hurting all the Digimon in the forest."

"It'd make sense, the forest seems to be the Celestial Digimon's turf, and they were hurting a lot of Digimon in their area," Andy remarked.

"And it lines up with what Andy and I have already learned, that the first Celestial Digimon defeated was Cherubimon…" Danny realized. "Cherubimon went out to confront the players, but got defeated."

"I can't say I blame him… they were hurting innocent Digimon here." Maddie frowned. "I'd do the same if I knew ghosts were hunting down humans just to get stronger themselves."

"It's possible Cherubimon was planning something to take on the humans that were coming to his castle, but because he faced them too early, they were able to take him out," Lopmon guessed. "I doubt the Celestial Digimon would've been that reckless to confront these dangerous humans on his own otherwise."

"And it also explains why Cherubimon was so angry that he summoned the Legendary Warriors that hadn't found a host yet," Andy added.

"So we now know the sequence of events, or at least what we assumed to be the sequence of events, that led to Cherubimon's defeat." Danny mused. "If Cherubimon was defeated, without his presence, the tribes here began to fall apart, and became more hostile towards one another."

"From what I've read on Cherubimon, he was the Celestial Digimon of Wisdom, he also seems to represent the beast type Digimon of the world," Andy remarked. "He also realizes putting on too many rules can be bad for the Digimon, so he often argues with Seraphimon when it comes to law and order. That must be why the Digimon in this forest don't live in a town or village, they live off the land, but they still get along and help each other. But…"

"Yeah… without Cherubimon, it's fallen into a lawless chaos instead of controlled chaos…" Lopmon frowned.

"I guess Cherubimon was seen as the pinnacle of 'survival of the fittest' if he kept this area in line." Maddie remarked.

"Maybe, we don't know too much about what Cherubimon's role was other than the basics," Andy said sheepishly. "But it's kind of fun to imagine it, or what kind of Digimon Cherubimon was."

"Yeah, so far we've only gotten the brunt of his anger when the rogue Legendary Warriors attacked us," Danny grumbled.

"But I know he's a kind Digimon, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to defend this forest," Wormmon said.

"True." Danny conceded. "I guess anger can make anyone lash out, even Celestial Digimon."

"It seems Digimon are similar to humans then." Maddie chuckled before she took out the 'Fenton Lighter' to light the firewood on fire. "We better hurry and cook our mushrooms, we don't want to have a fire burning at night."

Andy and Danny put the mushrooms on some sticks before placing the sticks near the flames.

"We could eat some leaves and barks from the trees if it becomes necessary, they're good with fiber," Wormmon suggested.

"I'd rather not…" Lopmon frowned.

"Ugh… No thanks…" Danny grumbled, remembering how the lunch staff at school had tried to serve up grass and dirt at the beginning of the school year. "I'd rather avoid that. No need for a repeat of that incident… Eating grass and dirt for lunch was not fun."

"You don't eat dirt, barks from trees are actually not that bad," Wormmon said.

"Let's just hope it doesn't come to that," Maddie chuckled. "I've got a few Fenton jerky left if we really need them."

"How much do you keep on you, Mom?" Andy asked, a little appalled she still had Fenton jerky on her.

"I have enough for a while…" Maddie admitted sheepishly. "I mean, when your father and I are working in the lab, what do you think we eat?"

Danny sweatdropped. "I just assumed you and Dad came up from the lab to eat…"

"As much as your father loves food, sometimes we forget to eat when we get into a project," Maddie sheepishly explained.

"And you complain we don't eat enough." Andy rolled his eyes.

"Well you don't, look at how thin you two are." Maddie frowned. "Have you two been eating well?"

"Mooom, we've been eating just fine! We can't help that our bodies refuse to gain any fat," Danny pouted.

I mean… is it possible for ghosts to put on weight? Andy wondered.

"Well, as long as you two don't get thinner, I guess it just means your bodies are just burning the calories faster." Maddie sighed.

"As long as we don't end up as large as Dad, I'm fine with being thin." Danny grumbled.

Lopmon giggled. "At least I know it's not possible for me to get fat."

"You could still digivolve into a fat Digimon though," Andy said. "I've seen pictures of ShogunGeckomon."

Lopmon looked appalled. "That's one of my possible evolutions?!"

Danny was snickering, not sure if Andy was joking or serious.

"I mean I don't know, you Digimon seem to digivolve into something that doesn't make sense sometimes," Andy replied. "I mean Salamon became a cat when she digivolved. I was expecting a bigger dog."

Danny was trying so hard to keep himself from busting out laughing.

"Well, what Andy says is true." Wormmon admitted. "I could become a humanoid insect, or something else entirely if I ever digivolve."

Danny's stomach then growled, reminding the boy, and the rest of the group, that they needed to eat. "Ah… I think we should eat before my stomach growls even louder…"

"The mushrooms should be done by now," Maddie said.

The group took the sticks with the mushrooms, carefully blowing on it before taking a bite. The mushrooms weren't bad, but they weren't good either. There weren't any seasonings on the mushrooms, so it was pretty bland. Though Wormmon seemed to enjoy it. Once they were finished with their mushrooms, they began eating the berries. Maddie worked to put the fire out once they were done eating.

"We should start climbing the tree," Wormmon said. "We don't want to be down here when the sun goes all the way down."

"Good point, I'm already sensing some strong Digimon in the area," Lopmon warned.

Danny and the rest of the group began to climb up the tree to get to sturdy branches so they could sleep for the night.

"Wow, this is the first time I'll have slept in a tree without the treehouse." Danny remarked as a joke.

"Just don't fall off your branch, Danny." Maddie warned.

"I'll be fine, Mom." Danny reassured Maddie.

The group managed to climb up on some strong branches that could hold their weight. Though they had to pick their own branches as the branches could only hold one at a time.

"So… we just sleep like this?" Andy asked.

"Yup," Wormmon answered.

This is uncomfortable… I have no idea how I'm going to sleep like this. Andy frowned.

As the group were trying to find ways to get comfortable, they began hearing howling not too far away, and footsteps moving quickly under them. And above them, they could hear the birds roaring through the sky.

I can see why we needed to stay in trees… Andy gulped before he looked down, seeing the wolf-like Digimon running by.

One of the Gururumon stopped and sniffed the firewood that had been put out recently. "There was fire here… and mushrooms…"

"Then we have prey to hunt tonight!" Another Gururumon exclaimed eagerly.

Danny paled as he watched this exchange from his own branch of the tree. Ulp… Boy, am I glad quadruped Digimon can't climb trees…

"But what kind of prey are we looking for?" A third Gururumon questioned. "There are no fire Digimon in this forest."

"Could be a visitor… or… an intruder," The second Gururumon said.

"Let's look, they couldn't have gotten far," The first Gururumon suggested.

The wolf Digimon all howled before they began running forward, ignoring the tree the group were in.

"You weren't kidding when you said it was dangerous here at night," Maddie whispered to Wormmon, who was on the trunk of the tree.

"Yeah, it's pretty scary," Wormmon replied.

"Did Cherubimon allowed hunting like this when he was still around?" Danny asked curiously.

"From what I know, he did, but he limited the amount of prey the Digimon were allowed to hunt. After all, it wouldn't be good if they over hunted and caused most of the forest Digimon to be reborn as eggs," Wormmon answered.

"I guess Cherubimon wanted Digimon to experience what hunting's like… because meat can be grown from the ground or trees, like the meat apples," Lopmon remarked.

"That is how Cherubimon operated," Wormmon agreed. "He felt Digimon were becoming too weak if they only lived civilized life with law and order limiting their power and abilities. That was why he usually got into arguments with Seraphimon, or so I've heard."

"I guess they were two sides of the same coin." Danny mused from his tree branch.

"Well, life can't be all law and order, but also life can't be all chaos and wild-life." Maddie remarked.

"I suppose you can't have one or the other, if you lean too much on one side, the world can't evolve," Andy noted.

"Too bad they didn't cooperate more with that," Lopmon said. "I guess that explains why Patamon was always such a grumpyhead…"

"Hmm? It does?" Danny asked.

"Ah… nevermind," Lopmon quickly said, remembering Danny didn't know about Patamon being Seraphimon's reincarnation. "I just wanted to make fun of Patamon for being such a grumpyhead."

Danny groaned. "I hope you don't make that a habit, Lopmon…"

Maddie was smiling at the banter between Andy, Danny, and Lopmon.

"We should try to get some sleep, we have a long day of walking tomorrow," Maddie suggested.

"If we can…" Andy grumbled. I'm going to be sore tomorrow…

---

Meanwhile, back at the Forest Terminal, in Seraphimon's castle… Floramon was lying on a stretcher while a Digimon was tending to her. The Digimon had a large pink flower on her back, and wore a pink flower-like cap on her head with green vines resembling hair hung down around her face. She had light pink arms and legs with floral-like hands and feet, and had a light greenish yellow swimsuit-like outfit on with a red rose like part in the center of her chest. Her eyes were green and she was about the size of an adult human.

"Don't worry, Lilamon is a great doctor for plant Digimon," Sorcermon reassured Jazz, Takuya, Jack, Veemon, and Lobomon, who had Slide-Evolved back to his humanoid form.

"She is injured, but not unstable," The flowery Digimon called Lilamon reassured. "I'll be able to get her back on her roots by morning."

Lobomon sighed. "That's good…" It was clear he was feeling somewhat guilty about attacking Floramon, not that he could help it because of that Theodore kid and his stupid collar.

"I am surprised Floramon was able to stand up to the strength of a Legendary Warrior though, and not just once." Jack remarked with a bit of pride. "That's one tough little flower there~"

Jazz smiled at hearing that. "She's my partner, of course she's going to be a tough one."

"She seems to have a close bond with you," Veemon noted. "I remembered she would talk about a human girl named 'Jazz' a lot when we chatted."

"You seem to like her," Jack noted to Veemon.

"Yeah… well she was the first to be kind to me, and even gave me some food when I was hungry," Veemon explained. "I wish I didn't run away the first time, leaving her to get hurt…"

"You had no choice." Takuya reassured Veemon. "But I guess things worked out in the end, especially since you guys managed to save Lobomon."

Lobomon's hand went to his neck, feeling where the collar had once rested. "That little brat… He will not get away with putting that thing on me, that's for sure."

Takuya looked up at Lobomon for a moment before looking at the others. "Hey, Jazz, Uncle Jack, would it be alright if I talked to Lobomon in private then turn in for the night? I have some things I want to ask him before he heads out."

Jack blinked, but nodded. "Sure, just don't keep him too long. I imagine he might want to recover from that experience."

Jazz nodded. "Of course, Takuya."

"Thanks," Takuya said before he stood up and walked over to Lobomon. "Do you mind if we talked in private for a bit before you leave?"

"I don't mind," Lobomon replied, though he knew by 'leaving', he meant Lobomon leaves while Koji came in, which was fine for him, he was getting tired holding the evolution.

Lobomon and Takuya walked out of the nurse's office, and headed into another, empty room.

"Oh yeah, where is Patamon?" Jack asked as Takuya and Lobomon left.

"Patamon is currently sleeping, he'll need a few days to fully recover from being in the real world for too long," Sorcermon answered.

"Do Digimon not do well being in the real world for too long?" Jazz worriedly asked.

"We can usually maintain ourselves in the real world, but hunger makes it difficult for us, and Patamon hadn't been eating much lately," Sorcermon replied.

"So the little guy was starving?" Jack asked in concern. "That's awful…"

"He's naturally a part of an angelic line," Sorcermon explained. "Therefore, it was against his nature to steal food to survive. So he wasn't able to get a lot to eat."

Jack frowned. "I see… No wonder he was starving; he would rather not get enough to eat than steal to survive…"

"Wow… that's something interesting to learn about." Jazz mused.

"I'm glad I don't have to worry about stopping me from surviving," Veemon remarked. "I can't live without food."

"Well, hopefully from this point on, you won't have to steal food anymore." Jack smiled.

Meanwhile, Takuya and Lobomon looked around in the room they were in.

"The cost is clear," Takuya said.

Lobomon let out a breath of relief before a cocoon of data surrounded him, turning him back into Koji when he released his Lobomon form. Koji fell to his knees.

"Are you alright?" Takuya asked in concern.

"I'm fine…" Koji grumbled a little, though he sounded quite exhausted. "That kid kept me in my Digimon form for the past few days… my body is exhausted…"

Takuya grimaced. "Reminds me of when I got stuck in my own Digimon form… But… not exactly for the same reasons as you…"

Koji looked up at Takuya. "How did that… happen…?"

"Ghost invasion." Takuya grumbled. "My Spirit locked itself onto me because there were so many ghosts around. I couldn't become human again for at least a day or two."

Koji sighed. "Either way… thanks… for getting that collar off… I would've been his slave for longer if not for you, Jazz, and her Floramon. Well… and that other guy and that Veemon…"

"Heh… Yeah, Uncle Jack really came through that time." Takuya chuckled sheepishly.

"So he's your uncle?" Koji noted.

"Yeah," Takuya confirmed.

"I'm surprised you brought him here," Koji remarked.

"A lot of things happened…" Takuya frowned, remembering the ghosts invading their house. "But that's not what I wanted to talk to you about."

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Koji asked.

"That… wolf form you were in before…" Takuya said.

"You mean KendoGarurumon?" Koji questioned.

"Yeah, that… that was your beast form, right?" Takuya asked.

"Yeah," Koji confirmed. "What about it?"

"You seem to have full control over it, you know, when Theodore wasn't trying to control you," Takuya noted. "But why were you out of control when the collar was on you? I mean Theodore didn't seem to have any control over you anymore at that point."

"The Beast Spirit isn't easy to control. I wasn't in control, that brat Theodore was, but he couldn't control the Beast Spirit, so that's why it went wild," Koji explained. "When you finally got the collar off of me, I was able to take back control."

"So it wasn't you that went wild, it was the Spirit." Takuya realized. "Or rather, there were two forces trying to control it, and the Spirit just went wild because it didn't know which to listen to." Wow, I guess the Beast Spirits will only listen to those who hold them…

"In a sense," Koji replied. "But it was more like Theodore was trying to control the Beast Spirit, and you know from experience how difficult that is, and someone like Theodore had no chance of controlling it. But still, it surprised me that he was able to get a prototype collar that can control Legendary Warriors."

"Do you think regular slave collars could do that?" Takuya asked.

"Koichi was once taken by a slave collar," Koji said, which surprised Takuya. "It seemed to mess with his mind a little, but it wasn't able to really control him. So players thought Legendary Warriors were too powerful to be controlled by slave collars. And we hoped that would be the end of that. Oh how wrong we were…"

"Then… we need to be on high alert…" Takuya murmured. "If word gets out about this… others may try to do the same thing to the rest of us…" Poor Koichi… I didn't realize he was affected by a slave collar as well…

"Don't worry too much about it right now, Takuya. Theodore made it clear that collar he used was a prototype, and he used the only one he had on me to see if it would work," Koji said. "I doubt the 'developers' are going to be able to mass produce such a powerful item in such a short amount of time. And it can't control Beast Spirits… well… yet… But you are right in saying we'll have to warn the others about this. We've already got rogue Warriors to deal with, we don't need having each other becoming our enemies on top of that."

Takuya winced as he remembered how hard of a time they had trying to stop Tommy from attacking them when he was under Tapirmon's Nightmare Syndrome, and that was just one Legendary Warrior. Koji himself was also already tough to deal with when Theodore had him under his control. Not to mention it took Andy, Tucker, and the others everything they had to deal with Takuya himself when he lost control of his Beast Spirit. The Legendary Warriors were nothing to scoff at.

"But… uh… please don't tell Koichi about me being the one who tested that," Koji spoke up. "He'll be worse than a mother Swanmon if he found out what happened…"

Takuya snickered. "Oh, that little secret is safe with me~" He grinned. I guess twins will always have the older one being like a mother Swanmon! "Although, Danny is quite the mother Swanmon to Andy, so I'm sure Andy could relate to your issue."

"I feel his pain," Koji joked before getting serious again. "But we'll need to start preparing ourselves. Takuya, you and Tommy will need to gain more experience as Legendary Warriors if you hope to really help the Digital World. Tommy still needs to find his Beast Spirit, and you need to learn to control yours. I get the feeling the Legendary Warriors are a lot stronger together, so counting you and Tommy, that would make 6 of us in total. If we could just defeat the rogue Warriors, then… well, maybe we can use their Spirits for good at some point."

Takuya nodded. "Maybe, yeah…" He ran a hand through his hair. "But boy… we have to really tread carefully now that these new slave collars are being developed, even if they are just prototypes for now."

"I agree. I just find it annoying that Theodore seems really adamant about going after Legendary Warriors, he doesn't seem interested in forming a bond with a Digimon, just controlling them. Even the more hardened players at least have a Digimon partner, but that brat keeps trying to control any Digimon he wants, and ignores the ones he doesn't want," Koji said. "While I want to say that'll be his biggest downfall, it's also what makes him so dangerous. He's a player with no conscience."

Takuya nodded somberly. "I know. If it comes down to it, we will have to do something to stop him for good, but I hope it doesn't come to that."

"Locking his account out may be the best way to go if we had to do that," Koji sighed. "But he'll probably just make another account and find a way back in. What a nuisance…"

"Hey, uh… what about the others? Was there supposed to be anyone else watching the Forest Terminal?" Takuya asked, hoping that Zoe, JP, or Koichi didn't end up getting caught by someone who also had that prototype collar.

"Well, Koichi was supposed to be watching the Forest Terminal, but he got caught up in chores set by our mom, so I decided to take his place for the time being here," Koji explained. "Probably for the better, I rather Koichi didn't get controlled by that brat."

Takuya grimaced. "Yeah… I'd hate to be facing down Koichi and his Spirits… Fighting you was difficult enough as it was…"

Koji nodded in agreement. "Koichi's Spirits are… special, they're a lot stronger than most Legendary Warriors due to their element of darkness. There was also… an incident… but I'm not going to talk about that."

Takuya's eyes went wide. "I… Wow… Now I am glad you were the one who was caught…" But… what is this incident Koji wants to keep silent about? Does it have to do with why he is more… protective… of Koichi?

"And I would rather you kept quiet about me getting controlled like that!" Koji hissed. "Koichi will not let me live it down if he finds out!"

"Okay, okay, jeez! I already said I won't tell him!" Takuya quickly said. But… I can't help but notice a parallel between Koji and Koichi, and Andy and Danny. Both twins have an incident that happened to one of the twins, and that twin is apparently the stronger one between the two of them.

"Geez… what is it with twins and threatening me…?" Takuya grumbled.

"You're saying your younger cousins threaten you?" Koji asked. "You must be an easy target then."

"Mostly with Andy's pranks." Takuya grumbled. "But that doesn't get helped by Danny joining in when he wants to…"

"Well… that uncle of yours… is he going to be joining up with you guys too?" Koji asked. "I have to say, it's unusual to bring an adult into this…"

"Well, I don't know. We didn't plan on him staying, but…" Takuya frowned a little. "He seems to have bonded with Veemon. It wouldn't be right to keep him out if he wants to see Veemon again, would it?"

"I suppose it's fine, he seems like a good guy, and harmless enough," Koji said. "It's just awkward because we would rather not have too many people know about us."

"Yeah, I get it." Takuya sighed. "But really, Uncle Jack is just a big teddy-bear. He looks big and intimidating, but he's a softie at heart."

"I could tell, when he was protecting Jazz, and Veemon came in to distract me from her and Floramon," Koji said. "I suppose we'll talk about his place in this whole plan of our's to fight back against the Rose Morning Star guild if he does decide to help us out. But… we'll definitely have to talk to the others about it too."

Takuya gave a nod, agreeing with Koji.

"Have you heard from Tommy at all since he went back home?" Koji asked suddenly.

"Um… No, not recently." Takuya replied. "Why?"

"Like I said, we need to get you two trained for the future. Tommy needs to know what being a Legendary Warrior is about, and you need to control your Beast Spirit," Koji explained. "And Koichi plans to check out the thing your friends pointed out to before, about there possibly being a Legendary Warrior's Spirit at the Autumn Leaf Fair. JP, Zoe, Koichi, you, and most of the rogue Warriors, and I all have our Beast Spirit. So by process of elimination, that spirit they saw could either be one of the rogue Warriors' Beast Spirits, or… it could be Tommy's."

"Then, we need to make sure Tommy gets that Spirit if it's his." Takuya noted. "But… for now, I think just training Tommy and helping him learn about what being a Legendary Warrior is like should take priority. And my own Beast Spirit training could help Tommy learn what to expect when he gets his."

"Exactly. I was hoping… since you're here now, we could plan a day when you two could train. But… if none of us had heard from Tommy, we're not sure when he'll be back, assuming he does plan to come back at all," Koji said.

Takuya frowned. "Do you really think Tommy wouldn't come back? He seemed pretty determined to come back before he went home."

"That's true, but… he had been in the Digital World for months, long enough to be considered missing back in our world. And he hadn't had the best experience while he was here. Now that he's home, with his family… it might be hard for him to want to come back. Not that I blame him, but… that would make things harder for us if one of the Legendary Warriors didn't come back," Koji sighed.

Takuya frowned. He could see where Koji was coming from. And tactically, with one of the Legendary Warriors missing, their numbers were smaller, and they needed all the power they could get. "Yeah… I get it… But Tommy is a smart kid. He will find a way back."

"I hope so," Koji said.

"As for a day to come back here and train," Takuya began before giving it some thought. "Well, it was the weekend when all of this went down. Maybe after I get my uncle and Jazz back home, and spend the night sleeping… I can come back here to start my training. I'm tired of not being able to use my Beast Spirit when I really need that extra power."

"Alright, then you work on getting your family back home and getting some rest," Koji said. "I'll let the others know… and get some rest myself."

Takuya nodded. "Yeah, some rest would do you good as well. Human Spirits may take less energy to maintain, but it still can drain us."

"Heh, don't I know it?" Koji let out a tired sigh. "Goodnight, Takuya."

"Yeah, goodnight, Koji," Takuya said as he walked out of the room to give Koji some privacy.

Takuya looked down at the corridor of the castle, a part of him couldn't help but miss Tommy now. The kid hadn't been gone for that long, but it already felt like a lifetime to him. I hope he's doing okay… Hopefully he's doing better than the rest of us.

---

The next morning, Andy was pretty tired. He had trouble sleeping that night. The temperature was uncomfortably chilly, the 'bed' wasn't very comfortable to lay on for a long period of time, and the howling and noises the bigger Digimon kept making kept him awake all night. Lopmon didn't sleep that well either, so he was resting on Andy's head as the group were walking.

"I can't wait to get out of here…" Andy grumbled.

"Well, it shouldn't be too much further." Wormmon noted. "We just have to keep walking and soon we will be out of the forest."

"Good, I didn't sleep well, so once we get out of here, I can conk out…" Lopmon mumbled.

"It wasn't too bad for me," Danny said. "Even though it was hard to see, the stars gave me some comfort. And I liked imagining that I was flying with the birds in the air."

"Maybe you're just feral on the inside…" Andy grumpily said.

"H-Hey! I am not feral!" Danny pouted. "I just liked being outdoors! Is that bad? Besides, what about Lopmon? Isn't he like a beast type Digimon? Shouldn't this be like home to him or something?"

"Don't lump Lopmon in with your feral-ness," Andy replied, still grumpy.

"Besides, I like being in a comfy bed where I don't have to worry about being picked up and eaten like a chocolate meatball," Lopmon huffed, also grumpy.

Danny sighed. "Okay, forget I said anything. Geez… you two are such grumps when you don't get enough sleep…"

Maddie chuckled at the antics of her kids and Lopmon. "Okay, boys, stay focused. We still have a ways to go before we get out of this forest."

"How were you able to get enough sleep, Mom?" Andy asked.

"I'm used to having to roughing it in the outdoors, sweetie," Maddie chuckled.

"So Lopmon and I were the only ones who had trouble sleeping?" Andy grumbled. What even is this family?

"Hey, not everyone sleeps well outdoors." Danny chuckled. "It's normal."

"Says the one who liked sleeping in a tree…" Lopmon grumbled.

"Jeez, I thought Lopmon would've been fine with sleeping outdoors, but I guess Andy's influence on you is a lot stronger than I thought it was," Danny remarked.

"Are they always like this?" Wormmon asked Maddie.

"Yeah, they are brothers, while they're close to each other, they also sometimes argue like this," Maddie replied.

"At least we're almost out. There's no way I'm spending another night here," Andy grumbled.

"Hopefully the exit is just a little further," Wormmon said. "This will be the first time I really get to see the world outside of this forest."

Andy and Lopmon were lagging behind a bit, since they were more tired than the rest of the group.

"Come on, bro, try to keep up," Danny said.

"We're coming…" Andy grumbled.

As they walked further, the trees seemed to be getting more sparse, the sunlight was peeking through more. Andy couldn't help but notice that something bright was reflecting off the ground, making it a little hard for him to see what was up ahead. What's… reflecting that light? The grass doesn't reflect the sunlight like that… is there water nearby?

Andy noticed something ahead of him, and he stopped. He blinked for a moment, thinking he was seeing Danny looking back at him for a second. However, 'Danny' was wearing the exact same clothes as he was, and he had… Lopmon on his head? It took Andy a few seconds for his brain to realize he was looking at his own reflection.

"What the heck?" Lopmon blinked, sounding just as shocked.

Andy quickly backed away from the reflection, and he noticed something silver and green was standing before him and Lopmon.

It was a humanoid Digimon, who had a green body with yellow and red accents on its head, shoulders, waist, arms, and feet, and on its arms were two large mirror-like shields. There was a mirror in the middle of its torso, and for its face, that was only a mirror with a mouth on it.

"What… what are you?" Andy asked.

The Digimon moved its arms and the mouth grinned for a moment. "Dark Reflection."

Suddenly, the reflection of Andy and Lopmon moved on their own, and walked out of the Digimon's mirror-like shield.

"What the heck?" Andy frowned.

"What's going on?" Lopmon frowned as well.

The reflection gained a dark aura, the reflection of Andy's eyes turned black and green, while the reflection of Lopmon's eyes turned yellow.

"Andy… I don't like this…" Lopmon muttered uneasily. "This screams 'danger' to me…"

The dark reflection of Andy pulled out a Fenton Rod, and the dark reflection of Lopmon had data surrounding him. The dark Lopmon digivolved, but not into Turuiemon.

Andy and Lopmon's eyes went wide as they backed away from the towering monstrosity. The Digimon had short dark brown fur, but red hands, feet, and a red face with beady brownish red eyes and a white sort of cap on its head with three yellow horns emerging from it, and two green ears hanging from its head. Two dark brown horns stuck up from its back as well. The fingernails and toenails were dark brown as well.

"What the hell!? What is that!?" Andy shouted in shock. Where are Mom and Danny!?

The creature the dark Lopmon turned into let out an inhuman roar.

That Digimon… is that… what Lopmon could've turned into had Kumamon not stopped us? Andy paled as he realized the implication of this… dark reflection.

The dark Andy ran at Andy with the Fenton Rod, Andy gasped and jumped away just before the dark Andy could smash that rod into his head.

"I don't know what's going on, but we need to fight back!" Andy quickly said as he took his Fenton Rod out.

"Y-yeah!" Lopmon agreed, though he sounded pretty shaken up when he saw that Digimon.

"Try to stay focus, Lopmon!" Andy instructed.

Andy took his D-Arc out to try to get information on that Digimon the dark Lopmon turned into. Wendigomon… it's a dark digivolution of Lopmon if he gave into anger and hatred. While it may have a softer side from its time being a Lopmon, it often turns into a destructive power from its anger.

Seeing that information, Andy would never forgive himself if he did something that caused his partner to digivolve into this… Wendigomon. But why is this happening?

The dark Andy came at Andy again with his Fenton Rod. Andy blocked the Fenton Rod with his own, trying to push him back.

Lopmon saw Wendigomon raising up one of his large arms, intending to crush them. Andy wasn't able to keep his head together enough to digivolve Lopmon, so Lopmon had to try to fight Wendigomon as he was.

"Tiny Twister!"

Lopmon turned himself into a little twister to try to block the incoming hand. Though he managed to slow the hand down, he got knocked into the ground. "Ugh… so much power…"

Wendigomon didn't even show any remorse for hitting Lopmon. Instead, a sinister grin was given, showing all the yellowed teeth in a sinister slasher smile.

"He's… strong… too strong…" Lopmon panted as he got back to his feet.

The dark Andy managed to overpower Andy, and knock him to the side. "Ugh…"

"Andy? Are you alright?" Lopmon asked in concern.

"He's strong too…" Andy frowned. "What's going on? If he's just a reflection of me… shouldn't he be about as strong as I am?"

"Andy! You need to have me digivolve!" Lopmon quickly said.

Wendigomon lifted up its hand again, both Andy and Lopmon yelped as they quickly scrambled away to dodge the incoming hand.

"Andy! What's wrong? Why are you hesitating?" Lopmon called.

"What if… you turn into that thing?" Andy asked worriedly.

Lopmon blinked. "You… think I'll become that Digimon?" To Lopmon, as far as he knew, Andy was the sweetest boy, who would never hold anger for long enough to dark digivolve him. So to hear Andy was scared of him digivolving to that dark Digimon was… surprising.

"It almost happened before, didn't it?" Andy reminded.

The dark Andy began to charge at them. Andy yelped as he moved to dodge, but dark Andy was moving quickly, Andy was having trouble keeping up with him. Andy was trying his best to parry with the dark Andy's Fenton Rod.

Lopmon ran from Wendigomon to avoid getting crushed. "Andy! Don't be afraid! It didn't happen, and I know you won't let it happen! But if I don't digivolve, we're going to get crushed by our dark reflections!"

Andy was smacked in the ribcage by the Fenton Rod. "Gah!"

Lopmon ran over to dark Andy and tackled him from behind to knock him down.

"Thanks…" Andy said before he nodded to Lopmon. "And you're right, this isn't the time for me to hesitate. I don't know where Mom, Wormmon, or Danny went, but it's clear we're alone here."

"Then that's all the more reason I have to digivolve, so we can get out of here and find everyone else." Lopmon agreed.

The Wendigomon was coming over to them.

I have to remind myself that's not Lopmon. Lopmon isn't full of hatred or anger. He's my friend, and he wants to do what he can to protect me. And so do I. Andy thought to himself.

"Digivolution."

"Huh?" Andy blinked, hearing a voice coming from his D-Arc.

Data surrounded Lopmon. "Lopmon, digivolve to…" Lopmon began to lose his skin, on his face, and then his legs lost their skin as well. His ears also lost their skin before his skin began to come back, but on his legs and feet first. Lopmon's legs gained shoes and yellow pants with a belt and yellow top that matched, two blades appeared as his hands regained their skin and red gloves, grasping the blades in both hands. The skin on Lopmon's head and face came back, just as a blue bandanna appeared around his neck as well. "Turuiemon!"

The fractal code dissipated, revealing Turuiemon in Lopmon's place. "Now the playing field is more leveled." Turuiemon said with a grin.

Wendigomon attempted to crush Turuiemon again, but this time Turuiemon jumped at the hand, and used his own fist to hit the hand back. "Gauntlet Claw!"

Wendigomon grunted as his hand was being pushed back.

Andy looked at his own dark reflection, seeing how relentless he was as the dark Andy stood back up on his feet and glared at Andy.

"You're supposed to be my dark reflection, right?" Andy asked, not really expecting an answer.

Dark Andy ran at Andy again. Andy blocked the Fenton Rod with his own again, trying to push him back. Though as Andy thought, this version of him seemed to be stronger for some reason.

"So why are you so different from me?" Andy asked, straining his voice a bit to keep talking. "Are you an alternate version of me if I was raised differently? Or are you me from the different choices I could've made? Are you some kind of twisted version from the dark side of me right now?"

Much to Andy's surprise, the dark version of Andy gave a sinister looking smile. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

"So you can talk!" Andy noted before he was pushed back a bit.

"I'm simply your weakness," Dark Andy stated. "But I'm also your greatest strength."

"What the heck does that mean?" Andy frowned.

"It means I am what you want to be, but also what you fear to be." Dark Andy grinned evilly. "You really think I would tell you what it means~?"

Andy managed to dodge another blow by dark Andy.

"Then tell me where are my mom and my brother? What did you do to them!?" Andy demanded.

"I did nothing to them. You are just simply not with them," Dark Andy replied. "You can thank Wendigomon for that. Did you not see the rest of its entry?"

"What?" Andy frowned.

"Wendigomon has the power to manipulate time and space, and create a special space," dark Andy informed. "Meaning you and your goody-goody Lopmon are trapped in a space created by Wendigomon."

"So that's why no one is around except for us." Turuiemon growled, having overheard the conversation with Andy and his dark reflection of himself.

"But why?" Andy asked. A Digimon can have that much power? It's only a Champion level, isn't it?

"In order for us to fulfill what we were created for," Dark Andy said before he suddenly appeared behind Andy and knocked him to the ground.

"Andy!" Turuiemon called out.

"Koko Crusher!" Wendigomon shouted before he created a shockwave with his voice, causing Turuiemon to go flying into a tree.

"You're going to kill us?" Andy hissed as he tried to push himself up, but his dark reflection put a foot on his back to force him back down.

"No. Killing you isn't our goal," Dark Andy replied. "We're here for another purpose. Your data was collected from the moment you saw your reflection."

"Our… data?" Andy frowned.

"What do you think you're doing anyways? Trying to play hero?" Dark Andy asked. "You've learned that lesson that you can be a hero without powers or whatever, right? However… what you know, and how you feel are very different. You haven't done anything worthy of being a hero, or someone worth mentioning. Not only that, all you've done was hurt those you care about, isn't that right?"

"I won't listen to your venomous words," Andy growled. "Like I'd listen to a dark reflection version of myself."

"Of course you don't have to, you already know these things." Dark Andy grinned. "However, did you know you can see the future? Surely you've noticed you've had a few visions by now, don't you?"

Andy frowned. "What does that have to do with anything?"

"I too have that gift, or maybe it's more of a curse," Dark Andy said. "And right now, you should know, you're already on a dark path that will lead you to become me."

"Become… you?" Andy questioned in surprise. "Are you supposed to be my dark reflection… from the future?"

"You're a smart boy. What do you think I'm supposed to be?~" Dark Andy taunted his lighter version. "Of course, I can be any dark reflection of you. As you are now, you're so sickeningly sweet even the ants would refuse to touch you. So I had to be created from somewhere."

"You're lying! Andy and I would never become you!" Turuiemon shouted, getting back on his feet.

Andy managed to finally move his hand back enough that his Fenton Rod hit dark Andy's leg, letting him roll away from being stepped on.

Dark Andy didn't seem to mind, however, as he grinned at them and Wendigomon stood behind him.

"The Dark Reflection technique that was used," Dark Andy stated. "It brings out the one who's being reflected's biggest, darkest weakness. Wendigomon is a Lopmon who dark digivolved when being filled with anger and hatred. But where do you think that anger and hate came from, huh? Surely you don't think I abused Lopmon to the point he turned into Wendigomon. If that were the case, he'd turn against me."

Turuiemon remembered feeling Andy's rage and anger, his hatred, back then before Kumamon had snapped both of them out of it. While his actual memories of that time were fuzzy, he could never forget the feelings that he felt from Andy at that point in time. "It was… Andy himself… He… felt angry and wanted to be a monster, from what he told me…"

"So… you're a reflection of me of what could've happened if Kumamon hadn't snapped us out of it?" Andy asked.

"If it were that simple, I wouldn't be standing here talking to you right now," Dark Andy replied before holding up his Fenton Rod. "That version of you was too lost in his raw emotions. I, however, am you from something else. Born from rage and hatred, and most of all, feeling betrayed by the one closest to me!"

"Betrayed?" Andy asked in shock.

"You think you know someone, but then they go and do something that you never thought they'd do. And in the end, it ends up screwing you over," Dark Andy stated. "How can you trust anyone in the world after that?"

"Who betrayed you?" Turuiemon frowned.

"Who do you think is closest to me, besides you?" Dark Andy questioned.

Turuiemon frowned. He knew of only a few people close to Andy, but of those few, only two were closest; Danny and Takuya. "It's Andy's brother and cousin… isn't it? One of them betrayed you…"

Andy frowned. "But… why? How? What did they do?"

"You should be asking… what will they do," Dark Andy replied. "If you weren't such a coward, you could learn to use your future vision to find out, and take control of your destiny. But as of right now, you're just letting destiny control you. Your weakness, your power, it stems from your love and your heart. Love can so easily turn into hate, and your heart can become corrupted by darkness."

"... Is that why we're here? You're here to trap us so we would start doubting those closest to us?" Andy questioned.

"Hmm, I wonder," Dark Andy replied. "It's not like I enjoy feeling all this hatred and anger, especially to the one who used to be closest to me, and probably still is, so much so I hate them all the more for it. I guess you can say I'm here to help give you a choice, to the future you want to make for yourself. Although, beating up my naive past self does bring me some sadistic joy. How dare you be happy and innocent from what's to come, am I right?"

Turuiemon frowned some more. "That still doesn't explain who does the betraying. It could be either Danny or Takuya. But Danny… it can't be him. He's too sweet a boy to do that. And Takuya may be a hot-head, but he has a good heart."

"A good heart, and being sweet, doesn't mean you're immune to being manipulated by those who have ill intentions," Dark Andy stated before he balled his free hand into a tight fist. "Or eventually change into becoming someone you don't even recognize anymore!"

Dark Andy suddenly threw his Fenton Rod. Andy yelped as he held up his Fenton Rod horizontally to block it, though the thrown Fenton Rod hit his Fenton Rod, the force was enough to push him back right into Turuiemon, who quickly caught him.

"Jeez… I guess all that bitterness made you stronger too…" Andy groaned.

"I'm not all human anymore," Dark Andy said. "Or perhaps, I should say, you won't be all human anymore? While he may have betrayed me, I still had my partner I can rely on. And we've truly become closer than ever after learning the harshness of these worlds. Can you guys really get out of here? Can you face us, overcome our hatred, and get back to your world? Or will you die here and now, consumed by the hatred and darkness?"

Dark Andy gave an insane wide smile. "After all, I've always wanted to find a way to escape my reality! I'm only a dark reflection of you, and yet, I feel like I've been tormented for years!"

Turuiemon growled. "We will find a way out of here, whether you like it or not! Andy will not become tormented by hatred and darkness! I won't allow it to happen!"

Andy wanted to agree with Turuiemon, but this dark reflection of himself, with his insane smile, and how he spoke… it all bothered Andy. Could I just write this off as just a trick?

Wendigomon ran at them, Andy gasped before Turuiemon, still holding onto Andy, jumped away from being crushed by Wendigomon.

---

Danny was starting to worry, he knew Andy had been lagging behind, but now it was like he disappeared. He didn't see any signs of Andy or Lopmon anywhere.

"Mom, maybe we should go back, I don't see Andy or Lopmon." Danny frowned. "Maybe they passed out somewhere from the lack of sleep…"

Maddie frowned. "That doesn't sound like Andy at all, even if he is tired."

"It would be best, since we don't know what Digimon may find them." Wormmon agreed. "I wouldn't want anything bad to happen to them."

"But we can't linger for too long either." Maddie warned.

"We can't leave without Andy." Danny frowned.

"Come on, let's find your brother," Maddie said. "Hopefully he's alright."

Wormmon frowned before his antennae went up. "Wait… something's not right…"

Maddie and Danny looked at Wormmon in confusion.

"What's wrong, Wormmon?" Maddie asked, concerned now.

"I'm sensing… someone else is here… someone who isn't native to this forest," Wormmon warned. "They're hard to detect, but… there is someone here I don't recognize."

"Is it a Digimon?" Danny asked. Oh man… knowing our luck, it may be either a strong Digimon, or a Legendary Warrior…

Wormmon's antennae twitched a bit before he spoke. "It is a Digimon." He confirmed. "But…" Wormmon then froze. "Oh no… This… this Digimon is… strong… stronger than anything I have ever picked up before…"

"Did that Digimon do something to Andy and Lopmon?" Maddie frowned, now getting worried about her boy.

"Can you tell where this Digimon is?" Danny asked, getting into his battle mode.

"No, it's difficult to tell where exactly the Digimon is," Wormmon replied, shaking a little.

"Be careful, Danny," Maddie warned. "This Digimon could be anywhere."

Danny nodded. "I will, Mom. Don't worry." Danny was already looking around, trying to find this Digimon.

"What Digimon could have you so scared, Wormmon?" Maddie asked the worm in concern.

Something was coming up from the ground, quickly catching their attention. Maddie and Danny jumped back as the strange Digimon stood in front of them. They saw their reflection on the Digimon's mirror-like shields.

"W-who's that Digimon?" Danny asked.

"I see…" The Digimon said. "So that is what you are…"

"W-what are you talking about?!" Danny demanded. "And where is my brother and his Digimon partner?! What did you do to them?!"

"Be careful! That's the Digimon I sensed!" Wormmon warned.

"I am… testing them…" The Digimon said. "To see if they are… as big of a threat as I might think they be. Thou art a big threat, considering what thou are."

"What is this Digimon talking about, Danny?" Maddie asked. "And who is this Digimon?"

Danny then remembered WaruMonzaemon and the ShadowToyAgumon, how they had been corrupted by a Legendary Warrior called Mercurymon. Danny didn't know if this Digimon was a Legendary Warrior, but, seeing as how Wormmon was scared of this Digimon, he decided to play a hunch. "Are you… a Legendary Warrior?"

"Thou are perceptive," The Digimon replied.

Maddie's eyes went wide. "That's a Legendary Warrior?!" She asked in shock. No wonder Wormmon looks so terrified… This Digimon's power must be terrifying for him to sense…

"He's not a Legendary Warrior we've fought with before," Danny warned. "So I don't know what this one is capable of."

"Right now, the one thou art looking is in another dimension of this forest. If thou wish to save them, thou must find a way through that dimensional space." The Legendary Warrior explained.

"And how do I do that?" Danny growled. "I want my brother back!"

"Danny, wait! Don't antagonize him!" Maddie warned.

"B-but… he knows where Andy and Lopmon are!" Danny pointed out, feeling his chest burning with the desire to know where Andy was.

"Does thou have the power to reach into another dimension?" The Legendary Warrior asked.

Danny froze. "N-no…" He muttered, beginning to wonder if he could save Andy and Lopmon at all. If what this Digimon, this Legendary Warrior, was saying was true, then Danny couldn't save Andy and Lopmon, because they were out of reach to him.

The Legendary Warrior's lips curled into a grin. "Does thou not have faith in thine brother?"

Danny looked up. "O-of course I do! Whatever test you have planned for Andy, he will find a way to beat it! I know my brother won't quit so easily!" Please, bro… Prove me right on this! Please find a way out of that dimension!

"Do not fear, for I do not intend to kill him," The Legendary Warrior stated.

"What?" Danny blinked, surprised to hear that.

"You're not going to kill him?" Maddie asked, relieved to hear that. "Of course… you're Legendary Warriors, you're the good guys, right?"

"But… he's supposed to be one of the rogue Warriors," Danny said. "They hate all humans and want to eliminate them."

"That is true, for my brethren," The Legendary Warrior stated. "However, they have such short sightedness that it is laughable. They are blind to the true power that comes from a human and partner relationship. Does thou know who is thy brother's partner?"

"Yeah, it's Lopmon." Danny replied. "He met Andy in Primary Village."

"Tis true, the Digimon is currently called Lopmon. However, thou fail to realize Lopmon's true identity, and why I chose thou brother for this test," The Legendary Warrior said.

"What is this about? What about Lopmon?" Maddie asked. "Why couldn't you just test him and leave my baby boy out of this?"

"Thine child is partnered with a very special Digimon, and that Digimon be Lopmon." The Legendary Warrior replied.

"Just… Are you… Mercurymon?" Danny asked. "Because your body is metal, and your name is from the liquid metal mercury."

The Legendary Warrior's lips grew into another grin. "Thou is right again! I be impressed at your perceptiveness."

"So you're Mercurymon…" Maddie remarked warily. "So you're testing Andy and Lopmon, for what reason exactly?"

"I wanted to see if my theory is correct," Mercurymon cryptically said. "If Lopmon is better off with a human partner, and if that human partner is worthy of Lopmon."

"So it's to see if they are best for each other?" Danny asked, surprised that this rogue Legendary Warrior was actually going to such lengths for Lopmon's well-being. "That's… unusual for a rogue Legendary Warrior to do…"

"If thou knew Lopmon's true identity, thou would understand why I'm doing this. However, I was still summoned to take out players I see as a hindrance to the Digimon and the Digital World. If thou brother is unable to face his despair and weakness, then thou is not worthy of Lopmon."

"Wait… if you think Andy isn't worthy to be Lopmon's partner… what do you plan to do to Andy?" Maddie asked, getting a sinking feeling in her gut.

"It is a simple answer," Mercurymon responded. "If Lopmon's human partner proves to not be worthy… I will end his existence in the Digital World and take Lopmon back."

Maddie felt a chill run down her spine. If that was the case, then Andy would really die! She steeled herself for her answer. "Well, Andy will pass your test. I know he will."

Danny glared at Mercurymon. Despite the fact that he was the first rogue Legendary Warrior to not attack them on sight, Danny could still feel the malice coming off of Mercurymon. He knew Mercurymon wasn't bluffing when he said he would eliminate Andy if he wasn't 'worthy enough' to be Lopmon's partner, though Danny didn't know why Mercurymon cared that much about Lopmon. But then again, it wasn't the first time Danny noticed some Digimon seem to treat Lopmon a little more differently than other Digimon. Mercurymon was taking a more intelligent approach, which made him more dangerous than the other rogue Legendary Warriors. He was able to whisk Andy and Lopmon away without any of them noticing. Danny didn't want to think about what else this Legendary Warrior was capable of.

"Andy will pass your test and prove himself worthy of Lopmon as his partner." Danny said. "He's my brother, and I have faith in him. He won't quit and will overcome the test." I have to believe in Andy and Lopmon. They may be on their own, but they can overcome this… I just know it… I hope…

"We shall see if thy brother can overcome his weakness and despair." Mercurymon said.

Mercurymon then melted back into the ground, leaving them alone.

"I… don't think we just have to leave them alone…" Wormmon said. "There may still be a way we can help them."

"But how can we get into this dimension where they are?" Maddie asked worriedly. "Trying to breach another dimension takes years to do, and that is with the right equipment and technical know-how!"

"Mom! Calm down!" Danny exclaimed. "I'm sure we can find a way to get to them. It's just… not going to be so easy…"

But if Wormmon think it's possible, then surely there must be a way… Danny frowned.

"Some Digimon are able to create a space, a pocket dimension," Wormmon explained. "But without complete mastery of such power, there should be some glitches in the area, showing us cracks of that space."

"So all we have to do is look for these glitches!" Maddie realized. "Wormmon, that's genius!"

The worm-like Digimon blushed at the praise. "It wasn't that genius…"

Danny began looking around the area for any signs of a glitch. He turned away from his mother so he could use a bit of his ghost powers to enhance his eyes. He began to see specks of something in the air. The specks looked like tiny squares that were moving around sporadically, like a glitch. The specks moved a few times in different places, but they seemed to be in roughly the same area.

"Hey, Mom, Wormmon… I think I see something in the distance… like… squares or something that is glitching out." Danny said as he made his eyesight go back to normal. "Over there!" He pointed at where the glitches had been seen.

Maddie looked over where Danny was pointing at. She couldn't really see the tiny squares of glitches, so she pulled up her hood, using the goggles to zoom in on where Danny was pointing. That was when she saw the tiny squares that were glitching out.

"You're right… good eyes, Danny," Maddie complimented. "But… what do we do now?"

"If there are cracks in the space, then in order to get through, you need to break through those cracks," Wormmon said. "I suppose the fastest way to break them would be ectoplasm, or a really strong digital attack."

Danny paled at hearing ectoplasm would be needed to break through the glitchy part he was seeing. Aw… shit… I can't use my ghost powers with Mom and Wormmon here! If it was just me, that would be fine, but it just had to be either my ghost powers or a Digimon attack…

"Well, we'll need to find a strong Digimon to break through that glitchy wall then." Maddie mused, making Danny sigh in relief.

"Unfortunately, I'm not strong enough." Wormmon frowned. "And I doubt other Digimon will help us around here."

Danny felt his mind racing. What should we do? No, actually, what should I do? I can't just use my ghost powers in front of Mom and Wormmon… but Andy needs my help… And… aw man… I just don't know what I should do! Danny knew he had to make a choice, but he hoped it wouldn't be one that would get him in trouble as well…

---

Titanic X: ZAFT: Glad you liked the fight! And Veemon is quite the handful. XD

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, Veemon is pretty strong, and he was able to take Lobomon by surprise.