While Takumi explained the situation to Sayo and Koh, the Digimon rested. Ami and Shiki were sitting on Hosaka's desk. Hudiemon was in his chair working at his computer. Fei was communicating to Cache City what had happened. Keisuke and Takuto were taking a break with the Digimon. "…and that's how we knew you were here." Takumi said.
"You guys… you went out of your way to rescue us…" Sayo smiled slightly. "Thank you… all of you."
"Yeah. You guys saved our hides." Koh nodded before looking away uncomfortably. "…and our dignity. So, let me get this straight. We're in a different Digital World connected to your world where Sayo met you before. And in this world Leopardmon just… overthrew King Drasil and established this Next Order to take over this Digital World? That's just crazy!"
"Yeah. I can't believe a Royal Knight would lose it this bad." Apollomon nodded. "Even with what happened here with these Eaters you mentioned."
"Not only that. Sayo and I have fought Royal Knight Digimon before." Dianamon added. "They were all powerful sure, but not enough to overthrow the king of the Digital World just like that."
"I've been wondering about that too." Ami said. "We've seen firsthand how strong King Drasil was. Even without Alphamon he shouldn't have gone down so easily."
"Did the Deadly Digimon help Leopardmon and the others?" Keisuke asked. "Or maybe Boltboutamon?"
"I guess that's possible..." Takumi put a hand at his chin. "But would that be enough...?"
Mirei appeared before them in holographic form. "Well done everyone."
"Mirei?" Sayo gasped.
"It's been a while, hasn't it Sayo?"
"Mirei, what are you doing here?" Takuto asked.
"Fei just explained the situation here. It is good that you managed to rescue these little lost ones."
"Eh, you know kids." Ami grinned. "Always getting into trouble with their hijinks. Probably just a phase."
Koh glared at her. "Excuse me? How old do you think we are?!"
"You sure you want to know?" Sayo squinted.
"In any case." Mirei cleared her throat. "Lucemon and Matadormon's actions concern me. And it seems Hosaka has outlived his usefulness to them... and us unfortunately."
The group sighed. "We were so close to getting some answers..." Takuto huffed.
"Mirei now that Matadormon's destroyed four of the Deadly Digimon, shouldn't we be concerned about their power being distributed to their variants across dimensions?" Sayo asked.
"Under normal circumstances yes." the woman replied. "However, since Matadormon spared their Digicores, their power remained intact. So, we don't need to worry about that."
"Well, that's good news." Ami said. "Though unfortunately that means he won't get the punishment Sayo's Digimon received, that'd solve a problem right there. What about this legend those maniacs mentioned? About combining their power to create the Super Deadly Digimon. Do you think it's true?"
"I've heard rumors myself." Mirei said. "But I never saw them in action. Either way, we can't overlook them as a threat to us."
"As if we didn't have enough problems around here." Fei sighed.
"They'll be after Creepymon and Beelzemon next." Takumi said.
"Who do you think they'll go after first?" Rapidmon Armor asked.
"Well, Creepymon is with Brother Sorrow and the Next Order, so he'll be protected." Shiki said. "Beelzemon on the other hand is out on his own."
"Yeah, but Beelzemon can take care of himself." Keisuke said. "He's been fighting the Next Orders assassins all on his own for a while now. Besides, the fact that Creepymon is still in the Next Order means they know where to find him. Beelzemon can be anywhere. So, he'll probably start with Creepymon since he knows where to look."
"Both are good arguments..." Takumi said. "We should warn Beelzemon about this."
"I've tried to trace him." Mirei said. "But I can't detect his signal anywhere."
"Did they already get him?!' Gaia gasped.
"No, we saw the Digicores Matadormon collected thus far." Kuzuhamon replied. "Beelzemon's wasn't among them."
"I think he's just suppressing his signal." Mirei said. "Either he caught wind of Deadly Digimon being destroyed or he got tired of running into us and the Next Order. In other news with Hosaka gone, the only one left who can tell us about the seal on the Dark Area is Brother Sorrow."
Takumi folded his arms. "Who we still know next to nothing about. Who is he and why is he in the Next Order? Is it just to get revenge on Yuuko? And for what?"
"Done."
Everyone looked at Hudiemon. "Uh, what's done exactly?" Nova asked.
"I got access to the communication line Hosaka was using to contact Sayo and Koh's world. I think we should give them a call, don't you?"
"Splendid idea." Mirei replied. "I'm sure Chief Julia and Chief Glare will be more than happy to hear their Tamers are safe."
Hudiemon nodded and pressed a few keys as everyone gathered around the computer. There were a few rings before the screen split into two. On the left half it displayed a woman with blue hair in a ponytail with a ChaosGallantmon. On the right half was a man with yellowish green hair and a red headband with a Ophanimon. "Hmm? Who are you?" the woman asked.
"One of Hosaka's Digimon?" the man asked.
"Chief Glare!" Koh leaned in.
"Chief Julia!" Sayo joined him.
"Sayo?!" The woman gasped.
"Koh!" the man smiled. "You're alright!"
"Yes. Takumi, Ami and their friends rescued us." Sayo replied.
"Takumi and Ami?" Chief Julia asked. "The Tamers from a Parallel World that Mirei character sent you to after Dianamon disappeared?"
"That would be me and my sister here." Takumi said as he and Ami stepped into the view of the screen. "Hi."
"So, you're the Cyber Sleuths Sayo spoke of?" the ChaosGallantmon asked. "Thank you for all your help towards her. I am ChaosGallantmon, and this is my partner, Julia. The two of us lead Night Crow."
"And I am Ophanimon. And this is Glare, my partner. We lead the other half of Union City. Light Fang. On behalf of the Union City we thank you for rescuing our Tamers."
"Union City?" Takuto asked as he walked up. "Is that anything like Flotia?"
"Sort of." Mirei replied. "The Digital World Sayo and Koh hail from is filled with Digimon Tamers who work together with Digimon to protect the world and grow strong."
"That sounds incredible." Shiki smiled. "It must be great."
"Indeed." Chief Glare nodded. "The Tamers here are our pride and joy. And Koh and Sayo are among the most gifted. We would truly be lost without them."
"What of Hosaka?" Ophanimon asked.
"Long gone." Fei replied. "Got backstabbed by a former agent of the Next Order."
"Next Order?" ChaosGallantmon asked.
"It's kind of a long story." Sayo replied. "This Digital World is at war right now. Hosaka was working for a group that revolted against this world's king."
"I see… I'm just glad you two are okay." Chief Glare replied.
"Thanks sir." Koh replied.
"But why did they abduct Sayo and Koh from their world in the first place?" Keisuke asked.
"Recently, we were investigating strange activity in Access Glacier." Chief Julia replied. "After a number of Tamers went missing, we decided to send Sayo and Koh. Later the missing Tamers returned saying they were brainwashed by a strange Digimon until Sayo and Koh defeated them. That's when we suddenly lost contact with Sayo and Koh."
"Chief Julia and I tried to pick up the trail ourselves but came up with nothing." Chief Glare replied. "Sometime later Hosaka contacted us claiming he was holding them prisoner and started making ransom demands for their safety."
"This strange Digimon…" Takuto said. "Was it black wearing a gold mask?"
"Yeah." Sayo replied. "He called himself Boltboutamon."
"I knew it." Storm glared.
"You know this Digimon?" ChaosGallantmon asked.
"He's not from this Digital World either." Shiki said. "He came from the Digital World my brother Takuto and I along with our friends are from."
"How many different Digital Worlds are there?" Chief Glare asked raising an eyebrow.
"You'd be surprised." Mirei smiled. "In any case, I'll have Mastemon return Sayo and Koh to their world." She started typing into her laptop.
"I guess that's for the best." Ami said. "It might have been short, but… was good seeing you again Sayo."
Sayo and Koh stared at each other. After nodding Sayo spoke up. "Wait." Mirei halted what she was doing, and they all looked at her. "Chief Julia... I want to stay here and help!"
The leader of Night Crow looked at her. "Sayo?"
"Takumi and Ami helped me out again! I want to repay them for everything!"
"Me too!" Koh clenched his fists with a determined look. "We owe the Resistance a debt! I can't just leave without paying them back!"
"Are you two sure?" Takuto asked. "I mean, we can sure use the extra help but... this war is escalating more by the day. It's going to be tough."
"We've handled things like this before." Sayo put a hand on her hip. "Besides... we can't pretend this war doesn't concern us."
"Why's that?" Fei asked.
"While we were detained here, Hosaka pulled something dangerous out of me and Koh."
"Dangerous how?" MetalSeadramon asked.
"If was remnants of a program called Chrono Data."
"Chrono?!" Chief Glare asked.
"From the YMIR Project?!" Mirei gapped.
"YMIR?" Takumi asked. "That was the program you mentioned earlier. The one for giving Digimon a lifespan."
"That's right..."
"Sayo, you destroyed Chrono, didn't you?!" Cheif Julia asked.
"I thought I did... but Boltboutamon said there were traces of it inside me from when I was attacked all those times."
"Just like what happened with me..." ChaosGallantmon said. "We were careless..."
"After extracting it, Hosaka sent it to Boltboutamon." Sayo explained. "He seemed to have a keen interest in it."
"That can't be good." Rosemon Burst Mode said.
"No. It isn't." Mirei said. "If the Next Order figures out how to use Chrono, we could be in for a world of hurt."
"It's my fault they got their hands on it!" Sayo said. "Stopping them is my responsibility! Chief Julia, everyone, please let me do this!"
"I can't let Sayo do this alone!" Koh added. "Chief Glare, let me help her and the Resistance!"
Mirei adjusted her glasses. "Another Parallel World getting involved in this whole affair... this is getting ridiculous. But I suppose I can't say this has nothing to do with you, can I?"
"Sayo is a strong Tamer, Takumi and I saw it firsthand." Ami said. "And if she can vouch for Koh's strength, then he must be strong too."
"He's one of the strongest Tamers I know." Sayo replied.
"Hey, I'm down with having more strong allies." Shiki smiled.
"Same." Takumi smiled. "Our enemies are getting stronger. We need all the help we can get."
"Not to burst your bubble you two." Hudiemon interjected. "But I don't think it's our choice to make."
"That's right." Mirei nodded. "Chief Julia, Chief Glare, what do you two think?"
The two leader folded their arms pondering. Then one of them spoke up. "Sayo... Koh..."
"Chief Julia?" Sayo stared at the screen.
"You two are mistaken. You do not owe a debt to Takumi and Ami or the Resistance."
"I agree." Cheif Glare added.
"What?!" Sayo gasped.
"But Chief!" Koh shouted.
"You know Sayo... Koh... Chief Glare and I discussed with ChaosGallantmon and Ophanimon what to do after Hosaka made his demands." Chief Julia said.
"And we all agreed we would have given him his ransom if we had no other way of saving you." ChaosGallantmon said.
"You what?!" Sayo asked dumbstruck.
"But if you handed over CITY's finances, that would ruin the Union!" Koh said.
"So long as we had you two, we could rebuild." Cheif Glare said. "Besides...Koh, you and Light Fang aren't just a team. You're like family to me."
Chief Julia closed her eyes. "I feel the same. Sayo, you're more than just a skilled Tamer to Night Crow. You're a part of us."
"Chief Julia..."
"Do you see?" The woman smiled. "It is all of Union City that is in the debt of these brave Tamers. Not just you two."
Chief Glare grinned. "My thoughts exactly. And that is a debt worth repaying."
"Does that mean you'll let us help?" Koh asked.
"Yes. But you both of you must promise us you will be cautious." ChaosGallantmon ordered. "This new enemy is unlike anything we've encountered before."
"And above all, come home alive." Ophanimon smiled. "As Glare and Chief Julia said, you two are our family and we need you."
Koh and Sayo saluted. "Roger!"
"Takumi, Ami, all of you, we entrust Sayo and Koh in your care." Chief Julia said.
"Please look after them." Chief Glare requested.
"We will. Thank you for believing in us." Takumi replied.
Ami stepped up and ruffled Koh and Sayo's hair. "Don't worry about the little ones, we'll take good care of them!"
"Don't make me regret this." Sayo grumbled before returning her attention to her leader. "Let Dorothy and the others know I'm alright."
"Komachi and the others back home too." Koh added.
"We will." Chief Glare replied.
"Best of luck." Chief Julia said. "To all of you." The monitor then closed.
"Are you two certain about this?" Shiki asked. "It could be a while before you two see home again."
"I am positive." Koh replied.
"So am I." Sayo nodded.
Takuto smiled. "Well then, Sayo, Koh, welcome to the Resistance. My name is Takuto. Like you two I came from a different Parallel World. I help run a city for Digimon named Flotia. And these two are my partners, Nova and Storm."
"And I'm Shiki, his charming sister! These girls are Skyla and Gaia."
"Name's Fei. I was abducted by these Next Order scumbags like you and brainwashed by em. Now I'm gonna give em hell for it."
"Right there with ya." Koh grinned.
"My name is Hudiemon. Believe it or not, I was created when a human's consciousness merged with a Wormmon."
"Wait, you're a human Digimon hybrid?" Sayo asked.
"Pretty much. The Resistance was previously divided. My team's been bringing them all together. Thanks to my friends like Keisuke here."
"Uh, I'm Keisuke. I'm a hacker for hire back home. Here I'm just another Digimon Tamer."
Takumi stared at him. "Keisuke?"
"I guess it's our turn." Koh smiled. "My name is Koh. I'm a Tamer of Light Fang City. And this is my partner Apollomon."
"And I'm Sayo. I am from the Night Crow Tamers. And this is Dianamon. Koh and I are friends and rivals of sorts."
"Heh. Is that so?" Takumi smiled. "Things are going to get lively back at base."
"On that note, I believe it's time we got going." Hudiemon said. "The others will need an update."
"Yeah. Nothing else we can do here." Takuto replied. "Time to go home and plan our next move." They made their way towards the teleporter.
But Ami stayed behind in front of the device with Takumi. "Takumi… Hosaka was expecting Keisuke."
"So, he knew we were coming… and he sent Arcadiamon at Hudiemon and the others when the rest of us weren't there to protect him… almost like…"
"Hosaka knew our plan in detail." Ami said.
"Not good… this means our spy is closer to us then we though…" The Cyber Sleuths stepped into the teleporter.
Crusadermon, Dynasmon, and Craniamon were assembled at a war table. They overlooked a projection of Cache City. "Perhaps there are some defenses or secrets of the city they have not yet discovered we can use to our advantage?" Craniamon suggested.
Crusadermon shook her head. "Those rats have been infesting the city for a long time now. It's doubtful they haven't been thorough. It's not my style, but brute force may be the best option…"
"We could also wait for our spy to gather more intel." Dynasmon said. "Ideally it would be best if we could confirm the DigiCore's location before we-
"Crusadermon!" Brother Sorrow entered the room with his three Digimon behind him. "We have a problem."
The Royal Knights turned to him. "Brother Sorrow? What's wrong?" Crusadermon asked.
The human stood before them. "I lost contact with Hosaka."
"What?"
"Has that human turned on us?" Craniamon asked. "I knew he couldn't be trusted."
"As much as I agree that Hosaka is scum and that he's far from liable, I do not believe that is the case." Brother Sorrow said.
"What makes you so certain?" Dynasmon asked.
"Earlier I sensed a shift in the balance of power within the Dark Area." Creepymon said. "The last time I felt it, was when Lilithmon and Leviamon were slain before my eyes."
"What?" Crusadermon gasped. "So, you're saying…"
"Creepymon believes more of the Deadly Digimon were destroyed." Brother Sorrow replied. "Hosaka had three of them with him. If they're gone, then it seems likely that…"
"Hosaka was caught up in it."
"Was it that turncoat Matadormon?" Craniamon asked.
"We don't believe so." CresGarurumon said. "The four of us just went to the Tower of Truth to check in on him and found it empty save for three unconscious Puppetmon who said they were attacked by humans."
"And not far outside the tower we found Arcadiamon unconscious." BlitzGreymon said. "We brought it to the infirmary, but no ordinary Digimon could do that level of damage to him."
"The Resistance…" Dynasmon scowled. "Creepymon, do we know if Lucemon, Babramon and Belphamon have all been defeated?"
"I can't say for certain." The Deadly Digimon of Wrath folded his arms. "If I went back to the Dark Area, and checked on our territories and see which ones feel weaker, I can figure it out immediately."
Brother Sorrow looked at him. "Creepymon, you know just as well as I do that it's too dangerous to open the way to the Dark Area."
"I agree." Crusadermon nodded. "We can't risk Alphamon escaping. Especially now that the humans are in this world."
"I will report this to the king." Craniamon said before departing from the room.
"This isn't a good sign." Dynasmon said. "Hosaka was in charge of impowering Arcadiamon. Without him…"
"We will need a replacement." Crusadermon said.
"Perhaps Boltboutamon?" Brother Sorrow suggested.
"He's too busy with the X-Antibody project. And now that more and more of the humans are unlocking it, it's vital that he perfects it." Crusadermon replied. "Don't worry, I will find another scientist who can take over the job. In the meantime…" They all looked back at the projection of the city. "We need to figure out how to get the last Sovereign DigiCore form the Resistance."
Everyone gathered back at the War Table now with Sayo and Koh joining them. "Nice to meet you two." Mameo smiled. "Thank you for joining us in our fight against the Next Order."
"Thanks for having us!" Koh smiled. "And don't worry. You guys went out of our way to help us. This is the least we can do."
"I wouldn't say this was "out of our way"." Arata said. "We were planning to deal with Hosaka anyway."
"So, it was more along the way." Sayo said.
"Either way, it's good to have you." Yuugo smiled. "Takumi and Ami told us about you Sayo. They said you're a very skilled and renowned Digimon Tamer where you are from."
"It's too bad we couldn't learn anything about their plans from Hosaka." Darcmon said. "But at least you rescued Sayo and Koh. I'd call that a victory."
"Is it?" Takumi frowned. "We're no closer to freeing Alphamon, Arcadiamon took the lives of a number of Digimon, and now Lucmeon and Matadormon-or rather GranDracmon are on the lose hunting for Deadly Digimon for this ultimate power."
"GranDracmon…" Mirei murmured. "Keisuke, you said he was the Digimon in the Abyss Server I sent you after…"
Keisuke nodded. "Yeah. The one who tried to become invincible through a ritual."
"Both have become a large threat to us now." Shiki said. "They said they needed all Seven Deadly Digimon's powers. All that's left is Creepymon and Beelzemon."
"We have to stop them." Kouta said.
"I don't disagree. But we can't just ignore what the Next Order is doing in the meantime." Justimon objected.
"It's true." Magnamon sighed. "There's just too much going on right now and we have no idea how to solve any of it."
Mameo thought for a moment. "Putting everything into consideration I think our best option is to find Brother Sorrow."
"Brother Sorrow?" Nokia asked. "Why?"
"Hosaka is gone. And we weren't able to learn anything about the seal on the Dark Area from him. Brother Sorrow is the only one left who knows about the forbidden program that was used to lock away Alphamon."
"I get it!" Ami gleamed. "Capture Brother Sorrow and we'll make him tell us how to rescue her!"
"Yeah, and Creepymon is with him." Hudiemon added. "If we can capture him as well, we can keep him away from Lucemon and GranDracmon. Then they won't be able to gather the powers of all Seven Deadly Digimon! A two for one deal!"
"I wouldn't get our hopes up…" Yuuko sighed.
"What's wrong Yuuko?" Himari asked.
"Well… my brother and I ran into him while we were gathering materials and… even with both of us we were unable to defeat him… he's powerful and cunning. Capturing him won't be easy."
"And Yuuko and I were using Matrix Link." Yuugo said.
"He's that strong?" Takuto gasped.
"Do we have any new clues on his identity?" Ami asked.
"Not really…" Yuuko looked down. "But…"
Luche tilted her head. "But?"
"He hates me. …No. He absolutely despises me."
"How bad?" Shoma asked.
"So bad he goaded me into unlocking Matrix Link just so he could make me suffer the same damage as my Digimon as we fought."
Most of the group seethed or cringed. "That bad, huh?" Arata asked.
"He's a skilled hacker too." Yuugo said. "He used programs none of us have seen before. And his skill and timing with them is nothing to scoff at."
"A hacker who knows Yuuko and houses a deep grudge…" Keisuke muttered. "Jimmy Ken maybe?"
"God, I hope not." Takumi groaned. "I've had enough of that clown for two realities."
"I seriously doubt that." Ami rolled her eyes. "He's not what I'd call brainy. Besides, I'd say he'd hold more of a grudge over you and me then Yuuko."
"It's true." Zero nodded. "Jimmy Ken isn't capable of the things Brother Sorrow accomplished."
"Come to think of it his grudge is against Yuuko not "Yuugo"." Takumi said. "So, he's probably an enemy of Kamishiro rather than Zaxon."
"We do have one clue…" Yuuko said. "Zero."
"Yeah?"
"As a special developed A.I. you must have a memory far powerful then any human, yes?"
"Well, I don't mean to brag but-
"Perfect! I want you to go over every enemy Zaxon has made in the past! Compare every hacker from every group we took down to Brother Sorrow!"
Zero sighed and held up his hand. A list of names started scrolling in front of him. "Are you serious? I don't think I need to tell you that that's a lot of individuals to compare to a person we know so little about. Even then, out of all the enemies Zaxon amassed, I doubt any of them fit Brother Sorrow's profile. Besides like Takumi said, he probably isn't even an enemy of Zaxon anyway-
"I know he's one of Zaxon's enemies! He doesn't hate me for no reason!" Yuuko shouted.
"Yuuko, calm down!" Ami said. "Are you positive he begrudges you for Zaxon? If that were the case, why would he go after you instead of Zero?"
"Ami, he knows that I was Yuugo in Zaxon!"
"Wait, what?!" Takumi gasped. "Wow's that possible!? The only ones who know your secret are in this room right now!"
"I don't know either, but he said as much to my face! And think about it! The word Zaxon can mean "brother" and "happy"."
"Yeah? So?" Luche asked.
"Brother and happy..." Ami pondered. "Brother Sorrow? Is this some kind of metaphor for him?"
"He says he's a shadow of my past." Yuuko said. "It has to be for my work in Zaxon. Also, remember that program I tried to use on his and K's Digimon back when we were rescuing Ami, Shiki and Darcmon? That was some of Zaxon's finest work! Of course, Fei would know how to get past it, but Brother Sorrow had to be studying my team and their tactics closely to know how to deal with it so easily!"
"Unless he just heard from Fei while she was K." Kouta suggested.
"I never told him anything about it." Fei replied. "He somehow knew how to decrypt it…"
"That's not all!" Yuuko said. "He said he was the one who kidnapped Fei, saying he chose her because he knew how close we were!"
"Now that you mention it…" Keisuke looked at Fei. "Didn't Hosaka say something about Brother Sorrow being the one who wanted you turned into K?"
"Yeah. Said it was to get back at Yuuko. No idea what for…"
"He's a former enemy of Zaxon! No doubt about it!" Yuuko declared. "And I need to know who!"
Arata squinted at her. "That's easier said than done Yuuko. It's easy enough to pick up enemies when you're a hacker when you're *not* as lax about it as you were about it."
Yuuko glared at him. "Excuse you?"
"Don't refuse those who come and don't chase those who leave"? Probably not the smartest policy a hacker team of all things could have. I'm just saying."
"I didn't want to deny anyone their freedom."
"That's good and all, but that lack of discipline is what led to the Demons." Zero replied. "Arata's right. We were far too naive."
"But I- Yuuko groaned. "That doesn't matter right now!"
"Yuuko, calm down." Mameo ordered. "You're getting a little heated."
Yuuko sighed. "…Sorry. I… I think I need to be alone right now." Yuuko walked out of the room.
"Yuuko…" Nokia murmured.
Takumi stared at the door. "I'll go check up on her."
"Takumi, don't you think it's best to leave her alone right now?" Sayo asked.
"No, he's right." Fei said. "I've seen Yuuko in dark places before. But never like this. She needs someone to talk to. And…" Fei sighed. "If she'll listen to anyone it'll be Takumi. Just like she did back then."
Ami nudged Takumi. "Hear that tiger? Go on, be a knight in shining armor and cheer your princess up!"
"Will you shut up?!" Takumi scowled as everyone smirked at him. "I'm doing this out of concern for her because we're just friends! It's not like I'm trying to…" Takumi groaned and made for the door. "Forget it."
As he left Mirei turned to the group. "In any news we now have the parts we need for our plan to get the city in the sky."
"How soon until we put that plan into action?" Darcmon asked.
"I need to iron out a few things. But we'll begin taking steps to get this city off the ground tomorrow. Until we're in the sky I want everyone to stay vigilant. Especially with that spy still around. We can ill afford any surprises while we're setting up."
"Understood." Omegamon nodded. "The sooner we can get this city to fly the better."
Yuuko was solemnly walking down the halls alone. She sighed to herself staring at the floor. "Yuuko!" She turned around when Takumi ran up to her.
"Oh, Takumi… did you need something?"
"Are you alright?"
"I'm fine."
"Dosen't seem that way to me." Takumi replied.
Yuuko scoffed. "You really are nosey. I told you I'm fine!" Takumi didn't reply. He only stared at her. Yuuko sighed. "This is my problem Takumi."
"You don't know that."
"Of course, I do! He begrudges me because of something I did while in Zaxon! Because of that Fei was kidnapped and brainwashed! That led to EDEN being attacked and Ami getting abducted! And to top it off, Yuugo got hurt earlier when he ambushed me!"
"Think about it Yuuko." Takumi said. "You still don't know who Brother Sorrow is, do you?"
"Well, no."
"And you don't know what it is you supposably did that led to this grudge."
"No. But what-
"For all we know this grudge could just be a misunderstanding. Besides, Zaxon wasn't a malicious hacker group. The only people they attacked were those trying to harm EDEN. So, even if you did do something to this guy then odds are he did something to deserve it."
"I get what you're saying…" Yuuko huffed and calmed herself down. "I'm sorry Takumi, I know you're trying to cheer me up, but face it. This is my problem. It doesn't have anything to do with you."
Takumi looked away. "…Maybe you're right. Just like how Ami getting kidnapped was more my problem then yours. But you didn't give up on me when I lost myself then, did you?" Yuuko didn't reply. "After you talked to Kyoko to see if she could get through to me, she told me, that others can sympathize or empathize with when I go through, but it's ultimately up to me to decide if I want to return to the light or stay in my dark corner. All others can do is reach their hand for me to grab if I do decide to come out."
"And what made you decide to come out?"
Takumi looked at her. "Knowing that pouting in a corner wasn't going to help anyone or make things right."
Yuuko closed her eyes. After a bit of reflecting, she smiled at Takumi. "You're right. I won't accomplish anything if I just mope. I just need to keep moving forward."
Takumi smiled back. "That's the spirit."
"Thank you, Takumi. I feel better now. I'm sorry if I was rude in response to you helping me… again."
"It's fine, forget about it. Want to go grab something to eat? That should help keep your mind off things for a bit."
"Yes. I would love that."
Leopradrmon rested his chin on his fingers as Craniamon kneeled. "This news is troubling. At least Hosaka fulfilled his most vital roll before perishing…"
"His most vital role?" Craniamon asked.
"Nothing to worry about right now. In any case, Arcadiamon was recovered?"
"Yes. And it is now in Ultimate form. However, the damage he sustained is too great to send him out into battle for now."
"Then we are close to unlocking his true potential. Then those fools will understand-
Crusadermon came into the room. "Sire, pardon the interruption but I have urgent news."
"Speak Crusadermon."
"Our spy has reported that the Resistance is planning to give Cache City the ability to fly."
"What?"
"I'm sorry, say that again?" Craniamon gave his fellow knight a skeptical look. "How exactly do they plan on making the city fly?"
"I'm not sure. But it wouldn't surprise me if they could pull it off."
"What makes you think that?" Leopardmon asked.
"Back when I was with Fei in Takuto and Shiki's world, I found out they live on a flying city. They may have shared some secrets with the Resistance."
"How annoying." Leopardmon growled. "If they make the city harder to reach it will be even more challenging to get Baihumon's Digicore… When will they start this plan?"
"Tomorrow. It is my recommendation we launch an assault while they put their plan into action. They will be vulnerable then, and this could be our best if not our last chance to claim the Core."
"Agreed. Contact our agent and have him search everywhere they can for the Core! I want all available units joining the assault! Arcadiamon is still recovering but we still have Examon, Brother Sorrow, and Argomon! Begin preparations at once!"
"Yes, my king!" Crusadermon and Craniamon bowed.
Mirei was working on her laptop late at night. She didn't even notice Takumi and Ami walk in. "Mirei."
The woman gasped and turned around with a start. "Kindly knock next time."
"What?" Ami smirked. "Didn't "foresee" us coming in?"
"I told you I don't see the future anymore… though I suppose this is payback for my arrogance regarding that power."
"What can I say." Takumi smiled. "It's refreshing seeing a surprised look on your face."
"Glad you're amused. In any case, shouldn't you two be resting? We have a big day tomorrow."
"Well before that…" Ami said. "We want to talk to you about something privately."
"And what might that be?"
Takumi and Ami looked at each other and nodded before the boy replied. "We think we know how to flush out our mole."
One battle ends, and another will soon begin. See you next week for en epic clash at Cache City.