Takeshi nervously looked back and forth between his companions. He fiddled with his fingers uncertainly, his gaze constantly wandering to the creature in front of him. No, not a creature, a Digimon. He had been just a baby when malicious Digimon first entered the world of humans and took them hostage. At least, that's what he had learned in history class. Because of that, he knew that not all Digimon were dangerous or had evil intentions. He didn't attribute any such intentions to Prismamon, either. He would have liked to ask the little one what it was looking for in its world, but now was not the time. They would probably be thoroughly interrogated soon. Probably in a sinister government building, deep in the basement, where no one knew where they were. How long would they keep him there? Certainly not for long. They would probably erase his memory. It was different with Prismamon. They would lock the poor thing in a kind of energy cage and never let it out again. Takeshi couldn't allow that. They had to escape. But how? The only method would be violence, but against humans? And then what? Hide forever? A life on the run? Would he really go that far for his new friend?

The car came to a stop, and the door opened. A man and a woman made a sweeping motion.

"The ride is over. This is the end of the line," the woman said.

Takeshi was surprised. The ride hadn't seemed that long to him. But now there was no turning back. He had to face this. He and Prismamon left the interior and stepped onto the street. Takeshi expected a huge government complex or a large hall surrounded by an electric fence. None of that was the case.

"Uh... isn't this...," he stammered, but the woman just nodded.

She pointed to the entrance and closed the door again. Takeshi barely noticed that the SUVs were driving off again and leaving them behind.

"Hey, what kind of place is this?" Prismamon asked, pointing to the building in front of him.

Takeshi swallowed.

"That... is the best ramen shop in town."

For the second time that day, he entered the store and looked around. Once again, no one was there except him. Prismamon scoured the room as if expecting an imminent threat.

When someone came up to the counter from the back, he went into a defensive stance.

"Ah, good, you're here. Moment, I'll hang the Closed sign outside, then I'm at your disposal," he said, and hurried to the door.

Takeshi looked at Prismamon and shrugged his shoulders. He, too, didn't understand what was going on here. So he sat down at a free spot and waited. Soon the ramen master was back.

"Uh... Motomiya-sensei... can you tell me what...," he began, but was quickly interrupted.

"I've told you x times that Davis is enough. Your portion is already in the works. Don't worry, it's on the house," he replied.

Takeshi had trouble processing everything, but the prospect of free ramen was something his brain could absorb much faster. But why us? Did Digimon eat ramen too?

Suddenly, something small and blue jumped onto the counter and put two bowls in front of them.

"Here you go! One ramen as usual and one special with lots of meat!"

Takeshi had to be careful not to fall off his chair.

"What? Another Digimon? Where did that come from?" he asked, surprised.

Davis scratched his head awkwardly.

"Oh, that's right, I never had the chance to introduce you to each other. This is Veemon, my partner," he explained.

Takeshi nodded hesitantly.

"Partner? You mean in the ramen shop?"

Davis smiled.

"Yes, that too. But you now have a partner as well, right? What's his name?" he asked, pointing to the Digimon next to him, which was now turning to the bowl of ramen, but quickly pulling back because it was still quite hot.

"Pri... Prismamon! Man, it's hot!"

Takeshi cleared his throat.

"You have to eat ramen as hot as possible!" he admonished it.

Veemon scrutinized Prismamon.

"Well? Do you want to tell us your story? You've caused quite a stir in this world," he said critically.

Prismamon immediately went into a defensive stance. It seemed closed off and didn't want to open up completely. Takeshi laid a hand on its head and petted it.

"Don't worry, I know Moto... uh, Davis. Someone who can prepare ramen like he can't possibly be a bad person. You can trust him," he assured him.

Prismamon nodded and wanted to say something. Then, unexpectedly, the door opened, and two figures stepped in, ignoring the Closed sign and looking around.

Takeshi jumped up immediately.

"Shun? Uh... the suspicious person who's pretending to be Tsubasa? What are you doing here?" he asked.

The girl immediately peered at him and gave him a slap on the head.

"Hello? Is that how much you're looking forward to seeing your childhood friend again? And I had imagined our reunion to be so nice."

"Veemon, make two more bowls ready," Davis instructed his partner.

He nodded and went to the back.

Shun grabbed Takeshi by the shoulders. He asked if he was okay. But he was able to reassure his friend. Apart from a few scratches, he was fine. Of course, they wanted to know what had happened, and Davis also wanted a detailed report. However, he waited patiently until the other bowls of ramen were ready and Shun and Tsubasa had sat down.

Takeshi took his time eating the ramen, even though the others were staring at him expectantly. Finally, he began his report. How he had faced the malicious Digimon and how he had been asked by a man named Gennai to become Prismamon's partner. Then he fished the drone out of his pocket and handed it to Davis.

"I'm afraid it's broken. I don't know if it's possible to contact Gennai anymore. Do you know him?" he asked, handing the device over.

The ramen cook nodded.

"We've had dealings with him before. It's a long story. I'll bring this to a friend. If anyone can get it working again, it's him. I'm really curious to hear his explanation as to why Digimon are entering our world again. The gates are actually supposed to be closed at the moment," he said, and then looked at Prismamon.

It was clear that he was expecting an answer. But it was only after Takeshi's intervention that it was willing to do so.

"No, lately, gates have been opening in the DigiWorld quite often. But only for a short time, and they're supposed to be very unstable. I and Ruri jumped through one of them. But unfortunately, Deckerdramon followed us," it said.

"Ruri?" Tsubasa asked.

The Digimon nodded.

"Ruri is my best friend. Deckerdramon and his buddies are after him. That's why I wanted to get him to safety," it said.

"After him? Why is that?" Shun asked.

Prismamon shrugged its shoulders and avoided his gaze.

Takeshi had the feeling that it knew more but didn't want to push it at the moment.

"Can you at least tell us who's after him? You mentioned buddies," Veemon asked.

Prismamon paused for a moment.

"Deckerdramon and his buddies... they hate humans very much. But I don't know why. It's been that way since the king took office," it said.

Takeshi and the others exchanged glances.

"King? What kind of king?"

Prismamon slurped its ramen.

"Well, the king of the Digimon, of course! He's built himself a whole army." Takeshi looked at Davis. "Does that mean anything to you?" But the ramen master shook his head. "I know a Digimon Emperor, but that's not what it means. In any case, it's alarming if there's really someone in the Digital World who's seized power. That's never ended well in the past." Takeshi stood up now. "Okay! I've made my decision! I'm going to help Prismamon find his friend." While Shun slapped himself on the forehead, Tsubasa cheered. "That's the Takeshi I know! Kamen Yusha would have also stood up for someone in need!" Takeshi was not looking for admiration, but still felt embarrassed. "Thanks. Hey, you're really Tsubasa, aren't you?" Another, this time lighter, headbutt followed. "Hey, can you tell us what your friend looks like?" Veemon asked for a description of this 'Ruri'. Davis had an idea and brought Prismamon a drawing pad. It immediately got to work. With a mediocre result. It was more like a colored-in sketch. Nevertheless, they thought they could make out a kind of small, blue dragon. "That's Ruri!" Prismamon said proudly. Takeshi looked at the work more closely. "You've drawn him with a bag. Does he carry it with him?" Prismamon reacted evasively. "Yes... sometimes. In any case, he's somewhere in this world. We have to find him before the king's minions do!" Tsubasa stood up. "All right! You can't just count on Takeshi, I and Shun will also help you!" The boy with the glasses next to her cleared his throat. "Uh, could you not decide for others?" But when he then saw the doe eyes of his best friend, he let himself be persuaded. Someone's cell phone rang, and Davis went to answer it. "Hey, they're with me right now. I'll tell you everything in detail, but first I want to send a drone or whatever that's supposed to be to Koshiro-san. I would repair it myself, but God has only given me talent for ramen, not for technology," he explained. Then he seemed more alarmed. "What? Are you sure? The Miura shopping center? But that's just around the corner!" Takeshi and the others looked at each other. What exactly had Davis learned? He ended the conversation quickly and then reported. "Apparently, there have been strange sightings at the Miura shopping center. The subway station doesn't seem to be the only place where Digimon have appeared." Prismamon immediately jumped onto the counter. "That... that must be Ruri! For sure!" The others also thought it was possible. He had probably come through the portal nearby. "All right! Davis-sensei! Please take the device to your friend. We'll take care of the problem in the meantime," Takeshi decided.

This one had his doubts. "Shouldn't I rather come along?" But Takeshi shook his head. "Oh, come on. Prismamon's friend isn't dangerous, right?" The crystalline Digimon nodded. "Exactly! Ruri is even someone you can totally rely on!" Davis gave in. "All right. You collect the Digimon, and we'll meet again here afterwards." Everyone was in agreement with the plan. Takeshi emptied his backpack and stowed Prismamon inside. After the events in the subway, it wouldn't be good if someone saw a Digimon. Takeshi, Shun, and Tsubasa decided to run, the shopping center was only a mile away. Davis and Veemon, on the other hand, set out to have the drone repaired. The faster Gennai could give them answers, the better.

The screaming of the people made them feel unsure themselves. Nothing, but absolutely nothing in this world was as they had imagined it. There were so many new things that they didn't know where to turn. Furthermore, the people here didn't seem to be very familiar with Digimon. They were constantly being called 'snake' or 'monkey'. Finally, they withdrew to a dark shaft. "Not good, not good. Our mission is going totally wrong," said the snake. The monkey scratched his head. "Yeah, that's true. We're supposed to find this book, but this world here is huge. We've even asked the inhabitants here if they've seen the Digimon in question, but they're all just running away from us." "That's probably because of your scary appearance," the snake said. The monkey was taken aback. "Why is that? I'm totally unobtrusive!" he justified himself. The snake disagreed. "No, why are the people running away from you? I, on the other hand, am totally cute," she was sure of herself. The monkey grumbled audibly, apparently he was of a completely different opinion. "Anyway, we have to get out of here. Let's look for somewhere else, maybe the people in another place will be more helpful," he said hopefully. The snake had to agree with him. They wouldn't get any further here. They walked along the shaft in search of the exit.

Takeshi and the others had now arrived at the shopping center. The people had already stormed outside, they, on the other hand, had to enter the interior. Easier said than done. Two security guards stood in their way, they were apparently tasked with evacuating the building. Takeshi explained to them that they had an appointment with someone inside, but the men assured them that the entire building was already empty. Since a second explanation would have been unbelievable, they looked for another point of entry into the shopping center. They finally found it on the back side, where the goods were loaded onto the trucks. Takeshi immediately climbed up and into the interior. He helped Tsubasa up, so that only Shun was left. "Do... we really have to?" Takeshi asked his friend not to be so fussy and also helped him up. Inside, they searched in vain for a light switch. Once again, Prismamon's ability proved useful. They sneaked through the hallway, and Takeshi kept remembering the drawing that his new partner had made. They couldn't see anything that resembled a blue dragon. "Ruri!" Tsubasa was the first to call out to the Digimon. Without success. Takeshi did the same, and Shun also joined in. They had just entered the sales area, apparently they were in the department for stuffed animals. "There! I've got your dragon," Shun said now, and held a green plush toy high. Takeshi reminded him that the dragon they were looking for was blue. He himself held a dinosaur high. "Hm. That's the closest thing to a dragon." Tsubasa sighed. "We're not getting anywhere like this. These here are all not real," she reprimanded the two and held a plush snake high. "Hey, this feels kind of weird," she murmured, and her eyes met those of the snake. Finally, its tongue shot out and hissed at Tsubasa. "Kyaaa!" Screaming, she let go of the snake, which made its escape. Takeshi ran after it in vain. "Hey, Prismamon! That wasn't your buddy, was it?" he wanted to make sure. "I can't draw that badly, can I?" his partner justified himself. After all, a dragon was quite easy to distinguish from a snake. "What should we do now?" Shun asked. "We now know that the Digimon sighted here are not Prismamon's friend. Should we withdraw and leave the field to the professionals?" Takeshi seemed to have already made his decision. "No worries! Prismamon and I are professionals!" Shun wanted to point out that the two of them had only met a few hours ago, but then let it be. Prismamon also seemed motivated. And the opponents were no comparison to the monstrous Deckerdramon that had attacked them in the subway. So they took up the pursuit and registered every movement in their surroundings. Tsubasa clung to Shun, the boy wondered if she wasn't very good with snakes. Takeshi and Prismamon had advanced as far as the kitchen area and discovered the damage the Digimon had caused. They were definitely in the right place. They proceeded, until his partner noticed something between the tables. Something jumped out and seemed to be holding something in its hand. It was green and not very big. "Caution!" Takeshi warned. He had noticed first that the opponent had a weapon. It was a slingshot, which he now used. He couldn't see what was used as ammunition, only that it hit hard. The opponent, a kind of monkey, now stood on the table and prepared his next shot. But Prismamon was faster. "White Lightning!" it fired its attack, which only narrowly missed the monkey. But the table was dismantled into its individual parts. The monkey jumped away again, and Takeshi saw how it was reunited with the snake. The two were working together, then. Shun and Tsubasa had also caught up with him now, the latter was holding a frying pan in her hand to defend herself. Now the snake took over and launched an attack. "Lilac acid!" it spat a clump at Prismamon. It countered by warding off the attack with its white lightning.

"Hey, that's not the Digimon with the book, is it?" the monkey whispered to her. The snake shook its head. "No. They probably belong to the Dark King. That makes them our enemies in any case." Prismamon paused. "Wait! I thought you belonged to the Dark King?" The snake and the monkey looked at each other. "As if! We belong to the resistance. Right?" The monkey agreed. "Yes! That's why we have to find the book urgently." Prismamon reacted tensely. "No way! The book belongs to Ruri! No one is taking it away from him!" This didn't seem to be the reaction the two Digimon had been expecting. Immediately they went back into attack mode. Until Tsubasa intervened and stepped in between them. "Wait a minute! I get the feeling that no one here really wants to fight! Can't we settle this differently?" she asked hopefully. Takeshi looked at Prismamon. It seemed serious. He wanted to ask what book they were talking about, but now was not the time. It seemed important, otherwise his partner would not have kept it secret until now. The snake remained suspicious and even expected an attack from the blonde girl. Shun now stepped up to her side and repeated what she had said. "We don't want to harm anyone. And you certainly don't either, do you? If you're talking about a resistance, that means you're fighting for good, right?" It was the monkey who answered. "Yes. Of course we're on the side of those who can't protect themselves." Shun breathed a sigh of relief. "Then there's no reason for us to fight. I'm Shun. These are my friends Tsubasa and Takeshi." He finally held out his hand to the monkey. After some hesitation, it took it. "I'm Koemon. And that's Hebimon. Sorry, that was her idea. She sometimes has no manners." Immediately it drew the wrath of the Digimon upon itself, which hissed angrily at it. "Who used his slingshot?" it hacked after. Koemon nodded and apologized. "We may have overdone it. We just wanted to find the Digimon with the book. That's what the man named Gennai told us to do." Takeshi's expression brightened. "Oh, I see. Gennai also supported me and Prismamon when we were attacked by one of the king's minions." Hebimon also seemed to understand now. "Is that so? Hm, then we're probably really on the same side." Shun looked out the window. "Since that's settled... we should get out of here. The police are already approaching, they certainly wouldn't let us leave with the Digimon so easily." His friends couldn't help but agree with him. They persuaded Koemon and Hebimon to come with them. They had no objections. They didn't know where else to go anyway. Only Prismamon remained skeptical towards the new allies. The group left the building again through the delivery entrance and kept away from the street. Unlike Takeshi, Tsubasa and Shun didn't have any backpacks or the like with them, in which they could have hidden the Digimon. When they were not far from the ramen shop where Davis worked, they pressed the two more tightly against them so that they looked like stuffed animals. Then they slipped inside and hoped that Davis had returned in the meantime. Inside the store, however, they were met with a surprise.

Koemon and Hebimon immediately jumped off and explored the new environment. Shun and Tsubasa admonished them, but they should actually be safe here.

Davis had just come into the customer area and noticed the chaos first. "Well... I guess you didn't find your friend."

Prismamon crawled out of Takeshi's backpack and looked dejected. He had apparently been firmly expecting to see him again.

"Those are...," Takeshi began, but had trouble remembering the names of the two, which is why they introduced themselves again.

"Gennai sent us. They said we could talk to him," Hebimon hissed finally.

Veemon also stared in amazement.

"You know Gennai? Can you explain to us in more detail why you're here?"

But his question was immediately followed by the next one.

"We would also be very interested in that," said a voice.

Another person, no, there were even two, entered the room. A blond and a young woman with longer hair.

Shun and Takeshi made attempts to stand in front of the two Digimon and block the view of them, but Davis objected.

"Don't worry, they're not normal guests. You can trust them," he assured them.

This was confirmed when the next guests arrived shortly thereafter. An orange something buzzed through the air, while a cat, which strangely enough wore gloves, jumped onto the table.

Hebimon and Koemon immediately withdrew skeptically.

"Where are they coming from all of a sudden? I didn't know that Digimon reproduced so quickly!" Tsubasa threw up her hands.

The two Digimon introduced themselves as Patamon and Gatomon.

Takeshi got it.

"Davis-sensei. If you say they're friends of yours, do you mean..."

He nodded vigorously.

"Yes, you may have heard of the DigiKnights. You already know Mich and Veemon. The beautiful woman here also belongs to them. Her partner is Gatomon."

The woman stepped forward and began to examine Tsubasa thoroughly. From all sides she got an impression, then she continued with Shun. With Takeshi she ended.

"So these are the new ones, extremely interesting. I am Hikari Yagami, but you can call me Kari," she seemed to have made up her mind.

"Uh... good cooperation!" Tsubasa felt she had to say.

Davis cleared his throat.

"And he also belongs to us in a way, his partner is Patamon," he referred to the blond.

"Takeru Takaishi, very pleased to meet you. Everyone calls me only T.K."

Takeshi stepped forward.

"Excuse me, but are we right in assuming that you are the ones who saved the world?"

Shun and Tsubasa flinched.

T.K. scratched his cheek awkwardly.

"Could be that this has happened one or two times. Even though we're only here for support today."

Shun asked what he meant by that. Davis seemed to remember something. He reached into his pocket and pulled something out. It was the drone that Takeshi had collected earlier and that had apparently broken.

"We were with a friend who knows about this kind of thing. He was able to help us, but the repair wasn't the problem," he explained.

He put the drone on the table and touched a spot above the device. Immediately it came to life and buzzed a few times through the room. Then it came to a stop, and once again the screen appeared that had surprised Takeshi in the subway. The man with the ponytail seemed to get an overview of who was all gathered there. First the drone came to a stop in front of Takeshi.

"Oh, it's you. I hope everything worked out?"

Takeshi nodded.

"Yes, Prismamon is fine," he confirmed.

He looked at his partner, who still seemed grumpy. Well, at least physically he seemed to be fine.

"That's good. Unfortunately, I don't have much time, the connection is only stable as long as there is an open gate to the DigiWorld nearby. The one through which Hebimon and Koemon came should be closing soon. After that, there will be radio silence for the time being. I apologize for this."

T.K. now stepped in front of the monitor.

"But you still have time to explain what's happening here, don't you?"

Gennai confirmed it.

"Perhaps Prismamon has already told you that there are currently concerning changes within the Digital World. There is a new faction that is not exactly positively disposed towards humans."

Kari asked a question of the person transmitting.

"In what way? Have they had bad experiences with humans?"

Gennai took his time to answer.

"Well, it's probably several events that have angered this group. They condemn the constant intervention of humans in their world."

Davis stepped forward.

"Then we should talk to them and explain ourselves. After all, it is our intention to protect the Digimon!"

Veemon put a hand on his shoulder.

"Unfortunately, everyone interprets experiences differently. We can't do anything about it for the time being if they blame us for these negative experiences."

T.K. turned to Gennai again.

"But what exactly is their goal? Just attacking humans?"

But it seemed that the whole thing was much more complex.

"At the moment, they are looking for a certain object. It is a book that is said to contain the greatest secrets of the Digital World."

Takeshi turned to Prismamon.

"Hey! The book they mentioned! Your friend has it, doesn't he?"

Prismamon still hesitated, but then remembered how they had fought together. He had definitely found allies here.

"Yes, that's true. The enemies have been chasing us. But only Ruri really knows about the book."

Davis murmured thoughtfully.

"That sounds like they're expecting a lot of power from the book. So we definitely can't let them get their hands on it."

T.K. and Kari also agreed with him on this matter.

"That's why I sent Koemon and Hebimon on this mission. They were supposed to find the Digimon named Rurimon and bring it together with the book to me," Gennai said.

Takeshi was taken aback.

"So Prismamon is not part of your plan?" he wanted to know.

Gennai shook his head.

"No, I stumbled upon you and Prismamon by chance. That's why it may sound presumptuous if I ask you to help me."

Prismamon jumped up to him.

"No! Ruri is my friend! I don't need to be asked or anything else! I will find him and stand by his side!"

And thus practically also for Takeshi. After all, they were now partners.

"You can count on me too."

Gennai's gaze turned to Shun and Tsubasa.

"And these two also belong to you?" he asked.

The two now seemed a little embarrassed.

"Actually... we just got involved in this by chance," Shun replied.

Gennai nodded repeatedly.

"Then it's probably really too much to ask. However, Koemon and Hebimon are still strangers in this world. Would you perhaps take care of them? I know, it's a lot to ask."

Shun hesitated, while Tsubasa looked at the two Digimon. Hebimon hissed at her again with its tongue, but that didn't make the girl flinch.

"All right, I'll take this little one here," she decided.

Gennai's expression brightened. The drone opened at another spot, and a beam of light hit the wrists of Tsubasa and Shun.

They recoiled and then marveled at the devices that were now stuck to them.

"Could that be...," Kari murmured, and Gennai confirmed it.

"Yes, those are DigiVices. Of the latest generation, to be exact."

Takeshi took another look at his.

"Right, they look exactly the same. Only the colors are different," Shun noticed, and Tsubasa agreed. While Shun's device was green, Tsubasa's was purple.

"And... what exactly are we supposed to do with them now?" asked the boy with the glasses.

T.K. stepped in front of them. "That means that you are now also DigiKnights. A DigiVice serves to help your partner with digitation. Of course, it also has other functions," he explained.

"Partner..." Tsubasa murmured and continued to stare at Hebimon.

This hissed once more and then jumped towards the girl. It landed on her shoulder and wrapped itself around her neck. "All right, agreed! If the boss thinks it's best, then we're partners from now on!"

Shun and Koemon, on the other hand, still looked at each other somewhat undecided. Finally, the boy stepped forward and held out his hand to the green Digimon. "So... if it's okay with you..." Koemon took the hand and shook it. "To a good partnership."

"Very good! Now that that's settled, we could... we could..." The transmission died, and the screen disappeared. The drone crashed to the ground, and Patamon picked it up. "Well, the gate is probably closed now."

The others agreed. For the time being, they would probably get little more information from him.

"I'll take the thing back to Izzy. If the connection is restored, he can best pass on the information to us," he suggested.

There were no objections.

"And... what are we going to do with the Digimon now?" Shun asked.

"It's best to take them home with you for now," Davis said.

The middle school students paused.

"Sure? But... what about our parents?" Takeshi objected.

Tsubasa agreed with him.

"Wouldn't it be better to leave them here?"

Davis immediately shook his head. "No way! The owner has strict rules regarding this. Because of the hygiene, Veemon is an exception because he works here. But he would never allow it," he was certain.

"And unfortunately, we also don't have any extra space. Our partners already take up all our space," Kari said, and began to gently stroke Gatomon's head.

Takeshi and the others discussed. It seemed they had no other choice. In case of emergency, they could always pass off the Digimon as stuffed animals. Especially Hebimon was establishing itself slowly as a useful scarf, as it snuggled against Tsubasa's neck.

They exchanged numbers to be able to contact each other quickly in case of emergency. Then they said goodbye and went their separate ways.