A/N: sithlorde1988 here, with another chapter of Digimon Frontier: Return To The Digital World! I know I'm only on chapter 3 of this story at present, but in my defense, chapters for this story are a bit tougher to type out since it's been a bit since I watched the original Digimon Frontier and I don't think they have the episodes still up for it on YouTube to rewatch it, plus I don't think there's any streaming services that air it that I'm aware of.
Although to be fair, I feel like hardly any seasons of Digimon are on streaming services nowadays, otherwise I'd have been able to see not only Digimon Adventure: Tri (which I STILL have yet to be able to watch) but also the Adventure 01 reboot (aka Digimon Adventure 2020) which I also have yet to see. If anyone knows of a way to watch Digimon Frontier and/or Digimon tri, Digimon Adventure 2020, or any other Digimon seasons (preferably dubbed) for free, feel free to let me know in the reviews! That having been said, I suppose I should take care of the disclaimer before I get into even more rants! So here's the disclaimer!
Disclaimer: sithlorde1988 does not own the Digimon series in any way shape or form (aside from the OCs Kusa, Lumine, and Sorina, and the OC who will appear in this chapter who he made and thus DOES own to some degree), and the credit for owning the series belongs as far as I know to I think Funimation (or it did last I checked, I'd have to look up who owns the series nowadays honestly) so credit for owning Digimon as a whole belongs to the actual owners, whoever they may be!
Now that that potentially awkward disclaimer is out of the way, time to get on with chapter 3!
Chapter 3: Trials by Iron, and Electric Meetings! Or two groups become one!
(With Takuya's group, at their current camp, neutral POV)
"Remind me why we had to set up camp in the middle of scenic nowhere again?" Sorina asked with a frown after the tents were set up so the group could stop to camp for the night since it was nearly dark outside. Takuya chuckled at Sorina's pouting expression as he gently patted her on the shoulder comfortingly.
"That's easy. We can't keep walking forever. We have to stop to sleep at some point after all. Plus camping like this also gives us a chance to have some bonding time of sorts, and besides, I can't be the only one here who doesn't like the idea of having a fun time hanging out by a campfire and eating various foods and getting to know one another. Though I'm sure once we link up with Koji's group, I'm sure our camping experiences will be even livelier even if Koji IS a bit of an antisocial person when he wants to be." Takuya said with a grin as Zoe and Tommy chuckled at Takuya's apt description of Koji even as the former spoke up with a smile.
"That's true Takuya, but you do have to remember he got quite a bit better about being sociable when Koichi joined the group, so I'm sure Koichi is with Koji at least, and if I had to guess, probably also JP and possibly even the Wielder of Water as well. And to be honest, I will admit that I'm excited to see who the Wielder of Water is since all I know for sure about them is that they're likely as not going to be a girl since the original Warrior of Water was female, thus making it more than likely only a female can wield the purified Spirits of Water.
Then again, the original Warrior of Wood was a male, and Sorina here is very clearly a female and the likely wielder of the purified Spirits of Wood. So I suppose a male wielder of the purified Spirits of Water is a possibility but I honestly would prefer a female just so the gender balance is a bit more even." Zoe said with a smile as Sorina nodded her agreement as she spoke up once more after giving Takuya a grateful nod for his response to her question.
"Fair enough, Zoe. I agree that us two being the only girls in this group would kind of suck if for no other reason than we'd have a LOT of guys fighting over us, or at the least I will. You, however, probably would be more or less left to Kusa, who you seem to be getting both closer to and more comfortable with." Sorina said teasingly as Zoe huffed at the teasing comment while her cheeks turned slightly pink in embarrassment as she replied huffily.
"Oh hush up, Sorina! Kusa and I are just friends! We agreed that we're in no rush for anything more than that to happen, but we're also not against it when and if it does happen. So you can quit teasing me about that." Zoe said huffily as Tommy and Takuya chuckled at Zoe's reaction while Kusa just sagely nodded before speaking up.
"Exactly. Besides, you have NO room to tease Zoe and I about each other considering I know for a fact I've seen you checking out Takuya at least once, so unless you want to be teased back, keep your opinions of Zoe and I to yourself, yeah?" Kusa said with a smirk as Sorina gaped at how calmly yet easily Kusa countered her teasing with his own. Zoe gave Kusa an appreciative smile as she spoke up once more.
"Oh really? Interesting...But I'll let it sit at that for now. I think for now we were talking about setting up camp?" Zoe said as Sorina and Tommy nodded and the latter spoke up.
"Indeed we were. Honestly, I feel like we should do something a bit special with this campfire since this is basically Sorina, Kusa, and Shinya's first campfire with this group, so that makes it a bit more special in my opinion. Am I right?" Tommy said as Zoe and Takuya blinked at Tommy's remark before nodding. Takuya then spoke up after a moment to consider Tommy's words, smirking at Zoe and Kusa as he spoke.
"Well, clearly it's a given we'll be having a campfire since as was pointed out before, it's the first time Sorina, Kusa and Shinya are here camping with us. However, I don't know what we'll do as far as sleeping arrangements go, since I'm willing to bet most none of us thought to pack sleeping bags and/or tents when packing to come here. I know I barely remembered to pack a tent as a precaution. Not sure about the rest of you." Takuya said as Shinya spoke up with a smirk.
"Luckily for you, I thought ahead and packed sleeping bags for the both of us. Not to mention, when mom heard I was planning to go on a trip, she packed some supplies, and I'm nearly positive that stuff for s'mores was included. So that's something to be excited about, I'd say." Shinya said as Sorina and Kusa nodded as the latter spoke up.
"Definitely. Luckily for me, I came prepared with both a tent AND sleeping bags, though until now I wasn't sure what possessed me to pack two sleeping bags, but now I'm pretty sure I know. Either way, depending on what Sorina and Tommy brought, if anything, that's 3 tents and 4 sleeping bags to split up among 6 of us. Soo yeah, unless at least one of those 2 brought at least 2 sleeping bags, we might be having some people sharing sleeping bags." Kusa said as Zoe smiled at Kusa's words but Sorina spoke up before Zoe could speak up, smirking at the look on Zoe's face as she spoke.
"I can't speak for Tommy, but I did pack a sleeping bag. Unfortunately, I do not own a tent however, so it would seem that I can only contribute a sleeping bag." Sorina said sheepishly as Tommy spoke up, cutting in before Zoe had a chance to speak, making Takuya chuckle at the annoyed look on Zoe's face as Tommy spoke.
"I did remember to pack a sleeping bag. Unfortunately though, I couldn't convince my mom to let me bring a tent, so I can't offer much help there." Tommy said as Zoe spoke up, smiling as she wasn't cut off this time while she spoke.
"So to recap, that's 3 tents, 6 sleeping bags and 6 of us so even though we all get our own sleeping bags, we're gonna have to pair off for there to be enough tents for everyone. I suppose we can draw slips for who shares a tent with whom?" Zoe said as Sorina smirked as she spoke up.
"Why, Zoe, I'm shocked. You didn't instantly suggest you and I share a tent just because we're the only girls here. Apparently someone is open to potential guy-girl tent sharing combos." Sorina said teasingly as Takuya chuckled and spoke up, smirking as he spoke.
"Be fair, Sorina. You aren't that against having guys share tents with girls either, and you know it. Besides, it's not like we're immature enough to be unable to handle that." Takuya said sagely as the others nodded, and Kusa spoke up, not liking the grin on Takuya's face as he spoke up.
"Perhaps, but be that as it may Takuya, I agree with Zoe's idea of drawing slips, or names. Alternatively, if we have enough rocks, we can color them so there's 3 colored rock pairs, and then whoever draws the same rock as another shares a tent. Or is that too elaborate for our situation?" Kusa said. Sorina and Tommy shrugged while Takuya spoke up, seeing the shy expression on Zoe's face as he spoke up.
"Makes sense to me, Kusa. Not sure if there's any rocks nearby or not, but I'm sure we can forage for some if all else fails." Takuya said as Shinya spoke up at that point.
"I agree. Although, instead of doing all that, we could use these colored straws that I conveniently have three pairs of as the object people have to draw. Granted, we'd have to do it one at a time, and we wouldn't be able to cover up which color we draw unless we blindfold as we draw our straws and then un-blindfold to reveal our colors. But that's just a suggestion." Shinya said as both Kusa and Tommy frowned while the latter spoke up.
"That's not bad, but we could just write our names on slips of paper, then two of us can draw names from my hat and the two whose names aren't drawn get to share tents by default. Wouldn't that be faster?" Tommy said as everyone nodded, so they all wrote their names on slips of paper and put them inside Tommy's hat. After that, Sorina spoke up, smirking at Zoe as she spoke up.
"I think, since it's his hat and all, Tommy should get to pick first. Then I'll pick and after that, whoever isn't picked will be sharing by default." Sorina said as everyone nodded. Tommy reached into his own hat, pulled a slip of paper out and read the name with a shrug.
"Looks like I'm crashing with Shinya." Tommy said as he flipped his slip over to show that indeed the name on it was 'Shinya'. After that, Sorina reached into the hat, pulled out a slip of paper, unfolded it, and actually laughed as she saw the name written on it. Zoe gave Sorina a horrified look at first, terrified for a brief moment that Sorina had actually pulled Kusa's name, until Sorina finally spoke up with a grin.
"Chill with the fearful look, Zoe. I didn't pull Kusa's name." Sorina said as she flipped her paper over to reveal that she had in fact instead drawn Takuya as the name on it read 'Takuya'. Zoe nodded before blinking as her eyes eventually widened as the implications of this sank in and she flushed slightly in embarrassment as she looked at Kusa.
"W-well, looks like we're sharing a tent by default, Kusa. What are the odds?" Zoe said sheepishly, chuckling nervously as Kusa spoke up, frowning slightly as he spoke.
"I'm fine with that, but I also can't help but wonder if Tommy and Sorina set that up on purpose, just to ensure a certain set of pairs were gotten. Not that anyone's complaining, I'm sure. But that didn't feel that random if I'm being honest." Kusa said uncertainly as Takuya laughed and spoke up.
"Quit stressing on it, Kusa. Just enjoy the fact you get to share a tent with Zoe. And honestly, be glad we're not sharing sleeping bags too." Takuya said teasingly as Kusa's face flushed in embarrassment as he glared at Takuya and spoke up again, his tone a mix of annoyed and embarrassed at Takuya's previous comment as he spoke.
"Shut your instigating mouth, Takuya! Not that I'd mind that, but Zoe and I aren't in that big of a rush to share a bed. Besides, I'm not the only one sharing a tent with a girl, now am I, Takuya?" Kusa said huffily as Sorina giggled at the sight of Takuya's eyes going wide in realization that he was in fact sharing a tent with Sorina, making him nod as he spoke up in embarrassment.
"Fair point, Kusa. Funny how Tommy and Shinya aren't complaining about their arrangements, and they're the ones in the guy/guy tent." Takuya joked as Shinya laughed.
"You say that like Tommy and I weren't hoping for it, Takuya. Besides, would you rather you and I had had to share a tent?" Shinya joked as Takuya shuddered and spoke up.
"Absolutely not!" Takuya said huffily. Sorina giggled in amusement as she spoke up.
"I think what Takuya here meant was that he had half expected you or Tommy to end up sharing a tent with one of us girls instead of himself and Kusa being given tents with myself and Zoe respectively. Not that I see either Zoe or Kusa complaining about sharing a tent, and I myself am just fine sharing a tent with Takuya, but then I wasn't that picky to begin with on who I was paired with. So yeah." Sorina said as Takuya nodded his agreement.
"Exactly. And honestly, I think the pairings we ended up with were the best we could've hoped for. But that could well be just my opinion." Takuya said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"I agree, Takuya. Sure, we could've just let Zoe and Sorina share a tent as the only girls present, but considering that would leave us sharing a tent, I don't think that's that viable of an option, with all due respect to you." Kusa said as Takuya shrugged and spoke up.
"That's fair. I suppose let's get the sleeping bags and tents set up and then we can get the campfire started before it gets too too dark so we can be ready to camp for the night." Takuya said as the others nodded and went about setting up camp...
(Meanwhile, at around that same time with Koji's group)
"Huh, that's funny. Bokomon, according to your map, our next closest destination from here, albeit while being a bit of a walk, is the Thunder Shrine? Interesting...what're the chances we'd hit both the Shrines Lumine has D-Tectors for back to back? Am I right?" Koji said to Bokomon, who nodded as he spoke up.
"Pretty much. According to this map, our closest shrine from here is the Thunder Shrine to the west, then oddly enough, the next closest Shrines past that are either the Steel Shrine to the south or the Ice Shrine to the north, followed by the Wind Shrine to the south of the Steel Shrine or the Wood Shrine north of the Ice Shrine. But the east of the Thunder Shrine leads to nowhere that important for now, aside from a barricade that can only be lowered with all 10 Human Spirits being present at one time, and past that is Celestial Courtyard, or the base of the Celestial Digimon.
So we can't go east for now, but once we get all the Human Spirits gathered, we should be able to lower the barricade to get to the Celestial Digimon. The only reason Neemon and I got past it was because we were teleported to the Water Shrine at Ophanimon's recommendation." Bokomon replied as Koji nodded while speaking up once more.
"That makes sense. So it sounds like I'm gonna be waiting awhile for my spirits, eh Lumine?" Koji said, looking towards Lumine who quietly 'hmm'ed in agreement, not really listening entirely, as she was looking through her purse with a slight frown. After a bit, Lumine's head shot up to look at Koji with a uncertain expression on her face as she spoke up.
"Unfortunately, I think you're right on that, Koji. Sorry for that delayed response, was checking my purse again to be sure I was right in what I noticed. But apparently, sometime during our fight with Ranamon, or rather my fight with Ranamon, my purse must've gotten knocked over or something because for whatever reason, I CANNOT find JP's D-Tector in here anywhere, so unless it fell out back at the Water Shrine, I think someone took it out of my purse. Which isn't good since for all we know, someone could be trying to seize the Human Spirit of Thunder right now. I can't believe I might've misplaced it that easily. This sucks." Lumine said worriedly as Koji just patted Lumine on the shoulder as he spoke up.
"I doubt you lost it. Odds are likelier someone snatched it out of your purse. The only time that could've happened was probably while you were Spirit Evolving since let's be fair, I doubt even Koichi here was paying any attention to anything other than the sight of you Spirit Evolving. Not to say I wasn't, because I totally was. But even Koichi was intrigued." Koji said with a smirk as Koichi huffed and spoke up.
"Just because I was curious to see her Spirit Evolving doesn't mean I wasn't paying attention, Koji. And now that you mention it, I think I saw a girl darting into the trees around the time Lumine was Spirit Evolving, but it was so fast I didn't really get a good glimpse of the girl other than to notice she had something in her hand, possibly the missing D-Tector? Too bad I didn't think to track which way she ran off." Koichi said with a frown as Koji glared at him while Lumine spoke up.
"More to the point, too bad you couldn't get a good look at this girl, in case either Koji or I might've recognized her, since it's possible it could've been another Wielder bringing JP his D-Tector if he somehow got to the Digital World." Lumine said with a smile as Koji nodded. Koichi then spoke up as a thought occurred to him.
"This seems like a long shot, but what if it was JP's girlfriend who took the D-Tector on his suggestion? I could see him needing someone to proxy for him if he couldn't make it to the Digital World, especially if what Lumine said about him getting a job is accurate." Koichi said as Lumine smiled and nodded.
"Not only is that possible, it's quite likely, since I know for a fact that JP's boss doesn't let him take time off for much of any reason. And as for it being JP's girlfriend, well that depends on if Avril was able to find her way to the Digital World without any help, much less find us to take the D-Tector. But given Koichi said he saw a girl fleeing into the trees while I was Spirit Evolving, we can't rule out the possibility it was her. That said, I suppose we should start figuring out our plans for the night, since it's starting to get darker out, so I'd surmise we'll probably have to either walk in the dark or set up camp for the night." Lumine said as Koji spoke up.
"I agree. However, I don't think Koichi or I brought a tent, much less a sleeping bag, so unless you brought a tent and at least 3 sleeping bags, we might have to sleep out on the ground." Koji said. Lumine chuckled awkwardly as she spoke up.
"I don't know about 3 sleeping bags, but I did bring a tent and I think 2 sleeping bags, which I'll have to double-check, so unless I miscounted, we might be having people sharing sleeping bags. Oops, my bad." Lumine said sheepishly as Koichi smirked in intrigue, before he turned to give Koji an amused smirk as Koji rolled his eyes.
"Let me guess Koichi, you think it's gonna work out that I have to share with Lumine?" Koji asked as Lumine smiled and cut in with a grin.
"Well, it's that or you and Koichi have to share a sleeping bag. Unless you intend me and Koichi to share, while likelier than not you end up sharing anyway with Bokomon and Neemon." Lumine said with a playful giggle at the gaping look on Koji's face. Koichi nodded as he spoke up.
"Exactly, Lumine. And while I'm sure you have no preference who you share with, I feel like Koji might end up fighting me if I wound up sharing a sleeping bag with you." Koichi said as Lumine nodded.
"I agree. So I'm guessing I'll be sharing with Koji, which I'm quite fine with, while you could possibly end up sharing with Bokomon and Neemon?" Lumine said to Koichi before Bokomon spoke up.
"No need to worry about us. We can lean on a tree if need be. Unless you'd rather we actually do share with Koichi?" Bokomon said as Koichi spoke up.
"Nah, if you want to sleep on a tree Bokomon, feel free. But take Neemon with you if you do, so that way we don't have to wake up to Koji possibly trying to hit him if he ends up faceplanting in Lumine's lap again." Koichi joked as Lumine punched his arm and spoke up in embarrassment, her face now red in embarrassment at Koichi's mention of the incident where Neemon ended up faceplanting in her lap.
"Not funny, Koichi!" Lumine huffed as Koji nodded, smiling reassuringly at Lumine before he spoke up, frowning at Neemon while he spoke.
"Not to mention, I'd probably just punt kick him if he did that." Koji added with a sage nod, making Neemon wince in fear. Koichi chuckled at this as the group set up camp...
(At around that same time, in the real world with JP and his girlfriend)
"Huh, that's odd. She's usually not this silent that I can recall. But maybe she's asleep?" JP said to Avril as they got back to his and Lumine's apartment. Avril shrugged as she spoke up.
"Maybe she's taking a nap? Lumine has been known to do that from time to time, as I recall. But maybe she's just listening to music with headphones on?" Avril said as JP nodded.
"That is possible. Though I feel like that's unlikely. I guess let's go look." JP said as he and Avril went to check Lumine's room, only for both to blink in surprise as they looked in only for the room to be empty making JP blink in surprise as he spoke up.
"Wow, she's not here. That's random. I wonder where she went?" JP asked as Avril spoke up.
"Didn't you tell me once you went on a journey to someplace called the 'Digital World' with some friends a few years ago? Maybe something similar's happening here and your friends were called back into action, and because you gave her your D-Tector as you told me it was called to Lumine, maybe she was summoned in your place?" Avril said as JP nodded as he spoke up.
"That is possible. While I do think she could handle herself, I wish I hadn't given Lumine my D-Tector, if only so I could help her." JP said as Avril spoke up.
"But wouldn't your boss have a fit if you took that much time off of work?" Avril asked as JP blinked, wincing before he nodded and spoke up.
"That is true. He did make it rather clear that I was needed at work. I suppose for now, we could just trust Lumine to handle herself. Besides, it's not like we have a way to get to the Digital World right now anyways." JP said as Avril nodded understandingly and spoke up.
"That's true. I mean, it's not like the same thing that happened to Lumine and your friends will happen again for us." Avril said, only to blink a few moments later when JP's phone went off a few moments later, with a new message from an unknown sender. JP and Avril gathered to look at it, both gaping as they read it. It read as thus:
"Warrior of Thunder, it took way too long to track you down! Your presence is once more needed in the Digital World to help your friends! The group that Lucemon belonged to has revived, and they're out for revenge! The others have shown up, but they can't stop them without you there to wield the Spirits of Thunder. If you can return, head to the station you went to the last time, and take the waiting Trailmon in the basement. Hoping to see you there! -The Celestial Digimon." The message read. JP and Avril blinked at this as JP spoke up.
"Well, I guess that's one way for us to be able to help out. Thing is, you're gonna have to go step in for me until I can get there to help the others. My boss won't let me go for now, unfortunately. Can I trust you to go in my stead? I would let you take my phone, but if we're right, Lumine has my old D-Tector on her, so you can use that once you meet up with the group to wield the Thunder Spirits for me." JP said to Avril who nodded and spoke up.
"I can definitely do that for you, JP. You just worry about your job, and I'll do my best to keep Lumine and your friends safe until such time as you can join them in this 'Digital World' you told me about." Avril said with a smile as JP spoke up gratefully.
"Thank you, Avril. I knew I could count on you to step up in a clutch situation." JP said as he walked forward and put his arms around Avril before the two shared a brief kiss and Avril headed out to get to the terminal mentioned in the message, getting on the waiting Trailmon and heading to the Digital World...
(Some time later, around the same time as the battle with Ranamon)
Avril kept walking around, hoping to find any of the others, since JP gave her a few names of his friends in Takuya, Zoe, Koji, Koichi and Tommy. But she hadn't seen anyone since she got to the Digital World. After a bit of walking, she caught a glimpse of what looked to be a dark-haired male walking with a yellow rabbit with red pants and what looked to be a cream-colored creature with a pink waist band as it's only clothing. She quickly followed the trio to where she found two more individuals sitting together, one male and one female.
The male, from what Avril could see, had a bandanna on his head and the female appeared to have golden-blonde hair that was in a small ponytail, making Avril frown as the ponytail brought her vaguely to mind of the one that Lumine tended to wear, plus on a closer look, the female appeared to be wearing similar clothes to what Lumine usually wore. Could she be Lumine? Avril wasn't sure.
But after looking away from the two, Avril spotted a very familiar purse sitting on a table nearby making her gasp quietly as she realized that it was in fact Lumine she'd previously been scrutinizing, prompting her to blink as she saw Lumine and the boy she was talking to holding unfamiliar objects that looked vaguely like what JP had described his D-Tector to look like, making Avril realize that JP's D-Tector was probably inside of the purse. Avril then ducked into a nearby bush to wait for an opportunity to grab JP's D-Tector, unaware of the fact that the short-haired male had seen her duck into the bushes.
A short time later, Avril gasped as she saw what looked to be a bipedal mermaid attack Lumine and the boy she'd been speaking to, sending Lumine flying towards the ocean, giving Avril the shot she needed to reach into the purse and grab JP's D-Tector, seeing its' screen beeping as she followed it, hoping to find the Thunder Spirits quickly. Unbeknownst to Avril, the short-haired male had seen her duck into the bush. After Avril fled from the group, she saw a sign that pointed her to the Thunder Shrine, quickly heading off in that direction...
(Fast forward back to the present, with Takuya's group after setting up the tents for the evening and gathering around a campfire)
"This is so nice. A group of friends roasting marshmallows around a campfire, bonding and getting to know one another." Sorina said happily as the group sat around the campfire roasting marshmallows, getting nods from the others as they enjoyed their marshmallows. After a bit, Zoe spoke up with a smirk on her face.
"Y'know, Fire is kind of Takuya's element, Sorina. So I'm sure he doesn't mind it one bit." Zoe said teasingly as Takuya huffed and spoke up.
"You hush, Zoe. Just because I don't mind fire doesn't mean anything. Besides, as I recall, I'm not the one possibly already carrying a torch, so to speak." Takuya said as Kusa huffed and spoke up, frowning at Takuya as he spoke.
"Takuya, don't lie. You might not be carrying a torch now, but I'd bet good money that both you and Sorina might end up carrying torches for one another eventually." Kusa said bluntly as Zoe nodded, giving Kusa a grateful smile for speaking up. Takuya shrugged as he spoke up.
"Maybe, maybe not. We'll have to wait and see. The fact remains that both you and Zoe are so obvious about each other, its not funny." Takuya said as Kusa huffed and spoke up in a deadpan tone, glaring at Takuya as he spoke.
"You're funny, Takuya. While yes, I will concede that Zoe is cute, I'd hardly say that constitutes her and I being interested in one another. Besides, she and I are in no hurry to rush into anything more than friendship for now. Maybe, a ways down the line, if we feel the same, we might try to see if we can be more than friends. But for now, she and I are content with things as they are. So you can quit with the instigating remarks, Takuya.
And if we're being honest, I think at this time, you and Sorina are probably the likeliest to make a move on one another, since the only other possible couple I can see outside of you and Sorina would be if Sorina took in an interest in either Shinya or Tommy. Mind you, that doesn't rule out the unlikely possibility that Shinya and Tommy could swing the other way, and in fact like each other. Not that I'd be against that, if that is the case, since that's entirely their choice to make." Kusa said dryly, smirking at the mortified looks on the faces of Takuya, Sorina, Shinya, and Tommy at his comments, while Zoe just giggled at how easily Kusa shut Takuya up with one comment.
"Wow, I think that's the first time anyone's managed to make Takuya shut up that fast before. Too bad Koji and Koichi weren't here to see it, otherwise I think they'd both have gotten a good chuckle out of it. But maybe we'll link up with them, along with JP and probably the wielder of Water as well, at some point." Zoe said contemplatively, making Kusa give an agreeable nod as he spoke up, smirking at Zoe as he spoke.
"That's definitely possible. From what you told me of Koji, he always seemed to find Takuya's antics annoying from time to time so he probably would've been amused to see me shut him down so effortlessly." Kusa said agreeably as Sorina spoke up, looking at Kusa as she spoke.
"To be honest? I think I have seen Tommy and Shinya getting a bit closer to one another recently, but that could just be them befriending one another too." Sorina said as Kusa nodded, the group going silent as they roasted their marshmallows and sat around the campfire, enjoying the ambiance of being outdoors...
(At that same time, with Koji, Koichi, Lumine, Bokomon, and Neemon)
"Wow, so this is what it's like to be outside under a starry sky. I'd almost forgotten how pretty the view can be, given how long it's been since I've gotten to be outdoors at night like this. Then again, I wouldn't be surprised to find out that you two haven't had a lot of experiences like this either, am I right?" Lumine said to Koji and Koichi, the latter of which shook his head as he spoke up.
"Nah, not really. We only recently started spending a lot of time together. I don't know if Koji wants me going into too many details, but suffice it to say there was a large part of our lives where he and I weren't really aware the other existed, thanks to extenuating circumstances. However, that changed during Koji's previous journey through the Digital World, when we ended up re-encountering each other, though it wasn't a pleasant reunion, to say the least.
But if he hadn't done what he did with the help of the others, I might not be here right now, so I'm grateful to him for saving me. Luckily for you, your Spirit's already purified, whereas I had to start out with non-purified spirits. I think I may have given Koji here nightmares from my brief stints as Duskmon, the corrupted Warrior of Darkness, and as Velgemon, the corrupted Beast-Warrior of Darkness.
In the end, he was able to defeat Velgemon after getting a power boost, and I was saved from corruption. Granted, it took me most of the rest of the journey after that to really realize exactly how much Koji had saved me, doing what he did. So yeah, between that and being separated from Koji for so long, I didn't really have many chances to go camping that I can recall growing up." Koichi said as Koji frowned and spoke up, looking slightly irritated as he spoke.
"You're telling the story wrong, Koichi. Don't leave out the part where you almost destroyed me not long after the rest of us got our Beast Spirits. I forgave you for that, but it's kind of an important part of the story, if we're going to be telling Lumine here about how we met one another again. Then again, I don't think that's the sort of story to be told around a campfire, even if campfires are said to be the place to tell spooky stories. I honestly don't know if she could handle some of the more graphic details of it if we told it at night. So let's save this for the daytime, if we do tell it, yeah?" Koji said as Koichi nodded, conceding that Koji had a point.
"That's fair. I trust you to know what you're doing, Koji. Granted, Lumine might be a bit annoyed, but I think she'll understand in time." Koichi said as Lumine frowned at this, but just nodded as she spoke up.
"You're right, I'm not happy you're seemingly keeping me out of the loop, but I won't pry if you don't want me knowing the details. Though I am curious, why did you mention Beast Spirits and corrupted or non-purified spirits? I don't recall hearing anything about either of those." Lumine said with a frown, as Bokomon chose that point to speak up.
"I think I can answer that for you, Lumine. You see, while there are a total of 10 Legendary Warrior Spirits, one for each of the 10 elements, there are also 10 more powerful Beast Spirits, again one for each of the 10 elements. And in case you're not aware, the 10 Elements are Fire, Water, Ice, Thunder, Wind, Darkness, Steel, Wood, Earth and Water. As for the matter of corrupted or non-purified spirits, that's a bit of a longer story that involves a trio of very powerful Digimon that are collectively referred to as the Celestial Digimon.
Comprising that trio was Ophanimon, the lone female of the trio who was basically the loving mother figure of the Digital World and one of two rulers of the Humanoid Digimon, Seraphimon, her male counterpart who ruled the Humanoid Digimon with her, and lastly there was Cherubimon, who was the ruler of the Beast Digimon.
Each of the three had their own castles they lived in, Seraphimon's castle being located in the Forest Terminal region, which is also where the Wood Shrine is said to be located, Cherubimon's castle being located within an area known as the Rose Morning Star, which was where Koji and Koichi, along with four of their friends, waged a desperate battle against Cherubimon to save Ophanimon, even though it was ultimately an unsuccessful one, though it did result in a massive power upgrade for both Koji and Takuya, who is one of Koji's friends that isn't here.
Those upgrades would take the form of Unified Spirit Evolution, a power that only Koji and Takuya were able to attain due to it involving the others briefly surrendering their spirts to either Koji or Takuya, depending on if their spirit would go into Flame or into Light. Lastly, Ophanimon's castle is located within the Area of Light, not far from the Light Shrine, in fact. So it shouldn't be a surprise that Koji might well be the last one of the entire group, the missing four included, to get his spirit.
That said, just as there are 10 Human Spirits, one for each element, so too are there 10 Beast Spirits, one per element, which are much, MUCH, stronger than the Human Spirits. And apart from that, there's also the ability to Fusion Evolve, which again only Takuya and Koji were able to do before.
However, unlike Unified Spirit Evolution, all 10 of the Legendary Warriors are capable of achieving Fusion Evolution, though the two that did achieve it mainly did so through divine intervention by Seraphimon's egg, which I was keeping safe at the time so he could safely be reborn. So I think this time, it's possible that all 10 of the Spirit Wielders, with sufficient resolve and determination, should be able to achieve Fusion Evolution. And maybe even this time there could be two other warriors to achieve Unified Spirit Evolution.
The last time, Ophanimon used the last of her power to choose Koji and Takuya's D-Tectors to upgrade to utilize that power, but this time there shouldn't be any such desperation at play to force a hurried upgrade. But that's a ways off, to be sure. Back on topic, Cherubimon, before he was reborn and purified, turned on Seraphimon and Ophanimon.
And because each of the three Celestial Digimon had been entrusted with some of the spirits, the spirits that Cherubimon was safeguarding were corrupted by his fall to darkness, causing corrupt versions of the warriors of Water, Darkness, Earth, Wood and Steel to appear and terrorize the five non-corrupted Legendary Warriors, eventually leading to some final stand-offs where four of the five were ultimately destroyed and purified, with Velgemon/Duskmon being spared as a result of how Koji freed Koichi from their control.
In the end, Koichi's iron will and determination allowed him to purify the Spirits of Darkness, allowing him to awaken the true Spirits of Darkness, one of which you've already seen in the form of Loweemon, the Human Spirit of Darkness. However, the corrupted warriors of Earth, Wood, Water and Steel, in that order, were destroyed and purified by either the Legendary Warriors or by the other corrupted Warriors. And to be honest, you've already fought and re-purified one of the four in the form of Ranamon, who you yourself defeated when you gained the ability to Spirit Evolve into Zyramon, Lumine.
So that leaves 3 other corrupted Warriors that are acting as safeguards for the remaining purified spirits. Technically, there were supposed to be four, but for whatever reason, Duskmon and Velgemon weren't revived with the other four, so they enlisted another Digimon to guard the Darkness Spirit.
Apart from Ranamon and Duskmon, the remaining three corrupted Warriors are Grumblemon, corrupted Warrior of Earth, Arbormon, corrupted warrior of Wood, and Mercurymon, corrupted warrior of Steel. In addition, each of those corrupted Warriors has a corrupted Beast-Warrior form as well. For earth, Gigasmon is the corrupted Beast-Warrior, Petaldramon for Wood, Calmaramon for Water, and Sakkakumon for Steel. Velgemon is the corrupted Beast-Warrior of Darkness.
So whoever is intended to inherit the purified spirits of Earth, Wood and Steel will have a very tough fight on their hands to get their spirits. But if they're as tough as you are, which you are definitely tough to be able to defeat Ranamon, they should be fine. Does that answer your questions?" Bokomon asked Lumine, who nodded as she spoke up, surprised by all that Bokomon had told her.
"Yeah, actually, it did. Though, if those five spirits you listed were Cherubimon's, which ones were Seraphimon's and which were Ophanimon's?" Lumine asked, now curious to hear the answer to that question. Bokomon smiled as he spoke up.
"That's a good question. From what I recall, Ophanimon was entrusted with the spirits of Flame, Thunder and Ice, while Seraphimon was entrusted with the spirits of Wind and Light, if I recall correctly. So that makes it all the more interesting in my opinion that she chose one of the spirits she was entrusted with and one of the spirits that Serpahimon was entrusted with to empower with the ability to both Unified Spirit Evolve, and later Ancient Spirit Evolve.
However, keep in mind that the latter requires a group effort to do since it requires all 20 Spirits, 10 Human and 10 Beast Spirits, to execute an Ancient Spirit Evolution, but when successful, the strongest of all the Spirit Evolutions is achieved, and the Digimon that comes about as a result is one that not even Lucemon could defeat. But I'll leave that at that for now." Bokomon said as Lumine nodded her understanding, seeing how that made sense as she spoke up.
"I see. So, as it stands now, we'll have to link up with the other group at some point in order for us to reach our fullest potential as Spirit Wielders. Is that correct?" Lumine asked Bokomon, who nodded as Koji spoke up, smiling happily at Lumine as he spoke up.
"Exactly. Granted, with JP's D-Tector presently unaccounted for, that might make pulling off the Ancient Spirit Evolution next to impossible until it's located. But that's not going to happen for awhile anyways, since I doubt we have all 10 Human Spirits yet, never mind all 10 Beast Spirits. So that's not gonna happen for awhile yet regardless." Koji said sagely to Lumine, who nodded her understanding as Koichi spoke up.
"I do notice that out of our group, only Koji is missing his Spirit. So I'd guess that at least a couple of people in the bigger group also don't have their Spirits yet." Koichi mused, as Koji and Lumine nodded. Koji then spoke up once more.
"I like how we started this out as a get-to-know-you type setup, but it turned into a deep-seeded discussion about the lore of the Digital World, and of the Legendary Warriors in particular. Though it is an interesting topic, in fairness, I'm not sure if it's the type of topic that is meant to be discussed at too much length, if that makes sense." Koiji said as Lumine nodded, quickly looking over to see that the campfire needed stoked a bit, so she tossed some more wood onto it to make it bigger before she spoke up once more.
"I agree, Koji. Plus, I think we said something about either roasting marshmallows, or making s'mores as well. Although, did any of us bring the ingredients for either of those?" Lumine said, frowning as she realized that none of them might have brought marshmallows, or the ingredients for s'mores. Koichi smirked as he spoke up.
"Fortunately, Koji thought ahead and actually did buy the ingredients for s'mores, though I'm not sure if the chocolate might have melted by now or not." Koichi said, frowning in realization as Koji looked at his bag, where surprisingly the chocolate was still intact, seemingly. Koji them smiled.
"Nope, still intact, though we'll know for sure once we open it if it's melted or not." Koji said warily, opening the chocolate, only to be relieved when it wasn't melted. He then got out the marshmallows and graham crackers, helping himself, Koichi, and Lumine make s'mores which they then put on sticks to roast over the campfire. As they roasted their s'mores, Koji, Koichi, and Lumine spent some time getting to know one another. After a bit, their s'mores were ready, so they happily ate them, savoring the taste of the s'mores. After they finished, the trio leaned back and enjoyed the warmth of the campfire, Lumine somewhat leaning into Koji without realizing it.
This one subconscious decision by Lumine had the result of making Koji smile, as he gently put an arm around her waist as she leaned against him, ignoring the knowing smirk on Koichi's face as he watched the two leaned into one another. Even if they were in denial, Koichi could see the easily-apparent chemistry and/or connection between his younger brother and Lumine. After a bit, the moment was somewhat shattered by Lumine yawning slightly as she stretched, forgetting she was leaned against Koji as she stretched, making her lean more into Koji as a result. After finishing her stretch, and keeping her face from flushing in embarrassment as she registered the close proximity she was in to Koji, Lumine spoke up.
"Huh, didn't realize we'd been enjoying the campfire for so long." Lumine said as she stood up to stretch her legs a bit, Koji nodding agreeably as he spoke up.
"True. So I suppose we should get the tent set up, and the sleeping bags, so that when we're ready, we can get settled for the night." Koji said, as Koichi nodded agreeably.
"Exactly. Have fun sharing a sleeping bag, you two. Hopefully it won't be TOO cozy for you two." Koichi joked as Lumine frowned, huffing before she pouted cutely.
"You're hilarious, Koichi. Koji, don't let either of us forget to give Koichi this much grief when he finds himself a girl to like." Lumine said huffily as Koji nodded and spoke up.
"Got it. And for the record, you shouldn't get so bothered by his comments, Lumine. Odds are we won't do anything more than lay together, maybe cuddle if the mood strikes, though it'll probably just be laying together." Koji said, his cheeks going slightly red at his own mention of cuddling, making Lumine giggle at the sight of a pink-faced Koji.
"Good point, Koji. You're right." Lumine said, smiling at Koji gratefully. After that, the trio set up the tent and the sleeping bags, before getting comfortable for the night...
(meanwhile, back with Takuya's group)
"Heh, that was fun, or as much fun as roasting s'mores and getting to know one another can be." Sorina said with an amused smile on her face as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Agreed. Though I think it would've probably been a bit more fun if the rest of the Wielders were present, since from what you've said about them, they probably would've made things even livelier than they already were. Unless what Takuya and Zoe said about Koji and Koichi is inaccurate, which I doubt." Kusa said sagely, smirking at the shocked looks on both Zoe and Takuya's face at Kusa's remark, the former giving Kusa a sly smirk as she spoke up.
"Would I steer you wrong, Kusa?" Zoe asked Kusa, intentionally batting her eyelashes a bit for effect, enjoying the subtle traces of red on Kusa's face as he looked at her, sputtering as he spoke up.
"No, you wouldn't. I apologize for implying that you would. I was more trying to err on the side of caution with my remark." Kusa said, smirking as he kept speaking.
"Then again, you'd never do anything to mislead me, Zoe. So of course I trust you implicitly, o cute and wise butterfly of Wind." Kusa said teasingly, his words referring to how markedly similar Kazemon looked to a butterfly or a sprite/pixie, smiling at the effect his words had on Zoe, in the form of her blushing prettily at the mixed compliment/playful teasing from Kusa, smirking as she spoke up while playfully punching Kusa in the arm while she spoke.
"You're lucky you're the one that said that, Kusa. I wouldn't let most people get away with such a corny line, you know." Zoe said as Kusa blinked but nodded as Sorina giggled and spoke up, smirking at the embarrassed look on Kusa's face while she spoke.
"We know you two are obvious, but get a tent if you're going to hit on each other!" Sorina joked as Takuya and Shinya laughed while both Kusa and Zoe blushed in embarrassment, and Tommy frowned at Sorina's remark before he spoke up.
"Were they really flirting with each other, though? Granted, Kusa's remark was pretty similar to flirting, but I think he was teasing Zoe, not flirting with her. So unless I'm naive, I think your definition of flirting might be a bit flawed, Sorina." Tommy said with a shrug. Takuya nodded as he spoke up, clearly agreeing with Tommy.
"I have to agree with Tommy on this one, to be honest. Besides, I think Tommy and I have known Zoe long enough that we know she's not the type to rush into anything, least of all liking someone. Sure, she and Kusa seem cozy together, but I think that's just her trying to figure out exactly what, if anything, she feels for him. Plus, I recall more than once that Kusa's said he's not rushing into anything either, so I feel that Sorina's flirting remark is a bit off the mark, if admittedly hilarious." Takuya said, smirking as both Kusa and Sorina blinked at Takuya's remark, before the former spoke up in surprise.
"Exactly, Takuya. You get it! And Sorina, you have no room to taunt Zoe and I about being cozy when I've seen you checking Takuya out. So kindly worry about your own love life before you try to comment on the love lives of others." Kusa said bluntly, Zoe nodding her agreement with a smile. Sorina shrugged as she spoke up.
"Fair enough. Well, I suppose we should start getting settled in for the night, yeah? After all, we've got our sleeping arrangements sorted out, and our tents are set up. So we might as well get settled, am I right?" Sorina said as the others nodded, getting comfortable in their allocated sleeping bags after putting out the fire.
In tent 1, Sorina and Takuya got comfortable, eventually managing to make their shared sleeping bag work. In Tent 2, Tommy and Shinya got comfortable fairly quickly. Meanwhile, in Tent 3, Zoe and Kusa got laid down in their sleeping bag, eventually realizing that due to the limited room in their sleeping bag, they were likely going to have to cuddle to both fit in the sleeping bag, making them both look at each other in embarrassment before Kusa eventually spoke up.
"Why are we acting like this, Zoe? We can handle sharing a sleeping bag, I'm sure? I mean, it's not like we're doing anything other than laying together, right?" Kusa said as Zoe nodded, smliing as she spoke up.
"Exactly. And to be honest, I'm more excited than I am embarrassed right now since I feel like we'll fit together rather nicely." Zoe said as Kusa nodded.
"I'm sure we will, Zoe. I'm sure we will." Kusa said before smiling as he wrapped his arms gently around Zoe as he gently cuddled her to him, making her blink before smiling as she relaxed into it, speaking up happily.
"Oh yeah, that's definitely nice. Maybe we should try not to get TOO used to this, in case we end up reliant on it." Zoe said as Kusa nodded and spoke up.
"Agreed. I'll admit though, this does feel rather nice. You can feel free to tell me, though, if you get uncomfortable with this." Kusa said to Zoe, who nodded as she let herself enjoy being held by Kusa as the two laid together before eventually dozing off...
(Meanwhile, elsewhere with Avril)
"I see. So according to that sign, the Thunder Shrine is this direction. Interesting...Maybe I'll find that Spirit easier than I thought?" Avril said to herself, following a sign that said that the Thunder Shrine was to the east of her current location, continuing to walk eastward, not noticing the trio of tents set up nearby as she kept walking...
(Back with Koji's group)
"Well, this is rather cozy, if also rather nice. Don't you agree, Koji?" Lumine said to Koji, who nodded as he spoke up.
"I do agree, Lumine. Not sure why we let Koichi have the tent, but I suppose sleeping under the stars with you is rather nice as well." Koji said, smiling as he let himself gently slide an arm around Lumine's waist to gently cuddle her close to him, making her blink as she turned to face him, before smiling as she let herself be held by Koji.
"I'd have preferred if you'd warned me you were going to do that, Koji, so I could've been more prepared for it. But that said, this is nice, so I don't mind it." Lumine said happily, relaxing as she let her head rest on Koji's shoulder, smiling as she looked into his eyes before giggling at how red his face had gotten at Lumine laying her head on his shoulder. Koji eventually spoke up, smiling as he looked at Lumine.
"Sorry. And also, I'm surprised you're comfortable enough to lay your head on my shoulder like that, Lumine. But I'm also glad you're comfortable enough with me for that." Koji said as he smiled before gently tucking some stray strands of blonde hair behind Lumine's ear so he could look into her eyes more easily, smiling at how pretty she looked in the moonlight, letting himself enjoy having her in his arms like this. As Lumine smiled before relaxing into Koji's hold, the two peacefully dozed off, content in that moment. Unbeknownst to them, Koichi had seen their little cuddle session, and smiled at how comfortable they were with each other before heading back into his tent for the night, Bokomon and Neemon getting comfortable in a nearby tree...
(A short time later with Takuya's group, in a dream, Kusa's POV)
I frowned as I looked around, not sure why I was back in the real world when I was in the Digital World when I'd fallen asleep. I then took a look around to assess my surroundings, blinking as I realized I was in a place I'd been in before. I then had my eyes go wide when I also realized I was flashing back to a night I'd not thought I would relieve anymore. Yet, as I looked ahead of me, there was no doubt I was reliving that night, since the burning building I was looking at was very hard to mistake for anything else. I sighed, as I recalled the night that a electrical fire took someone very close to me away.
(Flashback, around 5 years prior, still Kusa's POV)
I'd gone out to do some shopping with my older sister, at her request, when we found out that a fire had broken out at a building nearby, and I gasped when I heard the address it was at, as it so happened to be the address that a girl I'd had a crush on lived at. My sister and I hurried to the address, but by the time we'd gotten there, the house was engulfed, and the firefighters were hauling out a body on a stretcher.
Even though most of the body was covered by the body bag, the delicate wrist poking out of the bag (which was surprisingly not that badly burnt) had a very familiar charm bracelet on it, one I'd made for her not that long before as a birthday present with my sister's help, since she happened to be good at making charm bracelets. I then looked down at the figure, gently putting my hand in hers, gently squeezing it as I sighed.
"Why did you have to be taken away so young, Phina? You were too young to die like this. Rest in peace." I said sadly, gently pressing a kiss to the back of the too-still hand, sighing as I spoke up once more.
"Goodbye, Phina. Too bad you went out like this, since I was actually about ready to tell you how I feel about you, but now I'll never get that chance. Oh well, it is what it is. Thanks for being a good friend. Know that I love you, and probably always will. I hope you find peace in the next life." I said before letting go of her hand and walking away from Phina, or Seraphina as her full first name was, for the last time. As I walked back over to my older sister, I just smiled at her before I spoke up.
"Sorry for running off on you like that, sis. I had to see for myself that she was gone, though. It was so sudden, I doubt I'd have believed it otherwise. She was too young though." I said, blinking back the tears I felt coming as I let myself acknowledge that my first real crush was gone. My sister just smiled as she gently pulled me into a one-armed hug.
"She might be gone, but she'll always be with you in here, Kusa." My sister said to me, gently tapping the area of my chest where my heart was. I nodded to her.
"I realize that, sis, but even so, that doesn't make this any less painful to accept. And I very much doubt you'd be any better off had you been me, and it was YOUR crush being hauled away on that stretcher in a body bag." I said harshly, before wincing and speaking up.
"Sorry, that was uncalled for by me. But the fact remains, you can't really prepare for something like this." I said as my sister nodded and we walked away...
(Flashback end)
I sighed as I looked at this building again. I then spoke out loud, voicing my confusion.
"Why am I flashing back on this night, now of all times? That was five years ago. Yes, I know, that sort of pain doesn't really go away, but I'd like to think I've come to terms with it? So why am I having a dream about that night!? It makes no sense!" I said to myself. I then blinked as I heard another voice answer me.
"Have you REALLY come to terms with it, though, Kusa? Or have you been lying to yourself this whole time? Your spirit may be that of the Legendary Warrior of Steel, but that doesn't mean you can deceive yourself like this. A true warrior confronts his demons head-on and comes to terms with them. Otherwise, you'll have a difficult time mastering your spirit, which is actually quite near where you are now, in the Steel Shrine.
But be prepared for a harsh reality check when you go to claim your spirit. Otherwise you'll be hard-pressed to be able to handle its' power...handle MY power." I heard, as I turned around, my eyes going wide again as I saw what looked to be a metallic knight looking at me through narrowed gold eyes that stood out from their mostly-green armor, the reddish-silver shield on one arm and golden hilt of the sword sheathed in a green sheath on the knight's hip being the only other parts of the knight's armor that weren't green. I then spoke up in shock, disbelief and even a bit of awe.
"No...are you...Are you my...?" I asked, as the knight nodded and spoke up, the tone of their, or rather his, voice telling me that the knight was in fact a male as he spoke, looking into my eyes as he did so.
"That's right, Kusa. I'm the embodiment of the true Legendary Warrior of Steel. At this time, you're not ready to hear my name, but when the time is right, you'll know it instinctively, when you call it out as you turn into me for the first time. Also, don't feel held back by your inability to let go of your lost love. As a wise person once said, 'one never really forgets their first love.'
So, that means that you'll always care for that girl to some extent, even if you do inevitably let yourself move on with another, perhaps the girl you're currently laying as you sleep? You seem to enjoy her company enough for it. But, I wonder. Will you be able to let go of your uncertainties so you can move on? Or will your inability to let go of what you've lost cost you another chance at happiness?" The knight, or the Warrior of Steel as he'd identified himself, said to me, before leaving at that point, leaving me to ponder what he'd said as I let myself be lost in thought for a moment.
"Is he right? Am I hurting myself by not allowing myself to let go of Phina and move on? Sure, she and I never really had a chance, but at the same time, do I really want to completely let her go, just so I can move on? Surely there's a way I can keep her memory alive, but not let it prove costly to me? I wonder..." I thought to myself as I sat and pondered that for awhile...
(Back in the waking world, neutral POV)
Kusa sat up slowly, looking relieved as he saw Zoe still contentedly dozing off, looking dreamily content as she rested against him, making Kusa smile as he looked at her, admiring how pretty she looked when sleeping, especially with the faint hints of light that entered their tent hitting off Zoe's hair, making it seem to glow in the light, giving it a sort of shine that otherwise wasn't present, making Kusa smile as he gently pressed a kiss to Zoe's cheek before carefully dislodging himself from Zoe's grip and walking quietly out of the tent so as not to wake her.
Once outside the tent, Kusa stretched a bit before pulling out his D-Tector, and once he did so, he blinked, as sure enough, just as the Warrior of Steel had said in his dream, it was beeping to signify that his Spirit was somewhere nearby, making him nod as he decided to head out on his own to find his Spirit, figuring that his dream was probably a message that he had to confront whatever challenge his Spirit posed alone. So resolved, he quickly wrote a note for Zoe, left it on his pillow for Zoe to find, and walked off to follow the signal of his Spirit...
(A short time later, at the campsite of Takuya's group)
Takuya sat up slowly and stretched as he woke up, smiling down as he saw Sorina laid down still, cutely sprawled out next to him, making Takuya smile as he gently tucked the sleeping bag over her sleeping form as he went outside to stretch a bit, frowning slightly as he noticed that Kusa and Zoe's tent was open, which struck him as odd, making him look inside, only to gasp as he saw that Zoe was in the tent alone, making him frown as he realized Kusa wasn't there. He briefly considered waking the group to look for him, before he saw the note on Kusa's pillow, considering reading it before he saw that it had Zoe's name on it and deciding against it, walking back out of the tent at that point as he decided to go sit outside for a bit and take in the morning air.
Unbeknownst to Takuya, right as he walked out of the tent, Zoe had slowly started to stir, probably having been woken from the involuntary gasp that Takuya had made when he realized Kusa wasn't there. Zoe then stretched as she looked around, stopping short as she realized she was alone, making her blink as she wondered where Kusa was. Right as she went to reach for the blanket to see if he was sleeping under it, her hand felt the note on the pillow, blinking as she saw her name on it, and opening it.
It read as thus:
"Zoe, if you're reading this note, then I'm likely already headed off, but I wanted to leave you this to let you know I woke up fairly early and my D-Tector was beeping to signal that my Spirit was nearby, so I decided to go look for it on my own, since I had something of an interesting dream that leads me to believe that I have to handle whatever trial awaits me as I claim my Spirit on my own.
But I also didn't want you worrying that pretty head of yours if you woke up and I wasn't there, so I left you this to let you know I was safe and not to worry. I'll be back once I get my Spirit. Sorry for leaving without a word, but this was something I felt I had to do. See you when I return! -Love, Kusa." The note read, making Zoe smile as she saw the signature, seeing where Kusa had almost scratched out Love to put another word then changed his mind last-second and decided to leave it in, figuring Zoe wouldn't mind, which she didn't, since she thought it was sweet he signed the note that way.
Zoe also trusted Kusa to know what he was doing, even if she'd hoped he wouldn't do so alone. Having seen the note, she fixed her outfit to make sure it was decent before walking out of the tent to look at the morning sun, admiring how pretty it was as she sat down, unaware that she wasn't the only one up. However, she would find out quickly she wasn't alone, as Takuya smirked and spoke up.
"Oh, morning Zoe. I hope I didn't wake you when I got up. I saw that you and Kusa's tent was open, but that he wasn't there. I wonder why?" Takuya said as Zoe smiled and spoke up.
"According to the note he left me, he apparently had something of a rough dream that woke him up, at which point his D-Tector started beeping to signal that his Spirit was nearby, so he decided to go off on his own to find it. Something to do with wanting to overcome whatever trial his Spirit had for him alone. I can only guess that whatever dream he had must have really unnerved him for him to decide on that." Zoe said as Takuya nodded.
"I agree. But at least if he succeeds, we'll have one more Spirit in our possession. Would I have preferred that Fire was our next spirit? Probably, but I suppose it's just as good that it's Steel, since it's Kusa's. And if I'm being honest, I'm kind of curious to see what the purified Human and/or Beast Warriors of Steel will look like." Takuya said as Zoe nodded, smiling as she spoke up.
"True, and I'm sure with Kusa as the wielder, they'll be quite pleasant to look at." Zoe said without thinking, making Takuya smirk as he looked at Zoe.
"HA! I knew it! You think Kusa's pleasant to look at? Does that mean you like him?" Takuya asked Zoe, who huffed as she punched Takuya playfully in the arm before frowning while she spoke up in an embarrassed tone.
"Shut up, Takuya! And honestly, I don't know. I like him as a friend, I know that much. But at the same time, last night felt rather, for lack of a better term, right to me. So maybe I do like him? I'm not sure yet. I'll have to think about that." Zoe said honestly, making Takuya nod as he smiled at Zoe.
"Fair enough. I'll stop teasing you, then. For what it's worth though? I think you and he would make a cute couple, even if I do tease you both about it a lot. But I also get the sense that Kusa has his own issues to deal with before he might be ready to even consider being with you, Zoe. But that's not your fault, any more than it's his. It's probably just some stuff he's dealt with in his past that we shouldn't pry into. So all we can do is trust that he knows what he's doing." Takuya said wisely, making Zoe smile and nod as she spooke up.
"True. Speaking of cute couples, I'm surprised Sorina didn't wake up with you. Is she still worn out in the tent? Or did you just let her get some extra sleep like the gentleman you can be?" Zoe asked Takuya, who actually blushed slightly at that before speaking up.
"Definitely the latter of those two. I woke up and she was still asleep. She looked so peaceful, and pretty, while she slept that I couldn't bring myself to wake her, so I just let her sleep some more. And yes Zoe, I think Sorina is pretty. Does that mean I like her as more than a friend? Not necessarily. But at the same time, she and I only just met recently, so it's much too soon to decide something like if I have feelings for Sorina or not.
For now, I just want to be her friend and let things proceed naturally on whatever course they're meant to proceed along. If that means she and I realize down the road that we have feelings for one another, then great. If it doesn't, then also great. I'll just follow her lead, I suppose, where it comes to her and I. But we were talking about you and Kusa, not me and Sorina. Speaking of still asleep, I wonder how late my brother and Shinya were up for last night?" Takuya said as Zoe giggled and spoke up.
"Probably not that much later than the rest of us. I don't think Shinya's the type to stay up late, Takuya. And I know for a fact Tommy's not a night owl. So they should be up soon enough, if I had to guess, along with Sorina." Zoe said. Right after Zoe finished speaking, as if summoned by Zoe mentioning her, Sorina chose that moment to sleepily walk out of the tent she shared with Takuya, stretching in a catlike, but cute, manner as she smiled at Zoe and Takuya and sat down with them, still yawning slightly as she spoke up in a conversational tone.
"Morning, you two. You been up for very long?" Sorina asked as Zoe smiled and spoke up.
"No, not that long at all. We were just having a talk about some things while we wait for Kusa to return from going to get his Spirit. Apparently, he set out on his own while we were all sleeping after being woken up by a rough dream he'd had." Zoe said as Sorina blinked as she spoke up.
"Huh, I wonder what the dream was about that bothered him so much? Given how stoic and unbothered Kusa usually acts, I'm surprised he let a dream bother him." Sorina said as Zoe huffed at Sorina and spoke up.
"Sorina? You do realize we've only known you and Kusa for all of a couple days at most, right? So how can you say you know what he's like at all that quickly?" Zoe asked with a frown as Sorina blinked before speaking up.
"Oh, that was just a guess, Zoe. But if he's looking for his Spirit, odds are he's heading to the Steel Shrine, given that you and Takuya said that most of the Spirits are usually in the Shrine that corresponds to that Spirit's element, the only exception thus far being the Spirit of Earth, according to what Takuya said of how Shinya got his Spirit." Sorina said as Shinya and Tommy chose that moment to walk out of their tent, both yawning as they saw Zoe, Shinya and Takuya sitting together as they sat with them.
"Morning, you three. Didn't think you'd all be up so early." Tommy said as Shinya nodded, before blinking as he noticed that not everyone was present, making him speak up.
"Where's Kusa? Is he still asleep?" Shinya asked as Takuya turned to Shinya and spoke up.
"To make a long story short, he went to find his Spirit. Apparently, he had a dream that made him think he needed to do so on his own, so we're waiting for him to come back. Though if I'm being honest, I think we should start breaking down camp and heading towards the Steel Shrine so we can keep moving once he gets his Spirit, rather than have to wait for him to get back here." Takuya said as Shinya and Zoe blinked at this before the latter nodded and spoke up, looking at Takuya as she spoke.
"I actually agree with that, since while I trust Kusa to handle himself, it might not be that easy, since if I recall correctly, Mercurymon was the corrupted Warrior of Steel, so it's very possible this was a trap set by him to try and force a battle with Kusa to test his worthiness to be the new Warrior of Steel. After all, you and I, as well as Tommy, know full well how much of a formidable and cunning opponent Mercurymon ultimately proved to be, even with just his Human Spirit. If not for you gaining the power of Aldamon, we might not have defeated Mercurymon before.
And that's not even taking into account the combined effort that all five of us who were there at the time had to put out to defeat Sakkakumon later on. So I can easily see Mercurymon trying to set a trap to test, and possibly dispose of, Kusa while he's alone. So I agree we should probably head to him, in case he gets in over his head. I think he can handle himself, but having back-up if needed is never a bad idea. And if I'm being honest? I don't much enjoy the thought of us losing one of us this early on in our current run, especially if it's Kusa." Zoe said, ignoring the knowing smirks on Takuya and Sorina's face as she flushed in embarrassment at her own admission before Tommy nodded his agreement and spoke up, smiling at Zoe as he spoke.
"I agree. Granted, I don't think the corrupted Beast Spirits were revived just yet, since we're still gathering the Human Spirits, so I doubt we have to worry about Sakkakumon quite yet. But I could be wrong. That said, we should be ready to go to him, if only to give him moral support while he faces his trial. After all, he's one of us, just as Sorina, Shinya and whoever ends up being our Warrior of Water are, even if they weren't in our group the first time around. I still consider them to be part of our group. And once our group is fully assembled, we'll be tough to beat, especially once we all have our Spirits." Tommy said sagely as both Takuya and Shinya nodded their agreement.
At that point, the group started breaking down their tents carefully, putting them away for later use and starting to make their way towards the Steel Shrine, using their D-Tectors to follow the silver dot that was likely Kusa's D-Tector as it headed towards another blinking silvery-grey dot, likely as not the Human Spirit of Steel...
(Around that same time, with Koji's group)
As her eyes slowly fluttered open, Lumine looked around, realizing she was out in the open, before noticing a tree nearby, and remembering she was camping, before looking down and smiling as she saw the arm wrapped around her waist, remembering she'd shared a sleeping bag with Koji the night before, turning to look happily into Koji's eyes, admiring how handsome he looked as he slept. Lumine softly smiled as she looked Koji over, his bandanna set down on the ground next to their shared sleeping bag as his long black hair fell loosely around his shoulders, since he'd also taken his hair out of its' ponytail, making Lumine smile as she giggled quietly and let herself tuck some loose strands of black hair behind Koji's ears so she could look into his eyes, smiling at how oddly comfortable she was doing so.
As she did so, Lumine noticed in intrigue that Koji's eyes were somewhere between a dark brown and black in color, making her wonder how she'd never noticed it before, but shrugging as she just herself lay next to Koji, being in no hurry to get up. Lumine then let herself set her head gently on Koji's shoulder once more, not minding that she was basically laying with him as she enjoyed the closeness to him.
After laying that way for a bit, she felt Koji lightly move around as he started waking up, groaning lightly as he looked up, smiling as he noticed the head rested on his shoulders, making him smile as he gently ran a hand through Lumine's blonde hair to get her attention, making her blush as she realized Koji was up and smiling at him.
"Oh, sorry. I didn't realize you were awake, Koji. You just looked really cute sleeping, so I couldn't help myself and decided to just lay with you a bit since laying next to you feels somehow right, which is odd since we've not known each other that long, but it still feels that way." Lumine said shyly, as Koji smiled and spoke up.
"That's because we go together like this naturally, Lumine. And to be honest, I think we both like each other. But as you said, we've only just met each other so we shouldn't be in a rush for it to be anything more than friendship if we're not ready for that." Koji said as Lumine nodded, acknowledging that he was right as she spoke.
"Agreed. I'm not sure if I want us to be more than friends just yet anyways, but I don't mind casually cuddling with you like this and stuff. It's rather nice. Plus, if I'm being honest? That was some of the best sleep I've had in a long time, laying with you last night. So I could definitely get used to that if I had to." Lumine said happily as Koji nodded and spoke up.
"Good, glad to hear it. But I suppose we should get up and start moving around in case Koichi, Bokomon, and Neemon are already up and waiting on us to get up." Koji pointed out as Lumine flushed in embarrassment, having not thought of that but nodded her agreement as she spoke up.
"Good point, Koji. Let's get going." Lumine said, getting up and starting to stretch a bit, making Koji oddly disappointed to see her get up, though he wasn't sure why that was. As they got up and started moving around, Lumine blinked as she checked her D-Tector, seeing a blinking green icon on the screen that she surmised was probably the Spirit of Thunder, which another green dot was heading towards, making Lumine gasp as she realized it was probably JP's missing D-Tector she was getting a signal from. Lumine then spoke up.
"Koji, look! I think this is pointing towards JP's D-Tector and the Spirit of Thunder!" Lumine said as Koji looked and gaped as he saw that Lumine was right. At that point, Koichi exited the tent, blinking at the sight of Koji and Lumine looking at Lumine's D-Tector.
"Whatcha guys looking at?" Koichi asked as Lumine turned to Koichi.
"Morning, Koichi. I think I may have gotten a signal from the missing D-Tector that was swiped from my purse, as well as the signal of the Spirit of Thunder. My guess is that we'll find both if we head towards the Thunder Shrine." Lumine said as Koji and Koichi nodded, the three breaking down the tent and putting the sleeping bags away as Bokomon and Neemon woke up, and once they'd been filled in, the group headed towards the Thunder Shrine...
(Some time later, at the Shrine of Steel, with Kusa)
"Huh, so this is the Shrine of Steel. I thought it'd be, I dunno, flashier somehow?" Kusa mused to himself, nearly jumping in shock as a voice answered him, since he'd figured the Shrine to be abandoned.
"Heh! Is that truly what thou thinketh? If so, then thou art a fool! The Shrine of Steel is by no means a flashy place! Simply put, the Shrine of Steel is a place for the wielder of Steel to reflect on themselves, come to terms with their greatest demons, and be able to truly be at one with their true self. And only by being able to face whatever hardship is reflected within, can the intended wielder of Steel truly prove their worthiness to wield the powers of the Warrior of Steel." Kusa heard as he looked around.
"That voice...Are you the Warrior of Steel?" Kusa asked, wondering if it was the same voice from his dream. The mocking laughter that accompanied the voice's answer, however, told a much different story.
"Art thou serious!? Me, the Warrior of Steel? Don't be absurd! I may be a Warrior of Steel, but I don't think I'm the one you seek. No, I, Mercurymon, am here as a failsafe planted by the Celestial Digimon themselves in order to ensure that any who wouldst dare lay claim to the Human Spirit of Steel must verily prove their worth first. So, if thou hast the courage to undertake this trial, then proceed.
However, thou shouldst be aware, the hall thou must travel to reach the Spirit is one known for making all who walk it face their greatest hardships and roughest personal demons, so don't expect an easy time of it getting thy Spirit, Kusa Nakinori." The voice, now identified as being Mercurymon, said to Kusa, who winced, but nodded as he spoke up.
"I see. Well, I came here to claim my Spirit, so I can't back down from this trial. No matter how daunting and tough it is, I will find the strength to overcome it." Kusa said as he started walking down the hallway to find his Spirit. As he did so, Kusa winced as he saw familiar faces from his past reflected on the mirror-like walls as he walked, ranging from his older sister, to his friends from school, to even include his lost friends, most notably Seraphina, who appeared to Kusa's surprise even though she was little more than a spirit, making Kusa gasp as he spoke up.
"Wh-What!? No way! Phina!? But how!? You're dead! I saw your burnt body hauled out of that building all those years ago! Is this your ghost?" Kusa asked as Seraphina looked at Kusa, giving him a haunting look as she spoke up.
"I am dead, Kusa. However, because you're having such a hard time letting go of me, I'm left to linger, unable to move on fully because there are some who still keep me tethered here due to how suddenly I passed. Or in more simplified terms, your inability to let me go is keeping me tethered to this plane as a ghost. Kusa, you need to learn to let me go, otherwise you'll never be able to reach your full potential, both as a man and as a Spirit Wielder! So, are you prepared to fight?" Seraphina said as she pulled out a similar D-Tector, to Kusa's, as to his horror, a Spirit went into her D-Tector, allowing her to Spirit Evolve into Mercurymon, albeit a more feminine version.
"Prepare thyself, fool! I, ShadowOphanimon, shall be thy executioner unless thou canst manage to find the will to overcome me, as well as accept the truth of thy past. Only then can thee truly prove thyself worthy of the Spirit of Steel." The now-named ShadowOphanimon said as Kusa frowned, before sighing as he spoke up.
"Perhaps you're right. Perhaps I AM letting myself be held back by not being able to say goodbye to you, Phina. But you know what? I only feel that way because you died so suddenly, before I had a chance to tell you how I really felt about you! Dammit Phina, I loved you! I think I've loved you for some time, but obviously you're gone now, so I have to accept that you and I will never have a chance to find out if we were meant to be, much less if you might have felt the same way about me.
So I'm sorry that I let myself hold on to my feelings for you, since they gave me the strength to keep going after you passed away! But you are right about one thing, Phina. I have to accept that you're gone, and that you're not coming back! Otherwise, I can't let myself move on, and enjoy my life as it is now!
Never mind possibly finding another to fall for, and be happy with. So I apologize whole-heartedly to you Seraphina, but know this! If, as you say, defeating you in battle is the only way to reach my potential, both as a man AND as a Spirit Wielder?
Then that's what I'm gonna do, spirit or no spirit! I have friends waiting for me, and I can't afford to let them down! Especially when they're counting on me to find that Spirit so we can be at full strength!" Kusa said resolutely, as his D-Tector slid into his hand, that hand going up in time to point at a mirror that was shining to his right, gasping as a Spirit came from said mirror, heading right for Kusa's D-Tector, and making Kusa's eyes go wide as he recognized the face of the Spirit as the one from his dream. As it went into his D-Tector, Kusa saw a new symbol appear on it, as his detector spoke up, saying three simple words that made Kusa smile.
"IT IS TIME." Kusa's D-Tector said as Kusa nodded, hefting his D-Tector in his right hand as a ring of data materialized over his left and he quickly swiped the ring across the D-Tector as he spoke up, a resolute look on his face as he started the process of Spirit Evolving, while the screen cut to a full shot of him swiping his hand across his D-Tector.
"EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION!" Kusa called out as his Spirit Evolution started, the Spirit appearing and splitting into pieces that fitted themselves to Kusa's form, causing a cocoon of data to appear around Kusa as he Spirit Evolved, and when the cocoon went away, in Kusa's place stood a metallic-looking knight with forest-green armor, a green helmet with golden horns and a green half-mask that went over his face, metallic dark green boots, matching gauntlets, and a red and silver beam shield over his left arm, while his right arm reached to the green sheath on his left hip, withdrawing a shining silver blade with a golden hilt from the sheath, hefting it in both hands as he stood proud, finishing the Spirit Evolution and declaring his new name proudly.
"HAH! HEH-HA-HA, MAGNUSMON!" The now-named Magnusmon said as his Spirit Evolution finished and he stared down ShadowOphanimon challengingly.
"Well, ShadowOphanimon? You wanted to face me at my best? YOU GOT YOUR WISH! EN GARDE!" Magnusmon said as he brandished his sword protectively, right as Takuya, Zoe, Tommy, Sorina and Shinya filed into the hall, gasping at the sight of a darkened Ophanimon (which only Takuya, Zoe, and Tommy actually recognized) as she spoke up.
"Excellent! I was hoping that thou wouldst be able to overcome thy personal demons and hardship, and prove thy worth as a Spirit Wielder, Magnusmon! Now come, let us not waste further words. Let us commence our duel forthwith! Best of luck to thee, Magnusmon! And may the best warrior win!" ShadowOphanimon said as she produced a rapier from a sheath on her waist, and the duel began between the two Warriors of Steel. Zoe and Takuya gasped as the latter spoke up in shock.
"That voice...Mercurymon!? Since when are you a female? And who's the other Digimon fighting you!?" Takuya asked ShadowOphanimon, who huffed as she spoke up.
"Hmph! Clueless knave! If thou must know, my opponent is Magnusmon, the true Human Warrior of Steel! Much like Mercurymon, his beam shield can reflect some attacks aimed at him, and his shining blade Seraphim can split most objects asunder with one mighty swing, and look out to anything caught in the path of his mighty Judgment Slash, Magna Reflector and X-Cleave attacks, as very little survives those attacks!" ShadowOphanimon said to the onlookers, who gasped as they watched the two Warriors fight.
"Well said, ShadowOphanimon! Now to test out my steel! Have a taste of my Judgment Slash!" Magnusmon said as he charged forward, clashing blades with ShadowOphanimon who repelled the attack easily.
"Pitiful! My turn now! Shadow Crosser!" ShadowOphanimon said as she slashed her blade in an X-pattern at Magnusmon who grunted as he took a step backwards from the impact, but otherwise was unaffected by the attack. ShadowOphanimon smirked as she produced a lance after sheathing her rapier, charging energy in it as she smirked.
"Let's see thee deal with this! SHADOW JAVELIN!" ShadowOphanimon said as she fired a bolt of dark energy from the javelin in her hand as Magnusmon instinctively brought up the beam shield on his arm to absorb the bolt before using his sword to effortlessly knock the javelin out of a stunned ShadowOphanimon's hands, before smirking as he pointed the beam shield at ShadowOphanimon as he spoke up.
"Good hit, but too bad for you. You've left yourself vulnerable! My apologies Phina, but it's time to end this! MAGNA REFLECTOR!" Magnusmon said as he fired the absorbed dark energy back at ShadowOphanimon, who could only gasp at her attack being reflected back at her at twice the power, easily tearing through her torso and leaving her to fall to her knees as she became a silhouette, a ring of data appearing around her as Magnusmon nodded, sheathing Seraphim in its' sheath before grabbing his D-Tector and advancing on ShadowOphanimon as he spoke up in a fierce but resolved tone.
"Mercurymon...no, Phina! This is all because I was too weak to be able to accept that you're gone and in a better place! But here and now, I vow that I won't keep holding on to your memory any longer! I will set you free, to move on as you should've done the day you passed away, those five long years ago! Now, be at peace! FRACTAL CODE, DIGITIZE!" Magnusmon said as he scanned the data of ShadowOphanimon, making the resulting DigiEgg fly off and leaving the spirit of a petite strawberry blonde girl who had a slight resemblance to Sorina standing where ShadowOphanimon had stood as Magnusmon looked at the girl and spoke up once more.
"Phina...I'm sorry. Because of my selfishness in refusing to accept that you're gone, you've been stuck in limbo these past five years. But no more! Now it's time for me to let you move on, like you deserve! But know that I'll always love you! But I'll accept that you're likely always going to be watching over me. So farewell, Phina. Move on to your well-deserved rest." Magnusmon said as the strawberry-blonde girl, or Phina as Magnusmon had called her, spoke up.
"Magnusmon...no, Kusa. Thank you. I'm sorry I died so young. But it was out of my control. If anything, it was just my time. But know that I will always watch over you happily. But I think you know by now you and I weren't meant to be. But don't let that stop you from eventually finding happiness with another, perhaps the girl in purple you've gotten so close to? Promise me you'll keep moving forward." Phina said as Magnusmon nodded, speaking up in a determined tone.
"I promise you, Seraphina. I will keep living for the present, and not the past. Thank you for helping me to overcome the pain of losing you." Magnusmon said happily as Phina, or Seraphina as her full name was, nodded once before fading away in front of Magnusmon, who simply nodded once before turning back into Kusa in a flash of data, who slumped over as he felt the draining that hit him from his first battle as Magnusmon, stopping to catch his breath, as he felt a pair of arms wrap themselves around him, before he looked up to see Zoe smiling down at him as she spoke up.
"Was that what your dream you had last night was about, Kusa? You having a hard time letting go of this Seraphina?" Zoe asked Kusa, who sighed but nodded.
"Yeah. It's a long story, but suffice it to say, when I was much younger, she was my first real crush, who ended up dying suddenly in an electrical fire when I was 12, which devastated me at the time. But by now, I'd like to think I've somewhat gotten over my feelings for her during the past five years. But I think I had that dream because Magnusmon, and by extension Mercurymon, knew I was still uncertain, and that I needed to finally rid myself of that pain and hesitation before I could be truly worthy of Magnusmon's power. Sorry if I scared you by not being there when you woke up, Zoe. But this was something I thought I had to do on my own." Kusa said honestly, as Zoe smiled before she looked at Kusa, letting herself look into his eyes while she spoke up.
"I understand. But next time, you're taking me with you. Whether you need to do it or not, I can at least give you moral support from the sidelines. So don't leave me out of it from now on, okay?" Zoe said to Kusa, who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.
"Very well, if that's what you want. I'll remember to include you next time I get a Spirit." Kusa said sincerely as Zoe nodded, giving Kusa a grateful smile before surprising him, and probably herself and the onlookers, by quickly pecking Kusa on the cheek.
"As long as you keep your word, I think we're good here, Kusa." Zoe said, giggling at the stunned look on Kusa's face. As Kusa got to his feet once more, he nodded to Zoe and looked at the others.
"Sorry for scaring you all as well with my disappearance. But I felt this was something I had to try and handle on my own. But I appreciate that you came anyways. I assume we're heading on to find the next Spirit?" Kusa asked the others, who nodded as Takuya spoke up.
"Exactly. And according to the sign from outside, the closest Shrine to us is the Thunder Shrine, which means, if I'm right, we might end up linking up with the other group soon." Takuya said as Kusa nodded agreeably as he spoke up.
"Oh? That's good. I'm honestly curious to meet the others, since I'm curious to see if the stories you've told of Koji and Koichi are true." Kusa said as the group kept moving...
(Meanwhile, with Koji's group)
"So we're sure that the Thunder Shrine is nearby?" Koji asked Bokomon, who nodded.
"Absolutely. It's the closest Shrine to where we are, plus if it wasn't nearby, Lumine's D-Tector wouldn't be able to pick up on it, since that function only has a limited range of effectiveness. So naturally, it would have to be close by. Although, looking at your D-Tector, I don't think we're the only ones heading towards the Thunder Shrine." Bokomon said as he pointed to Koji's D-Tector, where the screen showed six other dots nearby, one red, one pink, one silver-grey, one yellow, one brown, and one that was a mix of purple and forest-green, making Koji blink as he spoke up.
"Hmm...I wonder. Could that be Takuya's group heading towards the Thunder Shrine?" Koji asked Bokomon, who shrugged as he spoke up.
"Maybe, it's possible. After all, the red, pink and yellow dots match up to Takuya, Zoe and Tommy's D-Tector colors. As for the other 3, I think those are the wielders of Steel, Earth and possibly Wood, though I wouldn't be surprised to find that a couple of them have yet to get their Spirit." Bokomon said as Koichi and Lumine nodded, the latter speaking up.
"So, if they're also headed towards the Thunder Shrine, that means our groups will finally link up as they were intended to do. Except we're still short JP's D-Tector, so unless we find the person who snatched it at the Thunder Shrine, we'll still be a Wielder short even if our groups link up." Lumine mused, getting approving nods from Koji and Koichi as the latter spoke up.
"I think I see the Thunder Shrine!" Koichi said, pointing to an impressive-looking building nearby that looked to be a dojo, albeit an electrically-charged dojo. Koji and Lumine blinked as the former spoke up.
"That's probably the place, but why does it look like a dojo? Not that I'm complaining, since a spar sounds cool, but that seems odd to me." Koji said as Koichi and Lumine shrugged, right as the group reached the Thunder Shrine, as a figure leapt from a nearby bush to approach the shrine, their eyes going wide as they saw Koji, Koichi, and Lumine nearby, gaping at the latter as they spoke up.
"Lumine!? Is that really you!?" The figure said as they ran forward to hug Lumine, leaving her gaping as she recognized the reddish-brown haired female currently hugging her, eventually finding her voice to speak up as she looked at the figure.
"WHAT!? I mean, I suspected it might be you, but what the heck!? How are you here, much less able to use JP's D-Tector? Answer me, Avril!" Lumine asked the figure, now revealed to be named Avril, who smirked as she spoke up.
"That's easy, Lumine. JP asked me to come here on his behalf and fill his spot as the Warrior of Thunder until such time as he can come do so himself. For now, he's tied up with his job and can't get away to join you guys, so I'm here to wield the Spirits of Thunder on JP's behalf." Avril said by way of explanation. However, before Lumine could respond to that, another gasp from nearby caught Lumine and Avril's attention, along with the attention of Koji, Koichi, Bokomon, and Neemon, as all six of them turned to face the voice as the speaker, a male whose hair was pulled into a ponytail, gaped at Avril as he spoke up in disbelief, clearly not expecting to find her at the Thunder Shrine.
"Am I seeing things? Or am I really looking at my older sister right now?" The male asked Avril, who smiled as she looked at the male who she blinked as she recognized as she spoke up, walking over to hug the male, who she'd not seen in some time as she spoke.
"No, Kusa, it's me. Sorry it's been so long since we last talked, but you know how our parents can be at times. Plus I didn't exactly leave home on the most professional of notes, as you might recall. So yeah, had to keep busy the past couple years, but I've done well for myself. But never mind me, what about you? How've you been holding up since I was basically kicked out of our house?" Avril asked Kusa, who was now revealed to be her younger brother, to pretty much the entire rest of the group's collective surprise. At that point, Koji and Koichi walked over to Zoe, Takuya, and Tommy with Bokomon and Neemon in tow, exchanging handshakes and/or hugs with them as they reunited. Eventually Zoe spoke up.
"Ignoring the shocking reveal that Kusa not only has an older sister, but that said older sister is apparently also a Spirit Wielder, I see we have another new Wielder over there next to Koji. Mind introducing yourself?" Zoe asked the girl sitting next to Koji, who blinked at being addressed as Avril spoke up on her behalf.
"Ah yes, sorry. That's Lumine, younger sister to my boyfriend JP, who I'm currently filling for since he was unable to get time off of his job to come join you guys himself." Avril explained, as Zoe's jaw dropped, surprised to see Lumine there, as she'd seen a picture of her once when she and JP had hung out shortly after returning from the Digital World.
"Wait, you're Lumine!? But the girl that JP showed me a picture of back when we first returned from the Digital World was just a small little sprite of a girl with a short ponytail, freckles and striking grey eyes?" Zoe said as Lumine huffed and spoke up.
"Yeah, back when I was like 11 or 12, maybe. As you can see, nowadays I'm not that little sprite of a girl anymore. And you can ask Koji here, I'm much better looking than that girl in the picture probably was." Lumine said huffily, making Sorina giggle as she spoke up.
"How cute, a girl who thinks she's a beauty queen. But I think we both know you're just putting on a front to impress the man next to you." Sorina said teasingly, making both Koji and Lumine facefault at this, as the latter huffed and spoke up once more while glaring at Sorina as she spoke.
"I don't know who you think you are, but you can shut your mouth right now, if you're just going to instigate and try to tease me all the time." Lumine said with a frown as Sorina winced but nodded, giving Lumine an apologetic look while she spoke up.
"Fair enough, you're right. My apologies. My name is Sorina Miyato. The guy talking to Avril over there is Kusa Nakinori, and the shorter guy hanging with Takuya and Tommy is Takuya's younger brother, Shinya Kanbara." Sorina said as she introduced herself, Kusa, and Shinya to Lumine who nodded, smiling as she looked at Kusa and spoke up.
"I see. Nice to finally meet you, Kusa. Avril used to tell me stories about you, and how impressive of a warrior you are. So it's nice to finally have a face to put to the stories." Lumine said honestly as Kusa nodded and spoke up, appearing to size up Lumine with a glance.
"Nice to meet you as well, Lumine. You seem like quite the lively girl." Kusa said as Lumine nodded and spoke up.
"That I am. But just as well that we're civil like this with each other, since with you being Avril's little brother, if she and JP end up getting serious, we'll probably be in-laws someday." Lumine said as Kusa nodded, ignoring Avril facefaulting at Lumine's playful remark.
"Shut your mouth, you little brat. I'll have you know you gave both JP and myself a real shock when we found you gone. But I'm glad you finally decided to act for yourself. Unlike JP, I know you have to be able to spread your wings and make your own path for yourself. But don't be surprised if when he does end up joining the group, JP has some strong words for you for what you did." Avril said to Lumine who frowned and spoke up.
"Thank you for being so understanding, Avril. But if JP thinks he's able to come here, and tell me what to do when I've found a place where I not only belong, but am both valued and needed. Whereas with JP, I was just sheltered and protected to the point of being smothered by how overprotective JP is. I get he doesn't want me to end up like my parents, but surely he knows I can handle myself?
I hope that over-protective oaf tries something if he does join us. Because, between my Spirit, my friends, and most especially Koji here, JP might end up regretting it if he tries to play the over-protective brother with me." Lumine said resolutely, ignoring the knowing grin on Avril's face at Lumine's mention of Koji as she spoke.
"Good for you, Lumine! That said, I have to go in and get the Spirit of Thunder, since that's why I have this." Avril said as she pulled out JP's D-Tector, to Lumine's surprise, as she walked into the Thunder Shrine, leaving the others to gape at each other in surprised disbelief before following Avril inside, with Lumine, Koji and Kusa leading the way, with Zoe walking next to the latter of the three, the others falling into lne behind Zoe as the group followed Avril. Once inside, the group frowned as they looked around, seeing that the Thunder Shrine was not so much of a shrine, as a dojo, to Zoe's confusion and surprise, though it was Koji who spoke up.
"Wait, since when is the Thunder Shrine a dojo of all things!? When we got the Human Spirit of Thunder the first time, it was hidden inside a factory. And last I checked, Beetlemon, or the Human Spirit of Thunder, is in no way related to karate. Kind of odd if you ask me." Koji said as Avril and Lumine both shrugged, the former tapping her chin in thought before she spoke up, an idea occurring to her while she spoke.
"True. Maybe this time it was entrusted to a Digimon who knows the martial arts and they use it as a trophy of sorts? Though I don't recall if there is such a thing as a martial artist Digimon or not? So I could be wrong." Avril said as a mechanical sounding voice answered her question, making the others blink as everyone turned to face the speaker.
"You're half-right, human. This is the Guardromon Dojo. Our sensei, Guardromon(Gold), reveres the Spirit of Thunder as a trophy since he won it from a Dinohumon in a spar a few months ago. Since then, he's taken to training us Guardromon in the ways of the martial arts. If you want it, you'll probably have to prove your worth first." The speaker, revealed to be a non-gold Guardromon, said as a golden Guardromon stepped forward and spoke up.
"The acolyte that just spoke up is correct. If you wish to receive the Spirit of Thunder, you must first defeat my two acolytes in unarmed combat, then defeat myself, Guardromon(Gold). Only once you have done this will you have proven yourself worthy to wield the Spirit of Thunder. So, which of you pitiful humans is the Wielder of Thunder?" Guardromon(Gold) asked the group as Avril steeled herself before speaking up.
"That would be me. And kindly do NOT refer to us as pitiful or weak until you've actually tested your strength against us. I might not know most of this lot that long, but the ones I do know well, which would be the blonde in blue and the ponytailed guy with brown eyes to either side of me, are far from weak OR pitiful. So underestimating them, OR me, would be a very big mistake on your part. That said, I accept your terms and your challenge." Avril said as she stepped towards the two Guardromon, prepared to fight. Kusa and Lumine frowned as they looked at each other, the latter speaking up uncertainly.
"I know she's your sister, but has she ever fought anyone in her life?" Lumine asked Kusa so only he could hear, making Kusa look at Lumine and smile as he spoke up.
"Actually, yes she has. Avril might not look it, but she actually managed to take down and best a 16 year old boy when she was only 12, and she's currently about 18. So she's a lot tougher than she looks. Take it from someone who has a very poor success rate when sparring her. Avril can more than handle herself. And if worse comes to worse, I'm sure at least some of us can Spirit Evolve to help out in an emergency." Kusa said sagely as Lumine smiled before nodding in agreement, as did Koichi, Zoe and Shinya from nearby, who all also had Spirits. Avril looked over towards Kusa and spoke up.
"I appreciate the support, but I said I would fight these guys unarmed, and as you know Kusa, I keep my word. So we won't use Spirits unless the Guardromon go back on their word, or if things escalate, but only then." Avril said as Kusa nodded understandingly as he and Lumine sat with the others to watch as Avril turned to the two non-gold Guardromons and bowed, the two Guardromon returning the gesture before the spar began. It was a pretty intense match, with both sides giving as good as they got, but in the end, Avril managed to use a sweeping kick to drop one Guardromon and toss it into the other, taking both down and standing over them, looking down before offering a hand.
"Do you two yield?" Avril asked the Guardromon, who both nodded, accepting the help up as they bowed to Avril as Guardromon(Gold) spoke up.
"Impressive, human. Perhaps I have underestimated you. But now, you face me, and I won't be so easily bested as my acolytes were. Prepare yourself to spar." Guardromon(Gold) said as he bowed to Avril, which she returned and the two began their spar, as the others watched, most of them cheering Avril on. However, both Koichi and Kusa were on edge as they faintly heard the sound of movement nearby, making both exchange a nod and quietly slip off to investigate.
After a bit of walking, both Koichi and Kusa gasped as they saw what looked to be a giant red alligator with three tails and a huge pair of jaws carrying what looked like a black furred stuffed animal with sinister looking horns on its' back, the gator glaring at Kusa and Koichi and whipping its tails at the two, slamming them into the nearby wall with twin cries of 'OOF!' from the two as they hit the wall, slumping over and struggling to their feet as the gator kept proceeding towards the battlefield unimpeded.
After it reached the battlefield, it stayed a distance away, and the stuffed animal lookalike on the gator's back yawned ominously, the purple-colored wisp of air heading right towards Guardromon(Gold), who was hit with it and his eyes went red and feral as it stopped using its' fists and started shooting rockets and grenades at a shocked Avril, who barely leapt aside in time as Zoe, Shinya and Lumine exchanged a resolute nod, hefting their D-Tectors as the screen cut to a triple split-screen shot of the three having data rings appear on their left hands which they then swiped over the rings in their right hands.
"EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION!" Zoe, Shinya and Lumine called out as they began their Spirit Evolution sequences. As the three separate shots showed them Spirit Evolving, Koji and Kusa struggled to their feet and started racing to the others, spirit evolving into Loweemon and Magnusmon respectively along the way as they ran. Meanwhile, the others finished their evolutions and yelled out their names for the others to hear.
"HA! HEH HA HA HA! KAZEMON!/BURROWMON!/ZYRAMON!" Kazemon, Burromon, and Zyramon said as they finished Spirit Evolving, preparing to step inbetween Avril and the now-feral Guardromon(Gold). As the three held off the enraged Digimon, the two non-gold Guardromon looked at their sensei in horror before gesturing for Avril to follow them towards where their Sensei's usual seat is, making Avril nod as her D-Tector beeped more as it pointed at the poster on the wall above the seat which glowed green as a blue object emerged from the poster, sliding into Avril's, or rather JP's, D-Tector as it spoke up to say three short words.
"It is time." Avril's D-Tector said as Avril nodded and hefted her D-Tector in her left hand as a ring of data appeared in her left hand.
"Well, here goes nothing! EXECUTE! SPIRIT EVOLUTION!" Avril called out as her Spirit Evolution began. As the others could only watch, the armor of the Spirit of Thunder attached itself to her, eventually causing a flash of light as the transformation finished, and standing where Avril had previously stood was a slender blue feminine-looking beetle Digimon, who flexed as she shouted her name for all to hear.
"HUH! HEH HA HEH HEH! LADYBEETLEMON!" The now-named LadyBeetlemon said as she finished Spirit Evolving, just in time for a pair of Digimon to catch up to the others, one a yellow derpy rabbit with red pants and long ears, and the other a cream/white colored gnome looking Digimon with beady black eyes and a book tucked under one arm. Takuya and Tommy gasped as they recognized the new arrivals and spoke up.
"Could it be who I think it is!?" Takuya asked Tommy who smiled and nodded as he spoke up.
"I think so. BOKOMON! NEEMON! Over here, you two!" Tommy called to the two now-named Digimon, or Bokomon and Neemon, who walked over to Takuya and Tommy and smiled as Bokomon smiled at the two and spoke up.
"Finally, we found you guys. I thought it was just gonna be us two plus Koji, Koichi and Lumine for quite some time. But never mind that! Is that Kazemon I see battling that Guardromon(Gold)? And more to the point is that the true Warrior of Earth fighting alongside Zyramon and Kazemon?" Bokomon asked as Koji and Takuya frowned before both spoke up at the same time.
"EH? KAZEMON/ZYRAMON!?" Koji and Takuya both asked before blinking and chuckling at their unintentional synchronicity. Bokomon nodded and spoke up.
"Looks like Zoe got her spirit back, Koji. And to your question Takuya, Zyramon is the true Warrior of Water, which Lumine was able to unleash with her Spirit of Water." Bokomon said as Koji and Takuya nodded before they saw Guardromon(Gold) go flying into a nearby wall, courtesy of a well-placed Undersea Uppercut from Zyramon while Kazemon flew over and looked at the downed Guardromon(Gold).
"And now to finish you." Kazemon said as LadyBeetlemon shook her head and spoke up.
"No, let me finish him, Kazemon. After all, I'm the one who has to prove my worth as the Warrior of Thunder." LadyBeetlemon said as Kazemon nodded and stepped aside before LadyBeetlemon stepped forward, giving Guardromon(Gold) a pitying look before she spoke up, realizing that there was only one way to end its suffering while she spoke.
"Our spar may have gotten sidetracked by your little temper tantrum, but I still win since you're downed. Yield, Guardromon(Gold)! Do so, and I will end you quickly and painlessly." LadyBeetlemon said as Guardromon(Gold) could only nod, helpless to do much else as LadyBeetlemon smiled and spoke up.
"Good. Now to put you out of your misery. THUNDER FIST!" LadyBeetlemon said as she raised an electrified fist up and slammed it directly into Guardromon(Gold)'s torso, eletrocuting it and making it slump over as it became a silhouette, flashing a visible ring of data around itself as LadyBeetlemon straightened up and hefted her D-Tector.
"I apologize that our spar has to end this way, but after what you did, purifying you like this is really the most merciful thing I can do for you. But I also acknowledge you as a worthy opponent. May you find peace and relief in purification! FRACTAL CODE, DIGITIZE!" LadyBeetlemon said as she swiped her D-Tector across the silhouette of Guardromon(Gold), which turned into a DigiEgg as it was scanned, the resulting DigiEgg flying away to be reborn as LadyBeetlemon dropped to a knee, surrounded by Kazemon, Burrowmon, and Zyramon, who nodded as they reverted back to Avril, Zoe, Shinya, and Lumine respectively. Shortly afterwards, Kusa and Koichi staggered into the room, looking bruised and winded, making Zoe and Koji gasp as they rushed over to Kusa and Koichi respectively.
"Are you okay, Koichi?" Koji asked Koichi, who winced but nodded.
"I'm fine, if a bit bruised from where I flew into a wall just now." Koichi said with a wince as Zoe looked at Kusa.
"Is that true, Kusa?" Zoe asked Kusa, who nodded.
"Yep. Koichi and I heard a growling sound, and went to investigate, only to find out it was some dirty great massive red gator looking creature with three tails and a massive set of jaws. Koichi and I were about Spirit Evolve since it and the horned thing that looked like a black stuffed animal on the gator's back looked a bit like Digimon, but the gator whipped its tails at me and Koichi and tossed us into the nearby wall which took us out of action long enough for the gator to head this way where I assume it did something to a Digimon in here since Koichi and I saw the stuffed animal emanate a purplish-pink waft of yawn smoke from its' mouth which headed this way." Kusa explained as Bokomon gasped from nearby and spoke up in horror.
"A gator, you say? Dear boy, was it red with a cream underbelly? And did the stuffed animal looking creature look like an oversized backpack?" Bokomon asked Kusa and Koichi, the latter of whom spoke up.
"Yes, the gator was red and had a cream underbelly. I'm not sure about the creature on its' back, but it was big enough to be a bag I suppose." Koichi said as Bokomon frowned and pulled out his book, flipping through the pages until he gasped as he found the gator in question and spoke up.
"Did the gator and stuffed animal look like this!?" Bokomon said as he showed a picture to Koichi and Kusa, the latter of whom gasped but nodded.
"Yes, that's exactly what the gator looked like! And the thing on the gator's back looked pretty close to the brown creature shown with the gator in that picture." Kusa said in shock. Bokomon frowned before he spoke up.
"I was afraid of that. That gator you two saw? That's no gator! That was one of the remaining six members of the Seven Deadly Digimon, Leviamon! And the stuffed animal lookalike is another member, Belphemon! Though in this case Belphemon was probably in Sleep Mode, and not its' more deadly Rage Mode. Either way, that's not good if the Deadly Digimon are already mobilizing to try and stop us. And now that Avril has her spirit, and we can confirm that Zoe, Lumine, and Shinya, along with Koichi, all also have spirits, we're at least halfway through gathering the ten Human Spirits. So we'll have to be careful gathering the rest." Bokomon said as Kusa shook his head and spoke up.
"Correction: we're OVER halfway through. I have my Human Spirit as well, as Zoe, Takuya, Tommy, Sorina, and Shinya will vouch for." Kusa said as the five mentioned individuals nodded their agreement with Kusa's remarks. Bokomon nodded and spoke up.
"I see. So that means we have the Human Spirits of Wind, Water, Earth, Darkness, Thunder, and whatever element Kusa's spirit is, most likely Steel or Wood, that leaves the Human Spirits of Ice, Fire, Light and either Wood or Steel to get." Bokomon said as Kusa spoke up.
"The fourth element we're missing is Wood, since I have the Human Spirit of Steel." Kusa said as Bokomon nodded and spoke up.
"Ah, I see. Interesting. So you were the chosen wielder for the power of the mighty Magnusmon. Treat that spirit with care, Kusa. Magnusmon was said to be one of the strongest of the Legendary Warriors, only being beaten out by Agunimon, Lobomon and Loweemon if the stories are to be believed. However, all of the Legendary Warriors are powerful. Agunimon, Lobomon, Kazemon, Burrowmon, Magnusmon, LadyBeetlemon, Loweemon, Zyramon, Kumamon and Bellamon, who is the true Warrior of Wood according to this book, all are powerful Digimon.
However, if the stories are to be believed, originally it was Magnusmon and Zyramon who were intended to be the wielders of Unified Spirit Evolution instead of Agunimon and Lobomon, but as neither Magnusmon or Zyramon had been purified the first time the original Spirit Wielders traveled the Digital World, alternative arrangements were made. So we'll have to wait until the remaining four Human Spirits, and all 10 Beast Spirits, are gathered, to see who gets the power of Unified Spirit Evolution this time around." Bokomon said as the group nodded and kept moving, with Bokomon speaking up once more after they'd exited the Thunder Shrine.
"Okay, according to this book, from here the closest shrine to us would be the Ice Shrine, which is a bit of a walk to the north, and just past it is the Wood Shrine, and from there we get to the Flame Shrine, and finally the Light Shrine. And past the Light Shrine, is the back entrance to the Rose Morning Star, or the current base of operations for the Celestial Digimon who instructed Neemon and I to bring the Spirit Wielders to them when all 10 were gathered and in possession of their Spirits. So for now, let's keep moving." Bokomon said as the group nodded, continuing to move forward, knowing that their journey was only just beginning...
(Outro/preview of next chapter)
"Wow, so the group's finally all together! But what a pair of rough battles for Kusa and Avril! But now that they've found their Spirits of Steel and Thunder, can the remaining four find their Spirits? Or will they prove too difficult to find? I know I'm curious to find out the answer. But there's only way to find out for sure! And that's to keep watching Digimon! Digital Monsters!" The narrator said as they outroed the episode.
END OF CHAPTER
A/N: And boom, finally finished chapter 3! I know, I know, this took me WAY too long! I blame a combo of struggling with writing up Kusa's spirit grab as well as having to figure out a good trial for Kusa to face for his spirit. But I think what I eventually settled on was pretty good, all things considered. But I'll let you, the readers, weigh in on that with your opinions in the reviews and/or in PMs.
As far as the Thunder Spirits are concerned, I had a tricky time at first deciding if I'd have JP return as the Wielder of Thunder or have another step in as his proxy, and as you saw in the chapter, I decided on a sort of middle ground in that I had JP's girlfriend, who so happens to also be Kusa's older sister, be the temporary holder for the Thunder Spirits until I fully decide on if I have JP return to be the Wielder of Thunder or not.
Again, you can give your opinions in the reviews or via PM on if JP should return or not. Regardless, I plan to have an arc later in the story where it explores why JP is so much different in this story compared to the original Digimon Frontier, but know it's a bit of a gritty backstory and might make for a rough bit of reading. So read at your own risk. That said, until next chapter, sithlorde1988 out!
