ZAFT: Here we are with another update! Also, it's getting close to July 4th. Just over a week away. Time sure flies, huh?
DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it definitely does. 4 years ago, I was at a hospital diagnosed with cervical cancer, now I'm at a point where I may be officially called cancer free. Which I am thankful for.
ZAFT: All I can say to that is I'm happy for you.
DarkFoxKit: Thank you. I'm also still in disbelief that it's been a year since I last updated on my own account. So it's refreshing to finally be updating a story I've been working on on my account again. I apologize to those who were only looking at my account for things I write. Sometimes I update on ZAFT's account too.
ZAFT: Yeah, that can be confusing. XD Anyway, onto the chapter!
Chapter 7: A Mountain of Trouble
The group were now with the Kokuwamon outside the factory, having defeated Snimon.
"You're free now. You can all go back to your homes." JP said as the kids had reverted back to their human forms after leaving the factory's remains.
All the Kokuwamon cheered happily.
"Thank you so much for helping us! We are forever grateful!" The Kokuwamon said.
"I can't wait to go back home to the trees again!" The Kapurimon cheered as well.
"I'm glad they're all happy. We did a good thing here." Takuya smiled.
"What about the Wind Factory? Isn't that important to the Digital World?" Zoe asked.
"Nah, the Digital World has tons of winds. The Wind Factory was just trying to sell them," Biyomon answered before she looked over at one Kokuwamon, who was likely Ko. "I'm glad you're alright. You had us worried when we didn't see you again for weeks."
"Hey, I didn't mean to make you worried." Ko grumbled. "Blame those Goburimon for capturing me. Although I didn't make it easy on them even after I got caught."
"I'm just glad you're alright." Patamon said with relief. "It'd be weird to not have you around."
"Nice to know I'd be missed. "Ko joked back.
"At least we have… somewhat the whole gang back together," Lopmon said.
"Really? What about Labramon and-" Ko began.
"Labamon's with Koji," Lopmon answered. "The rest of us are here though."
"Yeah… Um… is this okay though?" Ko asked. "Weren't we supposed to not… well… follow them?"
"There's been strange things happening around here lately," Biyomon warned. "There are some creatures using Digimon to try to take us out. So we decided it would be better if we stuck together for now. Safety in numbers."
Ko couldn't show it on his face, but he was frowning mentally. He had been aware things could change with their involvement in this, but to hear it for himself was concerning. But he also knew that with these new creatures running around, safety was paramount, and larger numbers could do wonders. "I see what you mean."
"It's also why we were worried about you," Patamon added. "So we're relieved to know you're okay."
"Yeah, well I'm glad to be leaving. I was not eating batteries, I don't care if I am a Kokuwamon, that stuff is for PDAs and portal games, not for eating," Ko grumbled.
"Wow, you really do sound like you grew up somewhere else from the rest of these guys," JP noted.
"Of course I did. I don't live in forests or anything like that," Ko replied.
"Well, since the other Kokuwamon are leaving, would you like to come with us?" Zoe asked.
Ko waddled over to Zoe and hugged her. "Yes, I would!"
"Way to turn on the cute act," Biyomon grumbled.
"Aww, you're all so cute!" Zoe smiled.
"Well, we should probably take a moment to get some rest, then continue on," Lopmon spoke up. "We still have a long way to go before we get to the Forest Terminal."
Tommy yawned. "I think a break would be a good idea. I feel like I need some sleep after that battle. It was a tough one…"
"Yeah, it definitely was, we all had to work together to get through that," Takuya agreed. "Hopefully things will settle down from here."
"Yeah," Tommy agreed. But I wonder what those images in my head were… and if they mean anything… Have I been here before?
Lopmon looked at Tommy, noticing the little kid was looking back at the now abandoned factory with a far away look in his eyes.
Back at the HQ for the Legendary Warriors working for Cherubimon, BlackGatomon had been sleeping when she woke up to Grumblemon's annoyed tone.
"What? Human find more Spirit?" Grumblemon said before growling.
BlackGatomon stretched out, now that she had woken up, she might as well see what was going on. She hadn't been out since she and Duskmon went to Fortuneteller Town. She had been worried about being attacked alone again, and she wouldn't get so lucky. But she was worried if she started slacking off too much, the others would kick her out.
BlackGatomon hopped down from the ledge she was napping on and walked over to Grumblemon. She was surprised to see a Minomon was talking to Grumblemon.
"What're you grumbling about now?" BlackGatomon asked.
"New human get Spirit." Grumblemon replied grumpily. "Need to get more Spirit before they find missing Spirit for them."
"Speak proper English for once please," BlackGatomon replied in annoyance.
"He's saying that there are humans in the Digital World, and they're taking the hidden Legendary Spirits, and using them!" The Minomon spoke up. "They already ruined the Wind Factory with those powers! Who knows what they'll do next!"
"Is that so?" BlackGatomon said with interest before she gave a teasing smirk. "Sounds like these humans are doing more with those Spirits than you all are."
"Watch mouth." Grumblemon growled. "Not care if Duskmon's partner if black kitty push buttons too much."
"Well, what do you plan to do about these humans then?" BlackGatomon asked. "How many of them are able to use a Spirit?"
"All 4 of them are able to!" Minomon answered.
4, huh? BlackGatomon noted. Not 5? Unless one of them wasn't with the others.
"It was just 3 of them before, but the 4th one managed to get the Spirit of Thunder that had been hidden in the factory for generations," The Minomon explained. "At this rate, the Beast Spirits are sure to fall into their hands!"
"They have no Beast Spirit yet, right?" Grumblemon said.
"As far as I know, I hadn't seen any of them use the Beast Spirits," Minomon answered.
"Good. We get Beast Spirit before humans." Grumblemon grinned. "Then they be helpless to greater power!"
"But we don't know where these Beast Spirits are, right?" BlackGatomon noted.
Grumblemon frowned. "No, we don't. Ranamon is still looking for her Beast Spirit. She only one without one. But Beast Spirits are hidden well."
"Well, instead of wasting time looking for these Beast Spirits, it might be best to lure them into a trap, then use your own Beast Spirit to take them out," BlackGatomon suggested. "Or, if you don't have patience for that, get stronger by consuming parts of the Digital World like Lord Cherubimon had been doing."
Grumblemon looked down, as if considering BlackGatomon's words. There was merit in planning a trap, but he wasn't really one for traps. And getting stronger would take time. Yet the prospect of trapping these humans and claiming their Spirits for Lord Cherubimon was too enticing. "Me have perfect trap in mind~" Grumblemon grinned as he looked up.
BlackGatomon raised an eyebrow. "Oh? You do? This should be entertaining, coming from the gnome."
"Me know the perfect spot, a terrain those humans won't walk well." Grumblemon smirked. "And find fractal code, make me stronger too!"
"Would you like some help? Or is someone as strong as you confident enough to handle those humans alone?" BlackGatmon asked in her teasing voice.
"Me can handle humans." Grumblemon grumbled. "Me not weak like they are! Me pure Digimon, not human tainting Spirits!"
"Hmmm, so you can handle the humans? I don't think we need to worry then~" BlackGatomon giggled. "I'm sure Lord Cherubimon will be happy to hear you stamping out the humans and bringing back all the Spirits they took."
"Yes! That right! You watch, me will take those Spirits from those humans!" Grumblemon grinned before he burrowed underground.
BlackGatomon let out a sigh. I hope you guys are able to handle what's about to come your way.
"That wasn't like you." A familiar voice spoke up from behind BlackGatomon. "Normally you'd ignore what Grumblemon is planning. Why did you goad him?"
"Why? I just think it'd be interesting to see what he'll do," BlackGatomon replied, looking back at Duskmon. "He wants to win Lord Cherubimon's favor so badly, we might as well see what lengths he'll go through."
Duskmon sighed. "Normally I'm not one to say this, but I really hope this doesn't backfire on you, or us for that matter. Grumblemon is not exactly the brightest of us out there."
"Are you worried about Grumblemon failing or getting mad?" BlackGatomon asked. "Either way, I'd say that's not like you. You normally don't care if they fail or not either way."
"I just don't want anything to happen to one of our own." Duskmon replied. "We are only five Warriors, and we can't afford to be careless or reckless."
"I wouldn't worry about it. Grumblemon can slip away easily if things get bad. And he has that Beast Spirit of his," BlackGatomon pointed out.
"I suppose…" Duskmon said as he looked at BlackGatomon. "Do you plan on going out again tonight? You've been cooped up here for a while, and you once told me that it was boring to stay here all the time."
"Do you have a destination in mind or are you hoping to just go on a stroll?" BlackGatomon asked. "We haven't been assigned any missions yet. Ranamon and Mercurymon are already taking care of getting fractal code for Lord Cherubimon."
"Just a stroll would be nice. We shouldn't waste our energy unless we have a mission." Duskmon replied. "Besides, I don't want to risk getting caught up by that… thing that attacked you, especially after coming back after a mission."
"Yes… I don't know what that Gouda guy wanted, but I sure as heck don't want to find out," BlackGatomon muttered. "It might be in our best interest to help me get stronger, so I can defend myself if I should get attacked alone again. I don't wish to be a helpless kitty that you have to keep an eye… or six on."
"All the better to see you with, my dear~" Duskmon chuckled.
"Was that an attempt to flirt with me?" BlackGatomon laughed.
"No, but I couldn't resist." Duskmon admitted sheepishly.
Heh… he definitely wasn't the type to do that before I got here. I think he's starting to remember his… humanity. BlackGatomon smiled to herself. "Well, for now, a stroll around base should be fine. But where's Arbormon?"
"Last I heard, he went to visit a place called 'Burger Town'. I suppose he wanted to try one of their famous burgers," Duskmon answered.
"Burger Town?" BlackGatomon blinked before her mouth started to water. I haven't had a burger in ages! I used to get sick of that stuff, but now I want one. "... Maybe we should go there one of these days, just to see if those burgers really are good."
"Maybe we should." Duskmon agreed. "That chicken I had was really good last time we were out."
"I know, right? It's good to get out and try some new cuisines," BlackGatomon chuckled before they walked outside.
BlackGatomon noticed it was darker than usual tonight. She looked up at the sky, seeing two of the three moons were in their new moon phase, while the third one was starting to wax. Though the darkness wasn't an issue for her or Duskmon, both of them were able to see in the dark.
"Looks like we'll be walking in the shadows tonight," BlackGatomon chuckled. "Should be fitting for us though, right?"
"Indeed. The darkness makes me stronger," Duskmon remarked.
"But sometimes it's good to have some light in your life," BlackGatomon said softly.
"Yes, but only so much light can be handled before it becomes too much." Duskmon replied. "Life needs the shadows too."
"Oh I know," BlackGatomon replied. "I was just thinking… You're the Warrior of Darkness, right? Is there a Warrior of Light?"
Duskmon was silent before he spoke up. "According to the tales, yes." He replied. "But I've never met this Warrior of Light."
"I wonder… if you did meet with the Warrior of Light, would you hate him or would you get along?" BlackGatomon asked.
"It's hard to say." Duskmon admitted. "I work for Lord Cherubimon. If the Warrior of Light was on our side, then I probably would get along with him. If the Warrior of Light is against us though… I wouldn't say I'd hate him, but I wouldn't hesitate to strike him down either."
"All in the name of Lord Cherubimon, huh?" BlackGatomon chuckled lightly. "Let's hope we won't have to fight these other Legendary Warriors then."
The air bit at his skin as Koji made his way along a very narrow pathway on the mountain he was climbing. He was having to literally hug the rocky cliff-face so he didn't fall. The pathway he was on was only wide enough for him to inch his way along.
"I didn't think the path would get this narrow." Koji grumbled. He had his jacket off and tied in a way that was holding Labramon on his back.
"Maybe this was a bad idea…" Labramon frowned, trying not to look down. "Are you sure I'm not weighing you down too much?"
"No, you're light enough. My own dog was heavier than you as a puppy. Carrying him was like carrying a backpack of heavy books." Koji replied.
"He must've eaten a lot. We got lucky just to have food on one day," Labramon remarked.
"Yeah… but we should get through here soon… maybe find a forest filled with fruit we can pick or something…" Koji said, trying not to fall.
Labramon would love some food right about now, but they needed to make it across this mountain first. "The rumors about the captive KaratsukiNumemon shouldn't be too far…"
Then Labramon's ears perked up when she heard voices. She looked up from her position on Koji's back. "Koji, it looks like there's an opening in that wall up there."
Looking up, Koji saw what Labramon was pointing out. "I see it! It seems we may have found the captives." He exclaimed before he began to climb up the cliff-face. "We'll be on solid ground soo, Labramon."
"Just be careful," Labramon said, not wanting Koji to slip and fall in his haste to get up there.
Thankfully, Koji managed to climb into the cave, dragging himself and Labramon onto more solid ground. Labramon hopped off of Koji's back, and she saw the snail-like Digimon behind some bars.
"Look! We have visitors!" The snail-like Digimon said in surprise.
"Hello, I'm Labramon, and this is my friend, Koji," Labramon greeted. "He's a human. Are you KaratsukiNumemon?"
"We are!" The snail-like Digimon replied. "Oh, we're saved!"
"Are you okay?" Koji asked the KaratsukiNumemon.
"We're all fine, but we're locked up in here!" One of the KarasukiNumemon cried out.
"Please release us, we wanna go home!"
"My husband is very worried!"
Koji began checking the cage, and he looked at the lock. "We don't have a key to this thing."
"We'll just have to break them out," Labramon suggested.
Koji nodded before he picked up a rock and started hammering at the lock. Labramon deadpanned.
"What are you doing?" Labramon asked.
"Trying to break them out," Koji replied.
"Quite wasting time using a rock to break through iron! Use Lobomon and that sword of yours to break them out," Labramon sighed. "The one who captured them will be back any minute now!"
Koji nodded and reached for his D-Tector, but a movement behind him made the boy whirl around. The only thing Koji saw before something grabbed him was a shadowy form with glowing eyes. He didn't even have time to Spirit Evolve, he was grabbed so fast.
"Koji!" Labramon shouted before turning to the shadowy figure. "You!"
Labramon growled at the shadowy figure. She jumped at the shadowy figure. The shadowy figure slammed a sledge hammer into her side. Labramon let out a whimper of pain as she was forced out of the cave. Koji gasped, seeing Labramon in pain as she was falling.
The next thing Koji knew, he was also thrown out of the cave with a shout. He cursed his decision to try and use a rock to try and break the captives out. Damn it… That was a really poor plan I had… Koji thought as he felt it was his last thought he would ever make.
Meanwhile, Takuya's group were trying to stock up on food in a town they reached.
"What? No money? Get out!" A male voice shouted from inside a shop. Screaming could be heard as two boys were tossed out first along with two Digimon. Then another boy and a girl, followed by two more Digimon, were tossed out on top of the first two boys and Digimon.
JP and Takuya groaned as Tommy, Zoe, Biyomon, and Lopmon landed on top of them, and Kokuwamon and Patamon.
"Please come back, when you're not just a bunch of deadbeats!" The Digimon at the entrance to the shop exclaimed angrily.
"But we're really hungry, and we do have money!" Zoe protested as she took out some coins from her wallet and showed it to the large, beetle-like Digimon. "See?"
The Digimon just shut the door in her face.
"What a jerk…" JP grumbled.
"Can I take a look at that money?" Patamon requested.
Zoe held out the money to Patamon. "Here."
Patamon studied the money. "What is this?"
"Those are yen," Zoe answered.
Patamon frowned before shaking his head. "I'm afraid that won't be viable here." He said. "These are barely worth 3 dollars."
"What?" Takuya frowned.
"The Digimon here use American dollar currency," Kokuwamon explained. "I'm afraid yen just isn't worth much."
Takuya groaned. "What a waste… We came here for nothing then?"
"I hope not." Tommy frowned worriedly. "We need food and supplies."
"Well, how do we get viable currency then?" JP asked grumpily.
"We could try taking some part time jobs around here," Lopmon suggested. "Although with how urgent it is for us to get to the Forest Terminal, I'm not sure if we really have the time to be working at jobs."
Patamon handed Zoe back her coins. "Let's look around. Maybe someone can help us out."
"I hope we can get a decent job that isn't too dangerous for us." Zoe murmured. "I mean, we're just kids. We can't do too much heavy work or anything like that."
"You also have the Spirits of Legendary Warriors," Biyomon reminded. "If anything, you guys would be able to do most of the heavy work in this town."
"But is anyone even hiring? Besides, I'm pretty sure most of us, if not all of us, have no work experience…" Takuya grumbled. "And one of us is an 8 year old child…"
"I can work if I need to!" Tommy huffed.
"Well, like I said, we can look around town and see if there's someone that might be able to help us, or is hiring for some quick, easy, and odd jobs," Patamon suggested. "We only need enough money to stock up on food for the trip."
"But where do we start?" Zoe asked. "There are so many places we could look."
"We could try splitting up into groups, then meet back here and see what we find," Lopmon suggested.
"But what about…?" Biyomon whispered.
"We're in a public place, I doubt they would attack us in broad daylight," Lopmono pointed out. "They don't seem to want to draw attention to themselves, so we'll be fine."
Kokuwamon didn't like the idea of splitting up, but if they wanted to find a job, the group had no choice. "Okay, but we need to be careful anyway. We've had one close call, and I don't want us to get too careless." He whispered back.
"We'll go in groups of 4," Lopmon spoke up, looking at the human children. "Some Digimon may respond better to a group of human children, some Digimon may respond better to a group of Rookie Digimon. So you guys go together, and we Digimon will go with each other."
Patamon looked at Lopmon. He realized Lopmon needed to talk to them privately if he was splitting them all up like that.
"You think so?" Tommy asked. "Well, it's worth a shot."
"I hope we can find some work." JP grumbled. "I'm starving here!"
"Just put on your best cute face, I'm sure some Digimon can't resist that~" Biyomon grinned.
"We'll meet back here in an hour, sound good?" Lopmon asked.
Everyone else nodded before the groups split off in different directions. The human children went one way while the Rookie Digimon went another way.
When the group of Rookie Digimon were out of earshot from the human group, Lopmon turned to his friends. "Guys, we need to talk."
"I figured that's why you wanted us to split up from them," Patamon remarked quietly.
"Why? What's wrong?" Kokuwamon asked.
"Are you worried about them all having their Human Spirits?" Biyomon frowned.
"Well, that does mean they're halfway there to getting their Beast Spirits," Lopmon admitted. "But no, that's not what I wanted to talk to you guys about. Now that we're all here… well, almost all of us, and Takuya and the others have, at least, their Human Spirits now, I think it might be a good time to train with them."
"Really?" Biyomon asked. "Why do you want to start doing that now? I thought they were pretty good with their Spirits before."
"You saw it in the catcher. You know what they'll be facing ahead. We can't be there to help them once they all get their Beast Spirits," Lopmon stated bluntly. "And it's not just for their sake. It's for us too… Due to our circumstances… we are unable to digivolve past this stage. So that leaves us vulnerable, especially knowing we have people coming after us specifically."
"So it's for both our sake and theirs." Patamon noted. "This way they can handle themselves, and we could handle ourselves despite not being able to digivolve past our current stage."
"But will that be enough? I mean… even with training, we'd still have the power of Rookie level Digimon," Kokuwamon pointed out. "The only reason we were able to defeat Sniimon back at the Wind Factory was because we had the Legendary Warriors helping us out."
"As much as I don't want to agree with Kokuwamon, he's right. We'd be no match for truly dangerous opponents." Biyomon frowned. "Without the Legendary Warriors, we'll be… easy targets."
"We can't keep relying on Takuya and the others to keep us safe," Lopmon sighed. "We're going to have to start learning to take care of ourselves, especially once the first of them finds their Beast Spirit. We still have time, but…"
"I can help us through most of this if I have to," Patamon said. "Because of my unique powers."
"Yeah, but I suggest trying not to use that form if you can avoid it. It'd be disastrous if any of them see you use that form," Lopmon sighed. "And that's not all. I think one of them had started… remembering."
"What?" The other three Digimon asked in shock.
"Which one was it?" Biyomon asked in concern.
"Tommy," Lopmon answered. "When we were fighting off the Goburimon back at the Wind Factory, Tommy, as Kumamon, started to hesitate and got sloppy in the battle. That wasn't like him. He kept telling me he was seeing images and hearing a voice that sounded familiar to him, but he was sure he had never heard that person's voice before. He was looking at the Wind Factory, as we were leaving, with familiarity, like he had been there before."
Patamon looked down in thought. "That… could be either a good thing or a bad thing…" He admitted. "And I'm not sure how to react to that to be honest."
"Yeah, we didn't think any of them would… remember while they're here," Kokuwamon agreed. "What should we do in that situation? What would happen to us and to this world if they remember?"
"Calm down, this is no time to start acting like a Kokatorimon with his head cut off," Biyomon said.
"Hey! You're the avian one here!" Kokuwamon huffed.
"Guys, please! We need to focus!" Lopmon spoke up, slapping both Kokuwamon and Biyomon's cheeks with his ears to get them to stop arguing. "Now… I don't know what will happen if one of them remembers, but… I doubt that their 'benefactor' would be happy about it. If they start to suspect one of them is remembering… there's a chance he might send someone to suppress the memories, so the process can continue."
"Then we have to be alert for that if it happens." Patamon said seriously. "We can't take any chances, not if we want to stop their 'benefactor' from succeeding."
"But how do we help Tommy with those memories? I mean… now that we're away from the Wind Factory, surely that won't be a problem anymore, right?" Biyomon asked.
"Well… memories are like… save files in a video game. You can delete it to start on a new save file, but the data for the save file isn't always deleted completely. You're just overwriting the save file with a new one. But if the old data were to come out… there's a chance it'll keep going until it takes over the save file again," Kokuwamon said.
"Are you sure you're not just making that up?" Biyomon frowned.
"It's rare, and pretty much phenomenal if something like that were to happen, but it's not impossible," Kokuwamon replied. "A skilled hacker was able to retrieve their lost save data. And there had been videos talking about how some people got an old save file that overwrote their new one."
"So we have to make sure the old save file overwrites the new one." Patamon mused. "Or at least make sure the old one doesn't get overwritten completely."
"I don't think that's the issue here," Lopmon said. "The whole point of this… the entire thing already overwrote the 'old save data'. What I'm worried about is what will happen if one of them remembers completely. There's a lot of unknown results that could happen. The best case scenario is that Tommy remembers, and he'll help us out with everything. But that's more wishful thinking than anything."
"And… the worst case scenario?" Biyomon dared to ask.
"... Everything in this world, with us included… could get erased," Lopmon warned. "Or rebooted… and in that case, we'd be no better off than they are right now. We'll lose everything, our memories, who we were before… we'd just be Digiimon living in this world like any other."
The other three Digimon went silent, not sure how to react to that.
"Then… we have to make sure the worst case scenario doesn't happen, or at least try to mitigate it as best we can." Patamon admitted at last.
"So that means keeping Tommy from remembering?" Kokuwamon asked.
"I'm afraid that's not possible, we can't control whether or not Tommy remembers something," Lopmon sighed. "All we can do is keep an eye on him and hope for the best."
"And if Tommy seems confused or concerned, we help him try to work through it as best we can." Patamon added. "We may not be able to prevent it, but we can help him through it."
"Well, I suppose. If it happens, maybe it was destined to happen," Biyomon sighed.
"Who knows, maybe it'll turn out to be for the best. If we have just one of them on our side… it won't be so bad," Kokuwamon remarked in a hopeful tone.
"Maybe…" Lopmon said softly.
"What's wrong?" Patamon frowned.
"I just… if one of them starts remembering… who's to say the others won't?" Lopmon replied.
The other three Digimon went silent again. This was new territory for all of them, so they didn't know how to react, but all they could do was try to help as best they could.
"What about… what we saw before? Did Tommy being at the Wind Factory trigger anything then?" Kokuwamon asked.
"I don't know, it was hard to tell as the catcher didn't show everyone during the battle," Lopmon sighed. "Most likely this happened because of us, we're interfering. So it might be weakening 'the process'."
"And if we keep interfering, there's a chance the children could remember." Patamon said somberly. "We have to be prepared in case that happens."
"If that does happen, and the worst case scenario happens…" Lopmon began slowly. "... Well… we'll just deal with it if it happens. Prepare for the worst, but hope for the best."
"Yeah, I always like going with that mindset," Kokuwamon remarked.
"Well… we're past the point where all the children got their Human Spirits. So what happens now?" Biyomon asked. "I think the catcher showed them climbing a mountain, didn't it?"
"Do you remember why they would be climbing a mountain?" Patamon asked.
"I think it was to help some snails… the KaratsukiNumemon," Lopmon answered. "My si- my friend told me about them before."
"Then we need to prepare for that." Biyomon said. "It means they will be encountering one of their first real enemies next."
"So that means one of them will see the Karat- Kara… uh…" Kokuwamon sweatdropped. "How do you say that name?"
"KaratsukiNumemon," Patamon said. "I think it's Japanese?"
"And yet Lopmon is able to say it just fine?" Biyomon raised an eyebrow.
"I've been repeating the name before we came here so I wouldn't butcher the name!" Lopmon huffed.
"Still, that name is a mouthful." Kokuwamon grumbled.
"Better start practicing then~" Biyomon joked back.
Kokuwamon huffed.
"But do they actually find the KaratsukiNumemon here?" Patamon asked.
"Did someone call us?" A timid voice spoke up, catching their attention.
"Huh?" The 4 turned around, seeing a snail-like Digimon poking their head out from one of the smaller buildings.
"Are you… a KaratsukiNumemon?" Lopmon asked.
"Yes." The snail-like Digimon replied. "I am. Why do you ask?"
"Ah, we, uh…" Patamon noticed a sign that was written in Japanese kanji, but he was able to read it. "We saw that you're looking for heroes, and you're willing to give them a free meal?"
"You know some heroes? Well don't just stand there! Tell me! Where are they?!" The KaratsukiNumemon asked eagerly.
"Whoa, hold your… shells for a moment. We're actually traveling with some people who would be able to be these heroes you need," Biyomon said.
"They were able to overthrow a tyrant who was keeping Kokuwamon captive," Kokuwamon explained.
"Really? That's wonderful!" The KaratsukiNumemon smiled.
"Just wait here, we'll go get them for you," Lopmon said.
The four Rookie-level Digimon ran off to find the human children.
"Talk about luck, we were standing right next to the 'next goal' point," Kokuwamon said.
"At least it was convenient," Biyomon remarked.
"What about the whole training thing you were talking about, Lopmon?" Patamon asked.
"We'll train after they get some food in their bellies. I doubt anyone would be able to focus on training while they're hungry," Lopmon answered.
"So we all eat first, then we train?" Kokuwamon asked. "That sounds good to me."
"I bet the kids will be happy to eat as well." Patamon chuckled. "They really can complain when they get hungry."
Takuya sighed as he was sitting on a bench. He, and the others, hadn't had much luck in finding anyone hiring or looking to hire a bunch of children.
"They won't even buy my chocolate bars…" JP grumbled as he sat down beside Takuya.
"Even though we're in a different world, we're still looked at as just children…" Zoe sighed.
"Well… have we tried asking them in our Digimon form?" Tommy asked, who was sitting on the ground.
"Are you sure that's a good idea?" JP asked. "I mean, for all we know, it may backfire on us."
"Well, we've tried everything else, but we were looked down on or just plain turned away." Takuya pointed out. "What else do we have to lose? If we haven't tried it yet, we may as well give it a shot."
I feel like there should be an inn here… but I don't think I saw an inn… Why would I think there would be? Tommy frowned to himself. I stayed at a lot of inns while traveling… No, no I didn't. I never traveled outside of my hometown.
Tommy didn't understand these conflicting thoughts, and it was bothering him.
"Hey guys!" They heard Patamon calling out to them.
The four kids looked over as Patamon came into view with his fellow Digimon.
"Patamon?" Takuya asked as he stood up. "Did you find a job or something?"
"Yeah, well, something like that," Patamon said.
"We managed to find some KaratsukiNumemon who could use some help. They're willing to give anyone who helps them a free meal," Lopmon explained.
"We recommended you guys, since we figured you'd be able to help them," Biyomon added.
"And be able to get that free meal for all of us~" Kokuwamon finished in a grinning tone.
"Free food?! Why didn't you just say so?" JP grinned eagerly. "Let's go meet these KaratsukiNumemon!"
"I like this guy, he knows my style~" Kokuwamon said as he flew after JP, who was already running down the street.
"Wait! Do you even know the way there!?" Patamon called out to JP.
"I'm all for a free meal!" Takuya smiled as he took off after JP and Kokuwamon.
"Hey, wait for the rest of us!" Zoe shouted out.
The group chased after JP and Kokuwamon. They reached the location where the KaratsukiNumemon were waiting, with Kokuwamon having led JP there.
"You guys?" KaratsukiNumemon blinked. "Aren't you children?"
"Nope! We're heroes!" Takuya stated with confidence.
"Really?" The KaratsukiNumemon looked with hope.
"Yep!" JP grinned as well. "We're here to help you!"
"Just give a chance, we'll be able to help you with whatever you need!" Zoe smiled.
"Of course, we may look small, but we have experience," Tommy added.
The KaratsukiNumemon looked at Kokuwamon, Biyomon, Patamon, and Lopmon. They nodded to the KaratsukiNumemon to confirm they were indeed the heroes they were talking about earlier.
"Welcome then, heroes! Please, follow us, it's urgent we get to the tracks before 3 o' clock," The KaratsukiNumemon instructed.
"Okay…?" Takuya blinked, unsure of why they had to be at the tracks at 3. "Lead the way."
The KaratsukiNumemon led the children into some bushes outside of town. There was a tunnel and a train track ahead of them.
"So… what are we doing? Waiting for the train?" JP asked.
"Why are we hiding in some bushes then?" Takuya grumbled.
"I don't know, but whatever the reason, it had better be good." Zoe huffed. "I hate sitting in these bushes like this…"
"They were in such a hurry to get here, they didn't even tell us what they wanted us to do other than to wait here," Tommy remarked. "I hope it's nothing shady…"
"I think they're being genuine about wanting help," Lopmon replied. "Though I don't appreciate the leaves and twigs getting caught up in my horns."
"I'm sure these guys have a plan of some kind." Patamon replied. "They wouldn't suggest this if they didn't have some kind of plan."
"Wouldn't getting train tickets be easier?" Zoe asked.
"I doubt we'd be hiding right now if they could afford a train ticket," Biyomon pointed out.
"So… are we hijacking a Trailmon?" Kokuwamon questioned.
As if on cue, a Trailmon was coming by. They could hear the whistle it blew, and the Trailmon itself humming a tune.
As the Trailmon entered into a nearby tunnel, three KaratsukiNumemon came down on the last train car, holding one rope each. Suddenly, there was a jerking and out of the bushes came a small train cart with the four kids and four Rookie-level Digimon inside it.
"WHA!" The group yelled as the small train cart landed on the tracks, now being towed by the Trailmon.
"Okay! That was not fun! I almost fell onto the dang tracks!" Lopmon yelled.
"I hope their plans aren't as crazy as this one!" Takuya grumbled.
The KaratsukiNumemon were slithering on the ropes towards the minecart.
"Is this even safe?" Tommy frowned.
"I hope it's safe." Biyomon muttered. "But somehow I get the feeling we may be in for a ride."
"Like we aren't already…" JP grumbled.
The 3 KaratsukiNumemon got into the minecart, and it was then they decided now was a good time to explain the situation to their heroes.
"One day, this mean and strong Digimon called Grumblemon showed up at our home on the mountain," One of the KaratsukiNumemon explained. "He demanded our mountain's fractal code."
"But we don't even know where it is, but Grumblemon thinks we're lying about that," The second KaratsukiNumemon stated. "So he took our women in exchange for the fractal code."
"We're peaceful Digimon, so we can't really fight such a strong Digimon like Grumblemon by ourselves," The third KaratsukiNumemon added. "That's why we needed heroes to help us."
As the KaratsukiNumemon finished their explanation, the Trailmon came out of the tunnel.
"Don't worry, we'll take care of this Grumblemon," Takuya said with confidence.
Lopmon, Patamon, and Biyomon were all silent. They gave each other a worried look.
"I'm not sure that I understand though. Why can't Grumblemon just take the fractal code?" Zoe asked.
"That's because the fractal code is likely hidden," Lopmon said.
"Hidden?" JP asked.
"From what Bokomon told us, all solid matter in the Digital World is made of data. Everything from the ground, to mountains, to even the ocean itself. They are made from a source of energy called 'fractal code'. Some fractal codes are out in the open, while others are hidden," Patamon explained.
Biyomon giggled. "You're starting to sound like Bokomon. Maybe it's the belly warmer?"
"Don't make me smack you with my wing." Patamon warned, but he was slightly blushing, which ruined the threat he made. "I mean, really! This belly warmer makes me sound like Bokomon?"
"I'd say it does~" Lopmon joked.
Patamon just rolled his eyes at Lopmon's joke. "It's just convenient to have. It keeps the items I need in there safe and sound."
"So it's like… a bag of holding?" Tommy asked curiously.
"Yeah, something like that, though I'm not sure if it can hold infinite items," Kokuwamon replied.
"I'm surprised you know what a 'bag of holding' is," JP remarked.
"I like video games, so I kinda have to know what a bag of holding is if there is a similar item in those games." Tommy admitted sheepishly.
"Not you, I meant Kokuwamon. Do Digimon even have video games in this world?" JP asked.
"You'd be surprised what we have in this world, and what we know." Lopmon grinned.
"So…" One of the KaratsukiNumemon spoke up. "Will you be able to help us get our women back?"
Takuya grinned. "Of course we will! We won't let someone capture innocents for their own gains!"
"Yeah, and it's not fair to their loved ones who want them back either." Zoe agreed.
"We'll make sure to teach this bully a lesson," Tommy promised.
"Of course, we'll do what we can to help," JP said before he smiled and licked his lips. "Now… about that meal…"
"Uh…" Takuya suddenly spoke up, looking nervous.
"What the heck is that up ahead?" Biyomon frowned.
There were a couple of loop-de-loops ahead of them, and the tracks looked like they led straight up the mountain walls.
"W-w-what? Who made these train tracks!?" Lopmon yelled, looking quite pale himself.
"We're supposed to ride through that in this!? Are you snails INSANE!?" Takuya shouted as everyone started to freak out.
The Trailmon went down the tracks, causing the small cart being towed along behind to move around. The kids and non-KaratsukiNumemon Digimon had to hang on for dear life as they went through the loops and soon the Trailmon was climbing up the side of the mountain.
"At least we seem to be slowing down!" Takuya yelled.
"Actually, I think we're speeding up!" Tommy shouted back.
While the Trailmon was able to cling to the tracks using speed and some other unknown means, it left one burning question in the children's minds.
"How is this thing staying on the tracks?!" Takuya wondered aloud.
"Actually… I don't think it is." One of the KaratsukiNumemon replied, causing the kids, and the other Rookie Digimon, to start screaming even more.
"GRAB ONTO US!" Lopmon shouted at the kids.
Lopmon grabbed the nearest child to him. Biyomon grabbed onto someone's arm. Patamon grabbed onto another arm. Kokuwamon grabbed onto someone as well just as the minecart flew off the tracks, and the rope tied to the Trailmon snapped completely.
Lopmon inflated his ears, letting him and the person he grabbed onto to float in the air. Patamon and Biyomon needed to flap their wings with more effort to stay airborne.
It turns out, Lopmon had grabbed onto Tommy. Patamon had Takuya. Biyomon was holding onto Zoe. And Kokuwamon was holding onto JP.
"Whoa, that was too close!" Takuya gulped.
"We need a spot to land, guys, we can't hold onto you forever!" Patamon warned as he was straining to keep himself and Takuya in midair.
"Uh…" Takuya looked around frantically. "There! Those fence posts! We could land on those!"
"Think you can make it there, Kokuwamon?" JP asked nervously, not wanting to fall.
"I'll try…" Kokuwamon replied, clear strain in his voice.
Lopmon had it a little easier than the others, since he didn't need to keep flapping to stay in the air, and Tommy was likely lighter than the others as well due to his small size. They moved over to the posts, careful to descend slowly so they didn't drop the children.
"We're lucky that you guys can fly, otherwise we'd be done for," Tommy said in relief.
"Yeah… Thanks." Zoe said gratefully. "This saved our butts…"
"I'm just glad we're not gravel pancakes." JP muttered.
When they managed to land the children on the posts, the kids sat down, their legs dangling in-between the gaps on the posts. The 4 Rookie Digimon landed beside the child they had grabbed onto to take a break.
"Now what do we do? We're kind of stuck here." Takuya frowned.
"Hey, heroes! Why are you down there?" The voices of the KaratsukiNumemon called out to them from above.
The group looked up, seeing the snail Digimon sticking on the side of the vertical wall of the mountain like it was no big deal.
"Unlike you, we can't cling to walls!" Takuya shouted back up. "We'd fall easily!"
"How do you propose we get up to you?" Zoe asked back up.
"Couldn't Tommy stick to the walls if he spirit evolved?" Lopmon asked.
"And couldn't you and JP fly?" Biyomon added, looking at Zoe.
"Well we don't want to use our Spirits unless we have to," JP grumbled.
"And falling off of a mountain counts as not having to?" Lopmon raised an eyebrow.
Before anyone could respond to that, a rope ladder was thrown down at them, leading up towards one of the KaratsukiNumemon's houses, which was also on the side of the mountain.
"Come on, heroes, use this to climb up. It's fun!" One of the KaratsukiNumemon smiled.
Takuya gulped. "Well, it's better than just waiting to fall…" He muttered as he gripped the rope ladder tightly. He was glad he was wearing gloves; they absorbed the sweat that was forming on his hands.
Takuya began to climb up the ladder, with Tommy following him as closely as he could.
"Oh gosh… this is nerve wracking…" JP gulped as he and Zoe looked up, seeing Takuya and Tommy climbing up.
JP looked at Zoe. "Well, uh… lady's first?"
"Hold up," Kokuwamon spoke up. "JP, you should go up first. After all, you wouldn't want to give Zoe the wrong idea, do you?"
JP looked at Zoe before glancing down at her outfit. He then blushed a beet red. "O-oh! Uh… I… I guess I will go first then…"
Zoe blinked at JP's odd reaction, raising an eyebrow as he began to climb up the ladder ahead of her. While climbing a rope ladder on the side of a mountain was scary, facing Zoe's wrath was definitely scarier.
"What's gotten into JP?" Zoe asked curiously.
"He probably didn't want you to see him as a coward," Biyomon chuckled, covering for JP. "You know how boys can be."
Zoe giggled. "I guess that's true. Boys can be so eager to please girls, am I right?"
Biyomon chuckled. "That may be true for most boys, but not all."
"If you two are done having your girl talk, we should start moving as well," Lopmon spoke up.
"He's one I can think of," Biyomon pointed out. "We'll meet you in the house since we can fly up there."
"Speak for yourself," Lopmon grumbled.
Patamon rolled his eyes before he took Lopmon's arms and pulled him up into the air.
Zoe followed JP up the ladder, the whole group heading up to the house the ladder was leading to.
"You're almost there!" One of the KaratsukiNumemon said as Takuya was reaching the doorway.
"That's great!" Takuya grinned, but his heart was racing in his chest so fast he was sure it would jump into his throat. Aw man… Why did we have to agree to this job? Free food isn't worth nearly falling to our deaths!
Tommy, who was behind Takuya, noticed a shadowy figure in the window of the house, but he couldn't see who was in there. "Wait… who's that?"
Tommy looked up, seeing Takuya was already climbing into the house. Tommy was worried who this stranger could be, and called out. "Hey, wait!"
But it was already too late, Takuya already climbed halfway into the house.
"Hey, didn't think I'd see your face again so soon," Labramon chuckled as she looked at Takuya halfway in the door.
"Huh?" Takuya blinked as he saw Labramon as well as a familiar boy. "Wait… Koji? Labramon?"
Koji lowered the stick he had been holding. "You're the ones these guys found to help out?" He asked, incredulous.
Everyone else peered in behind Takuya, with the order being Tommy, JP, and Zoe.
"So this is what the hold up was?" JP asked.
"Koji?" Zoe asked in surprise.
"Yeah, none of us could find any food either…" Takuya groaned as he felt his stomach grumbling.
"Don't lump us in with you!" Koji grumbled irritably before he looked at the KaratsukiNumemon. "Don't expect these guys to help you at all."
"I'll help you right upside the head!" Takuya growled.
"At least give us a chance." Tommy frowned.
"And at least get in before you all fall down," Lopmon spoke up as Patamon flew them in, followed by Biyomon and Kokuwamon.
"Wow, so this is what it's like to live in a house on a mountain," Kokuwamon remarked as he landed on the floor, or rather, wall of the house. "It must be weird to sleep like that."
"I'm pretty sure they grew up here, so it's normal for them," Biyomon said.
The other children climbed in as well, deciding that falling from such a height would not be a fun time.
"For crying out loud, do you have to be so insulting?" Takuya grumbled to Koji.
"You guys will only just get in my way." Koji replied. "Can I help it that you're not up to my level? You could barely hold your own against that Raremon."
"That was back then! I've gotten a lot better now!" Takuya hissed.
"Hey, Labramon, how've you been traveling with Koji?" Lopmon asked the dog Digimon.
"It was fine. We mostly walked, and fought with hostile Digimon," Labramon replied. "I see you guys found Kokuwamon."
"Yup. I was stuck at a factory which was enslaving Kokuwamon," Kokuwamon answered. "It was just bad luck that I happen to be a Kokuwamon too."
Labramon grimaced. "That is bad luck… I'm sorry that happened to you."
"At least the others saved me, so I can't complain too much." Kokuwamon grumbled. "But all that working was not a good time, especially all the scaring and making me and the other Kokuwamon release large amounts of electricity. But the worst part was… there was no meat! They only had batteries to eat! Can you believe it!? It was torture!"
"Oh, uh… I'm glad you don't have to suffer through that anymore," Labramon replied, not sure how to react to Kokuwamon's reaction to having to eat batteries and not meat.
"Well, on the plus side, at least he got to witness JP getting a power up~" Patamon grinned.
"Yeah, it was really cool!" Kokuwamon smiled. "Like watching a character from an anime finally getting an awakening!"
JP was trying not to blush at that. "It wasn't that impressive…"
"Oh really? You actually did a little dance when you evolved for the first time~" Kokuwamon snickered.
JP went even redder in the cheeks. "I was just happy!" He exclaimed.
"Really? So he was able to…?" Labramon looked at the other Rookie Digimon.
"Yeah, he is," Lopmon confirmed. "They all can now."
"All of them?" Labramon frowned. "I-I mean that's great, now they can defend themselves when they need to!"
"Yeah." Patamon confirmed. "But Lopmon and the rest of us need to talk to you about something important as well. It would be good for both us, and the children."
"Although, I'm not so sure how willing they are… to work together as they are now," Biyomon said.
"What do you mean?" Zoe asked.
Tommy tapped Zoe on the arm and pointed at Takuya, who was having a glaring contest with Koji.
Patamon groaned as he followed Zoe's line of sight. "Those two really need to stop acting like such spoiled children. They won't be able to save the Digital World at this rate."
"Just give them some time, they'll work it out eventually," Lopmon said.
"You seem pretty confident about that," Tommy noted.
"I've seen my share of people who don't get along at first," Lopmon shrugged.
"Everyone!" A KaratsukiNumemon spoke up, approaching the group.
This KaratsukiNumemon stood out from the others, as he appeared to have a mustache, though it was made of slime instead of facial hair. The mustached KaratsukiNumemon bowed to them for a moment before speaking up. "My thanks to all of you for coming. Now, you can't save our women on an empty stomach, so we'll bring you all that promised meal."
"Alright!" The group of humans, except Koji, cheered.
The group were sitting together as they stared at what was their free meal. The meal was a big pile of green, white, brown, and yellow cabbages.
"Are these… cabbages?" JP frowned. "It's all rabbit food!"
"I'm not sure if we can even eat this…" Takuya frowned as well.
Tommy was looking at the pile of cabbages. Why does this feel familiar?
Zoe approached the pile of cabbages herself. Why do I feel like I've eaten this before?
"I didn't want to eat more vegetables after escaping the battery factory…" Kokuwamon whined.
"Hey, at least rabbits get to eat," Zoe said before she picked up one of the cabbages and took a bite.
Zoe's face lit up at the flavor of the cabbage. "Molto bono!" She exclaimed. "Dig in!"
"Huh? Is it really that good?" Patamon asked.
"I mean I like vegetables, but I usually prefer them seasoned. Cabbage are usually used in meals, not the meals themselves," Biyomon said.
"Hey, don't forget, the Digital World doesn't always have conventional foods," Lopmon pointed out.
The humans of the group each picked up a cabbage and took a bite each. Their faces lit up at what they were tasting.
"Mine tastes like chicken!" JP exclaimed with a grin.
"Mine's just like a potato!" Tommy exclaimed happily.
"Mine's just like asparagus!" Takuya grinned.
The others looked at Takuya like he was weird.
"What? I like asparagus," Takuya defended.
Patamon took a white one and bit into it. "Hmm… tastes like ham."
"Here, you try one too, Lopmon. I mean you are a rabbit Digimon, aren't you?" Tommy grinned.
"Ha, ha, very funny." Lopmon rolled his eyes, but he took the offered cabbage and took a bite. "Coconut… not bad."
"Please… please taste like meat," Kokuwamon prayed before he bit into his cabbage. When Kokuwamon took a bite… "I got bacon!" Kokuwamon actually jumped into the air and did a little flip. "Oh sweet meat! I love the taste of you so!"
Biyomon rolled her eyes. "Really, getting that excited over the taste of bacon."
"I haven't had any meat for weeks!" Kokuwamon huffed.
"Why don't you try one, Biyomon?" Zoe suggested.
"Sure, might as well," Biyomon replied as she took one of the brown cabbages.
Despite having a beak, Biyomon was capable of chewing her food. She took a bit out of the cabbage. "Looks like I got asparagus too. Good thing I like those too."
"So I'm not alone!" Takuya grinned.
Everyone looked at Biyomon like she was weird as well.
"What?" Biyomon asked. "Asparagus is good!"
"Not everyone likes asparagus." JP grumbled. "It tastes weird."
"Only if you're picky," Biyomon grumbled.
"She's always got a weird sense of taste," Kokuwamon chuckled.
"Oh hush, not like you're any better," Lopmon said. "Mr. Carnivore."
Labramon was munching on some cabbages too, though she was sitting with Koji, who was sitting in the corner, away from the group. Koji was eating his own cabbages, not really saying much.
"At least the food here's better than mushrooms and berries we find in the forest," Labramon remarked.
"Yeah, but I don't know about working with the others." Koji replied. "They may just get in my way. I don't even know how capable they are with their Spirits. Takuya couldn't hold his for long enough when he evolved to save me and Tommy against Raremon."
"That did happen a while ago though. And you had trouble holding onto your form for a long time too," Labramon pointed out. "It sounds like they all are capable of spirit evolving now though. So maybe they can help. That Grumblemon was strong, he took us by surprise and threw both of us out of the cave before we could react. It might be good to have some help, don't you think?"
Koji snorted, but had to agree with Labramon. They had been caught by surprise with that mysterious Grumblemon. Help would be perhaps the best chance they had at saving those poor KaratsukiNumemon trapped in that cave. Even if the others weren't able to hold their Spirit forms for long, at least they could buy some time to stop Grumblemon, or at least distract him so someone could go save the trapped snail Digimon.
"I don't like it, but you have a point, Labramon." Koji conceded after some thought. "Grumblemon was tough, but if he had to fight more opponents, we may have a chance."
"And this will see if they are truly able to help the KaratsukiNumemon," Labramon added.
"Well, at least Koji talks and listens to someone," Lopmon muttered, having heard their conversation.
"I'm surprised he bonded with Labramon so quickly," Patamon said. "Do you think it's because she's a dog?"
"Well, people tend to bond with dogs pretty easily, unless they hate dogs, which Koji clearly doesn't," Lopmon pointed out.
"Kinda makes me wonder what Koji thinks of us then," Biyomon remarked. "He's always talking about how the others would slow him down, but he never really mentioned us."
"Maybe we could ask him." Kokuwamon suggested.
"Either you are that dense, or don't realize how stupid that idea is." Biyomon grumbled.
"What? It's a legitimate question, isn't it?" Kokuwamon pouted.
"We rather not bother him with such a question," Lopmon sighed. "He may like Labramon, but we've hung out with the other human children. So we're likely just as 'useless' as them in his eyes."
"I mean to be fair, we haven't done much to prove ourselves either," Patamon grumbled. "The moment they first saw us, we nearly got eaten by Cerberumon. Not the best first impression."
Lopmon grimaced. "That's true. But we have proven ourselves to the others, haven't we?"
"We helped them, even if it's not through combat exactly," Biyomon said.
The human children were mostly too busy eating and tasting different cabbages to pay attention to what the Digimon were talking about. Well, most of them. Tommy was watching them with curious eyes.
They always seemed to be worried about something. I wonder what they know that we don't. Tommy wondered.
"So how did Koji and Labramon end up here?" Takuya asked one of the KaratsukiNumemon.
"They fell from the sky," KaratsukiNumemon answered.
"Huh?" Takuya blinked. "They did what?!"
"They fell." The KaratsukiNumemon repeated. "Right into one of the hay piles in our village."
"To be more specific," Labramon spoke up, having heard the question. "We were thrown out of the cave where the women were being kept. We ended up falling into the village, right into a pile of hay. It's what saved us from a nasty fall."
"Oh… wow, talk about being really lucky there," JP said.
"Wait, you saw where the girls were being kept?" Zoe asked, surprised.
"Do you have a map of this mountain?" Koji asked.
"Of course," The mustached KaratsukiNumemon replied. "I'll unfold it for you all to see."
"It'll be good to make a plan on how we'll save them. And for that to happen, the others need to know where the cave is located," Koji said.
"That's a good strategy. Glad to see you're willing to work with the rest of us," Lopmon remarked.
Koji just huffed. "I'm only doing this so you don't get left behind me. I don't need you to be slowing me down, not knowing where the cave is and just searching blindly."
Everyone else sweatdropped at Koji's remark.
"Well… at least he isn't saying we're not up to the task." Takuya chuckled nervously. Geez… It's not like being a bit nicer would kill him.
"This is why asking him would've just proved fruitless," Lopmon grumbled.
"He's a nice guy, he just has trouble opening up to others," Labramon sheepishly explained.
With the meal finished, Koji set the map of the mountain down for everyone to see. The others gathered around to see the map.
"Grumblemon has the captives right about here," Koji said, pointing at a location on the mountain side. "We'll have to get in and out quickly."
The KaratsukiNumemon all looked on nervously, clearly worried about their loved ones being held in the cave. Sensing their worry, JP looked up and smiled at them. "Just relax."
The KaratsukiNumemon all smiled as well, seeing how confident the children seemed.
"Yeah, we got this." Takuya grinned. "No need to worry with us around."
"You all do seem to know what you're doing," The KaratsukiNumemon remarked. "Do you think you'll be able to face Grumblemon?"
"We're hoping to get the ladies out before Grumblemon sees us," Tommy said.
"But if a fight does break out, we'll be able to handle ourselves." JP grinned. "Because we are Legendary Warriors!"
Something about JP's words seemed to spook the KaratsukiNumemon though, as most of them, if not all, scrambled back away from the five kids and five Rookie Digimon.
"What's the matter?" Zoe asked, seeing how the KaratsukiNumemon suddenly looked like they wanted to run.
"You mean… all of you are Legendary Warriors?" The mustached KaratsukiNumemon asked, shaking a little.
"You don't just announce that you're Legendary Warriors, what if there are spies for Cherubimon? Do you want to get assassinated?" Lopmon scolded.
JP grumbled. "I didn't mean to… I was just responding."
"You know, Lopmon has a point." Patamon scolded JP. "You kids have to be more careful with that, especially since Cherubimon could find out and then we'd be back to square one if he gets your Spirits as well."
"I guess we should be better about that. It wasn't like I hadn't transformed in front of Digimon before," Takuya remarked, remembering how he did it in front of the Candlemon tribe, and the Kokuwamon not that long ago.
"I guess I did too…" Zoe said, remembering how she transformed in front of the Floramon.
"At this point, I'd be surprised if Cherubimon didn't know about humans turning into Legendary Warriors…" Tommy sighed.
"I think we have a more pressing issue right now," Labramon spoke up. "Those snails don't seem to be too happy right now."
Labramon was right. The group could see the KaratsukiNumemon had gathered around in a corner, and seemed to be discussing something in a frantic manner.
"What's gotten into them?" Zoe frowned.
"Maybe they just have a hard time believing you're Legendary Warriors," Kokuwamon suggested. "If I hadn't seen it for myself, I'd have trouble believing that too."
"Although having humans in the Digital World at all is also pretty unbelievable too," Biyomon added.
"I don't know… They seemed scared of us." Labramon pointed out. "Or rather, of you kids."
"But… why would they be scared of us?" Tommy asked in confusion. "We're just kids, right?"
"You also said you're Legendary Warriors. Believe me, the last thing most people want is for children to be in possession of great power," Lopmon pointed out.
"I think it has more to do with the fact we said we're Legendary Warriors." Takuya noted. "They seemed scared of us after JP announced that."
"Hmm…" Lopmon frowned.
Patamon, who was sitting next to Lopmon, whispered to him. "Is it just me or does Takuya seem more… aware of the situation than he usually is?"
Lopmon nodded in agreement to Patamon's comment.
"What should we do? Should we let things play out or…?" Patamon asked quietly.
"We can't interfere too much, but… there's no telling what would happen if things change if we don't…" Lopmon replied.
"What are you two whispering about?" Koji asked, having heard their discussion.
Lopmon and Patamon stiffened up and quickly looked at Koji.
"N-nothing important!" Patamon quickly said.
"We're just trying to decide how to rescue the girls too, yeah," Lopmon said nervously.
Koji frowned, but he accepted Lopmon's story. "Okay. Any ideas you have would be useful to hear at the very least."
Luckily, before Patamon and Lopmon had to come up with a cover story, the mustached KaratsukiNumemon nervously approached the group with a nervous smile.
"It's time to go to bed!" The mustache KaratsukiNumemon said.
"Uh… Okay…?" Takuya raised an eyebrow. He was not getting a good feeling about the look of the mustached KaratsukiNumemon. A quick glance at the others told the boy they were getting similar, if not the same, feelings. "But shouldn't we just rescue the girls?"
"N-no, it's getting late, and it wouldn't be good if you had to tackle the job while you're tired. You should get some rest, and do the job in the morning," The mustached KaratsukiNumemon quickly explained with a strained smile.
Lopmon, Patamon, Biyomon, Kokuwamon, and Labramon looked at the KaratsukiNumemon. They were debating with themselves about something, but none of them said anything.
"Um… what do you guys think?" Zoe asked, mainly looking at the 5 Digimon partners.
The Rookie Digimon had been their guides, and they had been pretty good at guiding them through the Digital World. Of course, that simple question also put the 5 Digimon on the spot.
"You want us to decide?" Patamon asked nervously.
"Why us?" Biyomon asked, also feeling nervous.
We didn't anticipate this! Kokuwamon thought to himself, fiddling his 'hands' together.
"You guys have been helping us through the Digital World so far, and even while Koji refuses to admit it, I'm sure Labramon has been a big help to leading him around too," Zoe said, eyeing Koji for a moment as if daring him to say otherwise.
Koji remained cool and silent.
"Zoe's right, you guys have been a great help so far." JP smiled.
"You also helped each of us gain the confidence we need to find our Spirits," Tommy added.
"You give us too much credit, you guys did most of the work," Lopmon said sheepishly.
"Well, yeah, but we wouldn't have been able to do what we did without you helping us." Takuya pointed out. "Like when I fought Cerberumon. Without you two helping me, I'd have had a harder time against her."
I guess this is what happens when we decided to go with them. Lopmon sighed. "Hey, I think a good night's sleep could do us all some good. We haven't been able to eat or sleep well since we left the wind factory."
Takuya sighed. "That's true." A yawn escaped the boy. "And some sleep would be good. I feel like I'm about to pass out from walking all day, not to mention that 'train ride' was very nerve-racking."
"We all could use some sleep, I think." Zoe agreed. "We don't want to be too tired for the rescue mission tomorrow."
"I'd rather do this now…" Koji sighed before looking at Labramon.
Labramon looked up at Koji.
"But if these guys think we should save our strength, then I guess we should," Koji finally said.
Patamon and Biyomon looked at Lopmon with worried looks on their faces. Lopmon just looked down with a mental sigh.
I hope this doesn't turn out bad. Lopmon thought to himself.
"We'll sleep near you guys, just to make sure nothing goes wrong," Kokuwamon suggested.
Patamon nodded. "After the whole Candlemon thing, we don't want to take any chances."
Kokuwamon blinked as he looked at Patamon. "What happened with the Candlemon?"
Patamon sighed. "We'll explain it later. It's kind of an interesting, if not a bit long, story."
"It was definitely interesting," Tommy chuckled sheepishly, remembering what happened with the Candlemon all too well.
Later that night, the KaratsukiNumemon brought big leaves for the group to lay on for the night, since they couldn't sleep on the beds, due to the beds being on the walls. The KaratsukiNumemon were quick to leave them alone after that.
"We'll give you guys some privacy, and, uh… see you in the morning," The mustached KaratsukiNumemon quickly said before leaving.
Everyone laid down on the makeshift leafy beds. Since they had no pillows, Tommy took off his hat and laid his head on it, using it as a pillow. The rest of them tried their best to get as comfortable as possible. Though they were starting to get used to sleeping just about anywhere. At least they were in shelter this time, even if it was on the side of a mountain.
The Digimon stayed near each of the children. Patamon laid near Takuya, Labramon was laying next to Koji, Lopmon was curled up next to Tommy, Biyomon was roosting near Zoe, and Kokuwamon was lying on his back next to JP. Lopmon couldn't help but notice they seemed to be laying near the same children they saved earlier. He wondered if it was a subconscious decision.
Due to their fatigue, it didn't take long for the children to fall asleep, with only two of them still awake. Takuya and Koji. Koji was laying near the edge of the leafy bed. Takuya was laying not too far away. Takuya shifted a little, trying to get comfortable, before he turned around and ended up facing Koji.
Koji grumbled. "What?" He was clearly not happy about being near the goggle-wearing boy.
Takuya blinked. "Huh?" His mind raced as he tried to come up with something to say. "Uh… Hey, you know, I think it's pretty cool of you to try and help out the KaratsukiNumemon. I may not have gotten a good impression of you before, but I think that's changed."
Koji turned over, having his back face Takuya, and facing Labramon instead. "They helped me first, but don't think this means I'll be helping you after this. Labramon is the only one I need here."
Takuya grumbled as he turned over so he was facing away from Koji. And here I thought Koji was getting better about being more open… I guess I was mistaken…
When Takuya had rolled over, he saw Patamon looking back at him. Patamon looked like he wanted to look away, but he gave Takuya a small smile.
"Don't let him get to you… I'm sure Koji will come around," Patamon said quietly.
"Yeah, I guess you're right." Takuya sighed. "I just was hoping he would be more accepting of us, but I guess it takes time instead."
"Yeah…" Patamon said as he started to look down.
"Hmm? What's with you lately? You and the others have been looking nervous since we got here," Takuya asked.
"It's just… we're surprised at how much you guys trust us. We haven't… known each other for that long, and… we haven't really done that much to help you guys," Patamon answered. "Why put that much trust in us?"
"You helped us more than we could ever imagine." Takuya replied. "And you guys know this world better than us humans, so we kinda need your help anyway."
"I guess… though you guys will soon learn your way around the Digital World," Patamon replied. "One day you may not really need us anymore."
Takuya blinked before he looked down, considering Patamon's words. "Maybe… but I hope that day doesn't come too soon… I'd hate to have you just leave us…"
Patamon was silent for a moment before he gave Takuya a smile. "Just keep doing what you're doing, Takuya. And let's not worry about that right now. I'll see you in the morning."
"Yeah… See you in the morning." Takuya said softly.
Takuya then closed his eyes and let sleep come to claim him.
Pokemonfan1991: ZAFT: Ooooh, very good deductions, but we will not confirm nor deny it. XD
DarkFoxKit: As you read on, it'll become more and more obvious about what happened with the Digimon and their partners. And as for… the nature of the world they're in, that too will start to become more obvious. Good luck with your own Digimon and Danny Phantom story.
ZAFT: It's nice to have a reader theorizing things, so we hope you will do more of that as you read~. XD
haloguardian452: DarkFoxKit: If you are still reading the story up to this point, then I just want to say please don't review just to ask about updates of other, unrelated stories. It's rude.
ZAFT: Please don't just demand an update to an older story. If she is not writing it, then perhaps there is a reason and you should respect that. That's all.