Hey, and welcome back for another chapter!

Last time Noire and Dracomon stumbled upon a meat farm owned by a scarecrow named Nohemon, and when playing with his two little plant Digimon friends, Palmon and Tanemon, they were captured by some dark wolves named BlackGarurumon, with a werewolf named BlackWereGarurumon leading them. Although Dracomon got away, the wolves would hold both of the plant Digimon hostage unless Nohemon brings them a big hunk of-

[phone starts ringing]

Oh? Eh, one moment please.

[answers]

What is it, Neptune? ...Huh? ...Eh? ...What do you mean I can't say- ...Neptune, what are you on abou- Look, I- I'm not trying to- But- ...Ugggh. Fine. But you owe me a pudding cup for this.

[hangs up]

Well, it would appear that due to issues with certain wordings in recent years, Neptune has advised me not to finish that last sentence. What I will say, though, is that BlackWereGarurumon and his pack demand more food be brought to them, lest something bad happens to both Palmon and Tanemon. Meanwhile, Dracomon feels wrought with guilt, believing that he got his new friends captured. Will he be able to overcome his depression and save Nohemon's companions? I sure hope so, cause his friends will need him if they ever hope to plan a rescue attempt.

Now then, let's see how both Noire and Dracomon are doing back at the meat farm, shall we?

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon or the Hyperdimension Neptunia series. Both franchises belong to their respective companies.

Chapter 40: Dragon's Dilemma

It had been less than an hour ever since both Palmon and Tanemon had been captured. The BlackWereGarurumon and his pack had captured both plant Digimon while they and Dracomon were playing a game of hide-and-seek. When they wandered too far into the woods, that's when they bumped into the dark wolves, who were already on their way to the meat farm. As a result, they held held both of the plant Digimon hostage unless Nohemon can deliver them a large amount of freshly grown meat, or else he would not see them again. Naturally he'd do anything he can to save them. So would Noire, who promised to help him save both Palmon and Tanemon.

Dracomon, on the other hand, was feeling very sorry for himself. He blamed himself for what happened to his new friends. He was the only one who was able to get away from the dangerous group. However he wished he could've done more. Perhaps if Noire were there with him he could've Digivolved into Coredramon. That way he would at least have more of a chance to stop BlackWereGarurumon. But in his current form, it wasn't even a fight so much as it was the small dragon Digimon just flailing away at a foe much larger and more powerful than him. He could still feel the sting from the punches BlackWereGarurumon had beaten him down with.

As a result of his injuries, Drcaomon was forced to rest and heal up until he gets well enough to help out both Noire and Nohemon around the meat farm. He now felt even more useless now as a result. He wanted to do something to help Noire out. But she wasn't having it. She couldn't count on him as long as he was still injured. She promised, however, that they will get the two plant Digimon back somehow.

In the meantime, the black haired girl was going to help out Nohemon gather as much meat from the fields as possible. How she would do that, however, was what she didn't know about. When she approached one of the meat fields, she saw that Nohemon was already waiting for her. This was the perfect moment to ask him about what they'll be doing.

"So, how are we going to harvest the meat? We don't have a tractor, do we?", she asked.

"Nope. We gotta do it all by hand", Nohemon replied.

"All by hand?! That'll take forever!", Noire exclaimed.

"Yep. That's why I had sum help from Tanemon and Palmon whenever we tend to the fields", the scarecrow Digimon explained. "Because of them we had no need fer a tractor or anything like that."

"Guess it goes to show that you don't know what you miss until you've lost it", the Lastation CPU commented.

"Yeah... Those two always did their best every day. I love them like they were my own kids...", Nohemon said sadly.

Noire could understand what he's going through. Not a single moment goes by whenever she thinks back on her sister Uni whenever she took a dangerous assignment, and wondered what she would do without her. Even now she wondered how her sister was doing, and whether or not she too was in the Digital World at all. She made a mental note to seek out her sister once her business at the meat farm was over.

"We've got to get them back, before those vain, low-down, dirty, sons of-", Nohemon rambled as he thought about what the kidnappers were doing to the plant Digimon right now.

"Calm down, Nohemon. We'll get them back somehow. I promise", Noire reaffirmed.

The scarecrow Digimon stopped rambling and stared at the black haired girl before nodding in response.

"Right. Sorry 'bout that", he apologized.

"Don't worry. I'm already working on a plan. But for now, let's see how much meat we can pick", said the Lastation CPU.

"Alrighty then!", Nohemon said, confidence returning to his voice.

They turned towards the large field of meat in front of them. From what Noire could tell, each row of meat in the ground looked ripe and ready for picking. Although she still didn't understand how meat could grow from the ground, she did admit that it seemed quite ingenious. If she could figure out how to do the same thing in her world, Gameindustri would be one step closer to solving world hunger. Then again, the very idea also sounded problematic in and of itself, as there were many businesses that relied on their own production of meat and meat byproducts. If something like this existed in her world, then there would be no more need of such businesses. This was something she'd have to think carefully on for a while.

Still, as she stared at the fields of meat before her, the black haired girl couldn't help but get a little giddy at the idea of having to actually farm for food. Under normal circumstances she couldn't even picture herself doing something like this, as she was a Goddess of her nation who tended to other matters of concern, such as satisfying her peoples needs or protecting her land and people from monster attacks or the occasional villain. But in strange times like this, and with the lives of two living and sentient creatures at stake, she had to do everything she could to help Nohemon get back both Tanemon and Palmon, even if it meant helping out as a temporary farmhand to a strange Digimon in another world.

"Well, there's a first time for everything", Noire said quietly to herself.

"Oh, right! Y'all might need these as well", said the scarecrow Digimon.

He then tossed something to the Lastation CPU, who swiftly caught it. It was a pair of farmer's gloves that were used for many things. In this case they would prove useful for harvesting the meat fields. Understanding what to do, she put on the farming gloves on her hands. They felt a little loose on her slender arms, but she believed that they would do for as long as she was going to help Nohemon. Just then, she saw Nohemon pulling what appeared to be two large wooden carts behind him. Both of them looked big enough to haul loads of meat in a single trip.

"Now, we're gonna load these here carts with as much meat as we can load", he explained, "then we'll deliver them to the big barn over there, where I have my old jalopy waiting."

"Jalopy? Wait, you mean you have a car? Can Digimon even drive?", Noire pondered aloud, as she had never heard or even seen a Digimon drive a vehicle before.

"Well, as far as I know, I might be the only one 'round here who knows how to", Nohemon replied.

It was quite a revelation to the black haired girl. She assumed that Digimon didn't know of such complexities like driving a car. Perhaps there was more to this world and the lifeforms that inhabit it than she had originally thought.

"Now, are ya ready to pick some meat, miss Goddess?", the scarecrow Digimon asked her.

"Yes. Let's get to work!", Noire said as she nodded in response.

With that said, Nohemon took one cart with him, while Noire took the other one. They then went to opposite corners of the meat field, knowing that they can get more done by starting in separate parts of the field. Once they picked their respective corners, the pair went to work at once. Right away Noire started pulling away at the pieces of meat in the ground. Surprisingly they were easy to remove from the dirt rows than she had though. It was as if she was uprooting a weed in a yard. With each piece of meat she unearthed she then tossed in her cart and moved on to the next piece.

Although this was not what she was used to, Noire did have to admit, it was quite different than what she expected. That being said, however, she wished she had been wearing a different outfit for this kind of job, as her dress was not well suited for working in a meat field. On another note, the task she was committing herself to was giving her quite the work out, as she could feel her body move faster bit by bit with each minute. She wondered if this could be considered a form of training for herself for future encounters. She also wondered how fast she could load her cart with pieces of meat if she was in her HDD form. Then she looked towards where the scarecrow Digimon was, who was steadily filling his cart with pieces of meat, and an idea formed in her head.

"Hey, Nohemon! What say we make this more interesting?", she called out.

"What'cha mean by that?", the scarecrow Digimon replied.

"Let's see who can gather more meat before the day ends! I bet I can harvest more than you!", said Noire.

Right after she said that, she sped up her pace by a little as she plucked more pieces of meat from the ground and loaded them into her cart. Nohemon could see a competitive fire in her eyes as he watched her try to out-do him in gathering as much meat as possible. Naturally, this triggered a spark in him as well.

"Alright, yer on!", he called out.

The scarecrow Digimon then started to speed up with his harvest, trying to match Noire's pace as he plucked the pieces of meat and chucking them into his cart. Both of them were now moving at a rapid rate of progress, determined to get more done than the other. The Lastation CPU was always pretty competitive when it came to either certain games or tasks, and that very trait of hers certainly showed here. She would show just what a CPU could do when against a Digimon like Nohemon.

Meanwhile, from inside the meat-shaped house, Dracomon could only watch through the window as his partner raced around the meat field with the scarecrow Digimon, harvesting pieces of meat left and right and loading them into their carts. Although he was amazed at how Noire was able to keep up with Nohemon, the small dragon Digimon felt that he should be out there helping his partner, or perhaps even join in the competition. On the other hand, he'd probably just end up eating some of the meat in the process, and that would never do. Still, even with his injuries still healing, he felt like he couldn't just sit around and do nothing. He had to help rescue Tanemon and Palmon. But he didn't know how.

"What can I do? The longer we wait, the more those two will suffer", he said to himself. "It's because of me that they were caught..."

Dracomon then though back to how they had ran into BlackWereGarurumon and his two BlackGarurumon pack members. All they were doing was playing a game of hide-and-seek, and everything went horribly wrong the moment they had ran into the horrible pack of woodland bullies. When he saw that both Tanemon and Palmon were in their clutches, he tried his best to help them, only to be repaid for his efforts with punishment from the black werewolf Digimon as he beat the small dragon Digimon to a pulp. If only he had been stronger, perhaps they never would've been captured in the first place. He blamed himself for it, and he felt that he should be the one to save them.

"I'll save them somehow. I have to", he said to himself.

Just then, he noticed that both Noire and Nohemon have both loaded their carts full of meat and were taking it to the barn. When they reached it, the scarecrow Digimon opened it up to reveal that there was what looked like an olden wooden truck inside. It looked like a simple design, and despite its old timey appearance, it looked like it could still haul a large load of meat. Moving to the back of it, they unlocked the tail gate at the back before they started loading the pieces of meat into the back of the truck. As he watched them load the meat into the truck, an idea came to Dracomon.

"I think I know just what to do", he said to himself.

He began to formulate a plan in his head. But for it to take place, he would have to wait until the meat was ready to be delivered to the pack in the woods. He could only hope that it works out without him or the plant Digimon getting hurt in the process...

Later that day, as the sun started setting down, Noire and Nohemon were now resting inside the meat-shaped house. They had spent several hours harvesting pieces of meat from a few of the fields, then hauling their carts full of meat to a barn and loading them in Nohemon's old truck. The black haired girl could feel her arms and legs ache as she sat at the dinner table with Dracomon. She never thought she'd get tired from moving around pieces of meat from one place to another.

"Huff.. And here I thought... that filling out paperwork... for a whole day... was rough", she panted, still catching her breath.

"Are you going to be okay, Noire?", asked Dracomon.

"Yeah... I just need to rest up, that's all...", his partner replied.

Then, Nohemon stepped in, looking like he could still run a country mile.

"Whoooowee! That was quite the workout ya did out there, miss Goddess", he complimented.

"Not much of a workout so much as it turned into a race", stated Noire.

"What do you mean?", asked Dracomon.

"We ended up hauling in so much meat we almost overloaded the back of the truck", the Lastation CPU explained, "and I nearly fell from exhaustion."

"Hehehe! That's what happens when you race a scarecrow that never tires out", said Nohemon.

"Right. I forgot that the crow on your shoulder is the real you", Noire said.

Because of how Nohemon was just a puppet body and that his real self was the crow on his shoulder, he was able to move around without getting tired as much as a normal living being like the Lastation CPU. Although she had a bit of fun harvesting the meat fields with the scarecrow Digimon, she hated the fact that she lost to him. Without her power to transform into her HDD state, she wasn't able to reach her peak performance, and as a result, she had run herself ragged, while Nohemon just kept on going because of the way his puppet body worked. Naturally the black haired girl felt like that was cheating a little, but in the end she couldn't complain, considering that both of them managed to get a good haul of meat loaded and ready for delivery.

"Aw, don't ya fret none. Y'all did good today helping me out. And y'all deserve a good meal fer yer efforts", said Bohemon.

"But I haven't done anything", stated Dracomon.

"Shucks, don't sweat it. Y'all were still recovering from yer scuffle with that darned BlackWereGarurumon. There ain't no shame in that", said the scarecrow Digimon understandingly.

"Yeah, so don't beat yourself up over it", added Noire.

"Lucky for you", Nohemon continued, "my home cooking might just help ya heal up and get ya back in shape fer tomorrow. So sit tight!"

He then went back to the nearby kitchen to prepare something good for everyone to eat. As the pair waited for the farmhand to return, Noire turned her attention to her partner, who had a doubtful look on his face. She wondered why this was, as it was unlike her partner Digimon to be down in the dumps. Perhaps he was still mulling over his failure to save Tanemon and Palmon earlier that day.

"Dracomon? Are you alright?", she asked him.

The small dragon Digimon jumped a bit in response before turning to the Lastation CPU. He smiled sheepishly at her, not wanting to worry her.

"Y-Yeah, I'm fine. Ehehehe...", he said.

The black haired girl squinted her eyes when he said this. She could tell that this was an obvious lie just to ease her concerns, but she decided not to say anything about it, believing that he'll probably feel better later on, especially after eating a good home cooked meal. Still, she could only wonder what he was thinking about right now.

Secretly, Dracomon wasn't thinking about the home cooked meal they would receive momentarily. He was still thinking about how he was going to save both Tanemon and Palmon from BlackWereGarurumon and his pack. He believed that they had no intention of giving them back to Nohemon even after they get the amount of meat they demanded. He had a plan in mind, but he didn't know if he should tell Noire about it or not. Like her, he was a little too prideful in trying to own up to his own mistakes, and he didn't know how to talk to her about saving the two plant Digimon. In the end, he decided not to tell her about what he had in mind.

After about ten minutes of waiting for Nohemon to come back, he finally arrived with two plates of hot and steaming portions of meat in each hand. They looked quite different than what he and Noire had harvested that day. They looked more well done, and even had a bit of sauce on the side. For some reason, the black haired girl could feel her mouth water as she gazed on the meal, though she was careful not to show it. Dracomon, on the other hand, showed no such self restraint as he eyed the meat hungrily like a dog waiting for someone to drop their food. Not only that, but his stomach also decided to make itself know to everyone, as it growled loud enough for everyone to hear, causing both Noire and Nohemon to just stare at him for a moment before laughing a few seconds later.

"Well, sounds like someone's been waiting for a good bite. Dig in!", said the scarecrow Digimon.

He then placed the plates in front of both the Lastation CPU and her Digimon partner respectively. They could smell the delicious aroma from the cooked meat as they gazed upon the dishes. While Noire took her time and started cutting a piece away with a knife and fork, Dracomon dove straight into his meal and took a large bite into the piece of meat. The taste and texture of the home cooked dish felt like a party in the small dragon Digimon's mouth. For the black haired girl, it was quite the fascinating delicacy as she tasted her piece. Once she cewed enough and swallowed, she smiled at Nohemon, who waited for her opinion on it.

"This is good! Thank you!", she complimented.

"Aw, don't mention it", the farmhand replied, scratching the back of his "head" sheepishly.

"Mmm! So good!~", added Dracomon happily as she chewed away at his meal.

As the pair enjoyed their meal with Nohemon, they could see that he was true to his word, as they could actually feel their energy slowly returning to them. Even Dracomon could feel some of the pain in his body go away. They wondered how this was even possible, just from eating some cooked pieces of meat. Truly the Digital World was full of amazing wonders.

"This is amazing! I feel like I'm being rejuvenated. How is this possible?", Noire asked.

"Hehe, that's a trade secret, I'm afraid", Nohemon replied.

"Mm~ Whi iz hat?", said Dracomon, his mouth still full of food.

"Dracomon, table manners please", stated his partner.

Blinking his eyes, the small dragon Digimon gulped down the meat that was in his mouth before continuing.

"Sorry", he said. "Why is that?"

"Cause if everybody knew about it, there wouldn't be much left to have. And then where would that leave my farm at?", the scarecrow Digimon explained.

"You mean to say that there's more to the meat you grow here that not many people know about?", Noire inquired.

"That's right. Though...", said the farmhand before placing a hand on his "chin", looking as if he was thinking on something.

Both Noire and Dracomon wondered what he was pondering about before he spoke up again.

"Since y'all don't seem like the type to go blabbing 'bout anything willy-nilly, I guess I can fill ya in", he said.

He then pulled up a chair and sat down on it, joining the pair at the table. The two listened carefully as the scarecrow Digimon explained his secret.

"Y'see, every once in a while, a special kind of meat grows in these here fields", said Nohemon. "I've called it the Miracle Meat, as it has the power to restore the energy of any Digimon that ate it, sometimes even making them stronger."

Mm? Miracle Meat?", Dracomon said after swallowing another piece of meat.

"Yep", said the farmhand. "I don't know how it happens, but whenever conditions are just right, there's a good chance a piece of this Miracle Meat will grow from the ground."

"Wow", whispered Noire as she listened on.

"When I saw how good it was", he went on, "I realized that if anyone found out about it, they'd no doubt raid my farm fer more of it. It was just that good. That's why whenever I find one growing in the fields, I stop whatever I was doing, pluck it right away, and save it in storage fer special occasions."

"Do Tanemon and Palmon know about this Miracle Meat?", asked the Lastation CPU.

"Nope. Whenever I do serve it up, all I tell 'em is that it was a special dish I made that'll help them grow big and strong", said Nohemon.

Dracomon, who was still eating his meal, listened on to the farmhand's story. He then wondered that if he had eaten enough of this Miracle Meat, he'd be strong enough to save both Tanemon and Palmon from being kidnapped.

"As far as I'm aware, they don't know the full story. But one day, when they've grow up, it'll be up to them to make sure that it don't fall in the wrong hands", he stated.

"That might be difficult, considering their current predicament", stated Noire.

"I know... I don't wanna see any harm come to 'em, but I'm just a simple meat farmer... I don't have any real fightin' power", said Nohemon sadly.

"Don't worry. We'll save them somehow", the black haired girl reassured him.

This made the farmhand feel a little better, while Dracomon could only feel a little more down, considering that he felt like he was the one who should rescue the two plant Digimon. He didn't want his partner to get involved, especially since she can't transform at the moment, raising the stakes even further. He needed to save Tanemon and Palmon, and he believed he has to do it alone.

Once the pair was finished with their meals, Nohemon offered to wash up the dishes for them. Noire declined at first, saying she should do it herself, but Nohemon insisted.

"It's the least I can do after all the hard work y'all did today", he said.

Noire, unwilling to refuse such a kind gesture, relented and thanked him for such hospitality. As he took the empty plates away, the Lastation CPU pondered for a bit. While it was true that she wanted to save the two plant Digimon, she had no idea how she was going to do it. She did have one plan in mind, but she had no idea if she should include Dracomon in it, considering how his last encounter with BlackWereGarurumon went. In the end, however, she decided that she should do go it alone, not wanting her partner to get hurt again.

"I know I'll be putting myself in danger, but I have to do this. Dracomon got hurt because I wasn't there with him. I don't want that to happen again", she thought.

When the sun fell and night time came around, Nohemon offered both Noire and Dracomon to sleep the night at his house. Naturally they accepted, as they needed the energy to face tomorrow's next encounter. He let the pair stay in a guest bedroom he always kept prepared whenever he had visitors. After saying good night to each other, they went to bed and went to sleep. This drift to slumber, however, wouldn't last long for a certain pair.

After a couple of hours went by, slowly opening one eye, Dracomon looked around to see if Noire was asleep. Believing that she was, he slowly crept out of his bed and sneaked his way over to the door, looking back one more time to make sure his partner didn't wake up. Seeing that he was in the clear, the small dragon Digimon cracked open the door and slipped on through.

Unknown to him, however, the moment he exited the guest bedroom, Noire was actually awake the whole time, as she opened one eye to look around. When she saw that her partner wasn't there, her heart sank, as she knew immediately what her Digimon partner was going to do. Naturally she decided to slowly follow after him, making sure that he didn't notice her presence.

After he had exited the guest bedroom, Dracomon slowly made his way through the household and towards the front door, making sure that he wasn't seen or heard. When he opened the front door, he quickly slipped on through and made it outside. The landscape was dimly illuminated by the light of the Digital World's moon, so it was a little easy for him to see in the dark. Wasting no time, he quickly made his way over to where the barn was. When he reached it, he saw that the doors were locked.

This made the small dragon Digimon a bit upset, as part of his plan was to enter the barn and sneak into the back of Nohemon's truck where all the meat was and hide inside of it for the whole time. Then once they reached to where BlackWereGarurumon and his pack was, he would spring into action, save Tanemon and Palmon, bring them back home, and then beat the black werewolf Digimon and his pack with the help of Noire. But with the barn doors locked for the night, his plan would fall apart unless there was an alternate way inside. As he was about to bein looking for an alternative rout into the barn, a noise caught his attention.

"Trying to sneak away without me?", said a voice behind him.

When Dracomon turned around, he saw that Noire was standing right behind him just a few feet away. The small dragon Digimon cursed himself silently, as he thought he was being careful the entire time. He thought he was now going to be in trouble for trying to sneak out in the middle of the night. Still, he decided to put on a brave face and act innocent.

"N-Noire! Uhh, what are you doing out here?", he stuttered.

"What, you think you're the only one who thought about sneaking into Nohemon's truck and saving his two friends?", asked the black haired girl.

Dracomon gulped. He knew right then and there that the jig was up as he sighed in a defeated tone. But the Lastation CPU simply smiled warmly as she approached him.

"I saw him lock those doors myself. He said it was to keep any "varmints" away from the meat he prepares to ship the next day", she explained. "And I could see no other way in, if that's what you're thinking."

"Aww, darn it all...", said Dracomon sadly.

She then gently patted Dracomon on the head, causing him to look up at her in confusion.

"Why don't we talk about it on the porch?", she offered.

The small dragon Digimon just stared at her for a few seconds before silently nodding. The two then made their way back to Nohemon's house. When they reached the porch, the pair then sat down on the steps near the front door. From where they were positioned, they could see the almost the entirety of the meat fields under the moon light. After a few seconds of silence, Noire spoke up.

"So, want to share what's been bothering you?", she asked.

Dracomon sighed at this. He didn't want to drag Noire into what he believed was a problem he created in the first place. But it seemed now he had no choice, as it looked like she knew all too well what he was going to do that night.

"I... I wanted to save Tanemon and Palmon on my own", he said.

"Now why would you want to try and do something crazy like that?", she asked him.

"Because it's my fault that they were captured. I tried to save them, but... well, you could see what happened", the small dragon Digimon replied.

"So you thought that by sneaking out on your own you could rescue them to make up for your failure from before?", Noire said, already knowing the answer to her query.

"Yeah, but... how did you know?", Dracomon asked.

"Because that was what I was gonna do, ironically enough", answered the Lastation CPU.

Her Digimon partner tilted his head in confusion. Both of them had the same idea in mind, but didn't tell each other about it at all. Now he was curious as to what her reasons were for wanting to save Tanemon and Palmon on her own instead of Dracomon.

"But why? You can't transform, so-", he said before the black haired girl interrupted him.

"I know that. But...", she said before trailing off and continuing. "...When I saw you so badly hurt like that, I didn't want to see that happen again. So I..."

"So you wanted to save them on your own, just to keep me out of danger?", Dracomon finished for her.

Noire's cheeks blushed red in embarrassment in response. It was like he could see right through her, much like a certain lilac haired girl she knew. The moment she thought that, she could swear that somewhere out in the Digital World, a sneeze could be faintly heard in the distance, though she believed it to be her imagination. Then, as the two gazed back at each other for a moment, they suddenly laughed. They both felt very silly for not trying to speak to each other about what they had planned. Once their giggle fit was over, they sighed.

"You know, we're kinda alike, you and me", said Noire.

"Oh? How so?", asked Dracomon.

"We both put on a tough act in front of everyone", she said, "not wanting to show weakness in front of anybody. Not even so much as asking for help from others around you."

The black haired girl then got up from the steps on the porch and walked out to the moonlit landscape, with her Digimon partner following behind her.

"But you know", she continued, "it's not a sin to ask for help from someone you know. Even if you believe it's your mistake, can't be expected to solve it on your own."

Noire then turned around and grabbed one of his claws with her hand, gently holding his limb in her palm as she smiled warmly at him.

"So that's why we're going to save them together, as a team", she finished.

Dracomon didn't know what to say. Still, he knew that what she said was right. All this time he wanted to save the two plant Digimon on his own, but in reality, he should've asked for help from his partner. The onus was on them to make sure that Tanemon and Palmon were brought back safe and sound. The small dragon Digimon, now feeling more confident, smiled at her.

"Thanks, Noire. You're a good friend, you know that?", he said.

"F-F-Friend? You c-cons-sider me a f-f-friend?", the Lastation CPU stuttered.

Dracomon nodded, causing the black haired girl's whole face to turn bright red. She quickly turned away from her partner, not wanting to see the look of embarrassment that showed in her facial expression. Dracomon tilted his head in confusion, not sure what she was doing.

"Noire? Are you okay?", he asked.

"Uhh, yes, I-I'm fine! I think I'm, uhhh, g-getting a little tired from this night air. Yes, that's it. Ehehehe...", she stammered.

She then briskly walked back towards Nohemon's house, making her way to the front door.

"Now c'mon, we don't want to stay up all night, do we? L-Let's get to bed", she said.

Dracomon, still unsure what was going on with Noire, just nodded happily as he trailed after his partner. They both slowly entered back inside the house, making sure not to wake up Nohemon in the process. But as they entered inside and made their way back to the guest bedroom, the farmhand in question could be seen just standing out of sight the entire time. He had been listening on to their conversation the whole time. Because of his ability to remain still like an actual scarecrow, they never even noticed him standing outside in the dark as he hid in the shadow of his house. If he had a mouth on his puppet body, he'd be smiling right then and there.

"Those two were made fer each other", he thought. "Friendship can be the darnedest thing sometimes. Hehehe~"

When he believed that both Noire and Dracomon had gone back to bed and drifted off to sleep, he would make his way back to bed himself, just as quietly as he came outside. It would be quite the day for everyone involved tomorrow, and even he knew that. He could only hope that things turn out for the best.

Once the crack of dawn arose, both Noire and Dracomon woke up to the sound of Nohemon beating a spoon against a pan like an alarm bell. Although they didn't appreciate the noise, they knew they had to get up, remembering what was at stake. Before they would get ready to head out with the demanded load of meat, Nohemon made them a quick breakfast for them to eat, not wanting them to be hungry during the inevitable encounter with BlackWereGarurumon and his pack.

At the table, both Noire and Dracomon discussed their plan with the scarecrow Digimon, who thought what they were going to do was not only dangerous, but outright suicidal. But they were both determined to rescue the two plant Digimon despite the danger to them and themselves. Knowing that he couldn't stop the pair even if he wanted to, he decided to roll along with their plan. After they all agreed to the plan, they finished the early breakfast and started getting ready for the delivery to the woods.

As they approached the barn, Nohemon pulled out a key from his straw hat. He then inserted the key into the lock, then opened the doors up as soon as the lock was disengaged. All three went inside towards the truck full of meat. It was filled to the brim with nearly half of the demanded amount of meat. They hoped that by presenting it to BlackWereGarurumon they would be able to prove that they would meet his demands, or at least fool him into believing that, and offer this load as a sign of good will. Before Noire and Dracomon reached the back of they truck, Nohemon stopped them for a moment.

"Once I drop ya off, there's no guarantee I can get ya back out. Are y'all sure about this?", the farmhand asked them.

The Lastation CPU and the small dragon Digimon nodded in response. They wanted nothing more than to rescue both Tanemon and Palmon, and they believed that this was the best way to do it.

"We're sure of it. We'll get them back before you know it", said Noire confidently.

"Alrighty then. But don't complain when y'all smell like meat fer the whole day afterwards", said Nohemon.

Noire cringed at the very thought. She didn't think about the smell of meat latching on to her dress. Still, she had no one to blame but herself for committing to this choice, so now she had to live with it. She could only hope that Nohemon had a bath and washing machine ready when she returns. After that brief conversation, the black haired girl helped her partner inside the back, hiding him inside of the pieces of meat. Then she climbed inside herself, making sure to bury herself as deep as she could.

"Now don't you go eating some of the meat in here, you hear me?", she warned Dracomon.

"Me? I would never! I can restrain myself just fine", muffled the small dragon Digimon.

"That's crap and you know it. I could already see you drooling before we even got in", Noire deadpanned.

Dracomon gulped at this, deciding that maybe now might not be the best time to have a snack along the way. Once the pair were ready, Nohemon cranked up the handle on the front of the truck, starting up the engine. The noise was loud as the engine roared to life, and the truck even backfired a couple of times before it hummed in idle. The scarecrow Digimon then got into the drivers seat, set it to drive, and moved the truck slowly out of the barn.

"I hope they know what they're doing...", he said to himself.

After pulling out of the barn, Nohemon drove his truck in the direction of where BlackWereGarurumon and his pack had gone to, deep into the woods. The whole time he would pray for the safety of his two friends, and that both Noire and her Digimon partner would succeed in their rescue attempt. If anyone could do it, it was them.

That concludes this chapter.

The next scenes for this one are going to be a bit too big to fit into this chapter, so it'll have to wait until the next one. Sorry to leave it with a cliffhanger, but that's the way it is.

On another note, I just love the way Noire gets all flustered whenever she gets confronted with the idea of making an actual friend. Ahh, if only she can be more honest with her feelings.

Noire: HEY! I heard that!

Oops. Uh, yeah, that's all for this chapter. Be sure to follow this story if you haven't already, and leave a review for this chapter. And assuming that Noire doesn't tear me limb from limb, I'll see you again in the next chapter. Bye!