The Crest of a Master

by PizzaSpino

When the Digital World is in peril it doesn't just turn to a regular group of kids. It turns to a group of kids raised in a world centralized around raising and battling monsters! Join Ash and Agumon as they make new friends, battle an army of monsters, and hopefully save both of their worlds from an ancient evil.

16. The School in the Woods

Disclaimer: The following is a work of fan fiction written by someone who enjoys creature collector franchises. Pokémon is owned by Nintendo, Game Freak, The Pokémon Company, Creatures Inc. and Satoshi Tajiri. Digimon is owned by Bandai, WiZ, Toei Animation, and Akiyoshi Hongo. If you want to support the official releases, worry not. Lord knows there is plenty of merchandise to choose from.

Listening to as I forage: Enchanted Woods (Donkey Kong Country 2)

The Crest of a Master Chapter 16: The School in the Woods

Forest

After finally escaping the desert, our heroes continued to follow their Digivices' map to meet up with their next party member. Eventually they found themselves in some peculiar woods. The trees were massive with trunks that were large enough to house a Snorlax and branches that blocked out the natural light from the sun save for a few small pricks of sunshine that peaked through the dense, purple leaves giving the illusion of stars in the night sky.

Despite the lack of sun, there was still plant life beneath the canopy which looked modified to adapt to the dark environment. There were various bushes that grew at the base of the trees with root that clung to the trunks, probably stealing nutrients from the titanic timber. Lighting the forest floor were various biofluorescent mushrooms and flowers ranging from the size of a small toadstool to a massive umbrella.

The forest itself was very quiet with only the occasional chirp from an insect which meant that our party had to be very quiet if they didn't want to draw attention to themselves.

"Why do I have patrol?" Greymon loudly groaned.

The group had stopped for a quick lunch before continuing their search for the other Digivice holder. They set up a small picnic area, though with the fire and the dark lighting it looked more like they were about to set up camp. Right now, Greymon was eyeing the pot of heavenly smelling stew Brock was stirring.

"Because last night I was on guard duty and had to scare off an enraged Baboongamon," Gotsumon said leaning back against Onix who was laying curled around the picnic sight. "It's your turn to deal with wild Digimon and my turn for some fresh soup."

Greymon looked around the camp. Betamon was currently working with Misty and Staryu to harvest some drinks from a nearby vending machine, so he couldn't ask her to switch. Shoot, if only they had another champion Digimon. Or maybe a champion sized Pokémon. "Hey, Onix…"

Before Greymon could finish his request, Onix gave the dinosaur an annoyed grumble and curled his head inward towards the picnic. So much for that option.

"Don't worry, Greymon," Brock smiled up at the dinosaur. "I'll save you a bowl."

Greymon gave a rumble of dissatisfaction. He was hungry now! But he couldn't argue. Gotsumon, Betamon, and Onix had all taken their turns on guard duty, and it didn't look like any of them were willing to budge. Looks like he would just have to find some of his own food.

Ash stood up from where he was stoking the fire. "Hey, Greymon. If you want, I can go with you."

Releasing a loud sigh, Greymon leaned down and gently nudged Ash back into the protective inclusion Onix provided. "No, it's fine. Just get yourself fed. We've still got a small hike before we reach the final human."

Greymon couldn't call himself a good Digimon partner if he let his trainer go hungry. Besides, he was planning on doing a little hunting while he was out and about, and he didn't want Ash to watch. That kid showed a lot of spunk in battle, but Greymon wasn't sure if he was ready to track down and kill another animal.

Normally larger, predatory Digimon who lived in the wild would live off a diet of the local fauna and the data of the occasional Digimon who ventured into their territory. Smaller, more civilized predatory Digimon would live in cities and villages and just earn their meat from working. Thanks to his partnership with Ash, Greymon got the best of both worlds. As a smaller Agumon he could still go into towns or be satisfied with smaller food portions. As a feral sized Greymon, he could scare off potential enemies with his size alone and if he needed a little extra food, he could just hunt.

Because Greymon was in no mood to just walk around and wait for dinner, he decided to hunt for a little appetizer. Giving the air a quick sniff with his powerful nostrils, Greymon detected both a creek and a potential meal heading straight for it.

One would think that a creature as large as Greymon would scare away any potential prey the second he placed one massive foot on the ground. Make no mistake, Greymon was large and could make a ruckus if he so chose. However, thanks to various adaptations built into his code he could also sneak around undetected until he found the right moment to strike. His vision was very keen, allowing him to see clearly even in low light environments. There was also special padding on his feet that muffled his footsteps so long as he moved carefully.

Slowly, Greymon made his way to the creek. There at the water's edge he could spy a lone doe. Small enough that he could kill it in one bite, but swift enough to flee the champion if he made so much as one wrong move. Greymon would have to inch in closer if he wanted a clean shot.

Making sure to approach from downwind, Greymon crept closer to the deer. Every footstep was carefully and strategically placed so that he wouldn't…

THUMP!

The doe's head bolted up right before she sprinted away. Silently, Greymon cursed. When did he slip? He was sure his footsteps were silent. Unless that wasn't his foot.

"RAWWR!" WHAM!

Greymon grunted in pain as he felt a massive body ram into his side pushing him over. It appeared that while Greymon was hunting the deer, another Digimon was hunting him! Greymon attempted to rise but was pressed back down by a clawed foot. Glancing upwards, Greymon could see his assailant.

The Digimon in question was another dinosaur type with a similar build to Greymon's. Except this dinosaur was covered in dark, green scales with red stripes and pale, yellow spikes running from its muzzle down to its tail. Sprouting from the Digimon's shoulders were a pair of long, thick horns with black and red strips with curved forward.

Seeing his assailant bending down for what might be a killing blow, Greymon turned his head around to bite down on one of the green dinosaur's muscular forearms. The green dinosaur roared in pain as Greymon pulled on the arm to help him get to his feet.

Angered, the green dinosaur slashed at Greymon with his free claw cutting into his shoulder. In return Greymon snarled and slammed his skull into the green dinosaur's jaw. Greymon's horns raked up at the sides of the green dinosaur's face cutting open the skin causing particles of data to leak out. The green dinosaur jumped back and swung his tail around smashing into Greymon causing him to stagger back.

"Greymon, are you okay?" Greymon heard Ash's voice come in over the DigiView's telepathic communication link. "We heard roaring. We're coming over."

"Everything's fine," Greymon grunted, now hunched and waiting for the other Digimon to make its move. "Just dealing with the locals, that's all."

Though he was not in the clearing with Greymon, Ash decided to help his partner using the best method known to man: scanning the dinosaur.

"Tuskmon, champion level," Ash read. "He uses his horns to ram into his opponents or perform a powerful punch using his Slamming Tusk attack. If his horns break, he can regrow them. Hey, Greymon."

"Yeah?"

"How fast do you think he can regrow his horns?"

A vicious grin appeared on Greymon's face. "Let's find out."

Right as Tuskmon charged forward again, Greymon stepped over to the side and clamped his jaws around the closest horn. With a powerful head jerk, Greymon successfully snapped off the horn electing a roar of pain from Tuskmon. Thinking that he had created an opening, Greymon charged forward in an attempt to spear Tuskmon with his horns. Unfortunately, Tuskmon's horns grew back almost instantly and the Tuskmon was able to not only deflect Greymon's charge but send him back into one of the trees.

Ash's voice returned over the mental link. "Are you okay?"

Growling, Greymon once again rose to his feet and looked at his opponent. The Tuskmon was still standing, but there were copious amounts of data leaking from his wounds. "Could be better, but I think he's weakening."

"Then let's switch up tactics! If he specializes in close combat, I say we hit him with a Nova Blast!"

A part of Greymon wanted to protest this plan. Yes, Tuskmon was a brawler, and it would give Greymon the edge if he kept his distance and spat fire at the green dinosaur, but it kind of felt like forfeiting. Like he was conceding that Tuskmon was the better fighter in a way. However, it was Greymon's job to protect his traveling party, not show off his martial prowess.

Swallowing his pride, Greymon began to gather fire in his maw. "Nova…"

"Diamond Storm!"

Before Greymon could finish his attack, another Digimon leapt from behind him and into the air. At the arc of the new Digimon's leap she clasped her arms around her chest and summoned up a cloud of leaf-shaped energy blades. Spreading her limbs, the cloud of blades fired forward and rained down upon Tuskmon slicing into it causing the dinosaur to final give and evaporate into a cloud of data particles.

The intruder Digimon gracefully leapt forward, and safety caught the Digi-egg that formed from Tuskmon's data. Now out in the open, Greymon could get a better look at the new Digimon.

This new Digimon stood slightly taller than the humans in Greymon's group. It looked like a humanoid fox with blond and white fur. Wrapped around her forearms were a pair of purple, fingerless gloves with a yin-yang symbol on the back of each. Looking closely, Greymon could see purple markings on the upper portion of the Digimon's legs which looked like futatsudomoe and purple zigzags under her narrow, black and blue eyes.

"Who's that Digimon?" Ash asked. "It looks like a cross between a Lucario and Zoroark. Alright, here's her profile. Renamon, rookie level. These guys move at lightning-fast speeds and hit hard with their Diamond Storm attack making them one of the stronger rookie Digimon."

"I don't care what she's called. She's a meddler!" snarled Greymon as he turned his attention to the Renamon. "Hey! Didn't your elder ever teach you to stay out of other Digimon's fights?"

"Were you planning on absorbing that Tuskmon?" Renamon coolly asked.

"No," Greymon grunted not sure where this was going.

"Then I don't see why it should matter to you if I delivered the final blow or not. Personally, I don't care about other Digimons' squabbles. I was just passing by. But if I didn't step in you would have ended up burning down this forest, my home," Renamon pointedly responded. "Now it's my turn for questions. Why is a sentient Greymon wondering thorough here instead of battling in the war?"

Greymon snorted. "Not that it's any of your business, but me and my friends are supposed to meet someone here."

"And just who do you plan to meet?"

Greymon was about to respond when the bushes behind him rustled. Out popped Ash, Misty, and Seadramon who turned their attention towards the bipedal fox. Renamon mirrored their cautious expressions until Misty took out her Digivice to look over Renamon's data. When she saw the Digivice, Renamon's eyes narrowed. "I take it these are your friends?"

Growling, Greymon stepped between Renamon and the rest of his team.

"Greymon, I think we're in her territory. Asking questions is perfectly reasonable," Misty chided the fire breathing dinosaur. She then turned to address Renamon. "We're very sorry for any trouble Greymon may have caused."

"Hey!" Greymon shouted.

Renamon just continued to study the Digivices. "You wouldn't just so happen to be humans?"

"Uh, yeah," Ash stepped forward and held up his Digivice. "We're looking for someone else who has one of these. Have you seen him or her?"

There was another beat of silence while Renamon looked over the party. The peeved Greymon, the Seadramon that was starting to slink behind the humans, and the curious humans who were watching her. "Yes, I can lead you to her."

Elsewhere

In another section of the forest two other Digimon were looking over an unusual scene. Laying between the two monsters was a mess of chopped up animal parts. Each section, whether it be from a large stag to a small badger, was cleanly sliced and unceremoniously dumped into a pile to rot.

The first Digimon looked like a large, yellow frog. The frog was armed to its sharp teeth with leafy shurikens, a knife holster, a leaf face shield, and a pair of leaf propellers on its back. The frog turned to his associate. "What do you make of this mess, Owlmon?"

True to his name, Owlmon very much resembled a large, brown owl with white cybernetic legs, tail, and helmet. Owlmon scanned over the diced-up animal parts with his red goggles. "It looks like what ever did this not only hunted down these animals but made sure to slice off the bonier portions. I suspect it ate the parts with more meat. Frogmon, you wouldn't just so happen to have seen Tuskmon on you way here?"

Frogmon shook his head. "No, that wild Tuskmon is strangely absent from his own territory. You don't' think the Digimon who did this scared him away, do you?"

Owlmon's head swiveled around, scanning the surrounding area. "I'd say it's a distinct possibility. Make note of the size of the indent on the ground, most likely where the Digimon rested. It doesn't look as quite as big as Tuskmon. So, if this Digimon did scare off that champion level, it would have to be because of its power, not its size."

"I'm more concerned about the scratches," Frogmon nodded towards the series of gashes and scratches scattered throughout site. "There isn't anything from around here that would do this. I need to report this to the school."

"Good idea," Owlmon spread his wings. "While you do that, I'll continue to scout."

With that, Frogmon picked up a couple of dismembered limbs from the pile and took off using the propellers on its back. Likewise, Owlmon soundlessly spread his wings and flew off deeper into the forest.

The Walk

After returning to camp to collect Brock and his monster team, the group followed Renamon into the woods. For the most part it was a silent stroll, Renamon's ridge posture and firm glare didn't invite any conversation and Agumon's heated glower just added to the awkward atmosphere.

Finally, Brock broke the silence. "So, Renamon, these woods are your home?"

"Yes," Renamon responded.

There was a beat where everyone waited for the fox to elaborate. When she didn't Misty picked up the conversation. "It's really beautiful here. Does this place have a name?"

"This is the Firmware Forest," Renamon explained. She paused again before releasing a sigh and elaborating when she saw everyone's expecting expressions. "As you have probably gathered, this forest is famous for the eternal false night environment. The forest was planted by Ebonwamon and was able to hold strong during Millenniummon's reign even serving as a refuge for members of the Nature Spirits faction. Once Millenniummon was sealed, this land fell under the rule of Queen Sakuyamon…"

"They were just trying to make conversation, you know," drawled Gotsumon. "We didn't need an exert from your social studies essay."

"Well, I learned a lot," Misty said giving Gotsumon a very pointed glare. She then looked over at Renamon. "I'm guessing that you're taking us to your village?"

"School," Renamon responded.

"Digimon have schools?" Ash asked.

"Don't sound too surprised," Gotsumon said. "Most Digimon get a basic education from their village's elder or some other Digimon. From there they can become apprentices or go to some school to learn about something like science or magic. Or you could just ditch the entire system and go feral. Whatever works."

"Cool! What does your school teach?" Ash asked.

"Combat," said Renamon. She then stopped by a couple of trees covered in vines. "We have arrived."

Everyone looked around. "Where's the school?" Brock asked.

Renamon pointed up. "During Millenniummon's reign, small, weak Digimon built a village in the trees to protect themselves from dangers on the ground. Our school, Shurimon's Academy, appropriated the village to use it as a campus."

"So how do we get up there?" Ash asked.

Renamon reached over and gave one of the vines a tug. "It's a common practice amongst both the student body and the staff to climb up the trunks to build the muscles and…"

"Okay! I've got it!" Ash declared as he began climbing the tree trunk using the vines as both footholds and ropes.

"I'm right behind you!" Agumon called up while he began making the same trek.

"Ash, Agumon, wait!" Misty called up after the two, but they weren't listening.

Both boy and reptile zoomed up the lower part of the tree but were quickly tiring. Looking down, Ash could see that his quick burst of energy propelled him up high enough to a point where falling would break some bones at the very least. And he still had a ways to go.

"Ash!"

Ash turned his attention over to see Brock, Misty, and their partners had all climbed onto a makeshift elevator which was pulling them up into the tree line. "Wait, there was an elevator?!"

"It's for guests. You took off before Renamon could call it down," Brock shouted as the elevator took everyone else up. "We'll see you at the top!"

Right after the elevator left, Renamon appeared. She bounded up from tree trunk to tree trunk effortlessly and was even able to speed past the elevator.

"Show off," growled Agumon, stabbing the tree with his claws for a better grip.

Shurimon's Academy

While our heroes ascended the tree line, another human was already in the academy. This human was a girl with a thin frame, fair skin, and long honey blonde hair tied off at the end in a low ponytail. She wore a black sleeve-less shirt, red skirt, and knee-high, black socks. At the time, the girl was working on tailoring a flowing white cloak.

"There we go, last stitch," the girl hung the cloak around the shoulders of a humanoid mannequin before turning to and smiling at the diminutive Digimon that had been working with her. "Ta-da! What do you think, Shoemon?"

"Perfect, Serena!" squeaked Shoemon, a tiny Digimon which resembled a patchwork Dedenne sticking out of the mouth of a shoe.

Another pair of Digimon walked forward. The first Digimon was a short, white creature with a grey muzzle, pink haramaki, and a single horn sticking out of the top of its head. The second Digimon was slightly taller, yellow, had a pair of large, pointed ears, and wore red long john pants.

The white Digimon took out a magnifying glass to inspect the cloak. "I concur. Everything down to the stitching is an exact replica of Cendrillmon's cloak!"

"But isn't it a bit small?" asked the yellow Digimon. "I don't think Cendrillmon would be able to fit in that."

"I said replica!" groaned the white Digimon. "This is going to be for educational purposes. To help pass down and preserve our history for future generations! What did you think we've been working on?"

"I thought we were throwing together a costume party!" explained the yellow Digimon.

"Is that why you kept bringing punch into the no food or drink area!?"

"It's okay, Bokomon," Serena said to the white Digimon. She gave the yellow Digimon a pat on the head. "Neemon was just trying to help in his own way."

Though her new friends would often squabble, Serena really enjoyed her work with the history department at Shurimon's academy. The last few weeks venturing into the small wooden classroom to research and restore old pieces of artwork and museum displays helped her ease into the alien world she had been whisked away to.

"Actually, I kind of brought in some food myself," Serena began.

"Your tasty Digi Puffs!" exclaimed Neemon.

"Sorry," Shoemon bashfully apologized. "We all smelled them earlier but didn't want to ruin your surprise."

"I can't get anything past you guys," Serena smiled. She then reached under a desk and brought out a small box filled with some iced pastries.

"Well, so long as we don't get them near any of our projects, don't mind if I do!" said Bokomon zooming over to the box of treats with the two other Digimon following in tow.

Sighing happily, Serena leaned over to look out a window while her friends ate her confections. Outside she could see a series of tree houses ranging from the average one room house to larger buildings held up by multiple trees. The tree houses themselves looked far more fancy then any backyard playset she had ever seen with curved, tiled roofs held up by elegant pillars and walls painted with various murals by Digimon from long ago looking for an outlet from their trouble lives. Connecting the various houses were a series of bridges, both rope and stable, that were lit up with the low glow of lanterns and swarms of fireflies that would calmly flutter through the school.

"Serena?"

Looking over to her right, Serena could see another Digimon who resembled a grey and red Noctowl wearing a purple vest perched on a nearby branch. "Oh, hello Falcomon."

Falcomon gave Serena a polite bow. "Good afternoon. I have been sent to inform you that the other humans and their partners have arrived."

"They've arrived! Now? !" Serena exclaimed. She rushed to the other side of the classroom to grab her shoes and pink, felt hat. Before dawning the hat, Serena began fussing with her hair. "How do I look?"

"Same as ever," replied Falcomon. "Not that I'm a good judge of human looks."

"Oh, don't worry about her," giggled Shoemon with a sly look in her eyes, both organic and button. "She wants to make a good first impression on THAT human."

"Ah, yes," Bokomon said with a sneaky smile. "THAT human."

"Yeah," Neemon smiled before turning to Bokomon. "What human?"

Bokomon sighed. "If you don't know, then I'm not going to bother explaining it to you."

"Oh, so you're clueless too!" Neemon concluded.

"The only one clueless around here is you!" exclaimed Bokomon. He then grabbed at the waist of Neemon's pants, pulled it out, and let it fly into Neemon's side with an audible SNAP!

"Ooooooh!" Neemon exclaimed in pain, normally squinty eyes wide.

"You guys," Serena felt her face heat up. She was really regretting telling her friends about her speculations on the identity of the Ash Ketchum in the chat.

Ignoring Bokomon and Neemon's argument and Falcomon who had proceeded to grab his own treat, Shoemon looked up at Serena. "Good luck!"

"Thank you, I'll see you guys later!" Serena called over her shoulder before exiting the classroom.

Serena lightly jogged across the stable bridge towards the schools "front entrance." It had been weeks since she had seen another human which merited excitement by itself. But if she understood the group chats correctly, one of the humans that was picking her up was a boy she once met at summer camp. A boy she hadn't seen in years.

Years Ago

By all accounts it was a beautiful summer day. Serena found herself surrounded by warm weather, a vibrant atmosphere, and a lush forest to play in. The only problem was she wasn't playing with anyone. She wasn't even close to anyone. She was completely lost!

"Hey!" Serena called out into the forest. Her mother, a professional Rhyhorn racer, was slated to compete in the Big P Pokémon Race. Unlike her usual race, which took place in Serena's home region of Kalos, this race took place in the distant Kanto region.

Usually Serena's mom would call upon one of her friends to look after Serena while she got ready to race, but there weren't any family friends in the Kanto region. Luckily, the Big P Pokémon Race was being held near Pallet Town that year. The same Pallet Town where one Professor Oak was holding an annual summer camp for young children to teach them all about Pokémon!

It sounded like the perfect set up. Serena was fine with going along with it at first, but Serena found it hard to fit in. Not only did she know no one, but she was only going to be there for just the day. With such a short amount of time in town, Serena didn't feel any real incentive to get to know any of the other kids which resulted in her just spending most of the day by herself. So when it came time for a stroll through the local woods, it was a bit easier for her to get separated from the rest of the group.

"Where is everyone?" Serena whimpered as she stumbled through the brush. She had been searching for the other kids for a good long while and had made no progress since she had started. In fact, she may have been even more lost now. "Where did you all go?"

Suddenly there was a shuffle in the bush! Heart hammering, Serena braced herself for whatever would pop out. Maybe it would be a venomous Arbok or a hungry Charizard. Not wanting to be an easy snack for a wild Pokémon, Serena attempted to run away, only to trip and fall on her face.

"Poliwag!" The Pokémon who had been moving around in the shrub leapt forward. It was a large, blue tadpole with a white and black spiral on its belly and a pair of tiny feet to move around on land. The Poliwag briefly acknowledged Serena with a "Poli!" before hopping off leaving the girl feeling silly for mistaking it for something more dangerous.

Lost, hurt, and humiliated, tears weld up in Serena's eyes. "I knew I didn't want to come to camp! I knew it! Mommy!"

"Poliwag?" called a new voice.

Trembling, Serena looked back at the bush. Out came a boy her age with messy, black hair. Spotting her, the boy walked over. "Hey, are you alright? Hi, I'm Ash! Who are you? What's wrong?"

"I hurt my leg," Serena sniffed looking down at the large scrap from her trip.

"Don't worry. See this? This will make it better," Ash knelt down and took out a handkerchief. He tied the cloth around Serena's knee. "All done! Now watch this! Feel better, feel better right away!"

Despite the boy's hand waving and chanting, Serena's scrap didn't heal. "It still hurts! I can't stand up!" she whined.

"Don't give up til' it's over, 'kay? Come on!" grinned Ash, holding out his hand.

As Serena took Ash's hand, a warm, fluttery feeling filled her chest. Maybe it was Ash's bright smile. Or maybe it was his optimistic attitude. Or maybe it was how he came to her when she felt completely hopeless. Whatever it was, that day was seared into Serena's memory well until she was of age to start her Pokémon journey.

Back to the Present

"Excuse me, you're standing in my way."

Serena was brought out of her reminiscing by the voice of…

"Falcomon?" Serena looked down at the bird Digimon. Strange, was this the same Falcomon she bumped into a while ago?

"Yes?" asked the Falcomon tilting its head.

No, there were several Falcomon who attended the school. It was probably just one of them. Serena smiled at the bird and stood to the side. "Never mind, have a nice day!"

"You as well," waved the Falcomon before he walked away.

"Have you received my message?"

"Oh!" Serena jumped and spun around. At some point while she was walking passing Falcomon, Renamon seemed to have snuck up on Serena. Or maybe she had been nearby before that. The fox was so silent that Serena had no way of knowing where she was until Renamon allowed her presence to be known.

"Good morning, Renamon," Serena greeted awkwardly. She tried to put on a warm smile for the fox, but found it faltering under the rookie's cold stare. "Or is it afternoon? Pretty easy to lose track around here." Serena nervously chuckled.

"The other humans have arrived and are waiting for you and the headmaster at the front entrance," Renamon said, not acknowledging Serena's salutations. "I suggest you don't keep them waiting."

"Don't worry, I'm on my way," Serena slunk her way past the fox.

Just as Serena thought she was in the clear, Renamon spoke again. "I've been hearing rumors floating around the school."

"I didn't know you were into gossip," Serena said as casually as she could muster, though she could feel her stomach sink at the kitsune's subtle, accusatory tone.

"It sounds like you may know one of the new humans," Renamon continued.

"Maybe, it's been a long time," Serena responded, not sure if she liked where this was going.

"What is he to you?" Renamon asked.

Despite the blush creeping onto her cheeks, Serena forced her voice to stay neutral. "Just a childhood friend."

The normally warm atmosphere of the school disappeared as Renamon studied Serena. Finally, she spoke. "This isn't a playdate. You do remember why you were brought here?"

"I know," Serena said. Please let this interaction be over soon. Serena didn't want to make a worse impression on the fox then she already did, but she wasn't sure how much longer she could keep her cool.

"See that you don't forget," Renamon nodded. She then turned and walked away before disappearing into the shadows.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Serena continued her walk towards the school's entrance. She was not going to let Renamon's icy attitude ruin her day! In her time in the Digital World she had made so many new friends and she was about to make some more. And maybe reestablish and old friendship.

Finally, Serena arrived at the school's entrance. It was a ring of trees were students would first climb up from the ground and onto the large, round, lantern lit platform. Standing next to the guest elevator were two humans looking down into the forest below and what Serena assumed were their Digimon partners. Her Digivice were able to quickly identify the Digimon as a Betamon and a Gotsumon.

As Serena approached, the two humans turned their attention from whatever they were watching to her. The boy grinned and held out his hand. "You must be PokePuffPower. I'm RockSolid, but my real name is Brock."

The girl smiled. "TomboyMermaid here! But you can call me Misty!"

"It's really nice to finally meet you!" Serena shook both trainers' hands. "My name is Serena. Welcome to Shurimon's Academy!"

"So Serena, I bet you and your partner have been studying all kinds of battle techniques while you were here," said Misty.

"Well, I'm not much of a fighter. I'm more into baking and sewing," Serena said ignoring the uneasiness she felt when Misty mentioned her partner.

"Hey, looks like we already have some stuff in common," said Brock. "I'm the oldest in my family, so I take on the bulk of the choirs. But that doesn't stop me from having fun with them."

"That sounds like a healthy attitude," Serena smiled. "I'm more of a hobbyist, but I can still help out if you need it."

"Please do," rasped the Gotsumon. "He keeps volunteering for cooking and tailoring whenever we set up camp. I think he's got an addiction."

Serena giggled. "You're pretty funny."

"I'm not joking," Gotsumon replied flatly.

"Don't listen to Gotsumon, he just likes to complain," Brock sighed.

"Everyone likes to complain. I'm just honest about it."

"How about you Misty?" Serena said moving onto the other human. "What are you into?"

"Mostly Pokémon battles and fishing," Misty said. "Water Pokémon are my specialty so I really lucked out when I was paired up with Betamon."

"Misty is also a good swimmer. She, Mr. Staryu, and I have some fun in the water whenever we get the chance," Betamon threw in softly. When she saw that Serena had turned her attention towards her, she scuttled behind Misty's legs and peeked out. "I hope we can be friends too."

"I'd love to," Serena said. She then looked around the entrance. "Wasn't there another human with you guys?"

Misty sighed. "You're talking about the more Tauros headed member of our group. He and his partner rushed to try and climb the trees instead of waiting to hear if there was an option for people who didn't specialize in scaling skyscrapers."

"I'm here!" grunted a new voice. With shaky arms, the final human began to pull himself onto the platform followed by his Agumon partner.

Ash

Ash groaned and grasped. He had finally managed to haul himself up to the top of the climb and was now attempting to pull himself onto the platform. Agumon had just managed to plop onto the platform next to Betamon and Gotsumon and was now catching his breath.

"Are you okay?" Betamon asked, carefully scuttling closer to Agumon.

"It was easy!" Agumon said in a strained voice.

"Are you sure? Because it sounds to me like you may have pulled a muscle," Gotsumon commented. "Or your ego."

Eager to join the rest of his friends, Ash proceeded to continue pulling himself onto the ledge. He almost made it when his foot slipped.

"Whoa!" Ash was about to plummet down into the forest below when he was caught by a swarm of hands grabbing his arms and clothes preventing his decent. Working together, the other humans dragged Ash all the way on to the platform.

"Ash! You should have waited for the rest of the explanation before you ran off like that! You could have gotten yourself hurt! Or worse!" Misty scolded.

"Or at the very least keep an ear open for us," Brock chided more gently. "We tried calling out to you, but you wouldn't respond."

"Sorry guys," Ash smiled weakly. "I got really excited when Renamon said that this was a combat school and wanted to see how I would match up against everyone here."

"You wanted to see how you would match up against a student body made of monsters who are capable of inhuman feats," Misty said skeptically. She then hung her head. "You know what? Never mind. I am done with being surprised whenever you pull a boneheaded move."

"It's still pretty impressive," Ash looked over to see there was a new human girl with the group. She gave him a shy smile before continuing. "I mean, yeah, you should have listened to your friends. These are very tall trees and a fall would probably kill you. But from what I hear, even newcomer Digimon can have difficulties reaching the top on their first try. So congratulations!"

Ash grinned up at the new girl. "Hey, I don't like to give up before it's over. My name's Ash."

"I know," the girl replied.

Ash blinked. "You know?"

"You introduced yourself in the first chat log," the girl explained. She then took a deep breath. "But I also think I know you from before we came to the Digital World."

At that statement, Ash took a moment to really look at Serena. Pallet Town didn't have too many people, so he was sure that he would have remembered her from his age group. Did he meet her somewhere else?

For a moment, neither trainer said a thing. Just listened to the gentle breeze shuffle the leaves and carry along some stray fireflies. Then, taking another deep breath, Serena locked eyes with Ash. "My name is Serena. Ash, do you remember me?"

AN: Dang it, Renamon you kill stealer! No camping!

A short chapter this time. The last four chapters weren't supposed to be two-parters but they went on longer then I had anticipated and it wore me down a bit. So I'm trying to release some shorter chapters for Serena's introduction. I've already got the different parts mostly outlined I just need to color them in! It's going to be about five in total.

So here's the deal with me and shipping, it's not really my thing. Yes I do have my couples that I like, but smoshing different characters together isn't really a selling point for me. That being said, Serena's crush on Ash is very much cannon so I will be acknowledging it. Other than that, don't expect too much shipping in this fic.

Reader Response Recess!

Ashpoke55: Yo! Sorry to say, I never really got into Power Rangers. Which is weird because it should be right up my alley what with the giant robots, superheroes, and cheesy humor.

Ultimate savior infinity: Omnimon! Who said there would be an Omnimon or any of his variants?! Omnimon is just a myth!

*Tosses blanket over Agumon and Gabumon

But seriously, it's going to take a bit before we make it to mega. The Digivolutions are going to slow down once we reach the ultimate level, but I do plan to keep you guys entertained with various other plot points and team power ups during that time. Until then.

Legoguy678: I'll just give you a little spoiler here and say I do have a Chaosdramon waiting in the wings, but he is not the Digimon who delivered the mystery Digimon. The identity of the Colonel will not be fully revealed until it is too late.

Aura is one of the elements of the Pokémon world that isn't really expanded on, but from what we do know it's an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the Pokémon world together. Pop culture references aside I'm just going to take what little we know about aura and utilize it as a mostly lost art with different uses. As far as I know Iris isn't aura sensitive in cannon, but I can't find an explanation for Iris's ability to commune with dragons so I'm doing a retcon since we've seen aura used to sense emotions and see through another creature's eyes.

Biyomon's past will be revealed next time we catch up with team Garurumon. It probably won't play a major role, but it will inform her insecurities and how she views the world.

The one who reads and writes: Nice to see you enjoyed that last chapter, but I am going to try and cut down their length in the future because the longer the chapter, the more pooped I get. For example these chapters introducing Serena were supposed to be the first two parter, but after drafting the outline it's looking like they might be a five parter with some parts short and others long.

Thank you for the energy lecture, it will be very helpful in my research of the vast and ever expanding world of Pokémon.

From what I remember from the manga Lance got his powers from the Viridian Forest because it's magic or something. Obviously this was before aura was introduced, but I'm probably just going to streamline this and say that most humans with special powers are either aura sensitive or psychic to make things simpler.

Gargomon and Greymon dismissal attitude towards Staryu and Excadrill comes from a general perception the Digimon in this fic have regarding non-Digimon animals. As Dracomon noted in the previous chapter, most Digimon view animals as either food or pests. The more affectionate Digimon may become rangers (Dracomon) or keep animals as pets (Gabumon would very much want a pet), but the general populace doesn't care.

It also doesn't help that there aren't many Pokémon at the moment. Greymon is now more aware about the different kinds of Pokémon, but he still has yet to grasp just how varied the can be. Meanwhile Gargomon has only seen Excadrill who is going through his stay out of my room phase right now. Not the best first impression.

Lunamon didn't really get an Aha! Moment because Iris was more concerned with reuniting Knightmon and Coredramon then telling everyone about her powers. She gave a bit more of an explanation afterwards, which I'm thinking of flash backing to during the epilogue to this mini-arc. Needless to say that rabbit is going to get to work writing a thesis paper.

Oh, you will be seeing Belphemon. Mwhahahahaha! As for the mysterious Digimon, I'll be giving an even more blunt hint about his identity when we get to the next interlude which I've currently got scheduled after May and Biyomon's spotlight chapter. Don't get caught up with the chains. Yes, being chained up is part of Belphemon's appearance, but Digimon who aren't naturally chained up can be bound if other Digimon see them as dangerous enough to require imprisonment.

Priariemon is a Digimon that evolves using the Digi-Egg of Kindness. She feels the need to treat everyone with a friendly disposition even if she intends on slaughtering them.

It's a bit of a spoiler, but because it's going to take us a while longer to get some more Pokémon in here I'll just let you know that you will be right about Dracomon's and Axew's relationship.

Finally on the subject of time travel. I don't know, I'm not Doc Brown. We're going to need to consult an expert on chronomancy to get some answers here. Maybe we'll bump into some angel who has studied the subject or perhaps we may get a glimpse of some other chornomancers like a sentient time machine that people can ride in or a legendary dragon. But what are the odds of that happening?

Thank you for reading! Don't be afraid to leave a comment or ask questions (won't guarantee I'll give a straight answer). God loves you and so do I!

Digimon Introduced

Renamon: Rookie, Data, Beast Man

Tuskmon: Champion, Virus, Dinosaur

Shoemon: Rookie, Virus, Puppet

Falcomon: Rookie, Vaccine, Bird

Neemon: Rookie, Data, Beast

Bokomon: Rookie, Vaccine, Mutant

Frogmon: Armor, Free, Mutant

Owlmon: Armor, Free, Bird

Pokémon Introduced

Poliwag: Water, The Tadpole Pokémon

Next Time: Our heroes get to explore the school a bit. Ash reconnects with an old friend, Brock finds a knowledgeable ally, and Misty finds that there is something amiss.