[Bayonne, New Jersey, Eight Months Ago...]
..." What are you doing up so late...?"
A heavy-eyed Shane stood in the door frame of his older stepsister, Abby, who was in the middle of stuffing clothing into a book bag.
"Shane...!" She turned around, curly brown locks bouncing as she spun. She tried to hide the look of surprise on her face, banking on Shane's drowsiness to keep in effect. "Wh—What's up?"
The young man yawned. "I asked first. It's like 2AM."
"Yeah, I had a late stream..." She stretched and yawned. "I won't be up longer, no worries..."
Shane, growing more awake, stared steadily until she did it back.
"What?"
"What's in the bag?" He asked, staring at the pink backpack she failed to hide.
"What bag?" she asked.
"The bag with the clothes in it." He specified. His attention was drawn to the D-Streamer on her wrist. "Also, I don't know if you forgot, but you said Omnia was shut down, right?"
The girl froze, caught in her lie.
You should've ended it there...
"So how could you stream when the platform isn't active?"
She couldn't look him in the eye.
"What happened earlier at STREAM Corp?"
"I can't say..."
"Why not?"
"I just can't." She reiterated. "Do me a favor and trust me on this."
Tell mom and dad...
"How can I trust you when if you're going to lie to me?"
"I'm not lying!"
"Yes, you are! You're—!" Shane paused for a moment, seeing a tint of desperation in her eyes. His instinct was telling him to press harder, but part of him wanted to pull back at the same time.
Stop her...
"Shhhh!" The young woman hushed him, snapping him out of his thoughts." You're gonna wake mom and dad!"
"I should keep you from being stupid!"
Stop her!
"You wouldn't understand!"
STOP HER!
"Because you won't talk!"
...
...why didn't you stop her...?
Shane found himself in Abby's dark bedroom when all was said and done at AEGIS. Returning empty-handed and defeated, he sunk deep in his thoughts, replaying that night over again in his head. He could've prevented this. He could've got his parents involved. They—he—could've kept her from running to them.
From becoming a victim of their crimes...
Where was she...? Where was his sister?
He curled up in her bed, sinking deeper into the darkness behind his eyes, when a voice suddenly sparked life in the silent space.
"Yo. You're Shane, right?"
Shane was too deep in his head to acknowledge it. His D-Streamer blinked in the dark as the voice came through again.
"You sleep or something? C'mon wake up!"
This time Shane came to the realization that there was a voice actually speaking to him. As he opened his eyes and sat up, the light from his D-Streamer drew him. "What's going on?"
"Finally! About time you responded." The voice remarked.
Shane blinked. "What the…?"
"You're Abigail's bro, right?"
"Abigail…?" Shane questioned. "Who are you and why do you know my sister?"
The voice chuckled, "What do you mean? She's, my partner!"
Shane blinked again. "What's that supposed to mean?"
The voice scoffed, "Bro, you dense or something? What do you think it means?!"
"Time out!" Shane snapped. "Who do you think you are messing around with my sister?!"
"HUH?!" The voice exclaimed back. Suddenly the projection of a red dragonoid digimon with headphones and a mic suddenly appeared, scowling at Shane. "You really are an idiot!"
Shane paused. "Wait—you're a Digimon!"
The dragonoid rolled his eyes. "Want a cookie Captain Obvious?"
"I want to know how the hell you ended up in my D-Streamer! And how you know about my sister?!"
"No clue, and I told you already, she's, my partner!"
"…okay, then why are you here now?"
"I just said how should I know? One minute I'm fighting alongside her and the next I wake up in your D-Streamer. Where are we anyway?"
Shane paused and looked around, almost not wanting to admit it. "Her room…back home."
"What do you mean? What about Ordinemon, and the other X-Streamers?"
"What do you mean?" Shane pressed. "You know something about what happened to my sister?"
"I know that we were fighting to save Omnia from the Nadir District and now I'm here. Everything between those two points is a total blur…"
"Fighting to save…Omnia?" Shane repeated. "That's why she didn't want to tell me anything…?"
Shoutmon took note of Shane's expression. "Something's off…I can't sense her."
Hearing that felt like a weight dropped in Shane's stomach. "Tell me everything you know…now."
"Only if you fill me in too." Shoutmon stared back.
The pair spent the rest of that night putting their information together to solve the mystery weighing on both of their minds…
What happened to Abigail Ramirez…?
Chapter 10: Getting To the Bottom of It
Turn 5: Shane
"I hatch DemiMeramon!" Shane exclaimed as DemiMeramon materialized in the Raising Area. "DemiMeramon digivolves into Agumon, and then into Greymon!"
The crowd watched as DemiMeramon transitioned into the vaccine-variation of Greymon, an orange dinosaur with bright blue stripes across its body.
Greymon (ST1-07)
Color: Red
Level: 4
DP: 4000
MEMORY
4-2
"I end my turn by playing Tai Kamiya from my hand." Shane proceeded to play the Tamer, summoning Tai to accompany his Greymon on field.
Tai Kamiya (BT1-085)
Color: Red
MEMORY
2-2 (Turn Change)
Turn 6: Ren
Ren drew. "Kiriha sets my memory to 3."
MEMORY
2-3
"I hatch Bebydomon, and then digivolve it into Gaossmon." He continued, summoning Gaossmon once again. "And then, utilizing Kiriha's effect, I suspend him in order to Digi-Xros Greymon and Mailbirdramon into MetalGreymon once again!"
Shane watched as Kiriha raised his device in the air, shooting out two intertwining blue beams that reformed into MetalGreymon. The resurrected dinosaur cyborg roared, resonating with the cheers from the Blue Flare spectators.
MEMORY
3-0
"That thing just refuses to die, doesn't it?" Shane quipped, feeling the pressure all over.
"Don't confuse your inability for its durability." Ren replied, casting his hand forward. "Security Attack, MetalGreymon! Marcus suspends to gain me a Memory in turn!"
MEMORY
0-1
MetalGreymon leaned forward and opened its jaws, charging a blue energy blast to which it fired forward. Shane shielded his eyes as the Security appeared to intercept.
Shane
Security: 4-3
Growlmon appeared to intercept, however it was no match for MetalGreymon's assault, melting in blue light upon its brief appearance.
"I end by playing the Option Card: Blazing Memory Boost. By revealing the top 6 cards of my deck, I'm able to retrieve up to two cards with 'Blue Flare' in its traits, and then I can play a Kiriha from among them as well."
The cards revealed were: Bulucomon, ST1 Greymon, Cyberdramon, DeckerGreymon, Plasma Deckadra launcher and Kiriha. Ren proceeded to take Cyberdramon and DeckerGreymon, and then played the Kiriha. The remaining cards returned to the bottom of his deck, and afterward the Option was set in the Battle Area.
MEMORY
1-4 (Turn Change)
Turn 7: Shane
"What was he thinking picking a fight with this guy?" Adara muttered.
"Don't count him out yet, I got faith he's gonna pull through." Lucas reassured her.
"But that guy has Digi-Xros and clearly knows how to use it!" Adara reiterated strongly. There's not a chance Shane can overcome that with just OmniShoutmon X…"
"It's really that strong of an ability, huh…?"
Adara looked at him and nodded slowly. Lucas could see the anxiousness in her eyes. To her, this was a power she believed was mastered by a seldom few in the deserts of the South. And yet before them is a Tamer who's effortlessly wielding it.
He'd be scared too if he were in her shoes.
"Remind me to ask you something when this is over." Lucas told her, turning his attention back to the match.
Adara found herself questioning his request, but the sound of Shane's declaration of turn grabbed her attention for now.
"Greymon moves out!" Shane stated, as Greymon stomped forward. "You talk about my inability, as if I'm naïve."
"Your words, mind you." Ren crossed his arms.
"Fair, but the same can go for you."
That earned chuckles from the crowd. Shane's words could be seen as desperate bravado to shake Ren, but the cool individual remained patient with his opponent.
Shane smirked. "You all laugh but consider this for a moment…how many cards is he holding right now?"
Ren's eyes shifted as the Blue Flare members slowly realized what he was getting at.
"For those in the audience too slow on the uptake, I'll explain. Digi-Xrossing is not the same as Digivolving; meaning that every time MetalGreymon's appeared, it's being played!"
"Meaning Ren doesn't get the card draw bonus he'd otherwise get from Digivolving!" Lucas exclaimed. "That's the weakness of Digi-Xros isn't it?!"
Adara nodded. "While powerful, Digi-Xros expends resources if used too much. As skilled as Ren is, it's not easy maintaining hand volume if he's not digivolving."
"I take it you picked up on it after I used Blazing Memory Boost." Ren mentioned.
"That pretty much confirmed it. I first got suspicious when I took out MetalGreymon the first time and the sources went to Kiriha and played Marcus. The fact you only had three cards left in your hand, and even have an alternative to Digi-Xros digimon, hints that it exists to compensate for something else. And you know what else I noticed?"
Ren watched as Shane flashed OmniShoutmon in his hand.
"MetalGreymon's like final boss with phases. Already took it down once, so after phase 2 it should be gone for good!" Shane swiped, digivolving Greymon into OmniShoutmon.
MEMORY
4-1
"OmniShoutmon, digivolve now into the Ultimate Golden Rex! ZeigGreymon!"
Fueled by newfound vigor, OmniShoutmon roared and illuminated in golden light, taking the Blue Flare crowd by surprise. Ren watched the lanky dragon cyborg become huge and bulkier, forming into the golden winged rex known as ZeigGreymon.
ZeigGreymon (BT5-017)
Color: Red
Level: 6
DP: 11,000
MEMORY
1-2 (Turn Change)
"Blitz! Zeig attacks MetalGreymon!"
ZeigGreymon: 11,000 DP
MetalGreymon: 8000 DP
The two dinosaur digimon took to the skies above to engage in a sky battle. Like before with MetalGreymon and OmniShoutmon X, both got into a brief scuffle before distancing themselves from one another.
"Giga Destroyer!" Ren commanded.
"Final Trident Strike!" Shane countered.
As MetalGreymon heeded Ren's command, it unleashed a barrage of lasers and missiles towards ZeigGreymon. However, its golden counterpart lit up in a golden aura, nullifying each impact to MetalGreymon's slight surprise. As it leaned forward for its jaw cannon, ZeigGreymon—in blinding speed—crashed through MetalGreymon, leaving what's left of its jaw agape as its shattered mechanical pieces dispersed into binary and flowed back to one of the Kiriha below.
"No matter what you do, MetalGreymon will continue to rise again and again." Ren stated.
"Then I'll continue to break it again and again until there's nothing left. Blue Flares are just fancy fire after all. No chance you can extinguish the flames once it spreads like wildfire!"
Lucas and Adara were growing invested in Shane's hints of a comeback, while the Blue Flare members were growing anxious in the slim chance their leader loses. It was Shane's unapologetic confidence boost that was stoking the flames of emotion amongst the audience. Depending on how Ren proceeded, could determine if he had a turn following. On the other hand, if Shane manages to survive, he could deal massive damage to Ren, but whether it'd be enough to push him all the way was another story.
It was anyone's game at this point. Though, no one could refute that win or lose, Shane has left his mark on Blue Flare's camp, and as such was also stoking feelings of animosity towards their leader in some…
Turn 8: Ren
MEMORY
2-3
With Kiriha setting the Memory Counter to 3, Ren drew and moved his Gaossmon into the Battle Area. Mailbirdramon stared back at him, and with that in mind, he looked back at his Digimon. Despite his boasting bravado, Shane continued to be at a disadvantage. The idea of ramming Gaossmon into ZeigGreymon was there, and from there Mailbirdramon could be played to retrieve MetalGreymon and then lead into another Digi-Xros.
That in mind though…
The glass cannon nature of Shane's strategy could only last him for so long. Taking out BetelGammamon and OmniShoutmon X-Antibody crippled Shane's recovery but has also diminished the strength of his own deck, as it depended on Shane having at least two digimon present. Besides that, as things stood, Ren could potentially end things next turn. After all, Gaossmon's DP was at the bare minimum, so there was a high chance it would be taken out by Shane's Security and allow MetalGreymon's return in the same amount of plays, effectively making each scenario viable.
Ren scanned his subordinates, noting the mixed expressions of the crowd, a mix of excitement and anxiety; cautious optimism one could say. Erik looked especially a certain way, as if he were trying to save face and not express how he was truly feeling. Ren took them into consideration and made his move. "Gaossmon attacks your Security!"
The small dinosaur let out a small roar before its muscular legs propelled it forward. Shane's Security appeared and he reactively shielded with his arms as the impact struck.
Shane
Security: 3-2
"Surprised you didn't just attack Zeig just then." Shane commented. "That confident in you winning huh?"
Ren didn't reply, rather awaiting the reveal of the security. It wasn't a gamble as the risk to fail was low. Yet…
"Well hate to break it to ya, but Gaossmon's not going anywhere! Security Trigger: Rowdy Rocker!" Shane revealed, the Option card shocking everyone. "It's security effect brings it to my hand."
"It matters little in the end," Ren said. "I activate the delay effect of Blazing Memory Boost to gain two Memory."
MEMORY
3-5
"What was it that you said before, about the final boss only having 2 phases…?"
Shane's eyes widened. "You're kidding me right now…"
Ren took a card from his hand and flipped it, unveiling a third MetalGreymon. "Digi-Xros…"
And just like that, MetalGreymon rose for a third time, sending a wave of energy though his subordinates, reinvigorating them and easing their anxiety.
MEMORY
5-2
"MetalGreymon, Security Attack!" Ren declared. "Marcus suspends for an additional Memory."
MEMORY
2-3
MetalGreymon unleashed another barrage of missiles, all aimed for Shane. Shane was once again pushed further into dire straits as his security shattered before him. Greymon flew from the security, unable to respond to the barrage.
Shane
Security 2-1
"Not only that, but by adding Cyberdramon into its sources for 3 Memory, MetalGreymon can unsuspend."
MEMORY
3-0
MetalGreymon glowed blue briefly before its metallic wings shifted into a maroon, organic mesh, giving the appearance of a Digi-Xros but not at the same time. MetalGreymon stood upright and geared up for the second attack.
"Take him down!"
"You got this Ren!"
"That's the leader of Blue Flare for ya! Let's Go!"
The anticipation for Ren's victory only grew with each break. Shane felt the pressure on him from all sides as he saw his remaining Security. Yet as the final Security shattered before him, he remained confident. Victory was going to be his.
For Abby's sake.
Shane
Security: 1-0
Emerging from the security, a red flare shot out and tackled MetalGreymon, causing the crowd to grow silent. Ren was taken by surprise as well by the final resistance by his opponent. As the red flares died into a humming glow, OmniShoutmon X stood before MetalGreymon with a determined grin on its face, to the surprise of everyone.
MetalGreymon: 8000 DP
OmniShoutmon X: 8000 DP
Smirking at the sight of the digimon, Shane balled his hand into a fist, mimicking OmniShoutmon X. "Round 2."
MetalGreymon lashed out, but OmniShoutmon weaved around and swung back, only for MetalGreymon to swing its head back in defense. Their attacks became faster and more aggressive, before they once more took off into the surrounding area, moving at such speeds that their only indicators were the sonic booms from each clash.
"He's still in this…" Adara uttered.
Lucas grinned, hearing her comment. "And you doubted him for a second."
"I didn't say he was going to win…just that he's surviving." She said, though a small part of her was smiling on the inside. "Abigail would be proud…"
"You've exceeded my expectations, I will admit…" Ren stated to Shane.
"You're not bad yourself." Shane replied. "Thinking about reconsidering my offer? Figure with Digi-Xros we'd wipe the floor on the tournament scene."
Ren couldn't help but smirk at that. "Desperate, delusional and determined..."
An explosion went off overhead, signaling the end of the clash. As red and blue binary rained between them, Ren played Bulucomon from his hand, ending his turn as the material from MetalGreymon returning to the Kirihas.
Bulucomon (BT10-017)
Color: Blue
Level: 3
DP: 5000
MEMORY
0-2 (Turn Change)
"Don't hate me for calling you out. This game is mine."
"Oh? How so?" Ren asked, his two reptilian digimon adding on with their snarls.
"You're about to find out."
Turn 9: Shane
"Tai sets my Memory to 3 to start!" Shane stated before drawing.
MEMORY
2-3
"Now, with Greymon, OmniShoutmon and Tai's effects, ZeigGreymon gains 3 additional Security Checks. And then with DemiMeramon and Agumon's IE effects, when attacking the player, ZeigGreymon gains 3000 DP, pushing it to 14,000 when attacking."
"And what would happen if I have a Digimon to overcome yours?"
"You don't."
"And a Security Trigger?"
"…there's a chance—but I'm taking the chance anyway! Now ZeigGreymon! Quadruple Security Attack! Final Trident Strike!"
Just as before, ZeigGreymon lit up in a golden aura and lifted from the ground. Growing empowered by its additional abilities and Tai's support, the Tamer climbing onto its back—ZeigGreymon launched forward at its boastful blinding speed, Ren's stack of defending security ever so faster. Power expelled from the point of impact, causing the crowd to react from the refracting.
Ren
Security: 4-3
An additional Bulucomon appeared in attempt to hold ZeigGreymon back.
Ren
Security: 3-2
It was then joined by a SnowAgumon.
Ren
Security: 2-1
A large carrier digimon known as Deckerdramon lended its support, though with its tank-like size, the digimon was also unable to fend off ZeigGreymon's assault.
Ren
Security: 1-0
"You all did well my friends…" Ren said as his digimon were flung off into the distance. Blue binary rained behind him setting up the backdrop for his counter. "…but now it's my turn! Security Trigger: Plasma Deckadra Launcher! ZeigGreymon returns to your hand!"
A golden energy beam suddenly shot from the card, finally posing a counter to Shane and ZeigGreymon. ZeigGreymon roared as it was forced back unwillingly, both it and Tai flying back. ZeigGreymon phased out and its binary returned to Shane's hand, the sources heading straight to his trash.
"NO!" Shane exclaimed, the crowd reacting in kind. He stared wide-eyed, looking back at Ren, who was unapologetic.
"It's over…" Ren stated. "I've won."
"…Spirit Digivolution…" Shane replied.
The statement caught Ren and everyone else off guard as all of the sudden a red oni-like digimon suddenly crashed before Ren from above, sending the man on his back. As Ren tried to process what it was that happened in that split second, a black fist hovered in front of his face, flames flickering off its gauntlet.
Agunimon (BT4-011)
Color: Red
Level: 4
DP: 5000
MEMORY
3-1
"Tai Spirit Digivolves into Agunimon and attacks directly. That's game." Shane stated, his shocked expression replaced with a confident smile.
Ren, in brief shock, leaned back and exhaled. "Very well. I concede."
There was a long moment of silence that filled the yard, the crowd of Blue Flare Members not knowing how to feel.
Ren Igarashi, their leader, was defeated by an outsider.
It was Adara of all people who broke the silence. "You did it!"
Lucas followed, cheering his friend on. "Let's go bro! Woo!"
Shane walked over to Ren as their Digimon vanished from the field and held his hand out. "Good game."
Ren nodded and took his hand, standing up. "Very good game. Once again, I underestimated you."
"Told ya. That's Xros Heart for you."
Ren couldn't argue.
"REN!" Erik broke from the crowd, seething as he stomped. "How could you let an outsider defeat you like this?!"
"What's up tiny, upset your beloved leader got his butt kicked?" Shane taunted.
"Please," Ren interjected. He turned to Erik. "Disappointed?"
Erik scoffed, "Not just me, we all are. Everyone at this camp's thinks the same. You've lost your edge, and not even those fancy new digimon can make up for it."
Ren pondered for a moment, irritating Erik. "You smug—!"
"Fine then. Seeing as I did steal Blue Flare from you initially, you can have it back."
Shane, Lucas and Adara all blinked in surprise.
Erik balled his fists. "You think you can just dump it onto me after you drove my crew into the ground?! Your empty promises of greatness have ruined everything that I've built up!"
"Then you should have no issue rebuilding it into the mediocrity I found it in before." Ren turned to Shane and the others. "Let's go."
The three were quiet as Ren walked past them. They looked him, the fuming Erik, and then back at Ren.
"To where exactly?" Shane asked.
"You wanted to know where I got these Digimon from? I'll show you exactly where." Ren stated.
"Hold on a sec!" Erik raced up and yanked Ren back. "We're not done—Ahh!"
In being pulled back, Ren used the momentum to headbutt Erik upward, knocking the larger man's head back. Erik toppled onto his butt while Ren straightened his jacket. He turned his attention to the rest of the crowd and spoke. "He's in your hands now. Bring Blue Flare to greatness like I know you all can. If you can't, I'll come back and burn it down like I should've in the past. Your choice."
With that, Ren turned and vanished in a stream of binary.
Lucas looked at his friends. "He pulled out without giving us the coordinates—ah, never mind." He shared the info with the other two. "Let's dip."
Shane and Adara were in agreement, taking one last look at the bruised Blue Flare before vanishing. Erik sat up, seething more before cursing Ren's name towards the greenish-orange sky above them…
[AEGIS HQ, Riverbed City…]
Mason sat silently as the footage from the Assailant and Cyrus replayed before him, alongside the recent battle with Shane and Ren. Director Leonardo Jones of AEGIS sat on the other side of him, watching the same footage on the transparent screens.
"Any idea on either of these instances?" he asked Mason.
"Other than Omnia going through some significant changes since our last visit…" Mason answered. "Has Garretson's team made any progress?"
"Aside from cooperating with Cyrus Asghar in obtaining this footage, no. As it stands, Bagramon—or rather I should say, Mayor Negri—remains tight lipped for the most part. All we did learn from him is that something out there is hunting Drasil."
"From this footage however, it seems this one posing as Kaden Grant is out for something else. While it was implied that he was hunting the Representatives down to get to Drasil, according to Mr. Asghar, they have a personal vendetta against the Representatives instead.
"Of course, I'm banking on the suspicion that this sole perpetrator isn't alone." Director Jones clarified. I have Garretson's team split between searching the city and Cyberspace for their whereabouts. I don't believe it's the last we'll see of them."
"And as for Shane Ramirez and Ren Igarashi…" Mason fidgeted with his D-Streamer and transferred information to Director Jones desktop. "Lucas has shared their current coordinates within the wastelands area of Babylon."
Director Jones accessed the information and took a look for himself. "This isn't far from The Rift."
"Which means that the Greymon variant in Ren Igarashi's possession came from Omnia." Mason deduced.
"The Rift" as its referred to is a heavily guarded phenomenon in the deepest parts of the Wastelands. AEGIS has claimed responsibility over its monitoring, being first alerted to it in the days following the war. Ordinemon's rampage resulted in a wormhole torn over the skies of the Nadir District's ruins, a permanent scar etched in the sky, leading the organization to keep anything from coming through or going in. However, with that said, with the coordinates in hand, it raises questions about the overall security of the location itself.
With a deep, annoyed sigh, Director Jones massaged his temples, contemplating where to go from here. "It's not as if we weren't preparing for a what if scenario…" he rose from his desk. "Follow me."
"Where are we heading?" Mason asked.
"To have a chat with your former boss…" Director Jones answered. On that note, both men exited the room, heading downstairs to the confinement area of the headquarters to learn what they can from the servant of Drasil himself…
[Shoptopia District, Babylon…]
The Shoptopia District of Babylon was the main marketplace for the online client of the Digimon TCG. A bustling hub, akin to Times Square, it was here that users could interact with NPC to exchange in-game currency or real money via microtransactions to purchase online versions of cards, which could be used using the AR capabilities of the D-Streamers for in-person battling. Inversely, players could also use packaged codes in the physical products to download their booster pack, starter and theme deck contents for use in the D-Streamers and in Babylon.
"Thanks for making time out to help us Mr. McKnight." Daniel said as he, Trevor and Terrence trekked down the glistening, neon-colored sidewalk. Terrence's eyes bulged out of his head, scanning everything he could as he walked. Users of various appearances walked to and fro, showing their familiarity with the space. Even more enticing to him though...
…Were the Digimon partners accompanying them. It was one thing to see them in the TV shows, the comics, or even in livestreams. It was amazing the first time he battled Bianca, and he was summoning life-sized versions of his cards. But to see Digimon walk, talk and interact with users and NPCs like live beings...
"I apologize for being missing the last day or two. Did I miss anything?" Trevor asked, turning to Terrence.
"I never wanna leave this place..." Terrence uttered, starry-eyed still.
Trevor chuckled and turned back to Daniel for an answer.
"He got detention, and we both got to visit City Hall."
"Ooh, neat, what'd you do there?"
"We battled these really strong Black users!" Terrence chimed in hard, startling the pair. This girl in our school, Bianca? Yeah, she has this rush deck and she—!"
"We were invited by the mayor's daughter to battle her and her guardian," Daniel stated.
"Nice. I've heard of Bianca and Justin. They're probably some of the top Black Players overall.
"Yeah, so after that, we've collectively decided to get stronger as well," Daniel explained. "Assuming we're gonna be running into players like them in the tournament, we wanna have some sort of fighting chance."
"Well, you've come to the right guy." Trevor pointed to himself, as they approached a storefront. Trevor opened the door to the virtual facility and led the pair in, the latter greeted by a decent sized room with various other users standing before holographic displays, most looking anywhere from astonished, to inquisitive.
"Wow, it's packed!" Terrence exclaimed.
"That's to be expected right?" Daniel asked.
Trevor crossed his arms, "Afraid so. As expected, we're not the only ones trying to prep. Everyone wants to take a shot at becoming champion and will prep from sunrise to sundown to do it. Babylon makes it easy since virtual shops like these are always open 24 hours a day."
"Is there anything else we need to know beforehand?" Daniel asked.
"For now, we'll just focus on upgrading your decks. We'll cover the other stuff as we get closer. Speaking of, is Max joining us?"
"She was visiting Miss Levan earlier, so I don't know for sure if she's getting on this evening." Daniel replied.
"Gotcha. I'll try to make time to go over her deck too." Trevor afterward made his way to the counter. After booking two terminals for the boys to use, he motioned them and led them to the designated stops. "Here you register your Tamer IDs so your card collection can be uploaded from your D-Streamers. Then you use the search bar in the catalogue to look up any cards you like. If you need help, I'll be over there making a quick call."
"We should be okay!" Terrence gave him a thumbs up.
Trevor gave one back. "Love to hear it. Can't wait to see what you guys come up with." With that said, he broke off from the pair to make his call. Meanwhile, both Terrence and Daniel input their Tamer IDs in the terminal and pulled up their information, which included their names and current record on the main page, both marked with "W-0" and "L-1", thanks to their first battles against Bianca and Justin, respectively.
"What a way to start our pro careers, huh?" Daniel turned to his friend.
Terrence scoffed, "I ain't worried. By the time, the tournament's over. It'll be W-100 to L-1!"
Daniel appreciated Terrence's blind optimism. If at all else, it was a sure motivator. Opening the search box, Daniel thought back to what Mayor Negri told him about his deck…
"Since that particular Starter Deck relies on hand sizes and discard effects, I believe you can expand on that with purple cards."
Daniel typed "Purple" in the search box and before him a plethora of cards up to the current set appeared before him. Overwhelmed by options, he backed out and shifted screens over to his deck as it stood, then shifted back briefly to look up Plutomon specifically. Its effect added draw power, which his current strategy utilized, but Plutomon also needed mid-to-cheap purple Option Cards to use the rest of the effect. If its going to be his new Ace, then he needed to build around that; have enough cards in hand to have options in any situation.
And if he were to have so many cards in hand then he would need…
Switching to his current deck, he scanned the blue cards that directedly affected drawing and hand sizes. Most of the cards had some sort of draw mechanic, some conditions easier than others. Other cards in the deck focused on having some control on the opponent's progression as well, but returning cards to the opponent did nothing for Plutomon so…
"This is hard…" Daniel vocally admitted.
"Really? I'm already half way done." Terrence said.
Daniel's head whipped over. "How?!"
Feeling smug, Terrence presented his progress to his friend, who looked over. Daniel was taken aback by the assortment of Level 3 and 4 Digimon present, a mix of red, blue and green in the lineup.
"You're just putting random cards together!" Daniel exclaimed.
"Nuh-uh!" Terrence protested. "It's called "'Rookie Rush!'"
"…'Rookie…Rush?'" Daniel looked at the deck again and looked closer. Terrence was at 24 Level 3 cards and 4 Level 4 so far, the former including cards such as BT3 Veemon, BT4 Liollmon, and BT8 Gammamon for example, and so far, the only level 4 was BetelGammamon.
"Will this actually work?" Daniel sounded skeptical.
"Totally! Cuz, like Bianca said, I have potential."
"Hmm…" Daniel turned back to his deck and scanned it. His eyes ran over KausGammamon specifically and he stopped. "Wait…"
"Had a breakthrough?" Terrence maintained his triumph.
"Look up KausGammamon on your display." Daniel told him.
Curiously, Terrence did just that, looking up the blue Level 4. "It's a 2-Cost digivolution…"
"That can digivolve on Gammamon specifically for two too!" Daniel highlighted.
"Oh! I can totally use this then!" Terrence quickly added it.
"There's the green Gammamon in Maxine's deck too, right? Look up that one too, see if it's the same."
Excited, Terrence searched it and sure enough, the same conditions. "This is dope! Who knew Gammamon was so strong! Oh, speaking of, I should totally keep Canoweissmon as my Ace…! Danny!"
"What?"
"It's effect!" Terrence realized. "I only ever had the Red Gammamon, so I never realized!"
Daniel read the effect of Canoweissmon and realized Terrence's point. Canoweissmon gets more than just the IE effects from any Gammamon in its sources…"
"I can make Canoweissmon a piercer, blocker evader, and blitzer depending on what it digivolves from!"
Daniel had to admit that it was insane. Who would've known that Terrence would have such a gem of a card in his deck. "Wait so regarding these starter decks… are parts of it meant to support your deck?"
"Well duh." Terrence admitted shamelessly. "Because, in the web series, the heroes rally against the Main Character and give him the strength to overcome the story arc's first big bad! He used a deck with all three Gammamon Level 4s and they combined their strength to create Canoweissmon!"
"Ah, so its thematic then, got it…" Daniel turned back to his deck.
After maxing out his chosen Digimon, Terry filled the remaining 10 slots with 4x Hiro Amanokawa, 3x Breaclaw and 3x Terra Force. He saved his deck and grinned gleefully. "Done!"
Daniel side-eyed him. "Congratulations. Can you get Mr. McKnight for me, I'm really struggling here."
"Bet, BRB!" Terrence skipped off to look for Trevor, giving Daniel some piece of mind for a moment.
Staring at Plutomon and acknowledging the slight resentment he feels towards the ease Terrence had with his deck, he was more determined than ever to construct a deck using this card.
Meanwhile, Terrence went all around the space, looking for Trevor, however it was as if he had vanished. Thinking for a moment, he looked towards the front of the space and saw a silhouette amongst the holographic pane on the other side. "There he is!"
Terrence rushed the door and opened it. "Hey, Mr. McKnight, Danny needs—!"
"Yeah, I'm keeping my eyes out…" Trevor spoke into his headset.
Terrence paused and kept quiet, natural curiosity overtaking him quickly.
"The kids I'm helping prep for the tournament really gave me the perfect alibi, I'll admit in case I run into him. Yeah. How's Jesse and the others, did they find anything? Right. Gotcha. Gabumon and I are on standby as always if Kaden makes a move.
"Kaden…?" Terrence hesitated.
"He what?! Is the Eastern Rep alright?!" Trevor's voice tensed slightly. He snickered, ruffling his hair. "This is getting frustrating, nothing's adding up—what's up Gabumon?" Trevor turned slightly, causing Terrence to quickly pull back from the door. Trevor narrowed his gaze. "Lindberg can play coy all he wants but sooner or later we'll get to the bottom of this. Whatever he and Yggdrasil pissed off won't rest until they get to them…
…even if both sides of reality are covered in blood…"
"Sorry I couldn't make it earlier," Maxine apologized, she and the boys online one again for their nightly Voice Chats. "How was Babylon?"
"It's pretty cool actually," Daniel admitted. "It really is like living in a video game, you can do so much there. Mr. McKnight took us to a card shop in the Shopping District to work on our decks. He said he'll try and make time for you to work on yours too before the tournament."
"That'd be cool. I've had a lot on my mind recently, so maybe some Digimon will do me some good…" she turned to Terrence's screen, the boy seeming unusually calm, even after her comment. "I said, 'that'd be cool. I've had a lot on my mind recently, so maybe some Digimon will do me some good…!"
Still no response from Terrence.
"Terry!" She snapped.
"I heard you…" Terrence replied, still sounding mellow.
"You okay dude?" Daniel asked. "You've been acting weird since Mr. McKnight came back from his phone call."
"What? Did he say something to you that got you upset?" Maxine asked curiously.
Daniel shrugged, "Maybe he heard something he wasn't supposed to?"
"It's not just that," Terrence began to admit. "Ugh, I don't know what he was talking about but…maybe we should stay away from him…"
Daniel and Maxine blinked.
"What happened? Should I tell my parents?" Maxine pressed.
"Maybe…?" Terrence shrugged.
His friends were growing more anxious. Daniel pressed this time, "Dude, everything was cool up until I asked you to get him. What did he say to get you worked up like—!"
"IT WAS ABOUT YOUR COUSIN!" He exclaimed, borderline teary-eyed.
Maxine, upon hearing that, had a shaken look on her face.
Seeing that, Terrence scrambled in his seat. "I—I mean I think it was about him! Maybe he knows like 12 Kaden's or something I don't know!"
Maxine swallowed her anxiety and held onto her desk as her head spun. Taking a deep breath, she spoke, "Terry…" Maxine uttered as calmly as she could. "Tell me exactly what he said…"
"…why?"
"Just…please."
Terrence nervously tried to remember his exact words. "He was using Danny and I as an excuse to go into Babylon. I think he was expecting Kaden to pop up or something…he mentioned someone named 'Jesse' too…"
"'Jesse…?'" Daniel thought back. The name was familiar to him. "Jesse Garretson?"
"Who's that?" Terrence asked.
"The AEGIS Officer from the Exhibition match?!" Maxine leaned into her camera.
"Mr. McKnight was friends with both of the players, weren't they?" Daniel added. "Based on what Terrence just said then…is Mr. McKnight an AEGIS officer? And he's investigating Kaden potentially…?"
Maxine felt her heart racing as Daniel was putting pieces together. Tying that with her own findings, it was making her theories bear fruit.
Bitter fruit.
"Guys…please don't tell anyone but…I have to show you guys some things…"
Terrence and Daniel look to her screen, after which she unveiled all of her research findings over the last several days; from news report headlines and video links, to bullet point timelines and her theories, it was a detective crime board in a document format.
"Max…" Daniel was astonished.
"Please…I need you guys' help... I have no one else to turn to…" She sniffled, as the stress was bubbling from within. Tears finally broke through as she looked directly at the camera.
"…Help me prove Kaden's innocence…!"