DarkFoxKit: Hello, sorry about taking so long to update. I haven't really been motivated to write much lately, so it makes it difficult to keep writing. And I can't help but wonder if this story is getting any attention.
ZAFT: It is, I'm sure. People just aren't reviewing as much, maybe it will get more reviews soon, we'll see. ^^' … I hope…
DarkFoxKit: Well, either way, we'll try to keep going for the time being.
Chapter 11: The Courage to Protect
Tsunomon was hopping away fast, with JP and Zoe running after him. They were rather surprised at how fast Tsunomon was, given that he didn't even have any legs or feet.
"Tsunomon! Please, come back, just hear us out!" Zoe called out, but Tsunomon kept going.
"Or at least slow down!" JP whined. "C'mon buddy! Slow down!"
But Tsunomon kept hopping away as fast as he could.
"Aw man! Who knew a little guy without legs could be so fast?!" JP panted.
"I think we need to work out more!" Zoe panted.
"I just want to be left alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!" Tsunomon shouted back at them.
Biyomon and Kokuwamon finally caught up to JP and Zoe.
"Aren't you guys going a little too far from the school?" Biyomon frowned.
"Yeah, what if you get lost?" Kokuwamon asked.
"We need to get Tsunomon back." Zoe pointed out. "He can't be running off out here by himself."
"Yeah. and if worse comes to worst, we can just Spirit Evolve and fly back." JP replied.
"We know. We're more worried about Tsunomon getting lost than you guys," Kokuwamon answered.
"Especially since there could be hostile Digimon nearby." Biyomon frowned.
Then heavy winds suddenly picked up, blowing them back a bit, and causing them to lose track of Tsunomon as they started reaching the woods.
"Aw man!" Zoe groaned. "Now how are we going to find him?!"
"We'll fly ahead and see if we can see him," Biyomon quickly said.
Both Biyomon and Kokuwamon flew up high, trying to find the little Digimon.
"TSUNOMON!" Zoe called out.
"Please answer us, buddy!" JP called out as well.
"Biyomon… those clouds in the sky don't look too friendly…" Kokuwamon said in worry.
Biyomon frowned as she looked up at the sky herself. "We need to find Tsunomon, and fast… I don't like the looks of those clouds."
"Wait, did you hear that splash?" Kokuwamon asked.
Biyomon frowned, but she quickly looked around and saw something orange splashing around in what looked like a muddy pool of water. Her eyes went wide.
"That's Tsunomon!" Biyomon yelled. "ZOE! JP! OVER HERE! TSUNOMON NEEDS HELP!"
JP and Zoe ran over, only to see Tsunomon having trouble in the muddy water. "Oh no!" JP gasped.
"Hold on!" Zoe called out. "Biyomon, help me out!"
"What are you going to do?" JP frowned.
Biyomon flew down to Zoe, grabbing onto her shoulders with her talons and lifted her up. Biyomon was strong enough to lift Zoe if she had to, but there was a limit on how far she could go while holding Zoe. She brought Zoe over Tsunomon, and tried to get Zoe as close to Tsunomon as possible without dropping her in the water.
"Try to give me your horn!" Zoe called out to Tsunomon as she reached her hand out.
"That's dangerous!" Kokuwamon called out.
Kokuwamon would help, but he had no way to safely hold Zoe with his taser-like hands. Her clothing was too thin, he could accidentally zap her skin if he tried. At least with JP, he had thicker clothing on.
"I almost got it," Zoe said as her hand almost reached Tsunomon's horn.
But then another strong gust of wind went by, causing Biyomon to lose her balance and her grip on Zoe. "No!"
Zoe fell into the water. Biyomon nearly dove in to get her, but Kokuwamon quickly flew at Biyomon to stop her.
"Don't! You'll end up stuck in that muddy water too!" Kokuwamon warned.
"But Zoe and Tsunomon will drown if we don't do something!" Biyomon yelled.
"What should I do!?" JP frantically looked around for a stick or something he could use to get them out.
"Why don't you try Spirit Evolving!?" Kokuwamon replied.
"Oh, right!" JP remembered he had the ability to Spirit Evolve.
However, before JP could use his D-Tector, there was a bright glow coming from the water, catching their attention.
"H-Huh?" JP blinked, not sure what to make of what he was seeing. However, before he could process it, a form emerged from the water, holding onto Zoe gently. It was wearing a light blue fur pelt that had darker blue slash marks on it, similar to Lobomon's scarf, and had a yellow body with a blue and pink stomach. The creature had red eyes as well as sharp teeth sticking out of its mouth and a horn on its head as well.
JP let out a bit of a scream as he didn't expect this new Digimon to suddenly come out of the water.
"Relax, JP, I think that's Tsunomon," Kokuwamon said. "He just saved Zoe."
"Tsunomon?" JP blinked.
The new Digimon walked out of the water, carefully placing Zoe down, letting her cough out the water.
"I'm… called Gabumon in this form," The Digimon revealed. "I'm sorry if I scared you…"
Biyomon landed next to Gabumon. "You could digivolve?"
Gabumon frowned before fractal code surrounded him, reverting him back to Tsunomon. "Yeah… I can."
"You make it sound like it's a bad thing," Kokuwamon stated.
"It is… it's why everyone treats me like they do now…" Tsunomon sighed. "Including Koromon… who used to be my best friend."
Lopmon was not built for running. His short legs were making it difficult to catch up to this fast bouncing pink ball. "Koromon! Stop running!"
"Why?! I need to find Tsunomon! It's my fault he ran away!" Koromon replied back.
"And what do you think you're going to do once you find him!?" Lopmon shouted back. "As you are now, you're more likely to make things worse between you two!"
Koromon stopped hopping when he heard Lopmon's words. He looked back at Lopmon. "I'd rather mess up in a well-meaning manner than not try at all."
Lopmon was glad that Koromon stopped, because he didn't know how much longer he could've kept running. "I'm not saying you shouldn't keep trying… just stop and think about things first… you don't want to make things worse, do you?"
Koromon looked down. "No… I don't…" He admitted. "But I feel so bad for what I said to Tsunomon… I feel like a horrible friend…"
When Lopmon finally caught up to Koromon, he sat down. "So you and Tsunomon used to be friends, right?"
"Yeah… we used to be pretty close. We've been together since we hatched in Primary Village, we were practically brothers," Koromon answered.
"So… what changed?" Lopmon asked.
Koromon looked down for a moment of hesitance. "I… I guess I became afraid…"
"Afraid? Please explain," Lopmon said.
"It happened a week and a few days ago…" Koromon began.
Flashback
Koromon and Tsunomon were playing with the other children outside. Togemon was in the building, preparing food for lunch time. The children were playing with a ball, having fun together. Tsunomon and Koromon were practically inseparable. They were always on the same team, and usually did things together.
As the other team were knocking the ball around, Tsunomon smiled as he approached Koromon. "Hey, Koromon! There's something cool I can do. I discovered it last night just before I went to bed."
"Really?" Koromon asked, noticing Tsunomon sounded excited. "What is it?"
"I'll show you and the others when the time is right~" Tsunomon grinned.
"Oh cool, it must be something really exciting if you want to show the others too." Koromon smiled before yawning.
"Everything alright?" Tsunomon asked.
"Just been skipping nap time lately," Koromon replied. "I've been having weird and scary dreams lately."
"Really? What kind of dreams?" Tsunomon asked, concerned for his friend. "Are they really that bad?"
"I wouldn't say the dreams are bad per say, just… really weird and scary." Koromon replied before yawning again. "I keep waking up after each one in a startled state. I'm not sure how to describe it, but… I think in the dream, I was different… like really different. I think I was big and strong, and able to move around the world easily."
"Oh? What's so scary about that? That sounds pretty cool." Tsunomon smiled.
"Well, I also had to fight a lot. A lot of big and scary Digimon. Other children Digimon are either scared of me, or I had to protect them from the real danger. And I kept seeing this darkness that started covering the world," Koromon explained. "Usually after the darkness covers me, that's when I wake up, feeling scared and startled."
Tsunomon shivered. "The darkness part sounds scary…"
"Yeah, it is…" Koromon answered.
"But other than that, I think being able to fight off big and scary Digimon to protect others isn't such a bad thing. It'd be like the stories Togemon tells us, like the Legendary Warriors." Tsunomon smiled.
"I… guess. I'm just not sure if that's a life I want though," Koromon replied.
"Well don't worry about it. It's just a dream after all," Tsunomon chuckled.
Koromon gave a small smile. "Yeah, you're right. How about we forget about it and go play with the others?"
Tsunomon grinned. "Sure! Let's go! I wanna practice soccer, since that's tomorrow's P.E. activity!"
Tsunomon and Koromon happily bounced off with the others to play. Nyaromon, however, hit the ball a little too hard with her tail, causing the ball to go flying. The other children quickly bounced after the ball, only for them to see the ball getting caught up on branches of a tree. The tree itself wasn't that tall, but to the children it may as well be as tall as a building, because none of them were tall enough to reach the ball.
"What should we do?" YukimiBotamon asked.
"We could try headbutting the tree to see if the ball would fall," Koromon suggested.
"The ball is really wedged up there." Jyarimon pouted. "I don't know if that will work."
"Maybe we should go get Togemon," Yarmon stated.
Tsunomon smiled. "It's okay, guys. I can get it down."
Everyone turned to Tsunomon, a little surprised about what he said.
"How? You're no taller than the rest of us," Conomon pointedly replied.
"Just watch~" Tsunomon smiled.
A cocoon of fractal code surrounded Tsunomon, blinding the other children for a moment.
When the fractal code dissipated, there was a new Digimon in Tsunomon's place, causing the children to gasp. "Look at me now!" The Digimon replied with a smile. "I can digivolve! Is this cool or what?"
Walking over to the tree, the new Digimon merely poked his horn into the ball and removed the ball from the tree. "There, piece of cake!" He said before he blinked, seeing how the children were looking afraid of him, they were all gathered in a pile, shaking. "Huh? What's wrong?"
Even Koromon was looking at him with eyes full of fear.
"Koromon? Are you-"
"S-stay away!" Koromon shouted.
"Koromon, it's me, Tsunomon! I mean I turned into Gabumon, but I'm still me, you know that, right?" The Digimon that claimed to be Gabumon, said in concern.
Koromon looked at Gabumon. He stopped shaking as he stared into Gabumon's eyes. The other children were still shaking though.
"H-he's a monster!" Nyaromon yelled.
"He's so big and scary looking!" Jyarimon shivered.
"He also stabbed our ball!" Zerimon screamed.
The other children quickly ran away back to the building, leaving just Koromon and Gabumon.
"I don't understand… why is everyone so afraid of me?" Gabumon frowned.
Koromon frowned. "... It's because… you've changed…"
"How?" Gabumon asked. "I may be a different Digimon right now, but I'm still Tsunomon in the end, right?"
"Was… this the 'super cool' thing you wanted to show me before? The thing you discovered last night?" Koromon asked.
"Yes…" Gabumon replied, unsure of what Koromon was getting at.
"I can't believe it… you can already digivolve…" Koromon said, looking down and away from Gabumon's eyes. "We're still only in pre-school… how can you already digivolve? How long will it be before the others start digivolving? And we leave school and our friends and family behind? I'm… I'm not ready for all of that…"
Koromon looked like he was starting to have an anxiety attack, his face was becoming pale, his pupils began shrinking, and he was having trouble breathing. Flashes of those dreams he had began going before his eyes.
"H-Hey… Koromon! Koromon!" Gabumon called out, trying to get Koromon's attention. "Are you okay?!"
Seeing that Koromon wasn't responding to him, Gabumon quickly covered himself in fractal code, turning himself back into Tsunomon. "Koromon! Look at me! It's me, Tsunomon!"
Koromon looked at Tsunomon, and he started calming down, seeing the familiar face of his friend instead of the face of a strange, new Gabumon.
"There… you see? I'm still Tsunomon," Tsunomon said soothingly, hoping to keep his friend calm.
Koromon managed to start breathing normally again, but he frowned. "Tsunomon… You… you've made a mistake… you shouldn't have digivolved."
"Why not?" Tsunomon asked, confused. "I was just trying to help get the-"
"Don't help!" Koromon snapped suddenly, interrupting Tsunomon.
Tsunomon flinched, surprised by Koromon's reaction. Even Koromon was surprised at his own reaction. Koromon turned around, unable to look at Tsunomon.
"I'm sorry… We're just not… not ready for digivolution yet," Koromon said quietly. "Just… don't digivolve anymore."
Tsunomon felt hurt. "B-but… Digivolving is normal… Why can't I do what is normal for us? One day, you'll digivolve too, Koromon."
"That may be so, but that won't happen any time soon," Koromon replied. "Unlike you, I'm not strong or brave. I… I don't want to get bigger and stronger."
"What?" Tsunomon asked. "Why not?"
"I just don't, okay!?" Koromon snapped, looking back at Tsunomon. "We're still too young to worry about all of that. But whatever, if you want to digivolve, then do your own thing. Leave me out of it."
Koromon bounced away from Tsunomon.
"H-Hey! Koromon!" Tsunomon exclaimed, bouncing after his friend. "Hey! I'm sorry!"
Koromon didn't answer back Tsunomon, and kept going.
End of Flashback
"Even though I digivolved to help get the ball down… all everyone else saw was a big, furry monster," Tsunomon sighed as he explained his story to JP, Zoe, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon. "Koromon even reacted pretty badly to me, even worse than the others. I had never seen him react like that… I must've scared him really badly…"
"Wow… That must've really hurt you." Zoe said, feeling sorry for Tsunomon. "And you were just trying to help too…"
"That's not nice." JP huffed. "Talk about ungrateful children."
"Besides, your Gabumon form wasn't scary at all. You saved my life, and for that I'm really grateful." Zoe smiled at Tsunomon, making Tsunomon blush a little.
"But I am surprised that the other children are scared of Tsunomon. Isn't digivolution normal among Digimon?" Kokuwamon asked.
"I think the young Digmion usually digivolve around the same time. Tsunomon was able to digivolve much earlier than the other children," Biyomon guessed. "So it must've freaked them out. Although… from the sound of it, I think Koromon's issues with Tsunomon's digivolution run much deeper than because he looked 'scary'."
"You think so?" JP asked.
"Do you remember when Tsunomon mentioned that Koromon told him about scary dreams?" Biyomon asked. "I think Koromon's issues with Tsunomon being able to digivolve stem from those, at least to an extent. And hearing how he had a near panic attack after realizing Gabumon was Tsunomon, that doesn't sound like the usual fear of a simple scary looking monster. It sounded like he was stressing out about something else related to your digivolution."
"But why would that dream make him scared of my digivolution?" Tsunomon asked. "In his dream, he only mentioned fighting off scary Digimon and some kind of darkness."
"It's possible he hadn't told you the full truth about his dreams," Kokuwamon said. "You never managed to really talk to him since that day you digivolved in front of everyone, right?"
Tsunomon shook his head. "No… Mostly because of his reaction towards me." He admitted. "I didn't want to make him panic or freak out again…"
"It looked like he was feeling guilty about how he and the others were treating you," Zoe noted.
"You think so?" Tsunomon asked.
"He seemed more reluctant to leave you behind," JP said, remembering how when the others left when he suggested Tsunomon to play with them, Koromon stopped and looked back at Tsunomon before leaving with the others.
"And he apologized when he crashed into you when both of you dived for the ball, even if the others were blaming you for it," Kokuwamon brought up.
"And he looked like he was trying to make a peace offering with that meat bun," Biyomon explained. "But he was too afraid and stiff to properly articulate it to you, which is probably why he came off as standoffish when he offered it to you. After you ran out due to his outburst, he started going after you himself to apologize."
Tsunomon blinked. "Really? He came after me? B-But why? He was so against me digivolving, and now he's trying to apologize to me?"
"I guess despite his fears regarding your digivolution, you both still have that bond between you two," JP said. "I'm almost a little jealous."
"Koromon probably needed some time to process what happened. But he was probably too afraid to come to you himself after his initial reaction to your digivolution," Biyomon said. "And your peers also didn't help with their attitude towards you. It's easier to go with the crowd than against them."
Tsunomon remembered how Koromon shushed Yarmon earlier when he told Koromon not to bother with Tsunomon.
"I can't say I blame him, but he really didn't handle things well," Zoe said with a sigh. "But if you're willing to talk to him… we can take you back to the school."
Tsunomon looked down, unsure of what he wanted to do. But he did want to make amends with Koromon at least, so he made up his mind. "That would be nice, actually. And… I do want to see if Koromon and I can work through this. I don't want to be alone anymore…"
"I just hope Lopmon's able to help Koromon through his issues so he can talk to Tsunomon…" Kokuwamon said worriedly.
"It's Lopmon, knowing him, he might as well be the Therapymon," Biyomon replied.
"I never told Tsunomon the full extent of my dreams…" Koromon sighed to Lopmon.
"I'm guessing the parts you didn't tell him is why you acted so badly towards his digivolution?" Lopmon softly asked.
"Yeah…" Koromon frowned. "My dreams… they didn't just involve me. It involved Tsunomon as well. In the dream… we were different Digimon. Bigger, stronger, scarier looking… we digivolved together and got stronger together. Then one day… we ended up fusing into this one big, powerful Digimon. That's when it all begins, and… when it all ends. I… tried to ignore the dreams, especially since it seemed ridiculous. But… in the back of my mind, I was always worried about it somehow coming true… and… when Tsunomon suddenly digivolved before my eyes, I became terrified. Not of Gabumon, though the form of Gabumon took me by surprise at first. I was…"
Lopmon noticed Koromon had trouble trying to find the right words about how he felt. "... You were scared that Tsunomon digivolving meant that dream of yours was a lot closer to happening than you wanted it to?"
Koromon nodded. "I was… And I just lashed out at Tsunomon for it… I feel so bad for it… But I was just so afraid… I didn't want the dream to come true, especially when I didn't feel ready. I thought it would help if I distanced myself from Tsunomon, using the fear of his Gabumon form as an excuse. But… I was just being a coward, and I was hurting my friend for it…"
"It looks like you've already realized what you did was wrong," Lopmon noted. "But why does that dream scare you so much? Wouldn't you like the idea of being strong and fighting against evil?"
"I… well… I thought I did… Togemon always told us stories about the Legendary Warriors, and the Royal Knights who protected the Celestial Digimon," Koromon replied. "All of us were excited at the idea of digivolving and becoming stronger to fight against evil one day, and maybe become legends like the Legendary Warriors and the Royal Knights. But… well… It's… different when I experience… or I guess, dream about it?"
"The dream showed you just how truly hard and scary it is to be a warrior, to have to fight against evil Digimon and the chaos they bring," Lopmon said softly. "The reality of being such a warrior shouldn't have been put into your mind until you've matured enough to be able to take such an experience. You're at a stage where you're supposed to just have fun, and want to grow and get stronger, not get ready to be a soldier for a war."
Koromon nodded. "Yeah, I should be having fun and all that, but those dreams… they just keep coming and it scares me… It made me afraid of wanting to get stronger… What if one day, I do become stronger? Would I have to fuse with Tsunomon and fight, just like in my dreams? I… don't want this to end, not so soon…"
Lopmon put a comforting ear on Koromon's back. "I know how you feel. I may not be as young as you, but I am still a kid myself. I'm always worried about growing up, and being forced to take on more responsibilities than I ever wanted. I watch as those around me, my friends, my family, become stronger, evolving into more complex beings. Sometimes I feel like they're leaving me behind while I'm struggling to keep up with them. Change is scary, growing up is scary. You'll face a lot of hardships as well. But… it's not the end of the world."
"What do you mean?" Koromon asked.
"I've come to realize something, once the thing you're afraid of happens, it's not as bad as you feared it to be. And you'd be surprised at what you're capable of in the moment. Before you know it, you overcome the thing you've been dreading, and… you're passed it. You feel free, and stronger than ever," Lopmon explained. "Let's say you do digivolve like Tsunomon did. What's the worst that can happen? That things won't be quite the same anymore?"
Koromon frowned, but he did respond. "You're right… Things won't be the same anymore. I will be getting stronger, but that is what makes me so afraid… I'm afraid of facing down whatever may come, because my dreams may become reality…"
I wonder if those dreams may be… memories of a past life. Lopmon wondered. It's unusual, but not completely impossible, for non-Celestial Digimon to retain bits and pieces of memories of their past lives. That must be what's troubling Koromon so much.
"Those dreams of yours, they're not going to go away I'm afraid," Lopmon bluntly stated. "But you don't have to suffer through them alone. It helps to have a close friend to talk to about them. Besides, you don't know for sure that if you digivolve, your dream would come true. You decide your own future, Koromon."
Koromon nodded. "I know, but I'm not sure I am ready to face it… I feel like staying small forever would be better for me, but we can't stop the urge to get stronger…"
"I understand the feeling, but staying small isn't living," Lopmon said. "It'd be no different than being stuck in prison. And everyone you're close to will eventually leave you behind."
Koromon sighed. "Yeah…"
"But despite what happened between you and Tsunomon, you still want him back, don't you?" Lopmon asked.
"Y-yeah… but… I really screwed up." Koromon frowned. "I don't think Tsunomon would ever want to talk to me again. I said some really awful things to him… things I didn't mean. I don't think Tsunomon is a monster, but… I was still afraid… of what his digivolution meant."
"It's not too late you know," Lopmon said. "You can still talk to Tsunomon, and let him know how you really feel. I'm sure Tsunomon misses you as much as you missed him. But you can't let your fear stop you from trying."
Koromon looked up. "You… really think he misses me? Even after what I said to him?"
"I noticed he would look at you longingly, despite how he gripes about the others," Lopmon answered. "And when you had your outburst, it hurt him enough to make him run away. It shows that he takes what you say to heart more than the others, meaning he still cares about what you have to say to him."
Koromon flinched. "That makes my outburst seem even worse…" He admitted.
"All the more reason to talk to him about how you feel," Lopmon said. "Miscommunication is often the reason that leads others to war. Same with friendships ending over miscommunication."
Koromon flinched again before sighing. "I suppose you're right… I just feel like a coward because I can't work up the courage to do so, even though I want to. But… I won't be able to set things right with Tsunomon if I don't talk to him."
Koromon looked over at Lopmon. "Have you ever had this problem? Having a hidden fear that you feel you can't even tell the one closest to you?"
Lopmon let out a small sigh. "More than I would like."
Suddenly, Lopmon felt a raindrop on his head. He blinked before looking up, seeing the dark clouds quickly taking the sky. The small raindrop soon turned into pouring rain, along with the sound of thunder.
"Oh, come on, I just got my clothes dry too," Zoe groaned as it started pouring.
"All this water better not make me short circuit…" Kokuwamon grumbled, getting under some leaves to try to mitigate the water on him as much as possible.
There was a sudden flash of lightning, and the loud boom of thunder followed after. JP yelped as he squatted down and covered his ears.
"Are you kidding me?!" Zoe grumbled. "You're the Warrior of Thunder and use electric attacks all the time, and yet you're afraid of lightning?"
"That's not fair, Zoe! Just because I can use those attacks as a Digimon doesn't mean lightning and thunder doesn't still scare, or hurt, me as a human," JP replied, trying to defend himself while also trying not to panic from another loud boom of thunder. "I'm sure Takuya would still burn in fire, and Koji would be blinded by bright light."
Tsunomon had no idea what JP was going on about. Last he checked, humans couldn't become Digimon. But that wasn't his concern right now. He was looking up at the clouds, seeing how heavy the rain was falling.
"He has a point," Biyomon said.
"I guess, but still, it just seems so odd," Zoe remarked.
"Can we go back to shelter? I don't think my circuitry likes this weather," Kokuwamon spoke up, having electricity on his hands and head sparking a little out of control.
"I can't say I like this weather either. I'm not a waterfowl after all," Biyomon grumbled, seeing that her feathers were getting soaked.
"This is bad," Tsunomon spoke up, catching everyone's attention. "We need to get back to school, quickly."
Tsunomon bounced ahead.
"Hey, Tsunomon, what's the big hurry?" Zoe asked.
Zoe, JP, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon quickly followed after Tsunomon. They all stopped when they saw the river they came in earlier was already starting to rise up into the flower fields.
"Uh oh…" Tsunomon said with a fear-filled tone in his voice. "The water's rising… Togemon said the last time this happened, the river overflowed and flooded the school. We have to get back or the others will be washed away!"
"That's terrible!" Zoe shouted. "We have to do something!"
"Why would you build a school where it can get flooded easily whenever it rains hard? Seems like a flawed system," Kokuwamon grumbled.
"There's no time to worry about that," Biyomon said.
"Whoa… the water's rising…"
Everyone turned when they heard the voice. They were surprised to see Koromon and Lopmon nearby, looking at the water themselves.
"If this keeps up, the river's going to flood and wash away the school." Koromon frowned.
"But it just started raining, and it's already this bad?" Lopmon replied worriedly.
"Lopmon! Koromon!" Zoe called out. "Over here!"
"Oh, hey guys! Looks like we caught up to you after all," Lopmon said as he and Koromon hurried over to the others.
Koromon and Tsunomon looked at each other for a moment, they both looked away awkwardly, not sure who should start talking.
"Um, so the school might get washed away if nothing's done soon," Lopmon said, noticing the awkward atmosphere.
"Y-yeah, but what can we do about it?" Biyomon asked. "Also, don't get too close to Kokuwamon. His body isn't taking the rain too well, and electricity is flying off of his head and hands."
"It's not that bad!" Kokuwamon spoke up before some of the electricity sparked brightly. "... But best not to touch me right now."
JP frowned before coming up with an idea. "Zoe, we should Spirit Evolve. We were able to gain back some energy after eating some food earlier. We'll be able to get back to the school faster by flying. And we might be able to use our powers to prevent the school from being flooded."
Zoe nodded. "Yeah. Good idea. I don't want to see those young Digimon getting washed away either."
Then Zoe smiled a little, seeing how JP was taking charge when others were in trouble. Maybe he wasn't such a quirky, lazy guy after all. Well, maybe still quirky.
"Spirit Evolve?" Koromon asked curiously.
"You'll see." Zoe said as she took out her D-Tector.
The magenta outline of her Spirit appeared visible on the screen of her D-Tector as she held it up. Fractal coding appeared on her left hand and she slammed the D-Tector against it as she brought the two together. Zoe then called out the familiar phrase she knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" Her body became data as her clothes ripped away. Coding surrounded her in a cocoon of sorts and the power of her first Spirit flowed into her. Her hair became longer, flowing past her waist and turning a purple color. Her body grew in height, increasing her strength and speed. A bikini-like outfit appeared on her body as gloves, and high boots formed on her arms and legs, with shoulder guards appearing as well as a visor that covered her eyes. Butterfly-like wings appeared on her back and she landed, letting out a cry as she unleashed a kick before she came to a stop and said her name. "Kazemon!"
JP smiled before he took out his own D-Tector. "Time to get into action." He said.
The green outline of his first Spirit became visible on the screen of his D-Tector as he held it up. JP then held up his left hand as fractal coding formed around it, his D-Tector held in his other hand. Slamming the device against the ring of coding, he brought the two together. JP then called out the familiar phrase he knew by heart. "Execute! Spirit Evolution!" Coding encircled him as his clothes ripped away and his body became data, the power of the Spirit flowing into him. Blue and yellow armor formed on his body as he grew in height and strength. On his back, wings formed before they were covered by two halves of a hard shell and on his head, a horn grew. His eyes became green as a faceplate covered his mouth and he felt the power of thunder flowing into his body. He landed, slamming his fists together as he cried out his name. "Beetlemon!"
Now evolved, Kazemon and Beetlemon were ready to head back to the school.
"Whoa! I didn't know humans could digivolve! That's so awesome!" Tsunomon shouted in awe.
"That's definitely unexpected, but…" Koromon said as he stared at the two former humans, they gave off a majestic feel, and a feeling of safety and security. "... definitely not unwelcome." Is that what it's like to become a strong Digimon?
"Well, time for a ride, hope you two aren't afraid of flying," Beetlemon said before he picked up Tsunomon and Lopmon.
Kazemon picked up Koromon. Biyomon perched herself onto Kazemon's shoulder since she didn't feel confident flying in the storm.
"Kokuwamon, you can ride on my back," Beetlemon suggested. "My body should be able to absorb your electricity, so it won't hurt me."
"Alright," Kokuwamon said, relieved he wouldn't have to fly through this storm himself.
Kokuwamon latched onto Beetlemon's back, though careful to avoid holding onto his wings. He wasn't sure if Beetlemon needed his wings to fly since he never saw Beetlemon's wings move when he flew, but Kokuwamon steered clear of the wings just in case.
"Let's go." Beetlemon said. "We need to get moving."
Kazemon nodded. "Okay."
With that said, both Beetlemon and Kazemon took flight. It was not easy to fly in the rain or the storm, but the two Legendary Warriors managed to stay airborne and keep on their flight path.
Koromon looked down as Kazemon was carrying him. He had never flown before, at least outside of his weird dreams, but it felt… wonderful. Despite the winds and rain pelting his face, it was almost freeing. The presence of these two strong Digimon made him feel safe, like everything was going to be okay. He thought back on the smaller Digimon in his dreams, and why he and Tsunomon were always protecting them. They likely felt like this too, like they could be safe because they were around to keep them safe. It was a nice feeling despite the situation looking pretty grim.
"I see the school up ahead!" Biyomon called out. "It looks like Togemon got all the other children on the roof of the building."
"Good to see, but I don't think the school will last long." Beetlemon said with concern. "We need to hurry."
"Let's get the others on the roof before we do anything," Kazemon suggested.
The two Legendary Warriors hurried, reaching the building. Beetlemon and Kazemon slowly put Tsunomon and Koromon onto the roof of the building.
"There you go," Beetlemon said.
"Thanks!" Tsunomon smiled.
"Yeah, thank you." Koromon smiled as well. "But aren't you scared?"
"To be honest, Kazemon and I may be a bit scared, but I'm not about to sit back and cower if I can do something to help." Beetlemon replied.
Despite being in a scary situation, they're still willing to protect us. Koromon realized, and admired them for it.
"Lopmon, Biyomon, Kokuwamon, you guys get on the roof too," Beetlemon instructed. "You've been a great help, but you should leave this part to just Kazemon and me."
"We wouldn't want to lose you guys to the storm too while we're trying to stop the flood from coming in," Kazemon explained.
"We understand," Lopmon said before he hopped out of Beetlemon's hand and landed on the roof. "Do what you have to do."
"We trust you'll be able to handle yourselves," Biyomon said as she hopped off of Kazemon's shoulder and landed on the roof as well. "We'll keep an eye on everyone else here."
Kokuwamon hopped off, standing a good distance away from the others to not shock them. "I'll be okay… hopefully."
Beetlemon nodded. "Okay." He then looked around. "We'll have to divert the water somehow, with something big we can find and use."
Beetlemon then saw what looked like a good object to use to divert the soon to be coming flood. "Like one of those rocks! They look big enough to do the job!"
"Why JP, you're quite brave when you wanna be~" Kazemon smiled teasingly, though she appreciated seeing this side of Beetlemon.
Beetlemon felt his cheeks burning with a blush. "I-I… Thanks…" He coughed, trying to stay focused on the task at hand. "Ah… anyway, let's get to work."
The waters started to cover the sunflower fields, and was heading down into the valley where the school was.
"Let's do this quick!" Kazemon called out.
Beetlemon landed on the ground right in front of the boulder and brought up his fist, bringing electricity to it. "I summon the power of Thunder Fist!"
Beetlemon punched the ground, sending electricity around the large boulder, loosening it from the ground. As the water got closer, Beetlemon grabbed onto the boulder and used all of his strength to lift it up.
"Dang, that's quite the impressive strength," Biyomon whistled as she watched this.
"Digimon are stronger than humans, and that includes these kids in their Digimon forms." Kokuwamon chuckled.
"I still can't believe that JP and Beetlemon are the same person!" Tsunomon exclaimed in amazement. "He seemed so scared before, but now… Now it's like nothing can scare him!"
"It's not that he's not scared," Koromon said as he was watching too. "It's that he believes protecting us is more important than his fears."
"You're starting to see the bigger picture here, and why the stronger Digimon help the weaker ones." Lopmon smiled.
Beetlemon set the boulder down between the school building and the incoming flood waters. He stood behind the boulder, trying to keep it from getting washed away as the waters hit the boulder, causing it to separate, but the harsh waters were pushing back.
"Kazemon! Use your wind to stop the waters from going around me!" Beetlemon called out.
Kazemon nodded. "You got it!" She exclaimed as she flew down and hovered above the ground some distance behind Beetlemon. "Hurricane Wave!" She shot out wind at the water, keeping both sides of the water separated.
The children all began bouncing as they cheered on Kazemon and Beetlemon.
"They're doing it! That's amazing!" Togemon complimented, relieved to see they were going to be alright.
"Guys, maybe don't bounce so much, the roof is wet!" Lopmon spoke up.
It was too late, over, the kids all slipped on the roof, and some of them fell to the ground. But Tsunomon had been closest to the water. He ended up falling into the water and getting washed away.
"TSUNOMON!" Everyone cried out in alarm.
Tsunomon yelled out for help before his horn got caught on the tip branches of a tree that managed to stay above the water, and keeping him from being completely washed away.
"Tsunomon! Hold on! I'm coming!" Togemon cried out.
"If you get in that water, you'll be swept away too!" Biyomon warned.
"But I can't just leave Tsunomon out there!" Togemon replied frantically.
"I'll try to get him!" Biyomon said as she tried to fly up, but the winds kept blowing her back, so much so she almost got blown away.
Kokwuamon quickly grabbed onto Biyomon, though he ended up shocking her when he did. "S-sorry! But flying isn't recommended right now!"
Lopmon looked at Tsunomon, and how far away he was. "Tsunomon! If you want to survive, you need to digivolve!"
"Wah!?" Tsunomon shouted.
"Koromon told me about that!" Lopmon explained. "We'll try to rescue you, but you have to hang on! You'll need hands if you want to hang on!"
Tsunomon looked torn on what to do. Yes, Lopmon had a point, but he didn't want to be seen as a monster again.
"Tsunomon! I know I said not to digivolve again, but please, don't listen to that version of me!" Koromon called out, surprising Tsunomon. "I'm sorry! I was wrong to tell you that digivolving was bad! I was just scared about things changing! But I don't want you to get swept away, so please, digivolve Tsunomon!"
Tsunomon felt torn still, but he didn't want to not have the chance to explain things to Koromon. And it sounded like Koromon was genuinely upset and wanted to apologize. Taking a deep breath, Tsunomon concentrated and let fractal code surround him before it dissipated to reveal his Gabumon form.
Now having hands, Gabumon grabbed onto the tree branch and held on as tightly as he could.
"Okay, Togemon, help me form a chain! We'll save Gabumon while Beetlemon and Kazemon hold off the flood!" Lopmon quickly instructed. "Kokuwamon, Biyomon, I'll need your help to reach Gabumon!"
"Are you sure? I might shock you," Kokuwamon asked.
"I've taken worse," Lopmon said. "Come on!"
"If it'll save Tsunomon, then I'll do it!" Togemon quickly said before she got to the edge of the roof.
The other babies were watching from the ground, seeing the other Digimon bravely trying to go into the current to save Gabumon. Koromon was one of the few who was still on the roof with them.
Togemon held onto Biyomon's talons. Biyomon held onto Kokuwamon's feet, the only place on his body that wasn't sparking with electricity. Kokuwamon held onto Lopmon's feet. Lopmon felt some of the electricity from Kokuwamon going through his body, but he knew he could take it. Biyomon, Kokuwamon, and Lopmon were in the current, with Togemon acting as their anchor. Lopmon was reaching out to Gabumon with his ears. Gabumon had one hand on the branches, and reaching out to Lopmon's ear with the other.
"Come on… come on…" Koromon nervously said. "If only… if only there was more I could do…"
Koromon realized that Tsunomon was able to digivolve before the other children. Koromon wondered if he stopped holding back, maybe he could…
Suddenly, a log was being washed down the current, and coming up fast as it bounced off of the rock Beetlemon was pushing back.
"Oh no… LOOK OUT GUYS!" Beetlemon shouted.
Koromon's eyes went wide when he saw the log coming towards Gabumon. One hit from that, and Gabumon was a goner. Koromon remembered all those times he had with Tsunomon since they both hatched in Primary Village at the same time. When Koromon was a Botamon, and Tsunomon was a Punimon. They were like brothers, always sticking together, even when they had separate families. Koromon wanted to give Tsunomon a proper apology, but he would never get that if he didn't do something now.
I can't let this happen. I must be brave… I must have the courage to protect my best friend! Koromon thought to himself.
Stealing his determination, Koromon jumped off of the roof and gave a shout as fractal code surrounded him. "Koromon digivolve to… Agumon!"
In the place of Koromon was an orange-yellow colored dinosaur with green eyes and white claws on its arms and feet. Now in his new form, Agumon landed on the ground with his feet, and ran towards the boulder. Kazemon and Beetlemon looked at Agumon in surprise. Agumon landed at the top of the boulder.
"Time for Pepper Breath!" Agumon called out, shooting out fire from his mouth at the boulder, which gave him enough force to be propelled towards the log.
Lopmon and Gabumon were hanging on for dear life as they saw the log getting close to them.
Is this how I go out? Because crushed by a log and being washed down stream? I wonder how the others would react to that. Patamon would likely be very upset with me… Lopmon frowned.
As Agumon was close to the log, he held out his sharp claws. "Claw Attack!"
Agumon's claws tore through the log, completely breaking it before it could slam into Gabumon and Lopmon. They, Kokuwamon, and Biyomon looked on in surprise at seeing this new dinosaur Digimon as he grabbed onto one of the branches himself after tearing the log apart.
Agumon gave Gabumon a smile. "It's okay, Gabumon. Let's get you to safety."
Gabumon stared into Agumon's eyes, a sense of recognition hitting him. "K-Koromon?!"
Agumon nodded in response before he reached out and took one of Lopmon's ears. Gabumon was surprised, but he reached out and took Lopmon's other ear.
"I got them! Pull us back, Togemon!" Lopmon called out.
Togemon began to pull the Digimon chain back as steadily as she could. "Hang on, everyone!" She instructed.
Not long after Togemon pulled them all to safety, the rain finally stopped, and the sunlight began peaking through the clouds. Gabumon and Agumon helped get the babies to safety on the ground, while checking the ones who hit the ground earlier for any injuries, though it looked like everyone was alright.
Beetlemon and Kazemon's work wasn't done yet, however. Now that they successfully saved the school from the flood, they decided to use the rest of their strength to build a sturdy fence around the school to help move the water away from the school should it happen again.
While they were doing that, Lopmon, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon were watching in pride as all the children Digimon hopped around Gabumon and Agumon, all excited.
"You guys gotta teach me how to digivolve!" Yanmon shouted.
"Yeah, I wanna be as big, strong, and brave as you two!" Zerimon smiled.
"Can you tell us how you digivolved?" Jyarimon asked excitedly.
"I wanna be able to become strong too! You two look so cool!" Conomon exclaimed.
"Is that really you two under there?" YukimiBotamon asked excitedly.
"You mean I don't scare you anymore?" Gabumon asked, surprised by this turn of events.
"You guys aren't scared of me either?" Agumon questioned.
"Nope! You two were really awesome out there!" Nyaromon smiled.
"Thanks guys," Agumon said before he looked at Gabumon. "But I owe you a real apology, Gabumon. I know I've hurt you the most after you digivolved for the first time. I… know I wasn't being fair to you…"
"You're right you weren't being fair." Gabumon grumbled. "Your words really hurt me."
"I know… and I'm sorry. I know I can't take back everything I said to you, but… I was afraid of things changing so quickly when I saw you digivolved," Agumon admitted. "That dream I had… it involved both of us, and… we ended up having to do a lot of scary things that I became afraid that it would all come true when I saw you digivolved. I didn't know what to do, so I panicked. I decided it would be better to stay small and weak forever, but you being there always reminded me that digivolving was inevitable. But… I regretted treating you like I did…"
Agumon looked back at Gabumon's eyes. "I know I don't deserve it after the way I treated you… but… I still want to be friends with you. If there's anything I can do to make up for how I acted, then please tell me."
Gabumon was silent for a good long while as he thought about Agumon's words.
"You were really scared of digivolving because of those dreams?" Gabumon asked.
"Y-yeah…" Agumon answered.
"And yet, you digivolved to save me," Gabumon pointed out. "Why?"
"Because you were in danger. I… had to stop being afraid if I wanted to save you," Agumon explained. "I needed to stop make excuses and come to terms with my own fears if I wanted to save you. Just like the humans did. You're still important to me, Gabumon, even through this rough patch between us."
"I see… How do you feel now that you've digivolved?" Gabumon asked.
"Honestly… it's…" Agumon began as he looked at his claws, flexing them a bit. "... not as bad as I thought it would be. In fact, it feels… freeing."
Lopmon gave a smile at that, knowing Agumon took his words to heart.
Gabumon gave a smile as well, hearing that his friend overcame his fear of digivolving now. And Agumon was genuinely sorry about how he treated Gabumon. If Agumon could grow past his fear of digivolving in order to save him, then Gabumon could forgive Agumon for how he treated him. Besides, he figured it would be best to just let things go, rather than keep it in mind and let it ruin their friendship again. His new friends had been right, about him and Agumon sharing a bond that still existed despite their rough patch.
"I'm glad you overcame your fear." Gabumon said. "I mean it. Without you, I'd probably be washed away by now."
"And we can't wait to digivolve ourselves." Nyaromon smiled. "I hope I get to be as cool as you two!"
"All's well that ends well, right?" Biyomon chuckled, looking at Lopmon. "I take it you helped Agumon with his fear of digivolving?"
"I only pushed him in the right direction, he did the rest himself," Lopmon answered.
"Heh, that's our Therapymon," Kokuwamon chuckled, feeling a lot better now that the rain had stopped.
"Therapymon?" Lopmon frowned. "All I did was talk to him."
"Yeah, but you seem to do it better than anyone else." Biyomon chuckled.
"I can't thank you enough for helping save our school and the children," Togemon said to the 3 of them. "Is there anything I can do to thank you and your human friends?"
"Maybe you could help us move around faster?" Kokuwamon asked. "Flying is good and all, but it takes a lot of energy."
"Hmm… we might be able to make something by the time your friends are done fixing up the fences around the school," Togemon said.
It was late in the afternoon by the time Zoe and JP finished building the fences, and they reverted back to their human forms. They congratulated Agumon on his digivolution, and his courage to save Gabumon. Not long after, they were looking at what looked like a big sailboat made out of grass, hay, and wood.
"Whoa…" JP and Zoe said.
"We made this boat in arts and crafts for you!" Togemon gestured. "It's the least we could do after everything you've done for us. We hope it'll help you."
"Thanks very much, it should definitely help us get around a little," Biyomon said politely.
"We should be able to find the others with this." Kokuwamon agreed. "Hopefully we won't have trouble finding them."
"I even made more snacks for you for the trip," Togemon said as she put a basket of meat and veggie buns for them in the sailboat.
"Oh thank you so much! That will definitely help keep our strength up for a while!" JP smiled, though he was mostly happy to have food for the road that wasn't just granola bars and canned food.
"Well guys, it's been fun, but it's time for us to go," Lopmon said to the children.
"Yeah… and Lopmon? Thanks… for everything," Koromon, who was back to being in his In-Training level, thanked.
Lopmon looked at Koromon and smiled. "I may have helped point you in the right direction, but you were the one to find the courage you needed to digivolve and help Gabumon. Don't forget that courage, Koromon."
"I won't forget it!" Koromon replied. "After today, I don't plan to forget it anytime soon!"
"That's good." Lopmon smiled before he hopped into the sailboat.
Zoe, JP, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon joined Lopmon on the sailboat.
"We hope you kids learned something from all of this," Biyomon said.
"Hey, Tsunomon, you're not afraid to digivolve anymore either, are you?" JP asked.
Tsunomon shook his head. "Nope! Not anymore!" He exclaimed with a big grin. "I think digivolving is awesome now! Especially since you humans can apparently digivolve as well! You are so cool! I wanna be just as strong as you two one day!"
"That's great! I'm glad you're willing to digivolve to become stronger too!" Zoe smiled.
"What about you, Koromon?" Lopmon asked. "Are you still afraid to digivolve and how that will affect your future?"
"I'll admit, sometimes I feel uneasy about it. But that's okay, because I realize that the fear makes it worse than it actually is. I'll keep digivolving too, alongside Tsunomon. I'll be brave and strong, and use that courage and strength to help others, like you guys did, and like the Legendary Warriors from the stories did as well." Koromon smiled.
"Actually, Zoe and JP are two of the Legend-" Kokuwamon began when JP and Zoe quickly clamped Kokuwamon's mouth shut.
"Uh… Yeah… We need to get going now!" Zoe said, hissing it to Kokuwamon. She didn't want another misunderstanding to occur.
"Thanks for everything, especially the snacks!" JP smiled as Biyomon pulled out the sail to let the winds blow it.
Everyone waved to Togemon and the children as the sailboat began moving with the wind.
"Goodbye! We hope to see you again!" The children called out.
"Be safe on your journey!" Togemon called out.
"That was nice. Never thought school could be a place to actually learn something worth anything," Biyomon admitted as the sailboat was heading towards a forest.
"Yeah, I'm just glad Tsunomon and Koromon were able to make up, and aren't afraid to digivolve anymore," Lopmon said.
"Yeah. Those two really are true friends to each other, despite their mishaps." Zoe agreed with a smile. "Tsunomon really showed his true colors, being a loyal friend and Koromon, he just needed a little push in the right direction to become as courageous as he is now."
"Yeah. And the other children finally changed their minds about Tsunomon," JP remarked.
"Which was a relief, I'd feel guilty if we left with the way things were before we arrived," Kokuwamon said.
"Aww, you're getting a soft spot~" Biyomon grinned.
"I've always had one!" Kokuwamon huffed.
"You know something, JP… maybe I've changed my mind about you too," Zoe admitted. "At least just a little. I can see that you can be brave and take charge when you need to, instead of as someone who just whines and thinks about his stomach all the time."
JP pouted a bit before grinning slightly. "Yeah? Glad you did."
"I said 'just a little'." Zoe teased back, making JP pout again.
"Aw man…" JP groaned.
"But hey, that's progress!" Kokuwamon encouraged.
"True." JP smiled.
"The wind definitely feels nice after a storm," Lopmon said as he stood at the front of the sailboat, letting the wind blow his fur and ears. Despite all the hardships, Tsunomon and Koromon's friendship remained strong. Maybe that means there's hope for us yet when the time comes.
Lopmon's thoughts were interrupted when he heard what sounded like a plane engine. Looking up at the sky, he saw an airplane flying away, but there were 5 figures falling from the sky, 4 of them using parachutes. It took Lopmon a moment to realize who these 5 figures were.
"Oh! Look guys! Our friends found us!" Lopmon pointed out.
Zoe, JP, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon all looked up, and sure enough, there were four familiar faces.
"Hey!" It's Takuya, Tommy, and Koji with Labramon and Patamon!" JP exclaimed with a grin.
Meanwhile, in the sky, Takuya, Tommy, Koji, Patamon, and Labramon were looking down. They had requested the ToyAgumon pilot to drop them at the entrance of the forest, and to their surprise, they saw what looked like a sailboat coming their way.
"Hey, what is that?" Koji asked, suspicious of this strange boat.
"It looks like a sailboat. I didn't know you could ride on it outside of water," Tommy remarked.
Labramon sniffed the air. "I smell familiar scents coming from that boat."
"Who's in the sailboat?" Takuya asked. "We can't really see it from here."
"I smell… Lopmon? And… Biyomon, and Kokuwamon… I think JP and Zoe are there too!" Labramon spoke up, smiling. "It looks like we found them, or they found us."
"Awesome!" Takuya grinned. "We're finally reuniting with the others!"
"It's about time." Koji agreed. "Being split up is never a good idea if we can avoid it."
"Talk about the perfect timing!" Tommy smiled. "I'm glad Lopmon found the others!"
Patamon sighed in relief as he was gliding down next to the other 4, since he had wings and could fly, he didn't need a parachute. "Good… everyone's back together again."
Everyone cheered as Takuya, Koji, Tommy, Labramon, and Patamon landed, and JP wrapped up the sail to stop them from moving.
Patamon all but tackled Lopmon in a hug. "You had me worried, Lopmon! I thought we wouldn't see you again for a long time!"
"Jeez, Patamon, chill out a little. I'm fine, see?" Lopmon replied.
"You were knocked off of the island! How could I not be worried?!" Patamon exclaimed.
"Man, you guys won't believe what we had to go through!" Takuya said.
"You probably won't believe what we did too," Zoe chuckled.
"How about we all get on the boat and let it take us to the forest while we catch up?" Biyomon suggested.
"May as well. I've never been in a boat that can sail on land." Takuya grinned. "It could be fun."
"Jeez, act like a kid, why don't ya?" Koji grumbled.
"And there's nothing wrong with that." Labramon grinned.
As everyone rode on the sailboat, they all told the other about what they went through. Each person also had a Digimon sitting next to them or on their lap. Takuya had Patamon on his lap, Zoe had Biyomon perched on the boat's side next to her. JP had Kokuwamon next to him. Koji had Labramon on his lap. And Tommy had Lopmon on his lap.
"So you had to fight against a strange ecto-y dinosaur that almost destroyed the world?" JP asked, surprised.
"Yeah, and it really wore us out." Koji replied. "At least, me, Labramon, and Tommy at any rate. Takuya and Patamon got themselves captured by this teddy bear."
"Hey! It wasn't my fault I got caught!" Takuya huffed. "I didn't think that would happen!"
"A teddy bear? Jeez, I don't blame you for getting captured," Lopmon shivered.
"No way… you're actually scared of teddy bears?" Takuya blinked, remembering Patamon mentioning that Lopmon was scared of teddy bears, but he hadn't been sure that was actually true or if Patamon was overexaggerating.
"Takuya, as far as I'm concerned, the only good 'teddy bear' is Kumamon, and he's not actually a teddy bear," Lopmon huffed. "He's more of a snow bear."
"You considered me a 'teddy bear'?" Tommy asked.
"Well, in a cute bear sort of sense, not an evil demonic creature using their cuteness to deceive you from their true nature," Lopmon answered.
"Aww, even Lopmon thinks you're cute," Zoe giggled.
Tommy blushed at Zoe's words. "Y-You're just saying that!" He exclaimed.
"Hey, Kumamon is kinda cute." Biyomon agreed with a giggle of her own.
"Probably the cutest of the Legendary Warriors~" Kokuwamon added.
"Come on, stop saying I'm cute…" Tommy pouted.
"Well, he may be small and cute, but he's just as deadly as any other Legendary Warriors," Labramon said. "I mean he was able to help defeat that EctoGreymon."
"Not to mention he was the one who turned WaruMonzaemon back to normal," Koji added.
"But I'm impressed that you guys helped out a school of young Digimon," Patamon said. "You prevented a flash flood from washing them away and even mended a friendship."
"Yeah, but it wasn't easy." JP admitted. "I was sure that the rock I was using to separate the water would wash away with me barely clinging onto it."
"It just goes to show how strong you guys are in your Digimon form, and how you're getting stronger the more you use them," Kokuwamon noted.
"I can't believe all the stuff we went through after we got separated," Zoe chuckled. "I feel like we all grew from it a little, you know?"
"Yeah, I'd say we have." Takuya agreed with a grin. "Even Koji here has learned to open up a bit around us."
Koji huffed. "Only because you guys were the only ones I was around." He grumbled.
"Don't act like that. You know you like being around us~." Takuya said cheekily.
"Not when you act more like a kid than the youngest one here," Koji huffed.
"Speaking of which… didn't you have something you needed to tell us, Tommy?" Patamon asked.
Labramon frowned, she still hadn't had a good time to tell the others about what happened. But she hoped Tommy himself would reveal it when he told them.
"What's this about?" Lopmon questioned as he looked up at Tommy.
"Well…" Tommy hesitated. "... I know some of you have been feeling a strange sense of deja vu lately, but I was feeling it strongly when we were at the wind factory, and when we were on Toy Island. Then… WaruMonzaemon hit me with his Heart Break Attack, and… it did something to me. I started seeing two different events, very different yet similar events to what's been happening to us. But they contradict each other, one couldn't have happened over the other. Like… I met with other humans at the wind factory, and I got Kumamon when I was trying to help a group of humans I've never seen before. And yet, I feel like those happened to me. It's like…I have two different sets of memories."
Lopmon, Biyomon, Kokuwamon, and Patamon's eyes all went wide. Labramon knew they wouldn't like hearing that, but at least now they know what the problem was.
"Two different sets of memories?" JP asked with a concerned look on his face. "That doesn't sound normal."
"I remember I felt something familiar at KaratsukiNumemon Mountain, but I just brushed it off as an odd feeling. But if what you are saying is true, Tommy, then… would the rest of us experience this situation you are in right now?" Zoe asked in confusion.
"I think the Heart Break Attack might've just messed with Tommy's head," Koji said. "It did mess with mine when I got hit by it. But… it did look like it affected Tommy much harder than it did me."
"I got hit by it too," Takuya admitted. "When I tried to escape before. It doesn't make us see different memories though."
"Are you sure you didn't just… dream it all up?" Zoe asked Tommy.
"I don't know… But seeing those visions… or memories, or whatever they are… it's making me question about the world we're in right now," Tommy admitted. "Those other memories… I think I was older there. But that should be impossible, right? Because I just got Kumamon in those memories, yet I have Kumamon now. I'm just… worried what it means if those memories are real. What if… the world we're in now isn't real?"
"That's impossible, how can this world not be real? You feel pain when you fight. Everyone is living out their lives normally here," Lopmon spoke up.
"Yeah, and you know all of you are real, and so are we. There's no way we're all just dreams," Patamon added.
"But we can't ignore the rest of us having this feeling of deja vu." Koji pointed out.
"Yeah… And when I first purified a Digimon of ectoplasm, I had a flashback of doing something similar before." Takuya admitted. "Even though I'm sure I had never even seen real ectoplasm before."
"It's too much to just be a coincidence, right?" JP asked.
"Have you experienced any deja vu feelings too?" Zoe asked.
"Yeah. When I got my Spirit, and when we were helping the Kokuwamon," JP answered. "I was more focused on… other things to really think about it at the time though."
"What does this mean then? That the Digital World isn't even real?" Koji asked.
"Do you… think we're not real?" Labramon asked.
"No, I… I just want to know if any of this means anything," Koji replied.
Lopmon took a breath and let it out for a moment. "Whatever you think this world is, it's as real as all of you are. That means you are in real danger when you fight. After how Grumblemon defeated all of us combined, it might be in our best interest to think about doing something we've been holding off for a while."
"And what would that be?" JP asked.
"Training," Lopmon answered. "You've all been getting by on instinct and luck, but that can only carry you for so long. Grumblemon as Gigasmon defeated us because we weren't coordinated as a team, and we aren't strong enough individually to go against his raw power when he uses his other form."
"Training?" The five kids asked as one.
"Yes." Patamon confirmed. "It will not only help you get stronger, but also learn just what you can do in your Digimon forms."
"It will also help us to be able to take care of ourselves if we should get attacked during the battle," Labramon added.
"So another hostage situation won't be as likely," Biyomon said.
"It will help increase your performances in battle as well," Kokuwamon stated.
Koji looked down in thought. "I do remember… During the fight with that 'EctoGreymon', I did something I never knew I could do; I used a new move, and I had no idea I could do that move."
"The Legendary Warriors likely had all sorts of abilities, and what you guys have now are just the surface knowledge," Patamon explained. "There could be more that you all could learn. But you'll never know what you're capable of if you don't have any training."
"But how would we even train?" JP asked.
"The best way to see what you're all capable of is to spar," Lopmon stated. "With each other, and with us."
"So we fight against each other?" JP asked. "That sounds like it would hurt…"
"It's a spar, meaning you and your opponent only stop when one or both of you are exhausted." Patamon explained.
"Do you think it's a good idea?" Zoe asked a little nervously. "We've never really tried fighting each other."
"It might not be a bad idea," Tommy said. "It could help us get a better understand of each other's techniques. I'm more worried about sparring against… well, you guys, Lopmon. You're not exactly fighters."
"Yeah, that's why I suggested it," Lopmon said. "We need to be able to fight too."
"We can handle ourselves." Patamon reassured Tommy. "But that's why we are doing this; to get you kids used to fighting better, and to help us get stronger as well."
"I'm up for it." Takuya said. "It may be fun to see what the rest of us can do."
"I'm down," Koji remarked. "I'd like to see what the rest of you are capable of too. Tommy definitely surprised me, so I look forward to seeing what the rest of you can do."
Tommy tried not to blush at the Koji-compliment.
"I guess if it would help, we can give it a shot," JP agreed.
"Then… if we are doing this, when and where should we train?" Zoe asked.
"Maybe just before we reach the forest. There's enough room here to move around," Biyomon suggested. "And less likely for Agunimon to set a forest on fire with his fire attacks."
"Hey! I wouldn't set the forest on fire!" Takuya huffed.
"We can't take chances." Biyomon replied.
Takuya grumbled, feeling a bit insulted.
"Well, who would we pair off with?" Tommy asked. "There are five of us humans and five of you Digimon."
"If we're talking about you guys sparring with each other, that depends on who you want to try sparring against," Kokuwamon said.
"Like you could spar against Takuya," Lopmon suggested to Tommy.
"And Zoe could spar against JP," Biyomon said.
"Koji could also spar with Takuya, or against Tommy," Labramon suggested.
"As for us, we can discuss that later," Patamon said.
"I guess we should stop the boat, and Spirit Evolve then." Koji suggested. "So we can start sparring."
JP stood up and pulled up the sail so the wind would stop moving the boat. They all got out of the boat to stretch out for a bit.
"So who will be fighting whom?" Lopmon asked.
"I think JP and Tommy could start sparring while Takuya and Koji start sparring as well." Biyomon suggested. "Then Zoe could spar against Tommy or JP, whomever is not exhausted. That could be the start at least."
"I guess we should go ahead and Spirit Evolve then," JP said.
"You guys go ahead and do that, we'll watch from the side," Labramon said.
As all the Legendary Warriors Spirit Evolved, Lopmon, Patamon, Labramon, Biyomon, and Kokuwamon all backed away to not get caught up in the crossfire. But they also needed to use this time to talk about a plan. Because they knew they were in big trouble if something didn't change soon.
Titanic X: ZAFT: Yeah, Tsunomon had it rough in the episode. Makes ya wanna hug the little guy! XD