ZAFT: We skipped Monday because I was busy all day, but now I'm free to do it today

DarkFoxKit: It wasn't just because you were busy. I lost internet for 24 hours on Monday. I hated every second of it. And we kinda forgot to update.

ZAFT: But here we are! Let's get to the chapter!

Chapter 29: When Destiny Comes Knocking

"Can't believe I'm stuck on mail duty…" A DemiDevimon grumbled as he flew through the sky, he had a mailbag strapped around his body. "If it weren't for the fact I'm doing this for Lord Cherubimon, I would've quit a long time ago… Now let's see, the address is at the Flame Terminal, Digimon Village…"

DemiDevimon looked around for the moment. "Ah-ha! There it is!"

DemiDevimon flew down at the village. "Excuse me! Are there any Digimon by the name of Lopmon!?"

Some Pagumon jumped on DemiDevimon, making him shout and kick them away. "Stupid brats!"

"Uh… hello?"

DemiDevimon turned around, snapping. "DON'T JUMP ON- Oh, you're not one of those brats."

DemiDevimon saw a Digimon looking at him. It looked to be a Lopmon.

"I heard you calling for me?" Lopmon asked. "... Why would a DemiDevimon be looking for me?"

"I have a letter for you." DemiDevimon replied with a grumble. "All the way from the Dark Continent. So you'd better be grateful I delivered this, because I sure don't want to do this again."

DemiDevimon took out the letter with his wing and handed it to Lopmon. Lopmon blinked as he took the letter, definitely not expecting it to come from the Dark Continuent of all places.

"Well, I'm getting out of here before those purple furballs come back!" DemiDevimon grumbled before he took off into the sky, grumbling. "Glad that's over with…"

Lopmon, curious, but also worried about who would send him a letter from the Dark Continent, especially since nobody there should know of his existence right now, carefully opened the envelope to take the letter out.

Unfolding the letter, Lopmon began to read it.

'Dear Friends, though I'll likely be sending this to Lopmon to make it easier. It's me, Salamon. Apparently I was sent all the way to the Dark Continent. I was discovered by Cherubimon, but instead of killing me, he gave me some of his dark energy or whatever, it caused me to turn into BlackGatomon. Don't worry, I'm still me… for the most part, maybe just a bit more sadistic. But I'm fine, and it looks like I'll be with Koichi… err… I guess Duskmon is who he is right now. I'll keep an eye on him and the evil Legendary Warriors here. I don't think I'll be able to send another letter to you guys since it could easily be read by other Digimon, I'm taking a risk right now by writing this letter… so… I won't be able to tell you much until we can meet up somewhere. I do hope we'll be able to make it out of this alive, and that we'll be able to see each other again soon. Until then, don't die on me. -BlackGatomon, formerly known as Salamon.'

After Lopmon finished reading the letter, he hurried to the others and read the letter out loud to them.

After the letter was read aloud, Patamon frowned. "Well, we know where Salamon went then… And she apparently has found one of the humans."

"Well… if Koichi's here, then that means the others are either here too, or they're going to arrive soon," Kokuwamon concluded.

"But… why would Cherubimon turn Salamon into BlackGatomon?" Labramon asked.

"He likely figured it'd be worth having another recruitment instead of killing her off?" Biyomon guessed.

"Or he saw something in her that he believes should be on his side," Lopmon guessed. "Either way, that means we won't be seeing Sa- I mean, BlackGatomon for a while. Let's just hope she'll be alright while she's in the belly of the beast."

"I think she will be fine." Patamon said. "She's smart and knows when to use her head to avoid trouble."

"Unless her anger gets the better of her." Biyomon pointed out.

"Well… that's a valid concern…" Patamon admitted, realizing Biyomon's line of thought.

"Let's just hope BlackGatomon can keep a level head then." Kokuwamon groaned. "The last thing we need is to have her anger issues ruin our plans."

"I trust that BlackGatomon will be able to stay safe and keep an eye on Koichi," Lopmon said. "We can't afford to worry about her though. We still have yet to confirm if the others are here or not."

"Well… then we should try that scout plan," Kokuwamon suggested. "At least one of us should try scouting around the Digital World to see if they have come or not."

"The others can ask around the village to see if they have seen any humans lately," Labramon added.

"And another one of us fliers should fly around the station, if they will come, then they'll likely be coming on a Trailmon," Biyomon pointed out.

"I guess… that's the best option we have right now," Lopmon noted. "But we shouldn't be too hasty. When it gets late, head back here to rest. Don't go too far on your own, you don't know what's out there."

Biyomon and Kokuwamon nodded.

"Kokuwamon and I will be back before you know it." Biyomon said in reassurance.

"Let's go then." Kokuwamon said. "We'd best get started now rather than later."

The two of them took to the air, Kokuwamon using his electromagnetic forces to fly and Biyomon flapping her wings.

"Well, the rest of us should ask around, and keep practicing our movement and attacks," Lopmon suggested. "If or when the others arrive, we'll need to be in top form."

"Yeah! Think we'll be able to digivolve?" Labramon asked. "I'd like to see what it would be like to be Dobermon."

"That would be cool, there's no rule saying we can't digivolve, right?" Patamon replied.

"Digivolution would definitely help." Lopmon nodded.

For the next couple of weeks, there had been no word on the other human children. Lopmon was rather surprised at how long it was taking, which made him, and the others, even more nervous that they may have missed the human children.

During this time, the group started getting into a routine. Life was starting to become normal for them in the Digimon Village. Lopmon was trying to learn how to cook meals with Bokomon teaching him the basics. Lopmon seemed to enjoy cooking, even if it was just simple dishes like scrambled eggs or plain pancakes.

Whenever the group went outside to talk to the Pagumon and Poyomon, Kokuwamon and Biyomon would continue their daily scouting in search of the humans in case they missed them. Lopmon, Labramon, and Patamon would sometimes spar with each other, trying to get into better shape for battling. Lopmon learned that because they were small, they had the advantage of being able to dodge attacks easier, unless the enemy was just unbelievably fast. Labramon's healing technique made it so they wouldn't get seriously injured during their sparring matches.

One Pagumon kept giving them a hard time, always biting at their ears, so they often evolved into conflict. Thankfully they were able to chase off the trouble making Pagumon.

Neemon was an interesting fellow. He was teaching Lopmon how to better use his ears. Lopmon wasn't sure if he could really learn anything from Neemon, since he was under the impression Neemon wasn't too bright. But there was wisdom found anywhere, including in unexpected places. Neemon and Lopmon sat down as they tried to listen for something in the distance. Lopmon opened eyes as he was surprised to hear the giggling of Poyomon that sounded far away. Excited to see if what he heard was true, he began racing to where he heard the sound while Neemon smiled.

Lopmon came up to the top of a hill and saw a surprisingly bunch of Poyomon all flying in the sky, almost creating a rainbow of white. Lopmon smiled in awe, he had never seen so many Poyomon flying together like this, it was a sight to behold. He then saw Patamon flying along with the Poyomon, seeming to be enjoying being able to defy gravity in this form as well.

As Lopmon watched his brother enjoying the skies, like he always did, he gave a small frown. Neemon approached him, looking up as well.

"Isn't flying cool?" Neemon asked.

"Yeah, I guess it is," Lopmon admitted. "... I wish I could fly… like my brother…"

"Why can't you?" Neemon asked. "There's more to flying than just having wings you know, if you know how to use the winds and such."

Lopmon was surprised at what Neemon was saying, but he remembered Lopmon was able to inflate his ears and ride the wind currents. "... Think I can do that?"

"Only one way to find out, right?" Neemon smiled as he pointed at the edge of the cliff.

Lopmon looked over the edge of the cliff, seeing nothing but the void and fog below them. If he messed up, he would die quite quickly before they could truly begin their mission. But… he always wanted to try flying, even if it wasn't true flight. He couldn't let his brother hog all the fun of the skies. Closing his eyes for a moment, Lopmono lifted up his ears. From what he had learned since he woke up in this world was that he shouldn't force his body to do something, he should let it flow naturally. Lopmon jumped off of the hill. He could feel the winds blowing against his body as he was falling. His body and instinct reacted as he was falling, and his ears inflated into a balloon. As soon as his ears had inflated enough, the updraft of the winds blew him higher and higher into the sky.

Lopmon opened his eyes when he realized he wasn't falling anymore. He was surprised to see how high he was from the ground. He was rather nervous and scared, he had never really flown before, especially not on his own. But… this didn't feel bad either. When his mind realized he wasn't in any immediate danger, he found the sight to be in awe. He had a much better view of the current state of the Digital World. There were large chunks of land missing, but what he could see looked beautiful.

"Hey! Lopmon! There you are!" A familiar voice called to Lopmon. It was Patamon, and he was flying over to where Lopmon was by flapping his own wings/ears. "Are you trying to glide with your ears or something?"

"You could say that!" Lopmon called back over the winds. "Lopmon does have that ability, it'd be foolish to not test it out myself!"

Lopmon looked around, seeing the Poyomon were nearby as they were floating, giggling and enjoying themselves. It was surreal, seeing that Lopmon was among their group.

Patamon chuckled. "At least it's not as crazy as the train stunts, but I don't doubt you will do something crazier than that one day."

Looking back at the Digital World's state before them, Patamon had a somber look crossing his face. "The Digital World looks like swiss cheese right now… But what parts are still here look amazing. Imagine what this place will look like when it's restored."

"Yeah… but… this is only a dream world, created by Dr. Carbon, Tapirmon, and that machine," Lopmon reminded. "We're only here to get our friends out of this world, not save it. When we do rescue them… this world may no longer exist."

"Yeah, but it makes me wonder if the Digital World outside of this dream world is just as beautiful from the air." Patamon clarified. "I mean, yeah, we've seen it, but we never really got the time to really appreciate it, you know? We've been doing so much fighting to stop the players there, so it never really crossed our minds. Maybe we can get that chance when this is all over."

"Yeah… before all of this, that was our main goal… set up the Digidestined guild, and try to figure out a way to get players and Digimon to co-exist in the Digital World," Lopmon agreed. "Dr. Carbon had to base this world off of the real thing after all. But…"

"... Heh… we've grown attached to this world too," Patamon noted.

"Getting too close… growing attached… that will make it harder to say goodbye," Lopmon frowned.

"... You mean like if we got too close to the children, right?" Patamon asked. "I still think it would be wiser to stay with them until we have to leave, but I get what you mean."

"... Let's worry about that when we cross that bridge," Lopmon said.

Patamon sighed. "Okay that's fair." He admitted. "But I still don't like the fact that we have to keep our distance from the children when they arrive. It makes our job as their 'guides' much more difficult if we try to stay out of the way."

Patamon then looked back up at the sky above. "Do you think that that rule, about us having to be the childrens' guides, was put in place so we would have to choose between keeping a distance or getting close to them?"

"I wouldn't be surprised…" Lopmon answered as he watched the sun starting to set in the horizon. "Dr. Carbon studies human psychology, that's why he was Spectra's replacement after she 'mysteriously disappeared'. He probably wants us to experience true despair, to break our spirits so we'd give up on trying to save them from this path he thinks they should be on."

"Yeah…" Patamon said. "... But what do you think, bro?"

"What do I think of what?" Lopmon asked.

"Well, the main reason why we want to rescue our friends is because they ended up turning evil and tried to kill people," Patamono explained. "But… if the machine didn't have that virus or whatever… do you think this path would be right for them? The path to becoming the best kind of Legendary Warriors they could be and all."

Lopmon was silent for a moment as he looked at the horizon. "To be honest… I did. In fact, not long ago, I would've agreed with Dr. Carbon. Takuya and the others were chosen by the Legendary Warriors… and we're just a bunch of kids. 'What makes us special? What right do we have to fight along their side? Wouldn't we just get in the way?' Those were the kinds of questions that plagued me for a while. You even saw the result of such doubts when Vlad tried to make our dad look bad with those hired ghost hunters."

"... So what changed?" Patamon asked.

Lopmon thought back on when he and Tommy had a heart-to-heart that day, the last time he got to see Tommy before all of this happened. "I realized something important, something that should've been obvious, but is easily missed. The Legendary Warriors, at least the ones we know, are human, just like us… well… like we were. They may have the power of Legendary Warriors, but they're still people. The Legendary Warriors chose them because of who they are, not because of what they should be. They have the right and freedom to choose what they want to do and how with the power they were gifted. Just like how you do, bro. Being a halfa doesn't mean you have to become a ghost, or be like Vlad. You choose who you want to be, and what you do with your powers. And if they want to fight alongside us as friends and allies, then that's their choice, and our's. Nobody should take that choice away from any of us."

Patamon looked down in thought. "That's true. And… I still feel like… I am a bit afraid or scared of turning out like Vlad or that Mom and Dad may be right about all ghosts being evil… There's still that little bit of doubt that lingers every now and then." He admitted. "But you are also right; I don't have to let that define me, and Dr. Carbon is wrong to let the Spirits define the Legendary Warriors. They need to be able to choose what to do with their abilities. Trying to mold them into what they should be… it's like saying 'Hey, you have this power, you should be this."

Taking a breath, Patamon then continued speaking. "I… What Dr. Carbon says may sound good, but from an ethical standpoint, it's just plain wrong. I will admit, he sounds like he has good intentions, and that's fine, but the way he's going about it is all wrong." Patamon then chuckled a bit. "Now I am starting to get a sense of why Biyomon has such a fiercely independent mindset."

Lopmon chuckled. "We can also see that not everyone has to be a stereotype of what others think they are. Labramon used to be such a bully, especially to us. Look at her now, she's a part of the soon-to-be Digidestined guild, and she wants to change for the better."

"That's true. I never thought Labramon was even capable of changing until she proved me wrong," Patamon agreed. "You think… Mom and Dad will change how they see ghosts someday too?"

"People have the ability to change," Lopmon replied. "Whether it's for better or worse. But… sometimes they'll need help with that. But let's focus on one thing at a time. We'll try to get out of this in one piece with our cousin and friends, then we'll worry about Dr. Carbon, and Mom and Dad."

Patamon nodded in agreement. "Yeah, this is more important anyway. We can't get distracted by other things before we finish what's before us first."

The next morning, that was the day everything changed. Their simple lives in Digimon Village, searching for the humans that may or may not already be in the Digital World, and practicing how to live as Digimon, was about to come to an abrupt end.

After eating breakfast with Bokomon and Neemon, as usual, Kokuwamon stretched out. "Welp, I better get going. I'll try to go a little further out this time."

"Are you sure that's a good idea?" Lopmon asked.

"Yeah. That's why I wanted to get up early, so I can go further out without wasting too much daylight," Kokuwamon answered. "After all this flying, I feel like I can fly much further out now. Don't worry, my inner GPS will lead me back here as it always does."

"You have an inner GPS?" Labramon asked, surprised.

"It's what I call it anyway." Kokuwamon shrugged. "I seem to sense wherever there is a large electrical source of energy. It's been helpful in finding my way back here due to the Trailmon station being here. The Trailmon, as they arrive, give off a large electrical energy source, so I just use that to come back here."

"So it's like you're a homing pigeon." Biyomon joked.

"Haha, very funny." Kokuwamon grumbled back. "Anyways, I'm off. I'll be back by dinner as usual."

"Make sure to bring back a souvenir!" Neemon smiled.

"Just make sure you come back safely," Bokomon said.

Kokuwamon flew up as he spread out his mechanical wings, and he took off into the sky, heading out to the horizon.

"Right, then I'll start scouting around the village and the train tracks," Biyomon said. "I'll let you guys know if I see anything."

"You're still sure these humans really are coming, aren't you?" Bokomon asked. "It's been a couple of weeks now, how can you be sure they're coming?"

"They'll be here… we just know," Lopmon replied.

"If you say so," Bokomon sighed.

Biyomon chuckled. "Hey, if they're not here yet, you get to spend more time with us~"

Biyomon then flew up into the sky, heading to the train station.

"So what are we doing today? More training?" Labramon asked the other two.

Before they could answer, a few rocks were thrown at them suddenly.

"Hey!" Patamon yelled.

They looked over to see who threw the rocks and saw the troublemaking Pagumon sneering at them, holding rocks with his ears. "Why don't you play 'dodge the rocks'!?"

"Cut it out!" Bokomon shouted.

"Throwing rocks isn't very nice!" Neemon whined.

"Does it look like I care about being nice!?" Pagumon snipped before he threw more rocks.

"You wanna be like that? Fine!" Lopmon glared before he began spinning around, letting his ears hit the rocks back at the Pagumon. "Tiny Twister!"

The rocks were sent flying at the Pagumon, hitting the smaller Digimon hard and fast. "Owowowowow!"

The onslaught of rocks stopped once the Pagumon stopped throwing them at Lopmon, who ceased deflecting them back.

"Ow…" Pagumon groaned as he felt his face aching from being pelted with his own rocks.

"Why don't you go sulk somewhere else and maybe be less destructive with your aggression?" Lopmon grumbled.

"Take it from me, bullying others will only land you in more trouble," Labramon pointed out.

Pagumon hissed as he gritted his teeth. "One of these days I'm gonna make you guys sorry!"

The Pagumon, though a little roughed up, wasn't too injured from the rocks. He was just sour more than anything as he hopped away.

"Jeez, what is that Pagumon's problem?" Patamon frowned.

"Pagumon had always been a mischievous lot," Bokomon noted.

"Though that one seems very nasty," Neemon remarked. "I guess he's just grumpy."

"Being grumpy and outright assaulting other Digimon are two different things, you moron!" Bokomon snapped.

"Let's not worry about some angry Pagumon, we've got some work to do today," Patamon said. "I could probably work on my flying skills more."

"You just want to fly," Lopmon huffed.

"Hey, I can't fly or even glide, don't leave me out of this," Labramon spoke up.

"Maybe we should think of an activity we can all do besides just train," Lopmon suggested. "You guys wanna try learning how to cook?"

"When did you get into cooking?" Patamon asked.

"He and Bokomon have been cooking together from time to time," Labramon answered. "Where've you been? In the skies?"

"Yes…" Patamon sheepishly admitted.

"Maybe you should start scouting then too," Labramon remarked.

"He… loves flying," Lopmon chuckled.

The group started to laugh a little until something in the air got really heavy. They couldn't explain it, but it felt like there was an oppressive presence nearby and getting closer.

"... Am I getting paranoid…?" Labramon frowned. "It feels like something big is coming this way… and it doesn't feel friendly."

"No, I feel it too." Patamon frowned, knowing not to ignore his instincts.

"Is it a Digimon?" Lopmon asked.

"I don't feel anything, maybe you're just stressed from looking for these humans?" Bokomon asked.

"I… hear big footsteps," Neemon pointed out. "I don't think they're normal."

"Are… there any Digimon that live in this village other than us, the Poyomon, and Pagumon?" Lopmon asked.

"Not that we know of," Bokomon replied. "I suppose some of them could've digivolved though."

"But it doesn't feel like a freshly digivolved Digimon…" Patamon murmured. "It feels… stronger than that…"

"I'm getting chills thinking about what kind of Digimon that could be…" Labramon whimpered.

Bokomon frowned a little. "But not many Digimon here can digivolve. Who could it be?"

A large figure began to tower over the group, causing the Pagumon and Poyomon in the area to quickly flee in fear.

"... It's… right behind us…" Lopmon stiffened.

Lopmon, Patamon, Labramon, Bokomon, and Neemon slowly turned around, seeing a large looking dog-like Digimon glaring down at them with its sharp teeth. Labramon's eyes went wide, feeling like she recognized this Digimon.

"You… the locals…" The large dog Digimon growled in a deep yet feminine tone. "The Spirit… where is the Spirit?"

"W-what?" Bokomon asked nervously.

"The Spirit!" The Digimon snapped. "The Spirit of Flame! I know it's here somewhere, I can feel it! You will tell me where it is if you don't want to be burned alive!"

"W-what are you talking about? I don't know where this thing is!" Bokomon wailed. "Why are you asking us? We've never seen this Spirit of Flame before!"

"You're lying!" The Digimon growled.

"Back off, Cerberumon!" Labramon growled back. "There's no Spirit here!"

The Digimon Labramon called 'Cerberumon' turned her attention to her. "You… Who are you?"

"I'm just a local who won't stand for your bullying ways." Labramon replied back, suddenly feeling quite uneasy due to having Cerberumon's interest. "Why should it matter who I am?"

"You… can't exist…" Cerberumon growled. "No… I am… not this weak!"

Without warning, Cerberumon opened her maw and bit down on Labramon's front paw hard. Labramon let out a squeal of pain.

"Labramon! Let go of her!" Patamon shouted as he jumped at Cerberumon's face, making her let go of Labramon's paw.

Lopmon, Bokomon, and Neemon quickly gathered around Labramon in worry as Patamon was distracting Cerberumon.

"Labramon, are you ok- y-your paw!" Lopmon looked at the bitten paw in shock, instead of blood, she saw what looked like bits of data leaking out.

"I… don't know…" Labramon admitted. "It's… is that… normal to see? I thought I'd see… something else instead of data…"

"You've sustained a pretty bad wound," Bokomon warned. "We need to try to close it up!"

Cerberumon growled angrily as she threw off Patamon, but her attention was back on Labramon. For some reason, just looking at Labramon was making Cerberumon seethe with rage.

Lopmon quickly stood in front of Labramon. "Neemon, Bokomon, you guys get Labramon to safety, quickly!"

Bokomon and Neemon nodded.

"Just be careful." Bokomon said before looking at Labramon. "C'mon, let's get you out of here."

Together, Bokomon and Neemon lifted Labramon to her feet before helping her to walk away from the battle site that was now around them.

Cerberumon looked like she was going to ignore Lopmon when Lopmon spoke up. "Hey! You said you were looking for the Spirit of Flame, aren't you?"

Luckily, that was enough to gain Cerberumon's attention.

Lopmon gave a smile, though he was really hiding his nervousness, he knew this Digimon was an Ultimate level, she could easily kill him. "How will you find it if you're too busy chasing after one Digimon?"

"You should know better than to antagonize someone who is stronger than you, little rabbit." Cerberumon snarled back. "I am going to find that Spirit, and then claim it for Lord Cherubimon!"

Slowly, Cerberumon stalked towards Lopmon. "You must know where the Spirit is. I will make you tell me!"

Lopmon kept up his bravado. "That is if you don't accidentally kill me first."

"Boom Bubble!" Patamon flew up into the air and shot out an air bubble at Cerberumon's side.

Cerberumon barely flinched at the attack, but she definitely noticed it.

"Hey! Eyes over here ya mutt!" Patamon taunted.

"Stupid hamster!" Cerberumon exclaimed. "I will get you for that! That little rabbit better be willing to tell me where the Spirit is if he sees me destroy you! Emerald Blaze!"

Cerberumon shot green fire at Patamon, who yelped and dove down to avoid getting hit by the blast.

One hit from that attack, and Patamon was literally toast.

"Blazing Ice!" Lopmon fired out an icy wind at Cerberumon's paws, freezing them a little over.

Lopmon quickly ran as Cerberumon broke out of the ice. "Get back here!"

As Lopmon was running away, Patamon got back into the air and puffed up his body again before letting out another blast of air. "Boom Bubble!"

The attack hit Cerberumon again and knocked her down, just as Patamon flew past her and after Lopmon.

"That should get her attention away from the others." Patamon said as he caught up to Lopmon. "I just hope she doesn't figure out what we have done."

"I just hope Labramon will be okay. None of us had gotten seriously injured as Digimon before," Lopmon replied. "I can only assume if we die here we'll be kicked out of the dream world and won't be able to return."

"So no dying, got it," Patamon said.

"Emerald Blaze!"

Patamon and Lopmon jumped in opposite directions, barely avoiding the green blazing flames. Lopmon looked up at the flames, seeing the updraft of winds. He could hear a lot of Digimon crying out in fear and pain. He looked around, seeing some poor Pagumon and Poyomon that got caught up in the fire, turning into Digi-Eggs and flying off into the sky.

"Back off, you big mutt!" Lopmon heard Patamon shouting.

Lopmon couldn't see very well from all the flames. He jumped over one of the smaller flames and inflated his ears, riding the updraft into the sky. Lopmon saw Patamon flying around Cerberumon, trying carefully not to get hit, but also fire back his attacks whenever he got a chance. But Cerberumon managed to hit Patamon with one of her paws. Patamon yelped as his body hit a tree pretty hard.

"You leave him alone, you big bully!"

Lopmon gasped when he saw Bokomon and Neemon running out from some bushes and tried to push Cerberumon away from Patamon.

"Bokomon! Neemon! Get out of there!" Lopmon shouted.

Bokomon and Neemon were pushed aside by Cerberumon with ease.

"Get away from me, you insects!" Cerberumon exclaimed as she snarled at Bokomon and Neemon. "I will get rid of you for interfering with my plans!"

Cerberumon turned her attention from Patamon to Bokomon and Neemon. "Time to finish you both!" She opened her maw and more green fire formed in her mouth. "Emerald Blaze!"

Bokomon and Neemon yelped and dove to either side, the blast of green fire barely missing them, but scorching Neemon's butt.

"Yeow!" Neemon yelped as he felt his butt get singed.

Lopmon deflated his ears and glided at Cerberumon. "Don't hurt them!"

Lopmon slapped Cerberumon right in the eye with one of his ears when he got in close. Cerberumon shut her maw as she howled in pain.

Lopmon landed on the ground, and noticed the ground was flickering into fractal code. "Oh no… the land is dying…"

Bokomon was trying to help Neemon put out the flames on his button by patting him down. "Hold still or you're going to make it worse!"

"Patamon! Patamon! Where are you!?" Lopmon called out.

"Lopmon!"

Lopmon heard a familiar voice in the air, but it wasn't Patamon. He looked up, seeing Biyomon.

"Biyomon! Be careful! Cerberumon is attacking!" Lopmon warned.

"I can see that!" Biyomon called out. "But we have another problem! The humans! I saw them! They're arriving right now on a Trailmon!"

"Right now!?" Lopmon hissed. "We're not ready for them!"

"Well, they're here whether we like it or not!" Biyomon replied. "We just have to try to help them as best we can in this situation!"

Patamon got back to his feet and took to the air again, having regained his sense of awareness. "We have to get to the Trailmon first!" He exclaimed. "That way the humans at least have some form of protection until the Spirit here is found!"

"There's no time!" Biyomon shouted. "They already disembarked in the station by the time I got here!"

"Where's the Spirit!?" Cerberumon shouted through the flames.

"Biyomon! Get further into the sky! If something should happen to Patamon and me, at least you'll still be there to help them!" Lopmon called out. "If possible, try not to get too close to them!"

"But-" Biyomon started to argue.

Cerberumon jumped out of the flames. Lopmon was tackled into a tree. Patamon flew down at Cerberumon. Biyomon frowned, seeing the situation had gotten a lot worse. She wanted to help them, but she knew the mission came first. She knew they wouldn't really die, and someone had to be here for the humans to get them out. Biyomon shut her eyes as she flew away from the battlefield.

"Patamon! Lopmon! You can't fight this thing!" Bokomon shouted in worry.

Patamon was thrown off of Cerberumon.

"Just run away you two!" Lopmon called out as he ran over to Patamon. "Quickly before the village turns into nothing but fractal code!"

Lopmon used his ears to pick up the biggest rock he could carry as Cerberumon opened her maw at Patamon.

"Emerald Blaze!"

Patamon shut his eyes, ready for the end. But while he felt heat, he didn't feel like it was directly on him. He opened his eyes, much to his surprise, he saw Lopmon in front of him. Lopmon was using the big rock to block the Emerald Blaze, using his ears to push back. Though the rock was quickly starting to melt.

"Bro… we've always worked together to pull through even the toughest of enemies, right?" Lopmon asked. "Do you think… we'll be able to work together and pull through this one too?"

Patamon looked at Lopmon. Even as Digimon, they may be weak, but… they were always stronger together. "Lopmon…"

Lopmon turned back slightly to see Patamon holding out his hand. If they were going to go down, they were going down together.

The flames were getting more and more intense.

"Patamon! Lopmon!" Bokomon called out.

"We have to hurry!" Neemon shouted as he pulled Bokomon away.

As the rock nearly completely melted, Lopmon let go and rushed to Patamon, taking his hand and wrapped his ears around his brother and himself, hoping to shield them both from the flames as they were pushed by the force of the flames. The entire Digimon village they came to live a new life on for a while began to break down into fractal code.

Lopmon and Patamon didn't know what was going to happen to them as their bodies were flung into the sky, but it didn't take long before they hit something solid, likely a wall, and hit the ground.

We're… alive? Lopmon blinked as he and Patamon uncurled themselves.

"Ow!" Patamon groaned as he rubbed his head. "I hate being thrown into walls…"

"I took the majority of the impact…" Lopmon pointed out, also rubbing his head.

"Um… what is that thing in the flames…?" A new voice asked in confusion and fear. The voice sounded so familiar to Lopmon and Patamon, albeit a bit younger.

"That is one bad dog. Her name is Cerberumon, she's a powerful Digimon that specializes in fire, and uses Emerald Blaze as her main attack," Bokomon's voice explained.

Lopmon and Patamon wanted to turn to see if that voice was who they thought it was, but they couldn't afford to take their eyes off of the incoming Cerberumon.

"Where's the Ancient Spirit? I must have that Spirit!" Cerberumon demanded.

She's starting to sound like a broken record… Lopmon grumbled. "We told you! You're not getting your claws on it!"

"Ancient Spirit?" The familiar voice whispered.

"I can sense the Spirit's presence all over this town, I must find it and absorb its power!" Cerberumon announced. "You don't know what kind of powers you're dealing with."

"I think it's you who don't understand the power!" Patamon snapped. I don't think she understands that the Spirit won't be used just by anyone. It'll likely kill her.

"Hey! What's going on!?" The familiar voice called out, finally making Patamon and Lopmon look back at the speaker.

Lopmon and Patamon finally looked over at the voice, both of their eyes going wide at seeing their cousin in the flesh with Bokomon and Neemon next to him.

"T-... it's you!" They both shouted.

"Um… Do I know you two?" Takuya asked, not recognizing them. "And… how do you know me when I don't know either of you?"

"You two will be destroyed for interfering with me!" Cerberumon snapped before she opened her maw. "Emerald Blaze!"

Cerberumon shot out those hellish green flames at them again.

Lopmon realized that this could kill Takuya if it made contact with him, he shouted as loud as he could with all the urgency in his voice. "RUN!"

After Takuya found the Spirit and became Agunimon, he defeated Cerberumon, returning her into an egg, with Lopmon and Patamon's help. However, as he restored the fractal code to the Digimon Village, and his friends approached him, Lopmon looked at Patamon.

"Come on, let's go," Lopmon quickly said.

Patamon frowned, but he didn't argue. Both of them left the group to themselves.

They didn't stop moving until they got into the Digimon Village, this should buy them some time.

"They're here… we finally know what part of the timeline we're on," Lopmon said.

"But why did it take them two weeks to get here?" Patamon asked.

"Time flows a lot slower in the Digital World, or at least it used to in our world," Lopmon answered. "Dr. Carbon likely made it that way. So a day or two for them were like weeks for us here. That's my guess anyway."

"Okay… well, now that they're here, and things finally calmed down with Cerberumon, shouldn't we… you know… introduce ourselves to them?" Patamon asked. "We are supposed to be their guides."

Lopmon frowned. "We shouldn't get too close to them. You know once they find their Beast Spirits, we'll have to leave them, don't you?"

"Yes, but that's a ways off." Patamon replied. "Let's make use of our role as their guides. They won't know who we really are. I know you don't want us to get too close to them, but we can't be their guides if we don't actually… you know, guide them."

"What good would it do?" Lopmon asked. "Dr. Carbon already made it clear, we can't tell them anything. If we do, we'll get kicked out. Bokomon and Neemon already made good guides for them before we decided to come here ourselves, we know they're capable of surviving on their own. The only thing that kills them is when this Lucemon virus shows up, and they would all have their Beast Spirits by then, so we can't help them when the time comes directly. Why do you want to get close to them?"

"If we can at least train them, then they have a better chance of surviving here." Patamon pointed out. "They've used their Spirits before, but it's always the same; they aren't really using the Spirits to their full potential."

"Even if we could train them, how is that going to help them against the likes of Dynasmon and Cursadermon?" Lopmon asked. "You saw how strong they were, they made Vlad look like a newborn kitten! Besides… I think you noticed it too when we were trying to fight Cerberumon earlier, but… we… can't seem to digivolve…"

Patamon frowned. Digivolution wasn't exactly on his mind prominently, but he was trying to digivolve to get stronger when Cerberumon started attacking them. But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't get Patamon's body to digivolve. He felt his ghost powers trying to get through, but he was worried about messing up the world that he avoided using his ghost powers.

"Maybe that just means we haven't learned how to digivolve," Patamon pointed out.

"It's more than that," Lopmon said. "Our partners are able to digivolve because of us. Our link with our partners, our desires and emotions, help them become stronger, to be able to digivolve when they need to. But even though we're fused with our partners, even though we were in danger, and had that emotional desire to protect and fight back… the Digivolution still failed. I don't know why we can't digivolve, whether it has to do with Dr. Carbon blocking it, or if it's because we've fused with our partners that make them unable to digivolve… but either way, that means we can't digivolve, which means we can't get any stronger as we are now."

"B-but what about BlackGatomon? She digivolved, didn't she?" Patamon asked.

"That was likely because of Cherubimon's doing, not her own," Lopmon pointed out. "She's the exception, not the rule."

Patamon frowned at this. "Yeah, but… if we can't digivolve… then we're unable to defend ourselves effectively and will be weaker here. We're going to have to rely on our brains more than our strength if we want to help them. We can't just stay back. Bokomon and Neemon can't fight. There are going to be changes here, and the humans will need those who can fight, like us, traveling with them."

"Patamon, I don't want to get too involved, that's a dangerous mindset," Lopmon warned.

Patamon frowned. "Why are you being so cautious, Lopmon? I get that you like trying to plan things out first and all that, but the way you're talking… about not getting too close to them… it feels wrong… This feels like a coward's way out! You don't want to get close to them because you're afraid of getting hurt, is that it?"

"It's not just me who'll get hurt! All of us will, including Takuya and the others! If we have to leave after getting close, they won't be able to focus anymore, they'll be too busy looking for us. Is that what you want?" Lopmon argued.

"You don't know that, Lopmon! Takuya is stronger than that, I know he'll keep pushing forward even if he's worried about us," Patamon pointed out. "We've got an opportunity to really help them, and you don't even want to take it!"

"It's not that I don't want to take it, I'm trying to protect us! We can help them without interacting with them at all!" Lopmon pointed back. "Because that's what we'll have to do anyway when they get their Beast Spirits!"

"Really? Is that the only reason?" Patamon countered back. "You're trying to protect them and us, I get it. But it doesn't make sense if we help them without interacting with them. Who knows what could happen? For all we know, us being here has changed things. Besides… where's the-"

Patamon had small air coming out of his mouth. "... Where's the brother I knew? He wouldn't have been able to help me if he stayed far away from me, you know. He wouldn't have been able to help Takuya if he stayed far away from him when he first found his Spirit in our world. There are some things you can't do if you stay away from people. And while it will hurt when we have to part ways with them later… at the very least you know you've done all you could to help them while you were able to, instead of staying hidden from them throughout their journey."

Lopmon frowned, but didn't say anything.

Patamon looked back at Lopmon and sighed before looking away. "You said earlier that we could pull through anything together… That 'together' should mean all of us, bro… But fine, if you want to stay away from them, then go ahead. But I'm going to go find them and join them, because I can't just stand by and watch while they continue down this road on their own."

"Patamon, don't go off on your own!" Lopmon said, but Patamon ignored him as he flew away into the sky, leaving Lopmon alone.

Lopmon frowned, but he knew he wouldn't be able to catch up to Patamon. He couldn't truly fly after all, he was at the mercy of the winds if he tried. Why do you always fly away when things start to get harder? Why do you have to fly away from me? I only wanted to help…

Lopmon turned around and started walking in the opposite direction. "Labramon… Kokuwamon…"

Lopmon looked up, he had no idea how far away Kokuwamon was, and Labramon… she had been hurt when Cerberumon attacked them. He didn't know where Bokomon and Neemon had put her, and he didn't know what happened to her when the fractal code got taken away. Not only that, but Biyomon flew away earlier so she wouldn't get caught up in the fight. Their team was split apart, and a mess right now. Lopmon didn't know what to do, he didn't have the foggiest idea on how to go about fixing this.

Not only did Takuya and the others show up at the worst possible time, but now that they were here, their group was separated and weak. Lopmon didn't know if this was something Dr. Carbon had planned or if it was just coincidence. Either way… Lopmon felt alone… he was alone… and he hated it.

Lopmon kept walking around the village, he didn't have a destination in mind, he didn't even know what to do at this point. Even his brother left him.

"I never should've suggested such an idea…" Lopmon berated himself. "What was I thinking? I know my brother, he could never stay away from them unless he was absolutely forced. I was an idiot… While it would've hurt to have to leave them after they got their Beast Spirits, Patamon had a point… it would be more beneficial to work with them while we could before we had to leave… I really am just a coward…"

But now it was too late to take it back. Lopmon had no idea where Patamon went, nor did he know where the others were. He was just… on his own.

Then Lopmon picked up on the sound of screaming kids and laughing Pagumon. He wasn't sure what he could do, but Lopmon hurried to where he heard the screaming. He stopped when he saw Tommy and JP running from a hoard of Pagumon. Lopmon inflated his ears to ride the air currents up onto a tree branch. He frowned, feeling paralyzed by indecisiveness. His brother was more about action between the two, but without Patamon being there, Lopmon was torn between helping them or staying away from them to let the events play out.

He saw Tommy and JP falling into a hole, and the Pagumon going after them. After they fell into the hole, Lopmon snapped out of his indecisiveness and floated down from the tree branch with his ears. He saw Tommy had dropped his D-Tector when he fell into the hole, and picked it up. "Oh man… what kind of trouble did you get yourself into now?"

Lopmon began to wish he helped them, it was the least he could do after they had helped him, especially Tommy, even if they didn't remember it.

Then Lopmon's ears lifted up when he heard voices calling out Tommy and JP's names. Lopmon thought about going to hide, but he stayed where he was, hugging Tommy's D-Tector close to his body. It felt like it was the only comfort he had right now. "... Patamon, where did you go? Don't tell me you decided to…"

Lopmon knew Patamon said he was going to join them, but he hoped he would've at least flown off to cool down, then come back to Lopmon. Maybe… if Patamon really did join them… if he stayed here until they came to investigate, he wouldn't be alone anymore. Because no matter how much leaving will hurt… at least he would still have his friends with him… it couldn't be as painful as this isolation felt right now.

Lopmon looked up when he heard the voices had gotten near. That was when he saw them, Takuya and Zoe. Well… this was the path he had chosen, it was too late to go back now.

Titanic X: ZAFT: Oh, it will get even better~ X3

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, it took them a while to get used to how things work in their new bodies.

Son Sandy: DarkFoxKit: Wow, it's been a while since someone left multiple reviews like that. We decided to answer back all the ones you sent us so far. First off, it's nice to see you again, Son Sandy. Second, we're glad to see you're enjoying the story so far. And it's nice to see someone saying how they're trying to come up with theories since that was the idea when we wrote out the story, to get people guessing and excited for what was to come. But since we had… little to no reviews each chapter, we slowly started losing our motivation to keep writing in that way.

ZAFT: Yeah, but we hope you will keep enjoying this so far! XD It was fun to write this out and boy, have we gotten you hooked like a fish~! XD

DarkFoxKit: It's fun reading out your theories. I do hope to hear your opinion on when you do catch up since a lot of stuff happened and a lot of things get revealed.

ZAFT: You will see what happens~ XD As for the reasons why they can't reveal… well… those tie into these rules they mention. XD

DarkFoxKit: Yeah, I always try to put my best into a story. I want the readers to see the passion we have for the story and the characters. Thank you for reading and commenting, it's very much appreciated.