Butter-Fly Effect

"I think we should tell them." It takes a fair bit of thinking for you to come up with your decision, but... it's the right thing to do, you decide. Not keeping them in the dark. "Just... tactfully."

"Which, in this case, would mean...?" Joe brings up a very good point. Still...

"You know, be reassuring, point out that it might not be what we're afraid of... Try not to press any unneeded buttons."

"Their assistance would be highly useful to us, if we can manage it," Izzy agrees. "The hardest part would be figuring out how to do it properly."

"I mean, you spend enough time with Haruka to have figured it out, right?"

"Maybe... Still, let's just count it as a success if they don't immediately swarm DigiWorld looking for us..."
(Izzy's Tact roll: 8)

---

Sender: Koushiro Izumi
Recipient: Haruka Yamaguchi
Subject: Dark Masters


Okay, so I know this subject line sounds really bad, but don't worry. We haven't actually run into the Dark Masters yet, as far as we're aware. However, we have come across some information that gives us reason to believe that they may be active again.

I mean, there's no actual proof one way or the other that it's that particular member of the species or anything, but Joe found an old note that suggests either Datamon or Etemon was planning on marketing the successful Dark Network to a Machinedramon. Not necessarily the Dark Master. And there's no sign that they actually got into contact or anything. But this means that we could eventually come into conflict with a Machinedramon at some point in the future.

And, well, even if it is the same Machinedramon you fought before, even if he and the other Dark Masters are free... there's been no sign of them. Whether they're still gathering their power or something else, we don't know, but it doesn't look like we'll be dealing with them for a while.

At the same time, any information you can give us on the subject matter would be greatly appreciated, just in case.

I apologize if this message causes any distress, and if the last message seemed too overly-formal for you, that was not my intention. I think we can all agree that we'd rather the Digital World not be threatened, and that we'd do almost anything to keep the Dark Masters from harming either of our worlds. Preparation is the key to averting disaster, and thanks to all of you, we're much more prepared than we would have been otherwise.

And, well, you all managed to succeed last time with just five of you. With eight of us active... we just might be able to pull off a miracle.

---

Somehow, you don't think that was the most tactful message possible. But you don't say anything, because it's Izzy's computer, and he knows Haruka the best, so he probably knows what he's doing. You hope.

Still, you've got more important things to worry about. Such as the fact that, after four tries, he's managed to get a lock on Piximon's location... so long as he doesn't move the portal in the time it takes you to fly there. And since you know for a fact that Piximon has proper food... it wasn't really that difficult to make your decision, though you wish it wasn't still in the desert. So much sand... so little to do.

You don't even have to worry about being attacked- while flying will still take a while, it's faster than walking, and you think you might only have to camp out for one night with where it is now. Even if you have to slow down for Izzy and Kabuterimon, who are mostly staying close to the ground for safety reasons. Also, due to how high you are, Joe is kind of freaking out.

You need to figure out how to calm him down. Preferably before you meet the pink puffball Ultimate whose forest you accidentally burnt down the one time.

Not that he knows it was you or anything, probably. If he does, you may have a problem. But he moves his portals throughout the desert, so he's still your best shot at getting up-to-date information, so it's not like you have a choice.

But that's not important right now. Right now, you need to calm down Joe.


[ ] Try to have Birdramon fly lower to the ground, like Izzy's doing. She's meant for higher altitudes, but...

[ ] Distract him with conversation.
-[ ] About the desert.
-[ ] About flying.
-[ ] About Piximon.

[ ] See if Izzy and Kabuterimon can't handle another passenger. He'd probably fit in there better.

Convincing Joe not to freak out while flying is not something you'd expected you'd ever have to do, an arguable week ago. Of course, for you it's been far more than a week since then, and you'd known the possibility existed, you just... never thought about it.

That was a mistake.

"Joe... hey, Joe." It takes him a few moments to notice you trying to get his attention. Given that he's sitting right behind you, that doesn't exactly say good things.

"What? Are you going to tell me that everything's okay despite being so high above the ground that I'd go splat if I slipped?" Okay, when he puts it like that... maybe you shouldn't push it.

"Actually, I was going to talk to you about... about the Digimon we're going to meet," You say, because that's something that's vaguely relevant to the current situation but removed enough that your friend doesn't really have any reason to panic. Really, if he's scared of flying, he should have said that before he hopped on the giant fire bird.

"Huh? Oh... he's called Piximon, right?" You nod.

"Yes, that's right. He might not look it, but he's an Ultimate level Digimon. That's the second-highest stage!" That you know of. But suggesting to Kazuya and the others that their partners aren't perfect the way they are would probably lead to a bloodbath. You don't know. You're not suicidal.

"So... he's really powerful?"

"Supposedly. I mean, I've never actually seen him fight someone on the same level as him. Ultimates are rare." Unless you're in File City anyway, but you know for a fact that the island it's on has... different... population distribution compared to the rest of the world. Amongst other things, it has two Megas that live on the same street.

You blame the fact that it was founded by a DigiDestined.

"...How rare, exactly?"

"...I've never looked at the numbers, but I think the most easily-found Digimon are Champions like Birdramon and Kabuterimon. There might be more Baby Digimon at a time, but those generally stay in Primary Village, so... if you don't go along that area, you probably won't find any Baby Digimon." Excepting special cases like yourself and your partner, of course. But what are the odds of that kind of thing happening a third time?

Joe seems to think about that, but he's not looking at the ground or panicking, so you'll count that as a victory of sorts. "...Right. So, this Piximon, how did you meet him?"

"Well, it started when we found this Kuwagamon sleeping in the desert..."

---

When you stop for the night, Joe seems far too happy to have his feet on the ground again. Or maybe that's just the fact that you've been riding Birdramon for so long talking. "It's... not that bad when you get used to it?" You suggest. He sighs.

"I think I'll pass..." Right. Minimizing his time in the air might be a good idea... though you'll probably end up flying again to get out of the desert, if only because it's better than walking through it and filling your shoes with hot sand that just seems to replace itself no matter how many times you shake it out.

Coming back here might not have been one of your favorite ideas.

"We should try and track down Piximon in the morning, as soon as possible," Izzy decides. You don't have it in you to disagree with him. "Of course, approaching from high up in the air might not be the best idea."

"He's probably used to it," You shrug. "The bird Digimon that learn from him have to come from somewhere, right?"

"...I think I'd rather stay on the ground, if possible," Joe opines.

"We'll keep that in mind," Izzy tells him. "Though I'm not sure how often it will be possible... It's a big desert, and we can't carry that many supplies." Right, you've got one bag between you that you were given after you arrived back in the Digital World. In hindsight, maybe you should have taken a bit more time back home to prepare.

Oh, well. Too late now.

"Still, finding Piximon should be easy, with you tracking him," You point out. Izzy shrugs.

"True, but I was thinking we should maybe be a bit more... subtle about this." By which he probably means, 'not something Tai would do.' Tai's not exactly subtle.

Giant bugs and firebirds aren't exactly subtle, either, though... this might need some thought.


[ ] Approach on foot. It'll be boring, but help you avoid potential accusations of stalking... even if they're entirely true.

[ ] Make a signal flare or something and hope Piximon comes by before some bandits do.

[ ] Flying directly there would be the safest approach... but Izzy's right. It's not subtle.