Butter-Fly Effect

Convincing the others to go on without you is simpler than it really should be. But watching MegaKabuterimon fly off- actually flying, rather than that odd sort of lumbering he does on the ground- still feels sort of strange.

You're supposed to keep the DigiDestined together. It's the first time you've actually advised a split. But you're feeling confident, now that you've got Garudamon.

Besides, someone needs to handle dealing with the various mercenaries, as well as however that Guardromon fits into this. It might as well be you, since you've got all this new power, and currently no real clue what to do with it.

Intimidating enemy Digimon into leaving your friends alone is as good a use for it as any, right?

"So," You declare from your new position of sitting on your partner's head. "I think we're going to need to discuss a few things. Such as why you were fighting in such a way that left a dust cloud that could be seen from at least forty-five minutes away, and was still there when my friends and I got here." You're not going to mention your prior scouting attempt on Birdramon. If this sort of thing happens again, best that they not learn to pay attention to the sky.

...For someone whose source of power is apparently love, you have a lot of dark thoughts. Probably best to unpack that later, once you actually have the time for it.

"We were paid good money for it," One of the Digimon, this one carrying a lot of swords, speaks up. Well, at least he's honest...

"This many of you? For that few Digimon?"

"The more of us there are, the better the chances of us getting paid," A more draconic Digimon states. "Mostly because our various employers end up scared of what we'll do to them otherwise."

From the very beginning, you've always known that you will never fully understand the Digital World. Times like this are when you remember why you don't really mind that.

"...Wouldn't it be easier to find more reliable employers?" Garudamon suggests. Times like this, you're glad for your partner, because she's powerful enough to say the things you're sort of scared to. Even if they should seem obvious to just about anyone.

"The only Digimon that wish to hire mercenaries are those too weak to handle their own problems, and those whose problems are not worth their own time." And Digimon respect power, is what goes unsaid. There are places where that is different, there are places where every kind of thing can change, but... it's reliable enough that you know who most of the Digimon in the crowd would choose, if given the choice between both types of Digimon.

...For the most part. Daigo could probably win a number of these Digimon over, and partnered to Baihumon or not, he's still just a squishy human like the rest of you. But Daigo's charisma is clearly something unnatural, so you don't really count it.

Still, while you're not about to try and judge their life choices, especially not all at once, all you need to do is convince them not to go after the others. That should be simple enough- while you don't recognize that many of the species involved, none of them are anywhere near as large as Garudamon.

"Yeah, speaking of our money... we should get back to earning that, shouldn't we?" A Monochromon points out, before attempting to charge right past Garudamon.

She picks him up and throws him back into the crowd. "Does anyone else want to try their luck?"

Unsurprisingly, nobody does.

---

By the time all the mercenaries have cleared out- in a direction that's not towards where your friends went- it's just about sunset. Garudamon sets you back on the ground before reverting all the way back to Yokomon.

Still no sign of your friends coming back yet. You aren't sure if that's a bad sign or not. Probably is. They've got all the food, after all. And it doesn't help that you never actually made plans for how to meet up again...

You might want to do something about that.


[ ] Keep waiting here for your friends to show up.

[ ] ...Maybe find someplace a bit less open to rest for the night.

[ ] Go in the direction your friends went.

[ ] Keep moving in the direction you were already going.

Your first response to being alone is, as always, to check your Digivice, which is now blue again. At mid-range, Mimi's dot is at the very edge of your screen, and doesn't appear to be moving at all. Odds are they've decided to stop for the night or something.

Probably a good idea, even for you. But all you have is a single In-Training Digimon, and given the scale of that fight earlier... also, you don't want to risk any of the mercenaries coming back and seeing you defenseless. You'd rather spend the night with people to watch your back.

Decided, you turn around and start walking.

"Sora? Where are we going?" Yokomon asks.

"We're going to see the others," You reply, softly patting her petals. "They'll be able to look out for us, while you're like this."

"Will they have food?"

"I would hope so, given that they had all of it earlier." And she'll need to eat a lot in this form, so having a supply of food will be useful for getting her to Biyomon again.

"...Oh. Good. Wake me when we get there, okay?" Her eyes slip shut before you can reply, but you don't really want to disturb her. She's too cute for that.

So you let her sleep, and keep walking in the general direction of a cluster of small dots of light.

There's not a lot out there right now. You're not sure if that's because the earlier wave of Digimon trampled any possible problems, nothing exists around here, or if everything is terrified at the potential of a DigiDestined taking notice of them.

You don't think it really matters, beyond curiosity. It all amounts to the same thing in the end. You, walking through an empty space with a sleeping Digimon and no idea how long it's going to take to get anywhere.

You're fine with the peace and quiet, really. But it's dark, and you're tired from having to keep up a Digivolution for so long. You haven't had any sort of dinner, either.

Of course, now there isn't anyplace that could be a convenient shelter, so just stopping wouldn't exactly be safe... and you're getting pretty close. You should be to the others shortly after midnight, if you hurry.

Well, so long as you're there in time for breakfast, you think it's all going to work out just fine.

---

"Sora? What are you doing here?" It probably says something about Joe getting used to the Digital World that he can now have a watch shift. Or maybe it's just because he has Gomamon and everyone else was too sleepy.

"Going to sleep somewhere with more powerful Digimon than Yokomon." You nudge her a little. She stirs, but doesn't really wake up.

Well. You tried, she can complain at you all she wants in the morning, if she even remembers asking you to wake her up. It could go either way, really. You're sort of hoping she lets you sleep in, given how late it is, but you just know the sun isn't going to agree with you.

"Right. We... probably shouldn't have left you there."

"No, you should have come back. We were staring down those mercenaries for literal hours. Do not wake me up until it's time for breakfast."

"...Noted. I'll tell everyone else that, then."

"Good." Now, you can finally get the sleep you need.

---

In the morning, you still don't really want to wake up, and you feel a bit dizzy when you do, but there is breakfast, and that is good enough for you.

Yokomon doesn't seem to care about tiredness or anything, though you now have to wonder if it's cannibalism for her to eat pickled radishes. Honestly, you blame Mimi for putting that thought into your head.

"We'll need to start moving soon to make up for the ground we lost yesterday," Izzy says, and you already just know this will be a bad day. Maybe you could make it better, but... how?


[ ] By playing with Yokomon.

[ ] By talking with Izzy.
-[ ] About what's it's like to have Ultimate Digimon.
-[ ] About how your Digivices changed color earlier.
-[ ] About why your Digimon keep reverting to In-Training form.

[ ] By talking with Joe.
-[ ] About how he's getting along with Gomamon.
-[ ] To see if his worldview has fully adjusted yet.

[ ] By talking with TK and Kari.
-[ ] To reassure them that you'll find their brothers soon.
-[ ] Kari seems to have something bothering her....

[ ] By talking with Mimi.
-[ ] For a bit more information on what happened in the Digital World while you were gone.
-[ ] To ask her what her Crest is.