Progenitor Code - A Digimon Hybrid Story

JainusVt · May 10, 2025

So this is my first fanfic, a first person POV story about Heather Aleponte, a human-digimon hybrid created in an alternate timeline Data Squad. I started with posting it on AO3, but am porting it to here just as a second repository for my work.

Carnage is going to be on par with the show's level of violence with no plan for any gore or NSFW content but this story does however, involve death (Descriptions will mainly be "XXXX died" or "There was death"). Content warnings will be dealt out at the begining of each chapter if need be.

Digimon from all works previous (Adventure, 02, Tamers, Frontier, etc) are included as well.

JainusVt · May 10, 2025

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, just my OC and her forms.

I grunted when consciousness was given back to me. Weary eyes opened; my dried mouth moaned out a "Where am I?"

There was padding across the walls, a quick glance down and I saw myself locked into the table I was on. My weak body wasn't going to do anything so I continued my moaning and glanced across the light filled machines crowding my bed while the beeping of an EKG gave me the driest commentary.

"You're awake." A male voice announced over the room's speakers. "While you might suffer some after effects of the trial, you seem to be stable."

"What?" I coughed up through my dry mouth. "Trial? What did you do to me?"

"Nothing you didn't sign up for." My strength flared alongside my desire for answers. "Now can you tell me your name?"

"Heather Aleponte." The clamps opened, my cage expanded to the walls. Grateful to stand up, I drifted around the room in hopes of a way out.

The voice hummed. "Age 24, blood type O, It says here on your medical records that your name is—"

"My name is Heather." I wanted to punch this person so much.

"Ah." The voice wasn't helping. "Please do not assume that I harbor hatred towards you. Call me Dr. Kurata."

It was roughly a week before anything important happened; just regular testing for whatever they did to me. I looked at my clothes in the perimeter glass, just a simple purple blouse and some jeans; I was happy to get something other than a medical gown. Truth be told, I was still comprehending what led me to end up in Japan. I remembered filling out a form for a new drug trial at the request of my groaning stomach— five hundred USD was... a lot. A chime rang and the door to the room opened. An attendant walked through, giving me a bow and setting a pork katsu meal down before leaving. I sighed to myself and ate

I paused halfway through, a thought finally hitting me; did my friends even know I was gone? Was there a missing persons case with my name on it back home or did I simply disappear with no evidence? I put the bowl down, staring at the wall as it became soup.

"Okay." Kurata announced in his accented voice. I counted my blessings that everyone who spoke to me here knew english. "Now that you've had some time to stabilize, take this." A small panel of the wall across the room popped open. A brisk walk led me to a small rectangular device perched in the mail slot while a skeletal contraption sat next to it. "This is your digivice," He explained to growing confusion. "it will allow you to use your abilities." I looked up at the camera with a glare.

"You wanna finally tell me what you did to me?!" I snarled. The doctor cleared his throat.

"The experiment was to turn you into a biohybrid. A digimon, creatures that have been breaching into our world. You are the first to succeed. By using the energies within you, your form will change into one."

The air went stale as he continued, "Now, put the rig under a wrist, preferably your dominant one, then the device on that."

"Experiment." I growled under my breath. I moved mechanically, the phrase 'first to succeed' driving every part of me mad. I looked at the device, the reflection of my face clear on the screen before snapping it on the rig.

"Hello? Are you listening?"

"Why turn me into one?" I demanded.

"We need deterrence against them. They attack at random, causing widespread destruction." Was the reply. "To the ordinary person they might seem like just animals with powers, but they are bloodthirsty killers who want us all dead." The door opened, two guards ushering me out.

My walk was brief, shoves common when I got too nosy. Eventually, I got pushed into another cell, dirt layed across the floor coating the sneakers.

"Here is your first task." Kurata announced. A door opened, letting a small orange dinosaur limp out. "This is an Agumon, one of the weaker species. You are to evolve and fight it. Summon your digisoul and slam your hand on the top contact. The device's voice command is 'biocharge evolution'." A robot hovered down to meet me. It was short and blubous, arms simple panels of metal with tentacles in place of a lower body, the armor purple and green with a single red-yellow eye that glared cold and blank at me. "When you are done, this Gizumon will delete its data and rid it from the world."

As the doctor's voice cut out, the digimon looked at me, the head nudging itself side to side; eyes filled with sorrow. Getting a better look, I noticed how skeletal it was with its arms barely being held up. My heart snapped, my mind filled with one task, and my fists clenched.

"NO!" I gave a punch with all my might, the Gizumon breaking in half and exploding. There was no time to gawk at my new strength, I knew what needed to be done. I slid over to the small creature, "Get out of here. Get every other digimon out of here as well!" It nodded, alarms wailing; no time for a verbal response. "They want me the most, so I'll give you all time. Please, get to safety." A courtesy bow later, it waddled away.

I kicked the door and sprinted to my target. Bullets ricocheted around me, the whizzing of them scraping the walls not helping my racing heart as I frantically pushed through the facility.

"Come on, come on…" I desperately ran, gawking at every sign that I saw before entering a new chamber; another human on the other side of glass.

The man turned around with a smirk. "I've been expecting you."

I snarled, "Kurata."

"My my," He teased while fanning himself. "You've gotten here faster than I expected."

"I'm going to kill you." Where my muscles once ached, I felt a new power grow. I pounced. Mid swing I found my hand connecting with a glass wall that had landed around me.

All I could do was rage while he laughed. "So simple minded. Just like an animal that needs to be put down."

"When I get out, you'll be dead!" I roared.

"You can't even do a simple task." My fist contacted the wall again. "Ah, what you're in is a new transparent alloy I made, thank you for testing it; guess you can be a good little lab rat after all."

"Open this cage and I'll show you what I can really do." Arms unfolded around me, the pads starting to glow.

"Funny," He chuckled. "But your usefulness to me ran out when you woke up." My emotions froze. "I have the data that made your hybridization successful. Small tweaks to make it more… malleable for humans, having to wait a week for recovery isn't useful for my plans, but it was successful nonetheless."

"KURATA!" My senses warped and twisted before everything went white.

Color returned to my irises as my body crumpled, the cushion of grass I landed on softening the pain. My head shook as I stood up, disorientation washing off as I stood and gazed at my new location. My first sight was that of a forest–somewhere that at first glance could be anywhere on Earth, with a small clear path guiding me.

The path eventually gave way to a clearing.

"Woah." The gross understatement was all I could get out; a vista of plains, waterfalls, and flying rock formations stretched as far as my eyes could see. It made me remember how much I used to enjoy hiking while making me wonder where I ended up.

By the time I finished gawking and made my way over to the water, the sun moved to its zenith. I took a seat, relaxing and scanning the contraption around my right wrist. Fiddling with it, I eventually pressed the two tabs under my thumb and pinky, springing the 'digivice' into my hand. I spun it, glazing over every inch before putting it back on the rig.

"Why am I even keeping this on?" I grunted, snapping it off and tossing it over my shoulder. My aching wrist thanked me.

There was an impact. "Watch where you're throwing things!" I snapped around, the bushes rustling as the grey, silver, and yellow hedgehog-like being massaged its head. "What? Never seen a Herissmon before?"

"No." My blunt statement was a hammer to the emotions of the being that stood in front of me. "Wait, you're a digimon, aren't you?"

"The real question is: what are you?"

I took a moment to think. "I was forcibly changed into a hybrid human-digimon by an evil scientist who wanted me to kill digimon he had in captivity. I escaped, but was teleported here when I tried to kill him." Neither of us said anything during the next minute.

"Okay. I believe you." He responded.

"Just like that!?"

"Nobody makes a statement that specific without it being at least partially true." I gave him the point before a rumbling sound emerged. "We're under attack?" he went to scram into the bush when I stood in front of him.

"It's just my stomach." I informed, satiating his mind. It rumbled again. "Got anything to eat?"

"How are you eating that much?" Herissmon gasped.

"This isn't that many. I was only eating meal three out of five when I broke free." I replied mid bite of my third apple before swallowing. "I've been starving, well, more than the usual amount at home. The prodding didn't help at all."

"What was home like?" My arms dropped to the ground in defeat. How was I supposed to tell a digimon what my life was like? Rent? Food costs? A low wage that meant you barely could do anything you'd like?

"Do you have a home?" I deflected.

"I live on my own." He scoffed. "Have been for a while now. All the more better with those robots hunting us."

"Robots?" Whirring cut me off— a sound that I had heard just earlier that day.

"Shit, they're here again!" He pulled me by the collar. "We gotta run!" A beam crackled amongst the screaming as a wave of Gizumon roamed the treeline. A beam collided with a Gabumon sitting on the dirt, the small creature fading to an egg before it glitched from existence. My legs stopped working. I was frozen in place; tears refused to fall, every muscle shaking with fear. "Are you even listening to me?!" Herissmon tugged harder. "Move already!" I wanted to go home, to just leave like he was suggesting, but I turned back to the wilderness of the digital world.

Anyone can look back on their adventures, rewriting everything so that they were the hero all along, a figure of true heroism lacking any kind of fear in spite of any odds they faced. Truth be told; I was terrified. To say that I had plans of fighting evil all along is a straight up lie. I wasn't planning on being a hero at that moment, but I knew two things. One: innocents were dying to a madman's death robots, and two: I could do something about that.

And so I did.

RECOVERED LOG: Gizumon #13151511-MP

131526:[DELETION PROTOCOL ACTIVE. PT BEAM CHARGE 50%]

131528:[CHARGE STATUS AT 60%]

131529:[WARNING: SENSOR DETECTION. INANIMATE OBJECT. COMPOSITION: STO------]

I saw the drone crumple from the boulder's impact out of the corner of my eye but I had no time to waste. Sprinting through the forest I tackled another to the floor, a quick jab taking it out of commission whilst other rookie levels scattered for their lives around my feet. An orange flash caught my eye as I dived out of the way of a deletion beam. A duo of Gizumon advanced while I was sorely out of position.

"Lightning Fur!" A voice called out, electric quills poked into the metal. I yelped and grabbed Herissmon while the Gizumon were stunned. My breaths were rapid as my legs pounded into the dirt.

"What do we do?" I asked; I regretted looking over my shoulder as the machines booted back up, no worse for wear.

"Run. Away!" He shot back.

"I can't!" A beam shot passed my arm. "I can't take you all dying," tears flew down my face. "I… I. This is all my fault." We dove, scrambling behind a tree. I poked around, one breaking its chase while another stayed the course.

He thought before reaching into his fur and pulling out the rig. "You said you can use this right?" I quickly threw the rig back around my left wrist, the device springing into my hand. My heart ached. "What are you waiting for?"

"I don't know how!" I moaned, another laser setting a tree ablaze. A thought occurred. "I was never supposed to, was I?" I smacked my head into the tree as another beam shot by.

"What?" He wondered. "But, it could be usable, right?"

"Yeah, but, I'm not like you all." I explained. "What if—"

"Digimon don't deal with 'what ifs', when evolving! We understand our body's want to change and do so!" I glanced at the empty screen, a song within calling to me just as something else did years ago. I listened to it, a song warming everything that was 'me'. I focused it out, the energy filling everything about my physical form. Opening my eyes, a lavender aura of code surrounded me, all senses tingling. I had little time to glance myself over as I stood up, the pursuing Gizumon paused the attack.

"Please work." I prayed under my breath before pressing on the top contact. "Biocharge evolution!"

The world around me went dark, a swirling mass of code forming an egg around me before I could wonder what was going on. I went to scream but found my body dissolving into an array of colorful numbers. Without warning, lavender was injected to my vision, my shape twisting as new data poured in. Data suffused into whatever was left, hands rethreading themselves into hooves, a mane of hair growing from my own, my stance shifting as my body reformatted itself into…

"BioEquismon!" My body yelled in validation of its new shape. My first taste of majesticness was cut off as one thing became apparent; I was tackled into a nearby bush, a deletion beam hairs away from hitting.

"What the hell were you doing?!" Herissmon snapped, crawling to my snout.

"I'm normally bipedal if you don't remember!" My deeper voice squealed in return. "I don't know how to walk like this."

"Attacks?" I got a sigh and eye roll when I silently stared. "Can you at least move a limb?" I checked; I could, and nodded. The whirring stopped just a few feet away and my heart grew loud with each passing moment. Herissmon threw the bush open in half, "Now!" Our ambush was reposted by an insectoid leg kicking me in the face. Herissmon bit its other leg, the artificial digimon attempting to scrape him off with another kick. I lunged my body forward, shoving my hooves into the metal. Our feet traded several blows, the machine eventually falling to the ground as I continued pummeling it, rents building up, my hooves not stopping their attack as gashes multiplied.

A scream echoed and my head snapped.

"No!" I breathed; a Patamon—a small hamster with wings for ears, across the meadow was cornered by another Gizumon. Tears flooded my vision and I as—, no, begged my body to let me do something, anything. It was about to fire when I felt it; a surge of energy building within me, I gave it clarity, my mind shaping every variable I could think of in the brief second I had left. "Astral Arrow!" The energy surged to my muzzle as I felt my head tilt back before flicking forward. A golden stake of energy spat out at high velocity, the drone's upper torso ripped off on impact.

The Patamon turned in my direction, mouth hanging open as senses other than fear returned. Deep breaths took over adrenaline's emptiness. With my mind at peace from saving an innocent life, I collapsed and let exhaustion take over.

JainusVt · May 10, 2025

Still learning formatting here on SV, so feedback is welcome!

JainusVt · May 11, 2025

Disclaimer: I don't own anything execpt my OC and her forms

The next morning arose, circuit lines across the sky illuminating the mild cloudiness that accompanied the digital world.

"Biocharge evolution." I said. Without the notion of death hanging over me, the fine details sharpened. As my right hand touched the top contact, my digisoul trickled into the device before returning far more energized. I felt pulled farther into the transformation, my immaterial form reshaped down to the smallest bit. "BioEquismon!"

Excess energy scrambled through my new body as the transformation finished. It was uncomfortable standing on four legs, but at least I was ready for the day when Herrismon pointed to a tree across the way. "Okay, you see that one?" I nodded at his statement. "You're going to start at this one and go around before crossing and repeating."

"Do I have to learn how to move?" I groused. "I mean I have that attack. I can just be a sniper."

"Okay, then aim at me." he replied before walking behind me.

I sighed, "Fine. One figure eight coming up."

Mid day came around and I was no closer to actually walking, still only dragging myself across the ground. As I rounded the tree once more my right hind hoof stepped automatically, sending me face first onto the dirt. "I don't know if I can do this." I moaned, struggling to push myself back upright.

"Yeah, it might be good for you to take a break for a bit." Herrismon agreed by the time I stabilized on all four. "We can do some target practice after."

At the very least I managed to get a good look at my new form as I pulled myself to the nearby water. Surprising no one, I was a horse, no bigger than any normal one—Though I had my eyes on the front of my head. My coat was jet black, and was accompanied by scales in some places that were closer to navy.

"Why me?" I whispered to the reflection. Thoughts of the few friends I had back in Austin ravaged my mind as tears dripped across my snout. Weakness shot into my body, the cocoon of data popped and my human body continued to soak the lakeside grass. Once again in life with just the clothes on my body, I sat up and faced what was now reality for me.

"Why are you crying?" I turned around; it was the Patamon from yesterday walking over to me.

I shook my head. "It's nothing that you would understand."

"Well, why don't we go to my home?" I didn't say anything for a few minutes while the memories subsided.

"Sure."

The walk took us most of the remaining daylight; our path taking us into one of the mountain ranges across the plains I saw previously.

"Here it is!" Patamon lept from my shoulder into a soft glide downhill. I grumbled while starting my way downhill, ending at the mouth of a cave, small awnings giving a bit of additional cover in case of rain.

"You okay, Herrismon?" The hedgehog digimon didn't seem all that talkative recently.

"I'm fine." He scoffed. With no more need to pry further, I bit my lip and continued walking.

A Swanmon stepped out, taking a gasp as it looked before her. "You're okay!" She picked Patamon up into a tight hug. "We were so worried for you! You went out for so long, and Raidramon couldn't find you!"

"Sorry, Swanmon." Patamon cried. "I was scared but found friends!" Swanmon looked at the two other arrivals, a Herrismon, and…

"A human?" She mumbled, growing a scowl.

Patamon nodded. "She saved me!"

"Did she now?" Another nod caused her scowl to soften. "I'm just happy that you're okay."

By the time I got down to the entrance, more rookie levels along with a few in-training levels stepped out to greet their lost friend.

"Thank you." Swanmon turned to me as the group celebrated.

"It's no problem." I replied, everyone being ushered in.

The 'home' was actually a small clearing with trees, a river and a few inner hills while cracks in the roof let the orange rays of dusk into the area. "The digital world hasn't been the same ever since those robots showed up," Swanmon explained as we walked the exterior ring around the village. She paused her step and extended a wing "So many of them were displaced from their habitats and other villages." I could hear Herrismon growl behind me, my fist clenching as what I saw yesterday came back.

"Utterly horrific." My heart ached.

Swanmon hummed an agreement. "This might not be the Village of Beginnings, but I care for each of them." She shook her head with a sigh. "Still, we only have so much space here, and who knows when they might find us."

"Wait!" Herrismon cut in, stopping us in our tracks. "Is the Village of Beginnings…"

Swanmon shook her head. "No. It is safe, for now."

Screaming caught our attention as one of the rookie levels came bounding over to us. "What's wrong?" Swanmon demanded.

"It's Koromon!" The Bukamon shouted at us. "She's gone mis—" Laughter cut the rookie up as it loudened; the source being a pink blob-like creature. Of course that wasn't my concern; the concern was the Raidramon—a blue quadraped wearing back armor, yellow lightning bolt horn gleaming in the cave's minimal light; she was riding on. The dark armored beast stared at me with every step as it approached, anger seated deep in its eyes.

"Oh thank goodness!" Swanmon ran up, swiping Koromon off the beast's back. "We just found out and I was so worried!"

"Found her on the other side of the mountain as I was returning." Raidramon explained before turning to me. "What is the human doing here?"

He growled; I started sweating bullets. "I'm just passing through!" Herrismon nodded in fear alongside me.

"Yep! Just passing through." he chuckled. It didn't satisfy the armored beast as he pounced right after, knocking me across the exterior ring.

"I'm not looking for a fight!" I got back up as electricity danced over his body.

"Lightning Blade!" He yelled as it gathered in the horn before discharging towards me. A quick roll and the digivice sprung into my hand.

"Alright. If it's a fight you want, then I'll give you one in kind." I listened for that song once more, and yet, it wasn't there. "What the…"

"Hmph." He smirked, letting sharp teeth into view. "Trying to force the one you 'tamed' to fight for you now? Pathetic, just like the other humans."

"I'm not like them!" I yelled back as we circled each other.

"You're all the same!" He charged, a near miss turning into a slide as energy formed in the jaw. "Thunderbolt!" Rocks broke apart around me as the attack impacted. I still got up, the digimon laughing as he watched me. "Still trying to kill us all?"

"I'm not one of them!" I yelled back, getting a good kick on his neck as another charge failed.

"Face it. All you do is take things from us. Our friends, families… homes. And now you come in here and attack my friends? You're the demons that haunt us."

"No." I coughed. "I can do better than those humans. All of my kind can do better. I know we can, even if it's the smallest chance that we will!" The song erupted through me again, digisoul coming to life around me. "Biocharge evolution!" My hand slammed against the contact, swirling data consuming me. "BioEquismon!"

"You dare mock us!?" Raidramon snarled. "You're an abomination!"

"Not one that wanted to be here." I mumbled. "Then face me!"

The armored blue beast charged, electricity jolting across the sides of its body my equine body refused to run against my foe. "Thunderbolt!..."

"Astral Arrow!..."The two attacks collided, dust sent flying and no clear victor behind the explosion. I barely stopped his follow up kick, ignoring my body's complaining as the blast forced me back to human.

"I don't want to be your enemy!" I sputtered while adrenaline drained. My legs were giving when a glint caught my eyes; a piece of white on the rear of his front leg. I twisted as hard as I could without breaking anything before wrenching the small boney white object out from the small gap in the armor. Another kick from a hind leg sent me skidding across the dirt and onto the ground.

"You… took that out. I've had that for weeks." He wondered, eyes switching between me and his leg. "Why? Why help me?!"

I coughed before replying, "It seemed painful to have in there. Look, I'm not supposed to be here. Or what I am now. I just wanted to do something right."

"You're not like the other humans I've met." I motioned to the inner village.

"You all have variations on what you can be. So does humanity. There's more to both of our kinds."

"Don't hurt Heather!" Patamon pleaded while landing between the both of us. "She saved me." The dark armored beast's gaze went between both of us.

"Is this true?" Raidramon demanded. Patamon nodded. "Hmph. Since Patamon vouches for you, I won't attack further," I breathed a sigh of relief. "You can stay here. Do anything to harm anyone, and I will make you pay." Picking myself off the ground, I followed the rest of the group inward.

RECOVERED FILE: SECURITY CAM 37965: PLAYBACK…

"Equismon?" Kurata hummed. A window opened on the monitor as video of the equine beating the machine to a pulp finished; text flowing onto a document as a voice recorder began. "The person who shall now be 'Subject X' (see ID 530) was a success. The hybridization procedures finally worked, her transformation (see file 5242) no longer in doubt. I was worried I might have to put the experiments on hiatus to work out the kinks in the procedure. There is, however, a glaring issue: Due to unknown factors, she did not receive the intended form. Was it human DNA, the specific unusual frequency of data I recovered from those ruins, both? Regardless, I might need to introduce a stabilization agent to future hybrids; The three candidates I have in mind next are already loyal to me. They would do well to— "

"Sir!" An aide called out from the door with a quick salute. "The recon Gizumon we prototyped has been deployed."

"Excellent." The doctor responded with a wicked smile. "Make sure it observes every move when it locates her."

JainusVt · May 12, 2025

AN: Content warning for allegories to queer/transphobia. I do not own Digimon, just my OC and her forms

Two days passed since I arrived at the village. Each morning I got up early, attempting to walk as BioEquismon along the outer ring of the village, only to fail miserably for an hour before giving up.

After my attempts the first morning, I asked the two armor levels what I could do to help out—it was only respectful to do so, with anything. So, over the course of my stay, I watched over a small group of in training and rookie levels, including Patamon and Koromon. Thankfully, everyone was already proficient in taking care of themselves, I just needed to make sure none wandered off.

Day two was more of the same, the group playing a game of tag near the flowing water. One Tsunomon bounced into another. "You're it!" The other gave chase, both laughing before the latter one stopped. It glowed, data energy forming around them."Tsunomon evolve!… Gabumon!" The now evolved reptile stumbled their pelt over while getting used to grown limbs. "You're it!"

"Hey! That's not fair!" That Tsunomon evolved into an the red quadrapeded Elecmon soon after, the group continuing to play and cheer.

Patamon eventually mentioned aloud I could evolve too, the group crowding me in a blink, demanding I show them. I gave into the cute looks as they watched with noises of 'Oohs!' and "Ahhs!' while they bounced all over me.

Morning of my third day here came with orange rays from the disguised skylight landing on my face. I yawned for a moment, starting my walk outwards when a throat was cleared. "I thought you hated me." I mumbled while Raidramon was trotting by my transformed self. He shot a glare my way. "Ah."

"My threat stands," He rumbled. "But your worthlessness angers me."

"My normal form is bipedal." I reminded him.

"And that matters?" I nodded before taking a single step; a scoff left the armor level's mouth. "Of course, you walk like a human–"

"I am human if you remember!" I cut my volume in respect to those still sleeping.

"I also wasn't quadrupedal at one point, I learned. Now, do not drag your hooves. Walk."

The hour passed, my form tripping over everything while my 'mentor' watched on unamused. I rested my head low, struggling to sip water from the small river. "Okay, let me rest," I panted. "This is–"

"Then what about a deal?" His slow walk caused my heart to be audible. "Stay in this form until sundown," A claw went to my neck. "Or I kill you."

I couldn't stop shaking. "What? That's unfair!"

"You're taking resources from those I care about. How is that fair to them?" He demanded. "The only reason you slept here was because of Swanmon's intervention."

"Fine, fine, fine! Deal!" The claw was pulled back, my breaths steady as he began walking away.

Raidramon stopped. His eye narrowed and sparks of lightning built on his horn when he turned around. "Oh, and if Herrismon tries to feed you, I'll know."

"That was far too extreme." Swanmon scolded, the two armor levels walking through the grove. Raidramon scoffed. "You heard her the night she arrived, this wasn't her choice. She was taken from her home."

He sighed. "She still doesn't belong here."

"Like you didn't belong here when you arrived?" The quadruped beast stopped. He turned to the motionless hybrid in the distance, pangs of regret growing.

My legs shivered as weakness crept through me. Hunger permeated my thoughts but the possibility of death warned me away. Herrismon walked up to me but I shook my head. "No, don't!"

"I overheard what he said to you." He explained. "Now are you ready to leave?"

Flickers of warmth fell onto my fur; the tunnel lit up as a burst of fire sped down it. A figure shot out ahead of it. "What is that?" I shrieked. The beast hovering above was a red and gold dragon, silvery striped head looking away from us as it kept aloft on fiery wings.

"A-a Vritramon?" Herrismon screeched; soon enough, Raidramon caught up with us.

"One of the twenty legendary species?" He asked. The winged dragon swooped towards us, the ground shaking on impact.

Herrismon looked at me before realizing why I was confused. "It's said that in history, a Vritramon helped save the digital world alongside nineteen other warriors." The fire along its wings dimmed, natural feathers underneath flapping.

Said being's deep chuckles echoed. "I heard you need… protection of a kind only my race can provide."

"This village is under my protection." Raidramon snarled. "You are not needed here." The dragon's wings flapped, readying for flight. The arm cannons on the new arrival began glowing.

"Then I guess you wouldn't mind me allowing fresh air in here." A talon was raised as we tried moving. "All I want if you don't care for extra help is your artifact."

"That's not for you to have." Raidramon roared back. "You're supposed to be better than this!" He lept, the two beings sending attacks back and forth.

"My kind helped save this world for what? Cave paintings?!" Vritramon yelled back. "You commoners wouldn't know anything about nobility!"

"Lightning Blade!"

"Flare Storm!" Fire and lightning collided, each struggling to overpower one another.

"Astral Arrow!"

"Lightning Fur!" Our attacks joined the melee, and yet the struggle continued.

"What's this?" Vritramon asked as his eyes scanned me. "Never seen your kind before."

"Leave her out of this." Raidramon got infront of me as the two kept clashing. "She's not your opponent."

"All you need is to give me the container and you can rest easy knowing that I am protecting you all."

"Astral Arrow!" Once more I fired, the bolt being deflected by a backhand.

"My, my. You're feisty aren't you?"

"You're just a damned extortionist!" I roared back. "'Nobility' is supposed to help folks, not steal from them!"

By the time I charged another attack I found myself unable to breathe as tight claws found their way around my neck as I was pulled into the sky. "It's only our birthright that we rule!" A hoof impacted Vritramon's head, the direct impact not dissuading the speech. "Wait…" My squirming increased as his snout reared up to me. "You're… human." The noose got tighter, squirming having a lessening effect. "A human turned into a digimon. Never thought I'd see the day."

"Let me go." I grumbled. Cerulean eyes met mine.

"You will never be one of us, human." He sneered. With a light throw I found myself thrown across the cavern. Flaming wings in the distance ignited, letting Vritramon scream over the village.

Pain wanted me to accept defeat as I laid on my barrel, let go of being BioEquismon. And yet, the water's reflection of my own face pleaded with me not to.

"I also wasn't quadrupedal at one point." The echo from earlier played in my mind. Why did the statement ring such a deep chord within me?

"You. Are. A…" A separate young voice struggled from a whisper while water entered my eyes. "You are a…" A girl watched me through the water. Her hands clenched, her frown wanted to say something more, gaze constantly snapping to the door nearby. "You are a…" she grunted, forcing the word out. "A failure! Just one big failure!" Her headband fell as she huddled with tear-glazed eyes.

I tapped my snout to the water as if to reach through. "Don't give up," I whispered back. "You're not there yet, but one day you will. It'll be hard, but keep going. When you get there you'll look back, not in sadness but happiness that you've made it so far." The girl pushed the headband up as if she heard me. She struggled against herself, facing the mirror, our eyes meeting.

We spoke each word as one. "I am a girl." The vision of my younger self faded but tears still dropped.

I stood up through the pain. My tears drying in the water's reflection gave me an idea. "I don't need to move forward… I need to move… up…" My heart soared with excitement, the idea of even just metaphorical flight igniting courage. I stepped with my left hind leg, then moved my left front, right hind, and finally right front. The loop cycled, momentum increased. My eyes shut, walking turned into a gallop as every hoof thumped across the ground. "This is my body." My mind started understanding everything it needed to as I let go of what I used to know. My body felt right, every nerve connected as they should've been, each new step becoming smoother. I snapped my eyes open, the tree rapidly approaching easily dodged as to affirm myself further.

The ground shook as Vritramon landed once more, the legendary beast smashing a talon through the ground and retrieving a rock.

"Astral Arrow!" Vritramon turned around as I came to a stop nearby.

"So, human. Done with your phase of pretending to be something you're not?" I lowered myself, dragged a forehoof along the ground and raised a rear leg.

"Not as long as you're terrorizing people trying to survive." The dragon's laugh echoed between the trees, several lower level digimon shrinking further into the underbush.

"The world is changing! I'd rather adapt unlike the rest of my slothful species!" I laughed in return.

"Sounds to me like you simply enjoy abusing your privilege." I let a grin crease my snout. "But you're right. Change has come: I'm not human anymore."

"Thunderbolt!"

"Lightning Fur!" Two strikes of elecriticy slammed into the grounded dragon, taking the attention off me as the three of us circled through Vritramon's barrage of energy blasts. Back and forth all of us sent projectiles, the air filling with attacks and dodging becoming increasingly difficult. Each arrow I shot was returned with several fireballs as I felt my coat being to singe, my legs aching from all the dipping, sliding, and running.

I charged up one last blast as Rairdramon clamped his jaws around our opponent, the slowed Vritramon an easy target. "Astral Arrow!" The bolt shot from my mouth, striking him in the back just as he finished throwing Raidramon off. The rock dropped to the floor as he crashed nearby. He still pushed himself to his feet, seeing the Elecmon and Gabumon I shepherded the days before.

Lightning struck as Raidramon landed in between. "Lightning Blade!" he yelled, once again locked in a duel. I could hear the grunts coming from both weakened fighters.

I needed to get over there. Once more I shaped the building energy I had, this time flowing into my hooves. I let it creep upward into the rest of my muscles, tingling through each joint with anticipation as a lavender shield of energy formed around my head and upper body. "Equis Rush!" I charged, every ounce of energy I had left transforming me into a bullet aimed right into Vritramon's chest as he let out a roar. He clung to life, gasping for air.

His movements were jerky as he stood back up, gashes and scuff marks dotting his body as he retreated out of the tunnel.

Two mornings later, a group had assembled at the cave exit to see me off. "It was a pleasure to host you, dear." Swanmon thanked me as I returned the hug.

She backed off and elbowed the other armor level. "Yes." Another elbow. "You can return whenever you like."

"Please, take these. I think they would be better off in your hands." The rock targeted for theft yesterday was handed to me.

"Why are you handing me this?" I asked. "Isn't it your treasured item?"

"What's inside are just items, ones that we can always replace. Our home can't be." Swanmon explained as those I took charge of joined us. "And if they're going to cause trouble… we might as well pay you back for your help."

With some intuition the container opened, two items concealed inside. The first was a plain rock, no bigger than my palm. I could feel something inside, a neat hum of energy within, only instinct telling me to hold onto it. The second, a human made item, piqued my curiosity .

"Goggles?" My finger brushed against the logo of 'DATS' on the side.

"They totally fit you!" The Gabumon beamed.

"I bet you're some super duper chosen one!" The Elecmon added.

"Yeah! Thanks for being awesome!" It was Koromon who said that.

"One day I'll be as strong as you!" The group I was keeping an eye on kept cheering. I only gave a smile in return; I just didn't have the heart to tell the adorable beings the straps were adjustable.

I waved them all goodbye, walking into the plains with a new excitement in my heart. "So, where are we going now?" Herrismon asked. I threw the goggles on my head, filing away the thought of checking the switch on its side.

"Wherever the wind takes us." I sent a smirk his way, triggering the arm rig.

JainusVt · May 13, 2025

Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon, just my OC and her forms

The forest was on fire, a tree branch blocking her eventual path. Biyomon's newly evolved legs gave out before tripping face first into dirt. Two of the eldritch machines that had arrived came around the corner, her legs scraping off grass as she huddled against the wood. Breaths became erratic as they came ever closer. She remembered the others; taken from the world, each screaming from effortless blasts as their bodies warped, data removed from ever existing. Her mother was the first. Energy built at their weapons, she was the next.

"Astral Arrow!" A golden stake shot out from through the low canopy, one of the machines dying as its metal screamed and ripped off the chassis. "Equis Rush!" A blur shot from the trees, the impact of the dark figure causing the other to explode. She saw it, a rumored being able to destroy the machines. It walked over to her and knelt.

I breathed in relief as the Biyomon cowering against the log gazed over me.

"Hey," My voice was as soft as I could get. "You're safe. Please, come with us." Herrismon waddled over and helped her up.

"I directed everyone else to the north while the Gizumon attacked." He explained while I nodded. "We'll take you to them."

We got to the crowd within a moment, Biyomon rushing to embrace those she knew. I kept scanning their faces with something telling me that this was only a fraction of those who called this area their home. The others spoke in mumbles and teary eyed tones, but I never responded.

The Biyomon pushed her way past the crowd, "Thank you. You're my hero." I nodded, smiling before motioning for Herrismon to get on before we ran off.

We came across a waterfall as the sun began setting, "Look, pears!" Patamon pointed out as the two hopped from my back. Somehow the winged digimon hid away in Herrismon's fur before we left the village. I sighed and turned to drink, having already scolded him enough when his ruse was revealed and forced our backtracking.

With a deep focus my body devolved back to human and a quick head shake reset my balance. The clear water reflecting my tan skin and red-brown hair back at me felt nice. After everything, I was happy to find a clear reflection of myself once again, not through smudged computer screens, teary eyes rippling the water or as BioEquismon.

The hedgehog digimon handed me a pear as I spoke, "Third day in a row."

"Hopefully the last. Now what?" He asked.

"Getting Patamon home, then continuing to find a way for me to go home."

"You're just going to leave us?" Patamon shrieked while flying into my face. "But you're a hero!"

"Not really," I rested my head against the tree. "Anyone can do the right thing." My gaze went to a clenched fist. "Besides, I shouldn't have been here anyway." I noticed them staring at me. "You two sleep now, I'll take watch."

Unbeknownst to us, there were those that watched on from behind the shadows of night.

The morning's misty rain woke us from slumber.

"I saw what could be a temple north of us yesterday." Herrismon informed me as we set off. "Could be worth checking out once we're done."

"Definitely." I agreed, holding an aching stomach. "Hopefully some better food there too." A minute sound hit my ears, my tracks stopping.

"What's—" I quickly shushed him. Nothing else happened.

"Strange." I glanced around. "Thought I heard something. Guess–."

"Spiral Claw!" A large figure jumped from the bushes on the opposite side, the spinning kick cracking the ground and knocking the three of us away. I reached for my digivice, but it missed my hand as it sprung from the holder.

"HEATHER!" My two companions yelled as the assailant disappeared back into the bushes. I had the misfortune of landing in the now raging river. A rock approached, my body slamming into it just as I grabbed another. I knew I was stronger than I was before, but it wasn't infinite.

My hand slipped and I went tumbling over.

The sky was still gray when I woke up down river. I picked myself from the water, stumbling into the woods nearby. It was a cold walk, soaked lightweight clothes affording me little protection. I heard a scream; without thinking I ran towards it.

"Help!" The cries were getting louder as my legs pushed me. I turned a tree, finding the one who needed it. What I found was a red and white dinosaur with black triangles across their body pinned by a tree. Using my newfound strength I lifted the trunk off. "Thank you!"

"It's no problem." I replied, studying the cliff I fell down to find my way back up. "I should get going."

"You're pretty strong! We could use your help!" I didn't have time for a reply as I was yanked by the arm.

"Who did you bring this time, Guilmon?" A voice asked as my head stopped spinning. I looked up to see where it came from, the source being a large greenish bipedal dog-rabbit with guns in place of forearms.

"A friend!" Guilmon cheered, causing the Gargomon to loudly sigh. "She's strong though!"

"Fine." The leader motioned for me to follow through tired, baggy eyes. "Come on, let me give you the tour before you leave."

I soon found myself in a small shack, one table containing a map. "This is the HQ of our resistance…" Gargomon started; I wasn't listening, too focused on the geography. "We're still looking for help though."

"How big is this group?" I asked. The two looked between each other.

"Well…" The rabbit-dog rubbed the back of his head. "Me… Guilmon…" The dinosaur nodded. "And… no one else." Gargomon hunched over, slamming a gun arm onto the table. "I can pretend to be a commander all I want. I don't think there's even a way for us to win."

"If it helps, anyone can do good." I explained. "You'll find others."

Guilmon ran up to me with teary eyes, "But friend!"

"I've fought them, yes." I sighed. "I'm not really the 'hero' you're looking for."

Footsteps clattered towards us, a pink and white rabbit with yellow clothes and red clawed gloves busting into the room after clutching her knees and panting. "What's wrong, Turuiemon?" Gargomon asked.

She was still panting as she straightened, "Just at the edge of the marshlands!"

"Who?" We didn't need an answer as the distant whirring fell into our ears. Everyone's blood went cold.

I could hear whispers of questions as I forced myself to walk out, a squad of visored soldiers huddled around several Gizumon. My goggles were over my eyes; they didn't need to see my fear, they knew it. "What are you all doing here?" I asked, nerves fluctuating at the sight of firearms. One put a hand to the ear before their guns snapped up. The bullets ricocheted around me as I raced around the field. The soldiers' training was good. My inhuman speed only gave me a temporary advantage, and it was quickly running out.

"They're gonna hit someone in the village at this rate. And then the Gizumon…" My thought made me skid short of my planed path, a deletion beam shooting across the grass on its way forward. It became a miss as I was forced to leap closer to another form of death.

I kept moving, bullets and beams becoming closer and closer as my stamina drained. I got a lucky hit on the first Gizumon before I was forced to jump off as the soliders were kind enough to perforate their own machine. I was lucky to land near a rock as I hurled one at the closest soldier then another boulder into a Gizumon. This one stayed unfazed, spinning into me at a rapid rate and knocking me onto my back. Another spin kick sent me flying backwards.

"Do you like the new variant?" Kurata boasted through the Gizumon's speaker, a hologram of the doctor appearing next to it as the soldiers tightened their formation around me. "Stronger, faster, smarter. It even has one fascinating feature." His fingers snapped, the Gizumon glowing before its form grew. "I call it… Gizumon AT!" The light burst, arms having grown the machine taller while its red camera eye peered down over me.

I struggled, eventually pushing myself to my feet. "So much for your 'hatred' of digimon!" Everything hurt.

"Give up, you already know how this will end." The doctor ignored my comment. "I can send you home if you want. You can live like royalty. Forget all about this pathetic world." I was stuck in the jaws of the ultimate temptation, willpower dissolving as the offer crept around in my mind. I could feel everyone's eyes on me, the staring making me want to cry. The forest of digimon behind me, humans serving Kurata in front of me. I wanted it all to stop, to give the choice to someone else. MAKE IT STOP.

"I can even grant you the money you were supposed to get." The doctor continued. "I bet your friends—"

My mind went to the small time I knew Herrismon, "I have friends here too."

"What reason do you have to care about this world?" He retorted. "They're the monsters that will kill us all, we just have to act first!"

"No." My heart was set, my fists clenched. "I never ignored the fact that you're killing innocents," By the word I was standing straighter. "Nor the fact that you cause this world pain!" My digisoul flared into being. "But I'm done wanting to simply find an out!"

A figure from the shadows had a scowl twist upward, silent approval beaming from a feline fang.

"I was too busy thinking that I couldn't make a difference when I already had." The aura that once was once just colored ones and zeros morphed as I spoke, now made of small squares acting like a flame around my body. "I choose to stand up! To give those against you the strength to do so too!"

The soldiers took aim. "Pitiful. Kill her."

"Kenzan Drive!" A ball of grey and yellow electricity scattered the formation of humans, a bounce off one soldier's helmet landed Herrismon on the Gizumon-AT's arm. His claws slashed at a cable and the chassis sputtered, he chose this moment to leap off. "Heather! Now!" He threw my digivice.

I didn't hesitate, my hand already slamming on the contact as it touched my hand, "Biocharge Evolution!" Once again my entire form dissipated within the 'egg' as lavender code flowed into me. Energy ran through my body, my hands and feet morphing into hooves while my hair snapped into a mane. I reared up as the energy engulfed my head and rearranged it into a snout. I let out a blow as my hooves smashed whatever floor was there. "BioEquismon!"

Gargomon's jaw dropped; the human, now transformed into a digimon, was fighting the attackers. He blinked twice, feeling a warmth inside as he looked at his arms and shook his head. "She's fighting out there fighting for us," he mumbled as Guilmon and Turuiemon got closer. "And we're doing nothing."

"What do we do then?" Turuiemon worried.

His teeth bared, head snapping up, "We fight too." A gun arm was raised, "Everyone willing to fight; with me!"

The battle extended as projectiles from the advancing resistance shot overhead, catching me in a crossfire that descended to melee range. Punches and kicks were thrown from all combatants, electric quills, guns forced to fire at the sky, and knives drawn. My own arrow destroyed one Gizumon and a rush destroyed the next, scattering soldiers around it.

From the corner of my eyes as I swiftly manuevered the battle I could see Gargomon open up on a lone Gizumon, shredding it before reaiming and suppressing soldiers behind cover. The other side had Guilmon and Turuiemon trade blows with a handful of soldiers that had drawn knives. It ended with the two punching the same soldier simultaneously. Even Herrismon and Patamon made a great tag team in forcing one soldier to be distracted as I ran up and kicked him towards the rest. Sensing a losing battle, the soldiers grabbed their wounded before teleporting out, leaving us with one last issue; the recovered Gizumon-AT. The deletion beam glowed before a burst shot out, deleting someone behind me before another being followed them. Bullets and other fireballs perforated the armor as we circled it, the arms almost striking me. Damage added up, and yet the machine still kept going.

It went to charge the deletion beam again; I could see others freeze in place and accept their fate.

"Not on my watch!" I yelled, skidding to a stop. I gathered whatever energy I could into my mouth. "Astral Arrow!" my bolt hit the projector's glass at the maximum brightness, an explosion tearing through its torso. It knelt down for a brief second before charging forward, the legs and arms spinning. Many were thrown to the side, myself included. One more swipe knocked several back while another made some others turn back into eggs as they hit the the tree line. "Wait…" A bit of white stuck out of the AT's damaged armor, The cable along its arm; it was frayed. "Herrismon, I have a plan!" He forced himself up and dashed over to me. I sent him flying.

Herrismon looked down as he got to the apex. He knew exactly what to do. "Kenzan Drive!" He shot downwards, sharp electrified quills cutting right through the weakened connection just as it went to swipe at me once more.

Another explosion rocked the AT's frame as the arm detached, myself returning to human in order to catch the falling limb. With a yell, I balanced it like a spear, a heavy swing on my end parrying the AT's next attempt at striking me with the other arm. I recoved faster and followed up, the impact cracking the remaining arm and rendering it useless as it hung lifeless. I thrusted the limb in my arms forward after regaining footing, piercing the weakened armor and sending it to be impaled on a nearby tree.

Sparks ravaged the slumped chassis before one last explosion sent components scattering the battlefield.

Cheers emerged as defenders began a slight celebration, Patamon popping out from his hiding spot. "I can't believe we actually won!" Gargomon chuckled as he walked over. "We took losses… but… we won. I can't thank you enough."

"It wasn't me who told everyone to charge, commander." He gave me a smirk back.

"I don't expect you to stay here but what will you do?"

"Keep traveling." I replied. "The digital world is pretty huge, you can't be everywhere at once," He nodded, understanding the problem faced. "But, I'll make sure anyone looking to fight gets to you."

Without a warning the ground shook. "What the hell?" A tear in reality opened up, pulling me towards it. I screamed as Herrismon, Patamon, and I flew into it.

JainusVt · May 13, 2025

So, uh, I wrote this chapter last October/November and I just found another fic also used Gargomon as a resistence leader (though it was the adventure universe, not savers/data squad).

All I have to say is.... objectively correct speices choice for that kind of character. Bnuuy is love, GunBun is life

JainusVt · May 13, 2025

RECOVERED FILE: SECURITY CAM 42521:
Data reconstruction complete. PLAYBACK…

The darkness of night becoming morning laid thick in the empty room. A terminal left on by mistake reawakened, screaming into the dead air.

The torrent of colors ended, gravity taking hold of my body once more. I found myself falling, colliding with dirt as I was spat out from the portal between worlds. I spit whatever entered my mouth before standing up; that soon proved to be a mistake as Herrismon flattened me back down. I grumbled as I stood again, the portal discharging Patamon in a soft glide. He landed on my head before it closed, leaving us wherever we ended up. Each of us stood there, nursing our wounds, feeling lucky that we were deposited in breathable air.

Herrismon finished cradling his head. "Where are we?" We looked around, each direction being nothing but trees lit by a moon. I blinked several times, taking in the new details my eyes could show me.

"Pick a direction and go?" Patamon asked.

I deployed my digivice, "Works for me."

I shot into a brisk gallop, dodging trees, rocks, and other obstacles before busting into a clearing. I don't know what caused me to close my eyes that run, but it was well worth any risks. It took starting to evolve for more than brief stints of combat to really notice how much my senses improved. And by that, I mean, it was overwhelming. Every scent and sound threw me for a loop until I got it down. But that night? That was the night I felt that things started truly clicking into place. My ears twitched to let me hear the ruffling of underbrush, my nostrils opening to let me smell flowers in the bushes. I could feel the air fluttering my mane and tail while flowing off my scales. I leapt left, dodging a tree I could somehow tell was there. Tears were beginning to coat my snout, it was too long since I felt this alive, the last being just over a decade prior during my first—.

"Cliff!" Herrismon's yell made my eyes shoot open, the moment of zen interrupted as a ravine fast approached. I grew a grin that wasn't revealed to the others. "You are not. You are not! You are n—" I let my energy build within me just as my front hooves slammed against the dirt and we were sent into the air.

"Equis Rush!" I released the energy through my hind legs on instinct just before they left the ground.

One breath. Hands fighting the rushing wind. Second breath. Eyes tracking the steady horizon. Third breath. A snap back to reality; the other side of the gorge was closing.

My daydream of wishes past was shattered on landing. I shook my head and slowed to a trot.

"What a strange sky." Herrismon noted as we continued the next morning. "Where are the circuit lines?"

"We're probably back in my world now." I responded, holding back vines. "Though, I think we have varying definitions of 'normal'."

"The digital world hasn't had a set 'normal' for ten years now," I stumbled over, barely catching myself. "Those damn machines… always taking more of us." Everything hurt. No wonder I sunk so deeply into earth's nature when I didn't in the digital world, the latter's nature on its last breath from being genocided!

"Ten years…" I noticed a building out of a group of others, a wooden sign hanging in a window. We walked over, myself glad to be free of the built up vomit as my hand brushed the sign's text. "Huh, kanji. We might be in Japan."

"You know what it says?" Patamon asked. I shook my head.

"No. I was born very close to a neighborhood…" I started. "I knew a few friends who could've—"

"Why can't we go there?" I looked at Patamon, struggling to form nice words for why I didn't want to go home as memories came back. I thankfully stopped myself from clenching my fists, resigning to a sigh.

"It's too far away." Rustling took our attention, my body snapping in-between the source and the two cowering rookie levels.

"What are you doing here, foreigner?" A voice spoke. "It's far too early for any tourists to show up."

"Hello?" I called while snapping my head around. "Anyone there?" An old Japanese man stepped out of the bushes.

"I mean you and your friends no harm." He murmured, holding his hands up. The three of us sighed in relief, relaxing our posture. "I am merely a parishioner who is wondering how you all got here." I rubbed the back of my head as thunder boomed. Why did his voice hurt my head? He walked past us and waved us to follow, "Come, better to tell your tale dry."

The sun broke through the clouds after one lengthy explanation from both sides. For us, there was good news, and bad news. The good news is that we knew where we were, the Ueno Shrine, near Takachiho. The parishioner also luckily had a map of Japan to give us. The bad news came in the form of weight lacking from my hips. Getting anywhere would be hard. My phone was long gone and even if I did have money it was going to be USD, not yen. Oh, yeah, no ID of any kind.

One step at a time, as usual.

"You're conflicted." The parishioner's voice took me out of my daze as I watched people arrive just at the edge of my sight.

"I wouldn't say that." I replied. "I'm used to taking large undertakings, but… ten years of genocide? I didn't think I could feel this small in comparison."

"I agree." He hummed, walking up to my side. "You don't want them, do you?"

I looked at him, "What? Of course I want Herris—" I caught myself as a tourist passed in front of us, going to a whisper. "They're my friends, of course I want them!"

"And yet you don't wish for them to become the strength you seek in your fight against Kurata." I stared at him. "I might pray to the shrines every day, but even ones who would never can see you're pushing them away."

"They can barely defeat the basic Gizumon," My head shook. "And our fights are getting stronger every day. I can't take them getting hurt because I wasn't strong enough."

"Pushing them away will only cause them to end up in greater danger." He replied, staring back at the crowd. "Hearts swell with power from the bonds of others, but only if you let it do so." Neither of us spoke for a moment. "Where are you headed?" He broke the silence.

"North, to Ōita." I responded. "I'm better off finding clues to get me back to the digital world in a city." He hummed with a smile.

"I wish you and your companions well on your journey then. It is a good city." We shook hands before I slipped into the woods.

"What were you two speaking about?" Patamon asked. By now we were fifteen minutes north of the shrine, not the best pace, but one that would get us some distance before I evolved. The words of the parishioner were still with me as I drank some water from a stream.

"Just some words of wisdom." I responded. More rustling in the distance alerted us. "Hide, now."

In the bushes, I closed my eyes, letting my hearing take over my focus. "There's no sign of the large trace anywhere." One light male voice said. "Strange."

"Maybe a malfunction with the tech?" Another asked.

"On a scale like this? That hasn't happened before," A woman spoke. I could hear their footsteps getting closer. "Besides, a tourist said they saw 'monsters' heading this way," I internally cursed, someone saw us leave the shrine. "We didn't come all the way here for nothing."

"Well, whatever digimon it is, we'll face it."

My mind raced and I could see the worry on the two's faces. These people know about the digital world? How? Did they track us? Am I being watched? My mind darkened as one question came up: are they with Kurata? I gave a motion for Herrismon and Patamon to stay silent, then walked out.

The trio of DATS agents were continuing their scouring of the forest when a goggle wearing woman emerged from the bushes with a yawn. "What time is it?" She asked as her body struggled upright. The trio looked between themselves and shared a shrug at the hungover foreigner.

"Ma'am, have you seen anything strange around here?" The blonde male asked.

She rubbed the back of her head, shaking it and shutting her eyes for a brief moment. "Not that I've seen." Once again the trio were stumped.

"Okay. Thank you ma'am." The DATS woman asserted. "You might want to get back to the shrine, you might find your tour group there."

My number one tip of improv is to base it on things you've done an uncomfortable amount of times, it really helps sell the minutia. . . . Please never ask me for the count of that specific action.

"She smelled strange, big bro." A shrill voice remarked as I continued playing the part, sweating bullets as I walked down the hill. Eventually they were out of sight, and I slipped behind a tree to let myself relax.

"Well, yeah, she probably slept in those bushes, Agumon." My eyes went open, my worst fears eased.

"They're not with the doctor…" I mused. "Who are they with?" I started doubling back, now invested in their conversation.

"Masaru, don't just blurt that out! Ugh, you're the worst." The woman groaned.

"What? We're out of earshot right now and she's hung over, there's very little she might remember." He responded.

"It pains me to say this Yoshino, but… he's… partially right." The blonde sighed.

"Wha… Not you too, Thomas!"

Getting back to my friends, I waved for them to follow, accidentally disturbing nature. "Who's there?" 'Yoshino' demanded. I froze. "Show yourself now!" I stood up, cowering in fear. The three of them looked at me, two of them, a blonde and brown haired male wearing blue and white uniforms while the woman was pink haired with a matching uniform.

"Uh, hi!" I was shaking heavily. "I forgot my things here," I bit my lip as I forgot my act. "So I'm just *hic* grabbing them." No! You were hungover, not drunk! The bushes rustled again, Patamon being chased into the clearing. "Uh… Oh my god. What are those things… Aaah." The small winged digimon looked at me.

"But, Heather—" Herrismon reacted, muzzling him but not quick enough. I smiled heavily and let out a nervous chuckle.

Masaru pointed at me and yelled, "So you're the third digimon!" The air went still as his guess gave me pause.

"Nope." My head shook rapidly. "Just your average human." Thomas began squinting at me.

"That's DATS property you're wearing," I snapped the goggles off, noting the same logo on their uniforms before placing them back around my neck. "How did you get them?"

"I was given them by someone I helped in my travels." I answered.

"Maybe you stole them." My fists balled, anger flowing into me.

"Don't you dare say that."

"She's telling the truth!" Herrismon interjected; I still moved to defend my friends when Yoshino coughed.

"Maybe we should all calm down." She cut in.

"Even so," Thomas scoffed. "Maybe you're commanding them to do evil."

A slap met his head, but I still yelled, "What the hell does that mean you ass!?" The standoff continued. I felt Herrismon's quills against my legs and knelt. "If it comes to a fight, let me handle it."

My companions became startled by something, running into the bushes, Masaru bolting towards them before I cut in. "You fight me. Not them." I growled. I threw a punch only for a kick to strike it away. My next punch got me thrown into a tree before another kick sent me to the ground. My next punch after dodging to my feet hit the ground as I was grabbed again, several knees impacting my chest. I caught one, throwing the person back. The other two started running as me and Masaru were caught in a struggle. I felt anger boiling within, an instinctive pull towards the energy. It felt… good, like a twisted unseen happiness energizing me. I… no, stop! This isn't you!

"Stop! Please. Don't hurt my friends!" I yelled with all the mental fortitude I had left. Masaru stopped his fighting, my shove sending him back to the others as they looked at me. I massaged my head as everything cleared. "I don't want to fight you. I just want to get back to the digital world." That made their faces widen.

"How do you know about it?" Thomas inquired. "That's supposed to be a secret that only DATS knows."

"A long story," I took several breaths. "Look, I just need to get back there."

"Why?" Yoshino questioned. "What's so important there?" Reality began twisting.

"Oh god, not again!" I yelled, bracing for another swap in environments.

I was luckily not pulled from the world again, but rather a portal formed as a shape was spat out. It stood upright, the large gray helmeted insectoid's wings buffeting us. Thomas gasped. "A Kabuterimon?" He yelled as it looked at us.The insect roared, roared, splattering us with dirt as it took off northward.

"No way it could've hid that easily." I murmured as we chased it deeper into the forest.

"You'd think that." Lalamon—Yoshino's partner, replied from the digivice's speakers before I noticed our headcount.

"Where's that third of yours?" Herrismon wondered.

"If anything he's already fighting it." Yoshino responded before our target was thrown through several trees. Masaru ran towards Kabuterimon. He lept and punched it in the face, sending it flying through the nearby trees.

What.

He landed near me, an orange glow forming around his wrist as he pulled out his own digivice, another Agumon—this one with red belts along its arms, hopping out from the backpack he had only to quickly be evolved into GeoGreymon before the battle started again. The two digimon traded physical blows, each too close for the precious time for a projectile attack.

Our foe began glowing before growing bigger. The horn became more axe-like, another pair of arms grew out, and the shell became more rounded and a stark red.

"It… evolved!" Thomas gasped.

"Horn Impulse!" The rocky head crest of the orange dinosaur digimon impacted, doing nothing to the now MegaKabuterimon in front of us.

"Horn Buster!" It growled out, plowing through GeoGreymon and knocking the large orange dinosaur to the side. It faced us, the towering insectoid looming over us. "Electro Shocker!" The gathered lightning was thrown to us, the four of us just barely dodging backwards.

"Mega Burst!" A Fireball slammed into its side, the arms going defensive before another horn attack from GeoGreymon took its attention off of us. The heavy steps kept us off balance, our focus forced to stay on movement alone

Masaru eventually turned to me, "Why didn't you evolve your partner?" I gave a nervous chuckle as the three waited for an answer, the shaking ground not helping. A sigh escaped my mouth.

"Guess I needed to reveal this eventually," My digisoul began collecting around me as I stopped for the brief second to face our foe. "Biocharge Evolution!"

Rentarou Satsuma had seen a lot of things in his life. Being one of the first humans to explore the digital world ten years ago, very few things have surprised him since coming face to face with death in uncertain lands.

He stood up, walking to the main display as the three displayed on the screen traded blows. He gave a glance to Miki and Megumi, the operators of the organization, then to Kudamon, perched on his shoulder. The video paused, the dark-furred and scaly equine displayed while gathering energy to strike. If there was a reaction from him, no one could decipher it.

Of course, he knew his thoughts were shared amongst the room: "Who is this woman?"

"What the?" Thomas gasped far behind me. Armor was shattered off as I impacted, the foe sent crashing on the ground. A quick turn around as I landed allowed me to get several bolts off to strike across MegaKabuterimon's legs, one lucky arrow rendering a quarter of its arms useless. I kept running, my speed enough to dodge most strikes from the remaining claws.

"Rhino Charge!" Its horn lowered, the beetle running straight at me. At the last second I leaped, dodging the attack before instinctively jumping off a tree and shooting an arrow into its carapace. "Super Charge!" Lightning went everywhere, the humans taking cover as the fight rapidly became less and less controlable. "Horn Buster!" The horn slammed into the ground, knocking me off balance and onto the dirt. A lucky dodge away from another strike set me up perfectly. "Super Charge!"

"Equis Rush!" Even as the electricity became palpable, my shield pushed right through it, another knockdown happening as I impacted the head. "Astral Arrow!" Another large set of gashes built up on MegaKabuterimon's body as it struggled to stand back up. Another Equis Rush smashed into it's chest as it tried to fly away before the shadow of GeoGreymon grew over it, its head struggling to turn up. The beetle tried swiping only for the attacking arm to be crushed underfoot.

"Mega Flame!" The fires burst out from GeoGreymon's mouth, subsiding after a minute and leaving a digi-egg landing amidst our battlefield.

I could see it in their faces as I trotted over. I prepared myself for the second info dump that day; thankfully, I was asked to save it for when we returned to their base.

The parishioner thanked us as we left. "In the future, I hope youths do not spray paint the local wildlife again." He joked to all of our tired laughs. "Though, the purple and green spirit hovering in the sky," My laughter stopped. "It could be an omen of change, so please take care."

Yeah, this was going to be a long explanation.

JainusVt · May 14, 2025

"We're here." Masaru bumped my shoulder as the car lurched to a halt in front of his house. I massaged my neck as I stepped out, picking up the rather large hiking backpack I'd acquired on the way over and throwing it over my shoulder. Seeing as how the shinkansen trip ended with us in the late afternoon, the organization gave me the night's reprieve to collect my thoughts. I was also thankful to learn the date, Saturday, May 1st, 2024, meaning that I was still in my own dimension and I wasn't sucked through time. You never know, granted my overall reaction wouldn't have changed.

Though, there was one issue: where I was going to live. When asked I simply gave a shrug. "As long as I wake up the next morning, I can sleep anywhere in the city." I replied, getting looks halfway between confused and concerned from all three tamers and their partners. I gave a soft smile to that before Masaru stepped in and demanded I take his house's spare room.

Taking a peek inside the house, I confirmed once again that I was welcome before taking off my shoes and entering. Placing the bag on the couch, I undid the catches to let Herrismon and Patamon roam the house with the other digimon while I checked out my room.

It wasn't much, just a plain set of walls with a bed and nightstand for an alarm. I've had worse.

Dinner came a few quiet hours later, Thomas, Yoshino, and their partners deciding to stay from more of Masaru's strong-arming. I started eating after the others, hoping to avoid memories of being the kid who drew the wrath of religious parents at holiday dinners. Still, I finished first, my stomach empty aside from a pair of bentos on the train ride over. I poked at the remaining bits, hoping to look like I wasn't insulting anyone by finishing first.

"They played your favorite episode today, big bro!" Chika, Masaru's younger sister cheered.

Masaru raised his hand in front of his face. "Burning God Finger!" The two shared a laugh before going silent in a hug.

"Uh," I raised my hand, cutting the hug short as a blue cloud surrounded it. It was gone in the next blink. "What strange dub is that from?" The two siblings looked at me like another head was grown. "It's Erupting Burning Finger in the english dub, not Burning God Finger."

"English dub?" Chika quizzed.

"The original episode?" Masaru wondered, though I could still see gears turning across everyone. "Wait, you understand Japanese like it's English? That's pretty cool!" My mouth went dry and my eyes wide. I caught myself from choking.

"Wha, no!" I felt my heart strum against my chest while I got up and leaned against the wall. My breathing was heavy as I pointed a finger across everyone. "You— you're all speaking english! You've always been!" Thomas narrowed his eyes, writing something down.

"Gaomon." He ordered. The blue canid digimon snapped to attention before being given the note. The two traded a nod before Thomas turned back to me. "When I point at you, I want you to say 'Hello', okay?"

"Got it." I replied. The two repeated "thank you" back and forth, getting faster each time and getting to the fastest I've ever seen two beings talk. Thomas gave me the signal. "Hello." My head spun as if the washing machine was at max speed and that was cranked one hundred fold.

I had to relax for the next ten minutes to return to a point of not seeing stars, even then my vision felt unsteady. "What the hell." I moaned. I forced my eyes shut, nothing working to fix my unease.

"Simple. As you told us on the car ride here, you're part digimon, so you know any language that is digitally known." Thomas informed me; my mouth was getting wider. "Though I have to admit, your mind translating it into— what I assume is at least, your birth language is most likely the reason you didn't pick up on it."

Pop quiz: What's one main component of cultural development and what would eventually happen if it became homogeneous for billions of people?

As a filly, I would've adored being able to speak every single language without trying. In my teen years, I would've just grumbled about it. Now that I've had time to reflect and understand the finer details of being able to understand every language as if it was English for free? I hate… despise this ability. It takes a while, but eventually you realize how much you're missing when everything's the same language. Maybe it's because my journey helped me learn to embrace cultures my family would've never turned an eye to meet three quarters of the way towards them, or that I gained new responsibilities that required me to learn and challenge my old views, or maybe growing up just flat out sucks. Who knows?

"So, I have to ask," I shrunk in the seat. "How does that work? That they know any language that we've digitized."

"It's still up for debate in the science division at DATS." Yoshio explained. "The most common theory is that the digital world picks up our own computer data and integrates it into every bit of life."

"I'd like to test one more thing, if you don't mind." Thomas requested.

"Sure, what is it?" I nervously chuckled.

"I wish to restart the chain of words, but this time I'd like you to listen to what's being said, rather than what you make of it."

"Okay, sure." I nodded. Focusing on their mouths, I actually noticed they were matching up with the syllables. First, the two spoke English, then Japanese, then Mandarin, French, and on. It quickly got to the point where I had simply no idea what language was being spoken, but I knew the words as if I had spoken the language my entire life. Like a sixth sense blasting information right into my mind, I could understand everything.

Now, don't be fooled. I was freaking out. My mind raced as more and more languages were shoved into my head before being pulled out. It was like a clothesline of information shoved into my brain for as long as it needed to be before forcefully removed. I bolted, ending in the guest room I had been given.

The door to the guest room was knocked on twice. "Are you okay in there?" Sayuri asked with no response. Fumbling with the knob, the door creaked open, Heather balled up at the foot of the bed while tear stains soaked the mattress. Herrismon peeked in as he joined the conversation, walking over to the non moving hybrid. With a slight tap she fell backwards, a snore leaving her mouth.

"I don't remember taking a watch when we were traveling." He mumbled. "Was she really up all those nights?"

"Let's give her some rest, then." Sayuri said. "She deserves it." She grabbed the fallen blankets, placing them over the sleeping hybrid before closing the door on the way out.

The sky was blue as the eye could see. I quickly felt a pull in the direction my mind interpreted as forward, air barely rushing across my face as I broke through cloud after cloud. I pushed myself, elation becoming real for just this moment as if I was about to break the sound barrier. Then reality fizzled for the briefest of moments. I reached out with a hand to swipe at the distortion. Whatever wings I had were gone and I was left with a new sensation, falling.

My flatspin stopped and I spotted a cloud beneath me, throwing my arms to the side in an attempt to slow down. I reached out as I was closing in, hoping to land on it like a big fluffy pillow. "Please be solid." I repeatedly tried to convince myself as I was about to impact. The request was for naught as I fell right through, screaming.

The ground soon approached and with a thud I hit the dirt.

I woke up with a groan, glancing through half-closed eyelids at a smashed alarm clock high above me. "Dammit. I'll buy another one." I looked down, noticing the sheets were pulled to the floor as I fell. Grey and yellow caught my eye when I stood up, Herrismon curled up into a ball at the foot of the bed. "It wasn't a dream." It took a moment of leaning against the wall (as soft as I could, after breaking the alarm clock) so that my mind could catch up to my memories.

My thoughts drifted to everyone that I left, wondering if there was a 'going back' after three weeks of being MIA. A knock on the door snapped my head to it, Herrismon giving the cutest yawn I've ever seen so far as he woke up. "Morning." He groaned.

"How was your sleep?" I asked, moving to the door.

"Pretty good." I opened it, Yoshino on the other side in full uniform.

"Oh, hey. How's it going…" The reddish-pink haired woman crossed her arms.

"Yoshino. Good afternoon." She huffed. My head slowly turned in horror at the smashed alarm clock. Hoping she didn't notice, I placed myself between her and it. "You should really think about taking a shower before we head over to HQ." Herrismon slunk back as I went to ask him; a quick sniff of my shirt in disbelief scrunched my face.

It was an hour later when we arrived at the HQ and I was shuffled into the clichéd interrogation room. Sitting there, I tried my best not to squirm, even if the smell of me being clean was foriegn at that moment. "Name please?" The blue haired older man, who on our way in introduced himself as the Commander of the Japanese DATS branch—Satsuma Rentauro, asked.

"Heather Aleponte." I replied for the second time in two weeks while lazing in the chair.

"Born in Brooklyn?"

"My family moved to Bay Village in Boston just after I was born. I now live, well, lived, just outside of Austin." I rolled my eyes. "I know you have specific questions in mind, can we skip to them?"

"Fair enough." The commander looked at the digimon on his shoulder, the white and gold weasel looking at me through narrowed eyes.

"Let me start with the most pressing question; how did you get these abilities?" Kudamon asked.

"An evil scientist named 'Dr. Kurata' did. For whatever reason." I replied.

"Kurata?" Satsuma echoed as a hazy cloud of gray started surrounding him. "He did this?"

"Please don't be his allies, please don't let this be a trap for me." I thought, giving myself a mental kick. "I don't have any evidence, but yes. You know him?" I noticed the cloud growing, squinting at the two.

"Is something the matter?" Kudamon asked, squinting back at me.

"Uh, nothing. Sorry, I just thought I saw something," I shook my head. "But after I broke free, he teleported me to the digital world. Found out he's been genociding it for ten years."

"You broke free? How?" Kudamon questioned.

"He wanted me to evolve and kill an Agumon he had in captivity so his machine could delete it," The cloud transitioned to red, though the commander's stalwart expression didn't budge. "I couldn't bring myself to…" I paused when the table groaned, my hand relaxing to reveal the spot on the table looking like someone had made it out of play-doh. "So I destroyed the machine, artificial digimon, I don't know—again, I know I don't have evidence, and made a run for it. Tried to find him and put a stop to it. I failed."

"You're a unique case… Aleponte-san." Satsuma replied. I tilted my head, but he quickly raised a hand. "I was briefed on your translator abilities already. If you didn't know, the honorific roughly equates to 'Ms.'."

I nodded before my mind reset onto the topic. "Unique?"

"Not many random humans would think of digimon as living beings at first glance." Kudamon answered. "But that brings the question up," The cloud started drifting over and I leaned in to let it enter my nose without even realizing. "Why did you?" That twisted euphoria from yesterday filled me again and I stood up.

"Because I know what a living being in pain looks like!" My slam bifurcated the metal table. Moans of pain in my memories cut the last onions needed for me to sob. "I've seen it. I… I…"

"I apologize for bringing up what must be a traumatic experience." Satsuma stood up and walked to the door. "Please, take a break. We can resume in a bit." The door slammed, leaving me with my tears

I was left alone and given time to calm down; my body still felt like a rolling boil disguised as flat water. I forced my eyes open, closing them only showing the eyes of a soul in pain. Snapping the digivice off the rig, I stared at the screen once again. Looking back at me was myself, and yet in her eyes I saw something else. An honest strength in her smile, overwhelming kindness in her heart, and a yearning to be the wild, free, but still a loyal mare to those she cared about. The feeling crept into me as well. I went to do it, the feeling of a release of all the energy that came with evolving within my grasp. I closed my eyes, ready for my existence to be pulled apart at the seams; the door opened and the feelings acted as if they never existed.

"Please," Commander Satsuma interjected. "Continue. We'll need to run scans on you anyway."

The door to the underground training arena swished open, everyone looking at me as I trotted in. The commander pointed me to the course laid out, "Here's what you'll be doing, BioEquismon—"

"Heather."

"—You'll be running the course while our sensors scan every last bit of you." Masaru patted me on the withers

"Just do what you did yesterday, and you'll be fine." He smirked.

"Alright!" I gave a hearty smile. "Time for every pony to get to training." There was a pause. "Get it? Cause I'm the only horse here?" I began walking away. "Ugh, what does a mare have to do in order to get some laughs around these parts?"

I closed my eyes before the PA system near me crackled. "Do you hear us, BioEquismon?" Thomas asked.

"Heather," I answered. "But yes, I copy. It'll be easy as apple pie compared to what I did yesterday."

"Don't worry about that," Yoshino replied. "We're just looking for scans."

"Whatever you say, I'm going to kick this course's flank." I shook my head and kicked a foreleg out.

"Okay… ready to start when you are."

"Ready." I took a breath. "Focus, Heather, you got this." "

Three, two, one, go!"

The course run wasn't all that difficult; run here, jump here, use (attack) on this dummy. The commander came out to see me as I finished up. "That was awesome!" I cheered. "What a rush! Can I go again?"

"Yes." He chuckled. "But first I have something else that might be 'awesome'. How about a proposition?"

RECOVERED FILE: SECURITY CAM 3652516:
Data reconstruction complete. PLAYBACK…
Audible tears fell as Commander Satsuma left the interrogation room, closing the door behind him. He walked down the hall, stopping a few doors down. "I don't like this." Satsuma mumbled, swiveling his head to check the ends of the corridor.

"Yes. This is a dangerous situation." Kudamon replied.

"I'll start investigations into what Kurata is doing." The commander replied. "I don't disbelive her statements, but without concrete evidence we can't bring this up to anyone."

"Agreed."

JainusVt · May 15, 2025

"Okay." Thomas sighed, preparing himself for asking the question that hurt to think about. "You're ordering us to, specifically, befriend, Heather?" Kudamon nodded. "Am I right to assume that it's a persuasion technique in order for her to accept the offer and join DATS?"

"That would be correct." Commander Satsuma replied.

"Getting her to open up on what she's seen would go a long way to help determine the validity of her claims as well." Kudamon added. "If the digital world is in trouble, we can't ignore it."

"There is one detail that you're missing." The trio and their partners perked up at their commander's voice. "A very obvious one when considering Ms. Aleponte's circumstance." Thomas rubbed his chin before a glance went over his hand.

"No…" He muttered, narrowing his eyes at the commander. "You mean?"

"Yes." Satsuma nodded. "In essence, Heather Aleponte is…"

"A very hungry woman." I replied before chowing down at the exact moment of that conversation. I gave a glance to my friends, also eating the food I brought back before turning back to the dusk rays illuminating the open loading dock.

Right now I was set up to live in an old warehouse that the Japanese government constructed with help from the UN when people started disappearing to what scientists called 'quantum faults'. This building was supposed to be a home base with everything the research team needed; a dorm fitting one hundred people, teleporters to send field teams, spaces for native flora and fauna study, labs for bacteria and any diseases, the whole nine yards for any multiversal exploration group. However, just after a few expeditions into the digital world the program was shut down.

The clinking of the two cubes hooked on the holster connected to my belt cut me from my thoughts and I traced a finger over one. Before I was sent on my way (with supervision from one of the operators), a technician went over my digivice. I don't know what I expected of the internals, but all I saw was mundane computer parts. The DATS version actually doesn't have the LCD screen mine does, but rather a complicated storage/recovery/summon system for digimon partners. Ergo, the cubes, now given their own independent power supplies.

"So." I took another bite. "We've made no progress."

"I wouldn't say that." Patamon said. "They're friendly enough"

I sighed, "It would probably be best if we just forced our way back now. I'm not really in the mood for having to sign up just to get their support."

"Heather, you know what our plan was." Herrismon spoke up. "At least if we get their support I can try to overlook this crappy pampering."

"I know, I know." I groused. "I'm not really the best at making friends."

"So, what are you going to do with that egg?" Herrismon asked, poking through the cover of my backpack as the car sped along the streets.

"We're going to return it to the digital world." Thomas replied. "It belongs in that world."

"That's not right!" I yelled. "You're going to get it killed for good!"

"You don't know anything, do you?" Yoshino asked. "When digimon die, they revert to an egg-like sta—"

"No, you don't understand!" Herrismon interjected. "There are things coming from your world that can erase us for good!"

"Our world?" Masaru murmured.

"We need to get back there!" I demanded.

"You can't." Thomas said. "The gate doesn't always work for humans."

"Then build one that does always work!" I yelled. "Living beings are dying and they need help! And we need your help with saving them!"

"Why are you two fighting?" Patamon cried. "Please don't fight!" I looked between him and Herrismon before taking a breath.

"It's okay. We're not fighting, we just have a difference of opinion on how to handle it." I cooed, picking him up. "Let's get inside, the sun's going down."

Finding the room we appropriated and setting the two in it, I tapped the wristwatch shaped device on my arm. Like the cubes for my charges, I was given it as a way to keep in touch— this being a vital monitor with inbuilt GPS tracker and communications, though for a more concerning reason; my health. Back then, the public couldn't know I existed, so there was no way to get official treatment. "Megumi, gonna go for a run until I can't anymore." I said.

"Got it," She replied. "Please report back when you finish, and have a good run!"

"Thanks, will do."

By the time my hooves started to ache, starlight was pouring in from the loading dock. Something caught my eye as I passed the loading dock. I poked my head outside… to nothing. "Strange." I muttered. I turned my head again just to make sure. Still nothing. My muscles ached once more, the dormitories seeming further away than they ever were. With my muscles aching as badly as they did while I was BioEquismon, I figured that my human muscles would be even worse. So, I went to the comfiest spot I could find, followed my instinct to lay down on four legs, and fell asleep.

I don't know how long it was when my sleep was disturbed. My mind was screaming at me. It was like a painful blob that popped into existence, hovering in the loading dock's door, almost unsure whether it should come in. My mind was screaming one phrase after the first few seconds passed: 'GIZUMON, HOSTILE'. It was just hovering there, in the middle of the door frame, like a ghost trying to haunt me.

I peaked an eye out; there was nothing in the open door frame. Just a calm and still night with lunar rays falling into the building.

"It's probably just a bad dream." I internally reconciled, trying to fall back to sleep. "I'm… gonna have a lot of those now, aren't I?" Still, the sensation was there, easily discernible from everything else. It was like my mind had picked up the faintest traces and flooded me with my herd instinct; the predator always watching. Giving up on sleep, I managed to get it so the ability pointed down, sensing the softness of the floor up until the boxes and eventually learning to swivel within my snout's direction. The sensation inched forward. 'GIZUMON, HOSTILE'. I opened my eyes again, still nothing. My mind kept insisting, however, the slow creeping of it continued. I gave up fighting it, slowly stood up, and aimed right at the sensation. "Equis Rush!" I yelled, my eyes snapping open as I felt an impact with something. Air shimmered as a Gizumon popped into reality and the remains fell onto the ground. My heart raced and I screamed.

Herrismon ran out of another door behind me, my breathing unsteady as it could ever be. "What's going on?" He noticed the dented machine lying dormant on the floor. "Holy shit."

"Get Patamon, call DATS." I ordered. "I'll watch."

Everyone arrived within ten minutes, eyes horrified at the corpse left behind.

"We've done an initial analysis of the materials used." Megumi stated, joining everyone in holding back their yawns. "The metal isn't just photoreactive as it was used just earlier, it can also be photoactive."

I raised my hoof, "What does that mean?"

"It means that not only can this material go invisible, but it can display itself as other objects."

"So it's a f—" I held my curse back. "Damn mimic?!"

Satsuma coughed as he took the front of the room. "These materials could have only been made with details on the digital world. Even worse, is that the metal has the integrity to resist attacks from all but one here." His eyes landed on me.

"Yeah, any of my attacks can one shot them." I replied. "Why is that the worst part?"

"Because, you're the only one who's an ultimate level, BioEquismon." Murmurs erupted from the three tamer pairs and the two operators.

"Anypony want to clue me in?" I asked without a thought to my words.

"As you're probably aware, there are many levels digimon can exist at." Thomas started. "All the digimon here, except for you, are currently the level we call 'rookie'. Above that is 'champion'."

"Like GeoGreymon?" I remembered that fight.

"Correct." Yoshino replied. "But also Kabuterimon."

"But there's also a level above that, called 'ultimate'." Thomas continued, yet my eyes linger on Kudamon and the commander. Something didn't sit right. "You're the only one here who's capable of that power right now."

"I have one question." I raised a hoof to my snout. "I only knew this mimic was there because I could sense it. How?" Masaru quickly grabbed his partner.

"Hey! What are you doing, big bro?" Agumon cried as he was carried around the room. I followed it with my eyes, and yet there was an underlying way I could tell where the orange dinosaur was at any time. I closed my eyes, and sure enough, the sensations returned. I reopened my eyes, focusing on the sensation again, and it was still there.

"That sensory ability…" Kudamon trailed off, narrowing his eyes.

"Something wrong?" I asked, nervously scuffing a hoof.

"The fact is, we don't know what an 'Equismon' is capable of." Yoshino relented.

"What do you mean you don't know?"

"There's no information on an 'Equismon' ever existing."

"So Vitramon was right, there is no other of your kind." Herrismon muttered.

"You met one of the legendary species?" Kudamon recoiled. Miki cleared her throat.

"The most we can clarify is that you're on par with ultimate levels." She continued. "Whatever extraneous abilities you might have are up to you to find out."

I choked for a second. "What? What kind of Frankenstein's digimon did Kurata turn me into?"

I was still unable to sleep half an hour later as I stared out the window overlooking the warehouse's opposite side. The moon was out in a waxing gibbous and the stars dotted in the more rural sky.

"Still in that form?" Masaru asked; I yelped as he joined me at the window.

"Was asked to see how long I can hold it," I did as much of a shrug as my withers could portray. "Still, turning back now would probably make me fall asleep here. I'd rather carry myself to bed if that's that case."

"Fair enough. What's it like?"

"My first attempt at evolving got me fish slapped in the face. Not my best memory of being a boat, but you know." There was a brief moment of pause before we started laughing. "It took me days to get the hang of moving around, but now?" I motioned to the window with a hoof. "Moments where I feel like I'm stuffed into a costume are long gone," I paused as my ears folded down and my tears started swelling. "It's been a while since the last time life made me feel that way." I chose to walk off before a puddle formed beneath me.

I yawned while trotting into the break room the next morning. "Morn." I muttered while half-asleep.

"Twelve hours is impressive, BioEquismon." Yoshino greeted me with a smile.

"Damn you lack of coffee." I mumbled. "Also, Heather. Anyway, so far so good. I'm going to go until twenty four hours and then call the test."

"Fair." She replied. I was about to ask to make breakfast but then remembered my lack of opposable thumbs for the next twelve hours when Thomas entered.

"Hello." He said. "How was resting in that form?"

"Hard to say, I was asleep." I snarked to his lack of enthusiasm. "After a few attempts to sit down I forwent it and stood the rest of the night. Horses can do that, if you're not aware, but not for lengths like that."

"I am. But you're not really a horse, just a collection of data on horses."

I actually forgot to consider that, but it was obvious; horses can't spit arrows or form energy shields to bowl into people, nor are their eyes on the front of their heads. Though, not dying was taking up more space in my mind. "Besides, I have a question to ask you." He began, my motion letting him continue. "How does it feel to evolve?"

"The first time I didn't feel anything." I answered. "Well, no, I felt like I was being pushed through the visual definition of the transformers noise." It's true, Even after acclimating, the human mind can only make an interpretation of evolution. "It got clearer later on, more feelings of energy transforming my physical form, I don't know, it still feels hazy to me." The answer seemed to satisfy him when I felt a pull to the arboretum.

Without a fear I lowered my head just as I made it to the grassy area, my hands wrenched off the wheel. I chomped on the grass, my first thought being 'YUCK' as the human side of my brain tried to stop it. I forced it to give up; I needed food. The second thought was 'Awww, I'm grazing all cute like'. I kept grazing, feeling both like I was giving in to what my mind told me to do and I was doing myself. Eventually I ended up with the opinion of 'not bad'. Yep, that's me. Heather Aleponte, amature grass connoisseur.

"Good." I heard Kudamon greet me, earning a yelp from my mouth. "It seems your instincts are fully developed."

"Don't do that again." I quavered. "Please?" The white pipe-fox nodded.

"Your problem now is you're letting instincts take over your movements. I thought I saw you being slow during the training course." He explained.

"S-slow?"

"Instincts should be a guide, not something you constantly depend on." Kudamon responded. "Letting them take over your actions makes you predictable."

"Once you're done with your, uh, meal," Commander Satsuma said, the snickers visible behind his stoney face. "Join us in room 72-A for training."

I gave a quick salute with a hoof; him leaving was my cue to continue grazing on grass. "It's okay."

Room 72-A was one of the larger rooms in the warehouse; it was also the filled room in the warehouse with empty shipping containers and barrels laid haphazardly up to the ceiling; perfect for training. An observation deck watched from high above, connecting to the ground level.

"Masaru, Thomas, Yoshino, you need to start working on facing tougher opponents," Commander Satsuma said from the overhanging glass. "BioEquismon, push yourself to your limits." I rolled my eyes.

"Remember, work with your instincts, don't let them control you or fight them." Kudamon added.

"Whichever team has all their members return to their base form first loses." The commander announced. "Whenever you're ready, begin."

"How about a bet?" I asked as I stretched my legs out. "Ah win, you send me back to the digital world, and y'all come with me."

Thomas rolled his eyes. "We're not going to take a bet, this is just train—"

"You're on!" Masaru cheered, gaining the ire of his colleagues. "We win, you join DATS!"

I smiled. "Deal!"

I bolted as Thomas and Yoshino began evolving their partners to champion, setting myself up for an ambush above a blind corner. "Spiral Blow!" Wind tore metal as my hiding spot revealed itself to Thomas and Gaogamon—a blue wolf wearing boxing gloves on its forepaws and a two ended scarf.

"Equis Rush!" It stood up, catching my shield with the forepaws as I struggled to knock it aside.

"Gaoga Hound!" My shield began cracking at the bite, his wiggling trying to disorientate me as I impacted one of the container walls. I let the shield dissipate, knocking Gaogamon away with a clean buck before continuing my sprint.

"Sunshine Gun!" Two seeds impacted on my withers, knocking me down for a brief moment before I continued my run. Sunflowmon— Lalamon's champion and an anthropomorphic sunflower, continued to strike with ranged attacks from above as I recovered.

"Wait, where was Masa—" A fist impacted my barrel, my body flying back across the floor. "Crap." I pushed myself onto my hooves as his partner evolved, my opponents now totaling three. I continued my sprint, barreling through a pair of boxes and through a few turns.I came to a junction as Sunflowmon landed on the other side.

"She's over here!" I could hear Yoshino call to her teammates.

"Astral—" I stopped my response from happening. "I can't, I could hurt her!" I remembered the pain the Kabuterimon was in just before it became an egg again. "Did I enjoy hurting the others I fought? Ah reckon I did." My thoughts were a mishmash of conflcting emotions mid gallop. "No! I was fighting to survive— Is this not a fight as well? Why am I holding myself back? They're my friends!"

"Sunshine Beam!" The lance of energy threw me into another crate as I was still having my internal debate. "Sunshine Gun!" Seeds impacted across my body and I gave in, standing up and flaring nostrils.

"Astral Arrow!" The bolt flew true, ragdolling Sunflowmon against the barrels behind her. Going to the next corner, I noticed Lalamon wasn't moving. "Shit. No, no, no, no!" I cantored over. "Please get up. Please!" The shaking of the ground continued, Gaogamon and Thomas appearing at the juncture behind me. "I give up! I don't want to hurt you all!" GeoGreymon and Masaru appeared on the other corner as Lalamon returned to Yoshino's digivice. I was trapped. "I can't do it. I don't like this at all!"

"The more you fight yourself the harder mastery will be." Kudamon scolded over the speakers as I tucked myself in the corner. "Let yourself use the power needed to fight in this battle."

"Lalamon's fine. She'll recover." Yoshino said, now in the observation deck.

"We're not going to let you quit, BioEquismon." Thomas scoffed. "My idol didn't quit, even when he was past his prime. And you're not going to quit for a simple reason either."

"Yeah, you're our friend." Masaru smirked. "We trust you. And I won't let you just give up on training to become better. That's how a man lives, after all. Now, do you trust us?"

I took a few deep breaths to steady my brittle voice. "Yes. I do. Okay, I can do this. Equis Rush!" I battered Gaogamon to the side as I ran.

"Spiral Blow!" The gust of wind from the blue wolf soared over my head as I turned another corner, with no time to duck I turned another as claws cut the metal just over me. My new sense flared as the pieces sheared; I made a choice to trust it, closing my eyes. I turned once again, now noticing a gap just wide enough for me in between two barrels.

Thomas peeked around the corner to see an empty passageway. "Where did she go?" He whispered, then turned to his partner. "Plan 6-C."

"Yes, Master."

I watched the two pass, still deep in thought. "They're friendly, they want to help." I internally repeated while looking at my hooves. "And ah want to get stronger, this is my body. Only I can choose to let it run!" I closed my eyes, letting my senses really reach my mind. It was like I was swimming, and yet, not getting wet. My ears picked up a sound; above! My eyes shot open and I raced out.

"Double Dash Claw!" I barely made it out of my hiding spot as an X-shaped projectile shattered the barrels.

There wasn't any more space to run. "Astral Arrow!" The bolt snapped Gaogamon back as I galloped even faster as I took in my lesson from earlier. Another bolt impacted again, and another. "Equis Rush!" I shot forward, impacting Gaogamon just before he recovered; he was sent flying into the debris he made before Gaomon slowly climbed out, returning to Thomas' digivice. "And now there's one."

I reached another clearing, getting to work, knocking over several barrels and crates before I closed my eyes again to let my body work. I could feel my tail flicking around and I let myself have the snort. Soon after, I heard a stomp, and thought of a plan.

"Now where is she?" Masaru wondered just before I attacked. Glowing arrows began raining from above, bolt after bolt landing on GeoGreymon's head.

"These aren't her full power." He said, covering his partner while the two waded the bolts. "What is she planning?"

"Equis Rush!" The three containers to his right were forced over, the shielded equine's uppercut knocking the dinosaur down.

I galloped around to his head, looking down on his eyes. "You give up, yet?" I demanded, finally feeling the wind of a three-versus-one.

"No!" Masaru smirked; my head snapped to him. "Now!" GeoGreymon grabbed me, standing up, and flung me back where I was. A loud clang sounded out, forcing everyone to cover their ears.

"Okay," I groaned and pushed myself to my hooves again. "That actually hurt." An orange fist sent me skidding across the floor, my hooves screaming as friction built up on them again. "Nice change of tactics." I gave a pained laugh, starting to enjoy this spar.

"We're not done yet!"

"Neither am I! Astral Arrow!" One bolt made the orange dinosaur slow his walk toward me

"Mega Flame!" I jumped, dodging the wave of flame and landed two more arrows. GeoGreymon kneeled, my attacks finally wearing him down.

"Equis Rush!" I barreled in, giving this one attack everything I had left.

"Mega Blast!" GeoGreymon countered, launching the fireball straight at my shield. I leapt as it impacted, aiming for the chest when a fist impacted my snout. My concentration broke; I didn't get to see the tail whip as it smacked me into a container.

With no more ability to move, I felt my digimon form dissolve around me. "Okay." I groaned. "You win, I'll join DATS. Good match." Masaru held out a hand as the trio stood over me. I grabbed it and he helped me back to my feet.

"We're still going to help you with the problems in the digital world." He smirked. "After all, we're teammates now." The other two joined in.

JainusVt · May 15, 2025

DECLASSIFIED FILE: Astraeus Initiative - Initial Meeting

SECURITY CAM 25673621: PLAYBACK…

"Race you to Big Ben?" A hat wearing male gleed as he started running.

"Hey!" A woman's voice yelled. "Get back here!" The two arrived at the street's corner, the no walk sign for the street in front of them displayed clearly in the cloudy mid-afternoon sky.

"Too bad for you, I think I figured out a shortcut!" The male cheered, starting to run across the street parallel. He laughed all the way across the small street before stopping at the corner. "Sorry, babe! You're gonna have to pay for dinner!" His running continued; there was no time to slow down as the tear in reality opened in front of him. It consumed him before his mind could even process what had happened.

It closed as fast as it opened.

The woman craned her head in his previous direction to see his hat falling softly onto the sidewalk. "Jackson? This better not be a prank!" She glanced around before carefully walking over and kneeling to grab the hat. "Jackson?! Honey?" Her movements became frantic. "This isn't funny! Don't do this to us!" Tears slammed into the ground. She rubbed the hat; her eyes landed on her stomach.

A man with a Belgium flag pin took to the nearby podium as the camera finished its capture of the event. "Events like these have been recorded in great detail starting at the tail end of 2012. Within the month that they've been documented, we've had to cover up two hundred and fifty stories just like Ms. Lavota's account, with the total of missing persons adding to over four hundred. Families, friends, loved ones; all of them are being ripped from our world." He gazed over the room, the UN appointed scientists watching with similar dismay.

"Where are they being taken?" A voice in the crowd spoke up.

"We don't know." The Belgian official responded. Whether he regretted the bluntness or not he added, "That's why the UN has assembled you all today; you're being tasked to close these 'quantum faults'— from the theories I've been told, for good." He turned to the fifty year old Japanese man nearby, "Dr. Watanabe has been chosen to head this project, he will inform you all of what is needed."

The doctor took the podium, clearing his throat. "While I accept the notion of being the head of this project, I will still have to disagree with the UN's assessment, Mr. Aaldenberg." He said. "We have no way of telling the repercussions of long term forced quantum, well, amputation."

"As it stands, our people are being taken from our world. What happens if a being from elsewhere gets transported to our world, someone we can't control; A disease, too powerful for our medicines to cure?" A black scientist in the crowd argued. "If we let it get to that point, then it might be too late to do anything."

"Agreed." A scientist from France yelled. "Our world is being ripped apart at the seams, who knows what would happen if whatever barrier is keeping other worlds out fails. We need to protect ourselves."

Dr. Watanabe raised a hand to silence, "We have no concrete—"

"If?" A Canadian voice cut in. "More like 'when'."

"And leave the people taken to die?…"

"We have no evidence they're still alive…"

"And miss out on all the possible advances in science…"

"We could all die if—"

"We're against the clock." A feminine British voice soothed the crowd. "If we do nothing but argue then we shouldn't have met. I say we hear out Dr. Watanabe."

The Belgian official mulled the ongoing discussion as murmurs and whispers took over the room. "Very well, doctor. You have the floor again."

"In light of the worries and objections given to me just now, my solution is a mediated one." Dr. Watanabe announced. "While we must learn how to close the faults permanently and seal ourselves, there is no reason we can't learn to open faults of our own. The names for the subdivisions I will be typing might be placeholders, but their importance isn't."

The monitor switched to a black background, Dr. Watanabe typing as he spoke.

Windvane - Research of extradimensional atmospheres and climates.

Frontier - Investigation and rescue teams trained in the worst possible environments.

Boulder - Geologists, mineralogists, and archeologists .

Trident - Marine study.

Genome - Biology and pathology.

"Finally, the three that have the most priority." He said.

Stardust - Closing wild faults and learning how to open our own.

Tamer - Defense against anything that might breach containment.

Handshake - Diplomats.

"Do you really think we need diplomats?" one voice murmured, causing backtalk.

The Japanese scientist scowled at the source of the voice. "Yes, we do," The whispers stopped. "While first contact is not guaranteed, I'd like to have plans already set in motion for when we do meet another sapient species. For better, and for worse."

The crowd's murmurs started up again. "These are acceptable requirements." The black male scientist conceded. "I vote in favor."

"I too vote in favor." The British scientist agreed, followed by everyone else.

"Dr. Watanabe," Mr. Aaldenberg spoke, catching the scientist's attention. "You have the honor of naming the project."

"Astraeus." Dr. Watanabe announed. "Our road to many stars."

The British scientist walked up to her Japanese colleague at a nearby restaurant later that day. "Ah, Doctor Edwards, what brings you here?" Dr. Wanatabe asked.

"May I join you?" She asked; he motioned to sit and the two quickly ordered their meals. "I have a proposal for Astraeus."

The Japanese man contemplated, then let out a deep sigh. "For a moment I thought you would say the person I was thinking of contacting for Trident, but that would be my age speaking and remorse tugging at my memories of her death."

"Actually, two for Frontier, and one for Stardust." She placed the dossiers on the table, opening them. "They already work in Japan; no need for overseas relocation to sites one and two."

"Satsuma Rentaro and Yushima Hiroshi?" He asked upon seeing the first two.

"Detectives who've already worked on several related cases." A chuckle left the old man's mouth upon viewing the third file.

"Ah, Crier." He smirked. "It's been too long since I've seen him." He glanced up to Doctor Edwards giving a nonplussed face.

"Crier?" She echoed. "You know Doctor Nohuchi?" The man gave a warm smile.

"I do," The man smiled into the distance, "I guess his nickname never stuck around; It's been a while since we last met. I heard a few years ago that he was planning to have a child once he settled down with his wife."

JainusVt · May 17, 2025

AN: Trigger warning for one on screen death via falling. The rest is alluded to but not shown.

Sunlight of the Friday morning after joining DATS hit my face, forcing myself from slumber. I rolled over, hoping that sleep would overtake my mind again. Then my alarm blared. I sighed, forcing myself from the bed and walking to the bathroom to start my day.

I moved into a small apartment in the city the day after our mock battle, a deeper inspection into the facility's living space revealed corroded pipes among other living hazards.With a quick slap to my cheek after drying off, I yawned once more, feeling energy returned into my system. Now with pep in my steps I started humming a peculiar song as I moved to get myself ready. Each movement synced up with the song; toast and eggs, coffee, getting each piece of my set of clothes ready for the new day.

"Hogs don't care if they get a little dirty cause in the end they still get the feed." My uncle always reminded me after a complaint, because after Commander Satsuma gave me the talk about the organization, I realized something terrible: DATS were… basically cops. Let's just say I wasn't thrilled to work with that kind of people, lest I run out of the words I've allocated for this chapter, okay?

My reflection popped up in a window nearby, and after living in this apartment for a few days I realized something; for the first time in my life I hated city life. Each corner reeked and the masses of people speaking hurt my head when I tried to take walks. My random mood swings made me seem stranger than a normal tourist to most folks, the blobs of color I could only see, pulling me towards them not helping. Everyday I spent inside my apartment was another where I just wanted to run on four legs again, feel the wind flowing in my maine and tail. Like an itch you can't scratch, and you keep scratching at it and you want to find it. All that releasing of energ— I sniffed, the smell and crackling noise notifying me that my eggs were burning.

I sat down at my couch, plates of burnt food at the ready as my friends finally woke up.

"Morning!" I cheered, not bothering to swallow while handing them a smaller plate each. "Ready for the first day?"

"As long as we get to fighting Kurata eventually." Herrismon groggily replied while I stopped Patamon from knocking over the mug of (extremely) hot coffee onto himself. I restarted my humming after breakfast, cleaning up really quickly before taking my pills, then moving to get dressed.
The doorbell rang moments later. "It's Yoshino!" Patamon beamed, scurrying out of the door's sightlines so I could open it.

"What's today's password?" I demanded.

"Cherries are tasty." Her voice groaned. It was better safe than sorry. …

…

…

…

…

I still have nightmares about mimic attacks happening again.

"Morning." I greeted, offering her to step in.

She shook her head while asking, "All set for today?"

I nodded, "Give me one last minute. Gotta pack up before we head out"

I closed the door, getting my shoes on before putting my storage unit on my belt. I clicked the two cubes out of their holders, the two digimon standing as I pointed the cubes at them. "Herrismon, Patamon, digitize." One beam shot from each cube, colliding with my friends as they started to glow. Their forms became light as the beams pulled them inside the storage units, the cubes snapping back into their holder.

The door to the HQ opened and I fell over. I massaged my body as a short blue and white dragon with a yellow 'V' on its head scurried over. "What the hell, I just cleaned that!" He said in a very Jersey accent. Contrary to popular belief, DATS wasn't heartless enough to egg every digimon that breached through the faults. There were many, like the Veemon yelling at me, who were scared at the unknown world they had fallen into and couldn't return from.

"Sorry, I didn't see the sign." I replied.

"Ah, Heather," Miki greeted me while I picked myself up. "Your uniform arrived just a few minutes ago." I growled, "Very well, let's go to the briefing room."

Since Monday, DATS had started prepping for a real expedition into the digital world. With the digital drive now operational for humans (Surprisingly Masarun and Thomas fell through it once before). Our excursion was planned for late next friday while the equipment that had been ordered arrived later that day. Until then was business as usual for the others. For me, it was just more waiting

"Still on that 'cop' thing?" Yoshino grumbled to me as everyone else dispersed.

"DATS decided on a whim who can and can't live in this world." I grunted before sighing. "Look, you won the bet fair and square but I'm not putting on one of those uniforms." The agent looked away from me.

"I didn't really win the bet. I was just on the winning team." She mumbled. Herrismon kicked me in my shin before I spoke next, "Heather, genocidal doctor problem first!" I winced slightly.

"Right, sorry." I mumbled.

"It's okay." Yoshino replied. "I guess you're right, we did… attack you," I raised an eyebrow at her. "And claimed you stole your friends."

"Finish off evil maniac with death robots first?" I asked. She nodded, then we shook on it.

Two beings trudged through the mountainous landscape, chilled winds howling as ice was crunched under boot and talon. Each step they took was labored, bruises and cuts scattered across their bodies. But they kept on breathing, kept on moving until reaching a cavernous space inside.

Both knelt. "We couldn't stop him from accessing the gate." The taller being pleaded, raising his gaze to meet the altar where a massive shadowed figure sat.

"It does not matter." The large figure boomed. "You have done well today, rest."

"Why must we care about this other world?" The question gained a raised eyebrow from the massive figure. "Why did we have to protect the gate from him?"

"The other world at large isn't the issue." The large being stated.

"But—"

"Do you believe every digimon your enemy if one attacks you?"

"...No?"

The large figure exhaled. "Blind hatred will get us nowhere; those who take lives are the enemy. Please, rest now. You've done a lot."

It was a while after the conversation, the large figure looking to the distance. The sun was lowering behind the horizon.

"You were so noble once." The figure murmured. "I pray your heart finds peace before you do something you'd regret."

I leaned back in the nearest chair in the break room later that day, a good round of exercise as my digimon form winding down with a drink of water. I picked up my paper, looking over the written notes.

"What are you doing?" Thomas questioned, pulling up a chair next to me after his own boxing spar against Gaomon. I turned the page around to show a child's writing exercize. "Reading Japanese?"

"Ms. Daimon gave it to me when I asked." I answered. "Figured I'd at least try to understand written text. Might come in useful, might not."

"Fair enough." Thomas agreed.

"Why didn't you all communicate with the digital world?" I mumbled to no one, only then realizing that I was the only one between the four of us that was over ten years old at that time. A moment passed and I leaned into the chair. "Damnit." I muttered, leaning forward. "Forgot it was in there."

"Forgot what?" Thomas inquired. I pulled the small rock out from my pants pocket. "A rock?"

"Well, on the outside." I flipped it over, showing the rest of the plain rock. "Obviously the real item is inside of it."

"And how do you know that?" Gaomon asked.

"It was something a villian saw as worth destroying an entire village of rookie levels and younger to get," All of the digimon present gave a shudder. "So I was given it to, well, protect. Besides, I can sense the energy within. It's strong, but, weak? I'm not sure how to describe it or how I'm sensing it."

Yoshino, sitting nearby, pointed to my head, "That's also where you got your goggles, right?" I nodded, Patamon landing on my lap.

"Do you know anything about these items?" I asked the new arrival.

"The rock was there before my egg hatched." He replied, taking off to land on the nearby table. "Swanmon said it was the only one of its kind, that it fell from the highest of mountains nearby, where the king and his knights live."

"Would you know how it opens?" Lalamon asked.

Patamon shook his head, "No. I was never told that. But I know one day, the—"

"Goggles." I answered; he nodded.

"— were found by Raidramon, and then placed inside the container."

"As an obivous distraction." Thomas thought aloud. "That still leaves us with the question of how—" I licked it, gaining an eye twitch from Thomas and a blank stare from everyone else.

"Why did you do that!?" Herrismon complained.

"Do you understand where that could've been?" Thomas scowled. "The digital world might be free of disease, but that's still wrong."

"Maybe it was water soluble?" Everyone acted as if they had just fallen over in shock; Yoshino let out a sigh and facepalmed.

"Great," She moaned. "Now there are two Masarus on our team." The alarm went off, followed by a quick explanation and we scrambled out the door.

"Would you happen to know what we're going up against?" I asked into the earpiece I was given, entering the train tunnels alongside Thomas. I glanced back to our drop off point, the multitude of rapid fire questions from citizens needing the train stop not giving Yoshino an easy time.

"No," Miki replied. "We can only detect breaches as they form, not what digimon passes through them." I shined a flashlight down the tracks.

"Can't you measure a digisoul on your end?" I asked.

The two operators furiously typed away as warnings arose in their systems. "Standby." Megumi said, scanning over the data. "We're getting a powerful reading near you."

"No contact so far." Thomas answered.

Miki looked through, confirming the information, "It's also… different. Let us confirm " She turned to the commander, Kudamon's eyes narrower than ever. The old man rushed from the room; an incoherent murmur from his partner falling nowhere near the women's ears. "Something's wrong."

"What do you mean 'different?'" I demanded, eyes swapping sides of the tunnel.

"It must be some kind of unique species. Please be careful!" Megumi pleaded. The tunnel's silence became loud with my heartbeat echoing off the corridor walls, the darkness encroaching on the spots of our flashlights.

Then there was laughing echoing between the walls. It was from a voice I knew.

"Oh no." I muttered as Thomas joined me in scanning every inch of the tunnel.

Yoshino's explanation stopped as the laugh's vibrations hit her ears. She tried seeing down the tunnel only to be met with darkness. Slowly she turned back to the citizens and smiled before resuming the questioning of those who remained.

My ears caught the woosh of wings between the echoes, my head snapping around to see a bolt of fire illuminating an arm cannon atop a red scaly body for the briefest of seconds. "Get down!" I tackled Thomas out of the bolt's path. The tunnel shook as our coughing fits finished; the way forward was blocked off.

"Well, well, hybrid. It's nice to see you again." Vitramon's growl vibrated in the tunnel. "Since you didn't let me take what was rightfully mine, I figured I'd pay you a visit."

"How did you get here?" I demanded, forcing myself back to my feet.

"The machines weren't the first of your kind's inventions to scar my beautiful world," Vitramon chuckled; my glance to Thomas was met with a creased brow. "And with your defeat, the digital world will truly have peace in my time."

"They join us!" Both Thomas and Vitramon shot me looks, both faces struggling to decide on a reaction. "We're fighting the same thing, the Gizumon, right? We can team up. Be friends!"

"Friends?" Vitramon acted as if the word was in a foreign language. "Now why would I willingly follow your demands?"

"Demands?!" I raged; my muscles tightened. "Do you think I want the digital world to suffer!? Want to hold it over everyone's head? Doctor Kurata is my enemy too! We'll all be stronger against him!"

"This isn't humanity's fault." Thomas grunted. "Most people don't know the digital world even exists."

A claw slashed us across the chest.

"Okay," I grunted to Thomas as we stood back up. "He was holding back the last time I fought." Vitramon laughed once again, his next stare locking eyes with me, irises burning with hate.

Fire lit on his wings, "The ignorance can be fixed." With another blast of fire, he took off towards where we came, the two of us giving immediate chase.

Yoshino turned back to the tunnel as heat poured out. A fire raged inside of it.

"Hit the deck!" She ordered the crowd, a figure sailing overhead before a squeal echoed out of the station.

I caught sight of the crowd as the tunnel fire dissipated. Fear flooded my mind, strengthening my legs as I pushed myself ahead of the other two.

"What's going on?!" Masaru yelled from the station he was tasked with providing a cover story to be shut down. "What happened?"

"Something bad!" I replied, two legs pushing me as fast as I could go. It took me a while before I knew who softly whispered, "Please, not like this."

It was me.

SECURITY CAM 6874234:
PLAYBACK…

It was a normal sunny mid-afternoon in the city center, citizens and tourists walking the busy streets. A scream from above caught the attention of those below, a crowd-wide murmur as fingers were pointed at the red,orange,yellow, and silvery striped dragon just hovering above them on flaming wings. In one of its hands was a human, attempting to wriggle out of the grip.

"Here me," Many below took their phones out and began recording the being that was somehow speaking their language. "Human scum! The digital world has suffered enough death from your hands! For the last decade, digimon are slaughtered without mercy by your machines! Each day a new wave of losses destroy the purity of my civilization!." The crowd looked between each other; with many whispers, the center roared. "Today, the genocide ends!" Vitramon held out the person in his hand for all to see before letting go.

"The debt humanity has built… will be paid in blood!"

The two operators sent the speech to our earpieces, my heart thrumming faster with each word. I saw the exit, natural light flowing in. Then, there was a rumble that made me instinctively grab the railing. A lump formed in my throat as I steadied my balance.

"No…" I whimpered; there was another rumble as more screaming from the cowering crowd hit my ears. "No!" Smoke filled the skyline as Vitramon lazily hovered. A silhouette slammed into him, sending him flying to a nearby building as the three of us followed the flung warrior.

The three of us turned the corner as Vitramon picked himself from the cracked asphalt and concrete. He saw us as Gaomon and Lalamon realized nearby. Lavender crept into the edges of my vision. I shot forward, my punch forcing a dent into the nearby wall in the shape of the red dragon.

"WHY?!" I felt my nostrils flare. With a scream, I lifted him off the ground. "YOU COULD'VE HELPED US! WHY? BECAUSE YOU DIDN'T GET A DAMNED TRINKET? I was thrown back by a wave of flame as laughter erupted in the streets.

"If you think the god-like power in your hands is a 'trinket', then your kind was more ignorant than I thought. That's why I chose to fix that issue." Gaogamon and Sunflowmon stood side-by-side with me, my scuffle giving the two time to evolve. "Wildfire Tsunam—"

"Zekkoushou!" a blinding light enveloped my eyes.

By the time I found my eyes clear, Marasu was jumping forward; his fist slammed into the silver head of Vitramon as he was blown back into where I punched him. He pulled out his own digivice, fist inflamed with the orange energy. "Digi-soul, Charge!" GeoGreymon tail-whipped the area our foe lay before being blown clear with flames.

"Biocharge Evolution!" I joined in while that was going on. "Astral Arrow!"

"Sunshine Beam!"

"Spiral Blow!"

We were hoping the fight would be over. But Vitramon still stood. I quickly felt the temperature rise as flames surged from his body. Everyone scattered, one by one attacking, easily countered.

"You think your 'Gizumon' are scary?" He yelled, effortlessly knocking Sunflowmon down. "Your machines are but toys to the foe that shaped me," A punch to my barrel sent me into the nearest building's (currently) tallest floor. I responded with another charge, but missed. "You give the souls of the digimon you kill the respect of being free! The parasite," Fire blasts were traded with GeoGreymon, Masaru being knocked away from the recoil. "Consumes even the soul. Warping minds and subsuming essence."

"What?" Thomas gasped.

"Don't listen!" I yelled, bucking some debris into our enemy's path. "Just some rhetoric from a mass murderer who thinks he's above everyone else." I found my hooves skidding against cracked pavement while being thrown back, GeoGreymon beginning to grapple with the smaller foe.

"Mega Flame!" He roared, unleashing a wave of fire from his mouth.

"Fire Below!" Beams of fire from Vitramon's arm cannons melted pavement before a swift tail whip punted GeoGreymon into the nearest building. The warrior laughed as we covered ourselves from the falling debris.

"Sunshine Bazooka!" Seeds from Sunflowmon impacted as Gaogamon rushed forward.

"Dash Double Claw!" The middle of the X shaped projectile impacted on the target as the remainder tore more rubble from the building.

Vitramon turned to attack Gaogamon as he recovered; I intervened. "Equis Rush!"

"Enough! Wildfire Tsunami!" Vitramon's wings shot outward, igniting a flaming tornado as the three partners and myself were thrown to the street's side. "Corona Blaster!" He launched himself forward, the beam heading towards Thomas, and yet Gaogamon took the blast, devolving back to a wounded Gaomon. I could feel my body's ache more than anything else as the battle continued on. The draconic fire being huffed, the inferno beginning to dry our bodies. "You should feel graced that your pet saved you. Don't you know, whelp, that the lower class of lifeforms are to BOW to nobility?!"

"Lower class…" I could see the blonde's hand clench; Thomas didn't even notice his digisoul flaring around his body as the two's fists collided. "You know nothing about nobility!"

"What!?" Vitramon found himself struggling to punch through Thomas' fist. "How am I losing to a lower class being like you?!"

"You act like all it takes to be better than everyone else is to exist!" Thomas grunted. "That your blood alone makes you worthy of infinite praise! Another grunt as his legs sunk. "I might not be the next designated heir to the Nordstien name," With a yell, his fist knocked Vitramon backwards, a loud clang seemingly silencing every other noise. "But I'm still not going to give up on living life to its fullest in service of those that choose to follow me!"

Thomas held his digivice out in front of him. "Digi-soul! Full charge!" The energy consumed Gaomon's body.

"Gaomon, warp evolution!" What came out of the energy was an anthropomorphic cyborg wolf with a jetpack, metal arms, and a flowing champion's belt. He even had shades! "MachGaogamon!"

"Plan 5-T!"

"Yes, Master."

"I won't let you have the chance!" Vitramon and MachGaogamon's fists collided, the shockwave of air forcing everyone else to brace or be thrown by the wind. "Inferno!"

"Winning Knuckle!" The anthro wolf dodged, sending the fist into the already destroyed rubble, kicking up all the particulates. "Mach Spiral!" The wind from its fists picked up, sending the debris pellets soaring into Vitramon's body as the two traversed the air.

"Drag Fanger!" Flames lit up, a tornado of fire spiraling towards MachGaogamon; the attack was caught.

"Winning Straight!" The single punch knocked the fire dragon out of his attack with a cry of pain. "Howling Cannon!" Another cry of pain filled my ears as the blast struck.

"Astral Arrow!" The bolt flew from my mouth as many more projectiles crowded Vitramon's attention.

MachGaogamon charged, holding a fist back. A claw swiped at him, but the cyborg wolf was too fast and descended just in time to meet the chest of the dragon. "Winning Knuckle!" The uppercut struck with a resounding crack against the beak, Vitramon launched into the air. MachGaogamon rushed overhead in a blink. "Winning Blow!" Vitramon shot towards the ground; the craters from the battle had found its deepest point.

"I still won today." Vitramon whispered out, not even bothering to hide the pain in his laughs. "I informed the other species of your kind—."

"You went to them!?" I squealed. "I was being followed by the doctor! You led him right towards your kind!"

His eyes went as wide as they could, "No… no! You lie!" His eyes met my shaking head. "I will not accept your lies!" Even with scars and rents across his body, he stood and rushed me.

He never even saw the commander slowly walk up to him until Kudamon yelled, "Holy Shoot!" One final explosion rocked the city that day.

I trotted over, giving Vitramon a scowl, "You could've been better."

"Our armies are stronger." Vitramon coughed.

"Wanton slaughter isn't strength. It's weakness." Thomas scolded. "Think of what you accomplished and weep. Today, all you've done is destroy your world's peace further." I could see it in the fire warrior's eyes; the will shattered.

"No…" Vitramon finally gave up, reformatting into a digi-egg that landed softly.

I felt rage tear through my soul as I stomped a remaining slab of concrete in half. Anger only grew as I saw lavender from behind closed eyes. Everything felt right, to give in and release all the energy. I hated everything at that moment, I hated it all!

"Why me?" I whispered underneath my scream, not knowing my body lowered and one of my rear legs raised.

Masaru put his hand on my withers. "You okay?" My breath hitched, my temperature cooling as I opened my eyes and reset my stance.

"No." I walked slowly to the clearing, turning back to human along the way. I threw my goggles over my eyes. "I'm going to go see who needs help." Later on, I found everyone else helping out too.

JainusVt · May 18, 2025

RECOVERED FILE: SECURITY CAM 37965-02:
PLAYBACK…
"Grab a squad to set the breaching charges." Kurata ordered the masked soldier in front of him, saluting and stomping out. "Now that those pests are leaving us alone, it will allow me to start research—" Another soldier entered, collapsing to their knees for a brief second before handing the doctor a tablet.

The doctor scowled at one report listing. "You lost the Ghost!?" He smacked the soldier with the tablet. "Do you understand how hard it is to replace a Praetorian Gizumon? We can not be warranting such material losses for much longer!"

"Sir—"

"And now those children at DATS will be allied with her!" His hand twitched. "I was hoping they would be ignorant for a few more months—"

"Sir! She detected it through its cloak!" The soldier squeaked, causing the doctor to reread the information.

"Fascinating." The doctor murmured. Brightness of evil danced in his eyes. "Yes, yes."

"Not just that, look at the latest reports!" The doctor scrolled up, his eyes bulging as he saw the news headlines.

WE ARE NOT ALONE!

UN MULTIVERSE PROJECT INFORMATION LEAKED POST VIOLENCE

"DIGITAL" MONSTER RAMPAGES THROUGH JAPANESE CITY!

TERROR FROM BEHIND THE INTERNET!

Kurata began with a soft chuckle. it became a roaring laughter quickly after.

There was a click as I turned on the TV.

"Authorities are still digging out—" Click.

"Government officials will be meeting—" Click.

"Heather." I didn't respond to the feminine voice. I wasn't even listening to the TV channels

"I swear, I definitely saw a few humans ordering these 'digimon' around weeks ago! I told everyone—"

"Heather?" I felt a hand on my shoulder, looking over made me notice the looks I was getting from Patamon, Miki, and Sayuri. "Your food's getting cold." I glanced back out the window, the darkness of night had already set on the city.

"Fine." I snatched the bowl, tearing through the large portion of food.

The commander, Masaru, Thomas, Yoshino, and I spent hours working with local authorities in helping people who were caught in the attack. Most… didn't make it. I didn't even want to think about how many else I failed to save. The sun was near setting when we let the main authorities take over the scene.to stop working, but I kept going for nearly another hour; only the direct order from the commander made me stop. Instead of going our separate ways during the night, we found ourselves meeting the two operators at Masaru's house with food they grabbed on the way over. A part of me complained that this was privileged of me, but my stomach rumbling made me concede.

"This is all my fault." I whispered, not even looking at anything.

"It isn't." Sayuri retorted as I snatched up another piece of egg from my dish and swallowed it whole.

"Would you really have let that village be harmed?" Miki asked.

"No." I let my goggles fall to my neck, revealing my bloodshot eyes to the world. I placed the dish down and stood. "I need to walk around. Thank you for the extra food."

I entered the room I slept in for one night and sat on the bed. Tears fell now that everyone was out of sight.

"Everyone, I need to make an announcement." Commander Satsuma spoke. My legs found the energy to comply. I nearly bumped into Masaru as he too exited his room. He let out a small "Eep" as a gunpla of the God Gundam fell, thankfully caught before hitting the floor.

"Nice catch." I applauded while he re-set its pose on the drawer.

"Can't let it get damaged." He frowned, flicking the rest of the door opened to reveal a pink colored room before exiting. "It means too much." I motioned for him to continue as we walked. "Me and my dad built it together. That was one of the few father-son things we've ever done." I was already informed that his father had disappeared one day.

"Was he not home a lot before…?"

Masaru shook his head, "He was busy, but not never around. Before he left, I promised him I would be the man of the house for everyone until he returned."

With everyone seated, Commander Satsuma nodded. "I just got off a call with the United Nations Security Council. They've requested DATS appear before a committee, next Saturday in New York City."

"Our expedition is next saturday." I noted the obvious.

"That's why we're moving it up to tomorrow and shortening the time to just over a day." Stoic faces around me hid emotions, even if the balls of yellow made my own fear come out. Megumi stepped up to and held her hand out as the conversation resumed. Inside of it was a small square item, one that I had been waiting for a while to get a hold of.

"Heather, the battery packs and their charger for your goggles arrived during the battle. Sorry it took so long, these were custom remade from old blueprints." I took one, snapping it into the battery tray.

So I haven't talked about my goggles yet. Simply put, the night after I got them I checked what they had in store, only for the battery to be dead. I flicked the rounded switch on the side, cycling through one setting at a time and announced what each was, "Night vision, binoculars, thermal, x-ray, scanner of some kind." I let out a low whistle. "Damn, these are packed!"

"DATS wanted to do a few expeditions using scientists and left over equipment after Astraeus was shut down." The commander explained. "We never got past the first."

"Ooh, a recording function, pictures and video." I said while taking the pair off. "Anyone got a laptop?" One was quickly found and I played the latest video file. My nostrils flared; I knew who one of the two men in the footage was. "Kurata." I heard a gasp from behind me. It was Masaru, his face was pale. I looked back, noticing the other man—.

"Dad?" He whimpered.

"So Suguru, this is your new expedition gadget? Goggles? " Kurata chuckled.

"They are the current culmination of all the study we've done on the other world. " Dr. Daimon retorted. " Don't underestimate them just because they look mundane. "

Were you planning on giving them to your daughter after we're done with them? Seriously, why… this color? " A wave of sadness hit me from somewhere in the room, yet my glare was still aimed at Kurata.

"I just like it. " Dr. Daimon waved the doctor off. " Besides, at the rate we're making theoretical breakthroughs, they'll be far outdated by the time she's grown up. "
"Dad." Masaru whispered again; the video went on as we all sat up from the screen.

"Doctor Daimon Suguru was one of the most intelligent minds in the Astraeus Initiative." The commander informed us; his face even had a smile as he leveled his digivice. "Plans for our digivices were the last thing he sent back to us." A tear fell from Masaru's eyes as he held his own tightly.

"He's out there. I know it."

"We'll find him." Yoshino declared.

"And come back safe." Sayuri demanded.

"We will, mom." Masaru responded.

I was gulping the last bits of coffee when I made it to the HQ's command room the next morning.

"Do I really have to be in here big bro?" I could hear Agumon moan as I gathered up the supplies I would take with me through the initial trip. "I hate it in here!"

"It's just for the trip there to make your signature smaller." Megumi responded.

"Yeah!" Masaru grinned as his fist clenched. "Then we'll get to some real fighting!"

"Good. Everyone's here." The commander announced as he finally noticed me. "Get ready to deploy immediately."

"Any idea of where we'll be transported this time, sir?" Thomas asked.

"This time?" I noted.

"We had a," Thomas glanced at Masaru before looking back at me. "Altercation that led me and Masaru chasing a digimon back into the digital world."

"We learned how to fight together." Masaru beamed. Thomas only gave a half-hearted smirk.

"To answer your question Thomas, no." Megumi replied. "When breaches open there's a possibility of tracing them back to their origin, as if you stuck a pencil through paper."

"But in this case we're making our own breach." I finished; the nods confirmed my answer.

"So how will we get back?" Herrismon asked from my storage unit; Miki was already pointing to one of the two square items not already in our travel packs.

"Those small drones are the only two from Astraeus that DATS has managed to retain," Commander Satsuma explained while I glanced inside one of the cases. "They create faults just big enough for communication waves and video to be broadcast. Additionally, they generate a signal that we'll lock the digital drive on, upon mission completion." Content with the explanation, I closed the case and put one of them in my pack while Masaru took the other.

"Is everyone ready?" Kudamon asked. We all nodded, pushing the last of the crates into the expanded digital drive before taking our places. Warning lights blared as the chamber closed. My hair started to rise to its ends and energy gathered around us. My mouth dried; the only thoughts in my mind were fighting off the memories of when I was forced into the digital world by Kurata. The energy reached a peak and I saw the last of the lights on the display in front of the two operators go green.

Then Megumi yelled, "Digital gate, open!" Everything twisted and eight of us were sucked in.

The forest was quiet. No being was around to make a sound as the screeching of reality tearing for just a moment echoed amongst empty trees. Sparks flew everywhere as a ring formed, allowing three beings to step through.

I fell flat on my face as I exited the portal. "Glad some things never change." I internally snarked as I picked myself back up. The green circuitry in the sky greeted the three as it did for me when I first arrived.

"So this is what you three saw when you arrived here?" Yoshino quavered. "It's beautiful."

"If only it wasn't being destroyed." Herrismon griped.

"I've also seen flying rock formations." I added, moving up to the gawking woman. "Might not be in this region though… wherever we are." Lightning sizzled in the distance as a yellow flash illuminated the trees.

"It's not cloudy." Yoshino slowed her speech, gazing around. My eyes widened as I heard the whirring get louder.

"That wasn't bad weather." I dropped my pack and sprinted, only turning for a brief moment to yell, "Let's move!" Two steps of footsteps, Masaru and Thomas I presumed, joined in before the last pair followed me through the treeline.

I had already evolved when I caught sight of the first of the soldiers. The person was holding a gun that looked straight out of Ghostbusters, along with a power cord backpack, and aimed it at a cowering Gazimon. A quick jab of a forehoof across the man's face knocked his aim wildly off, the yellow beam from the weapon striking against the ground. The purple lagomorph digimon took the chance to scurry away. "Shit." I grumbled as the others caught up. Without warning, a wave of other digimon, none bigger than the treeline rushed past us while more beams scorched the nearby bushes. I could hear the three DATS agents conversing amongst themselves, their voices filled with worry, but I wasn't really listening. My hooves were itching for a fight.

My body wanted to run, so I let it.

"Astral Arrow!" My bolt flew, impacting the first Gizumon that pushed its chassis through the undergrowth, a quick canter up to another soldier being followed up by a strike to his chest. "Equis Rush!" Two soldiers dove to the ground as I flew overhead, landing in the best position to buck a second pair right in the chest.

"One of those damn beasts is fighting—" A headbut knocked that one out before a shunt forced another to end up between my barrel and the nearest tree. I ducked as I heard the shuffle of boots stop, two beams nearly hitting me. I narrowed my eyes and the two ran off in fear.

The three DATS agents found themselves rooted in place as the battle continued.

"What do we even do?" Yoshino cried, turning to see Thomas walk up to one of the unconscious soldiers. "How are you all so calm right now?"

"We can do what we came here for." He slid a camera out of his pocket taking a picture of the sight in front of him before kneeling down with a pair of tweezers to grab an expended bullet casing before placing them in a plastic bag. "BioEquismon can take care of the fighting."

"That's it! I'm getting out!" Agumon yelled as he forced himself out of storage, the Gizumon AT that burst from the nearby bushes filling him with regret. Masaru's hands ripped his partner away from his position as the AT's deletion beam sliced through the air. Not content, the AT extended its arms, spinning right at the pair. It didn't deter the teenager as he took multiple strikes on the two backpacks he carried; he spun on his heel to strike the AT center mass. The machine staggered long enough for a follow up strike to damage the reactor enough for the forced scram to shut it down. He grimaced at his non-glowing fist before letting it go and finding cover.

"Astral Arrow!" My bolt tore the deletion rifle from a soldier's hands, pulling him to the ground with it as several more ATs joined the fight. "Finally! Ah've been waiting for more of yer flanks to kick!" Deletion beams sizzled on nothing as I weaved between trees. One AT swiped it's arm left as I approached, too close to hitting my face as I slid underneath. "Equis Rush!" The bash connected, leaving my body hanging off the front. A quick twist of my body sent the frame into the canopy as the beam lens started glowing.

"Astral Arrow!" Flames burst from the chassis as one more twist sent the AT crashing on the ground. My ears twisted and I leapt, narrowly avoiding a beam from the others. My stance lowered as I could feel my grin widening.

"Howling Cannon!" The blast struck the second AT from behind.

"Nice of y'all to show up." I beamed as Thomas joined my stance. "Was gettin worried ah would have to win this war mahself." The remaining three ATs hovered up before we could do anything else.

"No! Ah'm not letting you leave!" I roared. "Astral—"

"BioEquismon, wait!" Thomas grabbed me around my shoulders.

"Get off me!" I felt him drag across the ground, grip still on me. Portals appeared behind the remaining machines slowly backed into them. "They're getting away!" The portals closed and I was let free. "What the hell, Thomas?! Now they can kill more where we're not around!"

"Look!" He pointed to the carnage left behind. Trees were cut at varying points, beam marks pocketed the landscape and rocks were kicked around as soldiers laid unconscious amongst the digital nature. And yet, emerging on his cue from every nook and corner they hid from was another wave of rookie levels, each scared and bruised across their bodies, too many struggling to stay upright with each step. Their blank expressions were one of the main things that will remain forever burned into my memories. Worst of all was how they left gaps while trudging forward, almost expecting the ones who used to be there to follow them out of the bushes sometime after. One of them, a small dog shaped one, a Salamon, stopped. The small being collapsed onto the ground before reformatting into a digi-egg.

If there was a battle… No, even now I don't want to think about what would've occurred. I didn't want to think of the total souls lost within those last twenty four hours. I simply stomped a forehoof and walked away.

"Ah failed so many." I muttered, unwilling to move from my haunches. I looked into the night sky, wondering too much about all the possibilities.

"You did what you could. No one will ask any more of you." The largest of the group, a Akatorimon, said to me while carrying the egg from earlier.

"Ah guess." I swung my head around, sighting the purple rabbit digimon from earlier stomping over to the DATS trio.

"Why don't you clean up your own world's mess?" The Gazimon growled as I walked over. "You all come here and kill us, and then try to play the hero? I've had it with you humans." He simply got up and walked away. It's not like any of us could refute his words.

Akatorimon sighed and tapped the egg. "Not all of us are good at hiding it well."

"Ah know the feeling." I said, not meeting his gaze. "To have your home ripped from you and your life changed forever."

"I for one appreciate what all of you are doing." The avian replied.

"There was a resistance last ah was here. Would you happen to know of 'em?" I asked.

Akatorimon shook his head, "Can't say that I heard of them." I looked into the sky and let my ears fall.

Frigid winds let out a dull howl as the cave echoed with silence. Two figures dashed between shadows, hugging the pillars of the place they weren't meant to be at.

The large teal wolf-skin and cloth wearing humanoid leaned back in his chair when the footsteps of another clashed into the ground. "What will it take to convince you to move on the humans?" The giant yellow saber toothed lion growled. "One of our eggs corrupted by them? Or are you willing to let our world die simply to be seen as a 'good' ruler of a desolate land?" The humanoid raised his equally large knife to the Lion's throat, only for the feline to laugh. "You don't have the will."

The knife lowered. "I don't have time for your posturing, SaberLeomon." The humanoid bellowed.

"No, but my army will make sure the human that has corrupted your heart is found and his influences removed." The feline boomed before turning away. "Then we'll show the human world what it's like to be invaded." The two figures breathed out before their hoods slightly collapsed, the larger of the two being revealed as human.

JainusVt · May 18, 2025

AN: Trigger warnings for this chapter include (Mainly in Heather's memories): Gun violence, animal death, slurs, transphobic statements, being outed, emotional abuse, pain from dysphoria

This chapter was one of the few that was hard to write. Being forced to relive all of my trauma when this happened was bad, to say the least. The pain might've dulled since then, but reminding myself of these events almost relapsed me. I'd advise folks who are sensitive to animal death, dysphoria, abusive situations, and bigotry (including slurs and other associated phrases) to skip my sections of the memories throughout the chapter. If anything, feel free to skip this chapter as we talk about our experiences in far less graphic detail in the next.

Thank you.

"I have good news and bad news." Thomas explained to us as dawn arrived. The other two nodded simultaneously mid bites of an MRE each while I was finishing up a bit of grazing.

"Bad news first." Masaru decided.

"Due to the strikes taken during the battle, the drones' are damaged beyond any kind of field repairs."

"If only ah was faster." If anyone heard my muttered statement, they didn't acknowledge it. "And the good news?"

"The main damage is to their rotors and transmitter beacon." Yoshino lazily raised her hand.

"How is that the good news?" She asked.

"Their multiversal signal systems still work." Thomas answered. He pointed to his earpiece. "I used parts from one drone to repair the other's communications relay. Commander Satsuma was able to locate the rough location of the gate Vitramon used to get to Earth in the files for Astraeus. It's in a mountainous region called the Infinite Ice Shelf, roughly three quarters of a day north of here."

"Why don't we just wait here?" Masaru questioned.

"We need to keep moving." Herrismon replied while I was rummaging through my backpack. "Staying mobile means we stay safe." I pulled the item I was going for out.

"Kurata most likely knows we're against him now." I added. "Better to be elsewhere if he decides to act like we're bugs and decides to grab a heavy boot." With almost practiced ease I threw the saddle bags around my barrel—even with my hooves not being as fine manipulators as hands, the connectors snapping together pleased my ears. It fit me perfectly after being tightened down and a small part of my life up until then felt ever so giddy about it, even if I was just a beast of burden for the journey.

Within a few moments of attaching the loose gear we brought with us to the various hooks or stuffing them in the bags now adorning my body like cotton regalia, we set off.

Our trip was mostly uneventful, being mostly flat ground aside from the river crossing we needed to take. We made great progress, and by mid morning the mountain range wasn't so distant anymore. That's because most of our time was allocated into climbing the mountains.

"So… nobility." I said to Thomas as he helped Yoshino dismount a small cliff.

"Do you have a problem with that?" He shot back while we both pulled Masaru up.

"No," The group started to trudge onward after reattaching the climbing rope to my harness, my back crowded by every rookie level. "Just figured you'd be different. More…"

"Stuck up?" Patamon cheered. Not the wording I'd use, but yeah. I didn't need to teach Patamon anything, for the record, though I did want to high-five him.

Thomas wasn't that amused as my grin grew wider. Masaru took the moment to pat Thomas on the back. "He used to," Thomas' small growl went unnoticed. "But he cheered up eventually. Any other opinions, BioEqui—"

"STOP CALLING ME THAT! Heather! My name is Heather!" Everyone stared at me while I regained my breath; My mind caught back up to my body, small yellow orbs forming around the three as I released my pinned ears. I snorted and looked away, not caring about the lavender creaping into my vision. If I was still looking, I would've seen the three share a glance of knowingly planned worry while their hands reached for their digivices.

"I didn't ask to become a hybrid!" I continued. "I didn't ask to be part of some scientist's 'master plan' or whatever to help genocide another world of living beings! I just… I shouldn't even be here." I paused once more, sighed, and turned back to face them. "I can't take it anymore. I think the village made a mistake when giving me those items."

"I don't think so!" Patamon pleaded while hovering in my face. "I think you're a great person!" I didn't get a chance to think of an argument. "You're the one who saved us!"

"You're the one who pushed herself through every encounter to save digimon you didn't even know before you came here." Herrismon yelled, taking a stand on my back. "You were the one to show me how tired I am!"

"Tired?" I yelped.

"Yes, tired!" He yelled on the verge of tears. "I'm tired of running from the Gizumon, just to possibly die when I run out of breath. I'm tired of how useless I've been for a decade while everyone around me is removed from existence. I'm tired of being alone," Tears started falling. "Just so I don't have to feel the pain of knowing others who were just going to die soon after. We're all tired of it. Yet you willingly jumped at the Gizumon. Some of us even gained the strength to do so themselves after seeing you!"

"Y'all." I felt a couple of tears fall onto my snout as I hugged my companions.

"Now, can you do what you keep saying you'll do and 'mare up'?"

I snorted the laugh I was holding back. "Sure, ah can do that." I looked at the DATS trio before wincing.

I forced myself to look back before starting to scuff a forehoof, "Sorry y'all, ah didn't mean to snap at you all like that. I woke up a hybrid a month ago at most and every day I've been pushed beyond my limits." I paused in a graceful attempt to put the sloshing concoction of my feelings into words. "I don't know how I'm supposed to feel about what's happened. Every thought and reasoning I have on my situation contradicts one another. I bet I was just some numbered test subject for a madman, yet I've never had a desire to be returned to just a regular human— that sounds really awkward when I say it out loud," I fought my urge to look away again. "And those are the kind of thoughts that scare me the most."

Yoshino came over and put a hand on my withers. "It's okay, Heather."

"Thanks. One last thing; it's not like I hate being or to be called BioEquismon. I just need time to think, to understand how I'm going to move foward."

"My father once said that the strongest people accept that they don't know anything at first." Masaru reassured me as he gave me a thumbs up. "Besides, I promised you to not let you quit yourself. That's how a man lives, after all."

It was just a bit of walking after that confrontation and while I was flicking my tail, I asked, "So… can I take whatever 'UN highly classified organization' level of mandated therapy DATS gives all at once or is it done in installments? Oh, and do you take insurance for formerly missing persons?" We all shared a laugh; with what came next, we enjoyed the act more than anything else.

I gaped at the sight in front of us: a gorge cut into the ground like a scar, both sides covered in horizontal facing office buildings trying to mend the wound.

"So… now what?" I asked. "Could we have MachGaogamon fly us over?"

"It'd be one at a time. We'd be exposed." Thomas countered.

"We could double back." Masaru suggested. "Try to find an alternate route?" I kicked a pebble off the edge. A second went by without a sound and we all shivered. Cliche? Yes. But it did work.

"What about you, Yoshino?" Herrismon asked.

She sighed and did a little wave; I could see her body twitch minutely. "I… don't really have any thoughts that would matter." We turned our back to the ravine, only for the silky nets of a few Dokugumon to ensnare each of us. With every ounce of my strength I clawed into the dirt, traction slipping as I neared the edge. The screams of the others had already ended.

"Equis Rush!" I tried pushing myself forward as my flanks went over the edge, hooves tearing into the cliff face only for my energy to sap faster. Eventually, I ran out of energy and fell into the deep.

An alarm clock blared, my hand reaching out to silence it.

"Come on, kiddo," A somewhat deep male voice pushed me further from slumber as I rolled over to see who it was. "Don't you want to learn to ride a horse today?"

My eyes snapped open. "You mean it, Uncle Aidan?" My relative nodded, my grin easily widening. "Ah knew today was gonna be a great day!" I hopped out of bed, my smile....

"Wait." My mental voice, far warmer and feminine than the one I used, said while I traversed the halls. "This doesn't feel right."

"Come on, let's go out there already." My uncle ordered.

"Alright, you ready for your first riding lesson?" My uncle got to work undoing the barn's doors.

"You betcha!" I cheered. "Finally, mah dream's coming to life." His chuckle was infectious.

"You don't get to do the cowboy voice just yet, nephew."

Time stopped. I felt emptiness hollow my existence and the pain of all the years past flooding back in. "Nephew?!" My inner voice split from my body, moaning against the chains that were supposed to be removed. "No! I…" It was left panting, ratting against a cage that should've been unlocked. "GEt Me oUT! Please!" Invisible tears flooded onto the grass as my ethereal existence wished to claw its way out of the body it was trapped in once more. My breath was racing as time seemed to resume a normal flow. I managed to tip the fake body's eyes to the barn door when horror flooded my mind again. "DoN'T GO In there!" My inner voice painfully cried. "No! Don't! PLEASE!" My uncle waved me in, every bit of my power null as the fake person I was trapped inside complied with the movements.

I punched and I punched. The barrier reminding me that I was stuck in unhappiness didn't budge.

Animals of all kinds scurried around us as we walked into the back; my uncle's whistle brought a black coated mare to him.

"Hey there, Buckie," He cooed while rubbing her snout in between whinnies. "How you doing, girl?" My caged form squealed.

"Hey Buckie!" My younger self cheered as I petted her just above the elbows. "How are you doing today?" Her neigh's warmth only attempted to get through to my inner self.

"Now, let me get that saddle out so Bucephalus can help me teach you." He moved to the back of the barn.

"NO!" Pain shot through my existence like a needle ready to start taking blood. "Don't do it!"

Thomas found himself looking around his home town, glancing into the various storefronts and cafes of the district. His eyes pulled him to one display, pushing the cardboard from obstructing the calendar. He saw the date and bolted off.

Yoshino blinked as her hands danced across the piano keys. She wiped the sweat off her brow before flipping the music sheet and starting to play again. "Bravo." Someone behind her clapped. She stopped.

"Dad…" She pouted before scrunching up.

"You're going to do great tomorrow." His smile warmed her up. "All of us will be there to see you perform."

"I'm worried."

"It's okay to be worried. You'll do great, no matter what."

Masaru looked around the desolate wastes he woke up in. There was a screech.

"Help!" Chika squealed. "Big bro!" He dashed towards the sound, only to be met with a green slug with two thin eye stalks. The Nuememon noticed him and began slithering.

"Get out of my way!" Masaru roared, a jab sending it crashing into the wall. The digimon split into two and the cycle repeated.

Herrismon lifted his groggy head around, the spider silk cage he found himself and the other rookies in shifting around with every movement. "Come on, wake up." He prodded the others, one by one they joined him in taking in the situation. Above, the DATS trio and Heather were laid in their own individual cocoons stuck to the ceiling, trails of energy connecting to each of them to a skeletal, scythe wielding, reaper cyborg with a glowing ball of energy for a chest. The hedgehog tore at the strings barring them from the rest of the world with teeth and claws. "Kenzan Drive!" Sharp quills spun against the spider string, more exhaustion setting in.

"That won't do you any good." A deep voice chuckled from the cave's roof shade. A tall lithe form floated down on massive bat-like wings. The dark figure stood, a pale grey humanoid with blond hair, a red streak across his eyes and a dark overcoat. "You're our prey to toy with." His finger traced over Herrismon's chin, earning a yelp from all the rookies at the sudden shift in location. "Or you would be, if MetalPhantomon and I didn't tell SaberLeomon that we captured you." Myotismon grinned at them all. "He'll becoming here to purge the taint the humans have forced you to carry."

There was the cocking of a handgun as my uncle pulled out the reins. "You're gonna take it nice and easy." The barrel landed on my uncle's forehead; the thief stepped out of the shadows in silence.

"I don't want anything unnecessary to happen." My uncle quavered.

"Good. Me neither." The thief pushed my uncle using the gun. "Now give me the safe combination and I can be on my way."

"Don't do it, me. Don't fucking do it. You'll ruin your life even more." I thought, hoping the person I was stuffed into wasn't going to do what I knew was going to happen. My soul was banging against the restraints of my dysphoric self but it happened anyway, every attempt to fight the memory's movements useless. My old body ran forward, the quick punch into the man's nuts sending the gun clattering on the ground before I pummeled them with all the might of my younger body. The thief pulled on my leg before throwing me back to dive for the weapon. Buckie's hoof smacked them across the face as their hands touched it. She let out a snort of approval as my uncle coddled me.

"Damn animal!" The thief roared.

The gun barked twice.

Buckie's body went limp on the floor, blood caking into the nearby red wooden wall as the thief scurried away. "No!" My body slid near the groaning equine. "Uncle, can't you do anything?" All he did was take off his hat as my eyes went blurry. Even as a kid I saw the writing on the wall. "I'm so sorry. I didn't… Why?" I rubbed her snout as she looked back at me, a soft neigh leaving her mouth. "Buckie…" She used the last of her breath to nuzzle me one last time.

I blinked, sending me to the room I used to live in, the hustle and bustle of Bay Village raging in the background as I moped on my bed. "Come on, let's cook dinner together, okay? We can make your favorite." My mom cooed. My body didn't respond, and my mother left.

All I could do was watch my body turn to the horse posters littered across my wall. With a shaking first I tore them all down, collapsing onto my bed. My voice became brittle as tears stained my bed, the only thing I could hear was the dying groans of Buckie. "Why me?"

"Heather!" Herrismon yelled, shaking the webbing. "Don't give in!"

"You're my friend!" Patamon yelled as he pushed against the strings. "You're stronger than you realize!" The other rookies join in with their own cheers, their hope desiring to push through any barriers in their way.

All were cheering except for one. "Yoshi, please." Lalamon whispered. "You can break through it. If there's anyone who can, it's you."

"You were supposed to be the man of the house." The voice of Daimon Suguru mocked. "You can't even protect your family."

"You're wrong!" Masaru roared as he struck another Nuememon. It smacked into the wall, splitting into two, just as the others had done. "I can! I'll keep going until I die!"

"Brother!" The voice of Chika called out as his leg was caught by a pair of the small creatures. The older sibling ran towards it, throwing off his grapplers. "Why did you leave me?"

"I didn't!" He yelled back with a heavy breath. The army of green and purple slugs rose, "I won't!" So did his fists.

Thomas let tears fall as he saw the ambulance.

"Mom." He teared up, walking through the crowd of paramedics. "I'm sorry. I wish you could be here. I haven't moved past you leaving. I blame myself every day."

Yoshio saw the lights of the photographers. Their cameras flashed twice.

"I can do this." She whispered to herself. She took a breath and started playing. Her hands tapped across the keyes, a melody of notes flowing into the audience. She pressed a key just one off; her face held back the shock of failure. Each note flowed, the consistency of wrong notes growing as her face lost its mask. She began to weep as the song descended into a cacophony of off key sounds. Tearful, she bolted from the seat without worrying about the crowd's reaction.

She pushed herself against the closet door as she cried; a soft humming caught her ears. "What," She looked up to see Lalamon hovering towards her. "Are you?"

I was sobbing. My memory had jumped to when I was sixteen and the footfalls of my father were heavy as he paced around the distant living room. "Thanks for telling me, Jason." His voice was steady, holding back the surge of anger I knew was coming next. His steps got louder and my door was forced open; my father's face was marred by unbridled rage.

"WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?" I didn't get to reply as he hit me. "You're ruining yourself! Wanting to pump those damn chemicals that you have NO RIGHT to have in your body? ANSWER ME!" Not even my mind could answer back. I was sobbing. "Listen to me!" He grabbed my shirt and pulled me up to his face. "You will NEVER be a woman, hear that!? Those people are freaks and monsters. They're attempting to brainwash you into becoming one of them. You are not one of them, you will never be one of them, right?" My body went through the motions of a nod. "If I find out you lied to me, there will be consequences." He got close to me and switched tones. "I love you; I want the best for you to grow as a man when you leave high school. I give you everything you could ever want, to make you happy. To make you feel safe. I don't want you doing anything you'll ever regret. Don't you love me?" I was forced to nod again. He took one last huff and stomped out. "Fucking trannies…"

I didn't hear his voice as he called me several more slurs. I was still sobbing.

The trail leading to Heather's body began fading to purple.

"HEATHER!" Patamon screamed on the verge of tears. The flaps of wings drew his attention to the cave's mouth, an angelic being with a staff and a full head helmet landed softly. "Help us, Angemon! We're trapped." The angle didn't respond and Patamon's cries turned to those of horror.

"SaberLeomon will be here within the hour." The angel reported.

"Then I'm not working fast enough." MetalPhantomon replied. "Aside from that one," He pointed to Heather. "They have still yet to crack."

"Why are you doing this?!" Lalamon yelled. "You're all supposed to be noble beings!"

Herrismon rolled his eyes while mumbling, "For a certain definition of noble."

"We tried nobility with humanity, the first contact was that of attempted peace." The angel spoke. "All we got was a ten year slaughter with the only end in sight being the eradication of either world. Ten years of living in fear. Do you not want it to end?"

"We do! Just…" Lalamon trailed off.

"'Just' what? You lack the conviction to do what is necessary to save us."

Golden light surged throughout the cave, blinding everymon nearby. "What?!"

Angemon pursed his lips. "Maybe my assessment was off."

A flash of gold allowed me to free myself from my younger self's POV. She got up, rummaging the hidden pride flag out of her closet and crying while wrapped in it. I knelt down, hugged her sobbing form as tight as I could, and hoped that she'd feel the warmth she desperately needed. "You're going to make it through." I cooed, hoping that my words would go back in time. "It's going to hurt, a lot, but it will end. One day you'll be free to see how beautiful and strong you are. You'll be there to see yourself in the mirror with a smile every day. Don't give up. Hold that hope in your heart and never let go. Carry it far and wide, you hear? Live to be that beautiful woman you gave yourself the courage to realize yourself as."

Another flash of gold and my mind was finally at rest.

A flash of gold wiped through the Nuememon army as Masaru struggled with standing. One by one the slugs faded from existence.

"Chika!" He called out, running once more.

"Mom." Thomas quavered as he looked at her resting form. He felt lightness take him. "I miss you. But I need to go right now."

A golden flash put his mind at ease.

"Your song was beautiful." The digimon said. "I heard it all the way from my world."

"You… think so? I… failed."

"It was still beautiful enough to make me want to find my way here." Yoshino's tears dried up.

"Thank you. Can we be friends?" The two shared a laugh

"We can! I believe in you to be the best friend ever."

"No one else has ever said that." The woman cleared her eyes. "Thank you."

"WHY WON'T YOU FALL!?" A voice boomed; the surroundings changed to a dark void with claws surrounding Yoshino. "YOUR FRIENDS HAVE FALLEN, THOSE THAT ARE FAR STRONGER THAN YOU WILL EVER BE. YET YOU RESIST!" "Because I'm strong!" Yoshino declared. "Because I have beings that have believed in me! Her body began illuminating in the pink digisoul. "Because deep down I believed in myself, even when it wasn't!"

A flash of gold coated her vision.

Yoshino found herself awake, bursting from the cocoon while covered in a pink flame of small squares. She pulled out her digivice after landing on solid ground. "Digisoul—"

"Watch out!" Agumon cried. The woman snapped around, the vampire digimon descending on her with outstretched hands. Training kicked in, her arm grabbing the larger being, twisting the wrist and throwing him far beyond the cave's edge with an audible crash into a building.

"—Full charge!" She finished, pressing the contact.

Lalamon began glowing as the energy flowed into her, the net cracking open and freeing the others. "Lalamon, warp evolution!" She yelled; the energy broke and revealed her new form to be an anthropomorphic Lily with a yellow chest and pink flower wings. "Lilamon!" She sighted MetalPhantomon still recoiling from Yoshino's release. "Un Deux Pollen!" The newly evolved ultimate let dust spray out, her moves gracefully dancing around all of the Dokugumon. She closed on MetalPhantomon. "Lila Shower!" Beams emitted out of her flower-like hands as she brought them down on the cyborg reaper in an x-pattern. His concentration broke, the other tendrils snapping and freeing the others.

Masaru recovered first, dashing across the cave and knocking MetalPhantomon into the gorge. Soon after, GeoGreymon and MachGaogamon joined the fight. "Horn Impulse!" Several Dokugumon on the ceiling found themselves crushed as the orange dinosaur hopped slightly. GeoGreymon grabbed a falling boulder, smashing it against Angemon's head. With another punch, the fight was taken to the cave's entrance.

"Marvel Shot!" Sphere of energy shot out from Lilamon's arms, each impacting the cyborg reaper as their fight continued.

"Lilamon! Watch out!" Yoshino cried.

"Crimson Lightning!" Myotismon yelled from behind. The strike impacted, sending a cloud of dust across the chasm. Lilamon peeked out an eye, smirking as the blast cleared to reveal MachGaogamon having taken the blow.

"Winning Knuckle!" The cyborg wolf's fist impacted the vampire, dragging him along the nearest skyscraper

"Cloud Minion!" The vampire teleported, "Blood Punch!" and repaid the earlier attack, shattering windows as the two fell inside. The two burst out the underside before rocketing once more through another window.

"Mega Blast!" GeoGreymon's fireball impacted an attacking Dokugumon, "Mega Flame!" Angemon sidestepped and punched GeoGreymon in the throat.

"I'm willing to do what is necessary! Are you? Hand of Fate!"

"STOP!" Patamon tried to get their attention, but it didn't work. GeoGreymon ducked the attack. He grabbed the upper arm, shaking the cave wall as he threw the equally leveled mon into it.

"We're standing taller than you!" Masaru yelled.

"Mega Blast!" One last fireball consumed Angemon. "Mega Flame!" The additional wave of fire breath sealed the encounter.

"Blood Punch!" A barrage of energy coated punches slammed against MachGaogamon's arms, one last uppercut into his guard sent him disappearing behind a cloud of smoke into the gorge's wall. An explosion and heat rang through the valley. "What!?" His lapse of concentration was all MachGaogamon needed to appear behind him.

"Winning Blow!" We didn't see the egg fall out of the other side of the destroyed skyscraper as the upper floors crashed down with it.

"How?!" MetalPhantomon cried. "You were supposed to be weak!"

"Even when I let myself be pushed around, there were still people believing in me." Yoshino retorted as the two digimon flew around the gorge exchanging blow after blow. "They were hoping to see me stand tall through the worst and the best! That's why I'm going to stand, even if weakness consumes me once more."

"Lila Shower!" Once more an x shaped fusion of arm beams struck MetalPhantomon as he floated towards Yoshino. With her digisoul burning bright, she leapt, kicking the cyborg reaper in the face as the final blow, knowing that she would never give up again as Lilamon caught her.

"Answer me this." The dying Angemon whispered out as the trio gathered around him. "Are you willing to do whatever it takes to save the digital world?"

"No. We're not." Yoshino declared. "We fight on our own terms, because we have people that believe that we're going to do the right thing."

Angemon put up a weak smile. "Then it seems that I can still hope for the right ending of both our worlds. Now, please leave before he comes. Let me be the life he takes. So your hope can live on." We didn't stick around to see his egg land.

JainusVt · May 18, 2025

The trio of DATS agents trudged into a barren cave, the two men of the group placing the unconscious Heather down on the rocky floor while their partners skittered around at their feet. Yoshi placed a finger on Heather's wrist.

"Heartbeat's fine." She took out a small mirror from her backpack and placed it under Heather's mouth, watching it fog over a few breaths. "Breathing's okay." She placed her hands in several other locations. "No visible wounds, no other discernible symptoms…"

"Didn't know you had medical training." Masaru pointed out.

"More… 'EMT assessment' training," She replied, setting the items back into her bag. "Before you came along the best I'd see was more human injuries than wild digimon breaching through the faults. This isn't really the best way to be doing it, though."

"Not like we have a choice." Thomas grumbled. "Our medical kit went into the ravine during the ambush."

"We should get rest while we can."

I stared at the cave roof through my falling eyes sometime later, hoping that after everything I went through I could stop remembering my past pain. I let go of that breath as I thought, "Yeah, right." and rubbed my forearms.

Shooting a glance to the trio near the mouth, I could see them taking inventory of what we had left while the sunset blanketed everything outside in deep orange rays. Luckily, a few key items were retained; the bullet casings, taken from our initial battle site and spare magazine from the pouches; the camera Thomas used to document our hot landing zone and the attacking Gizumon with, still in his pocket; and the remaining (semi-repaired) communications drone and our key to getting home as I just overheard.

My stirring got the attention of the others.

"Don't move so much." Yoshino interrupted, rushing over and pushing me back onto my back. "You were in that cacoon until we got you out after the battle." Thomas nodded. "How are you feeling right now?"

"Alive." I muttered. "Worn out, though."

Herrismon peaked through everyone else's legs. He smirked, "Looking good for someone who almost got their soul eaten." I found the energy to laugh through the pain I found myself in.

"I wonder what my soul tastes like." I mumbled.

"It probably didn't happen." Herrismon shrugged. "Well, to my knowledge, it's only after making the captured lose their will to live does their soul get eaten. You know, those that experience it usually have had their souls sucked out—"

"And not even with a silly straw." I deadpanned; my attempt at bringing a small bit of levity had failed and I gave in to the mood.

"—But I'm guessing that golden light stopped everything." I paused, my mind trying to put things together.

"Golden light?" I echoed. "You saw it too?" Thomas looked everyone over with a careful eyes.

"I'm guessing we all saw it, then?" He asked to us, nodding.

"It was blinding us all, but definitely coming from your cacoons." Agumon agreed. "Even the other digimon noticed it."

I let myself be silent for just a moment before asking, "So, what did you all see while we were trapped? I'm guessing you all had your worst fears come to life." I don't know why I asked that question; I wasn't expecting anyone to answer. I'm glad I did.

"I saw my mom's death again." Thomas replied, making my mouth go dry as Gaomon put a gloved paw on his hand. "I tried preventing it, but I was too late. The flash happened and I felt a little bit easier about it all. It doesn't remove the sting, though."

"I was fighting through a horde of digimon to save my sister." Masaru added, massaging his wrists. "They just wouldn't stop coming until the flash took them out."

"The recital I broke down at." Yoshino finished. "It's where I met Lalamon. The flash made me remember that I am strong enough." I was thankful to have it end on a high note. "So what did you see, Heather?"

The memories flooded back in and the diamond wall I kept over my heart began to chip apart.

"I saw my uncle's horse die from my childhood. I… I caused it because I wanted to be the hero," Everyone's mood fell while I looked at my feet. The wall chipped further. "Then… I saw my father hurt and yell at me." I couldn't stop myself from rubbing my arms. "I remembered the want to run away," The wall shattered and tears streamed from my face. "That I couldn't sleep without thinking of how my father kept calling me slurs behind my back in the hope that I would be the perfect son for him, or how I struggled with feeling broken because of my dysphoria." Out of the corner of my eye I saw Masaru wince.

"Dysphoria? And why would he do all that?" Patamon worried before yelping as the pair of rocks I was gripping shattered. "Why is your father a big meanie!?" My brittle voice was on its last legs.

"Look… please don't hurt me. I'm… a transgender woman." I winced, forcing my eyelids closed in the case of the worst; the tears kept falling. "Please don't kill me." Nothing happened what seemed like years. Then I peaked an eye out, only a minute later, seeing the DATS trio with blank faces and the various digimon in our party puzzled.

"You're not mad?" I stammered out while wiping the tears from my stained cheeks.

To which Patamon replied, "What's a gender?" Oh you sweet lovable flying guinea pig. You were so innocent.

"It's complicated to say the least." I snorted, sparing his soul the horrible, horrible details for now. "Some people are born male, like Thomas; and some are female, like Yoshino. In my case: I was born male, but after a while I realized what I really was and started making changes to see myself." Patamon's eyes lit up. "I'm all the more happier for it."

"So humans really can evolve! I knew it!" He cheered.

"I guess you could look at it like that way." Everything inside of me was so warm I didn't even notice my aching anymore. I looked back at the trio and braced. "So… what about you three?"

"I knew a few lesbians in my school at one point," Yoshino shrugged. "I wasn't really interested in any of them, but they were cool people to be around."

"It was your secret for you to reveal when you deemed necessary." Thomas replied, curt as ever. "I have no problems." We all looked at Masaru, deep in thought.

"So… your gender broke and you had to replace it with another?" He asked. The others found stale air was let out of their mouths suddenly.

"Why did you say it like that?" Thomas groaned

Yoshino facepalmed. "You're the worst." All eyes turned to me giving a warm laugh at the joke.

"Yeah. That's exactly what happened." I chuckled.

"Did you?" Yoshino turned to Masaru.

He nodded and shrugged. "I had to explain it to Chika myself when I transitioned. It was easier to go into it all with something like that," I whipped off my goggles and looked at them deeply. "It's been a while since my last dysphoria attack though. Yeesh."

I handed him the goggles, "So that means these were made—" He pushed my hand back towards me.

"For a person that didn't truly exist." He shrugged as his face was creased by a grin while an ethereal ball of blue formed around him. "I was so relieved when he hugged me deeply after I came out. He took me to buy that gunpla and we built it together, the first thing we did as father and son. All on the same day as that video file." He tried to laugh, but the ball surrounding him grew. "I just wish he'd come home and see how I grew up after he left. Or that he never left." He took his digivice off his belt and cried. "That he'd see how I repainted my room and agree that pink is just cool, you know? And besides, I needed to get some extra light in the room for when I do my workout routine. Tha—"

"T's how a man lives after all!" The rest of us chorused while he wiped his own tears off.

"See?" His face lit up with a smile again. "You all get it."

"Thank you." I added.

"You're not alone, Heather."

Tears fell through my eyes for a different reason, "I don't think I am anymore."

We continued talking for a few more hours before we started to get ready for sleep, a forceful amount of strongarming from everyone forcing me to not take a shift that night.

"Thomas, Yoshino. Thank you." I gave a smile to the two before heading my sleeping bag. "Thank you all for understanding."

"You're welcome. Oh, and Heather?" I turned around to face her. "Considering what we all experienced, please, call me Yoshi. We're teammates, remember?"

"Yeah, we are, aren't we?" A touch of joy filtered through my soul as I fell asleep; the coating of diamond over my heart couldn't be remade and for once, I didn't want it to.

"They're going to betray you." It was just a whisper, but the words echoed as loud as a yell.

"Huh?!" My head swiveled in the darkness. "Who said that?" No response. "Hello? Anyone there?"

"They always do, don't they?"

The next morning I was the first to awaken with a shiver. Stretching around the cave, my gaze went to the wall. There was a set of small letter like glyphs cut into the stone taking my focus away from the dream I had.

"What is this?" I ran my hand over the carvings, my fingers digging into stone waking everyone else. Sliding my goggles over my eyes, I scrolled to the 'SCAN' mode and clicked the wheel down. Five thin gray lasers shot out of the side lens, each beam tracing the indentations. One chirp after each letter was scanned and the lasers blinked off. Then, I took a picture just to save it for later reference.

"Digicode." Herrismon answered my earlier question while the others began grabbing the last surviving MREs and chowing down. "It reads 'The king is one'."

"'The king is one'." I echoed while being handed my own food. "Looks old. I'll hand the data to DATS, maybe someone there can make heads or tails of it."

The morning light greeted us as we gazed up the mountain. A new smell hit my nose.

"Something's coming." I said, facing the direction the wind was blowing. A burst of wind blew through the area, a collective worry ringing out as we saw the Gizumon AT hovering above. Closer inspection revealed the rents and tears in the armor as it fell lifelessly over. There was a taller figure that was perched on a branch near a small avian digimon wearing a purple vest and red spots around his eyes.

"King Merukimon has wished for an audience with you." The human child with blueish tinted hair and blue face markings under his eyes said. "It would be unwise for you to keep him waiting."

With our the help of our guides—the child introduced himself as Ikuto; and the digimon, Falcomon; our climb of the mountain was smoother than what we prepped for.

"So, Ikuto, how long have you been here?" Thomas asked. "How did you get here?"

"I was born here." He replied.

"You were born here?"

Falcomon coughed, "Merukimon has much to talk to you about. Best not to keep him waiting." Ikuto and Thomas pouted and looked away, but I was wondering why there was a twinge of regret around me.

Merukimon's throne room was a cavernous space, opaque ice walls threating us with being lost in nothing while the ornate cut outs gave me the feeling that if we messed up, we'd be fighting for our lives as if we were in a colosseum ice sculpture. At the other end from where we entered, the mega level sat in his throne. Even from where we were, Merukimon being 'massive', was an understatement. I noted the heartbeat behind the throne too, but was cut off when Ikuto knelt at the throne's foot.

"Thank you, Ikuto." He said, getting up and towering over us. His eyes narrowed. "You are the hybrid, are you not?" My mouth went dry.

"Y-Yes! I am!" I answered, falling on the ground.

The mega level leaned in, the glare in his eyes lighting up the ground beneath us as he got closer. Masaru made a running leap, and punched Merukimon in the face. The action seemed to repeat itself three times—each one a different angle but I assumed it was just my eyes playing tricks on me, before anything else happened. Merukimon was sent skidding right back onto his throne. We all froze, horrified, before a bellowing laughter cut through the cavern.

"I would've known that punch anywhere." Merukimon continued to laugh. "You are Daimon Masaru, are you not? Your father told me of you. You share the same punch as him. Your group has passed my test. Come closer now, so we may talk like civilized beings about the state of the world."

"Dad?" Masaru cried, letting his glowing fists drop while we regrouped at the foot of the seat. "You know… my dad? Do you know where he is?"

Joy washed away from Merukimon's face, "I wish I could tell you where his travels took him. He showed me the strength of both worlds combined. It has been years since that day. And yet, it only took until a few weeks ago for me to remember my enlightenment."

"What do you mean, 'A few weeks ago'?" Yoshi asked. Soon, I noticed who everyone's eyes were on as a giant finger pointed at me.

"Me?" I asked. "I didn't do anything?"

"You made a choice to stand. A vocal defiance against those that wish us gone." Merukimon said while my jaw hung in remembrance. "That's when I remembered his words about our worlds. I thank you. I don't want to think of the darkness that I would've sunk into."

"You're welcome." I sputtered out. "How did you know?" He looked at Ikuto and Falcomon.

"I am sorry." Ikuto murmured. "For us attacking you."

"We were worried that you were an enemy when we first heard the rumors of a human running through our villages. Then we heard of the 'Hopeful Equine', an unknown digimon seemingly able to kill our genociders in one shot." Falcomon added. "We didn't know those rumors were one and the same."

"It's… okay." I replied. "I guess I can understand your worry. I did try to hide my human form from everymon when possible."

"I'm sorry to interrupt, but may we use the gate in your territory to get home?" Thomas asked. "We wish to return to where we came and deliver cruical information."

"Of course, you may." Merukimon answered. "Ikuto, can you show them to the gate?" The child nodded.

"Can we help any further with the Gizumon?" I asked. Everyone stared at me and yet it was only Merukimon who refused to hide a thin smile. "Kurata's my enemy." I felt my clenched hands shake as a deep red ball formed close to me. "I know what I need to do." Yoshi put a hand on my shoulder. "Stopping him means we all win."

"So he is the creator of the machines." Merukimon grumbled as his hands shook. "The pitiful one from your kind's expidition. He is the one responsible for—"

"My king!" A winged tiger with armored shoulders and a red bow around its neck sped into the room from one of the openings in the walls, landing right between us and Merukimon. "An emergency has sprung onto us!"

"Mihiramon! What is going on?" Merukimon demand as the tiger deva caught her breath.

"It's SaberLeomon! His army's coming!"

"How long until he arrives?"

She shook her head, "Not long! I spotted his army just as they reached the mountain ridge base on the north side." Mihiramon panted. "They outnumber us by two-to-one. I'm going to rally our forces, but we must consider retreat." The ultimate level ran out as fas as she entered.

Merukimon turned back to us, the air removed of happiness. "Then it is time that we end our meeting. I'm assuming you have your own way of activating it in a non-self destructive manner?"

"We do." Thomas replied.

"Good. I hope that I don't need to ask for a riskier meathod. One day, I wish to have a talk with the leaders of your world." Merukimon stated. "Ikuto, Falcomon, please escort the group to the gate. Then, follow them through and join on their quest."

"But—" Ikuto went to protest but Merukimon raised a pelted hand. "...The battle."

"Ikuto," He knelt. "I don't wish for you to be put in any more danger in this world than you already have." Merukimon sighed. "What may happen soon will destroy our world's futures. Nor," I could see the slim movements of his lips quaver. "Do I want you around to see it. If it comes to it, you may be our last chance." He looked at us. "You all may be." His eyes were averted from us all. "If I must, I will destroy the gate myself to deny SaberLeomon the chance to harm the human world further."

There was a clacking of boots against the icy floor, coming from behind the throne. Out stepped an elderly Japanese man wearing fishing gear, a green trimmed digivice hanging off his belt. "As if I were to stay on the sideline while my home was in danger, Merukimon."

"Old man!?" Masaru cried. I remebered getting glimpses of him in those few quiet days on earth that I wished returned. It was always out of the corner of my eye, he'd be there preforming whatever task would suit the background. "What are you doing here? How—"

"You know him?" I asked.

"He's the one who gave me my digivice."

"And to see you've matured so far, Masaru." The old man replied. "Your father would be proud." Oh how my wish for calmness was never to be a thing. "If you others wish to know, I'm Yushima Hiroshi, Commander-General of DATS."

JainusVt · May 22, 2025

High above their planned battlefield, two figures stared over the cliff face. The air was stale as it was drawn through their nostrils, knowing a decisive battle was about to occur.

"I gathered all I can, but they still outnumber us two-to-one." Mihiramon spoke softly as the other digimon settled below their natural battlement inched with anticipation. The mountainside was otherwise quiet, even the wind had stopped howling.

"Have you seen any of the machines?" Merukimon asked.

"None so far. They're content to let us kill each other."

Merukimon kept his gaze steady on the pass, fingers tapping the hilt of his sword. "He's here."

Mild vibrations from the nascent battle chipped icy stone as we walked through the unlit caverns. We turned the final corner, blinded by the daylight before entering a secluded forest courtyard. Laid at one end of the shrine-like area was the gate, large and circular as the three legs holding it parallel to the earth dug into soil. Scattered throughout the small forest were large hard cases half dug into the soil while overturned logs in one corner were gathered around a ring of rocks.

"We'll need time for DATS to connect to the gate's systems." Thomas announced, walking over the inner platform.

I wandered around for a moment, sneaking over to one of the containers and lifting the open lid to reveal an anti-tank rifle. I whistled low and long as the soda can length brass cartridges gleamed in their magazines, the smell of long standing oxidized metals hitting my nostrils. A flash hit me. In a rush I opened the next case over and my eyes shot open.

"Masaru! Gonna need your help to move this!" I yelled.

"What's the problem?" He asked. I pointed to the weapon inside the container, a rocket launcher with twelve rockets sitting alongside it in the container. I slammed the lid down, and the two of us scurried the weapon far away from the gate. In a panic I opened the rest of the boxes that I could locate. Each one contained a heavy weapon of some sort. Each one rusted beyond use.

"What the hell happened with the explorer team?" I squealed. "I thought we came in peace."

"It's true." The voice of Yushima Hiroshi answered as he rested on one of the remaining boxes near the gate. "The expeditions were mostly peaceful explorers." His expression darkened. "At first. He messed it up."

"Old man?" Masaru cried. "I thought you were helping Merukimon. What are you doing here?"

"I help who needs it the most."

"Who's 'he'?" Part of me already knew, but I still asked.

"Kurata." Commander Yushima confirmed. "He split off from our main group during one routine survey of this world. For what reason? I never found out. The next thing I knew while investigating tracks that could've belonged to a missing person, Daimon Suguru was carrying him back to our original camp. He was reduced to a mess, mumbling about a giant golden lion that was about to eat him. He was barely able to hold himself together. The initiative then decided that we'd need military escort until otherwise was proven."

"And now that human is trying to genocide this world." Ikuto finished with teeth bared.

Commander Yushima shook his head, "Whatever he went through doesn't clean his hands of his current actions." He sighed. "Nor mine."

"Yours?" Yoshi echoed. The commander kept an unusual quiet.

"I searched out scientists that could build him a new gate when the initiative shut down," All of us winced in shock. "I figured he was simply going to restart Astraeus, find a new world to research. When I came back to the digital world a week ago, Merukimon told me of invaders using the same portal tech as we once did."

I pushed my way to the front of the four, "Do you know where did Kurata moved to?!"

"What happened after that expedition?" Thomas now joined in, brushing me aside.

I got in the blonde's face."What the hell?" I couldn't even tell my fist was shaking as my anger boiled over. "Why are you bothering with useless information?"

"Useless?" Thomas grunted. "You mean tracking down allies that have knowlege of his expertise."

"Kurata can be stopped right now! This could be the shot we can take to k—"

"Kids," Yushima cut me off, his stick forcing me and Thomas apart. "I'm an old man who's seen the best and worst of life. We don't get to where we are without mistakes." He turned to me. "One thing you could stand to learn is that you don't think about what kind of ocean bait you use in a puddle."

I was speechless until I pushed out a confused, "What?"

"Anything else we need to know, old man?" Masaru interrupted.

"Not to my knowledge. After that survey, I went on one more expedition to find any missing persons before being sidelined. Then, the whole initiative shut down. I was soon offered the position as the global head of DATS."

"Wait, did you say 'giant golden lion'?" Ikuto interjected.

"Hmm?"

"That sounds like… SaberLeomon." There was a dark cloud of yellow hanging around the young child as he stared into the distance.

I walked over and knelt down. "You want to help, right?" My voice was steady despite the lingering uncertain fear causing knots in my stomach.

"He took care of me for years after… mom was killed." Ikuto responded. The ball clouds turned a mix of red-blue as he kicked the dirt. "To think he was just going to let himself die too if it came to it."

"What are you waiting for?"

Ikuto blinked. "You want to come back with me? But what about your gate?"

"There's no way SaberLeomon is going to stop here if he wins." Herrismon explained. "If your mission is to help both worlds, then we can't let him win in this one."

"My father's gone too." Masaru added. "I'm not going to let another father leave if I can help it."

"There comes a time when the adult of a group needs to be responsible, and a time the adult needs to be irresponsible." I explained to Ikuto. "After all, Merukimon can't scold us if he's dead."

The battle had already descended into a melee. Lines of battle were already forgotten as everyone rushed in for their next kills. Those in the sky cut the clouds with their attacks, those on the ground smashing the mountainside into a finer slope. Within minutes the battle had taken the lives of fifteen. A MetalGreymon fired its chest rockets at an approaching ExTyranomon; sixteen gone. A Cerberusmon pounced from a high ledge, catching the wings of Mihiramon. The two struggled through the ensuing flatspin until the former was thrown clear at the last second.

Neither leader had cared for the reason the battle was caused by anymore. A gap between them and their forces formed at the start of the battle and only seemed to grow as everything wore on. Rarely other mons strayed too close to the physical gods and got obliterated for disturbing their confrontation.

The two titans kept going, lightning followed by claws followed by a swipe of the sword. The battlefield was theirs, and everyone else knew they were just borrowing it.

Ikuto had led us to the pass we originally took to the throne room but then we diverted. We came out on the cliff face opposite the battle with a claim that it was faster for us to prepare our team here than jumping into combat. Three crash landings kicked up dirt nearby. The dust cleared to reveal three silver insectoids with a hoard combined of Boarmon and Pteramon flanking them.

"Well, if it isn't the humans causing us trouble once more." A gravelly yet tinny voice yelled from atop one of the Okuwamon. The being stepped to the head, revealing itself to be a squat rocky golem.

"Gotusmon?" Ikuto cried. "You're on our side!"

"That's right! I am on the side of the digital world."

"Mihiramon and Merukimon trusted you! I trusted you! Just because you failed to defeat Vitramon—" Gotsumon laughed.

"You still actually think I fought him? I lied to Merukimon! I let Vitramon pass through the gate! Don't you see? Humanity deserves to be destroyed for what they did to us!" The golem started to pace. "Of course, you would be numb to our deaths. Your kind caused this. You caused this. All of the deaths of the last decade are on your hands!"

Ikuto faltered. "What? My kind? I'm a—"

"Human. Such a small mind. Have you ever noticed that you never evolved like us?" The child's ball turned bright yellow, specs of red fluttering in. "That you don't have attacks like us? Oh, did your precious dad not tell you the truth? What about Frigidmon? How does it feel she lied to you? You know, before she died." The ball went red. "Sad. If you were really a digimon—" I found a rock nearby and heaved it right at Gotsumon's face.

"Enough!" Thomas screamed. "If you're going to disrespect someone's family…"

"You're going to go through us first!" Masaru finished. The four of us took up positions in front of the digital child. The four of us began glowing, Ikuto producing his own digivice from his cloak.

"Don't worry," I turned to Masaru. "You'll get your punch in." He rolled his eyes before punching my shoulder. His fist lit up in his own digisoul. Part of me laughed before I silenced it.

"Digi-soul! Full charge!"

"Digi-soul! Charge!"

"Biocharge Evolution!" All five of us activated our digivices simultaneously.

Evolution started to feel good, my essence craving the sensation as my hand touched the contact. The egg of code set in and my body fell free from its shape. I could feel the slow morph of my hands and feet into hooves as the energy ran over it. My posture shifted to four legs as my tail popped out. My coat became black as my scales grew, my hair snapping into my mane. I reared up after the energy engulfed my head and rearranged it into a snout. I let out a blow as my hooves smashed against the floor. "BioEquismon!"

Two ultimates, two champions, a hybrid that landed in the middle of the two levels, and two rookies stood against an army. Three humans and one struggling Ikuto there as well, but none of them were really interested in throwing hands yet.

"So you're the hybrid everyone's been talking about." Gotsumon narrowed his eyes on me. "I'll be glad to take you out fo—"My body snapped into action before I could think, a knot forming within my mind. Everything loosened from my mind's grip on the body without realizing it. Instincts screamed to act now.

"Ah'm not going to let you! Astral Arrow!" The bolt flew straight at an Okuwamon. The mon was reduced to an egg in a single hit. Gotsumon gaped at where one of his main beasts stood before turning back to me. I didn't have time to register I killed a living being.

"Kill her first!" The army charged at his command even if a good chunk of the armor levels retreated.

My muscles yearned for a fight as the knot wove itself tighter. Yoshi put a hand on my withers.

"Get to Merukimon." She told me. "We can handle it here."

"But what if y'all need everypony here?" I asked. The three DATS members nodded. Part of my mind still doubted it but I pushed it down. "Mah teammates can do this. Ah trust them."

Hoofsteps on the ground echoed in my mind as I pushed myself along through the caverns and back into an open air field. A chord of euphoric understanding began to strum within every fiber of my being. I pushed myself to gallop faster. Faster! Faster! My limits were reached and yet the yearning was insatiable. Yet it was hallowed out, an unreachable want that would never end. Something had to give. In my mind I found the knot woven near invisibility into my soul. I cut into one of its threads. It wasn't needed, I told myself.

I felt my sense of self erode. My mind was freaking out, scurrying as grip was loosening but my body dulled the aches faster then they could be made. One blink of weary eyes caused me to skip into another cavern, the next skipped even longer. The calmness of digital nature gently sifted every bit of higher consciousness through the finest of sieves.

I felt my instincts backfill the void my fleeting humanity was leaving behind. The body desired to run. My mind handed over the reins as it slipped into nothing, retreating behind the mirror to watch.

Mihiramon snarled as a Dinobeemon landed in front of her. The two squared up, roars daring the other to make a move.

"Equis Rush!" 'My' voice yelled before 'I' smashed into the fusion monster. Mihiramon didn't flinch and finished Dinobeemon off.

"Who are you?" She asked.

"We reckoned that yer fight could use a bit more help." I said. "Ah figured ah just be the early pony to arrive."

Her eyes scanned my frame, irises shrinking as she pieced it together. "You're that hybrid!" We ducked underneath as MetalGreymon tail swiped another champion. "Why did you come back?"

"Cause ah'm an honest mare, ah'm gonna give you the honest answer." I sighted a sounder of Boarmon sneaking into the fight. "Oh, gimme a moment. Astral Arrow!" Three arrows were fired one after another, three Boarmon sent back to eggs. Another arrow struck a MetalTyranomon attempting to strike Merukimon in the back. A bolt of lightning from the king sealed it off without him even looking

"Horn Impulse!" GeoGreymon charged right through the formation of ground based armor levels.

Peckmon— Falcomon's champion level; an Ostrich shaped digimon with a purple vest and headband, ran up the dinosaur's back. "Spiral Claw!" The kick struck a Pteramon— an armor level looking halfway between a jet fighter and a Pterodactyl, and sent it into its wingman, both exploding.

An Okuwamon's shadow made the two champions jump back, "Winning Knuckle!" But MachGaogamon's timely strike sent the insect over the edge. The two champions nodded and got back to handling the armor levels as the wolf cyborg followed the insect down.

"Lila Shower!" Beams emitted out of Lilamon's hands as she raked them across the next Okuwamon.

"Mega Blast!" She ducked the fireball as it struck the Boarmon she failed to notice.

"Marvel Shot!" Lilamon fired her blast as the Flamedramon sneaking up on GeoGreymon, who followed it up with a body check the smaller reptile. "Lila Shower!" She refocused on the Okuwamon nearby when a sound caught her ears. "Yoshi! Look out!"

An Impmon had snuck up on the DATS agent and pounced. Masaru shoved her out of the way and sent a fist into the digimon.

"Kenzan Drive!" Herrismon's strike finished it off. Bushes rustled again and a Sheepmon jumped out, this time Yoshi—her digisoul softly glowing around her, grabbed it by the guns and threw it back where it came.

Thomas danced on his feet as three jabs went into a BlackGabumon's snout as his digisoul also had a soft glow around him. Ikuto's boomerang soared in, allowing for one more punch to strike the virus type as the defeat of the last Okuwamon was signaled by MachGaogamon returning.

"I'll finish you all by myself!" Gotsumon screamed. "I'm done with playing games! Gotsumon warp evolve! Meteormon!" The golem hadn't changed all that much, gaining more of a white tint to the rocks that made up his body. He growled as he stood alone, eyes burning with fury. Three ultimates and Peckmon readied themselves.

The three DATS agents looked between each other as Yoshi muttered, "he changed color."

My body skidded against dirt as a Gargoylemon swiped at me, Mihiramon swiftly dispatching that foe. Dirt was kicke up as a trail came up behind us, a Digmon bursting from the ground as it engaged a Blossommon

"Astral Arrow!" My bolt hit the plant digimon in the face and took it out. The Digmon looked over its shoulder before spinning a drill in— to this day I believe to be either a 'thanks!' or 'mine

', before going back underground. I galloped to the other side of the field, "Equis Rush!" and battered into a Zudamon swinging its hammer at a Wizardmon.

'My' body kept running as it wished, one by one SaberLeomon's forces thinned to 'my' attacks. I was just running, never wishing for that unquenchable desire to end. My form finally found its home.

A Pteramon swooped in close. "Equis Rush!" It didn't expect I could fly and It was partially right as I held on for dear life through the maneuvers it tried. I was able to get fully onto its back as it leveled off. A well placed double buck to the back of the head put it out of commission as I hopped down.

My body was finally happy in the fall. To feel the wind against its coat. Then I found myself thrust back into control.

"What?!" I groaned through the uncontrolled landing. "Ow. Where am I?"

"Dark Side Attack!" A volley of missiles from the opposing Megadramon began tracking me.

"Shit!" I skittered to my hooves, heart pounding away as I sprinted. MetalGreymon landed near the opposing ultimate, the two battling it out as I pushed my body to gallop as fast as possible.

I sped around the battlefield as the eager missiles continued their pursuit. One jinked warhead detonated on a cairn, the next two were notched into a formation of Pteramon. Each breath I took got heavier as my body desperately ached. I slithered between the legs of SaberLeomon, the final missiles impacting their own leader. His teeth turned to me; even Merkurimon stared at me in disbelief.

"You?" He roared. SaberLeomon bashed into his opposite and ran deeper into the mountains.

"I can finish here, my king!" Mihiramon yelled as she threw a Garudamon into a wall. "Go get SaberLeomon!"

"Cosmo Flare!" Meteormon yelled as a flaming meteor started falling on his eight adversaries. MachGaogamon weaved through the falling rocks, the jetpack sputtering as it vectored.

"Mega Flame!"

"Lila Shower!"

The two attacks flew straight at the nonchalant ultimate level. "Guard Rock!" When they struck, it was as if nothing happened.

"He can do that!?" Thomas cried. "Tch! Plan 2-T!"

"Yes, master!" MachGaogamon took off; Thomas nodded to his teammates and Ikuto. One by one, the three digimon left threw attack after attack at the ultimate. One by one, the latter made himself invincible.

"Winning Blow!"

Meteormon caught sight of the ambush. "Guard Rock!" The fist struck him, no worse for wear. "Big Bang Blow!" His fist coiled and sent the cyborg wolf kicking up half the wall. "Can't you see? You are the weak ones!"

"We're not weak!" Yoshino roared back.

"We're together!" Masaru continued.

"You don't know what it's like to lose someone! Cosmo Flare!" a hail of meteors fell from the sky once more. "Every day we suffered that fate for a decade! The world is dying and we're done lying down and waiting for you all to finish us off us! Know I know the only way you'll understand. I'm going to make sure you feel that pain personally."

"I already have." Masaru snarled. His fist clenched. "To have someone taken from your life too soon. To have them ripped from your emotions," His digisoul became a flame. "So don't you dare think of hurting my family. YOU'LL HAVE TO GO THROUGH ME FIRST!" The aura became an inferno. He dashed forward with inhuman speed and his fist smashed against Meteormon's head, flinging him to the next mountaintop.

"Big bro!" GeoGreymon called out.

"Yes! Digi-soul! Full charge!"

The energies coated GeoGreymon as his form glowed.

"GeoGreymon, evolve!" The energies died off a moment later. The dinosaur had its chest replaced with machinery, wings sprouting from its back giving it flight as its metal head snarled at Meteormon. The left arm raised, now a giant revolver to which the right slapped the cylinder closed. "RizeGreymon!"

By this point, Meteormon had returned.

"Like one more ultimate will end me!" He boasted. "Cosmo Flash!" The meteor didn't fully break up in time.

"Rising Destroyer!" The chestplate and shoulder cannons on RizeGreymon hummed as they charged. Each fired a beam, each hit a piece of the falling meteor. Each of them was destroyed. "Crack Bullet!" The gun shot once.

"Rock Tornado!" Meteormon screamed towards his opponent, dodging through the shell to strike.

"Un Deux Pollen!" Lilamon appeared nearby, spreading pollen near the attacker.

"Winning Knuckle!"

"Guard Rock!" The attack struck the indestructible golem.

"Solid Strike!" The golem didn't dodge RizeGreymon smacking him with the barrel in time. It was followed up by, "Heavy Barrel!"

Meteormon found himself on the ground, struggling to pick himself up.

"Now! Get some height!" Masaru commanded. The cyborg dinosaur agreed, only stopping to aim once high enough. "Finish him off!"

"MachGaogamon!..."

"Lilamon!..." The two looked at their partners and nodded. They understood the weakness they all saw.

"Trident Revolver!" RizeGreymon yelled. The arm cannon fire three times, each time letting an energy orb loose.

"You know what's going to happen!" Meteormon laughed. "Guard Rock! You can't defeat me!"

"Winning Blow!" MachGaogamon blindsided Meteormon with a fist that did nothing.

"Guard Rock!"

"Lila Shower!" Lilamon attacked next from behind.

"Guard Rock!" The last attack was nullified but the shells continued to scream down.

"Howling Tornado!" MachGaogamon struck once more.

"Guard Rock!" Meteormon's voice became strained as another attack was tanked.

"Marvel Shot!"

"Guard Rock!" Meteormon's composure cracked, the shells visually increased in diameter. "Guard Rock!" Just when the shells were about to impact against him, Meteormon laughed.

"Spiral Claw!" Peckmon appeared from his hiding spot. The avian's kick landed, the following jump timed far too close to the orange balls of explosive energy for anyone's comfort. The shells detonated on target. The three didn't care to see the egg fall as another explosion took their attention.

The ground trembled as SaberLeomon smashed into the new terrain, claws digging into the soil as he launched himself forward with a mighty roar. His paw eclipsed a Halsemon as it squished the avian into Merukimon's sword. Another flurry of swipes clanged but the blade held fast. He could see the portal, taste it even. He just needed to defeat his rival.

I linked up with the DATS trio and Ikuto close to the gate. My hooves were screaming my head off but my body told me it was fine to keep going. On the other hoof, it wasn't a hard thing to reconcile that the commander disappeared again.

In hindsight that was probably the easiest thing we did all day. We were more worried if the two physical gods fighting each other would notice the large Cyborg Winged Dinosaur (with one arm as a large revolver), Cyborg Wrestling Wolf, Anthropomorphic Lily, Dark Scaly Pony, and/or Ninja Ostrich peeking through the nearby forest. I don't know, maybe they hoped we'd be admiring the flowers or something other than getting in their way.

"How do we do this?" Yoshino asked as we watched the continuing fight in hopes that our ticket home wouldn't be destroyed.

"We already have what we need." Masaru pointed to the container we moved earlier that day.

"Is that—" Thomas began.

"Better to use it all then let it become litter forever. Come on." The two broke from the hiding spot and ran.

Ikuto on the other hoof, broke towards the battle.

"Where are you going?" Yoshi hissed. She nodded to Lilamon and the rest of us followed.

A boomerang hit SaberLeomon's tooth. The giant feline was distracted for enough time for a lightning strike to hit him.

"You have had every chance to run, Ikuto! Why did you stay?" Merukimon didn't need to look at us to know, his attention squarely on SaberLeomon's next flurry of swipes. "This battle isn't going to end well. You've been through so much, grown so much. Lost so much. I can't think of you getting hurt any more than you have. "

"Even ordering me differently won't change that I have no trust in humans." Ikuto replied. back while on the verge of tears. "Not after seeing Frigimon die to their..." He let the tears fall. "My kind's hands—"

"Ikuto." Large teardrops formed between the two megas. "I'm sorry none of us ever told you the truth about who you are. Your family is out there waiting for yo—"

"—But that's why I can't let you have any reason to throw yourself away! Your dream of uniting the two worlds is yours to make! I'm not letting you throw away my family any more than what's happened!"

SaberLeomon huffed. "Then you two will die together!"

"None of us will!" I galloped through Merukimon's legs, a timed leap avoiding the claws of SaberLeomon as another sword swing rocked him back. "Equis Rush!" I shot forward one last time that day, my shield striking his nose just in the right place. Merukimon followed up, swinging his sword into SaberLeomon's head as well as the engines of MachGaogamon roared behind the trees.

"Winning Knuckle!" He yelled, smashing SaberLeomon in the same place for the third time. His mouth drooped open.

"Lila Shower!" The X-shaped projectile hit the same spot once more, Merukimon taking the opportunity to grab his opponent by the snout.

"Merukimon! Keep his mouth open!" Yoshi ordered, Merukimon looked to the human and back before forcing SaberLeomon's jaw as wide as it can go; the feline scratched and struggled in his grip. One by one, MachGaogamon and Lilamon placed the weapon containers in his mouth, Masaru finishing off with the rocket launcher's case, a mighty heave flinging it into SaberLeomon's mouth.

"Hit them!" Masaru yelled.

RizeGreymon stopped mid air to take aim, swinging the large revolver arm and snapping it onto target. "Trident Revolver!"

The gun barked thrice, three orb-like projectiles spiraled around each other as they sped downward, impacting on SaberLeomon's throat in a massive explosion. The leftover weapons and ammo joined in, the ensuing fireball encasing SaberLeomon as his pain laced scream echoed throughout the mountain range. SaberLeomon emerged from the explosion. He snarled before smoke poured from his mouth. He panted heavily as cuts and bruises traced everywhere on his body.

"Tch." The mega level feline limped away, finally accepting defeat.

Even if the outcome was better, the digital world still lost that day.

We said our goodbyes to the regal mega level and tiger deva soon after, the notion of this becoming a beautiful venture between the two worlds in everyone's voice as I walked through the gate now joined by Ikuto and Falcomon.

A light shone in the night sky as soon as we landed in the water of the Pacific Ocean, the blades of a helicopter chopping overhead as the Commander, Miki, and Megumi threw several life jackets at us while the ladder was deployed.

Within an eye's blink I found myself in the apartment I was given and on my bed, welcoming sleep and preparing what was to start the next step of our lives.

"We need to talk."

JainusVt · May 26, 2025

From afar, there was a flash of light. Following it was one of the three Okuwamon returning to an egg. Much later, there was an orange flame jumping into the air. Meteormon sailed overhead and crashed into the nearby mountain. The figure watching the continuing battle let a feline fang shine in the daylight.

"You have the potential. Keep going. I know you can." He pulled the hat over his eyes and walked away as the cyborg dinosaur's shells impacted

I shuddered awake at the simple question in my mind. I gazed around the dark apartment, body burning from several days of combat to find nothing. I gave a soft moan as the pillow dragged me back to sleep.

"Why would you leave?" The voice returned; an ethereal spotlight froze me in place.

"Hello? Who are you?" I called out.

"Don't you want to be in a world where you can run free?" It asked. "One where you can gallop to your heart's never ending content. You would choose the world that wants you dead for existence over that?"

I glanced around, my form shaking heavily. "Uh, are you my digimon side?"

The voice chuckled. "No. I've been here for quite a while. Your new… nature simply gave me the strength to visualize myself. It's fascinating what you are really capable of."

"Then–" My voice broke and my breath started to hitch in the neverending darkness. I yelped as another me, dull glowing eyes cloaked in shadow, appeared close.

"Do you think DATS actually cares about you?" The words were the hammer that knocked me onto an invisible surface.

"But my friends—" I started to shiver and curl up. "I–"

"Friends?" The other me scoffed and started to pace. "Cute. You barely know them." My mouth wouldn't open no matter how much I tried to speak. "How can you even call it acceptance when you don't trust them?" The eyes of the other me burned into my psyche. "You know what's coming. It always does. One day, they'll betray you, just as so many others have. Why try to stop the inevitable?"

"No! They—"

"These are the ones that you lied to about your identity until it was needed to gain sympathy, right? Ones you could've told at any time."

"I didn't lie!"

"The ones that attacked you without initial reason? The ones that are afraid—"

"Shut up! They're not afraid of me!" My panting plugged the rapidly forming tears.

"Really?" The other me laughed. "They interrogated you to see if you were a threat to them. You saw their eyes, scanning you for disobedience as they crushed you under boot heels, demanding you cease any form of insubordination against their will. And for what? To throw you out when they're done with you? To leave you on the street as everyone in your life has?" The other one turned to me. The soft smile on her lips broke everything I built. "Do you really want that again?"

The void shook as I screamed. "No! No!...No…no."

Herrismon looked at me with fear in his eyes from the edge of my bed, his paw shaking as it pulled away. Patamon was next to him, irises like pinpricks as he looked at me.

"Are you okay?" He asked. "You were muttering 'no' repeatedly." I pulled both of my companions into a tight hug.

"It's nothing." I felt a slight snicker in my mind as my eyes adjusted to the darkness. "Don't worry about it."

"What's eating at you, Heather?" Herrismon demanded.

"It's just," I averted my eyes from them. "I've missed the safety of those around me for a long time. But it's fine. Everything's going to be fine."

"I trust them. I trust them. Yes. I. Trust…" My mind faded to sleep as tears landed on the pillows.

After the extended mission we were assigned to on-call duty until Thursday. Miki and Megumi were hard at work to find a lead on the Nohuchis, the couple having disappeared completely from every record. Even the commander pulled some old contacts out to help with the search. Still, the two doctors were gone from the face of the Earth. Two days of free time was a lot so Yoshi, Masaru, and I figured we'd show Ikuto around the city. Thomas, meanwhile, said he was to deliver the bullet casings for forensic analysis before meeting us in the city. We met up at Masaru's house on Tuesday, his mother's stern eyes calming from us keeping him safe.

"I worry everything's not over." She said.

"I don't have that worry. I know it's not over." It was blunt. A harsh truth but it was the only thing I could say with a straight face.

"That's what worries me." She sighed. Sayuri traced my vision over to the living room, Chika pushing Agumon down with a slight boop to the nose as the small dinosaur whined about not getting another bite. Falcomon immediately shuffled away, understanding his soon to be fate if he stood in front of the younger Daimon as her older brother laughed. "All I want is for them to play like that forever."

"But you know you can't keep Masaru from the fight." Yoshi added. "Can you?"

"No. As much as I keep him here to avoid losing another being I love," The two siblings had taken to driving a wedge between the various digimon and Ikuto on the couch as they scrambled for the leftover snacks. "I'm not going to be able to keep my son from following the path he wishes. I don't think anyone can. He gets that from his father."

"I forgot how bad the city stinks." I moaned, trailing behind in the group. "Damn extra senses." We passed a local landmark, Masaru explaining the significance in the background of all the noise.

"Tell me about it." Ikuto complained. "You… human cities stink badly."

"Yeah." I trailed off. "You okay? Anything you want to talk about? One stranger to this land to another."

"It's nothing."

"Being told you were one thing but finding out you were another is hard."

"I'd rather be back at your organization's HQ. This isn't like home at all."

I turned my attention back to Masaru as we approached a shrine, "From what I've heard, the US Vice President is due for a visit here sometime within the next month alongside other foreign dignitaries."

I looked around and winced at the reminder of my long time home being removed, "Yeah."

Wednesday was more of the same, even if later on Ikuto and I ditched to tour to be at HQ for most of it. I looked at my hands while the child and his partner conversed with other mons. I could feel a quick shake in them as my mind focused on being BioEquismon again.

"Why do you choose to live here?" Ikuto asked the Veemon.

"Because one day I want to live in any world without hiding." The blue dragon respond.

"But isn't the digital world your home?"

Veemon waved the child off. "I've lived here for far longer now. I've made a good space for myself since nearly drowning in the Thames."

"I could barely get to rookie before a portal threw me to Tokyo." Another Kudamon— one with a more tinny voice, asked with a shudder. "At least here I can live."

"I do worry about the knight order since I landed in Nevada." A Hackmon—a white horned dragon digimon with a red cape, said. "I always wonder if the other knights know I'm gone. Maybe it's just me distracting myself from the horrors the digital world faces but, it gives me a purpose to keep acting in their stead."

Thursday morning rolled around and I found myself back in the command room, falling in and out of listening to the day's briefing.

"This is a good time to remind everyone of our upcoming summons this weekend one last time." The commander continued unaware I was staring into the void. "Thomas, Heather, Miki. You three will be joining me and we will be traveling to New York City, departing tonight."

"I'll see about registering a flight plan ASAP." Thomas saluted. "My jet will be ready."

"I'm not going anywhere without my friends." I tapped the two cubes still attached to my waist despite the mons standing next to me.

"Even if our East Coast branch will keep monitoring the barrier for any breaches, yes. We will be bringing our partners." Kudamon responded. "We wouldn't ask you otherwise."

"We'll be meeting with that branch's leadership when we land. Officially, our UK and US West branches will also be joining the meeting."

Yoshi straightened up. "And unofficially, sir?"

"Heather," My attention came back to the conversation. "Thomas," He straightened. "You two are being promoted to the US West Coast and UK branch leads temporarily." The commander glared at me as I was about to ask for a cheeky raise. "You'll be getting a suit to wear."

I shrugged, "Fine, but I'm only wearing it for the event."

The door swished open as Miki walked in, followed by her partner, a PawnChessmon.

"I have the report from the technicians." She stated, handing the commander a pad. "The upgrade has finished development and has one unit in production."

"What about bringing the older tech up to date?" Kudamon asked.

"We're still working on a solution for that storage module."

The commander turned to all of us. "Dismissed."

Hours later I found myself in the training area.

"Astral Arrow!" I threw the bolt into the ground, Peckmon's kick deflecting off the shaft. My hoof impacted his beak before throwing my body weight around the ninja ostrich and pinning him to the floor. "Yield." The avian tapped the ground and I let off and felt exhaustion set in my body from the fourth consecutive fight.

"You've gotten stronger." Ikuto said as Peckmon turned back to Falcomon.

"And were you still holding back?" The bird cried.

"I'm considered an ultimate." I reminded the aviam. "I don't want to like… hurt you. That would be bad."

Trotting over to the rest area, I let myself drink from one of the water bowls DATS acquired for the various digimon they were protecting.

"So I have to ask after you evolve to BioEquismon," My ears flicked towards Masaru before I raised my head. "Why do you sound like Applejack?"

I scoffed. "I do not sound like—" I froze in place; my mind clicked. "Wait, did you say Applejack?"

"Yeah. Earth Pony, orange coat, wears a stetson hat, has three apples for a cutie mark—"

"Works at Sweet Apple Acres alongside her brother, little sister, and Granny Smith!" The two of us harmonized.

The pegasister within me woke up and was fully alert to drone on about my favorite show of all time. It was like the four battles had never happened as I pranced around the group.

"Oh my, I never would've imagined that MLP reached you here." I cheered, prancing some more. "It's been a while since I talked about it."

"As much as I didn't fit in as a girl I did enjoy the show a lot." Masaru chuckled. I trotted back over, easily knowing my new energy was becoming a lot for everyone to handle.

"You have a favorite Earth Pony?" I asked. "Cheerilee is mine."

"Time Turner. Pegasus?" Masaru returned. "Daring Do."

"Rainbow Dash, easy." I replied. "Unicorn? Sunset."

"Shining Armor."

"Can we please focus on the question?" Yoshi groaned. "As much as I'd love to talk about ponies— Bright Mac, Spitfire, Trixie," I found myself unable to hold back my whinney as my hooves rapidly tapped the floor. "If there's something wrong we need to address then can we?"

"I agree." Thomas interjected. His face had his usual aura of seriousness. "No one is helped by those incorrect choices." You could hear a pin drop as the earlier assessment was abruptly diffused. "Octavia, Fluttershy, Moondancer." He noticed the soft growl coming from the woman next to him. "What? They're my sister's favorites." A blue ball hovered over his shoulder. "I… made a promise to her that we'd do something while she recovered from the treatments."

"I'm just speaking normally." I continued to move on from the topic he was uncomfortable sharing at the moment. " I'm not doing any voices." I paused as everyone stared at me. "Should I be worried? There's no precedent."

"You are the precedent." Herrismon shot back.

"See? I'm speaking normally." I said, stretching a hoof. "Not forcing any voice. Just speaking with the voice this form gives me."

"Strange." Thomas mumbled. "I have noticed you do get a drawl at times."

"Agreed." Yoshi nodded.

"You said 'everypony' before that last battle." Masaru said.

I winced, "Did I?" I scuffed a hoof on the ground. "I mean, sure, I would say that. But I didn't. I don't remember much between… running to the main battle and the end." I felt a migraine come on. "It's a blur right now."

"You do get more aggressive in combat." Lalamon noted. "It's nothing new for us but you might be taking it a bit too far yourself."

"You can get scary when you evolve." Agumon said, tracing his arm bands. "I mean we do too…"

Falcomon glanced at him before turning back to me, "You tend to come up to our level fast." He turned back to the nodding digimon before looking at me again. "It can be unsettling to think that you were a human when we turn back to you."

I was quiet for what seemed like hours. No response entered my mind. I still noticed the ball near Thomas. My mind desired to examine it and it fluttered over. It was sucked in before I could even wonder what to ask.

"I am human." I forced myself to say, eyes swelling and legs antsy. "Just one that can transform into a digimon. After seeing Angemon and Myotismon, that's what I'm going with, okay?" My breath got shallow. "I'm still human!" My legs backpedaled, my eyes darting around the nine other beings. "I am still a human!" My voice broke. "It doesn't change that I am a person! I-I-I-"

"Heather?" Yoshi worried. A small ball of a faint yellow appeared as she got up and walked over. "It's okay. Whatever you think is correct is how you think."

Patamon landed on my snout and hugged me with his wing ears. "Are you alright?"

"I don't know!" I was on the verge of tears as I pulled away. Herrismon grabbed me by the snout.

"Listen here, you've been acting strange all week!" He yelled. "I'm tired of it. What's wrong, Heather?"

"Letting them in will only hurt you more." The voice whispered.

"I'm worried that I'm losing control." I replied. It wasn't wrong, but I still regret being unwilling to be open with everyone. "One moment I was running to the last battle and the next I was in the thick of it—"

"They don't believe you."

"—and now I'm learning that I do an AJ voice sometimes! I love turning into BioEquismon, I really do. I feel free, like I can run as much as I've ever desired. Everything fits so well. I just… after that last battle, I'm worried what could happen to 'I'." Another one of the awkward, scary thoughts appeared in my mind but an alarm sounded and we rushed to the command center. I was thankful to give my racing mind a purpose as I put my body into gear.

"What's the sitrep, commander?" Thomas asked as the door swished behind us.

"A large digimon has appeared off the coast." Megumi explained from the front chair. Both operators were typing away rapidly. "It was detected via Japan's Tsunami warning system breaching deep in the water and is now swimming towards the city."

"Initial scans have it placed as a reptilian of some nature, most likely dinosaur or dragon." Miki added. The screen fizzled. "Commander, system malfunction! Local buoys are offline! One kilometer gap!"

"The coastline has started evacuations." I could hear the sirens wailing from the HQ.

"How much time do we have?" Yoshi demanded.

"Fifteen minutes to landfall at last estimate." Megumi informed us. There was a set of blades cresting the water's surface on the screen. Slowly they sank beneath the waves.

"Masaru, Thomas, Yoshi, get airborne now! Stay in holding near HQ until the target is confirmed." Commander Satsuma ordered as I gave the first a charge. "Heather, help with the evacuations."

"Rodger!" All of us said.

I could see the huge forms of the three ultimates attempting to fit behind the HQ as I was dashing across the boardwalk, now back to human.

"I just got word back from the monitoring station," I kept running as Miki expositied in my ear. "Tsunami buoys are experiencing heavy sensor issues."

"That's bad. We're going to need them once the season rolls around." The worry in Yoshi's voice was easily picked out over my breath.

"Yes." The air I breathed in got staler. "The buoys were due for an update in the coming weeks due to retaining older code."

"The technicians on their end are forcing an update of the systems. ETA to reboot is four minutes." Megumi informed us.

I came to a halt on the beach, the area cleared of civilians and oersonal belongings. I keyed my earpiece. "Heather here." I threw my head on a swivel just in case I missed anything, the streets cleaned of anyone in danger. "No civilians in the initial path. Clear to evolve?"

"The alarm going off again!" Megumi cried. "New breach, Under the water!"

"There's never been a second consecutive digimon breach." Thomas muttered.

"Tsunami buoys establishing data link to us in three…. two… one." Miki announced. The silence echoed as seagulls cried above. The waves were calm but I could feel my body desire to evolve the longer I had my digisoul readied. "The picture's clear!" There was a paused as it clicked. "What?!"

"No contact?" Masaru wondered.

"Negative." The commander reported. "And nothing up or down the coastline."

"The operators on their end caught one last return just as the tsunami warning system relinked to our systems." Miki said, her fingers burning up and down the keyboard. "Tail end of one contact entering the breach. Most likely it was the first that caught a lucky breach back to the digital world."

"It's… gone?" Yoshi asked.

"Confirmed." Commander Satsuma replied. "Any further scans?"

"We couldn't get a full scan of the contact." Megumi added.

Kudamon let a deep breath out, "Stand down and let it retreat, everyone. No need to push ourselves more." It was a tense minute before the alarm finally cut out.

It was getting to late afternoon when I was galloping across the testing area again when Masaru and co walked over.

"Are you doing okay?" He asked.

"Yeah, Ah'm doing better now after some galloping around the practice room. All that energy worrying from having to fight so soon just dissipated." I replied. He raised an eyebrow at me. "What? Something up with mah coat?" The others joined him. "Why are y'all starin at me? Don'tcha know Ah…. Ah…" I gave a long pointed stare at my muzzle before my eyes traced upward to look at the others. "Aw hay ah do sound like Applejack." I buried my snout in my hooves. Both men started laughing, Yoshi stifling a chuckle as Ikuto wondered what the hay was going on. "Aw Faust, ah thought you were hoodwinkin' me!" I let a blow out and stomped a hoof. "Ah said that on purpose! But ah am not making this voice!" A grumble left my mouth, followed by a sigh. "Ah'm gonna ask for a stetson hat if ah'm gonna sound like this all the time now."

"Any line reads you can do?" Yoshi asked.

"Oh Yoshi, so subtle." Lalamon sighed in the background.

"Just for… scientific purposes, obviously." Thomas attempted to deadpan. Gaomon tried to hide the enthusiastic nod but I still caught it.

I rolled my eyes. "Fine. Ah can do a line. But ah'm gonna do a song line." I cleared my throat and racked my mind for the first AJ lyric I could think about.

The townspeople need you; they've been sad for a while. They march around, face with frown and never seem to smile. And if you feel like helpin we'd appreciate a lot~!
All that singing you've been doing has been helping out!" Patamon cheered. "I never heard such a great voice!"

"Yeah it really has, ain't it?" I said. "Ah've never been much of a singer myself but ah've been feeling the beat in my down time."

My whinneys joined the infectious laughter the conversation was putting out for the next few minutes. When the plane took off later that night, the lack of nervous energy was all I could think about as I drifted to sleep in my seat.

"So it seems he's made his move against us." The commander said just within earshot of Thomas' return to the cabin.

"It seems Kurata has stepped up to deliberate sabotage of government operations." His partner agreed. "Can we retaliate?"

Satsuma sighed. "There was no link from the earlier hacking attack back to him."

"Then it might be time for me to return to my roots."

Progenitor Code - A Digimon Hybrid Story

Recent threadmarks

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

JainusVt

SciFantasy Variety Writer

Recent threadmarks