Queen of Puddles (Digimon) (Ranamon SI)

[Flairina]

This sucks.

Still gliding smoothly just above the surface of the ocean, I narrow my eyes over my mask. Now that I'm no longer swept up in the heat of battle, that vaguely uncomfortable feeling I noticed even the first time I took this form is really starting to get to me. While I don't think it's actually grown any stronger, it feels more prominent in my awareness than before, which is only compounding my existing vexation at everything else. I almost wonder if it's the Beast Spirit of Wind subtly lashing out at me for letting things go like that — though, if it didn't want that to happen, you'd think that it just wouldn't have done a lot of that in the first place.

My wings sweep downward in frustration. It doesn't help that I'm still finding it quite hard to control myself. Zephyrmon's instincts aren't separate from my thoughts, they're in them, contaminating my every mental process with foreign urges and impulses that I can't even easily identify as such. It feels normal, natural even, to think that I should probably find a place to both set down and calm down after that rather exhausting fight. In fact, I wouldn't even say that's unusual on its own. However, the fact that I also feel like finding someone to prank would somehow aid me in that feels just as normal, even though I can't think of a single time I've even played a practical joke on someone before. That can't be coming from me...

I squint. Come to think of it, this is probably why I wanted to go tease the Toucanmon earlier, isn't it? If I'd noticed just how uncharacteristic that thought was then, maybe things wouldn't have turned out this way... though, I suppose at least now if Mercurymon gets smart with me again, I can just pick him up and dangle him out the side of the lair until-

Groaning, I cut myself off and violently shake my head, wishing it was possible to physically force a thought out of mind. Damn it, out of all ten existing beast spirits, I had to wind up saddled with the only one that's neither feral nor destructive, yet somehow mischievous enough to be even worse. Why is Zephyrmon even like this?! She's the least visually beast-like of the entire lot; her design isn't exactly indicative of the fact that she apparently acts like Impmon if she's allowed free reign!

My flight slows. Come to think of it, why am I even still Zephyrmon right now? I'm not being chased anymore, I'm not particularly comfortable, and this form has caused me basically nothing but trouble thus far. I should really just switch back already.

...though, all instincts aside, today really has been extraordinarily stressful, and I've not truly slowed down at any point for more than a few minutes. Maybe I actually should take some time to go... I don't know, check out the coast of the Continent of Flame or something? I can see it from here, and it might at least help me unwind a little, I doubt it'd take me too long to find someone to have a little ~fun~ with once I-

I nearly scream. Re-readjusting my course, I force myself to focus-

[ S L I D E - E V O L U T I O N ]​

-and dive back down into the water, magnitudes happier than I've been since waking up like this to simply be Ranamon again, no longer stuck wrestling with my own mind.

...which of course means I can now actually focus on just how badly I screwed up back there. I'm genuinely struggling to think of a single way that encounter could have possibly gone worse than it did. It was the wrong place, the wrong time, the wrong words...

A growl cuts past my teeth. And the wrong spirit. A stupid, uncooperative, self-sabotaging-

Forcing myself to the surface, I slam my eyes shut and concentrate, feeling around in myself, or rather my data, for the offender in question. I can't really distinguish anything beyond the physical at first, my attention mostly just drawn to my various lingering injuries — both my jaw and shoulder are feeling more than a little bruised, and I guess I must still have actual hands beneath these gauntlets, because they ache like nothing else. As I focus in on the same internal trigger I just pulled to slide evolve however, something seems to enter my awareness, gathering itself from throughout my entirety to coalesce just behind my breastbone.

Placing a hand over my heart — or at least where my heart would be if Ranamon actually had one — I give the object a mental yank, and the Beast Spirit of Wind emerges, floating out of my chest like a ghost. It's a lot smaller than it was before for some reason, standing barely even six inches tall, but any curiosity I might have as to why is vastly overshadowed by my fury.

"You." I snarl, glaring at the tiny figurine now floating over my outstretched hand. "Got anything to say for yourself?!"

…

"I know you can hear me! Why did you do that?! Just because things weren't going well didn't mean you had to actively antagonize them! I needed their help, and to help them, and Zoe was right there, but now you're probably stuck with me until I can figure out how to fix this!"

…

"...hello...?"

The surrounding air remains steadfastly silent. Not a single gust of wind blows by to indicate that the harpy-shaped idol is even aware I'm speaking to it, or has any desire to respond if so.

Sighing, I drop my arms and allow the spirit to slowly sink back into me. Here I am trying to chastise a mostly-inanimate statue, as if I don't own the lion's share of the blame for this regardless. Zephyrmon may have made things worse, but I fumbled the initial negotiations all on my own, not to mention stupidly flew off the handle upon seeing Zoe as Calmaramon. Hell, I'm not even sure the Beast Spirit of Wind has any real agency or influence over Zephyrmon beyond providing the template for her form, so maybe that part was completely my fault too. I didn't even have a real plan to justify why I wasn't actually hostile to the kids, I sort of just expected handing over Zoe's beast spirit to do all the work of convincing them of that on its own, letting my assumption that they didn't pose a threat at the moment make me careless, and- well, look how that turned out.

Hanging my head, I start pulling myself through the water. About the only solace I can take in this is that "stealing" Zoe's beast spirit means I now literally can't die the way Ranamon did in the show, since I'm all but certain that Zephyrmon was part of that scenario. That doesn't mean it can't still happen however, just that it might play out slightly different now, and in doing so I've potentially ruined my ability to even semi-accurately predict how events will proceed from here, so it's cold comfort indeed.

The world around me silent save for gently lapping waves, I quietly glance up at the darkening sky, a profusion of stars greater than any I've ever seen before already partially visible. I'd probably be a bit more awed by the sight, if not for how sore and tired I currently am.

I blink. I'm tired...? Ah... guess it's safe to assume I do in fact need sleep then, incarnated spirit or not. In which case, I suppose I'd better hurry back to the hideout. I was already on my way, as I'm not sure how much time I can reasonably spend away from it without raising questions or starting a manhunt, and I might actually be safer sheltering there than I would be anywhere else anyways. Certainly more so than I'd be out here in open ocean, where any given sea-dwelling Digimon evidently stands at least some chance of recognizing me as the Digimon responsible for the ongoing destruction of their ecosystem. If I want to be sure I won't get figuratively shivved while I'm dead to the world, returning to the lair still makes the most sense, despite its other inhabitants.

...alternatively, since Zephyrmon isn't a known reverse eco-terrorist, I suppose I could just spend the night as her somewhere. Take the risk of missing my unknown, perhaps even nonexistent curfew, make myself a nice little nest up a tree or something, and simply "relax", as I seem so perpetually inclined towards doing in that form.

I snort. Well, if my options come down to trusting I'll be safe in the evil warriors' lair for a night, unconscious in the midst of such charming figures as Duskmon and Mercurymon, or trusting that Zephyrmon won't end up getting me in further trouble in the time between now and morning, the choice seems pretty obvious. Where's that tunnel again?

My gaze pans across the horizon. I'm pretty sure that island I passed a couple miles back was the one where the Seadramon attacked me, and the water's edge is off to my left, while the continent is to my right, so I must be at least relatively close. Just need to look around a little...

It takes me a bit in the fading light, at least 15 minutes of which I accidentally spend searching the entirely wrong area, but eventually I manage to triangulate the reef I arrived here through, aided by the sheer size of the underwater hill it lies on. I then of course still have to find the actual entrance, but the number of Digimon in the vicinity seems to have died down significantly with the onset of evening, leaving me free to scan the hill's exterior at my leisure. The symbol that marks the portal turns out to be hidden under a metric ton of coral on this end, to the point I doubt I'd have ever found it had I not arrived here through it, but it still only takes a simple touch to activate, and soon enough I find myself slipping back down into the passageway, embraced on all sides by the same luminescent water I awoke in this morning.

As I propel myself past the rough stone walls of the literal digital shortcut, I find myself thinking back again, still a touch concerned about the Toucanmon and Gomamon. I really hope they got away safely... in the chaos of everything that went on back there, I didn't even see what happened to any of them. I didn't see any eggs fly off though, which I have to assume is a good sign. With any luck, they all managed to escape the beach without further incident or injury.

...unlike me.

Once I arrive back at the central hub, I wind up lingering in place for a minute or two, part of me wondering if I can just stay down here all night. If I'm pretending to be Ranamon though, then I need to at least put in the bare minimum effort to mimic her, and based on where I woke up initially, I'm inclined to believe she doesn't sleep down here. So...

Tapping the ceiling, I pull myself through the hole that appears and back up into Ranamon's living pool. Despite my reservations, after spending so long out in the comparative frenzy of the ocean, it's surprisingly soothing to be back in a space that's mine and mine alone. Spartan or not, it's still comfortingly spacious, smooth as marble, and reassuringly empty. Even the hole leading up to the cavern above is-

Is... currently being loomed over by a rather bulky silhouette.

"Yo Ranamon, youse in there?"

...oh, joy. Seems the fourth member of this little group found his way back while I was out.

I swim upwards, and the silhouette comes into clearer view, revealing it to indeed be Arbormon, the Warrior of Wood. To my recollection, he's something of a brute, with additional tendencies towards both laziness and gluttony. As such, he's not exactly the brightest of the bunch, and while he's not really what I'd call an idiot either, he's the member of the group I'm honestly the least worried about.

Not that it means I can let my guard down around him.

Breaching the surface of the pool, I pull myself up and out into the cavern, silently noting that while Arbormon is shorter than Mercurymon, the top of my swim cap still only comes up to his torso-bound "mouth". Great, another giant.

"Ey, there you are." Arbormon says, his shoulder armor lifting up slightly in his version of a smile. "Where you been?"

"Out." I say, casually but noncommittally. "Ah just got back. You?"

Arbormon shrugs. "Same 'ere. I caught up with them humans, but they dropped a cave on my head 'fore I could finish 'em off. Wasn' too tough ta dig my way out, but it took a while, and I lost 'em. Pretty sure theys went out over water, but I ain't as good at trackin' mon from underground as Grumblemon is... or uh, was."

While I try my best to ignore it, I still can't help but find it hard to concentrate on what Arbormon is actually saying given how he's saying it. Between Mercurymon the ren faire enthusiast, Ranamon the southern belle, Grumblemon the high-pitched caveman, and Arbormon the presumed mafia stereotype, Duskmon is apparently the only one in this base allowed to not sound at least mildly ridiculous.

...wait, what was that last part?

"Was?" I repeat.

Arbormon nods, seeming to slump a little.

"Yeah... Grumblemon got done in by them kids."

My eyes widen slightly. That's right... Grumblemon was defeated for good just after Seraphimon died, before the kids got to the island I just met them on. Meaning that's one of the other evil warriors already taken care of, and one less that I'll have to fool. I suppose this mess at least has a small silver lining to it.

"Ah'm sorry to hear that." I say. "Ah'm sure he went down swingin'."

Arbormon shifts. "Ey, that's real nice of ya to say, Ranamon. Didn't think youse cared."

I side eye him. Seriously? Apparently Ranamon really was just that unconcerned about her nominal allies, or at least that's the impression she gave them... I already said otherwise though, so I'd better at least commit.

"Ah ain't that self-absorbed." I insist, crossing my arms under my chest as though insulted. "Ah wasn't exactly fond of the little gnome, but it ain't like ah'm happy he's gone."

Arbormon scratches his head. "Huh..."

He suddenly claps me on the back, hard enough that I nearly fall over. "Well, dontchu worry, we'll get them puny humans sooner or later. Revenge izza dish best served warm, amiright?"

Not... really, at least going by the traditional phrasing of that idiom, but I'm hardly going to correct you.

Arbormon suddenly smacks his fist into his palm, the wooden parts clacking against each other like rattles.

"Oh yeah! Almost forgot, Mercurymon said that if you was here, he wanted to talk to ya's real quick."

...thrilling.

"Thanks." I say, barely withholding my sarcasm. "Ah'll just go find him then, shall ah?"

Arbormon gives me a thumbs up as I make my way over to a ceiling hollow and allow myself to be lifted upwards.

With night having now fallen in full, the inside of the structure is quite dark, though the light of this world's trio of moons shining in through the gaps in the walls remains more than enough to navigate by. My gems flicker dimly as I progress to the third floor, where I find Mercurymon sitting with his back to a pillar, seemingly admiring one of his own arm mirrors. He looks up as I approach, lips quirking upward slightly as he stands.

"Our sodden siren rejoins us." he greets me, if you can really call that a greeting. "How kind of her to grace us with her continued presence."

I wrinkle my nose at his choice of epithet.

"And how kind of ya to notice."

"But of course." Mercurymon easily replies. "And how fared thy latest excursion? Doth the fair lady return from her quest triumphant, or in miserable failure, as she has so many times prior?"

I half-lid my eyes and scowl.

"Take a guess."

I don't elaborate — I'm hardly going to tell him what actually happened, after all. I may not like Zephyrmon very much, but she's what I've got to work with right now, and as I don't see Duskmon anywhere, I think I can get away with keeping this particular card up my sleeve for the time being.

Mercurymon keeps his smile, even he shakes his head.

"How regrettably predictable. Thou hast my condolences, but I shall ask that thee attempt to keep the volume of thy grievances to a minimum this time, oh mistress of moping."

...good lord, just pick a vaguely derogatory nickname for me and stick with it, will you?

"Ah'll keep that in mind." I say flatly. "If that's all ya wanted, then if you'll excuse me, ah need my beauty sleep."

I turn to walk away-

"Hmm... a small question, before we taketh our leave of one another."

I pause, looking back from the corner of one eye. "What?"

"For a trip of no apparent remark, thou appear notably more damaged than expected."

He gestures to my lower body, prompting me to glance down at myself in minor confusion. Sure enough, my stomach, hip fin, and some additional bits of skin peeking out from the holes in my swimsuit are still visibly burned, BurningGreymon's parting shot having left a clear mark on me even in this form. I hadn't really noticed them around the background ache of everything else, but against the otherwise teal expanse of my skin, the purplish-blue brands still stand out like smoke upon the sky.

"Now what ever could have done such a thing to our drizzly damsel?" Mercurymon muses.

I grimace. Great, now I have to tell him something. Could I maybe use the Seadramon as an excuse? No, none of its attacks were capable of burning me, and I can't afford to look so weak as to have had trouble with a Digimon that relatively minor in front of this guy anyways. I don't know what else I could fake having run into though...

Ugh, fine, truth it is — the extremely abbreviated, un-detailed version of it, at least.

"Ah ran into those kids." I mutter with a distinct thread of petulance. "They got in a couple lucky hits."

He doesn't even have eyes, but I could swear that Mercurymon's brow somehow shoots up.

"Oh?" he remarks, clapping his hands together with a sound like colliding pots and pans. "Well then, I suppose congratulations for thee are in order for escaping such a scenario intact. As I recall, tis a better outcome than you yourself were expecting... as in part was I, for that matter."

I glare where he can't see it, idly wondering how the hell the other evil warriors put up with this guy — though, I guess Grumblemon technically doesn't have to anymore.

"Thanks ever so much for your vote of confidence." I snap. "Now unless you've got any more snide remarks, ah think we're done here."

"Mmm, I'm certain I do, but perhaps I shall save them for the morrow." Mercurymon says, turning back to his arm mirror. "Rest well, milady."

It's only with a supreme effort of will that I don't tell him to shove his "miladys" where the sun doesn't shine as I drop back down to the previous floor.

Arbormon is gone when I return to my pool, despite the fact that I didn't see him on either of the floors above, which are too open for me to have realistically missed him. Maybe he stepped outside or something? Not that I know where he could possibly have done that and not walked straight out onto open air, but at the moment it's hardly my highest priority.

Stumbling over to the water, I slide back in, relaxing more than I'd like to admit as the liquid washes over me. Digimon thankfully heal quite quickly, to the point I already feel better than I did just an hour ago, but Mercurymon pointing out the most obvious of my assorted damage has only brought the rest of it back into focus. Even if I'm in less pain than I probably should be, I'm still more than glad to have an excuse to be unconscious for the next however-many hours.

Less unnerved by the prospect of sleeping here than I was this morning, I swim down to the bottom of the pool, settle myself in the water, and allow my eyes to drift shut, trying to remind myself that despite how today went, I don't think I actually ruined anything that would keep the kids from being able to take care of my "fellow" warriors. So long as I still manage to avoid my own canon end, I should only have to deal with this in the short term.

...

...

...

...although...

...in the long term...

My eyes snap back open.

In the long term, that still won't actually save me, because this is the season of Digimon where the villain essentially wins.

I bolt back upright as my dim memories of Frontier's finale finally fit themselves back together. I only saw the final arc once, and I've been so focused on my immediate situation that it didn't even occur to me, but... even after Cherubimon was defeated in canon, that wasn't the end of things. Because no one bothered to keep track of the giant mass of fractal code he'd accumulated beforehand, it ended up falling to Lucemon, the Digimon responsible for Cherubimon's corruption in the first place, in his prison within the partially-exposed core of the planet. That data in turn allowed Lucemon to release two more servants to finish what Cherubimon started, and Dynasmon and Crusadermon turned out to both be much better at it, utterly overpowering the kids and getting the better of them at essentially every turn. The pair rampaged through what remained of the Digital World nigh-unopposed, until nothing remained of the planet or its inhabitants, letting Lucemon break free of his age-old imprisonment... whereupon he proceeded to absorb his own servants, along with all the code they'd collected, before going on to launch an assault on the human world, having gained more than enough power from subsuming the data of everything else on his plane of existence to make doing so a plausible feat.

The more I think about it, the more comes back to me, dropping my nonexistent heart ever further into my stomach. Lucemon was ultimately still defeated in the end, but by that point, there was nothing left of the Digital World to save. While the code of the planet itself was restored, every living Digimon was left reduced to an egg, their memories, culture, and history all completely wiped away... a factory reset in all but name, performed on a planetary scale. I found it such a drawn out and depressing conclusion to the show, with multiple episodes largely just consisting of the same losing battle even before the downer ending, that I apparently all but scrubbed it from memory — and now I almost wish it had stayed that way. Because if events play out that way here, then even I manage to escape Ranamon's original fate of being killed off by the heroes?

I'll ultimately just die anyways, when the rest of this dimension does.

I almost laugh. Hell, it goes even further than that! In order to finally stop Lucemon, the Digidestined ended up having to use all twenty legendary spirits in tandem to collectively become Susanoomon, the only entity in this continuity with enough power to pose any real threat to him. But if even one of those twenty spirits isn't available, Susanoomon won't be an option... and I'm currently the physical incarnation of one of them. Ranamon isn't just doomed by canon, she's doomed by the narrative stakes — if I don't die, everything else permanently dies.

Surprisingly, the actual panic I feel at all this is relatively limited, perhaps because it somehow only seems natural after today that my already ludicrously bad situation was somehow even worse than I'd remembered. My thoughts briefly flash to the prospect of taking a Trailmon out of this world again, but no — Lucemon will still come for the human world eventually, so I'd just be exchanging short-term theoretical safety at best for a slightly-delayed apocalypse, and in the process essentially guarantee that apocalypse happens. Assuming it didn't just happen instantly that is, given the time-dilation effect that exists between the two dimensions. Though I didn't know it at the time, fleeing from this world was never an option.

But the alternative is...

I bite down on nothing. Damn it, there has to be a way around this! Maybe if I just jumped into Susanoomon alongside the kids...? Even if that worked I'm not sure I'd come back out without just reverting to an inanimate statue though, same as all the other spirits when they're used by someone or something else. Could Susanoomon still form without me, and maybe just be a little weaker than normal? There's so many spirits to make up for a single one's absence, and surely Susanoomon at 19/20ths strength would still be enough to defeat Lucemon... but do I have enough faith in that theory to bet both myself and the rest of the world on it?

Even as I pose the question to myself, I already know that I don't. This is the season where essentially everything that could go wrong did go wrong, after all. If I prevent Susanoomon from forming at full strength, it's entirely possible that when Lucemon eats all the data of the world and everyone in it, it will ultimately stay that way.

Do I really have no choice but to die for the cause...?

I clench my fingers over my gauntlets. No- no, I refuse to accept that; refuse to simply offer myself up as a willing sacrifice! Like hell I'm going to let myself be doomed by the plot twice-over! If I literally can't live through the actual ending of this story, then I'll just have to ensure that things never reach the point Susanoomon would even be needed — that is, ensure that Lucemon stays imprisoned, permanently.

My thoughts gradually begin to calm. Yeah... this is fine. Well, not fine, but while terrifying in the abstract, the stakes were already at the damn ceiling, and this hardly raises them much further. I already knew this world was being actively deleted, after all. The only real difference is that now, I'm aware that deletion will come to full fruition if I don't do anything about it. Nothing about my situation has actually changed... I've just got a slightly bigger job to do than I realized.

Closing my eyes again, I settle back down and try to relax, however futile that now seems.

Better get some sleep... I get the feeling I'm going to need all the rest I can get.

Spoiler: AN+Patrons

And so that penny finally drops. Took long enough, ne?

A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, @ScorpioBot, @Captain Skipjack, @CCBubba, Leaf, Bertucchi, Jordan Juengel, Alxariam, kleinerToaster, and my eight other Patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives a bottle of accent-changing pills (either assorted or specific). Pop one of these, and for the next hour or so you'll naturally speak in that accent! Unfortunately, they do not help in writing accents, which is where I would personally like them to work, because the other evil warriors' speech patterns will be the death of me at this rate. What idiot chose to set this in the English version of the show again? Honestly, what were they thinking??? 💊

 

[Flairina]

"Huh! Hah! Huh! Hah!"

My eyes slide open as the distant, annoyingly repetitive sounds rudely rouse me from sleep. Oh come on, who's- wait, why's it so bright in here-

Ah. Right.

So reminded of just who and where I am right now, I paddle into a roughly upright position, rubbing my eyes as I force myself to return to the realm of conscious thought. My fingers brush over my skin, searching for burns and bruises that happily seem to have vanished overnight, before my attention is inevitably pulled back to the still-ongoing noises that drew me from slumber in the first place. Who or what even is that...?

I swim up and poke my head out of the water, bringing the sounds into better clarity, allowing me to recognize them as simple grunts of exertion. Which... still doesn't actually explain why anyone would be making noises like that in here.

"Huh! Hah! The early bird gets the worm, the toughest wood's gotta be firm..."

Wondering if I even want to know, yet finding myself unable to just ignore it, I pull myself out of my pool and sleepily stagger over to a ceiling hollow. Thankfully, I only end up having to ascend a single floor before spotting the apparent source of the noise, which turns out to be Arbormon.

...doing reps with a pair of handheld dumbbells?

"Mornin' Ranamon!" he says, continuing to huff and puff as he greets me with far more boisterousness than I feel is warranted this early. "Ey, you want in on this?"

I squint at him, still hovering over the same hole I floated up through.

"Ah'll... pass, thanks."

"You sure? You know what theys say, healthy body, healthy mind."

I don't think that really applies here, given you don't have any actual muscles to exercise. For that matter, I'm not sure that would do anything even for Digimon that aren't elaborate mechanical puppets on the inside, so...

"Pretty sure."

Arbormon shrugs. "A'ight, it's your loss."

"Ah think ah'll live." I mutter under my breath.

Where did he even get those from? I can't exactly imagine he just popped down to the local exercise equipment store, but I kind of doubt he made them himself either-

"♪ One, two, three, four, make sure youse save room for more... ♪"

An imaginary vein ticks on the side of my head as Arbormon not only continues his increasingly loud exercise, but begins running laps around the inside wall. The echoing clacking of his wooden feet against the stone structure's hollow interior becomes cacophonous within seconds, to say nothing of how his chanting adds to the noise.

"♪ Five, six, seven, eight, gonna-"

"Ya mind maybe keepin' it down a little?" I interrupt, just a little sharper than intended. "Ah can't hear myself think."

"Eh?" Arbormon screeches to halt, glancing over at my irritated expression and scratching the back of his head with one dumbbell. "Oh, uh, sure thing... sorry 'bout that."

I stare back at him with crossed arms and half-lidded eyes, then silently nod and allow gravity to take hold of me again, slowly falling back to my own quarters. Maybe that was a tad unfair of me, seeing as Arbormon does technically live here, but hey, so do I now, and I'm reasonably certain the actual Ranamon would have complained about that too. The horror of suddenly having roommates...

A yawn forces its way past my lips as I sit down at the edge of my pool, quite deliberately not dropping fully back in. I'm not sure I wouldn't just fall back asleep if I did, and given last night's rather unfortunate revelations, I dearly need to figure out a new plan of attack, meaning I can't really afford to spend much more of the morning unconscious.

...in fact, seen in that light, perhaps I should actually have thanked Arbormon for essentially playing the part of my alarm clock. Oh well.

Dismissing the thought for the moment, I do my best to focus. Okay. If I want to prevent Lucemon from breaking free of his seal, then... well, I suppose my main priority should just be to keep him from getting hold of that big ball of fractal code Cherubimon is currently sitting on, since that's what ultimately led to everything that came after. I can't exactly just walk up to the big evil bunny's castle and swipe it out from under him though, ironically in part because he's content to just wait around the place doing nothing until the kids come knocking on his door. Zephyrmon might actually allow me to sneak up on his castle from the skies — and in "disguise" to boot — but I don't remember where all that code was physically stored, nor am I certain I'd be able to get away from Cherubimon if he noticed me, given he could delete me in an instant and is prone to throwing around lightning. Given those obvious potential points of failure, I'd likely be better off sticking with my original plan of just laying low and surviving for now, then hide around the castle come the final battle so I can swoop in and grab the code when Cherubimon drops it, immediately after the kids defeat him.

...if. They even can? Come to think of it, the kids ended up needing Unified Spirit Evolution to do that in canon — an "upgrade" that was otherwise pointless, since it wasn't useful for anything else, but it was just as reliant on having Ranamon's spirit available as Susanoomon would be, and is therefore just as out of the question here. Which makes waiting around for the kids to beat Cherubimon absolutely futile, because as things stand, they can't even win against the fake final boss.

An ugly expression crawls its way across my face. Well, scratch all that then; apparently if I want to stop anything, I need to first figure out a way to take care of Cherubimon that doesn't necessitate throwing myself on a sacrificial pyre. Which is at least less of a problem than fighting Lucemon would be, but that still doesn't mean there's any obvious alternatives on hand. If Digimon strong enough to take on one of this world's archangels and win were in high supply, the planet presumably wouldn't be in this mess in the first place, and the only ones I know of, I have no actual access to.

...save perhaps one?

My gaze flickers up towards the distant ceiling. Mercurymon did kill Seraphimon, however cheaply, meaning he technically qualifies for this rather short list — and conveniently, despite the lip service he's paying for the moment, he's actually planning on betraying Cherubimon later down the line as well. Not that it mattered in the show, since the kids collectively removed him from circulation before he could make good on that claim, but things don't necessarily have to play out that way here. If I keep Mercurymon alive, could he potentially deal with Cherubimon for me? Hell, we might even be able to team up, if I played my cards right...

For several long moments, I consider that prospect — then I take it, crumple it up, and shove it back into the mental junk drawer it came from. Yeah, and what cards would those be, exactly? How would I possibly bring that up to Mercurymon without risking him either attacking me to preserve his own secrets, or turning me in to better establish his own loyalty? How would I effectively steer him away from the plan that gets him killed without explaining why I already know it will fail? I don't recall his motives for said betrayal being anything complex either — certainly nothing that made his deletion seem any less reasonable — so realistically he's going to end up being a problem one way or another. While I suppose I shouldn't count the idea completely out, outright colluding with Mercurymon probably isn't doable.

Someone else using his spirit, on the other hand...

I raise a hand to my chin. That... might work. Yesterday's events rather clearly demonstrated it's possible to use spirits you aren't naturally aligned with, and if the kids are eventually going to end up with Mercurymon's anyways, they'll naturally be in a position to exploit that. I kind of doubt they'll consider the idea without outside input though... I'd likely have to find them again and suggest it in person, but after yesterday's events they'll be even less likely to listen to me than they were before, and come to think of it I'm not even sure where they'll be anymore-

I clutch at my face and groan into my hands. This is getting so stupidly complicated, and it didn't have to be. If yesterday had gone even just a little less poorly, I would be in a SO much better position to-

"Didst I not request last night that thy moping be kept silent?"

"Yahhhh!!!" I shriek, frantically whirling around to face the very Digimon I was just considering. "What are- don't do that!"

"Apologies, milady." Mercurymon smirks. "Thou simply presented too tempting a target to pass up, particularly given thy similar reprimanding of our mutual comrade mere minutes prior."

I swallow the immediate response that rises to my lips at that back down, not wanting to encourage him.

"What do ya want?" I huff.

"Must I have some greater reason to greet thee in the morn?" Mercurymon tuts. "Perhaps twas simply passing curiosity regarding how thou shalt be spending thy time today."

"...ah'm probably gonna head out again." I say, vaguely. "There ain't any issue with that, right?"

"Oh?" Mercurymon replies. "How curious. Since when doth the self-proclaimed Queen of the Seas speak as though she requires another's permission to act? Hath her acid tongue somehow wandered astray? Perhaps pulled out by one of her half-rabid 'fans'?"

Though I suppose that's implicitly the "No, go ahead." I was hoping for, I still somehow find myself annoyed by its phrasing.

"My bad, what ever was ah thinkin', askin' as though you'd care?" I sarcastically retort, which apparently is all he expects of me anyways. "Seriously now, did ya have anything useful to say, or are ya just down here to trade insults?"

Mercurymon hums. "I merely thought thou mayst desire to know that Lord Cherubimon shall be collecting our latest batch of fractal code quite soon."

My composure cracks slightly.

He... will, will he?

"Of assuredly unrelated note, how much fractal code hath you gathered recently?"

My fingers tighten around my gauntlets.

"...that ain't any of your concern."

Mercurymon makes a metallic noise that might be a snort.

"I suppose thou art technically correct. However, in the event that such were my concern, I would perhaps suggest that those who happen to be short on such code make an effort to obtain some within the near future, lest we end up a second member short."

His lips quirk... downward?

"Twould be a true tragedy to see another go the way of Grumblemon."

He snaps his fingers and vanishes, leaving me blinking in minor bewilderment at the empty space he just occupied.

Huh... smugness aside, I'm surprised Mercurymon went out of his way to tell me that. Combined with that frown, and the fact that he warned me about this at all, I'm tempted to think he might even be genuinely worried for me. Which isn't exactly matching my mental model of him thus far? Again though, I don't really know how well the evil warriors got along with each other off-screen. Maybe I've been giving him less credit than he deserves, and that team-up idea is actually feasible after all.

...orrrrr maybe he just wanted to needle me with the looming threat of deletion-by-fallen-angel, like a jackass. But I guess I'd like to think otherwise.

Sliding back into the water proper, I reach over and wake Ranamon's computer back up, finding myself once more in need of a map.

Regardless of Mercurymon's reasons, this is... unfortunate. As if I didn't already have enough to concern myself with, I apparently now need to go do Ranamon's "job" and smash some small portion of the planet apart so I can have something to hand over to my nominal boss in the near future. Which isn't just actively antithetical to my larger goals, but I imagine may encounter some resistance from any Digimon in a given area opposed to wanton habitat deletion... and I had enough trouble dealing with a lone, pissed off Seadramon yesterday.

I slowly pan over what remains of the Digital World. Wherever I go for this, I'll want it to be at least minimally inhabited... Ranamon may be responsible for the seas, but the sea is presumably inhabited everywhere, so I think I'll stick to land for this. Obviously I'm not going anywhere near the Continent of Darkness... maybe somewhere near the poles?

I scratch my cheek as I zoom in. I'm not sure this planet even has poles in the technical sense, but the north and south axis of the planet seem to still be relatively intact, and I'd bet are likely my best shot at finding relatively "expendable" terrain. There can't be that many Digimon prone to making literal ice planes their habitat, right?

Helpfully, that would also let me multitask. The kids were supposed to be heading to the Autumn Leaf Fair next, which is where Tommy's beast spirit is, but I seem to now recall that the group only even went there because the Toucanmon had flown off to sell their D-tectors at the bazaar — something that obviously didn't happen here. Meaning, unless the kids somehow end up heading that way anyways, I may have actually ended up cheating them out of two beast spirits... in which case, I probably shouldn't leave that loose end twisting in the wind. If nothing else, picking it up will give me another apology present to use for when I inevitably come into contact with the group again.

I squint at the display. Although... while I distinctly recall said fair being snowbound, there don't appear to be any snowy areas remotely close to Toucan Paradise, which is notably tropical? Doesn't help that even though I actually remember the name of the place this time, it doesn't seem to be labeled anywhere I can find on this map. Presumably because the name of the market isn't actually the name of the town, which- okay, why would those be the same, but that doesn't mean it's not frustrating.

My fingers strike the computer keys with increasing force as the map's scattered labels continue to prove utterly unhelpful. Damn it, couldn't this at least go smoothly? It's going to be hard enough to see anything else I'm now planning to fruition, given Cherubimon undoubtedly already knows Mercurymon can technically match any foe he faces, and will thus be aware to not just blindly attack him, no matter who's wearing his form at the time. I fully acknowledge the idea is a long shot...

I scowl. What else can I even do though? It's not as if I can personally make up for the "loss" of Unified Spirit Evolution. Ranamon has no natural digivolution line to my knowledge, and as I've already grabbed my beast spirit — well, a beast spirit — I've kind of already run out my options for moving up in the world. Frontier didn't have any other convenient plot devices like crests or armor digi-eggs; the only additional power ups came directly from the angels, and Seraphimon is dead, Ophanimon is locked up in Cherubimon's castle, and Cherubimon is the problem I'm now trying to resolve in the first place, not to mention his idea of a boon is...

Well. Look at Duskmon.

I shake my head. The only way forward I can see right now is to hedge my bets and put my eggs in every basket I can. If I manage to come across the kids again, I'll try to make up with them and tell them their real enemies' strengths and weaknesses, and maybe with the warning they can somehow find a way to beat Cherubimon anyways. If Mercurymon happens to survive, I'll attempt to direct him towards Cherubimon first, and if not, I'll try to make sure that whoever ends up with his spirit makes use of it. And if it turns out there actually is a way I can grow strong enough to do something about Cherubimon directly, I'll certainly want to look into it... but in the meantime, I've got a spare beast spirit to pick up and mandated evil scut work to do, so I can worry about precisely how I'm going to go about any of that after I've dealt with the issues already right in front of me.

Backing away from my glorified map machine, I dive down, sinking into the hidden chamber below the pool. I take a quick moment to search for the plaque closest suiting my purposes, then immediately start jetting down the corresponding tunnel.

There's a continent supposedly known as the "Area of Ice" to the north of Toucanmon Paradise. It seems like an awfully long distance to travel without access to a nonsense shortcut method like mine, not to mention there's a massive gap in the ocean between the two locations, but it was the closest place on the map that was colored to indicate regular snow, so I'm guessing it's at least around where the kids were supposed to end up. Or possibly still will end up. Or even already could have ended up, seeing as I still don't have a great grasp of the time frame anything was originally supposed to take place in-

My stomach suddenly grumbles, and I pause, holding a hand to my bare navel.

Hang on, was that...? Oh, great. I guess it follows that if I still need sleep, then I still need food to function as well, but that's yet another item I now have to throw on this rapidly growing to-do list, and one that's going to be a real pain to keep up with. Even more so if this world works like Adventure, where attacks will eventually completely fail without fuel...

I wince as the grumble turns to a growl, my mental acknowledgment of my just-realized hunger seeming to only make it more pronounced. Guess I should've taken the Toucanmon up on their offer yesterday... not only did they run a literal restaurant, they offered their food up to me completely for free, and I don't know where else to even get food in this world. What do I even eat? Heck, what can I eat? I've got no idea what Ranamon's normal diet consists of. Given my teeth and general aesthetic... fish, maybe? Do normal fish even exist in this world? Aside from the Gomamon throwing technicolor imitations around as projectiles, I haven't seen any, so I'd at least assume Ranamon isn't an obligate pescetarian...

My disgruntled musing is brought to an end by the tunnel's sudden termination, and I spot another exit symbol scrawled into the ceiling directly above me. If the map and plaque were accurate, this should spit me out right next to some place called "Wintervel", which at least sounds like a town to me. It's also got a season in the name, so maybe the Autumn Leaf Fair is held here, and that's why it was named that way? It's probably at least worth checking, since I should be able to see it almost immediately.

Vanishing the ceiling with a touch, I push up into the unknown.

It quickly becomes apparent that this exit is stationed at a far lower depth than the last one was. The water around me is pitch-black, illuminated only by my now-shining gems and clusters of huge, bioluminescent sea anemones scattered around the nearby seafloor, one of which I just emerged from the center of. They're quite beautiful, almost like giant neon flowers, but the light they provide is too dim for me to really see much else, beyond what looks like a giant rock with some kelp stuck to it all of ten feet in front of my-

The light of my gems glints off something glassy red, and I freeze.

...not a rock. A head, or rather, the mask of an enormous lobster creature. Just barely visible behind it, the unknown Digimon's bulk looms, jutting from the gloom like a living monolith... and thankfully, just as still as one.

I hurriedly shove myself away, distancing myself from the sleeping(?) Digimon as quickly as I dare.

Maybe I should... find another tunnel to return through, later...

Spoiler: AN+Patrons

Gee Ranamon!me, you've sure got a lot of thoughts about how to potentially proceed! Mind maybe trimming them down a little next time so that Writer!me doesn't have so much trouble making them read and parse intelligibly? Maybe get someone to talk to, phone a friend or something- what do you mean you don't have any friends here? You've got loads! Look, I'll even send some your way: (╯°▽°）╯︵ 🐳🐳🐳

Anyways, I had to cut this chapter off earlier than I'd have liked, so everything that was going to go at the end here is getting stuffed into the next one. Here's hoping it gives me less trouble than this one did. ^^;

A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, @ScorpioBot, @Captain Skipjack, @CCBubba, Leaf, Bertucchi, Jordan Juengel, Alxariam, kleinerToaster, and my eight other Patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives a pair of handheld dumbbells quite similar to the ones Arbormon uses, albeit- wait, how did I get these? I don't even know where they came from in-universe, so it's not like I could have placed a bulk order. Why- oh, whatever, mysteries that don't need solving and all that. Just take them; I'm sure at least some of you enjoy pumping iron. 🏋️‍♀️🏋️‍♂️

 

[Flairina]

I surge up into the darkness, relaxing slightly as I propel myself out of the abyss. The water parts around me easily, far colder than that of the tropics... though strangely, its frigid temperature isn't truly that discomfiting. I suppose, like with water pressure, Ranamon must have a fairly high tolerance for this sort of thing, presumably so she can survive essentially anywhere in the ocean? Convenient, that.

My appreciation of this newly-discovered trait only grows as black slowly gradates back to blue, and the temperature actually somehow drops even further — so much so in fact that when I finally reach what should be the surface, I find myself staring up not at the sky, but at a solid sheet of blue-white ice.

Confused, I glance in all directions, though with the sky completely blocked out, the water is still too dark for me to see much of anything. This... was definitely not on the map. I'm still in the ocean, right? It should be nearly impossible for seawater to end up like this, digital or not... though clearly that didn't stop this from existing. Ugh, it could take forever to find a way up through this, which way is even the edge of-

No, better idea.

"Dark Vapor."

I press my acid-leaking palms up into the ice, and the frozen ceiling begins rapidly dissolving around them. It takes me almost a full minute of sustained effort, the ice multiple feet thicker than any I've ever encountered before, but eventually my technique successfully breaks through into open air, leaving behind a vertical tunnel nearly large enough to completely encapsulate me. Phew...

Pushing myself up on a tiny geyser, I slowly, carefully poke my head over the lip of the hole. Better to make sure I didn't just bore a giant hole into the floor of someone's house or something before fully committing-

Uh. Woah.

Caution all but forgotten, I pull more water into my geyser, and rise up out of the ice.

The frozen plain I just melted through is part of a roughly mile-wide ice shelf, joined almost seamlessly to the continent. From the snow-covered ground of the distant mainland, numerous strange, tentacular growths jut upwards, entwined together like spiraling tree trunks. Their top halves extend outward less like branches so much as pulled glass, bearing what appear to be hanging purple vines in place of more normal foliage. Beyond the strange polar forest stand two small but very steep mountains, so close that they're almost touching — perhaps they even would be, if not for the large, icy castle built into the V-shaped crevice at their base. From the view atop my geyser, I can just barely see over the glassy spirals and glimpse the small town at the foot of the castle, its buildings the same pure white as the surrounding landscape, as though the snow simply rose up and formed civilization of its own accord.

...all of which feels entirely superfluous compared to the magnificent aurora currently spread across the heavens, twisting and turning like the fabric of the universe made tangible.

My eyes remain fixed on the cosmic kaleidoscope for what seems like ages, utterly absorbed by the coruscating colors as they dance across the somehow still-dark sky. By the time I finally manage to tear my gaze away, shaking my head as if dispelling a trance, there's only one thing I can even think to say.

"Well, this ain't right."

My muttered words are swiftly blown away on the breeze, but despite all I've apparently forgotten, I'm pretty sure I'd remember a place like this if it was ever even briefly portrayed in the show, let alone given actual focus for an episode or two. The Autumn Leaf Fair didn't have anywhere near this many noticeable geographical features surrounding it, and the buildings were relatively normal, not what looks from here to be multi-story igloos.

...still, I'd rather stop in and ask for directions than try swimming along the entire continental coastline just hoping to spot the fair at some point. Not to mention, any given town is presumably going to have some form of food available, and if I'm lucky, maybe I can even ask around if there's anywhere nearby that... wouldn't be particularly missed if it happened to suddenly vanish. In as much as I can do that without sounding extremely suspicious, at least.

Shrinking my geyser, I step down onto the ice, flinching a little as I do so. While the frozen surface still isn't nearly as uncomfortable against my bare feet as I'd expect it to be, I'm not completely immune to the cold, and without any real traction to speak of, I already feel like I'm going to slip and fall at any moment.

Maybe if I…?

Beckoning to the hole I just made, I draw a portion of sea water up onto the ice, forming it into a tiny, semi-solid platform. Stepping onto it, I immediately find myself significantly more comfortable, but also rather unbalanced.

A little bigger then — or maybe a lot bigger.

I gesture again, drawing more water up into my construct, until it swells into a perpetually cresting wave, large enough that I can outright sit in its interior. Hopping into the curl of the water, I swing my arm down and point imperiously, forcing the wave into motion. It surges forward as though it were still in the ocean proper, a tiny tsunami heading towards the mainland at my will.

Grinning, I relax and lean back against my watery chariot. Now this is traveling in style.

With the aid of my unusually fluid transport, I speed across the ice shelf in no time at all, slowing only once I transition onto actual ground and snow, where the barricade of glassy trees proves a minor obstacle. Up close, I can now see the small, thorn-like protrusions jutting from their surfaces, which look like they'd be quite unpleasant to accidentally ram oneself into. What I thought were vines from afar are also more akin to crumbling mats of purplish-blue moss, hanging down in thick masses that make the tiny crystalline forest nigh-impossible to even see through.

I run my wave back and forth along the treeline, scanning for a clear path forward through the town's presumed wind guard, but find none — there surely must be one, but I guess I'm not in on the secret or something. Damn... I'd rather not accidentally impale myself blindly "driving" through here, especially if these things actually are made of glass. Guess I'll just have to go slow, or even on foot-

Hey, hang on. If I can ride on water, and can also control airborne water, can I maybe...?

Stepping out of my improvised transport, I reform my wave into a sort of large beanbag chair, forcing it to hover about a foot over the ground. Then, holding concentration, I turn, draw it forward, and oh-so-gently sit down.

-and fall right through, my construct collapsing as I in turn collapse into the snow.

Shaking my head, I brush myself off and stand, drawing the water back out of the snow to make another attempt. Sadly however, this proves futile. I can't seem to keep the water free floating, put it in motion, and reinforce its surface tension enough to hold my weight all at the same time. If it was still connected to a larger source, I could probably just brute force it by constantly pushing myself upwards with new water, but that would largely defeat the purpose... seems I won't be flying without Zephyrmon's assistance any time soon.

Pouting in minor disappointment, I discard the majority of my wave and settle for simply trudging through the trees the normal way, using multiple thin ribbons of water to part the sea of moss while carefully avoiding any protruding spikes. Thankfully, it only takes a minute or so for me to emerge from the tiny forest, and see the town beyond laid out before me proper.

As I suspected, Wintervel's buildings are indeed made of ice and snow, though there's a few colorful signposts and decorations scattered about that lend the area a little more color than I spotted from afar. The surrounding mountains sparkle in the shadow of the aurora, frozen waterfalls reflecting the canvas of the sky onto that of the buildings below. The carved visage of a giant bird Digimon stares down from the crown of the castle, stern but thankfully sightless. I can already see a few Digimon hanging around the outermost buildings, though none have spotted me just yet.

I start forward- then stop.

Should… I perhaps be slightly concerned about being recognized again?

I hastily reverse my last few steps, weighing my options.

I... could go in as Zephyrmon, I suppose. No chance I'd be identified like that, at least. I'm still not sure I trust how I might act while in that form though, even outside of an active combat scenario. At best, I'd be liable to lose all focus on why I'm even here, and based on how I acted yesterday, I'd be lucky not to break something or mouth off to someone I shouldn't, and get myself in massive trouble as a result.

Alternatively, I could roll the dice and just walk in exactly as I am. I came across plenty of aquatic Digimon yesterday, but the Gomamon were the only ones who realized who I was, and all but one needed active prompting for that. This world also ironically doesn't seem to have an internet equivalent — at least, I didn't find one whilst messing around on Ranamon's computer — so news should be limited to traveling by word of mouth, and as long as the Digimon who live here aren't highly amphibious ones that spend half their time underwater, they should be pretty unlikely to identify me as Cherubimon's lackey on sight.

I frown. I am right on the coast though, so that's hardly any guarantee. Maybe if I just took a few hours elsewhere to get a better handle on Zephyrmon, learned to better sieve out her instincts and keep tighter control of myself while I'm her, then came back-

My stomach growls again, louder than ever, and rather painfully this time.

...screw it, I'll risk it. At the very least I can probably grab a bowl of soup or something before the angry mob comes down on my head.

Hiding as much water beneath the loose parts of my swim cap as I can (just to have some on hand in case of emergency), I quietly walk into town.

I only have to turn a couple of corners to realize this town is actually surprisingly busy. Even on the outskirts, there are numerous Penguinmon strolling about, as well as several Frigimon, a Garurumon accompanied by a very tall Moosemon, and a tiny blue dragon Digimon I don't remember ever seeing before. It's not as much variety as I seem to recall some other towns having in the show, but it's by no means a single Digimon village like some of the ones from Adventure were. Guess that would explain why the buildings are such different sizes...

Somewhat oddly, while most of the road is just paths of more and less driven snow, there are also lanes of cleanly-cut ice that look almost like sidewalks, with Digimon choosing which they prefer to use as they please. I pass by what looks for all the world like a viking-themed surplus store, immediately followed by a rectangular ice field, where a number of Digimon seem to be playing some variant of ice hockey, minus the sticks.

Despite doing my best to give off the vibe of any average Digimon that just happened to stroll into town, my nerves spike with every other Digimon that gives me even a passing glance. Penguinmon may not be literally amphibious, but I'd bet they spend a lot of time in the water, and they seem to be the most populous Digimon species around these parts...

Unnerved, I let a thin sheet of water drop down from my swim cap to form a sort of watery veil — only to hastily shove it right back up where I had it when I realize that will probably just make me more conspicuous. It's not like covering my face would do much anyways, as it wouldn't exactly hide my many other imminently identifiable features.

Starting to think this was an even worse idea than I already knew it was, I hastily duck around a corner- only to nearly smack face-first into a Lekismon coming the other way. I pull back, but too far, as I suddenly find myself sliding on an ice path, arms waving wildly as I try to rebalance. WaAaAaAahhh-!!!

Balance utterly lost, I end up flailing backwards for a solid five seconds, tripping over a different curb of snow before finally managing to catch myself on the inside of a nearby building's doorway.

"Welcome to the Chilling Grill!"

I whirl around at the shouted words, fingers instantly at the ready to snap — and freeze, as I find myself staring at roughly twenty different Digimon, nearly every single one them currently staring back at me.

Eheh...

My eyes flicker around the space. Most of the Digimon in question are seated at one of the various booths or stools scattered around the room, padded by mats of the same technicolor moss draped atop the glasstrees outside. The walls are decorated with a combination of maritime paraphernalia and objects I imagine you might bring on an expedition to the arctic, interspersed with picture frames hanging off of pegs embedded in the thick, almost purple walls of ice. Standing behind the wide counter at the back of the room is a BlueMeramon of all Digimon, surrounded by a variety of kitchen equipment, including a fridge made of thick carved ice, a rock slate "stove" and chopping board, and an industrial-sized sink.

…did I actually just stumble back-first into a restaurant?

"Come on stranger, don't just stand there." the Meramon palette swap calls from behind the bar, beckoning me over with one hand. "Grab a seat!"

I flinch at his volume, hurrying forward and sitting down on a moss-covered stool as unobtrusively as possible. Not that it really matters when my arrival was just announced to the entire room.

"Haven't seen you in town before." the Meramon greets me with a friendly smile, or at least as friendly as a smile can get when your mouth is sewn half-shut. "Sticking around, or just passing through?"

"Passing through." I reply after a moment, relaxing slightly when no cries of recognition sound out from any of the other patrons, who already seem to have lost interest. "I was... hoping to get some food?"

The Meramon laughs, sending little cerulean embers flittering into the air around him. "Well, you've come to the right place. What'll ya have?"

He gestures to his right at a tall sideboard attached to the wall, numerous options scrawled upon its surface.

Written in Japanese.

I stare at the foreign symbols in dawning consternation. Is that... the menu? Damn it, looks like the Toucanmon's exterior sign was the exception, not the rule. This could be a problem.

I cast my gaze around the rest of the restaurant, hoping I can maybe just ask to have what someone else is having. That plate over there looks like... some sort of vegetarian dish? Never seen such geometric plants though. And that crispy thing on a bone is... weirdly yellow meat? No, hang on, that's not meat, what is that made of?

I slowly turn back to the apparent proprietor/chef.

"I..." can neither read the menu nor identify anything I'm seeing, "...don't really know what's best here. What would you recommend?"

"Phantom Beast Bowl." the Meramon instantly replies. "Best in town. If you're in the mood for something lighter, we've also got an Az and Essence Salad many of our regulars quite enjoy."

...great, thank you, I definitely know what those are. Three for three on helpfulness.

"Ah-"

The Lekismon I just nearly ran into walks in before I can say more, prompting the Meramon to repeat his greeting over my shoulder as a sudden draft hits me from behind. It feels more akin to the breeze of a cool autumn day than the undoubtedly frigid gusts of the ice land we're actually in, but it's still enough to make me shiver and rub at my upper arms.

"-actually, I don't suppose you have anything that could warm me up a bit?"

The burning man grins knowingly.

"Traveler's Special, coming right up. Also, I'd recommend moving a couple seats to your right."

I nod as he turns away, then promptly do as suggested — and quickly discover that the air two seats over is considerably warmer than the rest of the restaurant. I hadn't even noticed, but the ambient temperature felt no different while I was sitting right in front of the Meramon, despite the other Digimon being living flame, yet sitting here it's like I've just walked into a heated cabin. Did he somehow isolate his-

"Here you are."

A smooth, wonderfully warm wooden bowl is deposited in front of me, steam wafting up from its contents.

Stunned at how quickly that was prepared, I stare down at my meal, which contrast to everyone else's both looks and smells fairly normal. Going solely by appearances, I would typically assume it to be a hot, cheese-based pasta dish, with... chunks of fish stirred through? Huh, maybe they do have normal fish here.

...and also dairy products, somehow?

I squint, a little confused as to how that's even possible — but then again, this might not really even be cheese or fish for all I know. This is the same season of Digimon with apples that can taste like every imaginable variety of meat, after all; who's to say they aren't just unerringly good substitutes, or won't taste like something else entirely?

I shake my head, pick up the accompanying spoon, and tuck in, deciding not to spend time questioning it over filling my too-empty stomach.

To my very pleasant surprise, the food tastes exactly as I'd hoped it would, if not truly expected it to. The pasta is creamy and rich, with nicely flaked meat, flavored with some sort of warming spice I can't identify. My too-sharp teeth pierce the flesh of the fish with relish, warmth filling me as the noodles slide down my throat. Ahh~

I'm already halfway through the bowl before I think to slow down and look back up at the BlueMeramon, who's currently side-eyeing me with an amused smile.

"Hey, you wouldn't happen to know where the Autumn Leaf Fair is, would you?"

The Meramon shifts to face me again. "What was that?"

"The Autumn Leaf Fair?" I repeat. "It's like... a bazaar? Or maybe a trade marketplace?"

"Shopping district's just a few streets over."

"No, no." I clarify, waving my free hand. "I'm looking for a specific place. I'm pretty sure it's on this continent, and it's... probably pretty well known?"

The Meramon shakes his head. "Sorry little miss, nothing's coming to mind. We don't have a lot of contact with other towns out here, and I've lived here since I hatched, so I'm probably not the best Digimon to ask."

I grimace, both at his answer and chosen appellation for me. "Ah, alright... thanks anyways."

Damn. Maybe someone else in here might know...? Or maybe this is the equivalent of walking into a bar in New York City and asking a passerby for directions to a shopping center in Los Angeles, which I'm expecting them to somehow know just because they're technically on the same continent. Assuming this even is the right continent. I know for sure that the fair was located somewhere with snow, but maybe it was further from Toucanmon Paradise than I thought? Distance is pretty malleable in this world, as I quite well know by now. Maybe it'd be easier to just ask if anyone's seen any-

"Finished already?"

I blink, looking up first at the Meramon, then down at my bowl, only to belatedly realize there's nothing left in it. Evidently I was even hungrier than I thought.

"Yes, it was wonderful." I reply. "Thank you so much for the meal."

The Meramon grins genially as he takes the dish away. "Glad you enjoyed it."

I smile back, though it fades quickly.

"I... don't have anything to pay with, I'm afraid." I admit, knowing full well I might have to bolt in a moment for admitting that. Unless he offers me the chance to wash dishes or something to make up the price, I suppose.

The Meramon... chuckles?

"Well, I'm certainly flattered you liked it so much you'd offer."

I blink.

"I'm serious."

"So am I." The Meramon raises a flaming eyebrow at me. "I'm not running a luxury hostel here. Who'd charge for food?"

...is. He saying this place doesn't take money? Like, at all? In fact, he seems to be implying that food in general is typically just. Free. That can't be right though, surely-

"I swear it's her."

The quiet snippet of conversation worms its way into my ear fins from somewhere off to my left, derailing my train of thought.

"She doesn't usually sound like that though, does she?"

I turn fractionally in my seat, letting my eyes roam around the restaurant until they settle on a trio of Orcamon in the back corner. The three of them are giving me covert glances every couple seconds, and speaking to each other in hushed — though not quite hushed enough — whispers.

"Maybe it's just part of her public persona."

"Should we just go up and ask?"

"Are you crazy- wait, is she looking at us?"

...damn, I've been had. Better get while the getting's good.

I stand as quickly as I dare, readying my emergency water in case this turns ugly. "Well, I'd better get going then. Thanks again for the food."

"Sure thing." the Meramon replies, ignorant to my sudden haste. "Need any other directions?"

"No, I think-"

"Excuse me?"

I curse internally and round on the trio of Orcamon, already out of their seats, and now standing barely a few feet away from me. Though mostly identical, the one on the right has larger patches of white around the back of their eyes, shaped in such a way that they look almost like flaming eyelashes, while the one on the left has a noticeable groove in their crown fin, as though something took a chunk out of it at some point. The one nearest me is physically average, but has a particularly decorated life jacket, covered with enough colorful patches that you could almost miss the little red cross at the bottom.

"Are you... Ranamon?" the central one asks, almost reverently.

I flinch- then pause.

That's... not the kind of tone I was expecting. Are these three...?

"Who wants to know?"

I watch as three separate sets of eyes widen at the slight lilt I added to my words.

"It is you!" the Orcamon with the eyelashes exclaims in a voice akin to an ecstatic teenage girl's, flippers waving about almost too fast to be seen. "I told you two it was!"

"Woah..." the one with the groove remarks, tone lower and smoother than either of her companions, though no less awed. "We never imagined we'd get to meet you in person."

"Much less here!" the jacketed one — screw it, you three are Lashes, Groove, and Jacket now, no one has real names here anyways — finishes.

I flash the trio a pleasant smile. Ah, these three are like the Toucanmon then. That's a relief... still a bit unnerving, especially since I still have no idea why I'm apparently a celebrity to certain groups of Digimon while others rightfully hate me on sight, but it's certainly more manageable than the alternative.

"Well, ah wasn't really expectin' to be recognized," I say, dropping fully into Ranamon's accent, "but it's a pleasure to meet ya'll."

"I mean, of course we recognized you." Groove says like it's the most obvious thing in the world.

"Yeah, you're a huge inspiration!" Lashes almost shouts, still practically vibrating. "We caught your latest Net show, and it was incredible!"

I keep the smile on my face, though internally that statement leaves me slightly concerned. Net? Does that mean this world actually does have an analogue for the-

Hang on. Run that back.

"My show?" I repeat.

"Mmhmm!" Lashes confirms. "We caught one of Sirenmon's the day after too, so we even got the chance to directly compare you two!"

"And we definitely preferred yours." Groove adds, nudging her companion with a flipper. "Sirenmon's voice was just as incredible as everyone says it is, but her songs left us feeling kinda... numb?"

"While yours just left us feeling happy." Jacket finishes with a nod. "That pretty much settled it for us. You're our favorite idol for sure!"

…wait a second.

Ranamon, in her spare time, is an idol?

As in singing, dancing, performing on stage in front of countless watching fans judging her each and every move, IDOL?!

"That's... quite kind of ya'll to say..." I all but squeak, barely managing to work the words out of my throat.

"Oh my gosh, are you here for a stealth street performance?" Lashes squeals. "Please say yes!"

"We'd love to see that!"

Dread so strong it's almost paradoxically thrilling races through my body. No, no, no!!! More than anything involving Cherubimon or Lucemon, this might be my actual worst nightmare! I enjoy singing enough, but not in front of other people, and I don't even try to dance when I'm alone! The mere concept of a poor performance, of potentially looking stupid or foolish in front of others, gets me so anxious that I've never been able to even bring myself to learn the simplest of steps, let alone the kind of choreography an idol would presumably use! If this is truly something that Ranamon did, does on the regular, then- well, she doesn't anymore! Unless- no, what am I thinking, there's no unless, I can't fill that role, I can't-

"Excuse me," the Meramon abruptly breaks in, "but whatever you're asking the little miss here, could you kindly do it outside? You're getting rather loud, and my restaurant's not the place for this."

The Orcamon briefly glance around to realize that they've drawn the attention of most of the other diners, causing them to look down at the floor in collective embarrassment. This thankfully gives me a moment to get my wits back, which I take full advantage of.

"No worries, it's not happening anyways." I quickly apologize to the chef, before turning back to my 'fans'. "Sorry, but ah ain't feeling up to an off-the-cuff... performance... right now. Ah didn't come here for anything like that, and ah wouldn't... uh, wouldn't want to give ya a substandard show."

Or any type of show. Ever. Ugh, they can't even actually force me to do anything, but I can just see myself tripping over my own tongue trying to sing a song I don't know, voice cracking on half the notes, knees shaking-

"Oooooh..."

I blink as I notice the Orcamon are now looking around me more than at me, only to realize why a moment later as a tiny jet of liquid whizzes past my face, my frantic thoughts having whipped my emergency water out from under my swim cap and into equally frantic tiny streams. They flit and dart around me like little dancing serpents, spilling glimmering droplets into the air around them as they go.

I take a deep breath and freeze them in midair, drawing the water back to me and settling it back in place.

"...well, it was nice meetin' ya'll, but ah'm afraid ah've gotta get goin'." I say, hurriedly making my way to the entrance. "Be seein' ya."

"Uh- wait-!"

I'm already out the door, power walking away from the building as fast as I can without slipping on the ice again, fully ready to leave town just to get away from this conversation. I think I'd have even almost preferred if those three had thought that I was-

"Wait, Miss Ranamon! Is it true? About Cherubimon?"

I freeze mid-stride, eyes darting wildly around the street. A couple of heads turn our way, but thankfully no more than that as I round on the trio that just followed me out of the restaurant.

A silent moment passes, before I spin and duck into the narrow alley behind the building, beckoning for the Orcamon to follow, which they do so all too eagerly. Once we're out of sight of the rest of the street, I let out a breath and look at them with newly narrowed eyes.

"What did ya mean by that, exactly?" I ask, voice taut as a wire.

"I- ah." Jacket rubs the back of her head, suddenly looking sheepish. "We've... kind of heard a few rumors that you're supporting Cherubimon...?"

"We don't really believe them!" Lashes rushes to elaborate. "We're just not exactly sure where they're coming from? Or what to think of them?"

"Or if there's any truth to them." Groove notes with slightly more steel, crossing her flippers over her chest. "We don't mean to offend, but it's... kind of been on our minds lately."

...so I was right to be wary after all. No surprise that there's rumors going around when they're true, I suppose.

I inhale, fully ready to deny all affiliation with Cherubimon- except that's not what comes out, an idea springing to mind in the same moment it leaves my mouth.

"Technically, ah am."

The Orcamon gasp as one, looking utterly betrayed-

"...but it's a ruse." I smoothly continue. "Ah'm in Cherubimon 'employ' for the moment, but only so ah can make sure he ultimately fails."

The Orcamon calm, their awestruck expressions returning in force.

"So you're like, a double agent...?"

I nod. "Ah can't take Cherubimon down on my own though. No matter what ah do, ah'll never be able to overpower him. Ah'm gonna need help from Digimon like you three-"

"Absolutely!" Jacket exclaims before I can even finish.

"We'll do anything we can to help you!"

I smile. Excellent. If I can get this counter rumor to spread, not only should it potentially help curb the real rumors that might otherwise get me lynched, it might actually net me some assistance with my assorted objectives from Ranamon's preexisting fanbase. In fact, I could probably do that regardless, assuming I can get in contact with more of its members... maybe I could send some Digimon in to help the kids directly? Have them carry in extra provisions? Or, hell, just act as intermediaries for me, which I'm probably going to need if I still want to steer the kids away from their remaining canon losses, not to mention plant that seed in their minds about using Mercurymon's spirit. Though, I'd first need to figure out where they even are right now.

"In that case, ah don't suppose you've seen or heard about any human kids comin' around here?" I ask, just on the off chance. "Probably would've stopped by either today, or earlier this morning?"

The Orcamon exchange glances.

"Humans...?"

"Those are real?"

I blink, a bit taken aback. "Er- yes, they are."

Groove shrugs. "If you say so. Can't say we've encountered any ourselves though, no."

"Espimon should be coming by soon though!" Lashes suddenly pipes up. "He always has the latest gossip. If you're still around tomorrow, he might know something!"

Well, I wasn't really planning to be, so that's not actually helpful, but...

"Thanks, ah'll keep that in mind." I lie as graciously as I can manage. "If ya do happen to come across those kids, be sure to help them in whatever way ya can, and let other Digimon ya trust know to do the same. They're aimin' to take down Cherubimon as well, so they need all the help they can get."

The Orcamon nod vigorously. Groove stops first, something seeming to occur to her.

"Hey, we kind of overheard you asking about the Autumn Leaf Fair earlier too?"

My eyes brighten.

"Ah was. Do you know where it is?"

"Sure do." she confirms. "It's a bit of a trip from here, but if you just keep heading south, you should find it at the tip of the continent. It's right around where the water ends, so you can't miss it."

"Perfect!" I clap my hands together. "Ah really appreciate that."

Tip of the continent... that's about what I would have suspected, since it makes sense the kids wouldn't have made it that far up the coast in canon, but I'm still glad to have it confirmed. Wintervel is closer to the middle of the continent though, so I'm a ways away right now. I should probably head out immediately if I want to-

No, hold on. Better milk this information resource for all it's worth.

"One last thing. Do ya'll know if there's anywhere around here where no one lives, or ever really goes?"

Jacket tilts her head. "What for?"

...uh.

"Ah... need to practice something for my next show." I improvise. "Ah want it to be a surprise though, so ah need somewhere I can do it in secret, where ah won't be seen or overheard."

"Oooooh..." Lashes' eyes sparkle. "I can't wait to see what it is then!"

I laugh, not a little nervously.

"Hmmm, I don't- oh! What about that empty cave network just to the north?" Jacket says.

"Yeah, that'd probably work." Groove agrees, moving her flipper beneath her chin. "I'd be careful though, that place is no mon's land."

I frown. "Why's that?"

Groove shrugs. "Not sure? No one really talks about it. It's long abandoned though, everyone's fairly clear on that part."

"And the outside is really big and pretty!" Lashes adds. "You can't miss it!"

I consider that for a moment, then nod. That sounds a bit suspect if I'm honest, but with this world closing ever inward, it's not like I could reasonably expect to find a piece of land that's completely empty without some sort of reason. So long as whatever happened there isn't still happening there, I'll take what I can get.

"Thanks, you three." I say, genuinely grateful. "Ah'll remember ya'll."

I flash a wink at the trio, who giggle into their flippers in delight, then turn and quickly make my way back out of town. No one else on the street gives me a second glance, allowing me to stop as soon as I'm once again safely hidden in the midst of the glasstrees.

Well, that went surprisingly well! I got more out of it than I honestly expected to, even. Now that I've got a direction, it should be easy enough to find the Autumn Leaf Fair. It'll just take a while to get there... though first, I suppose I should go and... well. "Terraform" the place those Orcamon mentioned. Gotta get that out of the way at some point, and I'm already in the area, so it might as well be now.

And, seeing as I still need the practice...

Lines of code reach up and envelop me, changing me down to the bone. Spreading my wings, I leap from the forest and take to the skies, heading north.

Spoiler: AN+Patrons

I've said it before, but I absolutely love the fact that Ranamon is heavily implied to be a pop idol, complete with all the fans, merchandise, and (presumably) performances that would entail. Not just for the aesthetic or humor value, but from what you can potentially extrapolate from it — because if you take this to its logical conclusion, it kind of implies that there is an entire information war going on in the background of Frontier. I mean, think about it. You've got a bunch of Digimon who have apparently heard of and know Ranamon solely by her idol persona, whilst the portion of the Digi-population that have actually seen her sucking up massive swathes of the ocean are stuck trying to convince everyone else that she is in fact EVIL. Which of course just sounds absurd, because it's like trying to convince someone that the latest diva to chart on the Billboard Top 100 secretly moonlights as a supervillain. Hell, do the other evil warriors also have public personas? Is it possible that if things had gone different, the kids could have popped down to the local Burgermon joint and seen Grumblemon working the counter? Does Mercurymon have a day job at a beauty parlor? Arbormon the lumberjack?!

...I mean yeah, it's probably just Ranamon, but that still makes her miles more interesting than canon ever bothered to explore in detail. So let's see what we can do with that, shall we?

A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, @ScorpioBot, @CCBubba, @Captain Skipjack, Leaf, Bertucchi, Jordan Juengel, Alxariam, kleinerToaster, and my seven other Patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives their choice of meal from any of Wintervel's well-lauded restaurants. Granted, I'm not exactly giving you anything that at least the one seen here wouldn't give you freely anyways, but I am providing the convenience of transporting it directly to your door. That's right, today's thank-you gift is a DoorDash order! Yes, I am slightly worried that I'm running out of ideas! 🥘🥗🍲

 

[Flairina]

Well, I can see why no one lives here.

Squinting through the heavy veil of blustering snow, I survey the uneven slopes of rock rising out of the small, icy mountain below. Numerous peaks of coal-dark stone jut from its side, an army of jagged spears being thrust towards the heavens. The majority are lit from beneath by a strange, intense blue glow, bright enough that I can see it even through this truly awful weather. A deep-set crack winds through the structure's foundation, curling around the frozen monument and disappearing into the distance, making it seem as though the entire thing could fall into the abyss at any moment.

...yeah, this must be the place. I think Lashes and I might have slightly different definitions of "pretty", since the Orcamon didn't exactly specify that it would look like nuclear warning architecture, but it fits the bill otherwise, especially in how I can't really imagine anyone posting up here long term. Obviously I'll still check first, but certainly no one should mind if this place suddenly vanishes off the face of the planet; I've been here less than a minute and it already feels actively hostile to life.

Damned sudden snowstorms...

Scarf lashing about in the wind, I dive towards the mountain's only obvious entrance — a towering torii gate set about halfway up its side. The rigid red archway stands nearly fifty feet high, framing the only slightly smaller mouth of the yawning cavern entrance beyond it. Maybe this is what Lashes was talking about? I'd agree that it's pretty impossible to miss given just how much it stands out against its surroundings, but I think I'd call it "imposing" more than-

I glide through the opening, and a soft thrum of energy audibly runs through the structure. In an instant, intricate characters not dissimilar to the one from the bottom of my pool have spread over most of the gate's surface, the geometric symbols shining like stars.

-ah.

I look back for a moment, giving the script now covering the gate a brief once over, but ultimately find the chaotic digital glyphs just as unintelligible as everything else I've tried to read around here of late. No surprise there, I suppose.

Shrugging, I turn away and set down in front of the opening in the mountain, protected from the weather just slightly by a high, rocky overhang. Beyond the now framed entrance, a wide, sculpted stairway of ice slopes down into the mountain. It's surprisingly well lit, owing to the glowing lines of energy embedded in the similarly icy walls, presumably fed by the same mysterious source as the rock spires. They branch through the frozen floor like roots, casting the cavern's interior in a vivid azure glow.

I raise an eyebrow. Almost feels like I'm being invited in... and I am going to have to go in. I don't have the brute force necessary to just wail on the outside of the mountain until it crumbles, leaving me little choice but to enter, find its weakest internal point, and excise its most critical fractal code from there, which should cause the rest to unwind along with it. Quite the task for someone so new to this "job". Though, at this point I'll be glad just to get inside, if only to get away from the howling gales of-

A particularly large gust funnels through the gate behind me before I can even finish the thought, pummeling my exposed back and sending a violent shiver through my already frost-covered feathers. Turns out Zephyrmon is equipped for the atmosphere, not the cryosphere, and metal armor in freezing temperatures is not a great combo, especially not with a blizzard battering me from all-

Another gust hits, even stronger than the last, and I hastily collapse back down into Ranamon, my perception of the cold switching from bitter and biting to merely annoying in an instant.

Phew... probably makes more sense to go down like this anyways, given I'm essentially heading underground. My feet are going to be popsicles, but-

Wait, I already solved this issue.

"Draining Rain."

The miniature cloud quickly condenses over my hand — emphasis on 'mini'. Strange... maybe it's just because the air around here is so frigid and dry? In the sense that all the water in it is currently snow at least. Does Draining Rain even work that way though? I kind of assumed I was creating the water ex nihilo...

Regardless, the cloud still functions as intended, dispensing its reserves over the ground directly in front of me. I have the resultant puddle swirl up over my feet, forming little watery booties to protect my bare feet from the icy floor. Heh, I can make myself shoes! Wonder if that means I could also-

The wind slams into me again, wailing like some world-eating beast, and I wince despite my current form. Right, I can mess around with my hydrokinesis later. Preferably whilst no longer standing out here in this horrid weather.

Here goes!

Hurrying to the stairs, I gratefully descend into the chambers below.

~ ꕀ ꔛ ꕀ ~

---

~ ꕀ ꔛ ꕀ ~​

...okay. So. It's possible that in my haste to get out of that snowstorm, I may have failed to pick up on some, in hindsight, rather obvious context clues.

Specifically ones that could have tipped me off to what I was doing before I merrily strolled my way down onto the set of a horror movie.

My neck remains on a nervous swivel as I make my way forward, or perhaps more accurately "inward" through the enormous, frigid maze I now find myself in. I wasn't exactly expecting this place to be tiny, but it feels less like a cave network so much as a straight-up labyrinth. The ceiling still reaches more than thirty feet high at its lowest, while the lighting, so good near the entrance, has become much sparser higher up on the walls, leaving said ceiling in constant half-shadow at best. The sound of wind battering the outside of the mountain remains my ever-present companion, reverberating through its interior as a thumping, omnipresent drone.

I shiver as I push off the floor, using my watery footwear to slide along like I'm wearing ice skates. I suppose the sheer size of this place is at least keeping this impromptu spelunking trip from feeling too claustrophobic? However, that's ultimately just making it unsettling in a different way.

The only logical reason to make tunnels this size is if something that large was regularly using them, after all.

My gaze drifts towards the walls. Whatever that something was, it also seems to have put up a few sparse decorations, which are honestly only adding to the eerie atmosphere. Here, a pair of tall, empty alcoves that look like they were simply gouged straight out of the ice. There, what looks almost like a carving of a fake window- or maybe a painting? I can't really tell, it's too high up to make out. I've even passed a few fancy-looking columns carved out of the walls, stretching all the way up into the darkness... except, being part of the walls to begin with, I don't think any of them were actually doing anything to improve the cavern's stability.

I frown. It's strange... all these accents are solely form without function. Just ice pretending to be things it isn't, which doesn't make any real sense. It's as though someone wanted this place to look fancy — maybe even regal? — but they didn't have the means to actually make something like that, nor the awareness to realize constructing it inside a giant network of ice caves ~maybe~ wasn't the right way to go. So instead of stately halls, we've got endless ominous tunnels, and instead of plush carpets, we've got weird glowing energy conduits that I swear are actually pulsing now, as if to make me feel even more like I'm walking through the veins of some titanic frost monster-

*!-CRAK-TH-KTHUMP-!*

I jump and slide to a stop as a sharp, exceedingly loud noise suddenly echoes through the tunnels, the ice trembling slightly beneath my feet.

That was... probably just more wind on the outside of the mountain, right?

My fingers clench over my gauntlets. I imagine I'd be a lot less on edge right now if I could manipulate ice the same way I can water, which would make perfectly logical sense in most other worlds. However, since the two are considered entirely separate elements in this one — presumably even "coded" as such — I can't do literally anything with the actual gigatons of frozen liquid surrounding me right now. Not without melting it first at least, which I imagine would be rather difficult to do inside of this mountain-sized freezer. Stupid digital semantics.

Sighing, I continue on... and promptly hit a dead end.

Or. Almost a dead end?

Tilting my head, I cautiously move a little closer to the mysterious hole in the wall. While more than twice my height, it doesn't even reach half way to the ceiling, and its walls are strangely curved, smoother than the ones I've been walking through up until now. There aren't any energy streams running down its sides either — at least not complete ones, as the few intersecting it appear to have been somehow cut through by the tunnel itself, leaving its interior even darker than the rest of this place.

...well, this isn't giving me a great feeling. However, it's also the only real feature of note I've seen in a fair while.

Do I backtrack, or see where it leads?

Reminding myself not to bite my lip, I tiptoe into the tunnel. It winds and curves more sharply than the halls I've been walking through until now, with a particularly slippery floor that seems oddly raised in places. Drips of bright blue something have pooled on it where the conduits were cut, lining the sides of the tunnel with little bio-luminescent puddles of ice.

Eventually, the walls widen again, and...

I stop.

The dim, relatively small space I've just entered is stuffed to the gills with mechanical debris of all shapes and sizes. Snapped circuit boards sit astride wrecked motorcycles and dented parking meters. Cracked monitors have been thrown haphazardly atop doorless fridges and empty vending machines. There's a broken trolley car in one corner sticking halfway out of a wall, next to the remains of some huge industrial machine that I honestly can't even identify, and I can see even more junk frozen further into the ice, so deeply embedded that it looks as though it somehow grew there. A jagged pit that looks like nothing so much as the result of a small bomb sits in the center of the chamber, an assortment of ragged-looking tarp scraps and metal sheets strewn about the bottom, while the rest of the junk pile teeters on the edge, threatening to overflow and fall in at any moment.

I just stand there blinking at the various refuse, utterly bewildered.

I'm... not exactly sure what I expected to find here, but it certainly wasn't this. Digital World or not, discovering what appears to be a miniature junkyard buried deep in the bowels of an ice cavern still feels incredibly out of place. I'd expect that more of the Digital World from the first season to be honest, where there was just a bunch of random dysfunctional technology scattered around the planet. Sure, Frontier has fairly complex technology too, as plainly evidenced by Ranamon's computer, not to mention the Toucanmons' whole modern outdoor kitchen, but that stuff is more... usable? Purposeful? Whereas this stuff is clearly not, and honestly kind of looks like it never was.

In which case. Why's it here?

Completely unclear what to make of this visual non sequitur, but not seeing any way forward, I'm forced to turn around and head right back the way I came, returning to the tunnels proper.

That was... weird. And honestly just made this place feel even creepier than it already did. I could be working myself up over nothing, but the longer I spend down here, the more it feels like I'm going to get jumped by something from behind, and the worse this idea is starting to feel just in general. While I do still need the code, I don't even know if I'm getting close to anything important, or just burrowing ever deeper into a giant icy tomb.

I grimace. Much as I hate the idea of leaving empty-handed, if I don't find something else of note within the next five minutes, I think I might need to just cut my losses and get out of here.

---

-Three minutes later-

...well, there goes that excuse.

I crane my neck upward, just trying to fully take in the massive pair of rust red stone doors set into the wall in front of me. They're roughly made, but grand in scale, to the point I can't imagine how they even got down here. It looks as though there may have once been carvings of some sort engraved into their surface, but they're heavily faded, too worn down for me to even guess at what those might have once been.

They're also almost completely frozen over, immense creeping fingers of ice growing over them from both the floor and ceiling.

I sigh. I suppose I can hardly turn back now, but while these doors certainly look important, I don't think I'm going to be opening them any time soon.

Maybe there's another way 'inside'?

Glancing at the tunnels to my left and right, I flip a mental coin and head right. The hallway curves so gradually that I almost don't notice it at first, leaving me slowly circling what I assume to be the chamber beyond-

Hang on. Is that...?

I pause suspiciously in front of the second large, conspicuous hole in the wall I've come across in the past ten minutes, uncertain if I should bless my fortune or curse the contrivance. There's hardly even a tunnel this time, just a smooth-bored passage that looks barely 20 feet long, but- seriously, who or what even made these? It can't have been what constructed the rest of this place, the passage is too small, and circular, and... oddly slick? Huh?

Confused and warier than ever, but refusing to give up at what could be the final juncture, I carefully step through the tiny tunnel.

My eyes go wide.

The cavern I've just entered is both larger and better lit than any I've seen before now. Roughly the size of a sports pitch, the energy veins pulse strong and numerous enough within its walls that I can even see the slightly domed ceiling, despite it being at least twice as high as that of the surrounding halls. On one side of the room stands the towering doors, just as frozen over on the inside as they are on the outside, while at the back of the room there's instead a wide semi-circle of stairs, leading up to a raised plateau. Upon it, an immense, icy throne sized for a giant sits, framed from behind by a fan of jagged black spikes. They're smaller than the ones sprouting from the outside of the mountain, but glowing just as intensely, giving the overall construct an impressive backlit effect.

...and yet, all of that might as well be an afterthought compared to the enormous, incredibly thick icicles sprouting out of every spare surface of the room, each one containing at its center the unmoving corpse of a Digimon.

I take an involuntary step backwards, nearly tripping over my own feet as my eyes rake over the room in horror. There's hundreds of the things. Growing from the floor, jutting from the walls, hanging from the ceiling. They're literally everywhere, completely impossible not to look at.

Countless moments of frozen agony, caught like flies in amber.

My throat feels dry. This... this is-! I mean, icicle "graves" like these are a pretty unforgettable visual, pointing to exactly one Digimon, which means this can only be-

Confusion trickles through my horror. Wait, but... he was from Tamers, wasn't he? Not Frontier, so that wouldn't make any- no, that's right, there was one in this season too. But he was imprisoned long before the series even started, trapped under Cherubimon's castle on the Dark Continent, and didn't get free until the kids got involved.

Meaning, even if this is IceDevimon's handiwork — and whose else even could it be — he should be half a world away right now.

I release a shaky breath, calming slightly. Well, I guess at least that answers why these caves are and remain "No Mon's Land"... disturbing as it is, I suppose I should be thankful all that's left of this place's former "owner" is the evidence of why he's no longer around. Not that, seeing all this, it really makes me feel any less like at any moment he could just come stalking around the-

*!-CRUNCH-!*

I whip my neck around, just in time to see a large, clawed hand with a single red finger curl around the corner of the tunnel's entrance, ice cracking beneath its grip.

Stifling the scream that rises to my lips, I sprint into the cavern proper and scramble behind the nearest icy coffin, the stalagmite thankfully thick enough to be largely opaque from the other side. Not possible, shouldn't be possible, but I knew this place was practically a horror movie waiting to happen, why didn't I bail sooner?! I should've just trusted my gut and-

My self-chastisement is cut off by the low, guttural growl that issues from the opening in the wall. Slowly, almost leisurely, the hand's owner steps fully into view, and my heart nearly leaps into my throat as I duck back behind my hiding spot.

That is not IceDevimon, but- what the hell?! A Kimeramon? How is that even possible?! Those don't come into existence naturally, they have to be deliberately created by someone, and the Digital World of this season is almost totally isolated from humanity, there shouldn't be any way or reason for someone to have-!

Something metallic clangs to the floor as another growl cuts through the air, accompanied by the sound of flaring nostrils. I hold as still and silent as I can manage, barely daring to breathe.

...I need. To get out of here. Now. Kimeramon are literal living weapons, and even if this one is smaller than the multi-story monster I remember from Adventure 02, I don't imagine that makes it much less dangerous. Hell, if this thing is somehow genuinely wild, it might even consider me food. This place was supposed to be easy code, and I am not fighting that thing for the right to it... though, I've no idea how I'm going to escape it if it just stands there squatting in the entrance-

The growling abruptly intensifies, joined shortly after by the sound of thundering, rapidly approaching feet. I frantically break from my hiding spot, just a scant instant before the Kimeramon rams into it like the world's largest and most carnivorous battering ram. Never mind that then!

I sprint for the hole in the wall, nearly losing control of what little water I have in my haste. Ice audibly shatters behind me, and I something goes hurtling through the air-

I throw myself to the floor as the stalagmite I was hiding behind spears through the space most of my upper body just occupied. It slams into the wall above the tunnel, hard enough to shake the floor beneath me — as well as open a giant vertical crack in the wall, which immediately spreads to several of the other enormous icy monuments sticking out of it. I scramble back to my feet, but don't manage even a single step before the icicles' own weight dislodges them, and a small avalanche of frozen rock comes tumbling down around the mouth of the tunnel, burying the only way out of the room in a giant pile of rubble.

No...

I slowly turn away from the Kimeramon's improvised, seemingly intentional blockade, forced to meet its hungry, awaiting gaze dead on.

Mouth gaping wide in a savage grin, it lets out an ear-splitting roar.

Spoiler: AN+Patrons

AN: I don't like it I really don't like it but it's not worth spending any more time on it so let's MOVE IT ALONG ALREADY-

A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, @ScorpioBot, @Captain Skipjack, Leaf, Bertucchi, Jordan Juengel, kleinerToaster, and my seven other Patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives their pick of item from that odd junk cavern, which- sorry, hang on, are we really doing this? We're hawking literal scrap now? How is this supposed to incentivize anything other than- you know what, fine! Here, take your pick of this trash, and hold onto it, so you can throw it like a particularly sharp, hefty tomato the next time the author tries to pull something like this. (╯‵□′)╯︵ 🔩🚋🛵

 

[Flairina]

"Dark Vapor!"

The stream of caustic mist hits the Kimeramon directly in the face. Its roar becomes a screech, then a snarl as it bites down and swipes the fog away, looking little worse for wear beneath its exoskeletal helmet.

Uh-

The Kimeramon bellows and charges, head down like a bull. I throw myself backwards, sliding away on thin ribbons of water, all too aware that if I run into literally anything, I'm likely going to be left in ribbons myself. Bad, bad, bad bad BAD!!!

I frantically weave around more icy stalagmites as the Kimeramon dogs my every move, claws larger than my torso leaving glowing trails in the air as they gouge into every nearby surface. I snap repeatedly as I retreat, but the rain clouds that form in my wake are no larger than the one I managed at the entrance, and those that Kimeramon doesn't simply barrel through can't keep up with it anyways. That's not gonna work-!

A grasping hand slams down hard enough to crater the floor in front of me, sending shards of ice flying in all directions. A particularly large chunk glances off my swim cap and snaps my neck backwards, causing me to cry out at the impact- then again a moment later, as the distraction in turn causes me to slam back-first into a wall.

The Kimeramon seizes on my moment of weakness, pouncing with every arm outstretched-

[ S L I D E - E V O L U T I O N ]​

I spring into the air a split second before four enormous claws erase the spot where I just stood, turning both the nearby wall and floor to splintered fragments. The cavern trembles again, dislodging several more icy coffins that drop and shatter explosively nearby, spilling wisps of fragmented data into the air.

My wings flare out behind me as my eyes narrow, my focus on the threat before me sharpening to a knife's edge.

The Kimeramon whirls around and freezes for a moment, seeming to reassess, before screeching with renewed purpose and leaping into the air after me, its own wings beating hard.

"Wind of Pain!"

The funnel of forceful wind stalls the Kimeramon's ascent, the accompanying torrent of sharpened feathers tearing ragged holes into its top set of wings- but it's got a second set, and its leap did most of the work already. I hiss, darting backwards as its upper right arm snaps up at me, but not fast enough to escape the monster's absurd reach.

Sharpened nails clip the side of my leg and claw at my armor, almost prying at it for a split second before ultimately scraping off. Despite its glancing nature, the blow still hits like a sledgehammer, sending me into an uncontrolled front flip as I'm thrown several dozen feet backwards.

Wind cushions my flight path, allowing me to avoid slamming into another wall, or skewering myself on any of the giant sideways spikes growing out of them. When I recover and look back however, the Kimeramon strangely hasn't followed, instead now curled into an almost midair fetal position, the air around its body visibly shimmering. What is it-

The Kimeramon abruptly whips its arms outward, and a wave of violent red heat explodes out in every direction. The fiery pulse washes over the entire cavern, slamming into me like a physical force, and this time I do hit something — specifically, the towering back of the frozen throne I've ended up floating in front of.

A gasp of pain is forced from my lips as I'm forcibly driven into the chair, gravity causing me to slump down into the massive seat. The heat registers a moment later, traveling through my armor as though by intent, and I'm left screaming for a moment as the metal tries to brand the skin I apparently still have beneath it, even as the absolutely frigid throne I'm lying on nigh-instantly cools it back down.

I wrench my briefly-clenched eyelids back open to see the Kimeramon drop into a dive, the claws of its upper left hand wreathed in a flickering red and black aura. Move!

Forcing my feet back under me, I leap upward and kick off the back of the chair, sending myself soaring over the Kimeramon's oncoming head. Too heavy to turn on a dime, the monster's momentum carries it onward past me-

*!-CRA-KS-TTR-!*

-leading its outstretched claw to crash straight through the back of the icy throne, burying it up to its elbow in the enormous piece of furniture.

The Kimeramon lets out another echoing roar, fury resounding through the cavern as it tries to tug its arm free. It fails, its own attack having trapped it in place within a structure evidently much sturdier than the walls.

Energy is flowing to my claws and talons before I've even processed it, and I dive like a bird of prey, seeking my foe's exposed back-

The patchwork monster's skeletal arm swings around behind it, slashing aimlessly at the air. Zephyrmon's reflexes save me, and I duck beneath the limb in the nick of time- only to get slammed by the insectoid one instead, which swings into my stomach like a solid iron bar. My glowing claws scrape along its length, tearing rents in the thick red carapace before I'm ultimately knocked back to the floor, attack sputtering out as my talons attempt to grind me to a halt — but sharp as they are, they still fail to get friction on the slippery floor fast enough to keep me from slamming back-first into another icicle.

Aching from both impacts and with my feathers slightly dampened, I barely react fast enough to dodge the two solid rays of heat that come screaming down at me moment later, which so far as I can tell the Kimeramon somehow just blind-fired at me, backwards, without compromising its aim at all.

...and which are now curving impossibly through the air, already starting to double back on themselves. Oh for-

I take flight again, reaching and nearly skimming the ceiling as the apparently heat-seeking heat beams trail after me like guided missiles. I weave in and out of the bottom of the hanging graves, hoping the twin attacks will expend themselves on one, but they carry on through the ice in their way with nary a pause, sublimating all in their path. Need something more solid...!

I speed towards the other end of the room, the twisting tongues of fire still hot on my tail. Seconds before I would slam face-first into the wall, I kick off the tip of a hanging stalactite, throwing myself downwards at a nearly 90-degree angle. The heat beams fail to turn sharply enough to match me and instead slam into the iced-over entrance doors, sending up a giant spray of steam as they flash boil the frozen liquid, then finally disperse on the stone beneath.

The cavern shakes again from the impact, more violently than either time before. This whole place is going to come crashing down on us at this rate!

I right myself and launch a vicious double kick at the doors, hoping enough of the ice has melted to loosen them, but they fail to move even so much as an inch, still frozen over in too many other places. In the same moment, the Kimeramon finally rips its arm free, causing the back of the looming throne to crumble.

Revealing the solid wall of racing code within.

My eyes widen, but I've no chance to do anything about it as a wave of toxic purple miasma pours from the now-freed monster's mouth. It flows out unnaturally quickly, filling the entire lower back half of the room before the Kimeramon flaps its ragged wings, sending the mist shooting towards me as a billowing cloud of poison. Just how many attacks does this thing have?!

Frustration coursing through me, I summon another funnel of wind and force the wall of fog back towards its source — only to end up blindsided by the ball of lightning that erupts out of it a moment later, the colorful poison having screened the follow up attack.

I screech in pain as the electricity courses across my limbs and armor, and feel myself start to fall from the air-

A massive bone-white hand surges out of the lingering miasma, catching me before I can hit the floor — then it raises me back up, and smashes me into the floor instead.

My scream intensifies as my back hits ice and the joints of my wings are pushed too far, feeling like they might snap off. The hand that just grabbed me comes back down, pinning my right arm to the floor with crushing weight and size.

A second one follows, engulfing my left arm.

A third, both of my legs.

I frantically send energy to my claws again, my talons scraping through the floor like it's not even there, but I can't move my arms enough to actually make use of them, can barely move just in general in fact, I don't even have enough leverage to struggle-

The Kimeramon slowly raises its lone free arm — the Devimon one, with the single red claw, its digits once again shrouded in crimson and black energy.

Damn it, I need to do something! Anything!!!

[ S L I D E - E V O L U T I O N ]​

My desperate idea leaves me in the exact same position as before, albeit without wings being bent in ways they weren't meant to be. The release from that particular pain does bring me a single moment of clarity however, and I pull, hoping to use the sudden change in limb size to escape the Kimeramon's grasp — but its grip doesn't change, hasn't changed, its hands are just too big, and there's too many, and I don't exactly have any extras of my own to match them, I NEED-!

The devil's claw scythes down.

-and fails to connect, instead tearing through the gauntleted arm that just appeared in front of it, floating in the air.

Wha...?

The disembodied limb doesn't last long, destroyed in an instant by the Kimeramon's data-corroding touch. Undeterred, it draws back its arm to strike again, but words are already forcing themselves from my mouth.

"Show of Hands!"

Six more floating copies of my own limbs spring into being around me, grabbing the blackened arm as it descends and yanking on it as one. Even all working together, they aren't strong enough to completely overpower the Kimeramon.

...but they're enough to drag its aim off course, causing the attack to instead rake over another of its own extremities.

The Kimeramon screeches as its lower right arm promptly dissolves, tiny blocks of data escaping from its newly-severed shoulder. My extra arms fade away as well, while my real one, freed from the multi-limbed monster's now-nonexistent grasp, swings upward.

"Dark Vapor!"

Mentally grabbing at the acid as it emerges from my palm, I combine it with a portion of the melted ice now spread across the floor, condense the liquid into a tiny stream, and guide it around the Kimeramon's remaining limbs like a serpent, shoving it straight through the holes of its helmet and directly into its eyes.

The Kimeramon howls louder than ever before and rears backwards, releasing my other arm and finally letting me scrabble away. Blinded and enraged, it starts lashing out at random, its now only trio of claws swiping wildly at everything in its vicinity. More icicle graves are smashed apart in its frenzy, clouds of long-trapped data sent flying into the air as it launches another pair of heat beams, which rocket straight upwards before redirecting and falling towards me like meteors-

[ S L I D E - E V O L U T I O N ]​

-so I take to the air again, this time flying directly at my rampaging enemy. The heat beams curve and follow as I spear like an arrow towards the Kimeramon's exposed back — then flip 180 degrees, and instead kick off the back of its head with as much force as I can manage. My predator, now prey, whirls around at the impact in a fury, but my attack sent me flying backwards by design.

Tucking in my wings, I thread between the twin heat beams that pass by on either side of me, and let them collide with their own creator.

The Kimeramon screeches as its indiscriminate attack sears into its flesh like a pair of giant brands. It stumbles in place, its right knee giving out beneath it, and I seize my chance, claws and talons coating themselves in glowing red annihilation energy as I dive, spinning like a bladed tornado-

"Plasma Claws!"

I surge past the mass of flailing limbs, my rotation knocking all of them aside, and thrust my arm forward with the speed of wind itself.

It passes through the Kimeramon's torso like there's nothing there at all.

The Kimeramon freezes, silent and still for the first time since it entered the cavern. Even with my hand buried most of the way into its chest, the act seems strangely non-visceral — beneath my armored claws, I feel no veins, no organs, no blood.

Just the same fizzing, tingling sensation I remember from the Seadramon, signifying data to be taken.

The Kimeramon finally fades to a shade, features disappearing into matte black as its fractal code spills out of it. Withdrawing my arm from the crumbling shadow, I step back and almost robotically absorb it, letting the data pass into my palm without even really thinking about it. Even as the last of the code slips into me however, no egg rises or appears in the Kimeramon's place.

Beyond the wreckage of the battlefield, nothing remains of the unnatural entity at all.

Breathing hard through my mask, I settle on the floor and collapse to my knees, talons twitching against what ice still remains.

...I don't know why that thing was here, or where it came from. But that. Was terrifying. And confusing. And- honestly rather exhilarating? But mostly-

I hiss as the base of my wings throb, everything starting to come into sharper focus now that the battle is over.

-yeah, mostly just painful. Nothing's broken so far as I can tell, and I'm still alive, but that's about all I can say for myself. Despite Zephyrmon's undoubtedly better durability compared to my base form, I feel even more like one big, burned bruise than I did yesterday.

I could... really go for a-

"Hey..."

Spoiler: AN+Patrons

The other prospective name for Ranamon's attack was "Idol/Idle Hands", but I felt that was perhaps a bit too specific/referential.

A huge thanks to @Pheonix14, @Warclam, @ScorpioBot, @Captain Skipjack, Leaf, Bertucchi, Jordan Juengel, kleinerToaster, and my seven other Patrons not named here, as well as an extra special thanks to a certain generous patron who wishes to remain unnamed. Each of them receives a chunk of digital permafrost. Guaranteed not to melt even in the most extreme conditions, this little baby is perfect for picnics, portable coolers, and food preservation during power outages! Keep it close when it's hot to cool your home! Keep it close when it's cold to get hypothermia! Truly the possibilities are endless! 🧊

 

[NuclearBurrito]

omtake time:

Wrong Accent

"Damn it," I snarl, forgetting myself for a moment, "this isn't fair! I don't know what's responsible for this, but you could at least give me a chance of making it out of this alive-"

"静かにしてくれませんか?"

What was that? I look up and see Mercurymon looking down at me, his face displaying a look of slight annoyance.

"祈って教えて、私たちの絶壁なプリンセスがナンセンスな独り言を言っているのは何ですか?"

What the hell is he saying? Is that… oh no, don't tell me. Is he speaking JAPANESE!? I know Digimon is technically an anime, but I only saw the dub. Even if I had seen the Japanese version there's still the obvious problem that I DON'T SPEAK JAPANESE!

"良い?"

His tone sounded like he was expexting something, but even if I could fake being the english version of Ranamon, there's no way I'm passing for the Japanese version.

"I'm so screwed…"

 

[Flairina]

Fusion Evolution... Execute

AU. The kids arrive at the Continent of Darkness, and Duskmon is nowhere to be seen. Instead, they find someone else waiting for them...

~ ꕀ ꔛ ꕀ ~

---

~ ꕀ ꔛ ꕀ ~
​

It wasn't an hour after they'd set foot on the continent that they were ambushed.

"Everyone, DUCK!"

Zoe's warning came only a split second before something fell from on high, striking the ground in front of the group like a meteor. Everyone screamed as the small clearing in the half-withered forest they'd been walking through was nigh-instantly swallowed, blotted out by the giant cloud of dust the impact kicked up.

Takuya waved the haze away from his eyes as he stood back up from his crouch, his friends doing much the same just behind him. As the dirt settled, a silhouette became apparent behind the smokescreen, which gradually faded and revealed...

"Ranamon?"

The figure slowly shook her head, eyes unblinking.

"Afraid not. You can call me Exocoemon."

Takuya squinted at her. No, this was definitely Ranamon, albeit... also kind of Zephyrmon? It was as if they'd somehow merged, the features of the water and wind spirits having blended together to meet somewhere in the middle. Fins and feathers had become one, extending even further from her back, head, and hips than before, while her outfit was now a strangely metallic-looking swimsuit, gradually shifting from shining light blue across her torso to shimmering purple down her legs. Zephyrmon's silver claws remained in place, while Ranamon's empty gauntlets had shifted upward to become pauldrons, framing the torn scarf still wound around her neck. Her wings seemed drained of all color at first glance, but shone dully with a riot of rainbow hues when the light struck them right.

All of those features were more or less familiar to Takuya. Less so were her more... animalistic traits. Her posture was low and aggressive, far more predatory than before, and a short, fan-like tail foreign to both forms extended from her tailbone, draping behind her hips like a ragged half skirt. Scales (or were those tiny, scale-like feathers?) now covered her where her armor didn't, coating most of her skin and encroaching on her still-exposed naval. Only her face seemed completely free of them — though perhaps they were simply obscured by her face mask, the outside of which now bore a design reminiscent of jagged teeth.

From the small stretch of skin remaining between her mask and dangling headgear, two violet, slit-pupil eyes peered out, narrowed and angry.

"What happened to her?" JP said, asking aloud what everyone was thinking.

"A small... boon from Cherubimon." Exocoemon answered tersely. "One that I was stupid enough to ask for... but while I regret it, at least now my path forward is clear."

She held out an arm, claws extended in a beckoning manner.

"Hand over your spirits."

Takuya grinned even as he glared. Nice of her to make things simpler this time.

"Not gonna happen! Guys?"

Code enveloped each of them. Takuya felt the roaring flame of BurningGreymon reaching out for him, searing him for a scant instant before draining down into his being, infusing him with the spirit's power and form. As the code dispersed, he found everyone save Tommy had also chosen their beast spirits, even Zoe, who on land had to "stand" upon Calmaramon's two largest tentacles- though not for much longer, if Takuya had anything to say about it.

"We've gotten way stronger since we last met," he growled down at their now much-smaller opponent, who barely came up to his hip in this form, "and there's no water around for you to use this time. So what's actually gonna happen is that you're gonna give Zoe back her spirit, and-"

The pain hit before he even fully registered the movement as Exocoemon's armored foot slammed into his jaw. Takuya felt the metal of his mouth bend, and swore he even heard something crack as he unsteadily stumbled back. Since when did Ranamon have that kind of brute force?!

"Lupine Laser!"

"Bolo Thunder!"

A blur swept past him, resolving back into Exocoemon as she ducked under the lance of light and leapt towards the oncoming balls of electricity, whipping an arm around and-

"Hey, no fair!" MetalKabuterimon yelped as Exocoemon sprouted claws of wind and water from her gauntlets, almost doubling their size, and somehow grabbed the lightning chaining the projectile together, arresting its momentum and flinging it back the way it came. Wheels spun and treads squealed as everyone broke in different directions to dodge, Bokomon and Neemon frantically diving for some nearby bushes on the outskirts of the clearing.

"Still haven't gotten past calling your attacks I see." Exocoemon remarked.

"Oh yeah?!"

Takuya whipped his body forward, and the Wildfire Tsunami he'd been preparing tore away from him, the blazing twister gyring straight towards his foe — where claws of elemental fury instantly ripped it apart, leaving Exocoemon staring at him in equally furious disbelief.

"Do you seriously think that was any better?! Do you even understand the concept of not announcing-"

A blast of freezing crystals slammed into Exocoemon's blind spot, icing over part of her side and most of her right wing.

"Yeah, I think we get it." Takuya retorted, grinning back at Kumamon's own wide smile.

Exocoemon leapt upwards as KendoGarurumon's blades flashed through where she'd just stood, the thin coating of ice breaking off as she took to the air. She dove back down like a raptor an instant later, kicking MetalKabuterimon's attempted Electron Cannon off course and causing the attack to instead devastate the forest a little ways off — only for the forest immediately in front of her to suddenly come alive, tree branches stretching and deforming into wavering spirals.

"What-?!" was all their foe managed to get out before the branches lashed out and wrapped around her, Calmaramon continuing to make steady circling motions with her limbs as she spun the disparate pieces of wood into a tightly-wound cocoon. Exocoemon immediately began shearing the wood away, far faster than Calmaramon could add it, but it didn't need to hold her long, as Kumamon went flying off the end of an icy ramp-

[ S L I D E – E V O L U T I O N ]​

-and Gigasmon came falling back down.

"Tectonic Slam!"

Gigasmon's fists struck the ground, and an enormous spike of rock shot out of the earth like a cannon, spearing upwards to strike their foe in the middle of her back. A throat-launched laser and a flurry of fire impacted in the same moment, and the remnants of the branch cocoon shattered around Exocoemon as the force of the combined blow all but hurled her down from on high.

"Yeah, go you guys!" MetalKabuterimon cheered. "Show her who's-"

Fin-like wings spread wide and beat just once, sending Exocoemon shooting back into the air before she could even hit the ground. Bearing not a single visible sign of damage, she glared down at the five of them from on high and clenched her fists together.

"Cavitation Cataclysm."

Five huge globes of water instantly condensed from nothing, hanging in the air in front of them. Takuya quickly leveled his gun barrels at the closest one, intending to boil it away before their foe could make use of it.

"Pyro-"

The water began boiling before Takuya could even launch his attack. Wait, what-

A sudden flash of light seared into his eyes as the bubble swelled and exploded. Takuya went flying backward as if kicked by a mountain, feeling his back crash through multiple trees before his massive body finally slowed, sliding to a stop in the dirt.

"...okay, that's a new one." he groaned.

Blinking the spots out of his vision, he levered himself up onto his elbows and pushed himself back to his feet — and watched in shock as most of his chest armor fell to the ground in pieces.

What...?

Uncertainty running through him for the first time all battle, Takuya quickly rushed back through the trees, skidding to a halt near the edge of the clearing.

The ground where Exocoemon's attack had gone off was now little but a huge, blasted crater. A battered-looking Gigasmon was unsteadily stumbling around near the lip of it, pawing at his eyes, while MetalKabuterimon was slumped over with electricity sparking from the crumpled remnants of his head cannon, the barrel completely snapped off. Lines of code overcame the latter even as Takuya watched, leaving a collapsed JP lying facedown on the ground.

"Tommy! JP!!!"

"I can't see!" Gigasmon cried.

Takuya frantically turned back to the action on the other side of the clearing. Calmaramon and KendoGarurumon had seemingly managed to escape the blast, and were doing their best to harass Exocoemon, attempting to keep her away from their friends — yet their enemy looked almost bored, even as she casually kicked KendoGarurumon aside.

"...pathetic."

Takuya's anger flashed at the muttered word.

"Drag Fanger!"

A spectral dragon of fire enveloped him as he charged, feet leaving the ground as he speared towards the fray-

A clawed hand reached through his flames like they weren't even there and dug into his arm, forcibly redirecting his momentum towards a nearby Calmaramon. He desperately pulled up as Calmaramon shrieked and ducked, just barely managing to not collide with his ally.

"How quickly we revert to old habits."

Takuya landed heavily as his attack fizzled out, turning back just in time to see a whirling jet of Calmaramon's ink break upon and merge with a wall of water, accomplishing nothing. KendoGarurumon was forced to dodge the newly caustic water a moment later as it went shooting towards him at ballistic speeds, his breathing ragged as his wheels screeched to a halt.

"So, everything you said last time," Calmaramon growled at their foe, "all that stuff about actually being on our side. That was all just a lie?"

Exocoemon froze for just a moment, the hesitation leaving her eyes in the next.

"You had your chance." she snarled back.

"Funny, we were planning on giving you another chance the next time you showed up." KendoGarurumon retorted, slowly circling her. "At least we were, until you did this. So why'd you change tactics? Got impatient? Figured we wouldn't buy it?"

"No," Exocoemon growled, "I'm doing this because I know what will happen if I let you five try to handle Cherubimon."

"Yeah?" Takuya prodded, picking up his friends' line of thought. "And what's that, huh?"

Exocoemon rounded on him, eyes flashing.

"You'll screw it up." she hissed. "You'll fail."

The words, spoken with such vicious certainty, sent a chill up Takuya's spine despite himself.

"You don't know that!" Calmaramon snapped.

Exocoemon laughed mirthlessly. "Oh, but I do. I-"

Lightning struck upwards from the ground, just barely missing Exocoemon's face as she stepped back. An enormous rock flew through the air in its wake, which broke in turn on her arms.

"You just can't keep us down!" Beetlemon announced, still clearly injured, and no longer in his beast form, but standing upright with support from a recovering Gigasmon.

"What was that about us talking too much?" Takuya asked through a smirk.

Bad guys really never could help running their mouths off, could they?

"Alright everyone, all together now!" he cried, rallying his friends.

"Do you really want to know what happens if I let you keep going?" Exocoemon asked, acting utterly unbothered even as the group arrayed themselves around her like a firing squad. "...then I suppose I'll enlighten you."

A plume of fire, a wave of ink, a laser, a boulder, and a bolt of lightning all surged forth as one — and all were intercepted by a giant geyser spontaneously bursting out of the ground. The force of the water's eruption flung the entire group backwards, breaking their positioning as Exocoemon stepped out of the rapidly receding fluid unharmed.

"You make your way to Cherubimon's castle, guided there like lambs to the slaughter."

Beetlemon folded over Exocoemon's arm as it swung unstoppably into his pelvis, too fast to dodge and too strong to stop.

"...where you promptly get the tar beaten out of you, having somehow managed to get all that way with no plan and no clue."

Exocoemon threw Beetlemon aside and stepped to her left as Calmaramon's tentacle slammed down next to her. She then grabbed hold of the massive limb, claws carving rents into rubbery flesh as she yanked, swinging the much larger Digimon over her shoulder and down into KendoGarurumon's oncoming Light Torpedo charge, sending both combatants sprawling.

"You end up hopelessly outmatched, unable to even properly retaliate as Cherubimon plays with you, toys with you."

Gigasmon leapt forward, rotating into a double lariat. A water bubble formed in front of him mid-swing and instantly exploded, flinging him backwards through the air- directly into several others, which burst on contact with triple the force.

"A little like this, in fact."

"Tommy!" KendoGarurumon cried out as Gigasmon faded away, leaving the smaller boy lying on the ground, unmoving.

"You free Ophanimon, only for her to sacrifice herself in vain trying to support you-"

Bokomon yelped as Exocoemon seemed to all but teleport in front of his hiding spot, claws yanking at his egg-laden waistband.

"-just like Seraphimon did-"

A barrage of searing hot lasers flew across the clearing as Exocoemon dropped Bokomon, wings flaring as she pivoted around Takuya's attack and shot back towards the group.

"-and in the end, this world ends up eaten away even faster than had you never come here!"

Claws alighting with an angry glow, Exocoemon spun like a miniature tornado, countless crescents of searing red energy tearing away from her in every direction. Knowing Tommy was behind him, Takuya brought his arms up and bore it, gritting his teeth as the attack sliced into his armor like butter, gouging giant chunks out of the remaining metal. To his left and right, he heard the others cry out, along with the sound of warping code reverting another one of them to human.

"You accomplish nothing, protect nothing, and ultimately leave nothing in your wake." Exocoemon spit as she fell back to earth, slamming a foot down to stop her rotation. "You're no more saviors of this world than Cherubimon himself is."

Ice ran through Takuya's otherwise boiling veins. The sheer conviction in her words didn't feel like a guess — it felt as though Exocoemon knew what she was saying for fact, as though it had somehow already happened.

He took an unconscious step back, his friends groaning in pain around him. Rather than press her advantage however, Exocoemon stopped dead and lowered her gaze to her hands, a wild, almost desperate gleam in her eyes.

"But don't worry... I won't let that happen. I refuse to simply sit back and watch as the world ends around me; wait for armageddon to arrive like some hapless, helpless victim."

A chance!

"Wildfire-"

Something too fast to see struck past Takuya's damaged chest armor so hard he actually choked, flames instantly smothered as his back hit dirt.

"...in other words, I'm through with what I've been doing up until now. I can't believe I was seriously putting all my trust in you five, that I ever actually thought you could win."

An armored heel came down on the joint of Takuya's wing, ripping a cry of pain from his throat as Exocoemon leaned over and stared straight down into his eyes.

"You can't even stand up to me."

Takuya let out a furious scream and set his wings alight. Exocoemon hopped back with lightly singed feet as he surged back to his own, every bit of pain suddenly a million miles away.

"You're WRONG!" he roared. "We're Legendary Warriors! We've overcome every enemy that's barred our path, risen to every challenge that's come our way! We're not going to lose to you, or Cherubimon, or anyone else! We'll save this world with our spirits at our sides, whether you believe we can do it or not!"

Exocoemon just shook her head.

"You're right in at least one respect."

"Takuya, RUN!"

He startled as Calmaramon suddenly drilled over his head, the unconscious forms of Kouji and Tommy held fast in her smaller tentacles as she shot towards the edge of the clearing. An extremely beat-up Beetlemon took off hot on her heels, Bokomon and Neemon clutched in his arms like children, why were they-

Exocoemon raised a single finger, pointing straight up. Takuya's eyes followed before he could stop them, and found himself staring at-

Water. A massive, seemingly endless quantity of water, floating so high up in the atmosphere that he hadn't even noticed it gathering. It hovered in the air like an upside down ocean, an impending disaster, just waiting for its moment. The murky clouds and eerie purple sky of the Dark Continent had been completely blocked out, even the Rose Morning Star lost so far behind the amassed liquid that not even its shadow showed through.

"The best chance this world stands does indeed still lie with the spirits."

Takuya yanked his neck back down to find Exocoemon's gaze locked with his again, her eyes wide and literally glowing with fury.

"Just not with you."

Takuya lunged. Exocoemon brought her arms down-

"Drowning Sorrow."

-and the heavens fell.

Spoiler: Notes/Trivia

Sorry to post this before getting the next chapter proper out, but this fits my mood more at the moment. I also seem to have quite a lot of notes for this, so here we go!

-Exocoemon is named after the scientific family of flying fish. A rather straightforward etymology, I admit, but the obvious mythological links (sirens, the Dapeng, etc) have already been used for different Digimon, and I ultimately found I simply couldn't pass up how it sounds like "Execution", given both the hypothetical circumstances leading to this and the play on words it allowed me for the title.

-What do you get when you mix wind and water? Storms are the obvious option, but didn't seem quite right for this version of Exocoemon — so instead, she/I get the ability to simply drop a small city's worth of water from on high like the world's largest sledgehammer, along with the ability to create cavitation bubbles. Enormous, incredibly violent cavitation bubbles with a scaled up shatter force, practically made to crack armor and break bones. >:3

-Exocoemon's design here was influenced by Volansmon and Thelximon (as depicted over in the media tab on SB), but isn't identical to either of them, as I wanted to keep mostly true to how a theoretical transforming toy might be designed ala Aldamon and Beowulfmon. However, it probably also isn't too different from how an "uncorrupted" version of the same concept would look, as Ranamon!me's spirits weren't themselves corrupted like Koichi's were here — it's more that Cherubimon's power infusion influenced me, exaggerating and strengthening Exocoemon!me's beast-like traits (Cherubimon being the leader of Beast-type Digimon in Frontier and all). Thus, not exactly a dark fusion so much as a "feral" variant/mode change. The "neutral" version would probably scale back on the scale-feathers covering the lower body (which look like the ones at the core of a peacock's tail up close), probably either lose the tail or just have it become less ragged, and look less wild/angry overall, while scaling up the design's overall elegance, increasing the vibrancy of the palette (the influence of AncientIrismon and AncientMermaimon both coming through on the wings much more clearly), and potentially rearranging a couple of armor pieces (ex. Ranamon and Zephyrmon's gauntlets might switch their positions as armwear and shoulder armor, or merge more completely). At least a couple attacks would change too, likely becoming less outright brutal in exchange for upgrading other traits? Haven't worked out all the details yet to be honest. ^^;

-If it isn't extremely obvious already, Cherubimon's "boon" drove Ranamon!me a bit mad, in a very literal sense. The same basic thoughts and knowledge are all still there, but they've been driven to extremes, hence my total loss of faith in the kids and decision to do everything myself. What's my plan to actually use all the other spirits once I have them? Probably snatch Seraphimon's egg and try to demand power from it, sneak into Ophanimon's prison and demand aid from her, see if I can get a rough approximation of Sunsanoomon out of it, then attempt a decapitating strike against Cherubimon or something, regardless of whether or not the previous step worked. Hard to say how well any of that would go; Exocoemon!me is thinking ruthlessly, not cleverly — but perhaps...?

-Speaking of which, if Zoe were more ruthless herself, Exocoemon!me might have had a much harder time here. Whirling World (Uzumakai) is quite effective for battlefield control, but much more directly useful when utilized on another Digimon's body, however horrifying the result. Perhaps it hasn't even occurred to her that's possible yet, and it honestly might not have worked anyways given the power difference, but with the kids actually working slightly better at as a group here than they did in canon, they might have at least managed to keep Exocoemon!me off balance longer. Takuya still doesn't know when to just cut and run though — not that it would've saved any of them from that last attack anyways.

-Exocoemon's named attacks are:

• Cavitation Cataclysm: Creates giant cavitation bubbles that instantly swell, collapse, and implode.
• Saber Storm: Slashes at the air while spinning like a tornado, sending crescents of annihilating energy in every direction. This can also be done after summoning additional hands, increasing the attack's coverage and effectiveness.
• Drowning Sorrow: Summons water high in the atmosphere, letting it accumulate until it reaches critical mass, then releases it and floods the land below, pummeling everything in a massive radius.

(The wind/water gauntlets and suddenly-geyser are just applications of dual elemental control rather than named attacks in and of themselves, but could undoubtedly be given ones if so desired.)