Final Genesis: 30/08/17 – Honestly… I don't know what to say. I seem to be losing my touch! I apologise that it's been a very long time since I last updated. Which is why I'm uploading this tonight! I can't explain everything that has happened in the past five years, but here's some of the most important.

Most recently I needed to improve myself, hence enrolling for a TAFE course for Certificate IV in Patisserie. That's mainly involving baking, pastries, sweets, chocolate, etc. It wasn't easy in 2015 as unfortunately I only got one subject incomplete due to not gaining enough point for the full score, but I was finally able to complete it last year! The only thing I need is to continue practicing until the next job!

Speaking of jobs, at the end of 2014, I quit my job at the fast food joint after seven years. It was good at the beginning, but being stuck in the same position without advancing was really irritating at most, plus the new management gave me no new shifts without warning! It's practically like the silent treatment version of saying 'you're fired' but they didn't tell you. Plus, I've grown disenchanted with fast food due to the additives in some of the products! Now I'm working at a Japanese Ramen joint, which means real food! :D

At the same time, there was the lows in my family life, which included the loss of my beloved Grandfather Norman (from my mother's side of the family, he passed away from a combination of factors, I do recall he had Diabetes and Prostate Cancer being some of them). Despite having limited English (our family and relatives are Chinese) he was one of the very first Chinese to come to Australia, and after Mao Zedong died, most of the family and relatives moved to Australia, including my mother, where I was born. He was a great businessman, helped obtained a few properties (from what I heard), and owned the New Chung Shan Chinese restaurant (sadly it's not here anymore). I remembered he used to buy me a Choppa loaf (a sort of pizza-styled bread chopped up hence the name) from Brumby's Bakery when I was little. All in all, he was awesome to be with when visiting him, despite being hard-of-hearing in the later years. Thank you, Grandpa for all the wonderful memories in the first 27 years of my life…

Two years later (or in this case last year), there's joy since it's congratulations to my older sister getting married in Tasmania! It was fun – a nice change in scenery, this time in Brickendon farm in Tasmania, which was settled in 1824. Back then, all I know it was one of the first convict histories when the first European settlers first arrived to colonise for a new life. After seven generations it's still going strong, and what a lovely change of scenery compared to Brisbane – how peaceful! I can see why my sister and my now-brother-in-law picked the place – especially with the farm animals too! But enough of this, I better continue with the review replies and disclaimer before I lead you all to the latest chapter!

Warbard: Seriously? You could have at least given me some advice on how to improve my story instead of giving a rather disappointing review almost filled with the negatives. No wonder why I almost had an updating flunk for a while – and having a look at your story, it's not worthwhile if you haven't got a single review to show for it, and ending this conversation at this point.

Hajime Morikawa/X Author Account Closed X: I apologise for so long since I last received your review, and that you left during the timespan. Unlike the 'last reviewer', I thank you for all the years you've given me some good advice and reviews you've given me. 😊 So wherever you are, and however you are going, I hope life has been treating you well, even if I don't see you as much in the Fanfiction world anymore.

dracula-key: Again, I thank you for your review, and though the reply may be late, I grant you permission to use Setsuna and Tsubaki if you put them to good use!

Oklina: Despite missing a review for Chapter 13, thank you for your reviews for the other chapters – I hope to see the review for 13 and now 14 if possible!

Digi-fanCatt: Thank you kindly! That's basically how Eiji is compared to Setsuna, whether annoying the living crap out of his comrades and doing worse to the opposition! And you got your wish – hope you enjoy this!

The Coyote: I'd rather you post that question on PM, thank you very much.

And whoever added me and/or the story to favourites/watch list, I thank you kindly! And now, the disclaimer!

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Digimon 02, aka. Digimon Adventure Zero 2, it belongs to Toei Animation. Other than that, the characters like Setsuna, Yuzuriha and Tsubaki are the only ones I own. This is mainly on the Japanese version, so some of the characters would have retained their Japanese names. This chapter is set during the events of Episode 18, "Track down the Kaiser's Base!" (Aka. Run Yolei, Run).

Shall we? Please forgive me in case my narrative skills dulled over the years…

Digimon Adventure Zero 2: White Reflection

Chapter 14: Contract

As another day dawned, D-Day has officially arrived. After many months of guerrilla missions in freeing various areas from the Kaiser's control, the moment has finally come today to settle matters once and for all, so the inhabitants of the Digital World can finally live in peace again. Many of the Chosen Children, knowing that it's finally time, prepared to participate on their journey to the unknown. But for some reason, none were more determined than Miyako.

"Digital World, go, go! Defeat the Digimon Kaiser!" The bespectacled twelve-year-old chanted, performing multiple punches in her excitement. At that moment, the group were gathered inside Koushirou's apartment for the 'camping' trip.

"What's with her?" Patamon asked Poromon, wondering what was with the girl's sudden surge in energy.

"Well, she's been like that since she woke up." If memory served the Baby II Small Bird Digimon correctly, he vaguely recalled waking up momentarily at seeing that his partner had a worried expression on her face, convincing that she should get some sleep. But even he didn't expect Miyako to suddenly wake up with a sense of ridiculous, over-the-top eagerness in the morning. A loud yawn momentarily startled the two Digimon.

"Crazy as she is," Dorimon joined in the conversation, pointing out to his partner, whose expression was partially sleepy. "At least she seems to be faring better than Setsuna-kun now."

Usually when it came to Setsuna, he was usually alert, even with his low blood pressure, which was improving lately. "So why is he tired?" Poromon asked.

"When the alarm went off, it was still dark. He said he had to go and test out an idea, but he didn't tell me what. He said it was going to be a surprise, and he was out for about three-quarters of an hour, which was earlier than the designated wake-up call." The trio couldn't help but watch as Miyako attempted to test out Setsuna's reaction to a punch aimed at him unaware. While luckily, he didn't turn into Eiji, it still hurt, but it wasn't something he couldn't handle.

"Damnit, Miyako-dono – what did you do that for? It's good that you're put your strength into that punch, but the posture's a little wrong," The ten-year-old chuckled, rubbing his temple, which took the brunt of the hit. "Even this one makes a mistake with that de gozaru."

"Really, Rurouni-bozu? Sorry about the hit – I'm just so excited!"

"Right – try and raise your arm a little more, and spread your legs so you're stable." While the two were going through that little lesson Koushirou, who was setting up the laptop while packing the necessities with Taichi, decided to ask the Osaka child something.

"Where's Tsubaki-san?"

"I think she's discussing last-minute plans with Yamato-dono and Ishida-dono de gozaru. Like we discussed, she's going on ahead." The boy explained, remembering the assistant master giving a final goodbye before the trip. After he got the answer, Koushirou then announced the news.

"The computer's all set."

With the news in mind, the current generation of Chosen Children and Digimon, led by Miyako, made their way to the laptop for their epic journey. Just in time, Yamato opened the door just to see them off. "Okay then, we're going." Takeru announced.

"Yeah, leave the rest of us. And Tsubaki's just left, so we'll make our leave too." As a result, Yamato got a nod of thanks from Setsuna.

"Take care." Taichi sounded, with Hikari acknowledging in return. The time is now, and that time is when the final mission to take down the Digimon Kaiser commences.

Ecstatic, Miyako was nevertheless the one to announce her signature calling card once again. "Let's go then! DIGTAL GATE OPEN! ERABAYASHI KODOMOTACHI, ZUTTO/CHOSEN CHILDREN, GO!"

Watching the team of six children and six Digimon disappear through the portal, it was time for the three teenagers to depart too. It was then that Yamato's phone rang, and the former Child of Friendship answered it. "Hello?"

"Tsubaki here - you guys didn't invite anybody else to this trip, did you?" Tsubaki's concerned voice spoke out loud. By the sound of her tone, it was both of worry and annoyance.

"No, why is that?"

Whatever was the matter now must have been worth listening, as the woman piped in her warning. "Call me crazy, but I think you'd better hustle; I've just sighted an excited-looking teenage girl with red hedgehog-like hair, carrying a backpack coming in your direction while at the traffic lights. You know who she is?" Instantly, a look of dread along with the words Oh Shit spread on the blonde's face; he knew that certain girl all too well…

One Gilligan's Cut later… (Play Lethal Fuzz Osymyso Remix)

"STEP ON THE GAS, TOU-SAN, STEP ON THE GAS!" A screaming Yamato burst out of the apartment in a panic, carrying his gear, followed by a giggling Taichi and Koushirou, who also carried their own supplies.

"Did the others go?" Hiroaki asked, wondering what the matter was. "Is something wrong?"

"Never mind that!" His hysterical son shrieked, scrambling onto the shotgun position of the van while his still-laughing companions hoped into the back of the van. "They're already on the way, SO DRIIIIIIIIIVE!"

Without any questions this time, the matriarch started up his vehicle. And luckily for the quartet, it was just in time, when Motomiya Jun, Daisuke's older sister and Yamato's crazed fan, arrived a little too late to witness a speeding warm-grey van drive from the building at top speed, leaving her with a temporary cloud of dust that lingered until fading away. "YAMATO-KUUUUUN!"

(End Lethal Fuzz (Osymyso Remix)

…

The advantages of exploring an area for the first time, was that one would be prepared to face it with the right equipment this time. It was a good thing Iori, Setsuna, and their partners were there yesterday; as it helped the rest of the Chosen Children and Digimon ascend the mountainside a little easily. At that very moment, the group were climbing carefully up the same route the former duo and Koushirou took yesterday. Hopefully, they wouldn't be in for some surprises when they return to the location of the Digimon Kaiser's base.

"It's up there," Iori instructed, the kendōka and karateka were in the lead as they climbed up. "Be careful, everyone!" But not everyone was being careful, as Miyako was seen rushing up the slope, with a worried Hawkmon trailing after her.

"So much for the warning." DORUmon growled in annoyance, as he had to retract what he said earlier. However, they were in for a much bigger surprise.

"Guys, this is terrible!" Tentomon shouted in alarm, "The Kaiser's base is gone!"

"What?" Takeru exclaimed, as he and the others climbed up to the top. When they made it, they already saw that Miyako and Hawkmon were now there, the former squinting at the spot over the distance. Previously, Iori, Setsuna, Koushirou and their Digimon witnessed the pack of Tuskmon being attacked earlier by the Kaiser's forces. Now, it was safe to assume that the pack was captured for nefarious purposes. But that wasn't the only sign that was amiss. When the group squinted over to where the Digimon Kaiser's base previously was… there was a now vacant hole where the base once stood.

As he was with the Iori yesterday, Armadimon made his observation. "That weird building used to be were that huge hole is, da'gya."

One look from Tailmon noted that something was also missing from the picture, and it wasn't the base. "Are? Miyako wa?"

"There!" Hikari shouted, spotting the wayward computer expert. Much to their astonishment, they saw her ecstatically sliding down in a suicided fashion down the slope, with poor Hawkmon wailing in vain after her once more. Their distraction only served as an opportunity for the ever-sarcastic Eiji to appear, personified as his left crimson eye surfaced for the first time today.

"Move over Super Mario, it's Super Nerd Girl in multiple stages of stupendously suicidal fun! Sheesh! Does anybody have a chisel, a hammer, and a large slab of marble I could use?"

"What are you going to do if we had any?" Daisuke asked, wondering what was going inside Setsuna's dark personality's mindset.

"I thought I'd try to get Kingyo-Megane Jo's gravestone done in preparation, complete with a Last Will and Testament."

"What the heck are you gonna write?" V-mon obliviously asked, the others not wanting to know at first. Their fears are practically answered as the currently-volatile youth sarcastically spoke out his intent.

"Here lies Inoue Miyako, and she's definitely on crack." Immediately, his right fist made contact with his face, hard, much to the disbelief of the other Chosen Children and Digimon on the ledge.

Once again, Setsuna shook his head in pain to ward of the dizziness. "This one is going to pretend you didn't say that, Eiji-han de gozaru." The boy growled in exasperation, as he and the others descended to join the oldest member and her Digimon below. They did not know what was with the sudden surge of overconfidence, but they hoped it doesn't sabotage the task. A few minutes later, the reunited group gathered at the gargantuan site where the Kaiser's base once stood, peering from above. Initially, the team thought that the base, having being built here, would have had been connected to an outside source of power. But there seemed to be no sign of any connecting pipes or electrical cabling of some sort when they took a look inside the rim.

"Was it really here?" Daisuke asked sceptically.

"No doubt about it." Iori answered. "But why is this hole here…?"

Carefully observing while crouching down, Takeru decided to chime in, "So the base just disappeared?"

"Disappear? But that's…" Hikari wanted to say that it was impossible unless the Kaiser had some additional features to his base. Without any leads, they didn't have trail to follow.

"What do we do?" Patamon inquired.

"What do we do...?" His blonde partner repeated, "Well, we can't go back now."

No matter how dire the situation, Daisuke knew there was no point in just sitting here, as he stood up. "Let's search for it. I'll find the Kaiser's base and take it down!"

"The sky!" Miyako suddenly shouted again. Again to Hawkmon's displeasure, the others watched at the girl was somehow able to scramble up a Dark Tower without any climbing equipment, Spider-Man-style, finally making it to the top. "Kitto, kitto, kitto, kitto, kitto, kitto … It flew! It must be flying across the sky!"

"Hey, Miyako-san!" Hawkmon shouted worriedly again, as he circled above her, "That's dangerous, please come down!"

Unfortunately for the currently stressed out Data-type Bird Digimon, Miyako was not yet finished, as she suddenly thought 'carefully'. Minutes later, to the dismay of the others, poor Tentomon was now enduring the brunt of the unrelenting girl's 'interrogation'. "I got you now! So spill the beans! Where is the Kaiser's base?"

"What are you doing, Miyako-san?" Hawkmon exploded in frustration. While he knew that the dual bearer of Love and Purity seemed to have regained confidence after witnessing her nervous behaviour last night before, it seemed for some reason she was getting too much into the spirit of taking down their enemy. Nonetheless, after she left Tentomon alone, he quickly began to apologize to the Vaccine-type Insect Digimon, bowing non-stop, despite the latter supposedly being on guard before. "Sumimasen… sumimasen… sumimasen…she's just trying very hard in her own way…"

"I don't mind, but… she's doing something now." The group turned over to where Tentomon was pointing out. To add more to their woes, the over-enthusiastic girl had just hammered in a peg attached to a rope, securing it as much as she could. If she was doing what she was about to do, then it was official; she has just thrown caution out of the window.

"Ano… Miyako-dono?" Setsuna piped in, trying his hand to carefully get lilac-haired girl to listen to reason. "Don't you think you're going overboard de gozaruka? Sooner or later, someone's going to…"

"UNLIKE YOU WITH HANDLING EIJI, I'M TRYING AS HARD AS I CAN TODAY, ALRIGHT!" Miyako angrily interrupted the youth, causing him to recoil a little, only resisting due to his trained nerves. "If we are to attain victory, we have to be at our hardest, and I won't let anything stand in my way, not even you!" Turning to the rest of her companions, she then saluted in their direction before commencing her descent into the gargantuan pit. "Inoue Miyako, ready to explore the Digimon Kaiser's underground empire! Await my report!" Before anybody could stop her, she began her descent, while poor Hawkmon once again followed after her in another fruitless attempt to change her mind.

Re-joining the group, for once Setsuna plonked himself down in irritation. Part of his annoyances was not only about Miyako's sudden rashness, but also her stinging words about his near-lack of controlling his dark side. Speaking of his dark side, for some reason, Eiji would have surfaced to add his words and insults of disagreement, but has yet to show himself. DORUmon headed up to his partner, sitting down as well. "As hard as it is to deal with, let her learn a lesson herself; if she is to learn from her mistakes, she has to experience it herself."

"And what makes you think she doesn't get herself or Hawkmon killed in the process de gozaruka?" That was when Hikari chose her moment to speak up.

"I know Tsubaki-san told me something similar last night - about learning not just from learning each other's mistakes, but also any problems we might have."

"You mean that maybe Miyako might be hiding something with her newfound eagerness?" Tailmon suggested, remembering what happened that time.

"Nonetheless, we better check on them." Takeru suggested, knowing that even without any background noise, something would be amiss. "I just hope nothing bad happens to them both." Unfortunately, his hopes were horribly dashed as the group were alerted to a loud scream from inside the pit. Without any time to lose, they ran over to the source, where below, they found a now terrified Miyako, holding on to an incapacitated Hawkmon. To make matters worse, they were suspended above at a great height from inside the pit, and closing in from below was an enslaved Digimon in form of a giant black spider, adorned with a golden horned helmet, and having a distinguishable skull & crossbones mark on its abdomen. An Evil Spiral was on its left horn on its helmet.

"Miyako, what's wrong?" Daisuke shouted, as he then gawked upon seeing the new threat. "Is that Taran (Tarantulas) from Beast Wars: Transformers?"

"This is no time to compare television to real life!" Iori replied sternly, his worries focused on his neighbour, "we have to save Miyako-san!"

Beginning analysis…

Digimon Analyser

Name: Dokugumon
Level: Adult (Champion)
Attribute: Virus
Type: Insect
Attacks: Stinger Poration, Arachno Batoto and Spider Machine Gun

Dokugumon – an Insect-type Digimon infected with a computer virus. Its special attack is a horrid poisonous attack, Stinger Poration.

Ending analysis…

With Dokugumon now left the ground to begin its ascent after the helpless Miyako and Hawkmon, the others prepared to pull the duo up. But before they could assist, V-mon quickly turned to his partner. "Daisuke!"

"Right!" The goggle boy agreed, selecting his Digimental of Courage from his D-Terminal once more. "DIGIMENTAL UP!"

"V-mon armour shinka… Moeagaru yuuki! Fureidoramon! (Flaring Courage! Fladramon!)" Evolving to his Humanoid Armour Form, the fire-themed Digimon took a dive in order to intercept the incoming enemy Digimon. It was now a race against time to see which who would reach Miyako and Hawkmon first; The Chosen Children and Digimon pulling them up, or the attacking Dokugumon. Thankfully, Fladramon was able to knock it onto its back with Knuckle Fire as his friends were able to continue pulling the duo to safety. Unfortunately, they were about to face interference again.

"Warning: incoming enemy approaching at top speed. Threat Level upgraded to Level 3." Because Setsuna was focused on assisting to save Miyako, he didn't see what was on his D-Astral's screen until it was too late. The next thing he felt were an almighty grip from a taloned paw, lifting him away from his companions, causing him to let out a yelp and momentarily halting rescue operations.

"Setsuna-kun!" Hikari screamed, realising that another enemy was in the midst.

"Don't worry about me! Save Miyako-dono and Hawkmon first!" Momentarily looking down, Setsuna was shocked to notice that he was carried high above the pit where the former was abseiling before the attack. Because his head was not restrained by whoever was gripping him, he saw that the left talon, like Dokugumon, also had an Evil Spiral clamped on it. He then looked up, surprise appearing on his face.

His first thought was whether the Digimon that was carrying him reminded him of a certain beast one of Setsuna's teachers read to his class about, which involved the novel Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban. He would have seen more of the creature if he wasn't restrained. But he was partially lucky as his D-Astral displayed the image and information like always, allowing him to see what his assailant looked like; a white Digimon that resembled a hippogriff, a hybrid birdlike creature similar to a griffin, but having the rear body of a horse. However, there were talons growing on the horse's rear hooves. It was roughly a little bigger than the quadrupled Armour Digimon, like Pegasmon.

Beginning analysis…

Digimon Analyser

Name: Hippogriffomon
Level: Perfect (Ultimate)
Attribute: Data
Type: Mythical Beast
Attacks: Heat Wave and Sonic Voice

Hippogriffomon – a mythical beast Digimon, part eagle and part horse. Its primary attack is Heat Wave, an extremely high temperature wind blast.

Ending analysis…

Making eye contact for the first time, there was the quintessential evil red tint that showed in Hippogriffomon's menacing glare. It was a glare Setsuna did not like, and one that he was all too familiar with as well.

"It seems that the Digimon Kaiser has given me orders for your termination. I cannot allow your intrusion to go unheeded!" And before Setsuna knew what was happening, the Mythical Beast Digimon tossed his unwilling cargo into the air, preparing to fire his Heat Wave attack. If the blast doesn't kill him, then there's always the fall to finish him off.

"Oh shit - if you're awake now Eiji-han now would be a good time to ask for your help!" The ten-year-old almost screamed, as this was the first time was about to get incinerated or fall from such a great height. Unfortunately, his usual application of cranial trauma must have had a harder hit than usual because somehow Eiji wasn't waking up. His next action was to try activating his Digivice Astral, but luckily for him, DORUmon was able to catch his partner, his jaws holding the scruff of the boy's flak jacket while his wings mustered with all the strength they got, barely avoiding the blast.

"You alright, Setsuna-kun?" The purple Child Digimon inquired, the jacket interfering with his speech a little.

"This one's okay – how's Miyako-dono and Hawkmon de gozaruka?"

"They're safe, with any luck, since I flew after you. We'd better…"

"Watch out!" Setsuna shouted a warning, as DORUmon dipped down in time to avoid Hippogriffomon's talons. Due to the speed, they barely avoided the blow. However, due to the additional weight the Beast Digimon was carrying, he couldn't fight back lest he open his mouth, releasing his partner in the process. In addition, he was normally faster on his own considering the size of his wings.

"I don't know how fast I'll be able to go, but I hope we'll make it back in time! This isn't like facing Tonosama Gekomon!" Since he was focusing all of his energy at making his way back, Setsuna provided the observation.

"Either way, we'd better move away or otherwise we'd inadvertently allow our friends to get hurt de gozaru! This one thinks it's me he's after because he looks like he's charging up for another attack!" Instead of his primary technique, Hippogriffomon proceeded to unleash a painful Sonic Voice, causing the duo to wince due to the high frequency, tumbling once more.

Had Pegasmon and Nefertimon not arrived to catch them, they would have ended up crashing on the cliff wall, or even worse, fall splattered at the bottom of the pit. "You two okay?" The former asked carrying them as Nefertimon distracted the amok Perfect Level Digimon.

"Our ears are ringing, but we'll live." DORUmon replied, as Pegasmon reunited the pair back to their companions, who were gathered at a forest where Miyako was trying desperately to revive Hawkmon. "But be careful – he's a tough one!"

Landing beside him, Fladramon had just returned from destroying Dokugumon's Evil Spiral with a Fire Rocket. "We'll take it from here – we'll try to lure him to even ground. Digmon, look after the others!" With that, the two Digimon joined up with Nefertimon, who was slowly being pushed back by Hippogriffomon's onslaught. Hopefully they could be able to outmanoeuvre the rouge Digimon long enough so they could be able to destroy the Evil Spiral on him, as he was able to weave through the Holy Beasts' Needle Rain and Nile Jewellery. The trio barely avoided a returning Heat Wave fired at their direction, with Fladramon utilising his Flame Shield technique to withstand the additional heat.

"Did any one of you bring a first aid kit?" Daisuke demanded anxiously.

"Tsubaki-dono gave me one – but I don't think we have any antidote, especially against a Dokugumon!"

"Just some antiseptic and some bandages will do!" Hikari shouted, "He has to lie still so his condition doesn't get any worse!" Sorting through his backpack, her 'sibling' managed to pull not only the required supplies, but also a pair of training knuckles as backup. Handing the former, the Chosen Children managed to stabilise their downed teammate's ailment. For the time being, they hope the situation doesn't escalate. That is, until Digmon shouted a warning.

"Incoming, da'gya!" Unleashing his drills in his signature Gold Rush attack, the armoured weevil-like Digimon tried to ward the Mythical Beast Digimon away from his friends. Unfortunately, being a Perfect Level, Hippogriffomon darted away from the missiles, countering with another Sonic Voice, causing the former, Tentomon and the Chosen Children to cover their ears in pain.

"Get out of my way, insect! My target is that white-haired child and his partner, and you're next!" To prove his point, he managed to head-butt Digmon before Fladramon struck him with a Fire Rocket away from his teammate. Despite the damage, Nefertimon and Pegasmon utilised Sanctuary Bind to carry him off away from the children.

"Everybody scatter into the forest!" Takeru cried out, "Hawkmon's in further danger if we stay!" He then noticed that Setsuna was trying to drag a depressed Miyako to the group. "That includes you too!"

A look of worry and determination was on the second youngest member's face as he reunited the bespectacled member. "The least you can do is to look after Miyako-dono de gozaru. If this one stays, you guys could get hurt in the crossfire, Onii-chan!"

"You aren't going to…"

"If what Hippogriffomon said was true, it may be dangerous, but I might have to do this on my own! DORUmon, with me – cover fire!" Carrying his training knuckles, Setsuna and DORUmon took off before the concerned eleven-year-old could stop him. It was a suicidal choice, but at the moment, the quartet of remaining Armoured Digimon was slowly being overwhelmed. Hippogriffomon did not take the snare likely, and even when they hit, most of the opposing attacks only seemed to irritate him further. Roaring in rage, he swooped down, carrying Digmon on a dizzying ride through the trees, causing serious damage and the latter to regress back into Armadimon. He would have finished him off if a Metal Cannon barrage drew his attention away into the clearing.

"Leave my friends alone!" DORUmon snarled, preparing to outrun the hippogriff Digimon. Unfortunately, even his Dash Metal failed to faze the irate Perfect Digimon, as a chuckle escaped from his beak.

"Call that firepower? Here's mine – Sonic Voice!" His sound-based assault on Armadimon interrupted, he proceeded to fire his charged technique at the Child Digimon, causing him to be knocked away. Fortunately for DORUmon, help wasn't too far away.

"Did you not hear 'leave my friends alone' the first time?!" Setsuna screamed, diverting the rest of the Sonic Voice away from his partner with a spinning jump kick to his opponent's head. But unlike his previous fight with the Mushmon and Floramon (and Eiji's intervention against Tonosama Gekomon), the latter was a different adversary altogether, only taken by surprised even further as the smaller combatant to rebound backwards from his head, lunging and then managing to jam his training knuckles into the hippogriff's throat. In anger, Hippogriffomon responded by quickly grabbing the boy's torso with his beak, raising up in an attempt to either body slam him, or send him falling again. Before they got too dangerously high, the ten-year-old managed to poke his captor in one of his eyes so he was able to free himself, even though he began falling. Because of the youth's studies, he managed to manoeuvre himself so he would be able to land a little easier. Unfortunately, the Evil Spiral-controlled Digimon anticipated this, and his charged Heat Wave attack not only undid its congestion, it also sent the ten-year-old rolling in a cloud of dust, until he hit a tree painfully on his back. A cry of pain was heard afterwards.

"DORUmon, Armadimon! Get Setsuna out of here!" Nefertimon shouted, firing a Rosetta Stone while at the same time knowing that their safety was compromised. Their only option now was that the three beings clear away from the area while the other three Armoured Digimon keep the Perfect Level grounded long enough for one of them to destroy the Evil Spiral, which was easily said than done. It seemed for the moment there was no stopping their enemy as he must have had a high level of stamina in him.

Reuniting with the group of Chosen Children, DORUmon managed to rest his partner against a tree. Needless to say, the signs do not look good right now.

"DORUmon, is that you?" Setsuna asked weakly, noticing that they were away from the battlefield. "How are the others?"

His head looking over both directions, DORUmon knew that the situation was still dire, his expression apprehensive. "I've sent Armadimon to find our friends. Unfortunately, with three Armour Digimon left, I fear we're next afterwards, unless we give Eiji-han a wake-up call. I thought he'd be interested in a fight like this!"

"This one must have guessed that either I've hit my head a lot harder than expected, or that he feels like leaving this to me de gozaru. Not that it's going to do me good with all this dust in my eyes! I can't believe it!" Pounding his fist in irritation, Setsuna was in bad shape. His eyesight was blinded due to the shower of dust caused by Hippogriffomon's attempt to assassinate the boy, and not only that, he felt a burning sensation on his cut limbs, save the torso area which was protected by the youth's flak jacket.

"Well believe it, if only there'd be a future guide in fighting giant creatures like that guy, especially since he's at Perfect Level! That was quite a crazy stunt you decided on, you know that? With unarmed elements, we have to think this carefully, like in training!"

"Someone mentioned that 'Sometimes, crazy works'. How ironic that I tried convincing Miyako-dono not to be brash when I tried diverting Hippogriffomon's attention away! I hate to say it, but desperate times call for desperate measures de gozaru," Setsuna growled, still straining his eyesight. "Even with Eiji-han and the Ehrgeiz Gemini in place we're still at a disadvantage. DORUmon... this one needs your help on this one." Breathing steadily, he turned his head as much as he could while resting his back on the tree. He hated to admit this… but it's time for a debut of an ability that wasn't used often as he revealed his D-Astral.

"Setsuna-kun?"

"I'm going to unlock the seal."

For a brief moment, the purple Child Digimon was concerned with his partner's current injuries. That is until he realised the dangerous gambit that was about to take place, and his expression was suddenly replaced with worry. "ARE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND!? You do realise what will happen if you use this!"

A wry smile appeared on his human partner's face. "You didn't think I know that de gozaruka? In our current state, I'm not at full strength, and our friends are getting our butts kicked protecting me! The enemy could possibly be watching us now and that the power of the Dark Towers might negate this, but we have no choice! Come here." Doing as he did so, the concerned Digimon saw his partner feel for his front limbs. "Now listen carefully: we have come too far to allow something like this kill us de gozaru. I'm scared too, since it's been a long time since I used this! Even though this might be risky, we can find another way to counter what the enemy throws at us, and this is one of them. If we die now, you won't be able to get your memories back. So give everything you got! So we can live to fight another day!"

"Alright," DORUmon responded reluctantly, his voice quavering. "But set the time limit to five minutes please."

Nodding, Setsuna grasped his D-Astral. Because his eyesight was disabled, he was going to have to rely on voice command. "D-Astral: Process voice recognition command."

"Takagi Setsuna confirmed." The Digivice responded monotonously.

"Access code 050103, set timer to five minutes."

"Standing by... alternate power source found. X-Evolution – Access."

Briefly, the LCD screen shone weakly, as if anticipating something miraculous. But slowly but surely, the light began to shine rapidly, indicated by a blinking X-symbol on the screen. Eventually, the light illuminated part of the forest, as like with the Ehrgeiz Gemini before, the occupants within its vicinity wondered what was going on. It slowly condensed inside the screen, until suddenly, an immense, serpentine trail of light surge upwards from the Digivice. Like an Eastern Dragon, it coiled backwards, until it changed direction by converging down like a miniature comet towards its anticipated target. But DORUmon wasn't afraid of the sequence – this sensation was something he felt before. And as the light swallowed him, a white ring with the same X-symbol formed below him as the recipient received his powers. Before he began changing, DORUmon's scar was suddenly replaced by a downwards triangular red crystal, which was surrounded by a metal border and was briefly shown before fading. As the other Chosen Children made their way to the spot (Tentomon and Armadimon were given the task to look after Hawkmon and Miyako), they saw an astounding metamorphosis take place.

"DORUmon shinka…" As the rune rose to chest height, it began splitting into two separate rings as they spun slowly in opposite directions, forming a vivid sphere as a border. All he knew was that inside the sphere, he felt himself growing bigger. DORUmon's fur changed from a medium purple to a blackish-purple colouration, mostly black with faint jagged purple bolts adorning his body. His claws elongated, changing from an onyx black to a shining, bloodlike crimson. His tiny wings expanded until they were each about half a length of his body, the appendages now adorned with the same dark colouration except the inner white membrane under his wings. A white collar of fur formed around the neck area. Finally, his facial features sharpened, showing signs of ferocity in them, while instead of a scar, a triangular-shaped gouge took its place. As the two rings merged with each other back at the same spot they vanished, revealing his new form as he shouted out his name. "…DORUgamon!"

"X-Evolution complete – beginning time limit." Standing tall, the new Digimon was about half the size of Greymon. Although he wasn't as big as the other dinosaur Digimon he and his partner have researched, there was a fearsome demeanour that was just about equal to that.

Beginning analysis…

Digimon Analyser

Name: DORUgamon
Level: Adult (Champion)
Attribute: Data
Type: Beast Dragon
Attacks: Power Metal and Cannonball

DORUgamon – a Beast Dragon Digimon with a ferocious personality shown in combat, which belies his high intelligence and gentle demeanour. His primary attack is the upgraded version of Metal Cannon, called Power Metal.

Ending analysis…

"Setsuna-san, are you alright?" Iori cried out, as he, Daisuke, Takeru and Hikari ran up to where their fallen comrade was. It was then that he and the others spotted the recently-evolved Digimon. "Is that… DORUmon?"

Turning his head over to their direction, Setsuna was able to speak out, "This one couldn't see due to the dust in my eyes and partly burnt and cut a little bit, but otherwise, not too serious de gozaru. For now. DORUgamon! I'm counting on you!"

"Acknowledged. I will return." No sooner has he said that, the Beast Dragon Digimon spread his new wings, taking flight to make his return to the battlefield.

Daisuke, Iori, Takeru, and Hikari looked in awe for the first time. For some reason, it often didn't occur to them why DORUmon didn't often evolve past his Child Level. Maybe because they were focused on saving the Digital World via liberation methods or were searching for the necessary Digimentals in order to gain the upper hand against the Digimon Kaiser. But for whatever the reason, they were relieved that help has finally arrived, as at the moment, Fladramon, Pegasmon, and Nefertimon were getting pounded by Hippogriffomon, still fighting against the odds. The call for assistance is already incoming, as DORUgamon decided to make his appearance.

"Cannonball!" His own attack charged up, the Data-type Adult Digimon fired multiple iron balls at top speed, the projectiles hitting the Perfect Digimon at full force. "You guys better rest up a little bit… let's see if I can buy you some time."

Shaking off the blows, the chimeric Digimon focused his tainted glare at the new intruder as he pulled himself to a stop. "So you finally decide to give yourself an upgrade. Not that it's going to be of any use against me!"

"Humph. It's been a while since I used my powers." DORUgamon challenged, his expression steeled in preparation. Then his irises narrowed, not unlike his human partner's expression. "Don't worry… this is only an exercise routine." As soon as the last word left his mouth, the two aerial combatants lunged at each other, their jaws bared. But at the last second, the black Beast Dragon quickly weaved out of the way, and countered with a single Power Metal projectile from behind. Due to the charged iron ball having additional power to trade off speed, the latter barely dodged it, and ploughed into its rival, trying to sink its beak into a vital limb, but the former fought back, clamping his jaws onto the Perfect Digimon's neck, causing them to spiral onto the ground. The two opposing Digimon proceeded to exchange multiple blows, neither one of them coming out on top.

"You seem to be a lot stronger than initially give credit for, DORUgamon. But I'm afraid this ends now!" Managing to separate himself, Hippogriffomon fired a Sonic Voice, which the Adult Digimon was forced to endure because the blast would have reached his friends in the thicket. His ears perking up, his look turned feral.

"I made a promise to someone. And until that promise is kept, I'M NOT ALLOWING YOU BASTARDS TO KILL ME BEFORE IT'S DONE!" Roaring, DORUgamon counterattacked by firing numerous Cannonballs non-stop, ducking through returning fire. If he could just weaken the enemy long enough, he could destroy the Evil Spiral within the remaining time limit.

Whilst Daisuke was cheering the Digimon on and Iori keeping watch, Takeru and Hikari saw to their incapacitated companion. "How is DORUmon able to evolve without being affected by the Dark Towers?" Takeru inquired, half-watching the duel, and looking after Setsuna at the same time.

"Probably because he came from an alternate Digital World, perhaps? This is perhaps the second time this one ever noticed his Adult form, and it's not something I used often de gozaru." Despite his current condition, Setsuna somehow was not worn from taking the Heat Wave. A faint gasping breath belied something else.

"What do you mean, 'not something you often use'?" Hikari asked curiously. Then her curiosity suddenly clouded as she noticed what appears to be an elapsing set of numbers, similar to a LCD stopwatch. "Is that…"

"This one better tell you this then. You know why DORUgamon has that scar on his forehead when he was DORUmon? All I know is that he was missing a stone, which holds the source of his power. Unfortunately, he must have lost it in battle, and he couldn't fight properly above Child Level without it. To make up for it, with this D-Astral, we made a contract three years ago. It seals his powers when not in use. This timer… I only set up the right amount for him to finish it de gozaru."

Suddenly, Takeru's face turned into shock upon hearing this unexpected revelation. The realisation never came to him when he witnessed Setsuna unlocking the 'seal' on his partner in order to locate a gate and save Hikari when they first met, until now. "You mean… you made a second contract!? What did you do?"

Knowing that he'd never hear any end of this lecture if he kept it for too long, Setsuna sighed as he grimly began explaining. "The contract this one made with DORUmon… before I met you guys, I made it so to prove my own strength even when I was continually pushed down by misfortune. What powers DORUgamon right now is not just the food he eats, it's also my soul, hence the name 'Astral'. The more he uses that power as his substitute form for his X-Evolution, the more the supplier's life is being drained… at this rate… this one wouldn't be able to reach old age de gozaru."

The looks in their faces were enough to react to this morbid situation. On the positive side, they found that with a Digimon from another Digital World, his powers react differently to the current realm. The advantages would have been quite useful in the battle against the Digimon Kaiser – the powers are not affected by the frequency of the Dark Towers, and possibly the Dark Digivice. On top of that, this just about partially solved the problem of DORUmon being a weak link – for the time being, he would not require a Digimental to evolve into his battle form. However, the consequences were quite severe. A new, unknown method of evolution, powerful but lethal, which could prove to be a dangerous double-edged sword to both recipients. What is even more frightening, was that a boy as young as ten seemed to know the realisation that he could die a young age, which made the other wonder – how could he live like that?

"But that's so reckless… that power's practically going to kill you one day…" Hikari stammered softly, pouring a bottle of water over her 'sibling's' eyes in an effort to wash off the dirt. "How could you withstand something so painful and scary?"

His sight clearing a little due to the water, Setsuna vaguely made out the image of his 'sister', her expression anxious with tears of concern. In turn, his feelings showed signs of forbidding, quintessential human mortality. "Do I… need a reason? To be honest, this one… doesn't know. Simply at first, a part of me felt like I wanted to make that demon pay for what he did. But the other part… too long, this one was picked on worse than before, even after the Aion disaster. What does it take, to prove that this one is human, de gozaruka? Going against the odds would be thought as suicidal… but I wanted to at least acknowledge that I'm not a freak… this one just want to live a happy life. For now, this one will explain the rest after the battle." Even his sight hasn't fully recovered, he could roughly see on the glowing timer that read 2:00 remaining.

Indeed, for DORUgamon, even though he wasn't within the vicinity of the D-Astral, he could tell that he hasn't got much time left. As the Data-Attribute Digimon continued trading blasts, both of them realised that only one combatant can come out on top. The battle would not last forever at this rate.

He may be slowing down, but damn! He's still not giving in! At this rate, if I don't finish up, Setsuna-kun will… But then, an idea came to him. Even though Setsuna's attempt at stuffing the training knuckles didn't work the first time, how about an iron ball?

Even in his possessed state, Hippogriffomon could sense that something was making his adversary fight with such desperation. "What's the matter, inferior one? Worried about your partner? Hah! I see that he's the one that's on your mind right now! But not to worry – I'll clear your troubles away with one, single blast!" Chuckling, he prepared to charge another Heat Wave, this time aiming at the defenceless group of children in the forest. But luck was on DORUgamon's side, as while the enslaved Digimon was gloating, Pegasmon and Nefertimon managed to swoop down unnoticed, binding the Perfect with a charged Sanctuary Bind. At the same time, Fladramon managed to divert the enemy's aim with a Fire Rocket.

"DORUgamon, now!"

"No problem; what was it that you said before? I'm afraid this ends now! Power Metal!" The danger momentarily passing, the Beast Dragon fired a smaller projectile, faster than the initial attack, jamming it into Hippogriffomon's beak. Unlike the training knuckles, the iron ball was lodged tight, and the infuriated Mythical Beast was unable to dislodge it out in time. As a result, the charged Heat Wave exploded, disorientating him badly and shattering the blockade. Now it was time for the quartet to inflict the final blow.

"Now everyone – attack! Knuckle Fire!"

"Shooting Star!"

"Rosetta Stone!"

"Power Metal!"

All of the attacks were able to connect to the Evil Spiral right on target. With a scream, the white Digimon convulsed in pain as the bound object that possessed him finally broke, causing him and his eyes to revert back to normal. The battle won, the Armour Digimon trio reverted back to their Child and Adult forms respectively. DORUgamon's de-evolution however, was confirmed as the D-Astral voiced its final command for the day. "Time limit expended. X-Evolution – Disengaging." Allowing his eyes to close, the black Adult Digimon shrunk back to his Child level. The minute DORUmon opened his eyes; he turned his attention to his partner, half-filled with relief, the other with worry.

We did it… we won.

"Yes…" Setsuna tiredly confirmed, seeing his Digimon's gaze despite his blurring vision. "Everyone's safe…" With that, he collapsed, slipping into unconsciousness. Instantly led by Hikari's anguished scream the others including the now-freed Hippogriffomon gathered around in concern. Other than Hawkmon needing treatment for his ailment, only one single thought filled everybody's minds right now.

What's with this guy?

…

A short time later, everybody assembled near the edge of the forest. Even though the two battles were over, a new problem lay ahead of them.

As the recovering Hippogriffomon was explained about what happened, the other four Chosen Children (minus Miyako, who was still distraught) was tending to both Setsuna and Hawkmon. While the former was now sleeping undisturbed after his injuries were taken care of, the latter had to lie still after the treatment of his wounds, as he lay on the makeshift stretcher. It would be sometime until they regain consciousness. In short, they were a few members short in continuing their expedition into finding enemy headquarters. In the meantime, they would also have to decide which route to follow until sunset, but at the same time, there were still problems that have become known to the group.

Having Hawkmon injured due to a possibly fatal combination of Miyako's sudden militaristic attitude and Dokugumon's toxin was bad enough. Then there was the new fact of DORUmon's hidden power, which had the consequences of a double-edged sword. The good news was that since DORUmon was able to evolve within the vicinity of the Dark Towers, he would not need a Digimental, and that the Chosen Children now have a new advantage. But the bad news was that the price was quite hazardous. The fact that Setsuna's soul was the main catalyst of his evolutionary powers and that this secret was hidden over a month did not ease their worries one bit. How could a child so young endure a pact so terrible that it could cost him his life one day, and who knows how he lived with it eating him inside, especially if they were to face another strong foe in the future. As far as everyone was concerned this battle just brought more questions than answers, and both the now-grim DORUmon and his partner have a lot to give them. For the time being, Hawkmon was the one that needed the most help.

"To think that I was enslaved by that accused fiend into nearly killing an innocent… that's just unforgivable!" Hippogriffomon shouted in rage, after he was told what happened to him. He was on the way to protect an important artefact when the unfortunate encounter occurred. His expression both of anger and sorrow, the Perfect Digimon was remorseful as he watched over the group, telling his task in return. It was only the untimely arrival of DORUgamon that was able to change the tide, and he was grateful for his freedom.

The only person who didn't join up was Miyako. Her attempts at reviving her Bird Digimon failing, she was still grieving at the damage she unintentionally befell to her partner. Because it could possibly be the last time they face off against the Digimon Kaiser, she realised the team needed to be serious, hence her bipolar aspect of her personality adapting an aggressive, bull-headed approach. As a result of learning the lesson the hard way, she showed even more remorse than Hippogriffomon due to her partner Digimon being in his current ailment in the first place. The approach, combined with refusing to take heed of any advice was the combination that inadvertently got Hawkmon paying the price for her folly… sadly; she knew it was her own fault for going overboard.

Hikari stood up, watching the other female in apprehension. For a moment, she wondered what the reason was why her friend acted aggressively before. Then she suddenly remembered – it was something the Child of Light mentioned the day before the trip. But before she could announce the cause, the younger girl and the others heard their guilt-stricken member stammer out, "Guys…" Standing up, she stood up to finally speak out her thoughts, slowly facing her friends. "Guys… I'll stay here until Hawkmon and Setsuna-kun recovers… so go look for the Kaiser's base!"

Even though the two didn't get along often, Daisuke still showed concerned with Miyako's decision. "But…"

"Please… I don't want to be of any more trouble…" The tone in her voice was sincere, as with the continual flowing of tears that dripped onto the ground below. Naturally Miyako would be worried that she'd take the brunt of everyone's scorn after her rash actions today.

"Okay," Takeru's gentle tone was not what the surprised preadolescent expected, for initially she thought it was going to be of a stern manner. "We'll do that." To her relief, Daisuke and Iori also volunteered to accompany the Child of Hope along their trek as well. But only Hikari was reluctant for some reason.

"I'm… staying."

"Hikari-chan?"

"A Digimon could appear again, right? So we'll be bodyguards! Right, Tailmon?"

"Leave it to me." The aforementioned Digimon concurred.

Finally Hippogriffomon, who was resting, lifted his head up to attention. "Don't get me wrong about staying just to nap around, but allow me to help out with guard duty too. I owe you for nearly annihilating you at first meeting, especially your little friend here." Watching Setsuna's chest rise and fall with each breath as he slept the hippogriff Digimon had to admire the youth's bravery during the fight.

The priorities organised, Takeru announced their outlines as Miyako nodded gratefully in relief. "Got it. Then, if anything happens, we'll keep in contact by mail. Our location is on the D-3, and if we don't find the base by sunset, we'll come back." With the exchange of farewells and warnings now concluded, the remaining boys, their partners and Tentomon continued on their journey. Now that they were gone, it was time for Hikari to tell her truth.

"Miyako-san…"

"Nani?"

"If you were offended by what I said yesterday… I'm sorry." It was enough for the oldest member to respond with a surprised look. "About needing determination…"

"It's not your fault," Miyako replied, her mood slowly allowing her to regain her spirit upon realisation, "don't worry."

With one prolonged matter resolved, it was now time for Tailmon to resolve another. Realisation in mind, she started to head off, until Hippogriffomon noticed her. "Where are you going?"

"There should be an herb that can be used as an antidote in this forest. Don't worry – I'll be back."

DORUmon, who was half-resting and half-watching his incapacitated partner, suddenly stood up. "Are you sure you'll be okay by yourself? After what happened today I think you need some back-up."

Calmly holding her paw out as a sign of restraint, the cat-like Digimon countered, "It's more important that Hawkmon and Setsuna needs to be safeguarded – I'm small enough to search for the herbs undetected. But I appreciate the concern, so thank you." And with that, Tailmon set off to find the possible antidote for their comrade.

…

A few hours after they departed, the boys, their Digimon, and Tentomon were still on the trail for the Digimon Kaiser's base. But as time passed, the sun has already started to sink. Initially the Digital World would have been safer at night since the child antagonist returned to the Real World, but ever since he ran away from home to focus more on his nefarious activities, the night has just been as deadly as the day. That was primarily the reason why the team have to make little to no mistakes on this last mission.

This was the primary subject that was lurking in Iori's thoughts after their recent skirmish. Like his comrades, he too was concerned about Setsuna's well-being. A part of him respected the boy for his calm approach in most dangerous situations. But after learning about the dangerous risk in utilising DORUmon's power, he couldn't help but worry about how his friend felt on the inside, other than his selfless nature. He had no idea how long the latter was hiding that secret, but the young kendōka dreaded that one day that same nature would cost him his life. But for now, he focused on the current situation at hand.

"There are Dark Towers here too."

"They're been built recently…" Tentomon explained, as he continued leading the boys and their Digimon along the path.

"Anyway, let's keep going," Takeru agreed. "We might find the Kaiser's base."

But the chance might have come sooner than expected. As Iori was bringing up the rear, he faintly heard was sounded like turbines from a distance. Turning around, he noticed a vague shadow passing along a cliff face in the distance over the forest. Luckily, Armadimon was able to notice his partner's hesitation.

"Iori? What's wrong, da'gya?"

"Eh… well… Armadimon… just now, over there…" But as the nine-year-old pointed out the former sighting, the strange shadow vanished as quickly as it was initially seen.

Noticing that their friend was straggling behind, the impatient Daisuke wasn't the type to ask about trivial matters. "Hey, Iori! Hurry up! You'll get lost!" With that, the youngest boy ran to catch up.

"Ah, yes… I'm coming!"

…

Cycling though the various data, Wormmon carefully analysed the possible choices. Due to Ken being out on a secret assignment, the Larva Digimon was given the task of selecting certain data for reasons unknown. While faithful to his friend and partner, he was growing increasingly worried about the latter's current state of mind lately. Back then, Wormmon remembered that his partner wasn't always cruel, and he used to be sweet, kind-hearted, and polite during their younger years. But as time passed after their reunion, the formerly gentle soul for reasons unknown became power-hungry, cruel, and having delusions of grandeur. Despite his partner's ill treatment to his Digimon he nonetheless loyally accompanied him. And as he chose the data of Garurumon's back legs on screen, the deranged human made his return.

"I know the Dark Whirlpool's location."

"We're almost there." Wormmon nodded, as the Kaiser typed up some more data on screen. This time he decided to pick the head of Kabuterimon based on his most recent sighting, despite the bad memories that came from it.

"Just a little more…" Ken murmured wicked, with Wormmon helplessly watched with worry at whatever deranged plan was being cooked up next.

…

The Dokugumon's sudden appearance…

The incoming Stinger Poration attack…

Miyako-san… run…

The pain… the darkness…

Slowly, Hawkmon opened his eyes, groaning as he did so. His head was resting sideways on his partner's lap as he slowly adjusted to what transpired before. Despite the pain (as shown with the bandages covering his torso), he still had enough strength to raise himself so he could focus on Miyako's face. "Miyako-san…"

"Hawkmon, you're awake!" The lilac-haired girl exclaimed in joy.

"I'm so glad." Hikari said with relief. Raising his head up, Hippogriffomon smile serenely at the scene along with DORUmon, as tears of remorse returned to Miyako's eyes.

"Gomen ne… Hawkmon…"

Being a reasonable being, the Child Bird Digimon's intuition was confident that Miyako was truly regretful for her actions today. "Please… don't worry about it." He got an affirming set of nods in return. A moment later, a familiar groan also caught the group's attention as Setsuna groggily woke up from his temporary slumber, sitting as he did so next to Hawkmon.

"Is that you, de gozaruka?" The ninja-clad boy murmured, as he saw the acquainted faces of his friends. But because he only just woke up his vision wasn't at full focus, and when he saw the Mythical Beast Digimon's face he was less than pleased as he quickly leaped into a crouching combat stance. "You…"

"Setsuna-kun, calm down!" Hikari shouted in an effort to settle her 'sibling's' nerves, "you remember that we've freed Hippogriffomon, right?"

That was enough to relax his stance, as he then tiredly sighed, "Affirmative…" The boy then turned to the newly acquainted Digimon, bowing. "Sorry about this one's rash action, de gozaru."

"Understandable enough – I wasn't in control of my actions at the time. But I thank you along with your friends for rescuing me from the Evil Spiral's grip."

Greeting his human partner, DORUmon allowed a smile to caress his features. "Welcome back to the Land of the Living, Setsuna-kun. How are you feeling?"

"Like the fact this one has just woke up from sleepwalking." The youth groaned, holding onto his head due to the light-headedness. "But I'll live. We did the others go, and how's Hawkmon?"

"The boys and Tentomon are searching for the Kaiser's base while Tailmon's looking for an antidote for Hawkmon's poison. Other than that, he's doing okay for now."

"That's good. How are you feeling, Miyako-dono?"

The computer nerd too became apologetic to Setsuna after her initial antagonism earlier. "I'm… sorry about my behaviour before… but I'm okay, and I'm happy you're alright as well. Thank you." She received a 'you're welcome' in return.

Suddenly standing up, Hikari allowed herself to stretch before turning towards the group. "I'm going to see how Tailmon's going just in case. Setsuna-kun, DORUmon, are you two coming?"

That got Setsuna's attention. "Okay, sure. But is it okay leaving Miyako-dono and Hawkmon by themselves de gozaruka?" It was then after the brunette whispered something in his ear, the ten-year-old understood.

Since Hippogriffomon was a Perfect-Levelled Digimon, he understood what Hikari's ploy was. "I'll leave you two to have a heart-to-heart conversion by yourselves… but within protecting distance as a precaution, is that okay with you?" The approval accepted, Hikari, Setsuna, DORUmon, and Hippogriffomon went a little distance away. But it didn't take long for them to find a certain white Holy Beast Digimon, who was carrying an armful of herbs.

"I found it – the antidote."

Smiling in relief, Hikari then lifted a pointer finger to her mouth as a sign of silence. "Un. But let's wait a little." Not surprisingly, Tailmon was puzzled initially before the she understood later.

…

Over at the clearing, Miyako decided to let her heart do the talking as she did her best to justify her actions. "I… when I thought about facing the Digimon Kaiser… I got really nervous and I couldn't stand it. So I kind of lost it." That earned a gentle round of laughter from Hawkmon as 'kind of' didn't describe it earlier. But the girl wasn't finished yet. "And you got hurt because I was acting so irresponsibly. I just couldn't stop when I get started sometimes. I'm sorry I'm such a bad partner."

It was never easy to confront the past. However, when one who spoke of it does his or her best to explain, the answer becomes considerate as an outcome. That was proven when Hawkmon gently replied, "Don't worry about it. That's just the way you are." This earned a gasp from Miyako as the samurai-natured Digimon steadily sat up. "I just like the way you are, Miyako-san."

This time, the twelve-year-old smile with apologetic relief. "Arigatou! I'm clumsy, scatterbrained, and panic easily but… I'll do my best!"

"Same here." Despite his injury, the former was so overjoyed she encased the now struggling Hawkmon into a hug not like a bear hug, while the charmed Hikari and her group watched on. Now, it was her time to dig out some answers from Setsuna. But she'd have to tread carefully.

"So Setsuna-kun… I've been meaning to ask you; was there a reason why you chose to accept DORUmon's contract?"

Not surprisingly, a shocked expression momentarily appeared on face before a normal characteristic benefitting a ten-year old allowed him to announce, "I don't know what you are talking about, de gozaranai."

"There has to be more than a reason why you've chosen to take on such a heavy burden on yourself. I know it's not easy for you. But if we need to work together, we have to understand each other." When Setsuna still refused to answer, Hikari gently gave him a comforting hug. "Come on – Tsubaki-san told me that as long as you don't bottle up your pain inside, your heart is in the right place."

"Yeah… but…" However, he didn't get to finish as suddenly DORUmon hit Setsuna in the head with a gentle Metal Cannon blast, much to the disbelief of Hikari (who was about to scold the said Digimon), Tailmon and Hippogriffomon. "OW! What did you do that for?"

DORUmon shook his head in annoyance. "Did you not learn anything from the movie The Lion King, Setsuna-kun? About the point why Rafiki thwacked Simba on his head? What can you tell me about the past?"

"Your point being?"

"Just answer the question. You may be a Karate prodigy but you still have much to learn."

It may have been a while since Setsuna watched the animated film. But slowly he saw the connection between the head trauma and the scene. "That the past… hurts?"

"Oh yes, the past can hurt. But from the way I see it, you can either run from it, or... learn from it." Firing a shot again, this time Setsuna dodged it. "See?"

"This one would have to shut your mouth later… but… alright."

"Go on… you can do it." Nodding with encouragement, the Beast Digimon allowed the boy to take a deep breath before reluctantly explaining.

"You see Onee-chan… this one wasn't too sure why I took on the second contract in the first place. I don't know whether it was because my life was practically in ruins… my Oton-chan and Okan-chan not being accepted by my mother's side of the 'family' before the Aion disaster… the bullying shitheads… and practically nobody was willing to help me. The fact that somehow, I accepted DORUmon, as Dorimon despite my dislike of monsters must be at which point why this one wanted to be somewhere else de gozaru. Somewhere I could no longer be picked on all the time… somewhere I wanted people to like me for who I am. And when that one day, Dorimon evolved to take down a gang from the shadows that one time to save me and Yuzuriha-dono… this one wanted to escape.

"He told me that even though his memory was fuzzy and that he was nearly at the brink of death… he suggested making a contract. He didn't mention it to me before because I already suffered greatly from losing my parents de gozaru. This one doesn't know, but I might have a feeling he might have lost someone in the past before. At that point… it didn't matter to me… I just wanted to escape."

Listening to the disheartened boy's story with concerning intrigue, Hippogriffomon turned to DORUmon and Tailmon. "Sounds like Setsuna has been though quite a lot."

"I think 'been through quite a lot' is rather an understatement." Tailmon replied grimly, before asking the third companion. "DORUmon, what was your opinion?"

"When it comes to bullied victims, sometimes they are capable of doing drastic actions. Depending on how strong their psyche is, they could either endure it, or for most weak-willed souls, they just take their own lives. Other times there's that thin line between moving on and suicide. And it doesn't help as Japan's one of the top countries with a high suicide rate."

Continuing, Hikari then slowly asked, "So what did Yuzuriha-chan thought of this at that time?"

The despondent look on Setsuna's face was proof enough. If not, there was his answer, "I'd rather not say de gozaranai – this one promised her I will not tell. You want to know why?"

"Why is that?"

"It's the only time this one saw her being quite upset. That's the only thing I'll tell. But you want to know more do you, Onee-chan?" His tone slowly began to quiver as the stoic barrier within began to break. "You want to know why this one took on a second contract? BECAUSE NOT ONLY THAT I HAD ENOUGH, IT IS NOT FAIR! WHY IS IT THAT WHILE THE OTHER KIDS COULD BE HAPPY WITH THEIR PARENTS DESPITE BEING SUCH SHITS TO ME, I HAVE TO END UP BEING THE BUTT MONKEY ALMOST FROM DAY ONE!?"

Recoiling, Hikari's expression became despondent as she witnessed her friend's sudden outburst. "Setsuna-kun…"

"I JUST WANTED TO LIVE MY LIFE AS I WANTED! IS IT NOT TOO MUCH TO ASK!? AND JUST WHEN I FOUND A HOPE SPOT, IT ALL TURNS TO FUCKING SHIT – UNWITTINGLY ACCEPTING SOME DEMONIC CONTRACT, LOSING MY PARENTS, DOMINATED BY MY RELATIVES WHO WANTED NOTHING TO DO WITH ME, AND NEARLY THE ONLY PEOPLE WHO ARE AROUND ME PUNT ME DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THE FOOD CHAIN! WHY ONEE-CHAN, WHY!?" As his outpouring continued to spill out, Setsuna suddenly began pounding Hikari's shoulder, sobbing as he did so against her. Despite the pain from her ward's impacts, the girl embraced him tightly, to comfort him.

"Setsuna, Hikari!" Tailmon gasped, as she was about to pull the boy off. But a pat on her shoulder revealed a saddened DORUmon, who shook his head in response.

"Let them release their emotions out, Tailmon," Hippogriffomon asserted calmly, "if they are kept for too long strain would often result from a heavy heart. The boy's heart may be wounded, but it can be cured though with difficulty."

Eventually, Setsuna collapsed onto his knees, with Hikari kneeling with him for support. "Maybe this one accepted that contract because I wanted to save a part of the world that's actually worth living. A part of this one just wanted the pain to end… and if that pain ended… I just wanted to see my Oton-chan and Okan-chan again!"

"ENOUGH!" Suddenly, a loud slap echoed around the area. Not surprisingly the three Digimon in the area had shocked expressions of their faces as they watched on – the reason why? An angry-looking red mark was on Setsuna's left cheek as a result.

"Why did you hit me for?"

"Is this what your parents wanted? To die because people keep pushing you down?" Hikari demanded, her face showing not only anger for the first time because of not only the boy's pessimism but also for herself for hitting her 'sibling' to quell his sorrow. "THAT DOESN'T MEAN YOU HAVE TO GIVE UP! I don't know what your family life was like, but until your parents died, they raised you to achieve your dreams, your life, and your passions like you wanted! If you just gave up, you're only going to allow those who bully you win, and your mother and father's efforts would have been for nothing! Don't you see? I know I haven't been in your shoes Setsuna-kun, but even though there are bad memories you had, there's also the good!

"There are still people who care for you, Setsuna-kun, remember?" This time it was Hikari's turn to cry as she hugged her friend again. "There are people who helped you up even when others failed. Like Yuzuriha-chan, Tsubaki-san, DORUmon, Takeru-kun, our friends, and myself – YOU ARE NOT ALONE! There may be sadness, but there is also happiness at being around each other. You learn about that nearly each time while being with friends and that creates good memories, like when you learnt how to fight… when you saved me… when you had dinner with my family… and when you met my friends! Just because some people don't appreciate you for who you are, doesn't mean you are alone. Even your parents would be proud of you for coming this far! We are with you all the way – because living is the hardest battle we have to win!"

Wiping away the tears from his face, Setsuna slowly allows a small smile to return to his face. "Arigatou Onee-chan, I really needed that. I'm so sorry… for not only just hitting you like that… but also I need to vent my frustrations and my pain away de gozaru."

"The pain never actually goes away, Setsuna-kun," Replied DORUmon, "It only still lingers no matter how much you keep it bottling it up inside, nor is dealing with the pain. These only cause the pain to get worse. The way I see it, is to harness that pain into an activity other than vengeance, something to dedicate your time towards. Now what do you use it for?"

"My martial arts training?" Setsuna queried.

"Exactly! Not only that, turn your pain into energy into saving this world! Remember when we first made that contract, Setsuna-kun? There was more to the reason why we made it despite the risks involved. So, why did you?"

Standing up and wiping away the remaining tears from his face, Setsuna slowly regained his resolve. "More than just meeting my parents again… no matter the negatives… this one wanted to achieve a life worth living… with the people worth caring and protecting, de gozaru!"

"Well said, Setsuna-kun!" DORUmon exclaimed, "looks like you got your mojo back! Ohtsuka Hironori-san would be proud of you!"

Tailmon nodded in agreement. "And like Hikari said, you're not alone – we're more than willing on our part to help each other." Hippogriffomon also murmured in admiration to the boy's returning spirit.

Smiling, Hikari rubbed her shoulder in pain, but it was worth it at least. "My shoulder may hurt, but at least that's the Setsuna-kun I know. As long as you are able to find your peace, your parents would have been happy with what you achieved when this is over." Watching over in the distance, Miyako and Hawkmon smiled at the scene. Despite his mature demeanour, they recognized that Setsuna is still a ten-year-old child.

"Thank you, all of all," Setsuna smiled warmly, "This one really is happy to have true friends like you…" Suddenly, a wave of weariness came, as he suddenly buckled. He would have hit the ground if Hikari wasn't there to catch him.

"I think… its best that you get some sleep. You'll feel a lot stronger once you're recovered." Turning towards Tailmon, Hikari then requested, "Could you prepare the antidote for Hawkmon, please?"

With that, the three Digimon decided to join up with Miyako and Hawkmon, leaving the two 'siblings' along. Gently, the Child of Light then lay the white-haired youth in her arms as she sat down. But as she sat down, Hikari heard a murmur despite the boy falling back to a deep sleep.

"Onee-chan… did this one ever tell you… you smell nice de gozaru. You remind me of… Okan-chan…"

Instantly, a pink blush came over her face in response. Touched by the compliment, Hikari smiled… as she planted a kiss on Setsuna's cheek as she then rested his head on her lap. It wasn't the first time she gave someone a cheek kiss however, as three years ago, after returning from the Digital World, she gave Takeru one after he safeguarded her during Piemon's attack. As she watched the boy's chest rise and fall during his sleep, the girl couldn't help but stroke his hair, murmuring tenderly with her eyes closed, "No. This is the very first time anybody has ever told me that… Otouto-kun."

…

By the time night came, all was quiet. With the Digimon Kaiser in the Digital World in both times of the day, the evening currently was more treacherous than before. However, there was the rare moment of peace… and as such the sound of singing was afloat. Such as the sound of Hawkmon stretching his limbs now that the Dokugumon's poisoning was just about treated.

"That antidote worked great – I'm fine now." The Data-type Bird Digimon confirmed to Miyako, now that he was up to full strength again. He then turned towards Tailmon, giving her his thanks.

"That's great." Replied the cat Digimon, as she turned towards the still-sleeping Setsuna. "How's Setsuna?"

Hikari smiled, watching the boy slumber peacefully on her lap. "He's doing great. But you know what? I remember when after I invited him to have dinner with my family, even though he experienced much pain, there was something inside him that really bounces back."

"With a kid like him, I wished I could have a younger sibling like him in my family," Miyako grinned, as she watched on, "He'd probably get along with Mantarou-nii well… or not."

Unless he could endure Eiji's personality, then perhaps it's best not too, DORUmon chuckled inwardly. However, the conversation was interrupted by a low rumbling sound from the distance, evidenced by the mysterious Digimon's ears wiggling.

"What's that sound?" Hikari asked, puzzled as Hippogriffomon and Setsuna's eyelids snapped open. In response, after they woke up, the three humans and four Digimon (Setsuna volunteered to be in front to avoid any compromising situations) crawled along an abandoned railway carriage (which was sticking out from the mountainside) to look. A strange, dark silhouette, illuminated by multiple green flashing lights, was moving slowly towards them at a steady pace, with hidden turbines humming in its wake over the dark forest above. At first, they weren't too sure what the strange presence was… only that it could mean one thing.

"Is that…?" Hippogriffomon questioned softly, his expression piercing.

"That…" Tailmon replied, "that has to be the Digimon Kaiser's base."

"So, it was flying!" Hikari agreed, the proof finally revealed after all this time. After the near-insanity of enduring Miyako's earlier overconfidence, the group were able to see it with their own eyes.

Watching the arrival of the ominous silhouette, Hawkmon allowed his stomach bandages to be carried away into the breeze as he took a better position to look. "Miyako-san… bingo, right?" With his partner nodding in response, her evidence was proven correct.

The observation was interrupted by a low growl. Initially they thought it was Hippogriffomon, until they turned towards the currently sole male human member of the group. Unlike the others, Setsuna's expression wasn't of interest… but his eyes were narrowing as if he had just found his target.

"Otouto-kun… are you alright?" Hikari asked worriedly. The only reply was his clenching fists, pupils narrowing to cat-like slits, left iris ominously turning to its signature crimson, and finally his canines briefly grinding at the sight.

…

The door into a hidden room opened as a figure strolled in. Inside the base, the feeling of anticipation was no doubt stirring in Ken's loins as he looked up at the unseen result that he was to unleash. He may have experienced many defeats during his time in the Digital World. But like most geniuses, there were lessons to be learnt from defeat. And this time… all of them would result into one, single being that is about to come into demented fruition…

"Soon, it will be born… my original Digimon…"

To be continued…

FG: Well, that's it until the next instalment, in which hopefully wouldn't take as long to upload as this one. The second contract idea was in my head for a very long time ever since I started this story, in which I was inspired by the manga series Chrono Crusade ever since. Now you know why DORUmon's evolutions weren't shown until now. I hope this would be enough of a new flaw to add to Setsuna's character. Speaking of Setsuna, the cheek kiss was my own invention to the story since we didn't see the Original Chosen Children reunite with their parents in the last episode of Season 1.

So now that's done, shall I have Hippogriffomon join them to take down the Kaiser, or continue his mission? I reckon to continue his mission just so the kids and their Digimon would have to overcome all odds as such. But don't worry, I can probably have him in a future chapter!

And as usual…

Glossary and one Reference

Are? Miyako wa? – Huh? Where's Miyako?

Kingyo-Megane Jo – Goldfish-glasses girl

Kitto – Surely

Sumimasen – Apparently a politer form of Gomennasai, and also translated as 'I'm sorry' and/or 'Excuse me'.

050103 – The reason why I selected this set of numbers… you know why? It's referencing the date the Digimon movie 'Digital Monster: X-Evolution' came out to cinemas – January 3rd, 2005.

Otouto-kun – Little brother.

Well, time to finally get to bed. I hope the long wait was worth it, and please reply and review, and no flames please! Take care!

Final Genesis.