#(KEN ' Daisuke We Need To Talk right Now ')

[ashxketchum]

They uploaded the video where Agumon, Gabumon, Veemon and Wormon will call out names of fans and look! We get a glimpse at Taichi, Yamato, Daisuke and Ken's rooms!

You know what this means? It's time for a certified Ayushi breakdown 🫡

There is so much blue in Taichi's room hahaha (taiyama win!), the soccer magazines + jump manga reference is so on point. And he has so many bags! Taichi why do you need so many backpacks, one for every outfit? 😆 THE DUMBBELLS THO my boy is working out to maintain that body we got a glimpse of in Tri 😌 The whistle hanging on the wall is also a nice touch, is it Hikari's whistle from when they were kids? 🥹 Or even if it's not, I'd like to imagine a scenario where Taichi helps Hikari with her kindergarten schoolwork occasionally by coaching football to the little kids in his free time! Can you imagine him running around with little kids who are about as tall as the football itself 🤣 I tried to zoom in to figure out what the magazine on his desk is for, and I could make out the word Nakano, so maybe it's just something he picked up on his way home (maybe he lives around Nakano?) since it looks slightly crumpled too, like it was shoved in his bag in a rush. His phone (and is that a wallet?) feel pretty standard. He is the only one who doesn't have a lamp on his desk + has some kind of reminder post-its stuck to his desktop, maybe he's not so good with passwords? Koushiro probably always lectures him about this every time he visits.

Now let's talk about Yamato, FIRST OF ALL I WILL SCREAM ABOUT THE KOD TSHIRT! HE STILL WEARS IT! I'M CRYING RIGHT NOW!!! And then his guitars because I swear I did a one hour deep dive trying to figure out the brand and model and I think they're both Fender (an expensive brand I would say) which once again makes me wonder how much money does the TakaIshi family has for their sons to have expensive, bikes, cars and guitars. TO TOP IT OFF Yamato is definitely an Apple bitch too like look at that monitor and keyboard, that's Mac and his phone is very clearly Iphone. Now his room follows a very warm, muted tones of black and brown. We can spot some music related magazines on his shelf and a big, plain tote bag on the ground (see Taichi one big bag should be enough 🤣) which looks like something he uses for grocery shopping. Yamato is the only one who doesn't have a wheelie computer chair, but rather a wooden one. Now whether he did this to follow the aesthetic of the room (highly likely) or because he doesn't actually spend a lot of time in this space is something we can all think about. He has a framed portrait or photo(?) up on the wall and I did consider him more of a framed art guy over a poster guy always so this is good to see too. Also nice to note that on his desk, he has THE HARMONICA 😭 And the same Jump issue that Taichi has on his shelf! His room is honestly a lot like how I imagined it to be in terms of the furniture and colours so I'm very happy with this sneak peek!

I am not qualified to comment on Daisuke and Ken's rooms, so will leave that to 02 fans!

[beginningobserver]

Community Service Ending pt3 [read pt1 & pt2 before]

[02TB SPOILERS IN THIS SERIES BTW]

So, uh, the idea here was like, Rui loses his eyepatch because he's exhausted from working at TWO places at the same time (one is his regular part-time job at the café -- which is another of my pet headcanons lol -- and the other is him doing community service at a daycare under Hikari's supervision -- she offered to help him, and Iori & Taichi managed to convince the judge to accept that offer? idk, I didn't think that far lol)

And then a kid accidentally finds it and goes to give it back to Rui. Note that I assume that Rui is really trying to get used to not having to wear the eyepatch, so he just has a little panic attack thinking that people will find out his secret. But he quickly remembers, "Oh, right... that eye is gone now..." and calms down. I think he kinda had some panic attacks during the movie (like when he, Daisuke and Ken + Mons witness the baby Rui finding the egg...?), so I was wondering if...

Btw, the decision to use a CERTAIN OC of mine instead of some random kid designed specifically for this is... well, not exactly planned -- but Taisuke is kind of like Rui in wanting his family's attention (at least in his original source/project, DigiTimeLines, but here he's not Taichi's son and definitely NOT from an alternate future, btw), so I think this would be a good opportunity for my gremlin son to meet my favorite sad potato.

I'll put a transcript of the text on Read More, there's a lot to put on the Alt text.

Rui: Sigh-- Having to work on two jobs is hard...

Rui: I wonder how some people can manage that...

※ (He) just had finished his shift at the cafe shop.

Rui: But we have to compensate for those BAD things we had done...

Ukkomon: Rui...

???: HEY, MISTER!!

Rui/Ukko: ?!!

???: You dropped your eyepatch.

Rui: [turns back and sees a kid holding his eyepatch] huh------ AH?!

Rui: [immediately pushes the hair bangs to cover his right eye during, desperately] DON'T LOOK AT ME-- I'M--

Ukkomon: RUI!!

Ukkomon: Rui, take a deep breathe!!

Rui: [pants] Ah... I... I forgot that that digimon eye is gone...

Rui: [turns to the kid, scratches his head] S-sorry. I just forgot that I don't need that anymore.

[hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha] ← he's nervous right now

Kid: ...

Kid: AH! You are the person from the rumors...!

Rui: ...?

Kid: The one who got the first digimon partner in the world...!

Rui: [scratches his head again, looks away] Maybe I'm not the first... I don't even know anymore...

Kid: Ok... But why don't you need the eyepatch anymore?

Rui: [points to his face] Because I don't need to hide my injured eye anymore.

Kid: [frowns] Why would you hide your injured eye, mister?

Rui: [looks down, frowning] Because... I was ashamed of having one.

Kid: There's nothing to same here. Everyone has one or two imperfection in themselves, right?

Rui: The truth is... I was repressing it, thinking I was a weirdo now.

[Kid Rui, covering his right eye with his hand: Stupid Ukkomon, look what you did...]

[Kid Rui, depressive: ...]

Rui: BUT...

Rui: Some people made me realize that all of us are imperfect.

[Daisuke, standing his hand to Rui: So, go talk with him!]

Rui: And I was able to fix a few mistakes I've committed before.

Rui: [scratches his head again, smiles awkwardly] Though, I'm still getting used to those changes, haha...

Rui: So, you're right about it. We all have flaws and we shouldn't try to repress them.

[Kid looks at the eyepatch, quietly]

Ukkomon: Can I have the eyepatch?

Kid: [hands the eyepatch to Ukkomon] Sure, here it go.

Ukkomon: [takes the eyepatch from the boy's hand] Thank you~

Ukkomon: Do you have a digimon?

Kid: Yea, but... It's still hatching...

Kid: [takes the egg from his pocket, shows it to Rui & Ukkomon] And it's smaller than the other Digieggs...

Kid: [serious gaze] But that's ok. I'm sure they will hatch soon!

Kid: Their size is not going to change who they are!!

Kid: Because... [holds it closer to his chest, smiles] I'll love them by who they are.

Rui: ...

Rui: [smiles]

Rui: [In a light sassy tone, leans towards the kid] I bet that digimon will be lucky to have a partner like you then.

Ukkomon: [smiles] Yep, yep.

Kid: [smiles back at them] Hehe~

[digitalgate02]

[main post about the Rider AU] [the tag tho]

Rider AU's main cast [2/8] - Ken

Yeah, I'M LATE?! Had this getting dust in my folder... Well, here we go. I'll not make promises about the rest getting finished that quickly (I'm working on more stuff at the same time)

Ken in this AU has a small ponytail (because I always wanted to see Ken in a ponytail, but I'm pretty fine with the canon short-haired Ken thanks to it having some Terui Ryu's vibes) but his personality is still the same as canon: he’s kind and polite BUT because he want to, and if you mess with his beloved ones he might become totally sarcastic, salty and hostile towards you.

Daisuke befriended him in the first year of college, but Daisuke quit quickly in order to pursue the ramen business thing. Ken didn’t have many friends at college back in time so he just wanted to keep tagging along with Daisuke. While he’s studying psychology, he hid a secret from everyone which was… He’s a famous gaming Digituber called ‘The Kaiser’.

No one connected the dots about the courteous Ken with the famous gamer who would simply get SUPER COMPETITIVE and FERAL in online competitions and esports events nicknamed Kaiser. The only person who might know this secret is his girlfriend who’s an excellent technician-bar-hacker who manages his accounts (so Ken can have time to be his real-self too) – Miyako. But Later, Miyako and Ken are acquainted with a young boy named Iori, who’s pretty good at taking the hints and then decide to help them out with his own abilities (no he’s not like a hacker, but he got the skill to help cover traces and find clues to stuff)

Ken also met Rui casually and not related to Daisuke at all – at the cafe shop Infinity, where Rui works at. The day they first met, Ken witnessed a digimon running away from some people in the lab getup trying to catch a hornworm digimon called “Wormmon”. The digimon ran into Ken’s way and begged to help him to escape. And Ken, who was a good boy who wouldn’t refuse to help someone in need, took the digimon inside the first shop near them. Which was Infinity Cafe Shop, after all.

At first Rui felt confused about why would someone just take a digimon inside a shop out of the blue, but since it was one of those days with low customers and he was… Alone at the moment, he decided to keep his mouth shut.

Wormmon explained to both of those two young adults that those people with scary costumes were trying to capture him and insert something terrible on him. Ken and Rui raise eyebrows and look at each other, as if they were asking each other what to do. They are asked by Wormmon to protect him and both boys just agree with it. Since then Ken and Wormmon drop by to talk with Rui.

And then, on a random day, Ken meets Daisuke again at the same cafe shop and learns that Rui is Daisuke’s childhood friend. Wormmon is still kept as a secret from Daisuke and everyone else, but hey. They don’t need to worry too much about it now, right?

Meanwhile, as the celeb Kaiser, Ken gets in touch with a person named WriterOfHope91 (privately btw) who claims to be from the same college as Ken. He tells Miyako about it and then they start planning what to do. Turns out the person was Takeru, who’s from another course from the same college and had been friends-and-neighbors with Miyako and Iori. While Ken didn’t want his secret to be leaked, he tells Takeru to keep his mouth shut about this. Takeru agrees, and says he didn’t want to do anything bad. The reason he contacted Ken was because his friend Hikari witnessed him getting inside a shop with a digimon in hands. And it was when Ken told Miyako and Iori about Wormmon for the first time.

BUT THE PROBLEMS DON’T END HERE!! The Kaiser is associated with an agency, the 7DM Entertainment —- Which suspiciously has a woman called Layla as its CEO.

Just like Rui, Ken does not know Daisuke is a Kamen Rider recently. But he does know Kamen Rider Lightnimon to some extent via the digimon, and he wants to uncover all the mysteries surrounding the mysterious hero and the cases around Tokyo, as some kind of detective.

(Which would make him want to pursue a career in investigations later)

[reliablejoukido]

my feelings on The Beginning. I welcome discourse and dissenting opinions, but I do NOT welcome hate. Also I'm going to bed literally right after publishing this, so I will talk to y'all tomorrow.

I loved Fullmetal Alchemist: Digimon The Beginning a lot. Seeing the English dub was a wonderful experience and it brought me back to the reason why 02 was my favorite season in the first place. I also appreciated seeing the subbed version tonight, as it helped solidify the plot in my head.

I adored Daisuke especially. I loved Daisuke's emotions and his dialogue and his ability to strike friendship into the heart of anyone. I loved his adorable interactions with Ken, his chaotic interactions with Miyako, and his extremely ship-worthy interactions with Lui. And that scene where Ken pointed out how calm he was? Extremely powerful. Also Daisuke's queer energy was off the charts in this film, just saying. That alone means so much to me.

Also Takeru was SO in character when he was like "I know there is the possibility of Digimon partner-induced nuclear war, but hello??? Patamon might die????" I realize that's an oversimplification of his point, but it felt so right for him.

So like... I don't want to get into arguments about this, because I always feel like I'm wrong about lore and people yell at me just for thinking things they think are "wrong". So these are just my personal opinions which are obviously in no way accurate.

But in my opinion, Lui wasn't the first person to partner with a Digimon. I felt that Ukkomon was unreliable and untrustworthy and unstable, so I don't trust anything he claimed was true. I don't trust Ukkomon's concept of being the reason for Digimon and human partnerships to be accurate. I mean, I could bring Hiroki Hida and Oikawa into the mix. Or Maki and Daigo (if you try to tell me tri isn't canon just because of some interview, I'm going to block you just fyi).

I also don't entirely buy Ukkomon to be the reason the Chosen Children were even Chosen. Wouldn't Lui have been part of their adventure if that was the case? There are so many reasons the Digital World needed the Chosen Children that had absolutely nothing to do with Lui and Ukkomon. The whole Digital World's existence wasn't even mentioned regarding Ukkomon.

I really just don't trust anything Ukkomon did or said. He litterally brainwashed, manipulated, and eventually killed Lui's parents, so forgive me if I find what he says hard to believe. But I seriously loved that Ukkomon was chaotic and untrustworthy. It made for a fascinating "villain". I loved that we were lead to believe some new lore that may or may not be true, depending on how much you believe Ukkomon and Lui.

I also want to believe that now that the digivices are gone (which already happened to Sora, Taichi, Yamato, and implied Mimi, Jou, and Koushiro), that they will receive Digi-eggs soon, perhaps after they go through more important situations in their adult lives. If you know me, then you know I'm not the biggest fan of the ending of Kizuna, because I felt like it was a personal attack on my adulthood. I want more than anything for there to be a reason for Taichi and the others to see their Digimon again. I believe the ending of The Beginning gave us hope that Taichi's bond with Agumon transcends his own broken digivice.

So that's it, mostly. You can all stay tuned for when the movie is available on streaming/blu-ray, because you KNOW I'll be photoshopping ponytails onto Ken again. Also I'm planning a Daisuke/Lui fic at some point.

[seventeenlovesthree]

Has the new zero two movie changed your mind or added anything in a positive light to any of the zero two ships?

Oh, that is an interesting question, thank you for asking!

Though I think I have already kinda hinted at it during my last analysis posts regarding the movie and recent dramas: There wasn't (a lot of) actual "romantic" ship portrayal in my opinion. Which is actually a good thing in my book, but let's see what we got there. Putting my thoughts under a cut, because there are still a lot of people who haven't watched the movie!

First of all, let's name the few significant - or at least implied - interactions that are displayed in the movie:

Daisuke & Ken. Daisuke & Miyako. Ken & Miyako. Daisuke & Ken & Miyako. Daisuke & Rui (& Ken). Takeru & Hikari.

And that's basically it. As mentioned before, the movie itself only has roughly 90 minutes, due to pacing and plot, there isn't a lot of interpersonal interaction that goes beyond the general display of "friendship". The dramas are WAY better at showing off the dynamics between the characters, but we're not talking about that right now. But yeah, the Jogress combinations besides Daiken don't have significant interactions, Iori gets the shortest end of the stick ever, they don't have a single moment of Daisuke fawning over Hikari. So let's focus on the few relationships I mentioned above:

Daisuke & Ken: They're already one of the aspects that save 02 for me personally, which sounds more grim than it actually is, but I've always loved their dynamics a lot. You can feel the fondness (and admiration) they have for each other, their characters contrast and complement each other still beautifully. And even if the display of their bond could have been even deeper - Miyako calling them out for "flirting" will always be my favourite part of the movie. Someone recently pointed out to me how there might even be an underlying codependency between these two, which is an interesting angle to focus on as well, but I'd say the movie hasn't made me love them more or less than I did before. They're just great, I've shipped them before and I will keep shipping them!

Daisuke & Miyako: They're more of a comic relief combination than anything else, which hasn't changed much since they had been children after all. Personally, I've always seen them more as siblings than romantically compatible and the movie kiiiiinda proved my point in that? It depends on how you want to interpret certain framings. Especially because Miyako is particularly framed with someone else...

Ken & Miyako: ... And that is Ken. I already mentioned in my big post-watch analysis that, while you can definitely read every interaction between the characters as platonic, they were REALLY keen to put emphasis on Miyako focusing on Ken. There were several moments where she approached Ken on her own account, encouraged him, exchanged glances... And yes, her words can be taken as flirting (especially by the end of it!) and the snowball fight may have made a lot of Kenyako fans ecstatic! Understandably so! It's interesting, because they definitely have NOT put that much emphasis on a blooming relationship on a certain other future-canon ship, but I digress... Long story short, they definitely showed Miyako being interested in Ken, directing speeches towards him that you would usually expect from Daisuke. Ken on the other hand still seemed rather baffled at her behaviour, but it was a start. An interesting start! They have not really been a ship for me so far, and the one-sidedness is still something they need to work on, but I would say the movie did a decent job with them.

Daisuke & Ken & Miyako: Take everything I have outlined above and just make them a poly ship, THAT would be interesting. It may actually be the most satisfying conclusion in a timeline where Kenyako will turn out to be endgame anyway, even though the chemistry between Daiken is undeniably there! All jokes aside, it was amusing to witness the bickering between them, there was quite the chemistry (and jealousy?) between them.

Daisuke & Rui (& Ken): What can I say? Daisuke has a thing for "boys who suffer (tm)" and thanks to his irresistible positivity, he will ALWAYS pull them. Always. While Rui is still a different brand from Ken and Wallace, it really is not surprising that the lone wolf is visibly impressed by Daisuke (with Ken watching over them carefully, as the voice of reason). Considering the fact that I still prefer Daiken, I can still appreciate the dynamic, even though it wasn't the first time they pulled that trope.

Takeru & Hikari: Long story short - they held BACK with these two. They did in the movie, they did in the dramas. Which, again, is not a bad thing, since I personally enjoy how casual and comfortable they are with each other. Them being in each other's spheres is just natural - and I was DELIGHTED to listen to them writing fanfiction about their brothers and friends while being out for drinks in their drama. But if you were looking for romantic implications, you may get disappointed. While they DID get their own snowball fight scene (breadcrumbs!) and had a few softer interactions, there could have been more. While I did prefer them platonic myself for the majority of my life, I have generally grown more fond of them romantically in the past few months - so I am fine with either of their readings. But the movie hasn't had an effect on my perception of them.

Long story short - in sum, the movie didn't provide enough interpersonal interaction to change my perception of the ships in the grand scheme of things. Daisuke/Rui was a new addition, so it doesn't really count, but I WAS surprised to see them put emphasis on Miyako subtly woo-ing Ken, which was an interesting idea that was decently executed - even if it was still one-sided and didn't disrupt the true love-line (no, not a triangle!) of the movie:

Miyako loves: Ken. Ken loves: Daisuke. Daisuke loves: Ramen

[ladyofthecastleproject]

Doubts of the Heart

[AO3 version]

Summary:

The 02 group + Mimi, Palmon & Gummymon finally discover why Daisuke was acting alone this whole time. Could the group help Daisuke beat some of his insecurities and doubts?

[Notes: It's 2008; it's bit of Daisuke angst...]

Ken sighed. He was in trouble all over again, no matter what he had done he couldn’t let Daisuke keep doing those all alone.

“So, I decided I will infiltrate in that castle again”

The moment Daisuke said this, he felt his heart skip a beat. Not only him but also everyone else.

“You shouldn’t go all alone.”

“Wallace is still there, right?” Gummymon asked, “Then I should go with you.”

“Did you forget they already know it’s you under that mask?” Iori argued. Calmly, but still assertively.

“I know, but… If we go there in numbers they will use you all against me.”

“So you think the best solution is walking into the enemy territory, knowing it will be easy for them to eliminate you knowing you’re Lightnimon?” Takeru added, calmly. He was trying to behave but deep down he felt a huge anxiety eating him alive.

“That’s… Better than letting anyone else get hurt, don’t you think!?”

“No, it’s not!” Hikari shouted.

“Daisuke, calm down. Calm down and think!” Miyako said, and that wording remembered them all but Ken and Gummymon about a discussion six years prior.

“... Sorry, I just don’t want anyone to get hurt because of me again.”

Was he talking about the previous events before they ended up in the Digital World, or… Wait, Ken totally felt he was also the culprit for something he forgot to apologize for perhaps? The time he had captured everyone but Daisuke, set a fake dangerous scenario for his friends who were his enemies back in time, and psychologically inflicted pain in Daisuke to the point Daisuke himself was trading his own life for the fake group of bakemons disguised as Daisuke’s friends.

“It’s okay,” Tailmon smiled, “We’re fine. And we’re strong, you don’t need to worry about us.”

Ken kept silent, but soon or later he would have to speak up.

“We’re a group” Hawkmon said, “And we will fight alongside you.”

“Why do you want to do this alone?” Palmon asked, frowning. Wormmon, Armadimon and Tailmon were also giving him a concerned look.

“Sorry I… Uh, it’s my fault again.”

“Daisuke I uh… I think I know what’s happening here” Ken said, still not looking at him “You’re still hurt by something more… profound I guess.”

“Huh?”

“That time I… toyed with your mind, and I…”

“Ken, that was six years ago and that’s not the cause of that! You didn’t hurt anyone that time! Except me, but I’m fine!”

“Then why are you… running away?” V-mon asked and sighed, “Sorry, but why are you so scared to tell them?”

“OK, I will talk about it!" He growled, “Listen carefully.”

That time when Ranamon attacked Miyako and Hikari-chan, I was brought to the Digital World. She said if I followed her, they would be freed. I know Miyako told me to NOT do that, but my body moved without my consent.

“OK, I followed you like you wanted. Now let Miyako and Hikari-chan alone!”

“Ohohoho, fine. They’re already free, but you…”

“What do you want with us!?” V-mon stared at her, just like Daisuke.

“You must be eliminated, but this is not my job hoho~”

“You can’t get rid of me that easily!” Daisuke gritted his teeth, “And really, why are you targeting me and my friends!?”

“Because of the Crest of Miracles, you dummy!” she pouted, was he that stupid!? But, judging by Daisuke’s face, he wasn’t aware of that at all “What, you’re its heir and don’t know?”

“I only had a Digimental once or twice, but that’s all! How can that be my crest!? Does a Crest of Miracles exist!?”

“I don’t remember Qinglongmon or Gennai mentioned it before…” V-mon commented.

“Bleh! You’re that clueless!? Oh boy, it will be easy to beat you!”

“Q-quit insulting me and tell us already!”

“Why? If you know, you will do what we don’t want you to” she shrugged. The nerve of that amphibian-like digimon…!

“V-mon. Get her, and make her talk.”

V-mon evolved to XV-mon and flew in her direction, only to be stopped by a laser coming from somewhere. Then, a shadow appeared in front of them, a humanoid digimon with long hair and a peculiar armor filled with eyes.

“What, who are you?!” Daisuke shouted, and XV-mon stopped in front of his partner.

“Me? I’m your nightmare” the mysterious digimon said, smoothly.

“I’ve beaten many nightmares like you before!!” and then the creepy digimon moved quickly, standing behind Daisuke.

“You’re serious, yet I can feel you’re afraid…”

“I’m n-not!”

“You’re afraid of being the cause of someone’s pain. You’re regretting not listening to someone’s advice.”

“I’m not!!” and he covered his ears, to not hear it.

“You feel happy and satisfied right now, but then why is there some doubt in your heart? Aren’t you happy?”

“STOP!” he shouted, and XV-mon tried to hit the armored digimon but the opponent was too fast and hit his digimon in the stomach.

“Is it because of putting them in danger at least once ?”

“I don’t believe you!” Daisuke kept shouting, he was trying his best to not listen to that enemy.

“L-leave Daisuke alone!” XV-mon roared, and tried to hit him again. But this digimon was too fast for his eyes, and got a kick in the gut “GAH!”

“Remember, Daisuke-kun. You put their lives in danger! And you’re putting them in danger again.”

Sadly I let him in. My heart sank and I felt empty inside. I have no idea what happened in the past to have caused me pain, or how I let him invade my heart… All I know is... I had this memory of something bad falling upon us before. Was it the Deltamon case or BlackWarGreymon? I can’t say…

“I’m… I’m sorry, okay? I thought I wasn’t risking anyone’s lives that time! I’m a fool!”

“Daisuke!! Don’t listen to hi-- UGH!” Every attempt to reach Daisuke out was interrupted by that digimon. While Ranamon was cheering in the background.

“Hoho, you think you can talk to your boy?” Ranamon said with a mocked tone, “Master Duskmon is known to invade the opponent’s mind and cause them pain.”

“Good.” Duskmon said, “Repent yourself. Your friends are already hurt, it’s your fault.”

“I’m…. I’m sorry!!”

“Daisuke, don’t--”

Suddenly, XV-mon and I saw Lekismon carrying Wallace in her arms. Then I heard something about the ‘heir of the Crest of Destiny’ and moments later…

“Well, we don’t need you to mess with our plans. Now, you will be…”

XV-mon managed to attack him, so Duskmon stepped back. I was still feeling dizzy and to be honest I don’t know how to say what happened next.

“Farewell. GEIST ABEND. ”

Then, we got hit by lasers fired from that spooky armor. But… Something happened and I can’t remember… A flash very quickly came and teleported us from a white space for a few seconds. I lost my goggles in the meantime, but when we returned…

… They all had disappeared already.

“What was that?” V-mon asked, he had devolved to child level in that short time “Daisuke, are you okay?!”

“Ugh… I’m… Uh, w-where’s that dude!?” Daisuke looked around, and then grabbed his goggles from the ground, which were left in the same place as well “I… V-mon I think I committed another mistake.”

“... ‘Another’? Daisuke, this is just one mistake, no one is hurt! You’re fine! Don’t worry!”

“They, they will come after them! It’s my fault!”

“You were brainwashed!?” V-mon said, “Everyone’s fine! Please calm down!”

“I did something terrible in the past! I… I should’ve been--”

“Daisuke!” V-mon yelled “No one is hurt! Easy, easy!”

“... I’m alive but they might think I’m dead…” I sat on the grass and kept having that emptiness inside my heart “They will tell everyone we’re dead and they will…”

“Stop right there!” V-mon yelled and stared at me, “We’re alive, and they know it! Now look at me, right in the eyes! This wasn’t real, you did not commit any mistake!”

“I… You’re right! I didn’t! But… They were attacked by my fault. So maybe we can… keep away from them, for a while.”

“W-what!?”

“... If Duskmon thinks I’m dead, then let it be! I will become another person! Or, another digimon! And fight against him and his servants for the sake of everyone!”

“You’re talking nonsense…”

“V-mon! Lend me your power, please! I want to do what’s right! I want… I want to fix my mistakes. I will do this, and then, when everyone’s gathered… We will take that creep down!”

I know, it was a bad idea but… Yeah, this is how I became Lightnimon in the first place.

“So you’re still under the effects of that spell?” Miyako frowned.

“Now I understand why Daisuke-kun was acting weird when he and V-mon found me” Mimi mused, “It wasn’t something he would do…”

“What’s that mistake you’re talking about!?” Takeru snapped, “You never hurt us, or put us in danger! That digimon, Duskmon, will pay for messing with your mind.”

“Takeru please no” Daisuke pleaded, “Maybe I’m still under those fabricated memories, or misremembering what happened before, but I don’t want to put you at risk!”

“... It’s okay” Ken interrupted everyone’s rambles, “Daisuke’s still under some spell and that’s why he feels like this. But why would you let it affect you? I doubt you're this weak to fall for this. You weren't affected by BelialVamdemon’s illusions before.”

“... I don’t know why, but… That day I was thinking how lucky I am to have you guys and suddenly I feared losing you all. I don’t overthink, but this time and with all those attacks happening to us… I’m sorry, I was weak.”

“Everyone fears losing someone important to you,” Iori said quietly, “Don’t be too harsh on yourself.”

“Yes,” Takeru and Ken agreed with a nod.

Mimi, Miyako and Hikari were in silence, until…

“That’s okay. Wallace also feels bad for losing Chocomon. But you all taught him to move on and have faith that one day Chocomon would come back.”

Gummymon broke the silence. They all looked at him, who was on Mimi’s lap.

“Gummymon’s right” Hawkmon said, “We’re not mad for you showing a bit of weakness, Daisuke-san. It could’ve happened to any of us I guess.”

“Right, but you’re back to us and we’re here to support you” Wormmon added with a nod, “and we’re the best form of making you remember what actually happened before.”

“We all were together on this, dagya. We’re your friends, we laugh when you’re happy and we cry if you’re sad.”

“Don’t worry about this, okay?” Patamon smiled, “We’re strong, so you don’t need to worry about us!”

“And you can count on us to help you anytime!” Palmon said, “I’m really thankful you helped Mimi, and even let us help you during this time.”

“Now that we know what was going on with you, we can find a way to help better” Tailmon finished.

“Y-you guys…” Daisuke was teary-eyed after hearing those words “Thank you.”

“And since Lekismon is our ally, we could plan how to save Wallace” V-mon looked at Daisuke, “But together.”

“How do we break the spell on Daisuke-kun?” Hikari asked, “While you think you’re weak, you have some resistance to it. I mean, you’re here instead of pretending to be a digimon…”

“You… You’re right…”

“Somehow, I think it’s partially broken,” Ken explained, “Hikari-san’s right about it, and it’s because deep down you trust us and then noticed this is an illogical fear.”

“... Alright, so… maybe if I tell y’all anything I believe to have happened you will debunk said events, right?”

“Bingo.” Miyako replied.

“So… Uhh… Deltamon case?”

“That was my fault, not yours,” Ken laughed nervously. Then said shamesly, “S-sorry.”

“Yeah, Ichijouji-san set us a trap” Iori recalled, “We all decided to go together. We got captured because we were caught off guard, not because of your decisions. And besides, we escaped in time and unmasked Ichijouji-san’s farce.”

“Oh right…” Daisuke nodded, “Then… BlackWarGreymon battles?”

“None of your fault as well” Takeru responded, “We were losing because we weren’t able to stop him, not because of your actions. Besides, it was your idea of moving the last Holy Stone to a safer place with our digivices that made Qinglongmon appear and stop his rampage.”

“Now I remember that… Um… February 2003? I remember I did something stupid…”

“Not your fault at all” V-mon said, “Pukumon and Boltmon were causing trouble, and the Daisuke Kaiser case was caused by Gomamon. And No one got hurt at all! It was thanks to you that we saved the day!”

“Hmm… March 2003?”

“That was my fault actually” Miyako sighed, “You only asked to open the gate for you and Ken-kun, but I messed this up and opened a ton of them. But… You quickly came with a backup plan and we managed to take control over the situation. Imperialdramon in a white armor wielding a sword saved everyone with theirs’ hopes fueled by your stubbornness.”

“Oh that’s right…!! And… Summer from that year?”

“Natchan wasn’t your fault at all” Gummymon raised his ear like a hand, “She was looking for a partner, thought you could be hers… But she couldn’t be yours. You calmed her down and we spent the rest of the day searching for a person to become her partner.”

“Yeah, I’m remembering now… Anything else?”

“Nothing that was your fault,” Hikari replied.

“Nothing?”

“Yeah, nothing of your concern” Takeru smiled.

“I see…”

“Actually I let you carry all my Christmas shopping” Ken laughed again, then he looked down, “I’m sorry…”

“See, none of those were your fault!” V-mon said with a smile, “So are you free from those doubts now?”

“I… I feel better…” his eyes, which were kinda dead until now, started to have highlights again. He smiled back at them all “Thank you everyone. I’m sorry for not letting you know what actually happened… And letting those thoughts corrupt me.”

“But one more question,” Ken stroked his chin, “Why would they capture this Wallace person?”

“Beats me” Daisuke shrugged, “Maybe because of some special power? I don’t understand what they meant at all...”

“... Take me to that castle” and Ken’s words made everyone stare at him in shock.

“W-what!?” Daisuke blinked, “You mean, you and me… Alone!?”

“That’s not good...” Gummymon said calmly.

“Listen, I’m Daisuke’s jogress partner and if we’re together we can use Imperialdramon. Which means we have more chances to get out quickly than dragging everyone with.”

“Ken-kun’s right,” Miyako said with a serious tone, “And I trust him and Daisuke. The rest of us could stay around and prevent the enemies from leaving the area to conquer the Digital World.”

“That’s a plan” Tailmon nodded, “We all agree with this, right?”

“Right!” the rest said.

[detectiveichijouji]

Case 33 - A Digi-Girls’ Battle

[AO3 version]

I’m always behind on everything. Hikari-chan can evolve Tailmon past Adult level without Jogress. She doesn’t need me…

The boys are always one step ahead of me too…

“School is starting soon… I don’t want to go to the third year!!” Daisuke shouted, whining. He was dramatically laying on the seat from the karaoke booth, “I’M NOT READY!!”

“Why are you making a fuss about it?” Ken complained, with a tired gaze, “We have more important problems than school grades.”

“You’re not worried at all!? This year we actually have to plan for AFTER high school!” Daisuke snapped, “IT’S! IT’S…!! COLLEGE!! THE FUTURE!! AND I’M STILL NOT SURE WHICH ONE I WANT TO ATTEND YET!!”

Tailmon commented with the others in the booth, “It’s strange seeing Daisuke, of all people, be concerned about his future.”

“True true,” they all replied with a nod.

“If I want to open my own ramen business I need to know what to do!! What if I skip college…?”

“You’re not planning to do that, are you?” Patamon asked.

“No, but… Uhh…”

“Daisuke-kun, you’re just starting the third year not becoming an adult…” Takeru tried to calm him down, with a pat on Daisuke’s head, “And most importantly, Ichijouji-kun is right about this not being a big deal right now.”

They all turned to Ken, who was also fussing with something else, except in silence.

“I know…” Daisuke frowned, “Ken is just…”

“... I’m thinking about how to end this already” Ken reiterated, “I can’t allow more people to be part of this game, or even… Let my stupid mistake as the Kaiser keep affecting other people and digimon.”

“You ok, Ken?” V-mon asked, frowning.

“Ken-chan is busy,” Wormmon replied quickly.

“Hey, you can share that burden with us” Miyako walked to Ken and put her hand on his, while he was holding the laptop’s mouse, “We’re here for you.”

“Miyako-san…” he blushed a bit when his eyes met hers.

“And we have Noel’s help too!” Daisuke added with a grin, “Noel can use his tricks and bang! Find them!

“... I don’t want to rely on him” Ken replied quickly, “Relying on a phantom thief…”

“Sometimes our allies come from unexpected places,” Takeru mused, “Like you”

“...”

“I agree,” Iori added, “And we can solve this main case quickly if we work together.”

“If Iori-kun says so…” Ken chuckled.

“I see someone smiling~” Daisuke teased him.

“Thanks, everyone” Ken’s tension has passed and he felt more relaxed on the seat.

They all giggled.

“With Dominimon’s help now we can beat stronger enemies!” V-mon looked at Armadimon and Patamon, “We wouldn’t need to worry about keeping Imperialdramon as our trump card.”

“V-mon,” Takeru interrupted him, “We need to keep Imperialdramon around, because they’re our strongest digimon evolution.”

“Huh, what do ya mean!?” Armadimon squinted his eyes, “Patamon and I are strong too, dagyaa!”

“Takeru-kun didn’t mean it as an insult,” Ken explained, “If you take a look closely at each Jogress evolution we have… Shakkoumon is our best defense, Imperialdramon is our best attacker, and Silphymon is our best support.”

“True,” Hikari agreed with a nod, and the others just watched Ken’s explanation in silence.

“So we should leave Dominimon to be our defense again,” Tailmon mused.

“...” But Miyako dropped her smile at that mention. She took her coat and Hawkmon, then walked to the entrance of the booth.

“Miyako?” Daisuke frowned, “Are you leaving right now?”

“Yeah, I promised to help at the store today… Sorry, I have to go now.”

Miyako leaves the booth with Hawkmon, and sighs. Back to the group, Hikari gets her coat and Tailmon. 

Daisuke panicked, “Hikari-chan you too?!”

“I have to talk with Taichi about something, sorry.”

And she left as well.

“... You didn’t leave because of your siblings, right Miyako-san?” Hawkmon asked her, being clutched (gently this time) in her arms.

“No, I… It’s hard,” she frowned, “Iori and Takeru-kun got Shakkoumon to evolve, and I’m not sure if… If Hikari-chan and I can evolve Silphymon too.”

“Oh…”

“And besides, Hikari-chan can evolve Tailmon without our help too, so… I guess we should focus on something else, right…?”

Hawkmon felt something was odd, Miyako didn’t like to feel she’s a burden to the others. She always wanted to be useful for everyone, and that’s why she’s still focusing on helping Koushiro with Chosen Children-related projects, like maintaining the network or helping to develop a new app to connect with the digivices and phones.

She hadn’t thought about what to do for herself yet. She was thinking about the others first. And with this, she didn’t find what stuff she wanted to do now that she had graduated from High School.

I don’ t think I’m needed anymore…

Miyako wandered aimlessly until she witnessed Lune and Lunamon nearby. Hawkmon raised an eyebrow when he and Miyako saw the girl trying to hide from something or someone.

“What are they doing, Hawkmon?” Miyako asked.

“I have no idea…”

“Hurry up, Étoile…!!” Lune whispered to herself, “You have to answer my calls…!!”

“They’re getting closer…!!”

“Oh shoot! Let’s go Lunamon,” Then she and Lunamon kept running away.

Moments later, Miyako and Hawkmon saw Soleil and Flaremon a little lost, as if they were searching for something. The girl considered going to ask him what he and Flaremon were looking for when he received a message from Koushiro.

[A fragment has been detected, it’s near your current location.]

“Maybe they’re looking for the shard…” Hawkmon mused.

“Makes sense now!!”

“Miyako-san!!” 

It was Hikari. But just as she was getting closer to Miyako and Hawkmon, Firamon and Soleil turned in their direction and attacked the girls. Hawkmon and Tailmon evolved immediately into Aquilamon and Angewomon, protecting them.

“W-what is your problem, you jerk!?” Miyako hissed.

“Wait, there’s something strange with them…!!” Angewomon blocked Flaremon’s fists with her bare hands.

“Huh?” Hikari frowned, and then her sixth sense felt something eerie coming from Soleil. She grabbed Miyako’s hand and dragged the girl with her, in silence.

Aquilamon then headbutted Flaremon, throwing him on the ground, and then the bird digimon attacked the ground, causing a thick cloud of dust to cover their strategic retreat.

“Why are we running away!?” Miyako asked, but Hikari was still guiding them all to a safer spot in the area. Once they stopped, Hikari took a breath before explaining her actions:

“I… I sensed something wrong with Soleil-kun.”

“What was it?”

“His mind was stolen.”

“Stolen?! H-how?!” 

“It doesn’t matter now, we need to contact the others,” Hikari said, while watching their digimon regrouping with them.

“Right…” Miyako replied in a nod, and the girls grabbed their phones.

It was when Miss Espimon sent them a message:

[Chosen Children, please help us! A human turned into a Rafflesimon and is going on a rampage… making… making every boy in town into her pawn!! Noel is a digimon,[] so he escaped, but… Soleil got caught and Flaremon is acting weirdly too!]

“What the…” Miyako squinted her eyes, disgruntled, “what is this, a S※per S※ntai plotline now!?”

“... All boys in town huh…” Hikari mused.

“Noel is not human, so he’s safe,” Hawkmon mused, “But I wonder what she means by Flaremon acting weirdly…”

“Maybe… Something else is controlling the digimon?” Miyako mused.

“... Dracumon” Tailmon clenched her fist.

“... We should warn the boys,” Hikari said with a serious tone. Her grip on the phone was firm, and then she started pressing the buttons on her phone, writing a message. 

Miyako nodded and dialed Ken’s phone number instead.

Lune was still trying to contact Noel, but no success. He didn’t answer her calls, and she was starting to believe he got hurt or even brainwashed as well. She spotted Daisuke and the boys came out of the karaoke bar, with the goggle boy looking completely upset with something…?

She approached them, for a second,

“Motomiya-kun, I need your help!! You can talk with Étoile right--”

But Lunamon got in front of her, with a serious gaze.

“Lunamon?”

“Don’t trust them!! They…” 

Then, Daisuke (?) tried to catch Lune and Lunamon, but the digimon headbutted him and the others who tried to catch her partner.

“They were caught too!!” Lune gasped.

“Let’s get outta here, Mizuki!!”

“A-alright!!” and then they ran away again.

They are chased by the boys, until a blue hand and a yellow paw grab them and drag the girls into an alley. When Lunamon was about to snap, Patamon covered her mouth.

“Huh? Weren’t you too brainwashed…?” Lune asked, confused.

“No,” Wormmon said in a whisper to the group of digimon and Lune, “Something happened to them when they were inside the booth.”

“Something?”

“Yeah” V-mon shrugged, “A dude entered the booth with a… weird scale-petal-or-something.”

“And then that thing spread to our partners, dagya.”

“Ken noticed them and kicked us and Iori out of the booth in time!!” Patamon added, “But Iori got caught later by a strange girl with a fake shard.”

“...Kayono…” Lune clenched her firsts, “Is there anyone else that did not get caught besides you four?”

“We didn’t hear any news from Miyako or Hikari, dagya” Armadimon replied, “Maybe…”

Lunamon bit Patamon’s paw, angrily, “Aaaaah I’m tired of playing hide and seek!!” 

“Aaa-aaah, my paw!!” Patamon cried, but not loudly to not catch attention from their human partners.

“Wait, we can deal with them” Lune glanced at the digimon, “But not Soleil, maybe if I get to work with Yagami-san and Inoue-san… ”

“What do you have in mind?” Wormmon asked, shyly.

“Ok, hear me out, Wormmon I need you to...”

The zombified-sorta 02 boys walked around, looking for Lune. Then, they spotted the girl at the entrance of the alley screaming: “MOTOMIYA-KUN AND BOYS, COME CATCH ME!! ~ ♡ ”

They ran into her direction, and she entered the alley… In which they were surprised by a sticky net falling upon them, dropped by their own digimon from the top of the building,

“MOON NIGHT BOMB!!” And then Lekismon dropped her sleeping bubble bombs on them.

They fell asleep and collapsed on the floor. Lekismon wiped her hands with a smug smile on her face.  

“Right, now let me check your pocket, Motomiya-kun” Lune took Daisuke’s phone from his hoodie’s pocket to check the phone list when she noticed a new message in the inbox, “Oh? Well, this saves me time to contact them…”

She sent a message to Hikari’s number, then she tossed the phone to V-mon, who caught it. Lune then turned to the digimon quartet “Keep an eye on your boys. I have to get back my partner-in-crime now.”

“Oh yeah,” Lekismon cracked her knuckles, “Time to save those dumbasses from some awful b--”

Lune left the alley, screaming from the distance to Lekismon, “What are you doing?? Let’s go, Lekismon!!”

“D-DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT ME!!” Lekismon hissed, but followed Lune anyway.

The digimon looked at each other and shrugged.

“I got a message from Daisuke-kun’s phone but… It’s not him” Hikari said, looking at Miyako.

“Huh?” The other three blinked.

“It’s from Lune-san…” She explained, “They all were caught. Except for their digimon…”

“This is no good…” Miyako frowned, “If this Rafflesimon is stronger… We only have Silphymon and Lekismon to fight them…”

“We… We will manage to solve it!” Hikari said, trying to calm down Miyako, “Besides, Lune-san might know something…”

“Yes, we should not lose our hopes yet!” Hawkmon added with a smile.

“Hmm… What did she say, Hikari?” Tailmon asked.

“The message says to meet her at the ferris wheel area. She got something to ask us to do.”

“Hmm…”

“Uh, sir” the eyepatched Impmon asked, glancing at the masked person, “Why are we letting that chick run amok? And why are you targeting that girl with a Lunamon?” he pouted, “Rafflesimon probably got that detective brat you’re soooooo interested in!!”

“... Because she’s connected to Arsenemon, that’s why. I have to make that dirty digimon to pay for ruining my plans.”

“Yours…? I thought they were ‘ours’ -- Me and Naito included!!”

“Ah, right right. ‘Our’ plans.”

He didn’t sound happy with that. But why…?

Meanwhile, Hikari and Miyako just met with Lune at the ferris wheel area. They were still trying to avoid being caught by Soleil and Flaremon, or cross paths with Rafflesimon.

“Lune-san!” Hikari exclaimed, she and Miyako plus their partner digimon ran in the girl’s direction, “What happened to Soleil-kun?”

“...” But Lune did not want to answer that, she immediately changed the subject, “Your friends were caught by… A friend of mine, Kayono.”

“A friend?” Miyako raised an eyebrow.

“Look, we were classmates in middle school. She liked to flirt with boys. She hit on someone I liked. We had a fight, and then we never talked after that ever again.”

“So… That explains why she’s targeting boys,” Hawkmon mused, “Rafflesimon can turn her enemies into servants by shedding her scales on them.”

“But why is she targeting you then?” Tailmon went straight to the point.

“...” Lune felt hesitant to answer that, “Your friends, Motomiya-kun and the others are fine. Lekismon put them to sleep and their digimon are watching them for us.”

“You’re hiding something here,” Tailmon squinted her eyes.

“I don’t need to tell you anything else!” she snapped, “Just… Just help me to beat her and get Soleil… Youta back.”

“We will, we need to save Daisuke-kun and the others too,” Hikari added with a serious gaze.

“We… We can do this” Miyako said, but deep down she was weak and insecure. Silphymon cannot evolve, can they? Would Jogress work if she is feeling bad like this??

Hikari-chan can do this alone, Tailmon can evolve further, without Aquilamon and me…

“Rafflesimon is a  final level digimon” Lekismon said, “We could get a chance if you distract her and let me use my bubble bombs on her.”

“... Ultimate level means we’re at disadvantage” Tailmon mused, “Silphymon and Angewomon are perfect level, and Lekismon is adult level… We would have to break the mind control and ask Daisuke and Ken to use Imperialdramon against her.”

“But if we can’t do that…” Miyako whispered, “It’s all game over for us…”

“We have to try!” Lekismon stomped her foot on the floor, like the bun she is, “This isn’t time for showing weakness!!”

“We couldn’t contact Étoile too” Lune sighed, “We will have to ask Miss Espimon to help us too.”

“Ken-san had direct contact with Noel-san though,” Hawkmon added, “But she sent a message to Hikari-san and Miyako-san to warn us about Rafflesimon.”

“Oh right!” Miyako then grabbed her phone, “If we get Arsenemon to help us, maybe we have a chance!” and she dialed the phone which Miss Espimon used to send the message.

She managed to call Miss Espimon but not Noel, sadly.

Suddenly, Rafflesimon was informed about the whereabouts of Lune, from one of her brainwashed-servants. The vile girl switched forms, back to her human form -- neck length brown hair, deep pink eye color, and a few strands of her hair were tied with a crimson ribbon.

She was called by the same boy who was Daisuke’s friend (Matsuno Takato) and he whispered to her something: 

“Your former friend, Mizuki, was spotted at the ferris wheel.”

“Oh? This makes things easier for me now~ Good job, Matsuno-kun~”

The masked faux Kaiser came in, with Dracumon next to them.

“I don’t know what Mizuki had done for a gentleman like you to ask me a favor, but I want a date in return~”

“... Sorry, but I’m not interested in going on a date with you,” the other said, calmly, “And your trick cannot work on me.”

“Hmph, fine. I have Youta-kun already!”

“I’m only interested in one person and only one person: Ichijouji Ken-kun.”

“Alright, alright~ I will punish Mizuki for getting involved with the famous genius boy for you.”

“Geez, why is Noel-kun not answering!?” Miyako pouted, looking at Miss Espimon, “Is he brainwashed too and you’re avoiding telling us?!”

“No! He’s not!” Miss Espimon was there now, and she hissed at Miyako, “He… He suddenly stopped responding. That’s all.”

“I’m concerned…” Hikari frowned, looking at the girls and their digimon, “Why wouldn’t he answer us…?”

“It’s not something to worry about,” Tailmon said with a serious gaze at the girl, “at least not now.”

“Yeah, Tailmon is right,” Lune nodded, “We got more problems to deal with, we don’t need more things to care about here. Étoile can handle things by himself pretty well.”

“We need to attract Rafflesimon and distract her to put her to sleep and snatch the fake fragment from her, correct?” Hawkmon was recapping the plan, to be sure everyone understood it.

“Yeah!” Lunamon replied with a grin, “A good dose of my sleeping bubble-bombs can hit even a Final-level digimon for a few minutes, heheh!”

“I can’t believe we can’t get more help for this…” Miyako muttered to herself, she was a bit tense… Going against a strong digimon enemy with only a Jogress digimon, an Adult-level digimon and Miss Espimon sounded quite tricky.

She was about to suggest to Hikari ditch the Jogress and focus on using Holydramon, but Hikari herself put a hand on Miyako’s shoulder after noticing Miyako spacing out due to stress.

“We can’t use the Jogress if you’re trembling like that,” Hikari’s voice was soft and calming. It relieved her heart somehow. Her hand on Miyako’s shoulder felt warm.

“I always worked as Soleil’s support in battles and missions” Lune said, and although she looked serene outside, inside she was unstable like stormy weather, “I’m not a good fighter. But if we manage to break him out of this we could use his power to beat Rafflesimon.”

“We’re not powerful like Imperialdramon either,” Tailmon added, “But if we combine our forces we might make the difference.”

Make the difference…? -- Miyako thought, frowning -- Yeah, you say it so, but Silphymon cannot evolve… And if we’re fighting a Final-level digimon… We need Ken-kun and Daisuke’s help after all…

“I thought you girls were a little more tougher than those birdbrained dudes” Lunamon shrugged, “Mizuki, we’re in real trouble without Noel’s help after all.”

“W-what do you mean by that!?” Hawkmon snapped, and it was really really rare to see him do that, “Of course we’re strong enough for that! We just don’t go recklessly into battle like you’re implying here!”

“Geez, you’re implying we go recklessly wrecking things?! We got a nerd on our team, you know??”

“Why are you trying to pick a fight with us?” Tailmon stared at Lunamon with a murderous gaze. You don’t mess with Tailmon or her friends, including her jogress partner Hawkmon.

“I said--” Lune covered her partner’s mouth.

“ENOUGH!” Miyako shouted, making everyone look at her, “I don’t understand you at all! You ask our help and now you’re--”

“Lunamon does that when she’s nervous”, Lune explained. “It’s a bad habit. Sorry. Lunamon, please apologize now.”

She uncovered the digimon’s mouth, “Sorry, yeah… I’m concerned about us not being able to pass by Flaremon.”

“Huh…?”

“Like… he’s just standing in front of us right at the entrance.”

“W-WHAT!?”

“And you didn’t tell us this whole time!?” Miyako hissed. But she took her digivice and glanced at Hikari, “Hikari-chan!”

“Ok, Miyako-san!”

Hawkmon evolved into Aquilamon. Then, the digivices’ colors changed, becoming a matched pair and then released lights which formed the Jogress Holy Ring for its execution -- Aquilamon and Tailmon turned into light beams and waltzed in a helix shape. Once the lights hit the Jogress Ring, Silphymon emerged from its top.

“We have to stop him as well, Lunamon!” Lune said, grabbing her digivice.

“Righto!” Lunamon nodded.

Lunamon evolve to… Lekismon!!

Flaremon was still acting strangely, of course. Silphymon could deal with him as they’re a Perfect-level digimon too, and Lekismon would’ve been able to use her sleeping bubble-bombs on him. The lion-man digimon dashed into their direction, ready to capture the girls when Silphymon kicked him with one of their bird legs, forcing Flaremon to step back.

“No, you won’t!” Silphymon (Aquilamon side) said, seriously.

“Get out,” Soleil said, “This is about Master Kayono and Mizuki.”

“Huh??” Hikari and Miyako then turned to the other girl, who bit her lip.

“Soleil, wake up! She’s using you!!” then Luna snapped, “You’re better than this!”

“...”

“Now, Lekismon!!” Miss Espimon whispered to the bun digimon.

“Moon Night Bomb!!”

Lekismon threw a few of her hypnotic bubbles from her gloves at Soleil and Flaremon,  but the lion-man digimon destroyed them with lion-shaped energy waves concentrated from his flames -- the Crimson Beast King Wave technique.

“W-what!?” Lekismon gulped.

“Try again!” Hikari suggested, and glanced at Silphymon, “Help Lekismon, Silphymon!”

“Alright!” Silphymon said with their dual voice.

“You shouldn’t get in Master Kayono’s way…!”

Flaremon then used his purifying roar to stop Silphymon, and said technique was burning the opponent’s with its shockwaves. Oddly, Flaremon didn’t seem to be using it fully… But why?

“You can’t be serious, Youta!!” Miss Espimon snapped, “What’s wrong with you?! I thought you were helping us against the bad guys?!”

“I will do everything for--”

“ENOUGH!!” Lune shouted this time, “I won’t run away this time…!! If Kayono wants to hurt me, then better she do it by herself and not by using you against us!”

A woman’s laugh was heard, and then… The girl called Kayono appeared alongside the masked faux Kaiser.

“Oh it’s you. ” Miyako gritted her teeth, “Of course it’s you playing with innocent lives again…!!”

“Kayono!” Lune said with a confused face that the girl seemed normal, but she couldn’t spot anything like a shard in Kayono’s hand or attire, “Please get out of this…!!”

“She won’t hear you,” the fake Kaiser said, “The experiment had been a success. Now, after all the trouble you and your precious Arsenemon friend had caused to me…”

“I won’t let you hurt Youta, my friends or me!” Lune said, enraged. She was so sure about what to do now… She had to save Soleil at all costs.

“We need to take the fragment off Kayono-san so everyone get back to normal right?” Hikari smiled at Lune, “Then… Let’s go, Miyako-san, Lune-san.”

“Alright girls” Lune smirked, “Leave Soleil and Flaremon to Lekismon and me.”

“I bet you can’t find it,” the faux Kaiser shrugged.

“Say it once we obliterate you, faker!” Miyako clenched her fists.

Kayono hmphed, and then switched forms to Rafflesimon again.

“With a weak digimon like yours can you beat me??” Rafflesimon scoffed, “Pathetic you have been siding up with someone like Mizuki.”

“Oh shut up for a second!!” Miyako hissed, “Silphymon, time to snatch the shard from that annoying brat!”

“Espimon, can you detect where it is, please?” Hikari asked.

“Right!! Searching Mode… ON!!”

Miss Espimon’s eyes flashed and the light coming from them scanned Rafflesimon’s body. But the digi-cyborg flinched once discovering where the fragment was!!

“What’s wrong?” Miyako asked.

“It’s… inside her body…!! The fragment was inserted inside her body!!”

“WHAT?!”

“... She’s right,” Silphymon (Tailmon side) affirmed with a nod at Miyako, “My visor caught the signals coming inside that girl’s body.”

“B-but how can we get it now?!” Miyako panicked, “There’s no way we could… We could solve this by ourselves!!”

“Miyako-san!” Hikari glanced at the other girl, “Hang in there, please!”

“But…!!”

“Do anything with them,” the fake Kaiser said, then he turned back, “I will look for Ichijouji Ken, my worthy opponent.”

“!!!” Miyako’s eyes widened, she felt afraid of whoever that person wanted to do with Ken. If she couldn’t beat Rafflesimon… She would never save Ken, Iori, Daisuke and Takeru…!!

“Ah, I can bring him here” Rafflesimon smirked, “They’re part of my hivemind, I can--”

“TOP GUN!!”

A sphere of energy was shot from Silphymon’s hands (by Aquilamon side) and made the villainess turn her head to the small jogress digimon in front of her.

“How dare you!!”

Flaremon was already facing Lekismon in the background, with Miss Espimon’s assistance. His speed was somehow better than Lekismon, but the warrior bun refused to give up on it. She and Lune had to stop them!

“Soleil, snap out of it!!” Lune shouted, desperately and her voice quivering. 

But now the boy was not answering her anymore.

“Mot Bomb!!” “Tear Arrow!!”

Oddly, this had some effect on Flaremon. Lune whispered “It’s working??”

“We won’t let you touch one single finger on Ken-kun!” Miyako shouted, making Hikari blink.

“Tsc, you can’t beat me, I have an army. What can a single pathetic girl do against me?”

“Silphymon! Get her back to normal!”

“Alright!” Silphymon (Aquilamon’s side) replied, and nodded. Then, they went directly to attack Rafflesimon with a Dual Sonic technique -- crashing their speed into a shock wave in her direction.

That attack kinda made a scratch on the opponent, somehow.

“It’s working?!” Miyako gasped, “Then…!!”

“Ballet Gun!!” Rafflesimon fired her long sleeves against Silphymon, who dodged for a single moment from the rapid fire. Except she was smarter and was positioning the flower reflectors to ricochet the projectiles onto Silphymon and the girls.

“W-what!?” Silphymon said in unison. Then they got hit, “OOF!”

“Silphymon!” the girls screamed.

“Ugh…!!” But the jogress digimon refused to give in right now.

“How stubborn you are! But it won’t last!” Rafflesimon scoffed again, then aimed at the girls. She shot against Miyako and Hikari.

“Miyako-san!” “Hikari!” Silphymon gasped, the two sides of the composed digimon were in shock. Then Silphymon dashed into their partners, and tried to stop that shot with their bare hands.

Miyako was petrified, but Hikari shoved her to the ground. Hikari was definitely sure it would hit her, so she closed her eyes and hoped for a miracle. Miyako was still in shock, wishing desperately that she could do something. This was resonating deep down in Silphymon’s core.

It was when… her digivice and Miyako’s threw beams of light on Silphymon. And thus… 

Something unexpected happened.

Silphymon, ultimate-evolve!! Valkyrimon!

A beam of light surrounded Silphymon and then other two lights in red and pink danced in the shape of a helix as the digimon jumped into the red Jogress ring. From there, a gorgeous androgynous-looked like figure with a golden bird flying around them -- Valkyrimon -- came out of it.

Valkyrimon threw an unerring arrow at the projectile, destroying it, before it could reach Hikari. The girls looked in front of them, at their majestic jogress.

“Silphymon… evolved…” Miyako was in awe, while Hikari was speechless.

“Huh… You’re definitely different now, got a growth spurt?”

Valkyrimon paid their blabbering opponent no mind.

“I can get the fragment out of her body,” Valkyrimon (Tailmon’s side) said, “But might be a little trickish.”

“Can you?” Hikari asked.

“I’d love to see you try then!” Rafflesimon laughed, “Ballet Gun!!”

The next set of projectiles were fired against the gallant warrior, who did not move until the next instance. Valkyrimon smirked then dodged the projectiles while they fired more arrows against those, destroying them before they reached the reflectors or the others. Meanwhile, Lekismon and Miss Espimon kept using all the brute force they had to exhaust Flaremon and make him devolve.

It seemed like their strategy was working. And Lune kept noticing something happening with Flaremon -- he was restraining his attacks. The attacks used by him were getting weaker and weaker. Was he resisting… whoever was controlling him?

“Impossible!!” Rafflesimon gasped, trembling in fear

“We will end this right now!!” Valkyrimon (Aquilamon side) shouted, and then wielded their sword.

“Wait, don’t tell me they'll--” Miyako blurted out, eyes widened once she realized what this could mean.

“FENRIR SWORD!!” 

Valkyrimon dashed into the speed of light and slashed Rafflesimon in an instant. Kayono felt something inside shattering, and thus the cold as if she had gotten ill. The evolution has done and she returned to her original form, a single human being.

Is she dead? 

Everyone glanced at the fallen girl being caught by the radiant warrior, gently.

“W-what did you… do…?” Kayono used her last strength to talk.

“You gotta be kidding me!!” Miyako snapped, while Hikari was just in shock and her hands covering her mouth.

Soleil suddenly felt dizzy, and he walked until Lune, falling in her arms. The spell was undone, but at what cost?

“GAH, YOU KILLED THE HUMAN!” Lekismon and Miss Espimon panicked.

“It’s okay,” Valkyrimon turned to the others, and with Tailmon’s voice, they said, “We know what we’re doing.”

“W-what do you mean!?” Lune babbled, also terrified by that move.

Valkyrimon then started to glow, their hand was put over the girl’s chest. Slowly, the wounds and cold pale skin started to get more vivid again, pinkish and warm. Kayono then opened her eyes, confused about what had just happened.

“W-what… How…” Miyako exclaimed.

“I see…!!” Miss Espimon said, stroking her chinless face, “Valkyrimon can resurrect the fallen with their powers. So they killed the human for a few seconds in order to destroy the fake shard inside their body! Huhu, that was a gamble!”

“That’s a relief…!” Hikari smiled, then her muscles relaxed after that tension caused by the fight and by Valkyrimon’s risky strategy to beat the case.

“Ugh… My head…” Soleil opened his eyes, slowly. He didn’t realize he was still in Lune’s arms though… But the moment he noticed it… she embraced him in a hug, “W-what??”

“Don’t dare to do something that stupid again!” she said, hugging him tightly. But her voice tone was threatening though. Hikari looked at them and was quite confused by that behavior.

“Uh, guys…” Lekismon interrupted them, pointing out to Flaremon, who was still acting weirdly.

“...!!”

Flaremon tried to attack them, only to get Valkyrimon stop him at the speed of light, and kicked him away from the others.

“Flaremon… He got possessed…!” Soleil said, staring at his partner. The girls and Valkyrimon looked at the beast man digimon.

“Possessed!?” Miyako repeated, “Like… the same time Daisuke was used as a vessel for a creepy digimon?”

“Hmm… So you’ve noticed it.”  Flaremon said, with a strange voice instead, “Seems like the Kaiser-guy failed… Again.”

“Huh, so you’re affiliated to that jerk too!” Miyako clenched her fist.

“Seriously, if you want someone to make a job for you… Do it yourself.”

Flaremon (?) was about to attack when…

“UN DEUX TROIS!”

Arsenemon appeared and used a shield field around the kids and their digimon to separate them from Flaremon (?).

“Ah, here you are… Arsenemon.”

“Excusez-moi, but I did not come alone,” he snapped his fingers and suddenly HolyAgemon emerged from a portal.

“HOLY DISINFECTION!!” The surprise-attack from the angel digimon hit Flaremon, who expelled the digimon possessing him out of his body. Flaremon reverted back to Sunmon due to exhaustion though.

It was the same digimon who had attacked Daisuke once.

“IT’S THAT GUY AGAIN!?” Miyako exclaimed. Hikari only gasped in silence.

“Kh… Hahaha… You have the guts, Arsenemon” the digimon vanished like dust, but their voice echoed, “We will meet again!!”

“W-where have you been!?” Lekismon snapped, her pout should tell she was mad with him.

“I was doing a little more research on our opponents, pardon mademoiselle.”

“Who’s that digimon, Arsenemon?” Valkyrimon (Aquilamon side) asked.

“Our biggest concern, mis Digisauveurs. I suspect they might be behind those attacks and using humans for that mischief.”

“Hmmm…”

“HolyAngemon is here but…” Hikari turned to the flamboyant phantom thief, “Where’s Takeru-kun and the others?”

“I left them in a safer place, considering the faux Kaiser was looking for monsieur Ichijouji.”

“Alright,” Miyako said, “share the information with us all. Let’s meet in that safer place you mentioned.”

Meanwhile they talked, Soleil took the weakened Sunmon from the floor and smiled at him, “I thought I’d have to lose you again…”

Hikari heard him, and went over, “Are you okay, Soleil-kun?” In the background, Valkyrimon jogress reverted into Tailmon and Hawkmon.

“Yeah, sort of” he answered, softly and differently from his usual snarky remarks.

“You seem like this wasn’t the first time it happened,” Tailmon approached, “Could you explain?”

“... Right, I’ll do it. We will do it,” he replied, looking at Arsenemon and Lune.

[dragonandtiger]

Dreaming To Reality: Oneiromancy Chapter Thirty Two - 05

The question was cut off and answered by a massive beam of energy shooting across the sky, blinding even on the monitor screen. It narrowly missed Zhuqiaomon, burning off just the barest fringe of his flaming feathers. Instead, it struck a cluster of his troops approaching on a mountain peak.

In an instant the Digimon and the entire mountain peak they had been standing on were simply no longer there.

Ken looked as though he had swallowed a bug as Imperialdramon drifted into view, with Daisuke standing defiantly on his partner’s head, holding Imperialdramon’s horn to stabilize himself as his golden eyes blazed with hatred.

“Yes,” Osamu said before he popped another bite of cereal in his mouth.

Ken felt his blood run cold before he started to reach for his Digivice. “I’ve got to…” he faltered when he realized he didn’t have his device, then let out a curse. “We have to go right now-”

“No,” Osamu said, watching the screen. He didn’t bother to look back at Ken, but he could feel the way his little brother gawked at him in shock and outrage. “Especially not you.”

“What are you saying!?” Ken demanded to know. “I need to-”

“Get yourself killed?” Osamu asked.

Ken paused at that. “Huh?”

“That’s what’ll happen,” Osamu replied, impassively. “Zhuqiaomon wants you dead. He’ll kill you on sight. Same as FlaWizarmon and Witchmon, and me by extension.”

Ken faltered. “That… but I need to… we need to…”

“We need to stay out of this, if the others have any hope of talking their way out of this,” Osamu replied. “The very second we show up, that hope dies. There’s far too much bad blood on either side for peace to be an option.”

“This is Zhuqaimon, Ken-chan,” FlaWizarmon said as he glanced towards Ken. “And most of the Devas have been reborn, save for his three that Kaiser-kun killed in the Dark Ocean.” A thought struck him, causing him to pause, before his stitched mouth twisted in a grimace. “…Er, make that four Devas.”

Ken was about to open his mouth to question what that meant when the memory of Andiramon being devoured by the tainted Wormmon in his Armagemon form flickered into mind. He flinched and gave a small shudder, closing his eyes. After a moment, he slowly opened them to stare helplessly at the screen. “And Baihumon? Is he there?”

[variouscolors-old]

[ TACKLE ] -[from daisuke]

To be Held - prompts (list)

[ TACKLE ] - sender (playfully) tackles receiver into a hug.

You know when you have those dark days when nothing seems right and your depression is plaguing you with terrible thoughts, the deepest and scariest thoughts, because the day at work was bad and you just messed things up with someone so bad that you feel like this time it's not going to get better?

Yes, it was what poor Rui was feeling right now. He just opened the door of the Yamatoya Ramen restaurant (on a Tuesday, so it was actually Motomiya Ramen turn in the week) and sat in his usual spot.

“Sigh…”

Ukkomon was also there, but silent. He left Rui sitting there and went to talk with Daisuke and V-mon, without Rui noticing it.

“Daisuke, I have to ask you a favor,” Ukkomon started, “Rui… He had a spat with his cousin at work and he got a little upset with everything, so could you… cheer him up?”

Daisuke and V-mon looked at each other, then back to Ukkomon and nodded in return.

“I messed things up… Again,” Rui muttered, his head lying on the counter table.

“Rui!”

“Huh…?”

“Get ready!”

“... ready to wh–?”

Daisuke just tackled him in a hug and almost sent him to the ground, but Daisuke’s strong athletic arms and strength held him tightly.

“??!?!?!?!?!”

“Sorry, you looked like you needed a hug I think,” the other chuckled.

“A-ah… Thanks?”

“What happened?”

"My cousin's husband asked what color our new cupcake flavor should be, and my cousin and I had an argument. She always had been nice and kind to me, so it bugged me that we had a fight for something like that."

“Hmm… I see.”

“I’m afraid she might hate me for that, she’s the owner so her opinion must prevail.”

“But if her husband asked your opinion too, this means yours is also important. Maybe if you talk with her and reach a consensus you guys might forgive each other for that.”

“Oh… R-right. I forgot that you guys said something about… Fighting is a test to your bonds with others, right?”

“Yeah, if everyone agreed with each other on everything, the world wouldn’t be full of flavors. It would be boring, don’t ya think? People having different tastes is what makes me work harder to find the best recipe to offer them.”

“...?”

“Like, Iori hates tomatoes, Miyako and Hikari have a sweet tooth, and you don’t like things that are overly sweet, right?”

“True…”

“I might like everything you serve on my plate, I’m not picky, but even I struggle with something I like less. And I’m pretty sure Ken and Takeru don’t mind anything either, but even they have their own limits.”

“Oh…”

“BUT! I know one thing everyone is in agreement with! That y’all love my ramen! And that y’all get along despite our own tastes.”

Rui laughed lightly.

“Why are you talking about food?” Ukkomon tilted his head.

“Because food is the universal language of love,” V-mon added, immediately.

“Food and love…” Rui and Ukkomon repeated, vaguely.

“Yeah, I’ve learned a lot in this place! Ken joked that I’m looking one of those wise old men who sells street food in a food cart!” Daisuke chuckled, “And I guess this is what I want to do.”

“To be a wise man who sells street food in a food cart?” Ukkomon blinked.

“No, to own my own ramen cart!”

“He’s definitely not wise enough for the rest of that part” V-mon shrugged.

“O-oi, of course I am wise enough for the rest of it!!” Daisuke growled.

Rui laughed again. And instead of Daisuke getting angry, he smiled. Sometimes, being teased by V-mon was the cure for a gloomy day. Making someone smile was worth the teasing. And V-mon didn't want to offend him, that was their thing.

“Are ya feelin’ better now?” Daisuke asked.

“Yeah, thank you guys.”

[koushirouizumi]

Meanwhile with DigiAdvs {+02} O.C.s

SHANE, FINALLY... Reaching Hikaru's home: (At night) Shane, properly standing outside Hikaru's home: Shane: S h a n e: (*quiet but firm knocking, enough that it won't wake Hikaru's whole family up, but likely Hikaru will hear, because*) SHANE: (*KNOWS Hikaru is a Night Owl*)--- Hikaru, Right on Cue: (*Opening... Door*) ... SHANE: ... HIKARU: ... Hikaru: O-Oh! You're here... Shane: ... Yeah. Hikaru, Concerned: ...Is something happening? Shane: ... Kind of. It'll take way too long to explain, but... Shane: ... I wanted to let you know first. Hikaru: ... Hikaru: OK. Do you want to come insid--- Shane, Unnerved at thought: Just here is fine. Hikaru: We can sit here, then. (*sits on steps*) Shane, following, Sitting Next To: ... Hikaru: I heard a little of what was happening before, but as for "now"... Shane: I know. Shane: ... I... have to go away for a bit again. Hikaru: ... Hikaru: "A bit"? (Not A Short Time?) Shane: ... Yeah. (Not A Short Time.) Hikaru, letting out a small breath: ... I see. Shane: ... You deserve to know. Before I... leave again. I'm sorry I... couldn't tell you before. Hikaru: HIKARU: I don't like that. Shane: ... Uh?? (*sTARTLE, BLINK*)-- H I K A R U: YOU'RE the one who died. HIKARU: You didn't deserve any of that!! It's not your fault that happened to you...!! ! Hikaru: ... Shane: ... Shane: Y-Yeah. Hikaru: I kept waiting. A long time... all through the end of elementary and middle school... waiting to see if you'd reach out online again. And when you didn't... Hikaru: I assumed "something" must have happened to you. Hikaru: So I researched. A lot. I kept up with coding, even if I wasn't sure it'd be completely helpful in locating you. But I realized... Hikaru: I actually grew to enjoy it on my own, too. So I kept pursuing it for myself. Shane: ...Yeah. You had a lot of fun with that site. HIKARU: AND talking to you!! SHANE: ... Hikaru: It was really fun. I think it was some of the most fun of my life so far... and, you "mean" something to me, too. In a unique but "different" way... but "different" from what a lot may perceive that as... does that make sense?? Shane: ... Yeah. (*Nodding*) It does. Shane: And... I'm kind of grateful, too. Hikaru: ... ??? Shane: The "bond" I have with you is important to me too... and I don't want to lose you... Because... I don't think I could stand to lose someone important (again). Hikaru, Never completely learnt about Shane's past relations: ... Shane: But... if you ever have to go somewhere someday... its fine. (I'll be ok. WE'LL Be OK.) Hikaru, smiling: ... The same for you. SHANE: ... Hikaru: ..But you know which e-mail address YOU can reach me at. Shane: (... -- Hikaru still has it.) Hikaru: It never got deleted in all those purges. (*Light laughter*) We saved yours, too... in case you needed it again. SHANE: ... I do. Need. That. Hikaru: For what you're about to do? Shane: YEAH... Hikaru: Let's reinstate it, then. But... you'll have something tying you to "this world" again. SHANE: It's ok. Do it. Please. Hikaru: You don't even need to ask! Shane: (I wanted to.) {Watching as Hikaru sets Shane's old address back up} Hikaru: So.... "Skateboard"... and the numbers. SHANE, GROANING INTERNALLY: I'm sorry it was so standard. (I can't even skateboard now. And it's not like I was really great at it before.) Hikaru: It's ok. I liked typing it out! SHANE: ... (This is why it was nice talking to Hikaru.) (Among... elsewise) SHANE: ... If it's done... Yeah... I have to go. Hikaru: I know. Shane: ... This will probably always be happening to me in some way, but... I'll always try to come back. Hikaru: I know! Hikaru: See you ... next year? Shane: I'll try. For "next year". And... Hikaru: ??? Shane, fading out: Tell DAISUKE and Ken I still need to finish playing against them in their "game"! SHANE, HOLDING UP DIGIVICE: AND I'LL WIN "THIS ONE"! SHANE, In OTHER hAND, Holding TAICHI+DAISUKEs GOGGLES: (*one-handed PUTS ON*) HIKARU, LAUGHING, HOLDING UP D3 IN SILVER, GOLD AND PINK, & PHONE DIGIVICE TOO: I WILL!! SHANE (+HIKARU, IN MIND): "DIGITAL GATE, OPEN!!!"

[shihalyfie]

A guide to the 02 kids’ personalities and overall demeanors

I’ve already covered the deeper details of each 02 kid’s character arc and development throughout the series, but I figured I might dedicate a more specific post about the complexities of their outer personalities, and their behavior patterns on a day-to-day basis. 02 is the kind of series that doesn’t really spell out what the characters tend to do or don’t tend to do, or what boundaries they will and won’t cross, which means it can be a bit of a challenging task to track their behavior over fifty episodes and figure out the patterns. Fortunately, these characters are written remarkably consistently over said episodes, so we have a lot to work with!

Disclaimer before we continue: In general, all of my 02-based meta is specifically written for the Japanese version in mind, but this especially applies to this one, because the majority of the nuances of the demeanor and personality traits described below were not retained in the American English dub at all (please see this post for more detail). As a result, please understand that if you’re working from the perspective of having only seen that dub, and the contents of the below post sound completely different, that would be why.

Daisuke and V-mon

Believe it or not, I would say that Daisuke is actually the most difficult to nail the nuances of out of this entire cast. This is probably a really weird thing to hear when the usual fandom mantra is that he’s “flat” or “lacking in development”, but I think the deceptive part is that while he’s simple-minded and himself doesn’t think in complex terms, analyzing his behavior as a whole and how he approaches things actually involves a lot of very delicate balances, and getting that exactly right can be very easy to mess up. Daisuke’s not a rude jerk who looks down on anyone, not in the slightest -- but he’s also not a saint who can do no wrong, either!

I think the easiest analogy (which I’ve brought up several times on this blog already) is that Daisuke is like a puppy, but not just any puppy -- a tiny puppy that barks very loudly at anything it perceives as threatening (regardless of whether it’s actually threatening), makes its feelings very clear with obvious likes and dislikes, and can do some phenomenally stupid things in a bid to please others, but in the end means no malice and only wants you to be happy.

This is to the point where I’m just going to have to bullet-point this, because there’s so much going on at once:

Excessively emotional: One of Daisuke’s earliest profiles refers to him as having “an excessively large range of human emotions”, and really, a lot of the humor surrounding him has to do with the fact he has incredibly dramatic, overblown reactions to nearly everything around him. So if he gets a little annoyed or suspicious of people making fun of him, he tends to get really dramatic about being upset, and when he experiences only a minor setback, he acts like it’s the end of the world, and when he’s emotionally hurt, he sometimes even gets set on the verge of crying (you can especially hear this in Kiuchi Reiko’s delivery). Even Daisuke himself doesn’t tend to get caught up in it for too long and gets over things surprisingly quickly, so you can take it as him just constantly being too wrapped up in the mood -- but when it really is a serious situation, he gets truly emotionally invested in it, too.

Too easy to read: Because Daisuke wears his heart on his sleeve and is dramatic about everything, he’s awful at hiding anything. Any attempt at trickery or trying to disguise his intentions quickly blows up in his face because he’s too simple-minded and too transparent.

Not malicious: Daisuke only ever lashes out or gets angry at others when he thinks others are doing something he disapproves of, or when he thinks he’s being attacked; he’s very warm and kind to everyone otherwise (even in the earliest parts of the series, when he’s at his roughest, you might notice he’s very soft around Chibimon, as if understanding that his partner is now in a very small and delicate form and needs to be treated accordingly). In other words, Daisuke is very quick to get defensive, but he has no malice or reason to be condescending towards anyone otherwise, and he’s perfectly friendly with people even when they’d provoked him earlier (because he doesn’t really hold grudges). He doesn’t attack people without reason; even when he voices dissent against what someone is doing, he very rarely, if ever, insults a person or their character directly. Even when he’s trying to state his opinions (such as when he bids for the others to accept Ken), he never forces them down others’ throats and accepts that they disagree with him, even if he’s clearly not happy with their disagreement.

Easily critical and suspicious: Daisuke is a very bluntly straightforward and honest person, and he seems to get most set off by people who act suspicious; note how his early-series outbursts towards Takeru tend to be when Takeru’s acting evasive, and in Hurricane Touchdown, he catches onto Wallace’s shady behavior even before he starts flirting with Miyako (Daisuke’s own method of trying to seem attractive to others involves just “doing something cool and hoping it’ll impress others”, so he seems to dislike the concept of flirting as a whole). Because of that, he catches easily onto “things looking off”, so he tends to call it out (even if sometimes he’s overdoing it and there isn’t actually anything significant to be upset about).

Supportive and adoring of others: Other than the moments when he gets set off, fundamentally speaking, Daisuke likes other people, is perfectly willing to acknowledge them or heap praise on them when they do something awesome, and generally cares for their well-being. He’s easily defers to others when he understands they’re better than him at something, and he even has a decently realistic scope of his limits (see how he’s perfectly aware he’s likely to lose the soccer game in 02 episode 8, and figures he might as well enjoy the experience). This is even taken to its logical conclusion in the Kizuna drama CD when he “credits” his friends for giving him amazing and insightful advice when all of it was actually pretty ordinary stuff they’d done offhandedly. It also means that, given his penchant for getting emotionally invested in everything, he has a huge emotional stake in making sure his friends are doing okay, and supports them accordingly.

Deferential to seniors/elders: Tying into the above, you may notice that Daisuke takes a properly respectful and soft tone towards his elders and seniors in nearly all occasions, even to the point of occasionally using proper polite-form language around them. All things considered, Daisuke is a pretty well-behaved kid.

Constantly getting strung around: As much as Daisuke looks like he’s aggressive, in actuality, it’s very easy to get him to back down if you argue against him strongly enough, and since he has such a “the heck is that?!” attitude all of the time, you can see him constantly getting strung around and at the mercy of things happening around him. That doesn’t mean he doesn’t have enough will to put his foot down when it becomes a really important subject (especially in the second half of the series), but it’s very often when he’ll be talked down by others around him and shrink with an “oh...okay...” In fact, this is why a lot of his actions aren’t nearly as reckless as they might be otherwise; as much as he’s a bit hot-headed and likes to lead the attack, he also has a sense of self-preservation and intimidation when things look a bit too dangerous, and will only push forward in such a case when there’s something he really believes in at the other side of it.

Lacking in self-awareness and insecure as a result: While Daisuke doesn’t have any signs of persistent self-hatred (on the contrary, there are times he arguably comes off as overconfident), it also seems that he has practically zero awareness of how he himself is doing -- which means that he ends up rolling over like an idiot trying to get others’ approval and trying to impress them, even when it’d be clear to anyone else that he already has that approval. This also likely ties into the fact that he’s perfectly capable of acknowledging others’ accomplishments and skills (see above), so you might even think that the problem isn’t so much that he thinks he’s bad as much as he keeps comparing himself to people he perceives as being that much more awesome. (Perhaps symbolic of this, he apparently has a complex over being shorter than Takeru and Ken, despite the fact that he seems to be of perfectly average height for a kid his age.) It seems that his only bar for how he’s doing is dependent on everyone’s reactions around him, hence why his ridiculous antics are significantly less pronounced when he has proper emotional support and friends to keep him in check. It’s also important to consider that this applies to his apparent crush on Hikari as well; his crush mainly manifests in wanting her approval very badly, and it’s mostly visible in terms of him losing a ton of brain cells in her presence and bending over backwards to please her or impress her. He never actually says in words that he’s interested in her, nor does he ever show signs of intending to seriously ask her out, so it’s something that’s only apparent because of this behavior, and it’s very likely he hasn’t even seriously thought through what would happen if she actually accepted him in return. You can basically see this as an extreme version of the way Daisuke tries to get approval from everyone else, and this trait of his noticeably dies down whenever there’s more important things at hand, or when he seems to be in the midst of getting proper validation from those around him.

Simple-minded and pragmatic: What’s usually referred to as Daisuke being an “idiot” comes from the fact he doesn’t play well with complex thinking, tends to settle for very simple explanations or answers, and more thoughtful types like Ken or Iori will often have to fill that part in for him. However, because Daisuke is so simple-minded, he’s sometimes the most pragmatic person in the group, because he doesn’t overthink things or get principles of theory caught up into everything. So if Ken is clearly not showing any indication of doing bad things anymore and is actively working to help, Daisuke believes he should be allowed to help regardless of what he’d done in the past, and if they’re dealing with the situation of potentially having to kill a living enemy, Daisuke points out that hesitation would have resulted in even more casualties. In essence, in a situation where everyone’s running mental loop-de-loops, Daisuke will usually be the first one to snap them all out of it and go “uh? Guys?” Moreover, this trait of his makes him very good at spotting glaring threads or asking questions about the elephant in the room, because since he works best with things that are right in front of him, he can’t not notice it.

Enjoys the little things: Because Daisuke is so simple-minded, it’s very easy to please him (this is why his chosen career path is something as simple as ramen making). Daisuke likes his friends, and appreciates even simple things around him, so he’s happy with even simple pieces of happiness -- hence, why he’s fine with potentially losing the soccer game in 02 episode 8, because he’s ready to simply just savor the experience of getting to play against a respectable and formidable opponent.

Note that the main reason Daisuke never seems to bring up any of these issues with himself within the series proper is simply that he doesn’t seem to be aware of them -- he’s too simple-minded to understand what’s going on with his own behavior in depth, and hence, this is how he can say he’s not worried about too much by the time of 02′s finale, especially since by that point he has a proper support group that’s already helping him deal with most of his issues anyway.

Daisuke also has the roughest speech pattern out of any of the 02 group (similar to Taichi and Yamato in Adventure); he has a tendency to shorten words a lot and use “rough” variants of words (for example “-nee” instead of “-nai”).

Mischievous, friendly, and playful, V-mon is pointed out even by official sources to be much like his partner (far more so than usual), and it’s likely a byproduct of the fact that Daisuke himself is very honest and straightforward about his emotions and thoughts, and so since he has nothing to hide, V-mon is pretty much exactly like him -- with the major difference being that he’s a little more outwardly friendly and less likely to lash out angrily. So he’s effectively Daisuke without that very thin abrasive exterior, and because both of them are so like-minded and friendly, they get along extremely well (albeit with quite a bit of comfortable bantering on the way there).

Ken and Wormmon

Ken is the more intellectual type that Daisuke isn’t, and even after his stint as the Kaiser, it’s clear that he’s still quite studious and naturally interested in studying things. Looking closely at his style of dress and way of carrying himself (note how he lays down his chopsticks in 02 episode 36) indicates he’s also a rather tidy person in general. Being someone who’s capable of thinking things thoroughly, this makes him able to have a lot of deep insight into both intellectual and emotional issues, but because he takes things too seriously sometimes, he can sometimes come off as a bit overly stickler or insistent (note Daisuke and Ken’s Shopping Carol, where he subjects Daisuke to a long-winded lecture about the history of Christmas, because, really, he’s a nerd), or lead himself down the wrong direction when he’s having a hard time being straightforward (such as when he comes up with some very flimsy theories about why Jogress might be dangerous in 02 episode 28).

In fact, Ken’s disposition could be considered to be the opposite of Daisuke’s in many ways; while Ken is much softer and more conciliatory on the surface, he’s actually much more assertive and strong-willed by default, and it’s made clear that, even after his reformation from the Kaiser persona, he could still be vicious if he wanted to, he just doesn’t enjoy it because he doesn’t like it and it goes against his belief system (note that he even offered to "dirty his own hands" in lieu of the other kids if push came to shove and Archnemon had to be killed in 02 episode 29, even though he clearly wasn't enthusiastic about the idea). In fact, he has a very strong sense of responsibility and believes heavily in making up for what he’s done -- recall that 02 episodes 26 and 49 involved snapping him out of it by reminding him that there were things that needed to be done, and that he himself still had many things he wanted to do that wouldn’t be addressed if he’d stayed fixated on his past. Thus, Ken doesn’t deny nor avoid anything he’d done, and he isn’t even all that prone to self-pity -- it’s just that his tendency to put too much responsibility on himself means that he also takes a while to accept everyone’s support, too, because he doesn’t like the idea of putting burdens on others.

Because Ken is actually one of the more straightforward people in this group and a fairly honest person (at least, as long as he’s not lying to himself), he might hold himself back a little bit in order to not be rude, but he doesn’t do it nearly to the same degree Takeru or Hikari would and is much more willing to speak his mind when he has an opinion he wants to voice or needs to sort out his thoughts on something. Conversely, he’s not nearly as cold as Iori can get when criticizing things (he’ll certainly be firm, but not as incisive). Most post-02 materials also indicate that he’s not above being a tease or even a little mischievous (see Armor Evolution to the Unknown, Diablomon Strikes Back, Daisuke and Ken’s Shopping Carol).

Ken uses a speech pattern that’s slightly more casual than Takeru’s, but not nearly as rough as Daisuke’s. While anime will often have speech patterns substantially change between different personas of a character, other than Park Romi’s delivery of a more condescending tone for the Kaiser and a significantly softer one for Ken, nothing about his speech pattern is substantially different between the two personas (not even the first-person pronoun), indicating that, in the end, they’re really the same person after all, just manifesting the same personality traits in different ways.

Wormmon is affectionate and clingy, unfailingly loyal to Ken, and his biggest advocate during a time when Ken is trying to relearn how to love and accept himself -- meaning that he ends up very important to providing Ken the initial support he needed before Ken allowed other friends into his life. Wormmon isn’t all nothing but clinginess, though -- he has some insight about the weight of his experiences when prompted (02 episode 46), and in fact is more than capable of calling out Ken’s behavior when he’s being unreasonable or throwing himself into denial (see 02 episodes 27, 30, and 49).

Miyako and Hawkmon

Miyako approaches everything she likes with an attitude that makes her come off as constantly having bubbles and hearts around her. When she likes something, she says so. When she doesn’t like something, she says so (and she will go off when she’s on a roll; see 02 episode 14). In fact, part of the reason she so infamously voices her opinion on people being cute is, quite simply, that it’s her honest opinion. (Note that she never actually tries to ask them out or anything -- she just wants to make it very clear that they’re attractive.)

For the most part, she adores the people around her, and, like the others in the 02 group, she’s perfectly respectful towards elders.  She also loves poking her nose in others’ business and trying to be as helpful as possible, which is good in that she ends up being a huge help to others, but also not good in that sometimes she overdoes it a bit (when Hikari calls her out for being a “handful” in 02 episode 31, the word she uses is one that literally means "a little too overly involved in others' business").

Miyako is the one who gets everyone up in high spirits by being cheerful, and whose cheer rubs off on everyone else around her (see her cheerfully leading the charge into the Digital World with her “Digital Gate, open! Chosen Children, let’s roll!” catchphrase). This is something the rest of the group catches onto very quickly, asking her to supply the “usual cheer”, and the later episodes of the series especially drive home the fact that her presence and antics bring happiness to those around her.

Miyako has a similar “chaotic, sloppy, and straightforward” demeanor to Daisuke, but there are some key differences. Unlike Daisuke, who’s bluntly honest about his opinions mainly because he doesn’t really hide things in general, Miyako’s opinions will be out of her mouth before she can control it. In other words, she has a nasty case of foot-in-mouth syndrome. In addition, while Daisuke tends to have a very thin skin and lashes out defensively out of instinct, Miyako takes things much more at face value and doesn’t blow a fuse nearly as easily, but because she’s significantly more assertive and aggressive, she’s much more prone to doing what she wants on her own whims instead of backing down to anyone. In fact, Miyako is significantly more emotionally sensitive in the long run, so while Daisuke tends to blow a fuse more easily, he’s also able to shrug it off and move on more quickly, whereas Miyako has a thicker skin, but when she does take emotional pain, she takes it much more deeply and harshly. She also tends to get overwhelmed easily by stress and panic, which makes her one of the more prone to running around in circles and doing frantic things in the midst of it.

One thing you might notice about Miyako is that she’s actually more critical of herself than anyone else in the group is; most of the time they act with mild exasperation at her antics but don’t tend to criticize her directly, whereas Miyako is very aware of her own shortcomings and is constantly either criticizing herself or comparing herself negatively to others (see: 02 episodes 10, 14, 18, and 31 especially). If she slips up and does something that stepped on someone else’s toes, it doesn’t take her long to realize that she’s messed up and want to do better. So while she generally tends to act the most in-your-face and aggressive, she also doesn’t necessarily want to be this way, and suffers from self-confidence issues and a poor opinion of herself.

Miyako uses a feminine speech pattern that’s a bit more casual than Hikari’s (she noticeably is willing to use the word anta for “you”, which has a bit of a connotation of being abrupt and in-your-face, especially with Daisuke). She’s also the most likely to physically manhandle things, both in the affectionate (hugging people) and aggressive (grabbing things and jumping on them in order to attack) senses.

Hawkmon is repeatedly referred to as being like Miyako’s “knight”, since he has absolute loyalty to her (in spite of her ridiculous antics often meaning he gets strung around by her) and is effectively in charge of minding her so she doesn’t get too out of control. While his overly polite and gentlemanly demeanor initially seems like a sharp contrast to Miyako’s aggressive and messy personality, you might also notice that, at their cores, the two aren’t all that different -- both are unfailingly loyal to others, and both also have a penchant for dramatic theatrics and being a bit overly proud of themselves.

Iori and Armadimon

The key thing to know about Iori is that he’s not stoic because he’s not feeling fervent emotions, but rather because he’s constantly holding them back (this is especially apparent if you look carefully at his facial expressions and Urawa Megumi’s delivery, where you can tell his facade is often “slipping” even when his words would indicate otherwise). Since Iori is trying to live by the ideal of being a model citizen, especially under the very formal environment he was raised in, he comes off as mature for his age, but it’s very important to not forget that, underneath all that, he’s still an impressionable nine-year-old child with the wide range of emotions and immaturity of one, and when he does emotionally fall apart, everything tends to burst out (see 02 episodes 16, 44, 47, 50). In addition, Iori is never condescending about the fact he usually acts more mature than the others; the impression is that he’s much more strict with himself than he is with others, and in fact still does look up to his elders in the 02 group even when they’re obviously a lot messier than he is.

The “need to be a model citizen” is something looming over Iori’s head at almost every moment, and it’s the easiest way to understand the way he acts in a nutshell. Iori is focused on the idea of “becoming a proper adult”, which means that he’s adhering to all of these principles because he feels they’re necessary to live a proper and honest life as per the formal manners that his family background trained him into. But like a young child who insists “you have to do this because those are the rules!” all of the time, Iori is over-applying all of this, and even his own grandfather advises him that he really needs to chill (02 episodes 5, 24). In short, he struggles with thinking flexibly and understanding that life isn’t all that clear-cut, because he’s a young child. Since he also tends to bring out these things in relation to “what my father would do/say”, it’s implied that he’s basing all of this off of having only hearsay to work off of in regards to what his father was actually like, to the point of aspiring to an impossible, saintlike version of him he’d created in his head.

Note that Iori’s “rules” have less to do with institutional rules (that would be more of a Jou thing) and more to do with self-imposed personal rules; for instance, he doesn’t mind sneaking into school during a holiday when it’s obviously not hurting anyone (02 episode 6), but he struggles with things like wasting food (02 episode 3) or not formally introducing himself to an elder (02 episode 5). So in other words, his adherence to principles has heavily to do with “the right and proper way to live” more than anything, and what he believes is the right thing to do in a given situation.

Iori’s journey in 02 is largely fueled by the fact that, as an inheritor of sorts of the Crest of Knowledge, he has a sense of “I want to know and understand more” whenever he sees something that makes him curious, but unlike Koushirou’s desire to learn more about the world around him in terms of its technical workings, Iori mainly wants to know more about people. The reason he begins to let go of his inflexible mindset is that he has the humility to understand that he still has a lot more to learn and understand, and when he sees behavior from others that doesn’t make sense, he does his best to learn more about it -- hence how his aggressive probing into learning more about Takeru allows them to reach an understanding and eventual Jogress, and how he’s able to eventually reassess his own view of human morality and emotions.

Iori sticks out in that he almost always uses the formal variant of Japanese in most situations (nobody else in the 02 group does this). However, formal in this situation doesn’t necessarily mean polite; Iori doesn’t believe in flattery and will bluntly state his opinion in said formal tone, and will be very cold towards something he sufficiently disapproves of or doesn’t have any respect for, which can make him even come off as passive-aggressive at times. (Noticeably, while he still asserts his own opinion, he does refrain from criticizing the others in the 02 group too much, presumably because he respects and looks up to them a lot as his elders, regardless of how chaotic they can sometimes get.) In addition, because a lot of his demeanor comes from him restraining himself, when his emotions are sufficiently pushed over the edge, he loses grip on the polite form and starts “lapsing” back into the casual one.

Because Iori was so young during 02, and because the events of its story ended up really upending his view of the world, the huge eight-year gap between 02 and Kizuna makes it difficult to predict certain things about his demeanor at the time of Kizuna (especially since his own voice actor commented on the difficulty of conveying the nuances of Iori’s character, thanks to only being able to work with the limited time frame of a movie that doesn’t put him in the kinds of emotionally drastic situations that push him to his limit). That said, everything we’ve seen of him in the movie itself and the drama CD makes reasonable sense; now that he’s much older, he comes off as having much better restraint on his emotions and coming off as genuinely calm, but he’s still not one for flattery, and you can still see very minor slips in his facade every so often.

Armadimon also initially seems like a sharp contrast to Iori in terms of demeanor, in that he’s much more casual and laid-back, and he’s indeed a huge factor in reminding Iori to chill once in a while -- but, much like Iori, he prods and asks questions about anything he’s curious about. This initially seems to be out of simple-mindedness because, being a Digimon, he doesn’t understand human society that well, but his very basic questions often end up snapping Iori back to reality in realizing that he’s getting hung up on things that don’t actually make practical sense. Urawa also felt that Armadimon fills in some of the void that Iori’s late father left behind, in that he provides Iori with unconditional love and helps guide him.

Takeru and Patamon

Takeru is the kind of person who seems to dislike major disruptions to the status quo, so he doesn’t say anything inflammatory that’ll rock the boat. It’s very difficult to get him to talk about serious topics related to his deeper personal feelings (02 episode 17, 35, Spring 2003), and even when it’s clear he might have more misgivings on the situation, unless it’s an urgent situation where it needs to be brought up, he won’t voice his misgivings too clearly for the sake of not causing trouble (hence why Daisuke is so unsure what to make of him in the early episodes of the series, because Takeru constantly fails to clarify his own position in favor of a “good for you” or “sure, you keep believing that if you want” attitude). This also makes him the most likely to awkwardly change the subject or try to distract with small talk, and it means that, even when he’s saying cheerful, pleasant things, it’s very likely there’s pain or uncertainty under that initial facade. (Note that while his suspicions of Ken during 02 episodes 25 and 27 aren't nearly as vicious as Iori's turn out to be, we learn that he's still willing to quietly accuse Ken of working for his own self-satisfaction in the latter episode, but he never brings this up to anyone but himself.)

Because Takeru isn’t  necessarily doing this to be consciously dishonest, it does mean that he also has positive applications of this tendency to take everything in stride and keep the peace, because he ends up keeping the more extreme personalities in the rest of the group in line and acts as an effective mediator. You could say that he has a pretty high amount of tolerance and a capacity for taking everyone’s points of view in mind. However, since it’s also very difficult to tell what he himself is thinking, his use of this as a poor coping mechanism for his personal trauma leads to a tendency for him to suddenly explode in a mess of emotions whenever something gets too personal, leading to sudden conflict, and with others at a loss in terms of how to deal with him (the most extreme example being 02 episode 19, but also present in 13, 11, and 34). This “two-sidedness” is why it ends up having to be the more consciously methodical Iori who steps up to try and understand him better as his Jogress partner.

Fortunately, Takeru shows signs of becoming more straightforward in the aftermath, although you can see that he still has a penchant for mild flattery and “trying to hold back for the sake of not being rude” all the way up to Kizuna (but, again, this can’t be said to necessarily be a bad thing when it means he has a valuable skill as a mediator).

Takeru has a fairly neutral speech pattern that comes off as casual but not too aggressive or assertive (not as absurdly polite as Iori’s, but slightly less assertive than Ken’s).

Patamon initially still seems to be “immature” in the same way he was in Adventure, which initially seems to widen the gap in personality between him and Takeru, but looking closer reveals that the differences aren’t as big as they seem; Patamon seems to have gained a capability for slyness and active trolling behind his playfulness (see 02 episode 7), not entirely like Takeru starting to use his evasiveness in a teasing-like manner. Moreover, Patamon does actually seem to have gained a bit of proper maturity in the meantime; see how he instructs the Baby Digimon on convenience store food in 02 episode 3, and in general seems much more willing to take independent action in ways he didn’t always in Adventure. Noticeably, Takeru’s difficulty with his own convoluted feelings means that he can’t even have a proper heart-to-heart with him about it on the situation (most glaring in 02 episode 34, where it’s implied that Takeru would rather leave Patamon to be happy right now instead of bothering him about it), especially because he’s clearly having difficulty even working it out with himself. However, despite their ostensible differences in mentality, Takeru and Patamon have no difficulty getting along at all in 02, and, other than Takeru pampering Patamon a bit, there isn’t all that strong of an impression of them being so mismatched -- perhaps because, in the end, they really aren’t all that different.

Hikari and Tailmon

Taichi stated in Adventure episode 48 that Hikari has a problem where she's so selfless and thinking of others that she'll never speak up about her own problems. Hikari states in 02 episode 31 that she compulsively cannot speak out about her own feelings even if she wanted to, to the point she’s jealous of Miyako for being able to be more open (even if it means being overkill at times). As a result: if Hikari’s talking about “the right thing to do”, or something for everyone’s sake, or something that’s relevant to other people and what’s best for them, she will be extremely vocal and quick to act, and she’s not above even chipping in with criticisms (see: 02 episodes 19, 32, 44). In fact, she’s fully capable of being playful or toying with others if she really wants to (see how she casually manipulates Daisuke into calling a lunch break for everyone in 02 episode 6).

The moment the issue at hand is about herself, though -- her own feelings or pain, or something that might hurt others’ feelings (hence the presumable reason she dodges Daisuke’s affections rather than proactively doing anything about it), or something that would put a burden on others for her own sake -- she completely clams up and refuses to do or say anything, and when bad things start happening to her, she resigns herself to her own fate and concludes she can’t do anything about it. Hence, why she takes such a defeatist attitude towards the Dark Ocean swallowing her up in 02 episodes 13 and 31, and why it’s such a big deal if she even so much as asks for help. 02 episode 31 indicates that Miyako reaching out to her is an important step in breaking her out of her shell, and the Kizuna drama CD -- which has Hikari assertively declare something she personally wants -- heavily implies further that Miyako was instrumental to this becoming possible.

Hikari is compassionate for others to the very end, expresses pity for BlackWarGreymon as early as 02 episode 31, and catches on quickly to Ken’s feelings on himself in 02 episode 37 (and even back when she’d been more skeptical about him in 02 episode 25, she never seemed to have real personal distaste against him as much as she still wanted to make sure he was trustworthy first). But although she’s one of the most compassionate in the group, she’s also one of the most assertive in the group. This leads to something that initially seems like a paradox: she’s actually more fervent about the need to fight than the more aggressive Miyako is. Miyako is, ultimately, emotionally caught up in everything and briefly falls apart at having killed LadyDevimon in 02 episode 44 (even despite knowing how horrible of a person she’d been), but Hikari is the one who points out that there would have been more victims if they hadn’t. 02 episodes 25 and 43 had made it abundantly clear that Hikari didn’t like it at all, but she states in 02 episode 37 repeatedly that they need to prevent there from being victims -- meaning that she values the importance of protecting all lives, including those who would be hurt in the process, and thus has some of the more resilient guts when it comes to the prospect of fighting to save others. Again, her hesitation only comes into play at its worst when it has to do with herself; working to save others is a no-brainer.

Hikari uses a casual feminine speech pattern that’s less in-your-face than Miyako’s, but she’s still a bit more casual than she was in Adventure, when she used the more polite watashi instead of atashi. Interestingly, Tailmon herself seems to have mirrored this as well, presumably because now that she’s had more time to recover from her miserable life under Vamdemon, she’s able to enjoy her life a bit more freely. This means that, while Tailmon is still the most mature and put-together of the Digimon partners in the 02 group, she sometimes acts a little more casual and playful in a similar way to Hikari, and while she has a certain degree of stuffy personal pride (see how she wasn’t very amused at how frivolously the other Digimon were playing around in 02 episode 3), she’s still open to enjoying herself a little more freely. Hikari, for her part, becomes surprisingly like-minded with her during those times -- see them in 02 episode 12 -- and, as stated earlier, it’s not like Hikari isn’t up for making tough decisions when they’re needed, either.

[beginningobserver]

“Does Ichijouji-kun know more about the digimon…?”

“Yeah, he was like, some nerd type” V-mon nodded sagely, “Didn’t we tell you he used to be a tyrant who thought the Digital World was a game and the digimon its NPCs? Much of that knowledge he got from… that.”

“Oh…”

“He might be free at this hour,” Daisuke looked at his own phone, “Ken usually passes by here…”

The restaurant’s door opened, and Rui turned his head to look at the person getting in and just standing next to them.

“Huh?”

“... riiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiight now,” and Daisuke looked at the tall man and the bug digimon on the man’s shoulder.

“Incredible…” Rui blinked, impressed.

“What are you talking about…?” Wormmon tilted his head.

“Good timing, mr. detective-in-training,” Daisuke clasps his hands together, “Always at the same hour on Tuesdays.”

“You pass by quite a lot here…” V-mon commented.

“...” Ken was still unfazed, “the office is nearby, besides if none of us keep a look on Daisuke every Tuesday he might feel lonely.”

“Hey hey, do ya think I’m like, five?!” Daisuke pouted.

Rui did not understand what was happening anymore.

“And Daisuke likes to hear constructive critique on his dishes,” Wormmon added.

“It looks more like you guys only come here to eat for free,” V-mon whispered to himself.

“You need my help, I presume” Ken said with a sassy tone, “What are you up to this time?”

“It’s not me, sorry to disappoint ya” Daisuke replied, then gestured to Rui, “Rui needs your digimon knowledge right now.”

“Oh…”

RE:CONNECT [Yes?] [No?]

※ Chapter 5 is out!! ※

[digitalgate02]

Digiweek2022 [3/6]

@digiweek Day 3: Recess (Humor)

Just do funny/cute stuff. You know we love it.

[← Previous]

“Phew, thank bud for saving me from that scary lady hahaha!!”

Daisuke squinted his eyes, “How did you get in!?”

“You left me alone! I’m not from your world!”

“Okay but you don’t need to follow m--” Daisuke was about to argue, but he just noticed the other was right.

“Do you think he’s like those other guys?” V-mon asked.

“Who are those ‘other guys’ anyway?” Takuya asked.

“People who fell from the sky,” Daisuke explained, “Somehow there’s a weird chain of incidents of some people coming from a digital gate or something…”

“Right, I get it. But who are those people?”

“Beats me” Daisuke shrugged, “My friends were helping those people. A friend studying abroad said a boy appeared in Barcelona, Spain.”

“I have a friend who travels around the world…” Takuya mused, “Does the name Minamoto Kouji sound familiar to you?”

“Oh!” V-mon gasped “Takeru met someone with that name before!!”

“W-wait, what!?”

“And Hikari a girl named Izumi, and Iori a boy named Tomoki. And I think Ken witnessed a Kouichi guy appearing from nowhere too?”

“Th-those people are from my world!!” he babbled “What are they doing here ?!”

“Oh…” V-mon glanced at Daisuke, “What are they doing here, Daisuke?”

“I have no idea either!!” 

“... Can I see them?”

“Why are you asking it like we were keeping them as hostages!?”

“Can I or not!?”

Daisuke wasn’t vibing with Takuya at all at this moment. It felt more like he and his friends were villains in Takuya’s opinion. But Takuya had no idea why his friends and him were in Daisuke's world, and he definitely did not believe this was the fault of Daisuke or Daisuke’s friends.

“... Just a second, I need to ask them all to meet us then” And Daisuke took his Smartphone D-3 from his pocket. 

Takuya stared at that strange phone, and then he looked around and more people had phones like these but not with the same cover from Daisuke’s. His phone still has a number keyboard dang it!

“Alright, I will tell them to meet us at a special spot” then he heard Daisuke talking to him again. Daisuke raised an eyebrow “Hey, are you listening?”

“A-ah?” Takuya turned back to the other boy and chuckled nervously, “Haha, yeah I did.”

“Good, Now don’t worry and take my hand.”

“W-what??”

“Or take V-mon’s hand, whatever” he was pressing some buttons on that hi-tech phone that Takuya had no idea what he meant by those instructions. Then he pointed at an empty spot, “Digital Gate, open!” And a gate opened in front of them.

“W-wait, where are we going!? I can’t leave now--”

“What are you talking about?” V-mon frowned, “This is a Digital Gate, it’s our way to the Digital World.”

“But…”

“Chill, dude” Daisuke spoke calmly, “I will tell them all to gather there. I dunno if you have a digivice or something, so that’s why I said to hold V-mon’s hand, or mine. Whatever you prefer.”

“A-are you saying you can open those gates too!?”

“... ‘Too’?” Daisuke and V-mon repeated in confusion. But then, they just tossed Takuya into the gate and walked into it normally.

Takuya fell on the floor. He got up, and was quite annoyed by Daisuke’s antics. He was detesting this encounter a lot.

“HEY!! You said to take either your or your digimon’s hand!!” he growled.

“Ah, sure” V-mon grabbed Takuya’s hand like a toddler grabbing his parent's hand, “Here!”

“... F-fine” Takuya couldn’t resist V-mon’s cuteness and did not complain about this tiny dragon holding his hand, but he glanced at Daisuke with some annoyance.

[noctisfishing]

Milk Buns and Happiness

Summary: On the day before White Day, Hikari questions her heart and her choices after a failed relationship. Eventually, she goes to Takeru to cheer up, not realizing that the answers to happiness were laid out in front of her all along.

Pairing: Takari

Notes: Written for @blondeandconfused. Happy Birthday!! <3

I hope you enjoy this Takari fluff :D

~*~*~*~*~

One afternoon, Hikari took a seat on a bench near the front of the high school. She caught within her earshot a group of students chatting about the next day being White Day, and about their plans of giving return gifts to the admirers who had spoiled them on Valentine's Day. They were all smiles, but Hikari could only feel the opposite.

"Are you alright, Hikari?"

A rustling of leaves from above her followed by a gentle drop at her side told Hikari that Tailmon appeared next to her. She noticed the look of concern on Tailmon's face.

"I'll be okay, Tailmon," Hikari said. "I just feel bad that I had to break up with Hideki."

It had been a week since Hikari delivered the news to her now ex-boyfriend Hideki, and although she tried to stay cheerful, the breakup left her feeling glum since then.

"You were just following your heart, weren't you?" Tailmon asked.

"Yeah."

But her heart always seemed to let her down in the end. Hideki was a nice, friendly guy in her class. She liked to hang out with him, and he treated her well to make the rest of the class jealous.

Being with him just didn't feel right. But Hikari still felt guilty.

Tailmon tilted her head, frowning. Then, she crawled onto Hikari's lap and nuzzled herself against her chest.

Hikari patted Tailmon's head gently. Digimon were unfamiliar with the topic of romance and breakups, so Hikari knew that Tailmon was at a loss of what to say. Still, Tailmon wanted to comfort her in that moment, and it got her to crack a smile.

"Maybe you should talk to Takeru?" Tailmon asked. "You're always happy when you're around him, and he knows how to cheer you up."

"Well, he's busy right now," Hikari replied. "Knowing him, he left his White Day gifts for his admirers at the last minute."

Somehow, that made Hikari even sadder.

"He always makes time for the friends that he cares about."

Knowing that Tailmon would persist, Hikari stood up, carrying her in her arms. "Alright, Tailmon. I'll give him a call later. But I'd like to go home first. Maybe a quiet stroll back with you can give me time to think."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oh, you're here, Hikari," Taichi said as he entered the apartment.

Hikari sat on the couch with Tailmon on her lap and Agumon leaning against her side, all of them watching TV together.

"I haven't been going out much, lately," she replied, and she was certain that Taichi had understood why. Before last week, much of her time outside of her classes was spent with Hideki.

As Taichi took off his shoes and set his school bag down, Hikari thought about how he handled romance and heartache. He was always comfortable with her in talking about a girl he spent time with, and he would answer her questions whenever she asked them.

When he sat down on the other side of Agumon, Hikari couldn't help but ask:

"How do you know when you love someone?"

Taichi turned to her, startled at the question.

"Uh, well…" He seemed to hesitate more as both Agumon and Tailmon seemed to stare just as intently while they waited for an answer. "I guess you just feel it. If it's in your heart that you want to be with that someone, you kind of just go for it."

"And what if my heart was wrong?"

Taichi sighed, rubbing the back of his head. "There's no easy way to say it, really. None of us are perfect. We'll go on what we feel is right, and what we think will make us happy. It won't always work out the way you wanted it to in the end, but, hey, at least you went for it."

After a few moments, Hikari turned to look at him. "Are you still thinking about the cookies?"

"I'm always thinking about the cookies."

Taichi stared at Hikari as though he waited for her reaction, and she stared back, trying hard to hold back her laughter. She couldn't.

"I think about cookies, too!" said Agumon

"I wouldn't mind some right now," added Tailmon.

Hikari knew that Taichi was smiling at her as she giggled for the next few moments.

"Thanks, Onii-chan."

"Sure."

Then Hikari looked down at Tailmon and shared a smile, and sat back to return her attention to the TV. She heard the crinkle of wrapping paper from Taichi and from the corner of her eye she saw that he was holding some pastries.

"Well, I don't have any cookies, Agumon, but I've got some milk buns if you'd like."

"Yes, please!"

"Have some, too, Hikari, Tailmon." Taichi held out two in front of them. Tailmon grabbed one and started munching on it happily, and Hikari reached for hers, recognizing the style of the sesame seeds decorated on top.

"You went to Takeru's favorite bakery," said Hikari.

"Yeah," Taichi said with his mouth full. "I can taste why, too. Give him a 'thank you' from me when you get the chance."

Taichi's reaction about Takeru was different than it usually was. At worst, he would grumble whenever Takeru joined Hikari at teasing him as well as Yamato - which neither younger sibling could help. But Hikari saw how highly Takeru thought of Taichi, and the only way to improve the current moment was seeing the bright smile on Takeru's face from hearing Taichi himself.

"I'm sure he'll appreciate it."

Then, Hikari picked up her phone, with her first instinct to send a message to Takeru. The thought of visiting the bakery with him was bringing some cheer to her mood, and she wanted to do what she told Tailmon she would do, anyway.

Takeru had texted her first.

"How are you holding up?" he asked.

"Are you free? Let's meet up at the train station," Hikari answered.

Takeru followed up with an immediate response: "Be right there."

"I guess I'll send him your message sooner than I thought," Hikari told Taichi as she and Tailmon got up from the couch and headed toward the door.

"Don't cause too much trouble," he said, slouching into the couch.

"I'll get him to go with me to the bakery so that we can buy more milk buns. He'll probably want some help picking out something special for his White Day gifts tomorrow, too."

"Wait." Taichi sat up straight. "Tomorrow's White Day?!"

Hikari closed the front door without responding to him.

"He just told you not to cause too much trouble, and you're already starting for him," Tailmon pointed out.

"He'll live," Hikari said, continuing down the corridor.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Takeru greeted Hikari with a long, warm hug.

"You're smiling a little more today," he told her.

"Who wouldn't be happy to see you, Takeru?" Patamon piped up, sitting on top of Takeru's hat.

Takeru grinned. "So, Hikari, where to?"

"I thought you'd have some place in mind, you know, with all of the White Day specials going on," she said.

"Hmm. I'm not too worried about that. Besides, you're usually better at knowing the best places to shop. Maybe I'll be inspired wherever you lead me."

"Alright, then…" Hikari eyed him suspiciously. What was he planning for White Day? She took note of the stark difference in reactions between Takeru's calm demeanor and Taichi's sudden panic. Taichi must have had at least one gift on Valentine's Day that he wanted to return a gift for, and knowing Takeru and seeing the handfuls of chocolates he received, he was likely to have similar intentions.

"How about we head over to the cafe first? I'm craving a parfait," Hikari decided.

Both Tailmon and Patamon's eyes widened with excitement.

At the cafe, Hikari ordered a parfait with matcha and strawberry for herself, and let the Digimon partners order a chocolate parfait to share. Takeru ordered a cafe latte.

While waiting for their orders, Takeru told Hikari his story about running into Daisuke, Iori, and Ken earlier that day. He mentioned how Daisuke complained about an exam and Ken arguing with him about complaining too much. Iori stood there, watching them, but he and Takeru could only look at each other and sigh helplessly.

Hikari laughed as she pictured the encounter, and from the way Takeru told her about it. She enjoyed listening to his stories.

"Miyako thinks you're hiding from her," Takeru added. "She's been worried about you."

Hikari thought Miyako might have been just as helpless as the rest of her friends. "I did tell her I needed space."

"I get that, Hikari, really, I do. Even if, for a while, I thought you were hiding from me, too."

Surprised, Hikari looked into Takeru's eyes from across the table. She had seen that same look of concern in the past, back when she fell into darkness and her mind was clouded with thoughts of hopelessness. Perhaps the breakup was taking her back to that same place.

Back then, Takeru had found her and helped her out of that mess. Was it fair to keep him in the dark again?

"I'm sorry, Takeru," Hikari began, feeling guilty.

"No - I'm sorry. I shouldn't have said that knowing what was going on. And especially since we see Hideki every day…"

The somber mood at the table seemed to change the moment the parfaits arrived. Both Patamon and Tailmon gasped in delight and gathered around their chocolate parfait, and Hikari took her spoon to scoop up the first bite of hers.

"Delicious…" Hikari said, suddenly in bliss.

"Welcome back," Takeru said jokingly.

She eagerly offered spoonfuls to Patamon and Tailmon, then to Takeru who followed up with a critique as he usually did whenever she shared her food with him. Hikari gathered that he inherited that habit from his older brother, Yamato, whose critiques were a complete opposite of Takeru's. When comparing the two, Hikari was grateful that she got along with the brother whose critiques were in her favor.

Halfway through eating her parfait, Hikari observed her Digimon partner relishing the chocolate parfait along with Patamon. She looked over to Takeru who appeared to be at peace as he held the large coffee cup to his lips and drank it slowly.

When they weren't laughing and joking with each other, Hikari found comfort in the moments of silence with Takeru.

Once the parfait glasses were empty and Takeru took his last sip, he set his large cup down. "Where to next?" Takeru asked her.

"Wanna hit the bookstore?" Hikari asked back. "It's been forever since I've gone to one."

"As you wish."

Once they were all finished, they headed toward the bookstore, but not before Takeru took care of the bill.

~*~*~*~*~*~

Hikari was going to all of the stores that she wanted, and Takeru didn't seem to mind at all. After Hikari found a new book that she was excited to find on the shelves, she led Takeru and the Digipals to the accessory shop, where she found a cute pair of earrings. Then, they went into a pet store, where Hikari caught the attention of a Kishu puppy. Squealing with joy, she picked him up and cradled him in his arms.

"Tailmon, look!" she said, the Kishu nuzzling his cheek against her. "Isn't he so cute?"

"Hmph," Tailmon said, turning away unimpressed.

Patamon sat atop Takeru's head, staring at the Kishu in amazement.

"He looks like a new friend!" Patamon exclaimed.

Hikari and Takeru exchanged knowing looks, and Hikari set the Kishu down on the floor. Takeru let Patamon fly down, and the puppy yelped with glee while Patamon a few inches above him, flapping his wings in greeting.

As Patamon attempted to include Tailmon with their playtime, Hikari stood beside Takeru from afar. In that moment, she realized that she was in a much better mood than she had been all week.

"Can I be honest with you?" she asked Takeru, who was cradling a kitten that was dozing off in his arms.

"When aren't you?" he asked.

"I've been wondering why I've been so down about the breakup, when I wasn't happy being with Hideki, after all."

Takeru turned to her to listen.

"He wasn't a fan of animals," she continued. "We liked some of the same music, TV shows, and movies, but he didn't seem interested in talking about them. Especially not about books. And whenever we ate food together, he wanted to stick to whatever was on his plate."

"That sounds like all the things you don't like."

He wasn't that great of a kisser, either," she added, which she instantly regretted once Takeru gave her a look. "Don't get me wrong. He was sweet and really caring. I had fun. But I get it - everyone's different and that's okay. I don't blame him for any of it. I just blame myself for being together with him for so long even though I knew it wasn't right."

"At least you did what was right for yourself, Hikari. It's okay to think it was right at first but be wrong later on. We're human, and we make mistakes."

A soft purr was heard near Takeru's chest. They both looked to see the kitten was stirring from its slumber.

"Hideki's been down, just like you," Takeru went on. "But it's hard not to be after a breakup. He'll get better, and I know you will, too. You're recognizing a mistake and learning from it. Maybe one day, I'll get over my mistake, too."

Hikari raised her brow. "What do you mean by that?"

The kitten's meowing grew louder and began to fidget even more. Takeru was left no choice but to turn around to return the kitten to the store. When Hikari returned to Tailmon, she found her stare grumpily ahead while the Kishu licked her cheek while Patamon giggled madly.

~*~*~*~*~*~

As she promised Taichi, Hikari made sure to stop by the bakery - Takeru's favorite one. She bought a dozen milk buns to bring home to Taichi. Everyone also indulged in sample slices of the bakery's chocolate castella cakes, which Hikari thought were delicious but didn't want to bring too many sweets home.

"Is there anything else you want?" Takeru asked. "It'll be my treat."

"Takeru, you've done so much for me already, I can't even begin to thank you for today-"

"Please, Hikari. I want to do this for you."

Maybe it was the way his voice lowered or how firm his tone was, but it somehow caught Hikari off guard.

"W-Well, fine…" she stammered, her face warming up, but she thought of her most favorite pastry. "One chocolate cornet."

"Just one?"

"Okay, two. One for Tailmon."

Takeru stared at her long and hard.

"Three. Three chocolate cornets," was her final answer.

Takeru gave her a playful smirk - a favorite expression of hers on him - but it seemed to fluster her even more at that moment.

"Hikari?" Tailmon asked, her ears perked up and her eyes wide with curiosity.

"I'm fine," Hikari replied in a hush, even as her heart was racing.

When Hikari thought that Takeru and Patamon were going to part ways with her and Tailmon, Takeru decided to walk them home and carry the bag of pastries for her. She went along with it, given that he was her best friend and she was comfortable being around him.

There was also the fact that she wanted to stay with him as long as she possibly could.

"Are you sure you're ready for White Day?" Hikari asked while she walked alongside him.

Takeru laughed. "Why are you so concerned about it?"

"I'm skeptical. You don't seem concerned at all, and I know you want to make sure that a girl knows how special she is."

Only their footsteps were heard after that, and Hikari began to wonder whether she said something that troubled him. But she heard him laughing again.

"Funny you should say that, Hikari. You're right. Maybe I should be concerned."

"Really, now? What changed your mind?"

"The fact that I've been trying to do that all afternoon, yet, you still have no idea."

"...What?"

Hikari stopped in her tracks, and so did Takeru. Patamon and Tailmon stopped as well, staying a few feet behind and looking on in confusion.

"This… might not be the right time, Hikari," he began. "Maybe you still need space, but I just couldn't wait anymore."

"He's shaking…" Patamon said softly, to which Tailmon quickly shushed him.

When Hikari looked down at his hands, including the one that held the bag of pastries, she saw that he was trying to hide it.

"Can I be honest with you?" Takeru asked her.

"Of course," Hikari replied, her voice soft, and she felt uncertain as to what he was about to say next.

"I was never ready for White Day. I never planned on returning gifts to anyone this year. I just planned on sitting this one out."

"Oh…"

Takeru chuckled, and Hikari could sense that he was nervous. "But the more I thought about it, the more I realized there was only one person I wanted to spend it with. I just didn't know how to tell her, given the circumstances…"

"And… what are the circumstances?" Hikari asked.

"That she's got a broken heart, and I want to be the one to mend it."

Hikari's breath caught in her throat. At that point, it was obvious where this conversation was headed, and she believed that Takeru would reach his point in due time.

But she still wanted to help him get there.

"Maybe you should back up a little. How long have you felt this way about her?"

"Since that summer in 1999."

Hikari gasped. "That long?!"

"Isn't that when we all first met?" Patamon chirped from afar.

"But, Takeru…" Hikari stared at him, awestruck. "All these years, you've never said anything."

"Well, I wanted to play it cool, and let her go her own way while I went mine. Yet, the longer we knew each other, the closer we became. It just got harder to figure out how I felt, and harder to understand what my heart really wanted."

"So then, how did you feel whenever she had a new boyfriend?"

"I wanted to feel happy for her. I wanted to believe that if she was happy, then I would be, too. But, I just couldn't be happy."

Hikari realized then, that Takeru had been unhappy, even when she was in her relationship with Hideki. He was doing the same thing that she was - following his own heart thinking that it was right, even when it wasn't.

"It was different whenever I was with her, though. The way she smiled like the sun and her laugh sounded like a melody. Whenever she was happy, I felt it, too. Seeing her sad, I felt it just as much."

For a moment, listening to Takeru speak of a girl with beautiful similes made Hikari feel jealous. Then, she remembered exactly who he was talking about.

Her cheeks flushed as the thought set in. Crossing her arms, Hikari asked her next question.

"So, she's got a broken heart, huh? How were you thinking about mending it?"

"Oh - that's easy. I figured I'd start by taking her out and reminding her of all the things that brought her joy."

The parfait, the books, the earrings, the adorable pets, and the chocolate cornets that sat on top of the box of a dozen milk buns in the bag that Takeru was still carrying for her.

"But you let her choose where to go."

"A broken heart cannot be fixed without the owner's permission. I wanted to let her wander freely. It's the most surefire way to see her smile. And I knew - well, I hoped - that spending time with me was an even better way."

Contrary to his words, Hikari felt her eyes beginning to water.

"I've never given you anything for Valentine's Day, Takeru," she croaked. "I've teased you about the girls you've flirted with, and supported you for the girls you were actually serious about. How could you be serious about me? When you've seen me make mistakes that I'm bound to make again?"

"Hikari, you've given me more than you'll ever know after all these years. I could give you all of the gifts in the world and I still don't feel like it would ever be enough." Takeru gripped the handles of the bag in his hand. "I've made a mistake, too. The mistake of letting your heart break more than once. I love you too much to let that happen again."

"You love me?"

Tears streamed down Hikari's face. Were they of sadness? No, she knew that it couldn't be. Fear? Maybe. The fear of following her heart one more time - she could feel that. But there was something else she felt from those tears, something she hadn't felt with anyone else.

It was hope.

Takeru stepped closer to Hikari, and every step towards her made her heart beat faster. Her mind had gone blank, she couldn't find the words to respond, and she held her breath just as he stopped in front of her, only inches between them.

"Hey, now…" Takeru said with a gentle smile, and Hikari gave way for his hands to brush her tears away. "The girl I'm in love with hasn't told me how she felt. Don't leave me hanging."

Hikari looked into Takeru's bright blue eyes and thought about her time with him up until that moment. Deep down, she knew her feelings had been there all along, but they had never been brought to light until now.

This time, it just felt right.

"I love you, Takeru," Hikari said. "I always have."

"Wait, really?" Takeru asked, now searching her eyes which were now watering again.

"Really."

That was when Takeru leapt forward, throwing his arms around her and closing the gap between them with a kiss.

Hikari was stunned. Her arms fell at her sides as Takeru held her tightly with his lips pressed against hers. He pulled away a moment later, watching her and waiting for a response that she was too stunned to give. The look in his eyes told her that he was starting to doubt himself.

But she never wanted him to, not when she shared the same feelings for him. Reaching for Takeru's shoulders, Hikari pulled him close and lifted herself up to kiss him back.

It was a few moments until she heard a giggle behind her. Patamon and Tailmon had been watching them all along, although they looked at them both patiently and with adoration.

Had she not realized that Patamon and Tailmon were still there with them, Hikari would have kept her lips on his a little bit longer.

"We should probably keep walking," Hikari said, giggling nervously with her face feeling hot. "I want to see Taichi's face when we bring these milk buns home to him."

"You know what, me too," Takeru responded in agreement, although his cheeks were tinged with pink.

Patamon flew up to Takeru's hat and Tailmon joined Hikari at her other side as they continued to walk. Hikari didn't realize until a few feet ahead that Takeru had slid his free hand onto holding hers.

"Is this okay?" he asked.

Hikari interlocked her fingers with his. "Of course it is."

~*~*~*~*~*~

"Oops, I forgot the key," Hikari said once they reached the door to the apartment. She knocked on the door, knowing that Taichi was home, but grew annoyed after a few minutes had passed.

"Maybe he isn't home?" Takeru asked.

Hikari groaned. "I'll just text him."

Once she set her phone down, she saw from the corner of her eye that Takeru was watching her.

"What is it?"

He must not have realized what he was doing, because the next moment he looked away with a new blush forming on his cheeks.

"It's nothing," was his casual but nervous response.

Hikari had realized then, that Takeru was always watching her, and she was slowly beginning to understand why. He was always looking out for her, encouraging her with no other explanation other than love.

"Takeru," she said.

"Hmm?"

"That chocolate cake from earlier. You've still got some on your face."

"Oh, really?"

"Yeah. For someone who cared about how he looked, I would've thought you'd notice."

"Maybe I'm just too comfortable around you to care."

"Let me." Hikari lifted her finger towards the corner of his mouth, drawing herself towards him.

Takeru might have figured it out seconds before, but he didn't have crumbs to begin with. It might have been why, after Hikari lightly brushed his cheek with her hand, he accepted her kiss that followed.

And that was when the door finally opened. Both Hikari and Takeru broke off the kiss and turned to Taichi with their arms around each others' waists.

Taichi appeared to be at a loss for words. Hikari took a moment to exchange a glance with Takeru before turning to Taichi again.

"Hey, Onii-chan," Hikari said with a smile. "I was wondering when you were going to answer the door.

"Are you two being serious right now?" Taichi asked.

"Hikari bought you milk buns," Takeru replied, lifting the bag forward nonchalantly. "There's a dozen in here."

"Didn't you say you wanted to thank Takeru for suggesting them?" Hikari added.

Taichi was confused. "How are you not answering me? When did you two become a thing?"

With a grin, Takeru replied, "You're welcome, Taichi. I told you they were amazing."

"Did I hear more milk buns?" Agumon asked behind Taichi.

"Fine, I'll leave the subject for now." Taichi took the bag of pastries from Takeru. "But you better have an explanation for me later, Hikari."

Taichi walked back into the apartment, leaving Takeru and Hikari in a fit of giggles.

"I guess the cornets are for me, too?" Taichi asked loudly from further in. "I know these can't be your favorite, Hikari…"

"He's messing with you, now," Takeru told Hikari, wearing a smirk.

"I can deal with it. I won't let him take away your gift from me."

"Even if he does, I'll just buy you more tomorrow."

Hikari knew that if she told him that he didn't have to, he would still buy her gifts regardless, so she settled for responding with another kiss before they finally said goodnight.

When Hikari and Tailmon entered the apartment, they found Taichi and Agumon at the kitchen counter, both with milk buns in their hands. Taichi had left the cornets on the side to give to Hikari, who, after a few more minutes of dancing around the subject and aggravating Taichi, finally confirmed that she and Takeru were an item.

"It was about time you two confessed," Taichi said. "I'm happy for you."

And now, knowing that her feelings were out in the open, and her heart was going in the right direction, so was she.

[digitalworldbound]

day five: alternate universe

a studio ghibli au where hikari is an only child and her mother has passed. luckily, the neighborhood boys offer to help find her.

The floorboards creaked under her socked feet, soot covering the once pristine cotton. Hikari didn’t care if her clothes got dirty, but she didn’t want to give her father another reason to fret over her.

Cardboard boxes littered the hallway. Despite moving in a week prior, neither her or her father had the motivation or strength to pry open memories. Instead, Hikari stacked the boxes in a makeshift castle. One day, she hoped that their Queen would find her way home.

But she had been there to see her mother’s coffin lower in the ground; she had held her father as he wept.

A bookbag hung mockingly in the kitchen. The first day of school, once the happiest day of Hikari’s life, now served as a reminder of yet another first her mother would miss. Her father slouched over the stove. Hikari couldn’t help but to feel responsible for the bags under his eyes. In between finalizing the funeral arrangements and moving across the country, he had little energy to spare for Hikari, much less himself.

A whiff of burnt eggs did little to calm her anxieties, but she stomached her breakfast like a dutiful daughter.

“See you later, dad.”

He gave a half-hearted wave as Hikari slipped out of the front door. For a moment, she considered staying home for another day. She could unpack her room and make sure that her father ate a decent lunch, but her silent wishes disappeared as a herd of boys clamoured down the dirt road. Their feet pounded the ground, a race in progress. Six bookbags struggled to maintain their grasps on little shoulders as the group ran down the road.

A raven-haired boy took the lead, navigating the rocks and potholes with a practiced ease.

From the end of her driveway, Hikari watched him draw nearer. Too focused on his impending victory, the boy failed to notice her as he stopped beside her.

“See, ‘Keru? I told you I could win!”

A head of sweaty, blond hair followed close behind. Once he caught his breath, he pushed his friend’s side. The victor erupted into giggles as he continued to antagonize his friend.

With a huff, the blond crossed his arms. His cheeks were still rosy from the wind, blue eyes bright with mirth. “That’s not fair, Ken! You got a head start!”

Before Ken was able to muster up a response, a second redhead stepped forward.

“Who are you?” An accusing finger hung in front of Hikari’s face. Six pairs of eyes, colored in surprised, focused on her. A flush crawled up her neck, her breath caught in her throat.

Her mother had taught her about the importance of a first impression, but any confidence Hikari had dissipated into the morning air. Her fingers had gone numb, palms clammy. A toe dug into the dirt, her eyes focusing on the path to school. They looked at her expectantly, eyes narrowed. Silence crackled like static, interrupted by impatience.

“She’s weird. Let’s go, Daisuke.” Ken pulled his mirror image along with him, scurrying away like frightened animals.

The others didn’t bother to stick around, chasing each other the rest of the way to school.

Hikari waited for their dust trail to settle before walking down the path. Anxiety welled into her stomach; her mother would be disappointed in her. A gentle gust of wind ruffled her bangs in reassurance.

Her feet carried her onward, further away from the comforts of her new house. The school building emerged from the meadow, a field of flowers surrounding it on either side. It reminded Hikari of the story books her father used to read to her before bedtime, back when his smile reached his eyes and her mother was there .

Throngs of children gathered like dandelion seeds on a breeze, rosy cheeks and kind smiles adorning most faces. The strange group of boys stood off to one side. Huddled in a circle, their eyes trailed her suspiciously as Hikari made her way into the building.

Her little hands clutched the straps of her bookbag, as if pulling it closer to her body would quench her worries.

Living amongst rice farmers and livestock had been her father’s choice. Hikari’s mother had been raised in the countryside, escaping into the city for her first taste of freedom. It was strange to think that her mother, headstrong and accomplished, had sat in this same room; studied at these same desks.

The room was large, accommodating for all of the children in the village. With the older kids staking their claim in the back, Hikari rushed to the last empty space.

A pair of large blue eyes gazed at her, fear puckering at their eyebrow. It was the blond boy from earlier, his cheeks still flushed from his loss. Hikari squirmed under his gaze.

His fear must have dissipated quickly. It was the only explanation Hikari had for the fingers that poked into her side between lessons.

“Psst. Psst, girl.”

Her pencil continued to scratch at her paper, dodging dirty looks from the other students. His fingers continued to dig into her sensitive side. Thin lips pursed as Hikari swallowed down the giggle that bubbled in her throat. It would be disrespectful to laugh while her teacher was talking, and she figured that disappointing her mother once already was enough.

Still, the corners of her mouth couldn’t help but to tilt upwards. Chocolate eyes danced around his cerulean ones, and his fingers stilled.

“My name’s Takeru. What’s yours?” Whispering came naturally to some while a sense of quiet evaded others. Hikari assumed that Takeru was a part of the latter, his voice bouncing off the walls.

Some luck must have been on her side. Their teacher had been distracted with the younger students, too encaptured in their homesick tears to hear the blond’s outburst.

“You need to be quiet or we’ll get in trouble,” she chastised. A crestfallen shadow danced across his features before the light returned to his eyes.

“But you never answered my question.” Takeru’s voice was more hushed than before - he was trying. A toothy grin was plastered on his cheeks, his eyes aglow with childish anticipation.

She slipped her given name through her teeth, turning her full attention towards the chalkboard.

Later, the late summer sun kissed her cheeks as school children began their trek home. Takeru rushed out behind her, looking more like a mother duck with five boys in tow than an elementary student.

“So, Hikari, since when did you live here?” Glasses glinting in the sunlight, it was difficult to see what the dark-haired boy was thinking. Several paces ahead, Hikari wracked her brain for his name. As soon as school ended, Takeru had wasted no time in introducing her to everyone. Their names swam around in her head, none of them sticking.

“My father and I moved here a few weeks ago.” She didn’t turn to them, nor did she offer any other explanation.

One of the boys scoffed. “Why’d you have to move here?” It must have been Ken, the one with angry eyebrows. Hikari stopped, turning to face him. “Well, it’s not like I had a choice. My dad just wanted a change of scenery ever since my mom went away.”

Iori’s sugary smile wilted, looking up towards the tallest of their group. “That’s sad. Right, Koushiro?”

He nodded while the others let silence wash over them. Pebbles crunched underneath them as they continued on. Wind whistled through the treetops, a babbling brook accompanying the group on their journey. Crickets chimed in harmony, the background music to a most auspicious moment.

“I know!” Takeru propelled himself beside her, arms flailing in excitement. “We can help you find your Mama!” Grabbing her wrist, he broke into a sprint. The air was warm as it ran through her short hair.

He guided them to the edge of woods. Trees stretched to the sky, their arms caressing the clouds. Hikari pulled herself out of Takeru’s grasp as the group followed him further into the forest. “Wait! Where are you going?”

Hikari could see her house just over the hill, her stomach twisting at the thought of going back to her boxed up home. The boys disappeared into the underbrush, their twinkling laughter chasing after them. Impulsively, she started after them, branches scratching at her cheeks. A stray root caught Hikari’s ankle. A pair of spindly arms caught her, Daisuke’s disgruntled expression greeting her.

“You should be more careful. I don’t want cooties.” He stuck his tongue out, weaving through the trees. It seemed as if the dust bunnies from her house had followed her here, dancing around the feet of her young companions. Cheerfully, the soot sprites lead them deeper.

The trees gave way to a clearing. Lush, green grass was bordered by wildflowers, the occasional bumble bee flitting around.

“This is exactly where a Momma would wait for her baby!” Takeru declared, a triumphant grin spread across his cheeks as if he had already won. The others seemed to agree, their chatter flowing freely amidst the tree trunks.

Boisterous plants sprouted at the meadow’s edge.With leaves as big as Iori himself, he found it no trouble to crawl underneath them. Using the hem of his shirt to wipe the sweat off his glasses, Jou peered over the tops of the bushes. “Is she under there, Iori?”

Poking his head out from between the leaves, Iori shook his head. “It’s too dark under here for a grown lady,” he paused for a moment, brown eyes glistening, “And it’s too dark for six-year-old boys.” His voice wavered, tears gathering in the corners of his eyes. In an attempt to avoid the inevitable, Jou tugged Iori out of the brush.

Little soot sprites tangled themselves in his hair, chittering at the commotion. “C’mon, you know it’s rude to ask for a free ride.” Not even enchanted dust bunnies could argue with Jou’s logic. They cascaded down to the ground, tittering as their host swatted at his hair.

Daisuke couldn’t help but to laugh from the treeline, legs dangling off Koushiro’s shoulers. Being the tallest in the group came with a price, one that he happily paid anytime his friends needed him.

From this new vantage point, Daisuke scanned the branches for something. “Hey, Hikari!”

Koushiro’s grip tightened on his knees as the pair turned towards her.

Alone, in the middle of the lush grass, she looked like a fairy. If fairies wore ill-fitting Pokemon theme shirts, that is. She turned towards them, a question dancing in her eyes.

“Does your mom like climbing trees? Maybe she got stuck!” Daisuke almost gave himself a pat on the back; he was so smart!

With the leaves ruffling his cheeks, Daisuke’s attention was easily diverted. He signaled for Koushiro to take him deeper into the woods, much to Hikari’s relief. She didn’t have the heart to say it out loud.

Not too far from her, Ken sat amongst the wild blackberry bushes. His cheeks were swollen with fruit, lips stained purple. Hikari plopped herself down beside him. With his mouth full, he was less likely to ask questions she didn’t want to answer.

Ken’s attempt at speaking was obscured by the berries, a few stray escaping past his lips. Hikari couldn’t stop her laughter, a relief from the turmoil that bubbled in her stomach. Picking a few fresh from the vine, Ken offered his sticky palm, blackberries glistening on top.

“Thank you,” she said, tossing a few in her mouth. Takeru plopped himself between the two, taking two of Ken’s berries for his own. “Wow, these are good!”

True to his boisterous nature, Takeru’s voice reverberated through the meadow. Four curious heads turned before they, too, joined the impromptu picnic.

“Hikari, do you ever think you’ll find your momma?”

She wasn’t sure who asked the question. Cicadas carried on their twilight lullaby as the sun kissed the horizon in passing.

Fireflies began to twinkle at the treeline. Hikari looked up into six pairs of softened eyes. Though their curiosity rolled off of them like waves, none of them said anything else.

The grass was soft underneath her, the breeze caressing her cheek. “I’m sure I will, someday. But, for now, at least you guys keep me company.”

[ladyofthecastleproject]

Inside the Pandora Castle (part 1)

[AO3 version]

Summary:

A barrier prevents Wallace to return with Daisuke and Ken, forcing them to go to the castle. Meanwhile the others are informed about their current status by Ken. But the moment they decide to go after the boys, Hikari sees a flashing and mysterious light. The final battle begins. Who will win? Duskmon or the Chosen Children?

[Note: It's 2008; The title is a double-reference to Deltarune's "Pandora Palace" & Lady of the Castle Arc 3]

Running to the castle, the boys had to face a ton of digimon in the same conditions as Wallace had been before. Fladramon, Pucchiemon and Gargomon opened the path to the castle but carefully to not hurt the digimon.

“Don’t you think it’s a bad bad idea to go to the enemy’s territory all alone?” Daisuke asked, stunting some of the enemies in their way with the Lighdra-Glaive.

“And do we have any other option?” Ken replied, “It was too easy to rescue Wallace-kun, this is intentional.”

“So, you think Duskmon wants us to come back?” Wallace asked, dodging from a digimon who got thrown away by Gargomon.

“Probably” Ken answered, and then Daisuke slashed against another soldier digimon coming at them.

“I don’t get it! He wanted to kill Daisuke, now he wants Daisuke to storm into his castle!?”

“I don’t understand that too!” Daisuke growled, “Can he please decide? He wants me dead or not!?”

Ken took a while to answer that. In fact, there’s some odd events and such… If this-so-called Duskmon wanted Daisuke dead … Wouldn’t he go after Daisuke while he was all alone and pretending to be a digimon?

“... Wait a minute” Ken stopped running. The rest of the group stopped and looked at him, confused, “Daisuke, he didn’t want to kill you.”

“H-Huh!?” They exclaimed.

“To be honest, he would’ve done that before if he wanted to. I guess he wanted you two to get those hidden powers first.”

“Well, he’s not going to get’em because none of us know how to get’em.” Daisuke said with an annoyed voice, shrugging “Like, do he expect us to know how to get those… Are we that smartasses to know how to unlock a power none of us knew we had until now!?”

“You’re admitting you’re not smart huh?” Wallace rolled his eyes.

“At least I wasn’t manipulated by some weirdo in googly eyes armor!”

“Googly eyes armor?” the digimon blinked.

“Um, I think he manipulated you too” Ken tried to intervene, “Because you were under his power doing awful things before.”

“... W-whatever” he blushed shamefully, “I… I don’t want to think about it now…!”

“Let’s not fight,” Wallace laughed nervously, then “Daisuke’s right, he can’t get those powers from us if we never get them first.”

“Let’s go, if we can find a way to escape from this place then let’s not waste our time!”

“Just a second, we need to let the others know” and Ken grabbed his phone from his hoodie’s pocket and called Miyako.

“The others?” Wallace blinked, “Does it mean… Miyako-san is with you? I missed her so much”

Ken immediately glanced at Daisuke with such annoyance and realized his friend was facepalming. The digimon kept confused, but Pucchiemon just saw Ken almost smash his phone.

“Did I stutter?” Ken said, with a big grin on his face. Said grin made Daisuke feel it was the same smile Ken gives to people he plans to murder slowly and painfully (ok no, he just messes with their belongings like taking all the batteries from their remote controls and unscrewing light bulbs as warning)

“So she’s not?” Wallace asked with a frown.

“LET’S NOT TALK ABOUT THAT!” Daisuke interrupted the possible fight, “Right, call Mimi-san or Iori and let them know” and he silently signaled to not mention Miyako after this. With bad mimic skills so Ken took a second (or two) to get it.

“I got a call, be quiet everyone please!” Miyako announced, and the group, hidden in a spot near to the castle’s domains, stopped chatting to let Miyako talk with Ken on the phone, “Hello? Ken-kun did you two get into the castle?”

She gasped next, “Wait, he met with your two, he was under a digimon’s control and attacked Daisuke?” The group were now babbling ‘what’ ‘huh’ ‘eh’ in the background. Miyako continued, “Ah you guys are all safe now… Huh, he can’t leave the castle’s area so you decided to go find another way by going to the castle?”

“What?” Hikari asked, Mimi was frowning, Takeru and Iori were still shocked. The digimon reactions reflected their humans’ as well.

“Oh Ok… One more thing: Why are you calling me ‘Iori-kun’!? Oh, oh … I got it. Okay, please be careful” and she hung up.

“Are they in trouble?” Mimi was still frowning, hugging Palmon a bit more tightly.

“Yeah but…”

“We should go,” she said, “I’m sure if we go after them, we can cover their weaknesses with our own abilities.”

“Mimi-san!?” They glanced at her, shocked. This wasn’t usual from her.

“Our friends are in danger, and I think we need to do something. We won’t kill the digimon like Daisuke-kun and V-mon were doing mercilessly. I won’t allow that.”

“But… what will we do-- Huh?” Hikari heard a voice and saw a sparkling light. She got up without warning the others and ran after it. Tailmon and the rest came with her, and then they met…

“Sorry for luring you in like this” A male white wolf-esque armor digimon said as the Chosen Children approached, “Don’t worry, this area is protected by the power of Light and won’t be touched by the power of Darkness.”

“Who… Who are you?” Palmon asked.

“I’m Beowolfmon. You may need my help if you want to beat Duskmon, so listen carefully.”

“Geez this castle is still creepy inside” Daisuke commented, slashing the soldiers coming in their direction to stunt them “Man, I wonder where’s the exit of this area…”

“This is still too easy though,” Ken muttered, “What does this Duskmon-guy want with us?”

“Wallace, do you remember anything that could be an exit from here? Like, a gate or a door, anything!” Daisuke asked, blocking a Pawnchessmon’s lance from hitting them. Pucchiemon used his beams to destroy every Eyesmon inside their shadows.

“Uhh… I remember there’s one strange door in the living room.”

“Right, show us the way.”

“Ok, follow me!”

“Wait you two,” Ken babbled “This is what--”

And once they destroyed the living room’s door… Duskmon was already there waiting for them.

“--he wants…” Ken completed his phrase right after both Wallace and Daisuke were captured by the Eyesmon, making them unable to move “Pucchiemo--”

But the digimon trio was hit by air slashes caused by Duskmon’s blades, throwing them and Ken to the wall. They devolved back to child level and fell on the ground, Wormmon on Ken’s lap, V-mon and Gummymon by his sides.

“Argh, I can’t move!” Daisuke tried moving the arm holding the Lighdra-Glaive, but no success. The Glaive then disappeared from his hand, maybe he still had a bit of control over himself “Ken… Leave us here and escape!”

“What!?” Ken and the digimon got up, trembling “I won’t let the enemy win..!!”

“Looks like I’ve already won” Duskmon replied calmly, “I have two powerful powers in hands”

“Heh, we don’t know how to get it so you’re not getting anything!” Daisuke smirked, but that smirk showed some weakness… Deep down he believed they all had failed.

“Now I can explain why you’re here, human child,” he said, looking at Wallace and ignoring Daisuke, “So listen carefully.”

Beowolfmon moved his hands and showed them holograms made of his light power to the children:

“In the Ancient era, there were two powers coexisting. The power of Miracles, which as the name says, is the ability to turn everything possible…”

Meanwhile Duskmon explained the same thing for the trio and their digimon:

“... And the power of Destiny, which is the power to write and rewrite any destiny. The power of Miracles existed to counter the power of Destiny, keeping it in check.”

“H-huh?” Ken reacted a bit badly, now he understood why Daisuke had been in danger and why Wallace was captured in the first place.

A bit far away from the castle, Beowolfmon continued:

“Those powers were sealed by the holy and ancient digimon as an attempt to prevent any disasters caused by both.”

“Sealed?” Miyako blinked, “So, that’s why only Qinglongmon and the Holy Beasts, and Holydramon and Seraphimon could summon them before?”

“These powers are related to a lineage of Ancient Digimon as well, and only said Digimon together can use said power.” Duskmon then added “And since I have you two here…”

“What do you mean!?” Ken asked this time, and he saw Daisuke and Wallace turning to him and the digimon trio’s direction “D-don’t tell me…!”

“Ken, run away! Don’t let… Us get-- --!!”

“Daisuke, what’s going on?!” V-mon panicked.

“... I see. The key to unlocking such powers is V-mon and Gummymon” Ken muttered, “Because they’re related to Magnamon and Rapidmon.”

“How do you know about Rapidmon?” Gummymon looked at Ken, astonished.

“Let’s say I’ve researched it…” He replied.

“So we’re the key!?” V-mon asked Ken, but Duskmon answered:

“Yes. Now you two children, give me those digimon.”

“I don’t understand how you can get those from us, but we WON’T help you!” V-mon and Gummymon roared together. 

“It doesn’t matter,” Daisuke said “Now come here V-mon.” 

“You too Terriermon,” Wallace added.

That already made the digimon step back, something was off. And Ken noticed it especially by the name Wallace used. Wasn’t the blonde boy referring to his partner by ‘Gummymon’ before?!

“Ken-chan, we need to do something!!” Wormmon gave Ken a nervous glare.

Beowolfmon continued, the same time as Duskmon:

“You children have created a new power with your bonds. Those weapons made by the ancient Digimentals… I can see you have infinite potential.”

“But you need more if you want to beat me. Once I have the power of destiny and miracles in my hands…”

“He will rewrite the story.”

“What!?” The kids (and Ken plus the digi-trio) exclaimed.

“So we need to go there,” Takeru said, “We need all the power we have to face this Duskmon right?”

“One question, please Beowolfmon” Hikari interrupted them, “Did you save Daisuke-kun and V-mon from getting hurt before?”

At the same time, Ken and the digimon tried to escape from Daisuke and Wallace. Only to Lekismon invade the room throwing her sleeping bombs at the boys’ shadows. The Eyesmon duo left the shadow snoozing.

“Lekismon!!” V-mon exclaimed.

“Hurry up, get out of here right now!!”

“Ugh… my head…” / “What’s... going on…”  Daisuke and Wallace said at the same time, only to be grabbed by one of their arms by Ken and dragged to the outside of the living room.

“There’s no time to waste, we need to leave!!”

“You won’t leave.” Duskmon snapped his fingers (yes, he has hands which can mutate to blades) and more digimon appeared in the corridor.

“Oh no!” Wormmon exclaimed. “What will we do, Wallace?” Gummymon asked the boy.

He looked at Daisuke and Ken.

But they didn’t need to do much, since arrows of light and energy hit from somewhere.

“What?” Daisuke blinked, then saw Takeru and Hikari running after them holding more of those digimental weapons, A crossbow made from Nefertimon data and a gun-bow made from Pegasusmon’s “T-Takeru, Hikari-chan!? Wait where you get--”

“EVERYONE, DUCK!” They heard Miyako’s voice and once they ducked a big Shuriken passed through their heads.

Gust of winds repelled all the digimon coming after the boys and their digimon, flying over their heads. Iori was hitting the enemies with the Submari-Sword in wooden sword mode, protecting the others from being hit by the enemies. Lilymon flew and used her Green Trap technique to paralyze the evil guys by releasing flowers and pollen over them.

“They all are here!” V-mon exclaimed.

“Right… We need to fight as well!” Daisuke grabbed his D-3 “Ken, let’s go!”

“Right!”

V-mon and Wormmon evolved into XV-mon and Stingmon, then jogress evolved into Paildramon. Wallace and Gummymon were shocked, they had never seen that digimon before.

“Amazing…”

“Wallace, should we fight too?”

He couldn’t answer though…

Beowolfmon stormed from the group and went directly against Duskmon. Their blades clashed and started to destroy the castle, turning it into ruins by their collision. The digimon partners (Paildramon, Fauermon, DrillDigmon, Angemon, Angewomon and Lilymon) held the kids tightly, and Daisuke also held Wallace & Gummymon to not let them fly away from the heated fight happening right there.

“Who’s that!?” Daisuke asked, but a flash passed through his mind.

The time he and V-mon almost died… A very quick light had come from nowhere and had teleported them to a realm of light for a few seconds, and when Duskmon had disappeared, they had returned to the Digital World.

“It was you…” V-mon said what Daisuke was about to say, “The one who saved us.”

Yes, it was Beowolfmon that time.

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