After the Kabukimon incident, the amount of rogue Digimon incursions seemed to ebb temporarily. There were one or two here or there, but they were small and relatively harmless incidents in the grand scheme of things. Jack found a pair of Mushroomon in a local garden centre, pretending to be part of an exhibit. Mark bumped into a Hinkymon camping out next to a local pie shop, telling whimsical stories to all who passed by. Nothing majorly painful. Even the hunters seemed to be licking their wounds after their encounter with Sapiamon.

So it was that Lonnie found herself staring into the bathroom mirror, brushing her teeth. It was nice to have had a full night’s sleep for once, although it did kind of remove her valid excuse for not having done her homework the previous evening. That being said, the lack of anything particularly heroic to do had left her feeling a little bit restless.

And she wasn’t the only one, as a sudden cacophony of noises erupted from downstairs.

“MUUUUUUM!”

“...what?”

“DENDY ATE MY PUDDING!”

Lonnie stared into the mirror, allowing herself a few deep breaths in the sanctity of the bathroom, before she opened the door and skipped down the stairs two at a time, her toothbrush still in hand. Entering the kitchen, she found Anna wrapped around Dendromon’s back with the tenacity of a reticulated python, bonking her repeatedly on the top of the head as the salamander ran around ineffectually.

“I...didn’t...ow...know it was...ow...yours...I was...hungry...”

“Dendromon!”

The salamander stopped, and looked pitifully up at Lonnie, who stood in the doorway with her hands on her hips.

“What did I tell you? If you’re hungry, ask! Don’t take!”

Dendromon stuck out her bottom lip, sniffing dramatically. “Don’t you care about my wellbeing, dearest partn-OW!”

She flinched, and staggered backwards as Anna stuck her hand right into her gill flaps. The pair lurched sideways and slammed into a cupboard, collapsing on a heap on the floor. Anna immediately burst into tears, while Dendromon rocked back and forth, holding the back of her head and muttering under her breath.

Lonnie blinked in a bleary-eyed fashion, when she suddenly became aware of somebody standing behind her, breathing even more heavily than she was. Lonnie spun on her heels, sticking her hands behind her back.

“It’s alright mum. I’ve got everything under control...”

The sound of something rolling off the kitchen island and smashing on the floor begged to differ, though Lonnie wasn’t entirely sure if her mother was completely able to comprehend it, as Carrie was right now doing a remarkable impression of a hungover Jersey bull dosed up on Red Bull and espresso. Carrie snorted with a sound akin to that of drains unclogging, and let out a hoarse growl.

“I’ve been up...since quarter to FIVE!”

Lonnie tried to find a reasonable answer, when all of a sudden the doorbell rang. The sound made Carrie’s entire body convulse and one side of her face lurch upwards. Lonnie took this opportunity to perform probably the most sensible of options; moving away from her half-dead mother’s warpath.

“I’ll get that, don’t worry.”

The girl strode towards the door, trying to mentally block the severe number of grounding hours she would earn from this. She succeeded, and opened the door, expecting to find a delivery person.

She blinked, and glanced up, looking into Owen’s eyes. He raised a friendly palm. “Yo.”

Lonnie rubbed her eyes, and looked behind her. Then looked at the young man again.

“Hi...”

She suddenly felt very aware that she was still wearing her pyjamas and still in the midst of vigorous tooth brushing. She shimmied most of her body behind the door, and smiled back at him. Owen tilted to one side, less bothered with her and more the interesting sounds coming from inside the house.

“Is...this a bad time...?”

Another bang from the kitchen, followed by an unholy guttural eldritch cry that Lonnie could only attribute to her own mother. Lonnie paced back and forth, not wanting to leave the pandemonium in the other room lest it get worse.

“No...I mean...a bit...but...I mean...well...look, it’s the weekend, we really don’t do early mornings...but...I mean...I’m sorry, but, uh...”

Owen placed his hand behind his head. “Yeah, I...uh...was in the area and...you weren’t answering any texts.”

Lonnie blinked. “But I always have my phone in...my...bag...which would still be in the river...”

The girl knocked herself on the side of her head, and smiled apologetically up at the boy. “Very sorry, I seem to have given you my old number. But we can sort that later. Did you want me for anything?”

Owen opened his mouth to speak, when his eyes darted sideways, and he gave a beaming grin to Sian, who was now standing in the hallway with a finger in her mouth.

“Hey there. Sorry, I’m just here for a little chat with your sister.”

Sian pulled her finger out, and looked up at Lonnie, her eyes full of wonder.

“Lonnilee, is this the man you’re getting married to?”

Owen raised a finger, but the door slammed in his face before he could say a word. There was a tittering in the bushes behind him, and he turned around, watching Simeamon’s tittering expression.

“Ooh Owen, I think you have an admiiiirer.”

The young man rolled his eyes. “Simeamon, you know there are several reasons why that’s not gonna work.”

“I’m just saying...must be nice to be popular.”

Owen pushed his shoulders up, and stepped back, shifting back and forth on the patio as he waited patiently. He was sure he could hear raised voices, additional smashing and the occasional threat of small children being dangled over the toilet, but being the polite(?) person he was he decided to blank most of it out. Though Simeamon did notice him turning around and brushing underneath one eye for a second.

About five minutes later the door opened again, and Lonnie stepped out, fully dressed and dragging Dendromon by the collar. She seemed out of breath, but she brushed herself down and grinned up at Owen again. The boy scratched his nose.

“I mean...I could have come back later.”

“Nonsense. This must be important. It always is. I didn’t realise you were gonna come or that you had any news or anything-“

Ggggrrrrrrrooooaaaarr

The girl stopped, and held her stomach, going a distinct pink colour. Owen raised an eyebrow, waiting patiently, until eventually she sighed.

“...can we pop to Caffé Kitty first? I really need to eat something...”

“I haff to say, I didn’t...excfufe me-“

Lonnie held up one palm and took another bite of full-English-breakfast-pasty, while Owen sat patiently at the other end of the table, tapping his fingers and looking around in a very nervous fashion. The girl finished her mouthful, and wiped away at her chin, giving a sheepish smile.

“Sorry about that. When Dendromon came around breakfasts became slightly more...um...optional.”

There was a hiss from beside her as the salamander popped her head up from beneath the table. “Excuse me, I will not apologise for the rude behaviour of your siblings.”

“Sstffstsff!” spluttered Owen, waving his hands as he looked all around the back room. He glared at Lonnie. “I cannot believe you have the balls to bring her inside.”

Lonnie blinked. “I said it would be fine. I always bring her in. They know her here. Well...one of the waitresses does.”

“One latte, one lemonade?”

Lonnie beamed up as Raquel hopped in the doorway, passing their drinks down. The girl gave Owen a wink, and whispered under her breath. “You’ve got nothing to worry about. I make sure to keep an eye out for our special customers.”

Owen gave Lonnie an exasperated look, but she just shrugged. “It’s nice and quiet, and we always get the best seats. You should bring Simeamon up sometime.”

“Already ahead of ya, lady.”

Owen jumped half a mile as he noticed Simeamon sitting casually in the seat next to him, arms behind her head. She frowned, and glared up at him. “What about my coffee then?”

“You were meant to stay outside!”

“I was outside. Had a chin-wag with a chatty water-dragon out back, she let me in and I scoped you out. I figured I might have been left out of some stuff.” The monkey clicked up at Raquel, and smiled amiably. “Do you do fizzy sugar hellfire in a can? Like what this guy drinks but, you know, the good shit? He’s paying.”

“Simeamon, goddamnit-“

Raquel raised her palms before the situation could escalate. “I’ll bring you up something. Just don’t start firing lasers at the walls and I’m sure we can all be good friends.”

She skipped away, with Owen watching her and gawping. He found himself turning back to Lonnie, who was wolfing down the rest of her breakfast. She caught his eye, and raised an eyebrow.

“What?”

Owen sighed, placing his hand on the table. “You are all weirdos.”

“You’re the one who came to find me...” The girl scrunched her pasty wrapper up, and folded her arms. “Which reminds me; I thought you weren’t bothered with us? Why the sudden change of heart?”

Simeamon cooed from next to him. “Because he’s really a big friendly squishy love-muffin who wants to help his new BFFs.”

Owen took a sip of lemonade, and thrust out a middle finger. “Simeamon, do you want that pistol to mysteriously disappear somewhere?”

The monkey stuck her tongue out, but she shut up, allowing Owen to carry on, “You said we’re getting more Digimon hanging around the place, which is why all of us are suddenly coming out of the woodwork. I figured you might wanna find another tamer.”

Lonnie leaned forwards. “You know someone?”

“No. But I know where they might be.” Owen pulled his D-SEND out and laid it flat on the table, scrolling towards the map. “You managed to figure this out yet?”

Lonnie blushed. “I wish.”

“It’s easy really. Think of it like a TV remote.”

“I can’t use those either. The last time I tried I ended up trapping the entire menu in Suomi.”

“Cool stuff.” Owen swung the device around, showing the 3D map. “You see the flashes at the edge? They point towards other digivices; well, other digivices like these ones, anyway. Yours is showing up, and where that fuzzy circle is? That’s vaguely where the kid and the grumpy man are right now. It’s a bit like a radar except really not very accurate.”

Lonnie nodded vigorously, trying hard to follow what was going on as Owen explained everything just a bit too fast.

“The thing is, there’s another signal as well. I wasn’t really paying attention to it before, but it points down that way,” he said, pointing out one window towards the sea. “Mid-morning, about twelve till two on most weekends.”

Lonnie stared blankly. There was a giggle from Simeamon as Owen sighed.

“There’s someone else with a digivice, and they hang out on the beach. Or thereabouts. You might wanna start looking there.”

“Ah!” Lonnie clapped her hands. “Sweet! It’s happening! We’re getting the gang together! I’ll give the others a buzz; we’re all heading to the beach.”

Owen raised both hands. “Woah, woah, it’s just a lead. I thought you might be interested, that’s all. Leave me outta this.”

“Aw, please. It’s not gonna be the same without you.”

“I barely even know any of you!”

Lonnie clasped her hands and fluttered her eyelids at the young man. “Come on. You know you want to.”

Owen held one elbow, and looked down at Simeamon. She just drummed her fingers on the table. “Don’t look at me. This was your idea in the first place.”

A bead of sweat fell down Owen’s forehead as he looked between the expectant faces of Lonnie and his own partner. Even Dendromon was poking her head up from beneath the table, staring at him intently. Eventually he let out a groan, and folded his arms.

“Alright, fine, geez. I’ll come along.”

“Good. You can help me work the D-SEND again.” Lonnie winked, before resting her head in her hands, staring upwards with a cheeky smile on her lips. “You know you can’t escape us, spaceman.”

“...y’know, I was just starting to get that impression.”

Mid-October wasn’t really the ideal period for a beach day, and with the sea right up on the stones and threatening to take a bite out of the promenade, the chance of a relaxing sunbathe was out of the question. That being said, at least it was fairly quiet, with only a couple of dog-walkers and ramblers out and about.

Lonnie spotted the other three tamers in the distance, and gave a whistle, waving at them.

“Yoo-hoo! We’re over here!”

Mark folded his arms, rolling his eyes as he walked up. “Great. We’re spending time with everyone’s favourite space lancer-ow!”

He held his side from where Grace had gently elbowed him. The girl leaned in towards him, “You may not like it but we need to try and get along if we’re all gonna be tamers together.”

Mark blinked. “Why?”

There was a whistle from Jack as he placed his hands behind his head. “I dunno, I think he’s pretty cool myself.”

The five met up, and Owen and Simeamon raised a hand each. “S’up.”

Mark shuffled forwards. “You’re oddly accommodating today. Considering the last time we met.”

“Well, you tackled me.” Owen shrugged. “But whatever. Water under the bridge.”

“Hmmm...” Mark sniffed, before turning to Lonnie. “What exactly are we all here for? Team building?”

“Precisely! We need to head off and spy on people.” Lonnie held up a finger, pausing mid-sentence. “Not the wording I meant to use, but kind of true.”

Grace and Jack gave each other a look, and shrugged in unison. Owen leant forwards, holding out his D-SEND. “We all have one of these, and apparently the digital world’s pulling us all together because of it. But as I was telling Lonnie earlier, there’s another digivice signal near here; someone else who’s part of this...I dunno, has this version?”

Mark leaned on a pillar. “And do we know where they could be?”

“Not exactly; the signal on these things gets a bit funky when you get too close.”

“That’s not helpful.” Mark sighed. “Although I guess it stops all our devices overlaying and interfering with one another.”

“Most likely. But it gets fairly strong near the beach at these times, so they seem to come here most days.” The young man shrugged. “We might as well try and find them sooner rather than later. Save a few late introductions.”

Lonnie rubbed her hands together. “Cool. Scavenger hunt. We should split up in pairs and go for a look-see.”

“Good idea.” Grace pulled her bag up her shoulder, and stood next to Lonnie. “Us girls’ll go down towards the east beach. Mark and Owen, you head the other way. Jack, I’d hook up with Perimon and see if you can spot anyone from the air.”

Jack raised his thumb, but Mark held his arms out, immediately flustered. “Wait, wait wait, why the heck am I stuck with him?”

Grace beamed at the two of them. “It’ll be good for you both. Get us all in the team spirit.” She swung her arm to the side, as she backed off with Lonnie, who wiggled her fingers in farewell. The three boys found themselves standing around, blinking in incomprehension.

“...what just happened?”

Mark’s gaze fell on Jack, who raised his palms, backing away with a sheepish expression. “Sorry, I...uh...had my own assignment. Good luck!”

He was gone in a flash as well, leaving only Mark and Owen staring at one another. Owen sighed, scratching behind his head and moaning slightly.

“I’m reeeeally not gonna be able to avoid you guys at all, am I...?”

There was a snickering from nearby, followed by a slight shimmering as Chromon and Simeamon peered out from their observation point.

“Ooh boy, this oughta be rich.”

“Do you think they’ll be okay?”

Grace huffed at the question as she walked along briskly, with Vulpimon padding along in accompaniment, having materialised by her side and. The girl ran her fingers through her ponytail. “They’re adults, Lonnie. Or near as damn it. I think they’ll be okay.”

The taller girl held her arm as she looked back. “I dunno...seems a bit volatile between them at the minute.”

“Well if we meet up with them again and find one of them with their head stuck in a bin then we can call it character building.”

Lonnie broke into a fit of giggles, and wiped under one eye. “You’re really...wow...you did this to me and Mark as well.”

Grace slowed, and looked out towards the sea, breathing deeply. “I’ll be honest, Lonnie, I didn’t think I’d be doing this again. Running around fixing the world with Vulpimon by my side. I just want to...try and do it right this time, that’s all.” She looked back, and smiled. “It’s always better to be honest with each other, right?”

Vulpimon nodded sagely beside her. “And look at it this way; at least we’re not constantly running for our lives this time, so we have a little more room to play with.”

Lonnie pushed her lips out, and sidled forwards, placing a hand gently on Grace’s shoulder.

“I do appreciate it, but you know there are lots of people round to help as well, right? We can slow down a bit. Ask people. Eloise and Kai. Aaron. Uncle Ali.”

“Yeah, yeah, I know.” Grace turned again, and the two walked at a slightly slower pace, listening to the waves crashing on the shore. Grace piped up again, more introspectively this time. “Aaron took the lead back in the digital world, so we always had a direction. Even if he didn’t always get it right, we at least knew where we were headed. But now with him and Kent away, and Eloise and Kai busy all the time as well...I feel like it’s on me to give that direction now. But I don’t know where it is.”

Lonnie glanced sideways, where she smiled at Dendromon paddling through the sandbanks beside them. “I don’t know; you seem to be pretty good at it to me.”

“I’m definitely not cut out to be a leader. I get nervous around people.”

“You’re doing fine.” Lonnie tilted her head sideways. “Buuuut...well...if you’re struggling I guess I could always step in...”

“I wish.” Grace raised an eyebrow, and glanced back. “Really? You mean it?”

Lonnie raised a finger. “Just be pre-warned; you have seen my decision-making skills. You might need to retain some control.”

“Lonnie, if I ever had any control over you, I would immediately use it to fix your fashion sense.”

“Hey!” Lonnie flounced, pulling the sides of her daring blouse and overalls combo, “I am the height of taste.”

Grace held her hand over her mouth, laughing gently. “No comment. But yes, I might turn to you in future if I need it.”

“No probs.” Lonnie placed her hands behind her head, staring up at the cloudy sky. “Uncle Ali always said I’d make a good leader so long as I could walk in a straight line.”

Grace beamed. “You seem quite close to him. Is he an old family friend?”

“Yup. He was best friends with my granny. Helped my mum out as well when things got...um...” She trailed off, and Grace noted a slight shiver in her voice, if only for a moment. “...when we had a bit of...family trouble.” Lonnie nodded firmly. “We owe him. He’s always been good to us.”

She turned around, but seemed to remember something and spun on her heels. “Oh, and he’d tell me all about his old journey in the digital world.”

“He has mentioned that to us. Briefly.” Grace looked up. “Was...your grandmother with him then? He said there were others before us.”

“Mm-hmm. She always told me stories as well. Saving the world with her little sheep knight. The best of times.”

Lonnie marched onwards, but came to a stop after a few paces. She looked back at where Grace had paused, her eyes wide.

“You alright back there?”

“Yeah, I...just...I’m just coming.”

Pwfft.

“Dendromon! I told you to be careful.”

Lonnie marched over to where her partner was stuck with her head in a sandbank, her arms flailing wildly. Grace glanced at Vulpimon, who was staring herself. “I did hear that right...didn’t I?”

The fox sighed, and gave her a knowing look. “Who’s to say? But perhaps...we shouldn’t say regardless.”

“I never would.” Grace smiled weakly, holding onto her sleeve. “It’s a small digital world after all, right?”

Vulpimon sat down, her tail stroking along the pavement as they waited for Lonnie and Dendromon to rejoin them. The fox tilted her head, her ears pricking as she stared at the little fiery salamander, skipping and joking alongside her partner.

“...it certainly is.”

“I can’t believe this...”

Owen raised an eyebrow as he sauntered along next to the other teen, absentmindedly flipping his D-SEND over in one hand. “Yeah, uh, you’ve made that fairly clear.”

“I wasn’t talking about you, actually.” Mark raised his own device, jabbing a finger at the glowing screen. “Though since we’re on the subject, you sure you’ve got nothing more precise to work with? Other than the other tamer might be around here?”

“Hey, I told the ginger snap it was only a theory. I didn’t ask her to drag you or me or anyone else into this.”

“Lonnie. Her name’s Lonnie.” Mark held the bridge of his nose. “Jesus christ, I bet Kent never had any issues like this...”

“What was that?”

“None of your business.”

Owen rolled his eyes, whistling out the side of his mouth. Simeamon held a finger to her lip beside him, smirking in a cheeky fashion. The boy humphed. “What’s so funny?”

“Just glad that I don’t have to be the only one to give you grief anymore.”

“Thank you so much for standing up for me as per usual, dearest partner of mine.”

The boy sighed, and his gaze wandered back to Mark, who was still focused intently on the device. He caught Owen staring, and looked away.

Owen folded his arms. “Don’t frown too hard; your face’ll stay that way.”

Mark pulled the sides of his lips upwards in mock mirth. “Don’t worry, it already has. But thanks for the concern.”

“You really don’t wanna be here, do you?”

“No, but, you know, it’s my job.”

“Maybe. But it’s not a twenty-four/seven job. We can take it a little easy, y’know. The world ain’t falling apart just yet.”

Mark slowed to a stop, and leant against a nearby lamppost, staring down at the ground. “I don’t know what it’s doing at the moment. It’s confusing, and upsetting and I don’t like it, and it just feels...kind of like...nobody else is taking it seriously. Maybe Grace, but not Lonnie and...well...not you.” He held his device closer to his chest. “How am I supposed to relax when there’s all this pressure from...from...we don’t even know what?”

Owen placed his hands in his pockets, looking at Simeamon for assistance. Surprisingly though it was Chromon who answered, shuffling up and nudging his partner on the leg.

“Cause when it does start happening, Mark, there w...won’t be any time to sit d-down and talk.”

“Chromon?”

Mark looked down, and the dinosaur smiled sheepishly. “It’s l-l...like he said. The world’s not burning just yet. We can slow down a bit.”

Mark looked aside, struggling to meet the dinosaur’s gaze. But his breathing settled a bit, and he straightened up again, his expression softening. He set off again without a word, with Owen wandering by his side. It was a few minutes before Mark piped up again.

“I heard about the thing with Vex’s gang.”

Owen blinked, and his arm stiffened.

“Which thing?”

“A few nights ago. Lonnie told me. Thanks for helping us.”

“Oh. That.” Owen shrugged, his hands still in his pockets. “Don’t mention it. I just do what’s right.”

Mark looked over at the older boy, who had suddenly come over all tense. “How long have you been doing this? Do you fight with them a lot or-“

“I said...don’t...mention it.”

Mark slowed a bit, noticing Owen’s fist tensing up a bit. Owen caught him looking, and sniffed. “Sorry. I have issues with what they do. Big issues. That’s what I try and stop more than anything else.”

Mark muttered under his breath, “We’re all trying to stop them, you know...”

“Wait up.”

Owen ground to a halt in the middle of the promenade, and held his device up to Mark’s face. “Is it just me, or is the signal taking up the whole screen now?”

Mark looked around. They had reached the easternmost end of the promenade, where it began to give way to the river walk. Just inland was a little park area, with a small patio and a few scattered seats, following onto a pathway towards the park where Mark had made his own encounter only a week or so prior. The two boys looked at the screen, then over towards the patio.

Simeamon waddled up next to them, standing on her tiptoes to try and see. “It does feel a little different here.”

Owen glanced down at her. “How so?”

“I dunno. A bit like when I’m with you, only a bit weaker. There’s someone hanging around here.”

There was a slight whispering from one side, and Owen and Mark glanced over towards Chromon, who was standing next to a couple of bushes and gesturing as wildly as a portly protoceratops with no hands could manage. Still, the two boys got the gist of it, and they edged forwards, choosing a slightly bushy spot and peering into the patio. Mark tilted his head sideways. “You think that’s our culprit?”

“Do you see anyone else around?”

The patio was largely empty, with the exception of a single person, sitting down at one of the tables. She was about Mark’s age, short and fat, with beige skin and dyed purple hair that was cropped to short prickly spikes. She wore a T-shirt emblazoned with the logo of a band that Mark had never heard of, as well as a thin scarf that was wrapped, rather out of place, around her shoulders. She was facing mostly away from them, staring at her phone and wearing earplugs. So far, she hadn’t noticed them.

Mark found himself looking for a little longer than he intended, before he turned towards Owen. The older boy gestured forwards.

“Huh?”

Owen sighed, and gestured again, mouthing as he did so. “ Go and ask her then.”

“Why do I have to? You’re the one who was looking for her.”

“No I wasn’t. I didn’t know we were looking for a ‘her’ to begin with.”

“It’s still your job.”

“I have no tact, dude. You’ve been telling me that for the last half an hour.”

“Yeah, well...”

Mark grabbed his forehead, before waving a series of (censored) gestures at his fellow tamer.

“I can’t just up and ask a stranger if she’s been chosen by the digital world; I’ll get maced or something.”

“Well what do we do then?”

Mark took in a breath, and pointed an accusatory finger. “This is your god damn responsibility. YOU figure it out.”

Owen thrust his face forwards, glaring into Mark’s eyes.

“Real brave of you, dinosaur king. Delegation. Perfect. Get yourself out of the firing line.”

“THIS WAS YOUR GODDAMNED IDEA.” “NO IT BLOODY WELL WASN’T!”

“DO SOMETHING!”

“NO, YOU DO SOMETHING!”

There was a rustling, and a little cough from beside them as Simeamon poked her head up through the bushes, interrupting the silent argument by joining in with her own bout of gestures.

“Uh, fellas, just so you know, she can see you.”

Owen and Mark blinked, and looked forwards again. The girl had removed a headphone, and was staring intently at the two young men currently smooshed next to each other in a bush not twenty feet away from her.

There was a rustling as Simeamon dabbed and popped out of sight, re-emerging on the safe side of the bush and brushing her hands off. She winked at Chromon. “My work here is done.”

Chromon lay down, holding his front paws over his beak. He wasn’t a fan of witnessing such awkwardness.

On the side with all the excitement, Owen and Mark were still staring, trying to think of something to say and coming up blank. The girl removed her other headphone, and folded them up neatly in front of her, before twisting around on the bench. “Was I...interrupting you...?”

Mark bit his lip, while Owen raised a finger. “On the contrary, you’ve...um...got us back on track. Thanks.”

Mark cleared his throat, and piped up with his own comment.

“Nice weather, isn’t it...?”

The girl raised an eyebrow, and pressed her glasses slightly up her nose. She spoke again, clearly and precisely with a distinct Spanish accent. “It’s alright. It’s been better.”

“Well that’s...how seasons tend to work...”

“So...are we ignoring the fact that you’re two nearly-grown men curled up in a hedge together trying to spy on me, or is that slightly inconvenient?”

Mark stared at the ground. “Well, when you put it like that...”

Owen raised a hand. “In fairness, I’m nowhere near grown up.”

Mark shot him a look. “You’re older than me, arsehole-“

The young woman raised her hands. “Alright, stop, god, please, just...climb out of the bush and then maybe we can actually talk like decent people.”

Owen and Mark complied, stepping out in front and brushing tiny leaves off of themselves. Mark clasped his hands together, going a bright shade of crimson as he lowered himself.

“I am so sorry, we really didn’t mean to come across like that. We just...I just thought...I mean...” He swallowed, and turned around, sticking his palm over his throat. “ This is definitely not my style.”

The girl rummaged around in her bag, and pulled something out, holding it for the two boys to see.

“Before we get too involved in the panic attack, would I be right in assuming that you have something to do with this?”

Mark turned back, and joined Owen in staring at the D-SEND in the girl’s hand. It was different again; very dark blue, with circular bubble-like markings that were an almost luminous aqua. The girl herself seemed slightly unsure, her hand quivering a tiny bit.

Mark exhaled, and glanced at Owen. “So we were right after all. Thank christ.”

“Told you.”

“Bugger off.”

The girl coughed slightly, and lowered her hand. “My name’s Inez. I hoped...I was thinking you might be able to tell me who gave me this.” Inez pressed her lips together, and held the device back. “Or...where it came from.”

Owen tilted his head. “Wait, you don’t know?”

“It might be like mine. Mine just appeared one morning.” Mark glanced sideways at Owen. “I take it yours didn’t?”

Owen looked back, placing his hands in his pockets. He could see Simeamon through the bushes, busy listening in.

“Not exactly.”

Mark furrowed his brow a little, before shaking his head. “We should probably start from the beginning. Do you know what Digimon are?”

The girl bit her lip, and looked over her shoulder. “A bit.” She twiddled with a dangling headphone in her free hand. “I’ve seen a couple of things on the television.”

“Right...so not a whole lot. But you’ve managed to end up with a digivice?”

Mark waited, as the girl fiddled with the device in her hands. She took a breath, about to say something. Then she held back, the words catching in her throat. When she finally got a sentence out, it was careful and considered, if a little uncertain.

“It was dark. Someone...some kind of animal appeared in my garden one night; I think it tried to talk to me, but I got scared and...well...it ran off. But it dropped this, and it changed colour in my hands. I’ve had it ever since. It’s weird; I just hold it and I feel...well...”

“Like it was meant for you?”

Inez looked at Mark, who was holding his hands in a knowing fashion. She swallowed, and nodded.

“I haven’t seen anything since then. But I do sometimes feel something watching me. I don’t know; it’s hard to explain. I thought it was back again today and then I found it was you two.”

Owen whistled. “Sorry to be a disappointment.”

Mark elbowed him a little, before sighing. “This is going to sound crazy, but...I think you’re meant to join us. We’re being brought together, us and certain Digimon, for some reason which I’m afraid we don’t know yet. You’ve been chosen to be one of us. As well as the Digimon who gave that to you.”

Inez held her breath, bringing the device up to her chest. “Partners...right?” She leaned sideways, staring at the bushes. “Are they yours?”

Owen stepped back. “Come on you two, gently now.”

“Finally,” remarked Simeamon, as she stepped forwards in a not-at-all gentle manner, twirling her pistol. “All this hidey-holing does nothing for the mental state.”

Calm as anything, Inez crouched down to get a better look at the monkey. Chromon edged out as well, erring on the side of caution. The two boys watched as Inez reached out and gently touched Simeamon’s head, which made the monkey blush ever so slightly.

“Yeah, yeah, alright, go and get it out of your system already.”

Inez gave a small, hoarse laugh, and stood up. For a moment she faced away from the two other tamers, her hand going to her neck and gently tugging at her scarf.

“It’s...this is...”

Mark heard a ‘psst’ from beside him, and Owen pulled him aside. “What are we gonna do about the partner situation?”

The shorter boy looked thoughtful for a few seconds. “Somehow I doubt it’ll stay that way for long. But I suppose we just help where we can.”

The two looked back at Inez, who had turned to face them, her hair rustling in the breeze.

“I don’t have a choice in this...do I? It’s already been decided.”

Owen rubbed the back of his head. “No-one’s making you do anything. None of us know why we’re here anyway, aside from keeping things from going out of control with all these rogues and the arseholes who hunt them.” He frowned. “That said...if you’re stuck with that anyway...might as well hang around with people in the same situation, am I right?”

Inez’s grip on her scarf tightened, pulling it closer up towards her chin.

“I...I...I don’t...”

Splash

“WRRRRRAAAAAAARGH!”

The noise broke through the still morning and made everybody present jump, and they all turned in the direction the sound had come from. Inez held up her device, scrolling through it. “Something else is here!”

Simeamon cocked her pistol, and blew her fringe away from her eyes. “Trouble in paradise again?”

The girl looked down at her device, then up at the other two tamers, her eyes darting between them. “What is this?”

Owen rushed off in an instant, with Simeamon hot on his heels. Mark headed to the edge of the patio, holding out his hand behind him. “Follow us. Stay close though; this could get dangerous.”

Inez held out her own hand. Then for a split second held back, closing her fist. Her eyes darted back and forth, her mind racing.

“No, I...I have to go through with this...”

She ran forwards, and they rushed off down the promenade, towards where a digital mist was spreading out from the beach.

At the edge of the patio, there was a slight rustling, followed by a shimmering in one of the bushes. But in a few seconds, it too was gone.

A few minutes earlier, Jack and Perimon had been sat on the beachfront, staring out at the rough waters. The boy sighed, his head in his hands.

“All this excitement and we still get left behind. What a load.”

“Tell me about it.” Perimon cooed, hopping in the damp sand. “Still...it’s a day off if nothing else.”

The boy smirked. “It’s never a day off round here...”

His gaze fell to his pocket, and absentmindedly he pulled his D-SEND out, carefully twiddling the wheel. “It is pretty nice to have some new guys around to help. Though it would be cool if we actually knew what we needed help with.”

Perimon leant back. “Dude, when have we ever known what we’re doing?”

“True.”

“True indeed. And that’s why we did it so well.” The bird ruffled his feathers, chuckling, “Nobody to judge the way you do things when they can’t figure out what you’re doing in the first place-“

“Perimon, ssh.”

The bird stopped, and fluttered up next to him, peering down at the screen. All of a sudden his mane rustled, and he immediately tensed up, staring out into the waves. “A Digimon...”

“How long has it been there?”

“No idea, but it could have come from anywhere and at any time. There’s no way of knowing when it’s hanging out in the sea.” He hovered up a little, and squinted, before shaking his head. “No sign of anything obvious...” He tilted his head. “I guess...we could leave it alone?”

Jack folded his arms and nodded sagely, making little ‘mm-hmm’ sounds. “Of course. There’s no reason to pursue something wallowing around in the shallow waters where anybody and anyone could accidentally bump into it, no sir.”

After a few seconds, he smirked, and glanced up at Perimon, who was waiting expectantly.

“I mean...we are gonna check it out, right?”

Jack shrugged. “The others are busy right now.”

“We’re definitely checking it out.”

Jack and the bird grinned, and exchanged a little palm-to-wing hi-five that they’d worked out over the best part of a week. After a quick check that there was still no-one around, there was a flash of energy and a billow of sand, and Mistramon was flying off over the shallows with the boy on his back. The eagle twisted his flight feathers and adjusted his course, banking downwards just a tiny bit.

“Any sign of anything?”

Jack peered downwards, scanning the waves. “It’s kind of hard to make out. The water’s moving around too much.” He double-took, and pointed. “There, maybe?”

“I don’t know; you’re the one with the fancy Digimon detection device.”

Jack pouted, and jabbed the eagle in the back of the neck. “You literally have a Digimon sense.”

“Oh really? Let me drop you in then and we’ll see how good you are at finding the nearest shark.”

Jack bundled his partner’s feathers in his hand, and pointed. “Don’t even think about it.”

Mistramon’s beak twisted up slightly, and he ducked down a little, the edge of his wings skimming the water’s surface and persuading Jack to grab on tighter. “Hey! I’m serious!”

The bird smirked as he skimmed the top of the waves. “I’m just testing you. We both know that there really is nobody who can outmanoeuvre such a beautiful and talented bird as-“

He didn’t get to finish, as a vast red claw rose up out of a particularly large wave, pulsing with a digital aura as it flew towards the bird. Mistramon squawked, and banked upwards, spinning in the wind as red feathers trailed behind him.

“Ha! You missed! You thought you could get the better of-“

“Dammit Mistramon it’s coming back move faster!”

A sharp kick to the shoulder brought the eagle to his senses, and he flew upwards again as another claw rose up and fired a blast of sharp energy, slicing through the air beside him. There was a gurgling roar, and the waves broke to reveal a knobbly armoured back, rolling downwards like the body of a whale, and culminating in a splayed leaf-like tail. Jack fumbled in his jacket for his D-SEND, trying to wave it around and get a proper reading, but he was being jostled about too much to be able to focus.

“Can’t you hover a bit more steadily?”

“I’m trying! I don’t understand, it’s-“

Mistramon blinked, and peered over his right shoulder. “Ah. That would explain it.”

Jack leant to one side, and instantly noted the problem; the large gouge in his partner’s wing which had significantly decreased the surface area. He was still able to fly, but without several of his flight feathers, his manoeuvrability was severely hampered. And the Digimon below seemed to sense it.

“WRRRRRAAAAAAARGH!”

The great red monster reared up, holding up both pincers and slashing again. Jack held on for dear life as a blast of energy shot past his head, and Mistramon dived downwards, facing the beast head on as he instinctively opened his wings.

“No, wait-“

“Pressure Wave!”

With a sound like a whistle mixed with a gunshot, the attack rolled outwards, but didn’t quite go to plan. It struck the beast on the head, and although it was a rolling blow, it caused it to dive back downwards, momentarily stunned. Mistramon however was sent spinning off due to the massive imbalance in air pressure, and without the full use of his wings, he could do nothing to stop himself from plummeting head first into the waves.

Splash.

“AAARGH!”

The bird lay dormant for a few precious seconds, before Jack climbed further up, tugging at his head feathers.

“Let’s go back! Move up, move up, please!”

Mistramon snapped back into focus, and shook his head, raising his wings and trying to push off, completely unsuccessfully.

“Oh come on! Seriously! Work!”

Jack felt a rumble from nearby, and he sat up, keeping a lookout. “Why aren’t we moving?”

“It’s wet, and I’m damaged and I can’t get a good purchase anywhere and god damnit!”

Jack felt a rumble from his palm, and raised his D-SEND up, looking at the scrolling text.

“Huh. Ebidramon. Big-ass dragon lobster. Highly aggressive and stronger than it looks.”

A shadow fell over him, and he looked up to see the Ebidramon’s full visage; a whiskered draconic head with pointed white teeth and piercing yellow eyes, glinting even in the gloom. Jack pocketed his device, and whacked his partner on the helmet.

“Can we do something please?”

“Can you hold your breath?”

“You mother-“

Jack scrambled and clung onto his partner’s feathers as the bird rolled over, raising his wings as the lobster descended.

“Pressure Wave!”

It was another messy attack, sending the bird downwards, but again it struck true, and Ebidramon rolled off to one side, sending the sky warriors away on a swell. Mistramon rolled back upright as fast as he could, and began to push his wings up and down, performing a very crude version of the breaststroke. His eyes darted back, looking at Jack’s dripping form. “How was that then? Refreshing?”

His attempt at mirth fell flat, as he noticed the teen boy sitting at an awkward angle. He still held on tightly with one hand, but his other was clutching his right knee. The boy pushed his leg forward, and hissed.

“Shit.”

Mistramon’s eyes widened. “You’ve got to be kidding me...why now...”

“It doesn’t matter why now, just swim!” Jack looked over his shoulder, feeling his heart in his mouth as he saw the giant red island undulating towards them again. “It’s gaining on us!”

“I’m trying...I’m sorry...I...I just...”

The shadow rose a third time, and this time Ebidramon had gotten wise, holding both pincers out to balance its body in the wake of another air blast. Jack could do nothing but look back as the giant’s great maw opened, and steadily leaned forwards.

“Icicle Barrage!”

A volley of blue crystals flew into the beast’s cheek, and it whipped its head sideways, closely followed by a snapping pincer. Alopemon leapt clear, but her landing was less than perfect; while she could make platforms of solid ice on the water’s surface, with the sea being rough and salty they were crumbling beneath her, so she found herself half swimming and half stumbling away from the giant lobster’s attack.

Mistramon honked, and spluttered as water went up his nostrils. “You took your sweet time.”

“ Listen bird, I would stop joking and trying and come up with an apology for Grace when you get to shore.” She turned her head, her eyes glowing and her rings jangling. “ But focus on getting to shore first.”

With a groan, Ebidramon dove down, and rose again on the other side of Mistramon, but Alopemon was having none of it.

“No you don’t. Tail Frost!”

She leapt, and in three bounds reached the lobster’s pincer, spinning her entire body and crashing her hardened tail into the armour. It shattered on impact, barely leaving any frost on the armour, but it was enough of a cold snap to cause pain. The crustacean roared, and then, as was intended, it turned its attention to her.

On the shore, Grace stood in the shallows, only just able to make out her own partner and the soggy bird still swimming towards them. She clenched her fist, cursing under her breath. “One day...one goddamn day without someone doing something stupid...”

Lonnie stood beside her, holding her hand over her head. “We need to help. Alopemon’s struggling out there was well.”

Grace whirled around, turning on the other girl. “Do you have another suggestion?”

Lonnie blinked, and glanced down at Dendromon. “You’re a frog, right? You can swim.”

Dendromon nodded vigorously, and held her hands out in front of her, waiting for her partner. “Come on, come on, please let this work!”

“Dendromon, Soul Accelerate!”

There was nothing. Not even the faintest spark or tiniest glow. Lonnie gave a sharp yell and smacked the D-SEND against her knee repeatedly, while Dendromon just sat back, forlorn.

“Lonnie, I...I’m really sorry...”

There was the sound of footsteps in the sand, and both girls turned to see Owen and Mark running up behind them. Simeamon hopped ahead, skidding to a halt. “We heard splashing. What’s the hibbedy-haps?”

Grace snorted, and thrust an arm out towards the chaotic crustacean out in the shallows, as it smashed its arm down and sent Alopemon spinning into the air with the wave. Simeamon pressed her lips out.

“Angry seafood. Alright then.”

Lonnie turned to her, “Is there anything you can do?”

The monkey placed her pistol over one shoulder. “Aside from sniping? Nah, water ain’t my strong suit.”

Lonnie turned to Chromon in desperation, who snorted. “D-d-d-do I look like I can swim?”

“Well...we’re in...deep...isn’t there someone who can help?”

“Um...”

Lonnie and Grace blinked, and turned back, finally noticing Inez standing there. The girl smiled sheepishly and raised a hand, before looking out towards the distant battle. “Is this...what you do? All the time?”

Lonnie and Grace glanced at one another, and Lonnie shrugged. “I mean...not all the time?”

Grace stepped forwards, panic edging into her voice as she held her pulsing D-SEND. “You’re the new tamer, right? You can help, can’t you? Where’s your partner-“

She held back, giving the other girl some space as she began to look very distressed. Inez clasped her hands, looking almost apologetic. “I’m...sorry...I can’t help you...I don’t have a partner...”

“Yes she does.”

The voice made everybody jump, and they scoured around for the source of the reply. All except for Inez, who had jumped harder than anybody, and stood stock still, staring forwards at nothing.

“There!”

Owen pointed, and Simeamon’s hand reflexively went to her pistol as a small dark-green shape scampered forwards over the sand, past them all, and stopping a few feet in front of Inez. The girl pulled her hands to her chest, breathing shallowly as she watched the small creature turn its head to look at her. It was far smaller than any of the others, about the size of a cat. It had two arms with webbed hands, on which it rested its serpentine body, which tapered off to a long finned tail. Its horse-like head was mostly hidden behind a dripping mane, which seemed to glow with luminescence.

Inez swallowed, staring at the strange beast a couple of metres ahead of her. She opened her mouth, her voice cracking.

“Who...who are you?”

The sea-horse sniffed, and spoke in a deep, low voice.

“Syngnamon.”

There was a pause.

“Forgive me.”

He turned forwards, and ran off into the waves before anybody could react. Inez took a couple of steps forwards, holding out a hand, but a sudden chill came over her and she drew back, clenching her fist. The sounds of the waves pounded in her ears, and she began to shake uncontrollably, dropping to her knees with a little cry.

“Wait!”

Lonnie rushed forwards, holding the girl by the shoulder as Inez struggled to get to her feet. With Lonnie’s help, she pushed herself back, breathing heavily, until she was standing with the others. Lonnie looked at her, the taller girl’s face creasing with concern.

“Are you alright?”

Inez’s eyes shivered for a brief moment, and she swallowed a couple of times, before looking sideways at Lonnie.

“I’m sorry...I don’t...like the sea...”

Lonnie kept her arms nearby, as Inez gripped them slightly more tightly, watching helplessly. She couldn’t get any closer. Not now. Not here. She could only watch the ripples formed by the strange new creature as he swam off into the rough waters.

Alopemon leapt wildly, the icy stepping stones beneath her feet disintegrating almost as soon as they formed from the sheer ferocity of Ebidramon’s attack. She twisted in the air and fired a barrage of ice shards, but the lobster had quick instincts, and it rolled over, batting the shards away. On the upstroke it reached forwards, slicing down with one of its claws and forcing Alopemon to run. With no other choice and her energy running dangerously low, she turned back towards the shore...with the giant crustacean following her.

She had barely any time to change direction, swerve, duck or do a single thing. All she could do was run in a straight line, fully aware of Ebidramon gaining on her. She stared forwards, at Mistramon who had finally dragged himself onto the shore, and at Grace who had waded out and was now dragging her brother back onto dry land. She swallowed, and fired a desperate volley behind her, but Ebidramon was no longer just chasing her, but was gunning it for the entire group on the beach.

All of a sudden there was a sea green flash as something shot underneath her, swerving around with an incredible agility. Ebidramon didn’t notice, at least until the creature descended, and looped back up again, aiming right underneath the beast’s chin.

“Underblow!”

Syngnamon shot out of the foam, water cascading from his body as he rammed the underside of Ebidramon’s chin. Despite his small size, it was enough to get the sea dragon’s attention, and stopped him in his tracks. Syngnamon descended, falling limp as he fell beneath the water once again, before lazily looping around and firing himself upwards yet again. This time he aimed for Ebidramon’s eye, but the crustacean saw him and smacked him away before he could. Syngnamon fell down, and with what looked like a wicked grin, Ebidramon descended after him.

Alopemon reached the shallows and rejoined the others, breathing heavily and limping from a slash wound to her rear leg. She allowed herself a few moments to regain focus, before looking back, watching the sea turning to froth where the crustacean had descended. Grace rushed up behind her, looking in horror at her wound. “Alopemon!”

“I’m alright. Really. Someone else joined the fight.”

From behind the two of them came Inez’s voice, small and concerned. “How is he doing?”

Alopemon stared at the wild seas, before bending her head, her rings jangling. “That’s a strong Digimon. I’m...worried.”

As if on cue, Ebidramon rose up yet again, thrusting one claw up in a missed strike. Syngnamon surfaced just in front of it, looking horrendously small to be fighting on his own. He raised both palms and shuffled backwards, a bright glow emerging from the jewels over his body.

“Aqua Dance!”

He made several fluid gestures as he strafed around his opponent, each swipe sending a crescent of light at the lobster. They spun forwards, some slicing into armour and some bursting on impact, but despite the varied attack it was still a feeble attempt, and a downwards blow from Ebidramon sent the seahorse diving for cover yet again.

He spun around and leapt up for the sea dragon’s head, but Ebidramon thrust its helm to one side, sending the seahorse’s body toppling away into the waves.

Inez held her breath as Ebidramon descended again, and she stared at her D-SEND. She could feel each blow permeating through the device, and further into her own body. Each blow was more urgent. More panicked. More desperate for assistance.

Desperate for any power she could offer.

Jack leant back against his partner, holding onto his knee as he stared out. “He’s too weak to be out there on his own! That thing’s a killer.”

Grace snapped her head around. “He wouldn’t be out there if you hadn’t pissed that thing off in the first place.”

“It was already out there! What, you wanted to wait until it found its first swimmer?”

“Very noble of you, but now look where it’s got us. One bird who can’t fly and one fox who can’t run.”

Jack held his arm, looking away. ”I’m sorry. I made a bad call. What do you want from me?”

Grace opened her mouth to say more, but Lonnie stepped forwards, holding her palms out. “Not right now. Is there anyone else who can help?”

Chromon shook his head sadly. Simeamon held her pistol out, and fired a couple of experimental blasts, before hissing. “He’s too far out. I could hit the newbie.” She looked up with a quizzical face, but nobody else had any suggestions.

The arguments started up again, but Inez wasn’t paying attention. She held her device closely, her eyes closed. Waiting. Waiting for...

For...

Without warning, Ebidramon rose again, closer again this time. Close enough that the group could see the details on his whiskers, and the glint in his eye.

And the tiny seahorse trapped in his great jaws.

Syngnamon raised his head, doing his best to hold Ebidramon’s mouth apart, but he was well and truly held fast. He looked up, and his eyes fell upon the crowd on the beach below him. And on Inez, who was staring up in horror.

“...Inez...I’m sorry...”

As he strained, he reached out with one shaking hand, his head bowed down and unable to look her in the eye. But he still spoke, and his voice carried across the waves, reaching Inez’s ears only through the crackle of her D-SEND.

“Forgive me...but I...I need your help.”

Something stirred in Inez. Without word or warning, she strode forwards to the edge of the beach. Her heart beat like a drum solo, and she walked almost robotically, before halting just at the edge of the surf.

Mark and Lonnie rushed forwards, but she turned and glanced at them, her eyes far different beneath her glasses. Not determined, as such...but resigned to her actions.

She held out her arms, and a spray of blue and green energy spread out from around the device in her hand, as she rolled the wheel on the side.

“Syngnamon...Soul Accelerate!”

From the middle of his vice-like prison, Syngnamon’s eyes snapped open, and he coiled up, the energy extending around him in rings. It was enough to faze even Ebidramon, who dropped him and drew back, a deep and concerned rumble emanating from its throat. Syngnamon fell, but did not sink, instead balancing on the end of his tail on the water’s surface, which around him and him alone was impossibly calm.

The others kept their eyes half on him, and half on Inez, who brought her hands together with a faraway look in her eyes.

“Evolution Activate!”

Lights danced out from the device and skipped across the surface of the water, circling around Syngnamon’s form as it deepened to a black light, with only his eyes and the jewels still glowing. He leant forwards, holding his elbows as his form began to ripple and swell, growing at a rapid pace. His back arched, and he tumbled forwards, his arms still not breaking the water’s surface. There was a sound like an echoing cannon, and the black lights fell away, revealing the new Digimon.

He was more equine than before, standing as tall as a shire horse, with long slender front legs that ended in splayed webbed hands as opposed to hooves. His midriff was studded with jewels, and tapered away into a long, twisting tail, with a ridged fin running down the back. The end of the tail was coiled around a strange glowing lance, which he held as dextrously as if he was holding it in his hands. He had a long snout with sharp teeth, and a single horn protruding from his forehead, as well as a pelt of chain mail that ran over the top of his head and down his shoulders, with only a gap for a long, flowing mane, still glowing like an undersea shoal.

The wind blew through his mane as he whinnied, his eyes luminous against his dark, shining skin.

“Kampoimon!”

There was a roar as Ebidramon descended once again, breaking the still water beneath Kampoimon’s feet. He descended slowly, treading water effortlessly and watching the water swelling and churning back and forth. Then, all of a sudden, he dived, his tail dragging the harpoon with him.

He swam downwards, very aware of Ebidramon’s movements as the great crustacean turned and sped up towards him again, pincers open and ready to strike. Kampoimon swooped past it, barely even leaving any bubbles in his wake as he coiled around the beast’s neck and slashed out with his lance. The blade struck between Ebidramon’s armour plate, and it roared silently, a dark cloud of blood leaking out from the wound.

“This place is protected.”

Ebidramon didn’t take the warning; it shot out another pincer that snapped shut right next to Kampoimon’s head, before swinging sideways. Kampoimon’s eyes narrowed, and he ascended, with Ebidramon still in hot pursuit.

The watchers on the beach saw Kampoimon exit the seas with a dolphin like grace, breaching effortlessly even as the far larger Ebidramon tried to follow. But Kampoimon dived again, his jewels glowing brightly as he held both his front legs outwards.

“Crushing Tide!”

There was a pulse of water around him, and all of a sudden Ebidramon was sent rolling back as pillars of water rose up, spinning wildly and forming the crude shape of a horse. Kampoimon stood at the head end, holding both forelegs out as the pillars followed his movements.

Ebidramon tried to dive, but it was just dragged back and sent rolling onto its back, unable to react before Kampoimon brought his hands down. The giant water sculpture bowed down, and raised a leg, bringing it down with a crushing blow on Ebidramon. There was an immense cracking sound, and the crustacean curled up, but another blow came, and another, sending shards spinning off its body from the impact. Kampoimon thrust both arms down and the entire torrent slammed into Ebidramon, sending it whirling and spinning in a disorientating rush. It rose again, raising a pincer and roaring, but too late it saw Kampoimon descending, spinning his lance at a frightening speed.

The seahorse turned at the last second, slashing out with the harpoon and landing a strike right on Ebidramon’s elbow, slashing through the tendon. Ebidramon roared, and backed away, the pincer hanging limply as it dripped blood into the water.

The crustacean stared forwards as Kampoimon descended on the last of the pillars, standing gently on top of the surface of the sea once again. He snorted, and gestured out towards the horizon.

“I told you; this place is protected. Go now.”

Ebidramon growled, and Kampoimon tightened his grip on his lance. But the great lobster-dragon backed off, and turned tail, descending back into deeper water, leaving only bubbles in its wake.

Jack stood unsteadily on the beach, frowning as he watched the beast swim away. “I wish we knew where it came from.”

“We can’t send ‘em all home, you know. Too much bureaucracy.”

There was a splash of water from beside the boy as a now-devolved Perimon shook himself out. Jack grimaced. “Do you have to?”

The bird stuck his tongue out. “I have had a naff morning and frankly I deserve doughnuts.”

“You don’t deserve anything.” Grace said as she walked forwards, her arms folded, while a dripping Vulpimon gave the bird dark looks beside her. “Neither of you do. We don’t know how many of those Digimon are out there.”

Jack sighed. “Yeah, I know.”

“You could have been really hurt-“

“I know, I know, alright? Geez.” Jack looked down at the ground, kicking the sand and wincing with the effort. “I’m allowed to have a bad day, you know.”

Grace opened her mouth, but decided not to say anything. Instead she walked forwards and held out an arm. Jack’s expression was pained, but he took it willingly, limping over on his bad knee as they rejoined the others.

Inez stood at the front, looking up as Kampoimon stepped towards her, his mane blowing in the wind. She whistled, the blue lights reflecting off her glasses.

“Are you...my partner? Really?”

Kampoimon coughed, and his form dissipated in a flash, leaving Syngnamon standing to attention before her. The seahorse held his neck, looking more than a little awkward.

“I’m sorry.”

Inez blinked. “What for?”

“For...before...I thought you looked so scared that night so I thought I could protect you from a distance, without you knowing.”

“That was you? That night?” Inez held her D-SEND against her chest. “So you’re the one who brought me this...”

Syngnamon padded the ground. “Sorry, I didn’t meant to frighten you. It’s just my job to protect you. Sorry.”

Inez’s face finally cracked, and she held a hand to her mouth. “You don’t need to keep saying sorry, you know.”

“...sorry...”

Inez straightened up, and looked at the others behind her, who were watching in interest. She wasn’t quite sure what had just happened, a strange feeling was hanging inside her chest from the whole ordeal. She looked down again, watching as the seahorse pulled back, and held a hand to his chest, almost like a little bow.

“I should introduce myself properly. My name is Syngnamon, and I am in your service.”

Inez crouched down, and tentatively extended a hand. For a moment she hesitated, her fingers shaking. Then she held her breath, and reached forwards, gently patting the top of Syngnamon’s head.

“Inez. It’s, er...my pleasure.”

The girl stood up, and turned to face the others, holding her hands awkwardly in front of her. “I’ll...be honest I don’t fully understand where we go from here...”

Simeamon raised a hand. “I do believe somebody mentioned doughnuts.” She glanced up at Owen, and gave an exaggerated wink. “I know a café.”

“You god-damned dirty ape...”

“It’s probably a good idea.” Lonnie stepped forwards, holding her hands on her hips and smiling friendlily. “We’ve got a lot to catch you up on. Do you wanna come?”

“Uh...yes...of course...”

The others turned, heading back towards the promenade, with Inez and Syngnamon bringing up the rear. Inez slowed for a moment, and stared down at her D-SEND, glowing gently with a comfortable warmth in her hand.

Too comfortable.

Her body went cold, and she looked back, staring out at the waves with longing, and fear. They crashed in her mind, the sound getting louder and louder. The waves reached closer, the nearest one stretching out like a giant claw, ready to-

“Inez?”

The girl flinched, and whirled around, staring up at the others as they waited for her. Syngnamon stood a couple of metres away, his tail flicking up and down.

“Are you alright?”

The girl bit her bottom lip, and nodded profusely, walking up the stones towards the others. Together they headed off down the promenade, with the Digimon disappearing into their hidden pathways once again.