Perez leaned back, and clicked her fingers. “Come and have a look at this.”

The other three gathered round the single computer screen, which was beginning to show signs of strain from having been on for multiple days straight. Keble’s eyes scanned the monitor, and Skelton leant against the desk. “Sorry, I’m still not fluent in electric numbers.”

Keble pointed at a flashing dot. “Is that where the kids are?” He smiled. “They’re closer to the core than I thought.”

“They’ve been there a long time though.” Perez shook her head, and pulled up some more windows. “They also keep sending weird signals. Really weird signals. It fried one of my programs. I’m kinda worried.”

Dominic ran his hand over his head. “Can you try and make a connection?”

“No need. They’re calling us.”

The woman pressed a few keys and pulled over the speaker that they’d set up a day or so ago, for the purposes of making communicating through Lorelie-Cam a little easier. Skelton held the microphone pack they’d thrown together; having been voted the least-likely-to-blow-up-at-the-scared-children-over-the-phone candidate. There was a little static, and then the line came through.

“Is that you? Callum? Eleanor?”

“Yeah, it’s me.”

Eleanor’s voice came through clearly, if a little wavy in places. Skelton sat down as Keble and Dominic listened in. “You all okay there? Apparently we’ve been getting some really weird readings from you.”

There was a pause.

“Yeah, you...could say that. It’s been a particularly shitty day.”

Skelton looked nervously at Perez, and she nodded. “Go on.”

It wasn’t the easiest to make out. Eleanor mumbled through half of it, and the line would occasionally cut out as interference from the core jetted through it. But eventually they got the gist of what had transpired on Motimon’s ship. Perez sighed, and leaned back, clasping her forehead. “That is truly shit in so many ways.”

Keble tapped his fingers against the desk, his smile very strained. “Can you ask her to put Aardmon on?”

Skelton glared at him and swivelled the microphone away from his reach, but Eleanor’s voice came through again.

“She said she doesn’t want to talk to you. Neither does Callum. Or anyone really. So you’re stuck with me. Bad luck.”

“I’m just glad you’re alive at least.”

“On the plus side, me and Lorelie have found partners as well. I mean Lorelie’s looks like a giant bootleg plush toy but she seems cool.”

An electronic giggling sound came through the line, seemingly from Lorelie herself. Skelton took in a breath, hovering her finger over the button.

“Listen...I know you want us to help you but there’s barely anything we can do here.”

“...well fuck.”

Skelton looked up among her colleagues, taking in each of their dejected faces in turn. She cleared her throat. “I’m sorry. Really.”

“It’s alright; I knew that anyway. But still. Fuck.”

“Aren’t you a bit young to be speaking like that?”

“It’s therapeutic.” There was a sigh, and then Eleanor continued. “If we do ever get off this ship, at least the core’s not far. And we still have three of those antidote whatsits you gave us. It’s not all bad.”

Perez rolled herself forwards. “It’s very bad. You’ve got barely anything. We’re supposed to be looking after you and frankly we’ve done nothing save for send you in there in the first place.”

“Yeah well...shit happens.”

Dominic grumbled in the corner. “I mean it would have been easier if our bosses gave us more time or...I dunno, money or anything.”

“Don’t you guys work for the government?”

Skelton smirked. “There’s a national crisis going on. Do you really think they’re bothering to fund the people trying to stop it?”

“I don’t know.”

“You’ll find out when you’re older.”

“If that happens.”

“Don’t say that.” Skelton gripped the microphone tightly, trying not to raise her voice. “Whatever’s happened, you’re still alive. And you have each other. You’ve come out of worse situations; I’m sure you can think of something. You’re smart. You can get through this.”

Another pause.

“Anything else or do we just get a motivational poster?”

“That’s it I’m afraid.”

“Right. Thanks anyway. We’ll be in touch.”

The line went dead before Skelton or anyone else could respond. She rested the pack on her lap, and leaned backwards, staring at the fluorescent light above. “How did I do?”

“Better than I could have.” Perez groaned, leaning forwards onto the desk. “Christ, I feel like utter crap here.”

Keble stood up. “If...there’s a chance, any at all, that we can get them out of there-“

Perez looked up at him. “Don’t get our hopes up. We just need to be patient.”

Dominic side-smiled in a hopeful fashion. Skelton just looked away, not responding. She stared down at the microphone, wondering what, if anything, could be going through the kids’ heads in that world far away from their own.

Eleanor sighed as she pressed the button on the side of Lorelie’s D-Psyche, causing the other girl’s screen to flicker. The girl lay back against the hard wood wall, placing her hands behind her head and staring up at the roof of the quarters.

“Fuck. Double fuck. Fuck fuckity fuck-a-doodle-fuck. And more fuck.”

Lorelie reached out with her keypad. “You alright?”

“Much better. Thanks. Gotta love adults.”

“They’re doing their best.”

“Yeah, but their best is apparently not doing anything and then feeling sorry for themselves. We’re the fucked ones, not them. What’s wrong? They’ve got no internet and all the mobile stack’em games are no longer updating, whoop-de-fucking-do. We’re the ones out there trying to do something, we get in trouble, they take it out on us. It’s just bloody typical.”

“¬.¬”

“What’s that look for?”

“You know they’re not doing that. Not on purpose.”

“Look, I don’t take the moral high ground often; can you let me do it just this once?”

Lorelie beeped melancholically, and nodded, lying down on the rugged wood. Despite the cramped surroundings the place was nearly empty, with Martin having disappeared shortly after arriving, and the others holed up in their separate rooms. It had been a while since then; long enough that the light from outside had changed around several times. Occasionally Tanemon or Kapurimon would poke their head (body?) round to check up on them, followed by a swift retreat as they had things thrown at them.

All in all, it was very depressing. From the last she’d heard, Ursula and Hinkymon were mostly fine physically, if incredibly shaken by the whole affair. The same couldn’t be said for Callum. Eleanor whistled, and rubbed the side of her D-Psyche.

“The penguin’s snoring.”

Eleanor and Lorelie turned to the door as Terramon marched in, followed by a dejected Aardmon, who hovered in the doorway, tapping her fingers together.

“What about the scientists? Did you get through?”

Eleanor grinned insincerely. “They were very helpful. They said they could get us out of here by morning.”

“Oh.” Aardmon double-took. “Really?”

“What do you fucking think?”

Aardmon sniffed, and stared at the ground. Terramon simply rolled her eyes and plonked herself next to the girl. “You really do have an attitude problem.”

“You don’t have to speak to me, y’know. I’m deliberately antisocial.”

Over by the door, Aardmon pointed. “I’m gonna go. I think my work here is done.”

She rushed out before anyone could respond. Lorelie stared at her, and Eleanor noticed her looking. She rustled her fingers through her curly hair, and nodded. “Go on if you wanna. I’ll watch.”

Lorelie packed up her keypad, nodded to the others, and left herself, leaving only the girl and the turtle in the gloom. The girl leaned back, resting her palms on the floor behind her, listening to the gentle tick-tick-tick of her own foot, and the turtle’s shallow breathing.

“I’m surprised you’re still hanging around, with everything going on.”

Terramon rolled her head backwards. “Why are you complaining? I thought we were supposed to bond together and have happy fun times.”

Eleanor pulled a face. “Ergh. No. Please god no, I don’t do happy fun times.”

“I’ve figured,” snorted the turtle, balling up her body as she ran a claw over the wood. “I do have my pride, ya know. I mean yeah it is entirely your fault I’m in this mess...”

“You’re welcome.”

“...but frankly I wasn’t getting anywhere just floating around the sea. And...well...you’re all in trouble.”

Eleanor splayed her fingers. “What is this, the fourth place we’ve been in where we’ve encountered mortal danger?” She narrowed her eyes. “Though this place has pissed me off the most so far. Give me half a chance and I swear I will sucker punch that bubblegum jelly fuck right off the side of his own ship.”

Terramon chuckled, and reared her neck back. “Ain’t that just the way? The fundamental fabric of the whole world gets turned upside down, and yet still some people just have to be dicks for the sake of it.”

Eleanor exhaled. “I can handle him being a dick. Callum’s a dick. Heck, I’m a massive dick.” She crossed her legs. “What I won’t handle is someone who punches down on people just ‘cause they can.” She paused, her nostrils flaring. “I’ve seen enough of that and it makes me wanna scream.”

“Too right.”

The turtle sighed, and crouched herself up further. Eleanor looked down at her, seeming so impenetrable and yet vulnerable at the same time.

“You’re worried about Gizamon, aren’t you...”

The girl swallowed, and gripped her arms. “I swear, if we ever get away from here, I’ll do whatever I can to help. Think of it as an apology.”

“What about us being partners and whatever?”

Eleanor shrugged. “It’s up to you. I don’t give a flying shit what this world thinks we should be; you can do whatever you want after that. But for now, let’s just think of a way out of here and find your island. And your friend.”

“Can I trust you?”

“Sure.”

Terramon squinted. “You really promise?”

“I may frequently be the scum of the earth, but I don’t lie.” Eleanor sighed. “Yes. I promise.”

Terramon peered away, and spoke in a very quiet voice.

“Thanks. I’ll hold you to that.”

Aardmon held tightly to the rail of the ship as she watched the tugs pull around, netting in yet another horde of stranded Digimon like salmon in a net. Not that she was paying attention to them. All she could really hear was the panicked beat-beat-beat of her own heart, pulsing all through her body.

She felt sick. Closing her eyes tightly, she leant forwards and rested her head on the rail.

“Every time...it just gets worse the longer I leave it...”

Her ears twitched, and she became vaguely aware of somebody walking up behind her.

“Not you...please Lorelie, I won’t...I can’t...I can’t take it much more...”

The footsteps stopped, and the figure waited, not saying a word. Aardmon gripped the rail tightly, and in a hurried movement she pushed herself around.

“Lorelie, I need to-“

She paused, looking up. Scutimon blinked, waved a fluffy hand, and sauntered to one side, leaning on the rail. “Rough times, huh?”

Aardmon stood awkwardly for a moment, before returning to her position. She didn’t answer, simply looking down at the boats again. Scutimon nudged her gently. “Do you wanna talk about it?”

“Yes. A lot.”

“Goodie.”

“Oh, that doesn’t mean I’m going to.”

Scutimon raised a claw, then frowned, scratching her head. “Pardon me, but that seems counterproductive.”

Aardmon sniffed. “You wouldn’t understand. Or maybe you would. You probably would. You people are all smart and stuff. All of it’s my problem anyway.” She stared at the floor, shuffling her feet.

Scutimon turned round, leaning back against the rail. “You can’t really say you’re the only one who’s suffering in this world. At least you’re doing something about it. Hell, you brought the humans here, didn’t you?”

The aardvark glanced up, and Scutimon chuckled. “Relax. I’ve been talking with Lorelie. She’s filled me in. She’s a great kid, you know. Truly a noble warrior. The perfect partner.” She nudged Aardmon again. “Though you’re doing well too.”

Aardmon half-chuckled, and shook her head. “They’ve taken the lead in everything. I’ve just been the weird fuzzy thing standing to one side pointing aimlessly and not giving any useful input.” She raised a palm, twirling a small amount of sand across her fingers. “I can’t even point us in the right direction.”

Scutimon folded her arms, nodding understandingly. “You know, I haven’t known you guys for long. Maybe for a couple of days. It’s really not very long at all. But still, I think I get how you work. Sorta. And if I’m right, and it has been known to happen, they do appreciate you staying with them. They know you’re doing your best.”

“I know. That’s the worst thing.”

Aardmon breathed in through her teeth, leaning slightly further over the side.

“The humans wouldn’t comfort me if they knew how much of a piece of shit I was.”

Scutimon shrugged. “Well, there’s no helping some people.” She looked up, and waved. “Aha, we have company. Hello Lorelie!”

Aardmon flinched, turning around impossibly slowly as the girl walked up, her hands clasped in front of her. She nodded at both of them, before turning to Aardmon and typing.

“R U OK? You ran off suddenly.”

Scutimon looked between them, then planted a fist in her palm. “Oh right! Aardmon, didn’t you have something you wanted to-“

“No, it’s...nothing. It’s fine. Really.” Aardmon smiled sheepishly. “You know. It’s just been rough. I’ll get over it.”

“Well...y’know. You’re one of us too. Please talk to us. : (”

For a moment Aardmon stared up into the girl’s concerned screen, opening her mouth ever so slightly. She coughed, and pressed her hands to her side. “I should really head back to the others. I’ll leave you two in peace.” She grinned. “Hey, at least you guys got something good out of all this. You got each other.”

She trotted hastily away before the others could respond, descending the stairs with a clacking of hooves on wood. Scutimon placed her hands on her hips, shaking her head. “Some Digimon just don’t have any social skills.”

“I know how she feels.”

“You seem alright to me.”

“It’s hard to convey social anxiety through mobile phone text.”

“Aw...”

“’0_0’ doesn’t really cut it either.”

Scutimon’s nose twitched, and she plonked herself down on the deck, her bulky forearms resting in her lap. “So what’s it like? Back in the human world? Do you normally go around fighting and righting wrongs, or is everyone doing it? What what what?”

Lorelie tilted her head, and stayed there for a little while. Scutimon’s face fell, and she pushed her bottom lip out. “Did I say something wrong again?”

Lorelie jumped, and fumbled with her keypad. “No, it’s just”

She paused, and sat down against the railing herself, typing and retyping several times with a confused emotion on her screen.

“Do we really honestly seem like heroes to you?”

“Well you do have magical devices that change the very fabric of our being.”

“That was an accident.” Lorelie’s shoulders shook a little, almost as if she was laughing. “We’re just like you. I’m just...normal, back at home. I’ve never done anything special, or anything really that good. There’s nothing special about me.”

“Sure there is.” Scutimon shuffled closed, and ruffled the top of the girl’s head slightly. “You people are legends here, you know. The mysterious saviours from beyond the void, or the demons that interfere with the building blocks of life. Depends on who you ask. But there’s gotta be some reason behind it.”

Lorelie shrugged. “I could say the same about you guys.” She gestured at the shrew; at her broad chest, vast muscles and overall grand demeanour. “You’re the ones saving this world. You must have done more than me.”

“You think I look like a hero?”

Scutimon’s smile faded, and she pawed at the ground, seemingly embarrassed, or maybe even upset.

“I look strong, but I’m not. I thought I was. Once. But that was a long time ago.” She looked over her shoulder, peering out over the tugboats as they rejoined the main ship.

“Back before the old world burned to the ground.”

Lorelie crouched, pulling her knees towards her chest, and waiting expectantly. Scutimon smiled, and shook her head.

“Do you know how many times I tried to fight in my life? The first assault against the Fire Kingdom. Silicon City against the golems. All around the world as it slowly dried up. In the end all I could do was hide away. Then when I woke, the world was new again. Different, but new. Rebuilt by people like you.”

She stared down at the small girl, who was showing wide eyes on her screen.

“If all humans are like they were, then all humans are gods. And you must be a god as well.”

Lorelie’s screen went slightly pink, and she typed hurriedly on her screen.

“So how did you end up here?”

Scutimon sighed, and leaned to one side, rolling her paw pads on one knee.

“Even after the world was rebuilt, there were still those out there causing trouble. I wanted to do my bit, to keep the world from falling down once again. But again and again I just kept losing, and getting pushed around.” She held a paw to her chest. “I don’t understand how I’ve managed to last all this time, the number of times I’ve had the shit kicked out of me.”

Lorelie looked down, typing conservatively. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

“Anyway, then this whole insanity happened. I ended up on one of the islands, and saw Motimon build his fleet in a manner of days. I had to do something to stop him.”

“I guess it didn’t work.”

Scutimon sighed. “Well, y’know. No matter how good the world is, there’s always some arseholes who want to ruin it, just cause they can. And it’s up to the rest of us to stop them.”

She smiled, and shuffled forwards a little, placing a hand on Lorelie’s shoulder.

“I’ve been weak and pathetic all this time. But with your help, I can actually do something meaningful. I can beat this guy. Beat the system.” She chuckled. “If you’d help me I could finally make a change in this broken world. You’ll help me with that, won’t you?”

Lorelie looked up into the shrew’s big blue eyes, her screen betraying nothing. Slowly she raised a hand, for a moment hovering over the rodent’s paw. Then she held it.

“I’m not strong either. But I’ll do what I can.”

“Promise?”

Lorelie nodded.

“Promise.”

Martin couldn’t help but feel that the reception he and Polypmon were getting was slightly more...uncomfortable...than it’d been before the whole Ophicleimon debacle. In-Training Digimon would stop mid-hop, and stare up at the two of them with wows of wonder, and occasionally deeply wicked grins. And as for the Rookie and Champions, they were staying clear. Although once or twice, they would look over with what could only be described as pity in their eyes.

It was a bit of a rough reception, so it was hardly surprising that the moment the two of them turned into an alleyway, Polypmon promptly burst into tears.

“This isn’t fair!” they blubbered, drops of gel spilling out from beneath their goggles, “I don’t wanna die here, I don’t wanna diiiiie!”

Martin puffed his cheeks out, and patted the jellyfish on the forehead, ignoring the mild stinging that that entailed. “Come on, we’ve gotten out of worse situations that this one. Keep your head up; we’ll find-“

“I only just got out of the Dark Area, I don’t wanna die here-“

“Did I just hear the words Dark Area?”

Polypmon stopped crying as quickly as they’d started, and together with Martin they turned around to see Motimon the Impenetrable, now wearing a completely different cape and carrying a large trident as a replacement to his staff from before. Instinctively Martin held an arm out in defense, but the pink jelly laughed him off.

“Please, relax. I’m no barbarian. I only raise my hand in the arena. May I join you?”

He didn’t really give them much choice as he sat himself down next to them, resting the trident over his lap. He beamed up at them. “So what of the plucky volunteers? Not too disheartened, I hope.”

Martin gave him a look. “They’ve been better.”

“Give them my regards. You know, I was incredibly impressed. Even when I thought they had reached their limit they still managed to pull off something new. You truly will make great warriors once you receive the blessing.”

The boy raised a finger. “You...do know that none of us actually like this, do you?

“I know.”

Martin pursed his lips. “We are actually planning to do something.”

“I know.”

“And you’re just letting us do that because...”

Motimon the Impenetrable raised an eyebrow, and tapped himself on the head with his trident. “Impenetrable, lad. Nothing crushes me. Nothing beats me. Nothing ever will. I am the only constant, and any attempt to deviate from that will fail. So, it’s really a waste of my effort to do anything to try and stop you. I’m much better suited to making friends with you all.”

Martin looked exasperated. “You’ve gotta be joking...”

“You’ll be surprised how effective it can be. The great thing about being indestructible is that at the end of the day you are the only true righteousness in the world.”

“Is that how it works?”

“Look at the number of Digimon I’ve collected. They love me. And the world I’ve created. And even the ones who don’t yet will come to love me in time. Therefore, I am indestructible, and righteous.”

“I can see several problems with that.”

“Give it time.”

Motimon stuck out his tongue, before turning to Polypmon. “So I heard you mentioning the Dark Area. Are you familiar with it?”

Polypmon pressed their front tentacles to their lips. “I used to live there.”

“They got out?” Motimon pumped his fist. “Yes! Finally, a worthy step on my path to righteousness. You really must tell me where!”

“From here? I have no idea.”

“Ah well. It’s a starting point. But still...” Motimon the Impenetrable placed a paw on his chin, chuckling. “I can’t wait to see the looks on their faces. Finally, they shall face a force for good strong enough to take down their tyranny.”

Martin wanted to comment about the hypocrisy he was listening to, but he was busy focusing elsewhere. Namely, the grate at the far end of the alleyway, through which he could see the gentle lapping of waves a few metres below.

The trident of Motimon rapped him over the knuckles, and he shook himself to his senses, holding his smarting hand. “Yes, right, of course. Forces of good.” He pulled a face. “Really?”

“Well it certainly will be when you join us.” Motimon winked, and turned to saunter away. Martin breathed a sigh of relief, when the jelly stopped, and turned around to face him.

“Enjoy your coup, by the way. I do look forward to seeing what you come up with.”

If Martin’s shoulders hadn’t been encased in metal, they would have sagged. He waggled his fingers unenthusiastically. “I’ll make sure it’s a good one.”

“That’s my boy.”

The boy watched as their impossibly perfect captor swaggered off, mingling with the crowds once again. Polypmon turned to him, sucking on the end of one tentacle.

“Did you just think of a plan?”

“Yes, I did.”

Pause

“Is it a-“

“Yes, it’s a very stupid plan.”

The boy sighed, and pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose.

“But it might be the only one we’ve got.”

It was some time before anybody approached the sad dark little room at the end of the kids’ temporary quarters. Eleanor considered knocking, but her better nature (re: impatience) got the better of her, and she barged into the room where Callum and Empermon had holed themselves up.

On the plus side after a couple of day’s rest they both seemed to have overcome their severe beating from Motimon. Callum was sitting up against one wall, one arm behind his head and the other splayed out to one side, having miraculously managed to pull itself back together into its former box-like state. The quiet discordant honking from the other end of the room indicated that Empermon was also up and about, pacing back and forth as he blew passive-aggressive mutterings on his sad little saxophone.

Eleanor stood there, tapping her normal foot as she waited. Callum looked up, then looked away, making a disgusted noise.

“Whatever you’re gonna say, I don’t wanna fucking hear it. Least of all from you.”

Eleanor tensed, then released. She had spent a lot of valuable time putting together a conversation in her mind, with an actual productive goal at the end of it and everything. Considering that it was very much against her better nature, she was determined not to let the fact that Callum was being a giant fucking prick get the better of her. She had a plan. She was going to stick to it.

“It’s a long shot, but we might have a way out of here. Do you wanna hear it?”

Callum ran his tongue over his teeth, and looked up again.

“You’re not here to laugh at me?”

“Trust me, I want to laugh at you. A lot. As well as yell at you and frankly deck you in the face. But I won’t. ‘Cause you’re clearly going through some shit, and frankly that much is out of my hands.”

Callum exhaled, and folded his arms. “How motivational.”

Eleanor snorted, about to reconsider on the whole decking-the-boy-in-the-face thing. But she swallowed, and crouched down.

“I know you may not believe this, but I don’t actually wanna see you like this. You’re a strong, stubborn guy. You’ve gotten through worse than this.”

“Yeah, right.”

“You got past Tinkermon and the first time you got royally decked by the Dark Area Digimon, and fuck it, you’ve gotten through Motimon’s beatdown in one piece, haven’t you?”

The boy raised a hand. “Pardon me, but...why are you being nice to me?”

“I’m not.”

“Okay, why are you encouraging me rather than threatening to deck me?”

Eleanor puffed her cheeks out. Clearly her nice exterior wasn’t as impenetrable as she had imagined. She sighed, and ruffled her hair.

“Because I may not like you, but you’re still one of us. And I may be a stubborn prick myself but I do know when we need to stick together.” She sniffed. “Besides, you owe us. You know this was all your fault, right?”

“Excuse me, I wasn’t the one who went nuts and evolved the turtle without asking anyone.”

“No, you were the one who went nuts and evolved the penguin without asking anyone.”

Empermon honked, and glared over at the two. “I have a name you know. And feelings. Please stop it.”

“Touché.” Callum swallowed, and pulled his arms in, looking up at Eleanor. “Alright, I’m listening.”

“I want an apology.”

“You’re not getting one. Not until you tell me what your deal is with me.”

Eleanor growled, but relented. “Fine. I’ll go without an apology. But you’re still a prick.”

“Noted.” Callum curled his hand over one knee. “Okay. I screwed up. Majorly. That’ sucked, but it’s done. What do we do now?” He blinked. “You do have an idea, don’t you?”

“You should thank Martin for being the smartest person here by a long way.” Eleanor allowed herself a smile. “Yes, we have a plan. But part of it relies on you and Empermon being able to sort yourselves out and not freak out again.”

Empermon had stopped playing, and had wandered over to join the conversation. He let out a harsh laugh at this point and folded his flippers. “Yeah...no. Sorry. He’s had his chance.”

Callum shrugged, and opened the palm of his D-Psyche, showing Eleanor. “I’ve got nothing in there. No spark. No energy. It’s all gone. Whatever happened out there, and let’s face it, it probably was my fault, but it’s wrecked whatever it was us two had. There’s no way we’re gonna fight Motimon again.”

“I was afraid of that.” Eleanor stood up, and brushed her skirt off. “Alright, so it seems like you’re with me.”

Callum and Empermon blinked, and glanced at one another. “What...?”

“We’ve got a plan whether you’re on the front lines or not. The Impenetrable DoucheCanoe knows we’re planning something anyway, so improvising is probably our best bet.” The girl turned to Empermon. “I know you don’t like him, but can you at least fire some snow and shit?”

“Erm...probably?”

“That’s better than nothing. Alright, listen...”

Eleanor looked behind her, and gave a sharp whistle. The door opened, and all the others wandered in; a nervous Martin and Polypmon, a disgruntled Ursula and Hinkymon, a steeled Lorelie on Scutimon’s shoulder, a hesitant Aardmon, and leading them all, Eleanor’s own partner. Terramon cracked her knuckles, and sat down, smiling up at the girl.

“Do you wanna run through this again? I think I’m gonna like it but I wanna make sure...”

Martin raised a finger. “I want you all to know, this really probably isn’t going to work. At all.”

Eleanor folded her arms. “Maybe. But that’s how we roll.” She nodded. “Go ahead. We’re listening...”

The sea was churning, rough and ravaging, with enough force that even the great central war vessel was feeling its effects. Huge swells of water rippled around the sphere, came into contact with themselves from the other side, before erupting upwards in great spikes. The air was thick and dripping, and high above, the sky seemed to be split dead in half; one side an abyssal black, and the other a burning crimson.

Motimon the Impenetrable stood atop his pedestal as the sea of faces stared up at him expectantly. He closed his eyes, and took in a deep breath, his vocal chords carrying through the crowds effortlessly.

“The time has come once again, my friends. As it always will, while there are still those worth to receive. Still those waiting. I would ask for the willing to step forward and receive, but I know that there are those amongst you who will stand up before I can mention the word. And so I say...who is willing to receive the blessing?” He narrowed his eyes. “Or should I say, who is willing to take it from me?”

The entire crowd turned, and stared up. Six figures had gotten to their feet, and were slowly making their way down, past the orbs and puffballs under their feet. The In-Trainings had begun to fidget, and a few of them were beginning to chant. Only a few voices at first, but then spreading through the crowds, the voices combining and building one another up, until they were roaring with the force of a hurricane in the centre of a raging sea.

Which would have been far more epic if the whole display didn’t look and sound like a mob of kindergartners parading around the playground after two hapless snotty children going at it.

“FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT! FIGHT!”

Motimon allowed himself a little laugh, and hopped down to meet the group in front of him. Martin stood at the front, arms folded and cap pulled downwards, trying his best to look like a delinquent and only partially succeeding. Polypmon didn’t help matters, coiled around the boy’s shoulders as if they were some gelatinous boa.

To one side of him stood a severely pissed-off looking Ursula, with a pumped-up Hinkymon crouched at her feet, his flame glowing a bright orange. To the other side, Lorelie put on her best ‘>:(‘ emoticon while Scutimon stood tall, cracking her knuckles one by one.

Motimon let out a breath. “I trust there are no hard feelings?”

Martin cleared his throat. “We’re only going to say this once, Motimon the Impenetrable. We want out. Let us off your ship. We have no need of your blessing.”

He tried to sound as deep and commanding as he could, but his voice cracked on the last word, causing both the girls to look at him in an exasperated manner. Motimon just shrugged.

“You know what I’m going to say, don’t you.”

“Of course I do. You are flawless, after all.”

“So will this be a battle for the blessing, or a battle to beat your senses into you once again? Or maybe we can overlook both and use this as another training experience.” He frowned, and tilted his body to one side. “Speaking of which, you appear to be missing a couple of members. They’re not too hurt, are they?”

Martin swallowed. “They decided against joining us. Callum was feeling a little put-upon last time.”

“And dearest Eleanor? She doesn’t strike me as the kind to miss a good fight.”

Ursula folded her arms. “She was up for it. Her partner was not. The turtle ran away. I mean you did drag her into this without asking so...it’s understandable that she doesn’t want to take part.”

“I see. Well, that’s unfortunate. I’d thought they were just managing to get along. But oh well, I suppose you three will suffice for now.”

Martin looked up. “Is it just you today? I don’t see the others.”

Motimon grinned, and tapped the side of his snout. “They have their own business to attend to. I’m sure you understand.”

Martin pressed his teeth together, and nodded. “I wish them the best of luck.”

“As I wish the best to your absent friends.” Motimon winked in a knowing fashion. “May fortune smile on at least one of them. But if they are absent, they are absent. I suppose it is down to us.”

He stretched, before holding his trident out horizontally behind him, and beckoning with his free paw.

“Are you prepared?”

The three humans stepped back, as the three Digimon stayed where they were. Ursula and Martin reached for the buttons on their D-Psyches, feeling the energy coursing through them.

“Hinkymon, Psyche Synchronise!”

“Polypmon, Psyche Synchronise!”

“Evolution Activate!”

The crowd burst into cheers as the two Rookies grew, orange and purple sparks flying around the renovated arena. As they moved, Scutimon rushed around to just beneath the pedestal, spreading her arms wide and tensing her muscles. Motimon lazily looked behind him, taking her mighty stance in.

“You look familiar. Weren’t you already one of mine?”

Scutimon grinned, her breath coming out in clouds. “I’m one of them now. I’ve been waiting for this chance.”

Motimon nodded. “All the best then.”

Scutimon blinked, and glanced over at Lorelie, whose hand went to her own D-Psyche. The girl could feel a trembling; only a small one, but just about there. She held up her thumb, her screen showing a reassuring smile.

“Go for it.”

“Manowarmon!”

“Kobolmon!”

The crowd erupted into applause as the two Champions appeared, taking their own places around the putty emperor. He adjusted his cape, and twirled his trident nonchalantly.

“All the best to the three of you. And I do apologise for the pain you are about to receive.”

He spun his trident again, and without warning, he charged.

Empermon glanced up as he heard the first of the impacts, and winced. “You know, I’m glad that’s not me out there.”

“Hurry, we don’t have much time.”

Terramon and Empermon snuck ahead through the largely empty streets, keeping as low to the ground as they could manage. Eleanor and Callum weren’t far behind, performing notably less well on the whole stealth thing. They stopped outside some buildings, with Callum nearly overbalancing and swearing under his breath.

Eleanor glared at him. “Will you get your act together? We wouldn’t be in this mess if you could actually follow Martin’s directions.”

“I don’t do directions. Martin does directions. Why couldn’t Martin be the one chasing this escape hatch or whatever.”

“Martin’s busy.”

“We could always have swapped. He said he’d prefer to do this.”

“You can’t fight at the minute. Or at all, really. If he’s not the one in the arena then we’re all screwed.”

Empermon whistled to himself. “And yet you’re here yourself. I’d sure like to see that pink smug face be smashed in by a giant turtle.”

Terramon grabbed hold of one wall, peering around the bend. “I’m willing to do lots of things for you guys, but I ain’t going toe to toe with that wanker just to satisfy your lost honour.” She flinched, and pulled her head back, her expression grave. “Oh for the love of...”

The other three bundled into her, nearly sending them all down in a royal mess. Callum looked to one side. “Have we found it? Is that the boat hatch?”

Terramon swallowed. “The good news is yes. Yes it is. It’s utterly beautiful.”

“And the bad news?”

“We can hear you y’know.”

Eleanor squeezed her eyes shut. “Once...just once can things go our way...”

“Theia’s Torment!”

A flurry of wood shot in front of the group’s noses like a freight train, immediately barring all exits and shoving them out into the open. They were mere metres away from their goal; the grille in the side of the ship, where the workers could get down to the tugboats, or in the case of the humans, some way of escape.

Sadly, that was looking unlikely, since Tanemon and Kapurimon sat squarely in front of it, both looking rather disappointed.

Kapurimon exhaled. “You aren’t half inconsiderate. I was hoping to see the battle today, but it seems we’ll have to sort you out instead.”

Callum placed his hand in his pocket. “You guessed our plan, huh?”

“Every week some poor clumsy big one tries something like this.” Tanemon shrugged. “Motimon’s made a game out of it. Let’s see what the mutiny is this week.” The little grass ball sighed, and wiggled his leaves. “Can we just call it already? Please?”

“Sing Sing Squall!”

“Marsh Bomb!”

The two In-Training levels looked at each other as the blasts came towards them.

“I didn’t think so...”

“Torpedo Coil!”

“Hero’s Crusher!”

“Loderndes Leuchtfeuer!”

“Emperor’s Thunder!”

The crowd oohed and ahhed as lights, flames and thunderbolts careened across the plaza, cutting great swathes through the dust and through several of the buildings and new fences which a lot of them had worked very hard to fix. Not that it mattered, since the display was mesmerising, and it became clear that Motimon the Impenetrable was enjoying every moment as he ducked and weaved, sending back blasts of energy and intense hits of his own with the grace of a gymnast. He rolled as Manowarmon’s tentacles swung over him, and raised his trident, reeling in three of them and grabbing them bare handed. Thousands of volts coursed through the pink putty with enough power to turn his flesh luminescent, but he didn’t even flinch.

“Yeesh...you’re a feisty one, aren’t you? Phwoar, maybe hold back a little.”

“God you’re annoying...”

Manowarmon pulled their entrapped tentacles forwards and lashed out with their spares, wrapping round Motimon and swinging him into the ground.

“Toxic Shocker!”

Motimon raised his trident, but it didn’t knock away the attack as much as conduct it, filling him up with even more electric power.

“Ssssssspicy!”

His base spread out, and he leapt forwards, grasping Manowarmon by the shoulder and twisting until the jellyfish crashed to the ground. He hopped onto Manowarmon’s head, cracked one paw, and brought it downwards right at the base of the jellyfish’s head fin.

“Have at thee in return, my good friend!”

“Vigorous Tackle!”

The blob didn’t even have time to blink as he was catapulted off his makeshift perch, and promptly slammed into the ground again by Scutimon’s great suplex. The shrew ground her teeth, and spun, her arms reaching out in a clothesline that punted Motimon even further down the plaza.

“Good old-fashioned fisticuffs, is it? I’m game.”

Scutimon roared, and reached forwards with a devastating punch, yelling as she did so.

“I’ll make you PAY for what you’ve put me through!”

Her fist connected, and she let out her breath, only to look up and see Motimon holding her at pay with only one paw. He cocked his head. “Please forgive my rudeness but...what have I done to offend you?”

“ What haven’t you done?”

“I mean you specifically.”

Scutimon’s answer was another volley of punches, followed by a swift headbutt, but each was parried effortlessly. Motimon winked, and leapt up, landing a couple of punches himself; Scutimon only just managed to cross her arms over her chest before she herself was sent flying, rolling in the dust.

“Loderndes Leuchtfeuer!”

Motimon turned as he fell, just in time to see Kobolmon rushing towards him, his entire body smothered in white flame. The jelly clicked one paw, and pointed.

“Now you I definitely remember.”

Kobolmon didn’t really care either way; he slammed into the pint-sized terror, bringing both fists down and running him through the dirt on the ground, like a meteor crashing in the desert.

“Cosmic Buster!”

The troll noticed too late that Motimon was not, in fact, in his grasp, but in fact several inches behind his head. The attack struck him heavily, and Kobolmon totalled himself, rolling over the ground and ending up on his back, both wheels spinning uselessly in the air and eyes rolling.

“Hero’s Crusher!”

Scutimon brought her fist down in a pink explosion, sending acid in all directions, but she missed by a wide margin. Motimon spun his trident and struck her on the back of her calves, her muscles buckling with the impact.

“Posture, dear. Please, do try and keep up with your compatriots.”

“Shut UP! Hero’s Crusher!”

“Torpedo Coil!”

Motimon just dodged the shrew’s punch, but Manowarmon’s tentacles wrapped around him and threw him skywards. He spun, but was caught off guard as Kobolmon fired blasts of flame, one of them catching him and spinning him away into the sky.

From his vantage point, Motimon couldn’t help but appreciate the sheer scale of what he’d created. The beauty and simplicity of the Omega Marina, and the strength of his kin. The warriors down below, who were destined to become his greatest of friends on day. A flash of light caught his eye, and he glanced to one side; at the explosions taking place over the other side of the ship. He smiled. Even they were still fighting.

“This won’t do. I am going to have to give it my all after all. They deserve nothing less.”

As gravity took hold, and the blob began to descend towards the waiting attacks of Kobolmon, Scutimon and Manowarmon, he began to spin himself even faster, his paws glowing white.

“Cosmic BUSTER!”

Terramon rolled as Kapurimon flew over her, great metal blades swinging outwards from beneath her helm. The turtle got to her feet, firing green globules one after the other as the In-Training level bounced from wall to wall, before lunging after the turtle with her blades spinning like a sawblade.

“Serrated Scimitar!”

The blades struck the back of Terramon’s shell, grinding against them as the terrapin ducked to avoid being decapitated.

“Vice Bite!”

There was an immense crack, and one blade went spinning away, sending Kapurimon careening to one side from the gyroscopic forces. Terramon grimaced, and spat chunks of metal from her mouth, a few drops of blood dripping downwards.

Eleanor rushed forwards and helped the turtle to her feet, keeping an eye on Kapurimon as she did so. “That was too close.”

“Y’think? I can literally taste sword right now.”

There was a click like an engine stalling, and Kapurimon finally came to a stop, half-embedded in the wood of the deck. Tanemon landed next to her, dodging a couple of Empermon’s attacks himself. “Come on, Kapurimon, get your act together. They’re Rookies.”

“I know, I know. I was just trying something new. Clearly it didn’t work.”

The little cat shivered, and withdrew her spikes, her helmet shimmering as she did so.

“Meteoric Onslaught!”

“Watch out!”

She flew forwards with a subsonic roar, rocketing between Eleanor and Terramon and sending them both rolling away with the force of the shockwave. The girl hissed, and clutched her leg, feeling the energy beginning to build within.

A few metres away, Callum felt his own shoulder twinge, focusing intently on Empermon in front of him as he fought with the various tendrils and vines coming his way. Callum looked over his shoulder at the downed girl and turtle.

“Eleanor, any time now!”

“I know!”

“I know you know, I’m only saying!”

“For god’s sake...this better work.”

Eleanor got to her feet as Kapurimon rounded on them again, her metal helm shimmering like silver. The girl stood her ground, driving her D-Psyche as far down as she could manage. Beside her, Terramon bit her lip, watching her partner’s every move.

“Meteoric-”

“Terramon...Psyche Synchronise!”

Eleanor raised her leg and brought it down, the D-Psyche opening with an immense crack. Kapurimon veered away, crashing next to Tanemon and rolling a few metres. Tanemon held off his own attack for the few crucial seconds needed for Empermon to throw snow in his face and back off several metres.

“Evolution Activate!”

Terramon grew in an instant as the evolution took hold, her shell, muscles and head swelling to the huge proportions from before, and seeming even bigger now that she was on solid ground. Her form solidified, and she sat crouched in the centre of the alleyway, her webbed hands splayed and her great maw open wide.

“Chelydramon!”

Tanemon blinked, and side-eyed Kapurimon. “I’m blaming you for this.”

“Bite me. I slept in this morning. I’m out of practise.”

Eleanor let out a breath, and thrust her arm out towards the In-Training levels. “Now that’s more like it! Give ‘em what for, Chelydramon!”

“With pleasure...”

The turtle groaned, and reared back, raising a hard, spiny fist ready to bring it down on the blobs before her.

Then, without warning, she swivelled, and brought said fist straight into the stomach of the girl standing next to her.

Hurgh.

Eleanor skidded back a few metres, and crumpled, immediately unconscious. The five onlookers gawped as Chelydramon stretched, shaking her fist out. “Geez...that’s been waiting a while.”

“Eleanor!”

“Er...excuse me!?”

Aardmon tentatively raised a hand, before pointing it at the girl’s prone form as she glared up at the turtle. “We were actually getting somewhere; what the fuck was that?”

Chelydramon blinked. “Oh yeah, your whole save-the-world, get-off-the-ship thing. Yeah, sorry, fuck that. I’ve got other things to see to now.”

Aardmon opened and shut her mouth several times, struggling to get a response. Luckily Callum stepped in. “But...we need you! What the actual hell, you can’t do this! We won’t let you!”

Chelydramon allowed herself a smile. Or as close to a smile as a huge turtle kaiju figure could manage.

“Yeah, thing is, I’m bigger than you now. Mangrove Mace!”

In a ridiculously quick movement she thrust her arm forwards, the green sphere sailing down and cracking the deck at Callum’s feet. As the group fell over, she spun round and threw the orb into the gate itself, splintering it with ease. Pulling the mace back, she rushed forwards, grasping the side of the boat before glancing over her shoulder.

“Cheers for the pick-me-up, but I’m off now. Good luck!”

She disappeared, with the tamers and their adversaries staring helplessly after her. In the distance there was a bit of shouting followed by a large splash, indicating the turtle’s final departure from the situation. Kapurimon turned to Tanemon, who shrugged, and in turn looked at Callum. “Um...that went well.”

Callum held his teeth together, and stood up, holding his D-Psyche out in front of him.

“Empermon, it’s down to us! Let’s do this!”

He stood for a couple of seconds, then shook his arm, trying very hard to get even the tiniest smidgen of light to appear. Nothing did. Empermon looked up at him, his expression half of guilt and half of pity.

“Sorry dude. That’s not an option anymore.”

Callum sighed, and his shoulders slumped.

“Fuck.”

There was a groan from next to him as Eleanor slowly sat up, clutching her stomach. “That...was really fucking low...”

Kapurimon sighed, and shuffled forwards, scratching beneath her helmet with her tail. “This is just...really kind of depressing now. I think I’m just gonna arrest you before anything else happens to you.”

“You do that.”

“Cosmic Buster!”

Lorelie drew back, letting off an electric screech as Scutimon was launched across the plaza. She crashed into the front row seats to the sound of uproaring applause from those in the ‘splash zone’, as it were. The shrew coughed, and held her chest as she pushed herself to her feet, her whiskers twitching.

“You...won’t get away...with this...”

“You know...everyone usually says that. I don’t mind, but couldn’t we have some different conversation once in a while? How are you, for a start? Doesn’t the weather look lovely today? Maybe you have some nice hobbies we can discuss.” Motimon brushed off his paws and retrieved his trident from the ground nearby, sticking his lip out as he peered at the end. “Aw...another one bent. I’m going to have to shop around.”

“Ansturm der Flamme!”

Motimon’s eyes flashed backwards, and he threw the trident like a javelin at the oncoming attacker. Kobolmon dodged just in time (leading to the second weapon to sail off the side of the ship in the space of a week), and doubled down, his palms aflame as he brought them both down on the tiny jelly blob in front of him.

Ursula shook her head as the troll was stopped in his tracks by the one-foot terror; a nearly impossible feat to comprehend, and yet happening right before her, undeniable and frightening. Kobolmon released flames from his mouth, and brought his palms down one after the other, the wheels screaming in the dust as he tried to move his adversary even a centimetre. But it failed; a quick flick of his wrists and Motimon had downed the troll yet again, ending with a bone-shattering punch to the stomach for good measure.

“Kobolmon!”

“I’ll stop you! Vigorous Tackle!”

Scutimon barrelled in from one side, stumbling from her injuries but carrying on with as much force as she could muster. It still wasn’t enough, as she staggered past Motimon, falling mostly over her own feet, and the blob struck her with a blast of energy for good measure.

“Bastard!”

The shrew lashed out with one foot, just catching Motimon on the edge of his crown. He shuffled backwards, balling lightning in his paws.

“You can’t expect to fight me if you don’t have the gall! Emperor’s Thunder!”

“Toxic Shocker!”

Pink lightning pierced the ground all around, combining with Motimon’s own and lashing out into the stands, much to the amusement (and many injuries) of the crowd. Motimon hissed and rolled to one side, straight into Manowarmon’s live tentacles, which reached down to smother him, trying to keep his power at bay.

“Hypernova Punch!”

The ball of tentacles shot upwards, catching Manowarmon right in the centre of the dome. The jellyfish wheezed, and keeled over to one side, but Motimon wasn’t finished yet; leaping down and dragging the jellyfish’s tentacles behind him.

“Loderndes Leuchtfeuer!”

“Hero’s Crusher!”

“Enough! It’s time for you all to step up!”

He spun on the spot, swinging Manowarmon in a lazy arc as both Kobolmon and Scutimon charged towards him. His movements sped up as they reached him, striking first the shrew, then the troll, sending the latter charging into the other. Kobolmon recovered first, spinning on the spot and launching a flaming backhand at Motimon, but he blocked it easily, wrapping Manowarmon’s tentacles around the troll’s wrist just as the jellyfish was calling out.

“Torpedo Coi-“

Manowarmon’s attack flew out desperately, traversing through their tentacles and mostly into the body of the mechanised troll. Kobolmon spasmed, and flew backwards, nearly crushing Scutimon as she tried to find some – any – kindof opening in the Impenetrable’s defense. At the side of the arena, Ursula whaled on Martin.

“Can you not control your partner’s attacks better please?”

“Don’t shout at me! I’ve got absolutely nothing!” Martin bit his lip so tightly that it drew blood, racking his brain for any way to save their partners and coming up blank. Beside them both, Lorelie held the sides of her D-Psyche, staring at Scutimon even as the shrew glanced back.

“I’ve got to do this! Hero’s CRUSHER!”

It was a brutal blow; striking Motimon in the centre of the back and even causing him to stumble. Seeing the opportunity, Manowarmon and Kobolmon lashed out as well, calling upon both their energies and landing a perfect firestorm on their oppressor.

But it did virtually nothing.

Motimon the Impenetrable launched himself up, sparks drifting away from him as he turned in mid-air, landing a hefty blow on Kobolmon’s cheek. Bouncing up, he struck Manowarmon in the chest, before reaching into his adversary’s gelatinous form and thrusting them down towards the troll. Scutimon got the closest, claws bared as she slashed desperately. But even she was sent down into the scrum below. The three looked up, helpless, as Motimon angled himself, his paw glowing with the energy of a thousand suns as he descended.

“Hypernova PUNCH!”

The shockwave rippled throughout the arena, so intense that it even knocked out the nearest spectators. Motimon landed a few metres away from the crater, at the bottom of which lay three prone Champion levels.

Motimon seemed lackadaisical, swaying a little on his feet. Then something caught his eye, and he looked up to see Tanemon and Kapurimon making their way through the crowds, dragging Callum, Aardmon, Eleanor and Empermon behind them. The Impenetrable chuckled to himself.

“Well now, how about that...”

Martin’s eyes widened, and Ursula brought a hand to her mouth.

“No...”

“Well, it was a nice try. I must say, it took longer than I expected. You two didn’t have any trouble, did you?”

Kapurimon threw her charges into the arena, and whipped her tail. “The turtle did a runner. Kinda sad really.”

“Oh, that’s no good. Though I suppose tragically, true loyalty is hard to come by.” Motimon nodded at Eleanor. “I’m sorry for your loss.”

The girl didn’t respond. She simply glared at him from her floored position. Motimon sighed, and rubbed his hands together. “Well, I suppose that’s the end of another day-

“We’re not finished, you sack of shit!”

Motimon raised an eyebrow, and looked down into the crater, at where Scutimon had crawled to the top of the pile, her legs shaking.

“I beg your pardon?”

“You think you know loyalty? Any sense of honour? You only stand there because you’ve taken advantage of everyone here; whatever power you’ve gained has been through sheer dumb luck!”

Motimon looked sadly at the shrew as she crawled her way forwards. Her forearms were matted with blood, one eye was half-closed, and her bony chestplate was cracked and splintered. Specks of data trailed away from her, yet she still advanced, holding both her arms out in front of her.

“You think...you think you’ve won? These are human beings, you tyrant. They came here to take down shits like you. Theyalways come through. They always help the Digimon like me...like us...start anew. I’m proud to stand with them to the end!”

Aardmon opened her eyes, and held out an arm, shaking her head. “ Please...don’t do it...”

Martin looked desperately at Lorelie, who was holding her D-Psyche with such intensity that her fingers were red-raw. She let out an electric squeak, and a burst of static.

“...please...get back...”

“The power is with us, Motimon. This time, I’m gonna take you down.”

Scutimon looked to one side, at Lorelie, standing at the lip of the crater, her small body shaking. The shrew winked, and began to crawl faster, pushing herself to her feet, and turning it into a run.

“I believe in you, Lorelie...please believe in me...I can do this ...”

“Stop!”

“Turn back!”

“...Scutimon!...”

Lorelie let out an electric scream, which merged with Scutimon’s roar as she pulled her fist back, energy billowing around it like a miniature hurricane. As she reached the lip of the crater, she towered over Motimon, her eyes glowing white and the sunlight glinting off her claws.

“HERO’S CRUSHER!”

Scutimon’s arm stuck Motimon with an immense boom; strong enough to send shockwaves through the arena, sending up great clouds of dust. Scutimon was left there, breathing heavily and looking down at the ground. She glanced up, her eyes wide and her expression hopeful.

Motimon stood there, completely unfazed. He held out a paw, keeping her attack at bay with seemingly no effort.

Scutimon let out a breath, her energy so spent that she could barely get the word out.

“No...”

The blob glanced up, his eyes heavy.

“Are we done?”

Lorelie staggered forwards, one hand still clutching her D-Psyche, and the other stretched out helplessly towards Scutimon, silently crying out for her to get away. Scutimon glanced up at her, tears travelling down her muzzle, not even trying to move even as Motimon’s paw came barrelling towards her.

“I’m sorry Lorelie...I can’t feel anything-“

“Hypernova Punch!”

The impact was even more intense than the first, buckling the decking beneath the plaza itself. Scutimon was sent flying backwards in a rainbow-coloured blast of energy, crashing into the podium with enough force to splinter the timbers, bringing the whole structure down on top of her.

Lorelie kept her hand held out, screaming out at the top of her voice.

“...no...”

A few moments passed. The timbers shifted, and Scutimon pushed herself up, tumbling out from the rubble. Her form shimmered like liquid as she staggered, crawled, and eventually stood.

Then it dissolved, and she fell down; far smaller, far weaker, and far more broken than she’d ever been. Although somehow, she’d managed to stay alive.

That was something, at the very least.

Motimon the Impenetrable leaned back, staring skywards as he let out a long, drawn-out sigh.

“As fun as this has been, I do think that’s an appropriate place to end for the day. You’ve all done very well and should be very proud of yourselves.”

Nobody moved. Motimon looked around, and placed a paw on his hip.

“Come on now. I honestly don’t think we need to go through any more of this. For your sake more than mine. Come on, let’s just take this as a learning experience and-“

BANG

The deck shook, and several of the boards nearby splintered. Motimon held his breath, and looked around, before raising a paw. “Okay I’m pretty sure I didn’t hit anyone that time. Tanemon? Kapurimon? Anyone?”

His aides looked amongst one another, both of them shaking their heads. Motimon placed a paw to his chin, before looking up at each of the humans in turn.

“Pardon me for intruding on your personal matters, but...you wouldn’t happen to know anything about this, would you?”

“MANGROVE MACE!”

The plaza was wrecked as a green orb sailed through the air, embedding itself in one wall as the huge form of Chelydramon pulled herself up from the other end, to the sound of rapturous applause from the crowds all around (who had quite forgotten that they usually vouched for Motimon in these matters, and really just wanted to see shit being broken). The vast turtle took a little moment to relish in the applause, before looking down at Eleanor, a great big grin on her great lumpy face.

“Am I a bit late? Or a bit early?”

Tanemon looked between the two, scratching beneath his chin. “Hang on...you’re friends now? What did I miss?”

“Deadlock Jaw!”

“Woof!”

Tanemon’s distraction was just long enough for him to find himself inside the turtle’s massive maw, the two jaws pressing down on him like white-hot scissor blades. Chelydramon shook her head from side to side like a terrier with a tennis ball, before throwing the tiny figure off to the side, far over the netting and out into the sea. Kapurimon barely had a moment to comprehend what was going on before she was punted by one of the turtle’s massive fists, and sent rolling off down the deck with a clatter.

“Wow...you have performed an elaborate ruse here, haven’t you...”

Chelydramon turned, as Motimon sauntered towards her, readjusting his cape and shaking the excess data from his paws. Eleanor nodded as she stood behind the turtle, holding onto the edge of her shell. “Yeah...as you were saying about loyalty. She’s very good really. Mostly. This was always the plan.” She glared up in an irritated fashion at the turtle. “I hope...”

Chelydramon shrugged. “I thought about ditching you for real. But you’re okay really.”

“Arsehat.”

“Whatever.” Motimon was only a few metres away, rolling his fists as Chelydramon balled some energy of her own, preparing to launch her mace yet again. But the tiny emperor was unfazed.

“I expected more from you. You seriously think you’ve outsmarted me? Just because you kept someone in hiding that I couldn’t see? I hate to break it to you, but that’s just another Champion. Just another obstacle for me on the way to my ultimate greatness. You cannot hurt me, you cannot even scratch me.” The pink jelly held his fists tight, and braced himself to attack. “Can you please tell me how in Yggdrasil’s entire realm you thought you could actually win with a sneak attack? Seriously! I genuinely want to know!”

Eleanor smirked as the other children gathered behind her, holding onto whatever they could. Behind Motimon, Kobolmon and Manowarmon were bracing themselves as well, and Aardmon and Empermon had snuck to one side, crouching low to the ground.

“Yeah, sure. Alright, fuckface. You win. You’re invincible. We’ve got that. But we can still beat you.”

There was a creaking from all around. Motimon shuffled uncertainly on the deck, still watching Chelydramon as she swung the mace lazily around her head.

Motimon smiled wickedly. “Humans or not, none of you are above me. None of you will ever be above me. I am Motimon the Impenetrable. Impenetrable!”

“Yeah, sure. I believe you.” Eleanor held her breath, and smiled herself.

“Mangrove Mace!”

“Torpedo Coil!”

“Sing Sing Squall!”

“Sand Lancer!”

“Ansturm der Flamme!”

All their attacks struck the deck at the same time, shaking the arena to its core. Motimon seemed to vanish, reappearing a few metres back with his paws behind his back, tutting loudly.

“You missed!”

There was a moment’s silence. Motimon’s brow furrowed slightly, and he reached down, pressing his palm against the deck as an immense creaking began to sound from all around.

“Or...did you...”

“Do ya get it yet?” Chelydramon huffed, and brushed the sand from her chest. “You may be invincible, but ya ship sure ain’t.”

Motimon sucked in his lip.

“Oh poop.”

As if in response, the entire arena buckled inwards, the wood and mortar splintering as Motimon’s greatest of vessels decided to split apart, having taken far too much punishment. The crowds finally took this as their cue to panic and run for cover (save for a few who were still enjoying the show too much to care about impending doom). Motimon himself bounded up the stairs even as they split apart behind him, hanging onto the upper podium just in time. He looked down, seeing the full extent of the humans’ stupid plan.

The damage on the deck itself was significant, but as the battleship began to peel away, the miniature warlord could see the vast holes in the hull, splintered timbers and huge gouges that looked suspiciously like they’d been made by a vengeful turtle on the warpath.

Well, she’d come up through the floor, hadn’t she? She never was going to be particularly gentle. And with all the kerfuffle and noise going on in the arena, a few further crashes wouldn’t have made much of an impact.

Motimon whistled as Tanemon and Kapurimon hauled him up, the podium beginning to slip even as they did so.

“You clever people.”

Unaware they were being congratulated; the children and partners were rushing around like mad things, yelling in any general direction about how much of a stupid plan this was.

(Hey, perspective is important).

Callum stumbled as the floor beneath him began to crumble away, unable to support its own massive weight. “We haven’t got much time! Get everyone together!”

Kobolmon had devolved and was scampering about, his flame going wild as he tried to dig a pathway through the already collapsing battleship. The others had gathered around Chelydramon, already clambering up onto the giant’s back. Lorelie stopped, nearly slipping off the shell as she pointed.

“What is it?” Martin followed her gaze, and his eyes widened. “Oh god! Scutimon!”

“I’m on it!”

Manowarmon rushed forwards, trailing data from injury and fatigue but reaching the shrunken shrew just before she landed in the frothing water below. They flew back, laying her out on the turtle’s ridged back, before collapsing themselves, devolving into Polypmon and looking for all the world like an upturned trifle.

“I need a break!”

Everyone was aboard, and Chelydramon held tightly as the platform she was standing on diminished rapidly. The shaking awoke the devolved Scutimon, who coughed up a few flecks of blood, staring up at the sky.

“Did we win..?”

She held out a hand, before turning it over in shock, and looking down at her own diminished form. She was squat, brown-furred and a little stocky, wearing purple gloves tipped with metal claws. Her face was pointed, her muzzle tipped with a star pattern, and her eyes were large and blue. She sighed, trying to sit up. Ursula and Lorelie shuffled up to her, the taller girl shaking her head. “Don’t move too much. We can’t stay for long, Scutimon.”

“Call me Shrewmon. I guess that’s what I am now.”

She peered up, smirking up at the podium where Motimon stood, still staring at them even from so far away. “Heh...good riddance to this place.”

Neither of the girls answered. Nobody did. They all just watched as the great battleship split apart before them, a miracle of engineering taken down by a few stubborn kids. The citizens of the Omega Marina were clasping to whatever they could; at least, those who were able. Several had already fallen into the frothing waters below, and while many of them were staying afloat, already clawing themselves to safety, a few had disappeared for good. Some of them prisoners who were making a break for it, and yet others too weak to escape the destruction. They sank, already vanishing in the gloom of the spherical ocean. Even from here the children could hear the gurgling cries of some of them, slowly being smothered out.

CRACK

The last of the timbers snapped, and both halves of the ship pulled apart, collapsing in on themselves at a frightening pace. Chelydramon held her breath, and yelled back at her quarries.

“Brace yerselves!”

She leapt, attacking the water at a shallow angle as the humans and Digimon held on as best as they could. Immediately she swam as fast as she could, putting ground between herself and the falling marina, and leaving the horrendous place behind in seconds. For a moment the noise still lingered; the yells, the cracks, and the gentle put-put of the tugboats in futile pursuit of them.

Eventually, even they subsided. But the turtle still kept swimming.

Motimon stood tall, stuck to a piece of driftwood that had once been his ship as he looked over the horizon, at a tiny black dot getting further and further away.

There was an exhausted puff as Tanemon pulled himself up beside him, shaking the leaf on his head. “I apologise, Impenetrable...we didn’t mean to let the turtle escape...we thought she’d just completely abandoned them...”

He was greeted by a shower of water as Kapurimon shook herself beside him, with all the grace and dignity of a wet cat (which was fair, one supposes).

“I had a feeling getting involved with humans was a dodgy affair.”

“Nonsense.” Motimon said, adjusting his position and rubbing his hands together. “This is perfect. It really is. It must have been fated for you two to screw up so royally.”

Tanemon and Kapurimon looked at one another. “It...is?”

“Those children...those beautiful humans...I want them even more now. They have bested me. That puts them on a level more equal to mine.” He raised his arms. “We can rebuild the ship! Reassemble the army!” He blinked. “Most of them, at any rate. And when we are reborn, we shall march forwards again, when the tide brings them within reach.”

He laughed heartily to himself, holding a fist to his chest.

“You are my Avalon. My holy grail. I promise I shall reach you again, and you will be my greatest treasure. You WILL be part of the flesh and blood of my will! As the strength within me grows every day, listen to me, you glorious humans; you shall one day return to Motimon the Impenetr-“

The timber was caught in a swell, and all three Digimon were carted off back into the sea.

Sometimes, even emperors lack dignity.

As the motley group travelled into twilight, and approached the great jetstreams at the northern end of the ocean, Chelydramon finally slowed, the escape having taken an awful lot out of her. She sighed, and allowed herself to float for a few moments.

It was only a few moments, and was promptly interrupted by Eleanor scooting down her neck and punching her in one eyeball.

“Ow!”

“That’s payback!”

The turtle blinked, and was about to object, before she recalled the events earlier in the day. “Oh yeah...”

“I told you to make it look convincing! I didn’t tell you to whale me in the fucking stomach!”

The giant turtle looked the tiniest bit sheepish. “I panicked...”

“That’s gonna smart, that is...” Eleanor sighed, and sat back, staring out at the ocean. “Still...you saved us. Thanks. I’m glad you didn’t run away.”

“Yeah, well...” Chelydramon snorted, puffing a little spray of water from her nostrils. “I have my own issues to think about. And my own honour.”

“Don’t I know that.” Eleanor smiled. “Onwards to the Funnyman, I guess?”

Her smile faded, and she leaned in a little further, whispering in the turtle’s ear. “Or...onwards to...where?”

“Give me a few moments.”

Further back atop the turtle’s shell, the others were gathered around Lorelie, waiting as she held her finger on the buttons of her D-Psyche. She waited, a progress bar flashing on her screen, before she gave up and shook her head.

Callum grunted, and folded his arms. “Not there, huh? Some help they are. Bloody adults.”

“It’s better than nothing. At least they’re watching.” Lorelie held her keypad for a moment, then looked up at the swirling blue core above, now closer than ever.

Shrewmon shuffled up beside her, following her gaze. “I guess...we just keep trying, huh?”

“Until we get it right.” Callum nodded, an uncertain smile on his face. “We have to win in the end...don’t we?”

He glanced down at Empermon, but the penguin was sat some distance away, staring across the water. Callum let out a sigh, but martin shuffled over to him and flicked him in the shoulder.

“Have a little faith, man. We’ll get there.”

It was really all they could do. But even as they got ever so slightly closer to the foreboding orb above, and what terrors lay within, they had the sneaking suspicion that even faith could be pushing it too far...

Perez cursed under her breath as she sat back down, trying to clear the multitude of useless windows that had appeared on her screen.

“Dominic, don’t touch my stuff! I have it nice and organised!”

She pulled the map up, and swore in Spanish. “They’ve moved again.”

“Good moved or bad moved?”

The woman elbowed her colleague back to his own desk as she scanned the map. “Well, I guess they’re moving somewhat in the right direction. And they’ve tried to call again. Pick up the gear, will you?”

Dominic muttered as he walked off, while Perez tried to fix the connections that had fallen into disrepair along the way. She kept muttering to herself, in a semi-supportive way. “Get it together, Isabella. Who knows, maybe we’ll actually get some good news for a change-“

NEW MESSAGE

The woman stopped, her eyes flicking over to the corner of the screen where a little e-mail popup was hovering. The sender was a bunch of gibberish, but that wasn’t what caught her eye.

“Re: Fixing the Digital World – URGENT”

Dominic shuffled his way back over, carrying the pack as he leaned over Perez’s shoulder. “Are we ready yet? I’m sure I didn’t wreck your machine that badly.”

He frowned when she didn’t answer, placed the machine on his desk, and rolled over. “At least I hope I...didn’t...”

Perez had pulled up the e-mail, her eyes hidden behind her glasses. Dominic scanned the screen himself.

“Oh...”

“Get Keble and Skelton.”

“...but that...that means...“

“NOW!”

The man leapt to his feet and rushed out of the room, leaving only Perez still staring at the message in front of her.

“Tell me this is a joke.”

She bit her lip. Hard.

“Please dear fucking god, tell me this is a joke...”