Blissfully unaware of the murderous events taking place around her, Chelomon marched through the catacombs below with a spiteful step and a severely stroppy attitude.

“I can’t believe it...why...why did I ever think this was a good idea...”

She stared down at the ground, and angrily pummelled the floor. This had two effects; one was that it made her very much aware of just how much power she’d managed to use up, and it also made the back of her head rather wet as the shimmering water in her shell sloshed forwards.

It was, indeed, very special water, and upon feeling its soothing touch with the fresh scent of aloe vera she found herself in a good enough mood to put things in perspective. Sort of. She was still pissed off; that was always a given.

Still, the further she walked, the worse she felt for leaving Eleanor so abruptly. I mean to be fair, neither she nor the girl had been helping matters and they’d managed to fall out with each other not five minutes after falling out with everybody else. Chelomon sighed, and held her soft paws over her eyes.

“Why do I get involved in anything...?”

Shapes danced behind her eyelids. Familiar shapes. Her mind filled in the gaps and happily joined the dots together, forming the smiling face of Gizamon in front of her, now thankfully detached from her nightmare ordeal and sudden end. Chelomon shivered.

“Not you...I can do without another guilt trip...”

The imaginary Gizamon shrugged in the manner that Chelomon had been so used to, and promptly vanished in a puff of realism. The tiny turtle snorted. “I hate you. You’re always doing this to me. Why are you always right?”

She uncovered her eyes, and blinked, feeling very vulnerable in her diminutive body. Her paws flapped in front of her, and she held one up, examining the soft skin. Even now, she could feel the essence of Minogamemon coursing within her. She felt strong. Confident. Like she could move the world.

With a little help.

“Goddamnit, why do I still need you? We’re done, aren’t we?”

The turtle listened out, but her echoing voice didn’t provide the answer she was hoping for. With a grumble, she shuffled around and edged back the way she’d come, muttering something about stupid humans and stupid commitments and really stupid, short, stubby legs.

Followed by really, really stupid penguins when a certain penguin tripped over her in the darkness, flipping her onto her back and sending himself sprawling.

“WATCH IT! MORON!”

Empermon leapt to his feet and hurriedly turned the turtle back onto her stubby legs. She huffed, her bowl magically refilling as she glared up at him. “You are a waste of space and leg muscles.”

“Yes, I’m sorry, pardon me, I’m not thinking straight.” Empermon got to his feet and paced, clutching his head. Chelomon immediately figured something was wrong by the fact that it took him over ten seconds to hurry over to his saxophone and dust it off.

Empermon rushed back and crouched down in front of her. “Where’s Eleanor? I need to tell someone – wait, why isn’t she with you?”

“We had a fallout.”

“Why would you do that now?”

“I could ask you the same thing!”

Empermon swallowed, and blew a couple of notes on his saxophone. “I don’t know where he’s gone. I don’t know where any of them have gone. I need to tell someone...”

Chelomon squeaked indignantly. “What about me? Don’t I count as someone anymore? Am I really that useless-”

“Ingeniumon’s dead.”

Chelomon stopped, and shut her mouth.

“Sorimon just killed him.”

There was a pause. Chelomon could feel a sinking feeling in her stomach, and a slow bubbling in her pail.

“...h...how?”

“I don’t have time to explain! We need to warn everyone! Sorimon’s gone off the deep end!”

“Wait...I...wait!”

The penguin hoisted Chelomon up by her shell, grasping her tightly as he rushed off into the catacombs.

Chelomon didn’t have it in her to complain.

Lorelie sat up straight, instantly sensing something was wrong. She wasn’t the only one, as Aardmon’s ears pricked up beside her.

“Did you hear that?”

Lorelie nodded, her D-Psyche giving off a deep red glow. “That didn’t sound healthy.”

The two leapt to their feet, immediately setting off through the tunnels. Aardmon did her best to lead the way, but she was never an expert with this place and it was difficult to determine where the noise had come from, or what path would lead there. All the while Lorelie held onto the aardvark’s paw, unable to shake the feeling that something was about to go very wrong.

They turned a corner, and nearly crashed into Martin, who stumbled backwards a few paces. Zoamon jumped around behind him, their tentacles quivering. “Oh dear...oh no...oh dear, I’m so sorry...”

Martin looked between the two, a serious look on his face. “I take it that wasn’t normal...”

Aardmon shrugged. “We have no idea. But this place isn’t supposed to make noises like that.”

“It’s not the noises I’m worried about. It’s this.”

Martin crouched down, and pointed at the screen of his D-Psyche. The lights all over it were going haywire, and the screen was flashing red. Curious, Lorelie placed her hand up to her own face, feeling the warm light pulsing on and off. There was another bang and a rumble, followed by a twinge of pain.

Lorelie looked down at Aardmon, a pit forming in her stomach.

“You don’t think...”

“Ingeniumon!”

“The Funnyman!”

There was no argument; the four turned on their heels (metaphorically in Zoamon’s case) and rushed down the corridor.

And promptly skidded to a stop as the noise sounded again. Far closer this time. There was a clatter, a rumble, and the noise of heavy footsteps knocking against the ground just around the corner.

Lorelie took a step, but Aardmon held out her arms, her palms trembling. She took a step forwards, gathering sand in her hands.

“It had better not be you! Not again! I swear I’ll-“

“No! Please!”

Aardmon stopped in her tracks as Sorimon shuffled out, holding up her hands and keeping her head low. Lorelie breathed a sigh of relief.

“I didn’t think I’d see you again.”

The shrew twiddled her claws in an apologetic manner. “I...overreacted.” She glanced up at Aardmon. “I swear, I’m not gonna attack you or anything.”

“Oh, right.”

Aardmon lowered her claws, before crouching down on one knee. “Did you hear anything just now? Or see anything? It seemed pretty close.”

“I...uh, I...I didn’t see the Funnyman or anything...”

Beat.

“I...didn’t mention the Funnyman.”

Sorimon gave a little laugh. “No, right, sorry, I’m...y’know...”

“...no...I don’t know, Sorimon...”

The shrew decided to resort to plan B, and scrunched her face up. “Look, I’m very small and lost and confused, okay? It’s been a bad day and I just wanna go home.”

She looked up at Lorelie, her large blue eyes glowing in the dim light. The girl held out a palm, but felt Martin nudging her. He leaned forwards.

“Something’s wrong...”

“I know.”

Sorimon swallowed, cursing inwardly as she shuffled back over against a wall. “I’m sure we’re all just a little stressed...”

Aardmon scratched behind her head. “Maybe the Funnyman’s still around somewhere. Maybe we need to see Ingeniumon.”

“No!”

The others turned, and stared down at the shrew, startled. Martin swallowed. “What do you mean, no?”

Shrewmon tapped her fingertips together. “He doesn’t like you.”

“But this could be...important...”

He trailed off, staring at Sorimon. She looked left and right, then down at the ground. “I just think it’s...overreacting...or something...we’re all upset...wouldn’t it be nice if we could find the others and just sort of like kiss and make up or something...no need to worry about whether the Funnyman’s around or...something...I don’t know...”

Now all four of the others were staring at her.

No, not at her.

Behind her.

Sorimon glanced over her shoulder, just in time to see the Funnyman’s vessel clank against the other wall of the corridor. The Funnyman itself seemed to be in high spirits, bouncing around the walls of its prison like an excited octopus. It beamed at the others, and blew bubbles at them from within the tube.

There was a creaking, and the dimension sphere gently rolled out from its hiding place, rocking back and forth on the ground.

Sorimon turned, wincing. She gave a little laugh, and splayed her hands out.

“Da-daa...”

Martin raised a finger. “Sorimon...what the hell is that?”

“I...I don’t know...it was here when I got here...”

“You knew about this?”

“No...”

Lorelie looked down at Aardmon. “I thought Ingeniumon had them safe.”

“He did!”

“Sorimon, I don’t understand-“

The shrew looked among everyone in turn, gritting her teeth as she racked her brain. “I...I’m not really Sorimon! I’m actually Ingeniumon! This is a test! This isn’t real! I’m actually the core-“

“Sorimon!”

“I don’t know, alright! I...thought the Funnyman was out, and he wasn’t, and I couldn’t find Ingeniumon and...I found them here! I didn’t mean to hide them!” She took in a breath. “I wouldn’t hide them! I’m not that cruel! Not after the last person who let the Funnyman out!”

Aardmon flinched, but Martin stepped forwards, his face darkening with anger. “Where’s Ingeniumon, Sorimon? Why do you have the dimension sphere? And this...thing? What’s going on?”

The shrew squeaked, and rushed towards Lorelie, thrusting her arms out and wobbling her lip. “Please help me, I’m being framed!”

The girl took a step back, her screen blank. Sorimon skidded to a halt, her eyes widening, and suddenly she found herself trapped inside a circle of people all staring down at her. She held her eyes shut, and began to cry.

Lorelie got down to one knee, placing a hand on the shrew’s head. “Sorimon...please...where’s Ingeniumon?”

The shrew looked up, staring into Lorelie’s face with large, tear-filled eyes.

She opened her mouth to speak. But from out of nowhere, a voice called out.

“Ingeniumon’s dead!”

The shrew stiffened. Her eyes dilated. Slowly she turned, and watched as Empermon and Chelomon shuffled forwards. Empermon pointed.

“Ingeniumon’s dead, and you killed him.”

There was utter silence.

Promptly broken by the Funnyman, clearly enjoying the whole affair, blowing another set of bubbles, and making a noise like a party whistle. It echoed through the corridor, before dying away.

“It’s not true...”

Lorelie pulled her trembling hand back, as her former partner stared at the ground.

“You wouldn’t ever...EVER...do that, right...”

Sorimon’s shoulders fell, and she let out a great, long sigh.

“Why is it only now you’re actually talking to me...?”

“S...Sorimon...?”

The shrew turned and looked up at her former partner, her big blue eyes bright against the gloom.

“Piercing Shriek!”

“Watch out!”

The girl’s body was slammed to the ground, but even then she could feel the shockwave as it flew over her head, sending her D-Psyche into overdrive. Aardmon wasn’t so lucky; as she leapt forwards the blast glanced off her back, and sent her rolling away, coughing.

Shaking, Lorelie pushed herself up as Sorimon stood at the centre of the blast radius, her hands trembling and dust settling all around her. She brought one up to her forehead, and began to laugh. Not loudly, or triumphantly; just a simple, nervous laugh.

“I can’t believe this...it has to be fate...”

“Chelomon, digivolve to...Terramon!”

“Zoamon, digivolve to...Polypmon!”

The shrew opened her eyes, and suddenly found herself surrounded on all four sides by a series of her former friends. Claws bared, eyes blazing, and ready to fight.

“...no. It’s Yggdrasil. It’s against me. It doesn’t care. None of you care.”

Aardmon took a step forwards, and her face was awash with tears of fear and fury.

“What...did...you...DO?”

A change came over Sorimon; only a subtle one, but noticeable. She held the side of her snout, and shook her head.

“Sorry about that. Ingeniumon was...he was in the way. The world needs something new. He needed to go.”

“You killed him!” Empermon ground his beak, and held his saxophone so tightly that frost trickled over its surface. “After all we’ve been through, how could you do that?”

Sorimon placed her hands over her mouth, almost apologetically.

“ I’m sorry. He was in the way.”

She spread her legs, then held her palms up in front of her, raising them in a defensive stance. She clicked her teeth. Her eyes flashed in the darkness.

“Are you gonna be in my way too?”

She looked among them all, but none of the Rookies moved. None of them wanted to be the first to strike, as confusion spread amongst them all.

There was a weak beeping from behind her, and she glanced back. Lorelie was pushing herself upwards, aided by Martin, who was staring daggers at the shrew. Lorelie tried to speak, but her voice kept intermittently locking up, the D-Psyche threatening to silence her once again.

“...please don’t...do...this...”

A look of pity flashed over Sorimon’s face, just for a split second.

Then she tensed, and raised her palms further.

“You had your chance. I’m done with you now.”

“...Sorimon...”

“It’s my turn to be strong!”

“SORIMON!”

“PIERCING SHRIEK!”

Darkness. Coldness. Pain. Dizziness. Something digging into the small of his back. Ouch.

Callum opened his eyes, but that just exacerbated the problem. He moaned, and tried to shift himself into a better position, but just ended up yanking his arm to one side and pressing the sharp thing even further into his back.

It took him a little while to realise that the thing was, in fact, his own D-Psyche. There was a faint red glow from beneath him, and he felt a cold spasm through his arm with each blink of the light. Biting his lip, he thrust himself forwards and released the device, causing a new flash of pain to run through his body.

He tried to stand up, but his legs weren’t doing quite what he wanted them to do, and he fell forwards. The boy rested on his palms for a moment, cursing in between his heavy breaths. After a minute or two, he looked up, standing slowly.

The place was almost pitch black, with the only light coming from his own arm, and from another source a few metres away. It was enough to make out a few grim details. Twisted metal. Giant fissures. Half-formed sculptures. It looked like a reject bin for somebody trying to design a city. Thinking to himself, he supposed that might be the case; after all, the core was vast and multilayered. It wasn’t too much of a stretch to think that they’d fallen in between and ended up in the dumpster.

Thinking about it a bit more, he reckoned that it probably wasn’t the best place for them to be.

Them.

His gaze moved back towards the red light in the distance, which was moving up and down slowly. It seemed that Eleanor was already up and moving after the fall.

The moments before the fall struck him again, followed by a pang of guilt. He swallowed, and moved slowly forwards towards the light. It wasn’t easy going; more than once he nearly toppled over as the very ground beneath him gave way, but he managed to steady himself in time. He found himself moving up an incline as he got closer, and noticed that Eleanor seemed to be trying to climb some sort of mountain of junk. Peering upwards, he saw a shaft of light from up above, causing the dust to shimmer. Obviously the place they’d fallen in.

He stumbled again, and cursed. Eleanor stopped in front of him, and turned, the dim light illuminating her face. For a moment she stared, her mouth sealed shut and her eyes glinting in the darkness.

She turned away again, and tried to pull herself up onto the next piece of the ledge, but she slipped back down, crashing to her knees. Callum winced, and held his D-Psyche.

“You okay?”

“No.”

The girl slid down, falling to a seated position with her back against the rubble. Her own D-Psyche was glowing, bathing the chamber in a red light. Callum glanced down at it. “That doesn’t look particularly good.”

Eleanor sighed. “Well, I’ve got other things to worry about right now.”

She reached out and ran her hand over the knee. Callum took in his breath; even in the dim light he could see the dark scrapes on the girl’s knuckles and palms.

“Jesus, Eleanor, your hands-“

“Don’t touch me.”

She pulled away as he took a step forwards, and held her palm close to her chest, glaring up at him. “Don’t even come near me.”

Callum closed his fist, and fell to his knees.

“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to make things worse.”

“Yeah, well, you did.”

“I just got mad. I didn’t mean-“

“Yeah, but you never do, do you? You never mean to do any of this shit yet you keep doing it.”

“I’m trying my best, alright?” Callum snapped, and held his forearm back. “It’s all just ridiculously hard.”

“And here we go again! It’s all about you! It’s all about how you’re finding it hard. That’s how you’ve always been. You’re so obsessed with your own issues that you can’t see that someone else might – might­ – be finding it just a bit harder!”

Eleanor held her hands to her head.

“Look Callum, we’re all going through the same shit here. I...I...you just don’t get it, alright?”

Callum stared at her.

“No. You’re right. I don’t.” He held his arms out. “What do you want from me?”

The girl exhaled, and rubbed her eyes.

“I don’t know what to say, okay? I don’t know how to get it through your head. I just don’t know.” She looked up, and her expression was suddenly very tired. “I think I want to, but it feels like you just cut me off whenever I want to sort this out. So I just don’t. I don’t have anything else to say anymore.”

Callum sat there. For a moment he seethed to himself, and opened his mouth to respond.

But something stopped him. Something about seeing Eleanor sitting there – beaten, bruised and done with everything – made him pause. He closed his mouth, and walked away a few paces, holding his hand to his mouth.

“I really wanna end this, Eleanor.”

No reply. He closed his eyes, and let his thoughts and feelings loose.

He stood there for a while, to the point where Eleanor glanced up at him. She waited. Her ruined hand tensed on her knee, ever so slightly.

Callum walked back over, and sat down in front of her. His D-Psyche rested awkwardly beside him, and his free hand rested in his lap.

“I’m listening.”

Eleanor blinked. Callum didn’t move.

“Whatever you want to say, I’m listening. I won’t say anything.”

“You...moron...”

The girl laughed a little, running one hand up her arm.

“I really want to like you, Callum. You’re a nice guy. You just piss me off.”

“I’ve got that much.”

“Yeah, well...” The girl’s hand fell to the ground, where she ran her finger in a circle. “It’s not just you. It’s not even mostly you. Everyone here, everyone in our class...none of them really know. I don’t tell anyone. It’s easier not to.” She looked up. “I don’t even think about it usually, but...you know...coming here. It was tough. Tougher than I wanted.”

Callum thought back to the day they’d made the leap into the digital world. The chaotic nature of the leap itself, with Lorelie’s parents storming in.

He blinked, and looked up.

“You have...issues at home?”

“With my mum.”

Callum bowed his head. “I’m so sorry.”

“S’not your fault.” Eleanor shrugged. “Nothing special anyway; nothing that a thousand other kids don’t go through. Dad walked out when I was three. I don’t care about that. Never knew the bastard. Yet somehow I’ve been taking the fallout ever since.”

She looked up, and saw Callum looking up at her with concerned eyes. She laughed. “Don’t worry. It’s nothing horrible. Besides, I’m big and ugly enough to smack her back now if it comes to it.”

“Geez!”

“In a manner of speaking.” Eleanor curled up a little. “It...never got that bad.”

Her eyes glistened just slightly. “Still, you might expect her to show up when I get caught up in shit like this. Or at least come and see me before I possibly go to my death.” She blinked. “That fucking stings.”

“Jesus...” Callum leant backwards, resting his body on one palm. “All this time? We were friends when we were tiny, Eleanor. Why did you never tell me?”

Eleanor breathed out, and turned to face him head on. He could feel her eyes boring into his skull.

“I tried. Last year. I got low, and I walked up to you after school and tried to tell you. You laughed in my face.”

“I...what...”

“Hell if I know. Probably thought I was joking, or maybe you didn’t take it in. I don’t know. I didn’t stop to think.”

Callum’s eyes widened. Eleanor smiled.

“You don’t even remember, do you...?”

Callum placed his head in his hands. “Shiiiiiit......”

“Don’t feel special. I got the same treatment from everyone else. And the teachers.” She shrugged. “Didn’t help with the shit I was getting at school either.”

“What was that about?”

Eleanor didn’t answer. She just raised a finger and pointed at her own forehead.

“Oh.”

The girl half-smiled. “It’s hard to talk about your issues when no-one else takes them seriously.”

Callum held the bridge of his nose, shaking his head. “I never saw you like that. I...we...we grew up together. You were a friend, all throughout school. I thought you were already telling me everything you could. So when you stopped talking to me, I guess...I figured you just didn’t wanna know me.”

Eleanor stared blankly at him, her mouth pursed shut. Callum scratched his neck, and continued tentatively.

“I...I always thought we were the same, you and I. I believed we could muddle through things the same way. I...guess that’s getting harder now...”

“I wish.” The girl sighed. “My whole life I’ve felt like I’ve been fighting upwards to try and be heard. Even by people I thought were friends. Even people like you.” She shrugged a shoulder. “In the end it just made sense to treat everyone like an enemy.” She pressed a thumb against her chest. “Me versus the world.”

There was silence as Callum mulled over her words, the pit in his stomach growing. He bit his lip.

“You didn’t need to. You shouldn’t have needed to. I should have listened.” He put a hand over his face. “God, I’m sorry. Really. I never thought I was being such a prick.”

“Listen, I’ve perfected the art of being a prick. You couldn’t even come close.” Eleanor smirked, and planted a hand on Callum’s shoulder. “Besides, I know you’re not a bad guy. You never have been. Just an idiot.”

“Massive idiot.”

“Colossal and utter oblivious dipshit.”

“Really?”

Eleanor stuck her bottom lip out. “I’ve been emotionally compromised. Let me have this.”

“Fine, one more.”

“A fully-orchestrated cacophony of total fucking moronicism.”

The boy shrugged. “Okay, that was good. Lots of big words.”

“Fuck you.”

“I’m very sorry.”

“Cool. I’m glad we had this talk.”

The girl cleared her throat and stood up, brushing the black dust from her knees. She turned, and placed a hand on the rock behind her. She paused, and looked back at Callum with an uncertain expression on her face.

“Um...so...”

The boy stood up himself. “Yeah?”

“Honestly, I don’t know where this leaves us. But...thanks anyway.”

Callum allowed himself a smile, before staring up at the light above. “Wherever it does, we need to get out of here.”

He raised his D-Psyche, and Eleanor used it as a foothold, clambering up onto the next ledge and turning to pull him up as well.

“I have a bad feeling, and really we’re gonna need to get along with each other to get anywhere.”

Eleanor pulled a face. “I know we’ve just had an emotional heart-to-heart, but don’t push your luck.”

Callum sighed. “I figured.”

He stayed quiet, but inwardly, he was happy to have finally gotten his friend back. Sure, they maybe had a way to go, but maybe – slowly – they could finally go back to the way things used to be. Back to normality. Back to-

“If you go all Saturday-morning-cartoon-morals on me I will push you back into the hole.”

Yup. Normality sounded about right.

And it was genuinely wonderful.

Normality was far from the order of the day in the corridor above, as the four Rookies battled desperately against the hyper-powered In-Training level.

In truth, they had all grown in power. It’s difficult to undertake battle after battle and not gain any skill whatsoever, and after so many intense battles the four of them had grown impressively. Polypmon spun and swung out in every direction, using their flexibility to their advantage as they sent lightning bolts down at the shrew. Empermon kept light on his feet, staying back for the most part but blasting out quick melodies and powerful harmonies to slow his enemy in her tracks. Terramon may have been without her partner, but she fought just as valiantly regardless, sending blasts of green energy and wickedly strong punches down at Sorimon where she could.

And then there was Aardmon, who was all but unrecognisable. She summoned blades and lances at every opportunity, lashing out with far more skill than she’d exhibited before. Perhaps her fury gave her new purpose to focus her skills, or perhaps her efforts from the several weeks before had finally clicked.

Perhaps it was even Lorelie’s encouragement that gave her the strength to fight like she’d never fought before.

Whatever it was, it still wasn’t enough.

“Sand Lancer!”

The aardvark raised a sword and swung downwards as Sorimon blocked the attack with her bare hands, shattering the blade on impact. Aardmon kicked outwards, and summoned a spear from her left, bringing the shaft down and pinning Sorimon down against the floor by her neck. She strained, trying to keep the shrew down as she spitted out the words between her teeth.

“How could you do that? After everything we’ve been through?”

The shrew roared, and pushed upwards, sending Aardmon toppling back. The Rookie had no chance to react before Sorimon leapt at her, sending a kick right into her face and flipping her over. Despite her stubby arms and legs, Sorimon’s blows were landing with the force of a meteor, and she was refusing to back down. She landed expertly, denting the floor below.

“Why should I hold any loyalty to any of you? I never mattered! I was a load!”

“Sing Sing Squall!”

“Gorgon Grappler!”

The shrew rolled out of the way of Empermon’s attack, and sent a punch upwards into the centre of Polypmon’s dome, causing them to float away, winded. She laughed, and carried on.

“I have a chance to actually make a meaningful change to this world; why won’t you let me? Don’t you want to see this world get better?”

She glanced behind her, and tried to roll again, but Terramon caught her first and slammed her face downwards into the floor. The turtle was crying; great globules of tears that splashed down beside her, but even then she didn’t let go of her grip.

“You sound just like Graymon! Just like everyone who said the same words!”

Sorimon squirmed. “It’ll be different! It’ll be right this time!”

Terramon roared, and pressed downwards, cracking the floor beneath even more. “You just killed someone, Sorimon! How can you still claim to be right?”

Sorimon growled, her face squashed against the ground as she glared up at Terramon.

“How many people have died in this world as it is? How many people like me have been thrown by the wayside ‘cause of the way the world is supposed to be?”

Terramon planted another arm down, but it wasn’t enough; Sorimon’s newfound strength pushed her upwards, the shrew’s claws gouging at her forearms. The shrew thrust her body forwards, flipping Terramon over her and slamming her shell-first into the ground in front of her.

“Marsh Bomb!”

“Fuck off!”

Sorimon swiped sideways, deflecting the projectile into the corridor’s wall. Terramon tried to right herself, but Sorimon kicked outwards, sending her skidding into Empermon, who was charging forwards himself.

“It’s my turn to have a stake in the future of the world!”

“If you’re going to resort to murder, you don’t deserve one!”

Sorimon whipped her head around, and took Aardmon’s fist full on to her face. She ducked backwards, and kicked up, pushing the aardvark back several metres. Aardmon glared, and summoned a dagger in each hand.

“All of us went through the same shit you did! The Fire Kingdom’s invasion? The destruction of the world? I was there! I ran and I hid and I prayed for survival, and you can bet to Yggdrasil I fought against them every step of the way! I had no power and no stake in the future of the world, but I fought anyway because it was right! And all the while I swore I would never do the same thing!” She pointed at the tiny warlord with a dagger. “This? This is petty selfishness! If you’re willing to wreck countless lives because you think the world is wrong, you’re no better than they are!”

Sorimon bristled, and bared her claws as she snarled. “Don’t you dare compare me to those monsters!”

“Stop acting like them then! For god’s sake, just stand down!”

Aardmon dropped her dagger, her face stretched in anguish. “I don’t want to fight you! You’re my friend! You can stop this, Sorimon; right now! Right here! It was an accident, wasn’t it? You and Ingeniumon?”

It was no use.

“I never got to be the hero! It’s my turn!”

“Gorgon Grappler!”

The shrew struggled as Polypmon’s tentacles wrapped around her, locking her limbs in place. She pulled forwards, overcoming the jellyfish’s attack even as sparks erupted outwards all around her.

“Marsh Bomb!”

An orb of energy struck her in the face. The shrew twitched, and turned her face back towards Terramon as the turtle rushed forwards.

“Piercing Shriek!”

Terramon ducked, but the blast still knocked her away, sending her skittering over the ground. With a roar Sorimon wrenched the binding tendrils away from her body, slamming Polypmon into the nearest wall. She turned back towards Terramon, who was running again, and breathed in for a full-powered attack.

“Piercing-“

"No!”

Somebody else grabbed hold of Sorimon, holding her tightly even as the shrew struggled. She turned herself around, and found herself staring up into Lorelie’s screen, the face aghast on the display.

“This isn’t you! You have to stop!”

“Let me go! You don’t care now!”

“I do care! I always cared! I don’t want to fight you, Sorimon, please STOP!”

Sorimon stared up into the girl’s screen, her face contorting in rage and disgust.

“ You never knew anything about me!”

She twisted, throwing Lorelie sideways. The girl looked up, and Sorimon leapt forwards, landing a punch directly into the screen of her D-Psyche.

Lorelie jerked upwards from the blow, her vision overcome with white. Her ears rang. Pain racked her entire body, before being replaced by a slow, cold, numbness.

Sorimon landed on the ground before her, spitting to one side. The shrew looked up, her eyes bloodshot.

“You human! You...deceiver! I disown anything I ever had with you! None of it was real! You’re nothing but a liar and fake!”

“Sand Lancer!”

Aardmon ran forwards, sand swirling all around her and her fur bristling. She put up a good fight, striking Sorimon three times, but the shrew’s power overwhelmed her and she was sent sprawling. Sorimon leapt on top of her, her claws digging into the aardvark’s collar bone and drawing blood.

“ Same with all of you! It was all a great big lie!”

Lorelie heard every word. Her vision blurred, and shifted from white to a deep, Saharan red. Fighting against the pain, she pushed herself up, her D-Psyche sparking and spluttering.

“You’re...wrong...I cared about you...I still do...”

Sorimon looked up at the girl in disgust, watching as the D-Psyche began to open up.

“...I can’t...let...you do this...”

Aardmon rolled, knocking Sorimon away and pressing her hands against the ground. She glanced up at Lorelie, her face steeled and ready as the energy began to dance around her in little dustdevils.

“Aardmon...Psyche Synchronise!”

“Evolution Activate!”

Martin held Lorelie steady as her D-Psyche split open, far wider than before. For a brief second her face could be seen within the rushing red lights, staring down at Sorimon with a mixture of pity and hurt. Then the storm intensified, and roared outwards, engulfing Aardmon in her crystal prism. She contorted, and bent double, twisting in the shifting sands. Then, within seconds, she had grown, stepping out of her prison and landing gracefully on the ground below.

“Shamon!”

Sorimon hissed up at the graceful figure above her, tears of hatred welling in her eyes.

“If you’d ever cared about me, that would be me up there. It was nothing but a lie.” She pointed at Shamon. “You tricked me!”

The Digimon flinched, and took a step back. Sorimon rolled her claws, and began to advance.

“You’re wrong!”

Both Shamon and Sorimon stopped, as Martin stepped to one side. He pushed his glasses up, and looked down disapprovingly at the shrew.

“Lorelie risked her life to help you. So did Aardmon. Our mission may have been a mistake, but we never once lied about how we felt. About what you meant to us. Isn’t that what it means to be partners?”

He briefly caught a glimpse of Polypmon staring at him, and allowed himself a little smile, before his expression hardened again.

“Why we came here, the mission, the Funnyman; it’s all been a massive joke. I know that. I’ve felt that way every day of my life, but I carry on anyway. Because it’s right. Because someone has to try to do right in this fucked up world.”

“You’re as bad as she is. Nothing but a fake. No meaning. No power.”

Martin folded his arms. “Is that what this was about? Power?” His face softened to a more pitying look. “I can’t imagine the things you’ve gone through. But this whole time, was this just an opportunity for you to get back at the world? Was that all we were?”

Sorimon snarled. “Only I can make the world better. I was just never given that chance until now.”

Martin narrowed his eyes, as Lorelie stepped up beside him.

“Then you don’t deserve to stand up with her.”

“Piercing Shriek!”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

Red sand was blasted outwards like a mine, as Martin and Lorelie ducked downwards. The boy stood up again, purple energy gathering around him as he looked around for his partner. Polypmon flew upwards, rolling their tentacles. “Martin, I’m ready!”

Martin closed his fist. “Good luck, partner.”

“Polypmon, Psyche Synchronise! Evolution Activate!”

“Manowarmon!”

The jellyfish expanded and spun outwards, their tentacles striking sparks from the wall of the corridor as Sorimon struck. The shrew leapt up, catching the jellyfish with an uppercut, but Manowarmon responded with a sharp blow, knocking her sideways. She snarled, her fur bristling as she prepared to jump again, but her hind legs didn’t move. She looked back to see them encased in ice, with Empermon blowing a snowy blast from the end of his saxophone.

“Toxic Shocker!”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

Sorimon panicked, leaping to one side and straight into the path of Manowarmon’s attack. It sent her careening backwards, crashing into the wall and leaving an indent. Empermon whistled, and balanced his instrument on his shoulder.

“I can’t help but feel we’re a bit surplus to requirement here.”

Terramon narrowed her eyes. “Don’t count on it. Duck!”

Sorimon twisted and leapt forwards, firing a blast of sound at them that would have knocked their heads off had Terramon not shoved the penguin to one side. She snorted, watching as the shrew rolled with impeccable agility.

“Anything could still happen.”

“Devil’s Dune!”

Shamon’s paws collided against the ground, sending a barrage of spinning sand blades against her opponent, but Sorimon scurried between them expertly, running up to the sacred beast and throwing a kick at her midriff. Shamon staggered, but reared up and threw a counter kick at Sorimon. Her face was as calm as ever, but when she spoke her voice was shaking.

“You were my friend! How could you do this to me?”

“Friend?”

Sorimon grabbed the ground and launched herself forwards, slamming into Shamon’s body with a crack. The beast fell, but before Sorimon could follow up a blast of electric bolts fell from the air, as Manowarmon flew in the way, holding their arms out.

“What else would we be?”

“Go away! Piercing Shriek!”

Sorimon cried out again, but a touch of hoarseness was entering her throat. Still, the blast was enough to knock Manowarmon back several metres, their body absorbing the worst of the shockwave. Shamon had recovered by this point, and cantered around Sorimon, whipping up blades of sand that snapped out at the shrew. Sorimon glared up at her, her glance flickering over towards Lorelie just briefly.

“I should be standing up there...”

Shamon twitched.

“You could have. But you’ve made your choice.”

“You’re dead to me.”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

Shamon rushed forwards in a helix of sand, and Sorimon countered with an immense punch. But the helix was a feint, and Shamon appeared behind her, twisting her body and lunging with a two-footed kick. Sorimon was launched skywards, her body crashing against the ceiling and landing back on the ground. When she got up, it was more slowly, her limbs twitching. She tried to shout, but even her enhanced strength was failing her now. Still, she didn’t back down. She glared up defiantly even as the two Champions gathered before her, holding their anger back.

Shamon’s eyes flashed, and she reared up for one more blow, but she was stopped by Manowarmon’s arm. The jellyfish descended, staying a couple of metres away but lowering their charge.

“I don’t know much about heroes and villains. I only know what I know. But I’d be remiss if I didn’t give you a chance to stop.”

They glanced up at Martin, their eyes quizzical. Martin couldn’t hide his small smile, though it was quickly overtaken with worry.

Sorimon was less receptive, spitting in the jellyfish’s face.

“You’re nothing but a demon. The worst. How could you understand any of what I’ve lived through?”

Manowarmon’s tentacles retracted, tensing up. Then, slowly, they held an arm forwards, their body glowing faintly.

“We don’t have to do it this way.”

Sorimon’s legs gave way, and she fell to one knee, her tiny form breathing rapidly. She refused to look up. Although her eyes did dart sideways, just momentarily. Looking for a way out. Looking for an opportunity.

“You can’t do it this way.”

“...you’re wrong...”

Manowarmon tensed again, as Sorimon’s eyes fixated to her right. At the dimension sphere, still lying next to the wall.

“I just need more power! Piercing SHRIEK! ”

Manowarmon and Shamon leapt in separate directions, but the sound still knocked them off-balance, hitting them with the force of a stun grenade. Sorimon cried out, the attack wrecking her throat. But she ran all the same, coughing and splitting and dripping blood from between her teeth as she rushed towards the exposed digital core. She held her arm out, her claw blurring before her.

“Marsh Bomb!”

“Sing Sing Squall!”

Empermon and Terramon fired at once, their attacks hitting Sorimon in the side. She rolled to her feet and scrabbled forwards, but the core was lifted from her reach as Manowarmon’s tendrils wrapped around it, holding it clear.

“NO!”

“Crimson Cyclone!”

Sorimon tried to leap, but the blast of sand caught her body and spun her in mid-air. She swiped in all directions, but it was hopeless.

But Shamon, in her haste, didn’t notice the small blue capsule rolling into view. Not until the storm had already hit it. She reared back, but with nobody to control the deadly vortex Sorimon was thrown groundwards, slamming into the Funnyman’s capsule.

The two crashed against the wall, as Shamon withdrew, her eyes widening. “OH GOD!”

The capsule bounced. It spun.

And it landed in Sorimon’s arms, as she grabbed it tightly, pressing a hand against the smooth surface.

“Nobody take another step!”

The Digimon stopped before her, as she pressed in, her claws piercing the tough material. The Funnyman trembled excitedly as paper-thin crazes began to etch their way over its prison.

Shamon raised a foot, then lowered it, the red sand quivering around her. “Please...think about what you’re doing.”

“Why shouldn’t I? Give me one good reason!”

“You can still become strong!” Shamon stepped back, looking down at her feet. “I get it, I really do. I was there as well, during the worst of it. I was weak. I was useless. Ingeniumon...” She flinched. “Ingeniumon found me and taught me despite that.”

She looked up, directly into the shrew’s bright blue eyes. “There will be other ways to become strong. You don’t have to do this.”

“Then give me the power you have.” Sorimon narrowed her eyes. “The one you stole from me.”

Shamon had no response. She pressed her legs together, the shame clear on her face.

“That’s what I thought.”

Sorimon placed a paw over one eye, half-crying and half-laughing. “You won’t help me. Lorelie won’t help me. No human or Digimon; not even Yggdrasil. I see that now. I’m just one big laughing stock.”

Her hand tightened on the glass, the action causing blood to run down the surface. The Funnyman waited expectantly.

“If I have to turn to a monster to get what I deserve...then I will...”

Shamon could take no more; she ran forwards, the sands billowing up behind her and obscuring the view of the others.

“STOP!”

It was too late. Sorimon brought her hand back and pierced the glass, shattering it into a thousand pieces.

The force was immense, as the Funnyman expanded; no longer a biomechanical monstrosity but now more amorphous. A corporeal mass of nothing but flesh, save for the multitudes of new eyes and mouths that erupted over its body as it reached out down the corridor, laughing all the way.

“Where do you think you’re going?”

The virus stopped in its tracks, and inverted itself, peering down with multiple eyes at Sorimon as she held tightly onto its trailing tails. She ground her teeth together, pulling the beast back even as its very presence ate into her arms.

“I know you’ve been listening! And I know you don’t care! All you want is utter madness, while you sit on a throne and enjoy every minute of it.”

The Funnyman stopped struggling, and bent back on itself, staring directly into Sorimon’s defiant face. She reached out, and stroked its eyeball, laughing nervously.

“I’ve been played by everyone else. I might as well let you do it as well. What do you say? One last punchline?”

The Funnyman blinked. Its maw split open, revealing a massive, multilayered grin.

onto the stage once more

“Sing Sing Squall!”

“Marsh Bomb!”

“Devil’s Dune!”

“Torpedo Coil!”

The Funnyman swerved up again as the attacks crashed into it. Sorimon glanced to one side, watching as the two Rookies came rushing towards her. She looked up, and held her arms wide.

“COME ON! WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?”

you're too kind

With a roar, the Funnyman dived, shrinking down and blasting its entire body right into Sorimon’s mouth.

The others screeched to a halt as they witnessed the horrible sight; the tiny In-Training level swallowing metre upon metre of the Funnyman’s gelatinous body. She choked, and gagged. Blood and black bile dripped from her eyes, and her limbs stuck out in every direction, stiff as boards. Her flesh rippled, but despite the Funnyman’s continued rush she didn’t grow.

It was over in a couple of seconds, with only a few strands of wriggling flesh still lingering in the air. Sorimon keeled over, clutching her chest and screeching ferociously. The horrified onlookers could see tendrils wriggling beneath her flesh, which flashed black and orange and red and grey. Swathes of her fur dropped to the ground and crumbled into ash, and pieces of her skin split open as muscles and wires grew outwards with an audible pumping sound.

She wrenched her head back, frothing as her mouth split open and resealed, showing row upon row of uneven teeth. Her pupils dilated, then disappeared, then reappeared again as even more perfect blue pools than before. Three of them. Her forehead split open and a third eye forced its way out, dripping with slime and flicking around as if it had a mind of its own.

Sorimon’s face shifted again, and she clamped her head in her hands, staring off into nothing.

“Hahaha...hah..hhhahah..aaaaaaah...I am in so much FUCKING PAIN!”

She held her chest, and the laughter died down, save for a few small hiccups.

Nobody moved a muscle.

Then, from the back of the group, there came the sound of footsteps.

Lorelie tiptoed forwards, her screen glowing a dim red.

“...Sorimon...?”

The shrew’s head snapped sideways, and her body seemed to vibrate for a split second. In another second she was flying, her spring-like legs retracting as she flew towards Lorelie like a cannonball.

“Watch out!”

Sorimon hit true; not Lorelie, but Shamon just as she passed in between them. The sacred beast screamed from the impact, and fell down herself, knocking the girl down in the process. Sorimon ricocheted off the wall and landed onto the ceiling, clamping on like a spider. She stood up, upside-down, and looked in amazement and wonder at her own palms.

“It...it’s wonderful! It’s painful but it’s wonderful! I’m strong! Properly strong!”

Her arm expanded, blossoming out into a grotesque flower of muscle and wire, and she grabbed a piece of the ceiling and wrenched it sideways. The corridor damn near split in two, sending rubble cascading down – and her along with it – onto the horrified onlookers below. She recovered in an instant, her head twitching. A huge toothy smile spread over her face, so wide that it almost seemed to split it in half.

“I can finally win! It’s my turn!”

“Devil’s...Dune!”

The shrew raised an arm, and the sand rushed either side of her, parting like the red sea and knocking Terramon and Empermon off their feet. She sung her arms sideways, and the sand followed her movements, throwing the two Rookies back against the wall with an immense force.

“STOP IT!”

Sorimon stopped mid-cackle, and turned to look at Lorelie, who was getting to her feet despite obvious pain. She stepped forwards, holding her shoulder.

“...you...I did everything I could...for you...you can’t just DO this...not you...this isn’t you...it can’t be you...”

Sorimon’s mouth opened up wide, and she laughed in the girl’s face.

“This is everything I was meant to be! This is my destiny!”

Lorelie stopped, her face falling.

“If that’s really true, I should have left you on Motimon’s ship.”

Sorimon started. Lorelie perked up, as if desperately waiting to hear something else.

“Motimon...that bastard...”

Sorimon giggled, and looked down at her curling claws, all of her eyes vibrating.

“What better way to start...I can reshape the world to how it’smeant to be, and everyone who went against me can feel...yes...that will be a great way to start...but I need something...I need to travel there...”

She frowned, and looked up at the broken ceiling, nodding along with some voice in her head.

“Yes...of course we can...we could reach anywhere and everywhere...we just need the right equipment...the right tool...the access to the core itself...”

Her head snapped sideways, and she pointed a finger out towards Manowarmon, who was already holding the dimension sphere behind their back.

“You!”

“No!”

The jellyfish raised their arms, electricity running through them in a massive pulse. “Toxic-“

It was a valiant attempt. But Sorimon was just too fast. Her fist connected with the jellyfish’s midriff like a blast from a cannon, and as they bent double she spun around, thrusting her opponent sideways and into the wall. The suddenness of the movement caused the orb to slip from their grasp, and Sorimon was holding it in an instant, gazing into it like a child holding their largest Christmas present.

“My power...my key to everyone and everywhere in this stupid world...”

As her eyes trembled, the dimension sphere itself joined in. The metallic surface rippled where she held it, and tendrils sprung from her arms, snapping around it. Her whole body twisted as it shifted around to her back, and fused to her flesh, its power pumping into her more and more. As it did so, she began to laugh.

“I’m cooooomiiiiing!”

Before anybody could make a move, she raised an arm and blasted out a sphere of energy. It hit the wall, and expanded, forming a disc of light that spun erratically, letting out masses of sparks. Standing beside his fallen partner, he could just about make out shapes in the light. Shapes...no...tugboats. A fleet. Motimon’s fleet. The global ocean, still floating below.

“She’s gonna get away!”

“No she ISN’T!”

Lorelie stumbled forwards, her arms reaching around Shamon’s quivering form. She looked inside the beast’s bejewelled eye, her own D-Psyche sparking with red energy.

“I need your help.”

“I...I can’t...I’m not strong enough...”

“She’s my responsibility!”

Lorelie looked up as Sorimon cackled, almost giddy with the power of the core as it coursed through her. “I have to stop her! And I need your help!”

Her fist tightened, and she nodded.

“Partner.”

Something flashed in Shamon’s eye, and she rolled over, crouching down. “Get on!”

“Get ready Motimon!”

Sorimon bent double, and scampered forward, letting off sparks with every step as the portal grew wide and engulfed her. She leapt forwards, feeling the sudden shift in atmosphere as the sea air caught her...

And juddered to a halt.

She glanced backwards, and saw the tight fist of Lorelie clutching onto the dimension sphere as she rode atop Shamon. The beast held two legs down against the rim of the portal, and strained with her back against the top. Lorelie’s screen showed a desperate face. A determined face. Sorimon scowled.

“You’ve never looked like that before!”

“Get back here!”

“You’re nothing to me anymore!”

Martin staggered to his feet and rushed forwards, reaching out and grabbing Lorelie’s other hand as she held onto her partner, and onto Sorimon. He strained, but on his own he had no chance of pulling them all back. He stared desperately up at the two, but was met by Lorelie’s stare. It was glowing.

“Find the others. Gather them up. I know you’ll find us.”

Martin winced, grabbing on with his other hand even as his grip slipped away. “I’m not letting you do this alone!”

Lorelie smiled.

“I trust you. I trust you all. We’re heroes, aren’t we?”

Sorimon screeched beyond the portal as she pulled forwards. Lorelie and Shamon jerked forwards as the portal threatened to close, the girl’s grip loosening from Martin’s.

“It’s our job to save the world. Whether we’re any good at it or not.”

“NO!”

There was a jerk. A flash. Lorelie’s hand disappeared from Martin’s and he swung wildly, trying to pull her back – to pull everyone back.

But he fell to the ground, his hands only meeting rubble.

Lorelie was gone. And Shamon. And Sorimon.

Sorimon was loose.

The Funnyman was out once again.

And this time, it had company.

TO BE CONTINUED...