A/n: Hello all! Time for another Musashi the Master and Panther J story. Now, this story is something me and Panther J wanted to do. Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth is crossing over with Infinite Stratos and is called Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth IS. Now the changes that are different from the game is that Ichika is the main protagonist and his Digimon partner is Agumon who is based on the main Agumon from Digimon Data Squad. So this story will follow Ichika and his friends as they fight alongside their Digimon partners to battle anime villains, the Dark Masters and some of the Royal Knights to save the real world, universe and the Digital World from the Eaters as well as Ichika trying to piece together what happened 8 years ago and his connection with the Ghost Boy in White. So here is possibily the first Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth x Infinite Stratos crossover. Enjoy!
Disclaimer: I do not own Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, all rights go to Bandai Namco, neither do I own Infinite Stratos, all rights to the anime and light novels go to Izuru Yumizuru nor do I own any anime show or anime influenced shows I put in this fanfic. Please support the disclaimer.
Chapter 1: A Boy and his Digimon: The Meeting Between Human and Digimon!
Off the coast of Southern Asia, lies the island of Japan. Known by many as the Land of the Rising Sun as it blends modern technology with traditional Japanese cultural in its various towns and cities. The largest city and the capital of Japan is Tokyo as it's the central point of the island and one of the largest cities in the world. However, our story will follow a young man as he and his seven friends will fight a force unlike anything they've faced before. With the help of heroes from other worlds, can the young man and his friends protect their home from the forces of evil or will this darkness be much closer than they think.
Ichika's POV
It's been 2 years since the unveiling of the new Cyberspace EDEN to the public. It's a massive server where people from all over the world can interact with each other without having to leave their homes. It was able to change the world in a big way and and even restored the men's seat of power to govern alongside women. While women can still use the IS more than men, their popularity has decreased since the rise of EDEN and its ability to enter the internet. A lot has changed since my battle with Madoka and she's been quiet for some time now. Could she be planning something else to try and destroy us and use the IS for evil? I guess only time will tell if we ever see her again.
Normal POV
In the residential district of Tokyo, eight friends were walking home from the the monorail that leads to a manmade island that houses the IS Academy, a school built to train girls to be IS pilots. One of them was the only male pilot in the school and his name is Ichika Orimura, the younger brother of Chifuyu Orimura and a star IS pilot before her retirement. The high tech goggles he's wearing on his head were a birthday gift from Chifuyu. The second person right next to him is Houki Shinonono, the younger sister of the creator of the IS Tebane Shinonono and childhood friend to Ichika. The girl next to her is Cecilia Alcott, the only daughter of the Alcott family and current heir. The girl after her is Huang Lingyin or Ling by her friends, the resident hothead and second childhood friend to Ichika. The fourth girl with silver hair and an eyepatch is Laura Bodewig, former super soldier of the German military turned student of IS Academy. The fifth girl next to her is Charlotte Dunios or Char by her friends, a former disguised male student of the academy and now full female. The last two are a pair of twins with near identical features named Tatenashi and Kanzashi, the Sarashiki sisters.
"Man, that test was brutal…" Ling sighed in exhaustion. "I can't believe one of our teachers was sadistic enough to give us a hard test on the last hour of school. I can't take anymore of that kind of torture." Her friends all nodded in agreement as they felt her pain.
"You can say that again, Ling." Houki agrees with a sigh as well. "Who would've thought we'd have a test at the end of class just to remind us of our coming graduation? Not me, that's for darn sure." Everyone nodded in agreement as she changed the subject. "Hey Ichika, I've noticed Chifuyu-sensei wasn't around today. Do you know where she was?"
"Oh yeah, she told me this last week." Ichika replies as he remembered something important. "She went on a business trip for 2 months and won't be back until the end of May. She wanted me to tell all of you that before she left, but with that test we had came out of nowhere and I almost forgot. Thanks for reminding me, Houki." Everyone all nodded in understanding.
"Let's also not forget one other important thing." Char reminds everyone with a smile. "This year will be the day we graduate from the IS Academy."
"Oh yeah, that's what I'm talking about!" Ling cheered "Once we graduate from the academy, we'll be able to use and keep our ISes and become full fledged IS Pilots!"
"Oh yes, there's something else Maya-sensei said." Cecilia remembered something else. "She said that Tabane's working on a project that'll help both men and women in the seat of power. She also wanted to know what our plans are for the future once we graduate from the IS Academy." She and her friends all started to ponder about their future plans until Ichika decided to step in.
"Hey, we can worry about our plans later." Ichika cheerfully reminded them. "Even if we do graduate from the academy this year, we'll always be friends and remember each other for years to come." The IS girls all smiled in agreement as he and Char looked at each other carefully before both looked away, blushing. "Anyway, I have to get home now. I need to use my laptop for a chatroom with some friends of mine."
"We understand, Ichika." Laura nods in understanding "But try not to get hurt, I don't want to tell Chifuyu about any possible injuries her brother may have."
"Don't worry, I'll be alright." Ichika reassures her with a smile. "Well, I'll be seeing all of you tomorrow. Bye, girls!" He and his friends all waved goodbye to each other and went their separate ways to head for home. After splitting up with the girls, he arrived back at his house as he uses his key to enter the front door and taking off his shoes after entering. He then makes his way up to his room and sits at his desk before starting up his laptop. "Ok, let's see what's been going on in EDEN." He puts his goggles over his eyes as he clicks on the Enjoy Chat icon.
"Happy Chat." A computer voice said as Ichika clicks on the icon and types in his IM Name ByankushiiDude. "Welcome. To Happy Chat. Select a chat room." Several more icons appeared on the screen as he scrolls through them until he clicks on the icon with a face and padlock on it. "Enter the password." Ichika then types in his password in the bar until it starts loading before the padlock unlocks. "Nice to see you!" After that, the screen goes dark for a few moments until he sees a dialogue box with the word "Hi there." appears. After that, several more dialogue boxes started appearing until he sees two avatars, a heart and a snowman, talking to each other as he hears other avatars talking to each other about something and decided to join the conversation.
"Hey guys! Ever heard of Digimon?" Akkino asked.
"What's that all of a sudden?" Blue Box asked back.
"You're talking about Digimon programs, right? Those dangerous programs used by hackers." Old Man Fanta said.
"Digimon programs used by hackers?" Ichika asked "Something tells me this isn't just a rumor. I'll have to find out for myself." He starts typing in his question. "Dangerous? How dangerous, exactly?"
"They can break through security, steal data… enter password-protected forums with ease… Those programs can do all kinds of nasty things!" Old Man Fanta answered "They're behind most of the incidents that have been happening."
"Wow, Digimon sound nuts!" Akkino said.
"My friend got his account targeted by them." AlgerNON said.
"No way…" Love Crusher gasped.
"When did this happened?" U0Starving asked.
"In some areas, Digimon roam around on their own…" Dark Night Satan said.
"Wait a minute, Digimon can move!?" Akkino gawked.
"It sounds like these programs have avatars. Kinda like monsters." Old Man Fanta said.
"Digimon…like 'Digital Monsters'?" AlgerNON asked.
"Exactly!" Akkino answered.
"When did this happen, exactly?" U0Starving asked. Before anyone could answer, a notified appears on the screen that says "Mr. Navit has logged in." as a saw appears underneath the floor and started cutting a hole. The floor opens up as a blue robot appears with the word EDEN on his screen face. The robot shook its head as a smiling face appears on its screen.
"Yoooo, what's up, people!" The robot greeted.
"Whaaaat, it's Mr. Navit!" AlgerNON yelled out.
"Huh? You mean that EDEN mascot?" Love Crusher asked.
"Sorry man, no solicitations! Haha!" Akkino laughed.
"What the heck? Why would an EDEN official come all the way out here?" Old Man Fanta asked.
"…This is a private room. y'know? Just who are you?" Blue Box asked coldly.
"And what's with that greeting? Hardly suiting an official…" U0Starving said, suspicious of this.
"Wait a minute…is he a hacker?!" Akkino gasped.
"Speak of the devil…" Love Crusher said in surprise.
"For real!?" AlgerNON gawked.
"That's right! I'm Mr. Navit, the hacker!" Mr. Navit answered, still smiling. "I have a fantastic present for all of you! Be sure to log in to EDEN tomorrow! Don't forget, now! If you don't login, I'll hack you! Buh-bye, now!" Mr. Navit ducked back into the hole and closed the top behind him as the notifier said "Mr. Navit has logged out." appears while everyone else were just confused at what had happened.
"What the heck… Was that an actual hacker?" Old Man Fanta asked.
"No way, dude!" Akkino said in amazement.
"Think someone's pulling a prank on us?" Love Crusher asked.
"Sounds fun, don't it? Let's check it out!" Akkino beamed, but no one else responded to her. "What, don't tell me y'all are chicken?"
"You want to go, Akkino? What'll you do if it's a real hacker?" Blue Box asked.
"This is just PR for an EDEN event, ain't it? A REAL hacker would be cooler, though…" Akkino said.
"…Sounds like I can't stop you. Fine, then I'll come with." Blue Box sighed
"What, is this a date now? You asking me out all of a sudden!?" Akkino asked.
",,,Anyway." Blue Box said with an annoyed grunt.
"Anyone else want to come with us?" Akkino asked everyone else.
"Better safe than sorry. I'm out." Old Man Fanta answered.
"I'll pass!" AlgerNON answered.
"Me, too." Love Crusher agrees as they all left with only the trio still there.
"Hmm…this could be a trap, but I need to see this for myself." Ichika said "If that was a hacker using EDEN's mascot, then I'll have to get some answers from there." He thinks about it before a minute before typing in his answer. "I'm in!"
After logging out of the chatroom, Ichika takes his goggles and rests them back on his head as he slumps back in his chair and takes a deep breath from what just happened in the chatroom with his friends.
"Ok, that was just weird…" Ichika muttered. "How did a hacker find a way to enter a private chatroom? And what's this about a present he has for us?" He sits back up in his chair. "If I'm going to find out, I better not tell Houki and the others about this. I know Laura told me not to get hurt, but I need to find out more about this present he wanted to give us." He checks the clock and sees it's already 12;23pm. "Whoa, it's that late already? I guess that hacker appearing out of nowhere took me by surprise that I didn't know it'd gotten so late. Guess I'll be heading for bed now, we'll see what happens in the morning." He gets up from his chair and heads for the closet to put on his PJs before turning off the lights and heading for bed.
The next day, it was just like any other day at the academy as all of his female classmates all tried to get his attention. But the seven he has been on constant lookout for are Houki, Char, Ling, Cecilia, Laura and the Sarashiki sisters that they were all in love with him and he has to survive on his wits alone. While he does love each of them, he has a hard time saying how he really feels because he doesn't want to hurt their feelings by choosing only one of them. Once classes has ended, Ichika raced back home and got on his laptop as he types in his name until the EDEN Emblem appears on screen as he puts on his goggles to enter EDEN.
"Welcome to the digital garden of EDEN!" The announcer greeted "EDEN is a virtual world (metaverse) providing several revolutionary services in a new generation of digital content. Bountiful entertainment, including shopping and movies. Everything from corporate transactions to political administrations… Everyone's needs are met. I will be more than happy to introduce some of available services that will be part of your daily life. The future of the net is not behind a screen. It is intuitive virtual reality through the use of avatars. I do hope you enjoy using our cutting-edge cyberspace services. EDEN is a human network connecting the world to the future, run by Kamishino Enterprise." Ichika rights himself up as he starts landing on the platform and looks ahead of him with an amazed expression.
"Wow, this is amazing!" Ichika gasped in awe. "I didn't think it's be this big!" He looks around the platform to see several other people interacting with one another. "This must be the entrance to EDEN. The place where we promised to meet." He looks around to find his friends. "I guess I arrived earlier than we'd agreed on. I don't see Akkino or Blue Box anywhere." He starts looking around the entrance with amazement until he realizes something. "Right, this'll be the first time I'll meet them outside a chatroom. Plus, I don't even know what their avatars look like." He shrugs his shoulders. "Oh well, I'll figure something out. I guess I'll try talking with all the EDEN avatars in the area."
Ichika starts walking around the entrance and asking around all the other EDEN avatars if they've seen his friends, but all of them said no or starting talking about a rumor of a ghost boy in EDEN. After failing to find his friends, Ichika heads back to the terminal to head for another area to continue his search.
"Ok, no one has seen them around the entrance, so I guess I'll head for somewhere else." Ichka figured. "Well, there's still time left before our meeting. I'll just have to check out some of the other areas." He steps on the terminal and chose the option to go to another area. The only area that was accessible now was the EDEN Community Area and heads over. "So this is the Community Area? I like it here, it's so quiet and relaxed." As he was about to step off the terminal, he hears a ringing forming from his Digivice. "Huh, my Digivice's Talk feature is getting a call? I wonder who could it be?" He answers his Digivice as Mr. Navit appears on screen. "What the?!"
"Hey there! It's me, Mr. Navit!" Mr. Navit greeted "Just one sec~ You're behind schedule, silly! You're gonna be late! Hurry up! Come to Galacta Park in Kowloon! Your two friends arrived a little while ago and are waiting for you! I have a gift for you all, but everyone has to be there first! Buh-bye!" The call ends as Ichika was left with a shocked expression.
"Okay, now that was just bizarre.,," Ichika muttered. "And did he say Kowloon? Isn't that a dangerous area full of hackers?" He crosses his arms and thinks about it for a minute before taking a deep breath. "Ok Ichika, just calm down. There's no need to panic. But I wonder what he meant by a 'gift'? I'll leave it for later, let's just head over to Galacta Park on Kowloon." He was about step back on the terminal before stopping himself. "But how do I even get there? I've never been anywhere near Kowloon." He closes his eyes and crosses his arms. "I'll just have to ask around to see of anyone knows how to get to the Galacta Park in Kowloon." He steps back on the terminal and headed back to the entrance to ask around on how to enter Kowloon.
Upon entering back to the EDEN Entrance, Ichika started asking around about how to get to Galacta Park in Kowloon, but everyone either said no or just rudely told him to get lost. As Ichika heads back to the terminal, he spots a figure in a hood just standing there. With no other option, he heads over to the person and asked him how to get to Kowloon.
"Excuse me, can I ask you something?" Ichika asked politely "I don't mean to bother you or anything as I'm sure you're busy, but do you know how to get to Galacta Park in Kowloon?" The hooded person just stared at him with a creepy glare that made him really uncomfortable.
"…I want to go. To Galacta Park, in Kowloon. That's what you think you want. Isn't it?" The hooded person said coldly. "I'll show you the way. This is the URL. To their area. Take it." The person then leaves without a second glance.
"Ok, that was just creepy…" Ichika muttered as he rubbed the back of his head nervously. "That guy was saying all those random things like he knows me or something. Still, at least I got the URL. Which means I can head for Kowloon now." He runs back to the terminal as the same hooded figure just watched him leave. He steps back on the terminal and used the URL to head for Kowloon to meet with his friends and finding out this "gift" Mr. Navit wanted to give them.
After leaving the EDEN Entrance, Ichika started heading down to the inner parts of EDEN where is started becoming more clumped together and it has a neon blue color to it as he heads even further into EDEN. Just under him, a young man about Ichika's age was walking down a path until he looks up and sees Ichika flying overhead as he continues walking. Ichika rounds a corner until he sees a lamppost in the distance with someone else standing in the light.
"Where did everybody go?" The girl asked as she looked around before looking up and spotted Ichika. "You have gotta be kidding! No! You're late! Sooo late!" Ichika lands in front of her as she continues her tangent. "I can't believe you'd leave a defenseless girl like me alone here, you jerk!"
"Okay, sorry I'm late." Ichika apologized. "I'm Ichika Orimura and I go by ByankushiiDude. Would you happen to be Akkino, by any chance?"
"Yep, that's me! I'm Akkino!" Akkino answered with a grin. "This is your first time in EDEN, right?" Ichika nodded in response "My real name is Nokia Shiramine! Hello! Nice-to-meet-you!" Both her and Ichika shook hands after introducing themselves before she pulls him closer and yelled in his face. "NOOOT!"
"Yikes!" Ichika jumps back with white dotted eyes.
"You're late! What were you doing?!" Nokia snarled as she glared at Icika "Leaving me all alone in such a dangerous place. How do you feel if you were in my shoes?"
"I don't think I'll fit in your shoes." Ichka blinked. "Your feet are kinda small compared to mine. Plus, I don't think heels really suit me." He regained his composure. "By the way, have you see Blue Box anywhere? He's the only one not here yet."
"You're asking if Blue Box has shown up yet?" Nokia asked with a frown. "Oh, he showed up all right. But what does that even matter?" Ichika just sweat drops as she continues on ranting. "Like, can you believe this? He all, "Oh, I've got to go and find the ghost," and all of a sudden he's running off by himself. That's how he rolls, apparently! 100% full of himself! Thinks he's all that just because he's got good looks or whatever."
'Sheesh, and I thought Houki and Ling had short fuses…' Ichika thought with a sweat drop.
"And so like, what? The Ghost of the Pale Boy?" Nokia continued with puffed up cheeks. "I've heard the rumors but don't know the details. What does he plan to do if he finds it? I mean, ghosts in cyberspace? That's unscientific! It doesn't even make any sense! Not that I'm scared or noth—" Unknown to her, someone in a hood comes up behind her and made spooky noises.
"Boo!" The hooded person yelled.
"YEEEEEEEEEEEEK!" Nokia screamed at the top of her lungs and latched onto Ichika as he felt her breasts pressing against him.
"Whoa, easy. Overreacting a bit there, aren't we?" The hooded person asked rudely before taking off his hood. "Hmm…I'm not interrupting something, am I?"
"Huh?" Both Ichika and Nokia blinked before realizing the position they're in. "AHH!" They both jumped back while blushing brightly.
"Oh, jeez, Arata. It's just you." Nokia wheezed. "I… I thought you were a ghost."
"Sheesh. You don't have to act all tough by coming to a place like this if you're chicken, ya know." Arata said coldly.
"Hey now! You're the one who ditched me in that "place like this," Arata, you slimy little no-good—" Nokia was about to say before Arata stoped her.
"Oh, just shut your trap." Arata rudely said "Anyhow…" He turns to Ichika who regained his composure. "We've never met here before, have we? I'm Arata Sanada. Nice to meet you and all that."
"Yeah, same here, Arata." Ichika smiled "I'm Ichika Orimura, nice to meet you as well."
"Ichika… Orimura?" Arata raised an eyebrow as he looked at Ichika carefully. 'That name… sounded familiar…'
"Hey now, that's not a proper introduction!" Nokia stepped in "You must've put two and two together by now, but this is the person behind Blue Box! He's not what you imagined, is he? In the chat, he's kind and considerate, like a reliable big-brother figure, right? When I first met him, I was really weirded out! He's surly, self-absorbed, he's got this weird look in his eye… I mean, talk about a waste of good looks, amirite?"
"Leave the stupidity for later, okay?" Arata asked with a sneer while Ichika just sweat drops. "So, while I was waiting for Ichika, I took a little look around. I thought that "Mr. Navit" fellow who called us here might be around."
"What?! I thought you were looking for a ghost!" Nokia screeched.
"Well, I was doing a little of that too." Arata said in a matter of fact. "But in the end, I found neither. Rather, there wasn't anyone around to be found. You'd think there'd be one or two hackers in an area like Kowloon, no matter how dangerous it is." Before anyone could get a word in, their Digivices all rang at the same time and made them jump in surprise.
"Whoa, that surprised me!" Nokia gawked. "But it looks like someone's trying to call us from our Digivices. Should we answer them?"
"We might as well answer." Arata answered her with a frown. "If we're going to get some answers here, then we've got no choice in the matter."
"I have to agree with Arata." Ichika agrees "That's the reason why the three of us came here in the first place, to find out about this "gift" we were promised if we came to Kowloon. We'll have to be ready for whatever they have planned for us." Both Arata and Nokia nodded in agreement as they answered their Digivices when Mr. Navit appears on the screen.
"So very sorry to keep you waiting. I'm Mr. Navit!" Mr. Navit said cheerfully "I've got something for all you good boys and girls who showed up here today! This is the miraculous power to change the world!" For a brief moment, everything started to static and covered the trio.
"Huh? Wha? What is this?" Nokia asked in panic.
"It's hacking! We've all been hacked!" Arata answered with a snarl.
"No good! This was a trap for us to be hacked in!" Ichika tensed. "So now what's going to happen next?" Before anyone could answer, they all heard a chime from their Digivices.
"A new program has been installed: Digimon Capture!" The Digivice said.
"Whoa. This Mr Navit fellow is no slouch. He broke through my firewall like it was nothing." Arata said with a bit of impressed expressions.
"Digimon… Capture?" Nokia asked slowly in confusion.
"It's a hacking tool that's been making the rounds with hackers lately." Arata answered her.
"Wait, so when you say "Digimon," you mean like, "Digimon" Digimon?!" Nokia asked again with wide eyes.
"Yes, those Digimon. The ones you're so interested in." Arata answered as he brings out three screen panels. "Hmm… There's a certain kind of data known as "Digital Monsters" that you "capture" by scanning, this thing says. Ah, so "Digimon" IS short for "Digital Monsters"." He deactivates the panels.
"What? Whoa, hey, hang on!" Nokia interjected as she confronted Arata "Digimon are like, nasty programs that hackers use, right? So then, so then, so then… That means… Have we become hackers?!"
"Well, I suppose you could put it that way." Arata answered with a shrug "Well, it's no big deal. Hackers are nothing out of the ordinary nowadays."
"I get what you're trying to say, but you didn't have to put it so bluntly, Arata." Ichika said with a deadpan face "What do you think other people might think now that we're hackers? They might just see us as nothing more than troublemakers who hack into people's accounts for kicks."
"Yeah, what Ichika said!" Nokia agrees with a frantic nod. "So, no way! Nuh-un! Hackers are bad news! I am NOT doing this! I don't want any part of this! I'm going to delete this program!" She takes out her Digivice and tries to delete the Digimon Capture feature, but nothing happened. "Aw, what? No way, you've got to be kidding me! I can't uninstall this thing?!"
"Leave it be. The program's protected." Arata told her coldly. "Who knows what'll happen if you force-delete it."
"Eep! Wh-What do you mean?" Nokia gawked as they tried to figure something out. Unknown to them, someone was watching them until Ichika turns around and spots him.
"Hey, you!" Ichika called out as the figure runs away. "Damn, he got away! So was that Mr. Navit or could it be the ghost everyone's talking about?"
"Don't let him get away!" Arata shouted as he runs off after the figure.
"Arata, hold up! Why are we chasing him?" Nokia asked in confusion. "I… I'm out of here! I am going home, you hear!" As soon as she turned around, there was a firewall blocking the path out. "Wh-What is this? It wasn't here before. What's it doing here? Did some hacker do this too? Is… Is this telling us to keep going onward? Are they not letting us go back home?"
"It would seems that way." Ichika answered her with a serious frown. "Whoever put this firewall here didn't want us to leave for some reason. And if I had to guess, they might've know we'd try to leave here and put this up to keep us in."
"So…does that mean…we're stuck here forever?" Nokia asked in fright. "Are we really going to stay in this place for all eternity?" She slumps onto the floor as she begins to cry until she felt Ichika's hand on her shoulder.
"Not on my watch, we won't." Ichika reassured her with a kind smile. "I'll find us a way out of here if it's the last thing I do. I'm not going to let my friends down like this, I'll figure something out."
"Ichika…" Nokia whispered in awe.
"Now, come on. Let's get find a way out of here." Ichika told her. "We might find an exit if we look around more. Plus, Arata could be in trouble. Let's go after him."
"No. I'm not going. I won't." Nokia said as Ichika felt sorry for her.
"Ok, then I won't stop you." Ichika agrees with her "I'll keep going forward until I find something. If I find an exit, I'll let you know." Nokia said nothing as Ichika ran down the same path as Arata and the hooded figure.
Not long after leaving Nokia behind, Ichika ventured deeper into Kowloon down the same path Arata and the hooded figure ran off to. As he ventured forward, he finds himself in a new area of Kowloon that seems to stretch far back than he thought.
"Whoa, this is new…" Ichika muttered in confusion as he looked around. "I didn't think the path would lead this way. I wonder if this area in Kowloon stretches all the way through here? This place sure is a lot different from the other cyberspace areas on the upper part of the EDEN Network." He looks around for Arata, but there was no sign of him. "And no trace of Arata here either. He must've gone further inside." He then sighs in annoyance. "I'd better be careful here, who knows what could be lurking around." He starts walking forward as he searches for his friend and the exit.
Once he got his sights on his goal, Ichika starts his trek through the deeper parts of Kowloon to find Arata and an exit for them to get back home. As he rounds a corner into a branching pathway that continues forward and leads to a dead end, Ichika spotted a white figure in the distances before it vanishes.
"Wha? What was that?" Ichika asked in confusion. "Did I just see a ghost in cyberspace? That can't be possible, could it?" Suddenly, he felt a presence going down further into Kowloon as he looks to his right. "What was that? Was someone calling me just now?" Just then, he felt the same feeling as before when he was hacked before falling onto his knees and passing out.
After passing out, Ichika started having a vision about the same white figure he saw before. He looks ahead of him to see the future again until his vision started to short-circuit as the figure vanished again before reappearing in front of him and back down the path again and in front of him again before falling on the floor and blacking out again. Ichika opens his eyes again to see the figure looking down at him where he could see its face and can make it out to be male. The boy then reached out his hand and placing it on Ichka's face as everything goes dark again. Suddenly, an unknown language appears in front of him before he finds himself back in Kowloon, wondering what he just saw.
"What the hell was that?" Ichika wondered in confusion and shock. "Was that some kind of vision? And who was that boy?" He shook his head "I guess Kowloon's really as dangerous as they say it is. Who knows what might've happened here?" He shakes his head again to regain his composure. "I can't think about that, I need to hurry up, find Arata and get out of here." Before he could continue on, he sees someone in a white outfit walking towards him before stopping in his tracks. "Wha?! Wh-Who are you?"
"What's wrong? You look like you've seen a ghost." The boy said in concern.
"No…it couldn't be…" Ichika said in shock as he looked at the boy carefully. "I just saw a ghost that looked like you not too long ago!"
"You saw a ghost that looked like me?" The boy asked and Ichika nodded "If that's true, that ghost might have been me. Some call me the "Wraith of EDEN". They say I am not of this world."
"What do you mean by "not of this world"?" Ichika asked in confusion.
"The truth is simply that I'm rather elusive and tend to turn up unexpectedly. That's all." The boy answered as Ichika tilted his head in confusion. "Please, relax. I'm not a ghost. I am very real here in EDEN. I exist to guide those who are lost, like you."
"Those who are lost like me?" Ichika repeated with raised eyebrows.
"That's correct, consider me a guide, if you will." The boy answered him. "Pardon me for saying this to you, but you've just had a program installed, Digimon Capture, which marks you as a hacker. But you are still merely a fledging hacker."
"Fledging hacker? What do you mean by that?" Ichika asked in confusion.
"It means you're not up to the same skill level as the more experienced hackers." The boy answered him as he explained that. "There are hackers with a verity of different goals here in EDEN. Chivalrous ones who find and report security holes. Thieves who steal accounts to rob money and data. Others are just out to prove their skills. Truly, a wide verity. What kind of hacker do you want to be?"
"What kind of hacker do I want to be?" Ichika repeated as he pondered this. "I've never really given it much thought about the idea. I was just dragged into this whole hacker thing with some friends of mine."
"I see." The boy nods "Then you are indeed a fledging if that is your only answer. Not even hatched from your egg yet. You're free to become a hacker, if you want. Or something else altogether. It's up to you. What led you to this is neither here nor there. You came here because you were interested in hacking, and now, because of that, you've got the "Digimon Capture" program, yes?" Ichika nodded "I would therefore recommend you give the remarkable power of these "Digimon" programs a try."
"I don't know, I'm not even used to this whole "Digimon Capture" thing yet." Ichika mumured uneasily. "But if this is the only way to get back home, then I'll do it. I'll use the "Digimon Capture" program as you recommended."
"Well said, my friend. That's fine." The boy smiled "Now, to commentate your birth as a fellow hacker-to-be… I shall present you with your first Digimon." He points behind Ichika "There, behind you. That is a Digimon program." Ichika turned around to find his first Digimon,
"Are you sure this Digimon program is here?" Ichika asked as he looked around for the Digimon. "I don't see it anywhere."
"Not to worry, he'll come as he's called." The boy said with a small smile. "Allow me to call for him. Agumon, you can come out now! I've found you a partner!" On his command, a small dinosaur comes out of his hiding place and spots both Ichika and the boy. The small dinosaur had a yellow body with bright green eyes, black pupils and red straps on his claws as he walks over to the duo.
"So this is the guy?" Agumon asked as he inspected Ichika. "He's the one that'll be my partner?"
"Whoa, he talks!" Ichika gawked "That little dinosaur guy just talked!"
"Yes, he's your new partner, Agumon." The boy answered with a nod. "He'll be the one who can help you get stronger and help you Digivolve. As long as you both work together as a team, I'm sure you'll both achieve things one of you alone couldn't do." Agumon nodded as he walks over to Ichika who was still amazed at what he's seeing.
"Hey there, my name's Agumon. It's nice to meet ya, Boss." Agumon greeted as Ichika regained his composure.
"Yeah, right back at you, Agumon." Ichika said with a smile. "My name is Ichika Orimura, but you can just call me Ichika. Of course, you don't have to call me Boss."
"Sorry, no can do, Boss." Agumon said with a chuckle. "He said that you're my partner, so you're Boss." Before Ichika could get a word in, the three of them heard a loud roar.
"Huh?! What was that sound? Was that a roar?" Ichika asked in shock.
"Not good, looks like we're in for a battle." The boy said with a frown. "One of the more aggressive Digimon has found us!"
"Wait, aggressive Digimon?!" Ichika gawked "What do you mean by aggressive?" He got his answer as a Digimon in a purple shell with six tentacles and glowing yellows eyes dropped down and started chasing Agumon. "Agumon!"
"Boss, help me!" Agumon called out while running away from his attacker.
"That can't be a good sign." The boy said, still frowning. "This Digimon I prepared for you went and ran away! Oh well, there are plenty of other Digimon you can use. We'll find another… wait just a moment. That did surprise me, though, for a Digimon as tough as that one to appear in this area. Could have been released as a bad joke by a low-level hacker, or as an attack on me by someone."
"Now is not the time to be thinking about that, we've got to go after them!" Ichika reasoned.
"What's that? You want to go after it? You want a powerful Digimon like that?" The boy asked him before frowning "No. You couldn't handle it. Forget about it."
"No, I don't mean the big one! I mean Agumon!" Ichika said with an angry frown "I'm worried that something bad might happen to him if that thing catches him!"
"What's that? You're… concerned about the Digimon being chased?" The boy asked again and Ichika nodded "You really are a curious one. Still, that's all the more reason to leave it be. You'd look foolish if you got hurt interfering in a fight between two mere programs."
"I can't believe you'd say such a thing about Agumon..." Ichika glared at him angrily. "Our time together may have been brief, but I knew for a fact he was no mere program! I don't care what you say about him, I have to go help him from that other Digimon!"
"If that's what you want, then you should do it." The boy said with a sigh. "Chase after it, if that's your decision." Ichika nods in agreement as he chases after the two Digimon.
As he enters the next area, there was Agumon cornered by the other Digimon and was closing in. Ichika jumps between them to block the other Digimon from getting even closer to Agumon.
"Boss, you're here! You really came to save me!" Agumon said in gratitude.
"Yeah, I'm here, Agumon." Ichika smiled "I couldn't just let my friend be picked on like this, that's not how I roll. Just stay behind me and I'll take care of this guy." He turns to face the Digimon as he tries to intimidate it. "Hey ugly, why don't you pick on someone your own size!" The Digimon just roared at him and made him step back a bit before regaining his composure. "On please, I've seen the boogie man has a better roar than you!" That made the Digimon even madder and was about to attack him.
"Oh boy. You really ARE new at this." A familiar voice said with a sigh "Do you intend to face off against a Digital Monster unarmed?"
"Wait, I know that voice." Ichika gasped as he looks to his left. "It's you again!"
"You truly are curious." The boy said with a small smile "No… You're just a soft touch. That's all."
"Well, I've been called worse." Ichika smiled "I've been called dense, idiot, pervert and stupid, among other things. And that's from my friends I know back in school."
"Heh, I see." The boy said with a small chuckle. "What a coincidence. I am both those things as well. Just this once, allow me to aid you. You, um, needn't do anything for the moment. Watch and learn. This is how a real hacker uses their skills." He snaps his fingers and on his command, a massive mechanical dinosaur appeared next to him.
"Whoa, you've got a Digimon too?!" Ichika gawked "And it's already that powerful?"
"Yes, that's right." The boy answered "I've had this one far longer and he's became my most trusted partner. Now you two stand back while we handle this." The mechanical Digimon nodded in agreement as it relies itself for battle until Agumon stands beside them.
"Hey, I'm not backing down from this fight!" Agumon said in determination. "I can't risk Boss getting hurt for protecting me, so I'm going to do the same! It's fighting time!"
"Agumon…" Ichika gasped before smiling. "Yeah, I'm with you! Now let's give this creep a beating together, Agumon! It's fighting time!" Agumon nodded in agreement as he relies himself for battle.
"Well, it seems it wants fight with you." The boy said with a smile. "It may have been something of an ordeal, but that Digimon is now yours. Instruct it as you will, and master the program." Both Ichika and Agumon looked at each other for a brief moment before they nodded in agreement as both sides got into battle stance.
"Pepper Breath!" Agumon yelled as he spit out a fireball at the Digimon named Chrysalimon, giving him small damage. Chrysalimon got angry as he lashed his tentacles at Agumon, but he swiftly evaded them.
"Awesome…" Ichika muttered in awe. 'I never knew Digimon can be this amazing. I can tell Agumon and I are gonna be great friends.'
"I see you have taken a liken to your Digimon partner." The boy smiled before he got serious. "But let's make this battle quick. Machineidramon!"
"Yes sir! Giga Cannon!" Machinedramon yelled as the two cannons on its back fired a devastating blast at Chrysalimon, instantly deleting it.
After Chrysalimon was deleted from Machinedramon's Giga Cannon, both Ichika and Agumon breathed a sigh of relief as they were able to delete Chrysalimon together. The two friends looked at each other for a few seconds before they high five.
"Boss, we did it! We won!" Agumon cheered "We were able to beat the data out of that creep and send him packing!"
"Yeah, we sure did, Agumon!" Ichika agrees "We really showed that Digimon not to mess with us. I have a feeling we'll be great friends and the best partners we could ever ask for." Agumon nodded in agreement as they fist bumped each other, accepting their new friendship. Not too far, the boy and Machinedramon were watching them.
"Amazing, I didn't think it was possible." The boy said in awe. "It's very rare to obtain a Digimon without scanning it through Digimon Capture. What's more, for a program to like a person…" He continues to watch the two friends as they still celebrated their victory over Chryilamon. "Everything about this is odd. You'll probably be an "irregular" element among hackers." Both Ichika and Agumon turned towards him. "Anyway, you are free from your shell now. The rest is up to you. I shall take my leave now." He turns around and was about to be o his way until Ichka stopped him.
"Wait, hold on just a moment!" Ichika called out "I'm looking for another friend of mine who ran down this way. Have you seen a young man with a nasty look in his eyes?"
"A young man with a nasty look in his eyes?" The boy repeated before he figured out what he meant. "Ah, the other "irregular" one. Him?"
"Yeah, that's him." Ichika answered with a nod "He was running down this way to chase after someone who was spying on us not too long ago. But when I came here to find him, I lost him."
"Ah, I see." The boy nods "Your friend was headed to that area over there." He points to the path further into Kowloon. "That used to be the old EDEN entrance area. The remains of EDEN's creation. Its forgotten dregs. Proof of that lies in the fact an original logout zone remains there, untouched."
"Wow, I had no idea…" Ichika muttered in astonishment. "So that used to be where people could enter EDEN, but now it's been abandoned for some time now?"
"Yes, that's correct." The boy answered him with a nod. "It's also lock-protected and can't be used, but a hacker could probably deal with said lock." Ichika just stayed silent while still looking down the path. "Yes, if you wanted to leave this place, it would be a good idea to use that logout zone. That boy should be able to unlock it in a snap. As long as his skills haven't waned, that is."
"Waned? What do you mean by that?" Ichika asked in confusion.
"Why are you surprised?" The boy asked back "Don't tell me… He hasn't told you?"
"Hasn't told me what? Are you saying he's got something to hide?" Ichika asked again, still confused about the boy's words.
"I see, so he really hasn't told you…" The boy said, understanding the situation. "In that case, it is not my story to tell. It's better to hear it directly from him." Ichika just stayed silent as he turns in the other direction.
"But what about you? I still don't even know your name." Ichika interjected. "Could you at least tell me that?"
"That's right, I haven't introduce myself." The boy said with a smile, remembering that it is always polite to introduce yourself to others. "Since this may not be the last time we'll meet, I'll tell you my name. I am Yuugo. Yuugo of Team Zaxon. If you want to become a top-tier hacker, then you should seek us out. Our doors are always open to you."
"Sure, I'll keep that in mind, Yuugo." Ichika smiled "My name is Ichika Orimura, but just call me Ichika. Although, I'm sure you probably already know that since I introduced myself to Agumon a while ago."
"Yes, that I did." Yuugo smiled back "Still, it's a pleasure to meet you, Ichika-kun. I hope our paths will cross again someday." He and Machinedramon started walking from the duo until they vanished from sight.
"Okay, that was still weird." Ichika muttered. "How did Yuugo knew where to find me when I clearly saw him in my vision? And more importantly, what does he mean about Arata being a hacker?" He shook his head to brush off those thoughts. "Oh well, no sense in thinking up conspiracy theories. Anyway, he said Arata was heading to that area over there. And there's supposed to be an old logout zone there. We might be able to log out from there. I'd better head back and get Nokia."
"Hey Boss, are we going to search for your friend?" Agumon asked.
"Yeah, but there's something else I need to do first." Ichika answered "There's another friend of mine back at the entrance and she's probably getting hysterical by now. Since we now know the location of the exit, we'd better head back for her before anything bad happens."
"Ok, then lead the way, Boss." Agumon nods "If there's any one that gets in our way, just leave them to me. I'll beat the data out of them like we did to Chrysalimon." Ichika nodded in agreement as they raced back to Galacta Park for Nokia.
Meanwhile
Nokia was now walking down the same pathway as Ichika and Arata took and looking for them. She stopped at a dead end while looking for the two boys, but couldn't find them anywhere. She was also starting to feel worried as she looked around her, but still no sign of them.
"Where did those two go?" Nokia asked in worry "L-Like, could hackers have maybe—" As she was thinking, she heard footsteps and made her gasp in surprise. She looked ahead of her as she started hearing voices.
"Quickly!" The first voice shouted as two Digimon came running out of one hiding spot and into another.
"Hey! Waaait!" The second voice called out until he saw Nokia and skidded to a halt.
The first Digimon peeked around the corner and looked at Nokia. "Quietly…" Right after him, the second Digimon picked around the corner while leaning on the first Digimon while looking at Nokia. "Uwah!"
Back with Ichka and Agumon
The duo were walking back to Galacta Park for Nokia to lead her to the exit and continue with their search for Arata soon after. While they were walking back, Ichika was telling Agumon about his life in the real world where he's enrolled in a school surrounded by girls because he's one of the few men who can pilot an IS. And his seven friends who are also fighting for his affection at any given time of day.
"Wow, sounds like you had it rough, Boss." Agumon winced. "I had no idea all these girls were trying to get your attention because you're the only guy who can fly this IS doohickey. I guess they've been trying to get your affection for a long time."
"Trust me, that's the least of my worries." Ichika sighed sadly. "I know they've been trying to get my attention, but I think my feelings have been shifting for Char. I did say to her that I'll protect her from her father, but I've been starting to have these feelings for her. The problem is that I'm afraid to hurt the other's feelings if I gave them my answer and I don't want to see them sad."
"Wow, that is a tough call." Agumon nods in understanding. "So what do you plan to do once you finally tell them your feelings for this Char person?" Before Ichika could answer, they heard a loud scream.
"Aaaaaaah!" Nokia screamed at the top of her lungs.
"Whoa, what was that? Was someone screaming?" Agumon asked in shock.
"It's Nokia, she must be in trouble!" Ichika answered him, tensed. "Come on, Agumon! We have to go save her!"
"You got it, Boss!" Agumon nodded in agreement as they rushed over to help Nokia. When they got there, they found her with two Digimon running around her. The first Digimon is another Agumon, but without the red straps on his claws. The second Digimon was more like a wolf with a long horn on his head, red eyes, light and dark blue fur, yellow underbelly and a sky blue and purple pattern on his stomach.
"Aaah! Aaah!? What, what, what are you!?" Nokia yelled as the two Digimon stopped running and looked up at her.
"Umm, who are you?" The first Digimon asked curiously.
"It… It can talk?!" Nokia gawked before her eyes turned in sparkles and she squealed "It's so… so… so adoooooorible! M-M-M-M-My name is Nokia. What're your names?"
"Me? My name is Agumon." The other Agumon answered with a smile.
"I… I'm Gabumon." Gabumon answered as well, but timidly.
"Whoa, there's another Agumon?" Ichika gasped in shock "I didn't think there'd be two of the same Digimon." He looks at his Agumon and the Agumon with Nokia. "Of course, the only difference I can see between you and him are those straps on your claws and you're a little more bigger. While he doesn't have the straps and is smaller than you."
"Yeah, you're right, Boss." Agumon agrees "I wonder why I'm different from him?" Both him and Ichika continued to watch Nokia gush over the other Agumon and Gabumon.
"Agumon and Gabumon?" Nokia repeated before laughing slightly. "Hee hee! What weird names!"
"Hey, they're not weird!" Gabumon whined.
"You're the one with the weird name!" The other Agumon agrees.
"As if! My name's not weird! Hee hee!" Nokia smirked.
"Huh?" The other Agumon blinked while Gabumon stayed silent.
"Huh? What's wrong?" Nokia asked in confusion. "Have my totes adorbs good looks stunned you speechless?" Just then, she realized both Digimon were sniffing her.
"I can smell something. Something… familiar." Agumon #2 said, in deep thought.
"Wait, what? Me?" Nokia blinked in confusion.
"Yeah. Familiar and reassuring." Gabumon answered and agreeing with the other Agumon.
"Uh, what? Come on, this is kind of embarrassing!" Nokia blushed "Oh, sorry! Guess my naturally alluring pheromones are working full-time today." Both Ichika and his Agumon sweat dropped from her statement.
"Ahaha! See, you ARE weird!" The other Agumon laughed.
"Hey, Nokia!" Ichika called out as he rushed over to her.
"Oh, Ichika! Where the heck have you been?!" Nokia asked. Before Ichika could answer, Gabumon hid behind the other Agumon.
"Yikes! It's… It's another scary person!" Gabumon yelled in fright.
"I'm sick of being chased around. Run away!" The other Agumon also yelled and were about to run until Nokia tried to stop them.
"Hey! Calm down! He's a friend of mine!" Nokia reasoned., but it was too late as they took off running. "Aw, shucks! They're gone. Just what were those cute little critters?" She shook her head before turning to face Ichika. "But never mind that. Who's that with you?"
"Oh, this guy here?" Ichika pointed to Agumon. "This is Agumon, he's my partner. He's also a Digimon." Agumon nodded in agreement while waving at Nokia.
"That… That's a Digimon?!" Nokia gawked "Then those little cuties were Digimon too?!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded "But… Both those Digimon and this one here… They don't seem like bad programs."
"That's the thing, I don't really see them as programs." Ichika smiled "From the first moment I met Agumon, I didn't see a program, but somehow who's just as alive as I am. We've even been through our first battle and we come on top by working together as a team." Both him and Agumon fist bumped each other again as it shows how close they really are in just a short amount of time.
"Wow, that's awesome, Ichika." Nokia smiled. "You two look like really close friends, like you've been together for years. I can really see the close bond you two have with each other." Both Ichika and Agumon nodded as she thought of something else. "Digimon, huh? Having cute critters like them around could be pretty okay. Maybe this Digimon Capture thing won't be so bad after all."
"Maybe, but I'd be more careful, if I were you." Ichika advised her with a serious frown. "Aside from Agumon and those other two, there are also some Digimon who're really nasty and aggressive like the one we fought not too long ago. We ran into one before and that's how we got into our first battle." Agumon nodded in agreement.
"What?! There was a wild violent Digimon too?!" Nokia gasped in shock, showing the white dotted eyed look. "Whatever it was sounds super-duper scary!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded.
"Trust us, that's the least of our worries." Ichika said seriously, frowning in serious mode. "And that's not all, I've just found out that Arata's further down not too far fro here."
"Wait, so Arata's in the area through there?" Nokia asked as hope returned to her. "I'll go with you. Let's go find him ASAP!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded in agreement as the trio raced to Arata's location.
"Nokia, it could be dangerous for you to be out front." Ichika advised. " If we run into other Digimon, stay behind us. We'll handle anything that gets in our way."
"Yeah, what Boss said!" Agumon agrees "I'll beat the data out of them if they even think of getting close to Boss or his friends!"
"Ichika… Agumon…" Nokia whispered softly before smiling. "Okay, I'm leaving this to you two. I'll be right behind you two cheering!" Both Ichika and Agumon nodded in agreement as they continued on.
After dealing with some wild Digimon and scanning them with the Digimon Capture, Ichika, Agumon and Nokia made it to the end of the pathway, but stopped in their tracks as Nokia begins to remember something.
"Hmmm… Something feels really strange." Nokia murmured as she thought about something. "Like this all happened before when I was a kid. It's like I've met you and Arata before…"
"Are you sure about that, Nokia?" Ichika asked in confusion. "I'm sure you mean like how we met yesterday in the chatroom."
"No. Not like we had met yesterday in chat or anything like that." Nokia shook her head no "Huh? Like, maybe… Yeah, maybe… Something's strange." Before anyone could say anything, another static happened and it showed them another vision. In this vision, there was a circle of five kids all looking at each other before it vanished. "What… What was that?! Did… Did you see it?!"
"Yeah, I saw it, all right." Ichika answered, confused and shocked about this. "It looked like a bunch of kids in a circle together. But there's something about that feels familiar somehow… I don't know why, but it's almost like I know them."
"Again with the hacking?!" Nokia gawked before she growled in fury. "Honesty! What is WITH this place?!" She shook her head and regained her composure. "Let's go! Arata should be up ahead, right?" She started walking ahead while Ichika just sweat dropped.
"Man, and I thought Houki was like that..." Ichika muttered "I guess we could worry about that vision later, Arata's more important right now. Let's go, Agumon."
"Right behind ya, Boss." Agumon nodded as they followed behind Nokia. Unknown to them, a familiar silhouette was watching them continue on before the static happened again and he vanished.
At the logout zone, Arata was standing by himself while looking at an old terminal in the center of the platform after losing the person he was chasing before and seems to have given him the slip.
"What was that image just now?" Arata asked himself in shock. "A child? I am SO weirded out. Darn it, I wanna know what that was!" He sweat dropped before he shook his head to clear his thoughts. Whoa… This really does not feel right."
"Ahhhhhhh! There it is! There!" Nokia pointed to the terminal at the top of the stairs. "Hang on! Hey! You're running off by yourself?! You can't just think about yourself, ya know!" As she, Ichika and Agumon were about to approach Arata, the static happened again and causes them to look up.
A massive symbol in the shape of a shell appeared about them as it started glowing brightly. Tentacles were emerging from the symbol until its entire body came out and reveled itself to Ichika and his friends as it resembles a cuttlefish or any kind of octopi. The mysterious creature has its sights on Ichika and his friends who were still stunned at what they just saw.
"What the hell..?" Was all Ichika could say.
"What… What… is this?" Nokia pointed at the creature fearfully.
"What's that? Is that another Digimon?" Arata asked before he realized something "It can't be! The "Black Monster of EDEN" people have been talking about? They say it devours your data."
"Devours your data?!" Ichika yelled out in shock.
"You guys, this way! Run!" Arata called out to them "Whatever this thing is, it's a real menace, that's for sure! I'll break through the lock on this thing! Log out, then get away as fast as you can!" He rushes over to the terminal and activates his panels to hack into it. Ichika took his world and ran, but Nokia was still frozen in fear. "Hey, I told you to run, didn't I? Go on, get out of here!"
"Uh… Ooh… Um…" Was all Nokia could say as she still can't move.
"Hey!" Arata called out to her, but still no answer. The creature was getting closer to Nokia and as its tentacles were about to grab her, the other Agumon and Gabumon jumped in-between them to protect her.
"H-Hey… It's you guys again!" Nokia gasped.
"We'll protect you, Nokia!" Agumon #2 said bravely.
"Nokia! G-Get out of here!" Gabumon instructed.
"They're going to need some help against that thing." Ichika tensed "I don't know what that is, but it could be dangerous if it gets to close." He turns to his partner. "Agumon, you read for another battle?"
"I'm always ready, Boss! It's fighting time!" Agumon nodded as he joins his fellow Digimon and got into battle stance.
"Pepper Breath!" Both Ichika's Agumon and Agumon #2 yelled as they both spit out fire on the monster, but when they connected, it fizzled out.
"W-What the heck?! Our attacks didn't do anything!" Ichika's Agumon gawked.
"Um, uh… Blue Blaster!" Gabumon breathed out a blue flame on the creature, but like with before, the attack fizzled out.
"Houston… we have a problem." Ichika grimaced as the creature tried to lash its tentacles at the Digimon both they dodged out of the way.
"Let's try again! Pepper Breath!" Ichika's Agumon used his attack on the creature, but it did not effect. "Boss! What do we do?!"
"Hang on, I'll think of something!" Ichika answered as he stepped back. "None of their attacks are effecting this this. There's got to be some way we could delete this thing!" As he tries to come up with a plan, the monster started getting closer as it extended its tentacles while the three Digimon backed off.
"What should we do? It's too strong!" Gabumon wailed.
"!… Why am I so weak?" Agumon #2 asked himself sadly "We have to protect Nokia and the others!"
"No…it can't end like this…" Ichika's Agumon stood firm and filled with determination. "I promised myself that I'll protect Boss with my life and I meant it!" He stops in his tracks and holds his ground. "I'm not going to let this thing hurt Boss or his friends! Pepper Breath!" He fires his attack again at the monster, but like before, it fizzles out.
"Damn, Agumon's attack still didn't scratch it!" Ichika cursed "It must have a weak point somewhere, everything does! I hope Arata has gotten that terminal working in time." He looked behind to see Nokia still watching them fight the monster while Arata's still working on the terminal. A few seconds later, Arata deactivated the panels and turned to his friends.
"Okay! The lock is taken care of. You can log out!" Arata yelled. "Come on, Nokia! Hurry!"
"But what about them?!" Nokia asked.
"Don't you get it? You're holding them back!" Arata shouted with a snarl. "They can't do anything until you get away!"
"Huh?!" Nokia gasped as she heads for the terminal and logged out.
"Ichika!" Arata called out "Nokia logged out! I'll go next! You hurry on after us, okay!?"
"Got it, I'll be right behind you two!" Ichika called back as Arata rushed to the terminal and logged out. As soon as Arata logged out, he makes a mad dash for the terminal with the monster close behind until he loses balance and falls onto the floor.
"Boss! Hang on, I'm coming!" Ichika's Agumon shouted as he rushes over to save his partner. "Hey ugly, you leave him alone! Pepper Breath!" He fires his fireball in-between Ichika and the monster, blocking its path for a short moment.
"Agumon! Thanks for the save, buddy." Ichika smiled before looking at the monster with a serious frown. "But what are going to do about this thing? None of your attacks seems to hurt it. We've got to come up with another plan."
"Boss, put me inside your Digivice!" Agumon suggested. "With me inside your Digivice, I can protect you from that thing! That way, I'll always be right beside you when you need me!"
"Are you sure, Agumon?" Ichika asked in concern "Are you certain I should place you inside my Digivice? For all we know, it could fail and we'll both be in trouble!"
"It's the only chance we've got, Boss!" Agumon reasoned "If we don't do this right, then we're both done for!" Ichika thinks about it for a moment before nodding in agreement.
"Ok, let's do this, Agumon." Ichika nods as he takes off his goggles from his head and holds it in front of Agumon as he was converted into data and was absorbed into the goggles. "Hey, it worked! It really worked!" He looks in front of him to see the monster getting closer. "Uh-oh, now's not the time to think about that! I gotta get out of here!" He gets back on his feet and races towards the terminal again, but he lost his footing as the creature's tentacles came into contact with his leg. He reaches for the terminal with all his might until everything went black. Suddenly, the static appeared again as several voices were heard saying "Find us…" until the static stopped again.
Just then, there was a message on Ichika's Digivice. "—Warning. An unexpected error occurred during the logout process of Ichika Orimura— The logout process cannot continue… … … The logout process cannot continue… … … The logout process cannot continue… … … … … … The logout process will continue." A few seconds later, a chime was heard. "Logout successful. See you at your next login. Thank you. EDEN is a human network connecting the world to the future, run by Kamishino Enterprises."
Just then, a car horn was heard as Ichika started to regain his composure. As he opens his eyes, he friends himself in the middle of a street as several people were all looking at him and couldn't believe what they were seeing.
"Um, excuse me… Isn't that dangerous?" A young woman asked in shock.
"What's up with this kid? Yikes…" A man made a disgusted grunt as Ichika realized what they were talking about and looked at himself, he was nothing but data.
"You there!" A voice shouted haughtily "What's with making such a scene in broad daylight? You want me to arrest you? Do you?!"
"Um, officer! Over here!" A young man called out as a policewoman enters the scene.
"Who are you calling a police officer?" The policewoman yelled as an anger vein appeared on her forehead. "I'm a detective! Don't judge a book by its cover! I'll arrest you!" She turns her attention to Ichika's data body. "What? Huh? What the…? What is that?! What's going on? Urgh, that's gross! So gross I'm going to arrest you! Right here on the spot!" As she walks closer to Ichika to arrest him, a silver car comes speeding down the road before swerving to a stop next to Ichika.
The passenger door opens to reveal a woman in driver's side of the car as she looks at Ichika. "You have an interesting appearance… I am very curious." The woman had long blonde hair that reaches to her mid back with her right bang longer than her left, a white shirt that shows her cleavage, a black sweater tied around her waist, black skirt and magenta sunglasses. "Handle it! Before it gets worse!" Ichika jumps into her car as she speeds way with the people still watching.
"Aaaahhhh! Stop that car! I'll arrest you! Wait?! Argh?!" The policewoman shouted as the car speeds down the road into the distance.
And thus, a tale about friendship between human and Digimon has begun.
To be continued…
Next chapter: Birth of the Cyber Sleuth Ichika! Enter the Kuremi Detective Agency and the Mysterious EDEN Syndrome!
A/n: How is that? Not bad for a new story's first chapter. Anyway, next chapter will have Ichika meeting Kyoko Kuremi, Satoru Kuremi and Twoelre from Gonna be the Twin-Tail. And when Ichika visits the hospital, he is shocked to see what has happened to him during the escape from Kwoloon. So stay tuned for more Digi updates.