A/N: Hello again! Welcome to the fourth chapter/episode of A General What If - Digimon Advneture (AGWI-DA)! First off, I'd like to apologize in the delay of this chapter. I had trouble trying to think of smoother transitions while trying to work out the kinks between the actual episode and the many twists that I plan on putting on my own spin of how the first season of Digimon should have gone.

Secondly, thanks to those who reviewed the previous chapters! It's surprising for me to see that people actually like this story. And also, thanks to those who added AGWI-DA to their Favorites/Alerts list!

Thirdly, I'd like to give a fair warning about future updates. As it is now, University life is just right around the corner, and I'm going to have to struggle through the extreme change from being a High School senior to being a University freshman. I will try my best to update this story on a more timely schedule, but I will most likely have to go through a testing phase to see how to plan my time accordingly.

Anyway, without further ado, onto the story!

But before I forget...

DISCLAIMER: I do not own Digimon nor anything that has to do with the entire franchise. This work is purely fanfiction and shall not make any profit using the Digimon name nor its franchise.

The entire group has been shaken up since that morning. The appearance of that black gear has frightened all the children and the digimon. Takeru remembers how the first meeting with the suspicious gear had gone.

Suspicion. Uneasiness. Foreboding.

Evil. Darkness.

Despair.

That is what they all had felt when they were staring at the strange object. Takeru winces, remembering what happened next.

Another pass at their heads is made by the gear. Sora screaming. Yamato's anguished cry as he falls on his injured arm yet again. Taichi barking orders. Jyou's frantic pleas for an adult. Koushiro trying to analyze the situation. Mimi crying.

Only he and Hikari were the more quiet ones, most likely due to the fact that they had heard that voice again. Strangely enough, the voice brought to them immense comfort, despite the fact that the feelings that were brought by the gear still lingers.

'Don't go near it! Bearers of Light and Hope, be careful of the evil that is behind that atrocity!"

And then, the gear was gone, flying away at top speeds in a random location.

Takeru wonders who or what that voice belongs to, and why they seem so adamant on helping them, guiding them, and warning them along their way. This has to be the third time, Takeru notes. The group of children and their digimon are now walking through a region similar to a savannah, the only difference being the sea of telephone poles protruding from the ground. He looks around, noting that his brother and Taichi have ditched their shirts due to the extreme heat. Takeru himself is now only wearing a tank top, his sweater and hat stuffed into his backpack.

"It's too hot!" Mimi's irritated voice rings through the air, causing everyone to sigh.

"We should probably turn back," Yamato suggests, looking around and seeing nothing worth travelling to. "We could probably try crossing at night instead," he adds. "That way, we can travel under cooler conditions."

"Piyomon!" Sora's voice of irritation surprises all of them, causing them to look at the girl with fiery orange hair. She sounds out of character, everyone thinks, and they want to see what had caused her to act out. "It's already hot, we've been walking for way too long, and your clinging is just making me more tired!"

Needless to say, everyone's eyes are all glued to the scene, jaws slightly hanging unhinged. Takeru tries to make peace with what just happened, coming up with excuse of the heat finally getting to her

"I'm sorry Sora," Piyomon's crestfallen voice makes everyone's heart clench, including Sora's. "I'll stop clinging onto you…" she trails, walking towards the back of the group.

Takeru can see the guilt on Sora's face now, and he hears her sigh. "Piyomon," she calls to her partner, earning the pink bird's attention. "I'm sorry," she apologizes and opens her arms. "C'mere, you can cling to me if you want." She finished with a smile, and the pink bird's face lights up in glee.

"Sora!" Piyomon jumps onto Sora's back. "I love you!"

For some reason, Takeru suddenly feels tired, and he reasons it's the heat. All of a sudden, his vision blurs until it's dark. All he feels now is the sensation of falling. He feels his body connecting with the floor and nothing else.

"Takeru!" Hikari's shout is all he hears, interrupting Piyomon's confessions of love. "Takeru! Are you okay?"

He feels a hand brush against his forehead, and he feels the same hand travel to his jugular.

"He most likely fainted due to exhaustion," he hears Jyou's voice, sounding more distant than before. "We have to get him water and shade. Fast!"

Everyone starts to panic, Yamato and Patamon being the louder ones of the bunch. Hikari's close to tears, not wanting to lose a dear friend of hers. Takeru is the only one she feels comfortable with, sans the two older brothers, and she concludes to herself that it is because they're the same age.

Takeru feels himself slipping in and out of consciousness, his breathing becoming shallower by the second. Faintly, he feels his body being lifted. Faintly, he hears his brother expressing gratitude. Faintly, the world slowly drifts away and everything goes still for a moment.

He swims in and out of consciousness. The only thing keeping him awake is the need to not worry them any further. He feels the time slip by, his sense of environment is twisted by his condition. The entire time, he feels the wind rush past his face, and he feels like he's flying. The feeling is abruptly put to a stop as he feels himself being lowered down, the feeling of grass beneath his bare arms tickle him.

"Stay with us!" He hears Yamato shouting, shaking him and patting his face every so often. He faintly hears Hikari shouting his name in the background, surprisingly becoming louder and louder by the minute. He assumes she's next to his ear by now.

He feels something wet pressed against his forehead, and everything starts to become clear again. Wincing, he starts opening his eyes and blinking to get the blurry vision to focus.

"Ow, Hikari," Takeru mutters, surprising them all. He sits up, using one arm as a support while the other rubs his eyes. "You're pretty loud."

A pair of arms flings forward, capturing him in an embrace while a single arm drags him into someone's chest. The young blond surmises that Hikari is the one hugging him Yamato is the one who pulled him into his chest. Turning his head, he finds out that his assumptions were on the spot.

"You scared us there little buddy," Yamato says, ruffling Takeru's hair. "Mind not giving me a heart attack any time soon? Or never again for that matter?" Takeru smiles at this, nodding in agreement.

Takeru looks down at the girl hugging him, unable to understand her through her sobs. All he can pick out is his name, the fact that she was terrified, and that she doesn't want to lose a precious friend. He notes that Taichi's sitting down near him, trying to pull Hikari into his arms to comfort her.

"You're going to need a few days rest," Jyou says, catching his attention. A thermos is shoved into his face. "Fresh water from the lake," he continues, pushing his glasses up. "I'll make sure to it that you get better," Jyou ends with a smile.

"Of course!" Mimi shouts with glee, ecstatic that he's going to be fine. "Anything for the two babies of the group!" She gets nods of agreement from both Sora and Koushiro, though Takeru can see conflict in Sora's eyes.

"We'll take turns taking care of you and looking for food," Koushiro tells him. "We're going to be camping here for the next few days until you feel better."

"I'm fine," Takeru says, shaking his head. "We can keep going."

"Takeru," Sora starts, looking at him warmly. "If you're tired, just say so. No one's going to get mad at you."

The younger blond stared at her with surprised blue eyes, feeling a wave of exhaustion fall over him.

"Okay," he nods, yawning a little. "Maybe I am a little tired…"

And that's when everything goes weird. Takeru momentarily freezes up, his body emitting small lights. His eyes glaze over, and a splash of yellow gold covers his normally blue irises. Hikari looks at him in surprise, staring at the entire spectacle.

Takeru feels as if his body is being possessed by another being, and the only thing left to him is his ability to hear.

"Takeru?" She asks, stepping back. Yamato grabs his little brother's arm, worry blaring in his eyes.

"I have come to offer a grand warning," Takeru's mouth opens, and he hears a different voice that doesn't belong to him. Mentally, Takeru starts in surprise as the voice sounds familiar. Hikari starts, staring at the child with wide eyes. "It is as you assume Bearer of Light," the voice speaks again. "I do not have much time. Be wary of the Black Gears. They are byproducts of the Great Evil that wishes to take over the Digital World, and they will corrupt anything they come in contact with—human and digimon alike.

"I have placed a protective barrier upon you all," Takeru feels his hand sweep in front of him, indicating the rest of the children and all of their digimon. "The power of the Gears will not be able to corrupt you, but still be weary as the mastermind orchestrating all of this is more powerful than you are all presently."

"Who are you? And what have you done with my brother?" Yamato screams, wanting answers.

"I'm sorry," the voice speaks once more to them, growing faint. "I've run out of time. I wish you all the best of luck Chosen Children. May Hope and Light forever blaze within your hearts…" the voice fades out completely while the light around Takeru dims to nothing.

"What just happened?" Takeru asks, feeling strange still. He looks at everyone and notices that their faces are still morphed in slight fright.

"I don't know…" Koushiro trails, trying to find a good, logical explanation. "But I think we just need to rest for now…"

Everyone nods, setting out to what they originally planned to do before that freakish experience occurred.

It's been three days since Takeru's fainting spell, and the entire group is ready to set out once more. They all took advantage of the break period, getting to know of the world a bit more, what digimon are, and simply relaxing and having fun. The one thing that still goes unanswered is Tailmon's story, but she promised them that she would tell them everything one day.

"Are we ready to set out?" Taichi asks, looking around at everyone. Feeling much better, Takeru nods and gives him a smile. Everyone else nods along, seeing Takeru healthy and fine again. "Then let's go!" Taichi shouts, marching back into the savannah.

They continue their path from three days previous, trudging through the familiar sea of telephone poles. The group stops at a certain point along the road, remembering this is where Takeru fainted.

"Which way from here?" Yamato asks, looking in all directions. "I still can't see anything besides that large mountain over there."

"Hey, wait, what's that?" Takeru hears Taichi grumble loudly enough for everyone to notice. The goggle headed child pulls out his mini telescope, focusing on one particular point in the distance.

"What do you see?" Sora asks, confused.

"A village!" Taichi exclaims, causing everyone to jump. "I see a village!"

"Civilization!" Jyou shouts jovially, running in the direction Taichi is looking. "Let's go already!"

Everyone hustles, coming closer and closer to the village. Taichi and Sora, both being soccer players, manage to outrun Jyou and become the leaders of the pack. Yamato paces himself with his brother and Hikari, making sure that they'll be all right while they run. Jyou, Mimi, Koushiro, and all of their digimon partners bring up the rear, panting as they are not used to the sudden workout.

Takeru notices that Taichi and Sora have stopped running, standing stock still in front of the village. He wonders why they stopped, all things considered. It's then that he notices something strange. Takeru remembers seeing the village huts from far away and noted that they were tiny due to the whole vision and distance concept, but now that he's closer, the huts have yet to grow much in size.

The village is a tiny village, with tiny huts, and most likely, tiny people.

"Wh…at…?" Jyou pants, barely making out the question as he finally reaches them. The entire group is now staring at the tiny village, confused and slightly disappointed.

"Why is everything so tiny?" Mimi shrieks, slightly outraged.

Soon, the occupants of those tiny huts start to pour out. Familiar looking pink plant bulbs make their way out of each hut, staring at the group of children and their digimon.

"Pyocomon?" Sora questions, seeing familiar looking digimon. "Hey, Piyomon, is this a Pyocomon village?" Her partner nods in confirmation, and she gives Sora a wide smile.

"Guests?" One of the Pyocomon questions them, looking at them with wide eyes before locking eyes with Piyomon. "A Piyomon!"

The many Pyocomon start to cause a commotion, throwing questions left and right at Piyomon, and the pink bird happily answers to all of them. Takeru laughs, watching the entire spectacle. He quietly notes Sora's rather exasperated facial expression and the way she sighs every time her name is mentioned. This back and forth question and answer between Baby and Child digimon continue for quite awhile, that is, until stomachs begin to growl. The Pyocomon halt their questioning, promising them all fresh water and a feast.

The promise catches all of their attention, causing the children and their digimon partners to cheer loudly. The Pyocomon lead them to their source of water first, fresh from the direct source of the Miharashi Mountains. At Takeru's questioning of the mountain, the Pyocomon and Tentomon all point to a mountain in the far-off distance. Turning his head, he looks at the mountain, surprise in his eyes at how they missed seeing it earlier.

"Takeru!" Yamato screams for his brother, trying to catch his attention. Taichi, being the closer of the two, lunges forward to grab the younger blond's backpack and haul the child away from the fountain.

Takeru opens his mouth, a protest almost escaping his lips. He is effectively cut off, however, as a pillar of fire shoots from the fountain, shocking everyone. The young child stares fearfully at the fountain, barely registering that his brother is thanking Taichi.

"What in the world…?" Jyou mutters, confused and concerned. He looks around, noticing the Pyocomon have gathered in front of a well.

"Over here!" They all shout, catching their attention. Takeru is the first one over there, Yamato and the Yagami siblings in tow.

"Let's try it," Taichi says, grabbing a nearby bucket and throwing it down. Instead of hearing a splash, they hear the bucket hit solid ground. "What…?"

The earth starts to shake again, causing the four of them and the digimon around them to back away. Another fire pillar erupts from the well.

Takeru stares at the well in confusion. At first, the fountain erupts in flames, and now it's the well. He tries to find the connection, and his head subconsciously turns to the mountain in the distance. He notices an orange dot descending the mountain side.

"Ne, Taichi," Takeru looks to the older Yagami. "What's that?" He asks, pointing towards the moving dot. Taichi whips out his mini telescope, putting it to his eye to get a better look. A few seconds pass as the older Yagami scopes out the area, letting out a gasp of surprise. "What is it?" Takeru asks once more, insistent on getting an answer.

"A fire demon!" Taichi shouts in panic, alerting everyone.

"Fire demon?" One of the Pyocomon asks, confused. She looks at the direction in which Taichi is looking, noticing it to be the Miharashi Mountains. "Silly! That's Meramon! He's the guardian of the mountain!"

"Well, it doesn't look like he's come to give us a warm reception!" Taichi shouts, turning to look at them, slightly frightened. Yamato takes the mini telescope from the Yagami child, putting it to his eye to see what he meant.

"He looks mad!" Yamato adds, turning to them all. "Hurry! We need to evacuate!"

The following panic and hysteria that comes with the evacuation continues for a long while. Taichi, Yamato and Jyou are in the front, scoping for a place to hide. Takeru and Hikari stay towards the middle, herding the many Pyocomon into an ordered line of evacuation, making sure none stray. Sora, Mimi, and Koushiro bring up the rear, making sure that any stray Pyocomon gets back in line. Tentomon and Piyomon take to the skies, acting as scouts for both a hiding place and Meramon's location.

"He's gaining on us!" Tentomon's worried voice kicks everyone into high gear, the adrenaline rush kicking in.

"There!" Piyomon shouts, looking straight ahead. "I see a crater with a ship! We can hide there!"

Shouts of agreement ring amongst the fleeing group, running much faster with a destination set. Tentomon continues on giving timely updates of Meramon's status behind them. Jyou begins to lag behind the other two boys, falling to the rear with Sora and the others. Taichi and Yamato are the first to reach the ship, the blond teen taking the lead and marching the Pyocomon inside. Taichi stays at the entrance, making sure that the Baby digimon enter as well as the rest of their group. The rest of the digimon stay with their partners, or around the vicinity of their partners, helping in any other way.

"Ah!" Hikari yelps, tripping on her own foot. She lands on her hands and knees, scraping them up slightly. "Ow…" she mumbles, wincing at the pain. As she tries to stand back up, her body starts to convulse as she begins one of her many coughing fits, causing her to fall back down.

"Hikari!" Takeru shouts, running over to the fallen Yagami. He begins to panic, not knowing what to do and noting vaguely that Tailmon started barking out orders to remain calm. The young Takaishi's eyes dart left and right, looking for what can help. His eyes continue their search when he faintly hears Patamon reminding him of the canteen that Jyou had given him earlier that day. He tries to remember if there was still water inside as he digs through his backpack, hoping that there really is water. Finding it, Takeru shakes it lightly and beams, hearing the sloshing of water. "Here!" He practically shouts, helping Hikari into a sitting position and putting the canteen to her lips. She takes a few sips before pushing the canteen away. This process continues for quite a while.

"Hikari!" Jyou's voice causes the young blond to look up, seeing the older child panic. "What happened?"

"I don't know!" Takeru answers, his voice tinged with worry. "We were just walking and she tripped. Then she started to cough a lot," he adds hastily, looking at the girl in worry.

"Help me help her up," Jyou commands sternly, crouching down. "I'll give her a ride on my back until we reach Taichi."

Nodding, Takeru helps with the task, diligently guiding the exhausted Hikari onto Jyou's back. Once that task is finished, Jyou and Takeru, along with the sick Hikari, make haste towards the ship to meet with the older siblings.

"Taichi!" Takeru shouts once he knows they are close enough for him to hear them. "Taichi!"

"Wha… Hikari?" Taichi notices the state of his little sister. "What happened?" He shouts in frantic worry, his overprotective nature becoming apparent as he gives an accusing glance at both Jyou and Takeru.

"According to Takeru, she just collapsed," Jyou informs him, placating the older Yagami. Carefully, he hands Hikari off to her older brother. "It must have been a relapse," he concludes, taking in Hikari's state. "Just be glad Takeru reacted quickly, otherwise she wouldn't have survived."

Taichi sends Takeru a thankful glance as well as an apologetic smile. The younger child looks on in confusion, unable to comprehend what had just happened. He's currently too worried for Hikari to notice. Tailmon and Patamon stifle a small laugh at Taichi's expense, the two digimon still worried for the younger Yagami.

"Take her inside," Jyou orders Taichi. "Go with them Takeru."

"But what about the other Pyocomon?" Takeru asks, looking back.

"Don't worry about it," Jyou answers him, giving him a reassuring smile. "I'll make sure they all get in. Plus," he adds, pushing his glasses up, "the others are already close."

Nodding, Takeru and Taichi bring Hikari into the ship, navigating through the many creaky floors and rotting support beams, eventually finding Yamato. With haste, Taichi and Yamato help set a makeshift bed using materials found laying around, using Takeru's backpack as a pillow.

"Don't worry," Yamato tells the two, using his only able hand to give them comforting squeezes on their shoulder. "She'll be alright. Hikari's a strong girl."

"Thanks Yamato," Taichi nods in agreement, casting a glance at Takeru. "Hey, Takeru," he starts, gaining the attention of the smaller blond. "Promise me that you'll take care of her," Taichi continues, his eyes not leaving Takeru's. "We need to make sure everyone is going to be safe here," Takeru can hear the hesitance and reluctance in his voice, "and I'm going to be needed on the front lines when Meramon catches up to us." Takeru notices that there was no use of 'if' but 'when'.

"I will," Takeru nods, eyes full of conviction. "She helped take care of me when I was sick, and now it's my turn to return the favor." Both Patamon and Tailmon nod in agreement, voicing their assurance that they, too, will help.

"That's my little brother," Yamato asserts, ruffling Takeru's hair. "And don't worry, he won't be alone," the older blond continues, looking at Taichi. "With my arm this way, I don't think I can be on the frontlines until it gets healed," the remorse in his voice is evident. "I'll be with Takeru and help with Hikari," Yamato smiles sadly. "Beat him up good for all three of us."

Taichi nods, leaving the three behind and passing by Jyou and Mimi on his way out. Jyou and Mimi look at him in confusion, watching as the goggle headed child leaves upon their entrance. Takeru can see Agumon following behind his partner, a determined look on his face.

Gabumon, Palmon, and Gomamon continue their jobs, herding the Pyocomon to ensure that everyone can manage to fit inside the ship's empty cargo areas. Mimi begins to fuss over the strangest things, probably a coping mechanism Takeru notes. Jyou busies himself with changing Yamato's bandages and checking Hikari's health. Takeru hears a soft gasp coming from the older teen, so he turns to look at what had caused such a reaction. His eyes widen in surprise, a soft gasp escaping him as well.

Yamato's arm shows no sign of damage. No swelling due to the dislocated shoulder, and there is no more bleeding much less a gashing wound. There is no scar at all either, leaving no physical evidence of the wound itself.

"I don't…" Jyou trails off, obviously confused and rather relieved. "How…?"

"We shouldn't worry about that right now," Yamato tells him, shooting a glance at Hikari. "There are more important things to worry about."

"Right," Jyou nods, moving away from Yamato to check on Hikari. He checks her temperature first, noting that her temperature is becoming more stabilized than when he first checked it when he stumbled onto Takeru and Hikari earlier. "She's doing better," he comments, nodding his head once more.

Takeru and Yamato both release a sigh of relief, worry washing off their faces. The younger blond smiles, knowing that everything will be all right, taking a seat near Hikari. Patamon and Tailmon join him while Yamato tests out his newly healed arm.

"It's still so weird knowing that I can use my arm again, especially since it's only been four days," Yamato comments distractedly, rotating his shoulders and moving his arm about. "How long did Koushiro say I'd have to wait again?"

"Three to twelve weeks," Mimi pipes up from her corner, apparently done with fussing about the surroundings and their hiding place. "He said you'd have to avoid use your arm in any strenuous activities for three to twelve weeks."

"I would have suspected three," Yamato replies cheekily, "but then there was that incident with Seadramon. That little adventure might have made it closer to six, maybe even eight weeks max."

Jyou opens his mouth to give his own opinion and input, but he is interrupted by a rather loud explosion and shouts coming from the outside. Startled, Jyou, Yamato, and even Mimi make their way to the upper deck. Before making his exit, Yamato turns to Takeru, giving him a silent nod that conveys Despite wanting to see what was happening, Takeru stays by Hikari's side, keeping his promise to Taichi.

"Are you sure you don't want to see what's happening?" Tailmon asks with a flick of her tail, the golden ring flickering as a few strays of light hit it. "I can watch over her for you," she adds, only to receive a shake of the head from Takeru. "Are you sure?" She asks, earning a nod in response.

"I promised Taichi and Bro," Takeru reasons, though he looks longingly towards the outside. "I don't want to break that promise."

Tailmon nods in approval, going to Hikari's side. She curls next to her partner, wanting to be near her while keeping an alert ear and eye. Patamon flies over to Takeru's side, landing on his lap.

"What are you going to do then?" Patamon asks, casting a curious gaze at his partner.

"I'll do what a kid does best," Takeru says, smiling. "I'll imagine what's going on."

"Based on what?" Patamon inquires, confused.

"The sounds and everyone's shouting," Takeru replies, closing his eyes shut. Slowly, he picks up the noises from the outside, pictures floating to the forefront of his mind.

Takeru hears the raging battle outside, and his little mind conjures a large scale imagination. The first thing he hears is Sora's screaming. In his mind, he sees her running, her voice sounding panicky and breathless. Piyomon must be in trouble, he surmises, and he can imagine the look of worry on her face. Meramon must have finally caught up to them, he thinks, and Takeru realizes that the explosion might have been caused by Meramon and one of his attacks. He quietly asks Patamon what the attack could have been, and his partner replies with the answer of Burning Fist.

Agumon's shouts catch the young blond's attention, and he can see the panic flash across Taichi's face. Shouts of being unable to evolve cause Takeru's worries to shoot up, his imagination flaring up wildly. He imagines all of the older kids' digimon partners, save Palmon and Gomamon who he knew were near him at the time, struggling to fight an Adult in their Child forms. Takeru hears their attacks being called out one by one, only to be followed by aggravated shouts of being ineffective.

The Takaishi child hears Tentomon's frustration, shouting that their attacks are merely a tickle, and that Meramon seems to be absorbing the attacks and growing larger. Takeru's imagination flares to life, the image of Meramon growing ten times larger than normal. Even if it was an imagination, Takeru scares even himself.

Taichi shouts loudly, and Takeru immediately pictures him worrying. At first, the shouting is incomprehensible, but the more he focuses, Takeru is able to understand just what the goggle wearing child is shouting about.

Sora is in trouble.

Takeru's imagination flares again, this time, with Sora running into the heat of battle, protecting Piyomon with her own body. He hears everyone shouting this time, yelling at her to run away, to pick up Piyomon and run, to get to some place safe. Takeru knows that all their shouts and pleas fall onto deaf ears as Sora stays there to protect her digimon partner, the only reasoning is that everyone's voice brings about an urgent tone. He imagines all of their faces full of dread and worry, and Mimi's screams only cements this image in his head. He hears Meramon using his Bruning Fist attack, the blazing fire tearing through the air currents.

Sora screams in fear, calling out Piyomon's name loudly.

Piyomon screams out Sora's name, her voice becoming louder and clearer as Takeru pictures the pink bird coming out of Sora's protective dome. The young blond child imagines the scene, Piyomon flying into the attack, shielding Sora from the impending danger.

And that is where his imagination is cut off rapidly, a bright light blinding him despite his eyes being shut. And his imagination restarts from where it was cut off as soon as the light dims.

Takeru hears a loud squawk and the air rustling once again. This time, loud gasps and exclamations accompany the rippling air currents, the surprised faces of all the older children push their way into the forefront of Takeru's imagination. With his eyes still closed, Takeru asks Patamon to take a quick look outside, wanting his digimon partner to help describe what was happening outside.

Patamon agrees, making his trip quick. Upon his return, the bat-pig tells him of Piyomon's evolution to Birdramon, a large orange firebird, much bigger than the ship itself. The image of Birdramon floats into his mind, and he does his best to keep it as realistically similar to Patamon's description.

The sounds of battle create the scene in his mind once again, this time, the children being able to fight back. Birdramon continually slaps Meramon with her wings as the others use their attacks in succession, damaging the digimon instead of giving him more energy. The sound of large flapping wings brings the image of Birdramon picking him their enemy, dropping him from a high distance. A shout of Meteor Wing, a following explosion, and a shout of agony signal the end of the battle.

In his mind, Birdramon wins the battle.

"Takeru," Yamato's voice breaks Takeru out of his state of mind, the younger blond opening his eyes at the sound of his brother's voice. "We did it," he smiles, and Takeru grins back in return.

"What happened?" Takeru asks meekly, wanting to see if his imagination was as accurate as possible.

To his amazement, it was. Yamato tells him the events that had transpired outside, and Takeru tries to suppress an amazed look as he finds that his imagination isn't that far off from what really had happened. The only difference is the exact size of the enlarged Meramon. Instead of being ten times larger, he was only seven times larger.

Taichi enters the ship, walking over straight to Hikari, Jyou right behind him.

"How is she?" The older Yagami asks, and Takeru replies that she's been resting the entire time.

Jyou makes one last check up, telling everyone in the vicinity that she's all right now. Happy, the Ishida-Takaishi siblings and Taichi give a shout.

"We should probably head back to the village now that we're safe," Taichi comments, crouching down next to his sister. "Can you help me?" He asks Jyou to help put Hikari onto his back, the oldest child complying.

The return to Pyocomon village is filled with excitement and questions. Throughout their journey back, Meramon accompanies them, his head aching with confusion. Koushiro fires off question after question, earning simple answers in return.

What scares Takeru the most is that Meramon remembers everything that has happened, but the fire digimon never was able to control his body during the entire ordeal.

As they near the village, Koushiro asks the one question that is on all the other children's mind.

"What made you go berserk like that?" The Izumi child asks, a curious gaze casted upon Meramon.

Meramon shakes his head, signaling that he can't remember. Instead, he promises to tell them as soon as he does remember. Accepting that deal, Taichi gives him a smile and a thumbs up, turning to the Pyocomon.

"So, about that promise?" The goggle wearing child gives the suggestion, trying to remind the Pyocomon of the promised water and feast.

"Right!" All the Pyocomon shout, hustling and bustling as they prepare to fulfill their promise.

Within moments, a feast is laid out in front of them all, Meramon included. Takeru picks up the bowl placed in front of him, carefully stirring the mixture inside around. He distantly hears Mimi complaining about the quality of the feast. His rumbling stomach has him think otherwise.

"It's good!" Takeru exclaims, inhaling the entire bowl. He isn't sure if it really was good or it was just the hunger speaking, but either way, he ends with a satisfied burp.

Taking his lead, everyone, including the now conscious Hikari, and their digimon partners eat their prepared bowl, drinking along the fresh waters that come from the Miharashi Mountain Spring.

Meramon suddenly stops, catching everyone's attention.

"I remember now," he says gravely, setting down his bowl as his voice drops.

"Remember what?" Hikari asks, slightly confused. Taichi decides that now is the best time to catch his sister up to speed with the situation, and she releases a small gasp at the turn of events.

"How today began, how everything went dark for a split second," Meramon lists somberly, blankly staring into space. "I remember why I went berserk."

"Why?" Takeru asks, wanting to know how such a nice digimon that the Pyocomon trusts would want to hurt them.

At first, Meramon is silent, trying to find the best way to put it. Everyone is sitting on the edge of their seats, wanting to know the answer as well. Sighing, Meramon reveals to them what caused the extreme change, causing them all to gasp in shock.

"Everything changed when I was hit by what looked like a Black Gear."

A/N: And there you have it! The end of the fourth chapter/episode. I had a hard time with the whole battle scene and making both of the younger children sick all in one chapter. In the end, I just decided to have Takeru imagine what the battle scene would be like, only to match it up to the fight scene in the actual episode as convincingly as possible. I hope it worked out that way!

Few key elements to note in this chapter:
1. That being of light speaks!
2. Piyomon has gone and joined the ranks of being able to become an Adult.
3. I just made Takeru and Hikari sick in one chapter.
4. Yamato is healed! (Now I don't have to feel as guilty anymore...)
5. Be weary of the Black Gear!

Some rather important translations to note:

Attacks
Japanese - English
Burning Fist - Fireball

Thanks again for reading!

This is Van, until next time!