Babysitter For a Day

by

DaveTheAnalyzer

Shoutmon grandly applied his signature to the treaty. A cheer went up from the observing villagers as he resisted slumping. Shoutmon's next smile wasn't entirely forced. There has been a long strife between the human and beast Digimon in the Village of Fun. Even before Bagramon appeared and made the Digital World a hell in a handbasket, these two sides had clashed fiercely. Wisemon had informed Shoutmon that the human Digimon were usually the instigators and he pressured them to make concessions. The beasts were forced to do the same but there were fewer and the Digimon king made sure the scales were fair. Shoutmon had come to learn that even if neither side in a conflict was bad, there were times one party was ultimately to blame.

Despite these challenges, Shoutmon was able to get a peace treaty formed. He had been assisted by the activist human and beast Digimon who were friends with one another. They filled him in on the more important details. He gazed at each of those Digimon in turn with pride in his eyes.

"With that, the bond of peace is sealed." Shoutmon began. "Now, it's up to this community to carve their own path and maintain the passionate friendships before me. If these bonds are broken for whatever reason or if there are questions in how to maintain them, remember, you've got a king to seek answers from. After all, part of carving your own path is knowing when to ask for help and I wouldn't have got as far as I have without seeking the assistance of my friends. My friends and I'll be sure to help. I hope these bonds of peace, these passionate friendships, shall attempt to do the same so my friends and I wouldn't always have to."

There was another smattering of applause and cheers, a bit louder from the beast side. Nevertheless, the human and beast Digimon mixed together as they broke off, chatting or arguing depending on their temperament. Shoutmon finally allowed himself to exhale in relief, releasing the tension in his body. Ballistamon and Dorulumon, having stood on either side of him, stirred.

"Are you alright, Shoutmon?" Ballistamon asked. "You seem exhausted."

"Don't tell me being the ruler of the Digital World is getting to you?" Dorulumon said.

Shoutmon smiled. "Not exactly. It's still very much worth it. Giving the vulnerable a chance to live comfortably, bringing smiles to everyone, putting the aspiring Bagramons in their rightful place…no, I don't regret being king."

"But?" Ballistamon said. "We know there's one coming."

Shoutmon sighed. "Being king is also exhausting. Whenever one problem is solved, four more seem to pop up. I love helping people but…not all of these things are fun and there's little time to relax. As soon as we're done with this village we're going to have to deal with the conflicts of other settlements. And there are those who are still waiting for help, like the Coliseum Zone. They're not going to have any more death matches but we still need to figure out how they can support themselves. I can't exactly put it into words but it feels like I'm missing something through all this hard work. I can't figure it out and that's pissing me off. If I knew what it was, at least I can think of some way to fixing it."

Ballistamon and Dorulumon looked at each other thoughtfully. "Sleep on it." Ballistamon suggested. "Maybe something will come to you."

"Yeah, I guess that's something I can try." Shoutmon shrugged. "At least Starmon's with his Pickmon crew reconstructing the Village of Smiles. He'd probably prattle on with endless suggestions until I snap, and bonk him on the head."

"I fail to see how hitting Starmon is a bad thing." Dorulumon said.

Shoutmon laughed. "Hey, he's not that bad. Brothers switch between being sweet and aggravating at the drop of a hat. Akari said it comes with the territory. Anyway, let's go. We have guestrooms that need to be warmed."

Shoutmon, Ballistamon, and Dorulumon walked to the small hotel. They got the best rooms but barely lingered there to do more than sleep and freshen up for the day. Most of Shoutmon's waking moments for the last week had been taken up with going through the village and holding tense negotiations. He didn't have time to get to know many other than the activists and those he negotiated with, and could only exchange brief greetings. It sucked but that was the price you paid for being king.

A few villagers waved as the trio passed. Shoutmon tried to hide his tiredness as he smiled and nodded in acknowledgement. As much as he would like to stop and chat, he needed an early sleep. They were to go out tomorrow and oversee the villagers working together for duties like gathering food or working the data power farm. Shoutmon looked forward to seeing this cooperation in action. He was so busy thinking about that future duty, he didn't realize there was an argument going on until Ballistamon's voice broke in.

"Stop. You aren't supposed to solve your problem like that."

Shoutmon's gaze rose. A Butterflymon had been pushed to the ground, cornered by a Petermon and Tinkermon. Anger bubbled up inside him when he saw the fear in the Butterflymon's eyes. Shoutmon quickened his pace, his harsh stamps causing Petermon, Tinkermon, and Butterflymon to look around.

"What's going on here?" Shoutmon demanded.

Petermon turned to him, mutinous. "She broke my door."

"He lives in a treehouse." Tinkermon explained. "Everyone knows not to disturb the tree in the middle of the village but Butterflymon fell into the door, and knocked it out."

"I didn't mean to, honest." Butterflymon pleaded. "I was blown over by a strong wind and couldn't stop myself before I cracked that door in two."

"It is windy tonight." Shoutmon murmured. "Anyway, this seems like a simple accident, buddy. I can arrange to have a new door put in, if you want."

Petermon jutted a surly finger at Butterflymon. "As long as she fixes it, and soon."

"But I can't." Butterflymon said. "Not tonight or tomorrow. I have children to look -"

"I'm now door-less and it's a cold night! How do you expect me to get any sleep?"

"You can room with me, Petermon." Tinkermon said brightly.

"Your home's too small." Petermon said coolly. "This beast destroyed my home, and she should pay for it."

"Hey, watch what you're saying." Dorulumon growled.

"Don't tell me what to do!" Petermon snapped. "I've seen how you side with the beasts of this town. I guess it shouldn't be surprising, with what you guys are. Well, I'm not going to stand here and be silent. This is what I think of you, and her!" He made a rude gesture and his hand glowed suddenly.

"Hey what are you doing?" Tinkermon raised a panicked arm. "The king's right-"

"Twinkle Shot!"

In a fit of temper, Petermon zapped out something yellow and sparkly, and hit Butterflymon. She cried out, and slumped onto the grass. Petermon started, as though shocked by his own actions. Roaring in outrage, Shoutmon closed in and smacked Petermon down with his staff. Shoutmon pinned him with the weapon as Tinkermon flittered about in horror, squeaking apologies.

"Oh my goodness, I'm so sorry, Petermon shouldn't have done that!" she exclaimed. "He always had a mercurial temper and I told him that would get him in trouble one day, and I was right! After all, there's a difference between being angry and attacking a pleading–"

"Quiet, you." Shoutmon growled. "You were only trying to stop him because I was here. Do you really believe those righteous words?"

Tinkermon opened her mouth, but no words came out. She hung her head in shame. Ballistamon and Dorulumon were right by Butterflymon's side, checking her over closely.

"How is she?" Shoutmon asked.

"She has a hot forehead." Ballistamon said. "Fever, maybe."

"Cutemon and Wisemon will have to examine her." Dorulumon said. "Shoutmon, I trust you'll handle things here."

"Oh don't worry." Shoutmon said. "I'll handle them."

Ballistamon gently scooped up Butterflymon and ran off, Dorulumon galloping alongside him. Shoutmon continued to stare at Petermon, emotions unreadable. Tinkermon flitted beside him.

"Don't hurt him." Tinkermon said. "He did a very bad thing but don't hurt him."

Shoutmon was silent for a moment. "What do you take me for, your friend? I'm not that petty."

"What did you say?" Petermon said angrily.

Shoutmon glared at Petermon, who quickly fell silent. To Petermon and Tinkermon's surprise, Shoutmon removed the staff from Petermon's throat and stepped back, allowing him to sit up.

"Even when I'm angry, I'm not the type to go eye-for-an-eye unless they really deserve it." Shoutmon said. "Even if they caused my anger in the first place. You aren't evil. I saw your horror at your own actions. However, you're very much selfish and misguided."

Petermon thrust his hands in his pockets and looked away. "And I suppose you're wise and pure of heart, huh?" he muttered.

"Hey, don't tick him off!" Tinkermon squeaked.

"It's alright, he has the right to question my authority." Shoutmon turned his back to the pair. "However, if you bully others because of their innocent mistakes, then you will see the truth wrath of the Digimon king. I don't like bullies and I especially don't like being reminded of bullies I had to put down. Reflect on what you've done, since I'm still not finished with you."

Tinkermon glanced at Petermon, who examined the grass with grudging eyes.

"King…" Petermon said.

Shoutmon didn't answer but walked away. He arrived at the hotel and was directed to the room where Butterflymon was being attended to. Butterflymon lay on a bed while Cutemon's hands glowed green as he attempted to heal her. Wisemon stood nearby, fingers whirling as he typed into thin air.

"Is she doing okay?" Shoutmon asked.

"I've healed the worst of it, but the damage doesn't seem to be going away." Cutemon said.

"Her data makeup has been corrupted." Wisemon said. "I need access to my most advanced equipment to help Cutemon if she's going to survive."

Shoutmon grimaced. Right then, he was tempted to go back and tell Petermon what damage he had done. Then Shoutmon shook his head and focused on what currently mattered.

"Will you two be able to heal her with that equipment?"

"Of course." Cutemon said. "What else do you expect us to do?"

"We are competent enough to take care of an ailment as minor as this." Wisemon sounded equally offended. "You don't need to worry. In twenty-four hours, after some rest, she will be good as new."

Shoutmon smiled, relieved. He turned to leave. "Then I'm counting on you two."

"Wait, king…" Shaking, Butterflymon rose and extended an arm out, eyes pleading.

"Butterflymon, please lay down." Shoutmon said, concerned. "You need to conserve your strength."

"But I have important duties. The children need me."

"Children?"

"I'm the caretaker of the children while the parents are busy with work or other duties. Tomorrow's a big day, so the children in the village will be in my care. If I'm not there, then…" Butterflymon flinched, and Cutemon helped lay her back down.

"You can't go." Cutemon said. "You need to be healed."

"I'd say collapsing in front of your charges would be counterproductive to taking care of them." Wisemon said dryly. "Healing you is going to take a while. You're going to have to stay with us in the meantime."

"I'm sorry, Butterflymon." Shoutmon said. "I was there and couldn't do anything to stop you from being hurt. My delegation was supposed to bring peace to this village and yet…"

"You aren't to blame." Butterflymon said. "You've made this village more peaceful since you arrived to make these negotiations. It doesn't mean all fighting stops. Sometimes there are a few last scuffles before a more permanent harmony comes around. Even a king can't foresee and prepare for every fight during such a period."

Nevertheless, guilt wracked Shoutmon's chest. He gazed at the floor, fingers closed into tight fists. There must be something he could do to help. He can't let these children go without a caretaker. There must be someone who can make the time and look after them on Butterflymon's watch.

Almost as though summoned, an idea showed up at the forefront of his mind, a both simple and complex solution to the problem. Shoutmon examined it closely, weighing his options. This would be a difficult decision. He would have to rejuggle other priorities but his honor wouldn't let him back down from making things right. Shoutmon raised his head, squaring his shoulders as though carrying a burden.

"I will go."

"You will go to do what?" Wisemon asked.

"I will take care of the children…in Butterflymon's place."

Wisemon and Cutemon blinked. They weren't exactly shocked, as they were familiar with Shoutmon's acts of ambitious kindness, but they were caught off guard here. Butterflymon gazed up in surprise and concern.

"But you can't," she said. "You have your duties tomorrow."

"Ballistamon and Dorulumon were going to take care of most of them anyway." Shoutmon replied. "I would have been a wee bit superfluous. Besides…Butterflymon's charges are important as well. Just as important."

Butterflymon stared at him, her breaths calming. "Your majesty…thank you."

"You should rest." Cutemon said. "You need to conserve your strength for the operation."

Butterflymon nodded and closed her eyes. Soon enough, she was contently asleep. Shoutmon turned and made to leave the room.

"Are you sure you want to do this? I could call any of our many comrades to take your place. I'm certain they wouldn't mind."

Shoutmon looked over his shoulder at Wisemon and waved dismissively. "Nah, it's fine. This is my responsibility. I can't go back on my word with Butterflymon. Besides," he smirked, "taking care of a bunch of kids sounds like fun. I'm pretty sure a lot of our comrades don't exactly agree on that. I can't wait to see the kids' faces when they realize the Digimon king is going to be looking after them."

Wisemon nodded. "Very well. I'll trust your judgement. They'll surely be surprised though. Hopefully, your status will make them cooperative."

"I hope they don't cooperate just because of that. I'm not a god, after all."

Over dinner, Shoutmon told Ballistamon and Dorulumon of his new duty. They reacted with fond exasperation and gave advice about parenting that sometimes held little seriousness in tone.

"Don't spoil them." Ballistamon said. "That could hurt their development."

"Yeah." Dorulumon said. "You'll be among your own kind, after all."

"Oh, shut up." Shoutmon retorted. "I've grown up a lot. I've heard you admit it, more than once!"

"The more things change, the more they stay the same." Dorulumon looked away, chewing on a pack of Diginoir.

"I think he was complimenting you." Ballistamon said.

"Really, do you have to give the game away that quickly?" Dorulumon smirked slightly.

"I don't need your compliments." Shoutmon gave his own smirk. "No need to worry, I'll be a good authority to them. Really."

"And we'll make sure the villagers behave." Dorulumon said.

Ballistamon nodded. "Count on it."

Shoutmon smiled and waved a hand. "I know I can rely on you. Now less talking and more eating! We're going to need a lot of energy tomorrow."

Shoutmon grabbed the nearest box of Diginoir and ripped it open to stuff his face, albeit in a slightly more dignified manner than in his adventures. Ballistamon followed his example. His table manners didn't change much but Shoutmon considered that his best friend's charm point. Dorulumon ate slowly and thoughtfully as always, eying Shoutmon. Shoutmon was occupied by the emotions churning in him. Even with his confident words, Shoutmon couldn't help, but be nervous about how well he would take care of the children.

Yet a thrill went through him at what he was about to do. Even as he determined to do his best for Butterflymon and his charges, a part of him couldn't deny he liked this rare opportunity to enjoy himself. He had a good rapport with children. He liked playing with them and making them happy. He was honest with his friends when saying he thought this might be fun, and was going to enjoy the experience to the fullest. Still, Shoutmon cautioned that anticipation with the mindset he shouldn't dally or lax off from what these children usually needed. He owed it to them and Butterflymon to do his best – no, be his best, no matter what he wanted or the unforeseen challenges that lie ahead.

The day was clear and bright as Shoutmon made his quick way to the daycare. After having held a detailed conversation about her duties and charges, Butterflymon had been moved so Wisemon and Cutemon could better treat her, and he already bid farewell to Dorulumon and Ballistamon before the delegation started touring the village. Normally, Shoutmon would have at least gave a parting speech but the parents would drop off the children early. Shoutmon only had time to linger at the hotel and give a one minute address outlining the events and telling everyone to behave before saying a quick goodbye and running off.

Now Shoutmon used the keys bequeathed to him with Butterflymon's permission to enter the daycare. He closed the door behind him and waited. That waiting soon included pacing, looking at the notes written from the conversation with Butterflymon, and occasionally glancing around to distract himself. The warm yellow walls and cool blue carpeting were certainly calming. A few pictures were on the wall of local Digimon, including Butterflymon, as well as famous or beastly Digimon drawn to look strong yet friendly. Shoutmon smiled at a cartoon of himself adorned with an extravagant purple cape and exaggerated golden crown, giving a thumbs up to all who came to the daycare.

*Man that brings me back.* he thought. *I'm not the type to dress so gaudily now but if drawing me like that makes them happy, I'm certainly not going to object.*

There was a knock and Shoutmon opened the door to find himself with seven Digimon parents, each carrying a groggy or squirming child who they had to fight from getting out of their grip.

"Good morning, king," said a Fladramon. "I hope this isn't a bad time but…"

"You came just in time." Shoutmon waved. "Come on in!"

He led the parents in into the playroom, where the children and some of their toys were deposited. At once, some of them zoomed out of their parents reach to dig out through toy chests or start chatting with playmates. The room was soon filled with the noise and chatter of young Digimon, and Shoutmon made sure to be aware of what was going on around his feet as he talked with the parents.

"We can't stay long," said a Kyubimon. "We have to be on our way."

"Thank you so much for staying with the kids," said a Stingmon. "We worried about what to do when we heard Butterflymon was sick but when we heard you volunteered, we knew they would be in safe hands."

"I will make sure they don't get into too much trouble." Shoutmon found himself saying neutrally."Butterflymon has kept me informed about what kind of kids they are and what I should do for them. Do you want to add any more information about them?"

"Oh, there's one thing," said a Greymon. "Due to a glitch in my dear daughter's data, she needs to eat a bit more than the others. She won't clean out the stock but whenever you're eating, she'll have some extra of what the others usually gobble up."

The parents proceeded to bombard him with facts and suggestions. Shoutmon nodded patiently throughout, scribbling down to watch out for a boy who didn't have the energy of his peers, a girl with temper issues, a son who found it difficult to talk with new people, among many other issues and quirks. Their words indeed echoed what Butterflymon wrote but it was good to hear how the other parents talked about the issues. The parents lingered long enough to clarify several more needs before they had to leave and be present for Ballistamon and Dorulumon's tour on how to live in harmony. Currently, Shoutmon found himself staring at seven young Digimon, who observed him with the brightest of eyes.

"I know I need no introductions," Shoutmon began, "but let's do them anyway. I'm Shoutmon, king of the Digital World. Due to my debt to the usual caretaker, I'm working in her place. Now, may you each introduce yourselves?"

At once, there was an excited burst of chatter, the sound bouncing off the walls and making any words coming out of the seven mouths unintelligible. Shoutmon waited a few seconds before waving for the babble to abate.

"One at a time." Shoutmon pointed at the young Digimon nearest to him. "You first."

The pink ball with antennae hopped forward, a drip of drool on the side of her face. "Hi, I'm Koromon. Can we have something to eat please? I had breakfast but I'm still hungry."

"You're always hungry." said a fox disapprovingly. She bowed to Shoutmon. "Hi king, I'm Pokomon. I admired you for a long time. If you ever need a queen, let me know."

Shoutmon chuckled. "Sorry, I'm too busy to pursue romance and you're way too young. But we can be friends, right? And Koromon, you're a Digimon after my own heart. The sizes my stomach stretched when I ate…anyway, introduce yourself, green dude with the leaf over there."

The Digimon in question, who appeared to be seconds from nodding off, started. "I'm Leafmon. Sorry king, but I'm so tired."

"You're so lazy, Leafmon. You're making us look bad in front of his majesty." A red Digimon said, flicking her fin-like ears disapprovingly. "Forget about him, sir. I'm Jyarimon. Not all of us are like Leafmon."

"Ah, don't be like that." Shoutmon said. "When I was young, there were times I could be pretty lazy too. Don't worry Leafmon, I already know about your sleep thing. Next."

An orange head with a horn glanced at the others enviously and struggled to meet Shoutmon's eye. "Um, nice to meet you, I'm…I'm –"

Shoutmon smiled kindly. "Yes?"

"He is Tsunomon!" A blue furred head with a tail hopped forward proudly. "He can be shy. I'm the great Wanyamon-sama. And this is my partner in crime, Chibimon."

"Hi!" The blue and white bipedal Digimon waved with his stubby arms. "Do you have any money? I want to buy this cool toy and –"

Shoutmon laughed. "Even if I had money, I wouldn't want to spoil you guys too much. From how you speak, I might have to keep a close eye on you, Wanyamon. And Tsunomon, don't be afraid to talk with me. I want to be friends with each and every one of you." Shoutmon clapped his hands. "Now, first order of business – food. I can't cook for anything and I know most of you already had breakfast. But fortunately, Butterflymon had left behind some precooked Diginoir that even the Digimon king would be able to prepare without burning."

Loyally, the young Digimon followed Shoutmon into the kitchen, Tsunomon glancing at Wanyamon, Chibimon, and several others with what appeared to be flashes of annoyance. He counted off eight premade Diginoir cans and put them into the microwave. He carefully put in the time and waited. There was fidgeting.

"Is it ready yet?" Koromon asked.

"Hey, the microwave hasn't gone ding yet." Shoutmon said impatiently. "Did Butterflymon have the power to make time go faster? Don't worry, it's under less than a minute."

Soon, the microwave dinged, the cans of Diginoir were prepared, and there was cheerful eating all around. Shoutmon ate from his can, observing how children filled their stomachs with varying levels of enthusiasm. He attempted to commit what he was told about them and their needs to memory. As he hoped none of them choked from chewing quickly, he felt a pair of eyes on him, and turned to see Koromon eying his can.

"Can you give me some of that?" Koromon asked.

"You've already finished your can?" Shoutmon said incredulously.

"Yeah, but I want more."

"Sorry, even a king needs to eat. Maybe you can-"

"But I want more!" Koromon cried. "I want more, I want more,! C'mon, your majesty!"

Koromon burst into tears and Shoutmon cringed, glancing at the other young Digimon.

"I wouldn't worry about her, your majesty." Pokomon said. "She just doesn't know when to stop."

In the background, Tsunomon and a few others huffed and rolled their eyes. Pokomon didn't notice.

"Don't be mean." Leafmon moaned, face messy from leaning into his can sleepily. "She can't help it. Don't you remember what her father said, your majesty?"

Shoutmon paused and rubbed his chin. Now that he thought about it, Koromon's father did say she needed extra food and Butterflymon's notes mentioned the same issue. Something about an interesting quirk in her coding that meant she only remained healthy when she ate a bit more than everyone else.

Pokomon scoffed. "Stop blowing things out of proportion. A girl eating a lot can't be healthy."

"A girl can't be healthy if they aren't eating enough and I'm going to trust the parent here." Shoutmon thoughtfully retrieved one of the spare Diginoir cans and put it into the microwave. "Her father did say something about this among the babble. Very well, you'll have another one, Koromon. I was going to give you one anyway – you know, to protect my fill." He winked.

Koromon perked up and hopped in excitement. "Thank you, king!"

Shoutmon nodded and started the microwave. Koromon stared fixedly as the timer gradually counted down. He could see Pokomon barely restraining to roll her eyes in annoyance. He had to keep an eye on her, as warned. Trying to flirt with him was adorable but she seemed like the sort who didn't approve of nonconformity. Some conformity might be needed for the peace of the Digital World but that didn't mean individuality had to be sacrificed. Pokomon needed to learn that, Shoutmon thought as the microwave went ding and he gave the opened can to an delighted Koromon. Even violent impulses could be redirected into safer courses, in Shoutmon's opinion.

And speaking of violent impulses, Jyarimon had suddenly rounded on Wanyamon with fury.

"You took one, didn't you?" she snapped. "You took one of my Diginoir!"

"No!" Wanyamon yelped. "I didn't do anything, honest!"

"What's going on?" Shoutmon stepped closer.

"He stole of one of my Diginoir!" Jyarimon said.

"No, he didn't!" Chibimon said. "One just fell and you mistook one of yours for yours."

"Liar! You're always doing stuff like this. If you don't tell the truth, I'll –"

Jyarimon launched herself at Wanyamon and Chibimon but Shoutmon slid in the way and caught her in his hands.

"Calm down!" Shoutmon said. "I understand dealing with annoying people but you can't attack them!"

"But they –" Jyarimon began.

"Get her away from us!" Wanyamon wailed.

"She's a rapid animal!" Chibimon said.

Jyarimon's eyes flashed. "Why, you!"

"Stop!" Shoutmon snapped. "Jyarimon, go into the other room with your can. Wanyamon and Chibimon, stay here. I want to have a word with you."

Jyarimon gave Shoutmon a resentful look but only spared a glare toward Wanyamon and Chibimon before leaving the room with her Diginoir can. Pokomon looked between the three partners as though not sure who disgusted her more. Shoutmon crossed his arms and gazed at the pair sternly.

"So," he said, "hand it over."

"Hand over what?" Wanyamon said innocently.

"The Diginoir."

Chibimon flinched. Shoutmon refocused his gaze on him. Neither said anything but they both understood each other's intentions clearly. Wanyamon glanced at Chibimon in annoyance, even as he plucked his tail out and revealed the Diginoir he hid in his fur.

"You really had to squeal, didn't you Chibimon." Wanyamon growled.

"But I didn't." Chibimon protested.

"Don't blame him," Shoutmon said. "Let's just say I'm a good people reader."

"Are you going to punish us?" Wanyamon asked warily.

"Not this time." Shoutmon said. "As Butterflymon's note said, you two are the ones I'm really going to have to watch the most. I'll let you off with a warning. If you have any more mischief in mind like that, be prepared to face my wrath. Understand?"

Wanyamon didn't answer but Chibimon nodded hastily. Smiling, Shoutmon went to the other room. Jyarimon ate sullenly from her can and looked up when Shoutmon appeared.

"Did they have it?" she asked.

Shoutmon displayed the Diginoir. "I gave them a good talking to."

Jyarimon's surliness was replaced with a smile, and she went about devouring the single Diginoir. She and Shoutmon returned to the kitchen where Chibimon and Wanyamon eyed her nervously even as she resumed eating the rest of the Diginoir in her can, relaxed. Shoutmon finished his own can soon enough and the children, whose growing bodies gave them big appetites, weren't far behind him. Shoutmon was already feeling a bit winded from dealing with these children. Butterflymon had said they could be difficult under new supervision but that made him wonder what the rest of the day was going to be like. Still, it was something he should have seen coming. Shoutmon decided to arrange an activity that would give him time to recharge and prepare for the rest of the day. He clapped his hands to get their attention.

"How would you like to listen to tales of my adventures?"

There was an immediate outcry. The young Digimon would like nothing better than to hear about the battles that led to Bagramon's downfall from the source himself. Shoutmon grinned, pleased again, and waved for them to join him in the playroom. He took the most throne-like beanie chair and sat down, waiting for the young Digimon to become quiet and settle in around him. Rarely had Shoutmon appreciated the difficultly Jijimon had in preparing for story time until times where he had all eyes on him like now.

"So what story are you going to tell?" Pokomon asked.

"A story of luck and danger." When that got a round of "Ooh!" Shoutmon continued. "My dear partner and I were in the very bowels of an island. There was no one but us and our buddies in the Xros Loader. One of our buddies just found the Code Crown and we were eagerly running toward the passage. We thought we were alone but when we turned the corner, we found our buddy knocked out and a gaggle of Flymon outnumbering us! Their leader separated Taiki and I before we could do anything and he held me within his grasp. He talked about what was going to happen when he stung me and I was petrified. I thought, surely, someone would rescue me in the nick of time. That was what always happened in hero stories. But no one came and that stinger pierced me right in the tummy!"

There was a series of gasps and whimpers. Those who had stomachs automatically covered them, imagining the sensation of such an assault. He let the stunned reaction hang on for several seconds before proceeding on.

"The agony was horrible. I was turning more and more blue by the second. I thought I was going to die. We could do nothing as the Flymon tried to retrieve the Code Crown. Fortunately, it was shielded. Help soon came in the form of the owner of the Code Crown – the island itself. For that island was a Whamon and we've been inside of him this whole time. He told the two of us to hang on and flooded the room, flushing those mean Flymon out of his body. At Taiki's request, the Whamon healed me and permitted us to have the Code Crown. Thanks to the intervention from an unlikely friend, I was now strong enough to get out and kick some bad guy…tail!"

The children cheered. Shoutmon subtly wiped his lips in relief. Even as a king, the occasional foul word slipped out. He had to be careful now he was marshalling peace in the Digital World. One wrong word could start a fight…or in the brains of some, corrupt the minds of young Digimon. Plus he wanted to respect Butterflymon's request to keep clean language around the children, so they wouldn't be in even more trouble than usual. He doubted it would damage them in the long run but wanted her job and those of the parents to remain a little easier, so Shoutmon didn't protest. He waited for the cheering to die down.

"To make a long story short, we beat the Bagra goon in charge of those Flymon and helped keep Whamon and his island pals safe. As you can see, even the most random Digimon can help you in a time of crises. That help was from someone powerful but don't underestimate how you can help too. I've been helped by random and ordinary Digimon like yourself who could be as extraordinary as that Whamon. Remember, you can be extraordinary too."

There was a thoughtful hum as the children digested this message. Shoutmon was somewhat relieved. He sort of came up with the lesson on the spot in a hurry, having pulled that anecdote more to entertain than to teach. Still, the lesson wasn't too far off the mark from his experiences. The young Digimon's eyes wandered back to Shoutmon eagerly

"Can you tell more stories?" Koromon asked.

"Yeah, more!" Jyarimon said.

"Hmm, only a few more." Shoutmon said thoughtfully. "Judging by the schedule, Butterflymon doesn't linger too much on story time. I wouldn't want to deviate from her schedule too much."

There was a collective "aww" of disappointment.

"We want to hear more about you though." Leafmon said.

"Y-yeah, me too-" Tsunomon began.

"You're a great hero!" Pokomon interrupted. "The Digital World's at peace because of you,"

"It was with the help of my comrades and all of the Digital World that was accomplished," Shoutmon said.

"But we want to know more." Wanyamon said. "To know why your friends and especially you are so great. Today would be our only time to learn it personally. So tell more stories. Please."

Shoutmon stared at Chibimon and Wanyamon suspiciously but the rest of the Digimon were looking just as eager and pleading. He shook his head in amusement. "I'll see if I can pack some more exciting tales in this short amount of time."

That wasn't exactly the answer the young Digimon were looking for but a few looked intrigued and Shoutmon wracked his brain for those exciting tales.

Eventually, Shoutmon decided to go over more the more emotional battles, like Xros Heart's tense relationship with Blue Flare and how they eventually got Nene to join their side. Some details were skipped over or tweaked to make the stories more exciting and to respect the privacy of his friends. Even now, there was some personal details they understandably didn't want to share with the public.

Shoutmon didn't admit to himself he made these minor changes to gain that starry look in the young Digimon's eyes. Shoutmon told the general truth, but he could already see the teasing he would be in for from his friends if this ever slipped out, especially from those like Dorulumon. Shoutmon tried to weave in some lessons about teamwork and helping out others so the children might carry away something extra meaningful and he would feel like he was doing more than enjoying himself. He thought he was doing a descent job. Their adventures had been fraught with intra and interteam conflicts, and how they came to become friends could serve as teachable moments for these kids.

"…and when we all saw Pinocchimon fell from GrandLocomon , his buddies went out to catch him and –"

"But I want yours!"

"You have enough, Chibimon! Leave me alone!"

Shoutmon, knowing trouble when he heard it, immediately zoomed in on the voices. Chibimon had three colorful pacifiers crowded into his mouth and was trying to tug Leafmon's out. At Leafmon's pained groans, Shoutmon surged to his feet.

"Chibimon!"

At once, Chibimon froze. All the pacifiers fell out of his mouth, leaving him gaping at Shoutmon. Leafmon took the opportunity and hopped away to hide near Shoutmon's feet.

"What are you doing?" Shoutmon asked quietly.

"I – I just wanted to have fun with pacifiers, that's all." Chibimon stuttered.

"If you want to do that, you shouldn't take mine." Leafmon said. "It's part of my face, you know."

"Shoving all those pacifiers in your mouth is a health hazard, Chibimon." Shoutmon said. "I don't want you to choke on me. And you heard Leafmon. If what you're doing is hurting him, stop it at once. His pacifier's a part of his body. Do you want to cause an incident on top of everything else?"

Chibimon pouted. "No, your majesty. I understand."

Shoutmon bit back disappointment and looked at Wanyamon, who struggled to hide his own disappointment. He thought his talk with the pair would pressure them into being better behaved but, in retrospect, he shouldn't have been surprised. Being scolded by Jijimon didn't stop Shoutmon from getting into mischief. Before he could speak to Wanyamon and Chibimon any further, a ringing phone distracted him. Shoutmon answered the call, making sure the children didn't leave his sight.

"This is the daycare center. Shoutmon, Digimon king, speaking."

"Now there is something you don't here every day," a robotic voice said.

There was a grunt of amusement. "Are you still holding up, or do we need to mount a rescue?"

Shoutmon leaned against the wall. "Dorulumon, Ballistamon. I'm holding up just fine. How about you?"

"We're also holding up." Ballistamon replied. "Everyone is working together."

"There were a few squabbles but someone put them to rest." Dorulumon said.

At Dorulumon's odd tone, Shoutmon raised an eyebrow. "Oh?"

"That someone was Petermon."

"You're pulling my leg!"

"No. Whenever an argument broke out and he was around, he would use his even voice and swift movements to bring back calm. He's hovering at the edge of things and not meeting anyone's eye but he isn't being hostile."

"Interesting," Shoutmon said. "Keep an eye on him, as well as anyone who might cause trouble."

"While you keep an eye on the children," Ballistamon said.

"You sure you don't need assistance with them?" Dorulumon asked. "I have experience with Cutemon, so this won't be totally foreign to me."

"Cutemon hasn't thrown the tantrums these guys have," Shoutmon replied. "You still have your duties. If there's anything I learned in regular dealings with adults, it's that they can be more difficult to marshal in order than children, even if they're your friends."

"Even they're your friends?" Ballistamon repeated. "Was that an insult for adults like Dorulumon and I?"

"I wasn't hinting at you two, Ballistamon." Shoutmon said innocently. "You're an adult?"

Dorulumon sighed. "I'm not sure if you're lying or not. Still, we'll have something planned for that when you get back."

"Oh, definitely." Ballistamon said.

Shoutmon smirked. "Ooh, I'm shaking in my scarf. I'll take on whatever you plan. See you later."

Shoutmon replaced the phone into its wall receiver, turning his full attention to the children. Fortunately, being watched by Shoutmon seemed to make the young Digimon models of propriety. Koromon and Leafmon were playing with a bouncing ball, the former with more enthusiasm. Pokomon and Jyarimon squabbled about tactics while playing checkers. Tsunomon was in the corner, looking out the window and occasionally turning in Shoutmon's direction before losing his nerve. In the other corner, Wanyamon and Chibimon were whispering with wide smiles. Frowning, Shoutmon approached them.

"Hey, are you up to any mischief?"

Wanyamon immediately placed himself in front of Chibimon, staring innocently at Shoutmon. "We're up to nothing."

"Oh, is that so?" Shoutmon said.

"Uh-huh." Wanyamon said defensively.

Shoutmon had to admit, he was impressed with the guts this child had for standing up to the king. The child had little fear of authority figures, whatever their ranks. That did make Wanyamon difficult to deal with, though. Shoutmon wondered how Butterflymon kept him in line. Was he the type to be unruly when the substitute was in? Shoutmon uncrossed his arms and walked away.

"Alright, I'll believe you this time. If I catch you doing anything, though, you'll be sorry."

Shoutmon pretended he didn't hear Chibimon's little whimper as he went to do lunch for everyone. His story time had went on for so long that it was almost noon. This time around, he prepared something a little more extravagant that would make the young Digimon's taste buds dance. With that, Shoutmon pulled the heated up Diginoir salad cans out of the microwave and put them on the counter. At the microwave ding, the children stopped what they were doing and gathered near his feet with keen eyes. Grinning, Shoutmon opened the cans and distributed them among the children (Making sure to give Koromon a larger can.).

He was eating his own can while watching the children closely, hoping for some peace while the young Digimon occupied themselves with filling their stomachs. His hopes didn't last long. Before he took four full bites from his salad, Pokomon jerked oddly, cried out, and rounded on Tsunomon.

"Why did you bite me?" Pokomon demanded.

"I didn't bite you." Tsunomon said.

"You were behind me, I felt your teeth on my tail. Why do you think biting's a good substitute for talking?"

"Not this again." Shoutmon muttered. He stepped closer to the pair. "Is there a problem?"

"She thought I bit her tail and she's wrong!" Tsunomon said.

"You have to believe me, your majesty." Pokomon pleaded. "I would never lie about this."

"I didn't, I -" Tsunomon made a noise of frustration. "It's because you both like talking to people right? You have to talk to the king so easily, while I can't get a single word in. It makes me so mad, I want to–"

Tsunomon cut himself off, eyes wide, red spreading across his cheeks. Mumbling in increasingly quiet tones, he turned around. Shoutmon rubbed his forehead. He was really starting to get tired of these emotional dramas. No one told him being young was like being the cast member of those soap operas Taiki mentioned. Shoutmon liked these children but it was too much. Apparently, it was too much for Pokomon as well. Red for a different reason, she snapped.

"You want to what?" she demanded. "Spit it out, for once! It's your own stupid fault you can't speak up, don't take it out on mean!"

"I can because if you were gone…then I could talk to the king." Tsunomon said slowly "Without people like you and Wanyamon and everyone else, I can get the courage to talk to him and others. Yeah," he nodded to himself, encouraged, voice rising. "That's right. Go away. Go. Just go where we don't have to deal with your prissiness or stupid pranks, so I can be normal. I'm so sick of all of you. Jump off a cliff for all I care, you just–"

"Quiet!" Shoutmon snapped.

The other lunchtime murmurs fell silent. Shoutmon panted, Tsunomon and Pokomon rooted to the spot, as though forgetting how to move. Shoutmon stepped even closer and everyone in the room realized, in at least one way, how this Digimon maintained his authority as king in the first place.

"I just have had enough of this arguing around here." Shoutmon growled. "Pokomon, I can no longer tolerate your rudeness. No more food, and go to the corner of the small playroom."

"But he bit me!" Pokomon said, eyes wide and pleading. "Your majesty-"

"Don't try that on me!"

Pokomon cringed away but didn't move. For a moment, Shoutmon thought he would have to yell at her again but she sent a resentful look and ran toward the small playroom door. Shoutmon gazed toward Tsunomon.

"Don't think you aren't in trouble either." Shoutmon said quietly. "Just because Pokomon and Wanyamon can be haughty and mischievous doesn't mean you should say they should jump off a cliff. No more food for you either and get into the corner of the room."

"I was – I was only –" Tsunomon began.

"Do I need to repeat myself like I did with Pokomon?"

Tsunomon subsided, very frightened. He abandoned his meal and hopped to the corner, shaking. Shoutmon gazed at the rest of the young Digimon.

"Does anyone else want to start anything?"

The children instantly contrived to be the most angelic members of their age group, focusing on eating the food and talking benign, small shop. Wanyamon's eyes darted about as he resumed hop-scotching with Chibimon, a flicker of nervousness in his eyes. They moved stiffly in Shoutmon's presence.

*That'll teach them to mess with the king.* Shoutmon thought.

Still, the sight of young Digimon filling their stomachs without much in the way of joy wasn't giving Shoutmon any jollies. Shoutmon usually had few, if any, regrets in putting adult bullies in their place. They should know better, and were being jerks anyway. They deserved being shouted at, and bopped on the head. But children who were innocent and still testing their boundaries really didn't know better. That was what made them children and Shoutmon didn't know if they deserved the full weight of his anger or not. The rage draining away, Shoutmon looked around uncertainly before banishing the expression away. As the caregiver, he shouldn't show weakness. Anyway, he should focus on his current disciplinary task. He would worry about the mood of the children in general later.

As his playmates tried not to attract unwanted attention to themselves, Tsunomon turned around nervously as Shoutmon approached.

"Tsunomon, let's go to Pokomon and have that talk."

Gulping, Tsunomon nodded silently. Shoutmon picked Tsunomon up and opened the door to the small playroom. It was indeed small, built only for three or four children, with toys scattered about. Pokomon sat in the corner obediently, not having touched anything. She turned when Shoutmon and Tsunomon entered. Shoutmon sat cross-legged beside her and placed a shaking Tsunomon on his other side, so they would be at a safe distance to talk and Shoutmon could interfere if a fight broke out. They two grimaced at each other's presence but their nervous focus was more on Shoutmon as he regathered his thoughts.

"Sorry for losing my temper."

Pokomon and Tsunomon gazed at Shoutmon in surprise. Shoutmon gazed back, shoulders slumped, looking quite unlike his self-assured, warm self. Not knowing how to react, the two remained quiet.

"I don't regret punishing you – you probably would have ignored me unless I yelled like that – but….I should have better explained why what you did was wrong. Pokomon," Shoutmon turned to the yellow fox Digimon, "there's nothing wrong about being prim and proper but don't use that to put down others. Acting like you're peers aren't your equal, sneering at them, isn't right."

"But they're so rude and slovenly –" Pokomon began.

"That doesn't mean they don't have other good qualities. Trust me, I was just like them…still am, to some extent." Shoutmon said, smiling slightly. "You're going to have to think in a different way. Anyway, I'm not saying you have to look for your future romantic partners in them, but at least maybe see them as potential friends."

Pokomon wasn't exactly convinced but she appeared to have been given much food for thought. Shoutmon turned to Tsunomon.

"There's nothing wrong with being shy, I can tell you that. I know some people who are better at smashing bad guys than speaking to their fellow 'mon. They have gotten better, but it's never easy. However, I can see you can be an envious guy and that can be dangerous."

"What do you mean?" Tsunomon asked warily.

"Envy can change you for the worst. I've seen it in bad guys who probably went bad because they wanted power badly. And you don't want to do bad stuff in order to gain power, right?"

"No." Tsunomon said hesitantly.

"Right. There's nothing wrong with being jealous. That's a natural emotion. But when you said Pokomon and Wanyamon and others should jump off a cliff, you took a step down a grim path. Don't wish any acquaintances of yours dead. You don't want to screw around with fate. Not only could it hurt someone who could've turned out for the better, you would feel guilt for the rest of your life. Trust me, I know of a few 'mon who had done that and regretted it."

"O – okay." Tsunomon said. "I'll try not to do that regrettable thing."

"I – I think I understand." Pokomon mumbled reluctantly. "About what you said about me."

Shoutmon patted Tsunomon and Pokomon gently. "Good. Now let's go out and have fun with whatever games you kids play these days."

With the merest traces of relieved smiles, Pokomon and Tsunomon followed Shoutmon out of the room. The pair weren't meeting one another's eye but didn't appear uncomfortable either. Shoutmon expected that was as much progress as he could wring out. Butterflymon most likely dealt with these issues before and would be still trying to resolve them in the future. Shoutmon made up for his loss of temper and gave words Tsunomon and Pokomon would digest carefully so Butterflymon's job would be a bit easier. They might be more behaved under her eye but these issues were boiling under the surface and it would be better to help put them at ease in case they blew up later. If the two did decide to change for the better, the Digimon king would be proud of them.

With that encouraging thought in mind, Shoutmon led Tsunomon and Pokomon to where the other children were still eating and talking quietly, slowing when they saw the trio come in. Feeling a spike in guilt, Shoutmon looked around to see how he could make it up with them. His eyes fell on the clock and, just as the kids were almost done eating, the schedule occurred to him.

"Alright." Shoutmon clapped cheerfully. "That issue's done with. Once you're done eating, why don't we have some recess?"

There was a cheer and smiles returned to the young Digimon as they eyed the backdoor eagerly. Anticipatory chatter rose as the children ate the last of their food and they gathered at the door, eying him with longing to burn off the energy they just gained from filling their stomachs. As this happened, Wanyamon awkwardly hopped over to Tsunomon and threw his tail around him while not looking his way. Tsunomon started, not sure how to react but relaxed in that silent act of apology. Grinning, Shoutmon moved forward and unlocked the door.

"Time to have some outdoor fun!" he declared.

Shoutmon swung the door out. Faster than he could react, the young Digimon bounced out, cheering as they fell under outdoor light. Shoutmon waited until Pokomon slipped by last before he closed the door behind him.

The backyard he entered was as large as three-quarters of the daycare building. High wooden fences separated the yard from the trees whose branches peaked out from above. On one end there was a sandbox with a few toy shovels and buckets. Among the grass there were some colorful toys scattered here and there. Up against the fence, there was a small sunroof that dispersed the light, slightly lower in height than Shoutmon's legs, with walls that went down on either side to support it.

Shoutmon was unsurprised when Pokomon scurried over and nestled there, closing her eyes in bliss. Leafmon's head leaf lazily fiddled with a ball but he eyed a slime box where most of the kids were splashing and rolling, laughing uproariously. Shoutmon blinked as Leafmon and Tsunomon went to join them but shook his head with a smile. That slime box seemed to be a part of the backyard, judging by the aged wood, and the children were getting along very well. That made Shoutmon happy and he was content to lean against the wall and watch.

His contentment was interrupted by a flash of green. Suddenly, slime slammed into his face. Slicking some of the sticky stuff off and examining it with half-lidded eyes of annoyance, Shoutmon turned to the perpetrator.

"Wanyamon!" he growled. "So you're up to your old tricks again."

Wanyamon wasn't the least bit shameful. He giggled mischievously and scooped from the slime box with his tail.

"You're not preventing my fun this time, your majesty." Wanyamon said. "You know what time it is, guys!"

Even with seeing the young Digimon get along in that slime box, Shoutmon was still shocked when they all turned to grin widely at Wanyamon.

"Slime time!"

Shoutmon vaguely noticed Pokomon thrust in her little hideaway so no part of her was exposed. He just watched blankly as the young Digimon gathered up slime with what limbs they had available and proceeded to throw it at each other, occasionally sending some in his direction. Shoutmon dodged, gripping his fists.

"Stop this right now! If you don't, I'll–"

A series of splats followed. Within seconds, Shoutmon found himself covered from head to toe in slime. The young Digimon hopped up and down, the mischievous, the mercurial, the shy, all giving one gleeful plea.

"Play with us! Play with us!"

A vein almost burst from Shoutmon's forehead. At last, after a full day of tantrums and conflicts, something in him snapped. The children wouldn't know what they unleashed. Controlling his expression, he slopped forward until he was next to the slime box, head lowered.

"You want me to play with you?" Shoutmon asked quietly.

"Yes!" The young Digimon cried.

"You wish the king of the Digital World to join in this messy game?"

"Yes!"

"Are you sure? Are you…really sure?"

"Yes, yes, yes!"

Shoutmon raised his head, wearing a wicked grin. "Very well! You asked for it!"

The young Digimon cheered, but were cut off by a bombardment of slime. Shoutmon used his staff to throw slime from the slime box at rapid fire speed and it took a moment for the children to regroup and fight back. More slime splattered against Shoutmon. It caught in his scarf, made his scars tingle, and made him slip and slide in a most undignified fashion. Yet Shoutmon didn't care. He was having the most fun he had in a while and judging by the squeals of delight, the young Digimon appeared to share the feeling.

When it was all done, the backyard was a mess, with the grass and fences and walls and people decked in slime. Pokomon peaked around the wall of her small shelter, not covered with even a speck of green. Shoutmon panted, exhausted from the excursion and the young Digimon gazed out at the world with half-lidded eyes. Trying to put some authority back into his voice, Shoutmon clapped his hands.

"Right! Everyone to the bathtub stat!"

"Yes, your majesty." They said, calm and with little disagreement in their voices.

"And right after, we should mop up this mess." Shoutmon said, looking around. "I can't see why Butterflymon allows this if this needs to be cleaned up so often."

"That's because it…cleans itself up." Tsunomon said with effort. Encouraged he could talk, he indicated. "See? The slime is wriggling back into its box right now."

Shoutmon lowered his gaze and realized Tsunomon was correct. The slime was wiggling through the grass like worms, getting back into the slime box. On the fences and wall, it slid and fell off to the earth to join its brethren on that journey. Even the slime on everybody slipped off for the same reason. Shoutmon stared around with interest.

"It's programmed to act like that." Leafmon said. "Butterflymon bought it at a great bargain before we were born."

"Neat." Shoutmon said approvingly. "I need to ask Butterflymon where I can get some. But not all of this crawls off the body, huh?" At the shaking of heads, he continued. "Then make sure not to make a mess on the floor, and let's have that bath. Now scoot!"

The children scooted. Pokomon got out to trail after them, Shoutmon bringing up the rear and making sure they left minimal slime on the carpet. The bathroom on the first floor was tiled and had a dozen towels lined up on the racks, designed to slide down or up to accommodate Digimon of varying heights. The rest of the room was occupied by a giant tub the height of Shoutmon's knees. There were stone slabs in the tub floor that could be pulled up to divide everything into sections but the tub was still one single entity that could accommodate everyone present, with plenty of room for more.

"Nice pad." Shoutmon said. "Bath time must be a lot of fun around here."

"Oh, it will be."

Shoutmon sent a look toward the speaker. Wanyamon widened his eyes in what Shoutmon thought was forced confusion, curling his tail around himself innocently. Shoutmon shook his head, and went about turning on the taps. He allowed the young Digimon to request their preference for soap, and he pulled some of those stone walls up if they expressed an inclination for privacy. Unsurprisingly, Pokomon was one of the few to make the latter request. Once the tub was filled, emanating many sweet smells and with stone walls jutting out in one corner, the children jumped in happily. Shoutmon joined in, scrubbing himself carefully and drying his scarf on the rack.

"That was fun, your majesty." Koromon sighed.

"Yeah!" Leafmon said, with a brief burst of spirit.

"I didn't expect you to actually join in." Pokomon commented.

"Hey, I know when to have fun." Shoutmon said. "But I'm usually too busy to have much of it."

"Then maybe we should fix that." Chibimon said.

"What do you mean?" Shoutmon asked suspiciously.

Unusually, Chibimon was being pretty forward. Shoutmon was used to Chibimon cowering behind Wanyamon at the slightest sign of disapproval. Shoutmon didn't know if this was a sign Chibimon was warming up to him or scheming something that wouldn't result in punishment.

"Oh, I don't know…" Chibimon said. "What about a tickle fight?!"

Before Shoutmon could react, Chibimon leapt onto him and began rubbing his tiny little arms against the former's stomach. In spite of himself, Shoutmon let out a whoop of laughter.

"Hey, cut it out! Not the scars, not the scars!"

Of course, this only made Chibimon concentrate especially on the scars. Wanyamon joined in, and they had the king at their mercy until his hands snatched the pair from behind. Shoutmon stared at them ominously.

"Should have asked permission first," he whispered. "It's only courtesy with these games. I would have said yes anyway."

"Alright, we ask that and you seem to already give permission." Chibimon said nervously.

"We also give you permission to tickle us." Wanyamon said, with a daring grin. "Though I doubt you're much good at it anyway."

"Really? Well you should know that I'm the Digimon king. Which means I'm the best at everything." A cheeky grin crossed Shoutmon's features. "Which includes tickling!"

Then Shoutmon wiggled his fingers around Chibimon's arms and Wanyamon's cheeks, and they were almost crying with gleeful laughter. They struggled against Shoutmon's grip, jerking themselves forward in an apparent attempt to get back at their royal tickler.

"Nice try." Shoutmon chuckled. "But I'm not going to just let you tickle me!"

"Then why don't we tickle you?"

Shoutmon raised his head to give a permissive grin to Tsunomon and the other young Digimon with eager, anticipatory faces. With that, they charged. Shoutmon lowered his arms as shields. They crashed and pushed hard against him. Shoutmon grunted. They were strong as a group. Still, Shoutmon wasn't going to surrender that easily. He had to stop tickling Chibimon and Wanyamon as his priorities changed to keeping no one from getting through. He kept his grip tight on those two as they struggled harder and the others redoubled their efforts against him. They tickled his arms, but that only brought a smile from Shoutmon.

What brought the laughter for Shoutmon was this game to see whether the young Digimon could overcome his defenses and tickle him senseless. It was a silly competition with no true consequences, where all parties enjoy each other's company and work off excess energy. The children's laugh indicated they were loving this. Win or lose, they were all having a great time. Still, Shoutmon believed he wouldn't have too much trouble at keeping these kids from tickling him until they grew bored.

But then a squirt of soapy water into his face distracted Shoutmon completely. He got a brief glimpse of Pokomon in her corner pulling her paws from the water and putting one on her mouth to suppress a giggle before he was swamped by the young Digimon. Shoutmon laughed even before they began to tickle him senseless. Chibimon and Wanyamon joined in, free from Shoutmon's grasp. He tried to escape but their combined weight pinned him down. He added to the sloshing with his flailing limbs.

"Okay, I give, I give!"

Upon hearing that admission, the children backed away and Shoutmon took a moment to get in some oxygen. There were still a few slime spots on the bathers, but the tickle session scrubbed most of the green stuff off. Shoutmon gave the young Digimon a mock-congratulatory look.

"Congratulations, you beat the king of the Digital World in a tickle match!" He couldn't resist adding, "Though I'm still awesome at everything else."

There were cries of protest and Shoutmon was splashed with soap and water.

"Okay, maybe not at everything. Geez, you guys are so touchy."

That earned giggled in reply and Shoutmon smiled. He and his charges cleaned away the remaining slime, drained the water, and dried themselves off with labelled towels. Once they trooped out, Shoutmon saw there was a descent amount of slime flecks on the floor leading out from the backyard. Shoutmon marched into the kitchen and rummaged around until he brought out a bucket and a set of sponges. The young Digimon observed him filling the bucket with a bit of dread. Shoutmon returned to them and plucked the bucket and sponges next to him.

"Right, let's clean up this mess." Shoutmon said. "Shouldn't take too long, so no complaining."

He handed sponges over to the children. Wanyamon and Chibimon were the most reluctant to help out, but one intimidating look made them grab the sponges and get on scrubbing. Shoutmon grabbed a sponge of his own and joined in. With one king and seven young Digimon, the floor was soon shining. Of course, the shining meant it was slippery, so they got out cloths and wiped the floor until it no longer shined. As Shoutmon rubbed a particularly stubborn wet spot, he couldn't help noticing some of the children had a difficult time keeping their eyes open.

"You guys tired?" he asked.

"I guess…" Jyarimon yawned.

"Our naptime is around this time." Leafmon said.

"Then far be it from me to prevent you from sleeping." Shoutmon said. "Go on, shoo! Get out your blankets!"

The children flitted off. The more helpful Pokomon pointed out where the sleeping blankets were located and the young Digimon snuggled under them in the play area. Shoutmon watched closely as they went out one by one, resting peacefully. He smiled fondly at the agape mouths and loud snores.

*I wonder if I was that cute when I was young.* Shoutmon thought.

Then a wave of exhaustion hit Shoutmon. Delicately, he leaned against the wall.

"Guess I need a little cute rest myself." Shoutmon muttered.

Shoutmon checked the time. He would have two hours to rest. Shoutmon didn't want anyone who came by seeing him sleeping on the job, but he also didn't want to alarm them by collapsing on the spot. Shoutmon pulled up a spare sleeping blanket and cuddled under it. He lingered long enough to program an alarm he installed into his headphones for two hours from now before he was asleep within seconds.

When Shoutmon was next aware of his surroundings, it was dark and difficult to make out the shape of the room. His mind was hazed with dreams of his adventures fighting Bagra. For one heart-stopping moment, he thought he had been captured by one of their freakish generals and wondered where his comrades had been snatched off to. Then he realized all of that conflict was in the past. He was with his charges in a perfectly ordinary playroom, which was dark because the lights had been turned off. Shoutmon relaxed, shaking his head at his own paranoia.

Then he shook his head for a completely different reason. "Wait, what time is it?"

A persistent ringing caught his attention. Tripping in his sleeping blanket, Shoutmon tried and failed to answer the daycare phone before it was on its third ring. He caught it on the fourth.

"Yes?" he slurred.

"Why weren't you answering? I thought the pipsqueaks killed you."

"Very funny, Dorulumon." Shoutmon said irritably. "I was having a nap with those pipsqueaks until –" Shoutmon cringed as a pronounced trill filled his ears. "Until that alarm. How are the villagers doing?"

"Oh, they are cooperating really well." Dorulumon replied.

"What do you mean?"

"Whether they don't want to invite your anger or if their emotions are actually sincere, many are trying to tamp down prejudice and proclaim the village should be more equal." Dorulumon said dryly. "The Human-types aren't muttering as much about wanting more than they need and I haven't heard the Beast-types wishing to be dominate. In fact, there have been a few debates about how to better distribute resources and who can do well with less. They have become quite involved in the discussions."

"That's good to hear." Shoutmon said. "Will they be able to pick up their children at the right time?"

"From what we heard of the parents, they won't be late but they won't exactly be early either."

"Hmm…at least I can really plan from here."

There was a pause on the other line and Ballistamon began speaking. "Are you okay? You don't sound enthusiastic."

"My current duties were a little more than I expected." Shoutmon replied. "I'm happy but it has been a handful. But don't worry, I can handle it.'

"If you're sure." Dorulumon said.

"We want to see you soon," Ballistamon said, "but Dorulumon doesn't want to admit it."

Dorulumon coughed. "Anyway, we'll see you tonight, if not tomorrow morning. You do what you need to do."

Shoutmon smirked. "I miss you two too. Bye."

As he hung up, he heard several yawns pierce through the midafternoon silence and found the young Digimon shaking the sleep out of their eyes, trying to see through the low light level.

"What time is it?" Leafmon asked.

"Are our parents here yet?" Koromon asked.

"It's almost four. They will come in an hour or two, remember?" Shoutmon said. "The cooperation thing my buddies are leading is taking up their time but rest assured they won't be too late. Which means you get to spend more time with the king. What is your response to that?"

The young Digimon perked up, murmuring appreciatively. Though they might miss their parents, they couldn't turn down the chance of hanging out with the Digimon king. Shoutmon smiled, looking around.

"Alright, what are we to do next?"

"Ghost stories, ghost stories!" Jyarimon said.

"Smores over a camp fire!" Koromon grinned widely.

"No reason why we can't have both." Shoutmon said. "Butterflymon had told me you like that kind of thing and like her, I'll be setting up the campfire. You're all too young to handle the unpredictable power of flame."

A few of the children found this disappointing but most didn't care. Their stubby limbs weren't made to start a fire and most didn't even have limbs. Going into the backyard, Shoutmon displayed his impressive jumping skills against the fence. The young Digimon watched with envy as he leapt out of sight to gather some stray sticks and chop down the small dying trees. When he returned, he carried enough wood to light a bonfire. Instead, Shoutmon laid out about a quarter of them. The children breathed in with anticipation as Shoutmon pulled his staff back. With a light swing of his weapon, he started a healthy but small blaze.

"You lot, follow me." Shoutmon said. "For one thing, I don't trust you not to get burned. For another, I need to find the smores." He scratched his head. "She didn't specify where they are, so, you'll need to show me."

Wanyamon waved a tail. "I know where it is. This way."

Shoutmon didn't know whether to trust Wanyamon here, but he and the others followed nevertheless. He was no more than one step behind the child for more than just caution, though.

"You sure know how to party." Shoutmon whispered.

Wanyamon was embarrassed but pleased. "I can make them happy too. They don't always scream."

"As I saw when you interacted with Tsunomon." Shoutmon replied. "I see even you recognize there's a thin line between teasing and bullying."

Wanyamon winced. He had the grace to appear guilty for a moment before glaring up. "What would you know? You're the king. Kings are supposed to be bullies."

"Yeah, they can be." Shoutmon said softly. "I'm trying to be different, and only trying to bully bullies. They enjoy picking on the weak, and don't care for when to stop. I hope you'll know when to pull back the teasing before you accidentally cause the damage they caused."

Wanyamon didn't reply but Shoutmon had the feeling the young Digimon had gotten the message. Wanyamon did no more than point to the cabinet where the DigiNoir and regular marshmallows were located. Shoutmon got them out and returned to the backyard with the others.

"Alright, let me demonstrate how to do smores." Shoutmon said.

"But you told us not to do anything with fire!" Pokomon protested.

"This is for when you get older. And something Butterflymon can continue when I'm no longer around."

The children watched fixedly as Shoutmon grabbed the thinnest of sticks, affixed a smore to its tip, and repeated the process until he had more than enough for everyone. He carefully positioned the sticks and smores over the fire at the exact angle and distance where they wouldn't be burned. The smores all lay around one side of the fire. Shoutmon gave them the time to reach the right temperature before pulling them back and blowing on the smores, eyes returning to the young Digimon.

"So, while these smores cool, anyone know any cool ghost stories to pass the time?" Shoutmon asked.

"I do, I do!" Chibimon hopped. "It's about the ghost of a former evil."

Everyone went quiet. Chibimon crouched down, doing his best to look menacing. Shoutmon sat down and leaned against the crowd with the smores cooling in the air, attempting to not appear too amused.

"He still crouches around in the Digital World, looking for anyone who can give him power again. No one knows who he is. He doesn't allow anyone to remember. It's a mystery. When you hear his deep voice, he commands you to hurt others so their pain will give him power. You can't resist. You can try but he always gets what he wants, and the next thing you know, the bed next to you is empty. There are sparkles in the air. So watch out for the ghost with a big beard…the one who goes 'argh!'"

Everyone jumped. Pokomon looked so frightened she eyed her surroundings as though expecting the specter to be among the group. Leafmon and Koromon cuddled with closed eyes. Distractedly, Shoutmon noted both had been rather patient about food and sleep, and weren't complaining much. Shoutmon was proud of that. But most of Shoutmon's attention was on his shaking, though not from fear.

"Let me guess," he chuckled, "it was the ghost of Bagramon."

Chibimon gasped. "How did you know?"

"There haven't been any other evil overlords recently that would haunt the Digital World. Also, he does have a big beard."

Chibimon huffed. "You're no fun!"

Shoutmon crossed his arms playfully. "I thought guessing the ghost's name was part of the fun. Besides, we were having fun throwing slime and messing around during that tickle fight, weren't we?"

Shoutmon casually stepped forward. He meant nothing threatening by it but Chibimon jumped away as though he would be smacked. Shoutmon felt sorry for the kid.

"Hey, hey, I don't hit kids. I was just teasing. Why are you acting so scared of me?"

"Oh, he thought you were going to punish him." Wanyamon said.

"He likes watching us get punished, but when he gets calls out, he just can't take it." Koromon said.

"Y – you didn't have to tell him that." Chibimon said.

Koromon shrugged. "He asked."

"It does suck when you're caught during a fun prank." Shoutmon said. "However, there's a reason authority figures stop you. At times, some jokes can really hurt people. Not to mention after becoming an authority figure, I can say…dealing with your type is exhausting."

"I know." Now aware he wasn't being punished, Chibimon shrugged, relaxed. "It's just more fun to be silly than worry about any of that, right?"

Shoutmon didn't know whether to laugh or glare. He settled for shaking his head.

"Well, don't be surprised if you get punished a lot. It's hard to relate to others at your age but that'll change. You'll think less about yourself. For now, Chibimon just think of how what you'd feel if you were on the receiving end of some joke. You're annoying Chibimon, but I like you. I don't want the day to come where I no longer can like you. Understand?"

Caught off guard, Chibimon lowered his head, flushed. "Um, okay. It's not like I need your approval, so ah…"

"You're flattered!" Koromon said cheerfully.

"How does it feel to have the concern and love of the king, Chibimon?" Pokomon teased.

"I don't really, um…" Chibimon stammered.

Shoutmon patted Chibimon on the back. Chibimon didn't exactly resist the physical comfort. Shoutmon turned to the other children. "Right, the smores are cooked. Time to eat. Anyone else want to tell ghost stories while we chow down?"

"I do, I do!" Jyarimon hopped forward. "Oh, it's going to be good."

Shoutmon distributed the smores and observed the young Digimon eat closely, noting how much of the smore they took into their mouth or how fast they chewed. Jyarimon waited with barely concealed impatience, not giving her own smore much attention. When attention at last refocused on her, energy coursed through her.

"It's about a madwoman," she whispered conspiratorially. "Not a woman whose crazy but a woman whose mad all the time. When her friends shunned her, she deleted herself but her anger couldn't be contained by death. From beyond the grave, she screamed at the people who were mean to her. She screamed and screamed and screamed. She thought that would satisfy her and she could move on but when the Digimon grew to be nice people, the madwoman couldn't stand it." Now her words came by more quickly. "They shouldn't get away with what they did, so she planned ways to make them mean again so she could later hurt them with a clear conscience. The first person had gotten married and she influenced her to be greedy and desire endless riches. This was done until the first person wanted to rule the world, with the madwoman thereafter shaming her for being so mean. This caused the first person to be so sad and self-hating she deleted herself. From then on, many of her former bullies were picked off in this way and those that survived and their descendants had to be careful with how they behaved or the madwoman would come after them. And some of those descendants might be one of us now."

Jyarimon gazed at them all impressively, expecting praise. She got meek, hesitating looks.

"You seem to have a taste for the morbid." Shoutmon said finally.

"Too much description, maybe." Leafmon said.

"Yeah, be more showy." Chibimon said.

"Yours was the same, but you added a boo at the end." Jyarimon retorted.

"That boo at least spiced things up." Wanyamon said. "So he's smarter than you, then."

Jyarimon, if possible, grew redder. "Shut your mouth, you -"

Jyarimon tackled Wanyamon, screaming in rage. Shoutmon jumped in and separated them with a firm grip.

"Geez Wanyamon, don't antagonize her!" Shoutmon said.

"Why are you blaming me?" Wanyamon complained. "She always flies off the handle when we have a little fun. I'm sick of it, and want it to stop."

"I can't help being angry." Jyarimon said furiously. "Some of your games are fine but the others are just ways to find out how to hurt others for fun. When you do that to me, am I supposed to nod and smile along, and not be hurt by them?"

"We're just goofing around." Wanyamon snapped. "Me and Chibimon aren't bugging you every second."

"That's enough!" Shoutmon shouted. "That's enough…"

There was silence. Shoutmon turned to Jyarimon.

"You're right to be outraged when someone taunts you or another person. I'm not ragging on that. But don't assault the. That can lead to trouble for you both, and it's best to let the guilty party hang themselves."

"But – that's so hard." Jyarimon said helplessly. "The anger just becomes bigger and bigger until screaming isn't enough. I become mad quicker than I think. Not to mention these guys don't take no for an answer and nothing seems to stop them except hurting them. What am I supposed to do, your majesty?"

Shoutmon didn't know how to respond. He was often not a shining example of temper control even now. How to advice someone who was young and as such had a harder time maintaining self-control? His mind turned carefully to the recent past, when he had been maturing and his responsibilities increased, and he needed to steer his temper to safer targets. A lightbulb pinged.

"Do you have a pillow?"

Jyarimon looked confused. "Uh, yeah?"

"Maybe you can take your anger out on that." Shoutmon said. "I used to rough my friends up a bit when I didn't get my way. That isn't a good sign for a king, and so I took my rage out on punching bag, nearby rock, or even tree when my friends or someone who I'm not supposed to punch ticks me off. Sure, it gave me weird looks but it was vital for learning to battle with words and not with fists."

Jyarimon appeared intrigued, but not wholly taken with the idea. Shoutmon grinned suddenly.

"Or you can beat the person with the pillow and it can turn into a pillow fight. I've done that one or two times with my friends and all ill feelings were usually beaten out. So arguments settled with roughhousing mightn't be such a bad idea."

"Your majesty!" Wanyamon protested.

Jyarmon slowly grinned. "I thought you didn't protest a little fun. Why start now?"

"She has a point there." Chibimon pointed out.

"Hey, you're supposed to be on my side." Wanyamon said.

"Oops, sorry." Chibimon said sheepishly.

Jyarimon and the others laughed. Shoutmon returned his gaze to Jyarimon.

"Though seriously, I wouldn't recommend that. Could get you into trouble. Just channel your outrage in a way that doesn't go too far. You get what I'm saying? It won't be easy, but the urge to hit will wane with time and practice."

Jyarimon nodded slowly. "If the king suggests it…I'll try."

"I'm suggesting it because it's good advice, but whatever. Just say sorry to each other and we can move on to the next ghost story."

Jyarimon and Wanyamon stiffened, eying each other and Shoutmon, obviously displeased to be forced to say sorry to others who they felt they had genuine grievances toward. But a look from Shoutmon showed they only had to apologize for these recent actions.

"Sorry for attacking you." Jyarimon said.

"Sorry for being rude." Wanyamon mumbled.

Since those two gathered the nerve to say their apologies, Shoutmon decided to steer attention to more fun topics. "So – ghost stories! Who has them?"

"Why don't you tell us a story, your majesty?" Koromon asked.

"Yeah, tell us one!" Pokomon said.

"Hey, this is your spotlight." Shoutmon said.

"But you must have gone through loads of scary stuff." Leafmon said.

"We want to hear about it." Jyarimon said.

"I'm afraid I can't tell everything." Shoutmon chuckled. "Some of it's too scary. It might get you in trouble. But if you really want a ghost story…let me think about it."

The children watched in anticipation as Shoutmon gripped his chin, looking sideways in thought. Shoutmon slowly grinned, in a manner that displayed too many of his sharp teeth.

"Ah, I know the perfect tale," he said lowly. "Gather around."

They did so, munching slowly on their smores, the crackling fire the only sound in the night. Shoutmon raised both hands.

"This is the story of when I was a young lad and got hit over the head for showing my ignorant tail to the world," he intoned. "Before I had any friends other than my childhood ones, Lilymon-"

"Is she your girlfriend?" Pokomon cut in eagerly.

"What? No."

"Is Lunamon your girlfriend?" Wanyamon asked slyly.

Shoutmon sighed with exasperation. "How do people know about something so – never mind. First, Lunamon identifies as a boy, so the correct term is boyfriend. Second, I'm not interested in romance and probably won't be for a while. It's hard enough to keep track of my many friends. I'm having a hard time picturing what it would be like to have a lover in my life. Now can we stop talking about my romantic prospects and focus on the scary stories?"

There were eager nods.

"Good. As I was saying, when the only people I knew and cared about were Lilymon, Starmon, his Pickmon crew, and Jijimon, there was a cave outside my village. No one dared go near it unless they wanted to disappear without a trace. The cave was known by us as…the Cave of Frowns."

Chibimon snorted. "That name isn't scary at all."

"Hey, my home is the Village of Smiles, I didn't come up with the naming conventions. Anyway, this was the very early days of Bagra – Leomon had just returned after disappearing and started attacking us as MadLeomon. They thought it was a good idea to kidnap Jijimon and hold him hostage for the Code Crown, not knowing nobody knew of its location. Unfortunately, they took him to the Cave of Frowns. I had no choice but to go there myself. Lilymon would look after the village until we got back, so I barely had anybody for company."

"Wasn't there anyone else?" Chibimon piped up nervously.

"Those star dudes and the Ballistamon fellow?" Wanyamon said.

"As I hinted, this was before I met Ballistamon. Starmon and the Pickmon accompanied me, and the yellow Pickmon were instrumental in the task, but we were all very green in the fighting arena. We didn't want to go into the Cave of Frowns, but my concern for the old man overrode any fear I had. There were a lot of dark spots, and I tried my best not to step too deep into them. That was a bit of a problem when Bagra patrols came around and I needed to hide."

"What happened when you stepped into them?" Leafmon said, eyes wide. "Did it take you?"

"Since I'm still here, not exactly. But I felt something was feeling over me, trying to read my heart. When I looked around, there was no one there but I still felt like someone was watching me. I got out of there as soon as the patrol went away, and made a beeline to where Jijimon was taken. There, I saw MadLeomon and he was standing in one of those dark patches."

"What was he doing?" Koromon asked.

"Let me guess," Jyarimon said, "he was talking to thin air."

"You're certainly genre savvy." Shoutmon said. "I should have seen it coming but I couldn't help but watch as MadLeomon demanded to know who was there and why he couldn't see them. It was so weird to hear a one-sided conversation. He was giving all sorts of threats as though he was powerful and in charge, like his jerk boss Bagramon, but it was having no effect on whoever he was talking to. I was so caught up in learning about those shadow spots that I almost forgot about Jijimon. Rescuing him while MadLeomon was distracted was a perfect opportunity. So I busted the old man out of there and never found out more than that Cave of Frowns creepiness might be from a bunch of spirits. MadLeomon and his goons were spooked as well, for they evacuated to the new castle Bagra built as soon as they could, with a few of their number mysteriously missing."

"Is that it?" Chibimon asked.

"Well, maybe."

"Maybe?" The young Digimon echoed.

Shoutmon leaned closer. "This could be more scary. Are you up for it?"

The children gathered closer, eyes wide. They didn't say anything but nothing needed to be said.

"Just after I shook hands with my General and friend Taiki and all the Digimon returned to the Digital World, I assumed my position as king. I've grown a lot before that, but the thought being king would make things easier still remained in my mind, to some extent. However, as I began to help organize reconstruction, I realized something. Do you want to know what made me shake in my scarf?"

"Was someone watching you, your majesty?" Pokomon asked.

"Did someone bring a lot of books to you?" Jyarimon said.

"You were missing your belt around your waist and were naked?" Leafmon squeaked.

There was a gale of laughter. Shoutmon made an attempt to suppress his own mirth before answering. "No, nothing like any of that. What I had realized was that I now understand why Bagramon found power so addicting and became a jerk boss."

There was an outcry of shock. Shoutmon waited patiently as one spoke young Digmon after the other.

"What could you mean, king?" Koromon exclaimed.

"Are you a dictator now?" Chibimon said.

"Say it ain't so!" Pokomon wailed.

"Hey, hey, I'm not a dictator." Shoutmon said. "You would notice something like that. I wouldn't exactly be subtle. No, I'm saying that I was slightly tempted by that power. The shadows in the Cave of Frowns showed what I could do and I dismissed it, but when I became king it always hovered in the back of my mind that I could do almost anything now. Everyone quite looked forward to my rule. I could order the building of a magnificent statue of myself and you all would do so without question. That made me nervous and it took a while for me to be sure I was wise enough to use some of my extravagant power for good. Even now, that temptation dogs me, but it better watch out! I'm a much better person than Bagramon ever was and I will someday kick it to the curb."

That grand pronouncement was followed by an outburst of cheering. Shoutmon tried to not allow the cheers go to his head as he stood, smiling determinedly. Then one voice piped up.

"That wasn't so scary."

The children looked around. Wanyamon stared at Shoutmon in confusion, as though not sure what gift he had been given.

"The first tale is scarier." Wanyamon said. "What's so frightening about temptation, if nothing happens?"

Chibimon poked him. "Don't be rude, Wanyamon."

"Yeah, what would you know?" Jyarimon said.

"Hey, the king can deal with critiques." Shoutmon said. "Allow me to give a rebuttal."

"A what?" Wanyamon said irritably.

"A response, basically. I don't blame you for not finding the story as scary. I didn't find such stories scary either until I actually had the power to change the Digital World for the better. But hopefully you might gain some appreciation for such a fear later. The reason I gave that story is because anyone, even with good intentions, can be tempted into evil. This is especially true when lots of power is involved, which makes you want to indulge yourself. If you wallow in that power for too long, you might do stuff to your friends and people you care about that frightens you. I hope that makes sense."

"Yeah, I guess." Wanyamon said uncertainly.

"It's something that'll make more sense once you get older and maybe get in a position of power." Shoutmon said. "Keep it in mind and don't take it too personally if someone questions and pushes against you, which's something a lot of rulers get if they're up to mean mischief."

"Now who does that sound like?" Pokomon said slowly.

Slowly, the children and Shoutmon turned to Wanyamon, who blushed and stuttered.

"Why – why are you looking at me like that?"

"No reason." The children said innocently.

"Fine!" Wanyamon turned away. "I don't want to know anyway."

The children giggled, making Wanyamon cringe. Shaking his head, Shoutmon resisted the urge to smile before waving for calm.

"Alright, settle down. Wanyamon has had enough teasing. I hope that story would be a good lesson one day but if that didn't entertain you that much, sorry. I'll be sure to come up with something even more scary next time. In the meantime, you see how dark it is now. Your parents are going to come soon, so it's time to prepare to leave."

There was a groan of disappointment.

"Do we have to?" Koromon asked.

"That's just how things have to roll now." Shoutmon said.

"But what about questioning authority?" Chibimon asked.

"I've delayed things before and have seriously wasted people's times when it didn't need to be wasted." Shoutmon replied. "Don't be that bother to your parents. Now scram!"

The children scrammed. Shoutmon produced his staff, swept it over the fire, and the flames went out, leaving only smoking wood. Putting even the smoke out with quick pats, he stored away the reusable wood for later and went in to find the children whispering together. They paused when they saw him tapping his foot.

"Get the stuff you brought from home please." Shoutmon said lowly.

The young Digimon hastily hopped around, grabbing toys and personal items, putting them into bags built to be carried by their bodies. Shoutmon waited as Koromon helped Leafmon get a thin rattle from the corner and nodded with approval as they lined up near the door.

"Good job. Let's wait. They'll be here any second now."

The children still looked bothered but before any of them could get a word in, there was a knock and Shoutmon became aware of the suppressed whispers of a just arrived crowd. Shoutmon saw the shadows of various forms outside the door window and he turned the knob to let them in.

"So the little ones are ready?" One mother asked quietly.

"Just in time for you to take them home." Shoutmon answered.

The parents began to come in at a quiet patter, picking up their children and their belongings. One of the mothers turned and nodded appreciatively.

"Thank you for your assistance," she said.

"Without you, who else would have taken care of the children?" said a father.

"It was no big deal." Shoutmon smiled slightly. "Take good care of them."

"Wait, you're leaving already?" Koromon asked.

"We're going to miss you." Leafmon said, already nodding off.

"You were a lot of fun." Chibimon said fervently.

"Is Butterflymon not a lot of fun?" Shoutmon asked.

"She is but she can be all sweetness and light, and that's annoying." Wanyamon said.

"That's a rude thing to say!" Pokomon scolded, with some parents nodding sternly.

"She's a nice woman." Shoutmon said. "Please value her as she is. From what I heard, she taught you some valuable lessons that you'll thank her for someday."

"Maybe." Chibimon said doubtfully.

"Trust me on that." Shoutmon said. "I was saying the same about Jijimon. Anything else?"

"We value Butterflymon, but will we ever see you again?" Pokomon said hopefully.

"Yeah, you said something about telling a scarier story next time." Jyarimon said.

"I'm not sure." Shoutmon looked regretful. "I have a very busy schedule that stretches on for as long as I could see. There are a lot of other people who need help to get back on their feet, to get along with rivals, and have a peaceful life."

"It would be sad," Jyarimon said, "if we never see you again."

"Just carve into your hearts that I'll keep you in my thoughts." Shoutmon said.

"How many people have you said that to?" Wanyamon said cynically.

"I have a big memory, okay." Shoutmon answered. "I'll try to figure something out, but…we'll see. Any other last statements?"

"Can we really change ourselves?" Pokomon asked dubiously. "I've read that everything you are is set while you're young."

"I've done a lot of reading since I became king," Shoutmon said wryly, "and one could tell whether the writer has at least second hand experiences or is speaking out of their butt. What I've learned from my experience is that people can change in the most complete way imaginable, in the right circumstances and with the right person around. That potential for change is in you and in those that can be your friends. You can all help each other to change. I don't doubt it. How does that sound?"

"Pretty good, your majesty!" Pokomon said, eyes shining. "I'll keep that in mind."

"We all will." Tsunomon said, encouraged.

"Right." Shoutmon smiled. "Good night, kids. Night to all of you."

Shoutmon was regaled with a wave of "byes," the children waving with whatever appendages they had or bouncing or twitching if they were just heads. The parents also waved. Shoutmon returned the waves as, in twos and threes, the parents and children departed. Shoutmon didn't stop his farewells until Wanyamon and his mother were the last to depart. Shoutmon watched those two go, smiling fondly.

*This was a chore,* he thought, *but it was worth it.*

Shoutmon turned around and inspected the daycare building, picking up food crumbs or putting toys back in their proper places. After doing one last tour of the building, Shoutmon turned off the remaining lights and lingered at the front door, eyes trailing the corridor and rooms that had become so familiar in a single day. Then he left, the building locked and dark, and back in its original state.

The next day, Shoutmon and his delegation bade farewell to the village. The voices were drowning each other out, but the enthusiasm and the thanks given made Shoutmon think this had been a job well done. Already, the rival types mingled more easily. This enmity wouldn't be eliminated completely, but if nothing went wrong, than it was on its journey out.

Amongst the group well-wishers was a healed and well-rested Butterflymon, who stood by her charges as she waved in gratitude. Shoutmon returned the waves. The young Digimon in question were bouncing at the feet and in the arms of their parents, pleas to return apparent over the noise. Even with what Shoutmon said yesterday, he still felt a pang that he was unable to affirm or deny those pleas. After giving a final wave at the energetic Tinkermon and sheepish Petermon, Shoutmon and the others departed at a slow pace.

"That was a one-hundred percent success." Ballistamon said.

"I wouldn't go that far," Dorulumon said, "but we did accomplish most of our goals."

"Not to mention Shoutmon was a babysitter."

"Hey, I was a daycare person." Shoutmon said. "Get your facts straight."

"But you know the village and the rest of the Digital World will be referring to watching over a bunch of kids as babysitting no matter how much they're corrected." Dorulumon said dryly.

"Yeah, that'll be a pain. But it was fun though."

"And hanging with us isn't a barrel of laughs?"

"Fun with children is different from fun with buds." Shoutmon said. "Besides, we've been working nearly all the time, which kind of limits fun. As much as I was sacrificing myself for Butterflymon and those children…I was also weirdly having my own time. I was teaching kids, having fun with them, and just worrying about small stuff for the most part. I don't really understand that whole experience yet but it would be a shame if that never happened again."

"The king of the Digital world, being selfish." Dorulumon said. "I can't say I'm surprised."

"Hey, what are you getting at?" Shoutmon growled.

Ballistamon nodded jerkily. "That was very mean, Dorulumon. Shoutmon wouldn't put himself before others."

"Of course not." Dorulumon said brusquely. "But a little self-indulgence never killed anyone. Since you're so worried about hurting others with it, though, why don't you make it something public and beneficial?"

It was on Shoutmon's tongue to say he wouldn't waste public expense for such a selfish project, but an idea struck him. He pictured the sparsely-attended arena of the Coliseum Zone and what the surrounding residents needing new sources of subsistence now that death matches were forbidden. His mind then went to were other locations, some doing better than others, but would appreciate having a small boost of publicity. Dorulumon's words echoed in his brain.

Shoutmon smiled suddenly. "Thanks for being rude, Dorulumon."

Dorulumon chuckled nervously. "You're welcome…I think."

"What idea have you gotten?" Ballistamon asked.

"I'll probably need to talk with the others about this and get more details." Shoutmon said slowly. "I don't think these events I'm thinking about would happen often and we'll have to make sure the public agrees, but maybe we can really all get some fun out of our lives."

The stadium was filled with people. Petermon swished his head haughtily, taking in the familiar faces, the famous ones, and the allies of the Digital World rulers. Tinkermon cheered him on and Butterflymon's charges whooped excitedly, giggling with some mischief. Petermon winced, and carried his gaze elsewhere. Archelomon lay in the middle of a staircase and flapped his flippers on the spot, having apparently forgotten where his seating was, only for Apollomon to politely direct him to the area with the former's name tag. There was Beelzebumon and Mervamon in the back, who chatted with fond familiarity. Starmon and the Pickmon were in the front row, making as much of a racket as the young Digimon among the audience.

*Have they ever grown up?* Petermon thought dryly.

Apparently, even going through the nightmare of fighting the Bagra Empire hadn't dampened their youthful spirit. Petermon just twitched his head in a subtle motion of disbelief before two enormous foot stamps echoed in the air.

Shoutmon stood opposite him, serious and solemn with his scar and black scruffy cape blowing in the wind. He held his dignity even with the wrestling briefs adorned to his hips, complete with golden crown buckle. However silly it was, it fit Shoutmon, unlike Petermon's black singlet. Petermon adjusted it vainly to see if there was a position where the singlet wouldn't clash as pronouncedly with his green clothes.

"So you're here." Shoutmon said ominously.

"This is my penance, remember?" Petermon asked. "I'm not really thrilled about it, but I guess that's why it's called a penance."

"I don't want to be too hard on you." Shoutmon replied. "This is a penance, but that doesn't mean it can't be fun. After all, here we're no longer Digimon king and temperamental loner. We're just two men acting like boys again."

"How are we acting like boys?" Petermon asked, a sliver of fear entering his chest.

Shoutmon grinned predatorily, though it wasn't at all menacing. Under any other circumstances, it would be goofy, indicating the smiling person could barely hold back their laughter. But to Petermon, it was one of the most terrifying expressions he set eyes on. Dimly, he could hear Butterflymon's charges cheering harder, and Shoutmon briefly broke the locked gaze to give the children an energetic wave. Petermon resigned himself and returned Shoutmon's look with a haughty glare. He long knew the details about this penance and it was only sinking in now what was about to happen. So, Petermon determined he might as well make the most of it and give as good as he would get. Petermon took a firm stance, fingers twitching apart.

"Now you get the idea here," Shoutmon said slowly, "so let's get this show on the road. We have the entire Digital World to entertain. Let's show them if you can take on the Digimon tickle king."

The End