Alright, so this is that super-secret project some people might recall me teasing for awhile. No, its not the third Fate x Index story, that much is under question of whether or not I should/want to do one. Truth be told, I actually did attempt it, but it kind of fell apart around the halfway point of writing so I need to go back and re-evaluate it and see if its salvageable at all, or if I should start from scratch on it... or if I should do one at all.

That being said, since it's a crossover from me and kind of a left-field one, I do feel like I have some explaining to do.

Digimon is something I got into a long time ago, around the same time as Pokemon, actually. And while Pokemon has been staying consistent... digimon on the other hand has been fading in and out.

However, they had a rather important comeback, at least in my eyes, on the PlayStation 4 and the Vita in reason years. Three games, two traditional JRPG's while one was a successor to the original Digimon PlayStation on the good ol' PS1. While that one is a treat, I more focus on the other two: Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth, and its sequel, Digimon Story Cyber Sleuth: Hacker's Memory.

First of all, if you like Digimon and JRPG's, these two games are musts and you should track them down if you can. Second, these two are much more story focused, homing in on more mature themes and events, while Pokemon as stayed relatively kid-friendly and simple. Not only are these games good, they have solid stories with actual stakes tied to the events unfolding.

Hell, I would argue that Hacker's Memory, despite being more of a side story that just runs alongside the original Cyber Sleuth Plot, is actually better in terms of its storytelling. Drove this proud man to tears even. It affected me greatly, more so than any game I've played this year, and I love that something formerly so childish can end up evolving in the way it has.

So... naturally, I wanted to do something with these two stories. It's a pretty clear and cut story with not much room for sequels... so I thought; why not add a third story to it in the same vein as running alongside the main plot? Then of course, it rang in my head that near-end-of-the-world situations and getting stuck into them is basically a never-ending constant for our Unlucky Kamijou, huh?

...Plus, someone notable on this site did and has been doing a Index x Pokemon story for awhile, so I can go have my fun too, right!?

So that's what this is; a third story to these two, featuring our favorite spiky haired teenager, Kamijou Touma! But the question is... is that all this is? That's up to you to find out!

Well... if you want.

This is genuinely a labor of love; I've been working on this for most of the year since right around March or April i'd say. But at the same time, I understand that this is left field, and in some cases at concept runs with claiming "assumed knowledge," as in it assumes you know the story of the other two games already, so it is pretty niche, even more so if it was just a normal Digimon crossover. I try to describe events from the two other stories, but sometimes I can't do them justice, so I can understand if some of you would like to pass on it.

But for those willing to stick it through, whether this idea seems interesting, you are familiar with Cyber Sleuth and To Aru already, or if your just a fan of my writing wanting to see what crazy bull I've put together this time... thank you. Sincerely, from the bottom of my heart, thank you.

The current upload schedule will be every Thursday Night/Friday Morning (By my timezone). Current projection is 21 chapters, which may seem short... but trust me; these are longer chapters than I've done for awhile, so hopefully there is plenty of content here for you to enjoy.

For those concerned about The Bust Upper Incident, it's upload schedule remains unchanged; once a month, close to the beginning of the month. On weeks where both of these stories would be updated, you're getting both stories updated. So if you enjoy both, you get double the content, but for those who just want The Bust Upper Incident, your still getting what you want.

That's about all I have to say. Only things to add; naming conventions for various Digimon and their moves has changed between English and Japanese... I'm kind of picking and choosing which ones I side with; which ever one I like more, gets used. Being familiar with both will help... though you can just search on Google to match names to faces. For timeline stuff on the Index side, its sometime in NT; I've left it vague on purpose, but its definitely after NT10, that much is certain.

With all that out of the way... this is my Labor of Love. This is my grand project I've been teasing.

And I hope you enjoy reading it as much as I've enjoyed writing it.

EDEN.

A cyberspace realm where anyone, young and old, can log into. Its existence, while recent, has revolutionized the communication side of the world. It projects one's mind into it and creates a digital shell for it to inhabit while you are logged in. Through this, even people across the world can be allowed to meet in person, effectively reducing worldly barriers to zero through the open internet.

It had already washed over the world with its massive influence, and Academy City was no different.

Though the vast majority of its information was kept in old style servers and networks in the city's walls for security, even it had taken its place in the digital platform. Typically, their sites consisted of advertising its technology, travel plans to the city, as well as its highly regarded Power-Development Curriculum.

And, needless to say, the populace itself welcomed the digital revolution with opens arms. The idea that students sent to the city could still freely meet their loved ones back home with ease caused its popularity in the city of science to skyrocket.

However… not everyone used the system. As popular as it was, some didn't, or simply couldn't, adopt EDEN into their lives. The most common reason being lack of funds from the level 0's within the city.

But sometimes, you have to bite the bullet…

…Especially when a passing grade so you don't have to repeat a year is on the line.

"Touma… what is all this for?" A silver-haired girl known as Index asked. The girl held a calico cat in her arms, that meowed rather contently while being held. She asked this while she glanced over a user manual, directing the question at a certain someone sat at his center table, fiddling with several devices.

One of which was a sophisticated laptop, as well as a set of goggles.

"Stuff designed to help me ace my classes with 100% certainty, otherwise I'll be held back and the life of this misfortunate Kamijou will get even worse as his former classmates insult him regularly."

Kamijou Touma was in a troubling position. In order to pass his current year and move on in high school, he needed to take on another optional course; which one didn't matter, but he absolutely had to pick one. He thought long and hard about what to take, and he eventually decided on a programming course that a few of his other classmates had entered into.

However, it was specifically geared towards EDEN; a service he had never used before. He couldn't; when you're just barely getting by while supporting a ravenous nun that could eat as much as the combined populace of a small nation, certain things have to take a backseat to survival.

But when put into a corner, even this unlucky Kamijou had to do everything he could to secure his state of living in the world.

Even if it meant skipping out on a few meals for a few weeks. At least his laundry came with his dorm for free though; it's the little things in life that get you by, right?

"I know I've heard of this EDEN place… and it still seems like a bad idea." A little girl, only about 15CM tall, spoke on the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder. "Just as a concept this seems incredibly dangerous. I have been seeing news; some disease known as EDEN syndrome is on the rise…"

"I heard about that, Othinus… but even so! I need to keep my grades up not only to stay in my current year… but also to keep living here. I don't want to have to take three or four jobs just to hold down an apartment…" Touma replied.

"…Which you would immediately lose the moment something happened in the world and undoubtedly pulled you into it?" Othinus questioned.

"Now you understand… that's why I've avoided a part-time job… with everything I get involved with, I'd lose it within a week." Touma replied, starting up the computer. "Alright… wait for it to fully start up… then I just need to sync it with my Digivice…"

Kamijou Touma held up the set of goggles he had. They didn't look like it, but they were in fact a sophisticated piece of technology designed to interface with EDEN. Putting them on near an EDEN-enabled terminal would allow one to travel to the legendary digital platform.

"…I still don't understand… it… takes your brain and puts you in cyber space?" Index tilted her head.

"From what I understand; yeah… it projects your consciousness into an avatar and allows you to wander around… I have no idea what to expect…" Touma sighed. "…I don't know what I'm doing to be honest…"

Index blinked a few times, glancing back and forth between the unlucky Kamijou and the computer he was working with.

"…Touma… what is cyber space?" Index asked.

"…You've used the internet before, right?" Touma deadpanned.

"Oh… b-but how are you traveling to a two-dimensional plane? Will I be able to click and drag you like you showed me?" Index asked.

"N-not like that! EDEN is like… oh how the hell do I put it…" Touma replied. "It's like… an alternate dimension of some kind made using the internet as a base… I guess? I'm not an expert… never used it before."

"Alternate dimension… like a phase?" Index asked. "S-so the science side has advanced so far that they can create their own phases now!? A-and using those cheap looking goggles you can travel there, like astral projection!?"

The comment that his Digivice, that he spent a majority of his money on (It was even more expensive than the laptop, but it had the reviews behind to justify a purchase), was just a cheap set of goggles made the unlucky Kamijou die a little inside.

"I-If that makes sense to you, it's probably not that wrong?" Touma rubbed his neck.

"T-then I want to try! I can't do magic myself, but I've always wanted to try astral projection! Can I? Please!?" Index begged.

"M-maybe later… I need to get everything set-up with my own account for school." The spiky haired teen replied.

"B-but… Touma!" Index cried out again. Touma sighed and turned to face the silver-haired nun.

"…Index, if I can't keep my grades up and stay where I am in my schooling… I'll have to divert all of my income towards a place to live… that means I'll have to severely cut back on things… like food."

If it's one thing that got Index to listen, it was the concept of food.

"I-is that true!? T-Touma, if we have to cut back on food… I'll die!" Index shouted. "O-ok! Do what you need to do! I'll take care of everything out here so you don't have to worry! I'll… I-I'll even cook dinner tonight!" With that, the silver-haired nun released the calico cat form her arms and darted to the unlucky Kamijou's kitchen.

"H-hey! The last time you did that you used laundry detergent as spaghetti sauce!" Touma shouted. "…It's probably too late, isn't it? Such misfortune…"

"…I'll try and divert her actions so we get something edible… no guarantee she'll listen to me though." Othinus hopped off the unlucky Kamijou's shoulder. "Before you ask; I've been cooking for myself since I became a Magic God; even if I ate only on occasion for pleasure I still enjoyed the concept of food. If the nun listens to me we should at least get something… suitable for human consumption."

"…I'm guessing a Magic God's tastes are radically different from a simple human's huh?" Touma rubbed his neck.

"You should feel privileged; with her hands doing the work, I'll essentially be cooking for you personally." Othinus replied.

"…Looking forward to it, Othi-chan." Touma smiled. The tiny Magic God looked back with a blush before racing off to the kitchen, hopefully to get ahold of Index before she sent someone to the hospital.

Touma glanced at his computer; the initial set-up for EDEN was complete, and was waiting for input.

All that was left to do was to put his Digivice goggles on and be taken away.

It felt like he was flying when he first put them on and it gave him the logging in pop-up. The goggles he wore were suddenly gone but the rest of his body was soaring through a rainbow series of lights.

And when those lights died down, he appeared in a massive open space. Inside however, were a collection of several city-like areas that spanned across the entire white expanse. Each one could be seen as a collection of sites one could visit, considering of chatrooms, business websites… and many more. As he glanced at each one, a pop-up appeared describing it followed with an option to travel there. A little bit of experimenting showed that all he needed to do was reach out to the pop-up to send his Avatar towards it, though he could back-out during the connection process if he wanted.

It felt like he was truly flying. And this was just the top of the iceberg; there were many other servers he could visit besides the one he was in.

He was just in the main EDEN Server, a natural starting point for all new users.

Eventually, he decided on a place to land, promptly called the "EDEN Entrance."

He flew down, darting around several digital constructs, before eventually landing in the starting place for many EDEN patrons.

"This… is really freaky…" Touma commented, looking at his own hands. His sense of touch was still on, but everything felt just a little… off. He had to guess it was how the system simulated the human senses. He pinched himself to check, and the pain he felt gave him the answer he wanted.

"…I guess when it comes to something like this, it must have been all or nothing when it comes to your human senses…?" Touma guessed. He truly had no idea how EDEN worked so the best he could do was assume.

"Welcome to EDEN! Ask me if you need any help, ok?" A robotic-sounding voice called out. Right before a set of stairs that lead to several private pavilions, a little light blue robot with a football shaped head floated in place. It had a black screen for a face, which projected a constant happy face.

It must have called out to him because he was new. It made sense that systems on this level would be able to tell if a user was new or not.

Touma initially questioned why Academy City hadn't done something like this. The owner and developer of EDEN was a Japanese company, Kamishiro Enterprises, but they were based out in Tokyo rather than the head of scientific research that was Academy City.

But then Touma recalled the various experiments the city was involved with and shook his head; for those bigwig scientists, something like this probably seemed like a minor project at best.

A pop-up came on his screen. It read, "Phone call from xXx-BSB825-xXx, do you accept?"

Touma, curious as to who was trying to get ahold of him, accepted. Almost immediately, another voice entered his head, sounding like it was coming from someone right next to him.

"Hey, Kami-yan! What's up?"

Touma blinked.

"…Tsuchimikado?" He asked.

"Yeah, what's happening? Why no video chat, nya?"

"I… didn't even know video chat was an option or how to set it…" Touma rubbed his neck.

"Eh… well it's probably your first time in, so I'll show you later I guess. I'm the grandmaster and you're the lowly newbie, nya." Tsuchimikado stated.

"…Hey, question… I just made my account as I was installing the software… how do you know my account?" Touma asked.

"Do you really want to know?"

"…On second thought, knowing you, it's probably something highly illegal… so I'll pass…"

"Your loss, nya!" Tsuchimikado joked. "Hey, I see you're over in the EDEN Entrance… but you're probably bored of that, right? So much white… so dull."

"I guess… I mean, I just got here… what's that got to do with anything?"

"I know a place… a secret place that you can't find on a search engine. Unless someone gives you the URL, you're not getting in, nya."

"…I feel like I should refuse because you're the one giving me the information." Touma sighed.

"Come on Kami-yan, don't be like that!" Tsuchimikado replied. "I'll be there too to find you in a bit. I'm just figuring knowing you that you'd probably like to know this place existed is all. Come on… it can't hurt just to check a place out, right?"

Touma mulled it over in his mind. Truthfully, stuff like this from Tsuchimikado Motoharu should be refused outright for his own safety.

But on the other hand, the last time he tried to say no, he found himself gas bombed and woke up in an airport.

Either way, he was screwed. Such misfortune.

"…Alright, I'll bite. Send me the URL… and tell me how to punch in custom URLs while you're at it." Touma replied.

After a little bit of talking and instructing, Touma was up in the air again after walking back over to the logout terminal.

All he had to do was punch in the custom URL Tsuchimikado had sent him into the Heads-Up Display that popped up.

"…Kowloon, huh?" Touma spoke to himself as he entered in the URL. His body took a sharp left and flew towards the very middle of EDEN. It looked like he was about to crash into one of the walls, but a hole opened up just at the last minute to allow passage.

When he opened his eyes again (As he slammed them shut, fearing a rather violent impact), he was standing in a different location.

Everything was made of blue shapes, ranging from small to large. They were primarily blocks, but spheres and even cones were visible. Parts of them glowed at random, but this didn't seem to mean much.

Many of them were fused together rather haphazardly. Hell, even the ground he walked was made of these random shapes.

The only information Touma managed to get from the sunglasses-wearing blond was that this area was known as the "graveyard of data," and that Tsuchimikado would be around to find him soon.

"…Well, in a case like this… I suppose I might as well look around." Touma shrugged and began to walk forward. Needless to say, his surroundings were vastly different when compared to before; it was a lot more barren and a low hymn gave the entire area an eerie feeling. His first stop was an abandoned kid's park, though he questioned why such a thing was here to begin with. Little else seemed to catch the spiky-haired teen's eye, and he quickly pressed on.

However, this area too had its fair share of people, though most of them kept their distance and looked more than a little shady. They spoke in hushed tones and seemed to single the unlucky Kamijou before dispersing.

And then one particular started following him. He wore a red cap, an orange shirt, and blue jeans. He actually tailed the unlucky Kamijou for a good minute before he sighed and stopped moving.

"…Can I help you?" He asked in an annoyed tone.

"Course you can; I already got all your nifty account info. Who would have thought such an easy sucker would have dropped right into my lap, eh?" The boy, roughly around Touma's age, spoke in a rather cocky tone.

"…My account info?" Touma turned to face him.

"That's right~ So how about we skip the chit-chat and go to the point where you wire me your money… otherwise I'll have this account of yours go off and get involved with some shady business… so what do you say?" The boy replied.

Touma didn't fully understand, but what he could pick up on was that this teenager had stolen enough of his personal information somehow and is threatening to blackmail him if he doesn't pay him off.

However…

"…Hah. That's funny." Touma laughed, but his tone couldn't have been darker. "I barely have enough money myself, let alone enough for a bribe… looks like I'm having my identity stolen again… such misfortune…"

"Don't try and mess with me; I can break into your bank around really easily from here; me asking is just a formality you bastard." The male threatened, but Touma only laughed darker.

"Go ahead… see it and see my despair for yourself." The unlucky Kamijou sighed. Seemingly miffed, the teenager did just that, clicking away in a virtual keyboard and shifting through several console screens that popped up around him.

Only when he saw the spiky-haired teenager's bank account did he truly understand.

"O-oh… holy shit…!" The hacker stated.

"Yeah; I live basically from paycheck to paycheck; you're hitting up a dry well pal." Touma rubbed his neck.

"H-how the hell are you living!? Is all this shit food!? J-just how many people are you supporting!?"

"…Less than you think, but more than I'd like to be." Touma looked away sheepishly.

"Even if you weren't… holy hell… a-and I thought Academy City kids were loaded or something…"

"Who the hell told you that!? I'll smack them around myself!" Touma shouted.

"Hey now, you calm down; I can take you out whenever I want!" The hacker shot back. "I may not be able to get any cash from you, but I sure as shit can just steal your account and sell it!"

"…You're mad that you put effort into a wasted gesture, aren't you?" Touma asked.

"S-shut up you- Ow!" The hacker suddenly cried out as something stepped on his foot as he walked by.

And that something was unusual indeed. It was a small animal of some kind with a set of clawed arms and legs and a long tail, accompanied by purple fur on most of its body, except for its chest, paws, snout and the very tip of its long tail. It had two pointed ears with black stripes and two very small black wings on its back. It fully turned to face the two briefly, showing a triangular red gem on its brow. It tilted its head for a moment before running off once more, heading off towards the back of the area.

"…A wild animal? In cyber space?" Touma crossed his arms.

"W-wild animal my ass; that's a Digimon! A super rare one too!" The hacker was quick to cry out. "H-hey! Help me catch it and all that hacking stuff is water under a bridge!"

"Y-you're that quick to drop it!?"

"You have no god damn clue how much a Dorumon is worth! I could sell your account a hundred times over and not even make a quarter of it all! Just shut up and help me!" The hacker then ran off after the mysterious "Digimon" creature.

Touma was tempted to run off himself, but the fact that the hacker still had his account info left a bad taste in his mouth.

"…I probably don't have much of a choice, do I?" Touma sighed and joined the chase.

It didn't take long. They ended up in the very back of Kowloon's first floor, near a non-functional log-out zone. The hacker had cornered the creature, with the only chance of escape being a rather nasty drop into nothingness.

The Digimon, apparently known as "Dorumon," backed up as close to the edge as it could. One could see the poor thing shivering in fear, holding his tiny arms over its head.

"And here we go… a nice juicy payday for lil' ol me." The hacker practically licked his lips in anticipation.

"…So you caught it- ow!" A blue block fell from the sky and landed right on the unlucky Kamijou's head. It looked like the others; it must have just been another piece of garbage data. "...You've got to be kidding me… what are the chances of that?" Touma rubbed his head.

"Quit fooling around and keep an eye out! This guy could try and dart to the side!" The teenager called out.

"Hey; I helped you corner it, so hold up your end and delete the information you stole!" Touma demanded.

"Son of a… fine!" The hacker opened up his consoles once again and began clicking and tapping away. A short time later, Touma received some kind of a message as his consoles closed. "There, I deleted everything; I even sent you screenshots. You can check the directory and the file type if you think they're falsified. Now just help make sure he doesn't run away, alright!?"

"…Alright then." Touma walked up behind the hacker.

The Dorumon looked up briefly before covering its eyes again, still shivering. It didn't know where it was or why it was here.

However, it seemed like his time of freedom was at its end.

At least, that's what it seemed like. It heard a loud thud in front of it and looked up to see the hacker who was chasing him out cold on his side.

And Touma, who was holding the cubic piece of garbage data that had hit him in his right hand.

"That's for trying to blackmail me, asshole." Touma said simply before tossing the cube off the edge. "Really is a good thing that worked… was worried that knocking him out would be impossible in cyber space…" He glanced at the Dorumon, who began to shiver again.

However, the unlucky Kamijou simply smiled and slipped his hands into his pockets.

"Don't worry; I'm not after you. You can run along… I have no idea what you are, but you seem all right. Take care." Touma turned and walked away, seemingly intent on leaving as he made his way back to the entrance Kowloon. He was interested that apparently this was just Kowloon's first level, but he decided it was time to call it a day; he could get ahold of Tsuchimikado later and explain what happened.

However, as he walked, he almost fell over when something grabbed his leg.

And that something was the very Dorumon he had just saved. It clung to his leg as if it was frightened and begging to be protected.

Touma raised an eyebrow and reached for the little creature, kneeling down in the process. It backed up reflexively, but eventually let the unlucky Kamijou pet him lightly. Slowly but surely, the Digimon, or so it was called, calmed down; the only place it seemingly didn't like to be touched was the red gem on its head.

But there was something important the spiky haired teen was able to notice.

"…His fur feels real." Touma commented. He hadn't felt many textures in EDEN, but the few he did make contact with felt very plain and uninteresting; clearly simulated sensations.

But touching Dorumon… he felt like he was interacting with a real animal.

Dorumon caught Touma's hand in his mouth as the spiky-haired teenager pulled back, but the purple creature only nibbled gently; no pain at all. Touma read somewhere that some animals, particularly young ones, can display affection through gentle nibbling like that.

"…You happy I saved you, little guy?" Touma smiled and pet Dorumon with his other hand. The purple creature's maw cured upwards lightly, and the unlucky Kamijou took it as a smile. "Well, don't worry; you should have enough time to get away before that big guy wakes up." Touma pushed himself up and turned to leave again, but the purple creature grabbed ahold of his leg again.

He was frowning, constantly tugging at Touma's pants leg.

"…What? You want to come with me or something?" Touma asked. The little Dorumon smiled again; while it appeared that he couldn't speak, it was very clear he understood what the spiky-haired teenager was saying. Touma was conflicted, however.

The only animal he had taken care of was Index's cat, Sphynx, and that he was reluctant to do for many reasons. Plus, due to his bad luck, he never had good luck with animals.

However… the situation on his hands was more than a little different from the usual "getting a pet" scenario. Moreover, Dorumon definitely appeared as though he wanted to stay with him.

After a few moments mulling it over, he made a decision.

"I mean… how do I even… do that? It's not like you'll just follow me if I log out and somehow appear in my arms back home… and I doubt I could get my hands on some storage server to put you when I'm not here in EDEN…" He spoke aloud as he thought.

Dorumon tilted his slightly; he didn't seem to know much either.

"…Well that guy did mention capturing you… so you must be some kind of data or a program? Maybe I could… install you or something…? Though I don't think we should wait around for that guy to wake up… it can't be as easy as just picking you up, can it?" Touma reached down, picking up the purple creature in his arms. "…I don't feel any different… nothing new on my Digivice… how about you little guy?"

Dorumon shook his head, though he seemed rather content being held. Touma sighed.

"Figures… Digimon huh… maybe I can find one of those people in the earlier areas and ask them? Hopefully I can find someone not trying to con me into something…" Touma thought to himself while the little Dorumon wagged his fluffy tail back and forth in Touma's arms.

However, a loud sound interrupted the two. It resonated from where they had left that hacker. He turned, and saw a bright orange light.

A swirl erupted out from the light and something took its place, slamming into the ground with a loud thud.

It looked like some kind of mass of tentacles, each one varying in length and size, its entire body was covered in a black and white dazzle camouflage pattern, but the pattern itself moved around the creature's body as if it was a liquid. The only other noticeable characteristic was a mechanical looking eye right in the center. It looked around quickly, as if it was searching for something.

Its eye locked onto the unconscious hacker and began to slither closer to him.

"H-hey… that thing isn't a friend of yours is it?" Touma looked down at the purple creature in his arms.

Dorumon looked up and shook his head no. The black and white monster however paused in its advance toward the hacker as its eye suddenly shifted.

It was looking right at the unlucky Kamijou. The two stared at each other for a time before the monster suddenly turned and started slithering toward Touma instead.

Touma gulped, reflexively backing up three steps.

The monster slithered forward four times.

Touma took another three steps back.

The monster suddenly shot up into the air and tried to pounce upon him, narrowly missing as Touma jumped back.

"Y-you've got to be kidding me! Tsuchimikado, the next time I see you, I'm going to kick your asssssssss!" Touma turned and ran, eager to escape from whatever monster was attacking him, doing so with the little Dorumon in his arms.

The black and white tentacle monster however continued its pursuit, slithering along at a rather fast pace.

"T-this is a bunch of bullshit! I haven't even spent twenty minutes online, and I've already nearly had my identity stolen, and how I'm under attack by some weird tentacle creature straight out of a bad doujinshi! Such misfortune!" Touma cried out as he ran. The monster suddenly leapt over him, landing right in front of the unlucky Kamijou, forcing him to make a sharp left to avoid outright crashing into the creature.

Dorumon wined lightly in Touma's arms.

"D-Don't worry! I just need to make my way to a log out zone, and then we'll be home free!" Touma cried out. He was back in one of the earlier areas now, on his way to the abandoned children's park if all went well.

However, it was never meant to be that easy.

There were a few walls around as Touma turned down the path, but the black and white creature leapt over the boundaries and landed right in the middle of the road.

"…Persistent bastard, aren't you!? Can't you cut me a break!?" Touma shouted. The monster slithered closer to the unlucky Kamijou, ignoring his words completely.

Touma cursed; whatever this thing was, it did not intend to let him escape.

He had no idea if Dorumon could fight at all; he didn't even know what Digimon were until just a little bit ago… hell; even now, he really didn't know.

But… if he could hurt that hacker in this virtual world…

It appeared that a fight of some kind was how this was going to be settled.

However, what couldn't be anticipated was how quick the fight was.

The black and white monster leapt into the air once more to pounce on the spiky-haired teenager, but just as it did so, two blasts of energy suddenly slammed into the creature, exploding upon impact. The monster slammed into the ground with a loud thud, and stopped moving.

It came from the direction Touma had just run from. He turned and stopped dead at what he saw.

A massive machine looking akin to some kind of dinosaur, similar to a tyrannosaurus rex. Covered in grey plates and a few red and blue wires here and there, the mech was absolutely massive; easily taking up the small corridor he had just run down. The most notable things were the black-plated head that had no eyes and the set of massive cannons on its back.

"Are you alright? It didn't hurt you, did it?" A lone voice called out. It came from a rather short boy standing in-between the machine's legs.

He wore grey pants, an expensive looking white jacket with a furred collar, and had straight white hair with grey eyes. He did have a smile, but otherwise he didn't stand out so much.

"N-no… I'm fine… um… I-I'm guessing that big guy behind you is… yours?" Touma stated.

"Indeed. My Digimon; Machinedramon." The boy replied. "…You appear to have one as well though, so why are you surprised?"

"…I don't even know what a Digimon is; I kind of just met this little guy right before that thing attacked me." Touma gestured towards the motionless black and white monster. "…Speaking of which, what the hell is that thing?"

"No idea; they are a recent occurrence… I'm looking into them but I am very far away from having any noteworthy information…" The boy replied. "Though from how you put it… you're a complete newbie who happened to find their way to Kowloon…?"

"…A friend of mine sent me a link and told me to check it out." Touma replied.

"Ah… I believe this friend of yours may have been setting you up for failure then; Kowloon is the den of all kinds of hackers… the good and the bad." The white-haired male crossed his arms.

"…Considering Tsuchimikado, that might very well be the case… such misfortune…" Touma sighed. "But still… thanks for your help… urm…"

"Yuugo," The boy stated. "Most people just call me Yuugo. I have a few more… lucrative titles, but we can save those for when we meet again… well, if we do meet anyway."

"…Well, thanks Yuugo." Touma replied. "My name is Kamijou Touma. This is a weird way to meet someone, but that's the kind of world we live in these days I guess."

"I agree; we must take the few good instances in life while we can." Yuugo nodded. The white-haired boy opened up his console around him and began tapping away, and not long after he was finished, Touma received a file of some kind.

"…What's this?" The spiky-haired teen asked.

"Digimon Capture." Yuugo stated. "Digimon, in essence, are programs, and that will let you register and store Digimon in your Digivice. Most use and modify Digimon for hacking purposes, as they are very customizable for those with the skills… but there are a few who see Digimon as companions or pets; it's not illegal to have them or anything… plus that Dorumon appears very attached to you; was I wrong in assuming you were looking for a way to take him with you?"

True to the boy's word, Dorumon was wagging his tail happily now that danger had passed.

"I-I mean… yeah I was looking for a way… but is it really ok for me to have this?" Touma asked.

"Of course… consider it a reward for what you went through with that monster; what you do with it is your business I suppose." Yuugo stated. "I normally don't hand it out myself… but I feel like giving it to you couldn't hurt."

"…Heh, I mean… a gift is a gift. If you do anything more for me though, I'll start feeling embarrassed." Touma rubbed his neck. "So just… install and register…?"

"If your Dorumon is willing, it should be a nearly an instant." Yuugo replied. After pulling up Touma's own console, he set the purple creature down and began tapping away. Dorumon glowed for a moment, but it didn't last long.

"I guess… that it? So he can just store himself in my Digivice?" Touma asked, getting a nod in response. "That's… cool. I guess we're partners then, little guy!" he knelt down to pet the little Dorumon again, who would only smile and occasionally sigh happily at the attention.

Yuugo smiled, but something caught his attention.

The motionless black and white monster twitched slightly. It did so only once before it suddenly shot forward, launching itself on a crash course for Kamijou Touma.

"Machinedramon! Take it down!" Yuugo called out. His machine Digimon began to move, but it wouldn't be quick enough.

And to make matters worse, at the angle the monster was attacking from, the only way to attack it would be to vaporize Touma along with the monster; there wasn't a way to save him.

Touma's eyes widened as he turned towards the tentacle monster, only to see it an inch away from his face. So he did what he would do in any other situation, even if it were a fruitless gesture.

He held out his right hand.

The effect was immediate; upon contact, a loud shattering sound rippled out through the area and the monster was completely obliterated. Not a single trace of it remained.

The only thing left behind was a speck of blue light, which faded away shortly after with little fanfare to signal it had even been there to begin with.

Touma blinked a few times, pulling his hand back to stare at it.

"…Imagine… Breaker?" Touma questioned. "…It came with me? But… how?"

Now was not the time to question what had happened, however.

"What was that just now? What did you do?" Yuugo questioned. Touma froze in place; not quite sure how to explain.

"W-well! Y-you see…!" Touma rubbed the back of his head, trying to think of a way to explain it. "I-I'm from Academy City! So…!"

"…So you're an Esper?' The white-haired boy asked.

"Y-yeah! So…!" Touma trailed off, looking back at his right hand again. All the while Dorumon simply tilted his head and wagged his tail, curious as to what was happening.

Touma didn't really have much of an explanation. How Imagine Breaker managed to manifest in his EDEN Avatar was a complete mystery, and he didn't exactly like to explain how it worked, especially the hoops that came with explaining it.

However, it appeared he wouldn't need to in this case.

"…Is that so? That explains it… I suppose." Yuugo appeared as though he wanted to press the topic, but spoke as though he had accepted it anyway. "…Though to annihilate one of those with one shot… not even my Machinedramon can do that easily…"

"I-It's not that special." Touma stated. "It's just… e-eh?" Touma looked at his console as he spoke to check the time.

7:28PM.

"C-Crap! It's that late already! This is bad!" Touma suddenly cried out.

"…Eh?" Yuugo blinked.

"H-hey! Thanks again for your help, and for the Digimon Capture thing; but this unlucky Kamijou has to go before a certain nun gets mad about missing dinner! T-though she supposedly was going to trying cooking it… being this late practically guarantees I'm going to be violently assaulted! I have to go; thanks again!"

And with that, the spiky haired teenager known as Kamijou Touma ran straight for the logout zone as fast as he could, leaving the humble Yuugo behind.

The white-haired boy blinked a few times before glancing back at his Machinedramon. The Mecha Digimon didn't have much to offer it seemed, as it vanished shortly after. Yuugo's eyes shifted to the path that the unlucky Kamijou had just ran down.

"…Kamijou Touma, huh?" Yuugo spoke to himself. After a moment or two, he activated a phone application and contacted someone.

It rang several times before whoever he was trying to get ahold of picked up.

"…It's me." Yuugo spoke. "Yeah, I have a job I'd like you and your group to take. It's about looking into someone… yeah; I'll meet with you and discuss the details… oh no, it's not something life-threatening, it's just someone I'm curious about that I can't look into myself at the moment… listen, just because I'm the leader of Zaxon doesn't mean I can't have a mild curiosity every now and then, and I happen to be getting back to work after a short break I took... alright, meet me in the forum; we can discuss the payment and the details then."

With that, Yuugo left the area so cleanly it was as if he had never been there.

Though it was Kamijou Touma's first appearance in EDEN, it wouldn't be his last.

A new adventure in the world of science and magic was just about to begin.

And so, that's the first chapter!

What do you think? Like it so far? I certainly hope you enjoy this little introduction!

See you next time, everyone!

I hope you all enjoyed. Please, review as your leisure; I still enjoy feedback.

Take it easy, my friends!

Sincerely,
ArmoredCoreNineBall, your friendly (not)robotic (not)overlord (possibly)person who occasionally writes things.