Things can only take a dive for the worse as Apophimon reveals where he came from; a Forbidden Verse where his friends died while a MarinAngemon could do nothing as the world burned. The despair pools into the Code of Melancholy, making him lose himself more than he should, and right now, only Amanokawa Hiro, who's gained a new power from Solisamon (?) can stand against him. However, is he truly the only one to stand against this new threat? With vortexes opening up at random, things may not end as well as they normally do...

"So... there are other worlds out there." That wasn't phrased as a question. It was a statement to confirm. 

Mosse nodded. "Link and Relica already knew since they helped me and some of my friends when there was a breach, so..." 

"And you are no longer a mercenary." Sidon crossed his arms. 

"Basically. Turned a new leaf after meeting the team. It's kinda hard not to when things get as crazy as they did back then," she answered, petting Alge softly. "I... Didn't use to have Alge here."

Things had really changed, huh? From a mercenary infected with a thing meant to make her lose her mind to a person fighting to protect the worlds...

She closed her eyes. "And as for the mark... You say Relica had it?"

"Yeah... What that mean?" Yunobo asked softly.

"I... I don't know. But the fact that it was glowing..." It didn't mean anything good, she could tell. "You said that she was being cold? What happened to her? Last time I saw her, she was excitable and warm."

The three shared a glance.

Revali inhaled. "It... It is a complicated matter."

"How can I help if you don't tell me?" She asked bluntly. "Things are ****ed up in the worlds as is. I can't afford to bring you three to meet her, so I need all the info I can get."

"Wait, why can't we?!" Sidon raised his voice. He couldn't help but not trust this lady even though Link had vouched for her. "For all we know you could-"

"If I had wanted her dead, I would have done that a LONG TIME AGO WHEN SHE WAS A CHILD." She shut him up with a glare. "I don't blame you for mistrusting me but for the love of all things in the SRS, the worlds aren't stable enough. If I try bringing you through, I worry things will truly fall apart."

"What do you mean?" Revali demanded.

"Basically, it's not safe for those who aren't like me and Relica to be hopping worlds. Especially this world when it's not even connected to the other worlds," She sharply answered. "We've yet to establish connections. Even the Miraculous world has more connections than this world, so I will NOT have any of you risking your necks for this!"

"What makes YOU so special then?!" He glared at her heatedly. "What makes you SO special that YOU have to go after my daughter!?"

"Unless you want your daughter to NOT HAVE A FATHER, BE MY GUEST! THERE'S SOMETHING IN THE PORTALS AND IT ONLY REGISTERS ANOMALICE LIKE US!" She snapped back. She saw his point, of course, but she refused to make Relica lose her father due to his utter ROCK HEAD! "SO SIT YOUR *** DOWN AND TELL ME WHAT I NEED TO KNOW! GOSH, THE WAY YOU ACT MAKES ME WONDER IF YOU'RE THE REASON YOUR DAUGHTER IS SO COLD!"

He.... He froze right there. She... She was...

"That out of line!" Yunobo gasped.

"I..." Her voice faltered. "I didn't mean to shout." She seemed so surprised by her outburst.

"If you're going to be like this, I would rather risk dying to get Relica back than trust YOU, someone who could easily switch to Ganon's side," Sidon spat out. "Let's leave. You make me sick, Moslaz, with your shifty allegiances."

"I TOLD you-"

"Wait, Sidon." Revali stopped him from leaving. "... I... Would like to trust her on this."

His eyes widened. Even Yunobo gasped. "But-" 

"You... had a point when you said that I could be the reason behind her shift in attitude," he quietly said. "My reputation in the village, it may have put more pressure on her because of her..."

"Because she's blind, basically," Mosse finished. "I had a feeling that would be the case. But what could make her have such a sudden turn from her usual self?"

"An... incident..." He closed his eyes. "Relica and two younger archers were on a rescue mission, you see. A child had been taken hostage by some of Ganon's remnant Yiga, led by a woman named Shilla. Evidently, Relica knew that name to some extent."

"She must have met her the same way she met me in her youth," Mosse deduced, which made Revali's eyes widen slightly, understanding the implication in her words. "But regardless, I assume that mission did not go well." 

"Yes... Pretty much. She spent days sobbing in her room about it..." he said. Gone was the arrogant and confident tone one was used to hearing from the legendary Rito warrior. All that was left, when stripped bare and vulnerable (she knew the feeling all too well, had been helped despite that moment of weakness-), was a heartbroken father who had raised his daughter on his own, unsure how to parent when he had spent his life being a warrior. 

"Days sobbing in her room, huh?" she whispered, rubbing her neck, which made Alge look at her with a concerned look. "I... understand that." 

"The two Rito archers were bold and overconfident, they were reckless and got themselves struck by the enemy. And... one of them even accidentally shot the child..." Revali inhaled. "Still, they refused to... they didn't want to take the blame. And Relica... she still blames herself for it." 

"We try to help, she pushed us away..." Yunobo added. "We worried for her, so we try to talk..." 

"She wasn't eating, only patrolling and eating and drinking, losing all that made her smile... The glint that used to be present in her eyes... It's now gone..." Sidon sighed. 

"And to make matters worse, those... those utterly horrible archers still rub it into her that she was the reason everything fell apart." Revali curled up his feathers in anger.

"So basically they're ****ing slimeballs," Mosse concluded.

"I... Do not know what the first word means but yes, they are slimeballs."

She hummed. "That makes sense. How do you even know what happened, though?"

"P... Pardon?" He was taken aback. What was she talking about?

"How do you know what happened back there?" She repeated. "I doubt they would have told you. Did the... Did the child tell you?"

"I... Yes. She did. She was crying to me as well." He exhaled. "She knew that everyone was treating Relica differently because of what happened."

"So she took the fall for something she didn't do, but believed she did..." She muttered. "Interesting... I need to meet this Rito before I go after your daughter, if that's alright." 

"But what about that mark!?" 

"That Mark is actually called a Fragmented Code." 

"A... what?" They all blinked. 

She sighed while getting up. Hoo boy, she was in for it now, huh? "Gosh, I'm glad Wuliang told me the story. Let me tell you a story while we head for the Rito village... About a group of people called the Spiritual Fruits DigiDestined from another world..."

Fate had weird ways of working, did it not? Of all the ways to find out about his true heritage, about the truth of his kidnapping...

The egg was, as predicted, resting in a special room made to protect against the Fragmented Codes. Yuga would know. He had seen his dad work on it when they made the system in the first place. Of course, with the new developments, they would put it in this room to prevent the Digimon from reclaiming their "leader". 

As one Enoshima Junko once said (he had played Danganronpa once, yes. What kind of Ace of Games would he be if he didn't?), "Sooo predictable." 

"How do you plan on breaking the system?" Mona asked as the two stood outside the room. The forcefield would surely repel and alert the others, which would be a HORRIBLE scenario. Yuga rather not let the others know the truth about all this, especially about him. 

"Let me try something," he answered, pushing the Codes away the best he could while getting his phone out, making sure to turn off his internet the moment it rebooted. It wouldn't take them long to figure out where he was once he used it, so he had to hurry. "Biomimicry engineering really saves ***es." 

When his Uncle Baku had learnt of Gammamon's ability to unlock any digital lock with only his eyes, he had made it his mission to figure out how it worked, and then replicate it. It had helped them numerous times during the Gemini arc, so to see this tool now used for his own selfish purposes... 

He shook his head. No. Not the time. Focus, Yuga. 

It would take ten seconds to let the app do its magic, but they'll figure out the truth if my signal was found here, so my best bet is to toss it into a random world that they can access. Give them a wild goose chase, he thought to himself, pressing on the app with an unlocked chain to reveal a barcode. 

"Is this... are you sure you're okay with this, Yuga?" Mona asked, sounding concerned. "There's no turning back."

"No turning back," he agreed. "But... I have to if I want to make the worlds see."

He winced, feeling the pain from his mark. Still, he thought of the good times, of the times he was going to cherish even after... even after his plan came to fruition. 

I'm sorry, everyone, Mona-san... I have to do this. I wasn't meant to be anyway... 

He inhaled, and opened the Internet icon on the phone to let the lock be hacked. 

It felt like ages, when really it was only ten seconds before the phone dinged, and the doors slid open, revealing the egg in all its glory... in a glass tank. 

Of ****ing course. Of ****ing course Amanokawa Blues and Kinmokusei Asagao would add an extra obstacle.

He bit his lip. Whatever. He could figure that out AFTER he got the egg out. He didn't doubt Pascatmon would reinforce the egg, so the best thing to do was simply... 

He took out a Buddyfight card, whispering softly, "I equip, Sword of Purgatory Knights Leader, Demios Sword."

[Demios Sword pauses. Something... doesn't feel right. 

As he looks down, he sees his weapon... glitch.

Why was this aura... so similar to Tasuku's?]

The rectangular sword manifested in his hand, and he swung the sword at the glass, utterly shattering it without a sound.

He smiled, picking it up as the egg pulsated. "Well, well, looks like for all your dodging in January... You can't avoid telling me this time, Pascatmon. You WILL tell me how Nanana Paruko caused our kidnapping, one way or another, and I WILL make sure the world knows the truth. You're going to show us EXACTLY what happened."

The egg seemed to shake, as if scared-

Then, voices rang out. All too familiar ones. 

"We should probably meet back up with the others if something bad is happening again..." 

"Wherever they are, at the very least," Gangsan corrected. "But you don't have a partner. Daun and I do, so it's best to stick together." 

Of all the people... Did fate really hate him THIS time? He had to curse at it for that. He never wanted them to find out, but at the same time... ****, this was too good an opportunity! "Mona-san, I'm about to do something really risky." 

"I trust you have a good reason for this, so whatever it is, be careful, Yuga."

He tried to smile, but it couldn't last as he remembered what he was planning. I'm sorry...

He had to do it. No matter how crazy it was, he...

He shook his head. No, this was the only way. If he didn't... 

No, stop overthinking, Yuga! Focus! Focus! 

He slipped the hood on, hugging the egg while counting down in his head. It would only take a while for them to approach, if the proximity told him anything, so he had to time it jusssttttt right. 

"Hey, erm, where ARE the others?" Daun suddenly asked. "I don't think I see anyone...?"

Alright. Time to go! 

He slowly walked out of the room, making sure his hood was facing away from them as he walked, but showing them the egg was all too easy. 

"Wait, hang on, that egg- You're Mona Artemision!" Gangsan yelled. 

Gears spun. Was that Gangsan's partner? Solarmon, according to Haneul-senpai. 

"Hey, get back here with that egg!" Sounded like a Bakugan. 

He simply didn't reply, walking away from them. Five... four... three... two... one...

He was spun around, but he activated a portal right beneath them, watching them fall in before throwing his phone in and opening another portal. Time to head back to the Shadowside world to recuperate. He would deal with them after he got his answers from Pascatmon.

("Hm. Quite impressive."

The painting shimmers.)

"You... You're..." Bokomon looked completely stunned. 

"What about it?" He snapped. "No one cared about us before, and thought we were nothing but evil when it was Pascatmon's mechanisms. I was even hunted down when Pascatmon's Codes made me kill all the Digimon in the Dark Area. Sure makes the so-called sovereigns pathetic, right?"

"YOU were the one who killed the Digimon in the Dark Area?!" Shoutmon was taken aback. "It was just a normal area before that slaughtering..."

"Oh SHUT UP about normalcy! Normalcy means you shun those who don't fit into your schema!" he roared. "I will destroy all of you and make each and every one of you swallow the so-called light you delusionally hold above others! STOLEN SUN BLAST!"

"Woah!" Tianheng looked at the cut it made in the tree behind them. "That's... really bad."

"How do we beat him?!" Akira scowled while hugging Puttimon tightly, although Apophimon didn't seem to react to her... 

Haneul frowned. Hang on, wouldn't he know Puttimon? Why was he ignoring her? "Hey, what of Sistermon Ciel? If all of you were from Forbidden Verses, what about her? She said that she was under Pascatmon too, so wouldn't she be included? Then why is it that you guys are the only ones who are under whoever got the Codes from Blues' place? Puttimon was with us the entire time."

Apophimon paused. His eyes... softened slightly as he looked at the scared angel. He understood why she was scared. Heck, HE was scared of himself, of what Pascatmon could do...

Mona, I hope I distracted them enough for Yuga to get the egg... He thought to himself. 

The silence seemed to make Mei scowl a bit more. "Why aren't you answering? Is it because you're still loyal to Pascatmon?"

His eyes darkened while everyone stared at Mei, downright shocked by her words. 

"W-Why you say that?!" Puttimon looked absolutely horrified. "You no know what happen!"

"Puttimon? What do you mean?" Akira was lost. "What did Pascatmon..."

"I see how it is..." Apophimon cut in. "I see... so everyone... everyone will view us this way regardless of what we say. Because to you, we are Pascatmon's loyal puppets, willing to go through so much pain for her... well then. News flash, WE ARE NOT HER PUPPETS! SHE FORCED US INTO THIS AND THEN HAD US ****ING HUNTED DOWN FOR THE STUFF SHE MADE US DO! DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW PAINFUL IT WAS FOR US TO BE STUCK IN THAT SEAL FOR SO LONG?!"

"But you're only following-"

"MEI, SHUT UP FOR ONCE!" Haneul snapped, making her eyes widen. "Things aren't as clear cut as they seem! Let the guy talk!"

"No... it's far too late..." a crazed laugh escaped his mouth. "So now we can judge murderers based on who they kill and not on the actions they do, huh? So you can get away with anything, and yet others have to suffer and pay repentance. It actually reminds me; have you once heard of this quote by a human from long ago? It's simply..."

His eyes went black. "All the demons aren't in ****. They're here on Earth."

Kekekekek~ Time to come out and play~~

"CORRUPTED HALO!" He threw light chakrams at them, but Hiro quickly ran and cut through it the best he could. 

He grunted as he felt the strength. This was DEFINITELY bad! "He's really strong!"

For a moment, he considered retreating, but then he scowled. No, he couldn't! If he did then what would the others think? "Oh, Hiro is really a damsel in distress!" "He really can't take care of himself..." Heck, what would the other TMs think? 

No, he couldn't falter here!

"Hiro, stop! What the **** are you doing?!" Amato looked downright stunned. 

"I... won't lose here!" He snarled back at the snake. 

"Why you little...!" Apophimon hissed. "I'll enjoy ripping you apart first!"

"As if I'll let you!" Hiro summoned star attacks and swung his sword to send them flying at him like shurikens, his pupils now star shaped as he roared, "Galaxy Flames!"

The stars cut through his tail, letting out a bright light that made everyone cover their eyes in pain. What the heck was he doing?!

[Yes, fall~ Fall~ Fall~]

A vortex opened up outside the apartment where most of the DigiDestined stayed, spitting out Relica, RH-Ashley, RH-Kieran and Ogerpon before closing up as if it was never there, making them groan. 

"Ogerpon...? What just happened?" RH-Ashley asked while trying to get up, but stumbled and almost fell, were it not for RH-Kieran holding her steady almost on a reflex. "O-Oh, t-thanks!"

He flinched, looking away as his hands retracted almost immediately. "... Shut up. I didn't do it for you. I-It just happened."

At that, her eyes softened. Right... she had gotten a bit through to him, but... "Kieran..."

"Stop. Just... I don't want to even look at you," he snapped. "Sure, you understand, but you still LIED. I trusted you. I even confronted you when it was just us and you STILL lied."

"I... I swear I hadn't wanted to, Kieran..." she faltered. "Please, believe me on that."

"... Maybe. But... Even if it is, who would vouch for you? I..." he closed his eyes. "... Never mind. Just. Don't, Ashley."

Had she really hurt him that badly?...

RH-Ashley was about to reach out again when she heard someone groan. "Ugh, that hurt so badly... Maybe Father was right about getting enough rest..."

"Huh?" She turned around, and Ogerpon looked over curiously, even hopping over to the Rito. "... Is that a bird person?"

"W-Wait wha-" RH-Kieran's voice died. "W-Wowzers! That's... new..."

"What... does wowzers mean?" Relica was very lost by that wording. 

"Pon pon? Yopon!" Ogerpon seemed to recognise something in her, if the concern on her face was anything to go off on... 

"Are you... What are you...?" Relica felt Ogerpon all over with a frown. She had never felt such a confusing shape before!

"She's a Pokémon? Do you not know what that is?" RH-Ashley inquired.

"Pokémon...? What is that? Is it like that bear that Link and I had to fight before?" Relica was all the more confused. "Who even are you?" 

"Ponyooooo!" Ogerpon insisted, trying to pull at her as much as she could. She sounded frantic...

"Ogerpon, c-calm d-" RH-Kieran was swatted away as the Pokémon tearfully said, "Ponponpon! Yoponyo!"

"Ogerpon, please, calm down! We can't really understand..." RH-Ashley reached out to her. 

She looked so terrified, and sniffled, but leaned into her out of reflex. 

RH-Kieran bit his lip, frustration coursing through his veins again as a voice whispered, "Never enough, huh? You were and never will be enough for anyone."

"Shut up..." he hissed under his breath, but he knew he was giving in. The voice was right, wasn't it? 

Relica picked up on that, and she frowned. "Pardon? Why are you saying shut up?"

"I-It's nothing," he muttered under his breath, looking away while RH-Ashley looked at him, worried for her friend. "Kiera-"

BOOM!

"What was th-" 

Relica didn't waste time as she spread her wings, taking to the skies once more much to the shock of the two trainers. 

"W-WHAT WAS THAT?!"

"W-Wow, that was so... so cool..." RH-Kieran stammered. 

"PON!" Ogerpon didn't waste time as she ran after her. No no no no, she could feel the Mark, that was bad, the Codes...! 

"Wait, Ogerpon!" RH-Ashley rushed after her, and RH-Kieran gulped but didn't hesitate to follow them. He couldn't let Ogerpon get hurt! 

As the light receded, Hiro's heart raced in excitement. So this was what it was like to not have to rely on others! No wonder Dan/Praxidike (whichever it was, still the same person, he thought) and Dia during the Sin Code arc didn't want to be with the Awesome Brawlers! This was exhilarating! If he had known just how amazing this feeling was...!

But then it disappeared, replaced with dread. What in the....?!

Apophimon's eyes were trained on him, and a genuinely sinister smile made its way onto his face. "Oh? So the little mouse wants to mess with the big hungry snake? Quite the bold move, but sadly, that's not going to work."

His tail... it wasn't even HURT! He was sure he had cut it off cleanly! How was this possible?!

"Having DysMo's regenerative abilities really saved me there~" he sang, slithering closer to Hiro with a smile. It honestly reminded him of someone, but who, he didn't know... "Now, get ready to eat your dueeeee~"

"I don't think so!" A voice cut in, and everyone's eyes widened as Tyrannical Protector swung her weapon at Apophimon, making him back away out of surprise. 

"Ughhh, I swear I'm going to murder Desstin! Where the heck is he when you need him!?" Shiift complained.  "At least Pureeby showed up to stop Itzpuxolotl and yet this guy doesn't even show!"

Areum simply readjusted her horns. "We can't expect stuff like that. The multiverse is already messed up as it is."

"Well, well, look who decided to show up. A fellow Anomalice," he mocked, but then paused. What in the...?

This was...

"You... you managed to break out of the Codes?" He sounded surprised, and for a while, his sanity returned... "But how? Mona spent years trying to... trying to save our entire group from her mechanisms..."

"What? What are you talking about?" Areum stared back at him, stunned by what he was saying. 

"Areum, maybe check your Mark? He genuinely seems stunned," Shiift offered. She wasn't too inclined to trust him, but with recent events and his genuine surprise, she was starting to feel like there was some merit to his words. 

"Sure," she said, feeling for her mark and lifting up the clothing covering it- "Wait, what!?"

Apophimon was unable to speak. He could only stare in utter disbelief at the faded mark. 

Relief was there, yes, but what truly overpowered him was the worst possible emotion to feel during a fight. A dark, dark part of him that made Apophimon...

"... So favoritism happens even for Anomalice..." With every word, his tone grew bitter. "So instead of letting the ones who Pascatmon hurt for eons be free... they give hope to those who had never felt that suffering. What a joke, Desstin. You make me want to puke with your hypocrisy. When we needed help, people shunned us away. When we cried out, no one heard... and Mona and her vessel are in so much pain for our sakes. How is that fair? Life may be unfair, but why does it favor the fortunate? Are none of us that redeemable in the eyes of those so called Gods?"

And his eyes went black once more. "Pay... I'll make you all pay. I will grab each and every one of you and I will make the Creator Gods understand what it's like to suffer for crimes you were forced to do. Oh wait, I'm sorry, I forgot. They did all that **** on their own volition. It's solely their fault and yet they blame us and treat us like parasites, so why not let them come? I WILL MAKE YOU PAY!" 

"He's losing it!" Dantella paled. "The Codes, they're....!"

But then the Hubris code showed up above him, right beside the Melancholy code, as he smiled. "Time to make you PAYYYYY~"

"****! Shiift, you're not fully healed up yet right?!"

"I sure am wishing I was too now!!"

"HAAVIK OF MELANCHOLY!" he cackled, using his tail to create a yellow mask just like ... Just like...!

"No no no!!!" Lumosmon screamed, fear coursing through her veins. Not him! Anyone but HIM!

"DIE!!!" The mask was launched right at them, and-

A bunch of arrows shot in rapid succession hit bullseye, making it shatter as Relica landed. "Alright, hit the bullseye. But I can't afford to let my guard down. There are way too many civilians here."

"What in the- Is that a BIRD?" Ruri gasped.

"INTEGER OVERLOAD?!!"

"DARLING DON'T GIVE IN ON US NOW!!"

"What the heck." Jang stared.

"I am a Rito. Please don't get that mixed up," She corrected, feeling frustrated. Why did everyone suddenly get it wrong?! It wasn't like they were blind like she was, so why-

No, bad Relica! No spacing out!

Taking in a deep breath, she readjusted her stance, facing the Digimon. "I don't know who you are, but I can't let you hurt others!"

But... Something seemed wrong with how he responded here.

A scowl unlike any other formed. Of course. Of all the despicable....! "Well, well, of course one of HIS line would come to stop me. Your mother refused to listen to us when we begged for help and called us villains!"

Her body stiffened. What did he...? "How do you know my mother?..."

"It's hard not to remember the ***** who kept the seal intact, and your eyes... I remember easily that I was the one who made sure you couldn't see, even from the seal," He snarled.

Her eyes widened. "You... You're the reason I'm blind?"

Pandora gasped quietly. "She... She can't see either?"

A sinister smile formed. "Oh, I can see everything, Relica, daughter of Revali of the Rito village. And I know of your faults. You and your father are quite alike. Stupid, prideful, and downright arrogant. Pushing away allies and not caring about the consequences as long as it makes you the best warrior. Not heeding their words despite the truth that you know is embedded in their words. Maybe that's why someone got hurt. Even now, you still are arrogant, pushing everyone away just to desperately cling to an unrealistic ideal. At the end of the day... You're only protecting yourself, and not those around you."

W-what was he...? No, that wasn't true! "I've been fighting for others! I've been patrolling and ensuring NO ONE gets hurt ever again!"

"But is it really?" he sounded almost gleeful, which really didn't sit well with him. This was definitely HER speaking, but under the Codes, he could do nothing. "Did you not realise how much you were hurting your loved ones just by treating yourself this way? Who would want their friends to hurt themselves, anyway?" 

Her eyes widened. 

The words came flooding back in. 

"Hey, Relica, can we hang out?"

"Relica, hang time!" 

"My daughter, let's have a break."

All these words, she had only one answer. 

"No."

Their looks of shock, and pain, and worry... 

Her... her rejection... 

It had...

it had hurt them.

No. 

No no no nononononnononnonononnonononooooo!!!!!!

A loud scream pierced through the sky as Relica fell to her knees, shaking, screaming. 

Ogerpon slowed to a stop, eyes wide.

RH-Ashley covered her mouth, fear coursing through her veins. 

RH-Kieran shook. What in the world?! 

All the Perfectio members knew they had to stop this, but... it felt like they were frozen in place. Even they were stunned beyond words. 

Both Marks were shining brightly above her head as her entire body was taken over by dark blue markings.

Her wings grew jagged and monstrous. Those milky white eyes became black abysses for orbs. 

"W-What the...!?" Hiro stumbled back, primal fear all but taking over now. This was crazy, this was...! "The Codes can do that?!" 

"PONYO!!!!" Ogerpon screamed, tears falling from her eyes. No... no! She had failed AGAIN! SHE HAD FAILED YET ANOTHER PERSON WHO WAS CURSED TO BEAR THE SAME MARK SHE DI-

"Relica!"

That voice...

A vortex opened up once more, and a Sheikah exited as she rushed over to her. "Oh, ****, the Codes' progression is crazy...!" 

"M-Mosse...?" She weakly called out, unable to believe that she would come to meet her...! How was this possible?!

"Yeah, it's me, now hang on! Alge, get started on the edges that you can swallow!" She told her blob child, who gurgled but hopped over to Relica's arms as he slowly began to... to munch away at the aura. 

Blues' mouth went agape. "H-HUH?!" One thing right after another! Who was this lady and how could that blob just... just CHEW on the Codes?!

"THE CODES CAN BE EATEN?!" Hiro yelped. 

"The what now?" RH-Ashley blinked in surprise. 

It did seem to slow down the process, but Mosse knew that this wasn't going to solve the problem. If she truly wanted to help Relica, when the Codes were turning her into what she could call an abomination... She had to cut right through to her! "Relica, I need you to take deep breaths with me okay?"

"D-Deep breaths?" She sounded lost. "W-What does that mean?"

WHAT THE HECK?! SHE KNEW THAT HER WORLD WASN'T AS ADVANCED AS MOST BUT- 

She bit her lip hard, but chose to breathe. Okay, calm down, Mosse. She had to get through to Relica. "Just follow my words okay? Listen to what I say and follow it exactly."

"As if I'll let you!" Apophimon was about to charge up once more when Hiro and Tyrannical Protector stood in front of the sobbing girl, weapons held tight.

"I don't know who you are, but I assume you're here to protect too," Hiro told the girl. "So let's work together on this."

Areum frowned from beneath the mask. Truthfully she was worried about Hiro fighting, but she also knew that she didn't have a choice here...

She inhaled. "Don't be reckless. Power can corrupt if you're not careful."

"I get that," he said, feeling irritation once more. "Don't lecture me on that."

"Do you really?"

He chose to adjust his stance in reply, telling her the conversation was over. 

Areum looked over at him, eyes narrowed. Huh, so he was playing this game, it seemed. Well, she would do her own research later, but right now, they had something more pressing. "Alright."

The two immediately charged at the Digimon while Mosse got Relica to breathe. 

"1... 2... 3... 4.... 5... 6... 7... 8... 9... 10... Now backwards. 10... 9... 8... 7... 6... 5... 4... 3... 2... 1..." She kept her eyes on the ups and downs while repeating this until the Codes were only half of their original growth. "You better?"

"Y-Yeah... Kinda..." she said softly. "How did you know...?"

"Your loved ones came to find me." Those words surprised Relica as her head shot up. "They wanted to come, but things are messed up as they are. The entire multiverse isn't safe."

"I... had I failed ag-"

"No."

That bluntness definitely took her aback, and Mosse kept that firm tone as she continued, "You have it all wrong, Relica. Those archers were the ones who shot at the child."

"W-What do you mean? I-I shot at them! I didn't hear-"

"I have proof. A testimony of what truly happened... from the child you rescued," she said while getting her phone out and playing the recording she had gotten. 

"So it was the other archers?"

"They were... they were far off..." the child shifted. "They didn't seem to have good aim, which is a bad thing for a Rito... but they misfired and it hit me the same time the Yiga hit the two of them... I only... I only found out that she blamed herself afterwards, and I hated that..."

"Because you knew it wasn't her?"

"Because she's not a bad person! People around here, they... they only want the best! If you're not the best people won't look up to you!" She sounded close to tears. "Our hero had to work so hard for his pride, and I feel it's... it's unfair that even after all she did, w-we still turn our backs on her for being blind...!"

"I agree, kid. I really d-"

"I-I really admire her, though!"

That caught her off guard. "Huh?"

"I really admire her! She took her weakness and made it her greatest strength! How can you not love people like that!? I aspire to be just like her in the future!" She enthusiastically said, even while her sling moved a bit too much. The hope in her tone was hard to miss... "I honestly don't get why the Elders were so critical towards her even if she was the captain! She's someone I aspire to be like!"

Mosse paused right there. "Sound any familiar to you?" 

"That... sounds like how I did when I was younger," she said in surprise. She had always looked up to her father. Wanted to be like him, a legendary warrior who helped take down Ganondorf...

Mosse laughed. "You see how this works now? You're not at fault for the incident, Relica, but you need to stop forcing yourself to be like your dad. It's unrealistic. No, the path you should find is YOURS and YOURS alone. You want the best results? Then, to put it simply, love yourself."

"L-love myself..." she repeated. For some reason, those two words, they... sounded like it was impossible yet so, so possible...

"Only when you love yourself can you finally move on with your life," Mosse said with a smile. "Trust me, I've tried to push myself before, even when something... something threatened to make me die a painful death. I didn't have anyone to rely on... until I did."

(She owes the SRS everything. They rescued her when her own actions were about to destroy her, and changed her inwardly. She would have never assumed that she would be able to be happy during the darker days of the Dark Crystal's hold on her, but now here she was, a happily adjusted former mercenary whose life was transformed simply by that one kind act.)

"I... I don't... do I even deserve it?" She asked hesitantly. 

"Relica, EVERYONE deserves a chance for a break. We ain't... We can't just pull things out of an endless reservoir," she said. "We are still here either way, so why not find the balance that works for you? Not like a break will make things worse. It'll make things better cause you'll get the time to recover and be more ready!" 

"I... I..." she finally, finally felt tears fall down her cheeks as she leaned forward, and Mosse let her cry on her shoulder. "T-Thank you... s-so much... I'm so... so grateful..."

"It's okay, it's okay, let it allll out."

And with that, the Codes finally pulled inwards to the mark, although the changes didn't seem to fade as fast...

"You any better?" She asked once Relica pulled away. 

"Y-yeah. I-I just forgot how nice it was to cry on someone... I've been pushing others away, even if I wanted nothing more than to interact," she admitted.

"Well, you can learn as you go," Mosse reminded her with a chuckle. "I'll be here to help if you want, but we do have an issue to deal with, unless Areum is handling things oka-"

"Not—" Areum dodged another tail swipe. "—that good! We need help!"

"Well then, I suppose we should help out, don't you think?" Mosse looked back at the Rito, who nodded while getting her arrows out again. "Let's do this!"

"Ponpon!" Ogerpon immediately rushed over, nuzzling Relica with a happy smile while RH-Ashley and RH-Kieran approached. 

Mei's mouth went open. Now she was utterly speechless. Ogerpon?! And Kieran!? What?! Huh?! How?! 

"W-We can try to help!" RH-Kieran grabbed out a Pokéball while RH-Ashley nodded, the dark-skinned female saying, "I think Ogerpon wants to fight with you, Relica, right?"

Her eyes widened. "You... you do?" 

"Ponyo!" She answered excitedly, even getting her Wellspring Mask out to show her genuineness. "Yopon!"

"I... thank you," Relica chuckled. Even though she couldn't see the mask, she could tell how determined she was. "I did not get your names though, so I do apologize for that."

"No worries! I'm Aisling Kiyami, known as Ashley! Student of Naruva Academy," RH-Ashley greeted. 

"I-I'm Kieran Hannya! S-Student of Blueberry Academy!" RH-Kieran bowed. 

"I... don't know what those places are, but I'll do my best to help out," she said while getting up. "Mosse, you ready?" 

"Hey, as Dan once said, 'When you're part of the SRS, y'gotta be prepared for anything and everything,'" she quoted, making Hiro blink while dodging yet another attack. Was she another member of the SRS they had yet to meet?

She chuckled. "Alright. Let's get to this!"

"Salantro, I need your help out here!" RH-Ashley yelled while calling out a Yatomori, or better known as Salandit. 

"Tori!" the Fire-type roared. 

"Braze, let's do this!" RH-Kieran added, calling out his Glion. 

"A Gliscor!!!" Tianheng looked downright excited. 

"But can they even fight against Apophimon...? Last I remember, Jinpei, Tsuchiyume and Ranto needed to use a special mode to fight against the mons," Violet pointed out.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Mosse chuckled while spinning her swords. "Hey, Areum, y'know what to do?"

"Yeah!" she nodded, slapping a YSP watch on while getting the Medal out. "Let's do this! Anomalous Field, Set!" 

The field then digitised, but this time, Hiro was still standing beside them, a bit surprised but nonetheless ready to fight. "Solisa, you ready to go!?" 

"Of co-" She suddenly lurched forward, her eyes emptying themselves of any colour but a single star-like pupil before she pulled herself up. 

"S-Solisa?"

"I'll take over from here for a while." A blurred voice could be heard. 

"What in the-" Gulus sounded surprised. 

"Who-" Areum didn't have time before Solisamon smiled. And oh boy, it was not an innocent one. It was one that sent shivers down every spine. 

Apophimon, he knew of this person. That voice... He had heard of the legend from Mona's researching days... "You... you can't be... the- the legendary villainess!" 

"The what now?" Hiro looked lost. 

"Oh, that's a small title I gained from when I was still out and about," the entity said. "Say, why are you here anyway?"

He scowled. "To get something. Easy as that."

"But is it as simple as you make it sound? It's almost as if..." she placed a hand on her chin, as if mulling over it. "As if there's something you're hiding."

"I have nothing to hide!" he roared back. "Leave me alone, villainess! This is not your battle!"

"But only I get to choose that, no?" she asked mildly. "I suppose that I'll have to show you my wrath, then."

And immediately, a wave, a wave of something pulsed throughout the multiverse once more. 

Ichita stumbled and fainted on the spot, making Dan gasp while Lia and Athena had to carry Dia back as well, the poor girl down from the overload. 

Even outside the Anomalous Field, the pulses made them all go to their knees once more. 

"W-What in the world is happening in there!?" Ruri gasped out. 

"I-I wish I knew..." Perhaps, this was the first time Hoshi Mei would be truly overwhelmed by everything, especially with the tremors sapping every bit of energy from her. 

Back there, Hiro screamed in pain. It was like there was a voice telling him to do something. It was a move he knew, of course. Scatter Zaps was a move that he used often but now? 

Now it was like static struck his mind. Glitches, everywhere. 

Solisamon (?) watched her partner, before scoffing. "Fine. I guess I'll do this myself. SCATTER ZAPS!" 

"As if I will lose here!" Apophimon roared back, sliding out of the way of the attack. 

"How did he-" Protector was stunned. 

"Tch," Solisamon (?) growled. 

"I've come too far to lose here! It's about time to leave anyway!" he yelled. 

Wait, leave!?

"We can't let you do that!" Relica aimed her arrows, listening to the wind as she angled them before shooting them, the magic on them activating and turning them into fiery fireworks, striking him hard. 

He screamed in pain. ****!

"Ogerpon, time for Terastalising!" RH-Ashley held her Tera Orb as she threw it at the Pokémon, who nodded, the bright crystals overtaking her body before it burst away, revealing her Tera form in all its glory. "Let's do this! Poison Fang!"

 Salantro roared before striking his foe, biting down on him hard and causing him to stumble back out of pain. 

"X-Scissor!" RH-Kieran yelled, and Braze swung out the attack. 

Tyrannical Protector then jumped up and spun her twin-headed spear before striking at Apophimon's head, making him all but screech. 

"PONYO!!!!" Ogerpon used Ivy Cudgel to smack him back as well, pleased that she could help out her friends! 

And finally, Mosse created a purple mist that shrouded her. "Alge, I need a boost!" 

The blob gurgled as he expanded and allowed Mosse to jump onto him, propelling her up to the sky as she made her own shadow arrow. "This one's for Relica and her dad!" 

She aimed and fired right at him, but he-

A smirk formed on his face. "Well, Desstin, looks like your time is up. I'll make you pay for what you did this time. I swear on it."

The arrow dissipated into nothingness. The spear was spat out, as if it hadn't done any damage at all! 

"What in the-" Mosse didn't have time before a tail suddenly grabbed all of them. 

"HEY! What the-" Shiift was forced out of Areum with a slight glow, and Apophimon smiled hungrily at her. "You look tasty~"

"Shiift, get out of here! Call the others for help!" Areum yelled while she tried to push herself off, only for the grip to tighten. "Agh!" 

"Areum, no!" She protested. 

"I'm afraid that's not going to happen!" He opened a portal. "All of you are coming with me! Especially you, Kwami! I've yet to make you pay for Miasmamon's suffering!"

"GO! P-Please! We'll be fine!" her partner begged. 

Shiift bit her lip. She didn't want to! No, she refused to, and yet...! 

Her eyes landed on Hiro and the now-unconscious Solisamon, not to mention Gammamon trying to wake them up. She... She didn't have a choice here! 

"I'll find out where you went! I promise!" she screamed before she dived for Gammamon, allowing him to glow with power. 

"Gotta get Hiro and Solisa to safety!" As much as he wanted to admire this new (was it Burst Mode?!) thing, he had to focus!

He hugged Hiro and Solisamon, an aura surrounding them (the final Nexomon type protecting them), but Shiift could still see. The portal opened, and the rest fell in with Apophimon, his grip on them loosening once he was sure they couldn't escape-

That was the last Shiift saw as the field fizzed out, leaving them there... 

She separated from Gammamon, eyes wide. 

What in the world just...?

FH-Cyber gasped. 

"What just happened!??" FH-Badgerclops paled. 

"Is everyone alright!? I heard Areum was kidnapped or something!? " Tsuchiyume slammed the door open, rushing in with Ranto, Jinpei and Sandayuu, who was still a bit woozy but otherwise fine now.

All of them paused when they saw the monitor. 

Ranto paled. "The Kami...?"

The monitor clearly showed a pathway... being forcefully made from the main world to a world... not adjacent to the GG world... 

[If they squinted, they may see another pathway, smaller, making its way to another world slowly but surely...]

"WHAT THE **** IS APOPHI DOING!?...." Jaltermon stammered. This wasn't... this wasn't part of the plan! 

"Hey, Ranma-senpai! You feeling any better?" Wuliang asked while sitting down beside the video director.

Ranma laughed, setting his laptop aside as he said, "Totally! I'm feeling a lot better now."

"How are you here, though? I assumed you would not be ambushed by someone as lowly as Da-Dan following the Gemini arc," Alec inquired. He had his arms crossed as well.

Ranma shrugged, although Wuliang noted something was... Different in his eyes. Frustration? "I don't know either. Don't remember how I ended up all the way at the bridge. Doesn't help that Garga disappeared on us."

He looked over at Wuliang. "Though where have you been? It's been a while since I last saw you after Centuriomon got possessed."

"Been busy. I sorta got accepted into the Dimension Keepers?" He shrugged. "It's weird, but..."

"Well, you definitely took the liberty to show off your style! Looks perfect!" He commented, making Wuliang flush. "Ranma-senpai!!"

Still, Light looked at the two with a frown. Why had they been at the bridge? Ranma had been last spotted after a small Buddyfight tournament among everyone in Team Demigod. Yuga had sat out due to Garga disappearing out of nowhere, out searching for his Buddy... Then Ranma vanished at one point with Destroyer. Yuga followed right after, and then Ranma was found again. 

The weirdest part? No one had been able to contact the other worlds ever since that weird surge. It was so well-timed... And the fact that Ranma hadn't seemed to realise that it had been WEEKS...

"You don't remember anything before the bridge, am I right?" He suddenly spoke up, surprising everyone as they turned to him. "You want to remember but it's like you can't."

"H-How?" Ranma looked truly stunned.

"You're easy to read. Don't keep it to yourself, Ranma. It won't help," He said, making him flinch. Right...

Destroyer looked away slightly. "That... Is true. We have been struggling to remember, but we DO know that it's related to Yuga."

"Yuga? You know where he is?!" Masato demanded. He had to be held back by Subaru and Alec, looking all the more worried for his friend. "Who took your memories?!'

Jane frowned. "I doubt it's that easy to remember."

"It isn't... Feels very faint, actually..." Ranma hugged his Buddy a bit. "But for some reason... I feel kinda scared for him."

"Yuga isn't weak, even without Garga," Mukuro reminded him.

"No, that's not it..." His grip tightened. ".... Haru, I don't think we can keep it from the others any longer..."

Haru gulped. "You mean, you think that incident has something to do with this?"

"It's possible.... I don't want to believe it but.... It makes so much sense."

"Ranma? Haru? What are you talking about?" Anastasia Smirnoff, nicknamed Ana for short, asked, Timeruler looking as confused as his Buddy.

Ranma rubbed his neck, letting Destroyer waddle to sit on the other end of the bed. "Look, erm, this is a pretty harsh topic that Yuga may not like me sharing with you..."

"We will not tell anyone, if that's what you want us to say," Ra said with a frown. "You are making it sound like Yuga hurt someone fatally..."

"He... He kinda did," Haru mumbled.

Everyone paused.

"What... Do you mean, he kinda hurt someone fatally?" Agito asked with wide eyes.

"Does this have to do with how pissed he had looked before we fought Ana-senpai?" Wuliang frowned. He still remembered how angry, how cruel he looked as he realised what had happened... 

Ana herself shuddered. "Not the best memory."

Alec rubbed his arms. Even he was intimidated and he had been under Broken World's influence at the time...

"It's..." He still looked hesitant. "Guys... I was the one who gave Yuga the nickname Ace of Blackmail..."

Eyes widened. Outside, Gao and Tasuku froze, Tasuku's hand an inch away from the door handle. 

"W-Wait what? How and why did you even...?" Cross asked quietly. 

"There were people who... who were not being the kindest to me, some time before we started Ran-Ga." Ranma was definitely downplaying how bad it was, if his caution was any indication. "Yuga, he didn't like that. He told them to stop, even threatened to tell an adult but they mocked him..."

"They didn't know... They didn't know, we didn't know back then that..." Haru was shaking, crying. That day still scared him to death, as if... "N-Niisan, he was..." 

"Make it clear, Kakogawa! What are you saying about him!?" Magma Horus demanded. 

Ranma himself was shaking, but he swallowed. The guilt he felt whenever he thought of Yuga now, of those missing memories... It HAD to be connected to that time. Of the day when he came to realise... 

"You... You won't stop, will you, you utter *******s?" 

Even at his young age, Ranma knew that words like those were BAD. Like, legit bad. Haru himself paled drastically. "N-Niisan, t-that's a bad wor-"

"You think that torturing someone over your OWN insecurities will make you feel better, don't you?" he asked, amber eyes sharply glaring at them even when a smile, a smile was on his face. "Well, do you want to know something really fun?"

"W-What?" It was almost hilarious, how those bullies, almost twice Yuga's size, were shrinking away. 

Until one heard what he said next.

"I know everything about you. All your deep dark secrets. Not just from today and yesterday, but also from tomorrow. And with that information, I can make your entire lives miserable." He all but laughed. "I can utterly wreck any chance you have at success, make you realise that for all the anxiety you feel about your insecurities, you only make them worse with your actions. So... I repeat. Stop. Hurting. My. Loved. Ones. If not, I'm willing to hit a home run and see where it lands. Let's see where the news end, SHALL WE?" 

The tears that emerged from their eyes were real. And they ran. They ran. 

And as Yuga turned back to them, eyes now showing concern, the words that left Ranma's lips...

"W-Wasn't that just blackmail?" He was aware of the concept, yes, but seeing someone, seeing Yuga doing it... 

Yuga waved it off. "Just... forget about it, Ranma. I happened to have dirt on them anyway."

"T-That... wouldn't it make you some Ace of Blackmail or something then?"

And it was out. He covered his mouth as Yuga seemed to stare at him a bit longer than expected, which made Ranma squirm a bit. 

But soon he smiled. 

"Ace of Blackmail, huh? I... don't mind the title. As long as I protect those I love, I don't give two ****s about the ramifications." 

"If it's the only way... so be it. Ace of Blackmail I will be." 

The day Ranma realised... that something was so, so wrong about his best friend... 

Light's eyes widened. "Wait, hang on, that's insinuating..." 

"I... wasn't surprised when it turned out that Yuga was kidnapped from his family. Paruko seemed like the petty kind of ******* who would do that."

"Where else would Niisan... where else could Niisan learn to do all that? P-Paruko, she... she's the reason he's known as the Ace of Blackmail..." Haru was being hugged by Mukuro, sniffling at the mere thought; that his brother/cousin, that his fake mother had...

And just like that, the puzzle pieces fell into place. 

Wuliang paled drastically, shooting up while looking at Light. "Keep an eye on Ranma-senpai! I have to check on something!" 

"Wait wha- WULIANG!!!" he all but screamed when Wuliang jumped out of the window. Glasssweeper immediately went big and caught him, but he could tell that something had changed in his mind. "You look frantic, Heliang..."

He simply got his phone out, speed-dialing his Aunt Winnie while mentally praying that he was wrong.

"Wuliang? What's wrong?"

"I need you to meet me at the Legend of Zelda world, Aunt Winnie. I think I figured out who the Vessel is."

"W-Wait what?!" she sounded alarmed. "How?!" 

"I need to check my facts with the inscriptions on the seals! If I remember correctly..." He bit his lip. "I'll tell you when we get there, I promise, Aunt Winnie. Just meet me there!"

"I... Alright, Wuliang." 

"Thanks." He ended the call, ignoring the lump in his throat. The fear in his mind was hard to ignore as the cogs turned. He remembered all right, the sheer look that seemed to threaten death and more during that moment.

His feet began moving towards the café where the Mikados lived, where he had moved to after he met his family in this timeline.

Things were coming together, but he was not liking the picture...

He had disappeared right after Ranma, but Ranma alone returned and he didn't remember stuff. 

Of all the Earth Armour cards that could have died out, the Earth Armour he had with him was the one that was affected... And he had seen Ranma's Earth Armour card. It was the same situation as his. 

He didn't... want to believe it, but it made so much sense...

What if... What if Ranma had disappeared and had his memories erased because he figured out that Yuga had something to do with the Anomalice resurfacing? 

What if Yuga...

What if Yuga was Mona Artemision's Vessel?

"She's not going to tell us, is she?" Mona scowled while the two and ShatteredHopemon stared at the egg. 

"Well, what did you expect from a whiny brat?" Yuga rolled his eyes. "Only showing up when things go her way."

"True enough. But.. what IS your plan, Mikado?" ShatteredHopemon asked. "Assuming she tells us, at least."

"Oh she will. She knows that she can't run or hide." He leaned in. "She knows that this benefits her as well. Still, you do have a point about the possibility. What should we do with that?" 

"Perhaps I could be of assistance," a voice suddenly spoke, making three (or two?) heads turn over to see a shadowed figure. 

"Okay what the ****?"

"Who are you?!" ShatteredHopemon growled. 

"Calm down, Marduk," Mona said, which made him frown, but he soon joined the others who had begun manifesting a bit more. (The progenitor gave them the chance to sap energy out of her, which was good. They didn't want to hurt others more than needed.) "You are... the legendary villainess herself..."

"Castarismon at your service," she mock-bowed. "I must say, your lackey is quite agil-"

"NOT. A lackey," Mona's codes subsided, just for a bit, to force that out, a glare clearly aimed at Castarismon. "We're all equals here. Even Yuga."

"Mona-san..." His eyes widened.

"I understand," Castarismon said with... with a smile. It was sympathetic, even. "I believe in empowerment myself."

"So why are you here?" Yuga, ever the skeptic, asked while crossing his arms. "I doubt you just so happened to be around Apophimon, assuming he is who you were talking about."

"Ah, I see. You are quite smart on your own," Castarismon said while looking at him, and oh Kamidora, why did he feel like his entire plan had been read? (it probably was already, if what Mona-san said was true...) "But I am here to help, basically."

"Assuming you're after multiversal conquest, why help us?" ShatteredHopemon spoke up. 

"Well, I can only interfere with Digiverses and the Digimon worlds, sadly, so I can't do much," she admitted. Some things were REALLY inconvenient some days! "Proximamon struck me down, and... well..."

"I... can relate to that," Mona said with a soft smile. "You're not alone here, Castarismon." 

Castarismon went quiet for a while. Whether it was from surprise or being touched by those words, well, it was hard to tell from the shadowy figure. "... Thank you. Regardless, you want to get a Kwami to stay with you right?"

"No. That wasn't... not really the plan," Mona said, surprising everyone, yet Yuga's eyes softened. "The memory you showed me..."

"Yes. I..." She turned to Castarismon. "I went into this knowing that I was cursed for a life in the Dimension of Eternal Suffering, so why not let it just be me? Pascatmon, that ***** laughed in my face as she made me succumb to her Codes, and I was struck down by her to command the others to kill..."

She gripped her shaking hands. "I won't ask for forgiveness from the others. I know I messed up, but... This is how I apologise... Before I go... I want them... I want all of them to find a home they can protect. To return to their true selves. Using the Kwamis as a reason to purify them. It... is quite diabolical, I admit, to use others as we have been used, but I can see no other way to help my tomodachi find peace."

Everyone else shared a surprised glance. She still blamed herself for that...?

Yuga patted her (his?) shoulder. "Mona-san, you're not alone. I... I also know there's no turning back here, so I'll do what I can to support you. I promise."

"Yuga... I... Thanks a lot. Really. For everything..."

"Same back at you, pal. Same back at ya."

It was such a sweet moment... 

[Inside, a soul tears up.

Oh, Proximamon, love, why did he have to strike her down...?]

Castarismon smiled sadly at this scene, but soon decided to speak up, "I... I see. Very well. If I may, though. A little break shouldn't hurt." 

"H-Huh?" Both Yuga and Mona sounded surprised. 

The Digimon summoned a TV connected to some Switch consoles as she sat down on the wooden floor. "Why not game for a while? There's a game I think would be fun to play. Maybe some Smash Bros if we want."

She held out the other console to Mona, whose hands shook as she reached out, hesitant. Could she really...?

"Go on, it won't hurt anyone," she said. 

"I... Can I really?" 

"Yeah! Now come on, let's have some fun!" There was a glint in those eyes. One that spoke of adventure and excitement. 

(She remembers playing a GameBoy when she was younger. Playing Pokémon and having fun.

Maybe... it's okay to let loose. Yeah, that sounds like fun!)

Mona smiled while sitting down, accepting the console as the game started up. "Let's do this thing!" 

Well, unfortunately... Games were... not as simple as before. 

"GET THE GOLDEN CARROT, CASTARIS!!!!!"

"I'M TRYING! AHHH DODGE THE LAVA MONAAAAAAAA!!!!"

At least... they were bonding?

The other Digimon were now just. 

"I thought that I've seen it all, but apparently life wants to prove me wrong." Nervosamon stared. 

"I getcha," ReceLeomon agreed.

"What. The. ****. When did Mona get so good?" Schizomon gaped. 

"Maybe it's cause of Yuga?" Setonimon chirped up. "Back in my world he was pretty much known as the Ace of Games." 

(Yuga blinks. Does Setonimon know him?)

"Marduk, I think I'm lost."

"Nega, I 100% agree with you. I am lost too. What the **** is going on here?" ShatteredHopemon was very much done with everything and anything right now. 

Arturomon yawned from his corner. "I don't care, just let me nap." 

"Arturo. They haven't even passed the first level yet." 

That made him crack an eye open. "... Well, ****."

"I can tell you one thing; Yuga's gonna kill them." Setonimon looked a bit terrified at that thought.

And that was proven right when the words Game Over flashed on the screen for the tenth time, and Yuga finally yelled, "OKAY THIS IS MAKING MY HEAD HURT! CASTARIS-SAN WE NEED A STRAT RIGHT AWAY!"

"GET ANOTHER CONSOLE INSTEAD I WANT THE FAMILIAR WE CAN GET! I USE STRATS TOO MUCH AND I WANT TO NOT HAVE TO STRATEGISE FOR ONCE!!!!!"

"I'M SHARING A BODY WITH MONA-SAN THOUGH?????"

Yeah... let's just say that Castarismon didn't do any better in Smash Bros later on, when she chose Pichu and Yuga utterly wrecked her. No mercy at all! Poor Pichu never stood a chance against Ridley... 

"NOOOOOOOO, NOT THE BABY! HOW COULD YOU, YOU MONSTER!" Castarismon was on the ground.

"NYAHAHHAHAHAHHA!!!! This is why I'm the Ace of Games. The winner is me~" Yuga sang, and man, was that nostalgic! Hadn't said that since the Gemini arc started! Plus, for once, he wasn't offended by the "monster" comment! That one usually stung a lot! 

"I WILL GET MY REVENGE!!!" Even though she seemed serious, he knew somehow that she would be fine. Somehow, she and Mona-san had connected through games, and Yuga had a feeling that the two were a lot more similar than they let themselves believe. Well, multiversal conquest aside, anyway! 

He laughed. "I'd like to see you try!" 

She scowled, but as she leaned in, she whispered, "You're better off going to BF-0000 for your answers. You know that Pascatmon wouldn't tell you anything."

His eyes widened. "H-How?"

"Let's just say I have sources. Yuga... Don't die okay? You're the first human who actually understood me in a long while." 

(Eons calling out to others, and yet...)

"I... I'll try not to. Thanks, Castaris-san."

She smiled, even though it didn't really reach her eyes as she made the table disappear. "I'll... see you around, I hope."

"Stay safe," Mona said. 

"I will~" She teased slightly, waving at the others who laughed and waved back.

Yuga himself laughed a bit at the cute display. 

I just hope my plan doesn't destroy everything... He thought to himself with a sad smile as he watched Castarismon leave in a puff of shadows. 

Because it would cost him everything... and more.