"It's time, isn't it?" Aoi asked as we walked to the location from where the portal had dropped us off.

"Sure seems that way. I still didn't expect them to send a letter, though..." Dan poked it with a stick.

"There can't be any exploding letters in this universe, r-right?" Kiyoshiro looked terrified at that.

"Well, back home, we did have Howlers, but-"

"Liang, don't scare poor Kiyo."

"How do I scare pe- Ah never mind," the Buddyfighter sighed upon seeing Kiyoshiro limp on the ground with Angoramon carrying him. "Are we there yet?"

"Soon," I answered while walking ahead. 

"I'm more surprised that you've been here before, Eos," Dad remarked. "Was it before you met Mei?"

"After... I met Pumpmon." I felt my heartbeat pick up a bit as I remembered what I had done. "Before I met Hiro and the others when I was trying to kill Shiramon. ... sorry about that."

"Water under the bridge," Shiramon said with a sheepish smile. "We don't hold ill will, Eos."

"True. It's not your fault that you were used. Who WAS the person who commissioned you in the first place, anyway?" Gulus kicked a pebble, which Solisamon gently smacked his head for. "Oww!"

"No hurt nature!"

"Yeah, don't hurt nature."

"Why is the fish-lover joining in?"

"I am nature lover as well," was his dry response. 

We all snorted, but I sighed. "I... don't actually know."

"Huh?!" Everyone froze up. 

"Has no one heard of anonymous assassinations to keep the client anonymous?" I sighed. "It's a thing. I would use an app to keep track of the requests and all that, but after Pump died I deleted it off the face of the earth."

"What's the name of the app? Maybe we can track it down," Dad offered. 

"It's... it's something with two marks on it..." My head began to ache again. "Ugh..."

"Don't force yourself," Gami chided while supporting me. "You already said you couldn't remember much right?"

"It's more than just that... it feels like, ever since Pump died, I got amnesia as well," I said while rubbing my neck. "Not a pleasant feeling..."

"Maybe whoever commissioned you wanted you to forget about it? Could it have been the Evil QueenChessmon had been referring to?" Reiji frowned. They had informed me of what had happened so I was pretty up to speed on things. 

"To protect themselves, no doubt. But why kill Digimon? Why kill RobinHoodmon, MusosIatreiamon and the rest?" Jazamon asked.

"Did they also commission you to kill humans, Eos?" Benton then asked. 

"I... I think so." I looked down. "I remember my request list involved humans and Digimon. I remember killing them with my own gun or Boltmon."

"For the humans, you killed them with your own gun... but back then you were 17 so you could, at the very least, be charged with juvenile detention," Semo-sensei frowned. 

"And I'm willing to go through with it after all this."

"You're what?..."

"Once the investigation shows that I'm corrupted, most probably they can use this to put me in jail. I won't pretend I didn't do them. Plus, Hiro is in good hands once Mei comes back."

"There has to be another way!" Dad protested. 

"Dad, I won't... I refuse to divert this anymore. I have to face it; I still killed. The choice was there and I took it. It's only fair that I pay for my crimes. It's the least I can do for those I killed. Like you did, remember?"

"Eos..."

"I promise, once this month is over, once we save Perfectio, I'll go willingly and help you wrap this case up. And... I'll ask Aruke-san to erase my memories of everything. That way... I won't endanger you all again. That's my decision, Dad, so please..."

"I..." he suddenly hugged me. "You... you're so much stronger than I am, Eos... I-I..."

"No, it's just the decent thing to do. The thing I've avoided for so long." I shook my head while gently pushing Dad off me. "Let's go save Jang. Aoi?"

"Yeah, I know." She nodded. 

We soon arrived at the mental health institution, which the former Perfectio members looked at fondly before we looked to the house on the right and saw the logo on the door.

Aoi walked up to it, but as her hand hovered over the door, I noticed it trembling. Aoi... she was still scared, wasn't she?

"Aoi..." Dantella walked up with her, and slowly but surely placed a hand on her shoulder. "You got this. Please... please save Jang for Rinomi-nee's sake and for his. For us too."

"How... how can you be sure I won't backstab you all?" She suddenly asked. "You saw how envious I got. I nearly killed Ruri. I was close to destroying Mei. I traumatized my own childhood friend. At the end of the day, sure I was forgiven, but... have I changed? Has Udagawa Aoi changed, or is it an illusion she puts up to pretend like she has? Do her feelings remain the same? Or have they changed? I... I really don't know... and... Kayono... I understand how she felt when I left her all alone... in the end... I... I haven't changed. All I am is a burden to you all..."

"Aren't we all, though?" She asked back. 

"Hu... huh?"

I blinked. What did she....?

"We're all going to have to lean on someone eventually. We're social beings, and you know what? Needing help is okay. Being a burden is okay. And as for whether you've changed or not... well, would you be standing here right? Would Kayono have come if you hadn't?"

"What?!" Her eyes widened as she spun around to see a crimson-eyed, brown-haired girl walking over. 

"Kayono-san!" Hiro's eyes widened. 

"Who's that?" I asked. 

"A friend of Aoi's. She... she was tricked by a WaruMonzaemon and an ExTyranomon to treat others horribly. Her own prejudices and fears of being left alone scared her so badly she gave in to temptation, but she's been healing," Angoramon explained.

"Aoi...!" Kayono hugged her. "I heard from Ruri about everything! And... and I know it's scary, but you CAN do it. I'm sure of it. You've changed as well, you know. So hold what you've learnt close to your heatt

"Kayono..." her eyes watered. "I... I'm so grateful. And you... You look so much happier now."

"Once I opened up my heart to others, I started seeing things differently." She smiled. "I'm still looking for myself out there, but I'm gathering the pieces bit by bit. And I think you should too, although I can see you already have one piece for the romantic aspect."

And here, Dantella and Aoi blushed so hard Kayono roared in laughter. "I'm Aramaki Kayono, by the way. One of Aoi's friends!"

"D-Dantella Parkinson," she stammered out as she hid behind Aoi. "W-Why did Ruri call you here though?"

"She thought that Aoi could need some emotional support in there," she answered while adjusting her black kimono. "So she asked me to come over and help out."

"But you don't have a partner!" KiraHoshiimon protested.

She smiled. "Whoever said that?"

"Huh?" We all blinked at that. What did she...?

Blues chuckled. "I was wary about giving Uju a Digivice due to a lack of a friendship, but Kayono's case is different."

She giggled as she showed the necklace Digivice looped around her neck while Monzaemon walked over as well. "So three against one to convince the opponent to yield right? I'm so in!"

"Kayono-chan...!" Aoi teared up and hugged her again. "I... thank you. Really, thank you for helping out!"

"Don't worry about it." She hugged back. "Friends stick together through thick and thin!"

"That is so true!" Jazamon smiled. "Dantella, come on and join in!"

"E-Eh-" she was roped into the hug in a blink of an eye, yet despite the blush she had on her face, she didn't try to pull away, a smile forming on her face. 

"That is so sweet...!" ToyAgumon sniffled.

"Wahhhh!!!" MusosIatreiamon was already sobbing from Tukaimon's back. "Dantella! We're so proud of you!!!"

"Y-YOU ARE ALL SO EMBARRASSING!" She hissed, the red overtaking her face in a flash. 

We all just roared with laughter while NamaBushomon waved to Monzaemon. "Hey, there. How are things in the village?"

"It's been fine. Everyone is recovering up pretty nicely," he answered. "Kayono showed up to ask for my help, which I was pretty surprised by."

He looked over at her as she teased Aoi and Dantella. "Even after what those two did to her, she still wants to interact with Digimon. That's... a strength of hers. Being able to look past all that is amazing, and I respect her very much for it. That's why I will protect her, to honor her desire to grow past her dark side."

"I have no doubt you will," Koutarou said to his former underling. "You and Kayono are pretty awesome together."

"Thank you." He smiled. "Anyway, we should get going. See you guys on the other side!"

"Same!" We all waved back before Aoi opened the door and the six stepped in. A bright light then made us close our eyes, but when we opened them, another doorway was open. 

We shared a glance. What the...?

"Which way should we go?" Keisuke asked while playing with his ring, "Wouldn't the new door way be ideal since it opened up after they left?"

"Could be a dud," Dad pointed out. "We need to be careful with this. Perfectio could do anything."

"Agreed. With the Codes in place, their unpredictability will increase accordingly," Shin Bernard reminded us. "The best way might be to either split up or figure out where to go."

"How do we even do the latter? It's not like there are any arrows that say, 'Follow me!'" Hiro snarked. 

"Hiro, jinx us again and I will smack you."

"Yeah, that's not pleasant."

"I get it, Dan, Yuga." He drily stared at the two of them with a tick mark on his head. "I get it."

"Hm..." I leaned forward and observed the floors behind both doors. 

One thing that stood out to me, first of all, was how impeccably clean the new doorway was, with not a speck of dust, while the other one had dust on it. 

I frowned. Either could mean something, but... something bothered me about thi-

Hang on, this district was known for its abandoned houses! I had looked up this district after coming back from the institution, and I remembered seeing that this house had been old! Of course, I doubted Jang would want to fight in a small place, so!

"It's an illusion. The six probably got teleported straight after walking through the door, but this is a different story." I got up. "We should walk through this one!"

"You sure?" Culumon X asked. 

"I'm pretty sure. Jang might be setting up the stage right now so he wants us to take his way. Plus, the house plan is small and won't be enough for a fight. From the fights we've had so far, I'm assuming they want to fight on a big stage, so there is no way they're using this house. It's more of a set Digital Gate. A gateway to the arena," I answered. 

They all shared a glance, but Hiro nodded. "Alright. Let's go."

"We're trusting ya on this one, Makua," Ruri said. 

"If there's one thing I can be confident about aside from my crippling sins, it's analyzing crime scenes," I answered. 

"I can testify to that," Dad solemnly spoke. "They've saved my *** many times thanks to their analysis during raids of various syndicates."

"S-SYNDICAT-"

"Less talking, more doing!" I waved off Shin Tasuku's guppy face. "We can have talks about beating up drug cartels and all that after we save Jang!"

"You did WHAT?!"

"DOES MEI-"

"Mei knows everything about me," was my dry answer. "So can we PLEASE go now?"

"We are definitely going to have a talk about how you seem to get into trouble worse than Hiro," Gulus muttered. "But alright, let's go."

With that, we all descended down the stairwell, and a part of me began to worry. What if I genuinely got it wrong? Would the others hate me?

There was no way that the others could hate me just because I messed up, right?

Sadly, the more I thought about it, the more I feared the disgust and disappointment of everyone I loved. 

I shuddered as I thought of their looks, the anger about the wasted time...

Sometimes, like right now, I wished I could turn back time and undo all of my criminal acts.

+ SPIRITUAL DIGILEMMA +

"Well, congrats for getting here." Jang clapped slowly. "I didn't expect this from *******s who didn't throw villains into **** for their misdeeds. Bunch of softies who are just asking to be hurt over and over."

"Jang..." Dantella frowned from her podium behind Jazamon. "Please stop this..."

"Dantella, they won't change. Murderers will not change once they've tasted blood. You... You should be the one most against this. Jazamon was electrocuted until he turned into a Digitama..."

I flinched at the venom in his tone. He...

"You did what?!" Dan gasped.

My memories began to shift, as if... As if triggered.

Pained screams, evil laughter that sounded worse than Malicemon....

Oh ****.... What had I done?

But Jazamon was quiet, and then...

"That... I don't know if it was them, though."

.... W-What?!

"Liar! Stop acting as if I hadn't slaughtered you and found pleasure in your death!!" I screamed. My grip on the railings was tight.

"I don't know! That's the ****ing thing! I didn't question it when I was in Perfectio, but the more I spend time around you, the more I realise you act too differently!"

"IT DOESN'T CHANGE THE FACT I KILLED! I... I HAD TOO MUCH TIME TO CHANGE MY ATTITUDE! YOU CAN'T HAVE POSSIBLY KNOWN HOW I WAS BACK THEN! SO STOP ACTING AS IF I DIDN'T KILL! STOP ACTING AS IF YOU KNOW ME SO WELL!"

My mind was a mess. I couldn't compute at all... I... I...

I had been that evil back then... How had Mei accepted me back then? I was nothing but a piece of ****...

🪙 Camera Shift 🪙

"I may not know you back then, but it doesn't change that you're changing for the better. That's why, Yeong, please stop this nonsense. You're better than this," Dantella pleaded.

From beside me, Onyx frowned as we both saw Eos curl up into a ball, with Bakumon trying to comfort them. "Was it just me, or..."

"It felt like a memory was coming back. Like it was triggered," I agreed. "That's weird..."

"Perhaps we need more information," Emeruda said.

"Yeah, but right now, this multiverse is sealed off as a precaution against Haavik. For the month, at least," Falcron pointed out.

"Has anyone heard from the other Dimension Keepers too? They've been awfully quiet lately, which is impressive," Beisan remarked.

"We can figure that out later. Jang's corruption levels are high right now! Aoi, you gotta win this!" I frowned. Corruption had a way of messing with people if they're exposed long enough. I would know, so...

"Win, don't worry. It won't end badly." Nyx placed a hand on my shoulder. "After all, the darkness ain't scary unless you become way too wary!"

"Heh, not a bad rhyme," I said with a smile.

"Aww yeah, you like my rhyme, Win!"

"Yeah, don't push it, Nyx."

The two of us smiled at each other before we trained our attention back to the arena, where KiraHoshiimon was now KokoroHikikomorimon while Monzaemon and Gaioumon stood as backup.

"Ugh, I'm going all out then!" Jang held out his black and gold-rimmed Digivice, causing it to glow-

Liollmon Fragment Evolve to!

"ReceLeomon!" The bipedal Digimon grew cables similar to Appmon as it towered over them.

"Locked Murder!" Jang commanded.

The Digimon roared as it charged up orbs that looked suspiciously like padlocks, but Kayono yelled, "Lovely Charm!"

"Midnight Shield!" KokoroHikikomorimon formed an ink-black barrier that shielded them.

"Rinkazan!" Dantella commanded, and Gaioumon nodded as he rushed in and began slicing at the attacks at rapid speed, destroying most of them. Even then the remaining attacks were deflected by the shield.

"What?!"

"How did she get so in sync with Kayono and Aoi?! She usually takes a while to get used to people!" Tianheng gasped.

"There was a reason why I had her and Morinomiya go to the hospital on the 14th," Shin Bernard spoke up. "I taught her how to adjust according to the situation, and told her to try empathising with others. She's done a great job with the kids that day."

"So you helped her get used to it by exposing her to a situation with someone she could work with, but I... Think that still counts as flooding?" This world's Semo asked.

"It does," He confirmed. "But I made sure to teach her the techniques beforehand. I also had Helios Omega keep an eye on her. This worked wonders only thanks to her determination. She... She wanted to get better so she could stop her friends. I only honoured the wish my client gave me. The rest was God's work."

"Dantella...!" Asagao was sobbing with Tukaimon. "I am so proud!"

"Ugh! Stop resisting! Pandemic Lockdown!" Jang screamed. The Hubris Code mark glowed on his wrists powerfully as ReceLeomon shot a shower of blasts at the three. 

"Dusk's Light!" Aoi countered, and KokoroHikikomorimon blasted pure light around him, destroying those blasts again. "I know what it's like to be paranoid, Jang! Kayono and I have been through it as well!"

"SHUT UP! STOP LYING! HUMANS ARE ****TY AND EVIL! THEY JUST LIE AND LIE AND MANIPULATE AND BACKSTAB AND CHEAT AND TAKE! HUMANITY IS THE **** OF THE EARTH!" Jang snarled.

"If they were, would you have connected so well with the other members of Perfectio?! Be honest with yourself, Jang! You're just scared of being hurt because of the names you were called! Have they ever called you names?!"

He froze. 

I... I got the feeling. It was hard being called names, especially... by family.

"I know the pain you feel, but this isn't the real way to channel your anger! Your bitterness! There are so many more ways to change the world!" She continued. 

"A-As if you were called names!"

"We can't fully get your pain, but we can extend a hand out to you, Park Jang-san! Can't we work together to help others, to help them find the light in the tunnel?!" Kayono held out her hand. "And it's scary! It's hard to trust humans, I know! But sometimes, it's worth the possible heartache! HAVEN'T YOU FELT IT WITH THE OTHER PERFECTIO MEMBERS?! WITH MORINOMIYA-SAN?!"

Morinomiya blushed, but when Jang looked her way, she nodded slowly before hiding behind Asagao who was full-blown crying now while Tianheng was nodding with a smile, tearing up as well.

"Jang..." ReceLeomon finally spoke up for the first time, and he gasped. "Y-Yeong!"

"I... I don't want to hate anymore." A lone tear fell down his cheek. "Please... Let's not... Fight anymore... I want to forgive, I want to love again."

"Yeong...!" Jang's tears dripped. "I-I'm so... s-so-"

The mark suddenly glowed brightly, his wrists moving upwards above his head. 

"JANG, NO!!!!" Morinomiya screamed. 

But...

ReceLeomon Slide Evolve to...!

"Nega... Leomon..." the now quadrupedal Digimon snarled. Navy blue eyes stared at the three, feral, no longer there as NegaLeomon spread out his wings made of the same cables and took to the skies. 

"We're not giving up on them! KokoroHikikomorimon! Happy Havoc!"

"Got it!" The Mega formed heartbroken arrows and shot them like crazy at the Digimon.

"How did... how did he get Slide Evolution?!" Dia paled. 

"Don't tell me... Uju added that into the evolution... but it wasn't there before! I only remember ReceLeomon!" Asagao looked terrified. "Does this mean that she added more...?"

This was a very unexpected variable! What should we do now...!?

"Gaioumon, let's not give up on Jang either! Rinkazan!" Dantella ordered. 

"Mekara Beam! Then use Lovely Attack!" Kayono added. 

"It's useless! Kami no Tenbin!" Jang commanded, the pain in his tone unmistakable as the Digimon summoned out a golden scale and swung it straight at them.

"MIDNIGHT SHIE-"

Boom!

My heart skipped multiple beats. The smoke made it hard to see anything. Oh no... OH NO!!

"****! AOI! DANTELLA! KAYONO!" Ruri screamed. 

"What the... oh **** **** ****! YOU GUYS!" Shin Gao was definitely petrified. 

"CAN YOU HEAR US!?" Eos seemed to have finally snapped out of their trance and looked downright horrified. "PLEASE! PLEASE IF YOU CAN, ANSWER!"

But, as the smoke started to clear, a loud voice roared, "WE HAVEN'T LOST YET!"

"SO DON'T COUNT US OUT!"

Kayono?!

Monzaemon Evolve to!!

"Minervamon!"

"Dominion Blade!" The dust cleared right there, and now there were 3 Megas standing there. 

"But how?! Even with a temporary Digivice!" Blues looked gobsmacked. 

"It's... it's their bond," Hiro realized. "Kayono and Monzaemon have a bond that works, so that's enough to facilitate the evolution!"

"That is just insanely awesome!" Mikono Miko, Yuga's childhood friend, cheered. 

"We're going to free you, Jang-san! Let's finish this, guys!" Aoi yelled. 

"Counterattack time!!" Ion danced.

"Madness Merry-go-Round!" Kayono commanded, and as the whirlwind grew, Dantella held out her hand. "Gaioumon, charging time!"

"Inferno's Song!" KokoroHikikomorimon summoned out flames as he threw it into the attack, and then...

Gaioumon roared, "I am ready!"

"THIS IS FOR YOU, YEONG, JANG! GAIOUMON... GAIA REACTOR!" Dantella yelled at the top of her lungs. 

"RE... LEASE!" Gaioumon let out a HUGE blast that slingshotted the attack right into NegaLeomon, who could only roar one last time before a huge BOOM! sent us all into-

🪙 Camera Shift 🪙

"Ugh, what happened...?" I groaned while hugging Bakumon tight. 

"Did anyone get the number of that Gaia Reactor...? Ella, that hurt a lot," Tianheng moaned. 

"Yeah, yeah, whatever helps you sleep at night," she mumbled while helping Aoi up. 

As I began to regain my senses, I realized we were outside of the house now, with Jang and Liollmon, no, Yeong, I think, leaning heavily onto a pillar. They looked pretty ragged as well...

"Oh my Kami, JANG!" Morinomiya rushed over and tackled him to the ground. "Y-You're okay!"

"We are... Meong..." Yeong smiled while licking Jang on the face. 

He couldn't help but laugh as he hugged back. "I'm surprised, Rinomi-nuna. You're not... scared of hugging again. You look... so happy..."

"I... Oh, Jang, I'm so glad you're alright! I was so scared... so, so scared..." she sobbed. 

"I'm sorry for scaring you as well, Rinomi-nuna. I... I really love you, you know that?" He gently cupped her face into his hands. "You are downright beautiful, even with that mask. I wouldn't want you any other way."

"I... oh, Jang!" She sniffed and leaned into his shoulder. 

He was soon helped up by Dantella as she smiled. "Welcome back to reality, Jang."

"I... I'm glad to be back, although..." his eyes landed on me, and I looked away, but then...

"Jang, no more... please... No more hate... Hubris made me hate too much..." Yeong pleaded. 

"Yeong..."

"He's right. Hatred doesn't get you anyway." Aoi walked over to him. "You don't have to hate anymore, Jang-san. The best way to get revenge is to live and move forward as you, instead of what others labeled you as. It won't be easy, but I'm sure you'll make it. I mean... I did too."

"Aoi..." Ruri and Mika shared a smile as Dantella agreed, "You got this, Jang. We all can work together."

And that, that made a smile form on his face. He hugged Dantella as well before Tianheng and Asagao-san joined in, the partners joining in to just have a wholesome result that made the others grin.

"Welcome to the team! Free therapy, and cookies exist on this darker dark side," Dan solemnly spoke.

"And takoyaki!" Shin Tasuku held out some.

"And also great cooks! And bad cooks, but that's a story for another day," Sarki said. 

"And also gluttons," Hiro deadpanned. 

Jang burst out laughing as Yeong grinned. "This group seems like so much fun, meong!"

"I guess we can't judge by the cover, huh?" Jang held Morinomiya's gloved hand while smiling. "If you'll have me, I... I would love to join."

"Alright, we have four more to go!" Jellymon cheered.

"The inner yells of the heart will be heard someday, so long as you don't give up," Angoramon said, which made Shiramon giggle and peck him on the cheek. 

Suddenly, a voice called out, "That was a great battle... I haven't seen a battle like that in a long while. Not since the fight against Haavik, at least."

Dad, Semo-sensei, and Duri-san all gasped as we looked over to the source of the voice. A silver creature with Haru's goggles on his head, a magnifying glass attached to the goggles, yellow eyes, and grey claws stood on the rooftop of Silver Hope while smiling sadly. "Hey, Semo, Duri, and Tsukimichi, or, should I call you Ismaya?"

"G-Gatchmon!" His eyes widened. 

"Wait, that is Gatchmon?! But Haru and the others aren't around, right?" Remdepiamon gasped. 

"He looks different too..." Shin Michelle had a good point there. 

"I see you've gotten involved with the project, huh, Ismaya?" Gatchmon spoke. "I... I wish it hadn't come to this, but for some reason you seem to attract trouble. You even attracted Project Sleepy Hollow out of the dark."

"Project Sleepy Hollow...? Wasn't that...!" Duri-san gasped. 

"Yeah... Now, Akashiro Eos." His golden eyes trained themselves onto me. "Have you ever wondered where the LampKnightmon form came from?"

"Of... of course! Bokomon... said that it was a whole new form, and we could never find records about it, especially since he knows the Pumpmon line well," I answered.

"And the DIM card that led you to meet your partner... was a pumpkin one right?"

"Y-Yeah. Why?"

He gave a soft sigh. "I... can't tell you now. It's too dangerous out in the open. THEY could be listening in. But... bring Pumpmon and Bokomon with you tomorrow to the Net Ocean. Semo and Duri should be able to open it up for you. There... I'll explain everything. I promise. Why your partner has a Fragmented Code, and... why Haru and Tagiru died that fateful day."

I had no clue what he was talking about, but Dad's face had drained of all color. "Gatchm-"

"Tomorrow, I'll be waiting," he called out before he digitized, disappearing somewhere and leaving us to wonder. 

Just... just what WAS Project Sleepy Hollow?