Vines droop from above, the jungle seems to last for ages. Among all the plants in this unknown environment, a lone plant holds the key to ending this dilemma. But what of the guardian who protects it? What story can be found in this new world? And why... why does this guardian look so familiar? Next time, on Digimon Ghost Game! Intruding Up the Wrong Tree!

* GGS2-3 Ver * 

"We're DOOMED!!!!!!" 

"Higacchi, STOP SAYING THAT ALREADY!!!!" 

Mei facepalmed at the two. "Why do I put up with them?"

"I wonder that every day," Haneul drily answered while drinking from their canteen. "Not that I don't see why he thinks that way. We're stranded in a different world, with our only way of getting back in the hands of a sleepwalking Solisamon, who literally is now Asitamon."

"That isn't wrong, but you don't have to be so harsh!" Ruri protested. 

Haneul sighed. "I'm not being harsh. I'm just stating the facts."

"They're right. This is a pretty bad situation we're in," Mei backed them up.

"She's just a kid! Why are all of you such jerks to her?!" She snapped. "Even you, Meichi!"

"Ruri, calm do-"

"No! They're all being mean to her! Gulus, don't you agree?!"

"Huh? Oh, erm, yeah..." He didn't sound like he was paying attention. Like, at all.

"What's on your mind?" Shiramon asked the Dark Conquerer, surprised by how out of it he was.

"I'm just worried, I suppose," He answered. "I don't think she's ever done this before."

"But you wouldn't remember, right? Cause Gammamon and Solisamon get reborn in cycle after cycle?" Hiro joined the discussion, remembering what Quantumon and Baalmon had told them.

"Yeah, that's the weird part, though. What kind of forces are at play here? It's almost like, she's... like she..." 

Sounds of Asitamon getting up from sleeping on a nearby rock caught their attention and ended that conversation. For a minute, they dared to hope that Solisamon was awake, that she was going to be fine...

Only to freeze when they realised she had devolved back into Solisamon, her eyes were still closed, and...

And she had opened a portal. Right under them.

None of them had time to scream before they fell smack dab into the vortex, with it closing up as if they were never there...

The wind slapped them on the face as they freefell from above. Hiro could barely make out green vegetation in front of them, so he yelled, "Gammamon, we need Ka-"

Of course, Hiro was no good at math. He could barely count 6 * 3.

So of course he would underestimate the distance, proven when they proceeded to land on the ground after being all but brutalised by the leaves and branches. Mei and Ruri had been saved due to Angoramon hugging them while Shiramon's instincts had kicked in, saving her from falling. Gammamon and Jellymon were also able to float/fly, so they descended well. 

Not so much for the Digimon and the other humans.

"Owwwwwwwww..."

"Friend get off!!"

"Ahhh, I'm sorry Pumpmon!"

"For the love of Digizoid, WHY AM I AT THE BOTTOM?!"

"****ING **** THIS IS ****!" One guess as to who that was.

Shiramon landed on the ground with a sweatdrop, while Ruri smiled. "Thanks a lot, Angoramon!"

"No worries," he answered while chuckling. "Although... where in the world are we?"

His ears were catching up with the sounds of the forest. Trees loomed over them, humid air entering their nostrils as a gentle breeze brushed against their skin. 

"This is like the Digital Field, but more realistic..." Mei mused. "Interesting. It really is a jungle world, then."

"Point taken. But we should focus on finding Solisamon." Hiro moved away from the rest, about to head into the jungle when Mei grabbed him by his hoodie. "Wha- Hey!"

"Don't hey me, TM," she snapped. "You know how trouble-prone you can be, and we're in unknown territory. Are you really going to risk running into danger like this?"

"Maybe," he said, avoiding her gaze. "I'm fine."

"You're acting irrationally. That's not normal for you, Aniki," Gulus spoke up with a frown. 

"We still need to find Solisamon. Don't you want her to be safe?" He countered. 

Gulus found he couldn't say anything in reply, making Hiro sigh and walk away. "Let's go..."

Haneul frowned while watching their surrogate son. "He's been like this since Solisamon began showing up less and less."

"Good question. Maybe he's more worried for her safety?" Angoramon suggested. 

"But why? Hiro knows Solisamon can take care of herself, right, Gulus?" Jellymon looked over at him. 

The black-eyed Digimon sighed. "How the heck do you expect me to know anything about this? I'm a conquerer, not a sentimental type of guy."

"You still care for Solisamon, though," Shiramon pointed out while they started following Hiro from behind. "Unless something is bothering your mind right now."

"I've known fighting for most of my life. It's in my DigiCore, in GAMMAMON'S core. As much as I want to be able to understand others like Solisamon, I wasn't created that way," he said. "She's been having nightmares too, so I don't know..." 

"She'll be okay, right?" Ruri asked. 

"I... don't know, but right now, we should focus on getting Solisamon home safe and sound. This is really dangerous, people could choose to go after her in this state," he answered. 

That made shivers go down everyone's spine. That was a scary thought; that there were greedy people out there who would definitely take advantage of her while she was asleep...

They HAD to find her. 

"That being said... this jungle seems to be overrunning everything," Mei was the one to bring it up. "Doesn't it seem like it used to be a city?"

"That... is true," Ruri agreed with her childhood friend, looking around while Kiyoshiro gulped and hid behind Angoramon. "It feels very nice, sure, but it also feels suffocating in a way."

"As if the plants had taken over everything to the point it feels like we're choking... interesting," Bokomon said, looking at the scenery himself. He had once had a conversation with the others about how humanity was prone to abusing nature for their own selfish needs, which Haneul seemed to know a lot about from their cases with their dad. "Perhaps this is a Digiverse where nature fought back?"

"Wouldn't be surprised. Us 'superior life forms' tend to get happiness from hurting or taking from others," Haneul said with air quotes. "It's quite cool though, seeing all these plants. We rarely get to see any in the city."

"We can go camping next time, then!" Gammamon perked up, the thought of it cheering him up. His eyes sparkled while his tail wagged. "Camp! Camp!"

"Then we should find Solisamon and make sure to invite her out!" Ruri perked up even more at that, remembering when she and Kiyo had stayed with Hiro after the entire Jyureimon incident. The food had been so good! "After we wake her up, of course! She should get to experience camping too!"

"Oh totally!" Jellymon agreed. "She should be grateful she has such amazing friends like us! But mostly me!"

"W-We shouldn't force her, though."

"We won't. Hopefully she'll listen to us..." Haneul said the final bit as a mutter. They had seen how stubborn Solisamon could be, and honestly, it worried them. They themselves knew what stubbornness could lead to, had experienced themself. 

"No no no! PUMP!"

"... Let's go, Shiramon."

Footsteps walking away... leaving them there with an egg. One that would soon hatch, but at what cost...?

They looked at Mei while quietly inhaling. Worst time for a flashback to show up. Really? They were in the middle of something and yet this memory showed up. 

"What?" Mei looked back at them, a bit annoyed but concerned about why they were inhaling. 

"Nothing," they answered. "Just worried Solisamon will be stubborn. I don't want her to..."

"To end up like you." It dawned on her. 

"Stop reading my intentions, it's creepy."

"As if you weren't when we were starting out?"

"You were the scariest."

She... had to concede to that, but as she saw the small smile on Haneul's face, she chuckled. Leave it to Haneul to point out blunt facts as a joke. "How you ever forgave me for that, I will never know."

"'Wounds can dry but never fade. All you can do is to let them scar.' That's what Dad says, at least," they answered, quoting their adoptive dad and making her smile again. "Ismaya can give wise words, huh."

"Only when on cases or serious. Other times, well, you know how he is."

Oh, did she ever. The man was sometimes a menace to be around, and it was no wonder Hanuel had lost it a bit themself; he took it up to a million notches higher, if Mei were to be honest. She could only wonder what his past was like...

She shook her head. That could be saved for later. Right now, they had to find Solisamon. 

The group continued to navigate through the jungle, unaware that close by, a familiar Digimon was inspecting the plants. 

Faded bandages streaked with mud hung limply as Mummymon inspected the plant that had caught his attention. "Fascinating, this could be quite potent if turned into medicine. Its flower can quicken regeneration properties in Digimon..."

He gently opened up his messenger bag and procured a transparent jar and a pair of tweezers from it. Making sure to be gentle, he slowly pried the plant out, roots and all, before adding some soil into the jar with the plant for a longer preservation time. After all, he didn't know how long he would be here until he found THAT herb.

Humming an ancient tune to himself, the doctor exchanged the jar and tweezers for a small, faded notebook. "Lady Ganvivormon's notebook has led me this far. Perhaps I can finally find it to help more patients."

He was weary, of course. He had gone years searching for the elusive Genemodi plant, known to be able to cure anyone of a coma and call them back from the land of the in-between. Said to be blessed by Sepikmon and Anubimon himself, Mummymon had found it appropriate to seek out this mystical plant in order to help patients around the world. 

Yet he had not found a single trace of it until recently, when he heard of a beautiful plant with the description in Lady Ganvivormon's notebook being located around here. Of course he would take the chance to find it!

Sadly, it was not without its troubles. 

A loud roar cut his train of thought short as he barely dodged an attack from behind. That was unexpected. "I see you have found me again."

Ruby red eyes shone from above while the Digimon lunged at him, trying to wrap its twin tails around him, only for him to pull it off him and back away. His hand moved to grab a smoke bomb he had prepared in case things went awry, eyes never leaving his assailant while it howled at him. "You must be a protector of the Genemodi plant, are you not?"

A hiss was all he got before he had to back away, worried that it could unleash one of its attacks.

Why does it look so familiar, though? I could have sworn I had seen this Digimon somewhere before... now if only I could remember... he thought to himself with a frown. It was quite frustrating, admittedly; that a Digimon he was meant to know would be forgotten during such a crucial time, that was bad luck at its finest. A part of him wondered if there were others who shared luck's painful curse upon him, that of attracting bad luck wherever they go. He did wave it off, though. Surely, no one could get into shenanigans as he did in search of precious herbs such as the Genemodi plant. (Spoiler alert: he was about to meet one.)

It roared right back at him, and the gem on its forehead began to flow while it glared ferociously, no sign of mercy in those orbs. He must be careful, otherwise, he may end up in the same situation as all the others who had sought out the medical miracle and had never returned. He supposed that the bones scattered all around the forest answered the question of where they had gone... 

"AHHHHH!" Kiyoshiro hid behind Hiro while staring at the skeleton remains. "T-That's so scary..."

"Senpai, you've fought Gulus and BloomLordmon, and yet you're still scared?" Hiro deadpanned to him, which Ruri giggled at. Haneul let out a breath of exasperation and Mei rolled her eyes as he tried to defend himself, "W-Why are you guys not scared?!"

"This is really not the scariest thing we've seen!" Jellymon answered cheerfully. "Come on, Darling, don't cling to poor Hiro!"

He eeped when he saw his partner approach menacingly. "D-Don't come closer, Jellymon-sama!"

"Remind me why you gave Kiyoshiro a Digivice again."

"Haneul-senpai, he was 'claimed' by Jellymon long before I got the Digivice from Hokuto."

"... Fair."

"Plus, you act as if she would have willingly detached herself from Senpai."

"... Another fair point..." the detective sighed while squatting to investigate the bones with a frown. "Although, normally Digimon don't leave bones behind right?"

"They don't form fossils like how creatures on Earth do," Bokomon confirmed. "Data is malleable even if it's old, therefore the principle applies here."

"Huh, then does this Digiverse have a mix of the Digital world and the human world enough to the point that Digimon can become skeletons like this?" They asked their partner.

"Perhaps. This is quite the interesting Digiverse!" The professor Digimon said with an excited smile, oh no, he was about to go all Research Mode-

"Don't you even think about it," Mei coldly said. It was like a cold breeze had come across the jungle, and it was a TROPICAL AREA, shivers going down their spine as if it was Antartica right now. 

"Sheesh, Mei, I'm sure they know, don't worry about it," Shiramon reassured her partner. 

Mei paused, and sighed. Force of habit, she supposed. "... Sorry."

"Don't worry, we get it, Meichi," Ruri reassured her. "And hey, you used to never say sorry, so this is an improvement!"

"I... didn't?" She looked at Shiramon quizzically. 

Shiramon snorted. Well, Mei could be oblivious to SOME things, sure. "Yeah, kinda. But you've definitely mellowed down a good amount."

She could only look away while the others shared a smile and maybe some giggles before a loud roar echoed through the forest. The familiar sound of metal hitting the soil with its numerous clangs surprised them. 

Shiramon couldn't believe her ears. No way... "Is that...?"

Mummymon burst through the foliage at that moment, panting and looking tired. His pith hat was tilting dangerously to the side, the only thing keeping it from falling off being the tight string around his head. His beige bag was now slightly shredded, and he was slightly hunched over. Of all the blasted expeditions, he chose not to bring his gun at a time like this?! Fool, he was really such a fool who was going to pay for that mistake dearly.

"Abi?!" Shiramon gasped, unable to believe her eyes. What was he doing here?!

"Abi?" He looked at the humans and Digimon, taken aback at this strange ensemble, here in the Kuxtal? And why did one of them call him Father? He had never been able to settle down, not before he found Genemodi. "Who are you? Why did you call me Father? And why are you here in the Kuxtal?"

"It's a LONG story," Hiro decided to take charge here, his diplomatic side kicking in. "But right now, you seem to be running from someone?"

"Indeed, I am," He answered, already rushing past them as his feet made a huge racket. "We must get away before IT shows up!"

"It? What do you mean-" Mei was interrupted by a loud roar as a beast Digimon burst through to the clearing.

It was a form they all recognised, magical chains trailing behind her and a feral snarl perpetually on her face. A low growl came out of Fenrirmon before she lunged once more, using her Curse Chains. Her chains shot out and tried to grab them all, but thinking fast, Haneul yelled, "Pump, Trick or Treat!"

"Okie, friend!" He agreed, summoning his pumpkins to rain down on her harshly while Hiro's Digivice lit up. "Gammamon, we need to evolve!"

"Okay!" He agreed, the light of Digivolution filling him before morphing his body into WezenGammamon. "Get on!"

Angoramon grabbed Ruri and Mei, taking to the skies with Jellymon while the two boys and pangender detective got onto WezenGammamon alongside Shiramon, Pumpmon and Bokomon.

"Mummymon, please follow us! Hurry!" Hiro urged the alternate version of his first Digimon friend, who hesitated, but soon nodded. "Very well."

When Fenrirmon finally swatted all the pumpkins aside, she found that her "prey" was gone, causing her to huff before devolving back to Carbunmon and hopping into the shadows. They could sense that they had bigger fish to fry, as above them, a certain earth Champion was wreaking havoc even with her eyes closed and mind asleep...

"Okay. WHAT JUST HAPPENED?"

"Darling's fainted!!"

"****ING **** KIYOSHIRO, WHY?!"

Mummymon stared blankly at the group in front of him, unsure about what to say to them. While they HAD helped him escape, he found himself quite impressed by the chaotic dynamic they seemed to share. A friendship, a connection that seemed to remind him of an old childhood dream of his. 

He shook his head. Regardless, it was still his duty to be a doctor. He had no time for that wish. "Pardon me, I do not wish to intrude, but you never really answered my questions. Who exactly are you, and why,  no, HOW are you in the Kuxtal? Why was I called Abi?"

At that, they shared a glance. 

"About that... what actually is the Kuxtal?" Haneul asked. "You seem surprised that we're here even though this is probably a world where humans and Digimon coexist."

"Perhaps you can call it that," he said with a sigh. "This world, as you call it, is a world where humans and Digimon used to inhabit different lands before encountering each other and learning to coexist. Some locations became abandoned in a sense, but others became quite dangerous. The Kuxtal is the latter, having been a place for Wind Guardian and Nature Spirit Digimon before most of them moved away."

"Did Carbunmons use to live in the area?" Mei asked. "Cause Fenrirmon is their Champion form, if I remember correctly."

His eyes widened. "Pardon me? Did you just say... a Carbunmon?" Was THAT who the Digimon was? 

He immediately grabbed out the notebook from his bag, flipping through the weathered pages with a fervent look before his fingers thumbed a particular one about the species. "So it was a Carbunmon! I hadn't considered the possibility that one would still remain!"

"Huh? But why?" Ruri asked curiously. "I mean, we know that Carbunmon is special and all that, but..."

"I suppose that the Carbunmon we encountered here was the last one of its kind. Most Carbunmon can be found as familiars or eventually moved away from the Kuxtal," Mummymon deduced, closing his book. "It is quite protective of the plant I seek, interestingly enough."

"What exactly is that plant?" Mei asked. 

"Well, it is called the Genemodi plant," he said, flipping his book to another page. "I believe it may be the cure to comas and such, which-"

"Hey, what's that plant on the other page beside it?" Jellymon interrupted, looking at it curiously. 

Bokomon poked his head over from Haneul's shoulder and gasped. Hang on...! "That's the N1kr31 plant!"

"The what plant?" Hiro asked. 

"It's a plant known to calm down rampaging Digimon by grounding their energy so that they can devolve!" Angoramon explained. 

"Wait, devolve..!? If we use this, then we can...!" Ruri's eyes widened. "We can devolve Solisamon if she ends up evolving again!"

"Yes, that is pretty much it!" 

"Alright! We have to find that thing first then! We have to get Solisamon back home before things get REALLY bad!" Hiro said, poking Kiyoshiro awake. "Senpai, wake up!" 

"Ahhh! I'm awake!!" He shot awake. "W-What did I miss!?"

"We found a way to keep Solisamon Solisamon while she's asleep!" Gammamon giggled. 

"Pretty much, but it would help a lot," Haneul agreed as they turned to Mummymon. "Could you help us find that herb, please? It's really important cause it can help our friend."

"I... see." Mummymon seemed to pause. "Well, I did try to pick a herb a while ago, and the Carbunmon attacked not long after, so I assume it's overprotective over the fauna in this place. As a result, it may not take lightly to you trying to take the herb."

"I wouldn't be happy if someone did something bad to stuff I cared about, so I can get that," Hiro admitted. "But we do need it as soon as possible. Who knows if Solisamon's evol-"

The ground suddenly rumbled, and Mei gave their resident TM (not the only one, actually) a stink eye. "Oh you have got to be kidding me, TM!"

He had the decency to blush, at least. 

Mummymon raised an eyebrow at the term. Could he be similar to himself, whose fate was to be in danger constantly? Perhaps he could talk to him after this. Right now, they had to check out the source of the tremor. 

The members of Team Lirurun had a bad feeling about this, though... 

Fenrirmon was back, glaring at the new intruder that was wrecking her home with her eyes shut. How dare she! How dare she try to tear her home apart like this! 

With a loud roar, she used Odin's Wrath on the Digimon, chains wrapping around the oni before the wrath of the Norse deity rushed at her, but she remained unharmed as she grabbed the chains and used her Magnitude Breaker to destroy them, making the fragments fall down to the ground. 

Varismon's fists glowed while she used her Tremor Strike again, kicking her opponent hard and sending her back. Chains rattled as she snarled. If anything, the broken chains and Varis' shut eyes when Carbunmon had evolved into Fenrirmon only angered her more. It was as if she was mocking her! Like she was mocking the Kuxtal, her home, her ONLY home!

That was it! She was going to PAY!

Hellish flames of sky blue color danced around her mouth, turning into a fire ball that she launched at Varismon. Ghostly Hell Breath would surely do the trick! 

But Varismon simply dodged fluidly, her reflexes kicking in at the right moment. Fenrirmon took that chance to lunge at her, growing desperate to stop this new enemy. She refused to lose her home! Not again! 

The scar on her throat, voice never meant to be heard. She had refused to go, and they had retaliated for that.

Surely, surely, Crushing Savagery would do the trick!

But her claws hit air as Varismon used her Tremor Strike to kick her off, before using her Magnitude Breaker and punching Fenrirmon into a tree. 

The young Digimon grunted, devolving into Carbunmon as she struggled to move, forcing herself onto her hind legs. No! No! She refused to give up! Her eyesight back, she looked up to her opponent, whose eyes were still closed...!

Varismon seemed to shrug before she flew away, punching her way out. 

Unfortunately, the tree she punched shook as the branches fell apart, and they were about to land on Carbunmon! 

She let out a whine while trying to move, but her body was too drained from the one-sided beating she had gotten... 

Was this the end for her? Was this truly her end...?

Heh, she ended up dying after a one-sided battle, all because of a bunch of branches, how pathetic. What had she fought so hard for if this was her fate in the end...? Why had she bothered staying at the cost of losing her voice? 

Maybe she really was the runt of the lot...

Her eyes strayed to look to her left, and sighed a bit. At least she managed to protect the N1kr31 plant... she really did like the plant even if it was a small plant. She remembered that Lowellmon had once told her the plant could help calm rampaging Digimon and reduce their power so they would be less of a danger, which, of course, made her worry a bit more. Would Lowell be fine without her? Sure, she knew she could fight on her own, but Lowell was still a bit kinder than she was. She saw the other like family, and the thought of someone hurting her best friend/surrogate sister left a dark pit in her stomach.

Just then, a familiar voice yelled out in alarm, "My word, what happened here?!"

"Oh, no, Aliana!" Another voice yelped. More intruders?! 

Growling, she opened her eyes. Even when her vision swam, even when her entire body weighed like a million Megatheriumon were walking all over her, Carbunmon refused to give up as she glared at them. A low growl could be heard from her too. 

Especially since Hiro's eyes were focused on the plant. "Isn't that..."

"It is," Haneul confirmed, remembering the drawing Mummymon had shown them. "We should probably try to help A- I mean, the Carbunmon, though."

Hiro wasn't listening, though. Emerald eyes focused on the plant, he began inching toward it.

"Hiro, we need to help-"

"Who's more important, Solisamon or this alternate version of someone we know?" He sharply asked Ruri, who froze at the question. "I thought so."

But when he tried to get closer, Carbunmon snarled and nearly bit his hand. He barely pulled back in time, reflexes from Gammamon and Solisamon kicking in. "What the?!"

Carbunmon began hissing and growling at them, even as she struggled to pull herself out from under the branches.

Mummymon didn't hesitate to stride over, pulling the branches away for her much to everyone's surprise.

Well, except Shiramon. The one also known as Akila in their world could only smile at this familiar behavior. Regardless of the world, you're still our Abi.

"Wait, w-what are you doing!? She could attack us!!" Kiyo stammered.

"I am first and foremost a doctor. I will not turn away anyone who is injured, regardless of our history or circumstances. I took the Oath of Lady Ganvivormon knowing that one day I would come across someone who needed my help despite our history, and I firmly stand by the oath!"

That shut everyone up, as Ruri quietly added, "Wouldn't Solisamon also fight for everyone instead of prioritising?"

Hiro looked away, shame clear in his eyes as he wondered why he had gone so far. To the point that he would cruelly shun someone to prioritise his loved ones...

What would Solisamon had said? He couldn't be a bad brother, no, no, he refused to be one! He had to stay strong!

(A promise broken, over and over again....) 

Satisfied by their silence, he slowly began to help her again, even petting her head once it was done to ensure that she felt better.

Carbunmon was stunned at the behaviour. What... What was he doing? Even though she had attacked him numerous times, he still... He was helping her?

"I understand the concern you may have, young Carbunmon," He admitted. "And I shall not try to claim I fully understand what you have gone through to keep the Kuxtal safe. However, trust is meant to be built over time."

He remembered when he was but a young Tutanmon. Young, slightly arrogant but with good intentions at heart. But he had one idea in mind. If  there was something the noble Rookie sought out more than anything in the world, it was simply a family. Of course, that vision became impossible as he came to understand his royal duties, and despite giving up that throne to dedicate his life to Lady Ganvivormon's oath of healing others, he had found that trust with one's patient was important; without it, one would not be able to heal properly.

This applied here too. He could only hope that this Carbunmon would trust him...

(In another world, where he would not be a trouble magnet but would instead meet one, he would come to adopt a nurse whose Rookie form matched that of this young Digimon, giving her a chance to move past her dark past alongside her sister. He would care for her, and despite their differences, their love for each other as a family would never truly die. 

Did it span throughout universes? That remains to be seen...)

Carbunmon stared at him. This... Digimon was not like the others, that she could tell...

Maybe... just maybe...

She shook her head inwardly the moment the thought entered. No, she couldn't trust anyone, not after what had happened here. Wails, begs, a lost voice, never to be heard again...

As soon as he was done, she was off, scampering back into the woods as if she wasn't conflicted on how to feel.

But she HAD left the plant behind, and Mummymon took the time to pick some leaves off before handing one to Mei, feeling that she was trustworthy. (Her aura matched that of Lady Ganvivormon. Perhaps she could be trusted.) "I'm assuming you will be using it to calm down whoever had hurt that Carbunmon?"

"She's a friend of ours," Mei answered simply. "Long story short, we need to calm her down with this thing so that we can get home."

"I see," he hummed. "Well then, allow me to assist you. You have helped me, thus I would like to repay that debt."

"No, it's really fine!" Shiramon reassured him. "You're already doing a service to help others, so the least we can do is to deal with our issue on our own."

"Nonsense, I was raised to repay favors and debts. My father Raihimon would have been quite displeased at the thought!" He answered simply. 

That made Bokomon's brain shut down. 

Raihimon? One of the Legendary Warriors' fusions? He did recall King Shoutmon had a Raihimon ruling over what used to be the Desert Zone, but surely...!

"By any chance, do you have a Rookie form?" He chose to speak up. 

That made Mummymon look over. "Of course. I was a Tutanmon prince growing up."

Poor Bokomon lost it inwardly, his Digicore going into overdrive. Of all the people Hiro had to befriend, of the SECOND DIGIMON, really, he happened to befriend NOBILITY?!

Shiramon herself felt her jaws drop. Abi, her abi, the coffee addict who could rival Hiro's adoptive brother, HE WAS ROYALTY?! Oh she was SOOOOOO grilling him once they got back! How had he even ended up in the human world in the first place?! (That is, considering this Mummymon had the same backstory as her Abi, at least.)

Gulus was shaking his head, having taken over Gammamon's body and now fully done with life. "Aniki, really?"

"Huh? What's wrong?" 

Oh, where on earth did he start?... Not just about Mummymon, but...

(What would Solisamon have said if she had seen her beloved brother choosing to prioritize her over other lives? Since when did Hiro do that?

Hiro, he had become less of a pushover, but how beneficial was that in the long run?) 

The other just sighed, looking away. He didn't know why he had been so eager to do that. If their positions had been reversed, Solisamon would have, she would have tried to find a different way from the start. 

(Did he really deserve such a pure child? She was so perfect. Heck, her attribute said it all. She would have never sacrificed others, no, she would have saved them.

She could do a lot better than he was right now... the perfect hero, indeed.

... if only he knew the burdens of her title and responsibilities.)

Regardless, Mummymon did end up convincing them to let him go, hilariously enough, so off the group went, unaware that a familiar baby could be seen watching them from afar. 

Loweemon found herself fascinated by these new creatures. She had heard from Carbunmon about humans, but they didn't seem to want to hurt people... Maybe she had been mistaken? It did make sense to the other In-Training Digimon, knowing that she had a tendency to jump to conclusions since the Carbunmon did have bad blood with the humans. 

Still, she found herself thinking, "Maybe I can follow them? It seems like fun, really!"

And so, her curiosity getting the better of her, she trailed them from behind, interested in what was coming next. 

This time, they had a plan. If alternate Aliana was going to be difficult, Varismon would be as hard as trying to pull out a bad tooth. They had to tread carefully here to ensure things didn't fall into disarray again. No more running away. 

"If we don't do it now we'll be stuck here," was how Hiro explained to this Mummymon, who had nodded in understanding. "I see, that is quite concerning. How you considered not needing help is truly an enigma."

"You got that right!" Ruri heatedly agreed. "But Higacchi was against it!"

"How can I not?! It's really dangerous!"

"It's not like we can afford to be picky right now. All we can do is do our best to make sure Solisamon gets home safe," Hiro decided.

Mei nodded, her Digivice already at the ready while Shiramon's visor lit up. 

Angoramon's ears then perked up, hearing something from behind them. "She's here!"

"Alright, all out battle!" The meter filled up for all five of them. 

Angoramon Evolve to... SymbareAngoramon!

Jellymon Evolve to... TeslaJellymon!

Shiramon Evolve to... HanShiramon!

Bokomon Evolve to... Wizardmon!

Gammamon Evolve to... KausGammamon!

"Trick or Treat, Pump! Then Blink Breeze, Wizardmon!" Haneul started, their partners getting the drift. Pumpmon summoned his pumpkins and lobbed them straight at Varismon, who dodged but got knocked back ever so slightly by the air blast.

"Physalist!" Kiyoshiro followed up. "And then Vorsprite!" 

Varismon barely felt the electricity, but even as TeslaJellymon tried to land a hit, she could not punch her! Frustrated, she spun around and tried ramming into her, but Varismon sidestepped and TeslaJellymon barely rolled away from being hit by a tree. 

"Ländlizer!" Ruri added in, and SymbareAngoramon nodded as he spun around and tried to slash at her, making her back away before punching him back, sending him flying towards TeslaJellymon. Both of them crashed into a tree and devolved. 

"Ugghh..." Angoramon winced. 

"That hurts!" Jellymon complained.

"Urda Impulse!" Hiro commanded, but she sidestepped the rams as if they were child's play...

"She really is the Multiversal Hero for a reason..." Mei murmured. She was holding her own right now, but they had to find a way to feed the herb to her! "HanShiramon, now!" 

From behind Varismon, the assassin Digimon jumped right onto her shoulders and tried to get her to take the herb, only for Varismon to crouch and then uppercut her. 

"Magic Game!" Haneul didn't waste time, allowing their partner to create a copy that held Varismon back while Pumpmon used Tai Atari to keep Varismon from hurting their friend. The real Wizardmon rushed and barely managed to catch HanShiramon before she landed on the ground, even if he did grunt. "You good?"

"Yeah, thanks," she reassured him. 

"Lamberta Kick!" Hiro added desperately. Come on, come on, come on, they HAD to stop her!

Sensing his desperation, the doctor prepared to stall for enough time so they could recuperate. "Wizardmon, heal them with Magic Heal! I shall distract her!"

"Wait, but you don't have your gun!" HanShiramon screamed. 

He knew that. Of course he did. But his oath to Lady Ganvivormon, he was willing to break if it meant these children could go home to their world! 

(Raihimon looking down at him, a gentle smile. "My son, someday, you too will have your destiny shine in front of your eyes." 

He didn't know about destiny, but he refused to let anyone get hurt! A true doctor would be willing to throw himself into the crossfire to save his patients!)

"Snake Bandages!" Mummymon's bandages moved on their own and rushed at Varismon, only for the Earth Champion to grab them and yank Mummymon towards her, her fists ready to punch the living daylights out of him... 

A loud roar then echoed, and a blur cut the bandages, saving Mummymon. He grunted as he fell to the ground, but looking at the small furball, he could not believe his eyes. "Wha- Carbunmon?" 

Carbunmon hissed at him, ruby eyes alight with... with... was she concerned for him? 

"I... You rescued me," he whispered in awe. "Thank you, young Carbunmon." 

Carbunmon gave him a fanged smile, even if it was a bit sheepish, before turning towards the Champion and snarling. No one, NO ONE touched the forest and got away with it! 

She rushed at Varismon, who tried to sidestep, but after a bright light, Fenrirmon tackled her to the ground, pinning her down while yowling at Kaus.

"I believe she wants you to feed the Digimon now!" Mummymon called out. 

"Right!" He gripped the final leaf of the plant while diving down towards her. "Time to devolve, Varis!" 

The leaf began to catch fire, but cooled down fast, giving it the scent of charred tea as he rushed at her. Fenrirmon rolled to the side just in time for the glider to stuff the leaf into her mouth, and a bright light emanated to devolve Kaus into Gammamon once more.

Hiro barely caught him, but Gammamon gave a weak giggle as Varismon glowed before devolving once more to Solisamon. "I... did it." 

"You did it, Gammamon," he agreed, patting his head and causing him to purr like a cat as the others soon joined them, with Angoramon scooping her up and holding her close to his chest. He just hoped she wouldn't summon a portal on them.

For her part, she simply giggled and snuggled closer to his chest, making Gulus hiss like a cat as he took over Gammamon's body. 

"Settle down, dude," Haneul snorted while Hiro offered him a chocolate bar. Thankfully, he begrudgingly took it and began munching on it despite the grumbles, making the others laugh and Mummymon smile.

He then turned to Carbunmon. "Thank you for your-" 

And he paused. Hang on...

She looked away, but set down the basket she had placed to the side before entering the fray in front of him. 

His hands shook as he went to his knees and gently took the plants. "Is this... Is this what I believe it to be?" 

She nodded, and the others watched his eyes water. (Who knew mummies could cry?) 

A genuine smile, as bright as the sun god Apollomon himself, spread across his wrinkled face. "I..."

She simply meowed back in reply before turning around and bounding back into the wild. 

He looked back down, and the Genemodi plant's presence made his heart bloom. He had finally done it. He had found it after so long...! 

And yet...

He looked back in the direction Carbunmon had run off to, and reconsidered. 

"Mummymon?" Mei looked up at him, and he shook his head fondly. "She is quite the spitfire."

(A Tutanmon could only evolve when he had dedicated his life to ruling past the living realm through a ritual, but he had been against that. He had found a way to evolve through his sheer desire to help the living, even if it sucked every living breath out of him. It was how he became who he was today. A fighting spirit, that everlasting fire... 

Perhaps...)

"Well, there is still much to be learnt from the Kuxtal," he remarked while getting up. "I suppose much research can continue to be done into this world within a world. Perhaps I can learn more about Carbunmon in the process.

Shiramon chuckled. As expected, he was still Abi to some extent. The zany yet caring doctor who dedicated his life to healing. "I'm sure you'll get through to her." 

"Thank you for your encouragement, though... I suppose I never truly got your names," Mummymon mused, turning around to face them. "May I have your names?" 

Hiro was about to open his mouth when Solisamon's gem pattern suddenly glowed and a portal opened up underneath them, making them scream as they fell through, but they swore they could see the outline of the portal, ever so briefly... 

Was that... Was that a clock's outline?

venusaura Had spare time so have fun! XD