Where to buy: Amazon.JP.

Go back to the previous chapter.

There are a few deviations depending on district, but “Digimon Adventure” was a television anime that broadcasted a year and one month from March 1999 to around March 2000. It had a production length of 54 episodes with a special program airing two times in its place. When it started, it was a bit irregular for a television program, so broadcast extended for another month. However, the continuation, “Digimon Adventure 02,” that aired after it came out to exactly one year. This novelization contains the first twenty episodes of the first series.
The novels span all episodes and the writing for this book was done by the series director for the first series and 02, Hiroyuki Kakudou. Of course, because novel-writing, let alone writing in general, is not my principal occupation, I asked the help of screenplay writer Hiro Masaki-san, who had experience in novel publications before. So technically speaking, I actually manage 2/3 of this project.
Well, I’ll leave the introduction at that. One of the special characteristics of the show is that all seven children are the main characters, so we tried to show that in this novel as well, except that it would be difficult to do so in one book. Please wait for more of this trilogy in the future.
Of course, we can’t just take the TV series and put it into a digest, so the episodes have been rearranged in a different way. We’ve also contained new facts revealed for the first time that not even 02 had covered, so that those people who have watched all of the television series can enjoy them too.
The creatures called Digimon originally came from the Digital Monster handheld game. Although they only appeared as dot graphics, there was discussion that we bring out the feeling that they exist as real creatures, so we rarely put on the TV screen the setting that the Digital World is a world inside the internet. Rather, it was depicted to contain natural scenery, even though it is different from the real biological world where we live in.
The biggest difference from the game is that after Digimon evolve into a greater size, they return to their smaller forms once the battle is over. We quite obviously included a “transform” component in there. But unlike the transformations you would see in Ultraman, it isn’t the protagonist children — the humans — who evolve, but the monsters, their partners the Digimon.
Originally the show was meant to target the slightly older children age groups, but personally I labored in a way so that even the parents or adults who watched with them on those Sunday mornings could enjoy it. Although I say that, I had absolutely no clue until it aired what the response would be like, so as inched up in popularity, it has finally reached this stage where it gets its own novelization.

There is one more thing I would like to write about. The first enemy that appears in this story, Devimon, was voiced by Kaneto Shiozawa-san. I first met Shiozawa-san more than 10 years ago when he performed as a guest for “Bikkuriman”. In “Shin Bikkuriman” where Digimon’s Taichi Yagami as voiced by Toshiko Fujita-san also performed its main character Pia Marco, Shiozawa-san acted with her together for the year in the role of Berry Oz. After that, he was involved in a number of important roles in shows that I was in charge of.
When “02” started and it was arranged to make a song album that included the enemies of the first series, we also recorded a song by Devimon. It was shortly after that that Shiozawa-san passed away.

I wish to express my deepest gratitude at Shiozawa-san for having performed as Devimon.

March 21st, 2000

Read on to Book Two.

Where to buy: Amazon.JP.

Go back to the previous chapter.

Chapter 3; Escape from the Desert

① Server Continent

Tonami Town was a port city, but there were no boats floating in its waters. Instead, there were a number of ships buried into the land with their bows pointing towards the sky. These vertical ships were called buildings in this town.
Right now, the city was bustling with preparations to welcome the “Chosen Children.” A large banner was raised up into the air with the words “Welcome, Chosen Children!” in big letters so that a person could read it with the naked eye even if they were positioned out in the far horizon. What’s more, a cannon had been procured so that once the children were seen on the open sea, it would be fired (which would also indicate the signal for attack).
All that was left now was to wait for their guests to arrive — and yet, not a glimpse of the children could be seen anywhere.
The Flymon who had been sent out to scout the area earlier that morning had come back to report that they had seen the children riding on top of a Whamon in the west-southwest. It wouldn’t be so strange for them to have reached land long before now, so why?
“That is so odd.”^[15]
Standing in front of a large trailer that had the words “E-TE-MON” written in kantei-style calligraphy on its sides, a Digimon wearing an orange monkey bodysuit by that very name mumbled to himself as he scratched his hip. The black sunglasses he was wearing made it difficult to see his eyes, but no doubt they must have been filled with confusion.
“Could they have taken a shortcut somewhere?”
Now his back was feeling itchy. The yellow inland sands had come blowing into his suit and were clinging to the sweat of his bare body, which no one had ever seen before or would ever have the chance to.
Giving an aggravated monkey-like screech, “Ukiiii!”, Etemon stomped into his trailer.

The inside of the trailer was like a large karaoke room. A mirrorball hung from the ceiling, while the room was decorated with a sofa that lined three of the walls in a U-shape facing a thirty-inch television screen. There was a table in the empty space the sofa made, littered with drinks and snacks. And, of course, there was a microphone.
However, unlike a normal karaoke room, the walls were covered with an electric scoreboard. On it was displayed a map of Server Continent, with 26×26 vertical and horizontal lines running across that indicated latitude and longitude. A yellow dot was blinking from its position at the elongated tip of the peninsula on the southeast part of the continent, indicating the location of this trailer.
There were also computers that acted as communications equipment. Sitting in front of them and glaring at the screens was a single Gazimon, a Digimon whose face looked like a mean, feral cat.
The computers were currently connected to the cables underground, which stretched throughout all of Server Continent like a weaved net. Because of that, it was not only possible to access designated points of location but also to operate their surveillance cameras set up in distant areas all from this room.
The Gazimon on communications duty looked up as Etemon sat heavily on the sofa and said, “Master Etemon. I’ve just received a communications message from Master Tailmon.”
A slightly annoyed expression crossed Etemon’s face. “Don’t add ‘Master’ to her name. She’s a lower rank than I am.”
What Etemon meant by ‘lower rank’ was that he was an Perfect level while Tailmon was Adult level, not that they were of different status in the organization. That was only one of many reasons why Etemon resented her.
“I’ve received a communications message from Tail…mon,” the Gazimon corrected himself, the uncomfortable expression plain on his face. “She asked if you would need reinforcements, sir.”
Etemon snorted. “Reinforcements? The cheek she has, to make fun of me. Tell her no.”
Even so, the thought did cross his mind to say “Yes, I do need help” just to see how she would answer back. But he could already picture it; Haughtily, she would say that they were busy preparing for the invasion and were much too understaffed to provide reinforcements.
For the both of them to know that and yet for that little witch to still take the time to ask him that silly question meant that she was making fun of him and no mistake.
“By the way, have you determined the whereabouts of the children?”
“N–Not yet, sir,” the Gazimon said with painful reluctance as he kept glancing furtively at Etemon’s face. “Not while the children are still above water and therefore outside our network.”
His expression blank, Etemon took a gulp from a drink that lay on top of a nearby table. It was banana juice made from his own special recipe, filled with honey and protein.
At that moment, the sound that notified that they had received an e-mail rang from the computer. Gazimon opened it to read its contents and exclaimed, “Master Etemon! We’ve found where the children are!” He said this in a gallant voice so that he would appear a capable subordinate in Etemon’s eyes.
“Where, where?!”
Rising up from his seat, Etemon jumped over the table to peer into the monitor behind Gazimon.
“Here,” that Gazimon said, pointing not at the monitor but at a bright dot blinking on the electric scoreboard. “They’re in the Koromon village.”
“Kiiii, when did they get over there?!”
But then a different Gazimon piped up, “Actually, sir, in case something like this were to happen, I had the inhabitants of that village switched with Pagumon.” He sounded rather triumphant. “I thought there would be a possibility that the children would land somewhere other than the peninsula.”
Etemon nodded to himself as he listened to this, but immediately afterwards said, “…And under whose orders?”
“Whose— Oh… Um…”
“I don’t remember making an order like that, at the very least.”
“M–My apologies, sir!” The Gazimon took a frightened step back, his face contorted with near tears, but not even Etemon was that much of a demon.
“Well, I’ll praise you for today. Now, it’s time to leave at once, everyone. Just watch, children. I’ll bring over to you the welcome party that you didn’t get to see here.”

○

At first, they didn’t realize that it was a night raid.
They thought that maybe the constellations were falling down on them. Of course, the folktale that stars were tied together by string was a result of the rich imagination from people long ago, so the children knew that constellations couldn’t really keep the same shape permanently, much less fall down on them. But this was the Digital World. The Digital World’s night sky was like a large dome, with its constellations seeming to hang off of them in an imitation of Christmas lighting on houses, so they couldn’t help thinking that maybe someone had cut the lines and caused them to fall.
After the “stars” had fallen over the land, sparks roared through them with an ominous electric buzzing sound. Apparently the lines connecting the constellations together had a high-tension current running through them. Its destructive power matched that of a natural volcanic eruption or tsunami, and it reduced the Koromon village to ash in the blink of an eye.
Fortunately, Taichi and the others were in front of a waterfall located far away from the village, so they had escaped the danger. How they had ended up there — would best be explained by going back to the time when they were still sailing through the ocean.
After Taichi and the others had hurriedly constructed a raft that would take them off File Island into the ocean, they were met the next day with the appearance of a whirlpool and the attack of a large whale Digimon named Whamon… who then had swallowed them into his giant mouth.
Just when they were about to be dissolved inside Whamon’s stomach, Taichi and the others spotted the black gear jammed into his pink stomach wall and succeeded at taking it out. Whamon recovered from his senses and not only apologized for his rudeness but offered to carry them towards Server Continent as their ride. Through a conference held by all members (except Mimi, who was sleeping at the time) on where they should land on Server Continent, they had decided on a point at the coastline that was further west from the southeast peninsula. The coastline had been Yamato’s suggestion — it indented into an inward curve, which would better help them to keep an eye out for enemy attacks.
From there they had gone towards the Koromon village that Whamon had told them about, except there had been no Koromon in sight. Instead, the village was full of Pagumon who were the same Baby levels. The children had gladly received the Pagumon’s warm reception, washing themselves clean of the salt that clung to their hair and the stinky sweat of their bodies and diving into the feast that had been provided for them. Just when they were earnestly thinking about settling into a peaceful sleep, Takeru had cried out, “Tokomon is gone!”
Everyone had immediately split up to search for Tokomon, resulting in Taichi and Agumon discovering a cave behind a waterfall, where Gazimon were holding both Tokomon and the rightful inhabitants of the Koromon village captive. After Agumon had evolved to Greymon and chased the Gazimon away, the other children met up with them. It was around this time that the night sky fell down.
Taichi and the others saw what was happening from behind the waterfall, but the suddenness of the overwhelming catastrophe left them standing there in a daze. Their brains couldn’t process at first what had just happened.
It was the abrupt appearance of a monster who looked like a giant monkey that got their brains whirring again.
“Are you still alive, children?” the monkey asked coyly. “What you just saw was my Dark Spirits. It’s my welcoming gift to you~”
As if Etemon’s way of talking upset him, Yamato scrunched up his face in disgust and asked, “Who’s that?”
“I–It’s Etemon!” the Koromon wailed, drawing each other close and trembling as fear contorted their faces.
“Is he strong?” Taichi asked.
“He is! He’s a Perfect level,” one of the Koromon answered.
“Perfect level? What’s that?”
Tentomon answered Taichi’s question this time. “Perfect level is the level that an Adult evolves into. The Adult level is, for instance, when I’m Kabuterimon and when Gabumon becomes Garurumon.”
Would we be able to win against someone as strong as that? The question was unspoken, but it fell like a dark shadow over all of the children’s faces.
“Let’s keep staying out of sight,” Jou said. “If he doesn’t find us, he might think we’ve died and leave.”
However, by that time Etemon was already aware of where the children were located. A surveillance camera nearby the waterfall had caught Taichi and the others, displaying them on the monitor in Etemon’s trailer.
“Oh, it’s too late to run, honey-pies,” the large holographic image of Etemon in the night sky said with a wide grin. “I already know where you are. Just hang on a minute, I’ll be right there.”
Etemon’s holographic display flickered out abruptly and almost immediately after that,
“Ahhh, ahhhh.”
With a cheerful clearing of his throat, the real Etemon, about two meters tall, appeared in front of them. He pulled off the flying V guitar from his shoulder and struck out a single high note as he sang in a random tune,
“It’s the superstar, Master Etemon!”
The children collapsed to their knees and couldn’t move. Perhaps they could instinctively sense the ruthlessness within Etemon’s eccentricity because none of them let out a whimper even though they wanted badly to cry.
“Now, come at me or surrender, whichever you please. The end will be the same either way — you’re all going to die here!”
Etemon approached them, dancing a funny little dance as he went.
“If surrendering leads to the same result, then we’ve just gotta fight!” Taichi said arrogantly. He was apparently intent on winning.
Sora had often seen Taichi make that face during their soccer games. Taichi showed that expression even when they were two or three points behind, and strangely enough they would end up turning the score around. He was the type whose fighting spirit flowed over in the face of adversity.
Sora decided to believe in Taichi.
“Everyone, evolve!” Sora shouted. Even if they were up against a Perfect level, they had to have some chance of winning with six Adult levels on their side.
“Piyomon, evolve! Birdramon!”
“Gabumon, evolve! Garurumon!”
“Tentomon, evolve! Kabuterimon!”
“Gomamon, evolve! Ikkakumon!”
“Palmon, evolve! Togemon!”
Along with the already evolved Greymon, but excluding Tokomon who had only recently hatched from his egg, everyone had evolved to Adult. But…
“Love Serenade!”
Etemon raised his right hand into a large arc and made one swooping strum of his flying V guitar. Then without a moment’s delay, he turned a knob on it as if tuning up a violin, so that the guitar’s sound warped out as it traveled into the air. Instantly—
“I–I don’t know how, but…”
“My power is draining…”
The evolved Digimon degenerated back to their Child levels.
“W–What’s wrong?!”
“What happened to you guys?!”
It was Etemon who answered the children’s questions. “My Love Serenade has the power to reverse an evolution. A shame for you, dearies.”
“Damn it!”
Taichi’s next course of action was quick. Picking up a small stone that had fallen at his feet, he threw his weight on one foot and aimed for Etemon.
The stone hit Etemon right on the crown of his head.
“Owie!” Etemon cried out.
“Now, guys! Everyone into the cave!”
The children carried their degenerated Digimon in their arms, pulled their hands along, or carried them on their backs as they passed through the curtain of the waterfall and into the cave behind it. Their desire to live for as long as they could won over the fear that they could be walking into a dead end, so none of them displayed any hesitation.
But Taichi didn’t run.
“Taichi?!”
When Sora realized he wasn’t with them and looked back, Taichi was still on the other side of the waterfall.
“Take that! And that!”
Judging from his words, it sounded like he was still throwing rocks.
“D–Don’t be so rash!”
Whether he heard Sora’s voice or noticed for himself that Taichi wasn’t there, Yamato also came running back.
“That idiot!” he cursed and jumped out from behind the curtain of the waterfall.
Etemon was grinding his teeth as he drew closer to Taichi.
“You little pest! You won’t get away with that!” he screamed, kicking against the ground and flying out towards Taichi.
“Look out, Taichi!”
Sora could hear Yamato’s shrill scream even from inside the cave.
“Taichi!”
That was when it happened. From the corner of her eye, Sora saw a bright light sparkle suddenly from deep inside the cave.
Sora couldn’t tell what was going on, but because Jou, Koushiro, Mimi, and Takeru had gone further ahead, they had seen how it had occurred up close. The four had reached a dead end in the tunnel, coming upon an enormous rock blocking their path, when suddenly that rock illuminated light and disappeared.
Then, something about the size of a mini-card that shimmered brightly flew across the air in the direction of the waterfall. A hole appeared where the rock had been, and an unknown land could be seen ahead of it.
That glittering something flew past Sora’s eyes and through the waterfall to the outside. As it swooshed over Taichi’s shoulder, it made a beeline for Etemon’s stomach at full force, who couldn’t change direction in mid-air. The thing knocked him back and then flew neatly into Taichi’s open palm from the recoil. Just like how the Digivice had flown towards Taichi at the campgrounds.
“Wh–What’s this?”
His eyes wide, Taichi looked at the thing his hand was holding. It was the “Crest” that Gennai had shown them in the 3D hologram on File Island.
“U–Urgh…” The attack must have been heavy because Etemon lay clutching his stomach and moaning.
Seeing this, Yamato grabbed Taichi’s hand and pulled, shouting, “Let’s get out of here!”

② The Crest of Courage

The rise and fall of sand dunes could be seen stretching endlessly into the distance. The arid land greedily soaked up light from the sun, giving off a heat haze. The children felt like the insides of their shoes could melt off. Their dripping sweat left soak marks on the backs of their clothes, and sand grains in the wind flew into the corners of their eyes, tearing them up.
Several days had passed since Etemon attacked them in the Koromon village. When the rock blocking their path in the cave disappeared to form an exit, Taichi, the others, and the Koromon slipped into it, and it automatically closed up behind them. Apparently it had only opened for an instant before disappearing. When Etemon didn’t break down the cave wall and chase after them despite having the power to destroy a whole village, Koushiro explained that the exit was probably a distortion that connected to a place far away from the Koromon village.
After parting with the Koromon at the oasis (the Koromon were apparently going to build their new village there), Taichi and the others continued on west. According to a map that Gennai had sent them, if they kept going in a straight line west, they should be able to come upon a large lake called Temp Lake. They didn’t necessarily have anything to do at that lake, but considering that Etemon was after them, staying in the barren desert with no place to hide was the bigger danger.

The voices of everyone behind Taichi as he walked ahead of them floated into his ears.
“How far do we have to walk?”
“Until we reach a place where Etemon can’t follow us.”
“Does that sort of place even exist?”
Everyone’s feeling discouraged, Taichi thought. I have to cheer them up somehow.
Turning around to look at the others, he said, “C’mon guys, get a grip on yourselves. Remember, we have this!”
And proudly, he raised the Crest that he had gotten at Koromon Village for everyone to see.
To Taichi, getting his Crest was like getting the newest video game console before anyone else. He even thought the sun gleaming overhead appeared to be pouring down congratulatory rays of light upon him.
But the other children only stared at it darkly. Some eyes were filled half with doubt about whether or not that Crest would help them beat Etemon; others reflected envy and jealousy that Taichi was the only one who had it, while even more were filled with discouragement upon knowing that without a Crest of their own, they were only pulling everyone else down…
But Taichi did not realize this. All he thought about it was that everyone must be pretty tired. It was a sign of his own self-conceit and his innocence.
As if speaking for everyone, Yamato blurted out,
“Will that Crest really help Agumon evolve? And even if it did, would it be enough to win against Etemon?”
Taichi’s lip twisted with annoyance.
“Yes, it will totally help him evolve. And yes, it will get us to win against Etemon. Right, Agumon?”
He grinned widely at his partner.
“Uh… y–yeah…”
That uncertainty seemed to irritate Taichi, because he took on the scolding tone he used when lecturing his juniors in the soccer club.
“Get ahold of yourself, man. You’re the one who’s gotta make a stand in the front.”
“…Okay.”
As if the other Digimon understood their position, they spoke to Agumon with half-hearted cheers of,
“We’re counting on you.”
“Do your best.”
Agumon looked at them in bewilderment, but Taichi thought that everyone understood and looked satisfied.
“But what do we do to make them evolve to Perfect level in the first place?” Jou asked, to which Koushiro answered, “From what I’ve seen of their evolutions thus far, our Digimon appear to consume a large amount of energy in order to evolve. They couldn’t evolve when they were hungry, after all. It also occurs when their partner is in danger.”
“I see,” Taichi said, nodding leisurely. “But still, that energy thing… since he’s gonna be evolving to Perfect, he’s gotta have even more energy than before, right?”
A sly grin spread across his face.

At that moment, Koushiro had no idea of the meaning behind Taichi’s smile. But later on, when he found out why, he regretted what he’d said.
Jou spotted an ancient Roman coliseum in the middle of the desert, where the children decided to take a break. Taichi had confiscated everyone’s food, telling the others that Agumon needed it to evolve to Perfect. It was as close to being an order, but Taichi himself didn’t seem to think that way and kept shoving more and more food into Agumon’s protesting mouth. Agumon’s stomach was already bulged out like a pregnant woman’s and it was obvious to anyone that he was full.
“Do your best to eat! Everyone gave you all of their food because they’re looking forward to you evolving! Right, guys?” Taichi said loudly, looking for the others’ agreement.
Both children and Digimon nodded their heads as they quietly bore hunger pangs. Inside, every single one of them was resentful.
Taichi kept patting Agumon on the back to help make the food go down faster.
“You and I are the only ones who can protect everyone,” Taichi said. He was quite obviously getting full of himself.
Suddenly, the sound of an organ rang out in the air.
It wasn’t the solemn and majestic sound of a church’s pipe organ, but a frivolous one coming from an electronic organ. It was out of place in either the desert or the coliseum, and Mimi must have realized the source of the mismatch before any of the others because she let out a frightened scream.
“Noooo!”
As if to prove her foreboding, the large aurora vision screen that was the only thing that didn’t belong in the coliseum turned on to reflect Etemon’s amused face.
“I finally found you, children.”
Yamato looked around frantically trying to find the actual person.
“Don’t worry, honey. The truth is, I’d love to be there myself to deal with you guys directly, but unfortunately I’m in a faraway place right now. Superstars are just so very busy, you know. But thank goodness that you sweeties came here so I didn’t have to waste time looking for you. That coliseum is where I hold my yearly concert, with the seats always packed, of course.”
With no one but them currently standing among the empty audience seats, the children could easily imagine a crowd of Digimon forced into their seats and applauding Etemon with stiffened faces as guns were pointed at their heads in every direction.
Etemon continued. “Let me introduce to you a special guest who’ll be taking my place. Who do you think it is?”
“Who cares!” Yamato yelled angrily.
“It’s a Digimon you know very well~”
The seat platform directly underneath the aurora vision screen split in the middle, sliding apart with a loud grinding of gears. And then, from the darkness that came out of that wide mouth was, to everyone’s surprise, a Greymon.

○

The two Greymon wrestled with each other on the field. The enemy Greymon could be easily told apart by the black cables it was dragging around. The cables were connected back to the dark hole that he had stepped out of from the audience seats, and it was probably through them that someone was controlling him, either directly or through remote control.
Meanwhile, Taichi’s Greymon appeared to be a bit slower than usual. Every move he made was sluggish and his reflexes were dull. It was clear that his overeating earlier was the cause because when he tried to use Mega Flame, what came out instead was an embarrassingly loud burp.
“Greymon!”
The children shouted cheers of encouragement to Greymon from their hiding place behind the audience seats. The other Digimon were busy swallowing up the few remaining pieces of food to fill their empty stomachs and help them evolve.
“You’ve gotta evolve!” Taichi cried out, raising his Crest high so that his Greymon could see it. “If you evolve to Perfect level, you’ll be able to win! Evolve!”
But the Crest didn’t show any reaction and the other children next to him could see that as well.
“It’s impossible, Taichi-san!”
“You can’t get him to evolve!”
But Taichi didn’t even bother to acknowledge their words.
“It’s not impossible! Greymon! I know you can do it! You’ve just gotta believe in yourself!”
As he spoke, Taichi clenched his Crest tightly and shook it up and down. Still, the Crest showed no change.
Taichi’s Greymon was hit squarely in the solar plexus by the enemy’s tail, and as he was falling back, the enemy aimed for the same area with a Mega Flame.
Graaaaaaaah!
Taichi’s Greymon screamed with such pain that it made the others want to cover their ears.
Lowering his head and upper portion of his body, the enemy Greymon charged with the intent to hit him with the horn on his nose.
The wound that Taichi’s Greymon had received from the last Mega Flame prevented him from escaping, so all he could do was raise his right arm over his head to shield the blow. The enemy’s horn stabbed into his arm, piercing through the flesh.
Grroooooooaaaah!
Unable to bear seeing this any longer, Sora said, “Evolve, Piyomon!”
“You, too, Gabumon,” Yamato said.
Having replenished their energy necessary to evolve, the two of them stood up and began to move down towards the field.
But—
“Stay back!” Taichi raised an arm, stopping them in their tracks. “Don’t stick your heads in other people’s business!”
“Other people’s business?”
What is this guy talking about? Yamato’s shocked expression said silently.
“It’s not ‘other people’s business.’ Greymon is in trouble!”
“This is his chance to evolve!” Taichi said. His face was as solemn as a father lion about to toss his cub down a bottomless pit.
“He won’t!” Sora said, pointing an accusing finger at the Crest that Taichi was gripping. Her eyes glowered with hate. She thought it was the Crest’s fault that Taichi was acting strangely, and she was right.
“No, he will. I’ll make him,” Taichi said, and his next action surprised everyone.
He jumped down from the audience seats onto the field and ran at full speed towards the Greymon.
“Hey!” he jeered loudly at the enemy Digimon. “I’m not scared of you!”
The children looked on, baffled at what Taichi was starting up now, but Koushiro recognized at once what he was trying to do. He had even said it himself, hadn’t he? — the two conditions for making their partners evolve. The first was that a large amount of energy was needed. The second was when their partner was in terrible danger.
Koushiro had regretted his thoughtless statement promptly after they had arrived at the coliseum and had their rations taken from them, but to think that it would cause him to rue them again…
“Taichi-san is planning to make Greymon evolve by putting his own self in danger. Tentomon, please go save Taichi-san!”
“You got it,” Tentomon agreed. “Tentomon, evolve! Kabuterimon!”
What’s more—
“Piyomon, evolve! Birdramon!”
“Gabumon, evolve! Garurumon!”
—and all three Digimon chased after Taichi.

As he watched the monitor screen within his large trailer, Etemon controlled his own Greymon with a remote control.
Rather than as if he was playing a video game, he looked more like he was choosing a song for karaoke. His commands were a string of numbers that he now sent, ordering his Greymon to change his target from the other Greymon to Taichi.

Feeling the earth trembling up his legs as the enemy Greymon came charging towards him, Taichi froze. All of his instincts were screaming at him to run, but Taichi stubbornly pushed them down.
It was courage, no doubt about that. But unlike the innocent bravery he had shown at the Koromon village to save his friends, something dishonest was also mixed in.
One of them was the feeling of making Greymon evolve to Perfect level.
And the other was that even if it was for evolution, and even if he felt bad for putting Greymon through this rigorous trial for his sake, he wanted the glory that would come from it.
Taichi squeezed his eyes shut. He was prepared for the possibility that he might die.

Grrrrrrrrrr…
Unable to stand up as he watched death approach his precious partner, unable to go help, unable to answer to Taichi’s expectations that he evolve, Greymon’s feelings of misery and shame seethed in the pit of his stomach, making him raise a cry of sorrow.
Why can’t I evolve? All of the conditions should be met.
I want to evolve.
I really want to evolve.
As Greymon looked up at the sky and wished for that with all of his being, those feelings made Taichi’s Crest glow with a piercing light. With that, it threw open the forbidden box containing the evolution information sleeping in Greymon’s genes.
Unlike the usual white light they had always seen with evolutions, he glowed like a cheap neon light.
However, the light wasn’t dull and faint, but sharp and intense. It gave such an ominous appearance that anyone who saw it felt a violent dread wash over them.
And then, when that light pulled back, there stood — Having lost his regal shape, the glossy skin that spoke of dignity, and even the eyeballs that showed his pity for the weak, there stood a violent-looking carnivorous dinosaur Digimon changed into a bare skeleton.
It was SkullGreymon.
SkullGreymon bellowed. Graaaagagagagagogogroooo!
It was the roar of a beast who plainly expressed an intent for battle.
Taichi, whose eyes had been shut, opened them upon hearing that voice.
He shuddered upon seeing the overly large form in front of him. The height of that large head was probably even taller than the highest floor in the Odaiba apartment complex that Taichi lived in. Looking up at SkullGreymon with blank amazement, Taichi said, “This… is Greymon’s Perfect level?”
With the blue sky hazy with yellow sand behind him, SkullGreymon moved around so that the scrape of his bones gave an almost belligerent sound as he tested the performance of his newly gained body.
The enemy Greymon, despite being under Etemon’s control, was so terrified out of his wits that his fear won over the black cables. When the enemy Greymon turned his back on SkullGreymon and fled, the large skeleton monster showed how unimaginably quick-witted he was despite his massive body.
SkullGreymon sprang upon his escaping prey, leaning forward to the fullest extent his position would allow to crush him with the palm of one hand.
Graashaaaaawww!
The enemy Greymon’s bones, flesh, and final cries of agony merged into a bloody meatball pulp.
SkullGreymon brought up the hand dripping with his prey’s blood up to his nostrils and made an act of sniffing it. Perhaps some nerve endings still remained in his nose, or perhaps it was just a reflexive action that had stayed with him from a time when he was still capable of smell.
Graaguugugugruu…
A growl of pleasure leaked out from between SkullGreymon’s teeth. When he threw what was in his hand towards the aurora vision screen, he seemed to pretend as if he were at a clay pigeon shooting, because he shot out the organic missiles Ground Zero from his back towards it.
Both the enemy Greymon’s remains and the aurora vision screen disintegrated within the flash.
A blast of wind from the explosion swept immediately over the children. Seeing the space where the aurora vision had disappeared without a trace, they shuddered. They felt a renewed astonishment and terror at the amount of power the Perfect level had, that were of equal match to Etemon’s Dark Spirits.
“G–Greymon?” Taichi blinked rapidly, raising an uncertain voice to SkullGreymon. He didn’t know whether or not his voice reached him, but SkullGreymon looked down at Taichi with his hollow eyes.
“Did you really evolve from Greymon?”
Since Greymon’s form disappeared and SkullGreymon appeared in his place, that would normally be the logical conclusion. But as he looked at SkullGreymon, Taichi felt that he couldn’t accept this form. He just couldn’t. He hadn’t felt this way before when Koromon had evolved into Agumon and Agumon into Greymon.
Groogagagagagoo…
It was neither confirmation nor a denial.
That was because, at this point, Taichi did not enter into SkullGreymon’s field of vision. With the enormous amount of power that SkullGreymon wielded, a small human child like Taichi could not possibly satisfy his thirst for battle. The boy was a worthless existence to him.
Raising his head like a snake and slowly swiveling it around, SkullGreymon looked to see if there were any new enemies he could be entertained with.
There he caught sight of Garurumon.
Garurumon had jumped down to save Taichi, but upon the unexpected arrival of SkullGreymon, he had stood back to watch how the situation would turn out along with Birdramon and Kabuterimon in the skies.
SkullGreymon seemed to have decided on him as his next target, because he ground his teeth merrily and stepped closer, one by one, to Garurumon.
“R–Run, Garurumon!”
Just as Yamato shouted at him, Garurumon came to the same decision and turned tail. He could feel the intent of bloodlust coming from the other’s eyes.
SkullGreymon chased after Garurumon, his footfalls causing the earth to shake.
“Meteor Wing!”
“Mega Blaster!”
Birdramon and Kabuterimon attacked to stop his movements. Normally they would have hesitated to attack one of their own friends, but their instincts told them that doing so would be futile. Of course, they didn’t believe that attacks from Adult levels like themselves would work on their opponent.
Unfortunately, their assumption was accurate and SkullGreymon’s body didn’t even flinch when their attacks hit him. Instead, he made a lazy swipe at Birdramon and Kabuterimon with the back of his hand, from which they crashed into the walls and the ground, returning back to their Child levels.
However, it hadn’t all been a waste of effort. It had given Garurumon the chance to escape.
SkullGreymon let out an unhappy growl and looked around, searching for his lost prey.
Garurumon was rushing up the southern steps of the audience platform. He was intending to leap over the coliseum’s wall and escape outside.
But before he could, SkullGreymon spotted him.
SkullGreymon stooped his upper body, sighted his missiles at Garurumon and launched his Ground Zero.
Boom! The entire southern part of the coliseum disintegrated instantly.
“Ga–Garurumon!”
Yamato’s face was ghastly pale. And then Takeru pulled his brother’s hand.
“O–Over there!” he said in a strained voice, pointing to the seats in the western section about 100 meters from where Garurumon had been.
Rubble that had resulted from the explosion clattered around him as Gabumon rose from within it, his wounded body shaking as he tried to sit up. His wounds were of some concern, but it was a miracle that he had barely escaped from dying in that explosion.
Giigogogagagagagaaa!
Escaping through the space in the wall that he had broken down, SkullGreymon jumped out of the coliseum. The children and the rest of the Digimon were still inside the coliseum, but from their pathetic trembling, SkullGreymon could see that they were not his enemies and lost interest in them.
Gagagagogriiigagaga!
It sounded like a pleased cry of victory. Rather than the triumph of having brought down his kill, it was more like the joy of being able to freely unleash all of his savagery.
SkullGreymon ran through the desert at an immense speed, raising up a cloud of dust behind him. All Taichi and the others could do was watch SkullGreymon rampage from a distance…

③ Access

“I’m sorry, Taichi…” Koromon apologized disheartedly, his eyes downcast.
Koromon didn’t realize it, but even though his kind words held no blame for his partner, they made Taichi feel more as if he was carrying a heavy cross over his back. Even though he was able to make Greymon evolve to Perfect level, neither Taichi or SkullGreymon could control its actions.
In the end, SkullGreymon’s wild rampage caused him to eat up so much energy that he degenerated all the way down to Koromon. It was possible that he’d run out of so much energy that he didn’t even have enough to stay in his Agumon form.
From what he could remember while he was SkullGreymon, as Koromon clumsily explained, it had felt as if a dam inside of him had broken apart and he had been taken away by his destructive actions, unable to do anything but look on in the back of his mind like Taichi had.
“It was all my fault. I’m sorry,” Taichi apologized, first to Koromon and then to everyone else. “I really am sorry.”
Everyone forgave him without fuss. Part of this was because they didn’t want Taichi to feel bad about it any more than he already did, but also because they all felt responsible for not stepping in and stopping Taichi from his extreme actions.
If they had blamed him, if they had shunned him and made him go on his knees and beg for their forgiveness, he might have been able to pour out his feelings of regret along with his tears. But because he was unable to do that now, those feelings piled on top of each other like a poison inside his body and slowly ate away at the inside of Taichi’s heart.
Ever since then, Taichi spoke very little. He hardly made any attempt to speak to the others, and when the others tried talking to him, he would answer back with only a “Yeah” or “Okay”.
And like a disease, Taichi’s depressing reserve spread to the other children, until all of them felt as if their hearts were filled with dark clouds and a downpour of rain where summer would never arrive.

“Hey, Koushiro-kun.”
One night, three days after they had left the coliseum and set up camp at a water mill that seemed completely useless in the middle of the desert, Sora called out Koushiro and brought up something that she’d been thinking about.
“Would you be able to get in touch with Gennai-san? There’s a lot I want to talk with him about… not just on evolution, but also what we should do from now on.”
“Getting in touch… is not impossible, I think.”
That surprised her. Sora had been certain that he would tell her it couldn’t be done. “If it’s not impossible, does that mean you can do it?”
“Possibly.”
“How?”
“If I use the black cables, there could be a way…”
“Black cables?”
This was what Koushiro said.
Everyone, including Sora, had seen the black cables connected to the enemy Greymon at the coliseum, but after SkullGreymon’s frenzy, Koushiro revealed that he had gone to where the enemy Greymon had first appeared in order to investigate how it had been set up. There, Koushiro discovered that ahead of the ripped black cables was another black cable attached to a modular jack buried underneath the stone floor.
Also, just moments before, he had discovered a low black cable running through a dry well nearby.
“Those black cables are probably laid all throughout Server Continent like a meshnet, creating the network. The modular jack was of the same standard as my laptop, so it may not be impossible for me to use my computer to break into the network.”
Her eyes round, Sora asked, “Why didn’t you tell anyone before about something this important?”
“I couldn’t, not after what had happened to Taichi-san. Even if I did, I believe that it would only raise even more trouble.”
“Trouble? What do you mean?”
“It’s the same network that Etemon uses. If we break into it without anyone noticing us, there wouldn’t be a problem, but if we do get spotted, we’re doomed.”
Sora didn’t understand much about computers or the internet, but she had seen a news report on TV about a hacker who had been caught by the FBI after he’d tried to break into a government agency’s computer to rewrite its data. Was that what Koushiro meant?
“Is there a way to keep us from being noticed?”
“Since I don’t know how the system is set up, I can’t speak with certainty,” Koushiro said first as a way of covering base, “but Etemon’s subordinates must also be using computer terminals for the network. By connecting to it, they may not be able to tell whether or not we’re one of them… although, if it asks us for a password, we’re done for. One prospect that could give us a chance is that there isn’t anyone in this world who would infilitrate the network so it wouldn’t have much of a security system.”
After that, Koushiro talked enthusiastically about access logs and proxies, but Sora couldn’t understand any of it. What she thought Koushiro was trying to say, in the end, was that it was possible to hack into Etemon’s network without him noticing, but if it failed, Koushiro couldn’t take responsibility.
The democratic way of doing this would be if they held a conference with all members present and came up with a unanimous decision… but she could already imagine the outcome. Jou, Yamato, and Mimi would most definitely say no. Takeru might follow what his brother said. Taichi seemed the only one most likely to agree with her, but in his current state, there was no way he would feel up to it and he would, without any doubt, abstain from voting.
But Koushiro (or at least, it appeared that way to Sora) seemed confident. So in that case—
“Try it, Koushiro-kun. I’ll take responsibility for whatever happens.”
She knew that she had no right to be making the decision, but they had to break out of this stifling and cramped situation somehow.
Sooner or later, Etemon would find them and attack anyway, so even if it did end up failing, they would only be speeding up that moment. If it was their time to die, then they would die, she thought firmly. If she was blamed for that, then so be it.
“…Very well. I’ll try it,” Koushiro consented. “But I don’t think we should get our hopes up. I’m used to not finding him.”
He smiled at Sora in an attempt of playfulness in order to set her at ease.

○

Folding himself within the small bottom of the empty well, Koushiro tapped continuously on his laptop keyboard. From above the well, Sora looked down at him as he worked with a worried frown on her face.
His connection with the network was simple and smooth. It didn’t even ask for a password.
Making a sweeping glance of the system, Koushiro grew astonished as he saw that the network Etemon had built up was well maintained. It wasn’t just connected throughout Server Continent, but in places outside the continent borders as well (there were other continents besides Server Continent around). Perhaps the network had existed there in the first place and Etemon was just using it for his convenience.
It also had a security system fully in place, but for some reason, it wasn’t functioning right now.
Just as a precaution, Koushiro rewrote the access logs and deleted all traces of his presence there, when he received an e-mail from a Digimon who knew of Gennai’s whereabouts.
The address said: andromon@factorial-town.file-island
It was from the Andromon they had met in Factorial Town on File Island.
Andromon was the supervisor of Factorial Town, an unendlessly cycling factory that made products and then took them apart again. After they had taken out the black gear in him, he had informed them of the sewage system that would take them to Toy Town. He had also given Koushiro his e-mail address in case something happened.
Of course, since Koushiro himself didn’t have an e-mail address in this world, he had to make one. He logged into a random server on the system and illegally created an inbox for himself.
Andromon’s reply came back underneath his e-mail like a chatbox.
“I’ve informed Gennai of this. The reason why he hasn’t contacted you until now was because Etemon was blocking him, but thanks to you, the network has jammed and he can contact you directly,” his e-mail wrote.

Just when Koushiro climbed out of the well, Takeru came to get him and Sora. Gennai had arrived through holographic imaging to give them a message.
“That was fast,” Sora said in surprise, but Koushiro was more concerned about something else.
Andromon had said in his e-mail “thanks to you, the network has jammed”. All Koushiro had done was hack into the network, not do anything that he could surmise would freeze it and shut it down. Or was it because he’d set up that new inbox that it caused some sort of blurp in the system?
A large cactus stood behind the water mill, and that was where the children and their Digimon were all gathered.
By the time Koushiro and the other two got there, they could hear Taichi in the middle of hounding down on Gennai. Koushiro only got to hear the last part of his words, but it was,
“…Why?!”
The holographic Gennai held his hands together behind his back and answered lightly, “So you’ve evolved. Hmm. The thing is, there are many possible paths of evolution. None of them are a true or wrong path, but the reason why you didn’t achieve the evolution you wanted is because you are still inexperienced.”
“Inexperienced…”
“That’s right. Your Digimon evolve in reflection of your personal growth.”
“Then what do I have to do to grow?”
“I’ll send you a trainer. His name is—”
Static suddenly infiltrated the hologram.
“…mon… isten to what he sa…”
The hologram shut off abruptly.
“Ah,” Koushiro said. He had wanted to ask a million questions like, how the Digital World first came about, or how the evolution mechanism worked, and also, what was the reason for why the network had gone weird, but he hadn’t had the chance.
“He said he was going to send a trainer, did he?” Mimi asked Palmon, looking for confirmation.
“Yes, he did.”
“So, maybe that means we’ll get a bodyguard.”
“If we’re lucky,” Jou whispered.
None of them appeared at all that expectant. It seemed that they still had some misgivings about trusting Gennai.

○

“MAINTENANCE COMPLETE.”
Certain that Etemon would be irritated by now at still being unable to connect to his network, Nanomon sent him an e-mail to confirm that it was back online right after he brought back the security system from suspension.
Nanomon had noticed Koushiro’s illegal access. However, instead of shutting him down, he had stopped the security system and cut off Etemon from the network. Of course, he didn’t intend to report any of what had happened to Etemon. It wasn’t like he even had an obligation to.
He decided to let alone the inbox that Koushiro had made illegally in the network. Gennai’s last words interested him, and it was possible that he could use this information in some way.

④ The Pyramid’s Trap

Controlled by black cables, the one-eyed dragon warrior, Cyclomon, swooped down on them. Grabbing a scrapped Sedan with his right hand, which was of an abnormally larger size than his left, he threw it at the children.
“Harpoon Vulcan!” Ikkakumon’s horn exploded the flying Sedan to bits, while…
“Meteor Wing!” Birdramon unleashed a hot wind of fire from the skies.
But Cyclomon’s movements were fast and even though the fire melted a couple of the scrapped cars, Cyclomon was unhurt.
They were at a car junkyard that stood out all by itself in the middle of the desert. That might make it sound like it was small, but it was actually about as wide as Tokyo dome, and a few hundred, maybe even thousands, of decommissioned cars lay stacked on top of one another.
Cyclomon peered out from the shadows of the stacks and when he spotted an opening, jumped out saying…
“Hyper Heat!”
…and released a beam of extreme temperature.
“Hot, hot, hot, hot!” The attack hit Kabuterimon, who had been circling around in the air searching for Cyclomon. Losing his balance, Kabuterimon fell to the ground.
But the attack had told the others where Cyclomon was located.
Running lightly on top of the mountain of cars so none of them fell over, Garurumon spat blue-white flames at Cyclomon’s head.
“Fox Fire!”
The attack hit, but the enemy jabbed blindly out with his right hand as he fell, hitting Garurumon in the stomach. Garurumon also flew back.
All of them fought desperately. However, Agumon stayed in his Child form and, although it was obvious how much he wanted to join the fight with his friends, he held back and fidgeted.
When he looked at Taichi, all Taichi would do was look on in chagrin as he clenched his hands into fists. Unable to take out his impatience on anything, Agumon distracted himself by stamping his feet.
It was obvious to him, without saying, why Taichi was hesitating.
If Agumon evolved to SkullGreymon again — that worry was consuming Taichi so much that his self-confidence had died completely. Before all of this, Taichi had thought that everyone besides him was dragging him down… but now he was the one doing the dragging.

Although they somehow managed to take down Cyclomon, all of the Digimon who had fought were pitifully covered in wounds from the enemy’s attacks. Taichi didn’t join in the fight to the very end, and he couldn’t meet any of their gazes.
All of the children made considerate gestures towards Taichi in their own way. Yamato, Mimi, and Koushiro tried not to talk to Taichi unless it was absolutely necessary. Takeru looked like he wanted to say something, but unable to find the words, had retreated to simply looking at Taichi with worry.
Jou said, “It’s okay. You’ve saved us from a lot of dangers up to now. Let’s just go like this for the time being.”
It could have just been an act of sympathy on Jou’s part, but putting it strictly, all he was doing was delaying the matter.
Sora wanted in her heart to let Taichi have some peace like Yamato and the others were doing, but if Taichi didn’t have at least one person around to scold him and shake him up, he would never get back on his feet. And the only person who fit that job description was the other member of their two-top formation in the soccer club — her. So thinking this, she took up the role albeit not that enthusiastically.
“Hey, Taichi.”
Sora approached next to Taichi, who had sat apart from everyone else wearing a gloomy expression. The sunset made a red shadow cast over his face, seeming to emphasize his sorrow.
“Why don’t you try challenging yourself again? I know you. You’ll be able to do it. I believe in you, Taichi.”
Even as she spoke, Sora felt like she was spouting cliché lines out of a typical YA movie.
Taichi’s answer was the one she was expecting.
“Sorry. Just leave me alone.”
“But…”
“I’m not—”
Saying that much, Taichi gulped back the rest of his words. If he said any more, he felt that Sora would pity him. He thought it over some more before correcting himself.
“Just don’t bother with me.”
Even the fake smile that he scrunched up to keep her from worrying looked pitiful. Or no, perhaps the smile was made from the derision directed at himself.
Without another word, Taichi sluggishly stood up and went somewhere. As she watched Taichi’s sagged back getting smaller from view, Sora felt a pang of regret. Maybe she shouldn’t have said anything after all.

○

Koushiro was also sitting apart from everyone else, but his reason for it was different from Taichi’s — He wanted to secretly experiment with accessing the network again.
Even if it had worked the first time, the reason why he didn’t tell everyone else about it right away was because he himself didn’t understand why the network was down. Maybe the reason why the enemy hadn’t spotted them so far was because of this break in the network.
The wiser thing to do would have been to keep away from accessing the network for a longer period of time, but now that he had his own inbox, he couldn’t help wondering excessively if someone (like Andromon or Gennai) had sent e-mail to him.
Smiling to himself about how this reminded him of the time he first started using the internet, Koushiro said to Tentomon, “All right, I’m going to dig up the ground.”
“Okay.”
A black cable was also running there. As he couldn’t see the modular jack nearby, Koushiro pulled along the black cable until he found it. He blew across the sand that buried it.
“All right then, time to log-in.”
Even more carefully than before, Koushiro connected his laptop to the network. The e-mail inbox that he had set up for himself was still there, unerased.
“Thank goodness. It doesn’t look like we were noticed.”
When he checked his inbox, he saw that he had one message.
“I wonder who it’s from.”
The sender of the e-mail came from someone named “Nanomon.”

○

The sand in front of them flowed like a muddy stream. It was quicksand.
Gomamon’s Marching Fishes had made a raft out of their bodies, which was now carrying the children on top of the quicksand. The sand flowed in a straight line, although there were some spots where it bent into a 90 degree angle.
“It’s like a belt conveyor,” Takeru said excitedly as he carried Tokomon in his arms.
Jou was standing next to him, biting his nails. He didn’t say it aloud but the question “What do we do if the enemy attacks us here?” was written all over his face.
“We should be able to see the pyramid any moment now,” Koushiro said from his seat at the front of the raft. He was staring down the path they were taking, on the lookout. “That’s where Nanomon should be.”
This was what had been written in Nanomon’s e-mail:

To the Chosen Children. I have heard much about you from the old man Gennai. If you walk in a straight line west from where you are now, you will come to the River of Sand. Please follow it to reach the pyramid where I can be found.
PS: I have also one Crest in my possession.

Koushiro had immediately gone to Sora to discuss the contents of the e-mail with her. Sora had advised him to tell the others that Nanomon had reached Koushiro through his computer much like how Gennai had sent them the map, while omitting the part about how this had been achieved only by accessing the enemy’s network.
Taichi, Yamato, Mimi, and Takeru were as disinterested in computers as Sora was; Jou might have known something about them, but Sora was sure that he would pass it off as something that was possible in this world.
With that, their conference on whether or not they should go to Nanomon began.
Although she expected Taichi to abstain from voting, he gave an assertive “Yes” to going. He didn’t explain his reason, but Sora thought that perhaps the word “growth” that Gennai had mentioned had stung him and he was looking for an opportunity to regain his confidence.
Even Yamato, who she thought would disagree, joined after Taichi gave his vote. Takeru and Mimi followed in his steps.
There was no doubt that, in his heart, Jou wanted to be against, but he didn’t seem to want to be the only one objecting because he answered evasively, “Well, if everyone else agrees…”
In the end, none of them were against and they didn’t even need to count the majority to know that they were going to see Nanomon.
Later on, Sora’s curiosity got the better of her and she asked Yamato, “Why did you agree?”
“Taichi’s showing some motivation at last. I just couldn’t shoot that down,” Yamato replied with a whisper. It appeared that even Yamato wanted Taichi to return to his old self.

“I see it!”
It was Mimi who raised her voice first. But then she continued more uncertainly: “That… is… a pyramid, right?”
The reason why her sentence ended in a question was because the shape of the pyramid was upside-down from the pyramids that Mimi knew.

○

Although they had been certain that the pyramid would be made up of piled-on stones or bricks, it was made up of large colored tiles instead. Even its tiny passageways had tiles, and the clouds of sand that had come blowing in from above piled across them like a fur carpet. Seeing no footprints, it appeared that no one had come here for a very long time.
A long, long seamless line of fluorescent lights hung on the edges where the walls met the ceiling, and although no one was sure how it worked, the lights turned off behind them as they walked on. When the path split into a fork, only one of the paths was lit up.
“I assume these lights are meant to guide us. Nanomon should be at the end of this lit path,” Koushiro explained to everyone.
With its summit hidden beneath the sand and the underside barefaced beneath the sun (which, in Egyptian mythology, would be considered sacred), most of the passageways in the pyramid naturally sloped downward. They must have walked for about ten minutes or so before they reached a massive steel door that was obviously made out of better material than the cheap titles they had seen until now.
“Is this the place?”
“Let’s take a look.”
The steel door had a brass handle that both Taichi and Yamato tried to turn together, but it was so solid that it didn’t move an inch.
That was as it should be, because the handle was really both a lock and a trap. Normally, if a careless intruder tried to turn it, they would be electrified by the high-current the moment they touched the handle. But because Nanomon knew that Taichi and the others would be coming, he had canceled that system program beforehand.
Koushiro wondered if perhaps there was a hidden switch somewhere, but nothing like that came up in their search.
“What should we do?”
The children wracked their brains, but the answer appeared simple to the Digimon.
“In other words, we just have to break it, right?”
Agumon exchanged looks with the other Digimon, and all of them unleashed their attacks on it as one. They couldn’t break it down at the first stroke, of course, but after their fifth try, the steel door melted like candy in the sun, creating a large hole.
All along the four stone walls of that room were numbers, alphabet letters, and symbols that were lined up fully from end to end like hieroglyphs.
“It’s a program,” Koushiro said immediately, because it was similar to what he had already seen inside of a large battery at Factorial Town.
“A program? Are you sure it isn’t just random scribbles?” Mimi said laughing.
“It isn’t. These, the letters themselves, they create their own energy. In the beginning was the Word, as it’s said.”
Koushiro wasn’t speaking anymore with his usual bluntness. An obvious note of excitement was tinged in his voice.
“By the way, where is Nanomon?” Taichi asked impatiently.
In a corner of the room was a single computer that had been left on, which they assumed was how they had been receiving the e-mails. But no matter where they looked inside that room, a Digimon that appeared to be Nanomon was nowhere to be seen.
Only something that appeared to be a robot had been dropped carelessly in the middle of the room. A crack ran through its glass covered head, with one of its two lights broken. From the broken one peered out a lightbulb that looked like an eye bloodshot from lack of sleep, made up of a bundle of coral pink cable cords that made it look similar to an actual flesh-and-blood eye. No matter how one looked at it, it was rubbish.
“Perhaps he went to the bathroom,” Koushiro whispered as if speaking to himself.
They decided to wait for a while, but found it was also a waste of time.
“I’ll connect to the network and search for him,” Koushiro said, moving towards the computer provided in that room.
The moment he logged onto his inbox, Koushiro thought both “Yes” and “Oh no” at the same time. That was because he’d realized that he was supposed to be keeping the network a secret from everyone.
But Koushiro had nothing to fear. No one said anything. Frankly, it was because none of them understood exactly what Koushiro was doing.
Without pause, Koushiro sent an e-mail to Nanomon’s mailing address.
WE’VE ARRIVED INSIDE THE PYRAMID. WHERE ARE YOU?
The reply came back immediately.
I AM NEARBY.
WE DON’T SEE ANYONE AROUND. COULD YOU BE A LITTLE MORE SPECIFIC?
I AM AT YOUR FEET.
OUR FEET?
Koushiro turned. All he could see was the broken robot on the ground…
…whose light bulb-eye facing them was blinking red. When Koushiro saw that the infrared port on the computer was blinking in response, he exclaimed,
“T–Taichi-san. It’s the robot. That robot is Nanomon!”

As they exchanged e-mails, it was discovered that Nanomon had clear consciousness but was unable to move as his mechanical body had been damaged. Repairing was necessary, but apparently reconnecting the mass of damaged wiring was enough.
“I’ll do it,” Yamato volunteered, taking off his gloves. It seemed he had a lot of practice back at home.
Nanomon sent written explanations and sometimes graphics to illustrate how to fix the damage, which Koushiro explained out loud in minute detail.
It took about 2-3 hours in all. Yamato couldn’t restore all of the wires, but he managed to repair enough so that Nanomon could make the minimum of movement.
With a buzzing whirl, a motor revolved and his arm’s function returned first. As if testing out his recovering sensations, Nanomon flexed his three fat fingers and then used the same hand to push himself back up.
“All right!” the children shouted as one. Taichi’s voice was loudest of them all.
“Now, tell us. What do I do to evolve the right way?”
Nanomon’s response was to the point.
HOW THE HELL WOULD I KNOW A THING LIKE THAT?
The distinguished writing style in the e-mails that they had been familiar with up to now clashed violently with this rude remark.
“How, you say? What’s with you? Didn’t Gennai ask you to help us?”
HEH HEH HEH. Nanomon let out a snide laugh. I LIED. I JUST NEEDED A TOOL THAT WOULD HELP ME REPAIR MY BODY. THAT’S WHY I CALLED YOU OVER HERE.
“Y–You tricked us?”
YES, THAT’S RIGHT.
“Were you lying about the Crest, too?” Mimi asked.
WELL. DUH.
“What is it you want?!” Yamato asked this time.
I’VE TOLD YOU ALREADY. I WANTED TO REGAIN MY MOVEMENT.
“What I mean is what are you planning to do by moving?!”
RULE THIS WORLD. WHAT KEEPS A WORLD MOVING IS INFORMATION; ISN’T THAT TRUE FOR YOUR WORLD AS WELL? WHOEVER HAS CONTROL OF INFORMATION CAN CONTROL THE WORLD. USING ONLY RAW POWER LIKE ETEMON ISN’T ENOUGH. WHAT’S MOST IMPORTANT IS USING WHAT’S UP HERE.
And Nanomon tapped the clear glass of his head with a finger, as if to show off how smart he was.
IT’S TRUE THAT I MADE A BLUNDER AND WAS ALMOST DESTROYED BY ETEMON, BEFORE BEING FORCED TO ACT AS ADMINISTRATOR FOR HIS AND HIS PALS’ NETWORK. THEY EVEN MADE ME CREATE A PROGRAM TO UPHEAVE THE ORDER OF THIS WORLD. BUT THROWING ORDER OUT OF THE WINDOW TO REPLACE IT WITH ANOTHER IS NOT SMART. IT’S BETTER TO TURN IT INTO CHAOS. IF NO ONE CAN SEE HOW THE WORLD IS CONSTRUCTED, THEN THEY WON’T BE ABLE TO FIGURE OUT WHAT THEY CAN DO TO CHANGE IT. THERE ONLY NEEDS TO BE ONE MASTER WHO KNOWS THE TRUTH.
At this point, the children could have cared less about Nanomon’s pet theory. What they wanted to know most was something else and it was Sora who asked the question.
“In the end of all this, who are you to us? Our ally? Our enemy?”
FOR THE PRESENT, WE ARE NOT ENEMIES. I NEED INDETERMINATE FACTORS SUCH AS YOURSELVES, EVEN IF ALL YOUR PRESENCE DOES IS ADD CONFUSION TO THE INFORMATION. AS LONG AS YOU CONTINUE TO BE A THREAT TO ETEMON AND HIS PEOPLE, I WILL USE YOU FOR MY PURPOSES. BUT EVEN SO, IT WOULD BE A PAIN IF YOU GOT IN MY WAY AS WELL, SO…
Nanomon’s arm stretched out, latching tightly onto Sora’s arm, who was closest to him.
I’LL BE TAKING THIS GIRL AS MY HOSTAGE.
“Wh–What?”
The Digimon readied themselves into battle formation at once, but they didn’t get the chance to fight. Nanomon’s one covered lightbulb eye glowed red, activating the switch for the pyramid’s security system.
In that instant, the floor dropped out from under their feet and, judging them as garbage instead of as enemies, the pyramid’s security system tossed Taichi and the others outside.

⑤ Taichi’s Trial

“If what he said is true, he won’t bring any harm to Sora-kun.”
“But we can’t just leave things alone the way they are!”
“Hey, I know that!”
“But how will we be able to save Sora-san?”
“If we attacked him from the front, that… would be bad, I know.”
“Koushiro, can you use the network to do something?”
“I can’t. The reason why Etemon hadn’t discovered us before now was because Nanomon… I know saying this doesn’t sit well with us, but it’s because he helped us. Unless we can outwit that Nanomon, I don’t think it’s possible…”
“Then should we attack from the front after all?”
“Hmm…”
As the children continued to discuss strategy inside a military bunker that wasn’t too far from the pyramid, a big dot dot dot was what their conversation boiled down to. None of them could think of a good way to save Sora.
Even if they wanted to attack from the front, they didn’t have enough people on their side to put up a fight. Without Piyomon to evolve and Sora to help her do that, all they had left were the four Adult levels Garurumon, Ikkakumon, Kabuterimon, and Togemon.
Just then, Takeru who had been quietly listening all that time, suddenly stood up straight and raised his hand. “I have an idea.”
“What?” Yamato asked.
Takeru straightened up even further and said, “I know he’s our enemy, but maybe Etemon could help us.”
Yamato’s ears turned red, all the way to his earlobes. “What are you talking about, Takeru? Of course he won’t do that!”
But as if he held admiration for Takeru’s wild idea, Koushiro asked, “What made you come up with that idea?”
Takeru peeked nervously at his brother’s face as he continued. “Because… Nanomon is Etemon’s enemy, right? Then since we’re the same…”
Mimi smiled crookedly, thinking that it was the sort of view to be expected from a second grader. But next to her, Jou suddenly rubbed his head with both hands, skewing his hair.
“T–That might be a good idea!”
“What do you mean, Jou-senpai?” Mimi asked, staring at him wide-eyed.
“Going up to him and asking for his help isn’t gonna work, but if we set up Etemon to attack the pyramid, perhaps we could create an opening.”
“But wouldn’t that be dangerous?” Mimi asked, her brows furrowing worriedly.
“It may be dangerous, but I do think that it’s worth a shot,” Koushiro said, coming to Jou’s aid. “First, if we make it go right, it may end with Etemon and Nanomon attacking each other. Even if both of them survive from it, they’d have taken on a lot of damage. Secondly, it would give me the opportunity to learn more about the pyramid’s security. If we only keep standing by to watch, the dangers won’t change, so I agree with Jou-san’s idea.”
“Me too,” Yamato nodded, a serious look in his eyes. Then he jostled his younger brother’s head for a job well done. What he really may have wanted to do was pet him, but with everyone watching, he was just too embarrassed to do it.
While their conference was taking place, Taichi was sitting at a corner of the bunker with his mouth shut. Agumon was next to him, wearing the same broody look as Taichi.
Jou skittered over whether he should call out to him or not, and then decided to at least ask for his opinion. “Taichi? What do you think?”
“I think that’s fine. So, what should I do? If you need someone to lure out Etemon, I’ll volunteer, but will you take me?”
From the way he said it, he seemed to be aware that he was not considered a part of the attack force.
“No, we can have Tentomon do that,” Yamato said.
“Eh, me? Well, it’s true that I’m the only one who can fly amongst everyone here, so I guess that’s how it goes,” Tentomon nodded as understanding pealed over his face.
“Taichi-san, why don’t you protect Takeru-kun?” Koushiro suggested.
“Okay,” Taichi said, nodding.
But because his expression looked terribly sad, Takeru, as small as he was, took in the situation and gave him a smart and deep bow. “Taichi-san, I’m in your care.”

○

After chaining his hostage Sora to the wall, Nanomon used his repaired hand to hit the keyboard keys at a speed that couldn’t be caught by the eye.
He had changed the network system and programs skillfully, without any of his enemies noticing. Etemon, Vamdemon, and the Dark Masters behind them (HAVE THEY ALREADY FINISHED SEALING THE FOUR HOLY BEASTS, I WONDER) seemed to think that by changing the order of the world, it would make it easier to control, but as he had mentioned earlier, Nanomon did not agree.
Nanomon, who had higher thinking processes than those fools combined, no doubt about it, was seeking to bring chaos into the world, which he found ironic as Etemon and the others were seeking order. And thus, Nanomon had a special secret plan.
By releasing someone from the other end of the “Wall of Fire” (EVEN ONE IS ENOUGH) into this world, their presence alone would cause distortions to break out.
Nanomon had no idea how much power it held or even if it could be controlled.
Still, if that ended up destroying this world, Nanomon didn’t care. Even if it was only for a short time, as long as it caused panic in Etemon for disgracing him (DAMN IT, JUST REMEMBERING IT GETS ME RILED UP) and those other morons behind him, that would be enough to satisfy him.
Nanomon didn’t realize it… but the grudges that seethed within his heart when he shouldn’t have felt any emotion to begin with, was due to a fatal error that had sparked out of one of the thought circuits that Etemon had destroyed.

○

“Go after him! After him!” Etemon’s spit flew as he yelled at the Gazimon next to him from his passenger seat.
The retreating blue form of Kabuterimon was small on the upper-left part of the front glass, but he could be seen.
“Does he honestly expect to escape from me? That idiot.”

○

The yellow vinyl sheet that Mimi had snuck into camp without telling her father came in handy at an unexpected place. Once it was spread out over their heads, no one could distinguish them from the sandy soil around them.
“Like camouflage,” Yamato said wryly. He was thinking that the pyramid’s security system certainly wouldn’t be expecting them to be using such childish methods.
It was Jou who had come up with the idea. He even went so far as to name it the “Macbeth’s Forest”^[16] strategy, but neither Yamato or Mimi were interested enough to ask him why.
Nevertheless, although he was normally so clumsy, even Jou thought strangely of himself that his head was working faster than usual for this plan. At the same time, he felt worry that his actions might somehow lead to the greatest clumsy act of all and Jou strongly hoped that it wouldn’t bring them to a lethal end.
“Ah, he’s here!” Gabumon yelled into Jou’s ear.
Jou couldn’t see but he heard the buzzing of giant wings growing louder and knew that Kabuterimon, with Koushiro riding on top of him, was returning from completing his job.
“Guys, don’t let your guards down!” Jou warned, mostly saying it for himself.

○

The surveillance cameras informed him of the arrival of Etemon as his jumbo trailer pulled by Monochromon came into view.
WHY ETEMON? Nanomon thought suspiciously. He shouldn’t have made any mistakes in covering up his trail. Did Etemon somehow find out about him tampering with the network system?
Even as he thought this, Nanomon’s hands did not pause in their work.
Interference with the “Wall of Fire” would be capable enough to dominate the Digital World, but its guard was secure. The Agents had once guarded the Wall of Fire, and ever since one of the Dark Masters, Piemon, wiped them out, there hadn’t been a sign of them to be seen. Even so, the guard system for the Wall of Fire kept working.
But no matter, it wasn’t beyond his ability. In fact, back when the Agents were still active, he had hacked into their system once.
Still, the Wall of Fire was giving him some difficulty.
The alarm persisted, asking him what was to be done about Etemon.
During a lull in his work, Nanomon typed in the command “DELETE ALL INTRUDERS” into the pyramid’s security system.

○

Taichi and Takeru knew the fight started when they heard the sound of an explosion and saw the resulting smoke.
The two of them were waiting on standby at the military bunker they had used to hold their strategic conference. Actually “standby” was the better-sounding way of putting in; in reality, they were in hiding.
Taichi had experienced something similar to this only once in his life before.
It was at a soccer match. In their last game, he had gotten too eager and had made a dangerous slide on the opponent’s defender, getting himself a red card as a result. Because of that, Taichi had been taken off as a starter for their next game and had to sit on the bench.
Even now, he could remember what Sora had said to him before that game.
“I’ve gotta thank you, Taichi. Since you’re out, I get to be the one who scores points.”
She was joking, of course, to keep Taichi from feeling depressed. Still, he hadn’t felt that bad back then.
Now, it was different.
After their fight with Cyclomon, Sora had said, “Why don’t you try challenging yourself again? I know you. You’ll be able to do it. I believe in you, Taichi.”
Those words were more tender than anything she had ever said to him for as long as they’d known each other. Normally she’d be cracking jokes, but the reason why she hadn’t done that was because she knew he was afflicted moreso than before.
Now that Sora was inside the pyramid. Being held hostage by Nanomon.
Damn it. I’m supposed to be the first one in there to go and save her…
He could feel tears of frustration threatening to pour out of his eyes.
It was at that moment when Taichi heard a voice behind him.
“Hoh. I’ve finally found you, pi. Gennai asked me to come here, pi.”
Whirling around, he saw a Digimon shaped like a pink ball with wings floating above him.

○

“Ukiiiiii!”
Etemon screeched with rage as a laser cannon that had appeared from the side of the pyramid blasted his trailer, his pride and joy, into smithereens.
“That blasted Nanomon, what is he trying to do?! Defy me?! How interesting then, I’ll take him on! I won’t be holding myself back this time, oh no! After I’ve smashed him to pieces, I’ll turn him into real scrap metal!”
And he sent orders en masse to the Digimon enslaved by the black cables.
“Let’s go, sweeties! Charge!”

○

“Laser cannons from the sides.”
“I think the land mines are an even bigger problem.”
As they took note of various functions the pyramid’s security system had in attacking Etemon’s army, Yamato, Jou, Koushiro, and Mimi were discussing the best and safest way they could enter the pyramid.
“It’ll be difficult to approach from the front,” Koushiro said. “It would help if Etemon’s gang opened up a hole in the sides somewhere.”
“Hey, hey, relying on others for help?”
“If there’s an open hole, I can use my Poison Ivy to sneak us in.”
“But we don’t know how things are set up inside. It could be filled with traps.”
Once again, rather than be concerned by the unusual circumstances, they were more frustrated at drafting up an amateur plan that couldn’t be based on anything essential.
“So, what, all we can do is sit back and watch?”
“I didn’t say that!”
“Now, now. Let’s keep an eye on the situation for a little longer,” Koushiro cut in, stopping Yamato and Jou from the beginnings of a quarrel. But even Koushiro himself didn’t think that they could come up with an ingenius idea if they kept watching. The best they could hope for was that Etemon and Nanomon attack each other at the same time and fall…

○

“Now, let’s get you started on training, pi,” the fairy Digimon who called himself Piccolomon said.
“Training? I don’t have time for training!”
They were in the midst of a battle and he had to go on some carefree trip to train?! Taichi got angry.
“You’ll have plenty of time, pi. Time doesn’t move inside my barrier, so you can train as much as you want until you’re satisfied, pi.”
“Really? What sort of training are you talking about here?”
“Thinking about what you must do for training is another form of training, pi. Also, it’s no good looking for an answer, pi. For all you know there might not be one, pi. But if you gain something, that will mean your training was a success, pi.”
“Gain something… like a hint to evolution?!”
“Would you like to try it, pi? Or not, pi?”
Seeing Taichi hesitate, Takeru smiled brightly and said, “Taichi-san, you should go. I have Tokomon with me, the two of us can cover each other.”
Takeru seemed to think that Taichi was holding back because he didn’t want to leave the boy on his own. But in reality, all Taichi had been thinking about was himself. He hadn’t even considered Takeru in the slightest.
It was the same back then, too. Taichi hadn’t thought about Agumon’s feelings or everyone else’s feelings at all. He had gotten caught up in excitement all by himself, had rushed forward all by himself, had tripped over and failed all by himself…
…even though he had friends like Takeru who, despite being so young, knew how to treat people like him with kindness.
“You don’t need to worry about this boy, pi. I’ll protect him with my life, pi. I might not look like it but I’m a Perfect level, pi.”
Taichi made up his mind.
“I’ll take the training,” he said. “But it won’t be for me. It’ll be for Takeru. For Agumon. For everyone. I’ll do the best I can.”

○

As Taichi passed through Piccolomon’s barrier, for some reason he felt a bittersweet nostalgia sweep over him.
Why is that? The scenery looked familiar. When was this? A past far, far away. His childhood?
There weren’t any clouds in the sky, but the scenery around him appeared drab and gray. It reminded him of that one time he had tried on Jou’s glasses for fun and could only see things in a blur.
There was the sound of a crash followed by,
“Oh, man!” a child’s voice wailed.
“Someone’s here,” Agumon said next to him in a low voice.
“Yeah. Let’s go check it out.”

He was on top of a bridge. There was a river flowing underneath which he couldn’t see very well at first, but once the rotten stink of it hit Taichi’s nostrils, it shook up memories that he had forgotten and he could see the river surface as clear as day. It was a dirty, muddy river, filled with plastic bags from the convenience store that floated downstream when they weren’t caught in rocks or brush.
Taichi remembered. It was the place that he had often played in as a kid.
Squeak, squeak.
A single bicycle passed right next to Taichi’s side. Pushing on its pedals was his younger self, a younger Taichi…
…who immediately lost his balance and fell to his side along with the bicycle. For a light crash, it gave off a rather noisy sound. The younger Taichi’s face, elbows, and knees were red with scratches as he lay tangled underneath the bicycle.
It was back when he had just turned seven. He couldn’t remember what had caused it, but Taichi had wanted to ride his bicycle without training wheels. If his memory wasn’t faulty, he had practiced from morning to night, thinking that he would be able to get the hang of it in a day. But in reality, it hadn’t been that simple. He kept falling over and over. By the time he gave up for the day and went back home, his mother had been so worried over his state that she had fussed over him.
The younger Taichi held back his tears as he stood up and got back on his bicycle again.
While a part of him thought of how familiar it all was, another part of him felt guilty that he was killing time here, even though time was stopped, and it was making Taichi feel impatient.
What was the point of recreating this memory in the first place? What sort of training was it supposed to give him?
Don’t give up. Keep up the hard work and it will surely answer back one day — was that it?
But something felt wrong. Piccolomon had said it himself, that there was no answer. So, what was it?
Taichi moved his gaze from his younger self to the Crest he held in his palm. According to Piccolomon, the Crest had a name. It was called the “Crest of Courage.”
Courage, huh…
Taichi remembered the moment he first got that Crest. He let his friends run ahead of him and had prepared to die when he threw stones at Etemon. That had been courage.
Next, he remembered when SkullGreymon evolved. In order to make Greymon evolve to Perfect level, he had jumped out in front of the enemy Greymon. That must have been another sort of courage too.
So what difference was there between those two courages? Now that he thought about it, the latter seemed rather calculating. In order to make Greymon evolve to Perfect, he had forced himself into a situation for courage to come out. Was that it?
While he was thinking of that, the younger Taichi suddenly lost his temper.
“I can’t do it! I can’t ride a bike!”
Taichi’s lip curled involuntarily. So that had happened before. He’d forgotten all about it. Apparently memories were made up so that you could forget whatever inconvenient things had happened to you.
“Taichi. What should we do?” Agumon asked worriedly.
But Taichi said, “Nothing. I’m not the kind of guy to give up just from that.”
And so, he sat down against the railing of the bridge and silently watched his younger self struggle.

I’m pretty stubborn, if I do say so myself, Taichi thought with an exasperated admiration. What am I getting so worked up for…
While the younger Taichi’s face leaked with quiet tears, he’d keep getting back on his bicycle over and over. Each time he’d fall, curse, make abusive sounds through clenched teeth, and even start wailing that it just couldn’t be done.
A vicious battle was raging outside of this barrier (oh, but since time stands still here, I guess it’s weird to say that) but somehow, Taichi had lost concern about that.
How much time had passed already?
The young Taichi suddenly cried out with glee and pride.
“All right! I’m riding it! I’m riding a bike without training wheels!”
And he was — swaying unsteadily as he did so, but he was riding the bicycle.
Seeing that, Taichi looked at his younger self fondly and said quietly, “You did great, Taichi.”
At that moment, Taichi felt a trace as if he had grabbed something. It wasn’t a clear answer, but a dim and faint something. But still, something.
Taichi wasn’t aware of what it was, but — maybe it was probably to acknowledge and accept oneself. No matter who they were, everyone lacked something and everyone made mistakes. But if all one did was worry about their bad parts, they were making it harder for themselves to see what was good about them.
That wasn’t an answer. It was just one explanation.
Maybe this was what Piccolomon was talking about.
Taichi pushed himself off the handrail and spoke to Agumon.
“Let’s go, Agumon. Everyone’s waiting for us.”
His face looked bright and fresh for the first time in days, as if a dark shadow had been lifted from it.

⑥ Perfect Level Evolution, MetalGreymon

The fight kept getting worse.
Still watching the situation from under their yellow sheet, Yamato and the others grew agitated at being unable to come up with a plan.
Etemon’s army already suffered a lot of casualties, so much so that those who were still alive were unable to move closer to the pyramid unless they stepped on the corpses.
Meanwhile, some of the tiles had fallen off the pyramid surface, while a few of the laser cannons were destroyed.
“Just what the hell can we do?” Yamato said, slamming a frustrated fist into the sand.
Even Koushiro couldn’t bring himself to persuade them to wait just a little longer, not in a situation like this. He was almost ready to give up and say that it was no use waiting.
Jou and Mimi felt the same.

Confined inside his one room in the pyramid, Nanomon finally got access to the “Wall of Fire” system.
He was so happy that he even gave a little cry of “All right!”
“What’s all right? What did you do?” Sora asked, but Nanomon didn’t bother to answer. That was because gaining access to the system wasn’t the end of it; he now needed to gain control of the fire that made up the “Wall of Fire.”
Hehe, just watch me, you morons.
Nanomon’s mad eyes gleamed red.

“In that case, we’ll go kamikaze!” Etemon urged his men.
Of course, Etemon only meant for his subordinates to go kill themselves.
Controlled by the black cables and without a will of their own, the Digimon did as they were ordered to and began their final charge towards the pyramid.

“Wh–What is that?” Mimi screamed.
Having turned around because they noticed something flash from behind them, something — something huge — was coming flying towards them at low altitude.
“Is it the enemy?”
“No, look closer!”
What came flying out of the whirling sand was a large orange dinosaur, with half of its body transformed into machine. The giant wings on its back spread out into a horizontal plane and it came flying towards them like a majestic sight.
It looked very similar to Greymon.
“I–Is that… Greymon’s real Perfect level?”
At that moment, the unknown Digimon opened up the hatch on its chest and shot something out of it. It was two missiles that flew swiftly over the heads of Jou and the others looking on, trailing white smoke as they headed straight for the pyramid.

“Wow!”
Riding on top of MetalGreymon’s shoulder, Taichi couldn’t hide his glee as he saw the destructive power of MetalGreymon’s Giga Destroyer open a large hole in the side of the pyramid with its single blast.
“All right, we’re gonna jump in from there!”
“Okay. Taichi, you stay hidden within my arm.”
“‘Kay!”
MetalGreymon had a left arm that was mechanically transfigured from the shoulder down and Taichi jumped down onto his palm.
Pulling his left hand closer to his belly, MetalGreymon thrusted himself into the pyramid head-first without losing speed.
The passageway through the pyramid was neither wide nor tall enough for MetalGreymon’s gigantic form to fit through, but he didn’t care. While the ceiling and both sides of the walls fell to pieces around him, he headed to the room that Nanomon and Sora were in.

The alarms clanged noisily, but Nanomon wasn’t paying attention. The “Wall of Fire” security system was much more interesting to him. His intent to outwit it so far had all been anticipated and blocked. At this rate, even if he did open up the “Wall of Fire,” it would only last for an instant.
PIECE OF SHIT!
The machine monster spat out a dirty word.
TAKE THIS!
Nanomon pushed the turn key that could make or break the outcome.

○

Ever since the universe was made, the “Wall of Fire” that had never paused blowing out an incessant stream of red-hot flames and corona… now changed into a black hole for a fraction of a second.
Fwoooooohhhh.
The voice that could be heard on the other end of hole sounded as if the anger, hatred, and resentment that swirled throughout the entire universe had been gathered up and put into a large cauldron that one whole Milky Way could easily fit into, then left to simmer for millions and millions of years until it became a concentrated jellied mass — that sort of voice.
The “Wall of Fire” function was only down for an instant, but apparently that was more than enough.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
It was a loud laugh, seeped with eerieness and apathy.

○

That laugh went through the “Wall of Fire” system and reached Nanomon’s computer.
Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha ha.
Hearing that voice coming from the monitor, Sora felt sharp chills running through her spine.
“…Wh–Who’s voice is that?”
That voice wasn’t the only thing that was wrong with the computer. All processes it was running were forcibly ended, and the monitor turned pitch-black. In its place loaded a program that Nanomon didn’t remember creating — a strange polyhedron-shape covered with metal chains shaped like a DNA helix spinning around that showed up on the monitor — and it began to run.
WH–WHAT’S GOING ON?
Nanomon didn’t appear to know the answer to Sora’s question either, because he began frantically inspecting the computer cables.
It was then that, with a tremendous force that crumbled the wall down, MetalGreymon’s head came crashing through.
“We’re here to save you, Sora!”
Taichi jumped out from within MetalGreymon’s metal left hand and ran towards her.

Attacks from the pyramid stopped instantly.
“What happened?” Mimi asked, looking uneasy, but no one could provide an answer. Even if they could, the others were more concerned about other questions such as: What happened to the new Digimon looking so similar to Greymon after he jumped into the pyramid? Did this stop function occur because that Digimon had taken down Nanomon or were they in the middle of fighting? There were so many things they wanted to know.
“Let’s go look inside!” Gomamon said.
As if taken up by that momentum, the normally cautious Jou said, “Yeah. Let’s do it!”
He turned towards the pyramid as if to run towards it, but Tentomon stepped in front of him.
“Hold it! Etemon is in the pyramid right now!”

Nanomon was putting all of his concentration in restoring the computer that had gone haywire, so he had his back turned when Taichi arrived to save Sora.
Taichi saw the cuffs on Sora’s wrists and exchanged looks with MetalGreymon. Thudding as he walked, MetalGreymon only slightly grazed a pointy steel claw from his left hand onto the chains, cutting them apart.
“Hi,” Taichi said as Sora rubbed her wrists. “Uh, well… we made it to Perfect level. MetalGreymon.”
He felt that there were a ton of other things that should be said, but at the moment, those were the only words that Taichi could muster up to express his gratitude towards Sora.
However, there wasn’t time to add more.
“Ukikikikiki!”
Thanks to the halt on the pyramid’s security system, Etemon came flying in easily.
“The children are here, and so is Nanomon. Now, who should I start with first…”
Etemon spoke as way of a threat, but Nanomon didn’t even notice that he had arrived. Seeming to mistake that Nanomon was making fun of him, Etemon cried out, “Kiii, I’ll start with you!”
The moment he grabbed Nanomon from behind, it happened.
A double helix of chains shot out from within the computer screen and wrapped around Nanomon and Etemon, dragging them both back through the monitor.
“Wh–What happened?”
Both Taichi and Sora could only look on with wide eyes at the emptiness where the Digimon had been, unable to comprehend themselves what had happened.
Just then, the monitor started crumpling into itself, as if an invisible person was hitting it with all their strength with an invisible hammer. Before long, the computer was crushed down by that unseeable superhuman strength. From that spot where the computer had once been floated a silently large jet black sphere.
“Wh–What is that?” Taichi said, not expecting an answer, but Sora’s lip quivered, a look of disbelief on her face.
“I–It could be…”
“It could be what?” Taichi asked her.
“A black hole,” Sora ended weakly, her face white.
“Black hole?”
A wind suddenly blew. It was quiet at first, and then accelerated stronger and more violently. What’s more, it wasn’t blowing from somewhere but trying to suck in. Just like how it had sucked the computer, Etemon, and Nanomon into the small, black sphere.
“We gotta get out of here!” Sora cried out. Her voice was close to a desperate scream.

○

The entire pyramid looked warped, as if it was being seen through a convex lens. Jou blinked his eyes rapidly, thinking that it was due to heat haze. Just then, one of the pyramid’s walls exploded from the inside and he saw the giant cyborg dinosaur that had jumped into the pyramid earlier come out from the fumes.
“It’s Taichi! And Sora-kun!”
Just as Jou said, Taichi and Sora were riding on the cyborg dinosaur’s shoulders. The two of them appeared to be shouting something at them. Behind them, the fumes of the explosion looked as if they were being sucked in by a ventilation fan because they were being pulled into the pyramid. The inner side of the pyramid began to cave inwards.
“Wh–What’s going on?!”
Paralyzed with horror as they stood in the desert, Yamato and the others watched in confusion as the pyramid disintegrated from within. MetalGreymon landed lightly next to them.
“We’re in big trouble! It’s a black hole!”
Yamato still didn’t seem to get it because he said dazedly, “A black hole… What the heck did you guys do?”
But Koushiro quickly understood that now was not the time for questions and said, “For the time being, let’s get as far away from here as we can, before we end up getting dragged in as well. I’m… not sure how far we should run to be considered safe, but…”
“To the bunker,” Taichi ordered without delay. “Takeru is with a Digimon called Piccolomon. He’ll make a barrier for us that’ll protect us.”
None of the others understood what he meant, but Taichi’s voice and expression were so full of conviction that they all obeyed him immediately.
“Anyway, let’s go!”
None of them dared to look back. If they did, they just might die because of it. Once they got sucked into that black hole, they were done for.
After some time, the crunching sounds of the pyramid breaking down stopped completely. It must not have been big enough to fill the black hole’s bottomless stomach.
The military bunker was almost within reach. Having arrived ahead with MetalGreymon, both Taichi and Sora waved their arms furiously, urging the others to hurry up.
Suddenly a shadow fell around Yamato and the others. There hadn’t been a cloud in the sky earlier, so why?
Taichi called for MetalGreymon, who lent his shoulder for Taichi to ride on. With a grim, determined look on his face, MetalGreymon spread his wings and took off with one mighty flap like a Harrier jet.
The sound of something crashing with something else was heard above the skies.
That was when Yamato and the others heard the first “Ukiiiiii!” and learned that Etemon, having made a miraculous escape from death in the black hole, had been chasing them above their heads.

Although he was still alive, Etemon’s appearance had not stayed the same. He still had the upper half of his body, but his lower half had fused with a ball of material that was made from pieces of scrap iron. They probably came from the ruins of the pyramid. Maybe there were even pieces of Nanomon mixed in.
“Trident Arm!”
MetalGreymon’s metal left arm whipped out like a harpoon from a whaling ship. The pointed metal claws pierced Etemon’s abdominal area, making such a large hole that the blue sky could be seen through it.
“Wh–What the hell?!”
Etemon stared at the hole in his stomach as if he couldn’t believe it was there.
“I’m a superstar! I can’t just die here!”

Piccolomon was waiting for Yamato and the others at the bunker, chanting a spell and waving his spear Fairytale with a single flick when they arrived. At that very instant, a barrier rose up around the children, although no visible change could be seen of their surroundings. Only the black hole’s greedy inhaling breath disappeared there.
“Taichi! That’s enough, get back!”
“If you stay there, you’ll get sucked in!”
The children and all of the Digimon didn’t care that Taichi and MetalGreymon were holding a rather spectacular battle up in the air. Every one of them believed that their voices would reach them.
“This is bad, pi.”
Seeing the distortions of the black hole get bigger and bigger, Piccolomon grimaced. He was worried about MetalGreymon as well, but he was uneasy that his barrier would not be able to withstand the unbelievable pulling power. This was the first time in his life that he’d ever encountered a black hole, so he wasn’t sure what would happen.
“Please die down and go away soon, pi.”
All he could do was pray.

“MetalGreymon! That’s enough, let’s get out of here!” Taichi shouted, seeing the distortions of the black hole behind Etemon growing bigger.
“Okay!”
MetalGreymon was about to do as Taichi said when Etemon grabbed at MetalGreymon’s left leg with both of his arms and bit down hard. It seemed that he still wished to fight, despite the circumstances.
“Let go!”
MetalGreymon tried to sweep Etemon off with his tail but Etemon was prepared to never let go, even if it meant dying in the process.
Even if it means being sucked into that black hole, too, Etemon whispered with wretched determination inside his own heart.

“Ah…” everyone said at the same time.
MetalGreymon had launched his Giga Destroyer at point-blank range towards Etemon, who was clinging by his teeth onto MetalGreymon’s left leg.
Etemon was blown away, getting sucked in along with the blast into the distortions of the black hole.
But it also backfired.
The energy of the missile’s explosion increased the black hole’s appetite, automatically swelling the ball of distortions so that it surrounded MetalGreymon completely.
No one could say anything. They were afraid to say it. If they said it out loud, it would mean that they had to accept it.
And they didn’t want to accept it. They wanted to believe that it was a trick of the eyes.
As if the hunger of the black hole was satisfied from the last prey that it had swallowed, it shrunk rapidly and disappeared. But nowhere against the returning calmness of the blue sky could they see Taichi or MetalGreymon anywhere.

To be continued…

Read the author’s afterword.

FOOTNOTES
[15] 「おかしいわねえ」
While it may not be obvious in translation, Etemon speaks in a very feminine way.
[16] 『マクベスの森』
"Macbeth's Forest" is indicative of Malcolm's army covering themselves with forest branches as they went to invade Macbeth's castle.

Digimon 10th Anniversary ~The Bridge To Dreams~

Where to buy this CD: Amazon.JP, CDJapan, YesAsia

TRACKLIST
1. 永久に続け!! (八神太一 | 藤田淑子)
2. 明日 (本宮大輔 | 木内レイコ)
3. キセキの宝物 (松田啓人| 津村まこと)
4. Secret Rendezvous (神原拓也 | 竹内順子)
5. 夢のカケラ (大門 大 | 保志総一朗)
6. TRY AGAIN!! (IKUO)
7. 想い出の向こう (宮崎 歩)
8. 小さなかけら (AiM)
9. 誇り～限りなき力の証明～ (和田光司)

Lyrics in kanji, romanji, and translations for each track are available by clicking on the respective link.

Translation of message inside this CD’s booklet:
This project began from a casual conversation.
It first took place at Bandai’s booth in “Jump Fiesta 2007,” which was held at the end of the year 2006 in Makuhari Messe. Bandai’s representative and I talked about how, because 2007 would make it 10 years since Digimon was first sold as a handheld game, we would at least like to set up some event for Summer 2007.
We figured that if we were going to do this, we should celebrate with something different from what we’ve already done before. I thought of a lot of things, but fell ill midway and had to semi-retire at the hospital for 50 days. After that, the representative for Bandai was changed, so the project was put to a temporary standstill.
But the “Digimon Chou Shinka Best!” CD that was re-released at the end of year 2006 became a big hit that sold over 20,000, and feeling that there must be something we could do to return the favor, the project idea was brought back into action.
At first, we considered forming a collaboration with an event, but it began to move in the direction of a CD collaboration that included the 5 main characters and the major artists from all 5 series. We’d never put all successive main characters onto one CD jacket before, and it was by sheer coincidence that our sale date was decided for August 1st, so we thought it may turn out to be the best present for the fans that we’ve yet created.
Everyone on the artist team was already skilled in making their own song and composition styles, so we received works that reflected their feelings for Digimon. Also, since the project was finally becoming a reality, I had a personal desire to hear those certain people sing new songs. With the tireless help of a large number of people, the project was able to take shape as you see here. Now I’d like to take this moment to give my deepest gratitude to everyone involved.
It will soon be 10 years since the anime first started as well.
It will make me happy if we can still do something precious for that time, in order to bring to mind once again the scenery we’d seen back then.
August 1st, 2007… I wonder if many people are gathering in Odaiba again for this year?
I hold anticipation that something will be born again from this memorial album…
And I pray that these “feelings” will reach the fans of Digimon all over the world…

The password is still, We Love DiGiMONMUSiC.

June 2007
Index Music
Matsui Shintarou

To support this site:

Digimon Adventure Novels #1-3

These novels are an official publication, not fan-made. They were written by the show’s director, Hiroyuki Kakudou, and one of the screenwriters, Hiro Masaki. Therefore, information revealed in them can be considered canon. Notice the use of verb “can” here, meaning that it is not an absolute. You’ll discover as you read on that not everything is exactly as portrayed in the television series.

Out of the current five Digimon anime series, “Digimon Adventure” is the one that I have fallen hard for. All of the Digimon series are my favorites, but this one is a bit more special to me than the rest. I love the character development and I was very pleasantly surprised by the mature, often dark, themes it has brought up in its plot. Even though it was produced as a children’s anime, I feel that adults will enjoy watching it as well. The series has opened doorways for me to other genres of anime and manga, and it has helped me meet incredible people, fans just like myself. Although the zeal in my anime/manga hobbies is slowly fading with age, this is a series that I will never forget in my lifetime.
I sincerely hope that after you have finished reading these novels, you will have gained an even better understanding and greater love of the unforgettable characters in Digimon Adventure.
Everyone is greatly encouraged to share their feedback and personal thoughts about what you’ve read. This site is open as a safe place of discussion as well.

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s similar between the novels and the anime?
Characters, both good and evil, are preserved.
What’s different between the novels and the anime?
Plot situations may vary. The novels provide finer detail of the characters’ thoughts, backgrounds, and much more that were only glossed over in the anime. This does not mean that one is ultimately better than the other, though. Both have their pros and cons. Because the two are not in tandem with each other, you may view the novels as a separate work from the anime if you wish.
Can I archive this?
While you have my gratitude for wanting to do so, I will have to decline. Due to the enormous effort I will put into this project, this translation is not allowed to be archived anywhere else. This includes the scans which I have provided. No exceptions. Please link to this page instead. This site isn’t going anywhere, and I will be keeping backups of all that I’ve translated in case of a random system failure. After translations of all the books have been finished, PDF files of my translated version will be available for free download within the table of contents below. In order to view them, you must have a PDF reader such as Adobe Reader.
Using quotes from the novel for your personal website does not fall under this category, and they may be used freely.

I’d love it if someone translated the novels to their mother language, but I don’t know if there’s anyone who’s as insane enough as me to do that. *laughs* Maybe.

Other Languages

Tradução em Português by Rayana
Traducción en Español

Epub version (English) provided by rika24 on Livejournal:
Book 1 translation

MAIN CHARACTERS

Taichi Yagami…….. A 5th grade student. Although he is brave and takes action, he can be somewhat reckless.
Agumon……………… Taichi’s Digimon partner.
Sora Takenouchi… A 5th grade student. Taichi’s best friend.
Piyomon…………….. Sora’s Digimon partner.
Yamato Ishida……. A cool 5th grade student.
Gabumon……………. Yamato’s Digimon partner.
Takeru Takaishi… A 2nd grade student. Although he is Yamato’s younger brother, they live separately due to their parents’ divorce.
Patamon…………….. Takeru’s Digimon partner.
Koushiro Izumi…. A 4th grade student with a speciality in computers.
Tentomon…………. Koushiro’s Digimon partner.
Jyou Kido………….. A 6th grade student. He has a strong sense of responsibility.
Gomamon…………. Jyou’s Digimon partner.
Mimi Tachikawa… A 4th grade student. She is a princess-like type.
Palmon………………. Mimi’s Digimon partner.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DIGIMON ADVENTURE NOVEL 1
~Now The Adventure Begins~
ISBN-13: 978-4086300292
(pdf – coming soon)

Prologue
Chapter 1 : Drifting Ashore
1 : That Summer
2 : On The Other Side of the Aurora
3 : Mysterious Animals
4 : Attack of the Kuwagata Monster
5 : Where Are We?
Chapter 2 : File Island
1 : Black Gears
2 : The Deceptive Mansion
3 : The Village of Beginnings
4 : Chosen Children
5 : Light and Dark
Chapter 3 : Escape of the Desert
1 : Server Continent
2 : The Crest of Courage
3 : Access
4 : The Pyramid’s Trap
5 : Taichi’s Trial
6 : Perfect Level Evolution, MetalGreymon
Digimon Adventure Character Catalog
Afterword

DIGIMON ADVENTURE NOVEL 2
~The Eighth Chosen Child~
ISBN-13: 978-4086300353
(pdf – coming soon)

Prologue – In A Remote Cabin
Chapter 4 : The Lake of Separation
1 : Temp Lake
2 : The Amusement Park of Goodbyes
3 : PicoDevimon’s Trap
4 : The Restaurant By the Lake Shore
5 : The Town of People
Chapter 5 : Vamdemon’s Castle
1 : The Inquisitive Heart
2 : Karaoke Princess
3 : The Secret of the Crests
4 : Gennai’s Underwater Mansion
5 : Operation Invade the Real World
Chapter 6 : Tokyo
1 : August 1st, 1999
2 : Night
3 : Shibuya-type Digimon
4 : Encounter
5 : Two Crests
Digimon Adventure Keyword File
Digimon Adventure Monster File
Afterword

DIGIMON ADVENTURE NOVEL 3
~Our Adventures Are Not Over Yet~
ISBN-13: 978-4086300391
(pdf – coming soon)

Prologue
Chapter 7 : August 2nd, 1999
1 : Memories of Hikarigaoka
2 : Ambush
3 : Barrier of Darkness
4 : The Captured People
5 : A Chance Meeting at Tokyo Bay
6 : Escape from Big Sight
7 : Leaving Only a Smile Behind
8 : Ultimate Level
9 : Once More to the Digital World
Chapter 8 : The Dark Masters
1 : Spiral Mountain
2 : The Unmerciful Sea
3 : A Falling Out Among Friends
4 : The Forest of Hatred
Chapter 9 : The Last Enemy
1 : The Wall of Fire
2 : Collapse of the Cities
3 : Mimi’s Battle
4 : The Darkness Within the Heart
5 : The True Enemy
5 : Those Who Defy Evolution
6 : The Last Battle
7 : A New World
8 : And So, the End of Summer
Epilogue
Digimon Adventure Monster File
Afterword

To download a .rar file of all PDF chapter translations, click here. (coming soon)

To support this site:

Where to buy: Amazon.JP.

Go back to the previous chapter.

Chapter 2; File Island

① Black Gears

The only certain thing he knew was that they were not in an amusement park. It was now almost a week since they had arrived in this strange place and they had traveled for miles without finding an exit. If this expansive area really was a theme park, Koushiro was sure that he would have at least heard about it on the news.
Besides, Koushiro thought, as he looked at Tentomon flying besides him. To think that creatures like this live here…
Feeling Koushiro’s gaze, Tentomon looked back at him curiously with his green stare. “What’s the matter, Koushiro–han? Is there something on my face?”
“Ah, no, it’s nothing.”
A large ladybug that he could wrap his arms around. Not only that, but Tentomon spoke in Kansai dialect and he could change into a larger being just like how Agumon became Greymon. How could these beings do that, and what prompted them to come into existence in the first place?
These past few days, the children had done nothing but wander around in earnest, searching for a way to escape this place and return home. Yet instead of finding other humans besides them, they encountered a large number of diverse beings who were all classified as “Digimon.” There was one who looked like a dragon, another like a robot, another like a stuffed teddy bear that was two–stories high, and then another who looked like a fireball shaped like a man. Each time danger befell the children, the Digimon they had with them would undergo “evolution” and they would all make it through somehow. Even Koushiro’s Tentomon “evolved,” becoming a rhinoceros beetle ^[11] the size of a small truck.
However, perhaps because maintaining that form used up a lot of energy, Tentomon returned to his former size after his battles. For reasons that could not be explained, Tentomon would not degenerate further into his smaller form, Motimon. This held true for the rest of their Digimon.
The only ones among the seven Digimon who had yet to show them their evolved forms was the eldest boy Jou’s Digimon, Gomamon, and the youngest boy Takeru’s Digimon, Patamon.
“I wonder why it’s called ‘evolution,'” Koushiro mused, voicing his thoughts to Tentomon this time. “I mean, evolution normally consists of an entire species changing slowly over a long period of time. The changes that you and your friends undergo are more like a transformation. You each transform into something too enormous to be an evolution.”
“Well, I don’t know the answer to that myself,” Tentomon replied. “I can’t give an explanation, but all I’m aware of is that it isn’t a transformation but evolution.”
As they walked, Koushiro asked Tentomon many things about this region and about Digimon. While doing so, he couldn’t help but feel a slight self–derision snorting at him in the back of his mind. Never before had he talked so much to a stranger, even if that stranger wasn’t a human being.
In the days before he had left for camp, he normally avoided taking the initiative to talk to others in school. He didn’t like getting involved with them.
Especially not when he didn’t even know who in the world he was.
As a matter of course, his classmates rarely had a chance to talk with him. Many thought that he was hard to get along with, and Koushiro personally didn’t find that inconvenient so he did nothing to persuade them otherwise.
Taichi Yagami was one of the few exceptions. Because their school curriculum had a physical education requirement, Koushiro was forced to choose a club. It was a mere coincidence that he chose the soccer club. He wouldn’t have to face people one-on-one if he was in a club emphasizing teamwork rather than individual achievement, and the positions in soccer appeared more vague than they were in baseball. He felt that in the soccer club, he wouldn’t have to go out of his way to engage with other people.
Taichi was an upperclassman in that soccer club. It wasn’t that he was extremely talkative, but Taichi treated everyone without discrimination, as equals. That attitude of his didn’t change, even towards Koushiro.
If Taichi hadn’t invited him, Koushiro was sure that he would have never gone to summer camp.

○

They walked while keeping the steep tower of a mountain the Digimon called “Infinity Mountain” on their right and the ocean on their left. The direction of the sun had changed during their journey, so they knew they had been circling the island: That is, if this place really was an island. If they assumed that the sun rose from the east, than they should be at the northernmost part of the island right now. As if the land wanted to give physical proof, the temperature had dropped greatly and they came to an area covered in snow. They had only walked several days from the beach, which they had believed was on the south coast, to reach a snowfield. Did such an area ever exist on Earth?
Because the children wore summer clothes for camp, they grew easily numb in the cold. The warmer clothes they had meant to wear at night were left in their bookbags back at camp.
Only Mimi and Takeru, because they wore slightly thicker clothes, rejoiced as they played within the snow. The plant Digimon, Palmon (who was as big as a baby and could walk on two legs) as well as Patamon (a hamster the size of a cat, with large ears that flapped like wings but made him move slower than if he was walking) were with them. Palmon was Mimi’s Digimon, while Patamon was Takeru’s, and their personalities with their humans was very similar. In other words, both of them were like children without a thread of apprehension in them about their situation.
“I’m hungry,” Mimi commented a little while after playing, to which Jou replied irritably, “Instead of saying that all the time, why don’t you try looking for food on your own first!”
The emergency food supply that Jou was carrying had been eaten up long ago. Immediately after the incident with Shellmon had occurred, all of the food had been used up to nourish everyone.
For better or for worse, this island (although Jou would not accept that it was just yet) was filled with things that could be eaten. Even though it was hard to believe that they were being supplied with electricity, they found vending machines that actually worked, a storehouse inside an uninhabited cabin that was filled with food, wild plants, and a bunch of other things they didn’t know about but were edible.
The Digimon were very familiar with this kind of food and the children never had trouble having things to eat and drink every day. Of course, if they didn’t have their Digimon’s knowledge, they wouldn’t have learned of this so easily. Jou couldn’t exactly remember what he had gleaned from reading all of those young adult books on island survival, so he was secretly grateful to the Digimon for their help. But now…
“What is wrong with you people, anyway?” he continued. “Don’t you realize the situation that we’re in right now?! We have to find the adults quickly and get them to help us out of this place, we have to find somewhere to sleep for tonight, and since we can’t just lie down in a cold place like this, we have to start a fire before the sun goes down! There are so many things we have to do, yet all you do is complain!”
Oh no, I’ve said too much. Before Jou’s conscience had time to catch up with his mouth and throttle it for being so harsh, Mimi began to cry.
“But, but, but…!” she wailed.
Mimi continued to sob until they heard Sora shout that she had found food. It took the breath out of Sora’s lungs, to raise her voice loud enough to be heard over Mimi’s cries.
The anticipation of food warming their stomachs — or to be more exact, the stuff Sora had found inside a refrigerator that she thought was food — in this cold district pleased everyone greatly. With bright faces, they all gathered around the refrigerator. Jou was the only one who arrived slower than the rest.
Even during dinner, Jou kept silent.

○

Bright sunlight shone through the opening of the cave they had slept in, showing that a new day had arrived. The snow that was piled up outside made things appear brighter than normal. As the seven children had burrowed deep inside the cave last night to huddle together from the cold, it didn’t take long before they realized that two of their comrades were missing.
Both Jou and Gomamon were gone.
Everyone’s eyes shot open at once. It was Sora who found the letter placed near the opening of the cave. A rock had been placed on top of it so the wind wouldn’t blow it away.
[( I’m climbing up the mountain to see for sure whether or not this place is an island. Please stay here and wait for me. )]
Infinity Mountain towered before their eyes from the snow field they were in now. Because it looked like a steep tower, it had appeared drastically tall, but now that they were closer to it, they could see that it wasn’t as high as they’d originally imagined. Even so, that didn’t mean it was an easy mountain for Jou and his small Digimon, who was yet unable to evolve, to climb successfully.
“He must have felt terrible about what happened last night, all this time,” Sora whispered.
Whether he heard her or not, Taichi said, “Iit’s dangerous to be up there alone. Let’s go help him. With Sora’s Digimon, me and Agumon can get there quick. The rest of you guys can catch up later.”
His decisions came with lightning–speed in times like this. Taichi usually acted without giving a more detailed explanation, but his reasoning was sound.
“Piyomon, evolve! Birdramon!” Sora’s pink–colored bird Digimon, Piyomon, always acted like a pampered child, but now she changed shape into a large and fierce firebird Digimon.
Just as one would expect from the flames wrapped around her body, the temperature there was too high for anyone to climb up on, but Taichi, Agumon, and Sora could dangle from her two clawed feet. This was the only part of Birdramon that was like an ordinary bird.
Hanging, with Agumon, onto one of Birdramon’s legs as if he were riding a ski lift, Taichi looked behind him and yelled, “Well, Yamato, I’m counting on you to take care of them!”
“Got it! Leave it to me!” was how the blond responded, but when Yamato looked behind him, he couldn’t help but let out a little sigh. There was his little brother, the fourth grade boy who hardly talked and was followed by a ladybug that spoke in Kansai dialect, and the boy’s female classmate who spoke aloud everything she was thinking.
Infinity Mountain loomed above their sights.

○

But in reality, the mountain incorporated a long, well–worn road all the way up to its apex, and it wasn’t impossible for even an elementary school grader to climb it. Gomamon jumped steadily alongside Jou. His white body was exactly like that of a seal, including his flippers, so his form didn’t appear as if it was well–suited for this rocky environment. However, he made no sound of a complaint as he climbed. In fact, he kept up making saucy comments like:
“Jou! I’m leaving you behind if you don’t hurry up!”
“You’re one to talk. I’ll leave you behind if you slow down,” Jou shot back, while silently thinking that he had never spoken so impudently like this towards friends in his classes and in cram school. “Anyway, it’s great that it’s started to get warmer ever since we started climbing this mountain.”
“I’m strong enough to tough this out even with the cold, though.”
The pair kept poking at each other all throughout their climb. Jou didn’t know it at this time, but the one thing that distracted him from feeling discouraged at climbing an unfamiliar mountain all on his own was Gomamon’s constant chatter.

A part of the mountainside split open without a sound.
The inside of it was like a cave but because no light spilled into it, one could not tell how deep it was. The only thing one could see was a darkness that appeared to be saturated with evil intent.
Something black came rushing out from inside, and the split closed silently once more. The seam could not be seen anywhere.

○

Gomamon noticed them first. “Hey, look.”
“Black gears…” Without a second thought, Jou pulled Gomamon to him and hid. Many of the Digimon who had attacked them in the past few days all had a black gear stuck somewhere within their bodies. The black gears made them lose their sanity and become violent. To remove them from the Digimon’s body, the gears needed to be attacked with a considerable amount of power before they were destroyed.
None of the children knew where the black gears had come from and what their purpose was, but now Jou said, “They flew over from this mountain…”
He looked at Gomamon.
“I’m not stupid enough to wait for one of those things to stick me,” Gomamon said, answering the unspoken worry that Jou felt. He turned. “Well, let’s go, Jou! There’s still a long way ahead of us.”

A gear pierced through clouds as it flew at mid–height of the mountain. With a sharp turn, it punctured the back of a Digimon who was in the middle of descending from the skies — so hard that half of it stuck out from the Digimon’s body.
The black gears may not be made completely from some solid substance. The Digimon’s back gave no indication of a wound or even a spurt of blood. The only thing that changed was that the Digimon’s eyes (although one could only see glass because it was wearing something similar to a welding helmet) glowed with a strange light that looked very evil.

No matter how worn the mountain path was, it was still very steep. However, not even Mimi gave a peep of complaint — there was no mistake that all of them were thinking about Jou. Each of them was aware that they were the ones who had pushed him so far that he felt obliged to make the climb on his own.
Yamato and the others somehow made it halfway up when they spotted Taichi and the others, along with Jou, already engaged in battle.
“Look over there! Birdramon’s about to fall!” Takeru, who was ahead of them, screamed.
“Greymon is there too. Ah, he’s trying to attack that Digimon who looks like a horse!” Koushiro said, pointing to a Digimon flying in the sky.
Among the gaps in the trees, they could see Greymon aim a ball of fire in the air above him. But the narrow mountain path was not wide enough for him to gain a foothold and support his large build.
The Digimon they believed to be the enemy was a flying white horse. Flapping its wings broadly, it rapidly changed course in mid–air and shot out white light from its mouth.
Greymon lost his balance and fell.
“Greymon!” Yamato cried out.
As Greymon scrambled, he landed in a lower place that was much wider than before. It was there that they saw the fiery wings of Birdramon. Glowing, she became smaller and returned to Piyomon. She must have exhausted a colossal amount of energy to reach the mountain.
Taichi chased after Greymon by sliding down the slope. Yamato and the others couldn’t see her, but Sora must have been there as well. The flying horse Digimon began to aim more of its attacks in that direction.
“Gabumon, let’s go!” Yamato called out to his Digimon. When evolved, Gabumon had enormous fighting strength but — at this, Yamato hesitated — he couldn’t fly. It wasn’t certain whether or not they would make it in time, and there wasn’t a chance he could leave Takeru and the others alone.
“We’ll go ahead,” Koushiro said to Tentomon. When Tentomon evolved, he could easily fly there with Koushiro riding on his head.
But there was still one problem. If Takeru was to be taken along with Yamato’s Digimon, Koushiro would have to bring Mimi and Palmon. This addition would greatly reduce Kabuterimon’s offensive ability. After all, that flying horse moved at a very slick speed. Kabuterimon wouldn’t be able to deal with it effectively if too many people were balanced on his head.
Even so, they could not leave Mimi alone: That was obviously quite dangerous. Deliberating over what to do and unable to come up with a decision, Yamato and Koushiro looked at each other.
Mimi, who had been staring in blank amazement above her now raised her voice. “Ah! There’s Jou–senpai!”
Snapping their heads up, both Yamato and Koushiro saw Jou jump off the cliff. He had aimed himself at the back of the flying horse Digimon.
“That’s too reckless!”
Only narrowly did Jou make it. He was grabbing tightly onto something on that Digimon’s back.
“He’s trying to take out the black gear!”
“No! Look out!” Mimi cried. Unable to withstand as the flying horse twisted its body to buck him off, Jou was thrown towards the skies.
Now Gomamon leaped off the cliff. Light shot out from somewhere that the children couldn’t see, and when it reached Gomamon, the light radiated from inside him and he changed into a bigger shape.
“Gomamon, evolve! Ikkakumon!” He became a Digimon that was as big as Greymon, his entire body covered with long white hairs. Ikkakumon braced himself on a ledge that was slightly higher up than where Greymon was. Jou landed with a soft bounce on his back.
“Ah! He shot out a horn!”
Yamato and the others were just as surprised as Takeru. The horn propelled through the air like a rocket, a fizzling fire burning at the end of its tail. The flying horse dodged it, but the horn that looked as if it was about to fall towards the ground, threw off its shell to reveal the real missile inside. This missile was what had been spouting the fire and it changed direction to aim directly at the horse’s back. Advancing swiftly, as if it were being pulled towards its mark, it exploded into the flying horse’s back. From within the beam of light that followed, the silhouette of a black gear floated upwards and was pulverized.
“He did it! Jou–san’s Digimon is so cool!”
As Takeru and the others rejoiced, they turned their gazes back to Jou to find a new horn had regrown on top of Ikkakumon’s head. They couldn’t see Jou’s expression, being so far away, but they were sure that he, too, was wearing a joyous look on his face.

○

But by the time the children met up again, Jou was looking more depressed than they had ever seen him before. When Yamato’s group had finally rejoined the others at the summit, Jou was on his knees in the dirt.
“This place really was an island! No matter where we walk, we can’t escape from here!”
The mountain peak was as wide as a gymnasium and they could see all of their surroundings from there: What they’d walked through as well as the opposite side of the mountain. No matter where they turned, the sea stretched endlessly towards the horizon. They could not find any continents or other lands out there.
Suddenly they wished they had accepted what the Digimon had said earlier on the spot. It would have made things easier. Would they have to continue living the rest of their lives on this isolated island, or should they continue hoping for help to reach them? And even so, for how long would they have to wait?
“Anyway, we should climb down. There’s no way we can sleep here for the night,” Taichi said as he peered below him with his only possession, a mini–telescope. “Ah! There’s a house! It looks pretty big.”
Jou jerked his head up in surprise, but immediately wondered if Taichi only made that up so he could get everyone moving.
“Oh, you don’t trust me, do you? I’m telling the truth. There, look.” The minute Taichi lifted the mini–telescope from his eye, he couldn’t find where the house was again.
“That’s okay,” Jou said unenthusiastically. “You don’t have to make up something so transparent so it’ll give us useless hope…”
He showed no signs of standing up. Both Takeru and Mimi hadn’t recovered from their climb up the mountain either. Agumon, Gomamon, and Piyomon were eating to refresh themselves after their battle.
If things had kept up that way, it would have taken a long time before they began to make their way down the mountain. Luckily or unluckily for them, they would not be staying there for long.
“Gwehehehehe!”
A green demon appeared from the path that Yamato and the others had used to climb up. His face was twice as large as a Namahage mask ^[12], but just as savage. If they hadn’t seen his mouth move and speak viciously at them, the children might have thought that he was an ordinary adult wearing a mask.
“I’ve finally caught up with ya. You’re all dead!”
The entire upper half of the demon’s body was green. His muscular shoulders seemed as big as small hills, while the length of the arms that stretched from them were as big as a human’s. When he made a fist, it looked five times bigger. In his right hand was gripped a large club that looked as if it was made from bone. With one twirl of that club, the stone next to him smashed into sand particles.
The sound it created was like an explosion. Hearing that sound, the children began to move for the first time.
“Run!”
They didn’t know what sort of guy the demon was, but they knew beyond a doubt that he was after them. Heading towards the opposite end of the summit, Sora shouted, “There’s a path over here!”
Under her guidance, they all ran down the road she had pointed out as if they were trying to roll towards the bottom. After making sure that the slowest of the group, Mimi, Takeru and Jou had gone ahead of him, Yamato brought up the rear. The demon was ambling calmly after them, but they couldn’t predict how fast he could be once he began to run.
“Gabumon, you can evolve anytime, right?!”
“Yeah! Whenever you want!”
After running for only a little while, they saw Sora and the others had stopped ahead of them.
Another human–shaped figure was blocking their path. It wasn’t green this time, although it did have a body covered with many scars that looked far sturdier than the green demon. What’s more, it couldn’t have been a human after all, because from the neck up was the head of a lion.
“It’s Leomon!” Seeing Takeru’s worried look beside him, Patamon fluttered his ears as he said comfortingly, “Don’t worry, Leomon is a Digimon of justice!”
“He’s really strong, but he’s a good Digimon,” Piyomon added.
So he wasn’t a human but a Digimon. What’s more, a good Digimon. Sora and the others smiled with relief…
That is, until Leomon laid a hand on the sword wrapped around his waist and said, “Chosen Children…………………… Die.”
The words were spoken in a low, withered voice, but Sora could hear him plainly. Pulling out his sword with an underhand grip, Leomon made a wide stance.
They didn’t know what or who the “Chosen Children” were, but the sole thing they realized was that this Digimon was also planning to kill them just like the green demon.
Speaking of which, the green demon was closing in on them from behind. There was no way to escape from the mountain. The sound of the club hitting rock again and a coarse laugh could be heard behind them, while the Leomon in front began to advance towards them. Leomon’s sword gave off a dull glint. His pace was surprisingly slow.
“Agumon, evolve now!” Spurred by Taichi’s voice, all of the Digimon evolved simultaneously.
“Agumon, evolve! Greymon!”
“Piyomon, evolve! Birdramon!”
“Palmon, evolve! Togemon!”
Before Leomon stood Greymon, while the firebird, Birdramon, hovered in the skies above them. Next to Greymon was a cactus with arms and legs readying herself into a fighting stance. It was the evolved form of Mimi’s Palmon, Togemon.
“Gabumon, evolve! Garurumon!”
“Tentomon, evolve! Kabuterimon!”
“Gomamon, evolve! Ikkakumon!”
Facing the green demon was Ikkakumon, who had just evolved, waving his horn in his opponent’s face. Next to him was an enormous blue wolf that Yamato’s Gabumon evolved into, Garurumon. Buzzing above them was the large rhinoceros beetle that Tentomon evolved into, Kabuterimon.
With the odds of six against two, even Leomon and the green demon stopped walking. Each of the children’s Digimon was larger than the size of a human. Even the smallest of them all, Togemon, was twice as large as Leomon.
Greymon moved first to attack. Just when he was about to open his mouth to blast out a fireball, the sound of an explosion was heard above their heads. The rock near the summit started to crumble. If nothing was done, Taichi and the others would be dragged into the rockslide that they wouldn’t be able to escape from.
Greymon shot out fire, while Garurumon let fly a long spray of pale flames from his mouth. Birdramon spread her wings grandly, shooting out a number of smaller fireballs. Ikkakumon released a consecutive stream of explosive horns, while Kabuterimon formed a ball of strong electricity with his set of three legs before shooting it out. The rocks close to falling on them dissolved into fine pieces. One large piece that had escaped the barrage of attacks and was heading towards the children was deftly blown to bits with one rapid punch by Togemon. She was wearing bright red boxing gloves on her hands.
All of the rocks had turned to sand, which rained incessantly on them. By the time it stopped and the children finally raised their heads, both Leomon and the green demon had disappeared from the mountain trail.
“Are they… gone?” Jou asked as he re-positioned his glasses up his nose.

② The Deceptive Mansion

Night was approaching by the time they reached the foot of the mountain. Everyone thought they were lucky that Taichi had discovered the house within the forest. All of the children were bone–tired and even their Digimon, who never appeared to run out of energy (as long as there was enough food), seemed to be drooping on their feet after their evolutions.
When they arrived at the house, they found that it would be more appropriate to call it a mansion or a small castle: It was a brick, European–styled house that was three–stories high and would not have looked out of place in a movie. From their vantage point below, even the windows on the attic floor looked as though they had rooms.
Opening the heavy front door, they stepped into a large hallway lit brightly by a magnificent chandelier. That much was expected, but what caught them off–guard and made them rush restlessly to the dining hall was the smell of delicious food that floated towards them. After eating half–cooked barbecue and washed fruits day in and day out on the island, the freshly cooked food made their eyes widen. It was filled with platters that certainly “would not have looked out of place in a movie.”
There was even a bathroom that was slightly open–air and filled with gushing, warm bathwater. This public bathhouse was the only place that was so ill–fitted for the surrounding Western architecture that Koushiro’s thoughts returned once more to his theme park theory.
What was most baffling was that, despite all of the preparations that must have gone into this warm reception, not a single human figure was in sight.
However, the children did not have the time to be bothered about that. After filling their stomachs with food that actually looked like the food they were used to, they jumped into the baths to wash out the grime and sand that clung to the roots of their hair.
There were eight beds total in the large room on the third floor. The sheets were soft and clean, as if they had just been washed, and the beds were big enough for even an average adult to fit in them that each child and their respective Digimon climbed in together to sleep.
It was the first time since the seven children had arrived on this island that they had ever felt this comfortably satisfied. For a while after they burrowed under the covers, their cheerful conversations continued.

“I wonder how Mama and Papa are doing.”
On Mimi’s words, everyone’s anxiety returned.
“It’s been a week, hasn’t it? Since we’ve come here,” Taichi whispered.
“I wonder if they really know we’re here,” Sora said, as if wanting reconfirmation for what Koushiro had speculated earlier.
“Well, we can’t be sure of that,” Koushiro said. “After all, this place is…”
Yamato made a loud noise as he dove under his blankets, cutting off Koushiro’s words. “Even if we talk about this now, we won’t solve anything. We can speculate it to exhaustion and we still won’t be able to figure out how our parents are doing, or where we are. Instead of worrying about that, we should sleep so we can be well–rested for tomorrow.”
“Yeah, I agree,” Jou said as he took off his glasses and placed them on his bedside. Not even Gomamon, or the other Digimon who had been laughing joyfully with them only moments before, could break the heavy silence.
“Mama…”
Everyone heard Takeru murmur into his pillow. He might even be crying. That one word shut everyone’s mouths and they quietly pulled the covers over them.
Taichi realized something. Yamato knew that Takeru would become sad once they started talking about their parents, so he made everyone put a lid on it before they went any further.
As Taichi looked at the two blonds sleeping in separate beds next to him, he thought back to when they had arrived at the campgrounds. At first, he hadn’t known that these two were brothers. For as long as he’d known him, Taichi had always believed that Yamato was an only child. It was only after they had come to this island that he found out the younger boy unknown to him was Yamato’s brother.
It was even later when he learned that their parents had divorced and separated the two to live in different areas. Right after Yamato had told him that, Takeru had been attacked by a dragon Digimon and Yamato risked his life to save him (acting far more recklessly than anyone would have expected of him normally), ending up being the one in danger instead. That was when Gabumon, sleeping next to Yamato now (when he curled up like that, he looked like Agumon wearing a fur pellet), transformed, I mean, evolved into a large wolf and…
Wait a minute. I think I once asked someone if Yamato had siblings, but they dodged the question. Was it Sora?
As he pondered in his thoughts, Taichi felt his eyelids droop heavily as he felt more and more sleepy. He could feel himself about to fade out when he was jolted awake by a voice.
“Taichi…” Agumon whispered to him. “I have to go to the bathroom.”

○

They had to walk down the stairs to get to the bathrooms on the second floor.
Taichi waited impatiently for Agumon to finish his business as he stood in the corridor outside connecting to a large hallway. It was strange that the only bathrooms were located here in this grand building, but Taichi was far more concerned about other things at the moment.
“Geez, at least go to the bathroom by yourself,” Taichi grumbled, and he looked down the hallway.
A large moon was glittering outside, its moonlight falling through the windows and landing on a painting that hung on the end of the hallway.
“Huh?”
Taichi noticed that something about it was different from when they’d first arrived here in the early evening.
“Isn’t there supposed to be a picture of an angel there?”
Within the large frame that was bathed in pale light, there had been a painting of an angel kneeling before something while offering up a prayer. He remembered Takeru and Patamon, who had spotted it first, exclaiming that it was a pretty picture and gazing at it for a long time. But now that painting was…
“It’s pitch–black.”
Nothing was drawn inside the framed canvas. Although light was gleaming on it, it was the darkest black as if a giant hand had reached in and scooped out a neat, rectangular hole.
He tried leaning over the corridor railing to get a better look but pulled back quickly in alarm. The railing had made a nasty creak under his weight, even though it was made of thick wood and looked stout. Why would it creak as if…?
But no, even now the railing was crumbling as though it were rotten.
His eyes grown accustomed to the dark, Taichi looked around to find that everything in the mansion was decaying. When the orange light of the evening sun had shone on it earlier, everything had seemed to glow… but now the entire place was covered in thick dust. He could even see the footprints they had left behind in the afternoon. It was as if hundreds of years had passed ever since they had entered the bedroom.
“This is…”
They’d seen plenty of weird things ever since they had come to this island, but never something like this.
It was then that a voice echoed from somewhere within the dark mansion.

“It seems you’ve noticed.”

The voice sounded as if it was coming from far away, yet at the same time, Taichi felt it being whispered into his ear. Within its quiet depths, he could feel only evil seeping. If darkness had a voice, it would surely have a voice like this.
“If you had slept quietly, you would have died without knowing a thing.”
“Who’s there?!” Taichi cried out.
The darkness gave no answer. Instead, he heard Agumon’s voice from inside the bathroom.
“Taichi!”
There was the sound of a heavy blow that echoed in the hallway. Agumon had hit open the thick door with a dull thud, his body flying out into the corridor. From inside, Taichi could see the shadow of a large manshape.
“Gwehehehe!” It was the green demon they had met on Infinity Mountain. Giving his club a light twirl, he smashed the heavy bathroom door to pieces.
“Agumon!” Taichi drew Agumon close. Did his small body get beaten by that club?
“Evolve, Agumon!” He held out his Digivice, but it gave no reaction.
“Taichi, I can’t… I don’t feel any strength.”
The green demon was now standing right before his eyes. Taichi had no idea what was going on, but he made a swift decision: He had to go back to his friends. Carrying Agumon in his arms, he turned to run but immediately stopped. Below the steps to the third floor stood a solid and unflinching shadow. It was Leomon.
“The Chosen Children must die.”
Leomon drew out his sword. Taichi and Agumon were cut off from both sides in the corridor.
“Why can’t you evolve, Agumon?!”
“Nothing came out when I went to the toilet — it’s really strange — like I’d never eaten anything…”
“But you ate so much!”
That voice from within the darkness spoke again. “Everything was an illusion… I’d planned to at least put you to sleep before killing you off.”
It sounded as if it was coming from the opposite end of the other corridor connecting to the hallway. Just as Taichi turned his eyes to take a sharper look inside the depths of the dark hall, the darkness said,
“This dream is over.”
Even as the voice spoke, the roof, the walls, and the floor of the mansion shattered to pieces. Taichi could see the night sky, the forest, and Infinity Mountain all around him. The mansion that had once looked so resplendent now looked as if it had been destroyed more than hundreds of years ago. Not one part of it was left in mint condition. Taichi was standing in the ruins of the corridor.
It wasn’t long before Taichi realized that his stomach was grumbling and his body felt rough with dirt. The food and baths must have been an illusion just like the mansion.
It was no wonder that Agumon couldn’t evolve then. He didn’t have enough energy.
The corridor where the voice of darkness had come from only had most of the railing left hovering at a dangerous balance. With the moonlit forest in the background, a human–shaped shadow stood above that railing.
“Who are you?!” Taichi glared. The shadow looked as if it was turning everything black. What made it clear that the shadow was not a human were the extremely long arms that were folded in front of him and the bat–like wings that sprouted on his back.
His mouth opening from underneath his black mask, he said, “My name is Devimon. One who is entrusted with fulfilling the mission of Darkness.”
Slowly, he unfolded his long arms and spread them upwards. Taichi could hear screams coming from the bedroom. With a gasp, he turned to see beds flying above him in the air.

Yamato and the others woke up to an odd sound that they had never heard before. When they realized that it was the sound of the mansion’s roof and walls disappearing, the starry sky above them was already widening into sight before their very eyes. When they tried to get off the beds, they saw that even the floor was full of holes. A wrong step and they might break through the floor and fall down from three stories high.
As they wondered over what to do, this time, their beds suddenly rose in the air. As they fastened themselves to the bedposts, the beds tilted diagonally and moved at odd angles. It was as if they were riding a jet coaster without seat belts and it took all of their might to prevent themselves from being shaken off.
“Takeru!” Yamato shouted as he tried to identify from the wild dance of beds which one belonged to his brother. Takeru was clinging onto his bed with all his might.
“I’m okay, Brother!”
Even Patamon, with the ability to fly, appeared to be helpless against the bed’s speed: He was also hanging on for dear life.
“Why can’t you evolve?” They heard Sora shout.
Below, they could see the remains of the mansion where they had been sleeping peacefully only minutes before. In one part of the corridor was the green demon, Leomon, and an unknown black demon, all of them surrounding Taichi and Agumon. Leomon was approaching Taichi with his sword held up over his head.
There was nothing the other children could do for them.
“Taichi!”
Just when it appeared as if Taichi would be cut to pieces, something changed. Yamato saw a dazzling light suddenly pierce the darkness, but he couldn’t tell that it was coming from the blue device in Taichi’s hand.
The next change that occurred was what stirred in Leomon when the light reached him. The hand holding his sword stopping in mid–swing, he began to shake his head back and forth as if he was trying to shake something off. Something black began to rip out of his back.
“It’s a gear! It’s just like I thought, Leomon is being controlled by a black gear!” Gabumon yelled. Yamato still couldn’t believe that something as simple as that had brought Leomon back to normal, but when the light stopped, Leomon faced the black shadow that looked like a demon.
Drawing his right hand, which did not hold the sword, towards him into a fighting posture, Leomon punched the air before him with a loud yell. From his fist flew out a mass of scorching hot air shaped like a lion’s head, which surged towards the demonic shadow with a ferocious roar.
The demon spread his wings and flew into the air to avoid it. The railing he had been standing on disintegrated along with the corridor it had been connected to.
The flying beds abruptly straightened as if someone’s control had been lost over them, and they began to move smoothly through the air. All eight beds separated into different directions. Takeru’s bed flew further and further out of Yamato’s sight.
One of the two empty beds made a sudden nose dive as if it had lost its sense of destination. From the corner of his eye, Yamato saw that it was heading towards Taichi, and just when he thought it was going to pass by him, Leomon grabbed both Taichi and Agumon and threw them roughly onto the bed. Without losing altitude, the bed continued to fall towards water level.
“Leomon saved Taichi…”
That was the last of what Yamato could see. He did not know the result of the fight left between Leomon, the green demon, and that black demon.
The children’s beds continued to fly through the night sky until they dropped into separate areas of land.

③ The Village of Beginnings

The long night finally broke into dawn. Takeru and Patamon kept still in the dark to hide themselves before the light arrived. The bed they had been riding on had fallen into a river and smashed into pieces of driftwood, no longer able to fly through the skies again. That was when they had found there had been a black gear fixed within the bed’s frame.
“I wonder how my brother and everyone else is doing.”
“I’m sure they’re okay,” Patamon replied. “They have my friends with them.”
Among the group of seven Digimon, Patamon was the only one who had yet to evolve into a stronger form like everyone else. Whether Patamon’s words were very persuasive or not, Takeru wasn’t sure, but when the boy thought back, he remembered that he had been in a situation almost like this only a mere week ago: When he had been all alone and had first met Tokomon. At that time, the Digimon had been whiter, plumper, and hadn’t looked very dependable, yet Takeru had not felt the least bit worried.
However, in the first few days when the Digimon with black gears had attacked the group, none had specifically come after these two. That difference could end up having a bigger significance than they’d thought.

○

When it got lighter, Takeru and Patamon began to walk while keeping very alert to their surroundings. Without a specific destination in mind, they decided in the meantime that they should head towards the distant silhouette of Infinity Mountain. By the afternoon, they had arrived in a village whose ground was as soft as a cushion.
There were very few places on this island that could be called a village. Of course, whenever they did reach a village, none of them housed humans; only Digimon. However, this village was particularly restricted on what kinds of Digimon lived in it.
“The Village of Beginnings? Is that what this place is called?” Takeru asked the only Digimon there that was larger than Patamon. This Digimon was a fur–covered mammal that was as large as a dog, with androgynous features. What made it clear that this creature was not a normal animal but a Digimon was because of his many split–ended tails, and the fact that he could speak in human language.
“Yeah, that’s right. All of the Digimon on this island are born in this village. That’s why it’s called the ‘Village of Beginnings.’ I’m Elecmon. I defend this place.”
Elecmon showed them around the village. The buildings that surrounded it were made of a soft, fluffy material, with round corners that made them look like large, baby–proof toys. All of the Digimon who lived there were small, ranging in size from a rice ball to an average–sized melon.
“The only Digimon here are Baby Levels who have just been born. Once they evolve one level, they leave. But before that, someone has to protect them, feed them, and do all kinds of things to take care of them. I’m the one holding that responsibility right now.”
Within the center of the village was another building made of a different substance. Within the round structure that looked similar to a silo were large, multi–colored eggs the size of an ostrich’s that looked as if they had been painted into Easter eggs.
“This is a Digiegg. ^[13] All Digimon are born from this.”
“Who laid this egg? A really big Digimon?”
His ears twitching at Takeru’s question, Elecmon looked perplexed for the first time. “No, I don’t think so. It just appears here before I even notice it. That’s just how things are with Digieggs.”
Right after he said that, one of the Digieggs began to tremble softly.
“Oh, it’s about to hatch,” Elecmon explained as he rushed over to it.
The Digiegg’s shell cracked neatly in two and a small Digimon appeared from inside. The shell disintegrated into small fragments for an instant which fell away and turned into a cradle after the particles gathered underneath the infant Digimon.
“There, there, you’re hungry, aren’t you? I’ll get some food for you right now.” After asking Takeru and Patamon if they could watch over the baby, Elecmon ran off.
Takeru ogled the newborn Digimon. It looked soft and round, like a marshmallow. Although it was shaped differently, Takeru felt his breath taken away, as if he was looking at a human baby or that of a normal animal.
“Were you born here too, Patamon?”
“Hm? Well, I don’t remember what happened when I was a baby. Do you, Takeru?”
“I…”
Takeru’s earliest memory abruptly came back to him: His older brother gently shaking the rattle and playing with him. But why his brother? The next memory that came to him was when he was in kindergarten. His parents were arguing loudly about something. His brother went into the room they were in and spoke words he couldn’t hear. Both of his parents became quiet.
A little while after that, he began to live alone with his mother. From then on, his brother always had a broody look on his face… even though the brother in his earliest memory was smiling happily…
“No, I guess I don’t remember.” He decided not to tell Patamon about it.

○

The main dish that was served in this village was the fish that Elecmon caught in a nearby stream. With just one electric shock that he released from his tail feathers, he could gather a large number of them all at once. After the fish was grilled, both Takeru and Patamon ate their fill.
Neither of them realized that they were the most fortunate pair. The other children and Digimon fought for their lives as they were either attacked by Digimon that were controlled by black gears or chased by the green demon.
But by the time the sun began to sink over the horizon, the hand of darkness was already creeping towards the Village of Beginnings.

Atop a cliff that overlooked the village, there stretched a long man–like shadow with the large mane of a lion. The shadow unsheathed his sword with his left hand. The blade glittered as the sunlight reflected on it.
Patamon saw the light sparkling out of the corner of his eye. When he looked, he saw Leomon dashing down the side of the cliff so fast it looked like he was sliding.
“Takeru, run!”
Patamon still could not evolve to the next level and there wasn’t a chance that he could win against Leomon as he was now. They also couldn’t endanger the baby Digimon in this village. All they could do, for now, was flee.
“Hurry!”
Finally understanding the situation, Takeru ran after Patamon. The two of them hurriedly left the village to hide in the forest, but whenever they turned to look, they could still see Leomon chasing after them. He had already leapt down to ground level and was racing towards them. At this rate, he’d catch up to them at any second.
It was at that moment that a long line of blue fire shot out from within the forest. The flames slipped through the trees, past Takeru and Patamon, until they reached all the way to Leomon. Even Leomon had to stop to keep from being burned by the rush of flames.
“Takeru!”
Yamato’s voice could be heard from the direction where the fire came. A blue wolf — Garurumon — was rushing out of the forest at full speed towards them. Straddled on his back was Takeru’s older brother, Yamato.
“Brother!”
Yamato jumped down from Garurumon’s back in front of Takeru and Patamon. “I’m sorry for getting here so late, Takeru!”
Having decelerated only enough for Yamato to get down, Garurumon dug his claws into the earth and shot out towards the edge of the forest, straight for Leomon. Leomon brandished his sword, which Garurumon repelled with his tough fur. Jumping back to gain distance, Leomon got back into position. The two glared at each other, but before either of them could make a move, Taichi’s voice called out this time.
“Yamato!” From his position on Greymon’s shoulder, who was approaching from the Village of Beginnings, Taichi held up the blue device over his head. “Use this light!”
Yamato remembered what he had seen from the top of his flying bed yesterday and immediately understood what Taichi meant. Running forward with his own blue device in hand, he held it out as he approached Leomon. As he drew closer to Leomon, the liquid-crystal display of the device began to glow.
Taichi got down from Greymon’s shoulder and also advanced on Leomon. The lion Digimon tried to avoid the light shining from their devices by closing his eyes and shielding his face with his arm, but the quick movements he had shown previously had become much slower. When Taichi and Yamato finally thrust their devices directly at Leomon, light fell from all over Leomon’s body, extending upwards to the height of a three–story building.
“That light!” Mimi shouted, pointing. Mimi and Koushiro had luckily been able to meet up and were riding on top of a giant beetle — Kabuterimon — that was flying in the skies about three kilometers away from the village.
“Grroooohhhhh!”
Leomon’s mane stood on end as he let out a pained roar. The black gear began to rise out from within his back. His screams grew even deeper as the gear came out completely, and he fell to his knees. The gear ascended the skies lazily, trembled within the light and was smashed into little pieces.
The beam of light disappeared at the same moment when Leomon’s eyes returned to normal, but it was enough time for Kabuterimon to pinpoint their location.

④ Chosen Children

“This machine is the holy device. It is often called the ‘Digivice,'” Koushiro spoke as he held out the blue device in his hand.
The group was sitting around Leomon in the grasslands. Their Digimon had also returned to normal size.
“We were lost in an underground maze and discovered that it had wall paintings that spoke of a legend passed down from ancient times. Within its deepest depths was a large relief of this very machine. Apparently, it’s a highly important object on this island. The Digimon that was defending that maze, Centaurmon, told us about it.”
The truth of the matter was, Centaurmon had been controlled by a black gear and it hadn’t been easy bringing him back to normal so they could get this information. But Koushiro did not mention that for now. There was no doubt in his mind that Taichi and the others had experienced the same troubles.
“Centaurmon. Has he been doing well?”
Leomon’s normal voice was deeply calm and composed. It wasn’t that they were similar but, for some reason, Takeru thought of his father when he heard that voice. Yamato, on the other hand, was actually living with their father and even he could not say that that impression was completely wrong. ^[14]
Koushiro continued. “Yes. He told us that this Digivice is something that the ‘Chosen Children’ have.”
Those were the exact words that Leomon said when he’d first attacked them.
“This world… Centaurmon called it the ‘Digital World’ and apparently if this world is plunged into danger that the Digimon themselves cannot handle, the ‘Chosen Children’ who have these Digivices will save it for them.”
“Yes… That is how the legend goes,” Leomon said, picking up the story. “The powers of darkness are increasing. Rumors had begun to spread among the Digimon recently, that the powers protecting this world have been weakening and that the ‘Chosen Children’ would finally arrive to save it.
“Seven days ago, a new rumor sprang up that someone had seen something bright falling from the heavens and that it was the Chosen Children. However, at the same time, this was when the black gears began to fly. The gears drove the Digimon mad, ate into the earth, and emitted evil energy. When I discovered that they were coming from Infinity Mountain, I went there to put a stop to them.”
Leomon’s expression hardened. “It was along the way that I met Ogremon. He is the green Digimon.”
The children learned of the green demon’s name for the first time.
“For reasons I am unaware of, he regards me as his mortal enemy. He interrupted my ascent up the mountain and challenged me to a final battle. I would never lose to the likes of him, but at that time, he was already taken in by the powers of darkness. While Ogremon distracted my attention, Devimon appeared unexpectedly.”
That was the name of the Digimon who looked like a demon.
“He buried a black gear inside of me and used me as his puppet. When he ordered me to attack you on Infinity Mountain, it was to test how strong all of your Digimon had become. The rest of this tale you know.”
Devimon used his evil powers to place traps around the ruins of the mansion and waited for the children to fall asleep. If Agumon hadn’t felt an urge to go to the bathroom at that time, they might have fallen into eternal sleep. A collective shiver ran down the children’s spines at that thought.
If Taichi’s Digivice hadn’t released its light on Leomon and driven the black gear out of him, they would have undoubtedly met a similar fate.
His senses returned to him, Leomon’s attack at Devimon made the evil Digimon lose control over the beds. When he became a shield for the children so they could make a safe escape, he ended up with another gear buried into him.
“Thank you, Leomon. We were all saved because of you.”
Taichi felt that he couldn’t let slip by this opportunity to finally express his gratitude. Yamato and the others couldn’t have heard him as they flew through the air, but that time… after throwing Taichi and Agumon onto the bed, Leomon had gazed at them as they fell from that low height and had said,
“If the fates allow it, let us meet again!”
Surely, Leomon had been prepared to die back then.
“You are our hope, Chosen Children,” Leomon continued. “You are the only ones who can defeat the powers of darkness.”
“Chosen Children…” Taichi murmured. He saw that the rest of the children were just as troubled as he was, even after Leomon’s words.
“The Digivices you are holding are more than enough proof that you are the Children. That also goes the same for your Digimon partners.”
Leomon went on to explain that when normal Digimon evolved, they did not return to their previous level. Agumon and the others evolved to protect their partners and returned to their normal size. This was a special trait. “The Chosen Children have the power to make their Digimon evolve.”
“But must we risk ourselves to beat that Devimon?” Mimi asked. “Is there no other option?”
“That is your mission… the mission of the Chosen Children,” Leomon answered, a difficult look flitting through his eyes. “But if you complete it, you may be able to return to your world.”
“That’s right,” Koushiro exclaimed as a memory struck him. “The engravings on the wall when we were in that cave, they mentioned that when the Chosen Children drive away the darkness, they will no longer be necessary in this world.”
“I guess we have no other choice then,” Yamato said, his head bowed in thought. “But we should look for Jou and Sora first. We’ll need everyone if we want to beat that guy, at any rate.”
“I understand that you are worried about your comrades, but it appears we’re running out of time,” Leomon said as he pointed above them. Black gears were whizzing about in the sky that was approaching twilight. It was not one but many, a multitude, all of them heading towards Infinity Mountain. “He must be gathering up the evil powers. Those gears suck dry the energy from the lands and change it into power for the darkness.”
Why was it then, that Devimon had laid so many elaborate traps to kill the children? Why the necessity of using Leomon and Ogremon?
The answer to that must be because he was afraid of the power the children’s six Digimon had when they evolved. Devimon himself may not have a very strong offense; but if he was gathering up the powers of darkness that could only mean that…
“He’s trying to obtain more power.”
If they didn’t beat him now, before he could accomplish that, they may never be able to stop him.
“Let’s do it, guys,” Taichi said as he stood up. He turned resolutely to face Infinity Mountain. “We can’t go back home until we beat him. Even if we stay here out of harm’s way, we’ll only end up being chased down.”

⑤ Light and Dark

With Leomon in the lead, the children headed towards the mountain. Yamato really wished to leave Takeru in the village, but there was the danger that his little brother would be attacked if he was left alone.
“Besides,” Leomon told them, as he thought back on while he was controlled by the black gear, “I remember being persistently ordered to kill the smallest child. I’m not sure of the reason behind that.”

○

They could see an unfamiliar structure on top of Infinity Mountain. It was a stone building that looked like a Greek temple.
Nothing like that had been there yesterday.
Black gears flying through the air were sucked into that building one after the other. Each time that happened, something evil expanded from within. Even the children could feel it.
Dark clouds had assembled overhead before any of the children were even aware of them. Twenty meters up on the edge of the road from where they had begun climbing at the foot of the mountain, the children tilted their heads back to see something suddenly glint from within the white building that contrasted so deeply against the black clouds.
“L–Look!” Mimi shouted.
The building began to crumble. Something appeared to be swelling from the inside until it blew away the roof of the building.
What came out first were a pair of bat wings. As they stretched out, the body that they were attached to rose from within.
It was Devimon. But his size…
“Why, why is he so big?!” Mimi cried, her voice already risen in a frightened scream.
“He’s absorbed the powers of darkness,” Leomon snarled unhappily. “We’re too late!”
Devimon spread his wings and flapped them once, lazily. As he swiveled in the air, he began to descend in front of Taichi and the others. They could clearly see how big he was as he drew closer. Devimon landed on the ground below them, his full height stretching much farther than the trees and his back towering before the children.
“Th–This can’t be…” The group became speechless.
Devimon turned to face them, his enormous wings generating wind pressure that blew the children backwards until they smacked against the mountain surface.
“Fools. This place will become your graves.”
Devimon raised one of his enormous hands to emit a ray of darkness. It bound the children so painfully that they couldn’t move. None of them could lift a bone in their bodies.
Something shot out from the forest that stretched out behind Devimon. They were Ikkakumon’s horns. The rapid fire of those horns threw off their covering in midair and the organic missiles inside flew towards Devimon. The explosions continued consecutively.
“You did it, Ikkakumon!” They heard Jou cry out from within the forest.
Devimon stopped radiating darkness and turned. This time, fireballs fell down from the sky. They were flung from the wings of Birdramon, Sora’s Digimon.
“You guys! Evolve now while you still can!” Sora came racing up the mountain path. Both she and Jou had sensed where the battle was taking place and had hurried to it, arriving just in time.
“All right, let’s go!” Agumon stood up. The gauge of Taichi’s Digivice jumped up.
“Agumon, evolve! Greymon!”
Gabumon, Tentomon, and Palmon also evolved.
All of them attacked simultaneously. Fire and electricity hit Devimon, and they all thought that their prospects had turned for the better. But their attacks had no effect on Devimon due to his colossal size.
“Clever of you,” Devimon said with a sweep of his arm. All of their Digimon were knocked away as if they were insects that were hit by a rolled up newspaper.
“No way!” Taichi cried out. The children stared on, dumbfounded.
Devimon turned his back on them again and reached into the forest to pick up Ikkakumon with an outstretched hand. Ikkakumon was flung upwards until he hit Birdramon in the skies. Both fell to the ground without the least resistance.
Unsheathing his sword, Leomon leapt at Devimon’s back to attack when, all of a sudden, the upper half of Ogremon’s body appeared from it.
“I’ll be your opponent!” Ogremon sneered. He slammed his club downwards at Leomon, who was unable to change posture in mid–flight to avoid it. The lion Digimon received a direct hit and was struck towards the ground.
“I was changed into black gears and now I’ve become one with Master Devimon! I won’t be losing to you no more!” Laughing loudly in exaltation, Ogremon drew back into Devimon’s body again.
Greymon and the others didn’t give up just yet. Flying at Devimon, at his feet, hands and shoulders, they bit into him with their fangs and held on. But to Devimon, they were the size of mere toys.
“You worthless maggots!”
Releasing darkness from his entire body, Greymon and the other Digimon were blown away. As they fell to the ground, they found they couldn’t move anymore.
“I’m sorry, Taichi,” Greymon groaned in apology.
“I wanted to send Mimi back to her own world, but…” Togemon said, her voice trembling with tears.
The children couldn’t move either. The frequent rays of darkness that had bound their bodies had left them feeling weak. Many of them felt faint, as if they would collapse into unconsciousness at any moment.
They saw Devimon slowly stretch out his hand. His fingers were heading towards the boy in the rear of the group, Takeru.
“The smallest child. With you gone, nothing will stand in my way,” Devimon said with a malicious smirk.
“Run, Takeru!” Yamato shouted. But just like him, Takeru could not move.
A “pompth” “pompth” sound could be heard hitting against the palm of Devimon’s approaching hand. Patamon was still by Takeru’s side, using his sole weapon, “Air Shot.” Inhaling air into his mouth, he shot it out tirelessly at high pressure.
But of course, that alone wouldn’t stop Devimon’s hand from moving.
“This isn’t good enough.” Patamon knew best how powerless he was. “Why? Why am I the only one who can’t evolve?!”
He couldn’t stop the tears that dripped down his cheeks. Nevertheless, he didn’t give up releasing his Air Shot.
“I have to protect Takeru, I have to, Takeru, Takeru…!”
Already he was unable to continue shooting his Air Shot. Devimon’s hand had formed around Takeru, getting ready to crush the boy to death in his grip.
“TAKERU!”
Patamon flew into that hand, just before it squeezed tightly around them.
By using only a mere amount of his strength, both Takeru and Patamon would be pulverized without leaving any identifiable traces. The corners of Devimon’s mouth lifted, his smile reflecting the confidence he felt that he had won.
Some change took place inside that hand.
Scorching pain shot through Devimon’s palm so suddenly that he involuntarily unclenched his fist. Light flooded out from within. Blinded by its brightness, Devimon drew back his hands to shield his eyes.
The light ascended to a high place above Devimon’s head, and as it lessened, one could see the shape of a man lifted by six outstretched wings.
It made everyone think of the angel painting that hung on the wall of Devimon’s mansion.
It was Patamon’s evolved form, Angemon. His headpiece covering over his eyes, they saw his lips speak: “Your powers of darkness have grown too great, Devimon. You must be erased from this world.”
Angemon knew what he had to do. Hoisting up the golden khakkhara he had over his head, he cried, “Come to me, oh holy powers!”
Taichi’s, Yamato’s, and everyone else’s Digivices shot out beams of light. That light extended until they reached Angemon’s upheld staff.
Light also shot out from the immobile bodies of the Digimon on the ground. All of the light was absorbed by the staff. Greymon and the others gave all of their power to Angemon and returned to their Child forms.
“If you do that, it will destroy you too!”
Devimon had finally opened his eyes and seen what was being done. Angemon was amassing energy so explosive that it could obliterate his own body.
“But there is no other way,” Angemon answered coldly.
Devimon was afraid. Even before this evolution, he knew that this Digimon would be his worst enemy. That was why he had attempted to end everything before this Digimon had a chance to evolve.
As if he sensed that fear, Ogremon flew out from Devimon’s body and headed straight for Angemon.
“I’ll whup your ass!” he crowed.
Stretching his upper body, he brandished his club and it looked as if he would hit Angemon. But when he was touched by the light of Angemon’s staff as it swung downward, Ogremon bounced backwards as if he had been hit.
The powers of darkness could not even bear to touch the holy light. The momentum threw Ogremon so far back that he flew out of Devimon’s back and left a gaping hole that was once where his mass was.
“Oh no!”
Devimon tried to fill that hole to cover it up, but he never made it. Angemon concentrated all of the holy power within his body into his right fist and fired with one strike at the hole.
“Heaven’s Knuckle!”
The golden light ripped through Devimon’s chest and continued to expand, until everything visible in their surroundings was filled with light. Devimon’s body, which had been made up of molecules of darkness, began to cave in from the inside out.
“What was the point in exhausting all of your power here, Angemon?” Half of Devimon’s body had already disintegrated, yet he spoke as he disappeared, “There are more Digimon across the sea who have far greater powers of evil than I do! You guys are finished!”
With a final uproarious laugh, which echoed ominously long after he was gone, Devimon disappeared.
Angemon’s body was also decaying and crumbling into particles. He looked down to gaze at Takeru, who was staring up at him, stunned.
“I’m sorry, Takeru.”
“Angemon…” Takeru could only whisper.
“I’m sure we’ll be able to meet again.” Angemon smiled. “That is, if you wish for it.”
With those last words, he disappeared into sparkling particles.
“ANGEMOOOOON!” Takeru screamed.
After he had begun to live separately from his father and brother, Takeru swore to himself that he never wanted to be separated from anyone ever again. But now, to be forced apart from Angemon… from Patamon like this, he had never… never…
Takeru was unable to understand what he was thinking or what he was feeling anymore, when several white feathers dropped gently before him. They were from Angemon’s wings.
As they gathered into a neat pile, they turned into a round shape and became a large egg.
“It’s a Digiegg.”
In his state, Takeru did not know who had spoken up. Only vaguely did he sense that his brother, Taichi, Agumon, Gabumon, and everyone else were standing around him.
“Patamon is starting over again as a Digiegg.”
“If you raise him up carefully, you’ll surely see each other again.”
Gently, Takeru embraced the egg in his arms.

○

It was only a little while afterwards that a mysterious hologram appeared in front of the group. Within the cylinder of rainbow–colored light stood an old man. He was the first human they’d seen upon coming to this island.
“I was finally able to override the powers of darkness and contact you! You must listen very carefully to what I say now, Chosen Children.”
The old man called himself “Gennai.”
What he had to say was not very good news. The Chosen Children’s mission did not end upon defeating Devimon. He said they must also cross the ocean to Server Continent, in order to defeat the source of the evil powers that was located there. Agumon and the other Digimon needed to evolve to a higher level. In order to do that, they must search for something called the “Crests.”
At that point, static began to run through the hologram and cut him off. When they got a closer look, all they saw inside the ground was the face of something that looked like a projector.

“Let’s go cross the ocean!”
It was Takeru who spoke up first. He didn’t want to lose to anyone else anymore: That intention was written clearly all over his face.
The group had been hesitant over what to do, but his words firmed their resolve. In any case, even if they remained on this island, they wouldn’t be able to return home.
Leomon and the other Digimon they had met on the island helped them to make a raft that was sturdy enough to cross the waters. They made one that was more than wide enough to carry all seven of the children and then some. Once they secured enough food, the children set sail: Towards the ocean, and towards Server Continent.
On top of that raft, the Digiegg that Takeru held in his arms hatched. The baby Digimon that was born from it immediately cried out, “Takeru.”

In the four corners of the world, four sets of light and darkness stood at odds.
Those on the side of the Light had large, beast-like shapes, while those on the side of Darkness varied. There was one shaped like a large dragon, another like a mechanical dinosaur, another the size of a human adult, while yet another was as small as a child. Although their shapes were different, all of them were Digimon.
News that the Chosen Children had left File Island reached the dark Digimon that was shaped like a human adult. He cursed.
“That wretched Devimon failed!”
Yet he could not make a move. Currently, he needed all of his concentration to seal the Digimon of the Light that was coiled in front of him, its shining dragon–like form trapped as it squirmed unsuccessfully under his power.
It would take some time before its seal was completed.

Read on to the next chapter.

FOOTNOTES
[11] カブトムシ
Kabuto mushi (Kabuterimon) = Rhinoceros beetle
[12] 生剥げ
A demon mask that is worn during a ritual that cleanses the souls and welcome the New Year. [Wikipedia]
[13] デジタマ
Digitama (translated as Digiegg)
[14] 「タケルは...父を思い浮かべた」
This is an allusion to the anime, where Leomon and the brothers' father, Hiroaki, were both voiced by Hirata Hiroaki.

Where to buy: Amazon.JP.

IMPORTANT NOTE:
Edited and cleaned up versions of this translation will be made available in both PDF and ebook format in the masterpost. The translation that is on this page is the unedited version.

Prologue

The rulers of darkness
wish to seal the four pillars of the world by all means
to gain power.

— “Digimon Book of Revelations,” Chapter 8, Verse 5

In a sky so blue that it looked as if it was freshly painted, something white hurtled through, marring its even surface. Twin engine roars could be heard not far behind, and their source was revealed as red beings charged in, following the white object in hot pursuit.
The white object being chased had smooth skin that appeared to be made of metal. Glittering brightly from the sunlight shining down on it, its extraordinarily long arms — longer than its own body — were carefully clutching several smaller objects that looked similar to eggs.
Its pursuers, on the other hand, were shaped like red cylindrical objects. A countless number of them had merged together into a battle formation, and grenades could be seen being fired from their arms.
The white object swiftly moved left and right to dodge their attacks, but because there were too many enemies attacking it all at once, it could not avoid them perfectly. Many times it got shot in the back, in its shoulders, and one even blasted into the back of its hand.
When that happened, one of the eggs fell from its grasp.
The white object noticed this right away, and tried to fly down to retrieve it, but its pursuers’ persistent attacks prevented it from doing so. Gazing back at the falling egg with something akin to regret, the white object ascended once more into the skies to continue its escape.
As the barrage faded into the distance, the falling egg dropped down towards a dense, dark forest that extended for miles…

Chapter 1; Drifting Ashore

① That Summer

“Are you okay?” Taichi Yagami asked his younger sister Hikari as he stuck a cooling gel sheet on her forehead. The poor girl was shivering under the bedcovers with fever.
With the brightest smile she could manage, Hikari said, “Yeah.”
“I see,” Taichi complied, but inside he was berating himself. He now knew in hindsight that she had been showing cold symptoms since yesterday, but because he hadn’t recognized them for what they were, he had dragged Hikari out to go shopping with him for things they would bring to camp today (although the shopping list had only consisted of loads of candy).
He had thought she was acting strange, but he didn’t think that it was because of a cold…
It must have started yesterday morning, when they were watching television together. At that time, a news broadcast was reporting abnormal weather all around the world. Even though it was midsummer, America was covered in heavy snow, while heavy rain flooded the Middle East. In contradiction to that, the swamps in Southeast Asia dried up completely from drought. The weather forecaster said this was all due to environmental degradation, but Hikari said,
“He’s wrong.”
“Eh?” Taichi, who had been stuffing his cheeks with toast topped with egg and round slices of tomato and ham, gave Hikari a strange look.
Hikari’s eyes stayed wholeheartedly fixed on the TV screen, which wasn’t showing anything in particular as far as Taichi could see. As if in a daze, she softly whispered an unfamiliar word.
“Digi….mon.”
“Digimon? What’s that?” Taichi asked with raised eyebrows.
This time, Hikari pulled herself away from the screen to give him a wide–eyed look.
“You can’t see it, Brother?” she asked in turn.
“See what…?” Taichi looked at the TV screen. “I don’t see anything.”
“Oh… Never mind then. Don’t worry about it,” Hikari smiled, before she turned her gaze back to the TV again. Her long eyelashes, as Taichi looked at his younger sister’s profile, made her appear somewhat forlorn to him.
She probably got the fever then, Taichi realized now. If he had checked her forehead that time and had allowed her to rest, her cold might have been easily prevented right from the start. Hikari had been looking forward to this camping trip just as much as he was…

○

In noisy crowds that stood before the buses lined up for departure, the children assembled into their assigned groups as they chattered endlessly about the anime that they had seen yesterday, the new video game that was released, the plot developments in the latest weekly manga issue, or about the romantic relationship between two popular idols who had had a lot of publicity lately in a weekly picture magazine.
But Yamato Ishida did not involve himself in any of these groups.
It wasn’t because he was lonely. In fact, many of his classmates would greet him with a friendly “Yo!” or “Hi~!” when they came across him and, naturally, Yamato would respond back with a smile.
A small boy wearing a green hat and long–sleeved shirt that was the same color as the sleeveless T–shirt Yamato was wearing, was standing next to Yamato. Although there were many people who spoke to Yamato, none of them spoke to the little boy, and the boy himself never waved his hand in greeting at anyone else. He simply stuck to Yamato’s side as he quietly looked around, grinning broadly at his surroundings.
The situation was as it should be, for this little boy was not a part of this school, and thus was not acquainted with any of the students there. He was Yamato’s younger brother, Takeru Takaishi. The reason they had different last names was because the two were now living separately as a result of their parents’ divorce. Takeru was allowed to participate in Yamato’s school camping trip after receiving special permission from Mr. Fujiyama, the teacher in charge of organizing it.
Takeru himself didn’t appear worried, but Yamato was secretly anxious that Takeru would not be able to get along with the other children. He thought things might be better off if Takeru had never come to begin with.
It all began on the first week of July, right before summer vacation started.
Because their parents had agreed to visitation rights after their divorce was settled, Takeru came to stay the night at Yamato’s (and his dad’s all–male two–person) apartment in Odaiba. At that time, Takeru’s sharp eyes had spotted the date of August 1st on the calendar circled in red. When their father told him that was the day of the school camping trip, Takeru exclaimed that he wanted to go too.
Their father surely must have shared Yamato’s feelings of dread. His troubles had increased because that meant calling up his ex–wife and persuading her to agree. Of course, although he complained out loud that it was a bother, his expression didn’t make it appear that it really was.
The day before camp, which was yesterday, Yamato went to his mother’s residence in Sangenjaya to pick up Takeru.
“You should come over here yourself to play once in awhile, Yamato,” his mother said a little awkwardly to her first son as she stuffed Takeru’s backpack with snacks until its seams were almost bursting open.
“Yeah.”
Even Yamato thought that his own, short reply sounded cold.
“You should,” his mother repeated brightly, although her smile was somewhat forced. She already knew, even before their conversation had started, that Yamato would never voluntarily drop by for a visit. Being aware of Yamato’s serious personality, she did not doubt that he considered that innocuous action the equivalent to betraying his father.
“Okay, Mama, I’m going now!”
With Takeru’s packing completed, his mother accompanied him all the way to the apartment’s entrance hall.
“Takeru, don’t cause too much trouble for your brother, okay?”
Her words sounded as if she was leaving her only child in custody of a stranger. Of course, she meant no ill–will behind them.
But Yamato couldn’t help muttering, “It doesn’t matter if he does. We’re brothers.”

② On The Other Side of the Aurora

Throughout the entire bus ride, Mimi Tachikawa was so absorbed in gossiping with her friends Taako and Mi–chan that she never bothered to look at the gradually changing scenery outside her window. Nor was she interested in doing so anyway. If you were to ask her later what landmarks the bus went through to get to their campgrounds in Mikami Canyon ^[01], she would have told you that she had no idea.
“Okay, we’re here!” Mr. Fujiyama’s loud voice was useful to him during the school’s morning assemblies, for it could reach all the way to the back of the auditorium without the assistance of a microphone. Within the narrow bus, however, it caused everyone’s ears to ring.
“The group you belong in is listed on the printout I gave you before we left. Your leaders will be wearing arm bands with their names on it, so find them using that and stick with your group. After that, listen to what your leader tells you. That is all.”
Mimi looked down at the official–looking printout in her hands. In felt–tip pen was handwritten, “Kido Group (Leader: 6th Grade, Jou Kido)”
“Hey, do you know who Kido is?” Mimi asked Taako, who was sitting next to her. Taako’s handout had “Arihara Group” written on it.
“Kido–san would be…” Searching outside the window, it wasn’t long before Taako pointed, “Over there!”
The boy she was indicating was dressed neatly in an open–collared shirt and an Ivy League–styled vest. Besides wearing glasses and the arm band that signified he was a leader, his shoulder was burdened by a square–shaped bag labeled “Emergency Food Supply.” Perhaps he was also feeling the heavy responsibility that came with being a leader because his face looked a little stiff.
“Hmm… He doesn’t seem that reliable…” Mimi mused, but she was interrupted by Mi–chan, who motioned to them hurriedly, saying, “Look, look!”
Mi–chan was pointing at the front of the bus, where a boy wearing a long–sleeved orange shirt was about to get off. Even Mimi knew who he was. They hardly ever talked together, but he was her classmate, Koushiro Izumi. Mi–chan wanted them to look at what Koushiro was carrying on his back – a wireless laptop.
“Isn’t he so weird for bringing that all the way to camp?” Mi–chan sneered with mocking laughter, but Mimi didn’t laugh. She simply didn’t find any reason to.

○

“Hey, Sora!”
Lowering the empty buckets she held with both arms, Sora stopped walking down the stone steps leading to the water supply to see the person who had called out to her coming up. It was Kenji, the self–proclaimed “Akita of Odaiba,” ^[02] who played defense on Sora’s soccer team.
“What is it?” Sora asked him.
“Do you know where Taichi is? I can’t find him anywhere.”
“No idea,” Sora said bluntly. “We’re in different groups, so of course I won’t know.”
“Oh,” Kenji nodded in understanding, but he grumbled under his breath as he continued his ascent up the stairs. Because of the smooth two–top coordination that Taichi and Sora showed within their soccer plays, he must have gotten the mistaken impression that they shared a telepathic link. Perhaps he thought Sora would use it to get Taichi to come flying out to see him.
When she reached the water supply, Sora turned on the faucets to fill the two buckets. A small brook gurgled nearby, but due to sanitary conditions, their printouts had specifically pointed out (underlined with a thick wavy line and everything) that they were to use the water from the water supply for cooking.
After the buckets were filled to the top, Sora grabbed one in each hand and climbed back up the stone steps. The weight of the buckets made her arms feel like they were being pulled from their sockets.
Normally this task would have been left to the boys, while the girls were assigned easier work (such as cutting vegetables, or gossiping as they gathered firewood). However, Sora disliked doing such things. As a person who ordinarily never wore a skirt if she could help it, she consciously denied her position as a girl. Such masculine traits of hers were only further reinforced after she’d joined the all–male soccer club.
Sweat began to appear on Sora’s brow, and she lowered the buckets onto the ground to wipe it with her arm. Bothered by the hair that clung around her eyes, she took off her hat to fix the messy strands. Freed from its confines, her short hair stuck up in odd directions.
After resettling her hat in its rightful place, she squared herself and said, “Now then.”
The buckets held once again in her grasp, she was just about to continue climbing the stairs when she noticed Taichi above her, napping on the branch of a thick tree with his arms propped behind his head. “Taichi, what are you doing over there?”
Not bothering to move his posture, Taichi simply lifted his head to look down in Sora’s direction.
“Nothing,” he answered lazily.
Even when she said, “Kenji was looking for you,”
“Oh, okay,” was his sluggish reply.
Deducing that Taichi was slacking off from his duties, Sora knew that anything she said to him when he was like this was futile. So instead, she asked him something that had been bothering her since they had gotten here.
“By the way, I haven’t seen Hikari–chan around.” Sora had heard from Hikari herself that she was very excited about today’s camping trip.
“Yeah… she had a fever.”
“A summer cold?” Sora asked sympathetically.
“I guess.”
“I see. That’s too bad.”
“Yeah…” Taichi trailed off when he noticed that something white was drifting down in front of his eyes.
What’s that? he wondered, and reached out a hand to the sky. Feeling a small tingling of cold on the back of his hand, he brought it back to see a drop of water on his skin. It may seem hard to believe, but it was snow.
“Hey, it’s snowing,” Taichi called out to Sora below, but she had already noticed. A gust of wind, causing large snowflakes to whirl wildly behind Taichi, had caught her eye.
“It looks like there’s going to be a blizzard,” Sora shouted up at him. “Let’s hurry back to the others!”

○

“I don’t believe this.”
Staring out the window of the small shrine ^[03] he had secluded himself in, the smell of its rotten wood tickling his nostrils, Koushiro Izumi whispered to himself in blank amazement. The sudden snowstorm had blotted out the summer greenery with white in the twinkling of an eye.
“It must be due to the abnormal weather we’ve been having.”
Resigning himself to the fact that he wouldn’t be able to leave this place for awhile, Koushiro brought his Pineapple laptop onto his lap and waited for it to boot up as he connected it to his cellular phone.
His laptop’s OS flicked on. With an ease that showed he was accustomed to doing this, he double–clicked the icon to his Internet browser and attempted to connect to a major search engine he had bookmarked. He wanted to check the homepage of the latest weather forecast.
The sound of the modem, and then the fast forward dialing from his cellular phone could be heard within the silence. However, the sounds that signaled he was connected to the Internet did not follow.
“This snowstorm must be interfering with reception.”
Yet he was unable to give up. Just as he was about to attempt re–connecting once more, the sliding door of the shrine burst open and two boys stomped in, their heads topped with snow.
Without consciously realizing what he was doing, Koushiro must have glared at the intruders for entering without knocking and stepping all over the floor with their shoes on, because the taller, and obviously older, of the two boys apologized.
“Sorry.” It was Yamato. “Can we stay here until the snow stops?”
“I don’t mind,” Koushiro politely replied, a little flustered.
“Thanks,” Yamato said, before he turned to dust off the snow that covered Takeru’s hat and clothes.
As the snow continued to fall with no sign of stopping, other children arrived at the shrine to take shelter.
The oldest, wearing the arm band of a leader, Jou Kido.
Koushiro’s classmate, Mimi Tachikawa.
Sora Takenouchi.
And, an acquaintance Koushiro only knew through the required school club they shared, Taichi Yagami.
At that time, none of the children would have ever imagined that the seven people gathered here would soon find themselves involved in a long, long adventure.

○

The snowstorm gradually stopped.
As they stepped out of the shrine, the children were unable to hide their bewilderment as they surveyed the snowscape that looked incompatible against the blue summer sky.
“Yay!” With a whoop of enjoyment, Takeru jumped down onto the snow and scooped up a handful to form a ball. “Hey, Brother. We can have a snowball fight!”
“I… guess so,” Yamato said kindly as he attentively watched over his cute younger brother. Next to him, a voice interrupted.
“Just what the hell is going on here?” Taichi asked. The question wasn’t directed at anyone in particular. Taichi often had a bad habit of saying what he was thinking.
Unaware of that, Jou raised his head to look up at the sky. Pushing his glasses up, he explained, “There was probably a cold air mass in the skies that caused it to snow. Maybe it traveled here all the way from America.”
“Hmm,” Mimi said, sounding impressed. “You must be pretty smart, Jou–senpai.”
“Oh, it’s nothing like that,” Jou said modestly, although his face showed more than a hint of pride. Watching him, Taichi decided that they would not get along. Jou’s skin was sickly pale, even though it was the middle of summer. He must’ve been so absorbed with cram school that he’d never even gone swimming in a pool once this entire summer.
   “Anyway, Jou,” Yamato said. The reason he didn’t add honorifics to Jou’s name was because he thought they were in the same grade. “Has the snowstorm passed?”
“Yeah, it has. You see how there are no clouds in the sky? No matter how cold the temperature is, the snow won’t be able to form without clouds. That’s common sense,” Jou lectured boastfully, before he caught himself. “Ah… um, I didn’t mean that you guys don’t have any common sense by that. Don’t get the wrong impression.”
His cover–up sounded weak, and he knew it. Seeing Yamato’s eyebrows furl for a split second into an annoyed expression, Jou realized that he had screwed up.
“Hey, by the way,” said Takeru, who had been in the middle of making a snowman. He stopped patting snow to point at the sky. “What is that? It’s not a cloud, is it?”
Everyone looked up.
An enormous, transparent curtain that shone iridescently like a soap bubble was fluttering gently above them.
“Is that… an aurora?” Sora asked, her eyes wide with disbelief. “But, being able to see an aurora in Japan is just…”
Suddenly, something unbelievable happened, a mysterious spectacle that drew everyone’s attention. Right at that moment, within the aurora, something glimmered. It wasn’t coming from just one source, but many.
Thinking that his eyes were playing tricks, Taichi shut and opened them again. The lights were still there. They weren’t flickering any longer, but glowing stronger and stronger. It wasn’t long before Taichi realized that that was because these lights were heading towards them.
“Something’s coming!”
Sora and Yamato had also noticed. “They’re balls of light! Are they meteorites?”
Even Mimi and Jou, with his weak eyesight, were soon able to see them as the lights approached closer and closer. There were seven spheres of light in all.
“Watch out!”
All of them dove for cover. Yamato threw himself over Takeru to protect him.
BANG!
The force of the impact caused a pillar of snow more than two meters high to rise up. One could only imagine the staggering amount of power behind it to have caused such a thing. Fortunately, none of the children were hurt.
“That was scary,” Mimi said as she stood up. Her face, however, was not as pale as Jou’s, who had been standing next to her. In fact, she appeared to be slightly amused, as if the entire thing had been an accident.
“What in the world are they?” Driven by curiosity, Koushiro ran to the spot where the pillar of snow had risen. The mysterious falling objects had plunged deep into the dirt, forming large holes in the layer of snow that rested above it.
Koushiro was about to dig his hand through one of the holes when, with a “Hyah!”, he quickly drew it back.
A beam of soft light shot out from inside the holes, and something came floating out. There were seven of them in all.
“Wh–What is that?!” Taichi asked, his voice raised at a hysteric pitch.
The seven unknown objects that emitted light as gentle as a bride’s silk headdress flew individually into each child’s hand.
“This is…”
It was a piece of equipment with a screen similar to a pager. On its surface, one could see particles of light creating a haze of colors.
All seven of the things began to beep furiously.
The instant that happened, the aurora above them started to shake violently, as though it were a curtain being blown savagely by a squall.
“Is it because of the electromagnetic waves?” Koushiro murmured to himself, but even he knew it was a baseless hypothesis.
The aurora’s trembling grew more aggressive, appearing as if it would pull itself from the heavens and fly away at any moment. The surface of the sky itself began to shine brightly.
At the same time, something impossible happened.
Even though the children were on a tall mountain, sufficiently high above sea level, water exploded upwards, rising vertically to show its large smooth surface. Its center parted open to reveal water going in, as though it were a huge waterfall on its side. With a thunderous roar, it sucked in the air surrounding it. The cold atmosphere was not being drawn to the bottom, but to someplace parallel to the ground.
And then…
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
Seized by a power they could not dispute, the seven children were sucked inside.

③ Mysterious Animals

They had waited a long, long time just to meet their partners.
Their memories went very far. They could remember the glacier that had first covered the ground surface, although it had long since melted away by now. They could remember when vegetation had first sprouted out of the bare earth and grown thickly into the lush environment they now resided in.
Although no one had taught them, they knew how to speak words. They even knew what their names were, and who they were waiting for. However, what they did not know was, for what purpose.
And yet, they waited.
Confident that their partners would arrive from the skies, they faced the heavens day after day, calling out the names of their respective partners.
One of them said “Taichi!”
Another said, “Yamato!”
And others pitched in with, “Sora!”, “Jou!”, “Koushiro–han!”, “Mimi!”, “Takeru!”…
One day, the one who was waiting for “Takeru” saw the aurora in the sky.
“Look, everyone!”
All of them looked up.
Instinctively knowing that the fated time had arrived, each of them stood still with bated breath. Some of them were so overcome with emotion that they even had tears glistening in their eyes.
The sky glimmered brightly for an instant, and then they heard screaming from far away.
“Uwaaaaaaaah!”
Immediately accompanying the terrified cries were seven children, who they could see were lumped together in a mass of arms and legs as they plummeted to the ground.
“TAICHI! TAICHI! TAICHI!”
“YAMATO! YAMATO! YAMATO!”
So happy were they that they jumped great leaps of joy as each of them repeatedly called the name of the partner they had been longing for. When a force separated the children still in the air into seven different directions, each of them eyed the spot where they anticipated their partner would land, and hurriedly dispersed.

○

With a dull thump, Yamato hit land.
“Ow!” he cried out in reflex, but the truth was, it hadn’t hurt that much at all. Surprised by the lack of pain he was expecting, Yamato looked up at the sky.
He was so certain that he had just been falling from high up there, very close to the stratosphere. Could he have been hallucinating? As his body had spun through the air during the drop, he’d thought he’d seen glimpses of something that looked like an island beneath him…
“That’s weird.” Yamato murmured, his head still tilted upwards as he stood up.
A quick look around his surroundings confirmed that he was in the woods. For a moment he thought he was somewhere on the campgrounds, but the humidity that clung to his arms made him quickly change his mind. If this was really camp, it should have been much cooler weather…
Anyway, more important matters were at hand.
“Hey, Takeru!” He called out his younger brother’s name. When he didn’t receive a response, he tried again.
“Takeru?”
Turning in every direction, he repeated the same name over and over. But Takeru’s voice could not be heard anywhere.
Yamato could feel the blood draining from his face. If something happened to Takeru, what should I…?
“Takeru! Takeru!!”
Half–crazed, Yamato continued to call out Takeru’s name over and over. The face of his mother when she had left him floated through his mind.
“Takeru! Where are you, Takeru?!”
The corners of the boy’s eyes ached with a burning sensation. His chest felt like it would flatten under the heavy load of his worry. If he ended up being unable to find Takeru…
That was when he heard a shy voice say, “Yama…to?”
“Who’s there?” Yamato shot back, stopping abruptly.
Although he couldn’t see anyone around, a chestnut–colored stuffed doll with a horn on its head dropped to the ground beside him. Yamato wasn’t sure how it was made to do it, but it blinked its eyes, and —
“You’re Yamato… right?”
— its mouth moved to the sound of words, as if it were really a living being.
“Eh…?”
Yamato had no idea what was going on, but he still had enough of his wits about him to know not to fall for a talking plushie.
Searching his surroundings wildly, he said, “Who are you? Come on out!”
And that was when, as if to emphasize its existence, the stuffed toy jumped up and down.
“It’s me, Yamato! Tsunomon! I’ve been waiting for you for such a long time!”
Yamato’s mouth dropped open. And stayed open.
Tsunomon spoke. “You’re looking for Takeru, right? I’ll take you to him! I’m sure Tokomon has already found Takeru by now.”

○

Sora became very still. If seeing the strange pink animal with a blue flower decorated on its head wasn’t enough, it had even spoken words to her.
“…”
She considered screaming for help, but it would be terrible if that caused this creature to get excited.
The animal spoke up once more. “I’ve always, always, always been waiting for you, Sora!” they said excitedly. Their words were clear and understandable. “That’s why I’m so glad to finally meet you!”
The thing wriggled the many protuberances underneath their head (she couldn’t tell if it was feet or tentacles) to approach Sora, and she immediately took a step back.
“D–Don’t come near me!” Sora shrieked hysterically, in a voice that was unlike her usual self.
The flower drooped upon hearing those words, and the animal said sadly, “Sora… Do you hate me?”
“I–It’s not that I hate you, it’s just,” Sora stammered frantically as she kept her distance, “What the heck are you?!”
“I’m Pyocomon. I just said that earlier.”
“No, what I’m asking is, what is a Pyocomon?!”
“Pyocomon is Pyocomon,” the thing said simply, “Just like Sora is Sora.”
Gazing at Sora with their upturned eyes, they looked at her like a baby starving for the love of their parent. While Sora’s heart couldn’t help but go out to that expression, it made her feel uncomfortable at the same time. Although she wanted to vehemently deny it, those large eyes playfully enticed the maternal instincts which had lain dormant within Sora to awaken.
Biting her lip, Sora then heaved a great sigh.
“All right, fine,” she said resignedly. The affection she could feel from those bright blue eyes had stolen her of her wariness. “In any case… at least one thing I know for sure around here is that you’re called Pyocomon.”

○

Rubbing a leaf between his fingers, Koushiro murmured another “How mysterious.”
“This isn’t a real leaf… It’s similar to the green plastic grass you see in bentō boxes ^[04], the kind they sell in convenience stores,” he observed. “Nevertheless, I’m quite impressed to see something as sophisticated as this.”
He was in a considerably vast forest. The branches of all the trees in this forest had fake leaf upon fake leaf attached to them, and although it wasn’t an impossible task to do, it must have taken a lot of labor to replicate everything and make the forest appear so realistic. Even people with untrained eyes would have agreed with Koushiro that it would have been cheaper economically to just plant real trees in their place.
It wasn’t just the leaves. The pebbles at his feet looked like gray cubes of sugar that crushed just as easily, and the solid earth looked like dark caramel that was just as tough.
“So, let me ask you again…” Koushiro said to the elaborately-made animatronic next to him. It had never left his side ever since it had found him. “You say this place is called File Island?”
“That’s right.” This creature that called itself Motimon (its insides were probably made up of very high–powered transceivers) stuck out its chest as it answered proudly.
“I must say, this theme park is made extraordinarily well.”
“Um… Koushiro–han? What’s a theme park?”
“You don’t know?”
“Nope.”
Perhaps the opening date for this park was a long way off, Koushiro thought, and the person speaking through this machine (whose accent was clearly from the Kansai region ^[05] of Japan) was playing dumb.
That was why Koushiro was able to say, “Well, never mind,” with an indulgent smile.
“Anyway, Koushiro–han. Everyone else is waiting, so let’s hurry back to them.”
When he had touched Motimon’s round body, it had felt like rubber. Maybe it was created from that foam rubber Hollywood was known for using in its creations. Although a pretty expensive process, it was probably nothing but snack money to these people, if the lengths they had gone to create this artificial forest were anything to go by.
“Okay, I got it. Can you take me there?”
“Okay!”
The creature looked almost beside itself with happiness as it moved along the ground in a shuffling walk. Koushiro reasoned to himself that it must have wheels hidden underneath.

○

In all eleven years of his life, Jou could honestly swear that he had never dealt with anything as utterly and inexplicably bizarre as this.
A strange animal that looked like an experiment between a seal and a sea horse gone wrong was chasing after him. In a mischievous voice, they cried out, “Jooou!” as they floated in the air.
“Wait for me, Jooou!”
He would have been able to convince himself that “Jooou” was an animal roar similar to “Gyaooo” or “Uwooo,” except that the “Wait for me” bit was clearly Japanese. Maybe the structure of their vocal cords was similar to the myna or the parrot. But even so, wasn’t the thing a little too fluent?!
Which led him to a single conclusion —— A monster?
The minute he thought that, Jou screamed, “That’s impossible! That’s too unrealistic!!!”
So could this be a dream, then?
But upon meeting him, the animal had immediately rubbed Jou’s cheek with something that looked very much like a flipper. In fact, it was exactly like a flipper. That slippery feeling, and the stinky smell of raw fish from their breath, told Jou that this was absolutely, positively not a dream. Although it was extremely hard to believe, this was hard, stone cold reality.
“Why are you running away?” shouted the incarnation chasing behind him, their very existence bulldozing over the common sense Jou had so carefully cultivated throughout his eleven years. Jou could only run for his life.
In any case, this must be the first time that Jou had ever used all of his energy to run like this. His pounding heart felt like it was trying to explode through his chest. That figure of speech “heartbreak” must not have been an exaggeration after all.
Wait, this isn’t the time to be thinking about that.
Jou screamed. “Please, I’m begging you!!! Go away!!! Just leave me alone!!!”
His voice was so strained from his exertions that it was almost shameful to hear.

○

“Takeru!”
With Tsunomon leading him through the forest, Yamato came upon Takeru along the way rather abruptly.
“Ah, Brother!”
Takeru raced towards him happily. Yamato searched Takeru’s face for traces of tears, but couldn’t find any. He had been so sure that Takeru would be crying helplessly without him around.
Within his arms, Takeru was holding a… a piggy bank? No, a katoributa ^[06]? — some object with a pudgy comical shape. Realizing where Yamato’s gaze was directed at, Takeru replied, “Ah, let me introduce you. This is Tokomon,” and shoved the ornament–thing up at Yamato’s face.
“Hello, Yamato!” it squeaked.
It wasn’t an ornament at all. Just like the Tsunomon that had brought him here, it was a living animal that could speak words.
“Tokomon said that they’ve been waiting for us for a really, really long time,” Takeru explained to Yamato. Then he turned to Tokomon and said, “Right?”
Smiling with their entire face, Tokomon agreed brightly. “Right!”
His younger brother readily accepted the existence of these strange beings. Yamato could only be tongue–tied with awe at Takeru’s ability to quickly conform to his environment. Perhaps because Takeru was still a child, his belief in Santa Claus and the tooth fairy hadn’t even disappeared yet. Apparently the harsh reality of their parents’ divorce had not poisoned Takeru’s pure soul, and Yamato found himself to be glad that his little brother still kept such innocence.
“Tokomon said that there are more of their friends around,” Takeru said excitedly, “There’s Koromon, and Tanemon, and Pukamon, and Pyocomon, and who else… Tsunomon!”
“Tsunomon… would be me,” Tsunomon said, their cheeks glowing bashfully.
“Oh, I see. It’s nice to meet you!” Takeru greeted them with a small bow. “I’m Takeru Takaishi.”
After exchanging greetings, Tsunomon exclaimed, “Come on, let’s go to the others!” and bounded off with hurried jumps. Takeru ran after them, still carrying Tokomon in his arms.
And Yamato was left standing stock–still, unable to comprehend this situation.
The only answer he could come up with, that satisfied him, was that this was a dream. He must be dreaming that he was with Takeru in this fantasy land so he could temporarily forget about reality. If that was the case, then it probably wasn’t a bad idea to play along for a little while.
A sheepish smile forming on his lips, Yamato raced after Takeru.

○

When Taichi landed, he had lost consciousness with his hand tightly clutched around the small device that had appeared from within the aurora. Now that object was blinking furiously as it flashed bright light.
“M–Mmm…”
Taichi finally opened his eyes, but it wasn’t because of the light flashing in them that had woken him up. Settled right in front of his face was a pink thing that looked like a rugby ball. Someone had drawn large red eyes on its surface, which inexplicably blinked as they stared down at him. The bottom half of the rugby ball split open to display a large mouth glistening with small, sharp fangs, and it spoke,
“Taichi! Taichi!”
—It spoke.
   Taichi’s body immediately went rigid.
“H–Hya!? Wh–What the heck?!”
Its round cat–like eyes crinkling, the thing gave a toothy grin as its entire face glowed with happiness. “Taichi, you’re awake! That’s great!”
And then it tried to leap at Taichi’s face. Reacting more out of sheer surprise than anything, Taichi pushed a hand in front to stop it and rose hurriedly to his feet.
“Y–You can talk?! How do you know my name?! What the hell are you?!” Confusion raging in his mind, Taichi could only shoot off questions in rapid succession.
The pink rugby ball introduced itself. “I’m Koromon!”
“Koromon… Wait, so you’re Koromon because you’re small and round ^[07]?” Taichi asked.
“Um…”
Koromon itself didn’t seem to know where its name originated from, so it cheerfully answered, “I’m not sure about that… but anyway, I’ve been waiting forever for you Taichi!”
And then it tried leaping at Taichi again.
But Taichi swerved his body to avoid it. “What do you mean you’ve waited for me?!”
Just then, the tall grass nearby rustled and the junior ^[08] that Taichi knew from their club, Koushiro, poked his head out of the wilderness.
“Koushiro!” Taichi cried out in relief.
But upon seeing the pink mollusk–like animal moving beneath the other boy’s feet, Taichi went on to exclaim, “Th–There’s another one! What the heck are these weird things?!”
“It claims that it’s a Digimon,” Koushiro replied, shrugging his shoulders to indicate that he was also confused. “Apparently this place is called File Island. Have you ever heard of it?”
“File… Island?” Taichi had never heard of it before. “Wait, so this is an island?”
“I believe so.”
“Hmm…”
Curling a hand around his chin in thought, Taichi walked over to a sturdy tree nearby and climbed its trunk as easily as a monkey. Settling on a branch, he brought out a mini–telescope from within his shorts’ pocket to view his surroundings.
“Let’s see…”
In front of him, he could see the forest stretched out for miles. What lay beyond it was hazy to him. To his left towered a steep white mountain, so high that its summit was covered by thick clouds. To his right sparkled a bright blue ocean, looking as picture–perfect as the ones you’d expect to see celebrities posing in on the front of magazines.
“I guess with that ocean there, it really does mean this place is an island…”
Thinking he should ask Koushiro for his opinion, Taichi shoved his telescope back into his pocket and leapt out of the tree.
He got straight to the point. “I saw an ocean, but it may have been a lake.”
“It doesn’t matter whether it was an ocean or a lake,” Koushiro said. “It still means we’re not in Mikami Canyon.”
“But there’s still Mount Fuji, isn’t there? Look, see that mountain over there?” Taichi said, pointing to the jagged–looking mountain on his left.
“That doesn’t look like Mount Fuji to me,” Koushiro retorted with a sigh.
Next to him, Motimon piped up in their confident voice, “That’s called Infinity Mountain.” ^[09]
“Infinity Mountain?”
“That’s right.”
Taichi and Koushiro shot dubious looks at each other. Neither of them had heard of that name before.
While they were figuring things out, the other children soon gathered around them. Each of them was lead by a Digimon partner made of various shapes.
Sora and Pyocomon.
Yamato and Tsunomon.
Takeru and Tokomon.
And, with a piercing scream that announced his arrival,
“GYAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!”
Jou appeared.
When he recognized the familiar faces he had met in the shrine, Jou sighed with relief. Sadly it was blown away when his gaze shifted to the monsters lying at their feet.
Stiffening, Jou’s face paled even further as he let out a wail. “…Th–There’s more of them.”
Losing his strength, he plopped onto the dirt. This was how the seal–and–sea–horse mutant monster finally caught up to him.
Zooming happily into Jou’s back, they said cheerfully with their rank, fishy breath, “I’m Pukamon! Pleased to meet’cha!”
Jou stared back at them dumbfounded, as if he was seeing the world crumbling before his very eyes.
Looking around, Yamato asked, “Is this all of us? I think I remember one more person who was with us at the shrine.”
“Oh!” Jou’s head snapped up as he cried out in realization. “Mimi–kun! Mimi Tachikawa–kun isn’t here!”

○

Tanemon was having a hard time answering Mimi’s question.
“Where did I come from?” they echoed, tilting their head. “But I’ve always been here…”
Mimi did not believe them for a minute.
“That can’t be right! I know what you really are!” she insisted. “So… what planet did you come from? Go on, tell me!”
Mimi had never believed in UFOs. The subject was hardly even brought up as a topic of discussion among her friends and family. But when this strange creature suddenly appeared in front of her and she realized she wasn’t dreaming, how else could she explain it? Surely this leafy being must be an alien that had come from outer space.
I mean, think about it, Mimi reasoned to herself inside her mind. The universe is a very big place. They probably didn’t come from a planet in our solar system, but it would make perfect sense to find tons of E.T. living around the nebula in the Magellanic Clouds.
“I was always here, waiting for you, Mimi…” Tanemon spoke to Mimi, as if they were appealing to her. They fidgeted with their small limbs (or at least Mimi thought it was limbs) as they looked at her apologetically.
What does that mean?
Mimi’s thin eyebrows furrowed as she frowned in thought. Maybe this wasn’t Earth at all? Maybe the water that had shown up in front of the shrine was actually a U.F.O.? Maybe the aliens had beamed her up and flown billions of light-years away and brought her to this planet that looked so much like Earth where she will spend her days for the rest of her life?!
“I don’t like that!” Mimi cried out shrilly. “If that’s true, then take me back home! Take me back home to my Papa and Mama right now!”
Mimi was actually a very nice, well–behaved girl by nature. It was just that, in some cases, she would respond to the inner logic she had formed within her head with disregard for what was actually said to her during the conversation. It often caused many people – even friends – who were talking with her to become very, very confused and unable to know how to carry on their conversation.
In other words, Mimi would get angry, cry, or laugh at the drop of a hat, regardless of what topic they were previously talking about, and the person she had been talking to would be left with absolutely no idea on how to deal with her.
That was exactly what was happening right now.
In Tanemon’s eyes, Mimi had gotten upset when they mentioned that they had waited for Mimi, and now they thought those words were the cause of Mimi’s anger. The thought saddened them, because Tanemon wanted Mimi’s acknowledgment and appreciation more than anyone else.
Tanemon was also not the type to delve too long into logical thinking. When Mimi yelled, they didn’t really understand why, but they became increasingly sad and wretched. To express those feelings, they burst into tears.
“Even if you ask me to do that, I…” Tanemon trailed off into sobs.
Mystified at the alien’s sudden wailing outburst, Mimi instantly became silent. Perhaps the aliens from the Tanemon Planet were actually very nice and they simply wanted to be friends with earthlings. Although she was picked by them at random to represent the Earth, treating their offer like this would be very bad form on her part. It would be ridiculous to believe that this little hiccup would cause Earth and the Tanemon Planet to wage war, but Mimi still agreed that it was necessary to form friendly relations first.
“Oh, don’t cry. Please don’t cry.” Mimi soothingly apologized to Tanemon as though she were comforting a small child. “I’m sorry. It was my mistake. You’re right, I’m sure the two of us can become friends. So, come on, dry those eyes.”
Flashing her beautiful trademark smile, which had captured the hearts of many male students, she held out her hand to Tanemon to offer a handshake. In this pose, it wouldn’t have seemed out of place if Mimi’s shoulder bore the insignia with the words “Ambassador of International Peace.”
“……Okay.”
Tanemon stopped crying, but they were puzzled over how to respond to Mimi’s outstretched hand. Unsurely, they stretched out a leaf from the top of their head and shyly touched Mimi’s hand.
And the commemorative first contact between Earth and the Tanemon Planet has been successful! Mimi thought with a relieved sigh, when all of a sudden — a loud “vrrrmmmm” sound droned above their heads.
It must be a UFO, Mimi thought.

④ Attack of the Stag Beetle Monster

“Kyaaaaaaah!”
A young girl’s piercing scream reached their ears.
“It’s Mimi–kun!” Jou cried out in alarm. But because he did not have the courage to take the initiative, he turned to Taichi and Yamato instead and asked hesitantly, “Wh–What do you think happened to her…?”
Instead of answering him, Taichi broke into a run. He had heard Mimi’s scream reverberating from their right — in the direction of the ocean.
“Wait, Taichi!”
“Taichi–san!”
Sora and Koushiro chased after him. Yamato had a late start because he urged Takeru to climb onto his back first.
“W–Wait! I’m coming too!” In the end, Jou tagged along, bringing up the rear.
Mimi, with a small Digimon that looked like a plant bulb at her heels, was heading from the children’s left towards their right.
“What’s wrong?!” Taichi asked, when behind Mimi came a thunderous “vrrrmmmm,” bringing along a sudden gust of wind that scattered leaves all over the ground.
“Wh–What’s that sound?” Sora asked, to which Koushiro immediately answered, “Look up there! There’s something in the skies!”
The leaves of the overgrown trees made it hard to see what it was, but Mimi’s screams continued.
“I don’t know what’s up there, but we have to save her!” Using the swift legs that he prized, Taichi chased after Mimi. Sora lined up perfectly next to him, keeping pace. Clearly, being the two–top duo that the Odaiba’s soccer club boasted of was not just for show. Koushiro did his best to keep up behind them, while the additional weight of his brother on one set of legs dragged Yamato quite a distance behind Koushiro. Jou was even further behind.
“Kyaaaaaaaah!”
Now the children could see Mimi. Perhaps she had heard the others’ voices and turned from under her pursuer’s nose, or maybe she was running randomly through the forest and just happened to come upon them, but whatever the case, she was rushing towards Taichi and the others at full speed and…
“AH!” Taichi and the others cried out. It was finally clear to them what was chasing after Mimi: An unbelievably gigantic stag beetle with a bright red-colored body that was almost harsh on the eyes. The ear–splitting drum of sound and gusts of wind were caused by its enormous wings.
“It’s a stag beetle monster!” Koushiro yelped.
Next to him, Motimon corrected, “No! It’s Kuwagamon!” ^[10] but their words were drowned out by the clamorous buzzing of the monster’s wings.
“Noooo!” As Mimi ran, she could hear the thick snapping of wood as the enormous stag beetle chopped apart branches with its pincers as it closed in behind her.
“Look out!”
The monster chomped noisily as if it was testing its bite — open and close, open and close — approaching until Mimi could almost feel the sharp edges of it grazing at her back. And then this time the pincers opened widely for its final bite and the monster screamed in triumphant anticipation before Sora ran across from Mimi and tackled her to the ground. They avoided death only by a hair’s breadth: So close were they that the sound of its pincers closing on air rang painfully through Sora’s ear canal, a heavy metallic sound like two large hammers hitting each other.
After looking up to make sure the monster had flown off, Sora turned her head down to Mimi and asked her, “Are you all right?”
Both of them had mud and dead leaves stuck on their clothes and hair. Mimi herself couldn’t seem to believe that she was still alive and she dove into Sora’s arms, bursting into frightened tears.
“There, there,” Sora said soothingly as she gently patted Mimi’s long hair. “You’re safe now.”
But… “It’s coming here again!” Yamato hollered. Far away and high in the sky, the children could see the stag beetle monster make a wide U–turn and head in their direction again.
“What do we do?!” Jou asked Taichi with wild panic in his eyes. Unconsciously, Jou felt that Taichi was someone he could depend on.
“What…” Taichi himself did not have a plan. His desire to beat it before it killed them was strong, but just how to go about doing that, he had absolutely no idea.
“We don’t have any weapons to defend ourselves with…” Koushiro reasoned, evaluating the situation.
“Then what?” Jou shook with fear as his eyes fixed on the stag beetle monster closing on them.
“Let’s run!” Yamato suggested. The weight of Takeru on his back made him choose to be passive, as long as it kept his younger brother safe.
“All right, let’s run!” Frustrated that he could not think of another option, Taichi agreed.

○

Vrrrmmmm… vrrrmmmm…
The stag beetle monster continued to attack the children, but whenever it did, they would flatten against the dirt and leap into the thick grass, just barely escaping with their lives.
Even so, they didn’t know if they could keep running away forever. The moment they ran out of stamina would be the exact moment they became stag beetle food. As much as they wanted to believe that their smaller selves held more stamina than this monster, they couldn’t.
BOOM! Its pincers hit thick rock and, Vrrrmmmm…, the sound of its wings dwindled away.
“All right, it’s gone!”
The children cautiously stepped out from the shade of the rock ledge they were hiding in (the front half of it had been blasted to pieces by the monster’s previous attack).
“If only there was a cave around here somewhere…” Yamato whispered. Turning to look down at Tsunomon, he asked, “Do you know of any?”
Tsunomon shook its head, looking sincerely apologetic. “No. I’m sorry.”
“Er, it’s not your fault…” It was Yamato who ended up feeling shamed for the trouble.
“Anyway, we shouldn’t just stand here. Let’s hurry and get a move on,” Jou said as he stood up. He had finally recovered from his panic at seeing the monster for the first time, and once again felt responsibility as both the oldest and group leader.
The children set off once again. Tokomon rode backwards on top of Takeru’s hat so it could keep an eye out behind them. Now it cried, “It’s coming again!” and all of a sudden Taichi, who was in the lead, stopped.
“Aw crap!”
The children saw right away what was blocking him. What lay in their path was not more road, but a precipitous cliff.
“Can we climb down this?” Sora asked as she looked over the edge. Below them was a thick, dark jungle that made her think of the Amazon, with a stream that wound through it like a snake. Not even adults, let alone the children, could get down from this calamitous height.
“It’s coming!” Tokomon yelled, baring fierce fangs that no one would have expected of from its cute appearance.
“No more!” Mimi cried with tears running down her cheeks.
As if acting on an invisible signal, the Digimon who had clung to the children all this time started to walk away. They began to retrace their steps back to where they’d come from, dragging themselves, or hopping, or moving on tiny feet.
“Wh–What’s wrong, Koromon?” Taichi asked it, looking puzzled. “If you’re leaving us, at least tell us where you’re going!”
“We’ll never leave you,” Koromon said, looking back at him. Its face was set with a look of tragic determination.
Koromon and the other Digimon went past the rear of the children (this was where Yamato and Takeru were), and lined up sideways as if they were soccer players forming a body wall to block a free kick into the goal post.
“We’ll protect all of you, Taichi!”
Saying these words resolutely, Koromon turned a fierce glare at the stag beetle monster. His eyes gleamed with the spirit of the challenged who at last took up the gauntlet.

○

“Stop! Don’t!”
Taichi and the others would have turned their faces away if they could. But their worry overcame their fear and they looked on.
   It was obvious that these small Digimon were no match against this enormous stag beetle monster, yet they challenged it to battle. First, Koromon and the others spouted what looked like bubbles from their mouths. Perhaps these bubbles were extremely acidic, because the monster unexpectedly fell from balance and its pincers dug into the earth. Without a pause, Koromon and the others pressed on with their attack.
But once the stag beetle monster repositioned itself, the severe counters it gave the smaller Digimon with its six limbs, stiff wings, and sharp pincers hurt them two or three times more than they did to it.
The children couldn’t stand watching anymore.
“Why?! Why are you going so far to protect us?!”
Without even a moan passing its lips when the stag beetle monster slapped it violently into a large tree trunk, Koromon immediately leapt at the enemy again. What gave strength to Koromon was its determined purpose and desire to protect Taichi. Of course, the other Digimon — Tsunomon, Pyocomon, Motimon, Tanemon, Pukamon, and Tokomon — were the same.
Taichi and the others may not understand, but we have always, always waited for them. We dreamt that when they came, we would do so many things together. We must fight so that those dreams become a reality. And we must win. There’s not a chance that we’ll let our dreams be crushed in a place like this!
But we know with our own bodies how powerless we are. There is a wall of overwhelming odds before us. We can’t climb over it with our physical strength, our offensive ability, or even with our willpower.
We want power. We want to be stronger, stronger, much stronger.
Taichi screamed. “KOROMON!”
Yamato, “TSUNOMON!”
Sora, “PIYOMON!”
Koushiro, “MOTIMON!”
Mimi, “TANEMON!”
Takeru, “TOKOMON!”
And even Jou cried out, “Pu–PUKAMON!”
It was then that seven streaks of light came down from the heavens and engulfed their Digimon.
“What’s that?”
   For a second, the children lost sight of their Digimon within the bright light.
“I–It can’t be…”
But in the next instant, Child level Digimon who had accomplished “evolution” appeared before them.
“Koromon, evolve! Agumon! Baby Flame!” — A cream–colored Digimon shaped like a small dinosaur spat out a breath of fire.
“Tsunomon, evolve! Gabumon! Petit Fire!” — A wolf–like Digimon standing on two legs spouted a ball of fire.
“Pyocomon, evolve! Piyomon! Magical Fire!” — A pink bird Digimon shot out a spiral of mysterious fire.
“Motimon, evolve! Tentomon! Petit Thunder!” — The red ladybug Digimon’s electric attack looked similar to lightning.
“Tanemon, evolve! Palmon! Poison Ivy!” — A green Digimon with a bright red plume on her head stretched out her hands, which became ivy that snared the enemy.
“Tokomon, evolve! Patamon! Air Shot!” — A Digimon who looked like a hamster with large ears swelled his cheeks as much as he could and spat out a ball of air.
“Pukamon, evolve! Gomamon! Marching Fishes!” — Last of all, a Digimon who looked exactly like a seal cried out, calling a large number of different–colored fish that flew through the air from out of nowhere.
Faced with attack power that was incomparable to before, the stag beetle appeared to be taken aback. Whether it was having a hard time of it, or had simply given up, it spread its wings and fled.
“Wh–What just happened?”
Although relieved beyond measure, the children did not have a clue to what was going on. Koromon and the others had disappeared and in their place, seven unknown Digimon with bruises all over their bodies were gazing back at them.
“Koromon’s dead!” Taichi wailed. The other children joined his cries.
But one of the newly arrived Digimon — the small cream–colored dinosaur who looked both friendly and fierce at the same time — giggled and smiled good–naturedly at Taichi and said this.
“I’m Koromon. Now that I’ve evolved though, I’m called Agumon.”
That was the beginning of their adventures. In this manner — sharing laughter and tears, mutual encouragement, and momentary disputes along the way — the children and their Digimon set off on a long, long journey.

⑤ Where Are We?

It was the ocean. Taichi peered through the round lens of his mini–telescope as he gazed at the horizon where the marine blue of the sea and the azure blue of the sky melted together. The feel of the waves as they crested felt as lukewarm as a heated swimming pool, and the air smelled salty. Taichi put his mini–telescope not in his shorts like he always did, but in the pocket of his briefs. His shorts, blue T–shirt, and socks were drying on top of a rock along with the green, orange, and white shirts of the other boys.
Just then, Taichi’s stomach complained.
“Hey, Jou,” he asked. “Don’t you feel hungry?”
“No can do,” Jou scowled, purposefully putting a hand over the flap of the rectangular bag at his side. It was filled with the emergency food supply. “You’ve already eaten your share for the afternoon. Wait for when I distribute it again at night.”
But it was not only Taichi who was hungry. Feeling his own empty stomach squirm, Yamato grumbled, “When is it going to get darker anyway?” and glared at Jou as if it was his fault.
No one could really blame him: The flow of time here felt as if it was inching along. The position of the sun and the shadows that the sun made didn’t look as if they had even budged.
“I wonder what time it is now,” Koushiro said forlornly. He had attempted to use his cell phone and laptop to investigate, but neither of them worked. And he’d thought he’d still had a lot of battery life left over…
“She mentioned it was… 35:00 AM, was it?” Taichi said with a wry smile. He’d suddenly remembered the minute they had arrived on the beach, when he had tried using one of the nearby telephone booths to call home. The person who picked up on the other end indicated the time as if it was an incredible joke. Too bad he didn’t find it very funny.

○

“‘Digimon.’ I remember hearing that word before,” Taichi revealed to Koushiro as he slid his newly dried T–shirt over his head. It felt crinkly and smelled faintly of salt.
“From where?”
“I forget, it was like something that caught my attention briefly as I was passing by. Someone did say it.”
Taichi was often forgetful, but he remembered that it was Hikari who had said it. He was pretty sure that while they were watching a news report about abormal weather, Hikari had said “Digimon.” He just didn’t want to reveal her just yet.
“Let me tell you about my personal hypothesis,” Koushiro said, his back turned towards the others as he modestly put his dried shirt back on. “I think this place is perhaps a theme park that is being developed in absolute secrecy.”
“I see,” Taichi said.
“Its concept may be for us children to enjoy an adventure with these strange Digimon beings who live on this island.”
Taichi confused the word “concept” with “consent” and made a strange face for an instant, but he decided not to interrupt.
“Perhaps you’d heard the word ‘Digimon’ because information about them had been leaked somewhere… the internet, for example.”
“That makes sense.” Taichi thought this was all very logical.
“This place is probably located in or near Okinawa. I mean, look at this climate and the blue sea,” Koushiro said, motioning to their surroundings. “Either that, or we’re on Hachijo Island.”
“Doesn’t matter which,” Taichi shrugged. “They both still mean we’re pretty far from the campgrounds.”
“Yes.”
“I wonder how we ended up getting here.”
“The only explanation I can come up with is that we’ve been abducted.”
“Abducted?”
“It means we’ve been kidnapped.”
“Hey now…” Taichi said uneasily. He’d always watched television reports on kidnappings with a distant air, as his father was a normal salaryman with only a modest income. He’d never thought he would become a part of one!
“I did say that it was a kidnapping, but either our parents or the camp committee must have approved of this. If not, this is highly felonious.”
“Felonious, huh?” Taichi couldn’t help but secretly admire the range of Koushiro’s vocabulary. This was the first time in his life Taichi himself had ever used the word “felonious.”
Taichi quieted into thought. If what Koushiro said was true, then it wouldn’t hurt to enjoy this adventure to the fullest. It was true that while they were attacked by the stag beetle monster he had almost peed himself to death from sheer terror, but when he thought about it now, it made his heart race with excitement. If there are more thrills out there that are as electrifying as that, I’m going all out!

○

Night still would not arrive.
The children took turns building up an unending chorus of “I’m hungry” and “Can we eat yet?” to which Jou answered firmly, “No,” every time. But even Jou keenly felt the pangs of hunger in his own stomach.
The emergency food supply that Jou was guarding was enough for three days. Jou’s group had six people, so 6 people x 3 days x 3 meals would equal 54 meals. They also added the snacks that were in Takeru’s backpack and divided it for seven people (The Digimon said that they didn’t need the food, which was a big help). According to their calculations, everything altogether would provide enough for four days worth.
Even so, it was not guaranteed that they would be able to get home within those days or even at all, so Jou was determined to make the food last as long as possible.
“I won’t hand it over.” As the leader, Jou accepted that he must act harsh and even at times, unbearable, for everyone’s sakes.
Sora quietly went over to Jou just then. “Hey, Jou–san.”
At this point, Jou’s high–wired nerves had began to suspect that everyone was planning to steal the food supply from him, so Sora’s casual and meaningless words made him feel like he was stepping on the edge of an open Venus flytrap. Naturally, he snapped at her. “What?!”
“About our food supply… could you at least give Yamato–kun’s brother something? The rest of us will be okay.”
“Huh?”
Jou searched for the innocent–looking boy who stuck close to Yamato all the time.
In the shade of a cherry blossom tree that was in full bloom (What was a cherry blossom tree doing here, and growing in the middle of summer?), Takeru was leaning his head against the trunk, looking a little ill. Next to him sat, not his older brother Yamato but Mimi, who hated to get sunburned and came to cool herself. Of course, their newly evolved partners were with them. Everyone appeared to be worried about Takeru: Yamato was fanning him with a long wooden plank that he must have picked up from the beach.
Jou thought about it. He, too, felt sorry for the younger boy… but it would be over for his leadership if he went back on what he’d already decided. Give them an opening and they’ll soon be walking all over him. He just couldn’t have that. Jou was all too aware of his own often indecisive personality.
“No,” Jou said with a curt turn of his head.
Sora sighed. She thought perhaps of asking him to at least give Takeru his snacks back, but instead shut her mouth into a tight line and walked quietly back to where everyone was under the cherry blossoms.
When they heard what had transpired between her and Jou, Yamato and the others glared coldly in Jou’s direction. What was this, a dictatorship?
Growing very uncomfortable under their accusing eyes, Jou drew the bag of emergency food close to him and went to the seashore, in the area where the girls had previously been drying their clothes.

○

At the seashore, Jou’s Digimon partner, who had changed both name and shape (he was now called Gomamon and he looked like a seal cub), was splashing the water happily, sending sprays of it everywhere.
“Hey, come join me, Jou!”
But Jou did not feel like answering Gomamon’s invitation. He sat on top of a rock, keeping to his pensive thoughts.
If he had known things would turn out this way, he would have never come to camp. He should have done what his dad had told him to do and taken summer prep courses for his middle school exams. That would have been much more preferable anyway.
The more he stewed over it, the more bitterness he felt towards the bright sun with its uneven outline, towards the clear blue sky, the cheerfully spraying ocean, the fresh salty air, towards Gomamon, Sora, Yamato, Takeru, and the emergency food supply…
Standing up abruptly, he tore off his arm band and ripped it to pieces in frustration. It was such a small act, but it did make him feel a little better.
Just then, on a darker part of the shore nearby, a hole the size of a miniature garden opened in the sand, gushing out a violent spray of water.
“Wh–What’s that?!”

○

“Gyaaaaaah!”
Jou came rushing as fast as he could towards the group underneath the cherry blossom tree, a greatly agitated look on his pale features. The others simply stared at him.
“What could be wrong?” Mimi asked with worry, pulling on the strings of her ten–gallon hat.
“Who knows,” Sora said coolly, remembering Jou’s attitude earlier.
But then, they all spotted the enormous pink monster charging open–mouthed behind Jou, the tentacles on its head twitching like an erratic sea anemone as it dragged the spiral shell it carried on its back. Any ill feelings they had felt for Jou immediately vanished.
“Jou!” Yamato cried out as he rushed forward to help the older boy.
Meanwhile, Sora called for her team partner. “Taichi! Taichi!!”
Mimi could only stand there quaking, both hands covering her mouth.
While they waited for Taichi, their Digimon attacked.
“Marching Fishes!”
“Petit Fire!”
“Poison Ivy!”
“Air Shot!”
“Magical Fire!”
The Digimon began to attack resolutely, trying to stop the giant hermit crab’s movements when Taichi and Koushiro arrived.
“What’s going on?!” Taichi yelled.
“It’s Shellmon!” Tentomon said, rushing forward to join the battle. Agumon did the same.
“Baby Flame!”
“Petit Thunder!”
But even with all seven attacking, it wasn’t very effective against Shellmon’s colossal size.
“Shuuuuuuuuu!” With a roar — a strange, almost fricative sound — Shellmon blasted out from its mouth a vicious spray of saltwater. The force of the water was not something to shrug at: Agumon and the others were swept away by the great hydraulic pressure.
“Agumon!” Before he even knew what he was doing, Taichi had rushed forward to Agumon’s aid.
Koushiro cried out, “Taichi–san, don’t!” but his voice didn’t reach him.
“Shuuuuuuuuu!” Sitting on top of the fallen Digimon, Shellmon persistently continued spouting water at its surroundings. The telephone booths on the shore that were caught in its sweeping attack fell one after the other and were destroyed.
“Agumooon!”
Seeing Taichi running without even seeing the danger, Yamato yelled, “You idiot!” and chased after him.
Just then, whether purposely or on a whim, Shellmon rolled up the sand on the shore, tossing grains up in the air.
“Uwah!” Yamato yelped in surprise and stopped running. The sudden sandstorm blinded his vision. And then,
“Waaaaaaah!” They heard Taichi scream. The sand settled to reveal him captured within Shellmon’s grisly, glistening hand.
“Taichi!”
“Taichi–san!”
One after another, the children cried out Taichi’s name.
“Taichi!” Agumon also shouted from beneath Shellmon’s stomach. But no matter how hard he tried to twist himself free, he couldn’t crawl out from there.
“U–Urrgh…”
Shellmon brought the hand holding Taichi up to its head. Its eerie, yellow tentacles wriggled below Taichi’s feet. Is there a mouth inside those tentacles that’ll suck up all my fluids and digest me? Taichi thought, breaking into a cold sweat.
“Taichi! Taichi!” Agumon continued to cry as he struggled. Tears of frustration were streaming down his face. I have to protect Taichi but I can’t! If only Taichi wished it, if only he wished for me to become stronger…!
Several of the tentacles reached up, entwining themselves until they touched Taichi’s knees.
Taichi lost all hope.
“Am I… going to die?” he whispered to himself. His instincts vehemently refused to accept that.
“No… I don’t want to die… Help me… Help me, Agumon!!!”
   Taichi’s blue device immediately glowed. Its gauge ascended until it broke past the critical point. Rising to a level high up that could not be physically seen in the Digital World, it became a dazzling light when it reached its summit, exploding into what appeared at a glance to look like a bulky, disordered mass of information. This flow of information was at a scale that could rival the galaxy, and pieces of it that reacted to the light were selected.
[[ G R E Y M O N ]]
Each of the small fragments of information glowed as they gathered together and flowed towards a specific point. The tumbling sequence of light became a helix, which rained down invisibly on the data that would equip Agumon. The information describing his form was rewritten in a flash, and it even called in for greater mass until, with a blaze of light that looked like flames, he transformed.
“Agumon, evolve! Greymon!”
He succeeded in another evolution. The last time, he had evolved to save his fellow Digimon friends from danger, but now it was solely to protect the children’s lives.
The Greymon that appeared along with white light had a giant body that was not to be outdone by Shellmon. He looked fierce, like a true dinosaur: A massive, orange–skinned dinosaur.
Greymon used his three–fingered claws to grab at Shellmon’s wrist, the one whose hand held Taichi captive, and thrust the horn that protruded from the headpiece he wore across half of his face into Shellmon’s neck.
“Shuuuuuuuuu!” Its cries this time were not those of wicked triumph but shrieks of pain. While Shellmon writhed about, Greymon saved Taichi from Shellmon’s grip.
“Th–Thanks,” Taichi said to Greymon.
Greymon growled low in his throat and faced Shellmon, scorching the clump of tentacles on its head that had frightened Taichi with a blistering ball of fire at point–blank range.
“Shuuuuuuuuu!!”
A nauseating stench arose from the smoldering tentacles and Taichi reflexively covered both his mouth and nose. Before Greymon could attempt to expel more fire, Shellmon fled speedily, for all its bulk, into the sea. It disappeared into the safety of the waters’ depths as it raged at them wordlessly with the useless threats of a loser.
Yamato and the others, who had been watching from a distance, put their hands up to their hearts and sighed in relief, when Mimi saw something above her and whispered, “What could that be?”
Sora followed her gaze. A black object that looked like a rotating flying saucer was whizzing from their right to their left as it retreated from the coastline.
“Oh, it’s a UFO,” Mimi said, nodding to herself.
But Sora didn’t think so. The object had been round, but also spiky. It looked more to her like a gear.

Read on to the next chapter.

FOOTNOTES
[01] 御神渓谷
Mikami Keikoku (translated as Mikami Canyon) is where the Chosen Children's campgrounds are located.
[02] "お台場の秋田"
"Akita of Odaiba" is a reference to Akita Yutaka, a soccer player who was declared one of the best defenders of his generation. According to this novel's timeline, this phrase should pertain to Akita's participation in the 1998 World Cup. [Wikipedia]
[03] 祠
Hokora are small wooden shrines, and their presence in this novel is fitting because the kanji that make up "Mikami" in Mikami Canyon means "God". They are apparently located several feet away from the campgrounds the children are meant to stay in. Don't mistake them for cabins; school camping trips will normally use tents for students to sleep in. [picture]
[04] 弁当
Bentō boxes are Japanese lunch boxes (either made of lacquer or plastic) that are filled with a single meal. These boxes, usually in ones filled with sushi, will sometimes have decorative plastic grass in them to give an aesthetic charm. [Wikipedia][picture]
[05] 関西弁
Although it will not be translated in a special way here, all of Tentomon's forms speak in Kansai–ben. This is a type of Japanese dialect predominant in the Kansai area (mostly Osaka, Kobe, Kyoto), and is very different from the "standard" Japanese. To see a list of how people in Kansai would speak differently from people in Tokyo, you can view this wordlist by Nihongo Resources. The only thing that will be kept faithful is Tentomon's usage of "–han" which is the equivalent to "–san" (a polite add–on to someone's name; usually this person will be a stranger or of higher rank than the speaker).
[06] 蚊取り豚
Katoributa is a pig–like object with a spiral–shaped incense hooked inside it. As the incense burns, smoke puffs out from the large opening where its nose is. This is a very functional and appealing method (it's cute!) of repelling mosquitoes during the summer. [picture]
[07] コロコロ
"Korokoro" is the origin of Koromon's name. It is a Japanese sfx for something small and round, that rolls.
[08] 後輩
For work colleagues or members in the same school club, those who are older with more experience are called "senpai" (seniors) while those who are younger are called "kouhai" (juniors).
[09] ムゲンマウンテン
Mugen Mountain (translated as Infinity Mountain)
[10] クワガタ怪獣
Kuwagamon is a fusion of the words 'Kuwagata' and 'Monster.' Kuwagata means 'stag beetle' in Japanese.

Reserving this page for the Digimon Animation memorial book that is supposedly meant to come out on February 23rd (February 25th for online stores). I plan to fill this page up with translated info from the book that I think is new or interesting, with scanned images of only specific parts of the book if I think a scan is necessary. Obviously I won’t be scanning the entire book.

デジモン シリーズ メモリアルブック
デジモン・アニメーション・クロニクル

Where to buy: HMV Japan, Amazon.JP, CDJapan

If you have any anticipated questions you’d like answered, etc, please leave a comment and I’ll respond back as soon as I have my copy.

Table of contents:
■ Digimon Adventure
Introduction
Keywords
– Children
– Digimon
– Evolution
– Stage
Main characters
– Yagami Taichi
=The active type who brims with courage=
A cheerful and positive 5th grade boy in Odaiba elementary school. He appears to move with reckless abandon, but he actually does take in his surroundings and he takes good care of his juniors in the soccer club. He can be a bit insensitive, but he acts as a reliable older brother figure to Koushiro and Takeru. If he doesn’t know/understand something, he acts while he tries to figure it out; ever since they come to File Island, this active characteristic of him is what makes him the one who pulls the rest of the children along. After he learns that the Digital World is made up of data, he begins to feel as if he is inside a video game and takes dangerous actions. But once realizing that, despite being data, he cannot start over like in reality if something were to happen to him, his desire to win over his fear and his mistakes leads him to learn what true courage is.
— Costume
— Key Item
—— Mini-telescope
—— Goggles
— Family
—— Taichi (8 years old)
Taichi three years ago. He took his sister Hikari outside when she had a cold, making it worse.
—— Hikari (5 years old)
Hikari three years ago. Even if she is in pain or trouble, she often does not say so.

– Agumon
=The cheerful and naughty Dinosaur Digimon=
=Child/Vaccine/Reptile=
Taichi’s partner. With three sharp claws on each hand, his attitude of rushing to attack extremely strong enemies without fear comes from his partner. His appetite as well can be pretty ferocious. There are many times when he and Taichi both share their opinions to each other frankly, but due to his cheerful and honest personality, there are very little times when they end up fighting. His sense of justice is strong, and he is a reliable partner who evolves right away to protect Taichi when the situation looks grim. After his dark evolution to SkullGreymon, he feels at unease about evolution just like Taichi does, preventing him from even evolving into Greymon. However, after his training under Piccolomon, he learns the guts to challenge himself over and over again without fear of failure.
Baby Flame = Agumon’s special technique. He breathes out a ball of fire from his mouth. If he holds back from full power, he can even use it to light a campfire.
– Botamon
– Koromon
– Greymon
—— Mega Flame
– MetalGreymon
—— Giga Destroyer
—— Trident Arm
– WarGreymon
– Digivice

– Ishida Yamato
=Passionate friendship hiding behind a cool face=
5th grader in Odaiba elementary school. He joins the children’s camp with his younger brother Takeru. With his cool personality, he does not make attempts to hang out with anyone other than Takeru, but he is more considerate than anyone by keeping an eye on everyone’s conditions of fatigue and nerves. There are many times when he is the one who prevents Taichi from trying to tackle everything from the front. He can be pretty overprotective of Takeru, and considers it his job to protect Takeru because “he can’t do anything by himself.” During their fight with the Dark Masters, seeing Takeru’s growth causes him to lose footing on his identity, but through his clash with Taichi and his connection with Gabumon, he takes another look at himself and learns the meaning of true friendship: that there are times when you compensate for the weakness of others and vice-versa.
— Costume
— Key Item
—— Harmonica
— Family
—— Ishida Hiroaki
Yamato and Takeru’s father. Director of Fuji TV’s news report division, he is the type to put his own self in danger in order to gather information. While devoted to his job, he also cares deeply for his family and even now carries a picture of his family from 4 years ago before they were broken up by the divorce.
Hiroaki’s subordinates – Sakurada (owns a radio cassette player. When he is feeling stressed out, he uses it to listen to the Heart Sutra), Chioka, and Yuki (the female reporter). The news report division staff. After being attacked by a school of Gizamon, they are taken hostage to Big Sight where they show the same active abilities as their boss by helping out big time with Taichi’s father plans of escape.

– Gabumon
=A shy Digimon who cares deeply for his friends=
—— Petit Fire
– Punimon
– Tsunomon
– Garurumon
—— Fox Fire
– WereGarurumon
– MetalGarurumon
—— Freeze Bomber
– Tags and Crests

– Takenouchi Sora
=The level-headed one who pulls things together=
5th grader in Odaiba elementary school. She is a member of the soccer club just like Taichi. While a strong-willed girl who is powerful enough to play 2-top with Taichi as the team’s striker, she is also a sensible, level-headed person who is thoughtful about the smallest details. She takes good care of the younger children in the group, like Mimi, Takeru, and Hikari, and she is loved by them as a kind older sister. On the other hand, she also has a delicate side to her and often keeps her troubles to herself. Her mother once stopped her from participating in a soccer match, and Sora misunderstood her actions by thinking that her mother only cared about her being the successor of the family’s iemoto tradition. However, while she was trying to stop an injured Piyomon from joining a fight, she realized how her mother must have felt when she had stopped Sora.
— Costume
— Key Item
—— Pouch
— Family
—— Takenouchi Yoshiko
Sora’s mother, whose is the iemoto in the art of flower arranging. Because she expresses herself somewhat strictly, there are times when she is misunderstood. However she loves Sora from the very bottom of her heart. When Vamdemon attacked, she disguised herself with Piyomon and blended in with a crowd of Bakemon in order to find Sora.

– Piyomon
=An overly-friendly Digimon who likes to be fawned=
—— Magical Fire
– Nyokimon
– Pyokomon
– Birdramon
– Garudamon

– Izumi Koushiro
=A brainiac who loves to immerse himself in research=
4th grader in Odaiba elementary school. To Taichi and Sora, he is also their junior in the soccer club. Although normally a polite boy, once his curiosity gets a hold of him he pursues it without being considerate of those around him. He is good at computers, even bringing his laptop to camp, which in the end became useful in revealing the truth of the Digimon world. He learned by accident that he is an adopted child and was troubled over his relationship with his parents, who were thinking of keeping this quiet from him until he became an adult. When Vamdemon isolated Odaiba, his parents told him the truth themselves for the first time, and he once more felt bonded to them as his real parents, as they had raised him as their own son.
— Key Item
—— Bag
—— Digimon Analyzer
— Family
—— Izumi Masami
Koushiro’s adopted father. He is a distant relative of Koushiro’s real father, who was a genius mathematician. He shows understanding for the many strange aspects of Koushiro’s personality compared to those of children his own age, and has a huge capacity of accepting his idiosyncrasies.
—— Izumi Yoshie
Koushiro’s adopted mother. With her mother’s intuition, she had a feeling that perhaps Koushiro knew that he was adopted. She gives Koushiro the same love that she would of her own son, but wishes that he would act more like how a child should and show a bit more selfishness.

– Tentomon
=The famous (?) commentator of the Digital World=
—— Petit Thunder
– Babumon
– Motimon
– Kabuterimon
– AtlurKabuterimon

– Tachikawa Mimi
=A pure-hearted girl with a free spirit=
4th grader in Odaiba Elementary. She moves at her own pace and has a bit of a selfish side to her, but because of her honest and cheerful personality, she cannot be hated for this. For some reason, she is particularly well-liked by dirty types of Digimon, like Numemon and Sukamon. She is kind at heart, and after the Dark Masters appear she could no longer stand that a large number of Digimon were giving up their own lives to protect them and so decides to leave the group temporarily. However, upon accepting the death of Leomon, who had died protecting her from MetalEtemon, she decides to fight the Dark Masters so that he can once again be born in the Village of Beginnings. Starting with Ogremon, she leads a crowd of Digimon towards the top of Spiral Mountain.
— Costume
— Key Item
— Family
—— Tachikawa Keisuke
Mimi’s father. He has a quiet personality but when the situation calls for it, he does what needs to be done. He once crashed an electric cart into DarkTyranomon. He is so lovey-dovey with his wife Satoe that even Mimi can’t help but roll her eyes. His wife’s homemade cooking is a feast to his senses.
—— Tachikawa Satoe. Mimi’s mother. The food she makes is quite original in that she would make kimchi fried rice topped with whipped cream and strawberries. When it was time to escape from Big Sight, she complained not to make her husband have to do anything dangerous.

– Palmon
=A cute girl Digimon who loves fashion=
=Child/ Data/ Plant type=
Mimi’s Digimon. A plant-type Digimon, she can unleash many different kinds of smells from the flower on top of her head. She can also suck up nourishment from the ground and perform photosynthesis. Although a bit timid at certain times, she is mainly a kind, gentle Digimon who loves cute and fashionable things just like Mimi. Her feelings are easily in sympathy with Mimi’s, so whenever Mimi cries, she also cries, and whenever Mimi laughs, she also laughs. When Mimi was saddened by the sacrifices the Digimon made for them and left the group, she was prevented from fighting, but upon seeing Leomon fight hard to protect them, she begs Mimi to let her fight, too.
—— Poison Ivy
Palmon’s special attack is extending her nails filled with poison towards the enemy. They can also be used as a rope. [Has art showing normal Palmon and in her princess costume]
– Yuramon
=Baby/ NA / Seed type=
A baby whose body is covered with long fur that it looks like a fluff ball. It travels through the air in an airy fashion.
– Tanemon
=Baby/ NA / Bulb type=
With two leaves coming out of her head, she can now perform photosynthesis. It is in this form that she meets Mimi on File Island for the first time.
– Togemon
=Adult/ Data / Plant type=
The evolved form of Palmon after being inspired by the Numemon’s desperate struggle against Monzaemon. Her personality as the fashion-loving Palmon hasn’t changed in the slightest, but now she displays a powerful boxing style. Her attack is unleashing the thorns on her body at the enemy, “Chiku Chiku Bang Bang.”
– Lilimon
=Perfect / Data / Fairy type=
The Perfect Level that is born out of the flower on top of Togemon’s head. When Vamdemon’s army attacks and drags Mimi’s family and the people of Odaiba into it, Mimi’s tears of being unable to forgive that lead the way towards her super-evolution. She has a form similar to that of a human girl, and the four wings on her back allow her to fly the skies freely. The “Flower Necklace” she can make appear from air can make bad viruses in a rampaging Digimon disappear.

– Kido Jyou
=Goes his own path in all seriousness=
6th grader in Odaiba elementary school. Since he planned on taking the entrance exam for a private middle school, he originally didn’t want to go to camp. A serious boy with a strong sense of responsibility, he worked hard as the oldest in the group to bring everyone back to their world safely, but because of his faintheartedness and lack of self-confidence he isn’t all that reliable. Because he is too honest, he often makes unnecessary remarks that discourage everyone. He aims to be a doctor because his dad tells him to, but his brother worries that it may not be the right career choice for Jyou since he faints at the sight of blood. But while caring for the injured Ogremon on Spiral Mountain, he awakens to the simple feeling that he wishes to help those in need before him.
— Key Item
—— Emergency bag
—— Sports bag
— Family
—— Kido Shin
Jyou’s oldest brother and a medical student. When the Bakemon attacked their family, he was sleeping in the closet and so avoided the danger. He well understands Jyou and worries about him, for Jyou chooses to live a future that their father wants him to. Shin is thinking of working on an isolated island that has no doctor in the future.
– Column (Camp and a small profile on Mimi’s classmates)

– Gomamon
=A laid-back Digimon who rides the waves=
—— Marching Fishes
– Pichimon
– Pukamon
– Ikkakumon
—— Harpoon Vulcan
– Zudomon

– Takaishi Takeru
=A strong heart with an innocent smile=
2nd grader in Kawada elementary school. He is Yamato’s younger brother, but because of their parents’ divorce, he currently lives only with their mother. Because he is the youngest among the Chosen Children, he is treated with great care among the group and he himself has a very friendly and innocent personality. He can be somewhat of a crybaby, but he has shown times when he volunteered himself to stay up as guard for the night or acted as a diligent worker who wouldn’t allow others to favor him with kindness. Due to memories of his parents’ divorce, he hates seeing two people he loves fight each other. Although small, his sense of justice is very strong and there are some cases when this quality appears almost to the point of stubbornness. When Hikari, who is the same age as him, joins their group, he grows even tougher and gains a strong heart that refuses to give up under any circumstances.
— Key item
—— Bookbag
— Family
—— Takaishi Natsuko
Yamato and Takeru’s mother. After divorcing with her husband, she now lives nearby Sangenjaya. Although she has a kind heart, she does not hold much belief in the unrealistic. When she saw the unusual events happening in Odaiba on the news, she joins Takeru to go to Yamato and her former husband.
– Column (Digieggs)

– Patamon
=The last trump card who carries holy power within=
—— Air Shot
– Poyomon
– Tokomon
– Angemon
– HolyAngemon

– Yagami Hikari
=The 8th child bound by fate=
Taichi’s younger sister and a 2nd grader in Odaiba elementary school. Because she caught a summer cold, she is unable to go to camp and rests at home. When Taichi is blown back towards Tokyo along with Koromon after their fight with Etemon, she acts as if she had once met Koromon, confusing the two. The truth turns out to be that 4 years ago when Digimon appeared in the real world, she and Taichi encounter Koromon for the first time, but Hikari is the only one who remembers it clearly. She becomes known as the eighth Chosen Children before long, partnering with Tailmon, and joining the rest of the children to their adventures back in the Digital World. Because she had recently gotten over an illness, she gives off the impression that she is very sickly throughout the series, but she is actually a cheerful and bright girl. That strength of hers is shown when she would not give in to fear even in front of Vamdemon.
— Key Item
—— Whistle
If Taichi’s trademark is his goggles, then Hikari’s is her whistle. It worked as a sonar when they were underwater with Whamon.
— Costume
— Meeko
The Yagami family’s cat. It ran around Odaiba trying to recover the Digivice it dropped. It is actually stronger than Koromon.
— Family
—— Yagami Susumu
Taichi and Hikari’s father. He loves his family above anything else. When the people of Odaiba were held prisoner by Vamdemon at Big Sight, he gathered up a few and planned out a means of escape. He showed himself to be reliable when it counts.
—— Yagami Yuuko
Taichi and Hikari’s mother. With her candid personality, she goes about doing the housework energetically for her family. When Greymon appeared to stop the Bakemon’s attacks, she was under the impression that it had attacked her children and was deeply worried.

– Tailmon
=A strong holy Digimon of aloof disposition=
– Nyaromon
– Plotmon
– Angewomon

Story guide
– File Island Arc (ep 1-13)
—— Kuwagamon
—— Shellmon
—— Seadramon
—— Monochromon
—— Andromon
—— Meramon
—— Unimon
—— Monzaemon
—— Numemon
—— Black Gears
—— Trolley
—— Devimon
—— Devimon’s Mansion
—— Bathrobes
—— Ogremon
—— Leomon
—— Yukidarumon
—— Mojyamon
—— Centarumon
—— Bakemon
—— Elecmon
—— Chuumon
—— Sukamon
– Etemon Arc (ep 14-20)
—— Gennai
—— Whamon
—— Drimogemon
—— Pagumon
—— Gazimon
—— Etemon
—— Etemon Car
– Vamdemon Arc (ep 21-28)
—— Enemy Greymon
—— SkullGreymon
—— Cockatrimon
—— Piccolomon
—— Tyrannomon
—— Nanomon
—— Etemon (Power up)
—— PicoDevimon
—— Vadermon
—— Betamon
—— Veggiemon
—— Otamamon
—— Geckomon
—— TonosamaGeckomon
—— Nanimon
—— Devidramon
—— Dokugumon
—— Flymon
—— Kodokugumon
—— Digimon cards
– Tokyo Arc (ep 29-39)
—— Mammon
—— Gesomon
—— Parrotmon
—— Raremon
—— DeathMeramon
—— Gotsumon
—— Pumpmon
—— Wizarmon
—— Gizamon
—— DarkTyrannomon
—— Tuskmon
—— MegaSeadramon
—— Phantomon
—— Snimon
—— Vamdemon
—— VenomVamdemon
– Spiral Mountain Arc (ep 40-47)
— Deep Savers
—— Anomalocarimon
—— Hangyomon
—— MetalSeadramon
— Wind Guardians
—— Kiwimon
—— Deramon
—— Mushmon
—— Floramon
—— Blossomon
—— Garbagemon
—— Jureimon
—— Woodmon
—— RedVeggimon
—— Pinocchimon

—— Pinocchimon’s dolls
—— MetalEtemon
—— Young Gennai
—— Guardromon
—— SaberLeomon

– Spiral Mountain Arc pt 2 (ep 48-54)
— Metal Empire
—— Mechanorimon
—— Megadramon
—— Gigadramon
—— Tankmon
—— Hagurumon
—— WaruMonzaemon
—— Mugendramon

— Nightmare Soldiers
—— LadyDevimon
—— Evilmon
—— Piemon

—— Piemon’s dolls

—— Apocalymon

Digimon Movie 01 – “Digimon Adventure”
– Yagami Taichi
1st grader in elementary school, who lives in Hikarigaoka and cares for his younger sister. He watches over her well and is reliable in that he takes care of the housework while his parents are out. When Koromon suddenly appears, he is bewildered over what to do. Goggles hang around his neck.
– Yagami Hikari
Taichi’s younger sister at age 3. The whistle she likes hangs around her neck. She easily accepts the egg that comes out of the computer, as well as Koromon, showing a strong attachment.
– Botamon
– Koromon
– Agumon
– Greymon
– Parrotmon

Digimon Movie 02 – “Digimon Adventure bokura no war game”
– Yagami Taichi
Even though it’s spring break, he fights with Sora over something trivial so coops himself up inside his home. He uses his dad’s computer to send an apology e-mail but… Because the phone lines are jammed due to a new type of Digimon, he uses the emergency message center to make correspondence with his friends.
– Izumi Koushiro
He uses the home PC in the Yagami’s house to pursue the new-type Digimon in the network. He also exchanges info with his internet friends throughout the world. When ADSL is down, he uses a satellite phone instead. Due to nerves, he drinks too much Oolong tea and has to leave for the bathroom at an important moment.
– Ishida Yamato
– Takaishi Takeru
– Grandma
Takeru and Yamato’s grandmother. In the movie, she is called “Kinu-san.”
– Yagami Hikari
– Takenouchi Sora
– Kido Jyou
– Tachikawa Mimi
– New-type Digimon
—— Kuramon
—— Tsumemon
—— Unnamed (Chrysalimon)
—— Keramon
—— Infermon
—— Diaboromon

—— Omegamon

Database
Column – “Digimon Monster’s History”

■ Digimon Adventure 02
Introduction
Keywords
– Children
– Digital World
– Evolution
– Stage
Main characters
– Motomiya Daisuke
=The fierce boy who inherits “Courage” and “Friendship”!!=
5th grader in Odaiba elementary schoo. 11 years old. He is a “Chosen Child” with the blue D-3. His Digimentals are “Courage,” “Friendship,” and at one point, “Miracles.” His Jogress partner is Ichijouji Ken. Rather than think first, he is the　reckless, hot-blooded type who acts with all of his power. He has a strong heart that refuses to ever give up, and he is very loyal to his friends. Daisuke was the first to accept Ken, who was once their enemy, into their group. In the movie, he also shows kindness when he sheds tears for Wallace whom he had only met recently. At school, he is in the same A-class with Takeru and Hikari. Due to his attraction for Hikari, he views Takeru as a tough rival. A soccer boy, he has a senpai-kouhai relationship with Taichi in the soccer club. His dream is to become the world’s best ramen shop owner.
— Goggles
— Everyday wear
— Summer clothes
— Winter clothes
— Pajamas
— School backpack
— 7 years old
Daisuke 3 years ago. In August 1999, he and his family were captured by Vamdemon and taken to Big Sight. That was the first time Daisuke encountered the Digimon.
– Family
— Motomiya Jun
Daisuke’s older sister, who is to become an 11th grader. Apart by 6 years in age, she often fights with her brother and apparently spreads bad rumors about him wherever she goes. She can act somewhat like a fangirl, and her hobby is chasing after Yamato’s band.
— Father (unnamed)
Daisuke and Jun’s father. His job is in publishing and he is an acquaintance of Takeru’s mother, who is an investigative reporter. When Vamdemon came three years ago, it is revealed that the Motomiyas were still living in Odaiba at the time.
— Mother (unnamed)
Daisuke and Jun’s mother. When Ken visited their house, both she and her husband were in high spirits as if a celebrity had come. Apparently Jun’s fangirl personality came from her.

– V-mon
=A super energetic small dragon with a head like a rock!!=
– Chikomon
– Chibimon
– Fladramon (Blazing courage!!)
—— Digimental
– Lighdramon (Thundering friendship!!)
—— Digimental
– XV-mon
=Normal evolution finally accomplished!!=

– Inoue Miyako
=The moodmaker who inherits “Love” and “Purity”!=
An energetic girl whose catchphrase is “Bingo!!” A 6th grader, making her the oldest among the new kids. 12 years old. Her D-3 color is red. Her Digimentals are “Love” and “Purity.” She is a bright girl who gets easily elated and likes to act the way she feels like. Koushiro’s junior, and current captain of Odaiba elementary school’s computer club. She is pretty good at computers and mechanics. It is also Miyako’s duty to make the call “Digital Gate Open! Chosen Children, let’s go!!” She is Iori and Takeru’s neighbor, living in the same condo as them. Because she moved to Odaiba in 5th grade, the Digimon fight in the Internet that occurred in spring 2000 is her first encounter with the Digimon.
– Everyday wear
– Summer clothes
– Winter clothes
– Pajamas
– Family
— Father (unnamed)
The Inoue family’s central pillar who manages the convenience store “I-Mart”. The store is located on the first floor of their apartment building. Also, the name of the store comes from the first letter of the last name. Their sign at the door says “The store of love and purity, I-Mart.”
— Mother (unnamed)
Miyako’s mother, who often can be found standing at the register of I-Mart. She is older than her husband by 3 years. Miyako supplies the children and Digimon with food from the store.
— Siblings: The oldest, Mantarou. Freshman in university. He helps out at the store. When Miyako came to him for advice on Ken, he told her “Whatever you do, just don’t regret it later.”
The second oldest, Momoe. A classmate of Jun, she often accompanies her to Yamato’s concerts. She is a member of the theatre club.
The third oldest, Chizuru. An 8th grader in Odaiba junior high, and the same class as Yamato. She is often asked by Jun to find out Yamato’s whereabouts.

– Hawkmon
=A reliable knight who surrenders to Miyako!=
– Pururumon
– Poromon
=The fluffy partner=
– Halsemon (Wings of love!)
—— Digimental
– Shurimon (Bursting purity!)
—— Digimental
– Aquilamon
=A giant bird Digimon who soars the skies!!=

– Hida Iori
=The youngest member who inherits “Knowledge” and “Sincerity”!=
3rd grader in Odaiba elementary school. 9 years old. His D-3 color is yellow. His Digimentals are “Knowledge” and “Sincerity.” His Jogress partner is Takaishi Takeru. The youngest among the year 2003 members, he is quite mature for his age. He acts courteously and politely in a way that’s hard to believe coming from a 9 year old. His father who was a policeman died 3 years ago, so his grandfather Chikara raised him in his father’s place. While always self-composed and hard on himself, he is clumsy at expressing himself as a child. He also does not like lies. Because of his diligence and strong sense of responsibility, he is not all that flexible and was unable to forgive Ken for being the Digimon Kaiser for some time. Before long, he learns about the relationship between his father and Oikawa, the man who threatens the Digital World.
– Everyday wear
– Summer clothes
– Winter clothes
– Kendo uniform
– 5 years old
Iori on August 1999, when he was coming back from London with his father’s remains. He was riding the airplane that lost function after it was touched by Kuwagamon that appeared from the Digital World in the skies. The plane was saved from crashing by Garudamon.
– Family
— Tomiko
Iori’s mother, who is both prone to worry and a good cook. Her specialty dishes are ohagi and kanpyou-maki. After losing her husband, she is now raising Iori with help from Chikara.
— Hida Chikara
Iori’s grandfather. He has a strict personality and is raising Iori with discipline in the place of his late son, Hiroki. However, unfitting of his age, he is good at being humorous and he likes cliched gags. His favorite food is the CHUx2 jelly. Long ago, back when Hiroki believed in the Digital World’s existence, he forbid Hiroki from being friends with Oikawa and felt secretly accountable for that afterwards. In episode 47, when the series draws to its close, Chikara explains everything when Iori reveals Armadimon to him.
— Picture of father
Iori’s father, Hida Hiroki was a first-rate policeman. However, 3 years ago, while undertaking the protection of an important person in London, he is killed in the line of duty. Even now, Iori looks up to him the most.

– Armadimon
=A chatty Digimon who speaks Nagoya dialect?!=
– Tsubumon
– Upamon
– Digmon (Steel knowledge!)
—— Digimental
– Submarimon (Swirling sincerity!)
—— Digimental
– Ankylomon
=A heavy-class Digimon with steel plated armor!!=

– Takaishi Takeru
=The mature form of ‘the smallest child’=
The boy who moves in Spring 2002 from Sangenjaya to an apartment in Odaiba (the same one as Inoue and Hida families). The form of Takeru three years later, since his adventures as a Chosen Child in 1999. His elementary school is the same as Daisuke and the others, Odaiba elementary school, Class 5-A. His Digivice changes into the green D-3 from the power of his Digimental of Hope. Perhaps due to his experiences in the adventure at a young age, he is very calm and composed than others his own age; but when he came near to losing Patamon, he showed excessive fear. Normally he is a quiet and kind-hearted boy, but his hatred for the “darkness” that had once taken Angemon’s life is stronger than anyone else’s.
– Everyday wear
– Summer clothes
– Winter clothes
– Family
— Takeru’s mother, Natsuko
Yamato and Takeru’s mother, a non-fiction writer. After the incident three years ago, her relationship with her ex-husband appears to have improved a bit.

– Pegasmon (Hope that gallops the heavens!)
—— Digimental

– The new Digivice
—— D-3
—— D-Terminal

– Yagami Hikari
=Taichi’s younger sister who has grown up healthily=
Taichi’s sister, who had once joined the adventure as the 8th Chosen Child. 11 years old. Without a trace of the easily-sick impression that she had three years ago, she has grown up into a vigorous and healthy young girl. Her D-3 is pink. Her Digimental is the same as her Crest, “Light”. As ruler of the “light” that points towards “evolution” in the Digital World, she is a special existence among the children. In elementary school, she is in the same Class 5-A as Daisuke and Takeru. She smoothly avoids the feelings of affection that Daisuke directs at her, showing an aspect of her befitting a girl of her age. However, her emotional dependence on her brother Taichi is still as strong as ever.
– Everyday wear
– Digicam
– Gym clothes
– Summer clothes
– Winter clothes

– Nefertimon (Smiling light!)
—— Digimental

– Digimon Kaiser
=The Digital World’s new ruler=
A tyrant who suddenly appears in the Digital World. Confident and prideful, his way of thinking is evil and cruel. He looks down at everyone around him, viewing both humans and Digimon as “insects!” For the Kaiser, who thinks Digimon are only data, taking over the Digital World is only a game. At the time, he did not show himself at night, but after episode 9 when his identity is revealed, he leaves the real world to reside in the Digital World. Through repeated experiments on multiple Digimon, he develops the Evil Spiral that allows him to evolve Digimon to Perfect Level without the use of a Crest and control them. Before long, his twisted talents create the fused monster Chimeramon using the fearsome Devimon’s data as its base.

– Ichijouji Ken
=The genius boy who awakens to “kindness”=
A genius boy who is featured even on TV. Everyone likes him and he is known throughout the world as good-natured, moral person who cannot be faulted for anything. Although a 5th grader and 11 years old, he shows his genius in many forms of mental and physical fields such as computer programming, speaking Spanish, soccer, archery, and chess.
However, he was in truth the Digimon Kaiser, cruel tyrant of the Digital World. His D-3 color is black. While there is a time he is troubled over the weight of his sins and acts apart from the children, his friendship with Daisuke grows. As the Chosen Child of “Kindness,” he fights for the Digital World and the Digimon.
– Shirt
– Pajamas
– Soccer uniform
– Winter clothes
– Family
— Parents (unnamed)
Ken’s parents. They put all of their attention on Ken’s genius older brother Osamu, neglecting to show as much care to the young Ken. When Ken lost his heart as the Digimon Kaiser and fell into a deep sleep, his parents realize for the first time that their way of raising their children had distorted their sons’ hearts. His father works at a computer company. His mother’s specialty dish is hamburgers. The family lives in room 303 in the “Tamachi T.M. Mansion” condo in Tamachi.
— Ichijouji brothers
Ken once had an older brother Osamu, who was three years older than him. While Osamu was Ken’s role model, Osamu was also so superior in everything that he was also an object of envy. His genius older brother monopolized their parents love and the admiration of everyone around them. Ken himself had nothing. While he came to think of himself in this way, a Digivice appeared before the two one day. Ken takes the Digivice in hand and catches a glimpse of the Digital World. Ken was a Chosen Child. But jealous of this, Osamu takes the Digivice from him. Ken wishes for his brother to disappear. Two years from now, as if granting that wish, Osamu is killed in a car accident. His brother died just as he wished. At his funeral, Oikawa learns of Ken and skillfully manipulates Ken’s heart, inviting him to the sea of darkness.

– Wormmon
=The gentle and loyal “insect”?!=
– Leafmon
– Stingmon
=A hero who works hard for Ken-chan!!=
– Minomon

– Akiyama Ryou
=The veteran Tamer!=
A veteran Tamer who journeyed the Digital World with 9-year-old Ken in August 2000. While originally a main character only for the game, his popularity lent to a crossover in the anime. According to producer Seki Hiromi, he is the same person as the Ryou who appears in the next series “Digimon Tamers.”

– Paildramon
=Jogress evolution=
– Imperialdramon (Dragon Mode)
=The ultimate dramon connects the world!!=
– Imperialdramon (Fighter Mode)
=Mode change! Fighter Mode!!=

– Silphymon
=Jogress evolution=
– Shakkoumon
=Jogress evolution=

– Chosen Children from 1999
— Yagami Taichi
Advanced into Odaiba middle school from elementary. 14 years old, 8th grader. He’s the ace of the school soccer club. Through his adventures in 1999 and growth from three years, he now has a grasp of making level-headed decisions. His ability as leader of the children has also been refined. He gives the goggles he cherished along with “courage” to Daisuke. Now that he’s in middle school, he has his own room.
—— Summer clothes
—— Winter clothes
—— Taichi’s parents
Yagami Susumu and Yuuko. They’ve become completely used to the Digimon.

— Ishida Yamato
8th grader in Odaiba middle school. 14 years old. He’s grown out his hair and is active in a band. The “TEEN-AGE WOLVES” group that he formed with his friends is popular enough to be broadcast on TV as a Christmas event. Starting with Daisuke’s older sister, Jun, he is supported by many fans. He is secretly happy about his younger brother Takeru living closer. On August 1st that comes once a year, he invited Takeru to the Ishida residence and treated him to a special dinner.
—— Summer clothes
—— Winter clothes
—— Yamato’s father
Fuji TV’s capable director. Even this time, he understands the situation on the Digimon and the children, and helps when they need it.

— Takenouchi Sora
8th grader in Odaiba middle school. 14 years old. After going into middle school, she joined the tennis club. Her experiences in the adventure have taught her to have a wider world view, and she has begun to challenge herself to become more feminine. Her relationship with her mother has gotten very good, and now she is learning flower-arranging and tennis from her. Some time immediately after that, she begins to have feelings for Yamato and the two of them start going out around Christmas. In Russia, she and Miyako make a lot of effort together in order to protect borscht.
—— Summer clothes
—— Winter clothes
—— Takenouchi Haruhiko
Sora’s father, a professor who teaches folkloristics at Tokyo University. His research takes him all over the world, and currently he is staying in Kyoto. Feeling that the spirits in Japanese folklore such as the kitsune and tanuki are similar to Digimon, not only is he grateful to the Digimon for aiding in his daughter’s growth, but he also appears to have an interest in the Digimon themselves. After meeting Miyako by coincidence while she is on a school trip, he told her about the four holy beasts that protected Kyoto from every direction. He also shows himself to be a somewhat comical person when he responds with an enthusiastic “Bingo!”
—— Takenouchi parents
Haruhiko is almost never at home due to his immersion in his research, while the mother is busy upholding the iemoto tradition. As a result, they are deeply grateful to the Digimon for keeping their family together.

— Izumi Koushiro
7th grader in Odaiba middle school. 13 years old. In both elementary and middle school, he is a member of the computer club. Since a computer is the basic necessity to open the Digital Gate, Daisuke and the others often rely on him. His inquisitive nature is the same as always, and his interest in the Digital World is deeper than anyone else’s. After Ken joins their group, he would often ask questions and listen to Ken’s stories. By doing such activities as developing a program that would detect the Digital Gate and taking the role of staff officer in strategical meetings, he acts as the brains of the group for the children.
—— Summer clothes
—— Winter clothes
—— Koushiro’s parents
Koushiro’s adopted parents, whose bond with him is deeper than if they were his real parents. They also get along well with Tentomon.

— Tachikawa Mimi
7th grade. 13 years old. Because of her father’s work, the three-person family move to New York. She returns once to Japan to go to her (male) cousin’s wedding, but every time she makes an appearance, one can see that both her hair style and fashion sense make big changes. Her laid-back and free-spirited personality is the same as when she was younger, but her selfish actions have decreased. In New York, she is friends with Michael and other children who have Digimon partners.
—— Winter clothes
—— Mimi’s parents
Mimi’s eccentric parents are still as lovey-dovey as ever. What job her father, Keisuke, has in New York is a mystery.
[Includes a fashion show page of Mimi’s different hair styles and clothes]

— Kido Jyou
9th grader. 15 years old. As he is aiming to become a doctor, he alone in the group went to a private middle school. He appears to go to juku every day, and spends most of his time studying. Nevertheless, because he is one of the Chosen Children, he automatically goes running to help Gomamon and his friends when they are in trouble. His personality is even more serious and diligent than before, and he now gives off a more mature aura.
—— Summer clothes
—— Winter clothes
—— Kido Shin
The Kido family’s oldest brother. He is currently a medical intern.
—— Kido Shuu
The second oldest Kido brother who becomes interested in Professor Takenouchi’s lecture and transfers from a premed major into humanities. Three years ago, he was at a training camp for club and so was not in Odaiba.

Story guide
– The Digimon Kaiser’s ambition (ep 1-21)
—— Deltamon
—— Gokimon
—— Ebidramon
—— Airdramon
—— MetalGreymon
—— Revolmon
—— Starmon
—— Igamon
—— Gorimon
—— Dark Towers
—— Evil Rings
—— Chimeramon

—— Human guests
— Mr. Hamazaki
— Iori’s teacher

—— The day Wizarmon died
—— Dark Ocean

– The new power Jogress Evolution (ep 22-37)
—— Attack of the spider woman!! Archnemon
—— Destroyer who lives for love?! Mummymon
—— Tortamon
—— Thunderballmon
—— Golemon
—— YukiBotamon
—— Ookuwamon
—— Kunemon
—— Minotaurmon
—— Knightmon
—— Musyamon
—— Rukamon
—— Hanumon
—— Bagumon
—— BlackWarGreymon
—— Qinlongmon

– Imperialdramon traveling the world!! (ep38-42)
— Japan
—— Teenage Wolves
—— Triceramon
—— Gennai
— New York
—— Michael
—— FlarLizamon
—— Sam
—— Maria
—— Steve
—— Tatem
—— Lou
— Hong Kong
—— 3 Poi brothers.
—— Octamon
—— Shakomon
—— Meena
—— Yue-hong
—— Dien
— Australia
—— Yuukari
—— Dingo
—— Ganimon
—— Coelamon
— France
—— Catherine
—— Michel
—— The three Mamemon brothers (Mamemon, MetalMamemon, BigMamemon)
— Mexico
—— Chicos
— Russia
—— Anna
—— Laura
—— Yuri

– Oikawa Yukio
=The man fascinated by the Digital World=
— 3 years ago
— Around age 25
— In 7th grade

– The kidnapped children
—— Yoshizawa Taka
—— Kawada Noriko
—— Shibata Hiro
—— Keiko

– Our Digital World (ep 43-50)
—— Milleniumon
—— Demon
—— MarineDevimon
—— SkullSatamon
—— The most-powerful, most-evil real enemy, BelialVamdemon
—— Pipimon

Digimon Movie 03 – “Digimon Adventure 02 zenpen – digimon hurricane jouriku!! kouhen – chouzetsu shinka!! ougon on digimental”
– Motomiya Daisuke
— 4 years old
– Wallace
— 4 years old
– Takaishi Takeru
— 4 years old
– Yagami Hikari
— 4 years old
– Inoue Miyako
— 4 years old
– Hida Iori
– 3 years old

– Chosen Children of year 1999

– Gumimon
— [Baby form]
— [Child form]
— [Adult form]
— [Armor form]
—— Digimental

– Chocomon
— [Adult form]
— [Baby form]
— [No appearance] (Child form)
— [Perfect Level]
— [Ultimate Level]
—— Vaccine type

– Magnamon
—— Digimental

Digimon Movie 04 – “Digimon Adventure 02 diablomon no gyakushuu”
– Motomiya Daisuke
Daisuke about to enter the new school year as a 6th grader. He is in charge of collecting the Kuramon scattered throughout town with Ken. He borrows his sister’s cell phone to stay in touch with Koushiro. In Shibuya, he catches sight of Omegamon and Diaboromon’s battle. He tries to join in but… In the final battle, his never-give-up heart brings forth a miracle.
– Ichijouji Ken
– Inoue Miyako
– Hida Iori
– Takaishi Takeru
– Yagami Hikari
– Chosen Children of year 1999

– Armagemon

– Database

– Column – “25 years later”
[Has two screenshots of each Chosen, one with their children, the other of their job. Underneath each screenshot is a short description]
The world of 25 years later, in the last episode of “Digimon Adventure 02” (year 2027). Taichi and the others live in a world where all of mankind has Digimon partners.
Takeru – He publicizes their adventures as children into a novel series.
Yamato – Became an astronaut to investigate “enemies” in outer space.
Koushiro – Acts as the leading figure in Digital World research.
Mimi – Appears on TV alongside Palmon as a culinary specialist.
Ken – Became a detective and pursues criminals with Stingmon!
Iori – Became a defense attorney to save the hearts of criminals like Oikawa.
Taichi – A diplomat connecting the real world and the Digital World.
Sora – Fashion designer coordinating with the Japanese style.
Jyou – Acquiring his degree in medicine without trouble, he becomes the first doctor of the Digital World.
Daisuke – His ramen food cart is a big success that it expands into a chain and he becomes a business tycoon.
Hikari – Her dream to be a kindergarten teacher is granted.
Miyako – Married to Ken. She is currently fighting hard as a mother of three children.

■ Digimon Tamers
Introduction
Keywords
– Children
– Digimon
– Evolution
– Stage
Main characters
– Matsuda Takato
=A kind-hearted main character who becomes the Tamer he always wanted to be=
— Goggles
— Pajamas
— Gym clothes
— Winter clothes
— Backpack
— Protection charm
— NAVI
— Takato’s Family
—— Matsuda Takehiro
—— Matsuka Mie

– Guilmon
=An energetic child Digimon who comes from a dream=
—— Backpack
– Growmon
– MegaloGrowmon
– Jarimon
– Gigimon
– Dukemon
– Zero Arms Grani
– Dukemon Crimson Mode
– Digivice
— Ultimate version
— Blue card
— Digimon cards

– Lee Jianliang
=The senior Tamer with a mature personality=
— Sunglasses
— Backpack
— Pajamas
— Martial arts uniform
— Winter clothes
— Bag
— Jian’s family
—— Lee Jiang-yu
—— Lee Mayumi
—— Lee Rin-chei
—— Lee Jaarin

– Terriermon
=A comforting Digimon who appears cute but is strong=
– Galgomon
– Rapidmon
– Jellymon
– Gummymon
– SaintGalgomon

– Makino Ruki
=The Digimon Queen who is invincible in battle=
— Sunglasses
— Card case
— MP3 player
— School uniform
— Pajamas
— Fall clothes
— Backpack
— Winter clothes
— Binoculars
— Ruki’s family
—— Makino Rumiko
—— Hata Seiko

– Renamon
=A mysterious Digimon who is not only beautiful but strong=
– Kyuubimon
– Taomon
– Reremon
– Pokomon
– Sakuyamon

– Katou Juri
=An airhead girl who admires Tamers=
— Gym clothes
— Bag
— Juri’s family
—— Katou Hajime
—— Katou Shizue
—— Katou Masahiko

– Shioda Hirokazu
=A card friend bonded through fierce friendship=
— Guardromon
— Andromon
— Kapurimon
— Hirokazu’s family
—— Shioda Hirofumi
—— Shioda Takako

– Kitagawa Kenta
=A card friend who is a bit laid-back=
— Camera
— MarineAngemon
— Kenta’s family
—— Kitagawa Shunsuke
—— Kitagawa Akemi

– Lee Shaochung
=Jian’s innocent and energetic younger sister=

– Lopmon
=A former Deva who chooses to live together with humans=
– Antiramon
– Cocomon
– Chocomon

– Akiyama Ryou
=The Digimon King who is number 1 when it comes to suave=
The legendary Tamer who won the championships in last year’s Digimon Tournament. His whereabouts are unknown immediately after this tournament, but he shows up meeting Ruki and the others in the Digital World. With his partner Cyberdramon, he has been traveling the Digital World for 10 months. Due to his tanned skin, sparkling white teeth, and pleasant smile, Ruki sarcastically describes him to be releasing “the perfect sparkling aura,” and his actions show beyond the shadow of a doubt to be filled with nothing but friendship and good intentions. His abilities are quite high, and he is able to use the Device card that only the truly strong Tamer is said to be able to master. After he returns to the Real World with Takato and the others, he goes back to his home in Kyushu temporarily, until the appearance of the D-Reaper in Tokyo prompts him to come running back.
— Electric whip
— Winter clothes
— Ryou’s family
Ryo’s father, who came from Kyushu to pick him up. He warmly greets Ryo back after his long absence from home. When Ryo is with his father, he speaks in Hakata dialect [the local dialect for Kyushu].

– Cyberdramon
=A violent Digimon who seeks to fight strong opponents=
– Monodramon
– Hopmon
– Justimon
—— Accel Arm
—— Critical Arm

– Impmon
=A kind little devil who isn’t honest with himself=
— Impmon’s laser gun
– Beelzebumon
— Shotgun
– Beelzebumon Blast Mode
— Blaster
— Ai and Makoto
— Behemoth
– Keymon
– Yaamon

– Culumon
=A strange Digimon who carries the light of evolution=

– Digi-Gnome
=Ghosts of the Digital World who can grant wishes=

– Yamaki Mitsuo
=Chief of the Information Administration who protects the real world=
— Lighter
— NAVI

– Ohtori Reika
— Everyday wear
— Swimsuit

– Onodera Megumi
— Chair

– Asanuma Nami
– Kurosawa Seiji
– Mori Soumei
– Iwamoto Tetsuya
– Classmates

– The Wild Bunch
—— Dolphin
His real name is Rob McCoy. A professor at Pal Alto University, his specialty is in computers. Back in the day they were researching Digimon, he was the center of the group as a young assistant professor.
—— Babel
A man with a bright personality who doesn’t forget to show his laid-back nature even under the toughest of situations. He hypothesized that the insides of the D-Reaper were a type of quantum computer, and underwent plans to make it degenerate.
—— Daisy
In charge of planning the Ark that helped to escape from the Digital World, as well as Grani after that. She wondered if it was the right thing not to tell the children about them having to separate from their Digimon as a result of their fight.
—— Curly
Real name is Aishwarya Lai [first name last name order]. She works as an assistant professor at Pal Alto University. She analyzes Hypnos’s log files and searches for the root of the D-Reaper’s actions.
—— SHIBUMI
His real name is Mizuno Gorou. Within the group, his way of thinking is unique, and he carries disbelief in the discrimination between biological and artificial life forms. In the Digital World’s water space, Takato and co meet his subconscious self.

Story guide
– The Digimon I thought up, Guilmon, is born! (ep 1-12)
—— Maildramon
—— MetalTyrannomon
—— Lynxmon
—— Goblimon
—— Allomon
—— IceDevimon
—— Fuugamon
—— Flybeemon
—— Harpymon

– The Devas attack! Stand up, Tamers! (ep 13-24)
—— DarkLizamon
—— Mihiramon
—— Sinduramon
—— Santiramon
—— Cho-sensei
—— Pajiramon
—— Vajiramon
—— Indaramon
—— Kunbiramon
—— Makuramon
—— Vikaralamon

– Find Culumon! Enter the Digital World! (ep 25-33)
—— Jagamon
—— Jijimon
—— Babamon
—— Choromon
—— Tsuchidarumon
—— Clockmon
—— Nohemon
—— Dogmon
—— Majiramon
—— Catsuramon
—— Orochimon
—— Mokumon
=Baby/ — / Smoke type=
The Digimon inside the library in Water Space. It transformed itself into SHIBUMI and passed out Blue cards in the real world.
—— Ark

– All hearts as one! The miraculous Ultimate evolutions (ep 34-41)
—— Megidramon
—— Zhuqiaomon
—— Xuanwumon
—— Baihumon
—— New Ark

— The Ultimate Level Digimon
—— Hououmon
—— GrandKuwagamon
—— Boltmon
—— Griffomon
—— Pukumon
—— Plesiomon

– Protect the world! Fight with the D-Reaper (ep 42-51)
—— Alice McCoy
—— Dobermon

— Agent D-Reaper
—— ADR-01 Juri
—— ADR-02 Searcher
—— ADR-03 Pendulum Feet
—— ADR-04 Bubbles
—— ADR-05 Creep Hands
—— Fake Juri
—— ADR-06 Horn Striker
—— ADR-07 Paratis Head
—— ADR-08 Optimizer
—— ADR-09 Gatekeeper
—— Reaper
—— Mother D-Reaper

Digimon Movie 05 – “Digimon Tamers boukenshatachi no tatakai”
– Urazoe Kai
– Uehara Minami
– Mei
– Uehara Takehito
– Labramon
– Seisamon
– Urazoe Wataru

– The Digimon under Mephismon’s control
—— Pteramon
—— Mantaraymon
—— Arcelomon
—— Tilomon
—— Depthmon
—— Pipismon
—— Ponchomon
—— Baromon
—— Sepikmon

– Tamashiro Ryuuji
– Mephismon
– Galfmon

Digimon Movie 06 – “Digimon Tamers bousou digimon tokkyuu”
– Parasimon
– Locomon
– GrandLocomon

Database
Column – “The Tamers’ Digital World”

■ Digimon Frontier
Introduction

Keywords
– Children
– Digimon
– Evolution
– Stage

Main characters
– Kanbara Takuya
=The hot blooded boy with flaming courage=
A fifth grader who lives in Jiyuugaoka. By receiving a message on a cell phone titled “A game that will decide your future,” he enters into a journey to the Digital World. After obtaining the spirit of Agnimon, one of the 10 Legendary Warriors, at the Flame Terminal, he becomes the first among the children to evolve into a Digimon. At home, he is always having to look after his younger brother, and he is the older brother type who always thinks about his friends before himself. His sense of justice is strong, and when he hears a voice calling for help, whether it is his friends or Digimon, he cannot ignore it. Because of that, he naturally ends up taking up the leadership position in the group.
— Warrior of Fire, Agnimon
The form that Takuya evolves into using the power of the Human Spirit of Flame. With such attacks as Salamander Break (enveloping his entire body in flames before spinning furiously and kicking out), Fire Darts (unleashing fire arrows), and Burning Salamander (punching out with fists as both arms spit out fire), he is able to use a diverse number of techniques that combine the power of fire with Oriental martial arts.
Human Spirit of Flame = Found at the Flame Terminal, where Takuya and the others first arrive in the Digital World. The spirit is protected by blue flames that reject everyone except the chosen one.
— Warrior of Fire, Vritramon
Beast Spirit of Flame
— Flamon
— Ardhamon
— KaiserGreymon
— Susanoomon
— Zero Arms Orochi

– Minamoto Kouji
=The lone wolf who gives off a cool light=
A boy who rode on the same train as Takuya, heading for Shibuya. 5th grader. He does not say much and has a cool personality, never bothering himself with strangers. He had been unable to open himself up to his stepmother for a long time, but recently began thinking about changing his attitude towards her on the anniversary of her and his father’s wedding day. It was during this time that he receives a message about “A game that will decide his future,” along with another message that is sent only to him claiming that by going to the Digital World, he will discover the secrets that have been imposed upon him. Perhaps because he has been raised as an only child, he shows himself at a loss on how to handle younger children such as Tomoki, but he learns to naturally care for others by following Takuya’s example. His ability to make calm and rational decisions is the best among the children, and even though he is sometimes at odds with Takuya, he protects his friends from danger. When he at last meets his older twin brother, Kouichi, after having been separated at birth, he learns the true meaning behind his journey.
— Warrior of Light, Wolfmon
Human Spirit of Light
— Warrior of Light, Garmmon
Beast Spirit of Light
— Beowulfmon
— MagnaGarurumon

– Orimoto Izumi
=The gentle and refreshing wind that comes from Italy=
— Warrior of Wind, Fairymon
Human Spirit of Wind
— Warrior of Wind, Shutumon
Beast Spirit of Wind

– Shibayama Junpei
=Always taken by Izumi’s charm?!=
— Warrior of Thunder, Blitzmon
Human Spirit of Thunder
— Warrior of Thunder, Bolgmon
Beast Spirit of Thunder

– Himi Tomoki
=A small hero with a transparent heart=
— Warrior of Ice, Chakmon
Human Spirit of Ice
— Warrior of Ice, Blizzarmon
Beast Spirit of Ice

– Kimura Kouichi
=The rightful darkness that supports the light=
The true identity of the warrior of darkness, Duskmon, who appeared before Takuya and the others as a servant of Cherubimon. He is Kouji’s older twin brother, but their parents divorced when they were at a young age and the two were separated. After finding out from his grandmother at her sickbed that he had a brother, he grows interested in meeting Kouji, whom he had not seen before. However, when he does, he gradually starts harboring feelings of resentment, for Kouji appeared to live a life that lacked nothing while Kouichi and his mother were badly off. These dark feelings are what Cherubimon manipulates to use him. Once he regains his memories and emotions as Kouichi, the guilt he feels from his actions prevent him from opening up to Kouji, but when he faces the darkness that is within his own heart, he gains the true Spirits of darkness. As a newly born Warrior of Darkness, he chooses to fight alongside Kouji.
— Warrior of Darkness, Lowemon
Human Spirit of Darkness
— Warrior of Darkness, KaiserLeomon
Beast Spirit of Darkness

– D-Scanner
— D-Scanner’s functions
— New D-Scanner

– Families
— Takuya’s family
—— Kanbara Hiroaki
—— Kanbara Yuriko
—— Kanbara Shinya
— Kouji/Kouichi’s family
—— Father (unnamed)
—— Kouji’s stepmother (unnamed)
—— Kouji’s dog
—— Mother (unnamed)
—— Grandmother (unnamed)
— Tomoki’s family
—— Father (unnamed)
—— Mother (unnamed)
—— Older brother (unnamed)

– Bokomon
=The Digital World’s guide=
— Guidebook

– Neemon
=His laid-back attitude is world-class=

– The 3 Arch Angel Digimon
— Seraphimon
—— Patamon
— Ophanimon
— Cherubimon

– Trailmon
—— Worm
—— Kettle
—— Mole
—— Buffalo
—— Raccoon Dog
—— Angler
—— Franken
—— Trailmon of Darkness

– Evil 5 Warriors
— Warrior of Earth, Grottomon
Human Spirit of Earth
— Warrior of Earth, Gigasmon
Beast Spirit of Earth
— Warrior of Wood, Arbormon
Human Spirit of Wood
— Warrior of Wood, Petaldramon
Beast Spirit of Wood
— Warrior of Water, Ranamon
Human Spirit of Water
— Warrior of Water, Calamarimon
Beast Spirit of Water
— Warrior of Steel, Mercuremon
Human Spirit of Steel
— Warrior of Steel, Sefirotmon
Beast Spirit of Steel
— Warrior of Darkness, Duskmon
Human Spirit of Darkness
— Warrior of Darkness, Velgmon
Beast Spirit of Darkness

– Royal Knights
— Warrior of Aloofness, RhodeKnightmon
— Warrior of Passion, Dynasmon

Story guide
– Game start! Journey to the Digital World (ep 1-12)
—— Cerberumon
—— Candmon
—— Kongoumon
—— KaratsukiNumemon
—— Pandamon
—— ToyAgumon
—— Gotsumon

– Strong enemy: The five evil warriors! Fight them with Beast Spirits! (ep 13-23)
—— Sorcerymon
—— Toucanmon
—— EbiBurgermon
—— Pidmon
—— PetitMeramon
—— Burgermon
—— TorikaraBallmon
—— Chamelemon

– Rose Venus – Showdown with Cherubimon! (ep 24-37)
—— Volcamon
—— Karatenmon
—— Ashuramon
—— Honeybeemon
—— Panjamon
—— BlackSeraphimon
—— Cherubimon (white)

– Royal Knights appear! The Digital World’s greatest crisis (ep 38-46)
—— Superstarmon
—— Sub characters

—— Sagitarrimon
—— Swanmon
—— Zanbamon
—— Lucemon

– The powers of all ten warriors united! Showdown with Lucemon (ep 47-50)
—— Lucemon Falldown Mode
—— Lucemon Satan Mode
—— Lucemon Larva

Digimon Movie 07 – “Digimon Frontier kodai digimon fukkatsu!!”
— Human Digimon
—— Kotemon
—— DinoHumon
—— Pucchimon
—— FlarWizarmon
—— Yashamon
—— D’arcmon
— Beast Digimon
—— Bearmon
—— Grizzlimon
—— HippoGryphmon
—— Bitmon
—— Bulumon
—— Moosemon
—— Paomon
—— Prairiemon
—— Goatmon
—— Boarmon

—— Murmuxmon
—— Ornismon

—— Diginorimon

Database
Column – “Digital Monster X-Evolution”

■ Digimon Savers
Introduction
Keywords
– Children
– Digimon
– Evolution
– Stage
Main characters
– Daimon Masaru
=The best fighter in Japan, who is beyond both calculation and common sense=
8th grader in a private school, Ohtori Academy. 14 years old. Just like his nickname “the best fighter in Japan” states, he spent each day from dawn until dusk fighting with his fists until one day he just happens to meet Agumon, who had escaped from DATS. After an all-out fist fight, the two of them make a pledge to be each other’s spiritual brother. This soon leads to him joining DATS. It was obvious at first that he preferred doing things his own way and he was vehemently against Tohma’s way, but before long they began to understand one another. In contrast to his wild personality, his consideration for family and friends is deeper than the average person, and he even takes good care of those who had only recently become his friend. Also, he does not hesitate to put his own self in danger in order to help them. His actions, which are unpredictable and lack common sense, often cause teamwork to fall apart, but there were also many times when his actions broke through a wall for them to keep moving forward. During the fight between the Digital World and the human world, he had developed greatly as a human being. After all of the battles were over, he heads to the Digital World to help rebuild it. His birthday is April 2nd. Blood type B.
— ID Plate
— DATS uniform
— School uniform
— Personal wear
— Pajamas
— DigiEgg
— As a child
Masaru 10 years ago, around the time when his sister Chika was just born. Before his father Suguru heads to the Digital World, Masaru catches the speedball that Suguru throws with all of his strength. From this, his father acknowledges him as a man and trusts him to watch the family until his father returns.
— Digivice
— Digivice Burst

– Agumon
=An irreplaceable partner who grows alongside Masaru=
– GeoGreymon
– RiseGreymon
– ShineGreymon
– ShineGreymon: Burst Mode

– Tohma H Norstein
=Elite fighter with emphasis on theory and data=
An elite team member who returned home to Japan after being dispatched from DATS EU headquarters. A genius who graduated head of his class at the age of 13 from Stockholm Royal Medical School, and with his brilliant mind developed the Digimon transmission device used by headquarters. Not only is he intelligent, but he is also excellent at sports, particularly in boxing where not even an Olympic champion could beat him. He is even able to K.O. Masaru easily. Although he has the blood of the noble Norstein family from Austria, his mother is Japanese and not of nobility, so he was not accepted as a rightful successor and grew up in Japan with his mother. After his mother’s death, the Norstein family takes him in, but he detests his father Franz for leaving them. Because he and Masaru are polar opposites in every way, they fought over every possible thing, but through many battles, they accepted each other and became good partners. After their battle is over, he wins the Nobel Prize for medicine five years later at age 19.
— Family crest
— DATS uniform
— Mobile PC
— Digimon Organizer
— Tuxedo
— Training wear
— Personal wear
— Surgical gown
— As a child
Although born into a noble family, his father was forbidden from marrying his mother and so Tohma was unable to return to the Norstein family and lived instead with his mother in Japan. Living with his mother was a tranquil life for the young Tohma, but it did not last long.
— Private jet
— Limousine
— Helicopter

– Gaomon
=Partner that swears loyalty to Tohma and has tremendous faith in him=
– Gaogamon
– MachGaogamon
– MirageGaogamon
– MirageGaogamon: Burst Mode

– Fujieda Yoshino
=The kind and strong red flower of DATS=
The only woman among DATS active-working members. At age 18, she is the oldest among the three and perhaps because of that, she appears to be the closest to common sense compared to the other two. She does her work seriously, but as she is often turned this way and that by Masaru and Tohma’s actions, she almost always finds herself confronting an unexpected situation. Whispering “This is the worst” has become her favorite phrase. Although she has a hard-working personality, Lalamon exposes a messy side to her personal life, saying that “she doesn’t clean her room,” “she doesn’t fold her laundry,” and “she has bad sleeping form.” When she was a child, she formed a complex by comparing herself to her talented older sisters, and she lost her self-confidence. It was her first meeting with Lalamon that she was able to begin recovering from her dejection. It was also Lalamon’s presence that was able to help her get back on her feet when she grew faint-hearted when facing a battle in the Digital World. Her favorite foods are Musashiya’s strawberry mille-feuille and Yokonari’s coffee jelly. After the battle was over, she becomes a policewoman and works as Satsuma’s subordinate.
— DATS uniform
— Bracelet
— Personal wear
— Street clothes
— Reporter clothes
— Apron
— As a child
Yoshino at 5-years-old. She had a shy personality and a complex against her two talented older sisters. That pressure is what caused her to mess up at a piano recital, leaving a large trauma in her young heart.

– Lalamon
=An irreplaceable best friend who is always at Yoshino’s side=
– Budmon
– Sunflowmon
– Lilamon
– Rosemon
– Rosemon: Burst Mode

– Ikuto
=A young boy raised as a Digimon, and holds a strong hatred for humans=
A young boy who Masaru and the others first meet in the Digital World. He has immense hatred for humans and fights against Masaru and co. many times. Although he identifies himself as a Digimon, he is actually a human whose name is Noguchi Ikuto. Born as the only son of the Noguchi couple, who are researchers of super-spacetime, he was sucked into a Digital Gate that suddenly opened within the research room of their home when he was a baby, leaving his whereabouts unknown. Lost in the Digital World, he was found and raised by Yukidarumon, but when Yukidarumon is killed by humans, he grows to hate them viciously. Following in allegiance with Mercurimon, who also felt hostility to humans, Ikuto fights using the boomerang as his weapon. That Mercurimon gives him his Digivice made by Daimon Suguru. After learning of his origins and returning to the human world, he is still unable to accept his circumstances, but after meeting his real parents his heart gradually shifts and he becomes a reliable comrade who fights the real enemy alongside Masaru and co. Five years later, after the battle is over, he goes to the same middle school as Chika.
– Personal wear
– As a child
Ikuto as a baby, and Ikuto at 3-years-old when his foster parent died. These events greatly change his destiny.

– Falcomon
=Partner who is raised and fights with Ikuto=
– Peckmon
– Yatagaramon
– Ravemon
– Ravemon: Burst Mode

– Satsuma Rentarou
=The calm and composed commander who watches over Masaru and co’s battles=
— Coat
— As a detective
— Investigative wear

– Kudamon
=A Digimon who believes in the human potential and sides with them=
– Reppamon
– Tyilinmon
– Sleipmon

– Kurosaki Miki
=A cool operator with a sharp head on her shoulders=
— Headseat
— New costume

– Shirakawa Megumi
=Supports the team with her precise information=
— Headset
— New costume

– Pawnchessmon
=The hidden forces that protect DATS from behind=
– Knightchessmon
– Rookchessmon
– Bishopchessmon

– Yushima Hiroshi
=The leading man against Digimon crimes=
— Fishing clothes
— Fortuneteller
— Winter clothes
— Aloha clothes
— Doctor’s coat
— As a detective
— Investigative wear

– Kamemon
=The healing member of DATS=
– Gwappamon
– Shaujinmon

– Daimon Sayuri
=Her fried eggs are the best thing on earth!=
— Sayuri 10 years ago

– Daimon Chika
=Brother and sister are actually pretty alike?!=
— Chika 10 years ago

– Puwamon
– Piyomon
– Aquilamon
– Garudamon

– Daimon Suguru
=A great father who loved the Digital World=
— Suguru as an investigator

– BantyoLeomon
=A guide who carries in him a burning Digisoul=

– Tohma’s family
— Tohma’s mother
A Japanese woman who gets to know Franz while he is studying abroad in Japan and marries him. This marriage is not accepted by her husband’s family, and so she lives with Tohma in Japan. While heading to a summer festival with young Tohma, she dies from a car accident.
— Franz Norstein
Tohma’s father. He takes in Tohma after his wife’s death, but his responsibilities of carrying on the family name as well as his guilty conscience for being unable to protect his wife make him act reservedly towards Tohma.
— Relena Norstein
— Tohma’s grandmother
— Butler

– Yoshino’s family
— Yoshino’s mother
— Yoshino’s sisters

– Ikuto’s family
— Noguchi Kenji
— Noguchi Misuzu
— Noguchi Ruka
— Yukidarumon

– Kurata Akihiro
=A coward’s heart that brings forth a disaster=
— Time-space oscillation bomb
— Kurata 10 years ago

– Tsubasa Kouki
=An arrogant fighter who starves for power=
– Kouki and co’s Digivice
– BioThunderbirmon
– BioDarkdramon

– Nanami
=A genius girl who makes eerie advances=
-BioQuetzalmon
-BioLotusmon

– Ivan
=An innocent man who sells both body and heart for money=
A large man who, along with Kouki and Nanami, attacks Masaru’s group as they are heading to the Digital World. He has a habit of unintentionally saying whatever he is thinking, and because of this he reveals himself the secret feelings he has for Yoshino upon falling in love with her at first sight. The reason why he volunteered to become a Bio Digimon was because Kurata was paying him, and the mass killing of Digimon is nothing but business to him. Yoshino detested that coldheartedness and defeats him together with Rosemon, but learns from the picture that the fallen Ivan was holding that he was earning the money to support his family.
– BioStegomon
– BioSpinomon

– Gizmon
=Anti-Digimon weapons that bring death=
-ProtoGizmon
– Gizmon: AT
– Gizmon: XT
– Dark Digivice

– Belphemon
=Sleeping Demon Lord who is master of sloth=
– Belphemon Sleep Mode
– Belphemon Rage Mode

– Mercurimon
=A great king with ideals in his heart=

– Saberleomon
=A proud lion who burns with fury=

– Royal Knights
– Craniummon
– AlforceV-dramon
– Duftmon
– RhodeKnightmon
– Omegamon
– Dukemon
– Dynasmon
– Magnamon

Story guide
Digimon Movie 08 – “Digimon Savers kyuukyoku pawaa! burst mode hatsudou!!”
Database

■ Special contents
WE LOVE DIGIMON MUSIC!! Digimon Music Museum!!
DVD chronicle
Special interview
– Seki Hiromi (Producer) x Kakudou Hiroyuki (Series director) x Yukio Kaizawa (Series director)
The beginning
— First, please tell us how the anime process got started.
Seki: It was originally a project that Bandai-san threw at Toei Animation. They wanted to turn the the “Digital Monster” mobile game for boys that had been shaped from the tamagotchi into an animation. In order to set that up, blah, blah, is how things first started. However, at that point we did have the “evolution” component but no other characters beyond the monsters that are found in the mobile game. They didn’t speak words and there was no story either.
— How did things flesh out from there?
— How did Kakudou-san end up getting involved?
— Was it decided for the TV series and movie to be set up at the same time?
— Were the basic contents decided at that point?
The Chosen Children
— How did 7 characters end up being the regulars?
— By the way, it’s also been said that you like writing up details about the families.
— The family situations surrounding the children makes one feel good to look at.
Enjoying location hunting
— It’s in the Tokyo arc that families are seen being involved.
— Having the setting take place in a specific area “Odaiba” is also unique.
— Was it to act as a contrast to the Digital World?
— The newly constructed office building of Fuji TV was destroyed.
— Was there anything during location hunting that left an impression on you?
— Did you frequently go location hunting?
The second series 3 years later
— The series began with the idea that it would run for a year, did it?
— When was the second season decided?
— Is that also why the Digimon Kaiser was introduced as a new element?
— A glimpse of that is seen in the CD dramas and novels.
— It certainly does feel connected from the movies.
— The relationship between the real world and the Digital World changes between the first and second series.
— The flow of time between broadcast was synchronized with the real seasons, so it was unique in that it felt like it was really taking place.
— Was the two series as a memoir of Takeru determined from the beginning?
From “partners” to “friends”
— The third series isn’t a continuation, but an entirely new series.
— “Tamers” became a series that conspicuously depict realism.
— Terriermon had a particular atmosphere about him.
— The series compositor, Konaka (Chiaki)-san wrote an episode in “02”.
— The idea of Digimon and children fusing together was innovative.
The visual of the Digital World
— The format of the Digital World itself was reformed.
— Did Kakudou-san make all of them without pay?
— Did you do the armor evolutions as well?
The fourth series is “to choose”.
— How was the course of action for the fourth series decided?
— The idea of not having Digimon partners was also innovative.
— The fact that one “must make their own decision” was emphasized in the very first episode.
— Was it decided in the beginning that they would not appear until the end?
— Kakudou-san has acted as episode director in series 3 and 4.
— Regardless that the anime series was an original story, “X-Evolution” is a “Digital Monster” movie in the truest sense.
What Digimon doesn’t lack is music.
— When we think of Digimon, the impression of “evolution music” is strong.
— It was a surprise that “brave heart” also played during “02”.
— If you include the single maxis, the total comes out to around 130.
— It got very busy around “02”.
— Holding a live concert at Zepp Tokyo.
— The CD dramas include some information that is quite worth listening to.
— There was even an episode involving 9/11.
Looking back after 10 years
— Now looking back after 10 years, what is “Digimon” to you?
— Last of all is a message to the fans from Seki-san.

Digimon index

02/27/10 – If you didn’t see your favorite character’s name in the table of contents, don’t worry. Everyone is in this book. I really recommend that everyone buys this book only because of the pictures in them. None are colored or new, but you get to see most of the original lineart for all characters/settings. If you ever wondered how that character looked front and back for fanart/cosplay purposes, this book is your encyclopedia. The descriptions that come with them are nothing new as far as I’ve read so far, though… they only describe the character as you had already seen them in the anime. Eh, since this blog isn’t to review the item though, I’ll stop there.
And no (since this seems to be a hot topic), sorry, there is no confirmation on Takeru/Hikari coupling for Zero Two — the official couples are Sora/Yamato and Miyako/Ken. That’s it! The “Column” pages for this book are only one page and give the minimum of information.
Because it is both a 380-ish page book and I have exams coming up this week, I’ll be updating this page pretty slowly during the first week of March. I think I’ll start with the interview first.

03/08/10 – Requests and the interview being worked on in my free intervals as of now. I will reply back to your comment when I am finished with your request.

List for my sake:
Parents of chosen children
Interview
Real Tokyo localizations in Adventure/02/Tamers
Tamers sub characters
Columns (Tamers)
Izumi/Fairymon
Other ages
Yoshino and Digimon
Ivan
Digimon partners, all seasons
Alice McCoy
All Hybrid Digimon
Masaru, Agumon (Savers) + evolutions, Lalamon evolutions
Parents — Takeru’s mother and father (subordinates), Jyou’s family, Tamers parents
Shaochung
V-mon
Miki, Megumi, Yushima, Nanami and Sayuri. Related digimon and biohybrids (including Ivan)
Tailmon and her forms.
X-Evolution
Bokomon
Guilmon + evos
Frontier synopsis
The 3 Arch Angel Digimon
Trailmon
Evil 5 Warriors
Royal Knights (Frontier)
Frontier story guide
Digimon Movie 07 – “Digimon Frontier kodai digimon fukkatsu!!”
Frontier database
Royal Knights (Savers)
Worldwide Chosen children
Ai, Kai and Minami (Tamers)
Katsuharu, Teppei, Chiaki and Teruo (Frontier)

03/11/10 – Requests will be closing on March 20th. After that, I will be updating the page based solely on what I personally like. What I like might not necessarily be what you like, so if there is a part of the book that has your interest, please comment soon.

03/20/10 – Requests are closed. Comments made after #34 by Rene_recluse cannot be accepted. I may re-open requests some time in the future, but for now this list will be keeping me busy for awhile.

Three scans from the Digimon Adventure illustrated guide book, “Digimon Adventure Memorial Book.”

Where to buy: No longer in production. Try sellers on Amazon.JP

Note: This is NOT the memorial book that was scheduled to come out in 2009. It’s an older version published in 2000 that only has Adventure storyline in it.

This scan really has no value; it’s not even a good one. I just like this image.

Digimon secrets that you’ll find in these pages:
*What Gabumon looks like without fur
*Tokomon’s teeth
*Tentomon without his arms
*Tailmon without her gloves
*HolyAngemon without his wings
*Palmon’s unique technique
*Nanimon’s armpits

It’s possible that I’ll edit this post in the future with more information if I deem it worthy enough to share, etc.

To support this site:

“Unlisted Credits” here are a list of character voices that didn’t get into the official credits, but I’m going to credit them anyway. These lists are going to be added/deleted to as time goes on, when I find the time to re-watch episodes. They’re definitely not final right now.

Last of all, I’ve also found this→ convenient widget on the right side here called “Email Subscription” that you can use to be notified through email when I update. I’m not really sure if it’s working properly, so let me know! (Please be aware that not everything I update will be Digimon).

# Main Opening Credits
# Episode Credits
# Unlisted Credits
# Movie Credits
# Novel Credits

Where to buy: No longer in production. Check out Amazon.JP for possible sellers.

——————————–
TRACKS
01: Butter-Fly(八神太一,アグモン,石田ヤマト,ガブモン,城戸丈,ゴマモン,泉光子郎,テントモン) – Butter-Fly (Yagami Taichi, Agumon, Ishida Yamato, Gabumon, Kido Jyou, Gomamon, Izumi Koushiro, Tentomon)
02: I wish(武之内空,ピヨモン,太刀川ミミ,パルモン) – I wish (Takenouchi Sora, Piyomon, Tachikawa Mimi, Palmon)
03: Butter-Fly(和田光司) – Butter-Fly (Wada Kouji)
04: I wish(前田愛) – I wish (Maeda Ai)
05: チームアドベンチャー コメントその1 – TEAM ADVENTURE COMMENT sono 1
06: チームアドベンチャー コメントその2 – TEAM ADVENTURE COMMENT sono 2

——————————–
TRACK 05: Team Adventure Comments (Part 1)
I’m Yuuto Kazama, who voices Yamato Ishida. This song, Butter-Fly, is memorable to me in a lot of ways. Being able to sing it has been a very happy experience for me. Thank you.

This is Mayumi Yamaguchi, who voices Gabumon. [as GABUMON] I tried to copy Yamato and sing in a cool way but I couldn’t do it. I want to be as cool as Yamato!

This is Umi Tenjin, who voices Izumi Koushiro. [as KOUSHIRO] Tentomon. Do you think I’m able to smile naturally now?

This is Takahiro Sakurai, who voices Tentomon. [as TENTOMON] So, listen. I heard about this happy event where we reached 100 CD titles, so I was saying, how about we sing some kind of memorial song when we reach 200– but what’s this, we’re already singing it! Eh? What the heck?! It’s been years since I’ve last seen everyone, and none of them’s changed a bit! Seriously, it’s as if time never passed at all. Still, I was happy to have been able to sing Butter-Fly. Singing in this voice– [in his normal voice] Singing in this voice is hard. It’s really hard! [laughs] Yeah. It’s a little– [back as TENTOMON] It’s really different, isn’t it? See? Well, I hope people who listen to this and see it think to themselves, “Oh, this brings back memories!” That would make me, Tentomon, very happy. And I’ll leave you at that. Petit Thunder! Bye-bye!

This is Masami Kikuchi, who voices Jyou Kido. [as JYOU] My head feels all giddy. But I was able to sing magnificently, just like always.
GOMAMON: Critical kick!
JYOU: Ouch. I was kicked off.

This is Junko Takeuchi, who voices Gomamon. [as GOMAMON] Um, I have a secret I want to tell you guys. You listen to this, too, Jyou. The thing is… the thing is, I… I–I–I like someone! Her name is Gomamonko. She ends everything she says with “~goma”. But you won’t catch me saying that, too. I’m thinking of introducing her to Jyou, but not to anyone else. It’d be too embarrassing. Okay, see you! Bye-bye!

This is Chika Sakamoto, who voices Agumon. [as AGUMON] Agumon will always be evolving! As for singing… Agumon, evolve! [in her normal voice] And something or other… [back as AGUMON] Follow me, everyone! Bye!

This is Toshiko Fujita, who voices Taichi Yagami. [as TAICHI] After all these years of seeing the old members again… and singing Butter-Fly together… it’s really tired me out. With one thing or another, the inside of the studio is always noisy. Our recording situation hasn’t changed a bit– I mean, when you compare it to how we did post-recording during the series. In other words, it means that none of us have grown up! I guess Agumon is just about the only one who’s evolved. Bye!
——————————–
TRACK 06: Team Adventure Comments (Part 2)
This is Atori Shigematsu, who voices Piyomon. [as PIYOMON] Sora! I’m going to a haunted house with your mother next time. Don’t worry! I’ll make sure to protect her!

This is Yuko Mizutani, who voices Sora Takenouchi. [as SORA] I hope we see each other again. “I wish.”

This is Shihomi Mizowaki, who voices Palmon. [as PALMON] Hey, Mimi. If I eat a cactus steak, does that make me a cannibal?

This is Ai Maeda, who voices Mimi Tachikawa. Now, as Mimi. [as MIMI] Hello, this is Mimi Tachikawa! Long time no see! How are you all doing? Wow, it’s the 100th title. Congratulations! Thank you! We owe it all to your support! Thank you very much! See, I happen to go karaoke with my friends a lot, and — just what you’d expect from 100 titles — there were a lot of Digimon songs! From what I’ve heard, it seems like everyone made requests for them. Thank you! I’m going to put all of them up and have a songfest with everyone; it’ll be really fun! If there are people out there who haven’t done so yet… oh, right, right, how about practicing the song “I wish” that we just did and sing that? If you sing along with all of your friends, just like us, I’m sure it’ll make you forget all of the bad things that happened that day and cheer you up again 100 percent! Of course, singing alone is fine, too. Sing away!
And so, I’m glad I got to meet all of you again! A lot may happen, but let’s keep doing our best with smiles on our faces! I hope we see each other again someday! Mimi out!

To support this site: