Agumon watched from the side as Tai reached his hand toward that terrifying mass of darkness. He wanted to do something for Tai, but he didn't know what. Datamon, meanwhile, activated a data scanner to record and monitor where the data flowed.
At first Tai's face twisted in pain, but it didn't last; it softened into calm—then into an expression that defied description.
Tai felt as if he were soaking in a hot spring—so warm. A feeling beyond words spread through him, making his whole body relax.
Tiny motes of light began to appear around Tai. "This… what is this?" Agumon asked at last, directing the question to Datamon.
Datamon raised his head to the lights, tapped a key, and glanced at his readouts. "It's fine. Lord Tai is about to succeed."
A wave of heat swelled through Agumon's body. "So hot… there's a power surging up."
The motes around Tai seemed drawn to the Digivice at his waist, flooding into it. A faint, dark beam shot into the Crest, and then dazzling light burst back out of the Crest. Bathed in that radiance, Agumon's form began to change before his astonished eyes. Datamon watched quietly, a red glint flickering now and then.
Elsewhere, Izzy, Matt, Joe, and T.K., after discussing the new enemy Myotismon, set out following the positions of their friends shown on the Digivice.
They paddled a swan boat—Matt and Joe rowing inside the hull while T.K. and Izzy sat on the deck, taking in the lakeside view. Following the signal, they arrived at the foot of a mountain. After disembarking, they looked up: a castle stood atop the high peak.
"There's a reading—in the castle," Izzy said, checking his Digivice.
They started climbing. To their dismay, the mountain stairs were basically like a skyscraper's stairwell. After a long, sweaty slog, they finally reached the top.
Creeeak—the castle gate opened a crack. Four heads squeezed in to peek.
Inside was a riot of noise: Gekomon and Otamamon bustled back and forth, chirping and croaking non-stop.
Gekomon are amphibious Champion-level Digimon. Odd-looking, but they love music; the three holes on their tongues and the horn coiled around their necks form their signature "Symphony Crusher."
Otamamon are amphibious Rookie-level Digimon. Their attack, defense, and speed are all low; their special move is the drowsy "Sleep Bubble."
"So many frogs and tadpoles," T.K. marveled at the scene.
"What are they doing?" Joe asked—but no one could answer.
A Gekomon dashed past them, shouting as he ran, "So busy! So busy!" An Otamamon scampered by right after, also yelling, "So busy, kero! So busy, kero!"
"???" The kids all wore the same three-question-mark face. Busy with what?
"So, so busy!" Another Gekomon rushed by. The kids stopped him to clear things up. "Why are you so busy?"
"Why? Because Her Highness the Princess said she wants mixed fried rice right now."
"Mixed fried rice? Digimon eat mixed fried rice…?"
"No! Her Highness said she wants frozen stir-fried udon," another Gekomon retorted.
"Frozen stir-fried udon…?"
"You're wrong too! She clearly said she wants Mediterranean-style miso okara," a third Gekomon declared, overturning both.
"Mediterranean-style miso okara?" The kids were speechless again.
"No, it's mixed fried rice!"
"No, it's frozen stir-fried udon!"
"No, it's Mediterranean-style miso okara!"
The three Gekomon started bickering, each clinging to his version.
The children hurried to play peacemaker—otherwise how were they supposed to ask about their friends? "Okay, okay—make all three."
"That's not the same," an Otamamon piped up.
"What now…?" Joe felt dizzy.
"Her Highness wants a water-drop dress with delightfully lowbrow taste, kero." The Otamamon had barely finished before another jumped in.
"No, Her Highness wants a ring of just the right size, kero."
"It's the water-drop dress, kero!"
"It's the just-right ring, kero!"
The kids stared, dumbfounded, as Otamamon and Gekomon argued themselves into a froth.
"This 'princess' has her underlings running in circles," Joe muttered, mouth twitching.
"Must be an extremely… particular princess," Izzy said, at a loss for words.
"Aren't you all 'so busy'? How do you still have time to argue here?" T.K. asked.
"Oh—right, right!" And with that, they scattered, back to work.
"Her Highness the Princess approaches!" someone cried.
The kids looked up toward the landing to see what this high-maintenance royal looked like.
When they saw her, their jaws dropped. "Huh? Mimi?" Surprise gave way to "of course"—if it was Mimi, it wasn't strange the Gekomon and Otamamon were in a tizzy.
Mimi wore a princess gown and a crown, a fan in her hand. Surrounded by attendants, she stepped out. "Hello! Long time no see."
"What are you doing here?" Izzy asked, puzzled.
Hands on hips, chin tilted, Mimi smiled. "Doing what? Being a princess. Can't you tell?"
"So that means the demanding princess is—"
"Mimi," they all said together.
"Why call me demanding? That's so rude," Princess Mimi huffed.
"Mimi, isn't this being demanding?" A girl's voice floated in from outside. The kids turned as the main door opened and a small pink bird walked in first. When its partner followed, the group lit up. "Sora!"
"Long time no see, everyone."
In a gloomy forest, DemiDevimon reported to a shadow. "Lord Myotismon, I failed earlier, but this time everything is in place."
"The castle is secure? Are they all there?"
"Everything's ready. The Gekomon truly believe she's their princess; she won't want to leave. The kids will all go there. They're gathering as we speak—we can wipe them out in one swoop."
"Do not fail again. You know the consequences."
"Yes, sir."
The bat-shaped shadow faded. "Begin."
"All right, Mimi—go get changed. We're heading out," Izzy said.
"Eh?"
"What's wrong, Mimi?" Izzy frowned.
"Why should I change?"
"Why? Because dressed like that, you can't walk far," Matt said.
"Walk?" Mimi blinked. "Why should I walk?"
"Because we can't carry you while we go hunt the enemy," Joe said, exasperated at her stubbornness.
"I'm not going," Mimi said, turning away.
"Eh—?"
"And didn't we already beat Etemon? What enemy?" Mimi asked, confused.
"Myotismon," Sora cut in.
"How do you know that? Unless—" Izzy stared.
Sora nodded. "I overheard Myotismon talking with his underling, DemiDevimon. They plan to eliminate the Chosen Children—us. He spotted me, and if a hooded figure hadn't intervened to block him, I might've—"
"A hooded figure?" Izzy frowned. "Did you see if it was a Digimon or a human?"
Sora shook her head. "No. It was dark, and he wore a cloak. If he hadn't spoken, I wouldn't even have noticed him."
The kids fell silent. Myotismon wasn't solved, and now there was a mysterious stranger on top of it—hard to take in all at once.
"I don't think he's our enemy," Izzy said, chin in hand. "He saved Sora. That suggests no hostility toward us."
That eased them a bit, but the cloud over their hearts didn't lift.
"What's wrong with Mimi—oh! Everyone's here?" A gentle voice broke the hush.
"Lilymon! Don't tell me you can hold Ultimate form all the time?" Izzy blurted. His Tentomon had barely maintained MegaKabuterimon for a moment before devolving all the way to Mochimon; seeing Lilymon still at Ultimate outside of battle rattled him.
"It's Mimi—she wanted me to," Lilymon said, a little helpless.
"But Lilymon's so cute like this," Mimi cooed, sweeping Lilymon into a hug and rubbing her cheek against hers.
"Don't—Mimi, if you keep that up I'll devolve!" Mimi reluctantly let go. Lilymon patted her flat chest and exhaled—only for that little gesture to make Mimi's eyes sparkle anew as she swept Lilymon back into her arms.
"Let go—it's stuffy!"
"Don't be so stingy." At last Mimi released her with visible reluctance.
The kids stared at the duo. For an Ultimate, Lilymon was actually shorter than her partner. As a Plant-type Digimon, she could maintain Ultimate without draining stamina, so at Mimi's request she'd simply stayed like this.
In fact, in the original story, Lilymon was the only partner who didn't devolve even when she lost the ability to fight and passed out (she was petrified by Myotismon's attack in Odaiba). That came down to Plant-type traits: photosynthesis lets them continuously draw energy from outside. Even unconscious, energy keeps flowing in to maintain their form—as long as there's light, photosynthesis carries on. With Lilymon looking so much like a human girl—adorable, really—it's fair to say she's the most popular Digimon among girls, bar none. Warm laughter filled the castle, but Myotismon's army was slowly closing in. The children's greatest crisis was at the door.
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