My children were amazed by the outside world, and so was I. For the most part, everything was fine, but we came across a giant black dinosaur Digimon. He let out a bloodthirsty cry, and I was stunned for a second, but then Zuru ran and started to attack the beast. He then started throwing purple energy darts at him. I didn’t know he had such power. Kit then started to fire silver leaves at the beast. Princess was completely terrified. I held her in my arms and began to join the fight. I mainly stayed in the back row and shot bolts of magic at this beast.

  Eventually, with our combined efforts, we managed to bring down the beast. Arina then informed me that this beast was a Dark Tyranomon. Aria then performed a scan on our foe before he faded into data. I then looked at Princess, who was shaking.

  “Sweetheart, it’s ok; we won.” Princess started crying, and it took a moment, but eventually I managed to stop my daughter’s tears. We then continued on our way. We did stop to take a break near a flowing river, and it was well deserved. Kit wanted to explore while Zuru wanted to have some combat practice. I told them to go and explore the area while I made lunch. Zuru sighed and soon followed Kit. Princess stayed with me and helped me cook.

  While I was cooking, Princess had a look of pure defeat on her face. “Princess, what’s wrong? Are you still shaken up by that fight we had earlier?” Princess nodded her head. I let out a soft sigh and said, “Listen, I froze up. It took me minutes to realize what was happening. You're not the only one.”

  “Yeah, but both Kit and Zuru knew what to do right off the bat. I just wish I was brave like them.” I ruffled Princess's head, and we began to talk some more. Once I had finished lunch, I began to wait for my other two kids to come back, and then I heard a loud roar. I instantly got on my feet. I held Princess in my arms, and soon we found ourselves in a small jungle filled with many Spider Digimon.

  I quickly started to use my power to fight against them, but they just kept coming and coming, and in the distance, I saw Kit and Zuru being dragged away. I started to get very tired from using all my magic to defend both myself and Princess. It got to the point where I was forced up against a wall. I was so tired that I was having trouble staying on my feet. Princess then jumped from my arms and stood between me and these spiders.

  Princess then started to create balls of light that shot at all these spiders, but sadly they weren’t doing much in the way of damage, and these spiders started to attack Princess, and she was getting hurt. I struggled, but then I noticed that Princess was Digivolving, and when I opened my eyes again, Princess was in the air, and she created a tornado of feathers that sent those spiders flying. The princess then turned to me, and she started to heal me. I then got back on my feet, and when I looked at Princess, I was surprised. She smiled at me and said, “Father, I’m glad you’re safe.”

  “Princess, you digivolved; you look absolutely beautiful,” I said as I hugged her. Princess looked herself over and said, “Oh, this is very different, but we need to go rescue Zuru and Kit. We need to hurry.” I nodded my head, and we both went deeper into the jungle. Princess took to the skies immediately, and I was very impressed.

  Aria then spoke up and said that Princess was now a Swanmon, an Armor-level Digimon that possesses light wind and ice powers. As we dashed through the jungle, I started to hear my kids' calls. We eventually found them in a den of spider webs. Aria scanned the room, and she told me that this was a den of Dokugumon, which I'm guessing are the many spider Digimon I had experienced. Aria landed, and we went deeper into the den. We started to hear unsettling whispers as we went further in.

  “Who dares enter my domain?” Princess and I then froze completely, and within seconds we were surrounded by Dokugumon; there were too many to take on at once.

  Then she appeared; she was a large spider Digimon with human features. She smiled and said, “Oh my, a human! How interesting! I haven’t seen your kind in so long, hehe.”

  She came close to me, and I instantly backed up. This Digimon licked her lips and said, “I am Lady Archnemon, and you naughty things have stumbled into my territory, and you’ve harmed my darling children. You must be punished.” Archnemon then shot a spider thread at both me and Princess, entangling us. I spoke up and said, “What do you plan to do with us?”

  Archnemon chuckled and said, “Oh, there is nothing you can offer me, but your screams will certainly entertain me.”

  Archnemon proceeded to slink away into the shadows. Her children were behind her. Princess then spoke up and said, “Father, I think I have an idea.” I gave my daughter the go-ahead, and within seconds, the temperature started to drop. The web slowly started to become brittle until it shattered completely. Once we were free, Princess and I continued our search for Kit and Zuru. We eventually found them in the heart of the jungle, and unfortunately, we also found Archnemon.

  She came close to my kids, and I was instantly filled with rage, and I fired a bolt of magic at her. Archnemon jumped when the bolt made contact, and within seconds, the fight was on. Princess and I teamed up to fight Archnemon and her horde, but within a matter of minutes, our attacks weren’t doing jack.

  We slowly started to get overwhelmed. I was starting to get worried for my family, but I was slowly starting to feel nothing but rage, and all I could think about was flames, and then I held my umbrella, and then I noticed it was radiating a crimson aura, and I started to concentrate, and I then unleashed a wave of fire that caused major damage to the Dokugumon and their mother. I had a smug smile on my face. Princess then created streams of wind, and I used the winds to spread my fire spells. Now it was Archnemon who was on the ropes, but then I noticed the damage that we were doing.

  I stopped casting, and I told Princess to put out the fires. Princess nodded her head and then used her powers to create large cubes of ice that fell upon the fires, putting them out. I then went over to Archnemon, and I started to treat her wounds. Archnemon looked at me with a face of confusion and asked, “What are you doing?”

  I smiled and said, “I’m treating your wounds. I imagine you and your children are vulnerable to fire.” Archnemon then started to struggle and said, “Why are you helping me? I was going to kill you,” my smile then turned to a look of concern. “I’m doing this because you have a family, and if I were in your position, I would be hostile too. I’m sorry that my family wandered into your territory; I should have paid more attention to them.”

  Archnemon’s children then came to her. Once I was finished bandaging her up, Archnemon then smiled at me and said, “I’m sorry, I honestly should have known better.” Archnemon then freed Kit and Zuru, and as we were about to leave, Archnemon stopped us. She wanted to repay my kindness. She served us a delicious meal of roasted anteater in a savory honey sauce so succulent Archnemon even let me scan her to collect her data. Archnemon then gave us directions to a nearby town where we could rest. We waved goodbye to Archnemon and proceeded to town.

  As we traveled, both Kit and Zuru were amazed by Princess's evolution; my once timid and gentle child was now the pure image of grace and elegance, but like any good parent knows, children do have to grow up at some point; they can’t stay the same forever. Within two days we came to the town; we walked inside, and we were instantly the center of attention. I took a guess that I was the main cause of all these glares, but we saw many Digimon of different sizes and forms. We were eventually stopped by what I assume was a sheriff.

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  “You are a human, correct?” She asked, and I nodded my head. “Interesting. The last human to come to our world was only 8 years ago. This is peculiar.” I was confused by her statement. I took a deep breath and asked, “Excuse me, but what do you mean?”

  The Digimon looked at me before saying, “Oh, it’s nothing. Let me introduce myself. I am Harpymon. I am the head sentry of Tenota. Who might you be?” I took a moment to introduce my family to Harpymon, who invited us to see Tenota’s Archivist. Having nowhere else to go, my children and I followed Harpymon. She led us to a large building with a round dome for a roof. As we walked inside, we saw strings of code floating around the entire building. Then we met a Digimon that looked like a robotic bishop. He walked up to us and said, “Greetings… Wait a moment; might you be a human?”

  I nodded my head, and we all introduced ourselves. The Digimon bowed to us and said, “I see. Well, I am Bishop Chessmon White. I’m the Keeper of Tenota’s Archive, and we have a lot to talk about.”

  Bishop Chessmon White then told me about a war that had recently taken place between the Digimon and two other deadly factions. The D-Reapers and the Eaters are two forces bent on destroying the Digital World. Currently, the fight is at a standstill with both enemies having been repelled, but they are getting stronger and harder to push back. King Drasil, who leads the Digimon, found a way to keep them at bay. He knew that the bond between humans and Digimon was stronger than anything; that bond could even surpass his own power, so every sixteen years, when the D-Reapers and Eaters would be at their worst, he would have Norn bring a human to the Digital World, and this human would drive away both the Eaters & D-Reapers for another 16 years.

  At least that’s how it should have happened recently; both the D-Reapers and Eaters have struck back even harder than they ever have before, and now things seem grim.

  Bishop Chessmon White then told me about a location where the prior humans had made their home. He also told me that I would need another item that he kept in his possession, but he told me and my family to wait outside while he retrieved it. Fortunately for him, we really needed a place to crash, so I took my kids out to explore the town.

  Luckily for us, the residents were very welcoming. We eventually found a hotel; we walked inside and saw a Digimon with a bush growing out of its back. He smiled and said, “Welcome to the Golden Birdhouse. How may I—oh my, you’re a human!”

  Once again I nodded my head, and the Bird Digimon came from behind the counter and said, “Oh praise King Drasil, the Savior of the Digital World has entered my establishment. Ohohohohoh, oh my, ahem, please forgive me, I am Delumon.

  I chuckled and said, “No, it’s fine anyway; my family needs a place to stay. Can you provide us with a room?” Delumon happily flapped his wings and said, “Of course, illustrious hero, and please don’t worry about a thing, for I shall see to it that you’ll pay for nothing.” Zuru and Kit were happy for that sudden news, but Princess and I were of the same mind, but I spoke up and said, “Delumon, that is certainly a kind offer, but I’m not comfortable with that since we have no money. Can I ask that we help out around your hotel as compensation?”

  Delumon thought it over for a second before agreeing to it. Zuru and Kit looked to me and said, “Dad, why did you do that? We don’t want to work; he was going to let us stay here for free.”

  I sighed and said, “I agree it would have been nice, but I don’t want you kids getting spoiled growing up. I had to help my parents with farm chores at the early age of 6. You three are no different.” Both Zuru and Kit let out a groan, but Princess spoke up and said, “I agree with Father; we should work for what we need; it’s the right thing to do.” I then heard Kit and Zuru mumble something under their breath. I slowly turned around and said, “What was that?” and they both jumped and said nothing in complete unison. Delumon then led us to our room.

  We traveled up an elevator to the second floor, and then Delumon gave us the key. I opened the door, and it was absolutely amazing. This room would be comparable to a mini condo. I was so impressed I took a seat on the couch and took a breath. Princess walked over to the bookshelf, and Zuru and Kit were resting in the bedroom. Things were very calm for a total of two hours, and then there were screams.

  My kids and I ran out of the hotel, and we saw that the village was under attack by strange creatures that resembled Nautilus shells. There were three of them in total. Then we saw two cornering a rookie-level Digimon and an in-training level Digimon. With one lashing of their tentacles, they made the rookie-level Digimon fade from existence. I was horrified, and without thinking, I fired a bolt of magic at one of the Eaters. Princess followed my lead and rescued the in-training Digimon. Zuru and Kit were with me all the way. Vuru was using his energy darts to cause light damage while Kit was attacking with razor-sharp leaves. I decided to try something else with my magic. I wanted to strengthen both Kit and Zuru, and soon my parasol started to radiate a silver and gold light. I then raised my parasol up high, and suddenly three beams of light fell upon my kids.

  Zuru and Kit quickly noticed a change, and they managed to force one of the Eaters to retreat, but for what he did, I wouldn’t show mercy. I started to focus on a fire attack, putting all of my rage and disdain into it. I didn’t even notice the flaming aura that surrounded me.

  My parasol was getting overcharged by my magic channeling into it. With one fan swiping motion in front of me, I launched a powerful fire attack that burnt the Eater to ashes. I was so worn out after that attack I fell to my knees. Luckily, Harpymon and my kids managed to destroy the other two Eaters within seconds. All the Digimon in the village came out of hiding. They were cheering. Harpymon came over to praise me, but I just walked past her. Suddenly, the crowd went silent.

  I walked over to the small In-Training Level Digimon that had lost her sibling, and I knelt down. I smiled gently and said,

  “Are you ok, little one?” The little Digimon nodded her head; she was still in shock about everything. I reached into my bag, and I pulled out a cookie and said, “Here, little one, it’s not much, but it’ll help somewhat.” The little Digimon started eating the cookie, and she looked up at me and smiled. She then hopped into my arms.

  She then started crying so hard I smiled and comforted her. Once she had calmed down, I asked if she had any other family members; as it turns out, this little one was all alone, so I smiled and said, “Ok little one, you're coming with us.” The small Digimon smiled and said that she was a Chocomon. I then stood up and held this small little Digimon in my arms, and then I went back to Harpymon and said, “Sorry for walking off like that, but I wanted to make sure that Chocomon was okay first.”

  Harpymon smiled at me and said, “It wasn’t anything important, I think. On behalf of all of Tenota, we want to thank you for helping us protect our home.” Everyone started cheering again for the rest of the day. We relaxed and prepared for what would lie ahead of us. The villagers were very generous; they gave us more supplies and travel clothing. They even gave us half of their emergency funds. It was almost too much. Eventually, Bishop Chessmon White came to us and gave me a special key with the head in the shape of a heart. I put the key in my pocket. The next morning we were planning to leave Tenota.

  Harpymon was kind enough to point us towards our next destination. It was a small compound in the middle of a valley, and we could easily get there by the convenience of a train Digimon known as a Trailmon. I was curious about what Trailmon looked like.

  After breakfast, I got all of my kids together, and with the addition of Chocomon, we walked towards the train station, but Aria popped up and said that I should collect scan data from the villagers. I decided it would be a good idea, and since the village has already been so generous, I asked everyone if I could acquire the scan data from them, and after three hours, I got scan data from everyone.

  Then we walked towards the train station. When we got there, we were met with a machine door. Aria spoke up and said, “Please wait a moment; I will open the door.” After a few seconds, the door opened, and we all walked inside. The interior of this place was highly advanced while also having a sort of ancient ruins aesthetic, but besides that, it resembled a modern-day train station from back home.

  Suddenly the room was filled with a blinding light, and a train engine in the shape of a white and gold knight’s helmet appeared. The lights then started to resemble blue dragon eyes, and then I heard what sounded like breathing. Then the creature spoke; she had a sweet and kind voice. Then she spoke to me, “Oh my, what a long slumber, but at last I am awake. Hello, chosen hero, I am Angel Trailmon. I will be the one to transfer you and your Digimon throughout the Digital World.”

  My kids were slightly frightened, but within a few seconds they started talking with Angel Trailmon. I chuckled and then said, “Ok everyone, we have somewhere we need to be.” Angel Trailmon then started moving along the track until her head was out of the gate, revealing her two train cars. My kids then got aboard, and Chocomon was so excited, and so was I. I got aboard the train, and I placed our bags atop the rafters. We then gathered in the first train car.

  We took our seats, and then we were off to this new place that would be our base of operations. As Angel Trailmon traveled along the tracks, we got to see many locations and sights. Everything looked so beautiful you couldn’t even tell that this place was being ravaged by war, but then again, the Eaters and the D-Reapers had just been sealed away, so the scars were still fresh. I wonder if Chocomon experienced all that pain.

  As I held Chocomon in my lap, I held her close because I knew how it felt to lose someone important to you, but then I got a sudden realization: Chocomon needed a name. “Hey, Chocomon, we need to talk about something.” She looked up at me and said, “Um, ok, what is it, Mister Hero?” I petted Chocomon’s head and said, “It’s ok, little one. I was just thinking that you need a name, you know, something more practical.”

  Soon Zuru Kit and Princess came over, seeming ecstatic about giving their new sibling a name. I chuckled, and we all started to offer name ideas to Chocomon, who was currently shooting down every suggestion we gave her. I then looked to her and said, “Ok, little one, do you have a name for yourself that you like?”

  Chocomon thought for a moment before saying, “My big brother called me Coco.” I smiled and hugged her, and it became official: Chocomon was now going to be referred to as Coco.

  To Be Continued