Lee Jiang-yu POV - Real World, Earth, Japan, Tokyo - 2001

  I'm currently in a restaurant hall of the Hotel tury Southern Tower that is located a 3-minute walk from Shinjuku Statioing with all the parents of the kids that went to the Digital World with my son together with my friends from the Wild Bunch to give them more information about the pce our childre and possible things we could do to help them.

  This is something I felt I o do after reading the e-mail Jianlia me expining what they were going to do and the reason behind their reckless as, furthermore, I and my friends are surely the most qualified to expin and deal with the current situation.

  While I'm looking at the sights of the city through the window, I suddenly hear some of the parents yell while Dophin is in the middle of his expnation.

  "We don't need an expnation! Just tell us where this Digital World is!"

  "We'll bring Hirokazu home ourselves!"

  Hearing that, Daisy 't help but excims, "Going there isn't that simple!"

  At this point, one of the parents starts to cry, the mother of Kitagawa Kenta if I remember well, and quickly the mother of Matsuda Takato, Matsuda Yoshie-san rushes over to sole her as her husband offers his wife a handkerchief and says to everyone, "No, it's all right... You see, he left a letter for us. If only he had told us himself, we could have said goodbye to him..."

  Hearing that, the grandmother of Makino Ruki calmly ents, "Say goodbye? They will e back safely." making the father of Shioda Hirokazu ask, "Do you have anything to back that up?"

  Before the situation could escate even more, the father of Katou Juri steps forward and says, "Hey... Could you be quiet for a while? Lee-san and everyone else were telling us about Juri and the other kids. But we're missing the important part."

  At this point, I move away from the window, walk baext to my friends, and say, "I uand how you feel, Shiota-san. My son is there too, after all."

  After saying that, I fix my gsses and ask, "Uh, where were we at? making Matsuda Takahiro-san, the father of Matsuda Takato kindly reminds us, "Why only children could go there."

  Hearing that, Dolphin, Professor Rob McCoy, steps forward and says, "Allow me to expin that part. Although we created the Digimon in the early 80's, as adults, it was my son who came up with their shapes and abilities. So, we think that Digimon are heavily attracted to human children. In other words, Digimon like children."

  At this point, the mother of Makino Ruki, Makino Rumiko-san, stands up and suggests, "I... was a child at the time... So I..." but before she tinue, her mother interrupts her and says, "But you don't believe in Digimon anymore, do you?" making Makino-san sit down once again as she mutters, "I guess..."

  After that interruption, we tio expin to them everything they o know, and then, we finally start to tell them what we are doing to fix this situation with Babel cluding, "... We've also tacted our fellow researchers from around the world. ns to set up a new forum. If there are any new updates... Tao... I mean, Jiang-yu, will inform you."

  Suddenly, I hear someone approag us from behind, and turning around, I see the figure of Yamaki the man in charge of Hypnos as he lightly bows and says, "Greetings."

  Seeing him, I remember what I saw yesterday and with a little more hostility than I liked, I walk toward him and ask, "Yamaki, what do you want?"

  Yamaki calmly brings up his ptop and answers, "There's something I'd like to show you all."

  But I ignore his answer and tio ask after remembering all the damage that they have already caused, "That thing over the Tokyo Metropolitan Gover Buildierday was Shaggai, right? Haven't you learned anything after what happened!?"

  In response, Yamaki calmly decres, "That was an act." before he opens the ptop and walks toward Matsuda Takahiro-san while saying, "Please take a look at this."

  Matsuda Takahiro-san looks at the s and excims, "Takato? ..."We're okay"... "Okay"? "Okay", he says... that idiot."

  Hearing that, I look at Yamaki and ask, "Why was it sent to you?" making Yamaki look at me and reply, "Before they left, I gave them my unicator."

  At this point, Matsuda Takahiro-san 't help but ask followed by the other hopeful parents oer the other.

  "Any other mail?"

  "Is that all? What about Hirokazu?"

  "And Juri?"

  Hearing that, Yamaki leans over the ptop and starts inputting various ands while saying, "I'm cheg."

  Suddenly, Matsuda Takahiro-san ents, "What's that?" before he starts to read out loud, "Greetings, Yamaki-san. I'm Pucci Jayr and I'm about to update you on our current situation, I hope that you will reach out to the parents of the kids to let them know about this too."

  At this point, Matsuda Takahiro-san excims, "Pucci Jayr!? Does it mean Pucci-sensei? He is there too!?"

  At the same time, Yamaki nods and expins, "Indeed, Pucci Jayr followed the kids in the Digital World to eheir safety. He is also a Tamer like them and quite a capable ooo. From what I was able to find out, he has been proteg the kids from the shadows for quite some time."

  I am very surprised to learn this, as I never expected that Pucci-sensei was a Tamer like my son, this already overthrows some of the facts we were so sure about the Digimon and the Digital World.

  But at the same time, as I remember the imposing figure of Jianliang's English Teacher I have to admit that I'm quite relieved to learn of his presen the Digital World watg over our sons as he seems to be quite a reliable man, especially after learning that he seemingly watched over and protected our sons and daughters for quite a long time too.

  This se is something that is obviously shared by the other parents who know him as they all seem a lot less tense about this difficult situation we found ourselves in.

  Soon Katou-san asks Matsuda Takahiro-san to keep reading the e-mail, something that he quickly agrees to do and the first sentence already reassures us a lot, "First of all, everyone is fine ahy while I 't in good sce say that the Digital World is a pletely safe pce because such pce does, but it also isn't a pce fraught with deadly da any er."

  Hearing that, I felt a weight lifting from my shoulders as I imagined a quite worse oute, but just as I started to rex, Matsuda-san tio read, "Most of the Digimoually peaceful and reasonable beings, but of course, it is also true that there are those with a mgressive nature. Currently because of an act caused by a Data Stream (will expin in another email what they are) we are separated into two groups. One is posed by me, Matsuda Takato, and Lee Jianliang, and the other one is posed by Makino Ruki, Katou Juri, Shiota Hirokazu, and Kitagawa Kenta."

  Hearing that, I once again start to worry about the possible implications of what I just listeo, but then Matsuda-sa give me any time to digest these new pieces of information as he tinues, "At the moment of this e-mail, my group is located in an uer cave and are about to jump ier to explore our surroundings. Do not worry, this is the Digital World, the water here doesn't act exactly like real water, you breathe and talk in it without the risk of drowning (Something I already ensured and proved beforehand)."

  As I'm going through a rollercoaster of emotions, Matsuda-san reads the st part of the mail, "Regarding, the roup posed by Makino Ruki, Katou Juri, Shiota Hirokazu, and Kitagawa Kenta. I also ensure and firm their safety despite my distance from them thanks to the presence of another of my Digimon Partners who is together with them. This is possible thanks to the D-Ark which is capable of projeg a dispy that shows a live feed of what the Tamer's Digimon is seeing. So again you inform the parents of those kids that they are safe."

  After hearing that, I and all the other parents prese another e-mail asking for more information about the status of our children, and a few mier, another e-mail arrived giving us a brief summary of their current status and luckily everyone is fihe only oh some problem is Matsuda Takato, but it is just something minor as he is stressing over the fact that he is currently separated from his Digimon.

  In the end, Pucci-sensei cuts off the unication telling us that they are about to jump iers and that he must now focus on his surroundings to ehat nothing happens to Jianliang and Takato.

  At the same time, Yamaki told us that he would also help and work with us to find a solution to this situation.

  After that, Yamaki shuts down his ptop and says, "I'll let you know if I receive any more messages." earning the gratitude of Matsuda-san and the other parents.

  I too look at him and say in a heartfelt tone as I offer him my hand, "Thanks... We'd appreciate your help."

  In response, Yamaki removes his sungsses and holds my hand saying, "It will be my pleasure."

  Then Babel also smiles and ents, "We go ourselves a strong ally." followed by Daisy who adds, "Now we just need Shibumi to join us."

  But Yamaki quickly says, "That won't be possible." making Daisy ask, "What do you mean?"

  Yamaki then puts his sungsses ba his eyes and expins, "I ordered my men to search... for Shibumi, or Mizuno Goro-san, but... he disappeared in front of their eyes."

  Hearing that, I 't help but repeat in disbelief, "What? Shibumi disappeared?"

  Jayr POV - Digital World, O Area - 2001

  After reassuring them of the safety of my Digimon ination's group, I nod and say, "Now, let me finish expining what our options are... as I was saying before, there are many possible solutions to our current problem. Making a hole in the wall was only one of them and while direct, it isn't the easiest nor the safest. Our best choice is simply to jump ier and explore our surroundings..."

  Hearing that, both Takato and Jianliang look stunned before Jianliang excims, "But that's impossible! There is no way we are able to hold our breath uer long enough to find anything!"

  In respoo that, I simply smirk and ask, "Who said that we have to hold our breath to explore those waters?"

  Then I look at V-mon and say, "Show them what I mean." making V-mon nod with a fident smile before he jumps ier without aation.

  After that, I tell the kids that they just have to wait for five minutes and everything will be revealed before I focus on the unication in Takato's hand and ask him to give it to me as I want to send a message to Yamaki directed at their families to reassure them on the well-being of their kids.

  So, while waiting for V-mon to resurface, I quickly write the e-mail I'm going to send, I make sure to report that everyone is fine, reassure the parents, and give a quick rundown of the current situation without ming my words, but omitting some more w details, like the existenugendramon and Chimairamon which quite frankly could fuel their nightmares for years to e.

  Quickly after I sent that e-mail, I received a respoh dozens of questions from the parents who are likely all together at the moment, so I took a few more seds to answer all of them to the best of my abilities.

  As I finish writing the ao their questions, V-mon jumps out from the water surprising both Jianliang and Takato since he sted so long, but when I ask them to touch V-mon's body they look a little fused before they timidily touch his hands and while Takato doesn't notiything, Jianliang realizes that V-mon is strangely dry and then he again looks at the unicator in my hands and something clicks in his mind.

  With those hints Jian suddenly decres that the water isn't real, he starts to expin his logic to Takato saying that the water is only wet because they believe that it'll be wet, while maes aren't affected because they 't think and e to the clusion that because the water isn't real, we might be able to breathe in it without any problem.

  Hearing that, I start to cp my hands and say, "Good job! That's exactly right! As long as you guys believe that you actually breathe in these waters you will be able to do it. So we actually aren't even trapped in this cave to be with and easily move to search for a way out of this area... But let's do it with style."

  I then pull out a card from the card case and my D-Ark from my pocket, look at Patamon, and say, "Are you ready, buddy?"

  Patamon smiles and ents, "Of course. Even more so if we enter some cute Mermaimeous A Mermaimon..."

  Hearing that I smile wryly and start to swipe the card in the slot on the right-hand side of the D-Ark calling out, "Card Ssh!"

  Once I pleted this a, I called out the name of the card I just swiped, "Digimental of Siy! Digimental Up!"

  In respoo that, Patamon jumps toward the water as his body starts to bee enveloped by tless bubbles that cover his whole body as he yells, "Patamon, Armor Evolve...!"

  Then his body starts to grow and ge shape, and soon after, his new form bursts out of the bubbles dispersing them as he calls out his name before nding ier, "...Mantaraymon!"

  Mantaraymos o the manta ray, but physically he looks more like a fusioween a dolphin and a manta ray as his head is shaped like a dolphin but with the addition of two horn-shaped cephalis located on top of the head and two more side-by-side dorsal fins on his body, he has blue and white skin, and the fins look like the wings of an aircraft.

  (Image Here - Mantaraymon)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]Seeing Mantaraymon emerging from the water, Jianliang doesn't hesitate to use the Digimon Analyzer to identify him with his D-Ark, "Mantaraymon. Armor Level. An Armor-level Aquatic Digimon that evolved through the power of the "Digimental of Siy". Based on its appeara looks like an offensive speed-type Digimon, but on the trary, it is actually a Digimon with a calm disposition that elegantly swims in the vast O. However, it is difficult to capture on radar because of its unique figure so it is called the "Stealth of the Deep", and it is often used for reaissance or treated as uer bombardment among those who abuse Mantaraymon. For that reason, it is said to be overhunted and threatened with extin. Also, Digimon that assault Mantaraymon always have the tables turned against them with an intense blow from the Stun Needle on its tail. Its Special Move is using the Stun Needle to pierce the enemy Digimon's body (Paralyze Tail)."

  After that, we do not hesitate and jump on Mantaraymon and start to freely explore the uer area taking advantage of Mantaraymon's speed and agility in water,

  As we explore and enjoy the uer sights of this area, I 't help but feel a certain mood, lightly tap on Mantaraymon's body to produe familiar rhythm and start singing, "?The seaweed is always greener. In somebody else's ke. You dream about goin' up there. But that is a big mistake. Just look at the world around yht here on the o floor. Such wonderful things surround you. What more are you lookin' for??"

  At this point, Mantaraymon starts to swim following the rhythm of the song as I start the chorus, "?Uhe sea, uhe sea. Darling it's better. Down where it's wetter. Take it from me. Up on the shore they work all day. Out in the sun they sve away. While we're devoting full time to floating. Uhe sea.?"

  Wormmon and V-mon also start to bob their head as I move on with the verse, "?Down here all the fish are happy. As off through the waves they roll. The fish on the nd ain't happy. They're sad 'cause they're in their bowl. The fish in the bowl are lucky. They're in for a worser fate. One day when the boss gets hungry.?"

  Suddenly, Mantaraymon in a deep voice starts to also sing, "?Guess who's goin' be oe??" followed by Takato, Terriermon, and Jianliang, who also join in the fun and excim, "Oh, no!"

  After that, I start singing the chorus again, "?Uhe sea, uhe sea. Nobody beat us. Fry us a us. In fricassee. We're what the nd folks love to cook. Uhe sea we're off the hook. We got no troubles life is the bubbles.?"

  At this point we all start to have fun and sing together, "?Uhe sea (uhe sea). Uhe sea (uhe sea). Since life is sweet here. We've got the beat here. Naturally (naturally). Eveurgeon an' the ray. They get the urge an' start to py. We got the spirit, you got to hear it. Uhe sea (uhe sea).?"

  As we tio explore the area, I kick up the rythim as we are getting closer to the final part of the song at the same time, I also notie DigiGnomes in the distance who are also listening and enjoying the song, "?The py the flute. The carp py the harp. The pice py the bass. And they soundin' sharp. The bass py the brass. The chub py the tub. The fluke is the duke of the soul. ( yeah).?"

  As our surroundis more lively, I we start to sing the final verses, "?They ray he py. The ling's orings. The trout ro' out. The bckfish she sings. The smelt and the sprat. They know where it's at. An' oh, that blowfish blow. Uhe sea. Uhe sea. Uhe sea. Take it from me. We're what the nd folks love to cook. Uhe sea we're off the hook. We got no troubles, life is the bubbles. Uhe sea. Uhe sea (uhe sea). Uhe sea (uhe sea). When the sardine. Begin the begui's musie. What do they got, a lot of sand? We got a hot crusta band. Each little cm here, know's how to jam here. Uhe sea (uhe sea). Each little slug here, cutting a rug here. Uhe sea (uhe sea, uh). Each little snail here, know how to wail here. That's why it's hotter uhe water. Yeah, we in luck here, down in the muck here. Uhe sea. (Woo!)?"

  Ohe song was over Jianliang and Takato appeared way more rexed at the same time, I noticed that the DigiGnome who were swimming around us as we sang also started to disperse after having their fun.

  Eventually, we run into what looks like the entrance of an uer cave which is blocked by a rock-like gate.

  Without aation, Mantaraymon rams into the rock-like gate that starts to revolve leading us into the cave that we find inhabited by a bunch of Otamamon.

  Otamamon are purple pollywogs with developed forelimbs and undeveloped hind limbs.

  They have a wide mouth with several poieeth, and round eyes, and their tail ends in a web of skin supported by bony rays.

  (Image Here - Otamamon)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]Seeing the Otamamon, as always the first thing that Jianliang does is identify them with the Digimon Analyzer and read out loud, "Otamamon. Child Level. A rva Digimon whose skin has not yet fully hardened because it chose to live uer. It swims in kes and rivers upstream of the O with its rge tail, and occasionally climbs up onto rocks with its developed forelimbs and does vocal training. Its mostly undeveloped hindlimbs act as rudders in pce of its tail, which has gained propulsive power, trary to typical anisms. It is valuable among Child levels in that it signals its uping evolution clearly, but sis potential for mutation is extremely high, caution is necessary in its training. Its Special Move is sending the oppo into aernal slumber (Lulby Bubble)." Of course, our sudderance scares the army of Otamamon that swim away, and quickly after animon appears, a Hangyomon.

  Hangyomon almost looks like a dwarf fish-man with blue and white skin, it wears only diving gear and a propeller that allows it to move at great speeds.

  The whole skin looks like part of a wetsuit with fins and a tail, and it is armed with a harpoon.

  (Image Here - Hangyomon)

  Spoiler

  [colpse]

  As Hangyomon reveals its appearance, Jianliang agaihe Digimon Analyzer to identify the new Digimon and reads, "Hangyomon. Perfect Level. An Aquatic Beast Man Digimon clothed in a wetsuit. It has a cheerful personality, and is always swimming around the " O". Its specialty is moving ier, and in battle, it uses the high-speed, uer mobility Motor on its back, and uses a fighting style that capitalizes on its speed. Its Special Move is stabbing the enemy with its cherished harpoon, "Torrent" (Strike Fishing)."

  This Hangyomon is clearly hostile as it believes that we actually want to harm the Otamamon, so it doesn't hesitate to throw its harpoon at us.

  Seeing that, I do not waste any time and quickly grab the harpoon in mid-flight surprising both Hangyomon and the kids, and then, with a forceful tug, I pull Hangyomon toward me making the Digimon yelp in shock.

  At the same time, Mantaraymon quickly swims toward the ining Hangyomon and pierces the Digimon's body with the electrified Stun Needle on the end of his tail while yelling, "Paralyze Tail!"

  Paralyzed by Mantaraymon's attack, the electrocuted Hangyomon only lie on the floor with its body stantly twitg while stuttering, "I-I give u-up..." making Mantaraymon ent, "Well... that was anticlimating... I expected something more from a Perfect Level..."

  Soouation calms down and Hangyomon with the Otomamon expins the reason behind his attack, and after hearing that, Jianliang 't help but excim, "We were attag the Otamamon?" followed by Takato who decres, "No way! It was a misuanding!"

  Hearing that in addition to the fact that we didn't actually harm him and the Otamamon, Hangyomon uands that they misuood us and expins, "Yeah, it's just that all they do to attack is make some bubbles. So, I'm quite overprotective about them and they do panic quite easily."

  After saying that, Hangyomon and the Otomamon bow as he says, "In any case, we're really sorry." making Terriermon casually reply, "Momantai, momantai!"

  After the misuanding is cleared up, we ask the Hangyomon for dires and the Digimon points us te pipe which could potentially lead to a way out.

  Without aation, Terriermon and V-mon try to charge into the pipe only to get aric shock, and the Hangyomon tells us that nobody has ever been able to make it through.

  At this point, I simply ask the Otamamon to make a giant bubble to protect us as we gh, and thanks to that and a little reinfort from my Spiral o, we are able to safely move through that pipe that will lead us out of this area.

  Odyin