No one could have imagined that Devimon would actually rise from the dead, forcefully stealing Hajime's body and corrupting her DigiCore to perform a Jogress Digivolution. As Kimeramon, it caught Zero completely off-guard.
Afterwards, just as Kimeramon was about to be brought back under Hajime's control, the surprise attack by the Black Gears allowed Devimon's lingering grudge to seize control, unleashing a devastating blast.
That was the last image Zero remembered clearly—Rina's Digivice erupting with light, colliding violently with Kimeramon's attack, creating a swirling vortex between them.
What lay behind that vortex, Zero had no idea… and couldn't even begin to imagine.
His consciousness sank endlessly through darkness until the noise of a bustling crowd slowly awakened him.
"…Ugh, noisy… Where is this?"
Zero struggled to open his eyes again, but somehow his eyelids felt unusually heavy. His entire body felt strangely weighed down.
He found this sensation bewildering. Bright white light flooded his vision, forcing him to squint reflexively. After his eyes finally adjusted, Zero opened them wide—and immediately froze.
Bustling crowds moved past, traffic lights cycled through red, yellow, and green, skyscrapers loomed above, and cars blared their horns noisily.
At that moment, countless fragmented scenes—familiar yet alien, beloved yet detested—came rushing back like a torrent from the deepest recesses of his memory.
These sights, so familiar yet so distant, left Zero stunned, nearly frozen in shock.
This place was…the real world!
Before he could gather his thoughts, a pair of hands scooped him up. Zero hurriedly turned his gaze, only to find Rina's anxious face looking back at him.
He was about to open his mouth to speak, but abruptly swallowed the words back. They were in the real world—if a toy-like creature suddenly started speaking on a busy street, it'd probably be headline news by this afternoon.
Human "common sense" from his past life rapidly awoke, advising him that it was safest to play the role of an ordinary stuffed animal.
Standing by the crosswalk, Rina murmured in astonishment.
"…We're back? Is this… Odaiba?"
Hearing that extremely familiar name sent a sudden shiver through Zero. This place certainly had its connections to the Digital World.
But how did they end up in the real world so suddenly? Did Rina's Digivice and Kimeramon's attack somehow tear open a path between worlds?
Or perhaps, Rina's Digivice itself possessed the ability to open gates between worlds, and under the dire circumstances, it decided the only way to protect her was to forcibly send them to the real world?
Indeed, the D-3 Digivice from Adventure 02 could easily open gates to the Digital World via certain networks, making it one of the most convenient travel methods between worlds in the entire series.
Considering how versatile Rina's Digivice was, it wouldn't be surprising if it shared similar capabilities.
But all of this was just speculation—Zero had no proof.
And right now, a far more pressing question remained:
…Where was Hajime?!
Frantically looking around, Zero and Rina quickly spotted a familiar figure not far away.
However, she was no longer in Gabumon's form, having regressed all the way back to Tsunomon.
Even though she was now a Tsunomon, Zero recognized her immediately from the unique signature emanating from her DigiCore—something akin to a Digital ID code.
Ordinarily, Digimon distinguished one another through these digital signatures, and names were something used mainly for human convenience. Zero himself had adopted the practice out of habit from his former life as a human.
Rina hurriedly rushed over, scooping up the unconscious Hajime.
Luckily, Hajime wasn't too far away, and passersby hadn't yet taken much notice. After quickly picking her up, Rina flashed a bright smile at the people nearby, tucked a Digimon under each arm, and swiftly walked away. With a quick turn, she ducked into a nearby café.
To any onlooker, it was simply a young girl holding two oversized plush toys. In a modern city like this, there were far flashier sights everywhere; no one gave her a second glance.
Settling into a quiet corner of the café, Rina placed Zero and Hajime—still acting like toys—beside her, gave a small cough, and whispered:
"Zero, how's Hajime doing?"
After a careful inspection, Zero found Hajime had simply fainted from severe exhaustion. But without Hajime herself waking up, there was no way to know if Devimon's lingering influence was truly gone.
For now, all they could do was wait quietly until Hajime regained consciousness. From the look of things, that wouldn't be happening anytime soon.
"Then let's let Hajime rest quietly for a while—ah!"
Suddenly, a cheerful melody erupted from Rina's pocket. Reaching inside, she pulled out her cell phone.
…This phone had been sitting unused in her pocket for two entire months, yet somehow hadn't drained its battery completely. That endurance was truly astounding.
Although, realistically, the reason it lasted so long probably had more to do with Rina not having touched it at all during her two months in the Digital World. Being perpetually out of service range meant it remained in a near-hibernation state, almost the same as being switched off.
As soon as she returned to an area with signal reception, it had instantly reactivated—and now, someone was calling her.
But Rina's first instinct wasn't to see who was calling. Instead, she immediately checked the date and time displayed on the screen.
Although two months had passed for her in the Digital World, according to her phone, less than a single morning had passed in the real world.
Zero, of course, understood clearly that time flowed differently between worlds. While Rina marveled at this revelation, she then glanced at the caller ID.
In an instant, she recalled:
…Two months ago, she'd made plans to hang out with a friend. She'd left home early intending to kill time at an arcade first before meeting up with her friend in the afternoon. But instead of playing games, she somehow got herself transported to another world.
Now, recalling it clearly, it was nearly time for their agreed-upon meeting. Her friend was probably calling to confirm their plans.
What should've been an utterly ordinary day now filled Rina with a surreal sense of nostalgia, as if a lifetime had passed.
…But being the type who rarely dwelled on such sentimental feelings, she swiftly snapped back to her usual self. With a spirited smile, she eagerly answered the call.
"…Yuuko-chan~ It's been so long~ Haha, I'm seriously so glad to hear your voice again~!"
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T/N: SHES 16 GUYS
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