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( BONUS CHAPTER )
"Let's go!"
Sideswipe's engine roared to life, his red chassis cutting a bright trail through the dim jungle. Ethan sat in the driver's seat — though "sat" was generous, since Sideswipe was fully autonomous. Pikachu perched in Ethan's lap, Big Big Wolf rode shotgun, and Agumon plus Tai squeezed into the back.
On the other side, Blurr's blue body was already moving, matching Sideswipe's speed effortlessly.
T.K. sat behind Blurr's wheel, Raphael in the passenger seat. Konohamaru and Stitch crammed into the back — Stitch immediately started clawing at the window, his nails scratching random patterns on the glass.
Angemon spread his white wings, flying at low altitude about ten feet above Blurr.
The best part was Po, who'd somehow climbed onto Blurr's roof. His limbs gripped the edges of the car, his round head swaying left and right as the vehicle bounced over roots. Every few seconds, he let out a soft, queasy howl.
"We'll circle left — you guys take right. Keep the Digivice channel open. Contact us if anything happens!"
"Roger!" T.K.'s voice came through the Digivice. "We'll keep a close watch and call the moment we spot them!"
The two squads split, heading in opposite directions.
The jungle on the Rift's periphery was dense. Towering trees blocked out the sky, leaving only scattered beams of light to dapple the forest floor.
Not long after they started, three Goblins burst from the undergrowth on the left. Short creatures — barely knee-height on an adult — with green skin, pointed ears, and rusty short swords. They spotted Sideswipe, and greedy light flickered in their eyes as they lunged with a screech.
They weren't fast. And monster-clearing wasn't the mission. Sideswipe didn't even slow down.
Blurr's team made equally smooth progress.
"Stitch — be careful! Don't fall out!" T.K. glanced back to find Stitch leaning half his body out the window, trying to grab a passing branch. T.K.'s voice cracked with panic.
Stitch turned around, made a face at him, and pulled himself back inside. His eyes stayed glued to the blur of trees outside, gleaming with curiosity.
"Monsters ahead!" Angemon's voice dropped from above, carrying an edge of alertness.
T.K. looked up. Four Goblins stood at the next intersection, peering toward Blurr's headlights.
Blurr executed a rapid drift, tires screaming as he swerved onto a different path — passing within ten feet of the Goblins without stopping.
"Brother Blurr, can you not do that? I'm gonna throw up." Konohamaru, who had never ridden in a car before, was looking distinctly green.
T.K. felt the same, but held it together slightly better.
Stitch, naturally, looked thrilled.
"Hey — you can't handle this level? The Autobots back home have driving skills even crazier than mine."
Before anyone could respond, Angemon's voice cut in again.
"Stop. Three Tier 2 monsters ahead."
Blurr slammed the brakes.
Tier 2 changed everything. They couldn't just drive past.
Ahead stood four Tier 2 monsters — two Ox Demons, a Wolf Demon, and a Tiger Demon — all walking upright, all near-Epic grade.
Po rolled off the roof, staggered a few dizzy steps, and immediately threw up.
Stitch hopped out, sized up the monsters, and extended his extra four arms. All six limbs ready.
"Meega nala kweesta!" Let's go!
With nobody commanding him, Stitch had reverted to his primal instincts.
Raphael didn't hesitate either. He was already charging, sai in both hands. "Let's go, ugly!"
Konohamaru stepped up. "Rasengan."
Two Tier 1 cards and one Tier 2 weren't enough for four near-Epic Tier 2 monsters. Angemon descended to join the fight.
Blurr transformed from car to humanoid mode.
"Photon Burst Blade!"
That left T.K. and Po — who had just finished vomiting — standing on the sidelines.
Po settled down next to T.K. with surprising calm. "I'll protect you."
T.K. nodded gratefully and watched the battle unfold.
Stitch's raw strength wasn't as high as his opponents', but his agility was off the charts. They couldn't touch him. And despite the monsters weighing several hundred pounds each, Stitch grabbed and hurled them like they were stuffed animals.
Raphael fought like he had something to prove — darting between the larger monsters, jamming his sai into joints and weak points, dodging with a street fighter's instinct. He wasn't strong enough to go blow-for-blow, but he was fast and mean.
Konohamaru held his own in close combat.
Blurr... charged in with a Photon Burst Blade, which an Ox Demon blocked with one arm. A surge of force sent Blurr skidding backward.
"..."
In the end, Konohamaru took out one monster. Angemon cleaned up the other three.
Back in the car, Stitch made a dissatisfied noise: "Weak!"
Ten minutes passed. Both teams had been searching the periphery without success.
Ethan, driving Sideswipe, had circled nearly half the outer ring.
"Ethan," Tai said from the back seat, "do you think they might've gone deeper?"
"It's possible. But they shouldn't have gone too far." Ethan shook his head. "The core area definitely has stronger monsters. Those three can handle Tier 1 stuff on the outskirts, but going deeper would be dangerous."
"If nothing else works, why not summon the junkyard?" Big Big Wolf suggested. "I'll build something to help search."
"We can't stay permanently, so building the whole yard feels wasteful. If I deploy it and recall it after, there's a one-hour cooldown."
Just then —
"Incoming call from T.K.!" Tai grabbed his Digivice and hit accept. "T.K.? What's up? Did you find Jake and the girls?"
T.K.'s voice came through, slightly hurried: "No — not them. We ran into a group of people to the southeast. They look like they're trapped too, and several are injured. Should we help?"
Ethan's heart sank — then settled slightly.
"How many? How bad are the injuries?"
"Seven or eight of them. All look like students. Three are hurt — looks serious, a lot of blood." T.K.'s concern was audible. "They called out to us the moment they saw us."
Plz Throw Powerstones.