-Chapter 21-

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<Continent Server Abandoned Church> <Noah - POV>

"That was hard..." A breathless Herrissmon muttered as he finished absorbing the Data of the last Aquilamon.

We weren't going to gain anything with that Data since he had to Digievolve back into Filmon to defeat them, but at least we weren't losing Data either.

"Yeah, but hey, I guess the Aquilamon aren't as smart as we thought" I commented with a smile as I looked at Herissmon's status screen. "I mean, why would they decide to take us on the ground if they had the advantage in the air? Or they could just collapse the church on us... it's strange."

'Not to mention the strange fact that they seemed to want to damage the church as little as possible...'

"It's because during a hunt you usually don't have time to think, you have to be quick or your prey might slip through your fingers... or bite your hand" BlackGarurumon's voice boomed with echo giving it an air of veteran and experience. "Looking at it that way, you're more or less like a miracle to us, you guide us through battles and your plans usually work for most of the time."

Herissmon jumped as he held up his hands with a big smile. "Yes! Noah is the smartest human!"

"Hmph..." BlackGarurumon snorted without restraint.

'I may be smart but Izzy could smash me at anything involving numbers' I thought to myself with a grin as a distant memory came to mind.

It was about a little bet Mimi, Izzy and I had made about who could score better on a math test.

It doesn't take a genius to know that Izzy crushed both Mimi and me.

But to my and Izzy's surprise it turned out that Mimi wasn't as bad with numbers as we originally thought, she explained that she had to manage her money very well to buy fashionable clothes along with magazines and make-up so she had to do a lot of math on a daily basis.

As I was used to Mimic's wasteful money squandering I had simply shrugged it off without giving it much thought, but Izzy was not used to dealing with Mimic as I did on a daily basis.

In short, Izzy told her to her face that she didn't have to spend so much money on such absurd, everyday things like makeup or clothes.

And... well, there's a reason Mom says don't piss off a woman, you know?

Also, maybe Izzy forgot the teeny tiny detail that Mimi is by far the most athletic girl among the girls in our grade and I wouldn't be surprised if she was the most athletic girl in the whole school.

'Now that I remember, Izzy was left mid-sentence when Mimi beat her up' Remembering the antics of that pair and I couldn't help but let out a wistful laugh as I walked towards the door where I had left TK and Tokomon. 'I promise to ask them out when I get back to the Human World.'

"I don't think I'm the smartest but thanks for the compliment" I replied with a smile before knocking loudly on the door. "It's okay TK you can come out now! It's all over!"

...

I raised an eyebrow when all I received was an eerie silence, grabbing the door handle I pulled on it a couple of times until the door suddenly swung open taking me by surprise and almost knocking me to the ground in the process.

Snapping out of my daze I took a peek inside...but no one was there, just the spiral staircase leading down.

"...TK?"

Perhaps hearing the tremor in my voice, both Herissmon and BlackGarurumon arrived at my side in the blink of an eye as they growled under their breath.

Swallowing audibly I went down the stairs accompanied by Herissmon, as BlackGarurumon was too big to fit through the door, and down into the strange basement using the Tamagochi as a flashlight.

Only to watch as a strange orange Digimon with large bat wings on its head tried to carry TK towards the stairs failing in the process.

***

<3rd Person - POV>

Night had fallen upon our group of protagonists in the blink of an eye.

And despite being literally in the middle of a desert, which were known for their high temperatures, none of them were aware of how extremely cold it would be when the lively sun was replaced by the mysterious moon.

The cold night that plagued the vast desert of the Server Continent was equally, if not more, oppressive than the heat of the day.

However, despite the overwhelming cold that plagued the abandoned church, Noah remained awake even after several hours had passed since the silent moon had replaced the bright sun.

Leaning against one of the few pews that had survived the fight against the Aquilemon trio, Noah looked at the small group sleeping peacefully with a frown on his face.

Herissmon and, Tokomon's Digievolution, Patamon slept near an unconscious TK who did not look well at all.

Repressing a grimace at TK's condition, Noah approached the small boy silently as he watched him with clear concern.

TK's breathing was weak, sweat was pouring like a waterfall all over his body and he looked as if he was going through great pains if his expressions were anything to go by.

Although he didn't know what exactly had happened down there, Patamon had informed him that TK had been attacked by a poisonous Digimon. You didn't have to be very smart to know that TK had been poisoned by said Digimon.

Clenching his fists tightly Noah walked away in annoyance heading towards the pedestal of the church. Absentmindedly he noticed the large statue behind the pedestal, it appeared to be a slender three eyed angelic figure, its face was almost hidden by a mask that covered much of its face.

Sitting down on one of the steps Noah let out a tired yawn, rubbing his eyes to shake off the sleep he looked back at the small sleeping group.

'At least the moon gives me some visibility with its light...' Noah thought absentmindedly as he closed his eyes for a moment.

"You should go to sleep" As if a figment of darkness itself, the ominous figure of a large jet wolf stepped out of the shadows approaching Noah silently. "If you stay awake any longer you won't be able to think clearly and you'll slow the others down."

Too tired to panic, Noah simply looked behind him to see BlackGarurumon staring at him. Letting out a snort Noah turned to face the wolf.

"I know" Noah nodded reluctantly as he ran a hand over his head. "But...I feel like if I go back to sleep something might happen to TK again...and I don't want that."

"You don't have to worry so much" BlackGarurumon dismissed the concern with a casual scoff as he lowered his body and sat comfortably on his paws. "TK showed that he is more than capable of defending himself in those situations, don't you think?"

"I wouldn't be so sure about that" Shaking his head Noah folded his arms as he made a complicated grimace on his face, as if he wanted to confirm and deny something at the same time.

"I mean, sure, he defeated the Digimon that did that to him but he got hurt from that too."

"A warrior who goes to war but fears getting hurt is not a warrior," the raven wolf pointed out while giving Noah a blank look.

"TK is not a warrior."

BlackGarurumon let out a derisive snort before shaking his head and giving him a less than amused look. "Then, why don't you teach him to be one?"

"That's crazy! He's only 7 years old! Not to mention the fact that I'm not a warrior either!" Noah exclaimed as he looked at BlackGarurumon in disbelief before lowering his voice so as not to wake the others. "I... I don't want someone like TK to get hurt."

"You can't protect him forever Noah. Sooner or later, you'll have to let him out to see the world with his own eyes... and when that time comes, what will be better?" BlackGarurumon chided the older Human sharply. "Let TK wander helplessly through the world not knowing what he's up against? Or forge him so that even the greatest of mountains will yield to him?"

Pausing both Digimon and Human stared at each other, as if they were constantly analyzing each other.

"Not to mention that you'll have to explain to him what Patamon did with that Digimon..." Finished BlackGarurumon as a winning smile appeared on the wolf's face.

Noah stared at BlackGarurumon before letting out a frustrated groan accepting defeat. "...I didn't know you were so good at these things..."

"I wasn't the leader of my village for nothing you know?" Proudly exclaimed the big wolf before giving Noah a serious look causing the latter to be surprised by the drastic change in attitude. "Besides, I have seen the burning fire in TK's eyes... he is a born warrior, someone who even in the face of the greatest adversities will not take a step back, but will face them with a smile while there is still hope for a victory."

"Maybe... maybe you're right..." Noah murmured faintly as he shrugged his shoulders, maybe it was the tiredness of not having slept or maybe having made a decision he should have made long ago but he felt strangely relieved and fearful at the same time. "But where do I start? I've never...done this before, I'm not a guide, I'm just a kid with a good head and some luck."

"I think you put yourself down too much" BlackGarurumon pointed out sarcastically before noticing the look Noah was giving him. "Don't look at me like that, you think I have the answers to everything? Who do you think me a spirit guide or something? No! I'm a first class hunter! I'm not a Babamon!"

Rolling his eyes Noah approached the large wolf and leaned back against his dark fur allowing himself a moment to feel the warmth emanating from BlackGarurumon. Closing his eyes Noah finally allowed himself to rest.

But before he fell into that oh-so-juicy sleep....

"Thank you BlackGarurumon..." Noah murmured with a soft smile.

"...Just shut up and go to sleep..."

"...Tsundere..."

"I heard that!"

...

A/N: Sorry for the delay

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