Tech Cyber was seen in his room as he was packing his things in a large traveling suitcase with his new friend/partner, Herissmon, watching him on the bed. The teen had a very excited smile on his face as he placed the final piece of clothing in the trunk before closing it up. "And that's the last we need," he declared with a proud tone before he looked at the hedgehog. "Well, this is it. After a week of waiting, the time has finally come for us to head towards our dream destination: the Digimon Academy!"

"So, what exactly does this academy look like?" Herissmon asked as he hopped off the bed.

"Well, supposedly, it's like a gigantic castle that has multiple floating islands around it that has the dorms for the students." Tech told him. "There's a huge one that holds Digimon matches. I only saw images of it online, but to see it in person would be so amazing!"

"I wonder what kind of food they will serve there," thought the mammal, which made Tech let out a small chuckle as he picked up his suitcase.

"I almost forgot you Digimon love to eat like nobody else," he mentioned as he picked up his Digivice, recalling everything as if it was yesterday: The meeting of Pusurimon, watching the Digi-Tournament where Glitch Striker emerge victorious, the little guy being chased by two guys in black suits, came in contact by two students of the school of his dreams which led to a nightmarish confrontation of an Allomon, protecting Pusurimon and received his own digital device and watch, got a Digi-Disc by the champion himself which turned a small hamster into the Rookie he was now. "I just still can't believe that I'm finally attending the school. It feels really surreal to me."

"Tech, Herissmon, breakfast is ready!" They both heard Tech's mother called out. "Come on down!"

"Coming, mom!" responded her son as he carried his suitcase with his Digimon partner following behind him out of the room and down the stairs. The woman set a couple of plates that had scrambled eggs and bacon on them as Herissmon looked very excited.

"Now remember to finish your plate because you're going to need all the energy you both are going to need for the Digimon Academy," she instructed them as Herissmon was already eating his breakfast.

"This looks great," Tech complimented before we sat down and started eating his breakfast. "I'm really gonna miss your cooking, mom."

"And I'm going to miss you when you leave," she mentioned with a proud smile. "Your father would be very proud just as I am." She then had a look on her face that tells Tech that she was trying to hold back her tears. "I never really thought you were going away so soon."

"Mom, I promise that I'll call you every weekend and tell you how school has been for me,” he vowed with a sincere smile.

His mother nodded in understanding before she turned towards Herissmon, as he was still enjoying the breakfast she made. "Now, promise me that you'll look after my son just as he will look after you." She wished for him as he nodded in response.

"Of course, he's my partner after all," the Rookie mentioned before he looked at both of them. "But what does the partner do?"

"Don't worry, buddy. We're going to learn more about that when we get to the academy." Tech told his partner as they were finishing up breakfast. Just then the doorbell rang and Tech got up and answered it. When he answered the door, he found a couple of Guardromon standing before him before they bowed to him.

"Good morning," one Machine-Type Digimon greeted him. "We're here to pick you and your Digimon partner up, and escort you to the airship for the Digimon Academy."

"We will carry your luggage as well," the other one insisted.

"Much obliged, guys," Tech replied gratefully then turned towards the Rookie. "Hey, Herissmon, it's time to go!" The call made the hedgehog race over and hopped onto the teen's shoulder. The two Guardromon then picked up some of his luggage while Tech picked up his backpack.

"Wait!" His mother called out before she went up to him and handed him his goggles. "You wouldn't want to forget your father's goggles."

"Thanks, mom." He replied before taking the goggles and putting them on his head. "And don't worry, I promise that I'll make you and him proud," he said with a confident smile.

"I know you are, because I still am," She couldn't help but let a tear run down her cheek. "Take care of each other and look out for one another. Good luck. Don't forget to contact me sometime. I love you."

"Love you, too." And with that, the mother and son shared one last embrace for the time being as the three Digimon looked on.

Later, Tech has a very nervous frown on his face as he, Herissmon, along with a few other Digimon and people were on an airship as they were below deck while it flew through sky. "Hey, Tech, how are you feeling?" asked the worrisome mammal. "You looked really excited before we got on."

"That's because I was trying to put on a brave face for my mom," replied his human partner with a sigh as he leaned against the wall. "Seeing all these people and Digimon here, looking very tough, and you and I just partnered up not too long ago. It's kind of freaking me out." He soon sat on the floor and held his head before looking around. "I just hope they don't expect us to fight them or anything."

"Hey, are you feeling okay?" Tech looked up when he heard a female voice asked him and saw someone standing in front of him. She looked to be a teenage girl, who looked a year younger than him, with deep sea blue skin, pale gray eyes, and has light blue hair with white streaks as she was wearing a navy blue scarf and what one can assume is a mix street ninja and beatbox dancer clothes with the as of mentioned scarf all mix of navy blue and purple with silver trimmings. Tech noticed that she was carrying a small Digimon and that Digimon looked to be a plush toy inside a big sneaker. "You looked very nervous," she said with a small smile.

"Well, that's because I am nervous," Tech replied before he stood up. "I've always wanted to go to the Digimon Academy, but now that I'm going, I'm really unsure about what's going to happen and everything."

"I know how that feels," the girl agreed before looking down at her Digimon partner. "Shoemon and I are just as nervous as you are, but we got each other, along with my big brother and his partner. As long as we are together, we can make it through."

Tech's new watch beeped as it showed a holographic display of the Digimon as he read the stats.

"Shoemon: a Rookie Level, Puppet Type of the Virus Attribute. It can sense the vibrations on the ground. The attacks are Wonder Stomp and Petit Needle." He then looked at Herissmon after hearing what she just said before smiling. "Thanks. I'm Tech Cyber, by the way." He introduced himself before he gestured to his spiky pal. "And this is Herissmon."

"Misty Armaldo; pleased to meet you," she introduced herself as she offered a friendly handshake. Tech was about to accept it before Shoemon let out a frightful yelp before she quickly jumped out of the girl’s arms and jumped into her backpack. "Oh, it's okay, Shoemon. He was only reaching out to shake my hand." Misty then let out a sigh before she looked at Tech. "I'm sorry; she gets nervous around other people, and she runs away whenever she thinks someone is about to reach out for her."

"Whoa," Tech blinked in confusion. "And I thought I was a nervous wreck."

"Not to mention she didn't really strike me as the shy type," added Herissmon with his head tilted.

"Hey, Misty," They heard a male voice calling before they saw a teenage boy about two years older than her coming up to them. This guy had dark orange skin with sunburnt orange hair and has a large overcoat that acts like a cape that is navy blue. He also has on a long sleeve golden yellow shirt with a samurai helm icon on the front in red with an emerald-green vest on top of the shirt. He also has blue jean pants with sports tape around his waist with cork sandals on. Standing next to him was a medium-sized dragon with golden-yellow fur and wore Japanese-style armor which was black and a red jewel on the front of his helmet. "I was wondering where you went."

"I'm fine, Mektaveus," Misty replied with a small smile before she gestured to Tech and Herissmon. "He looked nervous and thought I might cheer him up."

"I take it that's your brother?" Tech asked Misty which she nodded as he analyzed the armed Digimon.

"Ryudamon," he read. "Rookie Level, Dragon Type of the Vaccine Attribute. Even in armor, he's quick and nimble, and he's a counter-fighter. Special attacks are Katana Blade and... uh... Kabuto-what?"

"It's Kabutogaeshi," Misty clarified.

"Oh, okay. Thanks."

"Hi, I'm Herissmon!" The white mammal introduced himself to both Mektaveus and his Digimon partner before Ryudamon circled around him while looking him over.

"Curious, I have never seen a Digimon like you before," the dragon spoke in a slight Japanese dialect before facing the hedgehog. "What kind are you and what are your attacks?"

"Ryudamon, you know it's not nice to try and think everyone's your enemy," Misty spoke up before she looked at her brother. "Tech's a nice guy, bro."

"If you say so, but I just wanted to make sure," Mektaveus mentioned with his arms crossed before they heard the speakers start up.

"If I could have everyone's attention, we are arriving at our destination. If you like a great view of the academy, please move to the front of the ship as the view will take your breath away." A man on the intercom informed everyone on board before everyone rushed to the front of the ship and looked out to the horizon with an amazed look on their faces.

The one who looked more amazed was Tech himself as he cannot believe his eyes of the academy. It was a large castle, made of white stone with blue additions. The entryway was a long stone path, with a fountain in the middle and a pool of water on either side. Stone archways surrounded the pools, whilst the castle had many round towers. The tallest tower could be seen in the very center of it and at the tip of it, a stream of light was flowing inside. Tech quickly realized it was data, whilst also seeing a bunch of islands floating in the air that had multiple castle-like buildings upon them.

Tech grew more excited as the airship he and all the other passengers -- human and Digimon alike -- were on soon landed. The multiple Guardromon carried the luggage of the people out of the airship as they all exited with their Digimon partners. Tech and Herissmon soon ran up as they looked up at the institution with bright smiles. "We made it, buddy, we made it!" Tech declared to his Digimon partner with excitement.

"Wow, this place looks really big," pointed out the spikey Rookie. "Let's go see what's inside!" He soon started to run ahead before Tech started following behind him. But then Herissmon bumped into the legs of someone in front of him as he fell onto his butt.

"Hey, watch it!" A teen girl's voice before she turned to see the white mammal on the ground. He looked up and saw the girl, who looked a year older than Tech, wearing a dark yellow shirt with a broken dark purple heart printed on the front while she was wearing a jacket with the sleeves ripped off. She also wore torn jeans with shoes printed yellow and dark purple. She also has dark yellow skin with her hair in a ponytail as it was colored bright yellow with purple streaks. Next to the girl was a tall, bipedal fox-like Digimon with mostly yellow fur. It had white fur sticking out from its shoulders and chest, and a white abdomen. It wore a pair of purple sleeves with yin-yang symbols on the back of its hands which had three fingers and claws. Swirling symbols on its thighs, long, white, three-toed legs, and a long, white-tipped tail. It gazed its black eyes on them with indigo pupils.

"Sorry about that, he's just as excited as I am to be here," Tech told the two as he quickly went up to them. "I'm Tech Cyber and this is my Digimon partner, Herissmon. I see you have a Renamon for a partner. I heard they're very skilled and everything. What's your name?"

"It's Shine, and let's get one thing straight…" She replied with a look and a tone. "Me and Renamon are going to be the best there ever was. So don't even bother trying to warm up to me, because if you're going to get in my way, Renamon will walk all over you. Let's go." She then turned to leave as Renamon followed behind.

"Well, that was very rude." Tech mentioned with a look.

"Sorry about Shine…" They heard a teen boy's voice say before they turned to see the lad who was the same age as the aforementioned girl with dark red skin and bright red and orange hair with black streaks. He was also wearing a red hoodie with black pants while he also wore a necklace with a triangle inside of a circle on it. Standing next to him is his Digimon partner which is a bipedal dinosaur-like creature with red scales and yellow eyes. It has three claws on each hand and two claws on the front of each foot, and one claw on the back of each foot. It also has two wing-like appendages on its head. It also has white scales on its belly, and a Digital Hazard on it. It also has black horizontal lines on its arms, legs, neck, back, and tail, two black marks under its eyes, and a black triangle mark on each shoulder. It also has an inverted Zero Unit on its snout, and incomplete Zero Units on its hands and feet. "She can be very persistent when she has her mind set on something."

"You know her?" Tech asked as Herissmon and the dinosaur-like Digimon looked at each other with curious looks.

"Yeah, she's a childhood friend of mine," the teen boy explained before holding out a hand. "My name is Blaze Lancer, but my friends just call me Lancer, and this is my Digi-buddy, Guilmon."

"Hi," the friendly-looking reptile waved with a smile.

"Hi, I'm Herissmon," Tech's partner introduced himself as he took Lancer's hand.

"And I'm Tech Cyber," he introduced himself with a smile. Just then, something ran past the two as it caused them both to spin before they were suddenly stopped by a teen boy, younger than Tech, with light green skin and dark green hair with lime green streaks. This teen boy was also wearing a yellow tank top with a lightning bolt on the front while he was wearing lime green shorts. He also had a pair of emerald colored wristbands on while he had green running shoes on as well.

"Sorry about that; I just wanted to check out the school real fast," the teen apologized with a grin and enthusiastic tone.

"You can say that again, Blitz." They looked down and saw his Digimon partner next to him. This Digimon resembles a small yellow and black striped animal similar to a hedgehog with quills at the back of its head, a white muzzle shaped mouth, a black lightning marking on its head, back and arms, green eyes, a yellow and white, lightning shaped fringe which moves depending on its mood, a small bit of emerald green fur on his chest, with yellow fur surrounding it, three fingers with claws on each end, a black lightning shaped tail with an emerald green end and it wears on black and green shoes with claws on the ends of them.

"Right you are, Pulsemon," Blitz replied with a grin before he gestured to the school. "Come on, let's see what's inside!" Both of them then ran towards the main building as Tech and Lancer looked confused.

"They seem very energetic about coming here, more so than we are," Tech mentioned.

"I have to agree with that statement," Lancer replied before he smiled at Tech. "Well, me and Guilmon better head in. See ya around." Tech and Herissmon waved as the two left before they both heard what sounded to be an imitation of a cat purring. They both looked around as they tried to find the source of the purring right before Tech was surprised when he came face to face with a teenage girl with light grey skin, golden-yellow beast-like eyes, and black hair with purple streaks. She was wearing a black sleeveless hoodie with a cat head printed on the back while she wore a cat ears headband on top while she also wore bright purple pants with cat symbols on the knees. Another thing he noticed is her shoes were colored black and purple while they were printed like cat paws.

"Well, isn't this a surprise meeting?" she said with a grin as she looked over Tech. "You must be the new guy who is being talked about all over the web, the one who has a mysterious Digimon partner no one has ever heard of before."

"Wait, you've heard of me?" Tech asked before he thought something climbed up his back and jumped on top of his head. He then came face to face with a Digimon who appears similar to a black Egyptian cat wearing large purple and red striped gloves with black claws sticking out of them. Its ears are large with tufts of purple hair on the tips reminiscent of a caracal (Caracal caracal). Its tail has purple stripes with a tuft on the end as she smiled at him with a chuckle.

"Of course we do. You were pretty much on the news with those other two students from this academy," the feline Digimon mentioned before she got off his head and landed near Herissmon. The white Rookie looked a little uneasy as she moved around him. "But I have to say that I never met a Digimon as cute as you before. I'm BlackGatomon, by the way. I'm one half of a Digi-Idol pair."

"And Catalina is my name, the other half of our Digi-Idol." She introduced herself, then she slowly leaned over towards the two with half-lidded eyes. "But for a redheaded hottie like you, either call me Cat or Lina. May we ask for yours, pretty please?"

"Um, T-Tech," he uttered, slowly losing control. "Tech Cyber."

"And I'm Heirssmon," followed the spiky Digimon.

"Hmm..." she hummed with interest. "Something tells me it would be a very fun semester." She and her partner slowly walked away for the gobsmacked twosome, froze then looked back with a wave. "Till we meet again, Cyber-boy."

"Cat’s eye (Guess I’ll) see you later, hedgy," winked BlackGatomon before she and Catalina went off to the entrance of the academy.

"Well, that was odd." Tech mentioned before he looked at Herissmon. "Are you feeling okay, by the way? You were looking kind of tense when that BlackGatomon was near you."

"Y-Yeah, it's just that I feel a little uneasy when I'm near any Gatomons," Herissmon explained.

"Well, don't worry, I'm here if ya need some comfort." Tech told his partner with a smile. "Now let's go see what the academy has to offer." Herissmon nodded with a smile before they started heading towards the entrance of the incredible-looking institution.

Meanwhile, from the top of one of many trees, someone with a monocular looked towards Tech and Heirssmon. The individual silently growled, "Some freshman got the attention of my Catalina, my favorite half of the Digi-Idol? This will not stand." It was revealed to be a teenage boy with deep grey skin, eyes of crimson red with anger, and orange-red spiky hair with little violet streaks and black highlights. He wore a black uniform jacket with an orange zipper, dark orange pants, and navy-blue sandals.

"I feel your pain, Kage," spoke a male scratchy voice below the same tree as the teen. It was a gray canine Digimon with long, lapine ears, black claws on its forelimbs, and a long, feline tail, wrapped with three belts. It wore a pair of dark sunglasses. "But if you know her and BlackGatomon, they would dump them like a bad habit, like all the would-be admirers." He slightly lowered the shades to show his amber eyes. "However, that Digimon he partnered with was nothing I haven't seen before. We should keep an eye on them, just in case."

"You're right," replied Kage. "As ninjas, we strike when they least expect it. For now, we shadow and study them so we can be ready." He took a look at his watch. "The bells will chime soon. Come, Gazimon."

"As you wish," responded the gray mammal.

Soon the freshman and their Digimon partners were given a tour of the academy as they followed a Wisemon through the halls. "Now please pay attention, newcomers," he told the large group. "You may have arrived at the Digimon Academy, but you are not yet admitted to the school."

"What do you mean by that?!" Blitz question from among the crowd.

"You see, this is just the tour of the academy," the Ultimate Level answered as they continued to walk. "Tomorrow is an entrance exam, but I'm not allowed to reveal all the details just yet. I'll leave that to the headmistresses of the school." Soon they followed the wizard Digimon to a large field where they saw different students and Digimon fighting each other. "Here we have the practice grounds where you and your partner Digimon can hone your skills in combat."

Tech even caught of Twilight with Tentomon facing off against another teenage girl with light cerulean gray skin and prism-colored hair as a Sparrowmon was with this teenage girl. Soon the group moved on from the training grounds as they moved to a large library as some students were reading books with their Digimon partners. "Here you may study with your Digimon partners and learn about how different Digimon work and everything." Wisemon told the group as Tech saw Flash and Veemon sitting next to them, a teenage boy with light blue skin and dark blue hair, while the three of them were checking out a book.

Soon Wisemon started showing them different classrooms and discussing how each one was teaching students how to bond and get stronger with their Digimon partners, along with normal teaching methods as well. But soon he brought them to the one place almost all the Digimon were excited about, the cafeteria. "And this is where the academy's gourmet chefs can create perfect food for you and your partners," Wisemon said before he noticed some of the Digimon were drooling with hunger as he let out a small laugh. "Head Mistress Celestia did mention that your companions might be hungry, so why don't we take a small break and have something nice to eat?"

The moment he suggested that, most of the Digimon already charged forward to get some grub. Some of their partners let out amused laughs as they followed behind the Digimon to get some lunch. Soon they all had trays full of food as Tech and Herissmon were sitting at a table and looking around the cafeteria as the Digimon and their partners were enjoying their food together.

"Somebody pinch me, because I must be dreaming!" Herissmon went into a starry state. Until something stung in his arm. "Ouch!" he yelped as saw the culprit was his partner. "I said ‘pinch’, not poke!" complaint the Rookie.

"Not my fault for having a body full of spikes," Tech teased.

The hedgehog Digimon then noticed something in the human's grasp. "Is that one of my quills?"

"Maybe..." came the slyly response.

"How did that happen?"

"Remember a few days ago while I was grooming you?"

"Yeah," Herissmon recalled.

"Well, this came from my comb, and I was thinking whatever you lost focus, I can use this to help you come back to your senses," Tech explained.

"Well, can you give me a little warning next time?"

"Heh, where's the fun in that?" The redhead jokes.

"Um, do you mind if we join you both?" They heard a soft female voice ask before they saw a younger teenage girl with light gray skin standing before them as she was holding a tray full of food. They noticed that she was wearing a blue jacket with a single white stripe in the center while she was wearing a gray shirt and matching shorts as she had white hair with small red streaks. Next to her is her Digimon partner which is a bipedal Rookie Digimon with three horns like a Triceratops. It is mostly white in color with black-tipped horns and tail, red tipped spikes on its frill, a red stripe or bracelet around its left wrist, two black wings that grow out of its back, and dark violet-tipped claws on all four of its limbs. It also possesses yellow eyes and a small black nose, and wears a blue bandana around its neck.

"Sure, we don't mind." Tech replied with a smile. The girl smiled back a little and sat down in front of him, as did her partner Digimon. Both Tech and Herissmon noticed that her partner Digimon had a few chocolate bars on his tray.

"Hi, I'm Herissmon," one spiky Rookie introduced himself to the two.

"I'm Gammamon, and you're already giving good vibes," the other mentioned with a soft smile before he offered a chocolate bar to Herissmon. "Here, have some champions."

"Ooh, don't mind if I do," thanked the hedgehog Digimon as he gently took the sweet treat and savored it.

"Gammamon, huh?" Tech wondered as went for his Digi-band and scanned the dino.

"You're a Rookie, Ceratopsian Type of the Virus Attribute. Doesn't say much, but you reach out to people and Digimon you sense good in them. What're your moves?"

"My Horn Attack, which is obvious," the other white Rookie showed his three short but sharp weapons on his head. "And the other is--"

"Hold on, Gamma," her partner intervened. "We really shouldn't tell everything, especially to one's we just met."

"Aw, come on, Sera," complained Gammamon. "As I told them, I sensed something special in them." He looked towards a munching Herissmon. "Like a fellow white one like myself."

"Wait, Sera?" Tech went as he just remembered something. "As in Sera Topian? Are you by chance related to Tyler and Shelby, the owners of the dinosaur museum on the far west side of the city?"

"Yeah, they're my parents," answered Sera confusingly. "Why did you ask?"

"My dad and I visited there a few times when I was younger. Just seeing the fossils in wonder, and those huge skeletons that's almost the size of Champion or even Ultimate Level Digimon," He then sighed at the memories. "Good times." He couldn't help but reach out towards the only memento of his father, the googles. "I missed you, dad. As soon as you come home, we can go back there for old times' sake."

"Well, they really took a liking to not only my partner, Gammamon, but my sisters' as well." Sera mentioned. "Or as you know my older siblings as ‘The Gamma-Trio Sisters’."

"The Gamma-who?" Tech asked before they heard a familiar imitation purring.

"Well, it looks like someone needs a refresher on today's popular demands." They then saw the familiar Digi-Idol pair approaching. Catalina sat next to Tech while her partner sat next to Herissmon, which made him feel a little uncomfortable. "The Gamma-Trio Sisters are the most popular team that has ever graced upon these hallowed halls. All three of them have a Gammamon for partners and each of them can Digivolve into a different Champion level."

"It's true." Tech heard Misty say before he saw her, her brother and their partners coming up to them before sitting down at the table. "Those three are three of the best of the best this academy has to offer. The Champion levels of their Gammamon are in different colors: red, blue, and green." Misty said before taking a bite of a spoonful of rice.

"Those three are part of many who inspired others to become stronger in this academy," Mektaveus added as Ryudamon was enjoying a rice ball. Lancer and Guilmon overheard their conversation as they walked over and sat at the table.

"Yeah, I think there's like sixteen or seventeen people and their partner Digimon at this Academy that are wicked strong," the dark red teen mentioned. “Speaking of which, I heard rumors about tomorrow. They said they're going to give us a little test before they assign us to our dorm rooms."

"What kind of test?" Shoemon asked before she noticed BlackGatomon was eating some odd sushi. "Um… what kind of sushi are you eating?"

"Oh, only one of the best sushi that has ever been made!" the dark animal exclaimed excitedly as she was holding one of the sushi in her paw. "The red bean and ice cream is really amazing!"

"How can she eat that stuff?" Sera muttered with disgust as the black feline Digimon was offering the sushi to Herissmon.

"Here, you gotta give it a try~!" She told him enthusiastically.

The spiky mammal flinched as looked at the raw fish with teary eyes. "Oh, um, no thank you. Now, can you please put it away before I... I-I-I... AH-CHOO!" He sneezed so strong it flew out of her paw, out of the cafeteria, and landed outside the room in a soft...

splat

A few moments ago, someone was spying on Tech and Herissmon. It was Kage. "Hmm... they must have a weakness. Everyone does."

"Well, I have one," told Gazimon as he spied on many foods on the table. "Just look at that spread." That caused his stomach to growl. "Can we have a break?"

"Might as well," he stated. "I'm a little famished myself." Just as he was about to stand from his kneeling position, he stopped all of a sudden.

"What's up?" wondered his partner.

"I cannot move. It only happens when... " the ninja spotted the object of his affections. "Catalina... "

"And BlackGatomon?" Gazimon inquired then started to smirk. "Well, well, looks like things have gotten interesting at lunchtime."

"Whenever I approached her, I stumbled, tripped, or go mute. I have got to overcome this obstacle."

"So what are you going to do about it?"

"I don't know, but something will hit me."

"AH-CHOO!"

splat

Down goes Kage as he was hit by a projectile as a voice called out, "Sorry about that!"

"AH! I've been attacked!" He tried his best to keep his voice down to not alert everyone. He looked at his chest and found the "weapon". "It's... sushi?"

Gazimon snatched the food and tasted it. "Hmm... red bean and ice cream?" He put it into his mouth and chewed. "Eh, I tasted better." He swallowed and thought, "However, if BlackGatomon likes this stuff, I should keep note of this."

"You could've stopped this from hitting me!" scolded his human cohort.

"And let the great Kage Kurai, Shroud of the Far East, not get taken down from a piece of raw fish? I thought you ninjas should be prepared for anything. You could have caught this yourself."

"Grr..." That turned his eyes turned from crystal blue to crimson red. "That freshman not only caught my Catalina, but he also assaulted me with my favorite food! Besides ramen. That is high on the dishonor scale! That fool and his cohort will get what's coming!" He then grabbed his partner closed in on his face. "I swore on my ninja's word, Gazimon: They. Will. Get. What's. Coming!"

Back at the cafeteria, Herissmon sniffled as he wiped his eyes from the tears. He then looked up and saw every human and Digimon stared right at him. He laughed awkwardly and scratched his spiky head from behind. "Sorry about that!" He turned toward BlackGatomon. "As you can see, I'm allergic to seafood."

The group was really surprised as to what just happened before the black feline let out a loud yet amusing laugh. "Oh boy, you really are something, Herissmon!" She told him through her laughter. "It's really too bad that you're allergic to seafood, because you're really missing out on this really great sushi!" She then took a bite of the sushi as she still had her amused face on just as her partner was wiping her face.

"I haven't even heard of a Digimon who's allergic to seafood," Catalina mentioned before she held up her Digi-band as an image appeared of Herissmon with the words 'no data' written across the holographic screen. "I mean, there's hardly any data on your partner, Techy."

"Are you being serious?" Tech asked as he looked at the others who showed their Digi-bands as they showed the same thing on Herissmon. As they began to talk amongst each other about this little situation, Shine Blight was sitting at a table across from them as she was overhearing everything they were saying with her partner Digimon leaning against the wall and drinking an energy drink.

"It is odd that there's a Digimon that barely shows any data," she said to herself as she looked at her Digi-band and it was just like the others when it showed Herissmon. "I don't get it; he's just a Rookie Level Digimon, nothing special. Yet, there's no data on him at all. Almost as if it's a completely different Digimon. Have you ever seen or even heard of a walking pincushion like that, Renamon?"

"First I ever heard of a Herissmon," the yellow vixen Digimon replied as she tossed away the empty bottle into a trash can. "However, Gammamon wasn't wrong about it at all. At first sight, Herissmon does hold a certain vibe, but I'm not sure if it's a good one. Sort of a feeling, like he has something within him that even he doesn't know about."

Soon the sun was starting to set as Wisemon brought all the newcomers to a large room with multiple bunk beds. "All of you will stay here for the night." He told all of them. "Tomorrow will be the start of the test."

"Hey, Wisemon, what kind of test will they have us do?" Tech questioned the Ultimate Level Digimon.

"All I can tell you is that it will help decide which one of you will be put together as a team." Wisemon replied before he clapped his hands. "Now off to bed, you all have a big day tomorrow."

Soon he left the newcomers to get comfortable as they all picked a bunk bed. Tech managed to find one as Herissmon was laying on one end of the bed. Tech looked around and saw how others were getting comfortable in their beds with their partner Digimon. He even took notice of Catalina having a camera out as she seemed to be talking into it. "Hey there to all my loyal fans. It's me, Catalina and my BlackGatomon coming to you live from the barracks of the Digimon Academy," she greeted with a proud smile. "Now I know you all expected me to be in a dorm room by now, but they have to put us through some sort of test before we could be put into one. But don't worry, me and my partner promised you that we are going to be the best out there. We're going to become the best Digi-Idol there ever was. Purrs and kisses with all our hearts."

"Catch you on the flipside, as we promise it'll be purrrrfect," BlackGatomon quickly added.

"I'm Catalina..."

"I'm BlackGatomon..."

"And we're prrrrowling out!" The Digi-Idol pair waved in unison as Catalina signed off and turned off her camera. Tech overheard this before he quickly noticed Blitz and Pulsemon were doing a few stretches. They seem to be counting each stretch they did before they both hopped onto their bed.

"They must really be into exercising," Tech muttered before he noticed the others that he had met were doing their own thing before resting in bed. It came to a realization that this was the best time to analyze the others' partner's Digimon. He raised his Digi-banded arm and scanned the yellow, lightning-based one.

"Pulsemon," he silently stated. "Rookie Level, Beastkin Type, Vaccine Attribute. It said that this little guy digivolved under the influence of heartbeat waveform data stored in hospitals and gyms. Wow, that was shocking. What else is his Electric Rush and Minor Impulse attacks. Well, judging by their energy, I have a guess where they're going after classes, if they passed the exam."

He then scanned BlackGatomon, and just like the original, she's a Champion. He also checked on Guilmon and Renamon, just in case there's anything different from the last time he remembered them. He then gazed upon his slumbering partner as he recalled earlier that the others had unknown data concerning him. The redhead analyzed Herissmon and revealed his status -- Level: Rookie, Type: Mammal, Attribute: Data. It showed no other data, not even his attacks. However, he witnessed the hedgehog in action, even as a smaller Pusurimon. It all happened a week ago. He won’t forget how the brave little hamster launched himself into a ball dealing a small yet manageable wound on a bigger, stronger adversary in Allomon. Then after he digivolved, he fired his quills which made the furious dino sore in the morning. But the rogue Digimon won't live to tell as Kabuterimon and Flamedramon made it extinct.

"Whoever released him and gave me the tools for him, I want to thank the one who did it," Tech thought as he looked over the white, spiky-haired, sleeping Digimon. "Because I have a purpose now, but more importantly… I have a friend for life." Soon he laid down in his own bed as he had a smile on his face as thoughts of this academy ran through his head. "I did it, dad, I made it to the academy. Now I just hope I can pass this little test they have to set up for us tomorrow." He soon closed his eyes as he drifted off to sleep.

~~Bing-bong, bing-bong
Bing-bong, bing-bong~~

The bell made a loud yet soothing tone for the ears and souls of everyone present from the intercoms of the school. A few seconds later, a familiar, female voice announced. "Good morning, Digimon Academy! May everyone please enter the auditorium. Especially all of the newcomers. It's time for your entrance exam."

Students, faculty, and staff made their way to the large outer stage of the academy. The freshmen and their Digimon partners sat in folding chairs in the middle while recurring students and digital companions sat in hard-light bleachers on either side. Everyone was chatting and some were doing their own thing: Shine and Renamon were sitting with eyes closed in a meditative state; Catalina was live-streaming with BlackGatomon; Blitz and Pulsemon were impatiently tapping their feet; Gammamon was helping Sera relax as the girl was breathing deeply; Lancer was feeding himself and Gulimon some morning muffins; Mektaveus was rubbing Misty's head telling her "no matter what, I'm proud of you," and his little sister smiled in appreciation; and last but not least, Tech and Herissmon were waiting with baiting hope. The yellow-skinned redhead prayed, "Mom, dad, help us guide through this trial. And if there is a battle coming this way, this is for you." He reached into his pants pocket and pulled out some Digi-Disks. He managed to buy some from the academy's shop before nighttime.

Soon, from out of the curtains, came the two headmistresses and their digital companions walking toward the center. The ladies called out on their pinned microphones, "May we have your attention, please?"

Everyone shushed down to give respect. After about twenty seconds, all was silent. The first woman spoke, "Thank you. For those who need to know, my name is Celestia, and this is my partner, Firamon."

"Morning to you all," Greeted the sky-flying, blazing lion on his own mic. "I say we have a massive crop this year."

The second lady stood at attention. "And I'm her younger sister, Luna, along with my other half, Lekismon."

"I bet you're really lucky to be here," stated the humanoid moon-themed rabbit while secretly gazing at the specific duo. "I hope to see you all real soon on campus."

Celestia took over, "Some of us called us principals. Others headmistresses. But we and the staff are your guides, and we welcome you new hopefuls. Should you succeed, you will enter this wonderful institution where humans and digital monsters coexist in harmony."

Luna followed, "Speaking of harmony, students and Digimon from the bleachers, please rise and clear your throats." They slowly stood up and with many "Ahem's" and some even coughs. "It is time to recite the academy's motto! One, two, three..."

They went, "With brains, brawn, and heart, we all do our part."

"Evolution!" the students chanted.

"Digivolution!" their partners responded.

"Revolution!" they choired and followed with, "As long as we are one, the battles have won!"

They concluded with a harmonic tune:

🎵DI-GI-MON AC-A-DE-MI-AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!🎶

"Hey, what is this song?" Herissmon asked Tech as they sang.

"I guess it's the Academy's Anthem or something." Tech whispered as the students and their partners stopped singing.

"How melodious," Lekismon complimented softly. "It would make me leap over the moon if I could."

"I concur," Firamon quietly agreed. "Feels like I'm sunbathing."

"Now, time to begin the entrance exam," Celesta announced before she, Luna and their partner Digimon stepped aside. The wall behind them then lit up with some sort of light made out of data as she looked towards the newcomers. "This is a Digi-port. Each of you will take turns entering within this wall and be transported to a location. You and your Digimon partner then must maneuver within a deep jungle in search of a temple that houses special items. But it will not just be the two of you. You will all be placed in a different part of the jungle, and if you meet another pairing of partners, then you four will end up becoming a team."

"There are also some rogue Digimon within the jungle, so be on your guard at all times for one mistake might be your last," Luna added with a warning. "Once you find the temple at the center of the jungle, there are items there that you and your teammates must collect and each of you must only grab one. Once you have said item, you must find a Digi-port back here."

"Now, each of your Digimon must enter your Digivice before you enter the Digi-port," Celestia instructed as Tech saw each and every one of the newcomers holding up their hand-held devices before their partner Digimon turned into data and entered them.

Tech then took out his Digivice before he looked at Herissmon. "You ready, buddy?" he asked, just to make sure his friend was okay with it.

However, the little hedgehog let out a confident and determined smile before declaring, "Ready to roll!" Tech smiled back before he held his Digivice in front of his partner before Herissmon's body glowed as it turned into data and entered the device. He looked at the screen and saw the white Rookie on the display of it before he quickly saw Shine was the first one to step up to the Digi-port as she held up her Digivice in front of it.

"Digi-port, open!" she called out as her Digivice lit up before her whole body glowed and she entered through the Digi-port on the wall.

"Whoa!" whispered the yellow teen in awed. "Just like with Twilight and Flash." One by one, each of the newcomers stepped up to the Digi-port and entered through it. Soon Tech was next as he stepped up before taking a deep breath and holding up his Digivice. "Digi-port, open!" Soon his whole body was covered in a light before he was being dragged right into the Digi-port.

He soon traveled through a digital tunnel as it felt like he was going at a very high speed. Soon he opened his eyes and found himself standing in the middle of a jungle that looked to be made out of data. "So, this is where you start." He mentioned as he looked around.

"Let me see!" Herissmon called out from within his Digivice. Tech tried to figure out a way to get his partner out of his digital device before he remembered what Flash Sentry did when he brought out Veemon before.

"Reload, Herissmon!" He shouted before his Digivice lit up and the white mammal Digimon came out.

"Wow, this looks amazing!" The Rookie's light blue eyes gleamed in wonder.

"I know, right?" Tech mentioned before he was looking around as if he was trying to figure out which direction to go. "We can go sightseeing later. Right now, we got to look for that temple they mentioned."

"Oh right, let's go this way!" The Hedgehog Digimon then went in one direction as his partner quickly followed behind. They made their way through some leaves and branches as they were trying to find their way to the center of the jungle. "Hey, didn't they also say that we would meet our teammates in the jungle?"

"Yeah, the first person and their Digimon partner we run into will be our teammates," Tech confirmed as they both leaped over a branch. "Trouble is, there's so many of them, so it'll be hard for us to figure out who we'll run into. Plus we don't know if we'll be good teammates to them or they'll be good to us!"

"What about Misty and Shoemon?" Herissmon started suggestions as he imagined their first meeting together. "Misty seemed really nice when we first met at the airship, and as we witnessed, her partner could squeeze into small spaces so that could help find the temple faster!"

"Yeah, except Shoemon is very shy and runs away when she thinks someone's going to reach out for her!" Tech pointed out before an idea came to him. "Oh, how about her brother, Mektaveus, and his partner, Ryudamon? They seemed tough and very determined!"

"But they do feel a little strict at times!" Herissmon mentioned as they continued to run through the jungle. "Hey, what about Lancer and Guilmon? They seemed really nice and Guilmon seemed really fun to hang around."

"Maybe, but there's also Sera and Gammamon," Tech suggested as they were making their way through some bushes. "They seem like they know their stuff, even though Sera likes to keep things private."

"They all seem great and everything," Herissmon mentioned. "Like Blitz and Pulsemon, even though we don't know much about them."

"Yeah, as long as we get along with any of them, we might be a great team!" The teen concluded as they were almost out of the bushes. "I mean, it would be kind of hard if we ran into--" They both came to a sudden stop when they made it out of the bushes and into a clearing where they saw both Shine Blight and Renamon. All four of them stared at each other for a moment before the girl and fox Digimon both turned and walked away from Tech and Herissmon. "Hey, wait! We're supposed to be a team…" He muttered as he kicked the dirt a little.

Shine and Renamon continued to walk until they heard grunting coming from above. They looked up and saw both Blitz and Pulsemon stuck in a tree as they struggled to get down. Before they could see it, Shine and Renamon turned back as they walked over to Tech and Herissmon before they grabbed them and dragged them along. "You better not slow us down." Shine told them as she dragged Tech by the shirt.

"Uh…okay?" Tech said with a baffled look as he looked towards his partner as Renamon dragged Herissmon by his quills.

“Hey! Watch the spikes!” yelled the hedgehog Digimon digging. “Didn’t you know they’ve been groomed?!”

Meanwhile, Blitz and Pulsemon continued to struggle to get down from the tree before they heard a voice call down from below. "Hey, do you need any help?!" They looked down and saw both Misty and Shoemon looking up at them.

"Oh, hey there. I guess that means we're a team now!" Blitz called out to them with a grin.

"And don't worry, I got us!" Pulsemon spoke up before his paw was covered in electricity. "Minor Impulse!" He called out his attack before he struck the branches that held both him and his partner. The two of them then fell from the tree as they crashed right in front of both Misty and Shoemon before they both quickly recovered with the grins on their faces. "Totally got it covered!"

"Are you both okay?" Misty asked the two as she tilted her head in confusion.

"We're just fine," Blitz replied as he held his shoulder while he spun his arm around with a wink. "So, now that we're partners, we should get to finding that temple. Name's Blitz, by the way. Blitz Core. And this is my wingmon, Pulsemon."

"Yo!" The green rookie level Digimon said with a wink.

"Misty Armaldo, and this is Shoemon," she introduced herself and her Digimon partner. "Just a word of warning: she gets a bit shy around others and she might try to run away if she thinks you're trying to reach out for her."

"Copy that," Blitz replied before he put his hands behind his head while looking around. "So, where do you think this temple is anyway?"

"I don't think it will be easy for us newcomers if it's an entrance exam," the deep sea blue girl thought before pointing in one direction. "Let's try this way and hope we get lucky." Both Blitz and Pulsemon nodded their heads before they followed her lead.

Meanwhile in a different part of the jungle, Catalina and BlackGatomon were walking with both Sera and Gammamon. "So now that we're teammates, why don't you tell all about yourself?" Catalina asked Sera. "For starters, what's it like to be the younger sibling of the Gamma-Trio?"

Sera looked at her for a moment before she let out a sigh. "Look, I don't like talking about my family, so let's keep the questions about them to a minimum, please?"

"Mrow, someone seems just a little sensitive about her siblings," BlackGatomon hummed before she looked at Gammamon. "Speaking of, how does it feel to know that her older siblings have different versions of you? I mean, I know that they're not exactly like you because they might have different personalities."

"They give good vibes, like you," the Rookie replied with a smile. "And like Herissmon, even though I never met a Digimon like him before."

"Yeah, he is pretty something, alright, and very cute, too," the black feline Digimon mentioned with a small grin then switched into a thinking pout. "Although I get the feeling he gets uncomfortable whenever I'm around him. I wonder why." Then suddenly, both her and Gammamon stopped in their tracks as they looked towards the bushes with serious looks.

"Hey, what's up?" Catalina asked as she and Sera noticed that they stopped all of the sudden.

"Bad vibes…" Gammamon growled at the shrubbery.

"That means he sensed something bad in there," the light grey girl clarified before they heard rustling come towards them.

“The suspense is so maddening it made my fur stand on end,” BlackGatomon muttered.

Soon a pink poo was flunk at them as they nearly dodged it.

"Oh, hairballs; there's only one type of Digimon that throws that nasty stuff…" Catalina said nervously before they saw a bunch of Numemon coming out of the bushes. "Oh, and did I mention I hate those things!"

"You're not the only one!" Sera agreed as the green mollusks started attacking them.

"Nume-Sludge!" They called out their attack as they started flinging pink poo at them. The girls yelped as they managed to dodge each one as they made sure not to get hit by one, just before their partners charged toward the Numemon.

"Lightning Paw!" BlackGatomon raised her paw and punched a few slugs down. "Lightning Kick!" She then delivered powerful kicks that sent the enemy flying back. “Don’t mess with the kitty!”

"Horn Attack!" Gammamon flew right at a few of them as he rammed his horned head and knocked them down. He then used his wings to fly above them as he avoided their attacks. Catalina then noticed one of them was up a tree as it had its sights set on the airborne dino.

"Hey, Gammamon, heads up!" she warned him as he saw the attack and quickly dodged it.

"Thanks for warning him; now let me return the favor," Sera told her before pulling out a few Digi-Discs. "Attack, defense, strength, and speed boosters. We can use these to power up our partners."

"Purrfecto! You really came prepared!" Catalina mentioned as she took a couple of discs before they both had determined looks on their faces. “Now, let's squash these piles of sludges!"

“And send them to the sewers where they belong!” the other girl proclaimed.

"Pyro Sphere!" Guilmon declared his attack as he launched a red orb from his mouth that took out least a few Numemon down. He, Lancer, Mektaveus, and Ryudamon faced off a horde of them just as they had to team up when they found each other.

"I definitely wasn't expecting us to fight the lowest of the low of all Digimon," Mektaveus mentioned before he looked at Lancer. "You think you and your Guilmon can keep up?"

"We practiced with Shine since we were little, and our partners were in their in-training levels," Lancer replied with a confident smile. "The real question is, if you and your partner can keep up." They both grinned at each other as they were prepared to face the horde that surrounded them.

“Is that a challenge you're referring to, Mr. Lancer?” inquired the dark orange teen.

“What if it is?” teased the other boy. “Want to do something about it?”

The boys looked toward their respected partners then declared:

“Ryudamon, hajime!”

“Go wild, Gulimon!”

Meanwhile back at the academy, Celestia, Luna, and the school's faculty were monitoring the newcomers' progress in the auditorium as they all stared at multiple holographic screens. Hacker Blaster was among the faculty as he and his partner, Impmon, watched the newcomers with the others. "Heh, Numemon, always worth a laugh to see 'em get pummeled." The little devil-like Digimon chuckled as he rubbed his nose.

"It just shows how much these newbies want to get into the school," Hacker responded quietly as he leaned forward in his chair. "That being said, there is one kid that really has my attention at this point." He muttered as he was looking at the screen that showed Tech and Herissmon fighting off the Numemon with Shine and Renamon. "Wonder why Glitch gave him a Digi-disc, and what kind of Digimon is Herissmon anyway? More importantly, who was speaking to him the day his Digivice appeared?"

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon was up in the air as she summoned a few razor sharp leaves before shooting them right at the Numemon.

"Lightning Quills!" Herissmon launched multiple of his quills at the Numemon while he was spinning in the air. After a few of them turned into data dust and their Digi-cores flew off into the sky, the rest of them ran away as both Digimon landed on the ground next to their partners.

"Alright, way to go, you two!" Tech praised with excitement. “I think they got the point across as the Digimon not to mess with!”

Shine just let out an unamused hum. "Oh, please, you get excited just because we took out the lowest of the Digimon food chain?" She questioned before she started walking ahead with Renamon. "I thought this academy was supposed to test us, to be part of the elite. So why do they send out such weak lamers at us?"

"Hold on, Shine," Renamon spoke up as she stopped and looked towards some bushes. "There's something watching us and it feels different from the Numemon."

"Really? How can you tell?" Herissmon asked her before they heard rustling coming from the shrubbery. They were prepared for whatever was coming out until they saw a Digimon with purple fur on most of its body. It has two large legs and two arms, each of which has three black claws, as well as a large, vulpine tail. The fur on its chest, paws, snout, and the end of its tail is white. It has two pointed ears with black stripes and two very small black wings. On its brow is a triangular red gem, indicated to be an old-style Digicore Interface. Another thing they noticed is that this one was wearing a bright red scarf around its neck with yellow triangles going around.

"Oh, now we got something." Shine said with a small grin before she looked at her Digi-band and a holographic image of the Digimon appeared, along with its data. "I knew it, it's a Dorumon. One of the Digimon that has the X-Antibody inside them."

"What's a X-Antibody?" the redhead asked before that said Digimon approached them.

"Doesn't matter; it's about to be digital dust soon," the punk girl simply stated before Dorumon looked at her.

"Do you really want to attack me when I'm here to lead you to the temple?" the purple beast asked with a mature female voice.

"Wait, what?" Tech questioned before Dorumon turned to him.

"Follow me, the others will be there soon," she encouraged them before walking off.

"Is she really going to lead us to the temple?" Tech whispered to Shine with a surprised tone.

"Probably just trying to trick us," she mentioned before she saw Herissmon following Dorumon. "Hey, you might want to tell that clueless partner of yours not to fall for it." Tech did a double take when he saw his friend wandering off with a random Digimon.

"Herissmon!" He chased after him just as Renamon looked at Shine.

"I don't believe that this Dorumon is trying to trick us,” the yellow fox Digimon mentioned before looking in the direction of where the three are going. "By the way the Numemon came from, it was almost like they were trying to stop us from going in a certain direction."

"So you think she might be telling the truth?" Shine questioned her partner with a nod before she crossed her arms. "Fine, we'll follow her. But if it does look like she's about to attack, walk all over her." She nodded again in response before they followed the three. They walked for a bit before Dorumon stopped in front of the cave and turned to the other four.

"Just go straight ahead, and you'll find what you're looking for on the other end," she simply guided them.

"You mean the temple we're looking for is just through this cave?" Tech questioned but got no response as Dorumon just walked away from them. "She could have at least answered my question."

"Whatever, let's just go in," Shine told as she grabbed him by the shirt and dragged him into the cave with their Digimon partners following behind. The cave seemed very dark as they could barely see inside while they walked.

"It's really dark in here," Herissmon pointed out.

"It's alright, buddy." Tech assured him. "Dorumon said to just go straight ahead. But I wonder what it is we're supposed to get once we're at this temple."

"Who knows…" Shine sighed. "Let's just grab whatever we find and get this dumb test done." Soon they saw a light at the end of the tunnel before they moved a bit quicker to reach it. Soon they made it out of the tunnel and found what looked to be the ruins of an old temple with a few pedestals ahead of them as they had small statues on them. "A temple, they said? They probably should have mentioned it was a ruined temple."

"You can say that again." They heard a familiar voice say before they saw Blitz, Misty, Shoemon, and Pulsemon walking out of one of the tunnels. "Yo, what's up, follow peeps!" Blitz greeted with a wave.

"Tech, you and Herissmon made it," smiled Misty.

"Glad to see you made it, too." Tech said before they heard footsteps coming from two other tunnels before they saw Catalina, BlackGatomon, Sera, and Gammamon emerging from one of them while Lancer, Mektaveus, Guilmon, and Ryudamon coming out of the other.

"Misty, are you okay?" Mektaveus rushed to his sister with concern.

"I'm fine, and so is Shoemon,” she assured him before pointing toward Blitz and Pulsemon. "These two were really strong when we were facing off against a bunch of Numemon."

“And fast, don’t forget that,” pointed out the athletic youth as he fist bumped his Digimon partner.

"I have to say, I was totally not expecting to run into those freaky things," Catalina said with a chill. "Never liked them, even when I was younger. They always seemed very creepy to me, and dare I mention, very gross."

"So, this is the temple we're supposed to find?" Sera asked as she looked around the place before noticing the small statues on the pedestals. "And these must be the relics we're supposed to get." They all then walked up to the pedestals and got a closer look at the small idols before Tech realized something.

"Hey, these look like WarGreymon,” he pointed out as the small statues do have similarities to said Digimon as each of them were holding a crest of some kind above them.

"Hai, he's right," Ryudamon confirmed. "And it looks like they're holding the Crest of Courage."

"There's something else you should know," Renamon spoke up to get their attention before she gestured to the other pedestals that were empty. "The other ones have nothing on them, which means we're not the first ones to arrive here."

"Huh, it looks like there were other idols before the others took them." BlackGatomon mentioned with a brow before she noticed that there were the same number of statues for each of them. "But how come there is one for each of you guys?"

"Who cares?" Shine then suddenly grabbed one of the idols without a second thought. "We were supposed to grab them once we arrived here, so grab one already and get out of this dump." They didn't argue with her as they each grabbed an idol and were about to turn to leave before they heard loud rumbling.

"Please tell me you guys heard that, too." Misty whimpered to the others nervously.

"Yup…" They all replied with nervous glances.

"I just hope it's just the Digimon stomachs growling." Blitz wished before they heard the rumbling getting louder as they felt the ground shake beneath their feet. Before any of them could figure out what it was, a large Digimon burst through a wall and let out a large roar. It was a bipedal Tyrannosaurus rex-like Digimon with blue eyes, two fingers on each hand, three toes on each foot, and a pair or teeth so large they pop out of the mouth. It has black skin on its body, white skin on its belly, and red stripes on its head, tail, arms, and legs. The tip of its tail appears to be sewed to the rest of it, and it has green torn spikes on its back. It also has white claws on its fingers and dark grey toenails on its toes, wears metal ornaments on its upper claws, and multiple brown belts on its wrists. It then began to stomp its way towards them as they started to make a run for it.

"AAAAHHH!!!" Shoemon shrieked before she hid herself inside of Misty's scarf.

"What is that and where'd it come from?!" Lancer shouted as Tech looked at his Digi-band and it brought up the image of the Digimon chasing them along with its data.

"It's DarkTyrannomon! A Champion Level Digimon, with a very nasty attitude!" He shouted the info. "We might want to watch out for his Fire Blast attack, because it might burn a lot!" He continued to run with the others, a thought ran through his head. “And I thought after Allomon, there will be no more Jurassic Park stuff for me!"

The group continued to run away from the black dino Digimon as they came across some ruins before Shine looked back with an annoyed look. "We can't just keep running away from that big, dumb lizard; I say we show it who's boss!" She declared before she skied to a halt and looked over at her partner. "Renamon, walk all over him!"

"Are you crazy?!" Sera hollered as the fox-like Rookie already leaped into the air and delivered a kick right towards DarkTyrannomon's face, which did little damage. "Yup. They're crazy."

"But that doesn't mean they need our help!" Tech pointed out before he and Herissmon stopped themselves. "Want to give them a hand, buddy?!"

"As I recalled, I’m ready to roll! Just give me the sign!" The white mammal gave a quick glaze to his partner as he stood ready.

It was at the moment his eyes were closed that time stood still for Tech Cyber. His consciousness left the virtual jungle, the academy, even earth itself. He was in a black void with his soul, his breathing, and his thoughts for company. The yellow-skinned teen muttered, “Okay, Cyber, this is it. This is what a week’s worth of training and bonding would do. I know it’s time-crunching, but you’ll get by. Besides, you have the element of surprise, and that is your strongest trait. Okay. Get psyched, show no fear, think fast, stay loose. And try to live up a little. This is more than just a place for the academy. This is to show your family, your peers, your world what you are made of. Do not forget the three cardinal rules your old man taught you: ‘Don’t be history; make history. Don’t just make a statement; be the statement. ‘And…’ Flashes of his dream which lasted from ten years ago to last week occurred as he concluded, ‘...don’t let dreams pass you by; you go to your dreams and once you have it… never… let… GO!’” He then opened his brown eyes with a determined fire burning in them as he returned to the spot that felt it lasted about five seconds ago. The would-be-student pointed right at the Champion level Digimon and declared, “Digi-Battle… ONLINE!”

"Here I go!" Herissmon then curled up into a ball and revved himself up for one of his attacks. "Needle-Point Dive!" The quills on his back glowed as he launched himself right at DarkTyrannomon's stomach. This caused the big Dino Digimon to let out a painful grunt from the impact before the hedgehog leaped back and landed next to Renamon.

"Well, if they're staying to face that thing, then so are we!" Blitz declared as he and his partner Digimon cracked their knuckles with determined looks. "Want to charge this guy up, Pulsemon?!"

"As always, I’m all amped up!" the beastkin's body then sparked with electricity before he charged into battle with the other two Digimon.

"We might as well help out, too!" Mektaveus told the others before he looked at his partner Digimon. "Prepare for battle!" Ryudamon nodded before he went to join in the battle.

"Well, we might as well join Tech-no-Cuite in this." Catalina told BlackGatomon, who nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I want to get to know that cute hedgehog better." The black feline Digimon mentioned before she jumped up and delivered a Lighting Kick attack at the other champion level Digimon.

"If they're helping out Shine, then so should we!" Lancer declared before he looked at Guilmon. "Go wild, buddy!"

"Right!" The red reptile charged in before he jumped up in the air with his right paw raised. "Rock Breaker!" He brought his paw down to strike, but DarkTyrannomon's tail knocked him back right before Renamon quickly caught him before he could crash into a pillar.

"Be more careful," she told him as they both landed on the ground.

"Shoemon…" Misty spoke softly to her partner in her scarf. "I know you're sacred, but we need your help now. Don't worry, I will be here if you need me." Shoemon looked up at her friend with tears blowing out of our eyes before she wiped them off and nodded with a smile. "Okay, let's go!"

Shoemon hopped out of her scarf and charged at the big dino Digimon. "Petit Needle!" She then spits a huge number of sewing needles at DarkTyrannomon's feet, in hopes of stopping him in his tracks.

"Sera, we must help as well!" Gammamon mentioned with confidence. She nodded before she looked around the area before pointing at one of the pillars.

"Try taking one of those down, it might help knock DarkTyrannomon off balance." She instructed her Digimon partner. Gammamon then charged at one of the pillars before climbing onto it as he focused his energy.

"Horn Attack!" He head-butted and drove his horns right into the pillar which cut it in half before it began to fall on DarkTyrannomon. The structure managed to get a direct hit as he roared in pain while holding his head.

"Now's our chance! Attack all at once!" Tech called to all six Digimon. All of them then unleashed their signature after the champion level Digimon as he roared from their attacks right before he swung his tail right at them, which sent them flying back next to their partners.

"Crud, it's not enough!" Shine grumbled as the teens checked on each of their Digimon partners. "We need more firepower to take this thing down!"

"I have a few Digi-Discs, but they only boost up their strength, speed, or power." Sera mentioned as the big black Dino Digimon looked ready to attack them. Tech looked around for something that might help before he looked at Lancer and Guilmon.

"Hey wait…" He muttered as he remembered one time when he was at the Coliseum and saw a Digimon battle, one of those fights had a Guilmon in it and he remembered its Champion Level. "That's it!" He reached into his pocket and pulled out a specific Digi-Disc he got from Glitch before he went over to Lancer. "Here, use this!"

"What is it?" the older boy asked him.

"It's a Digivolution Disc; use it to have Guilmon digivolve." Tech told him before pointing at DarkTyrannomon. "Add it to a booster disc, and it might be enough to take that prehistoric punk down."

"Well, we are in a tight pickle so I say go for it!" Blitz cheered on.

"Okay, if ya say so." Lancer took the Digi-Dic from Tech before he looked at Guilmon. "Are you ready for it?"

"When you." Guilmon replied before Lancer took a deep breath and had a determined look on his face.

Lancer then held his Digivice sideways as he readied the disc. "Digi-Disc… insert!" He declared before putting the disc into his Digivice. The Digivice then began to read the disc as power started to build up inside it. "Access Digivolution!"

"Accessing, Digivolution." His Digivice beeped as power was being transferred right towards Guilmon before a digital portal opened up in front of him as he charged in. He then soared through the digital tunnel as he started to spin.

Guilmon, digivolve to...

Faster and faster he spun until data surrounded him like a cocoon. Said cocoon doubled in size every second as a heart was beating. After a fifth second, one big, wide arm with red scales and sharp claws burst through the cocoon as the second one appeared. Strong thick legs followed. Third comes the chest and body which shows the hazmat symbol. Next, a long, sturdy tail, finally the head with white hair behind it. All in all, it looked like a larger, fiercer grown-up version of Guilmon, but he introduced himself as...

Growlmon!

Growlmon stood tall as he let out a frightening growl before charging right at DarkTyrannomon. "Alright, I knew it would work!" Tech praised before his Digi-band beep to show Growlmon's data. "Growlmon: champion level with attacks of Dragon Slash and Pyro Blaster!"

Growlmon and DarkTyrannomon soon grabbed hold of one another as they tried to push the other back. Growlmon wasn't going to let up as he summoned the strength he had and knocked DarkTyrannomon back. "Dragon Slash!" The sharp spike on his left arm glowed as he swung his arm right at DarkTyrannomon's chest.

"Now we just need a power boost, and our Digimon to attack all once one more time, then he's down!" Tech declared before he looked at Sera. "Quick, give Lancer a Power Boost Disk!"

"Right!" She tossed him the Digi-disk before he quickly inserted it into his Digivice. Growlmon then felt power coursing through him as his eyes lit up with a red light.

"Okay, all Digimon, attack!" Tech instructed with confidence.

"Lighting Quills!" Herissmon started off by launching more of his electrified spikes.

"Diamond Storm!" Renamon followed with more hardened leaves.

“Minor Impulse!” Pulsemon released a surge of lightning from his body.

“Petit Needles!” Shoemon with her barrage of needles.

“Lightning Paw!" BlackGatomon threw a punch at the champion level Dino.

“Katana Blade!” Ryudamon let loose a blade of iron from his mouth.

“Breakclaw!” Gammamon raised his left claw and unleashed the accumulated energy.

Growlmon’s jaws opened as red energy started to build up in his mouth as he prepared for the final blow. "Pyro Blaster!" he roared as a powerful blaze launched toward BlackTyrannomon. The many combined attacks from each Digimon was enough to send him flying back and crashing on the ground. His whole body then became a whole heap of digital dust as his Digi-core blew up.

The teens and the Digimon witnessed the sight for a moment until Tech declared. “DarkTyrannomon has logged out!” Soon Growlmon de-digivoled back to Guilmon as each of their partners, minus Renamon, went over to their partners to celebrate their victory. However, none of them noticed that the Digi-core was floating over to the jungle and went into a Digivice as a shadowy figure looked down at the group before walking away.

Soon, all of the newcomers were back in the auditorium of the academy as Tech and his group saw the ones ahead of them place the idols they took from the temple on podiums. They then saw the idols turned into data as they flowed down and data circles circled around the group ahead of them as school uniforms formed on them with the crest that the idol held. "As for now, you are Team Sincerity and your team leader is Hatchet Blade." Celestia declared as the group bowed before stepping aside to let the next group take their turn.

"So that's how teams are formed here." Tech whispered to the others.

"Does that mean that we're part of the same team since we have the same idols?" Blitz asked as they each brought out the idols they took.

"Then that means one of us is going to be made team leader." Shine mentioned with a small grin. Soon they were next as they walked up to the podiums and each placed the idol they took onto them. Soon they were turned into data as school uniforms formed on them with the crest of Courage printed on the left side of their uniforms. But they kept some things such as Tech kept his father’s goggles, Lancer kept his necklace, Shine and her sleeveless hoodie, Misty’s scarf, Mektaveus’ cape-like jacket was still on his shoulders, Blitz kept his bands on his wrists, and finally Catalina kept her cat-eared headband.

"You have picked the idols that held the Crest of Courage, so from this point on, you will be known as Team Courage." Celestia told the group. "And your team leader shall be none other than… Tech Cyber." The aforementioned teen was very surprised at that notion, but Shine was both surprised yet disappointed she wasn't.

"As you are the last group that had completed the test, we welcome you all, our new students, to the Digimon Academy!" Luna concluded as the faculty applauded at the new students and their first accomplishments.

“Wait just a moment!” Tech spoke up as he looked up at the headmistress and vice-headmistress. Celestia and Luna look down as he scratches his head in confusion. "As much as I am proud to be in the school of my dreams, why am I team leader?"

"We monitored every action each of you had done during the entrance exam, and we decided to make you team leader based on your actions alone." Celestia simply answered. "Now, I believe it's time for you all to be shown to your dorms as tomorrow you all have classes to do." Tech was very surprised by this before a few Digimon let him and his team away from the auditorium and tomorrow begins his first day in the Digimon Academy.

Author's Note

Digimon Data Collection!

Chibi Tech jumps up while holding his digivice. "Check out the Digimon I just met today!" He told the readers before the information of the Digimon pulled up on the screen.

Name: Renamon
Level: Rookie
Type: Beastkin
Attribute: Data
Attacks: Diamond Storm, Kohenkyo, Power Paw

"This Renamon: a Beastkin Digimon. She has the appearance of a golden fox. Renamon is a Digimon whose relationship with humans is expressed bluntly, so depending on how she was raised during her time as an In-Training, it is said that it can digivolve to a Renamon of particularly high intelligence. As she is always calm, cool, and collected, she is practiced enough that she doesn't lose that composure in any situation. Her slender, tall appearance excels when compared with other Rookies, and rather than Power Battling, it makes sport of the enemy with various arts that use her speed. Her attacks include Diamond Storm, which is an attack she uses by creating sharpened leaves as she throws them at her enemies, Kohenkyo (or Fox Switch) is a transformation art in which it copies the opponent's appearance and re-covers itself in that texture, and Power Paw, which shrouds its paws in ghostly flames, then delivers a powerful kick. It almost makes me glad that her and Shine are part of our team now."

Chibi Renamon suddenly popped up as she crossed her arms. "But you are still an experience when it comes to combat and digimon, which leads me to question why the mistress of the academy made you the leader." She mentioned before Chibi Herissmon popped up with a concerned look.

"Why can't we get along now that we're a team? Like how you're friends with Guilmon." He asked with a nervous chuckle.