An hour’s worth of stories later, the group soon found their ship docking on the sandy shores of a pleasant looking beach resort. On the beach were three large dome-shaped buildings with odd fin-like structures poking out of the tops and bubble-like windows near the front doors. Their strange designs made them all resemble a trio of giant beached goldfish.

Spread around the beach were several multicolored beach beds and umbrellas that would have been perfect for luxurious afternoon of sunbathing, if only the girls had been dressed for the occasion.

“Welcome to the Net Surf Village.” Magnamon exclaimed. “The number one vacation destination on the Folder Continent.”

The teens and digimon were aghast at how pristine and picturesque the village before them was. It looked almost exactly like the background to a Mareibbean postcard.

“Oh my goodness, this place is fabulous!” Rarity screamed, nearly on the verge of tears. “If only I had my swimsuit with me, I could spend the rest of my life in a place like this.” The others nodded in agreement.

Magnamon chuckled. “Funny you should mention that.”

The ship came to a slow stop on the shore of the beach, allowing a gangplank to be lowered into the sand. Upon reaching the beach, the group was greeted by a trio of strange-looking digimon with bodies like taiko drums and drumsticks for arms.

“Hello and welcome to the Net Surf Village beach front resort.” One of the drums greeted. “We are…” The three drums collided into each other’s sides before saluting in unison. “...THE DONDOKOMON BROTHERS!~”

“How may we serve you today?”

“The children behind me have had a rather trialing day and need to relax.” Magnamon reached into his right arm guard and pulled out a small burlap sack that jingled in his grasp. “Make sure they get all the perks. I’ll be paying for the duration of their stay.”

The teens and their digimon felt their eyes widened in surprise. “Magnamon, you can’t be serious?” Dorumon asked.

“Do you not see the bag of bits in my hand right now?” He replied.

“But I thought you said getting to the Royal Knights’ castle was of the utmost importance?”

“I also said that I was going to treat you all to every splendor the Digital World has to offer. Besides, we still need to reach the north end of the continent before we can continue overseas towards the Forest of the Gods. Crossing Folder will likely take several days at least, so spending a few hours relaxing on the beach shouldn’t set us behind all too much.” Magnamon explained.

Dorumon still looked uncertain. The knight turned towards the rest of the group. “Let’s put it to a vote. What do the rest of you think?” The excited grins spreading across everyone’s faces gave him all the answers he needed.

“Hell yeah! Beach vacation!”

“Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaayyyyyyy!”

Veemon and Guilmon threw their arms in the air like rock stars on stage, before colliding their foreheads together in a brutal but affectionate gesture.

Kudamon began to chuckle. “Well they do say, no anime’s complete without the beach episode.”

Fluttershy turned her head to look at him curiously. “You know about anime?”

Kudamon looked up from her shoulder and smiled proudly. “Why wouldn’t I? May I remind you that everything in the Digital World is made up of data. That means information flows through everything that exists here. Come to meet enough digimon and you’ll be surprised what some of them might instinctively know.”

Applejack folded her arms and smiled, but couldn’t help but be realistic. “Well that’s all fine and dandy, and Ah’m all for stayin’, but it ain’t gonna be that much fun hangin’ out on the beach if only some of us can go in the water.”

The girls all looked at their outfits and soon realized they hadn’t packed a change of clothes before being sucked into the portal.

“Do not worry.” One of the Dondokomon said as his two brothers took the appropriate amount of gold coins from Magnamon’s bag.

“For we… THE DONDOKOMON BROTHERS!” They shouted once again in unison. “Have a fine selection of fashionable and form-fitting swimwear available for all humanoid digimon customers, that range by your preference from modest and cutesy to skimpy and parent concerning.”

After collecting their payment, the other Dondokomons joined their brother and began leading the girls to the nearest most beach house.

“Just follow us… THE DONDOKOMON BROTHERS! And we will lead you to the changing rooms.”

As the girls began to follow the drum digimon towards the changing station, one of the Dondokomon stayed behind as Veemon and the other digimon began to follow. The Dondokomon then delivered an unexpected closeline into Veemon’s neck sending him reeling backwards and onto his rump.

“Dude!” Veemon gasped, clutching his throat. “What the Hell?!”

“Only ladymons are allowed in the changing rooms right now. Only the Liollmon may go in if she so wishes.”

Liollmon snicker at her friend’s misfortune. “Later boys. Better luck next time, Veemon.” She joked at him with a quick wink.

Veemon scowled at the escaping lioness, partially confused by her actions, before turning his attention to the digimon that clotheslined him. “If boys aren’t allowed in there right now, why do you guys get to follow?” Veemon huffed.

“The Dondokomon brothers wear these blindfolds on our heads for a reason.” The drum digimon then smugly turned on his heels and began marching towards the changing room.

Candlemon soon flew over and began helping Veemon back to his feet. “Remind me to beat that guy when he gets back here.”

Candlemon snicked. “Beat him you say… perhaps, like a drum?” Veemon’s brow folded into a ridge over his eyes.

“Crack a corny joke like that again, and I’m gonna beat you.”

Guilmon snickered. “...because they're drums.”

“Personally, I’ll take the bad jokes over the original Dynamon's humorless personality any day.” Magnamon interjected as he laid down on the beach and closed his eyes. “Because let me tell you, a book smart genius with no sense of humor is a bore to live with.”

“I don’t like this.” Hagurumon stated. The other soon noticed he didn’t appear to be listening to the conversation.

He seemed to be growing increasingly antsy where he floated. “I for one don't trust those Dondokomon. They claim that they can't see, but just because their blindfolds look like they work…” He began to growl and visible steam was rising from his body, almost as if the gears he ran on were working overtime to express his mood.

“For Ms. Rarity's honor, I will not take that chance!” Before anyone could try to stop him, Hagurumon charged towards the dressing room. “I’m coming Ms. Rarity!”

“And cue the massive misunderstanding in which the guy sees more then the girls want him to, thus leading to the throwing of many projectiles.” Kudamon commented.

Dorumon and Guilmon looked at him in confusion. “Wouldn't be a shounen anime without one.” He explained.

Within seconds, and just as he predicted, the screams of many women were heard and the gear digimon was forced out of the dressing room by several randomly thrown items. A slipper struck him in the back of the head and caused him to fall into the sand with spirals in his eyes. “Next time knock, you uncouth set of gears!” An angry Rarity yelled.

“So sorry Miss Rarity…” Hagurumon apologized before passing out.

Veemon had to admit his mood was brightened significantly after watching Hagurumon’s suffering.

“Well now that entertaining little moment of our lives is over, we should find something to do while the girls prepare themselves for the beach.” A sinister grin spread across his face.

“We should play a game.” Veemon slide over towards Dorumon. “You guys ever play Splish-Splash in a Bath?”

“Ooh! Ooh! I have! I have!” Guilmon declared as he slid over.

Veemon and Guilmon’s faces were now uncomfortably close to Dorumon’s own. A suspicious look spread over Dorumon’s face.

“How do you play?” He asked.

As if to answer, Veemon grabbed Dorumon’s arms and Guilmon grabbed his legs. The two then ran towards the shore and rocking Dorumon back and forth like a hammock between two trees.

They began to sing in unison, “Splish-Splash take a bath,” then chucked Dorumon high into the air before watching him crash down in a deeper part of the Net Sea.

From his seat on the beach, Magnamon began to clap. “Well done boys. A fine toss.” He cheered in jest.

Kudamon scrambled up his arm and onto his shoulder. “You know he’s going to kill them as soon as he swims back to shore, right?”

“Which is why I’m not reprimanding them myself.” Magnamon replied. “A good leader knows how to stow their anger while still having a means of keeping their team in line. Alphamon knew that, and I want to see just how much of him is left over in that fuzzy little body he has now.”

Dorumon soon reached the shore and shook himself off like a dog coming in from a rainstorm.

“Very funny.” He growled.

“Well I always strive to keep my audience entertained.” Veemon boasted.

“Oh, I’m sure,” Dorumon smirked. “But it’s my turn now.” Before his friend could react, Dorumon wrapped his mouth around Veemon’s wrist. He began to spin Veemon in a circle until the other digimon’s feet left the ground. He soon let go as he was turning towards the sea, sending Veemon flying out much farther then he and Guilmon were able to throw him combined.

“GO TAKE A BATH, YOU PRICK!” He shouted, just before Veemon came crashing down in the Net Sea with a gigantic splash.

Guilmon watched the waters settle in disbelief, before turning to see Dorumon was staring at him menacingly. Without a second thought, he began walking out into the ocean to look for Veemon.

Magnamon scratched his chin in thought. “Not exactly how Alphamon would have done it. But even still, I doubt those two will be trying to pull anymore pranks on him in the near future.”

Kudamon chuckled. “Pray tell, have they always been this childish?”

Magnamon shook his head. “Back in his heyday, Gallantmon was never one to be this childish. He was jovial, and possessed a childlike sense of wonder, but nowhere near childish. As for Ulforceveedramon, he was…” Magnamon stopped as he tried to find the right word. “...Tamer in his approach, but besides that he was the same mon you see before you now.”

Kudamon turned his gaze towards Hagurumon, who was now picking himself up from the sand. “And what about him?”

Magamon turned his gaze towards Hagurumon as well. “In his case, nothing has changed. Craniamon was a firm believer in the decorum that is typically coupled with the knight’s lifestyle. He was honorable, well-mannered, but most of all, chivalrous. If he felt like somemon had impugned a lady or friend’s honor, then they would be brought to make recompense--his words not mine--even if that meant Craniamon unintentionally performing the same vice in the process. Sadly for him, and too often for his liking, the mon he levied the accusation on was usually guiltless .” Magnamon informed as he turned his head back to watch Guilmon carry a half drowned Veemon back to shore.

“Well... can't say I didn't have that coming.” Veemon coughed.

“You flew like a bird, big bro!” Guilmon replied. “You looked really cool.”

“Yes, up until the point he broke through the Net sea like blazing blue comet.” Candlemon added as he and Dorumon were heading their way. “Just be glad Liollmon wasn't here to see that.”

Veemon suddenly glanced at the waxy digimon in confusion. “And what’s that supposed to mean?”

Candlemon chuckled through a knowing smile. “Only that she would never let you hear the end of it. Now hold still, I want to make sure your games didn’t leave any lasting damage.”

As Candlemon checked him over, Veemon glared at Dorumon. “I want a rematch!” He pointed as he stated his challenge.

Dorumon only smirked in response. “I think we’ve already seen who the stronger of us is. Another game isn’t going to prove anything.”

“Please, I was only half-assing it for Guilmon’s sake. In a real game, I could toss heavier things way farther then I tossed you.”

“Yoo-hoo, oh boys!~” Before their conversation could continue any further, the four digimon heard the sound of Rarity’s voice. Veemon’s words died in his throat upon noticing the girls were walking back towards them.

“Oh Yggdrasil, have mercy...” A faint blush tinted his cheeks as Veemon saw what the girls were wearing.

As diverse as the Dondokomon brothers made their swimsuit selection sound, the girls hadn’t seemed to take full advantage of it as they could have. Nevertheless, the collection of modest swimsuits they were now wearing were still rather form-fitting and did a good job showing off the shape of their bodies. It would come as no surprise to the digimon if the girls were considered extremely attractive in their own world, because the mons were having time trying to tear their eyes away.

“So what do you think?~” Rarity asked as she struck a pose like the cover of a resort magazine. She was dressed in a black bikini with skimpy thin strings that helped to hug the fabric to her body.

Veemon smirked and opened his mouth to speak, only for Hagurumon to fly in front of Rarity and block her body like a living censor bar. “Veemon if you even think of vocalizing that thought, I will personally drown you in the Net Sea.”

Veemon closed his mouth and begrudgingly kept silent.

He turned his gaze towards the other girls. If he couldn’t comment on Rarity’s appearance then he most certainly would say something about the others. But first, he’d need to get an idea of what he was working with.

Twilight was dressed in a dark purple bikini that matched the majority of her hair. It clearly showed a lot more skin then she was normally comfortably with, but for what it was, it did an adequate job of covering the important areas of her body she’d want to keep hidden.

Likewise, Fluttershy was dressed in green bikini that covered a good majority of her body. She had also opted to wear a lighter green sarong to help better cover her lower body.

The others proved themselves to be far less self-conscious.

Pinkie Pie was dressed in a darker pink bikini that looked more like she had wrapped a giant candy wrapper around her back rather than a conventional bikini top.

Applejack had somehow found herself a hot pair of cutoff daisy dukes that loosely hung over a pair of apple red bikini bottoms. Her top also looked to be loose fitting and cradled her chest like a hammock.

Sunset was dressed in a wine-colored strapless bikini that helped to promote the size of her bust and tease onlookers by showing off the top of her chest.

Rainbow was the most surprising however, opting to not show off like she was known to do, and instead was wearing a sporty dark blue one piece that was cut up teasingly high on her hips.

Veemon was so awestruck by the raw beauty standing before him that he found he couldn’t think of anything snarky to say.

Rainbow sauntered over towards him. “What’s the matter? Tongue-tied?” Rainbow snickered. “You usually aren’t this quite.” Veemon looked up at her before giving her a wide mischievous smirk.

“EEP!” Rainbow released an uncharacteristically high scream as Veemon squeezed her butt.

She glared at Veemon. “Sometimes silence is golden, baby.”

There was a resounding echo of a slap. Before anyone could say anything, Veemon was flat on his back with spirals in his eyes and a massive swollen red left cheek. “YOU! DAMNED!! FILTHY!!! PERV!!!!” Rainbow then kicked her partner for good measure. “Learn some manners!”

Just then, everyone then heard a very pronounced wolf-whistle. They turned towards the source and found it to be Magnamon. This left them all in utter shock, even the dazed Veemon.

“Sorry...” Magnamon said as he awkwardly rubbed the back of his head. He took a step back in embarrassment. “You have to understand, I’m technically a Veemon too, and some urges are harder to fight then others.“

“You dare impugn Lady Rarity’s honor! I demand recompanse!” Hagurumon shouted as he charged Magnamon, ready to attack the golden digimon.

“Um, Hagurumon, darling, you don’t have to….” Rarity tried to stop her partner, but it was no use.

“Entangle!”

Hagurumon jumped into the air and began to spin like a frisbee. All three gears collided with Magnamon’s chest and ground into his armor, before bouncing off effortlessly. Everyone watch as nothing seemed to happen, not even a scuff was left on Magnamon’s chest plate.

Hagurumon gulped anxiously. “Um… perhaps I was too quick to anger.” He said with a weak apologetic laugh. “Please, forgive me.”

“No harm done.” Magnamon explained. “But you must realize that as part of your demand for recompense, now that you have struck me, I am obliged to strike back.” Magnamon lowered himself to be closer to Hagurumon’s eye level. “Tis the code of the Royal Knights, you know.”

The gear digimon tried to back away, but before he could get to far, Magnamon flicked him in the center of his forehead, sending Hagurumon flying backwards and onto his backside right at Rarity's feet.

Hagurumon’s eyes rolled in circles within their sockets. “I yield, Sir Magnamon. Your power is too great for me.” His eyes turned upwards towards Rarity as if he were a dying actor in a stage play. “I am sorry Lady Rarity, I have failed you.”

“Oh, Hagurumon, you did no such thing. Even if the reason for your actions were… somewhat foolish, it was still very thoughtful of you to come to my aid.” She said as she knelt down to pick the rookie up and hug him.

Hagurumon blushed. “Thank you, Ms. Rarity.”

“Alright, so Veemon got slapped and Hagurumon’s been pwned, anything else we need to do before hitting the water?” Rainbow Dash asked.

“Yeah.” Veemon replied, a noticeable lisp present thanks to the slap. “We need to dethide what kind of gameth were going to be playing!” A mischievous smile spread across his face. Dorumon recognized it as the same smirk he and Guilmon were given him earlier.

“Veemon, don’t…” He warned.

Veemon didn’t listen, and instead grabbed Rainbow by her thighs and hefted her above his head.

“Veemon! What the hell?! Put me down!”

“Forget that!” Veemon replied. “We’re having that rematch right now, fox boy! Thith time with a little extra weight to prove onthe and for all who the throngest ith!”

“Do you ever learn?! Put me down or- DID YOU JUST CALL ME FAT?!” Rainbow shouted. She began to struggle more furiously. “That’s it! When I get down from here, I’m gonna crush you like a blueberry!”

“For the thafety of my blueberrieth, I’ll be going firtht.” He turned and pointed Rainbow towards the Net Sea. Rainbow’s eyes widened, before furrowing her brows into a deep scowl.

“Veemon, don’t you dare!” Again, Veemon didn’t listen and shifted his arms back, before tossing her at the ocean. She flew surprisingly far, and crashed into the sea as far back as the stern of CaptainHookmon’s ship.

Rainbow bounded back to the surface immediately, before slamming her fist into the surf in anger.

Dorumon stepped up beside Veemon. “You do realize she’s going crit you the moment she gets back to shore right?”

“Maybe…” Veemon replied. “But at leatht if I’m gonna die, I'm gonna die a winner!” Dorumon only shook his head in reply.

Dorumon sighed. “Clearly he’s adamant about continuing this foolish competition.” Dorumon turned back towards girls. “That being said, do any of you girls feel like taking a swim.”

A pregnant silence suddenly filled the air as the girls began averting their eyes. Pinkie Pie seemed to be the only one excited about hearing the question.

“Oh! Me! Do me! I wanna play Splish-Splash too!” Pinkie sudden charged at Dorumon causing the digimon to jump back in surprise. He blinked at her.

“You know about this game, Pinkie Pie?” Dorumon asked.

“Well duh… I know about every kind of game that can be played on the beach. I mean, it would be super silly to call myself the Queen of Canterlot beach parties if I didn’t.”

Dorumon grew confused and looked to Sunset for answers. She shrugged her shoulders in response. “It’s true, she does call herself that, and she does know a lot about party games. Remind me to tell the story of the time she taught us how to play flaming limbo twister… now that was a day to remember.”

Dorumon turned back towards Pinkie Pie, a little afraid now to hear that story. He shook his head to free it of any doubt. If she wanted to be tossed into the ocean like a skipping stone, who was he to stop her.

Dorumon moved his head towards Pinkie’s wrist. “If this hurts, please tell me and I’ll let go immediately.” Pinkie Pie nodded.

Dorumon wrapped his maw around Pinkie Pie’s arm and held her between his teeth as gently as he could manage. Dorumon began to spin, picking up speed and lifting Pinkie off her feet.

“Wheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee!” Pinkie Pie squealed as Dorumon turned towards the sea. He let her go at the end of his final swing, sending her flying over the ocean and straight towards Rainbow Dash.

Pinkie flipped over in the air and curled her legs into her body. “Cannonball!” She shouted.

Rainbow Dash looked upwards. She had been so focused on getting back to shore and kicking Veemon’s ass, that she failed to notice the squealing pink projectile coming towards her.

“AH!” She screamed. Rainbow ducked under the water, nearly missing Pinkie Pie as she crashed through surf above.

“HA!” Veemon shouted in triumph, his lisp was noticeable healed. “The chick you tossed didn’t ever reach half as far as mine did. That proves I’m the strongest, as if there was any doubt.”

Dorumon chuckled. “I concede defeat. You truly are the strongest of our party.” Dorumon began to smirk upon looking at the sea. “But I wonder are you the fastest?”

“Why’s that matter?” Veemon asked.

“VEEMON!” The blue digimon looked towards the water to soaking wet Rainbow Dash with an oddly red complexion. Veemon gulped in terror.

“Feet don’t fail me now!” Veemon immediately began booking it down beach with Rainbow Dash following close behind.

“You think you run from me! Even without my super speed, I’m the fastest fucking person here! Now get back here so I can kick your ass!”

The others laughed as they watched the exchange. Number one beach vacation destination or not, the entire group knew they weren’t going to forget their visit to the Net Surf Village anytime soon as long as Veemon and Rainbow were around.

******
As all this was going on, Crusadermon was leaving the castle of the Royal Knights to begin her trek to meet up with Magnamon, the rookies, and the humans. As she left she passed a pair of large digimon standing on either side of the front gate of the castle. They resembled giant sentient suits of armor with baby blue eyes beneath their helmets.

“Good morrow, Lady Crusadermon.” One of the armors greeted. “Are thou heading out for a stroll this fine summer’s day?”

Crusadermon turned her head towards the armor briefly as continued to walk farther from the gate. “Not today, Knightmon.” She replied. “I have some urgent business to attend to on the continent of Folder. I do not have time to make conversation.”

The two knightmon looked at each other before turning back to their commander. They moved their hands onto the hilts of their swords as if preparing for battle. “Dost thou require our assistance, My Lady.”

"Neigh, my good Knightmons. This is a matter I must tend to myself." Crusadermon then paused for a second. She might not have needed the help, but she couldn’t lie to herself and say she wasn’t worried about the new changes soon to be placed under her care.

What if her friends were unable to digivolve so soon after facing Boltboutamon? What if he or another demon lord managed to get a hold of their humans? Magnamon, while powerful, was much past his prime. He had joined Omnimon much earlier than many of the Royal Knights, but while Omnimon had long mastered the ability to devolve and re-evolve, Magnamon had pretty much remained Magnamon since he found the digimetal of Miracles.

"Although on second thought,” Crusadermon began to reconsider, “though I might not require the aid, thine assistance might be of great need after all."

Upon hearing her summance, the two knightmon kneeled at Crusadermon’s feet and drew their blades. As they lowered their swords so the hilts were upright, they began to recite a creed. "By your order and our hallowed pledge, we will fight, and if need be, kill and die to see thy mission accomplished, My Lady."

Under her helmet, Crusadermon couldn’t help but smile. "Rise, Knightmons,” she ordered, "we must make haste, for time is a luxury." The two nodded, and sheathed their blades. They stepped behind her to flank either of her sides. "Swiftly we must fly."

******
Crusadermon wasn't the only one who was preparing to meet with the young knights and humans. A woman clothed in black leather and a large flowing jacket that holstered several handguns was watching the pink knight leave from a nearby hill.

Her long blonde hair blew in the wind as she lowered the binoculars she was using away from the mask that covered the top half of her face. She grunted and rose to her feet. “About time one of you bucketheads did something...”

She had left the Realm of Demons with her mount and had been waiting for some form of action to occur. It had been boring, but she knew that while she was a powerful digimon, pulling an all out assault on the Royal Knights’ stronghold would be suicide. It would be much easier, to deal with the more immediate threats that the master seemed more worried about. Plus a lot more rewarding when she’d finally get the chance to plug that gallant bastard between the eyes.

Just then she felt a grumbling in her stomach. She suddenly felt the need to groan in annoyance and question why arrogance couldn’t be her vice. “All this waiting is making me hungry.”

“Lady Bellestarmon!” Another demon digimon greeted her as it bowed in her presence. She turned to see a digimon that looked like a Devimon, but one who wore leather that was white as snow. The Devimon rose back to his full height. “My name is IceDevimon, I am the reconnaissance officer appointed to this sector. I assume you have come for a full report.”

Bellestarmon felt her stomach rumble more violently. She licked her lips, “I already know who you are. There’s about a thousand others just like you stationed everywhere else in the Digital World.”

The IceDevimon was taken aback by the rude comment. Bellestarmon was surprised that he would be, everymon in the Demon Lords’ army knew what kind of reputation she had. He must not have heard the stories being this far behind enemy lines.

She smirked. It was a good thing he didn’t know a lot about her, it will make the next part all the easier.

“You know what, I’m glad you're here,” she said in an uncharacteristically pleasant tone. She sauntered over to him, “I was just in the mood for ice scream.”

“Um, my lady, don’t you mean ice cream?” He asked as he tried to back away.

Bellestarmon then grabbed his neck and opened her mouth, “ Nope.” She replied.

The hills surrounding the courtyard echoed with the sounds of horrified screams and the crunching of bones between sharp teeth. What remained of Icedevimon after Bellestarmon’s feast was soon absorbed into her as free floating data.

Following the download, the demon lord then released an unladylike burp before wiping her mouth with the left sleeve of her coat. “That hit the spot.”

“You can’t just go around eating whatever digimon you want, you know.” A haughty voice called out from behind her. “Not only does it deny the rest of us the pleasure of abusing the help, but your also starting to grow wide in the thigh region.”

Bellestarmon turned and groaned, “Get deleted, MaloMyotismon.” Bellestarmon shot back. “Better yet, how about I do the job myself and save the world from another second of having to deal with your pompous ass.”

MaloMyotismon stepped closer to allow his form to be better seen in the light. "I thought gluttony was the vice of your domain. Not wrath." He laughed pretentiously.

His body was exceptionally large and covered in a polished metal that glistened in the light. Like a cyborg, a small humanoid head with a large red mask and blonde hair sat between two giant pieces of shoulder armor and a massive black glider attached to his shoulder blades.

His sneer held a feeling of superiority, one that made Bellestarmon’s skin crawl. She rolled her eyes as she turned away, "Get to your point. I got things to do."

"Exactly why I’m here..." He expressed in a grandiose style. “I wanted you to know, that I have personally seen to it that you won’t have to waste your energy searching for those meddlesome humans.”

Bellestarmon cocked an eyebrow. “What?”

“See for yourself.” MaloMyotismon reached into his collar and pulled out a piece of paper with the word ‘Wanted’ printed in bold on it. Six rough sketches of six rookie digimon were posted underneath, but it stated the humans accompanying them would be the prize MaloMyotismon would pay for, and quite handsomely to boot.

Bellestarmon laughed, “You think I'm gonna repeat the clown’s mistake.” She continued to laugh as she covered her mouth with the back of her left hand. “That’s rich.”

MaloMyostitcmon growled in response. “Well then, what do you have up your sleeve?”

“If I told you and it worked you’d take all the credit. You’re greedy like that.” She then handed the poster back. “If you think you’re so fucking smart, I’ll let that big brain of yours figure it out.”

MaloMyotismon was growing frustrated, but then he remembered a bit of information that always managed to get under her skin. “In that case, your plan better be spectacular. Afterall, you have some big shoes to fill being Gluttony’s little girl.”

Bellestarmon turned with a gun already drawn and pointed at MaloMyotismon’s head. “Say that again, rich boy. I dare you.”

MaloMyotismon moved her gun away with his claw. He gave her a chuckle, his haughty attitude from before quickly returning. “Save your hostility for Gallantmon the next time you see him. That is of course if my plan doesn’t succeed in eliminating him and his friends first.”

The jaw-like cannons on his shoulders suddenly opened, releasing a thick red mist that resembled the consistency of vaporized blood.

Melting Blood

As he vocalized his attack, he began to vanish in the cloud. Bellestarmon jumped back a good distance from it as he vanished from her sight. She was aware of the mist’s acidic capabilities.

With a growl she turned back towards the castle and began to think her plan over one last time. With one more knight out of the castle, the remaining knights would have a tougher time defending their fortress should a strong enemy attack them.

She reholstered her gun in her jacket and pulled out a piece of purple digimetal. She stared at it, if the metal worked the way it was supposed to, she could give them the strongest enemy they’d ever have to face. It was only a hunch, but if it worked, her master would undoubtedly shower her with praise and fancy hard to get snacks.
She drooled at the thought, but quickly recompsered herself.

“Nothing ventured, nothing gained, I suppose? Besides, I can always get a new mount.”

She turned to look back over the hill she was standing on and shouted towards the digimon who carried her here. “BlackGrowlmon! Get your ass up here, I got a job for you!”

******
Back at the beach, Veemon was looking more black then blue and more red than white as his eyes spun within their sockets. He had been buried up to his neck in sand as punishment for his actions against Rainbow Dash, and was now being watched by Applejack and Rarity as they sunbathed behind him.

“How long are we supposed to let him sit there again?” Applejack asked as she sat up in her beach bed. “Lettin’ his head just bake there in the sun can’t be good for his brain.”

Liollmon sighed contently as sprawled out in the sand next to Applejack’s bed. “Rainbow Dash said to let him suffer in the sand till he learned his lesson, or until she decides he can come out.”

Hagurumon concurred as he continued to fan Rarity with a giant palm frond he had procured from one of the beach’s many trees. “Quite right. It is not our place to decide when Veemon punishment shall end. Besides, I wouldn’t worry too much about our friend’s brain being fried. He has no brain cells for the sun to cook.”

Veemon began to stir, finally coming to after his beating from Rainbow Dash. “Ugh… I heard that Tinmon. You’re lucky this sand is holding me back, otherwise you’d be scrap metal.”

In the distance he could see Rainbow Dash and Pinkie were playing in the ocean with Guilmon; Twilight and Sunset were building sandcastles with Candlemon and Dorumon; and Fluttershy and Kudamon were curiously exploring the tide pools scattered around the beach.

Turing his eyes back towards the ocean, he watched as Pinkie came jumping out of the water and crashed into the back Guilmon’s head. Her chest squished against the childish digimon as both sank underwater.

Veemon growled in annoyance. “Come on! I’m missing that!” He tried to turn towards his overseers but found himself unable with sand holding him in place. “You guys gotta dig me out of here! I’ll do anything!”

One of the Dondokomon suddenly walked up towards the group with a platter of tropical coconut drinks held on his head. “Refreshments anyone?”

Rarity smiled and eagerly grabbed a drink before handing two to Applejack and one to Hagurumon. “Why thank you, darling~” The Dondokomon smiled, before heading off towards the other guests.

Rarity turned back to address Veemon. “I’m sorry Veemon, but we made Rainbow a promise that we’d keep you out of trouble. So until you decide to behave yourself around your female traveling companions, you can just stay there and think about what you’ve done.”

Veemon cocked a brow. “What if I said I learned my lesson?”

“Ah’ll know you’re lying. The Apple family can spot a liar the moment the first word leaves their mouth.” Applejack replied, tiling her hat back to get some more sun on her face.

Veemon grumbled silently in defeat. He was then suddenly surprised when Liollmon placed the drink Applejack had given her in front of him and pawed the straw towards his mouth. Veemon turned his head slightly to look up at her. “What are you doing?”

“You need to keep hydrated on the beach,” she snickered, “and in your current position, you’re in no place to go looking for a drink yourself.” Veemon only continued to stare at her in confusion as if begging her to explain further. Liollmon began to blush. “I’m trying to be nice, you idiot.”

“Oh!” Veemon stated in sudden realization. “Sorry. With everyone making fun of me, I sorta thought you were planning something too. Thanks for the drink!” Veemon smiled before eagerly taking the straw in his mouth. Liollmon grumbled in annoyance.

Applejack and Rarity giggled quietly to themselves. “Should we tell him?” Rarity whispered.

“He’s a big boy, let him figure it out for himself.” Applejack replied. The two then laid back to resume their sunbathing while Liollmon decided to curl up beside her oblivious friend.

Some ways between them and the shore, Twilight and Sunset were just putting the finishing touches on their sand castle. The two girls lifted themselves onto their knees to admire their creation.

Sunset placed her hands on her hips to express their triumph. “I don’t know about you, but if I were six inches tall, I’d want to live in that.”

Twilight nodded in agreement. “You did an excellent job sculpting out the shape of the walls and towers, Sunset. Not only are they the correct thickness and height to make sure they stay standing under the sands compacted weight, but I really like all the detail you put into the windows and rooms.” She bent and looked into the window of the tallest tower of the fortress, marveling at the sculpted bed and boudoir decorating the room. It was amazing what the flame-haired teen could accomplish with only a twig and a pile of wet sand.

Sunset only waved her off with hand. “This castle would look half as nice without your immense knowledge of soil mechanics to help me make the best building material.” She complimented.

Sunset then began to chuckle. “I could have gone without the fun facts about sand however. As fun as this was, I didn’t need to know sugar and salt technically qualify as sand grains. One Maud Pie in my life is more than enough for me.”

As Twilight as laugh at her joke, Dorumon and Candlemon only stared at their sand castle in confusion. Without missing a beat, Dorumon bluntly stated, “It’s small.”

The girls then turned towards him. “You built your fortress way too small and out of flimsy material.” He continued to lecture. “It won’t be able to protect you from an enemy raid should one randomly occur.”

Candlemon nodded in agreement. “Not only that, you focused more on frivolous designs rather than actual functioning defenses and a sturdy wall.” He flew towards the side of the sand castle in order to point out the girls’ mistakes. “Castles like this are not built to stand the test of time, and will likely fall far before anyone has a chance to really enjoy their majesty.”

Sunset and Twilight released a pair of awkward laughs. Their digimon clearly didn’t understand why people built sand castles.

Sunset got to her feet in an attempt to explain it to them. “It’s not about defending anything. These things are built to be flimsy...” Sunset then stamped on their castle to prove her point, “...see? The fun of building a sand castle is, well, getting to build it.”

Dorumon cocked a brow at her curiously. “It seems like a lot of work for minimal reward, if you ask me. Why build something if it’s only going to be knocked down soon after.”

Sunset only shook her head and moved back towards the sand. “How about you help me build the next one and find out?”

Twilight grinned at the idea. “Candlemon and I can help too. Building this is always a lot less work and far more fun when you do it with friends.”

Candlemon seemed to be growing more excited. “An excellent idea, Twilight. I already have more ideas than I can count in my mind. We could build the Castle of the Royal Knights, mountains of File island, maybe even the world tree, Yggdrasil, itself!”

“I thought you said he was called King Drasil?” Sunset asked confused at the name. “And isn’t he some sort of god in your world or something?”

“Both terms actually apply, but Yggdrasil refers more to the actual tree, while King Drasil refers more to the entity housed within it.”

“We’re still going to make it bigger, right?” Dorumon questioned.

Candlemon sighed, “Just get some water for the sand.”

Dorumon didn’t quite pick up on his friend’s exasperation tone, but nevertheless did what he was told. He grabbed the empty drink cup the Dondokomon were nice to supply them with and rushed towards the sea.

Meanwhile, Fluttershy was kneeled down looking into a tidal pool and couldn't help but smile at the tiny creatures that resided in it. "Aww~" She cooed. “Aren't they adorable?" She asked Kudamon.

The pipefox digimon was far less enthralled then his partner. All he saw was stuff that was either too much of a hassle to bother eating or he couldn't eat in the first place. "If you say so." He said unenthusiastically. "I’ve personally seen plenty of Pichimon living in the shallows near the Village of Beginnings, and those Syakomon have shells way to tough for me to bite through. Besides, these shrimpy things can barley be considered a mouthful-"

Kudamon trailed off as he turned to meet Fluttershy. She was wearing a frown and was staring dejectedly at the pool in front of her now. Kudamon felt his shoulders sag.

“Was it something I said?” He asked, feeling guilty.

Fluttershy shot up suddenly and turned towards him. “What? No! No, it’s nothing. I’m alright.” She stuttered, trying to play off that she hadn’t felt saddened by his words.

He stared at her quizzically. “You shouldn’t lie to me. I lived around children my entire life on File Island. I know when somemon else is trying to hide the truth.” Kudamon looked away and began to think about what he said. “Is this about me wanting to eat the digimon in the pool right here? Because I was going to leave them alone, if you were?”

“Oh no, it’s not that.” Fluttershy reassured. “Your clearly resemble some form of mustelid, so it only makes sense you’d commonly dine on shoreline based aquatic creatures.” Fluttershy’s friendly smile suddenly began to sag again. “It may sound kind of silly, but I’m just a little sad that you aren’t interested like I am.”

Kudamon tilted his head, but refrained from speaking. Fluttershy decided to continue, “Back home my knowledge of animals isn’t really noticed much by other people. They know I’m smart and respect me for being an expert, but a lot of the time, it feels like no really cares about what I’m passionate about.”

Fluttershy took a deep breath before letting out a sad sigh. “I love animals and I really want to help them in anyway I can. I volunteer at every opportunity I have, I organize speeches and fundraisers to help the sick and hurt creatures in my world, but most of the time, nobody wants to listen. It’s always either, ‘Sorry Fluttershy, but I don’t have time this week’, or ‘Get that flier out of my face’...”

The heartache of her words seemed to be getting to her because she felt the need to wipe a tear from her eye. “Only the girls and some of our closer friends ever make time for the work I do. It sometimes feels like people just don’t care about what I have to say, no matter how important it may be.”

“I’ll listen.” Kudamon stated. Fluttershy turned to look at him. He scurried up her arm so he could sit on her shoulder. “I’ll admit I don’t know much about creatures outside of other digimon, but I’m willing to learn.” To her surprise he then began to nuzzle her cheek. “I want to hear everything you have to say about the subject.”

Fluttershy smiled and then the questions started. Kudamon began to ask her about everything she knew concerning the tide pools and why small creature liked living in them. The two were about to start up a pleasant conversation on subject, when Dorumon suddenly came rushing by and crashed into the ocean, splashing them both by accident in the process.

“Sorry,” Dorumon explained, “I was coming to get water for our sand castle. I suppose I was a little over eager.”

Kudamon sighed and nodded. “I believe there is a saying for situations like this: an eager beaver can lead to the collapse of the dam.”

“But we aren’t building a dam.” Dorumon explained as he scooped up some water. “Sunset and the others wanted to build a castle. If you wish to lend aid, it would be greatly appreciated. We will need a lot more builders if we wish to make this castle an accurate size.”

Dorumon soon rushed back toward Sunset and the others as Fluttershy giggled at his lack of understanding. Kudamon only shook his head in annoyance, “I suppose we should take him up on his offer. After that display, the tide pool creatures won’t be returning anytime soon.”

Kudamon glanced towards Rainbow, Pinkie, and Guilmon and briefly entertained the idea of joining in their wrestling. “That is, of course, unless you’d rather join in your other friends’ games, Fluttershy.”

Fluttershy almost immediately shook her head in response. “No th-thank you.” The way she stuttered almost made it seem like she was afraid to even think about the idea. “Don’t get me wrong, I love Rainbow Dash and Pinkie Pie very much, but they can be a little too rough for my liking when it comes to games.”

Kudamon nodded and the two began walking up the beach towards their friends and their sand castle.

In the water, Rainbow, Pinkie, and Guilmon were oblivious to this, but it wasn’t the only thing. Farther out in the Net Sea, near the stern of Captainhookmon’s ship, another set of eyes, belonging to an aquatic digimon, was watching them.

The digimon observed everything he saw on the beach very carefully. There were seven digimon along with the royal knight, all of them rookies, and all of them perfectly matching the pictures he had seen on the wanted poster. Which meant that creatures currently playing with them were the humons MaloMyotismon was looking for.

The digimon knew he couldn’t take on a royal knight on his own, but he was certain he could out run him in the water. Perhaps he wouldn’t be able to cash in on the full set of humons before him, but if he could just capture just one, the payoff would still be monumentous.

He didn’t realize at the moment, however, that he himself was also being watched. Captainhookmon was currently in the middle of checking the rudder of his ship for his eventually take off, only to notice the digimon lurking in waters off his port side. A suspicious look soon spread across the captain’s face. “Who goes there?!” He demanded. “Identify ye self!”

The digimon looked up before quickly shooting back underwater. “Oh no ye don’t!”

“Pirate’s Punisher!”

The captain fired several rounds of his long-barreled gun into the sea in hopes that one random shot might hit the lurking digimon. Unfortunately, no evidence of a connection came, filling Captainhookmon with dread. He immediately rushed to the bow of his ship to warn the children at play.

“Lasses! Lad! Get out of the water! There a shark near the shore!”

Rainbow Dash, Pinkie, and Guilmon all turned upon hearing Captainhookmon’s warning, only to come face to face with what he was warning them about a they did so.

The girls and Guilmon screamed as the digimon wrapped its arms around Rainbow Dash’s body and placed it’s claw over her mouth. Everyone on the beach soon shot upwards upon hearing their screams and turned to see Rainbow being restrained by a blue fishman digimon with a scuba tank on his back.

Magnamon’s eyes widened in fear, “Divermon!” He shouted. “Pinkie Pie, Guilmon free her before he has a chance to get back underwater!”

Pinkie Pie didn’t need to be told twice and shot hand to her geode. In a flash, Growlmon was standing where Guilmon once stood and quickly dove down to snap up the fish holding his friend with his jaws. Divermon was quicker however and already leap back into the surf before Growlmon could catch him.

“Rainbow!” Pinkie shouted in distress.

“Don’t worry, Pinkie-chan, I’ll get her back!”

Magnamon raised his claw as he shouted for Growlmon to stop, “Growlmon no, Divermon will have the advantage underwater!”

The dinosaur digimon didn’t listen and shot underwater. Magnamon growled, the other teens and digimon, including Pinkie, soon crowded around his feet.

“You have to go after them!” Candlemon implored. “Divermon is an ultimate level digimon, Growlmon will have no chance against him down there.”

“Please,” Pinkie pleaded, “you have to save Guilly and Rainbow before it’s too late!”

Magnamon only shook his head, “My armor isn’t built for aquatic environments, if anything it would only be more of a hindrance and slow me down if I tried to pursue.” A thoughtful look soon spread across his face, “No, what we need now is a digimon that’s specifically designed for underwater operations.”

“Fuck that!” A sudden shout came from behind them. They all turned to see Veemon still buried neck deep in sand. “Just dig me out of here and I’ll personally filey the bastard myself!”

Magnamon smirked under his helmet, “For once Veemon, you and I have the exact same idea.” He reached into his chest armor and pulled out a white and purple, egg-shaped metal and tossed at the immobilized rookie. It landed in the sand right in front of him.

Veemon looked at the metal in confusion, “Digimetal?” He question. “What the heck am I supposed to do with this?”

“It’s a Reliability Digimetal,” Magnamon explained, “it will make you digivolve without need of Rainbow’s necklace. Now stop asking questions and get in the water! I doubt Rainbow has that much air left in her lungs.”

Veemon’s eyes widened, stakes were being raised. Without a second thought, he bit down into the metal laying in front of him before being enveloped in a large plume of bright light. Sand exploded out from the beach as Veemon’s body changed shape and shot into the sky.

Veemon armor digivolve to…

The light faded revealing a new digimon flipping through the air before falling face first towards the sand. He landed in a handstand, kicking a small cloud of sand, and revealing a sea animal digimon with sleek waterproof armor, webbed fingers, and a large dolphin-like tail sprouting from his waist.

...Depthmon.

The digimon slapped his tail down on the beach with a resounding smash, before slithering incredibly quick towards the Net Sea like a belly-dragging lizard. “I’m coming, boss lady!”

Using his tail, Depthmon launched himself into the air upon reaching the shoreline. He flew a good few feet before landing in a deeper part of the Net Sea, using the momentum dive to send him deep underwater quickly. He saw Growlmon and Divermon currently in battle with Growlmon being lapped as Divermon easily ducked and darted away from his attacks.

Depthmon soon noticed Rainbow was tucked under Divermon’s arm and was looking much bluer than usual. Growlmon came at the fishman digimon with final snap of his jaws, all his other attacks proving useless in the underwater setting. Divermon saw his chance swimming up as Growlmon came to bite him before digging his harpoon into the top of his snout.

“Hell Dive!”

A torrent of bubbles flew out of Growlmon’s mouth as he screamed in pain. The dinosaur digimon then swam upwards taking Divermon and Rainbow Dash with him as they all eventually broke the surface. Growlmon and Rainbow both sucked in air to replenish their aching lungs before Growlmon released another pained howl. Divermon stood atop Growlmon’s head like a winner’s podium and dug his harpoon deeper into his snout, grinning maliciously as he clutched Rainbow like a trophy.

“YOU GODDAMNED FISH DICK! GET AWAY FROM THEM!”

Divermon turned in surprise as Depthmon broke out of the sea in front of him. A fist soon met his face with extreme force, sending the fishman digimon and his harpoon crashing into the sea like a freshly launched torpedo. Depthmon caught Rainbow with his other arm and gently laid her on Guilmon’s head.

“You alright?” He asked worriedly.

Rainbow coughed up a small amount of water. “Vee... mon?” She wheezed, “is that you?” Depthmon nodded. Rainbow groggily lifted herself with her elbows. “I’m feeling a little waterlogged... but I’ll be alright.”

Depthmon leaped off Growlmon’s head and dove into the water. He quickly resurfaced.

“Take Rainbow back to shore and get her back on her feet.” He turned angrily towards the open sea. “This guy ain’t going to be the one who got away.”

Growlmon stared at the new digimon in confusion, his voice and attitude sounded so familiar. “Big bro?”

“Did I stutter? Move!” Depthmon commanded.

Growlmon didn’t need to be told twice and began swimming back to shore, only stopping when her Rainbow starting to speak up. Her voice was wheezy and clearly lacking breath, but her words to Depthmon were unmistakable, “kick…that fish’s…ass.”

Depthmon nodded, “this’ll only take a minute.”

Both digimon separated as Growlmon swam to shore and Depthmon swam into the depths. Divermon was waiting for him.

“So you gonna start monologuing and tell me why you’re kidnapping my friend? Or do I have to beat the answers out of you?” Depthmon slammed his fist into his opposite palm. “Please say option two.”

Divermon didn’t respond and instead tossed his harpoon straight at Depthmon.

“Strike Fishing!”

Depthmon darted to the left nearly avoiding the harpoon as it rammed right into a rocky surface right behind him. Then with a burst of immense speed Divermon swam up to the harpoon pulled it out of the rock then quickly attempted to jab Depthmon with it.

Divermon’s attacks were incredibly fast, but Depthmon was faster. In fact, it was like he swimming rings around him. Every one of his attacks were evaded without effort, and as soon as Divermon began to tire, Depthmon began to counterattack.

“Not so easy fighting somemon on equal footing is it?” Depthmon said as he a frothy ball of bubbles appeared in his palm. He thrusted his hand into Divermon’s stomach.

“Bubble Bomb!”

The bubble ball exploded sending Divermon sailing into the seafloor. “To bad your not much of a talker, I would have loved to hear you say, ‘The water is my element, no one beats me in my element’!” Depthmon mocked as he swam down to meet his opponent. “Of course, tough talk wouldn’t be enough to save you.” He grabbed Divermon by the neck then tossed him into a nearby rock. “You messed with my lady and hurt my little brother, so as far as I’m concerned that gives me the right to make chum out of you.” A few more punches were delivered to Divermon’s face for good measure, before Depthmon wrapped his arms around his opponent’s body.

“Sargasso Drag!”

Both digimon shot up towards the surface like an underwater rocket fired from the seafloor. Both broke through the surface and flew into the air several yards. “But I’m sure a friend of mine’s gonna want to question you first. He’s the digimon in gold standing on the sand, so without further delay... ”

Depthmon let go of Divermon and flipped over in the air, slapping him with his powerful tail. “...Hit the beach!”

Divermon soared through the air and crashed into the beach, digging a deep divot all the way up to the changing areas of the resort. He struggled to pick himself back up only to be stomped and pinned by Magnamon before he could reach his feet.

“By order of King Drasil and the House of the Royal Knights, I place you under arrest for the attempted kidnapping of another digimon. How do you plead?” The golden armored knight only received a growl in response. Divermon’s attitude suddenly started to become more fearful however as the girls and their digimon began to surround him as well.

“He doesn’t talk.” Everyone turned to see Depthmon pull himself onto the beach. A flash of bright light suddenly covered him and Veemon was standing in his place, a egg-shaped piece of digimetal casually being thrown up and down in his hand.

“It was nothing personal,” Divermon pleaded under Magnamon’s foot, “It was just a job! I’ll tell you anything you want, just please let me go.”

“So you do talk?” Veemon snickered. He soon wandered over and took Divermon’s harpoon from his hand. “Alrighty then, sing stool pigeon, sing!” The rookie ordered, pointing the tip of the harpoon at the fishman’s face.

Divermon growl and was about to strike back, but the glittering golden armored foot pressing harder on his chest gave him pause, “You six humons are wanted by Demon Lord MaloMyotismon and he’s willing to shill out a good deal of bits to get you. His forces have plastered wanted posters of you all over the Digital World, each of your heads alone fetching a very high price.”

Magnamon’s eyes widen, as did most of the girls. An enraged scowl soon replaced his previous expression, “Girls, go get changed.” Magnamon ordered. “Sightseeing is over, we need to get to the Castle of the Royal Knights sooner than we expected.”

The girls sped off without question, their digimon following behind them hoping they could qwell the fear they must have been feeling at the moment. Magnamon looked back towards and lifted his foot. He soon grabbed Divermon before he could scurry away and held him aloft, “As for you. Since I now have no time to detain you, I suppose my only option left is to convince you to never do something like this again.”

Magnamon motioned his eyes down to the harpoon Veemon had dropped before following Rainbow. Divermon followed his eyes and saw his harpoon, as well as the fact Magnamon was now reaching for it.

Author's Notes:

Sorry for the long hiatus on this story, I hope you all enjoy the new chapter.