Dreamcatcher
Yuka slowly opened her eyes, and found herself in a quiet, peaceful field. A warm breeze blew through the nearby trees, and the sounds of wildlife drifted toward her ears.
Where am I?
Yuka took a few steps forward, looking around, and saw what looked like a group of Koromon and Nyaromon playing in a nearby clearing. A handful of small cradles sat on the ground, and looking in one of them, Yuka saw a Botamon nestled inside. Nearby, there were Digi-eggs strewn along the ground.
I’m… in the Digital World. But is this a dream?
“You're in the Primary Village,” a soft, echoing voice spoke up. “The place where Digimon begin.”
Yuka turned around and saw a little girl walk toward her. She looked to be about Yuka’s age, with light brown hair and reddish-brown eyes. A whistle hung around her neck.
Yuka blinked. “Hikari…?” She asked.
The girl shook her head. “I’m only borrowing her form. So you’ll have someone to focus on while we talk.”
Yuka nodded warily. The girl had a similar quality to Naoko, and she felt like someone Yuka could trust. At least for now.
“You're the only one of the current Chosen Children I can talk to, so forgive me for approaching you alone, in a dream,” the girl said. “I am called Homeostasis.”
“Homeo… stasis?” Yuka said slowly.
“I am the force that maintains the balance between good and evil in the Digital World,” the girl said, “To make it easier on you, you can call me Hikari.”
Yuka nodded. “Okay.” She was silent for a moment, thinking. “You were the one who called us to the Digital World,” she said.
“I was,” Hikari answered.
“You were the one who chose the Chosen Children,” Yuka said further.
Hikari nodded. “They were perfect matches to the values that the Digital World was built on. Those values manifested themselves as the Crests, and the Chosen Digimon drew their power from them.”
“What about us?” Yuka asked.
Hikari shook her head. “Your group was a different case. I didn’t choose any of you. Your powers were inherited from the Children before you. It was fate, lineage, and time that chose you.”
“Why didn’t you talk to us before, when we were still in the Digital World?” Yuka asked, puzzled.
Hikari sighed. “These past 50 years have been a very difficult time for everyone,” she said wearily, “The Great Shaking destroyed the connections I had to the Digital World and the Chosen Children. I couldn’t directly communicate my wishes to anyone, and they effectively were stumbling around in the dark. I was essentially powerless.” Hikari then smiled a bittersweet smile. “That being said, Naoko has done a solid job as the Digital World’s administrator, despite the cards she was dealt.
“And as for your group,” she continued, “I couldn’t approach you until the Digital World had healed enough for me to re-establish my connections to it. Unfortunately, that didn’t happen until all of you had already returned to the Real World. The most I could do is reveal myself to Naoko and work together with her to help you accomplish your mission.”
Yuka nodded. “I see.”
Hikari smiled. “I wanted to commend all of you on defeating Kagulumon. He was an anomaly that plagued the Digital World for years, warping it beyond recognition. Now that he’s finally gone, the Digital World can truly heal.
“I also wanted to give you a message to pass along to the others.” Hikari grew serious. “No one knows how long this peace will last. It could be forever, or it could be only a short time. I ask that you keep your eyes and ears open. Be observant and keep on the watch. If the Digital World needs you again, it will call. But always ensure that you are there to answer that call. Never forget.”
Yuka nodded seriously. “We won’t.”
Hikari smiled again. “Your experiences in the Digital World were an example of several auspicious events coming together by chance. A series of happy accidents, if you will. I hope that the stars align again the next time you’re needed.”
“It wasn’t just chance,” Yuka spoke up, “We all worked together to make everything happen.” She stared at Hikari seriously. “You may not have been there to plan everything from beginning to end, but everything happened the way it did because you sent us to the Digital World in the first place. You just had to trust that we would follow through.”
“And you did,” Hikari said, “Marvelously.”
“Thank you for believing in us,” Yuka said solemnly.
Hikari nodded. “Keep your light shining. And never forget.” She took a few steps back, and the world around them started to fade into nothingness.
Yuka opened her eyes and looked around, finding herself in the Infinity Lab. Lopmon slept, nestled in the blankets next to her, and the other kids and Digimon slept soundly around her.
She reached out and grabbed Seita’s phone, which was lying next to his cot beside her. Waking it up, she checked the time: 5:45 am. She carefully set the phone back down in its spot and lay back down, looking up at the ceiling.
Her movements woke Lopmon up from her slumber. “Mmm…” Lopmon mumbled. “What’s wrong, Yuka?” she asked sleepily. “Did you have another bad dream?”
Yuka sat up and shook her head, taking Lopmon in her arms. “It was a dream,” she said, “but not a scary one. I was visited by the Digital World’s… balance? Life force? Spirit?”
“Huh?” Lopmon said, confused.
Yuka shook her head. “I’m not sure what it was. It called itself… uh… Homa- homi-” Her face screwed up as she tried to remember. “Homeostasis! That’s it!”
“Hmm…” Lopmon said, still confused. She listened as Yuka recounted her experience with Homeostasis. “I don’t think I understand very much,” Lopmon answered, “but it sounds like something we need to tell everyone else. Naoko, too.”
Yuka nodded. “Yeah.”
They were interrupted by a sudden loud snore. Yuka jumped in surprise, then laughed. “Maybe later, when everyone’s awake,” she said. “I don’t think they’d appreciate being woken up at 6 in the morning, no matter how important the message is!”
“You’re probably right,” Lopmon said. She snuggled back under the covers and closed her eyes. “Good night!”
Yuka smiled. “Good night.” She lay back down again, looking up at the ceiling and thinking about the dream.
Never forget.
She never would. And neither would the others.
Notes:
I specifically wrote this to address a glaring plothole that I found after writing the main story: the absence of Homeostasis. I had to think a little bit to see if I could integrate Homeostasis into the lore I came up with for the story. I think it worked pretty well!