There is a small room with gray-tinted panels. Between the panels ran lines of a bluish-green light, which illuminated the room, yet did not light it up, leaving it still quite dim on the whole.

　The room had a small window, a white space seeping in from outside so bright that it further emphasized the dimness of the room.

　This is the Garden's dedicated briefing room, used by all of the members of the debugging team stationed here. This secluded area, once used as a haven for the wild Digimon of Lacuna, has now been repurposed as a space for the management team, having completed its primary role.

　As of now, there are three people in the briefing room.

　The absence of Digimon suggests that a high level of secrecy is required at this location.

　One of them is a man who wears a white coat. He is a former Digimon Card Game World Champion and a former professional gamer who earned the nickname "The Force of Nature" for his unrivaled playing style in all games during his prime, Zenith.

　Next to him, there is a man looking at Zenith with a disapproving look on his face. He is also a well-known figure within I.D.E.A. In fact, there is not a soul within the organization who does not know of him, Shoto Kazama, the hero of the Noah Project in the green jacket.

　And finally.

　Looking unsure of herself... A woman stood, shrinking back and waiting for someone else to speak, clearly feeling out of place amongst her current company.

　She has a dark complexion and long black hair that reaches her shoulder blades. Her face is beset with gray eyes, thick lips, and sharp features. She was wearing a jumpsuit that had been modified to expose her legs.

"Well then, could you introduce yourself again?"

"Oh!　O-Of course!"

　Slightly stunned at the sudden prompt from her superior, she hesitated for a moment, but then stood up straight and responded in a loud voice.

"I've gone from being an I.D.E.A. intern to a full-time employee, and I've been assigned to the debugging team for Digimon Liberator!　I am Sana S. Santos, engineer in the I.D.E.A. Technical Department!"

　-- Don't lose your temper, keep your mind calm.

　---- Be aware of your surroundings and blend in.

　------ With a sincere heart, envision yourself calm and serene.

　Calm and composed. Serenity and order. Generosity and sincerity.

　She took a liking to these idiomatic phrases that she picked up while studying Japanese. Sana repeated them in her mind as if she were praying.

　Perhaps sensing her nervousness, Shoto Kazama, who was standing next to her, also stiffened his expression awkwardly.

"Ha-ha, don't be so nervous, both of you. Especially you, Shoto! What happened to that swagger you showed off at the tournament?"

"...Yeah, yeah, you can say that, but... It's been quite some time since I quit the debugging team."

　It had been quite a while since he last came to the Garden. Shoto's words made Sana feel a little closer to him, and the corner of her mouth lifted ever so slightly.

"Ah, that's so funny!"

"What are you talking about..."

"Oh! It's nothing!　I was just appreciating your personality, which is exactly as I was told in advance by Mr. Owen..."

　The details of Shoto Kazama's personality were not hers to know. But she could at least understand that if even the hard-nosed Owen Dreadnought said that Shoto was trustworthy as a long-time friend, he must be quite friendly in nature.

"I heard you were Owen's protégé... I have to wonder at what sort of stories he's been telling about me. What exactly has he been telling you?"

"Oh, no can do... he told me to keep it quiet."

"A-ha!"

　When she bowed her head to Shoto, Zenith pointed at him and let out a laugh, though it wasn't apparent what he found so humorous.

"Ha ha ha!　That's just like Owen!　No way she'd tell you that, Shoto!"

"...I had hope."

"I'm sorry..."

"Hey, it's not like you need to apologize for that, Ms. Santos!　Come on, raise your head already!"

　...Yes, they are certainly correct about that.

　It had only been a short time, but the words of Owen, "you can trust him", resonated with her. Shoto Kazama must fearlessly forge bonds with people like this all the time.

　...It's no wonder that he's teaming up with Owen and Zenith.

　He is always in attendance at the tournaments we hold regularly within Liberator. He has been competing not only in individual battles, but also in 3-on-3 battles teaming up with Zenith and Owen. Shoto's popularity as a player has been on the rise recently, as he has been competing in various battles alongside world champions and former professional gamers.

"It is an honor to stand alongside you."

　So I extended my right hand to him, genuinely.

"I'm glad to meet you, too. If you're Owen's disciple, then I'm relieved...honestly, I'm honored."

"You're my master's friend and a hero in your own right... I should be the one thanking you, Mr. Shoto."

"You can save the 'hero' title for someone else, it doesn't fit me. And we're around the same age, there's no need to call me 'Mr.' Just Shoto is fine."

"Well in that case, you can call me just 'Sana'"

"Well alright, nice to meet you, Sana!"

"Yes, nice to meet you. Shoto."

　Shoto reached out and met her handshake.

　The two avatars shook hands within a game world. Although she could not actually feel his touch, she was certain that his hand was full of warmth, and he was shaking her hand firmly.

"...Well then."

　After witnessing the exchange between the two, Zenith gave a playful wink and shrugged his shoulders.

"Now that the introductions are out of the way, shall we get down to business?"

"Yes, please."

　Thus began the briefing.

　Although Sana was already informed of the meeting's contents in advance, having shaken her hand, Shoto seemed to be hearing it for the first time.

　Shoto listened to Zenith's words intently, nodding his head in surprise, soaking in every last word.

　This time, the two of us had only one mission.

　We were to contact the target Digimon and hand over the tag data.

　Here's how it all started.

　A month ago, a new Digimon was discovered in Lacuna. This alone was not unusual, but the location where it was found was a problem.

　The discovery was made in a secret area that is normally considered impossible for Digimon to visit by themselves; that is, in the Garden.

　This was the first time a lone Digimon had ever been observed in the Garden, and Sana could remember well how the I.D.E.A. office was abuzz when that Digimon first appeared.

　The Digimon did not have the ability to speak at this point and could not communicate. So, the Debugging Team had been observing this digimon, under the guise of probation, while looking for an opportunity to make contact.

　But a week ago, things changed suddenly.

　The Digimon disappeared from the Garden.

　As mentioned above, the Garden systematically blocks Digimon from coming and going by themselves, and it is essential for Digimon to have the GM's permission and be accompanied by a Tamer in order to visit the Garden.

　And yet, the Digimon in question escaped from the Garden without any help.

　This was discovered the day before yesterday, but the Digimon had a special ability.

"Let's just say that it possesses...outstanding hacking skills."

　Apparently, by accessing the structure of the Internet itself, it had the ability to move and interfere with any terminal or application.

　No security can stop this Digimon. Perhaps it was this ability that caused the Digimon to suddenly appear in the Garden.

"Wait, does that mean the Digimon is no longer in Lacuna?!"

"No, fortunately the worst is behind us. A full scan of the Liberator's map data confirms that it is still in the game. It has apparently been moving around a lot."

　Disabling all security. It is a dangerous entity. However, fortunately again, it does not seem to wield its abilities with malicious intent. In fact, it doesn't seem to be able to control its hacking skills itself.

"Digimon are simply influenced by information found on the Internet, causing them to transform themselves, and that is why they are what they are. We need to take immediate action."

"I have to protect it...?"

"Well, as mentioned earlier, it has incredible hacking skills, making capture impossible... in that case. The best way to do this is to make sure that we always know exactly where it is located… for that Digimon's sake as well."

　And that is why Shoto Kazama was chosen for the task.

"No, I'm not satisfied with the explanation. I'm not on the debugging team anymore.　I'm worried about the Digimon and all, but shouldn't you ask one of the current debuggers to do that for you?"

"Don't talk nonsense, Shoto, my friend. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Normally... it would be awkward for regular players to cooperate, I.D.E.A. being involved and all."

　It was at this point that Sana decided to interject. She felt it necessary to correctly convey to Shoto the nature of the "problem" that had arisen in Lacuna.

"Actually, the other debuggers are currently tied up with another matter."

"Another matter?"

"Yes. Around the time the Digimon in question escaped from the garden, certain... shadowy objects began appearing around Lacuna."

　These objects are closer to a "haze" than a "shadow," but the debuggers have all taken to calling them "shadows" at this point.

　The shadows are sparse, but mostly human-sized (150 to 200 cm in length), and when players approach them, they have been observed to pass through the body of the approaching person and dissipate.

　It has been confirmed that there is nothing wrong with the avatar after it was passed through. Yao Qinglan's investigation of the source code has also confirmed that it is not an Easter egg planted by the developers.

"... Which would mean that the new Digimon did it?"

"We can't say that for certain. At any rate, these shadows cannot speak, nor do they have substance. Since we have not been able to observe it with any instruments other than visual perception by avatars and Digimon, it is natural to assume that it is a different entity from Digimon."

　The fact that it is harmless at the moment makes it the consensus of the management that it is a bug in the Digimon Liberator system rather than Lacuna.

"Mysterious Digimon and shadowy entities... Things are getting ominous again."

"So you do get it. I believe this sort of thing is your specialty. Shoto Kazama, The hero."

"Don't tell me what my specialty is. I'm not a hero, and I'm not as good as people think I am."

"Do you have any idea how few people can keep up with someone like me or Owen? If you downplay your abilities too much, I think it can come across as ironic."

"Oh please..."

　Zenith cut the conversation short, despite Shoto's rather displeased look.

"You saved Lacuna once, and the higher-ups have already agreed to give you temporary debugger privileges. And you’ll have a chaperone to make sure you don't abuse your authority.　You don't need to worry about the company's reputation."

"Isn't that asking a bit much of Sana?"

"Don't worry about me. It's rather an honor to see up close what kind of person Mr. Owen's friend is."

"Now I'm even more nervous..."

"There's no point looking for excuses. If you're good to go, please head to the location at once. Once you are there, I'll be clocking out. I'm looking forward to the prep session for the next tournament."

"Yeah I'm good... Well then Sana, care to be my chaperone?"

"Of course!"

　Seemingly having made up his mind, Shoto opened the exit portal to the briefing room.

　A sound effect played as a circle of light appeared under mine and Shoto's feet.

　It was at that moment when Zenith chimed in.

"Oh yes, I forgot to tell you one thing."

　He called out to Shoto as the portal opened.

"Gemmon. That’s the name of the Digimon you are going to be searching for, so remember it."

　Deep within the ruins of the Amber Remains, the Timeless Domain.

　Surrounded by the rough stone walls and furnishings, the space was illuminated by several lights that were housed in stone pillars.

　Although this is usually a busy area that players must visit to progress the Main Scenario of Digimon Liberator, there are currently no players other than Shoto and Sana here. The dungeon has been sealed off since yesterday under the guise of "system maintenance" at Sana's request.

"...Is that Gemmon?"

　The target was easily found.

　It had a white body with gray hair covering the neck and tail. It was a cute-looking little Digimon with jewels scattered all over its body, including in its forehead.

"Throwing this blank card will complete the sharing of location information. Good work, Shoto."

"If it was going to be this easy, there was no reason for me to even show up—wait!"

　Shoto's eyes darted, while Sana reacted a moment later.

　What their gazes met was indeed Gemmon. But Gemmon was not alone.

　Three...no, four objects were "standing" surrounding the Digimon that was their target.

　These were the very same problem that Sana had told Shoto about earlier. The shadows were gathered in a pack.

"This is the first time multiple shadows have been confirmed!　Be careful–Shoto?! What are you doing?! Please stay calm!"

　She couldn't help but emphasize her words.

　He deployed his D-STORAGE without hesitation as soon as he saw the shadows.

"I’m perfectly calm, Sana!　It's definitely not normal for a buggy object to surround a Digimon... we can't leave it alone!"

"Listen to me!　It's not an opponent that you can beat in a card battle!"

"Even so, now that the toxin is gone from Lacuna...!　Sana, use your blank card and put the mission first!"

　Shoto's D-STORAGE lit up intensely, as if to say that he wouldn't be dissuaded.

　But this appears to be an emergency situation...and any delay in decision could be fatal. Gemmon's expression also showed a hint of uneasiness. It is obvious that the shadows are "uninvited” guests.

"Understood!　We will move to protect Gemmon as our top priority!"

"I'm glad you're quick to catch on, you really are his disciple!　Now!"

　Shoto quickly slid his finger on the digital console of his D-STORAGE.

"You've heard everything, give me your strength!

　A moment later.

　A Digimon appeared from Shoto's D-STORAGE, saying "affirmative."

　A bird dragon-type Digimon with red horns, a milky-white mask, and green feathers.

　Pteromon.

"It's been a long time since you've gotten into trouble, Shoto!"

"You're right!　But after I worked so hard with Unchained to protect Lacuna... to protect all Digimon, I can't leave it alone!"

"That's right... Well then!"

"Hold on, Gemmon!"

　Pteromon and Shoto's voices synchronized.

　In perfect unison, as if they had said those words over and over again.

"We're here to help you!"

THEY WILL RETURN IN THE ≪NEXT ACT≫.