Bleached White [A Rank]

As Valt's roar resounded, it would echo briefly in the open space of the clearing - and for the briefest of moments, something flickered over the Hououmon's face. As the UlforceVdramon darted in with blades readied, the bird would respond with a noble screech of its own, flaring its wings out wide! Bright white flames would begin to engulf its own body, as it made only a minimal attempt to dodge; allowing the blade to sink into its shoulder, instead of its more fragile wings...!

As a result though, Valt would be brought close to the Hououmon, and its flames by extension; and as it flicked its wings forward, those very flames - in the shape of a bird - would attempt to wash over the holy dragon..!

Assuming that even a single spark of these white flames would hit Valt, though... Those flames in question would seemingly cling to his body - quickly spreading, and burning along his scales and armor...! It was almost as though the fire did not care what was and what wasn't flammable; it would attempt to burn away wherever it hit, regardless...!


Fiora would quietly nod her agreement to Akemi; until they had some information on these Bleached Digimon, it was hard to say what, exactly, their motive was - as much as the notion of a cult seemed like the most likely explanation at the time...

With Ryouta's questions, though... Fiora would think for a second; scratching her chin a little. "... Sending an anomalous digimon to the Village of Beginning may seem like an odd solution to some, but... Typically, when an anomalous digimon is reborn at the village, there's four potential outcomes that we know of - though one of them is difficult to reliably observe." She'd begin; thinking her words over, for the explanation.

"First outcome, the anomalous digimon is reborn as a completely normal digimon; no signs of their anomaly present. They usually are reborn weaker than their initial self, the current theory being because the anomalous data in them was unable to be reformatted properly - and so... Instead of being included in the reformat, it is, well... is instead removed entirely, leaving them with less data than they had before. They are still able to live happy and healthy lives this way, though; and some argue that this is typically the kindest outcome for some anomalous digimon."

"Second outcome, the anomalous digimon is reborn as they were before - an anomalous digimon. In some cases, this might mean they remain dangerous - whereas in other cases, it's an opportunity for them to learn how to use their more anomalous qualities in a healthy manner, in a safe environment. Either way, even if they remain dangerous, we are typically able to handle a Fresh anomalous digimon before they become trouble, as it's, well, certainly far more easily than a Mega or Ultimate."

"Third outcome, the anomalous digimon is reborn as twins; one normal, one anomalous. We believe that this occurs for similar reasons as the first outcome; except that instead of the anomalous data being discarded entirely upon reformatting, there is enough that it's made into its own second digimon. Given that they are twins that share a core, handling an anomalous twin that is still dangerous can get a bit... Tricky, but still doable."

"Fourth outcome, though... Is that the digimon is not reborn at all; its data being beyond salvation for reformatting. Though this is difficult for us to properly observe, we believe that it typically only occurs to the worst cases, though; and such digimon... Usually don't live long, without consistent supervision and medical intervention, anyways; or are prone to causing a great deal of destruction and harm. If I'm honest, this... Probably is the worst outcome, given that... That means that even the well-meaning anomalous digimon don't get another chance at life, at all."

Fiora frowned a bit, at this; the idea of anomalous digimon who are beyond saving was a bit of a depressing idea, for her. She became a part of this group to try and help these digimon live comfortable lives among their kin, after all...

...

Entering the mansion by phasing thru - or under - the door would go off without a hitch, for the two digimon; Skadi and Anzu both being greeted by a dark room. Were they to find a light to turn on, open a curtain, or to otherwise have eyes suited for the dark; they'd be able to identify the room to be something between a living room and a waiting lobby.

Two couches would sit at either side of a coffee table, with a tv sitting atop a tv stand at the far opposite side of the room. To the left were stairs going both up to the second floor, and down to what might be a cellar or basement door. To the right was a door marked 'Study/Office', and up ahead - just to the right of the tv stand - were another pair of doors, one to a half-bathroom, and another to a kitchen with what looked to be a door leading into a backyard.

Things were somewhat dusty - not to a horrid amount, per se, but it was clear that the place hadn't been cleaned in awhile; the absence of the villagers likely being to blame for it. The living room itself didn't seem to have anything of interest, beyond what looked to be family photos framed and hung on the walls - one in particular being a photo of what looked to be a Leomon and a Sealsdramon; the Leomon in question cradling a Nyaromon in one arm.

Seeing as the living room didn't have much else to provide, though... Where would Skadi and Anzu investigate, next?

---

- Hououmon allows the empowered basic attack to strike it in the shoulder
- In response, Hououmon attempts to attack Valt and set him aflame with Eraser Wing!

Move Used:
[ATTACK] Eraser Wing: Hououmon fires off a blast of holy fire in the shape of a bird at a foe, dealing damage and setting them aflame; causing them to take additional holy damage for the next two turns. [3 Turn Cooldown]

Passives Known:
[PASSIVE] Bleached: This digimon has been cleansed of all flaws, and pardoned of all sin; every part of their body becoming bleached white, so as to signify this. They are immune to any effects that influence their mind or emotions, such as taunts, mind control, fear, and pacification; and attempts to read their minds or scan their data results in... Strange, though more confusing than anything, results.

Cooldowns:
Shining Wings: 1/3
Eraser Wing: Waiting

As it turned out, capturing a Bleached Digimon, like with Valt and Ilbert were trying to do with the Hououmon outside, would be the team's best bet, as deleting it would basically boil down to what was basically a 25% chance that they'd get what they want. "Yeah, this might sound painfully obvious, but I'd think we'd be better off capturing Hououmon here. Otherwise, if we kill it, we might as well just pick as many Gods as we can and pray we get what we want."

But wait, did Anzu actually lead a damn cult herself? And who was Ogudomon, anyways? A look of surprise crossed Kenny's face for a bit before he snapped himself out of it, before he answered, "It does seem very likely that these 'followers' got... whatever it is, virus, program, what-have-you, downloaded into them. But I'd doubt literally everybody in the whole damn village at the time would willingly get something like that injected into them, no questions asked. Unless the perpetrator gave them no choice? Maybe? Just throwing it out there."

If anything, the brief glimpse of flame coming from Hououmon, careening towards Valt, looked pretty nasty. Was that the attack he managed to get from when he scanned them earlier? Hopefully, the UlforceVeedramon would be able to escape, and not burn to a crisp in a matter of moments. Of course, it was also hard to ignore the glowing light from outside too, courtesy of Ilbert himself. Just what was he charging up for, anyways?

---

Well, that was surprisingly easy, Skadi thought to herself, internally breathing a sigh of relief. For something being touted as having vastly improved senses compared to normal, bog standard Digimon, they somehow managed to give them the slip quite easily and without even needing to lift a finger to defend themselves.

That, or Geisterseele was a little bit more powerful than she initially gave it credit for.

Regardless, she silently nodded in acknowledgement to Anzu's request. Besides, it's not like she needed the lights on herself anyways. Her amazing, improved eyesight that this form provided granted her the ability to see anywhere clearly, rain or shine, or in this case, complete and utter darkness. And in her initial scan, her eyes caught a glimpse on the family photograph. The one with the Leomon, Sealsdramon and Nyaromon.

It wouldn't be any surprise if the two feline Digimon outside were the same ones in the photo, but what about the Sealsdramon? They hadn't encountered what could've been any of their evolved forms, at least not yet. For all they knew, they might be still inside the house, seeking out to drive out any intruders who dared to even think of stepping foot indoors.

Regardless, the two would continue on, Skadi following Anzu as she silently walked, making sure also not to go a decibel too high herself, all the way to the study room. While Anzu slipped under the door to the study, Skadi just noted, with a whisper herself, "Don't worry, Bean. I got this." Like before, she simply phased through the door without much effort on her end, all the while still trying to stay quiet all the way.

If at the very least, she'd save Anzu the trouble.

---

Relevant passives allows Skadi to do all of this.

Ethereal Being (Non-combat Passive): In this form, Skadi can change her form from solid to ethereal. This can allow her to pass through walls, and other solid objects. However, this does not automatically give her immunity from attacks, and she takes damage like any other Digimon.

Keen Eye (Passive): Being a skilled swordswoman has it’s benefits. So that means that she gets a 1.3x boost to accuracy. This also allows her to see perfectly fine where she otherwise wouldn’t, including fog, smoke, and other weather conditions.

As Valt called out to the Hououmon, the holy bird would only regard him with the same blank look as before; that slightest bit of reaction having long-since passed. It was hard to say, really, what the bird was thinking - assuming that it was thinking about anything at all, beyond defeating Valt and Ilbert, past that blank gaze.

As Valt darted in to strike at the Hououmon with his fist, the proximity would indeed allow him to strike it, even with its best attempts to back away from the Ulforce V-dramon. As the punch landed, the bird could briefly be heard letting out a hacking cough - as though the breath was knocked out of it somewhat - but it appeared to be an involuntary reaction, the sort that anyone might have to being punched in the stomach.

Even as it briefly wavered in flight, the holy bird's wings would beat as it continued to back off from Valt - claws briefly lashing out to force him back as it did. It was appearing as though it was preparing for something as it ascended above both combatants. Silhouetted by the sun, it was almost like a massive vulture that was readied to strike...

... However, whatever it planned would briefly be put on hold, as Ilbert's cannon would, suddenly, fire.

The resulting burst that was fired off seemed to take the Hououmon by some surprise; it would attempt to dodge with another flap of its wings, though the blast would strike it in one of its wings. Feathers were scorched, its flight was impaired, the holy beast was hurting it looked like; even past its own pain tolerance.

However, even with the building damage, the Hououmon still had some fight left in it. Flicking its wings forward, it would send down another rain of feathers upon both Valt and Ilbert, this Featherstorm being just as sharp as before.

...

As the fight went on, though, Fiora would be thinking over Valt's mention of a reaction; the Wormmon appearing to be in her own little world, briefly, as she considered it. Only when the compartments shuddered from the Fringe Cannon firing did Fiora snap out of her thoughts; squeaking as she was nearly knocked off-balance.

Once she regained her bearings, the Wormmon shook her head - glancing to the others. "It's hard to say what, exactly, is going on here." She'd first answer Kenny and Anzu both, scratching her chin a little. "Cults can be powerful things, in the hands of a charismatic leader. They can be quite scary, and sometimes you can risk being dragged into one without any warning, if you aren't careful of the red flags.

"If the village was indeed indoctrinated into a cult, this would likely have been something that went on slowly and gradually - over a long period of time - for there to not be any talk of it. I doubt that any of this was necessarily forced; given that we weren't able to find any signs of a struggle, when we had initially investigated, though."

And as for Ryouta's mention, about being anomalous being suffering... Fiora offered Ryouta a reassuring pat on the leg. "These Bleached Digimon... They're only an example of an anomaly going wrong; they don't represent anomalous digimon as a whole. Anomalous digimon who are able to live long and happy lives, just like any other digimon, do exist - and the DAI exists to help those who are struggling in some regard reach that point." She'd explain briefly.

"Anomalies can vary greatly, as one might expect. Some of us even theorize that notable differences in color, element, or physiology could be classified as an anomaly; though it's still in the talks on whether we should officially classify it or not."

...

Back in the Mayor's house, with Anzu and Skadi, they would be able to slip into the study without much trouble. Inside, the room would be much as one might expect; bookshelves along the left and right sides of the wall, a desk just in front of a window on the opposite wall, as well as a couple of chairs at either side of the desk. A potted plant - the plant having started to show signs of wilting - sat next to the desk. The curtains were parted slightly, casting a sliver of light across the center of the room; but they would likely be easy to close, if either of them chose.

The bookshelves were nothing special; town records, encyclopedias, and even some storybooks and novels being stashed on the shelves. It seemed that it was sorted in some regard; relevant books being grouped together on specific shelves, though that was only as far as the organization went.

The desk, there were a few papers laid out across it, with a pen holder at the left corner of it. On the right corner, there was a photograph in a standing frame; a GrapLeomon, with a BlackGatomon perched on their shoulders; hands reached up to steady the smaller feline. The BlackGatomon seemed to be playfully ruffling and messing with the GrapLeomon's mane, while both cat 'mons in the photo were brightly smiling and laughing.

There were a few drawers in the desk, as well; a couple could be opened to reveal that one contained office supplies-type objects such as a stapler, a small tin of paper clips, and a staple remover; while the other contained blank papers. However, the third drawer appeared to be locked, interestingly enough.

Were one to listen, the floorboards underneath seemed to creak occasionally; the wood here appearing to be of an older make than the living room. In addition to this, distant footsteps could be heard from outside; nothing of concern quite yet, though slowly approaching. It was likely a good idea to be careful, in investigating this study, assuming that Anzu and Skadi remained.

---

- Hououmon is struck by Counterforce.
- While backing away from Valt, Hououmon briefly lashes out with its claws!
- Next, Hououmon is struck in the wing by Fringe Cannon EX; its flight becoming impaired, as a result.
- Finally, Hououmon uses Featherstorm on both Valt and Ilbert!

Move Used:
[ATTACK] Featherstorm: Hououmon flaps their wings; firing a barrage of feathers upon 1-3 enemies of their choice, damage dealt being equally split between all targets! [2 Turn Cooldown]

Passives Known:
[PASSIVE] Bleached: This digimon has been cleansed of all flaws, and pardoned of all sin; every part of their body becoming bleached white, so as to signify this. They are immune to any effects that influence their mind or emotions, such as taunts, mind control, fear, and pacification; and attempts to read their minds or scan their data results in... Strange, though more confusing than anything, results.

Cooldowns:
Shining Wings: 2/3
Eraser Wing: 1/3

Almost instinctively, considering from what he could tell from the fact it would be nigh impossible for the UlforceVeedramon to actually escape in the nick of time, Kenny quickly covered his eyes, anticipating the worst as Hououmon's flames collided with Valt. But as he dared himself to take even a bit of a peek at the impending carnager, not a moment later he moved his hands away slowly as he found himself gasping in awe at the brilliant sight before him.

From what he could tell, Valt had shrugged off most, if not all, of the Hououmon's deadly flame, still standing strong in the face of danger, and his short but extravagant speech was more than enough to tell Kenny that the Mega level still had a lot of fight left in him. And as Valt followed up with a powerful sucker punch that made the normally emotionally stunted phoenix actually react. And all the while, all Kenny could mutter to himself was, "...sweet Jesus Tapdancing Christ on a motorcycle."

This brief moment of euphoria was quickly broken by the sudden loud blast of the Fringe Cannon that rocked the entire inside of the mighty train, and, instinct quickly kicking in once more as he grasped onto his seat as tightly as he could to keep himself from falling off and shut his eyes. At least until they died down, letting him relax. And from what he could tell, that huge one-two punch had done an equally huge number on the phoenix, to the point it was showing signs of actual pain.

Man, if only Skadi was here to see it.

But for now, his focus was back on Fiora, as she threw in her own 2 cents on the 'cult' theory, along with Akemi. This was a lot of food for thought, especially for Kenny, "Yeah, I can see where you're coming from there, Fiora. I've did read up on a lot of notable human cults in my spare time, and a lot of them did have a charismatic leader to call their own, managing to coerce a lot of people in a short amount of time to follow their ideology. Hell, some of them have been able to hold cults hosting thousands of people all at once.

And of course, there's nothing exactly stopping the supposed leader from conveniently omitting valuable information from their would-be victims, especially if you factor in that weird program that's made Digimon like that Hououmon out there go flat-out crazy at the drop of a hat."

But the mention of the general umbrella term of the anomalous Digimon, on the other hand? Kenny felt himself forming a small smile on his face from Fiora's explanation; considering all his life a lot of people saw him as nothing more than a freak because of his own mental disability, "So... I guess these anomalous Digimon in general are just like you and I, huh?" He said a little softly, "Gotta admit, that's actually quite an admirable goal you got there, man." While he was trying his hardest not to cry, a few tears started to form and threatened to fall, as he went to stroke Fiora's head gently as thanks, "Makes me wish you were there when I was a young, dumb kid myself. Sorry if it sounds selfish."

All the more reason he was determined to save the Bleached Digimon from this sordid lifestyle as soon as possible, but considering his current stance... "I guess we kinda have to wait until we capture Hououmon, at least, to find out. And from what I can tell," His glance shifted to the window outside as Hououmon fired off another set of sharp feathers, "We might be finding out sooner, rather than later."

---

Call it cheating, but never had SilverGrademon's ectoplasmic body been more useful up until now. And combined with Geisterseele continuing to cloak her normally glistening armour from the naked eye, Skadi had it incredibly easy, at least for now. And hey, as long as Anzu didn't mind the affectionate nickname of 'Bean', no harm, no foul, right. They made a good team so far, each covering ground with ease, and actually managed to give the feline fatales the slip... for now.

Same verse, same as the first, while Anzu logically took care of the curtain, Skadi's attention was immediately captured by another photograph, this time of the GrapLeomon and BlackGatomon. Again, it wouldn't be a surprise if they were the same Digimon as the ones outside, but the contrast between the devil-may-care nature of the two Digimon in the photo and the two zombie-like Digimon outside was certainly discerning, to say the least.

But wait, where was Sealsdramon? Or at least their evolved form, for that matter? Did they die or leave at some point? Certainly, this was raising a lot more questions than it answered. But just what happened to Sealsdramon anyways? Were they connected to the Bleached Digimon in some way, shape or form?

Whatever the answer, it seemed that the locked desk might have held the answers, hopefully, and, while sight unseen, Skadi gave an affirmative nod and grunt to Anzu to try and help find the key. With Anzu away from the desk after her brief check, that would serve as Skadi's port-of-call, making as wide steps as possible to reduce the amount of creaking on the floors, all the while stepping as softly as possible.

Once she reached the desk, she would first check underneath the pen holder for the key. And whenever or not that bore any fruit, she would briefly scan the papers for any valuable information, no matter how small, before checking underneath it to see if the key was there, if she didn't find it before. And if it wasn't found there, she would make her way over to the potted plant and look underneath that, just to see if the previous caretakers left it there. And if,  again, she found nothing, she would look in places Anzu wasn't, to help cover as much ground as possible.

The footsteps outside were a reminder for them to hurry up, yet the creaking on the other hand was a reminder for her to play it as safe as possible. Thankfully, due to her amazing eyesight, her chances of spotting the key was greatly amplified for her, even in the pitch black darkness. Hopefully, time would be on her and Anzu's side.

If the Hououmon expected anything, it probably wasn't for Valt to tank all of the projectiles. Nor did the holy bird - whose flight was already unsteady from its injured wing - expect for the gravity to suddenly increase, an intense weight pressing down upon it..! The Hououmon would crash down to the ground; visibly dazed from the impact, and struggling to rise, even with its pain tolerance. It attempted to push itself upright with its wings, eyes blankly staring Valt down yet, but...

... With one more burst of cannon fire at the holy bird, it would be knocked over once more between it and the increased gravity; dust kicked up from the fall, as it breathed heavily. It seemed as though collaring the great holy bird would be a cinch from here, that the fight was won...

... But that wasn't the case. It'd be too easy, if things went that simply and cleanly, wouldn't it?

Suddenly, the bird's body would catch aflame. Bathed in a bright white holy fire, Valt might even be able to spot the way that its injured wing was beginning to mend itself, the scorch marks still present yet faded. The Hououmon - slowly but surely - would rise up onto its feet, and swung out with its wings to batter Valt back, letting out a valiant screech as it rises; still hurting, yet on a second wind!

...

"The best we can do, is to fight them back and contain them, before they spread harm to any neighboring settlements." Fiora would respond to Akemi, fidgeting somewhat as she watched the fight through the window. "Even if they don't reproduce in any significant fashion, these are strong digimon who have, more or less, gone berserk. If even one of them wanders far out enough, they could begin attacking and preying on other less prepared digimon."

"Hopefully, with the intel that your partners provide, we'll be able to mount a proper assault or capture on whatever Bleached Digimon remain, once some 'monpower is freed up and we know what to expect."

Glancing over to Kenny, though, Fiora would smile softly; mentioning "It's not their fault that anomalous digimon are born the way they are; sometimes it's just a result of something as simple as a glitch in their data, the circumstances of their death or parentage, or even just Lady Luck playing her pranks. If an anomalous digimon is a danger to themselves or others, and seeks help from us, we are more than happy to lend a hand in helping them manage their anomalous qualities."

...

At first, it was hard to say where the key was - or if there was even a key in the room at all, really! There was nothing under the pen holder, nor the papers - nothing amongst the books on the bookshelves, or in the other two unlocked drawers, either. Neither did the potted plant offer any keys underneath it, but...

... A soft clink as the pot was tilted slightly, in being lifted, would likely draw the attention of at least one of the duo. As the pot was put back down, the slightest bit of a glint in the soil would indicate some object being half-buried in the soil; the key..! This meant that they now had the means to unlock the third drawer...!

As far as what the papers on the desk read, though... There was a small variety; one appeared to be a document regarding some form of insurance, a couple of papers were a list of expenses and budgeting, and another looked to be an unfinished letter; the letter in question being addressed to the writer's father. It seemed to be a rough draft; a lot of it being heavily crossed out beyond legibility. What could be discerned though, seemed to have to do with the writer having figured out where the father ran off to, and wanting to reach out to him...

Within the now-unlocked drawer, though, would be two journals; the one on top appearing newer, whereas the one on the bottom was more aged looking, with cracked leather for the cover... A cursory look would reveal the handwriting in both were different; the newer journal's handwriting being closer to that of the letter's handwriting. But, now came the question; which one would they read first?

---

- Hououmon is brought to the ground by AA Support Gravity, and is struck by the cannon fire!
- However, instead of going down... The Hououmon finds its second wind, with Rearise!
- Upon standing, Hououmon swings its wings at Valt to batter him in a basic attack!

Move Used:
[ABILITY] Rearise: Upon taking a hit that would otherwise incapacitate or kill it, Hououmon becomes enveloped by holy fire; healing itself by 30%, purging all debuffs from it, and being reborn anew! [Once Per Thread]

Passives Known:
[PASSIVE] Bleached: This digimon has been cleansed of all flaws, and pardoned of all sin; every part of their body becoming bleached white, so as to signify this. They are immune to any effects that influence their mind or emotions, such as taunts, mind control, fear, and pacification; and attempts to read their minds or scan their data results in... Strange, though more confusing than anything, results.

Cooldowns:
Shining Wings: 3/3 - Ready Next Turn
Eraser Wing: 2/3
Featherstorm: 1/2
Rearise: Once Per Thread

There was something coming from that Wormmon's kindly smile and words that warmed Kenny's heart, all the more reason to keep stroking Fiora's head affectionately (well, at least until she told him to stop), "Oh, I know how it feels, honestly, being born with a condition outside of your control. It's even worse when people make fun of you or treat you like a lesser person because of your condition. It just makes me a lot more happier to hear people like you are so willing to help make the world a better place." He'd save the hugs for later... or at least until Valt actually managed to defeat Hououmon.

Unfortunately, just as it looked like the giant chicken was down for the count, and Valt was ready to collar it, a white flame emerged from the Hououmon itself, patching up it's wounds in what felt like moments, and now fighting back as much as it could by trying to repel Valt while still trapped on the ground. That bird wasn't going to get captured without a fight.

If at the very least, it didn't look like Hououmon wasn't exactly going anywhere anytime soon.

---

So far, Anzu and Skadi's search for the key had been pretty fruitless, but there was one thing of note that caught the SilverGrademon's eye when she was searching through the papers - the unfinished letter. Perhaps this could give them even the slightest hint on what truly happened to the residents there. Quickly, she swiped the letter off the desk, folded it up neatly, and quietly hid it in one of her scabbards, making it look like the letter was disappearing into thin air.

She reminded herself to show Fiora later.

But the key was still yet to be found, and with the sounds of the outside Digimon's footsteps serving as the only warning they needed to find it in time or risk getting torn to shreds. And so far, other than the letter, they couldn't really find anything. Despite frustration setting in, Skadi opted to stay calm. She swore to herself she would find the key, and grab the contents inside in time.

But as she raised the flowerpot high, she let out a little "Hm?" as the small clink sound played out. As she went to put down the plant, a small glint could be seen inside the soil itself. And underneath her armour, a small smile emerged as she whispered a tiny "Yes!" to herself. The key! Quickly, she pulled the key out of the soil, before taking the time to dust the telltale specks off, clinging to both the key and her invisible body back into the pot, lest she accidentally leave a path.

With that out of the way, she sneaked her way back to the drawer, and unlocked the third drawer, revealing the contents to be the two journals in question. She pulled out the cleaner looking top journal from the drawer, leaving the older journal for Anzu to deal with. After a brief bit of dusting off, she proceeded to read as much as she could. There had to be something there that would tell them about what happened to the village and how it got into this mess in the first place.