The group had walked for a few hours when they finally reached a large complex that was easier to see now that the sun was rising. It appeared to be a gigantic landfill.
"Thank you for smelling so good Lalamon, you're shielding me from all of this." Tina said.
"You too Mushy." Colleen said, taking a whiff of Mushroomon's cap.
Terry looked at Woolwingmon awkwardly. "Uh, wanna freeze my nose?" They shared a laugh. Terry stopped laughing when he heard a familiar voice. "Wait, guys listen."
They went silent and heard someone in the distance. "You're the coolest little porkypine ever, man!"
"Oh my gosh," Tina said. "That sounds like Kevin."
"It is Kevin!" Terry yelled as he ran into the junkyard. Woolwingmon followed. As Terry rounded a corner around a pile of garbage, he saw Kevin carrying a bag full of junk and walking alongside a small, gopher-like Digimon with a tin can on its back. "Kevin! It's so good to see you, man!"
"Yo!! Terry you're here! You can help us win the competition! Junkmon is gonna be the champion of the junkyard, man!" He gestured to the gopher, clearly Kevin's partner.
"That all sounds pretty crazy, Kev, but we've apparently got a world to save. These creatures are our partners, called Digim-"
Kevin cut him off. "Oh yeah man, Junkmon told me everything. But he also told me it's always been his dream to be Champion of this junkyard. If we're, like, soul-bonded brothers or whatever, I gotta be able to support him in his endeavors."
Terry found it hard to argue and pondered whether he may be neglecting his own partner's needs. He shook the thought for now to focus on the situation. "Alright," he finally said, "you make a good point, we should make an effort to really connect with our partners. I'll support you, just tell me how we win this junkyard thing."
Kevin lifted Junkmon and cheered. "Yo! We got support, Junkieboy!" Junkmon was laughing along and took the opportunity to explain.
"We need to defeat the current Champion in single combat!"
Terry facepalmed. "Godda- So we can't even actually help you?!"
"I mean, you can cheer us on, bro. Moral support goes a long way in something like this."
Terry softened up. "Yeah, that makes sense. Alright, we'll be in the audience cheering. Who's this reigning champion you'll have to fight?"
Kevin laughed. "Oh man, she-" He paused. "Uhh... hey Junky, is the Champion the human or the Digimon?"
The girls approached from behind Terry in time to drop their jaws. "There's another human here?!" They screamed in unison.
"Oh yeah!" Kevin continued. "She's super pretty and has a killer vibe! Her name's Jen!"
"And her partner is Goblimon." Junkmon added.
"This is amazing! So you beat her and then we all leave to find the last six members of the team!" Terry said excitedly. "Let's get to the arena!"
Junkmon led the way to the makeshift arena at the far end of the junkyard. Inside was a throne sat at the end of a large dirt circle. In the throne was a human woman and her Digimon partner, whose hair she was brushing. "Gotta make sure that mohawk stays tall and makes you look scary." She stopped and looked at the group. "Hey Kev, gonna try to take our title again? Or is one of these a stand-in?"
"Nah, it's gonna be all me! And they'll be cheering me on!" He gestured to the group.
Colleen spoke up. "Actually, Mushroomon and I will be cheering for Jen and Goblimon. They seem like baddies and we already love them."
