Digimon Ghost Game: Spiritual Digi-lemma

🌙 December 1, 20XX: Silver Bells 🌙

"Die!"

I couldn't see anything, but the next thing I knew I was in Mei's arms and... in my place... was a beautiful Digimon...

One I know all too well by now. 

I tried to reach out- 

"LUNO! GET UP!"

I shot awake, nearly hitting Bokomon on the head as my mind misted over. My computer lay open, data bits displayed on it while a butterfly DIM card was attached, not reacting again...

"Ugh, Bokomon! I told you not to wake me unless the DIM card reacted!" I groaned. Not again!

"I made no such promise!" He sternly crossed his arms. "I only care about your well-being, which you are obviously abusing right now!"

"Friend, are you okay?" A childish voice asked as Pumpmon climbed over from my bed to my lap. 

I rubbed my temple, whirling around away from the computer. "Ugh, I wish. I just don't get why this stupid DIM card won't react! I asked Blues, I asked Duri-sensei, heck I even went to DATS! Where the **** am I going wrong?!"

"It won't do to be this frustrated during the holiday season," Bakumon timidly pointed out as he floated beside Bokomon. "Plus you could always ask for it to be granted via this tournament-"

"No way!" I scowled. "I told you guys I wanted to do this! I don't want OR need any shortcuts!"

Pumpmon protested, "But you're not happy anymore!"

"I will once I finally get her back!" I growled, looking at the DIM card with growing frustration. ****! This was insane! "Look, just leave me alo-"

The door swung open at that exact moment, and I looked up to see a very much stern and unamused face from my adoptive dad, Akashiro Ismaya. Remdepiamon looked done as well while floating beside him. 

"You are NOT locking yourself up in your room right now," he coldly said while grabbing my violet hoodie and backpack, making me yelp as he began dragging me out. "We're on vacation, Luno! Let's have fun! Plus, Hiro is going to get in trouble now that Mei isn't around to monitor him!"

And that was a good point. My son, Amanokawa Hiro, as he preferred to be known despite the adoption, was pretty much a trouble magnet and a part of me kinda felt like he had to be watched with hawk eyes. Normally, Hoshi Mei, my surrogate sister would do that but Dad and Hiro had bought her tickets somehow to a Pokemon region so...

"I thought you and Semo-sensei were going to do that," I pointed out. "I mean, you and Hiro bought the tickets for her to go to Paldea in the first place."

"That is NOT the point. Spend some time with other human beings, Luno. Heck, even Wuliang would do and he's a dream demon!"

"Well-"

"Don't even bring up how he's from a different world! Still counts!"

But then, his footsteps slowed as his tone grew softer. "Plus... it's your birthday. Your actual one."

"December 1... huh, funny day," I remarked. "It's when I was actually born? Wasn't that also the day we met?"

"In that warehouse when you were trying to save Reiji? Yep," he chuckled. "I keep on thinking to myself... that Ko and Sayo were watching over you that time."

I went quiet at that. Dad had grown a lot happier ever since the ****ty November we had, what with the revelation of many things, such as Haavik, a psychopathic alien, surviving a death by killing an innocent man, meeting the six Digimon the elusive Creator had made to protect the Digital World (GulusGammamon and Remdepiamon were actually part of that team), and...