And, once Nausicaa has climbed on, they are off, whisking over the landscape.

They whoosh through the rainy woods, zipping over bushes and around trees. Twice they pass little groups of shadow-cloaked rescuees.

At this pace it's not long before the trees and clouds thin out, giving way to an expanse of tangled grass and shrubs, only the occasional trees dotted around. And very shortly thereafter, a cleared swath cuts across their path, rails running along it towards a huge tree on the horizon.

He starts looking for digimon.

Nobody seems to be hanging out in the scrubland along the rails here - whoever's in the desert must be further into the sandy parts.

Along the tracks he does find an area of tumbled-down blocks and bramble-torn fields. Leomon looks uncomfortable among the peeling paint and the thorns.

"This was a holy place, once."

"I'm sorry. What happened?"

"This was the Primary Village, where by ancient truce the new and the reborn could hatch and grow in peace. Some few years ago the arrival of new eggs slowed to nothing. Which was worry enough, but the real panic set in when even the eggs of the reborn stopped.

"Now it's become just another battleground to fight for survival. And if the dead are reborn at all, the living don't know where."

"That's bad."

"Once I fix things, we can rebuild."

"Perhaps then the eggs will return." He doesn't sound hopeful.

They can proceed from there through the scrubland to the desert proper - rocks, dirt, sand, (inanimate) cacti.

There aren't many ’mon in the desert, either, but at Boogey's pace they can find a few.

He'll survey the desert - he has time - then return to those, to explain that they need to step through the portal so the child can make them safe from the X-program.

Some go immediately, or with a slight clarification. Some point out that their antibody already makes them safe from the X Program, thank you, so why should they step into strange effects? And a few seem hesitant to trust the strange trio at all.

"I can't see the antibody so I was checking everyone. Good luck though!" she says to people who have the antibody.

To the hesitation people: "I know it sounds weird, but if the X-program comes through here... Have you seen the people with shadow cloaks? They're the ones I safed."

This guy's worried that a shadow cloak might interfere with his whole "radiant inferno" deal.

She can try putting it on and take it back off if it interferes?

Sure, he'll go for that. Now or should he take the portal?

Thanks.

It's easier if he goes through the portal.

Then he goes!

Another recalcitrant ’mon. She says, "No. Nuh-uh. What if it lets you control me or drain my power or something? I'd rather take my chances fighting for an X-Antibody."

"If I was being mean I wouldn't ask first," she points out, logically.

"What if you were trying to tempt me into being your evil servant?"

"I wouldn't do that! And if you're working for someone and they're being evil you can quit. But I promise I just wanna make people safe and then move on."

"Okay, but I'm watching what you tell me to do!"

And she goes.

One more.

"Creature of darkness," she greets them.

"That's my Boogey! He only looks scary. He's actually really nice."