Prologue: Enter the Black Star
Digimon; Digital Monsters, natives of the digital plain. Are they just rouge programs that are beyond the control of humans? Or are they something more then data? Can data really be alive or just doomed to mimic life? To some, their existence is seen as a threat to humanity. To many, they are little more then a game. To to few, they know the truth, and with it, shoulder a burden… the digi-destine, children who work with digimon to defend the digital plain and the earth it's existence was born from.
Before the time of the Sovereign, the crests and the eight children who carried them, there were the Celestial Digimon who watched over the ten regions of the Digital World, and held the ten sprits of the legendary warriors. Ophanimon, Seraphimon and Cherubimon. For many years, the Digital World prospered under their rule until Lucemon corrupted Cherubimon, and strikes down Seraphimon, and captured Ophanimon. In her deperation, Ophanitmon reached out to the children of our counter world, Earth. Five children were chosen by the Sprits of Flame, Light, Ice, Wind and Thunder, and one given the corrupted spirt of Darkness to be freed and purified. Together, the six children with their sprit partners fought against the servants of Lucemon. When the digital world and it's three moons were reduced to nothing, even one of the children, the bearer of true darkness sacrificed himself to protect the remaining five, and surrendered the sprits to his brother.
All seemed lost, but in darkest of times, hope shines at his brightest.
The children merged into Susanoomon to destroy Lucemon in his Shadow Lord Mode before he made it to Earth and released the data he hoarded to rebuild the digital world, and the children returned home, leaving the digital world. We thought they would never return. Until Shamanmon had a vision, of a red sea of chaos, humans and digimon charging against each other with children, legendary warriors and digimon standing between them. He recognised Ophanimon standing beside the warrior of flame, and a young girl, the chosen child of light. Upon hearing Shamanmon's vision, Ophanimon knew what the vision meant. But at the time, the remaining six demon lords were retaliating against Lucemon's distraction.
A young human boy arrived in the digital world, but not from the same human world as the children. Another universe that's parallel to the human's. One without a digital world and where the technology is more advanced and dangerous then the arcane. Where magic and science exists side by side. The Black Star, both a young boy and an old man, with a zeal of youth and experience of ages. A scholar, a fighter, a saint, a sinner. A chosen child without a partner.
The Trailmon took him from his deep cover operations in the city of New York. He and his partner, Miranda Jane, was looking for a weapon that came from another world, made by creatures who kills, destroys and butchers anything that isn't them…
Blake Steorra, an Australian born half human teenager of the Terran Commonwealth quickly read and reread the message on his subspace enabled phone.
"I have a mission for you my Champion. You will find a train waiting on the Courtlandt station platform. It will take you to the residence of your contact. I trust you know the responsibilities of your position child. She requires someone of a particular physical age and certain skill set." The message read. It didn't mention who the contact was or what she wanted. He didn't expect it either, but he'd know when he'd meet her. He already had a feeling that the contact was a woman.
Blake looked around the train again. he had seen a number of different designs during his lifetime. But this train car was possibly the most radical. Benches were bolted against the wall, windows were round and the doors bared writing that Blake didn't recognise. He was more concerned about the structure of the data everything seemed to be made of, like someone constructed a world where data is energy and matter, and placed it in it's own pocket dimension.
He noticed the train rolling into a terminal. Somewhere bright and colourful by the looks of it.
"End of the line kid." He heard the train say. Train? "Better not keep the Lady Ophanimon waiting. She might be a sweet gold gal, but best not to keep her waiting."
"Uh. Right." Blake said, getting up, taking his bag and walking off the train. The platform looked more like a field of white flowers, a castle standing against a perpetual sunset, with whites, greens and purples. It looked like a fairy tale. The castle was still a fair walk away. His first instinct was to look though the contents of his bag to look for his hover board, the trusty jet sled that proved a stalwart companion over the years but something told him he had time. He always had time.
Time would always be on his side.
"Good luck kid." Was all the train said before departing.
"Thanks. I think." Blake muttered, straitening up the collar of his duster, checking the inside pockets for weapons, electronics, crystals and wallet, even straitened up the seven pointed star badge on the lapel and the ankh necklace, both symbols of his position as a champion and as an agent. He began walking, contemplating the scene around him… the quite, the bueaty… the screaming yellow rabbit wearing red pants bering chased by a white panda wearing a pink haramaki with a green book in hand… hold up.
"I told you not to touch it you nincompoop!" The white one yelled.
"You asked me to bring it to you." The rabbit protested hiding behind Blake.
"That was three days ago!" Both went started running around Blake in an attempt to keep away from the attacker, or to attack. "You knew this was an important project for me!"
"I didn't mean to pull out the page. I just wanted something to draw on."
"Why does Lady Ophanimon torture me with you!?"
"Excuse me." Blake caught their attention. They were surprised to find a human standing in the middle of the Sunlight Field. "If you're not too busy using me as a maypole, could you help me with something."
"Bokomon. Why is a human here?" The rabbit asked his attacker.
"I don't believe it. It can't be today. I've only just finished the book of their last adventure. But…" The white one muttered then turned more cheerful. "Sorry. I'm Bokomon keeper of Ophanimon's Library of Knowledge. And this is Neemon." He introduced himself and the rabbit. "I'm guessing your our escort."
"Escort?" Blake asked.
"Apologies. I thought you were already informed of your duties." Bokomon mentioned. "Perhaps Lady Ophanimon would explain it better. Follow us please."
"Are we going to see the humans again Bokomon?" Neemon asked.
"Yes Neemon. I might get a chance to write an afterward. I wonder what they're up to now."
Yutaka Himi couldn't understand what was happening. The sixteen year old watched his younger sibling from behind a nearby tree. Tommy had grown a lot more independent overnight, and over the past year, he had shown it. Not to mention that he started hanging out with kids older then him, and they weren't even from his school. The one he was with now, Takuya, was from Jiyugaoka, and was responsible for getting Tommy interested in soccer. He followed them from the station in West Shinjuku where Tommy was waiting. Last week he would meet Takuya at his home field, but this time, he was riding the train with Takuya to the other team's home field.
There were four others, J.P. got him interested in boxing and magic tricks, Zoe passed along some Italian, Koji introduced him to music, and Koichi gave him his old baseball kit. But out of all five of them, Takuya seemed to have a greater influence over the orange hat wearing preteen boy.
Their parents might not see something wrong, but something about those teenagers were very wrong.
"What are those guys getting you into?" Yutaka asked Tommy, knowing the question was unheard given that he was on the other side of the train car.
"Stalking us again Yutaka?" Came a frustrated female voice. Yutaka froze, not expecting the blonde haired, half Italian Zoe Orimoto to be behind him, another of the teenagers who Tommy hung out with. Behind her was J.P, a formally heavyset brown haired boy who had began to shoot up in height and had the sense to stand well back from the soon to begin verbal fight.
"Great. You two. I knew Takuya would be on board. Where's the Yin Yang duo." Yutaka spat. J.P chuckled, no one could tell the two apart if Koji lost his bandana and tail, grow Koichi's hair out, you couldn't tell the twins apart. Yutaka couldn't from the distance, he had been keeping.
"Ticket please sir." Came a deep voice. Yutaka froze. In trying to get on the train to follow his brother, he didn't by a ticket. "You do know it's against the law to board a train without a valid ticked Himi." Wait.
"Just what are you playing at Koichi?" Yutaka turned to see the bandana wearing twin instead.
"Close." J.P. smiled. "I'd would be insulted if it was anyone else."
"Because he is good looking and a sharp dresser." Zoe cooed.
"I'll tell him you two said hi." Koji said. "Aren't you two heading to Odabia?"
"Yeah. Why?"
"Takuya and Tommy just disem… Hey!" A young foreign woman with brown hair, wearing a blue and yellow hoodie and a pair of brown jeans ran into him. She began yelling loudly at Yukata in english.
"I'm sorry ma'am. Can you slow down? Or speak Japanese please?" Yukata asked. She just kept yelling and shoved Yutaka into the crowd before running off.
"That was off." JP noted as he and Zoe stepped off the train just as the doors closed. Yukata managed get out of the pile he was pushed into, only to fail to get to the doors in time to stop them.
"You could have stop them from closing!" Yutaka yelled at Koji, the only one of the five teenagers aboard.
"What's the big deal?" Koji asked. "Just double back, unless your following Tommy again." He didn't have time to think about it further when his stop came up, Tamachi station.
He disembarked the train and walked towards the apartment building his mom and brother inhabited. It was always been him going to see his mom. But Koji was a little hesitant to tell his dad that he found his brother, and Koichi didn't want to meet his father. Not until he could forgive him for leaving them. And Tomoko Kimura has twelve years to catch up on.
Meanwhile, in the Kimura Residance, Koichi had his laptop open to an IM conversation, between himself and a friend that recently moved to Odabia. It was only across the Rainbow Bridge, sure, but Odabia had it's own school district, meaning he wouldn't be seeing much of his friend. It was about a year ago he became the warrior of darkness, taking on Duskmon's form, then purifying the sprits into Lowermon. After he got out of the hospital a few weeks later, introduced Koji to his mom, and started going back to school, he became aware of T.K's hatred for all things relating to darkness.
He decided before then to keep his time in the digital world to himself, his brother, and his friends, but guilt swelled on Koichi's shoulders more. He didn't know why he hated darkness so much.
"So, how did the big move go?" Koichi typed and hit enter.
"Not bad. New school. New apartment. But the same old lumpy oatmeal." T.K sent back. "I met two of my school mates already. Yolei who organises the school's computer club, and Cody who's a student in Kendo." He added.
"Reminds me of my brother." Koichi typed and sent without thinking.
"I thought you were an only child?" T.K sent back. Koichi panicked for a moment, trying to think of how to explain it, when another IM appeared on the screen. "Explain to me later. Matt just came off stage. I'll talk to you later."
Koichi heard a knock at the door, and his mother answer. "Koji."
"Hey mom."
Koichi typed a reply. "And speaking of the estranged sibling, he arrives. Talk to you later." The door to the living room slid back, reviling the warrior of light. Koichi closed the laptop and set it aside. "So?"
"Movie and Pizza?" Koji asked. "My treat."
"She said she needed to go into work. Figured I'll call dad, stay tonight and get Takuya to cover if they ask."
"And school?"
Koji shrugged. "I'll get there on time."
"Fine. But you'll help me make breakfast in bed for mom."
"Just along as your up early. You know how bad a cook I am." Koji half joked. He was serious about about the fact he couldn't cook, mostly because he hasn't gained anymore experience cooking despite Zoe giving him a few pointers. He is sure of one thing, Takuya is still just as bad as him. Worse maybe.
"Actuarially." Koichi said suddenly. "There is something." He produced a printout of a photo that Koji found eye opening. At first, he thought it was two blurs, but became obvious that it was two creatures fighting each other on a a highway, one atop the other. "I looked them up. One's Lynxmon. The other's Renamon. Someone named the Digimon Queen been posting these photos to a blog."
Koji couldn't believe it. A year after they went to the digital world and all of a sudden, there's digimon in the real world. While they didn't have their sprit partners, they couldn't let this go un-investigated.
The inside of the castle was just as imposing as the outside. For one thing, he appreciated Bokomon's ability as a librarian. The entrance hall was a massive library, seemingly ordered in such a matriculates manner. The two rookie digimon lead him upstairs and into what looked like a throne room. Standing where the throne should be was a woman, dressed in green armour, set of gold wings stood from her back and holding a shield in her hand. A matching spear lied
"Apologies Champion, but time is sparse and at this moment, Laylamon is on her way. Seraphimon and Cherubimon were attacked by Daemon and Beelzemon, and they destroyed each other in the battles. My servants have sealed away the first three attackers when they began attacking several villages."
"And now Laylamon is coming after you." Blake concluded.
"No. She wants to prevent the release of the Harmonious ones. It is already too late. The warriors have burnt away their physical forms and Neferitimon is already on her way to their resting place. All Laylamon will find is her demise."
"Along with yours."
"Do not concern yourself with my wellbeing child. I will be reconfigured upon death and find my way back to you." She handed Blake a black and gold device. "Take this Digi-vice. Unlike the others, any partnered digimon will be connected if their partner human is unwilling, or unable to fulfil their duties as digi-destine. I must ask you now, do you understand the reason why I chose you for this position?"
Blake nodded knowing what comes next.
"In the box behind me, you will find the remaining six sprits of the Legendary Warriors. This is my request. Take them to their human partners along with Bokomon and Neemon. But warn them if they take on the sprits, they will become one with them, with no way to undo the process."
"What do you mean become one?"
"I mean, merge completely, bind their fractal codes to their DNA, becoming in essence, half digimon. If they accept they accept the responsibility again, along with the burden. If they cannot…"
There was a loud bang, followed by a series of loud, echoing footsteps. "Little sister."
"Go. Now." She whispered before taking her spear and walking into the main chamber. Blake walked up to the box, picked it up and gently put it inside his bag.
"There's a secret passage though that book shelf." Bokomon informed him, leading him and Neemon to the back of the room. "I'm not sure where or when it leads."
"Where or when?"
"We call it a time tunnel." He pointed out. "All I know is that the tunnel leads three hundred years into the future of the digital world and it was caused by our world and their world syncing up sometime in the future." Bokomon explained. "A few of them have been piping up over Sunlight Fields. Some rookie digimon fell in, and a few of our friends went after them. Even Swanmon went after them. Ophanimon had to assign a new caretaker for Primary village."
They walked up to a a shimmering ball of purple light. Blake immediately became concerned.
"That shouldn't be here." Blake said afraid. "Not in this time or place."
"Run for your lives! It's the evil digimon emperor!"
The moment they heard, the digimon ran far as they could, as fast as they could. No one knew where he came from, why he enslaves digimon, or where he got his black digi-vice from, all they knew it, they had to get away from those black rings.
Ahead of them, A Gatomon with a whistle around her neck ran though the forest, all the long knowing she was singled out by a black ring. She couldn't out run it, so she focused her power, using her tail ring, she whacked the ring out of the sky. It fell out of the air and landed on the ground. Harmless.
"That was close." Gatomon mentioned, unknown to her was a Unimon was behind her, until she heard a noise. She turned just in time to see him power a horn blaster attack. She didn't have time to get out of the way. The sphere of white energy blasted her into a tree. Taking advantage of her dazed state, the Unimon galloped up and prepared to stop her.
Her eyes opened, seeing the impending attack, the cat digimon rolled out of the way with only a moment to spare, the Unimon only managing to step on the cat's tail ring. Gatoman ran, avoiding another horn blaster attack.
Deeper in, an orange dinosaur was knocked forward by a stray attack.
"Agumon!" Called another reptile wearing a blue pelt making him look like a wolf. He tumbled to a stop next to his friend. "We need to warn the others." He huffed tired.
"Tai! Help! Tai!"
Further in the clearing, the reptile's cry's for help were being answered…
"But it's true. You gotta believe me. Guys, I'm not kidding. Digimon are real." Takato tried to convince his friends, Kenta and Kazu. Kenta Kiagawa is a shy, glasses wearing boy who was hopeless at the digimon card game, resulting in Takato or Kazu winning . Kazu Shinoda, the class clown with the winning streak among them. The trio sat inside the ceramic dinosaur in Shinjuku park as the brunette went on about his dream last night until Kazu covered his friend's mouth.
"And then your eyes opened, and you were back in bed like nothing had ever happened." Kazu finished for his friend, now annoyed at the story. It was like Katsuharu and Teppei all over again.
"You saw them fighting on the bed?" Kenta asked obvious to the statement.
Takato struggled with Kazu's hand, trying to get it off with a muffled "No!" He managed to get it off. "Listen. This was not a dream! I'm not making it up!" He then muttered how his hands were numb from the rain. Kazu started laughing.
"Hey. Maybe you made your own cold puddle." Kazu suggested.
"What!?"
"That's some dream" Kenta added, joining in the chuckling.
"More like a bed wetting nightmare!" Kazu contuined, Both boys where laughing hard and Takato's face had reddened significantly before growing frustrated.
"I did not wet the bed!" Takato yelled over the chime of the clock.
"Maybe he froze his hands wiping his baby tears!" Kenta taunted.
"Hey!"
"Poor mr. sleepy head. Made his own water bed!" Kazu yelled climbing out of the dinosaur and running across the park
"Can't stay dry when your sleepy baby cries!" Kenta yelled following Kazu.
"I didn't wet anything!" Takato yelled after them. He leaned back against the dinosaur wall, leaving what they yelled back unheard. "It was real. I saw them. And her…" He thought back to his dream when that girl and Renamon fought Lynxmon. "What a tamer." A thought crossed his mind. He reached out to box he kept his digimon card in, along with a digi-vice, A hand held, phone shaped device with an inferred scanner, a card reader and an short antenna, with a crimson body and a set of summer yellow grips. He picked the device out, noticing that her didi-vice was different from his.
He did notice something else. The egg had hatched.
"Aw. I missed it." He moaned. "Good thing I don't have real pets. I can't even keep track of a digital one. But where could he be. I've got to find him…"
He heard a buzzing noise coming from his bag. He picked out a smartphone, with a fresh message on the touch screen reading "Come to the digital world. The digimon need our help. Are you ready to begin?"
Without thinking, Takato pushed yes.
"Takato Matsuki." A voice called out. "It is time to decide your future Takato."
The ten year old was immediately confused. "What? My future?" He shook his head. "It is just a game. Isn't it."
"You may think of it as a game if you'd wish, but understand the impactions of what action, and inaction can do. As long as you understand that, then all that maters is that you have fun."
"Okay. How do I play?"
"Go to the abandoned shied on the east side of Shinjuku park. Come alone and bring a deck of cards. Be prepared to give up the cards Digi-metals of Courage, Knowledge and Love."
Takato shrugged, knowing he had duplicates of those cards as Kenta gave them to him trying to find the golden digi-metal. With little more left, Takato packed his cards up, slipped them in his bag and pulled out a pair of googles he couldn't risk his mom throwing out. He clipped the digi-vice to his backpack strap, and put the googles over his head, ready for action.
He climbed out of the dinosaur and ran off toward the abandoned shied.
Not far from the park, sitting under the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, a large computer complex. Two operators sat in chairs, held up by a pair of hydraulic arms, watched the output of the computer's task to monitor the world's communications network, a task made harder now thanks to the wide spread introduction of personal computing and mobile smart devices.
"I'm picking up an abnormal germination energy patten." One of the operators, a red haired young woman annouched.
"Is it another wild one?" Asked a man at a terminal below, flicking a zippo lighter open and close.
"I can't tell yet. But the levels are increasing at an experiential rate. I've never seen anything like it." The operator returned, fingers dancing over squares of random colours.
"Send a tracer."
"I'm trying, but the tracer is having trouble locking."
"Pretty lights." Neemon exclaimed.
"Yes. I suppose it is pretty." Blake agreed with the dim rabbit. "Just remember the golden rule of space travel. The more beautiful it is, the more likely it's going to kill you."
"How should we proceed?" Bokomon asked picking up a number of books and the case. There was a loud explosion that shock the entire building.
"Either stay here and face an almost curtain demise, or take hour chance though a barely stable rift in reality." Blake answered. "I'm going to with option B. Though, word of warning. I have no idea where we're going to end up."
"If we are to find Takuya and the hosts of the Legendary Warriors, then we have to take the risk. Have faith the Lady Ophanimon will find us on the other side." Bokomon stated. "And faith that destiny will lead us to them in the celestial digimon's absence."
Blake took the case from Bokomon and stared into the sphere of purple light. Neemon reached out to touch it only to vanish in a flash of light.
"I guess he's ready to go." Blake said as he jumped into sphere yelling "Bonzi!" Bokomon followed with caution. He disappeared in a flash of purple light then the sphere pulsed and collapsed on itself, leaving the three time travellers with no way back.
In a dim computer room, a figure wearing a white hooded robe stepped out of thin air and into the room. She looked around the classroom, remembering when she was first here, and knowing what she needed to do next. Third computer from the right, she produced a device and aimed the screen at the computer's wide screen monitor.
"Digi-port open." She hissed as a program installed on the computer and opened. She heard someone coming and hid the program.
"Yeah Cody. Just let me check something on the computer." A lavender haired girl called out as the woman stepped forward and vanished, leaving no trace she was ever there. The girl opened the door, walked up to the computer that was still on and opened an internet browser window.
Japan Fact - Railway: Public transport in Japan is one of the most efficient and well developed on Earth. With the railway network, this is due in part to the number of railway companies that compete in passenger transportation markets. The Japanese rail industry's claim to fame is punctuality setting a high standard in the eyes of the Japanese public, and apparently, the digital world.
Terran Fact - It's beginnings: The Terran Commonwealth is an intergalactic nation, comprised of a number of species, planets and star systems, with Earth at it's centre. The commonwealth's history is argued by historians to have began in 1971 when a start ship crashed into the north of France. Others argued that it began in 2002 when the United Nations disbanded. The symbol of the commonwealth is the seven point star.