Disclaimer: I own nothing involved in this story unless I invented it myself. This is written for fun, not for profit. All forms of feedback eagerly accepted. Concrit is loved the most, but everything is welcome.
Author: Higuchimon
Fandom: Digimion Adventure 02
Series Title: Game of Life||Story Title: Gameplay
Characters: Ken, Mimi, Ogremon, Chosen Children||Pairing: N/A
Word Count: chapter: 2,627||story: 2,627
Genre: Adventure||Rated: PG-13
Challenge: Diversity Writing Challenge, H5, three-shot; One Big Series Bingo, #006, three-shot; Advent 2015, day #3, post for one or more what-ifs; What-if Ogremon made a reappearance in 02?; Easter Egg Basket Advent, day #8, write a fic that includes at least 5 colors; Word Count Set Boot Camp, #42, 7,777 words
Notes: This is in my breeds AU, during the Kaiser's reign. This particular iteration of the breeds will be known as the Game of Life series (for now, unless/until I come up with a better title).
Summary: The Digital World is nothing but a game. Ichijouji Ken would never hack this game to give himself a win, but clearly his enemies have, when he finds some of the older Chosen have abilities that he's never dreamed possible. Clearly they hacked the game. There can't be any other explanation. At least not one that he'll accept.
Kaiser's fingers gripped the arms of his chair harder and harder, snarling words under his breath that few would've thought someone of his age knew. All of his attention focused on the screens in front of him, revealing information that he did not know if he should believe or if the Chosen wanted to play a game of their own with him.
"Replay," he ordered, raising his voice to issue the command. At once the monitors blurred and rewound, settling back into the situation he'd seen first not half an hour earlier.
He knew all their names, though he didn't very much care about their names. He'd dug up all the information that he could over the last couple of weeks, needing to know who he should look out for.
There they sat, not just the five that he knew far too well, but three more, whom he'd seen at various points in the past. The blue-haired one – Kido Jou; the redhead who thought he was at least somewhat intelligent – Izumi Koushirou; and the girl who came from America, or so she said – Tachikawa Mimi.
They and their partners, Gomamon, Tentomon, and Palmon, all sat with them and his particular enemies, chatting. He'd listened only to see if any of their trivial gossip could offer useful information. Most of it seemed to be some kind of fairy tale, something about vampires and clowns.
"We haven't seen Ogremon in ages, though," Tachikawa's voice came through. "I wish I knew how to send him a message. I kind of miss him." She sighed a long sigh. "I want to know if there's been any sign of Leomon."
"If we see him, we'll let him know you want to talk," Motomiya Daisuke chirped up. Then he rubbed the back of his head, grinning a tad weakly. "Uh, what's Ogremon look like, anyway?"
Watching, Kaiser rolled his eyes. Like an ogre, of course. With one hand he reached out to divert one of the screens from replaying the scene, sending it instead to searching for the location of any Ogremon within a convenient location before he turned his attention back to what they'd done.
Their ridiculous blather meant little. As near as he could interpret their nonsense, they'd played a previous rendition of this Digital World game some years earlier. Kaiser didn't approve of that; this was his world and his game and no one else should have ever set foot here. But no matter how much it annoyed him, he couldn't prevent it.
It did explain why his towers affected their Digimon, though. The more recent additions – Motomiya, Inoue, Hida, Takaishi, and the younger Yagami – acquired the proper upgrades, those Digimentals, to overcome his domination over evolution. The others either weren't interested in playing on his level or couldn't afford long-term time away from whatever their mundane interests were.
But now the moment drew closer. When this wasn't just a recording, he'd sent some of his slaves to break up their happy little party. He didn't think he'd be able to capture any of them, but he didn't want them to have fun while he was around, either. So, two groups, one for those who could evolve via Digimentals and one for those who couldn't.
And waiting in the wings, for the pleasure it would give him, one more, for the Chosen themselves.
Everything went just the way that he'd presumed it would.
At first.
His slaves struck, luring out FlaDramon, Holsmon, Digmon, Pegasumon, and Nefertimon. That particular area didn't have one of his towers in it, which was why they'd chosen it for their little visit, of course. The second wave attacked once the evolved Digimon were far enough away not to be able to come for back-up, and he got a clear and good view of Togemon, Kabuterimon, and Ikkakumon.
Now came the final wave: half a dozen Digimon who surged up from the bushes they'd hid in to strike at the three humans who'd waited behind.
And now came the part he didn't believe and wanted to watch until he figured out how they'd done it.
"Our partners can't get back here!" Mimi declared, pulling herself closer to her companions. Instead of the fear the Kaiser expected, rage filtered into her voice. "And the others are too busy with their fights!"
Jou and Koushirou looked at one another, some kind of a silent message that Kaiser did not understand passing between them.
"Then we're going to have to do this ourselves." Kido Jou did not at all sound happy about this as he flexed his fingers. Nor did Koushirou, as he set his laptop out of the way.
"As far as I can tell, there's no one else in the area but us and them. Once those Rings are off, they won't remember much of what they saw," Koushirou told them.
Kaiser's lip curled at those words. He could see anything that he chose to see in this world. But if they weren't aware of that, it wasn't his problem.
He expected them to call for help from their friends in the real world, or to run away and hide from the scary monsters.
He didn't expect Kido Jou to take off flying. He wasn't as good as it as an AirDramon or a Unimon might've been, but the fact he did it at all shocked the Kaiser down to his core.
Then came something more: Izumi Koushirou, who had never shown himself as much more than a bookworm, with energy much like that of a Digimon attack shredding outwards from his fingertips. The attack came in the shape of a lion's head, and now Kaiser could hear what he said.
"Fist of the Beast-Prince!"
Up in the skies, sapphire blue energy gathered around Kido Jou's clenched fist and he thrust it forward, a blue stream flowing outward. He didn't bother with an attack name, but just slashed his weapon against the Evil Rings wrapped around the Woodmon surging toward them.
With little more than two hits, the Rings shattered and fell off. The same thing happened to the ones that Izumi's attack hit. Both of them circled near Mimi, one in the skies and one on the ground. She kept her attention out while they fought, letting them know whenever a new enemy got too close to them.
When the whole battle ended, all three of them returned to where they'd been and did their best to look as if nothing at all had happened, as the other Chosen finished up their fights and returned to their little camping ground.
But the Kaiser had seen enough. He didn't understand everything that he'd seen, but he'd seen it all the same.
It should not be possible. Only Digimon have those abilities. And why them and not her as well? Surely if one of them could get these upgrades, or two of them could, then she could as well? Or did that have something to do with her origins now being in America, as opposed to Japan where she presumably had first come from?
Details mattered in this situation. He had to figure out what they'd done and how he could put a stop to it, especially before anyone like Motomiya could do the same thing. The thought of that idiot flinging fireballs around willy-nilly didn't terrify the Kaiser, but it came as close to it as anything possibly could.
He needed information and he knew just how he could get it. If this Tachikawa Mimi hadn't had those particular improvements made to her, then she would be relatively easy to capture.
Kaiser looked up at a sudden soft chime from one of the screens and a smile slashed across his lips. Ogremon found.
He stood on his feet a heartbeat later and stalked toward the exit, schemes and plans frothing in his ever-active mind.
Wormmon trailed along after him, letting out the tiniest of sighs as he did. Kaiser did not notice, but that wasn't surprising. In truth, Wormmon didn't mind. Better that Kaiser ignored him than ask him about something he didn't want to answer.
Ogremon knew the Chosen were in the Digital World again. He'd heard a lot of gossip about it, and about that so-called Digimon Kaiser that flounced around insisting that he ruled the world and using those Rings and Spirals of his. You could get a lot of information from taverns if you knew where to ask, and Ogremon did.
The very idea of this kid thinking that he could rule the world when Piemon's own firstborn still roamed around made him want to laugh. Sure, that guy didn't want the job, but if anyone stood a chance of being able to pull it off, he was the one, not this ridiculous kid.
He wanted to chat with the kids. It had been a while since he'd seen them and he didn't like admitting that he'd missed them, sort of. Just a little, of course. So he made his way through the land until he got closer to where rumors spoke of the most recent action.
He'd seen plenty of those Evil Towers along the way, and managed to avoid some of the Digimon that had those Rings and Spirals on them.
You'd think this kid one of Devimon's brats or something, Ogremon grumped as he moved along. What does he think he's doing, taking over Digimons' minds like that?
At least Piemon and the Dark Masters hadn't done that. They'd never had any need to. When you had all of their power, brainwashing Digimon just wasn't worth the effort. Not when you could terrify them into doing what you wanted.
Silence fell all around him without warning. Ogremon didn't bother looking up; he jumped backward and slammed his bone club into the nearest bush, knocking off a small spray of leaves, and knocking out the Gazimon hidden within, scarlet eyes shimmering.
"What do you want?" Ogremon growled, taking a step to the side and raising his weapon again. It had been a while since he'd had a really good fight, but he knew he'd be having one in just a few seconds.
"It's very simple. I want you." Another Digimon pounded out of the woods, this one carrying a young human on their shoulder. Tyrannomon didn't even bother yelling out a challenge, instead coming to a halt when the rider stomped one foot.
Ogremon's lips wrinkled back. "You must be he Digimon Kaiser." He'd heard enough to tell who the kid was just from what he was doing. Today wasn't turning out to be one of his better days.
"That I am. And you are Ogremon." Digimon Kaiser folded his arms over his chest and gave Ogremon a penetrating look. "Now, are you the one who knows the Chosen Children?"
"So what if I am?" Ogremon decided he wasn't going to wait around to see just what the Kaiser wanted from him. Instead, he charged forward, club high, and swung. In that same moment, the Kaiser leaped forward, twisting around and landing lightly on the ground behind him. One motion of his hand and a whip cracked forward, striking against Ogremon's hand where he held his club.
That blow alone wasn't quite enough to get him to drop it, but he pulled away regardless.
"What was that for!?"
"You're going to help me get some answers, whether you want to or not. So either come along quietly, or else."
Ogremon didn't have to ask what 'or else' meant. Everyone who knew anything about the Kaiser knew what 'or else' would mean. He barely let the two sentences spoken process through his brain before he struck at the Kaiser again, ignoring the whip and hoping to take him down in one hit.
Something small flew through the air toward him and he raised up one arm to defend himself from it. Hard metal clamped down hard around his wrist and his eyes widened, a sudden wash of scarlet engulfing him.
"Wha-" Ogremon had no more time to say anything other than that. He simply… went away.
The Kaiser smirked in approval as Ogremon fell out of his battle stance and stood drooping, eyes blank and bright red, obedient to his new master's every word.
"Come along," he ordered. The sooner he got this done, the better. Who knew how long it would be until those three older ones came back here.
Mimi's heartbeat calmed down a little more with each passing moment. They'd done what they had to do, but she knew it bothered Jou and Koushirou as much as it bothered her. They ran the risk of Kaiser finding out about them any time they came to the Digital World, much less used any of their powers there.
No one knew if Evil Rings or Spirals would work on someone like Koushirou or Jou or Yamato. None of them wanted to find out if it would work on Yamato at all. So their safest course wasn't to do anything that might hint to the true nature of four of their group and hope that the Kaiser never found out.
Is that why he tried to attack us today? Did he guess? Does he know now?
It wasn't possible, as far as she knew. Sure, Koushirou said that no one had been watching, but what if he'd been wrong?
Her shoulders tensed at a sudden tromping through the bushes. She'd heard those footsteps before, though it had been a long time.
Three years, in fact.
"Hey, what's that?" The words hadn't even properly fallen from Miyako's lips before something large, green, and wielding a huge club leaped from the concealing bushes.
If Mimi wished for full honesty – and she usually did – Ogremon also did not make proper use of any sort of deodorant and she suspected he bathed somewhat infrequently.
In other words, he reeked to high heaven.
He was also wearing one of the Kaiser's Evil Rings and that just made everything that much worse in her opinion. Even more so than the fact he was reaching for her.
"Ogremon! What do you think you're doing?" Jou shouted and Mimi caught a glimpse of his attack hovering around his fingers. She shook her head; it was one thing when they didn't have any other choices, but she wasn't going to put her friends in senseless danger.
"He's got a Ring on!" Takeru shouted, pointing to the Ring just visible against the green skin. "We're going to have to fight him!"
"Not today!" The Kaiser's voice rang out over everything. "I've got something more important to do." He stood on the shoulder of one of his enslaved Tyrannomon, and was he looking at Jou and Koushirou? Mimi knew a few words that weren't all that polite to use, but she still thought about it, even as Ogremon jumped back, huge hand wrapped around her, the other one knocking Togemon back before her partner could get close enough to help.
"Let me go!" Mimi struggled as hard as she could, beating her feet against Ogremon's side. "Let me go right now!"
"I'll think about it later. I've got a few questions and you're going to be the one who answers them for me. Ogremon, let's go."
Kaiser waved one hand imperially, he and his entourage fading away into the brush. Mimi could see Daisuke hurrying forward, his D-Terminal and D-3 in his hands, but another order from the Kaiser sent a half-dozen Digimon back toward them, covering their tracks.
Mimi kept on beating on Ogremon, to no avail, and hoped this didn't mean what she thought it did. But it would. It had to. After all, everything else was going wrong that day.
To Be Continued
Note: Thank you for reading and I hope that you enjoyed the chapter. Please let me know what you thought of it if at all possible.