CIRCLE OF LIFE
A/N: Part of Unclassified series, a sub-series of Gungrave: Aftermath consisting of unrelated fics that take place in Aftermath-verse. Set after The Hellhound of Billion.
The Digimon universe is inspired by X-Evolution movie, while the world is based on Digimon World (PSX) game.
All disclaimers apply.
Chapter 1: Dimension Breach
The hazy whiteness swooped in like a whale moving to swallow a school of tiny sea animals. The nearby cars, buildings, and street lights disappeared in a blink of an eye.
"We'd better wait until the fog is gone," Albert remarked, holding the steering wheel. "But honestly, I do think that it's weird for a city to be this foggy."
"I-is it safe to wait here?" Mika, sitting in Brandon's lap with a grocery bag in her hands, asked.
Brandon patted her head. When she looked at him, he nodded and gave her a reassuring smile. She mustn't forget that her "daddy" was there to protect her from anything; he might have lost an eye, an arm, and a leg, but with a prosthetic leg attached, he could fight as though he hadn't lost anything.
"I have a feeling that it's something more dangerous than a hellhound, Brandon!"
Without saying anything, he took one of his Cerberus - his trusty pair of .59 caliber handguns - from under the driver's seat. Worry still plagued Mika's face, but she decided to move away with the grocery bag. Like usual, his fourteen-year-old adoptive child already knew what he wanted to do through his gestures alone.
"Stay here, Albert," he said as he opened the car door and stepped out, "and keep an eye on Mika."
"Yes, Sir."
Door slammed shut, he began walking along the misty street. Then he noticed something off. The fog, despite wrapping itself around him like a blanket, neither felt cold nor left water droplets on his greatcoat. If only a reanimated corpse could smell...
From somewhere amid the fog, a man screamed, "A mons-" before a crash cut him off.
Rapid footsteps and screeching of wheels echoed across the street. Rushing towards the source of the noise, Brandon wondered what that meant. People in this town called him, a reanimated corpse, a "monster." Perhaps someone had fiddled with that forbidden technology again and unleashed the monstrosity in the town.
His assumption was wrong. The "monster" turned out to be a horned ogre wearing a loincloth made out of a tiger's skin. Blood stained its spiked bone club.
As it chased the fleeing motorbikes and cars, Brandon fired at its right leg and stopped it in its tracks. Radiant red particles hovered around the wound. Brandon's eye widened at this; the monster was not a product of this world.
The ogre turned around, revealing the shiny fangs around its perpetually open mouth. Brandon could see an enthusiastic smile behind its wince; it looked as though it had found a worthy foe and was eager to fight him.
Brandon ran towards it while firing Cerberus, destroying the ogre's horns and metallic bracelet before the monster jumped. As he readjusted his aim, the ogre swung its club and knocked the weapon out of his hand.
He knew this would happen anyway. A gunslinger should never stand too close to his foe, but he thought he'd better keep Albert's and Mika's presence hidden from this thing. Moreover, it wasn't like a fistfight would kill him. He had fought in hundreds of street brawls before learning how to use firearms after all.
The monster brought its club down. Brandon jumped aside, dodged the earth-shattering blow, and leaped into the air. Before the ogre could lift its weapon, he landed his sound foot on its unprotected wrist. The ogre howled as the club slipped out of its limp right hand.
Brandon ran to seize the club. Once he picked it up, he whirled and smacked the ogre's incoming hand away. Desperate, the monster moved to chomp him down, only to earn a hammering blow to its forehead. As it fell back, Brandon bashed it until its body flickered like a broken lamp.
What is this?
Once the ogre's body hit the ground, it exploded into dust. The surrounding mist vanished a few seconds later.
Whatever this thing was, Brandon figured he'd better bring the bone club to the research facility. Perhaps Millennion's scientists would find something. What he wanted to know was just whether this came from another world or not, because if it were, something worse than this ogre existed.
After tucking the club in his belt and retrieving Cerberus, he walked back to his car.
Mika greeted him with a worried face while opening the car door for him. "Brandon, you okay?"
As he smiled and nodded, Albert asked, "What have you just killed, Sir?" When Brandon pointed at the bone club, he replied, "A caveman?"
"Sort of." Brandon entered the car and sat beside Mika. "We should bring this to the research facility."
Digital World and its inhabitants - Digimon - had existed since the town of Billion used a supercomputer for the first time. Yggdrasil governed it, launching Program X to eliminate 99% of its inhabitants whenever the world showed signs of instability due to overpopulation. Most Digimon hated this program, yet Yggdrasil, along with His fellow Royal Knights, believed that only this could maintain the balance of Digital World.
This time, though, the program hadn't started.
"As long as X-Antibody Digimon exist, our Lord won't launch Program X," Magnamon explained.
"Even if portals to human world have started to appear?" Omegamon questioned, raising his voice. "A Digimon has even traveled through one of them."
"The problem is, Program X cannot eliminate X-Antibody Digimon," Magnamon answered, looking down at the glowing green lines under his feet. "Instead, it may just spawn more of those Digimon. They develop the antibody to adapt to the program after all."
"I, Dukemon, do wonder if it is finally the time for us Digimon to co-exist with humans," Dukemon said, arms folded over his armored chest. "The problem can perhaps be solved if Lord Yggdrasil allows some Digimon to live in human world."
Omegamon stared at Dukemon. "Living with humans? Have you ever known how Billion is? Mafia organizations rule the town. Humans resurrect the dead to fight for them. Imagine if we Digimon exist there. Do you not think that they will use us as some expendable warriors?"
"There is nothing wrong with giving it a try. Besides, I, Dukemon, do not think that Billion is as terrible as that."
"Digimon can never co-exist with humans, especially the inhabitants of Billion!"
"Aside from the possibility of us becoming slaves for humans, we have to remember that we are the Royal Knights," Magnamon added. "Yggdrasil created us to help him protect Digital World."
"You hear that, Dukemon." A broadsword emerged from the armored dragon's mouth on Omegamon's right hand. "Now, I shall carry out my duty as a Royal Knight." He walked towards a glowing portal at the end of a radiant line.
Plop!
Dorumon woke up at the wet sensation on his snout; earthy scent filled his senses once he gained his focus. The foliage above him rustled in the strong wind. Blinding streaks of white forked across the clumps of black clouds in the sky. Plotmon and Gotsumon, whom he last saw laughing and chasing each other around the meadow, had begun running towards their house in the distance.
Dorumon turned to Tokomon, who was sleeping beside him.
"Tokomon." He patted the ball-shaped Baby Digimon. "It's raining."
Tokomon got up and yawned.
"Come." Dorumon turned around, allowing Tokomon to hop onto his back.
Dorumon had always carried Tokomon everywhere, since he believed that bigger Digimon had to help the smaller ones. Tokomon, being a Baby Digimon, could only hop around instead of walking since his legs were too small. He couldn't possibly reach the house before the rain poured down on him.
As Dorumon ran, more and more liquid darts came down and pelted him. Luckily, the massive box-shaped house loomed just a few feet away. Garudamon stood on the rooftop, looking left and right with her totem pole ready.
Dorumon smiled as he dashed into the house; images of how he first met the bird woman flashed across his mind. When he tried to get some fish from a nearby lake, three Dokunemon attacked him for his X-Antibody. Those green worms played dirty; they stabbed him in the back with their poisonous tails when he was still fishing. If Garudamon hadn't intervened, those Digimon must have killed him and stolen his antibody.
He was really fortunate to have met Garudamon. She had not only protected him, but also introduced him to other X-Antibody Digimon. Finding food became easy with some friends. First, Garudamon would scout Native Forest and tell them where to find a good fishing spot or a Digimushroom patch. Then during the foraging trip, Plotmon would stun their enemies with her barks while Gotsumon would hail them with rocks, giving him and Tokomon the time to gather as much food as possible. When it rained, though, or when the food was located at dangerous places, the big ones like MetalGreymon and WereGarurumon would do the foraging.
Once inside the house, Tokomon jumped off Dorumon's back and hopped towards MetalGreymon. Plotmon and Gotsumon sat surrounding the armored dinosaur, forming a circle.
Gotsumon grinned at Dorumon, who was shaking the water off his fur. "You're late, bro."
"Not really. We're just about to choose our topic." MetalGreymon waved his metallic left arm at Dorumon. "Take a seat."
Dorumon nodded and filled the space between Tokomon and Gotsumon.
"All right, kids," MetalGreymon began. "What do you want to know about Digital World?"
Gotsumon raised its hand. "About Great Canyon! I want to know more about the invisible bridge!"
"Why not about Misty Trees?" Plotmon suggested. "Rumor says that you can get turned to stone there."
Dorumon only nodded, ready to accept MetalGreymon's decision. Afraid of those who hungered for his antibody, he had never gone too far from File City, the haven for X-Antibody Digimon. It was kind of funny - and even embarrassing - since most Child Digimon knew a place other than Native Forest and Dragon Eye Lake.
"Well, I'll start with Great Canyon first." MetalGreymon smiled. "Great Canyon is a canyon with a very dry and hot weather. It is very far from File City. One can reach that place by either going through Freezeland or Tropical Jungle."
"Heard that you have to cross that bridge if you go through Tropical Jungle. Is it true?" Gotsumon asked.
MetalGreymon nodded. "The bridge will lead you to Monochromon's shop." He grinned. "The owner is a nice fellow. You can negotiate the-"
"MetalGreymon!" The scream came along with the scamper of two legs. A few seconds later, WereGarurumon came in.
"WereGarurumon?" MetalGreymon stood up. "Where's the food?"
"Stop thinking about food!" WereGarurumon snapped. "Evacuate all the kids and run!"
"We're under attack, eh?" MetalGreymon ran past the blue werewolf Digimon. "We've done a lot of skirmishes before. There's nothing to be afraid of."
"You fool." WereGarurumon snarled, seizing MetalGreymon by his tail. "Our attacker is-"
A deafening crash came from above. When Dorumon looked up, the roof exploded into dust and allowed the drizzle to hit him. A white knight hovered in the dark sky, retracting his broadsword into the dragon's mouth attached to his left arm.
"Omegamon, you're such a disgrace!" MetalGreymon yelled. "You're a Royal Knight, a Digimon created to help Yggdrasil protect Digital World. And yet, you attack innocent Digimon."
"Quit it, MetalGreymon." WereGarurumon scooped up Plotmon and Tokomon. "Help these kids run."
"You bearers of X-Antibody are destroying the world and Lord Yggdrasil." The metallic wolf's mouth on Omegamon's right hand opened, and a gigantic cannon slid out of it. Pointing it at everybody beneath him, Omegamon said, "I have killed one of your friends. You are next."
Killed one of their friends? Dorumon gulped, surveying the area for signs of Garudamon... Then he spotted a broken totem pole outside the house. Tears brimmed in his eyes as the memories of his first meeting with the bird woman replayed in his mind.
"You killed Garudamon!" Dorumon looked up to see the muzzle of Omegamon's cannon glow with blue light. Grief and fury solidified in his throat as he gave the knight a death glare. "Metal Cannon!" An orb of iron bolted out of his mouth and towards Omegamon.
The cannonball bounced off Omegamon's armored body without leaving a single scratch. "Pathetic." The knight scoffed.
What should I do? Dorumon's legs grew so shaky that he ended up sitting on the floor, staring helplessly at Omegamon's glowing cannon.
"Dorumon!" MetalGreymon shouted from behind. "Get on!"
Dorumon looked back and saw MetalGreymon launching his retractable metallic arm at him. Now that he thought about it, he realized that he mustn't die to avenge Garudamon.
As the metallic hand approached him, he heard a thunderous, "Garuru Cannon!" from above.
"No!" Dorumon turned around and ran away, already knowing where Omegamon would shoot.
"Dorumon!" MetalGreymon called. "Where are you-"
A boom exploded behind him, and an unseen force sent him flying a few feet away. Upon landing, his body grazed against the grassy ground before coming to a stop, leaving a burning sensation upon his skin. When he regained his composure and looked back, he could only see a huge, seemingly bottomless crater.
"MetalGreymon..." Dorumon sobbed.
"So, you escaped."
Dorumon looked up to see Omegamon. "What has everybody done to you?" he cried out. "Why do you want to kill us?"
"A Child Digimon like you will never understand why." A broadsword slid out of the dragon's mouth on Omegamon's right hand with a menacing shiiing. "This time," he declared, gliding towards Dorumon, "I will make sure that you die here."
I don't want to die! Tears streaming out of his eyes, Dorumon ran towards the crater. Maybe he could hide there until Omegamon left. He only had to be alive to grow strong and fight back.
But what if the crater was a bottomless pit?
At least I won't get killed by a Royal Knight! Stopping at the edge of the crater, he closed his eyes. "You won't kill me, Omegamon!"
He jumped off.
Glossary:
JP - Dub
Baby - In-training
Child - Rookie
Dukemon - Gallantmon
Omegamon - Omnimon
Plotmon - Salamon