The sun beats down on me mercilessly, making my vision blurry as I sit in the middle of this barren wasteland. "Where is this?" wiping an absurd amount of sweat off my forehead as I scan the area. That's when I notice a small pile of bones, making me quickly crawl over with excitement to get a closer look. "Wow, is this a Giganotosaurus?!" putting on my dark blue goggles, I eagerly pull out my chisel, mini shovel and brush from my cargo pockets. Once the excavation is finished, I feel the smile on my face touching my ears. "Dream or not, this is the best day ever!" with measuring tape next to the fossil, I snap a picture with my goggles.
"Hey, human!" a voice shouts from a distance.
Holding up a finger, I snap three more photos in rapid succession. "One second!"
The voice now noticeably closer says. "Excuse you!"
"I said just one more-" Turning around I go into complete and utter shock, what stands before me is a tiny yellow dinosaur only about a foot smaller than myself. More specifically, it looks like the cavernous T-Rex. Sitting there shaking, I couldn't help, but think is it going to eat me, too scared to actually speak.
"You belong to me now, understand?!" the dinosaur points at me with its sharp claws.
No doubt I'm dreaming, let me just close my eyes real tight...
"Don't ignore me!" it snarls baring its fangs. "Disrespect won't be tolerated!"
"I'm sorry, sir, I didn't mean to!" responding in a panic, I hope I'm not wrong and it actually is a male because it sure does sound like one.
"Good," he crosses his arms. "Now hurry and make me stronger," even though he calmed down, he still speaks with authority. If he could snap, I bet he would have done it.
"Um, how do I do that exactly?" I look him deep in his green eyes, so he knows I'm telling the truth.
"Are you serious, how did Monodramon...? " he scratches the top of his head. "Wasn't the human in danger? Maybe if I turn up the heat with a little baby flame," he cocks his head back as flames begin seeping from his mouth, before shooting out a ball of fire. It comes at me fast like a soccer ball and everything goes black, but this isn't death. Patting down my body from head to toe confirms this, as a light shines on my face all at once, I look up and see Anubis! There was no mistaking it with the Egyptian clothing and canine face.
"Wow, that was close," a woman with milk chocolate skin and golden blonde hair stands in front of me, something I've never seen before. Wearing a black tank top and green jeans she's definitely more prepared for the heat than me. She turns her head and flashes a bright white smile. "You're lucky I saw you fall."
"Hey, stop butting in! That human belongs to me!"
The woman lets out a heavy sigh. "A weak Digimon looking to use a human to get stronger, if I had a nickel..." She rolls her eyes.
"Who are you calling weak?!" the yellow T-Rex lunges at the woman.
She doesn't move a muscle... With a single fwip of Anubis's golden wing the dinosaur plummets to the ground, causing the blonde to burst out laughing as she clutches her sides. "To attack with a mega behind me, I've never seen anything like it," she wipes away a single tear. "You've got guts, it would be a shame to see you deleted now." Anubis picks up its unconscious foe and drapes him over its shoulder.
"Um," I feel now is the best time to speak up. "Where are we?" the first of a million questions I want to ask.
"Oh, excuse me, I was kind of in the moment," she takes a knee and holds out her hand. "I'm Litton and you, sir, are in the digital world."
The digital world? That word was the key for my mind to start piecing together everything that happened and it all started this morning.
"Huh?" I raise my head as sunlight seeps through the curtains momentarily blinding me. Looking left with drowsy eyes, I see the alarm clock that unexpectedly woke me up buzzing on my desk. It takes a second to realize, but then it hits me. "I can't believe I fell asleep!" groaning angrily I smack my head and glance down to see myself still wearing the same outfit as yesterday, alongside two open notebooks. "Well, at least I don't have to make my bed. Nothing to freak out about," chuckling at the situation I neatly place everything in my red backpack. "From the looks of it, I was almost done, I'll just finish it at school." Throwing my old clothes on the bed I rush off to get ready for the new day.
"Koh, breakfast!" my mom shouts.
"Coming!" I yell back, being led downstairs by the mouthwatering smell of grilled fish.
As I take my seat ,my mom wipes her hands on her pink flower print apron. "Your father should be home any minute, so wait until he gets here," she lets down her auburn red hair that rests on her shoulders.
Mom has always been big on breakfast and dinner. Dad works the night shift so he gets off of work the same time I go to school, meaning we're only together for these two meals. I feel the same on the matter since I always love hearing about how Dad's night went, and Mom's cooking is the best.
Behind me, a door shuts, the sound echoing across the house. Even though I didn't turn around, I already knew who it was. "How's it going, scholar?" my dad says as he ruffles my orange hair and loosens his tie. He throws his cap perfectly on the coat rack and slicks back his light blonde hair.
Mom quickly gives him a peck on the cheek. "How was work?"
Slinging his work jacket over his chair, dad sits down and places a small brown package on the table. "I shouldn't say, but..." With a stern look on his face, he pauses putting his elbows on the table intertwining his fingers. Mom and I both look at him with our crimson eyes as the room becomes dead silent. "... I just got promoted to inspector!" he screams with a smile.
"How, I thought you said your board didn't go well?" Mom says in shock.
"I didn't think so, but the superintendent put in a good word for me, saying I was a key factor in our latest bust! On top of that my test scores were almost perfect!" he gets louder with each word, not even noticing that he's now standing.
"That's amazing dad! So you're basically a detective now!"
"Yep! The promotion ceremony is this Sunday! Are you excited?"
"Of course, I can't wait!" matching my excitement with his, I haven't seen him this happy in a long time. "So what's the box for? Is it your new uniform or something, I want to see!"
"Nope," he brushes under his nose. "This is for you."
"Huh?"
"I promised myself that if I got this promotion, I'd get you these," he slides the box over to me.
It couldn't be, opening it slowly I peek inside and see a pair of dark blue adventurer goggles. "Woah!" Yanking them up without hesitation, I simply admire them in the kitchen light. The number one item on any archaeologist's list: a high tech device with night vision capability, camera function, and clock. I saw these bad boys after my birthday so my parents said no. It takes everything I have to tear my eyes away, looking over at Dad in disbelief.
"It's okay to splurge for a celebration," my father says. "Well, go upstairs and try them on."
I make a break for the staircase; he didn't have to tell me twice. As I put on my gift I look at myself in the mirror. "Too bland," I stick out my tongue. "My usual outfit won't cut it. I need..." Digging through my closet, I pull out a shirt and a pair of shoes. "Definitely more red! Oh, I can't forget blue cargo shorts to hold all my equipment and a black jacket just in case the weather doesn't agree with me." With my outfit now complete, I take another look in the mirror. "Still not enough,"crossing my arms I begin to ponder, and then it hits me like a freight train. Ruffling my hair until it was unrecognizable, the prim and proper hairstyle my mom had forced onto me for eleven years was gone. "Perfect!" my reflection gives me a thumbs up.
Heading downstairs, I stop midway because of what I hear.
"Why did you accept the job?!" my mother cries, her tears running down her face falling to the floor, creating a small puddle at her feet. "I told you how I felt, but you did it anyway!"
"I'm sorry," my dad can't even look at her. "But I felt that with this new position I could help a lot more people. I can truly better this city we live in."
"Is that worth dying over?! Nobody will care once you're gone! We're the only ones who will suffer!" Mom runs into him, burying her face into his chest. "I need you, and Koh worships his father..."
Dad wraps his arms around her. "No matter what I see or how hurt I am, if I've helped at least one person, that's enough for me to come through our door with a smile," he rests his face on top of her head. "Hopefully I inspire Koh to become the kind of man that braves hardships, knowing any little effort can make the world a better place. If I can do that, it'll be worth it."
A whole minute passes in silence, as I watch their embrace. "So what do you two think of my outfit?" Now seems like a good time to come out.
Dad forces a smile. "You look awesome, as if you can take on anything."
Shooting him a V sign I don't wait for Mom to answer since she hasn't even left dad's arms. "Well, I'm off to school!" when the door shuts, I lean against it knowing I heard something I shouldn't have... The worst part is I didn't even finish breakfast. Turning on my goggles the time appears on the left lens. "It's already seven twenty, I'm usually gone by now." I pride myself on my perfect attendance. I've gone all throughout school without missing a day, and I can't ruin that on my last year. Bouncing up off the door I begin my commute to school.
"Good morning Koh, early as usual," a woman wearing a pink coat and white pants greets me as I enter, her and I being the only ones in the classroom.
"Early?! I was almost late, Ms. Kamiya! It's seven thirty!"
She giggles. "You know class starts at seven forty-five, right?"
"Mom always says come fifteen minutes early to all appointments, no exceptions!" To mimic my mom I start wagging my finger. "Punctuality is the key to success; it leaves a good impression and shows your character!" Opening up the notebooks from this morning I notice a stain in one of them. "Argh, I drooled on it! I hope she doesn't notice!"
The teacher leans over my shoulder as I start to write, her long brown hair touching the desk. "Are you doing homework?"
"No, I did that last night. One of my classmates has been sick for the past week, so I copied my notes onto another notebook so she doesn't fall behind. What was her name again? Saya, Sayu, Say?" tapping my pencil on my lip I try my best to remember.
"Oh, Sayo!" the teacher gasps in realization. "Well, that's sweet of you."
The students start trickling in, taking their seats and I immediately notice the girl we were just talking about cross the threshold. Long lavender hair that reaches her black skirt, a black jacket on top of a blue turtleneck, and a purple hat that resembles cat ears. She definitely stands out in a crowd. "Hey," running up to the girl I hand her the notebook. "Here."
She looks down with a puzzled expression. "What's this?"
"Notes. It clicked in my head after I dropped off your homework that you might need them to catch up."
"Thanks," she coughs.
"No need for my appreciation; it's one my of many duties as class president. Someone like you who gets sick for a whole week needs all the help they can get," I scratch my cheek. "Try not getting too close to others; I don't want anybody else becoming sick, so come to me for any problems."
"... I'll keep it in mind," the bell rings and Saya goes to her desk.
Classes drag on for the most part. That is, until the fourth period. Social studies has always made my mind race ever since I could remember. I can never stay on the same page for long, constantly reading and rereading our textbooks.
"Koh!"
Immediately I shoot up when my name is called, hoping she didn't have to say it too many times. "Yes!"
"Can you tell me the name of the three unifiers of Japan?" Ms. Kamiya taps the board with a piece of chalk.
Letting out a small sigh, hopefully unnoticed I think to myself this is too easy; there's no fun in answering questions like these. "Oda Nobunaga, Toyotomi Hideyoshi, and Tokugawa Ieyasu."
"Correct! Did you hear that Tonpei?" the teacher glares at a boy with dark orange hair. "Please pay attention in my class, and then maybe you can get the answers right," the bell rings and everybody moves their desks around to prepare for lunch.
"Hey," going up to a boy wearing an amber jacket on top of a white T-shirt and green shorts, I'm pretty sure he's the one teacher scolded. "We've been going over the three unifiers for a whole week now; you're obviously not picking it up," pulling a personal book out my backpack I try handing it to him. "Here, maybe this can explain things in a way you'll understand. I'll let you borrow it, Tanpei."
"It's Tonpei, and I don't need any more of your help, teacher's pet!" the boy slaps the book out of my hand and pushes me out of his way. "You've already made me look stupid in front of everybody!"
All I can do is tilt my head and ask myself why he's so mad? Maybe because I got his name wrong. I turn around only to see Saya putting on an apron. "What are you doing?!"
"Serving lunch..."
"What did I tell you earlier?!" snatching the serving spoon from her with a glare. "I'll take your job for today, you just focus on getting better.
She looks at me for a second with her violet eyes before handing over her apron and hairnet, giving me a slight nod. "Thanks again...
Lunch ends and next subject is physical education so I head out to the field with a pep in my step because today we're playing soccer against our rival class. We've been at each other's throats since sixth grade started, and the teachers finally set up this game to help settle things once and for all. Whoever wins gets bragging rights, and the loser must admit the winner is better in every way. With a blow of a whistle the exchange of kicks begins with the ball flying up and down the field. "Oh, the balls coming my way!" cocking back my foot I prepare to use all my strength and with one swift motion I miss completely falling head first on the ground. "Ow."
"What are you doing, get up!" a male student screams.
"R-right!" scrambling to my feet I slowly dribble the ball towards the goal, trying my best not to mess up again. Tune out the laughing coming from the other team I try my best to concentrate.
"Pass the ball!" a female hollers as a rival student appears in front of me.
He easily steals the ball and sprints in the opposite direction. Even running at my top speed I couldn't catch up, sweating from the attempt. When he's more than a yard away, I give up, resting my hands on my knees, panting heavily. When I raise up for better circulation, the soccer ball comes crashing into my face and everything goes dark.
"You guys can thank me later for taking him out, he would have lost us the game," sounds like Tunpei. "Now someone throw him in the nurse's office.
The bell rings and my head begins throbbing. With a quick scan of my surroundings it's obvious I am in the nurse's office, but the real question remains. "How long was I out?" Exiting the room I rub my head, trying to ignore this massive headache as I pass by a crowd of students all with their backpacks, laughing. Classes must be over.
"Class president, I was just coming to see you!" Tunpei wraps his arm around my shoulders. "Sucks what happened at the game, are you okay?"
"Yeah, I'm fine."
"That's good to hear," he tightens his grip. "Since you're feeling better could you do me a huge favor?"
"What is it?'
"Can you believe today is my turn to clean the classroom!" he gasps. "Usually I wouldn't mind, but I think I sprained something after making the game-winning point today in soccer," Tunpei gives me a grin. "Since you passed out, I was thinking it's only fair that you clean the room in my place."
"Of course!" I pound my chest with pride. "I can handle something as simple as this, now go rest up, you can't afford to get seriously injured! You're already falling behind in class; a day in the hospital could put you further behind Tunpei!"
"Tsk, it's Tonpei," is all he says before walking off with his hands in his pockets.
Picking up a broom I tighten my goggles and put in the effort. Thinking this should be done in no time, so I'll scrub, sweep and dust as hard as I can until the class is spotless, bumping into Ms. Kamiya on my way out.
"Koh, I was looking for you," she gives me a manila envelope.
"Oh yeah, report cards were today!" unfolding the piece of paper that was inside causes my heart sinks. My grades dropped again... How can I possibly show this to Dad after he got me these goggles?
"You exceed in Japanese, social studies and art, but the rest of your grades fall below average. If you need a tutor I'd be glad to assist you."
Letting out a hardy laugh, I tighten my resolve. "No, I can do this on my own. I just need to put in more effort and I'm sure I'll do better!"
"That's the spirit!"
Looking down I notice my report card all crumbled. "Huh, when did this- Ah crap, clubs are today!" no use worrying about the past, I have to hurry.
"Sorry I'm late, I-"
"I don't want to hear it, you always give me some lame excuse as to why you're tardy. Usually I would be okay with one or two times, but you have never since the year started come on time," an older man wearing a lab coat shakes his head. "I've cut you some slack since you're class president, but I see now you can't handle both school and extracurricular activities, so from here on out, you're no longer a member of the history club."
"Wait, I'll do better!"
"My word is final," the club advisor shakes his head. "You've disappointed me, so much potential wasted. All I can do now is wish you the best."
"Well, I guess I have more time after school to study," I scratch the back of my head. "I'll go look up some studying habits online since Mom doesn't expect me home for another hour."
When I enter the computer lab a single monitor stands out in the pitch black room. My curiosity leads me over and I see the words digital monsters typed out. "Well, this computer is already on so I'll use it," but no matter what I did the search bar couldn't be cleared and then something strange happens. A new phrase appears, come to the digital world in all white caps, followed by an 8-bit creature running back and forth across the screen. After a while it stops and begins jumping up and down until a small crack forms. "Oh crap!" touching the damage in hopes of my eyes playing tricks on me, i'm engulfed in a warm light.
Taking Latton's hand, she helps me on my feet. "How do I get home?"
"Huh?! After everything, you still want to go home?!"
"Yes! It's almost time for dinner and there's a math test tomorrow, so I need to study!"
"You're one boring kid," she crosses her arms. "Time moves differently in the digital world; one day in here is one minute out there. A world full of excitement awaits without worry of leaving your old life behind."
If time really works that way, I won't have to worry about missing anything; in fact I'll have even more time to study. I also found a fossil, who knows what else could be just lying around. "Can I bring my parents?" Everything sounds great, but the answer to this question will make or break the digital world for me.
"Another weird question... Yes, you can bring them, but I wouldn't recommend it, there are evil Digimon out, and they could get seriously hurt."
"Where is your law enforcement? My dad just got promoted to detective so he can work with them."
"We are the law enforcement and our name is Light Fang!" she tightens her fist and gives me another white smile. "We handle threats most can't do or simply ignore all in the name of justice! Are you up for the challenge? We're always looking for new recruits to make the world a better place."
Touching my goggles causes as my father's words to resonate inside me. Any little effort can make the world a better place. Those words make my answer obvious. "I'll join because I'm sure my father would have wanted me to."
"Now that's a normal response!" she pats my back. "You're hired!"
If I can make this world a safe enough place for my parents to come visit, this'll be my gift to Dad and I'm positive mom will love the scenery. Then we can forget about what happened this morning.
"A word of advice," Latton leans on me whispering in my ear. "I would take that Agumon; he may be a rookie, but he has a lot of guts! I'm sure he'll be a big help later on, trust me."
That Digimon's name is Aguman. I'm a little skeptical, but if she thinks it's a good idea, I'll bare with him for now.
"Well, off to the city!" she grabs my hand. "Let's get you registered!"
I'll stay in this world for sixty days; that should be an hour in real time when I usually get home. I'll try my best to accomplish my goal by then.
A quick author's note to everybody that has read my previous work Digimon Dawn: Tamer legend this is not in the same continuity this a different Koh with a different personality, backstory, and goals. I really liked his character, but not my previous story so I'm afraid to say I'll be dropping it in favor of this. I hope you all understand and that you'll like this iteration of him even more.
