"Morgan!"
Judi's screech filled the room as the fourteen year-old gazed at the screen on her laptop. Staring back at her was her brother and Seger, who were both looking mildly puzzled, but also very relieved.
"Jeez, you gotta yell so loud?" DemiVeemon asked, rubbing his pointed blue ears. "Some of us would like to be able to hear later today."
"You're one to talk," Terriermon grumbled as he cradled his two, long ears in his paws. He massaged them gently, but Judi barely noticed. She was speechless with joy. Finally, something familiar; something she was comfortable with.
"Judi, where are you?" Morgan asked, peering around the screen as if it would help him gain a better understanding of the area on the other side. "It looks like you're in a house."
"And did those things just talk?" Typical of Seger to point out the random obvious.
"Hey! Those things have names you know," Terriermon piped up. He stepped closer to the screen of the laptop, peering at Morgan anxiously. "I'm Terriermon."
"And I'm DemiVeemon," Liam's partner replied.
Morgan and Seger exchanged glances before turning their attention back to the screen. They couldn't both be hallucinating, could they? Morgan shook the thought away, dismissing the talking critters for now. It was certainly the least of his worries at the moment.
Remembering Morgan's question, Judi glanced down at Terriermon for advice. Should she tell Morgan and Seger about the Digital World.
"Go ahead," Terriermon advised. "I have a feeling about these two."
Judi sighed. How would her brother and best friend react when she told them where she was?
They'll probably think I'm in a mental institution or something, she thought sourly. Inhaling again, she proceeded to explain (or attempt to explain) where she and Liam had wound up.
[Heroes]
"You expect us to believe that?" Seger asked. Judi had just finished explaining everything that happened, but how could he believe any of it? For goodness sake, Digital World? Digimon partners? Digivices?
Suddenly, the walkie-talkie in his hand felt very hot. Hadn't Judi mentioned something about an egg?
"Did your Digivice happen to look anything like this?" he asked, holding up the walkie-talkie with the flaming red grip. He saw Judi purse her lips, a sign that showed she didn't like what she was seeing. Morgan, on the other hand, was quite surprised.
"I just got one of those in the mail," he said, holding his own up. "Someone left it at the door, so I don't know who it's from."
Seger looked back to the screen where he saw the two critters, Terriermon and DemiVeemon, exchange pleased looks.
"You knew about this?" he asked them, not bothering to hold back his hostility.
"We're just pleased that they arrived," DemiVeemon replied. "Have your eggs hatched yet?"
Morgan shook his head. "I just got mine today."
"Mine's been dormant for a few days. I thought the thing was broken," Seger added, shaking the device to emphasize his impatience. He was beginning to take things a bit better now that it was starting to sink in. However, he couldn't shake the feeling that this was all just a dream. I mean, why wouldn't it be? He was probably just stressed that Judi was gone.
Maybe that means Jarred really isn't missing either, he thought to himself. And when I wake up I'll be back on the couch and he'll just be walking in through the door.
As if on cue, there was a knock at the door, though it was muffled. It took Seger a moment to realize that the knock at the door was actually coming through the computer. Wherever Judi and Liam were, they now had visitors.
He saw Terriermon hop down from the table and head towards a door he couldn't quite see via the webcam, but could still hear the conversation.
"He's arrived," he heard something say excitedly. It reminded Seger of the voice his two year-old baby cousin had, young and child-like. "We have to hurry and get him inside before Minervamon patrols back around, or one of the others."
"Right," he heard Terriermon say. There was the soft click as the door shut and then the rabbit Digimon bounded back to the table.
"The third Tamer has arrived," he announced, "but he's unconscious and too big for us to handle. You two need to help us get him in here before Minervamon comes back and finds him. He'll be killed if she knows he's here, and if that happens then the Digital World cannot be saved."
Judi glanced guiltily at the camera and said, "I guess this means good-bye for now."
"Wait, Judi," Morgan said. His voice sounded slightly strangled, like he couldn't just end the conversation, and Seger couldn't blame him. Seeing Judi, hearing from Judi, had lifted his spirits.
"Don't worry," she assured her brother. "I'm sure we can gain connection again soon. How about tomorrow, same time?"
Seger saw Morgan bite his bottom lip, contemplating whether or not to accept the offer. He watched as Liam disappeared from view, presumably to help Terriermon and DemiVeemon.
"Alright," the older Gretzinger said. "But don't forget."
Seger smiled as Judi's recognizable grin appeared on her face. "Don't even worry about it," she said smartly before promptly ending the video call.
[Heroes]
Judi followed Liam, Terriermon and DemiVeemon out the door as quickly as possible. She was coming down from an all time high; the ability to be able to speak to her brother and best friend was news that easily lifted her spirits. However, she had to calm down. Someone's life was at stake at the moment, and she couldn't spend her time goofing off. She had to help this person or else let him fall victim to Minervamon's sword, something she couldn't bring herself to let happen.
The group quickly made their way through Primary Village, passing baby Digimon who stared at them in a mixture of amazement and horror.
"Won't they report us to Minervamon?" Judi asked suddenly, realizing the danger that she and Liam were possibly in.
"They wouldn't dare," DemiVeemon replied as they raced between another set of closely grouped houses. "They're miserable under the watch of the Olympians. They long for freedom."
Sharp turns tumbled one after another and Judi soon found herself totally discombobulated. She would never be able to find her way back to the house if they continued through the maze of buildings, blocks and other child-like toys if. The skater trained her eyes on the back of Terriermon's soft white head and followed him around another corner where she stopped, almost tripping over the last human to arrive.
"...Jarred?" Judi whispered aloud, amazed. The final Tamer to join them just so happened to the one other person besides Morgan and Seger who was practically a brother to her.
The boy on the ground stirred slightly and a small winged mammal flew to his side. It could almost be classified as a pig with wings, for that was what it looked like (or, at least to Judi it did). It was mostly orange in colour, save its underside and most of its face, which was white.
"Hurry!" it shrilled in a very child-like voice. "My front door is wide open. We have to get him there before-"
"Chill out, Patamon," Terriermon scolded as Liam and Judi moved to sling Jarred's arms over their shoulders. "You just got to chill."
'Patamon' didn't look like he had the brain capacity to calm down though. He flew anxiously above the three Tamers as they stumbled their way towards a small house with an open front door.
"So, I take it you know him?" Liam huffed as they dragged their way towards Patamon's house. A large group of baby Digimon had gathered around them and Terriermon and DemiVeemon were trying to shoo them away. They couldn't have any attractions towards them, in case Minervamon came wandering around.
"He's my best friend's older brother," Judi replied. They crossed the threshold of the house, dragged Jarred to the couch and collapsed as soon as Terriermon shut the door behind them. Patamon looked like he was coming down from a sugar rush, whizzing around their heads and chattering aimlessly. However, Judi and Liam continued their conversation as they made sure Jarred was comfortable.
"Oh, you mean Seger Davis?" Liam asked and Judi stiffened slightly.
"Yeah," she replied, a more slowly than she had intended. Liam picked it up and cast her a curious glance.
"Something going on between you two?"
"Yes. I mean, no. I mean, depends," Judi stuttered. "I mean, we're not interested in each other like that, but we're in a bit of a fight right now, if that's what you mean."
A heavy silence fell between the two and Judi swallowed nervously. It wasn't exactly the kind of conversation she wanted to be sharing with Liam. After all, she didn't know him that well, even if she had invited him to watch her skate this weekend.
Oh my gosh, she thought suddenly, her eyes widening. My competition on the weekend! What if I don't make it back?
Terriermon seemed to have noticed the look of shock on Judi's face, for he came and sat in her lap. "Relax," he murmured. "We're gonna figure this out."
[Heroes]
When Sarah awoke the next morning, it wasn't to the sound of Miley Cyrus blasting out of her clock radio. In fact, it wasn't the sound of anything blasting out of her clock radio. Instead, a high pitched beeping sound radiated throughout the room and Sarah stumbled out of bed in search of the device that was emitting the sound.
She found the walkie-talkie lying in a heap of yesterday's designer clothes, announcing to her that the egg on her screen was about to hatch.
"Oh goodie," she mumbled, annoyed that she had been woken for the prestigious hatching of the egg. She checked the clock and scowled. Normally she would still be sleeping... for another two hours.
She pressed a button on the device to speed up the process and nearly yelped out loud when a shock riveted the device. Sarah dropped the walkie-talkie on her clothes and watched as it burst into the brightest light she had ever encountered. For a brief moment, there was no up and no down; there was no left or right, just absolute nothingness. When the light faded however, it revealed something that Sarah hoped desperately was just part of her brain acting up.
The creature lying on the floor in front of her was literally a pile of pink slime. It had two small, beady black eyes and a dull yellow beak that looked like it could possibly develop into something quite sharp if it grew. It stared at Sarah a moment before beginning to scoot towards her.
"Get away from me!" Sarah exclaimed, backing up and promptly tripping over a stack of magazines, which in turn spilled all over the hard wood floor. She landed with a thud and groaned as she rubbed her newly bruised tailbone. What else would go wrong this morning?
"Why?" the creature asked, causing Sarah to stutter something incoherent. She was too afraid to scream, afraid to know what her parents would think. They'd probably think she was crazy or something.
That's it, she thought to herself as she and the creature moved across the floor, one trying to escape and one trying to follow. I'm crazy, I'm dreaming! When I wake up this thing will not be here and everything will be alright.
"Are you my Tamer?" the creature asked. "You must be, you must be!"
"I have n-no idea what you're t-talking about," Sarah stuttered as her back hit the wall of her bedroom.
"My name is Pururumon. What's yours?"
"Get out!" Sarah all but screeched. She watched in horror as 'Pururumon' narrowed its eyes. Tears welled in the corners and soon the baby Digimon was crying so loudly, Sarah was afraid it'd wake the whole house.
"Shh, shh," she said, trying to calm the thing down a bit. She was constantly listening for the tell-tale sign that her parents were waking up and moving through the house to figure out what was going on. "I didn't mean it," Sarah lied. "You can stay here... as long as you'd like, just as long as you stop crying!"
Pururumon's tears stopped in a matter of moments and it stared up at Sarah with hope in its eyes. "You mean it?" she asked sweetly and Sarah almost groaned. She had never owned a pet before, so this was definitely going to be tough.
"Yeah, I mean it," she said. "But come on, we have to start getting ready."
"Getting ready for what?" Pururumon asked as it followed Sarah around the room. The Tamer was collecting items of clothing off her floor and making her way to the small screen in the corner of her room. Sarah loved changing behind it just because it gave her a sense of authority; something of a higher classed aristocrat than she was.
"School," Sarah's muffled voice replied. "You can't stay here during the day; my mom or the cleaning lady will find you. The only other option is to take you with me.
[Heroes]
"This is bad. This is really bad. This is so, unbelievably-"
"Bad. Yeah, I get it Seger," Morgan muttered to a pacing Seger Davis as the two boys clustered together in Seger's living room. After the disappearance of Jarred, Morgan had moved into the Davis apartment for the time being. Both had an idea of where Seger's older brother may have disappeared to, but they still crossed their fingers. After all, there was a chance that he could have been mugged, beaten and left to die in the streets (it wasn't uncommon in Vancouver).
Gathered together on the couch were two very small creatures that both Seger and Morgan assumed were Digimon. After their conversation with Judi and Liam the day before, they had become very wary of the eggs pulsating on their screen.
"What are we supposed to do with them?" Seger asked. "We both have to go to school today, and I don't think I can just leave-"
"Poyomon," the ghost-like Digimon replied. It grinned stupidly at Seger, who turned away.
"Yeah, whatever, Poyomon. I can't leave him here. Who knows what he'll do? Probably tear up the place and cause a lot of damage."
Morgan highly doubted that two very small Digimon could do so much damage. They were just data, right? How could bits of computer coding actually ruin a whole apartment? However, Seger did have a bit of brains. They couldn't very well just leave the two Digimon on their own. What if someone happened to pass by the window and se e them?
"We'll just have to take them with us," Morgan concluded. "You don't have a half locker, do you?"
Seger shook his head. "I requested a full size this year, in case I needed to take the bus up to the mountain and therefore, bring my skis to school. I guess Poyomon will be alright there."
Morgan nodded and glanced at his own Digimon. He didn't know what its name was, but he figured he could deal with that later. It wasn't really important at the moment. He just had to focus on what to do with the little thing.
[Heroes]
All day, Seger was in a constant state of motion. It was like he was suddenly diagnosed with ADHD because he found that no matter what, he couldn't sit still. There was just no way that he could stay focussed in class with little Poyomon crammed into his locker.
Despite how jumpy he was in class, Seger found it harder to stay calm in between classes. Every time he opened his locker, Poyomon threatened to throw himself at Seger in excitement. The boy had to open the door very slowly and thrust his hand inside to prevent people from seeing the small, white, ghost-like Digimon.
"Did you bring me food?" Poyomon whined as Seger opened his locker between his math and science class. He dumped his books onto the shelf not occupied by his Digimon and shook his head.
"It's not lunchtime yet," he reasoned, pulling out a science textbook and rummaging around in the bottom of his locker for homework he had completed last week.
"When?" the Digimon asked. "I'm hungry!"
Seger rolled his eyes and shut the locker door in Poyomon's face. Luckily, the critter didn't make too much noise in the dark (Seger figured he was scared) and he was able to leave him alone in peace.
As Seger ventured down the hallway towards his science lab, his attention was drawn towards another locker. Sarah Johansson was evidently talking... to the inside of her locker.
"Shh," she cooed gently. "If you're extra good, I'll give you a cinnamon bun later."
Whatever she was talking to apparently liked that, for Sarah slammed the locker door and peered anxiously down the halls. When her eyes fell on Seger, they widened and she flushed bright red. She obviously knew that he had heard whatever she had said to her locker.
"Talking to... my cousin," she muttered. "On my cell phone. You know, no phone calls in school?"
Seger nodded absently. He did know about the rules for phones in school; you could only use them outside the building. It would make sense that Sarah would be sneakily holding a conversation in her locker, but he couldn't help but shake the feeling that Sarah wasn't telling him everything.
They parted ways at the next intersection, Seger heading off to science while Sarah scurried off to English. They hadn't talked at all, and it was only when Seger reached his class that he realized how strange that was. Normally, Sarah would be chatting up a storm with him, but it was apparent that they were both lost in their own thoughts.
[Heroes]
By the end of the day, Seger was mentally exhausted. This is why I've never owned a dog, he thought to himself as he shoved Poyomon on top of all his school books in his backpack.
"Hey!" the Digimon protested. "I'm not going in there! There's no room for me!"
"There will be if you would just let me flatten your head," Seger grunted. Most of the other students had already left, allowing Seger to openly shove the small Digimon into his backpack.
"No!" Poyomon shouted. "I. WON'T. LET. YOU!" He all but leapt from the backpack, causing Seger to fling himself at the Digimon. In his haste, his Digivice flew from his pocket, skidding down the hallway. It only stopped when it hit the garbage can at the far end, but when it did it emitted a strange light.
"Oh crap," Seger muttered, but already there was too much change. Poyomon had begun to glow to, surrounded in large holographic rings.
"Poyomon Digivolve to... Puttimon!"
The light from both the Digivice and Poyomon disappeared, but the creature Seger was holding wasn't anything like the ghost-like Digimon from before.
The new Digimon was a small, white blob with two large black eyes that stared up at Seger. He had a pointed horn-like appendage protruding from the top of his body while a pair of golden wings fluttered uselessly from his back.
"Oh my god," Seger moaned as he raced to grab his fallen Digivice. "What just happened?"
This was not good. What would Morgan say when he found out that Seger had just blown everything? It was hard enough to keep Poyomon a secret, but now that he had grown bigger, it would be even harder.
"Wahoo!" Puttimon shouted, his voice echoing down the halls of the empty school.
Or so they thought.
The sounds of footsteps reverberated around the walls and Seger panicked. He ran back to his locker and threw Puttimon inside, despite his protests. Apparently, though, he was not afraid of the dark anymore.
"Hey! Let me out! I'll beat you to a pulp, Seger!"
Sarah Johansson reeled around the corner, her cerulean eyes darting around.
"Was that you shouting?" she asked as she struggled with her backpack. It looked heavy to Seger, as if she had stuffed in too many books.
"Uh, yeah," Seger said. "I'm just, uh, really happy school is over."
Sarah didn't seem too convinced. Her eyes drifted to Seger's locker where Puttimon could still be heard hollering from the inside.
"Your locker is screaming at you," she pointed out flatly.
"Uh, my cell phone?" Seger offered back. He watched Sarah's eyes narrow. She knew he was lying because when she had asked him for his cell number the other day he had bluntly told her he didn't have one.
"What are you hiding?" she asked, stepping forward.
The next moment happened in a blur. Sarah yelped as her backpack seemed to twist away from her. She fell to the ground, something flying from her bag and clanging against the lockers. Seger didn't have time to check what it was, because a familiar silver light was bursting from the seams of Sarah's backpack.
The look on Sarah's face closely mimicked that of absolute horror that had adorned Seger's not long ago. The thing that had flown from Sarah's back when she had fallen was illuminated with silver light as well and as Seger squinted to see what it was, he realized it was a Digivice. It was exactly like his except the grip was a brilliant shade of pink, rather than the flaming red of his.
"Pururumon Digivolve to... Poromon!"
The zipper on Sarah's backpack broke and a small bird-like Digimon tumbled out. Its pink wings were larger than Puttimon's and it was apparent that they could be used to help the creature stay aloft for a few seconds. Seger watched as its beak clicked open and shut as it spluttered to find the right words and hopped around, trying to catch its bearings and causing the tall feather tucked into the back of its hair bounce.
"Oh no," Sarah moaned. She couldn't say anything else. Besides, what was she supposed to say? It's not what you think? I'm not a freak?
Fortunately, she didn't have to try to say anything else. With a very loud bang, Seger's locker door was all but blown off its hinges. It swayed from side to side as Puttimon stared out, a triumphant look glazed onto his face.
"That'll teach you," he scoffed at Seger, but when he saw the Poromon bouncing around on the floor, his grin widened. "Goody!" he exclaimed. "Another Digimon to play with!"
