A/N: Here is another prescription of Tamer action in the world of Digimon, Hurricane Chronicles.
As stated before, many characters from Digimon shall be adapted into the story, including such characters as Oikawa and Yamaki in adult roles. In addition, Chosen of several seasons will be seen being placed into the story as K'rin. Very few OC K'rin.
…
Digimon, Hurricane Chronicles
Chapter Three: The K'rin Overrun! Power of Satsuma!
…
The Tamer world has been subject to several conflicts over the years, and as such, the greater the skills passed on through the generations in the village, the more tools that were crafted to aid them in battle, such as kunai, shuriken and explosive tags created through sealing techniques.
This year, all current K'rin are receiving an experimental device called a 'Digivice', a data amplifier aimed at the hastening of power increase and techniques humans can use in accompaniment of their Digimon, who are as a by-product capable of faster Digivolution. This year it was chosen to be subject to a project amongst K'rin, who are in training, rather than T'rin and O'rin, who are constantly on the move during high rank missions.
…
K'rin Reference Book
Taichi Kamiya
Age: 11
Family Unit: N/A
O'rin Sensei: Satsuma Rentarou and Kudamon (Special Case)
Missions Completed: 0 D Rank, 0 C Rank, 0 B Rank, 0 A Rank (S Rank N/A)
Conclusions: A hotheaded young K'rin, but determined to improve himself, training to the point of learning the secret technique Shadow Body Splitting.
…
"Final exam?" Sora repeated, monotone.
Tai squinted again, "Really? Are we good enough to make the cut or not?"
Kudamon spoke up to the youngsters, "Did you really believe everyone graduated in your class and became K'rin like that? This exam weeds out all of those who don't embrace the ways of Tamers, regardless of species. It is not like any survival exam in which you are situated in the woods or anything like that; just a simple battle against either me or Satsuma, that is the only choice you have in the matter. But be forewarned, this exam has a 66% failure rate, so out of the students who passed, only 9 shall become K'rin; three squads like yours."
Tai peeled his lips back across his teeth, "Then at least explain why we have to do this sort of exam if we have already completed the K'rin survival exam!"
"Because," Satsuma began firmly, "I want to individually rate your prospects and talents in the old fashioned way. I won't disclose anymore, but come to the assigned spot tomorrow, over at the old training area #3."
Before they could voice their objections, the O'rin walked right past them and through the entrance into the school from the terrace, leaving the squad bewildered.
oOo
The next morning at 10 o'clock on the dot, the three had gathered, all looking drowsy alongside their equally sleep deprived Digimon; took time to adjust to sleeping next to something of a different species, right?
Satsuma appeared in the tree line, walking straight to the gathered plethora of three K'rin level Tamer teams and standing stiffly in the wide open area in the forest, a clearing manufactured by years of wear and tear, building up the techniques of Tamer legends like the Senksha.
"Well, you all made it after all, and without eating as I instructed; a loyal group of K'rin, if nothing else."
Sora, although shaky, retorted, "You – our sensei – is insulting us? What gives you the right?"
"Which one of you idiots tried to get me with an eraser?" he said broadly, silencing her, "now, first of all, which of us do you choose?"
Matt spoke up for the group, as the others were too tired to even speak very loudly, "You, Satsuma-sensei, at least with a human, we know you won't evolve to higher levels in the middle of the fight."
"You talk as if I need to change at all; I can beat you all in this form," Kudamon chuckled, gracefully leaping to a nearby tree stump. Next to him were another two, making three in total stood alongside each other, a small ravine running behind it into the heart of the forest from its mountainous source.
Matt snorted, but let the chide slip as he asked, "So what exactly is the challenge? Do we just fight you to display our powers as Tamers?"
Satsuma reached into his open trench coat and pulled out another three scrolls; the ones from yesterday that were used for the sealing, "These are what you are vying for; show me that you are strong enough to steal them back from over there," he pointed to the centre stump, "oh, and there are two rules for this. You must have stolen them back within three hours of this exam beginning, or you go without lunch and fight me until dusk, in which case you fail. Also, there will be only two capable of passing this exam if the scrolls are not taken within the first half of the exam, meaning one will fail as punishment for failing to steal them from that spot."
Tai let out an acid laugh, "You think you can stop me and Agumon?"
"Well, considering who is threatening me with defeat, I do." He confessed.
Tai took a second to calculate that one. His nostrils flared as he went into his Tamer pouch slung around the hip to his rear, pulling out a glistening kunai he held in a forehand grip, tromping forward and preparing to throw it before he felt an irresistible force clutch his wrist as it went taut over the back of his head, pushing it toward the brunette's crown while another hand clenched his other shoulder in place.
Satsuma's heavy trench coat flapped around, making it appear like a shadow had suddenly appeared behind Tai. Dust and dirt rose from where he now stood, suggesting that the earth itself had no time to brace itself.
Matt took a pace back and caught his suspended breath, Such speed…! And he's a human Tamer, not a Digimon. This really is an O'rin who has trained beyond physical perfection!
Sora shrieked a little in surprise and raised her hands to defend herself in reflex, Now I can see where the challenge comes in, he's faster than most Digimon!
Their sensei, literally towering over Tai like an obelisk from behind with his improvised hold that threatened to kill him actually gave a small smile that contradicted his personality, "Good. If you don't come at me with the fire to kill me like Tai just had, you'll never succeed! I might actually like you guys a little now," he muttered softly as he released Tai, the boy swirling his arm to get rid of the numbness.
Matt cocked a half-blown smirk, "And I guess you will be trying to stop all six of us with the same intent, right? What will he be doing?" he pointed to the ferret Digimon who was tightly curled in a ball on the top of the centre stump.
"He'll be observing and acting as a time keeper; don't worry, it'll be just me. Any and all techniques are allowed, as I'll be using my own." He draped his arm across his chest and made a slashing motion, "Scatter!"
…
The six enemies scattered themselves amongst the lush woodland surrounding the training area as Satsuma scanned the area quietly, Well, they all seem to understand basic concealment… now… where will the first attempt come from…?
He heard a loud tromp in front of him.
"You and me, right now!" Tai barked with his arms crossed to assert his seriousness. Agumon was still hidden in a nearby tree, rubbing his eyes and lamenting letting Tai run out of his hiding spot.
Across from Agumon in a higher tree, his back against the bark and his head turned to get a good look over his shoulder, Matt raised an eyebrow, "Is it possible that fool has a plan… scratch that, I forgot who I'm talking about." He concluded, getting a small wisp of a chuckle from Gabumon on the branch below him.
"You know, in comparison with the others, you're kind of weird…" his sensei released, his shoulders dropped.
Kudamon gave a laudable chortle, "Hey, I respect his spunk; give him that, Satsuma."
Tai ignored the ferret and charged straight toward his sensei, "The only thing weird is your shades!"
The O'rin clutched at his heavy trench coat, tossing it away high into the air like a dark cloud blemishing the sky, revealing fully his vest and Tamer pouch, which he rummaged through, causing Tai to abruptly stop, "I guess I'll use you to demonstrate one of the three human Tamer disciplines; Tekina, the physical art."
Tai clenched his fists in preparation, That's physical combat; hand to hand! Why is he going for a weapon…?
Pulling it before him like a flash of lightning, a small journal like book with 'THE GREAT TALES OF THE AMPHIBIAN SAGE' inscribed on the front atop a yellow background and some blur. Tai's eyes laxed to huge spheres and he cocked a curious brow, "What the heck is that meant to be…? Some kind of technique book he keeps or something?"
His eyes rolled over to the stump atop which the three scrolls sat, held by Kudamon who would pass them out if they succeeded. Was he letting his guard down a little with a stupid book?
"Oh, this? It's an autobiography of my idol on his travels and successes. Don't worry, your feeble attacks can't hope to disrupt me, so don't feel like you're being rude." His teacher said, quite literally nose deep into the book. His eyes behind the shade must have been twinkling, because he looked majorly off-guard.
Tai knew he was insulting and baiting him, and it worked, "You are so finished!" he screeched angrily as he charged and aimed a well-placed elbow toward the O'rin's collar bone, but it was promptly block an instant before it contacted in his palm, his eyes still focused on the book in front of him. Not finished, Tai spun out of his hold and ducked down, swivelling on his heel and aiming a low kick toward the backs of his teacher's knees, and again, he avoided contact by jumping and planning his feet down again, Tai still agitated and swivelling again, assuming a bent knee power stance and going to punch Satsuma in his oblivious, crouched down (due to his landing force) face, missing and hitting the air again, He's so fast!
Behind him, crouched down with his book encased over his thumbs to maintain his page, he placed his index fingers and middle fingers together in a clasped formation, forming the seal of the Tiger.
Sora, naturally, caught on to this seal and its power immediately, Wait, the seal of the Tiger is far too powerful to use on any K'rin, especially someone like Tai!
Matt was on a similar train of thought high up on his branch, The seal of the Tiger is used for fire techniques… that pyromaniac doesn't play around; he plans to destroy Tai with that!
Sora couldn't help but rummage through the brambles of the bush she and Biyomon hid in, regardless of the bird's attempts to settle her down, "Tai, get out of there! He'll kill you!"
"Too late," Satsuma confidently said as Tai glanced over his shoulder, having no time to move as he recognized the seal style, "Fire Form, Blazing Inferno-"
At that second, Agumon leapt off of his branch and floated in mid-air as he unloaded with a technique called 'Pepper Breath', offloading several fire pellets at Satsuma, causing the O'rin to sidestep to escape the blaze. He went back to the book as the fire died away almost instantly on the earth due to the weak intensity of the flames as Agumon went and stood beside his partner, "Tai, are you okay?"
"Y-yeah… I'm sorry that you had to do that." He replied morosely. His stomach began rumbling and he clutched at it as Satsuma responded to its call, his nose still in his book as he turned the page with his thumb.
"Aw… you getting hungry; wasted all your energy, huh?"
"What do you expect, you told me not to have breakfast this morning!"
Sora scowled with a light pink complexion, "Try not eating dinner as well, and then you can complain!"
Tai clenched his fist on his grumbling stomach as Agumon rubbed his back, "Uh… I can't feel my legs very well… but like hell I'll ever give up!" he barked as he assumed his favourite cross finger seal, "SHADOW BODY SPLITTING!"
His roar was proud as smoke arose around him and his dinosaur partner, and as the billowing steam like gas dissipated, it revealed seven additional Tais, each of them bearing immense grins as Agumon looked around with confusion, delirium and respect on his broad facial features.
Satsuma also seemed impressed in a minute way, peeling his eyes off of his book and peering at the group of clones, "Solid clones, just like the rumours I heard this morning… so he did defeat Mizaki with it?" and like that, his eyes went back to his book.
"GET READY, HERE WE COME!" Tai bellowed beside his dinosaur, all eight charging toward the teacher before Agumon could voice a plan or action. Sora and Matt looked on from their hiding places, starstruck by Tai's sudden coolness factor.
Impressive… so they are solid! Matt thought.
Sora was by far more swayed by the action, Seven clones? I could only manage three during the exam, and those weren't solid!
Satsuma was unimpressed, peeling his book back and glaring passively at the charging brigade of Tais, "It's a fearsome technique, to be sure, but at your level, your chikara can't hold up; you have about a minute tops with that technique active. You're only wasting time and energy, since you can't hope to touch me with only seven clones and a half-starved self-"
The O'rin suddenly felt a grabbing sensation around his vested waist, knocking his book and closing it on his thumb, causing him to lose his page. Irritated, he looked around, finding Tai holding him tightly by the waist.
"What…! There was one behind me?" Satsuma calculated and came to the conclusion in seconds, Of course, he planted a clone in a hiding spot before he came out! He actually thought ahead!
Again, the two teammates smirked vividly at Tai's actions as one of the clones leapt up and prepared for a downward striking punch to his immobilized sensei, "Take this!" he called out, coming down and giving him a good whack. As he looked to examine the damage as he landed, he found that he had punched himself (a clone being restrained by another clone) and watched as he fell, bloodied to the ground.
"W-what the-?" Tai questioned, Agumon's face drooped in confusion as well.
Sora's face tightened as she recalled what a fool Taichi Kamiya was recognized as, and Matt analysed the situation from his hiding spot above Gabumon, The substitution technique… that is a true O'rin if he was that smooth as collected to conduct it with that split second timeframe… and he was so slick, he managed to make Tai look like a total moron.
Tai, confused beyond all measure, decided to drop his technique, smoke billowing around him as the clones all vanished, except one, who proceeded to charge at the real Tai and use a powerful Tekina combination a quick fire punches aimed at his face, body and ending with a kick to the sternum that propelled the original through the air and skidding roughly against the soil.
Agumon, concerned, began firing his pellet bursts of flame at the clone, hitting him in the back and singeing his back as smoke arose, the clone gone.
Matt once again analysed, So he not only formed a substitution with Tai's clones, but he managed to create his own transformed clone that blended in with the crowd in a fraction of a second!
Tai writhed on the ground, his head practically balanced against a tree as he stood up. His tekina training at the school had toughened him, so he wasn't bleeding, but it still ached. Looking at the ground as he gagged and spat out a bubble of air in his throat, he spotted a small twinkle next to him. A kunai he presumably dropped as he fell was placed there. He only had three, so he picked it up and stood before a rope tightened around his ankle and hoisted him doggedly into the air, hanging from a tree.
Agumon rushed over to help him, but got his ankle ensnared also as he got beneath Tai, and now dangled beside him. Satsuma walked beneath them and looked up with a vehement sigh, "Tai, if the bait looks obvious, don't go for it. Besides, your pouch is sealed, be wary of your equipment and reserves at all times to be a good Tamer. Agumon, keep an eye out for traps hidden within traps; they cause many deaths on the battlefield to the oblivious."
Tai burst out with a cranky grunt of anguished defeat and fury as his partner dangled more docilely beside him, rendered silent.
"Now that you're restrained and defeated, I'll ask you, do you get why you fell into such an obvious trap that required only a secondary data analysis of recalling whether you're pouch was sealed and the quantity of its contents?"
Tai writhed against the rope more, "I get it!" he venomously spited at his teacher.
"I'm telling you this because you do not get it!" Satsuma belayed.
Matt was still onlooking from the branch, his eyes dilating as he went into his pouch and placed six shuriken inbetween his finger arches and crossed them over his chest, preparing his aim, His guard is down; he got cocky for defeating Tai!
Unfurling his crossed arms at high speed, he released the throwing stars into the air through the leaves that covered him, watching as they curled and curved in the air and collided into the side of Satsuma, the O'rin reeling and heading to the cold hard ground with blood soaking the earth.
Matt was dumbstruck, however, when smoke rose and the body vanished with its blood puddle, signalling a clone, and that he had just given off his position, That was hasty of me, he never let down his guard at all!
Matt and Gabumon immediately began a hasty relocation through the trees, leaving the tiniest of creaks as they went, leaping from branch to brach deeper into the forest. Satsuma was onlooking from his own personal hiding spot, in another tree with perfect overview of the battlefield, "So that's where he is…"
oOo
Sora and Biyomon had also left the bramble bush and headed into the forest in response to Matt's callous error, and began looking for him, Matt couldn't have been caught could he? Even he could have been- NO! Not Matt, never Matt!
The pair were making a large judder as they bypassed the brambles in the forest pass they were heading through, the bird finally becoming unnerved and floating in front of her partner, bringing her to an abrupt and noisy halt as she fell flat on her backside, "Biyomon! What are you doing, we have to find Matt and… and-"
Biyomon looked understandably bewildered. The most important test of her life so far, and her partner was such an introverted…
Her eyes caught something and couldn't peel away. Sora squinted one eye as she focused at the pink bird's large pupils. Part of the sun glow in it was blurred out by an object behind her.
Looking back, she found Satsuma, crouched behind her, nose inches from hers and his hands clasped together in the seal of the Ram.
And then everything went dark…
oOo
She awoke in the same area of the forest, alone, and gazed around, daydream eyes glistening dully in the filtered sunlight that basked her as she stood up doggedly.
"W-where… am I…?" she stammered, regaining her posture and scanning the local area; dull, devoid of light and gloomy. She heard a rustle behind her, turning to see a shadow behind a tree and a familiar voice warming her heart as it called out.
"Sora… p-please help me…" it said. She'd know the voice of her love anywhere, so she took a few paces dreamily forward.
"Matt…?" she began ecstatically at his safety, only to fall to a flat note at the end as her eyes befell on the piteous creature that collapsed dead before her. Matt had two mis-directed arms, broken beyond measure, several indentations at his chest beneath his Ishida clan jacket with red smears above them and his face was pulverized by many purple bruises. He also had a kunai sticking out of his back, the protruding knife holding a half burnt exploding tag on the hilt of the small blade as Sora screeched at the sight before her as the thunderous explosion rang out, the girl lost in the flash, smoke and searing ash.
oOo
Matt ceased his escape with Gabumon after hearing the terrible scream from around half a kilometre away in the forest. He looked for a moment as he put squeals to his teammates, "That was Sora, wasn't it?"
"It sure was, she and Biyomon made to much noise and I used Seiina, the psychosis art on them. They were apparently the best when it came to resisting Seiina," Matt looked back to the speaker, who leant against the rough bark of a smaller tree with his nose in his book again (not literally), "but apparently not… I showed them terrible images of their deaths, but at the very least Biyomon would have died a quiet death befitting a Tamer…"
Matt scowled at the very element he tried to escape, he and the silent Gabumon jolting into tight crouches, ready for his charge, Seiina, mind control, no matter what you call it, it's just the manipulation of a person's senses… I'm not surprised he got Sora with it; BUT… His nostrils flared and his face beamed with calm confidence, "I'm not like the other two." He firmly added as his teacher straightened his posture, turned the page and at least attempted to clench into a prepared position.
"We'll see, Yamato, we'll see," he said with a full blown snide chuckle, signalling for the blonde and the cub hybrid to begin with an arrogant taunting gesture, upturning his palm and signalling for them to come.
Matt did so, the talented prodigy reaching into his pouch, clutching two shuriken and throwing them in a flash at his sensei, who simply side stepped them.
"That won't cut it; your following in Tai's foot-" he tensed as he sensed a fluctuation in the air, looking over his shoulder just in time to see a pre-prepared and well camouflaged rope be severed beneath a grouping of brambles by one of the shuriken, A trap?
Closing his book and promptly placing it in his pouch, he jumped aside as several kunai were propelled by a rope operated mechanism that would be accredited to T'rin level Tamers. As he skidded to cease his course, he sensed yet another disturbance, spotting Gabumon with his cheeks enlarged behind him.
Opening his mouth, Gabumon began using a technique called 'Blue Blaster', in which the cub shot an icy cold focused blast of water from his mouth. Twirling as he skidded, Satsuma considered himself impressed as Matt used expert speed to appear at his defenceless side, rallying a kick to the side, which he caught by clasping the ankle. Matt followed up by going for an overhead downward punch, which was caught by the other hand, both of the O'rin's hands full now, letting Matt go for an awkward but useful flip into a peg-leg that was barely parried by Satsuma's forearm that was also clasping his fist. All of the sensei's hands now full, Matt knew he had a hand free, and smirked as he used it to successfully graze Satsuma with a full on blow to the sternum as he lurched back, releasing the child, who flipped and landed on his feet, smirking, feet away from his sensei as Gabumon stood proudly beside him.
Satsuma was now immensely impressed as he noted inwardly, He at least managed a grazing blow… I wonder if the little squirt will let it go to his head… So he decided to bait him, "That was impressive, Yamato! You have forced me to put away my book, something no other K'rin prospect has managed!" he said with a convincingly false hearty chuckle.
Matt sneered, unaffected by the bait as he clapped his hands and held them in a prayer formation, "Gabumon, get back… I want to try out my best technique on him…" he muttered, the wolf Digimon, after the last display, not doubting his ability. He would step in if necessary.
"Do your best, Matt," the wolf said reassuringly as Matt began hand seals faster than the light could keep up, making it appear he had three hands in three different seals as Satsuma waited, his interest piqued.
The final three seals became evident, as he clasped his hands in an interlocked pair of fists clasped between finger arches for the Serpant, placed his fingers atop one another like a ladder, the two index fingers elongated and conjoined at the apex for Horse and his hands clapped together again with his four master fingers lengthened and placed against each other for Tiger as he lurched backwards, his chest rising a little.
"Fire Form, Evergloam Blaze!" he announced before opening his mouth in a leant over spitting motion, a large fireball of ethereal blue flames coming out as Satsuma struggled to comprehend the immenseness of that instant.
A mere child using a fire technique at its fullest calibre, he thought as he braced for the oncoming blue fire ball, the Ishidas are legendary for this kind of technique, but he should not have developed chikara control to this level!
The sky blue, interspersed with navy dark blue flames singed, burnt and sizzled the earth the ball was aimed at, causing an erosion effect and forcing the ground to crack and form an indented crater like mark as it flared away slowly, Matt having stopped supplying the flames as Gabumon sweatdropped, awe-stricken at the boy's power.
As the ravaging flames blustered away with its juxtapose colour wrath and the blue flames finally ceased, dust, ash and smoke raging up into the sky as Matt saw one thing wrong with the whole picture.
Satsuma wasn't there, and he hadn't put near enough in that blast to sanitize him.
He looked frantically from side to side, Gabumon confused with a dopey look on his face as he watched Matt, silently as ever…
Matt was nervous as he shot back and forth like a mechanical searchlight, Where is he? Above me, behind me, beside me…?
He felt a clutch like vice at his ankle, looking down to find a hand holding him from below the earth, "Earth Form, Dirt Prison!"
…
Matt and Gabumon now lay beneath the earth, the heads protruding out of the ground to allow them air as Satsuma looked disappointedly down at the callous blonde and his partner, "Now, I will admit that you are much better than the others attempts, but the most talented is always the one that gets repulsed in the end first." He said with an all-knowing smirk, standing up and disappearing into the threshold of the forest again and out of sight.
"Damn it!" Matt said defiantly in the O'rin's direction, I realize he's stronger than me, that just made it evident…
Gabumon sullenly attempted to wrestle his neck free, but with little success, "Matt, maybe we should strategize, time's running shorter and we're nowhere near the scrolls anymore."
At that second, Sora burst through a bramble bush, Biyomon flying above the trees to keep up with the driven girl. Spotting the pair of buried partners, she froze in place, one foot still raised in the middle of a charge. The blonde megalomaniac simply sweatdropped and said, "Sora?"
The shriek was fearsome, and reverberated throughout the forest as she collapsed, having fainted from the head that spoke to her. Biyomon shot down and began flapping her wings to cool Sora's fever, "Sora, don't die!" she expressively squawked as she hastened up her flapping.
"… Very strange for a Tamer to faint…" Matt belittled as he began rummaging against the dirt that imprisoned him.
oOo
Tai sat beside Agumon against a nearby tree, the scrolls right before them on the stump, the ferret peacefully curled and asleep beside them. They were mentally preparing to go after the scroll, fearing a sudden appearance by their sensei. Finally beginning an arduous tip toing affair across to the stump, Tai extended his hand and reached for the scroll, only to have a familiar hand clap and tighten around his wrist.
Tai blanched, as did the dinosaur, "We are totally screwed, aren't we…?"
"Totally." Satsuma assured.
oOo
Sora was in a dark void, before two beams of light bled in as she opened her eyes. It was different than when she had awoken from the psychosis, it was a normal awakening. She felt a rocking at her shoulder and a cool breeze being brushed toward her face, bringing her back into consciousness, Matt beside her shaking her shoulder and Biyomon And Gabumon brushing air to her face with wings and paws.
"So, you're finally awake?" Matt kindly inquired as Sora twitched. He had never sounded so caring, and it soothed her inside as she shot up happily and grasped him in a hug. Matt shook and writhed as if the love in the hug would smoulder him, "Hey, get off of me!"
Now standing up, the blushing girl bowed and voiced her appreciation to the blonde for his caring manner as he began to trail off back to the stumps, realizing the time lapse, "We gotta go and get our scroll soon; there's not a lot of time left." He murmured as he began pacing away.
Sora thought for a second and blurted, "Matt, with Satsuma-sensei always guarding the stumps, we have no chance of getting close!"
"He's not all that, I made him put his book away and got a grazing blow in on him."
"G-great… that is so natural for you that it was awesome and obvious," she said, but her secret stress relieving self internally noted, Uh, there's no chance that I can touch sensei, and Matt'll pass while I fail and he'll go on with Strawberry!
Matt continued his stride.
"But, time is running out, and by the time we get back, even at a push, we'll be too late, so why not give up and try again next year?"
She was rendered speechless by the filthy scowl she received which was quickly rescinded into a low, soft despondent look to the ground by the blonde.
-You a member of the Ishidas? You're not strong enough…
-Matt, where did mommy and daddy go?
-I'm sorry… I failed, TK…
"That day, I vowed that he would die by my hand for his heinous crime…" Matt mumbled as he trudged and stood slanted, "that day, me and my brother were crying… I'm the only one who can kill him, the only one who can make things right."
"M-make what right, Matt? What happened to you and your brother?" the auburn haired girl asked tentatively, "you mean Satsuma-sensei?"
They were interrupted by a sudden rising sensation in all of their stomachs as the scenery changed from the thick woodland to the place they started before the stumps, Satsuma kneeling down with his hand planted on the ground, fingers spread.
"Good thing I planted summoning tags on you when I caught up to you two; makes it so much quicker to grab you again…" he said dismally as the humans looked around. At their sensei's behest, they performed the summoning technique to assemble Gabumon and Biyomon back to the stumps, "Anyway, it is fair to say you all ran out of time, but I have been evaluating your individual skills and have come to a decision."
"Cool!" Tai and his partner cried out from the two outer stumps beside the scrolls, tied tightly with rope and bumps and bruises evident of a second attempt to fight Satsuma (it had apparently gone badly, as the sensei had no scratch or dirt on him whatsoever), "Then that means you've recognized that we're-"
"Talentless, yes. I'm putting a formal request in to ensure you do not waste the school's time ever again. All of you are pitiful Tamers."
"W-what?" Sora exclaimed, stomping in protest, "you can't do that! What is the point in excluding us?"
Satsuma's stare hardened and his face wrinkled angrily around his shades, "Are you kidding me? What's the point in not excluding you three? You've wasted the hopes of these Digimon who were looking forward to their futures by not performing like Tamers, but little kids with delusions of grandeur."
Matt chided and charged at Satsuma, reaching into his pouch for a kunai when he felt a palm at his head, Satsuma's speed too great to follow as he slammed the boy into the ground and restrained him by sitting on him, his face exuding anger, giving credence to his covered eyes intensity.
"Matt!" Sora shrieked, almost preparing to charge as well before a veil of bloodlust came from her sensei's direction.
"You think this is a game? You think I'm playing around!" he bellowed atop Matt, "Sora, tell me, why is a squad formed for Tamers?"
"W-why?" she thought on it, "well, I wanted to ask that this morning, but Zaki-sensei didn't reply-"
"Of course he didn't! It's so obvious! Three to a cell, why would that be when you have a Digimon partner already?"
Tai snapped, "How the hell are we supposed to know if you won't tell us?"
"It's so basic… TEAMWORK!" he said, the three dropping their facial expressions.
"Just working together… would have passed us?"
"Yeah, that's what I mean, well," he cocked his head back arrogantly, "it's over for you three; the Digimon will just have to await reassignment."
Kudamon quietly input, "Why do you think it was so hard to best Satsuma?" he asked with a sullen, tired tone, "It's because you did the task single handedly, and that includes working in synch with your own partners! Alone it was a monumental task, but if you had strategized, thought it through and knew you had all five of your teammates with you as you assaulted, you could well have managed it."
"Sora, tell me why you went tailing after Matt and dragged Biyomon with you, when Tai was in front of you with Agumon in a trap. Tai, tell me why you attempted a single assault relying only on your skills at the Shadow Body Splitting, and took it as a blind rage when Agumon had to help you like a good teammate. And you, Matt, while you may be skilled and have managed to graze me, which is a first for a junior, I'll grant you, but you told Gabumon to stand clear aside during our confrontation. This is why I secretly met up with your partners early this morning and made them swear not to voice their opinions; I wanted to see if you humans could put aside pride and work as a team against Satsuma. You failed miserably in that cause, but then again, with your Digimon sticking to you on my request and to adhere to strict silence, we both thought it would cross your minds at least once to utilize your partners."
Satsuma continued, stepping off of Matt, who looked solemn and ashamed, "Arrogance, Narcissism, Love-Obsessive… you are the biggest batch of flaws I've seen in a prospect squad. Do you know why many Tamers know that teamwork is an essential element? Because a lack of co-operation on missions, which are always carried out in squads, will lead to a certain death. Now, I was saving a surprise extra three hours on the task, but if you dare to waste my time and insult the memories of Tamers who have died defending their teammates in a battle situation, I will go through on my threat. Oh, but Tai doesn't get loose unless he does it himself; his punishment for being a hothead. Anyone who attempts to release him and Agumon will automatically fail this."
…
Now, back in the trees, Sora, Matt and their Digital compatriots awaited a chance to charge in for the scrolls again. The centre stump held the scrolls, while the subsidiary stumps held the tied up Tai and Agumon, both of whom weren't moving much anymore, presumably very weak.
Kudamon was overlooking from the middle stump, and Satsuma had vanished into the trees himself, and hadn't made a sound for several moments. Now was the moment, Matt thought to himself as he and Gabumon phased out from leaping so fast, landing before the stumps with a safe landing. What was Satsuma thinking?
Sora followed suit like the fangirl she was, Biyomon also planting her talons into the ground as the pair walked over to the centre stump. Matt was half way to grabbing the scroll, before hearing the dreadful moan beside him from hunger and physical pain. Tai was throbbing in his restraints, but had lost his strength to move.
Kudamon, inches away from the boy, looked on omnisciently.
Suddenly, Matt turned back to Sora and pulled out a kunai from his pouch. Looking at Biyomon and Gabumon, he ordered, "You two, can you combine your attacks on the dirt and raise a smoke screen? Sora, grab a kunai and get Agumon while I get the dunce."
"W-what-?" she spluttered, trying to reason with her hands indignantly, "But Matt, we'll get disqualified if he catches us!"
"Tai and Agumon are hurting, which hurts the squad itself due to the loss of their raw power." He explained, tightening his grip on the hilt of the reverse gripped kunai, "not to mention, if he did get free himself, he'd only be weak and ineffective. Now, you two, raise the screen."
Biyomon and Gabumon tentatively eyed each other before both saying, "ROGER!"
The bird flapped her wings and ascended into the air, before violently flapping and creating a spiral green wave of air, while Gabumon shot his blue stream of icy cold breath at the same point, raising the smoke screen as the two humans struggled to slice through the bindings, finally doing so and awaiting their sensei with their squad members recovered. The smoke dissipated, but nothing happened. Confused for a second, Matt grabbed the three scrolls and handed them to the humans, ending the exam in a state of delirium and awkward confusion.
Kudamon on the stump behind them simply laughed, almost howling so, "Congratulations, you pass the exam, K'rin!"
Sora spat in disbelief, "What are you talking about- we pass?"
"That's correct, your exam is finished and you've lived up to mine and Satsuma-sensei's standards. Congratulations. It's a shame Satsuma hadn't stayed to see this; he thought that you were like the rest of the squads we've given this assignment to; I was sure he was going to fail you early!" he chuckled.
Tai meekly roused himself up to his feet, sauntering over to Agumon and helping the Digimon up shakily, "He's not here anymore…?"
"He left ten minutes ago, Taichi. This was you're final chance; he wanted me to relay whether you passed or failed based on how your mates reacted to the dilemma he presented by forbidding your rescue. I was to see if Matt and Sora put you out of their minds and went for the unprotected scrolls themselves. We have a philosophy from past experiences; those who would betray and abandon comrades to achieve a mission are scum who are successful, but a squad that sticks everything out together and returns with a full team are heroes, regardless of team success. Lives are more important to our village than to our duty as Tamers, even if we are called slaves of the night and the dogs of foreign lands..."
Tai was a little teary eyed from the numbing sensation engulfing his body (and the speech second, of course), "T-they're kind of cool I guess…"
Kudamon stood up on his hind legs, the ferret giving an elderly look from his miniscule eyes, "It will be an honour teaching you guys… keep at it with the teamwork; this exam was to ensure it wasn't a one time thing. Your first mission briefing is tomorrow at five sharp." He said as his body reduced itself to a small, billowing cloud smoke.
Matt understood this, He left a clone and went to inform his partner of our success already… he must have decided that the instant I retracted my hand from the scrolls…
Sora picked Tai up by his shoulder as his stance faltered, and the three began walking to the village, their new partners in tow. The tales of Squad Seven were only just beginning to unravel…
xxx
Sora's Tamer Handbook,
Today's lesson focuses on partner selection for Tamers, digital and human. The process is a mystery to many, but what little is known is that the partner will closely resemble their partners in idealism, personality and general attack type, be it a planned out assault or a relentless attack.
For example, Matt's lone wolf of a partner Gabumon suits him in accordance with his analytical skills, planned out attack formation and his silent demeanour that gives no indication of fear or nervous behaviour.
Since Gabumon rarely speaks, but is so kind when he does, does that mean Matt is sweet and caring too?
I gotta go and… uh… check this out…
Sora
…
A/N: And there we have the third episode, which differs more and more from Naruto itself. Regardless, our primary characters are now assembled as Squad Seven, and are now full fledged K'rin, junior Tamers. Watch out for their adventures and missions from now on, as they make a deathly and hallowing journey to the Land of Squalls in the next episode!
Yes, and I promise, the pace in action will pick up… at least I hope it does so that nobody feels disappointed.