My Internet should be fixed soon; don't worry. I have a few solutions in mind. I'm glad that you think Flamemon is adorable – that's what I was going for!
Episode 3: Going Home
"Give it back, Toushi – give it back!" Wild shouted, reaching for her brother. Toushi stood above her, taller and stronger than she was. Wild reached and lunged, but Toushi dodged and weaved, sneering at her, raising the cartridge over his head higher so that she couldn't reach. He had darker hair than Wild and their mother did, a brown that was almost black. But that was when they were younger – now his hair was blonde.
"Just try and get it, little Tatsu!" Toushi teased, snickering. "I don't understand why you like video games and computers – they're not for little girls!"
"I don't care – just give it back to me!" Wild demanded, her eyes watering. "And don't call me Tatsu! I hate that!"
"Aw, are you going to call Mommy and tell on me?" Toushi teased, laughing. "Tell her that I've been bad?"
Wild let out a shout and lunged at Toushi, tackling him to the ground with surprising strength. They wrestled together in the dirt, kicking and punching each other. She kneed Toushi between his legs, causing him to swear and curse loudly. Hot tears spilled from her eyes as Wild pounded on her older brother's chest and screamed, "If Tekku was here, you wouldn't be doing this to me!"
Toushi suddenly pushed Wild off of his chest and onto the ground. He stood up, face red with anger. "You leave Tekku out of this!" he snapped. "You don't even know, Tatsuya – you don't even know!"
He threw the game cartridge on the ground and stomped on it with all his might, grinding his heel into it. He stomped it into the dirt, despite Wild's loud protests.
"You'll never be anything," Toushi swore. "You'll never do anything important. Ever. You hardly knew Tekku… don't even bring him up to me!"
Toushi whipped around and walked away, leaving Wild in the wake of his fury. She heard him say under his breath, "It was all your fault..."
Shaking, she crawled over to the little cartridge. It was broken into three pieces, and she gathered the parts in her hand. She looked up and watched Toushi's shape disappear into the house, probably to tell Mom that she was being a pain and to punish her.
A tear rolled down Wild's cheek, and she ignored it.
"I will be something…" she decided. She closed her hand around the broken pieces of the cartridge and looked up at the sky. "And you'll help me, won't you Tekku?"
Wild opened her eyes to find herself lying on a lush bed, on top of the covers. She groaned and sat up, observing her surroundings. It was a nice room – a little plain, but she was fine with that. Her head throbbed and she touched it, thinking to her dream. She wondered how she had ended up here, wherever this was.
Is this the castle that Flamemon was talking about? Wild thought. And then she remembered – Flamemon!
She got off the bed and ran for the door, but someone stopped her. A hand grabbed her arm and pulled her back, away from the door. Wild turned and pulled away, snapping, "Let me go!"
"Flamemon is all right," they told her. "Don't you worry about him; he's resting. Calm down, will you? You're safe."
Wild looked up at the speaker and was shocked. He looked human, but there was a strange, mysterious air that he gave off. He was taller than her, dressed in fine black clothes. He wore a top hat and a blue mask that covered most of his face. Red eyes peered at her from behind white hair. He leaned on a ruby-topped cane and regarded her with a small smile that barely concealed his sharp teeth. His pale skin alerted her to the fact that he wasn't human, yet he looked very convincing.
"Wha-what are you?" Wild wondered, wary.
"I am a digimon," he told her. "You can call me the Boss – all the other digimon do. I own this castle. The Princess and her bodyguard found you in the forest with Flamemon, correct?"
"Uh… yes…" Wild recalled. "Are they…?"
"Alright?" the Boss assumed. "Of course. Kidd is a fight-loving fool, but he would never allow anything to happen to his partner. He's quite protective."
"Where am I?" Wild asked.
"You are in my castle," the Boss replied. "It is home not only to myself, but to quite a few digimon, too. It's a place of refuge and a shelter for digimon who have nowhere else to go. It's an oasis in the desolate Dark Area, if you will."
Wild frowned and said, "I see. So… what happens now?"
"Well, I assume that you want to go home?"
"Of course!"
"Well, now that you're awake we can proceed with getting that done," the Boss told her. "The Princess is waiting for you in my solar, and she will take you back to the Human World."
Wild folded her arms together and sighed, "Well… that's kind of her…" She breathed and said, "I'm sorry for… intruding in your world."
"Don't worry about it, dear; it wasn't through any of your doing," the Boss chuckled. "It's not your fault."
"But Flamemon got hurt…"
"True; but that's not necessarily your fault," the Boss told her. He laid a hand on her shoulder and offered, "We digimon are hardy folk. We can take a hit or two and be just fine. Flamemon is no exception to that rule. He was trying to protect a friend."
"A… friend…?"
"Yes; I do believe he considers you a friend," the Boss said, smiling. "He's a very loyal digimon, after all. He seems to care a great deal for you if he was willing to fight a Champion-level digimon like that."
"Champion?" Wild repeated, confused. "That one digimon – Kidd… he said something about Champion…"
The Boss smiled and said, "Well, dear, you're not going to be in the Digital World for much longer… but if you want to know, I can tell you."
"Please," Wild requested.
The Boss gestured to her and said, "Then let's walk and talk. Things are much more productive that way!"
He guided her out of the room, and they stepped into a grand hallway. Red carpet muffled their steps as they began walking. The Boss kept Wild between himself and the wall, and Wild was sure that this was merely a gesture of caution. Wild had no idea how digimon reacted to seeing a human, but they seemed to be varied.
"Digimon are like humans," the Boss began, "they come in many different shapes, sizes, and colors. However, we come in many different levels of strength, and they are named – Baby-level digimon are those that have been freshly hatched. They cannot defend themselves very well and are weak and need of nurturing. In-Training-level digimon are the second stage of the Baby-level cycle, where they are beginning to learn how to defend themselves and are capable of much more than they were previously."
The Boss guided Wild around a corner and down another hallway, this one marked by a door or two here and there. He went on: "Rookie-level digimon are ones like Flamemon. They are capable of fighting and defending themselves, but they are still young and in need of training. Champion-level digimon, like Ogremon or KiddGarurumon, whom you met earlier, are more powerful than Rookie digimon, and considered oh, how do you humans say it? Adult. Yes, they are considered to be adults. They vary in strength – sometimes a Rookie is able to defeat a Champion, and sometimes a Champion is able to defeat an Ultimate.
"An Ultimate-level digimon is the next step. They are significantly more powerful than Rookie digimon – a Rookie cannot defeat an Ultimate – and much more powerful than a Champion… but, like I said, occasionally a Champion of significant strength can defeat an Ultimate. KiddGarurumon is a good example of this – he is capable of defeating Ultimate-level digimon. However, some Ultimates are much stronger than others… but none are so powerful as a Mega-level digimon.
"When a digimon reaches Mega-level in the wild it means that they have reached their peak in physical performance and knowledge and they have been able to age to that stage. Mega-level digimon are very, very powerful and can easily defeat any digimon Ultimate or younger… but they can have trouble defeating other Mega-level digimon. They are the most powerful digimon that are living in the Digital World… but there is legend that there are those that are more powerful than that."
Wild's eyes widened. "Wow," she breathed, processing all the information. "So… what happens when a Mega-level digimon reaches the end of their life?"
"They become Digieggs, like any other defeat digimon, and they begin their life anew. However, a digimon who reaches Mega-level and returns to their Digiegg form are more likely to retain the knowledge of all their experiences than any other level digimon," the Boss explained.
"So… what level digimon are you?" Wild wondered. "You don't look like a Rookie or a Champion or anything younger than those."
The Boss smiled coyly and teased, "Child… don't you humans have a thing where it's not polite to ask someone their age?"
"Oh, sorry," Wild said apologetically, "I didn't realize that it was a personal thing for you or anything…" She looked away from him, embarrassed.
The Boss chuckled, "Dear, it's not… but I would like to keep some secrets to myself. I've lived a long time – how about we leave it at that?"
"O-OK," Wild agreed.
The Boss smiled and led the way through some more hallways and corridors, down some steps, through another hallway, up some more steps, through a door, and up some spiraling stairs. Wild found the castle to be quiet, though the Boss had said that there were more digimon living here, and very confusing. How he – or anyone – found their way around this place was beyond her level of comprehension.
He smiled at her confusion and said, "The place we came from is where most of the digimon sleep, dear. It's daytime – they're up and about. Some of the more nocturnal digimon aren't, of course, but I accommodate all kinds. Plus, the walls are completely soundproofed."
"Ah," Wild breathed in realization.
"Don't worry; you haven't much farther – my solar is right here," the Boss promised. He led the way to the last step of the staircase. There was nothing but a door, which he opened. The room beyond was lavish and beautiful, decorated with a modern sort of Gothic style. It was a round room with a soft black-and-white patterned carpet, with walls that seemed to be made of books. A huge window looked out over a shadowy forest shrouded with gray clouds, and in the distance Wild could see a lighter, prettier, more colorful area of the Digital World.
This place must overlook both the Light and the Dark Areas… she thought. How beautiful…
Within the room, sitting on a plush sofa with very un-Princess-like grace, was in fact the Princess. She wore a pale lavender-colored skirt with a pretty white top with little amethyst crystals embedded into its collar. She walked barefoot, her feet calloused and a bit dirty. Beside her, leaning against a wall, was Kidd, her bodyguard. He stood much taller than Wild had first thought – she estimated him to be about nine feet, at least – and he was very, very intimidating.
Wild stopped, unsure, and gave a bow. "H-Hello, again, Princess…" she said, as politely as possible. As confused as she was about this human being the Princess of the Digital World, she wasn't about to disrespect her – not in front of her bodyguard, at least. Or the Boss.
"Heh…" the Princess sighed. "You don't need to do that. Get up, will you?"
Wild looked up and obeyed, standing. She felt a little out of place, standing here in the middle of such a grand room. The Princess threw her a smirk and stood, dusting off her skirt. She stepped over to Wild and held out her hand. Wild looked down, finding that the Princess was a shorter than she'd thought – then again, she had collapsed almost as soon as they met. Everyone looked bigger when you were lying on the ground.
"And don't call me Princess," she insisted. "Call me Loaño."
"Oh, alright," Wild said tentatively. She took the Princess's hand and found that her grip was surprisingly strong, for such a small girl. "I'm Tatsuya. Tatsuya Namekura, but people call me Wild most of the time."
"Really? Why is that?"
"Well, it's because of my -"
"A-hem," the Boss coughed, interrupting Wild. She and Loaño looked to him and he continued, "Princess… shouldn't you be getting her home?"
The Princess frowned at him. "But Boss…" she began. "I don't know if I can…"
"She need to go back," the Boss reasoned sternly. "She doesn't belong here."
"But…" She seemed to be looking for some sort of excuse. "What about Flamemon? Won't he want to be here to say good-bye?"
"No buts," the Boss growled. "Send her home. She has been here too long already. It will hurt, but Flamemon will recover. We cannot afford to wait."
Wild sighed and asked, "Do I get a say in this?"
They all looked at her. The Boss frowned and mused, "I suppose that you do."
"Well, I don't blame the Boss for wanting me gone. I don't belong here," Wild told them. "This is an amazing place, but I don't exactly have the best first impression of it, considering that I was attacked three times since I got here. Not exactly rolling out the welcome wagon. But I don't want to be a burden. I have a home, and I have a family waiting for me. I don't know why I was brought here, but I need to go back. Even if I am supposed to do something for you, I don't think I can.
"You can tell Flamemon thank you for me – he was a good friend, and he saved my skin more than once. I doubt that we'll ever see each other again, but I won't forget him. I just need to go home now," Wild finished. "You know, if that's possible."
Loaño stared at her for what seemed like forever, something going on behind her silver eyes. Wild didn't know about the rest of this girl, but those eyes were definitely not human… and yet they displayed all the emotion that a human could give through their eyes alone.
"It is," she said evenly. "Are you sure that this is what you want, Tatsuya Namekura?"
A chill ran down Wild's spine at the coolness that her voice had suddenly acquired. It wasn't a icy sort of coolness, but an accepting sort that made Wild feel, well, not-so-bad about her decision to leave. Wild did, however, have a feeling that she was leaving much too soon; that there was something she could indeed do, but she had no idea what that was. How could she help when there didn't seem to be anything wrong?
"Yes," Wild replied.
Loaño gave a small nod and walked to a clear part of the solar. She waved her hand, her silver eyes flashing for just a moment – but Wild caught that moment. They seemed to glow for that split instance. A great black hole opened just before her, revealing an abyss. Green bits of what looked like data floated about the edges of the hole, all zeroes and ones that Wild couldn't translate into words.
"Then walk in, and you will be returned to the Human World," Loaño instructed. "Don't fear, Tatsuya; the transition is harmless and it is instant. You will be home before you know it."
Wild walked tentatively up to the portal and looked inside. It was indeed an abyss with seemingly no end, but there was a soft brush of cool air that touched her face from within the hole. She breathed it in, smelling the scents of home. So, I enter through my computer and leave through a portal… she thought. Strange. But I suppose if that's the way, that's the way.
She looked back to those who stood in the room and said, "Thank you. I know my time here was short, but thank you all the same. I really appreciate all this… and I'm sorry to have caused you such trouble."
"It's no trouble at all, dear," the Boss insisted.
"Be safe," Kidd offered with a grunt.
"It's been an honor to meet you, Tatsuya," Loaño said with a smile. "Even though our meeting was brief, it is better than not meeting one another at all."
"Tell Flamemon thank you," Wild repeated.
"We will," the Boss promised.
Wild gave them a smile and a final wave before she turned, took a deep breath, and stepped into the portal. Cold air blasted in her face, forcing her to shut her eyes.
When she opened them, she found herself in front of her computer once again, the lights dim. Her computer's start-up screen greeted her, begging for her to log in and begin again. She was sitting in her seat, just like she had before she'd gotten the error messages that'd sent her to the Digital World.
She looked down and examined her tower to find that everything was plugged in correctly. Her computer tower was whirring and humming away, just as it normally should. She looked around her room, finding that not a thing was out of place. Her programming book was exactly where she'd placed it before. Her flash drives were all in order. Nothing was disheveled or altered in any way.
Wild sighed and tentatively logged into her computer. Everything booted up just fine, and her desktop was displayed. Nothing was altered. She looked down at the clock displayed in the bottom-right corner of her computer screen.
It was the exact same time that she had left for the Digital World. Wild looked at this curiously. What had felt like hours in the Digital World had only lasted barely half a minute here.
"Whoa…" she breathed. She clenched her hand, finding that almost all the feeling had returned – just the tips of her fingers remained slightly numb. "It was all real."
Wild leaned back in her chair and murmured to herself, repeating, "It was all real…"
The Boss watched the Princess wave her hand and close the portal to the Human World. She turned to the rest of them and announced, "She made it home."
"Flamemon'll be upset," Kidd grunted. " 'E wanted to see her 'fore she left."
"Those two…" the Boss smirked. "If she could have stayed, those two would have made good partners… if they were compatible, that is. Flamemon isn't like other Digimon. He can't simply partner with a human on a whim… there has to be a very strong connection there."
"It was there," Loaño reasoned. "There was faith. There was trust. They were friends, and they only knew each other for a few hours. Those two are partners, and he will be genuinely upset to find out that she's gone and he didn't get to say good bye."
"That's not possible," the Boss reasoned. "You cannot build faith and trust in a person within such a short time… but I shouldn't dispute you, I suppose. There's nothing more we can do about it. She's gone."
Loaño was silent.
Kidd looked at her, his icy eyes narrowed. "Pup…" he rumbled, "that ain't the last we're gonna see'a her, is it?"
"No," Loaño replied hesitantly.
The Boss raised an eyebrow. He felt something stir deep down in his Core. He tapped his cane on the ground and sighed, "Then that means there really is trouble in the Digital World, doesn't it?"
"Yes," the Princess murmured. "What, though, I don't know. I only have this vague idea…"
"And he thinks that she can stop it?"
"Yes, but not alone, of course," Loaño replied. "Since when has there only been one Digidestined?"
"So… when shall we be expecting these… others?"
"I don't know – not yet. It's too soon," Loaño answered.
The Boss tapped his cane again. He closed his eyes and sighed, saying, "So disaster strikes the Digital World once again, and no one knows when or how." He took a deep breath, and then said with a more chipper tone, "I suppose that we should prepare, then – keep a weather eye out, and all that. No one knows, but I will be watching… always watching."
Loaño looked up. Then, she said, "Kidd… you saw what she did, didn't you?"
Kidd pricked his ears and grunted, "Hm?"
"What Wild did – to protect herself from Ogremon."
"Oh, 'at?" Kidd rumbled. "Yeah, 'at was weird. Sa'ed her skin, though."
"Oh? And what are we talking about now?" the Boss wondered.
"Kidd and I saw Wild and Flamemon fighting that Ogremon… Before we rescued them, the Ogremon went after Wild. Flamemon was too weak to help, and Wild somehow summoned a tree to block Ogremon's attack," Loaño explained.
"She summoned a… tree?" the Boss repeated. "How could a human…? How could she manipulate our world like that?"
Loaño took a breath, and then said, "I think she might be -"
"Don't," the Boss interrupted. "Don't finish that thought, child. Many impossible things are possible, but that thought there – for I know what you were going to say – that is just improbable."
"But possible," she countered.
"Possible, but not at all likely."
"It was just a thought."
"And a thought it shall stay," the Boss decided. He touched the brim of his hat and said, "We should go. We've done what we had to do here. All else will come in time."
Loaño looked out the window. She frowned and said, "Yes… I suppose that it will."