Author's Notes:
I'm sorry it's taken a while to get this episode up, but I've been dealing with some health problems IRL recently. I also have university to manage, so future episodes will probably be slower for a while. I'd like to be able to write this more quickly, but that just isn't possible right now.
About the story though, this will be the last "introductory" episode before the plot starts moving more next episode. The first climax should be around episode 9 unless something changes.
After this episode, the timeline may be getting confusing too, so to give you an idea:
Friday: Episode 1
Saturday: Episode 2 + half of episode 3
Sunday: Remainder of episode 3, including Seira's segment
Episodes 4 and 5 will take place on the same Sunday.
Finally, I hope you enjoy the episode, and please review if you like it/think it could be improved!
03 – Uproar! Arrival of the trouble-making Digimon!
It was a Saturday when Seira went back to the Digital World to find Kindramon. But it wasn't until later that they found out other events were taking place at the same time.
Just from a glance at the room, it seemed much of the furniture was covered in books. The desk shelves were packed, with extra books stuffed in on top. A bookcase near the door was also at the point of overflowing. The TV display unit, complete with small TV, instead had games protruding from its shelves, but a few books remained bunched together in their midst. Next to the bookshelf, the chest of drawers was instead topped by an array of figures, chiefly warriors and monsters.
Light filtered into the room from the small window above the display unit, as the occupant of the bed got up, replaced the cover, and approached the chest of drawers. He was a boy around the age of eleven, but his longish black hair and slender build gave him a more feminine appearance. Within a few minutes, he had dressed into a t-shirt and pair of jeans, and finished by pulling on a dark blue hoodie. He then folded up his pyjamas and put them in the drawer, before walking out of the room.
As he entered the main part of the house, a large grey cat eyed him from the sofa. With a glance at the cat, the boy walked past the TV and sofa to the kitchen in the far corner of the area. On the bench lay a note, along with a few coins. At the sight of them, the boy's expression became downcast, but he picked up the note anyway.
"Good morning, Mikado-kun! I'm so sorry about this, but can you please go down to the shops and get some stuff for dinner tonight? I've been asked to do another late shift, so I won't be home until late. Again, I'm really sorry; I'll definitely make an amazing dinner to make up for it! Love, Mum."
Below the message a short list of items, mostly vegetables, was also included.
With a sigh, Mikado pocketed the note and coins, and headed into the kitchen.
From their apartment building, it was only a few minutes' walk to a nearby shopping mall. Clothing, electronics, household goods, gifts and other assorted products filled the windows, but Mikado ignored them all, until he reached a game store. The windows were plastered with vivid posters of a new game, due for release the following day. Mikado looked at the posters for a minute, and then turned a corner, heading towards the supermarket.
It only took a few minutes to get all the items on the list. Instead of going back the way he came, Mikado headed through to the other end of the mall, which was bordered by a clothing store on one side, and a fast food place on the other. Mikado walked past the clothing store and after waiting at the traffic lights, crossed the road, and headed towards the left. Sandwiched between the buildings was an undercover area, lined by curving sculptures, and interspaced by benches. Off to the left of the area was a small park, and beyond there, the apartments where he lived. It was a short and easy walk, free of any obstructions. Mikado headed towards the undercover area, but as he drew close, he walked into one of them.
The surrounding area vanished into a blur of colours, shapes and symbols, as buzzing and beeping noises echoed around with no apparent source. His previous impassive expression breaking into alarm, Mikado spun around, looking at his surroundings, even as they went black, before promptly reappearing. He flung out a hand, while trying to shuffle backwards, but neither hand any effect as he was pulled forward through the space. As he clenched his teeth together, the space dissolved into a grassy hillside, and as his feet landed on the ground, he stumbled forward, and fell onto his hands, the groceries falling with him.
With a groan, he shifted into a sitting position, and rubbed at his reddened hands. At that moment, he noticed something lying on the ground on the edge of his vision, and turned to look at it. It was a white rectangular device, with curved edges, featuring a small screen in the middle, within a black circle. Surrounding the circle was a blue ring, with wave-like shapes reaching towards either end. Below the screen were three triangular buttons, also in white.
Fixing the object with a frown, he reached to pick it up, but as he touched it, the screen lit up, and he jerked his hand away again. An unfamiliar symbol, like two overlapped crescent moons appeared on the screen, but was soon replaced by the words, "Welcome to Digivice ver 2.0 – D-Core."
After staring at it for a while longer, Mikado reached towards it again, and gave it a prod. The text disappeared from the screen, but nothing else happened. He hesitated for a moment longer, but finally picked it up and gave it a closer look. Obviously, it was called a "Digivice", but the term was unfamiliar to Mikado. It looked like some sort of toy, or video game gimmick. He looked around at his surroundings, but anything nearby was concealed by a mist that seemed to cling to the whole area. After pocketing the device and taking a look at the groceries, he picked up the bag, and began walking down the slope.
Trees occasionally reared out of the mist, but other than those, the hillside appeared empty. A few minutes had passed, when the mist ahead seemed to grow darker, and Mikado soon found himself facing a stone wall, that extended much higher than his head. With a puzzled look, he began to follow the wall, but it too stretched onwards beyond view, with no change in the scenery surrounding it. Finally, Mikado set the groceries down, and leaned against the wall, a frown covering his face. He remained there for a few minutes, staring off into the fog, until, with a sigh, he picked up the groceries again, and began walking away from the wall.
Within a few minutes, the ground grew steeper again, and Mikado found himself breathing harder.
As his steps slowed, and the bag made his arm ache, another barrier appeared out of the mist, but instead of being stone, it was a hedge formed of entangled vines.
Dropping the bag on the ground again, Mikado gave the hedge a scowl. But it was quickly replaced by alarm, as the space in front of him seemed to shift, and a gate appeared amidst the vines.
Mikado took a couple of steps back, and fixed the gate with a stare. It would have appeared to be an average gate, if it hadn't just appeared from nothingness. Yet the very area the gate and the hedge existed in was bizarre in itself. With that thought in mind, Mikado stepped forward again, and pushed the gate open, picking up the groceries again as he did so.
The area beyond the hedge appeared to be a garden, with trees and flower-bearing shrubbery scattered everywhere. But clustered beneath the foliage were numerous large eggs, all sporting vivid colours with a variety of patterns. The thick mist of outside had dissolved into fragments trailing along the ground, revealing a large stone building between the trees.
Mikado stared at the scene before him, and then crouched down to look at an egg near the gate. The bright yellow surface covered in purple stars jarred with the plant life surrounding it; appearing more like some human creation than anything natural. Standing up again, he glanced around at some of the other eggs, before looking up at the building. He began making his way towards it, but after a few moments, came to a halt again. Off to his left was another group of trees, surrounded by eggs, and amongst them was one covered in a mottled gold and brown pattern. Its softer colours made it more appealing than any of the others, yet Mikado hadn't even seen it until he turned to look. Instead of continuing on towards the building, he walked over to the trees where the mottled egg lay, and crouched down in front of it. For a moment, he just looked at it, but then raised a hand towards it, then jerked it away again. He continued to give it an intent look, when suddenly it tipped forwards and bumped into his leg, causing him to fall over backwards.
The scene dissolved into the swirling space, and after everything grew dark, and flashed back again, it faded away into the statue-lined undercover area.
Mikado gaped at his transformed surroundings, before he noticed the egg again from the corner of his eye. He jumped up, and backed away a few steps, giving it an alarmed look. With another glance around, he snatched up the egg, and dashed for the far side of the area.
From the undercover area, some steps led down into a small park. Mikado dropped the egg by a tree, and then hurried through another nearby walkway between two buildings. As he entered the walkway, the egg rolled into the tree, and broke apart into a small white shape. Dark eyes focussed on Mikado's retreating form, and the creature began bouncing after him.
Mikado hurried across the street, which was lined with various shops; cafes, boutiques and the like, down below, while the balconies of people's apartments loomed above them. He entered a corridor between two of the shops, where an elevator door stood closed, and pushed the button several times. As he waited for it to arrive, the creature bounced up from the road, and onto the pavement.
Once the lift arrived, Mikado stepped in and pushed a button, and the creature bounced in after him. As the doors shut, and the lift began to rise, Mikado gave a sigh, and the creature glanced up at him. Within several seconds, the lift stopped moving, and the doors slid open. Mikado stepped out into the hallway; the creature just behind him, and approached a nearby door that had a plate reading "HAYASHI" fixed to it. Pulling a key from his pocket, he unlocked the door and headed inside, muttering "I'm home" as he did. He then shut the door again, and began to sit down to take his shoes off. Only then did he notice the blob-like creature staring up at him.
With a cry, he stumbled against the edge of the foyer, and fell over backwards again. The creature took a hop towards him, and his whole body grew rigid, alarm flooding his face. He grabbed a shoe and yanked at it; it came off after a moment and he tossed it towards the creature. Without looking at the results, he began pulling at the other one, and after tossing that at the creature as well, staggered to his feet, and shuffled away without turning his back on it.
The creature watched as the other shoe hit the door and landed near the other one, and then bounced up from the shoe foyer and towards Mikado, whose face shifted into panic. He bolted for the hallway, and banging noises filled the air for a few moments, followed by hurried footsteps. When Mikado appeared around the corner again, he was clutching a mop; face frozen in a grimace. Reaching across the foyer, he opened the door again. And clenching both hands around the mop, he lowered it to the floor and pushed it against the creature, sliding it towards the door.
With a squeak, the creature tried to bounce away, but the mop barred its movement, pushing it closer and closer to the door. Its squeaking became shriller, and its body puffed up. Then its mouth opened slightly, and a chill blast coated the mop head, as well as Mikado's feet, in icy fragments.
Mikado glanced in horror between the creature and the ice-covered mop head, aware of the stinging radiating from his feet. He dashed away towards the hallway again, only stopping as he reached the bathroom. Throwing the shower door open, he tossed the mop inside, and hurried back out to the main area.
Alarm filled his face again at the sight of the creature peering at the bag of groceries. Charging into the open, he snatched up the bag, and backed away into the kitchen. The creature began bouncing towards him again, but then stopped for a moment, and instead bounced around to the other side of the kitchen bench. Mikado peered over the ledge in time to see the creature lean over the cat's food bowl, and take a bite from the tinned meat. Its face appeared to scrunch up, but it still leant over to take another bite. Mikado's eyes remained frozen on it; watching as the creature halved the bowl's contents, and then turned to the water bowl and began emptying its contents.
As it finished with the water, it looked up at Mikado, when its face scrunched up again, and its body was covered in light.
Mikado stumbled back towards the wall, eyes darting between the bench and the direction of the door. With a pained look, he took a couple of steps towards the door.
'Hey, why do you keep running away from me?'
Mikado froze at the sound of a voice, and moments later, a different-looking creature hopped from behind the bench.
Despite the changes in its appearance, it had to be the same creature. It was still small and blob-like, but the white had changed to gold, the round ears pointed and cat-like, and a tail with purple stripes and tip protruded from behind.
'Say something,' it insisted. Its voice resembled that of a young boy.
'Because you're a… thing,' Mikado muttered.
'I'm not a thing,' said the creature. 'I'm Nyaromon. What's your name? You don't look like any Digimon I know.' As he spoke, he bounced into the air a few times.
'I'm Mikado,' Mikado muttered without looking at him.
'Mikado… mon?' Nyaromon stopped bouncing, and cocked his head to one side. 'Is that a new species?'
'I'm a human,' Mikado said through gritted teeth.
Nyaromon's eyes widened, as he stared at Mikado like some rare specimen. 'Really? That's so cool! What's it like?' To Mikado's alarm, he bounced closer.
'What's… what like?' Mikado gave him an awkward look.
'Being a human,' Nyaromon beamed.
Mikado gaped at him for a moment, and then said, 'Never mind that. What are you? What is that place you came from? And what is this thing?' he pulled the Digivice from his pocket and brandished it, upon which the words "First Runtime Wizard" appeared on the screen, followed by a bunch of data about Nyaromon.
'Well… I'm a Digimon, we live in the Digital World, and I don't know what that thing is,' Nyaromon smiled.
His face shifting into a grimace, Mikado turned away and sighed. 'Well… why can't you go back there, then?'
'Ehhh… I don't want to,' Nyaromon's smile collapsed into a pout.
'Why not?'
'It's more interesting here. You never find humans in the Digital World.'
Mikado was about to speak when the sight of Nyaromon blowing ice over the mop flashed through his mind. 'Do what you want then,' he strode past, hurrying for the hallway.
'Ah, wait!' Nyaromon bounced after him.
Sometime later, Mikado sat at his desk, glaring at an open textbook as Nyaromon bounced up and down on his bed, squealing as he did.
'This is so much fun Mikadomon; you should do it too!'
'I told you, it's Mikado,' Mikado spun around, and fixed his glare on Nyaromon.
Nyaromon fell back onto the bed, and his ears sagged against his head. 'Okay…'
Mikado sighed as he turned back to his textbook. Silence filled the room again, when soon after it was broken by Nyaromon's voice.
'Hey Mikado? Are those things Digimon too?'
'What?' Mikado dropped his pencil and turned to look in the direction Nyaromon was facing: the figures on the TV display unit.
'They're not even alive…' he gave a disbelieving look.
'They look so real though…' Nyaromon continued to stare at them.
'Just don't go trying to touch them,' Mikado muttered as he turned back to his desk.
Nyaromon continued moving around the room, asking questions about anything that caught his attention, even as Mikado's mood continued to worsen. When he finally jumped onto the desk to see what Mikado was doing, Mikado shot away his chair, leaving Nyaromon to sulk on the bed again. After some more time had passed, Mikado cast a wary glance over his shoulder, to find Nyaromon had fallen asleep. With a worn look, he turned back to his desk.
The rest of the day followed in a similar fashion, until evening arrived. Mikado was reading a book, while Nyaromon took another nap on his bed, when the sound of a door opening came from outside, and a woman's voice called out, 'I'm home, Mikado-kun, Tarou-chan!'
'Huh? What was that?' Nyaromon's eyes blinked open, and he glanced towards the door.
'Stay here,' Mikado dropped the book as he jumped from his chair, and then hurried to the door, and shut it behind him.
A woman around her late 20s was crouched down near the front door, fussing over the cat. A large bag sat on the kitchen counter. 'Tarou-chan, did you really miss me?' she asked the cat, stroking his body with one hand, and scratching his chin with the other. 'Even though you've had Mikado-kun with you? There, there, I'm here now. Are you hungry? I'll get you some food.'
As she stood up, Mikado emerged from the hallway. 'Welcome back,' he said.
'Thank you, Mikado-kun!' His mother smiled as she pulled a tin of cat food from the pantry, even as Tarou circled around her feet. 'I'm sorry my work schedule is so messy, it must be hard for you.'
'At least it's a job,' Mikado told her, 'so don't worry about it.'
'I guess you're right,' heading to the other side of the bench, she crouched down and opened the tin of cat food into Tarou's bowl. As she did, Tarou hurried up from behind her and began gulping it down. 'So how was your day today? Have you been enjoying that game?' She asked as she stood up again.
'It's out tomorrow,' Mikado rolled his eyes as she watched Tarou eat.
'Oh, I'm sorry!' she said with an awkward smile. 'I hope you found something to do; I know you've been wanting it for ages.'
'Yeah, I've just been studying.'
'Ah, well please let me know if you need help,' she smiled. 'I'm going to get changed; then I'll start on dinner as soon as I'm done. I bet you're hungry by now!'
'Yeah…' Mikado watched with apprehension as she headed down the hallway. Grabbing a knife and board, he began to chop up a bunch of spring onions as he waited, glancing up at the hallway every few chops. When his mother returned, still with the same smile, he gave an inward sigh.
Back in Mikado's room, Nyaromon had jumped onto the desk, and sat in front of the textbook. The cover read "Grade 5 Mathematics", yet Nyaromon stared at it with a confused, yet intent look.
As Mikado ate dinner, his thoughts drifted back to the occupant of his room, leaving his gaze fixed on his bowl.
'Is there anything bothering you?' came his mother's voice.
'What? No,' he glanced up at her in surprise. 'Nothing's wrong.'
'Remember, if you do need to talk about anything, I'll always listen to you,' she told him. 'I am your Mum.'
'Yeah,' his gaze dropped back to the bowl as he continued eating.
With the attractions of Mikado's room exhausted, Nyaromon had returned to the bed to cast another sulky expression at the floor.
While his mother took care of the dishes, Mikado prepared the bath. As he left it filling, he tried to sneak back into his room for his pyjamas. Nyaromon jumped awake at the sound, and Mikado left him sulking against the door again as he hurried back to the bathroom. As he sat down in the bath, he gave a sigh. The bathroom was completely still, and free of the chaos that had taken hold elsewhere in the house. Unease filled his insides at the thought of going back there.
Although Mikado lingered in the bath for quite a while, he was aware that returning to his room couldn't be avoided. As he opened his bedroom door enough to see through with one eye, Nyaromon glanced up from his position on the bed.
'You're finally back!' he yelled, jumping down and bouncing towards the door.
'H-hey, let me come in first,' Mikado said as he opened it enough to get in, and then shut it behind him. 'And don't be so loud, it'd be bad if my Mother found out about you.'
'What's a mother?' Nyaromon asked him.
'What? You… don't know what a mother is?' Mikado gaped at him.
'No, I've never heard of it.'
'A mother's… supposed to take care of you, until you grow up,' Mikado said.
'Oh, so they're like the caretakers at the Village of Beginnings then?' Nyaromon asked.
'I don't know…' Mikado recalled the garden of eggs, and wondered if it was related to this Village.
Nyaromon cocked his head to one side again. 'You humans are strange; why aren't you the same as Digimon?'
'You're the strange one,' Mikado thought, but instead said, 'I don't know that either…'
'Then what do you know?'
'You…' Mikado groaned, and covered his face with his free hand.
'Are you okay Mikado?'
'Yeah, yeah…' Mikado removed his hand from his face, and headed over to the chest of drawers. After opening one draw, he folded up his hoodie and put it in.
'Mikado, do you have any other food?'
'What, are you hungry again?' Mikado shut the drawer and looked down at him.
'Yes!' Nyaromon grinned. 'That stuff earlier was pretty yucky though, is there anything else?'
Mikado groaned in response.
A scowl covered Mikado's face again as he shut his bedroom door. Nyaromon's presence in his room had dragged out the night into a painful affair. Despite Mikado's protests, and attempts to toss him out, he was determined to sleep in the bed. Eventually, Mikado had given up, and remained lying at an awkward angle while Nyaromon kept trying to burrow into his back.
Mikado's mother stood at the stove, mixing a bunch of last night's dinner ingredients into an omelette. 'Good morning, Mikado-kun!' she said as he approached. 'Did you sleep alright?'
'Yeah,' glancing away from her, he opened the pantry, and pulled out a couple of tins of cat food. 'I'm going to feed Tarou,' he announced.
'Thank you, Mikado-kun,' she smiled. 'Breakfast will be ready in a few minutes too.'
'Okay,' Mikado emptied one tin into Tarou's bowl, threw it into the bin with the two lids, and then headed back to his room with the second one.
'Here,' he placed the tin on the floor in front of a bewildered Nyaromon. 'Eat that. I'll be back soon,' he headed back out of the room, and shut the door behind him.
As he returned to the kitchen, his mother was spooning the omelette onto two plates. 'Did you want toast, Mikado-kun?' she asked.
'Yeah.'
'Okay, I'll quickly make some now, please wait a minute,' she said as she opened a lower cupboard and pulled out a toaster.
'I can do that,' Mikado walked over to her. 'You go eat.'
'Thank you, Mikado-kun, I'm sorry to trouble you with this.'
'Don't worry about it,' Mikado waved her off. 'Do you want any?'
'Oh, yes please! Just one piece, though.'
As his mother headed over to the TV with her breakfast, Mikado moved his omelette over to the other bench, and then plugged the toaster into a power board near the stove. With his back turned to the hallway, his didn't see a golden blob bounce across the floor to the other bench.
Once Mikado finished toasting a few pieces of bread, he turned around, and froze, mouth falling open. Nyaromon sat on the bench, tipping Mikado's plate onto an angle, as he gulped down mouthfuls of omelette.
Mikado raised a hand at him, garbled words spilling from his mouth as he took a few steps towards the bench. Nyaromon glanced up at the noise, and bounced down from the bench, leaving the plate to clatter back down onto the bench top. Swiping Nyaromon from the floor and giving him a glare, Mikado bolted down the hallway to his room, threw Nyaromon inside, and then hurried back to the kitchen.
'Is anything wrong, Mikado-kun?' his mother asked, glancing up from the TV.
'No, it's alright,' Mikado assured her.
As she turned back to the TV however, Mikado's face grew serious, and he grabbed the plate, scraping the part of omelette Nyaromon had been eating into the bin. Then after grabbing the plate of toast again, he headed over to the TV.
'Here's the toast,' he said, holding out the plate to his mother.
'Thank you, Mikado-kun!' she said, picking up a slice, and taking a bite from it.
Sitting down next to her, Mikado put the plate of toast on the table, and began eating what remained of his omelette.
Nyaromon puffed up his checks and frowned as Mikado returned to the room. Returning the frown, Mikado spoke first: 'What did you think you were doing out there? Stealing my breakfast!'
'Because I already told you I hate that stuff!' Nyaromon yelled, and flicked his tail at the tin, which lay overturned against the TV display unit.
'You kept taking up half the bed last night!'
'It was cold and I wanted to be with you!'
Mikado's frown shifted into uncertainty, and he turned away. 'Fine, I won't give you cat food again,' he said. 'So don't steal my food again.'
'Okay,' Nyaromon agreed. 'But if you do it anyway, I'm eating all your food next time!'
'Okay, okay,' Mikado sighed, and headed to the overturned tin. 'Let me clean this up, and then… we're going out for a bit.'
Peering around the flap of the bag, Nyaromon stared at the shops, and people, drifting past his field of vision. Sometimes he'd give a gasp or cry at his sightings, causing Mikado to glance around. 'Stop that,' he muttered, 'People are looking.' An older woman had turned from looking in a shop window to stare at him.
'But this is so cool, there are humans everywhere!' Nyaromon said.
'I know there are, that's why you need to be quiet.'
'You're boring, Mikado…'
The two of them were in the shopping mall Mikado had passed through to get groceries the previous day. Mikado was wearing a messenger bag across his body, which served little purpose other than to conceal Nyaromon. However instead heading in the direction of the supermarket, Mikado stopped at the game shop, which was crowded with people.
'Now remember,' his eyes didn't leave the crowd in the shop. 'You're supposed to be totally still while I'm in there. I'll buy you something afterwards. Okay?'
'Okay!' Nyaromon's voice was muffled by the bag.
With a tense look at the store, Mikado headed inside, and was engulfed by the throng.
Waiting amidst the masses clogging the store was an infuriating exercise, but glancing down at the game in his hands, Mikado felt the task was worth it. After leaving the shop, he had taken Nyaromon to the café at the far end of the mall, facing out onto the street. A booth against the far wall would have been ideal for concealing Nyaromon, but with many of them already occupied, Mikado was forced to choose a booth next to the window. At least there was still the possibility he'd be mistaken for some toy, he considered.
Once their orders arrived, Mikado had to unwrap Nyaromon's burger for him, and then watched in embarrassment as he proceeded to gulp it down.
'This is so good, Mikado!' he said in between bites. 'You're so lucky!'
'Why?' Mikado fiddled with the wrapper of his own burger, but didn't remove it.
'Because you get to eat this stuff all the time!'
'Not all the time,' Mikado corrected him. 'This is just a treat, you know. I'd be broke if I always came here.'
'Oh.' Nyaromon appeared let down for a moment, when his grin suddenly returned. 'Then thank you for bringing me here, Mikado!'
'I did say I would,' Mikado glanced down at the table.
'I thought you'd leave me at home,' Nyaromon continued, 'but it's been lots of fun here!'
'You'd wreck the house if I did,' Mikado cringed at the thought.
'Hurry up and eat yours before it gets cold!' Nyaromon said as he swallowed the last of his burger.
'Yeah…' picking up his own burger, Mikado unwrapped it and took a bite, while Nyaromon watched his every movement.
Suddenly, his expression shifted into alarm, and he looked up at the window. 'Mikado! Can you sense that?'
'What are you talking about?' Mikado gave his a disbelieving look.
'There's a hostile Digimon nearby!' Nyaromon told him. 'Let's go fight it!'
And so saying, he hurled himself straight into the window, and fell backwards onto the table with a squashed face.
'What did you do that for?' Mikado gaped at him.
'Uuu, what happened?' Nyaromon demanded as he sat up again.
'It's a glass window…' Mikado pointed out.
'Oh,' Nyaromon blinked at it, when his expression turned serious again. 'Never mind that! Let's go this way!' Jumping onto the floor, he bounced back down through the aisle towards the exit.
'W-wait!' Mikado raised a hand, but Nyaromon gave no sign of listening. With a groan he wrapped up his burger and threw it in his bag, and then hurried after Nyaromon; the other café patrons staring as he went.
Out on the sidewalk, Nyaromon looked up at the roof. 'Ah, Pico Devimon!' he yelled.
As Mikado joined him, he looked up in the same direction. Perched of the roof was a round creature, about the size of a soccer ball. Much of its face, with the exception of its grinning mouth, was covered in a dark blue-grey mask. Large batlike wings, of the same colour, rested at its sides, while a smaller pair was visible further back. Its pale feet had two red talons at the front, and two at the back, while its yellow eyes featured vertical pupils. A skull and crossbones were emblazoned above its eyes, and streamer-like antennae protruded from its head. Its face was creased in a frown, but a smirk seemed to linger in its expression as well. At the sight of it, Mikado took a few steps back.
'Hey, if you want to fight, you should come down here first,' Nyaromon said. 'We can't reach you up there.'
Mikado gave him an exasperated look, but didn't say anything.
'Calm down, who said anything about fighting?' the Pico Devimon spoke with a boy-like voice. 'I was just hoping you could help me with something.'
'What's that?' despite what Pico Devimon said, Nyaromon still appeared on edge.
'You haven't seen a Dracmon around here, have you?' he asked.
'No, you're the only Digimon we've met here,' Nyaromon told him.
'I see. Our boss had heard there are humans with Digimon here who could… help us with something,' Pico Devimon said. 'Dracmon was trying to enlist another human with a Kindramon, but obviously he didn't succeed. You two look capable, how about you come and help us instead?'
'But I can feel all this hostility coming from you…' Nyaromon pointed out. 'Besides, Mikado needs to agree too. What do you think, Mikado?'
Mikado appeared frozen in place, his face filled with worry. 'You're… going to kill us if we don't come, aren't you?' his eyes never left Pico Devimon.
'Geez, have some faith!' Pico Devimon scoffed. 'Do I look like I'm going to kill you?'
Mikado's face tensed, as he fixed Pico Devimon with another stare.
'Fine, be like that!' Pico Devimon launched himself into the air and began flapping away. 'I'll just find someone else to save us. Have that on your conscience!'
'Mikado?' Nyaromon looked up at him.
'Let's just go,' Mikado gave a glare at Pico Devimon's back, then turned and started hurrying down the footpath. From the bouncing noise behind him, he could tell Nyaromon was following.
Crash.
Slowing to a halt, Mikado turned to look for the source of the noise. Numbness filled his body at the sight of a smashed syringe, leaking fluid all over the sidewalk. Above it hovered Pico Devimon.
'Aah, you did want to fight after all!' Nyaromon yelled, bouncing towards him.
Pico Devimon's mouth curved into a smirk, revealing fangs. Another large syringe formed in his talons, and he hurled it at Nyaromon. 'Pico Darts!'
Nyaromon skidded across the ground, as the syringe crashed into the ground before him. 'Why are you doing this?' he yelled. 'If you really needed help, you wouldn't attack us!'
Pico Devimon continued to smirk at him. 'The one who needs help right now… is you!' As the words left his mouth, he swooped down at Nyaromon, who only had a moment to be alarmed before Pico Devimon's talons closed around him, and he was lifted into the air.
Frozen in place, Mikado watched as Pico Devimon flew over the roof, and let Nyaromon drop. 'Now then,' he turned away from the roof, and flapped back towards Mikado, 'Would you like me to use force?' A new syringe appeared in his talons as he spoke. 'Or will you come with me willingly?'
'He's not coming with you!' Nyaromon bounced towards the edge of the roof, even as his body rippled, and was consumed by light.
'Nyaromon, evolve!'
Both Mikado and Pico Devimon turned and watched as Nyaromon began to change. Although a proper head and limbs grew from his body, his torso itself remained round. Long claws protruded from his front and back paws, and his fur took on a scruffy appearance, with bits sticking up. This was most obvious on the tips of his ears and now-lengthened tail. As the light faded, his fur was revealed as mottled gold and tawny-brown, with the exception of his cream underside and face, as well as three dark stripes on his back.
'Kittmon!' he declared, landing at the edge of the roof, and flattening himself against it. Moments later, he launched from the roof again, towards Pico Devimon, baring his claws as he did.
'No you don't!' Pico Devimon flapped higher into the air, and watched as Kittmon sailed beneath him, and then dropped back to the ground. As he landed on all fours, Kittmon scowled up at Pico Devimon.
'That isn't fair!' he yelled. 'Get down here and fight fairly!'
'It wouldn't be much of a fight if it was fair!' Pico Devimon leered in return, another syringe forming in his talons.
Mikado had felt his brain reeling at the sight of Nyaromon changing again, but Kittmon's leap caused him to start from his frozen state. 'H-hey,' he gestured to Kittmon. 'Come with me; I have an idea?'
'What is it, Mikado?' Kittmon asked as they hurried away down the street, the sound of breaking glass echoing from behind them.
'There's no way you're going to reach him, unless you get above him again,' Mikado stated. 'There's a place nearby that should work. When I say so, turn and jump at him again.'
'Okay!'
They continued around the block for a few minutes, dodging a constant barrage of Pico Darts, and enduring the taunts of Pico Devimon ('So you're running away now? Hah!'), until the road they were following split into a fork. With a glance to either side, Mikado darted across the road, towards a subway entrance leading underground. As the pair headed into the stairwell, and down the stairs, a man appeared from around the corner, forcing Mikado to jump to one side to avoid him. The man stopped at the sight of him and Kittmon, and then gaped as Pico Devimon swooped overhead with another dart. As they continued down into the station, he turned and hurried away into the street.
Mikado grimaced as they entered the station proper. Only a few people occupied the area; a couple were buying tickets, some others were moving to a station, while another was making an enquiry. All stopped what they were doing at the sound of running, accompanied by breaking glass. As faces turned in Mikado's direction, many people screamed and ran for the platform exits, leaving the remaining few to back towards the walls.
'You humans really are cowards aren't you? Why don't you stop running already; you're not getting away from me!'
'Why don't you shut up already, stupid winged fluff ball!' Kittmon retorted.
'Why you!' Pico Devimon exclaimed as he hurled another attack at them, which shattered against the ground.
'You can't even hit us, fluff ball!' Kittmon yelled.
Ignoring their yelling, Mikado tried to keep his gaze on the floor, as the stairs out of the platform drew closer. With each step, he felt a numbing ache throbbing through his legs, and spreading up his body. His breaths became more laboured, as the floor bounced around below him.
When the staircase finally grew large and engulfed them, Mikado's chest grew tight. With a glance down at Kittmon, who remained focussed on running, he shifted his attention to the top of the staircase, where the exit shone against the concrete walls framing it.
'Give up already! I'm surprised you haven't dropped from exhaustion yet!'
'It's because we're determined, fluff ball! You should give up instead, because we won't stop for you.'
'Hey, we're almost there,' Mikado muttered to Kittmon. 'Get ready.'
'Okay!' Kittmon said while Pico Devimon launched another tirade at them.
As they reached about halfway up the stairs, without breaking his pace, Mikado yelled, 'Do it now!'
As Kittmon bounded onto another stair, he spun around, and launched into the air. Claws extended, his pupils shrunk as he yelled out, 'Koneko Rage!'
With an alarmed look, Pico Devimon dropped the dart he was holding and attempted to back up. Moments later, Kittmon crashed into him, and both fell down onto the stairs, and bounced down towards the ground, even as Kittmon tried to hit and scrape him with everything possible.
From the exit out into the street, Mikado peered down into the stairwell, yet winced and shut his eyes at the sight before him.
After about a minute of being savaged, now covered in cuts, Pico Devimon managed to wrestle loose and took a few flaps into the air. A long-clawed paw closed around his leg, and he only had time for a garbled cry before he was slammed face-first into the floor. He felt himself lifted from the floor again, but almost instantly was slammed back into it again. This continued a few more times, when the paw around his leg let go, and he was flung through the air, only to hit the nearby wall with a thud. His beaten form toppled to the ground, where it burst apart into pixels, and faded away.
Clambering onto all fours again, Kittmon arched his back, and stretched out his from legs. As he stood up on his hind legs, he looked up at Mikado and waved. 'It's okay now Mikado, I killed him for you!'
Without saying anything, Mikado took a couple of steps back from the doorway.
Kittmon's face fell. 'No, don't get scared of me again!' he bounded up the stairs towards Mikado. 'I'll never do that to you, Mikado!'
'How do I know you're telling the truth?' Mikado continued backing away down the sidewalk, as Kittmon came out from the stairwell.
'Because I only fight bad Digimon, and you're a good human, Mikado,' Kittmon stated. 'So if any more Digimon come after you, I'll do my best to beat them!'
For a moment, Mikado stared at him, before he clasped a hand to his forehead, and turned away, fixing his gaze on the pavers. 'Okay, I'm just going home now,' he said. 'Follow me if you want to.' Without waiting for an answer, he continued walking down the street.
'Wait, Mikado!' Kittmon hurried after him. 'I'll show you how good I can be!'
With his mind still reeling after the fight, Mikado didn't say anything until a while after they'd got home. He still had no idea what would happen the following day.
'Kouhei, can you go wake Seira? She'll be late for soccer if she doesn't get up soon. And don't do anything stupid.'
With a groan, Kouhei cast one last look at the TV, which was airing a morning talk show, before following his other down the hallway. Stopping as he reached Seira's door, he inched the door open. 'Hey, you alive in here?' he asked.
As there was no response from the bed, he glanced around at the laundry door. He could hear his mother putting clothing into the washing machine. Turning back to Seira's door, he slipped inside and shut it behind him.
As he drew closer to her bed, he found she was still lying there, fast asleep. On her bedside table sat her goggles, along with some weird electronic gadget. It puzzled him that his sister would ever sleep in, and yet her calm, sleeping face roused a certain urge in him.
Leaning over her, he yelled, 'WAKE UP, MORON!'
With a scream, Seira's eyes flew open, and her fist collided with Kouhei's chin. 'KOUHEI!' she yelled, as he stumbled backwards, clutching his chin. 'WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING?'
'Why'd you have to punch me?' Kouhei grimaced. 'I just came to wake you up.'
Seira opened her mouth to speak again, when her anger turned to horror as the wardrobe door came ajar, and Kindramon's frowning face appeared.
'What is it?' Kouhei frowned, as she made frantic shutting gestures with her hands.
'N-nothing, just-!' Seira began, when her bedroom door opened again, revealing their scowling mother.
'Get out,' she looked at Kouhei, and pointed to the hallway. He left the room in silence.
'I'll talk to you later,' she told Seira. 'But hurry up and get dressed; you'll be late for soccer if you don't hurry.'
'Right, thanks,' Seira continued to gape as the door shut again. With a groan, she picked up the clock on her bedside table, and scowled at it.
The wardrobe door opened again, and Kindramon's head reappeared. With a glance at the bedroom door, she opened the door properly, and said, 'What was that all about? I thought you were being attacked.'
'I thought I was being attacked!' Seira banged the clock back onto the bedside table, and stood up. 'I hate that guy; he's so stupid.'
'Then if you hate him, why do you live with him?' Kindramon asked.
'It's because we're related,' Seira told her. 'I wish he'd just leave already.'
'I don't understand just how you humans function,' Kindramon sighed.
'I don't either,' said Seira. 'Look, I have to go to practice now, so we can talk about what to do next after I'm back, okay?'
'You're going out?' Kindramon frowned. 'And you expect me to wait in that little space until you're back?'
'I'm sorry, but it'll only be for a few hours,' Seira said. 'Hold on a bit and I'll get you some breakfast.' And before Kindramon could say anything else, she hurried from the room, and shut the door again.
Although the TV was still on, the main area was empty. As Seira headed into the kitchen, she could hear her mother's raised voice coming from the other hallway, broken by moments of silence. With a smirk, she pulled the bread from the pantry, and put a couple of slices in the toaster. She then opened the fridge, and pulled out the butter, jam and a bottle of juice. After pouring it into a couple of glasses, she picked up one, and took a sip as her gaze shifted to the TV. The talk show had ended, and was replaced by a news bulletin.
'…Police are still searching for missing fourth-grader Matsumura Akito after he disappeared outside Sanyou Primary School in Kokubyaku Town on Friday afternoon…'
The newsreader was replaced by the photo of a familiar-looking boy.
Seira froze in place, mouth hanging open.