Digimon: The Fate of Two Worlds
Zodiac Saga
#3: Plan of Action
In response to the message Trey had texted the previous evening, six humans and six digimon were gathered in Red Wood Park just before noon that day. Isis sat on a bench at the top of a slope leading down to a small pond while Chattemon sat at her feet; Mika was seated with her legs crossed on the grass with Petalmon nestled in her lap; above Isis, JT was perched on the branch of a large tree under which the bench was positioned while Bichomon fluttered in the sky beside him; Trey stood beside the tree on which JT sat, his back to the pond, Felizmon at his side.
On the bench, sitting beside Isis was an attractive blonde girl, no older than sixteen years of age, with light blue eyes and a physique which suggested she was most probably a cheerleader; Shi'anne Sutton-Clarke, was indeed a cheerleader at the same school which the others attended and happened to be in the same grade as Mika and Blaine. On the surface she was your stereotypical cheerleader type; rich, spoilt, superficial, obsessed with fashion trends and an excessive shopper, but lurking beneath the surface perhaps there was more to her than even she was aware. At her side, perched on the back of the bench, was her digimon partner, Fledgemon; a round red bird, no bigger than a basketball, with a pair of petit wings and a long thin tail the tip of which bore a small cluster of red tail feathers.
Beside Mika, on the grass, sat another teenage girl; this one was a thirteen year old, clad in boyish attire. She had straight black hair that stopped just above her shoulder and her eyes had a similar shape to JT's, except, where JT's eyes were a dark shade of brown hers was a clear green. Being the youngest of the latest generation of American digidestined, Ashley Franks, JT's cousin, always felt the need to prove herself to the others; this meant that Ashley – more often than not – found herself in some or other kind of trouble. Porcemon, Ashley's best friend, simply put, was small light blue hippopotamus calfwith stubby limbs, a small tail and floppy ears.
"So you're saying that DarkTyrannomon came through the digi-port which appeared from thin air, and Felizmon had to digivolve to defeat it?" Shi'anne paraphrased what Trey and the others had just told her and Ashley; she seemed to be having a hard time accepting what they were telling her. Since even before she could remember, she and Fledgemon had always been together so digimon were always a part of her life, but never in her sixteen years of living had she ever been involved in or even seen digimon fight; the idea made her feel a little uncomfortable. Those that had been present when DarkTyrannomon attacked nodded in confirmation of Shi'anne's summation of what had happened.
"Do you think more will come?" Ashley asked with a little more excitement than the situation warranted.
"We can't be sure," Trey explained, "I spoke to Lee Izumi last night, apparently no other digidestined in the world has experienced anything similar."
"Doesn't that suggest that it's an isolated event?" Trey's news seemed to bring Isis hope that they would not have to fight again like they had the night before.
"Possibly," Trey's expression betrayed the fact that he was unconvinced that the event would remain unrepeated. "But just in case it wasn't a once-off thing I think we need to be ready for any future attacks."
"How do you suggest we do that?" Bichomon asked.
"Well I was hoping Blaine would be here; he and I could go into the Digi-world to find Benjamin; if anyone will be able to tell us what's happening, it'll him."
"Benjamin? You mean that guy who mom always mistakenly calls Gennai?" up until now Mika had not spoken. Trey nodded while giving Mika a reassuring look; he knew she wouldn't like the idea of him going off into the Digi-world as she'd always thought it was a dangerous place.
"That guy's cute," Shi'anne thought out loud, "I want to come with you."
"I'm not going into the Digi-world to socialize with him, Shi'anne; this is serious."
"You guys might need backup; I'll–" before JT could suggest joining him in the Digi-world, Trey cut him off.
"Blaine and I should be enough; he's got an excellent knowledge of the Digi-world so he'll be able to find Benjamin easily and he'll also probably know which areas to avoid going through in order to stay out of any kind of trouble. Anyway, both ChibiLeomon and Felizmon can digivolve so we should be able to hold our own. Everyone else should stay in this world just in case there's a repeat of last night's events."
"That sucks," Ashley frowned. "I was looking forward to going to the Digi-world for the first time."
"Maybe some other time," Porcemon's tone betrayed his relief; he'd only ever been in the real world and had only heard scary stories of what it was like in the Digi-world. In contrast to Ashley, who was always fearlessly hunting down the next big adventure, Porcemon scared easily which in a strange way was why they were perfectly suited for one another – they balanced each other out.
"When are you going to go?" Mika asked; Trey's attempts at reassuring her did little to ease her concern.
"As soon as possible," the speaker was not one of the twelve already gathered on and around the park bench. The group turned simultaneously to see Blaine and ChibiLeomon approaching where they sat, grim expressions darkened both their features. "Your half-sister, Maria, told my uncle Phil what happened and he told me," he directed this explanation to Isis.
"Good so we don't have to waste time filling you in," Trey stated.
"No, but there's more to whatever's going on than you think," Blaine explained, leaning against the back of the bench. "I was in the Digi-world yesterday. There were whisperings about some dark tower appearing out of nowhere in the middle of a swamp region so ChibiLeomon and I decided to check it out." His audience seemed to be clinging to every word he spoke. "The fortress belongs to Piedmon."
"Piedmon? Why does that name sound so familiar?" Trey thought out loud.
"Mom told us about him," Mika said remembering the stories her mom had told her and Trey about when she was a young girl trapped in the Digi-world with her friends and their digimon partners. "Piedmon was one of four evil mega level digimon; I think she called them the Dark Masters. But how can he own the fortress? One of my mom's friend's digimon defeated him."
"That's what I thought too," ChibiLeomon seemed just as confused as Mika and the others. "But we saw him with our own eyes; there's no denying that he's back."
"I'm not liking this at all," Porcemon whimpered.
Ashley rolled her eyes at the timid hippopotamus digimon. "If he was defeated before, he can be defeated again."
"Do you think he's somehow connected to DarkTyrannomon's attack yesterday?" Isis spoke, racking her brains for any clear connections between the re-emergence of the jester digimon and the attack at the beach but not finding any.
"I don't know for sure, but it's possible," Blaine's answered. "Even if he isn't connected to the digi-port opening at the beach, he might still be up to something; a bad guy that was thought to be defeated doesn't mysteriously show up years later and not want some kind of revenge."
Trey, who had been silently processing everything he was hearing finally spoke. "Okay, so Blaine, ChibiLeomon, Felizmon and I will go to the Digi-world later today; we'll check out this dark fortress and try to find Benjamin. Once we have a better idea of what we're dealing with we'll all meet again and decide what our next move will be."
"It is strange how all of this is happening to us," Bichomon mused aloud. "I mean major things like this usually always happen to the Odaiba digidestined."
"We don't know for sure if what's going on is major," Trey reminded him; this was also his way of letting the others know that as of yet there was nothing to panic about. "Let's first get all the facts before we start jumping to conclusions." The others nodded their agreement, though they all shared the same gut feeling that something big was about to happen and it wasn't going to be good. The group finalized their plans, said their goodbyes then dispersed; only Trey, Felizmon, Isis and Chattemon remained. As Felizmon and Chattemon ran down the slope to play near the pond – in order to give Trey and Isis a little privacy – Trey took a seat next to Isis, both of them staring into the distance; lost in thought.
Isis was the one to break the silence. "Are you scared?"
Trey thought for a moment. "No, not really," he answered truthfully. "I know I probably should be a little nervous, I mean we don't really know what we're dealing with; it could be dangerous…but whatever happens as long as the ones I care about are safe, there'll be nothing for me to be scared of." He tentatively reached out for Isis's hand which rested on her lap, and wrapped his fingers around hers. "You don't have to worry."
"How can you say that? We almost didn't survive yesterday's attack, Trey! If Felizmon didn't digivolve who knows –"
"But he did digivolve, and we did survive; there's no point worrying about what could have happened 'if this' or 'if that'. My mom always says 'everything happens for a reason'; there's a reason we survived, there's a reason Felizmon digivolved and there's a reason all of this stuff is happening, we just don't know what it is yet."
"Will you promise me something, Trey?"
"What is it?"
"Promise me you'll be careful when you go to the Digi-world; that you'll come back to us in one piece."
Trey gently squeezed her hand comfortingly. "I promise." Isis rested her head against his shoulder as the pair gazed at the pond in silence. In that intimate moment they both knew that what they shared had developed beyond friendship. Trey knew he'd keep his promise, he'd never been more sure of anything in his life; he now had one more reason to get home safely.
(-o-)
"Are we there yet?" Shi'anne groaned impatiently for the third time that afternoon as she and Fledgemon trailed behind Ashley and Porcemon. Ashley had told Shi'anne about a new clothing shop she'd apparently heard about and had convinced the blonde cheerleader to visit it with her. The foursome had only been walking for less than ten minutes and already Shi'anne was beginning to regret her decision. "If I have to take another step I swear I'll turn around and –"
"Okay, okay relax, Shi," Ashley interjected. "We're here; voila!" the pair were standing in front of small, dimly lit internet café.
"This isn't a trendy clothing shop," Shi'anne was confused.
"Okay…so I lied, but this is even better."
"How is this better?" Shi'anne snapped, she was now seriously annoyed. "I only came with you because you said we were going to a new clothing shop, if I had known we were coming to some lame internet café – probably filled with nerds and losers – I would never have come!"
"I know you wouldn't have come; that's exactly why I had to lie."
"I should have just trusted my instincts. If any kind of trendy shop really had opened up I would be the first to know about it! Let's go to the mall, Fledgemon."
Before Shi'anne could turn to leave, Ashley tugged pleadingly on her arm. "C'mon, Shi, look I'm the only digidestined that hasn't been to the Digi-world yet and you said you wanted to go earlier."
"I only wanted to go because Benjamin is cute; but come to think of it he's not that cute."
"Oh, I never realized you were scared," Ashley taunted.
"I'm not scared!" now Shi'anne was fuming. Ashley concealed a smirk; she knew she had struck a nerve. "Fine let's go to the Digi-world!"
"Are you sure that's such a wise idea?" Porcemon had been hoping Shi'anne would talk Ashley out of this latest plan of hers.
"Oh c'mon, Porcemon, it'll be fine," she led Shi'anne and the digimon into the internet café. Shi'anne had been right; more than half the people in the café wore spectacles and looked like the type that spent countless hours sitting in front of their computers playing online games.
"Let's hurry up and open a digi-port, I can't have anyone seeing me here," Shi'anne griped as she and Ashley made their way to a vacant computer situated near the back of the café, where they would not be disturbed and no one would see them; sure the world accepted the existence of digimon, but seeing a pair of girls and their digimon getting sucked into a computer would be too bizarre for anybody to fathom.
"You ready?" Ashley asked as she directed her digivice at the computer monitor; a window popped up on the screen.
"Let's just do this already," Shi'anne also pointed her digivice at the computer screen.
"Digi-port open!" the pair cried in unison. A bright light emanated from the computer screen, engulfing the two humans and their digimon companions and drawing them into the monitor; not even a second later, the light had faded and the area which the foursome had occupied was now empty.
A spectacled, acne plagued pre-teen who had happened to wonder by stood – jaw hanging open – in awe at what he had just witnessed. "Woah!"
(-o-)
It had only taken under an hour for Blaine and ChibiLeomon to lead Trey and Felizmon through the swamp region to the incline which bordered the black sea they had been to the previous evening.
"Okay so where's this mysterious dark fortress? Unless I need my eyes checked I'd say it's not there."
Blaine frowned, confused; Trey was right, the island, the fortress, Piedmon, everything was gone even the sea was no longer black but instead a murky green. "I swear it was here yesterday."
"Maybe we took a wrong turn."
Blaine knew this wasn't a possibility; he'd memorized every step of the way and every possible landmark the evening before. The glare he shot Trey clearly expressed his annoyance at Trey's lack of faith in his prowess.
"Okay fine!" Trey said defensively. "But how do you explain a whole island disappearing? Fortresses don't just get up and go."
"Are you forgetting where you are? This is the Digital World…anything is possible." The foursome whirred around sharply in the direction of the speaker only to be met by the rustling of a small shrub.
"Who's there?" Felizmon tried sniffing the air for any clues as to who had spoken. There was no reply, just continued rustling. Trey and Blaine drew their digivices from their pockets in case they would have to digivolve their digimon partners. The foursome took a tentative step forward. The rustling grew more frantic as a dwarven figure, about half Trey's height struggled through the undergrowth. The man's face was hidden behind shaggy white hair and a thick white beard; he was clad in nothing but a ragged brown cloth that extended to his bare feet and he carried a staff of about the same height as himself, the end of which was a yellow bear paw.
The foursome glanced questioningly at the hairy dwarf for a moment before Trey finally spoke. "Who're you?"
"I'm Jijimon; Benjamin told me I'd find you here."
"You know Benjamin?" ChibiLeomon asked.
Jijimon's mop of hair seemed to rustle more violently than the shrubs, a gesture the foursome understood to mean 'yes'.
"We work together," Jijimon moved past the foursome to the very edge of the incline. "Piedmon was definitely here."
"But where is he now? How could he have packed up a whole island and disappeared in less than 24 hours?" Trey proclaimed disbelievingly; with digimon in his life he'd learned to keep an open mind but there were still some things that were clearly impossible.
Jijimon looked up at him patiently, even though his eyes were not visible Trey got the impression that he was staring right into his own eyes. "Piedmon is very powerful, more powerful than he ever was; doing the seemingly impossible seems to be the jester's newest trick, his very return seems to defy the distinction between the possible and the impossible." The old man stared into the distance, consumed by his musings.
"Do you know what he's up to?" Blaine interrupted the dwarf's train of thought. "How's it possible that he's back and what is he planning?"
"We know what he is after; as for how he survived MagnaAngemon's 'Gate of destiny' and what his ultimate goal is, we can only speculate but none can truly hope to understand the twisted workings of Piedmon's mind," Jijimon turned to face the foursome. "He is after the 12 zodiac Stones, he already has two in his possession and right now he has sent digimon to the real world to track down Benjamin."
"Benjamin's in the real world?" Blaine and Trey said in unison; that means their trip to the Digi-world was for nothing.
"How do you know all of this?" Felizmon asked skeptically; one could never be too careful.
"I have the ability to see things as they happen, no matter what world they occur in. Benjamin went to the real world to find digidestined to protect the Zodiac Stone he has in his possession but Piedmon sent Gazimon and Airdramon to intercept him."
"Then we've got to get back to the real world immediately!" the urgency was thick in Trey's tone as he and the others prepared to run back to the digi-port which they had come through. Jijimon knocked his staff against the ground causing a slight tremor in the earth; it was enough to get their attention. "Benjamin and our friends need us."
"Perhaps but unfortunately they will have to survive this battle without you."
"What the hell are you saying, old man? Are you going to try to stop us?" Blaine clenched his fists, ready for a fight.
Jijimon let out a slight chuckle. "If my goal was to defeat you, all four of you would be dead by now. The reason you cannot help your friends is because you cannot leave the Digi-world."
"WHAT?" the foursome exclaimed simultaneously.
"Shortly after you entered the Digi-world the 4 Harmonious Ones sealed the divide between the Digi-world and the real world."
"What does that mean?" Trey knew the answer before he had even asked the question; however, he hoped he was wrong.
"It means no one may leave the Digital World and no one may enter the Digital World," Jijimon's expression – one could only presume judging by the tone of his voice – was grim. "In an attempt to stop Piedmon from sending any more digimon through to the real world, the Harmonious Ones sealed the divide but somehow Piedmon has counteracted their power; now only he is able to send digimon across the divide."
"How could he do that? Aren't the Harmonious Ones meant to be all powerful?" Blaine had heard tales describing the awesome might of the 4 Harmonious Ones who were the guardians of the four compass regions of the Digital World.
"That is what concerns me the most…he must be more powerful than anyone suspected."
"Can't the Harmonious Ones just unseal the divide?" Trey was getting more anxious by the second; every moment he wasted in the Digi-world meant one more moment that he wouldn't be there for his friends when they needed him the most. I was such a fool to leave them without a digimon that could digivolve! Now they're practically defenseless! He mentally chastised himself for his lack of foresight and poor judgment. He had to get back to his friends, to his sister…to Isis. He'd made a promise that he intended to keep.
"Unfortunately no; Piedmon has seen to that," Jijimon sighed. "You are trapped here."
"Screw this!" Trey quickly reached into his pocket for his cellphone and texted a message as quickly as his fingers would allow him. "Hopefully I we can still communicate with the others." He knew it was a long shot but he had to try.
"Why is Piedmon doing all of this? What are these zodiac stones and why is he looking for them?" ChibiLeomon, true to form, was resigned to the fact that they were trapped in the Digi-world and was now trying to make sense their current situation.
"Follow me; I have much to tell you."
(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)(-o-)
So here's the 3rd chapter and I'm hoping things are starting to come together…but if not chapter 4 is sure to fill in the missing gaps.
Okay so this chapter wasn't incredibly exciting what with the lack of action and excessive dialogue but it had to be done to set the scene for what's to follow. I was going to fuse the content of the next chapter and this chapter into one but then I thought the chapter would be way too long. In the next chapter I hope to strike a balance between action and explanation.
TTFN…PEACE, LOVE, and MORE TOLERANCE!