(A note from Blahmon: I fixed some grammar mistakes and decided to change Noah's dialogue. Since this chapter introduces Liz and Noah, I originally wanted to make their voices memorable. Noah's standard voice is that of a stereotypical surfer from the nineties. His slang is an act around strangers, so when he gets to know Dev better later on, his voice will sound more normal. This chapter also introduces the Big Bad of the series, the happily evil Devimon. As always, stay classy!)
Tokyo Metropolitan Government building: 4 PM JST
"Mr. Yamaki, we've decided to cancel all attempts at warning the United States," said an unseen man on the other side of a video screen. Mr. Yamaki shuddered as he sat in an empty conference room inside the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building.
A day had passed since he warned "The Chairman", his superior, of a digital threat in the United States. After much deliberation between the Chairman and a board of Japan's government officials, it was a well known fact to Yamaki that the final answer would depend on the Chief Cabinet Secretary's decision.
"What? If I may ask, Mr. Chairman, why have you chosen to not warn them?" asked Yamaki. He took off his shades as he stuck his right hand into his pocket to mess with his lighter. The man on the TV screen was covered in shadow. Nevertheless, the man's black suit and matching hat could be seen.
"Well, after discussing the matter with the board, it was decided logically to leave the matter to the Chief Cabinet Secretary", replied the Chairman. "I received word that he contacted the President and that the decision to act on our intelligence has been denied. Frankly, the President doesn't believe that these anomalies actually exist. I'm starting to have doubts myself."
Yamaki growled after hearing the Chairman's verdict. "With all due respect, Mr. Chairman, this is a matter of life and death. It doesn't matter what you believe sir, they do exist. Our Yugoth program has deleted dozens of them already. Many innocent lives are at stake if we do not warn them."
"And I'm telling you that the Americans can handle it. Remember what country you're in Yamaki. If the Americans found out about Hypnos and our operation, we would be in hot water with the UN. As of right now, you will report all similar activities of the ones mentioned to the Chief Secretary or myself personally and no one else. The Americans will discover their problem soon enough. Do I make myself clear?" replied the Chairman with an even louder voice than Yamaki's. Frustrated, Yamaki gritted his teeth as he bowed.
"Yes sir, Mr. Chairman. Now what is our next primary objective?"
The Chairman answered coldly, "The next objective for Hypnos is to prevent these so-called anomalies from breaching the network and invading home territory. All other 'wild ones' in other nations—if they even find a way—will be dealt with by their own respective militaries. Find them and find a way to destroy them. Remember Yamaki, Hypnos does not officially exist and neither do they."
"Yes sir," replied Yamaki as he placed his shades back on.
"Oh, and another thing", said the Chairman as the screen began to fade, "make sure the public knows nothing about the situation. Any cover story you come up with has to go through me first, understand?"
"Yes Mr. Chairman," said Yamaki as sweat fell down his brow.
As the conference ended, Yamaki slammed the door and made his way to the Grid room. Riley and Tally were monitoring network activity throughout Japan as usual while the scientists and analysts in the other rooms analyzed data on the rest of the world's servers. One of the scientists held a clipboard in his hand as he ran towards an irritated boss.
"Sir, two wild ones have bio-emerged in Manhattan three minutes ago. That's a total of fifty in one week," reported Dr. Lewis as he approached Yamaki. Grimacing, Yamaki paused before turning to face the scientist. A calm, yet ominous expression was on Yamaki's face as he coldly responded.
"That's no longer Hypnos' problem Doctor. The Americans are on their own now..."
...
Manhattan, NY: Atari Academy High School: 8:12 AM EDT
Earlier that day in the United States
Devon raised his head up abruptly as the instructor slammed a book against his desk with a thud.
"I see that woke you up, Mr. Norris," said Mr. Neeson, his face blazing red.
Oh no, I fell asleep and now I'm in trouble, thought Devon. The majority of the class chuckled and laughed as Devon struggled to figure out what was going on. Devon looked around to gather his bearings.
"Now that you're awake, what is the answer to the question on the board?" asked the professor.
Looking at the chalkboard, he could tell that there was a scribbled drawing of some country on the chalkboard.
Mr. Neeson's drawings are impossible to understand! What class is this anyways? he thought. Beside Devon sat Dillion, who was chewing his fingernails in anticipation. Mr. Neeson had a knack for calling students out whenever they weren't paying attention. That was what Dillion had told him earlier that week. Dev's mind wandered as he lost focus once again…
(The following is Devon's recollection of his time with Sam last chapter)
It had been three days since Devon's first day at Atari Academy. His mom bought his uniform and gave him money for a haircut, ending his amazing afro that took so many years to grow. Fortunately, the young teen's shaved head highlighted his mature appearance, further attracting the attention of the girls at school.
Since the confrontation with Crash, Devon had won over the popularity of the school, except for some of Crash's most loyal friends. There was a rumor that Crash switched schools after the embarrassment dealt by Dev's words. The other bullies that BlackAgumon scared that day disregarded the incident as a mirage, which was actually true. Dev's Digimon could use his shadow form to create illusions in order to place himself within his tamer's shadow or occasionally take on a fearsome appearance.
However, despite his new respect and adoration from the other students as well as his current dilemma, all Dev could think about was Samantha and her partner Digimon. That night they met in Central Park, Devon and Sam talked for hours about their adventures. After their fight with MadLeomon, the two of them and Lopmon sat in a quiet diner and talked. BlackAgumon was in shadow form and in perfect sync with Devon's own shadow to hide in plain sight. Sam held Lopmon on her lap as if she was a doll.
The two Tamers spoke with each other for hours, excited at meeting another Tamer. While Samantha had reluctantly seen her fair share of Digimon fights, Devon had simpler adventures with his BlackAgumon before moving to New York. It was his mom's promotion to head chef at a restaurant and catering business that led to his move into New York City. After Devon had told his whole story to Sam, she told him some of hers. She was the daughter of two upper class socialites. Her mother was a real estate agent for one of the biggest real estate agency in New York while her father was a co-founder of an architecture firm. Her parents were hardly ever home, so she and Lopmon could freely talk with one another. Her chauffer, Mr. Sykes, took her to school and looked after her while her parents were away.
Sam kept Lopmon's existence a secret from everyone except for her other Tamer friends. Devon, on the other hand, told his mother about BlackAgumon's existence shortly after he first hatched from a Digi-egg.
"And she believed you?" asked Sam with a questioning look.
"Yeah. My mom's cool with it. She's always been kind of crazy about aliens in space and all that. She thinks he's some kind of an alien even though I keep telling her he's a Digimon. My mom even makes food for him, although she can't get his name right," said Devon.
Sam laughed. "Well it is kind of a mouthful," replied Sam. "What did you say his name was again? Belugamon?"
"Close. It's BlackAgumon. You know, like Agumon from the show. It's just he's black, so it's a completely different species," answered Dev with a smile as Sam giggled and shrugged in response.
"To tell you the truth, I never watched the show when I was a kid, but my friend Noah said it was awesome."
Devon widened his eyes in surprise. "Are you kidding me? That show was the bomb! First season was by far the best, although the second and third season come close. After that, the show kind of got weird. By the way, we're in the same school right? What classes are you taking?" Devon looked at his feet as his shadow began to dance under the dim light in response to their order being brought up...
Back to reality...
"Earth to Dev! Pay attention!" yelled the angry Mr. Neeson. The class were no longer laughing at Dev's daydreaming; they were now starting to feel sorry for him. Dev widened his eyes, realizing he was daydreaming again. Dillion had both of his hands in his mouth for fear that he would say something to Dev and get detention. No one could help a daydreamer in class without feeling 's wrath. Sighing, the teacher spoke again, his face returning to its usual pale color.
"Just try to pay attention in class. That's all I ask of everyone here. Well let's get back to the lesson, class. The Dutch traders took the slaves and…" said Mr. Neeson as Dev's mind inevitably continued wandering to the time he spoke with Sam at their last meeting...
Another daydream...
"And then I called the jerk 'beautiful' in tagalog, the Filipino language. Then everybody freaked out after that," said Dev as he recounted his story of the previous day to Sam that night at the diner. Sam widened her eyes with wonder.
"That was amazing, Devon! You standing up to the most popular boy in school must have been tough. Hopefully when Crash graduates, he won't be a problem anymore," added Sam. Dev thought of telling her about the incident in the alley with Crash's buddies but thought better of it.
"Yeah. Then you and the rest of the school won't have to put up with it," said Dev.
"Actually, I'm going to graduate next year as well," replied Sam.
"No way!" Devon shouted, "But we're both 14, right? How are you a senior when I'm a freshman?" he asked Sam after Sam told him of her academic successes.
"That's easy. It's because she's smarter than you, moron," joked Lopmon. Sam's face widened with surprise at her Digimon's rudeness.
"Lopmon! Don't say things like that!" growled Sam. Both Devon's and Sam's faces were red—Sam's with embarrassment and Dev's with concern from the fact that they were not alone at the diner. Lopmon lowered her ears.
"I'm sorry Mr. Norris. That was rude of me. Sam's not smart at all," said a half-apologetic Lopmon.
"Why you little…!" yelled Sam as she jokingly chased the chuckling Lopmon around the diner. Luckily, the three other half-awake people in the diner were too busy eating to notice the rabbit-like Digimon toddling past them.
As Samantha carried Lopmon in her arms back to the table, the young girl checked the clock on the wall. It was already three 'o' clock in the morning.
Wow, time flies when you're having fun, Samantha thought. "It's getting kind of late. It was nice meeting you, and thanks for helping me back there. See you at school tomorrow-er, I guess today?" asked Samantha as she packed up her bag and placed Lopmon inside.
"No problem. It was nice meeting another Tamer. I'll see you tomorrow, Samantha," replied Dev as he shook her hand.
"Just call me Sam. All of my friends do," reminded Samantha as her face blushed red at the sight of Dev's hand touching hers. At this moment, both knew they had found someone close to talk to.
Back at the present, the bell rang as Mr. Neeson struggled to keep the class inside.
"Wait! You all have to hear about the Amistad! It will be on tomorrow's pop quiz!" exclaimed a frustrated Mr. Neeson as the class raced out the doorway like roadrunners. The entire class, including Dev and Dillion made it through the small doorway in nearly two seconds flat. Mr. Neeson face-palmed his balding forehead as he let out another sigh. "I'm getting too old for this sh-"
The rest of the day went by much quicker as Dev spoke to Dillion about his plans to meet Sam again, leaving the part about Digimon. The day after Dev saw Sam for the first time, they had met at the cafeteria for lunch. Unfortunately, Dillion wasn't there to meet her that first time because of a cotton candy-related emergency dentist appointment. The third and fourth day, Sam had not spoken to Dev at all, worrying him. In fact, Dev wasn't sure if he had seen her lately. When lunch started, both boys walked over to their hangout table next to the exit. As the two boys sat at the dinner table with Dev's other new friends, they talked about random things. As always, Dillion did all of the talking while Dev did the thinking.
"Dude, when can I meet your new girlfriend? Is she hotter than Ms. Gordon? I doubt it," asked Dev's hyper friend.
"She's not my girlfriend! And no, she's not. Besides, we only met twice," Dev responded as he covered his red cheeks.
"Hiya!" said a perky familiar voice behind Dev as hands covered his eyes. Dev, surprised, jumped and turned around. It was Sam alright, smiling as always. She wore the standard school uniform like all of the other girls, yet she stood out above the rest somehow. To Dev, she looked like an innocent, shining angel.
"Hey Samantha, um, what's goin on?" was all Dev could muster with his boyish charm.
"Oh, not much. Sorry I haven't met with you afterschool in the last couple of days. Homework gets pretty tough."
"No sweat. Tell me about it. I was busy too," lied Dev sheepishly as Dillion stuffed his face with spaghetti nearby. Dev looked over to Dillion who nervously lowered his face shyly from the attention of the two of them.
"By the way, Sam, have you met my friend Dillion? He's in my history class with Mr. Neeson," said Dev, trying to introduce his two new friends. Sam frowned as Dillion hid under the table, shivering.
"Um...yeah, I've seen him before in the hallways. Is he always like this?"
"Not really, just when he meets someone beautiful," replied Dev with increasing bravery. Sam blushed, but not as much as Dev had expected.
"Aww, that's so sweet! Speaking of introducing people, I talked it over with my friend Noah and he wants to meet you after school," said Sam.
Dev paused for a second. Is she trying to hook me up with a guy, worried Dev.
"For what exactly?" asked Dev, trying not to sound too anxious.
"Oh, you know what. Taming!" replied Sam with enthusiasm not unlike Dillion's.
"Uhhh, sure, sounds good. See you at the flagpole after fourth period?"
"Awesome! See you then!" exclaimed Sam as she left to join her friends on the other side of the cafeteria. After she was gone, Dillion rose back up to his seat and resumed eating.
"Dude! What was that all about? She thought you were weird!" said Dev, slightly embarrassed but mostly sympathetic at Dillion's awkwardness.
"I can't help it dude. Did you see how cute she was? She's like an angel," Dillion replied. Dev nodded in agreement, careful to let his true feelings slip out if he were to speak. He didn't want to lose face in front of the other guys sitting at their table.
Suddenly, someone on the other end of the table chuckled. "You goin 'taming' after school with that nerd? Is that what they're calling it now?" mocked one of the older kids at the table. Dev recognized the guy as Malcolm, one of the bullies in Crash's posse that tried to hurt him days ago. The rest of the table guffawed into laughter as Dillion gazed at Dev, anticipating a comeback.
"Yeah, and guess what? Your mother's coming too," Dev calmly replied. The table was louder now, with praise and hoots spreading across the cafeteria.
Malcolm, the receiving end of the insult angrily stood up. "My mother is a saint, dirtbag! How dare you!?" Dev backed away for his safety as more students hollered.
Me and my big mouth, thought Dev. "Perhaps I didn't think this one through."
As the angry jock approached him, balling his fists, an arm came out of nowhere and blocked his path.
"And what do you plan on doing to Dev here, Mr. Malcolm?" asked Mr. Neeson. The student gulped.
"Nothing sir, sorry sir, won't happen again sir," squealed the student as he scurried back to his seat.
"I thought as much. Perhaps you should keep your mouth shut next time you throw insults around. That goes for you too, Mr. Norris,"said Mr. Neeson. If Dev wasn't so unsure of his own fate, he'd be smiling at Malcolm's talkdown. The whole crowd murmured then grew silent as Mr. Neeson faced them. "And the rest of you can shut your mouths! There will be no more fights around here, as long as I have anything to say about it. Understood?" Some of the students mumbled, others kept their heads down. Although he was a new student, Dev knew that Mr. Neeson meant business when he got loud. "Malcolm, meet me in the principal's office after school. The both of you, have a wonderful day", said Mr. Neeson as he exited the cafeteria.
The cafeteria soon returned to normalcy while Dev's table joked around at Dev's save and Malcolm's punishment. Dev could see Sam on the other side of the room laughing with her friends about the ordeal. Dev chuckled to himself, thinking that maybe Mr. Neeson wasn't such a boring guy after all. Dillion, on the other hand, was still frozen with fear from witnessing such a confrontation up close.
"I think I just wet myself, dude," muttered Dillion. Hearing this, Dev sighed.
"Next time, dude, just keep that to yourself."
...
After school, Dev and Dillion stood by the flagpole beside the road leading away from the school. Many school buses passed by as the day grew windy. To Dev's surprise, a black limousine pulled up at the curb next to him. The passenger side window lowered, revealing Sam behind the tinted glass. Dev's mouth dropped.
"No way! Your parents let you ride a limo?" asked a bewildered Devon.
Sam giggled. "Of course! Lots of students' parents can afford them, what about your's?"
Dev shuddered at the thought. Without his dad, Dev's mom worked hard to barely get him enrolled at Atari Academy High School. Everything changed when his father died in Iraq six years ago. Tears nearly rolled down his cheek at the sting of such a memory.
Sam frowned. "I didn't mean-"
"-It's okay," interrupted Dev. "Let's just go."
Sam smiled again, reluctant to say anything else. "Okay, hop in," she said. Dillion jumped for joy behind Dev, much to their surprise.
"I never rode in one of these before! This'll be great!" yelled Dillion. Dev stopped him before he could hop in.
"Sorry dude, but Sam and I were going to ride together by ourselves. I hope you understand…" said Dev.
Dillion's expression changed from excitement to disappointment, to realization. "It's alright, I get it. You two lovebirds need some space. I see what you mean. Good luck 'taming' or whatever," said Dillion as he ran off.
"Wait! It's not like that, we…" was all Dev could manage before Dillion strangely skipped away. Dev sighed and got into the car.
"Dev, meet Mr. Sykes," Sam said to Dev. Dev said a respectful hello to the driver as the gentleman did the same.
The car ride was long and tenuous thanks to Manhattan traffic, but thanks to Mr. Sykes, the limo weaved in and out of traffic without too much of a problem. Sam and Dev talked about their day dealing with classes during the whole trip. Dev felt guilty about not letting Dillion ride with them, but both he and Sam knew why.
"You didn't tell him about your Digimon, did you?" asked Sam questioningly. Dev shook his head, shocked. Even though their Digimon were a secret, Sam spoke about it around Mr. Sykes as if he wasn't listening.
"I figured I didn't know him well enough and besides, he's probably better off not knowing," said Devon. "I mean, who knows what he'd do if he found out his card game was real, you know?"
"I know what you mean. Only Noah and I know about Lopmon, besides a few need-to-know people. Not even my parents know," replied Sam.
"Well, my mom knows about it ever since the time she caught BlackAgumon eating the sofa. The secret didn't stay hidden too long. Some of my friends back at home even-" said Devon, who was cut off as the car stopped. "We're here," said Sam cheerfully, eager to show him around.
Dev looked out the car's tinted windows to see that he was at Coney Island.
Amazing, he thought. Palm trees, nice houses, and the ocean could be seen. Dev and Sam both got out of the vehicle as Mr. Sykes opened the trunk. "I thought you might want this," replied the driver as the trunk door opened, revealing Lopmon inside.
"Air! Finally," yelled the rabbit Digimon as she inhaled deeply. Sam picked her up off of the ground.
"Thank you, Mr. Sykes. You may go. I'll call you when I need you," said Sam. With that, the gentleman bowed with respect and drove away.
"Why did he bring Lopmon and why is she allowed to talk around him if he doesn't know about Digimon?" asked Dev, still mesmerized by the beautiful sights on Surf Avenue.
They passed the Cyclone, the famous rollercoaster that had been in Coney Island for generations. The massive structure towered over the stores and fancy houses.
"I told Mr. Sykes that Lopmon is a speaking doll from Japan, which is about half true," said Sam. "Besides, it gets lonesome at the apartment when nobody's home," Lopmon added. Sam hugged her Digimon tight and Lopmon laughed as a result.
Dev smiled at the bond that the two of them shared. His Digimon is usually too distracted for moments like that. The two of them entered a large shop titled, Coney Island Barber Shop. To Dev's surprise, this was not a barber shop at all. Aisles upon aisles were loaded with beach equipment, surf boards, and swim wear. A young man a few years older than Dev stood at the register helping a customer. As the customer paid and left, the young man turned to Sam.
"Sam, long time no see! And you're the gnarly tamer I've been hearing about?" asked the cashier.
"Noah, this is Devon. Devon, this is Noah. We're all tamers here," said Sam. The two guys shook hands. The young man looked a little older than Dev, maybe sixteen or older. He had a sunburned red face with blue eyes and long, wavy blonde hair that ran down the sides of his head. Some of the locks of hair covered his head and eyes as well. To Dev, Noah's long, wavy hair reminded him of his own former afro.
"Sam told me about you. That you saved her from a crazy one at Central Park a couple of days ago, and that you were handsome," joked Noah with a grin.
"Did not! Well, the saving thing yes," said Sam. Lopmon giggled, then jumped out of Sam's arms to run around the shop. No one was in the shop other than the four of them, so Sam wasn't that worried. Outside, tourists were occupied taking pictures of the houses. Meanwhile, Noah went over to the door and locked it before placing the "We're Closed" sign on the door.
"Sorry about that, I'm the only one working here today so I can't leave the register unless we're closed. So...yeah," Noah sheepishly declared. To this, Dev wondered what kind of store would let this lazy guy run it.
"Noah runs this beach shop with his uncle Joe," answered Sam as if she read Dev's mind.
"That's right, dude. This awesome shop has been here for generations. It's got its own radical history here at Coney Island. I kinda moved here from California last summer and been helping my uncle with the place, you know?" replied Noah. He grinned sheepishly, proud of his work. Devon admired him already.
"So, why is this called Coney Island Barber Shop anyway? I mean-" asked Devon before being cut off by Noah.
"-Barber is my family's last name, dude," answered Noah, prepared for the usual response. Dev laughed at the realization.
"Wait, so your name is…"
"Noah Barber? Yeah he gets that a lot", interrupted Lopmon as she hopped onto Noah's head.
"My dad's a funny guy, my man. Humor kinda runs in the family, you know?" said Noah before tossing Lopmon into the air like a baseball.
"By the way, wanna see my Digimon? He's actually pretty gnarly so watch out for his teeth," warned Noah.
"Sure! I would love to!" answered Devon enthusiastically.
The four of them left the store to a small pond near the backside of the building facing the ocean. The pond looked shallow and manmade, about twenty feet long and twenty feet wide to Dev. Noah handed Lopmon to Sam as he kneeled down and dipped his head into the water. As Noah pulled his head back out of the water, a little green Digimon found itself latched on.
"Devocity, meet Betamon! Betamon, meet my man, Dev," said Noah. Dev was puzzled at this revelation. A laidback surfer boy running a Coney Island beach shop on his own with a strange Digimon living in a pond next to the ocean? Noah's casual behavior around extreme circumstances continued to amaze Dev.
"Hi, Betamon. It's nice to meet you," said Dev as he tried to shake his fin. The amphibian Digimon hid its face in Noah's hair. It was obviously not used to talking to strangers. If it weren't for the huge red dorsal fin on Betamon's head and his spiked feet, the little guy would have been perfectly hidden in Noah's unkept hair.
As the afternoon was nearing to a close, the three teenagers laughed as Lopmon and Betamon played in the water.
"I keep him here while I'm working so that people won't see him. Besides, the ocean is too dangerous for him," Noah mentioned to Dev when he asked why Betamon lives in the small pond.
"The rest of the day, he sleeps with me at home or the store's basement here," added Noah while pointing towards the shop.
"Which reminds me," said Sam as she went on, "Noah takes in stray-". She was interrupted as Noah signaled her to shush up.
"I'll tell you about it later, my man, when we get to know you better," said Noah. Confused, Dev just nodded.
The gang chatted some more about their everyday lives and Noah began to tell Dev about their adventures.
"We don't always fight them, you know, the wild Digimon. Most of them are just kinda lost anyway, you know? But the ones thatact all crazy? That's when Sam and me gotta do something," said Noah. Dev grew interested in Noah and Sam's struggle against the Digimon threat.
"How long have you had your Digimon and how long have you fought these things in New York? I mean, have y'all been able to digivolve yet?" asked Dev. Noah and Sam looked to each other before she shook her head.
"Noah and me received our Digimon about a month ago. We kept our's secret from each other until Lopmon forgot she was supposed to be a doll around other people. When Noah found out, he told me about his Digimon. We've been working together ever since," she replied.
"Besides, me and Sam were bros and brahs a long time before we had our Digimon. Her dad and mine were college roomies, so she's been like a brah to me as we grew up together. And like, no, Sam hasn't been able to digivolve Lopmon yet. Betamon doesn't really do much besides swim around," replied Noah. With that, he placed his arm around Sam's shoulder and the two of them smiled. "What about you? What's your story?" he asked.
Dev took a deep breath before he spoke. "Well it's kind of a long story. I've known BlackAgumon for about a month but it feels like it's been longer because when my father was alive, he gave me a Digimon card of Black-" said Dev until he was loudly interrupted by a loud beeping sound coming from Sam and Noah's pockets.
"Sorry to interrupt, bro, but right now we have a brew of trouble!" declared Noah. He pulled out his green D-Power which made a beeping sound similar to the one Dev heard coming from his own D-Power at the time when MadLeomon struck Central Park. Both Lopmon and Betamon growled as if they had become feral animals, their pupils blazing white. Sam's pink D-Power beeped too.
"We got a crazy one west of here near Astroland. We better go check it out," said Sam. Dev attempted to grab his D-Power but remembered something more important.
"Uh oh," said Dev. "I didn't bring Black with me because we just left school. What am I supposed to do?"
"That's alright, bro. You are in the circumference of what you can call processionals," said Noah with a grin as he tried to sound smart.
"I think he means that we're professionals at fighting Digimon. Let us handle this," added Lopmon as she climbed on Sam's shoulder.
"As much as I don't like Lopmon fighting, she's right. We have to do something if people are in danger," said Sam with a look of nervousness on her face. Dev nodded as the five of them ran outside towards the incoming fog.
Meanwhile, a dark purple mass of eyes loomed over the roof of a nearby fast food joint as it spied the three Tamers intently. With no discernible mouth, it whispered "Soon…"
Five minutes later, Dev found himself alone as he stopped past the Cyclone. He had sprinted practically a thousand yards past the direction Sam and Noah were running to. Behind him, Lopmon and Noah were yelling for him to slow down. He could barely see in this digital fog. It was foggy everywhere and difficult to run in. Cars lined up the streets of Coney Island while a crowd was gathering around the traffic. Cars on the streets had apparently stalled due to the strange white fog, perplexing the drivers.
Many people went indoors as the fog grew thicker and more alive, but to Dev, Surf Avenue was still packed with people. Suddenly, Dev heard a woman scream as a looming dark figure materialized in the fog.
To Dev's horror, the large monster began to smash cars about fifty feet in front of him. Although visibility was low, hearing was not. Dev could hear blood curdling screams of dozens of people as more cars were knocked over. Dev couldn't tell if people were inside the smashed cars or not. Not knowing made it worse as his fear took over his imagination.
As the creature grew closer, its features became more pronounced. The beast was reptilian as far as Dev could tell. It had four legs that it lumbered about with and a metallic spiked pauldron on its right shoulder. The creature stood about fifteen feet tall with his hind legs and had yellow scaly skin with rippling muscles. The beast had a long, metal-tipped tail and an iron helmet-like structure on his head. The yellow-orange creature also had sharp teeth and claws on each of its hands and feet. Two of the most distinguishable features were the creature's one eye and abnormally large right arm.
As the crowd screamed and ran, Dev stood still next to the rollercoaster ride. The reptile observed a coaster ride along the tracks. This made it very angry for some reason to Dev's chagrin. With a loud bellowing roar, the beast charged towards Dev.
What do I do? thought Dev with fright. The monster swung its overgrown arm like a hammer, knocking cars and trucks out of its path as it let out a blood curdling scream of its own. The monster was coming for Dev. No, it was after the Cyclone ride behind him. Dev stood his ground, knowing that he had to do something to protect that roller coaster.
I've got to protect those people on the roller coaster from that thing or else they will die up there, thought Devon, letting out a low yelp and bracing for impact as the beast raised its overgrown hammer arm.
"Hey ugly! Over here! yelled Noah as he and Sam had caught up with the two of them. The Cyclops turned its ugly head towards the two as Dev stood frozen, both frightened and steadfast at the same time. Sam's eyes went wide as she saw the beast up close.
"Oh my God. Dev! Get away from him!" screamed Sam as Lopmon's ears expanded. Lopmon rose into the sky like a balloon.
"Don't worry I got it. BLAZING ICE!" yelled Lopmon from above. The rabbit Digimon shot super-cooled air out of her mouth, leaving a cold frost on the Cyclops' large arm. The yellow menace merely scraped the frost off with its other arm in response to Lopmon's attack.
"Woops, that wasn't enough. I'm gonna need a Power card, but I left my cards at home. Noah?!" yelled Sam.
"Alright B-man it's up to you. Go for it!" Noah exclaimed as he took Betamon off of his head and placed him on the ground near Dev and the beast. The beast took its attention off of Lopmon and stared Betamon down. Betamon let out a gulp.
"YEEEARRRGGGHHHH!" screamed the Cyclops in his little face. Betamon then cried and crawled away like a turtle back to Noah.
"Well, I'm out of ideas. Dev?" said Noah as Dev shrugged in response. The beast let out a raspy laugh as it raised its arm and swiped Lopmon out of the sky. She descended and crashed onto the pavement beside Noah and Betamon. The beast turned around and picked up Dev with its shorter arm. "Hey let me go!" shouted Dev.
"Dev No!" yelled Sam. The beast opened its massive jaws and Dev could see that he was being moved towards the Cyclops' jagged teeth. The monster was planning to eat him. Dev let out a deep yell as the creature nearly closed its jaws over his head.
Suddenly, behind the Cyclops, a gust of wind smacked the beast so hard that it dropped Dev to the ground.
"Oof," muttered Dev as he hit the ground on his back. Noah helped him up as they went back to Sam and the others. "You alright?" asked Sam and Noah. "I think so," muttered Dev as he turned to look at the Cyclops.
A pink bird was circling around the beast, shooting green flames as it soared gracefully through the sky. Across the street from the gang, a girl with bright red hair stood beside a broken street light. She was facing the beast while the other people were still fleeing amidst the fog that was only just now dissipating thanks to the bird Digimon's gusts.
"No way! A Biyomon," said a bewildered Sam, while her D-Power displayed the stats and image of the pink bird. "That girl must be its tamer", said Noah as he and Dev watched.
The red headed girl looked at her own red D-Power which displayed the data of her opponent. "Hmm, Cyclonemon, the Dragonman Digimon. Champion level, virus type. This one looks easy enough. Beebee, aim for the head," yelled the girl with a strange, husky voice. Meanwhile, Biyomon dodged one of the creature's swings as she fluttered behind it.
"SPIRAL TWISTER!" screamed Biyomon as green flames spiraled out of her open beak. The attack made a direct hit to the creature's head, but it barely dented the surface of the monster's helmet.
The creature roared with agitation as it swung its arm again, this time with more force.
"Arrrmm Bomberrr," hissed the creature as it spoke for the first time. Cyclonemon's larger arm punched Biyomon into the back of a pickup truck.
"It can talk, who knew?" muttered the red headed girl. "It doesn't matter. Beebee, show no mercy." With that said, she swiped a card against her D-Power. "Digimodify! Hyper Chip activate."
This card-slash increased the injured Digimon's power by 10% and both the tamer and her Digimon knew it. Biyomon screeched in pain as she got back up and used her Double Fire attack on Cyclonemon. This attack caused considerably more damage as it knocked the beast backwards.
"Hypperrrr hhhheaaattt!" hissed the beast as molten lava poured out of his mouth towards the parked pickup Biyomon was standing on. Biyomon barely hopped out of the way in time to miss the attack. The truck soon melted onto the pavement from the extreme heat. The beast hissed again as more lava flames shot out of its mouth towards the Digimon.
As Noah and Sam tended to their Digimon's wounds, Dev watched in awe as the unknown tamer and her Biyomon displayed great teamwork in fighting the beast. The streets now clear from pedestrians, Biyomon was luring the beast's attacks on empty vehicles in an effort to tire the monster out.
As the bird Digimon soared around cars, the girl was swiping a number of cards in her D-Power to boost speed and power at the same time.
"Amazing" was all Dev could say as Biyomon quickly tired the monster out. The creature had melted nearly every empty vehicle in the block.
Panting, the beast coughed one last puff of smoke before resorting to its fists. It had all but forgotten to attack the Cyclone ride already after chasing Biyomon around the street.
"Now Biyomon! Aim for its legs this time," yelled the girl. Biyomon let out its card-enhanced Double Fire attack on Cyclonemon's knees, cracking both like twigs. The beast cried out in pain as it fell on all fours. Next, Biyomon flew above the creature and shot more green flames at the creatures exposed back. Data burst from the monster's spine as it fell to the ground, finished. Cyclonemon was defeated.
All three Tamers' jaws dropped as they saw the events unfold before them. A rookie Digimon enhanced by a Tamer's cards and commands managed to defeat a champion Digimon that was previously knocking cars out of its way like dominoes. The girl and her Digimon had defeated Cyclonemon without even having to Digivolve. The remainder of the monster soon turned to dust and went to Biyomon, absorbing to get stronger.
"Great job Beebee, now let's get out of here," said the girl as they turned to leave.
"Wait!" yelled Noah as he and Devon ran across the battered street towards her. The girl sighed and faced them.
"What do you want, boys? I don't give out autographs," said the girl, smirking with pride at her recent win.
"We just wanted to say thanks for stopping that monster. You saved my life and we could use your help," said Dev. The girl's face seemed annoyed at Dev's gratitude.
"Look, I wasn't trying to save anybody okay? Beebee and I are going to be the very best and fighting these things seem to be the right way to do that. I'm not interested in joining any lame parades so just stay out of my way or else!" shouted the girl as she ran into the nearby fog with Biyomon.
"Hey wait!" yelled Dev and Noah but it was too late. The fog disappeared shortly afterwards.
"Dude, she totally just left us," said Noah.
"I know. I was there," replied Dev in frustration.
As the two went back to Sam and their Digimon, a police siren could be heard.
"Let's get out of here before anyone sees us!" cried Sam. With that, the trio ran with Lopmon and Betamon in hand back to the shop. The fog gone, people began to exit the buildings and circle around the wreckage, wondering in disbelief at what had just occurred.
...
Later that evening:
In a dark dungeon somewhere underground New York, the multi-eyed Digimon covered in shadows bowed to a much taller figure sitting on a throne covered with skulls. The smaller Digimon spy fearfully reported recent events in the city to his commanding officer as dozens of ominous silhouettes watched from the surrounding shadows.
"Cyclonemon Has Failed His Mission And Has Been Deleted, Commander Devimon," concluded the purple cloud of eyes as its disembodied voice stressed every beginning syllable of its words.
"Who was it this time, Shademon? The Biyomon, Lopmon, Betamon, or that scoundrel Dobermon?" replied Devimon, with a lack of emotion in his voice and face.
Shademon shook his shadowy imitation of a head. "Negative, My Lord. A Human Boy Interfered With Cyclonemon's Attack On The Targeted Construct And The Lopmon Tamer As Well As The Betamon Tamer Joined The Fray. The Biyomon Tamer Did Destroy Cyclonemon, But Not Without The Help Of The Others," replied Shademon, his eyes blinking red.
Devimon let out a maniacal laugh. "Well how about that? That is the eighth agent this month deleted by those humans. The humans are assembling faster than expected. It looks like we are going to have to accelerate our plans after all."
With that, Shademon, Devimon, and the collection of shadowy Digimon around them laughed evilly. A spiderlike Digimon stood next to Shademon and hissed as it waited for its master's next order.
"It looks like you'll be eating more humans soon, my pet," said Devimon towards the creature. He turned to Shademon. "Continue surveillance on the enemy, Shademon, until the opportunity to strike arises," commanded Devimon.
"As... You Wish," was all Shademon whispered as he bowed with respect to his commander. Shademon soon disappeared in a cloud of black and purple smoke as he floated out of the chamber.
The horned demon of a Digimon smiled, eager to fill his chamber with the blood of his human enemies.
TO BE CONTINUED...
