Chapter 3: Found and Lost

TonosamaGekomon=ShogunGekomon

Insekimon=Meteormon

Matt had decided to start searching from TonosamaGekomon's castle.

That place was a good starting point; there was a river nearby and Matt knew from experience that the first thing you do if you are lost in an unknown dimension is to search for food and water.

Hence he decided to follow the river upstream and have Garurumon search for scents. Izzy agreed with him as his orders of direction were to follow the river, but the wind faced the wrong direction. It was tailwind.

Though they may be faster like this, Garurumon's nose was next to useless. Grarurumon would only notice something when they had already passed it.

That wasn't good enough, yet there was nothing else he could do.

Matt only just refrained from biting his lip in frustration. He could do nothing but be carried around by his partner. When time was so precious and the fate of the entire world lay on their shoulders. Damn…

Matt hated nothing more than helplessness.

He looked around, nothing catching his eye; no leftover campfire, no broken branch, not one trace of human presence. The only things moving through thick branches and over the rich green grass were few Numemon, Otamamon and Gekomon.

His hands were getting sweaty and restlessness almost made him jump down from Garurumon's back.

Taking a deep breath he cleared his thoughts.

He was going about this all wrong. While Garurumon ran he should be thinking; thinking of other places that someone lost might go to or something someone particularly creative or stupid would do. Back when he arrived in the Digiworld for the first time they were looking for other humans and food most of the time.

So ideal places to search would be cities and villages, or just a river like this.

No, wait. What did he know about those children? Maybe they had been in similar situations back in their own dimension. That could make a difference in their actions.

No, this was wrong, too. He didn't know enough about them to make assumptions in the first place. They represent an element each. For all he knew they could be some kind of monsters with human appearances. Or digital humans like Gennai.

Sighing Matt decided to send his questions to Izzy, hoping to find out more, but even if not, Matt's questions might open Izzy's mind to a new direction. Not that he thought so. There was a reason Izzy was called a genius after all.

Still….Representing an element?

Though Matt didn't know what effect representing an element had on the human, he couldn't help but think that it was a pain in the ass. The representative of water... no water was already in the enemy's hands… then fire's might be unable to swim or something. Or he/she might set fire to a forest as soon as he/she stepped into it. Or if that representative business was just based on character like the crests he/she might just be a simple hothead.

Matt smiled at that thought.

That description fit Tai and Davis.

Shuddering he reminded himself to hope it wasn't so. There already were two hotheads in this dimension. Three would definitely fasten the global warming.

Back on track; was it possible that the element affected the location? So fire could either be in some hot place like the desert or -in contrast to the element- somewhere cold or wet. Or the element could have no effect at all and Matt didn't know why or how they came here in the first place. That could affect what they would do, too.

Sighting, Matt sent his thoughts to Izzy again. He pressed the send button just as his D-terminal started peeping.

Matt,

They are Digidestined as well. Different from us. No partners.

Izzy

Matt frowned. No partners? How could one be Digidestined without a partner? Perhaps… he meant the partners weren't here in this dimension?

Separated from the partner and in an unknown Digital World? Matt didn't want to imagine what that would feel like and a chill still ran down his spine just at the thought. Without Gabumon…. No thanks. And targeted by an evil-digimon army? Being the key to victory?

"Garurumon, do you think we stand a chance this time around?"

"No, we don't." Garurumon answered without hesitation or insecurity. Matt looked down at him, questioning. He couldn't see Garurumon's eyes. "But we never stood a chance. And we still won. So don't worry about it, Matt. I'm sure this time we will win as well."

The confidence in his voice made Matt smile. That is how it had always been; Garurumon talking sense into him when he doubted, on the brink of insanity or angered beyond reason.

Suddenly the ground shook violently and seconds later he heard an explosion.

Matt looked ahead, but couldn't see a thing through the trees. Garurumon seemed to have had thought along the same lines as he suddenly made a huge jump, allowing Matt to glance above the trees for a split second.

"There is smoke up ahead! But it's still a few miles away!"

Garurumon doubled his speed and Matt typed the next mail to Izzy this time titled with 'emergency'.

"I still can't smell a thing! Like this we don't even know if it a child!"

Matt heard his own growing frustration mirrored in Garurumon's voice.

But frustration did no good now. He needed to calm down and think. If it really was the enemy and a resisting child he alone didn't stand a chance. Even if Garurumon could evolve to Mega.

"Slow down before we arrive. We need to check the situation out first," Matt said, as a wave of Otamamon, Numemon and Gekomon broke through the trees and scrambled towards them.

Away from the explosion.

Leaning close to Garurumon's back he bowed down, sliding to the side a bit and picked an Otamamon up.

It screeched out loud in surprise.

Matt killed the scream mercilessly by putting a hand over its mouth.

"Calm down. I won't hurt you. I just want to know what happened. Do you know?"

The digimon's eyes were wide and teary with fear, but it nodded once it realized Matt was not hurting it.

"There was this human-"Bingo! But what caught Matt's attention was that the Otamamon seemed ashamed.

"- we explained a lot to him, because he didn't know. He was really nice, but then-" crocodile tears escaped its eyes,"- there was this black Digimon and many Insekimon and they suddenly attacked us and the human said that we should run. We didn't want to, because the human was so nice. But then the human asked what would happen to our partners if we got hurt. And then we ran." Another tear escaping its eyes.

"Don't worry." Matt patted the Otamamon and put on his best reassuring smile despite cursing on the inside. What an Idiot! "We will go and save that human. So you guys just run as far away from here." He dropped the Otamamon back to the ground and focused again.

They were going to arrive shortly, Garurumon was already slowing down. He mailed what he found out to Izzy and added 'I'm confronting the enemy' hoping reinforcements would make it in time.

"We don't need to check the circumstances out anymore, but we still don't know what is happening so stay hidden. You need to go to mega and our priority is the kid. It's hit-and-run."

"Got it." Garurumon slowed down and devolved as soon as Matt got down. "I can smell them."

Nose in the air Gabumon took quiet, carful steps, leading him just behind a bush.

"The next TV is out at the plain." Matt looked at the map of his D-terminal. "We're going to run that way." Gabumon nodded, eyes nailed at the situation hundred feet away.

Small chunks of grass were smoldering in the clearing, the surrounding earth was loosened and uneven, looking almost like it had just fallen from the sky. A few trees were burning and a boy around Matt's age stood unsteady in a crater that had doubtlessly been just crated by an explosion, opposing some Insekimon and a Phelsmon. The Phelsmon, clearly the leader, was flanked by Insekimon, which struck Matt as odd. Insekimon were powerful ultra Digimon, same as Phelsmon. They had no reason to follow an evil Digimon like Phelsmon. Not to mention that their personality was often closer to the rocks they were made of, than sociable creatures.

From this distance Matt couldn't make out any details, but he didn't need to listen to the conversation to know that the boy was fire. The goggles and refusal to run said it all.

-Little earlier-

How did he get himself in this situation?

Oh right, he had to play the hero and let the other Digimon run.

Not that he regretted it, especially after he heard about the partner relation –he wouldn't be able to stand it if something should happen to Agnimon or Virtramon and they agreed with him on this- but he should have known better.

Seriously.

Now Takuya saw himself faced with 5 Insekimon and some guy in a devils costume. With no Digivive. So what now?

"Which one are you? Fire, Light, Wind, Thunder, Ice or Darkness?" The costume digimon asked with a voice that made Takuya remember the nails-over-blackboard noise his homeroom teacher liked to make when the class wasn't paying attention.

"What are you talking about? Fire, Light… and what were the others?" He stopped his count after two fingers, shifting his weight in apparent ignorance and ease" Who are you anyway, you clown?"

Okay, that had not been the right thing to say to escape the situation unscratched. The clown was turning blue –he couldn't get red; that was its natural face color- but Takuya couldn't help it. The Digimon looked ridiculous. And despite the not-funny situation he also couldn't help but grin. Very wide.

What did one call this? Right, adding fuel to the fire.

Oh, the irony.

"Brat! You better hope you are one. If not there is no way I'll let you live!"

Purely out of instinct Takuya raised his arms in defense in front of him.

And not a moment too soon. A whip slashed down on him. Takuya blocked it and avoided a hit to his face and vitals, but the whip's end whipped over his shoulder and ripped in the flesh on his back.

Takuya hissed from pain as the clown slowly pulled the whip back, cutting deep into his flesh with a hook at the whips end.

Takuya felt blood trickle his clothes and drip down into the grass.

It hurt.

The next hit didn't come and he decided to glance between his arms over to the clown.

What he saw gave him goose bumps.

The sadist actually licked his blood of the whip. What a creep! Takuya was about to give him a piece of his mind in an attempt to override his pain with anger, but before he could voice his complains the clown slashed the whip into the grass at its feet.

Leaving a red mark in it.

"Disgusting! This is by far the worst blood I've ever tasted!"

"My pleasure."

Had he actually lost that much blood that even a third contact was still marked in the ruby color? Takuya resisted the urge to take a look at his body; taking his eyes of the enemy is not the best thing to do if one wanted to see the next day. And he most certainly wanted.

The next hit was cutting his left side just above his hip.

This time there was no break. The whip rained down on him, ripping his clothes and skin to shreds.

Takuya clenched his jaw not wanting to give the clown the pleasure of a scream and knowing that voicing his pain wouldn't make it better, but with every hit he felt his conscious fade, retreating into the burning, consuming depth of his mind.

But he was not going to pass out like this.

He'd never give that bastard the pleasure of victory. He had no means to win, but at least he wasn't going to lose either.

Not here in an unknown world.

Not alone.

Not as long as he felt the fire burning.

Not with Agnimon and Vitramon with him. Never! Even if he'd fall to … hell? No, he doubted hell would be too hot for him. If not hell, then what?

Takuya focused on that question, trying to ignore the pain of the slashes and the comforting darkness that threatened to overcome him and the weakness of his knees, the lightness of his head.

Then he glanced up.

There were no longer any slashes challenging his will. What was going on?

"Be grateful. On your knees and beg for mercy." It said.

Takuya stared.

The clown wasn't serious, right? That was sooooo evil-guy cliché. It had to be joking.

"You're stubbornness has impressed me."

Nope, it was serious, but some part of Takuya's mind still thought the clown was joking. This was too much cliché to be true. But then again… if he wanted cliché he could have it. Here went nothing.

"Are your insides as stupid as your outsides?" Takuya managed to comment between his heavy breathing. "What kind of idiot would beg a laughing stock like you for mercy?"

He could almost hear the clown's vein pop. But Takuya was not done yet,

"It would make me look more ridiculous than you and I wouldn't want that. I mean you are what? The holder of the questionable title of most-natural-entertaining-drama queen of the entire Digital World."He felt a smirk creep on his face. The pleasure right now almost made up for all the pain.

"But I have to admit, I don't have as much courage as you." His grin beamed full power. Icing on the cake. "I couldn't wear that kind of costume in public. But then again it is not a costume, is it, you freak?" Takuya knew he had just surrendered his chance to live, but he wouldn't die. Never. The fire was burning bright and blinding and hot and it was full of live.

He watched as the wannabe devil, abnormal calm, pulled out some kind of bottle from its costume. It was small, but filled with some kind of black liquid.

Takuya's instincts flared, but he too far gone, too exhausted to spare them more than a fleeting thought even as the bottle gave him more goose bumps than the one who held it.

It screamed danger at him, but there was nothing Takuya could do about it anymore. His blood was soaking the grass under his feet in a dirty red, and his muscles cramped from pain and stress and loss of blood, his eyes were getting unfocused sucking everything in and yet his mind saw nothing but swirling colors, a cloud of fiendish dark warmth seeped over him lulling his fire, his passion to sleep, and a persistent cold set into his bones.

He shook his head, fighting himself back to consciousness as he watched the dark liquid form a huge black, gleaming sphere. Twice the size of the clown, who lifted the sphere over its head, a sadistic smile making a huge contrast to hating eyes. "Die."

More in protest than anything else Takuya thought he was not going to die.

If anything, he was not going to die.

He refused with every fiber of his being, rejecting the very thought of losing, failing, dying.

He waited for an impact.

But it never came.

Instead the sphere swallowed him like a bubble would.

But even then nothing happened.

Not relaxing, Takuya glanced around. Even the ground he was standing on had been swallowed and he could breath.

Nothing was happening.

Or so he thought. Takuya hadn't notice at first, but he was burning.

His entire body was covered in bright orange flames, which continued to spread until they had filled out the entire sphere, latched onto the walls and rose to the ceiling.

Bewildered, Takuya watched. He hadn't done this. Neither had Agnimon or Vitramon.

Cracks appeared in the sphere, bright flames eating away at them. And the cracks, too, spread, just like the fire before.

What was happening?

The sphere broke apart with an explosion.

The fire naturally hadn't been able to harm him, but the explosion somehow could. It was strange. An explosion was nothing but fire, right? So how….?

Takuya chocked at the sudden change of pressure and fresh cold air, swaying on his feet.

The ground came close.

And a new wave of pain flooded Takuya's conscience. His clothes were in shreds, hindering his movement as he tried to stop his fall and take an instinctive look at his wound.

He regretted not closing his eyes immediately.

His uniform used to be blue and white. Now it was soaked in red. That sight made his wounds hurt even more. And it was hot.

"Che."

Takuya sluggishly glanced at the clown, seconds away from fainting. It was so hot.

"Looks like you little bastard lucked out. For now." It turned its whip back in its original form; a red trident.

"Fire is it?" The clown looked around.

Takuya followed and took a tired look at the scenery, not really seeing how the grass had been blasted off the ground or how some leaves of the bordering forest were burning and how he in a crater.

"It bothers me that I can't kill you yet, but at least I can complete my mission," the clown continued chattily, its eyes finally falling on Takuya again and there was nothing left of the previous disdain, now replaced with a senseless greedy look that would have haunted Takuya in his nightmares had he had more of his consciousness left than a tiny little spark. Phelesmon made a gesture and the fifth Insekimon handed another kind of glass container over.

"What … mission?"

It was hot.

So unbearably hot.

His bones felt like they were melting. Every cell in his body hurt. Everything was blurred. The clown was nothing more than a black spot. And the earth had turned into water. And it hurt. Like his body got ripped apart.

What was going on?

Everything hurt, but Takuya knew he wouldn't die.

Not from this.

And yet it hurt so much.

It burned?

His flames were burning brightly, but that shouldn't hurt yet every last cell screamed in pain. And his bones were melting. And his cells were burning. But that couldn't be...

"It has nothing to do with you." The clown took a step towards him. Carrying the glass container under its arm.

And a second. Takuya couldn't move anymore. He could just keep himself from passing out, from falling to his knees.

And a third. His ears were playing ticks on him; rustling leaves fleeting whispers.

And a fourth. It burned so much; like lava replacing his blood and glowing iron in his bones.

And a fifth. His body felt too small for so much pain.

And a seventh.

A sudden jerk dragged Takuya back to his senses. He heard the clown curse.

Only minutes later Takuya felt cool metal beneath him and someone's hand holding him in place. The freezing metal eased the burning sensation, cooling him down to human temperatures.

His consciousness slowly returned as well thanks to the new adrenalin shock.

He could see a green plain several hundred feet beneath him and he could see the legs of someone next to him, making him guess he was placed on the back of some flying object.

Takuya foolishly tried to sit up from his position, but immediately regretted moving.

Even breathing hurt.

"I'm no doctor, but I guess it's best if you don't move." It was the voice of a young male.

"Who...?" Takuya managed to ask. Even speaking hurt. Like hell.

"The name is Yamato Ishida. Or just Matt." The boy answered. "And I'm supposed to tell you that I was sent by Ophanimon."

"Lady-" a dry cough"- Ophanimon?"

Really?

That's what Takuya called good news. And here he was thinking he ended up in some other Digiworld or so. He didn't know other humans could enter the Digiworld, though.

"Yeah. And don't speak. It doesn't sound healthy. You can ask questions after a doctor took a good look at you." After a second of silence he added:" I don't know much more anyway."

Takuya suppressed the urge to nod and just let the cool metal press against his cheek, dispelling the heat further. His temperature had sunk to a pleasant level already.

The adrenalin stopped Takuya from sleeping, but at least he could relax buried deep within his conscience in the company of bright fire.

"Matt, we're being followed."

The metal vibrated with each word. It was a Digimon.

Takuya's brain had never been the best to begin with, but now it really hit the deep numbers.

He seriously needed to rest.

"I know. It doesn't matter. Just continue towards the TV. We have to get him to safety first, and then we can deal with Phelsmon. "

TV? Get him to safety? Since when did he have bodyguards? Lady Ofanimon isn't this nice usually. But whatever, even if he was caught by the enemy he couldn't do a thing anymore.

"All right."

An abrupt movement drew Takuya's mind back to reality the next time.

"Damn! We almost made it, too." He heard somebody curse. The metal at Takuya's cheek vibrated again as the digimon growled at something.

"Hand the brat over!"

Not again that voice.

Takuya opened his eyes tiredly. The ground was only a few feet from his face this time and he sat up despite the intense pain that followed each movement.

They were on an open plain now. Takuya couldn't even see the forest anymore.

The boy next to him helped him down from the digimon and sit down on the ground. He had blond hair and blue eyes. He seemed older than Takuya.

"Open the way! You don't stand a chance against MetalGarurumon."

Takuya took a quick glance at said digimon before returning his attention back to the clown. It was a metal wolf type digimon with some kind of jet boosters on its back like wings.

"True, I alone don't stand a chance."

Takuya did not like where this conversation was going.

He looked around warily still ignoring the pain, which somehow was surprisingly easy.

There was nothing but the metal wolf – MetalGarurumon- a few feet from him and Matt and the clown in front of them. And the grass was only a few inches high. Not enough to hide.

"Surrender the boy now or feel the consequences!"

"You are bluffing, Phelsmon!" The wolf howled angrily.

The clown – Phelsmon he was called apparently- didn't seem pleased, its trident turned into a whip again and for a second Takuya thought it would attack, but the distance between them was too great.

Instead it whipped the ground twice.

The ground began shaking. Takuya looked around, tensing, but still saw nothing.

And yet the ground shook.

"This is bad!" He heard Matt yell. "They are underground! MetalGarurumon!"

Takuya didn't know what Matt wanted to do, but it was too late. The ground had caved in and dozens of Drimogemon and Digmon emerged.

Takuya couldn't move faster than a slug in his condition and was captured by a Digmon before Matt or MetalGarurumon could react.

He cursed vividly.

It was one thing not to be able to fight, but a whole other to hold some back.

He hated it.

More than anything.

So did his fire, because fire was never useless, never weak, and never ever at the mercy of others.

The Digmon with Takuya retreated fast, not wanting to be close to the more powerful wolf-typ. The Digmon had the drills of one 'hand' at Takuya's throat and the other arm was warped around Takuya's waist, keeping him in place.

Eyeing the iron held into his face he wondered if melting the drill would be painful.

"Attack Phelsmon, MetalGarurumon!"Matt shouted, while trying to keep on standing on the shaking and caving ground.

Good, Takuya thought while trying to get free, Matt knew the priorities. The really dangerous one was Phelsmon. With him gone the others would chatter. And hopefully let him go.

With all power he could muster Takuya hit where he hoped the Digmon's stomach was.

It had no effect whatsoever; if anything he just cracked his elbow.

He cursed again. His body hurt, he was weak and nothing but a hostage. His fire flamed in frustration and heat was starting to surge through him again.

Having been too focused on trying to free himself, he hadn't noticed Phelsmon escape from the battle with MetalGarurumon and appear right in front of him.

He only noticed when a claw closed around his neck.

MetalGarurumon instantly froze and the Digmon released its hold on Takuya as it was no longer needed.

Takuya starred in the black eyes of the Phelsmon. He didn't try to free himself this time. He would just waste energy. He just stared into these black, hating eyes hoping to burn it with his overflowing emotions.

Fire was passion, fire was emotion, fire was strength of will, and fire was unbound by anything.

Whatever it wanted, Takuya would not hand it over to him.

Phelsmon's hand stabbed his chest and he passed out.

PLease review and criticize. :)

Editted as of 1.11.2012 with the help of GuardianSoulBlade