Disclaimer: All Digimon and their characters (except for those introduced in this fic/series) do NOT belong to me. I do not have permission to use their characters, but it's a FanFic, so, who cares? =) This story line belongs to me and me alone. Please ask for permission if you wish to use it. Thanks. Now let's get onto reading!
Crystal blinked groggily, sun light piercing through the cracks between blinds that covered the window. She yawned, stretching her arms out, her back partially sore from her slumber, but it didn't bother her much for the matter.
"THUD!"
"Oow…" Crystal groaned, now laying face first on the ground of Tiberius' apartment. She slowly removed her face from the carpeted ground, burring the soreness from her nose before sitting down with her back towards the couch.
"I told you you'd fall face flat on the ground after you woke up if you slept there," Tiberius commented, already up and in the kitchen of the quite messy apartment he resided in. Random clothes lay discarded on the ground, books and binders spread astern, and about anything that could make the place look cluttered, well, made it look cluttered.
"And how would you know that?" the younger female replied bitterly, still running her nose. She glanced down at Wispmon, who still slept peacefully on the chair provided for her.
"Everyone else does," Tiberius replied, sticking his head out from the kitchen and looking down at Crystal. "I probably would to. You going to be alright?"
"Yeah, of course…" Crystal answered softly, standing back up and heading towards the bathroom. She was beginning to regret insisting on taking the couch, but it was the only thing to do to be a well-mannered guest. Once more, she yawned, closing the door behind her and beginning to brush up.
Rebecca was already up, knees up to her chest, pillow up against the wall, engrossed in the textbook she was reading, as engrossed as any student would be at studying. The sun was shining brightly into her room, though it was still early in the morning. Being the early person she was, she decided to study for that period one test she had coming up today…
Rinamon groaned, rolling on the bed, and making a bigger mess of the blankets then her last roll. Rebecca sighed softly, though didn't mind at all. The turtle Digimon obviously wasn't morning person, still sleeping peacefully, despite the amount of turns and shuffles the turtle Digimon did during her slumber.
"I wonder how Calanthe is doing…" Rebecca thought, looking up and out towards the distance through her window. "Heck…I don't even know where in the world she lives…let alone how to contact her. I sure she is alright…Elecmon took a beating in that confrontation…"
"But are Digimon just to battle?" the next thought emerged in her mind. Rebecca looked down at her Digimon, Rinamon with a pleasant smile on her face as she dreamed on. The silent action only made Rebecca smile as well. "They can battle…but they aren't just to battle," Rebecca commented aloud softly, going back to her textbook and studying its contents.
I don't know about the rest of you…but I think I just ran into one of the next generation of Digi-Destined. Her name is Crystal Dare, and her Digimon is Wispmon. The pair are currently staying at my apartment, and neither seem to have a clue about what is going on.
From what I can tell, Crystal seemed to have witnessed the fall of a certain Digimon, in an all too spectacular combination of attacks. She described the fallen Digimon as a devil like, which just leads me to the conclusion that she witnessed the final moment of the Kakonmon battle, as it's the only battle I know of that would fit that kind of description.
Reply soon, it's getting late here…
~Tiberius 'GTK' Hartz
Tao read the e-mail again, one of the more interesting ones he got in the past few years. Alex stood beside the older Digi-Destined, reading the e-mail as well. It was extremely late at night, but Tao felt obligated to give this e-mail to Alex, and his partner of Espermon.
"The names sound familiar at all?" Tao asked, glancing back at the boy with the white Digimon. Alex nodded slowly, pointing at the name 'Wispmon'.
"I met her when I arrived at the Digital World," Alex informed the other Digi-Destined. "I didn't catch the name of Wispmon's partner, but I guess I know now. Are you going to write a reply?"
"Of course," Tao answered, getting back towards the keyboard. "Give me your e-mail address, and I'll give it to Crystal so that she can contact you. The more communication between your group, the better." Alex nodded in agreement, watching Tao quickly compose the e-mail. The fifth-generation Digi-Destined told his e-mail, and the letter was sent.
Crystal bit into the slightly burnt toast served to her for breakfast. The crisp sounds of the crunches echoed in her mouth, but she swallowed the food provided. Tiberius wasn't the best cook around…even if it was only to make toast…making Crystal wonder what Tiberius made for himself for breakfast. As smart as he had demonstrated to her so far, he seemed to lack any sort of standard for cooking.
"Is this stuff even edible?" Wispmon commented softly to her partner. Tiberius may not be in the room, but the apartment was small. The wisp-like Digimon took another bite from her own breakfast, as strange as it was for a wisp like form to eat.
"I don't think cooking is one of Tiberius' fortes," Crystal responded, finishing the last of her breakfast in one bite. "Then again, I shouldn't be talking, I can't really cook that well either…"
The conversation was cut short when Tiberius entered the room, a smile on his face, and speaking without malice.
"And yeah, I know my cooking is terrible, even when it comes to basics like toast, but that's just the lifestyle I grew in…or better said, one of those skills I didn't acquire through my life so far…" he told the pair, making them wonder if he heard what they said previously. He answered that. "And no, I didn't hear you say anything like that, but I know my cooking is bad. I get a lot of those comments. I bet you're probably thinking it," he pre-empted, looking back towards the interior of his dwelling. "I got an e-mail, and it's partially directed towards you as well."
"Me?" Crystal questioned aloud in wonderment. She got up, taking her plate to the sink before following Tiberius back to his room. Wispmon followed behind, also interested. They entered Tiberius' room, the computer on, and the ground littered with discarded clothing and textbooks alike. The bed was untidy, to say the least. Clothing flooded out of the closest, which failed to serve its purpose. Nevertheless, the trio weaved through the mess, approaching the computer. Tiberius took a seat on his bed while Crystal and Wispmon took the opportunity to read the e-mail.
You're not the only one around here who's got one, Tibbs. Alex 'Imperial Wrath' Chan, name might sound familiar to some, but probably not to others. I'm getting off topic anyway. His partner is Espermon, both claim they met Wispmon on the trip to the Digital World, but never got the name of Wispmon's partner before being warped out. I guess they know now, and they say hi, as they got your e-mail as well, or I showed it to them.
One of the receivers of this mail will be Alex's. Make not of all the addresses, and find the one that doesn't look familiar. Of course, that will be the Alex's e-mail. Give it to Crystal, and that should spark conversation between the group. That would be two identified…and would make us wonder who the others are. Oh well. Time will tell.
~Tao 'Blitz' Lee
"Another Digi-Destined?" Crystal inquired, reading the name again. The name Alex sounded familiar too. Then she recalled Espermon saying the name 'Alex' to his partner on the first encounter. It seems like that pair and this pair are one and the same. "Yes…I remember…I met an 'Alex' on my first trip too…"
"But who's Tao?" Wispmon questioned, glancing over to Tiberius. The university student smiled, turning towards one of the small night desks beside his bed. He opened the only shelf on the desk, and continued to retrieve six photos from the interior. He handed them to Crystal, who took them and flipped through the photographs. The first five showed five different people, each with a Digimon partner in the shot. She recognized Tiberius instantly, with a strange rabbit like Digimon on his shoulder.
"That's Lepumon," Tiberius explained, recalling the memories of the past, and those joyous moments, mingled with danger and life threatening situations. He shook the thoughts from his mind, regaining his composure and explaining the other photos. "Tao is the one with the avian Digimon, Harriermon. The other three are K.H., Marc, and Shastina. Their partners; the insect, Kinoumon; the dragon, Xemon; and the cat, Tigramon; to each of the three Digi-Destined mentioned, respectively." Crystal nodded with each scrap of information, turning to the sixth photo, showing a group picture of the ten.
"Fond memories?" Crystal asked, returning the photos to its owner, where it was placed back in the shelf, carefully. Tiberius gazes returned to Crystal, nodding lightly. He checked the time on his watch, doing a small calculation in his mind, the nodded, standing back up and taking a bag somewhere within the mess of his room.
"I have to go for class, do you think you know how to get home?" Tiberius asked, knowing of the many bus routes that bordered the area. "If not, just wait for me to come back from class, then I can direct." Crystal shook her head, pushing Tiberius towards the door.
"Don't worry about me, just get to class," she told the university student. "I bussed here in the first place, I can bus back," she continued. "And I'll make sure to lock up behind me." Tiberius nodded his thanks, before he left the female alone with her Digimon in his apartment. He trusted her enough, despite the short time they knew each other.
"The door will lock automatically, just make sure you grabbed everything," Tiberius quickly informed the female Digi-Destined before the door closed behind him. Crystal smiled, returning back into the apartment and collecting her items, which was a little hard to find under the mess Tiberius left her. She cursed silently, but she knew she lived in similar conditions back at home. No matter how many times they would scold her, she just wouldn't clean her room. Crystal giggled at the thought. Wispmon looked up at her partner in curiosity.
"What?" Crystal questioned, getting serious. The Digimon 'shook' her head, as much as she could anyway, the pair continuing to search for Crystal's things in the mess. Well, the would like to, if not for another mandatory visit to the Digital World, compliments of the silver Digivice that belonged to Crystal. It glowed with energy, before taking the pair.
Calanthe tugged on the blanket over her body, shivering slightly. It wasn't the cold that bothered her, it was something else that hung in the back of her mind. She pulled the blanket closer to her body, listening to the soft breathing of her twin sister in the same room. She wasn't able to sleep for the past few hours. It was well past midnight in her time zone, but still not far enough to the morning when the sun would rise.
The Digi-Destined twisted in her bed again, laying the side of her head against her pillow, eyes wide open, listening into the darkness. She heard her sister still in the bunk above, but wondered how Elecmon was doing underneath. Once more, she turned again, eyes still open, thoughts still running across her mind.
Sighing softly, she lightly flipped the blankets away from her body, sliding out of her bed, her feet touching lightly against the ground of the house. Quietly, she tip-toed across the room, opening the door to the room with only a slight creaking noise, then exiting, closing the door behind her until there was only a crack between the door and the frame. Just as quietly, she headed to the bathroom, closing the door silently behind her before turning on the lights. Slowly, she pressed her back against the door, closing her eyes and thinking.
Calanthe gasped in surprise when a soft rapping on the door behind her took her train of thought away. Hesitant at first, she didn't want to turn around, but after a second rapping, she twisted around and opened the door slowly.
"You okay?" the familiar voice of Elecmon asked, looking up at his partner. Calanthe gazed back down, watching her Digimon partner in return. She smiled, tempted to lie, but decided against it. She shook her head lightly, letting the Digimon into the bathroom. Calanthe closed the door again, the knelt down to be about the same height as her Digimon. "What's the matter?" Elecmon asked next, tilting his head a bit to the side while watching his partner. Calanthe was about to explain herself, if it weren't for the Digivice still on her wrist that blared with energy.
Outside the bathroom flared up with light momentarily, before fading again just as quickly. Inside, there was no one to be seen, wondering who would leave the light on after use…
Crystal slowly removed her hands from her eyes, the bright light that surrounded her growing dim. However, glaring sunlight hit her eyes instead, forcing her to look away from the sky and towards the sandy ground that made the beach.
"Beach?" Crystal thought, looking all around the site. Her gaze fell onto the hovering Wispmon beside the Human when it came to that. The Digimon looked back up at her partner, 'shrugging' that she didn't know where they were. The Digi-Destined, in turn, glanced around, trying to find her bearings again on the beachhead.
"It's the Digital World," Wispmon told her partner, hovering above the sand. The Digimon glanced over to her partner, then towards her Digivice on her wrist in the form of a watch. Crystal also glanced down at the silver coloured item on her wrist, raising it to eye level.
"This went off before we came…just like Tiberius said it would do, open portals…" Crystal thought aloud, lowering her arm again back to her side. The Digivice on her wrist glistened in the light, shining towards the ocean. "Shall we look around?" she offered to her Digimon. Wispmon agreed, the pair heading inland for some clues on their location.
Calanthe's foot dug deep into the sand, small grains entering her shoes, though it didn't affect her all that greatly. Elecmon trotted beside his partner, remaining vigilance and on guard for any dangerous Digimon, made of spires or not.
"We're back…" Calanthe thought, pausing her walk to look around the surrounding beach. The soft beating of waves hit the shore, though not entering far enough to soak Calanthe. The female gazed out. "Please, let there be no real Digimon…" she pleaded softly, continuing to walk down the beachhead.
"Calanthe, what is bothering you?" Elecmon inquired, seeing the same expression now on her face from before their trip. Once more, she didn't answer, still weary of the surrounding areas of the beach. "Calanthe?"
"Huh?" Calanthe gasped, returning to reality with her Digimon partner. She glanced down, still silent, this time, knowing that her Digimon was worried about her. Once more, the she tried to explain herself, and once more, she was interrupted.
Water began to separate in the beach, the view of a life ring appearing on the surface, somehow submerged before, maybe something pulling it down from before. The answer became more apparent when a grey shell start to emerge, the tip of it holding the life ring. Spikes protruded from the side, as it continued to rise, revealing a pink-ish beast living within. The long arms of this beast also emerged, grappling onto the beach and pulling itself in.
"Digi-Destined…" the Digimon muttered, slowly clambering towards Calanthe and Elecmon, malice in its tone and its visage. In response, Calanthe took a step back, Elecmon placing himself between his partner and the other Digimon, who was quite clear on its goal.
"Come on, Shellmon…try it…" Elecmon muttered, alert, tail up high, like a cat ready to pounce. Electricity sparked, the Digimon about to open up against the aquatic Digimon who marched towards them.
"Wait…" Calanthe gasped out, breaking the concentration of Elecmon. Her partner quickly looked back, questioning the idea. "Force him to retreat, push him away, do as is, but do not destroy him…" she told her partner, surprising the Digimon even more. Nevertheless, he dare not disobey, turning his attention towards the lumbering Shellmon, praying for some form of success now. With a level difference between the two, and with a limitation on his ability, Elecmon saw it difficult to achieve such a goal, but not impossible.
"THUNDER BALL!"
Elecmon open fired, full force, without holding back. Even if he had to knock the Shellmon away, he would still need to force it to retreat, and the fastest way to do so is force him to retreat or face more pain.
The blast hit hard and fast against the exposed skin of the Digimon. The aquatic shell Digimon cried out in pain, retreating back into his shell. Elecmon huffed, wondering if it was only going to be that simple.
"HYDRO BLASTER!"
Water spewed out of the shell, impacting against the Elecmon, relaxed with signs of submission from his opponent. No time to react, Elecmon sailed backwards through the air and crashing into the sand, luckily breaking the fall for the Digimon. However, he was out cold from the impact of the blow, having no resistances.
"Elecmon!" Calanthe exclaimed, seeing her Digimon just fly past her like he was nothing. Her gaze returned back to Shellmon, who re-emerged, crying out in triumph. The cry was cut short when he noticed the Digi-Destined, still standing in place. A sly grin emerged from his lips.
"HYDRO BLASTER!"
Water blasted out towards the stunned Calanthe, her body unable to move away from the flying attack directed towards her. The water drew closer, in a slow motion affect that Calanthe watched intently.
The water attack skewered air as Calanthe was knocked off her feet and towards the side. A strong impact against her side toppled her down onto the sand, as did another person on top of her. Both groaned, shaking sand and dizziness alike out of their hair and mouths.
"You crazy girl…" the other replied, rolling over and sitting up, hands on the ground to keep her form up. "Wispmon, go for it!"
"HEAD BUTT!"
A beam of light in the form of a spear impacted against the shell of Shellmon. It dented the item, but didn't seem to do any significant damage to it. The attack was launched by a floating Digimon in the air, goat head like, and that was about it.
"Who are you?" Calanthe spat out, also slowly crawling to fours. The other, a female, returned the gaze, then shook her head before returning her attention to the battle.
"Crystal, Crystal Dare," she answered anyway, watching Shellmon and Wispmon exchange blasts. Shellmon couldn't hit a flying target all that well, but Wispmon's attacks were not damaging Shellmon all that much either. It seemed to be a stalemate until Shellmon can hit Wispmon, and that would be all too soon as Wispmon would eventually get fatigued.
"Calanthe…Calanthe Kystar," Calanthe's reply came, before her attentions were also diverted, quickly getting to her feet and rushing over to her fallen Digimon, catching the gaze of Crystal once more.
"Crazy girl…standing in the way of that attack like that…without movement…she has a death wish or something…" Crystal muttered, her attention back towards the battle when she heard Wispmon cry out in pain, her body flying higher through the air. "Wispmon!" Crystal gasped out, seeing her partner flail in the air. The Digi-Destined quickly leaped to her feet and dashed towards her now falling Digimon partner.
"Huh, wha?" Crystal thought, halting in her tracks. She scanned the area, finding nothing to be moving at all. Wispmon stayed in the air, Shellmon's gloating, and Calanthe attending to her Digimon, but none of them moved at all. That fact freaked her out, but she didn't have long to think about it. A blast of energy impacted again her wristwatch Digivice, surprising her. The beam of blue energy entered into her Digivice, before shooting out again and towards Wispmon in the air. The beam grew narrow and tight, impacting against Wispmon's forehead. Crystal held still, questioning moving at all for fear of hurting her own Digimon now. The beam of now silver light seemed to have a mind its own, writing some strange marking on the Digimon's forehead. The etching was unknown to the Digi-Destined, but it must have sparked something in the Digimon, because the effect was spectacular.
"Wispmon…Chrono Digivolve to…"
Energy surrounded the goat head Digimon, as more matter began to form at the 'neck' down of this Digimon. The body grew larger, extending legs outwards. Strands of silver energy flickered, before dissipating, leaving strands of white hair in replacement. The end result was a large, shaggy white goat like figure once all energy dissipated. On her forehead was a single horn, and below that was a crescent moon emblem.
"Wispermon!"
Time resumed as though nothing happened, Wispermon landing on all fours on the ground. She shook her head quickly, before facing off with Shellmon on her new level and form.
"Wispermon?" Crystal questioned, unsure of what just happened, wondering if this Digimon was the same as her own Digimon of Wispmon. Then she recalled what Tiberius informed her about: Digivolving Digimon to reach a higher level, more strengths, more abilities, better all around. They also take new forms as well, as part of the process. "I guess this is one of those Digivolution sequences…" Crystal thought, waiting for the battle to unfold even more.
"HYDRO BLASTER!"
Wispermon leaped to the side, something strange to look at considering she was a goat form after all, but Crystal didn't argue, seeing the hair on Wispermon blow with the wind exerted by the flying water. Wispermon returned fire.
"MOON BEAM!"
Silver energy lashed out from the crescent moon on Wispermon's forehead. The beam of concentrated energy lashed forward. The beam zoom past, Shellmon quickly retreating back into his shell, the attack hitting the hard armour of the Digimon. Shellmon returned fire with a Hydro Blaster from within, blazing towards Wispermon.
The response was crazy, as Wispermon leaped high into the air with her strong legs. Shellmon was forced to exit his safe armour just to get a better trajectory with his attack towards the leaping target. The goat Digimon attacked when the aquatic Digimon was exposed.
"SLEEP SONG!"
Rainbow coloured dust began to rain on top of Shellmon, hitting his exposed head before he had time to retreat again. The dust swirled and twirled around the Digimon. Shellmon inhaled some of the dust, unavoidable in the circumstances. He tried his best to stay awake, but was having difficulty doing so.
"MOON BEAM!"
Shellmon forced his eyes open, seeing the blurred figure of Wispermon in the distance, now on the sandy surface of the beach. Just as quickly, it was replaced by the concentrated silver energy beam that soon hit Shellmon in the forehead.
In the next instance, he was reduced to bits of data, existence deleted. Wispermon heaved a sigh, energy leaving her body as she reverted back to her Rookie form of Wispmon.
"Good job, Wispmon," Crystal told her partner, scooping the Digimon up in her arms. She hugged her partner lightly, until she was approached by Calanthe, and she sure didn't have a good look on her face.
"You destroyed…a Digimon…" Calanthe gasped out, holding her fainted Elecmon in her arms, pulling him a bit closer. Her eyes were wide, staring at the other female.
"He was about to kill you…and us probably…what was I suppose to do?" Crystal argued, looking surprised at the other's reaction. "If Wispermon…I mean, Wispmon, didn't destroy him, we might not be standing here right now…"
"You destroyed…a Digimon…" Calanthe repeated, still staring. Crystal was confused by the reaction still, wondering what was on the other's mind. "How…could you destroy…a Digimon…?"
"I told you…if was going to kill us all…it was all self defence," Crystal informed her, not faltering at all. Calanthe pulled her gaze away, unable to believe that answer.
"How could you take a life like that…" she sobbed, finally releasing what was bothering her all this time. "How could you kill a Digimon? They are alive…they have a life…why?!"
Crystal remained silent, holding her Digimon closer to her body. She was tempted to slap some sense into the other girl, about survival and priorities, but decided against it. "She doesn't need my attention. If she can't handle it…she shouldn't be here…" Crystal thought, closing her eyes. The Digivice on her wrist began to beep, as did Calanthe's. It was time for them to part ways…two sides of the spectrum…
Completed: 12/20/01