Um. Okay. So I wanted to have four chapters out today for Stutter's birthday, and it just didn't happen. I had a couple of things that took way longer than they should have, so I only got some of the writing done.
I PROMISE THIS HAS A SECOND PART COMING TOMORROW. I just really have to go to bed.
"Okay, but do we actually have any clue what we're looking for?" Daisuke grumbled at his companions.
Ken grimaced. They'd been trudging through a rather disagreeable swath of forest for some time now, and Daisuke was at the end of his rope. The undergrowth was so thick that it was taking them forever to make any significant headway. Their digimon had to be carried. If they evolved there would not be enough room for them to spread their wings, and they likely wouldn't see anything from above the trees. On top of this, unfortunately, the goggle bearer was right. They weren't even sure anything was wrong in the first place.
Elecmon had contacted them, confused and very concerned, saying that there was a huge increase in the amount of eggs appearing in Primary Village. He had asked around and it seemed to match up with a significant decrease in the number of grown digimon in the area. Something was on the warpath, deleting digimon left and right… And somehow not leaving any trace of a battle.
Probably.
There was always the possibility that there was some sort of natural virus that was killing them. If that were the case… The chosen children were not sure there was actually anything they could do. It could be a natural event, but the digimon were scared and rumors were spreading like wildfire that there was a new monster out there.
So here they were, all twelve chosen split into groups of three to cover as much ground as possible, but still feel confident they could defeat an enemy if it came to that.
Ken sighed and exchanged a tired look with Wormmon. There was nothing they could say to make Daisuke feel like this trek was necessary. This was at least the eighth time he'd complained about the quality of the plan. Takeru stopped attempting to placate him around the third time. Ken around the sixth.
Takeru slowed to a stop and looked around, unenthused with their surroundings.
"Look, we've been at this for hours. Why don't we just head back to Primary Village? The sun will be going down pretty soon anyway, and I think we're all hungry. It's not like we have to lie to anyone, we didn't find anything out here."
V-mon perked up from where he had been pretending to nap in Daisuke's arms.
"Food? Yes, I'm hungry. I like this plan."
They chuckled at his sudden alertness.
"Sounds great to me, dude. Lead the way," Daisuke agreed.
Ken nodded, and Wormmon rubbed his stomach with his little claws.
"Mmm, what do you think your mom is making for dinner, Ken?"
Ken didn't get to answer. He opened his mouth, but Patamon froze on Takeru's shoulder.
"What was that?" The little digimon whispered.
Takeru slumped, sounding beyond done with their situation.
"Hopefully nothing, Patamon. Seriously, I'm starving-"
A screech echoed through the trees, followed by a bright flickering light.
The exhausted group thundered through the forest towards it. Finally, the trees thinned enough for them to see what was happening. The boys pulled up short of a small clearing and took cover behind the last of the treeline.
Through the blinding light they could see a small blob in the grass, shrill squeaking escaping its shaking form. It was a Pafumon, and before their very eyes, it disappeared. A shimmer of data swirled away in the wind as the bright light receded.
What remained in the clearing was a little purple digimon, no taller than V-mon. He was giggling and chittering to himself in a rather monkey-ish fashion. His arm was extended in the direction of the deleted digimon, and they realized the bright light had come from his palm.
Takeru frowned at his companions.
"What is this guy?" He mouthed.
Ken and Daisuke shrugged, postures stressed. They weren't sure exactly what the purple digimon had done, other than delete a baby. The spikey haired boy was pissed. Who did this little jerk think he was?
Before his friends could stop him, Daisuke walked into the clearing. The small digimon had been about to leave, and turned around at the sound of footsteps.
"Excuse me," Daisuke said heatedly. "What do you think you're doing?"
The other boys had little choice but to come out into the open as well. It wouldn't do to let the purple creature think Daisuke was an easy target. Wormmon hummed angrily in Ken's arms, and Patamon's wings flared, ready for a fight.
The digimon took them in, and his face slowly transformed from smug to something close to petulant. Like they had rudely interrupted him and his important business.
"I'm Onajimon. I do what I like. But I've never seen digimon like you before. What level are you?"
The purple creature's voice was deeper than expected for so small a digimon.
Ken gazed back warily; the thing unsettled him. There was something eerie about his face. Old almost, though they could have easily assumed it was a child level.
Takeru answered cautiously.
"We aren't digimon. We're human."
"Ah… I wonder…" The digimon flexed and spread his fingers.
"You didn't answer my question. What are you doing?" Daisuke said firmly. A commanding tone like that was usually heard from Taichi, but at sixteen, Daisuke could sound authoritative when he wanted.
Onajimon seemed to be considering his answer.
"Digimon change," He started, appearing to frown at each of their partners in turn. "They get stronger, so they evolve. They change forms. Grow wings, legs, teeth, horns… They grow larger with each evolution. Usually."
He ended on a sour note, flexing his hand again.
The chosen weren't sure where this was going. He hadn't attacked them, but he wasn't being very forthcoming in his answers.
"I don't change. Who would ever know I'm a perfect?"
Takeru took a tiny step back. If he was indeed a perfect level, they wouldn't have much time to react. Even with three against one, it might not be enough. He could see Ken darting worried glances towards Daisuke's back. V-mon had planted himself right in front of his partner, but there wasn't more than ten yards between them and the threat. If that digimon used long-range attacks…
"Everything changes. The seasons, the sky, everything grows. Not me…I evolve, but I look the same, always the same. And I wonder, do humans change?"
There was no time to prepare.
A blast of bright light streamed towards Daisuke. V-mon managed to knock his partner out of the way and onto the ground, but a second blast caught him right in the chest. V-mon roared and ran at Onajimon. The light of two evolutions caught the purple digimon's attention and he quickly dodged Stingmon and Angemon's attacks. Sporadic light blasts kept Takeru and Ken from getting closer to Daisuke, and they had to hide behind trees to avoid being hit. They had no clue what the light did to Daisuke, but he wasn't getting up.
A cry pulled their attention back to the fight. Stingmon was engulfed in light, and before Angemon could get in a hit, Ken's partner fell from the sky.
"Wormmon!" Ken raced to grab his unmoving digimon before Onajimon took a cheap shot.
Which was exactly what he planned on doing, as another blast caught the both of them off guard. Ken and Minomon went sprawling backwards into the undergrowth.
Takeru's heart raced. He couldn't get to any of his friends, and Onajimon was fast. Angemon was barely able to avoid the blasts, and it seemed that blocking them would be entirely ineffective. V-mon was trying his best to ensure Daisuke didn't get hit again, but couldn't do much more than drag his partner away a bit. One short blast was enough to devolve a digimon one level and render them nearly unconscious. Two hits to Stingmon. Two de-volutions.
"Angemon! Evolve!" Takeru cried, a shred of a plan forming in his head. He ran out from his cover and charged the enemy from behind.
"I don't think so!" Onajimon cackled, aiming his hand towards the angel digimon.
Takeru tried not to look as HolyAngemon was blasted by light. It was continuous as the angel fell from the air with a pained cry.
Angemon.
Takeru's heart clenched.
Patamon.
He'd make up for this somehow.
Tokomon.
Takeru reached Onajimon and tackled him. The purple digimon had been laughing so much at each de-volution that he had not heard the chosen of hope coming up behind him. The two wrestled in the dirt. Blasts of light flew here and there as Onajimon attempted to get in a hit. Finally, he let out a steady stream of light and Takeru seized his chance.
Grabbing the digimon's thin wrist, he yanked it around and forced the digimon to be caught in the light himself.
For a moment he felt victorious. He hoped that even if the lower levels of this digimon's evolution chain looked the same, there was a good chance a lower level would not have such a devastating power.
The next moment, Onajinmon himself began to glow with his palm, then Takeru as well.
The chosen of hope let go as a squeezing pain rushed through his body. His whole world became a blur of pain and blinding light.
Then it went black.
This isn't finished because I re-wrote it twice already today. Originally only Takeru was going to get hit and it was very different... And then I was in the shower and was like WHAT IF... and had to run and change so much.
