Final Genesis: (06/05/11) So the world winds up with more disasters over the years – like earthquakes and tsunamis. Good grief! I'm starting to wonder at times whether I'll be able to do the things I want to do until… you know. As I mention in my recent entry on my profile, I managed to make contact with my friend I stayed with while I was in Japan years back. He and his family are safe, and I hope Japan would be able to recover during those hard times. Especially with what's happening at the moment.
Finally, after many months of trials after the computer servicing, I finally got the latest version of Microsoft Office, and four months after my previous chapter, here's the result!
As usual, we have the disclaimer.
Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Digimon 02, aka. Digimon Adventure Zero 2, it belongs to Toei Animation. Other than that, the characters like Setsuna and Tsubaki are the only ones I own. This is mainly on the Japanese version, so some of the characters would have their Japanese names. This chapter is set during the events of Episode 16, "Submarimon's Escape from the Bottom of the Sea" (aka. 20,000 Digi-Leagues under the Sea).
Once again, I shall continue this instalment!
Digimon Adventure Zero 2: White Reflection
Chapter 10: Faith
Even in meditation, Setsuna wanted to express his annoyance at the current situation at hand.
Generally, meditation was a practice that was used to calm the mind, allowing the practitioner to train his or her mind, or in some cases, the method of self-inducing a mode of consciousness in order to realize some benefit. Most specific styles involve the matters of spiritual, religious, medical and secular. In this case, it's secular, as he was controlling his own breathing as much as he could while sitting down, eyes closed.
Of course, the situation would have to be secular considering the fact that he and his friends were trapped inside the wrecked confides of an offshore oil platform, with a limited air supply thanks to the building status being in emergency lockdown all thanks to an attack by a gigantic red sea serpent.
Beginning analysis…
Digimon Analyser
Name: Mega Seadramon
Level: Perfect (Ultimate)
Attribute: Data
Type: Aquatic
Attacks: Thunder Javelin, Dramon Attack, and Maelstrom
Mega Seadramon. A Perfect Level Digimon that chases his prey like a homing torpedo and finishes them off. His special attack – Thunder Javelin.
End analysis…
Inwardly, he thought of how the others are faring; Daisuke, Miyako, Takeru and Hikari watching the sea serpent known as Mega Seadramon, who circled the spar they were in relentlessly. At the same time, the rest of their partner Digimon (save DORUmon, who learnt to meditate beforehand and was putting the practice to good use) sat down dejected at a spot not too far from where Setsuna were sitting. Finally, a downcast Iori was sitting near the centre of the spar, hunched with despair due to responsibility because of the fact a Digimental was hidden in the oil platform, and that he was eager to find out if it belonged to him. Whether demise by suffocation or by another assault by Mega Seadramon, only one thing crossed his mind; the Chosen Children didn't have long to live.
Oh joy.
Part of Setsuna thought, in a strangely perverse way, it was better than dealing with Baku's angry parents in the principal's office upon finding out about their son's injury. Like most parents of bullies, they tried to come up with excuses for their son's behaviour, even if the hospitalised sixth-grader was in the wrong in the first place. Dealing opposite to them was Tsubaki and Setsuna's teacher Asato-sensei, both who knew better as the principal did the best he could to resolve the conflict. Combined with several witnesses and past victims along with the fact Setsuna detected the smell of tobacco during his confrontation (most likely from stealing money from home) was enough for the sentence to be handed out; Baku was expelled, and the Osaka boy was let off with a warning.
Then again, that victory would be all for naught if the younger boy died in a situation nobody would believe, like right now. The only people who'd believe him and be worried would be most likely Tsubaki and Yuzuriha, none of them having a Digimon partner. He wondered also whether the attack was retaliation for Eiji/Black Setsuna taunting the Digimon Kaiser previously. Even during his meditation, Setsuna kept his ears open at times too, as he noticed that the other Chosen Children gathered round. As 'grown-up' as his personality was due to the loss of his parents, like the rest of his friends, they are still children.
"What's your fault, da'gya?" Armadimon inquired, the Nagoya-dialectic Digimon wanting to console his partner as much as he could.
"Don't you see?" Iori moaned sadly, standing up as he did so. "I wanted to come here even though it could have been a trap."
"No, it's just that sometimes you 'happen' to be the first one to arrive."
"No! It's my fault!"
"Does it matter whose fault it is, Iori-kun?" DORUmon disagreed, his eyes opening from his meditation while striding over to the youngest member. "However the scenario is played out, it doesn't matter either way. We could get the Digimental (depending on who owns it), we could risk losing it, but what matters is having a fighting chance in saving the Digital World. We have two mission objectives; one is to find the Digimental, and two is to find an escape route."
"Why not use that Wajamacallit Gemini you know, those super gauntlets Setsuna got?" Daisuke suggested, who pointed his thumb over to white-haired boy's direction. Hearing that remark, the ten-year old opened his right eye as he turned his head over to the goggle boy.
"If this one had actually got them working. This one tried activating the Ehrgeiz Gemini as both myself and Eiji-han, but it didn't work back in our world. Even one go when we arrived in the Digital World didn't work for me unless my dark side's required to be in control de gozaru. And even if this one got them working…" Setsuna didn't get the chance to finish as his left pupil turned crimson, a sign that Black Setsuna/Eiji suddenly popped up, complete with his trademark smirk and Osaka dialect. Despite his arrogance at some moments, Eiji insisted he didn't need honorifics most of the time.
"Well glad you didn't decide to use the '-dono' honorific, but here's a thought; how about we play Jan-ken-pon, only replace it with suffocation, electrocution, or digestion?" However, Eiji was instantaneously punched in the face by his normal light persona for that sarcastic idea, who then shook his head to clear away any light-headedness as both eyes were back to being amber again.
"Shut up, Eiji. So until then, we don't have many options de gozaru."
Watching the dual-role exchange, Miyako shook her head in disbelief. "No matter how many times I see it, I still can't believe you could literally have an argument with yourself." But there was no time for trivial matters as Patamon noticed something.
"Ne, minna, what do you suppose this is?" Everybody turned to the small Mammal Digimon as he spotted a ball-like object, which was sitting on the bottom of a shaft.
"Oh, it's an emergency escape pod." Hawkmon responded, who flew over to where Patamon was standing.
"Yatta! We're saved!" Cheered Daisuke.
"But it looks like there's only room for one." Rushing over due to Patamon's comment, everybody groaned in despair. Inside Setsuna, Eiji even had the guts to internally shout out in a manner very much like Chris Tucker's character James Carter did in Rush Hour 2.
Boo!
After a few seconds of consideration, Hikari decided to voice her opinion. "I think Iori-kun should go." It was enough for Iori to lift his head up in surprise, temporarily raising him out of his depression.
"Yes, I think so too!" Miyako agreed.
"Me too." Added Takeru.
"How 'bout Daisuke?" V-mon suggested. A puzzled look was on the goggle boy's face, until Hikari decided to convince her friend otherwise.
"Absolutely, ne?"
"I agree with Hikari-chan too!"
Noticing Daisuke's blush, Setsuna giggled, while the Eiji persona smirked otherwise. Jo-chan, Jo-chan, Jo-chan, were you a kitsune in your past life, you sneaky kawaii enchantress?
"In that case," Hikari announced, "Iori-kun, get into the escape pod."
A part of Iori cared about his friends in the time of need. Somehow however, because of his guilt and a fragment of his upbringing as a result of his father's death, the other part was reluctant on leaving his friends behind and increasing his burden in case he failed at the task at hand, while at the same time feeling like receiving an equal price for their entrapment. For some strange reason, the youngest Chosen Child noticed that Setsuna was the only one who didn't say anything. "Why me? Is it because I'm small? In that case, NO!"
"Whaddya mean, 'NO'?" Daisuke demanded, running up to the nine-year-old kendōka, "You should accept people's help!"
"Eh? I WON'T!" Iori retorted, his anger rising.
"Stop screwing around! GET ON!"
"I said NO! And if you all voted for me to get on, why hasn't Setsuna-san said anything?" Hearing the argument, Setsuna strode over, part of him annoyed, while most of him showing reason.
"Because, Iori-dono," the Osaka karateka explained, "one; someone has to maintain the air flow, two; you're the only one small enough to fit the escape pod. Three; I haven't been living in Odaiba for as long as you guys. Four; time, we don't have. This one would have been thinking of number five if not for Eiji-han's reason being rather… extreme de gozaru." Internally, Eiji wanted to roar out, more like five; I'LL BITCHSLAP YOU TO KINGDOM COME IF YOU DON'T MOVE YOUR SCRAWNY LITTLE ASS IN!
Hovering over near Miyako, Hawkmon was quick enough to whisper, "If we make Iori-san feel special, then he wouldn't want to, ne?"
"Leave it to me." Miyako whispered back, winking as she did so. It would be no good if infighting became one of the contributing factors to the Chosen Children's demise, and whatever they must do, Miyako included, she had an idea that could possibly get the pace back up to speed. Raising her voice to the proper level, the computer genius called out, "In that case, come to the back and let's have Kujibiki!"
"Kujibiki, da'gya!" Armadimon crowed out.
"But deciding that way…" Daisuke reluctantly trailed, thinking back on Setsuna's words before, especially about time. At a time like time, especially with the limited air supply, it almost seemed a strange idea to play a game right now.
But Hikari agreed. "No, I think it's a good idea, I agree. Iori too, right?" The younger of brunettes gulped hesitantly in response, as the girls begun making the straws necessary for the game.
"You don't have to make ones for us Digimon." V-mon said, considering the situation.
Tailmon ran up to the two, adding her own suggestion. "Nope – you should make them to be accurate." She piped in, with Patamon joining with agreement.
"Right!" Concurred Takeru, "to be fair to both humans and Digimon."
His excitement allowing him to join in the fun, Daisuke pumped his fist into the air. "Then shall we decide it with Jan-Ken?"
"Kujibiki is fine." The blonde corrected, knowing that time is of the essence and remembering Eiji's 'suggestion'. With the straws prepared, the ends hidden by Miyako, the round of Kujibiki has begun, with Takeru dragging Iori to make the first choice.
Somehow, in Setsuna and Eiji's minds, they both had a suspicious feeling that the outcome of the game wouldn't fare too well. In this case, Setsuna decided to make a minor gambit, and while the game was being played, he turned to his partner. "To be frank, this one is not sure how Miyako-dono happened to have some straws and a pen with her. Just in case, in the matters of conserving air supply, would you be able to accompany Iori-dono on his journey, de gozaruka?"
"Perhaps Miyako-san had them in this rare case of boredom or an emergency right now. But what have you got in mind, Setsuna-kun?"
"Remember Koushirou-dono's analysis session weeks ago?" The white-haired boy asked, pulling out his Digivice Astral and pointing it to the scarred Digimon. "I think now it's time to put that little theory to the test. Select option, Storage."
"Storage complied. Activating now." Seconds later, DORUmon was now sitting comfortably inside the said Digivice. It wasn't long until they heard a loud yelp of pain, which caused the duo to turn their heads to the source's direction. Running up to the girl in concern, Setsuna and DORUmon then saw the reason why, their expressions annoyed.
Despite Iori being the winner, it turns out the win was a fluke as somehow, the boy used the straw to hit Miyako's hand, revealing the deception; all of the straws including Iori's, had their ends painted red, now lay scattered on the platform floor.
"That's cheating!" Iori yelled out, understandably angry at being deceived. It was bad enough for him that he was forced to leave his friends behind, and now with that ruse, he isn't planning on budging at anytime soon.
"Well, cheating is cheating but…" Miyako began, but Iori wouldn't listen to reason.
"No fair!"
"But it can't be helped."
"Because you're being stubborn!" Hikari finished angrily, seeing now that the Chosen Children are still stuck at the beginning.
Looking over the pile of scattered bogus Kujibiki straws, Daisuke and V-mon simply couldn't believe it. "Eh… I would have never thought of this."
"Wonder what would have happened if I picked the winner?" V-mon concurred, as the ruse was revealed. As Hawkmon berated the duo for not noticing the act, Setsuna decided to console Iori with some reason. While he is not a complete expert at psychology, it was time to try to change Iori's mind with positive thinking.
"Now why did this one find 'you should accept people's help' familiar, Iori-dono?" The Osaka White Tiger began, placing his hands on the reluctant kendōka's shoulders. "Because this one remembered that I was told a very similar phrase from Onee-chan and Onii-chan when I first arrived in Odaiba and joined you guys de gozaru."
"What are you trying to saying, Setsuna-san?" Iori demanded, still reeling from the scam Miyako pulled.
"I'm saying that you reminded me very much of myself during that time. Even if we still manage to complete this mission or escape without your help, you would still be feeling the guilt of having led us to this situation for the rest of your life, which is why you were chosen in the first place. Maybe this will help convince you." Before Iori could say anything, Setsuna clipped his signature Digivice Astral to the brunette's waist. "While this one would not have approved of the scam by Miyako-dono, this one is allowing you to borrow my D-Astral and DORUmon not just because of the air supply, but to give you a guide and a reason to believe and for strength. That way, as Tsubaki-dono would say to me, you could have an even stronger heart after that! Besides, I thank you for the warning you gave me when that idiot Baku was about to attack me from behind. If you can focus your strength at fighting off the Mushmon and Floramon, then you can focus in this rescue! We believe in you, and so does this one, de gozaru. Now on your feet soldier and do you accept your objectives?"
This action came as a complete surprise for Iori along with the some of the Chosen Children and Digimon. As Takeru, Hikari and their partners knew Setsuna longest out of the team, they saw that both boys showed many differences besides their ages – mainly in their ideologies. While Iori was a realist due to teachings by his grandfather after his father's death, Setsuna showed idealistic traits in his own upbringing due to support from his childhood friend and DORUmon when most of his own kin failed to provide the support. Perhaps what the two boys have in common were that they both were forced, in a way, to grow up in order to adapt to their situations.
"Okay… but…" Iori began, but the older boy interrupted him.
"Time is short." Setsuna said firmly, standing back as he then turned to Hikari, who nodded in reply.
"Daisuke/Onii-chan!" Responding to both 'siblings' simultaneous command, Daisuke and Takeru gleefully grabbed the now-struggling Iori, forcing him into the escape pod in the process. With the pod closing, there was no way for him to get out until he reached the surface, and Hikari explained the priorities.
"Iori-kun, when you return, please bring along Jou-san. Only Ikkakumon can save us from here."
"DORUmon will explain the rest of the guidelines when you reach the surface de gozaru." Setsuna added, as the shaft began to close, with Armadimon finishing, "Like Setsuna said, we believe in you, da'gya."
"Let me out!" Iori screamed in protest, but it was too late as the shaft began to fill with water. Inside Setsuna's D-Astral, DORUmon shook his head as he offered some additional words.
"Once the stone starts rolling, it doesn't stop until it reaches the bottom. If we manage to reach the real world, hopefully Tsubaki-san would be able to provide transport for us just in case."
Watching from the one of the windows of the oil platform, Miyako watched as Mega Seadramon swam away momentarily from the site. "Now! Mega Seadramon's gone!"
"Yosh!" Daisuke whooped, as he released the escape pod with the temporary duo inside. After the launch was proceeding as planned, the goggle boy turned towards Setsuna. "I didn't know you had a knack for that mystical stuff."
There was a low chuckle from the white-haired boy as he sat down in order to recommence his meditation. "You'd get like that after learning martial arts for years, and it was either the lecture or having Eiji-han scare Iori-dono with Major Payne's violent version of 'The Little Engine That Could'. If it were the latter, we would have suffocated quickly de gozaru."
That sparked Daisuke's interest greatly. "Really? You watched that Damon Wayans movie with the Japanese subtitles too? That was a kickass movie – you gotta tell me more about your favourite scenes!" But it was too late as Setsuna was already in his meditative state, much to Daisuke's disbelief as earlier on he thought the latter was asleep. All the Chosen Children and their Digimon partners could do now is to bide their time.
…
"So why did Setsuna-san decide to send you to accompany me?" Iori inquired, once he and DORUmon (now reduced to his Baby II form Dorimon) returned to the real world. Because it was summer, the high temperature back in Odaiba was almost unbearable to some, but not in a level matching that of the Sahara in North Africa. Despite the heat, Iori was currently running as fast as he could to his apartment so he could contact Jou for help.
"It's because, as Setsuna-kun mentioned before to me," said Dorimon, who was still sitting in the borrowed D-Astral, "one was the increased chances of survival for our friends so they can breathe a little easier. The second is that we managed to contact Tsubaki-san (SMS to her mobile phone) beforehand for transport. Since she knows where Miyako-san lives in, and that you and Takeru-san live in the same apartment as her, she'll know the way since she doesn't have university, though only that she went to turn in her assignment this morning."
Since the prepubescent kendōka heard the name but never actually met the woman herself (despite hearing one of the facts that she was inefficient at cooking), he quickly asked the Baby II Digimon for a reminder. "So if I remember, Tsubaki-san is Setsuna's guardian, right? And are you sure she can be trusted around us?"
"Right. Don't worry; she's okay with me and that one afternoon when Koushirou-san helped in analysing the D-Astral. You'll know if her silver Daihatsu station wagon comes up – I'll give you a heads-up just in case. Setsuna-kun also allowed you temporary access to his D-Astral in case you need some assistance while keeping it safe."
A part of Iori's feelings were mixed as the duo arrived at the Odaiba T.D.W Garden (A/N: Don't ask me what T.D.W stands for). While it was easier to carry a Digimon via storage in a Digivice, carrying two Digivices and communicating with an unseen Digimon would seem odd in the public eye at first glance. Before Setsuna and Dorimon moved to Odaiba, Iori was more used to carrying Armadimon, as Upamon around in the guise of a stuffed animal or in his backpack. On the positive side, with not many people in the streets along the way, the lack of attention is much easier to handle, and less of a burden to the boy as it was already, arriving inside Iori's apartment. Since Iori was given some instructions, he was now on the phone, while Dorimon was thoroughly searching the phonebooks for the cram school Jou attends, despite his small stature.
The only response Iori got on the phone was the sound from a female automated voice. "The number you are trying to call might be in an unreachable area or the phone may be turned off." His feelings of both annoyance and worry, the boy replaced the handset.
"You got any luck, Dorimon?"
"Found it!" Exclaimed the Baby II Digimon, "it's a good thing you told me which school Jou-san goes to, and I've copied down the address! Now all we have to do is to go downstairs, wait and hope that Tsubaki-san makes it to take us to Shinagawa no Juku on time!" Smiling with hope, Iori managed to retract Dorimon back into the D-Astral before departing to the elevator. But as one of the elevators made its arrival, two familiar people have just returned from shopping – his mother Hida Fumiko and his kendōka grandfather Hida Chikara.
"Ara, Iori, you're back." Said Fumiko, much to her son's surprise. Inside one of the two Digivices hidden and clipped near Iori's waist, Dorimon managed to keep himself quiet during the conversation. "Good timing. Could you help me with an errand and go to Nobuzane-san's place?"
That could prove to be a rather difficult situation. Obviously 'I have to go save my friends in another world who are about to suffocate' would raise more questions and hasten the deadline to the point of death. Ever since Iori's father Hiroki passed away after saving a high-ranking government official when the boy was six years old, his mother became very hard as a result. The only reason why Iori and his family were able to gain their peace of mind was that for Iori, his grandfather managed to explain to him that Hiroki died with honour and glory, and at the same time, the kendo master was able to provide the family including Fumiko, with that same peace too. Due to that upbringing, Iori values honesty and justice – which is why didn't want to make things hard for his family – including his mother.
"Do you have something else to do?"
"Well…"
"Yes? What do you have to do?"
Instantly, Iori bowed his head in reluctance. "Gomen nasai, I can't say." Now his mother began to show signs of suspicion.
"What do you mean?"
Most of the elderly people in this day and age were wise and at times, worldly. Chikara was no different, as he was once a police officer in his youth. Despite his old age, he is durable enough to teach kendo in the local police precinct, and though he can be stern and has many traditional ideals, he is kind, good-natured, and possesses a sense of humour. These traits made him quite a well-respected father figure to Iori after Hiroki died in 1999.
"Don't force him, Fumiko-san," Chikara smiled, his expression turning serious while putting down his Chu x2 yogurt beverage he was drinking from, "'cause you may force him to lie about it. If you don't want to tell us, that's okay as long as you don't tell lies. Lies are bad..." His smile returning, Chikara resumed to consuming his drink.
Thinking this worldly piece of advice to heart, Iori felt relief. "Arigatou gozaimasu." Bowing in respect, Iori entered the lift, departing as soon as he could. Since nobody else was in the lift, Dorimon took his chance to speak out.
"Phew – that was close! You have quite the grandfather, Iori-kun. I bet Setsuna-kun could learn a lot from him too!"
"Thank you, Dorimon. Ojii-sama learnt quite a lot in his days as a police officer when he was younger, and I am thankful for what he's teaching me. About Tsubaki-san… is she the master of the karate dojo in Odaiba Setsuna-kun's learning from?"
"Close – she's actually the assistant master. Himura Asato-san's the real master – I wonder what stories he and your grandfather could exchange to each other?" But before Iori can share his thoughts about the familiarity of that name, the duo arrived at the ground floor, hurrying towards the exit. And as the brunette pulled out Setsuna's White D-Astral Dorimon, from the view of the LCD screen, saw the familiar silver Daihatsu station wagon waiting at the front, and the woman who was driving it. Joy was the emotion that instantly spread on the Digimon's face, while Iori was a little hesitant at first.
"Good to see you Dorimon and you are Hida Iori-kun, right? You two need a lift?" Iori's hesitance was replaced by relief, and before long, Tsubaki resumed to driving the duo to their destination.
…
Like most children his age Daisuke, in a sense was relatively bored out of his mind. That was understandable as he is usually the type of person to react faster with his body than his mind, but while he is not stupid, focusing on anything other than what was in front of him was rather pointless. As a result, the goggle boy was shown to be reckless and stubborn. Initially, he tried to meditate like what Setsuna was doing, but due to being more of an athletic person, his patience ran out. Maybe Daisuke couldn't take it anymore, as seconds later; he was tapping his forehead on the support railing in frustration.
"Chotto, stop doing that. It's hurting my ears." Raising his head out of annoyance, he saw a now-annoyed Miyako tapping her foot as a sign she couldn't tolerate the droning noise from before.
Most of the time, however Daisuke reacts depending on how poorly the person treats him; he either lashes out aggressively, or he becomes depressed. As an example during the time they mounted a rescue mission for the Gazimon, when Hikari spoke harshly to him due to moments of rash actions, he became depressed. In this case, since he and Miyako tend to argue with each other, his response is that of aggression.
"Hey, could YOU stop that tapping? It's pissing me off."
"I'm not doing it on purpose!"
In order to prevent the dispute from escalating out of control, the content Armadimon decided to settle things peacefully. "Everyone, don't get so riled up."
"I'm not." Daisuke huffed, turning around with his arms crossed.
"Really, da'gya?"
"Really!" Miyako also fumed, performing the same action, but with her hands on her hips.
"Okay, then that's fine, da'gya," the Mammal Digimon said, now that peace was restored for the time being. While Armadimon was mainly simpleminded, he had a curious, childlike soul, and would often come to simple conclusions about seemingly complicated matters. Turning towards Hikari and the other Digimon (who were watching the dispute, with Takeru and Patamon absent for some reason) he declared, "To take our minds off things, want to play some Shiritori?"
The only response Hikari could give was that of depression. "Sorry, I'm really not in the mood for it."
Hawkmon hovered momentarily, adding his own opinion in irritation. "How can you think of something like that in a situation like this?"
"Because I believe in Iori, da'gya."
Her anger subsided, Miyako now turned around uneasily, her expression clouded. "I believe in Iori too but we have a 'time limit'.
"Right," Daisuke agreed, "if he doesn't hurry the air will be gone… and when the air's gone… when it's gone…" It was then he turned towards where Setsuna was sitting, cross-legged and still in his meditative state. "It must be nice of him not to think about these things during meditation."
"Probably since he was forced to grow up after his parents passed away," Tailmon replied, her blue eyes expressing curiosity. "I wonder what Setsuna could be thinking inside…"
The other Digimon and children wondered too. Hikari was especially concerned ever since hearing the boy's story about barely making it out alive in the ocean when the freak storm took away his parents and the innocent lives. A part of her pondered whether her 'little brother' was fighting a possible fear of the ocean while still maintaining the air supply for his friends, breathing a little at a time.
But the three children and the Digimon were left to think no more as they heard a striking sound over the railing – leaving Setsuna to his own devices.
…
Shinagawa no Juku, Tokyo…
"They are in the middle of an exam now, boy." An administration officer explained, once Iori arrived inside the building in with the request to speak to Jou.
"But I need to call Kido Jou-san, it's an emergency."
As much as the officer felt sorry for the boy, he had regulations to follow by. "I really can't call him out of the exam – those are the rules. Well, if his family had an accident or his parents were hospitalised then it's a different story." He was about to walk away when Iori started to say something.
"His parents have been hospitalised…" But then he hesitated. A part of him was concerned about his friends eventually suffocating to death after an extended amount of time. The other part was his grandfather's advice against lying.
"What should I do…?" He was now locked in a battle of his own morals at this point. But then there was Tsubaki's own advice that could help Iori in his decision, discussed on the way to the cram school.
"Okay Iori-kun, where do I begin? Technically, telling lies is not the greatest way to get through life. But sometimes, even the greatest lie can become the greatest truth. Whatever you decide is best for a time like this, let your heart speak it out for you."
Now Iori saw the reason why Setsuna trusted Tsubaki very much in a similar manner he trusted his grandfather. His mind now made up, the nine-year old youth carried out his decision.
…
Within Setsuna's psyche, the dual personalities were at momentary peace. Even though Setsuna and Eiji primarily didn't get along, there are some ideals they agree with – combat for self-defensive measures, protecting others, and meditation as well.
A part of Setsuna wondered about the strange events that happened ever since his dark personality surfaced for the first time. As Eiji (referring as Black Setsuna at the time) manifested from the depths of the boy's scars, he was practically the opposite to his light half; cold, angry, angst-wracked, and brutal. Over time, ever since the dark persona decided to distinguish himself with a new name along with developing a sardonic wit and a range of insults, Setsuna wondered whether Eiji was beginning to cultivate a sense of self-awareness during the three years of hell, while enjoying some rare times of comfort. At times, there are some moments they can approve on – such as this situation.
Even though he didn't show it, Setsuna disliked the ocean, though not to the point of hatred. As Hikari suspected before, ever since the Aion tragedy, he never looked at the seawater the same way again. A group of bullies at his old school picked on him one too many times resulted in the leading bully almost drowning to death and his followers beaten mercilessly by Black Setsuna had the teacher not intervened. It was only a last measure, but even his light persona would be worried that he'd end up inadvertently killing someone in the process again, as it was something he wasn't really proud of. Sooner or later, Setsuna would have to face his fear head on someday. Then again, if the fake Airdramon that was destroyed in the World of Darkness was really a living being, would he kill it, regardless of being enslaved by an Evil Ring or Spiral, whatsoever? Perhaps he would, to spare the pain in case the shock would be too great.
While Eiji's persona fell asleep sometime after (possibly out of boredom, considering he wasn't as patient as his lighter half), Setsuna was still focused on keeping everyone alive. It was only then that he felt a strange presence within his mind.
Hmm… that's odd. That better not be the accused demon who made that contract with this one. But for some reason… I feel… at ease with whoever or whatever's there.
Within the murky depths, Setsuna's spirit yearned to make out this presence. Even part of him showed caution, he wouldn't find out if he was just sitting inside, floating. Gliding towards the source, the boy's astral form could roughly make out the being's shape. Despite the gentle glow within, one thing's for certain – that form was also humanoid in shape. Because of the murkiness obscuring his vision, Setsuna couldn't get a clear visual shot at the being's true appearance, height and age included, which appeared to be meditating as well. But before he could establish contact, he heard a familiar voice.
Setsuna-kun. Setsuna-kun, can you hear me?
To Setsuna's surprise, the figure spoke. We will meet again, sometime, somewhere in the future.
Whoever spoke out those words was that of a young woman. Until he'd investigate further, he had more important matters to attend to. As soon as his mind and body fully became aware of his surroundings, the white-haired boy's eyes snapped open.
The first thing he saw was Hikari being given a slight shock when his vision returned to normal. But as soon as latter saw that the Osaka boy's eyes were both their normal shade of amber, along with a curious 'Oro?' that escaped from his mouth, she breathed a sigh of relief.
"Did this one scare you, Onee-chan? In this case, I must apologize." Setsuna curiously asked, standing up to stretch his limbs. Judging by his 'big sister' being the only one at the same level as he was meant that something was up.
Hikari rubbed the back of her head in slight embarrassment. "Gomen nasai. I should be the one to say sorry, Setsuna-kun. For a moment, when your eyes opened up like that, I thought Eiji-kun decided to surface up."
"It's okay. So, what's going on, de gozaruka?"
"Takeru-kun insisted that since we came looking for the Digimental, it's no good for us to be just doing nothing. So I came up to ask you for some help."
The original objective is still essential in case of future battles, so Setsuna accepted Hikari's request for assistance. And so, moments later, the boy, D-Astral or no D-Astral, put as much strength as he could to help his friends uncover the Digimental.
…
It was a while since Tsubaki saw Iori head inside the cram school building. Even though she would have assisted the child beforehand, the twenty-two-year-old woman insisted that she'd stay in the car just in case they were in a hurry, especially for emergencies. Another reason was that it was like a test of sorts for the boy to solve. Being an assistant master of a karate dojo, Tsubaki gained a depth of perceptiveness over her years as a child, and then a teenager. And so, she was able to understand the younger generation as a result.
After some time, the cream-haired assistant master wondered what could be taking this long. She was nearly about to get of the station wagon when suddenly, the cram school entrance burst open, followed by an alarmed mullet-haired bluenette teenager with glasses and with Iori at his heels. Judging by his worried cry of 'TOU-SAN!' Iori managed to make up a lie that something terrible has happened to the older boy's father.
"Kido Jou-san? I'm here to pick you up – get in, you two!" Once the two Chosen Children got in the back seats, Tsubaki drove off to the 'hospital', or so the administrator officer thought.
"Jou-san, I'm really sorry, I had to do something." Iori apologised, once the trio drove a good distance away from the cram school.
"Don't worry about it," replied the former Child of Faith, "I was just really shocked at the beginning, but if it was that kind of emergency, it couldn't be helped."
"Desperate times call for desperate measures, right?" Tsubaki chucked, as she now drove at the speed limit as much as she could. "So it's Odaiba Elementary I need to drop you three at?"
"That's right – and what do you mean, 'you three'?" The teenager got his answer as Dorimon made himself know after the Iori picked up the White D-Astral to show him. Having experienced many adventures in the Digital World made him a much calmer individual as a result over the years.
"I heard from Iori-kun that Setsuna-kun gave Dorimon for him to look after during a crisis was happening." Answered the University student, driving past an intersection. Outside the apartment, Tsubaki usually used the '-kun' honorific for Setsuna when out in public.
Still regretting his decision about lying, Iori apologised again. "I'm really, really sorry!"
"I said it's okay," Jou consoled gently, as he suddenly realised something. "Oh yeah…"
"What are you doing?" The nine-year-old asked, watching the older boy pull out his mobile phone.
"I have to contact Koushirou." The response made, a few seconds passed before contact was being made. "Um… Koushirou, Daisuke and the others are in trouble, and I have a favour to ask…" As the plan was being formulated, the silver Daihatsu arrived at the deserted school, where the two Chosen Children and one stored Digimon got out. After Iori, Jou, and Dorimon thanked their designated driver, Tsubaki wished the trio luck in hopes the other children, including her charge would return save and sound.
…
Moments after excavation commenced, it was finished due to the discovery of the new Digimental at last. As everybody was mesmerized by the object, they managed to take a closer look.
The new Digimental was roughly pear-shaped in form. Colour-wise, it's primary colours consist of silver for one half, and purple on the other. An additional feature showed a strange, glasslike dome on the silver side of it. Finally, to complete the look, the Crest of Faith was shown on the purple side.
After a moment of gazing, Hikari decided to have shot at lifting the Digimental. But to her disappointment, it didn't budge. "It's not mine."
"Maybe I'll give it a go, Hikari-chan," Takeru responded, also trying, but equally as unsuccessful. "Hmm… how about you, Setsuna-kun?"
His ears perking up, the said boy replied, "I'll try, Onii-chan. It might be possible since this one's yet to receive a Digimental, but who knows, de gozaruka?" Everybody waited with baited breath as the newest Chosen Child tried his luck. But to all of their discontent, the Digimental was still stuck at the same spot. "Yare yare. At least we can confirm that the Digimental must belong to Iori-dono."
"If that's the case," Armadimon excitedly announced, standing on his hind legs, "then I'll have a new Armour Evolution."
"What kind of Armour Evolution do you think it is?" Patamon asked curiously while hovering in mid-air.
"Well, that's obvious, it's surely…" In the Child Mammal Digimon's mindset, he imaged himself as a heroic-looking bishounen knight-like warrior. As a result, he was grinning at that thought.
Like the others, Daisuke had his own suggestion. "That can't be it, probably something like…" For some strange reason, the image of Armadimon with additional spikes came to his amused mind.
At the same time, Miyako was whispering something to Hikari. "Well, it's probably…" Despite the rest of the sentence being unheard by the rest of the Chosen Children, whatever was being said caused both girls to laugh, followed by Armadimon and then the rest of the group.
Privately, Eiji's persona thought sardonically, Bakatachi, the lot of you, well, maybe except Chibi Bellerophon and Jo-chan, for my idiot light side's sake. But still, Setsuna grinned slightly as he laid himself stomach down for a closer look at the Digimental of Faith. During the weeks, he got to know the names of the Crests that attributed to the original and the recent additional members. Even though he wasn't accepted by the Digimental, the White Tiger wondered what his trait would be if he receives it in the future. Looking at the Digimental, he couldn't help but notice the similarity between it and the escape pod Iori was in before.
Coincidence? This one isn't sure… I guess I have to find out for myself.
"Everyone's laughing." V-mon curiously remarked, wondering about the irony in the situation.
"Everyone can understand Armadimon's trusting feelings towards Iori-san." Hawkmon added, as his wingtips were now on his hips during his observation.
Descending down, Patamon even added 'Yo katta!" However, Tailmon's expression clouded as the brief sound of laughter stopped followed by depression as if the end is nearly upon the group.
"But everyone's tired and laughing unnecessarily. They risk wearing out their bodies and mind; everyone's at their limit."
"No way…" V-mon sat down in despair. The brief moment was interrupted by a familiar tune, which was emanating from Setsuna's recently-repaired tiger-lidded pocket watch, as the boy was now lying face up. Not only that, his hair was a mess not just due to the stress and sweat, but he removed his headband while seemingly laughing faintly at something. Due to the hair no longer bound by the headband, the fringe completely covered his eyes. Daisuke wasn't too sure what was going on, but he was hoping the strain wasn't finally affecting the boy.
"Come on Setsuna, this is no time to be utterly losing it!"
A sad smile was on the boy's face as he cleared his fringe so that his amber eyes could be seen, while the pocket watch's music was still playing. "Not exactly. You know how some people have flashbacks when they are about to die? I only just realised that there was one thing this one forgot to do over those weeks while in Odaiba and in the Digital World. Of all the times, especially in the water where my parents passed away, and having come so close, I forgot to thank Hikari-Oneechan for looking after my pocket watch when I lost it momentarily de gozaru. So how could I have been so stupid?"
Helping the boy up, Daisuke's expression turned to that of support, even though he didn't get the sibling relationship between the former and Hikari. Mature as the ten-year old was, Daisuke was still reminded that he was a child, like himself. "Oi, oi. We all make mistakes, Setsuna. Even I. We only just have to make up for 'em. So get off your ass already – you aren't nicknamed 'The White Tiger of Osaka' for nothing, are you? DORUmon told me that!"
"You're right, sorry about that. Arigatou, Daisuke-dono." Closing his pocket watch after replacing his headband, Setsuna turned and walked towards Hikari, bowing after he stopped. "Thank you for looking after my pocket watch Onee-chan, and I'm sorry this one forgot to thank you for it de gozaru."
Placing her hand on the youth's shoulder, Hikari's frown turned into a smile. "It's alright – and I accept the apology." But the moment was disturbed as both 'siblings' heard the familiar sound of coughing, which caused the pairs of red and amber eyes to turn to the source with worry. "Daijoubu, Miyako-san?"
For a moment, the lack of air must have been affecting the bespectacled girl as she realigned her glasses. But the more she focused, the incoming object she was seeing through the window was getting closer in range. "Is that… for real?"
Yes… the sight of a white, furry walrus-like creature with a horn on his forehead is indeed for real!
"Ikkakumon!"
"Ikkakumon's on his way to save us!" Hikari's cry of joy was enough for everybody to try and catch a glimpse of their rescuer. Unlike Togemon, Jou's Adult-levelled partner Digimon is one of the few Setsuna can tolerate by first appearance. If only he had his D-Astral to gain more information…
"Sorry to keep you wait…" Unfortunately, Ikkakumon was unable to finish his sentence as a monstrous tail sent him spiralling in the opposite direction. As he regained his momentum, his eyes sighted a familiar foe.
"It's Mega Seadramon! I've beaten him before in Tokyo, but I can win even if can't change into Zudomon." But because this Mega Seadramon is in his element instead of the one being coiled around the Rainbow Bridge three years ago, he could prove himself troublesome. To prove the point he tail-whipped the Ocean Beast Digimon onto the ocean floor. That action was enough for Daisuke to push past the girls and Setsuna so he could peer through the window while shouting out their ally's name.
"Harpoon Vulcan!" Ikkakumon shouted as he fired his signature attack. But he was at both type and level disadvantage due to Mega Seadramon being a Perfect-levelled Data type Digimon, and the latter shook off the blast with no trouble at all.
"All right! Keep going!" hollered Daisuke as his face was pressed against the window surface. "Aim for the Evil Spiral!" But Ikkakumon's second shot failed to hit the target as the Aquatic Digimon counterattacked with a Thunder Javelin. If Daisuke, Miyako, and Hikari weren't preoccupied with the battle, they would have heard a loud rumbling sound, but luckily, they had someone who heard it about a mid-second earlier.
"MOVE, DAMMIT!" Grabbing Miyako and Daisuke by their arms while getting Takeru to pull Hikari to safety, Setsuna and the blonde managed to push their friends and themselves away from the wall as it suddenly gave way. Despite the five being hit by the rushing seawater, they were able to get a reasonably safe distance. "You guys okay?" he called, making sure they weren't injured. While the girls were able to thank their saviours, Daisuke was more concerned about who busted the wall open. The Chosen Children got their answer as a gargantuan Digimon that resembled a brown and blue Sperm Whale crashed though the hole, stopping so that only his head was protruding.
(A/N: I'm just making this Whamon the same one as in Digimon Adventure since it annoyed me a little that most of the allying Digimon, who have fallen in battle (except for Andromon, Gekomon and Otamamon) didn't make their reappearances.)
"It's been a long time, Chosen Children. Is everyone alright?" Opening up his cavernous mouth, he revealed Jou and Iori standing inside.
"We're here to save everyone!" Jou called out, as Iori also popped up.
"Quickly, get inside Whamon's mouth! And Setsuna-san, thank you!" Tossing the D-Astral (with DORUmon inside), the other boy was able to catch his device, where it promptly recalibrated back to its default ownership.
"Iori!" Miyako cheered, relieved that help has arrived at last!
"Jou!" Patamon added, flying over to the duo.
Seeing that his partner returned, Armadimon smiled with joy. "Wasn't I right?" He then received a complimentary pat on his head by Daisuke.
"Iori is something, isn't he?" After DORUmon was ejected out of the D-Astral, Setsuna first identified Ikkakumon (who had his teeth latched onto Mega Seadramon's tail), and then analysed Whamon for information.
Beginning analysis…
Digimon Analyser
Name: Whamon
Level: Adult (Champion)
Attribute: Vaccine
Type: Aquatic
Attacks: Kuchi de Hasamu Kougeki (Chomp Attack), Giganto Press, Jet Arrow and Tidal Wave
Whamon – a giant seafaring Digimon who protects the Digital World's Oceans! His special attack is called Tidal Wave!
End analysis…
After the analysis, Setsuna walked up the staircase to the giant Digimon in wonder. Despite some strange appearances he witnessed recently, Ikkakumon and the Chosen Children's Digimon were many of the Digimon he could bring himself to liking. Especially this one, even though he hadn't seen any real whales in real life before. "What a majestic animal…" he smiled in awe, removing his glove and stroking the side of it's mouth before getting inside.
"Thank you. I believe this is the first time seeing my appearance, correct?"
Watching Setsuna nod in agreement, Hikari smiled warmly at the scene. At least there are some Digimon her 'little brother' can handle. But returning to the matter at hand (after helping Miyako and some of their Digimon up), she then asked, "But why Whamon?"
Jou was able to answer the question. "I called Koushirou and he got Tentomon to do us a favour."
"And that was when I was summoned." The Aquatic Digimon finished.
Knowing that they don't have any time left, Iori looked down, seeing that Daisuke, Takeru, V-mon, and Armadimon still haven't gotten on. "What are you doing? Hurry up!"
"Iori-kun." Takeru called out, causing the nine-year old to shift his attention to the blonde.
"What is it?"
"It's your Digimental!" Daisuke answered.
"My Digimental?" Iori repeated, interested for the time being.
"Yeah," replied the Child of Hope, "Hikari-chan, Setsuna-kun, and I couldn't pull it out. So we think it's yours."
A closer look from Jou was able to confirm what Digimental it is, as crest image was one he was most familiar with. "Ah! That's the Crest of Faith, isn't it?"
"It fits Iori, doesn't it?" Tailmon decided, seeing that Iori was able to return with the promise of some help. However, for Iori – after remembering the methods he used to gain help, his expression was now downcast.
"That's not true."
"I think it does." Jou disagreed, turning towards Hikari.
Impatience must have not have completely left Daisuke as he called out again, "So come on down!"
"No, that Digimental caused everyone to be like this! That kind of Digimental…" Unfortunately, the turmoil has not completely left Iori either. Hearing Miyako cough again, it seemed that he made his point. "Besides, we have to leave this place quickly."
"Sure, once you get this Digimental."
"I said I don't want it!"
Hearing the exchange in dialogue, Jou was reminded of the times Taichi and Yamato had their verbal spats in their younger days when they first became Chosen Children. Most of the spats never resulted in anything good, so it was time for a little intervention of prep talk. "It's no good just standing there. Because in this case, the Digimental will be lost forever in the middle of the ocean, Iori-kun. Come on! Let's go together." Grabbing Iori's arm, he dragged the kendōka down to the site. As the Digimental came into view, it is time for Iori's moment to shine.
"Come on," Jou said encouragingly, "try lifting it."
"If you lift it…" Daisuke began, until Iori interrupted him.
"It's impossible; I won't be able to lift it."
"You won't know if you don't try." Takeru added in support, knowing that they came this far already.
All the pent-up guilt in Iori's heart was slowly beginning to show. Due to the pressure of the choices he was forced to take, the boy was reluctant to take the Digimental of Faith, debating whether he truly deserved to have it in the first place. "But I put everyone in danger."
Daisuke couldn't believe it. After the hours of coming into the Digital World and being trapped within the confiding wreck of the oil platform, he wasn't sure why Iori was still looking back into the past. "Eh? Is that all?"
"If you say that," V-mon disagreed, "it was us who closed the shutters."
Stepping forward, Takeru added with a smile, "No one's blaming you."
The sadness in Iori was now imminent as the tears slowly began to fill his eyes with despair. At that very moment, he knew he couldn't take it anymore, letting his tears, sorrow, and frustrations flow out. "ON TOP OF THAT, I TOLD A LIE! Ojii-sama said never to lie! And I also followed a piece of opposing advice from a stranger I never knew over Ojii-sama's guidance! That's why…" Iori sniffed out, not noticing DORUmon joining with the group, "THAT'S WHY I DON'T DESERVE THE DIGIMENTAL OF FAITH!"
Growing up during his adventures in the Digital World, Jou had learnt a lot afterwards in three years. Placing his hands around the distraught youngster, he then decided to explain the right words to ease the boy's mind.
"There are good lies and bad lies. There are lies which hurt people and lies which are made up to help people." Slowly, Iori's mind started to feel comforted upon hearing those words.
"Right, right!" added Armadimon in agreement, "that's why you lied."
A smile appeared on DORUmon's face as he decided to add his own opinion. "It doesn't matter whether you went against morals. Whether you met Tsubaki-san or not, you decided what was most important for your heart, and that was made when the desire to help people surfaced. As Setsuna-kun's friend Yuzuriha-san told me before, people who can be nice to others are also strong, and you're one of the strongest people Setsuna-kun and I met." Above, in Whamon's mouth, Setsuna nodded; he was happy that some advice the duo was told before was being shared with others, especially in the current situation.
"That's right," Jou decided, before Iori could object. "in that case, when we get back, I'll explain to your grandfather that your lie didn't cause any harm. Instead if you didn't lie, we wouldn't know what would have happened."
"Jou-san…" Feeling better, the prepubescent kendōka wiped his eyes, a smile now returning to his features.
"You understand, don't you?"
"Yes." Crouching down to pick up the precious source of power, the young boy placed his small but strong hands on it, with Armadimon encouraging him. As expected, the Digimental of Faith accepted him, and a greyish-violet pillar of light glowed as a sign.
"See, it's yours!" Daisuke confirmed, as a now-determined Armadimon announced his call.
"Iori, armour shinka time, da'gya!"
Iori's resolve now strengthened, he let out his battle cry strongly, "DIGIMENTAL UP!"
Glowing in a strangely brilliant grey light, the Mammal Digimon shouted, "Armadimon armour shinka…" As the host and Digimental combined, the former became encased inside a cocoon of bubbling sea foam. Similarly to his transition to Digmon, the Crest of Faith's original users flashed by, in this case, Gomamon, Ikkakumon, and Zudomon. As the sea foam dissipated, a new Digimon that resembled a living silver submarine with fins and some of Armadimon's features took the former Child Digimon's place. With this form, he looked to be well-suited for the oceanic environment.
"Uzumaku seijitsu! Sabumarimon! (Whirling Faithfulness! Submarimon!)"
Seeing Armadimon's second Armoured form for the first time, it looked like nothing to what Daisuke imagined in the first place, as he let loose a low whistle. "That's 'faith' for you, cool!"
"That's definitely a sea Digimon." Agreed an equally surprised V-mon.
Beginning analysis…
Digimon Analyser
Name: Submarimon
Level: Armour
Attribute: Vaccine
Type: Aquatic
Attacks: Oxygen Homing, Submarine Attack, and Aqua Vulcan
Submarimon – with the power of the Digimental of Faith, he's evolved into a water-type Digimon. His special attacks are Oxygen Homing, Submarine Attack and Aqua Vulcan!
End analysis…
"Everybody, get in!" Whamon called, as it was time to depart. Now that they have an additional Digimon with aquatic abilities, they could have a fighting chance. Before Whamon closed his mouth, Setsuna was able to thank Iori for taking care of his D-Astral and DORUmon, and he received a confirming nod as a response. As the youngest member managed to get inside Submarimon's cockpit (which encased his pilot for safety), it was time to bring out some reinforcements, while Whamon was able to provide the rest of the Chosen Children and Digimon transport in order to escape the ocean depths.
As for Ikkakumon, he was slowly fighting a losing battle against Mega Seadramon as the red sea serpent managed to slam the unwanted passenger into a rock formation. For the time being, even though he did not want to admit it, even a veteran like himself could use some help, but at the same time, the Ocean Beast Digimon hoped his distraction was enough to buy his comrades time to escape. However, he was about to get this wish… as Submarimon and Iori soared in, firing a rapid volley of Aqua Vulcan shots from the former's drill nose, drawing it's giant adversary's attention.
"We came to help." Iori called from inside his steed, as Ikkakumon managed to get back onto his feet.
"Thanks. Yosh – double attack!" Dodging another Thunder Javelin, the two oceanic Digimon lead Mega Seadramon out on a chase through the depths, avoiding electrical shock after shock as the bolts struck many obstacles on contact. While the serpent was focused on his assault, it was time for a plan to come into fruition.
"I'll lure him and make him follow me." Ikkakumon commanded, as he was prepared to do his part of the plan.
"I'll let you handle it, da'gya." Submarimon replied, as the two Digimon split up. As the submarine-like Digimon and his rider turned into another direction, Ikkakumon lured Mega Seadramon into an undersea tunnel. Despite his size, the persistent sea serpent was still relentless in his pursuit, until he got his head blade stuck into the wall. Still, his focus was still aimed at Ikkakumon, where his tail sent the walrus Digimon into the rocky formation again. But one should be wary of multiple enemies…
…as suddenly, Submarimon charged out of the wall, firing four Oxygen Homing torpedoes from it's inbuilt torpedo tubes at the serpent. Because Oxygen Homing is its strongest technique compared to Aqua Vulcan, the explosive blasts were powerful enough to disorient Mega Seadramon, giving the Aquatic Armoured Digimon the chance to destroy the Evil Spiral with it's spinning drill move, Submarine Attack. For a moment, their serpentine adversary struggled briefly for control, until his eyes were no longer of an evil red hue. Freed at last, Mega Seadramon swam towards the surface.
"We did it, Submarimon." Said Iori quietly, their mission done as he, Submarimon and Ikkakumon watched the Perfect-levelled sea serpent swim away.
"Now he'd be good, da'gya." Hopefully, their former foe would no longer suffer anymore pain for the time being from the clutches of the Digimon Kaiser.
…
Above the sunlit surface of the ocean, the rest of the Chosen Children and Digimon were standing on top of Whamon's head, waiting for their comrades' safe return. After a few hours of being trapped inside the oil platform, they were glad to be able to breathe in fresh air again, and it was enough for everybody to feel a much needed sense of relief. Of course, that feeling would not be complete until Iori, Submarimon, and Ikkakumon were able to accomplish the mission and make it out alive.
It wasn't until Whamon sounded a warning, as all of a sudden, Mega Seadramon surfaced upwards in front of the group. For an instant, the others showed signs of alarm as their former captor focused its eyes at them. But the Perfect-levelled Aquatic Digimon's eyes showed no sign of ill will, and despite his scary appearance, he actually sounded pleased. That was proven as he lifted his tail out of the water, with proof that the Evil Spiral was destroyed, much to the relief and joy of the Chosen Children and their Digimon.
"He seems to be a lot happier." Jou commented, as they all witnessed the scene.
Daisuke chose the moment to also shout out, "We destroyed the Evil Spiral!" And as the group cheered with the much-deserved delight, Mega Seadramon swam away to any other grounds where the Digimon Kaiser wouldn't be able to reach him.
…
"They've somehow managed to save themselves."
Watching the victorious scene from one of his base's screens, Ichijouji Ken the Digimon Kaiser was seemingly not enraged by the Chosen Children's death-defying act. A few days before, his rage had surfaced after the newest Chosen Child had the audacity to insult him (via the f-you hand signal and the raspberry) causing the would-be child overlord to throw a temper tantrum, wrecking the base interior with childish fury. That was shown when a few screens were wrecked along with some ruined furniture as a result. Despite not expiring the group with the boy included he focused his mind on other matters at hand. The screen on top showed the triumphant group on their steed. The second screen below was showing two Digimon on screen – a Monochromon and an Airdramon respectively.
"Is that okay, Ken-chan?" Wormmon asked curiously, while he and a few Child-levelled Digimon finished the last of their repairs throughout the base. The only response he got was a slight chuckle as the Kaiser selected the data he needed so far. For the time being, Wormmon wasn't sure what was going on with this sudden new interest, even though he narrowly avoided the brunt of his partner's tantrum two days ago.
"What are you doing? Was this the plan you were working on the other day?"
To Ken, whatever he was doing was something only he himself would have the right to know. "It has nothing to do with you." He answered curtly, slowly chuckling once more.
…
It was a few minutes after their victory against Mega Seadramon. Now that the battle was over, the Digital World's oceans should become a little safer for the residents to inhabit afterwards, as Iori and Submarimon noted as they were to meet up with their friends.
"Let's go back to where everyone is." Iori suggested, with their mission now complete. But his partner had one more treat to show the boy since he was no longer feeling guilty about his role for today.
"Not yet, not yet."
"Eh? Nande?" the kendōka inquired, as the duo swam past a school of fish. Gliding above the coral reef along the ocean floor, Iori slowly began to see why Submarimon took him for bit of exploration. As they reached over the clearing, the pair saw streaks of sunlight penetrating the blue seawater and onto a tree-shaped coral formation, making the sight even more beautiful. In fact, Hikari would have been more than happy to snap in some good photos if she were in Iori's situation right now, as they glided through an underwater tunnel and back out into the crystalline blue body of water again.
"Na, Iori."
"Eh?"
Swimming past under a gliding manta ray, Submarimon sighted out a cluster of jellyfish forming above them, shining under the sun's rays. "See how wide the sea is, da'gya." It was enough to catch his human partner's attention, as fascination was now spread on his face. Iori remembered the time when he and Armadimon first met, he wanted to learn more about the Digital World. At this very moment, the young kendōka is once again learning about something new, which was allowing his heart to open up.
"It's peaceful and beautiful." Iori murmured, watching Ikkakumon's Child form Gomamon hitch a ride behind a sea turtle. No longer held back by grief and guilt of his actions, Iori can now allow his heart to freely enjoy itself in this stunning oceanic scenery where there were no other beings other than himself, the Digimon and the sea life. The next round of battles may lie ahead in the future. But for now, until the end of the day, Iori and Submarimon could enjoy this fascinating experience while it lasts.
To be continued…
Ketsuron kara iu to, minnasan
Aku wa yurusarenai
Aku made somosomo
Seigi ga zettai
Saigo ni wa katsu to kimatte imasu
Donna pinchi no toki mo
Nakama ga soba ni iru kara
Makemasen nigemasen
Yuuki rinrin
Kimajime dake ga torie no boku wa
Risei no mama ni yukun desu
Ketsuron kara iu to, minnasan
Teki wa ronriteki ja nai
Mata moya tokoton
Hikyou na shudan de
Bokutachi wo kougeki shite kuru deshou
Kotae no nai meiro de
Uzukumatte shimattemo
Matsu no desu shinjimasu
Shouri no shunkan
Tsuyoi kokoro wa tadashii basho ni
Shoujikimono ni yadorimasu
Hibi kore shoujin kishoutenketsu yes, that's all right
FG: Even though Setsuna's the main character in this story, it's still important for the other characters to have their roles in their episodic stories too. Hence, I hope I didn't overshadow Iori's role a bit, and I thought I'd try giving a slight balance of advisory roles to both Setsuna and DORUmon without over flowering one or the other. Hopefully I've made the story a little fair with the D-Astral's limitations.
Secondly, considering of a slight dubbing error of the attack 'Aqua Vulcan', I thought I might try to incorporate it.
Another thing came to mind – for a girl like Yuzuriha, I wonder what her reply to Setsuna's email in chapter 8 would be. Hopefully I can expand on her personality in the future! Also, if one is meant to type of Osaka dialogue/Kansai-ben, how I distinguish it – replace some honorifics, or a slightly different accent that's equivalent to it?
As usual, Iori's character song has been added once again, called Boku no Ketsuron, aka. 'My Conclusion'! Another one of my favourites, it is sung by one talented Urawa Megumi, emphasis on 'talented', because she played both Iori and Armadimon themselves in the series! Amazing, ne? Once again, we have the translation!
To speak about my conclusion, everyone
I will not forgive evil
Any evil at all
Justice will always
Win in the end, for certain.
In any pinch time
Because my friends are there
I will not lose, I will not retreat
My courage will ring out.
I'll go forward, just reasonably,
With sincerity being my only good point.
To speak about my conclusion, everyone
Our enemies are not logical
They are thoroughly lost in a haze
And will come to attack us
In cowardly ways.
Even in an answerless labyrinth
Crouched and closed in
Just wait and believe
For the moment of victory.
A strong heart is honest and
Dwells in right places.
Day by day, this devoted conclusion, yes, that's all right.
The glossary, as usual.
Jan-ken-pon – basically the Japanese version of rock, paper, scissors.
Jo-chan – probably the Japanese equivalent of 'Missy'.
Kendōka – translated as a kendo practitioner.
Karateka – like with Kendōka, for karate practitioner.
Kujibiki – the Japanese version of lottery.
Juku – cram school.
Ojii-sama – grandfather, in a very respectable term.
Chotto – when used as part of the phrase 'chotto matte kudasai', it would be translated as 'Please wait a moment'. But since Miyako and Daisuke have their usual barbs, I think the translation for chotto would probably be 'wait' or something like that.
Shiritori – literally translated as ' taking the bottom', it is a Japanese word game that requires the players to say a word which begins with a final kana of the previous word, with no distinction being made between hiragana, katakana, and kanji.
Bishounen – translated as 'pretty boy', it is popular amongst most forms of media, especially among girls and women in Japan.
Bakatachi – idiots.
Nande – a shortened version of 'Why is that?' or 'what is it?'
Well, I guess that'll be it for now, hopefully. I'll either be continuing on a new chapter of this story, or try updating my Transformers: Armada fic. But until then, enjoy yourselves!
This is Final Genesis, signing out!
P.S: Please read and review to see what you think!