Chapter 12: Get Stronger!

Akira limped with the help of Zamber underneath his arms. The fight with Stravel earlier had taken a lot out of him, especially that one punch to the chest. After they were sure they were far enough, they took shelter in a big cave at the foot of the mountain.

"Hhh... hhh... " Akira muttered. He was too tired, and as soon as Zamber laid him down he pressed his back against the cave wall and closed his eyes. Not long after he fell asleep.

Zamber looked at his human partner sadly. He felt really guilty; after all, it was his job to protect Akira from the dangers here at all cost. Yet he couldn't do anything back there. He was too weak, too powerless, and he let Stravel beat him around with little effort.

The little Rookie Digimon looked up at the sky, and as the gray clouds rolled together he clenched his teeth in anger. Why am I so weak? If only he had more power, he could've done his job better. Now, due to his own lack of power, Akira had to pay the price.

And to think, just yesterday he was telling Akira about how he was an especially strong Elecmon. Who am I kidding? At the end of the day, I'm still just a Rookie-level Digimon. And I can't digivolve when my partner needs me to, unlike Valcrist, he thought

As raindrops started to slowly fall, Zamber sat down. He hated himself for being weak, but he hated bullies and thugs like Stravel and his stupid Goblin Gang even more. Digimon who attack others only for their own pleasure with no remorse.

"I will never forgive him," Zamber murmured. "I have to get stronger! I WILL get stronger! To protect Akira and everyone else I can, I swear to get stronger! And the next time I see Stravel," he avowed, "I will personally make sure he can't hurt anyone else. I'll end his life if I have to!"

XXXXXXX

Mimi and Viana the plant looked back at the swarm of yellow dragonflies rushing through the trees, chasing after the big white wolf they were riding on. Yamato was on the front.

"Yamato, they're catching up to us!" Mimi shouted in panic.

The blond boy looked back. "So they are," he murmured, right as the swarm launched multiple Thunder Ray attacks at them.

Quick as a bullet, the wolf reacted by running while sidestepping left and right and left and right, the attacks nearly hitting it. The thunderbolts hit instead large rocks and tree barks, and on one occasion a tree branch in front of them that the wolf leaped over.

This ride's getting too bumpy for comfort. Yamato thought as they landed and continued running. He turned to Mimi. "Mimi, try to slow them down with your partner's help."

Mimi was confused. "Slow them down? But how?"

More thunderbolts, one of them sizzling past Yamato's head. He could feel a small current of electricity run through his head.

"I dunno, just do something!"

"Like what?"

But Yamato didn't answer and he turned his attention back to the front, trying to navigate his Digimon partner and tell him where to run to.

Mimi stared at her own partner. The plant stared back.

"Can you do something?" she asked. "But don't use your Poison Ivy attack, 'cause you might get tangled and fall overboard." Viana nodded.

"I'll try my best," she replied, and then she inhaled, focused, and opened the petals on her head as wide as she could. "Stench Attack!"

All of a sudden, a foul-smelling odor was emitted from Viana, and since they were running fast the odor traveled back, leaving a trail of unpleasant stench for the Yanmamon to fly through.

The attack worked, and most of the Yanmamon stopped in their tracks and hovered wildly in the air. It seems like they were holding parts of their faces that could be noses with something resembling hands. They definitely can't stand the smell. Unfortunately, neither can the passengers aboard the wolf Digimon.

"AWW! YUCK!" Mimi shouted in horror. "Viana, that is DISGUSTING!" Indeed, even Yamato had his hand over his mouth and nose, and Mimi could've sworn she heard the wolf cough a little. "Stop that, pleeeaaaase!"

"Aaahhh, sorry sorry sorry. Alright I'll stop it now!" Viana retracted her petals quickly, and soon the odor was only lingering in the air.

"Ugghhh, how come you have that kind of yucky stench in you? Don't you ever bathe?" Mimi complained while pinching her nose and waving in the air, trying to get rid of the remaining scent. "Not befitting of a partner of someone like me!"

Viana was stunned, and she bowed her head in embarrassment. "I'm sorry, Mimi."

Mimi looked at the plant. She considered closing her eyes and folding her arms like an arrogant, regal queen, but then just simply smiled. "Try not to do that again. I have a sensitive nose."

Viana blushed. Now she felt really embarrassed after releasing such a foul-smelling smell. Mimi apparently sensed this, so she quickly said, "Do you have any other attacks to hit them with?"

"Umm, let me think." Viana wondered for a moment as they entered a denser part of the jungle, with mangroves growing everywhere. Viana clapped her hands. "Oh, I can try that!" she said to herself, before she faced the rest of the Yanmamon that were still on their (the wolf's) tail.

"Take this: Plant Shock!" and she held out both her palms open facing the Yanmamon. Out of nowhere, a wave of leaves formed and stormed the big dragonflies. Even though they were small, the sheer number of leaves hit them hard, and although it didn't stop them, it slowed them down, giving the wolf more time to put some distance in between.

"That was great!" Mimi exclaimed cheerfully. "Now that's an attack I'd like to see you use more."

"Really? Thanks, Mimi!" Viana smiled at the compliment, when suddenly the ground behind them exploded and bits of dirt flew in every direction.

Mimi and Viana ducked, with Mimi holding onto her hat so the wind wouldn't take it off. She peeked back to see the Yanmamon, farther away but not giving up yet, and desperately launching attacks at the fleeing group.

Another thunderbolt zoomed past Mimi's cheek. "Yamato!" She yelled.

"Gravlos, to your left!" ordered Yamato. "There's a path leading to an opening. Head there!"

"I see it, Yamato," the wolf responded, making a sharp turn and dashed to where Yamato pointed.

"That's the end of Beetle Land," Viana muttered.

"Mimi, hold them off!" Yamato shouted to Mimi.

"Viana!"

"Got it." Viana sat upright. "Plant Shock!" and another wave of leaves shot out at the Yanmamon. But now they were ready, and all of them maneuvered in the air to avoid the plant's attack.

Viana frowned. "Okay, how about this: Plant Shock!" she fired again, but this time she aimed at some of the tree branches. The small leaves sliced the branches and they were cut almost clean through, hanging askew.

"Poison Ivy!" Viana used her ivy-hands to reach out to the cut branches and brought them down on the pursuers. Two of the Yanmamon got hit and fell, but the last three managed to avoid it.

"Hang on!" Yamato shouted. Suddenly, they were flying through the air! For a second Mimi thought she was going to fall and plunge to a bottomless abyss or something, but it turned out that the wolf had made a huge leap and was now soaring over multiple mangrove tree roots. Then it landed smoothly.

"Whoa! That surpised me!" Mimi said, when Viana said "Uhh, guys..." and pointed back. The wolf circled where it stood and they all saw that the remaining Yanmamon had gathered and was now doing nothing but stare at them.

"What're they doing?" asked Yamato as he squinted his eyes to get a better look.

"Well, we're out of their territory now," Viana answered, "so maybe they gave up and now are just... just... looking?"

"So that means we've escaped, right?" Mimi asked hopefully.

"I don't think so... " Yamato mumbled.

OOOOOOO

After their brethren had fallen under heaps of branches, the three remaining Yanmamon still in the game decided to stop chasing and try out a new tactic, a kind of a last ploy, all-or-nothing move.

They huddled together, and focused their energies to merge. Soon, enormous sparks of electricity jumped all over the place all around them, and they could feel the huge power surging within.

They readied themselves, took aim at their target - the two kids, the plant Rookie and the wolf Champion - and fired.

"Thunder Ray, megavolt!"

OOOOOOO

Yamato's eyes doubled in size when he saw the attack the Yanmamon launched at them: it was absolutely massive! The gigantic ball of thunder, easily the size of a minivan, rushed at them with frightening speed and terrifying force, and it actually rumbled throughout the jungle. Everything on its path was smoldered and a large gaping hole-shape was the only thing it left on its path.

If he doesn't do something, he's toast. They're all toast. But before he could even think of saying anything, his partner did the only thing Yamato would have ordered him to: attack back.

"Howling Blaster, extreme heat!" it shouted and opened its mouth. A great wave of absolutely-searing blue fire came out, shot back, and collided with the thunderball in midair!

The end result? Expectedly, an explosion, one whose sound reverberated throughout the entire jungle and beyond. The sheer force of the impact was so powerful that everyone was flung back and flew high, soaring though the air again. The group of four was separated and they went wide over the grassy field, until they descended in four different directions.

XXXXXXX

Even though it was a rainy afternoon, Zamber thought he heard a loud boom somewhere. He listened intently for any follow-up sounds, but nothing came up, so he shrugged it off and dismissed it as his own imagination.

Akira hadn't woken up, and Zamber was getting really worried. He knew that Akira was badly hurt, but he couldn't do anything about it. He was also concerned about the fact that they hadn't had anything to eat since this morning, and that he was getting really hungry. So is Akira, I guess, Zamber thought.

He needed to go out and find some food, and normally he would, because a little rain never stops him, but right now it was just pouring with water outside. The rain was so heavy that you couldn't even see two meters in front of you. There was no way he could find food in this kind of weather.

Zamber sighed. What good is he as a Digimon partner now? He couldn't protect his human partner, and now he can neither take care of his wounds nor find food for him. Disgusted with his own uselessness, Zamber lay down and tried to get some rest. At least I should get my energy back...

After a few hours, Zamber woke up. The rain had stopped, but Akira was still asleep. Groggy, Zamber stood up on his four legs and stretched his body, when all of a sudden a shadow crept up at the mouth of the cave.

"Who's there?" Zamber said, alerted, but he was met with a small seal-like Digimon with white fur and reddish hair that runs from the top of its head to its back. There were accentuations of purple in places, and it had black claws at the ends of its flat feet. It was smiling widely.

Zamber raised an eyebrow at this strange sight. "Hey, you're a-"

"-Gomamon, I know," he new guy answered. "I'm awesome that way," he continued as he made his way into the cave.

"Hey wait a sec, whaddya think you're doing?" Zamber proceeded to question the intruder.

"Nice cave you got here, buddy," the Gomamon looked around. "Mind if we stay here for the night? We've been walking around all day and need a place to crash."

Zamber didn't get it. "'We'?"

The Gomamon looked at him, still with that grin on his face. "Yeah, 'we'. Me and my human partner, Joe."