A/N: Chapter fourteen is reached, and we have hit the milestone of over 100, 000 words now, which I am proud of.
I am changing the crucial part of the chapter from the Naruto universe; the first of many. I have a few ideas how the story plays out better with the altered part.
Tai isn't as big a fool as he is in comparison to Naruto for the most part. Story elements abuzz with this train of storytelling in the tale.
WhiteAngelDragon: I was a little confused when you mentioned my syntax. If you meant the layout and structure, I'm afraid it's natural for me. I describe as detailed as I can in a paragraph to transmit the environment and setting as much as possible.
NightShadeGirl: Thanks for your supportive messages. Always nice to know your work make at least one person happy.
…
Digimon, Hurricane Chronicles
Chapter Fourteen: Danger in the Deathly Forest Rises!
…
Global Mapping Description,
The world is separated into five hemispheres, the way of describing the large nations across the Digital World. In the Centre is the Terra Village, The Land of Sparks and the Village Hidden in the Storm to the West, the Land of Earth and the Village Hidden in the Dust to the South, the Land of Water and the Village Hidden in the Tide to the North and the Land of Air and the Village Hidden in the Sandstorms to the East.
Between these five main nations are bountifully large plains unclaimed, in addition to a multitude of individual lands and some lowly Tamer villages. Around the world, obviously, is the Digital and Dark Oceans, the Dark Ocean a small pocket of water in a secluded patch of the world, as death looms around it.
The only named continent besides thee five dominions in the Digital World is Server, a large landmass of earth encompassing an eighth of the world before clashing with the oceans and the Land of Sparks. It is well known for its neutral stance on worldly affairs and the food conglomerate Trans National Produce, formerly owned by Dosu.
Some small areas, such as reserves and forests, are left untouched by humans residing in the world as one of the rules of cohabitation with Digimon, and there are special, sacred places they are stifled at for being near, such as the Ancient Shrine and the Mausoleum containing a long forgotten evil.
In particular, however, due to Kudamon's withheld tongue, the Royal Knight's location is unknown in the Digital World, as they are exalted, secretive Digimon in a specially founded organization to defend the Digital World from intrusion (like humans, many of them felt) and destruction.
…
Matt was stood in a pure white space, his eyes wide at the child standing like a mirror before him; it was him, at seven years old, in the black polo shirt and shorts he wore to the mass funeral of the Ishida clan, How can… what the hell is going on?
The child sniffed and choked back a sob as he began rubbing his heavily flooding eyes with his black sleeve, "I-if I hadn't been so weak… I could have stopped him killing them, and taking TK! It's all because I- YOU didn't have the power! We must do whatever we can," he looked up, his face partially torn away to reveal the serpentine eye of Bashiori looking at the blonde, "for the power we need. We must avenge them all, and save TK, no matter the cost!"
Matt twitched uncontrollably again on the ground beneath the root space, Tai doing much the same next to him, both of them with scrunched up, pained war like faces as they slept, Sora looking back at them with concern from where she sat, injured.
"Sora, leave this to us," Mimi assured, not looking back at Sora's pained face of gratitude, "after all, if I defeat these guys, Matt will like me more," she snorted in a way that seemed friendly, "not that he doesn't like me enough, but still…"
Shindo coughed, "Why is it more bugs have intervened? You're Tamers as well, so try understanding our frustrations at the prevention of our mission! You will all die, and that is that."
JP blanched and gulped as his enraged face turned a little pale, but he was still rearing to go at Hanai for the fat comment, "That guy is so mine…" he hissed.
Joe sighed, darting his eyes to Hanai, "Thanks, you riled up this particular guy out of everyone. Man, calming him down is going to be such a pain…"
Hanai sneered, "Don't worry, you won't live that long," he violently stated, These clowns are going to make us fail… we have to kill Yamato today, so we can't retreat. It's a full on battle in that case!
Mimi snickered as she and her two teammates hunched over in preparation, "All right, time for the power of Buni-Kame-Taka! JP, do it!"
"Okay!" JP acknowledged, lunging forward with a strange hand seal; it was basically the Bird seal, but his allocated middle fingers were raised and met at the tips, "Body Morph, Expansion Technique!" he growled as his chest area buffed up and his middle section became as big as a balloon as he began spinning forward furiously, "Buu Ball Attack!"
"You have got to be kidding," Hanai snarled vindictively as the rolling giant ball came toward him, raising his palms with the enflamed kanji, "Wind Form, Vibrating Pressure Cannon!"
The powerful jet stream of air collided into JP's rolling mass form, but was not slowing it down a bit as it began it make skidding sounds while Hanai increased the focus of the blast, accidently raising the ball into the air by streaming the bottom of it.
"He rode the air stream upwards!" he exclaimed, bemused as the spinning ball came back down toward him, I can't slow it down, and if I try the Tremor Pressure Cannon, it's likely to tear my arms off!
"Hanai, you fool, move!" Shindo howled as he moved toward the boy and the fast approaching JP.
Joe sneered in semblance as he clapped his hands in the Rat seal, his hands in the Ram sealing gesture, but his top index fingers wrapped atop the lowered ones, "Its time this mummy went back to staying still! Shadow Mimicry Technique!"
Shindo came to an abrupt halt in place as he turned his head with some effort, noticing a long, black shadow linking him and Joe, "A technique that halts movement…!"
"Not exactly, it also allows me to make you obey any of my actions as if they were your own. But for now, stay still…" he moved his eyes across to Mimi, "do it now!"
Assuming the strange hand seal from the written test, Mimi chirped, "Right, take care of my beautiful body for me, now~! Spiritual Possession Technique!"
Shiori jarred where she stood, her head bobbing down before she reach into her pouch, pulling out a kunai and placing it near her neck, "Alright, boys, get lost or the wench gets it! Leave your scroll, and when I can't sense your chikara anymore, I'll release her!"
Her face dropped as she noticed Shindo and Hanai; both were hysterically jovial as the latter raised his palm, the kanji lighting up as a gust of wind channelled into Shiori, sending her back into a tree bark, hard, coughing up blood and falling to the dirt hard.
Mimi's body, as consequence, was linked to Shiori's body, and received the same damage, blood trickling down the side of her mouth.
Shiori's body lifted herself up, balancing on her arm as Mimi sneered, "These guys… they attacked this girl without hesitation…"
"Well, I never really liked Shiori to begin with," Hanai snorted, pulling his palm down, "besides, you've misunderstood us-"
Shindo continued his sentence, "scrolls and this Exam as a whole? Doesn't even appear on the radar; we live for our mission, and right now our mission is to kill Yamato!"
Everyone once gritted their teeth as Hanai raised his palm and elongated his tips out, pointing toward Shiori, "So, blondie is connected in every way to Shiori… meaning if I kill her… well, you should know, right?"
Shindo looked with less strain at his feet as the shadow retracted, reforming beneath Joe, "So… this technique is only a short burst annoyance from a K'rin. I'd say five minutes is the maximum before it breaks off."
Joe ran over to Mimi's slouched body, pulling it into his arm and wiping her mouth like a ragdoll, "This is not good… JP can't keep his attack up much longer; he'll become dizzy."
"Really?" Hanai remarked, looking at the formerly attacking boy, who did indeed look a little disoriented.
"Okay, that's enough; this is pitiful to watch!" Thomas barked out from a tree limb twenty feet above the K'rin involved in the incident, Yoshi sat against the bark atop the limb, her eyes focused down on Marcus's motionless body, the blonde's navy blue eyes shifting and wandering over him as well, "So, some second rate Tamers from the Hidden Note village have decided to attempt an attack on these weaklings… you backwater trash…"
"WHAT DID YOU SAY?" Shindo howled up at the blonde through his bandages, shaped around his sneer, "WHERE DO THESE COCKROACHES KEEP SCUTTLING OUT OF?"
Thomas's eyes wandered back to Marcus, "You outrageous fool… you made a mistake by taking them alone with preparation."
Yoshi's voice stirred with concern, "Marcus…"
"Since you managed to defeat Marcus, I'm guessing your tough, but still!" Thomas's voice insidiously raised and hissed as he activated his Shuhengan, causing veins to pop alongside his temples in anger, "NOBODY ASSAULTS A TEAMMATE OF OURS AND WALKS AWAY!"
Shindo studied the temples and pure new colour of his eyes, he felt water trickle down his partially uncovered face, "Well… if you feel so strongly about it, why don't you make something of it? I remember your mate putting up a valiant effort, so why not avenge him?"
Thomas's blood boiled, crossing his arms and shaping his topside hand in a half Tiger seal, "Well, if you insist, I will go all out!" he hummed as he sensed a dark coldness in the air, shifting his Shuhengan, This energy…
"Well, going to be doing something about it, smart ass?" Hanai growled.
Yoshi stood on the tree limb and walked beside Thomas, who deactivated his eye power and smirked, "Yoshi, stand back. This has been taken out of our hands. LOOK AT THAT!"
Everyone followed his instructions, looking over to the root space, Tai and Matt having vanished in a black intermitted purple shaded cloud of energy, which dissipated with a cold trace as a shadow rose in the cloud. Matt appeared as the cloud focused and circulated around him in a purple, ghastly shroud. The blonde shot his head up, Surugan activated, causing most of the K'rin, especially Sora, to flinch as they saw the digital code spreading like fire from his nape onto his face, shoulder and left leg, his red eyes giving him a demonic look and his voice dark, "Sora… who did that to you? Tell me who it was."
Shindo stiffened, That black digital coding is covering his entire body…!
Matt walked across to Sora, stopping before her, his purple energy shroud streaming off of his body into the air, the dark chill worrying her, "Matt… what is this? What's happened to you?"
Looking vividly with his demonic appearance down at the slouched over, keeled over girl, he raised his hand, noticing the black coding spread like wildfire on his left side, and the purple stream searing off from his pores, "Don't worry. I'm not in pain… in fact, I've never felt so good; so powerful. He gave me this gift."
Sora's eyes flickered (the partially bruised one awkwardly), Bashiori? The snake guy?
"He's made me understand; I'm an avenger for my people. I must become stronger than anyone, no matter the cost, even if I am engulfed by the darkness and have to eat life's forbidden fruits to do it."
Shindo slouched in his already hunched stance, So those marks on the neck the girl was blabbering about… was a Viral Brand? Out of all nine types, none have proven to be non-lethal to humans afflicted with them… but he's standing, thriving on the power of the Brand!
"Now then, you three," Matt gave a filthy, scanning glare with teeth peeled to the three Sound Tamers, "If Sora's to forgiving to let me know which of you did this, I guess all of you have to go down."
Joe grabbed a firm hold of Mimi's flailing body as he ran into the bushes, "Mimi, return to your body before this gets ugly! JP, get over here as well, and don't get involved!"
Shiori's body quickly assumed the releasing hand seal, by interlocking her fingers and extending her dainty fingers, "Release!" she hastily quivered as the body jolted, Mimi reassuming control of her body in the bushes, rubbing her stomach where it hurt from before as Shiori stirred on the dirt she knelt on, meeting Matt's crimson shaded Surugan.
Matt grinded his teeth and angrily chided as the purple smoke dissipated from his body pores, and the digital coding flared crimson, spreading across to his right side, the code filtered across his body in black code insignia, separated by black flickering flame symbols between them.
Shindo sensed his chikara level and felt flustered, terrified, Impossible… I had heard from Lord Bashiori that the Brand was a way of maximising a person's potential! It should have killed him! How can we hope to compete with this? His chikara is too big… too strong for us!
"Hey, don't turn dark on me now, Shindo!" Hanai snickered as he clapped his hands and thrust his palm forward, his face tightening as the kanji lit up, "Wind Form, Tremor Pressure Cannon!"
"No, Hanai, you don't understand!"
The wind blast was far larger and more potent than before, and the vibration of air molecules powerful enough to decimate the landscape before him, the root space Tai and Matt were at and Sora not far away from, the other K'rin doubling over to cover their faces as the dust rose.
Hanai scoffed and panted as he retracted his palms, "Got the three of them. Mission accomplished."
"Think again," Matt hissed beside him, pulverizing him in the face with a single side slanted back fist, sending him coursing back across the dirt with a grunt. Tai and Sora next to him, the girl looking unsure of what had just happened.
"Hanai! Just listen for once and control your temper!" Shindo rallied as his partner stood up, rubbing blue bruising on his face, shaped like four knuckle imprints.
Shindo couldn't voice his warning as Matt wove several seals, ending on Tiger and placing a conjoined thumb and index finger to his mouth, blowing out several pellets of darker blue fire, "Fire Form, Phoenix Arising Cinder!"
Hanai snorted with spite as he removed his hand from his face and readied his palms, "Try this! Wind Form, Vibrating Pressure Cannon!" the wind blew the dark blue flames out, revealing shadows in the flames that weren't being repelled by the blast of air, several shuriken scratching Hanai as he covered his face reflexively.
Opening his eyes and moving his arms away, he was petrified as he found Matt directly before him, bent over with his palm readied, fingers bent inward. Thrusting up with dazzling speed, Matt scored a direct palm thrust into Hanai's chin, propelling him up, repulsing him with a blindingly fast spin kick, sending him metres away into the tree behind him.
Shindo sweatdropped, The power he's got… he threw shuriken with such force, the blast of air couldn't even slow them! And his speed is beyond normal human comprehension… we are outclassed here!
Hanai roused and writhed on the earth, doubled over and panting before taking a knee, How can he be this strong? All three of us are Digital Humans, he should be kneeling before me, begging and pleading me to show mercy!
His antagonizing thoughts were short lived, however, as he slouched in standing, giving Matt an opening to slip in at the very edge of his peripheral vision, twisting his body archly and planting an axe handle in his neck, forcing Hanai to his knees again as the blonde clasped around his arms like a vice and pulled them back, his foot firmly stomped into the space between his shoulder blades.
The black code and flame mark covered blonde chortled evilly, his mouth chiselled in a low, dark grin as he held the boy beneath him in a submission hold, "Well… these arms are the focal points of your attacks… you must feel very connected," he chortled again with a nasal quality, "very ATTACHED to them."
Hanai gasped in fear as he felt the foot on his back and the pull on his arms intensify, turning his head back to the dark entranced Matt, "What the hell are you doing? Stop, I surrender! I'm sorry about the girl!"
Matt's expression darkened to suit his demonic appearance, "So it was you who attacked Sora… well then," he continued to push and pull on his back and arms until a sickening snap was heard, and everyone saw Hanai's arms dislocate, "consider this as karma."
Releasing him, Matt watched on in sick, sadistic enjoyment as he heard Hanai writhe and twitch in agony on the ground, shifting his red Surugan over to Shindo, who had stiffened against the Medusa like gaze.
"You're the last one still moving," the blonde rasped as he turned and began to stride toward Shindo, "I hope you present more of a challenge than that pansy."
Sora watched with tear brimmed eyes as Matt strode past her and Tai's unconscious body, the pulse of enraged dark energy emanating from him becoming abundant to the girl, This can't be…
-I've got you covered, don't worry about it!
-Actually, I noticed second, mostly because of our genius at recognizing Seiina here, isn't that right, Sora? You're the best at recognizing Seiina on our team.
Sora's eyes drenched with tears that cascaded down her cheeks as time sped up again, Matt's stride becoming a damning brisk pace toward a frozen Shindo. His shoulders were raised and it felt strangely cold just looking at him step further and further away from her and Tai, the boy shifting where he slept and flickering his eyes open for a moment, a red glimmer in his eyes as they fully opened, reacting and shifting over to Matt with cold recognition.
"MATT, STOP IT, PLEASE!" Sora pleaded, the digital code bequeathed boy not paying any mind as he came within feet of Shindo, her mind shouting out Bashiori's words, I just gave him a parting gift, my dear. That Viral Brand of Friendship will activate in time, and he'll seek me out willingly to gain my power.
Matt raised his fist, ready to strike the bandaged Sound Tamer's head off in his unreserved fury, Sorry, Sora! But this is the only way to ensure they never try this again! They have to pay for what they did to you, just like HE will have to pay for what he did to my people!
Matt's fist was thrust at blinding speed toward Shindo, who seemed to still be under the Medusa effect. Yoshi and Mimi looked besmirched, while Thomas kept a passive look. Joe and JP resisted the gut wrenching urge to try and stop him while Sora was strewn on the ground, looking at Matt with tear stained eyes after Matt ignored her.
"PLEASE, STOP! MATT, PLEASE, JUST STOP!" she pleaded once more, Matt still ignoring her before he abruptly stopped, a hand clutching his fist before Shindo's face.
Everyone was amazed at the sight of Tai's phasing in form holding a befuddled Matt, empowered by his Brand of Friendship, by the wrist he used to threaten Shindo and pulling it back, raising his head to the blonde, red eyes meeting red eyes.
"She said," he growled as time stood still, "STOP. IT. NOW."
Nobody saw his eyes apart from Matt, and after the two stayed still for a brief period, Matt pulled back his fist from Tai's grasp, Shindo leaping backwards, I'm safe for now… he wasn't expecting his teammate to wake up, but thanks to that, he's calming a little.
Squad Seven looked upon Tai in amazement, Mimi's mouth gaping, "I never knew Tai was that fast! One second he's out cold, the next he stopped Matt! The moron's got no talent, but he's got speed!"
Matt got another surprise, just as his anger began to inexplicably surge within him as Sora clamped around him with a vice like hug over his shoulders, her tears dampening his back. His code ridden face looked demonically back at her with the immature Surugan showing it was, in fact, Matt Ishida under there.
She raised her bloodied and bruised face, and opened her eyes as much as she could, tears flooding down her face, "Stop… please, just stop it now…" her voice was cracked, piteous and melted through Matt's evil exterior, his dark expression lightening.
Tai looked at her with his red eyes (she cried too much to notice) and he felt his energy flicker out of him, his red eyes returning to brown and normal pupated as her weak plea melted his heart with sympathy. The feeling of weakness and plunging came from his stomach.
Tai's now normal eyes and sweat beaded face shifted across to Matt and his… new dark side, playing on his lighter expression, "Matt… I have no idea what's going on, or what this new Ishida power is, but what is bullying those weaker than you going to achieve?"
Matt didn't look at him, but while his head remained toward Sora's trembling form behind him, his eyes fell down her a little to his pouch; his Digivice was glowing ominously inside it, and it was visible as a dark blue coloured device in stark contrast to gold, He's right… I need to calm down… I'm no better than them by acting like this; I'm upsetting Sora.
The blonde, red eyed, digital coded boy felt himself control his erratic heartbeat, bit by bit, until his skin felt as though something were crawling against it toward his neck. The code was coloured red now, and began to recede, until the black Brand of Friendship remained on his nape once more, the boy collapsing like he'd been hit by a bus, Sora hugging him as he fell back beside her.
Shindo was beyond relieved, but didn't ease up, He's calmed thanks to his mates… we're okay for now, but we'd best not push our luck, lest we all wind up like Hanai. I'd better make a bargain so we can postpone and try again later…
Tai looked down on an exhausted Matt as Sora held his shoulders gently beside him, his brown eyes shadeless and despondent, Right…
"You are indeed powerful, Yamato!" Shindo praised with a deceiving, sultry tone, lifting up his squad's Mortal Scroll to the three Squad Seven members, the others not interfering as he tossed it across to them, Tai agilely catching it in place with one raised hand, "too powerful… right now, we can't hope to kill you or your speedy friend there, so I'll give you this scroll in exchange for our lives."
Sora, Matt and Tai shifted their eyes as the bandaged leader walked over to and gave a shoulder to a blacked out Hanai, followed by walking over to Shiori, and picking her up by her waist in the other arm, the girl passing out after feeling Hanai's attacks on her.
"However, I can promise you that we shall see you at the next stage of the T'rin Exam, but for now, I have something I absolutely must check… we've been set up, as far as I'm concerned," he turned, partners hoisted along in each arm, and began to scuttle along.
Matt's panting became more and more of a nasal snort and his teeth began to grind when Sora looked at him and shot a dirty glare over to Shindo's back, "HEY, WAIT RIGHT THERE!"
He stopped walking and looked across his shoulder.
"WHO IS THIS BASHIORI GUY ANYWAY? WHAT HAS HE DONE TO MATT, WHY DID HE DO THIS TO MATT SPECIFICALLY?" she shouted at him.
"I don't know; all I do know is that we were ordered to track your Squad down, and kill Yamato Ishida. Although I don't understand why he, who gave the mission, went on ahead and gave him such power…"
Shindo turned around, braced his arms holding Hanai and Shiori, and leapt into the trees and out of sight as the battered and bruised girl let out a collective sigh of relief.
Joe realized the danger had past, and he and JP ran toward Squad Seven, while he gestured across to Marcus, "Mimi, help him up!"
"Got it!" she responded, running over to Marcus while Thomas and Yoshi looked down at the scene.
The blonde teen still had his arms crossed toughly as his eyes fell directly on Matt, "So, that's how powerful the Ishida's can be… interesting. I never thought there would be such competition here at the T'rin Exams."
Matt's hand quivered before his face, his face paled and gaping, "What the hell was that? What am I exactly?"
Sora's eyes beamed with concern, What did that guy do to him…?
Tai looked down at Matt blankly, Those markings… no, I shouldn't mention them; he's shaking like a leaf, so I'll leave it until he's ready.
JP and Joe stopped next to Tai and the glasses wearing boy studied him carefully, "Tai, where did that speed come from? I didn't even see you move!"
"You weren't looking at me, so you missed it. It wasn't really faster than any other Tamer," he deflected the question, Joe seemingly comprehending and nodding in dull agreement. Tai's eyes shifted over to Mimi, Marcus drooped over her shoulder, "Hey, what happened to the Mega Strong Freak?" he quipped, using his nickname.
Sora shot to her feet, stomped over and dealt him a powerful punch to the jaw, sending him back to the dirt feet away, "Tai, you better not say a word against Marcus! He protected and helped me when you couldn't!"
Tai sat up, rubbing his chin, "Well forgive me for being unconscious!"
Mimi, practically dragging Marcus due to the height difference, wore a cynical expression with a raised brow, The idiot finally gets up and looks almost as cool as Matt for once, and he blows it immediately; typical…
Just as she thought this, Yoshi phased in landing before her, relieving her of Marcus by grabbing him gently in a hugging hold before grabbing his collar aggressively and shaking him until he stirred, the pink haired princess staring on in disbelief.
Tai stood up and still rubbed his chin, but his eye twitched as he saw it, "Sora! Your face! Your hair! What happened to you while I was out?" he angrily questioned.
Sora had sat next to Matt again, but reached to the back of her hair, now roughly bob cut by her kunai, and ran a hand over her face. She found several bumps and had small amounts of blood from the one wipe of her face, "Oh, I tried fighting those guys off and they did this to my face, but as for my hair, I cut it while you were out; figured if I cared to much about my hair to help you guys through the bushes, why not shorten it?" she lied convincingly with a pain etched smile of gentle warmth.
To her inner relief, Tai's angry features softened and he nodded in understanding; he had accepted the lie about her hair, as her beautiful face was now hurt and that took precedence.
Mimi held a sullen look from a distance, Sora… even through all of her pain, she still lies to protect people's feelings… she's incredibly kind, I'll give Jack O-Lantern that much, she waved her hand in the air, "Sora! I want to fix your hair for you! You should know that you can't cut hair on your own!"
Tai looked over to Joe and JP as the auburn haired girl jaggedly walked over to Mimi, "So… what the hell is everyone doing here? Helping? If you all were, than thank you, Happy Moron Brigade," he clapped his hands together and bowed to them.
Joe chided, "About that name-!"
"Leave it, Joe," JP unexpectedly cut in, "he can call us whatever he wants; he's the talentless loser who isn't becoming T'rin," he had an evil glint in his eye as he spurred Tai on like a grudging friend, "right, Taichi?"
"Oh, you are so going down, JP," he said, lightening the atmosphere as Marcus sat down and rubbed his aching head, all of the vibration attacks affecting his balance.
In the middle of the clearing, kneeling down with Mimi behind her, stripping at her cut ends with a kunai, Sora listened intently as Mimi spoke, "So… you kept that ribbon after all, Sora. Also," her face became deathly and hallowing behind her, "how dare you hug him like that! Sneaky little Jack O-Lantern!"
Sora's face became jovial and alighted like Mimi's almost comedically angry face, "Haven't you ever heard of all's fair in love and war, or don't they teach you that in Strawberry fields?"
"Remember girl, I have a sharp knife cutting your hair; want to lose anymore, or should I just start calling you baldy anyway?"
Marcus stretched his arms out and his vision became less of viable static and became solid again as Yoshi came into view, her face full of concern, "Yoshi? Why did you come here? What happened to the weird guys from the Note Village?"
Yoshi vehemently sighed and shook her head from side to side, "Me and Thomas came here to find you after you didn't show up, and we found this whole scene. Matt drove off the Sound Tamers himself."
Marcus scanned Matt's distant, seated form, "I… see…"
"What were you thinking, charging in like that?" Yoshi noticed the tip of a black mark on his chest, pulling on his collar to reveal the summoning seal, "Don't tell me that's the reason there's so much damage! You've wasted your one summoning, Marcus! Lalamon and Gaomon are last resorts for me and Thomas, but you had to get flashy and stupid, and look where it got you!"
Marcus grovelingly ruffled his hair in defeat as the pink shaded eyes pierced through him like daggers, "I guess I could have done this fight without wasting my summoning technique and using the Delphinium Plunge…"
"That's what I thought; no wonder Kristy says you're stubborn," she huffed as Tai came up to them and knelt beside Marcus.
"Hey, Marcus, right? Seriously, I cannot thank you enough for saving Sora."
Marcus smiled with a wink, "Well your welcome. Can you give her a message for me later, I have to go in a second. Tell her that 'Spring Comes Around Twice For The Worthy'. And tell her that when we all meet at the tower, I will be a stronger Tamer; losing so badly to the Sound has proven that I need to work harder."
Matt's ears picked up on this as he walked up to Tai, You mean… those weaklings were strong enough to defeat this guy? I had no chance against him yesterday!
Thomas was still on the high tree limb, looking down on the scene like the limb was a perch, specifically at Matt, Ishida… he's a formidable opponent! The others are nothing too taxing, but after seeing that black and purple chikara with my own Shuhengan, I think I've found a challenge…
oOo
SEVEN HOURS PRIOR
Daisy was rubbing her neck so hard she might as well have torn the skin, her Brand of Sincerity feeling like it had caught fire as she writhed, hunched over on the sofa in the staff office at the top tier of the tower in the Deathly Forest.
Stood at the corners of the room were two mask toting Tamers, the masks fashioned after a cat and eagle in jagged retrospective on white plastic, their uniforms, varied in size as one was bulkier than the other, consisted of a purple Tamer's vest and black pants consisting of a kunai holster and pouch, their sandal black. Although they lacked headbands, they had an identification tattoo on their right arms; twin serpents intertwining into a yin yang symbol. These were members of DATS, the special mission squad of the Hidden Terra Village.
"Now, Daisy," one of them asked in a hulking voice of domination, "we have summoned Lord Senksha here, but why are we not stopping the Exams? Doesn't finding Bashiori take premise over them?"
The other one cut in, "Speaking of which, why call for DATS members as support if you're going to disappear and be found collapsed in the middle of the Forest? You know you're not strong enough to kill him, even as an O'rin, alone, you have no chance."
Daisy hissed back inbetween panting, "Are you done with the lecture? I overreacted, alright? But we still have to let the Exams go on, they have significant implications on international relations, and cancelling them abruptly will pose problems."
-Daisy, as an old friend, will you ensure this Exam goes on? After all, if you deprive me of my fun by snitching to the old man, I may have to raze the village to the dirt.
The sliding door to the room slammed open, and a bandana wearing T'rin rushed in before Daisy, a black video cassette tape in his hand, "Daisy, you really have to look at this! It's unbelievable!"
"What is it!" she shrewdly barked, rubbing her throbbing nape, "We're in the middle of a-!"
"No, really, it's unbelievable, it's about the first squad to enter!" he replied anxiously, placing the cassette into the television behind him as Daisy was breathless, and not just from the Brand. The tape came on screen, and the three Sandstorm Tamers came on screen on security video, the T'rin pointing at the time allocated on the screen, "look at this time! The Sandstorm Tamers passed the second exam with ease!"
"Impossible… no K'rin could possibly…" Daisy expressed pathetically before the time on screen, "just over an hour and a half? How could those three possibly…?"
"Whoever they are, they aren't normal. They smashed the old record by at the very least five good hours."
"That's not the entire thing you're considering." Daisy suddenly explained camly, walking across to the window and looking down to the thick stretch of tall forest below though the pane.
"What do you mean?" he asked in befuddlement as he examined the now freeze framed video cassette, Keenan peering up at the camera and at him while Tsuki and Daiyo knelt in rest.
"His two teammates are exhausted, yet the raven haired one's as cool as a cucumber. Not many ten year olds I've heard of who can traverse ten kilometres and not even gasp for air. But there's more, can you see it?"
The DATS hummed, "Well, well! A true tough competitor, and this one's very interesting! Look at his clothes and you'll see."
Following the advice of the DATS member, the T'rin reviewed the image once more and saw it, the strange impossibility on Keenan, "I see!"
Daisy coldly explained, looking out of the window, "Not a scratch bequeathed, not a smudge on his clothing and I can't even find a tear on his clothing. In between the gates and tower are ferocious beasts, deadly insects and the other K'rin, so how has he managed to get here and get the scroll without any sign of effort or damage?"
The T'rin sweatdropped at the image on the screen, Neither me or the other T'rin could get through the Forest unscathed; even O'rin show a scratch, but this small K'rin…
The DATS in the corner raised a brow behind his mask, "He must have some special ability or affinity with his partner. If not, and this is a special technique developed by him, then we have a real challenger this year; but those blackened eyes screech volumes of darkness…"
oOo
SEVEN HOURS, FIFTY MINUTES PRIOR
Squad Eight shot between the trees at a high pace, Davis shooting in the lead, disgruntling the calm and collected Izzy while Mikoto attempted to pacify him before Davis came to a stop on a large tree limb, the other two landing on it and standing beside him.
"We got lucky with the first scroll, and we'll get to the tower first, but what do you think about this," Davis said proudly with his toothy fanged smile, making his mates guts drop, "we steal more scrolls and make less competition! We aren't exactly defying the rules, are we?"
Davis sniffed in the air in pride at his plan regardless of Izzy slapping himself in the forehead, but that sniff got his attention, and he used his acute sense of smell (a Motomiya skill of focusing chikara to the nose) and smelled distant enemies.
"Mikoto, I smell a team about one click in that direction, can you look over there?"
Flustered as usual, she acknowledged with a meek whisper of, "S-sure thing, Davis."
Weaving seals such as Horse, Tiger, Monkey, Ox in continuation, she ended with her eyes closed on the seal of Tiger, with the fingers lowered and heightened in the formation as her eyes shot open, "Shuhengan!"Her navy blue eyes became pure, light pink hued and veins popped alongside her temples and cheeks.
Her eyes pierced through the terrain before her like a scanner and her vision intensified as her eyes got sight of exactly one kilometre away, spotting several shadows, all glistening with chikara shrouds as is visible to the Shuhengan, yet one of them was very large…
"Yes, there is someone there…" she replied with uncertainty in her once brittle voice.
Izzy knelt and placed his ear to the bark he stood on, using a general survival technique of focusing on vibrations through the forest and listening to the insects in the area, "Apparently, there are… six people there…"
"OKAY, LET'S GET OVER THERE AND JOIN THE PARTY!" Davis exclaimed to the horror of his partners, Mikoto gasping while Izzy, being far more stoic than other people, placed a finger to his forehead and sighed heavily, "Listen, chickens. We'll just go over there, hide at first, and if it's too dangerous, we'll leave them alone!"
Mikoto tried dissuasion, "But, Davis! T-there's a really large chikara over there; bigger than yours by a great amount!"
"A challenge!" Davis purred in a silky voice, not heeding the warning as he began travelling to the location, Izzy chiding all the way about how Davis was a fool as the three came upon the scene and speedily phased into the bushes below before the scene, looking through the brambles at the six in question.
The three Sandstorm Tamers were stood before no account washout K'rin from the Waterfall village, all three wearing black cloaks and wearing large straw hats that covered their faces. Keenan stood up front, legs separated dominantly and his arms crossed, with Tsuki looking nervous at his left and Daiyo composed with his eye closed habitually, the 'Black Widow' wrapped heavily onto his back.
"Can you believe this, Jirobo?" the slightly rotund on the leader's right snorted, "These Sandstorm kids getting in the way of their elders?"
The other one chortled, "To think they are openly challenging the boss…"
The leader, Jirobo, grabbed his hat and tossed it aside to the dirt, revealing a heavy scar across his left eye, the same eye sealed shut by stiches, "Listen, brat. I have taken this test four times now, and I have paid for it with these marks that will be with me to my last breath, do you really think some no account spook who still wears diapers is going to take my scroll? I will kill you, you know."
Daiyo chuckled with his eye closed, "You aren't the first to make such a claim. Listen, don't discount Keenan because he's ten. The last guy who did that is the paint on a wall in the Sandstorm Village."
"Nice bluff there; I know the kid's no threat. It's you two teens of around fifteen that are the problem," he got an evil grin, "send the little baby home, or he'll feel my wrath."
Tsuki averted her eyes and closed them, "Keenan, just get it over with; I can bear many things, but… well… get on with it already."
In the bushes, Mikoto shuddered and trembled suddenly, the girl's breath becoming rapid as she watched, Davis noticing, "What's wrong? The kid knows the rules in full, so he knows if he messes with the big guy with that large chikara you mentioned, he'll be killed."
Mikoto looked back to the scene, No… the energy I saw wasn't coming from the big one, it was coming from him!
Jirobo reached into his black cloak with crossed arms, pulling out two wood canisters shaped like cylinders in his hands, throwing them into the air, Keenan blinking vividly, his face like stone as Jirobo assumed the Tiger seal, the canisters popping open high above the tall trees, the sun blotting out Daiyo, Tsuki and Squad Eight's view of what was happening while the Waterfalls and Jirobo snickered to themselves.
"Acupuncture Antagonizing!" Jirobo snorted as a plethora of senbon rained down, the Waterfall Tamer summoning a rain of chikara concentrated senbon down on Keenan, who held his arms in a cross armed gesture, his face still stone cold as the needles rained down and blasted up the dirt as Daiyo and Tsuki leapt back, "What a fool…if he had just given me the scroll, he could have lived."
"Is that it? That is nowhere near enough, you pitiful weakling," Keenan's voice hissed through the dust cloud, the shroud dissipating and lifting, revealing him surrounded by senbon implanted in the ground and floating patches of material that had protected him, the substance breaking down and falling as sand.
"What the?" Jirobo nervously exclaimed, assuming the Dog seal and placing a half Tiger to his mouth, "Sand… well then, this should fix that! Water Form, Hydro Cannon!" he spat literally, a small blast of water, comparable to Gabumon's Blue Blaster, at Keenan, the sand shooting up and hardening, deflecting the water without becoming soggy to the Waterfall's horror, "How can this be-?"
Daiyo explained, one eye still closed, "Keenan's sand is infused with his powerful chikara, and can harden beyond the reach of water and external damage. It's a technique only Keenan can use, and its automatic, it happens without his doing anything. Basically, Keenan is immune to any type of attack you can throw at him."
"Impossible!" Jirobo contradicted, sweating, "Those needles have enough power to penetrate thick steel! Sand can't possibly-!" he grunted as he performed the seals Boar, Dog, Bird, Monkey and Ram, and prepared to summon his partner Digimon before the sand grasped his palm before it touch the ground, more sand wrapping snugly around his body, his face uncovered to allow his curses through.
"Now, certainly you don't need a partner against a 'kid', right?" Keenan coldly said as he raised a clenching palm toward the sand engulfed Jirobo, "Now, I'll introduce a new scent to this Forest; the aroma of your blood."
Tsuki looked away again, "I hate this part…"
xxx
Yamato's Tamer Technique Knowledge,
Fire Form, Phoenix Arising Cinder
A split up burst of fire pellets unique to the Ishida clan, a derived technique of the other original technique of the Ishida clan, the Evergloam Blaze.
I use this whenever I need more firepower in a greater size area like the Deathly Forest, so I can get a greater chance of a hit.
xxx
A/N: And there we have one of my favourite parts of Naruto converted into Digimon form. I think I may be overlooking the Digimon themselves, but I have a large arc planned for them, and I also have an idea of how me changing the story to Tai being conscious and seeing the Brand of Friendship marks will affect the story.
Please review!