Chapter 35: Dude! Triassic Park!

You clamped your legs to hold onto your dinosaur mount as it reared up and let out a bellow. "Woo!" you shouted at the same time. "This is the best day of my whole life!"

You had come to terms with being on the moon - one of the moons - and had even started to enjoy it somewhat. The red plant life was unnerving you still but the lower gravity was completely awesome. You could jump like a grasshopper now! And when you flapped your arms as fast as you could, you were almost able to hover. The discovery nearly blew your mind.

And then you had found a dinosaur-mon whose back was within jumping distance. You couldn't resist.

It had been a little upset at first but had eventually settled down and let you keep riding - just to enjoy the view, you informed him. And he seemed to be enjoying the company.

"Hey, kid! You don't hafta shout it right in my ear!"

"Sorry, Ankylomon," you said bashfully. "I'm just excited. I've never ridden a dinosaur before."

"Well, most dinosaurs have never been ridden before," he chuckled. "But I know none of them would like having their ears shouted in."

"Sorry…"

"Hey, sugah," Ranamon said, appearing seated behind you on Ankylomon's back. "Don't forget that y'all gotta get back to the Digital World and save it from that ugly monster."

"Yes, Ally," added Dramon as she appeared behind Ranamon. "Fun is nice but you've seen what we're up against. Every minute counts now."

"Right," you said. "Ankylomon, I need to ask you something."

"Does it have anything to do with what your friends are talking about?"

"Wait, you can hear them?!" The other souls appeared on Ankylomon's back, watching with great interest.

"Yeah. This moon is a very spiritual place. Almost all the Digimon here can sense the spirits around them. I happen to be able to hear them."

"That's very interesting," Dramon said thoughtfully. "I had the feeling there was something special about this place."

"It's a very special place! This moon is the original paradise, created long ago by the Sky Dragon. Some say that all the Digimon down on the world's surface originally came from this moon."

"How could they have gone all that way?" you asked. Maybe that would solve your problem.

That was quickly shot down. "Ah, no one knows how they made it down there. Although…" he hummed, "there's a chance that MasterTyrannomon would know. He's the guardian of our legends and the data wellspring and knows more than anyone else."

"Can you take us to him? It's really important that I get back down there as soon as possible."

"Not a problem, little human. It'll take a few hours though. The master lives far out int he wilderness."

"Then we should get moving," said Dramon.

"No problem!" Ankylomon took off at a run, though with his massive size he still couldn't move very fast.

You traveled for about two hours and then you all came across another of the dinosaurs that you had first seen when you woke up. It was even bigger than Ankylomon with a long neck and tail and gray scaly skin. You were reminded of a brachiosaur, like the ones in the movie 'Jurassic Park'. But it took no notice of your group; its head was buried in the top of a super tall tree munching away contentedly.

Suddenly something fell down from the treetop and bounced off the ground. It looked like a piece of fruit.

"Hey, Ankylomon," you said. "Are you hungry? I could use a quick snack."

"Actually, yeah. I could go for a bite."

"Head over to that big fella. I'll ask him to help us grab some fruit to eat."

Ankylomon did so but the other dinosaur paid you all no mind, completely focused on his meal. More fruit rained down and splattered against the rosy ground all around you.

"Um," you said, standing up on Ankylomon's head. "Excuse me! Hey up there!"

"Humm?" The long-necked dinosaur pulled his head out of the mess of leaves and looked down at you, still chewing calmly. "Eh? Is that you, Ankylomon?"

"Yeah, Brachiomon! Me and a human with some spirits!"

"Really? A human?" He leaned down so he was nose-to-nose with you and blinked placidly. "Well! You're a funny-looking creature."

"So are you," you replied immediately.

He busted out laughing. "Fair enough! So, did you need something, little human?"

"Yes! Could you perhaps give me a lift up to get some of that fruit up there?" You pointed towards the spot in the tree where Brachiomon had been eating. "We're on our way to see MasterTyrannomon and could use a snack."

"It'd be my pleasure, human." You climbed onto his snout and held on tight as he swung his head back up to the treetop. You could tell what branches he had been eating from: they were stripped and broken off from the tree trunk. But there were still many other branches left intact and hanging heavy with ripe fruit.

"A bit closer, please." When he got you within reach you pulled off as many as you could see and then asked him to lower you back down.

"How many did you get, human?" Ankylomon asked as he lowered you to the ground.

"I think ten," you answered. "But I only need three so you can have the rest." You climbed out of his paw leaving the fruit for him behind and grabbed a piece of ground to sit and eat. "Oh, Brachiomon, do you need any?"

"No thanks, child. I could reach my own, if I wanted. But I'm more fond of leaves. They have such a wonderful crunch to them." With a hungry hum he lifted his head again and buried it into the tree to continue eating.

~Izumi POV~

Luckily we found a Mole Trailmon that was going straight from the factory to the Forest Terminal. Even better, he was willing to give us a ride there. We all climbed on board and took off back through the desert.

It was so boring. Nothing but sand and sun to the horizon. I couldn't even tell how fast we were going because there was nothing passing by the windows. Then I saw dusty bumps on the horizon all in a row and realized that it was a chain of mountains like the one we had walked through originally. Then the Trailmon track curved a little and I could see where we were heading.

"Hey, guys," I said nonchalantly. "It looks like we're going to go through a tunnel in a few minutes."

There was no reaction from the others. They all looked very preoccupied, probably all worrying about Ally. I was worried too, which would explain why it felt like time was crawling by. It felt like an eternity until we finally reached the tunnel entrance.

With a flash and a roar the world outside the windows went black and the dim lights in the train car blinked on. Suddenly in the center of the aisle appeared a person. Or so I thought at first, but when I looked closer I saw that they had a fox's head, feet, and tail. The Digimon just stared flatly at me until everyone else realized it was there.

"Hey!" Takuya shouted. He and the others leapt to their feet but the fox-person held up a placating hand.

"Be calm, children. I am Taomon and I mean you no harm." It folded its arms again but otherwise remained as still as a statue. "I only wish to let you know that your friend is safe."

"You know where she is?!" Kouichi yelled.

"I do."

"Where is she?! You gotta take us to her!" Junpei chimed in.

"Alas, I cannot. I sent her away for her own protection."

"Protection? From what?" Tomoki asked.

"A terrible abomination from beyond this dimension. It has no name and no one has ever seen its true form, but it represents the opposite of everything in this world. Just like all of you it's come seeking the spirits." The fox Digimon shuddered delicately and sighed with resignation. "Your friend and her spirits are its primary target."

"It's after Ally and you took her away and left her on her own?!" Junpei bellowed.

"She is in the one place that the beast cannot reach. It was the best I could do for the moment."

"And why can't you take us to her?!"

"Because you children must remain here on the Digital World and continue collecting the spirits. The evil must not be allowed to get to them first or it will warp them for its own dark purposes. And your friend must remain safely on the moon for now. Her purpose is to strengthen the souls that she has already claimed. They grow stronger by the day and are already beyond the reach of evil - it is their human medium that exposes them to danger now."

"I guess we will, if it's really the only way to help," I said doubtfully. "Though I still think it'd be better if we all stuck together."

"Unfortunately this is not such a case. To bring her back would attract the beast's attention and slow you down. And taking you all to her would leave the remaining spirits defenseless."

"Can't you just take one of us to her?" Tomoki asked.

It was simple but brilliant - why hadn't I thought of that? "Great idea, Tomoki! I'll go to keep her company."

But Taomon was already shaking her head. "Your friend is safe and you are all needed here. I know it's difficult to accept but what needs to be done can only be accomplished while she's on her own."

"Woo-woo!" Mole's shout made us all jump and I became aware that we were fast approaching a bright light - the end of the tunnel. And I also had the feeling that Taomon would vanish just like she had appeared once we were out.

"Keep seeking out the spirits," she commanded, raising a hand to make a mystical sign. "And with luck, when your friend returns she will bring with her the miracle that this world desperately needs."

Then we were outside and she was gone.