Disclaimer: I don't own Digimon.

Digimon Trinity

Chapter: 131/ Episode 19: Dealing in Absolutes

Impmon sighed from his perch on a tree branch, arms folded behind his head. His green eyes took in the sight of the three human children as they attempted to splash Guilmon, only for him to splash them back with even greater force with a terrific smack of his tail in the pondwater. He scrunched his brow up, trying to figure out why they were laughing so happily with excitement.

"That's what those fools call fun?" he asked aloud. "But there's no fireballs or yelling."

It didn't make any sense. How could it be called fun? What was the point of their game if some kind of chaos wasn't being caused? Getting wet certainly wasn't his idea of a good time. There was just no logic to it at all.

"Guilmon, when I get done splashing you, you'll be wetter than the water!" shouted the goggle-wearing boy, Takato, as he rushed onto the scene to join in on the festivities. Impmon groaned.

Speaking of not making any sense, here comes the head of the class now. Wetter than the water… Sheesh. What the digital world was thinking giving an Einstein like you a digivice I have no clue.

Deciding that he had witnessed enough of this absurdity, Impmon got up from his spot and bada-boomed off.

Bunch of idiots, he thought derisively. Why would any self-respecting digimon ever stoop to doing something so low as to play with humans like that? Then again, ol' Pineapple Head isn't exactly self-respecting. More like a caged animal. Well, this mon is no caged animal who performs like a trained monkey! Bada Boom!

Entering a playground area, he heard a gaggle of laughter suddenly. Pausing upon landing, he saw a trio of girls surrounding something, cooing loudly.

"Hey, what's this? An animal?"

Impmon snorted and prepared to bound away, but an all too familiar voice caught his attention.

"Why are you all dressing the same way?"

Oh no… Impmon clenched his eyes shut. Please tell me that's not who I think it is…

"It talked!" one of the girl's exclaimed loudly in excitement. "That is like, way totally cute!"

"What is it?" asked one of the other girls.

"Duh! It's way totally cute!"

Jumping up onto a playground slide for a better angle, Impmon saw that, yes, the tiny creampuff found himself surrounded by the trio of girls, his wide eyes contemplating them with a mixture of confusion and curiosity. And no wonder. All three girls had their faces heavily done up with makeup – something Impmon had no clear idea of what it was other than it seemed like some kind of colorful mud humans threw on their faces and tasted foul – making them appear more like clowns than the teenage girls that they were. Even their clothes were similar; bright and sparkling; drawing at the eye. Impmon ground his teeth together, seething. Even humans dolled themselves up to appear cute! What was wrong with this species? Why was it so obsessed with cuteness?!

"Um… I guess you guys don't have any mirrors at home, huh?" Calumon asked, tilting his head to one side questioningly. At that, all three girls shrieked with delight and surprise.

"It totally talked!" screamed one of them, eyes going wide. "It did! Oh my god!"

"It totally did!" shrieked the middle girl, her mouth all but bursting off her face in excitement.

"That makes it even cuter!" exclaimed the third one; a lighter-skinned, brunette. "Like, absolutely!"

"Oh, totally! Like totally, totally absolutely!"

"It's weird," said the middle girl again. "Talking usually makes things look so stupid."

Impmon's temper snapped like a dry twig.

"What is wrong with all the digimon in the world?" he demanded, slamming his foot down atop the slide with a loud bang. "Stop trying to make yourself cute for the humans!"

The three girls whirled about at his explosion, eyes wide at first, but quickly frowning as they spied him. Showing no fear and no caution, they approached him, hands on their hips, expressions judging; sizing him up.

"Well, he's not cute at all," the first girl said.

"Totally, like, anti-cute," said the second.

"Totally."

Impmon shook his fist furiously at them. "Be quiet, I don't want to be cute!"

The three girls looked at each other, aghast.

"What? Not want to be cute?!" asked the first one incredulously, as if Impmon had said something completely nonsensical. She looked at her two friends for support.

"Totally weird!" they both agreed as one, mirroring her expression. Impmon seethed at this. Grabbing hold of the railing on the slide, he flipped himself up atop it.

"I'm not weird! I'm the only normal one around!" Lifting a finger, he lit a small, red flame above it and promptly flicked it at the ground between the girls' feet where it exploded harmlessly. All three jumped, giving a startled cry. Looking up, their faces grew pale with fear, suddenly realizing that Impmon wasn't anything at all like the adorable white blob they had cooed over earlier. He was dangerous!

As if to prove his point, he growled menacingly at them, and just like that, they broke off and tore away from the playground, screaming. Satisfied now, Impmon planted his hands on his hips and began laughing hysterically.

"Take that fools!" he shouted after them. "That'll teach you I'm not some weirdo!"

Calumon watched Impmon uncertainly as the dark-colored Rookie continued to laugh. Seeing this, he glowered at him venomously.

"You got something to say, there, pipsqueak?" Impmon snarled, turning toward Calumon, only to start when the digimon before him…changed. Gone was the tiny, creampuff digimon he had tormented in the past. In his place was a small, pudgy creature with orange and white fur and a pair of bat-like wings sticking out of its head. Large, childlike eyes of blue stared out at him and the ears wiggled.

Something… Something about that digimon triggered something in him, and Impmon found himself backing away, only to fall backward as he slipped off the rail and crashed down onto the slide with a heavy bang.

"Are you okay?" Calumon asked as Impmon struggled to right himself. Sitting up, the tiny imp massaged the growing lump on the back of his head and shot a glare at Calumon. Yes, this time it was Calumon, and no one else.

"That depends. Did you happen to digivolve into an orange pig with wings in the last five seconds?"

"Huh?"

"Never mind…" Impmon grumbled before getting to his feet and shooting off into the nearest tree.

"Ohhh…" Calumon moaned. "Weirdo."

###

Sora stood in the open field, Biyomon directly in front of her, pink wings outstretched and head bowed, blue eyes focused intently on the kitsune that stood directly across from her. Renamon, was in a battle pose, but little tension could be observed in her posture. Her azure eyes were unflinching in their analysis of the bird Rookie. Sora swallowed, seeing the holes in Biyomon's defense.

She's confident, she thought, her eyes flicking over towards Renamon. She knows she can win. We're too out of practice.

It had been years since the war ended. Long enough to lose touch with old skills, but that was the point of this exercise. To get ready for what was coming. To get back on the bicycle.

"Are you ready?" Rika called from behind Renamon, arms folded confidently together. Sora nodded.

"As ready as I'll ever be," she said. "How about you, Biyomon?"

"Plenty!" the bird digimon replied. "Give me everything you've got!"

"As you wish." Like lightning, the yellow-furred kitsune bolted forward, and Biyomon just narrowly dodged her by leaping into the air, an emerald swirl of energy forming in front of her.

"Spiral Twister!" she shouted, unleashing a torrent of green fire below her where she thought Renamon was. There came an explosion of dirt as her attack struck the ground, but nothing struck the fox as she flipped backward. Her blue eyes considered her options as she tracked her. Renamon was without a doubt a professional warrior, and was very clearly holding back; retreating instead of counter attacking. Her recollection from the battle with Dokugumon suggested that, even for a Rookie, Renamon's combat power was considerable and could end her without batting an eye.

She's a different breed from what we were, Biyomon thought, flapping her wings. Plus, she's a Data type, something I'm weak against since I'm a Vaccine.

Renamon frowned at her as she thought and then dashed forward again, somersaulting into the air and with a rapid spin, she brought a powerful blow raining down on Biyomon's head, sending her spinning in midair. Stars exploded across her vision and she fought to stay in the air, but the kitsune grabbed hold of a straining wing, and together, they landed gracefully on the ground.

"Ohhh… C-Could someone get the name of the Busmon that hit me?" Biyomon asked as Renamon helpfully set her down.

"Apologies," the kitsune said, massaging the spot where she had struck the bird. "I saw you hesitate and I took advantage of your distraction." She furrowed her brow slightly as Rika approached.

"Are you okay, Biyo?" Rika asked, her brow knotted in concern. Sora smiled at hearing the fire-haired girl use her old nickname for the bird, something she hadn't done in a long, long time.

"Yeah…" Biyomon shook her head and sat up. "At least I think so. Wow, your partner packs quite a punch!"

"If this were a true battle, you wouldn't have felt it," Renamon replied, helping her to her feet. "Why did you hesitate?"

"Sorry. I'm just out of practice. I got caught up in trying to think of how to beat you that I forgot how to think and fight at the same time."

"Those instincts are going to take some time to come back," Sora said, approaching with a pensive look on her face. "We've been at peace for a really long time."

"It almost gives you an appreciation for the rough times," Biyomon chuckled. "I wasn't much of a fighter then either, but I didn't get tossed around like this either." Stretching her wings, she flexed and fluffed herself. "I'd like to try that again."

"Are you sure?" Rika asked uncertainly. Old affections for the pink-feathered digimon long buried suddenly resurfaced within her, and for an instant – a very brief instant – she was a child again, snuggling into her feathers while watching her morning cartoons. Her hands twitched, aching to give the bird comfort. With an effort, she restrained them, setting her eyes in a violet-frown. "This…This is kind of getting serious. If you're not up for it, I…" She looked away from Biyomon's scrutinizing gaze. "It'd probably be better if you left things to us, right?"

Biyomon beamed. "I'm happy that you're so concerned about me," she said happily, causing Rika to jump and blush profusely.

"N-No! It's not about… I-I mean…" Her eyes widened, hearing a light laugh by her side, and she shot a dark look over at her partner. "Renamon… Did you just laugh at me?"

"If I did, would you have forgiven me?" the vulpine digimon replied, a slight, barely visible smile on her lips. Sora and Biyomon exchanged grins.

"I'm okay," Biyomon said, fluffing her wings again and stretching them out. "Sora, I think I've got an idea on what to do."

The brown-haired Digidestined of Love lifted an eyebrow, already guessing herself what she had in mind. She glanced around, concerned. "I don't know… Just because people don't come here all that often, doesn't mean that we should use that outside of a fight."

"I promise to not go crazy with it, Sora. Trust me. That's why we developed it, remember?"

"Well, all right…"

Rika and Renamon both glanced at one another, wondering what the pair had in mind. Rika herself already had an idea as to what it was and swiftly shared her suspicions with her partner.

"Why don't you show us what you've got?" she asked, feeling a little bit excited about the prospect. "We can handle anything you throw at us."

Sora scowled a little, but she nodded. "All right. But be careful, just like you said, Biyomon."

"Right!"

With renewed vigor, the bird digimon took to the air, and Renamon backed up, watching her as she circled about. Flash Digivolution. She was certain that the pink Rookie would go for it. Digivolving was simply out of the question while inside the city, as the Champion's power was simply too destructive for casual usage.

Perhaps if we went camping, we could be find a place more suitable, Renamon thought, but she shook her head mentally. With the Devas, whatever training they could get would have to be close and likely in the field during a Deva attack. Hardly what she'd call ideal by any stretch of the imagination, but then, nothing about their situation was ideal.

Biyomon dove towards her then, a red aura beginning to form about her, elongating as she went, taking the shape of a familiar, fiery bird, yet not gaining any solid substance. Renamon braced herself and then leapt up, just as Biyomon's wings swept out, sending a stream of fireballs raining after her.

Fast! Renamon thought, eyes widening in surprise, twisting in midair. The fireballs streamed past her, striking the ground and detonating, but Biyomon wasn't done yet. With a flap, she gave a burst of speed and surged upward, her aura contracting about her. Power surged through her, almost bubbling about her body. She slashed a wing, and the aura surged forth, stretching like a fiery blade that cut a swath through the dirt, almost catching the vulpine digimon as she began to drop toward the ground. Rika gave a startled cry of surprise at this, one hand frantically scrambling toward her card box. Renamon fortunately twisted, and managed to angle herself away from the blazing edge and land just barely off to its side, flipping away immediately upon landing.

So… This is how Flash Digivolution works, she thought, falling into a guard stance as Biyomon came in for a landing, the fiery aura flaring about her. It certainly seems useful… The power of a Champion when you're in a place where the form wouldn't be feasible.

"Okay…" Biyomon said, lifting her wings skyward. The aura surrounding her trembled before suddenly evaporating. Biyomon collapsed to the dirt with an exhausted sigh.

"Biyo…?" Rika blinked as Sora approached, clapping her hands lightly.

"Nice job," she congratulated.

"Thanks Sora…"

"What…just happened?" Rika asked, confused by Sora's apparent lack of concern. Kneeling down, Sora smiled up at Rika and lifted her into her arms.

"Flash Digivolution's pretty tiring," she explained. "Even when we were at our prime, we had to train hard so it didn't take too much out of us. Izzy would say it's because we're pumping the power of a Champion into the body of a Rookie, so I guess it's like trying to lift a ton of weights that you're not really ready for."

"I used to be able to do Garudamon too," Biyomon said dazedly. "But things have been so nice and quiet for so long…" Her eyes drooped and her head came to rest against Sora's chest, her mind almost hitting the snooze button. "…when…when I tried…"

"Don't worry about it," Sora said. "We'll get you back up there."

Rika stared at the little pink bird in amazement. Even as a child, she hadn't thought her capable of such feats of strength. Approaching, her eyes softened and she placed a hand atop Biyomon's head, smoothing out her feathers.

"We will," she said, frowning slightly. Admittedly, she had little clue how to accomplish that. She didn't understand the ins and outs of Flash Digivolution at all, Sora having not made the time to show her anything. Her training with Renamon had largely consisted of a standard exercise regimen coupled with card drills, the latter of which Sora wasn't capable of providing.

Still, if she could learn something about it, then perhaps she could work out how to be more than just a sparring partner.

"Well… Now we know what Biyomon's capable of," Rika said.

"Will that help you with figuring out how to help her get back into shape?"

Rika paused before shrugging. "We'll figure something out. Not sure how to help with that Flash Digivolution stuff though."

"I can help you with that," Sora replied. "Besides, I said before that I'd show you how to do it yourself. But let's go get something to eat first. Biyomon could use a bit of a rest up."

###

Henry stood at the ready in a kata stance, his eyes focused on his teacher. However, he didn't feel ready in the least. The man, in spite of his relaxed, casual appearance, was many miles more prepared than he had ever been in all the years that he had been under his tutelage. No matter what, he always met anything and everything Henry threw at him. That should have been fine though and had been in the past. Such a person was an excellent teacher to learn from after all. It would be a poor education if he learned from someone he could easily outpace and defeat. An obstacle was a mountain to climb; a puzzle to solve, and as long as the goal remained reachable, there was no harm in the difficulty.

Yet, as Henry gauged his teacher for any openings in his form, his breathing began to become harsh. Chou Sensei noticed it, as his brow furrowed.

Henry dashed forward, lashing out with a swift kick in the hopes of covering his slipup, but Chou simply stepped back. Frustration mounted and he punched twice, hitting nothing but air. He tried again with a kick, this time with a sweeping one, but again the man simply moved backward, the depth of experience and advantage of his height working in his favor.

No… Don't think like that, he told himself harshly, slashing with a chop. Again, Chou wove out of his reach. In his mind's eye, he saw Vajramon throwing Gargomon into Growlmon. Mihiramon throwing his partner off the roof of the Shinjuku government building. Pajiramon. Sandiramon. Sinduramon. Over and over the enemies and battles replayed themselves in his mind and he attacked his teacher with ever greater ferocity, hoping to overcome him. The Devas. They were so powerful. And so far, they had only been beaten by good fortune, using a power he and his friends were only just starting to learn about, but couldn't control. What would happen if this Sovereign itself arrived? How powerful was that monstrosity?

And Ken can't really help us anymore, he thought, preparing for another kick. None of the Digidestined can. I've never felt more like a sitting duck in my life. If only we knew what the Devas were planning, then at least we might be more prepa…

Henry gasped in surprise as he found Chou's finger suddenly slip past his attention and his defenses, pressing against his forehead. His balance, already precarious from his interrupted kick, collapsed completely, allowing gravity to assert its hold over him, carrying him to the floor with an unkind thud.

"I-I give up, Sensei," he said, quickly scrambling to a seated position and bowing while, off to the side, Terriermon looked on with his mouth hanging open in amazement. Taking a deep breath to center himself, Henry closed his eyes. Yet this did little to calm the storm he felt raging within his thoughts.

"Your mind is distracted," Chou observed, causing Henry to tense up, confirming his teacher's words.

"I…am," he admitted. "I'm sorry, Sensei."

Chou's expression softened, but he looked no less studious as he took in his student's body language. Henry swallowed. His teacher could read him like a book. The muscle tension in his posture alone telegraphed his concerns.

"Henry, you seem worried about something. What is it? If something is troubling you, please tell me. Does it have something to do with the digimon that have been emerging recently?"

Henry nodded. "Yes. I'm afraid that they're much more than just wild digimon."

Chou nodded and indicated the back area with a nod of his head.

"Let's talk over tea."

Henry followed his teacher into the back and the man had some tea made up for them to share. He didn't press the boy with any questions during that time, simply allowing Henry the space he needed to collect his thoughts. For a change, Terriermon, who had followed them, remained quiet and didn't disturb the setting, instead contenting himself with being in his partner's lap. Setting the tea down, he poured the three of them a cup. Terriermon took his gratefully and sipped it down while Henry, by contrast, simply frowned at its glinting, smooth surface.

"Have you heard of creatures called Devas?" he asked finally. "They're some...kind of evil monsters. Well… Evil digimon anyway. You see, my friends and I… We've been fighting a group of digimon called 'Devas' who want to invade our world. You fought in the war. Did you hear of any digimon like that?"

"Unfortunately, no." Chou set his tea cup down and folded his hands together thoughtfully. "However, Deva is an Indian Sanskrit word; it means 'god', 'holy spirit', and 'sacred general'. In Hinduism, they are holy beings who fight the Asura, the demons who bring misfortune."

Henry lifted an eyebrow at that. "The Devas are good?"

"That doesn't sound like the guys we've been fighting," Terriermon said.

"Perhaps it's more of a matter of perspective," Chou said, taking up his cup and taking a sip. "The Asura are enemies for the Devas, but for those who have faith in the Asura, the Devas are the evil gods. The opposite is true as well. In other words, good and evil aren't absolute. When the point of view shifts, everything else does as well. Not all the digimon I faced were like Devimon or the Demon Lords. Many of them fought for the forces of Darkness for a variety of reasons. Because they swore an oath of service to a master and considered breaking it to be a sin. Because they hated the pain they were forced to live with or saw many of their comrades live with. The Dark Ocean is a cruel place and for still many others living in the Light can also be a kind of prison."

"A matter of perspective, huh?" Terriermon stirred a finger in his tea thoughtfully. "That bullmon said something about how we abandoned them. They sure sounded like they took it rather personally."

"Maybe there's something going on that we're missing," Henry said softly. "All the gates are closed. Maybe the digimon felt we had abandoned them."

"I guess, but couldn't they have sent a message or something?" Terriermon asked, taking his finger out and wiping it on his fur. "I mean, I got sent to you, and so did Guilmon and Renamon all for a prophecy. And it's not like this is the first time this has happened either. Didn't the documentaries say that Gennai was closing the gates before and keeping everyone in the dark? Maybe he thought he was doing the right thing. Like eating a gallon of ice-cream."

"Should have known it wouldn't take you long to talk about food," Henry said with an exasperated sigh.

"Momentai! Digimon are a bottomless pit and you're surprised? Anyway, I'm just saying that maybe to Gennai it looked like a good idea at the time, but now the digital world has a stomachache that's proving him wrong and now one of the good guys hates us for it."

"Perhaps," Chou said, setting down his cup. "Of course, this is all speculation."

"Speculation or not, it helps me make some sense of their motivations," Henry said, bowing his head politely.

"Yeah, but will it help us stop them?" Terriermon asked. Henry frowned.

"I don't know," he admitted. "But it can't hurt to think about it and try to find out more about them. The more we know, the better off we'll be." He smiled at Chou and bowed again. "Thank you, Sensei. This has helped me a lot."

Chou smiled at his student. "Glad I could be of some help. Want some ice cream?"

###

A/N: Curious thing I noticed while writing out this episode. The sub discusses the Asura as a group of spirits similar to, but different from the Devas (perhaps being more of an anarchic group of spiritual tribes ranging from good to evil but all with their own self-interests and motivations, while the Devas were more like an organized kingdom, with their relationship being similar to the one that the various Chinese dynasties had with the steppe peoples). The dub, oddly enough, refers to Asura as a name of an individual, demonic entity of evil that the Devas fought to keep from manifesting in the mortal realm; making Asura some kind of Satanic figure.

Just an interesting observation. 'Till next time all and Merry Christmas to all those celebrating it. :)

-Crazyeight

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