Chapter 35: The Beetle Tournament's Other Secret
Guy hadn't taken his eyes off the play since it began. The lead and the co-lead, AtlurKabuterimon and Okuwamon, didn't have any eyes. Or maybe they did, but the tough shells that covered their heads concealed the eyes. Yet their emotion always came through.
Searchmon had once told him, insect Digimon relied heavily on their voice and gesture to express themselves. It was correct; after watching part of the play, Guy could conclude that the actors relied on subtle movements to bring out the emotion. Their acting style was just like Tsumugi's.
Beside him Tasuku sat, his eyes completely glued to the stage. Guy had a feeling that if anyone called him, he'd respond like either Okuwamon or AtlurKabuterimon.
On the stage, a spotlight shone upon the Okuwamon who stood in front of a bathroom backdrop. The giant stag beetle grinned as it removed the cork stopper from the vial of clear fluid in its hand.
"Calling Okuwamon to the ring," a robotic voice called from behind the backdrop. "We repeat, calling Okuwamon to the ring."
Okuwamon downed the liquid in one gulp and wiped its mouth with one of its hands. Then it froze, and the vial and the cork stopper slipped out of its grip.
"Wh-what is this feeling?" It staggered ahead with a hand on its chest and another on the backdrop.
A thick puff of smoke burst out of Okuwamon's body, concealing the stag beetle and the backdrop. A painful shriek echoed across the theater.
From beside Guy, HerakleKabuterimon whispered, "Do you know? A real evolution sequence isn't like this. The theater once tried to emulate it by using extremely bright light and stuff, but it bothered most of the audience."
"I understand." Yes, Guy knew how it felt to catch the burst of light from a flash grenade.
The smoke cleared, revealing a four-legged stag beetle with a pair of massive clawed arms. Its crimson eyes glowed. The pair of pincers on its head looked like a giant pair of scissors that could cut a truck in half.
From what Guy had seen so far, the costumes had always looked like the real Digimon, albeit smaller. HerakleKabuterimon had also told him that the costumes had many special properties that'd help the actors with their movements; the most obvious one would be Kongoumon's costume for Funbeemon, a bee Digimon who stood about as tall as a kid.
A beetle man - Jewelbeemon - rushed into the stage, a spear in its hand. Light glinted off its emerald armor. "What the-" It shifted its gaze to the cork stopper and the empty vial on the ground. "Okuwamon-"
"Shoot!" A swipe of GranKuwagamon's clawed arm knocked Jewelbeemon to the ground. The spear slipped out of its grip and rolled away from them.
As Jewelbeemon reached out for its spear, GranKuwagamon slammed its foot down on the beetle man's head. Its arm went limp.
GranKuwagamon stepped aside and kicked Jewelbeemon's body away. Then it turned and crushed the empty vial under its foot. "Dammit! What am I supposed to do?"
Guy stared at the stage with a gaping mouth. The tint of panic in GranKuwagamon's scream made his heart race.
Tentomon flew into the stage and gasped. "Who are you?"
GranKuwagamon rammed into Tentomon, sending itself and the ladybug Digimon out of the stage. The lights died, and when they returned, the bathroom image on the backdrop had changed into an enclosed stadium. The "dead" Jewelbeemon had also disappeared.
HerakleKabuterimon and GranKuwagamon stood at the center of the stage. GranKuwagamon gritted its teeth as HerakleKabuterimon cracked its knuckles.
"GranKuwagamon's rampage caused a lot of casualties among the tournament committees, participants, and audience. Amid the chaos, HerakleKabuterimon and GranKuwagamon fought," a robotic voice spoke from behind the backdrop.
Both Digimon jumped into the air and clashed against each other as a blur of black and gold. Metallic clangs and battlecry filled the air as they slammed against each other again and again. Arcs of purple and golden electricity flew on each collision.
Guy watched in awe while hoping for a silly thing: the magical powers from Digital World would still remain in the Winter Troupe when they returned to the real world. Imagine the action scenes they could perform with those!
A clash sent HerakleKabuterimon smashing into the ground. Hovering in the air, GranKuwagamon roared as its giant pincers glowed with purple light.
HerakleKabuterimon sprang to its feet and looked up. It grinned as the three curved horns on its head also glowed, but in a different hue.
They roared, and energy waves shot out of them and collided midair. Purple and golden sparks flew everywhere as the waves struggled against each other.
The golden energy wave pushed through the purple side and blasted GranKuwagamon to the ceiling. The stag beetle then plummeted lifelessly into the ground, its costume battered enough to reveal Okuwamon's limbs.
"The real battle is longer and far more epic, but the theater can't possibly reproduce it without causing a lot of destruction and casualties," HerakleKabuterimon whispered from beside Guy.
"HerakleKabuterimon reported its victory to the committees. The news spread like wildfire, and everyone hailed the golden rhinoceros beetle as a hero of Beetle Land," a robotic voice said from behind the backdrop. "But then…"
Kongoumon walked into the stage, its red eyes fixated at the unconscious GranKuwagamon.
Pointing at the Kongoumon who sat at one of the VIP seats, HerakleKabuterimon whispered, "I heard the coach put Funbeemon through the wringer for this role. Well, nobody would want to disappoint the mayor, right?"
Guy nodded. Of course, should he act for the royal family of Zafra Kingdom, he'd also do his very best.
"Why don't you finish it off?" the Kongoumon on the stage asked. "This guy killed and hurt a lot."
"Kill GranKuwagamon? Why should I?" HerakleKabuterimon asked back. "This guy's got the spirit. It did whatever it could to beat me, even if it had to break the rules."
Kongoumon facepalmed. "You…" A pause. "You idiot!" The rotund golden beetle spread its six arms, and a metal scepter appeared in each of its hands. "Then I will kill it myself!" It threw the scepters at GranKuwagamon.
HerakleKabuterimon stepped forward, protecting GranKuwagamon from the barrage of scepters. The metallic objects struck its body and shattered.
"What the hell?" Kongoumon conjured another set of metal scepters.
"Sir, if TyrantKabuterimon is still alive, it'll be really sad at your decision."
The scepters slipped out of Kongoumon's hands as its eyes widened in shock.
"Remember, Beetle Land lives by the motto, 'Excitement and Enjoyment!' Nothing gives the inhabitants more joy than fighting a strong foe, wherever its power comes from. This was why TyrantKabuterimon created the Beetle Tournament and didn't really make any restrictions for it."
Kongoumon sighed. "I hate that you remind us of how soft the newer generation has become, but it's to protect everyone. The old tourneys often left many participants bedridden for months and hindered them from earning a living."
"GranKuwagamon wouldn't have gone on a rampage in the older tourneys. They didn't ban PEDs and mid-tourney evolution." HerakleKabuterimon looked at GranKuwagamon. "Ask the older generation of Beetle Land. I bet they'll say the same thing."
"I get you, but letting GranKuwagamon get away with all the destruction? No way!"
HerakleKabuterimon returned its gaze to Kongoumon. "How about this, Sir? Banish GranKuwagamon from Beetle Land. Take it to Mount Infinity or something. If it ever returns to make a mess, I'll deal with it."
A moment passed in silence before Kongoumon nodded. "Very well."
Kongoumon sounded oddly calm, Guy thought. He also noticed the coldness in its voice, as if it meant, "Hope GranKuwagamon dies from its injuries."
HerakleKabuterimon jumped and threw its hands in the air. "Of course!"
The lights died out, and a robotic voice spoke from the darkness, "The authorities took the injured GranKuwagamon to Mount Infinity and left it there, and nothing was ever heard from the stag beetle again. Many believed either GranKuwagamon had succumbed to its wounds, or the ferocious inhabitants of Mount Infinity had killed it. However, HerakleKabuterimon never stopped hoping that GranKuwagamon was still alive out there."
"Let's have a great fight when we see each other again, GranKuwagamon!" HerakleKabuterimon's voice echoed from the stage.
Then there was only silence.
Soon, Kongoumon rose from its seat and clapped all its hands. The rest of the audience joined the standing ovation.
The lights returned, revealing AtlurKabuterimon, Okuwamon, Jewelbeemon, Tentomon, and Funbeemon on the stage. They all bowed their heads and shouted, "Thanks for watching!"
And the curtains lowered. The audience began to disperse and walk towards the theater's exit.
"And it's done! Time to go home and have a karaoke night!" HerakleKabuterimon looked at Guy and Tasuku. "Wanna join?"
"I do not sing very well," Guy replied. "In fact, my comrades compare my singing to chanting a sutra."
"Oh, that's fine!" HerakleKabuterimon pointed at Tasuku. "And how about you?"
Tasuku kept staring at the stage even if it had nothing but red curtains. Guy had a bad feeling about this.
"Anybody home?" HerakleKabuterimon gave Tasuku a friendly smack on his back.
"Shoot!" Tasuku whirled and backhanded HerakleKabuterimon. His fist struck the rhino beetle in its face, and his eyes widened. "Ouch!" He held his reddened hand.
"Takato, snap out of it!" Guy shouted.
HerakleKabuterimon scratched its head. "'Snap out of it?' What do you mean?"
"It's okay, Guy. The pain snapped me outta it." Tasuku sighed. "I have this bad habit of getting in character at inappropriate times. I thoroughly enjoyed the play and was thinking about the acting. Then you surprised me."
"And you acted like Okuwamon when Jewelbeemon saw it in the bathroom!" HerakleKabuterimon laughed.
Tasuku shrugged. "It's a hard habit to kill."
Guy smiled at him. "It shows how much of a theater nerd you are, though."
"Well, thanks?"
"Anyway, how's your singing skill?" HerakleKabuterimon asked Tasuku. "I wanna invite you two to a karaoke night."
"It's nothing special," Tasuku replied. "Anyway, thanks for the offer, but we'll pass. We haven't had much rest since we arrived here this morning."
"All right, but if you ever change your mind, feel free to come! You can always find me in my tree house on the northeastern block. It's really easy to find because I carved the exterior with poems." HerakleKabuterimon leaped and flew over the rows of chairs. "Well, see ya, pals!"
Looking at HerakleKabuterimon's shrinking silhouette, Tasuku murmured, "Sometimes I wonder if all poets are eccentric, energetic, and annoyingly friendly."
"Perhaps? We only have a sample size of two, though."
"Anyway," Tasuku told Guy with a smile, "wanna head back to our room and perform a skit based on the play?"
Guy returned the smile. "Certainly."