Part 1: Attack on Kyoto

Thamuiel

"Also from within it came the likeness of four living creatures… Each one had four faces, and each one had four wings."

Uchide Junior High School

Otsu, Kyoto, Japan

Monday, April 2nd, 2018

3:00 P.M

"It's finally over." Takuya yawned as he and Willis made their way through the halls of the school building towards the exit. "Man, I thought primary school was dull."

"You were bored during the break too." Willis replied. "Are you ever not bored?"

"This place is dull Willis." Takuya looked out the window facing Biwa Lake. "There's nothing to do in Otsu. Everything about this place is just a tourist trap. I wish something would happen around here, you know?"

"Well this fog was pretty surprising, don't you think?" Willis grinned.

"Ha ha, very funny." Takuya said sarcastically.

"Hey, you want something to do, why don't you talk to her." Willis pointed forward. A group of girls had piled out of one of the classrooms and was now walking in front of them.

"Which one?" Takuya glared.

"You know who: Mimi." Willis pointed to the head of the group: a girl wearing a red dress and a brown belt, with yellow gloves and a large pink cowboy hat covering long blonde hair, was leading the others down the hall.

"Mimi Tachikawa?" Ugh, no thank you: Mimi is weird." Takuya vigorously shook his head.

"Come on dude: you know she's cute." Willis nudged his shoulder.

"Why don't you go talk to her then?" Takuya replied sarcastically.

"You know what, maybe I will." Willis then pushed in front of him, heading towards the girl in question.

"Hey! What the hell man, we were supposed to hang out!" Takuya called after him.

"Maybe tomorrow!" Willis snickered.

"Ugh… Willis you dork." Takuya groaned. Giving up on his friend, Takuya followed the crowd of students outside and into the foggy streets of Otsu.

"Wow, it's getting really bad out here." He overheard a conversation as he made his way down the sidewalk, back towards his house. "We should head home quickly."

"Doesn't sound like a bad idea to me…" Takuya murmured to himself. He made his way back down the street towards his home. As he walked, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. A boy dressed in dark blue clothes walked a few meters ahead of him. "That's the kid who stole my seat!" He grumbled. "I take this way home damn it!" He reluctantly followed the boy down the road, passing a busy retail district.

"Hey, Takuya!" A man called from across the street. Takuya looked over to see a man with short dark-red hair pulling a large noodle cart down the side of the road.

"Hey Mr. Motomiya!" Glad to see a familiar face, Takuya slipped across the deserted street and began conversing with the salesman.

"How's it going kid?" He smiled.

"Not bad, how about yourself?" Takuya replied.

"Oh I'm just glad to see my best customer."

"Ooh, sorry Mr. Motomiya, I actually don't have any cash on me today." Takuya rubbed the back of his head.

"Aw, jeez," He sighed, "Listen kid, how am I supposed to get myself through college if I can't rely on my regulars?"

"Sorry, Mr. Motomiya, don't worry though, I'll be here tomorrow, and I'm sure I'll be hungry." Takuya assured him. Before the noodle cart salesman could respond, a clap of thunder interrupted them.

"Woah, looks like a storm followed the fog in," The noodle cart owner surmised, "Looks like I'll have to pack it in early today. You should probably get home quickly yourself Takuya."

"Thanks Mr. Motomiya, see you tomorrow." Takuya waved, turning to continue down the street. "Woah…" He stopped suddenly, staring as a cloud began forming right in front of him. "What's going on?" The cloud began to expand, its mass taking up the entire street. A few cars stopped in front of it, caught off guard by its imposing presence.

"Hey Takuya: stay away from that!" Mr. Motomiya called to the boy, who was slowly walking towards the cloud. "It looks dangerous!" A group of people were accumulating on its outskirts, staring in bewilderment as sparks of electricity could be seen within.

"Do you see something?" Takuya peered into the mist. "It looks like somebody in there." Takuya squinted as he tried to make out the shapes within.

"Keep back Takuya, let the police handle it." Motomiya warned.

"Ugh…" Takuya looked over at him, then back at the cloud. "What if somebody is hurt?" Sparks crackled at the base of the cloud, clashing against the ground. "You're right, that thing could be dangerous, and if somebody is trapped inside…"

"Takuya, step back." Motomiya warned. "Think about this: you're just a kid. Don't do anything you can't handle."

"But…" Takuya looked into the mist, the shape he had seen previously now fading from view. "I'm sorry Mr. Motomiya, but if somebody is in trouble, I can't just leave them in there." He took off, dashing away from Motomiya and towards the mysterious fog.

"Takato wait!" Motomiya reached down into his pocket and pulled out a pair of goggles. "If I can't convince you not to go in there, then take these with you!" He tossed the goggles through the air, where they were quickly caught by the running boy. "It'll keep your eyes safe from the static!"

"Thanks Mr. Motomiya!" Takuya yelled back as he snapped the goggles over his eyes. What am I doing, he then thought to himself, this is crazy. I'm gonna get myself killed. I should turn back. No, I can't. Takuya, you've always complained about how boring this town is: now is your opportunity to actually do something big and important. Takuya made his way into the cloud, the static nipping at his feet. He jumped as the sparks stung his ankles, and struggled to stand as he became nauseated. What's going on? He wobbled as he continued forward. Oh man, I really messed up this time. Takuya stumbled forward, his knees hitting the ground, as the nausea consumed him. He stopped for a moment, letting the strangling feeling overwhelm him, and finally got ahold of himself. He stood back up and began marching further into the fog, finally clearing the thickness of it and emerging in a clearing, where there stood an unusual-looking creature.

3:30 P.M

Koji Minamoto waved to the noodle cart salesman as he turned into his house. The boy, dressed in dark blue clothes, had just returned from his first day of middle school. His foster father stood in the yard, tending to a small garden.

"Koji, you're home. How was class?" The man smiled.

"It was fine Mr. Himi." Koji bowed.

"You know I told you you're free to call me Choji." The man replied, a pained look on his face.

"Sorry, I know, it just takes a lot of getting used to." He apologized. "Hey, is Tommy home yet?"

"Sure, he's upstairs." Choji Himi pointed to the upper floor of the building. "He wanted to wait for you to play some soccer, but I told him he had to do his homework first."

"Thanks… Choji…" Koji awkwardly acknowledged the man, and then stepped inside. The first floor of the building was a deli. Mrs. Himi was dealing with a customer as he walked in.

"Hi Koji." She smiled, waving at him. Koji waved back at her and then headed off to the side, where the door to the stairs was. He stepped inside, slipped off his shoes, and then made his way up into the residential part of the house. He made his way to his and Tommy's shared room, where the boy was sitting at the desk, working on a set of math problems. The boy wore yellow pants and a white shirt. His scruffy brown hair was covered by an orange newsboy cap.

"Hey Tommy." Koji waved as he walked in. Koji lived with the Himi's as a foster child. Koji had lost his parents when he was younger, and his older brother had disappeared, leaving Koji alone. The Himi's, friends of the family, had recently taken him in after his aunt had passed away, leaving him alone. Tommy was their son.

"Hey Koji!" Tommy cheered, jumping down from the chair.

"How was class, kid?" Koji asked.

"It was okay: nothing too exciting happened." The boy replied. "I did make some friends though: how about you?"

"It was cool," Koji shrugged, "Nothing too exciting."

"Woah, check that out." Tommy's attention was directed towards the window. "Look at that cloud…" Koji followed him to the window, looking out onto the street below. "Hey look, it's growing." Tommy was right; the cloud was tumbling down the street and swallowing neighboring buildings.

"That's a weird fog…" Koji hummed as he looked out the window. He shrugged, stepping away from the window and slipping his backpack off of his shoulder.

"I'm gonna go check it out!" Tommy jumped away from the window and started for the door. "You wanna come?"

"What: why? It's just fog." Koji groaned.

"It'll be cool Koji!" Tommy protested as he slipped out of the door.

"I'll take a pass, kid." Koji shook his head as he walked back towards the window, staring outside. He watched the cloud pass his window, perplexed by the speed at which the fog moved. He leaned in closer as a spark crackled against the window, making him jump. Other sparks followed washing against the panel. What the hell? He thought. "Hey Tommy, maybe you shouldn't go out there!" He called to no answer. "Tommy!" Koji warily marched downstairs, slipping on his shoes, and headed for the door.

"Mrs. Himi, did Tommy go outside?" Koji asked as he made for the exit.

"Yeah, why?" The woman inquired.

"Uh, no reason. I was just wondering where he went." Koji stopped at a pair of sunglasses sitting on a table next to the door. Remembering the sparks against the window, he snatched them off of the table and slipped them on before stepping outside. As he opened the door, he immediately felt a wave of nausea wash over him. Stumbling against the side of the house, Koji struggled to stand. What is going on out here? He struggled forward, eyes squinting as he attempted to make out shapes through the thick fog.

"Tommy?" He called into the air. "Where'd you go?" There was no reply. "Mr. Himi…Choji?" Silence was his answer. He looked back to the door, contemplating turning around and going back to Mrs. Himi, but shook his head and trudged forward.

The Data Streams

3:30 P.M

Dracomon stood in silence as his group rushed along the data streams, watching the light race forward as they were propelled towards the human world. The short dragon Digimon resisted the urge to scratch an itch on the back of its neck, lest his superiors notice. He slowly inched his red wing closer to his body, using the bony crest to sooth the irritated area. He glanced to his side, gazing worriedly at the identical creature next to him. His companion, another Dracomon, stood just as straight and narrow, allowing only the most miniscule of movements.

"Relax." A voice squawked behind him. The two Dracomon glanced out of the corners of their eyes back at the two Digimon standing behind them: two towering roosters with razor sharp teeth in their beaks, one with white feathers trimmed in blue, and the other with white feathers trimmed in red. The blue one spoke to him in a gnarled voice: "This is the last bit of peace we're going to have for a while. Don't squander it."

"We'll be fine Dinoster," The other Dracomon spoke to him, "We trained for this."

"I know, Majester," The monster replied to his companion.

"Don't forget the mission." The red-trimmed rooster growled. "We've got an entire company behind us waiting for confirmation that the landing zone is clear."

"I know sir." Dinoster nodded.

"We can do this." Majester agreed.

"We're coming up on the exit." The blue-trimmed rooster announced. "Keep sharp: remember, when we land, fan out and establish a perimeter. We want any and all humans removed from the area before we give the others the all-clear for entry."

"Yes sir!" The two Dracomon shouted in unison, as the light around them began to intensify, and a distinct, sharp ringing sounded in their ears. The four Digimon closed their eyes, letting the intense light and sound consume them, becoming ever more volatile before finally vanishing instantly. The four Digimon had been emptied into a wide street, surrounded by fog, with no humans in sight.

"Move!" The rooster launched themselves down opposite sides of the street. The Dracomon took their cue and did the same, running down the other direction, towards the sidewalks. Dinoster quickly slowed down as the fog overcame him and he lost sight of Majester, who was on the opposite side of the street. He patiently scanned the area, watching for any humans that might be lurking. The stories he'd heard from his commanding officers had taught him not to take the humans lightly. Hearing a scuffling sound in front of him, the monster crept forward, hugging the wall of a building. He gazed across the street, watching for anything that might be trying to flank him, and then snapped his head forward.

"Whoa!" A human boy, wearing goggles, stood in front of him with a look of bewilderment on his face.

"Human!" Dinoster stumbled back, stunned by the human child appearing before him, but quickly regained his composure. "Tail Smash!" He leaped forward and spun around, swinging his tail at the boy.

"What the hell?'" The boy ducked out of the way just as the creature's tail smashed against the wall. Dinoster bounced against the building and rolled back onto the sidewalk, where he quickly sprang back to his feet. "What was that for?" The boy scrambled backwards.

"You know very well," Dracomon growled.

"No, I really don't." He shook his head vigorously, keeping his eyes trained on the monster, his chest heaving up and down.

"Don't lie! You're an enemy combatant! How else would you have dodged my attack so easily?" Dinoster barked.

"Because you screamed out what you were gonna do before you did it!" He bellowed.

"I-!" Dinoster stopped mid-protest. "You're right, I did."

"I mean who does that?" The boy continued. "You're fighting somebody and you tell them exactly what you're gonna do?"

"I…" Dinoster scratched his head, "I've never really thought of that before. Why do we do that?"

"What the hell are you anyway?" His would-be opponent asked, his breathing slowly coming under control. "Are you some sort of talking lizard?"

"I'm not a lizard I'm a dragon!" Dinoster growled.

"You look like a lizard to me." He crossed his arms and shrugged. "How can you talk anyway? I've never seen a talking animal before."

"You really don't know what I am?" Dinoster cocked his head.

"Why should I? Talking lizards aren't exactly common in Otsu."

"I'm not a lizard I'm a-!" He stopped short. "Listen buddy, you're in real trouble right now. The digital army is on its way and when they get here your entire town is gonna be torn apart!"

"Digital army? What's that?" He inquired.

"Uh…" Dinoster's eyes widened, "Shouldn't have said that…" He whispered.

"Too late now: cat's out of the bag. What's the digital army? More talking lizards?"

"You…!" The Dracomon grumbled. "Shouldn't you be running away in terror by now?"

"Sorry, you're an adorable talking lizard, you're not exactly inspiring fear right now." The goggled boy shook his head. "Hey, you want to tell me what you are yet?"

"I am a Dracomon!" Dinoster boomed, standing as tall as he could. "A Digimon, digital monster, and member of the digital army!" Fire roared in his eyes.

"I'm Takuya." The boy held out his hand. "Nice to meet you Dracomon."

"What?" Dracomon dropped his shoulders in defeat. "My name's not Dracomon, I am a Dracomon. My name is Dinoster."

"Well that's a weird name." Takuya shrugged. "Though it does make sense for a lizard to be named Dino."

"I…" Dinoster couldn't fathom a response. "What are you doing here kid?"

"I saw the fog roll in with all the static, and I thought someone might be hurt. And I highly doubt you're that old yourself. How long ago did you hatch?"

"None of your business." The Dracomon growled. "And I'm not a lizard."

"But you did hatch, didn't you?" Takuya smirked. Dinoster grumbled under his breath.

"Listen, the fact remains that if you don't get out of here before the digital army arrives you're going to be toast. They don't take kindly to humans."

"Why?"

"What do you mean why?" Dinoster groaned. "Wait, you really don't know?"

"Well I didn't know what a Digimon was until thirty seconds ago now did I?" Takuya smiled. "But what would your friends be angry at me for? I didn't do anything to them."

"Not you specifically," Dinoster pinched the bridge of his snout, "It's complicated, okay. A virus attacked our world, it was brutal. There's not a lot of survivors."

"Oh wow, I'm sorry." Takuya replied solemnly. "But I still don't understand why you'd want to go out and attack us here in Otsu."

"The humans unleashed the virus on us." Dinoster growled.

"Says who?" Takuya barked.

"Says the leaders of the digital army, that's who!" Dinoster yelled back.

"Oh, and you just believe them, do you?" Takuya glared. "Follow their every word, do you? Drink the cool-aid?"

"Well, actually, I don't really care for them, they conscripted me…" Dinoster mumbled.

"Listen buddy, "Takuya continued, "I'm not going to stand here and vouch for the sanctity of the human race here. They're not perfect, not by a long shot. But considering that I've never heard of a Digimon before and the vast majority of people have never heard of you either, because let's face it speaking lizards would be a pretty talked-about thing, I think it's safe to say our entire city is not to blame for whatever happened to your home considering we don't even know what you are!"

"You…" Dinoster glared irritably, before slouching his shoulders in defeat. "You're right. I've been foolish." Dinoster shook his head. "I went along with everything the digital army said because I was angry: angry about losing all of my friends, and the Digimon around me." He rubbed his eyes.

"Hey man, I'm sorry I didn't mean to-" Takuya tried to comfort him.

"No, you're right. We shouldn't be here." The Dracomon sighed. "Deep down I've known for a while. This is wrong. My brother tried to convince me that we should have just run away when we were conscripted, but I wanted to do something about the virus."

"You have a brother?" Takuya smiled.

"Yeah, he's somewhere over there." Dracomon indicated across the street, into the mist. "Scouting out the area like I'm supposed to be doing."

"Hey man, if your brother feels the same way you do, I'll bet more Digimon feel the same. Why don't we try to talk this out with the digital army, okay?"

"Yeah, tell my superiors that humans are innocent and we shouldn't retaliate?" Dinoster scoffed. "They're true patriots. They ate up the digital army's anti-human propaganda and spat it back out at us. There's no way Kokatorimon and Akatorimon would listen to reason."

"Hm… this could be bad then." Takuya's eyes widened. "How big is this digital army, and when are they coming?"

"There's thousands, I don't know the exact number. We were an advance party, sent to secure a landing zone so that the company behind us could move in unopposed. Kokatorimon, Akatorimon, my brother Majester, and I were supposed to clear the area and then send a message back that it was safe to come through."

"Then this thing is happening now?" Takuya gasped. "Is this the only landing zone?"

"No, there are dozens more." Dinoster shook his head. "As we speak, landing zones are being established all over this city. The digital army is getting in, and there's no way to stop them."

"Dinoster don't you understand?" Takuya grabbed the monster's shoulders. "People are in danger. If the digital army is as fanatical as you say, they could slaughter thousands of innocent people!"

"I…" Dinoster failed to reply, instead slowly turning as a sensation of dread overcame him. "Oh no…" Takuya followed Dinoster's gaze into the mist, his eyes locking on a towering figure shrouded in the mist.

"You…" Takuya jumped upon seeing the large blue-feathered rooster monster appear from the mist.

"Kokatorimon please-!" Dinoster tried to muster a defense, but his superior cut him off.

"You divulged military secrets to an enemy combatant." Kokatorimon said disapprovingly.

"I…I…I…" Dinoster stuttered.

"I don't want to hear it. I'll not have your excuses traitor." Kokatorimon's eyes flared. "I'll have your head!"

3:52 P.M

Koji stood meters away from the teal Dragon creature who identified himself as Majester the Dracomon. Koji had maintained his composure upon seeing the creature, even though he had wanted to scream and flea in terror, however now he was glad he hadn't. Upon learning the creature could speak, the two engaged in peaceful dialogue, where Koji learned that the dragon was a Digimon, a digital monster, who had come with a group known as the digital army to seek vengeance on the humans for a virus that had ravaged their world. Koji was still digesting the information.

"Well… do you have anything to say?" Majester inquired.

"Why did you tell me all of that?" Koji finally responded. "Aren't you a member of this digital army?"

"Truthfully, I didn't want to be." Majester shook his head. "I was conscripted along with my brother. I didn't really agree with their solution, but I tried to fulfill the role of soldier as best as I could. But my orders were to attack any human on sight, and when I first ran into you, I just couldn't…"

"Did you just not have the stones to go through with it, or was there something about me?" Koji prodded him.

"A little bit of both, maybe," Majester shrugged. "You're the first human I've ever met. I couldn't just go attacking something I've never seen before, that didn't do anything to me."

"That's noble of you." Koji replied. "Listen, I respect the fact that you told me about your intentions, and I appreciate you not hurting me, but I don't really want to get involved in this war that you're about to start." Majester raised a claw in protest, but Koji continued. "I'm looking for a friend of mine, and if it's true there's about to be some fighting going down, I want to find him and get to safety as quickly as possible." Koji turned around and began walking back down the street.

"When the digital army gets here, nowhere in this city will be safe, not for humans." Majester warned. Koji hesitated, but continued walking. Majester watched him disappear into the mist. "Well, so much for the first meeting of two species." Majester shrugged. "I imagined more interactive dialogue, less exposition-laden speeches and cryptic fleeting messages. Oh well, I did my best."

KRAAA-KA-KOOM!

Explosions down the street caught Majester's attention. That's the direction Dinoster was headed, Majester thought. "Majester!" He exclaimed, before running off into the mist. Koji returned to the area moments later, watching him run.

"What's going on over there…?" He pondered. He stared back in the direction he had come, trying to find the drive to leave, but curiosity got the better of him, and he followed the small creature into the mist.

3:59 P.M

The Dracomon flew through the air, his body tossed like a rag doll after Kokatorimon's explosive attack had torn into the pavement beneath him. The commanding officer had immediately tried to eliminate both Dracomon and the human, but the Digimon had knocked the boy out of the way as the rooster fired, unable to brace himself.

"Dinoster!" Takuya scrambled off of the ground and ran after him, jumping forward and snatching the small Digimon out of the air as he crashed into the sidewalk.

"Nice catch…" The wounded Digimon groaned.

"You saved me dude." Takuya smiled. "Man, he messed you up pretty good."

"Don't worry about me. It's the least I could do after trying to kill you." Dinoster choked out a laugh.

"A pity." The rooster growled as he approached his defenseless prey. "I thought we had trained you better than that Dracomon."

"What is happening?" From the mist, a red-feathered rooster appeared beside its compatriot.

"This Dracomon has betrayed the cause. It divulged military secrets to a human, and defended the boy when I tried to eliminate him."

"You attacked him too!" Takuya barked, pulling the damaged dragon into his lap as he sat upright.

"He's a traitor, and he deserves to be punished." Kokatorimon growled.

"Oh yeah, and what did I ever do to you? I just met you!" Takuya barked.

"You are a human, an enemy. Your very existence is an affront to the digital world, and we will stomp you out like the vermin you are!"

"Dinoster!" Takuya saw another Dracomon appear from across the street, with a familiar looking boy behind him.

"You have betrayed us as well." Akatorimon, the red-feathered bird, turned his attentions towards the two newcomers.

"What?" Majester jumped, then following the monster's gaze, looked back to see Koji standing behind him. "Oh you couldn't have picked a better time to change your mind, could you?"

"Eliminate them! I'll handle these two!" Kokatorimon glared over Takuya and Dinoster.

"We'll make you pay for betrayed the digital army." Akatorimon stomped towards Koji and Majester.

"Uh, Majester, what's happening?" Koji inquired.

"You picked a hell of a time to take an interest in my story." The Dracomon replied. "How fast can you run?"

"Does it matter?" He looked up at their opponent, who stepped lightly towards them, waiting for the two to make a move.

"Probably not," Majester sighed.

"Takuya, I'm sorry," Dinoster groaned as Kokatorimon stepped towards them, "I did tell you to run though."

"Hey, don't talk like that. I'd never leave a friend behind." Takuya smiled. "Don't worry, we'll find a way out of this."

"I don't think that's gonna happen." Dinoster grinned hopelessly.

"It'll be my pleasure to inflict the first casualties upon the humans tonight." Kokatorimon growled, raising his talons, when a sharp whistling caught everyone's attention. "What is that?" He inquired unaware that Takuya and Dinoster were watching in awe as a ball of light tore through the mist, heading right towards them. It circled above the rooster-Digimon for a few moments before slamming into the ground in front of him, causing the creature to reel backwards. Across the street, the same phenomenon had occurred between Akatorimon and his prey.

"What the…" Takuya pushed himself up, peering into the crater left behind by the light.

"Takuya, you need to run before they get back up!" Dinoster urged, watching the two champion Digimon struggle to stand after the stunning move. Takuya didn't listen, however. He reached into the crater, and pulled out a small bluish-white object. It appeared to Takuya to be a watch without a strap.

"What is this?" Takuya was mesmerized.

"What's going on Majester?" Koji inquired as he pulled out a similar device from the crater that had landed in front of them.

"It can't be…" Majester gasped. "It's… a digivice."

"What's that?" Koji inquired.

"Takuya, you're a digidestined." Dinoster squealed.

"What do you mean?" Takuy inquired.

"You should have run when you had the chance!" The two boys and Digimon snapped out of their trance and back up to the rooster Digimon, who had recovered and were barreling towards them.

"Don't worry, we'll take it from here." Majester and Dinoster smiled, staring back at their companions as the two champions came upon them. A beam of light then burst forth from the devices in the two boys hands, enveloping both Dracomon in a sphere of shining energy, which burst open moments later, releasing two larger dragons, as tall as Kokatorimon and Akatorimon. They smashed their tails into the guts of the two roosters, who squawked in pain before being thrown off into the pavement.

"What happened…" Takuya shook as the blue dragon dropped to his side and slithered his tail around the boy's body, shielding him.

"You… got so much bigger…" Koji stated bluntly as the green dragon did the same.

"They digivolved…" Kokatorimon growled as he stumbled to his feet. "They're champions now."