Foreword: I knew from the start my earlier update rate wouldn't last, but I thought it'd last longer than this. Anyways, we got a real big one this time.
Sora was in absolute agony. Waking from the fall the Ankylomon caused, she found her body completely numb from cold. The most she could do was lift her head, leaving her with nothing to do but wait for the flames to finish consuming her. She wanted to scream, in fact she did so several times already, but all that came out was a choked breath. All she could do was wait for the endless seconds it would take for the flames to end her misery.
No! I don't want to die! The rush of fear forced her eyes open and she slowly lifted her head, praying she'd find something that could save her. What she saw stunned her, or rather, what she didn't see. The flames! Where are they?! There wasn't any fire on her! Even though she could feel herself burning, there was no fire, or even burns! Her neck lost what little strength it had and her head smacked against the stone floor, another pain to pierce the numbness. She rolled her head left and saw Koushiro lying still. Hopefully he was unconscious, being spared this pain. Next to him was Motimon, and it was hard to tell in the darkness, but it looked like it was breathing very shallowly. She rolled her head right, finding Taichi lying still, and a rock with some red was close to his head. She inwardly winced; he was definitely out.Please let that hard head of yours live up to its reputation.Agumon was just in view, on his stomach, but slowly pushing his trembling form to his feet.
No sign of Yokomon, but given how Motimon was faring compared to Agumon, Sora already knew she was in bad shape. Whatever was causing this didn't seem to affect evolved digimon as much.Or maybe Taichi's digivice is protecting Agumon! That was both a comforting and terrifying thought, considering what the digivice did to him in the first place. On the other hand, Yamato was in pretty bad shape and he lived. Resignation sunk in. The digivice is my only option.
She opened her mind to the digivice's subtle call and immediately gave off a choked gurgle as she felt electric tendrils burrow into her side. As they entered her stomach, the nonexistent flames disappeared, though it still felt cold and burnt. Liquid began bubbling into her throat and she began desperately coughing it out, trying to roll her head to either side before she drowned. In her desperate flails, she managed to force herself to roll on to her stomach, right as the tendrils entered her chest. She coughed the blood out, her chest feeling ready to explode each time, and the tendrils reached her arms and legs right as the smell of blood and vomit reached her nose. Feeling ready to throw up again, Sora managed to roll herself away from the first mess, just in time to make the next. She wasted no time forcing herself to roll from that mess too, though it felt like her arms were turning into broken glass.
Her vision began to darken as she stopped on her stomach again. Her strength was leaving her, no match for the crushing pain. Was this what it was like for Taichi? No wonder he was insistent no one else used the digivice. And how did Yamato manage to endure it? And how much did TK go through- The darkness cleared from her vision, the thought of TK, who was even younger than Hikari, enduring even a fraction of a second of this reignited her determination. TK-kun would never survive this! Someone will have to keep him safe at all times so he won't have to try! That thought was all the motivation she needed. And just in time, the tendrils reached her eyes, making them feel ready to explode out of her head. She became aware of the contortions her limbs and fingers were going through, knowing she could only hope they didn't twist or even break something. Then the tendrils reached her brain and everything shut off, leaving only sweet nothingness.
A gray light appeared in her head and swallowed her, bringing the feeling of a gentle breeze. Then the light was gone and her senses returned. A moment later, she realized the pain was gone. Well, not all the pain; the freezing and burning were still very present, though her body wasn't so numb now. But the digivice pain was gone. It dawned on her. I did it. Even with what was happening, I survived the digivice! She slowly forced herself to sit up ignoring the burning dryness of her throat, along with the burning freeze covering her body. She started to fall back but quickly hit a stone wall that felt like it was coated in acid. Or was it broken glass? Another scream choking its way out of her, she forced herself to simply endure and looked around, trying to find Yokomon. There, not too far from the puddle of blood and vomit she first made, she saw a pink bird. Her head started throbbing and her eyes wanted to explode again along with warnings appearing in her head, telling her how it was just the initial connection that was completed. Then she found a three dimensional image of the bird in her vision. The bird was Piyomon and she could generate super heated winds. Her beak was strong enough to penetrate stone.
Now Sora just had to get to Piyomon and, well, she didn't know. But it was better than just sitting around like this. She slowly forced herself to turn and placed her hands on the wall, ignoring the broken glass-like feeling. Pushing her hands against it, she pulled downwards to help lift herself up. Slowly she reached her knees, her kneecaps feeling ready to shatter and searing hot tears leaving trails of ice on her face. She raised her hands to grip the wall at a higher point and found her hands reaching over it. The wall doesn't go all the way up? That'll make this a bit easier. She lowered her hands to find the top and wrapped her hands around it.
Her fingers found themselves in a pool of liquid nitrogen and molten lava. Even as the pain registered, she fell on to her back, a wave of nausea washing over. She gave out another choked scream as her back hit the floor and she could swear her ribs and spine shattered, except if her spine had broken, at least part of her body would be spared this agony. And the mix of nitrogen and lava was running down her hands and arms leaving her afraid of what condition they were in now as the molten tears continued freezing her face.
"Sora…" she barely heard a weak voice call. It kind of reminded her of… More pain as the head of the pink bird rested on her chest, looking at her with sad eyes. "Sora…" the little creature muttered, tears growing. Piyomon! she remembered.
"P-Piyo…" she managed to choke out. She found herself raising a damaged hand to pet her partner when she saw her fingers. They were just fine, only wet. She watched one of the molten droplets run down her hand, leaving unseen ice. The scanner, DigiScanner, Taichi called it, blasted it's way back into her. No! Not another digimon! No, it wasn't a digimon. It was the water itself being scanned. The water had an extremely hazardous unknown contaminant. Full effects were unknown, but it wasn't penetrating her skin at least. "The… water… It's the water…"
"Water?" Piyomon lifted her head, "What water?"
"It's splashed… all around…" Sora stopped to catch her breath. She recalled seeing puddles of that water all over. Like something splashed when they fell. "Ankylomon," she suddenly realized, "Ankylomon… fell in water… splashed us…" Piyomon's eyes widened.
"We're soaked!" she said. She slowly started turning around. "I think… I can dry… Just don't… want to splash… you."
"Right," Sora answered, remembering what the digivice said about Piyomon creating super heated winds. She looked at her shirt and a very painful reality set in. Gritting her teeth, she once again rolled over and pushed herself to her knees. Then she gripped the hem of her shirt and started to lift. It felt like scraping a mix of broken glass and steel wool over her body but as she lifted past her stomach, she definitely noticed an improvement. It really was the water, or whatever that liquid was, doing this to her. And to the others. Her first thought was Taichi, but no, he'd brute force through the pain. He'd be more in danger of being burnt by Agumon's attempts at drying him. Uh oh. That could really happen. I should get Agumon on drying our clothes instead.
She watched Piyomon give her wings unsteady flaps. With each movement, her feathers ruffled, as if wind was blowing through and, after a few flaps, she was starting to look a little better. And looking over at Agumon, it looked like he'd taken the hint, breathing small flames over himself. Motimon, however, looked like he was barely breathing. He needed help now. Setting her shirt down she was finding much easier to breathe, though the rotting smell filling the room really didn't really help. That blood and puke I left all over isn't helping either. "Piyomon!" she managed to call to her partner, "Help Motimon as soon as you can! I don't think he'll last much longer!" Piyomon looked over at the little blob.
"Wow, he looks terrible," she looked back at Sora, "I'll get right- what are you doing?!" her eyes were wider than Sora thought possible. It was actually pretty funny.
"My clothes are covered in that water," she said as she removed her pants. Her upper body was feeling a lot better, except for where her bra was. And given how much exposure she already had to the water…I can already hear my mother freaking out. Oh well. It wasn't that much worse than that little incident that resulted in her and Taichi getting "the talk" a bit earlier than their mothers intended."There's no telling how dangerous it really is," she explained as she started removing her bra. "That reminds me. Agumon!" Agumon looked up from breathing fire over his legs. He still looked a bit pained.
"Yeah Sor- Wow!" Oh brother. The dinosaur? Seriously?
"Knock it off! You're not even human!"
"Oh, y-yeah," Agumon gave a sheepish look, "Th-The water made me do it. I can't get off my head and back."
"I'm sure. Piyomon can get that after she helps Motimon. I'm going to need you do dry our clothes."
"Okay. Um, put them closer to the center and stay away. That way you won't inhale the steam." Sora nodded, not even wanting to think of what it would feel like getting that stuff inside.
"And keep your head down when I dry you," Piyomon added.
Clothes laid out for Agumon, Sora watched Piyomon flap her winds over Motimon. The little digimon's breathing grew stronger by the second much to Sora's relief. Guess it only hurts us when we're exposed. And speaking of exposed… She looked back at Taichi and again at Koushiro. Both were still out, a lump of worry began growing in her stomach. Her head gave off a throb and some words appeared in the top of her vision. According to the message, a Chosen Digimon's life is linked directly to their Chosen Child, even if the digivice itself has not been linked. If the Child dies, the digimon will die too, though the reverse was not true.Well, um, that's, uh, kind of nice and horrible.Sure it was great knowing Taichi and Koushiro were okay, but it was saying about Piyomon, about all those digimon, that was just wrong.
No point in worrying about it now. She laid out the last of her clothes in the center like Agumon said. Now she had to decide, who to strip first. No, she already knew it would have be Koushiro. With his digivice still unlinked, he would be taking the full brunt of the water's torment. She slowly walked over to him, amazed at how much better she felt. What was that liquid flowing behind the wall? The rest of the room was just a big stone box with scattered torches and one doorway on Koushiro's side. She took a look up and could just make out the ceiling, but the hole Ankylomon made looked like a black void stretching into infinite. But the fall couldn't have been that bad, there should've been at least some signs of light from above. Perhaps she should try calling out to the others? No, bad idea. She might wake up Koushiro.
"What are you doing?" Motimon sounded as she reached for Koushiro's shirt, flinching at the burning cold feeling it gave, "And why are you… Should I leave the room?!" Oh, for the… She looked at the blob, seeing that he was perfectly fine now. A bit further she could see Piyomon flapping over a very relieved looking Agumon.
"The water is what's hurting us and our clothes are soaked in it," she answered, trying to keep the annoyance out of her voice, "Agumon's going to dry them. Speaking of which, how did Piyomon's winds feel?"
"A little hot at first, but she toned it down. And now I feel all better." That was a relief. "So, you used the digivice?"
"I did," she answered, trying not to remember how it felt, "and it was worse than Taichi had said. I know the water made it worse, but I really thought it was going to kill me." Shirt was off. Now for the pants.
"Um, is it really okay to do that while he's out cold?"
"No. But when I woke up, I couldn't even move until I activated my digivice. I can't let him go through what I did. I mean, he is younger than me." She couldn't help but laugh at herself for saying that. For one thing, it didn't matter he was younger, she'd do the same for Jou. At the same time, she could just hear her jerkass best friend's taunting. How nice, you've got a new baby.
Being one of the few girls in the soccer club, and by far the most skilled, she was subject to more than a few crushes. Especially from younger boys who would, of course, pretend to hate her. They were so much fun to tease but at the same time, she'd become a little protective of them. And then Taichi, not having enough irritating habits to begin with, started calling them her "babies".
Maybe it was her association with the Yagamis that made her like that. Taichi, who was pretty protective of the younger club members himself, was more than a little smothering when it came to Hikari; he'd be ready to call the hospital over a paper cut. And from how TK made it sound, Hikari wasn't that much different. Sometimes she would decide her six months on him were the same as six years. And then there was all the stories Taichi's and Hikari's mother had about the times their father "defended her honor".
"I think hero complexes are genetic," Sora muttered to herself, "and contagious." Finished with Koushiro's clothes, she began to gather them when she heard a slight moan. Oh, no, no, no. Not now! She helplessly watched as Koushiro began to stir. Why now?!
"That was unpleasant," Koushiro muttered, "and I really don't feel well." His eyes started to blink open. "Sora-san? What-" His eyes shot open and his jaw dropped. Sora dropped the clothes and started backing away, waiting for the rest of his reaction but he was as still as statue. She took a breath before attempting her explanation.
"Um, okay Koushiro-kun, I know this-"
"I'm sorry! I'm sorry!" he exclaimed, swiftly turning his head away, "I mean I didn't- I mean I- I- Where's my clothes?! I mean-"
"It was the water!" Sora blurted out, "We were all covered some sort of deadly water! Our clothes were soaked in it! I had no choice!" Koushiro went silent and she found herself worrying. While she didn't normally care that much about her reputation, this was not an impression she could live down. One of Koushiro's hands slowly moved to his wet clothes and it shot back right as he touched.
"That felt like a mixture of fire and ice!" he exclaimed, "If I was wearing this…"
"Believe me, I know," Sora agreed, "It was so bad, I had to chance my digivice. It helped just enough to let me move." Koushiro went silent again for a moment.
"Thank you Sora-san," he said at last, "And I apologize for my reaction. And for the unworthy thoughts that were growing in my head. Please don't be offended by my refusal to look your way." A warm breeze washed over with the sound of Piyomon's flapping. "What is that?"
"That's just Yokomon," Sora assured, "or Piyomon now. She's creating a warm wind to dry us off. Lie on your stomach so you don't inhale any steam. And don't worry about the way you reacted. It was better than certain digimon." Once he was on his stomach, she followed suit and closed her eyes, enjoying the feeling of the warm wind.
"On to your backs now," Piyomon eventually ordered, "Make sure you roll so Koushiro doesn't see anything."
"I'm not looking!" Koushiro added. Sora rolled her eyes and did as she was told.
"How are my clothes doing?" she asked. She could hear Agumon breathing fire and the lack of panicked sounds gave her hope he wasn't destroying them.
"Slow. Agumon's really afraid of wrecking your clothes, so he's being very careful."
"I'll bet Taichi-san will have an interesting reaction," Koushiro said with a forced sounding laugh. Sora fell silent, remembering, or rather, trying not to remember some of the bigger messes Taichi had gotten her into.
"Trust me, Koushiro-kun," she said, "that idiot's gotten us into so much trouble, we're both pretty much desensitized."
"You two are very interesting people," Koushiro said with a more genuine laugh, "But right now, I'm thinking I should use my digivice. I'm sure Motimon would like to be of more use and I suspect I could use the extra protection."
"Bad idea!" Motimon exclaimed, "Before Piyomon dried me off, I was barely conscious from the pain and I still heard those awful sounds Sora was making!" That was impressive, given how little noise she thought she was making.
"Motimon's right," she said, "That thing almost killed me and I know I'm in better shape than you."
"I suppose you're right," Koushiro said, sounding disappointed.
"Taichi's still out, so I'm going to do him now," she said, grabbing his clothes, "Agumon will dry these off." Koushiro remained silent. She felt terrible for him, knowing he just wanted to help, but it was too much of a risk. "We'll find a way to let you safely use your digivice," she assured as she started towards the center. Koushiro suddenly gave off a scream that could only come from electric tendrils burrowing into his body.
Yamato stared numbly into the abyss the floor gave into, struggling to process what Gabumon had just told him. Gone. They're gone.Barely aware of how much it was hurting his back to keep sitting up, he desperately looked around for something, anything, to show that this was just a bad dream. Gabumon was sitting next to him in silence, clearly understanding that talking to him now would be a bad idea. TK was in still in a coma that, according to Tsukaimon, was caused by some sort of ghost while using the digivice. The thought of his little brother putting himself through that agony just because he wanted to help didn't really surprise Yamato but it filled him with an incredible pride for his brother and an unimaginable fury at whoever dragged them into this nightmare.
He looked over at Mimi and Jou. They weren't too close, but he could almost hear Mimi's pained sobs. From what Gabumon told him, she was headbutted by something called Ankylomon and, according to Jou, the poor girl had some ribs that were cracked, if not outright broken. For a girl who seemed like the type to cry over a broken nail, Yamato could only try to sympathize with how much pain she had to be in. Jou, to his credit, was acting incredibly composed. Sure, he looked like he wanted to both throw up and pass out, but he was cutting away at the top of Mimi's dress without seeming to cause her any extra pain. And to think I wanted to laugh at his bag. On top of the scissors, Jou had also withdrawn a roll of bandages, a bottle of painkillers, and a canteen of water.
Unfortunately, unless there some kind of time machine in there, it really didn't matter how prepared Jou was. Looking back at the hole, he still couldn't believe it. Sora, Koushiro, and even Yagami were gone. Yamato was on the verge of becoming friends with Sora, if he wasn't already. She was just so easy to get along with, and knew just how to treat TK. Koushiro just seemed so unassuming, not really the type to rush in, but still pretty brave. Yamato had to admit to feeling a certain amount of respect for the younger boy. And Yagami? He may have been the most obnoxious jackass Yamato ever had the displeasure of knowing, but he didn't deserve that. And what about Hikari? He never met the younger Yagami, but from how TK made her sound, she was a bit dependent on her big brother. What would she do now? It wasn't like he could ever be the big brother, or even friend, she'd need. Why am I even asking this? We're not getting out of here. It's hopeless. We're all going to die here. He looked back at TK and tears began to fill his eyes. I'm so sorry TK. You need me and I can't do a damn thing! I'm so sorry!
A fireball exploded in his head. Yamato-san! Are you getting this?!
What?! What happened?! What's going on?! Why are these words appearing?! Why is my head hurting?!I don't understand!
Calm down, Yamato-san! The digivices have a messaging function, but the input is telepathic. Sora-san and I spent a few minutes practicing, uh, filtering our thoughts.
You're alive, Koushiro-kun?! That's wonderful! I mean- Is Sora-kun okay too?! What about Yagami-kun?!
Please calm yourself! And good job recognizing me, though I suppose it was more deduction. Anyways, yes, Sora-san and I are just fine, at least for the most part. Well, Sora more so than me. We both activated our digivices and I can barely move right now. Taichi-san hit his head when we landed and he's still out, though we believe he's still okay.
You used the digivice?! Are you okay?! I mean, I know you can't move and shut up, shut up!
Please Yamato-san, remember, I was able to practice. Sora-san and I were just as awkward. And I believe I'm okay now but I honestly didn't think I was going to make it. I believe I am essentially the weakest a person can be to withstand the digivice. Now, I have two important questions to ask you. First of all, is my laptop okay?
Seriously? I mean, darn it. Okay, stop thinking and He forced himself to stop thinking and looked towards Jou and Mimi. Looks like it's next to Mimi-san. Jou-kun's doing okay I guess and it looks like he's doing a good job bandaging her ch- why am I still looking?!
Well, thank him for me when you can. Now for my other question. I suspect you're seeing a black void when you look in the pit, correct?
Yes! I can't see any trace of you! I thought you were all… I can't even think it.
The fall was not actually that bad but when I look at the hole in the ceiling, I too just see the black void. It is becoming very obvious that the lighting here does not follow our physical laws.
Yeah, the lighting. I really thought her you were dead. I mean I didn't even know what to do, or what
And you need to learn to control this messaging function.
I can almost hear Sora-kun laugh- wait! Don't send that! Or that! Or that!
Yamato-kun! Chill! Look, Koushiro-kun's dropped out so it's just us. We'll work getting you to a point where you won't be giving Taichi blackmail material.
Thank you. As Koushiro had said, controlling the telepathic messages wasn't hard. It almost like thinking in a way the digivice would send, and one it wouldn't. Once that was done Sora began filling him in on everything that happened since he fainted.
Ugh. Could someone get the jackhammer off of my head? Taichi thought as he came to consciousness. His head was killing him, he was even colder than before, something smelled like it died, he could hear running water, and there was some annoying flapping sound.Some days it just doesn't pay to be conscious. He felt around the stone floor. What happened? Oh, that's right. Ankylomon broke the floor and he fell. How far did he fall? He began pushing himself into a sitting position while forcing his eyes open, his head protesting very loudly. Shut up. It wasn't like the floor was any better. He looked around and quickly found Agumon breathing fire over something. Finally sitting up, he took a harder look at what Agumon was apparently heating. Those look like my clothes! And Sora's? He immediately looked down at himself. That explains why I'm so cold.
He looked around the room and found Koushiro sitting against a partial wall and Sora putting a shirt on him. And she wasn't wearing anything. What did I just miss- He immediately noticed the big ladybug standing near the duo and a pink bird was flapping over ground. Oh. Ohhh. It didn't explain the clothes, but now he knew why Koushiro wasn't dressing himself.I told them not to do it! Headache forgotten, he glanced around, quickly finding the familiar blood , it didn't surprise him Sora went through with it, but Koushiro? That was a shock, and possibly a big mistake. He looked back at the new digimon using the DigiScanner. Tentomon had claws comparable to Agumon's and could generate electric bursts with his wings. And Piyomon sounded perfect for Sora.
"Taichi's clothes are dry!" Agumon announced. He looked over in Taichi's direction and his eyes lit up. "Taichi! You're up!" Uh oh.
"Easy! I got a headache!" Taichi called as the dinosaur barreled towards him. Agumon came to a screeching stop with an embarrassed look on his face.
"Sorry about that. I was just so worried. I mean, you hit your head when you landed." Well, that explained the headache.
"Not like I ever use it," he responded with a shrug. A bunch of clothes landed on him. His clothes now that he looked. "Nice and warm."
"I dried them!" Agumon said with a smile. So what, was he fished out of the water or something?
"Uh, thanks," he said, looking where clothes came flying from. "You couldn't wake me for the party? Some friend." Sora rolled her eyes. "Of course, Mom always warned you were a bad girl."
"Just get dressed already," Sora's voice took on the forced impatience he had long learned to recognize, "I'm seeing far more of you than I'm comfortable with. Hey Agumon, go help Piyomon, will you?"
"Oh yeah! I'm supposed to be doing that now!" Agumon ran off to join Piyomon who was still flapping around for some reason.
"It's the water," Sora said as she headed over to her own clothes pile. Taichi looked back at the partial wall. Now that she had mentioned it, he was hearing water running on the other side.
"Did we fall in or something?" he asked as he started getting his underwear back on.
"Just Ankylomon. We were all splashed," Sora's voice turned dark and, as she began dressing herself, she explained what the water did to her and how she had to use the digivice. "Piyomon and Agumon are evaporating the water on the floor now."
"And what about Koushiro?" he asked, looking back at the other boy, who still wasn't moving. A message appeared in his vision. "Wait I have a message-" his stomach sank reading it, "Are you kidding me?!" He looked at Agumon who was happily heating the ground. Did he even know his life was connected to Taichi's?
"I got the same message," Sora sounded as angry as he felt, "I'm wondering if I should tell Piyomon."
"I wouldn't" Taichi said, "At least not yet. I don't want Agumon to feel like he has to be with me. I want him to want to." Sora nodded.
"I agree. Now, about Koushiro, he's okay. Just really, really weak." She gave an annoyed and worried sigh that was normally reserved for the kids in the soccer club, "I told him not to use the digivice. He went and did it anyhow." Her voice turned soft. "He just resting now but I swear we almost lost him." Taichi let her words sink in.
"So we are definitely not letting TK touch his digivice again," he said, "In fact, either you, me, or Ishida should be with him at all times in case he gets any ideas. And he will."
"Mimi-san too," Sora added, "If Koushiro-kun could barely handle it, she never will. Of course, this is all pointless unless we find a way out of here." Taichi nodded, looking up. Even if he could find a way to climb through that hole in the ceiling, he really didn't feel like going through such thick darkness was a good idea. Not to mention the risk of falling in the water.
"I have an idea!" Tentomon suddenly called out, fluttering over, "Let's follow the water to its source! Digital World water filters, especially ones used in important places like this palace, never wear out. This water should be perfectly drinkable."
"We do need water," Taichi admitted. His stomach growled. "And food."
"Can't help with that, I'm afraid," Tentomon said, "but if we do find anything edible, the Rebirth Maintenance will have kept it fresh."
"The what maintenance?" Taichi and Sora asked simultaneously.
"We haven't… told… them about the… Rebirth Cycle," Piyomon panted as she flew over. She started to drop but Sora lunged forward and caught her. "Thanks."
"We're done the floor," Agumon announced as he followed Piyomon, "Seriously Piyomon, you could've stopped when I started."
"Needed the… practice," Piyomon responded, "Have to do…. my best for Sora."
"You can't do your best if you're too tired," Sora said, "Don't go hurting yourself for me."
"Okay, now about the Rebirth Cycle," Tentomon interrupted, "When we, uh…"
"Buy the farm!" Agumon said as he stopped next to Taichi, "I like that one!"
"People really say that? What does farming have to do with-"
"Tentomon!" Piyomon interrupted.
"Okay, okay! After the, uh, farm thing, our digicore goes to a Village of Beginnings along with some of the data from our bodies. The data forms an egg that forms a new body around the digicore, sometimes with memories, sometimes not. No idea why. The rest of the data is absorbed into the Digital World itself, restoring any natural resources and repairing damage."
"But only if your digicore can go. That's what's so awful about Phantomon," Piyomon said in a sad voice, "By stealing that poor Ankylomon's digicore, it was denied Rebirth. That might be why it was so crazy. I just hope that its digicore was set free this time."
"And those repairs are Rebirth Maintenance," Sora said. Tentomon nodded.
"Any pollutants cleaned up by the water filters," he continued, "or any filters for that matter, are broken into their most basic data and then also released into the Rebirth Cycle." Taichi took a moment to consider what Tentomon was saying.
"Sounds like these water filters would be useful for someone like Phantomon," he said, "and going after them'll get Phantomon worrying about us instead of the others."
"And then we go after Phantomon?" Sora asked, sounding like she knew answer. Taichi nodded, and let an edge slip into his voice.
"He's going to pay for what he did to my little buddy." He looked back at Koushiro. "Still out?" That was worrying.
"He's only resting," Sora reminded, "In fact, he was able to find a new digivice function, a telepathic messaging that you really need to learn." Telepathic messages? So, that's like mental Emails? Telepathymails? Telemail?
"Okay, Tmail me," he said. Sora raised an eyebrow.
"Tmail?"
"I like it," Agumon said. Sora put her hand to her face and shook her head.
"Lay down, first," she commanded, "This is the digivice, so…"
"It's gonna hurt," Taichi finished, gently lying himself back down. "Ready." A fireball exploded in his head. "Gah! I thought it'd be like the DigiScanner!"
You getting this?
Hey, it worked. Now how do I answer this thing? Am I answering it?
Taichi.
Hello? Hello? Testing one two three? Why is it one two three?
Taichi.
Why not four five six? And what's with Mayday? What about Marchday or
TAICHI!
Wow, I think my ears felt that one. They're probably ringing now, if that stupid fireball would get out of my head.
Do you want me to tell your parents about
No! Sora knows far too many ways to end that sentence!
You bet I do.
Can you stop reading my mind?!
Then stop sending me it!
What do you mean?!
I mean shut up and listen to me! There's a trick to only sending what we want and if you'd shut your mouth for a few seconds I could teach you!
But my mouth has been shut the entire time.
Arrgh!
Pushing Sora's buttons never gets old.
TAICHI!
Leaning against a wall, Yamato surveyed the room Pukamon discovered. It was long and rectangular with a row of beds lined along one side with just enough space for the wooden chairs next to them. On the wall, between every couple beds, was a lit torch, though still no heat. It looked pretty thrown together, but against the other wall were a few stretchers and a couple desks with different medical tools on top. If he had to guess it was a barracks hastily converted into an infirmary.
Looking at one of the beds, his injury reminded him how much pain he was still in. This room was next to the throne room, but that was about as much walking as he could take. "Go on," Pukamon said, "We both know Jou wouldn't let you help carry anyone in your state." Yamato just nodded and gently laid himself down on one of the beds. The mattress had a nice firmness to it.
"Surprised these mattresses are still holding up," he said, "I mean, how old are they?"
"Dunno, but things in the Digital World don't really rot. I'd tell you why, but I'd just confuse both of us." Pukamon looked at the stretchers. "This is gonna be hard. Jou can't take both Mimi and TK."
"I have Gabumon with TK," Yamato reminded, "TK should be small enough for him to carry." When Pukamon came down announcing he'd found a good resting spot, it took some convincing for Gabumon to accept that TK and Mimi needed his protection far more than Yamato.
"I'll go get them," Pukamon said, dragging a stretcher behind. While waiting, Yamato looked around the walls. Not a single window, though he did notice square patches where the stone pattern was visibly different. In fact, it looked like they were at regular intervals, though the dark haze was making it hard to tell. So they filled in the windows? Why? It was kind of depressing. With all this fog like darkness and torches and stone walls, he wanted to see the sky again. And maybe breathe some air that wasn't so old.
Yamato-kun? He almost jumped from the message exploding into his head.
Sora-kun? Is that you? Hearing her voice, or thoughts, or whatever this was, cheered him up a little. Not to mention helped settle the fears that his last conversation with her was just a back injury induced dream.
Yeah, I'm just giving you an update. Taichi's up and we're following the water upstream. Right. Sora had told him about that burning cold water. According to Tentomon if we can find what's contaminating the water, it should become drinkable.
Tentomon? He was Motimon, right?
And Yokomon is Piyomon now. Once the water thing is solved, Taichi wants to go after Phantomon and I kind of agree. At least this way Phantomon'll be worrying about us instead of you.
That's true. On our end, I've told Jou-kun and the digimon about the messaging and that you're all okay. We've found a decent spot to rest near the throne room. Some kind of barracks or something, I think. Just me right now, but Pukamon's getting Jou-kun. Gabumon's watching TK.
Finally awake, sleeping beauty? Yamato flinched, not from the pain of which he was getting used to, but from the fact despite not hearing anything, he could still feel Yagami's grating voice.
Go away, Yagami-kun.
Relax, Ishida. I just want to remind you TK's brought those extra medicines. We may need them. Extra… oh! That's right! Whenever TK was visiting Hikari, he always brought the types of medicine she needed whenever she got sick. The reason being that adults always talked about being "worried sick", so he figured that worrying about her medicine would make Hikari sicker. Just another addition to the list of reasons why TK was by far Yamato's favorite relative.
I'll tell Jou-kun. Now go away.
Yeah, sure, but, what the? Sora? What are you
He's done and I'm back. Yamato could almost hear Sora's irritation. He said he had something important to tell you right now, but that look he was getting… I've seen it before.
He just reminded me what kind of stuff TK brought with him. Hopefully Sora would be satisfied with that. TK wouldn't want him telling anyone about what he was doing for Hikari. Footsteps sounded from outside the room. Sounds like the others are coming.
I'll Tmail you if anything comes up.
Tmail?
Yeah. Taichi's name for it, which means that's what we're calling it whether we want to or not.
How do you put up with him?
Hikari.
Thought so. Well, I'm gonna see if I can't find some other uses for our digivices, so you can just worry about the water and Phantomon.
Thank you, Yamato. The conversation over, Yamato turned his attention back to the entrance. Just in time too, as Gabumon was making his way in, gently carrying TK on his back with Tsukaimon fluttering behind. Gabumon hopped on to the bed next to Yamato and Tsukaimon pulled TK off. Once Yamato's little brother was set down, Tsukaimon plopped down on the boy's chest and hunkered down. Pukamon floated down on to the foot of the bed and looked at Yamato. "Mind if I rest here? Jou still needs to look after Mimi and apparently I can be distracting." He sounded almost proud.
"TK would be fine with it," Yamato answered, looking at Tsukaimon. The little digimon looked like he'd taken root. Yamato's bed shook slightly as Gabumon hopped over to it. He gave the digimon a smile. "Again, thanks."
"I'm supposed to protect you," Gabumon said, "but you were right. We all have to take care of each other."
"We're all we have," Yamato muttered, "What's even being expected of us?"
"Remember what Tanemon said. We won't make you do anything you don't want. We'll help you find a way back home." Gabumon gave a little shrug. "Also remember, we don't have any memories before meeting you. We're no more attached to this world than you are."
"Yeah." Yamato wasn't really sure how to feel about that, other than his anger towards whoever arranged this whole Chosen Child thing growing even further. "If I ever get my hands on whoever set this up…" He allowed himself to fall silent. The way he was starting to feel would involve words he would never say in front of TK, conscious or not. Probably shouldn't say them in front of Mimi either.
"Do you think you're up to contacting the others? You know, to let them we're doing okay?" After being contacted the first time, Yamato made sure to fill in Jou and the digimon about the messaging.
"Sora-kun contacted me again. They're doing okay now and-"
"Excuse me, Yamato-san?" Jou asked. Mimi had been set down on the bed on Yamato's other side, the poor girl whimpering with each breath she took. "You wouldn't happen to have a water canteen or something, would you? Mine's getting empty." He held up a decently sized canteen.
"Sorry, I didn't realize we'd be traveling today." Yamato apologized, "Sora-kun, Koushiro-kun, and Yagami-kun are working on our water problem." Jou didn't look happy with Yamato's answer. "That reminds me. TK should have some extra medicines in his backpack." Jou's face brightened.
"Wow! Prepared at his age?! That's impressive!" Not half as impressive as the real reason, Yamato thought with a slight smile.
"How are you feeling?" Tanemon asked from next to Mimi.
"My back is killing me, but fine otherwise. How's Mimi-san?"
"Really hurting," tears began to form in Tanemon's eyes, "I couldn't protect her at all."
"Stop," Mimi both wheezed and sobbed, "My fault… Should have…"
"It's Phantomon's fault," Yamato added an edge to his voice, "It was because of him that monster attacked us."
"Stop talking," Jou ordered, "Broken ribs are dangerous. You don't want to make them worse."
A thought struck Yamato. "I've been wondering, are there many human sized digimon?"
"A few," Gabumon answered, "but we come in all kinds of shapes and sizes. Why do you ask?"
"Well for one thing, this room is seems very human-centric."
"Nah, it's for us runtymon," Pukamon said, "I mean, who wouldn't love a giant bed?"
"And then there's the things you know about us. Are there humans in the Digital World?" The room fell silent for a moment.
"I'm not sure," Gabumon answered at last, "but I do know we've had contact with your world before. It was a very long time ago, though."
"Okay, I'm gonna ask it so Jou won't have to," Pukamon spoke up, "What will we do of Phantomon decides to visit?" The question was rewarded with a growl from Tsukaimon.
"Yagami-kun thinks Phantomon's going to be more interested in them than us," Yamato answered, "I mean, he's pretty much beaten us as it is. And while they're keeping him busy, I'm going to play with my digivice. There's gotta be more than the messaging-"
"Tmail!" Pukamon chirped. Yamato sighed.
"Ugh. Yes. Tmail. That and the DigiScanner. There has to be more." Maybe something that will let me do more than stand and watch.
Following the water upstream, Taichi made sure to pace himself so Sora and Koushiro could keep up. Koushiro, who wasn't in as good as shape as Taichi in first place, still hadn't fully recovered from activating his digivice and he was carrying that laptop with him. Sora could've kept up with Taichi but she wanted to stay back in case Koushiro needed extra protection. How's Koushiro doing back there? he Tmailed her.
Not bad, though he's looking pretty tired. Really wish he'd let me carry his laptop. With how dry their throats were getting, Tmail was worth the brief burning headaches.
Wish we could chance letting him rest longer. In all honesty, Taichi wanted to stop and rest too, but that would just let Phantomon come after them again. Besides, resting down here wouldn't do much good. I'm so glad Hikari couldn't come.
You're right. This place would have been too much for her. It's almost too much for me. He had to agree. The heatless torches lining these corridors, the rancid smelling "water", and that haze-like darkness were just demoralizing. But even worse than that were the horrifying murals, some of them featuring that shadow, others showing chimera-like monsters, and some seeming to show what Taichi swore were robots, but what they all had in common was the sickening violence, the detailed slaughter, and it was just too much for him. But more than that was the absolute malevolence that practically bled off each image. He could almost hear the carvers gleefully cackling over the atrocities they were capturing. This place… its evil.
I know. Stepping through another doorway, Taichi found himself on a large platform surrounded by the black water. The walls on the left and right had three floodgates. Up ahead was a slope leading to another doorway and a waterfall on both sides. Looking back, he could see a floodgate on either side of the entrance. He directed a message to Koushiro. Is this some kind sluice?
I believe so. It looks as if the source of the water is just ahead. At least I hope so. Taichi turned his attention to the center of the platform. Five statues of ghosts were facing the entrance. "We better be on guard," he announced. He scanned the ghosts, called Bakemon, and the image showed a typical white sheet ghost with very sharp looking teeth and red eyes. Underneath their sheets they had a physical shadow they could shape any way they wanted and they were capable of… death curses? Uh, oh. No, wait, it also stated that an active digivice would nullify the curses.
I just found something useful. Taichi jumped at the sudden Tmail. It came from Ishida, so it was probably about the digivices.
At least you're good for something.
Cram it, Yagami-kun. Anyways, the digivices seem to have things called Elemental Cores. Gabumon says they feel kind of like the source of his ice power and they seem to be able to change how his powers work.
That actually does sound useful. A shadowy mass suddenly began to form in the platform's center. Hang on, something's happening here. He spared a quick glance at Sora and Koushiro to make sure they were seeing it too. Koushiro was looking at it, Sora looking at Taichi. She gave a nod acknowledging she was noticing it too and faced the mass. He found himself holding his breath as it began rising like a geyser and taking on a shape at the top. Phantomon's here! Gotta go!
Fully formed, Phantomon let out a menacing laugh and held out a hand. Five digicores were hovering just above his grasp. Taichi knew exactly where this was going. "Ready for some ghost busting?" he asked Agumon.
"I'd rather do some ghost burning," Agumon answered, a lick flame shooting out of his mouth. The five digicores bolted from Phantomon's hand, each into a Bakemon and the five ghosts took off into the air.
Two immediately swooped down, pitch black clawed hands poking out of their robes. Agumon's flames slashed into them, but other than wobbling a little, the ghosts were unfazed. Taichi clenched his teeth and dove forward and the ghosts shot right overhead. Okay! Element Cores! He mentally told the digivice to give him the Element Cores and his head began to throb as different elements began flashing through his head. Pyro. Cryo. Hydro. Slow down! I can't think that fast! And why the moon language?!
Stars appeared in his eyes as pain exploded in the back of his head. He went down face first and managed to force himself to roll to his back. One good thing about the digivice? It's getting me used to pain. His vision started to clear and he saw a Bakemon with a pitch black mallet in place of a hand. Fireballs began pelting the spirit and it immediately charged at Agumon with a swing. The dinosaur leapt back, slashing at the mallet with his claws, deflecting himself from the swing.
Sora's shriek cut into his ears followed by Phantomon's laughter. He immediately looked and saw her on a knee, nursing a bleeding leg and three Bakemon with spear tips flying away with Piyomon and Tentomon throwing burning whirlwinds and electric shocks at them with little effect. Koushiro was right behind Sora looking completely lost as to what to do. A Bakemon with a scythe blade emerged from the floor behind him and Taichi almost cried out, but Sora seemed to noticed and yanked the boy down with the blade passing just overhead.
That's it! Element Core time! The three Bakemon with the spears touched their weapons together and began spinning like a propeller. Crap! No time! Just pick one! He told the digivice to give Agumon a Pyro Element Core. Agumon took on a red glow for a few seconds.
"I-I feel stronger!" he said. He spit his flames at the Bakemon propeller, but this time they were blue and came out with a roar. The flames wrapped around the propeller and the Bakemon disappeared in a spray small, white particles.
"You weren't kidding," Taichi said. Three Bakemon down in one shot? So much for Phantomon's little ambush. Now I just have to tell- Phantomon's laughter interrupted his thoughts. What's so funny?! Agumon just incinerated your lackeys! The larger ghost held out his hand and the particles gathered around and reassembled into the Bakemon. Are you kidding me?! That's not fair!
A Bakemon suddenly popped out of the ground in front of him with a sword poking out of its sheet. Taichi was so startled he could only watch helplessly as the blade came down on his head, but Agumon's claws met it, and a couple blue fireballs finished off the ghost. Yeah, we definitely need the Element Cores. He looked at Sora and Koushiro, about to Tmail them, but he saw two Bakemon with chains dragging Koushiro up by the neck. Sora was pulling him back down while Piyomon and Tentomon fired at the Bakemon. Crap, these guys work fast!
Okay, he hated to admit it, but the Element Cores weren't enough. Maybe Ishida had some other ideas? Element Cores are good but we need something bigger! Phantomon can bring his minions back to life! The seconds until a response felt like hours. He needed an answer before the Bakemon went after him again.
Alright then. I'd hoped Element Cores would be enough since I'm not sure about the other two. But if you want big, try evolution. Like when Koromon became Agumon, you might be able to try it again, but I haven't tested it. At all.
Consider this the field test. He looked at Agumon who was spitting fireballs at three Bakemon who seemed to be covering the two who's chains were still around Koushiro's neck with Sora still pulling at it. Piyomon and Tentomon were still blasting at the two Bakemon but their attacks still weren't getting anywhere.They're just toying with us, Taichi angrily thought as the ghosts weaved around Agumon's least since they were dodging they weren't attacking, but on the other hand, that meant Agumon wasn't able to help Sora save Koushiro. Okay, digivice. We need the big guns. He commanded the digivice to empower Agumon like it did Koromon.
He nearly screamed as he could feel flames bursting out of his body, but clamped his mouth shut. He's been enduring everything else the digivice's thrown his way, this wouldn't be any different. The flames began reaching towards Agumon and suddenly the little dinosaur began glowing. And growing. And growing. The flames began to fade and Taichi felt his pulse race as Agumon came back into view. The little dinosaur wasn't exactly little anymore, claws and teeth included. He now donned some sort of horned mask over his face and his still orange body now bore blue stripes. The DigiScanner called him Greymon. Greymon had the same fire power that Agumon had, only exponentially stronger. And his claws and horns could slice through steel as if it were butter. And then the DigiScanner added a note stating that Greymon was still under the power of the Pyro Core.
Taichi stared at his partner in silence. That gentle, playful look in Agumon's eyes were nowhere to be seen in Greymon's. Instead all he could see was a feral rage building. Stop that! It's still Agumon! And he even said that he still felt more like Koromon! Greymon won't be that different!Blue flames began pouring out of Greymon's mouth as he reared back, and then he spewed a massive blue fireball with a bang. The fireball went right through the three Bakemon and carried on, just barely hitting the two Bakemon choking Koushiro. Barely hit or not, all five Bakemon were reduced to particles. Koushiro was on his knees, breathing heavily, with Sora near him. No sign of Greymon's fireball touching him.
Taichi looked back up at Phantomon who was already holding his hand out and the particles were starting to float back down. Like it'll make a difference! Greymon would just blast the Bakemon out of existence again. But Greymon had other ideas, and a blue fiery stream lanced right at Phantomon. The ghost faded away as the flames reached him and the Bakemon particles once again spread into the air.
"Great going, Greymon!" Taichi called out. The large dinosaur turned around and looked at him with a growl. "Uh, Greymon?" Greymon reared back, flames starting to spark out of his mouth. "Greymon!" He called out, "It's me! Stop! Agumon! Koromon! Whoever you are! It's me!" Greymon's eyes widened and lit up slightly.
"T-Taichi?! I-I'm so sorry! I almost lost myself!" the dinosaur apologized, "Please turn me back!"
"Uh, right!" He ordered the digivice to turn Greymon back to Agumon. He felt the flames jump back into his body as the dinosaur shrank back down, though they weren't nearly as bad as coming out. "You better?"
"Yeah. Again, I'm really sorry," Agumon looked away, "My Greymon instincts were too strong. If you didn't remind me who I was…" Taichi patted him on the head.
"It's okay. You stopped in time and it's not like we have a manual or anything," he assured the digimon, "Now let's check on the others."
Sora looked okay, she'd torn off part of the bottom of her shirt to bandage her leg. "I'll be fine," she said, "I've played on worse." That was true. He recalled more than one occasion of her limping across a soccer field and still having to be dragged off by the school nurse. Her voice dropped to a whisper. "I'm not sure about Koushiro-kun, though."
She was right. Koushiro was sitting on the ground, hunched over, and breathing very heavily. Tentomon fluttered up in front of Taichi. "Is it okay of Koushiro-han rests for now?" Koushiro looked up, Taichi almost flinched at the haunted expression.
"No, Tentomon," he panted, "We… We can't stop-"
"Yes we can," Taichi interrupted, "Those Bakemon aren't coming back. I don't think Phantomon's ready for Greymon. And besides, Ishida's found some new powers with the digivice we need to get used to. That reminds me. Hang on." Evolution did the trick, but don't just spring it on Gabumon.
Well, obviously.
And make sure you do it in an open area. He'll get big. Now, about the other thing you found.
Yeah, that. They were actually the first thing I found but they're something we'll need a chance to practice with. They're weapons. A CoreSaber and a CoreBlaster. Weapons? He felt his mouth stretch into a grin.
Weapons?!
Let the digivice know you need to fight at Agumon's side.
"Taichi?" Sora interrupted, "Are you talking to Yamato-kun?" Taichi nodded.
"He just told me something interesting." He focused on telling the digivice he needed to fight at Agumon's side, which wasn't hard. All he had to do was think of easily the Bakemon got at him despite Agumon's protection. And how he would feel if Agumon gut hurt and all he did was watch. It started feeling like his arm bones were trying free themselves. Then he felt an object appear in each of his hands.
In his right hand he found a single edged blade that seemed a little more like a knife or dagger than a saber. The guard and edge were red. The blade's flat end and hilt were white. In his left hand was a gun. The handle and bottom half of the nozzle were white, the rest was red. He pointed it towards the water and squeezed the trigger, a red bolt fired out, splashing into the water. He looked at Sora, feeling the smile on his lips. "I have a ray gun."
"But fighting's our job," Agumon said.
"If we can't protect ourselves, we'll just get in the way," Sora said, though the look in her eyes said what Taichi was feeling.
No way we're just standing and watching. "Anyways, we got some new tricks with the digivices. I say we don't go any further until we've gotten the hang of them."
Afterword: Well, my M rating got justified nice and fast. This is actually about as graphic as I'll be with nudity. I don't do explicit.
I know green is usually used for wind, but I wanted to save that for Mimi. Otherwise she'd be stuck with brown and I can't do that to her.
The CoreBlaster and CoreSaber are because I want the children to be more active in the fights but I'm tired of Biomerging. Besides, this lets them be real partners instead of just glorified batteries.
